Four days had passed since I'd teamed up with Aria. There had been no movement from the "Butei Killer," and our days were uneventful as ever.
There were no serious or erotic events, just a perfectly normal daily life. The only thing different from my original world was Aria's occasional embarrassed outburst of gunfire, and I was even starting to get used to that.
After what happened with Asuna, I hadn't had anything erotic happen with anyone else. We were just... too embarrassed to say anything to each other.
It's not that I didn't want to, but I just didn't know how to initiate anything. Both times, she had made the first move.
So, things had been peaceful, but as they say, incidents can happen at any time.
Well, that's exactly what happened. The beginning of the incident was sudden.
---------
That day was the first time it had rained since I came to this world, and it was a downpour. Raindrops splashed on the ground, soaking the bottom of my pants.
Everyone else seemed to have somewhere to be, so I was alone.
As I walked with my umbrella, my cell phone rang.
"Hello?"
"Shou, where are you?"
It was Aria.
The time was 8:10 a.m. Normally, if I went to school, I could see her right away, even though we were in different grades. The fact that she was calling me meant something serious must have happened.
"I'm near the Assault division building."
I immediately checked my location and told her.
"That's perfect. Get your gear on and come to the roof of the girls' dorm. Right now."
"...What happened?"
Aria answered my question simply.
"An incident. The Butei Killer has appeared."
"What?!"
It had finally happened.
"The Butei Killer hijacked a bus. I've contacted everyone else, so you need to get here too, Shou."
"Got it. I'm on my wa—I don't think I can."
I was suddenly surrounded by zombie-like figures. It was no wonder I hadn't noticed them. They hadn't appeared; they had manifested inside a game area created by someone else.
The bugster viruses, dressed like zombies, surrounded me.
In other words, these were bugster viruses created by Zombie Gamer Level X.
"You guys go on ahead. I'll catch up later."
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"Sorry, I'm surrounded by the Butei Killer's toys."
The Butei Killer could become Genm in this world, or someone with that power was helping them.
"I'll head over as soon as I'm done here. You guys deal with the bus hijacking."
"But...!"
"...What's Butei Charter Article 1?"
"...'Believe in your comrades, and help your comrades'?"
"Exactly."
Our voices overlapped.
"When this is over, I'll come help you right away."
"That's my line."
"Is it? Well, see you later."
I hung up the phone and pulled out the Gashat Gear Dual.
PERFECT PUZZLE
What's the next stage?
Dual Up!
Get the glory in the chain! PERFECT PUZZLE!
"Let's get this over with."
The immortal zombies. I didn't know where the main body was, but I'd show them that sending only these small fries was meaningless.
I snapped my fingers.
Every bugster virus vanished.
Well, that's how it is. They shouldn't underestimate Level 50.
...So, where's the main body of Genm?
---------
Yukina, Kurumi, Asuna, and Aria had gathered on the roof of the girls' dorm. They boarded a waiting helicopter, and Aria explained the situation.
"What?!"
They were shocked to hear that Shou was under attack.
"He's probably in the way of their plan because of his powered suit. They're just stalling to keep him from getting to the scene."
"But... we haven't told anyone about that..."
"If they're smart, they can easily find out. There are a lot of surveillance cameras along the roads on this island. It would be easy for a Butei, so the Butei Killer can definitely do it."
Butei are not so naive that you can keep something a secret just by not talking about it.
"...Is the culprit inside the bus?"
"Probably not. The bus is rigged with a bomb."
The target was a school bus full of children.
"I won't let the Butei Killer have their way anymore."
Everyone nodded in agreement with Aria's words.
"Here's the plan. Yukina, Asuna, and I will board the bus to rescue the hostages and disarm the bomb. Kurumi, I want you to provide backup from the helicopter."
"Oh my, I don't think I'll be of much use just staying here."
"That's fine for now. I'll think of a better place to use your power later."
In truth, Kurumi couldn't use 100% of her Spirit power. Whether it was due to the power of this world or not, she couldn't fly and could only use the limited Spirit Dress from the original series.
