Clack.
I shut the door and turned my body.
Chara-ra-rak—
At the same time, a sound of chains echoed, causing me to squint for a moment. Just as my position was about to be hit, I fluidly dodged, and the chain struck where I had just been standing.
“Heueng… Isn’t our Neru-chan a bit too hasty? Just stepping out doesn’t mean I wanted to fight in the hallway, you know?”
“Ha. That’s unfortunate. I don’t care where it is as long as it’s not inside.”
With a confident grin, Neru appeared to be rather excited. Given that she was a born fighter, it was easy to understand why she was itching for a brawl.
“Not caring where it is doesn’t mean you don’t have a preferred spot, right?”
“Tch. As I’ve said before—”
Well, it’s just that I understand her well enough. I was starting to feel a smirk creeping up on my face as well.
If Neru is the battle maniac of Millennium, then Misono Mika exists in Trinity.
I’m not saying they are equal purely in terms of strength; it’s not the same story. Mika, just like Neru, knows how strong she is and relishes a good fight.
I might not be exactly like Mika, but…
“—Mika, you talk too much!”
“Haha!”
So while I wasn’t completely immune to it, perhaps I was even more serious about the fight itself.
I had sharpened my skills aiming for combat power akin to the original Mika and, alongside that training, accumulated real-world experience that was on a whole different level compared to her.
Really, Neru loves fighting like that?
I’m not too different either.
No matter how much I love peace and envision a happy ending for everyone, that doesn’t mean I won’t hold my ground; I’m quite the seasoned fighter when it comes to combat.
Chara-rak—
The chains swung from the hallway, scraping against the wall, and I didn’t panic as I snatched it and pulled hard.
“Tch.”
Neru, who had been pulled along by the chain, clicked her tongue and delivered a swift, hard kick to my arm. I could see her holding her weapon aimed at me as she propelled herself into the air.
Should I dodge or not?
In that fleeting moment of hesitation, I instinctively moved. I bent down to dodge the incoming bullets and pulled the chain once more.
“Obvious, Mika. Too obvious!”
With a fierce laugh, Neru kicked off against the wall and soared even higher towards me.
Every time we fought, I tried to use the chain attached to her submachine gun against her, so it’s only natural for her to come up with countermeasures.
Neru was probably aiming for a joint lock. She didn’t stand a chance against me in terms of body durability or physical strength, so the most effective way for her to take me down would be using that technique.
Even knowing that, there’s no way I’d fall for it. I gripped the chain with all my might, swung it strongly, and let go.
Neru, who almost flew off far away, easily flipped mid-air. She aimed both of her guns at me and opened fire.
Here in this hallway, my movement was limited. With the constraints on space, dodging every bullet fired was quite the challenge.
If my body were that of a normal student’s, I’d be in a pretty dangerous situation.
As I watched the shower of bullets from her two submachine guns, I lifted my weapon to meet them head-on. Neru, suspended mid-air, was an easy target.
Among us, I was undoubtedly the more robust one. Since Neru fought purely on guts and strength, we would be at a disadvantage if we exchanged bullets honestly.
Thus, I pulled the trigger.
My adorable, decorated gun belonging to Mika spat fire. Moreover, Nagisa’s pistol, elegantly designed yet understated, also released a round.
“Ugh…!”
Ideally, Nagisa’s gun should have had the power of a pea shooter against Neru, but in my hands, it transformed entirely.
Of course, that didn’t mean I wasn’t taking any damage. Had I been a regular student exposed as I was, I would have fainted immediately.
Some bullets hit, leaving a sting, but asking if I could endure it felt pointless; it only hurt like a bleep.
“Neru-chan, are you perhaps feeling frustrated?”
“Ah?! What?!”
Oh, this isn’t a suggestive comment at all. I’m not that kind of person.
“No, I thought we’d at least go up on deck before we fought. But coming out of the room and doing this already means you’re really craving a fight.”
“Ha.”
Neru let out an incredulous laugh as she stylishly reloaded, turning her gun sideways to aim it at me.
“And what about you, Mika? Can’t you shut that smirk of yours while speaking?”
…Was I smiling?
Maybe I was.
This time, I charged towards Neru, who had initiated shooting. I made the most of my limited dodging maneuvers while closing the distance, stretching my arm to grab her wrist.
