Grumpy Cat: "The first point of the match goes to Kotowari Squad's mutt and the first loss goes to Ōji Squad's Kazuki. Through very...unconventional methods this fight has been decided. Now it will be up to everyone else to figure out what to do now."
Torimaru: "Ōji Squad has it tough here since they were likely counting on Kurauchi to win that fight."
Spear Idiot: "They took Toby too lightly. Well, not really, but they did not understand what he could actually do. We usually see him at a disadvantage against those kinds of strong Shooters, but he also works best when he is having fun. He enjoys a challenge and those kinds of disadvantages are a real challenge. So it's safe to say he won because he was having fun because of his opponent who just to happen to be a strong Shooter."
Torimaru: "Yoneya-senpai, that may have gone over some heads here."
The two commentating Combatants looked down to see some of the audience looking at each other in confusion.
Unfazed by the comment, Lukas continued his own commentary.
Grumpy Cat: "Kazuki is no slouch though, so it does bring up the question as to how he wasn't able to really tell how the mutt would move here."
Spear Idiot: "I guess someone who doesn't do much exercising who know."
A clear tick could be seen in Lukas' eye behind his glasses as Yoneya shook his head with a shrug.
He let out a sigh while looking back to the match in front of them.
Spear Idiot: "Moving your body the way Toby was doing takes a lot of practice. Disregarding his Side Effect, he built up a good and effective way to move his body. If he didn't then most of us would have broken bones whenever he comes at us."
The famous attack that only Toby had been able to produce.
Most people who knew of the boy were aware of it and dreaded the day it would reach them. From behind, the sides, or even directly in front of them, it did not matter when he had his target set.
Lukas himself had been subject to one of the first times it happened and had in fact broken an arm due to it getting messed up.
At the time it had seemed like it would be a simple high speed crash but the end result had been enough for the glasses-boy to truly dislike the Attacker.
Spear Idiot: "I can't really say what would happen if he decided to take things seriously from the start or if he did not take the risks there, but I think everything because a coin toss the longer that fight went on. Both of them were using up trion, but Toby was not using it effectively, so he was actually in a worse position. He actually still is. If he did not waste time at the start then it would mean he would have more trion, assuring things went the same as they did here."
But...
Spear Idiot: "Even if that is the case, he just scored a major win for his squad."
Grumpy Cat: "From what we can see here and what we know about the others, that is true. Besides Kazuki, there are only three or so people in this fight who would be able to keep that mutt in place long enough to attack him."
Torimaru: "That is not what Yoneya-senpai meant."
Lukas let out a sigh while pushing up his glasses.
Grumpy Cat: "Yeah, I know. This win...it has more meaning than just a simple point or getting rid of an opponent."
.
Grumpy Cat: "With someone like Kazuki taken out of the fight by the mutt, it put everyone else on edge and give Kotowari Squad a feeling that they can win."
Torimaru: "As long as they don't go passed a certain point and maintain their focus, they should be fine."
Wakamura nodded at the words he was hearing.
Having fought directly with Kotowari Squad he was aware of what this meant for Kotowari Squad.
If they get a win then it affects the whole team. If they get a loss, they attack each other relentlessly. If something surprises them...well that actually hit everyone in general.
They were no dark horses like the squad he had heard about coming from Tamakoma, but they were also not a squad someone thought about as "strong" after their captain had left. It took fighting them to understand why that was now a wrong impression of them.
Continuing through wins and losses was to be expected from anyone, it was simply how people tend to be. There were exceptions to this, yet they were not as plentiful as the majority who're like that.
Kotowari Squad had been the type to continue on after those sorts of things and never give an inch afterwards.
I may be giving them a bit too much credit, but it's hard to deny them when you see something like this. What's more...
Looking to the side he saw...
"Yay! Nice job, Toby!"
He saw a fan cheering for the squad she wanted to win.
Just from a glance he could tell that Asano was in a similar position as him. Neither wanted the cheering to go on, but neither one was ready to confront the girl either.
So instead of stopping her they tried to gain her attention.
"Kōchō, what did you think of that fight? As a Shooter that is."
