As Hoshino and Nightmare entered the sewers, Mayer arrived in Lungmen as well.
She had not caught wind of anything, of course. She had come with a mission: repairing Yae Sakura's shrine gate. It had to look exactly like the old shrine, which was terribly boring and completely lacking in challenge.
But if she obediently followed orders, she would not be Mayer!
Just wait!
Among all those torii gates from the foot of the mountain to the shrine entrance, there had to be one place where she could stuff a bomb—unless someone watched her every move without pause. Mayer did not believe the supervisor would be that strict. If she really received such overbearing and rude treatment, then she would... eat the bombs she had brought on the spot!
"Hehehe, let me see where the shrine's manager is..."
She skillfully stepped over the collapsed shrine gate, but did not see the pink-haired shrine maiden. Instead, a white-haired girl greeted her, staring at Mayer for quite a while as though trying to determine whether she was friend or foe.
"I'm—"
"House repairman. Friendly. You may not attack."
Mayer was somewhat surprised, but quickly understood. The shrine maiden had clearly informed her subordinate that Mayer was coming, leaving this white-haired girl here to wait and supervise while she herself ran off somewhere else to play. Based on her few brief exchanges with the shrine maiden, Mayer guessed that the shrine maiden had abducted a young girl.
The supervisor might have changed, but it did not matter. She would still plant bombs all the same.
Mayer began work full of confidence.
Her repair-type mechanical otters skillfully carried and cut lumber, while the baking-type mechanical otters deployed hot-air blowers to dehydrate the moisture-rich wood. Everything was automated, while Mayer herself searched for an opportunity.