Chapter 3 – Japan and Himeno’s nonaggression policy

● Indicates Japan’s point of view

●

I hear a dry sound echoing.

“Was that a gunshot…?”

I’m surprised, and my reddish brown pupils enlarge.

I hear that sound again. There is no doubt about it, that was the sound of a pistol.

I, Doguzuka Himeno, turn my attention towards the direction where the sound came from.

My small face is still somewhat childish, with my round pupils and charmingly thick eyebrows, and my evenly cut black hair contrasts with my white shrine maiden outfit and my red hakama, which is perfect for my small body.

With sharp movements, I try to shake off the attacks of the goblins with a short sword that is about 60cm long. I focus solely on defense, and try not to hurt them.

“Gihihi…!”

“Kuh… These things are too persistent!”

The small monsters run around me like they are enjoying their hunt.

Not long after the second shot, I hear two more shots, one after the other, and what sounds like shrieks of monsters.

Someone is fighting with a gun…!

It doesn’t seem too far from where I’m standing, and close to a hill. It’s the first artificial sound I have heard since I appeared in this world.

So there are humans here…! That alone fills me with courage and hope. Still, I have no guarantee that it is safe to approach this person firing a gun…

“Gih!?”

“Gyohi…!”

The goblins stop and look towards the direction where the sound came from.

“Tah!”

I grip my short sword and swipe horizontally, cutting the legs of a goblin that was lunging at me and sealing its movements.

“Higih!?”

The pendant above my flat chest starts dancing.

Even if I have to fight, I cannot kill.

It seems the spirit of Japan’s nonaggression policy is alive within me.

“Girih!

“Gigih…!”

Four goblins abandon me and rush towards the hill, most likely responding to their comrades’ cries.

I feel relieved for a second, before running after them. If someone is being attacked, I have to help.

These reinforcements are dangerous, even if this person has a gun.

★★★

“Crap, these guys don’t give up.”

I keep shooting.

“Gihi!”

I’ve learned that shooting a goblin through the chest will not kill them.

Metal jacket 9mm parabellum rounds pierce them, but they don’t go down easily even if I shoot their limbs. I think their sense of pain is a lot duller. I have to shoot them in the head to make sure they’re dead.

“That’s four…!”

Bam, and a goblin’s skull is broken on the right side. The bullet enters through the eye socket and ricochets inside its cranium.

As my hand starts to feel tired, I count how many rounds I have left.

Three more…!

The glock 26 is a reliable handgun, but what do I do once I run out of ammo?

Can I just conveniently summon another weapon like I did before? I’m starting to sweat.

The goblins keep coming, possibly angered by the death of their friends.

Three more appear from the other side of the hill. I can’t miss a single shot.

“Gishaa!”

“Damn it!”

The three new goblins distract me, and I fail to notice one approaching me from the back.

It snuck up on me until it was only three meters away, and jumps at me with sharp claws and teeth.

I instantly turn around and pull the trigger, but twisting my body makes me miss. I fire again when it’s less than one meter away, this time hitting it in the face. It pushes me down, but my third shot pierces its forehead.

I lay on the grass, but quickly get back up.

“Gishaaa””

“Mugii!”

“Girua!”

Three of them get within a dozen or so meters.

“Tch!

I pull the trigger, but the resistance in it is gone. I’m out of ammo!

I pray to god, and ask my people to give me their strength.

As if responding to my plea, the star pendant shines again, and I feel something warm in my left hand.

“A magazine!”

I eject the empty magazine and quickly reload. I slide the gun barrel to insert a bullet, and finally thank god and America.

The great American spirit has bestowed a gun upon me.

I go down to one knee and aim. The monsters are only ten meters away and come towards me while threatening me by shaking their bodies like monkeys.

I pull the trigger, and bam…! The left side of one of the goblins’ head goes flying, and it bends backwards and goes down.

This magazine is different. The bullets have more power.

“Hollow point!”

I spontaneously smile.

9mm parabellum rounds excel at piercing, but they’re not great at destroying one’s body. A hollow point is more appropriate to make sure to finish them off, since it bursts on impact and destroys the target’s body. The magazine that appeared on my left hand knows what I need.

I calmly shoot another one in the neck, and it also goes down.

“Gi… Iiii!?”

Apparently the last one knows the situation it’s in. His friends are all dead, and it’s the only one left. It stopped running towards me, but I’m not letting it get away.

“Sorry about that.”

I shoot it twice, blowing away its chest and head.

And then, one more climbs the hill. I aim, put my finger on the trigger…

“A… Human?”

I can’t believe my eyes.

I see a black haired girl wearing strange white clothes and holding a curved sword.

Is she a human of this world?

“Stop!”

I yell as I get up, and the girl looks at me with a surprised expression.

She seems young, but why is this girl in a meadow full of goblins?

One possibility crosses my mind. Could it be that she was the one controlling them?

“Stop or I’ll shoot!”

I grip my handgun tight.