Assemble! Toji Cheer Squad

1: Special Mission Announcement

Maki: Are you sure about this, Yukari-sama...? Is there any need for a unit like this...
Yukari: Currently, there is a mixed unit from all the Five Traditions on a mission to investigate the Akabane swords. If all goes well, the number of okatana in our possession should steadily rise from here.
Yukari: In which case, we may find that there aren't enough toji to pair with these okatana.
Yukari: In order to protect the people, the more toji we have, the better. If we use this unit wisely, there's a chance it will increase the number of toji applicants.
Maki: Still...
Yukari: Do you disapprove? Maki.
Maki: ......
Maki: No. If you make the order, Yukari-sama, I will use all the power given to the elite guard to fulfill it. I have no complaints.
Yukari: Good. Then, begin at once.
Maki: Understood. I will prepare a unit capable of accomplishing this mission. The Special Ritual Riot Squad Distinguished Publicity Unit--
Maki: Hereby known as, the Toji Cheer Squad!!
Takatsu Yukina: Just now, Yukari-sama sent an order down to each of the Five Traditions. A toji from each school will undergo a selection exam to take part in a unit undergoing a special mission.
Yukina: Sayaka, you are my masterpiece. This is a chance to prove the vast difference between you and these other toji.
Yukina: Pass their selection, and be acknowledged by Yukari-sama.
Sayaka: I will. This special mission... What is it about?
Yukina: Cheerleading.
Sayaka: ............Cheer leading?
Maki: Has everyone arrived?
Ellen: Yes! Everyone's here!
Naruse Miki: Though everyone is just the five of us, isn't it~?
Yui: I'm here, I'm here! When I heard they wanted someone for such a delicious event, I threw both my hands up!
Mai: Ah, you're here too, Sayaka-chan?
Sayaka: Mm. President Takatsu ordered me to be here.
Maki: Osafune's Kohagura Ellen, Heijou's Naruse Miki, Ayanokouji's Yamashiro Yui, Minoseki's Yanase Mai, Renpu's Itomi Sayaka--
Maki: So you five are each school's nominees.
Ellen: Makimaki? What are the five of us going to be doing here? We came all the way to this inn out in the mountains.
Maki: You should have heard; all of you are applicants nominated to join the Toji Cheer Squad.
Maki: In order to advertise the position of toji, this squad will improve our image.
Maki: As this is a direct proposal from Yukari-sama, I won't accept any half-hearted effort. You'll acquire the skills necessary to put on the perfect cheerleading performance.
Maki: To make that happen, you'll now be participating in a special cheerleading training camp!
Yui: Camp! So I'll be camping under the same roof with all these cuties...!
Yui: Ahh, I-I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself! I'll apologize in advance! If anything happens, sorry!
Maki: If anything happens... Like what, exactly?
Miki: I think it's best not to pry into that. At least, that's what my intuition's telling me.
Maki: Hm... Well, fine.
Maki: One week from now, Yukari-sama herself will be coming to inspect your performances.
Maki: If she approves of you, only then will you be officially accepted into the Toji Cheer Squad.
Ellen: This sounds like fun. If we're going to do it, we might as well give it our best shot!
Miki: Though, cheerleading doesn't exactly sound like a toji's work, does it...
Maki: Naruse Miki. This was a direct order from Yukari-sama herself. I won't allow you to take it lightly.
Miki: I-I understand that~. So please stop glaring at me..
Sayaka: ...I'll do my best.
Maki: Good. Starting now, all of you should aim to become the ultimate cheerleaders!

2: Cheerleaders, in Training!

Maki: We'll start with your stamina! Run for one hour through the mountains. Afterwards, we'll do squats, sit ups, and push ups.
Miki: Pant~ pant~... Why... Are we doing something so sporty...?
Ellen: Cheerleading works as a sort of endurance match too!
Sayaka: I'll do my best.
Maki: Next you'll be learning the fundamental techniques. Beginning with stunts, and then forming a pyramid!
Mai: Stunts...?
Maki: Stunts are a part of the act as a cheerleader. A pyramid is made up of a combination of stunts. Now, let's get started!
Miki: Th-This got hard all of a sudden...
Sayaka: I'll do my best.

And so their practicing continued... After several days passed...

