「...So, since Kaiser and the Helmet Gang are gone...」
「I managed to come to school thanks to that, so our previous meeting isn't over yet.」
「── The talk is already over.」
「N-No, because I haven't lost yet.」
The girl who intercepted the butt of the weapon swinging down at Subaru was a character appearing in his memory for the first time. The rapid succession of events delayed his response significantly, but the Abydos school crest she wore caught his eye.
"I see," Subaru thought. Although he lacked the mental leeway to analyze calmly, seeing that crest made him realize she was the second remaining student of Abydos High School, Sunaookami Shiroko.
In this heated situation, he wanted to shake the hand that filled the first and last vacant seat, but he swallowed his words upon seeing Hoshino's killing intent rising.
── However, he was glad he hadn't lost consciousness. To say what he wanted to say, he moved his throat, which was on the verge of closing up.
「Hoshino.」 (Subaru)
「...」 (Hoshino)
「── I would like to say it's not too late yet, but...」 (Subaru)
「Since the only vacant seat has been filled, I will say it is too late now. This girl is the one who reached out to my ideal.」 (Subaru)
「...Is that so.」 (Hoshino)
「Then, there is no choice but to fight.」 (Hoshino)
「Wait, wait, you're jumping the gun way too much, Hoshino! We are talking about right now, aren't we?」 (Subaru)
「───」 (Hoshino)
「Just your bad luck... ── My ideal is 'everyone eating while smiling,' so, Hoshino...」 (Subaru)
「It is too late, though...」 (Hoshino)
「'It is not too late yet.'」 (Subaru)
「T-...!」 (Hoshino)
With a face resembling a demon, and eyes revealing the anguish inside her heart, she glared at Subaru hiding behind Shiroko's back.
Come to think of it, Hoshino had never shown such anger before. If there was a difference between now and before, it was whether Subaru was a stranger or not.
It seemed she acknowledged Subaru in her own way, which gave him another reason not to hang his head. His lips relaxed into a smile.
「By the way, what is your name, owner of those 'charming' animal ears and hero appearing in a crisis?」 (Subaru)
「Sunaookami Shiroko. Nice to meet you.」 (Shiroko)
「What a name full of creative sense... ── Do we have time to chat?」 (Subaru)
「Nn, probably not.」 (Shiroko)
Hoshino threw a palm-sized black object. Her throwing technique was top-tier, landing it right in front of Subaru's eyes. What was noteworthy was her decision-making speed; she executed a pincer attack with herself and the projectile before the two could react.
While savoring the taste of tension, Subaru kicked the projectile at his feet far outward.
「Nice.」 (Shiroko)
Shiroko synchronized with his movement and stepped forward to engage Hoshino, diverting her attention away from Subaru.
If he stood here coolly watching the wrestling match, it wouldn't be fair to Shiroko who took his hand, so he hurried downstairs.
What Subaru needed to achieve was not stopping their fight, but cooling the blood that had rushed to Hoshino's head, whether with cold water or something else.
「...Really, you've become strong, Shiroko-chan.」 (Hoshino)
「Nn.」 (Shiroko)
「But I cannot lose yet. Moreover... why do you stand on that boy's side?」 (Hoshino)
「Because Hoshino-senpai won't rely on me, while that boy seems worth relying on.」 (Shiroko)
「── ...Is... that so.」 (Hoshino)
Hoshino looked as if she had chewed on three bitter bugs due to that simple reply. The fact that two old friends had reached this argument indicated that both of their "bottom lines" were clashing right now.
This is what you call an awkward situation. Even Subaru had never been in such an intense quarrel with a close friend...
「I didn't have friends to quarrel with in the first place... ── Arona!! Arona-samaaa ── !! Where are you right now ── !?」 (Subaru)
He visited the blown-up room and shouted at the top of his lungs, but the reply that returned was not a voice, but a melody of happiness—the song "A Dog of Flanders."
But the sound was still distant. Relying on the faint sound, he wandered through other classrooms. These classrooms, well-maintained amidst the desert, were so clean that the sand scattered from the windows looked like an eyesore.
For that reason, he immediately knew where his old flip-phone (Galapagos phone) was.
「Found you! My beloved Arona-sama!!」 (Subaru)
It was a miracle it hadn't broken. When he dove toward the floor in Hollywood style earlier—had Hoshino not caught him, both he and the phone would have been smashed into useless scraps.
