Yu: Karin-chan, I've put up the tent!
Ka: Thanks, Yuuna. I don't know how to set up tents and all that.
Yu: Yeah, you usually don't have many chances to gain experience. But my dad took me camping a couple of times when I was in elementary school, so you can leave it to me!
Ka: Right. I never really went anywhere with my family.
Ka: Still, I had no idea there was such an affordable campsite nearby. This is just perfect.
Yu: Believe it or not: We have two beach campsites here in Sanshuu!
Ka: Two!?
Yu: They allow barbecues, too. Let's have one later!
Ka: Wouldn't it be kinda hard to have a barbecue with only two people?
Yu: Oh, that's true. Then let's save it for some other day when the others are there!
Ka: Yeah, let's. But anyway, we aren't here to fool around.
Yu: Oops, I forgot. Sorry.
Ka: That's right, we came here for special training!
It all began on the previous day...
Fu: Let's see, the Hero Club requests for today are... helping out at the gardening club, helping out at the girls softball club...
Fu: ...And helping out at the town's kendo hall? Not our school's kendo club? We're getting requests from outside kendo halls now!?
So: The Hero Club is getting more and more famous~.
Yu: Karin has wiped the floor with the guys at the kendo club lots of times before, maybe she's well-known in the kendo scene because of that.
Ka: That's an exaggeration, I didn't wiped the floor with them! And I have to go all-out or it wouldn't be proper training...
It: The kendo club has been asking for Karin almost every day lately.
So: Nibosshi, you're like the princess of the kendo club~.
To: Based on my investigation, half of the kendo club members want to beat Karin-chan in a serious match.
To: The other half said they began to feel a strange something after you gave them a beating, and now they can't go without it anymore...
Ka: Strange something!? What's that supposed to mean!?
Fu: Anyway, you should feel honored. The folks from the kendo hall said they'd love if you gave their students some lessons.
Ka: Fine with me. The people there might be stronger than the kendo club members and it'll be good training for me.
It: I feel like Karin-san is going to say "I'll set out to look for people stronger than me" one day...
Fu: Not so fast, Karin. You won't be going alone, Yuuna's coming with you.
Ka: Huh? Why? We're talking about kendo, right?
Yu: I have some experience with unarmed martial arts, but I've never tried kendo.
Fu: You're gonna keep an eye on Karin. It's a request from outside the school and all, so we can't let Karin go too wild.
Ka: I won't go wild! Geez, don't make it sound like I'm some monster or wild animal...
So: The Monster Nibogon~!
To: It always ends its sentences with "nibo"...
Ka: Knock it off!
Fu: How is it, Yuuna? Could you go there with Karin?
Yu: I got this, Fuu-senpai! I don't think Karin will go wild, but going to a kendo dojo sounds fun!
Yu: Hmm, but I'd really like to learn how to fight with swords if we're going there.
Ka: You're interested in sword fighting, Yuuna?
Yu: Yeah! You look super cool when you swing your two swords around, Karin-chan!
Yu: Yuuki Yuuna the swordswoman! How's that sound?
To: Swordswoman...
To: Yuuna-chan as a samurai might be nice, too...
Fu: Hey, Tougou. Stop fantasizing and come back to the real world.
Ka: Well, I wouldn't mind teaching you sword skills if you're interested.
Yu: Huh, really!? Yes, please!
Yu: It'd be great if I knew how to fight with a sword by the time we go to the kendo hall.
It: Onee-chan, when are they supposed to be at the dojo?
Fu: After the long weekend.
Ka: Hmm... I doubt you'll be able to get the hang of it if there's so little time.
So: There's a classic club event for times when you need to get stronger quickly~.
Ka: A classic event?
Yu: Oh! I know!
So: Good job, Yuuyu. It's...
Yu/So: ...A training camp!
Ka: A training camp?
Yu: That's right! The two of us will go on a kendo training camp!
To: Yuuna-chan and Karin-chan... just the two of you!?
Yu: Uh-huh! For a crash course in swordfighting!
To: Right... This is just simple training... That's all there is to it...
Yu: The other clubs have training camps from time to time, too. It looks really fun, so I was always envious.
Ka: Now I get it. You mean ascetic training in the mountains.
Fu: No, no, no, that's something completely different.
Ka: ...It might be worth a shot as part of my training to become stronger.
Fu: You're starting to like the idea!? You're not gonna seclude yourself the mountains as long as I'm responsible for this club! It's dangerous!
It: Even if you aren't going into the mountains... where are you going to have your training camp?
Yu: Leave it to me! I know a good spot!
Back in the present time...
Ka: (Yuuna and I went on this camping trip called training camp...)
Yu: What should I do first to learn swordfighting, Karin-sensei?
