Let's Give It a Shot
The ruined wasteland was blanketed by dark clouds that swallowed the sky.
Into that desolation, a bio-mechanical weapon—a Dracore—leaped forward.
Beneath its mineral-like outer shell, living organic tissue writhed and pulsed. The frame flexed with fluid grace before slamming into the ground, crushing everything beneath it.
The enemy was a terrestrial-type Outer.
Swarming like parasites between the crumbled remains of skyscrapers were hordes of wriggling insect-like creatures.
To exterminate that monstrous swarm, a single Dracore charged forward with fearless resolve.
Crunch!
It stomped one of the crawling Outers flat. A heavy impact rang out as the massive leg shattered concrete and drove downward. The recoil twisted the frame, sending vibrations racing through its entire body.
At that jolt, the white-haired girl kneeling in the Bottom position flinched and let out a shaky breath.
“Mmm… haa, ahh…”
The sound could have been a moan of pleasure or simply a reaction to the neural feedback. Either way, the Top gripping the control grips didn’t seem to notice. Eyes wide and locked on the enemy, she continued the battle without pause.
Two handles protruded along the Bottom’s spine.
The Top gripped their curved surfaces tightly, maintaining a steady rhythm. The pressure and direction of her fingers alone altered the mech’s balance. The slightest tremor could decide the flow of battle.
If the rhythm ever broke, the machine would lose its center. That was why her touch remained both delicate and resolute.
“Haa… right there… press harder… I can’t control it otherwise…”
Every time the Dracore charged forward, absorbed the shock with its knees, and slammed to a sudden stop, the girl in front arched her back and spilled out more feedback.
Sweat slid down her body inside the tight suit. The neural interface connected to the control grips reacted with hypersensitive intensity to every drop of heat.
“Synchronization rate at 71%. Heart rate rising. Bottom control becoming unstable.”
The operator in the control room reported calmly. No one inside seemed surprised. This kind of feedback was routine.
For the Dracore to respond powerfully, the pilots had to share their senses intensely.
Hotter. Deeper. More violently.
Exactly like gripping a partner’s hips and thrusting forward.
That was how the Dracore moved.
“Large Outer approaching from the left rear!”
The moment the operator shouted, the Top drove the control grips deep. The handles on either side of the spine bent sharply. The Bottom in front staggered and cried out.
“Aah…!”
The machine vibrated as it stretched its limbs, its sleek frame rising from its crouched posture.
At the same time, neural conductors along its back sparkled and writhed. The blade mounted on its right arm slid open with a metallic hiss.
The blade sliced vertically through the giant Outer’s upper body and buried itself deep.
Skin tore. Spine exposed. Muscle fibers and mucus sprayed outward. Red bodily fluids rained down like a bloody shower, staining the Dracore’s torso.
By the time the battle ended, sunlight broke through the faded clouds above the Dracore’s shoulder. Blood and dust shimmered across the battlefield.
Watching it all on screen, I couldn’t close my mouth.
A setting where giant bio-mechanical weapons were piloted in a rear-entry, doggy-style position? I couldn’t hold back anymore.
This was literally just nonstop sex disguised as combat.
“…Damn. I want to be a pilot too.”
But even if I were reborn in that world, piloting a Dracore would be impossible.
Because Coupling only worked between women.
…Or so I had thought.
It was an unfamiliar room.
The curtains had a design I had never seen before. The color of the wallpaper felt strangely alien.
On the nearby shelf sat books and trinkets I didn’t recognize, scattered without order. Even the air itself felt foreign.
A completely unknown, ambiguous atmosphere that didn’t overlap with any place I had ever known.
I slowly turned my head, scanning my surroundings.
I had no idea where this was or why I was here.
Then, suddenly, the door opened.
Click.
The moment the latch sounded, my body flinched on reflex. A girl I had never seen before walked in without hesitation.
She strode in with steady, confident steps. No hesitation. No wariness toward a stranger.
And then she spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“You’re awake? Hurry up and come eat.”
Her tone was so casual it sounded like she had said it a thousand times before. But in that instant, I froze, completely unable to process the situation.
…Who is she?
Telling me to eat? Out of nowhere?
