Читать онлайн «Full Metal Panic! (novel) Volume 1: Fighting Boy Meets Girl»
Автор Shouji Gatou, Shikidouji
Shouji Gatou
Fighting Boy Meets Girl
AS. A•S. 1 <abbr. > Anglo-Saxon.
AS. A•S. 2 <abbr. > [military] Arm Slave.
Arm Slave ['Ärm "slAv] [military]
<from Armored Mobile Master-Slave System>
Mechanized assault trooper, AS.
Arm Slave, usually 26' or more in height, an armed and armored attack weapon patterned after the human body. Developed during the late 1980s. Mechanized assault trooper. AS.
Prologue
"Pay attention, Sousuke!"
In contrast to the after-school ruckus, Kaname Chidori spoke decidedly seriously. A strong-willed girl, her black hair reached her hips and was held in place by a neat red ribbon. She conducted her instructions to the male student in front of her with a rigid index finger.
"We need two-thousand sheets of letter-sized copy paper. It's in bundles of five-hundred sheets, so just sneak in and get four of those. Got it?"
"Understood. " Sousuke Sagara responded crisply.
There was little about Sousuke that wasn't crisp—his words, his collar, and his movements all were rigid. His face was tense and unforgiving.
He glanced at the door to the staff room.
"You know where to find the paper, right?"
"Yes. It's all the way in the back, next to the copier.
""Good. Let's review the plan. "
"You'll create a diversion, engaging Mister Sayama in conversation. While you have his attention, I'll plunder the paper and make a speedy withdrawal. "
Satisfied, Kaname nodded.
Deciding not to object to this justification, Sousuke focused on another concern. "What if your diversion doesn't provide sufficient cover? The teacher might notice. "
"It's your job to scheme, finding a way to get in and out unseen. "
"Very well, I will
"Okay, Sousuke, let's go. "
Kaname led the way inside. She made her way toward the rear of the office, greeting all the teachers she knew along the way. Eventually, she reached the overused copier in the back.
Next to the nearly obsolete machine, a forty-year-old social studies teacher sat grading tests. Kaname positioned herself between the man and the machine, hoping it was enough to keep him from spotting Sousuke.
"Hello, Mister Sayama!"
Mister Sayama's chair creaked as he swiveled to greet her. "Miss Chidori. What brings you here today?"
"Well, I have a question that I forgot to ask yesterday. "
"When we were talking about ancient India?"
"Yes. I have to know—in ancient India, did everybody have names as weird as Chandragupta II?"
Mister Sayama laughed heartily. "That's a strange question! But the name has a particular meaning. You see, the Gupta Empire—"
Following the firecracker-like noise, thick white smoke spread through the air behind Kaname.
"What the—"
By the time Kaname turned around to see what had happened, she couldn't see two inches in front of her face.
