Finally, the day of the 2nd Bullet of Bullets preliminaries arrived.
Shana entered the venue with his comrades. Since Sinon and Pitohui were enemies for this tournament, they split off to go their separate ways, while Shana and the others took seats where they could view the monitors.
"Now, we can only pray those two don't run into each other during the preliminaries."
"That's just up to luck, really."
"Well, our role begins with the main tournament. Even if we remain vigilant during the preliminaries, why not simply enjoy their battles for now?"
Nyangoro seemed to be brimming with excitement, as everything here was a first-time experience for her. The others agreed and focused their attention on the monitors.
Just then, Tarako happened to pass by and called out to them.
"Yo, Shana. I heard you aren't participating this time."
"Tarako, huh."
"Knowing you, I doubt you ran away. Got business to attend to?"
"Yeah, unfortunately. I intend to participate properly in the next tournament, though."
"I see. So, that means this is my biggest chance to win the championship. It doesn't look like Satellizer is around, either."
"If he were here, I would have forced myself to participate, regardless of my schedule."
"Haha, looking to settle the score once and for all?"
"Yeah. I hate leaving debts unpaid."
"Oh, it's almost my turn. Let's play together again sometime, Shana."
"Yeah. Good luck, Tarako."
Precisely at that moment, Sinon's first match began. Shana fixed his gaze on the monitor.
"She seems calm. She's secured a position advantageous to herself, and she doesn't appear to be letting her guard down."
"You're right. Plus, there's something... dignified about her now."
Shizuka agreed with Shana's observation.
"Heeeh~, Sinon has gotten good at hiding, hasn't she?"
"Kei, you think so too?"
"Yup, it's a huge difference from when she started."
Just as Benkei said, the enemy couldn't sense Sinon's presence at all and seemed at a loss for what to do.
"Whoever moves first here loses."
"True. Which one do you think will win, Sensei?"
"That is decided! It will be Sinon!"
"Do you have a basis for that?"
"The opponent will likely panic and take an all-or-nothing gamble. When facing a sniper, one is constantly dogged by the anxiety of not knowing when or from where they will be shot. That places a heavy burden on the mind. Do you understand, Shana?"
"Just as Sensei says."
True to her words, the enemy couldn't handle the pressure, broke cover, and was dispatched by Sinon in a single shot. It had taken a considerable amount of time to get to that point, but once the action started, it was over in an instant.
"With this, she shouldn't have any particular problems reaching the finals."
"Ah, look, Shana. It's Pito."
Looking at another monitor at Shizuka's prompting, they saw Pitohui's match was already underway.
The moment Pitohui spotted the enemy, she guarded her vitals with the guns in both hands and charged straight forward while swaying her body left and right.
"Whoa... she's reckless."
"But she's not getting hit."
"It seems the opponent got spooked. Though, even if she did get hit, she's tough enough that she'd probably take them down before dying."
Pitohui tackled the opponent, straddled them in a mount position, pressed the muzzle of her gun against their forehead, and repeatedly pulled the trigger while cackling maniacally. Even after the opponent vanished, Pitohui looked up at the sky and continued to laugh.
"Is Pito usually like that?"
"Well, I hear her language and attitude are completely different when she's not around us."
"Well, fine. I guess I'll go congratulate the two of them."
"Right. I'll stay here just to keep an eye out for any Laughing Coffin members."
"Okay!"
Leaving Shana alone, the others headed toward Sinon and Pitohui. Shana focused, searching the surrounding presence, but he could only sense multiple gazes filled with goodwill.
"Seems they aren't here... or they've completely erased their presence."
Among those directing a favorable gaze toward him was Musketeer X.
Seeing that Shana was alone, Musketeer X took a deep breath, determined not to let this opportunity slip away, and began devising a strategy to get acquainted with him.
(This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I must utilize this opportunity to the fullest. First impressions are key. If I were to trip in front of Shana-sama right here... he would likely call out to me, and if luck is on my side, take my hand and help me up.)
Having established this plan, Musketeer X began walking toward Shana, meticulously simulating the angle and direction of her fall in her brain.
At that exact moment, for some reason, Shana looked toward Musketeer X and lightly raised his hand.
"Yo."
(This is unexpected. For Shana-sama to recognize someone as lowly as me is a joy beyond expectation. However, something is wrong; I have no memory of meeting him. I must be prepared to respond to either scenario.)
Thinking this, Musketeer X slowed her pace slightly.
In that instant, several female voices called out to Shana from behind. Shana responded to them. Realizing this was the case, Musketeer X casually leaned against a nearby pillar to observe the situation.
"Shana-san!"
"Oh, are Eva and the others watching from here too?"
"Yes! Is it okay if we watch with you? Ah, if possible, um, we would love some commentary as well..."
