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Sugawara's face was a mess of tears and snot.
If he'd known it would end like this, he would've treated Julian with nothing but respect from the start.
With someone that powerful around, he could've at least clung to life.
So why the hell did he have to get greedy and set his sights on the man's women?
Now he was dead no matter what.
"B-Bro… the way those two died… was it quick? Or… not so quick?"
Sugawara pointed shakily at the corpses of Takeshi and Shizuka Hiratsuka nearby.
"That?" Julian smiled faintly. "That was the easy way out."
"If you don't hand over the key, I can take my time. Stretch it out for a few hours before you die."
"Or I can toss you outside and let the zombies chew on you."
"If they don't go straight for your throat, you'll probably get gnawed on for ten, maybe fifteen minutes before you bleed out."
He said it like he was discussing the weather.
Sugawara shuddered violently.
Too brutal.
Being eaten alive for over ten minutes…
The physical pain, the sheer terror of it—it was worse than death.
"I'll talk! I'll talk!"
"The freezer key's in the drinks section. Goose beer—third row, first bottle. It's taped underneath."
He couldn't take it anymore. The words spilled out in a rush.
Hidden like that, it would've taken forever to find without interrogation.
"Good."
"Mafuyu, give him a quick one."
"Then clean this place up."
Julian's voice was calm.
Mafuyu nodded, stepped behind Sugawara, grabbed his head—
—and twisted.
A full rotation.
His body hit the floor with a dull thud.
After that, Mafuyu and Uzaki Hana began dragging the bodies out of the warehouse. The blood on the floor had to be scrubbed clean too, or it would start stinking soon enough.
Meanwhile, Julian retrieved the key and unlocked the freezer.
He had to admit—the supplies inside were impressive.
The outer section was chilled storage: vegetables and prepped fresh goods.
Further in was the frozen section.
Rows upon rows of frozen meat.
If he were alone, he could eat meat every single meal for decades and still not finish it all.
"Shame the city's losing power in a few days," Julian muttered, looking around.
It would be a waste if all this food spoiled.
Wait.
Supermarkets like this usually had backup generators.
His eyes lit up.
For a large cold storage facility, generators were standard equipment. As long as there was enough diesel, they could keep running indefinitely.
He grabbed a tomato from the chilled section, took a bite, and shut the freezer door behind him.
Back in the warehouse hall, Hana was kneeling on the floor, carefully scrubbing away bloodstains with a rag. Mafuyu had just finished disposing of the bodies.
"I'm heading out for a bit," Julian said, picking up his blade. "Take your time cleaning."
He was stronger than Mafuyu now. With a blade in hand, even if dozens of zombies surrounded him, breaking through would be easy.
He stepped out of the warehouse, sword resting over his shoulder, and began scouting the area.
Two large cargo trucks were parked in the lot—used by the supermarket for deliveries. If they ever needed to relocate, those would carry plenty of supplies.
Beyond that was the main shopping area.
It had already been looted several times by desperate citizens. Hardly anything remained.
Still, in the coming days, survivors would keep trickling in, hoping to find even a scrap of food.
Too bad there were still plenty of zombies wandering inside.
For an ordinary person with no fighting ability, coming here was basically a suicide mission.
Between the main hall and the warehouse, Julian finally found the generators.
Four units in total—enough to power both the warehouse and the supermarket.
He examined the wiring, then cut the line leading to the supermarket.
All electricity would go to the warehouse. No waste.
After checking the diesel reserves, he crouched down and used the tip of his blade to scribble calculations on the ground.
"With what's left… maybe three days of power."
"Not enough."
He frowned.
Figures. These generators were only meant for emergencies; the diesel supply wasn't huge.
Looks like he'd need to raid nearby gas stations.
Otherwise, a freezer full of food would rot away.
There were still less than seven days before the blackout. Fuel could wait a bit.
Right now, fortifying the warehouse was more urgent.
If it couldn't withstand intruders, there'd be no sleeping in peace at night.
He hauled dozens of shopping carts over and barricaded the area around the generators, just in case a wandering zombie stumbled into them.
After cutting down more than a dozen zombies on the way back, Julian returned to the warehouse.
The moment he stepped inside, he froze.
Hana had…
Changed into a maid outfit.
Where the hell did that come from?
His eyes flicked to Mafuyu's suitcase.
Ah.
Of course.
That girl…
Who brings stuff like this during the apocalypse?
But honestly, the outfit suited Hana perfectly.
She was petite to begin with, already giving off a loli vibe. The maid uniform only made her look even cuter.
Though it seemed a bit tight across the chest—one button had already popped off.
"Master, you're back!"
Mafuyu popped out from the side.
She had changed too.
A bunny girl outfit.
With her long, shapely legs, she pulled it off ridiculously well.
Julian looked at the two of them and felt a faint sense of foreboding.
Was he going to get any sleep tonight?
He cleared his throat.
"Let's focus on actual work first."
He took a few deep breaths to steady himself.
"Master, please give your orders!"
Mafuyu and Hana each hooked an arm around him from either side.
For a second, he felt like he was being kidnapped.
"Head to the appliance section and strip some metal panels. Fridges, air conditioners—whatever works."
"Seal up the windows. Use sealant, nail guns, whatever you find."
"As for the back door, just block it with appliances. We won't be using it anyway."
"I'll handle the ventilation ducts."
He gave his instructions briskly.
The three of them split up and got to work fortifying the warehouse.
The two girls carried out his orders seriously, without complaint.
That pleased him.
Night gradually fell.
With all the windows sealed, Julian didn't hesitate to turn on the warehouse lights.
Before he was transported to this world, he had spent countless days hiding in darkness.
Being able to run freely in a brightly lit space like this felt… incredible.
"Master, I'm kind of hungry."
After finishing her work, Mafuyu ran up to him and rubbed her stomach.
Dressed in that bunny outfit, pouting and acting spoiled—
Julian didn't stand a chance.
"....."