On the screen was a scene from the manga where Chise, modeled after Chisato, was pinned against a wall with the muzzle of an AK pressed against her stomach. The character modeled after Takina, called Tamaki in the story, was holding the rifle low and close to her body, so that the stock was poking out from between her side and bent arm…but the front end of Chise’s revolver was also pressed against her temple.
“In an instant, the characters’ true nature and conflicting allegiances are revealed! It’s the most important scene in the manga!”
Takina was honestly impressed by how a professional manga artist could clearly convey what the characters were thinking and what they’d just done even in a rough sketch that hadn’t been cleaned up yet. It looked like Chise had let down her guard. She’d turned her back on Tamaki, or was in the middle of doing so, telling her to follow. Then Tamaki snatched a rifle that was propped against the wall and a magazine, which she quickly shoved in—although it might have already been attached—and racked the charging handle to load the first round into the chamber. She knew the sound would alert Chise to what she was up to, so while she was getting the gun ready, she rushed the other girl, jabbing her with the muzzle. Tamaki had made the right choice to use her body weight and charge at Chise instead of simply swinging with her gun-toting arm.
The range at which a gun was most effective differed depending on the model, type of ammunition, and customizations, but generally, close quarters was disadvantageous. An AK was no exception, but Tamaki made the most of it by using the rifle as a blunt weapon. Even if the magazine turned out to be empty, she could deal significant damage to Chise by thrusting the barrel at her with full force. And if she did have rounds loaded, with the barrel pressed into her stomach, Chise would have no way to evade. So either thrusting hard or firing a round would do the job. Tamaki had taken the optimal course of action.
However, Chise had sensed danger and managed to press the muzzle of her revolver against Tamaki’s temple just as her opponent jabbed her with the rifle, leading to a stalemate.
In reality, it would be unlikely for the opponents to just freeze in that position. Even at such close range, Tamaki could rely on the automatic fire of her rifle, and the impact of her thrusting the AK into Chise’s stomach would’ve made it difficult for the latter to take aim at Tamaki’s head. However, there could’ve been factors at play that made the two characters more cautious. For example, if they had to survive at all costs to fulfill some other objective… Or, considering the story setting, maybe it was more likely that the Midnight Princess wouldn’t want to risk her life in an encounter with some small-fry assassin, so she’d stop. In that case, it really was a pivotal moment in the story. Itou wasn’t exaggerating the importance of the scene.
However, it struck Takina as unrealistic that Chise, being a professional assassin, would’ve chosen to use an impractical weapon such as a revolver, which was slow to reload and had low capacity. Perhaps Itou was aware of the reach, but she chose to ignore that because she really wanted to have that scene in her manga. Or was it because even though a person’s temple wasn’t soft enough for the muzzle to really dig into, it might be sufficient to push a slide back and leave a non-revolver out of battery and prevent it from firing…? No, that was probably overthinking it. Besides, a stand-off device, like the compensator on Chisato’s gun, would prevent the risk of the slide being pushed out of battery. Itou wouldn’t have such intimate knowledge about guns anyway, surely…
“So this is where I’m at a loss,” said Itou.
Takina cocked her head, puzzled.
“I think this scene is very clear,” she said.
“Thanks, Takina. But that’s not enough. I want it to be really powerful… That’s why I’d like you to pose for me while I take photos from different angles to use for reference.”
“…I see.”
Thinking that drawing manga was a far more complex matter than it seemed, Takina sprang into action. She quickly strode over to Chisato, pulling the charging handle to the rear and letting it slam home. Then she rammed into Chisato, pressing the gun barrel into her stomach. With a thud, Chisato smashed into the bookshelf behind her. Dust flew into the air.
Takina had been sure that Chisato wouldn’t see that coming, but Chisato being Chisato, of course she did. Just like in the manga, she pressed the muzzle of the revolver against Takina’s temple.
“…Weren’t you going to take pictures?” Takina asked when Itou just stood there, wide-eyed.
Coming out of shock, Itou hurriedly took her phone out, but she came to her senses just as she was about to start photographing the girls. She looked at Chisato with worry.
“A-are you…okay? Takina hit you pretty hard…”
“I’m totally fine! Sorry about the mess. I’ll clean that later.”
Takina was quite sure that Chisato was unhurt. She had attacked almost as if dealing with a real enemy, but the moment the AK’s barrel touched Chisato’s clothing, Chisato moved backward with it, hitting the shelf only with the impact of her own movement. Since they had been in contact with each other as they moved, it looked to Itou as if Takina had smashed Chisato into the bookshelf.
It was true that Chisato suffered no damage, while Takina almost lost her balance, having met no resistance, as if she’d tried to ram a store curtain. She just barely managed not to trip, but if she had been seriously going to smash into her opponent and fire the AK, being so off-balance would’ve made it difficult to control the recoil. In a true combat situation, Chisato would’ve deftly dodged the AK’s muzzle and blown Takina’s brains out. The only reason she didn’t sidestep the attack was because she was trying to pose exactly like in that scene in the manga. For that, she opted to thrust herself backward, into the bookshelf.
“…Well, that was impressive, Chisato.”
“Right?!”
“This is it! That invincible look on your face, Chisato! This is one-hundred percent Chise! And Takina’s slight annoyance as she looks up, that’s totally Tamaki! These are the expressions I wanted for my characters! You two are the best!”
Itou circled them, snapping photos with her phone.
“By the way, Chisato, I can fix this in my draft, but if you could hold the revolver properly, that’d be great,” said Itou.
Takina glanced at Chisato’s right hand and inwardly groaned. Chisato had already pulled the trigger, but she was holding the hammer down with her thumb. As long as she kept her finger on the hammer, it wouldn’t fire…but if she moved her thumb just a little bit, or if it slipped due to Chisato getting hit or jostled, it would fire immediately. At the same time, given the revolver’s relatively small size, she could keep her thumb in place while still having her index finger firmly on the trigger. Even a sudden impact wouldn’t cause it to slip off accidentally.