Chapter 69

The movement of the female police officer and the evacuees went smoothly, and most of the supplies had been moved. If we made one more trip between the department store and the police station, all the work would be completed.

Although the personnel were rearranged each time people moved, the number of male hands at the police station decreased with the evacuees, and it became more difficult to force the garage open. It took time to ensure safety, and the sun had already started to set.

The deserted police station felt even more silent than usual. In this quiet atmosphere, I and Oda were in the holding cell.

"Are you really going to take this guy with us?"

"…Yeah. I thought about it a lot, and it came to this."

He couldn't clearly judge whether it was a good or bad decision. Holding his head in one hand, Oda said,

"O-oi, what are you talking about…"

"Shut up."

"Ah…"

There was still some residue of the "Intimidation" skill. When I interrupted the man who had attacked Kaede with his nose ring and glared at him, he let out a small cry. Oda looked at us alternately with a puzzled gaze.

"What use is this guy? He'll just be a source of trouble."

"I understand what you're saying, Yanagi. That's why I was hesitating."

"…What's there to hesitate about?"

"Even if we leave him, without weapons, it's the same as abandoning him. But of course, we can't give him weapons."

"Abandon him. He attacked Kaede and tried to kill her. Why should we care about such a guy?"

"Yanagi…"

I looked straight into Oda's eyes, which were furrowed with worry, and continued.

"Oda, I respect you. But on this matter, I have to disagree. It's just a risk."

"I know. I know."

"You said you were hesitating. You weren't just considering leaving him, were you?"

"…That's right. We don't have infinite food. He might cause trouble. We'd have to assign someone to watch him. As you said, taking him is just adding risk. But even so…"

"That's enough."

As I interrupted Oda's words, I pulled the pistol from the holster on his waist. He must not have expected this; I tried to make my movements as smooth as possible to avoid detection, but Oda barely reacted.

"Yanagi!?"

I pushed Oda, who was trying to grab me, away. The power dynamic was clear; I held back, but Oda fell to the floor.

"Wait…"

I didn't know if it was Oda or the nose ring who said that. Ignoring the plea, I aimed the gun through the bars of the cell and pulled the trigger.

A dry sound echoed once.

"W-why…"

"Why? It's just justice."

I said coldly to the man with the nose ring, who was bleeding from his stomach and crouching on the floor. Oda watched in a daze, still in a half-standing position.

"What happened!?"

The door burst open, and the bald man and the bearded man rushed in. They must have heard the gunshot; they looked around the holding cell with wide eyes, clearly confused.

Suddenly, the sound of thunder rumbled outside.

"Y-You, Yanagi… What are you…?"

"…Now, there's no need to hesitate."

Oda slowly stood up and approached me, his eyes trembling. I gently returned the pistol to him.

It had started raining outside, somehow.

+++++

The sky had become overcast, making it darker outside than expected, so we decided to spend the night at the police station.

The people at the department store will worry, but we had already discussed this possibility, so it shouldn't be a problem.

I lay in my room at the police station, which had been my home for a long time, and looked up at the ceiling.

I killed him calmly. Considering the future, I think it was a rational decision. Oda must understand that too.

But he didn't want to make that choice. He didn't even want to abandon him.

He had been killing those who turned into zombies, even though they had once sought his help, relied on him, and looked up to him, all while struggling with his conscience. But that was only because they had become zombies. The man who attacked Kaede was still human, and that's why Oda was hesitating.

Living humans and zombies are different. I don't say that this idea is wrong. But to me, there wasn't much difference between that man and a zombie.

In fact, a human with malicious intent is far more harmful. I had felt this firsthand, not only with the scum in the other world but also with the half-gang group in this world. In such cases, it's better to kill them.

Am I wrong?

I shook my head, recalling the gazes of Oda and the two others who were there. Whether what I did was right or wrong, killing that man was undoubtedly a good thing for everyone.

If I am blamed for it, so be it. I just did what Oda couldn't.