Artist's commentary
Karindou 4 Koma Extra Story Pseudo Short Story [Ghostrick Live] 7
No matter what she did, Ran was slowly reaching the limits of her endurance.
It wasn't boredom. All the maids of the Schtlehertz family, not wanting to lose to her best friends and adults who made up her foster family, in their own way, were always in a sort of chaos. Maybe they all knew that Ran couldn't smile, but for several days now, they've gotten good at being able to tell whether Ran is enjoying herself or not, and in order to figure out what makes her laugh, they were causing chaos to the point where Col even started exterminating some of the maids. The game was effective, and a certain maid (a pink one) who wanted to fawn over Ran and forcibly followed her around was no exception. When Ran would unintentionally get caught up in the chaos, she would enjoy herself, and get saved right before crossing the line. Her attendant, Cuey, also heroically looked after her as usual, and she talked more openly more often. During the chaotic times, she would be mixed among the maids and laugh, cry, and sometimes get angry (though there was no bite behind it), and she stopped being as shy and hiding around the other maids, and was happy that she finally felt comfortable among them. Also, Ran was praised as the cause of Cuey's transformation, since ever since she became Ran's attendant, she suggested and won the game, and Cuey had more self confidence.
(Though it's not such a big deal as everyone makes it out to be.)
Every time she would be embarrassed by the praise, and think it was just because she had the opportunity, Cuey would happily laugh.
However, something was insufficient.
Elza, who would normally only go out shopping occasionally, was now going out early every day, coming back home late at night, sleeping for only a few hours and then waking up, finishing breakfast before Ran woke up, and leaving again. Mifi would only sometimes be brought along, and would be with Ran, who was left in the Schtlehertz mansion, but of course, as a maid, she had work to do, so she couldn't be with Ran all the time. Normally, Ran's secondary conversation partner was Cuey, and due to the maids who were still attracted to her (though they stopped fawning on her), even in the huge mansion, she didn't feel lonely. But the ones she lived her normal life with weren't here, so she felt a little bit of loneliness. In those times, understanding the worries of the rich, the faces of her friends in Japan came to mind. Compared to this estate, her home in Japan was smaller than one of the detached bungalows, but she missed living in that house with her fake family, and messing around with her friends.
Ran felt a little homesick. Even if this is her real home... They say home is where you make it, even if the time was very short.
"Not enough"
Sitting on the bed in her room, Ran suddenly spoke in a robotic voice, and Cuey and Col tilted their heads.
"Not enough Tamaryunium."
"Huh, what is this Tamaryunium?"
"Eh... Is it something like magnesium?"
In response to the never before heard chemical sounding name, a big question mark appeared above the two of them. Ran flopped face up on the bed and murmured in a quiet voice.
"I want to see Tamaryuu... And my other friends too."
"Little mistress..."
"Eh... Head chamberlain, who is Tamaryuu?"
"Ah, you don't know? It's the dragon child that Seren-sama, the mistress' apprentice and adoptive daughter, is raising. Their homes are next to each other, so they must be close."
"A friend, I see."
(At an age where she wants to play, she was separated from her friend and brought here... So she wants to see her. So that's why the little mistress hasn't been as energetic lately...)
Col put her hand on her cheeks and thought about what to do about Ran, who was feeling down. As she did so, Cuey asked with a strange expression.
"Umm, c... can't you use that, the, umm... telepon!"
"Cuey, it's tele'phone'. 'Phone', not 'pon'. But yes, little mistress, how about you try making an international call and talk with your friend?"
Before Col could finish speaking, in a moment, Ran sprang up from the bed faster than a blur, and in the next moment, she had a look of hope that she was grabbing with both hands.
"I'll do it. I want to call her. I want to talk with Tamaryuu!"
(I, I couldn't see her movements...!)
Earlier, when she was investigating the ruins, while she was talking with Seren, she heard that Tamaryuu was a girl, so she didn't think that Ran saw Tamaryuu as more than a same sex friend, and as a lover. Col was afraid of these feelings that were beyond her knowledge, that allowed her to move beyond her limits. It was the restrictive mysterious ability shown by a maiden in love called "maiden power" that made this super reaction possible. Col would find that out later, but that's a future story.
Maybe she couldn't hold back any more, but as Ran prodded them saying hurry hurry, and started moving her feet and tap dancing around like Obon Kobon. Col, coming back to her senses, led Ran to the office.
"Here, I think the maids won't disturb you, and you can calmly talk."
"Thank you, Col-san!"
Ran quickly flew to the phone. Right after, she yelled that she didn't know how to make an international call, but Col dialed the number instead, and she was connected to Karindou.
"Tamaryuu! Tamaryuu!?"
'Ran-chan? It's been a while~. What's up, are you still abroad?'