Maki: Jump, step, watch those feet! Focus!
Maki: Good, stop. You all seem like you're getting used to this.
Ellen: I could do this much before breakfast!
Maki: Though-- Itomi Sayaka. Your movements are perfect, but there's still a stiffness that you can't get rid of.
Sayaka: Stiffness...?
Maki: According to my cheerleading textbook, showing emotion through your expression is essential... You need to work on that from now on.
Sayaka: ...
Yui: Who wants to get in the bath with me!? The bath! We should all take a bath, you know! Have to take one right away!
Miki: Why are you still so worked up...?
Sayaka: ...
Mai: What's wrong, Sayaka-chan? You look down.
Sayaka: Shidou Maki told me before... I can't get rid of my stiffness.
Sayaka: I thought I was doing everything right. But, I'm missing something... I don't know what to do.
Mai: We all only just started cheerleading. I don't think you should worry about it so much.
Sayaka: But President Takatsu said I have to get Origami Yukari's acknowledgement and become a cheer toji. I have to do my best...
Mai: Sayaka-chan...
Mai: I know! In that case, why not get some pointers from someone more skilled? You might learn something useful.

The next day--

Sayaka: Shidou Maki. Please teach me some pointers.
Mai: Sayaka-chan is worried... She wants to hear some advice from you.
Maki: ...Sorry. I don't know anything about cheerleading myself, so I can't teach you anything that's not in the textbook...
Miki: Eh-! Is that true!?
Yui: That won't do~. If you want to teach someone, you have to be able to do it yourself!
Yui: Ahh, seeing Shidou-san dancing around cheerleading... I'd pay to see that! In fact, I need to see it, pant, pant...!
Maki: No, I'm not going to be one of the cheer toji; I'm just your coach and judge... There's no need for a coach to master the sport.
Ellen: Makimaki, there's a phone call for you.
Maki: ...For some reason... I have a strong feeling that I shouldn't answer this...
Suzuka: Hello, Maki-san?
Maki: Yes. What's going on, Suzuka.
Suzuka: Yukari-sama asked me to pass along a message to you just now.
Suzuka: "I forgot to mention this, but you're also assigned to participate as a member of the cheer toji." ...Is the message she left me.
Maki: What... Did you say...!?
Yui: Hooray-! Now Shidou-san has no choice but to be a cheerleader with us!
Maki: Kh...!
Sayaka: ...Shidou Maki wasn't a cheerleading expert... Who else knows how...?
Mai: What about Naruse-san and Yamashiro-san?
Miki: Eh, you want me to teach you? I'm hardly any better.
Yui: I've been too busy watching the other girls cheering with all they've got, so I'm not that confident in my own skills.
Mai: Then that leaves... Ellen-chan?
Ellen: Hm? You need me?
Ellen: Yeah, yeah, yeah! Finish!
Mai: Wow, Ellen-chan, your cheering is so good!
Ellen: Fu fu fu! America is the home of cheerleading, after all! Of course I'm good at it!
Sayaka: I don't think that's the reason though... But Ellen is the best.
Sayaka: Ellen, teach me the techniques for cheerleading.
Mai: And I'll practice with you. If that's alright with you, Ellen-chan.
Ellen: It's okay! Just leave it to me!

