Jobless Man’s Zombie Survival Life - Chapter 67: The Matter of the Big Cleanup

Chapter 67: The Matter of the Big Cleanup

“But, are you really sure it’s okay? For us to stay with you too…”

On the way to Mondo-occhan’s place, Yukiko-chan asks Misa-neesan.

As for seating, I’m driving, Misa-neesan’s in the passenger seat.

In the back, Yukiko-chan and Hina-chan sit with Miku-chan between them.

Miku-chan’s clutching “Ichirouta” the bear, fast asleep in dreamland.

“No worries, no worries! You helped Miku, so don’t sweat it! We’ve got plenty of rooms!”

“But… um, food, water…”

“My parents basically live self-sufficiently, so it’s fine! They’ve got spring water, a garden, and a certain kind Ichirouta who’ll probably bring preserved food!”

“Me!? …Fine, I guess?”

Sounds cheeky, but that’s Misa-neesan for you.

She never asks for the impossible, and we’re tight, so it’s no big deal.

I’d say no if I minded.

I was planning to anyway.

Can’t let Miku-chan starve.

Plus, that area’s clear of looters, except those punks I sent back to the earth.

Looks like a scavenger’s paradise.

“…By the way, Ogahara-san, your family’s out of the prefecture, right?”

It suddenly hits me, so I check with Hina-chan.

“Y-Yes…! No contact at all, I don’t know how they’re doing…”

Ogahara-san looks down.

Oh no! My bad, my bad… That was tactless…

That’s my problem, always messing up like this…

“It’s okay, they’re probably fine! You made it, didn’t you? …My family’s overseas, you know?”

“Y-Yeah…”

“I’ll do anything I can to help!”

“You said anything, huh~”

“You said it, oniisan!”

“Why’re Misa-neesan and Yukiko-chan answering!?”

We laugh and bicker, and I breathe a sigh of relief.

Phew, the mood’s back.

Gotta watch out for careless questions—landmines everywhere.

“Um! Tanakano-san!”

“Yes!!”

Ogahara-san suddenly shouts.

Scared the crap outta me…

“Uh, I have a request!!”

What’s that?

A house with a garden’s a bit much, you know?

“Can you call me by my name!?”

“Huh?”

…That’s it?

“I always feel like an outsider… It’s a bit isolating!”

Ohh… Come to think of it, I’ve been calling her Ogahara-san this whole time.

If that’s all it takes, I’m happy to oblige.

“Got it. Nice to work with you, Hina… Hina-chan.”

“…Yay!”

Hina-chan looks thrilled.

…If that makes her this happy, it’s a small price to pay.

“You look happy, Hina-chan.”

“I’m an only child, so I’ve always wanted siblings… Seeing you, Tanakano-san, I think this is what a big brother feels like…”

“Oh, I get it! Oniisan’s totally big-brother vibes, right!”

Yukiko-chan’s Japanese is a bit off.

Big brother, huh.

…I’m way older, but not quite dad age either.

“Not a dad~?”

“If Misa-neesan’s mom age, then—ow, ow, OW, my ear’s gonna rip off!!”

The tongue’s the root of all trouble, as they say.

※

“We’ll be in your care from today. Thank you very much!”

“Hey, no need to be so formal. Make yourselves at home.”

“That’s right, treat it like your own house. It’s like having more grandkids—makes me happy!”

We arrive at occhan and oba-chan’s place, and I drop off the four.

I watch Yukiko-chan and Hina-chan greet them.

Those two are such good kids—occhan and the others will love them.

Oh, I need to ask Kanzaki-san to radio Mayumi-obasan about the move soon.

Now, time to pick up Sakurai-san.

A van would’ve fit everyone at once.

…Sakurai-san’s kinda big in every direction.

I head home, switch to the pickup, and grab Sakurai-san.

I went with the truck since I’m scouting later.

It’s a bit cramped, but he’ll deal.

Oh, I’ll bring my old sword too.

Occhan can sharpen it when he’s free.

“How’s the injury?”

“No sign of infection, so I think it’s fine. Thanks to Kanzaki-san.”