Ka: Sensei?
Yu: Yup! You're teaching me how to fight with a sword, so you're my sensei.
Ka: W-Well, we can go with that if you want to. Fine with me.
Yu: Okay!
Yu: I hope I can learn how to do this cool dual wielding thing like you, Karin-sensei!
Ka: Maybe... but the fighting with two swords isn't easy. It takes a perfect Hero like me to master it.
Ka: Wouldn't it be better to be safe and stick with a single sword style?
Yu: Hero Club Five Tenets, number five: You're likely to succeed if you try!
Yu: I wanna be like Karin-sensei... It'd be great if we had matching sword styles.
Ka: Matching styles!?
Ka: Fine, if you really want... But I'm gonna work you hard, or you're never gonna learn how to dual wield!
Yu: Gotcha!
Ka: First, here are two wooden swords. Pick them up.
Yu: Okay!
Yu: Whoa! Wooden swords are heavier than I thought! Holding one in each hand quickly wears you out.
Ka: That's just how it is when you aren't used to it. Eventually, you'll learn to use them as naturally as your own hands and won't even notice their weight anymore. Getting there is our goal.
Ka: You could even take your wooden sword to bed with you! It'll help you think of it as a part of your body!
Yu: Like we're living under the same roof, huh?
Ka: Yeah, exactly. Okay, now try and copy my movements.
Yu: Okay!
Ka: There! Haah! Tah!
Yu: Yah! Toh! Tei!
Ka: That's incredible, Yuuna! Your movements are still stiff, but your swings are looking good!
Yu: Ehehe, really? Thanks!
Ka: As I thought, your body is already used to it thanks to your martial arts training. At this rate, you might become stronger than the members of the Sanshuu Kendo Club... no, stronger than the people at the kendo hall even.
Ka: Or rather, you have to get strong! I'm the one who teaches you after all! I'm gonna make you stronger than the guys at the dojo, no matter what!!
Yu: Ooh, Karin-chan is fired up! I've gotta do my best!
Yu: Ah... All this training made me hungry.
Ka: You're right. Should we eat dinner now?
Ka: What should we do about dinner anyway? There's a convenience store nearby, we could grab something there.
Yu: Let's make something ourselves! That's the best thing about camping!
Ka: Yuuna! The fire won't start...
Yu: Stacking the firewood the right way takes some fiddling around. Oh, and try using a fire starter!
Ka: Also, how should I cook the rice again? In the mess kit, right?
Yu: No, use a pot. I heard it's easier to cook it in a pot when you aren't used to it.
Yu: First, let the rice soak in water for about 30 minutes.
Ka: Whoa! I dropped it!
Yu: Don't worry, it wasn't on the fireplace! And we have more rice in reserve!
Yu: Thanks for the food!
Yu: Mmh, it's great!
Ka: Yeah, it's delicious... but I haven't been of any use at all... haah.
Ka: Setting up the tent, making dinner... I left all of it to you. I feel bad.
Yu: Don't worry about that, Karin-chan. You're already teaching me how to fight with swords!
Yu: Karin-chan, you've never gone camping before?
Ka: Yeah... I lived in a strict household until elementary school, so I rarely played outside or stayed over somewhere...
Ka: And from my 6th year in elementary school on, all I did was train how to fight as a Hero in the facility. I never went outdoors to have fun.
Ka: Now that I think about it, I've been pretty sheltered, huh. Haah...
Yu: I really have to say, you've lived an incredible life, Karin-chan.
Ka: It's such a weird life, isn't it?
Yu: No, not weird. It's awesome!
Ka: Huh?
Yu: It means that you've put your all into becoming a Hero. That this is the sum of your efforts.
Yu: That's why I think it's awesome.
Ka: Yuuna... thanks.
Ka: ...All right.
Ka: Yuuna! We're gonna go for another round of sword training after dinner!
Yu: Okay, Karin-sensei!
Ka: You're focusing too much on your right arm! Your left arm's movements are sloppy!
Yu: Got it! I'll use my left too...!
Ka: That's it! Keep it up!
Ka: It's the second day of training camp! I've taught you all about how to wield a sword yesterday. Today we'll focus on your footwork!
Yu: Okay!
Ka: Footwork is key!
Ka: You need to float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!
Yu: Like this!?
Ka: Don't think, feel!
Yu: Got it!
Ka: You've gotten the hang of it, keep this up! You're gonna be Japan's number two swordfighter, Yuuna!
Yu: Then who's number one!?
Ka: That's me!
Ka: (And thus, the second and third day passed...)
Ka: Haah!
Yu: Teyah!
Ka: Your left! You're leaving it open!
Yu: Yeah, I know!
Ka: A feint!?
