[spicykaraage]

hi sorry to bother you but is it ok to use your translations for wiki purposes? thank you!

Yes you may👍

[spicykaraage]

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment - Long Interview

An interview with Satomi, Okada, and Kaneko from the official P2EP guidebook published in 2000 regarding the development and themes of Persona 2.

Thanks in advance for reading.

Eternal Punishment: “Adulthood,” “Horoscopes,” and “Self-Discovery”

—So the previous title was the “Juvenile Arc,” now this title is the “Adult Arc.” Was there anything specific you focused on during production?

Kaneko: We discussed what it means to “be an adult.”

Satomi: I’m already 30 years old. I’m feeling pretty blue. I thought the peak of my life was at 27.

Kaneko: When the first Persona title released.

Satomi: Now I’m thinking, “is this it for me?”

Kaneko: Don’t say that. (laughs)

Okada: People your age just say “yeah, I’m thirty,” you know.

Satomi: Well, it’s a huge wall.

—Did you just turn 30, Satomi-san?

Satomi: In May.

Kaneko: You’re a Taurus? What’s your animal sign? I’m a monkey.

Satomi: I’m a sheep.

Okada: Deer. (all laugh)

—You really know yourself, don’t you?

Okada: Can’t be saying that now, can we?

Kaneko: What do they have now? Sushi horoscopes? Insect horoscopes?

—I think there’s actually home appliance horoscopes.

Satomi: Yeah, like where your sign is a word processor or a vacuum. Did you hear about the Yamanote Line horoscopes? And the bread horoscopes. I’m white bread.

—You’re very knowledgeable.

Satomi: No, I just delved pretty deep into it is all.

Okada & Kaneko: And so, we did a game about horoscopes.

—Where did that idea come from?

Okada: First, we pictured an adult, then an adult woman…

Kaneko: They’re really into that stuff like blood types, aren’t they? They’re practically controlled by those things.

Satomi: So the idea started from the belief that adults would be more particular over those things.

—And why do adults tend to be more particular over those things?

Okada: I feel like I’m in a state where I’m starting to lose sight of myself. Like when I watch those horoscope programs in the morning before going out. Entrusting myself to something like the day’s fortune. Children aren’t really affected by that. Nowadays, I feel like I’m steadily losing myself, and tend to leave things up to all sorts of factors. And maybe horoscopes are a symbol of that. When someone tells me “this is how it is,” I’ll just accept it like “yeah, okay.” I connected this state I’m in to the situation in the game where rumors you would never have imagined become reality.

—As soon as the TV announced that those who performed the “Joker Curse” would turn into Jokers themselves, and the Joker transformation immediately started happening, it felt quite realistic and scary.

Okada: Ever since “Innocent Sin,” we’ve talked about how mass media has a huge influence. Even though internet users are increasing, television still has the most influence. Once something becomes a hot topic there, everyone immediately flocks to it. I wanted to incorporate that into the story. It’s interesting since it symbolizes modern Japan.

Satomi: We also talked about how people don’t feel secure unless they fit everything into a mold. Realistically speaking, not everything fits perfectly, but they don’t feel secure unless it at least fits into said mold. Making a decision takes a lot of courage and a lot of power. In this society, you don’t feel secure unless someone tells you “this is who you are!” or something like that… And so it led to us discussing that perhaps horoscopes would be a good idea.

—So does becoming an adult simply mean forcing yourself into the mold of an adult?

Satomi: I’ve thought about if there really is something as a “real” adult, and it just got more and more confusing. Even though we say “we create our own destiny,” there’s still things out of our control, right? Like a typhoon. Okada once told me “accept and adapt.” I don’t think you can just view things in a one-dimensional way. Like this is “good,” that’s “evil.” This is “joy,” and this is “sadness.” It all depends on how you look at it. Therefore, I came to the conclusion that being an adult means being able to overcome any situation by viewing it in a way that suits you.

Okada: It’s not about “true” or “ideal” adults, but rather an ironic portrayal of what adults in modern Japanese society have become. The “adults” here that create their Personas have this outlook that they have a “sense of self,” but adults in Japan today are controlled by things like horoscopes and the media. Even in education, adults tell kids to “study hard” and just do the same things with all of them. And then, if children deviate from that path, they end up feeling like failures, which is probably why incidents with them hitting people with bats tend to happen. Japan is a country where people, all to a certain extent, have the freedom to make choices in life and explore their potential. Yet the problem lies in adults trying to use standardized education to force children into these molds. And then it leads to another problem where adults who “fit the mold” are being mass-produced…

—Having too much freedom will make you yearn for structure, though.

Okada: True.

Satomi: I don’t know if I can explain this properly. Back in the day, if you were born into a family of farmers, you would take over the farm, and if you were born into a family of samurai, you would become a samurai, right?

Okada: But that’s all in the past now. (laughs)

Satomi: Social status is essentially a mold, isn’t it? In this day and age, there’s all this talk about being free and equal, but on the contrary it makes people unsure on what to do. That’s probably why people yearn for a mold. I imagine it’s very hard to find yourself and what you really want to do under these circumstances. And I believe that’s why all kinds of problems and strains are occurring.

Okada: I haven’t really talked about it openly until now, but a theme I’ve been working on is “self-discovery.”

—Have you been working on it since “Innocent Sin”?

Okada: Yeah. In “Innocent Sin,” it was about self-discovery from a student’s perspective. This time, despite carrying various burdens and having grown into adults, the adults still hadn’t truly found themselves. They grow throughout the story and heal their past traumas. I wanted to convey this message: that people continue to search for themselves even as adults, and that I hope people will continue to search for themselves even after they become adults.

—Even after resolution of “Innocent Sin,” we face new problems again. So there’s the implication of repeating cycles, right?

Okada: Yes.

Cause and Effect, “Sin and Punishment”

—Jun and everyone else are depicted as a fusion of what had occurred in “Innocent Sin.” So what’s their state in the world of “Innocent Sin”?

Satomi: I have a conclusion in mind, but I think it’s better not to discuss it. It can’t be explained in a simple way. And yet, people would want it to fit into a mold. That’s why I feel that I shouldn’t present a clear conclusion. I want people to think about what they felt when they watched the ending.

Okada: We’re doing it the usual “Megaten” way, leaving it up to the player.

Satomi: People ask, “was this good? Was this bad?” And then there are those who try their hardest to interpret it in their own way and then go from there. Life isn’t just about the good. There’s bad things, painful things, many unbearable partings, and you’ll have to live carrying those things forever. I don’t think they can be determined as just “good” or “bad,” though.

Okada: People these days have a tendency to completely ignore their past, as if they had pressed a reset button. It’s fine to change your mindset so you can move forward, but I don’t think it’s right to erase the past entirely. I want people to carry their past—the good and the bad—and move forward with it all.

Satomi: With them creating the world of “Eternal Punishment” from “Innocent Sin,” it can be seen as a means of escape, or as a favorable, yet painful decision to save everyone. It’s easy to say “don’t run away,” but I think it’s okay to run if it’s extremely painful. Take skipping school, for example. Only that student can understand their own pain. But running always comes back to bite you later. You have to pay the price. That’s what I also wanted to convey in “Eternal Punishment.”

Okada: The word “punishment” carries a negative connotation, but that’s not always the case. In the game, it’s the result from causing a “sin.” It’s a word that establishes causality.

Satomi: I used to think everything about being alive was sin and punishment.

Okada: At first, Satomi was thinking about touching on more serious topics like nuclear plants and politics. (laughs)

Knowing Pain—“Persona”

—Was the name of the fortune-teller changed to “Sumaru Genie” due to ethical regulations?

Okada: Yeah. But it wasn’t just about the term, I deliberately pushed the boundaries as a way to challenge various aspects. To make people think more seriously about ethics and the impact it has on children. I read in the newspaper that if you have a child who plays video games for more than three hours a day draw a picture, they’ll draw something unrealistic like a person flying in the sky, and that video games are “bad” for them. Like it’s wrong to have a fantastical imagination.

Kaneko: They shouldn’t have called them “bad.”

—On the contrary, people have said they lack imagination.

Okada: Right.

Satomi: That’s a “mold” too, isn’t it?

Okada: Even if there are expressions that raise ethical concerns, it’s not my intention to encourage bad behavior. It’s posing the question, “What do you make of this?” I think it’s necessary to raise questions and awareness on social and ethical issues through these works.

—Whether someone can understand another’s pain is an important factor, such as Ulala getting involved with Joker.

Okada: “Persona” also address issues with the heart and expression. Like with violence, if you’ve ever been hit, then you’ll understand how someone will feel if you hit them. We’ve talked about how people may resort to hitting others with a bat or stabbing them with a knife precisely because they don’t understand, they don’t know the feeling firsthand and therefore act very recklessly. So when it comes to words, I think there’s a major difference between using words that you know will hurt someone versus using them without realizing that.

—When Makimura was caught and Katsuya was about to hit him, Baofu hit him instead. I feel that Baofu could hit him because he understands pain, but Katsuya wouldn’t have been able to hit him even if Baofu hadn’t stepped in.

Okada: And it’s fine for everyone to have their own take on it. There’s no single, right answer. I’d appreciate it if people would perceive these things in various situations and think about them in their own way.

Character Creation

—You can feel the unpleasant sides of women from Ulala…

Kaneko: Maybe it came from firsthand experience?

Satomi: No answer. (laughs) Uhhh. Well, you know. I’ve had some bad experiences, but… overall, Ulala is the character I can relate to the most.

Kaneko: Oh yes, do tell. (laughs)

Satomi: Oh, man. Honestly, I’ve seriously considered getting psychotherapy. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I’m going through some kind of trauma… (unfortunately, this part has been omitted)

—(After a bunch of laughter and sighs) …Everyone has their own story, huh? By the way, how did you create the characters?

Kaneko: Doesn’t really take much. Satomi comes up with an outline to express the scenario’s theme, and then I add ideas for the artwork from there. I think the gap between those two steps is where things get interesting. Ulala was meant to be a character for office ladies who like listening to Toko Furuuichi’s music. We didn’t need to include so many jokes about her being flat-chested, did we? (laughs)

Satomi: Well, when I created her, that’s just how it turned out.

Kaneko: Oh, come on!

—A lot of the characters have trauma, don’t they?

Okada: Making the story interesting is a given, but I wanted to express that everyone carries baggage with them.

Kaneko: Specifically, with “Innocent Sin” and “Eternal Punishment”: “Innocent Sin” is the characters undergoing the process, and “Eternal Punishment” is the characters dealing with the aftermath. I think we should clarify that part as well.

—And the visuals?

Kaneko: “Innocent Sin” was about expressing individuality within uniformity, hence all the uniforms, but “Eternal Punishment” was about adulthood. Since adult’s hobbies tend to be fixed, I tried to make all of them well-defined. But if you make them look too mature, it’s hard to bring out their individuality. A guy in just a suit looks cool, but he won’t be a captivating character. He needs a touch of mischief somewhere. But then that will make him seem childish… I really agonized over it.

—What was the concept for Baofu’s design?

Kaneko: We wanted him to have a cool, bad boy vibe, someone jazzy and puffing on a cigarette. I personally wanted him to have a golden image. I also wanted to convey that he’s assertive but tries to keep a low profile. Those types of characters are easy to create. But Maya was definitely the hardest for me to work with.

Okada: We actually discussed changing her outfit.

Kaneko: Ulala’s a lady who’s like a spiderweb. You think she’s letting you into her good graces, then you slowly realize you can’t escape. (all laugh)

Okada: She’s pretty gloomy at heart, though.

—What about the redesigns for some characters?

Kaneko: Oh yeah, like Kandori. It’s kind of a touchy subject. Me personally, I’d rather not bring back my previous characters. I interpret him as a figment created by Nyarlathotep, but Satomi might have a different interpretation.

Satomi: Created/revived by rumors.

Kaneko: It’s not the real Kandori though, right? I feel like it’d be disrespectful to those who played the last installment to not think that way. Kandori then had a certain aesthetic, and there’s no way he’d go through the trouble of coming back. In terms of design though, there’s differences like his lack of eyes. I really don’t want to bring back any previous characters, but there’s also the fun of changing and rearranging them, it’s kind of tricky.

—Tatsuya’s demeanor has slightly changed.

Kaneko: I wanted to give Tatsuya a futuristic look. Like someone out of a Takashi Mayumura novel. That’s why he’s wearing that red getup.

Okada: Yeah, he really stands out. (laughs)

Kaneko: Right, especially walking around with that Japanese sword and troubled look on his face. (all laugh)

The Future of “Persona”

—How did you end up choosing the theme song?

Okada: We were coming up with the song and decided on an R&B, but we couldn’t find an artist. While we were feeling stuck, I had met a Western music producer. When I asked him for advice, he mentioned Elisha, so I asked if we could use her and he told me he was her producer. It just so happened that this producer was also a fan of “Megaten” and had been playing it, so he said, “I’ll write a new song for you.” I gave him a few keywords from Satomi, and he wrote the song specifically for “Eternal Punishment.” “Change Your Way”—a song about how changing yourself can lead to a more positive outcome. It’s really great. They also took our requests regarding the song’s sound into consideration. It became the main title track of the album released in March, and a maxi-single was released to coincide with the game’s release in June.

—You can’t really grasp the meaning of those lyrics just by listening, can you?

Okada: We should’ve included them in the manual.

Satomi: Right. Once I read them I thought, “that’s exactly what I was trying to say! I’m a failure!” (all laugh)

—Looking back on “Innocent Sin” and “Eternal Punishment,” what does the future hold for “Persona”?

Okada: I’ve had this idea for a while of expressing a student’s perspective and an adult’s perspective within a single work. And now that we’ve completed “Innocent Sin” and “Eternal Punishment,” I feel that I’ve finally achieved that. Having released three “Persona” titles, the characters and themes have become well established, and I’d like to explore them even further. I don’t want to simply continue what we’ve done, I want to take an even bigger leap forward.

Kaneko: It took a long time to put it all together. For the visuals, I tried making them stand out by having them look like something you’d see on a poster, so I’d be happy if you checked those out as well. I left a lot of parts intentionally unfinished, so I hope you’ll use your imagination and complete them in your own image. As a designer, I feel that my works have been a bit over-designed lately, so I hope to do something a little simpler next time.

Okada: Well, it’s just the standard for you, Kaneko. Like don’t get me wrong, but even “Maken X” is pretty standard for you. (all laugh)

Satomi: I believe “Persona” is about humanity itself. I’m hoping everyone will take the themes to heart, return to the real world from the game, and keep advancing. I’ve put nothing but positive messages in it, and nothing would make me happier if people would pick up on them. I hope you’ll reflect on the endings the characters chose, draw strength from them, and move forward. That said, it’s not my intention to dismiss any pure emotions like sadness or anger, because it’s the right response for those people. You have to find the right answer for yourself.

—There’s no winning or losing, you mean?

Satomi: “Winning” or “losing” all comes down to you. It’s about how you perceive it.

Okada: It’s all up to you.

Satomi: That’s right. It’s probably why I actually like losing. (all laugh) That feeling of “ugh, damn it!” is what drives me.

—I’m not sure if that’s positive or negative. (laughs)

Satomi: Haven’t you ever felt that way? Like, “I failed this time, but just you wait, dammit!”

Kaneko: I have.

Okada: Me too.

—So you’ll deliberately put yourself in a losing situation to bring out your best?

Kaneko: That’s actually pretty positive, isn’t it?

Okada: Yeah, Satomi’s a positive guy. No one takes criticism as well as he can. We’ll be working on a story and I’ll say to him “that won’t work, it should be like this,” and most people would probably get discouraged, but he just keeps pushing forward. He’s incredibly positive and a pleasure to work with. I think it’s why we were able to get this far. There, I gave you your flowers in the end. (laughs)

Kaneko: That oughta boost morale. (laughs)

—From what you’ve all shared, it’s clear that “Persona” is filled with all kinds of positive thinking. I look forward to seeing more of your “let’s think positive” efforts in the future. Thank you very much for today.

[spicykaraage]

Sorry y’all I forgot I had this blog…

Anyways, here’s the dialogue between the protags from the 2022 super live.

[spicykaraage]

Anthology comic translated by me, scans are by @parasitoidism. Also check me out on Twitter. Cheers!

[spicykaraage]

Anthology comic translated by me, scans are by @parasitoidism. Cheers!

[spicykaraage]

Anthology comic translated by me, scans are by @parasitoidism. Cheers!

[spicykaraage]

Anthology comic translated by me, scans are by @parasitoidism. Cheers!

[umamusu]

Hello! Could you upload your Persona 1 translation to tumblr for people who don't want to support Musk's shitty platform and doesn't have x account? I want to see whole comic but I don't want to make an x acc just to see it :(

Sure, here you go!

[spicykaraage]

do you not share stuff like that translation of a p1 dj you did on tumblr? would you consider doing so? posts have better longevity on tumblr I believe. and as you know twitter profiles/media tabs don't show anything older than the 2500th (or so) most recent tweet so after a while those dj tweets will be way more difficult to find than now unless one has a direct link to them. tumblr is much better for archival reasons

Yeah I’m going to work on it now, I’m not on here that often or at all so it didn’t come to mind but I’ll get started on that ^ ^

[spicykaraage]

thank you for your hard work translating p2 stuff!!!

Oh thank you! It’s no trouble for me tbh💖

[spicykaraage]

Houou Byoudouin Tenigo Episodes - Story Translation

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 1]

Byoudouin: Hm…

Byoudouin: (The chairs have been left out, as expected. No stains on the tablecloths… It appears they’ve thoroughly cleaned today.)

Byoudouin: (The cleaning staff at this camp are quite good, I must admit.)

Byoudouin: (There’s never any dust building up on the shelves or furnishings, not to mention their upkeep on the floor.)

Byoudouin: (When one’s environment is well-kept, their performance naturally improves as well.)

Byoudouin: (It’s by no means an exaggeration to say that we’re able to focus on our practice, thanks to them.)

Byoudouin: (And I’ll remember this gratitude towards those who support us behind the scenes as I continue practicing today.)

Byoudouin: (I’ll start with strength training in the training room…)

Byoudouin: …Hm?

Byoudouin: (What’s this scrap of paper doing on the floor… Did somebody drop their note?)

Byoudouin: (But if it were a note, it wouldn’t have been crumpled up like this.)

Byoudouin: (It must’ve been those damn kids fooling around and throwing paper at each other.)

Byoudouin: (Or maybe somebody was gonna throw it away and accidentally dropped it…)

Byoudouin: (Well, whatever, it’s not something I can just ignore. I’ll take care of it for today.)

Byoudouin: (Now then, back to starting my training…)

Byoudouin: …What?

Byoudouin: (Why’s there paper over here, too…)

Byoudouin: (No, it’s not just here. There’s some over there… and over there, too.)

Byoudouin: (Just one after another, almost like a trail…)

Byoudouin: (Where’s this cretin who won’t just put his trash in the damn bin? He’s gonna get it once I find him!!)

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 2]

Byoudouin: (I’ve been following this trail of paper to find the culprit… but it’s longer than I expected.)

Byoudouin: (Just how much did he toss…)

Byoudouin: …Mm?

Kite: *sigh*… something’s missing. It needs something more to it…

Kite: Something that would intimidate the opposing players… something sharp…

Byoudouin: (That’s Kite from Higa, isn’t it? It looks like he’s busy drawing something…)

Byoudouin: (He must be really focused if he hasn’t noticed me.)

Kite: Yes, the image will be… a great snake.

Kite: It will be a new uniform design that will make opposing players flee just from the mere sight of us…

Byoudouin: (Design?)

Byoudouin: (So then that means these scraps of paper I’ve been picking up are…)

Byoudouin: (…I see, so it wasn’t just trash, it was actually his designs.)

Byoudouin: (Hm… they’re drawn quite well. I would have never guessed he had such talent.)

Byoudouin: (But tennis is not won by a uniform’s design alone.)

Byoudouin: (The only way to become stronger is by working hard and diligently day by day.)

Byoudouin: (He could be using this time to practice instead of drawing designs…)

Kite: …No good, I’ll have to start over from scratch.

Kite: I must also consider functionality… This is proving to be quite difficult.

*crumple!*

Byoudouin: …!!

Byoudouin: Hey, you brat!!

Kite: …Yes?

Kite: ! Byoudouin-san, when did you get here?

Byoudouin: You’ve got some nerve littering in front of me.

Kite: Littering? …What do you mean?

Byoudouin: Don’t play dumb with me. You left trash all over the place.

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 3]

Byoudouin: I had to pick all this up for you.

Byoudouin: A person who can’t even throw their trash into the bin has no chance at conquering the world. Get out of here, now.

Kite: Oh… I do apologize. I didn’t even realize I had been doing that…

Kite: But thank you for picking them up. I was actually wanting to recheck one of the designs I discarded…

Byoudouin: Recheck?

Kite: Yes…

Kite: …Ah, yes, there it is. I was wanting to recheck this design. Thank you very much.

Byoudouin: …It was just some trash I picked up.

Byoudouin: (Looking at it again, though… it really is well drawn. He must’ve redrawn and improved them many times.)

Byoudouin: (But that doesn’t excuse the fact that he littered. He needs to reflect on this.)

Byoudouin: You said you didn’t realize you had been doing it… So you weren’t aware of it at all?

Kite: Embarrassing as it is to admit, I was quite absorbed in what I was doing.

Byoudouin: Do not leave trash anywhere, even if it was unintentional.

Kite: Yes, I will be more careful from now on.

Byoudouin: (He’s surprisingly honest and apologetic. I expected him to be the type to talk back…)

Byoudouin: (…Well, whatever.)

Kite: You didn’t strike me as a clean freak, Byoudouin-san.

Kite: Nor would I have expected you to pick up all of my designs for me.

Byoudouin: Obviously you should pick up trash if you see it lying around. That’s just basic hygiene.

Kite: …They’re not trash though, they’re my designs.

Byoudouin: Pardon?