Sakurai-san shows me his bandaged left hand.

Good, good.

Kanzaki-san’s the real deal.

She patched up my face in no time too.

…Seriously, who is she?

She won’t tell me, and thinking about it’s pointless.

I give up—Kanzaki-san’s just Kanzaki-san.

That’s good enough.

“By the way, I’m scouting today. Need anything?”

“Hmm… Nothing comes to mind. Oh, an axe would be nice.”

“An axe? For a weapon, something lighter—”

“No, no, for chopping. My in-laws use firewood.”

“Cutting down trees?”

“Yeah, I’ll fell some nearby now and let them dry. Planning to do it once my injury’s fully healed.”

Got it, prepping for winter.

…I should stock up on kerosene and gasoline too.

It doesn’t snow here, but cold’s still cold.

“Man, nature’s way scarier than zombies.”

“That’s… only true for folks like you and Kanzaki-san…”

He laughs it off.

Doesn’t make sense.

※

“Alright, let’s go, kid!”

“Déjà vu much?”

After dropping Sakurai-san at occhan’s, I’m about to head out scouting when occhan says to take him along.

I figure he wants souvenirs for Miku-chan, but he leads me somewhere.

It’s a two-story supermarket near his place.

“The owner’s my junior. I remembered yesterday he was planning a preserved food fair.”

“Preserved food? Perfect timing.”

“Our area’s as empty as yours. Better use it than let it rot.”

Totally agree.

Dead men tell no tales (in a different sense).

I’ll grab some for myself too.

I peek through the first-floor window.

…Whoa, zombies. Seven, by my count.

“Pretty packed with zombies. Plan?”

“It’s close to home, so we don’t want them wandering out. Let’s do a big cleanup.”

“Roger that!”

We draw our bokken and pry open the automatic door.

“(I’ll take the left.)”

“(Got it, I’ll go right.)”

We split up, moving quietly toward the zombies.

I check the floor for half-body zombies too.

Three on my side.

I take a deep breath, hold it.

Like always, I smash the back of the last zombie’s head.

Before they notice, I hit the second one the same way.

The third starts turning, alerted.

I slam a slash into its throat to silence it, then bring the bokken down on its skull.

I confirm all three are down, then exhale.

In the corner of my eye, occhan’s handling his zombies.

His relaxed, effortless strikes seem to slide right into their weak points.

…He’s barely putting in effort, but the impact sounds heavy and dull.

Man, that’s experience.

A master’s touch.

We clear the rest, finishing the first floor.

The supermarket’s here, but to avoid interruptions while scavenging, we’ll clean the second floor too.

We climb the dead escalator.

…Second floor’s barely touched. Clothes, miscellaneous goods, books, DVDs.

…DVDs!?

Jackpot! I’ll rummage later!!

Buzzing with excitement, I put down employee-like zombies.

Must’ve been before opening—no civilian zombies.

Alright, mostly done.

Oh, one more over there…

“Kid, I’ll take that one.”

Occhan steps in, stopping me.

It’s a zombie in a suit.

“Hey, Yanagi…”

Occhan calls out fondly, approaching.

His junior… this guy?

“AAAAAAA!!”

The zombie charges, screaming.

Occhan slowly raises his bokken to a middle guard.

“Eiyaaa!!”

A sharp kiai.

A heavy step echoes.

The zombie collapses, forehead caved in, motionless.

“…Rest in peace.”

…Fast.

That overhead strike was too fast.

And that power.

Just a regular bokken, unlike mine…

“Sorry, kid. I wanted to put this one to rest myself.”

Occhan turns, smiling as usual, but he looks a bit lonely.

“Close friend?”

“My high school junior, two years below. I even introduced him to his wife.”

“…And his wife?”

“Died in an accident ten years ago… Seeing the world like this, not sure if that was good or bad…”

Occhan starts walking toward the escalator.

“I’ll look for preserved food downstairs. You grab what you want and come down.”

He probably doesn’t want to stay here.

I’ll hurry up too.

