Yet, given the gap between them, it was the most natural conclusion possible. The first match ended as everyone expected—but how it ended shocked them all.
Shoko lost in one hit: her cockpit crushed instantly.
Keita’s actions? Jump. Scan. Spot. Shoot.
That was it.
The three-second delay was only because it took him a moment to locate Shoko’s mech from above. Had he spotted her immediately, the match would’ve ended at the starting bell.
Shoko, who had mentally prepared for a battle against an ace, and Nana, who had hoped to analyze the fight from a third-person perspective, could only stare in stunned silence.
“Honestly, a 5,000-meter field is way too small for the Mikage—a mech built for long-range sniping. I wanted to see some close-quarters action. Couldn’t we have used the Colosseum instead?”
These were the words of Mogami Takafumi, who for some reason was acts like a mentor to Keita in his garage.
Though this statement from Takafumi also reflected Keita’s own understanding, there was one clear difference between the two.
What was it?
Their values regarding the match.
For Keita, who had just earned 100,000 yen in a single strike, and Takafumi, who only gained some basic data from brute-forcing his way through, their motivation for the battle was naturally different.
Of course, matches in the arena were more than welcome, but before that, Takafumi wanted to get in at least two wide-area battles and two standard battlefield engagements. That being the case, Keita couldn’t afford to let things end after just one match. So, he decided to play a little trick.
[“Wanna go again?”]
Surprising! A provocation disguised as a confirmation!
With that kind of tone—as if saying, “I’m not satisfied yet!”—what answer could someone as strong-willed as Shōko possibly give?
(Come on. Come on!)
She’ll take the bait. Keita was sure of it. Yet, despite his confidence, the realistic burden of 100,000 yen per match weighed on his mind—this wasn’t something trivial. Inside the simulator, he may or may not have been desperately praying (Please! Take the bait!).
And then, Shōko’s reply came—
[“Of course! There’s no way I’d stop now!”]
(Yes!)
All of Keita’s worries vanished.There stood the girl, declaring—with a hint of frustration—that the battle would continue.
- Taguchi Nana
[“We’re continuing. We are continuing, but—hold on a second.”]
[“’Sup.”]
(Hmm…)
Kawakami Keita had a strangely compliant side—but only when facing Isotani Shōko.
Was it because Shōko was the one paying? …Probably not.
It wasn’t love or romance, either.
If he had to compare it to something, it was more like an older brother indulging his little sister or niece’s selfishness.
(How in the world did she manage to worm her way into that boy’s heart?)
Even if you asked her directly, she’d just say, [“I have no idea.”]
(With that personality, I thought she’d be disliked by men…)
Nana herself was well aware that she often acted in a way that could be described as “calculatedly charming.” To put it simply, it was to gain favor with men and lull them into complacency.
She had always believed that men, to some degree, would naturally feel drawn to a woman who behaved this way. And indeed, while she had received lustful gazes from the men around her, she had never been met with suspicion.
…Except for Kawakami Keita.
Sure, among adults, there were plenty who smiled on the surface while their eyes remained cold. But this was the first time a boy her own age—and on their first meeting, no less—had regarded her with such wariness.
Had Isotani Shōko said something about her? No. Keita had distrusted her from the very beginning. Meaning Shōko had nothing to do with it.
(In other words… he sensed “something” from my attitude.)
It didn’t matter if she was liked by random nobodies—if Kawakami Keita, the one who truly mattered, disliked her, then it was all pointless.
(I should change my approach… But if I do it too obviously, it’ll backfire. Hmm. Maybe if I gradually shift my behavior to align with Shōko’s, it’ll seem more natural?)
[“Nana. I got taken out before I even understood what was happening. What the hell did he just do to me?”]
(Whoops. Well, I can adjust my attitude later. Right now, I need to deal with the immediate issue. If Shōko ends up hating me, I’ll be back at square one.)
[“Heeeh~ You look furious, but you’re surprisingly calm. I totally expected you to scream, ’What the hell was that?!’”]