Furthermore, Zafkiel, the Emperor of Time, consumes her own lifespan.
Aria had heard about this beforehand, so she decided to leave Kurumi, who didn't have any significant long-range attack options (Zafkiel's bullets were now as powerful as an ordinary handgun), on the helicopter.
The rest of the team was set up in the optimal formation based on the information they had gathered over the past week: Yukina and Asuna for close-quarters combat, and Kurumi for long-range support.
Yukina had her Yukinabana, and Asuna was fully prepared with a rapier she had ordered from the Armament division.
After a while, the helicopter pilot spotted the bus.
"I see it! There it is!"
Following the pilot's words, a speeding bus came into view, even though they were in the middle of town.
"We're the first ones here."
The incident had been made public as soon as it occurred, and any Butei who could move had started preparing immediately. But Aria, who had been setting up a net beforehand, was one step ahead.
The roads were blocked, so the bus was moving smoothly. There were also no pedestrians, so they could drive as recklessly as they wanted.
Yukina, Asuna, and Aria used assault parachutes to land on the roof of the bus.
"You two go inside. I'm going to check the outside of the bus for bombs."
"But it's going so fast!"
Yukina tried to stop Aria, who was talking about checking the outside of the bus while it was moving. But Aria replied nonchalantly.
"It can't be helped. We can't carry this many people outside. Depending on the situation, we might have to disarm it right away, or it could get really bad."
"I... I know that... but..."
Aria saw that Yukina wasn't convinced.
"Oh, come on! Butei Charter Article 1!"
"...'Believe in your comrades, and help your comrades.'"
"Exactly. Understand?"
"...Yes."
After hearing her answer, Aria immediately went to investigate.
"...Alright, let's go too."
"Are you okay, Asuna?"
"...When you do things like this, no matter how much you prepare or how many plans you make, you can't reduce the danger to zero. You think about everyone here and what we can do, decide on the best plan, and then you have to believe in everyone. You have to believe in them."
Those were words spoken from Asuna's heart, as the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood.
"Let's do our best, okay?"
"...Yes!"
With those words, Yukina finally looked up.
The two quickly peered through the window, confirmed there were no culprits, and went inside through the window that someone had opened for them.
A girl immediately handed Asuna a cell phone.
"What's wrong?"
"U-um... my phone... when I noticed, it wasn't mine anymore...!"
If you slow down, it will explode.
A mechanical voice came from the switched-out cell phone.
Asuna put her hand to her communication earpiece.
"Aria was right. The bus's bomb seems to be remote-controlled. How about you?"
"I found it too! It's a bomb!"
"Where?!"
"Under the bus! This much... is the Butei Killer planning to blow up a train?!"
Asuna's face turned pale as she understood the implication.
"I'll go underneath and disarm it—"
"EVERYONE GET DOWN!!!!!"
The next moment after Yukina yelled, six Segways jumped out from a street connected to the main road. They were unmanned and had machine guns mounted on them.
They all opened fire at once.
The bullets only embedded themselves in the bus's special exterior, but they shattered all the bulletproof glass.
The gunfire stopped. Kurumi, who was in the helicopter, had shot them down.
Thanks to Yukina's instructions, no children were hit directly, but the car went into a panic as glass fragments rained down on them.
Yukina and Asuna tried to calm everyone down. But the bus started moving strangely, swerving as if the driver were drunk.
They looked at the driver and saw he was injured. He hadn't been able to get down as Yukina had instructed. It seemed he had been hit in the right arm and was sweating profusely.
"I'll take over!"
"Okay, please. Aria, are you alright? ...Aria?"
Asuna asked, but there was no response from the earpiece.
No way, Asuna thought, and she put her body out the window and climbed onto the roof. She saw Aria, who had just climbed up.
"Aria! Are you okay?!"
"Asuna?! Why did you come up here?!"
"You didn't answer my call! Are you alright?!"
"Yes. I hit my head when the bus shook from the gunfire. The shock knocked it out. It's dangerous out here anyway. I know where the bomb is, but with that interference, I can't disarm it. Just wait inside—behind you! Get down, quick!"
