Apocalypse Witch: To the Strongests of an Age of Plenty
Episode 22
Silicon Valley, United States.
Having heard that this is the largest arms factory in the world and has been kept separate from the giant mixed-use factory of the sword-wielding giant woman, Utagai Karuta envisions an area covered in steel and concrete, the smoke was toxic that hid the sky, and the sound rang metal all the time, but the reality was much different.
The refreshing and clear blue sky, the green grass covering the ground, and the small bridge that crossed the clear and glittering river were splendid under the scorching sun.
"Now cities that rely on semiconductor factories need clean water and air" said Student Council President Omotesandou Kyouka, looking out the RV window. "Hundreds of thousands of people live in San Jose, but other parts of Silicon Valley only have about ten thousand people. I heard that the areas that are along the highways that connect cities tend to look like this."
"I also heard that the deserts in America are shrinking" Marika said. "Everything begins to be filled in green thanks to desert agricultural crops connected with the mechanization of Susannia. And thanks to insects and small animals, I imagine they no longer need a person's flesh (flesh) when things reach a certain point. The restoration of plants in this desert also has a negative side, right? If wild plants that grow put in too much DNA, even off-road cars won't get through it."
"For now, people won't go hungry."
Food quality may be declining, but once farmers no longer focus solely on the gains made from selectively bred or genetically engineered crops, food will again reach acceptable levels.
On the other hand, here is nothing but a large box-shaped factory and truck parking lot. There is no commercial place other than gas stations, restaurants, and paid bathrooms, so getting food is not easy. The conditions were so bad that they had to buy food stocks at a supermarket in the city before. Even that is difficult to do because losing Susannia has made the shelves in the supermarket almost empty. (The actual stock will not run out so quickly, so most likely others are also piling up stock to take shelter in their private hideouts.) The tourists will visit when heading to their destination, but no one stays there long. If their RV has been there too long, it will be flashy. Silicon Valley is famous for its precision machinery factories, but in the empty places that are there, it is indeed completely empty.
Marika, who is a strawberry blonde, gives a skeptical look at "reason" which adds pressure to the already confined space inside the RV.
"Will these cameras and telescopes really be useful as insurance?"
"Seeing the stars is the main reason why one would visit a place that does not have a famous tourist destination and where finding even a gas station is difficult, right?" kyouka. "And if we need clean air and as little artificial light as possible, our existence here makes more sense. If we call ourselves meteor hunters, then we even have a reason to be in remote areas or private property."
"Medeor hunter?"
"The hobby that collects meteors falls and sells them for cash."
They had taken some astronomical photos and stored them in flash memory just in case someone questioned them further. Surprisingly, it was the Student Council President himself who was most interested. According to Karuta, she seems very calm and restrained, but it's possible that she has a female side that likes astrology and stellar divination.
How visible were the stars in the Ocean Crystal Magic Academy?
He found that he actually could not remember well.
The sky must have been full of stars in a tropical ocean far from human civilization, but the giant ship may have emitted too much light.
Did the President of the OSIS of that time ever spend every night staring through the telescope and sighing over the unsatisfactory results?
Anyhow.
Most likely Anastasia Blast is hiding inside that plant.
And if they were going to attack, they would do it according to the rules. The focus on safety will be lowest just before dawn. Waiting until then was excruciating because they could not move, but they were also so nervous that it was difficult to sleep. They also need to adjust their own biorytme to match the attack time. They had finished their dinner before sunset and got as much sleep as they could on the eve of the morning.
"Hey," Marika said as she lay on the sofa bed as usual. "What do we do when we're done with our revenge?"
"I doubt we can go back to living a normal life. Even if we did the right thing, we still went all over the world to kill people. Nevertheless, keeping the crystal statue in the cave would only attract the attention of others. Once we have resolved the matter with the Seekers and they are no longer actively seeking it, it is best that Gekiha and the others leave it alone."
Crystal Girl Aine replied without much thought while standing in the corner of the RV as usual.
"I'm Your Crystal Flower, so I thought I'd stay with you after this."
"Yes, and I'm your childhood friend, so staying with you might be the best."
They seemed to have concluded without giving her a chance to express her opinion.
President OSIS also interfered in the discussion.
“After everything is done, I guess I will step down from the post of President of OSIS.” He gave a smile that looked a little sad. “And are you going to kick me out after everything we've been through together? Doesn't that sound a little cold?”
“So we'll all stick together, huh?” utagai Karuta.
One of Marika's eyebrows shot up.
“What, you have a problem with that?”
“?”
Fourth(?) that person was the only one who managed to escape from the giant ship with their lives. The survivors had decided to use all their strength to take revenge against the seemingly invincible Problem Solver. That's all that started it all. So even though it sounded cold, they were only together by chance. If the other people who managed to survive, the group that was having a discussion right now would definitely be different. That's all that brings them together.
But what they know next, they have developed a stronger bond.
Karuta was unaware of this until now, but it felt strange when he thought they had to say goodbye and part ways after it was all over.
"Where will we go after it's over?" ask Karuta.
Marika and Kyouka gave different answers while they were fighting.
“I'm sick of a city full of garbage. I want to take a relaxing vacation on a tropical island,” said Marika.
“Eh? Wouldn't the Alps sound better? There is no better place to rest. And sound more luxurious,” reply Kyouka.
“I will refuse everything that needs warm clothes. In addition, I prefer the beach than the mountains,” said Marika again.
“Uh, I know you're not shy about showing yourself in a bikini, huh?” kyouka said later.
“I like sexy. Come deh wear micro bikini and slingshot, can also keep the body still look good,” said Marika while laughing.
While Marika was laughing, the OSIS chairman glanced at Karuta.
On the other hand, Aine expressed her wish.
"I don't mind going anywhere as long as I'm with my Sacri-sama."
"I mean, you have no choice but to be with me, do you?"
"I'll be happy as long as I have enough pure gold to bathe."
"What, we have to find El Dorado? Your request must be the hardest."
Their conversation felt relaxed, but in Karuta's mind there was the thought that it sounded like something that would happen in the distant future.
It didn't feel like something that could happen in less than a day.
Expressing their dreams out loud does not make them feel any more real. It's not that he doesn't want those things to come true. Part of him really felt it sounded fun. However, he could not shake the feeling that there was a layer of transparent film separating him from reality. There was a voice within him that said that things would not go that easily.
In fact,
The choices in front of him were so light, weak, and unsatisfactory that he had to control his speech so as not to say one impossible wish like "i want to go back to our school".
This is their last battle.
The battle against Anastasia Blast had been saved as the last.
He is the Problem Solution, one of the strongest in the world.
They cannot plan ahead or devise a detailed strategy and are forced to leave blindly, making it extremely dangerous.
Whether it was as the first or last enemy, everything would be over if they died. They're gonna lose everything.
No one knows how this will end.
But one thing he can certainly say: we do not live in a world good enough to give us an ideal ending.
"After this is over, I just want to take a little time to relax."
"We can do that. We've just been too busy lately."