Rokujouma no Shinryakusha!? - Volume 34 - Chapter 3

Unexpected Attack

Sunday, May 29th

Ruth was an alien—that much was common knowledge in Kisshouharukaze City. She’d appeared on TV alongside Theia several times now, so her identity was no longer a secret. The big reveal had caused quite a stir along the shopping street at first, but that was months ago now.

“Here, Ruth-chan, take some of this fish with you. It’s on the house.”

“Are you sure?!”

“As I recall, Theia-chan likes it.”

“Thank you very much!”

The fuss had long died down and everything was back to normal. The two years prior played a big part in that. Everybody in the neighborhood already knew Ruth was kind, earnest, and respectable. She spoke perfect Japanese and, alien or not, she was still a foreign transfer student at a local school. In essence, beyond the initial shock of her origins, she was just an ordinary girl.

Granted, there were those who had a harder time accepting it than others, but their confusion was only natural. There were also those who took what one might call a mercantile approach to things. Who would want to miss out on potential business by giving a star Forthorthian customer the cold shoulder, after all?

“Isn’t that nice, Ruth-san?”

“Yes!”

But beyond the befuddlement and self-interest, most everyone on the shopping street still treated Ruth like they always had. It seemed like a good omen for relations between Japan and Forthorthe. Ruth welcomed their kindness, both as their neighbor and as a public figure.

“Heehee... I think we should switch things up and make pizza tonight.”

“That’s a great idea, Ruth-san.”

Koutarou peered into their shopping bag. They were originally planning on making Chinese food for dinner, but between the bargain shopping they’d done and all the freebies they’d gotten today, a change of plans was in order. With just a few more ingredients, they’d be all set for pizza.

“We’ll need to buy some bacon and flour.”

“You’re gonna make the dough and everything, Ruth-san?”

“I figured I might as well. The sauce too.”

“Do you think we have enough tomatoes?”

“We have some reserves aboard the Hazy Moon.”

“I see, so you’re planning on using those up.”

“Heehee, that’s right.”

Ruth appeared to be in high spirits as she walked along with Koutarou, who had come to carry things for her. And the more stores they stopped at, the larger his load became. Ruth loved frequenting the local shops here on the shopping street, you see. There were people who preferred high-efficiency trips to the supermarket to get everything they needed in one place, but shopping that way made Ruth feel like she was back in Forthorthe. Meanwhile, coming here to visit individual stores, greet their shopkeepers, and smile at her neighbors was an experience completely unique to Kisshouharukaze City.

“Okay, I think that’s everything.”

Ruth dragged Koutarou everywhere from the big liquor store to the small foreign food mart. Between all their stops, it took over half an hour to cross everything off their list.

“All right, time to head home.”

“But Master... can you even see in front of you like that?”

“Through the gaps, yeah.”

Courtesy of Ruth’s shopping spree, Koutarou was now loaded down with a colossal bundle of groceries. Looking at him from the front, it appeared as though the groceries had sprouted Koutarou’s legs and were now walking around. With Sanae’s psychic enhancements, he barely minded the weight. The real problem was his field of vision, which was reduced to the tiny gaps between the packages in his arms. He could sense enough with his psychic powers, however, that he was at least certain he wouldn’t run into anyone.

“Master, let’s transfer to Hazy Moon for a moment.”

“Don’t worry. I can handle this.”

“You can’t! It’s dangerous!”

Koutarou walked forward with steady, confident steps, but Ruth was nervous. She knew he was only able to move so deftly around the people on the street because he could sense their auras—which meant he still needed to worry about bumps in the road, signs, and other inanimate obstacles.

“Besides, Master, I can’t see your face like this...”

“Ruth-san...”

“A-Anyways, let’s move somewhere more private!”

“O-Okay.”

The easiest way to get the groceries home was a transfer gate via the Hazy Moon. But since they couldn’t allow anyone to see unknown Forthorthian tech in action, they’d need to find a secluded place to use it. Thus they made their way into a back alley behind a line of shops.

This particular alley was only used by the occasional delivery truck. There were hardly ever any people around, so Ruth thought it would be the ideal place to set up a transfer gate. Unfortunately, however, it was also the perfect place for someone to spy on them...

At present, someone was indeed observing. Their original mission was simply to tail Koutarou and Ruth without being noticed, and the spy had shadowed their entire shopping trip by keeping their distance and blending in with the crowd. The mission, however, had since changed. When the spy reported that Koutarou and Ruth were now alone together, a new order came down: assassinate them.

