diff --git a/pkg/chunked/cache_linux.go b/pkg/chunked/cache_linux.go
index 24baf72e0e..3393af6685 100644
--- a/pkg/chunked/cache_linux.go
+++ b/pkg/chunked/cache_linux.go
@@ -652,45 +652,9 @@ func (c *layersCache) findChunkInOtherLayers(chunk *internal.FileMetadata) (stri
 }
 
 func unmarshalToc(manifest []byte) (*internal.TOC, error) {
-	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	count := 0
 	var toc internal.TOC
 
 	iter := jsoniter.ParseBytes(jsoniter.ConfigFastest, manifest)
-	for field := iter.ReadObject(); field != ""; field = iter.ReadObject() {
-		if strings.ToLower(field) != "entries" {
-			iter.Skip()
-			continue
-		}
-		for iter.ReadArray() {
-			for field := iter.ReadObject(); field != ""; field = iter.ReadObject() {
-				switch strings.ToLower(field) {
-				case "type", "name", "linkname", "digest", "chunkdigest", "chunktype", "modtime", "accesstime", "changetime":
-					count += len(iter.ReadStringAsSlice())
-				case "xattrs":
-					for key := iter.ReadObject(); key != ""; key = iter.ReadObject() {
-						count += len(iter.ReadStringAsSlice())
-					}
-				default:
-					iter.Skip()
-				}
-			}
-		}
-		break
-	}
-
-	buf.Grow(count)
-
-	getString := func(b []byte) string {
-		from := buf.Len()
-		buf.Write(b)
-		to := buf.Len()
-		return byteSliceAsString(buf.Bytes()[from:to])
-	}
-
-	pool := iter.Pool()
-	pool.ReturnIterator(iter)
-	iter = pool.BorrowIterator(manifest)
 
 	for field := iter.ReadObject(); field != ""; field = iter.ReadObject() {
 		if strings.ToLower(field) == "version" {
@@ -706,11 +670,11 @@ func unmarshalToc(manifest []byte) (*internal.TOC, error) {
 			for field := iter.ReadObject(); field != ""; field = iter.ReadObject() {
 				switch strings.ToLower(field) {
 				case "type":
-					m.Type = getString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice())
+					m.Type = iter.ReadString()
 				case "name":
-					m.Name = getString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice())
+					m.Name = iter.ReadString()
 				case "linkname":
-					m.Linkname = getString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice())
+					m.Linkname = iter.ReadString()
 				case "mode":
 					m.Mode = iter.ReadInt64()
 				case "size":
@@ -720,19 +684,19 @@ func unmarshalToc(manifest []byte) (*internal.TOC, error) {
 				case "gid":
 					m.GID = iter.ReadInt()
 				case "modtime":
-					time, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, byteSliceAsString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice()))
+					time, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, iter.ReadString())
 					if err != nil {
 						return nil, err
 					}
 					m.ModTime = &time
 				case "accesstime":
-					time, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, byteSliceAsString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice()))
+					time, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, iter.ReadString())
 					if err != nil {
 						return nil, err
 					}
 					m.AccessTime = &time
 				case "changetime":
-					time, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, byteSliceAsString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice()))
+					time, err := time.Parse(time.RFC3339, iter.ReadString())
 					if err != nil {
 						return nil, err
 					}
@@ -742,7 +706,7 @@ func unmarshalToc(manifest []byte) (*internal.TOC, error) {
 				case "devminor":
 					m.Devminor = iter.ReadInt64()
 				case "digest":
-					m.Digest = getString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice())
+					m.Digest = iter.ReadString()
 				case "offset":
 					m.Offset = iter.ReadInt64()
 				case "endoffset":
@@ -752,14 +716,13 @@ func unmarshalToc(manifest []byte) (*internal.TOC, error) {
 				case "chunkoffset":
 					m.ChunkOffset = iter.ReadInt64()
 				case "chunkdigest":
-					m.ChunkDigest = getString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice())
+					m.ChunkDigest = iter.ReadString()
 				case "chunktype":
-					m.ChunkType = getString(iter.ReadStringAsSlice())
+					m.ChunkType = iter.ReadString()
 				case "xattrs":
 					m.Xattrs = make(map[string]string)
 					for key := iter.ReadObject(); key != ""; key = iter.ReadObject() {
-						value := iter.ReadStringAsSlice()
-						m.Xattrs[key] = getString(value)
+						m.Xattrs[key] = iter.ReadString()
 					}
 				default:
 					iter.Skip()
@@ -781,6 +744,5 @@ func unmarshalToc(manifest []byte) (*internal.TOC, error) {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unexpected data after manifest")
 	}
 
