One-way traffic

She didn't quite understand what the two people in front of her wanted to say... Just then, she felt a slight chill.

To be precise, it should be a feeling of coldness caused by dampness.

"Huh…?"

Yoshino couldn't help but look at herself.

It wasn't until this moment that I realized my body was still quite damp.

This also applies to the inside of clothing.

"Oh dear, it looks like your clothes are all wet because of the rain."

"Anyway, she's an elf, so she shouldn't be in any danger at all, right?"

"That won't do! How can a girl keep herself all dirty all the time!"

Yoshino blinked, and before she could react, Hatsune Miku was already standing in front of her.

Now that all the food has been eaten, the plate in front of us is completely clean.

"How are you feeling, Yoshino? After getting soaked in the rain, you'll feel much better after taking a shower."

"bath…?"

"Don't worry, it's not painful at all. Taking a bath will warm your whole body up, and you won't feel cold at all!"

Hatsune Miku was speaking in a string of sentences, but Yoshino in front of her just looked completely puzzled.

"It's good that your doll needs a good wash too. Look, Yoshina is covered in mud."

"Ah... yes, yes..."

"It's settled then! I'll run the hot water first, and then you can take a nice hot bath and experience the feeling of your whole body being warmed up!"

Before Yoshino could say anything more, Hatsune Miku had already pulled her quickly to the bathroom.

Accelerator, who had just finished eating, sat to the side and helplessly pursed his lips.

"Fool, that guy is an elf. His clothes are made of spiritual energy. He can clean himself up with just a thought."

Even so, Hatsune Miku can no longer hear it.

The two girls walked into the huge bathroom together, and soon the room became steamy.

———————————————————————————————————————————

About ten minutes later, the two girls finally came out of the bathroom.

Yoshino had changed into a very matching white dress, and her previously messy hair was now neatly combed and looked quite pleasing to the eye.

"This is really nice...! This homey outfit is just wonderful!"

While praising Yoshino, Hatsune Miku handed her the rabbit doll she was holding.

As you can see, the surface of the doll is very clean, almost like it's brand new.

"This is your Yoshina! I've trimmed those parts that weren't very nice before, and now it looks even better than before!"

"This...this is...Yoshiona..."

Clutching the rabbit doll with some excitement, Yoshino immediately let out a joyful sound.

Both Hatsune Miku and Accelerator seem to feel helpless about the situation before them.

"Thank...thank you..."

He didn't rely on the doll in his hand, but said it to the two people in front of him himself.

Yoshino lowered her head slightly, as if bowing, and spoke to the two of them.

"Thank you... for helping Yoshino... find Yoshina..."

"It's nothing~ The most important thing is that Yoshino is happy!"

The girl, smiling and nodding, then walked to the door—it was still raining outside.

Upon seeing this, Hatsune Miku immediately handed her the green dress and a transparent umbrella she had been wearing.

"These are the clothes Yoshino wore earlier. I've washed them thoroughly. If it keeps raining outside, you can use this umbrella!"

So there's absolutely no need for that... She was the one who caused that rain, so how could she possibly be affected by the rain she herself created?

Accelerator thought this to himself, but he didn't say it out loud.

Yoshino took all these things from Hatsune Miku's hands and nodded deeply once again.

And so, the girl, who was rather introverted, took her first real step outward.

No longer relying on a perfect personality imagined by oneself, but relying on one's own strength, moving forward step by step.

With a happy expression, Yoshino immediately opened the door.

Although it was still raining outside, she was in a much more cheerful mood than ever before.

"Yoshina..."

A few minutes after walking away, Yoshino picked up the rabbit doll in her hand.

Looking at the doll that had been washed very clean, the girl's face was filled with joy.

"This time... Yoshino... met some really good people... so Yoshino, don't worry anymore... everything's... alright..."

The girl, smiling as she recounted everything, quietly slipped the doll in her hand onto her arm.

—Bang.

