Oran Knight is out (2/3 chapters for today)
First Time at Military Training Building (2)
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To satisfy Lamie-senpai’s endless fascination with my rifle, I assembled the long-range barrel of the Counter, which I hadn’t used since enrolling in this academy. When I set the Counter, which was even longer than the tall Saras-senpai, on its stand on the floor, Ramie-senpai immediately dropped to the floor and peered through the scope attached to the rifle.
“Yes, the scope is excellent. It has to be this good to withstand ultra-long distances. But with a rifle this long, accurate handling is impossible. Even in its shorter form, it’s longer than a standard long rifle, making it challenging to handle without practice. I see, it’s a tricky gun, but it’s interesting. Guns that have been cherished by previous generations always have a unique ‘aesthetic’ exclusive to them.” (Lamie)
After thoroughly examining the rifle and fiddling with it to her heart’s content, Lamie-senpai finally seemed satisfied.
“Alright, thank you. I got a bit carried away, but it was a valuable experience. Now, the meeting time is approaching. Let’s get going.” (Lamie)
She promptly left the room.
“A bit carried away…?”
I murmured.
“She showed restraint by not asking how much you’d sell it for,” Saras-senpai responded.
Is that so?
—
The meeting room we entered was a spacious area, about twice the size of my classroom. Long tables were arranged in a rectangular shape, with Snipers from various grades and classes sitting at wide intervals, each taking their preferred seats. Despite the ample spacing, the number of seats, even when consolidated, was less than that of my class.
Before we entered the room, Saras-senpai had mentioned…
“Snipers tend to be lone wolves, so they might seem unfriendly, but don’t let it bother you.” (Saras)
I understood what he meant. Even in my class, 1-C, each team had a sniper, but they all seemed to keep their distance from others. Sure enough, the two snipers from my class, Legg and Bianca, were seated far apart, with Legg looking off into the distance.
Yeah, it isn’t just those two. A lot of Snipers here seem to avoid making eye contact. So, is this just how Snipers are?
Thinking this made Lamie-senpai, despite her quirks, seemed relatively normal by comparison. Funny how that works.
When Lamie-senpai opened the door and confidently stood at the front of the room, she addressed everyone without hesitation.
“Apologies for the slight delay. There were unavoidable circumstances.” (Lamie)
Unavoidable?
I glanced at Saras-senpai, who remained calm and composed, so I stayed silent and listened to Lamie-senpai’s words.
“I’m pleased to see that no one is missing today. We have some good news. A new member, who had a delayed enrollment, has joined us. Fort Lux. Please come forward.” (Lamie)
Prompted by Lamie-senpai, I stepped forward and introduced myself. There was a smattering of applause.
After the polite applause died down, Lamie-senpai directed me to a seat near the front. Once I was seated, she continued with detailed announcements about the trial use of newly developed parts and other specifics. I couldn’t follow most of it, so I let it wash over me until something caught my attention.
“Now, regarding the matter of the missing spare sniper rifle I mentioned earlier… does anyone have any recollection or leads?” (Lamie)
There was silence. No one spoke up. After a moment, Lamie-senpai sighed softly and ran a hand through her hair.
“Well, it can’t be helped. We’ll have to report this to the Director.” (Lamie)
The Director was what they called the teacher in charge of the circle.
A slight murmur spread through the group before settling back into silence. The meeting moved on to the next topic, but my mind was elsewhere.
The Knight (Ritter) boy who had been tormenting the cat had been holding a rifle that, and from the barrel, it seemed like a sniper rifle. It seemed unlikely that a Knight (Ritter) would have such a gun. I needed to confirm this at the Military Building.
After the meeting concluded with Lamie-senpai declaring, “That will be all for today”, everyone began to leave. I stayed until it was just Lamie-senpai, Saras-senpai, and myself. Then, I spoke up.
“Lux, what’s the matter? Feeling nervous?” (Saras)
Saras-senpai asked with her calm demeanor remained unchanged.
“There’s something I want to ask about.” (Lux)
I asked, referring to the missing sniper rifle.
In the Military Building, there were spare weapons available for when someone’s personal weapon was damaged. As a rule, the locks were kept so that only the club members who belong to that military specialty could take them out. All club members had keys. I had just received my key earlier.
The management of borrowing these spare weapons wasn’t typically strict. After all, there was no real need to steal a spare rifle when this academy was teeming with them.
The first to notice was a Sniper from class 3-B. Last month, when they went to the supply room to replace a part for their own rifle, they found the locker containing the spare rifles unlocked. Assuming someone had simply forgotten to lock it, they intended to secure it. However, upon checking inside, they discovered that one of the spare rifles was missing.
It could have been that someone had taken the spare rifle in a rush and forgotten to lock the door. However, sensing something off, this upperclassman reported the situation to Lamie-senpai. As the club leader, Lamie-senpai needed to address the careless handling of the keys. She sent out a message through the club’s communication network, asking anyone who had taken the spare rifle to come forward.
No one did. Moreover, it was confirmed that none of the Snipers had a broken personal weapon. Lamie-senpai instructed everyone to check if they had lost their keys or if they had given them to someone outside the circle.
“Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but…” (Lux)
“What is it?” (Saras)
“I might know where the missing spare rifle is.” (Lux)
Saras-senpai’s previously calm expression hardened.
It was the look of a true Sniper.
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