Jobless Man’s Zombie Survival Life - Chapter 96: The Unemployed Stroll and the Kids

Chapter 96: The Unemployed Stroll and the Kids

“Hyan! Kyan!”

“Hold on, girl~”

I fill the dog bowl with kibble, toss in a cookie-like preventive med, and top it with a bit of canned food.

There we go, done!

I set the meal in front of Sakura.

“…Sit!”

Plop, Sakura sits.

“…Paw!”

Tap, she places her front paw in my hand.

“…Wait!”

She sits pretty, waiting… drooling like crazy.

I’m starting to feel like a villain.

“Alright, go!”

“Ngyuuru… Fwau!”

Sakura dives into her food with gusto.

Watching her tail wag like a metronome, I can’t help but think…

…My girl’s a genius, isn’t she?

Just a little training, and she nailed sit, paw, and wait.

Hmm, maybe she was always this smart.

I heard somewhere Shibas are clever—does that go for Mame Shibas too?

A Shiba’s a Shiba, right?

“Eh, smart or dumb, doesn’t change how adorable you are, Sakura.”

“Hyan?”

She turns, giving me a “What’s that?” look.

How’d you get food on your forehead, silly?

“It’s nothing, eat up, eat up.”

“Mofu!”

She answers while chomping—pretty talented.

I suddenly recall my cousin saying owning a dog delays your marriage prospects.

True, with a cutie this high-maintenance, romance and marriage feel irrelevant.

That cousin, though, snagged a dog-loving husband and now lives with three kids and six dogs.

…Wonder how she’s doing.

She moved to some island, right?

Connected by a bridge to the prefectural capital.

An island… Zombie-free, it’d be paradise.

If you cleared the zombies, it could be a haven.

Might check it out if I get the chance.

The fishing port’s got plenty of boats.

Be nice to take Sakura.

She’d be shocked—those dogs were Borzois and Schnauzers.

Huge, from what I saw in photos.

“Hyan!”

“Oh, ate it all clean, huh, Sakura? Good girl, good girl.”

I pet her as she clings to my feet, wiping the food crumbs off her forehead.

Gotta give her some milk too.

I flop on the sofa, popping in a movie.

The one with the terminally ill exorcist going wild.

Love this one…

I’ve seen all this actor’s films, but this is my top pick.

Sakura’s curled up on my stomach, dreaming.

So cute… Everything she does is cute.

Oh, here it is!

That middle-finger scene—gets me every time… Epic.

Phew, never gets old.

I’ll rewatch in six months.

Now, today’s a day off.

What to do?

Clock says 10 a.m.

Sakura’s up, wandering the room.

“Mofu! Momofu!!”

What’s up…? Oh.

She’s got her leash in her mouth, eyes sparkling, tail going wild.

…Yeah, alright.

Nothing going on, no rain in sight… Let’s take a walk with Sakura.

Maybe go a bit farther today.

“Alright, let’s go for a walk, Sakura.”

“Hyan!”

※

I clip the leash on a chipper Sakura and head outside.

Which way?

Tight spots are risky for zombie ambushes, so let’s stroll along the riverbank.

I climb the embankment behind the house and turn left.

Right would lead to Akizuki Town.

Let’s follow the river—great view.

Got the pouch, food, water, and weapons: bokken, wakizashi, ken-nata, shuriken.

Plus the backpack.

Fully equipped.

“Hmm, so peaceful.”

I watch Sakura’s tail as we walk the embankment.

Sun feels nice, air’s fresh.

Glad I’m not allergic to pollen.

The sparkling Shiiya River.

Grass swaying in the breeze.

Feels like the zombie mess doesn’t exist.

Birds chirp on the wind.

No cars or planes.

“…AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!”

A zombie’s scream echoes from afar…

Yup, zombie mess is real.

Snapped back to reality, damn it.

Sakura, startled, clings to my leg.

“It’s okay, Sakura, it’s far off.”

“Kuun.”

We resume walking.

Zombies in the residential area to the left, but they’re distant, and the view’s clear—no ambush worries.

Probably some debris fell, and they’re reacting to the noise.

We hit a big bridge.

The one to North District is toward Akizuki.

…Haven’t used this one.

Across it… there’s a convenience store, I think.

“Sakura… cross the bridge?”

“Wan!”

Got her approval, let’s go.

Been driving everywhere lately—this feels fresh.

I check both sides at the bridge’s start.

No zombies off the bridge.

On it… both lanes are packed with abandoned cars, hard to see.

The sidewalk’s separated by a railing, should be fine.

It’s wide, so we’ll stick to the edge.

Sakura prances happily, glancing back at me.

That look is too cute.

So happy…

No one in the cars on this side.

Fled or turned zombie and wandered off.

