Chain of Command
"Alright. It's getting late. That's it for tonight. I'll start up again sometime tomorrow, so if you've got nothing better to do, come by and watch. Then again, you lot probably don't have much to do besides jerkin' off at home anyway."
Chat:
: Goddamn, she's rude right to the very end, lmao.
: She'd be perfect if it weren't for her personality.
: She's gorgeous, though. Like, really gorgeous.
: But can four people even fit in Kanon's studio apartment?
: Natsume already trusts Shioji that much?
"Ah... well, my gut tells me Shioji's gonna be fine."
Chat:
: Is Natsume's gut actually trustworthy?
: Freakishly so. She's had some kind of animal sixth sense since Japan.
: It's way beyond what you'd call experience or intuition.
: More importantly, is Shioji gonna be okay sharing a room with the sex monster known as Natsume?
: I'm seriously worried they're gonna start something.
"...Huh?! No, obviously not, right? ...Right?"
Shioji glanced at her uneasily.
Natsume had an arm around Kanon and Mako, pulling them both close as she wore a lecherous little grin.
"Relax. I'll hold myself back for one night."
Chat:
: ONE NIGHT?! That's all you can manage?! I've been holding it in for thirty-six years!
: That's not "holding it in." Nobody wants you. I've been at it for forty-six years.
: Jesus, stop. This is getting depressing.
"Later. Stream's over. Mako, drop the ability."
At Natsume's signal, Mako focused her attention. The floating eyeballs vanished, dissolving into the darkness as though they'd never been there.
"Alright... stream's over. Bullshit's done. Shioji, now we're gonna talk for real. No more games."
The frivolous expression vanished from Natsume's face. A serious light settled into her eyes.
"Your ability is 'Flea Market.' You can use it to make Japanese yen. That's right, yeah?"
"...Yeah. I'm not lying."
"Then let's lay out what we've got. You've already seen Kanon and Mako's abilities, right? Mako can make money through Super Chats from her 'Streaming' ability, and Kanon manages the 'Residence.' As long as she has magic stones, she can expand the room, add new sections, and even get electricity, gas, and running water."
Natsume paused and exhaled a stream of cigarillo smoke.
"As long as we've got magic stones and yen, we can build ourselves one hell of a foundation here. Then there's my 'Online Shopping' ability. I can only order from sites I had bookmarked back in Japan, but..."
"That's... how you got those guns?"
Shioji couldn't hide her surprise.
There was no way a major Japanese e-commerce site like Nile or Manten would sell actual firearms. She had assumed the guns must have come from some other ability. But apparently Natsume's power really was tied to the sites she'd bookmarked.
"Basically, yeah. I grew up in Texas until I started high school, so I'm used to guns, and I used to browse American gun-store sites all the time. ...But sorry, Shioji. I can't just hand you a gun right now."
"...Because you still don't trust me, right? I get it."
"No. That's not even the issue yet. First problem is money. We're relying on Super Chats, but that money has to cover everything from basic necessities on up. ...And even if we get past that, there's still this: putting a gun in the hands of someone who's never handled one scares the hell out of anyone who knows what they're doing."
"Scares you...?"
"Yeah. Put a gun in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to handle it, and the first people they're gonna shoot aren't the enemies. It'll be us."
"There are guns that are relatively safe for beginners. But some of 'em are old designs, and some are built around operating principles that take more experience. They can get expensive, too."
"There are guns that are safe for beginners?"
"One is a revolver. Simple design, hard to break. Another is a semi-auto with a proper manual safety. Most modern handguns are polymer-frame striker-fired guns, with trigger safeties. The safety's built right into the trigger. That's the biggest reason I hesitate to hand one to a beginner."
Even American police officers with extensive firearms training had managed to screw that up. When Glocks first began gaining widespread adoption, there were numerous incidents of officers putting their fingers on the trigger in a panic while drawing from the holster and shooting themselves in the leg.
That's why Natsume wanted an inexperienced Shioji to use a handgun with a manual safety—something like a Browning Hi-Power or an M1911, both of which had multiple safety mechanisms.
"Listen. Even if we have enough money and can afford a reliable gun, even if it costs a little more, I'm gonna make you practice in front of us until you're sick of it. ...This ain't a movie. Guns don't work that way. The first time you fire one is especially dangerous. You can lose control of the muzzle when it kicks up and fire the next round while the gun's still pointed at your own head. Getting taken out by a damn self-inflicted headshot ain't exactly funny, now is it?"
"Only after all that will you be ready for what I call 'playing darts'—putting holes in a stationary target. And if you're talking about actually carrying a gun in combat or for self-defense, you've gotta put in a hell of a lot of tactical training with airsoft before you're even at the starting line. ...Even I've only recently gotten to the point where I'd call myself barely passing, and I've been getting drilled by a retired serviceman since I was ten. Kanon and Mako aren't there yet, either. Not by my standards."
Of course, Natsume's standards were exceptionally harsh. Mako lacked physical strength, but Kanon had shown remarkably sharp movement during airsoft games.
Even so, Natsume refused to call either of them "good enough." Her benchmark was the retired Marines who had trained her—men like Bob.
That didn't mean Natsume herself could move like a soldier.
She had the shooting skills, the willingness to pull the trigger when it came to shooting someone with a gun, and that uncanny animal instinct of hers. But she was still an ordinary civilian woman.
Her endurance was nowhere near a soldier's, and her understanding of team tactics was still a work in progress.
"...Hell, I'm talking big, but we're still just amateurs who've gotten a little comfortable around guns. Strip away the experience and we're not fundamentally that different from some kid who gets a gun and starts feeling invincible."
Natsume gave a self-deprecating laugh.
"Hey, Natsume-san... Is this the real you? The crazy person act you put on during the stream—is that just for the camera?"
"Huh? Do I look like the kinda person who's capable of switching between personalities like that? I'm me. I'm a selfish, morally bankrupt, gun-freak, trigger-happy, high-libido lesbian. That's the plain, unvarnished truth."
She paused.
"Oh, yeah. Shioji. Once we find somewhere safe to settle down, what're you planning to do? I guess there's no point worrying about that yet."
"What do you mean?"
"The three of us are married, so we're gonna live together. You're different, though, right? If you leave us, you won't have access to our ammunition, and you won't be able to get the everyday stuff you used in Japan. Your favorite cosmetics, especially. ...How's the purchasing side of your 'Flea Market' work?"
"I can buy things, too, but... most of what you can get through a flea market is stuff you don't need right away. Used furniture, hobby stuff, things like that."
"Yeah. Buying a guitar or some huge-ass appliance in another world isn't exactly useful. ...Alright. I'm getting sleepy. Let's hit the safe house and get some sleep. We're moving at sunrise tomorrow."
Natsume stood and stepped through the "door" Kanon summoned.
"Shioji, obviously, we don't have spare bedding. We've got our own sleeping bags, but there's no way the three of us can squeeze in there together. ...Sorry, but you're gonna have to sleep on the floor."
"...I know. Just being able to sleep without worrying about monsters is more than enough for me right now."
The pale glow of an LED lantern filled the roughly 180-square-foot studio apartment.
The three women slipped efficiently into their sleeping bags, while Shioji stretched out on the hardwood floor.
In the silence, their first night in another world slowly drew to a close.
