"…Okay, first of all — who approved that lame name?"
Nathan groaned, dragging a hand down his face, feeling personally betrayed by the… branding.
"You're asking me?" Natsu replied, frowning. "I just got here."
"Ah — right. Sorry," he said quickly, waving it off. "Just talking to myself."
Natsu crossed her arms slightly, still eyeing the magical-looking text with suspicion.
"Then… do you want to start explaining this 'partnership,' that somehow turned into me joining your Pact?" she asked.
Nathan straightened a bit.
"Like I said, nothing dramatic," he replied casually. "We're just becoming… inseparable partners of some sort… I think…"
His voice trailed off at the end.
Natsu's frown deepened. "…You think?"
"Okay, okay," Nathan raised both hands in surrender. "I don't fully understand it either."
"But—" he added quickly, "look what we got out of it."
He shifted his focus inward, pulling up his Storage inventory list.
A new entry blinked into existence.
[SMG — Storm Needle]
"…Oh."
Nathan stared at it for a second.
Another edgy name. Of course it is.
System really has a type.
Without hesitation, he mentally retrieve it.
The weapon materialized in his hands.
Compact. Sleek. Built for efficiency over style. A little more than forty centimeters (1.3 ft) long without attachments, matte black with subtle metallic reinforcements. Lightweight — barely over two kilograms — yet solid and perfectly balanced.
The grip fit snugly in his palm as if it had been custom-made specifically for him. The barrel extended into a cylindrical suppressor, giving it a slightly elongated silhouette.
Ohoho… this is going to be fun.
Then he froze.
Wait a second…
His eyes widened.
Isn't this—
A freaking MP7?!
A Call of Dudees classic… the compact, high fire rate, ridiculously stable SMG—!
—just without the stock and front grip.
No way…
Even US citizens can't get their hands on this thing legally.
His brain lit up like someone had handed him a childhood dream wrapped in tactical polymer.
And it suppressed too?
Okay. This is peak gameplay.
"…Um… Nathan?"
Reality snapped back into place.
"Y-yes?" he straightened instantly.
Natsu stared at him.
"…Your face looks stupid."
Nathan blinked, because he just realized—
He'd been grinning like an idiot.
"…Sorry," he said, attempting — and failing — to tone it down. "I'm just… excited."
"I've said this too many times already… today," Natsu replied flatly, "but I'll say it again. You're weird."
"Ye—"
"Yes, I am," she cut in immediately, mimicking his tone perfectly.
Nathan paused.
"…Wow. You beat me to it."
She shrugged. "You're easy to read."
"…You've known me for less than a day."
"And yet, here we are."
Nathan huffed lightly. "…Fair enough."
Natsu tilted her head, eyes drifting toward the weapon.
"…So what is that?" she asked. "It looks different from the previous… handgun. Or pistol… whatever you called it."
Nathan glanced down.
"…This?" he said.
Then—
"This is yours."
"…Mine?" she blinked.
Nathan opened his mouth—
Then paused.
Because at that exact moment, a translucent window slid into his vision, detailing more about the Hunter's Pack feature.
—————————————
Hunter's Pact Members:
• Miyuki Natsukawa — Soul-bound Firearm: Storm Needle
Members Benefits:
• When a new Pact member is formed, both the Host and the member receive a Soul-bound Firearm unique to said member.
• Upgrades performed by the Host will also affect the member's Soul-bound Firearm of the same type.
• Members may access the Host's Storage inventory for ammunition if granted permission.
—————————————
Oh… so I'm basically a walking firearm subscription service now.
The more he read, the clearer it became, and somehow… the more ridiculous.
Each member gets a unique weapon… upgrades sync across… shared access to ammunition…
…This is actually kinda broken.
"…Huh," he muttered.
Then frowned.
Wait. It says both of us get one… but I'm only seeing—
His gaze dropped.
Realization clicked.
"Ah — wait. Never mind," he said, lifting the gun slightly. "This one's mine."
"I don't even understand what you're talking about," Natsu replied. "What do you mean 'mine'? And what's 'yours'?"
Nathan scratched his cheek.
"Okay, so—" he began, gesturing lightly, "it looks like you got one too, same deal as mine. You just… haven't pulled it out yet."
"…Pulled it out?" she echoed.
"Yeah. From the Storage… probably," he added, as if that would clarify anything.
It didn't.
Natsu stared at him. "…You're going to have to explain harder than that."
"…Right. Fair." He exhaled. "Okay — just stretch your hand out. Like you're grabbing something."
"…That sounds crazy."
"It is," he agreed immediately. "But it works."
That did not help his credibility.
Natsu narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced — but after a moment, she sighed and tried anyway.
Her hand lifted slowly, palm facing up.
"…Like this?"
"Yeah. Now imagine it. A gun, just like this one." he flexed the new SMG.
She frowned. "…This feels stupid."
"I'll say it again — it is."
A second passed. Her expression tightened from trying a little bit too hard.
Then something dropped into her hand.
"—!"
Her fingers instinctively tightened—
*Pffst—!*
A suppressed shot cracked through the air.
A small puff of dust burst from the wooden platform — just inches from Nathan's feet.
Silence.
Complete, deafening silence.
Nathan stared at the spot.
Then slowly… very slowly… looked up.
"…Hey."
Natsu shuddered.
"…Yeah?" she said weakly.
"Careful with that."
That's it.
That was all he had to say.
But his tone?
Absolutely loaded.
What the hell was that?! Nathan screamed internally. This system is a menace!
Who gives a loaded gun — with the safety OFF — to someone with ZERO knowledge and experience?!
I'm review-bombing this. One star. No — zero stars!
"S-sorry!" Natsu blurted out. "I didn't mean to — what just happened?!"
"Okay — first — lower the gun," Nathan said quickly, stepping closer but keeping distance. "And take your finger off the trigger."
"L-like this?" she asked, fumbling slightly.
"…Yes. Exactly like that."
Nathan exhaled.
Still alive… and feet still intact.
"…Good. Keep it that way."
Natsu stared at the weapon in her hand, still shaken.
"…It just… appeared." she murmured.
"Yeah. That's yours."
"…Mine?" she repeated slowly.
"One of the benefit from joining my Pact."
Nathan rubbed his temple.
"I'm just glad it wasn't set to full auto," he muttered. "I almost lost the ability to walk in both worlds."
Natsu blinked.
"…In both worlds?"
"…Don't worry about it." he waved it off immediately.
"More importantly—" he pointed at the gun, "you need to learn the basics before touching that thing again."
"I said I'm sorry…" she muttered, puffing her cheeks.
"Yeah, yeah," Nathan said, amusement creeping back in. "Next time, try not to friendly-fire my feet."
"…I didn't mean to!"
"I believe you," he said lightly. "Which is exactly why it's terrifying."
She shot him an annoyed look. "…You're enjoying this."
"A little."
"…Tch."
Nathan smirked, then gestured toward the field.
"How about this — we redirect that enthusiasm somewhere safer?"
"…Safer?"
"Yeah," he nodded. "Like… literally anywhere that isn't my feet — or other important body parts."
Natsu followed his gaze.
Beyond the wall, some Walkers still wandered aimlessly, some still scratching the wall uselessly.
Her training targets.
"…You want me to shoot those?"
"Exactly."
She hesitated. "I… got it."
Then she tightened her grip.
"…You're not holding a grudge, right?" she asked, eyeing him.
Nathan raised a brow. "I'm not."
She kept staring.
"…Okay," he admitted. "My feet might."