Kyouko: Lunchbox
Akarin!
Akari: Hey! Yuru Yuri: Amusement Club Forever is about to start!
Akari (reading from an official-looking paper): Before we get going today, Akari just wanted to make a small announcement for anyone out there who might be expecting a new chapter each day, as we've been doing. It turns out that there's a wedding happening somewhere far away for someone that someone else has to go to. So, things might be on hold for several days with regards to our story.
Yui: That's an odd announcement. And pretty vague.
Akari (shrugging): Akari's just reading what was handed to her.
Yui: Fair enough.
Akari: Anyway, today-
Kyouko: Ooh, a wedding!
Chinatsu (excitedly): A WEDDING!? Is it Yui-senpai and me?
Yui: What? No.
Kyouko: Don't be silly, Chinatsu-chan. I bet it's you and me! Or perhaps Yui and me!
Chinatsu and Ayano: WHAT?!
Yui: No, it isn't either one of those!
Kyouko (thinking): Ayano and me, then?
Ayano: T-Toshino Kyouko and me?!
Yui (looking concerned): Huh?
Akari: Kyouko-chan, please!
Ayano (deeply red): Um…Toshino Kyouko, why do you say such things?
Chitose: Personally, I like that idea.
Chitose imagines Ayano and Kyouko in matching wedding dresses. "I do!" the brides say in unison. They're pronounced wife and wife and kiss each other passionately.
Chitose (nose bleeding): Oh, that would be just lovely.
Akari (handing Chitose a box of tissues): Here! And no, it's not that. Now, please, everyone just stop-
Chinatsu: Well, who is it? I want to know!
Kyouko: Is it Sakurako and Himawari?
Sakurako and Himawari: Huh?!
Chinatsu: They did fill out a marriage form once, didn't they?
Akari (very agitated): No, no, no! It's none of us! Forget about it!
Kyouko: Ooh, an angry outburst from Akari! How cute!
Chinatsu: How frightening!
Himawari: How unprecedented.
Sakurako: How…something!
Yui: Akari-
Akari (extremely frustrated): WILL ALL OF YOU PLEASE JUST SHUT UP FOR A MOMENT!?
Stunned, the other girls gape at Akari in silent astonishment.
Akari (quickly): Today's-chapter-features-Kyouko-and-will-be-loads-of-fun-please-enjoy-it-now-off-we-go.
Akari throws the script into the air, creating a brief shower of paper. She then storms off the set, angrily muttering to herself.
Chitose: Oh dear…
Chizuru and Haruka walk in.
Haruka: Sorry for being late, we got caught up in the game we were playing.
Chizuru: I heard yelling. Did something happen?
Space: it's big. Really, really big. Bigger than pretty much everything. These are the voyages of the starship Lunchbox, the flagship of Earth's fleet. Its ongoing objectives are to have fun, to meet new people and cool aliens, and to boldly eat what no one has eaten before!
The ship's crew is headed up by four talented officers. There's the brave and sometimes reckless Captain Toshino Kyouko. Her number point-five officer is Commander Funami Yui, a steadfast, stolid solider who always stays cool in the face of danger. The ship's science officer, Engineer Koyama Haruka, keeps things running. Mostly. And last, but hardly least, is the ship's Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ikeda Chizuru, who is affectionately nicknamed 'Spleens'. Together with the rest of their crew, these four brave pioneers explore the furthest reaches of space, in search of adventure, excitement, and dessert.
On the bridge of the Lunchbox, the four officers navigated the ship from mission to mission. Having just returned from a successful transport of an important ambassador to the Luhman-16 system, they were on their way to a nearby outpost, when they received a message from Earth requesting an immediate call.
"Oh, High Earth Command is calling!" Captain Toshino Kyouko said. "Put them on! Maybe they're going to praise me for our most recent successful mission!"
Mumbling something under her breath, Commander Funami tapped a button on the console next to her chair, and the large view screen at the front of the ship's bridge switched on, showing two girls in military uniforms.
"CAPTAIN TOSHINO KYOUKO!"
"Admiral Sugiura-san! Vice Admiral Ikeda-san!" exclaimed Captain Toshino, leaping to her feet and smartly saluting the pair on the screen. The two girls were, of course, Admiral Ayano Sugiura and Vice Admiral Chitose Ikeda, the sister of their ship's doctor.
"Y-you don't have to salute, Captain Toshino Kyouko." said Admiral Sugiura, blushing.
"But it is proper decorum to salute one's superior officers." replied Captain Toshino. "Besides, seeing your face on the view screen always brightens my day!"
"Y-you need to follow proper protocol, Captain Toshino Kyouko!" Admiral Sugiura turned an even deeper red.
"You're contradicting yourself, Admiral."
"I am not! Ahem, I have a mission for you; I didn't contact you simply because I wanted to!"
