...
In the Millennium control room, Yuuka makes orders, worried about this situation.
"Activate all the confiscated robots!" She orders. "I'd originally wanted to repurpose them into cleaning machines, but right now we've got more pressing messes to deal with! I hereby transfer their command to Akane and the Maid Club!"
"Understood." Akane reports. "I'll use these robots to sweep up the Game Development Department."
—————
Asuna dashes at the twins, quickly, intending to rush them like I would, however, I'm quicker to move.
I rush past the twins and slam my rifle's butt towards Asuna's chest, but she uses her rifle to block it. Her blue eyes widen in shock and surprise as I exert myself more to push her back a ways.
"Wow! You're stronger than I thought, Sensei!" Asuna praises with a big smile.
"And you're pretty damn quick." I praise back.
The maid giggles in response. "Heehee! Thanks!"
"Midori, Momoi. Back me up." I order.
"On it!" Midori says.
"Gotcha!" Momoi says.
Asuna, likely realizing I'm the bigger threat, dashes straight for Midori, but I close the gap and throw my leg out into hers, causing her to trip. In a feat of athleticism, she lands on one of her hands, the other holding her gun, and uses her lower body to spin around and turn back upright. Now in the air and facing me, I aim my rifle at her, and she does the same, but due to our closeness, our bullets hit one another. Quickly, Momoi and Midori use my trick of slamming the butt of their guns at Asuna, but she blocks them and gets sent flying, due to being in the air. As she flies back, she fires a spread of bullets at us, causing the three of us to scatter again.
Asuna lands on the ground with a pleased grin before running at us once more. As she closes in, I go for a punch to the stomach, but she ducks down and slides on the ground, under my feet. She comes to a stop behind me, but before she does, she grabs my leg, throwing me into the air like I did to her. My body is now upside down, with a standing Asuna behind me. She goes for a kick to my stomach, but Momoi and Midori fire at her. She dodges as I finish spinning by landing on my stomach.
Midori and Momoi try to fight her with melee, but Asuna is too quick and flexible. Momoi goes for a punch to the head, but Asuna kicks her in the side. Midori, to her side goes for a rifle smack, but Asuna uses her hand to push the rifle away from her, but the green twin keeps her momentum, which the maid takes advantage of, slamming her knee into Midori's gut, sending her staggering back. Momoi, becoming some sort of daredevil, jumps into the air and attempts to grab Asuna from behind, but the maid is too well trained and she knows the pink twin is coming and whips her head around. Momoi's face becomes one of fright at this. Asuna then grabs Momoi and tosses her, causing the pink twin's back to slam into the hard ground with a thud.
The twins, now next to one another, stand back up as Asuna rushes them. The twins's faces turn stony as the maid rapidly approaches, seems they're getting serious.
Asuna goes to quickly kick Midori in the head, but she and her sister duck. Midori grabs Asuna's leg that's on the ground, while Momoi takes the advantage and slams her rifle's butt into the maid's stomach, sending her backwards. As she begins to move away from them, the twins quickly spin their guns around and fire them point-blank at the maid. Midori fires off a big green shot and Momoi a big pink shot.
Asuna slams into a wall, her maid apron singed a bit and lands on her feet. Her grin seems to grow as she blurs forward. The twin's eyes widen in surprise as Asuna closes the gap near-instantly. Asuna punches Midori in the stomach with her right hand, with her left she pokes Momoi in the gut with her rifle's barrel. Spinning it around, she swngs the rifle's body upward, like a baseball bat, into the green twin's head, sending her flying back. She then grabs the pink twin by her coat, and spins around, letting her go, causing her to fly into her sister. The twins collide into one another then land on the ground with a thud.
She's quick and agile. Don't get me wrong, she's clearly physically strong, but her advantage is speed...
Time to get a bit serious.
Moving forward with a burst of speed, I sling my rifle over my back. The blonde maid goes to block my right handed punch, but as she does, my left fist slams into her stomach. She recoils from this momentarily, but uses the momentum to swing around and attempt a roundhouse kick with her right foot, but I block it with my right arm and use my left leg to sweep hers, causing her to be airborne again. This time, I don't waste time and pull my right foot back and slam the bottom of my boot into the maid's stomach, sending her flying back.
