"Hey, Shana, I want to test out this new sniper rifle. Could you keep me company for a bit?"
In response to Sinon's request, Shana glanced at Shizuka. Shizuka nodded, so Shana decided to agree.
"A little while is perfectly fine."
"Alright then, I'm going to go talk to my sisters for a bit."
"Okay."
Shizuka said that and logged out. Ikoma also wanted to gather information related to crafting, and Pitohui had lessons, so in the end, only Shana and Sinon remained.
"So, what should we do?"
"We're just testing it a little, so the basement here would be fine, wouldn't it? With you and me, I don't think there'll be any problems."
"You're right... Well, you never know what might happen, so I'll also bring a weapon that uses the same ammo as you, and carry plenty of spare bullets. That way, we can share them."
"Then since we have a bit of leeway, I'll carry them."
"Thanks, I'll leave it to you."
And so, the two descended into the city's basement, where many strong enemies appeared. They found a considerably wide underground cavern, and then located a slightly narrow but suitable sniping spot that overlooked the entire plaza. Settling in there, they began observing the enemies below.
"As expected, there are a lot of strong-looking enemies."
"Well, as long as we're sniping from afar, it shouldn't be a problem. Leave our backsides to me, and for now, let's see..."
Shana said that, set up his gun, lay down on the floor, and looked through the scope. Sinon followed suit, and the two took up sniping positions side by side.
"Alright, try shooting that red lizard-like one as a test."
"Eh? Where, where? It's too far, I can't quite tell."
"Sorry it's a tight squeeze, but move over a little. I'll adjust the scope now."
"Oh, okay."
And Sinon shifted her body slightly. Shana peered into Sinon's scope. Sinon felt a rush of tension from their proximity, acutely aware of her heart beating faster.
(C-could this be a date, in a way...?)
Thinking that, Sinon felt as if she were in a dream. And at that moment, it happened.
"Hey, Sinon, snap out of it!"
At Shana's sudden words, Sinon felt her consciousness strongly reawaken. It seemed she had almost been forced to log out for a moment. Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine this would happen just by Shana being so close. Sinon racked her brain trying to figure out how to cover it up, but no good excuse came to mind, so she just kept repeating "I'm fine." Seeing Sinon like that, Shana, perhaps misunderstanding something, said with great difficulty:
"Ah~... If it's a restroom or something, don't hesitate to say so. It's fine, the sounds definitely won't be heard here, so just relax."
Shana, in his own way, was trying to be considerate, but it was what you call "a word too many." Sinon turned to Shana with a demonic look and said:
"That's not it! It's your fault!"
"W-why me...?"
"It just is, okay? Honestly, why are you so cool usually, but completely useless in situations like this?!"
"O-oh... My bad."
Shana, still feeling it was unreasonable, apologized meekly. In reality, it couldn't be denied that it was partly Shana's fault for carelessly getting too close, so it was probably a case of both sides being equally to blame.
(Honestly, why do I like a guy like this...?)
Sinon thought that as she looked at Shana again. Shana was once again peering through the scope, subtly moving his gun to lock onto the target.
(He was so uncool just now... Hmm, uncool? Wait?)
In Sinon's memory, Shana had played the role of a perfect good guy when he came to pick her up from school. His demeanor, though likely including some acting, was flawless. Unlike before, having been refined for a long time among complete strangers, Shana had steadily gained experience and was able to do such things. But to Sinon, who had only recently met him, Shana seemed perfect from the start. However, now that she thought back, she felt he had shown many uncool sides to her. Thinking that far, Sinon realized clearly for the first time. That Shana himself allowed her to be by his side. Shana probably never took off that mask in front of those he wasn't interested in. But in front of her, he wasn't wearing such a mask. It might be because he recognized her as a teammate, but Sinon suddenly understood that he was clearly showing her his true self.
At that moment, a change came over Sinon's heart. Her feelings for Shana, which had previously been simply "I want to be with him because I like him," transformed into a feeling of "it's only natural for him to be here." In that instant, Sinon's heart calmed down. And the Shana in front of her took his eyes off the scope, turned to Sinon, and said:
"Alright, it's here. Take a look. You should see a red lizard-like guy."
"Okay, got it."
Sinon calmly moved her face very close to Shana's, peered into the scope, and immediately found the target.
"There it is, there it is! So I just need to shoot this one, right?"
"Yeah, it's a bit of a distance, so..."
THWACK—
At that instant, the sound of a gunshot echoed. Shana hurriedly looked through his own gun's scope, but the enemy had already exploded and vanished.
"You shot it quite easily."
"Yes, I just had a feeling I wouldn't miss."
"I see... Alright, next is that one."