-	toc.StringsBuf = buf
 	return &toc, nil
 }
diff --git a/pkg/chunked/cache_linux_test.go b/pkg/chunked/cache_linux_test.go
index 190ddb2f39..3164e9b066 100644
--- a/pkg/chunked/cache_linux_test.go
+++ b/pkg/chunked/cache_linux_test.go
@@ -55,6 +55,23 @@ const jsonTOC = `
       "chunkSize": 86252,
       "chunkOffset": 17615,
       "chunkDigest": "sha256:2a9d3f1b6b37abc8bb35eb8fa98b893a2a2447bcb01184c3bafc8c6b40da099d"
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "reg",
+      "name": "usr/lib/systemd/system/system-systemd\\x2dcryptsetup.slice",
+      "mode": 420,
+      "size": 468,
+      "modtime": "2024-03-03T18:04:57+01:00",
+      "accesstime": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+      "changetime": "0001-01-01T00:00:00Z",
+      "digest": "sha256:68dc6e85631e077f2bc751352459823844911b93b7ba2afd95d96c893222bb50",
+      "offset": 148185424,
+      "endOffset": 148185753
+    },
+    {
+      "type": "reg",
+      "name": "usr/lib/systemd/system/system-systemd\\x2dcryptsetup-hardlink.slice",
+      "linkName": "usr/lib/systemd/system/system-systemd\\x2dcryptsetup.slice"
     }
   ]
 }
@@ -65,7 +82,7 @@ func TestPrepareMetadata(t *testing.T) {
 	if err != nil {
 		t.Errorf("got error from prepareCacheFile: %v", err)
 	}
-	if len(toc) != 2 {
+	if len(toc) != 4 {
 		t.Error("prepareCacheFile returns the wrong length")
 	}
 }
@@ -194,7 +211,7 @@ func TestReadCache(t *testing.T) {
 func TestUnmarshalToc(t *testing.T) {
 	toc, err := unmarshalToc([]byte(jsonTOC))
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
-	assert.Equal(t, 4, len(toc.Entries))
+	assert.Equal(t, 6, len(toc.Entries))
 
 	_, err = unmarshalToc([]byte(jsonTOC + "        \n\n\n\n    "))
 	assert.NoError(t, err)
@@ -210,4 +227,7 @@ func TestUnmarshalToc(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Error(t, err)
 	_, err = unmarshalToc([]byte(jsonTOC + "123"))
 	assert.Error(t, err)
+	assert.Equal(t, toc.Entries[4].Name, "usr/lib/systemd/system/system-systemd\\x2dcryptsetup.slice", "invalid name escaped")
+	assert.Equal(t, toc.Entries[5].Name, "usr/lib/systemd/system/system-systemd\\x2dcryptsetup-hardlink.slice", "invalid name escaped")
+	assert.Equal(t, toc.Entries[5].Linkname, "usr/lib/systemd/system/system-systemd\\x2dcryptsetup.slice", "invalid link name escaped")
 }
diff --git a/pkg/chunked/internal/compression.go b/pkg/chunked/internal/compression.go
index 54da17fd7f..1136d67b80 100644
--- a/pkg/chunked/internal/compression.go
+++ b/pkg/chunked/internal/compression.go
@@ -21,9 +21,6 @@ import (
 type TOC struct {
 	Version int            `json:"version"`
 	Entries []FileMetadata `json:"entries"`
-
-	// internal: used by unmarshalToc
-	StringsBuf bytes.Buffer `json:"-"`
 }
 
 type FileMetadata struct {