"Hold steady, hold steady!!"
"Hard to port—NOW! Fire everything!"
"Dai-chan, hang in there! Turn it around, quick!"
"Rumia! Intercept those shots! Don't let them capsize us!"
"What does this button do?"
"No idea, just press it!"
Rumia slammed the mystery button—
And in an instant, the toy carrier's deck split open, releasing a swarm of tiny drones that rained plastic pellets on Remilia's battleship.
When their ammo ran out, the drones suicidally rammed the ship, sending it teetering dangerously.
"...." Remilia's jaw dropped.
"They're just toys! Why are hers so much fancier?!"
'This was pure pay-to-win oppression!'
"Flandre, fall back! We'll kite them!"
"If we can't match their firepower, we'll outmaneuver them! As long as we're afloat, there's hope!"
"Haii~" Flandre nodded seriously, her tiny fingers dancing over the remote.
Against the carrier's overwhelming firepower, the New Scarlet Battleship seemed fragile as paper— yet it weaved through the barrage, even landing a few counterattacks under Flandre's precise control.
Watching the kids' naval war, Marisa, still scribbling on the homework, felt her fingers itching to join.
'If I weren't stuck with this, I'd be dominating that lake right now. Do these brats even know how to pilot properly?'
But a glance at her half-finished homework made her head throb.
'Still… The liquor is on the line.'
She grudgingly kept writing, though her focus kept drifting to the explosive chaos nearby.
Just then, Rin cast his line again—
BOOOOOOM!!!!
The lake erupted, sending the kids scrambling in panic.
"FULL RETREAT!!"
"ABANDON SHI— WAIT, NO, DON'T ACTUALLY ABANDON IT!"
"Flandre! Now's our chance! Hit them while they're slow!"
"REMILIA, YOU—!!"
As Rumia's group desperately fled, Remilia cackled like a villain, her grin sadistically wide.
'You bombed me earlier? PAYBACK TIME!'
The carrier, too slow to escape, was swallowed by the waves, while the Scarlet Battleship barely made it ashore.
"OHHHHH!! WE WON!!" Remilia tackle-hugged Flandre, their victory dance shaking the picnic blanket.
Price gap? Skill issue!
Mokou, watching the carnage, dropped her chips.
'This is P.E.?! I need to demand more of these classes from Keine.'
Then Marisa's innocent observation cut through the celebration—
"Boss, I think you missed all the fish again."
"..."
'Marisa. You'd better 'pray' tonight.' Rin glared, yanking his rod back with dark aura swirling.
Something's wrong with this lake.
"Hey, can I borrow that? Normal bait's fine."
"Me too!"
Handing them the spare fishing rods, Rin ignored Marisa's now-hurried scribbling.
Her answers are growing increasingly creative.
'Who cares if it's wrong? As long as it's filled, the teacher might just check for completion! And if caught? Blame Reimu! She's the middleman!'
Reimu, unaware of her impending betrayal, plopped down with her own fishing rod.
"How's the homework?"
"Almost done! Smooth sailing!"
"Pretty reliable, huh?"
"You know it!"
Their casual chat masked Mokou's blissful ignorance as she munched chips, her worries vanished.
'With this homework service, no more Keine headbutts! Free time forever!'
'...So why did her spine feel suddenly cold?'
Meanwhile, Rumia's group redeployed their catapult, eyes locked on Remilia's ship.
"Cirno, more ammo."
"Here ya go!" Cirno dumped a pile of frozen frogs into the loader, making Remilia blink.
"Did you just kill the local frog population?"
"Nah, some got away. This is just most of them."
"Maybe go freeze fish for the boss? He's been failing all morning. It's kinda sad." Remilia pitied Rin, though her tone was 90% smug.
At this rate, Sakuya throwing knives blindfolded would catch more fish.
Rin's eye twitched.
'Those brat's definitely cursing my luck.'