She hits the ground and rolls a ways before stopping, lying on her back.
Asuna sits up like the Deadman himself, but she has that same happy grin on her face. "Wow! That was fun!"
I can't help my deadpan expression.
"Ow ow ow..." Momoi whines, as she and her sister stand back up.
"Dang, she's so strong." Midori curses. "So this is what C agents are capable of..."
Asuna lets out a smug chuckle as she stands back up.
—————
At this moment, the blonde maid thinks to herself.
'Hmm. They aren't that strong on their own, but I have to give them some credit. It's their teamwork. Those two move in sync like one person with two bodies. Even most veterans aren't capable of that.
And then, there's Sensei. Despite being one of the fastest people in Millennium, if not the fastest, Sensei is quicker than me. Much quicker, and stronger too. I wonder how he'd fare against Neru...'
—————
"So, this is the advantage of being twins, is it? How marvelous!" Asuna happily says.
I understand where she's coming from. Midori and Momoi move completely in sync when they put their minds to it.
Momoi lets out a pant in exhaustion. "I never expected we'd run into Asuna here."
"Sis, I don't think we can do this. Let's run for now!" Midori says.
"You sure? I haven't gotten serious yet." I say with a smirk.
"Well... we don't have to fight her, so..." Momoi begins, but Asuna interrupts us.
"Trying to retreat? I don't think so!" The blonde maid says, but as she does.
BANG
An explosion rings out.
"Eek!" The green twin squeaks in fright.
"Th-Those shells are huge!" The pink twin says.
"The hell was...?" I ask, wondering what that was.
"Karin? No way. D-Did she beat Utaha?" Midori asks, worriedly.
—————
Meanwhile, on the rooftop with the meister and sniper maid.
Utaha blinks her eyes open slowly, finding herself laying on the roof. "Why am I on my back? And whose butt is right over my head?"
"That would be mine." Karin says, standing over Utaha while pointing her rifle at her at point-blank. "For getting hit as hard as you did, you woke up much faster than expected. Sorry, but you never stood a chance." The maid's uniform is scratched and burnt slightly.
"I see." Utaha says calmly. "You hit me through the gun smoke, and now you're staying close to me on purpose."
"That's right. The mortal girl will think twice before launching another shell. She seems rather fond of you." The dark haired maid says.
"Heh. My calculations definitely didn't account for this. How did you manage to hit me through all that smoke?" The purple haired meister asks.
"C-and-C snipers don't rely on sight alone." Karin explains. "Anyway, stay close to me. I don't think my heart or your body can take any more of this."
Utaha lets out a quiet sigh. "Can you do me a favor?" She asks, prompting Karin to tilt her head. "I really feel like I'd rather just get hit with a mortar shell, so please, get your butt out of my face."
"Then just don't look at it!" The dark skinned sniper snaps.
—————
"Crap! Karin is back up and Utaha's been captured!" Momoi alerts us.
"We can see that!" Midori snaps.
"Maki's updating too! Akane has blasted through the shutters and escaped!" The pink twin says in fear.
"I figured as much." I say with a sigh.
"Also, a group of giant robots is headed this way." Momoi continues.
Midori whines in fright.
"Are you kidding me? What's next, is Santa gonna crash through the roof next?!" I shout, fed up all of a sudden.
"I'm not sure, but I've got a feeling that we're winning." I send a deadpan look to Asuna as she says that. "And not only that, but something tells me that you three are in trouble."
"Ugh." Midori groans.
"Did we fail?" Momoi quietly asks.
"...No." Midori says with an exhale. "Not yet."
"Oh... right." I say with a grin.
—————
In the 'Millennium Student Council Self-Reflection Room', a robotic girl sits in darkness.
Her blue eyes snap open, illuminating the room a bit.
"Oh. A blackout. So that means..." Aris says.
The door to the room lets out a small 'click' sound.
"The EMP went off and Hare hacked the system settings. Which means the doors in the Student Council building should be open as well as the shutters." She says, standing up.
She slings her railgun over her shoulders and gains a resolute expression on her face. "All right. Jail break time. That means the next quest marker is at the Student Council contraband storage."