(That said, if I suck up too obviously, it’ll also backfire. Keita’s troublesome, but this girl’s no walk in the park either.)
[“Calm? More like… I’m just confused.”]
[“Ahh, I see~”]
(Yeah, makes sense. If you start the match, try to find cover, and then—BAM!—before you can even react…)
This wasn’t even about being angry—it was beyond that.
[“…So? You saw what happened, right? What did he do? If I don’t understand, I can’t even begin to counter it.”]
[“Right, right.”]
Normally, they’d have a post-match analysis, but in this case… there wasn’t much to analyze.
[“……”]
(Oops. If I drag this out too long and piss her off, she might not let me participate next time.)
Better not dodge the question—I’ll just tell her the truth.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
[“What he did was simple. He used the full leg strength unique to his quadrupedal frame to jump high, used the altitude to scout your position, and then—BAM. That’s it.”]
There wasn’t a single wasted movement in that sequence.
[“A jump? But if he went that high, wouldn’t his machine break on impact when he landed?”]
[“Normally, yes. That machine already weighs 30 tons—double the Kusanagi-type and triple the Yatsufusa-type.”]
[“I heard it’s 35 tons with all its gear?”]
[“Oh, is that so?”]
(Then how the hell did it jump like that?)
It wasn’t just leg strength—magical energy was definitely involved.
[“Even putting that aside, the fact it can jump that high is shocking enough. But more importantly—how did it land?”]
[“Landing?”]
(Ah, right.) In the simulator, depending on settings, the match could end the moment an enemy was defeated. But usually, there was a brief continuation—what you might call zanshin (lingering awareness).
After all, carelessly letting your guard down could still result in mutual destruction. Especially in real combat.
So what Shōko was really asking was—[“Didn’t it break on impact?”]
Normally, yes. If a 35-ton machine performed a high jump, the landing shock should wreck it. (I thought so too. But…)
[“He… emitted something from his legs and back—probably that magical energy release we’ve heard about. It seemed to cushion the landing impact.”]
[“…He can do that too?”]
[“Apparently. To be precise, he also used it to boost his jump and slow his descent right before landing.”]
[“What the hell?! So he’s using magic as a cushion?! That means even at 35 tons, he can jump like he’s flying, and landing isn’t even an issue?! That’s beyond unfair!”]
[“Yeah. I get why you’d yell that. It is unfair. But… isn’t that exactly what we wanted to see?”]
[“That’s… true. You’re right.”]
She had essentially paid 100,000 yen for a match that lasted mere seconds, but witnessing that was worth every yen.
The only concern was whether Shōko would say [“This isn’t even training!”] and call it off. But since Keita himself asked [“Wanna go again?”], they’d get at least one more round.
Whether that was provocation or consideration, she couldn’t tell—but either way, she was grateful.
[“Alright! One more time! Same field! But this time—wait, let’s say… 10 seconds before you attack!”]
[“Sure.”]
[“Hmm~. So that’s her plan~.”]
Getting sniped instantly was pointless, so setting a delay before the attack was a reasonable decision. (But…)
[“Will 10 seconds be enough?”]
She had a rough idea of how this would play out—but it was still valuable data. She wasn’t about to let it slip away.
(Though, it seems Kawakami Keita is more indulgent toward Isotani Shōko than I thought.)
[“Ready?”]
[“I see it! That’s his jump!”]
Jumping right at the start served no practical purpose—after all, he couldn’t attack mid-air.
(Meaning… he’s showing off on purpose.)
Scouting via jump meant he was also visible to the enemy.
Especially since the Mikage-type used magic-enhanced leaps, making it glow faintly.
(So it’s easily spotted even from afar.)
But here’s the thing—
Unlike the Mikage, which specialized in long-range firepower (carrying a 120mm smoothbore cannon and 155mm howitzer with 10km+ range), the Kusanagi-type was built for close-to-mid-range combat—meaning it had no long-range options. (Even if she sees him, there’s nothing she can do.)
Of course, both Nana and Shōko knew this.
The real challenge was avoiding the snipe and closing the distance—
TLNOTE:
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