It seemed to work well enough with the girl turning to him.
He sighed the moment she put her arms down and glanced at the screen.
"Well I'm clearly excited for Toby and Kotowari Squad. But I'm also a bad choice to answer that kind of thing. Compared to Kurauchi-san and Asana-san there, I'm really weak. They both outrank me in stats, experience and general abilities. The most I can do is flap my wings how I want and hope to hit something."
"That's fine. Your squad is generally different from the rest of ours, so no need to beat yourself up over it."
"That's not what I was doing..." It was her turn to sigh. "But if I had to say something about it... For all intents and purposes, Kurauchi-san should have won that. Even with that Trigger Toby was using to run like that, it should have been his loss."
"Why do you say that?"
"Because that Trigger is new to Toby and Kurauchi-san is not the type to be taken down by something new like that."
That was true for most of the stronger or calculative agents in Border. Simply applying something new did not necessarily mean it would result in a win.
If something that simple was enough to win then there would likely be a lot of us who would try it.
Something new took time to master, it would be something others would need to work around or with, there would be new findings with it, and it was highly likely to mess up the user if they are not familiar with it or use a different style. It was just too much for someone to win with something so new so suddenly.
But that brought up a new question that needed answering.
"How did he win with something so new?"
This time it was Asano who decided to answer his question.
"That would be because of his Side Effect and lack of self preservation."
"Asano-san has it right. ...Hey, do you mind if I change how I address you? We're having a nice conversion and are watching this match for the people we like, so it feels off when I talk to you so formally."
The younger girl shrugged her shoulders as if it did not matter. Although there was an underlining something that showed in her furrowed brows.
"Right then! Like I was saying, Asanocchi got it right on the mark. That is why I'm only a bit surprised by the outcome."
"Toby's Side Effect would let him move through that kind of speed, his mind would have enough time to keep up since he doesn't need to focus so much on that speed or his body, and he naturally has a good idea on how to move his body. It's like those guys up there had said."
"And the other reason?"
This time both girls answered at the same time.
"Simple. Would you think to vertically run up a building and throw yourself off of it?"
"Ah... Point taken."
Toby-kun won! He must be so happy right now!
Lobo: "Hey Take, can I go fight someone else!?"
Colors: "I already said no, you damn mutt."
Lobo: "C'moooooooon! I'm pumped now after that and I wanna go beat someone else up!"
Hoshi smiled at the banter coming from her teammates.
She had used the time given to her by Toby to move through the map's large buildings to reach her destination.
As an Attacker mostly and a support Shooter in needed, she would have no place in the Sniper ruled area of the tall buildings. Dedicated Shooters and Gunners may have a better time within the area, but it was no place for someone to close quarters oriented like her.
She was nothing more than open prey while moving through the buildings. At least until something happened...
Honest Sister: "Hoshi-chan, three buildings away from where you are. I can honestly see Yukari-chan over there and moving towards the center of the map."
Prototype Star: "This means Suzuka-san was correct then."
JK: "Nya ha ha! Of course I was! Oh, but I can't take all of the credit. I did have to run some things through the computer. It sucks, but I really can't do much without that program. Another downside is how it makes me get sad about my JK-ness!"
Honest Sister: "We can honestly do without that knowledge..."
She had not noticed the way both older girls spoke with some bitterness in their tones until now.
The way they held themselves usually made it seem as if they always went at their own pace and stopped for no one. To hear the kind of tone from them...
Is something the matter? Should I ask them or simply wait until the time is right?
When would that be?
It did not seem that these small tone changes were affecting the battle right now, but it would likely be gripping at Hoshi until she figured out if the two girls were fine or not.
I suppose I should focus though. I am unsure if Obishima-san has noticed me, but there is still sniper fire to worry about here. Just because Suzume-senpai has not noticed any Snipers does not mean they are not there.
The noise from the two older girls went silent for a moment.
"-"
That moment was enough for her to realize the danger she was now in.
.
A fast shot ran between the tall buildings lining the middle part of the map.
The target had been the Kotowari Squad support Attacker who was running somewhere.