The long haired girl opens the door and walks out of the room, beginning to sprint through the empty hallways.
—————
"No matter how vigilant they are, there's no way they'll be thinking about Aris when things are happening." Momoi says, out of earshot of our maid friend across the room. "Even if we get caught, and assuming they only put us on probation, we could still use the GBIBLE to secretly create Tales Saga Chronicles Two in the club room."
"I can't hear when you're muttering, but it doesn't really matter." Asuna says. "You don't seem as desperate as you were before. Not giving up just yet?"
"It'd be for the best if you gave up now." Looking toward the source of the new voice, I find Yuuka, annoyed by this situation.
"Ugh. It's Yuuka." Momoi groans.
"I have to congratulate you for fooling us thus far." The treasurer says. "But... you've gone too far this time. I can hardly believe the sheer audacity of you to attack the Student Council with the help of terrorists." Terrorists? Kind of a mean thing to say, even if Veritas ARE hackers. "And to think I gave you a grace period to try and save your club." Yuuka lets out a sigh. "I guess I've been too soft. Don't even IMAGINE trying to escape punishment!" Yuuka roars, causing the twins to take a step back in fright. "You'd better be prepared to be confined or suspended for no less than a week."
"W-Wait, what?!" The pink twin shouts.
"B-But the Millennium Prize will pretty much be over by then!" The green twin argues.
"Luckily for you, your friend Aris is already in custody." Yuuka says, smugly, now having actually worried the twins as they aren't acting anymore. "I felt bad about locking her up alone, so I'm sure that she'll be happy to have some company."
"Ugh..." Momoi groans again.
"S-Sis!" Midori says, worried about her twin.
"I thought we could make it work even if we got caught, but..." Momoi sighs, before continuing. "But if we're caught... it's over. Even if we had the Mirror, Aris and Yuzu can't make the game alone." Momoi says, sadly. "So... we have no choice. We have to get through this no matter what!" She shouts, passionately.
"Oh? You want to go through us?" Yuuka asks, smugly.
Footsteps sound out as another girl appears.
She has long, dark blonde hair reaching her lower back and a white maid headband on. Her brown-grey eyes are framed by a pair of black glasses. She wears a maid uniform, similar to Asuna's, with a white collar and sky blue tie. Her top has frills and buttons in the middle, covering her entire chest. Her arms are covered in white, puffy sleeves, one of which having a black '03' in blocky font on the shoulder. Her hands are covered with white gloves and a plaid shawl is wrapped around her arms and back. She has on a long, black skirt which reaches her ankles and a white apron reaching her knees, at least. The skirt has two blue stripes at the bottom and a frilly bit underneath. Her legs are covered by white stockings, like Asuna, and she has on a black band on either ankle as well as black high heels with extremely high heels. She's also carrying a black and blue pistol. Her halo is made of two grey-brown rings, the same color as her eyes. the outer ring has indents at each of the intercardinal directions, while the inner has four 'prongs' on the inside, making it look like a crosshair.
The new maid girl, likely Akane, stops running while panting for breath. "Phew, barely made it. Why am I so out of breath...? Ugh, could it be my weight...?" She asks herself, worried, before looking more frantic. "N-No way! C-Couldn't be!"
""Huh?!"" The twins shout in unison.
Behind the maid are a legion of combat robots, identical to the ones from before.
"It's Akane!" Momoi shouts.
"And more combat robots!" Midori follows up.
"It seems we've reached the end of the line." Akane says with a pretty voice. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, Midori, Momoi." She says to the twins, before turning to me. "And you as well, Joshua Sensei. I am Murokasa Akane."
"Nice to meetcha, despite the circumstances." I say with a smile.
"Really, Sensei?" Yuuka asks, fed up.
"What? This ain't the worst situation I've been in while meeting someone." I say with a shrug.
"You should know that despite our reservations, Maki and Kotori still have a chance of being forgiven." The bespectacled maid tells the twins. "But anyone who's come this far is beyond forgiveness." She says angrily, making the twins flinch. "Also..."
"You should be expecting a stern letter to Schale after all of this, Sensei." Yuuka says, angrily.
