"87: The Meaning of a Magazine"

Underground beneath the LycoReco Café, Luo Shu and the rest of the team were in the midst of preparations for the upcoming mission.

"Hey hey~ Mizuki-senpai, should we bring a couple of RPG rounds just in case?"

"Stop with your dangerous ideas! Are you seriously thinking about using that kind of firepower in the middle of a city?"

"Then let me bring some anti-tank gear!!"

"...Seriously? Isn't that even more dangerous!?"

Listening to the exchange of hurried footsteps and the increasingly outrageous ideas echoing down the hallway, Luo Shu glanced up at the door for a moment from inside the supply room filled with racks and shelves, then quietly returned his focus to the handgun maintenance guide in front of him. He was preparing to clean and inspect his sidearm.

As someone completely new to firearms, Luo Shu had decided to carry only a pistol for self-defense during this operation—he didn't plan to use anything else.

Of course, aside from firearms, he was definitely bringing all the Abyssal tools he had. After all, the "Demon's Heart" had been stolen from the Astronomical Society by that now-dead demon warlock, with the apparent purpose of being used against the sealed demon in Chiba. Who knew? It might turn out to be effective, so he had no choice but to bring it.

Just as Luo Shu was inspecting the gun, Takina Inoue entered through the half-open door, nudging it further open with her shoulder while carrying a small box.

"Luo Shu-kun."

"Huh? Takina." Luo Shu turned his head when he saw who it was and called out to her.

Hearing him call her name so casually made Takina flush slightly. She took an involuntary step back and murmured awkwardly, "...We're not really close enough for you to just call me by my first name, are we?"

"Huh?"

Luo Shu froze for a second, then his expression turned awkward. He suddenly remembered that people in this country were particular about how they addressed each other. Calling someone by their first name without an honorific was typically reserved for extremely close friends or loved ones.

Unfortunately, while he was physically in this country, Luo Shu still wasn't quite ready to fully adopt its customs. "Where I come from, calling someone by their name is a sign of respect and importance."

Takina blinked at his serious explanation, then recalled his place of birth and nodded in realization. "Oh, sorry. I forgot you were born in one of the western nations."

According to their maps, his homeland—China—was west of Japan, and thus sometimes called a "western nation."

Of course, to Luo Shu's ears, being referred to as from a "western nation" felt a little... off.

"So? You came here looking for me for something?"

"It's about your bullets."

Takina knelt down and set the box she'd brought on the floor. As she squatted, her short skirt, which extended past her hips, naturally rode up a little with the motion.

Yep, safety shorts... Luo Shu glanced over and thought with absolutely zero mercy.

Takina opened the cardboard box, revealing neatly arranged pistol rounds slotted into compartments and a stack of empty magazines piled on the side.

"Twenty mags. Six hundred rounds. Make sure you load them properly yourself."

With that, she stood back up, seemingly ready to leave.

But Luo Shu blinked and asked, "Wait... isn't there any pre-loaded mags in stock?"

"Eh?" Takina seemed surprised for a moment, then hesitated before crouching again. "No, the inventory doesn't come with pre-loaded magazines. Never mind, I'll help you load them. It'll be faster that way anyway."

Since she offered, there was no way Luo Shu could continue fiddling with his handgun. He quickly turned around to join her, and the two of them began loading bullets into the magazines together.

Working as a pair, they moved with impressive efficiency. In no time, ten magazines were fully loaded.

Just then, Chisato Nishikigi poked her head in through the door. "Takina? Are you in here?"

As she spoke, Chisato caught sight of Takina sitting on the floor next to Luo Shu, loading magazines. Her eyes widened and she let out a playful, exaggerated "Oho~" before quickly turning back down the hallway and shouting, "Mizuki-senpai! Emergency! Takina's loading mags for Luo Shu-kun!!"

"Brat! Don't shout like that—I'm not getting changed in here... Wait, what did you say? Who's loading mags for who!?"

Mizuki's voice rang out from the hallway, a mix of alarm and surprise.

At the sound of that voice, Takina sprang up as if jolted by electricity. She quickly stammered, "You can probably take care of the rest yourself. I have something to do."

"Huh?" Luo Shu blinked, thoroughly confused by her reaction.

Takina was already speed-walking toward the door, practically fleeing the scene.

"Eh? Takina, why are you running off?" Mizuki's voice floated in again, laced with dramatic suspicion. "Wait a sec—don't tell me you were loading mags for Luo Shu-kun?"

"The most important thing for a soldier is their weapon. And the most important thing about a firearm... is its magazine. Hmm hmm~~ Handing off your mag-loading duties to someone else... My, my, you've already reached the 'trusting them with your life' stage? Youth these days really are something else."

Following Mizuki's smug conclusion, Chisato's fake sobbing echoed theatrically down the hallway. "Takina's never loaded mags for meeeee~"

"Takina, I'm so jealous~~! Why only for Luo Shu~~?"

"Shut up!!"

Takina's flustered shout came through loud and clear. Back in the room, Luo Shu lowered his head and looked down at the magazine in his hands, completely lost.

"We're just loading bullets... and that has this much meaning?"

Was it that people here were overly sentimental... or was he just too much of a newbie to get it? Luo Shu was now totally baffled.

"Hey, are you guys ready yet?" Mika's voice suddenly rang out.

"Huh? Mika, isn't there still time left before we're scheduled to depart?"

"There was, but not anymore."

Hearing that, Luo Shu stood up and walked toward the door. Peeking into the hallway, he saw Mika standing guard before the three girls, now dressed in a full tactical outfit.

Mika noticed him and called out, "Perfect. Luo Shu, get ready. We just received new orders—the operation has been moved up."

The joking atmosphere vanished. Takina, who had been rather overwhelmed by Mizuki and Chisato's teasing, let out a small sigh of relief, but duty quickly took over and she stepped forward, asking seriously, "Did something happen? A sudden incident?"

Mika's expression turned grim. He nodded solemnly. "The information was leaked. News about the demon sealed in Chiba has somehow gotten out. We can't afford to wait any longer."

Chisato's jaw dropped in shock. "You've got to be kidding... That just made things way harder!"

Luo Shu, who had just heard the same, furrowed his brows deeply.

This was bad—things were about to get a lot more complicated.