Kite: Oh, nothing. But to express my gratitude for picking them up for me, I’ll treat you to some bitter melon. I’ll give you ones that are extra bitter.

Byoudouin: …I’ll pass.

Byoudouin: And don’t let it happen again. If they’re your “designs,” then treat them with more care.

Byoudouin: Understood?

Kite: Yes.

Kite: More care… he said. That was surprisingly considerate of him. However…

Kite: Even he’s no match for bitter melon…

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 1]

Byoudouin: Hm…

Byoudouin: (This green tea after lunch is exceptional. It gives me the same feeling of ease as when I’m copying sutras.)

Byoudouin: (I’ll work hard in my training once I’m finished here…)

Kintarou: Ah, it’s Uncle Byoudouin!

Byoudouin: Mm?

Kintarou: Hey, Uncle! You’ve been to a lotta foreign countries, right?

Krauser: What countries have you been to so far?

Ryoma: Did they have a lot of strong guys there too?

Byoudouin: (Why the hell did these brats pop up over here…)

Byoudouin: Why should I answer to you.

Ryoma: Lighten up, just answer us.

Kintarou: Hey, hey! Did they have any good food? Do they have takoyaki in other countries!?

Krauser: Which country’s specialties were the best?

Byoudouin: (They’re not interested in tennis…?)

Byoudouin: I’m not at liberty to answer to you brats.

Ryoma: Jerk… You could’ve at least told us a little bit.

Kintarou: I wanna eat takoyaki from all over the world!

Byoudouin: (He’s only interested in food.)

Krauser: Hm… Is there anything more delicious than miso soup out there? I am curious.

Byoudouin: (The best thing in the world to drink is definitely green tea.)

Ryoma: So, what kind of guys are out there? You were like a traveling warrior, weren’t you? Tell me all about it.

Byoudouin: (So he’s the only one who’s interested in tennis…?)

Byoudouin: And why do you want to know so badly, boy?

Ryoma: Because I want to become the best in the world, obviously.

Kintarou: Ah! Not fair, Koshimae! I’m the one who’s gonna be the best in the world!

Krauser: I will also take on the world as a representative of Japan!

Byoudouin: (So they do feel the same way, after all.)

Byoudouin: (Here I was about to be disgusted that they only cared about food…)

Byoudouin: Hmph… how weak. You can’t conquer the world just by listening to someone else’s stories.

Byoudouin: If you have time to dawdle around here, then get to practicing.

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 2]

Byoudouin: With your current skills, you have no chance against the world.

Byoudouin: Get your asses to practicing first before you come and pester me…

Kintarou: Oh, it’s Uncle Oni!

Byoudouin: What?

Oni: You’re a lively bunch, aren’t you. It’s pretty weird to see you crowded around Byoudouin of all people.

Byoudouin: (…Now another annoying pest is here.)

Byoudouin: (I thought I could at least enjoy a cup of green tea after my meal in peace… but that’s not happening.)

Oni: So, what’re you guys talking about?

Ryoma: We’re not really talking about anything since he won’t answer us.

Oni: He won’t answer you?

Kintarou: Yeah, yeah! We’re trying to hear what it was like for him training as a warrior around the world!

Krauser: We are very curious about what kind of strong players there are overseas.

Oni: I see… so that’s it.

Oni: Hey, Byoudouin. Why don’t you indulge them a bit?

Oni: If these kids are showing interest in something like that, then there’s no need to brush them off.

Byoudouin: …Why do I have to tell them? They should just figure it out themselves.

*ding-dong! ding-dong!*

Byoudouin: …And while they wasted their time yapping, our lunch break is over.

Byoudouin: If you truly wish to conquer the world, then go train as if you’re prepared to die.

Krauser: Hm… Yes, what Byoudouin-san is saying is correct. It is unfortunate that he did not tell us of his stories… but let’s get to practice, shall we?

Kintarou: Aw, man! Welp, see ya later Uncle Byoudouin and Uncle Oni!

Ryoma: You’re gonna tell me one of these days.

Byoudouin: (…They’re finally out of my hair. Those little bastards were more persistent than I expected.)

Byoudouin: (But I suppose that proves how interested they are in the world…)

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 3]

Byoudouin: Finally, peace and quiet…

Oni: Those runts sure have a lot of energy, don’t they.

Byoudouin: They should be putting all of that energy into tennis…

Oni: Seriously though, was it that hard for you to just answer them?

Oni: They said they’re interested in what tennis is like around the world.

Byoudouin: And I already told you, they should just figure it out themselves…

Byoudouin: I don’t have to answer any of their questions.

Oni: …What do you really think of those kids?

Byoudouin: Nothing in particular.

Oni: They’re showing a little bit of promise, you know, just a little…

Byoudouin: And that concerns them. It has nothing to do with me.

Oni: Hmph… typical. Well I, for one, think we can expect great things from them.

Byoudouin: Ridiculous… Focus on the progress of your own strength.

Oni: You can at least give them credit for their efforts.

Byoudouin: That’s your opinion, I don’t care.

Byoudouin: (I didn’t expect him to say that about them, though…)

Byoudouin: Is that all you came here for?

Oni: Anything else going on?

Byoudouin: Our break’s been over for a while now. I just want to get back to practice already.

Oni: Okay… sorry.

Byoudouin: Why don’t you just focus on yourself and stop meddling with those brats?

Byoudouin: I know you’re not satisfied with your current skills, either.

Oni: Naturally.

Byoudouin: We have a job to do. We’re going to conquer the world, Oni.

Oni: It’s weird that he wasn’t telling them to get lost, though.

Oni: I would even say he liked their company if he didn’t just scare them off…

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 1]

Byoudouin: Hm…

Byoudouin: (This place still puts me at ease. It feels as though the fresh air is seeping into my lungs.)

Byoudouin: (Being able to reflect upon myself in silence and copy sutras as the sun rises… I am very fortunate to have this opportunity.)

Byoudouin: (And I’ll use it to forget about those brats and immerse myself in my own world for a while.)

Byoudouin: (One’s writing naturally becomes more beautiful when their mind is at peace.)

Byoudouin: (I feel that I’ll be able to write even more beautifully today…)

Byoudouin: Hm?

Sanada: …! Good morning, Byoudouin-senpai!

Byoudouin: …Why are you here?

Sanada: I saw you and decided to follow you…

Sanada: What on earth are you doing all the way up here…?

Byoudouin: Use your eyes, I’m copying sutras.

Sanada: Copying sutras… Here on the cliffs?

Byoudouin: Here on the cliffs.

Byoudouin: Nothing comes and disrupts me here. It’s usually just the eagles that are flying around.

Byoudouin: This is the perfect place to clear my mind while copying sutras.

Byoudouin: If there’s nothing else you came here for, then leave. You’re distracting me.

Sanada: …

Byoudouin: Hello? Did you not hear me?

Sanada: I did, it’s just…

Sanada: Your handwriting is simply magnificent, I couldn’t help but admire it.

Byoudouin: (What?)

Byoudouin: So you’re aware of the art of handwriting?

Sanada: I do calligraphy as a hobby.

Byoudouin: Hm… calligraphy, huh.

Byoudouin: (Well, no wonder he’s interested in my handwriting.)

Byoudouin: Care to do it with me, then?

Sanada: Wha… Are you sure?

Byoudouin: You did climb all the way up here, so it’d be a waste if you just went back.

Sanada: Thank you very much. But I didn’t bring any of my tools…

Byoudouin: Not a problem, I have a spare brush…

Byoudouin: Here… some paper and an ink stick. Feel free to use them.

Sanada: I appreciate it.

Byoudouin: …

Sanada: …

Byoudouin: (And here I thought copying sutras was something I would only do alone…)

Byoudouin: (But being with someone surprisingly isn’t that bad.)

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 2]

Byoudouin: …The sun will be up soon.

Sanada: Right.

Byoudouin: (All he’s been writing so far is “FuuRinKaZan”…)

Byoudouin: Is that your favorite phrase?

Sanada: Yes… Writing these words naturally concentrates my mind.

Byoudouin: Hm…

Byoudouin: (It’s the same for me but with the Heart Sutra.)

Gakuto: There—we—go! Made it!

Sanada: ! Mukahi?

Gakuto: Huh, Sanada? And Byoudouin-senpai!? What’re you doing here?

Byoudouin: Why did you come here?

Gakuto: I wanted to get some eagle feathers…

Byoudouin: Feathers?

Gakuto: I thought it’d be cool to turn them into accessories!

Byoudouin: (He seriously climbed all this way for that… He must really enjoy it.)

Byoudouin: If you find these feathers, will you leave?

Gakuto: I actually also came to do some training before morning practice, but I’ll get outta your guys’ hair.

Gakuto: I’ve been wanting to practice on this court again for a while, though.

Byoudouin: Do as you wish.

Gakuto: Huh, are you sure?

Byoudouin: Anyone can use it. As long as no one else is occupying it, go ahead.

Gakuto: Alright! Don’t mind if I do…

Byoudouin: So you’re not going to get the feathers?

Gakuto: Ah, right! I’ll get those first…

Gakuto: …Oh! I found a big one! So cool.

Gakuto: Whoa, there’s some over here, too! There’s tons of them!

Sanada: I wasn’t paying attention until now, but… there’s actually a lot of them around here.

Byoudouin: …There is.

Byoudouin: (Look at that gleam in his eyes as he picks them up… he’s a kid through and through.)

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 3]

Byoudouin: Have you picked up enough, now?

Gakuto: I sure did! I’m gonna use the court now, if that’s okay.

Byoudouin: Hmph, I already said you could.

Sanada: …

Byoudouin: So you want to practice, too?

Sanada: …Is that all right?

Byoudouin: Once again, do as you wish. Stop making me repeat myself.

Gakuto: Oh? Then how about we practice together, Sanada!

Sanada: Yes… I’ll be glad to be your partner.

—

Gakuto: Here I go! Moonsault!

Sanada: Hah…!

Byoudouin: (Oh… It appears they’re both moving better than before. Guess this means that Red vs. White competition has had an effect.)

Byoudouin: (But there’s still a ways to go before we can conquer the world. Anyone who’s satisfied with their current skills has no place at this camp.)

Byoudouin: (Don’t stop growing, you brats.)

—

Gakuto: C’mon, now! Don’t get upset, just hit it back!

Sanada: KIYEHHH…!

Byoudouin: (Listening to the sound of a tennis ball being hit while copying sutras is also quite nice.)

Byoudouin: (But the sun will be up soon, and that’ll be it for today.)

Gakuto: There—Ah, crap! It’s got an irregular bound!

Sanada: Byoudouin-senpai, look out…!

Byoudouin: A shot like this is nothing for me!

Byoudouin: Haaaah…!

Gakuto: H-Holy crap! He hit the ball back with his brush…!

Sanada: He’s a master at sutra copying, and can even use a brush as a racket…!!

Sanada: Incredible, Byoudouin-senpai!

Byoudouin: Heh… Nonsense.

Byoudouin: (Losing their minds over me just using my brush as a racket… There’s still a long ways to go.)

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 1]

Kirihara: Augh… I can’t believe I forgot it, what a pain…

Kirihara: But if I just leave it, the vice captain’s gonna yell at me again… I better hurry and get that towel…

???: Hmph… Hmph…! GUOHHHH!

Kirihara: !? Wh-What was that!?

???: NUOHHHH…! Heh, HA HA HA…!

Kirihara: Hiiee! That was a loud laugh! There’s no way someone else would be here at this hour… N-No way, is it the ghost of the deserter…

Kirihara: Step, step, ina bauer… Skip, skip, iguana bang…!

???: …Hm? Who’s there?

Kirihara: Aiiieee, I’m sorry!! Please have mercy on me!! I wanna liiiiiive~~~~!!!!

Byoudouin: Huh? What are you babbling about, Kirihara.

Kirihara: Wha… Huhh, Byoudouin-senpai!? What’re you doing here?

Byoudouin: Use your eyes, I’m training. The hell are you doing here?

Kirihara: I, uh… forgot something…

Byoudouin: Forgot something? Christ…

Byoudouin: It’s late, hurry up and get your towel and go to bed.

Kirihara: R-Right…

Byoudouin: Hmph… Huh… GUOHHHHHH…!

Kirihara: Nh!

Byoudouin: Grgh… NUOHHHH…! Heh, ha ha! I’ve set a new record for myself.

Kirihara: Jeez… that shouting’s so intense… It’s scarier than a ghost…

Byoudouin: What’d you say?

Kirihara: N-Nothing at all!

Byoudouin: Hey, wait!

Kirihara: Uohhhhhh…!

Byoudouin: I said wait—he’s a hasty one. Didn’t he come to get his towel?

Byoudouin: Well, no matter. He’ll come back for it eventually.

Byoudouin: (Now then, time for one more round.)

Byoudouin: Hmph… Hmph…!

Byoudouin: (I’m… going to… get stronger, and… conquer the world… for sure…)

Byoudouin: Heh… HA HA HA HA HA…!

—

Kirihara: Ughh… I can still hear him… At least now I know it’s Byoudouin-senpai, but… Ugh, I’m gonna go to sleep now!

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 2]

Byoudouin: Hmph… hmph…

Byoudouin: …Phew, alright.

Byoudouin: (Time to head to the courts and start my next regimen…)

Byoudouin: …Hm?

—

Kurobane: …It’s crowded today. The only bench press open is the one next to Byoudouin-san.

Amane: We shouldn’t disturb him though…

Byoudouin: (…Well, that’s strangely considerate of them.)

Byoudouin: Hey, you two.

Kurobane: Huh, you mean us?

Byoudouin: If you want to use it, then go ahead.

Amane: …Are you sure?

Byoudouin: No one else is using it, that’s all I’ve got to say.

Kurobane: Thank you very much. Alright… ‘scuse us.

Kurobane: You wanna use it first, David?

Amane: Nah, you can use it first, Bane-san.

Byoudouin: (I should’ve known this would happen since there’s only one left…)

Byoudouin: …

Kurobane: Ah… Byoudouin-san, where are you going?

Byoudouin: The courts.

Kurobane: But you were in the middle of your strength training… Don’t worry about us, you can keep using it.

Byoudouin: I don’t give a damn about you brats.

Byoudouin: …I was already done anyway, do whatever you want with it.

Kurobane: Thank you very much!

Kurobane: …Hey, David. Byoudouin-san’s really nice, isn’t he?

Byoudouin: (…Pardon?)

Amane: Byoudouin-san’s a real Bro-douin… Pft!

Kurobane: That was awful!!

Byoudouin: (Did he just make a pun?)

Kurobane: And he might’ve heard that. You’re really in for it if he gets mad over your puns, y’know?

Amane: Byoudouin-san’s got a mad reputation then… Pffft!

Kurobane: Seriously, knock it off!

Byoudouin: (I’ve been listening to them for a minute now… Are they even aware?)

Byoudouin: Heh…

Amane: Ah, Byoudouin-san just smiled!

Kurobane: He just chuckled at you…

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 3]

Tanegashima: I feel like that wasn’t enough practice.

Oni: You wanna rally some more on the other court?

Ryoga: Looks like someone else is already using it, though.

—

Byoudouin: 1,256… Hmph…!

Byoudouin: UOOOH… 1,257!

—

Tanegashima: Wow, our good ol’ Chief’s on a roll.

Oni: He’s been putting even more effort in since that Red vs. White competition.

Ryoma: The “brats” must’ve inspired him.

Oni: You think so? He would never admit that, though…

—

Byoudouin: Hmph… 1,260!

Byoudouin: GUOOOOH…! Scatter!

—

Tanegashima: It’s one thing to be fired up, but it’s another to blow a hole in the wall again, right?

Oni: It is concerning…

Ryoga: Well whatever, let’s go find a different court.

Oni: Nah… all of them are taken up.

Oni: …Hey, Byoudouin! Can we practice with you?

—

Byoudouin: Hmph…! Pirates of the World!

Byoudouin: Heh… ha ha ha! Perish…!

—

Ryoga: Wow, he didn’t hear you.

Tanegashima: He’s completely off in his own world.

Ryoga: It’s actually kind of impressive how obsessed he is with hitting that wall.

Tanegashima: That’s our Chief for ya☆

Oni: That’s not something you should compliment…

Oni: Hey, Byoudouin! None of the other courts are open! Let us practice with you!

Byoudouin: …Hm?

Byoudouin: When did you guys get here?

Ryoga: Oh yeah, he didn’t notice us at all.

Byoudouin: If it’s nothing important, then leave already.

Oni: I’ve been trying to ask you to practice with us.

Byoudouin: Not happening.

Ryoga: Sheesh, you don’t need to be such a hardass.

Byoudouin: I’m doing my own regimen. I won’t allow anyone to interfere with it.

Oni: …I see, sorry for bothering you then.

Byoudouin: Hmph…

Byoudouin: (Tch, now I’ve lost my concentration thanks to those pests needlessly interrupting me.)

Byoudouin: (But that’s just proof that my heart’s still weak… My training is still insufficient. I can’t conquer the world like this.)

Byoudouin: I’ll start over from the beginning… Hmph!

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 1]

Byoudouin: …Oni, you in here?

Oni: …

Byoudouin: (Did he not hear me? Looks like he’s watching something very closely…)

Byoudouin: You’ve got some nerve ignoring me.

Oni: …Oh, sorry. You need something?

Byoudouin: I brought the material you asked the coaches for.

Oni: Gotcha, thanks.

Oni: …

Byoudouin: (He’s still distracted… What the hell is he looking at?)

Kaede: …

Byoudouin: A hamster?

Oni: Her name’s Kaede.

Byoudouin: It’s a female?

Oni: She’s a lady.

Byoudouin: (He’s seriously correcting me on that…?)

Byoudouin: Hmph… she just won’t stop running.

Oni: Right.

Byoudouin: Does she ever stop?

Oni: Eventually.

Byoudouin: (I doubt that…)

Byoudouin: Are you going to keep watching her until she stops?

Oni: Oh, I’ll keep watching her even after she stops.

Byoudouin: …Why?

Oni: She empties my mind whenever I watch her. She really puts me at ease.

Byoudouin: (Is that so…?)

Byoudouin: (I feel like my head’s gonna start spinning than feel at ease…)

Byoudouin: …

Byoudouin: Hm…

Oni: What?

Byoudouin: I’ll be honest, I seriously don’t get it, but I suppose each person has different methods of easing their mind.

Byoudouin: For me, it’s copying sutras.

Oni: Right.

Oni: It’s so cute watching her run on her wheel, but it’s also nice watching her eat her food too. It’s very soothing.

Byoudouin: Are those sunflower seeds?

Oni: Yep.

Byoudouin: Are they any good?

Oni: They’re Kaede’s favorite.

Byoudouin: Hm…

Byoudouin: (Soothing… huh.)

Byoudouin: …

Oni: …

Irie: Whew… That was some hard practice today, too. I’m gonna take a quick shower, then go play my saxophone…

Irie: …Wha—what’re you two standing around there for?

Byoudouin: We’re emptying our minds.

Irie: Huh…?

Oni: Even Byoudouin has fallen victim to Kaede’s charms.

Irie: I-Is that right…

Irie: It’s pretty surreal to see you two big, burly men watching a hamster like that…

Byoudouin: You just don’t understand how good this is, you poor soul.

Byoudouin: …Later, Oni.

Oni: Yup.

—

Byoudouin: (That turned out to be more meaningful than I expected.)

Byoudouin: (Until we meet again, Kaede…)

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 2]

Tanegashima: Chief’s been in a good mood recently~

Omagari: Really? You sure about that?

Tanegashima: Yes, I’m sure. See, look!

—

Ryoga: Hey, you don’t have a partner, do you? Then let’s practice together.

Byoudouin: Hmph… That’s fine. Just remember you asked for it.

—

Omagari: Wow… It’s rare for him to be cool with having a training partner.

Tanegashima: Right? But that’s not all☆

—

Byoudouin: Let’s go… Huh!

Ryoga: That was weak, get more serious.

Ryoga: Hah!

Byoudouin: Hm… that was a good return. You’re different, but built well. I’ve picked up something nice.

Byoudouin: But, can you handle this!?

Ryoga: Please, I told you to get serious.

Ryoga: This isn’t even close to what you’re really capable of.

Byoudouin: Hmph… how long will that bravado of yours last?

Byoudouin: Your returning shots aren’t bad, though. Raise the bar even further!

Ryoga: This is kinda like when we had that Red vs. White competition… right?

Ryoga: You weren’t really participating, were you? You were just loafing around in the corner!

Byoudouin: Don’t spew that garbage at me.

Byoudouin: There were enough hands in the pot. It wouldn’t have been worth my while to participate.

Ryoga: Cool, I should’ve popped yours then.

Ryoga: If I had popped your balloon, then I’d be at the top of the First String, right?

Byoudouin: What a load of crap, as if you could’ve popped my balloon.

Ryoga: Well, don’t knock it till you try it.

Ryoga: Next time we have a Sportsman Hunting Deluxe, I’m definitely going after you!

Byoudouin: Hmph, well go ahead and try then.

Byoudouin: I’ll be the one to pop your balloon first…!

—

Tanegashima: Look, they’ve been grinning at each other this whole time, haven’t they?

Omagari: I wouldn’t call those grins, they’re more like creepy smiles… Plus Byoudouin being in a good mood is already creepy enough.

Omagari: Anyway, let’s go find a different court. We’re gonna practice too.

Tanegashima: Chai☆

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 3]

Tokugawa: Huh!

Tokugawa: Hah…!

—

Byoudouin: (Looks like Tokugawa’s become even more motivated.)

Byoudouin: (Those brats aren’t the only ones who’ve grown since that Red vs. White competition… so it seems.)

Tanegashima: Whatcha lookin’ at☆

Byoudouin: …Pardon?

Tanegashima: You’ve been watching Tokugawa, haven’t you? The Second String’s really changed since those middle schoolers showed up, huh~

Byoudouin: Hmph… As if those brats have any influence on anything.

Tanegashima: Oh no? I would say they have a lot of it~ They’ve really pumped everyone up☆

Byoudouin: They became “pumped up” on their own. If you’re not motivated, then you don’t belong at this camp. Now go away.

