Neru once said with her own lips.
An arrogant statement that no one in Kivotos could defeat her within this gap.
I had to admit it. No, I had no choice but to.
The original Mika might have been able to win against Neru in close combat, or at least draw. If we look at physical abilities alone, I have the upper hand.
However, I am not the original Mika. My training so far has focused on shooting, so I can only rely on physical ability for close combat. Yet, I’m not lagging far behind Neru, which makes me realize how ridiculously powerful this body is.
But not lagging far behind means that Neru has a slight advantage. If I’m losing, even in a body akin to Mika’s, it signifies that Neru is currently the strongest in close combat in Kivotos.
“What the heck! You’re better than I thought!”
“Yeah, our little one can hold her own too! Not as good as our squirrel though☆”
“…Aang? You just called me a kid… Wait, not as good as a squirrel? You punk, you better watch out!”
“Hahaha, give it your best shot! I’m not sure whether little one can handle that!”
As far as pure close combat goes, that’s what it means. Right now, my strength shines in mid-range combat. In close combat, dodging moves to avoid letting Neru land a hit is enough.
I don’t know Neru’s personality perfectly, but I know she tends to get angry easily and is quite the hotblooded type. So it wouldn’t hurt to irritate her and throw her off her calm.
By the way, the original Mika also had a tendency to poke at opponents when fighting. It was less emphasized here because the Arius Squad would just brush it off.
Chaalrrruk—
Neru, all fired up, closes the distance as the chains scrape the ground. While it’s not a huge concern from a distance, it becomes a rather annoying weapon in close combat. The firepower from her akimbo-style submachine guns, along with the chains aiming for me out of nowhere, is a troublesome combination beyond imagination.
I avoided Neru’s shots and burrowed in. Whoosh! The chains zip over my head.
Then, Neru’s knee appears right in front of me. She’s seasoned enough to take advantage of my move. Thankfully, I ducked just in time to avoid a direct hit, but the sharp pain spreads from my shoulder.
I didn’t expect her to aim for a follow-up strike with the gun’s handle even while her initial attack missed. But I know this is just a minor injury, and Neru knows it too.
Tatataang—
I flipped my body as I moved forward, aiming my shots at Neru, who was unguarded. It’s ridiculous that a couple of bullets got stuck in the chains during the process, but I succeeded in landing some hits that made Neru flinch.
Even though we exchanged blows, I couldn’t just laugh it off. A shot came zooming past right in front of me. If I hadn’t turned my body at that moment, the bullet would have lodged in my head.
Then came gunfire, not from outside the store, but at close range. As I saw Neru’s gaze shift there momentarily, my displeasure soared.
“Looks like our little one has the luxury to lose focus, huh?”
What followed was Shinpi’s assault, an array of bullets raining down. Since I had already taken the first blow, I could shift all the blame for this situation onto C&C and Rion, who must have ordered this.
The aftermath? That’s something I don’t need to worry about. Paying for damages and compensating the store will all fall on Millennium.
I had been trying to protect this restaurant from Haruna’s grasp. Yet here you are, not even thinking of helping me, right?
Well, still, I offer a silent apology to Yuuka. Sorry, Yuuka.
“What the…!”
Five stars fly toward Neru, who mutters in disbelief. Even if she tried to dodge, one is bound to hit due to my careful placement of traps, and now I wait for the harvest moment.
“This is annoying, you punk!!!”
Bang! Kwam!!!
As expected, Neru chose to charge head-on. Just as I figured.
The errant stars exploded behind her. Neru’s eyes widened as she broke through the frontal explosion. What awaited her was the bitter taste of terror.
Guilt from hitting a girl my height? Who cares about that! The irritation of aiming for Haruna, sitting right next to me, overshadowed it all.
One of the main reasons I don’t feel remorse hitting Neru is simply that she’s incredibly strong. That’s all there is to it. If I were to fight while considering someone who would lose to me, and lose, it would be my loss—not a chance I’d take.
I saw Neru crash into the table behind her. She leaned against it, covered in debris, roughly wiping her bloodied nose with her hand.
Wow, her expression is seriously terrifying. If looks could kill, my halo might have already gone out by now.