Shingai was certain that her attack would reach her target. Even without her Side Effect her training had built her up to the point of being able to fire a shot without worrying about missing.
Firing a gun was different from firing an arrow by a bit, yet there were fundamentally the same in her eyes. All that was lacking was pulling back the string on the bow to fire the arrow.
Aiming was actually better when using a gun due to their scopes. It had been something she was grateful for as well as found as a hindrance during times.
With the speed and agility of a beast running through the forest, she had caught up to the running girl without being spotted. The time used to reach that point had been spent on planning as well as focusing on the ongoing fight a ways away.
Moving around here really does remind me of moving through the forest or underground through those caves. It may even be better since I am able to look through these buildings as opposed to the trees that I am unable to see through.
Like a gun and a bow and arrow, moving through a city and moving through a forest were fundamentally the same in her eyes.
And just like those similarities...
Catching a target should be the same.
Lock onto the target, restrict their movements, prevent as many outside interference as possible, and shoot the target dead before they could react. It was the pattern of hunting that she had found relaxing once in the middle of it.
This target was less skilled as the others around her who would fire attacks back, use their Side Effects to dodge and then counter, or simply not be in the correct area knowing they were at a disadvantage. Compared to those ones, this target was just a small animal who was trying to survive as best as she could.
My apologies, but…
"What!?"
.
Hoshi's eyes widened as a shield appeared to her right before taking a hit from a distance.
She had wanted to ask what was happening seeing as how she had not been the one to defend, but a voice came through before she could.
Honest Sister: "Don't worry, Hoshi-chan. That was honestly me who put up the shield. Sorry but we sort of used you as bait."
Prototype Star: "A-ah! That is fine. I was just surprised but it is all. Feel free to use me as bait all you need."
Honest Sister: "...I am honestly starting to feel bad about it."
JK: "...I honestly feel the same."
Honest Sister: "Suzuka-san, I will honestly need to have some words with you after this match."
Hoshi could hear a sigh come through from Suzume.
It must be tough keeping that up.
She gave a pity smile to no one in particular.
Honest Sister: "Anyways. I honestly wanted to see if anyone would attack. I was able to see in the direction the shot came from, but that's all. Both Shingai and Tono-kun could have honestly been the one to shoot that. If it was the former then it may be because she thought she could take you out. If it's the latter then it could be in retaliation for going after Yukari-chan."
If it had been Shingai then it would be more difficult given her ability to move around easily through places like these. The logs they had gotten to see before the match proved just how well she was able to maneuver around areas at amazing speeds.
If it had been Tonooka then moving closer to Obishima may force him to fire more to provide support to her. The fact he tended to do things on his own like the rest of her squad did was not overlooked. A change that he would only attack again when the time was right was highly likely.
Both options did not seem like the best considering her lack of experience on the battlefield. These were the top tier of B-Rank Squads and they would act accordingly with well thought plans and quick decisions.
Ah... I am a bit afraid since my own squad tends to disregard those sorts of things when their first plan goes awry.
It was the simple and easy way they went about doing this that made her worry.
That did not mean it was to be looked over as a surgery though given that they had managed to reach the top tier of B-Ranks as well. It only meant one thing for her.
"Suzume-senpai, please use me as you wish so that we may win some points. Losing any after Toby-kun went through that trouble... Well it would put a bad feeling in the chest. And I most certainly like pushing my chest out for others to view favorably!"
There was complete silence.
Even the two older girls were unable to say anything.
Fearing that she may have said something wrong, Hoshi began to apologize. Instead of getting a chance to do so...
JK: "Um, sorry, I can't actually bring myself to say something out loud so this is all I can do."
Honest Sister: "I know what you mean... Hey, um, Hoshi-chan?"
"Yes?"
Honest Sister: "Did you honestly mean what you said? That I could use you however I want?"
Was there something to what she had said?
The words had come out in the spur of the moment and her feelings coming up, but she did not think she had said it in a way that would confuse others. That did not mean she would not answer her upperclassman who was willing to take her offer seriously.