Tanegashima: Yeah, I knew you were gonna say that. You’re not really honest, huh☆

Byoudouin: What?

Tanegashima: Look, you see Tokugawa’s face?

Tanegashima: His expression’s changed, hasn’t it? Whenever he picks up a racket, his expression turns so serious.

Byoudouin: (His expression…)

—

Tokugawa: Nh…!

Tokugawa: Hah…!

—

Byoudouin: (The look on his face definitely seems to have changed. But…)

Byoudouin: He’s still unpolished.

Tanegashima: Augh, seriously, you can never just be honest~

Tanegashima: You should really learn to be nicer. Praise promotes productivity with some people, y’know?

Byoudouin: Hmph…

Tanegashima: Oh, where are you going?

Byoudouin: None of your damn business.

Byoudouin: (There are those who grow through praise, and those who grow through adversity.)

Byoudouin: (And Tokugawa is the latter…!)

—

Tokugawa: …Great work today, Tanegashima-san.

Tanegashima: Yep, great work today☆

Tokugawa: Was there someone with you? I thought I heard you having a discussion earlier.

Tanegashima: Hm? Mmm, not telling☆

Tokugawa: ?

Tanegashima: Oh Chief, no matter what you say, I know you still care about Tokugawa~

Tanegashima: Well, it’s nice that you actually care, at least.

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 1]

Momoshiro: Good, there’s no one here! Now let’s rally~!

Ryoma: Got it… Wha—hey, look over there, Momo-senpai.

Momoshiro: Hm?

Byoudouin: …

Ryoma: He has his racket with him.

Momoshiro: Oh! Is he gonna practice too? Where’s he going?

Ryoma: Who knows…

—

Byoudouin: (I thought I could go out this early without anyone seeing me… but of course those two brats show up.)

Byoudouin: (Well, whatever. I’ll just ignore them and proceed to my practice as planned…)

Momoshiro: Hey, we should follow him!

Ryoma: Yeah. I’ve been wondering what kind of practice he typically does.

Byoudouin: (…Pardon?)

Momoshiro: We can’t get caught… We definitely can’t get caught, right~…?

Ryoma: Momo-senpai, be quiet! Do you want him to find out?

Byoudouin: I already have.

Ryoma & Momoshiro: !

Byoudouin: (It’d be hard not to notice when they make it so freaking obvious…)

Byoudouin: Are you prepared to cast your life away?

Ryoma: Huh, what’re you going on about…

Byoudouin: If you are willing to die, then follow me.

Momoshiro: Ohh, wow! That actually sounds kinda awesome!

Byoudouin: Hmph…

Ryoma: Jeez, he walks fast…!

Byoudouin: (It doesn’t even matter if those brats watch me.)

Byoudouin: (If they’re as curious as they claim, then they can try to imitate me all they want. They’ve got guts to be following me, I’ll admit.)

Byoudouin: (Show me your tenacity, you bastards…!)

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 2]

Ryoma: I didn’t know they had a cave like this near the beach.

Momoshiro: Right. But what’re we doing here…?

Byoudouin: …

Byoudouin: (Hm… I can hear them. Sounds like quite the army today, too.)

Byoudouin: (As always, concentrate your aim…)

Momoshiro: Oh, I get it! You’re practicing your skills as uhhh, uh… a pirate!

Byoudouin: (…What?)

Ryoma: Yeah… So that’s why we came to the beach.

Byoudouin: (Keep your assumptions to yourself…)

Byoudouin: If you want to run away, brats, now would be the time.

Ryoma: Run away? …Why?

Byoudouin: Take this lightly, and you’ll be in for a rude awakening.

Momoshiro: I’m all good! I’ll be watching you real closely!

Byoudouin: Hmph… Do as you will.

Byoudouin: (They’ll know the terrors of this special training soon enough.)

Byoudouin: (They’re here…)

*SCREEK! SCREEK!*

Ryoma: Huh… What’s that noise?

Byoudouin: (Here they come…!)

Momoshiro: Agh! That’s—!

*SCREEK! SCREEK!*

Ryoma: There’s so many of them…!

Byoudouin: Don’t get startled just over these bats!

Byoudouin: I’ll scatter you all at once…!

Momoshiro: Huhh~!? With a ball…!?

Ryoma: …For real?

Byoudouin: HAAAAAH…!

Byoudouin: GUOOOOH…!

Momoshiro: Whoa, holy crap…! Let’s join in, too!

Ryoma: Right!

Byoudouin: I don’t need your guys’ help! Perish…!

—

Byoudouin: Hmph… Is that all. Not even enough to be a warm-up.

Momoshiro: W-We got rid of them all…!

Ryoma: But is this seriously your special training? I didn’t see any pirates.

Byoudouin: What was that?

Momoshiro: Mmm, for sure. I wasn’t expecting this.

Byoudouin: (Well, that’s what you get for assuming…!)

Byoudouin: (…Ugh, forget it. The bats were only the beginning.)

Byoudouin: (I’ll show these brats more of my special training that’ll scare them out of their wits…!)

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 3]

Ryoma: Huff… huff…

Momoshiro: C-Crap… I can’t move…

Byoudouin: Hmph… So you’re finally worn out, you brats.

Byoudouin: (But you did well not to quit midway, at least. I guess you guys do have some guts.)

Byoudouin: Hey, Momoshiro.

Momoshiro: Yeah?

Byoudouin: You had your balloon popped by an eagle during that Red vs. White competition, didn’t you.

Byoudouin: Do you know what caused that loss?

Momoshiro: …Yeah. I let my guard down a bit…

Byoudouin: …In this world, the slightest misstep can be fatal.

Byoudouin: It goes without saying, you won’t be able to conquer the world if you struggle against your opponents. Be more diligent.

Momoshiro: …Right!!

Byoudouin: And you, boy. You’re no better.

Ryoma: Even though my balloon was still intact by the time it was over?

Byoudouin: That’s because Tooyama was supporting you. You weren’t fighting alone.

Ryoma: That’s…

Byoudouin: Do not overestimate yourself. If you’re satisfied with your current skills, then you’re only stopping your progression.

Byoudouin: Or perhaps you truly believe that you’re good enough as you are now?

Byoudouin: Have you already given up on the notion that you could progress even further?

Ryoma: Of course not. I’m going to get stronger, and I’m definitely gonna beat you…!

Byoudouin: (Don’t give me that cheeky look… If you want to become stronger, then you must be diligent. There is no other way.)

Byoudouin: Hmph…

Byoudouin: That’s it for my special training for today.

Momoshiro: …He left.

Ryoma: I’ll definitely beat that old man Byoudouin…!

Momoshiro: Hey, let’s swear on this sunset. That we’ll definitely beat him someday!

Ryoma: I’m good, you can do that all by yourself, Momo-senpai.

Momoshiro: What the heck! You party pooper!

[spicykaraage]

Snowing Eve - Story Translation

[Prologue]

Ibu: …!

Zaizen: Hah…!

—

Tsuge: That will be all for today! Don’t forget to do your stretches after practice!

All: Thank you very much!

—

Ibu: *sigh*… So cold. I can’t wait to head back and take a bath.

Zaizen: Our sweat’s gonna freeze over if we don’t hurry.

Yanagi: With how cold it’s gotten, it’s going to snow tomorrow.

Niou: Snow, huh. Hopefully it’s not too thick.

Kai: By the way, I heard the coaches talking about something as they were heading back.

Kai: It sounded like they’re trying to hide something for tomorrow’s practice.

Zaizen: What could that be.

Kai: Who knows? When they realized I was listening, they got even quieter and started whispering about it.

Yanagi: Well, tomorrow is Christmas Eve…

Niou: Maybe the coaches’ll be Santa Claus.

Ibu: Santa… Christmas gifts…

Zaizen: What, you interested.

Niou: Leave it to Ibu to be interested in Christmas Eve.

[It’s a joke since “eve” is pronounced “ibu” in Japanese. It’s been a long running joke and he has a Christmas album based off it.]

Ibu: I don’t really care about it…

Ibu: …Also, that’s really dumb to say I’m into Christmas Eve just because my name’s Ibu.

Yanagi: It’s quite rare to hear someone say they’re uninterested in something going on for Christmas.

Yanagi: But whatever it is, we’ll know by tomorrow.

Kai: Hehe, I look forward to it.

Ibu: (What’re those coaches hiding…)

Ibu: (Is it really related to Christmas Eve? I’ll tell Tachibana-san and the others later.)

—

Ryoga: It’s cute how those middle schoolers think.

Ryoga: Welp, let’s see what happens tomorrow…

[Episode 1]

Ibu: The snow’s piled up.

Tachibana: Yeah. But it probably won’t affect practice.

Kamio: Shouldn’t we be more concerned about this thing the coaches are preparing anyway?

Ibu: Kamio, don’t get too excited. We’re at a training camp, so it’s probably not gonna be something spectacular.

Kamio: Oh please, I know you’re on the edge of your seat too, Shinji.

Kamio: If anything, you’re probably the most excited about it, aren’t you?

Tachibana: Alright, that’s enough you two. Let’s hurry and get to the courts.

—

Tachibana: This is…

Kintarou: Check it out, Zaizen! They left a buncha huge sacks here!

Kintarou: It looks like Santa’s sacks.

Zaizen: There’s so many of them and they all look full. Maybe they really are gifts…

Kamio: A brand new BMX bike… No, there’s no way. But, maybe…

Kintarou: I hope it’s enough takoyaki to feed a thousand people.

Ibu: A planetarium projector… that’d be nice.

Kamio: What’s that, Shinji? It sounded like you were excited.

Ibu: I never said I wasn’t.

Tachibana: It looks like there’s more than enough for us… Maybe there’s some for the high schoolers too?

Zaizen: Ah, here comes the coach.

Tsuge: So, you’ve all made it.

Tsuge: Now, the training will commence! You see these sacks lined up here…

Tsuge: Each one contains dozens of kilos in weights. Carry these sacks to their designated areas!

Kamio: Weights?

Kintarou: What? There’s no presents?

Ibu: So this is what they were preparing…

Tsuge: Hm? How did you know?

Tsuge: We’ve prepared a different kind of Christmas-related training regimen for you all.

Tsuge: Don’t get carried away just because it’s Christmas, exercise caution and care.

Ibu: But I was kinda hoping for… gifts.

Kamio: Let’s just think of it as a different kind of training we can enjoy.

Ibu: As if…

Kamio: Oh, shut up. It’s better than staying mad about it.

Ibu: Well, whatever. I’m sure training will make me forget about getting my hopes up.

Tachibana: Chin up, you two.

Tachibana: The coaches prepared this training for us. I’m sure we’ll get accustomed to it.

Tachibana: Let’s hurry and do some warm-up exercises, then get ready to go.

Ibu & Kamio: Right!!

[Episode 2]

Ryoma: This sack’s so big.

Inui: The coach said there’s weights in them, and my guess is the weight of each one differs based on their size.

Kikumaru: It’s gonna be hard since the snow’s slippery, we’ll be using a lot of energy for this.

Fuji: Right. Let’s do our best, but also be careful.

Ryoma: I think carrying this shouldn’t be a problem…

Ryoma: Wh—whoa—!

Kawamura: You okay, Echizen?

Fuji: Nice, Taka-san. Caught it just in time.

Ryoma: Thanks for that, Kawamura-senpai.

Kawamura: Haha… It was no problem at all.

Kikumaru: You could be Santa if you can carry these big sacks that easily, Taka-san.

Inui: Speaking of Santa…

Inui: I’m sure one of the qualification tests to becoming Santa would be something like what we’re doing right now.

Kikumaru: Qualification test?

Ryoma: You have to be qualified to be Santa?

Inui: Yes. You’d likely have to pass four categories: a fitness test, interview, appearance evaluation, and recitation.

Inui: One of the fitness tests would involve carrying a sack and gifts over chimneys and other obstacles.

Fuji: Maybe that’s what the coaches meant by Christmas-related training…

Kawamura: Would it really be that kind of training?

Inui: It is a possibility.

Inui: In any case, it would be wise to choose a different sack better suited for you.

Ryoma: …Tch.

Ryoga: What’s this, Chibisuke? Already tuckered out before you even started?

Ryoga: I can carry your sack to the goal for you, if you want.

Ryoma: I don’t need your help.

Ryoga: Oh yeah? Welp, I’ll be on my way then…

Ryoga: Just don’t cry too hard ‘cause you can’t keep up with me.

Kikumaru: That’s nuts. He’s got a bigger sack than all of us and yet he’s moving so fast…

Ryoma: That does it…!

Kawamura: Ah, Echizen…!

Fuji: There he goes. And here he nearly lost his balance trying to carry that sack a minute ago.

Inui: We’d better take off too.

[Episode 3]

Kai: So we have to cut down all the trees growing around here?

Niou: Maybe you missed the part where the coach said only this front area.

Zaizen: What kind of training requires carrying around sacks and cutting down fir trees…

Ibu: And we need to get them all on a sled and drag it all the way back to the camp by noon… Sounds like we’re gonna be reindeer.

Yanagi: I won’t say I don’t understand how you feel.

Yanagi: But the coach gave us a deadline, and our time is limited. Let’s get to work now.

—

Kai: There… we go…!

Kai: …This is exhausting.

Ibu: It hasn’t even been thirty minutes since we started.

Kai: I know, but…

Kai: Ah! I know, why don’t we play “word chain” while cutting? I’ll start.

Ibu: Huh, wait…

Kai: Starting with “a”! Better come up with a word in ten seconds or you lose.

Ibu: Whatever… Okay, “apple.”

—

Niou: Looks like you’ve gotten the hang of using the two-man saw.

Zaizen: Yeah. Don’t expect me to be able to keep doing this over and over again though.

Yanagi: We can take turns then. You can go shovel some of the snow around here for the trip back.

Zaizen: Got it.

Zaizen: …Man, all we’ve been using is strength for this training today.

—

Kai: Well? You manage to fit all the trees on the sled?

Zaizen: Hold on, please. I just need to adjust this one here…

Zaizen: Phew… We should be good.

Niou: The trees look pretty magnificent lined up like that.

Ibu: Now all that’s left is to drag them back to the camp.

Zaizen: Alright, let’s get moving.

Yanagi: Wait. We’re going in the opposite direction.

Niou: Then let’s change it to where we’re not.

Kai: Ready, let’s do this. One, two…!

Ibu: Wait, there’s a tree over—

*THUD!*

[Episode 4]

Yanagi: It appears all of the snow covering that tree had fallen down when we hit it with the sled.

Niou: Yep, and now the sled’s buried in it.

Ibu: Ughh, just great, we’re buried in snow when we already don’t have much time as it is.

Kai: Let’s all dig it out!

—

Zaizen: We lost a lot of time ‘cause of that.

Ibu: …

Yanagi: What do you think? Can we pull it?

Ibu: I think so. It’s even more wobbly than before though.

Niou: Oh, yep. There’s a screw loose here.

Yanagi: It must’ve came loose when we hit the tree.

Yanagi: I want to repair it, but unfortunately we don’t have the tools.

Zaizen: And won’t the trees fall off if we pull it like this?

Yanagi: Yes. We’ll need someone to hold them down.

Yanagi: Can you?

Ibu: Sure.

Yanagi: Niou and I will support it from the rear. The rest of you will pull.

—

Niou: That was really tough going uphill…

Yanagi: Yes. But we’re almost at the camp.

Ibu: It’s downhill from here now.

Niou: Gah-lee… Alright, let’s put our all into this final stretch.

—

Kai: W-We made it~!

Yanagi: Miraculously, we made it on time.

Zaizen: That was a really close call, though.

Ibu: I’m beat…

Saitou: So you’ve returned, everyone?

Saitou: That will conclude today’s training. And now…

Saitou: Let’s have ourselves a fun Christmas party~

Kai: Huh, a party!?

Ibu: Wait, you mean…

Saitou: Tonight’s Christmas Eve, so this is our surprise for all of you who’ve been working hard.

Saitou: We had you all carry the tools and materials needed for the party during your training.

Zaizen: By carry, you mean the stuff that was in those sacks?

Yanagi: I see. So this training was part of getting preparations for the party.

Niou: Those coaches are sly, I tell you.

Ibu: …

Kai: Ah. Did you smile just now?

Niou: Oh? I’d even say he looks a little happy…

Yanagi: It makes sense considering we get to have a Christmas party after all that training.

Ibu: Maybe you shouldn’t stare at other people’s faces so much…

Ibu: (Well, it’s fine. I really am glad that we get to have a party.)

[Episode 5]

Kamio: What’s all this stuff you got here?

Ibu: Stuff for ornaments. I heard the trees we cut down are gonna be decorated and put on display.

Krauser: We are going to participate in the decorating too!

Kabaji: And we decided to make the ornaments by hand…

Niou: Oh, how cool.

Yagyuu: If you don’t mind, may the two of us join?

Kamio: Me too! We’ve still got time before the party starts.

Krauser: Of course! Let us make a lot of them.

—

Kabaji: …

Niou: Are you making a doll of Atobe, Kabaji?

Kabaji: Yes. I plan on making dolls of all the Hyotei members.

Yagyuu: You can easily tell which one is which just by their facial expressions.

Yagyuu: There’s also a wreath stand over here.

Krauser: I am going to make a Christmas wreath.

Kamio: Wreaths are those circle things you decorate, right? We can make one?

Krauser: Yes. You can also decorate it with ribbons, nuts, flowers and the like.

Yagyuu: It’s also a good way to express your personality with the types of flowers and decorations you use.

Kamio: Wow…

Kamio: Hey, Shinji. Why don’t you make one too? You like flowers, so I think something like that would be right up your alley!

Ibu: Making wreaths and making flower arrangements are two completely different things…

Ibu: But alright. If I’m gonna do this, I’d like to use winter flowers.

Ibu: Preferably something bright and festive… I’m pretty sure I saw fake poinsettias with the decorations.

Krauser: There are! You could also try adding some of these cymbidiums too.

Ibu: Good plan. And then I could decorate the rest of it with holly…

Krauser: Oh! That’s a good idea! And then maybe add some cedar roses.

Kamio: You two seem pretty hyped about this.

Yagyuu: Let’s leave the wreath-making to them.

Kamio: Right. And I’ll help out Kabaji with…

Kamio: Wait, huh!? Why’s there a mountain of teru teru bozu!?

Niou: I thought I’d follow Kabaji’s example and make something of my own.

Yagyuu: So you decided on teru teru bozu.

Yagyuu: Wait, this one is…

Niou: Whaddya think? Looks just like Yagyuu, doesn’t it?

Kabaji: That’s really good…

Kamio: Teru teru bozu on a Christmas tree… Would that even work?

Yagyuu: Well… I’m not quite sure.

Yagyuu: But I suppose it’ll work for Niou-kun.

[Episode 6]

Gakuto: Now where should I put this one?

Shishido: What’re you doing, Gakuto.

Shishido: I asked you to decorate the tree and you only put them at the top.

Gakuto: I’m gonna decorate the bottom half later.

Gakuto: The top part is what people pay attention to the most. Y’know, like the star on top.

Shishido: Yeah, I get that, but then you might not have enough ornaments to decorate the bottom.

Gakuto: We’ll be fine, you see how many we got? Plus I heard some of them are homemade.

Gakuto: More importantly, Shishido, gimme a boost real quick.

Shishido: ? Like this?

Gakuto: …There!

Shishido: Nice. Your jumping’s great as usual.

Gakuto: It’s no sweat off my back.

Ryoga: Decorating the tree? Looks like fun.

Shishido: You wanna do it with us, senpai?

Ryoga: Sure, I don’t have anything else to do.

Ryoga: Hm? Wait… there’s only decorations at the top of this tree.

Gakuto: Oh, that’s because I…

Ryoga: It’s fine. Here, you keep decorating the top half and I’ll decorate the bottom.

Gakuto: Okay!

—

Ryoga: Alright, whaddya think?

Shishido: There’s not enough ornaments to decorate the next tree…

Gakuto: I’ll go get some more.

Ryoga: Right, you got this.

Ryoga: ? That’s…

—

Byoudouin: …

Byoudouin: …Let’s go, Duke.

Duke: Oh, you’re not going to join them, Boss?

Byoudouin: I don’t care for it.

Ryoga: Fancy seeing you over here.

Byoudouin: Hmph.

Duke: We were just passing by on our way back from practice.

Ryoga: Really? Well, if you say so.

Ryoga: Since you’re already here, why don’t you help us decorate?

Byoudouin: …I’ll leave it to the people who actually enjoy that crap.

Ryoga: Yeah, I figured you’d say that.

Ryoga: It wouldn’t hurt to have some fun like that once in a while, y’know?

Byoudouin: …?

[Episode 7]

Tanishi: I’m absolutely starving. I wanna have that feast already!

Hirakoba: How many times are you gonna keep saying that.

Kai: For real. It’s all he’s been talking about.

Kite: If you guys are going to move your lips, then move your hands too while you’re at it.

Kite: You had said you would decorate this tree all on your own.

Hirakoba: Alright, alright.

Kai: We’re almost done, anyway.

Tanishi: You should join in too, Hiroshi.

Chinen: Alright, sure.

Chinen: You can leave decorating the higher parts to me.

Kai: Hmm, there’s tinsel and some decorations…

Kai: …

—

Kite: All that’s left is to wrap the tinsel around…

Hirakoba: Yuujirou had it earlier.

Kai: Hey. Guys, look over here.

Tanishi: ? What’s up.

Kai: How do I look?

Tanishi: Bwahaha! You decorated yourself!

Chinen: Lookin’ fancy.

Hirakoba: Now all we gotta do is wrap some lights around you and you’ll be radiant.

Hirakoba: Let’s add some of the ornaments that’re left over too.

Kai: Ahaha! Slow down you guys, you’re tickling me!

Kite: …

Kai: You wanna join, Kite?

Kite: No, thanks.

Kite: It appears you all have become more focused on decorating that “tree” rather than the actual one.

