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High School Hack and Slash Chapter 154 Part 1

Snowy Landscape

　Toyoashihara Academy, surrounded by mountains, was included in a heavy snowfall area.

The snow that had begun to sprinkle every now and then from the beginning of December never thawed and continued to fall and pile up.

And once it got to the winter vacation period where Christmas was just around the corner, the surrounding area had turned into a world of silver.

「It’s cold this morning, too, huh….」

「The windows are frozen solid, I suppose. Looks like we have to get the icicles off before the snow falls.」

Mikan and Rinko, dressed in down jackets, turned on the oil heater set up in the club room (provisional).

For these girls, the second-year students, this was their second winter.

Even if they were from a region where snow never piled up, they had gotten familiar with the way to deal with it.

「… Let’s release more carbon dioxide. The earth should be warming.」

Shizuka, bundled up into a lumpy ball, took up positions in front of the stove without delay.

The word fashionable was far removed from Shizuka, who was dressed in a thick robe, leg warmers, woolen gloves, a scarf, and pants.

「No, no, no, it seems that global warming will make summers even hotter and winters even colder, I suppose.」

「That is just a random statement from scientists who are eyeing research funds. Yes, there is no mistaking it. To begin with, you see, this is a period when the sun is inactive, in other words, a mini-glacial period. As such, let’s pump out tons of carbon dioxide and warm up the earth even more.」

As Shizuka twisted the switch, a fire blasted up from the top panel of the oil stove.

「Shizuka-chan, you’re turning it up too high. It’s dangerous.」

「If you cover it with this, it’ll be fine. I mean, the air will get dry and your skin will become dry and rough otherwise.」

Mikan, placing a kettle of water on top of the stove, rubbed her hands together and exhaled a white breath.

「We’ve remodeled it, but as expected, draft is still coming in, after all….」

「There’s no helping it, I suppose. The base building was rickety, after all.」

However much it had been magically remodeled, the raw material was still that of a retro wooden dormitory.

There were limits to its protection against cold.

To the level that the expanded underground floor was much warmer.

Though, it was a secret from Shizuka.

If they went and told Shizuka about it, it was obvious that she would shut herself in there like a hibernating bear.

「Uu~, my hands are cold. For me to get so excited that it was a white Christmas, I was such a fool….」

「If we don’t plow the road to the academy, we’ll end up being isolated. It’ll turn into a completely isolated place, given things.」

The staff members who came to Asagi-sou to cook meals for them were also taking the year-end and New Year’s vacation.

It was just that, a large amount of food for until the New Year had been crammed into the large commercial refrigerator.

It wasn’t limited to Asagi-sou alone, as the same was true for all entry-class dormitories.

In the early morning, the academy’s snowplows plowed the academy routes, but if it was snowing, they would end up being buried in no time.

And then, it was the dorm students’ duties to remove snow from the roof and clean up snow in the dormitories.

Mai and Seiichi, who had gone to clear the snow around the entrance, held their hands over the brazier set up in front of the clubroom counter.

The brazier was almost an antique, but the charcoal used as fuel was of the highest quality (magic quality).

Once the brazier was lit, it would not go out for a whole day.

There were also dorm students who came to spit-roast the fish they caught in the waterfall fishing pond at the entrance.

「The key to mid-winter training is spirit, you know~.」

「… Impossible.」

「… Will die.」

In contrast to Saki, who was clad in a jersey, Miharu and Natsumi were bundled up in matching down jackets.

At once, they lined up with Shizuka and surrounded the stove.

「It looks like there will be a lot of snow this year. I wonder if it’ll melt if we pour kerosene or something on it and light it up?」

「Otoha… As expected, as the dorm leader, that remark is a no go, I suppose.」

As the fourth stove enthusiast was added to the mix, Rinko, with her hand on her forehead, let out a sigh.

「O, oh you. It’s a joke, of course it’s a joke, duh.」

「But, if it’s you Senpais, you could make a fully automatic snow blower, couldn’t you?」

Mai, holding her own cup, poured hot lemonade from the electric kettle installed in the club room.

