Chapter 568
--That was the catastrophe known as the "Monster Disease" that once nearly destroyed the world.
Now, everything seems to be saying that such a disaster will soon happen again.
They eventually made it to the classroom.
There were other students in the classroom, but usually all of them should have arrived by this time.
But the homeroom teacher was nowhere to be seen in Year Four, Class Four, Grade 1.
Not all the students had arrived yet. Those who had were gazing out the window at the dark sky, some excited, some anxious, discussing whether this really was the end of the world, or if some extremely dangerous enemy had appeared that even Magic girls couldn't defeat.
"The teacher didn't come to work..."
The Problem Child kept complaining, finding it a difficult situation.
The situation was similar in other classes.
In some classes, not all students were present, and in others, even the homeroom teacher was absent.
Today's class is definitely canceled.
At that moment, a student in the classroom exclaimed in surprise:
"What?! The signal is this bad! The school closure notice was sent out this morning, and I'm only receiving it now."
It seems that because the signal became very poor, many students and teachers are only now receiving the notice of school closures.
Some people picked up their bags and left.
Sakaki Chika and the others exchanged bewildered glances. Kazama Kiriori, after a moment's thought, said:
"It seems we'd better split up and search separately."
"Kirishima, I remember you're living with your sister now. Is she alright at home alone? (6) Also, seven, two, dead, fed to her?"
After all, there are many Monster incidents happening all over the world these days. Although Maple Plain City hasn't experienced anything like this yet, it's still worrying whether a middle school girl can take care of herself.
Kirishima Ai nodded:
"This morning, I took Chick to Doctor Hong Shang and asked Doctor to take care of him."
"But that means it's not with Aunt Kougami either..."
Kazama Kiriori lowered her head, thus eliminating one possible location where Haihara might be.
So, where is Teacher Haihara now?
Are you still in Maple Plain City?
It seems that the difficulty is no less than that of searching for the Lost Paradise Twilight.
Now, all we can do is guess where the teacher might be.
The first place each of them thought of was one of the places they had spent time with Teacher Haihara, since Teacher Haihara was a homebody and hadn't been to many places even though she had lived in the city for many years.
If we were to say where Teacher Haihara might be right now, these are probably the most likely places.
"Let's each try to find places we think might be suitable."
Kazama Kiriori suggested.
After that, the girls went their separate ways.
Compared to the others, Kirishima Ai didn't go too far. The place she wanted to find first was very close, just a few steps away.
She arrived at the Materials Room where Miss Angel once lived.
Before the School Festival began, she had talked with that angel girl, and she wondered if that would be the last time they met.
As it turns out, Ms. Angel has always been Teacher Haihara.
It's incredible, yet it seems like that's how it always has been.
Now, when I think back to that time, what the angel said to me seems to have gone from being completely incomprehensible to being only vaguely understood.
But it seemed like the angel had something left unsaid to her at the end.
Could that be what Teacher Haihara wanted to say to her?
She still wasn't quite sure.
When she pushed open the door, it was still completely silent inside. She pushed it open a little further, and all the equipment was neatly arranged inside. There were no incredible, dreamlike figures inside.
She shifted her gaze, looking left and right, but there was no one there, nor any sign that anyone else had been there.
It seems the teacher isn't here.
Too.
Let's try looking elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the others, including the Magic girl Star Flower, went to Suburban Amusement Park Maple Plain City.
Although she lent her Crystal to Kirishima Ai, she still retained the Star Flower Crystal from her time outside the Sacred Domain.
That was a place she had visited with Teacher Haihara late at night.
Meanwhile, Kazama Kiriori, after transforming, took Cangyue Yuri to a place that Cangyue Yuri thought Teacher Haihara might be.
As for Kazama Kiriori herself, she didn't think Haihara would be in a place with memories of the two of them at this moment.
They searched the Gift Street where Cangyue Yuri and Haihara had strolled together in the snow, and even found the snowy Snowfield where Haihara found the puppy Luna.
There are also all sorts of other places.
But without exception, all of them ultimately gained something.
Teacher Haihara wasn't in those places.
Instead, it started snowing again, with silvery-gray snowflakes falling from the gray sky. By the time she realized it, Kirishima Ai's hair was already covered in snowflakes.
After some time, Kirishima Ai and Kuroki Yuka searched all the places they thought might be the best spots, but to no avail.
Just as Kuroki Yuka was feeling a little dejected, the little girl suddenly received a phone call. She was puzzled, and when she looked at it, she found it was from her Aunt.
Considering that the other party might indeed be worried in this situation, Kuroki Yuka answered the phone.
After the call, Kuroki Yuka a little troubled. She rubbed her forehead with one hand and sighed softly.
Who called?
"It's my Aunt. She happens to be nearby and wants to pick me up. I'll have to explain things to her in person later."
It seems to be Teacher Suzuki; considering that such situations are occurring all over the world, it's understandable that he would be worried.
Before long, they saw a woman walking towards them, holding a transparent plastic umbrella, in the distance of the street illuminated by the streetlights, where snow was gradually falling heavier.
Upon seeing Kuroki Yuka, the other person quickened their pace.
