CH 2

Bullet 2: Solar Eclipse At Cherbourg

MARCH 19, 2022 ~ FROZZENDETH

Cast-Off Table.

It was a battle of various games, with the loser taking off his or her

clothes one piece at a time…

It is a battle royal tournament in which survivors of the games move

on to the next event until only one person is left wearing clothes.

“Those who excel in games are excellent strategists.”

The first round of this strange tournament… which I was involved in,

began with a game of strip mahjong in which Aria was left wearing

only her underwear.

Those left remaining are… Shirayuki, Riko, Reki, Jeanne, Hiraga-

san, Fuuma, and myself.

The next game… is “billiards”.

This is a game where Reki, who is still temporarily paired with me,

can make use of her aiming and shooting skills.

This is good. This is all fine and good, but the problem is…

(Damn it… move, move, move, move…!)

I am the only boy playing this tournament, and I was forced to wear a

pair of “Light Transmitting Goggles” that, right now, were

malfunctioning.

I casually poked it with my finger, but the goggles did not do

anything.

This night-vision goggle-shaped machine was developed by Hiraga-

san and was supposed to be a device that automatically recognizes

the revealed body of a girl and covers only that part of them with

light.

The goggles though… broke in just over 10 minutes and now my

vision is crystal clear.

Not only can I now clearly Aria’s body, but I can also clearly see the

playing card pattern of Aria’s childish underwear… hearts, diamonds,

and all the other shapes as she sits on the couch with her teeth

clenched.

I couldn’t see through the light until now…

This is, it’s a full view…!

(…If the girls find out I can see them…)

Despite the air conditioning in Riko’s game room, sweat beaded on

my forehead.

I… I have already seen Aria in her underwear.

If the girls find out about the broken goggles, .45 ACP rounds will by

flying from Aria’s governments.

Aria’s skirt might have been taken off by the girls, but she did not

take the gun holsters off her thighs.

(The… the only thing I can rely on anymore… is my own will

power…!)

I checked the center of my body, the core, to check ony my

bloodflow.

…Good. I think I’m still good.

Even though I saw Aria in her underwear, my core was still silent.

— Right now I am in Hysteria Wiseman, a variant of Hysteria Mode.

This is a special Hysteria mode where I lose all interest in girls at the

expense of having zero combat power.

(This is… our lifeline now, our last bulwark!)

However, this mode can only be maintained for another 30 minutes

or so.

Once 30 minutes pass, the conditions that allow me to enter hysteria

mode will be able to turn me into normal hysteria mode again.

–Going into hysteria mode in a room with a girl in their underwear…

–Is not good.

No, there are seven girls in this room, so it’s seven “not good”.

In normal hysteria mode, I might take on all of them at once.

–Therefore, I have 30 minutes to annihilate the girls and end this

ridiculous tournament– the cast-off table. In the meantime, I must

keep it a secret that the goggles have malfunctioned.

This is my only path to survival.

Narrow and steep, it’s the only way…!

“Billiards, huh? I haven’t played since I made a lot of money playing

in Macau.”

“Hahaha, it’s time for Aya’s Jet Cue to come into play!”

“Thank you for picking billiards. There was a time in Paris where I

was known for my skill as a hustler in billiards.”

… a dark cloud suddenly formed, blocking that one path.

Riko, Hiraga-san, and Jeanne just took out their expensive looking

billiards cue.

The cue, which is a stick that is used to hit the ball, costs a lot of

money if you buy a high end one.

If someone happens to own their own… odds are they are an

intermediate or above.

Riko checked her pink cue, and Jeanne began to chalk her cue

which had a black painted shaft and gold rimmed pad, her actions

looking very experienced.

I mean… Riko and Jeanne…

Didn’t they just talk about their career in billiards?

Furthermore, the cue that Hiraga is using seems very mechanical.

Or obviously it is mechanical. It even has a switch.

“H-Hey, Hiraga. That… Jet cue? Isn’t that obviously a foul…?”

But, when I looked at the billiards section of “Cast Off Table Ru-Ru ☆

Bukku” written by Riko, under billiards it states “Cue: Freedom!”

Cue… Freedom…?

Damn it. I should’ve read the rules beforehand.

By the way, Fuuma had her own bamboo cue, so me, Shirayuki, and

Reki borrowed a nondescript cue from Riko and sat around the pool

table.

“Clothese status! Yuki-Chan 3! Rikorin 4! Everyone else has 5!”

Riko talks happily and brings the final ball for a 9 ball game.

Yuki-chan, by the way, is Riko’s nickname for Shirayuki.

Shirayuki… hasn’t spoken since a while ago. Not a single word.

Maybe she is nervous since the rest of her clothes are only a blouse,

skirt, and one sock.

“The game is ‘Nine Ball’! It’s a seven-player version of that!”

And Riko explained the rules as she spread her notebook out with

both hands…

・The White ball that the player cues is called the hand ball, and

the numbered ball (1) through (9) on the table are called the

target balls.

・The player hits the handball with the cue and plays through

the numbered target balls (1) through (9) and drops them into

the hole.

・In this case, the ball that the cue hits first must be the ball

with the lowest number. (For example, if there are still balls (3),

(6), and (9) on the table, the ball must first hit (3)).

