"Hahahahahaha!"
Holding two pistols, Lappland laughed loudly as she kept pulling the triggers.
The feeling of unloading ammunition in rapid bursts like this was incredible! Having faced enemies who used firearms before, Lappland knew very well the level of firepower she was holding in her hands.
No need for Originium Arts just a light pull of the finger to use it… it felt amazing.
No wonder Shirou had specifically warned her to only aim at the targets. The usage requirement was so low that even a child could easily handle it.
"S-so amazing!"
Jessica, who used firearms as her main weapon, understood exactly what this level of firepower meant. Across all of Terra, only the Laterano people could probably achieve this level of suppressive fire. It required not only precise and delicate control of Originium Arts, but also a huge financial cost.
At the very least, Lappland had already fired off what would amount to nearly a month of her snack money. Yet for Shirou, it only took a touch of his hand to replenish the ammunition.
She really wanted to try it herself! Unfortunately, Liskarm was worried that using something like this would distort their understanding of firearms…
That concern was understandable. After all, Lappland was already starting to treat firearms as something simple and easy to use. She had even declared just now that she would start carrying one regularly.
Only to be stopped by Shirou knocking her on the head.
"…It really is impressive."
Unlike Jessica, Liskarm saw more beneath the surface.
With this level of suppressive fire, it was still considered a low-priority attack method for Shirou…
Thinking back to how he had wiped out a large number of infected creatures with a single arrow earlier, and recalling his performance in Lungmen, Liskarm felt that he was not exaggerating.
The firepower here truly could not compare to what he had demonstrated before.
What she did not understand was why Shirou said that using this consumed more energy.
Normally, should not greater firepower mean greater consumption?
At this moment, Liskarm's top-student brain from Blacksteel was working at full speed, yet she still could not figure out what Shirou meant.
And she could not just go up and ask him directly, they were not that close.
How frustrating. If Franka were here, at least she could hear her thoughts and laugh a bit.
"Lappland, stop shooting… you have practically destroyed the target sheets."
Acting as a "bullet catcher," Shirou tried to get Lappland to stop. After all, she was just playing around and the one who actually needed shooting practice was Jessica.
If nothing else, it should at least be Liskarm! Why was someone who fought with dual greatswords so enthusiastic about firearms?
"Phew can I try this again next time? This feeling is seriously addictive!"
After being tapped on the shoulder by Shirou for the Nth time, Lappland finally stopped and removed her ear protection.
Her hands were trembling slightly from holding a gun in each hand, which was only natural.
Most of her shots had not even hit the target paper, yet she had nearly destroyed it anyway showing just how long she had been firing.
Her first thought after finishing was to ask Shirou for another chance. This kind of stress relief was excellent.
She loved it.
"Maybe next time."
Seeing that Lappland had finally returned the guns, Shirou decisively withdrew his mana, letting them dissolve into particles of magical energy.
The reason he did not agree outright was simple: it consumed mana, and he would have to stay nearby at all times to prevent accidents. Unlike swords or other melee weapons, firearms had more complex structures.
A slight mistake and it could… go boom.
Even though they were projections, they would still explode properly. After all, Shirou himself often blew up his own projected items.
"Heh, brushing me off."
Hearing the perfunctory tone in Shirou's reply, Lappland was not annoyed. There would always be another opportunity.
"Oh right, do not tell Penguin Logistics about this."
By now, Shirou had developed a way to deal with Lappland, ignore parts of what she said.
The reason for this reminder was simple: he did not want to become Exusiai's personal projection tool.
After all, the ammunition was essentially free. She would definitely cling to him and ask him to supply her with ammo every day.
That way, she could eat even more apple pie.
At this point, Shirou felt he had completely figured out how Exusiai's mind worked.
Even though he did not particularly want to.
"Oh? Trying to maintain your image as a diligent househusband?"
Hearing this, Lappland immediately shifted her attention.
Was he worried about Texas finding out? Concerned that his image would collapse?
But according to what she knew, Shirou had not really been hiding anything. So what was the real reason?
