Nogi Wakaba Ch. 10 - Lingering Snow

We're all going on a trip.
Basically like a school field trip for a "Hero Club" or something.

I pray this'll be a fun trip.
I pray nothing bad will happen.
I pray we'll find survivors.

It's been decided that our route will avoid 〇〇 Peninsula.

Hero Diary March 2018
Iyojima Anzu

Chapter 10 - Lingering Snow
The five heroes, led by Wakaba, and the miko Hinata stood within the Seto Ohashi Bridge Memorial Park.
The heroes were in their transformed state which they used to fight Vertexes. Hinata was wearing her miko garb as well. In their bags were items like food, camping gear, spare clothes, medical supplies, as well as tools to collect soil and water survey samples.
"Man, it's been years since we've been outside Shikoku, huh?"
Tamako's tone and expression were like those of a child excited to go on a field trip.
"I had moved in from Honshu when the Vertexes attacked, so it's been about three years for me!"
"I have never gone very far from home, so this is my first time leaving Shikoku."
"Me... too..."
"It's been about four years for Tama~. The last time was when my family went to Hiroshima."
Everyone spoke excitedly.
It had been decided that Wakaba and the others would go outside the barrier on an investigation expedition.
They would leave and visit Suwa, which Shiratori had been protecting, as well as the north where possibilities of human life had been found. Since moving by helicopter or ship had the possibility of attracting Vertex attention, they could only go by foot.
While that would be no problem for the heroes, Hinata only had the physical ability of an ordinary human. Thus, the heroes would have to carry her.
"I'm sorry, everyone."
Yuuna cheerfully responded to the apologetic Hinata.
"Don't worry about it, Hina-chan! You're always doing miko work that the rest of us can't do!"
"Thank you, Yuuna-san."
Hinata smiled at Yuuna's words.
"Then let's play rock paper scissors to see who'll carry Hinata first, why don't--"
Before Tamako could finish, Wakaba slipped past her and lifted Hinata in her arms.
"Okay, let's go."
Other four: "..."
For a second, the other heroes were taken aback at how Wakaba had simply picked Hinata up as if it were only the natural thing to do.
"Wow, not only are you carrying her, but you're giving her a princess carry..."
"I'm getting embarrassed just looking at you!"
Anzu and Tamako blushed.
"...? Did I do something weird?"
Wakaba looked around quizzically, not understanding the meaning behind everyone's reactions.
"Well... if you don't find anything strange about it, then I guess it's fine..."
"You're like a princess and a prince!"
Chikage wore an expression of blank amazement while Yuuna's eyes shone in admiration.
"Then let's carry Wakaba-chan's baggage for her!"
"Good idea!"
The others heroes split Wakaba's bags amongst themselves.
"Awwrighty then! Heroes~ onward~!"
At the signal of Yuuna's enthusiastic cheer, the girls leapt from the memorial park,
heading through Seto Ohashi Bridge toward Honshu.
As they moved onwards, Wakaba thought back to what had happened since the day of the Vertex general offensive--

After the large-scale invasion in February, a miko's oracle revealed that Shikoku's would enjoy peace for a short while. The Taisha assumed that the general offensive had cost the Vertex side of a majority of their firepower as well.
Now that the enemy attacks had calmed down, it would now even be possible for the heroes to leave Shikoku. Thus, the Taisha began considering the possibility of investigating regions outside of Shikoku. Another great factor was how possibilities of human life had been found in the northern land and the southwest islands.
In regards to performing investigation duties, they conducted experiments on a small island in the Seto Inland Sea outside the barrier and confirmed several facts.
First, hero power could be used outside the barrier without any abnormalities.
Second, the atmosphere outside the barrier was sufficiently clean. There had been rumors that the air outside the barrier was contaminated with Vertex toxins or viruses, but those had been found to be completely false. In fact, the atmosphere had improved compared to how it was before the Vertexes' appearance in 2015.
Third, using correspondence intertwined with the power of the gods, the heroes would be able to contact Shikoku even from a distance. This was the same technology once used to communicate between Shikoku and Suwa.
Thanks to these experimental results, the Taisha deemed it was now possible for the heroes to leave the barrier and investigate.
Furthermore, as a precaution, they decided that as a miko, Hinata would accompany them to receive any oracles from the Shinju.
The details of their duty was to investigate the state of the environment outside Shikoku as well as to check if there were any areas with human survivors. The areas to check for survivors were to be Suwa, the northern lands, and cities. They would also take samples for soil and water surveys in all regions. There were many tasks to accomplish.

