"So, considering this match is basically meaningless, what's our move?"
"Works for me either way. I don't really have any secret aces to hide, so do whatever you like."
"Want to just mess around a bit and see how it goes?"
"Sounds good. I'd like to get some rest as soon as possible, so let me know if you want to skip the mind games and wrap this up quick."
"Got it. Let's start, then."
"Roger."
The two came to an agreement and descended to the final arena stage.
I'd rather not show off too much of my hand here. Maybe I'll just surrender if he dodges my first shot.
Sinon certainly aimed to win, but the girl who had once been wound as tight as a snapped bowstring before meeting Shana was long gone. That stubborn compulsion to win every single battle at all costs had dissolved. In its place, Sinon had developed a sharper, more tactical composure—knowing when to hold back and when to put in full effort depending on her objectives.
Kirito, on the other hand, saw this fight as a chance to understand the nature of a sniper.
Shana mentioned she's a sniper too, but this is my first real match against one. I need to get a feel for how they operate.
As if their unspoken thoughts had aligned, Kirito stood alone in the barren wasteland, while Sinon took position on high ground to target him—a textbook sniper setup.
(So that's his play… He's deliberately taking a hit just to experience high-ground sniper fire firsthand?)
Sinon hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should simply end it right here. Exposing the trajectory of her Hecate II's rounds to Kirito felt like a bad idea. Sure, Kirito was standing completely exposed like a sitting duck. The old Sinon would have been furious at such an attitude, sprinted down to his position, and berated him to take even a digest match seriously.
But the current Sinon had watched Shana fight time and again. She understood just how much long-term value lay in soaking up diverse combat experiences. It was obvious Kirito was standing there seeking that very experience.
(Good grief... Guess I'm left with no choice. In that case...)
Sinon slung her Hecate II onto her shoulder and drew her Glock instead. Normally modeled after the Kagemitsu X3, this sidearm—dubbed the Glock X3—had been nicknamed "Chibinon" by Shana, derived from "chibi Sinon." Before she knew it, Sinon had gotten used to the name and adopted it herself.
"Let's go, Chibinon."
She whispered to the pistol, then slowly stepped out toward the open wasteland.
"Hey there, Kirito-kun."
"Huh? Not going to snipe me?" Kirito asked, his tone laced with a touch of disappointment.
"Yeah, had a bit of a change of heart."
"Hmm."
Sinon knew Kirito wouldn't be using a gun here. True to her prediction, Kirito silently unsheathed Elucidator.
"That black blade looks like it'd be hard to track."
"Yeah. Guess they just made it the same color as the original sword it's based on, though."
"Huh, I see."
"Alright, feel free to shoot whenever you're ready."
"Confident, aren't we?"
"Hey, it's practice, just practice. If you hit me, it just means I lose this match."
"In this match, huh?"
Saying that, Sinon raised her Hecate II from the hip. Naturally, the Bullet Line flared bright and clear right in front of Kirito's eyes.
"So the thickness of the line doesn't really change based on the gun's caliber, huh?"
"Looks that way."
The moment those words left her mouth, Sinon fired straight at Kirito. Yet Kirito wasn't caught off guard in the slightest—he sliced the incoming round clean in two with absolute ease.
"GRAAAAH!"
In the next instant, Sinon closed the distance, standing just a few paces away from Kirito. Right after firing her shot, she had discarded the heavy Hecate II and sprinted straight at him.
She appeared completely unarmed, leaving Kirito to wonder what her play was as he took a defensive stance to intercept her. But in that split second, Sinon reached behind her waist, drawing Chibinon from the holster she had kept hidden from view.
"!?"
"Take this!"
At point-blank range, Sinon unleashed a frantic volley, intending to empty the entire magazine. Her aim was wildly erratic; forced to react to Bullet Lines scattering in every direction, Kirito lost sight of Sinon for a fraction of a second.
Finally, a line stretched straight toward Kirito's forehead. Instinctively reacting to the trajectory, he prepared for impact, but the bullet never came. Before he realized it, Sinon had vanished from his field of view.
Below!
Sinon slid across the ground, thrusting her gun against Kirito's chest while maintaining just enough distance to stay clear of an Elucidator strike. Kirito instantly jammed Elucidator between Chibinon's muzzle and his torso.
Yet, no shot came. Sinon simply smirked, stood back up, and looked directly at Kirito.
"I give up. I surrender."
"...Are you sure?"
"Yeah, well, I'm out of ammo. Nothing I can do about that, right?"
"A-Ah, yeah, I guess so, but..."
(You're definitely hiding something else, aren't you? That face of yours is anything but...)
It's not the face of someone who lost, Kirito thought, opening his mouth to speak. But before he could, Sinon tapped the Resign button, leaving him speechless.
If Sinon had slid just a fraction closer and engaged Chibinon's hidden blade at that exact moment, what would have happened? Even Kirito wouldn't have been able to block a blade with a single point of contact. Chibinon's edge might have slid off Elucidator and run straight through Kirito's torso. Or perhaps Kirito would have cleaved Sinon's arm off first.
