"Ugh... Z-1? That's all the way in the northeast corner... While K-8 is slightly upper-left of center."
Kirito gritted his teeth at his terrible luck. But after giving it some second thought, he realized that hunkering down at K-8 right in the central zone carried immense risk anyway. There was a high chance of getting swamped by enemies converging from all sides.
"Which means... this actually turns out to be lucky. Well then, guess I'll just wait here for the first satellite scan."
"A-16?! Of all places, why the southwest edge...?"
Shana had been spawned in the far southwest corner. In other words, Shana and Kirito had been placed on complete opposite ends of the rectangular map's diagonal.
"Guess I'll wait for the scan first..."
Likewise, the other players remained stationary where they were, waiting for the inaugural satellite scan. It was the sole moment of quiet tranquility in Bullet of Bullets.
"Should be starting any second now..." someone muttered.
Right on cue, the first scan initiated. Immediately after, every player's terminal updated to display the current position of all participants.
Usushio Tarako: A-1
Shana: A-16
Yamikaze: C-4
Pitohui: C-9
Musketeer X: F-13
Ginrou: I-9
Misaki: J-4
Dyne: L-12
Shishioh Richie: N-8
Garrett: Q-4
Sterben: S-2
Pale Rider: S-12
Sinon: W-5
Snake: X-10
Kirito: Z-1
Hachiman: Z-16
These were the starting locations for each player. Because the scan display duration was brief, players could realistically only verify those who were close to their immediate vicinity.
The first to move were Usushio Tarako and Yamikaze.
"Oh! Yamikaze is close!"
Shouting in delight, Usushio Tarako sprinted toward Yamikaze. Yamikaze appeared from the opposite direction, and the two quickly stood face-to-face.
"Hey there, partner."
"Yeah. Talk about lucky."
The spectating audience held their breath in anticipation, assuming a battle was about to erupt on the spot, but no shots were fired.
"Wait, they're not fighting?"
"Are they seriously teaming up?!"
"Ah! It's that! That's why!"
Among the audience, a few spectators began connecting the dots.
"Didn't it look like Shana and Hachiman were teaming up earlier?! So to counter them, almost everyone else is going to form pairs too!"
"Makes sense—otherwise, you'd just get picked off one by one!"
"So that's what's going on..."
Just as predicted, Yamikaze and Usushio Tarako successfully joined forces and began moving together.
"Hey, who's the closest to us from here?"
"I spotted Pitohui and Misaki-san, and beyond them, just a guy named Ginrou."
"Guess we'll be fighting those two first, then?"
"Assuming they head our way."
"Yoo-hoo, Misa-Misa! We're teaming up, right? Obviously!"
Around the same time, Pitohui had reached Misaki's location.
"Yes, of course. Though I honestly expected you to head toward Musketeer X."
"Yeah, well, I saw Shana due south of me during the scan, so I figured she'd probably head that way."
"Shana-sama? In that case, approaching carelessly might get us sniped."
"And when it comes to stuff like that, Shana isn't known for holding back!"
After a quick tactical discussion, the two decided to take up a position atop a rocky ridge that offered excellent line of sight while remaining difficult to spot from below.
"Alright, let's divide up the next scan to check how the overall situation develops."
"Until then, our main priority will be watching for enemies approaching from the southeast."
"Hmm? Why's that?"
Misaki put on a subtle, thoroughly disgusted expression.
"...Because Shishioh Richie-san was over there."
"Ahhh~! That guy would definitely come charging straight at you without a single thought!"
"Honestly, I believe his true strength lies in base defense while backed up by support..."
"Wasn't it a Vickers heavy machine gun? Frankly, that's totally unsuitable for a tournament like this."
"Well, if he does come our way, we'll simply have him die on the spot."
"You're ruthless as always, Misa-Misa! And there isn't a shred of your usual seductive charm!"
"Just like you, I happen to be enamored with Shana-sama, so I really couldn't care less about anyone else..."
Hearing that, Pitohui let out an amused laugh.
"Ah, now that I think about it, we've got two people in the exact same boat here, both scheming to create an irreversible fait accompli with Shana!"
"I wouldn't mind if it were three of us, you know?"
"Oho, I like the sound of that! Shall we take turns making Shana lose her mind together, then?"
"Ugh... why did I suddenly get a chill down my spine...?"
At that exact moment, Shana shivered involuntarily.
"Anyway, Max was the only one near the rendezvous direction, and I couldn't spot Ai's location at all, so I'll stick with her for a bit. She's probably heading my way regardless."
True to her word, the figure of Musketeer X soon appeared in her line of sight ahead. As if equipped with an innate instinct sensor, Musketeer X walked straight toward Shana while maintaining situational awareness of her surroundings. Even when Shana adjusted her vector sideways, Musketeer X adjusted her path accordingly—an uncanny instinct that was frankly staggering. The two safely rendezvoused without incident.
"...Hey, how do you always know my exact direction?"
"Shana-sama, that is a woman's secret."
"O-Oh... I see... Women's secrets are terrifying..."
Musketeer X then addressed Shana in a businesslike tone.
"At this rate, the first pair we encounter will likely be the Dyne & Ginrou team. However, the odds of those two choosing to pick a fight with you right off the bat are low. If they head toward Shishioh Richie in the central zone instead, we might not encounter anyone for a while."
"Wait, pair? Are those guys teaming up too?"
"Yes. All because of you, Shana-sama."
"Because of me?"
Seeing Shana's blank, confused stare, Musketeer X explained how an implicit agreement to form pairs had swept across the rest of the players.
"I see. So our presence ended up creating that kind of meta."
"The pairs confirmed or highly likely to have formed at this moment are: Tarako & Yamikaze, Dyne & Ginrou, Pito & Misaki-san, Kirito-sama & Sinon, and Garrett & Pale Rider."
"...How much of the scan results did you manage to memorize?"
"All of it."
"Are you serious...? How did you manage that in time?"
"I simply displayed the full list and burned the visual layout into my memory without reading the text line by line."
"I... I see..."
Slightly overwhelmed by Musketeer X's cool, hyper-competent composure, Shana asked where Kirito and Achiman were located.
"Kirito-sama was in the top-right of the map, while Achiman was in the bottom-right."
"Of all places, the furthest possible spots..."
"What are your instructions?"
"Well, for now, let's head for K-8. That's where I agreed to meet Kirito."
"Understood. Let's move out."
Keeping a wary eye out for Dyne's group, the two began advancing toward K-8. However, they didn't run into anyone prior to the next satellite scan, so when the time drew near, they took cover in a secure location to prepare for the report. Musketeer X, maintaining a calm facade, seized the opportunity to sit right up against Shana's side—ever the shrewd opportunist.
"Shana-sama, it's almost time for the next scan."
"Yeah."
The satellite scan initiated.
"This is..."
"I could only glance at the immediate surroundings. How does the rest look?"
"...Something is odd, Shana-sama. Kirito-sama and Sinon have moved significantly south. Meanwhile, Garrett, Shishioh Richie, and... Steven?—have vanished from the list."
"Ho? Three players are already retired?"
"Presumably..."
"Where was Ai?"
"Achiman is making his way toward the center."
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