Wakaba and the others crossed the bridge over the Seto Inland Sea.
Though they had their duty, their previous victory and the repose of Vertex activity had the heroes in high spirits.
"Good thing Tama-chan had so many outdoor goods, huh!"
"Heheh, if you need a fire started, or some rice cooked, or anything else, just leave it up 'ta mah outdoorsman skills."
Tamako pridefully responded to Yuuna's admiration.
During the expedition, the girls would be on their own to secure campsites and prepare food. Thanks to Tamako's hobbies, she had an abundance of knowledge for outdoor living. Tamako had prepared all of the tools they would need for the expedition.
"I never expected Tamacchi-sempai's outdoor hobbies would prove useful..."
"Life... is full of surprises..."
"What's life gotta do with it!? You're mocking Tama, aren't you!?"
Tamako, Anzu, Yuuna, and Chikage shared a lively conversation as they continued.
Meanwhile, Wakaba paid full attention to Hinata as she carried her.
"You're not scared, are you, Hinata?"
Heroes moved faster than cars while leaping.
Wakaba and the others were already used to the speed, but the experience was probably like an extended roller coaster ride for Hinata.
"Not at all. After all, you wouldn't drop me, would you, Wakaba-chan?"
"... Of course not."
Wakaba replied reassuringly.
But at the end of the Seto Ohashi Bridge, once Okayama came into view, a shadow was cast on the girls' enjoyment of their field trip.
The industrial district of Kurashiki City's coast was already ruined beyond recognition.
Many buildings had been blown out from the inside as if a chemical explosion had occurred within, and traces of heat-deformation could be seen.
Wakaba and the others descended to the cruel sight of the factories.
"How terrible..."
Tamako looked around with a stern expression on her face.
Were the things build by human hands nothing more than object to be trampled in the eyes of the Vertexes?
Hinata got down from Wakaba's shoulders and took photos of the industrial area's state with a digital camera to report to the Taisha.
"Just to make sure... let's check the area for any survivors."
Wakaba spoke with a leaden tone.
The girls searched from the coastal industrial district all the way to Kurashiki's most populous area in the fields. They leapt to get a birds eye view and walked around the surface looking for any human presence.
"Kurashiki was famous as a town with old-era sights... For it to be reduced to this..."
Anzu sadly murmured.
The once beautiful townscape had completely changed.
The fact that they hadn't seen any Vertexes either perhaps meant that the Taisha's prediction was true about the Vertexes' numbers currently being lowered.
Once the heroes had reached Kurashiki Station, they all had heavy looks on their faces.
However-- they had no time to wallow in depression.
"Let's go. We've still got a long ways to go."
Wakaba lifted Hinata in her arms once more.
Afterwards, they girls followed their planned route and started heading east.

They passed through Okayama and into Hyogo prefecture.
"Wakaba-chan. Do you want to switch with someone to carry Hina-chan?"
Yuuna asked, having noticed that Wakaba had been carrying Hinata all the way since they had left Shikoku.
"Thanks. But I'm fine. The rest of you are carrying my baggage, so I'm not that tired."
"So you're saying I only weigh as much as one share of baggage, huh?"
"No, that's not what I meant..."
"That's where you're supposed to agree with her, Wakaba-chan!"
As they had that exchange, they reached Kobe.
The girls landed on the roof of a building that just barely managed to maintain its shape. There, they had an unbroken view of all of Kobe.
Now not even the large city of Kobe retained a trace of its former glory.
Buildings, residences, and roads were mostly all destroyed, and even the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge connecting Kobe to Awaji Island had collapsed.
"How about we split up into two groups to search this time?"
Wakaba suggested. It increased the risk of running into any Vertexes, but since they didn't have unlimited time for their investigation expedition, it was a way to save time.
All 6: "Let's split up into rock and paper! Hoi!"
Splitting up into rock and paper groups led to one group consisting of Wakaba, Hinata, and Chikage, with the other group consisting of Yuuna, Tamako, and Anzu. Before parting ways, they settled on regrouping by the ferry station in Kobe Harbor in three hours.

