Editing Toaru Majutsu no Index:MvM2 Depth7 (section)

===Part 5===

Four F-14Ds.

Four F-15Cs.

Both types had their pros and cons, but the F-15C (curvy leggings mamas) were likely the greater threat here.

Mikoto quickly made some observations.

(Those Girlish Weapons really do have a lot of variations.)

The sturdy joint running from the back to to the back of the hips appeared to be standard because these two types had it as well. But the weaponization of the arms and legs had a lot more variety. For example, the F-15Cs’ arms were mechanical all the way up to the shoulder, but the legs in their leggings were entirely biological. The F-14Ds’ arms and legs were weaponized all the way up to where they emerged from the school swimsuits.

(Are more of the biological parts replaced with aerospace materials each time they’re modernized? No, that isn’t it. YF-22A is an early test model, but her arms and legs are mostly weaponized.)

The enemy was flying around like a swarm of angry hornets, but careful inspection revealed they were split into two-fighter groups with an F-14D (school swimsuit catgirl) always flying behind an F-15C. That showed who was in charge.

The F-14Ds’ variable-sweep wings gave them excellent mobility even at low speed and low altitude, so they were the hounds who pursued a target to make it easier for the generally stronger F-15Cs to get a lock. They probably also took care of any enemies the F-15Cs missed due to flying by too quickly.

So which should Mikoto’s squadron target first: the stronger ones or the weaker ones?

(If we shoot down the weaker F-14Ds first, the F-15Cs won’t have to protect them anymore and can start using their full abilities.)

“Railgun 01 to 101 Squadron. Focus on the F-15Cs! They’re fast and mobile, but we can keep them from escaping by surrounding them from multiple directions!”

“Of course you want to tackle the stronger ones first. Onee-sama, I think you may have been a macho martial artist in your past life.”

Mikoto was too busy to listen to that nonscientific hogwash.

The Imperial fighters were sticking to two-fighter units, but that still meant they had four units. Since Mikoto’s squadron couldn’t count on YF-22A as she tearfully fled, they only had three fighters to work with. That put them at a numerical disadvantage.

The enemy was confident.

Four of them pursued YF-22A while the remaining four split into two units of two. Those units drew out wide arcs as they turned their noses around and charged sharply in from the left and right.

Uh, oh.

“Teleport 02, head to the right and use your radar. Rampage 03, come with me and help me set up a barrage of autocannon fire down the center!!”

“Onee-sama, I can’t get a lock soon enough to-”

“You just have to scare them into breaking formation!! If they complete their pincer attack, we’re dead!”

Flying head-on at close range would only last an instant. The Imperial fighters would know Mikoto’s squadron didn’t have time to get a lock and launch a missile.

But that didn’t mean there was nothing they could do.

With the manually-aimed autocannon, they didn’t have to wait for a lock. They just had to use their skill to make up for the poor accuracy. For example, if they approached from either side and fired from two directions simultaneously, a frantic attempt to escape one stream of bullets would lead the enemy right into the other.

So before the enemy formation could complete their pincer attack…

“Now!!”

Shirai’s fighter took action just as Mikoto’s and Hokaze’s did.

The enemy was approaching sharply from the sides, but if one half of the pincer was scared off by the missile lock alarm, the two sides couldn’t close in on them. It was only a bluff though, so they wouldn’t actually have a chance to launch an air-to-air missile.

And once the enemy took evasive action, their movements would be sloppier. When moving in formation, moving around too much could lead to a collision with your wingmate.

Mikoto’s side only had to prepare a thick barrage of autocannon fire.

Instead of Mikoto and Hokaze trying to pursue the enemy, they would wait for the enemy to carelessly fly into their barrage.

The intersection happened in an instant.

Even so, orange sparks scattered from F-15C armor, a small explosion occurred, and Mikoto heard a sound like claws scratching at something.

A small piece of broken wing must have hit her as she passed by.

That was no laughing matter for a stealth fighter covered in extremely pricey paint.

“One down. An F15C, I think!!”

“Your reports need more accuracy ability.”

“We passed by at supersonic speed – and it’s the relative speed that matters!! How am I supposed to visually follow that!?”

They could ignore the leggings mama trailing smoke as she fell toward the sea.

