Cardfight Vanguard: Setsuzoku Sensō
Chapter 9
Interim: Pass or Fail
Imagine the image of a time before the first day of the semester at Setsuzoku Academy filling your mind. You're walking home after buying a few groceries from an ordinary shopping district when a mother & son pair carrying groceries of their own get your attention. You don't recognize the mother, but you definitely recognize the son as the soon-to-be student of Setsuzoku, Ryuga Akaimaru.
"And how was work today for my special big man." Ryuga's mom said as she spoke to her son as though he were still only 4.
"Please stop ma… you're embarrassing me." Ryuga said with flushed cheeks as he refused to look his mother in the eye.
"He he…. what kind of mother would I be if I didn't tease my little man every now and then." Ryuga's mom said with a loving smile.
"Excuse me, would be interested in a flier to the best diner in the whole neighborhood?" a man in his late 30s asked.
That man was dressed in a uniform typical of more traditional Japanese diners that one might find in some anime.
"Diner?" Ryuga and his mom asked at the same time.
"Ha ha ha….. why yes… in my diner we have kaarage that will just tickle the taste buds, ramen that will make you ask for more, a omlette rice risotto that will pick you up in the morning, and fresh sushi to cleanse your pallet when you're done." The diner owner said in such a loud booming, charismatic, and laughter filled voice that make you believe what he's saying.
"It's certainly something to try don't you think dear?" Ryuga's mom said before turning to face the diner owner, "We will take on thank you."
"If our tasty food isn't enough to get you to visit us…. then I have something else to definitely convince you." The diner owner said as he passed Ryuga and his mom a flier.
"What would that be?" Ryuga asked as he unknowingly became influenced by the diner owner's charisma.
The diner owner immediately pulls 10 photos, 5 in each hand, and every 2 photo are of the same moment in time. The photos themselves have a little girl 4 or 5 years old up to when she turns 9 or 10 dressed in cute outfits or caught in an embarrassing moment.
"Why it's the fact that my daughter the most adorable girl in the world is my diner's famous local mascot. A lot of people who come to visit SIMPLY can't go without seeing her adorable smile!" the diner owner said without dropping the intensity of his confidence in the slightest, "Here's a picture of her struggling so hard to carry a dish to a customer when she first told her daddy she wanted to help out, then here is when she accidentally dropped 3 cones of ice cream on herself, oh…. and isn't she adorable in her red Christmas dress."
Feeling as though she was challenged to who had the more adorable child, Ryuga's mom was about to take out embarrassing photos of her own but thankfully her son was able to drag her away before his reputation was completely destroyed.
"Hmm… oh there's a help wanted add at the bottom of the flier…. let's see "Help Wanted as super adorable mascot daughter is going to high school and her favorite papa needs extra hands to help"….. wow I feel sorry for whoever his daughter is….. I thought my mom was bad." Ryuga thought as he continued to quietly read the flier, "Oh hey mom… the diner that guy was talking about isn't actually that far from where we live plus they say they're hiring."
"Now my boy…. You shouldn't be taking an extra job now that you're going to high school especially considering how strict your school is." Ryuga's mom interjects.
"I know ma… but this place is along the route to school, so all that means is that I'd have to change my bus route. That would mean I wouldn't be out as late as often when compared to how far off my current part-time job is, and it says here they're willing to be flexible with the schedule for high school and college student applicants." Ryuga explained as he continued to read off of the flier, "And on the off chance I am hired I'll of course quit my other job."
"Then I have no problem if that's the case." Ryuga's mom said with a smile, "Then as good luck for some good news I'll use the groceries we bought to…. Ah! I forget the eggs and the milk."
"Don't need to worry about it Ma…. we can just get it from the shopping district another time." Ryuga pointed out.
"I rarely get to have dinner with mommy's little man anymore, so now that I have the chance I'll make sure nothing gets in the way. You just take these and hurry home and relax." Ryuga's mom said in an adamant manner as she passes her son all of the bags she was carrying, "In the meantime I'll go back to get what I forgot."
Ryuga wanted to object to his mother's suggestion, but she had already disappeared into the crown before he could say anything. He knew exactly what store his mother was going to and could have easily followed, but ultimately Ryuga chooses to follow her suggestion and head straight home. After a few minutes of walking he stops to tie his shoes, and then he starts to look down the entrance of one of the nearby alleyways when an idea starts to form in his head.
"I can save a lot of time if I cut through the alleys, drop off the stuff at home, and hurry back to catch up with ma since it wouldn't be good for her health to be alone for long." Ryuga thought, "Alright… I'll go ahead and do it that way, but I better be careful since you never know what kind of people hang out in these back alleys."
Ryuga quickly dashes and turns through the various alleys like a ninja speedily jumping across tree branches.
"Alright…. Just have to cut through one more alley, cross the street, and then I'll be home." Ryuga mumbled to himself.
"Now now…. little girl… just where do you think you're going." a young man said in a snide and aggressive manner.
"Did you'd really think we'd let you get away after you tried to trick our boss here?" another young man said in an equally aggressive and snide manner.
Ryuga immediately stopped running and kept his back to the back alley wall out of fear of walking into something he wasn't prepared for. Ryuga then looks around the corner and sees a trio of stereotypical looking delinquents pressuring a young girl to the point where she has her back against the wall. He sees a girl with ruby red hair/eyes, a dark blue t-shirt, and a green jacket black fur wrapped around the caller. Ryuga doesn't recognize the girl, but you the reader can clearly tell that this is Suzuran Kitashirakawa. Suzuran is constantly looking from left to right trying to find a means of escaping, but she stops for .5 seconds in Ryuga's direction before continuing on.
"Did she see me? No…. she's clearly trying to find a way out let alone look for a face in a crowd." Ryuga thought as his mind becomes filled with a sense of worry and fear.
Ryuga even has his phone out and holds his sweat covered finger just above the "1" key ready in order to be ready to call the police in a moment's notice.
"Would they even get here on time if I called?" Ryuga thought.
"Su…. Suzu didn't do anything wrong!" Suzuran fearfully moaned, "Your big stupid head boss wouldn't just leave her alone just because I didn't want to go with you bad people!"