・The player may hit the target ball one after another with a

single thurst. (For instance, you may hit ball (3) into (6) and then

(6) may hit (9), like playing with dominoes.)

・The winner is the person who drops the final ball into the net.

Repeat the game after.

・If a player makes a mistake in the middle of the game, or if a

player clears the game by dropping 9, the pair changes player.

–It was based on the same rules as nine-ball.

Whats different is the rules that are unique to the Cast-Off Table.

・ If you make a mistake in dropping the ball, you take off a

layer. Even if there is a foul, take one off.

・On the other hand, the person who successfully pockets the

(9) ball can nominate someone to take a layer off.

・If someone strips down to his or her underwear, the billiard

game is over.

–that is the undressing rule for this game.

“First, lets decide the order. The order of the pairs will be

consecutive, so you have to decide who will cue first.”

According to Riko’s rule book, which she said in a lively manner, it

was consultation time for Shirayuki and Fuuma pair, Riko and

Hiraga-san pair, and the me and Reki pair respectively.

Jeanne, having lost Aria, is alone and silent.

(I see… “The order of the pairs is continuous” or…)

In billiards, which is a competition of individual skill, the pair system

was going to be meaningless – but with this rule, it becomes

important.

If the better player cues first, they can prepare a favorable ball

placements for the later player.

In this case, the pair avoids undressing – a defensive formation.

On the other hand, if the bad player cues first, those who cue after…

can end their turn by creating a difficult ball placement for the enemy.

It’s an aggressive strategy, losing clothes but leaving no

advantageous position for the enemy.

(Strategy is the key here…)

Riko’s rules are very well thought out in this area. It makes you

think…

I spoke to my pair, Reki, who was standing there silently.

“Reki. Have you ever played billiards?”

“No.”

“Read the rule book before it’s your turn. It’s got the basic rules in it.”

“Yes.”

“You can do it. Just hang in there.”

“Yes.”

This conversation is tense, like when robbers are having an

exchange before a heist…

The me and Reki pair will be in a defensive formation, with the

inexperienced Reki hitting after me.

Then the batting order is decided in a different way than usual (rock-

paper-scissors + arbitrary in the pair.)

The order is… Shirayuki, Fuuma, Me, Reki, Hiraga-san, Riko,

Jeanne, and then back to Shirayuki.

— As soon as that’s decided, I’m cheering inside.

If you look closely at this order, you’ll see that it’s Fuuma that’s

moving before me. I’m quite lucky.

Fuuma is my amica.

She is a spy that I’ve snuck into this Cast-Off table. Even if I can’t

originally hit it, she’ll turn it around in a way that makes it easier for

me to hit.

“And now, the game begins! Let’s go, everyone! Kufufu~!”

The fatal second game…

Riko has declared the start of the undressing billiards game.

“Is this all I have to do?”

Aria, who has already lost all her clothes from mahjong… is currently

wearing only her underwear and lining up the nine balls using a

wooden triangle into a tight diamond shape.

The first step is to randomize the placement of the balls by hitting

them with a lot of force using the cue – “break shot”.

It is the first shot that announces the start of a billiards game with a

flash start.

“Yes. It’s your break shot and good luck.”

Aria is handing a pure white ball to Shirayuki, who is the first player.

“…u-uhn.”

Shirayuki, who was handed a handball, checked the rulebook, and

then went to…

Kyorokyoro… as she put her handball on the table, I looked at

everyone’s complexion.

Then, she set up the cue that she borrowed from Riko, but…

“?” “?” “?” “?” “?” “?” “?”

All the people in the room had question marks in response to

Shirayuki’s handiwork.

(Hey, what’s that? That stance…)

Shirayuki is pointing the tip of the cue at the ball in her hand, holding

it as if she were poking a person with a clever.

The rule book had said “Cue Holding: free♪”…

“…taa~!”

Bam!

“!” “!” “!” “!” “!” “!” “!”

Everyone’s question mark turned into an exclamation mark at once.

That’s because Shirayuki struck with the cue and shouted like she

was at Naginata practice… and the ball…

Ko-chin.

She hit the (1) ball, but only managed to slightly break up the 9 balls.

(yes, yes, this makes sense… Shirayuki…)

Apparantly, Shirayuki has never played billiards before.

This made me loosen the edge of my mouth a little bit.

According to Riko’s rules, she doesn’t have to take off her clothes if

she messes up her break shot – but this is where our concentrated

attack on Shirayuki begins. She’s a sitting duck.

“Attack Shirayuki, but don’t do it overtly”

I sent Fuuma a pre-determind command – a cipher that includes

scratching my neck, snapping my fingers, and the number of

seconds between each.

Fuuma yawned in response.

She pretends to wipe the debris from her eyelashes with her hand –

and gives me a “yes” sign.

Good, good. Great job, Fuuma.

I admire your spirit and going so far as to even sacrifice your pair for

the sake of your partner.

“haha… i-it’s been a while, so I’m a bit… a bit… a bit, maybe I

messed up…”

Shirayuki looks around while laughing bitterly–

Riko is smiling, Hiraga is snorting, Jeanne is snickering, Reki is

silent, and I am wearing my goggles like Cyclops from the x-men, all

while piling silent pressure on Shirayuki with the message “you’re

already dead”.

“…hii~…

Shirayuki backed away from the table while hugging her cue.

