Hidan no Aria:Volume6 Chapter1

1st Ammo: Manhunt

--The Dragunov Sniper Rifle

A slender body design, with a great aesthetic design.

It is very light, and it far surpasses other sniper rifles.

Also, its durability and reliability are not bad, and it is one of the world-class sniper rifles.

"Wa, wait. Wait a moment."

The Dragunov sniper rifle is entirely different than the sniper rifles which only have shooting as an advantage.

In a hostile environment it won’t receive damage, it can continuously shoot through the semi-automatic function, and also, on the peak, there’s a bayonet, and making it usable as a pike……it’s a terrifying 'warzone' sniper rifle.

“Why are you unhappy……Reki!”

That muzzle, for now, was pointing directly at me.

The one holding the rifle was the Snipe division’s genius, Reki.

She is someone who has the potential of a genius, the S-ranked butei in the same grade as me.

“——You and Aria, cannot be united.”

Her voice completely toneless, Reki replied the same way as before.

Behind her, there was a bit of Tokyo’s chilly night view, with today’s night’s huge moonlight blooming of radiance.

I was stirred up by the sight of that scene with a feeling of uneasiness……

“United……is what?”

After she spoke those weird words, I was slightly blushing.

Just then, Aria and me——

After cleaning the Inquesta building, we were on this roof. Under the sunset. Just two of us.

Looking like this, maybe it looked like a scene of a pair of intimate man and woman who loves each other.

But, why did Reki, who seemed to have seen us two do that kind of thing, draw her gun!?

“Don’t……don’t say rubbish. The relationship between Aria and me isn’t that kind. It should be just the opposite, just then we were saying……that, from now on……we will be separated. Us two.”　

“Were you talking about breaking up?”

“What, what do you mean by ‘breaking up’?”

“If it’s like this, then it is even better. Because Kinji-san, can be my husband without being bothered.”

That, that point.

Only that point.

The weirdest thing would be that point.

After chasing Aria away from here, Reki is now pointing her rifle at me……

(And actually, proposed to me!)

“Reki, you, why are you talking about ‘marriage’……!”

Also, from the beginning, I have the disease that is Hysteria Mode in my body. I must live far away from women.

That you, actually say ‘marriage’. What the heck is that!

“——If it’s like this, Kinji-san can become ‘Ulus’.”

“Ulus…...?”

“It means ’family’” (T/L note: Ulus is in Mongolian.)

Family……family member?

Impossible. This is becoming harder and harder to understand.

I'm just about to cry.

“Well, that...after marriage, the man and woman become family. ……But I already have my brother, it’s more than enough for me. If you want to have someone you can call family, you can find some other person to take care of you. What do you think?”

I said that, trying to evade it.

“ ‘The wind says, that it’s you’ ”

Reki, said that with her previous hard tone.

“ ‘The wind says, that it can only be you’ “

——That tone, seemed to have an inexplicably strong confidence.

Her pupils, which looked like lenses, were staring at me as if she wanted to pierce through me with that gaze.

It is really transparent, the sniper rifle’s scope.

(……What the heck is that……!)

This Reki, is different from the usual Reki.

This girl’s nickname is ‘Robot Reki’. She's always a wordless, emotionless, expressionless girl. But despite that, the Reki as of now, is making me feel some inexplicable intensity, as if I am her target.

——As if, she has received some kind of order.

“Lis-listen to me. Reki.”

I wanted to move my body out of her shooting line, and stepped back a bit as if it was nothing.

"Your actions are far too contradictory. Since you want me to be part of the family, why are you pointing your gun at me? Put that down, and let's talk about this calmly. Alright?"

"Denied. Men and women should not talk to each other--"

And doing the opposite of my suggestion, Reki shifted the gun with the slightest movement possible, pointing it at me while saying:

"--but steal each other."

Men and women should steal each other.

So, that's how Reki views boy-girl relationships. Well, if one had to talk about whether it was right or not, one couldn't say that it's completely wrong.

But, you, isn't that a really wrong way of looking at things?

Performing a Tsukommi on Reki in my heart, in my line of sight...

*Whoosh*

A leaf-brown cloth rode the wind, fluttering down.

Fluttering precisely within my reach, it was the jacket that I had taken off earlier for the sake of cleaning.

I looked up at the direction that it had flown from--and there, standing on the air-conditioning unit precisely one level above the ground, a beast was looking down at me.

That jacket appeared to be something that it had carried in its mouth all the way from the Inquesta classroom.

(Haimaki...!)

That was the silver-white wolf that Reki was taking care of, Haimaki.

Not understanding why he would be holding my uniform...

I caught it, and a little agitated, I put my hands through its sleeves.

Butei High's uniform--The jacket and pants are made out of the bulletproof fiber, TNK.

