Previously!
We succeeded in attacking Millennium!
We knocked out a student named Yuuka, and Sarin's custom weapons were very effective!
But now I'm on the verge of being captured by students named Neru and Asuna from C&C, and in the end, I decided to buy time while the others escaped!
Wow, there was really nothing to that chapter!
"Alright! Let's go, Asuna!"
"Okay~!"
Calm down. Didn't my sister tell me? That I have good eyes.
I focus my eyes. I steady my mind with a deep breath.
"Hoo..."
Then, as if in slow motion, the movements of Neru and Asuna began to gradually slow down.
Ah. A correction is needed. To be precise, it's more accurate to say that the world I see has sped up.
The proof is that my own arm is also moving slowly.
'Even if my eyes are good, in the end, it only speeds up my judgment. A bit of a shame.'
Ah, while I was lost in these idle thoughts, the distance has already closed a bit.
First, let's assess the situation.
'Asuna and Neru are running towards me, side by side.'
The distance is about 10 meters, though considering their speed, it's a distance they can cross in less than a second.
What I have is a special gun modified by Arin and around two thousand bullets. It's powerful, but my opponent's weapons are from Millennium, a school renowned for its technology, so I think my weapon has a slight advantage.
'The only problem might be that I can't imbue as much Mystic as they can.'
In other words, the current situation can be considered almost identical, except for the fact that there are two enemies.
At this point, shall I recall what I said before?
Even the General Student Council is helpless against a mob.
"How the fuck do I win a 2-on-1."
This is hopelessly grim.
But I can't give up, so I have to at least try, right?
Whether they know my feelings or not, the two of them began to fire their guns in earnest.
"Hiyah!!"
"Hyaap~!"
The remaining distance is now about 8 meters, and the speed of the incoming bullets is like a person walking.
Bullets flying from the left and right simultaneously, as if to surround me. They may look slow, but if I take them with my bare body, it won't just end with a sting like when I recruited the employees. Based on my earlier experience, I'd have to assume that the arm that gets hit will be unusable.
So I absolutely have to deal with them...
Since they're coming from both sides, dodging sideways is not an option, and moving forward would just close the distance for them. Retreating is too risky.
So what do I do?
Didn't I say it? My eyes are good.
Watching the approaching bullets carefully, I silently loaded my gun.
First, one shot for the one flying at the very front.
TING—
Calmly.
CLANG—THUD—BANG—
One at a time, one shot each.
BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—
BLAM—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—
THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—BANG—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—BANG—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—BANG—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BANG—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—BANG—TING—BANG—THUD—BANG—BLAM—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—CLANG—THUD—BANG—TING—TING—BANG—
"Hooo..."
Done.
* * *
Mikamo Neru, a first-year high school student at Millennium Science School.
She was a student who could be defined in one phrase, by both herself and others.
'The Symbol of Victory'.
Did this mean she was the strongest? Not necessarily.
In reality, although the margin was slim, the current vice-president of C&C was stronger than Neru. Besides her, there were plenty of others who were her equal or stronger, such as the next head of Gehenna's Prefect Team, Trinity's strategic weapon, and though not widely known, the Horus of Abydos.
Then why was she called the Symbol of Victory?
Fighting well and winning are two completely different things.
Overwhelming mobility from her small frame, and based on that, close-quarters combat that was nothing short of acrobatic.
Two submachine guns, each of which alone would surpass an ordinary student's firepower, and her own physical abilities were clearly top-tier.
And above all, what stood out was her firm mental strength, unbelievable for a young student, and the toughness that came from it.
And the scene she had just witnessed was.
"Insane..."
It was a scene that even she had never seen before, no, it was a scene so literally unbelievable that it created a faint crack in her solid mental fortitude.
What the hell is that guy?
When she first received the request, she thought it would be an insignificant enemy.
Just some idiot who foolishly thought they could make money by attacking Millennium.
She first felt something was off when she encountered the enemy.
Do Sukeban normally wear masks? Why weren't the inventions damaged? Why was that accountant girl lying over there? Weren't they going to take hostages?
This strangeness turned into certainty probably when the other Sukeban underlings fled.
When the one called 'boss' stood alone to face them. He was clearly wearing a mask, yet she could feel a sharp gaze from beyond it.
That gaze wasn't cold, nor was it looking down, nor was it filled with fear.
It was just an analytical, unsettling gaze.
Dismissing it as her imagination, she and Asuna fired their guns as they always did.
And all those bullets were now crushed and rolling on the floor.
"Umm, Neru-chan? This is..."
"Yeah. A not-so-ordinary bastard has arrived."
Shot down.
A term usually used for missiles or bombs, not in a gunfight.
Of course. Seeing all incoming bullets and shooting them down with your own bullets was something she, no, anyone in Kivotos, couldn't do.
That's what she thought until a moment ago, to be precise.
Yes. Until that crazy Sukeban shot down every single one of her and Asuna's bullets.
How in the world do I deal with a monster like that...
"No, I have to cast aside such weak thoughts."
Dwelling on a weak past and suffering from it is a foolish thing to do. At least, that's how it was in Neru's world.
The important thing is to find the good, remember it, and develop it.
"Hey, Asuna."
"Neru-chan."
"If you look at the casings, they're lying behind the point where the bullets were shot down."
"Neru-chan?"
"In other words, that guy is weaker than us. At least in terms of power. So..."
"Neru-chaan~"
"Hey, I'm in the middle of explaining!"
"He's gone?"
"What?"
When she looked where Asuna was pointing, the guy had already bolted.
Ah. That guy had no reason to keep fighting us, did he?
"Th... th..."
No but, fuck
"THAT DAMN BASTARD!!!!!"
"Haha~ Neru-chan's face is all red~"
"Get over here, you punk!"
"Heehee, no way!"
It is said that the two of them continued to fight for a long while until they were finally calmed down by Yuuka, who had woken up from her faint.
Ah. The repair costs for the things Neru broke were higher than for the things the Sukeban broke.