3: Final Exam

And so, after several days--

Ellen: Right, left, right, left, do a spin, and jump!
Sayaka: ...I did it.
Mai: I think I did it right too.
Ellen: Excellent! You two are in perfect sync.
Ellen: And you, Saaya, your stiffness from before is gone! Very good!
Sayaka: Thank you. It's because you taught me.
Ellen: Non non, Saaya. I didn't do anything.
Sayaka: But you're the one who taught me how to get better.
Ellen: You've always been so physically fit, Saaya, so your cheerleading techniques were already perfect.
Ellen: But your expression was too stiff. You looked like a beautiful doll, being puppeteered around...
Sayaka: I did...?
Ellen: But when you were with Maimai, you were making such a happy face. So Maimai is actually the reason you're doing better!
Ellen: If you want to thank anyone, you should be thanking her.
Sayaka: I see... Mai, thank you.
Mai: Eh!? I-I didn't do anything though.
Ellen: Ahaha, looks like Maimai's the perfect medicine for Saaya after all!
Ellen: When you two were cheering just now, you were so coordinated you looked like sisters!
Sayaka: If Mai were my sister... That wouldn't be bad.
Mai: S-Sayaka-chan!?
Maki: Today marks the end of the training camp. Finally, Yukari-sama herself will be judging all of you. If she approves, you will be officially admitted into the Toji Cheer Squad.
Yukari: This is an official mission you have been assigned as toji. Show me your fullest potential, the same as you would if you were suppressing aradama.
Ellen: Are you going to be cheering too, Makimaki?
Maki: I've been practicing every waking moment since then... As a member of the elite guard, failure here isn't an option.
Yukari: Now then, one by one, show me your performances as a cheerleader.
Yukari: Good, Naruse Miki. You pass.
Miki: Thank you very much.
Miki: Phew~, thank goodness~. If you want to stand out, you can't wait for others to go ahead of you.
Yukari: Yamashiro Yui, pass.
Yui: Yes, I did it! I had to make it into this unit to be around those cute cheerleaders, after all!
Yukari: Kohagura Ellen, pass.
Ellen: Of course!
Yukari: Shidou Maki, pass. That was a good performance.
Maki: Thank you very much.
Yukari: ...If only I'd brought Suzuka here to see this.
Maki: P-Please don't joke like that, Yukari-sama!
Yukari: Yanase Mai, pass.
Mai: Phew... Thank you very much.
Yukari: Lastly... Itomi Sayaka.
Sayaka: Yes.
Yukari: (Her expression is stiff. This type of role might not be suited for Itomi Sayaka...)
Mai: Sayaka-chan, relax your shoulders. I'll be here with you.
Sayaka: Mai... Mm, okay.
Yukari: (...Hm. She was able to relax herself when she needed to.)
Sayaka: --Finish.
Yukari: Good. Itomi Sayaka, you pass.
Sayaka: Good...
Mai: You did it, Sayaka-chan!
Sayaka: Mm. Thank you, Mai.
Yukari: All of you passed. You've done well, putting on these performances after such a short period of time.
Yukari: Now then... In the coming days, you'll have your final practical test.

4: Formation of the Toji Cheer Squad

Ellen: So our final test is putting us in actual combat!
Maki: Recently, there's been a number of reports of aradama appearing around this stadium.
Maki: If aradama appear while a game is taking place, a significant number of people in the stadium could be in danger.
Sayaka: If aradama do appear, we need to defeat them right away...
Maki: That's how it is. For that reason, the Toji Cheer Squad will be standing by here in the stadium.
Miki: On top of that, even though we're meant to be cheer toji, we're still wearing our ordinary uniforms, aren't we?
Yui: Sighhh~... What a letdown... I was so looking forward to everyone dressing up like cheerleaders.
Mai: Ahaha... Still, I'm sort of relieved. It would be a little embarrassing fighting wearing something like that...
Maki: That's for sure...
Sayaka: --! The spectrum finder is detecting something...!
Maki: Looks like the aradama are already here. Let's go!
Suzuka: Stop right there!
Ellen: Oh, Hanahana, are you our backup?
Suzuka: I'm only here to deliver these clothes. The finishing touches took longer than expected, but here you are: the official uniforms of the Special Ritual Riot Squad Distinguished Publicity Unit.
Maki: What... Are these...!?
Ellen: WOW! Real cheerleader uniforms!
Sayaka: Mm...
Mai: This is what cheerleaders have to wear, is it...
Yui: Yessssss!! Cheerleader uniforms for everyone! I can't believe my eyes!
Miki: Don't get too excited...
Suzuka: You'll carry out your mission while wearing these, everyone.
Suzuka: And Yukari-sama has asked me to remind you to do your cheerleading performance after you're done fighting.

Several days later--

Kanami: Check it out, Mai-chan, Sayaka-chan! They put up a video of the cheer toji on the internet!
Sayaka: It's true.
Mai: So they recorded it after all... When we were fighting wearing that.
Sayaka: The number of views... Is a lot. It's over one million.
Mai: They said cheerleading would improve our image and make others want to join... But is this really going to make more girls want to be toji...?
Kanami: I'm sure it will! I mean, see how cute you all look!
Kanami: Oh, see, this is the part where you and Sayaka-chan started cheering after beating that aradama.
Sayaka: ...Mm, I get it.
Mai: ? What do you mean, Sayaka-chan?
Sayaka: I... Had more fun than I thought.
Sayaka: (I'm glad I was able to do what President Takatsu asked me to... But, doing it with my friends... Was a little fun too.)