The other side… ugh, some gruesome corpses through the windows.

What’s the difference? Sun exposure? Nah, probably not.

We reach the bridge’s midpoint.

Great view of the river.

“Sakura, see that little sandbar? I swam there once.”

“Wafu.”

I lift her to see the river.

Her round eyes sparkle, staring.

Good memories… My friend nearly drowned that time.

Wonder how Tashiro’s doing.

Went to trade school, became a mechanic, right?

Said, “Buy a car, I’ll fix it cheap!”

Working at a shop in Ryuugu, I think.

…Hope he’s alive.

Let’s keep walking.

What’s that sound… Whoa!?

A zombie’s banging on a door inside an overturned car!

Not half-bodied, but its limbs are mangled—probably from the crash.

Kinda pitiful… It’ll keep at it until someone deals with it.

That locked door won’t budge.

Hope the police or SDF get to it. Namu namu.

Oh?

Sakura’s slowing down, looking up apologetically.

Tired, huh?

We’ve walked about three kilometers.

Tough for a puppy.

“Come here, Sakura.”

“Kyu~n…”

“Don’t worry, you’re a kid. Let Daddy handle it.”

I scoop up her mopey face and tuck her in the pouch.

We’ll go like this until she’s rested.

Too far to turn back now.

I stroll slowly and reach the other side.

There, at the road’s end…

Found it! The convenience store!

…No way! There’s a pet shop out back!

Never noticed, since I wasn’t into pets before.

Let’s check the store first.

…Nothing.

It’s shockingly empty.

Thoroughly looted… No cigarettes either.

What’s left… Oh, five cartons of Mandrake!

Their unpopularity is bittersweet.

I check the backroom.

Just booze and snacks.

I’ll take the snacks…

Oh, protein bars.

…These taste awful, famously so.

Might as well grab them for emergency calories.

Sakura’s curiously looking around.

Big adventure for her.

Time to hit the pet shop.

※

So, we’re here, but…

This pet shop’s huge.

Problem is… they might’ve sold live pets.

Peering through the front glass, I see cages in the back.

…Ugh, what to do?

Don’t want to face starved pet corpses.

It’d be sad, and the smell’d be awful.

Dead animals hit harder than dead strangers.

In movies, a dog or cat dying is worse.

What to do…?

Sakura’s got plenty of food, so we don’t need to scavenge here.

I’ll check for smells first.

I’m used to rotting meat from this mess.

I tuck Sakura in my vest and sniff through the door gap.

…No rot smell.

No pets inside?

I put Sakura back in her pouch, pry the door open, and step in.

I check the back cautiously—empty cages.

…Staff let them go?

No sad corpses, so let’s keep looking.

“Lots of stuff, Sakura. What do you want?”

“Wafu!”

“…This is for cats. Like fish?”

What a unique dog.

Let’s find dog-safe fish cans.

I scour the shop, grabbing Sakura’s food.

Oh, those dried chicken strips Ooki-kun mentioned.

Good for my emergency stash too.

After a while, my backpack’s stuffed.

Nice, more stock.

My watch says it’s a good time for lunch.

I head back to the convenience store and climb to the roof using a ladder out back.

Safe from zombies up here.

“…Alright!”

“Wafu… Fumo!”

With my okay, Sakura dives into the dog-safe tuna can we just grabbed.

She’s chowing down.

Really loves fish, huh?

Gotta take her fishing.

I sit on the roof’s edge, lighting a cigarette.

Wind’s blowing the smoke away from Sakura.

Ahh, tasty.

So peaceful…

Warm sun.

Drifting clouds.

Flying birds.

A kid’s scream.

…Scream?

I jump up, scanning around.

A kid runs out of an apartment complex ahead, chased by zombies.

“Hey! Over here!! Come this way!!!”

I wave big.

Can’t let a kid die in front of me!

The kid notices my voice and sprints over.

A lively one in a baseball cap.

“Sakura! Daddy’s got work!”

“Hyan!”

I tie her leash to my backpack, grab my bokken, and leap off the roof.

Landing, I charge forward without slowing.

“Get to the convenience store roof! Use the ladder!!”

“O-Okay!!”

“Leave the rest to me!!”

I pass the kid, hurling a shuriken at the lead zombie.

It sinks into its left eye, but doesn’t stop it.

Damn, shuriken’s better for humans.

“Aaaah!!”

I full-swing my bokken at the lead zombie’s face, driving the shuriken into its brain.

Using the momentum, I step in and strike again, snapping another zombie’s neck.

“Ora!!”

I front-kick a zombie’s gut, knocking it into the one behind.

I hop back, checking the rest.

Three left, including that one!

“Nua!!”

I smack down an arm reaching for me, crushing its throat with the bokken’s hilt.

Guh!?

Another grabs me!