Wakaba's group walked upon the abandoned streets searching for survivors.
Rubble from collapsed buildings and toppled vehicles littered the streets, making it a hassle to walk around.
Just how many lives were lost here?
"You wouldn't suppose there are any survivors here, would you...?"
Hinata murmured.
"This place must've been totally wiped out too... I'm sure..."
Chikage has said little since they had seen the sight of Kurashiki, but spoke now. Her tone was tinged with helplessness and anger.
"We still don't know for sure. There's still the possibility that people took refuge somewhere."
Chikage glanced at Wakaba, as if to tell her not to offer empty words of consolation.
Just then, Hinata's voice rang out.
"Wakaba-chan! Chikage-san! Look at that...!"
In the shade of the rubble was the giant white body of a monster-- several monsters. Squirming Vertexes.
Wakaba grasped her sword's handle and stepped forward to protect Hinata.
But before she could do anything, Chikage raised her scythe overhead and leapt at the Vertexes.
"You... bastards...!"
Swinging her scythe with unabashed rage, Chikage shredded Vertex after Vertex.
"Chikage..."
Wakaba could was left speechless in the bloodcurdling sight of Chikage's rampage. Hinata was the same.
Eventually, after she had slain all the Vertexes, Chikage murmured.
"Let's go... We're looking for survivors, aren't we...?"
Chikage walked with her head cast down, the look on her face invisible to Wakaba.
After the three hours were up, Wakaba's trio arrived at the meeting place by the ferry station. In the end, they found not a single, human survivor. Only Vertexes. They were easy to defeat since they weren't in large groups, but it still felt like an empty victory.
The sun began to set without any of them feeling like saying anything as they looked over the sea. The boats by the coast had perhaps all fallen victim to Vertex attacks, as whatever boats were there were either had their hulls cut in half or were slanted and half-sunken.
"Wakaba-chaan! Gun-chan! Hina-chaan!"
Wakaba turned around at the sound of that voice behind them to see Yuuna running their way. Tamako and Anzu were with her. But their faces were devoid of light.
"We didn't find any survivors, though we did encounter several Vertexes... What about your group, Wakaba-san?"
Wakaba shook her head at the question Anzu sullenly asked.
"Same here. Besides, if there are Vertexes still lurking around here, then it's hard to believe that any humans could be left, huh..."
Wakaba looked at the desolated Kobe.
Everyone else fell silent as they joined her.
Eventually the silence was broken by Tamako. She spoke with a bright voice as if in an attempt to dispel the dark mode.
"Welp, the sun's set, so I guess we better go and choose a campsite soon!"
Perhaps picking up on Tamako's intention, Anzu likewise spoke cheerfully.
"That's true! I am hungry too!"
After seeing those two, Wakaba tried to shake off the dark mood as well.
(As leader, I need to stay on the ball.)
Wakaba looked around in search of a building that looked suitable for lodging in.
"If only we could find a building that's still intact..."
"Mmm, they all look like they're in shambles, ready to collapse..."
Yuuna looked around as well, but couldn't find any suitable building.
But then Tamako spoke up.
"Tama-time out, guys! If we're gonna camp, it's gotta be somewhere with clean water. We didn't bring that much water with us after all."
To bring enough water for the entire investigation expedition, they'd be overburdened with baggage, so they would have to find water on-site. Since almost all the infrastructure had been destroyed, they couldn't use the water lines, meaning a clean riverside would probably make a better campsite than a city. They did have a portable water filter in their baggage, but it was only a simple device so they couldn't put too much trust in it.
Tamako crossed her arms and thought as she spoke.
"Also, we should gather firewood. After all, we need a fire to cook food! Which means..."

