Mari: By popular demand of the readers, we will be taking over position as the intro for each chapter.
Dia: 'Popular demand'? We literally had one vote. And we were tied, with the second years.
Mari: Popular demand.
Dia: …
Kanan: L-Let's just get started on reading the reviews they left for us! Um, first, from WeebVirus. They seem quite surprised that you're serious this time around, Mari.
Mari: Someone has to be. Look at Dia.
Dia: What? *playing SIF on her phone*
Mari: See? How can anything be left to her? I have to do something.
Kanan: Please say something in your own defense, Dia.
Dia: There's nothing to say. I leave it all up to Ma- For f***'s sake! How do I keep missing this one note?!
Mari: We're going to ignore her *Kanan nods* and move on. To lychee-ran, our Chika's shyness is a bit more annoying than you'd think. You'll see why in this chapter. There is nothing to report on pairings so far.
Kanan: KananMari? Oh, it sounds like calamari!
Mari: That's nice, Kanan.
Dia: Incest is wrong. I let Ruby play with my hair, but that doesn't mean we'll get paired together.
Mari: So you were listening.
Dia: You told me to do something. So I am. And also, I ran out of LP again.
Mari: *sighs* Read the next review then.
Dia: Got it. It's from Revengermajestyliberator. I don't know. I mean, it's supposed to be ChikaRiko, right?
Kanan: Chika-chan and Riko-chan do get along rather well considering their first meeting. Though, You-chan and Chika-chan have been friends for much longer.
Mari: But You-chan and Riko-chan interact with each other a lot more often.
Dia: In short, we have no clue. Those three are in a confusing triangle. *the other two nod*
Kanan: The next review relates to that as well. iamrailgun.20 also thinks that You-chan's and Riko-chan's bickering is cute.
Dia: Maybe we should put some serious thought into this. I'll ask Ruby what she thinks and give an answer next time around.
Mari: Yes, do that. Kanan and I will be thinking about this too. We'll report our findings on the second years next chapter. But before we end off, we have one final review to read. Dia?
Dia: Okay. Last review is from chi2lyn. All they said was 'interesting' though whether this refers to the story or the character designs is unclear.
Kanan: It seems that we will have a lot of things to talk about next chapter.
Mari: By the way, Kanan, there have been rumors that you'll be replacing Chika-chi as the character tagged for this work. Mainly because you have become the main voice of the story. Would you care to elaborate on that?
Kanan: I-I have no idea what you're talking about…
Dia: *standing in front of a curtain labeled 'censored'* This concludes the first session of our intro sequence before the chapter. We still don't have a name for this segment, so if you could provide us with one, that would be appreciated. Otherwise, Mari will have to agree with my suggestion of calling it 'Third Year Corner.' See you next time.
The film crew had shown up on campus. Mari, with her position as the head of the school, and Dia, as the student council president, met with them to discuss what they were supposed to do first for their new project. Kanan was also with them, but she doesn't have a special position to be noted.
"Kanan, can you give the scripts to Chika-chi and the other second years?" Mari handed the other third year four stapled script books. "They're all named; yours is in there too."
"Sure! Then we meet up at the club room, right?" At Mari's nod, Kanan set off with the scripts. She entered the school building, passing the students heading towards their club activities, and up the staircase to the second floor. The door to the second year classroom that she was headed towards was open, and she could already hear bickering taking place.
"I said that I could clean the chalkboard!" You shouted. Kanan peered into the room. You clutched the handle of the broom she was holding tightly as she glared at the student she was shouting at.
"I'm taller than you so it's easier this way!" Riko retorted. The chalkboard eraser was in her hands. It was covered in yellow dust, and Kanan could see that she had already cleaned off most of the board.
"But you cough every time dust falls on you! It's annoying; that's why I should have done it!" Kanan sighed; there was no helping the two of them. She rattled the door as she walked in, getting both girls' attention. "Oh...Uh...hello, Kanan. What brings you here?"