Hmm, small selection, just mainstream DVDs.

Mostly stuff I already own.

Anything new…?

Oh, a Western section.

A legendary actor—still kicking—has a whole series here.

I’ve never seen these… I watch his iconic cop show that spawned tons of fans, but not these.

I’ll take them all.

…Nothing else stands out.

Time to join occhan.

Wait, let’s check clothes.

T-shirts, innerwear, underwear—can’t have too many.

…Thought about getting something for Miku-chan, but…

My fashion sense is nonexistent.

Socks are safe—can’t go wrong with those.

I’ll grab some.

Underwear’s a no-go… I’ll ask Misa-neesan to pick some later.

I head downstairs and meet up with occhan.

Whoa! Tons of preserved food!

“Let’s start with what’s on the shelves. The back’s cool and shaded—makes a decent storage.”

“Got it. Time for heavy lifting. Count on me, kid—I’ll carry more than you.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Dried noodles, hardtack, dried rice.

Retort sauces and soups.

Not sure about nutrition, but I grab boxes of vegetable juice.

Can’t forget honey.

And snacks for the ladies.

Occhan’s happily hauling sake bottles.

…Well, it’s calories.

I don’t drink, but whatever.

I find a decent axe—might work for chopping.

If not, I’ll hit a hardware store.

We shuttle between the store and the truck, packing the bed to the brim.

This’ll last a while.

The pickup’s unstoppable.

“Hey, kid, sure you won’t move in? Miku’d love it…”

“I appreciate it, but I’m a lone wolf at heart.”

“Got it. Come by anytime. …Don’t die, alright? Miku’d be heartbroken.”

“Yeah, I’ve realized lately there’re people who care about me.”

“…(This guy’s too dense. Gonna be a rough road.)”

“What?”

“Nothing, eyes on the road!”

Chatting with occhan, we reach the house in no time.

“Grandpa! Ichiro-ojisan! Welcome back!”

I park in front of the store, and Miku-chan comes flying out.

I worry about zombies for a second, but this area’s clear.

Occhan’s swept a 100-meter radius around the store.

He put down every zombie in sight.

All but one road’s blocked with abandoned cars, and the open one has a movable gate.

He’d been clearing zombies for a while, but built the gate in a day when he heard Miku-chan was coming.

…Grandpa’s love is terrifying!!

“Yo, Miku-chan.”

“I’m back, Miku! Brought tons of souvenirs!!”

“Yay!!”

While occhan lifts Miku-chan, I unload everything but what I need.

Living alone means less food.

Yukiko-chan and Hina-chan come out to help.

Man, they’re good kids.

They’ll do fine here.

Occhan and oba-chan are kind to anyone polite.

“Hey, occhan, can you sharpen this?”

With the unloading done, I hand over my old sword, totally forgotten.

“Sure thing. …It’s beat up. Mind if it loses some metal?”

“Fine by me, as long as it’s usable.”

“Alright, I’ll have it ready in a week… Oh, hold on.”

Occhan takes the sword, heads to the back, and returns with something.

“Here, a thank-you. …Not that it repays what I owe.”

I take a heavy cloth bag and open it.

Inside… a wakizashi.

Black lacquered sheath.

Thick tsuba.

The handle’s… cowhide?

“Whoa…! This looks expensive…!”

“Take it, take it. My family’s lives are worth more than money.”

“…If you put it like that, I’ll accept.”

“It’s unsigned but sturdy and sharp. Use it hard! I’ll sharpen it anytime.”

I draw it—yup, looks wicked sharp.

The rugged blade glints.

The fittings are solid. Nice piece.

“There’s a naginata and spear too…”

“I can’t handle those!”

Left unchecked, he’d pull out a matchlock rifle.

I gotta hit Yurei tomorrow, so time to head out…

“Goodnight, ojisan!”

“Night, night!”

…Failed to leave!!

Ended up with dinner and a bath!

Can’t say no to Miku-chan!!

…Guess I’ll head out early tomorrow…

In a Japanese-style room once used by occhan’s brother, I wrap myself in futon and close my eyes.