Kai: Wha. No, we…

Tanishi: All we’ve been doing till now is decorate it, so…

Kite: And you’ve done a wonderful job decorating Kai-kun, so why don’t we have him stand out here with his fellow trees instead of going to the party?

Kai: T-Take it easy, now! We’ll keep decorating it!

Chinen: They went right back to decorating.

Kite: Good grief…

[Episode 8]

Ishida: The party’s already off to a big start.

Zaizen: More like obnoxious. Can’t believe everyone’s this excited when it’s only Christmas Eve.

Kenya: Hey, you two. Why’re you tucked away in this corner?

Kenya: If you stay holed up over here then you’ll miss out on the food.

Zaizen: Nah, there’s tons of it, we should be good…

Tanishi: Bwahaha! This is great!

Kai: Whoa!? Kei-kun, did you seriously clear out all the food on this table!?

Zaizen: …Never mind, I take that back.

Kenya: See? I’m about to head over there right now, so I’ll get you guys some food too.

Kenya: Welp, I’m off to the races!

Zaizen: Always in a hurry.

Ishida: It’d be rude to have Kenya carry it all, so we should go too.

Zaizen: Right.

—

Ryoma: Whoa. This is really good…

Ryoga: Yo, Chibisuke. Stuffing your face, I see.

Tokugawa: You’ll want to save room for this.

Ryoma: A cake? But why...

Ryoga: Today’s your birthday, isn’t it? I was planning on buying you an actual birthday cake, but...

Ryoga: We were stuck with training today. So, I got you this cake to make up for it.

Tokugawa: He had told me about it earlier, so l wanted to congratulate you.

Tokugawa: Happy birthday, Echizen-kun.

Ryoma: ...Thanks.

Ryoga: What’s up, feelin’ embarrassed~?

Ryoma: No, l’m not.

Ryoma: Also, this cake is... I think I’m gonna share it.

Ryoga: ? You’re not gonna eat it all?

Ryoma: It was your birthday yesterday, wasn’t it? And we can have Tokugawa-san celebrate with us.

Ryoma: Plus... things taste better when you eat them together, right.

Ryoga & Tokugawa: ...

Ryoga: Yeah, you’re right. Okay, let’s eat it together.

Tokugawa: I’ll go get us some beverages.

Ryoga: And I’ll start cutting it. I’ll make sure to give you a slice with tons of strawberries on it, Chibisuke.

Ryoma: Tch… I don’t care.

Ryoma: Seriously, you’re so quick to treating me like a kid.

[Episode 9]

Marui: These desserts are amazing! Christmas is the best.

Jackal: You’ve been really stuffing yourself. How many is that now?

Sanada: It looks like they’ve restocked the meat. Yukimura, if you’re finished with your plate, I can go get you some more.

Yukimura: I’m good. Besides, if I had you do it, you’d just pile all of it on my plate.

Kirihara: Senpais, come take a look at this!

Yanagi: Akaya? I don’t think I’ve seen you around, where have you been?

Kirihara: Hehe! I was just chatting it up with the guys from the other schools…

Kirihara: And then I got my hands on something cool!

Yukimura: Something cool?

Kirihara: Check it out!

Sanada: What is that. Red clothes and a beard…

Jackal: And an antler headband too.

Marui: Stuff to dress up as Santa and his reindeer, right.

Kirihara: It’d be awesome if we had Santa here, but the real Santa is busy preparing all the gifts.

Kirihara: So how about you wear them, senpais?

Marui: I dunno about that.

Yukimura: That would be fun, wouldn’t it? Try it on, Sanada.

Sanada: Ngh… Me?

Kirihara: How about you become Santa, Yanagi-senpai?

Yanagi: Hm, I wouldn’t mind, but…

Yanagi: For something like this, the person who suggested it should start off by wearing it, don’t you think?

Kirihara: Huh, me?

Yanagi: I would even say it’d be a good idea to get a photo of both of us wearing them…

Yanagi: Santa should also have his reindeer with him, right? So it would be a good opportunity if you wore it.

Yukimura: If that’s the plan, then it’ll look weird with just the antlers. We should get a stuffed toy too.

Marui: Great idea! And we’ll find you a cute red nose while we’re at it.

Marui: …Jackal will.

Jackal: Me!?

Sanada: If we’re going to be doing this, then you’d better take it seriously, Akaya.

Kirihara: Wha, senpais… And they’re gone.

Kirihara: But I wanted to see you guys wearing it…

Yanagi: Heh…

[Episode 10]

Ibu: …

Kamio: You’ve been staring out there for a while now, Shinji. Is something up?

Ibu: There’s just this one tree that’s…

Ibu: Never mind, forget it… It’s really noisy over there, isn’t it?

Kamio: Yeah, they got Kirihara dressed up as a reindeer.

Kamio: You wanna go check it out?

Ibu: I’m good. It’s too warm in here, I’m gonna go out for some fresh air.

Kamio: Okay, then I’ll go with you.

—

Kamio: Brr, it’s freezing!

Ibu: Then you should’ve just stayed inside.

Kamio: Well, I needed some fresh air too.

Kamio: …Wow. All the trees are lit up.

Ibu: Yeah, I could kinda see them from the dining hall too.

Kamio: Oh yeah, you mentioned a tree earlier. Is it still bothering you?

Ibu: Not bothering me, but…

Ibu: There it is… I knew it, its star had fallen off.

Kamio: No way. You seriously noticed that?

Kamio: There’s a stepladder over here, I’ll hold it down so you can put it back on, Shinji.

—

Ibu: It was wobbling just now… You said you were gonna hold it down, so hold it down.

Kamio: I am holding it down! Maybe you need to balance yourself better.

Ibu: I climbed and am standing on it normally.

Ibu: …It’s best when it’s at the top. But it fell off when it was like that, so maybe somewhere else would be better. Where should I put it?

Kamio: Just hurry and put it back on already.

Ibu: You don’t need to rush me… Okay, it should be good.

—

Kamio: The tree’s beautiful.

Ibu: Yeah. I never thought we’d cut down our own trees and then decorate them.

Ibu: It doesn’t look too bad with all the ornaments and decorations we made though.

Kamio: Right.

Tachibana: There you are, you two.

Ibu: Oh, Tachibana-san.

Tachibana: They let me use the kitchen, so I cooked for you guys.

Tachibana: I made gratin and spring rolls if you guys want some.

Ibu: Tachibana-san’s spring rolls…

Kamio: Tachibana-san’s gratin…!

Ibu & Kamio: We’ll head right back!

Kamio: We seriously get to eat Tachibana-san’s cooking, Christmas really is the best!

Tachibana: I make it even when it’s not Christmas though.

Tachibana: Come to think of it, it’s Christmas and I haven’t even told you guys yet.

Ibu: What is it?

Tachibana: Merry Christmas. I hope it’s been a fun Christmas Eve for you two.

Kamio: Merry Christmas!

Kamio: Now you, Shinji!

Ibu: Yes, I know, you don’t need to be so loud.

Ibu: …Merry Christmas.

[Epilogue]

Ibu: Tired…

Yanagi: Stay up late?

Ibu: I couldn’t sleep after all that excitement.

Kai: Yeah, it did get pretty lit.

Zaizen: Now that Christmas is over, I wonder if the camp will be closed for winter break.

Niou: It won’t.

Kai: Maybe they’ll pull a New Year’s surprise too.

Ibu: I don’t think they can keep doing stuff like that.

Ryoga: Yo, good morning. Training on your own this morning?

Yanagi: Good morning. You too, senpai?

Ryoga: Nope, just on a morning walk.

Kai: Oh? Then how about you join us in our voluntary training?

Ryoga: Haha, I dig your energy at least.

Ryoga: You think you’re good enough to train with me?

Ibu: …Why don’t you try it out and see?

Niou: Just telling you isn’t my style, you know.

Zaizen: Same.

Ryoga: Uh-oh… I’ve got you all heated up now. I’d better hightail it outta here.

Ryoga: Let’s talk again sometime. See ya.

—

Kai: He was way too carefree, wasn’t he.

Ibu: That carefree personality of his… it reminds me of someone else and it pisses me off.

Ibu: (I’ve been playing tennis all year long, and I’m sure next year will be no different.)

Ibu: (I’ll practice even more now, so next year…)

Ibu: I’ll become even stronger.

[STORY END]

[spicykaraage]

Shuuji Tanegashima Tenigo Episodes - Story Translation

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 1]

Tanegashima: Phew… Another good day of practice☆

Tanegashima: Not to mention the weather’s great today, and the wind feels nice too.

Tanegashima: Tennis is cool and all, but on days like these, I’d rather be at sea.

Hirakoba: I feel the same way too.

Tanegashima: Oh, really!? You get me.

Yuushi: Be at sea… You mean on a boat?

Tanegashima: Yup, yup. I like going cruising.

Hirakoba: Oh, wow! That’s a cool hobby.

Atobe: Then let’s go on our next day off.

Tanegashima: Huh? Well, I’d like to, but…

Atobe: Alright, I’ll make the arrangements.

Hirakoba: For real?

Atobe: Of course. Would you like to go too, Oshitari?

Yuushi: Sure, I don’t really have anything planned.

Atobe: Heh, then it’s settled.

Atobe: *beep!* …Hey, it’s me. Have them arrange a cruise for our next day off… Yes, that’s fine.

Atobe: …There we have it, the four of us here will be going.

Tanegashima: Wha, you seriously just made arrangements for a cruise!? That’s amazing…

Hirakoba: Right, this’ll be fun.

Tanegashima: Oh, but there’s one thing I forgot to mention. Do you have any way of getting to the beach without flying?

Hirakoba: Oh yeah, Tanegashima-san doesn’t like flying.

Tanegashima: That I don’t. Please tell me I don’t have to.

Atobe: Very well then, I understand. I’ll adjust it so that we don’t have to fly.

Tanegashima: Thank you, I appreciate it~! I look forward to the next day off.

Hirakoba: Alright! I’ll show you just how great the ocean is, Oshitari!

Yuushi: Well, all I’ve been doing is tennis lately, so this’ll be a nice break. I’m looking forward to it too.

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 2]

Tanegashima: I would’ve never imagined myself saying I wanna go cruising and then just having it happen.

Hirakoba: I’m a little impressed too!

Tanegashima: The heir to the Atobe Corporation is on a whole ‘nother level.

Yuushi: Oh, this is nothing for him. You’d better get used to it.

Atobe: Heh… Well since we’re here, shall we go fishing? I have all the gear ready.

Tanegashima: Oh, sure. Let’s do it!

—

Yuushi: Have you caught anything?

Hirakoba: Not a single thing. I’m better at spearfishing than actual fishing, anyway.

Atobe: So you guys haven’t caught anything yet?

Hirakoba: Whoa! You caught so many!

Yuushi: You’ve probably caught all the fish that were swimming around here.

Tanegashima: Haha, that’s amazing~… Hah, I’ve been saying that a lot today, huh.

Hirakoba: But look at how many you’ve caught, Tanegashima-san!

Tanegashima: Yeah, I’ve kinda done this now and again.

Tanegashima: Is this a baby yellowtail? It’ll be big soon enough.

Tanegashima: …Oh, that’s right. I just remembered.

Yuushi: What is it?

Tanegashima: There was this one time I went to the beach, and I was fishing on a boat like this too… and I had a photo shoot.

Hirakoba: A photo shoot… Ah! Wait, was that one of your reader model gigs you had with Kimijima-san!?

Tanegashima: That’s right. Ah, the memories~

Hirakoba: I have that magazine! That’s crazy…

Tanegashima: For real? I’m happy to hear that~. Thank you☆

[Improvement Level 1 - Episode 3]

Tanegashima: Hey, the ocean looks beautiful, so why don’t we go swimming?

Hirakoba: For real! I’ve been itching to take a dip for a while now…

Tanegashima: Okay! Let’s have a little race to see who can swim from the boat to the beach the fastest!

Hirakoba: That sounds great!

Yuushi: No, hang on a sec please.

Tanegashima: Mm?

Yuushi: I don’t think this kind of weather is suited for swimming.

Hirakoba: Nah, once you jump in, it’s not—

Atobe: This isn’t Okinawa. Do you want to catch a cold?

Hirakoba: Tch…

Tanegashima: Welp, so be it. It is what it is.

Tanegashima: Then how about we stargaze on the beach before the trip ends?

Yuushi: I can get behind that.

Hirakoba: You got it!

Atobe: Well, that should be fine as long as we let them know when to pick us up.

Tanegashima: Alright, it’s a plan☆ But I’m honestly surprised you guys are into stargazing, you’re such romantics.

Yuushi: Didn’t you suggest it in the first place, Tanegashima-senpai?

Tanegashima: Haha, true, true.

—

Tanegashima: Today’s been lots of fun. Thanks so much!

Atobe: It was nothing, I’m glad to know you had fun.

Atobe: I’ve also made reservations at a seaside café, so let’s have tea time after this.

Tanegashima: Wow~, your hospitality is impeccable. I could learn a lot from you.

Atobe: You have a lot to learn from us, and in turn, we will keep learning from you.

Tanegashima: Haha! Well said.

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 1]

Kimijima: By the way, Tanegashima-kun. This magazine we’ve previously modeled in has asked for our reappearance.

Tanegashima: Modeling… Eh, I’ll do it if I feel up to it.

Kimijima: If you feel up to it… You won’t possibly cancel last minute, will you?

Tanegashima: Yeah, actually, I’ll pass for now. I change my mind a lot.

Kimijima: Well, that’s too bad then.

Tanegashima: But there’s a lot of other handsome fellows at this camp too. Why don’t you ask them?

Kimijima: Hm… In that case, who do you think would fit the role?

Tanegashima: How about a middle schooler? Like Fuji?

Kimijima: I have a feeling he’ll be difficult to negotiate with.

Tanegashima: Okay then… how about Niou-chan?

Kimijima: I’m sure he’ll give the same response you did.

Tanegashima: Then how about the Oshitari with glasses!

Kimijima: He’ll likely politely decline…

Tanegashima: Okayy, then how about ‘Nosuke?

Kimijima: Shiraishi-kun, hm… Perhaps?

Tanegashima: Yeah, he’s got some potential doesn’t he? I’ve heard about him. He sounds even cooler than me!

Kimijima: Well… I’m sure the company would agree to that, let’s negotiate with him.

Tanegashima: Okay, I’ll go negotiate with him right away! Heh heh~♪

Kimijima: Ah… He’s gone…

Kimijima: (By the looks of things, I have a feeling the negotiations are going to fail…)

Kimijima: (Shiraishi-kun doesn’t seem interested in modeling either, and I believe there’s certain steps we must go through in order to negotiate with him…)

Kimijima: (Ah, oh well. I’ll just have to let the company know that he declined.)

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 2]

Tanegashima: Hey, you guys.

Chitose: Whoa!?

Shiraishi: Tanegashima-san!

Tanegashima: Mm? You that shocked to see me?

Chitose: No, it’s just that you popped out of nowhere on that Segway.

Tanegashima: Haha, well I didn’t mean to, y’know? Anywho, ‘Nosuke, I wanna ask you something.

Shiraishi: What is it?

Tanegashima: We’re looking for a reader model for this fashion magazine. So how ‘bout it, ‘Nosuke?

Shiraishi: A reader model? Oh no, I’m not really into that sort of thing…

Chitose: Despite how Shiraishi looks, he’s pretty shy. I don’t think that’d work out too well.

Tanegashima: Yeah, yeah, I get it! But you may end up liking it more than you thought if you give it a shot?

Shiraishi: No, I… I’m good.

Tanegashima: No, no, just give it a try! You’ll definitely like it!

Tanegashima: Listen, listen, you get to wear all these cool clothes as a model…

Tanegashima: And it’s like you can turn into a completely different person, it’s super cool☆

Shiraishi: …Tanegashima-san.

Tanegashima: Yeah?

Shiraishi: Since you seem to think it’s so cool, why don’t you do it instead?

Tanegashima: I already have, so it’s just a hassle for me now.

Shiraishi: Is that so?

Tanegashima: Yup. But if you don’t wanna do it, then oh well! ‘Kay, bye now.

Shiraishi: Er, right… I’m sorry I couldn’t help you!

Tanegashima: Nah, it’s fine, it’s fine! Don’t even worry about it☆

Chitose: …He’s a little much, isn’t he…

Shiraishi: Yeah…

[Improvement Level 2 - Episode 3]

Tanegashima: Hey~, nice job today☆ Can I talk to you for a bit?

Sengoku: Great job today. What do you need?

Tanegashima: Okay, so I was asking Kanata about “good-looking guys who are into girls,” and your name came up.

Sengoku: Yeah, that’s true… I guess, is that supposed to be a compliment or something…?

Tanegashima: Of course! Anyway, after we’re done with this camp, you wanna go on a mixer?

Sengoku: A mixer…!

Tanegashima: It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the training camp, it’s just hard do those while we’re here, y’know?

Sengoku: Ah, yeah, it would be better once we’re out.

Tanegashima: So is there anyone else we could invite?

Sengoku: Well, maybe? I’d say Momoshiro-kun’s pretty cool to hang with.

Tanegashima: Ah, okay! Then…

Tanegashima: Oh! What about ‘Nosuke? He has such a nice face.

Sengoku: Uhh, let’s not do Shiraishi-kun. He’s not really outgoing.

Tanegashima: Oh, yeah? That’s too bad. Then who else?

Sengoku: Huh, who else? You know most of the guys here are focused on tennis right, I don’t think they’ll be too into that…

Tanegashima: Okay, why don’t we try something unexpected? What about the captains from each school?

Sengoku: Absolutely not! I don’t even wanna start on them~!

Tanegashima: Why not? We should at least try.

Sengoku: I can already imagine the disaster…

Sengoku: Tezuka-kun would make them run laps. Yukimura-kun would take away their senses, and Kite-kun would use these weird peppers from his homeland…

Tanegashima: What about Atobe?

Sengoku: If Atobe-kun goes… the girls will only pay attention to him…!

Tanegashima: Yeah… that doesn’t sound fun…

Sengoku: Right?

Tanegashima: Well, just find someone good then. You got this!

Sengoku: Huh, ah, wait—

Sengoku: And he left. He’s really making me do this now…

Sengoku: Well, let’s see if my captain would be up to it!

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 1]

Tanegashima: (It’s nice walking around the mall by myself once in a while, changes things up a bit…)

Tanegashima: (Bought some magazines, went to some clothes stores, and now it’s time to head back…)

Yuuta: Oh, Tanegashima-san. What’re you doing here?

Tanegashima: Whoa, you’re all matching!

Tanegashima: Ah, I was just doing some wandering around is all. What about you?

Kirihara: We’re going to the arcade! We’re gonna play a gun-shooting game.

Tanegashima: Oh, really?

Yuuta: We all go to the arcade a lot, so we started talking and now we’re gonna compete to see which one of us is the best…

Ryoma: Well, we all know it’s me though.

Kirihara: Huh!? You don’t know what! I’ll beat you into the ground!

Yuuta: Hey, hey, we haven’t even started yet. Don’t fight.

Tanegashima: Nice, that sounds fun!

Ryoma: You like games too, Tanegashima-san?

Tanegashima: Yup. I love gun-shooting games. I would say I’m even pretty good at them.

Ryoma: Huh…!

Kirihara: Really!? Then you should come with us.

Tanegashima: Can I?

Yuuta: Of course, the more the merrier.

Ryoma: All four of us can compete at the same too.

Kirihara: Exactly!

Tanegashima: Well since you asked, I’ll go with you guys. Let’s have ourselves a serious competition☆

Yuuta: Great, I won’t lose!

Kirihara: Alright! Now Tanegashima-san gets to do it too!

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 2]

Tanegashima: Man~, I got a little carried away~

Tanegashima: A little more though and I would’ve made it to the top of the international rankings… Aw, man.

Ryoma: We made a big scene though.

Yuuta: Haha… Having everyone staring at us was pretty cringey. It was hard keeping my head in the game.

Kirihara: Well, that’s how it be sometimes. I was just that in the zone. I did pretty good though, didn’t I!?

Yuuta: Yeah. Tanegashima-san was unbelievable, but I’d say it was a close call for the rest of us!

Ryoma: I guess this means we weren’t all talk.

Kirihara: Then let’s keep this going at the camp. Let’s hurry and head back so we can have another competition!

Yuuta: But there’s no way we could do gun-shooting at the camp, right?

Tanegashima: Yeah, you’re right… Ah!

Kirihara: Do you have an idea!?

Tanegashima: Yeah. We might be able to do it as long as we have stuff we can use as targets!

Tanegashima: Like those things you usually see in baseball.

Ryoma: Got it… If we can use anything, we could just use cardboard boxes.

Yuuta: But most importantly, what about the guns?

Tanegashima: Well if I were to say: we’d definitely be using those, right?

Yuuta: “Those”…?

Ryoma: Right, our tennis rackets.

Tanegashima: Bingo☆

Yuuta: So we’re just gonna be playing tennis!?

Kirihara: Sounds fun! I’m getting more excited!!

Ryoma: I don’t plan on losing.

Yuuta: A-A tennis match with these guys… It looks like this’ll be tough, but I won’t lose either!

Tanegashima: Alright, let’s go back to the camp and set up the targets!

[Improvement Level 3 - Episode 3]

Tanegashima: Okay… The targets are now complete~!

Kirihara: Let’s get this started!

Ryoma: What about the rules? It won’t be fun if we do it the normal way.

Yuuta: True… Like, maybe we could try guessing which number you’ll hit or…

Fuji: Hey, what’re you all doing here?

Yuuta: Big Bro!

Ryoga: Looks like you got something fun going on.

Ryoma: …Ugh.

Tanegashima: They’re targets. We were playing gun-shooting at the arcade earlier, and I was wondering if we could play a game like that at the camp.

Fuji: So you set up these targets? That’s cool.

Ryoga: Nice, lemme join too.

Kirihara: Yeah, for sure! Let’s all do it together!

Yuuta: …This’ll finally decide who the winner is!

