Shino hesitated, biting her lip.
"Haruto, I…"
She wanted to warn him, to tell him not to get dragged into her troubles. But before the words could form, Haruto spoke first.
"Speaking of which—tomorrow's the BOB preliminaries. Confident, Shino?" he asked with a smile.
The sudden topic shift cut her off, leaving her stunned. She opened her mouth, then closed it again. Unprompted kindness was something she had almost never received. Shino simply didn't know how to respond.
After a pause, she finally whispered:
"…I'll definitely win the championship."
If she could stand at the very peak of the gun world, defeating all who challenged her… then surely she'd become stronger. Strong enough to face reality. Strong enough to live like a normal person. Strong enough to answer the boy standing in front of her.
"Impressive," Haruto said, patting his chest with a grin. "But don't forget—if you want the championship, you'll have to beat me."
Flames flickered in Shino's eyes.
"Even if it's you, Haruto, I'll do everything I can to defeat you. If we meet in the finals—don't you dare hold back!"
Her confidence was radiant.
The next day, the BOB preliminaries began.
The so-called Presidential Palace, a massive building in the safe zone, overflowed with players. Thankfully, the designers had anticipated such crowds.
By disabling collision in town areas, avatars could pass through one another, preventing chaos at choke points.
Amidst the noise, holographic screens projected the tournament brackets.
With so many participants, the prelims were split into five groups—A through E. Each group used an elimination format; only the top four advanced to the final battle royale.
Haruto, Shino, and Kuriyama Mirai stood together in the corner, studying the brackets.
"Looks like we won't run into each other until the later rounds," Shino exhaled in relief. "That's… good."
She selfishly hoped to stand on the same stage as Haruto in the finals, whether as rivals or as allies.
Haruto landed in Group A.
Shino and Mirai both ended up in Group C. That meant Shino and Mirai would inevitably clash in the C-block semifinals—but at least both could still qualify for the finals.
"Mirai, make sure you kill her when the time comes," Haruto said suddenly, patting Mirai's shoulder with mock seriousness.
Mirai blinked, bewildered.
Shino, on the other hand, put on a serious face.
"Doesn't matter who stands in my way—I'll beat them all and take the championship!"
The two girls locked eyes… and burst out laughing.
Mirai puffed out her cheeks.
"I'm not happy!" she declared, though her pout only made her look cuter.
The countdown ticked away.
The three headed to the locker rooms to equip their gear. Then, with a flare of white light, all participants were teleported to their respective arenas.
Haruto's first battleground was a sprawling ruin, half-buried in yellow sand, with broken pillars and collapsed pyramids under the blazing desert sun.
He touched the 3D Maneuver Gear strapped to his waist and smirked.
"Perfect terrain."
Hooking onto a stone pillar, he fired the gas thrusters. The wire hissed, pulling him into the sky like an arrow loosed from a bow.
Meanwhile, his opponent—a middle-aged man in desert camouflage—had hunkered down behind rubble with a submachine gun. A positional player. His kind preferred strong cover and suppressive fire.
But then came the metallic hiss, the roar of gas jets.
The man froze. That sound… mobility equipment?
"Damn it!" he cursed. "Why do I have to meet a rich whale player right from the start?!"
He raised his gun and fired wildly toward the noise. Muzzle flashes lit the ruins as bullets stitched the air.
But Haruto danced above them, spinning through the sky.
Bullets whizzed past, missing by inches. His graceful movements resembled an aerial waltz, effortless and dazzling.
The man's magazine clicked empty.
Panic flooded his face.
Too slow.
A flash of steel fell from above.
Haruto landed lightly behind him, blade already sheathed. The man's avatar flickered, health bar dropping to zero before shattering into polygons.
Victory.
Haruto returned to the Presidential Palace lobby—the first to finish his match. Heads turned instantly.
"Already…?!"
The broadcast screens replayed his fight.
Gasps rippled through the crowd as they watched the impossible aerial dance. The maneuvering boots some players used looked clunky and crude in comparison.
This wasn't gameplay. It was art.
From that moment, Haruto's 3D Maneuver Gear became the talk of BOB.
Players rushed to replicate it, citing anime and manga as reference—but no one could recreate the sharp elegance of that waltz in the sky.
Because Haruto wasn't just imitating. He had once truly flown with the Wings of Freedom.
Not long after, Shino and Mirai returned from their own prelim matches—both victorious.
Shino's victory needed no explanation. The Hecate II in her hands and her reputation as BOB's top sniper spoke for themselves.
As for Mirai—though she'd never touched BOB before, her combat instincts as a warrior combined with the [Equality of All Beings(Standard gun?)] gun carried her far beyond the level of an ordinary player.
Though, if she ever froze mid-battle… the results could be very different.