Deep Breath...
Nakamura Ryuji tried his best to steady his breathing, minimizing any unnecessary noise and lightening his footsteps.
His efforts paid off. As he approached the sleeping zombie, it remained unaware of his presence, its head drooping forward, exposing its vulnerable neck.
Ryuji took a deep breath of the air filled with the stench of decay. With a swift motion, he swung his fire axe downward. The already-rotting neck bent unnaturally from the impact, and the zombie collapsed face-first onto the ground.
But Ryuji didn't stop. He ignored the axe now lodged in the zombie's neck and let both fall together. Without hesitation, he pulled another axe from his back and viciously hacked at the zombie's head. However, due to the creature's sudden movement as it growled and stood up, the angle was off, and the axe lodged into its forehead instead of killing it instantly.
Ryuji was prepared for this. He immediately let go of the axe, took two steps back to evade the zombie's retaliation, and pulled a hammer from his belt. With a wide swing, he smashed the hammer against the embedded axe.
The back of the axe was wrapped in cloth to muffle the noise, resulting in a dull, heavy thud. The force drove the axe deeper into the zombie's skull, causing it to shudder before collapsing lifelessly.
Ryuji didn't immediately approach. Instead, he moved toward the other twitching zombie and pulled out the axe lodged in its neck. Before it could rise again, he swung down, severing its head with a single strike.
Only then did he allow himself to exhale, slumping against the wall of the house to recover his strength.
But he couldn't hold back a curse.
"This fucking world."
He had woken up in this nightmare just yesterday morning. The first thing he saw was two scantily clad blonde women rushing toward him as if to throw themselves into his arms.
Had it not been for the fact that their necks were half-rotted away, their intestines spilling out even as they walked, he might have actually been delighted.
And if that weren't bad enough, a crawling half-body of a corpse was also inching toward him from the side. That was when he realized—he was either on the set of a zombie movie or had somehow been thrown into a supernatural horror world.
Many people freeze or scream when faced with life-threatening danger. It's a natural instinct, much like how people often find themselves unable to move when a car is about to hit them, even though running away would be the best choice.
But Ryuji was different.
He punched things.
Unfortunately, the last time he acted on impulse like that, it only resulted in a fractured hand and a month-long hospital stay.
This time, when the two blonde zombies lunged at him, he instinctively pushed them away—only to feel a sharp pain as their nails scraped his skin.
That was how he got infected.
Staring at the scabbed-over wound on his hand, Ryuji sighed. This was humiliating. Other protagonists in similar situations would either miraculously survive or heroically fight their way out without a scratch. But him? One reflexive action and he had already doomed himself.
Still, while this wasn't the most embarrassing way to die as a transmigrator—there were certainly worse—he figured his story might at least make the news in some other universe.
But if not for that reflexive punch, he would have been dead already, his throat torn out by zombie teeth before he could even grab a weapon.
Upon realizing he was wounded, Ryuji frantically searched the RV he had woken up in, looking for anything to clean his injury. He had even considered cutting off his own arm to prevent the infection from spreading. But he knew that without proper medical facilities, such an action would only speed up his death.
So, after an entire night of contemplation, he made a decision: whether or not he turned, he was going to make the most of his remaining time.
He wasn't going to starve or die of thirst waiting for the inevitable.
With that resolve, he wasted no time scavenging for supplies.
Most of the food in the abandoned house was inedible—either spoiled or dried out. Only five cans of luncheon meat, two jars of jam, and an unopened bottle of water remained salvageable. The rest was either rotten or completely useless.
As quietly as possible, Ryuji continued searching for supplies. Although he hadn't found much drinking water, he did discover two jars of honey stored in a rooftop cabinet.
"Honey, huh…"
Licking his lips, he figured there was no reason to hold back anymore. He popped open one jar and took a large gulp.
The sweetness lifted his mood instantly. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't dare consume honey so recklessly. But now? Who cared? He didn't even know how long he had left to live.
