Jobless Man’s Zombie Survival Life - Chapter 63: The Matter of the Time Limit

Chapter 63: The Matter of the Time Limit

“…What was that move just now? The Demon’s Claw!?”

“Nah, that wasn’t the Demon’s Claw.”

“Where’d you learn that!? That dirty trick… I won’t forgive you!!”

On the screen, two samurai are about to settle their duel.

Right now, I’m watching a movie with Sakurai-san and Kanzaki-san.

This director’s jidaigeki films have a grounded feel I really like.

“Man… first time seeing this, but it was great! I’m a fan.”

“Looking away during a fight… Not something most can pull off.”

“The Demon’s Claw sounds like some killer technique, but… that’s the charm of this movie.”

The film ends, and the three of us share our thoughts.

It’s been about half a day since we got back home.

Night’s closing in.

Today, I brought Sakurai-san, who might turn into a zombie after being bitten, back to my place.

I sliced off his hand from the ring finger to the pinky the moment he was bitten, but whether that’ll save him or doom him, I don’t know.

In a zombie movie, this would work… but this is reality.

I have no clue if the infection spreads through saliva or blood.

I won’t let Misa-neesan or Miku-chan see him until he’s safely in the clear.

Luckily, I only told Miyata-san we were going to Shiiya Station today.

If… if it goes wrong, I’ll tell Misa-neesan he’d already turned into a zombie.

So, the one-and-a-half-day time limit for zombification.

Sakurai-san’s under makeshift quarantine at my house.

Just sitting around waiting is pointless, so we decided to watch a movie.

By the way, we’re seated with Sakurai-san in the middle, me and Kanzaki-san on either side.

On the surface, it’s all relaxed and friendly.

But Kanzaki-san’s got her holster unfastened, ready to draw her pistol.

As for me, I’ve positioned my sword naginata so I can unsheathe and strike in one breath.

Sakurai-san probably notices but says nothing.

From what Kanzaki-san, Hanada-san, and Miyata-san told me, the symptoms of turning into a zombie are:

1. 1. A high fever sets in, with clouded consciousness.

1. 1. The fever exceeds 42°C, leading to a coma.

1. 1. The fever subsides, and they seem to recover.

1. 1. They wake up as a zombie.

Sakurai-san’s temperature is currently 37.5°C.

Is it from zombification or the wound? No way to tell.

If he hits stage two, we’ll restrain him, treat the fever, and monitor his condition.

Tonight, Kanzaki-san and I will take turns sleeping every three hours.

I feel bad, but Sakurai-san will stay in my parents’ bedroom on the first floor, locked from the outside.

The limit’s around noon tomorrow, but we’ll keep watch at least until midnight.

“Alright, the bath should be ready. Kanzaki-san, you go first.”

“No, as the homeowner, Tanakano-san should…”

“This is a ladies-first situation. Homeowner’s orders!”

I convince a reluctant Kanzaki-san to take the bath first.

It’s a warm bath, so I want her to soak and recharge.

She’s the MVP this time.

Without her grenades and cover fire, we might not have made it back.

“Sorry, Sakurai-san, about the bath…”

“I get it. I’ll take one tomorrow night.”

“Yeah, please do. How’s the wound…?”

“The painkillers are helping. I feel a bit floaty from the fever, though.”

Kanzaki-san’s gone, leaving just me and Sakurai-san.

I feel bad, but he’ll have to hold out a bit longer.

“If you get sleepy, rest whenever. The futon’s already laid out.”

“Sorry for all this…”

“No, no, don’t worry about it.”

A sudden silence falls.

Crap, we ran out of things to say.

Well, we just met today, so it’s not surprising.

Maybe I’ll bring up the movie…

“…Ichirouta-kun.”

As I search for a topic, Sakurai-san speaks with a serious expression.

“If I turn into a zombie…”

“Hey, Sakurai-san, let’s not go there.”

“No, I know it’s grim, but hear me out.”

I try to brush it off, but he cuts me off firmly.

“Can you make it so I died at the station…? Actually, I wrote a will while I was there.”

“…”

“I want you to say you found it on my body.”

He pulls a folded piece of a university notebook from his chest pocket and hands it to me.

“Please, you’re the only one I can ask… as a fellow man.”

“…I’ll hold onto it. But I don’t want to be the guy delivering this.”

The folded paper feels impossibly heavy for what it is.

“Of course, I don’t plan on turning. But just in case, you know.”

