Jobless Man’s Zombie Survival Life - Chapter 25: Hustling at the Bookstore and Convenience Store

Chapter 25: Hustling at the Bookstore and Convenience Store

“Yoshi! Arrival!!”

I spent two days holed up at home, binging movies and dramas.

All jidaigeki, naturally.

Man, jidaigeki are just it…

Especially the Showa-era ones—they hit different.

Modern jidaigeki, with their fancy cameras, show every detail, even in the dark. Kinda kills the vibe.

That deep, film-camera darkness.

The sticky glint of a drawn blade flickering in it.

Call me a nostalgia otaku, but good stuff is good stuff.

Anyway, after that glorious two-day marathon, I rolled up to the biggest bookstore complex in the city, out on the edge of Minami Ward.

First floor: regular books. Second floor: manga and art books. Third floor: DVDs and Blu-rays.

A total paradise for a guy like me—everything I need in one place.

I used to swing by here now and then even before the zombies. My favorite spot.

This place has a lot going for it.

For one, it’s huge, so it’s out in the suburbs.

The zombie outbreak probably kicked off on a weekday afternoon, so there shouldn’t be many customers around.

Plus, this place only sells books and media.

No daily necessities here.

That means survivors are less likely to prioritize it.

Ignoring food to hunt for books or DVDs?

Only a weirdo like me would do that.

As expected, I parked my pickup truck in a nearly empty lot.

Bokken, yoshi!

Homemade shuriken holder I crafted while watching movies yesterday, yoshi!

Time to charge in.

Let’s go!

Oh, I strapped the holder to my left wrist.

I stepped into the first floor.

The power’s out, so the store’s dim even in the morning.

Just as I thought—no signs of looting.

I scanned the place with my flashlight.

No zombies in sight.

Yoshi! Time to browse!!

Yagyu no Ken: Sono Hikari to Kage (柳生の剣 その光と影, Yagyu’s Sword: Its Light and Shadow)

Yagyu-ryu: Sono Shosa (DVD Tsuki) (柳生流 その所作(DVD付き), Yagyu Style: Its Movements, DVD Included)

Oh, perfect! I’ve been in full Yagyu mode lately—these books are spot-on!

DVD included? Jackpot. Stuff ‘em in, stuff ‘em in.

Shigoto ga Nakutemo Daijobu! Oishii Yaso no Tabekata Kanzenban (仕事がなくても大丈夫！おいしい野草の食べ方完全版, No Job? No Problem! The Complete Guide to Eating Delicious Wild Plants)

…The title’s a bit iffy, but it might come in handy.

Stuff ‘em in, stuff ‘em in.

Ninjutsu Daizen: Ryuha kara Sobi made (忍術大全 流派から装備まで, Ninjutsu Compendium: From Schools to Gear)

Hmm, I’ve got time. Might as well study up on ninjas.

Stuff ‘em in, stuff ‘em in.

Moshi Zombie ga Detekitara? Sabaibaru Seikatsu Gaido (もしゾンビが出て来たら？ サバイバル生活ガイド, What If Zombies Show Up? Survival Life Guide)

Useful or not, it sounds fun. I’ll take it!

Stuff ‘em in, stuff ‘em in.

Hell yeah, this is great!

I grabbed a few novels I’d been curious about too.

Up to the second floor.

No need for manga this time, so I skipped it.

Just checked the floor for safety.

Clear.

Onward and upward.

Third floor.

The main event, in a way.

Before my eyes, shelves packed tight with DVDs and Blu-rays.

Aaaaah!! A treasure mountain!!!

Castle in the Sky was right here all along!!!!

No, no, gotta stay calm.

I suppressed my excitement and carefully checked the surroundings.

No signs of life or noise.

Alright! Time to harvest!!

These American comic book movies? I’m taking the whole series. Time to binge them all.

Power-suit president, America’s butt captain, hell’s messenger—those guys.

…Wait, there’s this many!? This’ll eat up half my backpack…

Whatever, stick to the plan. Stuff ‘em in, stuff ‘em in.

I grabbed movies I’d been curious about but never watched, plus anything with cool-looking packaging.

I’m leaning hard into B-movies, huh.

That’s fine, it’s fun, so it’s fine.

I get that those elevator company lists are masterpieces, but stuff like that just bums me out.

I swung by the anime movie section, picking out whatever caught my eye.

…The jidaigeki corner’s small. Too small?

Feeling the tides of time, I stuffed in a mix of old and new titles that looked interesting.

I crammed in a box set of that swordmaster drama series I’d always wanted to watch, and with that, my backpack was stuffed like a wholesaler’s.

That’s enough for now.

Couldn’t make it to the kung fu movie corner, which is a bummer.

But it’s not like this stuff’s going anywhere tomorrow, and the store’s not running off.

It’s not too far. I’ll come back.

I headed back to the first floor, feeling the best kind of smug as I left the store.

On the way home, I spotted a convenience store and decided to stop by.

Needed to restock my cigarettes and hunt for those snack bars I burned through the other day.

This place, named after its old 7-to-11 hours, was out in the suburbs, so no obvious signs of looting.

Could this be a jackpot?

I scoped out the inside from the outside, confirmed it was safe, and stepped in.

O-neeto!

Whoa, incredible—everything except fresh food and bentos is untouched!