"We gotta camp outdoors!"
Led by Tamako, the heroes went to some campgrounds near Mount Rokko. The sun had already set so it was getting dark.
"Wait, Tamacchi-sempai, are you sure you didn't just want to camp outdoors...?"
Anzu sent a piercing glance.
"O-of course not! C'mon, this way we can easily secure a water source! There's even plenty of wood to start a fire, too!"
A river flowed close to the campgrounds. Since they were in the mountains, they would probably have no difficulty gathering firewood. Tamako was indeed correct.
Just to be on the safe side, they inspected everywhere around the campgrounds for any survivors or usable equipment.
They found a lodge and other facilities wrecked perhaps by a Vertex attack. They found no survivors. In regards to equipment, Hinata found a camping tent inside a warehouse.
"Great! Now it's really starting to feel like a camp out!"
Tamako spoke with shining eyes.
"I knew it, Tamako-san just really wanted to camp out..."
"Th-th-th-that's not true, Hinata! C'mon, it's just important to set the mood, you know!?"

The girls all cooperated to pitch the tent, gather firewood and start a fire.
For dinner, they were boiling water in a pot to cook some udon they had brought from Shikoku. It was a dry-noodle type of Sanuki udon that kept well.
"Time for Tama to show off!"
Tamako spoke happily as she put the pot to the fire.
Pitching a tent and starting a fire may seem like simple tasks, but they are difficult without some prior knowledge. If not for Tamako's advice, they probably would've been unable to perform either task.
"You're really look sempai-like, Tamacchi-sempai..."
"And what exactly is that~ supposed to mean, A~n~zu~? Tama's always sempai-like, right!?"
"Ow, ow! Please don't grind on my head like that!"
The water you use in preparing delicious udon is important. A water quality test of the river by the campgrounds revealed that the water was sufficiently clean.
The six girls gathered around the fire as they ate the fully-cocked udon.
"Yup, it's delicious! Udon's really great when we eat it together!"
Yuuna spoke cheerfully after eating a bite.
"You're right. We saw nothing but horrific sights today... but it sure is relaxing to be with you all eating udon like this."
Wakaba could feel the tension of the day fade from her body.
Today they saw something they had never seen in Shikoku-- A world of unprecedented destruction. But the time they spent eating udon together was no different than when they were in Shikoku-- somethign ordinary, yet precious for Wakaba.
"Wakaba-chan, you look too serious."
"That's right."
Hinata and Anzu smiled wryly, but spoke gently.
"It's only the first day! Tomorrow we're going to Osaka, and even further away after that. I'm sure there's gotta be at least one safe region!"
Wakaba nodded at Tamako's words.
Chikage-- silently looked up to the night sky as she ate udon.

After dinner, everyone went into the river to wash off their sweat.
They decided to set up a lookout just in case of the possibility of a Vertex attack. Chikage took the post while the other five entered the river.
"Oohh, it's so cold! It'd be more fun if it were summer, huh... We could have a splash battle or something!"
ANd with that, Tamako splashed water at Yuuna.
"Uwah! What was that for, Tama-chan!?"
"Come at me, Yuuna! We can make it a fun summer camp in spirit at least!"
"Awwrighty, gotcha! I won't hold back in that case!"
Tamako and Yuuna started their splash battle under the night sky of the early spring.
While the two lively ones started playing, the more moderate Wakaba, Anzu, and Hinata simply stood still as they soaked in the water.
"When soaking in cold water, it's best to stay still... If you move too much, it'll sap you of your body heat."
"Yes, that's entirely true..."
"Moving around in cold water is like leaping into the middle of a shootout when--"
"Uryaaahh!"
Before Anzu could finish, Tamako relentlessly splashed water at the three of them.
"Hyaaah!"
Anzu's shriek resounded in the darkness of the night.
"Mmgh, surprise attacks are a coward's move, Tamako-san!"
Hinata turned to face Tamako.
"Shut up! It doesn't matter if you move around or stay still! Cold water's gonna be cold! So join us, you guys!"
"Yeah, yeah! Let's all have fun together!"
Yuuna joined Tamako and kept the splashes coming.
"Khh, then I won't go easy on you either!"
Wakaba prepared for war.
In the end, all five fo them participated in the splash battle.
Yuuna called out to Chikage, who was standing by the river all by herself, spacing out as she looked at the night sky.
"Gun-chan, it's about time we switched lookout!"
"Yes... okay."
Chikage answered in a somehow unenthusiastic voice.
"Chikage, you going to join in the water games!?"
Tamako called out in a bright voice.
"I'll... pass."
Chikage answered coldly.
As Yuuna took up her post, she watched with concern as Chikage sadly entered the water.