Yu: Haah!
Ka: Not so fast!
Yu: Ah... you sent my wooden sword flying...
Ka: But still, that was amazing, Yuuna. You can already pull off moves like this after only three days of training.
Yu: Thanks. It's all because of you, Karin-chan!
Ka: No, it's crazy how well you're cut out for this... Wouldn't it be better if you used two swords in Hero form instead of your tekko?
Yu: Ahaha. I don't think I could fight with swords as well as you do in a real battle.
Ka: Hmm, but I'm sure you'd get even better with some more training.
Ka: Anyways, that concludes our training camp's sword crash course! You're a black belt now, Yuuna!
Yu: Awesome! A black belt in Karin-chan style swordsmanship, right?
Ka: My style...? It's basically just an arrangement of techniques I learned at the facility.
Yu: Is that so?
Ka: I took the style made for the previous generation's twin axes and combined it with various techniques of other swordsmen... Well, yeah, I guess at that point you could say that it's my own style.
Ka: The other girls who trained at the facility knew similar styles, but they each arranged them into their own type of swordsmanship.
Yu: Then this is the Karin-chan style after all!
Ka: Yeah, I guess.
Ka: The training camp was pretty fun. It kinda reminded me of those days.
Yu: Those days?
Ka: I mean back when I was at the facility. I was obsessed with training, just like you are now. I wonder how the girls from back then are doing now...
Yu: Your old friends... what sort of people were they?
Ka: I don't think you could call them friends... I thought of them as rivals, as competitors.
Ka: There were some who formed groups and fooled around, but I completely focused on training, so I didn't talk to the others much.
Yu: Karin-chan... Your life was even more intense than I thought...
Ka: That much was normal for those in the facility, it's really not that intense.
Yu: (I think a remark like this is pretty intense in itself...)
Ka: I mean, yeah, life there was hard, but it made me into the one I am today. It's the reason I became a Hero and got to meet you guys...
Ka: Wait, I'm not saying I'm glad I met you or anything! I wouldn't say embarrassing stuff like that!
Yu: Huh? It's not embarrassing! I'm also really glad I got to meet you, Karin-chan!
Yu: I'm one hundred percent sure everyone's happy you became a Hero and moved here, Karin-chan!
Ka: Wha-... ah, uhm...
Ka: Thank you.
Ka: R-Right, I just remembered. I didn't have friends at the facility, but there was a girl I got along with.
Yu: You got along with her, but she wasn't your friend?
Ka: Yeah, because we rarely talked to each other. Just like me, she was someone who'd rather train than hang out with friends.
Ka: We saw each other as rivals back then, so all we ever did was argue. But maybe it'd be different if we met again now.
Yu: Hey, Karin-chan. Why don't you go see this girl again?
Ka: Huh?
Yu: It'd be like a class reunion! I bet it'd be fun.
Ka: ...You're right. Maybe I should try and meet her.
Ka: Oh, but I have no idea where she is now...
Yu: You could ask Sono-chan or Tougou-san to get the guys at the Taisha to look into it. They might figure it out.
Ka: Right, that's a good idea.
Yu: Please introduce me to that girl if you meet her!
Ka: Just so you know, she has a really difficult personality. Even more so that I.
Yu: You aren't difficult, Karin-chan. Just a little shy.
Ka: I-I'm not shy!
Ka: Well, but you might be able to become friends with her, Yuuna.
Ka: (I'll try to meet her. She might still hold a grudge against me, so perhaps we'll end up arguing again...)
Ka: (But I'm sure it'll be fun to see her again.)
Ka: Haaah! Hah! Yah!
Yu: Teyaah! Taah!
Kendo Hall Student 1: I thought only Miyoshi-san was supposed to be good at swordfighting...
Kendo Hall Student 2: But the other girl is crazy strong too...!
Ka: So anyway, Yuuna and I completely and utterly wiped the floor with them!
Yu: It was a smashing victory for Karin-chan and me!
It: Good job, Yuuna-san, Karin-san!
Fu: Uhm, your job there wasn't to defeat the entire dojo. There really was no need to wipe the floor with all of them...
So: Woohoo, let's throw a victory party~!
To: I made twice as many botamochi today in anticipation of your victory.
Yu: Awesome! I want some, I want some! I could eat two or three times as many of your botamochi any day, Tougou-san!
Ka: ...Hey, Sonoko. Do you have a minute?
So: Hm? What is it?
Ka: There's someone I want to find. I need you to look her up.
Ka: Her name's Kusunoki Mebuki.
Later, Miyoshi Karin and Kusunoki Mebuki met again in an unlikely place, but that's a story for another time...

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Pub: 26 Dec 2020 16:36 UTC
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