Chapter 21: Praying to the Gods

In order to make the joint operation between the Fox Squad and the Sugar Squad a reality, Raika had already laid all the groundwork.

Bluffer generally operated in squads of five or fewer.

This was because an Anchor was said to be capable of providing support for roughly five people at most.

During the recent "Day of Judgment," for example, a large number of Bluffers were deployed, but each squad scattered separately and intercepted the enemies on their own.

Large-scale battles against the "Fictional Enviders" had generally unfolded in this manner.

This operation to exterminate the Calamity God was an exceptional case.

A joint operation between two squads. The one who proposed it was Fox Squad's Raika Usobuki.

When facing such a formidable enemy as a Calamity God, an operation involving ten people would be preferable.

In front of the adults from the Fictional Enviders Countermeasures Committee, Raika Usobuki stated her case clearly.

"Each member of the Fox Squad is an elite capable of thinking for themselves and determining what they need to do. I've heard the same is true of the Sugar Squad. We can't properly observe what's happening inside the 'Special Zone,' and anything could happen in there. Therefore, the optimal approach is to send in two squads whose individual members are all capable of taking command when necessary, allowing us to respond immediately to any unexpected situations."

The adults were reluctant to accept Raika's proposal, but in the end, they gave their approval.

The report Raika had submitted, along with the presentation for this operation based on it, was impressive enough to rival anything the adults could have produced.

No adult could logically refute her analysis, which combined the firsthand perspective of someone who actually fought the enemy with an objective assessment of the situation.

Standing confidently before a group of adults dressed in expensive suits, Raika looked just like a seasoned salesman.

Since this was going to be a joint operation involving ten people, training involving both squads was necessary as well.

A mock battle simulating combat against the "Fictional Enviders" was arranged, with ten Bluffers fighting against another ten.

Naturally, I was one of the participants.

The signal to begin had already been given.

Everyone had begun fighting the Bluffer standing before them.

The training grounds were extremely lively, with swords clashing and magic flying everywhere.

I stepped forward with the handgun I was accustomed to using in my hand.

Then, as though she had been waiting for me, a girl stepped in front of me.

"──You're the squad leader, aren't you!? I'm taking that head of yours!"

"Why are you acting like we're actually going to kill each other...?"

She was a Bluffer I hadn't had much interaction with.

She had brown bob-cut hair and a cute face. But her eyes were filled with a wild, gleaming madness.

She wore a flashy outfit reminiscent of a bullfighter and carried a gigantic axe over her shoulder.

Her name was Ami Kurumizawa.

A pure-blooded berserker who cloaked herself in madness, allowing her to charge fearlessly toward her enemies.

"Yaaah-haaaaaa!"

Ami let out a bizarre scream that no young maiden should ever make and charged straight at me with the enormous axe on her shoulder.

I immediately pulled the trigger, but Ami continued charging toward me without even flinching as the bullets struck her body.

"It doesn't hurt! If I believe it doesn't hurt, then it doesn't hurt!"

"No way..."

What she was saying was completely insane, but if a Bluffer truly convinced herself of something, she could actually make it happen through her powers.

Ignoring the hail of bullets, Ami Kurumizawa raised her halberd high and swung it down at me.

"Yaaaaaah!"

"Whoa! Are you trying to kill me!?"

I barely managed to roll across the ground and evade the axe blade.

The sound of the wind being cut rang past my ear, and immediately afterward, the ground shook.

I quickly got back to my feet and checked the situation.

A large crack had appeared in the spot where I had been standing moments earlier.

The sheer recklessness of the attack made me raise my voice in protest.

"Th-That was dangerous! This is a mock battle, so go easy on me!"

"If you think like that, you'll never overcome your enemies! Always be prepared for battle. Fight as though your life is always on the line, Raika Usobuki!"

"That sounds vaguely reasonable, but it doesn't justify killing someone in a mock battle!?"

This was hopeless. We weren't even having a conversation anymore.

Ami's eyes were serious. The madness swirling within them wasn't an act or empty bravado. She was simply starving for battle.

At this rate, she might actually kill me.

There was no point in calling this practice anymore.

I readied myself once again and prepared to counterattack.

"Heh... Do you really think that level of firepower is enough to stop me...? My will, my determination, will never stop until I die! I shall prove that to you here!"

"You're way too committed! It's a mock battle, remember!?"

My words didn't seem to reach her.

Strength surged through the entire body of the girl cloaked in madness.

Like a bull charging at a red cloth, Ami came rushing toward me.

"Defeat me if you can, Raika Usobuki! If you think you can receive this soul of mine, then come and take it oooooooh!"

At this point, even if a cannonball came flying at her, she probably wouldn't stop.

Defeat the enemy standing before her.

For that sole purpose, she had even cast aside her reason and embraced madness. Her appearance had become so pure that I almost found it beautiful.

...That aside.

"You don't seriously think I'm going to fight you head-on, do you?"

I nimbly sidestepped her charge and fired a single bullet. She had been prepared for an attack from the front, but apparently hadn't anticipated one from the side.

The bullet struck Ami in the side, sending her crashing dramatically to the ground with a loud CRASH!

"U-uuuuugh..."

"H-Hey, don't cry..."

Where had all her bravado from moments ago gone? Lying on the ground, Ami was shedding tears one after another. The madness that had filled her eyes moments earlier was gone.