Ryoma: We’ve kept this going on long enough.

Tanegashima: Alright, let’s settle this~

Fuji: Hey, Yuuta. What’s got you all excited about this?

Yuuta: Well, there was kinda all this stuff that went down at the arcade…

Ryoga: Kakaka, and what do you mean by that.

Ryoga: Eh whatever, let’s have some fun. I’ll be taking the winner title too while I’m at it.

Tanegashima: Nuh-uh, I wouldn’t be too sure about that last part. I’ll be taking the title☆

Kirihara: No, I will!

Yuuta: I’m going to win!

Fuji: If I’m gonna be a part of this, then I won’t be losing.

Ryoma: Obviously I’m not gonna lose either.

Tanegashima: Haha! Y’all have gotten more excited about gun-shooting, haven’t you?

Tanegashima: Now, it’s time… Let the competition begin!

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 1]

Kintarou: Hey hey, Mister Tokugawa!

Ryoma: We wanna ask you something.

Tokugawa: Tooyama-kun and Echizen-kun. What is it?

Irie: Well, well, the energetic first year combo is gracing us with their presence.

Kintarou: So, we saw you and Mister Tanegashima playing a match earlier…

Tokugawa: Yes, what about it?

Ryoma: We don’t really know him…

Tokugawa: ? And what does that entail?

Kintarou: Well Mister Tanegashima is always super smiley, and I think he’s a good guy, but…

Kintarou: I think he’s got something else going on…

Ryoma: He keeps his guard up, doesn’t he.

Irie: Do you mean in a match? Or in his everyday life?

Ryoma: Both.

Kintarou: I can never win “Look Over there”! So can you tell me about Mister Tanegashima?

Tokugawa: Tanegashima-san is… an elusive type of person.

Tokugawa: He goes at his own pace, and at first glance appears not to be thinking of anything, but in reality is very deep in thought… at least I suppose.

Kintarou: …You suppose?

Tokugawa: I still don’t quite understand him myself.

Kintarou: Huh, even you, Mister Tokugawa!?

Tokugawa: Yes, even me.

Ryoma: Then what about you, Irie-san? What do you think of Tanegashima-san?

Irie: Hm, I’m not sure. But, I can tell you one thing…

Irie: You two probably wouldn’t be able to beat him.

Ryoma: …!

Kintarou: What’s that all mean!? None of it makes any sense! And I wouldn’t lose!!

Ryoma: Guess we’ll just have to ask him directly… There he is right there.

Kintarou: For real!? Alright then Koshimae, let’s go! …Mister Tanegashimaaa!

—

Tanegashima: …Hm? What’s up?

Ryoma: Hey, play a match with me.

Tanegashima: Right now? Mmm, I dunno about that.

—

Irie: Oof, there they go.

Tokugawa: Irie-san, why did you spur them on.

Irie: Fufu… Because I thought it’d be funny.

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 2]

Kite: Right then, now to partake in today’s dinner… Wh—Tanishi-kun. What is that?

Tanishi: What I’m having? It’s just tebichi.

Kite: Yes, I get that part.

Hirakoba: Kei-kun, Eishirou’s not asking about that. He’s asking why you have so much.

Chinen: You’ve got a mountain there. It’s about to spill off the plate.

Tanishi: Yeah, I know. But I’m not the only one.

Kai: Yeah, right, who else could have as much tebichi as you do?

Tanishi: I saw him! He’s over at the high schoolers’ tables!

Chinen: High schoolers?

Tanishi: Tanegashima-san’s got a whole mountain of it on his plate too, I was just following his lead.

Chinen: Are you serious?

Kai: Hmm… Lemme go check it out.

—

Kai: Whoa…!

Tanegashima: Mm? What’s up?

Kai: Err, that’s a lot of tebichi you got there…

Tanegashima: Yeah, this stuff rocks. I love it.

Kai: I-I’m sure you do… See ya.

—

Kai: I-I’m not even kidding you guys! He seriously does!

Tanishi: See, I told you.

Hirakoba: For real…

Kai: I didn’t expect Tanegashima-san to be such a big fan of tebichi…

Hirakoba: So does Tanegashima-san like Okinawan food?

Chinen: I dunno, but I’m glad he likes tebichi.

Kai: Definitely!

Kite: This is a good sign. Now is the time to spread the good word of Okinawa!

Kite: We shall continue to enlighten Tanegashima-san!

[Improvement Level 4 - Episode 3]

Yanagi: The other day, Akuto-niisan had asked me to join him in a card game.

Niou: Yeah, I was there too.

Sanada: Oh, and who else?

Yanagi: There were six of us: Me, Tanegashima-san, Irie-san, Sadaharu, Akuto-niisan and Niou.

Yukimura: Wow, quite the crowd you had. It must’ve been hard to win.

Sanada: Yes. It must’ve been a complex psychological battle, with each player scheming to outwit the other…

Yanagi: Quite right, you two. The high schoolers were very observant as expected.

Yanagi: Me and Sadaharu’s data didn’t stand a chance.

Yukimura: What’d you do, Niou?

Niou: …If you start thinking there’s no chance of winning, then you just gotta stop thinking at that point.

Niou: I did that, and it turned out better than I thought.

Yanagi: Yes, that’s right, you did win one game.

Sanada: Oh, not bad.

Niou: But it was only one win. The members that were there were seriously diabolical.

Niou: The front’s the back facing the front. Lines aren’t straight, they’re straight outta line, just too strong.

Yukimura: Fufu, didn’t expect that much to come from you, Niou.

Tanegashima: Oh, I know you didn’t just call me diabolical, Niou-chan.

Niou: Nh! Tanegashima-san… You just came up behind me out of nowhere.

Tanegashima: Haha, sorry about that! I just happened to pass by.

Tanegashima: I’ll always be ready for a rematch~☆

Yukimura: …And off he goes.

Niou: …

Sanada: Hm? It’s rare for you to look upset, Niou.

Yanagi: And rightfully so. Tanegashima-san had won ten times more than Niou.

Sanada: How many rounds did you do…

Niou: Guess this means I still got a lot to learn.

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 1]

Irie: …Hah!

Tanegashima: …Hah!

—

Irie: Whew… Trying to challenge you in a battle of wits is unwise indeed.

Tanegashima: Not really, why don’t you just go with the flow?

Irie: …Go with the flow?

Tanegashima: Don’t try and think so hard over it, just hit the ball and leave it at that.

Irie: Mmm… That would be difficult, wouldn’t it?

Irie: Whenever I face off against you, Shuu-san, I end up wanting to try all sorts of unnecessary things.

Tanegashima: Haha, like what? Trying to find as many openings as you can?

Irie: No, not just that. It’s just how my play style works.

Irie: But, if I’m not mistaken, you don’t like playing against me do you, Shuu-san?

Tanegashima: Oh, that’s ridiculous. Are you serious?

Irie: I’m right, aren’t I?

Tanegashima: Well, moving on! The thing is, even if you are witty enough for matches…

Tanegashima: Your physical condition’s lacking, and the coaches have talked to you about it, haven’t they?

Irie: Yes, that is true.

Tanegashima: You’ve been doing stuff like playing the saxophone to build up your lung capacity. But why not do other stuff that’ll build up your muscle too?

Irie: Yes, thank you for the very obvious advice.

Tanegashima: Well, yeah, I guess it is…

Tanegashima: Ah, but there’s just one more thing that’s been bothering me.

Irie: What is it?

Tanegashima: You watch and study all these different DVDs everyday to improve your acting skills, right?

Tanegashima: But I’d say your acting skills are already good enough, so why not use that time for strength training…

Irie: No, I couldn’t possibly! That would destroy my whole identity!

Tanegashima: Haha, alright, go ahead and keep doing it then. If that’s the only way to hone your acting skills.

Irie: …But… you’re right. I’ll try to increase my amount of strength training each day.

Tanegashima: Right, you got this.

Irie: Your advice was helpful, Shuu-san. I’ll give it a try.

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 2]

Sanada: …Hm? Senpai.

Tanegashima: Oh, nice job today. You taking a break right now?

Sanada: Yes, this is actually perfect timing. Senpai, I have a favor to ask of you.

Tanegashima: What’s up?

Sanada: I wish to do a rematch of “Look Over There”!

Tanegashima: Oh, you’ve been itching, huh. I’ll do it anytime you want!

Tanegashima: So, you wanna do it right now?

Sanada: Yes, please!

Tanegashima: Alright, you ready? First comes rock☆ Rock, paper and… scissors!

Tanegashima: Now look over there☆

Sanada: Kuh…

Tanegashima: Rock, paper… scissors! Now look over there☆

Sanada: Nnngh…!

Tanegashima: Look over there☆

Sanada: …Hh!

Sanada: (I lost…!)

Tanegashima: Haha, looks like you still can’t beat me, huh?

Sanada: O-One more time…!

Akutsu: The hell are you two doing.

Sanada: …Akutsu.

Tanegashima: As you can see, we’re doing “Look Over There.”

Akutsu: Sanada, you lost miserably again. Hmph… how pathetic.

Sanada: What?

Akutsu: Now it’s my turn.

Tanegashima: Oh, okay. Let’s do this.

Akutsu: Bring it…!

Tanegashima: First comes rock☆ Rock, paper… scissors!

Tanegashima: Now look over there☆

Akutsu: Kuh…!

Tanegashima: Rock, paper… scissors! Now look over there☆

Akutsu: (He’s pointing to the left! Don’t look there…!)

Akutsu: Gggrh…!

Tanegashima: Oh… wow!

Sanada: You’re doing well, Akutsu!

Akutsu: Not yet, I still haven’t won yet. Hurry and keep going…!

Tanegashima: Ah, sorry. But I have to get back to practice now.

Akutsu: What!?

Tanegashima: Tokugawa’s waiting for me at the courts. Welp, see ya!

Akutsu: Dammit! He ran away…!

Sanada: Akutsu, it can’t be helped if he has to practice. I must be returning as well.

Sanada: But, even so…

Akutsu: Next time, I’ll definitely win!

Sanada: Right!

[Improvement Level 5 - Episode 3]

Tanegashima: Breaky break time. I wanna eat something sweet.

Omagari: Hey, look! They have five different kinds of taiyaki.

Tanegashima: Oh, taiyaki sounds good. I wonder which flavor I should have. What’ll you get, Ryuji?

Omagari: I wanna eat all of them… but that’ll be too much, so I better not.

Tanegashima: You sure love taiyaki don’t you, Ryuji… I’m gonna go with custard.

Omagari: Then I’ll have adzuki and matcha.

Omagari: …Who am I even kidding! I think I am just gonna eat them all!

Tanegashima: Haha, I figured that’d happen.

Tanegashima: Alright, time to dig in!

Omagari: …Hey, why are you starting from the stomach? It’s not an actual fish.

Tanegashima: Because I wanna eat my taiyaki from the stomach. It doesn’t matter how you eat it, right?

Omagari: Ughh, I mean, I guess… but…

Tanegashima: Haha, it’s seriously bothering you?

Omagari: …Yeah, ‘cause it’s weird. Well whatever, I’m gonna eat mine too.

Omagari: Mm! So good…

Tanegashima: Hey, Ryuji.

Omagari: Hm?

Tanegashima: About that Red vs. White competition we had, I wanted to play in it some more.

Tanegashima: I wanted to see more of Atobe-kun and Kiteretsu’s reactions.

Omagari: …So you really were just playing around.

Tanegashima: Well, those middle schoolers are gonna get stronger regardless, y’know? And they’re fun to mess with.

Omagari: Yes, I know, but that Red vs. White competition was still a part of our training. So you should’ve taken it seriously.

Tanegashima: Chai☆ It was still serious though, wasn’t it? I just added some fun to the mix!

Omagari: *sigh*… Why do I even bother.

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 1]

Tanegashima: Heyyy, you two!

Kikumaru: Tanegashima-senpai!

Tanegashima: You guys wanna come with me to do some DVA [Dynamic Visual Acuity] training right now?

Sengoku: DVA training, huh… I’d say my visual acuity for spotting cute girls is second to none!

Tanegashima: That’s great! But it’ll be even better if you trained it more too☆

Sengoku: “Better”? You’re right… it would be really lucky if I found cuter girls!

Tanegashima: What about you, Kikumaru?

Kikumaru: Let’s do it! It sounds fun, so I’ll join in!

Tanegashima: Haha, awesome! Is there anyone else you think would be to good to train with?

Kikumaru: Oh, what about Mukahi?

Sengoku: Mukahi-kun’s vision is pretty good, I’m sure he’d be up to it.

Tanegashima: Okay then Sengoku, can you go ask him?

Sengoku: Sure, leave it to me!

Tanegashima: Thank you. Okay Kikumaru, you and I will get the training set up.

Kikumaru: What training will we be doing?

Tanegashima: Y’know about the Segways? We’re gonna do a time trial with them.

Kikumaru: Wow, sounds cool!

Tanegashima: Right? But they’re pretty big, so it’s gonna be a process trying to get a bunch of them. I’d appreciate it if you’d help me~

Kikumaru: Of course! I’m so excited~

Tanegashima: Okay, let’s hurry and go! And good luck asking him, Sengoku.

Kikumaru: See ya later, Sengoku!

Sengoku: Right!

Sengoku: …I know I said okay to this, but what do Segways have to do with DVA?

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 2]

Sengoku: Tanegashima-san! I’ve brought Mukahi-kun.

Gakuto: Be great working with ya!

Tanegashima: Great, we’re just finishing up here.

Kikumaru: Yep, finally done!

Tanegashima: Nice. Now onto starting the time trial with the Segways!

Gakuto: So what’re the rules?

Tanegashima: We’re gonna compete with them to see how long it takes for us to go around the courts, and the best time after three laps is the winner!

Sengoku: Gotcha! I’ve never really ridden one before, but I’m sure I’ll get the hang of it after three laps.

Kikumaru: Sounds fun~!

Tanegashima: It’s not that hard, now let’s try it☆

Tanegashima: We’ll decide who goes first with rock, paper, scissors. Ready, rock, paper… scissors☆

—

Tanegashima: Okay, first up is Kikumaru. Up you go!

Kikumaru: Let’s do this!

Kikumaru: …Whoa. I have to keep my balance… but also be fast!

—

Kikumaru: Whew, I did it!

Tanegashima: So, what’d you think?

Kikumaru: It was fun! It makes me wanna get a Segway too!

Tanegashima: Haha, right? …Next is Sengoku.

Sengoku: Right.

—

Sengoku: Wow, if your line of sight changes even a little while you’re speeding, it becomes hard to control…!

Sengoku: I’ll have to really watch out when I’m turning, now I can see why your vision would need to be good for this…

—

Gakuto: …Wahoo! This is great! It feels amazing!

Gakuto: But it is pretty hard trying to go fast…

—

Tanegashima: …Nice. Welp, it looks like I won by a landslide~☆

Gakuto: Well, you’re used to it so obviously you would!

Kikumaru: Yeah!!

Tanegashima: But you still did it regardless, didn’t you?

Sengoku: Ahaha… I didn’t even consider that…

Tanegashima: Haha! Well, let’s play around using our DVA then!

[Improvement Level 6 - Episode 3]

Gakuto: The training room’s definitely got it… There it is! The DVA testing machine!

[A common machine in Japan that’s a black board covered in red buttons that you’re supposed to press when they light up. Here’s what it looks like if you’re curious.]

Tanegashima: Yup. Now we’ll see how much we can score on this.

Sengoku: Great. This is something we’ve all used before.

Oishi: What’re you guys doing?

Kikumaru: Oh, Oishi! Right now we’re competing using our DVA!

Tanegashima: Yeah, you wanna join us too, Oishi?

Oishi: Well, it does sound interesting!

Oishi: My eyesight may not be as good as your guys’, but if you’re okay with it then sure, I’ll join in!

Tanegashima: Yeah, of course! I don’t mind at all.

Kikumaru: Alright, I’ll beat Tanegashima-senpai this time!

Gakuto: Yeah, there’s no way I’ll lose!

Oishi: “This time”…?

Sengoku: We just did a time trial using the Segways, and Tanegashima won no contest.

Oishi: Oh, I get it. So you’re settling the score.

Tanegashima: Well, now that you’ve joined us Oishi, let’s have you go first!

Oishi: Huh, me?

Kikumaru: You’ve got this, Oishi!

Gakuto: Don’t let Tanegashima-senpai win!

Oishi: Uhhh, I can’t make any promises… but I’ll do my best at least.

Tanegashima: The numbers on this board will each light up, and the goal’s to press one after another… Here we go!

Oishi: (Six… one, five…! Whoa, I did it…)

Tanegashima: Now it’s gonna speed up!

Oishi: (Nine… three…)

Oishi: Uhh, uh… where!?

—

Tanegashima: Okay, all done!

Oishi: Wasn’t it going too fast though…? Did you see it, Eiji?

Kikumaru: More or less.

Oishi: Of course…

Tanegashima: Okay, now two numbers are gonna light up at the same time, let’s do this!

Oishi: I-It’s still going… Okay!

—

Oishi: Uhh, wha…!?

Kikumaru: Oishi, three and five, ah, one and seven!

Oishi: It’s too fast…!

—

Tanegashima: Alrighty, now we’re gonna see if Oishi’s speed can—

Sengoku: Tanegashima-san, are we just gonna keep watching Oishi-kun train with this?

Tanegashima: Haha, well he’s been trying so hard that I couldn’t help but have him keep going.

Sengoku: (It feels like Tanegashima-san’s just been messing around with us this whole time…)

Sengoku: (…Well, whatever.)

They call the Segways “two-wheeled electric vehicles” due to branding but I’m not calling them that every time🤠

[spicykaraage]

Tenigo Pair Scenario - Tsukimitsu Ochi & Jusaburou Mouri

Ochi: …Mm.

Mouri: Nice job today~, you sure look happy, Tsuki-san.

Ochi: Yes… The water around these mountains is really good… I was just tasting it.

Ochi: It likely comes from within the mountains. So I feel that it has a better mineral balance compared to the tap water in the city.

Mouri: Yeah~, I definitely feel like the tap water around here’s got a different taste to it~

Mouri: And the food’s delicious too~. The stuff they serve here’s always so good, I enjoy it every time.

Ochi: Yes, that’s very true…

Mouri: There’s not much else to do here at this camp besides play tennis, so daily meals are pretty important.

Mouri: Otherwise your stress’ll just build up.

Ochi: Right… I like the food, but the water’s especially nice here.

Mouri: Heh, that’s all you need~

Ochi: I’d like to take some home if I could…

Mouri: Wow… Wasn’t expecting you to say something like that.

Mouri: Oh, but I’ve heard stories that if you go into the mountains, an old lady will bring you some water…

Mouri: But that sounds weird… doesn’t it? Yeah, I don’t really get it!

Ochi: Well, the story varies from person to person. It makes sense that you wouldn’t understand.

Mouri: Sorry~. Ah, but if you want to take some home, I’ll help you carry it!

Ochi: Right, I’ll be counting on you when that time comes.

[spicykaraage]

Tenigo Pair Scenario - Shuuji Tanegashima & Ryuji Omagari

Omagari: Argh, I can’t find it, where’d it go… Is it here!?

Omagari: …Nope!! Ugh, this is pissing me off!

Tanegashima: What’s buggin’ you, Ryuji~. I dunno what’s going on, but ease up a little.

Omagari: Shut up, I’ve asked you to help look for it!

Omagari: I’m positive that book’s in here! If it’s not on your desk, then it must be somewhere around here.

Omagari: It’s not over here… Ugh, it’s already so damn hard to look for since your room’s a pigsty.

Omagari: You’ve got your clothes all over the place… I can’t find anything with this mess!

Tanegashima: Huhh… It’s not my fault you lost it~. Second of all, this isn’t even that messy.

Omagari: Uh-uh, I can hardly tolerate this disaster.

Tanegashima: Heh, oh well. Gonna have to deal with it~

Omagari: …Wh—Hey! There it is!

Tanegashima: Huhh? What’s up.

Omagari: The book I was looking for, it was under your ass!

Tanegashima: Ohh~ so it was~, hahaha… Welllll, at least you found it!

Omagari: Tanegashima, you bastard… You told me you couldn’t find it!

Tanegashima: W-Well… I didn’t think it would be underneath me.

Omagari: If you sit on something, then you’ll feel it and know it’s there.

Tanegashima: Oh, don’t sweat the details, Ryuji.

Omagari: Stop trying to brush it off! Now hand it over!

Tanegashima: ‘Kayy.

[spicykaraage]

A Drop of Rain Shining Through the Clouds - Story Translation

[Prologue]

Ryoga: Ah, of course it’s raining.

Omagari: It’s been going on since this morning, y’know?

Ryoga: No, it stopped before lunch. I was hoping it’d clear up afterward.

Ochi: The forecast says it’s going to rain all afternoon again today.

Mouri: Augh~, the sky’s so dark. I probably should’ve stopped those middle schoolers.

Kimijima: Stopped them?

Mouri: Some middle schoolers decided to go out running after lunch.

Ochi: And I had told you it was going to rain again.

Byoudouin: This amount of rain is nothing to cry over.

Ryoga: It could be pouring buckets and I don’t think that would faze you.

Omagari: With all this rain we’ve been having, they’re probably sick and tired of training indoors.

Ryoga: Plus us First Stringers have priority over the facilities here.

Byoudouin: You say that like it’s a bad thing.

Ryoga: I was just stating a fact. Like what is this camp, some kinda hierarchy?

Omagari: So you were saying it like it’s a bad thing.

Ryoga: Well I overheard the middle schoolers talking about how they’re off their game ‘cause of all the rain.

Ochi: …Whether they’ve been sufficiently practicing or not is definitely a big concern.

Mouri: I wouldn’t mind giving up my training spot a little.

Byoudouin: Location isn’t a factor when it comes to building up strength. Just let them figure it out.

Kimijima: A very strict mentality. You are correct, but…

Ryoga: Y’know what, let’s have a joint practice! With the First Stringers and middle schoolers.

Byoudouin: Huh? Why would we do that.