“Ohon… Then, I’m the next one.”

Second in line was Fuuma.

With her bamboo cue at the ready, Fuuma dug in.

She hit the balls in a not particularly good way and scattered the

target balls as if she was trying to break shot again.

First… the number (1) ball fell into a hole–

Colorful balls were scattered all over the table, and it finally looked

like billiards.

Kakon.

Fuuma continued to carefully drop the (2) ball.

The (3) ball was in a position that was difficult to hit, so she ended

her turn by hitting the (3) ball with another ball.

“Well, that (3) ball was difficult Ninnin-chan, still, you fouled so you

will have to take one off.”

“Nin”

At Riko’s request, Fuuma removed the ribbon from her sailor suit.

Incidentally, “Ninnin-chan” is an extremely inappropriate nickname

for Fuuma that Riko came up with. (TL note: with my limited

understanding of Japanese, it appears that Ninnin is similar to a way

to say “ninja”, so her cutesy nickname is just calling Fuuma a ninja.

Basically like you calling your friend by their career but cutely.)

Like I said, Fuuma says “Nin” a lot.

“Then I’m next.”

In the end, I dropped (3) in, which was easy thanks to Fuuma, and

managed to drop (4), but… the next one, (5), I was stuck.

The (5) ball is adjacent to the pocket in the corner of the table, and

the (9) ball is in front of it.

This will inevitably hit (9).

In times like these, it’s best not to bother.

After all, I have a time limit for Hysteria Wiseman.

So I decided to make it as easy as possibly for my pair, Reki…

I hit the handball on (9) and dropped the (5).

In this case, (5) will be pocketed, and (9) will return to its fixed

position, the foot spot.

Of course, I fouled, so…

I had no choice. I took off my vest and was now wearing only a shirt

on my upper body.

Next it was my pair, Reki’s turn.

“Reki. Did you finish reading the rule book?”

“Yes.”

“Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“… okay, hang in there.”

“Yes.”

You.. say something other than “yes” and no”. Spontaneously if

possible.

Reki, a robot who is also mute, expressionless, and emotionless,

holds a cue and…

Beside the pool table, she got down on one knee.

(H-hey…)

In front of me who was in a cold sweat, Reki struck a pose…

This is the exact posture of a knee shot, she is using her cue like she

is aiming a gun.

When everyone saw this pose, they all looked at each other and said

“another duck?” – and from Aria, the outsider, you could hear

giggling.

At this sight Riko shouted, “I’m going to get a photo!!” and dived

under the table to sneak a photo of Reki. Reki though, is standing on

one knee and using her cellphone as a bipod…

Reki clearly did not give a damn about what Riko was doing.

“I’m just a bullet…”

Woah. She’s starting her chant.

This is a habit of Reki when she is sniping.

It’s kind of like poetry that she mumbles when she needs to

concentrate.

And then… Klink!

With a completely blank expression on her face, she sharply hit the

ball.

The ball rolled over the table as quickly as a snipers bullet.

First, it hits (6), which is played diagonally, and together with (6), it

runs in a Y-shape like a two-headed snake.

The handball bounces off the side of the table, hits (7), bounces off

the side again, hits (8), and goes to the side again.

The ball, cushion, ball, cushion, ball, and the handball kept rolling in

a W-shape…

And finally, the knocking.

She hit the (9) ball.

… toto~tsu, goto~tsu, goto~tsu, goto~tsu…

While everyone’s eyes were buldging out of their head, all the target

balls (6), (7), (8), and (9) were pocketed.

The only thing left on the billiard table was the white handball resting

in the center of the table.

“…”

Reki propped the cue up on her shoulder… she stood up as if

nothing had happened.

Then she returned to the usual Reki, staring diagonally into the

emptiness.

(a… amazing…!)

For Reki, who had never played billiards before, this was probably

the first time in her life she had ever even held a cue.

Althought there were some similarities when compared to Shirayuki

in the beginning, in that they each had unique poses… the results

were very different.

I, I can use this.

Following the triple yakuman in mahjong, I can use this Reki cheat

here too.

“Let’s see… Reki, who would you like to undress?”

I turned around still wearing my goggles when I heard Riko say this

in a bitter voice.

That’s right. I was so surprised by Reki’s super shot that I almost

forgot that the player who drops the (9) can force someone to strip

off one piece of their clothes.

It’s got to be Shirayuki who has to strip off one piece. She only has 3

pieces left you know.

“Then, Jeanne.”

–Oi?!

I looked back at Reki with my goggles again.

Shirayuki is relieved… and puffed out her big chest, but…

“Hey Reki… why did you pick Jeanne?”

“Intuition.”

“Huh…?”

“When sniping, you mainly target the enemy leader, the UL, the

communicator, the one with the most firepower. The weaker ones will

either self-destruct or be defeated by others – so I’ve removed them

from the target list.”

“What are you talking about? This is not a battlefield. No one is the

leader, and there are no communicators. In order to end this quickly,

we should take off the ones who look bad.”

I’m sure you’ll be able to understand.

“Fufufu… That’s right. I’m the strongest in this competition. Reki, I’m

sure you are not the only one who knows this. Tohyama. You can’t

see our bodies with those goggles right?”

Jeanne, smiling wryly, asked me with a smug mood.

“O-of course I can’t.”