"Playing the "sweet little girl" card ain't working on me a second time you s**t!" the delinquent leader said as he pulled out a small knife from his pocket.
The sight of such a weapon along with the light reflecting off the polished metal ends up scaring Suzuran even further to the point where her legs give way and her backside immediately lands on the ground.
"Oh s**t…. come on… my old man would have ran out to save that girl even if it wasn't from a fire." Ryuga mumbled to himself as he vigorously rummages through his grocery bags no longer caring if the delinquent trio notices him, "There's got to be something in here I can use."
"I was going to test out this bad boy with some vegetables at home for dinner." The delinquent leader said as he twirled the knife between his fingers, "But I don't think boy boys will mind if I dress…. or undress the meat in this case."
The delinquent leader moves his knife closer to Suzuran with the intention of slicing open her shirt while the latter continues to fearfully stare at the weapon, however all of a sudden the lead delinquent feels something soft yet hard hit him on the back of the head. Neither the force or pain of the blow was that intense, but the sheer unexpectedness of it caused the delinquent leader to drop his knife. The delinquents turn around and see Ryuga at the very end of his throwing posture, and then they look down on the floor near them to see a broken head of cabbage.
"Leave her alone!" Ryuga yelled while thinking, "Oh god please don't notice how scared or covered in sweat I am."
There were no obvious signs from Ryuga's front, but half the back of his shirt was already drenched from fright.
"Normally I would have kicked you're a** for that you stupid f***, but I got bigger problems to worry about so scram!" the delinquent leader yelled.
"I'm not leaving until you do!" Ryuga declared as he took a firm step forward to indicate that he'll charge at the trio if need be, "Besides….. I already called the cops, so they should be here soon!"
"Dumba**, our boss picks up girls around this time knowing it take several minutes for the cops to show up!" one of the other delinquents said.
"You're the dumba**!" the delinquent leader yelled as he kicked his underling, "The hell you're telling him my secrets for."
"You sure about that?" Ryuga asked with a smug expression as if absolutely certain of his victory.
The delinquent leader's underlings were about to go and "deal with" Ryuga, but they were stopped in their tracks when they heard the sound of several sirens approaching the neighborhood from multiple directions.
"S**t! Boss we have to go!" one of the delinquent underlings yelled.
"Damn it! F***… I'll remember this!" the delinquent leader yelled as he pointed at Ryuga before running away with the rest of his crew.
Ryuga keeps his gaze directed towards where the trio ran off, and he only moves closer to Suzuran even getting on one knew a few inches away from her once a few seconds have passed and he's certain that this trio won't try their luck with revenge before the cops arrive.
"Are you alright?" Ryuga asked in a concerned tone as he takes out a small towel from his grocery bags.
Ryuga had expected for Suzuran to just the towel, however what he got was that the scared young lady practically threw her arms around him before crying onto his chest. It's ann understandable reaction considering that Suzuran now has found safe harbor to hitch her boat to.
"Suzu was so scared….. Suzu was so scared…. Suzu was so scared." Suzuran repeatedly says as droplets of tears continue to move from her face to Ryuga's shirt.
Suzuran continues to moan these exact same words for a few minutes, and all Ryuga could do in this situation was gently pat and rub her upper-back to calm her down since he didn't have any better idea. To break this situational stalemate, Ryuga pushes Suzuran back just enough so he could see her face.
"What's your name?" Ryuga asked with the most gentle tone/facial expression he could force on himself.
"Su…. Suzu's full name is Suzuran Kitashirakawa, but even though she's a super smart girl she prefers to be called Suzu for short." Suzuran answered, "Still thank you oh thank you for saving me. All those bad people wanted to "pick up" Suzu, but they forced her into this alley when she refused."
"I see….. well the name's Ryuga Akaimaru." Ryuga said in a confident tone as he decided to introduce himself, "Do you live near here?"
"Suzu is currently staying in a hotel an hour or two from here, but she plans on moving into an apartment near her school once the semester starts." Suzuran answered.
"Ah crap… it's going to get dark long before she gets home, and she shouldn't be walking home alone at night considering how jumpy she is especially if those bastards find her again." Ryuga mentally sighed before saying out loud, "I have a suggestion if you don't mind me asking."
"What is it?" Suzuran asked.
"Why not come to my place for dinner? Ma is a great cook, plus she says a good meal can make anyone feel better, and it's been a while since we've had anyone over so I'm sure she won't mind. Besides if need be she won't mind letting you stay the night if I explain the circumstances, and no one would mess with these guns if you want to head back to your hotel afterwards." Ryuga said excitedly as he flexes his biceps.
"He he… you're not that buff Ryu-chi." Suzuran lightly chuckled, of which is a sign in itself that her mood is improving, "Oh wait…. what about the police?"
"You don't need to worry about that." Ryuga said as he took his phone out from his back pocket, "I never thought that sound effects app I downloaded when I was bored would be so useful."
Now imagine that you've jumped forward in time to the day after all of the Inter-Class matchups between the High School division's freshmen. Its lunch time and you're waiting in line to order your food when you notice Ryuga re-telling the above events to four other people sitting at the same table as him.
"…. and so after convincing my mom that I didn't pick up, kidnap, and or pay for Suzu to follow me home… we've been friends since." Ryuga explained as he finally finished his story.
"That's why my Ryu-chi is so awesome." Suzu declared as she affectionately rubbed her cheek against Ryuga's arm like a cat would for their owner.
"Just one question." Umi said with a smile.
This wasn't Umi's usual happy smile, but rather it seemed like a forced smile she was trying to keep together like a building on the verge of collapse. It didn't help that she was putting off a very strong aura of hostility around her either.
"That old guy you saw giving away fliers…. Was his uniform an extremely dark green with a blue strip running through the collar of his sleeves?" Umi inquired, "While we're at it…. did one of those pictures show a little girl with an ice cream cone with vanilla pressed onto her nose and ears?"
"Actually…. Now that you mention it yeah." Ryuga said after pondering the issue for a moment, "Why do you ask?"