"Yeah... I couldn't see you, so I was lonely..."
'Ahaha, we haven't seen each other for only 2 weeks. But you're at Elza's house over there right now, right? How does it feel to live like a celebrity?'
"It's all too different, and I feel like I have an ulcer... Wait, Tamaryuu, you knew that she's rich!?"
'Yeah, she's the head of, what's it called, the Schtlehertz Konzern. I heard that when she moved in next door. A long time ago, she would sometimes buy me expensive rare Yu-Gi-War cards, and she bought me a game. Seren complained to her that "you're acting like a grandma spoiling her grandchild, so stop that", so ever since we started going to school, she's only bought me stuff in secret.'
"I, I see... Ah, you don't have to give me such details. So, listen, listen, the maids here are..."
'Ahaha! She sounds like Kinka-onee-chan. Ah, that story reminded me, yesterday, Catherine and Sara-chan were...'
"Eh~ I think Shiraishi-san is right, and Shizuki remembered it wrong? By the way, there's a snake-person like Shiraishi-san here..."
I guess she must be extremely happy to hear her friend's voice, Col thought with a smile, as she watched Ran smile as she ferverently talked.
Behind her, Cuey, who was thinking about Ran's earlier high speed tap dance and wanted to try to replicate it, was acting like a fool and doing some strange tai chi high speed movements.
"Calling her friend... haha. Isn't she homesick? Actually, you should have realized that sooner."
When Pink-chan heard Col's story about Ran feeling a little more energetic, she said that as she thought about Ran's condition over the past few days, and was given a full swing slap.
"Ah, sorry, you're right, I was overly annoyed at how right you were, so I just..."
"No... It's okay... I'm that kind of character..."
Rubbing her cheek where the impression of a hand was left, Pink-chan was tearing up a little bit. It seems like she was conscious of how awful this being an ordinary thing was.
"Everyone's attraction to the little mistress is an infatuation. If they think and worry about the little mistress a little more, maybe they wouldn't make her feel lonely..."
"Even now, I don't think it's too late? How about we try to relax her?"
"Relax... huh."
"Just making a fuss isn't relaxing. The little mistress seems to enjoy our fuss, but I think it's most effective to have the little mistress herself let out that stress."
"I see... Like what?"
"Of course, we can be on the bed, and, until she can't stand up straight, do I'm kidding, I'm sorry!"
Right after she praised her for being unusually decent, in response to her usual stuff, Col reflexively pointed her prepared handgun at her forehead. Of course, being shot by a gun is not joke, and before she could reflexively pull the trigger, Pink-chan wonderfully and hurriedly apologized.
"You've heard about the little mistress' circumstances from the mistress, right? But still, you can say all that."
"Uuuh, but it was just a joke. Mmm~...Exercise... She's bad at that, right. Combat practice experience is unreasonable."
"But if it isn't strenuous exercise, it should be okay."
"Like walking?"
"She does that every morning, with Cuey."
"What about having a pointless party?"
"It will depend on the content, but... This time, we should check with the mistress."
"She seems like she would like sweets, how about all the cakes she can eat?"
"If she gets fat from eating due to stress, I'll be the one yelled at by the mistress... Huh? Do ghosts get fat?"
"How about going shopping? She can buy accessories, and buy souvenirs for her friends."
"That's good, should we contact one of the mistress' favorite shops? We'll have to get a card for the little mistress... Wait, hold on Pink, isn't there anything relaxing we can do right now?"
"Right now... The things we can do in this mansion is limited~..."
And like that, the two of them exchanged their opinions for about 15 minutes, but then they ran out of ideas, and went silent. Neither Col, who was born and quickly became aware that she was a tool for killing people, and became a mercenary, nor Pink-chan, who, by the whims of fate and the horrors of war, was a girl prostitute who became an assassin, had any memories of a life as a normal decent girl, so they didn't know what would make a girl with common sense happy.
When Pink-chan thinks about something, her mind goes blank, so thought that they should consult with Elza once she gets back. As she was about to say that, Col, who was staring that the revolver that she had in her hand, said.
"I know. Maybe I can use my collection."
"Eh?"
"It doesn't take much time to prepare. Yeah, if I don't use it once in a while, I might get annoyed. Pink, please guide the little mistress to the basement. I'll go prepare it."
"The basement... Wait, you're going to let the little mistress use that!?"
"Of course, why?"
"Why... If you're okay with it, Onee-sama, then I won't say anything, but..."
"?? Then please get her."
Maybe she was extremely confident in her plan, but as Pink-chan watched Col's back as she proudly left the room, Pink-chan gave an enormous sigh.
"I can't imagine that the little mistress has the same hobby as Onee-sama..."
