“Grrrrrrrr...”
The bergbear started moving.
I couldn’t let the two runts behind me get wrapped up in this, so I skated across the ground and distanced myself.
I put my hand through the middle of a gear and took hold. Ah, this thing’s pretty heavy, isn’t it? I always have them float, so I had no idea.
I chucked it at the bear’s head and heard a bonk.
“Grah!”
“...Bring it on, you bear bastard!”
“Grr...rrrrrr....!”
Hehe, bet that’s the first time you’ve had anyone challenge you by throwing something like that, right? Tromp, tromp, tromp.
Oh, yeah, I’d definitely gotten its attention.
I was breaking out in a cold sweat, but I wasn’t trembling. A strained smile crossed my face.
This really was a strange situation. I was a poster girl facing off with a giant bear monster. But even so, I had no choice but to do it.
“Let’s do it, Crown!”
[—Understood.
—Beginning combat support.]
Thuuuuud!!
The bergbear kicked off the ground.
That sure was some impact, and it was coming this way. Still, running around this forest for the last hor had at least taught me a few things.
I spun my Scale Skater in reverse.
There was a tree to my rear.
Oh man, oh man!!
I flew into the air, using the tree as a launchpad. In the next instant, there was a tremendous sound as the tree was smashed to pieces.
I saw my twintails arc around me as I spun in midair. Then, with a tmp, I landed on one foot.
“Wow...”
“It’s like she’s flying!”
I heard those quiet voices of admiration.
Hurry up and get as far away from here as you can, you idiots! If I don’t send you flying, the bear will!
“Graaar!”
It was throwing whole chunks of ground!
I bent my legs and started to rotate. I flew along the ground. Then, instead of moving straight ahead, I started moving in circular motions.
Just try hitting me now!
“Graaaah!”
It was heading my way.
Now I get it.
This guy could move pretty fast, but it wasn’t good at the sort of tight turns needed for combat. It couldn’t keep up with my speed. The closer I got, the bigger my advantage was!
Hehe, what the heck am I even saying? I should get closer to a bear that’s as big as a house? Haha, I’ve got to be nuts.
“Crown, we’re setting a trap. Let’s start with two quick spinning gears on each hand.”
[—Ready. Request for input of strategy outline.]
“How should I put it...? Land mines?”
[—Response falls within predicted range of actions.]
Having come to a mutual understanding with my skill, I plunged forwards towards the bergbear.
Ooh, didn’t see that one coming, huh? Bet you never expected me to come after you!
The bear’s arm came swinging down. Guess that was all it could do.
Vrrrrr!
I thrust one leg out forward and squatted down, only for the bear’s fur to fly above my head.
“Here, have a present!”
I twisted my torso around once and left my fast spinning gears in place, equally spaced.
Aaaand, goodbye!
“Gyaaaar!”
When I turned to look back, I saw the gears digging into its belly. I had, of course, made sure to sharpen their teeth into little blades.
Ooh, that had to hurt!
“Serves ya right!”
[—Plan successful.
—Confirmed penetration of 7 celchi below skin level.]
“It’s as big as a house, but we only got 7 celchi, huh...? He sure is a tough one, isn’t he?”
[—Do you wish to continue?]
“Nah. This guy may make pretty simple movements, but I think it’s also pretty smart. If we try the same thing again, it’ll see right through it.”
When I used my Stone Stomp on it before, it was clearly adjusting to the timing with my second and third tries. It even dodged the second one.
If I dove in the same way again and it happened to catch me, I’d be done for.
“Grrr...”
Huh? The bergbear’s pointing in a weird direction. It even took its eyes off of me.
What’s it looking at?
I followed its gaze and... that’s fire. And it wasn’t the forest fire.
Those were torches.
A number of torches had come from town. They’d just given away the location of the front gate!
“Grahahahaha...!”
This damn bear was laughing! I take back my statement that it was smart! This thing is rotten to the core.
I stood... between the bergbear and town.
“Grrrr...”
What, are you threatening me?
I-I’m the poster girl for our restaurant!
A-and I’ve faced my share of complaining customers!
They’d whine about the types of booze we had and demand more variety, or say the oil we used for frying had gone bad, or tell me that they didn’t like the way I cut the vegetables!
So that face of yours isn’t enough to scare me!
“Rooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooar!!!”
Its shadow hung over me.
It was raising its front paw overhead.
Man, those claws are huge. They must pack some serious punch.
