Chain Story Archives Part 0.5.1
1: Unit One's Training Camp#
Minato: Sigh... Not much time left in our New Year's break, huh. I didn't get to mess around anywhere near as much as I wanted... Hey, Kagari, wanna go have some fun somewhere?
Kagari: Why would I go with you, Minato-senpai... Besides, I have my work to do for the Origami family, so no thank you.
Minato: Ehh-, then what about if I invite Yukari too? That way you'd have to come along with us. When should we go? Hey-, when do you have some free time?
Kagari: (Sigh, she always forces things to go her way... Honestly, why does she feel the need to involve herself in others' business like this?)
Yukari: Minato, I hate to tell you this, but we won't have any time to enjoy ourselves. Starting tomorrow, at Yuzuki-senpai's proposal, we of Renpu Senior High School's Unit One will be undergoing a training camp.
Kagari: A training camp!?
The next day.
Fushimi Yuzuki: Seems like we're all here.
Minato: Huh? But Ema and Iroha-senpai aren't here yet?
Yukari: The two of them are busy with a mission and won't be attending. I thought I told you that yesterday.
Minato: Ahaha, you did? I might've been too distracted figuring out what snacks to bring to listen.
Kagari: (Sigh... She isn't showing an ounce of stress. Well, it's not as if Minato-senpai's the only one like that...)
Sagami Yukina: Sana, will you look at this! Aren't these pajamas so cute? I bought them just for today, after I heard I would be staying the night with Yukari-onee-sama~.
Arami Sana: Whoa-, that's super frilly... I bet it'd look great on you, Yukina-senpai.
Yukina: Wouldn't it~? Fufu, tonight I'll be sleeping in this, holding hands with Yukari-onee-sama~. I can't wait~!
Yukina: Hiiragi-san, just so you know, the futon next to Yukari-onee-sama belongs to me! I'm not letting you have it no matter what.
Kagari: Sigh... Sorry to spoil your fun, but Yukari-sama has said she will be sleeping in her own private room.
Yukina: What did you say!? Don't tell me, you're the one who put Yukari-onee-sama up to this...
Kagari: Yukari-sama decided upon it herself. And, I'll tell you just so you know, we aren't holding this training camp so you can amuse yourself.
Yukina: I don't need you to tell me that. Anyway, don't you think there are others you should be lecturing instead of me?
Kagari: Others I should be lecturing...?
Sana: Wow-, Minato-senpai. Look at all the snacks you're bringing! You think you could share some of that with me-?
Minato: Hmm, then, how about we make a trade? You let me borrow that game you're bringing and it's a deal.
Sana: Eh-!? But I just bought this game! I was only bringing it 'cause I thought I'd be able to 100% it during the camp-!
Kagari: (Sigh... None of them are taking this seriously at all.)
Kagari: (This training camp is an important step in preparing our unit to be strong enough should a great disaster happen... Do they not understand our purpose here?)
Kagari: (No, they must understand it. It's just that, when the time comes, the weight of their duties isn't as heavy as the one I must do. That's why they can be so carefree...)
Minato: Yukari, Yuzuki-senpai, here we go-! TAAAAAAA-!
Kagari: (I wasn't sure how things would turn out at first, but I should have expected this from Minato-senpai. The moment we began to practice, she became so serious it was like looking at a different person.)
Kagari: (Yukari-sama and Yuzuki-senpai too, with the way they can predict each other's movements, the upperclassman team is impressively coordinated. On the other hand...)
Yukina: Hey, Hiiragi-san! Sana! Why are you getting out ahead of me!?
Kagari: You're the one who's moving too slowly. If this were actual combat, that opening would absolutely come under attack.
Sana: Yeah, when it comes down to it, I'm not gonna hold back anything either.
Yukina: Hmph, trying to fight while working with you two is so stupid I'd rather not even try anymore.
Minato: Ahaha-! It's like this every time; the three on the underclassman team are so out of sync it's hilarious.
Yuzuki: Yes, I've spotted the greatest issue for us to work through here.
Yukari: Right. During this camp, our greatest priority should be improving the teamwork of those three.
Yuzuki: I can think of a number of methods, but what do you think we should do for them to improve, Yukari?
Yukari: If you ask me, it would be best if we found a way to bring them closer using this camp environment during the brief time we have here...
Minato: In that case, what if we put the underclassman team in charge of tonight's dinner? If they finish a common goal together, won't it deepen their friendship! You three feel the same, right?
Sana: Dinner duty!? Minato-senpai, isn't it more like you just thought it'd be a pain in the butt doing it yourself?