After they finished bathing, they went inside the tent to sleep. They would be traveling long distances early the next morning, so they needed as much rest as they could get.
But they still needed to keep a look out, so they decided to take turns staying up in pairs. Currently, Yuuna and Hinata were keeping watch by the fire in front of the tent.
"Hwaah... Today was Kobe, tomorrow's Osaka, huh. We've got a long ways ahead of us, huh."
Hinata smiled as she watched Yuuna speak with a yawn.
"That's right. After that, we're going to Tokyo, Suwa, and further north..."
Contact with Suwa ceased last year, but it was still one of the cities with a high possibility of human survival. After they had checked Suwa's state, they would head further north.
"You're amazing, Hina-chan. You're not a hero, so you don't normally fight Vertexes, yet you weren't scared at all."
"I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid at all, but it's all because you all are with me."
"That courage is hero-grade!"
"Heheh, thank you."
Hinata suddenly thought of a question to ask.
"Now that you mention it, Yuuna-san... is there some sort of motive that keeps you fighting as a hero?"
As a miko who had something of a role to discover heroes, Hinata was mindful of the heroes' human relations and emotional states.
Their strength and physical ability far outpaced that of humans, but inside, they were no more than middle school girls. They had many frailties and insecurities about them. But among all the heroes, Yuuna was always cheerful and fought without hesitation. Since it is impossible to know everything that goes on in someone's mind, that cheerfulness could've been nothing but false bravado for all Hinata knew, but there was something noteworthy about Yuuna's mental strength nonetheless.
How exactly did she feel about fighting as a hero? Hinata had been wondering about that for a while.
"Mmm, a motive, huh? I never really thought about it, but--"
Yuuna crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side before smiling.
"If I become a hero and do my best fighting the Vertexes, I can save people. If we keep saving people, then we can slowly but surely take back the world and bring it back to normal. At least that's what I think!"
After hearing those words, Hinata felt like she could understand what went on in Yuuna's mind at least a little.
She's probably a believer.
A believer of human power.
Of hope for the future.
Perhaps that unshakable feeling is what creates mental strength for her.
Yuuna stood up and looked up to the night sky.
"No, actually, it's more simple than that! 'Heroes' are kinda cool, don't you think? That's my number one reason to fight. Probably!"
A carefree smile rose upon Yuuna's face.
Being with Yuuna mysteriously made Hinata feel cheerful too.
At that moment, something unlike the wind made a rustling noise among the tree leaves.
Both: "!?"
Yuuna and Hinata looked around. They could hear the sound of tree trunks creaking in the forest.
The two quickly realized what was making the sound.
"Everyone, wake up!! The Vertexes are coming!"
When Hinata rose her voice, the four girls sleeping in the tent came out with their hero weapons in hand.
"What is it? A merlion?"
"Not even close, Tamacchi-sempai! Wake up!"
Anzu shook Tamako awake when she realized Tamako was half asleep with her head swaying.
"The enemy..."
Chikage was fully conscious, but her eyes were red. Her tone of voice also sounded somewhat tired. Perhaps she hadn't fallen asleep yet.
"No time to rest, huh..."
As Wakaba said that, she took out her smartphone and transformed into hero form.
Immediately afterwards-- gigantic white monsters appeared as they creaked through the trees in the forest.