I lower my stance, twisting my hips to throw it off balance.

I shove it away with the bokken and draw my ken-nata.

“Shi!!”

I slash the last standing zombie’s neck, bone and all.

That’s the last upright one.

“…Phew, having multiple weapons makes choices easier.”

Time to finish the rest.

※

“Hey, it’s safe now.”

I call to the convenience store roof and climb the ladder.

“Hyan! Hyan!”

“Hey, I’m back, Sakura.”

On the roof, Sakura’s bouncing with excitement, and the baseball-cap kid’s there.

“Th-Thanks, Ojisan.”

“Not bitten anywhere?”

“Nope, I’m fine!”

I check—no injuries.

Good, that’s a relief.

Age… a bit older than Miku-chan, maybe sixth grade.

“Good, good. I’m Tanakano, this is Sakura.”

“…Ara… Yamanaka Arata.”

Total baseball kid vibe.

Tanned black despite it being spring.

“Well, got questions, but… hungry?”

His cheeks are sunken.

“Yeah… haven’t eaten in three days.”

Oof, that’s rough.

My vest… jackpot, tons of chocolate bars.

“Here, eat.”

“…Really?”

“Don’t hold back, I’ve got plenty.”

“I-Itadakimasu!”

Arata-kun hesitantly takes a bar and starts nibbling.

Teary-eyed from his first food in days.

I hand him three more, and he bows, accepting them.

Polite kid.

“Wafu…”

“Sakura, you just ate.”

He downs three chocolate bars and some vegetable juice (always in my backpack), finally looking human again.

“Thanks so much, Tanakano-san.”

“No biggie.”

Now that he’s fed, time to ask.

“So, Arata-kun, how’d you…”

“Wait! I have a request!!”

Whoa, cut me off.

“O-Okay… What’s up?”

“Please… save my sister, Tanakano-san!!”

Arata-kun drops into a dogeza on the roof.

…Whoa.

That’s a proper plea for a kid.

Dogeza’s a bit much, though.

“…I’d say yes, but I need details. Explain.”

“Okay! …Me and my sister live in that complex…”

“Hm, parents?”

“Dad’s been gone. Mom went to work… hasn’t come back.”

“Got it, sorry for interrupting. Go on.”

His high school sister, he says, has a bad leg from an old accident.

Since the outbreak, he’s been scavenging food, but pickings are slim lately.

She’s been skipping meals to save food for him, living on water for four days.

…That’s rough.

A teen in her growth spurt can’t last long on water.

“…Couldn’t rely on other apartments?”

“Most are locked, and those with people said they had no food to spare…”

Yeah, makes sense.

In this mess, people prioritize family.

I’d raid empty homes, but can’t expect a kid to do that.

“…Alright, take me to your place.”

“Thank you!”

…After hearing this, I can’t just walk away.

I’m not that heartless.

Since I saved him, I’ll look after them until they reach a shelter.

If the shelter’s no good, my place it is.

I’ve stuck my neck out this far—gotta take responsibility.

I sling on my backpack, tucking Sakura in her pouch.

We walk through the complex.

I’m in front, Arata-kun behind.

After that ruckus, zombies should be gone, but just in case.

“Here’s my place.”

It’s a corner unit on the fourth floor.

Tough spot for a sister with a bad leg…

Arata-kun unlocks the door, and we step in.

“Sis!” “Arata! You’re okay!?”

I hear her voice—must be the sister—and follow inside.

“…Konnichiwa~” “Hyan!”

“Who are you!?”

At the entrance, she’s hugging Arata, glaring at me.

Yeah, I’m 100% suspicious-looking.

“Sis! He saved me!”

I’ll let Arata-kun handle the explaining.

“Sorry, to my brother’s savior…”

“Nah, that’s a normal reaction.”

I stop her excessive bowing.

Polite siblings—must be their mom’s good upbringing.

“Let me introduce myself. Tanakano. Have a chocolate bar, on me.”

“Yamanaka Shiho… Are you sure?”

“Arata-kun told me you haven’t eaten. I’ve got plenty, so dig in.”

“Th-Thank you!”

“Kyu~n…”

“Sakura, you already ate.”

I watch Shiho-san nibble the bar, teary-eyed.

…She’s dangerously thin.

Been giving most of her food to her brother.

Her right leg… a prosthetic.

Running or jumping’s probably impossible.

“Plenty more, eat up. You too, Arata-kun—you’re growing.”

I pull chocolate bars from my pockets.

Fuhaha, eight more!

“Your pockets are amazing, Tanakano-san…”

“Fishing vests are handy, right?”

I smile at the siblings munching away, planning our next steps.

※

“Kyu~n, kuun.”

“…Just some chicken.”

“Waon!”

Man, I’m such a softie.