The ropes snapped without a sound.
Senji didn't turn around.
Not because he didn't hear it—but because he expected it.
The air shifted behind him, subtle but sharp, like a blade passing close to skin.
"Let's see," Lu Shouxing said calmly, flexing her wrists as frayed fibers fell to the floor, "if you're still good with your hands."
Senji sighed.
"…You always skip the warm-up."
She moved.
No warning. No stance. No wasted motion.
Her fist crashed into his ribs before his body fully reacted—bone rattling impact that drove air from his lungs. Senji staggered back, boots scraping metal, barely lifting his forearm in time to deflect the follow-up elbow aimed for his throat.
He countered with a short hook to her jaw.
She leaned into it.
The punch landed anyway.
Blood sprayed.
Neither of them stopped.
Lu's knee slammed into his abdomen. Senji's palm struck her collarbone. She twisted, using the impact to spin behind him, forearm snapping toward his neck—
He dropped.
Rolled.
Came up with his shoulder driving into her sternum.
They crashed into a stack of crates. Wood shattered. Metal rang.
Lu grabbed his collar and smashed her forehead into his face.
Once.
Twice.
Senji headbutted back.
They traded blows at point-blank range—no distance, no technique for show, only efficiency. Fists sank into muscle, elbows split skin, knuckles cracked against teeth.
Lu spat blood and laughed.
"That's it," she said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. "You didn't get soft."
Senji wiped his nose. "You hit harder than I remember."
She rushed him again.
This time he didn't retreat.
They collided.
Fist met fist.
Both strikes landed simultaneously—perfect timing, identical intent.
The shockwave knocked them apart.
They slid backward across the deck, boots carving lines into the wood.
Silence.
Both of them stood slowly.
Breathing heavy.
Bruised.
Smiling.
Lu's eyes flicked to Senji's sidearm.
"…Is that a Winchester 1901?" she asked sharply.
Senji raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing carrying a Mannlicher M1901?"
She scowled. "That gun's dangerous. Are you trying to kill me?"
He snorted. "I could say the same thing to you."
They reached for their weapons at the same time.
No hesitation.
No mercy.
They fired.
Click—THUNK.
Instead of bullets, steel needles shot forward—thin, fast, precise.
Both pierced flesh.
Lu gasped as the needle embedded in her shoulder.
Senji hissed as one struck his side.
They froze.
"…Why didn't you shoot me?" she snapped.
"…Why didn't you?" he shot back.
A split second later—
ZZZZZZZZZZZT—!
Electricity exploded through both their bodies.
Their muscles locked.
Teeth clenched.
Veins burned.
They collapsed to their knees, convulsing violently as thousands of volts tore through their nervous systems.
"—GAH—!"
"—TCH—!"
Pain like fire crawling under skin.
Seconds stretched into agony.
Then—
Silence.
They collapsed flat on their backs, smoke rising faintly from their coats.
Lu laughed weakly.
"…Of course."
Senji stared at the ceiling.
"…Of course."
She turned her head toward him. "Why are you even surprised?"
He exhaled slowly.
"…Duo Seven," he muttered.
She grinned. "The most creative unit in the entire school."
He closed his eyes. "…Yeah."
A pause.
"…Then why," Senji said slowly, "did you act shocked too?"
Lu chuckled. "Because I wanted to see if you still thought ahead."
He laughed once. Short. Sharp.
"In my head," Senji thought, I already know how she did it.
⸻
How the Trap Worked (Senji's Analysis)
She swapped the ammunition.
Not bullets.
Conductive needles—thin enough to bypass ballistic expectations, thick enough to embed without killing.
She modified the firing pin.
Reduced impact force. Enough to launch, not penetrate vitals.
The electricity…
He flexed his fingers slowly.
Capacitor stored in the grip.
Triggered on impact.
Same as mine.
Senji stared at her.
She predicted I'd do the same thing.
She didn't react because she knew.
She acted shocked because she wanted confirmation.
"…I can't believe it," he muttered aloud.
Lu turned her head toward him.
"…What?"
"You have the same IQ as me."
She laughed, long and satisfied.
"Obviously."
They lay there in silence.
Two minds.
One past.
And a future that had just collided again.