"Ugh!"
Eyjafjalla had taken a tremendous blow, but she still forced herself to greet the researchers from the Volcano Observatory. In truth, she only nodded woodenly and murmured a few greetings, tears welling in her eyes.
She looked so pitiful.
The more she was hurting, the less Hoshino could afford to go soft on her.
Hoshino also made sure to show her indignation, declaring that she and the little lamb were firmly on the same side.
She was just about to offer a few words of comfort when the observatory's loudspeaker suddenly blared. The shrill tone before a sound check rang out, and before Hoshino could frown, a man's cough broke the silence.
"I'm Cronin, assistant to the mayor of Siesta City and a Catastrophe Messenger. Thank you, people of Siesta, for stopping to listen to my announcement as a Catastrophe Messenger..."
"Tsk."
The investigator made no attempt to hide her contempt for the mayor's assistant. She even let out a sound.
"This is a farce!"
Before the deep male voice could even begin explaining, someone angrily interrupted with a complaint. Hoshino glanced around but couldn't spot who had spoken. What she did notice was that the researchers all wore astonishingly similar expressions.
They were furious, but dared not speak up.
"Remember to dress warmly. Turn off your Originium heaters when you leave. Drive carefully on the slippery roads... I never thought we'd hear a weather report like this in Siesta City. What a sight, haha!"
The broadcast reverberated through the room. An ordinary citizen hearing such a joke might have felt reassured.
"The Obsidian Festival will go on... Though some may call it the Ice and Snow Festival. Ice cream trucks and cold-drink vendors should switch to high-proof liquor and milk tea as soon as possible, or you might