"It's just that I think I've seen the same guy offering fliers in my neighborhood. It's good to see people working so hard don't you think?" Umi said with a smile.
"It seems I'll need to make plans to attend Mr. Kitagawa's funeral." Kokuo thought as he quietly munched on a piece of bread.
"YOU ARE F***ING DEAD AS SOON AS I GET HOME OLD MAN!" Umi screamed within her own mind, "No wonder people have been giving me odd looks around the neighborhood before school started."
"I just have one question?" a young lady asks.
That young lady was of course Kisaki, and like Umi it seemed as though she was forcing herself to keep a polite smile on her face.
"Why the hell are you all sitting at my table?" Kisaki asked as her face was twitching from annoyance.
"And here we thought the noble young mistress wished to bond with us commoners by sharing a table with us." Kokuo said in a snide and blatantly insulting manner, "And here we thought you'd be understanding of the plight of we 4 who met by chance in line by offering us safe harbor at your empty table. Or….. could it be you're used to eating alone thanks to having no friends."
"Why you….. there are empty tables all around us!" Kisaki yelled as she waved her arm all around us.
The tables around Umi and the others were indeed literally empty as though they were the lone X on a tic-tac-toe board, but that doesn't mean there aren't any other students in the cafeteria because of that. There are indeed others, they all heard what Kisaki had proclaimed, and many of them shared the same thought on the matter.
The collective thoughts of these people were "There's you Kisaki-sama, the three other strongest freshmen, and the girl who participated in one of the most hyped of the inter-class matchups. None of us would sit in the tables around you even if we had a thousand times the guts."
"Now now….. Saki-chi, your high school life is a perfect chance to make new friends with people like Suzu and so many others." Suzuran said as she cutely munched on her lunch like a chipmunk.
"I don't need any other friends." Kisaki declared as she started to collect any of her belongings that were on the table, "Oh forget this…. I'm done eating anyway, so I'll just go back to class."
"Do you want Suzu's muffin Umi-chi?" Suzuran asked as she presented the tiny pastry in the palms of her hands, "Consider it the spoils of victory…. plus Suzu thought these were chocolate chip not blueberry."
"Thank you…. Aww I wish I had a little sister as nice and as cute as you." Umi replied as she took the pastry.
Umi didn't say that to be nice, but rather this was one of the few moments where she honestly spoke of her true thoughts and desires.
"Then can Suzu call you as her big sister?" Suzuran suddenly inquired in an excited fashion, "Dad was always busy with work and though mama had a lot more free time to spend with Suzu… she was kept pretty busy too, so Suzu never really had family to talk to whenever she wanted."
"I….. see." Umi mumbled as she finds herself under the gaze of Suzuran's puppy dog eyes.
At first Umi wanted to refuse the notion of a girl with an age difference of no more than a few months in either direction refer to her as an older sister, but due to how earnest and honest Suzuran's desire was…..
"I see….. well I don't mind." Umi
"Yay… thank you so much Umi-chi onee-chan!" Suzuran said happily before suddenly grabbing Ryuga's arms as if having recalled something, "But that doesn't mean Suzu is going to share Ryu-chi with you."
Little did Suzuran or Umi know is that Suzuran's fan club immediately added Umi to their list of people to treat courteously as possible, and that it was this act that led to the start of the legend of the three Norse Goddesses of Setsuzoku.
"Wait!" Kokuo urgently yelled as he suddenly grabs the muffin that was gifted to Umi like it were hand grenade that needed to be thrown away before it was too late.
"Bad Ko-chi…. that was for Umi-chi onee-chan and not you." Suzuran declared as she was angered by what she saw to be an act of disrespect.
"That's not why." Kokuo said before pulling something off of the muffin, "I saw this strip of bacon resting on the back of the muffin."
"Oh… thank you Kokuo for noticing that." Umi said in a grateful tone as she put down the pastry, "I appreciate the gift Kitashirakawa-sa-"
"Since Suzu has acknowledged you as her big sister there's no reason to be so formal, so just call her Suzu." Suzuran grumbled.
"Sorry… anyways I appreciate your gift Suzu, but Kokuo wasn't trying to hurt your feelings by grabbing the muffin out of my hands all of a sudden you see." Umi explained, "Though I can touch the stuff without a problem, save for shrimp and yellow tail I suffer from a horrendous allergic reaction when I eat meat."
"Oh I'm so sorry Umi-chi onee-chan, and I would have never have given that to you if I knew." Suzuran said with such guilt in her voice such that she seemed like she'd kowtow to Umi in apology if need be.
"You didn't know, so it's fine." Umi said as she tried to downplay the issue.
"Still let's all be greatful that we passed Setsuzoku Academy's first trial among many to be." Ryuga said as he raised his drink in the air.
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what Ryuga wants his tablemates to do.
"Cheers!" the quartet yelled as they knock their drinks together.
And then this unexpectedly formed quartet goes their separate ways once they finish the food before them. Kokuo goes back into the lunch line due to being food deprived as a result of all his studying, Ryuga headed towards the library to borrow a book before classes resumed, and Suzuran chose to follow Umi for as long as possible while the latter walked back to her class. The reason being that Suzuran wished to know more about her brand new "big sister", so she repeatedly asked her various questions.
"… and so grandma on my dad's side locked it in his drawer saying we'll never speak of it again." Umi said.
"Ha ha….. your family is so funny Umi-chi onee-chan." Suzuran chuckled.
"Hehe…. Yes well if you want to see something funny… then I'll introduce you to my grandma on my mom's side of the family the next time she visits." Umi lightly chuckled.
It isn't only the academy's high school division freshmen that are working harder to become stronger fighters. Their upper classmen as well as the students of the academy's junior high division are all training with even greater effort after seeing the recordings of some of the fights on real life Motion Figure systems. Setsuzoku Academy's 5 strongest fighters are all working hard in their own ways as well while they prepare for their match with the representatives from Harvard College. 6th ranked Kagawa Tsukiyo sits at her desk in her office in the academy's Journalism Club staring at two Vanguard decks with the ace of both placed at the top
"It's not locked, so you can come in." Tsukiyo asked as she looked up from her desk after hearing someone knock on the door to her office.
