[Hanuma Makoto, 900m, second attempt.]
By the time the competition had reached the 900-meter mark, a total of six competitors—three from each academy—remained.
There were occasional shots that required a second or third attempt, but for the most part, these were all marksmen skilled enough to hit their targets on the first try, which was a breathtaking sight.
I was particularly emotional about the girl from my own Pater faction, who had shattered my expectations with her incredible performance. Even if she were eliminated here, I wanted to make sure to praise her afterward. After the consistently pathetic showing from the Pater side so far, just seeing one of them do this well was a joy.
"Kikitkit—! As expected, a paltry distance like this is nothing to me."
Makoto let out a crass laugh after succeeding on her second attempt. Honestly, if I ever got the chance, I'd love to fix that laugh of hers. If she laughed like a chuunibyou with a "Kukukuk," or something hearty like a "Khahahat!" it would at least match her appearance. Such a handsome face, wasted on a laugh like that.
[Tsuchinaga Hiyori, 1000m, first attempt.]
Using one's personal firearm in this competition was, admittedly, a bit unfair. This was especially true for students like Hiyori, who used an anti-materiel sniper rifle.
The reason there weren't more complaints, I figured, was because in Kivotos, a gun's appearance doesn't necessarily match its performance.
Take my own gun, for example. Aside from its decorations, it had the form of an antique, but its actual performance was on par with any of the submachine guns the other girls used. And that was without factoring in my insane Mystery.
Still, it was inevitable that people would argue that an anti-materiel rifle had an inherent advantage over a standard one. There had even been calls for a penalty to be imposed. As a result, the target Hiyori had to hit was only about seventy percent the size of the others.
Since even hitting the edge of the target counted as a success, a seventy-percent reduction was no small penalty. I had actually thought it was an unreasonably harsh condition for students using anti-materiel rifles, but…
…seeing Hiyori cleanly pierce the center of the 1000m target on her first shot, I started to think that maybe the penalty didn't matter after all.
"I see… Her skill makes it obvious why you have such high hopes for her, Mika-san. Long-range sniping isn't just about a weapon's effective range, is it? In the end, what matters most is the sniper's own senses and calculations."
"Ahaha! Right? Our Hiyori-chan is something else. I really hope she can win the gold medal today and gain some confidence."
Hearing Noah praise Hiyori made me feel happy as well. The Arius Squad truly was my family…
What did our Hiyori lack? Nothing but self-esteem. Misaki was already showing positive changes through continuous counseling, so if Hiyori could build her confidence here, maybe her own self-esteem issues and negativity would improve one day?
Anyway. The 1000m shots continued, and a third person was eliminated. That left Gehenna with only two competitors: Haruna and Makoto.
Up to 1000m, the distance had increased in 100m increments. From here on, it would increase by 50m at a time. This was to better distinguish the remaining athletes, but seeing as five people had made it this far, they probably could have just kept going up by 100m without any issue.
From this point on, even the athletes who had been clearing their shots on the first attempt started needing second and third tries. The unpredictable sea breeze seemed to be a major factor.
Even so, the remaining competitors, though they might need all three attempts, somehow managed to avoid failure, and the competition continued all the way to the 1200m mark.
And at 1200m, the first major upset occurred.
[Hanekawa Hasumi, 1200m, third attempt.]
Hasumi, whom I had considered a strong contender for the gold, was the first of the remaining group to be eliminated.
Of all people, for Hasumi—who had successfully hit a 1500m target in practice—to be eliminated here was the worst possible news for me.
Hasumi herself seemed disappointed by the result. She stared blankly through her scope for a moment before returning to the athletes' waiting area.
Honestly, it would be a lie to say I wasn't disappointed. But I knew that Hasumi, having failed to perform at her best, was probably more disappointed in herself than anyone.
So, to cheer her up, I quickly typed out and sent a Momotalk message.
[Don't be too down, Hasumi-chan!. Later, let's go on a dessert cafe tour ☆]
Shortly after I sent the message, Hasumi checked her phone. She then looked around, turning her head this way and that as if trying to find me in the crowd. When she finally spotted me, she placed a hand on her chest and gave a deep bow.
I wasn't sure exactly what the bow meant, but I gave her a little wave back.
The next to be eliminated was Makoto. Honestly, when Makoto's elimination was confirmed, I was so happy I almost gave her a standing ovation. There was a reason Iroha had said "serves her right" when she face-planted in the water during the water-skiing race.
[Nakano Chiyo, 1400m, first attempt.]
…Huh?
Come to think of it…
Looking at the lineup of the final three, I was shocked to see that the student from my own Pater faction was still in the running. What kind of miracle was this?!
Hiyori had also held on until the end, just as I'd hoped. So, aside from Hasumi's elimination, this was nearly the best-case scenario.
The only problem was if Haruna ended up taking the victory…
In my heart of hearts, I wanted Hiyori to win the gold, but I didn't think I'd be too upset if Haruna took it.
