Chapter 11: Different than me.

Jay/Bronya POV

Tokisaki Kurumi. The second spirit I met, and it had to be an unsettling type. Just my luck.

The alley is narrow. With my weapons, there’s nowhere for her to escape if I decide to fire, yet she shows no caution. She was smiling like I’d walked right into her trap. Creepy.

"Won't you introduce yourself? You already know my name, so it's only fair, don't you think so?"

"...Bronya"

"Hmm... Bronya, is it~?"

She repeats my name softly, like tasting it.

"Giving only your first name? Then I suppose... I'll allow you to do the same. Just call me Kurumi."

She bows politely, her movements slow.

"Let's see if we can stay on good terms. Shall we~?"

I quietly deploy drones to check the area. Someone like her doesn’t seem the type to walk in alone without a plan. I wouldn't be surprised if she pulled an ambush out of nowhere, so it's better to be safe than sorry. She steps closer. Wait, what is that…?

"Yes, this power of yours is... unique. Not only that, but to make such a good barrier, we could fight at full strength, and no one would know, right?"

"..."

I stay silent, glaring at her. But the smile on her face doesn't change as she continues speaking.

"Did you see that broken toy?"

"...Why did you kill him?"

There was a corpse behind her, mangled and full of large holes. Looking at the state of this body, I almost couldn't believe it was human.

"Oh, don't be like this. If you knew what kind of things he did, you'd know I was doing the world a favor."

She steps closer, completely ignoring my cannons aiming at her. What is she trying to do? Is she simply crazy? I should attack... But if I do, she will... I...

No.

Calm down.

Yes, there isn't a perfect target on her to safely stop her like I did with Idiotka and her friends. I instinctively know my power is far too destructive, and even spirits can be fatally wounded if they are hit directly by those blasts...

But I'm familiar with all of Bronya's skills. She is more than just a laser cannon user since her abilities go far beyond just that. I take a deep breath and dismiss the bunny cannons... Even Project Bunny 'disappears.'

Kurumi looks a little surprised but still talks in a nonchalant way.

"Hmm, do you trust I did the right thing? Maybe we can be friends after all... Why don't you introduce me to that human friend of yours? He looks delicious. I would love to play with him."

… So she knows I was with Shido? This girl, I'm not sure why, but I feel she wants me to be angry. So I have to stay calm… I slowly shake my head.

"Bronya will stop you."

“Hm~?”

She tilts her head as she lifts her hand slowly, now holding something. A flintlock pistol. Is that her Angel? She wasn't aiming at me yet, just making it known, perhaps trying to scare me.

“So, you won’t just fire those weapons at me… very cautious. I like that.”

Her tone remains calm, but I can tell she is very cautious of me. Her gaze never leaves me, not for a second. Now that I see she doesn't know everything, the pressure I was feeling has decreased somewhat, and my mind has cleared up a little.

“But if you want to stop me, I wonder… how will you use that power of yours? I need to see. Just a little demonstration.”

You want to know how I will defeat you? If my weapons are off-limits, there is only one way.

"Bronya..."

I look her dead in the eyes.

"...Is going to punch you."

Kurumi’s eyes widened just slightly, a faint twitch in her hand holding the flintlock. For the briefest moment, her composure faltered.

“Well… That’s… Barbaric.”

She says softly, tilting her head. Her voice carried a mixture of disbelief and dry amusement. Since this is the first time she lost composure, I feel a small sense of pride.

“Perhaps… perhaps we really can't be friends after all.”

She raises her weapon with precision, and time appears to slow for me as I concentrate.

As her finger twitches, I move.

Bang

The sound of her gun tears through the narrow alley.

But it hits nothing.

While she was surprised, she recovers quickly, eyes darting up to find me on the wall, sprinting straight at her

She quickly aims at me once more, but I can see the bullet trajectory, where she will aim. I see her fingers tense up, and I jump once more. The sound of the gun echoes once more, but the bullet didn't even get close to me.

Considering I was used to fighting more like a 'mage,' I nearly forgot Bronya is a trained soldier, so close combat is also one of 'my' domains.

The space between both of us shrinks quickly, and I prepare my 'secret weapon.' Construct ready... Now!

"You are... What?!"

She wasn't shocked by my speed. She was shocked by my weapon. Her weapon. Her Angel

A perfect copy of her flintlock aimed at her head. With no hesitation I pull the trigger.

Kurumi flinches... But the devastating sound of her gun firing, which she expected... didn't happen.

She opens her eyes to see bubbles coming from her fancy weapon, but she quickly realizes the danger when she sees the shadow over her body.

"Bunny..."

It's too late for her to dodge, Project Bunny is towering behind her with its arms already in motion! 

"...Punch!"

The hit landed with a sound like a collapsing wall.

Stone shattered, and dust swallowed the alley.

My deadpan face looking at the destruction could only think...

I overdid it! 

"S-subject Kurumi! Are you... Alive?"

The dust settles, and below Project Bunny's hand lies Kurumi, awake but with blood on her mouth and a sinister smile on her face.

“Fufu… You really are full of surprises, Bronya... At least, I completed my mission.”

She laughs softly, her voice strained but still carrying that eerie composure. I don't know what kind of mission she had, but she looks weak... If she dies, that will be the worst.

“Don’t talk. Bronya will send you somewhere to recover.”

I can only try and contact Shido, his organization is probably good at fixing spirits, right?

“This power is very familiar... yes, it’s identical to that monster. You... aren’t like me. Nor any other spirit.”

I pause. Looking at her with a bit of intensity.

"What does that mean?"

“You don’t even realize it, do you? That energy you wield… It’s not reiryoku itself. It’s being converted. You… Aren’t even aware of it, yet it’s so… Precise. It's fascinating. Perhaps…”

She trails off, mumbling to herself... Hey, explain this properly to me! Don't just leave me hanging!!!

I get a bit mad at her since she started to talk in riddles again, but... She is already quite hurt. It's better to get help first and then interrogate her later.

But there was no time to get help.

Project Bunny rose up and pulled me over to its side, surprising me, as a loud sound resounded through the alley.

I instantly understood that someone had shot at me and Bunny blocked it. I look ahead and see on top of a building someone wielding a rifle... Is that Kurumi?!

I look back and see she is still there, battered, but being pulled inside moving shadows. So there were two of them?! 

“I hope...”

She whispers as she sinks and disappears into it.

“When you meet the real me… it will be as allies.”

The last traces of her vanish, and the other, who was far away, also leaves.

… What?! No, wait, come back here! What did you even mean by all that?! If you are going to say stuff, say it properly!!!

...And she even left this body here. Guh! Why did I have to look?!

I get out of the alley, running as I put on my uniform disguise... But I do give a hint to an officer nearby about a strange smell in that direction. Now that's your problem...

... But something about what Kurumi was saying is bothering me.

A different power... Different from other spirits... This...

No... Is it..?

Could she have meant…

"...Honkai?"