Chapter 523 - A Contest of Speed
Luty was full of fighting spirit, while Wilnel looked exasperated. Parfait, who had once again been dragged into a mess, had apparently grown accustomed to it as she steeled herself. Since Diite had asked her to listen to the request, refusing wasn't really an option. She just thought, for a brief moment, that it was a bit of a hassle.
"Wow, I'm so happy that you're so fired up for this, Parfait-san!"
"It's less being fired up and more like... I don't have much of a choice..."
"I'm sorry. I won't get another chance to make such an unreasonable demand. In the first place, people from the Foundations are usually forbidden from even contacting Parfait-san or her family. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!"
Parfait knew that as well. Foundations that weren't on good terms with her parents weren't even allowed to approach Colony Frontier unless something major happened. It was said to be for Security reasons and to prevent AFO's technology from being stolen, but Parfait often wondered if they really needed to go that far.
Not that I'm complaining. I don't really have a reason to get involved with Foundation people anyway. Well, I'm happy I became friends with Wilnel-chan... but could she lower the Wilnel Line a bit as a favor for a friend? Or wait, did I end up in this situation precisely because we're friends?
Wilnel continued to look at Luty with exasperation, seemingly unaware of Parfait's fleeting wish.
"Now, Parfait-san, I know all about you. You're a disciple of Benitsuru-san, the successor of the Azuma-style swordsmanship, and you're being coached by her senior disciple, Simon-san. That alone is impressive, but you became a Ranker on the very day you logged into AFO. Honestly, I watched that video until my eyes were sore."
"I... I'm flattered..."
"I also heard you fought Wilnel. She told me you were overwhelmingly strong."
"I'll just say I didn't stand a chance."
"I don't think it was quite like that, though..."
"No, no, even just having Wilnel say that is amazing. I think you should be proud, Parfait-san. Like Wilnel, we've received various types of education since we were children. That includes combat, of course. None of us ever thought we'd lose to someone our own age. Because of that, life can feel very dull. Everything goes exactly as planned, and there's no hardship or failure. Sometimes it even feels like we've become gods... but then, there's you, Parfait-san! And your family and friends too!"
Luty's energy was so high that Parfait actually recoiled a bit, instinctively gripping the scabbard of her sword.
"I love the unknown. The emotion of stepping into a place where no one has ever reached is irreplaceable. And right now, you are my unknown, Parfait-san. Please, show me that power!"
Luty turned and began walking out of the Base.
Parfait only had a vague impression that Foundation people were a bit strange. She figured it couldn't be helped since their upbringing and ways of thinking were so different, but she found it interesting that Wilnel, who shared a similar background, didn't seem to have good feelings toward Luty.
Wilnel gave Parfait a look filled with apology.
"I'm sorry. I'm not really in a position to talk, but Foundation people are essentially selfish."
"Ah, yeah, it's not your fault, Wilnel-chan. Besides, it's just a fight. It's a bit of a hassle, but it's not like I hate the idea."
"...I am truly sorry. Please feel free to channel that frustration into your blade and strike Luty with it."
Parfait felt a bit intimidated by the cold, serious look in Wilnel's eyes. She speculated that Wilnel might have been pushed around this time as well. After all, Diite had made the request herself. Considering her parents had also met them in AFO, it was highly likely this was part of a major project.
Well, it's not a completely outrageous request, and I'm a bit curious to see how strong she is. Kazatoki-chan was pretty strong, after all. I wonder if Luty-san has that much confidence too?
There was a time when she worried that her own strength was abnormal, but she'd moved past that now. Parfait's honest feeling was that she wanted to test her own strength. With those positive thoughts, she stepped outside.
Luty was waiting with a smile, but she wasn't just standing there; she was spinning the guns in her hands. It was a Gun Spin, and she seemed quite accustomed to it, spinning them vertically and horizontally, and even tossing them like a juggler.
When she saw Parfait, she deftly slid the guns back into her Holsters.
"I know your fighting style well, Parfait-san, but you don't know mine. So, let me give you a little performance."
"A performance?"
Luty smiled, took a wooden board out of her Item Bag, and tossed it into the air.
Immediately after, a series of gunshots rang out. Parfait couldn't count the exact number, but it felt as if she had emptied her entire clip, and the wooden board was blown into tiny splinters. Furthermore, the guns were already back in their Holsters. Parfait hadn't even seen her draw or holster them. Part of the reason was that she had been looking at the wooden board, but it had only been for an instant. Parfait was impressed by the Quick Draw speed required to shoot and holster in that time.
"I believe you have a technique called Iai, where you draw your sword quickly. My technique is the Quick Draw, where I draw my gun quickly. They're somewhat similar, don't you think?"
Parfait had heard a lot about such things from Pat the actor and knew of them. She had even seen his miraculous skill. Even though she had been a child then, she remembered that even with her kinetic vision, she couldn't see the moment he drew his gun.
