She turned to Shana and gave him a tiny, radiant smile. With her hand still reaching out toward
him, her body shattered into a cloud of shimmering blue light.
"Over there!" a voice shouted.
Shana snapped out of his shock, his eyes blazing with fury as he looked toward the bridge.
"Was that... Zexceed! You bastard!"
Zexceed was already a distant speck, sprinting for his life.
"Dammit... I let my guard down."
Sinon stepped up beside him, her face cold. "You're not just going to let them walk away, are you?"
"No. Not a chance."
Shana produced his M82. Sinon unslung her Hecate II. They dropped into a synchronized sniping
stance.
"You've gone too far this time, Zexceed," Shana hissed. "I'm taking both your arms for this."
The twin roars of the anti-materiel rifles shook the air. The heavy rounds didn't hit Zexceed—they
slammed into Yukko and Haruka, who were running just behind him.
"Ah!"
"Ugh...!"
"Yukko! Haruka!"
"Zexceed-san, keep going!"
"Sorry we couldn't stay until the end... run!"
The two girls dissolved into light. Zexceed managed to vanish into the terrain, but the encounter
had left both sides scarred.
"Dammit... what kind of 'Speedster' am I? GGO's fastest player, and I couldn't even move..."
Yamikaze punched the ground in frustration.
"Don't beat yourself up, Yamikaze. I was the one who was careless," Shana said quietly.
"But still... Musketeer X finally made it here, and for it to end like that? It's too cruel..."
"Don't worry," Shana said, his voice dropping to a serious tone. "If she can't come to me, I'll go to
her."
He called Shizuka over and whispered a few words. Shizuka's eyes went wide, but she eventually
smiled.
"I see. It's a surprise, but... yeah, that's just like you. Leave things here to us."
"Thanks. I'm counting on you."
Yamikaze panicked. "Wait, you're going to the city alone? You'll be lynched by the Heike mobs!"
"No, I'm logging out for a bit. Sorry, but handle the rest of the prep for me."
"What? Uh... okay, I got it."
Yamikaze didn't understand the logic, but he nodded anyway. Shana logged out, leaving the Nine
Wolves and Yamikaze behind.
"Shizuka-chan, what is Shana doing?"
"Hehe... well..."
As Shizuka explained, Yamikaze's jaw dropped. "Are you serious...?"
"So don't worry. Let's just focus on being ready for tomorrow."
"Yeah! You got it!"
Back at the respawn point in the city, Musketeer X collapsed to her knees. Tears began to stream down her face.
"It's okay. It's better this way. I did well."
She tried to tell herself she was satisfied, but the thought of no longer being by Shana's side was
unbearable. Despite her pride in her sacrifice, she couldn't stop the sobbing.
Nearby, two more clouds of light coalesced into Yukko and Haruka.
"Man, they got us, Haruka."
"Nothing we could do. We did our part."
They noticed the girl crying nearby.
"Hey, aren't you the one from..."
"Why are you crying?"
They didn't know the reason, but they couldn't just walk past a girl in distress. They knelt beside
her, offering what comfort they could.
"Hey, what you did back there—being a shield for Shana-san? That was incredible."
"Yeah, chin up! I'm sure something good will come of it."
Just then, another player materialized at the respawn point. He looked around briefly before
spotting the trio.
"Is that... Yukko and Haruka?"
"Huh? Who are you?"
"Do we know you?"
The player shrugged. "Well, I'm the one who sniped you a few minutes ago."
"What? Shana-san was the one who—wait..."
"How do you know that?"
The man had the unmistakable aura of a top-tier player, yet neither of them recognized his avatar.
"Who... who are you?"
Ignoring the question, the man stepped toward Musketeer X and gently placed a hand on her
head. She flinched, looking up to push his hand away, but when she saw his eyes, she froze. She
didn't recognize the face, but she knew those eyes.
"Is it... is it really you, Hachiman-sama...?" she breathed. "Did you... did you actually convert your
character from ALO just for me...?"
"WHAT?!" the other two screamed.
"Wait, you're the guy from the reunion...!"
Hachiman smiled. "So it really was you two. Look, let's let bygones be bygones. I transferred this
character over specifically for the girl who threw her life away to be my shield."
"No way... Shana-san was you all along?"
"Back then, I... no, never mind."
Yukko and Haruka started to protest, but the sight of Hachiman and Musketeer X stopped them
cold. They realized they were witnessing a moment they had no right to interrupt—a meeting
between a girl who had given everything for her hero, and a hero who had jumped through worlds
to answer her.
"We were enemies today," Yukko said softly, "but take care of her, okay?"
"I still don't like you," Haruka added with a smirk, "but you're something else, you know that?"
The two girls walked away, their hearts oddly light. From that day on, they would always refer to
"Shana" with respect. They, too, were growing.
"Hachiman-sama..."
"Yeah. Thank you, Musketeer X."
"You... you know my name?"
"I know your other name, too. Mamiya Kurusu."
"Even my real name?!"
"I was the one who told Ikoma to give you the Airy Board."
"Then... everything I did was..."
"Just a long detour," he said, pulling her to her feet. "But don't worry about that. You managed to
leave a real mark on my heart."
He looked her in the eyes. "Do you really want to be by my side that badly?"
"Yes!"
"Fine. Then that's where you'll stay. I'm going to be very busy in the real world, so you'd better be
prepared."
"Yes! With pleasure!"
And so, Musketeer X finally reached the place she had longed for—by the side of her Hachiman.
Finally, she had reached her destination.
-------------------------------
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