Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is Not My Problem!, page 1
Table Of Contents
◆Copyright
◆Character Page
◆Chapter 1: Where Am I?
◆Chapter 2: Just When I Thought I Figured It Out…
◆Chapter 3: Apparently, Small Zombies Exist Too
◆Chapter 4: Grantz Kingdom
◆Chapter 5: The Reigning King of Charges
◆Chapter 6: The Holy Priestess of Spit
◆Chapter 7: The Zombies Are Serious Now
◆Chapter 8: Humans Are More Worrying Than Zombies
◆Chapter 9: A Reliable Little Scholar
◆Chapter 10: The Key to Ridding Exhaustion
◆Chapter 11: Hi, I’m Boss Lady
◆Chapter 12: Whenever Things Start to Go Well
◆Chapter 13: Boneless Ham
◆Chapter 14: Apparently, This Is What Happens When You Cram Meat Together
◆Chapter 15: Signs of a Way Home
◆Chapter 16: My Goddess
◆Chapter 17: Believer Coalescence
◆Chapter 18: Handshake Sessions and Ardent Fans
◆Chapter 19: Separation and Reunion
◆Chapter 20: The Number-One Person I Don’t Want to See on a Day Off
◆Chapter 21: Quest to Vanquish the Dark Djinn
◆Chapter 22: Divine Punishment!
◆Chapter 23: The Real One Appears
◆Chapter 24: A Lot Has Happened
◆Chapter 25: Even a Zombie-Filled World Can Be Good
◆Epilogue: In a Wonderful World
◆After Story
◆Afterword
Other Series Pt. 1
Other Series Pt. 2
Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is Not My Problem!
Haru Yayari
Translation by Charis Messier
Illustration by Fuyuki
Title Design by KC Fabellon
Editing by Nicole Brugger-Dethmers
Proofreading by A.M. Perrone
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Another World’s Zombie Apocalypse Is Not My Problem!
© 2016 by Haru Yayari
English translation rights reserved by
Cross Infinite World.
English translation ©2019 Cross Infinite World
All rights reserved. In accordance with U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, email the publisher, addressed “Attention: Permissions Coordinator,” at the email below.
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First Digital Edition: May 2019
ISBN-10: 1-945341-26-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-945341-26-7
◆Chapter 1: Where Am I?
“IT reeks…!”
My name is Mizuha Kusunoki. I just woke up, and I already feel like crying. Tears have actually formed in my eyes and are threatening to tumble over.
These aren’t tears produced by a casual yawn. The reason for them is simple: they’re a visceral response to the putrid stench hanging in the air and growing thicker by the minute. Sewage sludge is the closest thing I can compare this foul smell to, but the intensity is on a whole other level—worse than living in a sewer. It’s so bad, I fear taking a deep breath will cause the mucky air to melt my internal organs.
Where in the world am I? With the information available to me now, most people would probably conclude I am in a garbage dump or a sewage treatment plant. When I first woke up, the same thought crossed my mind, but…
Pressing my wrist against my nose to block out the smell, I survey my surroundings. The quickest way to describe the scene is as a desert island in the middle of the ocean without anything remotely tropical or pleasant on it. The thing is, not only is the island no bigger than a hundred-square-foot room and deader than a wasteland, but the ocean surrounding it is an eerie, noxious purple. I can hear bubbles rising and popping like some sort of witch’s brew roiling in a cauldron.
Where the heck is this place supposed to be?
I don’t have the faintest idea where this is. For that matter, I’ve never seen something in reality that is so obviously a poisonous swamp. It looks just like the miasma marshes in the video games I used to watch my older brother play.
Okay, I’m not getting anywhere trying to figure out where I am, so I’ll set that aside for now.
The biggest problem is why the heck I’m in a place like this all alone.
I try recalling what happened before I went to sleep. Familiar images flicker through my mind: I went to my high school in the morning, sat through my classes, and worked just two hours at the café after school. Trying to be considerate of my brother, who’s a year older than me and in his senior year of high school, I went straight home after my part-time job. It was an ordinary day from beginning to end.
The only thing different from usual was that I had dived into my bed the moment I’d entered my room. Work had been so chaotic that I was mentally and physically drained beyond exhaustion. My memories cut off there. I probably fell asleep after that. That makes the most sense to me; I’m convinced that’s what happened.
But how was I supposed to know I’d wake up surrounded by a gurgling and bubbling poisonous swamp? Am I still dreaming? That question crosses my mind for a whole second, but I can’t deny I’m awake when that foul stench is burning all my senses and I have full control of my body.
Luckily, I’m still wearing my outdoor school uniform consisting of a light-brown cardigan over my shirt and a red-and-white pleated skirt. And for whatever reason, I still have my loafers on. This is a popular high school uniform near where I live, but I don’t see a single other person around. Maybe it wouldn’t have mattered even if I were dressed in my pajamas instead.
SPLAT!