Shana seemed to sense something from Sinon, and calmly continued to give instructions for the next target. And Sinon proceeded to effortlessly defeat all of those enemies, taking almost no time at all.
"It seems you've suddenly overcome several hurdles."
"Yeah, I kind of feel that way."
"Well, that happens sometimes. Was there some kind of trigger?"
"Yes, if I had to say... it's that you're uncool."
To Sinon, who said this with a mischievous look, Shana replied with a serious face.
"Did you finally realize? I'm not the cool guy you think I am. So you should probably wake up soon and..."
"Wake up and do what?"
Saying that, Sinon brought her face very close to Shana's.
"Hey, what are you going to do?"
Sinon brought her lips even closer, almost touching Shana's. Shana couldn't move an inch, but still managed to answer the question.
"Nothing. Whether I'm sleeping or awake, you and I will be standing side-by-side with guns, sniping our enemies."
In response to Shana's answer, Sinon moved her face away from Shana's and, looking down at him, said:
"Hmph, coward."
"In times like these, I choose cowardice over bravery."
"But you'll still be sniping next to me, right?"
"Of course. We're teammates."
"That's very much like you."
Sinon stopped pushing for now and said with a smile.
"You really value your teammates, don't you?"
"Of course. You always take care of a stray puppy you pick up until the end."
"Hmm? That sounds like something I've heard somewhere before."
And Sinon searched her memory, finally realizing the answer.
"Oh, that's... Rosalia's, isn't it?"
Shana nodded at her words and said:
"Yeah, she's exactly like that. Haven't I told you about her? She once tried to kill my teammates, and after we sent her to prison, I beat her up to get more information. Then, I happened to run into her again after returning to reality, and that's how she became my servant."
"Wow... Rosalia has really lived an intense life, hasn't she..."
"Well, since I picked her up, she's mine. So I won't hand her over to anyone. Even when she gets married, it'll be from my house."
"Wow... just like a stray puppy... no, a kitten."
After saying that, Sinon continued:
"Does that mean I was picked up too?"
"Hmm? Pito feels like that, but Sinon is..."
"Does that mean I was picked up too?"
"So..."
"Does that mean I was picked up too?"
"Ah~, it's getting troublesome, so fine."
Shana, truly finding it troublesome, carelessly said that without much thought. Hearing it, Sinon said very happily:
"Then I'm Shana's too!"
"Ugh..."
Sinon relentlessly pressed the speechless Shana.
"No?"
"That's, of course, no..."
"You picked me up too, right? What's different from Rosalia's case?"
"Ugh..."
And Sinon delivered the decisive blow.
"Then you'll properly 'marry me off to wherever I wish,' right?"
"O-oh... A-and that would naturally happen...?"
Shana was distracted by the "marry me off" part, and thinking that would be fine, he inadvertently replied that way. At that instant, Sinon said, with a look that said she had gotten exactly what she wanted:
"Yes, I have your word!"
"Word for what?"
"You clearly said 'wherever I wish'!"
"Ah... H-hey... You don't mean..."
"I've already declared war on Shiz, you know."
"Whoa, whoa, seriously...?"
"Well, there's no point in tormenting you too much, so I'll let you off for today."
"Seriously, give me a break..."
"Hehe, alright, let's head back now."
But the events of that day weren't over yet. On the way back, Sinon found something like a door.
"Hey, Shana, what's this door?"
"Door? There's nothing like that anywhere... Ah, you don't mean that, do you...?"
"But it's definitely here..."
"No, Sinon, don't touch it! That's probably a quest..."
"Kya!"
"Sinon!"
Shana hurriedly tried to grab Sinon's hand, but he was a step too late. Sinon was sucked in, disappearing behind what looked like a wall from Shana's perspective.
"Damn it... This is probably the entrance to a quest I haven't accepted. Is that why I couldn't see the door...?"
Shana muttered that, then calmly took out his communicator and put it on his face.
"Sinon, can you hear me, Sinon!"
"I can hear you, Shana."
"Where are you now?"
"I don't know, but I can see a giant enemy far away."
"That's probably the target monster for the quest. For me to go there, I have to accept the same quest you did. Do you remember where you accepted that quest?"
"...Sorry, I can't remember at all."
"Tch, I see..."
Shana pondered what to do, but no answer came. Sinon then asked him:
"Hey, if I defeat that enemy, can I get out of here?"
"Yes, as long as it's a quest, you should be able to get out without a problem once you defeat it. Though it'll be quite tough solo."
"Staying here is a losing battle, and as you said before, if I snipe from extreme long range, right at the edge of the gun's range, couldn't I defeat it without taking any damage?"
