You’re Right, They’ll Expel Me if I Run into the Store with a Weapon!! - Chapter 59: My New Power

“ーWake up.”

A girl with green hair tinged with gray sleeps in a room littered with fantasy props and uncleaned.

The rolled-up work clothes beside the bed indicate she had been working until she fell asleep.

“Wake up, Haruna.”

Shiori lightly shakes the blanket with her hand. Underneath the blanket is the girl Shiori has exclusively for equipment creation, Midorikawa Haruna.

Haruna, still deep in sleep, turns her face towards Shiori, who is still holding the blanket with her eyes closed,

“……Hiroki……please spare me……”

…………

“……Why the need……to prostrate?……Such an extent…won’t be forgiven…”

…………

“……Is it remorse……then please witness seppuku……no, uchippuku would be better…here, take the gun”

…………

“Shooting yourself in the head might be better. In that case, I’ll do it for you.”

Shiori, with her eyes dyed deeply, pulls a pistol from her bosom.

Then, the gun is not aimed at her head, but,

“I’ll count to ten. If you’re not up by then, I’ll shoot.”

At those words, something struck Haruna, turning her face pale.

A hole was blasted open.

From it, the contents exploded into the space, scattering around, and in front of Shiori stood a girl crouching at the edge of the bed.

“Are you trying to kill me!?”

“You were awake?”

“Your murderous intent awakened me!”

Haruna barked with her face flushed red and a thin down feather on her shoulder.

“What are you thinking!?”

“I didn’t intend to hit you.”

“There’s a hole in the pillow! You were aiming for my head!”

“I intended to graze the skin at most.”

Pointing at the pillow, Haruna, with anger and fear fully displayed, faced Shiori, who showed no signs of remorse and tucked the gun, heated from firing, back into her bosom.

“So, are you done?”

“Are you ignoring me!? After damaging the bed and now ignoring me!?”

As Haruna approached with a flushed face, Shiori, without looking at her, began to rummage through the cases lined up on the shelf.

“Which one is it, Haruna?”

“Don’t just touch them without permission!”

In a panic, Haruna pulled one out from the array of cases and placed it on the large desk.

“The worst way to wake up… This is it.”

“You finished it as ordered, didn’t you?”

“Don’t add unnecessary functions or silly designs… Yes, I did it, I did it!”

While reminiscing memories and with anger evident on her face, Haruna opened the case.

Inside were two black masses with red patterns engraved on the slide.

“Due to its super strength, there’s almost no worry about it breaking, but it’s heavier because the focus was on hardness, which makes it less maneuverable.”

“Just as ordered.”

“But, this defeats the advantage of a handgun.”

The advantage of such a weapon is its maneuverability, allowing for quick actions even in tight spaces.

But, if its weight is increased, that advantage is lost.

“What are you thinking…”

Hence, Haruna was slightly worried about the weapon in Shiori’s hand.

“The important point this time is that it shouldn’t break. It might get rough, so it’s no good if the weapon breaks before me.”

“Promotion… well, indeed, that would be bad…”

Knowing Shiori’s previous battle, Haruna showed a thin face of agreement.

Although using the weapon was prohibited, a durable weapon was necessary, considering Shiori’s combat at that time.

While reminiscing, Haruna touched the gun in Shiori’s hand.

“Just because it won’t break doesn’t mean you can use it recklessly. It will break when it breaks…”

“Strength is just a precaution. No other higher-ups are participating like last time, so I don’t intend to fight recklessly.”

“Then, well… ah.”

Haruna seemed to remember something, letting out a small voice and grabbing the remote.

“What’s wrong, Haruna?”

“Morning drama.”

“You watch that?”

Shiori was surprised to hear a new side of Haruna.

“It’s a live-action adaptation of an anime I used to watch in elementary school, so kind of.”

“Then, it’s a work I know too… hmm?”

“Hey, which do you prefer, me or your wife?”

“Of course, it’s you.”

“…What’s this?”

“It’s a drama.”

Unable to stand the strange dialogue, Shiori asked.

Haruna simply replied.

“You said it was an anime you watched in elementary school, right?”

“This is a live-action adaptation of a late-night anime.”

With Shiori’s voice in the background, Haruna kept her eyes glued to the screen, continuing to answer.

“That woman, if it’s not her, I can’t be satisfied anymore!”

“How terrible.”

“Isn’t this just like a daytime soap opera?”

“Well, it does have that vibe.”

Girls munching on potato chips.

Today, Shiori had no special plans other than picking up her equipment and adjusting her condition.

Kaika and Sorato were also told to enjoy their time freely as a final adjustment, with training prohibited.

Having relayed this, Shiori, too, was making free use of her time.

Thus, Shiori became interested in the drama Haruna was watching and sat on the tatami, resting her elbows on the low table, engrossed in viewing.

“But really, this guy is the worst.”

“Hmm, why?”

“He’s cheating with a new woman and trying to leave his wife.”

At Shiori’s words, Haruna scratched her head.

“It’s the mistress who’s bad here.”

“Why’s that?”

Tilting her head, Shiori looked at Haruna, picking up a chip.

