The impact rocked the building, causing all the stained-glass windows to shatter at once.
Maybe I should shoot Pavilion before Takamasa gets his hands on her… No, she’s the Maiden’s Survival. When it comes to preserving her own life, who knows what she’s capable of. Even I can’t predict what might happen if I point my gun at her and pull the trigger.
The chapel was nothing prestigious. It was most likely only a wedding venue made to look like a chapel. It was fairly common for people to get married in online games these days, and not just in Money (Game) Master.
The two vehicles came crashing through the double doors of the venue. Kaname’s coupe tore up rows and rows of wooden pews, while Takamasa’s black hybrid collided with a pipe organ against one wall. The room was completely wrecked, but the fight wasn’t over yet.
Now’s my chance…!
Kaname reached into the pockets of his unfamiliar tailcoat, took out a second magazine, and reloaded Short Spear. Then he crossed over to the passenger side and exited the vehicle. Using its frame for cover, he aimed his short-range sniper rifle across the hall.
“Takamasa!! Let’s put an end to this right now!!”
“…And how do you suggest we do that?”
Takamasa calmly exited the black hybrid. Unlike Kaname, he had no need for cover. He could dodge his friend’s bullets head-on if need be.
There was no sound from Pavilion. She must have been unconscious inside the half-crushed vehicle.
“Kaname, our last fight taught me an important lesson. You showed me that thinking about this in terms of rescue—fighting not to kill but to save—just isn’t enough to beat you. You always shoot to kill. If I want to take you on, I have to change my ways, to make up for what I lack. That’s why I chose this Magic for our confrontation today. It’s the optimal choice, don’t you think? And how about you, Kaname?”
“…”
“You learned something, too, didn’t you? You learned you could never shoot me, no matter how much you needed to. A problem no technology could ever help you solve. A problem of the heart. But that’s just how you are. You’re too soft. You must have known all along that things would turn out this way. That you could never win.”
Yes, came the response from deep within Kaname. He had always known. He had accepted it. Despite how far he’d come, he wasn’t ready to shoot his old friend. No matter how much he told himself it was the right thing to do, there was a part of his mind that still thought, No it’s not. This is wrong. There was nothing he could do to justify pointing a gun at Takamasa Hekireki and pulling the trigger. Hell, even if he could justify it. Even if right and wrong were written out of the equation completely. He just didn’t want to do it.
And yet.
Or perhaps because of that.
✦ ✦ ✦
Kaname Suou didn’t hesitate. He took up Short Spear and fired a shot at his friend’s head.