Prompt: Marvy's Ninja Academy is having its annual festival, the only time when the hidden campus is open to outsiders. Cue, the grand tournament between all kinds of Ninja Makers.
"Ninja Academy Festival?"
"Yes, General Affimojas. It was at this place that I mastered the techniques of stealth and infiltration," Steamax held up a letter, "And since contestants are only allowed to bring a single guest with them into the hidden campus, I'd like to—"
"I think I'll pass." Affimojas made a dismissive wave. "Not to be a jerk, but my time is better spent on the newest edition of doujinshi, not people moving around in shadows."
"The reward for winning the Festival Tournament is 100k credits, and this orange-haired junior girl is the host! I know, I'm not in the Busty Blonde School anymore, but look at these boobs—I'm not the only one who sees them bouncing, even if this is just a photo, right?"
Affimojas snatched away the photo and letter in one swift movement. "I'm in."
"Why, From-From? Why?" B-Sha cried. "You are gonna be a super cool ninja now, and you are finally not hiding your face under a helmet—"
The white-haired girl pulled a basket-like straw hat out of nowhere, and put it on her head, completely ignoring that B-Sha was still grabbing onto the hem of her haori.
"My point is, you can't just not invite me! You still own me 50000 credits!"
She halted her steps, and responded with a "well, what is it!" gesture. Bummers. Looked like that tactic was starting to lose its effectiveness against FromSoft, now that she had plenty of chances to pay her debt off.
"From-From! You've stopped making mechs since you become a knight, and now you don't even wanna be a knight anymore?" B-Sha put on her best puppy-eye expression. "Is this all a plot to ditch me? Your best mech buddy from the old days?"
"I'm still going to the next Knight's Tournament."
"Okay, I know, you're still mad at me 'cause I leaked your armor designs right before the previous final." B-Sha whined. "I promise I can keep a secret this time! Just please let me have a peek at this ancient ninja academy, and all the cool ninja skills they have up their sleeves! I wanna see what you are buying all these firecrackers for!"
"I've already invited someone else."
"What?!" B-Sha gasped. "You have made a new best friend? Who? Who could possibly rival the awesomeness of the heroic Bandam pilot?"
"Just an old acquaintance." FromSoft said, before she fell into one of her silent phases again, and didn't respond to a single word from B-Sha, as they made their way through the streets of Lastation (Seriously. B-Sha was beginning to suspect that she had some kind of hearing problems).
"Fine, From-From!" B-Sha huffed, and let go of her haori. "If you won't tell me who they are, I'll just have to do some Ninja-ing on my own. Ninjas, masked superheroes...they are like, the same thing, right?"
"Gust doesn't understand." The bunny-eared girl tilted her head. "Why is Koei going as a contestant this year? Koei's loud ninja wife would have invited her anyways."
"Oh, little sis," The mature woman unfolded her paper fan, her long raven hair swinging behind her, "You can't be doubting my brilliant strategic mind and fighting skills, right? I'm practically unrivalled."
"Koei has been slacking off, ever since she got rich selling clothes to people," Gust retorted. "Koei is good at making money, so Gust doesn't want to see her die a horrible death. Koei's wife wouldn't hold back against her, either."
"Indeed," Koei said. "But every Festival begins with a group match, before it reaches the one-on-one dueling session. I just wish to give Tec-Tec a little more help in the early stages, you know? Besides, I'd hate to see her love for busty ladies being exploited by those...unsavory kunoichis."
"So Koei is jealous of the host this year."
"Come on, little sis!" She huffed, holding a hand to her well-endowed chest. "When it comes to the beauty of jiggling boob physics, no callow little girls can match the Glorious Honor of the Shibusawa Clan."
"Who are you, and why are you invading my private space."
The girl with black and white hair groaned, without shifting her gaze away from the television screen. B-Sha could smell the instant noodles and Nep Bulls inside the room, before she even climbed off Bandam and landed on the balcony. She had to shove aside the giant pile of body pillows, empty food wrappers and manga volumes, just to open the door, and the loud crash finally earned a displeased glare from the girl.
