"Eiri!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha, who had failed to find an unoccupied supply point, could only hide in a dilapidated house.
When she looked at the familiar name that suddenly appeared on the ranking list, her eyes widened in disbelief.
If it had been just "Eiri," maybe she wouldn't have been so sure.
But Sawamura Spencer Eiri? That was definitely her classmate.
That annoying friend who always called for backup, dragged her into games, and flaunted her fanbase.
Utaha had always thought the two of them were the same kind of people, enemies by chance, rivals by nature.
"How on earth did she do it!"
Eiri was obviously softer, frailer, thinner than her.
And yet… Utaha had tried her best, managed to kill just one mutated beast, and barely scraped together 3 points.
But Eiri—Eiri! had suddenly leapt into the top ten with dozens of kills.
"Am I really that bad…?"
For the first time, Utaha began to doubt herself.
"Gu~"
Her stomach growled painfully.
Hunger pressed harder than pride.
But she couldn't risk the supply points. Those were already occupied by others.
And Utaha, cynical as she was, had no illusions about human nature.
Objectively speaking, she was beautiful. And if she walked into the wrong place, she knew perfectly well she didn't have the strength to resist what might come.
So, hiding outside was her only option.
"…Damn it."
Her thoughts were interrupted by a heavy thud.
The sound of massive steps crushing the ground made her tense.
She peeked out of the broken window
And froze.
A mutated black bear, three to four meters tall, its muscles bulging grotesquely, lumbered forward, sniffing the air.
"…!"
Utaha pulled back instantly, pressing herself flat to the floor. She tried to breathe as silently as possible.
"Roar~"
The beast let out a guttural growl, prowling just meters away. It wasn't leaving. It had her scent.
Utaha's grip tightened on the pistol in her hands. Her heart pounded like a war drum.
She glanced toward the three grenades she had lined up on the ground.
Her lips trembled, but her eyes hardened.
If she stayed still, she was dead anyway.
"…Fight!"
With her teeth clenched, Utaha snatched up all three grenades, yanked the pins, and stood up in one swift motion.
"ROAR!!"
The mutated bear instantly locked onto her, its massive jaws opening wide with a blood-curdling roar.
"Click!"
Utaha yanked the pins and hurled all three grenades at once.
Then she dove to the floor, rolling hard across the cracked wooden boards.
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The explosions shook the entire house. Walls cracked, dust rained down from the ceiling, and broken rubble clattered around her like hail.
Her ears rang painfully, her lungs filled with choking dust but she forced herself up, gun in hand, eyes fixed on the smoke.
"…Hhh…"
The monster was still moving.
Its bloody, scorched body stumbled forward through the haze.
Utaha gritted her teeth, raised the pistol, and pulled the trigger again and again.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Every shot echoed in the ruined house, sparks flashing from the beast's hide until her magazine finally clicked empty.
"Reload…!"
Her fingers fumbled, slick with blood from torn skin, but she managed to slam a new magazine into place
Only for the bear to stagger once more, then collapse in a heap. Its hulking body dissolved into motes of light and scattered into the air.
Utaha's muscles loosened at last, relief rushing in
But only for a second.
"No time. I need to leave now."
That blast had definitely drawn attention. If she stayed, more beasts would come.
She pushed herself to move, but pain shot up her leg.
"Hh—!"
Glancing down, she noticed a jagged tear in her stockings, blood trickling down her calf where shrapnel had grazed her. She hadn't even realized it in the heat of the fight.
"Damn it… still got caught."
It wasn't fatal, but it was enough to slow her down. And in this world, losing speed was as good as a death sentence.
She cursed herself for her impulsiveness. But she knew she couldn't stay. Injured or not, she had to move.
"Clap, clap, clap…"
A sound broke the silence.
Applause.
Utaha froze, snapping her head toward the source.
Her hand moved on instinct, reloading the pistol again despite the blood running from her split palm.
She tore a strip from her uniform sleeve to hold the weapon steady, even as fresh wounds stung.
"Who's there!?"
Her voice was sharp, but her heart pounded. If it was another player, she couldn't afford carelessness.
"…We meet again."
The calm voice stopped her cold.
Her breath hitched. She knew that voice.
And when the figure emerged from the drifting dust, her eyes confirmed it.
"It's you…"
Kasumigaoka Utaha lowered her weapon slightly, though her body remained tense.
Yami Tsukishiro stood before her.
Not that she thought him harmless no. If anything, she knew all too well that her pistol couldn't scratch him. The gap in power between them was absurd.
So instead of wasting energy on vigilance, she sighed, slung the pistol at her side, and limped forward, supporting herself against the wall.
"…Looks like you haven't been having the best few days."
Yami's eyes swept over her.
Her face was pale and smeared with dust. Her uniform was torn in multiple places, makeshift bandages tied here and there.
Fresh blood still dripped from her hands and calf, staining the ground with every step.
"…Hmph."
Utaha brushed her long hair back with her uninjured hand, shaking off the dirt that clung to it. Even in this state, she refused to let herself look weak in front of him.
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