Kagari: The three of us, in charge of dinner? There's a limit to how inefficient you can make this. Since we went to the lengths of coming here, I believe we should spend our time doing more proper training exercises.
Yukina: I don't want to be with these two either. I thought I would finally get to spend 24 hours together with Yukari-onee-sama...
Yukari: Yukina, Sana, Kagari, this is an order from your captain. In order to improve your teamwork, you are to carry out this training at once.
Sana: If it's the captain's orders, I guess we don't have a choice but to go with it...
Kagari: Yes, once an order is given, we'll carry it out straight away. First, we'll need to do the shopping. Come on, Sagami-san, let's go.
Yukina: Could you not order me around? I'm only going because Yukari-onee-sama told me to.
Minato: Can those three actually manage to get along for long enough to go shopping...?
Yuzuki: Being able to overcome that is another part of their training.
Yukari: That's right. Now that we've ordered them out, all we can do is wait and believe in them.
2: Dinner Cooking Fraught with Trouble#
Kagari: Before we begin buying anything, I think we should first decide on a dinner menu, but what are you two best at cooking...
Kagari: Oh? Sana and Sagami-san must have left at some point. Where could they have gone...
Sana: Kagari-senpai, I went ahead and put what I want to eat in the shopping basket!
Kagari: Hang on, Sana, you can't only buy this many snacks. You won't be able to eat them all, will you?
Sana: It's all good. Sweets go in a different stomach, right? Besides, if we have to, Minato-senpai and me'll take responsibility and eat all of it!
Kagari: Really now... Do you know where Sagami-san went, by the way? I haven't seen her since we came in.
Sana: If you're looking for Yukina-senpai, she's over at the counter there.
Yukina: Fufufu~. Fish broiled in soy sauce, chopped burdock, spinach in tofu salad with white miso dressing; since Yukari-onee-sama loves Japanese style dishes, she'll be so happy.
Kagari: Wait, Sagami-san, aren't these all pre-packaged side dishes? The mission we were given was to work together, from buying the ingredients to cooking dinner. Just buying them pre-packaged is missing the point.
Yukina: Well, if I tried to work with you two, we'd never finish even if we had all the time in the world.
Kagari: But it's our objective here to do something about that. Let's first think up a menu together... Sana, please stop buying any more snacks.
Kagari: (Sigh... As disorganized as we are, can we even reach a finished dinner without incident? I'm concerned with what's coming next...)
Kagari: In the end, we never decided on a menu, and only bought ingredients for what each of us wanted to cook. Will this really be alright...
Sana: Huh? Yukina-senpai, you're so good with a knife! It's sorta surprising...
Yukina: A toji uses their okatana every day, so it's only natural.
Sana: Oh yeah. Then, let me try cutting some stuff too.
Sana: Wah-, that's crazy! Vegetables and fish both feel totally different when you cut them. Cooking's actually pretty fun when you give it a shot, huh, Kagari-senpai.
Kagari: Yes, I know... Wait, hold on, Sana, that fish you're cutting, that's the one I bought for the nimono I was making.
Sana: Eh-!? You should tell me that sooner-. I already chopped it down to bite size pieces.
Kagari: There's no use getting upset over what's already done. I'll have to come up with a new dinner menu... Using the ingredients I have left, I can... Eh?
Kagari: Sagami-san, right now, what you're cutting, that's the daikon radish I bought to use for making grated radish, isn't it?
Yukina: Oh, it was? My hands were free, so I thought I'd cut it. You should be thanking me then.
Kagari: But, when it's cut into such small bits, I can't make grated radish from it...
Yukina: So what!? If you're going to complain, then you should have put your name on it from the start.
Kagari: ...
Sana: Kagari-senpai, I just went and cut up the stuff that was around here, but what can I make with this?
Kagari: Sana, normally you decide on a menu before you begin cutting anything. Asking me to think of what you can cook in this situation is...
Yukina: Well now, look who's shying away. Isn't it your responsibility to bring this all together, Hiiragi-san?
Sana: Sorry, I also thought you'd be able to pull something together from this, Kagari-senpai... I guess it's no good after all?
Kagari: Unbelievable. You two rely on me far too much to get things done.
Minato: Yikes-, it's looking even more tense in there than when the training camp started, isn't it.
Yuzuki: I'd planned on staying quiet and seeing how things progressed, but wouldn't it be best to step in soon?
Yukari: Still, if we simply help them out here, they won't have improved on anything. We should hold off a little longer...
Minato's stomach growls
Kagari: Is somebody there? Please stop hiding and come out.