That didn't mean I actually wanted Haruna to win, of course. It just meant that if it happened, I could at least offer her a word of congratulations.
Anyway, the victory belonged to our Hiyori. Or if not her, then this girl Chiyo, who had made it this far.
Anyone was fine, so please, just get me that gold medal…!
In all my time on Earth, through all the Olympics, Winter Olympics, and Asian Games I had ever watched, I had never wished for a gold medal as desperately as I did right now.
But still, I wanted the gold. I yearned for it.
[Nakano Chiyo, 1400m, third attempt.]
But reality is a harsh mistress, and for me, blinded by my desire for gold, the first thing to fall into my lap was a bronze medal.
As if she had known where I was all along, our Chiyo looked in my direction and bowed her head deeply. Even though she had succeeded in winning a medal, the fact that she was so apologetic to me made it clear that she was one of the more fanatical of my followers within Pater.
"Hmm… It seems your wish has come true, Mika-san."
"Hm?"
"You said you'd have no regrets as long as someone from the Pater faction won a medal, didn't you? And look, that girl is from the Pater faction, so in a way, your wish has been granted."
"Oh, Nagi-chan. You've memorized the faces of our students?"
"Don't be ridiculous. That girl… hmm, I remember her because she had a hard time cleaning up after you back when you were causing trouble."
Ah. So she had a hard time because of the original Mika, not me.
Seeing her unwavering devotion to Mika, from then until now, gave me a warm feeling inside.
Thinking that there might be more friends like her out there made me feel like I should be a little kinder to the students of Pater from now on.
"Wow… Wow…"
"Hm? Noah-chan, what's wrong all of a sudden?"
"You two, saying 'our children'… Wow… that's such a heart-fluttering phrase. I think Haruna-san is going to have to try a lot harder now…"
"Wow—?"
Noah's bombshell statement made my mind go completely blank.
The words 'our' and 'children,' which I used without a second thought, combined with my relationship with Nagisa, had suddenly been twisted into something incredibly suggestive.
"Uh, um… Ahem…!"
Noah, having rendered even Nagisa speechless and flustered, gave me a sidelong glance with an innocent expression. Seeing that, a useless pride flared up in me, a determination not to lose to her in a battle of wits.
"Ahaha, Noah-chan, really. Our Nagi-chan can be quite a handful when we're alone together, but if you point it out so bluntly, she gets a little uncomfortable, you know? Nagi-chan is perfectly capable of being a beast, but… we haven't been able to borrow Millennium's technology just yet."
"…What?"
Noah and Nagisa asked in unison. Nagisa, who seemed to have understood a split second earlier, let her mouth fall open before snapping it shut. Seeing her squeeze her eyes shut, it was clear she wasn't as innocent as she seemed. Especially that clingy, possessive something she had tried with me…
"Wow… uh, Mika-san…? That technology is only available to graduates, you know?"
"Hm? What technology? Noah-chan, what on earth are you talking about? Since when were there restrictions on the procedure that cures bad sleeping habits? I was just talking about how when we slept together the other day, Nagi-chan tormented me like a beast in her sleep and gave me a completely sleepless night."
"Th-that never happened! And the last time we slept together… ugh, wait a minute. The way you're saying it makes it sound like we did something depraved, doesn't it? You, you did this on purpose, right?"
"Ahahahahat! Hey, Noah-chan, isn't Nagi-chan's expression just the cutest right now?! This is why I'm crazy about her. Seriously, being that adorable is just cheating, isn't it...?!"
"Fufu. You're right. It reminds me a little of Yuuka-chan, so I can see what you mean, Mika-san."
While we were busy laughing and talking, the competition continued.
Everyone watched with sparkling eyes as the two remaining competitors continued to hit their targets on their second or third attempts, steadily adding 50m to their records.
They had long since surpassed the effective range of their rifles. Once they had even surpassed the effective range of the anti-materiel rifle, the difference in weaponry became meaningless, and from here on, Hiyori was actually at a slight disadvantage.
Hmm, if we're going to hold this competition next year, I really need to revise the rules on firearms.
The match was finally decided at 1950m, just shy of the incredible 2000m mark. Surprisingly, Haruna hit the target on her first attempt, while Hiyori struggled.
At this point, Haruna's skill felt nothing short of monstrous.
Isn't she just a monster? That was an unbelievable talent. To make that shot through the sea breeze… I was speechless. Hiyori had also put in an incredible amount of effort, but Haruna's relaxed demeanor had an unapproachable aura to it.
[Tsuchinaga Hiyori, 1950m, third attempt.]
Hiyori, sweating profusely as she looked through her scope, finally settled on an angle and pulled the trigger. But the bullet, instead of hitting the target, struck the drone above it, signaling the end of her challenge.
And as if to prove that this victory wasn't by a narrow margin, Haruna, even after her win was confirmed, went on to successfully hit the 2000m target, achieving a complete and utter victory.
Hey, now. How could you crush our Hiyori's spirit like that, you filthy talent-hoarder…!
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