That’s probably all you’ve ever done in your whole life, huh? Should a bear really be such a one-trick pony?
...Well, then, shall we get going?
“Miss Anti, watch out!!!”
Vrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
Fwoosh!
“Grrrrrrr...rrr...?”
The bergbear’s raised paw stopped in place, causing the monster to look around in confusion.
It was now wearing a golden bracelet around its arms. Those teeth actually look surprisingly trendy.
Yeah, that turned out pretty well. Go for a ring toss, tighten it, and then fix it in place.
Not bad, right?
“Grah! Grr?”
Thud, thud.
Oh, now you want to act cute? Sorry, that ship has sailed.
How about I add a little more?
Bam, bam!
“Grah!”
Bam, bam, bam!
“Graaah?! Roooooooooooar?!!”
All four of the bergbear’s limbs were wrapped in gold.
When I saw the orange reflection coming off them, though, I realized something else: the fire. It probably... won’t be possible to put that out anymore...
I didn’t even need to ask my partner. This had already gone past the range of what humans could handle...
This calamity would make it all the way to town.
I stood there, devastated, underneath the night sky burning orange.
We’d had that restaurant for as long as I could remember.
We’d made food for so many people. And they were always there, chatting away day in and day out.
Me and this town, we’d grown together. It was a place that the people all around me had built up together.
And... and... it was going to burn... That precious town, that everyone loved...
And I mean, that was even the reason Yuuta had used the fire in the first place.
I get it. You wanted to protect it, right? For everyone’s sake. To help somebody.
But this... this was the result, was it?
We’d have to abandon the town. And then, this is what Yuuta would think:
If only I hadn’t set the fire...
If only I hadn’t gone outside...
If only I hadn’t been so damn brave...
He’d be left with such awful regrets.
This fire wouldn’t just kill the town, but that boy as well. It was a curse that would steal away his future and taint his past.
If the monster in front of me could speak, it would probably say, “You all are the ones who set the fire. I was just hungry.”
I was real annoyed... No, scratch that, I was full-on pissed off.
After all, it was pretty damn hard to forgive that sneer from before.
A boy had tried desperately to protect someone precious to him, his heart trembling all the while.
You’ve got a pretty huge bill to pay for trying to eat our customers.
The bergbear was quaking. Why? Was it looking at me?
That was when I heard the sound.
All the gold on my body was spinning with a roar.
Rotations, repel the space all around! Shining gold, drive back the flames!
My rage-driven revolutions ate away at the force of gravity.
The bergbear’s limbs were perfectly restrained.
Now, time for you to close out.
“Gwaaaaaaaar!!!!”
With that scream-like roar, the bear spat out a boulder.
Oh, so you can still do stuff like that? Not that it matters. I’m already up off the ground.
There was something I’d tried before at the old mine.
“Fast spinning gears can only move real slowly.”
However, they packed one heck of a punch.
They lacked the momentum needed to deal a decisive blow, though. Wasn’t there some way I could hit it with one, as hard as I could?
“...I moved fast through the forest.”
...Haha, hahaha, it was so simple!! I just had to plunge right in!
The huge boulder just passed under me, naturally.
I was a quick learner. By 7 I could already mince things, and I hadn’t burnt any eggs since I was 8. I was the daughter of a restaurant, after all.
I floated a bit in the air before, right? In that case, why couldn’t I do something like this?
Huh? That wasn’t normal? Well right now, I’m angry. I’ve long since left “normal” behind.
You’re ready, right, Crown?
[—Redirectory.]
[—▽High mobility armor constructed.]
[—▽Deployed over 62 parcelterge of body surface.]
[—▽Base rotation index: 200 per second.]
[—▽Anti-gravity mechanism developed.]
[—▽Inertial control unit updated.]
[—▽Auxiliary shaft power systema “magnilev reforgination” online.]
[—▽Beginning estimated action sequence.]
“She’s floating...” the runts said in amazement, staring up at me. The bear was looking in the same direction.
A golden girl was floating in front of the moon. She had pierced the heavens, with rotations wrapped around her foot. A whirlwind of countless flashes of light surrounded her.
For this moment alone, the moonlight outshone the flames coating the ground.
“Don’t hold anything back!”
[—Executing judgment (Involute).]
It only took an instant for the light to shoot straight through, leaving the girl standing behind the bear monster. Or, to be precise, the now headless bear monster.
...I’d won.