"But Admiral," said Vice-Admiral Ikeda while wiping blood from her nose. "You definitely wanted to contact her. You said so beforehand. Besides, Captain Toshino's antics have amused us for years."
"N-no, they haven't!" snapped Admiral Sugiura. "Remember when she ate all the food at the diplomats' dinner on Proxima Centauri B and nearly started a full-scale intergalactic war?"
"Ah, memories." Captain Toshino sighed, reminiscing. "I can barely recall that event."
"It was two hours ago!"
"Oh. No wonder I'm getting hungry again."
"Captain Toshino Kyouko, you're treading on thin ice!"
"Really? I thought we were in space."
"There's ice in space." suggested Engineer Haruka.
"Oh, maybe that's what the Admiral means…"
"Uh, we're going off on a tangent." Commander Funami pointed out. "Admiral, you said you had a mission for us?"
"Ah, yes," said Admiral Sugiura, regaining her composure. "It seems the Akarin aliens are on their way to Earth."
"The Akarin have no reason to visit Earth," Commander Funami mused.
"Exactly. They should be staying in their own system until it's time for them to move on. You're the nearest ship, so we want you to investigate and figure out what they're doing. We're sending you the coordinates to head to. So, get there as soon as possible!"
"Understood, Admiral!" Captain Toshino saluted again, causing the Admiral to blush once more. She shook her head a little and cleared her throat.
"Come back alive, Captain Toshino Kyouko," she ordered. "And don't make too much trouble!"
"Roger-dodger, Admiral! Starship Lunchbox out!"
After the screen shut off, Captain Toshino sat back down in the captain's chair.
"Set a course for the coordinates! Let's go see what the Akarin are up to!"
Since the Lunchbox was the nearest ship, it didn't take them long to reach the designated coordinates. When they reached their destination, it seemed there was nothing there. After a bit of waiting, Commander Funami finally noticed something on the radar, and ordered an analysis. When the analysis had finished running, Captain Toshino addressed her two helmswomen.
"Spleens, what do you think?"
"I think I don't like that nickname." Dr. Ikeda answered.
"You don't? But it's so-"
"Never mind that," Commander Funami cut in. "Doctor, what's the blip on the radar screen?"
"Something large and oddly-shaped, heading toward us at a greatly accelerated pace. Could be what we're supposed to be looking for."
It didn't take long for the anomaly to reach the Lunchbox. Engineer Koyama studied her console closely.
"Akarin attack vessel approaching, ma'am," she reported. "It should be on screen in just-oh, there it is."
Commander Funami frowned at the image on the viewer. "What…is that?"
"A starship, ma'am." Dr. Ikeda answered her.
"Argh, I know that!"
Engineer Koyama looked up at the screen. "All seriousness aside," she remarked. "It looks like a dog."
"You think so?" Dr. Ikeda asked, examining it closely. "It looks more like a cat to me."
"I can see that." Engineer Koyama tilted her head. "But if you turn your head slightly, it also looks like a cute little mouse."
"That's ridic-oh. Hey, it does."
"Would you two cut that out?!" Commander Funami had finally lost her patience.
"How heavy the chains of command are." observed Captain Toshino from her chair. "Do you need a break, Number Point-Five?"
"You're the one who's in charge, idiot. You should be commanding them."
"Such insubordination! Well, I'll overlook it for now. Ahem. Contact the Akarin starship! Let's see what they want. Also, I'm still hungry, so let's see if they have any dessert. Rum raisin ice cream would be nice!"
"Attempting contact with the Akarin starship." said Dr. Ikeda, as she tapped on her console.
The view screen lit up. Looking back at them from the Akarin ship was a red-haired girl with purple eyes and two buns on the sides of her head. The officers hadn't met an Akarin before, but figured she was one. Behind her, three other figures stood in shadow.
"Hello! I am the Supreme Leader of the Akarin, known as Red Akarin!" she said. "And these are my three bravest servants: Pink Akarin, Blue Akarin, and Blond Akarin." As the other three Akarin stepped forward, she gestured toward a pink-haired Akarin with pigtails, a fairly well-endowed blue-haired Akarin, and a small, blond Akarin with a wavy hair.
"And here I thought you'd be Boob Akarin," muttered Blond Akarin to Blue Akarin.
"No, if we were doing that, you'd be Idiot Akarin." Blue Akarin replied. "Now be quiet, and let the Supreme Leader speak."
"This makes no sense. Shouldn't you and I be the leaders?"
"Hush!"
"Commander Yui-senpai!" Pink Akarin waved. "Do you want to come and visit our ship? It's really cute!"
"Ahem!" Red Akarin cleared her throat very loudly. The three behind her fell silent.
"Considering she's leader of the Akarin, she doesn't seem to have much presence." Captain Toshino observed.