"Pardon me Tsukiyo-sama, but Yodo-san has finished the task you asked of him and wants to know if he can start on that article he suggested to you a week ago." a member of the journalism club asked as he took one step into the office, "Also… Takamaki-sama is here as you asked. Should I let her through to your office?"
"Provided Yodo-san's work is up to my practical standard…. he can start as long as he submits a formal proposal as required by club procedure." Tsukiyo ordered, "As for Kisaki… of course you can let her through since I asked her to come here."
"As you wish." the member of the journalism club said as he gently closes the office door.
Only a few seconds go by before Tsukiyo's office door is opened back up and Kisaki walks on through.
"I'm sure you wanted to take the time to relax now that the academy's traditional Hell Week is over, but thank you for coming anyway." Tsukiyo said.
"It's not a problem at all. Just as a good upperclassmen helps their juniors, so should the juniors do the same if possible." Kisaki said in an excited fashion as though she were a fan trying to resist the impulse of asking her idol for an autograph, "Besides I wasn't busy anyway."
"That's good…. well I'm sure you've heard about the match that's been arranged next week. Do you feel disappointed about not being selected as a representative?" Tsukiyo asked as if trying to lead Kisaki in a particular direction.
"No as I'm aware of how my abilities compare to the strongest members of Harvard's under 18 Vanguard club, but unfortunately the others don't share my opinion. They wanted to have a chance to prove themselves worthy of the role." Kisaki honestly answered.
"Practically speaking for the sake of fairness, it would have been to have some sort of round-robin competition between the 10 of us to decide representatives, and I'm sure that's what the principal would have done if we had the time to spare." Tsukiyo retorts, "But it's more practical given the time constraints to send those who've already shown reliable results. At any rate….. the reason I asked you to come here was because of the need to prepare for the competition."
"Do you need me to be your sparring partner? If so I'd be honored." Kisaki replied as her sense of excitement builds even further.
"Though not necessary the offer is appreciated. I intend to spend the time modifying my two Genesis decks for the match." Tsukiyo answered, "I understand that you speak and write English fluently because of your family ties to British nobility?"
"Yes that's right." Kisaki answered, though she's confused as to where this line of inquiry is heading.
"If you're free I'd appreciate it if you could perform a grammar check on my English paper. Normally I'd do it myself and make corrections accordingly to better learn the language, but I don't have time to do it while preparing for the match. I would have asked Rodgers-senpai instead though he's busy for the same reason as well." Tsukiyo explained, "I'd consider it a personal favor if you'd help, and of course I'll repay you for the inconvenience it may cause."
"I'd be happy to help in order for our Academy's 6th ranked fighter to be able to properly focus on her upcoming match, and there's no need to replay me about anything." Kisaki answered as if she was happy to do such a mundane task while thinking, "As if I'd let you'd be alone with her Rodgers-senpai since you're clearly only flirting with her to get a reaction. Our academy's talented Kiyo-senpai does not need such a distraction."
It seems Kisaki doesn't quite understand Rodgers-senpai as well as she thinks, but the man himself is occupied with the five matches he's having with Sekai. Five matches as in five tables placed next to each other, with a Vanguard mat on each one, and on each one there's a match already in progress. Sekai is using multiple copies of his Cosmic Sanctum deck while Aadyn is using a different clan in each of the five matches.
"So umm…. remind me again why we're doing this?" Sekai asked as he and Aadyn continue to walk back and forth between the row consisting of five tables.
"You heard what the lovely Tsukiyo suspects about the notion of these matches being truly random is something they're telling to the public and that our opponents have already been decided to be whoever will cause the most exciting fight between us. I'm inclined to believe her intuition, and before you ask it's not just because I like her." Aadyn explained.
"Sorry your solo tutoring session was canceled because of this…. Oh wait… it wasn't going to be solo anyway." Sekai said clearly with the intent of mocking Aadyn in a friendly fashion.
"Instead of punching you for that remark I'm just going to move on... anyways if her intuition is correct then your opponent will of course be the strongest Harvard has to offer, and we all know his fighting style is like mine. A preference to use different clans and builds according to his mood and opponent." Aadyn explained, "After doing some research I coped the 5 clans/builds he most commonly used and put them together to for you to practice against."
"Yeah… and the fact that it's 5 matches at once is to help train the flexibility of my mind right?" Sekai asked.
"Yup." Aadyn answered, "But just so we have something to talk about while we're doing this…. What do you think of the freshmen this year?"
"Way better than the current second years considering the fact that only Tsukiyo and her have any serious talent as a fighter." Sekai answered, "And speaking of freshmen, how did you plant those cards in Umi's deck without her noticing?"
"It's still going to be a trade secret man. How's the student council handling the preparations for club recruitment week next week?" Aadyn asked in order to change the subject.
"Everything's in order, and before you ask the Swordsmanship Club's presentation is ready to go. What about you? Aren't you a member of the Wilderness Survival club since you lost that bet with their club president?" Sekai inquired.
"I may be incredibly lazy….. ah I guard…. anyways lazy at times, but I'll do what I have to." Aadyn explained, "Speaking of lazy…. Phang probably has his hands full trying to get Rei off his butt and train."
"Not much he can do over the phone in China, but that shouldn't be a problem since his flight should be somewhere over the ocean by now." Sekai notes, "We'll probably get to see Phang kick Rei's bedroom door open again, but let's finish these fights shall we…. I'm getting hungry."
"Ha ha ha ha…. dude….. you ate like five pizzas half an hour ago…. how can you be so thin when you put away that much food? Seriously… it's like you are that stoner with a Great Dane for a dog." Aadyn laughed, "But sure no problem…. back to the fight it is."