It's useless against the armor-piercing rounds that Reki was holding earlier, but wearing it is a little reassuring.

After all, the bullets that are stored in that magazine may not all be pierce rounds.

"Kinji-san."

"...What?"

"I too, do not wish to immediately make Kinji-san marry me."

Naturally.

"As such--I think that I will give you 7 minutes grace."

Just 7!?

"From now on, I will attack you 7 times. If you are able to escape being hit for more than 1 minute, I will retract my proposal."

This is like...explaining the rules of a game.

A cold sweat breaking out, I looked down at my watch.

"You can run where-ever you like. But, I'll warn you first. My "Killing Range" is 2051 meters."

--Killing range.

The farthest range at which a hit is a certainty...The people in Snipe have different names for it, but Butei call it "Killing Range".

Which is to say, that is the distance at which snipers will definitely take out the enemy--

"In short, no matter where you run to inside this 2051m radius, my rifle will be able to hit you. Because, this rifle will never betray me--"

*Kch* Looking at Reki, who had straightened her gun again, at last...

I too, strengthened my resolve.

--I get it, I get it.

It looks like no matter what, you're not willing to talk with me, Reki.

Then, as you wish, I will play this game with you.

The normal me would definitely be unwilling to listen to these words.

I don't know when Reki figured out how to make me change...But the me as of now has entered Hysteria Mode, where I will listen to anything that girl's say, because...

Without heat or passion, but all the more stimulating because of it--Earlier, Reki's kiss.

"Then, please marry me before the 7th bullet."

But...Why "7"?

I didn't have enough time to even voice that question--

*Thud!*

"!?"

Leaping off the air-conditioning unit, The silver-wolf Haimaki flew over my head!

I saw that--probably something that Reki had made him wear--on his back, thick metal plating, just like armor, was protecting it. This is...I no longer have the chance to use the paralyzing bullet technique to graze his back, like I did to his brother.

"--Uu!"

I, standing at the edge of the Inquesta Building, where the emergency stairs were, was smashed into by Haimaki, pouncing through the air.

Colliding with me like that, I fell onto the rusty steps.

As if pulling out its prey's organs, Haimaki ripped my cellphone out of my pocket, and just as that happened--

*Chnk!*

--The Dragunov's gunshot!

(Armor-piercing bullet--!)

I was in Hysteria Mode, but the blood froze in my veins.

I thought I was hit...but there was no pain. I was not injured.

As I felt a wave of relief wash over me, *Gchhng!*

"!"

Lumped together like a Dango, Haimaki and I tumbled over together. We struck the handrail of the stairs, breaking it, sending us falling into thin-air.

*Don!*

Haimaki jumped off me, using me as a step, returning to the stairs.

Quickly deploying the cable in my belt, I, like the Spiderman in the movies, lowered myself down to the emergency stairs a few floors below.

"...?"

Feeling a strange sensation, I glanced towards my left wrist, and my bulletproof uniform--

One of the buttons on the cuff was missing.

I could understand from the tiny piece of broken metal that was left on the sleeve. Just before, Reki had shot it off. The button.

Reki...Hasn't changed. She's still as impressive as usual.

As I was rolling around with Haimaki, she managed to shoot such that she only hit the tiny button of my cuffs.

(But, why did she shoot that kind of thing...?)

As I frowned, by my ear, *Kccccchhhhh*--

As its paws trod upon the steel stairs, I heard the sound of its footsteps fast approaching.

Haimaki was rushing down the stairs.

I stretched out the Beretta in my hand...before I stopped.

Haimaki's bulletproof armor. That should be the tactical body armor that police dogs or Butei dogs wear.

My 9mm bullet would be completely useless. Even if I used all my bullets, the best I'd be able to do is delay him.

With no other choice, I could only spin around, rushing down the stairs, just ahead of Haimaki.

--Haimaki.

Now that I think about it, I had spent some time chasing you around on a motorcycle in the middle of spring. That's when you were still under Vlad's control. But now...it's your turn to chase me. This is divine retribution, isn't it?

Having landed on the ground, I--

(If another bullet comes, I'll defend using Billiard Shot--)

-thought that for a moment, before I realized that It was impossible.

A prerequisite of Billiard Shot is the ability to see the stance of the enemy, and deduce the trajectory of the bullet. I have to link the timing of my shot with the timing of her shot, a technique that only has one chance of success.

And facing a sniper whom I can't see, it's impossible for me to predict when she will open fire--I can't use it.

Feeling Haimaki's breath from behind my back, I sprinted forward with all my might, nothing else I could do. Under the strange looks of pedestrians that passed by occasionally, I went under the monorail tracks, jumping the guardrail to enter the commercial district, ignoring the traffic lights--

And using the anti-sniper tactics that I had learned in Assault, I twisted aside at one of the crossroads, entering a tiny alley.