I… I’m not sure what to say. I was suddenly asked so stuttered. (TL

note: original is Kinji messes up the ending kanji, equivalent of

stuttering in English)

Calm down, Kinji.

The mistake I made now was small, but if these small mistakes keep

piling up the girls will get suspicious…

“So… let’s take one off. Rules are rules. Riko. Is there an order to

undress?”

“Eh? No.”

“I’ll start with the blouse.”

And as Jeanne said… “shaaa”

She rolled up the blouse of her sailor uniform with dignity.

“–!”

My goggles are broken, so I’m forced to witness it.

If I look away, it’s like declaring “I can see you.”

Even if I close my eyes, they’ll know I’m behaving strangely.

I have to watch it.

(Why the blouse all of a sudden? It should be a ribbon or a sock

first!”

I would like to protest that, but I can’t do that since right now I’m

trying to be invisible to everyone.

–I’m not sure if it’s because she knew she would be undressing in

front of me, but Jeanne’s underwear is a white and modest bra.

The cups are pure white and a little thick, so if you cut out just that

part, it looks like a swimsuit.

But because of the gorgeous flower embroidery on the edges and

shoulder straps, my brain couldn’t help but recognize it as

“underwear”

(my… my bloodflow…!)

I-it’s okay. I’m still in Hysteria Wiseman.

And since Jeanne is unconcerned, she’s less dangerous.

If she had been embarrassed in an uncharacteristic way, my interest

would have been piqued.

“Hohoho… I see! There is only one ribbon, so be careful to protect it,

Jeanne.”

Hiraga-san, who is a dexterous equipment specialist, removed the

ribbon from Jeanne’s blouse…

She is making a ribbon necklace out of elastic cord from Riko’s

sewing box and returning it to Jeanne.

“Huh, Merci, this might be cute and cuddly in its own way.” (TL Note:

Merci is put above the Japanese “thanks” in original, French is

original)

And when Jeanne carries it around her neck… ugh.

I don’t know why, but it’s kind of erotic in reverse.

Her chest was bare except for her underwear, but she was wearing a

ribbon around her neck.

It’s like im looking through the blouse of her uniform, it’s a perverse

feeling.

“Then Aya gets the next break-shot!”

Pyon! Hiraga-san got onto the table.

Aria, the loser who now had to do the menial tasks, got to work

picking up the balls that fell into pockets and rearranged them into a

diamond shape.

Jeanne, looking like she was having fun, pounded the cue into her

palm.

What’s weirder is that Riko is smiling while looking at Jeanne’s

breasts.

Fuuma is watching over the place with her arms folded. Reki is

poised like a guardian. Shirayuki is frightened. I’m scared in another

sense–

As the gazes of 8 different people looked on, Hiraga-san, wearing a

very short skirt (so short it’s SSS size! It’s basically a little girls skirt!)

got on the platform – she thurst her buttocks out, leaned forward, and

stoof on her tiptoes as if stretching, ready with the cue.

“Unh-! Come on-!”

Gashun-!

There was a mechanical sound that obviously no normal cue would

make, and Hiraga-san recoiled and flipped over.

This smell is familiar… it’s gunpowder!

“!”

Crunchcrunchcrunch-!

The inside of the billiard table is like the inside of a washing

machine, with balls running east and west.

She wasn’t aiming properly… so…

“huh–… wh-what is it-?”

And Hiraga’s break shot, with her now raising her steaming cue

stick… didn’t reuslt in her pocketing 1 ball.

No matter how you look at it, she hit the ball with the cue too hard.

The target ball that almost fell into the hole also passed over the hole

and bounced back to the cushion.

But the handball didn’t fall as well.

Therefore, Hiraga’s shot did not involve undressing, but simply a

player change to Riko.

“Riko-chan, I leave the rest to you!”

“O~Kay Ayaya! Hai-tatch!”

Pechi!

Riko high-fived Hiraga-san and recieved the baton, then took the

platform with a smile and a small leap.

As usual, you’re as full of energy as a couple of schoolgirls.

But…

(Is this as far as you can laugh…?)

I mutter this to myself as I look over the billiard table.

It’s the placement of the target ball. It’s in the worst spot possible. I’m

going to begin to laugh instead.

It’s nice to have (9) right next to the hole.

However, (1), which should be the first ball that gets hit, is

surrounded by (2), (3), (4), (5), and (6). (TL note: just a refresher, in

9 ball billiards you have to hit in order from lowest-> highest or you

foul. Thus, Riko has to hit (1) without hitting any other number.)

No matter how you cue it, the ball will hit any number other than (1)

and foul.

“What are you going to do, Riko?”

I couldn’t help but say something to provoke her, but…

“kufu! I’ll show you something good.”

Riko gave a blinky wink that had hearts and stars fly out of her big,

double-lidded eyes.

“J.S.R, the special move that was Riko’s nickname in Macao.”

J.S.R…?

Riko? Maybe Junior.School.Riko?

Riko held up the pink cue toward the direction where it looked like

she was going to foul…

“-Jump Shot Riko!!”

Klink!

The fluttering, frilly skirt of Riko’s modified uniform swished about as

she jabbed the ball with her cue as if she was stabbing it.

Pyon!

The white ball jumps up like a rabbit…

Gachi!