Prototype Star: "Of course! You may use me as you wish! Besides wanting to hold my chest out proudly, I do wish to be used however I can be used so that others can be happy with the result. Even if it is admittedly a bit embarrassing, I would allow for any possible movement or position so that everyone can be happy in the end."
Another silence fell upon them as she reached the nearest building to her.
Throughout their conversation she had been keeping track of where she was and where she was going.
Suzume had said that Obishima was three buildings away. With that information given to her, she had begun running in the right direction while staying close to the buildings so as not to be spotted by a sniper again.
Now that she had run that distance, she was able to see Obishima clearly.
I can fire an attack myself and then go in for an up-close confrontation, but I am only to support Suzume-senpai as she fires her shots. It is best to wait for her to respond before doing anything that could risk losing a point.
The trouble was that there had not been a response.
The two older girls had remained silent and said nothing in return to declaration.
Oh no! Have I said something wrong again!?
She couldn't let Obshima get away, but she had done something that prevented her allies from responding to her.
Prototype Star: "A-ah...? Hello? Um, I apologize if I have said anything wrong. If it is not too much, may I get some commands as to what I should do here?"
A voice came through this time. It was from the older girls and was instead from her captain.
Colors: "What are you guys doing? Senpai, stop asking ridiculous things and Suzuka-san, please focus on supporting us properly. You three are in charge of the sniper front while I am busy over here and Toby is on his rest period."
Honest Sister: "Right! Hoshi-chan, you are nothing greater than a wonderful goddess that even I can't honestly taint! I will do as you want and use you all I want, but know that you will be the purest things ever seen and not a single piece of skin will have a blemish on it!"
JK: "The amount of editing that will require is going to be amazing! Let me help out with that! I really want to see how that turns out!"
Lobo: "Hey, Idiot Girl #1 and Idiot Girl #2, pay attention and help Hoshi out! You can go crazy after the match!"
Maybe I have not said anything wrong then...?
The response she had been waiting for finally arrived via a voice.
Honest Sister: "Alright! Hoshi-chan! Honesty follow my lead here! I will defend you as much as possible while attacking as much as possible. Don't worry about defending and leave it all up to your big sister. Just keep attacking and don't let up until you have honestly taken some points from the others."
JK: "I'll provide as much support as I can manage. The program is still on cool down, but even I can manage more than your standard Operator! I'll show you what the Yagura Branch can do!"
.
Suzume gave a bitter laugh as she stood on top of a tall building.
From her position she could see the running Obishima, the trailing Hoshi and...
Shingai must be in a hurry after having her shot blocked like that.
It was the pride of a huntress that prevented her from backing out now.
That was how she had been similar to Suzume. But unlike the pride of a huntress, Suzume showed the pride of an artist.
When drawing doujinshi, there was never a moment of giving up and all-nighters were pulled whenever they were needed. When performing for others or for herself, each step gradually got better, her voice began to rise up, and the thoughts and feelings of her audience always came with her. When fighting for her squad, she would put up with anything for them to win.
This pride had been the reason she found herself in this particular situation.
I honestly said all that, but what am I really supposed to do here? I saw something like that before and now I can't get it out of my head... The situations are different and I need to be ready for everyone, but it's really becoming hard for me to not honestly just get this all out at once.
She had very recently made a mistake by seeing something that continued to follow her through the match.
Sounding normal for her teammates was all she could think doing to make sure they did not worry too much.
If another mistake came up because of her while Hoshi was under the impression that she could rely on her then it may lead to something new and horrible for her.
Suzume gave another bitter laugh as she thought about her situation.
How selfish can I honestly be for only thinking about myself during this match? Toby went through that trouble to take out Kurauchi-san and Hoshi-chan is putting a lot of faith in me. Takeshi is also letting Suzuka-san help me out instead of helping him like we had planned.
The younger ones had noticed her behavior.
There was no doubt that they were doing everything they could because they noticed the way she was acting at the moment.
Instead of looking past that and forcing her to move with them, they were bringing themselves to her so that she could keep up with them. Each one was doing something to lessen the burden she had during this match while not forcing anything out of her. The burden she had taken up before the match was not something they were trying to get rid of and instead were trying to help her through.
