Anonymous Girl A-san
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Translator: SFBaka
Editor: Thor’s Stone
In the outskirts of the Fortress Area, Yoshikawa and company’s Silhouettes were dashing away with their rollers at full speed.
But they still were painfully slow. Their Silhouettes were Grizzlies that specialized in defense.
They failed to leave via transport aircraft earlier.
The Familiars didn’t respond to them at all, and they weren’t even able to apply for the proper procedures.
So, in the end, they decided to escape Fortress Area P336 using their Silhouettes as quickly as they could. They felt absolutely stifled.
There was no doubt that if they didn’t escape to the nearest Defense Dome, they wouldn’t be able to guarantee a decent quality of life for themselves.
「We definitely have to appeal to the Mercenary Association about this!」
Yoshikawa screamed in resentment.
「Judging from those Familiar’s reactions, I think things aren’t looking too good for us. The association might not even hear us out.」
Yamaoka gave a dissatisfied retort. In a sense, he had only gotten involved in the mess due to Yoshikawa.
「So, what are we supposed to do huh!?」
「In the worst-case scenario…… we might need to seek employment with the Stones.」
Niijima remained calm. He had already realized what their fates would be.
「Is it really that serious?」
「We probably turned all Familiars against us. I’ve never heard of people not being allowed to use transport craft like that before.」
It happened in the middle of the three’s conversation.
Yoshikawa’s machine was rocked with a violent impact.
「Wha-!」
The head of Yoshikawa’s machine was blown away.
He looked around and witnessed Yamaoka’s machine getting its head destroyed as well, and Niijima’s had its right arm blown right off.
「W-Where’d those come from!?」
「There are no signs of enemies within a 10 km radius, Yoshikawa-san! In the first place, we’re still inside the Fortress Area!」
Yamaoka screamed in panic.
「Just where…… D-Don’t tell me– From the Aristides? Is it Kou?」
「It’s either Kou or someone related to that kid.」
「What kind of sniper can accurately shoot off the arms and heads of Silhouettes at that distance!? So they’re warning us…… Dammit.」
It’s not like Yoshikawa had particularly poor judgment. He realized that they were being targeted by an amazingly skilled sniper and clicked his tongue.
「It looks like they don’t want to kill us. They didn’t target our machine’s legs. Let’s hurry and get out of this Fortress Area already.」
Niijima muttered in a helpless tone.
He glanced at the possible sniping point. The only possible spot was on top of the Aristides that they could still see from their location.
At the deck of the Aristides. Two Silhouettes were down on one knee in sniping positions.
Blue was using a long-range sniper railgun. Nyanta, on the other hand, used her personally customized sniper rifle.
「Amazing as always nyaa. Blue.」
「You too, Nyanta.」
The two ladies praised each other’s shooting skills. Their sense of camaraderie seemed to have deepened.
「Were those enough to serve as a warning nyaa?」
「They should be. They will probably cross paths with Kou again one day. At that time, Kou will settle everything with them himself. I can’t imagine him losing to those clowns anyway.」
「He definitely won’t lose to them nyaa.」
「It really feels bad to just let them go like that…… I wanna shoot them from behind more.」
「You’re the one who actually can’t hold back, Blue!」
Blue’s murderous intent was so strong that Nyanta couldn’t help but chuckle. But it’s not like she was any better.
Bam!
A violent impact ran through the machine’s entire frame.
Yoshikawa’s machine was blown far away. His Silhouette no longer had its lower body as well. There weren’t any warnings. The shot had fully intended to destroy Yoshikawa’s machine. It was a blow that was more murderous than anything that came at the three earlier.
It was a shot from the main gun of the Aristides. A bombardment from its most powerful railgun.
The torso was still mostly intact, so perhaps Yoshikawa actually managed to survive. However, the impact of the round from a ship’s railgun wouldn’t be able to be fully mitigated even by an MCS. If Yoshikawa didn’t fasten himself to his seat, he would have been thrown around violently inside his MCS.
Niijima’s one-armed Silhouette and Yamaoka’s machine that was missing its head grabbed the remains of Yoshikawa’s machine from the left and right and frantically escaped. It was a scene akin to that photo portraying two men-in-black bringing away a small alien that was circulated back on Earth.
The Silhouettes of the two ladies on the deck turned to face each other as they themselves exchanged glances through their MCS monitors.
They then clutched their stomachs and burst out laughing.
「Ponko, firing the main gun during peacetime is prohibited. Tell me your reason.」
Ponko went to the combat command center of the Aristides to get permission from Dike to fire the main gun.
「Kou and Aimer were subjected to an assault. Please obtain relevant data from the Familiars.」
「–Situation confirmed. To authorize a naval bombardment, approvals from three administrators are needed. First limiter, released by Dike’s approval. Second limiter, released by Astraea’s approval. The problem is the third limiter.」
Dike and Astraea’s approval was truly a textbook display of bending the rules.
「There are no other administrators currently pre– No. It has been approved. Third limiter, released by the approval of Anonymous Girl A who holds full authority. Only one shot is allowed.」
「Girl A-san. Just what in the world is she……?」
Ponko moved to the fire-control system room. She then sat down in front of the main console.
The railgun was just newly equipped to the Aristides. It was a large caliber railgun that now serves as the ship’s main gun.
It was installed on the ship due to Barry’s request and was made by Kou.
Ponko aimed at the target machine.
She set the electric power to MAX without any hesitation.
「I am not a Telema AI. I cannot forgive those who would harm young children. Go to hell. Damn bastard.」
Ponko was a babysitter robot. Therefore, protecting children was in her nature. Kou and Aimer. She wouldn’t forgive those who hurt the ones under her care.
War was a different matter. However, Kou and Aimer were harassed and attacked in a peaceful residential area.
Her duty was to protect young children from dangers and accidents during peacetime.
Striking a child’s face with a broken glass cup filled with sharp edges can already be considered a murder attempt. It cannot be dismissed as mere harassment.
She will do anything to protect children. Therefore, she cannot let anyone who would bring harm to children continue living.
「The one who brought harm to Aimer, no mercy. Kill. Kill. Ki–ll.」
Ponko’s last words were delivered akin to low bass tones echoing out from an old speaker. She pulled the trigger without hesitation.
The railgun was fired at maximum power. The hull of the ship shook due to the resulting shockwaves.
The entire lower body of Yoshikawa’s machine was blown away with a single hit. Its upper body flew off and rolled on the ground when it landed.
It apparently still had power running through it. The pilot should have survived.
In truth, Dike slightly shifted the trajectory so the shot wouldn’t result in a direct hit.
「Dammit. He survived. You just wait. I’ll definitely kill you next time. Definitely.」
Ponko declared hatefully with her usual slightly awkward phrasing in her extra-robotic tone.
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