Chapter 76

"Hmm...?"

I woke up to the reaction from my presence detection ability.

There were two living beings.

There were also undead reactions nearby, but I hadn't set any specific alerts for them unless they were in close proximity.

This layout suggests that I'm surrounded by zombies outside.

"Damn it!"

"Takechi! What do we do!?"

The voice I heard was still youthful.

A child, huh.

But what will happen if I only help them at this moment?

Can I take responsibility for what happens after?

"Tch."

However, Kaede's face flashed in my mind, and I spat, immediately stood up, and opened the shutter at the front of the store.

"Over here, come on!"

I kicked the zombie nearby to create some distance, then swung my axe down on another one, killing it.

I must have slept for quite a while.

The morning sun had risen high, and a large number of zombies were heading towards us, blocking the straight path of the arcade street.

The two high school-aged teenagers, a boy with a crowbar and a girl with a wooden sword, turned towards me, seemingly surprised by my call.

"Hurry up!"

I swung my axe from behind, smashing the heads of the zombies standing in a straight line between us and the two, and called out again.

The two immediately started running when they noticed me.

Once the two safely entered the store, I quickly closed the shutter.

+++++

While the sound of zombies outside banging on the shutter could be heard, I took out an LED lantern from my backpack and placed it on the register counter.

"Sorry, thank you. You saved us."

The first to speak was a boy who, except for being slightly muscular, looked like an ordinary teenager with a rather unimpressive face and messy hair that emphasized this.

"No problem. Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine. What about Momo?"

"...I'm fine. Thank you very much."

In stark contrast to the voice she had just used outside, the girl, who had wavy semi-long hair that was now a so-called pineapple head, and tanned skin, spoke quietly. Her appearance, combined with her school uniform, made her look like a typical gal, but she seemed to have thought about it a bit and was wearing something like a tracksuit under her skirt.

"Well, it's good to see you both are safe."

I said this, then looked around the store and propped up the tables I had gathered against the entrance.

There are quite a few zombies outside.

It seems the sound of the shutter has attracted more of them.

The shutter looks sturdy, but if it breaks, it will be troublesome.

This won't stop them, but it should buy us some time.

If it breaks, I can just go into the kitchen and knock them down over the counter.

There's also the option to escape through the back door, but it seems there are a fair number of zombies there too, attracted by the sound of the shutter.

"Let's move to the other side. If the shutter breaks, we'll hit them over the counter."

I told the two this and moved with my backpack.

They obediently followed.

During this time, I could feel the hostile gazes from the two.

It's within the acceptable range of a defensive reaction, I suppose.

Both of them looked extremely exhausted.

From their blood-stained clothes, it's not hard to imagine the extraordinary experiences they've had since the pandemic.

I sighed at the thought that such young children had to become like this in this world.

"...Is that all the weapons you have?"

I asked casually, and the two exchanged glances before nodding.

Seeing this, I took a pistol out of my backpack.

At the same time, the hostile reaction intensified.

Taking out a pistol might be a natural response, but it's a bit complicated to have it directed at those I just helped.

Despite this, I placed the revolver on the register counter, followed by the spare ammunition.

These were given to me by Oda when I left the shelter.

"I'll give you this. Do you know how to use it? Just load the bullets and fire."

I took a step back to avoid unnecessary suspicion.

"If the shutter breaks, use this to defend yourselves. Be careful with it."

Saying this, I sighed again at the still hostile reaction, which had lessened but was still present.