"It's important to watch the battles of skilled players. I don't mind, as long as you're fine with just what I understand."
"""Thank you very much!"""
Since Shana began explaining the match to the six girls, Musketeer X judged that her chance would likely not come again and casually left the area.
(Kh... Once again, I couldn't speak to Shana-sama...)
If she hadn't overthought things and simply approached him pretending to be a fan, Musketeer X might have been standing next to Shana right now, listening to his commentary in place of those six. Shana was not the type to coldly drive away female players. Though, given he had recently been lectured on that very subject, whether he would have gotten friendly is debatable.
"Oh, if it isn't Musketeer X. Been a while."
"Ginrou."
A player called out to the brooding Musketeer X. It was Ginrou.
"How are you feeling about the prelims?"
"My turn is coming up."
"I see. Let's both do our best. And hey, if you're up for it, maybe after the prelims, we could log out and grab a celebratory drink somewhere..."
Musketeer X directed a cold stare at Ginrou.
"Do you want to be targeted again?"
"J-Just a joke! I won't say it again, so spare me. I guess the tournament atmosphere made me get a little ahead of myself. I'm really sorry!"
In truth, Ginrou had once hit on Musketeer X in the past. Following that, he found himself targeted relentlessly every time they encountered each other until he apologized and was forgiven. Since then, whenever he was with Musketeer X, Ginrou refrained from any flirting and behaved seriously, which allowed them to have normal conversations like this.
"Still, it's going to be a chaotic battle this time."
"Because Shana-sama isn't participating."
Hearing that line, Ginrou seemed to remember something and spoke to Musketeer X.
"Right, come to think of it, you worship Shana-san, don't you? ...Wait, isn't that Shana-san over there with that rookie Amazon squad? Actually, a while back... I accidentally hit on his comrade, Sinon, right in front of him. Shana-san said this to me:
'Hey. What do you think it feels like to be cut in half with a dagger?'
'There won't be a second time. Just so you know, I count it as a strike even if I'm not present.'
So... yeah. Since then, it's been really hard for me to show my face in front of him..."
"As expected of Shana-sama. So cool..."
"I bet a lot of other female players are thinking the exact same thing. That person is cool even from a guy's perspective."
Musketeer X glared sharply at Ginrou.
"...A rival declaration?"
"I don't swing that way!"
Seeing Ginrou panic, Musketeer X spoke as if admonishing him.
"Shana-sama does not dredge up the past. If you speak to him, he should answer normally... I'm jealous. You should just die."
"Whoa! You sound like you'd actually do it, so that's scary. But you really do worship Shana-san... Do you like him or something?"
"Assuming you had a God, would you wish for a romance with that God?"
"...Why do you go that far for Shana-san?"
At that question, Musketeer X simply hugged her own body and didn't answer.
"..."
"Ah, if you don't want to say, you don't have to. Sorry about that."
"No."
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Musketeer X began to speak in fragments.
"You know that I advanced to the finals of the previous BoB, correct?"
"Yeah."
"Back then, I underestimated battle. I thought it was all just established on calculations—that in any fight, you could win just by analyzing the situation and running various computations in your brain before attacking. And in fact, I kept winning that way. But that man, Satellizer, was different. Do you know how long I was able to stand before Satellizer?"
Ginrou thought for a moment before answering.
"Who knows? I assume it was pretty short."
"One second."
"One... One? Seriously...?"
"Yes. The moment I encountered him, he closed the distance and took my head. That isn't a human. That is death itself."
"That bad, huh..."
"After I got out, I watched the video of Shana-sama fighting him. That was when I learned of an existence above the clouds who could fight against even death itself. That is Shana-sama. My God."
"I see... If you want, I could ask Dyne to ask Shana-san for an introduction. Want me to try?"
"That is forbidden. First contact with God must be achieved through my own power."
"You're serious in weird places, aren't you..."
Ginrou glanced over at Shana's group and spoke casually.
"Looks like... the Amazon squad is getting Shana-san to explain the battles to them."
"Ah."
"Hm? What is it?"
Musketeer X suddenly made a sound, causing Ginrou to ask what was wrong.
"In exchange for forgiving your earlier transgression, I have a request."
"Earlier transgression? You mean the logout drink thing? Well, let's hear it."
"When it is my turn to participate, I want you to casually move behind Shana-sama. Listen to what opinions Shana-sama has about me, and tell me."
"Didn't I just say it's hard for me to go near Shana-san right now?"
"It will be fine. Believe in Shana-sama."
"Well, as long as I'm not spotted, I guess it's fine."
When Musketeer X's turn approached, Ginrou casually approached Shana from behind and took a seat a few rows back.
Suddenly, Shana turned around and called out to Ginrou.
