“Leader. The retiree from the Maid Club, Kakudate Karin, has been confirmed.”
“Hmm… SRT Special School RABBIT Squad’s sniper, Kinugawa Kasumi and Miyu. They’re quite formidable, aren’t they? To think they could identify the opposing sniper’s location and counterattack while our clubroom is under attack.”
“It seems there was a reason the Shalle’s teacher only took one person for the request.”
“No… That can’t be it, Amy. If you think about it for a moment, you’ll realize that the request from the Game Development Club wasn’t asking for available manpower from Shalle.”
“And yet, they pull stunts like… going back to the ruins twice. Executing an operation to infiltrate the Millennium Tower. Facing off with the Maid Club directly?”
“Is that as far as you’ve thought, Amy? It’s disappointing. I’ll raise the room temperature by 5 degrees.”
“Leader, stop using strange excuses to turn up the heating.”
As Amy sighed, returning the intended indoor temperature back to normal from Himari’s goal of 25 degrees…
“Wait a moment! Amy, zip it up…!”
“But it’s hot…”
“I don’t think it’s the action of a rational person to just strip off anywhere because it’s hot, do you? Honestly, it’s quite unsightly.”
“This?”
In her outfit that barely covered her chest, for some reason, she yanked the zip down completely.
Upon seeing this, Himari grimaced and turned her gaze to the screen in front of her.
“…Leader, are you jealous?”
“Me, jealous? Of Amy? That’s such a strange thing to say. This genius petite girl’s body has reached the realm of perfection, a masterpiece, a gift from heaven itself. Even in this state, there’s no need to envy anyone.”
“Hmm. I suppose somewhere there’s someone who would love every part of you… right?”
“…There is?!”
Himari shouted, flustered. Watching Amy’s genuine surprise, she felt an inexplicable hit to her pride.
Her body was already a perfect embodiment of beauty, undeniably the fairy of the Millennium that everyone admired, and she had no complexes whatsoever.
She shouldn’t have had any.
‘Rion was about this size… It doesn’t look good at all. Yes, size isn’t everything after all.’
Without realizing it, Himari nodded as she imagined Rion’s breast size with her hands. However, she couldn’t deny that most people preferred the larger size, which made a small anxiety sprout in the back of her mind.
Seeing that side of Himari, Amy cast a pitying look as she fixed her gaze on the moving members of the Game Development Club.
In the meantime, hearing Himari mumble, “If one has a proper aesthetic sense, it’s only natural they’d find me more attractive… Isn’t that right? I should consult an expert…” was quite a chore for Amy.
On the screen, the teacher in the center was moving, flanked by Momo and Midori, with Aris supporting everyone from behind. Miyu was also taking a solitary position to scout.
When Amy confirmed they were heading to the Old School, she could only assess that choice as wise yet ultimately wrong.
Determining to minimize collateral damage was wise, but considering their opponent was the Maid Club… C&C, that was an absolutely flawed judgment.
This trial included Mikamo Neru, the strongest in close combat.
*
“…What do you think of Neru’s power? Excluding personal feelings, when viewed objectively, Neru is… the strongest of Millennium, excluding the influence of techniques and equipment. I want to hear your evaluation since you’ve fought Neru before.”
[Neru-chan? She’s scary. From what I know, she’s got to be in the top five on Kivotos. Well, it’s hard to distinguish superiority due to various factors… but…]
“Then how does she compare to you?”
Leaning her chin in thought while watching Neru and Aris converse on the screen, Rion asked casually.
Upon hearing Rion’s question, Mika paused for a moment while sharing the screen via the communication device.
It was a sensitive question in many ways, but Rion maintained such a business-like attitude that it allowed Mika to express her thoughts more comfortably.
[Simply put, in terms of physical ability, I might have the edge. However, Neru has a terrifying advantage in endurance. No matter how much you injure her, she gets back up like a rubber doll, creating immense pressure on the opponent.]
Even as Mika began to elaborate step by step, Neru and Aris continued their conversation on screen. Whatever they were discussing, it was amusing to see Neru getting worked up, bringing a smile to Mika’s voice.
[Moreover, Neru’s combat style is… simply put, unconventional. She excels particularly in close combat due to a combination of her physical durability and her peculiar tenacity, but fundamentally, there’s an overwhelming combat sense beneath it all.]
“So great that you call it overwhelming.”
[There’s no one I know that could serve as a comparison. The closest might be our Justice Realization Department’s leader, Kenzaki Tsurugi, but their styles differ a bit. And I’m not a good comparison either. My combat sense is nowhere near Neru’s.]
“Hmm. Admitting you’re weaker must have been quite a challenge.”
[Huh? Ahahaha… That’s slightly off, Rion-chan.]
“What?”
[Neru-chan and I have a record of 2 wins, 1 tie. I win. Well… that’s counting the tie from our first encounter, and it was a legitimate tie. If you count the one where I surrendered first as a loss, then it’s 2 wins for me.]
Just as Rion was about to probe for more details, Aris drew her sword, [Sword of Light: Supernova].
Then,
[Light!!!]
Part of the Old School’s outer wall was completely obliterated with that strike.
[Wow—! That’s that railgun! The power is amazing! I’d love to try it out myself.]
As they waited for the CCTV view of the Old School to clear, a phone rang through the communication device. Mika, previously lost in thought, briefly excused herself to answer it while Rion focused back on the situation on the screen.
[Oh, hello~? Himari-chan? What brings you here?]
No, I was trying to concentrate.
If Mika hadn’t suddenly brought up Himari’s name, I would have put in my utmost effort to ignore it…
[Uh-huh. Right… Wait, what? What question is that? Himari-chan, our Millennium’s genius petite girl hacker. Where’s that confidence gone? You’re acting all timid!]
The moment Himari’s name was mentioned, Rion found herself gripped by the desire to eavesdrop on their conversation. If that communication device given to Mika had a listening-in feature, Rion had no certainty of what choice she would make.
[Pfft… Haha. I see… Oh my goodness, you always talk about the cute girl alliance with me. Comparisons with others are meaningless. You are you, Rion is Rion, and that… Who was it again? Amy? Anyway, she is she. Before comparing with others, someone like you, Himari-chan, mustn’t lose confidence in yourself.]
With her name randomly mentioned, Rion’s attention shifted.
She had proposed watching the final stages of the trial prepared with Himari alongside Mika, but the irony was that she was the one distracted.
[Do you know that filling a gap in your heart with comparisons can only widen the void? Starting a comparison thinking you’re better makes you ugly. And if you start thinking you’re worse, it only makes you pitiable. Neither is a good thing.]
Even amidst this surprisingly serious conversation, Rion easily grasped the context.
Himari had posed a question to Mika comparing herself with someone else. If there was a part of that which contradicted Himari’s self-love, it was likely related to appearance more than intellect.
Given that Amy was mentioned, the odds were significantly high that it was about her looks. That meant Himari must’ve asked Mika something regarding comparisons related to her appearance versus Amy or Rion.
Having pieced that together, Rion felt an inexplicable urge to hear Mika’s candid response. For some reason, she wanted to know it.
[Well, that’s how I see it. So if you ask me which is better between larger or smaller sizes, it’s a tricky question—— Ahaha, did I get caught…?]
After Mika’s awkward laugh, Rion couldn’t help but smile subtly.
[Hey, Himari-chan. Silence is golden, you know? Let’s talk about it later☆]
That was a smile no one, not even herself, would notice.