"I don't understand this obsession with presence." Engineer Koyama said. "Is it an in-joke with you guys?"
Dr. Ikeda shrugged.
"Secure the chatter!" Commander Funami ordered her subordinates. Turning to the view screen, she addressed the Akarin leader. "Greetings, Red Akarin. I'm Commander Funami Yui. Would you please explain why you've navigated your ship into our territory?"
"It's funny that you should mention presence," Red Akarin replied. "Because we're here to take yours."
"I'm sorry, what?"
"Your presence! Once we have yours, everyone will pay attention to us! And we set this trap, knowing the Lunchbox would come here, allowing us to take it!"
Captain Toshino smirked. "That's not something you can just take. You develop it. Or you just have it. Or not, in your case."
"W-what are you saying?!"
"If you came here to just 'take' our presence, you've wasted your time, Red Akarin."
"Grr…in that case, we'll destroy your ship!" Red Akarin pointed a finger at them menacingly.
Oh? Bring it on, then! We won't go easy on you!"
"Wait!" Commander Funami said, but it was too late. The Lunchbox shook as the blast from the Akarin ship hit it.
"Uh, I think our shields are damaged." Engineer Koyama reported.
"Fire the weapons!" shouted Commander Funami.
"Preparing to fire the weapons." Dr. Ikeda returned.
"Fire ALL the weapons!" Captain Toshino bounced up and down in the captain's chair, waving her arms.
"Preparing to fire all the weapons." added Engineer Koyama, tapping some buttons on her console.
The Lunchbox's lasers fired and struck the Akarin ship.
"Ha!" Red Akarin mocked them from the screen. "Your weapons are no match for the Akarin! Fire the chocolate missiles now!"
The Lunchbox shook as it was struck again. The lights on the bridge began to flicker. Commander Funami knew something needed to be done soon, or they would lose far more than this fight.
"We're in a bad way. Engineer Koyama, is there anything you can do about this? "
"Sorry Commander, but no." She gestured at the console in front of her. "This thing actually just plays games and dispenses drinks. I've actually been pretending the whole time. So, uh, want some juice? Or maybe a few rounds of Flower Samurai? It's fun, I promise!"
"This isn't the time for that! Dr. Ikeda, any suggestions?"
Dr. Ikeda shrugged. "Surrender and beg for mercy?"
"That doesn't seem like an ideal solution."
"Looks like it's over for all you!" Red Akarin taunted them again. "Once you're gone, I'm certain everyone will pay more attention to the Akarin, especially me, the Supreme Leader!"
At that moment, the Akarin attack ship suddenly shook on the screen, as though something had struck it.
"WAH! What in the world?!" Red Akarin exclaimed.
"Looks like another ship is attacking the Akarin ship, ma'am." Dr. Ikeda reported.
"Reinforcements?" Commander Funami asked.
"This isn't fair at all!" Red Akarin declared. "Two ships versus one?! You cheaters!"
"Hey, you invaded us!" Captain Toshino retorted. "Now we're going to turn your ship into space dust! And not the interesting kind!"
"Akarin!" Red Akarin spat. "End transmission!"
The view screen briefly switched off. When it came back on, it showed the Akarin ship turning and flying away from the Lunchbox.
"The Akarin ship is retreating, ma'am," said Dr. Ikeda.
"Excellent," Commander Yui said. "Now, contact our friends at the other ship so that we can thank them for saving us."
Dr. Ikeda punched some buttons on her console. The view screen switched to an adult woman and a dark-haired girl sitting next to her.
"Ah, Admiral Matsumoto Rise and Dr. Nishigaki!" Captain Toshino saluted the pair. "Thank you for the timely rescue! We might have had them, but we're glad you were there!"
"Greetings from the Starship Detonation!" Dr. Nishigaki said. "We were just in the neighborhood studying an exploding star and thought you might need help."
"…" said Admiral Matsumoto. "…"
"The Admiral is glad we were able to save you," Dr. Nishigaki said. "And warns you to never underestimate the Akarin. I agree on both counts."
The four officers bowed in return. They knew that they owed their lives to the Detonation.
"And you might want to get your ship fixed," Dr. Nishigaki said. "It also looks like it might also explode soon. Well, unless that's what you intend, in which case, you might want to vacate it before it does."
"No, no!" Commander Funami answered. "That's alright. Thank you both again."
And so, with the threat of the Akarin temporarily stopped, the Lunchbox turned and set a course to return to Earth so that the ship could be repaired for its next adventure and also so the brave Captain Toshino could finally have dinner.
"I'm hungry! It's been three hours now since I've had anything to eat!" she complained.
Kyouko looked from her manga drawing.
"So amazing!" she declared happily. "I can't wait to show it to everyone! I could make a new series from this."