Around 10 or so Vertexes had appeared. No match for the heroes now.
After the heroes had annihilated the Vertexes, they decided to resume moving for the day. Now that their location had been sniffed out once, there was the possibility that other Vertexes could approach, so they could not stay put. Furthermore now that the morning had dawned, they decided it was better to move than to rest.
The heroes flew through the cool dawn air. Their next destination after Kobe was Osaka.
"Oh right, I heard there was a big underground mall by Ueda Station in Osaka. You wouldn't have to worry about rain and wind there, so it's like a shelter. Perhaps people have taken refuge there."
Wakaba nodded at Anzu's words.
"You're right... Since it's underground, they could blockade the entrance so that Vertexes can't invade. It might be safer than the surface. How about we head there?"
Hinata, Yuuna, Tamako, and Chikage agreed and so they headed to Umeda.
They did a thorough search of places where humans could've possibly survived-- for that was all they could do.
Osaka Station and Umeda Station are connected by an underground mall. Several rails pass through these two stations, and thus the underground mall has a complex structure.
Tracing the Hankyu Kobe Main Line's railway, the girls arrived at Sumeda Station from Kobe. They got down beside a crumbled overhead structure.
Like Okayama and Kobe, Osaka had already been destroyed.
"Aaaahhh!?"
Suddenly, Anzu shrieked.
Thinking that Vertexes had appeared, Wakaba and the others readied themselves and looked around-- only to find no enemy.
"What's wrong, Anzu?"
When Tamako asked, the pale-faced Anzu pointed underneath the overhead structure. Several shops had perhaps once been lined up there, but now there was nothing left but ruins.
"Th... there was supposed to be an Osaka-famous rare book store here! How terrible! The last copies of incredibly precious books could be lost to the world now!"
Anzu's body shook as she spoke tearfully.
"Oh, don't surprise me like that. Who cares about some dumb old books?"
"You don't understand, Tamacchi-sempai! Books are the crystalization of human knowledge! The Vertexes have crossed the line...!"
Yuuna tried calming down the indignant Anzu by telling her that "It'll be okay, I'm sure all the precious books were taken into Shikoku!". It was quite an odd sight.
Wakaba smiled wryly as she watched them.
If we can have such enthusiastic reactions, that means we're still okay-- Wakaba thought.
The area around the station was cruely destroyed as well, but the stairs to the underground tunnel remained intact.
The stairway was littered with not just rubble, but shelves and tables that had probably been used in stores. Perhaps they were traces of a barricade that had been made. However, even that supposed barricade had been destroyed.
"..."
Wakaba furrowed her brow at the sight.
It was probably Vertexes that had destroyed the barricade. Though an underground area would be easy to fortify-- it would be an inescapable death trap should any Vertex invasion succeed even once. All that would await them would be a scene from hell.
The other five were probably thinking the same thing. They stopped in front of the entrance with clouded expressions on their faces.
"-- No, we won't know anything unless we check."
Wakaba turned to the staircase and stepped forward.

Silence and cold air ruled the underground. Since there was no longer any electricity running, darkness was just a few steps away from the entrance. The girls lit the way with the pocket lights they brought.
The underground mall was closer to its original state compared to the surface, but stairways and elevators were broken, floors and walls were cracked, definitely signs pointing to a Vertex attack.
They took a smartphone picture of the underground mall map placed by the entrance and walked while inspecting it.
"Anybody there-- !!?"
As they walked through the passages, Wakaba would call out, but heard nothing in reply but echoes.
"At the very least, there are traces that people were here..."
Hinata murmured as she looked at a trash can placed in the underground mall. The trash can was stuffed with empty tin cans, plastic bottles, and bento boxes. Everything that couldn't fit was scattered on the floor. Most of the trash looked fairly old, but it established that meals had been had here at one point.
As they walked, they would come across lowered fire prevention shutters and improvised barricades. The people here probably put up a desperate defense against the Vertexes. However, the shutters and barricades were all destroyed now.
They had been wandering the underground mall for about have an hour when they reached a circular plaza of some sort.
"Wh... what is this!?"
Tamako raised her voice in surprise.
In the center of the plaza was some sort of fountain, but as expected, there was no longer any water flowing out.
Instead-- they found a heap of several skeletons.
Anzu shrieked.
Hinata sank on the spot, perhaps sapped of strength out of shock.
The other four stood stock still at the sight of the skeleton stockpile.
"... Terrible... the surface is in shambles... and underground, this..."
Chikage muttered in what sounded like a groan.
Wakaba approached the fountain. The heap of skeletons was like a layer of snow on a winter night.
Just how many bodies were left here?
Dozens? No, over a hundred?
Wakaba noticed a notebook on the floor. She picked it up and looked inside. It was the diary of someone who took refuge in this underground mall.
"...khh...!"
As Wakaba turned the pages to read, her hands trembled with helplessness and rage.

(Chapter 10 END)