After half an hour on the road, Allen slowed down until he finally stopped in the middle of an intersection.
The street was empty. Crashed cars, broken store windows, dried blood on the pavement — but not a single zombie in sight. It was a massive city, in fact, the largest city in the world, with nearly forty million people. Even Suginami, with its six hundred thousand residents, was large enough to be considered a small city elsewhere.
That was why it was even more terrifying to see the streets deserted. It made you wonder — where did everyone go?
Allen picked up a phone from the floor. The screen was broken, but it still worked and was unlocked.
"In this day and age, there's a saying: nothing ever happens without someone recording it."
Sure enough, there was a video.
"Help!"
"Ahhh!"
"NOOO!"
It was a video showing people screaming and running, with lots of blood and despair until the video ended.
Allen left the phone on the hood of a car.
Once important objects — phones, wallets, handbags — now lie abandoned on the ground, some broken, others stained with blood.
Although Allen didn't know what was happening in other districts, they were probably in a similar state. Everything had grown quieter. After two days of apocalypse, people no longer screamed, ran, or begged. They were either dead or hiding from the terrifying creatures.
That was normal now, though not seeing any stray zombies made Allen feel uneasy.
"Blind zombies may be slow and clumsy, but their sense of hearing is extremely sharp…"
In the original story, just the sound of a mop hitting a railing had been enough to attract every zombie in the school. But even so, not all zombies were easily lured. Allen had noticed that when he escaped from the park horde — even after throwing several phones, some zombies hadn't moved and simply stayed in place.
"That's dangerous... Not only are there no zombies, there aren't even... parts."
Blind zombies were the most common type — he knew that from online posts, most of which mentioned them. But as numerous as they were, they were the least dangerous when alone and the easiest to avoid — as long as they couldn't distinguish between sounds. Otherwise…
[ I see, it's true. If there are zombies like that, there should be plenty wandering aimlessly through the streets. ]
Zombies ate people. Most victims turned, but not all. When a group of zombies surrounded someone, they could devour them like piranhas before the person even had time to rise again. That's what had caused the hellish sight at Fujimi Academy — dismembered body parts scattered everywhere.
Allen had encountered what he called "Rage zombies." Unlike blind zombies, most of these had intact bodies, as if their goal was not to devour people, but to infect them.
Allen pushed those thoughts out of his mind.
"I know what's about to happen, but I really didn't want to turn a corner and find a hundred thousand zombies…"
Allen laughed at his situation. Of course, since he was alone, it was enough to summon Hayabusa and leave the area. But if he were with others and couldn't escape…
"It'd be better to isolate a specific area by blowing up the bridges that connect it…"
Allen stopped thinking about that and focused. This wasn't his world — there were things here that could kill him. That was one of the reasons he hadn't brought Saeko and Rei. Fighting a hundred zombies wasn't a problem for the group, but running into ten thousand — even a thousand — would be a desperate situation.
"I need weapons… I need gear… I need a damn tank…"
[ Relax, Host. I'm sure the second floor of the shop will satisfy you in more ways than one~ ]
Allen smiled as he entered an alley, looking up at the neon sign that read "The Walker Shop."
"I can imagine what this is."
...
The place looked similar, but also different. Before, it had felt like an abandoned clinic; now it looked like an old, rundown bar — the kind of place where you might get stabbed two or three times just for walking in.
As he stepped through the door, Allen was greeted by a familiar aroma of tea and cookies.
"Hello, Master~" said Nokotan as she lazily munched on deer cookies, lying on the reception sofa.
The smile of seeing his doll again — half high school girl, half deer — vanished like a snowflake in summer.
"Shouldn't you take your job more seriously?" Allen asked flatly, but Nokotan, who was now watching cartoons on a tablet, didn't notice.
"Nun?" Nokotan made a silly face for a moment, then tilted her head, her antlers bobbing slightly. "But since you came alone, I don't see any need to—"
Allen approached Nokotan and flicked her forehead.
"Ouch!"
"You're ruining the experience," Allen said coldly.
A chill ran down Nokotan's spine. She quickly stood up, opened her own head — literally — and pulled out a fake beard. Then she put on a trench coat and a mysterious smile.
"Nununu, welcome stranger!~"
Allen rolled his eyes. "Just take me to the second floor…"
"Yes… sorry, nun~"
The second floor looked fairly normal once Allen climbed the stairs. There was an old wooden hallway with more than a dozen closed doors.
Allen chuckled softly. "So this is where they were, huh?"
[ The second floor is divided into specialized shops that offer different advantages… but currently, only three are available. As you progress through this world and achieve various "feats," more will unlock. ]
Allen walked toward the first door, barely listening to the system's words. Technically speaking, only three days had passed — just three — yet it already felt like an eternity.
He placed his hand on the doorknob, opened it, and stepped inside. Before he could react, a black-and-white meteorite with silver hair slammed into him. Allen smiled as he gently stroked the silver-haired girl in his arms.
"I'm sorry… I couldn't be by your side, Master…" said the usually emotionless girl. Allen lifted her face and removed the blindfold that covered her beautiful blue eyes, now brimming with tears.
