"Eh?"
The JK uniform Kurumi standing behind Shun stared blankly at the gothic lolita Kurumi in front of her, completely dumbfounded. Her expression screamed confusion. It was like seeing another version of herself suddenly pop into existence had short circuited her brain.
Shun narrowed his eyes, fixing his gaze on the Kurumi holding the flintlock.
How had she appeared behind him?
He had noticed her the moment she arrived, but that was all. He still had no idea by what method she had suddenly ended up at his back. He had definitely sensed a flicker of cursed energy. But could that tiny ripple really allow Kurumi to slip behind him so abruptly?
Or was this yet another effect of her technique?
"Shun, could you let go of my toy first? You are about to break it, you know."
Kurumi's voice was honey sweet, dripping with flirtation.
His eyes hardened. His right hand slid along the length of the flintlock toward Kurumi's neck, swift and sinuous like a snake climbing a tree. His movement was smooth, but the force coiled in his fingers was sharp enough to make the air prickle.
Shun's hand to hand skills were nothing to scoff at.
"I told you, we are not close. Stop calling me like we are."
"What a pity."
Kurumi laughed, not looking the least bit regretful. She knew exactly what he meant. Well... she could hardly blame him. Right now, she was a cursed spirit.
"First Bullet, Aleph."
Just as Shun's hand was about to strike her, Kurumi raised the barrel and pulled the trigger on herself.
"..."
His body kept moving, but his mind seized the moment and ran ahead.
First Bullet, Aleph.
So that was her technique?
What did it do?
Shooting herself, was that some kind of self enhancement? A buff? And "First"... was it like the number one on a clock face? If so, did she have other time bullets as well?
From the moment he saw her clock like left eye, Shun had been paying attention to that detail. Her heterochromatic eyes, that clock dial... he had not forgotten for a second.
As for whether this strike of his would actually hurt her, he was not concerned at all. What fascinated him far more was her technique. As long as she revealed its full range, under the gaze of Six Eyes, she would be completely stripped bare.
The bullet struck Kurumi.
In the next instant, her body vanished from in front of him and reappeared at his back.
Teleportation.
Shun's thoughts jolted.
Up until now, he had only ever seen his uncle use this sort of ability.
Obviously, though, the teleport Kurumi had shown was not on Satoru's level. Hers was just extreme acceleration over a short distance. Satoru, on the other hand, simply shortened the distance between two points.
The latter was on a completely different level of terrifying.
"Kyah...!"
The JK Kurumi who had been standing behind Shun was suddenly sent flying with a kick as the gothic lolita Kurumi materialized in her spot. She was taking up too much space.
"So mean..."
The school uniform Kurumi looked utterly pitiful.
The other two in the corridor did not spare her a single thought.
"With love as my bullet, I will snipe your heart."
Kurumi pressed herself tightly against Shun's back, her whole body leaning on him as she whispered playfully into his ear.
Her breath tickled his skin.
"Hehehe..."
Her delighted laughter made Shun feel like he was the one being teased.
On a normal day, he might not have minded bumping into a girl who flirted with him like this. He might even have enjoyed a charming little encounter.
But right now... that was not happening.
Kurumi's flintlock had already slid past his side, the muzzle aimed straight at his heart.
"Is Shun's heart beating faster because of me?"
Her sultry voice kept trying to pluck at his nerves like harp strings.
Off to the side, the other Kurumi was having a mental breakdown.
You are supposed to be fighting. Why are you doing something this intimate right in front of me?
This makes me look really...
"No."
Shun cut in flatly.
"And your marksmanship is awful. You cannot hit me anyway."
He sneered.
In that split second, his Six Eyes opened.
Limitless Cursed Technique.
"...!"
Sensing the danger from his technique, Kurumi immediately pulled the trigger.
However, the instant the bullet left the barrel and entered the space around Shun, its speed began to drop. By the time it neared his body, it had completely halted, as if the air itself had frozen it in place.
This was the neutral application of Limitless. Anything that approached the caster would have its speed slowed more and more until it came to a dead stop.
"You are not the only one who can power up."
The moment he halted the bullet, Shun flooded his body with cursed energy, reinforcing every fiber of muscle and bone.
His speed peaked in an instant.
You could not even tell when he turned, or when his hand lashed out. All anyone could see was the result.
His right hand clamped hard around Kurumi's neck.
There was a violent crack as he slammed her into the wall.
The concrete shattered.
"Hiss..."
JK Kurumi, still crouched farther back, sucked in a breath, too scared to speak.
So brutal.
And yet... that was seriously cool.
It was just a shame that the one being smashed into the wall looked exactly like her. That part was less great.
Honestly, why did that thing have to wear her face?
A knot of discomfort twisted in her chest. It almost felt like she was the one being ragdolled.
Wait... why did her neck actually hurt a little?