"Scripts. I'm supposed to deliver them to you. Here." Kanan gave each of them their respective script books before looking around at the rest of the classroom. "...that's strange. Where's Chika-chan?" The missing second year was nowhere to be seen.
"She said she'd go ahead first and tell you that the two of us have classroom duty." Riko put her script down on the teacher's podium and turned back to the chalkboard as she talked. She knocked the eraser on the board, falling into a coughing fit as the dust floated off into the air.
"Jeez! Just give that to me!" You stormed over to RIko and snatched the eraser out of her hand. She replaced it with the broom she had previously been holding. "Stand to the side and wait 'til I finish so you can sweep it up!"
"Fine!" Riko snapped, walking off to the back of the classroom with the broom. She stood there, gently sweeping at...nothing in particular. It seemed she was actually taking You into consideration by staying out of the way. Regardless, Kanan still needed to give Chika her script, and the two present second years didn't seem like they would be of any use.
"Wait." You and Riko looked at her again. "You said that Chika-chan left ahead of you?"
"Yeah. She said she'd head there first. The clubroom, I mean." You answered her simply. Riko nodded in agreement. Kanan thought about it. It was strange behavior for Chika to leave before the other two. Before Riko transferred in, if You was stuck with cleaning duty, Chika would wait for her rather than going alone. For her to do that now was definitely strange.
"You-chan. Riko-chan. I need you two to stage a fight." Both second years looked at her as if she had gone crazy. What she had just asked them to do was rather strange, and she tried to explain it as simply as she possibly could. "We're going to start filming today, hence the scripts. Chika-chan might be trying to escape before anyone notices."
"I can see her doing that, but what good would making us fight do?" You asked.
"I don't quite understand either. Wouldn't Chika-chan already be gone if she wanted to run away from this?" Riko also raised a fairly important point. There was the chance that Chika would have left the campus by this time. If she was running home, that is.
"The bus doesn't come for another ten minutes. If she hears that you're fighting, even if she wants to go home, wouldn't she come rushing back to stop you? Or at least, find one of us to come help her stop you?" You and Riko looked at each other, then back at Kanan. They nodded, moving quickly to finish their cleaning and to put their equipment away.
Kanan stood at the window of the second year classroom. The two girls had moved locations to the open courtyard so that it would be easier for word to spread about their fight. With luck, they would be able to draw Chika back in.
"There's a lot of students staring at us." Riko murmured, glancing around at the people walking around. She was a bit nervous.
"Let's give them a show then. Shall we?" You cracked her knuckles. She was always ready for a fight, whether it was staged or on purpose. She turned to the building behind her and waved. Kanan waved in response, and she returned her attention to her opponent. The third year would be on her way back to Dia and Mari with the scripts, where they would be waiting to capture Chika. "Riko-chan, I didn't think it would come to this. But we have no other choice."
"I know...I didn't think this would be the result either...but how dare you say that peanut butter cookies are the best?!" Riko charged, throwing a punch at You's face.
"What would you say, huh?! Something pansy like chocolate chip cookies? Or sugar cookies?!" You blocked the attack and returned with one of her own. Riko caught it with ease, bringing her knee up at the same time to hit You in the stomach.
"Hell no! It's gotta be oatmeal raisin cookies all the way!" As You fell back, winded, Riko advanced on her confidently. You waited until she drew closer, then launched a sudden tackle at the other second year. Riko was knocked to the ground, hitting her head on the concrete. You straddled her, her hands once again on Riko's throat. The redhead struggled, trying to get You's hands off of her so she could breathe.
"Looks like you're out for the count. Say it, and I'll let you go. Say that NicoMaki is the best." You put more pressure on Riko's neck, relishing-despite knowing that it was supposed to be staged-the look of pain and despair in her friend's face. Riko gasped for air, and shot You a look that seemed to say 'how do you expect me to say anything when you're cutting off my vocal cords, idiot?!'. She managed to convey all of that with just a look. You relented, letting off a little.
