"Hey, Pit, you got time for this? Aren't you busy touring for work?"
"No worries! I need a break, and seeing Shana boosts my energy!"
"Don't overdo it."
"You're worried about me! Thrilled!"
"…"
Pitohui's antics were routine, so Shana stopped reacting. Emboldened, she continued.
"Hey, Shizu, Shana's starting to care about me. How about a hotel rendezvous, the three of us?"
"H-Hotel…?"
Shizu, stunned by Pitohui's outrageous idea, waved her hands frantically.
"A joke, right? No way, no way, no way!"
"Why not? I swing both ways!"
"Cool it," Shana said, smacking Pitohui's head.
"Ow!" Pitohui teared up, crouching.
Benkei whispered to Sinon, eyeing the trio. "Is that what being an adult means?"
"Don't ask me! I don't know!" Sinon blushed, turning away.
The five had gathered to hunt quest mobs since Pitohui, on tour, had free time to log in. A cake buffet was planned for her Tokyo return.
"Almost at the destination. Benkei, any other players around?" Shana asked.
"Clear for now, but… something else."
"What?"
"Big bro, didn't you feel watched in town?"
"Always do lately."
"Right. I saw that guy you sliced in B.o.B—Zexeed—spying from the shadows."
"Him?"
Shana pondered. Sinon chimed in.
"I might've seen him too."
"You know Zexeed?" Shana asked.
"Never teamed up, but I've watched your videos. His face is burned in."
"Don't keep watching my loss. It's embarrassing," Shana muttered.
The four chuckled at his rare bashfulness. Shana pressed Sinon.
"How'd he seem?"
"Like he was contacting someone. If he's gone, he might ambush us later."
"Got it. I'll have Rosalia tail him."
"Rosalia?" Sinon echoed, unfamiliar. Benkei knew of her but hadn't met her.
Pitohui answered. "Rosalia's my rival."
"Rival? Old-timer? Strong?"
"Nope. We're fighting to be Shana's top lackey."
"What?" Sinon glared at Shana.
"You know how they are. It's their nonsense," Shana said.
"Ugh, typical," Sinon groaned, rubbing her temples.
Pitohui pressed on. "We both have Shana's favor, but the top spot decides who gets more love! It's a woman's pride!"
"Pit, you're aiming at the wrong thing!" Sinon snapped.
"When else do I fight? Don't mess around!"
"Reverse tantrum?!"
Shana intervened. "Stop, Sinon. She's like this. There's no 'favor' or 'love.' You're the sane one I trust most. Don't engage her."
"M-Me, the most? W-Well, if you say so," Sinon stammered.
"Another rival?! Fine, Sinonnon, join us at the hotel!" Pitohui teased.
"No way!" Sinon yelled.
"Enough!" Shizu cut in. "Battle's coming. Prep."
"Got it."
"Roger."
At Shizu's words, both switched to warrior mode. Shana noted Sinon wasn't truly mad—she seemed to enjoy the banter. Pitohui, obviously, did too.
(This loose vibe might keep things smooth. Works for me.)
The five entered the quest's instanced area.
"Whoa, what's that?"
"A giant turtle? Gam*ra?"
"Think it's called Aspidokeron."
"Such a cliché name!"
"Guess they got lazy. Alright, strategy," Shana said.
The quest mob was a massive turtle, its head covered in tough armor.
"We need to destroy its head. I'll snipe from afar to crack the head's armor. Shizu, Kei, Pit, rotate to target its front legs—one at a time. Break both, it'll collapse, exposing the head for a final assault. Sinon, cover them from mid-range. If it gets dicey, hit the leg joints to slow it. Its attacks won't one-shot, so treat it as sniping practice. Relax."
""""Understood!""""
The fight began. Shana went prone, aimed his M82, and landed a headshot. The turtle turned slowly. Shizu and Benkei charged, hammering a leg. Pitohui hung back for support. Sinon calmly sniped the leg joints.
(Slow mover, easy pick. No issues.)
Soon, one leg broke. The trio pulled back, then hit the other leg. Sinon kept sniping steadily, and Shana shattered the head's armor before the second leg gave out. Aspidokeron collapsed, exposing its head. The trio unleashed a barrage, and it vanished.
"Got it!"
"Level up!"
"Easier than expected."
"Last time, it was tougher…" Pitohui mused.
Shizu and Benkei had leveled up. Sinon felt underwhelmed. Pitohui asked Shana.
"Didn't its legs regenerate after breaking?"
"Yeah, once the head takes enough damage."
"But not this time. Why?"
"Regen triggers when the head's armor takes enough damage. Normally, it's not this easy—attacks ramp up with each regen."
"So you broke the armor first!"
"Yep."
Pitohui nodded, then asked, "Why don't others do that?"
"Normal sniper rifles take too long to crack the armor."
"Oh! So it's thanks to Hachinie-chan!"
"Hachinie-chan? This?" Shana held up the M82.
"Yup, M82—Hachinie-chan!"
"Hachinie-chan, huh."
Shana recalled Komachi calling him "Hachi-nii" as a kid. Benkei, remembering too, whispered to Shizu, who nodded, understanding. Pitohui, puzzled, asked, "What's with Hachinie-chan?"
"Nothing. But this gun's got another name now."
"What? Tell me!"
"I just named it Acht."
"Now?!"
Shizu's eyes widened, realizing how much the gun meant to Shana—named after a past comrade. Though Shana kept calling it M82 for clarity, the name Acht would later grace another weapon, but that's another story.
------------------------------
I've uploaded about 30–40 chapters on Patreon.
If you like this story and want to read it first, you can support me here:
👉 [patreon.com/Greyhounds]