"That walk... is that Ginrou? Long time no see. Since you're here, why not come over and join us?"
(Ugh, nothing gets past Shana-san...)
"Oh, it's Ginrou-san."
"Suuuuup!"
Eva and the others spotted Ginrou and greeted him one after another. Ginrou was happy to be invited, but felt he should decline.
"Ah, no... I caused trouble for Shana-san and Sinon the other day, so..."
"What's with you? You were still worrying about that? During the victory party, you treated Sinon with plenty of respect. That means you reflected on it properly, right? Don't worry about weird stuff and get over here without hesitation... Hey, wait. Why are you suddenly crying!?"
Just as noted, Ginrou was shedding tears before anyone realized.
"Huh... this is, um..."
"As expected of Shana-san. You're a man-killer."
"Eh, seriously? My fault?"
Anna meant it in a good way, of course, but Shana, flustered, spoke to Ginrou.
"Gi-Ginrou, it seems I did something to make you sad. I'm really sorry."
"Ah... No, that's not it. I will follow Shana-san for the rest of my life!"
"Hah? Eh? Wh-What is happening..."
Seeing Shana's confusion, Eva and the girls laughed happily.
Ginrou took a seat slightly apart from Shana, but close enough to clearly be part of the group, and listened to Shana's commentary on the preliminaries.
"That screen over there... that's Spiegel. He's probably an AGI (Agility) type, but he's got the wrong idea about something."
"Wrong idea?"
"Yeah. He probably thinks AGI just means moving a little faster than other people. That might be correct thinking in other games, but it's a bit different in this one. Even pros say it's hard to hit a target moving at high speed, right? In short, for an AGI type to be a threat in this game... Ah, there's a perfect example."
Shana pointed to a different monitor.
"That is Yamikaze. The strongest AGI-type player in GGO. That is the completed form."
"Whoa, his movement really is totally different."
"It's called 'Run and Gun.' Basically, running around while attacking the enemy. When someone moves at that speed, you can't hit them with bullets that easily."
The commentary continued, and finally, Musketeer X appeared on the monitor.
"Hm? That female player... she is..."
(Oh, finally Musketeer X. I gotta listen closely.)
Ginrou focused intently so as not to miss a single word Shana said.
"That's the person who was walking next to you guys earlier."
"Ah, come to think of it, she was there!"
"Thinking of it that way makes me want to cheer for her."
"Jushi... Ekkusu? Is that how you read it?"
"Apparently, you read that as Musketeer X."
Ginrou figured correcting this much wouldn't be an issue and interjected.
"Oh, really!"
"I didn't know that. Ginrou, is she an acquaintance?"
(Crap. If I say she's an acquaintance and it leads to an introduction, it might ruin her determination.)
Thinking this, Ginrou gave a safe answer.
"I've seen her participate in gatherings like the one the other day a few times."
"I see."
(Good for you, Musketeer X. Looks like Shana-san remembered you. The rest is up to you.)
"She isn't flashy, but she's solid. She always takes an advantageous position, and her shooting is accurate. Actually, that type is the most troublesome to deal with—never losing her cool, reliably doing exactly what needs to be done."
(Ooh, high praise.)
"Shana-san, how would you fight that person?"
"Me? I'd snipe from a distance first. If that kills her, great. If not, I wouldn't give her time to think; I'd close in instantly and cut her down."
(Same thing Satellizer did, huh? As expected, or should I say...)
"You guys need to make sure you can use weapons other than guns, too. Also, practice handling a gun equally well with both hands. Being unable to attack just because your dominant arm is useless is out of the question."
"""Yes, sir!"""
(I see. I'll take note of that too...)
His turn approaching, Ginrou told Shana he had to leave.
"It's almost my turn, so I'm off, Shana-san."
"Oh, right. I can't exactly cheer for you if you go up against Sinon or Pito, but any other time, I'm rooting for you."
"Th-Thank you very much! I'm off then!"
"""Do your best, Ginrou-san!"""
"Yeah, I'll do my best!"
On the way to the participants' area, he ran into Musketeer X, so Ginrou recounted the previous exchange to her in detail.
"I see. An accurate critique."
"Well, isn't it great he remembered your name?"
"Right now, it is at the level of knowing the name of a politician or a TV talent."
"Well, that's true, but..."
"However, Shana-sama is indeed God. You must have realized that as well."
"Yeah, I inadvertently cried. Oh, I forgot—congrats on the win."
"Thank you. Good luck to you too, Ginrou."
Unfortunately, Ginrou was defeated in the first round. His opponent was, unluckily, XeXeed. Thus, sorting the winners from the losers, the preliminaries continued. No one yet knew who would remain as the sixteen participants for the main tournament.
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