"I'm...Presto Ninja!" She adjusted her new headband. "And you are Acquire, star graduate of the Ninja Academy, and the victor of their 13th Festival! From-From has your sword, right? Does she invite you this year?"
Acquire let out a bitter laugh. "No. I quit being a kunoichi long ago. Please get out of my room, and let me waste my life on the IT Witch Maria OVA in peace?"
"Why? Being a ninja is awesome! It's better than..." B-Sha paused. "Being a depressed NEET."
That came out a little harsher than she intended. Acquire switched off the television and turned towards B-Sha, her two red braids swinging behind her.
"You know, if you were asking me this question a few years ago..." Acquire sighed. "I'd say that there was no place for traditional shinobis like me anymore. Who needs stealth and carefully honed assassination techniques, when you can just blast people in the face with lightning? But really, it's all me. I'm not good enough to keep up with my juniors, and now they've left me in the dust."
She popped open another can of Nep Bull, and chugged it down. "You want to know who she invites this year? Go to the Vigoor Cave in Leanbox, and just wait and see. They are probably using that entrance again, but you can't get inside the campus without the invitation."
"I'd like to buy every single doujinshi in your store." A pause. "Yes, you hear it correctly, and here are the credits!"
Gust rolled her eyes, and put down her bag of alchemy ingredients. Did people really think Koei was buying these out of a burning love for lewd artworks? Judging by how guys in those remote Lowee settlements still hadn't found out they could purchase the same books in Leanbox at one-fifth the price, probably yes.
Koei's "intel gathering operation" was starting to look more and more like an excuse for a shopping trip. Not that Gust had anything to complain.
"Stop right there!" A giant robot suddenly charged into the store, nearly trampling over Gust in his mad dash. "I've come here specifically for these Leanbox Exclusive Edition Doujin Collections! I'll pay double the price—!"
"Oh, is that so?" From the tone of her voice, Koei must be putting on her best innocent Yamato Nadeshiko expression. "Please forgive me for my indulgence. I haven't returned to Leanbox in such a long time, I just get carried away."
Gust heard a weird gasping sound, like the robot had just choked on something.
"As an apology, good sir, I'd be willing to purchase every book you want, and give it to you for free."
"A-Ahem, that's too kind of you, ma'am!" The robot coughed. "How about we just split up the cost, and each take half of these Exclusive Edition Collections? I'd hate to deprive a fellow doujin lover of her greatest source of joy."
"A most pleasing solution." Koei answered. "Here's my half of the credits. You truly are a gentleman, Mr...?"
"It's Affimojas, and you are welcome!"
"Thank you. My name is Koei Shibusawa. If you don't mind me asking, what brings you to Leanbox?" Koei asked. "Since you are still dragging your luggage behind you, I assume you are a tourist."
"Well, I'm accompanying a friend to his ninja school festival. But since Leanbox is the sacred ground for all members of the Busty Blonde School, I may as well make an early pilgrimage this year."
"Oh? He sounds like quite an interesting figure."
"Ha! His stealth techniques are unmatched! If not for his newfound love towards twin-tailed tsunderes, I bet we'd have..."
"That was easy." Gust muttered, just as the two walked out of the store, carrying multiple giant crates of colorful books. Now she understood what Koei meant when she said that the most dangerous kunoichis did not kill with blades, but with smiles and sweet whispers.
The sounds of blade clashing were coming out of one of the branching passages near the Vigoor entrance—some contestants must have begun their dueling training early. Steamax was about to sneak past them as usual when he heard a whistle, followed by a wave of high-pitched squeaks and howls, before everything fell silent again.
Out of curiosity, he made his way towards the origin point of the sound. The first thing he saw, upon poking his head out of the cave exit, was a giant pile of dead monkeys, some still holding katanas in their hands. Then, a figure sitting besides the waterfall, obscured by the thick mist of water.