I let out a sigh. "Save your letter, Yuuka. I'll make it up to ya after this, somehow. Promise." I say with a smile.
Pink dusts Yuuka's cheeks as she sighs.
"Ugh..." The pink twin groans once again. "Is this... really how it ends...?" She says, sadly, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
"Sis..." The green twin says, despondent at her sister's sadness.
"I'm sorry, Sensei. You tried so hard for us, but we ruined it!" Momoi says to me, freely crying now as she looks up to my face. "Our best wasn't enough!"
Yuuka and the maids look away, clearly ashamed of making this girl cry, despite the fact they're trying to arrest her.
"Don't be sorry. I CHOSE to help y'all, despite knowing the risks. Besides..." I say, walking over to the pink-eyed twin and gently placing my hand on her head. "You said your best wasn't enough. Well, that's fine."
"Huh...?" Momoi asks, looking up at me with wide, confused eyes.
"You did your best, that's all anyone could've asked of ya." I say with a smile. "Besides, if there's one thing I've learned these past five years, is that you should NEVER give up."
Momoi sniffles and wipes her eyes with her sleeves. "Thanks, Sensei, but... it's already over. Millennium's strongest forces, C-and-C and the Student Council, have us in a pincer. How are we supposed to have hope in a situation like this?!"
Before I can respond, I'm cut off by a whirring sound and a voice.
vrrrrrrrrr
"Target confirmed. MP charge... One hundred percent." A girl's voice says.
"D-Do you hear that?" Momoi asks, between sniffles.
"Yeah..." I say, listening closer as I realize what that is. "Get down!" I yell, pulling the twins down.
"Hmm?" Akane hums.
"Huh?" Asuna lets out as Yuuka looks at us questioningly as rhe sound gets louder.
vrrrrr-rrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRR
"BLINDING LIGHT!" The female voice shouts, as the room is engulfed in light.
BOOOOOOOOM
An explosion rings out, knocking Akane and Yuuka backwards onto the ground. The powerful, blinding shot tore straight through most of the robots, leaving the maids and Yuuka unharmed... mostly.
"Gah..." Asuna groans in pain on the ground.
"A-Asuna?! Are you okay?!" The bespectacled maid asks worriedly, scrambling to her feet to aid her friend.
Despite Asuna being on the ground, immobile and in pain, she has a big grin on her face. "Absolutely not! Whoa! Wh-What was that?!" She says with a chuckle. "I'm hit! And it hurts like hell, too. I can't move a single muscle!"
"I'm sure you'll be fine." Akane says with a sigh.
"Ugh. It's not just Asuna, half of the robots are down too!" Yuuka groans. "I can't believe this! And all with a single attack...?"
Akane reaches for her comms. "Karin! Status update! What was that laser beam...? ...Karin? Karin?! She hasn't provided fire support in a while!"
Outside, we hear an explosion sound from the roof, with a... bright light? Flashbangs?
"A light? It's coming from the roof!" Akane yells.
—————
Meanwhile, with the maid and meister.
Karin stumbles back from standing over Utaha's prone body as she shields her eyes, nearly dropping her rifle. "Ahhh! My eyes! The mortar can launch flash bombs too?!"
"But of course." Utaha says with a grin, still on the ground. "My sweet little protege would never risk exploding her dearest Utaha. She's a clever girl.
"Dammit!" The dark haired maid curses. "I still can't see anything, let alone support Akane!" She says, opening her eyes, before quickly snapping them shut in pain. "Why are you going so far out of your way to do this?!"
"Why? To protect that club, of course." The purple haired mesiter says as she sits up, like it's obvious.
"I'm no gossip, but even I've heard the rumors. I don't know much about the Engineering Club, but the Game Development Department is a pitiful excuse of a club. They're just a bunch of selfish brats." Karin scoffs. "Why would you go so far for them of all people?"
"They aren't selfish." Utaha argues. "Those kids are giving everything they have against impossible odds, all for the sake of each other."
"They don't even need a club to make games together!" Karin argues back, her eyes open slightly.
"You're not wrong." Utaha admits. "But you see, while just working as friends is great, having a place to be, and people to be there with is a special thing. THAT'S what they're fighting for. The place where they all belong together." She says with a small, yet bright smile.