When I just stared at her in stunned silence, the girl frowned slightly and tilted her head.
“What’s wrong? Still half-asleep?”
She was staring straight through me.
Her gaze felt oddly annoyed, yet somehow familiar at the same time.
Blonde twin-tails.
Hair so perfectly groomed it looked almost artificial. A small, porcelain-white face.
The impression was too unreal. Like she had stepped straight out of an anime.
And aside from her looks, her tone was… well, kind of rude.
Despite her cute face, she sounded indifferent and brusque.
I was still trying to figure out how to respond when—
A sharp jolt ran through my skull.
Something poured in from the top of my head straight into the depths of my brain.
It was memories.
Not mine. The memories of “me” from this world.
Name, age, relationships, emotions, habits—everything.
All kinds of garbage data flooded into my mind.
There was definitely a sense of alienation. My mind was screaming that none of this made sense, but my senses had already begun accepting it. My body reacted far too naturally, and the memories melted in without resistance.
And thanks to those memories, I realized the impossibly beautiful girl standing in front of me was my little sister.
She had been a total stranger just moments ago. Now her name came to me. Scenes of us laughing together. Even memories of us fighting.
And the most shocking realization of all was the identity of the world I had woken up in.
This was the world where Dracores actually existed.
The moment I understood that, my mind went completely blank.
I told myself this couldn’t be real, but the sensations were far too vivid. The pounding of my heart, the dryness in my mouth, the way my pores reacted—it was all too real.
“Hey! What are you doing? Get out here already!”
Maybe because I still hadn’t left the room even after she called me directly, my little sister’s irritated voice rang out again, laced with impatience.
With no other choice, I moved. Without even time to organize the fresh memories dumped into my head, I walked with awkward steps, opened the door, and headed for the dining table.
The table was small. Three plates. The side dishes were unfamiliar, but they didn’t smell bad.
The atmosphere was far too quiet for a family meal. Still, I sat down without a word. Awkwardness crawled up the back of my neck, but my body moved on its own. As if it already knew this seat.
“Seriously, how long were you planning to make us wait? The soup’s going to get cold.”
My sister spoke in a scolding tone.
Her words were sharp, but I knew from the memories that she was always like this, so I let it slide. It felt like the typical relationship between siblings who didn’t get along.
“Sorry.”
“You’re doing the dishes. I made breakfast today.”
“Got it.”
The side dishes were lukewarm but edible. The rice was a little sticky, and the soup was bland. Yet somehow it tasted strangely good. She didn’t seem like an especially skilled cook, but she wasn’t bad either.
While eating, I occasionally glanced around.
Father was quietly shoveling food into his mouth while sneaking glances at the portable terminal in his hand. My sister ate her soup in silence.
It should have felt completely foreign, yet it also felt familiar. The memories had seeped in so deeply that this scene felt like something I had experienced several times before.
Then I noticed something familiar inside the glass display case in the corner of the living room cabinet.
A Dracore.
More precisely, a figure of the main mech from the anime I had been watching. The angle of the arm armor, the organic frame digging into the pelvis—everything was exactly as it appeared in the show.
Cold sweat broke out across my back. I had hoped it wasn’t true, but it was.
This really was the world inside that anime.
The world with that ridiculous setting where bio-mechanical weapons were piloted in that obscene posture.
And they had a figure of it proudly displayed in the living room?
In this world, such things actually existed, so there was no need to hide them.
As I spooned more soup, I acknowledged it once again.
This wasn’t a dream. It was real.
At that moment, a voice broke the quiet at the dinner table.
“How has academy life been lately?”
My sister only answered after taking another spoonful of soup.
“Same as always. Theory classes are boring, practicals are a little fun. We do Dracore maneuvering drills every day, so my body’s pretty tired.”
I lifted my head at those words. This was the very core of the world I had been watching just last night. And now it was reality, unfolding right in front of me.
According to the memories, my little sister was currently a Dracore pilot. She had recently graduated high school and was undergoing formal training at a place called Dracore Academy.
Father set the portable terminal down on the table and looked at her as he added,
“Any inconveniences at the academy? If you need anything, just tell me.”
His voice remained indifferent, but there was a subtle weight of authority behind it.
