Let's say it's a winter month like December right now.

What would you do if, all of a sudden, you had a week of hot and humid days with crying cicadas?

Would you still wear your coat and scarf?

Absolutely not, right?

Even though it's still June,

it's already summer to us, since we've been having hot days for so long!

So, it's totally okay to do this kind of club activity in June!

At my school, everybody usually does what they want in PE class, but today would be an exception. All my classmates were gathered in the schoolyard.

Mion looked over everybody gathered there, then spoke up loudly.

"Hey, everyone! You ready?!"

"""Yeah!!!!!"""

They all raised the water guns in their hands.

It's okay to use water guns in June, because it's been so hot and humid!

All my classmates were joining in, so it's gonna be a big water gun battle. I'm so excited!

"It is so exciting to do a club activity with everyone from class!"

"Yeah!

It's going to be so much fun to play outside with everybody together, together!"

"......It's going to be fun for them, but we have to be serious, because we can't lose."

"Well, yeah! For us club members, every game comes with a risk."

"Heh heh heh!

Exactly!

I look forward to the punishment our more careless members are going to suffer.

Good luck, everyone!"

"I'm so pumped!!

Everybody, listen up. Did you all check your guns?!

Are your tanks full?!"

"We're all ready, Maebara-san!

We're very good at gun battles!"

"......Tomita and his friends play with water guns a lot, so they might have an advantage."

"Huh huh huh!

We're different men today!"

Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun smiled confidently, holding their guns in a practiced manner.

Their skills must give them confidence. They even looked different!

"As we all know, Mion is going to be a tough opponent, but I think Satoko and Rika-chan could be, too...!

What about you, Rena? You can move fast, but you could end up being their target as well, so be careful!!

You've been losing a lot of games lately and taking most of the punishments."

"Hauu...

It's just that the recent games weren't my specialty...

B-But, Keiichi-kun, I think you've been losing a lot these days too, haven't you?"

"Ha ha ha ha ha!!

You have no idea how miserable I was when I had to go home wearing a bra and my mom saw me in it right before I was about to take it off!

Gah!!!"

"My last punishment was as terrible as yours... I'm ruined for marriage after having to do that!!"

Satoko laughed at us loudly while we were shuddering at the memory of the cruel punishments we suffered in the past.

"Hooo ho ho ho ho!!

You've been low on both luck and spirit!

I know why you've been losing so frequently!

That's because, you see, you're both losers!!"

"Heh heh heh!!

She's right. Once you get used to losing, you just can't stop!

After all those losses, your fighting spirit fades away.

When you can't believe in yourself, nothing goes right, even if you're doing the same thing as everyone else!"

"...You!!

Haven't you realized that Rena and I took those punishments on purpose because we wanted to spare you that fate?! You should be thanking us, not calling us losers!!!"

"Oh, is that so?

I'm very sorry for not thanking you enough, then!!"

"Ugh!!!

Satoko!!

You just added oil to the flames of my rage!!

I'll make you regret what you just said!!!"

"Heh heh heh!!

That's the spirit, Kei-chan.

This ol' man hopes you can at least last long enough to serve as entertainment.

Rena, you too.

You'd be embarrassed if you were the first one to get shot.

But I'm pretty sure that's what's going to happen!

Heh heh heh!"

"I too think Rena-san is going down first!

Prepare yourself for a bad time!

Oh ho ho!!"

"No... Mii-chan, Satoko-chan, you're so mean..."

"......Rena and Keiichi, go for it, yay☆."

Mion and Satoko laughed at us as loud as they could, then moved on to tease their next target.

Left alone, all I could do was stomp on the floor in anger.

"Damn it!!

I'm going to win! I can't let them laugh at me like that again!!"

"Ahahaha, I agree.

It feels bad to have them laugh at us like that..."

"It's not only how it feels, it's also how they step on my pride!

Damn it!"

"Like Mii-chan said, it might be true that you can't stop losing once you get used to it.

...That's why we have to win today, no matter what, so we can get even!"

Rena's eyes looked different.

She's usually a funny and weird person, but I know she has the determination to do what she needs to.

When Rena looks like this, she can be a tough opponent.