"Never!" Riko said in a strangled voice; she was trying to get her breath back after nearly suffocating. You pressed down again, and Riko writhed in her attempt at freedom. There was a crowd around them now, made of whispering students. They were definitely getting attention. You looked around at the crowd, hoping to see Chika's anxious face among them, but didn't see her. Riko's struggle became weaker, and eventually, the second year stopped. You looked back down at her classmate only to discover that Riko had passed out completely and hurried to check if she was still breathing.
"Oh thank goodness...she's still alive." You sat back on her haunches, wondering what she should do now. Riko was out for the count, and there was still no sign of Chika. Movement in the crowd caught her attention, and she shifted so that she could see what was happening. Mari came through the crowd, her arms crossed in what You hoped was mock anger.
"Watanabe-san, you have some explaining to do."
Mari escorted You as she carried Riko back to the club room. The third year had no intention of punishing You originally, seeing as Kanan already explained that they would be staging a fight for the sole purpose of luring Chika back into the school, but she was considering punishing You a little bit for going overboard. Riko didn't seem to be suffering any lasting injury, but it wasn't as if she would be waking up from it anytime soon either.
"So...what are you going to have me do?" You asked, a bit timidly. She knew she had gone too far this time, not paying attention to Riko when they were fighting.
"I haven't decided yet. I'll discuss it with Dia, and we'll let you know after today's shoot. We're already behind schedule as it is." You dipped her head in shame.
"Oh, wait. Did you catch Chika-chan?" She asked, having to speed up to catch up with Mari. Riko was weighing her down a bit.
"Yep. She ran directly to the clubroom. Hanamaru-chan caught her in a duct tape trap." Mari didn't go into detail about it and You didn't ask. But she thought Yoshiko had banned all duct tape from entering the room after Hanamaru started developing an interest in using it.
Chika was resigned to her fate now, sulking in the chair at the table. Her hands were taped together behind her back, and she saw no reason to even attempt running away with her friends blocking both doors. Mari returned, and she looked up at the third year's entrance. You followed her, Riko on her back. "What happened?!" She stood up, knocking the chair away from her. Chika circled around the table to You as she laid the unconscious second year down on the unoccupied chairs.
"I went a little too far." You said apologetically, stepping back from Riko. Chika peered down at her friend, wanting to stroke her hair or touch her to make sure she was still breathing, but couldn't with her hands trapped behind her back. "She's still breathing."
"We'll need her later. Hopefully, she'll wake up before then." Kanan said, consulting the script book. "Also...Dia, please take this a little more seriously. This was your suggestion, after all." The third year in question was face-down on the table again, with her younger sister playing with her hair. At Kanan's chastisement, she lifted her head up enough to look at her.
"It was not. Mari wanted to do it more than I did. I just said we should." Dia went back down, not moving from her position.
"Will this really be okay?" Kanan wondered aloud. She hadn't even brought into consideration the other two first years, both of whom were currently missing from the room. Hanamaru had run away to protect the duct tape she had brought to school, and Yoshiko gave chase. They wouldn't be back for a while, though Yoshiko did promise that she would drag Hanamaru back in time for their scenes.
Somehow, they managed to get through the majority of their scenes, even with Chika attempting to run away at every opportunity she got. Evidently, Mari and Dia had decided at some point that having to carry Riko wherever they went was sufficient enough punishment for You. The second year didn't protest, taking on the burden of her classmate's weight with ease. And now they had gotten to the point where Chika and Riko were to 'meet' for the first time.
"She's still not awake." You reported, shifting Riko so that she could see the redhead's sleeping face more easily. "Do we wake her?"
"We have to. I want to get it done now, or else we'll have to wait until tomorrow's sunset to film it." Kanan had taken over as a pseudo-director. Normally, the main actress would have done so, but Chika was busy being restrained by Dia so she didn't escape from them.
"Alright. Dump her in the ocean?" You was already walking to the edge of the pier.
"No. Let's wake her normally." With a sigh, the second year turned back. She lowered Riko onto a towel that someone had set out a while ago. You raised her hand over the sleeping girl's face, and brought it down hard. It was later said that Riko's scream of pain caused the seagulls to fly away from the area.