First, she hit the top of (1), bounced off of it, jumped over (2), (3), (4),

(5), and (6) – Gochi!

She dropped the (9) into the pocket with a thud and came to rest on

the table.

(…n-no way, that’s not possible…!)

That’s… a joke of a trick…

I can’t believe they used the ball at the end of the jump as a jumping

platform to jump more hand balls!

And with that, she went from (1) to (9), pocketing it in. She cleared it

in the shortest possible time.

“Okay then, Yuki-chan, take off your clothes!”

Bishi!

Riko mercilessly pointed her pink cue at Shirayuki and nominated

her.

“Ugh…!”

Shirayuki moaned in a strangled voice-

She took off her white sock, that was still on one foot, and was now

barefoot on both feet.

It appears that she wont take off her clothes in some crazy order,

unlike someone else…

“-So, I guess I’m your next break shot.”

I’m not sure what to think. The two pigtails that were usually hanging

down on either side of her head were now gathered together on the

back of her head so as not to interfere with her play.

While Aria was diligently setting the scattered balls back into a

diamond shape-

“Shirayuki.”

With ice blue eyes, Jeanne looked squarely at Shirayuki.

“wh…what”

“Nine.”

Gripping the cue with both hands and holding it in the cleavage of

her chest… Shirayuki responded to Jeanne’s jab with eyes that still

had a fighting spirit, even though she was being targeted.

“Let me give you a warning right now. I’m going to Break Out and

take off one more piece of your clothing with Masuwari.”

… It’s… a Masuwari notice…! (TL Note: Masuwari is a Japanese

notice for a break and run, a break and run being you break the

balls, and then pocket 1-9 without giving your opponent a chance to

play at the table, thus meaning that you dont even give oyur

opponent the opportunity to win on your Break Shot.)

Masuwari is a perfect game in billiards.

Starting with a break shot… you must drop all the target balls

correctly, in order, with no mistakes, until the (9) ball is dropped by

the starting person.

If you can achieve this feat, it does not matter who your opponent is,

you can still win.

After all, victory is guaranteed if you can clear the board before the

other player can cue even a single ball.

“If that happens, you will only have 1 piece of clothing left. You will

be the one to take the break shot after I go up, but if you miss even

one shot you will expose your pitiful body to everyone.”

The lines are cool, but… Jeanne.

You, you need to look at yourself, how you look right now.

She is only wearing a bra on her upper body and a ribbon around

her neck. That’s not cool at all.

You may say “Shirayuki will look pathetic”, but you already look

pathetic.

Well, as far as your concerned, I can only look at you through these

night-vision looking goggles.

“Shirayuki, you must give up now. I, the witch of silver dust… you will

never be a match for me.”

I wonder if the the past of losing to Shirayuki in the underground

warehouse the other day never happened in Jeannes mind.

Before we knew it, the nine balls are neatly set up and ready to go…

Jeanne placed the cue on the ball in a beatiful, even legitimate

stance.

“…ah…ah…”

Forewarned of her defeat, Shirayuki is hugging her cue and shaking

uncontrollably.

Hey, hey, hey… Calm down, Shirayuki.

What Jeanne just did is a common “off the board tactic” in these

kinds of mental games.

She just said something that was scary and put psyhcological

pressure on Shirayuki. She fell right into it.

-Kakon!

The sound of Jeanne’s break shot brought me back to reality, and

first of all… (1), (2), and (3) went into the pocket with a thump,

thump, thump. She is just as good as she says she is.

But… the next one, (4), is going to be a difficult shot.

The (4) ball is located as such that (5), (6), (7), and (8) surround it.

Although there are gaps between the spheres

That’s a difficult position to play either directly or with a V-shape by

bouncing off a cushion.

“-You’re going to do jump shots too?”

Jeanne listened to the sore loser, Aria, with an easy going mood.

“Hm. That’s boring, isn’t it? Especially if you’re just watching.”

In a more relaxed mood than Aria, Jeanne sarcastically responded…

“You ready?”

“I’m ready.”

After a mysterious exchange with Riko, Jeanne sat with down with

her back to the billiard table.

She then pulls her own skirt up so that the cloth does not go over the

platform.

Obviously, the move was based on the assumption that my goggles

were working.

(ugh…)

The rule is that you have to have at least one foot on the floor when

playing… Jeanne stretches out her right leg as if to show off her

stretched calves to her lush and now bare thighs.

She has her skirt pulled up, so it’s in full view…

Her slender, long, taut, pearly white legs seemed to shine regardless

of the goggles… If it wasn’t for Wiseman, I would have been beaten.

I’m not sure what to say.

The edge of her hip that sits on the platform is also slightly visible.

“-the trajectory for this hit should tell you where im going to go after.”

As she said this, Jeanne twisted her body and… held the cue

vertically, halfway to the platform.

It looks as if she is stabbing the ball in her hand from almost directly

above.

(…Masse shot…!)

Masse. That was Kana’s specialty shot.

This is an advanced technique in which the ball is cued from the top

of the curler, giving it a strong rotational force that causes it to

curve…

-Katsun-

Jeanne did a masse just as I thought…

Kuru Kuru Kuru- The ball began to move around the board, spinning

like a train on a track.

Then the ball dodged (5), (6), and (7) in a graceful curve, and hit (4)

with a “klink!”.