"But still!" The maid sniper tries to argue.
whiiish
FLASH
White light engulfs the area as Utaha pulls goggles from her pocket and covers her eyes with them just before the flash bomb goes off.
"ARGH! AGAIN?!" Karin yells, covering her eyes once more.
Utaha chuckles at her misfortune. "That wasn't in my calculations, but it sure was funny."
—————
The maids and Yuuka scramble as the situation begins to fall apart for them.
"Hey, now. That was a railgun laser." I observe with a grin.
"A... railgun?" Yuuka asks, in confusion. "No..."
"Midori! Momoi! Sensei!" Aris shouts from behind us, as she runs toward us. "Now!"
"Aris?!" Midori asks in shock, as she stands up.
"What are you doing here?!" Momoi asks, as I help her up.
"Aris did a lot of thinking on her way to the contraband storage room." Aris begins. "Final Fantasia, Dragon Crest, Tails of Destiny, Chrono Digger, The Fable of Heroes, Pyre Emblem and... Tales Saga Chronicle. No matter which game you look at, the heroes never, ever, leave their friends behind." She says with a big smile. "So Aris will not, either. We will get through these trials, together!"
"Aris..." Midori mutters in shock.
"She's got a point." I say, smirking.
"If we'd gotten caught, it'd all be over, anyway." Momoi says. "All right, Game Development Department! Move out!"
"Right!" Midori responds.
"Ah! We can't let them escape!" Akane shouts, preparing to stop as, as are the remaining robots.
Asuna, still on the floor, laughs. "It hurts so bad, but I'm having so much fun! This is the best!"
"...Are you sure you're in pain?" Akane asks her friend slowly.
"Eh, maybe her hidden masochist is seeping out." I say with a shrug, before turning around. "Aris, charge up."
"Mm!" She says with a nod, as the railgun begins to glow.
"More importantly, Karin stopped shooting." The bespectacled maid says. "Do you think something happened?"
"M-Momoi and Midori are going to get away!" Yuuka alerts the maid as look to a passageway to our side.
"They're not going anywhere." Akane declares.
"Yeah, I figured." I say with a chuckle. "Get ready, you three." I say, eliciting nods from the gamer girls.
"Now engaging the enemy!" Akane says.
The robots move forward, as Akane sits still.
"Now!" I call.
"Blinding Light!" Aris shouts once more, tearing through half of the remaining robots, missing Akane. The remaining robots begin to fire upon us as the twins hide behind the pillars.
"Focus on those two!" I order, as I rush the robots. Akane and Yuuka's eyes widen at my speed as Asuna's smile seems to grow as she now leans against a wall, still sitting down. Using my knowledge of fighting these things from before, I rush between their bullets and smack one of them in the front square in its body.
Yuuka and Akane then move behind pillars as the twins and Aris begin firing upon them. Akane fires potshots from her pistol, while Yuuka calmly and accurately fires her SMG.
The punch I deliver to the robot staggers it and I proceed to use it as a shield, only this time, I punch the turret sticking out from it upwards, causing it to tear through the machine's hull and fly into the air. I kick the machine's remains forward, into the others, causing them to stagger, as I catch the robot's turret. Rotating turret in hand, I rush the robots once more. I smack one with the turret, caving it's hull in. Another fires at me, but I dodge and run straight at it. I slam the turret against it's body and fire rounds that tear through it and the ones behind it.
The process continues, until the robots are all downed. The gamer girls, Yuuka and Akane have stopped firing at each other to stare at me in shock and awe.
Smirking, I pull a flashbang from my pocket. "Get ready to run!" I yell, throwing it at Yuuka and Akane. The treasurer's and maid's eyes widen in shock as I quickly pull out my pistol and shoot the flashbang, causing it to explode in air.
"GAH!"
"AAH!"
The two girls shout as I and the three gamer girls run towards the contraband storage.
"Aris." I say.
"Yes?" She asks, stopping, along with the twins.
"Lemme borrow your gun." I say with a grin.
The three girls look confused, but Aris hands me the railgun. I take it carefully in my hands, tensing my body up to hold the mammoth of a gun.