"Today, I'll follow the first club rule: I'm going to do everything I can to win."

"Oh, you sound determined.

You sound cool, but also as if you've been going easy on them before."

Rena smiled.

Or maybe you could have called it a wicked grin.

...She was serious.

She was serious about what she said.

I could tell that from her expression alone.

Among all the club members, Rena is easily the most sensible one.

The rule of our club is that we can do anything in order to win, but she's the only one who has moral qualms in doing it.

That's why we rarely have a hard time against her, except for when she snaps.

It's rare to hear her say that she won't go easy!

"Damn it... When you grin like that, you leave me no choice! I have to be super serious about this too!"

"I always have to fight with all I have in our club, but I believe there's a time when I have to get super serious about it.

I think today is the time!"

"Indeed!!"

"Yes!!"

We pounded our fists together.

Usually, when we really don't want to lose the game, one asks the other to work together, but Rena didn't ask this time.

Which meant

that she was going to try to defeat everybody by herself.

No, not 'try.'

She was going to

'do'

it by herself!

Rena looked really cool at that moment, but I wasn't scared.

If she was seriously going to 'do' it, I'd have to be serious and do it, too.

My fighting spirit had been dented after many losses, but it had begun to burn hot once more!

"You look good too, Keiichi-kun.

You're even scaring me a little. You look like you're going to defeat everybody all by yourself."

"I know that's what you're going to do, too."

"That means we're going to fight against each other at the very end."

"We would, if we defeated everybody else."

"I hope you'll be the last one I have to fight against."

"Yeah, me too!!"

We pounded our fists together again!

"Does everyone remember the rules?

You have to call it out when you get hit!

Once you're hit, you can't shoot anyone. Even if you did, it wouldn't count!"

"Mion, I'd like to confirm the definition of being hit one last time."

"When somebody shoots you with a water gun, you're hit.

...Heh heh heh, I'll break it down more for you, Kei-chan.

You're only hit when it's water from a water gun.

In other words, you're not hit when somebody splashes you with a bucket of water."

"Only direct shots from a water gun count.

I'm sure you're not so scared of Satoko-chan's trap attacks now, huh?"

"Ho ho ho!!

I will still have many kinds of traps ready for you!

Rena-san, you'll be my first target!"

"Ahahahahaha, I don't think so.

You're not strong enough to take me down yet."

"...Wh-What did you just say?!"

"Oh-ho!

I can't believe Rena gave Satoko tit for tat.

This is going to be fun!

Heh heh heh!

Don't you think so, Kei-chan?"

"I don't think so.

At least not for you, because all you'll be doing is choosing which of us is going to shoot you first."

"......Keiichi seems determined to win."

Mion seemed to sense the fighting spirit in me and Rena.

...I could tell that she's as serious as we are

just from the way she looks.

"All right!!

I like your spirit!!

Are you all ready to start?!

Everybody, get to your positions!!

The ones you drew by lot earlier!"

Everybody had to draw lots to pick a place to start the game from.

It wouldn't be fun if everybody was close together at the beginning of the game.

By the way, my starting position was behind the school building.

...When I drew this starting position, I thought about hiding until there were only a few people left like I did in our last game of tag...

But a defensive tactic like that wasn't interesting to me anymore.

I hadn't been this excited in a long time...!

My legs were shaking with the excitement.

It was my first time experiencing that kind of feeling.

I could hear Mion's countdown from some distance away.

"...Three,

two,

one..."

A single shot of a toy pistol echoed.

With that sound, I was already running around the building.

There had to be some underclassmen nearby.

I'd usually assume that somebody else would take care of them... but this time was different.

"Whoaaaarryaaaaahhh!!!"

They stood frozen in fear as I ran towards them screaming at the top of my voice.

They took a moment to quickly decide whether to fight or to run away, and in that moment, I shot one after another!

"Sorry, guys!

You just got unlucky with where you started."

I felt bad for them because they lost the game so quickly, so I rubbed their heads to cheer them up, and then took their water guns.

Yes, that was the key factor in this game.

You can't put very much water in a water gun.

With ten people around you in a gun battle, the water would be gone in a minute.