“Yeah, after all the effort I put into saving you… dying here would be a real hassle.”

“Haha, that’d make it all for nothing, huh?”

Sakurai-san’s bear-like face breaks into a grin.

…So, when he smiles, he looks so gentle.

Maybe that’s what Misa-neesan fell for.

He starts to offer his right hand but pulls back.

“…Let’s save the handshake for tomorrow night.”

“Good idea.”

After that, we chat about trivial stuff.

I get curious about his and Misa-neesan’s love story, so I ask.

She already bombarded me with her side, so I might as well hear the husband’s version.

“Well… about that…”

He’s oddly hesitant.

Is there something to it?

“So… there was this seminar drinking party… and next thing I knew, Misa was in my bed…”

A morning-after bombshell.

“As a man, I had to take responsibility. I mean, I already thought Misa was great, but…”

“That’s… good, right? You’ve got cute Miku-chan now too.”

“Yeah, no regrets. Misa and Miku are my precious family. But…”

“But?”

“At that party, I didn’t drink. I can’t handle alcohol, so I only ordered oolong tea… Funny, right? Did I accidentally drink someone else’s?”

“Huh…”

“Misa was taking care of me the whole time, and I ended up doing something awful to her.”

“Hmm…”

Misa-neesan…

She spiked something!

Definitely!!

…But it’s just a hunch, and it’s too late to dig into it.

They’re happy now, so that’s what matters.

…No, it’s not okay!

But I can’t bring it up now!!

What’s this frustrating feeling!?

“…I’m done with the bath.”

As I grapple with this unease, Kanzaki-san returns, looking refreshed.

Unlike the cold bath last time, she seems properly recharged—good.

…Her post-bath glow is dangerously stunning, so I’ll avoid looking.

I’d lose if she sued me.

…I’ll take a bath to clear my head.

I head to the changing room.

The changing room smells amazing!

It’s like it’s not my house!!

…No, no, stay calm…

The bathroom smells great too!?

…In the end, I doused myself with cold water to cool off.

“Phew, that was a good bath… Huh? Where’s Sakurai-san?”

“He’s resting.”

Back in the living room, it’s just Kanzaki-san.

“I see… He seems okay for now?”

I glance at the door to my parents’ bedroom, where Sakurai-san’s sleeping.

“With recovery like yours, Tanakano-san, it’s hard to believe he can watch a movie after losing a third of his hand.”

“Huh? Isn’t it the painkillers…?”

“The painkillers we used wouldn’t dull the pain that much…”

No way.

What insane mental strength.

…Wait, my recovery?

Why’s she talking like I’m the weird one?

…Too scary to ask.

Anyway, Kanzaki-san and I will take three-hour shifts watching.

It’s my turn first.

Kanzaki-san will use my sister’s bedroom on the second floor.

I check on Sakurai-san every hour.

No sudden fever so far.

…The double bed my parents use looks tiny under him.

Three hours pass.

No major changes.

“Good work. I’ll take over.”

I was about to wake her, but Kanzaki-san’s up right on time.

Classic SDF precision.

“Thanks. No issues so far.”

“Got it. Rest well.”

I head upstairs to my room and hit the bed.

I’d love to read some manga, but I need to sleep.

…Was my bedding always this neat?

It’s been a while since I was last home, so maybe I forgot.

Gotta sleep.

…The futon smells amazing!?

From airing it out last time?

I drift off with a strange feeling.

“Tanakano-san, Tanakano-san.”

I wake to Kanzaki-san’s face in front of me.

Man, a beauty first thing in the morning.

Well, it’s night, but still a beauty.

“…That’s bad for my heart first thing.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Gotta brace myself before seeing a beauty, or my heart might stop.”

I joke as I get up.

Wait… six hours have passed!? Why!?

The alarm… why’s it off!? I set it properly!!

“Sorry, Kanzaki-san! I overslept!”

“Agh… already in the morning…”

“…Kanzaki-san?”

“Hya!! …Sakurai-san’s stable, so no problem.”

Kanzaki-san’s slow to react—probably exhausted.

I made her cover my shift… I messed up.

I head downstairs to check on Sakurai-san.

He’s sleeping soundly.

“He looks healthy… Living alone probably wore him out.”

“Yeah, let’s let him sleep as much as he needs.”

His condition’s stable, so I leave the house to Kanzaki-san and tend to the garden.

Just watering, though.

Looking good—despite my half-assed soil prep, the veggies are thriving.

Potatoes are great for calories and taste, so maybe I’ll ramp up production.

