SS4 'Secret Weapon'

One day.

At the sports field of Sakagō High School.

"Hey hey, Senpai"

"What is it, Asada Rika-chan?"

"How's it going lately?"

"Same old routine. Every day, I'm just blasting zombies left and right."

"Hohohoho. That's right, isn't it?"

"Is there something wrong with that?"

"Hohohoho. Today, I have a present for you, Senpai."

"Oh?"

"Recently, the exploration team has been bringing supplies from various locations, hasn't it?"

"That's right."

"Anyway, I managed to acquire a secret weapon through a certain route."

"A certain route? What exactly does that mean?"

"……………"

"……………"

"Well, honestly, that doesn't really matter, does it!"

"What was that strange silence just now?"

"Anyway! Since I've acquired this secret weapon, I was thinking of letting you, Senpai, try it out!"

I don't mind, but... aren't you pushing this a bit too hard?

I didn't do it!

If that's the case, then it's fine.

Alright then, let's go through each one step by step. First, this is—ta-da! "Special Edition Bodysuit"!

Wow... It's kind of like a design I've seen in 'Evangelion.'

"This isn't just a regular cosplay outfit! Made with Kevlar fibers, it offers protection strong enough to withstand zombie bites! We've prepared a women's size specifically tailored to match your style!"

"Hmm."

"Next, this one is a real masterpiece—the 'Fully Automatic Zombie Hunter Robot'!"

"Interesting. Looks like the robot you often see at a certain mobile phone shop, except now it's holding a chainsaw."

"Yeah, we're reusing this one—Pepa-kun. Turn it on, and it spins around wildly while blasting a loud BGM, slicing up zombies that come near. Oh, by the way, it's fine to use it over and over—even if it's disposable. I found a whole mountain of leftover Pepa-kun figures! Honestly, I'm overwhelmed with them!"

Poor little ○ッパー-kun...

"Next—'Ninja Art: Hidden in the Clouds'!"

"Uh, Ninja Technique...? This just looks like a fire extinguisher wrapped in dynamite to me."

"Yes. Exactly as you've described. Light the fuse and toss it right into the 'zombie' horde."

"Um, the purpose of this is completely unclear..."

"Exactly! By spreading thick smoke all around, it should... hopefully keep the 'zombies' disoriented for a long time... probably!"

"Probably..."

"And finally—ta-da! 'Modified Airgun'!"

"Whoa... incredible. It's really professional."

"This one fires special metal bullets. It's powerful enough to pierce through a frying pan!"

"I see. This could actually be useful."

"As for the finer shooting techniques... um, well, there's an instruction manual that came with the original airgun, so please refer to that!"

"Got it!"

"Alright then, I'm looking forward to your thoughts on this secret weapon♪"

"Heya~"

▼

Later.

At a classroom in Sakagakou High School.

"Hey hey, senior"

"Hey there, Rika-chan"

"So, how was it? How's that secret weapon working out?"

"Well, to cut to the chase, they're all pretty hard to use in actual practice, to be honest."

"Wait, really? That's for real?"

"Dead serious."

"Could you maybe go into more detail about what exactly didn't work out?"

"First off, the 'custom body suit'—it's terribly non-breathable and gets super sweaty. Plus, it's incredibly hard to move in."

"Oh... I see."

"In general, if you get bitten by a zombie, your entire inner flesh gets crushed. It's actually safer to avoid being bitten altogether through careful movement than to try making the suit resistant to bites."

"Hmm. I guess that makes sense."

"And then there's the 'Fully Automatic Zombie Hunting Robot'—that one was terrible too."

"Eh?"

"Kappu-kun, it just can't keep its balance at all. It falls over the second it moves."

"Wahhhhhhhhh?"

"And then there's the 'Ninja Technique' model. It's so heavy you can't even throw it at a group of zombies. Honestly, tossing in a regular grenade would be better. It's just too bulky."

"Then, what about that 'modified airgun'? That was easy to use, wasn't it?"

"No. To be honest, that was the worst of all."

"Wha—?"

"Actually using it, the firepower was completely insufficient—it couldn't even kill zombies."

"That's impossible."

"Maybe if I'd fired it at point-blank range, the result might've been different, but... in that case, I'd honestly have been better off with a blade."

"…………Uuununu nuu…"

"——Wait? Rika-chan, why the pouty face like that?"

"I-I wanted to prove I could be useful to everyone! I really did…!"

"Wait. Did you… actually build this secret weapon…? Rika-chan…?"

"Whatever! I don't care anymore! You're a primitive caveman! A demon warrior!!"

"A caveman and a demon warrior? H-Hold on a second. Rika-chan… Hey… come back…"