Minato: Ahaha, you found me out, huh-. Sorry about that, we were just worried so we came to check up on you.
Yukari: You seem to be awfully at odds with each other, but do you think you can finish in time for dinner like we agreed on?
Kagari: About that...
Minato: It's growling again. My stomach's so empty I just can't wait anymore-. Kagari-, if you don't make me some food soon, my stomach's gonna growl so hard it breaks.
Kagari: You say that, but... I can't come up with anything to make from these carelessly chopped up ingredients.
Yuzuki: You're right, I'm at a loss of what to do here. It'd be a challenge finding a menu that could make use of all these...
Minato: You're kidding... But there's all this food in front of me-.
Minato: Ahh-, I got it! I just came up with a crazy good idea!
3: The End Result of Dinner is...#
Yuzuki: A good idea? Minato, what did you come up with?
Yukari: Did you think of some way to resolve this situation?
Minato: Yep, yep. And here I'll show you how it's done!
Minato: We'll take the ingredients here, every last one, and toss them in a hotpot!
Kagari: Hotpot...? I see.
Yuzuki: That's true, with a hotpot, we can cook a variety of ingredients together into something that tastes good.
Sana: Leave it to Minato-senpai!
Yukina: With a strong enough appetite helping her, even Minato-senpai can come up with a good idea sometimes.
Minato: C'mon~, it wasn't that good.
Sana: Uh, Minato-senpai, that wasn't a compliment.
Yukari: At any rate, we don't have much time to prepare dinner, so starting now let's all work together regardless of class.
Kagari/Yukina/Sana: Right.
Yukari: Kagari, I'll be getting the broth together, so come help me.
Yukina: Yukari-onee-samaa, if you need help, I'll do it for youu~.
Kagari: I don't feel quite right leaving you in charge of the flavor. I know the way they make it in the Origami househould, so I'll help with this.
Yukina: What's with you!? I just want to cook with Onee-sama too, okay!
Minato: Yukina, if you're free, come help me out. We'll chop up the leftover veggies together.
Yukina: Why do I have to be with Minato-senpai...
Yukari: Yukina, right now, what we need to do is cooperate to finish making dinner. Please go lend Minato a hand.
Yukina: If you're the one asking me, Onee-sama, then I'll do my best~.
Minato: Hey, now you're looking motivated. So then, Yukina, let's have a contest to see who can chop them up the fastest!
Yukina: Why would we compete... Still, if that's how it is, then there's no way I'll lose.
Kagari: (Incredible, as soon as everyone decided on a goal and began to cooperate, the cooking is quickly coming along... That's the effect teamwork has...)
Minato: Whoa-, there's a kotatsu waiting for us-!
Yuzuki: While everyone was preparing dinner, Sana and I got one ready. It looks like the hotpot is done too, so before we begin eating, let's hear an overview of today's efforts from our captain.
Yukari: You all did well our first day of the training camp. Our objective at this camp is to improve our teamwork, and...
Minato's stomach growls
Minato: Yukari-, I can't take it anymore! Can't we talk about this while we're eating? Let's eat already-.
Kagari: Minato-senpai. Honestly, you're so...
Yukari: Though, Minato may have the right idea here. Everyone, go ahead and eat up so you can be ready for tomorrow's practice.
Kagari/Yukina/Sana: Let's eat.
Minato: Mmm~, so good~! You can't have winter without a hotpot, am I right?
Sana: Hafu, hafu*... That's right! Ah, the bits of radish Yukina-senpai chopped up all small soaked up the flavor and taste really good.
note
*The sound people make while eating something good, but hot, trying to breathe in through their mouth to cool it down. Onomatopoeia is hard.
Yukina: Of course they do, because I'm the one who chopped them up. Hafu, hafu... Oh, these slices of fish are delicious too!
Kagari: Those would be the fish Sana chopped up by mistake. It turned out for the best not using it to make nimono.
Sana: Eheheh, I guess I was right for getting it wrong then.
Minato: Wait-, the three on the underclassman team, they're acting all close out of nowhere digging into the hotpot.
Yuzuki: It's hard to imagine the tense atmosphere they had earlier.
Yukari: As they say, those who eat out of the same pot stay close. I'm relieved to see the training camp is already producing results.
Minato: (Oh, I'm glad that Yukari-sama is feeling relieved. I wasn't sure if we would make it for a moment, but we were saved this time thanks to Minato-senpai's idea.)
Kagari: (Thinking on it more, even outside of battle, Minato-senpai helps us out, doesn't she.)
Kagari: (I don't exactly wish to admit it, but, Minato-senpai might be an amazing person after all...)