Assassin Shiki — The Strongest Sniper

“The referrer is welcome to come along as well.”

“Ooh, for real?! This is our lucky day!”

ChaCha snaps her fingers, delighted.

“You don’t get many chances to see the inside of the Mother Base. I wonder just what kind of mechs they’ve got in there… slurp~.”

Rikusen, the colony’s King, huh. I’m nervous… but curious, too. Being a Sniper doesn’t automatically make someone my rival, sure, but setting that aside, there’s no way I wouldn’t be interested in the single best shot in the whole game. Here’s a little secret: I’m a girl who’s head over heels for Snipers.

“This way, then.”

The Guide Girl leads us to an elevator set behind the counter.

“This is the orbital elevator that runs straight to the Mother Base.”

An orbital elevator normally means the cable that tethers Earth to space; here, it’s the one linking the Colony to the Reception Center out in the void. The moment we board, it drops. As we clear the Reception Center the view opens up until space feels close enough to touch, and then the car passes through the Colony’s outer shell. Outer space gives way to blue sky, and a vast ocean spreads out far below.

“So this is Oceanus…”

Directly below us sprawls a colossal city, an island nation ringed by sea.

“Oceanus’s capital, ‘Asia.’ A city hemmed in by ocean. To its north and south stretch endless seas; to its east and west, endless land.”

I look west, and sure enough, past the sea I can make out land running on without end. Then a wall of thick steel cuts off the view. And then…

“We have arrived. This is the Mother Base.”

We step off the elevator into a vast, open space. Like the Space Station, the interior has a near-future look to it.

One thing feels slightly off, though. There isn’t a single window anywhere, no view of the outside world at all, and the walls are thick iron besides. For a secret base, keeping prying eyes out is only natural… but something about the layout still strikes me as strange.

So many people…

Girls in miniskirt military uniforms, everywhere. The uniforms are adorable. It’s a game, after all, so naturally it’s cuteness over practicality: marine-blue jackets and berets with black skirts, some of the jackets baring the shoulders and others long-sleeved.

As I trail along behind the Guide Girl, a woman I don’t recognize steps into my path.

“I’ll take over from here.”

A bespectacled woman, grown-up, the alluring older-sister type. The Guide Girl bows to her and turns on her heel.

“You would be Lady Shiki and Lady ChaCha.”

“Y-Yes! That’s us!”

“Are you with the military police, miss?”

“Yes. I am ‘Ness,’ and I serve as Lord Rikusen’s aide. Now then, this way. Lord Rikusen is waiting.”

Wow, she’s really committed to the role-play. Just like a real soldier.

We follow Ness, and after about a two-minute walk we reach the door to Rikusen’s room. Seven security barriers stand between the elevator and here, and Ness waves us through every one.

Ness works a terminal beside the door.

“Lord Rikusen. I’ve brought Lady Shiki and Lady ChaCha.”

So the terminal’s an intercom.

“Okay. Send them in.”

A voice comes through the intercom. Low, for a woman’s. With a cha-chak, the lock releases. Ness takes the lead and opens the door, and ChaCha and I file in behind her.

“Well, well. A pleasure to meet you, little Sniper.”

A suit with slacks, a blue military coat draped over the shoulders, white gloves on her hands. Tall and slender, with strikingly handsome features. The long blue hair makes it clear she’s a woman, but if it were cropped short, I’d have mistaken her for a host at a host club¹. Not a beauty so much as a looker. Handsome, even.

What throws me is where Rikusen is sitting. She’s perched cross-legged atop what has to be her work desk, never mind that it comes fitted with a perfectly good chair.

“Lord Rikusen, sitting somewhere like that again… A desk is not a seat.”

“What’s the harm? I just like to sit as high up as I can, that’s all.”

Rikusen turns gentle eyes on us.

O-Oh no. It’s my turn to greet her now… what on earth do I even introduce myself as? Um, uh…

“Yes, yes, hi there! I’m ChaCha! My hobby’s tinkering with mechs!”

“Mm. Good to meet you, ChaCha.”

ChaCha’s gone ahead of me. Okay, I’ll follow her lead!

“I-I’m Shiki. My hobbies are building models, and sniping…”

“Hahaha! Sniping, is it! Now that’s the finest hobby a Sniper could ask for.”

Ngh. This person is honestly too cool. It’s not just her face; even her voice is dreamy.

