Chapter 9: Combat Training and the Start of Civil War

It’s been just over a month since I formed an alliance with Cyan and Anna.

We’ve been building our strength, preparing to bring the civil war to an end as quickly as possible. To put it simply, things have gone surprisingly well.

Even the moderates, who had always opposed fighting, came around once Cyan explained that war was now unavoidable. Almost everyone accepted it and steeled themselves for battle.

So this is the charisma Anna was talking about. No wonder they don’t want people to see Cyan’s usual idiotic side.

Anyway. I help out where I can, though sometimes I still end up with spare time—especially on rest days. Honestly, I’ve been cutting into my sleep, which is rough on this six-year-old body, but there’s no room for complaints. It’s worth giving everything I have.

And so, when I do find that extra time…

"Take this, take this, take this, take this!!! If you don’t dodge, you’ll just keep taking damage!!"

"No way anyone could dodge all that—gah!?"

Yep. Just like this, I’m training with Cyan at the Arius Children’s Training School. Mostly, I just get beaten up.

Instead of using a gun, Cyan pelts me with a storm of rubber balls. I’ve got real guns and bombs.

…And yet, somehow, rubber balls still manage to hurt a Kivotos body this much!?

"Come on!! Fight back! Use your head, get creative!! You’re weaker in every way, so you need to make up for it!!"

"Damn it—! Shit!!!"

"Trying to blind me with sand? Really? A single breath and I’ll blow it all away!!"

"That’s just a bluff!"

Scooping up sand, I set a bomb on the ground behind me and use the blast to launch myself forward in one burst.

"Ohh! Not bad, but… too soft!!!"

This damn gorilla!? Even a shotgun blast doesn’t faze her!?

"Alright, my turn now!!"

Cyan grabs my arm and flings me five meters into the air. She pulls her fist back tight at her waist—wait, hold on.

"Try and endure this!!!"

"Wait, if you hit me for real, I’ll—guhaaa!?"

I twist to dodge, but her punch is practically supersonic. It follows me anyway. There’s no avoiding it. I’m sent flying straight into the wall of the training grounds.

"That was seriously over the line."

"Totally."

"Hey, it’s training for real combat! If I don’t push that far, it won’t mean anything!"

Rubbing my stinging cheek in the cold night air, Anna and I ganged up on Cyan with complaints.

"I mean, the fact that little Suou can even fight like that is insane on its own… She’s already beyond me. Probably a bit stronger than the average Arius student too, right?"

"She’s not a ‘little girl,’ you know."

"…True, her tactics were impressive. But are you really serious? About joining the civil war?"

"…Yeah. I don’t want to just sit back and watch."

That’s right. Soon we’ll be the ones on the offensive, and the civil war will begin. I’ll be there too.

My body’s perfect for ambushes and surprise attacks. At first glance, I look like a child, which means I can slip through tight spaces and even lower people’s guard. But inside, I’ve got strength and intelligence no six-year-old could possibly have… probably… right? Even I’m starting to doubt that a little.

Still, the point is: if I stayed safe on the sidelines, I wouldn’t be able to accept that myself.

"Honestly, it will help a bit. You probably can’t hurt the Vice President, Saria, but… you could support Cyan, or ambush some of the stronger extremists if the chance comes up."

"Hey, are you really coming? It’s dangerous, you know? I can handle it on my own."

"Yeah, and you’re a hundred percent hopeless with strategy."

"Exactly, couldn’t agree more…"

"Both of you are so mean!! I’m being serious! I really am worried about Suou-chan! She looks like just a little kid, after all!"

…It’s nice that she worries about me, but still.

"And who was it that just slammed that ‘little kid’s’ face into the ground…?"

"Huh? But that’s fine, isn’t it? It’s training. If I don’t go all out, there’s no point."

"…"

…Well, I did ask her to. I just don’t get where her moral line is.

"Besides… I don’t think Suou-chan’s power is quite enough yet. Especially your offensive power."

"Offensive power, huh…"

People say that a lot, but I’m not really sure what to do about it.

"Yeah. You’re good at putting strength into your body, but not into your weapons. That’s why you can move fast and you’re hard to knock down, but… you’re lacking a real finishing blow."

…Putting strength into a weapon. Cyan says that all the time, but I never really understood what it meant.

I even asked Anna once, thinking it was just Cyan being her usual idiot self.

"Eh? Ah, no, that’s a normal thing, yeah. Pretty much all students do it. The amount of power you put in changes how strong your gun or bomb—or really any weapon—will be. And if you put strength into your body, you get stronger too."

So it wasn’t something unique to Cyan after all.