“The distance is, um... 4,192 meters? I can’t get used to these Earth measurements...”

The change in objective was sudden, but the spy was prepared—for this “spy” was really a trained sniper. They’d already taken up a position atop a nearby building with an Earth-made rifle. It handled a little differently than the Forthorthian ones they were used to, but things would be more... convenient... if the murder weapon was an Earth-made firearm. Just like the plot against Nalfa, the main goal of this mission was to cause friction between the two planets.

“I guess this is the end of the famous Pardomshiha family...”

Ruth was currently centered in the rifle’s scope. The sniper’s ideal target was a Forthorthian, after all. There were two other reasons the sniper had her in their sights, however. The first was simply that it was hard to get a clear shot at Koutarou with all of the groceries he was carrying in the way. The second was that Ruth’s loss would be devastating.

After carefully scrutinizing the facts of the Forthorthian civil war, Vandarion’s remaining faction had reached an interesting conclusion. Beyond magic and psychic powers, which they still didn’t fully grasp, they believed their biggest threat wasn’t the Blue Knight or the empress’s battle-ready daughter, but rather Ruth—their data management specialist who was really running things behind the scenes.

Whenever Elfaria’s faction was in action, Theia generally decided their objectives and Kiriha would come up with a strategy to achieve them. Clan often assisted in the process, but it was Ruth who actually put said strategies into motion. She could aggregate troops and weapons, and account for weather, terrain, formations, and more.

So by shooting Ruth, Vandarion’s faction believed they’d be taking out Koutarou and company’s chief mastermind. It was all too easy to assume the Blue Knight and the princess were the stars of the group, but Ruth was essentially its nervous system.

“At this range, not even the Blue Knight will see it coming...”

Chak...

The sniper made their final adjustments and prepared to fire. In their hand was actually an anti-material rifle, an exceedingly powerful weapon with a normal range of between two and three kilometers. This particular rifle had been enhanced with Forthorthian modifications, however, so its actual range was well beyond that... an unthinkable distance for most Earth weapons. The sniper had no reason to worry about anyone finding them after the fact; no one would know to look this far away. A trained Forthorthian soldier might, but there certainly weren’t any stationed in the suburbs of Earth.

That meant the only real risk was whatever equipment and abilities that Koutarou and Ruth currently had on them, but the extreme distance between them and the sniper alleviated such concerns. The sniper was quite confident they would be able to walk away when the deed was done, leaving their pursuers to search for them in vain.

“Sniping with a domestic weapon... It’s a strange mission, but I need to stay on guard until it’s done.”

The sniper put their finger over the trigger and held their breath. They’d already taken wind speed and direction, temperature, and range into account. Their crosshairs were set slightly above and to the left of Ruth’s head—a guaranteed bullet between the eyes. The sniper would just take a few seconds to steady themselves and then take the shot.

Sorry, but this is the end for you...

The sniper slowly and steadily squeezed their trigger finger inward. It only took a moment, but it was the longest moment imaginable to the sniper. That was when something strange happened...

Bang!

“What?!”

Just as the sniper fired, Ruth disappeared from their scope—in other words, the assassination was a failure. Rounds fired from the anti-material rifle moved at a terrifying 1,000 meters per second, meaning it would take all of four seconds to travel the four kilometers between them... but Ruth was already gone. The startled sniper released their rifle and turned to their support computer, which had recorded the sniping attempt. The sniper played it back, and...

“Huh?!”

When they saw the footage for themselves, they were absolutely stunned. The Blue Knight had suddenly pulled Ruth out of the way of the speeding bullet. That was shocking enough all on its own, but the live feed was just as astonishing.

The Blue Knight is looking right this way!

It was as plain as day. The Blue Knight was now looking straight at the sniper as he held Ruth close in a protective embrace.

Thwack!

Right on schedule, a small hole appeared in the ground just next to Koutarou. The bullet had finally reached its mark, but the sniper didn’t care in the moment. They were nearly frozen on the spot, still stunned by this unthinkable turn of events.

Koutarou had noticed the sniper when they held their breath—an act that made their killing intent quite clear. Koutarou’s psychic powers allowed him to see the trajectory of the attack aimed straight at Ruth’s forehead. It was coming from some distance away, but it would clearly be deadly.

