In the slowed-down world, I could see the path that a supersonic bullet took... cleanly through my arm. The heat of the bullet was enough to sear the wound but not completely stop its bleeding...
"UGH!"
But my body didn't stop moving on autopilot.
Just as I watched the blue-haired woman fly off a meter forward, my other hand moved toward the ground and grabbed a handful of snow. It shouldn't be much of anything, just powdery snow... but the next moment, even I was shocked.
"...!"
The snow, within my palms, melted into water before refreezing into a solid icicle. It was pointed, like a dart or a throwing knife... or a sniper bullet.
CREAAAK!
Then, the muscles of my arm bulged so much that my shirt's sleeves burst before my body followed the twist caused by getting hit by a bullet. As I turned 180 degrees, my arms extended outward and added more speed to the turn before...
WHOOOSH!
Throwing the ice shard somewhere.
It took me a brief moment to realize that the direction was where the bullet came from! Clearly, the flames that burst out of the barrel were still faintly visible, confirming my realization.
The ice shard flew straight, then hit the target that was manning a D32-Windings Supersonic Sniper Rifle. I briefly saw his head splatter into a gory mess from getting hit before my face slammed straight into the snow.
"Oomph!"
Or not...
I guess my dash gave me enough momentum that instead of into the ground, I landed on top of the blue-haired woman, skidding along the snowy ground with her with my face buried into her soft chest...
{Perfect landing!}
The voice in my head echoed, seemingly planning this beforehand.
"Y-You...!"
But the next moment, I heard an enraged voice from above. And then, suddenly, my limbs were denied movement. Ice encased my arms, legs, and even my neck and body. I couldn't move an inch, even if I wanted to.
"You, what did you just do?!"
She growled as she waved her hand, causing me to float mid-air with my limbs spread apart.
"I..." I paused, thinking of what I did. "Saved you?"
"Huh...?"
But my response seemed to have confused her further. Well, I'm just as confused as she was, though. It all happened in an instant that I'm not even sure what really happened... Though the memory of "their" softness was surely embedded deep in my mind.
"No! I'm not talking about that!" But the woman, Koori, I believe, stomped hard just as she stood up. "You used hydrokinesis just now, didn't you?! But you're not a Batch Zero, right?! Are you a Neurodivergent too?!"
"Huh?"
Again with the curious words?
I don't even know what "Batch Zero" is supposed to be. And despite me having no memories, I could tell I don't have any neural diseases to be called a neurodivergent... Does ADHD count?
"Nope, I'm not..." I replied, half in doubt.
Koori's face warped into a serious frown as I replied. She seemed to be conflicted, as if unable to tell if I'm telling the truth or not... Or simply find my words unbelievable, maybe.
"Rather than me," I raised my voice, gesturing toward the spot where I just threw the ice shard earlier. "You should confirm if that man on top of that building is still alive. You wouldn't want to get shot at twice, would you?"
Her gaze drifted toward my right arm, where a bloody hole could still be seen. Her expression soured for a moment, before a few seconds... and...
"Fuck!" She cursed. "I can't tell if you're a Batch Zero or not, but I'm convinced you're not a Bug either... Stay there, and I'll come back to you later."
She quickly turned around, walking a few paces away, while pressing a hand against one ear. I don't know what she's doing, but well, it's not like I can go anywhere being stuck mid-air like this. Heck, I can't even move a finger.
"Hey there, mister~!"
"Hmmm?"
Just as I was trying to listen to the girl's low voice, another one approached me from behind. Of course, it should be the brown-haired one, as there was nobody else present other than me but them.
"You really saved us back there! Who would've known a sniper was targeting our Captain?" She said, snuggling against my side and pressing her large chest against me. "But... how did you know of the sniper? Are you... their accomplice?"
"H... Huh?"
That was quite a jump in logic... However, I could neither affirm nor deny her words. After all, I'm not sure how I "knew" of the sniper's attack.
"Hmmm~ I see~!"
Before I could even answer, the woman circled toward the front, hugging me tight. Her chest was pressed against my not-frozen stomach, so I could feel everything... soft. Looking closer, the brown-haired woman was also slightly tanned. From my memory, the perfect word to describe her seemed to be "Morena Beauty."
The playful smile on her lips and the seductive curves of her eyelashes seemed to "tempt" me to do something... If not for the ice limiting my movements, I guess I might've moved on autopilot again, maybe...
"So you're not their accomplice. Then, who are you? Why can you use an awakening blessing like us?"
"..."
Again? New terms that seemed to have deep meaning I have no clue about. Though the former part of the question did have an answer... albeit something I'm not proud of.
"I... Don't know." I said. "I'm trying to remember, but I can't recall my name, where I live, or what I'm doing here..."
"Hoh~!"
The Morena nodded, snuggling her cheeks against my chest.
"I see... Amnesia, right?" She muttered, seemingly convinced already. "So you don't even remember why, or how you appeared along with a lightning bolt, right?"
"Huh...? No..."
Lightning bolt? What's that? Some sort of new summoning effects or something? I'm quite sure I'm no superhero that appears with a flash or something...
"PFFT!"
Right then, the Morena laughed, spit almost sputtering against my shirt. "You... you're funny~!" She exclaimed, before her hand moved up, caressing my chest... sensually. "And honestly, you're cute. Just the kind of face I like. What do you say... we..."
Just as I was anticipating her next word...
THUNK!
"OWW!"
A hand-chop came crashing on top of her head.
"What the heck are you doing, One-O-Eight?" The other woman, who finished her "talk," Koori, returned with a smack. "He's currently assigned as an Unknown by the Tower. We'll bring him along with us back to base for further interrogation."
"Boo! No need to smack me in the head, is there?!" The Morena cried, patting her hurting head as she crouched down. "And I already read his memories and recorded our conversation. I'm already sure he's not some spy or anything... He's still mysterious though... and I like it~!"
"Didn't you say you have Alex...?"
"This is this, and that is that! You know, like, after eating lunch, you would feel peckish for a little snack or dessert~?"
"...I'm a snack?"
"See? You're confusing even him. Stop your bullshit."
Right as she said those words, suddenly, a powerful beam of light shone from overhead. I could barely look straight at it but still recognized that some sort of aerial vehicle was hovering on top of us.
"Our ride's here." Koori snapped. "Pack him up. We're leaving."
The other woman saluted, a bright smile over her face. "Righty-o~!" She said, before turning around and pressing a hand to the center of my chest. "See you later~!"
"Wait, what do you mean pack...?"
Before I could finish my question, however... my vision faded.
I was robbed of my consciousness with a single touch.