Chanbara Night - A Second Home 4

[rubestie]

Season: Autumn

 

Writer: Nishioka (feat. Akira)

 

Characters: Mika, Arashi, Hajime, Tori, Yuzuru, Ritsu, Mao

 

<The practice match begins.>

 

Mika: (Uuuhm. First of all I gotta look fer Naru-chan, who’s my target.)

 

(This area’s pretty large. Apparently it’s smaller than the one we’ll be usin’ fer the real match, though. Which means it’ll be even harder ta find anyone durin’ the real match, huh.)

 

(--N? That person over there is… Naru-chan, I found ya!)

 

Naru-chan! Sorry ta bother ya, but I'll have ya be my opponent.

 

Arashi: Eh!? Mika-chan!? Kya…!?

 

Mika: I had intended to take ya completely by surprise. Ta think ya would be able ta twist yer body in an instant ta keep me from gettin’ yer ornament. As expected of Naru-chan ♪

 

But don’t go thinkin’ ya can keep protectin’ the ornament from such a weak position!

 

Arashi: Kuu… I guess it really would be disadvantageous for me to fight back in this position. I suppose I would be better off trying to run away for now.

 

Mika: Ah! Shit. She got away from me. Naru-chan’s leg strength has been honed from her time in the track and field club. Once she starts runnin’ it’s impossible fer me ta catch up with her.

 

(However. Naru-chan seemed like she was really stressed. Seems like things’re goin’ according ta our plan.)

 

I might be able ta win if I pretend ta lose sight of her before gettin’ close and finishin’ her off…!

 

<Meanwhile...>

 

Hajime: E~i!

 

Tori: Urya~!

 

Yuzuru: … (Casually steps aside to avoid the attack.)

 

Hajime: Haa….haa… Ugh, we’ve been attacking nonstop for some time now, but he keeps avoiding us…!

 

Tori: Let’s keep it up! Don’t give up, Hajime!

 

Hajime: You’re right. As long as we work together, we should have a chance…!

 

Yuzuru: (What kind of mental fortitude do these do have going on? To think they would be this tenacious…)

 

(I have been avoiding all of their attacks for now, but. Whether intentional or not, these two have been timing their attacks and coming at me from both left and right, which has made it difficult for me to find an opening to retaliate…)

 

Hajime: Ei, eiei! We can’t afford to lose this match…!

 

Yuzuru: (It seems this isn’t just an act, but that they really don’t want to lose.)

 

(Since this is a competition, it is not surprising that they don’t want to lose. But more than that, it seems like they are approaching this fight surprisingly seriously. I wonder what could have brought this on…)

 

(-Oh? While I was distracted I lost sight of Bocchama… Where did he go?)

 

Tori: Yuzuru! You’re wide open, take this~!

 

Yuzuru: (! He hid himself nearby and went for my blind spot!)

 

<Also meanwhile...>

 

Ritsu: (How strange. I’ve lost sight of everyone. Even though up until just now we made sure to stay close enough that we could see each other.)

 

Could it be… Did the other team separate us out of nowhere…?

 

Mao: Ooh. To think you would notice so quickly, as expected of Ritsu~

 

Ritsu: Wow. I see. So this is your team’s strategy, Ma~kun. The fact you made sure to separate us means you’re using a man-to-man offense to defeat us individually. 

 

Mao: Yup, yup ♪ Hasn’t it been a while since we last had a one-on-one battle, Ritsu~? I don’t think we’ve gone head to head like this since when we played board games as children.

 

Ritsu: Ma~kun is so cheeky. Do you really think you can defeat me?

 

Mao: If this was a battle of wits then it would be one thing, but in this kind of physical battle I think I have a good enough chance of winning. 

 

In other words. Here I come~, Ritsu.

 

Ritsu: !

 

(As Ma~kun says, at this rate I’ll be in trouble. Ma~kun has really good stamina, after all.)

 

Mao: Are you sure you're okay with staying on the defensive~? If you won’t fight back then I’ll overwhelm you in no time you know?

 

Ritsu: Kkh…!

 

(He’s good. That’s kinda annoying… Who does Ma~kun think he is?)

 

<After the match.>

 

Tori: Vi… Victoryyyy! Hajime! We did it! We really won!

 

Hajime: We really did it! Tori-kun!

 

Mika: Ngah~, our strategy worked well, it feels like a weight’s been lifted off my shoulders. 

 

Mao: Ahaha. You were pretty nervous after all, Kagehira. I’m glad we were able to win, but this was just a rehearsal match. Let’s keep this up so we can do our best at the real thing as well.

 

Arashi: Ah, really! How frustrating! Mika-chan got me good. Even then, I never expected even Yuzuru-chan would lose. 

 

Yuzuru: I have no excuses. It appears I underestimated my opponents a little. 

 

Ritsu: I don’t think you need to apologize. If anything, this is my fault for not noticing the other team’s strategy sooner.

 

Since we are a team, the responsibility belongs to all of us. We win and lose as a team, right?

 

Arashi: That’s right. Plus, trying to pin the blame on any of us won’t do us any good.

 

Even then, what is going on with the other team? It didn’t seem like they were this desperate to win yesterday.

 

Yuzuru: I wonder. I was blown away by Bocchama and Shino-sama’s enthusiasm. I think I would have emerged victorious if not for that.

 

Ritsu: What on earth could have gotten into them?

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