Chapter 48

I fired the G-AGE with perfect timing, in perfect condition.

The G-AGE punched through one of Tsubasa-san's Aegis shields and scored a direct hit on her. However—

"To think you were holding onto such a precious trump card...!"

The G-AGE did not strike Tsubasa-san's vitals; it only managed to destroy her right arm.

(Why!? My aim was supposed to be perfect...)

Live rounds are slower than laser shots. At this distance, if the bullet can be detected, it can be dodged.

But I masked the gunshot and blocked her line of sight. She shouldn't have been able to react—

"I heard the gunshot clearly. It was the report of an M1911."

"Eh...?"

"Tsubasa is an idol, you know. She's sensitive to sound. She can pick out footsteps even in a noisy arcade."

No way...!

I'm confident in my hearing too. Yet in this much noise and static, pinpointing a single sound's location and type instantly and then dodging is impossible.

Even in this world, where human specs are universally enhanced, the ability to distinguish sounds depends entirely on a person's real-world talent. Even as a Space Girl, whose hearing reaches farther than her real body, the power to differentiate pitch and timbre rests solely on the user. Which means Tsubasa-san possesses either perfect pitch or something close to it.

(The Aegis behind Tsubasa-san that had been on the line of fire is lying untouched. The forward Aegis was too close to dodge, but the farther one she avoided cleanly. Both reflex and processing speed are exceptional. I didn't underestimate her, but... she's stronger than I thought.)

My calculations were off. Now Tsubasa-san knows my trump card.

"There's no way you'd use a plain M1911 in this situation. I dodged on instinct, and I'm glad I did. A bullet that can pierce even Aegis...! It's a Gardner-killer!!"

I fire two more rounds from the G-AGE. Tsubasa-san evades the bullets along with Aegis and slips out of the narrow café.

"We'll settle this later, Shiki-chan. Something troublesome will be back soon."

With Aegis, Tsubasa-san deftly lifts the bike we'd been using and rides off.

"Tch!"

I click my tongue. Honestly, it's maddening. My tactics were crushed by raw talent...!

I try to ignite my thrusters to chase Tsubasa-san, but they cut out after one meter.

"Out of EN...!"

Looks like I'm the one who barely escaped. If the fight had lasted any longer, I'd have lost.

"Shiki-san!"

Sheena-san enters the café.

"I heard the situation from Chacha-san. Taking Tsubasa-san's right arm and one Aegis is huge. Nice fight."

"...Maybe. But not finishing her in one shot is a major minus. My hidden ace is exposed now."

The downside of 'G-AGE being identified' outweighs the upside of 'taking Tsubasa-san's right arm and one Aegis.' Personally, the downside is larger.

"On balance, it's definitely a plus."

Sheena-san seems to think the opposite. Or maybe she's just being considerate.

"By the way, Len-san...?"

"I dropped him. Tsubasa-san is alone now."

"A-amazing, Sheena-san! Taking out Len-san here is huge!"

"Only because you kept Tsubasa-san busy, Shiki-san."

At the team level, we're clearly the winners of this clash. I'm glad that sniper and those traps are gone. We can move more freely.

"Anyway, let's look for EN bottles first. No enemies nearby, right?"

"Yes. Zero contacts."

Sheena-san and I split up, rummaging through houses and shops for EN bottles.

Ten minutes after Tsubasa-san left, twenty-five minutes have passed since the Rank Match began. The fifth zone shrink ends. One more minute, and the next shrink appears on the map. Resort City is finally outside the safety zone. We have to leave town before the next shrink.

Twenty-one players remain—about eight to ten teams, I'd guess.

Endgame now. Four more zone shrinks until the time limit.

In the café, Sheena-san and I show each other our supplies.

• 3 mines

• 2 grenades

• 3 smoke grenades

• 1 Molotov

• 1 remote bomb (remote included)

• 4 repair kits

• 3 EN bottles

"Please use all three EN bottles, Shiki-san."

"Are you sure you don't need to heal, Sheena-san?"

"I'm still at about 40 %, so don't worry. Given what's ahead, it's better to keep your EN full."

Then... I down all three bottles.

"Let's move. I spotted a supercar earlier; we'll use that."

"A supercar! That's exciting...!"

"Exciting...? It's just a fast car, you know?"

We climb into the blue supercar parked in a hamburger joint's garage.

I take the driver's seat, Sheena-san the passenger seat.

"Shiki-san, can you drive?"

"If the specs are the same as other games... I'll at least handle it better than you with one hand."

I floor the accelerator and launch.

"Wha—!? Shiki-san!?"

"Here we gooo~!!!"

We blast off at 180 km/h.

Speed keeps rising... 200... 250... 300... 400. Looks like 400 is this car's top speed.

"S-Shiki-san!?"

"Yes! What is it!?"

"It's fast and rough...!"

"Totally fine~! This is still crawling~! Like a turtle~!"

'Did her personality change?'

'She's the type who flips when she grabs the wheel...! I'd never let her drive in real life.'

In no time we shoot out of Resort City.

"...That's enough driving. Shiki-san, about the destination—"

"'Forest' or 'shipyard,' right?"

"Yes. Judging from the zone flow, one of them will be the final circle. The shipyard has many workshops for ship parts and serves as a port, so lots of ships are docked. The forest is ringed by hills, with a shallow lake in the center only knee-deep."

I get a more detailed map briefing from Sheena-san.

The forest needs no explanation: lots of trees, hills all around (40–70 m elevation), and a big lake in the middle. Sniping into the forest from the hills is possible, but if the final zone shrinks to the lake, we'll have to descend—an open area, worst for a sniper.

The shipyard, on the coast, has many ships and factories. If we can set up on ships or factory roofs, we can snipe freely. With the sea at our backs, we can drop rear guard too.

Since we're staking high ground anyway—

"I recommend the shipyard."

"Agreed. Let's head to the shipyard."

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