Fall's Main Event! Great Leaf Viewing Operation
note
Covers both fall events.
1: Fall's Main Event! Great Leaf Viewing Operation Prologue#
With autumn in full swing, toji of the STT have been called to action to suppress aradama appearing in a leaf viewing spot.
Hiyori: I can see why this spot is famous for leaf viewing.
Sayaka: Amazing... It's like the trees are on fire.
Hiyori: It takes some rude aradama to disrespect a place this beautiful.
Tsugumi: Well, what if that isn't the case? It's possible there are even some tasteful aradama here to enjoy the fall colors.
Hiyori: Ban Tsugumi, was it? You're here with us as a part of your induction training, right?
Tsugumi: That's right. Until not too long ago, I was often going out on missions...
Tsugumi: But in order to devote myself to my research, I temporarily withdrew from toji activities.
Tsugumi: However, with aradama incidents becoming more frequent lately, there's a shortage of manpower. I was soon ordered to return to the fighting. To put it simply, they're throwing me in the deep end.
Hiyori: Oi, that sounds rough...
Tsugumi: Well, I'm used to that sort of rough treatment. And besides, with Kitora-san here watching over me...
Mirja: I'm not exactly here to monitor you... However, I will be providing support as we work together.
Hiyori: Right, I'll be counting on you.
Sayaka: There they are. I'll remove them right away.
Tsugumi: Ah, please wait a minute. Don't you think they're acting strangely?
Hiyori: What are... They doing?
Tsugumi: They're kicking up the fallen leaves, and then covering themselves in them. Could they be playing? This is extremely interesting behavior we're seeing.
Sayaka: Was that a minute? I'll kill them.
Tsugumi: Ah... I wanted to observe them a little longer. Well, there's nothing to be done about it now, is there.
Tsugumi: ...Hmm? Everyone, please, look at this!
Hiyori: What is it? That's an unsettling pattern...
Mirja: It seems to be a leaf that was stuck to the aradama defeated just now.
Hiyori: U-Uwaah!?
Tsugumi: O-Ohh!? Th-Th-The leaf is wriggling around! Could this be the aradama's influence? This is a wonderfully valuable specimen!
Hiyori: Uh, it's giving me the creeps... So why are you looking so happy with it?
Sayaka: What should I do? Should I kill it too?
Hiyori: Uh... You too, why don't you try settling things without using your okatana for a while.
Sayaka: Okay. Then I won't kill it.
Mirja: Kohagura Ellen once told me she encountered something similar to this.
Mirja: They don't seem to pose any immediate danger, however, as we have no way of knowing what effects they may have on the area, it would be best if we collected any we find.
Tsugumi: Ah, then I'll be in charge of gathering them. If you find any more, please let me have them.
Hiyori: O-Okay... I'll leave you to that. With that settled, we should begin our mission.
A little while after beginning their aradama suppression mission...
Hiyori: How are you all holding up? We could take a break.
Tsugumi: You're all even stronger than I thought. Thanks to your efforts, I've been able to safely focus on collecting leaves.
Sayaka: Tsugumi, you were very excited about collecting them.
Tsugumi: Of course. This is a rare find, so I thought I'd take them back with me for inspection and observation.
Hiyori: That's right, weren't you originally part of the aradama research department, Tsugumi?
Tsugumi: I was. Every day I would research aradama and worldly phenomena related to them, such as these "red raging leaves", in the laboratory.
Tsugumi: If you ever have any aradama related concerns, please don't hesitate to ask me.
Mirja: It isn't so much a concern, but aren't there an unusual amount of aradama in this area?
Hiyori: I noticed that too. And they're acting strangely.
Tsugumi: Ah, that reminds me, while you were working, I had the chance to speak with the people at the shrine over there...
Hiyori: Oi, what were you doing in the middle of a mission...
Mirja: Forgive me, I took my eyes off her for a moment and she was drinking tea with the priest.
Hiyori: You took a break to talk over tea...! W-Well, what's done is done. So? Did you learn anything useful?
Tsugumi: Yes. From the sound of it, in the past, four okatana were dedicated to this shrine...
Tsugumi: But recently they all went missing, and at around the same time the number of aradama outbreaks increased.
Mirja: Those okatana wouldn't happen to be "Momiji", would they?
Tsugumi: Ah, I think that was the name.
Sayaka: Mirja, do you know about it?
Mirja: Of course I do. Momiji were unsigned and their history remains unclear, but their blades were up to 60 centimeters, making them long for a wakizashi, and designed to capture the beauty of the fall colors with its...
Mirja: The characteristics of the sword are said to famously alter like a woman's heart or an autumn sky. Because its preferences in owners are also intensely difficult to match, receiving permission from the the Sword Administration Bureau is...
Mirja: I had heard that they were entrusted to the shrine here. Once we had finished our mission, I had planned to pay my respects to them, however it's disappointing to hear of their loss.
Tsugumi: (...She's talking so fast that I was only able to understand half of that.)
Hiyori: Do you think losing the okatana and the increase in aradama are connected?