Under normal circumstances she would have told them off and began a scolding session. But now was not the time for that.
She was the one being helped by the ones she had already decided were her own younger siblings.
She was not doing well enough to where they could rely on her and were telling her to rely on them instead.
She was forcing them to do things differently to the way they normally did things.
It was humiliating.
But it was not the first time it had happened.
As the view on the screen changed and the sight of a girl could be seen, Arashiyama asked Satori a question.
"Are you not going to watch?"
He felt the situation was rather odd since he knew the situation the girl was dealing with.
...If Misaki can't fight like she normally does...
She would get taken out or one of her teammates would get taken out.
He felt a bad feeling in the bottom of his gut.
"She will be fine," said Satori as he looked up from his phone.
Arashiyama turned toward him and saw Satori's eyebrows raised as he looked to the screen. His expression belied his words, so it seemed he had been speaking to reassure himself.
"She will be fine. Her team and I believe she will, so it's better that you do too, Arashiyama-san."
"But..."
"Suzu won't lose easily."
The instant Satori said that, he closed his mouth and frowned. Arashiyama looked over at the boy's phone.
"That's..."
The screen showed some comments from a recent event. They did not mean much, but the meaning was clearly there.
However...
"She will be fine," said Satori without looking at his screen. "I wouldn't expect any of you to know, but Suzu has only ever felt truly low once."
"When? And for what?"
While looking at the screen, Satori gave the answer.
"A few years ago and for something important. ...That was the only time."
So...
"As long as she has someone there with her, she will be fine."
As Suzume waited and watched for her moment, she thought.
...This is terrible. I am being dumb.
These were good opponents. Not many people could fight opponents like these often.
They are such wonderful opponents, she thought. There are boys, so it honestly has a sensual side too, but since there are also girls it is...um... What do you call it? Let's see... Oh, well. I forgot. But this is fine. I...
It was there.
The reasons she had forgotten about.
I make my own rules.
...But this is honestly wonderful.
Their opponents could keep with them, so they would need to be in top shape.
From what she knew about the fight Toby had just gone through, their opponents kept up with them as well. They would forcibly keep up since this was no longer a low tier match.
...This could be fun.
She did not feel like they were being forced higher. After all, they were supposed to run away and have their opponents chase after them. There was beauty in running away so they could not be caught.
At the moment, she realized what she had been feeling.
She had messed up and seen something terrible during the early morning. It had shaken her up and made her realize her own behavior.
She felt as if speaking out would expose her feelings and regrets to the outside world.
It felt terrible.
But it was not the time to feel anything of the sort.
"—!"
She could not simply dance everything out. She had told Narasaka she would not. This was not something she could do.
But, she thought. That should not honestly be all for me to do.
There was a time some time ago when she had truly felt low.
...Would there even be a dance that could reach that point?
There had been a few times when she had tried to reach that point again, but she had never been able to reach that truly defenseless state a second time. No matter how far she took a dance, she could not catch up to that instant in the past.
Even what Yuki had done to them was nowhere near that.
She recalled what she had been exposing back then.
She recalled the past.
...That was...
She thought about what had once happened.
...That was what made me realize who was really important to me.
She remembered.
"It seems Mitsu got a serious injury in an accident during that time. It was around the time Yuki-san had been looking for a member for Tsukiko Squad and I had directed him to Suzu. It ended up well enough given that Tsukiko Squad had gotten another member, but... It's also a reminder that I had basically sent someone else to go take care of her."
Over the screen and small noise around them, Arashiyama listened to Satori.
"For a while, she had stopped coming to class. She stayed in her home for a long time and she had never said anything."
"Misaki did?"
"Yeah. Toward the end, she stopped being conscious of what was going on around her. At the time, Seihana-san was away to watch over Mitsu and Suzu didn't want to go to her. When we came to see her, she would refuse to come out, so we wondered what was going to happen."
Satori's words spilled from his mouth. His hands quickly becoming fists.