Ryoga: Don’t sweat the details. It’ll be good to help raise the bar for the Japanese national team too.

Omagari: Well, he’s strangely optimistic, isn’t he?

Ochi: There’s probably more to it than meets the eye.

Ryoga: No, there really isn’t. We just need to have each other’s backs in times like this.

Ryoga: And the middle schoolers aren’t the only ones who want a change of pace from all this rain, are they?

Omagari: …Yeah, true. It should be interesting to play with them.

Kimijima: In that case, I will go negotiate with the coaches.

Ryoga: Alright, it’s settled!

Byoudouin: …Christ, you’re so soft.

[Episode 1]

Atobe: Tch… It rained more than I expected.

Yuushi: Yeah, there was a moment of sun… and then it went right back to being cloudy.

Yagyuu: I had planned to keep running if the rain stayed light, but then it came down harder…

Inui: According to the forecast, the probability of it raining last hour was 50%.

Inui: Although I did see it coming, it feels as if my predictions failed.

Kaidoh: Wonder when we’ll be able to play tennis outside again…

Kirihara: Ughhh, jeez! I don’t even care if it’s raining, I still wanna play tennis outside!

Kaidoh: Not happening.

Kirihara: I know, I was just saying.

Atobe: The camp should invest in putting roofing over the outdoor courts for something like this.

Yagyuu: I think that would defeat the purpose of it being an outdoor court, though…

Kaidoh: Could they even do that to begin with?

Atobe: I was joking.

Yuushi: That didn’t sound like a joke to me, Atobe.

Kirihara: Oh…

Yuushi: Hm?

Kirihara: Nothing, it’s just rare to see you without your glasses on, Oshitari-san.

Yuushi: No, I take them off when I take a bath too. It’s not rare.

Yuushi: …Can you not stare at me like that. It’s awkward.

Atobe: Why don’t you just keep them off while it’s raining? They’re non-prescription, anyway.

Yuushi: You wouldn’t know who I was if not for my trademark glasses, now would you?

Atobe: Are you serious?

Yuushi: I’m joking, I’m joking.

Yagyuu: But it certainly is difficult to maintain your glasses during this season.

Yagyuu: Rain is one thing, but the high humidity is constantly fogging up my glasses.

Inui: I understand. And when I try wiping it away, it becomes even more clouded.

Yuushi: There’s not much else you can do over that.

Kaidoh: …I’m gonna go do some practice swings. My jersey’s almost dry now.

Kirihara: Oh okay, then I’ll—

???: “Ahem-hem. Hey middle schoolers, can you hear me?”

???: “Anyone who wants to play with the First Stringers, head to the indoor courts right now! ‘That will be all!’ or whatever.”

Yuushi: Was that a First Stringer…?

Atobe: Heh… I don’t know what’s going on, but it sounds interesting.

[Episode 2]

Ryoga: Whoa, there’s a whole crowd of middle schoolers now. Looks like my announcement worked.

Omagari: Well, they were wasting away ‘cause of the rain, and then you threw out some good-looking bait for them and they took it.

Ryoga: Haha, true. This is exciting.

Omagari: It hasn’t even started yet.

Atobe: Huh, from what I can see, all the middle schoolers are here aren’t they?

Yuushi: We were all tired of doing the same training regimen over and over again.

Kurobane: It looks like the whole First String’s here too.

Amane: Wonder what they plan on “playing” with us.

Amane: It’ll be hard to play tag or hide-and-seek with this amount of space and people.

Kurobane: Uh, you know they didn’t actually mean playing like that, right…?

Ryoga: ‘Kay guys, you all got your rackets? Alright then, let’s begin!

Ryoga: For starters, I want y’all to spread out onto the courts. And no need to stress, just go wherever.

Atobe: Hm? It’s strange seeing him take charge.

Yuushi: Right. He usually just goes off and does his own thing.

Omagari: …Hey, did you hear that.

Ryoga: Kakaka! They know me pretty well, don’t they?

Omagari: So you’re aware that you do that…

Kurobane: I know you said spread out, but how exactly?

Amane: And you said “go wherever,” but I think pairing up would be better.

Amane: Maybe you could have us play against the person we pair up with, like those pair matches we did…

Kurobane: Or have the groups in each court go up against other courts.

Atobe: You’re overstepping your bounds. He hasn’t even said if we’ll be playing matches or not.

Atobe: But, I’ll admit that would be interesting.

Yuushi: Regardless of what we think, our job right now is to do as we’re told.

Ryoga: Yup, right on.

Ryoga: Okay, those of you who are left-handed: come on over to this court!

Atobe & Yuushi: …?

[Episode 3]

Yuushi: Hah…!

Yagyuu: Huh…!

—

Omagari: Each of you are gonna take turns hitting two of our shots. Once you’re done, go to the back of the line.

Tohno: Hyaahyaahyaa! And make it snappy, or I’ll execute you!

Tohno: Heehaah!

Jackal: Hah…!

—

Jackal: Phew… I was wondering what they’d do when they said there’d be two of them hitting the ball…

Yagyuu: It’s not just about returning the first shot, you have to be smart on how to return the second.

Yuushi: Right. They make it to where you can barely return the second shot.

Jackal: That’s the First String for you, aiming for our weak spots.

Yagyuu: Perhaps the reason for separating the left and right-handed people is because the course of the shots are affected.

Jackal: Oh, that makes sense. Your weaknesses can be different depending on your dominant arm.

Yuushi: I was hoping I could catch my breath while waiting in line, but that’s not gonna happen.

Yagyuu: Right, it’ll be your turn again soon—

Yuushi: Oh, right as you said that, it’s my turn.

—

Tohno: …Tch. Those middle school brats still have time to chitchat.

Omagari: See, this is why I said in the beginning that there’d need to be three of us.

Tanegashima: Or maybe it’s ‘cause your guys’ shots aren’t that good?

Omagari: Shut up. Now hurry up and get into position already.

Tanegashima: Alright, alright.

Tanegashima: Hoi! From now on, you guys will be done after three shots!

Jackal: Wha, so there’s gonna be three of you hitting the ball now!?

Yagyuu: The two shots we had were basically back-to-back.

Yuushi: It looks like the other courts are doing three on one too, so…

Yuushi: Hm? What’s he doing over in that court…?

[Episode 4]

Ryoga: Here I go, Chibisuke! There.

Ryoma: Huh…!

Ryoga: That last return was weak! You gotta do better, Chibisuke!

—

Ryoma: He’s so annoying… Just “Chibisuke” this, “Chibisuke” that…

Tezuka: Calm down, Echizen. Don’t let him provoke you.

Atobe: I’d say he really dotes on you, Echizen.

Kite: Yes, it appears that you’re the only one receiving special treatment, Echizen-kun.

Ryoma: Please… You guys think this is funny, don’t you.

Shiraishi: Well, I’d say he dotes on all of us equally.

Shiraishi: Orrr playing around with us would be a better way to put it.

Kite: Having three members of the First String practice with us does feel like a luxury, though.

Tezuka: Yes. Knowing that the First String decided to coach us themselves is enough to put more effort into returning their shots.

Ryoma: But it’s kinda funny seeing the captains going around in circles on the court.

Kite: The captains going around in circles?

Ryoma: Well with them gathering all the left-handed people, there’s a lot of captains here.

Ryoma: And it’s hit, then back in line, hit, then back in line… We’re all just going around in a circle, aren’t we.

Atobe: You do make a good point— …Oh, it’s my turn now.

Tezuka: …Wait, Atobe isn’t left-handed, so why is he here at this court?

Shiraishi: He’s hitting with his right. Literally as we speak.

Atobe: Heh… I was wanting to experience the difference in response according to the dominant arm.

Atobe: And as soon as I hit my first shot, they immediately had it handled. As expected of the First String, being able to instantly identify an opponent’s dominant arm right after their first return.

Tezuka: Do not disturb the upperclassmen, Atobe. Return to your court.

Atobe: Right, I got what I came for. See you.

Shiraishi: That was surprisingly carefree of him.

Kite: I don’t consider it surprising.

Tezuka: Honestly, what on earth was he thinking…

Ryoma: Maybe Atobe-san just wanted to go around in circles with us?

Ryoga: Heyy, Chibisuke! I’m about to hit it, Chibisuke!

Ryoma: You little, you just keep it going…!

Tezuka: …Speaking of carefree, I’d say that First Stringer is too.

Shiraishi: Haha…

[Episode 5]

Kamio: *huff*, *huff*… F-Finally, a break…

Ibu: *sigh*… Only five minutes though.

Tachibana: You guys better stay hydrated. You’re sweating a lot.

Ibu: Yes, Tachibana-san.

Yagyuu: Once they changed it to three on one, there’s been no time to catch our breath.

Yukimura: This rotation is pretty fast-paced, we’ve been running back and forth to return their shots then rushing in and out of line.

Omagari: Hey, you guys. Pick up the balls while you rest.

Yukimura & Yagyuu: Huh?

Omagari: You can see the court can’t you, there’s balls scattered everywhere.

Omagari: Rehydrate, then get to it. See ya.

Ibu: Is he serious… It’s not resting if we have to pick up the balls…

Kamio: But someone has to do it. There’s no staff here right now.

Tachibana: And the First String was kind enough to help us, so the least we can do is pick up the balls.

Yagyuu: We were told we could take a five minute break but in reality, the only break we’ll be having is just a moment to rehydrate…

Yukimura: Yeah. Let’s start by piling up the balls on one side of the court.

Tachibana: Sure, that would be faster than putting them in the basket one by one.

Yagyuu: Right. Well then…

Yagyuu: Hah! Let’s pick up the pace.

Kamio: Oh, the way you threw that looks familiar.

Yagyuu: Huh?

Kamio: You know how in professional matches there’s guys who wait on the side to get the ball?

Ibu: A ball boy?

Kamio: Yeah, those!

Yukimura: Were you doing that on purpose, Yagyuu?

Yagyuu: …Heh. Yes, a little I’ll admit.

Yagyuu: There’s stories of ball boys who were merely children but played important roles in the events they took part in.

Tachibana: I see. And back then, tennis used to be considered a sport for the upper class.

Yukimura: Fufu… as expected of the gentleman. Very cultured of you.

Yagyuu: Thank you very much.

Omagari: You guys, the five minutes are almost up!

Yagyuu: ! I apologize, I’ll pick up these balls at once.

Omagari: They’ve got a long ways to go…

[Episode 6]

One hour later—

Yuushi: *sigh*… It feels like we’re gonna keep hitting balls for the rest of our lives.

Atobe: Huhh? What’s this, you’re complaining?

Yuushi: Well this is tough, plain and simple. We’ve been returning these fast balls for a while now.

Yagyuu: It’s a cycle of hitting the balls for five minutes, then taking a break for five minutes. I wonder how many shots they’ve made at this point.

Kirihara: Plus, the fact that the breaks are only five minutes doesn’t really feel like a break at all.

Yanagi: Having to take so many short breaks in between is likely one of the reasons why it feels so tiring.

Yanagi: It’s completely different from taking an hour break after an hour of exercising in terms of recharging.

Yuushi: Yeah, it’s not nearly enough time to recharge…

Atobe: It’s like the same difference as running on a road that goes up and down versus a flat road.

Kirihara: I dunno what you guys are talking about but yeah, overall this is just hard.

Yagyuu: In the simplest of terms, yes…

Yanagi: And not knowing when this practice will end is going to wear us out mentally as well.

Atobe: Heh, that’s great.

Atobe: Just another way to improve my skills. I’ll keep going no matter how long it takes.

Yuushi: You sure are tough. Are you enjoying this?

Atobe: If anyone’s tough, it’s the First String you know? The accuracy of their shots hasn’t decreased not one bit.

Yagyuu: On the contrary, it feels like the rotation speed is getting faster…

Ryoga: It probably feels that way since you’re tired. We haven’t changed our pace that much.

Kirihara: Ack, a First Stringer… Is our break over already?

Ryoga: Haha, oh, no. I came over ‘cause I have a treat for you guys.

Yagyuu: A treat, you say?

Ryoga: Yup, I’m sure this is just what you guys need right now.

[Episode 7]

Ryoga: There’s plenty to go around. Go ahead and dig in!

Kawamura: Boxes full of oranges… Man, there’s so many.

Sanada: I’ve heard that oranges are good for relieving fatigue. I will happily partake in them.

Omagari: Supposedly he had them order these oranges all the way from California.

Tanegashima: Wow, they look so good. I’ll have one too.

Tanegashima: Hm? The skin’s pretty tough.

Kawamura: Should we go get a knife from the kitchen?

Akutsu: …Tch. Gimme one.

Kawamura: Oh, Akutsu.

Akutsu: It’s fine as long as they’re edible. Just crush it and turn it into juice.

Sanada: What, you can do that?

Tanegashima: …

Omagari: Don’t even try it. It’ll be a pain if it splatters everywhere.

Kawamura: Haha… I was able to peel mine by hand, see.

Ryoga: Kakaka! They’re good no matter which way you eat ‘em.

Ryoga: Alrighty. Once you’re done recharging with the oranges, we’ll move onto the next exercise.

Akutsu: Hmph. Finally done just returning balls.

Ryoga: Wrong, sorry, but we’re still gonna be doing that.

Ryoga: But this time it’ll just be one vs. one. Once you return the shots, it’s back in line.

Sanada: So just returning a normal shot, I take it.

Tanegashima: It’ll be less people, but more balls. We’ll hit five shots, and you gotta return them all.

Sanada: Five shots…

Kawamura: So it’s gonna be even more intense now…

Omagari: Exactly. Alright, let’s begin!

Middle Schoolers: Right!

[Episode 8]

Atobe: Hah!

Hiyoshi: Hm…!

Marui: There!

—

Yagyuu: Ugh…

Ryoga: Whoa, you scared me.

Ryoga: I didn’t see you laying there and almost stepped on you. You’ve got your arms and legs out too…

Yagyuu: Oh, I apologize. It’s just that the floor is nice and cold…

Ryoga: Yeah, I getcha… Just be careful not to get stepped on, okay?

Marui: You good? It’s rare to see you all tired, Yagyuu.

Yagyuu: It pains me to admit, but the heat, humidity and now this hard practice has taken a bit of a toll on me…

Yuushi: The AC should be working, but it doesn’t seem to be keeping up.

Hiyoshi: It’s really hot and humid this time of year. I can’t stop sweating…

Atobe: That just means you don’t exercise enough.

Atobe: …Mm? I see some sunlight.

Yagyuu: Oh, it must be finally clearing up.

Hiyoshi: No, it’s still raining. It’s a sunshower.

Marui: Maybe a fox is having a wedding in the mountains nearby?

[“Sunshower” in Japanese is 狐の嫁入り which literally translates to “fox’s wedding.”]

Yuushi: By the way Atobe, it looks like there’s a spotlight on you.

Atobe: Heh, that’s right. It appears the sun is shining for me today as well.

Hiyoshi: If that’s the case, then please tell the sun to clear up the rain, Captain Atobe.

Yuushi: I think the rain’s actually gonna stop. Look, it’s getting brighter.

Ryoga: Alright, back to practice! We’re gonna pick up the pace even more.

Ryoga: This’ll be a good competition, we can see if heaven shines down first or if you guys get sent to heaven first.

Marui: So meaning this’ll be over once it clears up.

Yagyuu: But there’s also a possibility that it may still rain.

Hiyoshi: It’ll be a good chance to improve our skills if we keep practicing, though.

Yuushi: A certain someone said the same thing earlier.

Atobe: Heh. Now, let’s resume practice!

[Episode 9]

Ryoma: Hah!

Kintarou: Hoh!

—

Kintarou: Five balls is nothin’! Let’s start doing six or seven balls!

Ryoma: I’m fine with doing ten.

Kintarou: Okay, then I’ll do twenty!

Ryoma: By the way Kintarou, this isn’t your court. Why don’t you go back to the right-handed court?

Kintarou: My court’s taking a break right now.

Ryoga: Oh, come on, and who do you think is gonna have to serve those ten or twenty balls?

Ryoga: Most people take a break to take a break.

—

Omagari: Good grief. They’re causing trouble over at the next court.

Atobe: You can increase the number of balls to ten or twenty here too if you want.

Tohno: Like he said, who do you think will have to serve all those?

Omagari: …Oh, it’s gotten bright outside now.

Atobe: So it has. The rain has finally cl—

Ryoga: Finally clear!!

Ryoma & Kintarou: !?

Ryoga: Look, the rain has stopped! Joint practice is over~!

Kintarou: Huh, it’s over already?

Ryoma: He just ran outside… What.

Tohno: …The hell. And here I thought I’d be able to torture these guys even more.

Omagari: Well, at least it was good practice for us too.

Atobe: Right, and now that you’ve said that…

Atobe: This really was just practice for the First String, not you coaching us.

Tohno: Huhh? We never said a word about coaching you guys.

Tohno: You guys were just helping me practice while I was just hitting all my shots.

Omagari: For the record, no matter how you wanna spin it, it took a lot more on our part to dish out all those shots for you guys.

Atobe: I’m sure. But it certainly was good practice for us.

Omagari: Heh, right.

Omagari: Well now that the sun’s out, there’s no point in staying indoors. Go out and do whatever you want.

Atobe: Right. Thank you very much.

[Episode 10]

Yuushi: Let’s continue our afternoon run, shall we? It doesn’t look like we can use the courts yet.

Yagyuu: Indeed. Surely by the time we return the courts will be ready to use, right?

Atobe: Even though the rain’s stopped, it’s still really muddy and wet.

Yuushi: There’s a lot of puddles too. Nothing we can really do to prevent getting dirty.

Yagyuu: Look over there. The hydrangeas in that puddle are beautiful.

Atobe: In the puddle?

Yagyuu: Look, from over here, you can see the blue sky with the hydrangeas.

Yuushi: You’re right. I’ll take a picture.

Atobe: Keep dawdling and it may start to rain again.

Yuushi: I’ve already taken it. Alright, let’s go.

—

Ryoga: …

Omagari: What’s with you, you were the first one to leave but you’re still here.

Tanegashima: Whatcha looking at?

Ryoga: Well, there’s just this one leaf here that’s moving all weird.

Omagari: Huh? It’s probably the wind or something.

Tanegashima: But all the hydrangeas are in full bloom, huh? This is the best time to see them.

Omagari: I usually don’t pay attention to them when I pass by.

Omagari: Ah, there’s a snail under the leaf. That’s why it was shaking.

Tanegashima: Ryuji, if you keep glaring at the snail it’s gonna get scared☆

Omagari: I’m not glaring. I’m admiring it.

Omagari: …Hey, where’d he go?

Tanegashima: Huh? He was literally right by us a minute ago…

Omagari: …He suddenly comes up with this joint practice session, then ditches and vanishes like that.

Omagari: Man, you never know what goes on in his head.

—

Ryoga: Oh, who knew there was a path like this in the area?

Ryoga: Maybe the atmosphere’s different than normal since the flowers are in full bloom. There’s so many of them too.

Ryoga: Mmnnnh!

Ryoga: …Looking at the flowers is nice, but now that it’s sunny outside, I’m gonna get a nap in first.

Ryoga: Work hard, play hard as they say.

Ryoga: (Well, and as for those middle schoolers… It wasn’t a bad idea to practice with Chibisuke and them.)

Ryoga: (If it ends up raining again, maybe we can give it another shot.)

[Epilogue]

Later that day—

Yagyuu: Good grief… It rained more than I expected.

Niou: It was only sprinkling when we first started, it even looked like it was about to clear up.

Atobe: Right, it was even sunny for a moment.

Yuushi: Okay, it feels like I’m in a time loop here.

Ryoga: Haha! You’re all soaking wet.

Omagari: They never learn, do they. Here.

Yuushi: Towels… Thank you, appreciate it.

Atobe: Did you have them ready and waiting for us?

Omagari: It’s only ‘cause he said he saw you guys out in it.

Ryoga: Yep. I saw you running in that rain with my own two eyes, you guys sure are brave.

Omagari: You should’ve stopped them. You saw this coming, didn’t you?

Ryoga: Well maybe it would’ve cleared up if they powered through it or something?

Omagari: That doesn’t even make any sense…

Yagyuu: I am sorry to have caused any sort of trouble for you.

Ryoga: Nah, I get you. I’d be running outside right now too, if I could.

Ryoga: I know, why don’t we have another joint practice?

Omagari: That’s not something we can just add to the schedule.

Atobe: And on the topic of joint practice, I thought all the middle schoolers had attended…

Atobe: But I don’t recall seeing you there, Niou.

Niou: Oh, I was there alright. A certain someone almost stepped on me too.

Ryoga: Mm? Ah…

Ryoga: So wait, you were the guy in the glasses? The one who was lying on the floor all spread out?

Yagyuu: Huh, glasses?

Yagyuu: Niou-kun, I can’t believe you, you were doing it again…!

Niou: Puri.

Yuushi & Atobe: ?

Ryoga: It’s alright, it’s alright. Look, it’s getting sunny out again.

Omagari: …It’s still raining. Doesn’t look like it’s gonna stop anytime soon with the way it’s coming down.

Ryoga: Gah-lee. Wonder when I’ll be able to take another nap outside…

Omagari: You should be saying that about tennis, not napping.

Ryoga: Oh yeah, that’s what I meant. Kakaka!

[STORY END]

[spicykaraage]

Best Team! ~Seigaku~ - Story Translation

I placed the card stories to match with the main story to avoid confusion. Curse Tumblr’s 30 image limit.

[Prologue]

Ryoma: I wouldn’t bother with it, Oishi-senpai.

Oishi: No, I can’t just let them go at it.

Momoshiro: LISTEN! The free fall rides are the scariest!

Kaidoh: Huhh!? But you just said it was the bungee rides.

Momoshiro: Well, it gives you a different kind of thrill. And that just proves I’ve got more experience in this anyway.

Kaidoh: Hmph. Go see how scary it is to ride on a wooden rollercoaster and then come talk to me.

Momoshiro: If they’re wooden then they can’t go that fast.