"That hurt, You-chan." Riko complained, holding an ice pack to her reddened cheek. It still stung, even with the coolness of the ice on her skin.
"I'm not going to apologize. You slept too long." You retorted immediately.
"I don't even remember what happened. Last thing I know was hitting my head on the concrete. After that...it's blank." Upon hearing that, You decided on the one course of action that seemed correct to her. She would not tell Riko that she almost strangled her to death.
"Riko-chan! You ready?" Kanan waved to the two from the pier. Riko stood up, still holding the ice pack to her cheek, and walked over to the third year. "When I say to, you're going to strip and run to the edge of the pier."
"Got it." Riko tossed the ice pack into the trashcan, then got into position. Kanan signalled to Chika. The orange-haired girl ran down the steps towards Riko.
"Now!" Riko reacted immediately, nearly tearing off her white blouse in her hurry to get it off. She kicked off her shoes, leaving her only in the swimsuit, and ran towards the ocean.
"You can't! It's too early!" Chika shouted, wrapping her arms around Riko's waist and pulling her back from the edge.
"Let go! I need to listen to the sound of the ocean!" Riko struggled in Chika's grasp. The efforts of both girls struggling-one to keep on the pier, the other to jump off-messed with their balance until both second years toppled into the water below. Chika surfaced first, gasping from the cold temperature of the sea. Riko came up soon after, laughing a bit at Chika's expression. "It's not that bad!"
"Y-Y-Yes it is! It's c-cold!" Chika hugged herself; her clothes were completely soaked, and she wasn't exactly happy about it. But both girls were taken off-guard as You jumped in to join them. The last second year had stripped down to a swimsuit as well, though when exactly she had put it on was best left unanswered.
"Riko-chan, let's race!" You pointed to a rock not too far offshore. "To that rock and back! Last one buys drinks for the winner!"
"You're on!" Kanan stepped over to the edge of the pier. The scene had been finished, and she didn't mind letting them do whatever they wanted, but she still had to give them a warning.
"Don't fool around too much. You'll catch cold." The two girls nodded solemnly, then took off swimming towards the rock You had indicated. Kanan watched them go, then turned back to the beach. Mari fussed over Chika, trying to dry as much of the water as she could with the towel she held.
The next morning, Chika showed up with her two classmates. Both of them were sniffling; Riko sneezed constantly through the filming of her 'transfer' into the class. Upon the completion of that last scene, You had to be sent home with a fever, and Riko followed soon after. According to You, however, the cold she had come in contact with was 'totally worth it'. Needless to say, she had won the swimming race.
You: Come on already, Chika-chan!
Chika: No! I already did so much in the main chapter! I don't want to do a ending card!
You: Give it up! We're going to do this whether you like it or not!
Riko: *not paying attention to either of them* It seems like we lost the position of introducing the chapter to our seniors.
You: Riko-chan! Help me out here!
Chika: Let me goooo!
Riko: Chika-chan, if you behave, we'll give you some tangerines later, okay?
Chika: Okay. *comes in and sits down*
You: How the hell was it that easy for you? She doesn't listen even if I bait her with tangerines.
Riko: She likes me better. Obviously.
You: The hell? She's known me longer!
Riko: At any rate, we're supposed to end the chapter.
You: Oh yeah.
*awkward silence with Chika eating tangerines in the background*
Riko: So….how do you want to do this?
You: Can we discuss the argument we had before the fake fight? Like, why cookies of all topics to argue about?
Riko: I was going to shout something related to pairings, but then I decided that it wasn't worth potentially getting hate over. So...cookies. Because that's a good enough thing to have a fake argument over.
You: ...you...do you really like...oatmeal raisin cookies?
Riko: ...no. I mean, I don't hate them, but I don't like eating them if I don't have to.
You: Okay good. Because I baked some peanut butter cookies for us to eat.
Riko: Can I try? *eats one* Mm! They're really good!
You: My own personal recipe! That I got from my mom!
Chika: *from background* They look like they're having fun… *eats tangerines*