I abandoned the gun I used to shoot them, held one of their guns in each hand, and scoped out the school yard.

Just like I expected, there was an intense battle happening there.

In the short time it took me to take care of the area behind the school building, it seems like most of my classmates were already shot.

I wasn't surprised, though. I kind of knew it'd happen.

You need to have a high skill to fight in the open school yard.

Especially when most of the club members were there, it must have been like a battle of elephants and ants!!

"...Wh-What is it that Mion is holding...?"

Mion was holding a different water gun from the one she had when the game started. She was now holding one that looked like a huge machine gun.

Its range capability, its pump-action shooting, and the amount of water it can hold were way beyond comparison.

There were no restrictions on what kind of water guns we could use today.

As long as it's a water gun, we were allowed to use any kind.

Most of us have a normal pistol-style water gun from a local toy store or something similar.

I would've bought a bigger one like Mion's if they'd had one.

But they weren't in stock, and I'd have to order it in.

...In other words, Mion ordered hers a long time ago, just for today.

She's always well prepared when it comes to winning.

She must've thought that we wouldn't allow her to use the big water gun if she showed it off before the game started, so she must've hidden it somewhere.

It looks like most of our classmates were shot right after the game started.

Only a few were still alive, trying to survive as long as they could by using the heavy construction equipment as a shield.

Mion mercilessly shot at them from various angles to make them come out from behind the shield!

"Aha ha ha ha ha!!

Stop hiding, cowards!!"

Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun were trying their best to resist her attack from behind their shield.

It looked like they had no chance against her,

but that actually wasn't true.

After all, the two of them were only still alive

because of all their experience in water gun battles.

They survived the first few minutes of her assault, even though 99% of their classmates didn't, and they were still surviving at that very moment...!!

Mion, however, is also a battle-hardened soldier.

She used the advantage of her big water tank, and gradually but certainly drove them into a corner.

It was only a matter of time until she broke them down.

"W-We're cornered. It's not fair that she has a machine gun...!"

"All we have to do is survive 'til her tank runs low...

We don't stand a chance against her when she's shooting at us like this..."

They tried to hold out against her, but all they could do for now was to keep running behind cover as Mion strafed closer and closer to them.

They wanted to use their two-against-one advantage, but it seemed like they wouldn't even get that chance.

If they tried attacking recklessly, one of them might get shot, and then the other would have no chance of winning!

So they grew more cautious, placing their bets on their final chance, but that caused their offense to wane.

Of course, Mion saw through their plan.

She was purposely provoking them so that they'd lose their patience and start attacking her recklessly.

Mion circled around the construction equipment, and now she was standing with her back towards me.

If I went up against her machine gun fair and square, I wouldn't stand a chance.

So... attacking from behind would be the only way for me to defeat her...!

Even though she was in a defenseless position... there was some distance between us.

I was still too far away!

But... it would still be better to attack her now than to take her head-on...!

Don't hesitate, Keiichi!!

You won't have this chance again!!

I stepped out from my hiding place and ran as fast as I could towards her with two water guns in my hands.

Instead of approaching slowly and silently, I screamed at the top of my lungs!!

"Whooooryaaaaaah!!

Mioooooooooooon!!!"

"What?!

There you are, Kei-chan!!"

Mion seemed a little shocked by my surprise attack, but she immediately pulled herself together. She knew the advantages of her weapon.

But she didn't shoot me just yet!!

She held back, luring me closer.

Mion was well aware of how much water she had left.

If she had the same kind of water gun as me, we would've had the same range capability.

So, it would've been down to our technique to decide the winner.

If she was fighting against one of her underclassmen, she could've defeated them easily.

Mion immediately calculated her chance of winning against me and figured out that her only chance was to use the advantage of her water gun.

She saw the eye of the tiger in me and recalculated her chances of winning in a split second.

Really, I can admire how fast she does those things!!

I ran at top speed to shorten the distance between us.

Our strength should have been equal. I had two water guns with full tanks and she had a machine gun with a half-empty tank.

We both waited for the perfect moment!!

"Your fighting spirit deserves my respect, Kei-chan.

I'm not sure if I would've been a match for you today if I didn't have this gun!!"

"I'm disappointed in you, Mion. Your calculations are off today.