“In the second season here, the husband and wife had a really good relationship in the first season.”

“And?”

Shiori listened to the backstory but still couldn’t clear her doubts.

To such Shiori, Haruna continuously relayed the facts.

“The wife, who fell in love with this husband at first sight, put in a lot of effort. They overcame various hardships and got married after dating… But then, she appeared.”

Haruna stared at the cute mistress on the screen.

“A thief cat skillfully stealing someone else’s man.”

“Did she steal him?”

“Yes. She captivated the husband’s heart with her cute looks and seduction.”

“…Then, the mistress is at fault.”

Convinced by Haruna’s explanation, Shiori revised her opinion.

“It’s my man now. You’ve been dumped. Just disappear.”

“How could you…”

“This woman is the lowest.”

“Yes, the lowest. The wife found the man first, and then this woman steals him away with such words.”

Shiori and Haruna, influenced by each other’s thoughts, harbored the same feelings.

Haruna wiped her oily hands with a wet tissue as the screen shifted to a commercial and stood up.

“Shiori, there’s something else I want to give you.”

“If it’s the order, I’ve already received it.”

“I’ve got some interesting research data recently, and I’ve made some serious equipment… um.”

During the commercial, Haruna pulled a trunk case from the closet and placed it in front of Shiori.

“I’ve customized it to pass the event’s equipment inspection. I want you to use it for the event.”

Haruna opened the case with excitement.

Inside was equipment with the same color scheme as the two guns she had handed over earlier.

“Is this…”

“Equipment made from the ability research data given by the professor.”

“Professor’s ability research… Are you talking about pseudo-replication?”

Knowing the professor’s research specialty, Shiori naturally arrived at that conclusion.

To her rounded eyes, Haruna hummed proudly.

“Did you make this from the professor’s data?”

“Yes! This is my greatest original work, not yet shown to the professor!”

Shiori slowly traced her finger over the case’s black and dark red equipment.

“It has a malevolent aura.”

“I aimed for a design that exudes a strong aura of corruption!”

“Corruption?”

“Never mind.”

Haruna covered her mouth with both hands at her slip of the tongue while Shiori stared at her as she closed the case and picked up her device.

“How much? I’ll transfer it to your account now.”

“About that… actually…”

As if that was her intention from the start, Haruna smoothly continued.

“Instead of payment… how about the ‘Prize Selection Right’ given to the top ten… is that too much to ask?”

The “Prize Selection Right” Haruna mentioned referred to the prizes awarded to the top ten excellent teams of the promotion.

Various prizes were available, from academic credits and travel vouchers to new devices and shining temptations for students.

“That’s fine… but do you have something specific in mind?”

As for Shiori, apart from Kaika and Sorato, she had little interest in the prizes.

She could say she’d give it away without consulting her team because the Prize Selection Right was awarded to each team member individually.

However, before agreeing, Shiori was curious about Haruna’s intentions, who seemed biased in her thinking.

“The My Room Acquisition Right!”

Haruna declared boldly, causing Shiori’s face to express confusion.

“That’s the right to get a room of your choice provided for free, right?”

Haruna nodded at Shiori’s words and glanced around the room.

“See, my room is messy. I’m running out of space, so I thought I’d like a new space…”

Shiori looked around the room at those words and placed a hand on her forehead.

“Just throw some things away.”

“No way! Everything here is like my child!”

Shiori sighed in exasperation to her friend, one of the few who referred to the clutter as her children.

But understanding it was not to her disadvantage, she decided.

“Fine, I’ll talk to the principal and transfer the Prize Selection Right to Haruna.”

“Yay! Then, ensure we get into the top ten, not necessarily win!”

“We have to win. Otherwise, it’s a mission failure.”

“Mission failure?”

“The drama’s starting.”

“Ah!”

As Shiori pointed her finger at the TV, Haruna hurriedly returned to her spot.

“Then, I’ll be using this equipment.”

“Ah, I can’t make a spare, so please take good care of it.”

“Eh?”

Without taking her eyes off the drama, Haruna’s remark made Shiori pause.

“The core… ah, that means…”

Haruna started to explain, then reconsidered, searching for words Shiori would understand.

“The ‘Critical Part’ inside was a prototype made by chance. I’ve finished collecting data to give you the body, but if it’s broken, I can’t make a new one.”

“Is it okay to give me something so important?”

Looking at the case on the table, Shiori reevaluated the value of its contents.

To such Shiori, Haruna, still not looking her way, said:

“Well, do your best.”

“Eh?”

After speaking, Haruna turned towards Shiori.

Seeing the surprised girl’s face, Haruna continued with a serious expression.

“You almost died in the last joint operation… I don’t want Shiori to disappear.”

The unexpected sentiment took Shiori aback. Haruna’s face, showing no slack, made Shiori slightly tense.

“Well, there’s a lot to think about, but Shiori is an irreplaceable presence to me.”

With those words, Haruna showed a smiling face, eyebrows lowered.

“I’m rooting for you, so do your best.”

Haruna’s simple words of encouragement were stored in Shiori’s heart, and she smiled broadly.