Chapter 99: Magic Power Recovery

Before sunset.

We stood on alert, facing a horde of "zombies."

"Light up the sign! Distract the zombies!"

"Got it!"

"What about the cassette stove?"

"Ready!"

"Follow the plan step by step. Change the flavor with seasoning only as a last resort."

"Got it!"

I'm truly grateful and touched to have such dependable allies.

"Big sister, over here! First, I'm going first!"

Ayaka was already standing firmly in her designated position.

Originally, I was supposed to go first, facing the "zombie," but I'll leave this to her this time.

To be honest, thanks to using the *Ultimate Sword*, I'm already beginning to run low on magic power.

It seems that the *Ultimate Sword V* has tremendous one-hit power, but it drains magic energy quite severely.

"First, let's try the 'Authentic Russian Soup - Borscht'!"

A crimson soup poured without delay.

Tickling my appetite with its savory aroma, I gulp it down in one go.

"Next, the canned good called 'Delightfully Soft Texture Cake.' Here you go~"

Hmm.

This is delicious. I've never tried canned cake before, but it's wonderfully crisp and easy to eat.

The fact that it's individually portioned is a major plus.

It goes great with tea.

"……Next up. A ready-made 'Seafood Donburi'—rice topped with various canned seafood!"

It's a bowl of octopus, tuna, mackerel, and shrimp, seasoned with soy sauce.

The only regret is that there's no canned roe.

"Next, your favorite, 'Tako no Keno Sato'……apparently, it's a premium version."

The dish presented before me was my favorite: 'Tako no Keno Sato.'

Slightly more refined in texture than usual, and a bit larger in size?

It's a shame I can't savor each bite slowly.

"Spaghetti Carbonara and corn soup!"

Hmm.

The first is a ready-to-eat meal, the second a canned soup.

Both were of a quality that could easily stand up to anything served in a restaurant.

"Emergency supply canned bread! I picked the one with chocolate chips and raisins."

Munch, munch, munch.

Delicious!

As long as we have this, I feel like humanity can still fight on...

Checking the expiration date, it looks like it'll last for an incredible five years.

...I sure hope by then, the "zombies" have been completely wiped out.

"Salad made entirely from canned goods, and fried rice with spam....Hey, how much longer are you going to keep eating?"

"Just a little more."

Saying that, he downs the cola in one gulp.

The salad is centered around canned asparagus, corn, mushrooms, tomatoes, and bamboo shoots.

It's not bad, but I do miss lettuce and cabbage.

"Ah, this is 'Peach Can.' I've eaten it when I had a cold—it's pretty tasty, this."

Hmm.

This is juicy, all right.

The juice spreads through my mouth the more I chew.

"Here, it's beef bowl and cup noodles. Eat up."

Hmm.

So the cup noodles have finally made their appearance now.

I get tired of eating the same things all the time, but... huh? This... is...?

"Idiot... Is this... tomato juice...?"

It seems they poured warmed tomato juice instead of hot water.

And there's something else on top too... Is this cheese?

It might sound like a strange combination, but surprisingly, it goes really well with this cup noodle.

"I've got this covered—any cup noodle twist you want. I'm always eating alone at night since I often come home late from work."

Saying that, Hiyagi Norio gives a thumbs-up.

"O... Dad..."

Kosuke watches his father with a slightly awkward expression.

Then, finishing with a quick gulp of his black coffee.

"Yosh! Alright!"

He stands up, slapping his cheeks.

Filled to the brim.

"Aiha-chan! I'll take over!"

Just as he shouted while leaping over the barricade, Aihachan was teaching the "Zombie" a technique she'd never seen before.

"Yaaaaaah! Ultimate Move! ――Galaxy Star Crash!"

Ah...

Galaxy Star Crash.

Did he give up on using kanji names altogether?

Well, naming preferences vary from person to person, so whatever floats your boat, really.

It seems like a technique that emits mysterious energy waves about ten or so meters ahead, launching any enemies within range high into the air.

The way the horde of "zombies" gets scattered, flying apart, almost looks like stars floating in the sky... not unlike that, really?

They're quite dirty-looking stars, though (straightforward observation).

"Well then, I'm heading back."

Speaking as she did, Saya-chan casually jumped into the barricade.

Thanks to Saya-chan, the "zombies" seemed to have significantly decreased in number.

Still, they weren't anywhere near running out.

"Gluuahh…"

"Gooooo…."

"OooooooOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…………"

"G-g-g-g-g, g-g-g, gwooouuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu……"

The "zombies" press in tightly, packed shoulder to shoulder in the narrow corridor.

It feels exactly like a scene from a nightmare.

If this continues, it'll take quite a while to finish them all.

"Shhh… haa…"

Deep breath.

Clear your mind.

The sight of organs scattered and splattered with blood.

The stench of rotting flesh filling the air.

The mindless, hollow groans.

If you focus on each of those things individually, it will disrupt the delicate precision required for a flawless sword technique.

"Alright, then... let's get started."

The relentless barrage of "Fatal Sword IV" begins—now.