novelraw Chapter 86
Chapter 86
Chapter 86
"I refuse!"
"Eh!? An immediate reply!?"
Teaming up with Rabi-chan as Phantom Thieves would surely be fun. If I'm with Rabi-chan, we might even give Tsukinami-san a good match. But I don't want to beat Tsukinami-san with two people.
I want to beat Tsukinami-san alone—solo.
"Um, sorry Rabi-chan... I'm actually rooting for Daisuke Jigen..."
I take G-AGE in hand,
"His nature seems a lot like Inspector Zenigata's."
and point the muzzle at Rabi-chan.
"I find joy in chasing after the strong. I want to fight you, Rabi-chan."
"...M1911, a Colt Government. I see."
I hook my finger through the trigger-guard, spin the pistol, and move the muzzle away from Rabi-chan.
"Of course, I won't lay a hand on you now. Beating you while you're disarmed wouldn't be interesting."
"Nfufu... Hahahaha!"
Rabi-chan doubles over laughing.
"Shiki-chan really did grow up splendidly! Just what I'd expect from my first love♪"
"............First love!?"
"All right. Let's dance, Shiki-chan! Next time I'll steal it for real."
Rabi-chan pulls her hood low and heads for the stairs.
"My beloved Red-Lie's effect lasts until 0:00 A.M. on that day—Cinderella Time. Understand? Lose once and you're out. Think you've got a chance?"
"I just need either to take you down without letting a single shot hit me, or have a way to keep fighting even if I get hit. I've got an ace in the hole too, you know."
"My, I'm all thrilled! Let's have a chase so exciting it makes my brain tingle."
My body trembles.
This pressure... irresistible.
Rabi-chan climbs the stairs.
When I follow her onto the deck, she's already vanished from sight.
"That chick and you both make no sense to me... but I doubt there's anyone else who enjoys this game as much as you two."
Ms. Eve says from behind me.
"Whether I'll enjoy it is still up in the air. I have to win, or it won't be fun."
"Is that so? Then I'd better assemble a winning hand. Do you already have the stuff you won at the auction?"
"Yes!"
I slot the red special coat "Hi-Odoshi" into my loadout and unfold it over my shoulders.
"D-does it suit me?"
"Hmm... It's like—puberty."
"Ugh! That might hurt worse than saying it looks bad..."
That night, Ness-san called to tell us Phantom Thief Labyrinth's warning had arrived at Military Police HQ.
The warning said she'd come to steal the Triad at 45:00 on August 17.
—August 16.
I'm on the battleship's mess deck planning countermeasures against Labyrinth.
From what's known of Rabi-chan's loadout so far:
- Trick Arm×2
- Nocturne (special coat)
- Serenade (dagger)
- Walther P38 Red-Lie (handgun)
Through the gaps in the coat (Nocturne) I saw a swarm of red shield pieces. She must have two slots worth of shield pieces.
That leaves two empty slots.
On the other hand, my current loadout is:
Slot 1: BeanStalk V2 (sniper rifle)
Slot 2: M1911 G-AGE (handgun)
Slot 3: Hi-Odoshi (special coat)
Slot 4: SCH-100+FullCustom (saber)
Slot 5: PT-8 (shield pieces)
Slot 6: PBE-1 (bullet pieces)
Slot 7: ARR-21 (assault rifle)
Slot 8: ARR-28 (assault rifle)
That's my hand right now.
(The problem is that aerial mobility. It's fast and erratic. Sniping alone can't finish it. If I can get within bullet-piece range I can break it, but get too close and that red Walther is scary.)
Crushing the aerial movement and guarding against Red-Lie—can't I do both?
What if I chip away at the wires with sniping?
(It's possible. The wires are hard to see, but since they extend straight from the Trick Arms I can trace their outlines even if I can't see them directly.)
No, after watching the Trick Arms in action, as long as she has energy she can keep generating new wires. Cutting them one by one only buys a moment; it's endless.
In the end, I'd have to close to G-AGE's range, keep cutting wires with bullet pieces to seal her aerial movement, then finish her with G-AGE. But then it becomes a straight shootout between G-AGE and Red-Lie. In muzzle velocity, Red-Lie wins. My accuracy is higher, but quick-draw is about even or slightly in my favor. That's not enough of an edge to overcome the velocity difference.
"Ugh! No good! I need one more card! G-AGE whose specs are still hidden! Hi-Odoshi, the new weapon, and one more surprise move that can either exploit an opening or create one......!"
Isn't there anything? Anything—
"Ah."
That's right, I'd forgotten. That thing exists.
"With that I can guard against Red-Lie, handle the wires, and still attack the main body... three birds with one stone. Yeah! Not bad!"
Good plan. I'd thought I'd never use it, but for this fight it's a highly effective card.
(I can do it. I've gathered enough cards. Now it's about how to play them and in what order. I can almost see the path that will clear that grand labyrinth...)