Grumbling, Pink-chan thought ah, Onee-sama can't be stopped when she's like that, and went to look for and bring Ran.
"Eh, then 'chan' is part of your name?"
"That's right, my full name is 'Pink-chan Astal'. Isn't it funny? So, little mistress, please call me Pink-chan. Well, originally I was named 'Pink'."
"So why do you have the chan attached to your name...?"
"I was a baby war orphan, and was adopted by a Japanese nun, and in the Japanese style, she added chan, so I always misunderstood that my own name was 'Pink-chan'. Later on, the mistake was cleared up, but until that point, I called myself 'Pink-chan', so I figured that was fine."
"Uhh, a war orphan... Why are all the people around me so cheerful, and moving forward so magnificently with their lives..."
"What?"
"Uh, nothing. So... Pink-chan, what is this stress relief?"
"W, well~ ...Just look forward to it~. Ahahaha... haha... ha... hah..."
"?"
Ran was being brought to the basement by Pink-chan along with Cuey. When they arrived, before she could confirm what kind of facility it was, Col put on goggles and earmuffs on her, and pushed her forward into a booth. And then she gave her a desert eagle.
"Well, little mistress, please go ahead, and get rid of all of the anger that's building inside you!"
Ran had never seen Col so eagerly happy before. In front of her, a man-shaped target popped up. Although it hadn't been said, this basement facility could only be a shooting range. Before she had gotten here, there were many other spaces that looked like this, so this facility was probably created for the guard maids to practice on their own. The phrase "stress relief", the fun thing that she had come here for, was this. Most of all, the cold thing she felt in her hand was making her uneasy.
The heavy weight of the desert eagle in both of her hands told her that it wasn't a model gun or a toy gun, and Ran broke into a cold sweat all over. Behind her, Cuey, for whom it seemed like this was the first time seeing another hand gun aside from Col's regular revolver, was staring with great interest at the one in Ran's hands. Just as it seemed like Col was going to take Ran's hands and fire it, Pink-chan grabbed Col's arm and dragged her to a corner of the booth, telling her off with a pale face.
"Nonononono! What are you thinking Onee-sama, to give a desert eagle to a beginner!?"
"...Would an anaconda be better? But that has a bigger recoil."
"That's not the problem! Geez, when it comes to guns, you have no sense, so Onee-sama... Why are you always using a 44 magnum?"
"Because for relieving stress, isn't it more refreshing to use a high-powered one...?"
Seeing Col put her index finger to her mouth, and looking with upturned eyes, she resisted the twinge she felt in her lower body. She felt oddly exhausted, and slumped her shoulders.
"Umm, Onee-sama. It might be fine for us, but the little mistress would literally be blown away?"
Just as Pink-chan said, this large handgun that says it's the world's highest class caliber has a very long bullet, so it has a wide grip, and it was obvious from a glance that Ran's hands couldn't fully hold it. Also, her fingers couldn't reach the hammer or the trigger. Obviously, it was too much for her to handle.
"Even if she doesn't have any strength, as long as she knows how to shoot, and takes the proper preparations to shoot, the recoil won't be that great."
"I'm telling you! No matter how you look at it, she doesn't know how to shoot or the right preparation! If you're going to make her shoot, then at least please select a smaller caliber, smaller gun for her to start with!"
"Mmm~... Fine..."
With puffed out cheeks, Col went into the weapon storage. Seeing this, she gave a sigh of relief.
(A pouting Onee-sama is cute, but her personality is dangerous. Really, for me to have to scold Onee-sama... Ah, but disciplining the strong willed Onee-sama isn't too bad.)
She tried to imagine doing this and that to a Col who had defiant eyes, but was unable to defy her, but no matter how she thought of it, it wasn't an obedient Col that came to mind, but rather an oni-like Col who was recklessly firing and herself riddled with bullet holes, so she quickly stopped.
Afterwards, seeing that Col had chosen an oddly large caliber gun, Pink-chan felt that she hadn't gotten the point, and in desperation, started choosing a gun for Ran instead. There was a huge lineup of firearms. Handguns, machine guns, shot guns, rifles, and then even grenade firing bazookas and rocket launchers. There were even antiques included, and it was like a museum, but this didn't belong to the Schtlehertz family. This was Col's personal collection. Realizing this, Ran's face twitched, but then she started saying that this was used in that movie, and she saw that in an anime. Even Cuey got excitedly caught up in it too.
Col, happy that Ran had an interest in it, gave an explanation about each firearm, and after spending almost an hour going over them, Ran felt calm about choosing the Walther PPK, because it was 007's gun. At some point, Cuey was allowed to shoot with Ran, and wisely borrowed the H&K Mk 23 Mod 0 (SOCOM).
