The Lone Sniper: I Was Just Minding My Own Business Sniping Players, and I Ended Up Becoming a Raid Boss

Chapter 13

"W-why do you know my name...?"

"I've memorized the names of all the students. I'm the student council president—it's only natural."

I don't think it's natural at all?

"S-s-sorry! I'll leave immediately!"

"Why? There's no need to run."

Tsukigami-san held up a convenience store bag.

"I'm eating here too. Let's eat together."

"A-are you sure...? With someone like me...?"

"Yeah. Actually, I want to eat with you—the one who landed a hit on me."

She wants to eat with someone like me...? Huh? Did she just say something weird?

"A hit?"

"Koshi. So your player name is Shiki."

"Huh?"

If she knows my player name, that means we met somewhere in a game world.

Who is she? I shouldn't have any acquaintances like that.

"Have we met somewhere before...?"

Tsukigami-san pointed upward.

"On the moon."

"On the... moon..."

The gears clicked perfectly into place.

Tsukigami-san's voice is the same as that girl's.

"No way... White Meteor?"

"That's right."

Meteor-chan is the student council president!?

"Let's talk while we eat."

Tsukigami-san sat down next to me.

Fwaa. A sweet scent tickled my nose. Not perfume—something more natural and gentle. C-crap. Do I smell okay...? We're so close—what if I stink?

(T-t-t-t-this is insane! I'm alone in a place no one ever comes to, with the first-year student council president! No way, I can't handle this...! I have no idea what to talk about!)

"Sniping."

"Huh?"

"That sniping technique—are you self-taught?"

"Uh, y-yes. I usually play as a sniper in other games too..."

"Great skills. It's been a while since someone hit me."

"H-hehe... really?"

Tsukigami-san isn't the pushy type. Like Azuha-chan, she's the cool type, so maybe she's a bit easier to talk to.

"From the stage, I saw your avatar and immediately knew you were 'Shiki'."

"Just from the avatar?"

In the assembly hall, we use avatars that are exact replicas of our real-life appearance. I shouldn't look anything like Shiki.

"Your physical features matched Shiki's. The rest was intuition. I sensed the same hawk-like, sharp killing intent from your avatar that I felt on the moon."

Eh? Do I normally come off that intense!?

W-well, I guess I was getting irritated because I wanted to use a gun...

"W-why were you on the moon, Tsukigami-san?"

"...To learn about love."

"Huh, lo... love!?"

W-was that a joke? Should I laugh...?

"What kind of person do you like?"

"L-like...!? N-no no no! Someone like me liking someone is totally out of the question! It would be disrespectful to the other person!"

"? Is it disrespectful to like someone?"

She asked with pure, innocent eyes.

Ugh...! I feel like I'm being sucked into those blue eyes...

"Ah... no, that's not what I meant... Um, well... is it okay if it's someone from 2D?"

"Sure."

"L-like... Lockon=Stratos (N***l)... Shuichi A***, Michael from M***ss, Togo from Y***, Daisuke from D***, Hyakunosuke from O***... they're all my favorites."

I wonder if a high school girl would even recognize this lineup...

"You like snipers?"

Ah, she got it. She must watch a lot of anime too.

"Yes... I do. Snipers are intelligent, and I love that contrast between their usual personality and how they change when holding a weapon... I'm drawn to their side profile when they're aiming... and they all seem so mature... ah, but Hyakunosuke looks mature but has childish traits, and that's what makes him great... wehehehe..."

"But snipers usually die—"

"Please don't say that!"

Snipers generally have a high survival rate, but for some reason in fiction they tend to die or get seriously injured. I actually like that fragile aspect too.

"What about you, Tsukigami-san...?"

"I've never been in love with anyone."

"Eh..."

"Family love, friendship, romantic love, same-sex love, respect, self-love... I've never felt any kind of affection. Or rather, I've never really been interested in other people."

That's surprising.

Right now, Tsukigami-san has a blank expression, but when I see her in front of teachers or during school assemblies, she's always expressive, smiling with friends. She didn't seem like someone who had no interest in others.

"In Infinite Space, I'm the strongest. In that world, if someone manages to kill me... I think I'd finally be able to take interest in the player who did it. That's why I'm waiting on the moon. Waiting for the person who can kill me... the one I can love."

Tsukigami-san looked at me with those sapphire-like, beautiful blue eyes.

"I'm expecting great things from you."

"Eh—eeeh!?"

I don't hate this—no, I'm happy.

I mean, a girl this beautiful... someone who's the complete opposite of me, someone so popular, is showing interest in me—it makes me happy, obviously. But—

"I-I can't do it...! I'm nothing like you, Tsukigami-san... I'm not popular... I'm bad at talking to people... I'm a shadow person... even now, my heart is pounding... there's no way I could do something others couldn't."

"That's not true."

Tsukigami-san stood up and faced me.

"Tsukigami-san...?"

She placed her hand on the door behind me and leaned in.

Our faces—got closer.

"This is the first time I've ever wanted to eat lunch with someone, without considering pros or cons."

"A-ah, eh, ha, huh...!?"

"Sharing a meal with the real me. That's something no one else could do."

Maybe the fan wasn't strong enough—sweat was pouring down, soaking even my skirt.

Was the temperature over 100 degrees? My head felt hot enough to make me dizzy.

"I'll be waiting. On that moon. Waiting for you."

My scorching hot summer vacation—was about to begin.

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