"Is that you, Shana? It's me. I just heard from Spiegel and confirmed things on our end. Looks like they seriously set us up. I'm really sorry."
"Don't worry about it. We realized it at this stage, so there are still plenty of ways to handle it. The problem is how the information flowed. Does the enemy know our combat strength? What do you think?"
"...Now that you mention it, yesterday, a liaison dispatched from their side asked me, 'We have fifteen people, maybe up to twenty at most; is your combat strength sufficient?' To explain that we were fine, I told them who the main members were, that about twenty people would be participating in total, and... I even told them our operational plan. Damn it, I can't regret this enough..."
Dyne sounded extremely remorseful.
However, Shana's reaction upon hearing this was completely different.
"That happened yesterday? Well done, Dyne. If that's the case, we might be able to manage."
"R-Really? But..."
"By the way, did you see anyone today who seemed to be one of their associates?"
"No, I haven't seen anyone like that."
"Then there's no problem. That means they don't know about the existence of me and Eva's group, right?"
"!? ...I-I see! That's true!"
"Furthermore, if you told them the operational plan, it becomes easier to outsmart them. Let's have them pay the price for their foolish actions in full."
"Yeah! If it's come to this, let's have an all-out war!"
The two quickly revised their strategy and then temporarily cut communications.
"Alright, Sinon and Spiegel, move to that rocky mountain over there. Once you arrive, prepare to snipe while dropping two ropes down the cliff. It has some height, but even amateurs should be able to descend easily using ropes. First, Dyne's group will pretend they've been tricked by the enemy and flee toward us. Eva's group will fire with everything they've got from this point at the ones chasing them. Sinon, you snipe the fleeing enemies one by one. Their backs will be turned, so there's no worry about them detecting the bullet trajectory lines. Leave the mob-hunting team alone after that.
Afterward, Eva's group will link up with Dyne's group, find an optimal point to intercept the PK team, and ambush them there. As for Sinon and Spiegel, if the enemy doesn't come, stay put. If they do, use the ropes to retreat temporarily. Once you're down, store the ropes in your storage, and they'll disappear, buying you time until the enemy can descend. After that, keep an eye on Dyne's position while finding a sniping point and moving accordingly."
"Understood."
"Yes."
"""We'll do our best!"""
"So, what will you do, Shana?"
Sinon asked vaguely, noticing Shana hadn't mentioned himself.
"Me? I'll engage in a delaying action to stop the ones trying to ambush Dyne's group from behind."
Hearing those words, the color drained from Sinon's face.
"A-Alone? Are you sure? Aren't there about twenty of them?"
"Fortunately, it's a dense jungle over there. If I fight a guerrilla war, well, I won't be taken down easily."
"B-But it's dangerous! I... I..."
"Don't worry, it's just to stall them. I won't do anything reckless, so let's meet up later."
"Y-Yeah... promise you'll come back to me."
"Yeah, it's a promise."
Watching the two of them, Eva and the others exchanged whispers, hearts pounding.
"Whoa, it's like a scene from a movie."
"Like right before the climax?"
"She's totally being the heroine..."
"Even seeing that, I can't believe people say they aren't dating..."
"Sinon-san and Shana-san are definitely older than us, right? Late twenties maybe? Feels like a mature romance!"
"Don't mind it, Spiegel-san!"
Spiegel himself couldn't bear to look directly at the two and kept his eyes downcast.
Shana patted Spiegel on the shoulder and said:
"If Sinon gets taken out, the situation afterward could turn disadvantageous. So, Spiegel, guarding Sinon's back depends on you. Focus and don't miss any signs."
"Y-Yes!"
Perhaps awakened by those words, Spiegel replied clearly.
Spiegel certainly intended to protect Sinon, but that wasn't his main objective. In the worst-case scenario, even if Sinon were to be taken out, he was only thinking about showing her his good side before that happened.
And to do it as coolly as possible, to impress Sinon's heart.
No one present realized that this had become his primary goal.
This fact would later invite a major crisis for Sinon.
"Now then, everyone get to your positions. We have no time to lose."
Following Shana's words, the members headed to their respective assigned locations.
Shana lay prone alone amidst the jungle, maintaining the line with Dyne while waiting for the enemy's arrival.
As expected, the enemy appeared from behind Dyne's group.
"Dyne, the enemy came from behind as we thought. I'm starting the disruption now. As agreed, act like you've been ambushed and pretend to flee toward Eva's group."
"Roger, Shana. Good luck."
"You owe me a meal later."
"Yeah, eat as much as you like!"
Shana fired a handgun he had prepared separately into a random direction and immediately observed the enemy's reaction.
With the gunshot, Dyne's group began to move, and the enemy immediately took a cautious stance.
"Looks like he's the commander. Usu-shio Tarako is... not there, huh? I need to be a little careful."
Thinking it unlikely that the leader, Usu-shio Tarako, would be absent from an operation of this scale, Shana told Sinon to be on alert before taking a sniping stance with his M82.
"Well then, let's crush the enemy's chain of command first."
Shana pulled the trigger with ease, and in the next instant, the enemy commander's head was blown off.
After landing consecutive headshots on several others until the enemy took cover, Shana waited for the right moment, stored the M82, and began to crawl forward slowly.
(Five down for now. If I take out a few more enemies hiding separately, they'll likely retreat temporarily to reorganize their forces in a safe place.)
Thinking this, Shana began searching for prey with sharp eyes.
Around the same time, the commander of the enemy's mob-hunting team, believing things had gone exactly according to plan, began pursuing Dyne's group, who were fleeing desperately before his eyes.
