Chapter 11: The Door Behind the Shield

To be honest, Aomori Mine was one of my favorite characters in Blue Archive.

Sure, her inflexible personality often landed her in tricky situations, but that very stubbornness, courage, and resolve made her all the more captivating.

But…

“Hmm… it seems there’s some kind of misunderstanding?”

“No more talk! Here I come!”

Right now, being on the receiving end of her wrath was just making me feel utterly wronged.

…This is so unfair!

BOOM!

“Fufu, that’s dangerous.”

Mine’s shield smashed into the spot where I’d just been standing, leaving a massive crater.

She quickly regained her stance, glaring at me.

“With the pride of the Sisterhood, I will protect Seia-sama from you!”

“Oh, so there’s a girl named Seia here? But I only just heard that name. Aren’t you accusing a shadow brushed by the wind of being a criminal?”

“Enough with your brazen lies! You found this place and broke the seal to enter—how could you not know who’s here?!”

Bang! Bang!

Brushing off my protest—tinged with an unintended metaphor—Mine fired her shotgun at me in rapid succession.

I didn’t know it was a seal! Okay, I did know Seia was here in a roundabout way, so it’s not entirely a lie!

“Hmm…”

Thankfully, Mine’s attacks were surprisingly manageable.

Kaoru’s body, which I was earnestly controlling for the first time, displayed astonishing reflexes.

Swish.

Each time Mine’s muzzle flashed, my body instinctively stepped out of the line of fire, as if anticipating my intent.

Ping!

The occasional stray fragment that grazed me only stung slightly, suggesting I had durability on par with Kivotos’s residents.

…Was Kaoru designed as an evasion tank in the original game?

Thanks to this, I had just enough breathing room to entertain such random thoughts.

“Hah!”

Realizing gunfire wouldn’t subdue me, Mine charged again, swinging her shield.

“Oh my, dangerous!”

CRASH!

Dodging narrowly, I watched as the wall she hit shattered, leaving a gaping hole.

…She can actually do that.

The surreal sight of a high school girl pulverizing concrete with a riot shield reminded me of the danger I was in.

Desperate to turn the situation around, I reached out.

Grab.

“What are you…?”

I targeted Mine’s shotgun, which she was preparing to fire at close range.

I’d learned recently, while picking out my gun with Sensei, that most firearms I touched inexplicably malfunctioned.

If that applied to others’ weapons too…

Click.

As expected, whether it was a curse or some supernatural quirk, Mine’s shotgun misfired with a strange sound when she pulled the trigger.

“Ugh, now of all times…?”

Caught off guard by her weapon’s failure, Mine’s eyes widened.

“Fufu, sorry. It seems that one broke.”

Relieved at neutralizing her primary weapon, I tried to open a dialogue again.

“Now, shall we talk a bit—”

“Haaap!”

Whoosh!

“Oh my?”

Without hesitation, Mine gripped the shotgun’s barrel like a hammer and swung it at me, forcing me to duck.

CRUNCH!

Barely dodging, I felt debris from the shattered wall above rain down, awestruck by the zeal of this so-called “Warrior in White.”

Who just swings a broken gun like a club?!

“Fufufu… that was really close.”

“Don’t underestimate me!”

As I caught my breath, Mine adjusted her grip on the shield and shotgun—now makeshift bludgeons—and prepared to charge again.

Disabling her gun didn’t work. What now… oh!

Pondering my next move against an opponent showing no signs of stopping, I remembered the weapon still strapped to my back.

Kaoru’s primary weapon, the sword, was out of the question—I had a primal aversion to attacking someone with a blade, and I didn’t even know how to draw it properly.

Instead, I grabbed the revolver, a weapon I could use without hesitation in Kivotos, and aimed at Mine.

It’s a flintlock, so just pull the trigger, right?

Yuuka loaded it for practice, and I haven’t used it since, so it should have one shot…

BANG!

As I pulled the trigger, a spark flashed, and a distinctive gunshot echoed through the corridor.

Clang!

“No chance!”

Despite the old gun’s surprising power at close range, Mine effortlessly blocked the shot with her shield, unflinching.

“…Tch.”

Unfazed by the shot’s lack of effect, I immediately copied Mine’s earlier tactic to catch her off guard.

“What?!”

I hurled my now-empty revolver at her like a rock.

Though unintentional, since I’d forced open the “sealed” door Mine mentioned, I figured this body’s strength was considerable.

WHOOSH!

…Whoosh?

Even I froze at the bizarre whistling sound as the chunk of metal flew like a missile, producing a far more dramatic result than expected.

CRASH!

“—Kyaa?!”

With a deafening roar, like a truck ramming through, Mine was sent flying backward, shield and all.

As the stalwart Sisterhood leader let out an unexpectedly girlish scream and collapsed, I rushed forward, pinning her wrists to the ground before she could recover.

“Ugh?!”

Thud.

Straddling Mine, slightly shorter than me, I watched her shield and shotgun slip from her hands as her back hit the floor.

Having finally disarmed her, I caught my breath and spoke slowly to the struggling girl beneath me.

“Fufufu… it seems… I’ve won?”

“Huff… huff… ugh…”

Panting heavily and glaring at me with frustration from a head’s distance away.

Glancing aside, I saw her shield, dented where my revolver struck, lying on the ground.

…I did that?

Stunned by the unreal strength hidden in this delicate body, I noted that, surprisingly, my old revolver looked unscathed despite the impact.

Must be because it’s just a hunk of metal…

“Fufu… listen,”

Sweeping my slightly damp lavender hair back—less sweaty than Mine’s drenched state—I tried to explain myself properly.

“…I don’t want to fight you anymore. Can you calm down and hear me out?”

“How dare you try to coerce me with honeyed words! The Sisterhood’s will shall never bend to the likes of you!”

“…”

Ugh, this stubborn mule.

Her outright refusal to even communicate left me inwardly fuming.

What now? I got this far by luck since she underestimated me, but I’m out of weapons…

Wait, I do have one left.

Recalling the “real” weapon still on my back, I cautiously considered using it.

I didn’t know how to wield the sword, nor did I want to use it on someone, but… maybe I could use the hilt as a bludgeon, like before? Just to knock her out…

“If you won’t stay still, I’ll have no choice, you know?”

“Ugh…!”

As I reached for the sword’s hilt with an unintended smirk, preparing to act,

“…Stop!”

“…?”

A frail cry echoed through the corridor where we’d been clashing, halting both Mine and me as we turned toward the sound.

There stood a small, sickly-looking fox girl with long blonde hair trailing to the floor, staring at us.

Clearly having emerged from the door Mine had closed earlier, she leaned against the wall for support, dressed in sweat-dampened pajamas as if she’d just woken up.

That’s… Seia?

“Seia-sama…?”

Recognizing her as quickly as I did, Mine struggled harder, shouting urgently.

“It’s dangerous here! I’ll hold her off, so please evacuate—”

“No… that’s not necessary, Mine.”

“What…?”

Seia’s soft but steady reply stopped Mine’s movements cold.

Despite her flushed cheeks and sweat-beaded forehead—clear signs of illness—Seia shifted her gaze to me and continued.

“That person… is the guest I’ve been waiting for.”

“Oh my…”

Seia was waiting for me? Then the voice I heard before entering…

“I’m sorry for not waking to tell you sooner, Mine. But… this was already part of the future I foresaw…”

Looking as fragile as if she might collapse, Seia apologized to Mine before turning to me with a faint smile.

“…It’s our first meeting, Itokonoue Kaoru.”

Her voice, one I’d never heard before, even as a dedicated Blue Archive player.