“Ruth-san!”

Koutarou didn’t hesitate to throw the groceries aside and reach for Ruth. When he did, the killing intent grew even stronger. The attack was imminent.

“Let me make it!”

It was all Koutarou could do to try to get Ruth out of the way. He knew he only had a precious few seconds to save her given the intensity of the killing intent, and the clarity of the incoming attack told him the attacker wasn’t going to miss.

“M-Master?!”

Fortunately for both of them, Ruth offered no resistance. Though surprised by Koutarou’s sudden actions, she let him do as he pleased. The idea of refusing him never even crossed her mind as he firmly embraced her.

“We’re under attack!”

“What?!”

Momentarily ignoring the shocked Ruth, Koutarou immediately started searching out the source of the killing intent. The projection of an attack changed based on the weapon. Swords rendered sweeping arcs and dragon’s breath almost a cone shape. This one had been a perfectly straight line—a trajectory unique to advanced projectile weapons. Koutarou traced the line to its origin and...

“Over there?! It’s coming from that far away?!”

He detected the attacker on the roof of a building over four kilometers away—a remarkable distance given that the world record for longest-range sniper shot stood at just over three and half kilometers. Koutarou didn’t know that specifically, but even so, the shot seemed unbelievably far to him... which gave him a hunch as to who might be behind it.

Thwack!

That was when a hole a couple of centimeters in size opened up in the asphalt just next to where they were standing. Sniper rounds typically traveled at around a thousand meters per second, and this one had taken just over four seconds to reach them. Koutarou was grateful; it had given him time to react and save Ruth.

“A-A sniper?!” she squealed in surprise.

“Ruth-san, it’s Vandarion’s faction!” Koutarou declared.

He didn’t think anyone else could be responsible for the attack. He hadn’t sensed any spiritual energy or mana from the bullet, yet it had come from an incredible distance. It had to be the result of Forthorthian technology, and the only enemy faction that fit such a bill was the remnants of Vandarion’s army.

“We’re moving!”

“Kyah!”

Koutarou picked Ruth up and took off running. He knew they needed cover, but given that they were up against an anti-material rifle, he knew they’d need more than that to fully protect themselves.

Thwack!

Immediately after they took off running, a second hole opened up in the street behind them. It was where they’d just been standing, meaning they both could’ve been killed if they’d stayed still.

That was close... Wait, did they want us to run?!

With the second shot, Koutarou picked up on the sniper’s intention. Upon realizing they were being shot at, he’d instinctively run in the same direction he’d initially pulled Ruth. It was the sensible, practical thing to do. Just down the street was a vending machine they could use for cover, and they were still under fire. He wanted to make it to safety, but if the sniper’s second shot was an attempt to force his hand...

Koutarou couldn’t shake the thought, so he opted for a quick change of plans. He stopped running and set Ruth down.

“My swords!”

Thwack!

When he did, a shot landed just in front of the vending machine.

I knew it was a trap!

By taking a second shot at them, the sniper was trying to drive them to the closest source of cover for safety. If the sniper knew where they were running, after all, they could line up a shot and take them out before they reached their goal. It was a risky strategy that would take great skill to pull off at this distance, but this sniper was more than capable.

Which means next, they’ll...

Given what he now knew, Koutarou was able to anticipate the sniper’s next move. He braced himself and, just as he expected, four straight lines came right for them. Since Koutarou had seen through their lure plan, the sniper was now moving to cut off their escape.

“I’m counting on you, Signaltin! Saguratin!”

Thanks to the spiritual energy circuitry Sanae had wired in Koutarou’s body, his physical abilities were far beyond that of a normal person. But even so, he couldn’t reliably dodge sniper rounds while carrying Ruth without his armor. That being the case, he’d chosen to take the defensive with his two swords, which appeared at his command and shielded him with a barrier of magical yellow light.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

Three shots bored into the asphalt around them, but the fourth struck true.

Ping!

It smashed into the barrier and destroyed it, but the impact was enough to alter the bullet’s trajectory. It grazed Koutarou’s cheek, but he and Ruth were otherwise free from harm. Koutarou’s ability to read the incoming attack had protected them more than the actual barrier. Without it, they would have been in serious trouble.

“All right!”

Following the attack, Koutarou grabbed Ruth again and made a run for cover. The shots seemed to stop after the magical shield was broken, most likely because the sniper was out of bullets. Most anti-material rifles had limited ammo capacity in exchange for increased range and power.

