The Lone Sniper: I Was Just Minding My Own Business Sniping Players, and I Ended Up Becoming a Raid Boss

Chapter 36

I hurriedly logged out and rushed to the living room.

Seika-san was seated neatly in front of the low table. A person who looks utterly out of place at a chabudai... yes, a flower blooming in the wild!

"G-good evening..."

"Good evening."

I took the seat directly across from her for now.

"Here you go."

Azuha-chan brewed black tea in our tallest teacup and handed it to Seika-san. Mine was barley tea in a hundred-yen-store mug.

"I'll be in my room then."

"Yeah. Thanks, Azuha-chan."

Azuha-chan went back to her room.

"That kid's really something."

"Eh? Azuha-chan, you mean?"

"Yes."

A-amazing. She could tell just from looking. Does that border on telepathy?

"That's true... her aptitude for full-dive is excellent. As far as I know, she's the best at games."

Azuha-chan's reflexes in particular are incredible. In full-dive fighting games she was unstoppable. She's one of the very few people who ever beat me at equal settings. When we were kids we played countless matches, and our win rate was about fifty-fifty. In terms of gaming talent she's my equal or better. But—

"She has zero interest in games, so she'll never play Infinity Space."

Exactly. Azuha-chan has absolutely no motivation for games. I don't think she's ever played the same one for three days straight. She's the type who thinks "If I'm going to play a game, I'd rather study or exercise." A perfectly respectable mindset.

I think if Azuha-chan ever tried Infinity Space she'd make a great rival.

"I see. That's a shame..."

It really is, but... having Seika-san regret it feels—well, I don't like it.

"B-but it's okay! I-I'll definitely defeat you, Seika-san!"

"Mm. I'm counting on it."

Our eyes met. Ugh, the air's so sweet... I can't take it! I need a new topic!

"Why are you here today?"

"To see you."

"Y-yes."

Well, that's obvious.

"I watched your last Rank Match."

"Eh—ehh!? Th-that's so embarrassing..."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about. Your movements were, as always, special. But I still haven't seen the bottom of you. I haven't been able to. In the next Rank Match, I really want to see it."

"I-I'll do my best!"

So she came to encourage me...?

"By the way, this address..."

"It was in the student directory."

Our high-school security is a sieve!

"I came today to apologize for something I forgot."

"You're apologizing, Seika-san? I don't mind at all about the time you killed me!"

"That's not it. Long before that, the reason you logged into the Moon was because of me."

"Eh..."

Seika-san lowered her eyes.

"People who have the potential to defeat me are drawn to the Moon. Besides you, two others have been pulled up to the Moon the same way."

"Ehh!? But even if that's true, who on earth set up something like that...?"

"My father. My father is one of the developers of Infinity Space, so he can change the settings any way he likes."

"Eh—eeeeeeh!?"

Oh! Now that she mentions it, I've heard that Seika-san's father is the president of a major game company!

"Infinity Space is a game my father made for me. To make sure I could recognize talented people, he created that setting. It's selfish, I know..."

Apparently Seika-san didn't ask for that setting herself. In that case she has no reason to apologize.

"Let me make it up to you."

"No, really, it's fine! S-some good things came out of losing everything back then..."

I'm sure the G-AGE mission triggered because I'd used the M1911 so much. If that incident hadn't happened, we might never have met.

"Your team's entering the next Rank Match too, right? You'll be participating?"

"Y-yes."

"I'll give you some advice."

"Advice!? I'd love to hear it!"

Seika-san is probably the strongest player in all of Infinity Space. Her advice is priceless.

"Infinity Space has an effect that develops the human brain."

"Eh..."

What, that's scary.

"Not everyone's brain evolves. Only a very few limited people can reach that realm. I call it 'Infinite Burst.'"

"I see."

Is she joking? I'm not sure how to react.

Evolution of brain function from a game? I can't really believe that.

"You have that potential. If, during the next Rank Match, you feel your heart race, don't hold back. Throw yourself into that pulse, that excitement. Don't worry about what others think; just surrender yourself to the pleasure. If you do, an infinite, all-powerful feeling will surely envelop you."

Her eyes are serious. She's not joking.

"Understood..."

Still, Seika-san's eyes... they're beautiful. Like sapphires. So beautiful they're dazzling, and I end up looking away.

"I'll be going now."

"Y-yes. Ah, but... the streets are dangerous at night. Um, what should I do..."

"It's fine. I have a car waiting outside."

Ah, so her parents came.

"I'll walk you to the door!"

"Thank you."

Together we headed to the entrance.

"Thank you for today."

"No, I'm sorry for dropping in unannounced."

"..."

"..."

Both of us fell silent. But I—I still don't want to part. I don't want this night to end.

Right now there's no school, so if we don't make plans we won't meet again until after summer break—almost a month away. So—

"Um, er... that is!"

"Let's exchange contact info."

"—!? Y-yes!!"

We took out our phones and added each other as friends.

"If you win the Rank Match—"

Seika-san put her phone away and looked straight into my eyes.

"If you do..."

"Yes?"

"Let's go to the summer festival together. To celebrate."

Her tone was cool, almost mechanical. But a faint pink had crept onto her cheeks.

"I absolutely will! I'll win!!"

Seika-san gave a small nod and left the room.

I stepped into the hallway and looked toward the street outside.

"Whoa..."

A sleek black luxury car was parked in front of the house. Shiny and spotless. An elderly man in a butler's uniform got out of the driver's seat, opened the rear door with care, and ushered Seika-san inside.

S-she's really rich... I've only seen that in manga.

(We live in different worlds...)

Even in this world she's on the Moon.

I'm still far from reaching her. But someday—someday, I want to ease her loneliness.

――――――――――

[Afterword]

Interesting!

I want to know what happens next!

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I'm an unworthy writer, but thank you very much!