North and South Swordsman Record Part 2

https://youtu.be/B5DZsaFp9t0

1: Joint Training... It Started...

Before the start of the Renpu Heijou Joint-Training.

Suu: ...I'm overwhelmingly out of place here!
Hokuto: Could you not start shouting out of nowhere.
Suu: But, will you... just look around!
Kofuki: ......
Hiyori: ......
Sayaka: ......
Sanae: .....
Suu: Not only is there Juujou-san and Iwakura-san we met in Harajuku the other day...
Suu: There's girls like Itomi-san, who makes sure to finish any mission you give her, and that girl who loves fighting aradama way too much... Aradama-Must-Die-Man Shichinosato-san too!
Hokuto: I told you not to be so loud... They'll think it's rude if they hear you. And what's Aradama-Must-Die-Man anyway?
Suu: ...That's slang for her.
Suu: She loves fighting aradama and stuff. To where it's impossible to wrap your head around... Isn't she sort of scary...?
Suu: Please God, I'm begging you... Don't put me in the same group as her...
Hokuto: You're right that there are strong fighters here from both schools, but we're only here to train together. You're worrying too much.
Hokuto: And besides, she's another student from Renpu, the same as you.
Suu: That doesn't reassure me at a--
Suu: ......
Hokuto: ...What is it now? Why are you hiding behind me?
Suu: There, over there... It's Tsubakuro-san... and Satsuki-san, from the elite guard.

Yume: Yomi-onee-san, do I really have to be here for this too-?
Yomi: You do. This is a part of our duties as the elite guard.
Yume: What do we have to do?
Yomi: We need to instruct everyone gathered here on the details of their training. Though, I believe Shidou-san and Konohana-san will handle most of that...
Yume: Then, you don't need me, do you? If I don't get to fight all the strong people I want, then I want to go home-!

Suu: (I don't want to get involved with Tsubakuro-san... No, I don't want anything to do with anyone from the elite guard!)
Suu: (Back then... When we met in Okinawa, they were way too scary...!)
Maki: Well if it isn't Asahina Hokuto and Inami Suu.
Suu: HYAAU!?
Maki: ? What's wrong with her?
Hokuto: Don't worry about her, Shidou-san. Anyway, what did you need?
Maki: Nothing, just thought I'd say hi to you two. I'm sure this training will be helpful for you. I hope you'll make good use of it.
Hokuto: Of course; we plan on it.
Maki: It's about time for us to get started. Good luck out there.
Hokuto: She was only saying hello. You're too jumpy.
Suu: That was just, an irresistible force, or more like, a synergistic effect; a lot happened...

Suzuka: This training is organized to drill you on small-scale group battles, but it has one other objective. That is--
Suzuka: For you to be able to clearly convey your actions and intent to your allies in a short time, so that, even if you are partnered with someone new, you can work together to dispose of aradama.
Maki: If there's an increase in aradama appearances, the amount of missions will go up too. In which case, you won't only be fighting with the companions you're used to.
Maki: With that situation in mind, you'll be divided into groups by lottery. Don't go swapping your results after you draw them.
Maki: Twenty minutes after the groups are assembled, we'll carry out group battles!
Suu: (Hokuto-san, Hokuto-san! Please let me be with Hokuto-san!)
Suu: (Also, please don't let me be with anyone scary...!!)

