336-304 To return to japan (1)

...a chunk of rock falling onto the ledge with a roar.

Haruka's scream echoes.

And falling, Nao and Natsuki.

They happened almost simultaneously.

At the time of the cliff's collapse, Haruka and her friends escaped by taking shelter on the sheltered side of the ledge, but this also meant keeping their distance from Nao and the falling Natsuki.

"Oh, Nao, my brother has fallen!

"Wow, wow, what should I do?

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"Calm down. Nao didn't fall. He jumped by himself.

...... You don't jump without thinking, do you?

Yeah. Nao doesn't jump without thinking. You can trust him.

Although her voice sounds calm, Haruka's face is pale and her hands are clenched tightly.

And as soon as the smoke from the collapsed rock wall cleared, she rushed to the edge of the ledge and peered down.

But all that could be seen was a white plume of water.

There was no sign of Nao or Natsuki.

Haruka clenched her fists even tighter as the reality of the situation was once again revealed to her.

Yuki, standing next to her, gently grasped her fist and stroked it to relax it.

"Calm down, okay?

"Yeah, I know. I know. ......

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

What do you think?

I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've seen it before.

Toya......, you're early.

That's right. That's because of the situation. I came down right away. The rope ladder is down there, though.

Toya pointed behind him as if in trouble, and sighed deeply.

The part that had just collapsed was the part that held the rope ladder in place, so it was only natural that if it fell, the rope ladder would fall underneath it.

Of course, a part of it was visible, but in order to retrieve it, he would have to move a rock block that was taller than Toya.

What to do?　What do you say I take the longest rope and try to climb down?

That's .......

You'll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them.

It's not a good idea to do that when Nao is not around. I think Toya can do it, but flying gars, and unknown enemies... The risk is too high.

"I see. --You're calm, aren't you?

That's my job, I know it. If I get upset here, I won't be able to show my face to Nao.

I'm sure you'll be able to understand what I mean.

I think it's a good idea. So, Haruka, you said that Nao had a plan and acted on it. ......?

Yes. When we found out that we were in this situation, Nao and I put a lot of effort into practicing the "walk on air" technique. It's not perfect yet, but it should be able to slow down your fall. --I'm better at it than you are, so I should be the one jumping.

I should have jumped, but I was in the wrong place. I should have been the one to jump because I'm better at it, but it was a bad place to do it, and splitting up between Haruka and Natsuki would have been unbalanced, so Nao was the right choice.

"That's right. I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.　It's a blessing in disguise. I'm sure Nao's transference magic will bring you back soon.　If he's still alive.

Toya!

Toya, you're terrible!

Ugh!

When Toya added unnecessary words, the two younger students immediately protested.

Not only verbally, but physically as well.

The punch was a little too powerful to be a child's punch, and Toya let out a little groan and clutched her stomach.

The chainmail is not that strong against impact.

"Oh, come on, you two. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not. I'm not sure what to do. ...... I think I'll bury the transfer point here for now. Maybe they'll come back towards the entrance.

"Right. Let's just wait here for now.

Okay, I'll dig up the rope ladder. Let's hope it's not broken. ......

We'll have to check it out. Even though it's a wire, it's still underneath the rock.

Toya, can you help me?　Actually, I think it would be better if I used my magic. ......

I'm on it. We'll have to conserve our magic. The biggest rocks will be tough, but ...... if you can't break them, you're on your own.

Okay.

You want me to help?

I'll help you.

Okay. All right, well, let's just make sure we don't jam our hands together or anything, okay?

The big rocks that came crashing down were about a meter wide and two meters high, but most of them were only a handful.

Even with such rocks, if you lose your balance and fall on a limb, you can't avoid breaking bones.

While Toya was thinking about where to start, Haruka called out to him.

"Toya, don't throw that rock down by mistake, okay?

"Oh, right. Yeah. Of course I know that.

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Toya and Yuki looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders in silence, and then split up with Mary and the others to move the rocks toward the pathway.

As for the biggest rock, Toya kicked it over and it broke in two, and they managed to deal with it without using magic.

The rope ladder was retrieved, but .......

"A little suspicious?

Yes. I'm not sure I'd trust my life to it.

There were no broken wires on either side, but the metal rungs on which the feet rested were bent in several places and the wires were damaged, making safety a bit questionable.

I'll fix it.

"Shh!

Haruka put her finger on her mouth and sharply stopped the conversation between Yuki and Toya, who were inspecting the rope ladder.

Beep, beep, beep.

Here it comes!

The sound of a high-pitched whistle was heard.

"Twice. Looks like he's okay!

Yuki breathed out a sigh of relief, and Haruka's grim face relaxed a little.

"Yes. The whistle was useful, wasn't it?

When Nao suggested it, I thought I wouldn't use it. ......

At Nao's suggestion, each of us had to carry a whistle in case we got separated.

In the event that they were separated, each of them had their own whistle, and Haruka and the others had decided in advance to communicate by the number of whistles they played.

It may sound primitive, but since there is no such thing as communication magic, the whistle is actually an excellent means of communication.

The sound can be heard for kilometers, and if made properly, it can be quite resonant.

Even now, the roar of waterfalls can be heard, and the whistle is still able to reach us, so we can say that its functionality is sufficient.

Incidentally, they had decided that three times was the signal for SOS, two times was the signal for safety, and one time was just a signal.

In addition to these, there are several long and short signals like Morse code, but only Haruka remembers them to some extent, and even Natsuki and Yuki have no idea what they mean without looking at the corresponding chart.

But it was good!

Yes!　--I have to answer!

Yes!　Let's see, ...... Toya, can you help me?

"Oh. We're gonna do this twice, right?

Yes.

When Toya took the whistle and confirmed it to Haruka, she nodded immediately.

Then .......

Toya took a deep breath and blew twice as loud as the whistle sounded.

"Phew. ....... Will this come back to me in a while?

"Probably!　The whistle is within hearing distance, so Nao should be able to bring Natsuki with her.

I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea. .......

It's not going to come!

I'm not sure what to make of that. ......

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What do you mean?　I'm not sure what to make of it.

It's also possible. I'm not sure what to do.　I'm not sure what to do.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

Haruka also reminded me of this.

So, you can't come back for a while. ......?

"Haruka-san, there were two whistle signals. You don't have to worry so much about it.

I'm sure Nao and Natsuki will be fine!　They're not like my brother Toya!

...... I know.

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I'm not sure what to say.　I'm not sure what to say.

It's about whether you can use magic or not. I'm not sure what to say.

"Huh?　...... Uh, yeah!　That's right!

I'm not sure what to say, but I'm going to say it.

You can read the air. It's as it should be.

It's definitely not!

But unfortunately, Toya didn't understand her.

Of course not.

...... Well, I'm sure the chances of survival are higher than me falling...

A little frustrated, and perhaps not confident that he was ahead of Natsuki and the others in terms of calmness and assessment of the situation, Toya grumbled, but said nothing more and looked up at the cliff.

He looked up at the cliff.　Didn't we talk about going back to the 20th level after we finished this?

"It's possible. Yuki, can you help us?

Haruka asked, "Can you? But the look on her face was more like, "Don't tell me you can't do it.

Yuki only nodded her head in affirmation when he looked at her like that.

I'll do my best!　I don't have much magic, but I'll try!

Immediately, everyone gathered around Yuki, and Yuki meditated and focused her consciousness in order to activate her magic.

But...

"......?

What's wrong?

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life.

I'm not sure.

I'm not sure, but I'd like to know.