If You Suck, Practice More

"You're too kind, Instructor."

Amahane Byakuya spoke modestly.

"Keep up the good work. I have high hopes for you."

The combat instructor patted Amahane Byakuya on the shoulder, offering him encouragement.

Target shooting was one of the important assessments for graduation. If Amahane Byakuya performed well in the other areas too, he had a good chance of graduating at the top of his class.

The instructor would pay special attention to this trainee from now on. Training a top graduate would certainly benefit him: he could meet his performance targets and earn a bonus.

"That guy probably just got lucky, right? I only scored a six, and I was using a rifle. I heard target shooting with a handgun is harder than with a rifle."

"I did a little better than you. I got a seven. That guy's nine really is kind of ridiculous. Besides, wasn't he the new student who only arrived today?"

"I think he just got lucky too. If that wasn't a fluke, he's seriously good."

"..."

Quite a few trainees doubted Amahane Byakuya's shooting score.

After all, it was possible to get lucky with something like this.

Naturally, the combat instructor did not bother with such trivial matters.

Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa did not join in. They were already something of a pair of outsiders.

The sisters were usually inseparable, even during class.

They practically did everything short of sharing a gun.

They had both chosen handguns, but their dominant hands differed. Kurona Yasuhisa held hers in her left hand, while Nashiro Yasuhisa used her right.

Even their shooting scores were nearly identical, with both hitting the eight ring.

In the original story, Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa had been outstanding Ghoul Investigator Trainees, so this performance was only reasonable.

"Nashiro, it looks like we aren't the best in class anymore."

Kurona Yasuhisa spoke up.

"Mm... but he might not be better than us in the other areas."

Nashiro Yasuhisa replied expressionlessly.

Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa had originally been the top students in this class, until the newcomer named Amahane Byakuya suddenly appeared and outscored them in target shooting. They could not help taking notice.

Meanwhile, Amahane Byakuya was preparing his second shot.

He certainly was not satisfied with a nine. He wanted to hit the ten ring.

Amahane Byakuya held the handgun in his right hand alone, turning sideways and keeping his arm straight. He held his breath to reduce his body's movement. With his strength, recoil was hardly a concern.

His second shot landed close to the ten ring again but fell short. Only his third shot finally hit within it.

One ten and two nines. That score was undeniably impressive.

Many of the trainees around him were interested in Amahane Byakuya's shooting results and had deliberately kept an eye on him.

"Three shots in a row at nine or better, and one even hit ten. There's no way all of those were flukes, right?"

"Yeah, he really does have skill. Who knew the newcomer who arrived today would be a shooting prodigy?"

"I hope he didn't hear what I said when I doubted him earlier. That would be awkward..."

"..."

Those three shots from Amahane Byakuya shattered everyone's doubts.

Only Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa still seemed unconvinced. They each fired another two shots, apparently hoping to beat Amahane Byakuya's score.

Yet not only did they fail to surpass him, they performed worse than on their first shots.

Kurona Yasuhisa's second and third shots scored eight and six respectively, while Nashiro Yasuhisa scored seven on both.

Haste made waste, as the saying went. Amahane Byakuya had a cheat that was practically like hacking, while the Yasuhisa sisters only stood less of a chance by getting impatient.

Although the combat instructor soon praised their excellent performance too, they could not feel happy about it at all.

[Ding! The host has activated a quest. God-tier choice unlocked!]

[Choice one: Pretend you know nothing and avoid getting involved with Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa. Reward: 1 fusion point!]

[Choice two: Show your gentle side and give them hands-on instruction in target shooting. It doesn't matter if it has no effect. Reward: 10 fusion points!]

[Choice three: Walk up to them and mock them by saying, "If you suck, practice more." Reward: 50 fusion points!]

Looking at the three choices that appeared before his eyes, Amahane Byakuya fell silent for a moment.

Don't ask. The system was simply offering too much.

Amahane Byakuya promptly walked over to Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa. Under the sisters' puzzled gazes, he said calmly, "If you suck, practice more."

If you suck, practice more.

[Ding! The host has completed choice three and received a reward: 50 fusion points!]

Once he heard the system notification confirming that he had received the fusion points, Amahane Byakuya turned and returned to his original spot.

Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa froze at his words. It took them a moment to understand what he meant.

Then anger appeared on both their pretty faces at once.

"What did you say?"

But the moment they spoke, they realized he had already turned and walked away.

Even so, the sisters still looked adorable when angry. Nashiro Yasuhisa, in particular, was so upset that her cheeks had flushed slightly.

"That jerk only scored a little higher than us in target shooting, and he's already acting so arrogant."

Nashiro Yasuhisa spoke in a displeased tone.

"Nashiro, we can't lose to him again next time."

Kurona Yasuhisa was also growing increasingly worked up. With an icy expression, she resolved to fight Amahane Byakuya to the bitter end.

"Huh? Amahane actually went out of his way to provoke the Yasuhisa sisters? Sure, his shooting score was outstanding, but those sisters are geniuses who excel at everything."

"It looks like Kurona and Nashiro are ready to butt heads with Amahane. Competition between geniuses is scary..."

"It's good for us too. At least we'll have something to watch."

"..."

The incident between Amahane Byakuya and the Yasuhisa sisters immediately sparked all sorts of discussions among their classmates.

After all, one side was a newcomer with an impressive performance, while the other was a pair of genius twin sisters whose grades were among the very best.

Amahane Byakuya had naturally noticed how badly he had upset Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa. He figured he should find a chance to apologize to the sisters after class.

After that, Amahane Byakuya did not limit himself to handguns. He tried out the rifles, sniper rifles, and everything else.

But these firearms were like "toys" to him. The real highlight was the "Quinque," though they would not get to try those until their next practical lesson.

As noon approached, Amahane Byakuya decided to eat at the cafeteria here.

There were not many trainees even with both institutions combined, so the cafeteria was not very large. Since everyone ate here, it became rather crowded at mealtimes.

Amahane Byakuya arrived fairly early and claimed an empty table.

Before long, the cafeteria was nearly full. Those who arrived late could only share tables with other trainees.

At that moment, Kurona Yasuhisa and Nashiro Yasuhisa also happened to be having trouble finding seats.

When they saw that the only table with at least two empty seats was occupied by a certain annoying guy, they had no choice but to swallow their displeasure and sit opposite Amahane Byakuya with slight frowns.