Devouring honey and canned meat, he took a brief rest in the seemingly zombie-free house. However, he still planned to return to the RV for the night—most of the houses in the area were wooden and showed signs of decay. If a horde of zombies attacked, he'd be done for.
While there were sturdier concrete buildings, a quick glance revealed at least twenty zombies wandering inside. Not worth the risk.
Just as he packed up his remaining supplies and prepared to leave, a sudden scream pierced the air.
A blonde girl in a Japanese school uniform burst out of a house down the street.
Chasing her were three zombies.
Unfortunately, her panic had drawn the attention of every zombie in the area. Ryuji watched as, in the instant she screamed, sounds of falling objects and shuffling footsteps echoed from inside the surrounding buildings. Soon, rotting figures appeared in the windows and doorways.
Among them, a particularly grotesque zombie moved like a frog, crouching low to the ground before launching itself forward in powerful leaps. It was rapidly gaining on the girl.
"What an idiot…"
Ryuji glanced at the scar on his arm. If he hadn't already been bitten, he wouldn't have bothered interfering.
But since he was already infected… what did he have to lose?
Besides, these zombies weren't exactly fast. The fastest among them only moved at a normal walking pace.
Kicking open the door, Ryuji charged forward, axe in one hand and hammer in the other. He bellowed at the girl as she ran toward him, her terrified eyes locking onto his.
"Get down!"
Instinctively, she dropped to the ground. In the next second, Ryuji tossed his axe aside, gripped his hammer with both hands, and swung it into the face of the frog-like zombie.
A sickening crack echoed as its skull caved in. Without pausing, Ryuji spun, let go of the hammer, and drew his other axe. With a heavy chop, he split another zombie's forehead open, sending it convulsing to the ground.
Ignoring the slow-moving zombies breaking through doors and windows, Ryuji grabbed the girl's hand and ran.
"Move!"
Terrified but obedient, the girl followed him as they dashed into the forest, soon losing the sluggish horde behind them.
Catching his breath, Ryuji finally turned to properly look at the only other living person he'd seen so far.
She was far more beautiful than he had expected—fair skin, violet-red eyes, and a delicate, trembling expression that evoked sympathy. Her school uniform was strangely clean, almost out of place in this world.
Unlike him, covered in dust and blood after just one day here.
"Why did you scream?" he asked directly.
The girl, her eyes glistening with tears, spoke in a voice tinged with grievance.
"I... I was too hungry and wanted to find something to eat, but..."
Ryuji immediately understood. He nodded without saying much and simply handed her a can of luncheon meat.
The girl accepted the can but bit her lip hesitantly before speaking again.
"Um... do you have anything better to eat? I can't eat this kind of food. I threw up after eating canned food, and that's what got the zombies' attention."
Even she knew how unreasonable her request was, so she lowered her head in embarrassment.
Huh?
Ryuji was stunned for a moment and couldn't help but look at the girl again.
"Then how have you been surviving in this world? Were you some kind of VIP before, and now you've been cast out?"
He couldn't quite understand her, but recalling some stories from novels, he conjured up a possible scenario in his mind.
"N-no, it's not like that! I just woke up yesterday morning, opened my door, and suddenly appeared in this world!"
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes again. Clearly, the close call with death had left her shaken, and seeing Ryuji was the first bit of reassurance she'd had.
Seeing Ryuji's odd expression, she suddenly realized her mistake. She quickly bowed deeply to him, causing her chest to bounce wildly.
"Ah, my apologies! I forgot to thank you! Thank you for saving me. My name is Erina Nakiri. Please take care of me!"
Erina Nakiri?
Ryuji's expression grew even stranger.
If he remembered correctly, Erina Nakiri was a character from an anime.
She just arrived yesterday too?
Ryuji studied the golden-haired girl carefully, especially her bare white legs beneath the hem of her skirt.
He wasn't ogling her out of lust, but rather...
There was a bloody scratch there.