Chapter 1. Candidate and Candidate (13)

Ah, of course, the place where Ria had boldly set the gun down in front of me was not the church.

We were at a shooting range.

For now, both Ria and I were nuns. According to Ria, once the stalker issue was completely resolved, we were supposed to stop being nuns, but while we belonged to the church convent, we naturally had to act as nuns.

So just leaving the convent without a word was difficult. It wasn't that there were never nuns who tried to sneak over the wall, but there were quite a lot of CCTV cameras installed around the church, and the wall was fairly high, so they were always caught before they could get over it.

But nuns did have occasions to go outside.

Namely, volunteer work.

Usually, they went to hospitals ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or welfare facilities run by the order's churches. Of course, we were basically young nuns, and setting aside the fact that we were pretty, there could be people who fixated on the fact that we were 'young' and tried something strange.

The order itself had not been properly established for all that long, but many of those holding positions within it had been clergy even before that. Naturally, they knew in considerable detail about the unfortunate incidents that could occur during volunteer work.

We usually did things like cleaning.

Honestly, it wasn't that difficult. We cleaned the convent and the church the same way anyway.

Strictly speaking, going outside during volunteer work to buy something was not allowed. But at the same time, you couldn't just control spirited kids unconditionally.

The nuns often slipped out in groups to buy things they needed. I also often quietly tagged along and bought what I needed.

Where did the hair dye I used on my head come from?

There were also weekend outings, but in that case the time was short and the places you could go were restricted. The supervising nun was always right beside you, so buying anything too questionable was awkward.

Usually, things that a nun shouldn't have were smuggled in that way.

I just didn't know it would be a handgun.

"......."

I stared blankly at the handgun lying in front of me, then looked back at Ria.

Right. I had thought it was strange that she'd said we were going to do volunteer work, only to bring me somewhere like this. Not that we hadn't actually done volunteer work.

I turned my gaze to the Mother Superior standing nearby.

"I got Father's permission. I told him you'd said you wanted to try shooting."

"No......."

I didn't say I wanted to try.

I said I asked and got shot down.

"......Is this really okay?"

"Visiting private property like this is, in fact, a violation of regulations."

The Mother Superior looked around.

This place was, well, a shooting range. I had seen a shooting range with this kind of atmosphere before. During reserve forces training.

Right, so this place was "private property."

At a glance, it was a shooting range in the basement of an enormous house. Indeed, this was probably Ria's house. ......Or one of her "houses."

"It's my uncle's house."

As I was looking around, Ria said flatly, as if she wanted to make it clear that she still hadn't reconciled with her father.

"And this gun belongs to my uncle too. I'm not giving it to you. I'm just letting you try firing it once. I only want to see whether you have talent."

I turned my gaze back to the Mother Superior.

In fact, the Mother Superior also had an expression that showed she was very uncomfortable being here. But that didn't mean the Mother Superior wasn't allowed to be here. In my past life, I had often seen nuns using the subway or buses. I didn't know exactly where they were going to or from, but it meant they could go outside.

Did they have a bit more autonomy than the young nuns?

"It is a violation of regulations, but I can't say this sort of thing never happens. ......Sometimes nuns from certain families stop by their own homes on the way like this."

......That did seem plausible.

Hm.

I looked at the handgun again.

Theoretically, I could at least load it. I had seen loading in games and movies. I also had memories of playing with toy guns.

But shooting and hitting something...... well, could I, who had never fired a handgun, actually do it?

"Uh, so, isn't there anything besides this?"

"Besides this?"

Ria tilted her head.

"No, I mean, I've heard handguns are harder to handle than they look."

Ria stared at me as I said that, making me feel embarrassed for no reason.

"Do you have a license?"

"A license?"

"Handguns below a certain caliber can be possessed without a special license beyond a Gate or at a registered shooting range. So even people who mainly use other weapons usually carry one for self-defense. This one's like that too."

Ria said, tapping the handgun with her hand. It was certainly a gun small enough to fit inside a woman's palm.

"But once you get into something like rifles, it's a different story. Those are considered military-use weapons. Even Hunters have to deposit them at a police station or a shooting range registered as a special facility after coming back through a Gate, and private possession is illegal. The church doesn't have a range like that, so even if you had one, you wouldn't be able to train with it regularly. More importantly, owning one would be illegal."

"......."

Was it that complicated?

No, that heroine— ah, she only used it beyond Gates. And she always did gun maintenance in the shooting room inside the Association.

"My uncle said a few shots were fine as long as we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠didn't cause any trouble. So this is the only gun I can let you handle: a Bodyguard 380. It's purely for self-defense, and the caliber is small. Even though it's your first time, it shouldn't be too difficult to handle, so relax and give it a try. I'll act as the range officer."

Faced with Ria, who only said perfectly textbook things, I couldn't find any way to argue back.

No, how should I put it. More than that, this whole situation was utterly absurd.

She'd heard a passing comment and gone this far? In the original, had Ria...... I mean, had Lee Chae-eun really been this considerate?

Ah, right. She used to remember ingredients the protagonist disliked and always go to places where he could eat without them. Come to think of it, in recent web novels, a tsundere was the kind of heroine who couldn't survive without that minimum level of consideration.

.......

Even so, this seemed like consideration that went way too far.

I told you I've given up on becoming a Hunter. I'd consider a receptionist position at the Association, but—

I glanced at the Mother Superior once more.

Seeing that she had already moved far away from the two of us and put on noise-canceling earmuffs, she really did seem to intend to allow it.