"No, I'm the one who's sorry. You must've felt lonely… 2B."
Nokotan slowly closed the door, and at the same time, the broadcast cut off.
[ Don't worry about the time inside the rooms. It flows differently~ ]
Allen thanked the system for that pleasant detail.
...
(Hours later)
Allen walked through the room — it was decently elegant, with wooden floors and walls, refined furniture, a huge bed, a sofa, a tea table, and a porcelain teapot.
It was a room worthy of a noble, though Allen knew 2B wouldn't choose such a style for herself. She had designed it with him in mind.
"Hm~"
On the bed, a beautiful woman stirred, waking up after fainting from hours and hours of serving her master.
For a brief moment, 2B felt sad not seeing anyone beside her, thinking it might've all been a dream. But soon, she felt the warmth and scent of her master still lingering in the room. She searched for him and found him sitting on the sofa, sipping tea.
"Good morning," Allen said with a smile.
2B opened her mouth, unsure what to say, then quietly closed it again. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, which she tried to hide. Allen chuckled, stood up, and walked over to the bed.
"What's wrong?" he asked the girl who refused to come out from under the blanket.
"It's nothing… Master, I'll recover soon."
Allen knew that 2B often hid her emotions out of an odd sense of duty — but right now, he didn't care. He yanked away the sheet, revealing the naked girl beneath, and threw himself on top of her.
"Master❤️~"
After making 2B express her feelings with all her heart for a few more hours, they returned to their roles.
Outside 2B's private room, there was a shop — literally a store with display cases. However, the products weren't sold directly; instead, digital screens were showing their images.
"So, from what I understand, you're in charge of the supply store?"
Now dressed in a maid's outfit, 2B stood behind Allen, gazing at his back in silence, her eyes filled with admiration and her cheeks tinted red as memories of what had just happened replayed in her mind.
"Heh? Ah…" 2B snapped out of her trance and regained her calm expression. "That's right. You can purchase all kinds of food here in large quantities. They'll be delivered anywhere you choose in the form of airdrops."
Allen nodded. That solved a future problem. In an apocalypse, food became so scarce that people would eat expired goods. Forget fruits and vegetables — if you were lucky, you might find a can of cat food. People would kill for a single can of beans.
Essentially, food would be one of the biggest problems — but that was for the future. For now, it wasn't as urgent.
"Ahem, Master," 2B said, reading her master's thoughts. Not wanting to disappoint him, she pointed toward the main display shelf, which was highlighted by soft lighting around a selection screen.
"What's this…"
As Allen approached, he was surprised. The screen displayed a variety of products that went far beyond simple food supplies. There were satiation pills, purified water, energy bars — but also several seemingly ordinary items that had unexpected effects.
[Fortune Cookies – "Permanent effect" There is a ten percent chance of not being infected despite exposure to any virus or infection. Cost – 13 Hearts]
[Strength Candy – For a limited time, it unlocks the human strength limiter. Keep in mind, this won't turn you into Saitama — it only removes the body's instinct for self-preservation, increasing each person's strength by two to four times. Warning – There is a risk of injury, muscle tears, and bone fractures. Cost – 15 Hearts]
"Haha, of course… in the beginning, the biological strength limiter was just the body's regulatory system for power, but some authors took it to surreal extremes."
"Is that so?" asked 2B, surprised.
"2B, I already told you, don't use me as the human standard."
At first, 2B idealized humanity like any other YoRHa android, but this girl idolized Allen so much that she measured a person's worth based on him.
"Understood."
Allen crossed his arms, silently observing the rest of the products, and came to an obvious conclusion.
"Everything's disgustingly expensive…"
2B's eyes widened; she trembled in panic and quickly apologized.
"I'm so sorry!"
"Don't worry, it's not your fault," Allen reassured her immediately. "I'm sure Lucifer adjusted the prices on purpose."
A Supply Crate was technically free, but he had to risk himself to get it — and he never knew what item he might find inside. Here, on the other hand, he could choose anything he wanted without danger. If it were cheap, Allen could forget about dangerous zones and just kill blind zombies to buy from the shop.
Clearly, Lucifer wasn't going to allow that.
Allen patted 2B's head and spent some time with her before leaving the shop. But when he did, he noticed she wasn't following him.
"I see," Allen muttered. Apparently, Lucifer wasn't allowing his dolls to assist him in this world — confining them inside the shop instead. He could visit them whenever he wanted, but they couldn't leave or help him beyond that place.
2B shook her head and bowed. "My only regret is not being able to protect you. I'll be waiting, Master."
The door closed behind him, leaving Allen with a strange sense of loneliness… but also anticipation. Behind each of those doors was one of his dolls. Nokotan had told him they were fine — and he knew Lucifer wouldn't dare harm them — but still, he worried about the girls he hadn't seen in what felt like years.
"Only three doors unlocked, huh?" Allen sighed and stepped into the second one.
He didn't even get two seconds inside before Rebecca jumped on him and tore his shirt open.
"Take your clothes off. Now."
"..."
Even for Allen — a shameless womanizer — her boldness caught him off guard. Of course, that didn't mean he would refuse. He carried her to the bed and made her scream his name until she was completely worn out.