Step by step, Steamax sneaked towards the figure. He was pretty sure he could get to the person without being discovered, take a peek, then leave the place like he had never been here at all—
The figure let out the creepiest giggle he had ever heard, before turning in his direction. Sounded like a girl, though, with that basket on her head, it was hard to tell. Or maybe that basket was her head.
Darn, that was an unsettling thought.
"Greetings." Steamax readied his shuriken, just in case. "If I may ask, how did you sense me?"
"I have eyes inside my head."
Steamax was even more certain that he was facing some kind of basket yokai now. Yokai girls were kind of cute, really, but this one must've walked out of one of those old horror movies. No wonder she could see through his stealth techniques with her supernatural vision.
"State your purpose for coming here."
"Have you ever heard of the legend of the QTE Blade?" The basket yokai chuckled. "All who was struck by this sword shall forever be haunted by a single eye, drawing closer and closer to their faces in the midst of bloodshed. But alas, some said it was but the fancy tales of drunken fools and naïve wrenches."
"...What does that have to do with anything?"
His inquiry was met with another low chuckle, as the basket yokai stood up, and shook the water off her haori. A grappling hook shot out of her left sleeve. Before Steamax could make a move, she leaped away, and disappeared into the waterfall.
That was...weird. Maybe she was one of those trickster yokais that just loved to mess with people, not seriously harm them? If so, what kind of grudges did she hold against monkeys? Just as Steamax was still pondering about the meaning of her cryptic words, his communicator began to ring.
"General Affimojas? Are you having trouble getting here?"
"Not really. I'm almost at your Vigoor Cave place, and I just have a question for you." He paused. "Do you think the Busty Blonde School may be a tad too limiting in its doctrines, and I should make special exceptions for girls whose hair colors are...close enough?"
"Get out." The unnaturally pale woman pointed in her direction, before adding in a monotone voice, "Yes, I'm talking about you."
"W-What?!" B-Sha poked her head out from behind the rock. "How did you see through the camouflage of Presto Ninja?"
"You are bright orange." The woman sighed. "If you aren't a rogue contestant or a guest, I'd say the teaching quality of the Ninja Academy must've suffered a great decline in the past decade."
"Uh, um...surprise question! Are you invited by From-From?" Upon receiving a nod from the woman, B-Sha stepped in front of her, and held up a bundle of bills. "Good. Because I wanna buy your invitation letter!"
The woman gave her a look that was between amusement and pity. "No. Next time you try to bribe someone, make sure they are actually short of money."
"Oh, so you are rich?" B-Sha huffed. "Well, I bet you aren't From-From's best friend! You don't even look like you know anything about mechs, and you totally can't appreciate her skills with a sword."
"I happen to start my arms-dealing career by selling mechs." The woman said, in a matter-of-fact voice. "And I didn't come all the way to your continent to make friends. I just want to see that blade being reforged and wielded by a worthy user, instead of collecting dust in the closet of that crestfallen waste-of-skin."
"That's so mean!" B-Sha didn't find Acquire too pleasant to be around either, but the condescending tone of the woman still irked her. "So you don't even care about her? Just her sword? Well, now I'm glad, because From-From wouldn't want to be friends with you either!"
"Right. She's probably the only person who can tolerate a brat like you." She said, before walking towards the dead end in front of them.
"Hey!" B-Sha dashed towards her, just as the ground below the woman started to glow. "Who are you, and why are you such a giant jerk?"
"Mediagenic." The woman turned back to smile at her, before she vanished into thin air. B-Sha didn't halt in time, and slammed straight into the cave wall with a yelp. Slowly, she sat up, wincing and holding a hand to her forehead.
"You okay there?" A voice suddenly came from behind her. B-Sha turned back, and saw a tomboyish woman in this strange black outfit that exposed almost as much skin as C-Sha's dress, only more...edgy. Her red scarf and ninja headband were the sole bright color on her person.
"Not really. Oww..."