The lights illuminated the falling snowflakes, and the air released a warm white mist with each breath, while the cold wind made one want to go home and curl up.
Following the sound of footsteps, the woman, Teacher Suzuki, walked up to them and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Phew... I just saw the news, I didn't realize something so big had happened."
Finally, after confirming that Kuroki Yuka was alright, Suzuki was relieved.
Then she saw Kirishima Ai next to Kuroki Yuka Kirishima Ai. She had been in this cold weather for a while, and her already fair and delicate face was now flushed.
So she reached out her hand, first using her umbrella to shield Kirishima Ai and Kuroki Yuka from the snow, and then asked with concern:
"Kirishima? Speaking of which, what are you doing here?"
Teacher Suzuki noticed that, generally speaking, students like Kirishima Ai and Kuroki Yuka wouldn't be in a place like this, especially with the weather so cold and this happening outside.
"I'm looking for Teacher Haihara."
Kirishima Ai's cheeks were flushed from the cold as she answered directly.
Teacher Suzuki blinked, somewhat surprised.
Ai Kirishima Ai was thinking about going to find Teacher Haihara again when she overheard Teacher Suzuki's words:
"Huh?"
"As for Teacher Haihara, I just ran into her at the izakaya. When I woke up this morning, I only received the notice that classes were canceled, and I was just half asleep thinking about going for a drink. I never expected to see her there."
Turning my head, I saw that Teacher Suzuki had her usual gentle smile on her face, and she seemed to find the matter quite amusing.
Perhaps they didn't expect that the beautiful and aloof Haihara would go to that izakaya alone.
She's usually a bit oblivious, and it wasn't until Haihara reminded her that she realized something seemed off today, and then she went to search the news.
But why was Haihara- san at the izakaya at that time? And alone?
"Thank you."
When she came to her senses, she saw that Kirishima Ai had already left with Kuroki Yuka, disappearing into the gloomy snowy sky. Suzuki, who was supposed to take Kuroki Yuka home, felt a sense of disorientation and astonishment.
She blinked sleepily.
This child... is still the same as always, which is quite strange.
Volume Four Does This Count as a Magical Girl??: Chapter 82 Facing
Chaos is gradually descending upon the world, and more and more Monster are being born. The Magic girls in major cities have never seen anything like this before, and they are finding it increasingly difficult to cope, until they are tainted with despair.
Everything became a mess, like a street drenched in rain, everything was in disarray.
Many people are worried that the end of the world might actually come.
Some people were so afraid that they prayed to the Magic girl.
Why did things suddenly turn out this way? And what caused it all?
It seems no one can answer this.
Just like the catastrophe that struck thousands of years ago, everything came suddenly, and then it seemed that everything was about to be overwhelmed. People's desires were conceived into ugly and unfortunate forms, blossoming into Monster and bringing countless despair.
In Maple Plain City today, the thick gloom has not yet dissipated, and the snow is falling heavily. Grayish-white, cold snow is drifting on the desolate streets. At this moment, broadcasts are playing throughout the city, reminding people who are out and about to return home quickly and not to go out.
However, on this snowy day, there was a strange woman alone in an izakaya that was no longer run by anyone.
The place had already closed for the day, but she seemed to still have some wine left, as if she planned to stay until she finished it all.
The snowy wind whipped the curtains, letting in a lot of cold air.
The woman was as cold as the snowy day; her hair and skin were as white and pristine as snow. Her deep purple eyes were slightly glazed, as if covered with a thin layer of frost, giving her a rather cold and indifferent impression. One wonders what such a person is thinking.
And she can drink quite a lot.
Although I was alone, I could still order one drink after another. I drank at a leisurely pace, and before I knew it, I had finished quite a few.
She casually toyed with the skewers in one hand, twirling them between her cold fingertips.
The lanterns still lit outside the izakaya swayed in the cold wind, but she seemed oblivious to the chill inside. The sake in her glass was already cold, but she drank it as usual.
The wind howled incessantly, and the curtains kept blowing in, slapping against the chair.
The wind is really strong.
In R'lyeh, the wind is a lonely and distant Fairies. A certain Witch often talks to the wind, but in reality, she has no one she wants to send messages to.
"... You really enjoy drinking."
A girl's light and clear voice came from behind.
Haihara Lilith's eyelids twitched slightly, then she slowly put down the glass of wine. She turned her head and saw a familiar little girl standing outside the door curtain that was being blown by the wind.
The girl was still the same as I remembered, with a slender figure and a distant and aloof air about her in her youth, making me feel that I might see her in some world-weary art film.
And it looks like it's frozen solid.
"After all, it's rare to have the chance to drink to your heart's content."
Haihara Lilith answered matter-of-factly, her expression still indifferent.
She turned to the girl— Kirishima Ai —and crossed her legs, looking unhurried.
This time, Haihara's gaze remained fixed on Kirishima Ai's face.
The dim light from the lanterns swaying outside the izakaya painted the desolate and quiet city, with only the cold wind howling and ruffling the girl's dark hair.
The girl paused only slightly before calmly and directly stating---