Bits came flying off of the railing of the belltower where Hatsune was standing. Yukinari’s sister looked about to lose her balance, but instead she kicked off of what was left of the tower. Her gossamer appearance belied her acrobatic strength; she jumped over and landed on the roof of the next building. But three more bullets followed her, pressing the attack. Hatsune jumped backward across the roof.
Dasa...!
She, of course, must have been the origin of the gunshots. But her revolver, Red Chili, carried only six rounds. On top of that, it was a single-action weapon. It would take time to reload. The hammer had to be half-cocked, the loading gate opened, and the spent shells ejected, only after which could new bullets be loaded in. In other words, having spent her six shots, Dasa would be defenseless.
Hatsune crouched on the rooftop. Maybe she was planning to jump back to the belltower and kill Dasa.
“Hatsune! Dasa!” Yukinari shouted.
And then—there was another gunshot.
Yukinari started. The report was far louder than that of Red Chili; it belonged to Derrringer. Perhaps Dasa had picked up the gun Berta had dropped when she got stabbed.
“Hrgh?!” The shot must have landed, because Hatsune was thrown backward off the roof and vanished from view.
“Yuki!” Dasa peeked out from the edge of the belltower. Just as Yukinari had thought, she was holding Derrringer.
“Don’t let down your guard!” he called. “Reload while you can!” He pushed down on Berta’s chest, practically hard enough to break her ribs, trying to start the heart that lay still just beneath her breast.
If Hatsune had taken a bullet to the head, that was one thing, but if it had landed in one of her limbs—even if an arm or leg were blown off, an angel could regrow it.
“It’s okay,” Dasa said, not letting go of Derrringer. “I saw... her run away.”
Yukinari was silent. From her vantage point atop the belltower, Dasa must have been able to see where Hatsune had fallen, been able to watch her flee. Hatsune must have decided that Dasa was stronger than she looked and that a temporary retreat was called for.
“How’s... Berta?” Dasa asked, looking slightly unsettled.
Yukinari felt the girl’s heart begin to beat under his palm. “I think... I think she’ll make it, somehow...”
✦ ✦ ✦
●