Similar such scenes are occurring all over the academy up until the end of the school day and beyond with all of the freshmen all over the academy as they continue to throw themselves into their own self-training with renewed vigor now that the weight that is known as Hell Week has gone by. Many such freshmen choose to catch up on sleep, eat, take advantage of the academy's training facilities, study records of their previous matches, use the remainder of the day to tweak their deck, and even go on a shopping spree in one of the campus stores. Suzuran is an example of the lattermost option as she walks down the hallway of one of the larger academy buildings carrying a few bags with new cards for her deck among other gadgets she considers useful. Naturally Suzuran gets the attention of a few of the students still on campus as she walks, but she chooses to ignore or doesn't notice whatever comments they're making.
"Hey Ko-chi, wait up for Suzu!" Suzuran yelled as she noticed Umi's best friend down the hallway exiting the building whilst carrying a shopping bag of his own.
Kokuo fails to notice this playful little girl calling out to him until right before closing the door as he exits, but he quickly opens the door back up as the notion of being a gentleman had been beaten into his system.
"What is it?" Kokuo asks in a blunt manner as he and Suzuran start walking off in some random direction together.
"Hmmm… for one thing Suzu saw you and just wanted to say hi." Suzuran said as she placed a finger on her chin as if trying to take some kind of cute thinking posture, "That and….. Suzu guesses for the sake of conversation, she wanted to ask what your plans are now."
"To take a bus to get something to eat at a diner near where I live, and then go home to make some changes to my deck with the cards I just bought." Kokuo answered.
"Just out of curiosity, do you mind if Suzu asks what diner?" Suzuran curiously asked.
"Umi's." Kokuo said.
"Ehhhh... Umi-chi onee-chan is already has her own restaurant?! That's super amazing." Suzuran exclaimed as her eyes go wide from surprise.
Truthfully Kokuo has been spending the last few seconds trying to think of a way to brush Suzuran off after the strange things he's noticed about her during the match with Umi, but he can't actually bring himself to do so despite having a few ideas as a result of his upbringing.
"Tell her that not me." Kokuo retorts as he takes a little pride in someone complimenting his friend, but he doesn't let it show on his face, "It is her parents that own the business, however the food is pretty good."
"Hmmm…. Maybe…" Suzuran mumbled as she started at the sky as if suddenly thinking about the future, "Maybe Suzu will convince Ryu-chi to go there together so we can see how cute Umi-chi looks in uniform."
"That's if she doesn't stab you in the eyes for even having that idea first." Kokuo whispered to himself.
"What was that Ko-chi?" Suzuran asked as she clearly heard Kokuo say something, but not what he actually said.
"I said that what were your plans?" Kokuo asked as it was less him being curious and more him actually being expected to ask such a thing.
"Suzu pretty much has the same plans as you save for the fact that she intends to sleep after getting home." Suzuran explained in an energetic manner, "Suzu is still tired from all of the studying she had to do you see."
"I don't blame you considering what Kisaki told me, but…. maybe I should see if the fact that you seem similar to Umi to me…. is a fact or simply my imagination brought about by over thinking things." Kokuo thought as he recalls the momentary change in Suzuran's pressure output in her match with Umi.
"Ah!" Suzuran loudly mumbled as if suddenly recalling something important, "Sorry for wasting your time Ko-chi, but Suzu has just remembered that there was another reason why she had called out to you earlier."
"Oh what is it?" Kokuo asked in a somewhat serious tone.
"Weather report said it was going to get dark sooner than usual today…. and in fact it already is, so Suzu just wanted to know would you mind walking with me to the train station…. the one off Chiyoda Street." Suzuran explain, "Ryu-chi said he was going to do it, but he just texted Suzu that he's stuck in a long line at one of the academy's shops and to go on without him. After what happened right before Suzu met Ryu-chi…. Suzu doesn't like walking to places by herself if it can be helped."
"That's fine… that train station isn't that far from the bus stop I was heading to anyway." Kokuo shrugged as he couldn't seem to resist the fear filled puppy dog eyes Suzuran had on in that moment.
"Yay! Oh thank you so much Ko-chi! Suzu will remember this one." Suzuran said happily as she shakes one of Kokuo's hands with both of her own.
"It's fine, but there's something I wanted to ask you if that is okay." Kokuo said.
"Suzu is fine with answering anything as long as it is not one of her biggest secrets like how she hates that devil's fruit cucumbers." Suzuran said as she immediately covered her mouth once she registered the words that came out of it, "Make sure you forget what Suzu just said especially since Suzu herself didn't mean to say it."
"Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong and I get most of why you lost against Umi was because of a combination of bad luck and exhaustion, but why did you hold back against Umi? From that pulse of pressure (for the lack of a better word) it should have been a much closer fight even if you still lost. If you never let your focus slipped when Izanami was sent to the damage zone… I probably never would have noticed." Kokuo asked in a straight to the point manner.
Suzuran stopped in place before continuing to walk as normal as if the sheer unexpectedness of Kokuo's inquiry caused her high IQ of a brain to momentarily stop functioning.
"Everyone knows that your personal trials at the academy get harder the more ability you show, so it's normal for some students to hide their true skills until they're ready to handle it. Suzu was just trying to follow that example for the sake of her own Vanguard dream, and even if Suzu didn't hold back against Umi-chi….. she probably would have lost anyway like you said given how bad he luck was." Suzuran explained as she maintained her appearance as a little ball of energy, but to the more discerning eye it felt somewhat less natural than before, "Suzu certainly holding back because she was trying to do something bad since she is a good girl just like her Nami-chi."
"That's true…. I've read articles that have said as such before. Plus all this Hell Week stuff has had me be pretty wound up, and objectively speaking it would be hard to recognize people who behave like my sailor tongued best friend with only a sample of 1 to reference. I must have seriously been overthinking things because of all that, and my question was probably hurtful to someone with Suzuran's mindset. I should apologize." Kokuo thought he momentarily became lost within the confines of his own mind.
To Suzuran, however; the expression Kokuo had on his face as he was lost in thought seemed as though he didn't buy her answer to his question in the slightest.
"Sorry…. I guess I'm still feeling the stress from all of the Hell Week trials." Kokuo apologized.
"It's alright Ko-chi, but please don't say anything about how super strong Suzu really is especially since you don't look like the type to let things go in Suzu's eyes." Suzuran pouts as she accepts Kokuo's apology.
