7 - A Doll's Melancholy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2HOmDCPCwk

1: Return (1)

Mihono: We're back! Kamakura! It's only been a few days, but it feels like we were gone forever!
Kiyoka: I know what you mean. That reminds me... I wonder what happened with my hotel room?
Kiyoka: My president summoned me really suddenly, so all my luggage was left in the room I was staying in during the tournament.
Chie: That's... I'm sure someone from Heijou collected them for you. At worst, the hotel staff might be holding onto it?
Kiyoka: Y-You're probably right... I hope they didn't... Find anything embarrassing...
Mihono: Oh yeah, so that rumor about Akabane swords in Izu, that turned out to be fake, didn't it?
Mihono: Hmm... I thought Aoto-kan's Youji-san was supposed to be better informed than that...
Chie: It was, but we shouldn't blame him too much. Rumors are just rumors, after all. And thanks to that rumor, you got to see Etou-san, didn't you?
Mihono: Yeah, that's true. Ahh, I hope they made it out of there alright.
Chie: I think they'll be fine... But the bigger concern for us is that we found out about the elite guards using noro.
Chie: Though Mirja-san said, "They overlooked it, so we shouldn't get any further involved."
Chie: But we can't stay quiet about it forever.
Mihono: To tell the truth, I'm really confused by it. I mean, that's not something a toji should do. Injecting noro in their bodies, all for the sake of getting stronger...
Mihono: You can't do that... And still call it justice.
Kiyoka: I'm scared. I don't know what's going to happen. Are we really doing the right thing?
Kiyoka: It's hard to... Feel confident in that anymore...
Kofuki: ......
Mihono: Oh? Kofuki-san, where are you going?
Kofuki: ...Tch. Renpu's research building. I gotta show my face in the lab every now and then. Relax, I wasn't running off to snitch on you.

2: Return (2)

Kofuki: ...So why'd you guys tag along, again?
Mihono: You know, I just got curious is all.
Kiyoka: And Asakura-san said I should follow you, so...
Mihono: The older girls said they had something to take care of too.
Kofuki: Okay, I didn't ask about them.
Tsugumi: Hm... Well, if they're friends of yours, Shichinosato-san. Um, Asakura-san and Musumi-san, was it? Research team 16 welcomes you.
Tsugumi: I'm the mock battle operator, Ban Tsugumi. Our team is in charge of disposing of experimental results. Though primarily, other teams come to us for practical tests of their research.
Mihono: Disposing of?
Kofuki: What she means is, we get rid of the aradama they experiment on. We're the team on garbage duty.
Kiyoka: Do you... Always do that?
Kofuki: Isn't it great? I get to mess up aradama-chan as much as I want. Hey, Tsugumi, I came all this way, so let me in there a while.
Tsugumi: Now now, don't be in such a rush. You said you had to check in, but the truth is you're just bored, aren't you?
Kofuki: Heh, you know me! So bring out the aradama already!

3: Return (3)

Kofuki: What a pushover... What's the deal? I know you've got better than this!
Tsugumi: Now now, don't get so upset. You'll be disappointed to hear this, but we ran out of the kind of aradama you like.
Tsugumi: You were away for a while, and in the meantime someone dropped by and disposed of them...
Kofuki: Huh? Who'd go and... ...!?
???: It's me-!
Kofuki: Tch... Of course it was.
Yume: Bleh, I didn't think you were going to block that... I spent all that time setting up a sneak attack too; how boring.
Yume: The aradama here are so weak that I needed a new way to kill some time...
Kofuki: I had a feeling it was you...  Who said you could come in here and mess with my things!?
Mihono: Eh? Eh? What just happened? Who's this girl?
Kofuki: Tsubakuro Yume. From the director's elite guard... The last of the elite four.
Mihono: Ehh!? This little girl...?
Kiyoka: She's in the elite guard!?

4: I Wanna Play with You so Bad!

Yume: Hmm? Hmmm-? Hmmm~?
Kiyoka: W-What is it? Did I say something wrong...?
Kofuki: Yume, that attack of yours wasn't for me. It was for Kiyoka, wasn't it?
Kiyoka: Eh? Eh? W-Why me?
Yume: You figured it out? After all, this onee-san, she's Heijou's Musumi Kiyoka, right? I heard all about it, she's strong!
Yume: She's the one who fought off Maki onee-san and Suzuka onee-san all by herself, right!
Kofuki: Huh... So that's what you're after. Then you two have fun together.
Kiyoka: Ehhh!?
Mihono: Wait! Kofuki-san!? Stop, Yume-san! The elite guard were ordered not to attack us...
Mihono: And besides, we haven't told anyone about...
Yume: I don't care about any of that stuff. I just wanna fight this onee-san!
Mihono: Still, you can't just go picking fights! Even as a member of the elite guard, there's limits to what you...
Yume: Ah, okay. Hmm... Then, how about I play with all of you! I'm fine with that too!

5: Who Even Matters to You? (1)

Yume: Hmm... You're not as good as Chidori onee-san, but... You're still strong.
Yume: Hehe, I've decided.
Kiyoka: Eh... On, on what?
Yume: I wanna play with you some more, Onee-san!
Yume: So! You weaklings can get lost.
Mihono: I'm not leaving!
Kofuki: ...Like hell.
Yume: I said you're in the way! If you won't leave, then I'll force you down!
Tsugumi: I'll put a stop to this! I have an idea!
Tsugumi: If I release the aradama...! There, the gates are opening.
Aradama: SHAAAAAAA!
Tsugumi: Shichinosato-san! Now's your chance! Take your friends and get out of here!
Kofuki: Huhh!? What did you do that for! You dumbass! You coulda just gone and called for help!
Tsugumi: Oh... Oh yeah, you're right. I got a little carried away.
Mihono: Kofuki-san! With all the aradama around, we need to get Ban-san out of here! And we have to do something about this before anyone gets hurt!
Kofuki: Way ahead of you. There's no way I'm gonna retreat with all these playthings in front of me!
Kofuki: Kuku... Let the hunt begin! I love you! My aradama-chan!
Mihono: Wait, that's not what... Ahhhh, come on! Why'd it have to turn out like this!?

