The blonde girl flinched sharply, her entire body tensing as she heard a voice behind her.
"Ah—!"
She spun around quickly, clutching the sniper instinctively, her eyes widening in surprise.
Standing a few feet away from her was a boy around her age. He had short black hair, calm blue eyes behind a pair of glasses, and wore a simple black hoodie with blue jeans. There was nothing outwardly threatening about him, yet his sudden appearance had clearly startled her.
Arata raised his hands slightly in a non-threatening manner, his expression calm.
"Sorry to startle you," he said in a composed tone. "I was out for a night walk when I saw you fiddling with your invention."
He stepped a little closer, his gaze naturally shifting toward the sniper rifle in her hands.
"My name is Arata Seigi, by the way."
Without waiting for a response, he leaned in slightly, his fingers brushing lightly against the frame of the weapon as he examined it.
"Hmm… the base is made of stainless steel. You've added good gripping support here… and the balance is surprisingly stable for a first build," he muttered thoughtfully, almost as if speaking to himself rather than her.
The girl blinked in surprise.
She watched him carefully as he continued analyzing her invention piece by piece, pointing out small details in its structure, commenting on the alignment, the assembly, and even the weight distribution.
'He… understands all of this…?'
Her surprise deepened.
This was the first time she had met someone her own age who could casually understand her work at such a level.
Arata reached toward the sniper and carefully removed the cylinder containing the blue solution. He brought it closer to his eyes, inspecting the connection point before running his finger lightly across the attachment area.
He paused.
Then spoke.
"When you were assembling this, some sand got stuck here," he said calmly. "That's why nothing came out when you fired."
He cleaned the area with precise, practiced movements before reattaching the cylinder smoothly, ensuring it locked into place properly.
Once done, he handed the sniper back to her.
"Try it now."
The girl hesitated for a moment before nodding. She took the weapon, adjusted her grip, and cocked it with a soft click. Taking a steady breath, she aimed at a nearby rock and pulled the trigger.
A sharp sound echoed through the beach.
A blue-colored projectile shot out of the barrel and struck the rock instantly.
For a brief moment, nothing happened—Then the bullet expanded rapidly upon impact, transforming into a thick, sticky substance that spread across the entire rock, covering it completely.
The rock itself was massive, easily twice the size of an average adult.
The girl's eyes widened.
"It works!" she exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
"The super glue sniper rifle works! My first battle-type invention works!"
She turned around immediately, her face lighting up with pure joy.
"Thank you so much!" she said, then added quickly, "My name is Melissa—Melissa Shield!"
Arata smiled warmly as he reached out and shook her outstretched hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Melissa."
But behind that calm smile, his thoughts were sharp and certain.
'Just as expected… she's Melissa Shield.'
His gaze softened slightly as he looked at her.
From his previous life's knowledge, he already knew who she was—the daughter of David Shield, the man responsible for much of the technological brilliance behind I-Island.
'Perfect…'
A quiet calculation formed in his mind.
'I can use her to get inside the main building.'