Editing Apocalypse Witch:Volume2 Chapter3 (section)

===Part 5===

“Don’t you think we could make a bath like this?”

“Don’t get greedy. The igloo would collapse on top of you.”

Matsuda Imi and Hashizaki Tayori held a secret discussion while melting the snow with their magic. Girls like them saw a bath as a necessity on the same level as food and shelter, but it was looking like the most they could manage was wiping themselves down with a towel soaked in hot water. At any rate, Karuta’s group had left to find some food, so Amaashi Marika had some work to do while they were gone.

“I will be borrowing a few of them.”

“Of course. But make sure you keep an eye on them,” insisted the Student Council President in a way that hinted at more behind her smile.

Imi and Tayori noticed Marika then.

“Oh? What’s this? Headed out on an errand? Can we help?”

“You two continue researching ways to make a bath. That’s a life-or-death issue.”

“Then could you go find us something sturdier than an igloo made of snow? With a metal container or something, I bet we could make a girl’s bath for ourselves.”

Marika assumed they were mostly joking.

And.

“Wait.” A gym(?) teacher interrupted her with arms crossed. She thought his name Kiyosawa Hadome. “Bring me with you. I can’t have you heading out without a teacher.”

“You let Karuta go.”

“He had Firenze-sensei with him. You never know what will happen, so having an adult with you gives you someone to take responsibility after a mistake.”

Marika sighed so no one would notice.

(Well, this isn’t ''part of the plan'', but more people should help, I guess.)

“Bye, Senpai.”

“Good luck out there.”

The twintail girl left the igloo zone with a makeshift unit. Unlike Karuta, they were using Crystal Magic to fly at an extreme low altitude of less than a meter. If they could avoid crashing into the ground, this would eliminate any footprints.

“Ah!”

“Um, Senpai, why are we the only ones with an extra job to do? Did we draw the short straw?”

Marika was accompanied by Sanae and Alice of the Sub Category’s Regulation 1. Karuta had focused a lot on them since that made it easier to manage the entire class.

(Although I bet the kids saw through that right away.)

She could not even sigh about it anymore.

She answered their question while flying to their destination.

“It was a random choice. We just needed some people. And it had to be people who can remain calm.”

“?”

They were out here as scouts, but their target was not the Threat that had attacked the Crystal Beach.

“We want to know how much damage was done to the Crystal Beach as a whole. Can you two split up and check the outside of the domes? Obviously, you can’t let the Threat spot you, but you also can’t cause any trouble with the ordinary people evacuated into those domes. We’re only here to gather information, so focus on stealth. Make sure none of the people in those domes can sneak a peek up your skirt while you fly by overhead, okay?”

“Sure thing,” they said lazily before splitting up and flying away.

“…”

Kiyosawa Hadome seemed unsure whether to focus on the middle schoolers or Marika, who he was now left alone with, but he ended up doing his own thing. He seemed to be checking the domes and clear tunnels he had been assigned while also searching out points that gave him as wide a view as possible. Marika immediately picked up on what he was doing since she was a skilled sniper.

He could not leave this in the hands of the students since they were angry with the ordinary people who had kicked them out of safety and they might want to destroy the domes to take those people down with them. His was a normal enough way of thinking, but this -15-degree weather tended to keep people from thinking in the normal way.

(Now, then.)

Marika checked over her assigned area. But as far as she could see, this area was peaceful, unlike the C World dome. There was not a scratch on the translucent domes and the artificial summer environment within remained intact. The rows of palm trees blowing in the wind and the colorful birds and butterflies were all very much alive. The supply of power and gas did not appear to have stopped.

Once the agreed-upon time arrived, Marika regrouped with Sanae, Alice, and the teacher.

“Nothing to report about the G World dome.”

“Same with L World.”

Kiyosawa Hadome started to say something, but Marika held out a hand to stop him.

The twintails girl put her other hand on her hip while floating in midair.

“Nothing caught your attention other than the dome?”

“No, not really.”

“I didn’t find anything either. The Threat wasn’t there and the lucky people inside didn’t seem to be rioting or anything.”

“Hm,” Marika nodded and then added something else too quiet to be heard. “''I see.''”