Ran, who only had knowledge gleaned from movies, didn't realize it, but the majority of this collection were for military use, and the scars etched into them and the bits of the outside that were coming off wasn't due to the passage of time, but were from actual combat. I wonder what kind of expression she would have if she realized that. With a dry smile and a surprised expression, Pink-chan thought that, as she watched a smiling Col give a lecture about how to shoot to the two of them with distant eyes... Or rather, she could only stare at her with impure eyes.
Anyway, I hope the little mistress isn't influenced by Onee-sama's gun mania. If the little mistress starts carrying a gun, I won't be able to lightheartedly tease her!
"So, little mistress, as I've told you many times, please tighten your grasp on the grip. If you drop it when the gun moves due to the recoil, it will be dangerous. And don't close your eyes until you confirm that the bullet has hit the target. Understand?"
"Y, yeah."
Ran nodded. While she was interested, maybe she was naturally nervous at actually firing a real gun, but with a serious expression, she started down the sights, and a dry sound echoed.
"Whistle On your first shot, you actually hit it~ And it was a head shot, good job little mistress~"
"T, that's... beginner's luck... Probably."
Embarrassed, she said that she was trying to aim for the body. In front of her, the man-shaped target was splendidly hit in the head.
"I think I'll probably miss the next one..."
Preparing herself again, she fired once more, getting a little more used to the feeling, and then continued firing a 2nd and a 3rd. This time, she certainly didn't hit any fatal locations, but she hit the body twice, and the right arm once. Both lungs and the right wrist, if the target was a human, it's possible he would have been incapacitated.
"...You certainly did miss. Little mistress, you're surprisingly harsh."
"N, No, the place I'm hitting isn't where I'm aiming!"
With scattered black hair and her feet pitter-pattering, Ran was claiming her innocence(?), when suddenly, in the next booth, a violent light exploded. When she looked over there in surprise, the upper half of the man-shaped target that Cuey was aiming at was cleanly blown away.
"...I can aim this just by looking, so it's more accurate..."
"It's not a problem of accuracy, Cuey..."
After Cuey had fired multiple shots, she unleashed her eye beam. It's not certain how powerful it was, or where she was aiming, but looking at the man-shaped target that was blown in half, it looks like she calmly knew that she made a slightly miscalculation.
"Ah, I was surprised. But still, it's very powerful, Cuey-chan. It pierced the target and dented the tamaite alloy wall~ By the way, did you hit with the gun?"
"Eh... I did, but... I couldn't hit what I was aiming for, but they all hit the same location..."
Cuey pointed, and in the crotch region of the remaining lower half of the man-shaped target, they could see evidence of multiple bullet holes.
"Cuey, all of the ones that missed their mark turned out like that?"
"Uuuh..."
"Whoa, Cuey-chan, you're quite... If your opponent is a man, it would be very effective."
Cuey nodded with an embarrassed expression. Hearing that, Ran strongly nodded, and of course Col was shocked, but praised her, but the words didn't stick.
"In that case, I'll have teach the little mistress and Cuey, in intimate detail~"
"You want to know, first hand, what fate awaits those who force their sexual desires on someone with a gun?"
"Whoa! The little mistress is spewing poison at me!?"
"No... If you would like your own actions turned against you, then you're quite something?"
"I thought I should treat this the same as I treat my sister's 'that'."
""I understand.""
"'That'? Eh...?"
"...You'll understand in a little while, so don't worry about it."
Calming Cuey, who was the only one who didn't understand what she meant, Col frowned and turned towards Pink-chan.
"What do you mean, Pink, by teaching them? You had the lowest rank in target practice, right?"
"Ehehe, that's true, but... Wai, little mistress, that was a joke to break the tension so please don't point the gun at me it's dangerous!"
"That didn't break the tension... So, what did you want to teach Col-san?"
"That's not bad, but a handgun doesn't suit me. If I had to say what my specialty is...!"
Midway in her speech, she bent over, threw up both sides of her skirt, and spun around. Hearing a dull sound behind them, Ran and Cuey turned around. The man-shaped target that Ran had fired at had knives stuck deep into its forehead, throat and heart.
"...This~"
"Awawa... If that was a human, it would be a complete death...!"
"Pink-chan, do you always walk around with knives?"
Cuey was bent over in fear, and Ran was stunned. Pink-chan gave them a bold smile, and from the hem of her skirt, pulled out a new knife and winked.
"Fufu, a girl has numerous weapons to kill a man hidden inside her skirt. Ahah."
As the two of them watched in awe, with an unconscious "cool", Pink-chan got caught up in the moment and rolled up her skirt and meaninglessly exposed her underwear and gave a sexy pose. Col, with a large vein appearing on her head, gave her a chop to the back of the head.