A youth story of a passerby at the end of the world

It was less of a reminder to Uesugi Genshin and more of a reminder to himself.

However, Uesugi Genshin's next words made his heart tremble.

"Armed reconnaissance...?"

"!"

"Hey Hey hey?"

"Hahaha, just kidding." Uesugi Genshin said teasingly, putting his hands behind his head.

"I always feel that being with you has shattered my years of self-cultivation."

"What kind of spiritual practice? Silent meditation?"

The two chatted idly, and looking ahead, they could already see the giant golden snapper sign standing there, just as eye-catching as the Krusty Krab's giant seashell.

Uesugi Genshin's relaxed expression stiffened, tensing up again. He lowered his hand from behind his head, his wrist drooping slightly, and the head of the baseball bat tilted downwards toward the ground.

It's impossible for the fishy smell inside to be carried outside by the airflow.

Is the smell of blood stronger, or the smell of the sea stronger?

He knew the answer soon enough, he thought, looking at the rows of wide-open roller shutters and the group of wanderers.

"What should we do?" Hachiman asked from the side.

This was not his area of ​​expertise to begin with, so he naturally sought advice from Uesugi Genshin, who clearly had more experience.

"Let's clean up the outside first."

"Live fish will spoil if left outside for a day or a night."

Therefore, most fishing boats with the necessary conditions either process the fish directly on the boat or try to keep the fish alive as much as possible.

"If you process it, it will probably freeze."

"Who knows?" Hachiman said uncertainly.

"Yes."

The two reached a consensus that they had to go in and check the situation; the longer they delayed, the worse it would get.

If you live alone, things like salvaging fresh produce in a supermarket are optional.

A person could live on bagged and canned food from the entire city for 5 or 6 years. If they were still not self-sufficient by then, it would only mean that they were not suited to survive in the apocalypse.

With a population of around 100, food becomes especially important here.

Uesugi Genshin counted them carefully and found that there were twenty-four or twenty-five of them, but half of them had visible wounds.

"Let's lure it out slowly." He decided on a strategy that, even if it took time, was a safe approach.

"can."

The two crouched at the corner, crouching low and peeking out to observe what lay ahead.

"here we go."

"Oh."

With a response, Uesugi Genshin carefully leaned out a little so that the zombie, which was turning in his direction, could see him.

He wondered about their eyesight, and other random thoughts swirled in his mind.

Its body swayed like a roly-poly toy, and the moment it "saw" a figure, it ran towards this side with great "excitement".

"Let me see what you've got." He smiled and patted Hachiman on the shoulder.

"Ah."

Uesugi Genshin and Hikigaya Hachiman retreated to a blind spot in their field of vision, which would make the fight safer and prevent them from attracting any extra zombies.

Three appeared from around the corner; all of them were corpses that had been killed.

"I'm number two, you're number one."

"it is good."

After a brief exchange, the two ran off to the left and right.

In order to lure the second one, Uesugi Genshin slightly closed the distance between himself and the two.

Wearing a dusty blue apron, the unknown shop assistant pounced on her.

He kicked out with his right foot, sending the second one flying. The second one hit the skull, blood splattering onto the baseball bat, and the white eyeball almost popped out.

Just like yesterday, Hachiman Hikigaya held his staff with both hands and, after getting close enough, charged up his weapons and swung them out.

Ultimately, it wasn't a roly-poly toy. Its already shaky body completely lost its balance and fell to the ground, wriggling like maggots. It tried to get up, but was executed by the next blow.

"Isn't the sound too loud?"

"Maybe."

It seems they misjudged the sound of solid wood colliding with equally sturdy bone.

The sound was exceptionally clear to them; they just didn't know if those guys would notice.

Uesugi Genshin took a dozen steps and returned to the corner, his gaze brushing the edge as he peered inside.

There was nothing unusual in the distance, but as we went deeper, we saw one moving towards us.

Knew it.

He quickly stretched out another part of his body, attracting the attention of the other one.

Only two zombies were running towards this direction with a clear purpose.

Thinking that there were only about eight or nine of them nearby, it was likely that only four or five were attracted.

He turned back to Hachiman's side and said, "There are quite a few, about four or five. Be careful."

"Shouldn't we retreat temporarily?"

"If you can't even handle this small quantity, what are you going to do next?"

"Be more confident." Uesugi Genshin patted his back, which was usually hunched over but was now straight.