Tsugumi: Hmm~... Hypothetically speaking, it could be a similar case to the okatana sunk off Uraga, the Akabane swords, which ended up being found within aradama...
Tsugumi: Do you think the cause might be that, somehow, Momiji became similarly encased in an aradama?
Mirja: I see. There is a tendency for other aradama to appear and group around a stronger aradama with an Akabane sword inside.
Hiyori: Then that would explain the increase in aradama. So that means, as we continue our mission, we could eventually recover Momiji?
Mirja: ...It's possible. Yes, it goes without saying, we should be doing everything possible on this mission to recover Momiji.
Sayaka: I understand. Every aradama I see, I'll kill.
Tsugumi: And just leave collecting up the leaves to me!
Hiyori: R-Right.
Hiyori: (A-Are things really going to be okay with this group...?)
2: Fall's Main Event! Great Leaf Viewing Operation Epilogue#
Hiyori: Good, this place is cleared out as far as I can tell.
Tsugumi: Good work, everyone. It's thanks to you that I managed to fill this garbage bag full of "red raging leaves".
Tsugumi: With these, my own leaf viewing is at an end.
Hiyori: It ended up being a pretty unsatisfying leaf viewing, didn't it.
Tsugumi: No, this is more than enough. When I get back, I'll have plenty of fun with these little things.
Sayaka: They make a lot of noise.
Hiyori: Mm, they don't want to settle down...
Tsugumi: I know, they're such lively leaves, aren't they? ...Ah, oh right, speaking of leaves. (Momiji is both the name of the sword and the word for fall leaves)
Tsugumi: I never expected the shrine to hand Momiji over to us.
Hiyori: Ahh, that's true. We'll have to thank the priest for his kindness.
Mirja: The Sword Administration Bureau even officially licensed it. As soon as we get back, we can appreciate them to our heart's content.
Hiyori: You're breathing pretty heavy, Mirja. I'm just going to say this, but don't even think about bringing Momiji out on the train.
Mirja: I-I wouldn't get that carried away.
Tsugumi: Nn? The train...?
Sayaka: Tsugumi, are you bringing those on the train?
Tsugumi: I didn't consider that. Hmmm, what to do. This is a minor public disturbance, isn't it?
Hiyori: Tsugumi... Sorry. I want to sit in my reserved seat and go home.
Mirja: If you do want to bring those with you, I think you might have to give up on taking the train.
Tsugumi: Maybe I can ask the conductor to let me hold them in the vestibule.
Sayaka: Tsugumi, good luck.
Tsugumi: ...You're all pretty humorless, huh.
Hiyori: Anyway, why don't we take in the fall colors one last time on our way back.
On a later day...
Tsugumi: Fufu. I finally managed to get you home, my "red raging leaves". It's time for some fun experiments together.
Tsugumi: Nn? Huh? Where did I put them...?
Kofuki: Yo. You're back. I baked some sweet potatoes. You want some?
Tsugumi: Ah, Shichinosato-san. Thank you. I'll try one.
Tsugumi: Oh, it's sweet and delicious. Chew, chew.
Kofuki: How'd that mission go? You hunt a lot of aradama-chan?
Tsugumi: Yes, plenty in fact.
Kofuki: Man-! Lucky you! I wanted to go play with 'em too.
Tsugumi: If you were there, you would have hunted them all down yourself and I wouldn't have gotten any training done, Shichinosato-san.
Tsugumi: Ah, by the way, I brought back these "red raging leaves" as spoils from that time... You wouldn't happen to have seen them around here, did you?
Kofuki: Nn? You mean all those dead leaves? They were getting annoying rustling around, so I made a bonfire and roasted these potatoes.
Tsugumi: PFFFFFFT---!!
Kofuki: The hell-! Hey, that's gross!
Tsugumi: I went to... Went to so much trouble... Getting them back here... My "red raging leaves"... And you roasted them...
Tsugumi: Roasted them...? Wait?
Kofuki: Oi, what's with you?
Tsugumi: (...These roasted potatoes, just how safe is it to eat them?)
Tsugumi: Ahem, Shichinosato-san. How many of those potatoes have you eaten?
Kofuki: Huh? Well, I ate one before you got here, and then there's this half of one I split with you.
Tsugumi: I see, I see. Ingested 1.5 units...
Tsugumi: Have you noticed any abnormal changes in your physical condition? Your heart beating faster, or suddenly breaking out in sweat, for example.
Kofuki: What? Nothing like that. I'm feeling full now, that's it.
Tsugumi: Okay, okay. Immediately after ingesting, no physical abnormalities have been noticed... Now then, to help your digestion, why not play with some aradama?
Kofuki: Yeah-! I'm all about it! Gimme the strongest one you've got!
Tsugumi: Understood. Then, let's get this "Physical Test to Determine the Effects of Consuming Potatoes Roasted in Red Raging Leaves" underway.
Kofuki: Nn? What's that about?
Tsugumi: Look, here come the aradama~.
Kofuki: Alright! Bring it on!