High School Girl Warrior: How to Save an Apocalyptic World - CH 54

Chapter 54 – Hakui Iroha

I, Hakui Iroha, wanted to a be hero of justice.

In fact, since this apocalypse started, I have been fighting for the sake of the people and the world.

I have always been doing what I believed to be right so far.

Zombies weren’t terrifying at all. They were just bad, and I never heard of a hero who forgave the bad guys.

The only problem was that they left a really bad smell after being killed.

Still, I helped everyone I could and guided them to a safe zone, a supermarket in Nerima.

It was for only one month, but many people thanked me for my help. It was something completely unprecedented in my life.

But then… All my efforts ended up being in vain.

Among the people I rescued, there was one man who had a weird way of thinking. He thought that the right ‘way to live’ was to have everyone become zombies.

So, one day, I left the supermarket to gather some supplies… When I came back, I saw that the market’s door had been opened by someone, probably the uncle.

I became desperate. The safe zone that I had cleared was now a zombie nest.

Everyone who I had rescued had now scattered, and I had no doubts that plenty of them ended up being bitten by the zombies.

And after all this mess… I became disheartened. I aimlessly wandered through the city without any goals or dream in my heart.

In those circumstances, on the day before yesterday, a woman called out to me.

She was wearing some truly tattered clothes and was begging for help. She said that she escaped from a horrible woman.

She did not know the name of the horrible woman, but she knew that the evildoer wore a red jersey and had mysterious powers.

It immediately clicked in my head. This evil person must have the same powers as me.

The tattered woman said that the evildoer reigned as the queen of the nearby Miyabigaoka High School and treated everyone there as slaves.

As I listened to her tale, the flames of anger began to burn within my heart.

I thought I had lost the capacity to have such strong feelings after the incident with the man in the supermarket, but this anger had now filled me whole.

Those powers are a gift from God to let us save others. It’s not something that can be used to oppress the weak.

By the time I realized it, I was already running. I wanted to satisfy my thirst for justice.

And also… After I lost everything I had worked for, I really needed a new goal.

***

I found the woman with the red jersey. It was easier than expected.

In this world where the dead roam freely, the living end up standing out quite a bit.

That woman was boiling water on the roof of a store by using a cassette stove.

I was wondering what she was doing, but then the woman suddenly got naked and started taking a bath.

Insane… She didn’t know who could be looking at her, but she still started taking a bath…

… I want a bath too.

Annoying… Her joyful expression bothered me.

I was planning on attacking tomorrow morning. Maybe after we talked a bit, but… Let’s just do it today. After she lays down to sleep, I’ll do it!

***

But now… Something is wrong.

I was wandering around the store while searching for the woman.

This wasn’t like what I heard before. That woman with the Pika Nyan pajamas was nothing like a shounen manga villain.

She said that she didn’t want to kill me even after I attacked her. I don’t get what that means. Is this some secret plan from her? A strategy to make me lower my guard?

I couldn’t mess up then. I had to help everyone at the Miyabigaoka High School and make that bully pay for her sins.

So, I used another Thunder Magic III. The convenient spell that supplied electricity to all electric appliances nearby.

It may not be useful for attacking, but it’s still very convenient… Especially when chasing a villain that is hiding within a building.

I found her.

Though that woman put her sword on the floor and stared straight at me.

Nonetheless, I attacked her right away. Even without her weapon, this woman can still use magic, so I won’t lower my guard.

“Eat this! Hungry Wolf’s Thousand Fists!” I exclaimed.

It was the Special Skill I of Fighting Technique. I don’t quite understand how this works, but I know that this strengthens my fists with a mysterious energy, and it’s an absolutely deadly technique when used against zombies.

However… “What!?” I exclaimed.

It was too strange. Even though I hit her heart with my Special Skill, the woman with the Pika Nyan pajama stood still.

She giggled, “So that’s the effect of carefully picking my skills. Look at the toughness provided by this simple Pika Nyan pajama!”

