First Clash in the Wild West - Vocaloid

💜💗💜💗💜 Story 💗💜💗💜💗 After school, ten students from Kamiyama High School were preparing to head home when a blinding flash of white light suddenly filled their vision. When they opened their eyes again, everything around them had changed. The familiar school buildings and streets had disappeared, replaced by an endless wilderness, dry yellow earth, and distant mountain ranges. The air carried the scent of soil and horses, while the sound of hooves striking the ground echoed faintly in the distance. Miku looked down at herself before glancing around in confusion. “...Where are we? Weren’t we just near the school?” “I’d like to know that too!” Rin exclaimed, looking around in amazement. “This place doesn’t look anything like somewhere we’d normally go!” Len raised a hand to shield his eyes as he tried to see farther into the distance. “It’s not just the location. There aren’t even any familiar buildings. Did we actually travel to another world?” “If this is a dream, it’s unbelievably realistic.” Teto knocked twice on a nearby wooden fence. “Yep. Definitely solid.” MEIKO was about to respond when a series of rapid gunshots suddenly rang out from far away. Bang! Bang! Bang! Everyone immediately turned toward the sound. A merchant caravan consisting of several wagons was racing along a wilderness road. More than a dozen masked bandits pursued them on horseback, repeatedly firing their weapons. The drivers desperately whipped their horses to make them run faster, while the cargo inside the wagons bounced dangerously with every jolt. “Someone’s being attacked!” Miku shouted. “But we don’t even know where we are!” KAITO replied, his expression tense as he watched the bandits closing in. “We can’t just stand here and watch them get hurt, can we?” Luka had already noticed that one wagon had been struck by gunfire near its wheel. The vehicle began to tilt dangerously. Gakupo glanced at her and nodded. “We save them first. We can figure everything else out once the danger has passed.” At that moment, one of the fleeing merchants spotted them and shouted desperately. “Help! Please, you have to help us! Those men want to steal our cargo, and they’re willing to kill everyone to get it!” The ten students barely had time to discuss what to do before rushing toward the caravan. However, as they approached the road, they discovered several unattended wagons parked nearby. They appeared to belong to the merchants, and a few horses stood beside them, visibly frightened by the gunfire. “What should we do?” Mio asked, quickly assessing the situation. Len had already grabbed the reins of one wagon and was attempting to calm the horses. “Get on! If we can catch up with them, we might be able to help!” “Wait, do you even know how to drive a horse-drawn wagon?” Mio asked, widening her eyes. “Absolutely not!” “Neither do I!” Despite their answers, neither of them released the reins. Strangely enough, once Len climbed into the driver's seat, he naturally adjusted his grip on the reins, as though he had understood horses his entire life. With a gentle pull, he calmed the restless animals. The horses soon began moving in the direction he wanted. Mio quickly climbed onto the wagon and picked up a revolver lying beside the seat. “I've never even touched something like this before...” she muttered, staring at the weapon. Before she could say anything else, she heard the sound of approaching hooves. A bandit was chasing them on horseback, raising his gun to aim at the wagon. “Mio, look out!” Len shouted. The instant the gunshot rang out, Mio instinctively turned around and raised her weapon. Bang! Her bullet struck the bandit's gun, knocking it from his hand. He lost his balance and hurriedly pulled back on the reins to regain control of his horse. Mio froze. She stared at the weapon in her hand, then looked toward the distant bandit, utterly bewildered. “...What did I just do?” “You hit him!” Len exclaimed while continuing to drive. “And you shot the gun right out of his hand!” “I know! But I don't know how to shoot!” Although neither of them could understand what had just happened, their wagon had already caught up with the caravan. Meanwhile, Gakupo and Luka had found weapons of their own and climbed into another wagon. Gakupo expertly inspected his revolver, checked the ammunition, and turned his attention toward the pursuing bandits. Luka watched his movements and couldn't help asking, “Have you used a weapon like that before?” “No.” “Then why do you look so experienced?” Gakupo fell silent for a moment, apparently unable to find a reasonable explanation himself. “I don't know either. But for now, we'll have to trust our instincts.” He turned toward Luka and offered her a hand, helping her settle securely into the wagon. “Be careful. Whatever happens, don't push yourself too hard.” Luka nodded and tightened her grip on the gun. “You too. I don't want to spend our first day in this world worrying about you getting hurt.” Hearing her answer, Gakupo's lips curved into a faint smile. “Don't worry. I'll make sure I return to your side safely.” The moment he finished speaking, several bandits approached from the side. Gakupo raised his revolver and fired, forcing one of them to change direction. Luka immediately followed with a second shot, striking another bandit's saddle and forcing him to slow down. Neither of them had received any training, yet they could maintain their balance on the violently shaking wagon and accurately judge the positions of their enemies. Their extraordinary proficiency astonished even themselves. At the same time, Miku, MEIKO, KAITO, Rin, Teto, and みお had mounted horses and spread out along both sides of the caravan. Initially, everyone had assumed that horseback riding would be extremely difficult. After all, almost none of them had ever ridden a horse, much less fired a gun from the back of a galloping animal. Yet when Miku settled onto her horse, her body naturally adjusted to maintain its balance. With only a gentle pull on the reins, she could make the horse change direction according to her wishes. “This is so strange!” Miku shouted as she guided her horse around an incoming bullet. “I don't even know the basics of horseback riding!” “Neither do I!” Rin called back. A bullet whizzed past Rin. She instinctively ducked to avoid it, then immediately turned around and fired. Her bullet struck the weapon in an enemy's hand, forcing the bandit to abandon his pursuit. Rin was so surprised that she nearly forgot to keep controlling her horse. “Wait! I actually dodged that!” Len leaned