What followed was a sound that pierced the sky.

That was the sound of a sniper rifle.

The special sniper rifle ammunition used against spirits mercilessly pierced through Yoshino's front.

"what…!"

No, in that critical moment, the doll in Yoshino's hand seemed to suddenly come to life and jumped up rapidly.

Like a shield, it leaped behind Yoshino, directly deflecting the bullet that was supposed to be aimed at Yoshino.

The results are obvious.

The doll, now completely pierced, shattered into countless fragments, which were then scattered into the distant sky by the strong winds that swept up nearby.

Yoshino stood there dumbfounded, as if in a daze.

"Target found."

"Target confirmed, it is indeed Hermit, sniper clearance order correct."

"Then, let's begin the encirclement and annihilation offensive."

"learn!"

Such a sound came from afar.

Before Yoshino could even comprehend the situation, those figures were already flying towards them.

Boom—a sound like a rocket engine followed.

The AST members, dressed in green mecha suits, arrived here.

thump.

Yoshino knelt down, trembling.

"Yoshino...?"

She couldn't help but freeze, staring blankly at the ground.

She recalled everything that had happened before.

The Hatsune Miku who treated me so gently, and the white figure who, though cold on the outside, was incredibly caring inside.

However, the result they had worked so hard to create was completely destroyed.

Even more terrifying.

My most important and irreplaceable partner has completely disappeared before my eyes.

"A massive fluctuation of spiritual energy has been detected... Sure enough, it's an elf!"

"Hasn't this matter already been clearly determined?"

Several AST members snorted coldly, then continued to look at Yoshino in the center.

"Prepare to implement the plan's ultimate goal."

"Hermit is currently in a state of complete incapacity, which is the best time for us to kill her directly."

"Let us do what that Commander Kusakabe dares not do."

"It's just a mere elf. According to those old folks, that's all it's capable of? What a laughable creature."

I could no longer hear the voices of the people around me.

Something within Yoshino's heart was completely frozen.

Her head jerked up.

"Zadkiel, the Ice Puppet..."

Boom boom boom boom boom boom—! !!! !

What came after that.

It was a true apocalypse, like a world of ice and snow.

Chapter 372 Death in the Snow

Inside Fraxinus, everyone gathered together.

Apart from Tohka Yatogami, who still needs to be watched closely, Shido Itsuka, Accelerator, and Hatsune Miku have all arrived here.

But what they were about to receive was far from good news.

Before my eyes, this image was displayed directly on the huge screen.

Snowflakes fluttered down, freezing the city.

It was like the end of the world; the streets and buildings were completely covered by a thick layer of ice.

Fortunately, the relevant departments had sounded the space earthquake evacuation alarm in advance; otherwise, the damage this time would not have been limited to just buildings.

"…this…"

The apocalyptic scene made Itsuka Shido's face turn extremely ugly.

"Did...that girl named Yoshino do all of this...?"

"all of them."

At the same time, Kotori Itsuka also looked at some data displayed on the small screen in front of the commander's seat.

"And this is only the initial situation. As Yoshino's emotions continue to deteriorate, the consequences will become increasingly worse."

"No, no way...?"

"In the worst-case scenario, a force of that scale could even affect the underground shelters and other areas... and ultimately have a complete impact on the entire Tengu City."

Even Kotori Itsuka, with her usually composed demeanor, seemed somewhat shaken as she uttered these words with a stern expression.

Itsuka Shido was completely speechless.

"What caused all of this? Is the child... like this because of another AST attack?"

"As I said before, Yoshino has a very gentle personality. No matter how many AST members came to attack her, she never fought back once."

In other words, the problem doesn't lie here.

"You should check the video for the specifics."

After Kotori Itsuka finished speaking, Reine Murasame, who was standing to the side, walked in front of the big screen.

The live camera on the screen was directly converted into video recording content.

That information was probably captured by a nearby streetlight camera.

When the group saw the video footage, they all showed expressions of surprise.