"Well, pain is the best teacher, ain't that right? Even if you charged into their teleportation spot in time, without the letters or seals, you'd just get spat out." She shrugged. "Name's Tecmo. You here for the festival too?"
"Yeah." B-Sha pouted. "But I don't have one of those invitation letters."
"Well, ain't you just the luckiest gal." Tecmo grinned. "Because I have a spare one. Koei's taking Gust with her, so I have no one to invite this year—usually I gave it to my dad, but he's proven himself to be a spectacular asshole, and he's dead to me! What says you, kiddo?"
"Sure! I'm B-Sha. Nice to meet you, Tec-Tec!"
"Hey! Call me that again, and I'm not inviting you anymore." Tecmo took her hands out of her vest pocket, and gave her a stern look. "You ain't my wife. She's the only one who can get all cutesy with me."
"That's a lot of revolving doors." B-Sha huffed, after Tecmo had let go of her. It was still a rough landing, but considering that the last door they passed through was right on the ceiling, it could have been much worse.
"Darn right, kiddo!" Tecmo gave her a thumbs-up. "These traditional ninjas and their architecture are like, the worst. You should've seen the looks on their faces when I blasted their fancy traps to smithereens with my Inazuma Arts! A mere rogue ninja, beating the Academy Clan contestants two years in a row! Their elders must've been rolling in their graves."
"Rogue ninja?" B-Sha turned her sight away from the decorated paper screens. "What does that mean?"
"Well, it means we ain't have no proper Academy training. Pfft, I have to agree with my dad on this one—they just pulled the definition of 'proper' right out of their asses. Who are they to judge what skills are 'proper' for a ninja? Their textbooks and moldy doctrines are only good for training ninja dogs!"
"Yeah! From-From is gonna be a rogue ninja too, just like you, and I bet she can kick some butts, even without her armors and giant blue sword!"
"Wait?" Tecmo frowned. "The Knightess of Moonlight? She's coming this year?"
"Of course!" B-Sha said, pouting. "Buuut she's not taking me with her. Really, what does she even see in that 'Mediagenic' jerk?"
"That," A maniacal glint appeared in Tecmo's eyes, as she began to crack her knuckles, "is awesome! I'd been itching for a worthy opponent who can test my new style to its very limit! Someone who's not my dad, that masochist girl, or her bear! Oh, the clashes of blades, the bloodshed..."
B-Sha shuddered at the bloodlust that was radiating off the woman. It reminded her of FromSoft, right when she was about to pull some monsters' intestines out with a critical attack. Before she could tell Tecmo to relax and chill out, however, the door above them opened, and she only saw a flash of red and white before someone fell onto her.
"Owwww—!"
"Tec-Tec!" The person cooed, completely oblivious to the fact that she was still sitting on B-Sha. "Oh my, you are already so amped up for the festival. Perhaps we can go...let off some steam together, before the opening ceremony?"
"Gust doesn't want to interrupt Koei's flirting, but if Koei doesn't move her butt, she's going to squash someone to death." A child-like voice chimed in. Letting out an embarrassed chuckle, the person soon stood up, and extended a hand towards B-Sha.
"My bad. They really should put an alarm bell on these ceiling doors." Koei smiled, as the bunny girl jumped down her back, and landed on the tatami floor. "I see that you are Tec-Tec's guest?"
"Yeah. Never thought I'd get the Noire treatment today..." B-Sha grabbed Koei's hands and stood up, still panting a little. "You are a lot more busty than Nep-Nep, though."
"What do you mean? My wife's boobs are the best!" Tecmo swept Koei off her feet, and lifted her up from the floor in one swift movement. The way she blushed in Tecmo's arms looked just like one of those dating sim protagonists that K-Sha was so fond of. Behind them, Gust facepalmed, and disappeared into the hallway beyond.
"Oh, so you are a friend of E-Sha?" Koei gave her a curious look, as they walked through the traditional garden. "That's perfect. Tell her I say hello, next time you meet her...and that our secret is still safe."
