Jobless Man’s Zombie Survival Life - Chapter 35: The New Resident

Chapter 35: The New Resident

“Nyaahhh! So cuuuute!!”

“Nyuuh!?”

Miku-chan squirmed as Yukiko-chan hugged her tightly.

Incredible! The rom-com trope of smothering in a big chest isn’t just fiction!!

Oh no! Kanzaki-san is glaring at me like I’m toxic waste!!

Please spare my life!!

After rescuing Miku-chan from North Elementary, the three of us safely returned to Yurei.

Kanzaki-san, with Miku-chan on her lap, stayed silent the entire ride.

…It must be awkward knowing this scruffy guy called her pretty behind her back.

I’d definitely lose a harassment suit.

After an awkward trip, we reached the shelter and ran into Yukiko-chan at the school entrance.

I introduced Yukiko-chan as my friend, and as soon as Miku-chan gave her cheery self-introduction, this scene unfolded.

“Yukiko-chan, Yukiko-chan, calm down! You’re going to suffocate Miku-chan!”

“Ah! S-Sorry, Miku-chan!”

“Phew! That was a surprise!”

Miku-chan laughed it off.

She’s completely unfazed.

This kid’s going to be a big deal someday…

“Tanakano-san, Kanzaki-san. Good work.”

Miyata-san approached from the hallway, likely noticing the commotion.

“That’s the kid from North Elementary…?”

“Yes, she’s a survivor. Her name’s… whoops!”

Miku-chan darted behind me, away from Yukiko-chan.

Was she startled?

Well, Miyata-san is huge and tough-looking.

But he’s a really nice guy.

“Did I scare you? I’m Miyata Goujirou. Nice to meet you.”

“Ugh…”

Miyata-san crouched with a wry smile.

Even his name sounds tough!

“I’m Sakurai Miku! Ten years old!”

“Nice name. You’re a lively kid, huh?”

Miyata-san flashed a warm smile.

What an old-fashioned smile…

No wonder the shelter kids call him “Jizou-ojichan.”

To me, he looks less like Jizou and more like a kind-faced Fudou Myouou, Bishamon-ten, or Kongou Rikishi.

Perhaps soothed by his 100% kindness smile, Miku-chan peeked out from behind me.

“Hello! Nice to meet you!!”

“Yup, you too. You must be tired—rest up. There are lots of friends here.”

Miyata-san patted her head, and Miku-chan smiled shyly.

“Woo! So high! Cool!”

“Haha, you think so?”

Next, I saw Miku-chan giggling while riding on Miyata-san’s shoulders!!

“Ugh, I’m jealous. Maybe I should try to grow taller…”

Yukiko-chan muttered enviously.

That’s the wrong thing to be jealous about, and height doesn’t just stretch like that!

“Yukiko-chan, come here for a sec.”

“Hm? What’s up, Onii-san?”

While Miyata-san played with Miku-chan, I pulled Yukiko-chan aside.

“Here’s the thing…”

I can’t let Miku-chan hear, so I explained what I learned at North Elementary—about Yokota-sensei’s fate.

I need Yukiko-chan to go along with saying she’s missing, not dead.

I’ll have to tell Miyata-san later too.

Someday, Miku-chan will need to know the truth, but not yet.

“…So, please tell Hina-chan too, and help take care of her emotionally.”

I only know two young girls here.

Kanzaki-san? She’s more of a grown woman than a girl.

Since I don’t live at the shelter and I’m a guy, girls are better suited for this kind of care.

There are some female cops around too.

“I’m counting on you, Yukiko-cha…”

“Miku-chaaaaaan!!”

“Nya!?”

As soon as she heard me, teary-eyed Yukiko-chan hugged Miku-chan again, who had just climbed down from Miyata-san’s shoulders.

Whoa, suffocation again… oh, she eased up this time.

“You can think of me as your real Onee-chan! Lean on me as much as you want!!”

“Y-Yukiko-oneesan, what’s wrong? Does your tummy hurt?”

Yukiko-chan wailed, rubbing her cheek against Miku-chan’s.

Come to think of it, she once said she wanted a little sister…

Miku-chan, startled but concerned, wiped Yukiko-chan’s tears and patted her head.

…Wait, aren’t the sister roles flipped!?

Anyway, I’m confident Miku-chan will do fine here.

She’s such a great kid.

After all she’s been through, I hope she can have fun here.

Oh, right.

The shelter was full—is it okay to take her in?

I asked Miyata-san, and he said it’s fine.

That idiot kid who got bitten trying to free a zombie?

He turned and was “handled,” so there’s space now.

Along with his girlfriend, who turned earlier, that makes two open spots.

Miku-chan’s worth about ten billion of that idiot.

All lives are equally precious.