“I’ll kill you.”
“Hahaha! You’ve been yapping your mouth since earlier. When are you planning to keep all those words you spat out?”
“Shut up, you damn pigeon…?”
I noticed Neru hesitated mid-sentence, but I don’t care. Casually reloading my gun, I pointed it at her.
Just right, the distance between us is my favorite mid-range. If we close the distance, we could both be at a fair advantage. But if we create space, I’m in the lead.
“Wait…”
“Yeah, I didn’t quite catch what you said, since you’re a little one.”
“Aang??? I told you to cut the crap!”
Grinding her teeth, Neru pointed her gun at me sideways. Definitely an anger management problem, right? Just a quick poke, and she immediately reacts.
Now you choose to feel something strange? Again, I don’t care. You didn’t listen to me when I spoke, and now you want to clean it up? Don’t make me laugh.
While it isn’t a bad idea to finish her off big, right now I just want to stretch my body properly. I’m so full of energy that basic training and the occasional sparring with Saori or Azusa aren’t cutting it.
“ORA ORA ORA ORA!!!!!”
The bullets packed with Neru’s Shinpi rain down like waves, overwhelming me. I leap to evade, but the indiscriminate gunfire renders it unavoidable for a few rounds to graze or hit me.
Just how much Shinpi did she pack in there? The impact feels even greater than Karin’s sniper shot from earlier. Karin’s sniper shots were already far beyond the usual, and this was even stronger. So Millennium really isn’t the strongest for nothing, huh?
But I’m capable of enduring this sort of beating. And isn’t it frustrating to just take hits?
Mudamudamudamuda!
Of course, I just think about it and wouldn’t dare say it out loud. Our friend Neru can still harness that childlike enthusiasm in a battle, but for me, that’s out of the question.
Aiming specifically for Neru’s solar plexus, I unleash several bullets enriched with Shinpi. Neru clicks her tongue and stops shooting, then bends back to brace herself against the ground.
Wow, her shooting is so precise that she can pull off a dodge like that. In a fight against someone like Neru, just aiming for one spot is futile.
Neru pushes against the ground with her hand, performing a back tumble, landing skillfully and exhaling roughly. She seems to have heated up significantly.
“Cut the crap already! Hahaha! You’re really cute! How about this, little one—want to be my little sister? I’ll take good care of you☆”
“…”
Neru’s expression darkens with the intent to kill me, as she hears my utterly crossed line of speech. Then, miraculously, she reloaded in a flashy manner.
It’s not just flashy; the speed is something else. No wonder fighting like this requires that level of prowess. I can’t help but admire her romantic flair.
Standing before Neru, I conjure a little shooting star on my fingertips while waving it at the air. Observing her, now poised to charge, I aim my gun with my other hand.
In this moment of extreme tension, Neru made the first move.
She swiftly shifted her gun to aim at me as I shot at her path, but with a laugh, she kicked the table aside, hurling it at me. Thanks to that, my aim was thrown off and I lost sight of her, but from the chain sounds, I can guess where Neru is coming from.
Destroying the table with Shinpi only obscures my view. If I dodge sideways, that’s where Neru is targeting.
…So I guess I just have to charge straight through.
With a quick run-up, I leaped into the air. Just as the table is about to bounce off the ground, I land on it. Immediately, I launch myself again.
Figures. Neru, who was keeping an eye on my side, was a bit too late to react when I appeared from above—
“I knew it would be like this!”
Shattering my expectations, Neru charged head-on, swinging her chain toward my face. No matter how I look at it, there’s nothing logical about reading my next move like that—it’s purely instinct.
“Die…!”
With the triumphant look of having caught me at last, Neru shows me a fierce grin. I meet her smile with one of my own.
When did this chain suddenly become a threat to me?
I dispel the gathered Shinpi and grab the chain with my hand. Neru, your mistake was not knowing my strength at all. And you had no clue that I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to reveal just that.
With a hard yank on the chain, Neru’s visible panic indicates she had underestimated me. After all, she’s now suspended in the air without any leverage. Just as I was about to kick her while she was airborne, Neru twisted in the air to grab my leg…
Wait, a joint lock is genuinely dangerous…!
