"Finished!"
Tanaka Masao and Yukinoshita Yukino carefully completed the final assembly step together, and couldn't help cheering out loud.
Having cooperated to finish such a complex project, both of them were filled with a strong sense of accomplishment. They instinctively looked at each other, wanting to celebrate.
But as they turned their heads—
They had been sitting extremely close to begin with, practically pressed together. Now, face to face, the distance between them was less than ten centimeters.
Their eyes met.
The excitement in their hearts was instantly replaced by surprise and embarrassment.
As if shocked by electricity, both of them quickly turned their heads away and, almost in perfect sync, shifted their bodies slightly to the side.
Tanaka Masao's heart started racing. He couldn't tell whether it was because of the exhilaration of finishing the project just now, or because his heart had skipped a beat.
…Or maybe both.
On the other side, Yukinoshita Yukino wasn't much better. Her heart was pounding just as fast, and she couldn't quite understand what this feeling was either.
Tanaka Masao scratched his cheek. Whether because he'd been too busy just now or for some other reason, he'd worked up a bit of sweat. He felt stuffy, his body a little hot.
He stood up and said,
"It's finally done. I'll go grab a few bottles and test its power."
"Alright. I'll wait here."
After leaving the living room, Tanaka Masao felt a cool breeze brush across his face, instantly making him feel much better. The heat in his body faded away as well.
He patted his cheeks to clear his head, poured a few glasses of drinks, and grabbed several empty milk cartons before heading back.
By the time he returned, Yukinoshita Yukino had also returned to normal. She was sitting at the table, using the leftover materials to make ammunition.
"Have a drink and take a break," Tanaka Masao said, placing a glass in front of her.
"Okay."
She stopped what she was doing and picked up the drink.
On the other side, Jahy had already finished her weapon. She walked over, took a few gulps of her drink, and looked at Tanaka Masao with fighting spirit burning in her eyes.
"So? Are you done over there? Want to settle this with me once and for all?"
"Of course," Tanaka Masao replied confidently. "I'll let you witness the power of knowledge."
The living room wasn't very large, so for easier testing, the three of them finished their drinks, picked up their weapons and the milk cartons, and moved out into the yard.
There were ten milk cartons in total, and the rules were simple.
The two contestants would stand fifteen meters away and attack the cartons.
Knocking over or damaging a carton counted as a successful hit.
Whoever knocked down five cartons first would win.
The contestants were Tanaka Masao and Jahy. The referee was Yukinoshita Yukino.
Tanaka Masao was holding a cardboard pistol, and even the bullets were made of thick paper.
Jahy, on the other hand, was holding something that sat somewhere between a slingshot and a crossbow. Her ammunition consisted of sharpened disposable chopsticks.
Tanaka Masao and Jahy each struck what they believed to be their coolest poses and began the traditional pre-match trash talk.
"Kukukuku… Masao, you'd better attack fast. Otherwise, I'll knock down all ten milk cartons in an instant and you won't even get a chance to show off."
"Heh. Jahy, that's what I should be saying. With that primitive weapon you're holding, the fact that I even agreed to compete on the same stage as you is already a tremendous honor for you."
"Enough trash talk."
"Let's decide this."
Their gazes clashed, sparks practically flying between them.
As the referee, Yukinoshita Yukino stepped between them and spoke up.
"Alright. Both contestants, prepare yourselves. Three, two, one—start!"
Caught up in the atmosphere, even Yukinoshita Yukino's tone became excited and energetic.
Tanaka Masao: [Yukinoshita-san, you're surprisingly playful too.]
As her voice fell, Tanaka Masao and Jahy raised their weapons at the same time and took aim.
"Fire!" ×2
The [arrow] and the [bullet] hit the milk cartons almost simultaneously.
Tanaka Masao's bullet struck a carton and knocked it over with ease.
Jahy's weapon, having been improved, clearly packed more power. Not only did it hit the carton, the [arrow] even embedded itself partway in, easily flipping it over.
In terms of raw power, Jahy clearly had the advantage.
But this competition wasn't only about power.
It was also about attack speed.
At this point, the advantage of Tanaka Masao's gun became obvious. Thanks to its clever mechanical structure, it could fire repeatedly with ease.
Jahy, on the other hand, had to reload her [arrow] each time.
While she was still loading her next shot, Tanaka Masao had already gone "biu~ biu~" and finished firing.
He coolly spun the gun in his hand.
"The outcome is decided."
As soon as he said that, he rapidly knocked over several of Jahy's remaining milk cartons.
Jahy, who had just finished loading her arrow, stared wide-eyed at the scene.
"How can this be?!"
She stared at the pistol in Tanaka Masao's hand, unable to figure out how it worked.
Unwilling to admit defeat, Jahy argued back.
"Hmph. You're just a bit faster, that's all.
If we're talking pure power, mine is still stronger. On the battlefield, as long as the power is high enough, one decisive strike is all you need—there's no need for follow-ups.
So I didn't lose. The problem is with the rules."
Tanaka Masao shook his head helplessly and sighed.
"Is it really that hard to acknowledge someone else's strengths?"
"Kuh—"
Jahy felt as if her heart had been stabbed. That was exactly what she'd once said to Tanaka Masao when mocking him with her photographic memory—and now he'd returned it to her word for word.
"Alright, alright," Yukinoshita Yukino said as she stepped in to smooth things over.
"We didn't have much time, so the rules really weren't very well thought out. How about this—each of you gets one point. We'll call it a draw."
Strictly speaking, by the rules, Yukinoshita Yukino was clearly showing favoritism.
But Tanaka Masao had never cared much about winning or losing to begin with. And besides, the pistol had been something the two of them built together. Since she suggested it, he went along with it.
"I have no objections."
Jahy nodded as well.
"I don't either."
As long as it wasn't a loss, a draw was perfectly acceptable to her.
[Last time, I lost the armor-snatching battle. This time, the match is a draw.
I, Jahy-sama, am constantly growing stronger. Next time, victory will definitely be mine.
Kukukuku… just you wait, Masao—one day I'll trample you beneath my feet.]
Even so, her eyes never left the pistol in Tanaka Masao's hand.
[That thing may not be as powerful as my weapon, but it's not bad.
Especially the firing speed—it's absurd. I need to think of a way to get my hands on it.
That way, if one strike fails, I'll still have follow-up attacks. Much better fault tolerance.]