In the end, when I picked up the earmuffs lying next to the gun, Ria put on her own earmuffs too.

"Can you hear me?"

"Ah, yes."

Hearing Ria through the earmuffs, I answered reflexively.

"Good. Then pick up the gun."

At those words, I had no choice but to follow Ria's instruction and reach out my hand.

*

I fired twelve shots in total—that is, two magazines.

It seemed the small self-defense handgun couldn't hold more rounds than that.

Ria gave instructions quite strictly, more than I expected. Though that was only natural when handling a firearm.

I'd heard the caliber was small, but there was still some recoil. Unlike when firing with a stock braced against your shoulder, no matter how much strength I put into my arms, it was hard to keep them fully extended.

After the shooting ended, the acrid smell of gunpowder lingered in the air. It wasn't a smell I could call pleasant. Though it was the kind of smell some people might like.

Ria had me set down the gun, which was completely empty with the slide locked back, then took it herself, performed a safety check, removed the empty magazine, and set it down again.

"Well, you're average."

After taking off her earmuffs, Ria looked at the target I'd shot and gave her assessment.

"Still, since it's a gun, if you practice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠consistently, you'll improve quite a bit. If you do well, you might even be able to handle a higher caliber."

"No, no, wait a moment."

I waved my hands and quickly objected to that.

"So...... are you telling me to practice marksmanship right now?"

"You caught on fast. You said it yourself, didn't you? That swinging a sword or swinging a mace is just ordinary."

"......What reason do I have to do this kind of training?"

When I spoke with an incredulous expression, Ria shrugged her shoulders.

"You should know how to make money after Laicization, shouldn't you?"

"Did I ask you to teach me that?"

"No, you didn't."

I put both hands on my hips and leaned in until my face was right in front of Ria's as she looked down at me. Only then did Ria step back a few paces.

With the angriest expression I could manage, I spoke to Ria.

"I appreciate the kindness, but I don't particularly intend to become a Hunter, you know?"

"Really? But it would still help."

"......What?"

"I'm saying this because you really don't seem to understand—you have a stalker, remember?"

"I already heard that, you know?"

"That stalker might be approaching you because of various feelings, but what if they're approaching you because of your ability?"

"What?"

"Holy Power can't attack people, right? You said it yourself. That you can't handle monsters beyond Gates that Holy Power doesn't work on with just your strength."

"......."

"And people can become monsters like that too, you know? What if someone tries to kidnap you?"

"......So, are you hoping I'll shoot that person?"

"That would probably be hard. You can't carry a handgun at all times. This country had pretty heavy restrictions on gun possession, after all."

As I opened my mouth to argue again, Ria raised a finger.

"But I'm not only trying to teach you how to shoot a handgun. I'll teach you how to swing a weapon too. It won't be a handgun, but a blunt weapon about that size could still help."

"Why would you do that?"

"Haah."

As if imitating me, Ria put both hands on her hips and let out a deep sigh.

"Hey, I have a conscience too."

"A conscience?"

"No matter how I think about it, I can't just send you out into the world like this. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if you got kidnapped and sold off right away."

"Is that any of your business?"

"Yeah. It's my business."

At those words, I shut my mouth.

I didn't know what to say after hearing her put it that way.

In my Past Life, I'd lived in a reasonably peaceful country, and above all, I'd been a man. Most men almost never heard things like that. Unless, maybe, they were saying it to a girlfriend.

"Hey, honestly, I'm not that fond of you either, you know? You know you have quite a few annoying traits, right?"

But at those words, my temper boiled up in my head again.

"Then why—"

"You're the same, aren't you?"

At Ria's words, I blinked.

"You don't believe in God, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and you have no intention of using that Holy Power however you please, but if someone collapsed in front of you, you said you'd run over and use it right away, didn't you? And you don't plan to take money for it."

"That's—"

"Well, pride doesn't save people. Fine. I'll admit that. Honestly, I was a little impressed. But here's the thing."

Ria struck her own chest with her fist and spoke proudly.

"I'm the same, you know? Because I'm someone who's going to become a Hero. And a Hero isn't just a job where you take money and hunt monsters. If there's an injured person in front of you, even if it's a bit annoying, you take them to the hospital."

"So, are you saying I'll become that kind of person?"

"From the things you've been saying, you really do sound like you took a hit to the head."

"Hah."

I rolled my eyes this way and that.

But my temper was flaring so much that I couldn't get words out properly.

"What I'm saying is that the Hero Candidate standing in front of you is offering to educate you personally. If I just let you loose outside the church, I can already see you getting taken for a sucker somewhere and swindled out of what little money you have. It's a huge pain, but I'll have to put up with it. People don't magically learn to live on their own just because I find it annoying, right?"

Hah.

Hah.

Hah. Well, really.

Seeing only those breathy sounds keep coming out of my mouth, Ria squared her shoulders proudly as if she had already won.

"Well, don't worry. If I decide you can go outside without my help, I'll admit it cleanly and stop."

"......You won't regret those words, right?"

"Regret them? No—will a day to regret them ever even come?"

"Grrr."

I ground my teeth and trembled with my shoulders shaking.

"......I'll definitely make you regret it."

"Do your best."

I said it while grinding my teeth, but Ria just stuck her tongue out slightly.

I take it back, I take it back!

What I said earlier about her having a delicate side—I take it all back!

Fuming, I revised my assessment of Ria like that.

I will, somehow, with all my effort, definitely make her regret it.