"Huh?"
Behind Asuna, four new Segways appeared from a side street. The guns on them were aimed at Asuna.
Gaga-gaga-gaga-gaga!!!
The sound of four guns firing at once assailed Asuna and Aria. Even Asuna couldn't deflect all the bullets. She wasn't some swordsman in black.
Still, it was impressive that she was pulling out her rapier with superhuman reflexes, but it wasn't enough.
Aria rushed toward Asuna to push her down.
"Huh?"
Something landed in front of them.
It acted as a shield and deflected the bullets.
Thanks to that, the two were unharmed.
"Sorry. I'm late."
The figure raised a hand casually.
"Shou!"
Standing in front of the two was Shou, who had transformed into Paradox.
---------
I made it just in time.
Afterward, I wasted two or three minutes being on guard, thinking the main body of Genm would attack me. But nothing happened, so I knew something was wrong and immediately headed to the location Aria had specified.
But by then, she had already left. I had no choice but to run all the way here.
"Shou, you—"
"I'm going to go break those."
Shrinking
I grabbed an Energy Item and jumped off the bus. I stretched out my arm like a certain rubber man, and...
"Time Control: Double Speed Time Alter! Double Acceleration!"
...I accelerated.
I didn't use the high-speed Energy Item because I had already used it to get here.
I swung my stretched arm around, breaking the framework that held the guns in place. This would render them useless.
I landed with sparks flying, thinking about that.
Then, the Segways exploded.
"Whoa-waaaaaaaah?!"
I was caught completely off guard. My vision turned red, but I wasn't hurt.
A bomb, of course. I forgot. Bombs were the Butei Killer's specialty.
"Whoa..."
I heard a loud noise, and a helicopter approached from above. It looked unmanned. I could see what looked like missiles loaded on its wings. The multi-barreled machine gun was also spinning up.
There was no way it was an ally.
Was it just my imagination, or had the intent to kill me gotten much higher?
Steel Hardening
"Guh...!"
I raised my defense, but I couldn't completely neutralize the missiles. I barely endured, and then...
Jump Power Up
Muscle Power Up
...I jumped up to where the helicopter was flying. I smashed through the front window, reached inside, and tore off the entire front part of the helicopter, including the instrument panel.
The helicopter, having lost control, crashed into the road. A lot of the surrounding buildings and the road were also destroyed. I wondered if I would be billed for this.
While thinking about such irrelevant things, I started running toward the bus.
---------
Meanwhile, on top of the bus, Aria's big show had begun.
She shot out the wheels of the Segways as they appeared, not allowing them to attack. If they still tried to fire, Kurumi's sniper shots from the air would destroy them.
"Who is that Kurumi girl? To have this kind of skill at her age..."
"...Now that you mention it, I don't know the details either... Ah!"
They even had enough time for a conversation during the attack. Just then, another helicopter, the same as the one Shou had taken down, appeared.
Asuna instantly judged that bullets would be difficult to deal with, so she drew her rapier and jumped. With a single, flash-like thrust, she took the helicopter down.
"...You're not so bad yourself," Aria said, her face twitching as Asuna landed.
Hey, can you two hear me? The bus is about to cross a large bridge, so I'm going to shoot the bomb and drop it into the sea.
"What?"
The sudden communication from the earpiece. And the content was incomprehensible. What did she mean, "shoot the bomb and drop it into the sea"?
"Wait, what do you mean by that?!"
While she was questioning, the bus was already reaching the bridge.
Huh? What do I mean by that? I mean... this!
It was a divine feat.
The arrow that Kurumi shot went faster than a bullet, destroying only the metal holding the bomb in place.
Without its support, the bomb naturally fell to the ground.
And who had arrived so quickly? Paradox, who was there, threw the bomb with all his might off the bridge.
The sensor activated, and the bomb exploded, but it was in the air where no one was. There were zero casualties from the bomb.
Phew, as expected, big brother. Perfect timing.
And so, the incident came to an end.
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