Feeling a rush of anxiety, I hastily let go of the chain. While unleashing indiscriminate shots at Neru, who had locked my leg, I conjured another shooting star.
At that moment, the chain I previously released came flying back and struck my wrist.
“…Ugh!”
That hurt more than I anticipated. Of all things, I got hit on the wrist, leaving my arm with a dull ache.
Neru also had to release my leg due to the unrelenting shots I dished out. In exchanges, I came out ahead, but because I lost my cool, I took unnecessary damage.
“Hehe. This is getting fun! If you run away, I will never forgive you!”
“Hahaha! Our little one seems to have a crush on her sister! That’s kinda unfortunate☆”
“W-what nonsense are you spouting? Just die already!!!”
As if not tired at all, Neru lunged at me again, closing the gap while firing multiple shots. Simultaneously, she swung her chain, aiming for my legs to prevent me from catching her.
This time, I felt my back hit the wall of the store as I stepped back, the empty magazine slamming on the floor.
“I got you, punk!”
I don’t know why, but this is ridiculously fun.
Kaaan!!!
The wall of the store collapsed.
*
“What the hell is happening?! Why is Neru-senpai suddenly popping up there?!”
“Exactly. Calling the Student Council President of Trinity a terrorist. Is there some kind of misunderstanding?”
Just as Yuuka and Noa, hidden in the corner to avoid the brawl, were trying to figure out the situation,
“Yeah, it’s a misunderstanding~! The real terrorists are the angels over there. I totally forgot to tell the leader!”
Before them appeared the second-in-command of C&C, codename Zerona, Ichinose Asuna, wearing a disarmingly bright smile that didn’t fit the situation.
“Asuna-senpai…? Wait, if it’s a misunderstanding, shouldn’t we stop this quickly?”
“Yeah, that’s impossible! The leader has completely lost it! Plus, that angel seems to be enjoying herself a lot. Even trying to cool it down wouldn’t work!”
“Oh no, it’s all over. All this is Neru-senpai’s fault, so the restaurant’s damage compensation will have to be fully covered by the seminar, not to mention touching the Student Council President of Trinity?”
Seeing Yuuka in despair, Noa flashed a smile. For her, this situation didn’t mean much beyond missing lunch.
In fact, thanks to these two, she was getting to see this side of Yuuka, so it was all gain for her. Unlike Yuuka, who would be grappling with budget issues.
“The Student Council President of Trinity? Aha? So that’s who was taken hostage! But hey, it seems like the leader is actually losing ground! That angel is incredible~!”
“Asuna-senpai, that’s not the point right now! Ugh, what’s going on? I thought they were just ordinary pleasant people, but they’re smiling while fighting…”
As Asuna admired the more intense battle, Yuuka let out a groan. She had thought quite highly of the kind expression Mika usually wore, so discovering her inner battle-hungry side came as the biggest shock.
“Well, if they’re having that much fun, maybe the diplomatic issues might just be brushed off without too much trouble? The compensation is unavoidable though.”
“That’s the biggest issue, Noa. This place is doing an unreal business, so the compensation amount will skyrocket?!”
“…Hehe.”
“Don’t just smile— think of a solution! I can’t even consider jumping in to stop that!”
Yuuka went on, while Noa remained lost in thought, replaying the earlier scenes in her mind. Over and over.
How could one not be amazed by the sight of someone intercepting bullets aimed at their friend? It was a scene that would make anyone’s heart race, witnessed even from the sidelines. One can’t imagine how thrilled the person involved felt in that moment.
Besides, these individuals happen to be presumed terrorists from Gehenna and the top authority of Trinity. The blossoming relationship between the two rival academies was enough to inspire excellent ideas in Noa.
Of course, this was all something she planned to ponder only internally.
Kwaang!!!
“Wow! You just punched through the wall?! Move over, King Kong!”
As the wall of the shop crumbled, Yuuka nearly fainted, while Noa’s focus shifted towards the demon from Gehenna, aiming a sniper rifle from a distance. A flicker of interest ignited in her mind.