"But it was Yuki-san who had helped her out."
That's right. I messed up that time too. That hurt a lot. And this time...
This time it did not hurt as much.
It may have been rude of her to think like that, but what had happened was not her fault.
The start of it was because of what someone else did and she had just been there at the wrong time.
Yuki-san just wanted to tell me that Mei-san couldn't help us today. It was honestly not my fault that I had to be there.
Since she was not at fault, she did not need to feel down again. She did not need this feeling that was nowhere near what she had felt some time ago.
"Right. It's time to actually focus on this match. I can't honestly look out for those guys if I am being the one looked after. Heh heh heh. Maybe I can give them a break. Yes, I will give them a one panel break each so that they can be happy with the result."
Anything more than a single panel would have given them the idea that she was feeling bad about herself. One panel was enough and they would be happy with it.
If they complained about it then she would not give them even that one panel. It was how she was and how she made her rules.
The time from the early morning was hard, but that was because she was the type to work using her emotions. Thoughts that interrupted that needed to be purified.
Yes, they need to be purified in an R18 way! After this match, I will honestly purify my bad thoughts using Toby and Noah-kun in a doujinshi! And since he was having so much fun with that dog, I will also throw in Kura-san too! Perfect! Sandwiches are perfect!
For the time being the thoughts would stay, but they would not be a focus. They were moved to the side as she brought up her Lightning.
Looking through the scope of the Trigger, she could see that Hoshi was ready to attack and that Obishima had not noticed her yet.
Instead of taking a shot, she moved her hand to the top of her chest as she deactivated her Bagworm.
"It's time I follow up on my promise here. I need to honestly work with Hoshi-chan while keeping the proper look of a Sniper. And to do that..."
Living her Lightning again, she took her aim and fired immediately.
"I will honestly be playing some games here."
.
Hoshi finally saw her chance.
Obishima had been cautiously moving through the tall buildings while trying to escape. Her movements were shallow and easy to figure out, but that was likely because they were also easy to chance at a moment's notice.
There had been little opening for her to attack without Suzume helping her, so she had to wait it out.
Then it finally came.
"!?"
A sniper shot had come from the side to hit Obishima. The speed of the shot was a giveaway that it had been Lightning that had been fired.
Honest Sister: "Hoshi-chan, sorry it took me so long to get into this. Go in and don't worry about anything else. I will honestly make sure you can't be touched by sniper fire."
She wanted to thank her upperclassman, but there was no time to do so.
She ran forward when she saw Obishima move to the side to dodge the shot.
With her feet now barely touching the ground, her balance would be slightly off. It would make it easier for her to attack and harder for Obishima to dodge or properly block.
She drew her blade as she ran.
Once she was within range, she moved her Kōgetsu through the air.
Because of their positioning, she would still have to push through some defense to reach Obishima's body. If she swung going to the front then she would be using her forward force to attack. If she swung from the back then she would make it awkward for Obishima to block, but that also forced her to attack using a backhand swing instead of a frontal swing. So she made her choice as quickly as possible.
I will make it a diagonal-backhand swing!
If the front would require more force and the back would require a backhand swing then it was best to use the one that made it easier for her.
She had never put too much force behind any sort of attack due to her nature, so this was what she could do while staying true to herself.
Using a diagonal swing starting from her feet to her head meant that Obishima would need to find an accurate position to block. That became more difficult when the swing was also coming from the back, where she was already in a terrible position.
It was a simple yet effective way to attack.
Even if it would not get her a point, it would be the starting point for that point she would get.
No... Suzume-senpai had created the starting point. I am continuing from that point and moving forward.
With her body already leaning forward, there was little chance that she could even stop her swing anymore.
.
Obishima watched with wide eyes as the opposing blade got closer to her.
She had expected a sniper attack, but not the one from the blade getting closer to her.
Because of her dodging the sniper fire, she had been put slightly off balance in order to not take a direct hit from it.
With her right foot still on the verge of touching the round, she had to balance on her left foot and leg while now dealing with the girl who had rushed at her from behind a building.
"I was hoping to wait a bit longer, but..."