“Master, I’m sending an unmanned craft toward the sniper!”

Once they got to safety, Ruth began her counterattack. She tapped away on her bracelet while still in Koutarou’s arms, sending a small fighter drone to the roof of the building where the sniper was camped out. Koutarou hadn’t told her the sniper’s location; she’d intuited it herself when his swords appeared. When he called for them, you see, the crest on Ruth’s forehead began glowing, uniting her mind with his.

“I’m counting on you, Ruth-san!”

Ruth had already called her drone from the Hazy Moon’s transfer gate, so by the time Koutarou replied to her, it was already scanning the roof for the enemy. Koutarou, meanwhile, kept on the move. They were up against an anti-material rifle, so staying stationary behind a single vending machine wouldn’t protect them. Who knew what other tricks the sniper might have up their sleeve? Koutarou was going to play it safe until he knew for sure.

“Um... Master...”

“We’ve gotta keep running, Ruth-san! Just hang in there!”

“Um, okay, but...”

Ruth’s cheeks were bright red. She was obviously embarrassed over being carried, but that wasn’t the only reason.

“Are you hurt?” Koutarou asked.

“No, um... I’ll tell you later, so for now...”

Ruth looked down and leaned against Koutarou as she clung to him. Because their minds were now united via her crest, she knew more than just the enemy’s position. She could feel the intensity of his emotions, and right now, all he was thinking about was how much he couldn’t bear to lose her.

All snipers were trained to move after taking a shot. Because of the simple trajectory of their weapons, they were easy to locate after the fact—and thus easy to counterattack. That was why they were taught to shoot and run, both on Earth and Forthorthe.

Forthorthians had even more means of detecting attacks and retaliating. Ruth had employed one such method by immediately sending a drone to the sniper’s location. Having an escape plan in advance to avoid such counterattacks was an important part of surviving as a sniper.

“I’m glad you made it back in one piece, Fasta. You’re the best sniper we have,” said Ralgwin with a smile.

The mission had been an abject failure, but he didn’t raise a fuss over it. His uncle would have raged, screaming at his subordinate at the top of his lungs for returning emptyhanded—but not Ralgwin. In that sense, he was the superior commander.

“I bear the responsibility for the failure of this mission. I will accept any punishment,” the sniper replied in a stiff tone.

The sniper removed their mask as they addressed their leader, revealing the face of a young woman. Her exact age wasn’t entirely clear, but she looked young enough to be called a girl, even. In spite of that, however, she looked ice cold. She knew that Ralgwin always remained calm, but also knew he could punish with a smile. She didn’t take his words at face value.

“Now, now... Be at ease, Fasta. I sent you on this mission knowing it would fail.”

“What...?”

Fasta was shocked to hear Ralgwin say that. Considering his careful attitude, she was confident that he’d meant for her to succeed.

“That was why I sent you with the spiritual energy stealth device.”

Indeed, Fasta had safely been able to return to Ralgwin because of the stealth device he’d given her. After firing all seven shots, Fasta acted according to plan and fled the scene. She was long gone by the time Ruth’s drone reached the rooftop. Fasta’s escape hinged on making it down to the street as soon as possible. Forthorthian drones excelled at pursuit, and with Ruth’s exceptional operational skills, hers outperformed even their military-grade counterparts.

That said, Forthorthian drones were still proprietary technology that couldn’t be used in public on Earth. Ruth would have been able to pin Fasta down if she’d caught her on the roof, but she couldn’t pursue her into town. So by the time Fasta hit the streets, Koutarou and Ruth were forced to look for her themselves—and Fasta took advantage of that. She knew their search would be slow and inaccurate, and the stealth device allowed her to make her getaway unnoticed.

In truth, if Ralgwin had expected the mission to succeed, he wouldn’t have sent her with the stealth device in the first place. Ruth would have been dead, and Koutarou would’ve been left with no way to pursue the assassin. Fasta would have had plenty of time to escape at her leisure.

“But why would you send me on a mission you knew would fail...?”

“You were up against the Blue Knight, Fasta. Lord Vandarion himself demonstrated that he cannot be beaten by ordinary means. Instead, our goal this time around was simply to gather data on him. The death of that Pardomshiha girl would have simply been a bonus.”

“I see...”