But their value shifts based on actions.

Probably.

As I watched Miku-chan being doted on by Yukiko-chan and Hina-chan, who joined in, I thought about this.

What happened after that?

Miku-chan’s sleeping next to me right now.

Listen, here’s what went down.

I was planning to head home and watch a movie.

The next shelter scout is tomorrow, so I figured I’d rest up.

“Ichirou-ojisan, you’re leaving? Why?”

“It’s dangerous out there! Stay with Miku!”

Miku-chan, with teary eyes, clung to me.

It was the same koala-style grip as during the rooftop escape.

“Look, I don’t live here. I’ll come back tomorrow… I drop by a lot…”

“No!”

“Uh, my house is way too comfy to leave, Miku-chan.”

“Nooo!!”

That’s how it went.

She’s stubborn.

If she were a zombie or some brat, I’d smack her and pull her off, but I can’t do that to this angel.

What do I do?

Yukiko-chan, stop looking jealous.

Kanzaki-san, stop snickering—help me!

Hina-chan… that’s a “hug me too” face! Probably! I can’t handle big kids!!

Miyata-san stepped in and told me to stay.

My backpack has food, so I’m good for a few days.

So, I ended up staying in the infirmary again.

Hearing that, Miku-chan finally let go.

You can’t beat a crying kid or… Jizou?

I ate dinner with Miku-chan.

My menu: canned sea chicken and some questionable cabbage.

She tried to share her food, but I desperately stopped her.

Is my meal that pitiful…?

Afterward, we had a fun chat in the infirmary.

I subtly learned that Miku-chan lived with her parents.

Her dad’s a station worker at Shiiya Station in the city center.

Her mom’s a clerk in Akizuki Town, where Yukiko-chan’s mom works.

Both are crowded places… who knows how they’re faring.

At first, Miku-chan and I slept separately.

But the unfamiliar infirmary, especially being a 4th-grader, spooked her, and she crawled into my bed.

She acts tough, but she’s lonely.

Maybe I’ll ask Yukiko-chan or Hina-chan to sleep with her tomorrow.

Yukiko-chan would be thrilled.

It might look sketchy, but I’m no lolicon, so it’s fine.

They gotta be over 20…

“Hehe…”

Miku-chan nuzzled my chest like a cat.

“Mmm… smells like Papa…”

She mumbled happily and fell asleep.

Her dad smokes too, huh?

Wait.

Papa?

Hold on, at my age, a kid like that… yeah, the math checks out.

My heart feels warm, but it stings a bit…

Since Miku-chan was sound asleep, I carefully slipped out to smoke.

I hadn’t had a chance all day because I was with her.

I headed to the parking lot from the school entrance.

Someone set up an ashtray and bench there.

The school was no-smoking, so this was probably added after the zombie outbreak.

Going outside could mean death, so please cut me some slack.

I found someone already at the smoking spot.

“Hey, good evening, Kanzaki-san.”

“Good evening, Tanakano-san. Is Miku-chan asleep?”

“Yeah, she falls asleep fast. Probably exhausted…”

Kanzaki-san was smoking.

Oh? That scent…

Mandrake!

Did she take a liking to it?

It’s nice to have another fan.

“Man, why’s she so attached to me…?”

“You really don’t understand?”

“Not the slightest idea.”

Huh? Kanzaki-san is looking at me like I’m some pitiful creature.

Why?

“You saved her from a desperate situation, risking your own life. It would be stranger if she wasn’t attached.”

When you put it like that, I sound kind of heroic.

Almost like it’s not even me…

“I’ve had a feeling for a while, but your self-esteem is way too low, Tanakano-san.”

She glared at me, slightly irritated.

That’s scary.

“What you’ve done isn’t something most people could pull off.”

“Huh? But…”

“You’ve earned people’s gratitude. Have more confidence in yourself.”

She stared straight at me.

I saved Hina-chan.

I went to the next town and brought back SDF contacts.

I dealt with zombies in the shelter.

I rescued a kid single-handedly.

…When you look at it objectively, it’s pretty impressive, but I’m just enjoying this lifestyle.

I didn’t do anything I disliked; it just happened to align with my interests.

That’s probably why it doesn’t feel real to me.

“I’ll… try to take it in stride.”

“You better. Make it a promise.”

We locked eyes and both burst out laughing.

I felt like I got a bit closer to Kanzaki-san.

These days, every day feels fulfilling.

No bowing to awful bosses or swallowing nonsense.

If I mess up, I’m the one who dies. It’s straightforward.

I can’t say it out loud, but this world suits me better than the old one.

After my smoke, I returned to the infirmary.

Miku-chan had woken up, noticed I was gone, and was really upset.

As a result, I ended up being forced to sleep with her in a koala-style hug.