As soon as both sides passed by, two Y-shaped flowers blossomed in the dark night sky. The formations of three enemy and three friendlies split apart and made separate sharp U-turns.

The fight for each other’s tails had begun.

At times like this Mikoto’s Shinshin could turn faster and more sharply than Shirai and Hokaze’s F-2s.

In no time, Mikoto saw an F-14D up ahead.

The movements of the girl’s slender arms (which were mechanical-looking all the way to the upper arm) were linked with the variable-sweep wings, allowing for precise control of air resistance and lift, but Mikoto still had the advantage in positioning herself.

She could get on the F-14Ds tail from here.

That wasn’t her top priority, but she wasn’t going to waste a chance like this. She rapidly pursued the F-14D from behind.

A missile lock alarm sounded.

(Tch.)

That wasn’t the Shinshin getting a lock. The F-14D (school swimsuit catgirl) had fled side to side as bait while someone else pursued Mikoto from behind.

“Onee-sama, an F-15C is after you! You need to get out of- oh, damn!!”

Shirai’s warning was cut short by an air-to-air missile being launched from behind Mikoto.

It was a heat-seeking Sidewinder. And probably the latest version.

Evasive action taken after the launch had less than 50/50 odds of success, but Mikoto stayed calm and operated the control column.

Her Shinshin rapidly accelerated to fly right alongside the F-14D.

They were 5m apart.

At that distance, they might as well have been engaged in some acrobatic flying.

The incoming missile lost its target and sharply passed her as if piercing the space near the Shinshin.

It didn’t detonate.

Air-to-air missiles used IFF to identity friendlies and would not detonate too close to one. So while the F-15C had a lock, the presence of the Imperial F-14D within the blast radius automatically deactivated the proximity fuse, allowing the missile to pass by without detonation.

A thick shockwave shook the Shinshin.

The F-14D had raised her arms to spread her variable-sweep wings, which intentionally increased her air resistance and rapidly decelerated her.

Mikoto was still flying at great speed, so to her it was like the enemy suddenly vanished from view. In truth, the Shinshin had overshot the F-14D.

The F-15C was still on her tail and could kill her at any time. With her F-14D shield gone, the next missile would hit her.

“Onee-”

“It won’t be that easy.”

Mikoto dumped chaff and flares to create something like a fireworks show behind her and then made a rapid turn to leave the area. She had made sure the enemy F-14D would charge headfirst into the harmless flare downpour.

She could almost hear the enemy’s confusion.

A moment later, an air-to-air missile launched by the F-15C exploded nearby, bringing down the F-14D.

Mikoto heard a scream.

Was that the defeated F-14D, or the F-15C that had accidentally shot down her ally?

As said before, the missiles used IFF to identify friendlies. But that didn’t work if flares were scattered all around, confusing the sensor. Especially when chaff also obstructed the IFF signal itself. A missile designed to pursue the heat of engine exhaust would be lured in by the flares to explode nowhere near the enemy, which could end up harming a friendly.

Before the F-15C could mentally(?) recover from the shock of her terrible mistake, an air-to-air missile flew in from a different direction and scored a direct hit, bringing her down.

The missile came from Hokaze Junko’s F-2A.

“Rampage 03, one F-15C down☆”

That was three hostiles in all. The enemy’s two units of two formation was in shambles.

The remaining F-14D was soon surrounded by Mikoto’s squadron. Mikoto launched a missile, forcing the enemy to take a sharp turn to escape along a predictable enough path for Shirai’s autocannon to shoot her down.

In only a minute, the situation had reversed itself.

The remaining four hostiles finally noticed what was happening while they pursued YF-22A.

They quickly scattered and attempted to get a fresh start, but once the tides started turning, it was hard to stop them.

“Railgun 01 here. I’ve freed you from your sky prison, Brat 04.”

Whoever was on the other’s tail had an overwhelming advantage in a dogfight. The Imperial fighters must not have wanted to have their unguarded asses targeted while they pursued their own target.

But they should have kept YF-22A surrounded if they could.

Because this was the alternative.

“Get back to us! Now it’s 4-on-4, so they’ve lost their advantage. It’s time to bring them all down!!”