Fasta finally understood Ralgwin’s motives. He simply wanted to know how the Blue Knight would respond to a sniper, and taking out a key target in the process would be like killing two birds with one stone. Once Fasta realized that, she thought it was a very Ralgwin-like plan. And because the plan ultimately wasn’t a failure after all, she wouldn’t be punished for it.

“I admit, however, I never expected him to evade a sniper’s bullets...” Ralgwin mused with an abhorrent expression.

That was the only part of Fasta’s report that surprised him. At most, he’d expected Koutarou to block Fasta’s shots. He’d witnessed footage of Koutarou’s powerful defensive capabilities and even clever diversions using holograms... yet, this time, Koutarou had literally dodged a bullet. Such a feat wasn’t impossible at relatively close ranges with good timing and a keen eye for muzzle flashes, but Koutarou had evaded a sniper shot with absolutely no warning ahead of time. It was enough to frustrate any enemy.

“Ralgwin-sama, may I speak?” Fasta asked.

“Go ahead,” he agreed.

“I have no concrete evidence to support it, so I didn’t mention it earlier... but I don’t think the Blue Knight dodged after I fired. To me, it seemed like he moved even before I took the shot.”

It was merely a hunch on Fasta’s part, so she couldn’t conclusively record it in her official report—it would only sound like an excuse. Now that she understood Ralgwin’s true intentions for this mission, however, it seemed like critical information.

“Before you took the shot, you say?” Ralgwin inquired with a sharp look in his eyes.

He’d heard that Vandarion’s mechanical dragon had incorporated technology capable of predicting the future. It was supposedly DKI’s handiwork, but what Fasta was saying suggested that Koutarou and company had their hands on it as well.

“Yes, I could hardly believe my eyes. So, might I ask about the data analysis? Is it true? Did the Blue Knight really move before I fired?”

Fasta had taken a support computer on her mission that recorded her every move and various other data. Analyzing that would determine whether or not Fasta’s hunch was right.

“How about it, operator?” Ralgwin asked, turning to another subordinate in the room.

He himself was curious about the answer and waited patiently as the operator pulled up data from the mission for all to see.

“It’s hard to believe... but it seems you were right, Fasta. The Blue Knight did indeed move before you fired.”

By comparing the timestamp on the video footage against Fasta’s firing record, it was objectively clear that Koutarou had acted before she pulled the trigger.

“What a monster... How are we supposed to beat him, then?” Fasta breathed.

If he’d moved when the shot was fired or immediately after, that would have been one thing... But Koutarou had actually preempted her fire. Only Fasta herself should have known when exactly she was going to pull the trigger. That wasn’t the kind of thing you could intuit by looking at someone. Moreover, he shouldn’t have even been able to see her from several kilometers away.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” Ralgwin cautioned. “We’re talking about a legendary hero. This is the least he’s capable of.”

“But—”

“Just calm down, Fasta. Once we expose the secrets of his power, we’ll be able to use it for ourselves.”

In stark contrast to the stunned and dejected Fasta, Ralgwin seemed to be enjoying himself. The Blue Knight’s mysterious powers had confounded him before, but he now felt like, bit by bit, he was getting closer to uncovering them. The spiritual energy stealth device was the first step in the right direction. So, in Ralgwin’s eyes, this development was no discouragement. If anything, it was proof they needed to press forward.

“Well done, Fasta. Failure is not on your shoulders. You performed splendidly.”

“Thank you...” Fasta conceded.

In truth, she was reluctant to take the praise. Her emotions were roiling inside of her. She felt like she was fighting a ghost. An impossible opponent.

“Our victory is only a matter of time. We have several options to explore,” Ralgwin declared.

“Really?”

“Heh heh heh... Just you watch. You will have cause for celebration soon enough.”

Indeed, unlike Fasta, Ralgwin felt he had the Blue Knight pegged. Regardless of what tricks he might have up his sleeve, he was only human. And thanks to Fasta’s mission, Ralgwin now had additional insight into his powers. Indeed, he thought, it was only a matter of time. A self-satisfied smirk crossed his lips accordingly.

Kiriha theorized that the enemy had made an attempt on Ruth’s life after identifying her as their highest-priority target. The remnants of Vandarion’s faction were their last holdout on Earth. They were now isolated from their main force, which had already surrendered in Forthorthe. Minor skirmishes were still taking place all over the galaxy, but there was no one to reinforce or resupply Ralgwin and his men in this distant corner of the universe. He was also cut off from his information network. That meant his greatest threat now was someone who had an advantage over him in terms of intelligence.