“I was watching you in action. That last Ranked Match was magnificent. Shooting clean through the great Tsubasa herself — that was something. No wonder Shiina saw the real thing in you.”

So this is the one who once led both Shiina and Tsubasa… Yeah, I can feel it. Genuine charisma, rolling off her in waves.

“I-I’m nowhere near that good yet…”

“There’s no need for modesty. Your skill is the real thing. When it comes to marksmanship, I’d wager there’s no one who can stand beside you.”

“Huh? U-Um, ChaCha told me that you were the strongest Sniper, Rikusen…”

“Hahaha! That’s what they say about me, sure.”

Rikusen shrugs and laughs.

“In pure sniping skill, you’re the better shot. No question about it. In the other areas — close-quarters, quick-draw — we’re about even. If we squared off one-on-one under equal conditions, I’d count myself lucky to beat you three times out of ten.”

“Lord Rikusen! For one who is King to concede victory so easily…”

“But it’s the truth. As a sniper, you’re the better of the two of us. And yet—”

Even as she smiles, Rikusen’s gaze sharpens.

“If I’d been the one in Crimson Wings for that Ranked Match, in Tsubasa’s place—I’d have won a hundred times out of a hundred.”

A rock-solid confidence… I can feel it in her eyes. She admits she’d lose one-on-one, and yet she can flatly declare she’ll never lose a team battle. Her play style… now I’m curious about it.

“Don’t go brooding over it. You and I are simply different types, that’s all. Yes — we’re both snipers, but our qualities are polar opposites. Well! If I’ve got you curious about me, go ask Shiina or someone.”

Without a word, she’s drawn a line: ‘Ask no more about me than this.’

“Hey, hey, King — why’d you call Shikki all the way out here? To thank her for the Ranked Match?”

“That’s part of it, but the main aim was simply to meet face to face. I rate your skill too, Shiki. I was thinking I’d like to borrow that power of yours if I ever land in a bind.”

“Huh?!”

“It’d be a nuisance to have some stranger you’ve never laid eyes on suddenly drop a request in your lap, right? So we get acquainted now, while there’s time. For when the moment comes.”

This person… isn’t she rating me a bit higher than I deserve…?

“I hear you came here to buy a My House. If you’re going to become a resident of the Colony, then you’re most welcome. I’ll extend you all sorts of privileges, too.”

“Privileges…?”

“For starters, I’ll promise you exemption from the monthly residence tax and an indefinite visa. And every time you do me a favor, I’ll bump your treatment up another grade.”

For me, honestly, this is nothing but a sweet deal. Whether I move here or take her up on her requests is entirely my call; all it really means is that I get treated well if I settle here.

Which is exactly why I start reading into it. Wondering whether there’s some catch hidden underneath…

Still, no point overthinking it here. As long as I play along, there won’t be any trouble.

“Th-Thank you very much. If I do end up living here, I’ll be in your care.”

“Mm. Oh, and by the way, ChaCha — I’ve got a favor to ask of you, too.”

“Huh? So Shikki wasn’t the only one you had business with?”

“I’m not about to let a first-rate engineer like you slip through my fingers. When it comes to building TWs, I doubt there’s anyone above you.”

“Aw, thanks for the rave review~!”

ChaCha really is an incredible mechanic, huh…

“What I’d like is for you to become an engineer attached directly to my army.”

“No thank you~! I’m not big on organizations and all that. ChaCha’s no good without her freedom~.”

“Hmm. Negotiating with you looks like it’ll be a drawn-out affair. Let’s leave it for another time.”

“Another time, or — how do I put it — I’d really rather you just gave up on it, y’know~.”

“I’ve got cards to play to win you over yet. Well — look forward to it.”

Rikusen sends a glance Ness’s way, and at that, Ness opens the door behind us.

“That’s everything I needed from you. My apologies — I ended up doing almost all the talking. If anything ever troubles you, send word through Ness. I’ll help however I can. Well then — I’ll be looking forward to the day we meet again. Take care, you two.”

We step out of the room. And then…

“Here is my friend code.”

Ness hands me a slip of paper with the code written on it.

“Whenever you have business with Lord Rikusen, please go through this. Thank you.”

“Th-Thank you very much.”

For now, at least, I’ve made a good connection… I think it’s okay to see it that way?