"With your gun, I wonder... Wait, since Ikoma just extended its range, there might be a chance."
Hearing those words, Sinon steeled her resolve and said to Shana:
"I can't go back anyway, so is it okay if I try, prepared to die?"
"...Is that the only option...? Damn it."
Hearing Shana's words, filled with the anguish of potentially letting a teammate die, Sinon said this to try and reassure Shana a little.
"It's okay, I'm feeling really good right now."
At Sinon's words, Shana recalled Sinon's demeanor from earlier.
"You're right, you were. Alright, relax and just shoot."
"Okay!"
"Before that, what kind of enemy is it?"
"Hmm, that's probably a centipede?"
"Ah, that one... It was in the field. It's probably an enhanced version. Alright, Sinon, do you see anything like a jewel on its forehead?"
Sinon took his words, observed the giant centipede, and indeed found something like a jewel on its forehead.
"Yes, it seems there is."
"That's its weak point. Concentrate all your attacks there."
"Understood."
(It's okay, I'm not alone. Even far apart, Shana is by my side right now.)
And Sinon set up her gun at the very edge of its range, aimed carefully, and sniped the jewel on the great centipede's forehead.
THWACK— The sound was heard, and Shana questioned into the communicator.
"How is it, Sinon? Was there any movement from the enemy?"
"...None, it seems. The plan was successful for now."
"Oh, thank goodness for Ikoma!"
"Yes, truly. I'll continue sniping like this. Fortunately, I have plenty of ammo."
"That was lucky too. But even then, I'm worried if it's enough to whittle it down. Do you think you can do it?"
"...Well, if I miss a few shots, it might not be enough. But in that case, I'll challenge it to close combat, prepared to die."
"Try not to let it come to that. Do your best."
"Okay."
THWACK—
THWACK—
THWACK—
The gunshots continued at what could be called random intervals. Shana listened silently, fretting. Then Sinon spoke to Shana.
THWACK—
"Hey, Shana."
"What's wrong?"
THWACK—
"It's almost Christmas, isn't it?"
"Yeah, it is. By the way, is it okay to talk?"
THWACK—
"It's fine, in fact, it helps me concentrate."
"Then it's good."
THWACK—
"You know, ever since I can remember, I hated Christmas. You know, family reasons."
"I see."
THWACK—
"But now I have you and everyone else. Hey, can I look forward to Christmas a little this year?"
"Yeah, you can look forward to it. I'll give you something you like as a present."
THWACK—
"Then, the present will be you."
"Hey... If possible, please ask for something else..."
THWACK—
"Just kidding. I'll leave the contents up to you."
"That's the most troubling option."
THWACK—
"Hey."
"Yeah."
THWACK—
"Could you hum a Christmas-y song for me, even if it's just humming?"
"...Don't expect too much from my pitch or anything."
"Thanks, Shana."
And Shana began to hum Jingle Bells.
THWACK—
THWACK—
THWACK—
Riding on the rhythm Shana hummed, the sounds of the bullets continued lightheartedly. And when the Jingle Bells had finished for the umpteenth time, the sound of bullets stopped.
"All shots hit."
"You did well."
"Your humming was good."
"Was I of some use?"
"Yes, very much so. I'm really looking forward to our first Christmas together."
"Just so you know, it won't be just the two of us."
"That would have been the best, but I know. Being with everyone else sounds fun too."
And Sinon took a deep breath, then said to Shana:
"I think I can defeat it with one more shot, and I only have one bullet left."
"Climax, huh?"
"Yes. This is my Christmas present to myself!"
THWACK—
And the final gunshot echoed, bringing silence to the surroundings.
"...Hit."
"Of course, you would."
"Yes, of course."
Shana said that calmly, and Sinon calmly replied.
"The door has opened. I think I can get to the surface near there. Let's meet up above."
"Understood."
And then, in front of Shana, who had emerged onto the surface, appeared Sinon, holding an unfamiliar, gigantic gun.
"...You finally did it, Sinon."
"Yes, it really became a Christmas present, though it's a little early."
"Its name?"
"Ultima Ratio Hecate II."
"I see... You really did well, Sinon. That was amazing."
"Shana! I did it, I did it!"
At that moment, Sinon burst with joy and hugged Shana. Even Shana, at a time like this, didn't say anything tactless. He silently embraced Sinon, holding her tightly, and then stroked her head. Sinon then tried to steal a kiss from Shana's lips, so Shana gently tapped Sinon's head and said:
"Don't get carried away."
"Too bad, I was so close."
"You're always on guard, aren't you..."
"From now on, you'll have to work hard to protect your lips from my sniping."
"Alright, alright."
Thus, on this day, Sinon became a true sniper.
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