Almost an entire day passed before Rebecca could barely whisper his name. After bathing her and laying her down to rest, Allen left the private room and approached the shelves. As expected, Rebecca managed the firearms store.
Pistols, revolvers, shotguns, rifles — everything from automatics to classic bolt-actions. Even the cheapest weapon cost 21 Hearts. Considering they were firearms, the high price made sense.
Allen didn't need Rebecca's help to buy; he could simply select an item and it would appear in his inventory automatically — or have it delivered to a location. But if he wanted to upgrade his weapons, he needed Rebecca.
She was still on the bed, exhausted, so Allen went to the third unlocked door.
When he opened it, he found himself in a garden of black roses with a small terrace in the center. There, sitting and reading a book about embalming methods, was a pale, beautiful girl.
"I'm not going to jump on you…" said Wednesday.
"No need," Allen smiled, walked over, and lifted her onto his lap as he sat down.
"Has anyone ever told you that you lack delicacy?" she huffed, though Allen could clearly see the faint joy hidden behind her usual deadpan expression.
"Maybe too many times…"
They spent a couple of hours talking and catching up in that gloomy yet strangely warm place.
Like the other girls, Wednesday had access to the livestream — she knew everything happening with Allen, even if she couldn't comment.
As for Wednesday herself, she seemed calm. Well, to be fair, it had only been three days — the world wasn't going to end over such a small amount of time.
When the conversation ended, Allen kissed Wednesday. Some might hesitate, seeing her emotionless face, but after so much time together, he could feel what lay beneath.
Their lips met in that timeless space…
...
On Wednesday, I managed the system upgrade shop.
Allen stood before a shelf of books. He picked one up and opened it, but there was no text — only a title.
– Inventory Space Expansion.
He took another.
– Minimap Upgrade.
– Enemy Detection Upgrade.
– Supply Crate Detection Upgrade.
– Unlock Map (Basic).
– Danger Zone Alarm (30 seconds).
Allen's eyes widened. Danger Zones were a nightmare, but with this upgrade, he'd be warned before entering one. The problem — the cost was a Tier 4 Heart.
Killing a zombie like the Tank had been hard — extremely hard — so whatever was inside that crate had to be valuable. But thirty seconds of advance warning could save his life… and everyone else's.
"..."
Allen took a long time before deciding. After a farewell hug with Wednesday, he returned to Rebecca.
The girl was having breakfast — still without clothes. When she saw him, she pounced again, but this time Allen caught her.
"Hold it. I need to upgrade my weapons first."
"Tsk…" Rebecca pouted but didn't refuse.
Allen took out his twin pistols. Rebecca whistled like an old pervert spotting a pretty girl on the street. If there was one thing that could distract her from Allen, it was guns.
"Leave it to me~" Rebecca winked.
Allen grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back into the room — a perfect match, those two.
...
[Ivory & Ebony – Special Weapons
+Power
+Magazine Capacity (16 → 18)
+1% Critical Chance]
Allen looked at his pistols, satisfied, though the upgrades had cost nearly fifty Hearts.
"It's expensive…" he muttered.
"What did you expect? With enough money, you could make a .22 hit as hard as a rifle round. That kind of power isn't cheap," Rebecca said proudly. Being in charge of the firearms shop had actually improved her mood.
He promised he'd visit often — and he would. Being able to buy and upgrade weapons was essential in this apocalyptic world.
Before leaving, Allen took the brush Nokotan had given him and began brushing her hair — as if grooming a horse.
At some point, he decided to stop thinking too deeply about everything.
Allen left the shop, feeling as though an entire day had passed — and technically, it had. But in this world, only a few hours had gone by.
He walked out of the alley, and just as he was about to summon Hayabusa, he heard the distinct crack of a revolver being fired several times.
In this world, using firearms meant being ready to face a zombie horde for the next hour.
"Who's the idiot shooting…?"
If it had been yesterday, Allen wouldn't have bothered to check. But now that almost everyone was dead — or smarter—it was strange to encounter such a situation.
...
"Hurry, run, Matsushima-san!" shouted a policewoman with orange hair and blue eyes.
"I can't…" said another officer, a dark-haired woman. She had a bite wound on her arm and was already turning pale.
Both were running through a narrow alley, but it was clear one of them wouldn't make it — just like in the original story.
Or at least, that's how it should have gone.
A bullet pierced the head of a zombie that was about to grab Asami — right before Matsushima could push her out of the way to sacrifice herself.
Both women turned toward the other end of the alley.
Step by step, Allen walked in, holding Ivory & Ebony.
The fearless zombies lunged toward him — and Allen smiled.
"Get down."
Matsushima tackled Asami to the ground, and Allen unleashed a rain of bullets. The shots were so powerful they didn't just knock the zombies back — they tore them apart midair.
"What kind of guns are those?!" Matsushima shouted, watching the undead being shredded by the gunfire.
When the shooting stopped, Allen's calm voice echoed through the alley.
"Hello, young ladies, you should get up. I'm sure a much larger horde will be here soon…"
Both women gasped as Allen stood before them. He smiled — and for a moment, they were both dazzled.
====
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