"Not at all. I just do not want to be constantly chased around to project things every day."
Faced with Lappland's unusual train of thought, Shirou answered directly.
"Oh, I see. Then about what we just discussed… Shirou, you would not want to become a heartless projection tool, right?"
After his explanation, Lappland more or less understood.
While agreeing, she rubbed her thumb, index finger, and middle finger together, her tone filled with obvious threat.
"…I think we still have time today. Lappland, why do you not try something else? Opportunities to use such a good training facility like Rhodes Island's are rare."
After hearing Lappland's somewhat unsettling threat, Shirou felt that he should never have used this ability in front of her.
He… kind of regretted it.
But regret was useless. What had to be faced still had to be faced. Shirou's compromise was to let Lappland enjoy herself to the fullest today.
After all, Rhodes Island had a standard sniper training facility. It had targets for everything from small firearms to large ones. Moreover, Liskarm and Jessica had already been standing by watching Lappland shoot for quite a while and it was not great to just leave them hanging like that.
So his idea was simple: while letting Lappland have her fun, he would also bring out some larger firearms so the other two could join in.
If small firearms did not work, then they could just switch to something else.
Shirou's thinking was that straightforward.
"Mm, sounds good."
Hearing Shirou's suggestion, Lappland showed a satisfied smile.
She had only said it casually, but she did not expect Shirou to actually agree.
"Then I will trouble you, Liskarm, to set up the large-caliber training mode… As compensation, I will project weapons similar to large firearms for you to try."
After letting out a sigh, Shirou turned and asked Liskarm to handle the setup.
After all, she was the regular here and he did not know how to operate the equipment.
"Understood."
Hearing this, Liskarm's eyes lit up as she went to make the adjustments.
If it was large firearms, it did not really matter. She normally had no access to that kind of equipment anyway, and Jessica might have the chance in the future. Getting some hands-on experience in advance would be beneficial.
While Liskarm was setting things up, Shirou also tried projecting something.
It was another one of Kiritsugu's preferred weapons and this time it was the WA2000 sniper rifle.
Unlike the typical all-black sniper rifles, this WA2000 had parts designed with a wooden frame, giving it a distinctive appearance that immediately caught Jessica's attention.
If Shirou remembered correctly, this rifle had been manufactured with a sole focus on high quality, making it extremely expensive, and it had long since been discontinued.
However, custom orders were still possible, so Kiritsugu had specifically commissioned one.
After all, having a reliable weapon made it easier and faster to complete missions and eliminate enemies.
Shirou could project even larger weapons, but… there was no need. Their destructive power was too great to use casually for training.
More importantly, he was worried that the recoil alone might leave the others questioning their life choices.
"Oh! Why did you not take this out earlier?"
Seeing the large firearm in Shirou's hands, Lappland immediately forgot about the two small pistols she had been using.
What? Rapid fire was fun? That only worked if the enemy was not wearing heavy armor. Once they were, you would hear not just "rat-tat-tat" but also "clang, clang, clang."
"Do not rush. This one is harder to handle."
Slapping away Lappland's restless hand, Shirou held the sniper rifle and gestured slightly.
There was no major issue except that the mana consumption was even higher.
At this point, Shirou did not really care. As long as it kept Lappland satisfied, even draining his mana dry today would be fine.
After all, he could firmly refuse others, but it was much harder to do so with members of Penguin Logistics.
…What a headache.
After confirming there were no major issues, Shirou handed the rifle to Jessica.
"Give it a try. Also, keep your finger off the trigger for now. Pulling it will fire immediately—this is a bit different from regular firearms."
As he handed over the sniper rifle, Shirou carefully reminded her of some basic safety precautions.
For example, keeping the finger off the trigger when not firing, and never pointing the muzzle at people…
Jessica already knew these things, but Shirou was also subtly reminding Lappland nearby.
"Okay, I understand!"
Holding the large firearm, Jessica was already eager to try it out.
Once Liskarm finished the setup, Jessica began shooting. With Shirou's guidance, she achieved quite good results.