Did you say you thought you could beat me?

...Because you don't stand a chance!!!"

The moment we step within range,

Mion and I pulled our triggers at the same time!!

Mion set her sight squarely on me while I was trying to shoot and run at the same time. Her shot would obviously be more accurate than mine.

My shot of water flew towards nowhere. Mion didn't even need to duck.

But Mion's shot made a beautiful arc straight towards my chest.

I could see the line of water coming straight at me, but I was too unstable to dodge.

Mion had no doubt that she got me!

"You need more than spirit to defeat me!!

I knew you'd be the first to go down!!"

"I'm still disappointed in you, Mion.

Your calculations are really off today."

"Bullshit!!

You can't dodge that shot!!

It'll go straight through you, and you'll regret the moment you chose to come at me screaming rather than creeping up from behind!"

You're really disappointing me today, Mion.

You could've figured it out if you'd spent just one more second to think.

You could've figured out the reason why I didn't creep up on you, but screamed as loud as I could instead!!

Mion noticed my surprise attack and turned around to face me--in other words, she turned her back on the opponents she was fighting earlier.

Those opponents heard my scream and saw that she had turned her back on them...!!

"What?! ...What's this?!"

Mion noticed her back was wet and cold.

She finally understood that the underclassmen she was attacking just earlier had shown their fangs and attacked her from behind!

I blocked her water shot with my arm

right before it hit my chest!

The line of water was broken into droplets and splattered away...!

"D-Damn it!

I got hit first, so my shot didn't count!!"

"You took too long to figure it out!!

Now get down, Mion!!"

Mion squatted down and covered her head.

Now it was me versus Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun!!

Their reflexes weren't so bad.

They knew well that I'd be their next target after Mion was gone!

They didn't feel sorry at all for attacking me right after I just saved them from their predicament.

I can respect the cruelty in how quickly they shifted gears.

They may one day be able to join our club if they keep refining their sense and skill!!

"Our next target is Maebara-san. Let's get him...!"

"It's one against two!

We can take him...!"

They were, however, one step behind me.

It was already too late!!

For them, Mion was their first target and I was next.

But I was different.

My first target was them from the start.

I didn't even see Mion as my target to begin with...

because I knew they'd take care of her!!

I was pointing my guns at them long before they moved their sights from Mion to me!!

It seemed like they noticed at the last moment that both of my guns had been pointing at them from the beginning.

Which meant... it was already too late for them!!

"Whoooaaryaaah!!"

I jumped over Mion, rolled on the ground, and landed on my feet!!

I looked as elegant as an athlete who had just finished a perfect performance.

I had a gun in each of my hands.

And with those guns, I shot them each in the middle of their chests.

"...S-So fast..."

"How could the two of us lose against one..."

Tomita-kun and Okamura-kun fell to their knees in disappointment.

"...I can't believe you did all this, Kei-chan... I guess I'm off today, like you said..."

Mion wiped the dirt off her knees, looking frustrated.

"Don't worry, it wasn't you."

"Then, why did I lose...?"

"That's simple."

I twirled my guns on the tips of my fingers.

"I have to win sometimes in order to keep looking so cool!"

There were only a few people left alive.

...Rena, Satoko, and myself.

Rena and Satoko were fighting fiercely.

Were they evenly matched?

No, Satoko was pushing her hard.

Moving fast, she was driving Rena into a corner.

Rena was usually gentle and slow, but today she was different.

She was very serious today and yet...

Satoko was still overwhelming her. She's a tough customer even without her tricky traps...!

"Ho ho ho ho!!

Do you remember threatening me earlier? I suppose you were just bluffing!"

"You move well...!

But I'm still going to win!"

Satoko kept moving around, piling on pressure in order to pin Rena down.

She kept shooting, so her tank must have almost been empty... but her shots were still sharp and fast.

I noticed a bucket near her feet, which was full of many water guns.

I understood, seeing that. She had been taking guns from others who were already out of the game!

In this battle, reloading bullets (water) was more crucial than the actual shooting.

The hole that you put water into on these guns is rather small.

To put water through it from a faucet takes time and requires a certain amount of skill.