"I'm useless after all... Why did I even come here...? ...I want to go home."

"..."

Ah, right. I'd almost forgotten.

The real Ami Kurumizawa was just a timid girl. She merely covered that side of herself with madness.

"Come on. Get up."

I held out my hand to her as she cried.

"But I lost. I'm useless..."

"No, whether you won or lost is nothing more than the result of this particular match. Don't take it so seriously."

She seemed to be pushing herself far too hard over the fact that she hadn't been able to beat me.

"Well, you know... Instead of focusing only on what's right in front of you, try broadening your perspective a little. You might see the world differently."

"...Broaden my perspective."

Maybe something like this was supposed to be the protagonist's job, not mine.

But I couldn't just leave a girl crying right in front of me.

"Yeah. Maybe you're not useless after all, and maybe the people around you are actually a lot kinder than you think."

She might not know it after running away into madness, but this place was actually a fairly kind one.

Once the mock exercises were finished, the Bluffers headed to the changing room to get changed.

After wiping away a little sweat, we put on our uniforms and returned to class.

Changing rooms were something of a dangerous place for me.

Honestly, as someone whose male mentality was still quite strong, I never quite knew where to look.

I'd been a girl for quite some time now, but there was still enough of my old mentality left that seeing girls in such revealing states made my heart race.

That said, the changing room was also an excellent place for private conversations.

Gensou High had several changing rooms, and this one was used exclusively by the members of the Fox Squad.

After hurriedly finishing changing, I looked toward Mana beside me.

She was wearing only her white shirt, revealing the curve of her slender waist, and my heart skipped a little.

"Mana, how did working together with the Sugar Squad feel? Were there any problems?"

This time, I'd deliberately tried not to interfere too much with everyone's actions.

I wanted to see whether they could actually coordinate with the Sugar Squad.

Unfortunately, Ami had charged straight at me, so I hadn't been able to observe them as much as I'd wanted.

Mana continued getting changed as she answered matter-of-factly.

"It was easier than I expected. They don't interfere unnecessarily with our coordination, so they haven't caused any negative effects for us. Rather than moving as ten people, it feels more like five people and five people operating separately."

"I see..."

If Mana said so, there probably weren't many problems. She was the type to clearly say when something was bad.

At least functionally, there were no problems.

"What about you, Hazuki? How do you think this joint operation will go?"

She turned around with her usual sharp eyes, though she didn't seem particularly displeased. After fastening the top button of her white shirt, she approached me.

I caught a faint scent of deodorant.

Because she was wearing lighter clothing than usual, the contours of her body were more visible. I averted my eyes slightly.

"It wasn't bad. I think we can achieve better results than we would working with just the five of us. Especially their leader... Kanon Saisei, was it?"

Hazuki was treating Kanon Saisei as someone she had just met for the first time.

Of course, that was only natural, but to me, someone who possessed the memories of the original story, it felt strangely surreal.

"She's calm and aware of her surroundings. She's a lot like Raika."

"..."

I didn't know how to respond, so I fell silent for a moment.

A brief silence formed, and Hazuki tilted her head slightly.

Then Mana, who had been silently listening to our conversation, spoke up.

"By the way, Raika, why did you propose a joint operation?"

"...Why? What do you mean?"

"It deviates somewhat from your previous pattern of behavior, Raika. You used to handle negotiations with people outside the squad yourself while prioritizing coordination within our squad. That approach was actually working well, so the reason for the change in policy is unclear. I can't say it's irrational, but it is puzzling."

Ah, as expected, she was sharp. She had noticed that this operation deviated from my usual way of doing things.

When I looked over, Hazuki was also silently staring at my face. Apparently, she'd noticed something strange as well.

"Our enemy this time is that Calamity God. Would you accept it if I said I was trying to make up for our lack of strength with the help of others, Mana?"

"It's reasonable in principle, but I can't accept it. Raika has always placed great importance on the mental well-being of Bluffers. That's why you adopted a policy of preventing unnecessary friction with outsiders for the members of the Fox Squad, who are either too serious or have peculiar ways of speaking and behaving."

Mana glanced at Hazuki beside her.

The person being referred to puffed out her lips slightly.

"It's not as though I argue with people because I enjoy it..."

"Ah, yeah, I know. ...Things are going well with the Sugar Squad for now, but there's no guarantee friction won't arise. If that were the case, the Raika we've known until now would have tried to resolve things using only the Fox Squad."

As always, she saw right through me.

That said, I couldn't exactly tell her the truth. I'd have to keep saying things that were neither completely true nor completely false.

I instinctively reached for the cigarettes in my pocket, then caught myself and withdrew my hand.

"If it doesn't work out, we'll stop. This is an experiment and a test, Mana. We won't know unless we try."

"...I see."

She still didn't seem entirely convinced, but Mana didn't press the matter any further.

The truth was, I wanted to observe them for myself.

The Sugar Squad. A unit made up of Bluffers from the provinces that had never existed in the original story.

What exactly were they? And why had Kanon Saisei appeared now, of all times? I wanted to observe them from as close as possible.

And besides, if she was there... If Kanon Saisei was around, perhaps she could save everyone even without someone like me.

It was a way of thinking that was almost like clinging to the gods.