Hachiman Hikigaya twitched his nose, took a deep breath, and felt his pounding heart pumping out new strength.

Both of them walked to either side and took their positions.

The first two that came out ran thirstily toward the two of them. Looking back through the unobstructed space behind them, they saw three more animals turning the corner.

As I looked up after knocking down the first two attackers, my heart clenched violently in the face of impending danger, a distinct, audible thud in my chest.

Hachiman Hikigaya spun the baseball bat he had just swung down, then swung it from behind to the front, delivering a powerful blow.

His hand felt slightly bent and twisted from the rebound, as if the baseball bat was about to break, but upon closer inspection, it was perfectly intact, which relieved him.

Baseball bats come in three types: wooden, aluminum, and composite. They are not meant to be used to hit people, so it would be abnormal if they didn't break.

This is a composite material, but it's actually a combination of bamboo and wood.

Do you think it's sturdy or not?

It's precisely because the material delivers a punch that's just as satisfying as pure metal that this lightweight design exists.

Hearing two more crisp sounds from the side, Uesugi Genshin had also dealt with the zombies on his side.

Hachiman Hikigaya poked the fallen body with his bat, but nothing happened except for the force he had just applied.

The cell phone fell out of the zombie's pocket, swiped, and landed on the ground with a thud.

"what."

Hachiman Hikigaya stared at the zombie and bent down to pick up his phone.

When I tapped the screen, the phone lit up, and the "11" next to the missed calls on the screen was very glaring.

I turned off the screen light again and put the phone back in his hands.

"You also have people who are worried about you."

"Even the dead want to come back to life, so we should live well too."

"Yeah~"

Uesugi Genshin praised, "It seems you've fully adapted to battle."

"I really don't want to adapt."

There is something called talent, a natural ability that allows one to quickly master something once it is touched.

Under the pressure of his environment, Hachiman Hikigaya is growing rapidly and becoming a qualified warrior.

"Much safer than yesterday, thanks to you."

"yesterday?"

"Yesterday, I went to the cafeteria with Hayama and Ms. Hiratsuka, and there were some zombies there too."

"I see."

No wonder he's so skilled; he's already a very experienced person.

Thinking back on yesterday's tension and anxiety, when Shizuka-sensei planned to take on everything and rush to the front alone, forcing him to step forward to cover for her, the sense of urgency and worry about what might happen behind the scenes was more unbearable than today.

"That's because right now we only need to pay attention to what's in front," Uesugi Genshin explained with a smile.

"Yes, so it's very easy."

All you need to do is swing the bat forward.

"Xuanxin".

"what happened?"

The two continued to crouch around the corner, trying to attract the attention of the zombies in the distance, but they were truly as stupid as monsters on a wilderness map.

"How can I be as strong as you?"

"Hmm~, how about one million times?"

"One million?" Hachiman murmured, almost thinking he had misheard the number.

"Even if I teach you swordsmanship now, it's just techniques. True cultivation lies within yourself."

Techniques? What's so great about teaching a swordsman focused on fighting? The art of killing relies mainly on instinct and experience.

"The instinctive reaction when killing comes from swinging a weapon hundreds or thousands of times every day. With the accumulation of tens of thousands of times, your muscles will complete the action even 0.01 seconds before the opponent."

“Accumulation.” Hachiman Hikigaya pondered this word.

"Combat experience can leave a lasting impression on you. The lessons you learn, the shortcomings you make each time, and the regrets you feel after a battle will help you avoid making the same mistakes next time. I can help you with that."

"How to help?"

"1v1 battles are a way to hone your skills in real combat."

Does this mean I need to go back for special training?

"Thanks."

Hachiman would only be so proactive if his initial intention was for his sister, just like raising her to adulthood alone.

After chatting for a while, the zombies standing further away turned to look in their direction.

"Ah, I've finally figured it out."

Using the line of sight from the opposite side as bait is indeed too random, but the unknown dangers inside the building must be avoided from being alerted.

Two came this time, and they moved slowly.

"It's a bit slow." Hachiman, supporting his knees, half-squatted behind Uesugi Genshin.

"It's a living person who's been bitten." The nerves and muscles have been gnawed away.

There's no need to be on edge. We have an afternoon to relax and wait for the right moment.

While waiting for them to arrive, Uesugi Genshin simply sat down.

"Ah~" A comfortable feeling.