Weekend for Two 2

What on earth made you suddenly decide you wanted a gun?

I need to become a proper escort vessel crew member, you know.

Cielo answered Shinosuke's question with determination.

"Sera's already a proper sailor. Sure, she lacks experience, but experience isn't something you're born with—it's something you build over time. In fact, when I was Sera's age, I was just a cadet at the officer's academy and hadn't even been a sailor yet. Compared to that, she's doing remarkably well."

Cielo shook her head at Shinosuke's words.

"You're right—I do have a crew member's certification, and I've been hired by Shinosuke-san. I'm working as a sailor, despite my shortcomings. But I still feel that I'm lacking the necessary resolve."

"What do you mean by that?"

I’ve been on Shinosuke-san’s ship and experienced many things. I’ve felt fear countless times, but those experiences have only been through monitors and speakers on the bridge. I worry that if I were to die in battle, I wouldn’t truly grasp it as real—I’d just die without understanding it as reality.

...

Seira looked up at Shinosuke, meeting his eyes.

"When I heard that Shinosuke got injured this time, I realized all over again that being a护卫 ship crew member means you sometimes have to face danger like that. Now that I think about it, that's exactly what happened when Shinosuke and Marks saved me—they fought on a ship attacked by pirates. It's something that should've been obvious with just a little thought... I can't fight alongside you even if I had a gun, but I realized I must at least learn to protect myself."

In short, that means Seira wants to carry a gun for self-defense.

Indeed, it's not uncommon among sailors, not just escort ship crew, to be armed for self-protection.

"I understand Serah's feelings, but why a blaster instead of a more practical firearm? Why go for such a cumbersome powder-based handgun?"

Shin nosuke's point is valid, after all.

Old-fashioned powder-based handguns have strong recoil and are difficult to aim accurately, but blasters have no recoil and their energy beams travel straight, making them much easier to handle.

In general, blasters are more powerful and reliable in terms of firepower.

While they do have drawbacks, such as being dispersed by personal shields, conventional bullet guns can't penetrate thick shields or heavy armor either.

Both have their pros and cons, but most people still choose blasters. Only a truly eccentric individual would deliberately opt for a firearm that uses gunpowder.

Shin nosuke himself is such an eccentric, yet in reality, he carries both a gunpowder pistol and a blaster.

Amidst this, when Seira said she wanted a gunpowder pistol, she pulled a single metal object from a small pouch slung around her neck.

"This is my good luck charm."

"Shell?... Is this my gun's?"

"Yes. I picked it up when Shinnosuke saved me. At the time, I didn't know what part it was, but now I do."

It was the shell ejected from Shinnosuke's gun during the shootout on the bridge of the passenger ship Galaxy Camel—the very ship that had brought Seira aboard Shinnosuke's vessel.

I don't think I'll ever be able to fight properly just because I've learned to shoot. I'm sure that, when the moment comes, I won't be able to pull the trigger on an opponent. Still, I want to carry a gun in case that moment ever arrives. Maybe then, for someone else's sake, I could pull the trigger—even if not, just holding it like a protective charm, much like this cartridge, would be enough for me.

It's quite a dangerous talisman for Ceyla, but I understand her feelings.

If you're going to carry a gun, Shinnosuke insists on choosing something you truly desire, even if it's a bit unwieldy.

After all, it's a matter of entrusting your life to it—so you must choose it yourself. And if that's Ceyla's choice, then he respects it.

"I see. Then I'll try picking Ceyla's partner."

Fortunately, the shop we stopped by had a generous stock of firearm-type pistols.

After requesting a gun suitable for self-defense—offering a certain level of power, compact size, light weight, and relatively easy handling even for women—they immediately picked out about ten pistols for me.

Seira picked up each of the displayed pistols to examine them.

She seemed to have studied firearms on her own—she clearly knew the most basic rules, like 'never point the muzzle at anyone' and 'don't keep your finger on the trigger except during firing.'

While testing several guns, Seira's expression changed when she picked up one particular pistol.

She stared intently at the short-barreled 9mm revolver, the 'Exylera SS9-2.'

A revolver that uses the same 9mm rounds as Shinosuke's Lagza VX67, featuring a six-round rotary magazine.

"I don't know how to put it... but I like this one."

If Seira liked it, that was enough.

After being allowed to try a few shots at the shop's shooting range, she initially flinched at the recoil and barely hit the target at first, but once she got used to it, she showed surprisingly good accuracy.

Whether it'll be useful in actual combat is another matter, but her potential doesn't seem bad.

In the end, Seyla's gun was decided to be the Exyra SS9-2 she personally chose, becoming a gift from Shinnosuke complete with a custom holster.

Later, feeling hungry, she stopped by a nearby fast food restaurant, satisfied her appetite with a sandwich and a drink—Seyla had a fruit mix juice, while Shinnosuke, since synthetic fruit tea wasn’t available, had coffee—and then returned to the dock. But there was nothing particularly special between Seyla and Shinnosuke; nothing at all.

In short, it was a date involving shopping and eating, but in detail, it amounted to buying a handgun at a firearms store and then returning after eating at a fast food restaurant—anything but a proper date, and if someone were to claim this was a date, it would definitely be a failing grade.

Even Markes, who had just returned after the repair

That's not a date.

It has come to this.

Still, since Seira herself was thoroughly satisfied and happy about it, their vacation could probably be considered a success.

Incidentally, later on, after returning from her certification exam, Milena found out about Seira's gun incident, flew into a jealous rage, and ended up having to receive a gun as a gift herself.

Milena chose a slightly smaller model from the same series as the Peril S27 Blaster that Shinnosuke carried—the Peril S24 Blaster.

Though Milena, in a sense, wields a saber far more powerful than a blaster, that appears to be a separate matter altogether.

"It is this gun, gifted by Shinnosuke-sama, that protects both my body and my heart," she said.

Seyra fully agrees with Milena's assertion.

It's something Shinosuke can't understand, but apparently that's how it is for the two of them.

Incidentally, regarding Miliena's exam results, there was nothing noteworthy—she scored perfectly on both the written and interview portions, and only a slight deduction on the practical exam, achieving the highest score in history with no room for complaint, and thus passed with flying colors.

It's only natural that something like this would pass.

Though Milena spoke with absolute confidence, rumors suggest that the grading in the practical exam was manipulated by the organizers, who claimed they couldn't possibly award full marks in every category.

Regardless of whether the rumors are true, to Milena, it was hardly more than a quick errand—almost as routine as buying a drink from a vending machine across the street.