Part 24: Living Alone

After thoroughly searching through the building, I concluded that there was no need to worry about intrusions from outside.

There was a shutter on the front, and the back entrance was secured with a sturdy iron door—quite unlikely to be broken open by the strength of a "zombie."

I decided to make myself at home in the second-floor living area, now abandoned by its owner, and wait for my injuries to heal.

Lying down on the bed.

Take a deep breath.

A faint scent of aging drifted from the pillow, but it didn’t bother me at all.

I hadn’t slept well anywhere in the past week.

Wrapping myself in the warm futon, all the day’s fatigue suddenly pressed down on my body.

My injured foot was instantly forgotten.

"………………………Sigh."

Before I knew it, I was fast asleep, as deeply as mud.

It was perfect. A euphoric illusion spread throughout my entire body.

I’ve never slept this peacefully, not even before the "zombie" incident.

I’d stay like this forever if I could.

Consciousness sank down into the depths of the sea in an instant.

▼

When I opened my eyes again, six hours had passed.

The surroundings were completely dark now.

"Fuunn...~"

I stretched lazily, then, as any civilized person would, flipped on the room's light switch.

"――!?!"

What happened next was astonishing.

Can you believe it? The light turned on.

A god?

Has a god descended?

Hastily searching through the building, I discovered, to my surprise, a solar power storage system installed on the rooftop.

Amazing.

It's incredible.

Holding back my excitement, I headed to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

...So cold.

As soon as I saw the ingredients neatly arranged inside, my stomach growled with a rumble.

My subsequent actions, I must admit, were surprisingly quick.

I placed two portions of the ready-made rice into the microwave and confirmed it was working properly, then heated water in an electric kettle. I set the frying pan on the gas stove, added two blocks of butter cut into chunks, turned on the burner, and tossed in the bacon, savoring the rich aroma of melting butter. Once the bacon had a light sear, I cracked about four eggs and scrambled them roughly. I quickly sprinkled salt and black pepper, poured the hot water from the electric kettle into a cup noodle, piled the cooked rice into a bowl, and added nori paste and takuan pickle on the side.

で、で、でたァーッ！

ものぐさ一人暮らし名物のフルコースだぁー！

一週間と少し前の私なら、こんな量は食べられませんでした。

ですが、今日の私は、この程度の食事、軽く平らげられる自信があります。

「うぉおおおおおおおおおいっくぜぇえええええええええええええッ！」

一人で部屋にいる時、唐突にテンションが上がる時ってないですか？

私はあります。

あるんです。

The meal was devoured at the speed of a vacuum cleaner sucking up dust.

It was as if I were a hungry ghost.

Hardly something one would want to show to other people, eh.

Having thoroughly satisfied myself, I returned once more to the bed and fell into deep thought.

Well...

What should I do now?

At that point, I was completely overwhelmed by the thought, "Wouldn't it be better to just live here for the rest of my life?"

Once you start thinking like that, it's dangerous. After all, I'm naturally inclined to stay indoors.

Before I knew it, I'd decided to sleep in again.

And there was nothing really wrong with that.

I’d noticed the electric blanket laid out on the bed.

When I tried turning it on, well...

It was the kind of warmth that brought back memories of my old kotatsu.

I woke up hours later, having indulged in a long-overdue binge and a lazy nap.

My strength has fully returned. My leg injury has improved significantly as well.

Well then.

Next, I decided I should try to contact my friends who were still at school.

Even though I’m not good with people, there are surely those who are worried about me.

If possible, I should reassure them.

After searching around the building here and there, I found it.

A firework called "Arrow of Sagittarius," with an unnecessarily grandiose name.

It must have cost several thousand yen each.

Probably something the old man bought one summer long ago. The firework was slightly dusty.

I started worrying about the expiration date, but I've heard they can last over ten years as long as they don't get damp. There shouldn't be any quality issues.

Still, I wonder what the old man was thinking when he bought something like this.

Was he planning to give it to his grandchild or something?

...Oops, that's not right.

Thinking about the feelings of someone you've killed, that sort of thing.

It drags down the mood, which was just starting to improve.

I'm a vulgar plunderer.

Let's just accept that as it is.

Holding the 'Arrow of Sagittarius,' I climb to the rooftop of the building and set it alight.

With a faint *shoo-poon* sound, a flash of golden light shoots upward into the sky.

In an instant, the light illuminates the dark night.

In the darkness of the extinguished streetlights, it shone all the more brightly.

"Tama ya~"

I murmured, gazing up at the glowing sky.

As expected for something so expensive, it was quite a showy firework for a household use.

I just hope it gets the message across.

After finishing up all the fuss and bother, I feel sleepy again.

"Then, good night~"

I said goodbye to the "zombies" I could see downstairs.

Drawn by the electric blanket, I left the rooftop.