In a battle like this, it would almost be suicidal.

I understand that well, so I'd been taking guns from the people I defeated. But I could only hold one in each hand.

Satoko used a bucket to overcome the limit...!

Rena looked like she had only one water gun.

I'd assume she had two earlier,

but she must've used a lot of water during her long battle with Satoko.

It looked like she was trying to save her water for the right moment, but with Satoko's fierce attacks, it was obvious that it was only a matter of time before Rena was driven into a corner.

However, Rena is also quite skilled.

She only pretended to be driven into a corner, but she was actually luring Satoko to a place where she'd have the advantage.

There was a narrow, twisting path near the gymnasium warehouse behind the school building.

With Rena's water levels running low, she'd want to turn things around with a single, close-range shot.

That narrow path was a perfect place for her to do that.

"What's wrong?

You're slowing down a little.

Getting tired?"

"Oh ho ho!

I appreciate your concern, but I'm not tired at all!

I think you should worry more about your remaining water.

You haven't shot back at me for a while.

Your tank is empty, I suppose?"

"If you think so, why don't you stop hiding and show your face?"

"I will pass.

I'm aware you've been holding onto your last shot."

"One shot is all I need.

I'll be nice and shoot you in the forehead. I don't want you to get your clothes wet, after all!"

"Oh ho ho ho!!

I never imagined I could have such a thrilling battle with you, Rena-san!

However, with the amount of water you have remaining, I doubt you have enough pressure to make that last shot go far."

Satoko was right about that.

Rena had just enough water to make one last shot.

As the amount of water left in the tank dwindles, the range of shots you can make shortens.

That makes the last shot the shortest and weakest of them all!

Regardless of her absolutely disadvantageous situation, Rena didn't look frustrated.

I could tell she had no intention to lose.

It was almost like she didn't even see Satoko as a threat!

"You picked a perfect location for yourself, did you not?

I have to tread cautiously."

Satoko seemed to understand how dangerous Rena's last shot was going to be better than I did, since she was the one actually fighting against her.

"I don't play chess very often, but I believe this kind of situation is called a stalemate, is it not?"

Satoko took out another gun with a full tank and shortened the distance between them slowly and carefully.

A gun with a full tank doesn't only have a long range.

It also has enough power to make shots more accurate.

If they shot at each other in a frontal attack, Satoko would have a 99% chance to win...!

Even so, Satoko was still afraid of Rena's last shot.

Satoko shortened the distance even further, smiling as if unafraid, but I could tell she was actually full of fear.

...Satoko compared this situation to chess earlier, but it wasn't exactly the same.

In chess, you can use some pieces to drive the opponent's king into a corner, but in this case, there were only Rena and Satoko.

You can lose some of your pieces in order to achieve a win, but Satoko doesn't have any pieces other than herself.

A king can't drive the other king into a corner alone! That's called a stalemate!

That's why while at first glance it looks like Satoko has the absolute advantage, they're actually on equal footing!!

"Let us finish this. It's not like us to wait for the bell to bring an end to this battle!!"

"You're right.

Let's do this!!!"

That's strange, I thought. Rena wouldn't have to move just on a dare from Satoko.

What kind of plan did she have?!

Rena had been hiding behind cover for a while, but she came out without hesitation!!

I noticed something right away.

Rena had a different gun!

Satoko seemed to notice it as well.

"I had a plan to hide here when my water ran low.

I hid a gun in advance."

Damn! She's good!!

In using a trap at the last moment for a come-from-behind victory, it was as though she was taking Satoko's best skill from her and firing it right back!!

Satoko no longer had any advantages now that both of them were pointing their guns at each other with full tanks.

But she still looked confident.

What was going on? Did she have some kind of plan, too?!

"That gun you're holding right now is very important to me."

"...What do you mean?"

"You would've kept waiting for your perfect shot and wouldn't have come out of hiding if you didn't have that gun."

At that moment, lightning ran through my brain and I instantly understood the situation!!

Of course!!!

Rena was in a disadvantageous situation earlier, but it was actually the same for Satoko, since she didn't have a chance to make her shot while Rena was in hiding.

Rena had remained cautious in order to hit with her last shot, and that made it difficult for Satoko to attack her.

