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

Chapter 40

August 6, 2047. First August C-rank Rank Match Day.

"Space Station ch.ex1," Marshmallow Smile operator room.

Sheena-san, Niko-san, Chacha-san, and me. Everyone is gathered in the operator room.

Ten minutes until start. The game begins at 39 o'clock.

Preparations are complete. Dust Mirage is equipped too. Since Dust Mirage doesn't wear out at the base, equipping it now is fine.

"......"

Niko-san is sitting cross-legged on the sofa, meditating.

"......Amazing concentration."

"......Looks good, right?"

"......Y-yes."

"......Niko-cchi was raised at a temple, so~ she's great at zazen."

Surprising! I thought she was a hardcore city girl.

"Sheena-san, are you... studying?"

Sheena-san is using a stylus to write something on her tablet.

"That's flash mental arithmetic."

Flash mental arithmetic is adding and subtracting numbers that flash one after another on the screen. I've seen it on TV a few times...

"That's your routine, Sheena-san...?"

"Exactly. I always do it before important matches."

Sounds exhausting rather than relaxing...

"Shiki-ccho, don't you have one? Some routine like that."

"Ah, not really. If I had to name one... this, maybe."

I stand up from the sofa where I'd been sitting next to Chacha-san, turn toward the corner of the room, and sit on the floor hugging my knees.

"......Shiki-ccho, what's that?"

"It's corner-sitting. When I do this, my mind calms down."

Facing the wall is the most comfortable.

"Well, it's almost time. Everyone, please gather."

At Sheena-san's command, everyone converges in the center of the room.

"Then..."

Sheena-san smoothly extends her right hand.

"? What's with the hand?"

"I-I don't know either."

"What what? Some kind of ritual?"

For some reason, Sheena-san turns bright red to her ears.

"......A circle, you know... we stack our hands like this... then raise them together with a shout, right?"

"Ah—!"

Of course, everyone knows the flow.

The problem is that Sheena-san initiated it. Sheena-san isn't the type to do that kind of thing, so it didn't click.

"What are you, did you suddenly think 'I've gotta act like a leader!' or something?"

Niko-san teases, not missing the chance.

"......Was it wrong?"

"Not at all~. I think it's fine."

Niko-san stacks her hand.

"Up till now you were always making fun of sports-club types~, Sheena-cchi. Chacha-san loves this stuff♪"

Chacha-san stacks her hand too.

(This is my first time doing a circle...! I'm nervous... but I want to try.)

I stack my hand as well.

"Then—Marshmallow Smile, fi, oh!!"

"Oh!!!"

Everyone raises their hands together. At the same moment, everyone except Sheena-san bursts out laughing.

"Haha! The chant had zero twist to it...!"

"You're serious to the end."

"A simple chant is fine."

Since I'm a loner too, I understand how hard Sheena-san tried. Maybe she was bothered when Tsubasa-san said she wasn't fit to be leader.

W-what should I do. I want to cheer her on. I want to praise her, tell her she did great. I-I'm the big sister here...!

"...S-Sheena-san!"

"Shiki-san, what is it?"

"That... you were really, really cool just now!"

"Cool...?"

Oops! Maybe I picked the wrong praise word!

"Fufu. Shiki-san, you really are amusing."

With a childish smile that fits a middle-schooler, Sheena-san says.

"E-eh!? Wh-wh-where am I amusing!?"

Crackle. Blue electricity flashes.

"It's started."

"I-it's finally time."

"Alright! Let's do this!!"

"Leave support to me~"

My body breaks down into blue lightning. The scenery flips, and then—

'Transfer complete.'

Where I'm transferred to... a seaside town.

'Stage name: Resort 1. Battle commencing.'