It was all hypothetical, and there was no telling how it actually would have played out. But Sinon seemed satisfied with the tangible feedback she had gained, resigning with a look of pure contentment on her face.
"Sinon's grown a lot."
Watching their match from the spectator stand, Shana spoke with a satisfied smile. Naturally, she had a rough idea why Sinon hadn't drawn Chibinon's blade.
"Don't let your guard down in the finals, Kirito. If you slack off, Sinon might just take you down."
Shana muttered to herself, shifting her gaze to another monitor where Yamakaze and Garrett were engaged in a fierce battle.
"Hey, Yamakaze! Don't you go getting cocky just because you won a little war!"
"Bringing up ancient history again..."
"Ancient history!? I am currently getting completely ignored by the ladies of the G-Girl Alliance!"
"Well, man, you brought that on yourself..."
"Shut up! Back then, I thought opposing Shana was the ultimate ticket to being popular!"
"'Look at me, opposing Shana, I'm so cool!'—is that it?"
"Yeah, exactly! Got a problem with that!?"
Garrett refused to listen to a word Yamakaze said. Dodging Garrett's relentless attacks with fluid grace, Yamakaze mostly held back his own strikes, indulging Garrett's absurd tirade. They were old acquaintances, after all; he figured he'd hear the guy out and soak in a little superiority while he was at it. Instead of bullets, Yamakaze fired verbal daggers right back at him.
"By the way, the other day..."
"What's with the sudden change of topic!?"
"I ran into Misaki-san in town. She didn't look annoyed for a single second and hung out talking with a guy like me for quite a while."
"Gnuuugh..."
"A person like that... you'd call her a goddess, right?"
"YOU BASTARD! I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"
Furious, Garrett unleashed a wild hail of gunfire on Yamakaze, but not a single round landed. Their skill levels had once been evenly matched, but Yamakaze, who had spent his time adventuring alongside Shana, had earned massive experience points during events and had his gear upgraded by Ikoma. He was far stronger than Garrett now.
"And then after that, you see..."
"You're annoying! Shut your mouth!"
"Rosalia-chan and X... Gunner X-chan were there too. I offered to treat them to tea since it was a rare occasion, and we all hung out... Ah, that was so much fun."
"What the hell is this!? Are you bragging to my face!?"
"Yep, totally bragging. But man, that reminded me of something..."
"Reminded you of what!?"
Suddenly, Yamakaze lunged forward, using a dagger he had drawn out of nowhere to slash across both of Garrett's eyes in a swift horizontal stroke.
"Gah...!"
With Garrett temporarily blinded, Yamakaze sliced the tendons in his legs and planted a boot firmly on his chest.
"You guys did something terrible to Rosalia-chan back then, didn't you? Did you ever apologize to her properly? Huh?"
"Th-That's..." Garrett stammered, unable to answer—because they obviously hadn't.
"I always thought of you guys as decent dudes at heart, even if you complained about not being popular with women just like I do. But what was that garbage back then? You guys were the absolute worst! Lowest of the low! No wonder the ladies of the G-Girl Alliance ignore you!"
"I-I wasn't the one who actually did it..."
"Are you stupid? After it happened, you all just panicked and stood around, and not a single one of you went to apologize! If you'd just owned up to it and apologized right then, things would've been different! But you just kept insisting you didn't know who did it and refused to take responsibility. That's why you're hopeless! Now, apologize right here!"
"R-Right here!?"
"Yeah, right here!"
Garrett fell silent for a moment under the weight of those words. Slowly dragging himself up, he faced the camera likely broadcasting his feed, bowed his head deeply, and shouted:
"Rosalia-chan, I am truly, deeply sorry! We were in the wrong!"
In the city, spectating crowds watching the broadcast screens erupted into thunderous cheers. Many had likely been harboring the same lingering frustration over the incident. Meanwhile, remnants of the Heike Army watching the monitors echoed the sentiment, shouting toward the sky.
"We're sorry! We were in the wrong!"
"We know we can't ask for forgiveness, but we are truly sorry!"
This collective apology reached Bara, who was watching the official broadcast feed separately from Shana's monitor.
"Honestly, Yamakaze-san... he really didn't need to go that far..." she murmured.
(Maybe I'll agree to go out for a meal with him next time.)
However, the moment was short-lived. Yamakaze suddenly snapped, trembling with rage as he glared down at Garrett.
"You bastard! The only ones allowed to call her 'Rosalia-chan' are us!"
"E-EH...?"
"Dammit, I should've warned you beforehand! Whatever, let's just wrap this match up. Listen up, Garrett—next time, you better call her Rosalia-san with respect!"
"O-Okay! I-I'm sorry!"
Yamakaze promptly finished Garrett off, securing his first-place finish to advance to the final tournament. Watching the whole mess unfold, Bara let out a long sigh.
"Haaah... Yeah, never mind. No meal for him."
And just like that, without ever knowing it, Yamakaze blew his own chance.
Six matches remain in the preliminary finals.
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"