"Ha ha… I don't deny I'm stubborn; however I like to think that I've proven myself more than capable of keeping a secret." Kokuo lightly chuckled while thinking, "Considering the number of times I've covered for Umi when control over her mouth slips."
"That's good…. still Suzu thinks it might be best to change the topic of conversation." Suzuran politely suggested.
"Then what do you want to talk about?" Kokuo asked as he still felt guilty for his actions a moment ago.
"Suzu happen to see a really sad story on the news, and it was so sad that it actually made Suzu cry when she heard it." Suzuran answered as one or two tears start to form from simply lightly thinking about this news story.
"Part of the reason I don't really pay attention to the news." Kokuo shrugged.
"Suzu might have forgiven you for taking the muffin she was giving to Umi-chi onee-chan given the circumstances, but she really will get mad at you for not paying attention." Suzuran pointed out as she gave Kokuo an angry glare.
"Sorry, but I really am paying attention." Kokuo retorts.
"Oh okay then… the news story was about a king's search for his missing wife and child he never got to see grow up. I mean don't you think such a thing is sad Ko-chi?" Suzuran asked as if she didn't have a care in the world, "It's easy to imagine how happy they'd be if they reunited."
Just like Suzuran did a few seconds ago, Kokuo suddenly starts standing in place (and stays there) as if her words had momentarily caused his brain to shut down, however; the bodily reactions don't stop there. Blood starts to drain from his face, a sense of dread starts to build, and the notion of fear itself begins to poison his mind; however Kokuo was at least forcibly suppresses these emotional reactions before Suzuran noticed.
"Does she know or only suspect? Or am I just overthinking an innocent comment again? Damn…. What should I do?" Kokuo fearfully thought as if he himself was that missing child of the king.
That situation may very well end up occurring if Kokuo doesn't carefully choose his response, but for now…..
To Be Continued
Aadyn: It's good to see all of the fresh meat being so lively.
Sekai: It's understandable now that the academy's first trial is now behind them.
Tsukiyo: The following week has always been a practical time for Club Recruitment.
Kisaki: Yes… it takes advantage of the newfound zest for life the freshmen have after passing the Academy's first trial.
Umi: Next time on Cardfight Vanguard: Setsuzoku Sensō "Hungry Dragon & Hidden Seafood Specialist"
A/N: Hope you enjoyed the interim into the next arc, but I haven't forgotten about my promise to write a short story about unit lore amongst the OC cards being used. Please enjoy what you're about to read below and let me know what you think. Enough positive reviews and I'll do this again in the future.
Cardfight Vanguard: Setsuzoku Sensō
Lore Short 1
Freedom From Exile & Thievery
In the center ancient ruins both far off the beaten path and far into the future of the United Sanctuary a man wearing blue robes with white stripes, excessively large shoulder armor, green crystals running from the top of his hat down to the center of his chest, and with long flowing white hair is completely focused on a large magic circle glowing with a blue hue.
"It is done." The blue robed man said as he turned in the opposite direction of the magic circle.
What the blue robed man saw was a few well equipped knights of the Royal Paladins the first army of the United Sanctuary, of which this group in particular was being led by two figures standing only a few feet away from this blue robed man. The first figure wears white leather armor in design typical of the knights of the Royal Paladins and keeps a light green one-handed sword tied to his hip. The other individual wears light metal armor typical of knights of the sanctuary that emphasize their speed in battle, he even looks to be the highest ranking knight in the group if based on the fanciness of one's armor, and yet he stands behind the man in leather armor as if taking a subordinate position.
"I thank you Sage Zenon." The man in leather armor said as he bowed with his open left hand covering his closed right hand.
"Truly your manners know no bounds your majesty Alfred II. If only such an attitude replaced the rebellious one you had in your youth" Zenon said in a polite manner as he bows back in a similar manner, "This magic circle will indeed take you to the time of your great ancestor, the first King Alfred."
No wonder the armored figure was acting like a subordinate to the man in leather armor…. because he was indeed a subordinate to the current king of the United Sanctuary.
"Then I shall thank you once again Sage Zenon, however you know "Alfred II" is simply a nickname given to me in my childhood rather than my real one. Rest assured, we shall make sure the sacrifices you made to set up this circle are well reimbursed by those thieves who would dare risk the world's ruins by stealing its secrets." Alfred II said as he turned to face the knight next to him.
"You'd need not even ask your majesty. Your humble servant Teutonic had already prepared the men, supplies, and horses carrying them the moment it seemed the magic circle Sage Zenon was preparing had neared completion." Teutonic said as he immediately got on one knee as a sign of servitude, "We only wait for your orders for the small but strong retinue to march into the past in order to make sure those thieves can't set up a foundation here on Cray."
"Then you have it." Alfred II said in turn.
Men, have you heard the words of our king?!" Teutonic loudly declared as he drew his sword in a spirit raising fashion.
"Aye!" the small band of knights declared in unison.
"As each of you should know, you're all here myself included to follow his majesty into the time of his great ancestor the first King Alfred to stop those evil thieves from laying down a foundation for their organization on Cray. This is to prevent them from stealing the secrets and treasures of the world in our present, make it so the disasters that occurred following some of these thefts never happen, and that our world isn't left vulnerable to invaders like that of the Link Joker army! Remember we will act as though we were truly knights of that time for we are still protecting the United Sanctuary." Teutonic said loudly in a manner typical of a charismatic military man, "Thus I say to you all: the first question….. will you still follow him?"
"Aye!" the small band of knights yelled with excitement.
"The second question: will you fight?" Teutonic said as he raised his sword in the air.
"Aye!" the small band of knights yelled with even greater excitement.
"The last question: will we be victorious?!" Teutonic yelled at the top of his lungs.
"AYE!" the small band of knights screamed with such veracity that dust started to fall of the walls of these ancient ruins.
Without even waiting for Teutonic to order it, the band of knights get to work mounting their horses and ensuring no sword, man, or day's supper is left behind. This causes Zenon, Teutonic, and his majesty Alfred II himself to look upon these valiant soldiers with admiration.
