Editing Sorcery Hacker:Volume2 Phase02 (section)

===Part 4===

No matter how pressing the situation, the basic necessities were still, obviously, necessary.

“Okay, that should about do it.”

“Coach, what are you doing?”

Mamilis bent over and tilted her head in a curious way.

“Making a water filter. You’re used to filtered city water, right?”

“Yeah, but is it really necessary here? I mean, we’re on a tropical island where the spring water is used by doctors.”

“That’s true, but still.”

The water in the streams may have been potable on Laguntreat since it had so many purifying springs, but better safe than sorry. He had created a simple filter by packing gravel, sand, and sponge-like palm fiber into a container. Use that while also boiling the water before use and they would have plenty of potable water.

The container he had found in the forest. In case of hurricanes, there were small huts scattered through the forest and they were filled with waterproof bags for making sandbags.

“That solves the water problem. How is the crayfish catching going, Miss Mamilis?”

“We’re about to get started, but we’re not sure what to do.”

She sniffed her shapely nose in a way that made her seem even fuller of life than in the sky city. Perhaps a Dark Elf really was meant for life in the great outdoors.

Teleria and Henrietta dragged in the trap they had made.

A few leafy branches had been bound together with string. It looked something like a poorly-made broom, but it was supposed to look that way. By letting that float in the river, the small crayfish would mistake it for a new home and gather inside.

Teleria wiped sweat from her brow with her empty hand.

“Ayato, where should we put this?”

“A short distance from the cave. You saw those disaster huts, right? Set it up near there and anyone who finds it won’t suspect the cave right away.”

“Knowledge of these criminal methods will come in handy when I have to pursue people like you in the future.”

“Ha ha ha. That’s the same excuse all the dirty cops make. Anyway, let’s go find a good river for this.”

With that, Ayato took the crayfish trap from the girls.

Partially out of a spirit of lady’s first, but also because dragging that across the sand was not the best idea for people on the run. He wanted to avoid leaving a trail for any pursuers.

Mamilis liked doing things for herself, so she puffed her cheeks out like a child.

“No fair, Coach. You don’t let us do anything.”

“Then I will leave you in charge next time.”

Laguntreat was blessed with over a hundred springs, so it also had plenty of rivers running in every direction from the large mountain the water came from. The countless streams were almost like a spider web or veins.

Ayato pointed toward one of those.

“That should do nicely.”

He had chosen a small and clear stream less than 5 esoule<ref>Approximately 6 meters.</ref> wide. The riverbed was clearly visible through the water. Small freshwater crabs were scurrying about down there and it appeared to be only about knee height.

Also, tropical trees leaned out over the water from the bank there.

“The weaker the creature, the more they worry about being seen. Both by other water creatures and by birds soaring through the sky. That is why they will gather in places like this. They might think of it as a smart move, but if you understand how the cowardly forest creatures think, catching them is a simple task.”

“…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………Oh?”

“Miss Mamilis, why are you glaring at me like that?”

Their group also wanted to hide their trap from view, so the obstructing trees were useful in that sense too.

“We don’t want the current carrying it away, so we should probably tie it to a tree with rope. Okay, Henrietta?”

“Why do you just assume that is my job?”

Teleria answered the straitlaced Striker’s question by grabbing her skirt and waving it a bit. She was indicating the black tights that covered her legs.

“As you can see, I am, um, not suited for the water. I do apologize, but this seems like a job for you since you can take off your boots and wade in barefoot.”

“Dammit, why do you always get the short end of the stick when you dress practically?”

“I will cook for you, do your laundry, and do any other housework you want, okay?”

Henrietta apparently could not say no when the girl clasped her hands in front of her large chest. She was a knight duty-bound to protect the common folk, so she had a tendency to act on reflex when she saw people in need. …And Ayato already knew how destructive a cocktail it was when Teleria gave you the puppy dog eyes, clasped her hands together, and begged you. That she was unaware what she was doing added the finest spice to the mix, taking it to a truly devilish territory.

“Nhh, mhh?”

Meanwhile, Dark Elf Mamilis was pouting her lips like a child. As the outdoorsy type, she must have wanted to try setting up the crayfish trap herself, but the tight leather pants covering her long legs made that difficult. And with such a tight fit, it was unlikely she could roll up the legs to wade in.

Teleria decided to give her some advice.

“Mamilis, you probably shouldn’t do that. The water might be clean, but leather takes a lot of upkeep, right? You don’t want any weird stains or discolorations, do you?”

“Curse my practical outfit!!”

Henrietta shouted in desperation as she entered the river, but she seemed in a better mood than her lament let on. This was a tropical island and she had been in her armor this whole time, so the cool water on her feet must have felt nice.

“That’s it.” Mamilis put her hands on her hips. “I’m taking off my pants.”

“Bff!?” spat Teleria with her large chest jiggling.

Then the blonde girl heard the quiet sound of a zipper being undone. The tall and slender grandma’s girl was gathering strength in her thumbs after giving in to the allure of playing in the water, so Teleria had to quickly stop her.

“You…you all-around idiot!! A-A-Aya-Aya-Ayato is right here!”

“Coach.”

“Fine, fine. I’ll look the other way.”

“See? Nothing to worry about. Coach is a perv, but he is true to his word.”

Ayato kept his back turned.

He did, however, have a few crystal tarot cards floating in the air.

“I rarely use this feature, so let’s see if I remember how. Hm, was this how you record a video?”

“See!? Everything to worry about! Sorcery Hackers live through deception, so their promises don’t mean squat!!”

[[Image:SorceryHacker_v02_BW05.jpg|thumb]]

Powerful Henrietta punched the wanted criminal once before tying his hands behind his back. The Striker was thankful to have had rope ready for tying the trap in place. And Teleria was assigned to watch over the idiot.

He could hear splashing sounds behind him for a while after that.

“Does it go like this? Hey, Henrietta, is the trap supposed to float up at the surface like this? Or is it supposed to sink to the bottom?”

“Do we even need the trap? I bet I could reach down and grab those small crabs.”

“Hmm. Well, when you don’t know, it’s best to ask Coach about it.”

“Have you no self-preservation instincts at all!? Why would you give that moron an excuse to turn around right now!?”

“Wait, Henrie- wah!”

“Why are you falling on your rear, Dark Elf!? What happened to being outdoorsy!?”

“Ugh, my underwear is all wet.”

There was nothing but girliness there.

It did not matter that they were isolated and on the run from the entire island; the world was still packed full of happiness. Sorcery Hacker Ayato could not stop smiling even with his back turned.

“Yes, this is giving my imagination a workout. Life is just one lesson after another. This is a joy I could never experience with access to a Media Summoner that lets me look up any information I want at any time. For example, I just realized my bound hands do nothing to prevent me from rolling onto my side to get a view. Having to discover the answers for yourself is so much more fulfilling.”

“Do I need to pistol whip you this time? So which will it be: from the right or left?”

While he was curious about the color of Mamilis’s wet underwear (confirmed wet by the Dark Elf herself), that threat convinced him to leave it up to his imagination. If they would grant him this wonderful experience if he simply sat here, then sit here was what he would do. After all, Teleria’s choice was not a game of roulette since both options were essentially the same.

“By the way, Miss Teleria.”

“What is it, Mr. Pervert?”

“I quite like the sound of that name and request you call me that from now on. Anyway, we are downstream of Miss Mamilis and Miss Henrietta, are we not?”

“What does that matter?”

“I would like to do some research to ensure this will not push me beyond even the category of pervert, so answer me this: would drinking the water flowing toward me be completely over the line?”

“Yes, it would be, you used-bath-loving ultra pervert!!!!!!”