“That’s kind of what I figured. I was surprised, but don’t worry— I don’t think you’re a pervert. Anyway, my friends are waiting outside. I want to join back up with them, so will you two come with me?”
“Of course.”
“Okay.”
With that settled, I set out at a run for the parking lot.
Once I was back outside, I was stunned by the horrific scene in front of me. A huge number or zombie corpses were lying all over the place, seemingly run over by Haruka. Some had their heads crushed while others had broken legs and were unable to move.
I was frozen at the store entrance when Haruka drove the car toward me and rolled down the window.
“…I couldn’t help it. It was impossible to keep running from them,” she explained.
“…I understand. I’m just glad you’re all okay.”
“Those two with you are survivors?”
“Yeah. This is Saya Kamiji and Mayu Amano.”
“Wow. There are four more of you?” Kamiji said, munching on a cured sausage she’d grabbed from inside the store. I wondered how she could eat when there were dead zombies all around us, but I guess it was only natural since it was probably her first meal in days.
After quickly polishing off the sausage, she asked me curiously, “Are the five of you living in this car?”
“No, we live in a dormitory surrounded by a steel fence. We came to the home improvement store here to look for water purifiers and generators.”
“I see. Well, either way, you saved our lives. We would have been turned into zombies for sure if you hadn’t come along.”
“I’m really glad you’re okay,” I told her. “We can’t let our guards down yet, though, so I’m going to clear the area around this store of zombies.”
I picked up my bat and started walking around the parking lot. Thanks to Haruka, there were hardly any zombies left that could roam around freely, so I went and tied up the ones that were crawling on the ground, then returned to the car.
Next, I went back inside and checked the entirety of the store. A few zombies were scattered about, and I tied them all up. With the place secure, I went back outside and let Haruka and the others know the coast was clear.
“I checked all the aisles, but I may have missed something so be careful and stay as close to me as you can. Amano and Kamiji, what do you two want to do? You can come with us if you like.”
“Yes, please! There’s no way we can survive on our own! Right, Saya?”
“Right. We’ll try to make ourselves as useful as we can, so I hope you’ll let us join your group.”
“In that case, we’d better find a car that can accommodate the seven of us. I’ll look for keys and—”
“Wait a second. There’s something I should tell you first,” Kamiji said, showing me the back of her hand.
It had two cuts on it, which were dripping blood.
“…Just before, a zombie scratched me. So there’s a chance I’ll turn into a zombie in a few minutes.”
“—!!”
Her unexpected confession rendered me speechless.
“Are you still willing to let me come with you? Just take Amano if you’re worried about it, and I’ll stay here.”
“Saya…”
“Don’t worry about me. Kousaka wiped out the zombies here, so things should be peaceful for a while.”
Kamiji smiled at Amano, but her voice was trembling. I could tell she was forcing herself to put on a brave front.
I fell into silent thought. Even if the zombie virus had invaded Kamiji’s body, maybe I could save her by giving her my saliva. There was also the possibility that although she’d been scratched, she might not turn into a zombie. Either way, even after explaining that I could give her my saliva, I could only actually do it once she started transforming.
“We don’t know for sure that you’ll turn into a zombie, so why don’t you come with us?”
“What…?!” Kamiji exclaimed, wide-eyed. “Kousaka, are you serious?”
“Of course… But I’d like you to let me keep watch over you to see if you’ll turn into a zombie. At least for the next couple of hours, let me stay by your side at all times.”
“If I do become a zombie, will you blow my head off for me?”
“…No. I’ll probably tie you up and leave you someplace safe.”
I’d really be kissing her to prevent her from transforming, but it was probably better to explain it like this for the time being.
“Well?”
“…I couldn’t ask for anything more. Thanks, Kousaka. I’ll try my best not to get too far away from you.”
“Kousaka. Thank you so much for letting Saya come,” Amano said, and she and Kamiji bowed in unison.
Feeling guilty for not being completely honest with them, I found it hard to smile back.
After that, Tsukishiro suggested they check Amano for zombie bites. She probably felt bad about having invited a woman to our dorm who’d later turned into a zombie and was worried about making the same mistake again.
Since the interior of the store was fairly dark, we decided to examine Amano just inside the entrance, where there was still plenty of light. We set up a wooden partition we found nearby, then Amano took off her clothes while I stood on the other side. I left it up to Tsukishiro and Lisa to check for bites.
I could have gone outside to wait, but we decided to do it this way in case any zombies might still be hiding inside the store. There was a gap of about twelve inches between the partition and the floor, and I could see Amano’s clothes piling up.
I couldn’t help but imagine Amano naked, and the sight inside her skirt flashed through my mind. I hadn’t been able to see properly since it had been dark, but that was a woman’s…
Hey! Where the heck is my mind going?! I’m such a lowlife.
I tightened my grip on the bat. I had to focus on staying on the lookout for any remaining zombies and watch over Kamiji in case she started to change.
“Hey, Kousaka. Has anyone ever gotten infected by a zombie scratching them?” Kamiji asked as she chewed on a piece of beef jerky.
“Not as far as I know.”
“Oh yeah?”
“I can’t be sure, but saliva seems to be the most likely route of infection, so I think we should be okay if you only got scratched.”
“You’re way too optimistic. Maybe the zombie licked its hand right before it scratched me.”
“I…”
“—Sorry. That was mean.”
“It’s okay…”
“Anyway, seeing as this could be my last meal, I’m going to eat whatever I want.”
Before she’d even finished her sentence, Kamiji opened the pull tab on a can of beer. It started to foam vigorously, but she drank it without a care.
“…It’s lukewarm and gross. I wish I could’ve had one before we lost power.”
Despite her complaints, she gulped down the beer and opened a bag of roasted pistachios.
“…She really comes across as an adult,” Haruka murmured, having snuck up right beside me without my realizing it.
True, it was the sort of way an adult might behave, but I didn’t think there was really anything to admire about it…
“They’re both twenty-year-old college students,” Haruka told me.
“Ah.”
“Just out of curiosity, which do you like better, a younger woman or an older one?”
“…Is it just me, or did you emphasize certain words when you asked that question?”
“Do you prefer cute girls or pretty ones?”
“You are. You’re emphasizing some words on purpose, aren’t you? So you consider yourself cute?”
“Huh? Don’t you agree?”