Should I turn the neighbor’s yard—not the Sakashita’s—into a field?

They’re probably not coming back.

If they do, I’ll grovel and apologize. The grandma next door’s nice, so it’ll probably be fine.

“Tanakano-san! Sakurai-san’s condition!!”

I’m eyeing some budding lettuce when Kanzaki-san calls from the balcony.

…Damn it! Is it bad!?

“High fever. But whether it’s zombification or the wound…”

Sakurai-san’s temperature is 39°C.

The trigger for zombification is a fever over 42°C, so it’s unclear.

He’s sweating, looking pained.

As planned, we tie his hands and feet with belts, securing them with rope under the bed.

He’s big, so we used sturdy wire-reinforced rope.

If he turns and thrashes, this should hold.

I check my sword naginata’s position.

Kanzaki-san’s pistol safety is off.

We sit on chairs on either side of Sakurai-san’s bed.

My stomach churns.

Three hours left until the zombification time limit.

“T-Tanakano… kun…”

“Sakurai-san! You okay!?”

An hour later, Sakurai-san calls my name, sounding anguished.

He’s awake.

“Misa… Miku… I want you to… tell them…”

He speaks through his fevered haze.

…No, reassuring him now might sap his will to live.

We don’t know what triggers zombification, but giving up is the root of all ailments.

Time to be ruthless.

“…No way! I love Misa-neesan and Miku-chan!! I’m not passing on some deathbed message!!!”

“Tanakano… kun…”

I grab his collar and yell in his ear, feeling bad for the sick guy.

“Don’t screw around! That huge body’s just for show!?”

Miku-chan’s smile flashes in my mind.

My throat catches, but I force the words out.

“Tell them yourself!! Then hug them tight!!!”

“…”

“Fight! Keep fighting!! …If you die, I’ll kill you again!! For Miku-chan, fight!! For Misa-neesan, live!!!”

It’s absurd, but I had to say something.

“If you die, I won’t be able to face Miku-chan and the others!!”

“…Got it… I’ll fight…”

Sakurai-san gives a faint smile and falls back asleep.

“Heart rate, pulse normal. Fever at 40.5°C.”

Since then, Sakurai-san’s been sleeping.

One hour left until the time limit.

I’ve had my sword naginata drawn the whole time.

If Sakurai-san turns, I can act immediately.

Kanzaki-san’s got her pistol ready too.

A minute feels like an hour.

Hurry up, pass already…

Every time Sakurai-san groans, I half-stand, checking my grip.

It’s fine, it’s fine… I cut the bitten part right away.

It should be fine…

Please… hold on, keep fighting…

I glare at the clock like I could burn a hole through it.

Suddenly, Kanzaki-san gently places her hand over mine, gripping the sword naginata.

…My grip’s so tight, blood’s seeping out.

I give her worried look a small smile.

“Fever at 39°C… it’s going down!”

Kanzaki-san says, sounding thrilled.

It’s been one and a half days… plus three hours.

Did he make it…?

Sakurai-san’s color looks good.

He never hit the 42°C mark, so he should be okay…

But we can’t relax.

We’ll keep watch until he regains consciousness.

How much time has passed?

“Ugh… ah…”

I react instantly to his groan, raising my sword naginata and looking at him.

“Wow… that’s cool. Looks handy for mountain climbing…”

“Sakurai-san! You okay!?”

“My body’s heavy… probably can’t move… ‘cause I’m tied up, huh, haha.”

“Temperature, 37.5°C… normal.”

There’s the same friendly bear I met.

No bear zombie!

“Kanzaki-san! This means…”

“It’s likely just a fever from the wound. As long as we prevent infection… eek!?”

“Yes!! We did it!! Hahaha!! Hahahahaha!!!!”

“Man, this reminds me of when Misa and I were newlyweds… I’ll do that with her too.”

Overwhelmed with joy, I scoop up Kanzaki-san and spin around the room.

I couldn’t hold back!

Please don’t sue!!

“W-Wait!? Tanakano-san! Put me down, put me… ugh! …Hehe.”

“We did iiiiiiiit!!!”

“Hehe, haha, hahahaha!!!”

Kanzaki-san grabs my head and laughs too.

Tears of joy won’t stop.

Sakurai-san’s laughing, still tied up.

Oh, sorry, I’ll untie you in a sec!!

…We did it, Miku-chan! Your ojisan pulled it off!!

Just a little longer, and I’ll bring him to you!