Chapter 42

Niko vs. Kurenai.

In a Western-era-style town called "Gunman City" that looked like a movie set, the two faced each other on the main street.

"Finally, I get to fight you. I've been looking forward to this forever."

Both Niko and Kurenai showed their teeth in a grin.

"We're both pure attackers who don't use guns. Well, pretending not to care is easier said than done."

Niko held two sabers in a reverse grip, while Kurenai wielded a single greatsword. Simultaneously, they both activated their thrusters and clashed blades.

"Tch!"

In the contest of strength, Kurenai had the upper hand.

"Of course! With Wings equipped, I've got more push than you!!"

Just as Kurenai said, Niko was forced backward step by step, finally crashing through the wall of a bar and being driven inside.

Yet, this turn of events was exactly what Niko had planned.

"Idiot. You walked right into a cramped place!"

"!?"

Niko twisted her body to break the lock, then aimed a shin-saber slash at Kurenai's face. Kurenai ducked under it and countered with a foot-saber from her right leg, but Niko parried it using her right shin-saber.

Kurenai tried to use her thrusters to circle behind Niko, yet the confined space prevented her from reaching full speed, and Niko reacted easily.

Each of them attacked with every saber on both arms and legs. Amid deafening clangs they repelled one another and opened distance.

"That first lock was deliberate, huh. You let yourself be pushed, lured me inside, and restricted my thrusters. In a tight space you'll crash into the walls if you go too fast."

"Yep."

Neither of them used Shield Pieces. Stopping a saber strike with a Shield Piece is impossible unless you're a Gardner; a single saber blow is simply that heavy.

"All right, here I come!!"

Niko leapt up, kicked off the wall—

"Whoa!"

—spun in midair, and closed on Kurenai.

"The rumored spinning slash!"

"Top-Spin Cut."

By exquisitely adjusting thruster output, Niko spun her body at high speed and attacked. Adding Slide Step, she darted endlessly in every direction inside the room.

At first glance the assault seemed monotonous, yet touching that spinning top was nearly impossible. Its speed made it hard to aim, and the irregular path caused by the rotation added to the difficulty. Stop moving for an instant and she'd close the distance and cut you down. Do nothing and she'd carve you up anyway.

Faced with Niko's brilliant technique, Kurenai—

"Second-rate."

—activated her Wings and shot up to the ceiling.

"!?"

"The top's weak point is right here, isn't it?"

Kicking off the ceiling, Kurenai accelerated. Her target: the top of Niko's head—the spinning top's blind spot.

"Tch!!"

Niko stopped her rotation and blocked the greatsword's blow with both sabers, but the parry failed and her left arm was severed.

"Gah!?"

"Here's another!"

Kurenai raised both legs and extended sabers from both feet.

(Somersault...!)

Niko managed to parry the foot-sabers with her shin-saber and pulled away.

"Damn...!"

The top's weak point was definitely above. Yet, landing an attack on the head of a high-speed Niko was a feat impossible for any normal person.

At Kurenai's overwhelming skill, Niko couldn't help smiling.

"Regretting taking me on in a duel now? Too bad—I'm a rank above you."

A rank above, huh. Niko narrowed her eyes.

(So what? Compared to her, you're nothing...!)

Niko remembered a girl she had met around January of her second year in middle school.

That day, Niko had been skipping class with some delinquents, playing a full-dive fighting game in an empty classroom. When they logged out for a break and returned to reality, the girl was suddenly standing in front of them.

Her name was Azuha Furushiki. As the new student-council president, she had come to reform the troublemakers.

"Could you please attend class instead of cutting? If you keep this up, you'll have to repeat the year."

Annoyed by Azuha's slightly condescending tone, second-year Niko glared at her.

"She's the new prez, Niko-senpai..."

"Isn't that, like, bad?"

Ignoring her followers' whispers, Niko stared Azuha down.

"I couldn't care less about repeating a year. I'd rather drop out than listen to those lousy teachers."

"I don't care what happens to you, but it's a problem for me. If my classmates repeat or drop out, it affects my internal grades. To put it bluntly, I couldn't care less what happens to you."

"...You really tick me off."

"Think whatever you like, just come to class."

"No."

Azuha pondered for a few seconds.

"What are you best at?"

"Huh?"

"If I beat you at whatever you're best at, you'll obey me absolutely. In your world of delinquents, power is everything, right? So I'll teach you with power."

Niko started to lose her cool at Azuha's blatant contempt.

"Bring it on! If you can beat me at this fighting game, I'll come to class!!!"

Niko's followers laughed. The game, "Reckless Fighter," was a full-dive title, and Niko had already won the prefectural tournament. No one thought she could lose—

—except one person.

"Fine. Let's do it. Lend me that."

Azuha borrowed a full-dive set from one of Niko's followers.

"Huh? Have you ever even played this?"

"Nope, but no problem. I can figure out a full-dive game by feel."

"...Don't complain about the rules after you lose."

Niko resolved to crush the overconfident honor student.

The result—Niko lost completely.

"Wha...!? Huh...!?"

She had been utterly outclassed. She couldn't land a single special move against an opponent who overwhelmed her with sheer reflexes and thought speed—overwhelming talent trampled her.

Never, even against national-level players, had she been defeated so perfectly. The gap was so vast she couldn't even measure it.

"Boring."

Azuha removed the full-dive set.

Those words, spoken with utter boredom, made Niko strangely fascinated by Azuha's profile.

"Because you punched that pervert teacher, the whole staff hated you. Don't worry. I've already dealt with that scumbag, and cleared up every misunderstanding with the other teachers. No one will attack you unfairly anymore."

"...What are you?"

"Azuha Furushiki. Just someone who wants to live normally."

Surrounded by an aura that was anything but normal, she said it. For the first time in her life, Niko felt interest in another person.

Several months later—Niko handed Azuha Infinite Space.

"I'm giving this to you."

"I don't really need it."

"Just take it! I'm super strong in this game now. Next time I won't lose to you!"

"Yeah, yeah."

A few days after that, during a phone call—

"Hey... did you try the game?"

Niko asked nervously.

"Oh, that? I gave it to my big sister."

"Wha—... HUH!?"

"Sorry, but I'm not interested in games."

"W-wait! Just try it once! I know you'll—"

"..."

Azuha thought for a few seconds.

"All right. Then let's do this."

"Huh?"

"If you can beat my big sister, I'll give it a try."

"Your sis...What's your sister's name?"

"Rei. She's the one person I can never beat."

Hearing that, Niko laughed even as fear took hold.

"Rei...Rei, huh. Got it. I'll beat down every player named Rei I can find!"

Niko pictured Azuha's face and smiled.

(That monster couldn't beat her...and the girl who says she'll beat that monster isn't about to lose in a place like this...!)

Niko raised her saber with a single right hand.

"Oh? Still raring to go?"

"Of course! Niko-chan's real show starts when she's cornered!"

"Nice. That's the spirit!!"

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