Fwoooosh— Rummble—
After cleanly dispatching the forces guarding the passage to the bridge, Yukino flinched at the sudden roar as she was about to enter the first bridge.
"That sounds like a ship-to-surface missile. We should still have some distance before the 100km mark… For now, we will proceed with the assumption that the Aegis will successfully intercept the missile."
"She would have figured out her situation was turning sour just from the radio traffic, Squad Leader. Especially with the chaos on the deck."
"That… is fortunate for us, I suppose. FOX 3, we are entering the first bridge."
Knowing that the first bridge served as the control room, the missile that had just launched…
Rummble—
…and the one that followed right after, led them to believe that Wakamo was likely in the first bridge. Of course, even if she wasn't, it was certain she had been there until very recently.
What greeted Yukino and Kurumi as they entered the first bridge was the sight of the captain and crew, slumped over in their chairs, unconscious.
"…She's already gone. We'll have to go up to the second bridge. FOX 3, is there a passage leading outside from the second bridge?"
"Uh… probably? Anyway, anyone who saw this would think she broke their necks. She has no consideration for others at all. I guess that's why she's a terrorist!"
Rummble—
As they were talking, the sound of two more ship-to-surface missiles launching in succession echoed through the ship. Yukino's expression hardened as she peered at the screen in front of one of the crew members.
"An auto-launch sequence… It seems she initiated this, knocked out the crew to make it impossible to cancel, and then moved to the second bridge."
"The missiles aren't really our problem, are they? After boasting like that, I doubt Odyseia will fail to intercept them. Ugh, I can't imagine how sore their necks are going to be when they wake up. They should have just propped them up—"
THWUMP!!!
"—proper…?"
"…Kurumi?!"
Click. Ting—
A single, heavy gunshot echoed through the bridge. As the shell casing clattered to the floor, Yukino's gaze snapped toward the stairs leading to the second bridge.
"Ufufut. It is said that a person whose attention is focused on one thing often lets their guard down to their surroundings. I had hoped that students of the SRT Special Academy might be a little different, but it seems my expectations were a bit too high."
"…Kosaka Wakamo. You were ambushing us from the stairs."
"An ambush? What a hurtful thing to say. I was in that very spot until just two minutes ago. I simply saw an unguarded head and found myself pulling the trigger."
Ignoring the collapsed Kurumi, Yukino quickly aimed her rifle at Wakamo and pulled the trigger.
Rat-tat—!
"Ufut. Too slow. It would be impossible to catch me at that speed. Do you have something else you are relying on? Perhaps all those trinkets hanging off your gun are slowing you down."
The sound of footsteps on the stairs, punctuated by the clicking of heels, heightened the tension. As if to taunt Yukino, Wakamo ascended the stairs at a leisurely pace, tossing out light provocations.
"…This is FOX 1. I have encountered the Fox of Calamity, who was ambushing us in the first bridge. FOX 3 is down."
[…Kurumi is?]
"The Fox of Calamity is currently moving to the second bridge. It is presumed there is a passage leading outside. FOX 5, be wary of a surprise attack."
[FOX 5. Roger☆]
…?
For some reason, Mika's voice over the radio sounded a little too cheerful, but Yukino decided to ignore it. That was not what was important right now.
"Ufufut. Is that girl on the deck the one you call FOX 5? In that case, you need not worry about a surprise attack from me. It is a rare occurrence, but I do know how to pick my opponents."
Ignoring Wakamo's voice, which had started up again, Yukino focused on the incoming transmission.
[FOX 2. The upper levels of the ship are more or less clear. Proceeding to provide support—]
[Wait! This is FOX 4. Emergency situation in the lower levels of the ship. I have confirmed the presence of multiple plastic explosives. The number is impossible to estimate. I can see more than ten from my current position alone.]
"…What?"
[…Um, are you serious?]
Hearing Otogi's report, Yukino's face contorted. She couldn't understand why Wakamo was doing any of this.
'Is this scale of terrorism really something the Fox of Calamity can carry out alone? No, that's impossible.'
This was a terror attack on a completely different level from the methods Wakamo was known for. This went beyond simple acts of destruction.
To hire a large number of mercenaries, hijack a school ship that was essentially a part of the Odyseia Maritime School's district, use it to plan an additional terror attack on the border between two districts, and even rig that ship with explosives?
It was strange. It was far too strange.
'She has a backer.'
Having reached that conclusion, Yukino stopped that line of thought. Identifying the backer could wait. What was truly important now was to neutralize Wakamo and restore the ship to normal.
"FOX 2, FOX 4, if they are not timed explosives, ignore them and regroup at the bridge. Unless the Fox of Calamity wishes to go down with the ship, the bombs will be her last resort."
"Oh my, what if I have a separate means of escape?"
"Do you think we wouldn't have spotted something like that from the air?"
"Are you so sure? For example, what if a high-speed boat were hidden among the cargo? Or what if a motorboat, discreetly purloined from the festival being held by the two major academies, were on standby… just as a hypothetical."