「Return number 177, good work, Subaru-sama.」 (Arona)
「Arona, can I dump the task of deciding what to do entirely on you?」 (Subaru)
「Yes, leave it to me. Then, first ──」 (Arona)
「I advise you to duck.」 (Arona)
「── !」 (Subaru)
── Immediately after, Hoshino and Shiroko crashed into the room through the window, grappling with each other.
It didn't seem they arrived here by chance; Hoshino's gaze was constantly fixed on Subaru.
Escaping was not an option, not even by a sliver. Even if the opponent was a monster beyond standard norms, missing this chance meant there would be no next time.
Subaru still knew nothing about the true nature of Hoshino and the others, and the only person who could face those unknown days was the intruder, Shiroko. Subaru's imagination was confined to the limits of a human who lived a lukewarm life, while reality leaped lightly over those imaginations to attack; thus, there was no choice but to move to ensure Shiroko's victory now.
When Fate toys with a human, they become this helpless. She, too, must have been forced to taste this feeling over and over, just as Subaru had been forced to realize it bitterly since coming to this world.
「Starting calculations. Subaru-sama will take command.」 (Arona)
「Me!?」 (Subaru)
「You only need to say the words displayed to you. The time difference is two seconds; account for the lag and give the order ── 'Step back without jumping.'」 (Arona)
She left words that could be interpreted as either cruel or merciful, and the text displayed on the phone changed. There was no time to complain to Arona, "What calculations?" or "What is this new feature?" He wanted to object, but he remembered she did crazy things when the building collapsed, so this wasn't new.
「Shiroko! Step back without jumping!」 (Subaru)
「... !」 (Shiroko)
Shiroko kicked a classroom desk to block Hoshino's view, her ears twitching as she picked up Subaru's voice.
She abandoned her own attack method and thoughts on the next move, executing a backstep exactly as told.
── In Shiroko's field of view, Hoshino was swinging her shield, smashing the desk and everything behind it.
Shiroko had intended to maneuver using the desk, but seeing Hoshino destroy it with sheer force made her realize Arona's predictions reached the level of future sight.
「Subaru, do you understand Hoshino-senpai's movements?」 (Shiroko)
「No, it's thanks to our support AI! Next, watch out for a flashbang!」 (Subaru)
「Nn, good partner.」 (Shiroko)
Hoshino, who smashed the desk with a swing of her shield in her right hand, did not panic at her prediction failing; instead, she initiated the next move. However, that next step Hoshino would take was already read thanks to the combat data Arona had collected over the previous 177 loops.
White light filled the room. The grenade, which she had unpinned with her other hand while swinging, seemed like a successful surprise attack, but it failed to create a fatal opening against Shiroko and Subaru, who had protected their eyes and ears.
「...」 (Hoshino)
She advanced indifferently. Her battle with Shiroko wouldn't end until she knocked her unconscious, or secured Subaru and left quickly.
Shiroko couldn't match Hoshino's speed, so if capturing Subaru guaranteed victory, Hoshino would aim for the shortest route.
「Looking away isn't like you, Hoshino-senpai.」 (Shiroko)
「Can you see?」 (Hoshino)
「Nn, you have no mental leeway at all.」 (Shiroko)
「...Muu, you are harsh, Shiroko-chan.」 (Hoshino)
She pulled a handgun from her pocket; the distance between them was a few dozen centimeters.
She tried to strike with the face of the shield to block Shiroko's vision and target her forehead, but Subaru's shouts hit the mark as if predicting the future: The first shot only grazed her face, the second was dodged, and the deep advance she attempted while firing to take Shiroko down failed when Shiroko kicked the shield to jump high, throwing Hoshino off balance and leaving her head completely exposed to Shiroko.
She fired while spinning fully in the air. Although the impact might be weak on a body possessing durability outside standard norms, she definitely hit her.
She tried to finish it with full-auto fire, but Hoshino rolled across the classroom and exited through the window.
「As expected, those weren't just showy words. Subaru's command makes it very easy to move.」 (Shiroko)
「Shiroko is the amazing one for responding just to me shouting directions... You mean you thought they were just words...」 (Subaru)
「Nn, it's good you aren't someone who only talks.」 (Shiroko)
「That's obvious! The cowardly Subaru with the long tongue ended here! From now on ──」 (Subaru)
The sound of a shotgun drowned out their idle chatter. Perhaps it was a threat from Hoshino, but the bullet that passed right by Subaru would have been fatal had it hit.
「── ...A-Arona-chan... The predictions...??」 (Subaru)
「Since the current trajectory wasn't going to hit, there was no need for a warning.」 (Arona)
「Hmm, so logical I'd like to see your parents' faces.」 (Subaru)
This was natural, but they were still in the death zone.