Hokuto: This is how it goes sometimes.
Suu: Right, I'm so glad... God granted my prayers!
Suu: Or at least, half of them...
Kofuki: What, there's no aradama-chan here? ...This sucks.
Kiyoka: You shouldn't say things like that...
Hokuto: I'm Asahina Hokuto, first year in the Heijou Institute's high school division. Nice to meet you.
Suu: ......
Hokuto: Come on, you say yours, Suu.
Suu: I-I'm Inami Suu... second year in Renpu Girls' School's middle school division. Please go easy on me...
Kiyoka: Ah, you're in the same year as me, Inami-san. I'm Musumi Kiyoka. It's nice to meet you.
Kofuki: ...Do mine for me-.
Kiyoka: ...Honestly, Kofuki-san.
Kiyoka: This is Shichinosato Kofuki-san. She's a third year in middle school. We both work together in the Akabane swords investigation team.
Hokuto: So you two already know each other as well. That's good then; it should be easy for us to coordinate.
Kiyoka: Right. In this situation, what do you think we should go over first?
Hokuto: It seems, right after this, we'll be having group mock battles. So why don't we decide on our roles in battle? We'll start with choosing an attacker.
Kofuki: I'm not being the attacker. There's nothing fun about going up against other people.
Kiyoka: ...Y-You can't be like that right from the get go.
Kofuki: But there's no point in teams of toji fighting each other, is there? A toji's job is fighting aradama.
Suu: ...I-Isn't that right?
Hokuto: That's true. There might be some logic to what you're saying.
Kofuki: Oh, nice to see you two get it.
Hokuto: However, being able to coordinate with one another is more important than anything. That's why I won't consider this training a waste of our time.
Kofuki: If that's how you feel, then you guys can do something about this yourselves.
Hokuto: That won't do. If you won't participate seriously, this training will lose its meaning.
Hokuto: And on top of that... If we aren't able to coordinate during our missions, you might be injured beyond recovery.
Kofuki: ...Like I'm supposed to care.
Suu: Uhh, umm... Why don't we all take some deep breaths and calm down first!?
Kiyoka: ...Asahina-san is right, Kofuki-san. If you ended up getting hurt, I'd be upset.
Kofuki: ...Tch.
Kofuki: Fine, I get it. Let's just figure this out already.



2: Coordinating All of a Sudden Is... Hard to Do

Suu: (The rule is that whichever group has the most people with utsushi removed loses, but everyone's going at it so seriously... It's scary.)
Suu: (...I hope this ends soon. But, getting cut hurts, so I don't want that to happen...)
Suu: (So, right now, this is all I can do...)
Suu: --You can do it, Hokuto-san!
Sayaka: HAA!
Hokuto: Kh... She's quick!
Kiyoka: I'll be right--
Sanae: I'm not letting you go, Musumi-san!
Kiyoka: Eh, when did you...!?
Sanae: Now's our chance!
Tsugumi: Understood.
Kofuki: You're actually taking this seriously... Really?
Tsugumi: That's rude. I'm fundamentally a serious person, aren't I?
Tsugumi: It would be a problem if they didn't think I was serious and our research funding was reduced-.
Tsugumi: Though, you're not my opponent now anyway, Shichinosato-san.
Hokuto: ...Suu, stand firm!
Suu: Thinking about it, they have to be coming after me, right--!?
Tsugumi: Sorry about this. Anyway.
Suu: NOOOOOO!?

Suu: Even with utsushi, it still hurts... Uuu...
Kiyoka: I know what you mean... It sure hurts, doesn't it. When you're being slashed, you can't help but flinch against it.
Suu: Ahh, I'm so glad someone here understands! Thank you, Musumi-san!
Suu: I can't be useful at all, so I... I'm thinking of withdrawing from this. I feel like that's the best way for me to contribute!
Kiyoka: Eh... P-Please, hold on a minute!? We'll be in trouble without you, Inami-san!
Kiyoka: And also, this is just a maybe, but... If Kofuki-san and Asahina-san can't coordinate, then this group won't...
Suu: ...Right.
Hokuto: ......
Kiyoka: If you won't cooperate some more, we won't be able to practice anything...
Kofuki: There's no aradama-chan here, so no thanks-.
Kiyoka: ...But, didn't you say you understood that before?
Hokuto: ......
Suu: (Ah-... I think Hokuto-san's mad... I'm not even the one who made her mad, but I'm feeling sort of uneasy.)
Suu: (I wish that someone would step in and reconcile this... Even someone from the elite guard would be fine, just, won't someone stop them?)
Yume: Nn-? Huh, Onee-san?
Suu: Ah, I didn't mean it after all!
Yume: Didn't mean what?
Suu: ...It's nothing.
Yume: I think I might've seen you before. Did we meet somewhere, Onee-san?
Suu: Ehh-... Ahh-... Umm-... Uhh-...
Suu: (What should I do, what should I do... Maybe it'd be fine if I said honestly, we met last year in Okinawa? But, but, if I pretend like she's got the wrong person, maybe she'll lose interest and go away!?)
Yume: I can't tell what you mean when you just say "Uhh-...", Onee-san.
Suu: Th-There's no way we could have met anywhere before, Tsubakuro-sama...
Yume: Why're you calling me Tsubakuro-sama even though I'm younger? Wait, this feels familiar for some reason...
Suu: AWAWA...! Umm, umm... It looks like you elite guard are having another tough day of work, huh!
Yume: Not really-... There's nothing to do, so I'm just bored. It's not like I get to fight anybody strong either-.
Yume: I'm tired of this, so I'm going to go play with Yukari-sama! Bye bye~.
Suu: Tsubakuro-san... You're as free spirited as ever... I'm jealous...
Announcer: We are beginning the next match, so will the following groups please prepare straight away.