"As we heard beforehand, besides that sniper called Sinon, the only ones missing from this scene are one or two people. They should be getting attacked by Leader's group right about now, so we'll just chase these guys down and annihilate them."
Because Shana had taken out the commander of the detached force first, it seemed no report of the reverse ambush had reached this side yet.
Just then, the communicator beeped, and unbelievable words flew into the man's ear.
"Sorry, our ambush was read. And judging by the weapons the enemy is using, it seems our opponent is that Shana."
"Wh... The ambush failed? And Shana is with the enemy? That can't be! Those guys were driven by you just as planned and are fleeing right in front of us!"
"I don't know the reason. I don't know, but anyway, it's a fact."
"Damn, you guys stop temporarily! It's possible we have been led into a trap!"
But the commander's words became a fatal blow for them.
The place where they stopped was right in the middle of Eva's group's kill zone.
"Why did they stop? Well, lucky for us. Now! Fire at will!"
With Eva's command, the five rained bullets upon the enemy group.
The location Shana had chosen for the ambush lived up to its purpose; there was no escape route nearby. With Dyne's group also turning around to launch a counteroffensive from the front, the group was wiped out almost immediately.
"Alright, a complete victory!"
"Hey Dyne, half the enemy is still left. Don't get too carried away."
"Sorry, you're right. Alright, let's move immediately."
Dyne's group ran alongside Eva's group, deciding to hide around the path the enemy would inevitably take when returning to the city to ambush them.
Meanwhile, Sinon's group was also under attack by the enemy.
Seeing Eva's group start their attack, Sinon had taken down a few with her sniping, but Spiegel, who was watching the perimeter, called out to her.
"Sinon, enemies from behind!"
"Roger."
Sinon immediately stopped shooting, stored the Hecate II, grabbed the rope without holding anything, and leaped off the cliff.
Sinon didn't particularly have a rappelling skill, but by descending fearfully while looking down, she managed to reach the bottom of the cliff safely.
(I might need to practice this a little.)
Thinking this, Sinon looked for the first time toward where Spiegel should have been following her.
But Spiegel was nowhere to be seen.
"Spiegel? What's wrong, Spiegel!"
Sinon stored the rope she had used, erasing it, and called out to Spiegel. Answering her call, Spiegel peeked out from the top of the cliff.
"What are you doing? Hurry over here!"
"It's okay, I'll hold off the enemy here for a bit, so you run ahead, Sinon!"
"No! Just hurry up and come down here!"
Sinon called out to him desperately, but Spiegel wouldn't listen.
At this moment, Spiegel was imagining himself protecting Sinon and repelling the enemy, intoxicated by his own heroic image. He lay prone on the spot and began firing at the enemy.
(Even I... even I can do the same thing as Shana if I just have the chance! I'm going to make Sinon look at me again with my performance here!)
The moment he thought that, a grenade was thrown right in front of him.
With absolutely nowhere to escape, Spiegel instinctively covered his face with the arm holding his gun.
Because of that action, Spiegel's right hand was blown off along with the gun.
Spiegel stared blankly at his lost right hand.
Then, an enemy group appeared before him, led by a man with a commanding presence.
"Usu-shio Tarako..."
Hearing Spiegel mutter that, the man, Usu-shio Tarako, spoke.
"Seems like you know me, but for one of Shana's comrades, you're pretty shoddy. No, Shana's only comrade is that Sinon. You're from Dyne's team, huh?"
Hearing those words, Spiegel felt a double layer of anger.
Being called shoddy, and being told he wasn't Sinon's comrade, struck a nerve and amplified his rage toward Usu-shio Tarako.
But having lost his weapon and right arm, he could do nothing but be angry.
Then, one of the enemy teammates peered down the cliff and noticed Sinon and the remaining rope.
Sinon had been waiting patiently for Spiegel below, but since the enemy had appeared, she gave up on retrieving the rope and began to flee.
(This is bad, the rope is still there... What should I do? They'll chase me immediately.)
While thinking this, Sinon desperately considered her next move.
In her mind, there was absolutely no concern for Spiegel.
Since the enemy had appeared, he must have been defeated already. Besides, if she thought about Spiegel now, anger toward him for ignoring the plan would well up, potentially hindering their future friendship, which she wanted to avoid if possible.
To prevent that, Sinon decided not to think about Spiegel at all.
"Leader, that Sinon is down there! And there's a rope here."
"Huh? Is she just an amateur who got her hands on a nice gun? Leaving a rope and running away is practically begging us to chase her. Could this be a trap? No, that's not it..."
Then, Usu-shio Tarako spat out his words while looking at Spiegel.
"I see, because this guy did something stupid, she couldn't retrieve the rope. I pity her for being dragged down by such an idiot. Alright, finish this guy off quickly, and we'll pursue."
Usu-shio Tarako pointed his gun at the head of the red-faced Spiegel and pulled the trigger without mercy. With a hole in his head, Spiegel's consciousness faded to black in an instant.
In his mind, there was no reflection on his foolish actions, nor any worry or apology for Sinon, whom he had put in a predicament because of himself.
His mind was filled only with anger toward Usu-shio Tarako, who had interfered with him showing off his good side to Sinon and insulted him.
"After taking down that woman, we'll link up with the surviving allies and attack the enemy's main force. It'll be a bit troublesome if Shana comes. Hurry!"
Usu-shio Tarako and his men used the rope Spiegel was supposed to use to descend and began pursuing Sinon. Thus, Sinon fell into a desperate crisis.
-------------------------------
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