Chapter 94

Lindou, the hero, my companion in this different world.

That guy always stuck his nose into unnecessary matters and was tossed around quite a bit in that world. Since Eris agreed with this, Robelia and I ended up cleaning up after him, which became a daily routine.

Until the very end, he continued to feel a strong aversion to killing his own kind. Even when he had no choice but to kill someone, and every time he got his hands dirty, I told him that he didn't need to get involved in things that would lead to such situations, but he didn't stop.

Oda-san and that guy have some similarities. They are both overflowing with a sense of justice and a heart that wants to help others. And, they also have that sweetness that can't become completely ruthless.

A few weeks had passed since I left the old man's place, and I found myself back near the town where Oda-san and the others were. This thought had suddenly come to mind, and more importantly, I had been thinking about the encounter with the raiders that the old man and the others had experienced.

The reason the raiders came to raid that rural town was probably because the people there seemed easy to deal with. However, contrary to their expectations, they received a painful counterattack.

But I think the main reason was that the place had a small population, making it relatively safe. Even if they found a place with abundant resources, if it was swarming with zombies, raiders wouldn't go there unless they were in a dire situation.

In this world, people, including raiders, are all looking for places with fewer zombies. Unfortunately, this area has become such a place because I hunted down all the zombies after leaving that department store.

This town, which is somewhat urban, should have a lot of supplies but also a considerable number of zombies, making it a dangerous place. However, now it is almost free of danger and has become a very livable town in this world. People who move to this town from somewhere else will likely stay here for a while. The same goes for raiders.

If someone had taken refuge in that department store, Oda-san and the others would accept them. The supplies I left there are enough to last even if a few more people join, but I'm worried that raiders might notice them. If they get inside, they will realize it, and if they don't go out to gather supplies for a long time, it will become clear that they have plenty of food.

Moreover, there are quite a few young female refugees and police officers, including Yuki and Kaede, so there's a good chance they might attract attention.

I might be overprotective, but that's why I came to check on them.

On the way, I made a detour to the home center where I met Kaede. It seems Oda-san and the others have come here a few times since I left. The generator and steel pipes I moved from the second floor to the first floor are almost gone. I hope they are useful to them.

I check up to the third floor, but it seems they haven't been here. I open the staff room door and feel a bit nostalgic, and the face of that girl comes to mind.

I hope she's doing well. I hope she hasn't caught a cold. Getting sick in this world would be a big problem, so I'm worried about that too.

Such feelings, as if I were thinking about my own child, come to mind, and I laugh at myself a little.

It's already mid-summer, unlike when I left the department store. I close the hot room door and leave the home center.

+++++

I run through the darkness of the night. It's been about a month since I left the department store and hunted down all the zombies, and the number of zombies hasn't changed much. The road is deserted, and the few zombies around are probably the ones that came out of buildings I couldn't clear.

The countless corpses scattered around are, of course, left as they are, and the stench of decay is intense due to the summer heat. It's not hard to imagine the terrible state of the area, with insects and maggots everywhere. This is just how things are in this world now.

I don't sense it through my perception, but I feel a faint presence of people, unlike before. Did they come from somewhere else, or did the absence of zombies make it easier to sense other presences? Given the state of the road, moving around outside wouldn't be too difficult. As long as supplies don't run out, it seems like people can survive here.

As I think about this, I start to move more cautiously as I get closer to the department store. I'm dressed in a full-face helmet and a rider's jacket, all in black, but it's just a precaution. Am I being too cautious? Or is it that the mere thought of being cautious makes me feel like I have some lingering attachment, and I sigh.

Just then, I hear gunshots from not too far away. They are coming from the direction I'm heading. A bad feeling rises in my chest, and I quicken my pace. Then, I hear a loud sound, like glass being shattered, followed by intermittent gunshots.

I leap and move from building to building, and the department store comes into view.

"Damn it..."

I see multiple cars parked by the side of the department store. One of them must have crashed into the front entrance, breaking the barricade and leaving the entrance wide open.