6: Who Even Matters to You? (2)

Kiyoka: Asakura-san! The aradama are mostly taken care of! There's only a few left!
Mihono: Thanks, Kiyoka! Ban-san, come with me! Hurry!
Tsugumi: Ah, okay! You too, Shichinosato-san!
Kofuki: Huhh!? I'm not done here yet!
Tsugumi: Just come on already!
Yume: ...... ...... *angry yume noises*
Yume: You're really making me mad... I was just starting to enjoy myself... Why!?
Aradama: SHAAAAAAAA!
Yume. You're in my way.
Aradama: GYAAAAAAAA!
Tsugumi: I don't believe it... That one was A+ grade, and yet, in an instant... The elite guard are this strong...?
Kofuki: Tch...
Yume: I don't think so! You aren't getting away from me! Just watch, I'll show you how strong I am!

7: Who Even Matters to You? (3)

Kiyoka: Pant... B-Ban-san, she managed to get away, didn't she?
Mihono: Pant... Pant... I think she's fine now. The one that Tsubakuro-san's after... Is Kiyoka, after all. She'll be coming our way for sure.
Kiyoka: But why though. I never did anything to her...
Kofuki: Maybe she just can't stand her own kind? You two're both prodigies, after all.
Kiyoka: B-But I haven't been called that in a long time...
Mihono: At least if things keep getting out of hand, President Takatsu will step in, right?
Mihono: I mean, at Izu, remember? She told the elite guard to leave us alone.
Kofuki: Not gonna happen.
Kofuki: And anyway, that Tsubakuro Yume never listens to whatever our President says.
Kofuki: But still, the president doesn't care about m... About us students...
Yume: Yep. That old hag only cares about Sayaka, after all.
Yume: To her, you guys are nothing more than, hm, interchangeable parts?
Mihono/Kiyoka/Kofuki: ......!
Mihono: You two can still use utsushi, right?
Kiyoka/Kofuki: Mm....!
Mihono: Tsubakuro-san is strong. And honestly, I don't know if even the three of us can win... But we can try!
Yume: Ahahahahaha! Yeah! That's how it should be!

8: Who Even Matters to You? (4)

Yume: Onee-san, you're all so fun! Not enough for me to use "that", but maybe I can get a little serious!
???: I'm afraid I can't let you continue.
Yume: Nn? ...Who're you?
Chie: Hmm, these girls' onee-chans, I suppose?
Mirja: That's how it is. (cute blushing Mirja)
Mihono: Chii-nee! Mirja-san!
Mirja: I see, so you intend to continue what was left off at Izu?
Mirja: My school's president gave the order to stop, and the elite guard agreed to no longer take aggressive action. But if you continue, we have no choice but to join in.
Yume: ...So now you're ganging up on me?
Mihono/Kofuki: ........
Yume: ....Fine.
Yume: I get it, I get it. You have to because you're weak.
Yume: ....Ahhh, this just got really boring. Beating weaklings won't... I'm bored... I'm going home.
Kiyoka/Mihono/Kofuki: .... ........ ............
Mihono: Y-You saved us~!
Kiyoka: I was worried about what would happen next...
Kofuki: ......
Chie: Thank you, Kofuki-chan. You protected Mihono-chan and Kiyoka-chan, didn't you?
Kofuki: HUH?
Kofuki: That's not what happened!
Chie: Really? In any case, you made your onee-chan happy. Everyone's safe, aren't they?
Kofuki: Tch......
Mirja: Safe, but they seem to have been severely beaten... We're very lucky they aren't injured.
Mirja: Anyway... We should leave here as soon as possible. Afterward, there's something we need to tell all of you.

9: The Location of the Akabane Swords

Mirja: ...To find out who is scattering the Akabane swords, and for what purpose, we must head to Tokyo.
Mihono: Scattering? You said someone is scattering them... Right?
Mirja: Yes.
Mirja: Yesterday, Osafune contacted Setouchi Chie-san about an anonymous informant willing to expose the reasoning behind why the Akabane swords have been found in aradama.
Mirja: Our destination is the Kita ward of Tokyo, to the Akabane district itself. To meet with this informant, our investigation team has been assigned as official representatives of the Sword Administration.
Kiyoka: It finally feels like we're doing an investigation, doesn't it? We won't have to fight any aradama or elite guards this time.
Mihono: What a relief.
Kiyoka: Yes~.
Kiyoka: Though, why would they suddenly decide to expose... I mean, why would they feel like contacting us now?
Mirja: That's true. We were curious about that as well. From what Setouchi Chie-san was able to learn over the phone, it's very likely...
Mirja: To be in response to the creation of this investigation team.
Kiyoka: But, Mirja-san, that would also mean...
Mihono: ???
Mirja: Yes. We haven't exactly been operating with much secrecy, however, this response is still too quick.
Mirja: There may be a spy within the Sword Administration, or someone may be leaking information. Whatever the case, it's best to think all our actions are being leaked from now on.
Mirja: In fact... This informant may have contacted us with the intention of making us aware that they have access to our information.
Kiyoka: You think it's a threat?
Mihono: ......Well, maybe they're telling us to stay careful!
Chie: Maybe. I'd rather hope they mean well. That this has nothing to do with spies or research into using noro.
Kiyoka: Right!