For a moment, Yukino's thoughts froze. She couldn't completely rule out the possibility in Wakamo's words. Indeed, as Wakamo had attempted to make a deal with the Hot Springs Development Club, who was to say she hadn't managed to steal one of Gehenna's boats?
As Yukino was plagued with doubt, the same annoyingly graceful and refined voice spoke again.
"Of course, I was just saying. Oh, you requested support, didn't you? As I said before, I do know how to pick my opponents. It is a rare occurrence, but it happens. That little fox cub on the deck is clearly your ace or your joker… so all I have to do is avoid her, wouldn't you agree? Fufut."
"…"
Though she felt her anger boiling at the comment that so blatantly dismissed the other FOX Squad members, Yukino quickly suppressed it and began to slowly climb the stairs.
"Oh my, are you trying to take me on by yourself? That will not be easy. Wouldn't it be better to just relax and wait for your support…?"
"Even if I cannot neutralize you on my own, I am skilled enough not to be taken down so easily."
"Fufut. What a defiant little fox cub. So cute."
The sound of Wakamo's voice echoing up the stairwell faded. The clicking of her heels also stopped. Certain that her opponent had entered the second bridge, Yukino prepared a flashbang, wary of a second ambush.
Click.
Finding the perfect angle, Yukino timed her throw and tossed the flashbang with an underhand motion. After confirming that it had landed cleanly inside the second bridge, Yukino prepared to enter.
BANG!
"Kyaa?!"
As she was climbing the stairs to enter the second bridge, Yukino took the final step and then immediately jumped back. And just as she expected…
THWUMP!!!
…a bullet fired by Wakamo shot through the empty air right in front of her eyes. It was only then that Yukino firmly set foot in the second bridge. Her gaze fell upon Wakamo, who was nonchalantly ejecting a shell casing.
"That one was too obvious, wasn't it? That's why I prepared one more gift for you."
KABOOOOM!!!
What was that faint explosion I heard in the distance?
I pushed the thought aside and slammed the butt of my rifle into the head of the last remaining mercenary. Thanks to the abundance of excellent weapons—body bunkers—scattered around, I had used less ammo than expected, but wasting bullets when I didn't have to was a fool's errand.
I had seen the ship-to-surface missiles launch. The moment Odyseia failed to intercept them, Trinity and Gehenna would be all over them, so I was sure they would do everything in their power to stop them. It wasn't something I needed to worry about.
And besides, there was a more serious problem right in front of me.
"Bombs."
Remembering Otogi's report about discovering planted explosives, I felt like the current situation was spiraling into a labyrinth.
I knew Wakamo was a terrorist infamous enough to be incomparable to the Gourmet Research Society or the Hot Springs Development Club, but was she really going to sink an entire school ship?
It didn't make sense. Setting aside the obvious fact that Wakamo wouldn't detonate the bombs for her own safety, the idea that she had planned something that could send nearly a thousand people on this ship to a watery grave was unbelievable.
No matter what, I didn't think Wakamo was vicious enough to kill people like this.
…I sincerely hoped I was right.
"…They're either fake bombs, or they're real, but she has no intention of detonating them."
It was just a hunch, but the latter seemed slightly more plausible. Of course, I was hoping for the former.
Her motive for doing all this? Hijack a school ship and turn the festival into a sea of fire. For Wakamo, that was a believable motive.
But planting bombs on that school ship was a completely different story.
Moreover, the scale and quality of the mercenaries were suspiciously high. Setting aside the fact that I had single-handedly crushed them, their armaments and numbers went far beyond what could be afforded with a small amount of money.
It wasn't difficult to conclude that Wakamo had a backer. A backer who could provide a large number of real bombs and the funds to hire a large-scale, high-quality mercenary force.
And if it was a group that had even a sliver of a motive for doing something like this… there was only one place that came to mind.
Kaiser Corporation.
But their motive was weak. Just because their offer to sponsor the festival was rejected? It wasn't a possibility that could be dismissed entirely, but it lacked persuasiveness.
There was definitely something I was missing here.
"Mika-san… Wow, what is all this? Are you hurt anywhere?"
"This isn't a point man; this is a one-man army. If you joined our squad to replace Kurumi, who was the first to go down again today, I'd have no complaints."
My thoughts were interrupted by two foxes who had come up the stairs onto the deck.
"Hm? Well, just a few light scratches and burns. Are you two alright?"
"Neutralizing the mercenaries on the upper levels was easy. But, that body bunker…?"
"Ahaha, it's surprisingly effective in a brawl. I just used it as I pleased, and I quite liked it!"
I spun the body bunker in one hand and then tossed it to the side. It landed with a heavy thud, creating a satisfying echo.
"…Mika-san, that's not how you use a body bunker."
"What are you talking about, Niko-chan? This is exactly how you use a body bunker."
Is this why pioneers are never understood? Leaving the speechless Niko behind, I led the way toward the bridge.
All these questions would be answered once we caught Wakamo.