There was no need to worry about activating Originium Arts—just aim at the target and pull the trigger…
It was truly addictive.
Good thing Liskarm had stopped her earlier. Otherwise, she might have become completely absorbed in this.
Actually… she was already starting to get hooked.
After several rounds, Jessica felt that it would be hard to go back to using small firearms. The difference in handling was simply too great.
Still, she knew her limits. Large firearms were extremely difficult to obtain, especially the specialized etched ammunition.
And in regular combat, smaller firearms were still more convenient to carry.
"Thanks. That was a very interesting experience."
Liskarm, holding another sniper rifle projected by Shirou, spoke from the side.
If only she could disassemble and analyze it…
At that thought, she immediately stopped herself. She could already imagine the consequences of mass-producing such weapons.
A weapon that anyone could use…
That was far too dangerous.
She would need to talk to Jessica about this later—this must never be leaked, or it would cause trouble for Shirou.
With that realization, the sniper rifle in her hands suddenly felt dangerously heavy, and she quickly returned it to him.
"As long as you found it interesting, that is what matters."
Taking the sniper rifle back from Liskarm, Shirou turned it into particles of mana and let it dissipate.
"Shirou… these things must absolutely not be leaked. If they were, you know what would happen, right?"
After thinking for a moment, Liskarm decided she had to bring it up.
From how casually he had let them use these weapons today, it seemed Shirou did not take this matter too seriously.
So it was necessary to make him understand the seriousness of it.
"I know. Do not worry. These are only projections created through my ability. If someone tries to take them apart and study them, they will simply disappear completely."
Of course, Shirou had already considered this. He just felt that the three of them were trustworthy, which was why he brought them out.
Besides… this kind of matter was not something Liskarm needed to worry about. Someone had already thoroughly analyzed all the pros and cons for him.
If anyone really tried to obtain these from him, they would not stand by and do nothing.
After all… whether anyone could withstand several of his traced Caladbolg head-on was still a big question.
Even if such a person existed, they likely would not be that interested in these weapons. At the very least, they would give some face to the Emperor.
Still, it was better to keep things hidden if possible.
"As long as you understand…"
Hearing his response, Liskarm finally let out a sigh of relief.
At least he was aware of the seriousness. Now the pressure shifted onto them.
What a hassle… being trusted like this.
"Are you tired? Want something to eat? I just baked these."
Seeing Liskarm sigh and look fatigued, Shirou took out the cookies he had baked earlier and offered them.
"Yes, thank you."
Having personally heard the Lungman Guard Department members shout that embarrassing slogan, Liskarm was quite curious about Shirou's cooking skills.
Last time he came, he had apparently caused quite a stir in the cafeteria, but she had missed it.
Now that she had the chance, she was not going to pass it up.
Besides, she was a bit hungry.
Crunch—
"…Mm, quite fragrant."
After taking a bite, Liskarm felt that it was not quite as amazing as the rumors made it out to be…
Maybe she just did not have a refined palate?
Still, it was fragrant. Maybe she should have another piece?
Perhaps the next one would make her understand?
With that mindset, she ended up eating more than half the bag. By the time Shirou returned after replenishing ammunition for Lappland and Jessica, he saw that only half the bag remained in Liskarm's hands and immediately understood that this batch had been a success.
"Cough… sorry about that."
Coming back to her senses, Liskarm noticed how much she had eaten and realized it was already half gone.
Because they were so easy to eat… she had unconsciously kept going, one after another.
"It is fine. I originally made them to see if they could help boost Jessica's motivation to learn, but it seems that is not necessary. Her issues are not many and what she needs more is real combat experience."
Shirou did not mind at all. Seeing something he made being so well received was a good feeling. Besides, even if Liskarm had not eaten them, they would have ended up in Lappland's stomach anyway.
"Mm, as expected of the instructor who single-handedly improved the entire Lungman Guard Department sniper team's performance, you spotted Jessica's problem right away."
Seeing that Shirou was not upset, Liskarm finally relaxed.
She casually praised his achievements in Lungmen, then took another cookie.
This damned deliciousness!