「Ah, I guess so. If we remotely synchronize with our『Armed Golem』, we might be able to shovel snow without freezing.」

「No, no, no, Mikan-chan. As expected, it would be a bad idea to bring out the golem when it’s not in the dungeon, I suppose.」

「For Asagi (our) dorm students, it’s too late of a matter, or rather… Maybe, I think no one will be surprised by it, though….」

Holding her hands over the stove, Otoha glanced at Konnyaku-man, who was similarly holding his hands over it at her feet.

And then, noisily racing on the hallway in front of the club room (provisional) were the dorm students who were trying to capture the mysterious kotatsu that was running away from them with a flutter.

「Kakine-chan. Your『kanjiki』 are done~.」

「Thanks. Anzu-chan.」

What Anzu laid out on the counter were the so-called snow-walking equipment called snowshoes.

A string like a cat’s cradle was attached to the inside of the loop.

Moreover, toy-like mini-sized ones had also been arranged in a large number.

A small spider-shaped golem on Kakine’s shoulder bowed dexterously.

Jumping down onto the counter, it attached the kanjiki to its eight legs.

「Be careful not to get blow away by the wind, okay?」

The mini-golem nodded, proudly displaying its new equipment.

The other mini-Golems equipped with kanjiki also went through the door secretly built in the wall of the club room (provisional) and departed.

「… Err, what did those kids head out to do?」

「It seems that they’re going to remove the snow from the roof for us. Admirable, aren’t they?」

「Yeah. Let me make sure there’s no one down there while they’re working, okay….」

Rinko, holding her temples, let out a small sigh.

「Come to think of it, I don’t seem to see Touma-kun around. He went to clear away the snow together without you, didn’t he?」

「Ah, if you’re looking for that guy, he’s gone to do test-drive on the sled.」

Seiichi, receiving a cup from Mai, answered Mikan’s question.

It was an Adept Orders-marked sled, but it was a truly innocent ride, not equipped with some mysterious engine like the snowmobile, nor did it grow mysterious legs and dash around.

For better or worse, the power source of the sled, which was built with the use of other dorm residents in mind, was the Ice Moon Wolf (Hati), which was very energetic even in the snow.

The other members of Asagi-sou watchdog group, the Dark Sun wolf (Skoll) and the Guardian Hellhound (Cerberus), had taken up positions in front of the stove and had turned into cushions.

「Even though it’s snowing a bit, Touma-kun sure is a snow child, isn’t he?」

「Well, without a means of transportation, we won’t be able to enter the dungeon either, after all. I mean, even during the winter break, we still have dungeon practice quota to fill and all.」

「Asagi-sou (this place) is a truly remote place, and the snowplows do not reach the front of the dormitory either, after all. If it were to turn into a regular service to the student street via the academy, I believe that would be convenient.」

「That child is in the mood for a walk.」

「If we put this child on it as well, he can serve as a heater.」

The Black Sun Wolf that Natsumi was petting sported an huh? look on its face.

As for the Guardian Hellhound, which jerked up at the same time, it gazed at the day after tomorrow to avoid making eye contact.

「I mean, is it okay for them to be away from this place? These doggies, I mean. Won’t they go back to being cards?」

At the question of Mai, who was warming up her fingers by holding the cup with both hands, Mikan, with her arms crossed, sported a smug look on her face.

「I expected such a thing to happen, so I have a new item that I just newly developed!」

「Rather than developed, it’s more like the experiment result has taken form, I suppose.」

What Mikan pulled out of nowhere was an item similar to a rosary made of cut crystals joined together.

It was an accessory made from processing monster crystals.

The reason why ordinary students couldn’t use their skills on the above ground and the reason why monsters from the dungeon couldn’t exist on the above ground were the same.

It was because the concentration of the origin substance, also known as miasma or magical energy, was incomparably lower than in the dungeon.

Monster crystals were crystalline bodies in which that origin substance was concentrated.

When brought to the above ground, the crystals would end up volatilizing and disappearing immediately, but when they did, they emitted an invisible origin substance.