Bullets cannot curve, and as such, sniper rifles can only hit enemies that are directly in their line of fire. As long as I hide in this kind of angular place, I definitely won't be hit.

"Haa, haa, haa..."

I leaned my back against the wall of the building, glancing at my watch.

It's just about to reach 1 minute after the first shot. According to the rules that Reki set down, this should be my victory.

I thought this, turning my head towards the entrance of the alley to see whether Haimaki had caught up with me--

--*Giin!*

Suddenly, sparks burst forth from the pole of the traffic light by the side of the road.

"!?"

The next instant, *Bch!*, a feeling of numbness ran up my wrist.

(I-I was hit...!?)

I looked to my left wrist in panic--and again, I saw that yet another button on the cuffs of my sleeve had been ripped off by a bullet.

Reki. You--

-hit the pole of the traffic light, and you still managed to make the bullet ricochet and hit my wrist!

L-Snipe.

Like the concept of the V-shape bullet trajectory that my own Billiard Shot draws in the air, this is a sniping technique that allows the bullet to reach an enemy around an angle, a shot that draws an L in the air.

I went "Tch", and I ran deeper into alley, which continued to wind--*Gng! Gng!* The sound of ricocheting bullets resounded twice behind me, and this time, the feeling of numbness ran up my right wrist.

--L-L Snipe...!

The bullet hit the pole of the traffic light before it ricocheted off a roadside garbage-can, chasing me all the way up the street!

(I-is that even possible...!?)

While I continued to go "Tch", I ran through the automatic door of a select shop.

This is in an alley which has 2 corners, and what's more, this is a shop. Added to this, in front of this shop, there's nothing like a postbox or powerline-pole to ricochet off.

(This place is definitely...safe!)

Quite unpopular, this shop was filled with mannequins of girls, but there was not a customer in sight.

--*Zccchh!*

I saw Haimaki, hurtling in front of the store like a hurricane...and the store attendant, seeing him, retreated int a corner of the shop.

Just right. I'm sorry, but I'm just going to hide here for now.

"...?"

Drawing my gun and pointing towards the open door, I--couldn't help but frown.

Haimaki was not entering the store.

He had stopped in front of the automatic door such that it would not close, and he lowered his head, stretching his front paws out, crouching down.

(...!)

I reacted violently, but it was already too late.

*Gin!*--*Gin!*--the bullet, having come here all the way through the alley, also--*Giiin!*

Ricocheted off the metal plating on Haimaki's back, facing this way--

*Bcch!* It tore past my right sleeve in a heartbeat.

"--Uwoah!"

My wrist having been grazed by a bullet, I fell towards the feet of the mannequins.

I looked at my hand, sprawled out across the floor--and from my right wrist, one more button had disappeared from the cuffs.

My mind in Hysteria Mode told me what exactly that meant.

If you add the first and second button on the chest of my uniform and the 2 cuff buttons on each of my wrists---together, there are 6 buttons.

And Reki has been shooting them one by one.

--Reki's words echoed in my mind.

"Then, please marry me before the 7th bullet."

If all 6 of my buttons go missing, and I still haven't replied with "YES"--

The 7th shot--where are you going to shoot, Reki.

Could it be that, you are trying to kill...me!

"...Fuck...!"

Reki can see me. Reki can shoot me.

But despite that, I cannot see her. I cannot shoot her back.

(This is a sniper...!)

A battle between pistols and swords is like a battle between a sword and a gun. If both sides are far apart from each other, the pistol's bullet will have no way of reaching the sniper. Even if it's the me in Hysteria Mode, that fact doesn't change.

Kneeling on one knee and looking up, I...in an instant, all the mannequins looked like Reki.

This terrifying feeling. I'm going to go mad. My consciousness was about to be pressured into reaching its limit.

The me as of right now is being run down by a silver wolf, and I am but prey that cannot evade the bullets of the hunter.

Yes...This is as Reki called it, a "hunt".

--Isn't this just a..."Manhunt"!!

I used all the bullets in my Beretta to chase Haimaki away, and Hysteria Mode, sending interrupted thoughts into my mind, had thought of a place where I could hide.

I don't know why, but...

The Hysteria Mode this time, triggered by Reki, went away extremely fast.

(If "the exterior of an obstacle" doesn't work, then if I enter the "hollow nterior of an obstacle"...!)

Perhaps, I might have a chance.

Thinking that way, I ran, throwing my body about, piercing through the alleys, returning to the entrance of the campus. Hopping the fence, I ran into the Logi's garage. Rushing into what appeared to be a very sturdy four-wheel drive, I used the multi-purpose tool in my Butei Handbook to open the door.