With what face could he ask Hoshino to calm down? In truth, he wanted to bury his face in his pillow at home and worry like a maiden thinking about replying to a love letter.
Trying to reach out to someone who killed him hundreds of times—Subaru's pathological condition was serious. A severe case of "little girl addiction." But thanks to Shiroko, the symptoms were alleviating slightly.
「...In this situation, you make an amazing face. Is Subaru bold (cheeky)?」 (Shiroko)
「I was singing praises of this world and the wonders of animal ears (Kemonomimi) after a withdrawal trip... Anyway, do you have an idea to calm Hoshino down?」 (Subaru)
「No. Hoshino-senpai is stubborn, harder than rock. She won't change no matter what you do.」 (Shiroko)
「What a harsh evaluation... ── Shiroko! We're leaving the room!」 (Subaru)
「Nn!」 (Shiroko)
The two dashed out quickly, and the reason was understood immediately. The moment their feet stepped out of the classroom, an explosion occurred inside.
That was the result of a thrown grenade. Upon exiting, Subaru placed his hand on Shiroko's head and made her crouch.
「── She read all our moves, huh.」 (Subaru)
Using a single rope, Hoshino aimed from outside the building through the window toward the hallway. When she didn't see the two exiting the classroom into the hallway as expected, she descended to the ground again.
She had overlooked that they were hugging the wall in the very close blind spot, and began searching.
「「...」」 (Subaru and Shiroko)
「What is this? Is she a real monster?」 (Subaru)
「Hoshino-senpai is Hoshino-senpai, but that description is accurate.」 (Shiroko)
「We have a grace period of about one minute. I will scan the school structure during that time, so please wait 27 seconds.」 (Arona)
「Our girl is so useful I can't find a role for myself...!? No, well, I've always relied on her completely...!」 (Subaru)
「Nn, that phone...? Is it the partner?」 (Shiroko)
「Right, that is the main body and I am just an extra accessory.」 (Subaru)
「Not true. You are at the level of essential accessories.」 (Shiroko)
「We reached a fine line between praise and insult...」 (Subaru)
However, he was impressed now by Arona's multifunctionality. When Subaru is alone, the performance of the "main body" is so poor that nothing changes no matter what she says, but having even one person capable of keeping up with her on Subaru's team expands the range of moves astonishingly.
He knew it, but Subaru cannot make full use of Arona's abilities. Just like installing a high-performance engine on a medieval horse cart, he felt in his bones that he wasn't the right person to be on the front lines.
「── Shiroko.」 (Subaru)
「Nn, what?」 (Shiroko)
「Thank you.」 (Subaru)
He said that and held out his fist toward Shiroko with a bright smile.
「───」 (Shiroko)
「Nn.」 (Shiroko)
Shiroko returned the greeting by bumping her fist firmly against his.
The battered and worn-out Subaru didn't suggest any ability to be relied upon,
── But he was definitely someone worthy of reliance.
Shiroko, who had secretly listened to Subaru's declaration, became certain that the boy before her possessed the heart capable of imposing his "Ego."
「── Your injuries, are you okay? Do you have confidence in escaping Hoshino-senpai with your current body?」 (Shiroko)
「Honestly, I can't stand, but I'm still 'Daijou-V' (Fine)! My sprinting speed is among the top in the class. By the way, in long-distance, I'm among the last.」 (Subaru)
「Nn... ── That is precise.」 (Shiroko)
「I felt it vaguely, but Shiroko is quite bold (cheeky), or rather merciless...」 (Subaru)
「I helped Subaru because he said he would make everyone happy. I want you to show me that future. In return, I will listen to what you say.」 (Shiroko)
「── Leave it to me, I am lying in wait for Fate! First, the Battle to Capture Hoshino!」 (Subaru)
「No matter what, we have the strongest AI here guaranteeing victory ──」 (Subaru)
Thinking this, he looked at his phone ──,
The word 「Huh?」 slipped out of Subaru's mouth in a startled and slack voice, and before Shiroko could pick up that sound.
── The sound of an explosion,
「With this, I win.」 (Hoshino)
What Arona displayed were the words "Unpredictable." A few seconds later, Hoshino's declaration of victory pierced Subaru, and Shiroko, who was hiding beside him, was blown away.
── Subaru did not yet understand the meaning of Sorasaki Hina saying she (Hoshino) was stronger than herself.
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