MTLNOVEL Chapter 59: Shopping in the Ashes of Civilization
"Welcome." – Upon entering the store, the employee greeted Kojou and the others in a monotone voice. The exhaustion on his face was obvious, as if he had been working two consecutive shifts.
"... " – Kojou stared at the employee, who was working diligently and didn't seem to know the world had ended. He said nothing and walked into the small store to buy food and drinks.
Yes, Kojou was going to buy them. Even if the world had ended, he had no intention of stealing—especially since there was a working employee present. Of course, that would change if the store had been abandoned.
Without hesitation, Kojou grabbed a cart and headed to the canned food and ready-made bento section. Thanks to the Storage Ring he had from the guild, there was no need to worry about food spoiling. So, he took every type of food he liked. He didn't forget to pick up vegetables, fruits, meat, rice, and other cooking ingredients.
It wasn't just food—he also stocked up on various drinks and a large supply of mineral water.
Although this Quest was relatively easy for Kojou, he intended to stay in this world for a good while. The zombies here gave experience points—quite a decent amount, actually. Even the weakest ones gave him 10 EXP. With the sheer number of zombies scattered across this world, leveling up would be easy for him.
As for Shito, who was hiding somewhere, Kojou wasn't concerned. He was nothing more than a defective product that had failed to become even a low-class vampire. Kojou didn't even see him as a threat.
It wasn't just Kojou treating this world like an EXP farm—Akatsuki and Akame were doing the same. After all, there weren't many opportunities to earn EXP without taking major risks. And while the EXP per zombie was a bit low, the sheer quantity made up for the quality.
After filling several carts with food, drinks, and other necessities like shampoo and hygiene products, Kojou headed toward the cashier. The employee stared at him with a mix of shock and irritation—exhausted and now forced to serve a weirdo buying so many things.
These weren't the only things Kojou bought. He also got a solar-powered water heater, a tent, cooking utensils, and other survival gear he knew he would need, since he planned to stay in this world for a while.
"... " – The group looked at Kojou strangely. They didn't have much money, so they were slipping a few items into their pockets, planning to pay for just a few. Others didn't even care about paying—just taking what they needed and walking out. The world had ended, after all. Why bother paying if there were no laws to punish them?
"Tch!! ... Damn rich kid." – A blond-haired student cursed bitterly upon seeing Kojou pull out a wallet packed with more than a million yen. It irritated him—he had to lie to his parents just to get some money for cigarettes, while this guy casually whipped out millions.
"That'll be 3.5 million yen," the employee said respectfully, though clearly worn out, as he began bagging Kojou's items. It was exhausting packing hundreds of things for one person.
"Alright." – Kojou nodded and handed over the 3.5 million yen without hesitation. Although the money came from his own world, the guild had made sure it was valid and usable even in this one, which was set in a later era—around 2010.
Once the cashier finished bagging everything and began checking the money for counterfeits, Kojou quickly stored all his purchases in his Storage Ring—he had no intention of carrying them by hand. Then, he went back into the store, picked up a backpack, and grabbed some food and drinks—just the usual amount he would carry with him, while the rest would stay in the Storage Ring for emergencies when food might be scarce.
"Excuse me, may we speak, Akatsuki-san?" – Kojou heard a polite, concerned voice from behind him. He recognized it immediately, even with his eyes closed.
"I didn't expect you to be the first one to approach me," Kojou said without looking back, already knowing who it was. "You looked pretty scared when you saw me earlier."
The one who had spoken to Kojou was none other than Busujima Saeko. For some reason, she had approached him, despite having been clearly frightened of him just a short while ago.
"I think that's the natural reaction when you meet the world's first Fallen Angel," Saeko said with a sarcastic smile, relaxing a little after watching Kojou for a while. "But I have to admit—you're completely different from how I remember you."
"Different from what you remember? That's an interesting way to phrase it." – Kojou smiled faintly, gazing at Saeko with open curiosity. He couldn't remember ever meeting her before, but from her words, it seemed she had known him in the past.
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