"In a fight between a gun and a sword, the gun usually has the advantage depending on the distance. So, I was thinking of a contest to see who can land a hit first from a very close range."
According to Luty's explanation, they would stand within sword's reach, and the moment a coin tossed by Wilnel hit the ground, they would both attack. The first one to land a hit would win. She said such a variable rule could be set up within the PvP settings.
"In a gun-versus-gun match, we wouldn't need such a specialized rule, but I was shot normally by Esha-san yesterday!"
Luty said this with bizarre cheerfulness.
Esha, who was treated like an NPC, was still essentially AFO staff and was always in a state where she could engage in PvP, as Parfait had heard from Diite. Given that, Luty wouldn't have been able to attack even if she pointed a gun at Hayato, but Esha had shot her normally anyway. Parfait was unsure whether that was the kind of decisiveness one should learn from.
In any case, she understood the rules. As Benitsuru and Simon had said, dodging a bullet by reading the opponent's gaze, breathing, and the direction of the muzzle was impossible for her, so she felt a bit relieved that she had a chance under this rule.
"I understand. Let's do it with those rules."
She didn't necessarily need to win, but Parfait felt that holding back might cause problems, so she focused her energy. Besides, Luty seemed to be genuinely looking forward to the match, and Parfait wanted to meet that expectation.
Parfait and Luty stood facing each other at a distance of one meter. Wilnel, who would be tossing the coin, stepped close to them.
"Then, I will set the special rules and send the PvP request."
Luty seemed to be the one configuring the settings and sent the request to Parfait. Parfait checked the rules and accepted. Since it was a match to land a single blow, the combat style was set to 'Real,' with HP set to 1 so that a single hit would end it. The combat area was a dome-shaped field about two meters in diameter. Dodging was not an option; it was a pure contest of speed.
"Now, Wilnel, I've set the start of the battle to the moment the coin hits the ground. Could you do it for us?"
"Understood. I'll drop it on a stone instead of the dirt so the sound is clear. Here I go."
Without hesitation, Wilnel tossed the coin into the air.
Immediately, Parfait closed her eyes and concentrated on the sound. She felt that if she tried to see the coin fall, her reaction would be too slow. She focused entirely on that thought. She had already grasped the distance and position of her opponent. All she had to do was draw her sword and strike faster than the other.
Luty seemed surprised by the act and took a small breath, but Parfait was so focused she didn't even notice.
Then came the clink of the coin hitting the stone. Instinctively, before the sound had even finished, Parfait had drawn her blade, struck, and returned it to its scabbard.
She felt the sensation of a hit, but since she didn't know the exact situation, she opened her eyes. Luty had a shocked expression on her face and her right hand was touching her gun. With that expression still on her face, Luty collapsed. After that, the PvP dome shattered and disappeared.
"Parfait-san wins."
Wilnel said this without any sign of surprise, raising Parfait's right hand.
"Um, what happened? My eyes were closed, so I didn't see..."
"Parfait-san struck Luty before she could even pull her gun. While there was speed involved, I believe it was a victory of reaction time. The sound of the coin hitting the stone and the sound of the draw were almost simultaneous, and that made the difference."
"Simultaneous? I didn't start too early, did I?"
"No, it was fine. The rules wouldn't have counted the hit if you had drawn before the match started anyway."
Just as Parfait thought she had somehow won, Luty, who had been lying on the ground, stood up with a smile and grasped Parfait's hand with both of her own.
"That was magnificent, Parfait-san!"
"Th-thank you."
"No, I was truly shocked! To think I couldn't even pull my gun! The level of my surprise is right up there with Esha-san yesterday!"
"I... I see."
Parfait wasn't sure if that was something she should be happy about. Still, as someone who loved her family, she felt a little bit glad.
"But Wilnel! Isn't this cheating!? To keep a girl like this all to yourself!"
"I'm not keeping her to myself, but I knew this would happen, which is why I didn't want to introduce you. Now, you've had your match, haven't you? Please go home."
"Oh, if I'd known a girl like this existed, I should have used all the power of the Foundation to become friends with her!"
"Are you saying you want to start a war with Gemini? Naturally, Libra, Pisces, and Leo will get involved too, you know?"
"I'm moved enough that I wouldn't even mind that!"
Even Parfait could tell they were saying something very ominous. She wanted to log out right then and there, but knowing she couldn't, she just gave a strained smile.
"Parfait-san, what do you think? Would you like to join Aries in the future and head to the uncharted regions of space!?"
"Wait, Luty! Parfait-san has already decided to work for Gemini!"
"No, I actually want to run a cat cafe..."
After that, they began arguing about which Foundation Parfait should belong to. The talk escalated from a cat cafe to building a cat Colony for her, and she found herself in the middle of a tug-of-war.