The poisonous muck suddenly splatters onto my small island. A slimy, human-shaped THING crawls onto the island using that muck as a foothold.
“EEP! Wh-What the?!”
“Bwahhh.”
The THING rises onto two feet, and the sticky liquid coating its whole body begins dripping off. Something that looks markedly human is left standing there once all the gunk slides off it.
But it’s a far cry from an ordinary human. It seems to be wearing some rusty armor and has festering sores covering the exposed skin on its face and neck. Plus, its molting skin has faded to a sickly greenish-blue color. Red lines run through its horribly bloodshot eyes, and rotting, gnarly teeth peek out through its wide-open mouth.
The word zombie comes instantly to mind. I have only ever seen them in movies, anime, games, and manga, but that thing’s appearance makes it impossible to think of it as anything else.
“Bwah! Bwoah!”
Staggering, the moaning zombie slowly closes in on my position. I instinctively step back from the grotesque creature. But this is a small island. A few steps and I’ve reached the end of the line.
A piece of the ledge under my feet breaks off. When that piece hits the poisonous liquid, it disintegrates, leaving behind the sizzling sound of cooking meat.
You’ve gotta be freakin’ kidding me! I’m done for if I fall in!
“Don’t you ‘Bwah bwah’ me! Don’t come any closer! Please, just go away!”
“Urg. Aah…aaah…”
“Moan like a baby all you want, zombie, but with looks like that, you aren’t winning any cuteness contests. If anything, it only increases your grossness!”
At any rate, what I’m saying isn’t getting across to the zombie, as evidenced by the fact that it won’t stop coming closer no matter how many times I ask it to go away.
“Th-This can’t be real!”
There’s almost no space to try to run past the zombie. Even if I did make it by some miracle, this is a tiny island. I can’t get away.
As I was trying to think up a plan of action, the zombie had shambled close enough for me to touch if I reached out my hand. It advances on me with its arms lazily hanging in front of it.
“Bwah.”
“G-GO AWAAAAAY!”
SLAM!
Desperately wanting to survive, I reflexively shove the zombie’s chest with my right hand. Did I use more strength than I thought? The zombie falls onto its back and begins writhing on the ground, moaning.
Am I saved?
I just wish I didn’t have to touch a zombie. Partly because you never know what could happen when you touch something unnatural, but mostly because it stinks to high heaven. Case in point, my right hand reeks. This sucks.
“Blehk!” I’m staring at my hand, depressed, when all of a sudden, the zombie’s body starts shining brightly. “Whoa?! What in the world?! Why’s it glowing?!
“BWAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!”
The light grows brighter as the zombie screams. It’s too blinding to keep my eyes open. However, the light quickly fades. I fearfully open my eyes and blink several times.
The zombie is gone. In its place is a man in his twenties. He’s a slender man around six feet tall. His other distinct features are his golden hair tied back in a samurai hairstyle and his pretty sapphire-like eyes.
He’s clad in the same type of armor as that zombie, but the luster and polish of his doesn’t bear the slightest resemblance to that rust bucket. The armor has transformed from rusty metal into very expensive-looking silver. On closer inspection, he even has a sword hanging from his waist and has the appearance of a noble knight you might find in a storybook.
I’m stunned speechless. Not because I’m captivated by his otherworldly good looks— No, I lied. In all actuality, that has 90 percent to do with it. But there is something else worthier of my attention right now.
I hold my breath.
Um, a zombie just turned into a living, breathing, not-so-dead human.
◆Chapter 2: Just When I Thought I Figured It Out…
“BY the Goddess…have I returned to normal…?”
The now-living knight examines his body as if he can’t believe his eyes. I don’t know his deal, but I don’t blame him for being confused after reverting from zombie to human. That said, I can confidently say I’m even more confused than he is.
I mean, a zombie that was moaning “Bwah bwah” and trying to eat me turned into a human just by me touching it with my right hand. Does this count as bringing someone back from the dead? He was a zombie. But considering his filthy armor became clean and shiny, and the way the scream ripped from his throat when he glowed, purification seems like a better explanation. Yep, purification it is.
My eyes meet the knight’s while I’m in the middle of escaping reality by analyzing my situation. Having grown up with an older brother, I’ve never had a problem chatting with boys at school, but while that may be true, I still have reservations about talking to some guy who was a zombie trying to eat me a few moments prior—no matter how cool-looking he is.
“Are you the one who restored me to my former self?”
“I didn’t do anything so grandiose. I only touched you with my hand…”
More like I shoved him with all my strength. But telling him that will only draw attention to how violent my method was.
“I knew it… I vaguely remember things from when I was a zombie. I see, I see. That powerful thrust to my chest was your doing,” the knight says as he brings his right hand to his chest.
Crud. The fact that I shoved him is completely out in the open!
“I-I didn’t hit you because I wanted to. It’s your fault for cornering me while groaning ‘Bwah bwah’!”