Kaidoh: It’s not about the speed. It’s scary how rickety they are. You wouldn’t get it.

Momoshiro: Huhh!?

Oishi: Give it a rest already, you two.

Ryoma: They do this all the time, who cares at this point.

Tezuka: Momoshiro, Kaidoh. What’s all the fuss about?

Fuji: For real, what’s going on? You’re making a big scene over here.

Momoshiro: Senpais, which do you think’s more exciting: the free fall or wooden rollercoaster?

Momoshiro: It’s the free fall for sure since the rush comes at you like “boom”!

Kaidoh: But the free fall’s over in an instant. A wooden rollercoaster slowly builds up to it.

Fuji & Tezuka: ?

Oishi: They’re talking about which rides are the scariest at an amusement park.

Fuji: That’s… not really a fair comparison to make.

Tezuka: I would say people have their own ways of feeling excited.

Momoshiro: Well, that’s true, but…

Kaidoh: He was the one trying to argue about it…

Ryoma: Gonna be honest, Japan’s got nothing on the thrill rides in the US.

Kaidoh: …What? You’ve got some nerve saying that.

Momoshiro: Talkin’ smack, but you’d probably start crying once you actually got on one of those rides.

Ryoma: I definitely wouldn’t.

Momoshiro: Well in that case, let’s go to an amusement park then. You’re totally gonna get scared.

Ryoma: Fine, let’s do it.

Kaidoh: Where are we gonna find an amusement park close to here with all those big rides?

Momoshiro: Let’s go find one right now.

Oishi: Jeez… I can’t tell if they’re getting along now or not.

Fuji: Since they’re going to an amusement park, why don’t we have the rest of the Seigaku members go too?

Tezuka: Agreed. It may cause some problems if only those three were to go.

Ryoma: Y’know you can just say you wanted to come.

Oishi: Are you onboard with it, Echizen?

Ryoma: …Well, I guess I don’t mind going.

Fuji: Fufu… Trying to hide it, huh.

[Episode 1]

Tezuka: Good morning. You’re up early.

Fuji: Yeah, I got up early. It’s that pre-field trip syndrome.

Tezuka: Did you get a good night’s rest?

Fuji: Oh yeah, I’m good. I was just getting excited and got here early.

Kikumaru: Morninggg. It’s so sunny outside!

Oishi: You’re suddenly up and at it now, Eiji. You were looking sleepy just a minute ago.

Kikumaru: Aw~, come on~. You know I’m never up around this time.

Oishi: Haha, sorry, sorry.

Tezuka: An early morning departure is a given if we’re to enjoy the amusement park for as long as possible.

Fuji: Oh, looks like Momo and Kaidoh are here too.

—

Kawamura: Phew… It was pretty hard trying to get ready without waking everyone else up in my room.

Inui: Most everyone is still asleep at this hour.

Inui: Mizuki cleared his throat just as I was about to exit our room.

Oishi: Yeah, there’s no way you’d be able to leave without being noticed.

Kikumaru: We’re gonna buy souvenirs for the guys in our room.

Kawamura: Oh, that’s right. I should bring back something too.

Tezuka: On that topic, when I had asked Coach Saito for permission to leave, he said not to worry about getting souvenirs…

Inui: Probability that was a joke: 100%, however it would be nice to still get them and surprise people.

Kawamura: Huh? It’s almost time to go, but…

Inui: Echizen hasn’t arrived yet.

Tezuka: He’s late, once again.

Oishi: That Echizen, I can’t with him.

Fuji: The bus is gonna get delayed now.

Kikumaru: Ah, here he comes!

Ryoma: Hey.

All:

YOU’RE LATE!!

[Episode 2]

Momoshiro: Kuuu! Just being in an amusement park is making me so excited~!

Kikumaru: I’m so pumped I just wanna start running around!

Kawamura: Haha, seeing everyone smiling is making me smile too.

Ryoma: Is that statue in the center the mascot?

Oishi: Yeah, it’s Prince Kitty. I’m sure he’s all over the park.

Ryoma: Hmm…

Momoshiro: What’s up, Echizen. You like Prince Kitty?

Ryoma: No… I was just checking.

Kikumaru: Yeah, yeah~. If Prince Kitty showed up right here and right now, you’d definitely hug him~

Ryoma: …I wouldn’t. Probably.

Oishi: Hey, you guys. Don’t tease Echizen so much.

Momoshiro: This is what he gets for being late this morning.

Ryoma: Please. I already said I was sorry.

Momoshiro: Haha, alright. I’m just way too excited for this.

Inui: Did everyone receive a pamphlet? For starters, let’s check the map to get things settled.

Inui: This park is rather big. We should decide on a general route so we can move efficiently.

Momoshiro: They’ve got five big rides, and I wanna try them all!

Inui: That has been your top priority for today. Then let’s choose a route based on those rides.

Kawamura: I’d also like to know when the parade starts.

Oishi: Can we make reservations at a restaurant too? We have a lot of people, so—

Kikumaru: Hang on a sec. First off, aren’t we forgetting something important?

Ryoma: Going to the bathroom.

Kikumaru: No! We’re all here together, so we’ve gotta do this~

Ryoma & Momoshiro: ?

[Episode 3]

Kikumaru: Ta-dahhh! Obviously when you’re at an amusement park together, you’ve gotta have matching outfits.

Fuji: This is nice. I’m getting more and more excited for this.

Tezuka: I would’ve thought we’d stay in our jerseys if we wanted to match…

Inui: An amusement park uniform for the amusement park, I suppose.

Kawamura: I get it. The outfits make a big difference.

Kawamura: When I help out at the shop, I change into the white chef’s outfit, and I feel like it changes which mode I’m in.

Kikumaru: Right, right. These are our combat uniforms for the amusement park!

Tezuka: We’ll be fighting?

Fuji: It will be like a battle, in a way.

Fuji: Like trying to get on the rides, getting a good spot to watch the parade, and making good time with these crowds.

Tezuka: …I see. I will ready myself then.

Kaidoh: Fshhhhh…

Inui: What’s the matter, Kaidoh. You’ve been oddly quiet for a while now.

Kaidoh: No, it’s no big deal, I…

Kikumaru: Hold up Kaidoh, are you embarrassed that we’re all matching?

Kaidoh: Huh… No, it’s nothing…

Inui: Hm. I suppose it is rather different than wearing our club jerseys, isn’t it?

Fuji: Yeah, I’m feeling a little shy too. Probably since I’m not used to wearing this.

Kawamura: These cardholders are kinda cute though.

Tezuka: Well, this isn’t something I would normally wear.

Kaidoh: …Let’s just drop it already.

Momoshiro: Heyy, let’s get a move on now~!

Ryoma: We don’t have all day!

Kikumaru: What’s with Shorty? Looks like he’s gotten into the swing of things.

Kawamura: Haha… Maybe the outfit’s got him in a good mood now.

Inui: We do feel more composed when wearing our regular jerseys for tennis.

Tezuka: Then in that sense, I certainly would call these our combat uniforms for the amusement park.

Fuji: Alright, let’s get going. There’s a lot of photos I wanna take today.

[Episode 4]

Momoshiro: When it comes to the big rides, this is the one to go for. The free fall!

Oishi: I-Isn’t this kind of a lot to start with…?

Kaidoh: I don’t care what it is. I’ll still ride it.

Inui: Right, but will Echizen be okay?

Ryoma: I’m fine with anything.

Kikumaru: Are you even tall enough?

Oishi: Looks like he’s over 130cm. That’s good.

Ryoma: Hold up. Did you seriously just check that?

Momoshiro: Hahaha. Echizen, it’s not too late to back down, y’know~?

Ryoma: Same to you.

Kikumaru: But, it’s… more quiet than you’d expect, isn’t it?

Kaidoh: I haven’t heard any screams.

Oishi: The noise from the ride falling’s probably drowning them out. That’s pretty cool.

Inui: Absolutely. That should tell you how fast it will be.

Momoshiro: And just like the name says: boom! You fall!

Kaidoh: You’re not funny.

Momoshiro: I’m not trying to be funny!

Oishi: Okay, okay… Look, it’s our turn.

Kikumaru: Alright, let’s go, onto the first ride of the day!

—

Kikumaru: …Phew, that was so much fun! My stomach was jumping~!

Oishi: L-Looks like you did fine, Eiji.

Kaidoh: Now I know why I didn’t hear any screaming…

Ryoma: I didn’t even have time to yell…

Inui: Those moments where you feel your stomach jump are known as “airtime”…

Inui: Supposedly, it becomes difficult to speak during it.

Momoshiro: Yeah, it did make my throat feel tight… Like, I could only squeal the whole time…

Kaidoh: What’d you think, Echizen? Japan’s rides are pretty good too, aren’t they.

Ryoma: …They’re alright.

Momoshiro: Yeah, sure, you’re wiped from that aren’t you?

Ryoma: I’m not. Besides, there’s a lot more cool stuff in the US.

Momoshiro: Man, you always have a comeback for everything.

Kaidoh: …Onto the next one. This is only just the beginning.

Kikumaru: Those two are gonna keep on at it~

Inui: They’re both extremely competitive.

Oishi: Ugh, great. Looks like we’re really in for it today.

Tezuka Card Story - “Is there a holdup?”

Tezuka: Quite alarming that we did the free fall first.

Fuji: So you lost your nerve too, Tezuka?

Tezuka: I’ll leave that to your imagination.

Ryoma: You handled it pretty well though, Captain Tezuka.

Oishi: Well, that’s Tezuka for you.

Kikumaru: I wonder if there’s any rides that would make Tezuka squeal?

Kawamura: Didn’t we originally come here to do that with Echizen?

Kikumaru: That’s one thing, and this is another!

Fuji: Looks like the water coaster’s next. Momo and the others are checking out the line.

Kikumaru: Ooh~. A water coaster, how fun!

Oishi: Oh, jeez. Just one intense ride after another…

Tezuka: I think it’ll be fun.

Ryoma: Are you actually excited for this, Captain Tezuka?

Tezuka: …I’ll leave that to your imagination.

—

*SPLASH!!*

Ryoma: Whoa… The way the water splashes is pretty cool.

Tezuka: It has a warning that we may get wet. I will ready myself.

Kikumaru: Me and Oishi will sit at the front!

Oishi: Huh, I’m going? Oh, boy…

Fuji: I’ve heard the best spot to be for this is in the back.

Kawamura: Right, they say that spot gives you the biggest rush.

Fuji: Then I’ll let Tezuka and Echizen have those spots. You just take it easy, Taka-san.

Tezuka: Oh, that’s right, you dislike these kinds of rides.

Kawamura: Haha… Plus I feel like the free fall took a lot out of me…

Kawamura: I’ll just watch this time. You cool if I use your camera for this, Fuji?

Fuji: Yeah, of course. Just make sure to get a really good shot of Tezuka and the others.

Ryoma: So you don’t care about getting a picture of yourself…

Tezuka: All right, let’s go.

—

*clatter, clatter…*

Kikumaru: Hey, hey, why don’t we throw our hands up right when we fall?

Oishi: I’m sure we could… I see people do that on rides all the time.

Fuji: That’d be fun, wouldn’t it? We should give it a try.

Tezuka: Understood. We’re almost at the top…

Tezuka: Now. Everyone raise your hands up!

Ryoma: It looks like there’s a holdup though…

*WHOOSH!*

Ryoma: Whoa…!?

Kikumaru: Nyahaha! Here we go!!

*SPLASH!!*

Tezuka: Nh…!

Ryoma: It’s cold…!

Tezuka: Quite the splash, it reached back here too…

Oishi: Th-The people in the front got the brunt of it. Our faces are drenched…

Kikumaru: That was so much fun~! Did you guys throw your hands up?

Fuji: Fufu… We’ll check out the photos Taka-san took and see.

Ryoma: …I held onto the bar.

Tezuka: I did too…

—

Kawamura: That was crazy, you guys. Are you cold?

Oishi: Not really. My hair got messed up, though.

Ryoma: Really? Doesn’t look like it to me…

Tezuka: Wetness aside, why don’t we try riding it again?

Ryoma: Huh, again? Seriously?

Fuji: I see. So you wanna throw your hands up this time.

Tezuka: Maybe so.

Oishi: Haha, when I see Tezuka having fun, I can’t help but get on board.

Kikumaru: He’s having fun… really?

Kawamura: I’ll try to get a really good shot again. Have fun, you guys!

Tezuka: Thank you.

Tezuka: Well then everyone, don’t let your guards down.

Kikumaru Card Story - “The Scary Haunted House”

Kikumaru: Man, we’ve done a lot. What should we check out next?

Oishi: We’ve done most of the big rides now. Are you okay to keep going, Echizen?

Ryoma: Yeah, I can still go on.

Kikumaru: Mm… Shorty doesn’t look fazed at all.

Kikumaru: We’re gonna go to one that’ll definitely make you scream.

Momoshiro: That’s the spirit, Eiji-senpai!

Kikumaru: So yeah, what’s something scary we haven’t tried yet…

Kikumaru: Ah! That might be cool!

Ryoma: ? Which one?

Kikumaru: Hehe, over here!

—

Kikumaru: Ta-dah! A haunted house!

Oishi: Oh yeah, they’re a staple for amusement parks, but we haven’t done it yet.

Momoshiro: The line’s pretty long, you cool with waiting?

Tezuka: I don’t mind.

—

Tezuka: …So you’re able to hear the screams from outside.

Inui: Supposedly the haunted house here has a reputation for being quite scary.

Inui: There are also rumors that they even have real monsters mixed in with the fake ones.

Kikumaru: Seriously!?

Oishi: Hey, hey… Don’t get everyone scared before we even go in.

Ryoma: It’s just a rumor, isn’t it?

Ryoma: I don’t think we need to worry so much.

Inui: But as the saying goes: where there is smoke, there is fire.

Momoshiro: You’re really trying to rile us up aren’t you, Inui-senpai.

Kikumaru: Anyways! If it looks this scary then it should scare even Shorty.

Ryoma: Nothing scares me that easily.

Momoshiro: Alright then, you’re comin’ with me. It says we can go in pairs.

Ryoma: Don’t cling to me if you get scared, Momo-senpai.

Momoshiro: Same goes to you.

Inui: I’ll go with Tezuka.

Inui: I may be able to acquire some valuable data from this.

Tezuka: I’m not sure if my reactions will be sufficient for you… but all right.

Oishi: Okay, then I’ll go with Eiji.

Kikumaru: Yeah! And you can hold onto me if you get scared, Oishi.

Oishi: Haha, I’ll be counting on you.

—

Kikumaru: There’s something moving around that headstone…!

Oishi: Th-There’s a fireball floating around here too.

Kikumaru: Aiiieeee~! Now there’s a noise coming from the well.

Kikumaru: There’s definitely something hiding in there! No, no, I don’t wanna get near it~!

Oishi: Whoa…!? C-Calm down, Eiji.

Oishi: Jeez, I’m trying not to get scared too, but… where’d that confidence you had before coming in go?

Kikumaru: Well, I didn’t think it’d be this scary.

Kikumaru: But Inui was right, this haunted house is really scary.

Oishi: Yeah. It’s kind of like… I can’t stop feeling tense in here…

Kikumaru: For sure. There’s just one monster after another.

*thunk*

Kikumaru: …What was that?

Oishi: It came from right behind us. On three, we turn around?

Kikumaru: S-Sure. One, two…

Oishi & Kikumaru: AGH!

—

Tezuka: It was as scary as the rumors said.

Inui: So you say, but you didn’t even move an eyebrow, Tezuka.

Inui: Perhaps things would’ve been different if a real monster had shown up…

Oishi: Nah, I think it was scary enough with what we got…

Kikumaru: The scariest part was being chased by those guys near the exit~

Ryoma: Momo-senpai screamed at that part too.

Momoshiro: Shut up! You grabbed onto my hoodie too.

Ryoma: Yeah, on accident.

Oishi: Alright, you two. You don’t need to argue about it.

Kikumaru: Nyahaha, it was scary, but I still had fun, so I’d say it turned out alright.

Kikumaru: Okay! Onto to have fun at our next stop!

Ryoma Card Story - “The Merry-go-Round with Everyone”

Ryoma: A merry-go-round?

Momoshiro: Yep. All we’ve done since we got here is go on the big rides.

Kaidoh: We’ve been doing a lot since the start. We should take a break now.

Ryoma: But that doesn’t mean we have to go on the merry-go-round, does it?

Fuji: Huh, do you not like the merry-go-round, Echizen?

Ryoma: It’s not about that… This ride is for kids, isn’t it?

Kikumaru: You are a kid though, Shorty.

Inui: Indeed. You are the youngest out of all of us.

Ryoma: I’m not that much younger…

Inui: Amusement parks are said to be places where you can return to your childhood. Meaning there’s nothing wrong with riding something even if it’s childish.

Kikumaru: Besides, the merry-go-round can be fun no matter who rides it.

Ryoma: …Well, if you say so, fine.

—

Momoshiro: Oh, there’s not much of a line. Looks like we’ll be able to get right on it.

Fuji: I’ll just wait over here. I wanna take everyone’s photos.

Inui: I’ll watch all of your belongings as well.

Kikumaru: So you say, but now you’ve got your notebook out too~

Inui: Fufu… It’s not often that I’m able to get data on you all riding a merry-go-round.

Kaidoh: What can you even do with that kind of data…

Ryoma: Hey guys, it’s our turn.

Momoshiro: Ooh. I call the big black horse!

Kaidoh: Wha, hey. I was gonna take that one.

Momoshiro: Huhh? Well I didn’t know. First one there gets it?

Kaidoh: Okay then. I’m gonna—

Kikumaru: Heeey, don’t run!

Kaidoh & Momoshiro: …!

Kikumaru: There’s little kids here, be a good example.

Kikumaru: And just for that, I’m gonna be the one who rides it. This is what you two get!

Kaidoh & Momoshiro: Okay…

Ryoma: You guys got a ways to go.

Kikumaru: Ooh~, your horse is cool too, Shorty.

Ryoma: Hehe. Isn’t it?

Momoshiro: Of course he’d pick the horse that kinda stands out from the rest…

Kaidoh: …Hey, Momoshiro. There’s nothing but a carriage left.

Momoshiro: Wha…

—

Fuji: Fufu, that’s rare. Momo and Kaidoh are riding in a carriage together without any problems.

Inui: Probability of missing a horse: 100%…

Fuji: Echizen, look this way!

Ryoma: ‘Kay.

*click!*

Fuji: Nice, that was a great smile.

Kikumaru: Fuji, take a picture of me too! Yayy!

Ryoma: Eiji-senpai, you shouldn’t lean forward so much, that’s dangerous.

Ryoma: Think of the children, right?

Kikumaru: Ughh… Can’t believe an actual kid is telling me that~

Ryoma: And I’ve told you I’m not a kid.

—

Inui: All done? How was it?

Ryoma: Well… It felt good looking down from up there.

Inui: Heh… and it was certainly refreshing being looked down upon by you, Echizen.

Kikumaru: Fuji, did you get any good pictures?

Fuji: Yep. The ones of Momo and Kaidoh are top tier too.

Kaidoh: Huh…

Momoshiro: Aw, I wanted to ride a horse too~!

Ryoma: Well, why don’t we give it another go?

Ryoma: …The merry-go-round was actually pretty fun.

Inui Card Story - “Many Younger Brothers”

Inui: Hm… It feels as though we’re missing something.

Kaidoh: What’re you talking about…

Tezuka: Everyone’s here and accounted for.

Inui: No, that’s not it. It feels as though there’s something missing in our approach with the amusement park.

Inui: It’s not fulfilling enough to simply have these outfits, is it?

Ryoma: I really don’t know what you’re getting at, Inui-senpai…

Momoshiro: Ah, I get it. Getting popcorn and merchandise and all that, right?

Fuji: Right. Or even getting a hat, gloves, or stuffed animal.

Inui: Precisely. Since we’ve come all this way, I think it would be nice to dye ourselves more in the amusement park’s colors, don’t you think?

Inui: When in Rome, do as the Romans do.

Kaidoh: …I don’t get what you’re talking about at all, Inui-senpai.

Tezuka: I believe what he’s saying is we still aren’t enjoying the amusement park to the fullest.

Inui: Right. We can go even further than this.

Momoshiro: I feel like us having matching outfits is enough, though.

Fuji: Shall we go to a store? I’d like to check out some souvenirs for Yuuta.

Momoshiro: Sounds good. It’ll be crowded towards the end, so now would be a good time.

Inui: Well then, let’s get going.

Ryoma: …I’ve been thinking about it since we got here, but the senpais are actually having fun with this, aren’t they?

Kaidoh: Fshhhhh…

—

Inui: …Here we are!

Tezuka: What is it.

Inui: It’s rainbow popcorn. Look, it even comes in a Prince Kitty-themed bucket.

Inui: I’d like to develop a drink that is as visually pleasing as this, to be honest.

Fuji: Sounds good. I’d wanna try it.

Kaidoh: You wanna try a drink that’s got all these colors in it…?

Momoshiro: Hey, don’t look at me…

Ryoma: A Prince Kitty popcorn bucket…

Momoshiro: Yep. You like it, Echizen?

Ryoma: Not really… Maybe a little.

Tezuka: They have a variety of his merchandise in the store we can check out.

Inui: Well, what do we have here…

Fuji: Fufu… Those are cute gloves, aren’t they?

Inui: This is excellent merchandise for the amusement park, but they would also be good for everyday use.

Inui: I could wear this and appear for anyone needing a cat’s paw.

Momoshiro: I highly doubt that’s something that would happen a lot, though.

Kaidoh: But it’s still pretty nice…

Ryoma: Yeah, it’s kinda cute…

Momoshiro: You guys are getting too into Prince Kitty, y’know!?

Inui: Fufufu… When in an amusement park, the appeal of the mascots is doubled.

Fuji: And here Kaidoh and Echizen were acting hesitant right before this.

Tezuka: It appears Inui was right when he said something was missing.