"Wow! You really CAN hold it!" The pink twin says in awe.
"Sensei truly is the Legendary Warrior!" Aris cheers.
I turn around and smile with kid-like glee at what I'm about to do.
Pulling some switches and pressing buttons, I aim the railgun down and...
BOOOM
...I blow a hole in the ground, between us and the others. or rather, through MOST of the ground, since the floor is very thick, I only tear through half of it, since I fired it on low power.
"There. That oughta slow 'em down." I say calmly, handing the gun back to Aris. "Let's go."
On the inside, I am squealing in joy.
—————
Not long after, we make it to the darkened storage room.
"So, this is it?" I ask.
"Yeah..." Momoi says, panting heavily. "How... are you not tired?" She asks me.
"You gotta pace yourself." I advise, sagely.
"Is everyone okay?" The pink twin asks.
"I'm good." I say.
"Aris' HP is not critical." Aris responds.
"I-I'm fine." The green twin says.
"Good. So... this is the contraband storage room? It's a mess." Momoi says, observing the cluttered room.
"Broken glass all over... drawers upended..." Midori observes.
"It's a storage room, it's supposed to be messy, but... did Karin shoot the wall and do this?" I ask.
Momoi chuckles smugly. "It doesn't matter. Yuuka probably was onto our plan and thought Aris would take the Mirror and run to the Game Development Department. She probably has no idea we'd come here ourselves."
"Yuuka's sharp, so let's hope you're right." I say. "Still, we got here. Now where's that damn Mirror?"
"Here it is!" Midori says, picking up a mechanical doohickey. "Key item obtained!"
Momoi giggles, as Aris smiles. "This is so exciting! Let's go back..." Momoi says.
Aris and I stiffen.
"Everyone, please mute yourselves." Aris warns.
"Huh?" The pink twin asks.
"Someone's comin'." I warn. "One person."
"If it's only one person, we can ignore them or break through quickly. What should we do if Yuuka and the Maid Club come back?" Momoi asks.
"Are... they carrying chains?" I ask. It sure sounds like footsteps and chains dragging on the ground,
"Pause. I've got a message from Hare." Midori says, looking at her phone after it vibrated in her pocket.
RUN OR HIDE, JUST DON'T
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?" Momoi asks, dumbly.
"It means get under the damn table!" I whisper-shout and begin pushing the girls towards hiding spots.
"Wait, why would she be freaking out?" Midori asks.
"The Maid Club had an member missing, yeah?" I ask, serious.
"Wait, you don't mean...?!" Momoi says, worried.
"Identifying approaching target. Searching Millennium student list." Aris says, eyes closed. "Target confirmed. Height, one hundred and fifty-two centimeters... Dual SMG's... Dragon-patterned baseball jacket over a maid uniform..."
"Oh, crap!" Momoi quietly shouts.
"Hide, dammit!" I quietly shout.
The three girls duck under the table, but I jump over a turned-over dresser and hide behind it, in the corner.
The footsteps and chains rattling grow louder, as the source enters the room. Through a crack in the dresser, I make out the person.
The girl is short, less than five feet tall. She has short red-orange hair done in a bob cut with the left side of her bangs tied into a braid behind her left hear. An ahoge sticks from behind her white, black and blue maid headband. Her eyes are a shade of dark red and there are two beauty marks under her eyes, one under each. She wears a white shirt with a black section in the middle and blue buttons. The shirt is unbuttoned slightly, revealing her collarbone above her flat chest, a blue tie, untied, comes from underneath the collar. Around her waist is a short, maid apron over a short, black skirt with two blue stripes at the bottom and a white inner-skirt, coming from underneath. Over her uniform is, like Aris said, a black baseball jacket with white sleeves, the entire thing decorated with a dragon pattern. Her legs are bare, but her feet are covered with black and red tennis shoes. In her hands are two black and yellow SMG's with long chains dangling from the butts. Her halo is comprised of two dark, metallic grey rings. The outer ring is split into three parts, one on the bottom and two on either top-diagonal side. The middle ring has four small notches in it at all intercardinal directions. In the center is a yellow-gold triangle, shaped like a play button.
All in all, Mikamo Neru's look screams delinquent maid.