“W-what did you do!?” I exclaimed.

Until now my attack had never failed. I thought it was impossible for it to fail.

If I had hit a zombie, it would have surely been blown away while falling apart, but… That woman just raised her thumb.

“You said you’d hit me a hundred times, right? Then do it!” She told me.

What is she even saying!? Is she a masochist!?

“However, if I’m still standing after one hundred hits, then you’ll have to listen to me!” She said next.

Those words sent a shiver down my spine… There was something very wrong about this woman.

“Come on!

“Though I’d like it if you could avoid hitting my face, if possible.” She added.

I didn’t understand what was happening, but there must be a meaning behind this.

I’m not going to kill her, but… I want to hit this evildoer with all my might.

“Then, take this! And this!” My furious wave of blows started.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10… 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16… Seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty…

“Damn it! Why, why, why!?” I exclaimed.

The woman laughed out loud, “It doesn’t even hurt!”

Her smile was twitching as she said that. So she was definitely bluffing. My attacks are definitely having some effect.

Still, my fists should be hitting with enough strength to bend iron, so how…?

“Th-then how about this!? Blowing Wave!” I used next.

That was Special Skill II. A skill that generated a mysterious energy wave from the palm of my hands.

I also didn’t understand how it worked, but I knew it was strong.

The golden energy moved towards the woman with great momentum… But then, I heard her mutter, “Steel Clothes.”

At that moment, I heard a sharp sound, like iron colliding against iron. My skill was dispersed on the spot.

“I knew it! So you were using skills, after all!” I exclaimed.

“You’re using them too, so it’s only fair.” She replied.

Ugh… She’s right.

I clenched my teeth and resumed my angry rush.

My attacks were definitely working, but… I felt like I was the one being cornered here.

I could hear my stomach rumble. I was hungry… This was bad.

I once pushed myself too hard and ran out of magic… It was a horrible experience.

Once the magical power runs out, the skills that are activated automatically like Fighting Technique, Natural Healing and Skin Strengthening all stop working.

At that moment, even a single zombie was incredible dangerous to me… If this happens, then the battle will be over.

“Ora ora ora ora ora ora! Dorarararara!” I exclaimed as I punched the woman.

I didn’t even know how many hits I had already delivered anymore.

“Twenty more…” That woman seemed to be counting though.

“Damn it…” I muttered.

I don’t have any choice then. I have to use my ultimate skill, “Exploding Hundred Fists!”

That was Special Skill III. It allowed me to shoot mysterious energy bullets from my fists.

“You know, since you already have the ‘Hungry Wolf’s Thousand Fists’ as one of your skills, don’t you think it would be better to change the name of the stronger skill a bit? Thousand is more than a Hundred, after all.” That woman commented. *

“S-Shut up!” I exclaimed as my light bullets started piercing the woman.

“Ugh…” She groaned.

This woman was really testing my patience… But this time, she spit blood.

Good! Another shot! Let’s do this!

“H-hey, that was the hundredth blow.” She said as she saw me prepare my next attack.

… Was it really?

…

“Explosive hundred Fists…?” I tried using again, but…

I was feeling dizzy, “Ah, ah…” I muttered.

No way… This feeling again…?

I’m out of magic… I kneeled on the spot. I was unable to stay up any longer.

“Damn it…” I muttered.

“Well, I guess that’s the end of it, right?” The woman said.

I just groaned in response.

Still, the woman picked up her sword from the ground, and while still keeping it within the scabbard, she touched the sheathed sword on my neck, “This is my win.”

I really wanted to retort, but my stomach was groaning really loudly…

“Oh my.” The woman said.

And after hearing those words, my consciousness faded and everything went dark.

——

*Translator’s Note: What’s actually said in the raws is pretty different. The Exploding Hundred Fists on the raws is “爆裂・百裂拳”. What the MC suggests is that the name should be changed because it uses “裂” twice on the name… This was completely lost on the translation, so I adapted it for a comparison with the weaker skill.