At the same time as the (4) ball rolls toward the pocket, the ball

continues to curve around the table… (5)… (6)… (7)…!

With a trajectory that resembled a figure eight, she pocketed the

target balls one after another.

And…

Gotototot

Almost simultaneously, balls (4) through (7) fell into a pocket.

…Wow…!

Everyone at the table shouted at this, and Shirayuki sat down in a

collapsed upright position on the spot with a heap.

The only balls left on the table where the (8) ball and the (9) ball.

“Now, Shirayuki. Take a good look at me while you prepare to

undress.”

Jeanne stepped down from the platform and held her chest out to

Shirayuki across the table.

“-I’ll show you my magic one last time. You can’t beat me…”

Jeanne, who held up her gold-rimmed cue with an axaggerated

hand… said “last time”, but the hand ball and (8) are in a straight line

with (9) inbetween. Normally, it’s impossible to finish with a single

cue.

Well, let’s see how the hustler Jeanne is going to conquer that muri.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we get anything else.

“… I’ve already figured out… Jeanne… I’ve already… so don’t bully

me any more…”

If it were a card game, Shirayuki would have zero life by now, and

she’s looking up at Jeanne like shes about to become incontinent.

(TL note: incontinent means basically to lost control of your bladder,

in other words pee yourself… I checked with both DeepL and GT,

and I got the same word… weird choice of word when “cry” works

too, but that is the official word…)

Shirayuki’s dark eyes were filled with tears and she looked like she

was about to start crying.

I’m… starting to feel a little pitiful for Shirayuki.

I’ll stay beside you to calm you down.

“Ah, Shirayuki, you can’t touch Jeanne while she’s cueing. Don’t be

scared, come on, I’ll stay next to you so don’t cry.”

“Kin-chan… Thank you… I… I…”

I put one knee down next to Shirayuki, who has sat down, and she

clung to my arm, trying to ease her fear.

Then, looking at the table from an almost horizontal position, right in

front of me and Shirayuki-

“Take a look. We’ll be following “The Eclipse of Cherbourg” and “The

Thawing of Mont Blanc”…!”

There it is. A Technique name…!

-Katsun!

As soon as she hit the ball, Jeanne stretched out as if she was going

to begin cowering…

Surprisingly, it seems to be just a jump shot.

Didn’t you say something earlier about not doing that because it’s

boring?

And when I saw the white ball in the air, I was momentarily

distracted, and my eyes…

“…!”

“oh… Oh…!”

I put my hand over my mouth and looked at Shirayuki in

astonishment.

It’s… it’s gone…!

As the name of the technique suggests, there was an eclipse.

Just as the sun disappeared, the target ball disappeared in midair. It

was just like magic.

Or, in Jeanne’s case, it might be magic for real. If that’s the case, you

dont stand a chance.

The ball reapered on the table with a “poof”, and at the same time it

hit the (8) ball…

Goton…-

She dropped the (8) ball into the pocket and the ball stopped moving

on the table.

…Huh?

Jeanne. You said earlier that this shot was your “last” shot.

If the handball stopped, you would have to hit it again to finish it.

And then before my eyes, which were about to break down in the

presence of this act…

“uh…!”

“Hie~… hie~…!”

My eyes, and Shirayuki’s eyes, who was in agony on the floor, were

opened again in astonishment.

The handball that stopped started to move again.

-Toward the (9) ball.

It’s like when the snow melts and becomes melted water, and it

moves like it’s flowing out…

No, this is not magic. It’s a technique called “pulling a ball”. The point

is that the backspin is applied when stroking the ball, and the

handball hits the target ball and then returns.

Nevertheless, being able to do it combined with a jump shot is

certainly a magical level of technical skill.

Goton!- Pushed by the handball, (9) fell, and Jeanne achieved

Maswari.

No… As expected, you’re the which of silver ice.

“It is over. Now, Shirayuki – don’t hold on to Tohyama, take one off.

The next time, you’ll end up in a mess of your own making. And,

Tohyama, don’t be such a softie and a good-for-nothing.”

Jeanne, who is still holding her pool cue, says with a serious face.

You look like you’re performing in a tournament but what you are

actually performing in… is a strip game.

Somehow she has gotten herself into a good mood.

At the same time though…

“…”now”… is that what you said?”

A low voice came from beside me, or rather, from the back of

Shirayuki’s throat.

“…?”

When I turned around, Shirayuki, who was still lying on the ground –

her eyes were shaded by her close-cropped bangs, and she swayed

with her eyes in the shadow of her bangs…

She’s standing up.

“Kin-chan is a … good-for-nothing? Hmm. That’s what you are… no,

no, no. Jeanne… you really are a cold woman… to the core.”

… gororororor…

The murderous energy that radiated from Shirayuki’s entire body

caused everyone, not just Jeanne… to back away.

“Let me tell you something, Jeanne. Kin-chan didn’t support me

because he’s a softie. It was compassion. Kin-chan supported me

because he cares about me.”

Shirayuki spoke this with her voice filled with passion and courage-!

Shirayuki took off her blouse with authority!

That face… it’s… scary!

She was crying just a second ago, but now she suddenly has a

Hannya like expression on her face! (TL note: Hannya is like that

mask with the two horns by the mouth, the scary looking one.

Google it if you want it for reference. Basically, she is scary.)