She looks around the room in silence for a moment, before speaking in a tomboyish voice. "Hmm. This place is a pit."
The twins, deciding to be complete idiots, decide to whisper.
"N-N-Neru?!" Momoi whisper-shouts.
"B-But why?! What in the world is she doing here?!" Midori whisper-shouts.
If I could facepalm without giving away my position, I would.
"Heh?" Neru asks, looking around. "That whispering in hearin'?"
The twins' eyes widen in shock as they each cover their mouths with their hands. Aris just stares, silently.
—————
Aris thinks to herself, as she watches Neru.
'This girl... she is different from the rest. I am feeling a new emotion. Is this... fear? Our probability of victory in a battle under current conditions is unequivocally... zero percent?!'
—————
"Let's see..." Neru says, looking around the room. "Under the desk maybe?"
Momoi and Midori clasp their hands against their mouths ever tighter as they and Aris' eyes widen to near-impossible proportions.
The tomboy maid steps ever closer to the desk. Each step is a countdown to game over.
"U-Um, excuse me!" A new voice calls out.
"Heh?" The red headed maid asks.
"N-Neru! It's an emergency!" Yuzu, of all people, says, having entered the room suddenly.
The three girls under the desk quietly gasp in shock.
"And you are...?" Neru asks.
"My name's Yuzu, and I'm with Seminar." The red headed gamer says. "The robots are out of c-control! It's a disaster! Akane and Karin are trying, but it's just..."
"Huh? We've had those bots for a while, yeah? Shouldn't they be set up already?" Neru asks.
"I-I'm not sure... But they needed help, and I heard y-you were here and I..." Yuzu says, trying not to stutter.
Neru merely lets out a tired sigh. "Guess I gotta do everything around here."
"I-I'll stay and clean up." The red headed gamer says. "I don't have any ammo or experience, so I-I'm s-scared of fighting..."
Neru looks at Yuzu for a long moment. "Not that it's really any of my business, but you should remember the most important thing in a fight isn't weapons to experience."
"H-Huh?" Yuzu asks.
"It's guts, kid." Neru says, before flashing a savage grin. "And you've already got that in spades, I'd reckon. Not just anyone can waltz up and ask ME a favor in a situation like this." She says, seeming genuinely happy.
"H-H-Huh?! I, uh... thank you." Yuzu says, calming her nerves.
"See ya around, kid." Neru says, patting Yuzu on the shoulder, as she leaves the room.
Yuzu swallows hard and flops down onto the ground.
"Yuzu!" I quietly shout, hopping out from behind the dresser as the other three girls pull themselves out from under the desk. "Are you okay?" I ask, kneeling down next to the red headed gamer and placing my hand gently on her shoulder.
"I-I thought I was dead for sure." Yuzu says, shakily.
"Yuzuuu!" Momoi shouts, glomping her red haired friend in a big hug.
"That was amazing, Yuzu! You saved us!" Midori cheers.
"I'm just glad I made it in time." Yuzu says, turning towards Aris. "A-Anyway, that thing in Aris' hands must be..."
"Correct." Aris says with a smile. "I present the object of our quest which will abate mankind's destruction, the legendary Mirror!"
Yuzu gasps, before smiling in joy.
"Alright, let's save the celebratin' for later." I say, standing up, offering my hand towards Yuzu, who hesitantly takes it, allowing me to help her up. As she stand, I noticed her face is red.
Goodness, these girls are pure.
"Sensei's right. If Neru comes back, we're all dead meat!" The pink twin adds.
"There are still some robots ahead." Yuzu warns.
"Then we'll just take care of 'em." I say pulling out my rifle.
"R-Right! Our mission isn't over yet!" The green twin says.
"I will guard the rear. Your orders, Sensei?" Aris asks.
"All right, then. Let's get over to Veritas." I order. "Move out!"
""Right!"" The four girls affirm as one.
Now then, let's take down those stragglers and get back!
—————
AN
DOUBLE UPLOAD!
I'm skipping writing the group escaping the building, so don't get too upset when you don't see it next time.
Also, I've begun re-writing my Date A Live story. Take a look, would you kindly?
Edit: April 8, 2023: Fixed some stuff.
I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next!