Could this be what the original story called “Mysticism”…? Even though with my body, I’m not consciously doing anything like that.

"That’s why I still think a shotgun suits you best, Suou-chan. You close the distance with hand-to-hand techniques, keep your opponent off-balance, then fire. The power’s high enough to deal real damage that way."

"When it comes to combat, Cyan-chan’s not dumb at all. Were you born a battle maniac or something? You don’t transform into a giant under the moon, do you?"

"I’m not some battle race…"

…So Dragon Ball references exist in this world too.

"Oh, and another thing!!! That stunt after the sand-blind!! Using the bomb to launch yourself forward! You can’t do that anymore, okay!? That’s seriously dangerous!!"

"Yeah, I was gonna bring that up too."

"What? Really? It’s not like I’m gonna die from it. It’s efficient and useful, I think."

Even if the enemy’s faster, I can use that move to close the gap.

"That’s not the point… You said you came from another world, right?"

"Yeah. In my world, if you get shot, you die."

"Exactly. Okay, you know soccer, right?"

"Yeah, but you don’t go poking holes in tsunamis with a ball or anything."

"I know that!! Sure, I only know soccer from manga, but I can still tell the difference between fiction and reality! …Anyway. Imagine this: you can’t quite reach the ball with your leg, so you dislocate your knee joint to stretch it farther. It won’t kill you, but it’s dangerous, and normally you just don’t do it."

"Ahh, I get it now?"

Yeah, a normal person wouldn’t do something like that.

It hurts like hell, and it’s risky.

…And honestly, my move hurts like hell too. Maybe it really isn’t such a good idea.

"And also, once you really learn how to put strength into your weapons, you’ll have to think about how much to put in each time. That makes it even more dangerous. One mistake and you could get seriously injured."

"But I heal quickly, don’t I?"

"Pain is still pain. And scars could be left behind too, you know?"

Hmm. That’s true… but at the same time, it’s not like I can afford to hold back. Still, I’ll keep it in mind.

"…Anyway, that’s enough training for today."

"Yeah. Besides, it’s about time we start the ambush plan… the civil war strategy. Though honestly, I’ve already got most of it worked out in my head."

"Then first, share that plan with—"

Share it with us.

Just as I was about to say that, it happened.

A deafening blast ripped through the air, rattling my organs. Not one or two—several, overlapping. The heat reached us even from here, and I had to clamp my hands over my ears against the roar.

"Ugh…!"

"H-hey… that sound, it’s coming from…!"

"…The Arius branch dorms, and the student residential area. In the middle of the night, there’s no way this is just some fight breaking out."

"No way… at this timing!?"

"If that’s the case, it’s a terrible move. Surprise attack or not, that’s why we spread the moderates’ forces across different quarters. Cyan-chan, how many blasts did you count?"

"Six. Close together."

"Then at most they’ll cut down a fraction of our forces. With the strength we have now, as long as we regroup, we’ll win without issue… What the hell are they thinking…?"

…Something feels wrong.

Cyan had predicted the extremists wouldn’t move for at least another three months. We still had nearly two. Sure, maybe our growing strength pushed them into rushing, but… why now, of all times?

"In any case, there’s no choice anymore. The battle’s begun. The civil war is starting."

"Tch… then first, I’ll gather everyone—"

"No, Cyan-chan. Leave that to me. You go with Suou… and if you can, take down the Vice President."

"…!"

"Right now, we are at a disadvantage. Buying time to regroup and rally our forces is the priority. She’ll already be in hiding, so just focus on cutting down their strength wherever possible. With you two, they won’t take you easily."

…Fine. It’s not like I wasn’t ready for this.

It just started earlier than expected, with an opening we didn’t foresee. That’s all.

"…Hey."

"I’m coming with you. Don’t even think of backing out now."

"…You must never leave my side."

"I know."

"On-site judgment will be up to Suou. For now, take down whoever set off these explosions, together with the moderates already there. I’ll contact them ahead. Once we’ve gathered our strength, we’ll follow immediately. But if the Vice President shows up, your top priority is to defeat and capture her."

"Got it."

"Yeah, leave it to us."

"…Listen. If things get bad—no, before they even get bad—you must retreat."

"Yeah."

"You too, Anna-chan… be careful."

I split off from Anna and Cyan, beginning my own preparations.

My first real fight. No rehearsal. No margin for failure.

The bullets trembled in my hand, almost too shaky to load.

"…Tch, get it together…!"

I slapped both cheeks, pinned my shaking hand with the other, and forced myself to keep working.

"I will win."

The vow, spoken to no one, faded into the empty night air.