3: How Did it Come to This...?

Maki: So each group has gone through a number of battle exercises at this point. Hm...
Maki: (Though, there's groups that are coordinating well, and those that aren't. The difference is greater than I was expecting.)
Maki: (Even when you gather nothing but people greatly skilled at fighting, they might not function properly as a team in some cases.)
Maki: (Asahina and Shichinosato's coordination is going to take time to improve, won't it...)
Maki: (Getting rid of ignorance within a unit is another part of this training's goals. I'll watch them carefully for now.)

Suu: We lost again, didn't we...
Kofuki: The hell, I fought like you told me to, didn't I? And anyway, she's barely fighting worth anything either.
Suu: Ah, that's true...
Kiyoka: Hey... Kofuki-san!
Kiyoka: U-Um... Try not to let it get you down, Inami-san.
Hokuto: It's true that, with how fearful Suu is acting, I can't call her an asset to the team.
Hokuto: Even when I put her through training whenever we meet, I wouldn't say she's very enthusiastic.
Suu: Hokuto-san, even if it's true, when you say it out loud... You're making me depressed.
Hokuto: But, you should be capable of fighting harder than that. Shichinosato-san.
Kofuki: Yeah and, what about it?
Hokuto: I understand full well that you won't get serious unless you're fighting against aradama.
Hokuto: However, I'd hate it if this training went on like this. We were given the chance to participate, so I don't want it to go to waste.
Hokuto: Which is why...

Suu: They did! At first, Noa-chan and Eden-san used to be so serious about their idol activities, and apparently they got in lots of arguments over where to take their careers.
Suu: They said that, in order to decide who'd lead them, they had a bunch of battles, like, who could get the highest score in karaoke, or who could hold a smile the longest.
Suu: But, as they did that, it made them start understanding each other better! Isn't that so idol-like!
Hokuto: I don't exactly know... what is and isn't idol-like. But it's true that battling can be a way to bring people together.

Hokuto: ...Let's settle this with a match. What do you say we agree the loser will obey the winner for the remainder of this training?
Kofuki: ...Huh?
Hokuto: If you win, I won't complain.
Kofuki: Have you got muscles for brains or what...?
Kofuki: But, fine. If I win, then this lameass argument's done with too.
Suu: E-Eh... Is it really okay for you to duel like this?
Hokuto: It's not a duel. This is simply practice in the form of a standard match. Move away.
Suu: You can't go pushing yourself too hard just because your leg injury healed.
Hokuto: Thank you. I know.
Kiyoka: You could have just done the practice properly.
Kofuki: It's fine.
Kofuki: Let's get this started already.
Hokuto: I'm ready anytime.
Kofuki: Then I'll get right to it--!
Hokuto: You are strong... But!
Hokuto: --HAAA!
Kofuki: Tch...
Suu: What's going to happen...
Kiyoka: ...Mm.

Yomi: It seems like some people have started a match on their own...
Maki: Wait, just leave them for now. If the situation gets worse, we'll step in.

Maki: Hopefully this can bring about some kind of change in that group.
Suzuka: Maki-san, it seems a mass outbreak of aradama has occurred in Harajuku just now.
Maki: ...!
Suzuka: I only just got the report. This joint-training has been changed to a joint-operation. The elite guard are to direct their suppression.
Maki: Got it. Let's hurry!

Hokuto: It seems like now's not the time for our match.
Kofuki: Sounds like a whole load of aradama-chan are out there. Good thing I joined in on this training.
Hokuto: We'll be up against aradama, so I'll be depending on you readily.
Suu: Ahhh, why did this have to happen-!?