out from the wagon ahead. “Now's not the time to be surprised! Watch where you're going!” “I am watching!” KAITO and Teto worked together to protect the opposite side of the caravan. KAITO continuously observed the enemies' movements, looking for opportunities to counterattack. Teto used her horse's speed to circle around the bandits, forcing them to spread out and preventing them from concentrating their attacks on a single wagon. “This feels like something we've done countless times before!” Teto shouted. “But we've never done anything like this!” KAITO replied. “That's exactly why it's so strange!” MEIKO paid little attention to their argument. She calmly aimed at a bandit attempting to approach an injured driver and fired, forcing him to retreat. She immediately turned toward the caravan and shouted, “Keep moving! Don't stop! We'll buy you enough time to escape!” みお rode near the rear of the group. The constant gunfire made her nervous at first, but strangely, her hands did not tremble. Whenever an enemy prepared to aim, she seemed to sense the danger before it happened, swiftly guiding her horse in another direction. A bullet flew past her shoulder. みお leaned slightly to the side, effortlessly avoiding the shot. She then raised her gun and fired toward the pursuing bandits. “...I've really never learned how to do any of this.” She murmured the words to herself, an unsettling thought beginning to take shape in her mind. It was as though this world had already prepared everything they needed. Not only had weapons and horses been made available to them, but the combat skills they had never possessed seemed to have appeared naturally in their bodies after their arrival. And somehow, the enemies' bullets rarely managed to hit them. Whenever a shot came their way, they always seemed to avoid it at exactly the right moment. Sometimes they only needed to tilt their heads slightly. Other times, they guided their horses in sudden changes of direction or ducked just enough for the bullets to pass harmlessly by. Their ability to anticipate danger seemed almost supernatural, leaving every one of them bewildered. However, they had no time to dwell on the mystery. The caravan was still under attack, and several wagons had already lost some of their cargo along the road. The merchants were clearly transporting important supplies. If the bandits succeeded in stealing them, the consequences could be disastrous. “Just hold on a little longer!” Gakupo shouted. “There's a narrow mountain passage ahead. Once we get through it, they'll have trouble surrounding us from both sides!” Len immediately pulled the reins, guiding the wagon toward the passage. Mio continued covering their rear, preventing the bandits from getting any closer. Gakupo and Luka took turns firing, coordinating their movements with the others and gradually forcing the pursuers back. With everyone's help, the caravan finally rushed through the narrow passage. By the time the last wagon emerged, the bandits had lost their formation. Several of them had damaged weapons or could no longer keep up with the chase, leaving them with no choice but to watch the caravan disappear into the distance. The merchants finally breathed a sigh of relief. One elderly merchant rode closer to the students, his face filled with gratitude. “Thank you! Thank you so much! Without your help, we might not have survived this!” “It's all right,” MEIKO replied. “But could you tell us where we are? We honestly have no idea.” The merchant looked confused. “You don't know? This is the western frontier. Red Rock Town is farther down the road. You don't look like you're from around here. Have you traveled from somewhere very far away?” The ten students exchanged glances. The western frontier? Red Rock Town? Neither name meant anything to them. Just as they were about to ask more questions, another series of hoofbeats sounded in the distance. This time, the newcomers were not the masked bandits they had just driven away. A group of riders was approaching from the opposite end of the wilderness. Their clothing varied, but nearly all of them carried firearms at their waists. They clearly weren't ordinary travelers. At the front rode a cowboy wearing a long black leather coat. A wide-brimmed hat shadowed part of his face, and a revolver hung at his waist. His horse stopped a short distance from the caravan, and his gaze settled on the ten students who had just completed the rescue. He first examined the scattered bullet casings along the road, then looked toward the retreating bandits. Finally, his attention settled on Gakupo. “Interesting.” His voice was low, carrying a hint of amusement. “I saw everything you did back there.” Gakupo didn't answer immediately. He simply met the stranger's gaze with a calm expression. The cowboy then turned his attention toward Mio, Len, and the others riding on horseback. “Driving a wagon, riding into a chase, handling revolvers, and even dodging bullets during a gunfight...” He gave a quiet chuckle. “Your skills don't look like those of people who are doing this for the first time.” “But we really are beginners,” Mio replied before she could stop herself. “First-timers?” The cowboy raised an eyebrow, apparently even more intrigued by her answer. Len muttered under his breath, “We're just as confused as you are.” “Now that's interesting,” the stranger murmured. He then reached for the revolver at his waist and slowly drew it. The merchants immediately grew tense and hurriedly moved their wagons aside. Luka became alert at once, her fingers gripping the handle of her gun. Gakupo stepped slightly forward, positioning himself between her and the cowboy. “What are you planning to do?” Gakupo asked in a deep voice. The cowboy didn't answer. Instead, he raised his gun slightly, a mysterious smile appearing on his face. “Since you're so capable, I'd like to find out for myself just how good you really are.” He pointed the revolver toward the open ground in front of them, resting his finger lightly on the trigger. “Let's see whether you're simply lucky or whether you actually have the skills to back up your performance.” The next second, he abruptly raised his revolver. Bang! The gunshot echoed across the wilderness once again. All ten students reacted almost simultaneously, as though they had anticipated exactly when the attack would come. Watching their nearly synchronized movements, the mysterious cowboy finally looked genuinely interested. “Excellent.” He adjusted his grip on the revolver, his sharp gaze sweeping across the entire group. “Then let's begin round two.”