Without the support of the military, Ralgwin and his men were effectively reduced to a terrorist organization. They functioned on a relatively small scale and had to source all of their needs locally. Preparations for major attacks were extensive. They’d have to make strategic alliances with like-minded people while simultaneously keeping their interests in check with what limited supplies they had. Their entire operation could fall apart if someone stuck their nose where they shouldn’t... and that was exactly the kind of thing Ruth was good at.

She was a skilled remote intelligence operative who excelled at gathering, managing, and analyzing all kinds of information. Discovering the enemy’s trade networks, secret funds, information channels, close associates, or even their base would be fatal for them. In other words, in a discreet battle like this, Ruth was their greatest adversary.

“Ruth’s skillset is all the more valuable in our current situation. If I were their leader, I would target her first as well,” Kiriha explained.

“You think too highly of me...” Ruth protested.

“Haha, hardly! It’s true that I have the best retainers in all the universe!” Theia declared proudly.

She was pleased—thrilled, even—and happily acted as though she’d been praised herself. Really, she was over the moon that her childhood friend had become such a valuable member of the team. But that wasn’t all. Theia was already coming up with plans to protect Ruth, too.

“There’s also the matter of that spiritual energy stealth device,” Clan added, quick to bring up the technical aspect of the problem at hand.

“What do you mean?” Theia asked.

“The stealth device Vandarion’s faction has is inferior to what the haniwas use, right?”

“Oh, that’s right. We did talk about that... Is it true, haniwas?”

“It’s antiquated, ho!”

“It’s outdated technology from several decades ago, ho!”

“See? That’s all the more reason to go after Pardomshiha—they want to level the playing field by weakening our intelligence network.”

Detecting and pursuing enemies was more than just a matter of having technology capable of doing so. They still needed a skilled operator capable of controlling the relevant devices and interpreting the information they provided. So if Vandarion’s faction was behind in terms of technology, the easiest way to get even with Elfaria’s faction was to take out their operator—Ruth.

“Now that you mention it, we’d be in a lot of trouble without her. Who would do all the shopping?” chimed in Sanae.

“Ruth-san is the only one who knows everything that’s in the fridge, too!” added Yurika.

Their remarks were wholly unrelated, but it was indeed true that Ruth was responsible for managing food resources in the apartment. She was the best at it, after all. With so many people now coming and going from the apartment, keeping the kitchen stocked was quite a chore. A few days without her would be a disaster for room 106. Kiriha and Harumi would have to work double time together in order to pick up the slack.

“More importantly, this means Ruth-san needs to be guarded,” Koutarou said with a serious expression. “But so do Kiriha-san, Sakuraba-senpai, and our other brains.”

One of his worst fears was becoming reality. If the enemy intentionally targeted their key strategists and thinkers, their group would fall apart. They’d already come for Ruth, and Koutarou couldn’t bear to sit by when he knew more attacks would likely be coming. Kiriha, Harumi, and Clan weren’t the only ones at risk, either. Taking them out would be an easy way to paralyze the group, but in truth, all of the girls were in danger. So Koutarou felt that there was a need to rethink and strengthen their defenses.

“Heehee...”

Hearing his concerns, Ruth couldn’t help smiling. She understood his feelings better than anyone because they’d been connected during the attack earlier, and Koutarou’s desire to protect Ruth was now projected onto everyone. It was a wonderful thing. It had kept her calm and hopeful even when her life was in danger, and she was happy to share that joy with the other girls.

“Ooh! I have an idea!” piped up Shizuka as she raised her hand. She shared Koutarou’s concerns, but had already come up with a plan. “Why don’t we pair off, brains and brawns?”

They would still have to iron out the details of their new defenses, but they couldn’t do anything in the meantime without basic precautions. That was why Shizuka was petitioning a buddy system, pairing up the stronger members of the group with the weaker ones so that no one was ever alone and unprotected.

“On top of that, whenever we go anywhere open that a sniper attack might be a possibility, we need to equip military-grade barriers. If possible, I’d like protection against spiritual energy and magic too,” Theia suggested.

A sudden ambush was one thing, but not even she could defend against continuous heavy fire. They’d need adequate preparations in advance, for they’d need them at a moment’s notice if it came to that.