From this body’s memories, I knew Father was the chief researcher of Dracores under the government.
He wasn’t just a simple family man. He held enough influence to affect both pilot training and mech development.
My sister paused her spoon for a moment, then shook her head slightly.
“It’s fine. Nothing too inconvenient yet.”
After their short exchange ended, Father turned to me this time.
“And you? How’s university life these days?”
I was momentarily flustered but tried to act as calm as possible and nodded.
“It’s alright. The facilities aren’t bad, and the professors are kind, so it’s manageable.”
Father gave a indifferent nod.
“If you need anything too, just say so.”
I hesitated for a brief second.
I want to see a Dracore.
The words rose in my throat but I barely swallowed them back down. Once I said it, there would be no taking it back.
…Damn it. I really want to see a Dracore.
How was I supposed to hold this in?
What would the cockpit of a real, existing Dracore in this world look like?
Just seeing the figure had already set my skin tingling with excitement. If I got to see the real thing—and ride it together with a girl—I couldn’t even imagine how I would react.
But at the same time, I felt despair.
This world had no role for men. Even when watching from the screen, that had been the most frustrating part. Every pair was made up of girls. Men were nothing but background or side characters.
I had finally fallen into the world of the anime, only to find out there was nothing I could do?
God, I want to ride one.
Of course, it wasn’t out of any noble desire to sacrifice myself for humanity. I just wanted to pilot together with a girl. More precisely, I wanted to pull a girl’s control grips however I pleased.
Right as that thought crossed my mind, Father picked up the portable terminal again and spoke.
“Actually, there’s a research project we’re working on right now. I was wondering if the two of you could help.”
My sister stopped her chopsticks and looked up.
“What kind of research?”
“We’re experimenting on whether men can pilot Dracores. More accurately, we’re researching the possibility of male pilots.”
I dropped my spoon and mulled over his words.
…What did Father just say?
The possibility of men being able to move a Dracore?
For a second I thought I had heard it wrong because I wanted it so badly, but Father continued in a firm voice.
“Of course, all previous research has concluded that male pilots are impossible. In actual tests, we’ve never once gotten a proper maneuvering response.”
My sister nodded with an expression that suggested she had expected as much. I held my breath and stared at Father in silence.
“Nevertheless… the research is still worth continuing. Several variables—such as biological response values and sensory synchronization rates—still have unexplained aspects. Some of them have shown changes under specific conditions.”
“But why us? Why me and my brother?”
My sister frowned. Father answered calmly.
“At the moment, the two of you are the most suitable test subjects. Because you’re siblings.”
“Because we’re siblings? What does that have to do with anything?”
“Dracore synchronization rates are influenced by a complex set of indicators: trust between pilots, genetic similarity, emotional connection, and more. Siblings can fulfill all those conditions in the most stable way.”
I felt cold sweat forming in my palms without realizing it.
It sounded insane… but at the same time, a spark of hope surged inside me.
Yet my sister had been reacting sourly the entire time.
“…Don’t make me laugh. There’s no way there’s any trust between me and my brother.”
Her tone was mocking, laced with a sigh. She set her chopsticks down with a clack.
“And besides, it’s obviously going to fail. You want me to let my brother grab my control grips? No thanks. I’d rather die.”
Father let out a long sigh and spoke again.
“I’m asking you, Yuzuki. It’s just an experiment. It’s a process of testing humanity’s potential. You two might be the ones to take that first step.”
…Humanity’s potential.
It sounded grand, but honestly, that part didn’t matter to me at all.
I just wanted to ride a Dracore. I wanted to grab a girl’s control grips.
Maybe that was why.
In that moment, I slammed my hand on the table and spoke to the little sister I had only just met today.
“Hey, do you even hear yourself? Instead of helping Dad who’s working so hard, you’re going to ruin the experiment just because of your mood?”
My scolding made my sister’s eyes widen in surprise. Even Father lifted his head for a moment.
Silence hung in the air, but then my sister pouted and let out an obvious sigh.
“Ugh, why do you get so serious at times like this? Fine. Let’s do it. But if it seems completely pointless, we stop right there. No exceptions.”
Under the table, I clenched my fist in joy. It felt like I had seized an opportunity.