"As always you've been far better with speeches Blas…. Excuse me, it's Teutonic once more as we're traveling into the past." Alfred II said as he coughs slightly as if to cover up his near name saying error, "Better with speeches than me, but as king I shall lead our men from the front by being the first to step into the past."
Alfred II turns around and attempts to take a step forward towards the magic circle with his left foot, but all of a sudden he feels something holding him back as if his left foot had literally been tied down.
"Damn….. she found out." Alfred II mumbled to himself in a fashion akin to an annoyed brooding teenager as he looked down only to find his foot caught in a portion of a plant root sticking out of the ground.
This particular plant root doesn't look as though it has been growing out of the ground of these ruins for a while, but rather it looks as though it sprouted out of the ground rather recently. Just what could this mean?
"I apologize for using such a rude method to get your majesty's attention, but I hope you can forgive this rudeness as we'd fear you would leave without us." A young woman said in a kindhearted yet apologetic tone.
The knights, the Sage Zenon, and the king himself turn to face the direction of one of the other entrances to these ruins only to witness a small band of dryads no more than 10-12 in number riding in on horses of their own. They appear to be led by dryad with long strawberry pink hair, wearing a dress made of various leafs as expected of most dryads, to contrast she has a sheathed rapier tied to her side, and her left hand is covered in a faint yet bright green glow like a glow stick about to go out as it is pointed towards Alfred II.
"Anyone else would be charged with assaulting royalty; however with you lady Polyantha Rose I have no choice but to mind." Alfred II said in an understanding manner as Polyantha Rose got off her horse and approached the king.
Teutonic wanted to get between them and say something like "Know your place.", however he was quickly stopped by a wave of a hand form his liege. The remaining knights admire and want to admire the beauty of the nature loving dryads; however they dared not to for fear of punishment from Teutonic or worse from their king.
"Who is that dryad talking to his majesty?" a more ignorant member of the band of knights asked.
"Have you been living under a rock during training?" an older veteran knight asked as he whispered to the younger knight with a shocked tone in his voice, "Lady Polyantha Rose is the daughter of the ambassador from the Zoo nation having grown up in our United Sanctuary for most of her life. She is also one of the closest if not the closest childhood companion of his majesty."
"Rumor has it that they're secretly in a romantic relationship with one another, and even if they aren't I've heard from a friend that works in the royal palace…. that due to how well they get along his majesty's mother the queen dowager and several high ranking nobles are pushing for a formal engagement in order to strengthen our political ties to the Zoo nation." Another knight whispered.
These knights suddenly felt an immense amount of hostility being directed towards them, and they turn their gaze towards the source of this hostility only to find their king talking to Polyantha Rose while gazing upon them with an expression that signifies the intent to eat them alive. The two knights quickly admonish the one who spoke up about rumors before hurrying off to finish their own tasks.
"Perhaps we should finish this discussion in private, and it would be nice to catch up as we haven't seen each other in… 6 or 7 months I believe." Politely suggests.
"I believe that would be for the best." Alfred II said nodding in agreement as he turned to face Zenon, "Is there anywhere in these ruins we can speak privately and without being seen in these ruins?"
"Yes, but there's no need for the two of you to make the walk." Zenon said as he casually waved his hand.
Alfred II and Polyantha Rose suddenly find themselves covered in a bright orange dome.
"I don't mean to sound rude Sage Zenon, but what's going on?" Polyantha Rose asked.
"I used simple space magic to create a small pocket dimension for you to converse. You can hear what is being said on the outside, but none of us including myself can hear what you're saying." Zenon explained, "When you are finished simply tap on the barrier 3 times in succession."
These two old friends quickly put the thought of being in an enclosed space to the back of their mind as such a famed figure in the world would have no reason to lie to them. The expression on Alfred II's face changes from a dutiful king to that of a blunt yet hotheaded young man. As for Polyantha Rose…..
"Are you okay?" Alfred II asked.
"As expected of someone with my limited talent… simply growing a tiny root meant to stop you has already left me a little out breath." Polyantha Rose said in a polite manner as she starts to breathe in and out as though she just finished a light jog.
"Since no one can hear us you can drop the act." Alfred II said in a blunt fashion as if highly annoyed by the presence of Polyantha Rose, "Otherwise I'm glad to see you're doing okay. Did your latest sparing session with Cecilia go well?"
"First of all…. God f***ing damn it…. I am sick and tired with this stupid s**** people constantly f***ing thinking we're in a romantic relationship. I mean can't two f***ing people of opposite f***ing genders be friends without making dumba** assumptions like this? Still…. all that bulls*** is less annoying compared to all the stupid c***s that know that the rumor is f***ing bogus, and yet still want me to f***ing play matchmaker between you." Polyantha Rose complained as she held a single finger up to Alfred II's face.
"I thought dryads were supposed to maintain a pure heart and kind thoughts in order to properly utilize their powers." Alfred II said in a coy yet somewhat mocking manner.
"I have to have a lot of "dryad power" to use before that would become a problem first of all, but since I don't I can f***ing swear as much as I f***ing want." Polyantha Rose said as though she were a bratty child, "And to answer f***ing question… she kicked my ass as usual…. for an old bat she's still got a lot of f***ing spring in her step. How have you been since the last time I've had to save your dumba**?"
"Since my old man kicked the bucket in the fight with those thieving bastards…. I've been learning statecraft on the go and have been going to marriage interviews at the insistence of several powerful noble families." Alfred II said in an annoyed tone, "Dealing with all of that stuff is so boring."
"S*** I don't blame your for thinking that way." Polyantha Rose pointed out, "Still…. back to business?"
"Yeah…. back to business." Alfred II quickly answered.
Both parties quickly catch their breath for a few seconds before….
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Alfred II, "This is a mission that concerns the future of the United Sanctuary and not the Zoo Nation."
Polyantha Rose responds by sucker punching his majesty in the face, but thankfully said punch fails to leave a mark.
"Even now it's still a crime to lay a hand on royalty like that." Alfred II said in a blunt fashion as if unaffected by Polyantha Rose's cheap move whilst secretly thinking, "Ouch….. I swear in the years I've known you I have never figured out why you're so ridiculously strong."