However, what if,

Rena didn't need to take

"the last shot for a come-from-behind victory"?!

No, I said it wrong.

What if Rena got a new gun with a full tank?!

She'd stop hiding and come out to fight against Satoko!!

"You see, I knew from the beginning that you'd run over here in order to obtain that gun..."

Let Satoko talk crap, Rena.

You don't have to listen to her. Just shoot her right now!

Rena thought the same thing.

She shot at Satoko without any hesitation!

...But, she frowned in confusion a moment after...!

What was going on?! ...She couldn't shoot?!

Was her water gun broken?

Or did somebody break it?!

"Didn't you know that you can easily break a water gun by putting a little bit of sand in an empty tank and pulling the trigger several times?

Ho ho ho ho!!"

"...You knew I was hiding my trump card here and pulled a cheap trick like that, huh...?"

"I told you.

You only set one small trap at the last moment.

That is the beauty of traps!!"

When it comes to traps, Satoko remained a notch above Rena after all...!!

I couldn't believe Satoko figured out Rena's plan in advance and set a trap to counter it...!

Rena, you made a big mistake...!

You should've kept the old gun with you. You could've at least made that last shot.

But it's too late now for you to pick it up again...!

Rena was in a worse situation than she was before.

She couldn't even take another shot...!!

"Be prepared.

You told me earlier that you'd shoot me in the forehead, did you not?

Well, I will be at least kind enough to do you the same favor...!!!"

Satoko slowly narrowed her distance again and pointed the muzzle at Rena's forehead!

Rena still didn't look like she'd given up.

She still thought the game was undecided.

"...Satoko-chan, you're not as good as you think you are."

"...Wh-What did you say?"

"If you got me with your trap, it'd be your right as the winner to allow yourself the room to breathe and smile like you're doing right now.

But all you've done is drive me into a tough spot. You haven't killed me yet.

Don't you think it's a little too early for you to act like you've already got me?"

"Ho ho ho ho!

I thought you were going to say something much scarier than that.

It makes no difference, because I'm going to get you right now."

"If I were you, I'd just shoot rather than keep talking.

You know why? Because if I didn't, I'd lose."

"Lose?

Are you talking about me?

I highly doubt you can fight with a jammed water gun."

"Do you remember the rule?

You're hit when it's water from a water gun."

"Huh?

So what are you saying?"

When I heard her saying that, I started running!!

My target was Rena.

Satoko was already dead to me.

Why? ...She was going to be shot by Rena within the second!!

"I have absolutely no idea what you're referring to, Rena-san.

What do you think you can do with a jammed water gun?"

"As long as I have water in my gun, I can still fight.

Don't you get it yet?!!"

Rena raised her broken water gun up high and smashed its handle on the wall of the school building as hard as she could!

The plastic broke easily and water flowed out of it...!!

"As long as the water from the gun hits you, you're dead.

It doesn't matter where the water comes out."

Rena was right. She just saved herself by thinking it through.

If she was using a real gun, bullets would only come out from one end of the gun.

But this was a water gun.

She could make her bullets, water in this case, come out from any place, not just the barrel of the gun...!!

"...Wha?!!!!"

Satoko finally realized that she was standing defenselessly in front of Rena.

Satoko's trap was successful.

But she overestimated its effect!!

She should've just shot Rena without hesitation before Rena noticed her new water gun was jammed!!

She was going to fail because she had grown overconfident of her victory!!

A second before Satoko pulled the trigger,

Rena swung her water gun as if slashing Satoko with a sword!!

Satoko fired her bullets, but it was too late.

A second before Rena would be shot down, a blade of water hit Satoko in the face.

No, not hit. It cut her face open...!!

"Your endgame wasn't good enough...!!!"

"I can't believe... I lost...!!"

Rena ran towards Satoko, who was standing still in shock, and took her water gun.

Rena knew I was her last target and that I was running towards her.

"Renaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"

Rena, using her superior mobility, began to duck and weave.

We were evenly matched.

Neither of us neglected to make any effort possible to take advantage of the situation.

"I knew it'd end up being a one-on-one battle with you.

I knew you wouldn't disappoint me...!"