The knight deeply bows his head to me. “Thank you very much.”
“Um, er…”
I’m stumped. All I did was touch him—or rather, gave a hard push to his chest— which normally wouldn’t do much at all. Even if my joking conclusion that I have the ability to purify zombies is somehow freakishly true, it’s not something I’ve done before. I’m not aware of having an ability like that. Though if purification really exists…I wish it’d purify the horrid odor exuding from my hand!
The knight raises his head and introduces himself. “My name is Lex Irvine, a knight with Grantz Kingdom’s Royal Knights.”
I could tell he wasn’t Japanese by his looks, so I’m not surprised by his foreign name. The issue is with the rest of what he said. I’ve never heard of Grantz Kingdom.
Between the existence of zombie knights and poisonous swamps, I’m starting to think this is a different world from the one I know. It’s a ridiculous theory even to me, but taking all the available information into account, there’s a high chance the “another world theory” applies here. Though the biggest mystery is how we’re communicating without a language barrier.
“If I may ask, what is your name, fair maiden?”
“Kusunoki— Ah, that’s my last name. I’m Mizuha Kusunoki.” Since the knight had introduced himself with his first name first, I switched midsentence to match the “local” custom.
“Lady Mizuha… You have a gorgeous name.”
This is the first time a man who’s not related to me has addressed me by my first name. It’s a tad embarrassing, but it’s not a bad feeling. But calling me by name isn’t the only problem here!
“U-Um, why are you calling me L-Lady? I’m not someone of high status. You can drop that part.”
“Because you are the fair lady who saved my life! I must treat you with the respect you are due!” he firmly declares, shooting down my request.
I was just starting to think he was the gentle-mannered, easy-to-get-along-with type, but it turns out he might actually be the difficult-to-handle type! Even so, he’s the only other human around. I have no option but to rely on him right now.
“Excuse me, Sir Lex?”
“Please just call me Lex. I would be most pleased if you spoke with me casually as well.”
“I can’t do that. I only just met you, Sir Lex.”
“LEX! Please call me that.”
I knew it. He’s the annoying type. Is he just serious to a fault or more stubborn than a mule? Actually, he’s probably both. At any rate, it’s just a waste of time if I get hung up on responding to his stupid comments in kind.
I take a deep breath and let the tension out of my shoulders. Then I stare at the man in front of me as I tell myself, All this guy has going for him is his looks. He’s a weirdo on the inside. A weirdo. Okay, that should do it!
“Fine, I’ll be casual with you, then. Um…Lex? I have a lot of questions for you. Will you answer them?”
“If it is within my ability to answer you, with pleasure.”
“What in the world is going on here? It looks like we’re on a desert island in the middle of the deep ocean. We’re surrounded on all sides by some sorta venomous-looking muck.”
“I don’t know what has transpired either. All I can say is that the world suddenly rotted around us, and every person, without exception, turned into a zombie as if in a chain reaction. The only power I know capable of this widespread influence comes from…the Dark Djinn.” Lex pauses there and looks at my face. “M’lady, are you feeling unwell?”
“Ahaha. Yes and no. I’m physically fine…” I say, holding my head in my hand.
Zombie-esque things exist. I probably shouldn’t be surprised at this point, but not even I could have predicted that a term like “Dark Djinn” would come up so easily as a part of a normal conversation. My zombie apocalypse nightmare has just turned up the fantasy-world ante.
“Uh, stop right there. Every person without exception? I’m not sure I really want to know the answer to this, but is it possible there are no other living humans around?”
“Correct. At least, that was supposed to be the case as far as I know.”
“Supposed to be the case?”
“Lady Mizuha…the curse didn’t befall you.” Lex’s expression turns serious as he studies my face. “What in the Goddess’s name are you? The Dark Djinn’s power is indomitable. None should have been capable of escaping its curse. And yet you—”
“I want to know the answer to that question more than anyone. When I came to, I was here without a clue about anything.”
“My inkling might not be so far off after all. That sacred power that allows you to not only break the Dark Djinn’s curse but also return me to my former self…I believe it means you are the holy priestess sent here by the Goddess to save our world, Lady Mizuha.”
I can’t help blinking at that preposterous conclusion. Is this guy all right in the head? Maybe his brains fried when he turned into a zombie.
“Me? A holy priestess? Not a chance. I’m just a high school girl.”
“Hi-High? S-Sch…ool? Girl?” Lex tries sounding out the words.
“Oh…my older brother likes to just call me a schoolgirl, but I guess you wouldn’t get that either?” I mentioned that with the fleeting hope he might know what that is, but it’s no good. Face scrunched up in a confused frown, Lex cocks his head at me. “Well, in any case, I’m just a normal human.”
“You can’t be. A normal person does not possess the holy powers you used—”
“What I’m trying to say is, don’t give me special treatment or look at me funny. I mean, look around. Whatever power I do or don’t have, it’s not getting us out of here.”