“Jeanne! What you have just said is an outrageous claim that

tramples on Kin-Chan’s feelings for me! I will punish you on behalf of

the eight million gods! Next time… I’ll do the same! And then you’ll

have to take off your skirt. Okay?!”

Shi-Shirayuki, why are you wearing bl-black underwear to… to a

undressing game?!

And every time she shook the pool cue in anger, her breasts would

swing around!

I mean, what kind of God would punish someone by taking off their

skirt?

What’s more, Shirayuki after taking off her blouse is now taking out

the seal in her hair, which normally seals that power that is normally

too much for her to handle.

Isn’t it forbidden by the Hotogi to remove that?

I’m not sure where to begin anymore, but Shirayuki, or rather

Kuroyuki, is…

“N-No, if you can do it, I can do it.”

Almost as soon as Jeanned had laid out the nine balls.

-Gashin

With a break shot while clenching her teeth, she dropped the target

ball into the hole.

The way of hitting is still in the Naginata style, but this time there are

results for it.

Suddenly, she dropped (1), (4), (5), and (8). (TL Note: just a

reminder, you don’t have to DROP in order, just hit the BALL in

order)

“-ta-da! Next!”

Shirayuki has begun screaming with excitement!

She ran barefoot around the billiard table and she’s baaaaack!

She cupped the ball in her hand at an angle that looked like it would

be a completely missed shot.

The handball headed in the completely oposite direction… but then a

sound cut the air and created an tornado-like airflow around it, and

then Boom! Byonbyonbyon!

And the ball started jumping! What the-! I don’t know what to think

anymore!

A ball that now looks like a bouncy ball dropped (2) and (3) as if the

ball was pushed. It must be a coincidence.

Shirayuki was waiting for the handball to stop moving, which was

starting to smell kind of burnt.

“-Yes!”

Bishi!

She put the cue under her armpit while waiting for the ball to stop

moving before taking it right out again (I guess she did that for no

reason?) and then played again.

The ball hit (6) and then (7), both hit off the cushion, collided, and

then somehow soared into the air, both landing into the pocket.

This is a miracle! Shirayuki, in just a skirt and bra, is continuing her

rapid progress!

Humans… Can they become this strong when cornered?

Or is it a strong desire for… something else that is giving Shirayuki

this divine power?

I don’t think I want to think too much about that “something”.

“Hey…! Yuki-Chan! It’s on fire, it’s burning! Rasha’s burning!” (TL

Note: as the after-next line says, Riko is talking about the billiard

table. Im not sure if Rasha is her name for the table or what.”

“-huh! huuh!”

Ignoring Riko’s panic at the billiard table, where white smoke has

begun rising everywhere, Shirayuki-

She is glaring at the (9) on the edge of the pocket as if it were her

opponent in a life-or-death fight.

oh-oh no. This is not good. Shirayuki is losing her mind to anger.

If I somehow dont stop this here now, after the (9) is dropped Jeanne

will take off her skirt, Shirayuki will also be naked soon after, and

they will fight! I might get attacked as well!

While the handball, which had not yet lost its momentum, was

bouncing back and forth in a star shape on the table, the-

“do somethine” “If its your will” “Do not get caught” “If its your will”

“hurry!” “”If its your will” (TL Note: for “if its your will” the actual is

recognition of someone being your “royalty” like a king, and obeying

them. “If its your will” was the closest I could think of that made

sense.)

I’m in a hurry so I quickly exchanged these ciphers with Fuuma.

Shirayuki positions her cue on the handball that is stopping in the

center of the table.

She hit it again!

Ba-chin!

Riko sneezed deliberately, and Hiraga-san knocked over her cue to

make some noise, but-

“-It’s useles! Onkirikiribasaraunbatta-” (TL Note: zero clue what that

means. Chanting maybe? Its all in Katakana so im not sure?)

It’s no good. That’s not enough to break Shirayuki’s concentration.

(Fuuma…! Quick, do something…!)

And the Fuuma that I saw through my goggles was… e-

She turned towards the handball with a toothy grin, like a kid doing

the ‘ee da’.

And shes moving her tongue, or maybe her cheeks are subtly

smooshing?

And her breats are… what? I usually can’t believe you are a first

year, but they are swelling up.

“-I’ll take you down-!”

Shirayuki, who is already tense for a reason I don’t understand, is

hitting the table!

At the same time that Shirayuki began her cue – pyu – pi-

A small sound came from Fuuma’s mouth, followed by a small sound

from the handball on the table.

(“Short Breath Tube”…!) (TL Note:I got a few potential translations

for this move, this one seemed to me to make the most sense while

not sounding stupid.)

This current trick by Fuuma is a little trick that she showed me

before, back when I was in Junior High School and attending

Kanagawa Butei High School.

It’s a technique where you roll up your tongue in your mouth and

press it against the back of your teeth to make a barrel, you then

breathe in a lot of air and exhale it all at once, sending air bullets

through the gap between your front teeth.

It’s like a one-shot trick, only with enough power to shoot something

small like a leaf, but…

Gasp! And the handball that was struck by the cue is…

“-?!”

It curved to the left, shocking Shirayuki.

“Go-good job, Fuuma!)

With her Short Breath Tube, Fuuma was able to make the handball

spin on the spot without anyone knowing.