"I'm seeing you in a new light today. I didn't know you had the guts!!"

"Rather than a new light, I'd like you to see me in a romantic way!"

"I can try if you let me win!"

"No thanks!!!"

We circled around the construction equipment, trying to take shots at each other.

We were both sweating like crazy.

But I didn't feel tired.

Big drops of sweat tickled as they ran down my body.

Rapid bursts of water flew across both of our paths.

Neither of us had the advantage or disadvantage.

I didn't feel elated that I might win or frustrated that I might lose.

I was just enjoying this battle with Rena.

It was like a dance.

A dance that I couldn't dance alone.

A dance that I could only dance with an opponent...!!

"Rena sure is sharp when she gets serious...

It's giving me chills!"

"Keiichi-san is good, too. He's evenly matched with her...!!"

"......I can't tell who's going to win."

In fact, none of the observers could tell who was going to win.

Neither could we.

We had no idea who was going to win.

We had no idea when this battle would end...!

I didn't know why, but it was great fun just to fight against Rena, and I didn't even care whether I won or lost. In fact, I never even wanted it to end.

As we fired at each other, both of our tanks emptied, shortening our range.

Inevitably, it became more and more like a melee than a gun battle.

We fired our water guns as if trying to cut each other with blades of water, swinging the gun like a sword.

We both came up with the idea to swing the gun hard to generate centrifugal force, in order to increase the range of our attacks.

I dived to duck her shot.

I rolled on the ground and landed on my feet!

I ducked her shot again

and swung my gun like a sword!!

Who could've imagined that our club's water gun battle would turn into one-on-one close combat like this?

Absolutely nobody...!

"Ahahahahaha!"

"Oh, you think so too, Rena?"

"You too, Keiichi-kun?"

We're both breathing hard, calculating the timing needed to take a closer step.

And then, we both grinned wickedly at each other.

"This is so fun!

I don't want it to ever end!!"

"Ahahahaha!

Don't hate me if you lose!!"

"No, never!!

I'd hate myself for ending this game!!

But I know I won't be the one crying in the end!!"

"I don't know about that!

Your feet are getting weak, like they're made of straw!!"

"Shut uuuup!!

Whoaaaryaaahhhhh!!!"

"...Wow.

...They both look so cool...!"

"Maebara-san, go!!"

"Ryuugu-san, you can get him!!"

I became relaxed enough to enjoy the battle, and finally realized that many of our classmates were watching our one-on-one fight.

I barely had any water left.

I would have to make the next shot count, or I was done for.

It seemed like Rena was in the same situation, too.

"...The next shot will decide it.

I wish we could fill up our tanks and keep doing this forever."

"Well, people enjoy things because they end eventually.

Flowers are beautiful especially because they wither."

"I see. That's one way to look at it!!"

"It's been fun fighting against you.

But this is it!"

"Indeed!!

Sorry, but I'm going to end this battle!!"

"Good luck, Keiichi-kun!!"

"Don't cry when you lose!!"

"Let's do this!!!"

"Hell yeah!!

Whoaaaaaaaahhh!!!"

"...W-Wow..."

"W-Which one of them won...?!"

The cries of the cicadas echoed in the quiet school yard. They sounded like the hand of a watch ticking away the seconds.

Neither one of us moved.

...We took our final shots and now stood motionless... It looked like one of those duels in Western movies.

"...Who hit the other first...?"

"...I don't know. I couldn't see it..."

Our classmates broke the silence first.

They finally realized that our intensely beautiful one-on-one battle was over...

"C-Class prez, what is your decision...?!"

Mion, in turn, realized that she had to deliver a verdict to end the game.

But she was just as stunned as the others and it took her a moment to recover.

...Mion was taking time to render her verdict.

In fact, Rena and I didn't know who won either.

My last shot flew fast and splashed sideways as if a blade had cut her chest.

I knew that for sure.

But at the same moment, Rena's shot hit me in the shoulder.

...Whoever shot the other first wins.

But we didn't know if it was me or her.

That's why we stood motionless, waiting for the verdict to be delivered...

"...Did you see it, Rika...?"

"......I can't tell..."

"Class prez... who won...?"