The sound of her teammate came through as another shot could be seen coming from the side.
Tonooka had fired a shot to protect her and force her opponent to back away.
From what she could see, there was no chance of the other girl backing away. Her swing was already in full motion and her forward leaning body would prevent her from making any sudden stops.
Even when she had accidentally forced her teammate into action, he had taken the right shot to win them a point.
"-"
The other girl made no motion to try and defend against the shot. She looked like she had not even registered that it was coming at her at all.
Is she going to take the shot?
Before it could reach her, a shield appeared right where the shot had been fired.
Where!?
The girl could not have been the one to create the shot given her tunnel vision expression.
That was when she heard the voice of their Operator come though.
Gudako: "Someone else has appeared on the map!"
She wanted to see where, but now she had to focus on righting herself enough to not get taken out by the oncoming blade.
I...
With no way to force herself to balance on one foot or to properly block the attack, Obishima made a sudden movement.
She spun.
"Here!"
Instead of trying to touch the ground with body feet, she moved her right foot below herself while turning her body.
She had thought about falling to the ground, but the opposing Kōgetsu was moving diagonally, so she would only end up getting cut. It would have been too deep though, so it was a bad idea to even try.
By putting herself in a spin, she could move her body in the same direction as the moving blade.
It was likely that she would still get cut, but it would be a shallow one that would lead to nothing more than a bit of trion leakage.
With her plan put into action, she continued it.
I won't make it! It will still be a deep cut even from here!
Stealing herself, she moved her hand down to the blade at her side.
Pulling out the blade would take too long and she was sure she could not block even if she wanted to.
So instead of doing either of those, she simply kept it in it's holder.
While still in it's holder she slammed the end of it into the ground and put as much force as she could.
Like that...! Keep it up like that and you can move away...!
The force of the hit to the ground had thrown her up a bit. The force of the throw added other spin and sent her whole body flying to the side.
Not wanting to lose her Trigger, she held on tight to it as she went into the sky before crashing and rolling on the ground.
She jumped up from the roll and pulled out her Kōgetsu.
"That was close..."
"Ah! That was truly amazing!"
.
The other girl faced forward with wide eyes and a stargazed expression.
Obishima blinked for a moment. Her opponent had just complimented her.
I should return the gesture. ...Right?
Nodding in her mind, she spoke up to address the girl.
"Th-thank you. That was a really nice swing..."
That seemed to be enough since the other girl gave a surprised look before smiling.
Taking this time to look at her Radar, she could see where the previously mentioned person was. The direction that person was in...
I was right. That was where that shot had come from.
That meant there was a Sniper who was not trying to hide where they were. The answer to who it was was obvious to anyone who paid attention to who was fighting in this match.
"A-ah... Um..."
Hearing the other speak up again, Obishima looked forward, expecting another attack to come.
She seemed to be fidgeting nervously, but that did not mean she would let her guard down in the middle of a fight.
"I know that it is not proper etiquette during a fight, but..."
Before she could finish, two shots had been fired.
Obishima could see the one coming from a different angle, but the same general direction as the one previously fired on her.
The second one had likely come from Tonooka again since it was a direct headshot that would have taken out the girl if not for the shield that had appeared right next to her head.
She moved out of the way again from the first shot, but the other girl did not even blink as the shield appeared.
She was being defended while not putting up any defenses.
She began to open her mouth again, this time was something that Obishima felt like she could not ignore.
"Kotowari Squad's Newest Member and Support Taiyōko Hoshi! Moving forward!"
She had just introduced herself in the middle of a fight and prepared to attack.
She had never seen anything like that done in real life, but now that she had, it felt wrong not to respond in kind.
The name of each Kotowari Squad member had been given to them all before after doing the research, so she knew who this girl was by name. Likewise, they should have known who she was from their own records. They knew each other by name, but nothing more.
But she still introduced herself to me...
As much as she knew she would get in trouble for it later on, Obishima opened her mouth as she moved forward to meet the girl halfway.
"Yuba Squad's Youngest Member Obishima Yukari! Thank you for this opportunity!"