Tezuka: I think I’ll purchase a bucket of popcorn as well.

Fuji: Me too. The rainbow colors look cool.

Ryoma: Aren’t those cat-ear headbands pretty cute, too?

Kaidoh: This Prince Kitty plushie feels like a real cat…

Momoshiro: Make sure to think twice before buying anything. You’re taking it back to the camp, remember?

Inui: You’re surprisingly calm, Momo.

Momoshiro: Ah yeah, it feels like I’m watching my little brother and sister… Haha.

Inui: Your siblings… Well, for this case, it would appear we have many younger brothers today.

Fuji: Fufu… It’s a big family we got here.

Tezuka: If we’re going by birthdays, I’d be your younger brother too.

Inui: Haha. I don’t have any siblings, so this is rather new for me.

Inui: Are you done with your business, my younger brothers? It’s about time we get back to the attractions.

Kaidoh Card Story - “You get along well…”

Kaidoh: Seriously, you’re eating way too much.

Momoshiro: Shut up. Besides, it’s not just for you.

Kaidoh: Huhh? And who’s the one holding it?

Momoshiro: Okay, and what’s so special about you holding it? Huh?

Oishi: Time out, time out! What’re you two arguing about?

Ryoma: I’ve been listening, and it’s over something really dumb.

Kawamura: Echizen, let’s not add more fuel to the fire…

Kikumaru: C’mon~ They get along well. They say the closer you are, the more you butt heads.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: We’re not!

Ryoma: That was really in sync.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: Huhh!?

Oishi: Ugh, jeez… Okay, so why were you fighting?

Momoshiro: …Popcorn.

Kaidoh: The one we bought at the store…

Kawamura: Yeah, you said you’d buy one and split it.

Kikumaru: Momo and Kaidoh? Well that’s just a given that they’d fight over that.

Ryoma: Right. That’s what I said when they bought it.

Momoshiro: I wasn’t planning on eating that much. I wasn’t even that hungry.

Momoshiro: But that popcorn is surprisingly really good…

Kaidoh: And then you suddenly decided to go to town on it.

Momoshiro: I only had a little at first, so I thought it’d be okay to just have a little more.

Kaidoh: You were taking them by the handfuls.

Momoshiro: Hmph! You’re being really selfish, y’know that?

Kaidoh: Huhh!?

Kawamura: *sigh*, relax, you two…

Oishi: That is a really dumb reason…

Ryoma: See?

Kikumaru: Hey you guys, how about you take your anger out on that instead? It’s a shooting ride!

Kaidoh: Shooting…?

Kawamura: “An immersive experience with targets all around you”. Wow, that sounds cool.

Ryoma: Okay, let’s do it then.

Kaidoh & Momoshiro: …

—

Kaidoh: …It’s darker than I expected.

Momoshiro: You scared, Viper~?

Kaidoh: Hell no!

Oishi: Okay, it’s starting!

Kaidoh: Whoa… There’s UFOs in front of us now—

Momoshiro: And here comes the aliens! Th-There’s so many…

Kaidoh: Hey, don’t lean into me, Momoshiro! You’re throwing off my aim!

Momoshiro: There’s no time to worry about that! Sorry, but just tough it out please.

Kaidoh: Tch, whatever…

Kaidoh: Crap, our health’s been lowered! Keep whaling on ‘em!

Momoshiro: I’ve got this! Let’s wipe ‘em all out!

Kaidoh & Momoshiro: UOOOOOOOOH!!

—

Kikumaru: *sigh*, I really wanted that high score achievement sticker.

Kawamura: Momo and Kaidoh were getting the highest scores the whole time.

Oishi: I’m glad you guys got them.

Momoshiro: Yeah, I was trying so hard to defeat all the aliens and I just got super into it.

Kaidoh: I lucked out from just concentrating on the UFOs since they give the most points.

Ryoma: I think my gun was broken…

Momoshiro: You shouldn’t be a sore loser, you really shouldn’t.

Kaidoh: …Mm? Momoshiro, what happened to the popcorn?

Kaidoh: I left it with your stuff, so you should have it.

Momoshiro: There wasn’t much left, so I ate the rest and then threw it away over there.

Kaidoh: Huh? I’m pretty sure there was plenty left.

Momoshiro: There wasn’t. And you ate a lot of it when we first got it, didn’t you?

Kaidoh: I didn’t even have that much!

Ryoma: They’re back at it again…

Oishi: Maybe it is true for them, that they butt heads so often since they’re so close.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: You wanna go, huh!?

Momoshiro Card Story - “Fun in the Air!”

Momoshiro: Now where should we go next… The rides we haven’t gone on yet are—

Kaidoh: Why don’t you just look at the map of the park?

Momoshiro: Huhh? I was just about to. You don’t have to nitpick me all the time, Viper.

Kaidoh: What’d you say…? You’re the one who nitpicks me.

Ryoma: They’re at it, again.

Kikumaru: Nyahaha. They’re still so full of energy.

Oishi: Momo, Kaidoh! Let’s take it down a notch.

Fuji: Haven’t had enough fun yet, I’m guessing? How about we go on another big ride?

Momoshiro: Aw yeah Fuji-senpai, you get it! But actually, let’s go on that one next.

Fuji & Ryoma: Huh…?

Kikumaru: The swing ride! This is one we haven’t been on yet.

Momoshiro: Exactly! We need to give all the rides a go.

Kaidoh: The swing ride… Sounds pretty whimsical.

Momoshiro: Whimsical? Well, you shouldn’t underestimate it.

Kaidoh: I’m not.

Ryoma: We’ll be on swings?

Momoshiro: God, now you’re making a fuss…

Ryoma: I mean, it doesn’t look too exciting.

Fuji: You don’t know that.

Kaidoh & Ryoma: Huh?

Fuji: It looks like it’ll be spinning us around pretty fast. I think it’ll be exciting.

Ryoma: …Hmm.

Kaidoh: …Exciting, huh.

Momoshiro: Well anyway, let’s hurry and get on!

Kikumaru: Momo! It looks like no one’s on it right now! So I don’t think there’ll be a long line.

Momoshiro: Okay! Let’s get to it then!

Oishi: Take it easy, don’t run, just speed walk if you really need to hurry.

Momoshiro & Kikumaru: Okay!

—

Momoshiro: Whoooaaa! We’re so high up!!

Oishi: This is… higher than I thought. The ground’s… so far away… I-Is everyone doing alright?

Kikumaru: Of course! It feels like I’m flying, it’s so awesome! Yayy!

Ryoma: I’m good! It’s not a bad view.

Fuji: Yeah. This is a nice breeze blowing.

Kaidoh: …The breeze does feel nice.

Momoshiro: Whoaa! Now it’s going faster!

Momoshiro: Kuuu~! It feels so refreshing!

—

Momoshiro: Hahaha, that was so much fun!!

Kikumaru: It felt so good to be up in the sky, I wanted to stay on it forever~

Oishi: I was nervous at first since it felt like my balance was unsteady but yeah, once I got used to it, it felt pretty good.

Kaidoh: …It wasn’t so bad.

Momoshiro: Hm? What was that? I didn’t hear you, can you run that by me again?

Kaidoh: You…

Momoshiro: C’mon, say it!

Kaidoh: …Tch. It wasn’t so bad.

Kaidoh: Happy now?

Momoshiro: Hehe. Yeah, I guess I’d say so.

Ryoma: You look really happy now, Momo-senpai.

Fuji: That’s a nice look on his face. I’ll take a photo.

*click!*

Momoshiro: Whoa, that scared me! Hold on a minute!

Momoshiro: One more time, I wanna hold up a peace sign!

Fuji: Sure. And let’s get Echizen and Kaidoh in the shot too.

Ryoma: Alright. Wha—Momo-senpai, that’s too close!

Kaidoh: You don’t need to bring us this close for the shot…

Momoshiro: It’s fine, it’s fine, now both of you smile like you’re having fun!

Oishi Card Story - “Encounter with Prince Kitty!”

Oishi: Huh? That cat character over there, that’s…

Ryoma & Kaidoh: Prince Kitty…!

Kikumaru: Whoaa! It’s really him!

Kawamura: This is our first time seeing him even though we’ve walked all around since this morning.

Fuji: Maybe we passed him before. He’s so popular that he’s been surrounded in an instant.

Oishi: Now that he’s here, why don’t we get our pictures taken with him?

Kikumaru: For sure!

Ryoma: Oh, there’s people waiting in line for him over there.

Kaidoh: Let’s hurry, Echizen.

Ryoma: Right.

Kawamura: Those two are really hyped about this.

Fuji: Let’s get in line too.

Kikumaru: Hurry up, Oishi!

Oishi: You don’t need to pull on me so hard, Prince Kitty’s not gonna run away, you know?

Kikumaru: There’s a chance he’ll leave though.

Oishi: Haha, oh alright.

—

Kawamura: Man, what a wait.

Kaidoh: Maybe it’s ‘cause it takes a while for each group to get their pictures taken.

Ryoma: …I wonder if we’ll get to hug him when it’s our turn.

Fuji: Fufu… If that’s what you wanna do, we can ask them, Echizen.

Ryoma: It doesn’t really matter…

Oishi: Oh come on, you don’t need to be embarrassed. See, even the people taking pics with him right now are putting their arms around his shoulders.

Kikumaru: It’s almost our turn, so let’s all get a hug from him.

Ryoma: …Okay.

Oishi: …Huh?

Kikumaru: What’s wrong, Oishi?

Oishi: Nothing, it just looked like the family behind us was having a hard time is all.

Kikumaru: Really? Wonder what’s wrong.

Kaidoh: Their kid’s crying, but… it looks like they can’t get them to stop.

Fuji: I wonder if there’s anything we can do to help.

Kawamura: But we better watch out or else we could upset them even more…

Oishi: That’s true…

Oishi: Ah, that’s it!

Ryoma: Oishi-senpai?

Oishi: If we don’t help, then who will? I have a favor to ask you guys…

—

Kikumaru: I’m so glad their kid wound up laughing~

Kawamura: Yeah. It was right after they got a picture with Prince Kitty.

Fuji: I’m sure it was all thanks to Oishi suggesting they go in front of us.

Oishi: I’m sorry for making you guys wait even longer now.

Kaidoh: Getting a small child to stop crying is a bigger deal.

Ryoma: For sure. And even if we went further back, we’ll still get our turn.

Oishi: Right.

Oishi: …Wha—oh!

Oishi: P-Prince Kitty?

Kikumaru: Ah! Oishi, Prince Kitty is hugging you~!

Oishi: What’s going on…

Kawamura: Maybe it’s because he saw that nice thing you did, Oishi.

Ryoma: He’s nodding, so it must be true.

Oishi: Haha… oh, man.

Fuji: Here, let’s all get a photo together. Come a little closer, Kaidoh.

Kaidoh: ‘Kay.

Oishi: I’m kinda embarrassed, but this’ll be a great memory.

Oishi: Thank you, Prince Kitty.

Kawamura Card Story - “The Spinning Coffee Cups”

Kawamura: It’s getting dark, maybe we should head for the parade now?

Momoshiro: Mm, there’s still time though, isn’t there?

Kaidoh: He’s talking about getting a good spot. If we wait too long then we won’t have one.

Ryoma: I don’t think you need to worry about it. Eiji-senpai and the others are eagerly making their way over there.

Kawamura: Huhh, since when did they…

Fuji: Not too long ago. I was with Tezuka and Oishi too.

Inui: They will most certainly ensure the best position for everyone to enjoy the parade.

Kawamura: Gotcha. I’m grateful and I know they’ve got this.

Fuji: Right. So let’s not worry about them and have a little more fun before going on our way.

Kawamura: Of course. What do you guys wanna ride?

Kawamura: I feel like we’ve done everything there is, to be honest.

Momoshiro: There is one more ride I wanna go on, but it’s really far from here…

Ryoma: Why don’t we just go on something close by?

Kaidoh: I agree with Echizen.

Momoshiro: Augh, oh fine! We can do that.

Kawamura: So what’s close by? Maybe we could do the coffee cups over there?

Inui: …Coffee cups, huh. Interesting.

Kaidoh: Inui-senpai… do you wanna ride them?

Inui: No, I wish to observe. I’m sure I’ll gather good data from it.

Ryoma: Didn’t know you could do that with coffee cups…

Inui: There are those who have the tolerance for thrill rides, but have an intolerance for spinning rides.

Inui: So for this case, I may collect surprising data.

Fuji: So you wanna check to see if we can keep our balance, is that it?

Momoshiro: Let’s see how Echizen does with this then.

Ryoma: Nothing I can’t handle.

Momoshiro: Yeah, sure. Taka-san, come with us please.

Kawamura: Huh, me?? Uhhh…?

Fuji: You’ve got the most power, Taka-san.

Kawamura: O-Okay. I’ll do it.

—

Kawamura: How’s this? Is this good enough?

Momoshiro: C’mon, don’t hold back! Spin it as hard and fast as you can!

Kawamura: Like this…? Is this okay…

Ryoma: Nice breeze we’ve got out here.

Momoshiro: Look! Echizen’s just kicking back in here. Grab the wheel more firmly! Like this!

Kawamura: Momo…!? Wha…

Kawamura: ORAH ORAH ORAHHHHHH! BURNING!!

Momoshiro: UWAAAAAAAAH!!

—

Ryoma & Momoshiro: Ugh…

Kawamura: Huh? Are you two alright?

Ryoma: I’m… completely fine…!

Fuji: You’re back. How was it?

Kaidoh: Fuji-senpai, do you even need to ask that…

Fuji: Fufu. Well, I wanna hear what they thought about it.

Kawamura: I surprised even myself, but it was fun. I felt the wind whipping around me…

Momoshiro: Taka-san was… y’know… He had a lot of energy…

Fuji: Taka-san was brilliant spinning that coffee cup. I got some good shots of him.

Kawamura: Haha… I’m kinda embarrassed now.

Inui: I was hoping to hear Echizen yell out, you did come close though.

Ryoma: …Told you I could handle it.

Momoshiro: Handle it where? You were holding on for dear life.

Ryoma: And you were screaming the whole time.

Kaidoh: Everyone and their dog could hear you.

Momoshiro: How ‘bout you ride it then, Viper? Then you’ll see.

Kawamura: I can go with you if you guys wanna do it again.

Inui: Enthusiastic, aren’t you.

Momoshiro: Jeez… Taka-san’s pumped up over it now.

Ryoma: We’ve woken the beast…

Kawamura: Well actually, how about Fuji and Inui ride it this time?

Inui: Huh… No, I—

Fuji: It looked like fun, so let’s give it a try.

Kaidoh: Yeah, and I’ll take the pictures for you. We gotta commemorate you guys riding it.

Ryoma: And I’ll collect the data if you want.

Kawamura: Thank you. Alright, come with me, you two. Let’s go!

Fuji Card Story - “On the Ferris Wheel”

Fuji: Hey, why don’t we try riding the Ferris wheel?

Ryoma: That came out of nowhere.

Fuji: It’s because we haven’t rode it yet. So how about it?

Tezuka: That would be good.

Oishi: I think so too. It’d be a shame to go home without riding it.

Kikumaru: Yeah, yeah! I wanna ride it! I bet the view at night is beautiful~!

Kawamura: Even the view during the day is great too.

Oishi: Also around when the sun sets is stellar too.

Ryoma: It’s already nighttime, so we already missed those views.

Fuji: It’s too bad. Guess we realized it a little too late.

Tezuka: Next time we come, we should ride it in the afternoon or evening.

Fuji: Fufu, that’s a great idea.

Kawamura: We can look forward to that the next time we come.

Fuji: And I can’t wait for that.

Kikumaru: Wanna start planning for it now?

Oishi: One thing at a time, Eiji.

Kikumaru: Nyahaha. We’ll just get in line for now then! Let’s hurry!

Oishi: Wha, hey! Don’t pull me, Eiji!

Ryoma: Ah… they left.

Kawamura: Haha, even at night, Eiji’s still full of energy.

Tezuka: It’s perfect for the occasion. Come, let’s get in line.

—

Fuji: Look, I think we’re at the very top now.

Ryoma: Everything’s shining below…

Kawamura: Whoa, I can’t… stop staring at it. This view.

Tezuka: …Right. It’s beautiful.

Kawamura: Fuji, don’t you wanna take pictures of it?

Fuji: Mmm, I don’t even know…

Tezuka: Why wouldn’t you?

Fuji: I don’t think anything could match how exciting it is seeing it in person.

Kawamura: Ah… Yeah, I kinda get what you mean.

Ryoma: Alright, then I guess we’ll have to keep this view in our eyes and never forget it.

Tezuka: Right. We’ll hold onto it, as a memory.

Fuji: Yeah. That’s a good idea.

Fuji: Alright, I’ll take a photo of us in here to commemorate this then. You guys ready to pose?

Tezuka: Of course.

—

Fuji: Thank you, everyone.

Ryoma: …? Why you thanking us.

Fuji: For coming with me on the Ferris wheel.

Kawamura: What’re you talking about, Fuji? We had a great time riding it with you.

Tezuka: Kawamura’s exactly right. Rather, it should be us thanking you.

Tezuka: Thanks to your suggestion, we were able to see that nice view. I appreciate it.

Ryoma: It was quiet and relaxing. That kind of ride wasn’t so bad either.

Kikumaru: Ah, there they are! Heyy! Over here!

Kawamura: It’s Eiji and the others. Looks like they were waiting for us.

Ryoma: Let’s head over now.

Fuji: …

Tezuka: What is it?

Kawamura: Did you forget something?

Fuji: No, it just feels like time really flew by today.

Tezuka: They do say time flies when you’re having fun.

Fuji: …Yeah.

Ryoma: It’s too early to start feeling sad.

Tezuka: Right. Let’s enjoy this to the fullest until the very end.

Tezuka: It doesn’t stop being a trip until you’re back home.

Ryoma: A trip…

Fuji & Kawamura: Fufu…

Tezuka: Is something funny?

Fuji: Oh, no. It’s just very like you to say that, Tezuka.

Fuji: Well then, let’s have all the fun that we can until we head back.

[Episode 5]

—Nighttime

Tezuka: …It’s almost time to catch the bus.

Ryoma: Huh, already?

Kawamura: The park’s not closing anytime soon, but it’s gonna take us a while to get back to the camp.

Tezuka: The others are still in the shop. Let’s move once they come out.

Fuji: We got to see the parade, and got souvenirs… Is there anything else you wish you could’ve done?

Momoshiro: There is~. I wanna have more fun.

Kaidoh: You can stay behind then.

Momoshiro: So cold, totally cold…

Kawamura: I don’t have it in me to head back.

Fuji: I get you. It was a lot of fun, and now it feels sad that we have to leave.

Tezuka: By the way, shouldn’t we change?

Kaidoh: Ah… The guys in our rooms are gonna say something, aren’t they.

Momoshiro: It’s fine, I don’t care. Let’s keep the amusement park hype going till the very last minute.

Ryoma: Right.

Ryoma: It doesn’t stop being a trip till you’re back home, right?

Tezuka: Yes, that’s right.

Momoshiro: Hey, Echizen. It was more fun than you expected, huh?

Ryoma: Eh, it wasn’t too bad.

Kaidoh: You can never admit anything…

Ryoma: Like you have room to talk, Kaidoh-senpai.

Kawamura: Fuji, you took a lot of photos today right?

Fuji: Oh, for sure. I can’t wait to check them out later.

Momoshiro: You cool with sending me all of them?

Fuji: All of them? There is a lot.

Momoshiro: It’s great to enjoy the experience again from another perspective, isn’t it?

Kaidoh: …You actually said something good for once.

Momoshiro: What do you mean “for once”?

Fuji: Fufu… Well then, I’ll enjoy seeing everyone’s reactions to them then.

Kawamura: Ah, here they come.

Tezuka: All right, let’s get going.

Fuji: I hope we can come here again. All of us.

Ryoma: …Yeah.

Ryoma: I’m glad we came here today.

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: …

Momoshiro & Kaidoh: See!?

Ryoma: Hehe.

[Epilogue]

Oishi: Huh, you guys…

Kikumaru: Good morning. You’re up early.

Kawamura: Good morning. I woke up feeling refreshed for some reason.

Inui: I as well. Perhaps it’s due to me going to bed as soon as we returned from the amusement park.

Fuji: Echizen and Momo… they must still be asleep.

Kikumaru: Where’s Kaidoh?

Tezuka: He went jogging. He’ll be joining us for voluntary morning practice later.

Kawamura: Yesterday was way too much fun.

Oishi: Speaking of which, I wonder how they settled things in the end?

Oishi: It all started because of Momo and Kaidoh wanting to show Echizen how cool Japan’s rides are, didn’t it?

Tezuka: They did compete with each other numerous times at the amusement park…

Inui: In truth, it seems like many of the the thrill rides in the US are quite outrageous.

Inui: I can understand why Echizen would want to say that Japan still has a ways to go.

Kawamura: F-For real? Sounds like a big challenge to try and get on the US’s level then…

Kikumaru: But a ride being more scary doesn’t always mean it’s more fun, y’know?

Kikumaru: Sure, the rides were cool, but the thing that made me the happiest was being able to go with everyone.

Oishi: …Right. I always feel like we’re together, but it doesn’t feel the same as what we did.

Fuji: And about Echizen’s whole deal…

Fuji: Take a look, I printed out some photos from yesterday. Here’s a few that caught my eye.

Tezuka: Echizen?

Inui: Heh… That’s a great smile, isn’t it.

Kawamura: I’m sure Echizen was smiling a lot yesterday.

Kikumaru: Oh, yeah. He said something like “yeah, it was pretty fun,” or whatever.

Oishi: Don’t bring it up around him, okay?

Fuji: Fufu… But it really was a lot of fun.

Tezuka: But now we must switch gears. It’s time for practice.

Inui: Oh my, we ended up basking in the afterglow.

Oishi: That we did. Let’s head to the courts.

Kikumaru: I’m full of energy after having all that fun! Let’s do our best in tennis today, too!

All:

YEAH!

[STORY END]