Everybody held their breath, waiting for Mion to call it...

Rena and I kept staring at each other.

The spectators were the only ones who were interested in who the winner was... To us, it wasn't that important.

We had a great battle. We had both really wanted to do better than the other.

We both wanted to call it a tie.

For this great battle, settling for a tie would be the best and most proper option.

In other words... this one-on-one fight wasn't a battle to decide the winner...

It seems like everybody is thinking the same way.

"......Mii?"

"...Yeah..."

"......They can't move if you don't deliver a verdict."

"...Ah... yeah..."

Mion hates to settle for a tie because she loves to draw a line between superiors and inferiors.

She tends to settle for a tie when deciding who is the loser because it's more fun to have as many people as possible suffer the punishment... But she's never settled for a tie between winners before.

Mion holds a special feeling towards the meaning of being number one.

Everybody continued holding their breath, awaiting her verdict.

...Please make it a tie...

Everybody wished for that in their hearts.

Mion was hesitating to make the decision.

She could've chosen a winner more easily if one of us did even a little bit better than the other.

...But even if one of us did a little better than the other, I feel like nothing fits better than settling for a tie.

"The two of you did... great today."

Mion finally started speaking.

"...Kei-chan and Rena, you showed us significant spirit and skill today.

The explosive power you showed us was so beautiful that it's beyond even the highest praise I can ever give.

...It's very difficult for me to decide who the winner should be after watching such an amazing battle."

"Th-Then... you mean we have two winners...?"

"...I don't like to have two winners. That's not really the point of our club.

...However, they were both so good that it's very hard for me to decide who was better...

So!!

I'm going to call it a tie for today.

And they'll have another battle some other time to decide the winner!!"

I expected she might settle for a tie,

but I never thought she'd make us have another battle!

"Maebara-san, you were awesome!!!

You were so cool!!"

"Ryuugu-san, you gave me chills!!

It was like, you know?

You set our hearts on fire!!"

The classmates rushed towards us and praised us for showing them something that cool.

Rena and I were finally released from the tension of battle and dropped to our knees.

"Too bad.

We tied."

"Yeah.

I can't wait for our next battle."

"Can you give me your hand?"

"Of course.

I was going to ask you the same thing."

We both smiled at each other.

It was the first time we ever hit it off like this.

"That aside..."

"She's pulled a fast one, hasn't she."

"......??

What do you mean?"

"Mii-chan's trying to get away without suffering the punishment while we're distracted!"

"...Ah..."

"She was just trying to sound cool, but the main reason she delivered that verdict was to protect herself."

"Yeah. Hey!"

"She's running away! ...Looks like my guess was right... She's so obvious..."

The bell rang, a sign that class was over, while we all laughed at Mion.

After that...

"......Good job out there, you two.

Here, use this towel."

"....................."

Rika-chan held out a towel, a big smile on her face.

However, Rena and I stepped back and pointed our water guns at her.

"......Meep.

...I was already shot many times.

I told everybody I was already hit, but nobody believed me."

Rika-chan was soaking wet.

...Well...

Nobody believed her because she really could be that sneaky, pretending that she was hit in order to stay in the game.

"It's your own fault that nobody believes you.

Sometimes it's hard to believe anything you say."

"......Meeeep.

...Everybody is so mean to me.

I feel lonely.

...I'm lonely like a poor kitten crying in a cardboard box because nobody wants her.

Meep-meep..."

Boom!

The sound came from Rena's head.

I saw a circle of smoke coming out of it.

...Rena must have pictured Rika-chan meowing like a cat in a cardboard box.

"Hauuuuuuuu!!!

Rika-chan is an abandoned kitten, kitten. I'm taking her home with me!!!"

Aw!

Ugh!

Ouch!

Meep-meep!

Mmm...

Boom!!

Rena, you're ruining how cool we looked earlier!

Rena was back to her normal self, and jumped on Rika-chan like a chameleon capturing its prey.

Rika-chan struggles to get away.

"Come on, everyone! Get back to your classroom now!!"

Chie-sensei clapped her hands and yelled at us from the window of the teacher's office.

"Let's go!"

Everyone exchanged smiles and ran back to the classroom.