Maybe she got the idea from the Masse that Jeanne did earlier.

Of all the billiard balls, only the handball has no pattern at all. It is a

pure and plain white.

Therefore, even if it is spinning on the spot, it is not spinning to the

naked eye.

“aaaaah… why…?!”

At the last second, the handball does not hit the (9) ball, and

Shirayuki clinged to the billiard table…

But, she is persistent…

A further miracle occured.

(…!)

The curving handball is moving back on the platform in a C shape…!

This seems to have been an unpredictable event even for Fuuma,

and her acorn eyes are buldging.

And then the ball approaches the (9), a position where a slight push

will pocket it.

Shirayuki took a Banzai posture…!

-Ba~-

“Ukyaa!”

Riko screamed while letting her twin tails bounce up and down.

The handball-

It was cracked.

And… it shattered.

It would seem… that the ball was cracked by the repeated reckless

and powerful shots from Shirayuki, and reached its limit.

Whatever the case, the (9) ball did not fall – by the rules, it was a

foul.

You got what you deserved. Shirayuki.

Shirayuki, with her knees folded in the “Banzai” position, looks like a

jacket shot from the movie “Platoon”. (TL Note: I have never seen

the movie, so I’m not sure what the reference is. If you know, feel

free to tell me in the discord.)

“…Kin-Chan… Sama… Hurray…!”

… She collapted to the ground. She left behind some mysterious

words, and then, collapsed, as if she has burned out.

Aria walked up to her, and put the sealing cloth on Shirayuki for

safety before,

“You were unlucky at the last minute. Scorning is catching. I guess

you did get the drop on me when you tricked me into playing

mahjong.” (TL Note: “scorning is catching” is english in the original.

The Japanese version doesn’t translate well, it’s something like “you

cursed yourself by cheating in Mahjong”. Aria is basically saying she

deserved it after cheating and using that to beat her in Mahjong.)

And then, oddly enough, Shirayuki’s skirt, which she had just

declared she would take from Jeanne, was…

Aria pulled it off Shirayuki with a plop.

-With this, Shirayuki collapsed in her black underwear and dropped

out of the cast-off table.

I looked at my watch and saw that I had 25 minutes left. (TL Note:

this is not a mistake, yes, this whole thing apparantly took 5

minutes.)

The survivors are me, Riko, Reki, Fuuma, Jeanne, and Hiraga-san.

That means I have to take one of them out every 5 minutes.

… This is going to be a terrfying 25 minutes.

Following the rulebook, the three people who dropped (9) – Reki,

Riko, and Jeanne – played rock-paper-scissors, and the winner, Riko,

chose the next game…

“Still, that was amazing. What was it… Jeannes “Eclipse of

Cherbourg?” That move. The ball actually dissapeared.”

I casually asked this to Aria, who was behind me.

Aria then replied with a confused voice.

“…what? It was just a jump shot.”

Huh…?

I was right in front of Jeanne, and I could see the ball disappearing

before my eyes…

Did it look like a jump shot to Aria, who saw Jeanne from the side?

(…tch)

That statement made me understand what happened. It also made

me make sense of Jeanne’s odd behaviour when she suddenly took

off her blouse.

Jeanne was using exaggerated terms like “magic” to put

psychological pressure on Shirayuki, but…

In short, it was a trick that took advantage of hard to see colors. “The

Eclipse of Cherbourg” took advantage of the white color of the ball.

Jeanne first took off her blouse, revealing the pure white underwear

on her chest.

Then, she lifted the ball in her hand, also pure white, into the air so

that from the angle of Shirayuki and I, it blended into the white of her

underwear and became invisible.

If white is superimposed on white, the sphere appears to have

disappeared.

So she tried to break Shirayuki’s spirit by making it look like she was

using magic.

… You are a schemer, Jeanne.

“I mean, Kinji? How would you know that the ball dissapeared in the

first place? With those goggles and your position, Jeanne’s body

should have been covered with light, it should have been invisible

from the beginning and not dissapear.”

…!

Aria…

Why are your unusual powers of deduction coming into play here!

“Oh, no… I’m just asking since Shirayuki was surprised – maybe it

actually dissapeared, I just thought so and wanted to know why.”

I quickly turn my head away and pretended to read Riko’s rulebook.

“…?”

Aria came around to my side and… oh no, she’s raising her eyebrow

ever so subtly.

Apparantly, she was beginning to doubt whether my goggles were

working properly or not.

From here-

If I say anything to suggest that I am actually “seeing” the girls, even

a little hint, I’m out.

100% Windhole Punishment…!

“All right! I pick this for the next game!”

And then! Riko held up her right hand…

Everyone except Reki had a face that said “Is that really possible?”

Surprisingly, the game was…

(-“Kaguyahime Electric Railway, Japan”…!) (TL Note: Im going to

keep it real with you, I have never heard of this game before so I can

only hope that the rules are completely explained, unlike with

Mahjong. From what I CAN find, this is a MoDonalds, the original

being called Momotaro Dentetsu.)

Using stations around Japan and trains, players compete over

assets by buying properties in the local area…

It was a consumer game console software.

This is not good. It’s going to take quite a while.

While that game is going on, my Hysteria Wiseman is going to run

out…!

What am I going to do.

What am I supposed to do… someone tell me!