“We shouldn’t go anywhere unless we have to until official defensive arrangements are made,” Harumi added—a cautious plan true to her careful nature.

“To summarize, then, as of today, you should never be alone, you should always carry a barrier with you, and you shouldn’t go out unless you really need to,” Maki concluded, reviewing the points everyone had made thus far.

There was a limit to what the group could accomplish on their own, but these basic measures were better than nothing while they pooled resources and made other plans.

“Yeah. Most importantly, no going off on your own for some inexplicable reason like they do in horror movies,” Koutarou cautioned, specifically looking at the more careless girls in the group.

“I’ve always wondered why they do that! Someone always goes alone even though it’s dangerous,” Sanae said with an emphatic nod.

In reality, however, she was one of the girls Koutarou was most worried about. She could be impulsive and often let her emotions get the better of her. She might even run off on her own without realizing what she’d done.

“It’s just that kind of story,” Yurika explained. “Nothing happens otherwise.”

Incidentally, she was the other girl Koutarou was extremely worried about. She was even worse than Sanae in terms of keeping her wits about her. Koutarou could easily imagine her getting lost and ending up alone. Everyone—aside from Sanae and Yurika herself—agreed they’d have to keep an eye on her.

“Shizuka will be fine on her own. I am constantly protecting her, after all.”

“But her weight would skyrocket if you had to stop a bullet from an anti-material rifle, wouldn’t it?” Koutarou asked.

“I don’t want that!” Shizuka shrieked.

The sniping incident created ripples for Koutarou and the girls—ripples that started small, but would ultimately become great waves. Koutarou foresaw the rough waters ahead of them and thus decided to take matters into his own hands before it was too late. He believed that Ruth was a priority target because he and the other girls relied too heavily on her extraordinary abilities. She’d accomplished a great deal for them and, as a result, stood out even to the enemy. If he tried just a little more himself, he thought, perhaps he could distract the enemy’s attention. As for how he intended to do that...

“Clan, I’d like to learn how to use a Forthorthian computer.”

His first idea was to learn Forthorthian technology for himself. He at least wanted to learn enough that he could relieve some of the burden on Ruth and allow her to focus her attention on other things like defending herself.

“What’s this all of a sudden, Veltlion?”

“Ruth-san’s being targeted because she handles all of our intelligence, right?”

“Well, that much is true.”

Clan was also an integral part of their intelligence network, but her specialties were primarily decryption and hacking. Ruth handled virtually everything else, so she couldn’t argue with Koutarou’s assessment.

“So the more I can do, the safer Ruth-san will be.”

“That’s... pretty insightful coming from you.”

Clan glanced down and then smiled at Koutarou. She didn’t know if Koutarou could actually do any of Ruth’s work for her—she was just that amazing with a computer. But Koutarou clearly wanted to help, and Clan couldn’t deny his goodwill. There was always a chance he might surprise her. The vacuum tube in her hands was proof of that.

“But listen, Clan, I don’t want to get in the way of your work. I came to ask if you know anyone who could teach me.”

Koutarou had considered asking Clan at first. She certainly knew her way around a computer, but she was terribly busy. Ever since diplomatic relations had been established between Earth and Forthorthe, she’d been serving as a technical advisor on Forthorthe’s side. So, out of deference to her workload, Koutarou simply came to see if she knew anyone who would be good for the job.

“Someone to teach you computers? Hold on...”

Clan did a quick search for qualified candidates and scrutinized the results with a serious expression. A list of names and faces was scrolling down her screen.

“I’m serious, Clan, so I’m counting on—”

“I’ll teach you, Master.”

Just then, Ruth herself entered the room and volunteered to take on the job. Ruth was always reserved, so it was rare for her to speak up so—and even rarer for her to interject herself in a conversation like this.

“I don’t want to put any more of a burden on you, Ruth-san.”

Her offer was generous, but given that Ruth’s circumstances weren’t much different from Clan’s, Koutarou couldn’t bring himself to accept.

“I will teach you, Master,” she said with a smile.

It was no different from the same gentle smile she always wore, but Koutarou could feel an unusual determination behind it. There was also something compelling about the extra emphasis she’d used.

“I-If you’d be so kind...”

Overwhelmed by the strange force coming from Ruth, Koutarou found himself nodding in agreement. He still had reservations about this plan, but he was now powerless to object.