#46: C-Rank Ranked Match — The Inevitable Shot — Sniper Is a Loner ~On How I Was Quietly Enjoying Some Solo Player-Sniping and Wound Up a Raid Boss~ (WN)

I take stock of the situation. Tsubasa stands in front of Shiina and me, and far to the rear, atop a dome-shaped building, sits Ren.

First, the thing to deal with…

“…”

One look and Shiina and I are of one mind. She turns her back on Tsubasa and breaks into a run to pin Ren down.

“Ohh? So Shiki’s the one who stays behind.”

Ganging up on Tsubasa two-on-one isn’t an option; leaving a Sniper in a spot that perfect is unthinkable. One of us pins Tsubasa down while the other finishes Ren. The obvious call.

Next, which of us stays. Shiina’s lost Six Petals and the railgun, and her right arm along with them. I’m down only half my Shield Pieces and nothing else, so plainly I’m the better fit to take Tsubasa on. On top of that, I still hold the secret weapon that can bring her down: the G-AGE. Not a word passes between us, and which of us stays is obvious.

I finish her here.

My saber’s dropped into recharge mode, so I convert it to data and stow it. Assault rifle up, I rake her with rapid fire.

“Now then, let the fun, fun battle (concert) begin♪”

Tsubasa takes the fire on a large shield, one finger trailing through empty air.

So that’s her working her item pouch.

Her battered Aegis is steadily repairing itself. She’s burning through Repair Kits she scavenged off the map.

A frontal breakthrough’s probably a no-go. If I’m aiming for anything, it’s the G-AGE’s one shot.

She dodged my saber the moment she first saw it, so firing the G-AGE while her eyes are on me is dangerous too.

The moment I draw the M1911, she’ll be on her guard for certain. Tsubasa won’t overlook how abnormal it is to bring a live-round gun into a Ranked Match. She’s not one to let a bullet so much as touch her. This person’s the wary type.

While she settles behind her Repair Kits into a defensive stance, I work out my approach. First, the conditions I need to hit:

Stop Tsubasa in her tracks.
Force her onto the defensive.
Block her line of sight, or lure her gaze onto something else.

One and two are easy. Three’s the problem.

Two seconds of thought.

All right, I’ve got it.

Keeping my assault-rifle fire trained on her, I duck through the door of a cafe close by. Tsubasa snatches up a single shield and charges straight through the wall after me.

She took the obvious bait. So she’d rather risk taking my bait than risk letting me get away.

Honestly, it would’ve been easier on me if she hadn’t chased.

Bullet Piece.

I send three Bullet Pieces up toward the ceiling and spray the assault rifle at the windows and tables, at random. There’s no point in shooting windows and tables. But Tsubasa’s the type to hunt for meaning even in a meaningless move, and her attention splits.

It’s something I realized watching Tsubasa’s past combat data. Our personalities may be nothing alike, but I get the sense we think about tactics the same way. Which means I know what she hates.

While Tsubasa puzzles over the meaning of my meaningless act, the Bullet Pieces open fire on the ceiling and blow it apart. Rubble comes raining down onto the top of her head.

Bullet Pieces, launch!

I scatter the three Bullet Pieces I’d held in reserve every which way. These ones are pure diversion; I don’t fire them, just fly them around for as long as their energy lasts.

Tsubasa raises two Aegis shields overhead like an umbrella. Then, to be safe, she carefully guards front, rear, left, and right with four more, and fills the gaps with Shield Pieces.

“And here I wondered what you were up to—second-rate tactics. Tsubasa’s Aegis can guard every direction.”

Tsubasa’s mistaking this rubble attack for my real gambit. My true aim is—

Rubble crashes down into the space between Tsubasa and me. We both lose sight of each other behind it, but my Radar has her position pinned to the inch.

This is the moment I’ve been waiting for.

This rubble was what I wanted all along. This blindfold.

I whip the G-AGE from the holster at my hip and fire. A quick-draw. Its gunshot should be swallowed by the assault rifle’s chatter and the roar of the collapsing ceiling.

Perfect…!

“?!”

The G-AGE’s single shot pierces the rubble, pierces the Aegis, and then…