"What secret?"
Koei merely gave her a cryptic smile, before hiding her face behind her fan again. B-Sha was about to begin the usual tactic of pestering her until she started talking again (And hope she isn't nearly as bad at conversations as From-From) when she saw a familiar face looking out of an open window, and gritted her teeth.
The moment they made eye contact with each other, the woman turned away, and disappeared into the building.
"Hmm?" Koei's voice came from behind her. "You've spotted someone interesting?"
"No!" B-Sha pouted. "Just a giant jerk I've met this afternoon."
"Is she this pale, skinny lady in a black kimono?" Koei asked, and B-Sha nodded at her. "Ah. I, too, did not expect to run into another PC Continent native on this occasion. Not that she'd consider me a real citizen of the Azure State."
"Wait? You know that 'Mediagenic' woman?!" B-Sha gasped. "Tell me all about her! And yourself! And your secrets with E-Sha! Tell me tell me tell me!"
"...'Mediagenic'? That's how she calls herself here?" Koei laughed. "Oh my. Even by Neca standard, that's an awful Gamindustrian name. I thought Ms. Aktivis would have more refined taste than her competitors, considering her close association with Lastation's military!"
MarvelousAQL could still feel a slight dread nibbling at her, as she walked all the way onto the podium. Yet her smile was bright as ever—if her two companions were still here, they'd be proud of her. They would.
"Shinobis, kunoichis, students, teachers and fellow guests, good evening!" She glanced over the familiar and unfamiliar faces inside the giant hall. "I will be your host for the 19th Ninja Academy Festival, and I'd like to thank my teachers and schoolmates for granting me this honor."
"For many of you, this would be the first time you've seen the Ninja Academy. Ever since the elders of the Great Ninja Clans decided to create this sanctuary at the height of the Console Wars, to shelter the families and children of ninjas from the wrath of our enemies, the location of the campus has remained a secret."
"The Academy Festivals first start out as a trial to test rogue ninjas who wished to settle down in the sanctuary. Yet, in the time of peace, it has become an occasion of celebration and learning, where students of the Academy can test their skills against ninjas from the outside world, who possess a variety of unconventional techniques and styles, and in return, they have a chance to experience the rich heritage of the Academy, and prove their own strength."
"Regardless of your origin, your fighting style, or your age, I believe that the spirit of the festival all boils down to two questions in the end—" A burning determination shone through MarvelousAQL's eyes, as she kept talking, "Why do you wish to become a ninja, and what does the word 'ninja' mean to you?"
"In the following week, all of you will come up with your own answers to these questions, with your blades, techniques and the bonds you've forged, even if you don't come in first place!" She said, and signaled towards her peers at the backstage. "Now, lets' get the Festival started, with some light, flames and music!"
(I'm totally not writing this because I'm going hollow in the wait for Elden Ring, and started playing Sekiro again. Gosh, did it bring back memories from the pre-release days when everyone think Activision is going to screw up the game, somehow. Like they could actually top Bandai Namco's Spoiler no Jutsu.)
(Acquire is the creator of the Tenchu franchise—Activision also served as their publisher, before they sold the IP rights to K2, then to FromSoft, then Acquire bought it back from FromSoft, and I think the Tenchu IP is in FromSoft's hands again now? My point is, the relationship between FromSoft and Activision isn't exactly new, and Activision had a little more success in the Japanese market than the other foreign companies because of the Tenchu franchise.)
(By the way, Acquire actually has an official moegirl character. Check this out.)
(Gust disappears from Neptunia after the company becomes a Koei subsidiary. I'd like to think she's adopted into the Koei Tecmo family, and has been busy assisting Koei in her money-making scheme since then, because when it comes to money-grubbing and DLC hell, Koei is truly on Bandai Namco's level. Now that I think about it, almost every person who gets invited to the Ninja Academy in this one-shot is obsessed with fishing money out of your pockets. Oh boy, they are going to have some very interesting conversations in the audience seats.)