Cigarettes? Piles of ‘em! …Mandrake’s low, though. Guess it’s not a crowd favorite, huh.

My backpack’s full, so I stuffed cigarette packs into my vest pockets and grabbed as many cartons as I could carry.

It’s an unpopular brand anyway—no harm in cleaning them out.

I dropped the cigarettes off at the truck and went back in.

Now, those bars… there they are.

Tons of ‘em.

I shoved three or four of each kind into every pocket I had.

That’s a lot.

These’ll be my snacks, plus great gifts for the shelter.

Right as I pictured Yukiko-chan and the others’ happy faces—

A noise from the backroom.

And at the same time, the whoosh of something long flying through the air.

I ducked instinctively, and a pole—y’know, that nameless rod for closing shutters—flew over my head.

It spun and stabbed into the shelf with the alcohol.

Close call! Good thing I noticed!

Still crouched, I slid behind a shelf for cover.

The bars in my chest pocket snapped under the impact.

Ugh, what a waste.

I heard movement from the register area.

Footsteps too.

Coming this way from the backroom.

Multiple people.

“Hey! Come out! There’s three of us! You don’t stand a chance!!”

Nice of them to shout their position.

Could be a bluff on the numbers, so I won’t buy it yet.

Peeking through a gap in the shelves, I spotted that distinctive convenience store uniform pattern.

Store clerks, maybe?

If so, I’m the thief here.

“Sorry! Didn’t think anyone was still around! I’ll return what I took, so don’t get rough! I can pay if you need!!”

I said that and slowly stood up.

Three of them, like they said.

Two guys, one girl.

All in convenience store uniforms.

The two guys were armed with iron pipes wrapped in bandages.

Guess they’re legit clerks.

“That’s not enough! Leave the car outside too!”

The oldest-looking guy, probably the leader, said that.

“Huh? Oi, oi, oi, that’s a bit much, don’t you think? I said I’d return what I took.”

“Shut up! If you don’t wanna die, do as we say! Hand over the keys!!”

I was ready to apologize since I’m in the wrong, but I can’t give up my truck.

Why’s everyone so obsessed with my pickup?

There’s way better cars all over town.

“Sorry, can’t do that. I need that car.”

“Don’t gimme that crap! We’ll take the keys off your corpse if we have to!! Hurry up!!!”

The younger guy, maybe high school age, snapped impatiently.

He raised his iron pipe.

“Oi, stop. Don’t attack. I’ll have to fight back if you do.”

I can’t let that slide.

I’ve got zero intention of letting them kill me quietly.

…Is this what they call a brazen thief?

“Argh, shut up!! That’s it!! Die!!!!”

The young guy totally lost it and charged at me.

What’s with this town’s people lately? Everyone’s got such a short fuse!

No choice now.

I yanked a shuriken from the belt holder on my wrist and flung it at his thigh.

The blade, sharpened on a whetstone, hit his left thigh.

It sank in about halfway.

My aim was a bit off, but the power’s solid.

“Gah!?!?”

He lost his balance, crashed into a magazine rack, knocked over some weeklies, and hit the floor.

He must’ve smacked his head just right, ‘cause his body went limp.

“You bastard!!!”

The other guy moved instantly.

His movements were practiced, bold.

I turned toward the exit and shouted, “Zombie!!!”

He reflexively looked outside, and I snapped my wrist, sending a shuriken into his left shoulder.

I’d aimed for his face.

He didn’t look away.

“Wah!?”

He yelped at the unexpected pain, and I closed in, landing a right kick.

My boot, powered by centrifugal force, sank into his loosened abs.

He screamed, collapsed, and writhed on the floor, spewing vomit.

“Eek…! EEEEK!!!!”

The girl dropped to the floor.

Her legs gave out.

“Stop! Don’t kill me!! Don’t kill me!!”

“…I’m leaving these here.”

Without breaking eye contact with the screaming girl, I pulled the bars from my vest and pants and dropped them on the floor.

“Sorry for the trouble. I won’t come back. The wounds aren’t deep—they shouldn’t die.”

I called out to her, keeping the two guys in my peripheral vision as I left the store and got into my truck.

I started the engine and peeled out.

That was intense. Didn’t expect clerks to still be there.

I should’ve noticed something was off with how clean the store was.

I couldn’t agree to their demands, but this still leaves a bad taste.

I’m totally a thief here.

Well, I’m always thieving, but still.

I returned what I took, so maybe they’ll let it slide?

It’s an emergency, after all.

Gotta check for clerks next time.

Don’t need extra trouble.

…Oh, crap! I still have the cigarettes!!!

What now… no way I’m going back…

Well, uh, it’s an unpopular brand, right?

And that pole they threw could’ve hurt me if it hit, yeah?

They were totally trying to kill me by the end, so…

Maybe my overkill defense cancels out the theft?

…It doesn’t, does it?

The list of places I can’t go back to keeps growing…

I’ll take a different route next time I need DVDs.

On the way home, still wrestling with my conscience, I spotted another convenience store and stopped by.

This time, I called out carefully. Sure enough, a single zombie clerk came charging out.

I dispatched it cleanly, then looted the place for my target chocolate bars and other stuff.

Time to head home.

Man, dealing with humans is getting more and more annoying…

Zombies are way easier.

Thinking some pretty messed-up thoughts for a human, I pulled a fresh cigarette from the pack I’d “borrowed” and lit up.