Smoking Barrel: 09/16/2030, 13:31 --Over ten seconds had passed since the beeping had stopped. But the only sound that filled the block was Watase and Ena's panting.  Watase timidly got up and looked into the stairwell behind him. However-- no explosion had happened. Ena also got up, her eyebrows furrowed.  ♪ BGM: Ominous Ambience ♫  I don't know... but it looks like we're still ticking. Was it a dud...? Maybe... but... something's weird here. Something about this feels different compared to everything else that's happened so far. ... Yeah.True, there had been several ''bizarre factors'' so far. Like the sprinkler system being offline, or the passageway blocked by the electric cable and puddle, or the cargo lift being broken. But unlike all of those, there had been a clear ''malice'' behind this incident. (But that was a bit of a sloppy job, wasn't it...?)Watase looked at the kicked down fire door. There was something that appeared to be a metal bar lying next to it. That must have been what'd been holding back the door. (It felt very ''improvised on the spot'' for a trap...)And on top of that, the bomb in question hadn't detonated. If the one who'd set the whole thing up had been trying to kill Watase and Ena, then they'd failed completely. (Was there some reason they didn't spend much time on prepping it?)Watase's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. Who's there!? ♪ BGM: LABO Security Lv. 2 ♫  Ah, Captain, Ms. Tsubakiyama! Oh, it's just you... Hey, what's with the cold reception!? I hauled my injured rear end over here on the double as soon as I heard that loud 'bang' or whatever, and this is what I get?Another set of footsteps closed in as Jun said that. They looked up to see Ukita running their way.  Oh, you're all here! I heard a most peculiar sound! What happened!?Jun and Ukita had both said more or less the exact same thing. (Come to think of it--) ♪ BGM: Psychological Warfare ♫ Ukita and Jun did the same, then gasped. M-Ms. Tsubakiyama...! Wh-what are... what are you doing with a pistol!? Oh, this is... uh...Ena's body froze, then she took a step back. Teach... you took that gun out of your clothes, right...? What!? What's the meaning of this!? Why do you have something like that with you!? Yeah! I thought you were a teacher! Hold on a minute, you're all making a big misunderstanding! This pistol isn't mine! I found it here in LABO! Found it? Where? ...In the room with the cargo lift. It was lying in a corner there. A blue branch with Ena at 4. You really saying you found and took that pistol while we were performing CPR? B-but... it's the truth...Ena cringed at Ukita and Jun's harsh glares. Watase thought over the whole situation--  Ena had taken out that gun and fired without any hesitation in an emergency situation. And all four of her shots pinpointed the door's hinges with destructive accuracy. If she'd never held a gun before, that was some nigh-impossible beginner's luck she had. Teach... have you ever fired a gun before? Hell no! But, well... you might laugh at me when you hear this.... But I'm a big airsoft aficionado. Airsoft? Yes, also known as survival games... it's a grown-up version of playing soldier where you shoot each other with air guns. So while I've never handled a real gun before, I got good at shooting from that... well, as good as you -can- get, I suppose. Wow, never took you for such a kid. But isn't there a complete world of difference between holding an air gun and the real McCoy? I know that. I was just answering Captain Kasasagi's question, that's all. Sorry for asking so--But Ukita interrupted before Watase was done. Then you're still sticking to your story that you found that gun and took it with you? Yes, though I admit I can't prove it... I see... but let's just trust her for now. Wait, you believe her? Well, we can't prove otherwise, so yeah, nothing we can do about that.Watase admonished Jun, then turned back to Ena. ...But why did you keep that thing hidden up until now, Teach? -That's- the real problem here. ...I didn't feel like I had a choice back then... We'd just seen a body and found out that the escape route was a no-go... So I felt that I had to protect myself no matter what it took... ...Now that she mentioned it, Ena had mentioned the ''killer'' several times right after that incident. She'd kept on insisting that the killer was still in the facility. (Was that because she'd just found that gun... and because she was preparing to protect herself?)Ena continued as Watase pondered that. Then after that, it just never felt like the right time to bring it up... I'm sorry.Ena said that in a feeble voice. Ukita and Jun replied with their voices laced in bitterness. ...Well, let's put aside whether I trust you or not. The fact is that there's a gun here, right? Indeed. Now that we know that, there is absolutely no way we can let you keep that pistol all to yourself. Then how about I hold on to it for now? What? I'm the oldest one here, so it's only logical that I should keep it, yes? A-are you two out of your minds!? It's strange for me to have the gun, yes, but it's also too dangerous for either of you to have it! What...!?Jun, Ukita, and Ena were all glaring at each other fiercely.  So here we have a yellow branch, with Jun at 8, Ukita at 3 and Ena at 4. (Wh-what're they saying...!? Are they planning to start fighting each other for the gun!?)It was likely that a fight really would break out if he didn't act soon. Watase frantically rose his voice. Then you hold on to the gun, Moribe! Huh!? Why Ms. Moribe!? You and the old man are civilians, right? So leaving it up to a professional like Moribe is the right choice. A 'professional'...? Now look here, you may be professional rescue workers, but that does not make you professionals at handling a gun! Argh, enough grumbling-- just give me that gun already!--And thus, a quarrel broke out. The four of them were soon shouting whatever they liked back and forth at each other...  Hm, why am I making a picture of that? No reason in particular, really...  ...uh oh. This time, Watase is brought into the branch as well, who sits at 6. And the branch's red. That's not good. Then what do you say we should do?
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| ← # ? Dec 1, 2016 19:56 |
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