Originally, the strongest in close combat were either Neru or Tsurugi, but now I could confidently assert my place in that ranking.
Born with a strong body, coupled with the training I honed with Saori, I was now a monster.
My appearance may resemble that of a slender high school girl, but ☆
Neru promptly responded to my movement. Her body spun rapidly, executing a fierce roundhouse kick.
While I blocked the strike aimed at my temple, a jolt of pain coursed down my arm, but it wasn’t time to relax yet.
When fighting Neru, I must never forget the chain connected to her pair of guns. If I let my guard down, I’d be hit hard.
Ducking beneath the oncoming chain strike, I charged right at Neru and shoved my shoulder into her chin. I could feel her staggering backward a couple of steps.
“Haha. It seems our little sister’s skills are a bit rusty?”
“Kyaaaak!!! Who’s your little sister?!”
“Oh dear, how rude to your elder sister. Hmm?”
While I think that chatting during a fight is generally not a good habit, it can be a useful tactic against opponents who can be distracted. It’s just a matter of knowing when to use it.
For example, against someone like Neru, or someone like Neru, or otherwise, Neru…
Hmm. Looking at it, it seems like it’s almost exclusively for Neru.
“You really don’t know when to stop, do you?!”
Neru, visibly excited, charged at me again. What’s important here is that it’s not just excitement; it’s excitement with a hint of calculation. Through experience, I began noticing things I couldn’t before.
For instance, while Neru’s eyes were burning with enthusiasm, they also bore the calmness of a lake!
Right now, she might look like she’s lost her mind, but inside, she’s maintaining a cold, calculating rationality… I probably wouldn’t have caught that a year ago.
The physical confrontation was perfectly matched. We exchanged blows, nullified each other’s attacks, and gradually racked up damage against each other.
And it was no surprise that it was Neru who began to breathe heavily first.
Given that I had the upper hand physically, it was only natural for her to tire out as we engaged in an even exchange.
“ORAORAORAORA!!!”
That doesn’t mean Neru had weakened, oh no.
The bullets blessed by Shinpi being unleashed at close range were sufficiently threatening, and in response, I conjured a few star clusters from my fingertips.
If I detonated that in this cramped space, it would create chaos around, but… Akane would be responsible for that, so I felt no moral qualms.
Kuaaaang!!! Chara-ra-rak——
With the sudden smoke that erupted, my vision was obscured. Immediately, I heard a bothersome chain sound grabbing my attention.
Seriously. Who’d have thought that being the top fighter in Kivotos would come with such unwavering mental fortitude, scheming the next move even in this situation? It’s truly impressive.
But this isn’t a one-off technique, you know, Neru-chan.
I launched another star cluster towards the direction of the chain sound. This time, I stuffed Shinpi into it like rice in a bowl—three of them, precisely.
No matter how strong Neru was, if she took this head-on, she’d be momentarily dazed—
“Ugh…?!”
“Haha, I knew you’d fall for it. You rely too heavily on that technique. That’s why I said it’s too obvious!”
Suddenly, I felt a tightness around my throat. The sensation of being choked wasn’t the most pleasant feeling. I was even on the brink of dropping my submachine gun.
In the haze before the smoke cleared, I could vaguely sense that Neru was on my back, her arm wrapped around my neck. Beyond that, I was struggling to think as I gasped for air.
As the smoke dissipated, my clusters struck the distant wall with a loud crash. I felt a growing threat that, if I didn’t act fast, I might lose consciousness momentarily.
As my empty hand reached up to grab at the arm around my neck, no matter how strong I was, it would be impossible to wriggle free while in that position. It was just logic.
“Why don’t you just surrender already, hmm? No matter how much you—”
Bang bang bang!!
“Ugh!!”
Am I overly reliant on this strength? So what’s wrong with that?
There’s nothing wrong with a swordsman relying solely on their sword, so neither is there any wrong in me depending on this power. If anything, I’d say my offensive options are rather varied.
And today… my husband is with me.
With a decisive trigger pull to empty the magazine of my pistol, I couldn’t miss the moment when Neru’s strength drained away. Thanks to that loosened grip, I seized her arm and—
Kuaaaaaang——!!!
Slammed Neru into the ground.
A resounding crash reverberated, nearly making my body flinch. I heard the footsteps of guards rushing toward me, but I couldn’t care less.
Indeed, my husband is the best. This is the proper outcome of my support.
