"I'm fine, just a bit confused."
Amamiya Rin came back to his senses, gazed at the surrounding scenery, and couldn't help but sigh.
He was still overthinking things; this zombie apocalypse Dream World wasn't much better than the real world.
To live eternally in the dream, one must at least control the dream first.
At this moment, several more zombies dragged their broken bodies and gathered around.
Saeko Busujima spun and swung her sword, the blade tracing a fierce arc that accurately crushed the throat of the foremost zombie.
She took a step back, creating distance from the second zombie, and thrust the Wooden sword fiercely. It hit the zombie right in the throat, causing its head to tilt back unnaturally.
The third zombie pounced to close range. Saeko Busujima didn't retreat but advanced instead. While sideways dodging the creature's scratching claws, her Wooden sword tore through the air with a heavy whistle, striking the zombie's neck and snapping it instantly.
Saeko Busujima's movements were clean and efficient, not flashy, but completely practical in style.
Witnessing Saeko Busujima's fighting method, Amamiya Rin's eyes glazed over for a moment as fragmented memories surfaced from the depths of his brain.
The previous owner of his body seemed to have been in the Kendo club during high school. Although his kendo level was average, he had mastered the basic forms.
"In other words, her kendo comes from the original body's memories?"
Amamiya Rin fell into thought.
According to the pattern, this Nightmare wouldn't last less than 90 days. If he learned kendo from Saeko Busujima during these 90 days, it would be enough to pick up the predecessor's kendo again.
Although kendo couldn't deal with those monsters and ghosts, the Junji Ito world wasn't populated by just monsters and ghosts, but also those abstract humanoids.
"It's not safe here, we need to leave as soon as possible. Stay close to me, Rin-kun."
Saeko Busujima flicked the filth off the Wooden sword, her gaze quickly sweeping over the approaching zombies, and she actively charged forward to kill.
The Wooden sword broke through the air. Saeko Busujima's slashes were swift as lightning, precise and ruthless. Every swing was aimed at vital points like the zombies' throats or necks. There were no superfluous movements, nor was a single ounce of strength wasted; her efficiency was terrifyingly high.
Stepping over the fallen corpses, Amamiya Rin struggled to move his heavy legs, following that valiant and heroic figure.
Soon, the two broke through a small wave of the horde and fled into a large building nearby.
It was a large Home Center. The space inside was open, but equally messy. Merchandise shelves were toppled askew, with various tools, building materials, and home furnishings scattered all over the floor. Zombies wearing work uniforms swayed as they walked through the aisles between the shelves. Their muddled eyes immediately turned vicious upon hearing the footsteps of the pair.
Pairs of eyes focused on Amamiya Rin and Saeko Busujima. Dozens of stumbling figures ran out from the depths of the sales floor, pouncing straight toward them.
"Leave this to me. You go block the main entrance."
Saeko Busujima spoke briefly, gripping the Wooden sword and meeting them head-on.
Amamiya Rin endured the heaviness of his body. He first closed the glass doors, then pulled items off the shelves, forcefully pushing the lighter shelves one after another against the main gate to form a simple barrier.
When Amamiya Rin sat against the shelf to recover his exhausted stamina, Saeko Busujima had already killed all the zombies in the Home Center and was walking toward him.
The tip of the Wooden sword dragged on the ground, leaving a faint trail of blood.
Saeko Busujima's breathing was slightly rapid, and her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural redness. Those calm, sharp eyes were now shockingly bright, and the corners of her mouth curled upward uncontrollably, revealing a slightly twisted smile. Her entire body radiated a dangerous aura.
Amamiya Rin sat on the ground leaning against the shelf, looking up as she walked closer, and tentatively called out.
"Saeko?"
Hearing his voice, Saeko Busujima's footsteps paused. Her body stiffened slightly. While her eyes flickered, she took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. Her somewhat hyperactive expression gradually returned to normal, though her gaze remained a bit drifting.
"To let you see such an unsightly appearance... please forget it, Rin-kun."
Saeko Busujima turned her head slightly away, using her left hand to tuck her purple hair, wet with sweat, behind her ear. Her voice carried a trace of imperceptible embarrassment.
"Not at all,"
Amamiya Rin leaned against the shelf and reached out, gently holding Saeko Busujima's right hand, which still gripped the Wooden sword. His gaze was frank, carrying a kind of pure affection.
"That side of Saeko is also very charming. I like it very much."
Saeko Busujima's cheeks were instantly dyed with another shade of crimson. She looked away somewhat uncomfortably, her fingers unconsciously caressing the handle of the Wooden sword.
Seeing the increasingly bright and beautiful girl, Amamiya Rin didn't hide the fondness in his eyes.
The Saeko Busujima shaped by his subconscious had gathered almost every adjective related to beauty. The 3D version before his eyes was even more beautiful than the 2D version, matching his preferences completely.
Moreover, her favorability rating toward him seemed to start at 'intimate,' otherwise she wouldn't show such a shy expression.
(The Sandman's Lair—in this manga story by Junji Ito, the protagonist's body reverses inside and out. It can swap the dream self into reality, and also drag real people into the dream. If I had that kind of curse, I could bring Saeko from the dream into the real world.)
Just as Amamiya Rin was thinking this, violent impact sounds suddenly came from outside the door, interrupting his train of thought.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Heavy impacts, like a hammer striking a drum, caused the shelves to tremble. Looking back, a horrifying scene broke into his vision.
Outside the glass main doors, gray, ferocious faces were pressed tightly against the surface. Dozens of zombies were squeezed together layer upon layer, pairs of palms frantically slapping the glass. Accompanied by the vibration of the glass doors, cracks began to spread across them like spiderwebs.
Looking out through the gaps in the shelves, the street was packed with dense crowds of zombies surging like a rising tide. They pushed and shoved each other, constantly slamming against the Home Center's main entrance. Gray arms and hideous faces almost filled the entire field of view.
"The situation isn't good. There are more and more of them. Even I can't kill this many zombies."
Saeko Busujima instantly entered combat mode, her eyes solemnly scanning the zombies outside, her previous shyness vanishing without a trace.
"Block the door first."
Amamiya Rin realized that such an unreasonable scene was likely the Nightmare's malice targeting him.
Before the zombies could shatter the glass doors, the two pushed more shelves over. More than a dozen shelves were piled up at the entrance, forming layer upon layer of partitions. No matter how many zombies there were, it would take time for them to kill their way in.
After temporarily stabilizing the defensive line at the entrance, Saeko Busujima asked Amamiya Rin, "There is no food in the Home Center. Shouldn't we retreat via the emergency exit?"
Amamiya Rin sat wearily on the ground. Hearing Saeko Busujima's question, his gaze swept over the equipment scattered all around the floor, and the corners of his mouth curled into a strange smile.
"You're right, there is no food in the Home Center. But, the materials to make weapons are abundant."
____
New Story: ZZZ: Mr. Ethereal Does Not Want to See a Tragedy
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