The corners of Uesugi Ryu's mouth twitched ever so slightly, revealing a subtle, nearly imperceptible smile. Dr. Kouitsu Chigyou caught the expression but said nothing, instead nodding as he replied,
"Since that's the case, let's take a look together. After all, Second-Class Uesugi has agreed."
Inoue Tomoya shot a glance at Uesugi Ryu and smiled with a hint of mischief.
He could tell, this was definitely not as simple as it looked.
As they approached the nearby display platform, Dr. Chigyou manipulated the control panel beside it. With a soft mechanical hum, a thin seam opened down the middle of the platform.
Then, with a smooth motion, it revealed an exceedingly extravagant shotgun.
But this was no ordinary shotgun.
Its proportions were clearly shorter than standard models, the entire body was no longer than 55 centimeters, more closely resembling a compact and refined grenade launcher than a conventional firearm.
The barrel, in particular, was outrageously oversized, resembling a miniature cannon from a distance, radiating a menacing aura.
The entire weapon sported a striking red-and-black color scheme.
The crimson was like roaring flame, and the black accents were scattered across the body in fierce streaks.
Inoue began his introduction as the others took it in:
"As per Second-Class Uesugi's request, we designed this Quinque in the form of a shotgun. The muzzle diameter is 35 millimeters, and it holds two shells."
"It has two firing modes. One is powered directly by the Quinque core itself. After firing, it requires a cooldown of about thirty minutes."
"The other mode allows for specially customized Q-type shells. Basically, any standard shotgun ammunition can be adapted for this Quinque. But due to the large caliber, making these rounds is expensive, so supply may be limited."
Inoue continued his technical explanation, but honestly, just imagining how he ever agreed to build something like this was already hard to believe.
It was clear, one of them dared to dream it, and the other dared to make it real.
Mado Akira's lips parted slightly in surprise.
She stole a discreet glance at Uesugi Ryu, beginning to feel... That this guy might actually be a complete maniac.
Uesugi Ryu, meanwhile, picked up the shotgun and examined it with great interest.
The reason he had requested it in this style was straightforward:
He had system inventory storage, meaning he could carry it anywhere.
And since his marksmanship wasn't exactly professional-grade, a simple, brute-force weapon like this suited him best.
When a fight got up close and personal, he could pull this thing out and shove it right in a ghoul's face, whether it was Yamori or a tiger, this cannon would blow it to bits.
"Firearms are the romance of men!"
Uesugi Ryu and Inoue Tomoya exclaimed in unison.
Dr. Chigyou merely smiled as to him, this was less of a weapon and more of a toy.
They had sacrificed practicality for sheer overwhelming firepower.
At that moment, Mado Akira finally couldn't hold back her curiosity.
"Then how do you plan to deal with the recoil?" she asked, voice cool and direct.
"From my experience, weapons like this tend to have enormous recoil. Without a proper solution, it will be completely unusable in actual combat."
Inoue shrugged helplessly.
"That's not something I worked on. Second-Class Uesugi said not to worry about it. So I didn't."
"But honestly? If a regular person tried to shoot this thing, their bones might shatter. No one's dared to test-fire it yet."
"No problem."
Uesugi Ryu responded with absolute confidence.
With his physique rivaling that of an S-rated ghoul, wielding this thing was no issue at all.
On Mado Akira's usually cold, glacier-like face, a faint expression of helplessness flickered for a brief moment.
Then Uesugi Ryu's lips curled into a soft smile. He held the massive, brutal-looking weapon out toward her, single-handedly, no less.
"Akira-san," he said softly, "why don't you give it a try?"
Akira's brow furrowed slightly. Without changing her expression, she corrected his wording.
"Second-Class Uesugi, please just call me Second-Class Mado."
Uesugi Ryu smiled wryly,
"Right, official titles while working. Got it."
But in his mind, he quietly added:
"Sure thing... Mado-san the Plant."
Akira reached out with both hands and took the weapon from him.
Only then did she realize just how absurdly heavy it was.
A crushing force weighed down on her arms, she nearly dropped it. It was hard enough just to hold the weapon, let alone use it in combat.
"This thing's completely impractical," she thought to herself after trying to handle it.
"Ghouls aren't standing still like targets, you won't even be able to land a shot."
Even so, she was secretly surprised.
Uesugi Ryu had managed to wield this with one hand, like it was nothing.
His strength was clearly extraordinary.
Ghouls were known for high durability, but that didn't mean they were slow.
Any ghoul with eyes would be wary of a weapon that looked more like an artillery piece.
Uesugi Ryu was well aware that this thing wasn't meant for direct battlefield use.
He never intended to use it "normally" in the first place.
This was strictly for ambushes and self-defense.
After all, what other Investigator could casually pull something like this out of their pocket?
Well... aside from magical girls who draw rocket launchers from under their skirts.
After fiddling with it for a bit, Akira returned the Quinque cannon to Uesugi Ryu with some effort.
He thought for a moment, then finally said,
"I'll name it... Destroyer."
Inoue nodded in agreement.
"Fitting name."
Having retrieved the weapon, Uesugi Ryu prepared to leave.
He glanced at Mado Akira and asked,
"Akira-san, do you plan to head back to the 20th Ward as well? Mado-san is there right now. You could meet with him."
Akira gently shook her head and declined with civility:
"Thank you for the offer, Second-Class Uesugi, but there's no need. Rather than waste time here with me, you should focus on getting back to your duties."
Ryu chuckled but didn't press further.
He was already used to her personality.
Carrying the massive Quinque case, Uesugi Ryu quickly left the CCG's experimental lab building.
But Akira didn't leave right away.
She stood there, quietly watching the direction he left in, eyes filled with curiosity, as though pondering something deeply...