"Don't give me that royal c*** you dishonest f***. I thought it was a little weird that you didn't respond to my letters as often as you usually do, but I can't believe I had to f***ing find out from your mother you were planning to do a little time travelling." Polyantha Rose yelled as she was truly angry at the moment, "How could you f***ing not tell me your oldest friend?! You know from the historical records that time travel is f***ing as dangerous as hell! I didn't f***ing spend a year looking for a steelbark sapling in forests even we dryads wouldn't go, another year nurturing it, and one more year making it into the sword you have at your hip for you to die in some backwater let alone an alternate timeline!"
"Sorry." Alfred II said as he felt guilty knowing his old friend was only speaking to him this way out of concern.
Recalling how his best friend over-drafted her already considerably limited abilities as a dryad to make him the sword he wields only made his majesty feel even guiltier. Alfred II kept this from his old friend knowing that she'd demand in colorful language to join him, and would likely hide in within the supply crates if he said no. He also knew that she would use colorful language for him even trying to use that as an excuse.
"One of the sacred trees of the dryads that was stolen from us…. specifically the one that caused me to suck at dryad abilities and the Zoo nation's food production ability to take a hit….. since that day we've religiously researched a way to prevent our other sacred trees from being stolen by them, and we've finally perfected a method… specifically a special magic circle that only a team of dryads can create." Polyantha Rose explained as she explained in an honestly polite manner.
"I take it those would be the dryads that came with you?" Alfred II interjected.
"Yes…. Anyways we brought this up to your mother as well as the magic specialists of the royal family as well as specialists of the Oracle Think Tank to check our work-" Polyantha Rose was explaining.
"Stop." Alfred II interrupted as he held up one of his hands like a stop sign in Polyantha Rose's face, "In order to get your mother's nation to owe ours a favor she said to your mother and other representatives in secret something like "It just so happens my son requested the assistance of the Sage Zenon in order to travel back to the time of the great King Alfred in order to prevent that dastardly thieves guild from laying down a foundation for their evil organization on their world. Why not join him and his men to lay down this magic circle around all of your sacred trees in the past in case his plan fails?" right?"
"Yes…. I even brought a letter from your mother in case you didn't believe me, and if successful it would be nice to know what the me who doesn't suck at dryad magic is like." Polyantha Rose said as she pulled a letter from a hidden pocket on her outfit.
"I'd be concerned if this alternate future you had any less of a sailor's tongue." Alfred II said in a joking manner.
Alfred II took the letter out of his friend's hand, opened it, and then started to quietly read it. At first his majesty was able to maintain a neutral expression on his face as he read, then he got slightly annoyed, and finally he rippled the letter to shreds in a moment of anger.
"What did her holiness the queen dowager say?" Polyantha Rose asked.
"Enough for you to believe you're telling me the truth." Alfred II said bluntly while inwardly yelling "That old bat! Where does she get off on saying "get together before I die because I want to see my grandchild and future heir to the throne" and "You'll never find someone better for you my dear"? That old bat's not that old yet, and I DO NOT have such feelings for my friend."
Alfred II knocks on the barrier three times for Zenon to release them now that the necessary explanations have been given. It is there he and Polyantha Rose sees members of both their factions ready to march on the magic circle and into the past, and in turn their people see their leaders having "put back on" their attitude in public.
"Forgive the rudeness of this humble servant your majesty, but the men and I wish to know why Lady Polyantha Rose and her fellow dryads have suddenly joined us." Teutonic explained as he got on one knee as he approached his lord, "Is it all right that I inquire as such your majesty? If it isn't then I ask that you only punish me for such a transgression."
"You may stand Teutonic." Alfred II said as he waited for his loyal servant to actually do so, "It seemed that my mother the queen dowager had decided in her infinite wisdom to have Lady Polyantha Rose and her charming dryad associates join us for our trip into the past in order to increase the odds of our mission's success. There are also some other factors that need to be explained, however I'll do so once we arrive at our destination."
"As you wish your majesty." Teutonic said he turned to face the small group of knights behind them, "You heard his majesty's words, so be thankful for benefiting from his mother's wisdom, and be ready to protect and treat these maidens in a manner befitting a knight's code of chivalry."
"Would you like to join me as we take our first steps on this journey Lady Polyantha Rose?" Alfred II asked as though he were requesting a dance at a ball.
"Naturally I can't refuse his majesty's will under these circumstances." Polyantha Rose said as she moved to stand on the left side of his majesty.
"Before you go…. Please give these to the me and the Chronojet Dragon of the first king Alfred's timeline. They should do their utmost to assist you once they see these letters." Zenon said as he held two envelopes between his fingers, "Although I don't know what Chronojet Dragon was doing at the point in time you'll be arriving in, he should still sense the massive displacement in temporal energy and come to find you almost immediately on your arrival if he's not preoccupied with something else. If he doesn't…. then the give the letter meant for him to the me in the past so he can do it for you."
"I understand Sage Zenon. Although you've likely head this many times throughout history, let me speak on behalf of the United Sanctuary for your service to our people as well as all the people of Cray." Alfred II said as he offered a respectful bow.
"Allow me to thank you as well on behalf of the dryads." Polyantha Rose said as she offered a sign of respect by curtsying to the famous sage.
With Alfred II and Polyantha Rose leading the charge, the unexpectedly formed group of knights and dryads walk onto the magic circle only to disappear as flashes of light. Once the last traveler through time disappeared; the magic circle dims like an adjustable lightbulb being put to the lowest setting possible above actually being turned off. Then as he stands alone in the dark, a small smile starts to form on the face of the famed Sage Zenon.
"It saddens this old man to see the younger generation have to fight for the future instead of living in peace, but it also makes this old mad happy to still see people willing to fight at all." Zenon mumbled to himself as he turned to leave these ancient ruins.
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed the first one-shot short story about unit lore. Once again please let me know what you think along with the actual chapter of CVSS, and perhaps one day you'll find out what happens in part 2 of this short.