Suzushiro: "Kagetsu! Why aren't you working?"

Kagetsu of the Rabbit Unit is caught off guard as she writes down song lyrics in her notepad. Dragon Unit member Suzushiro has caught her writing. She's supposed to be crafting the spears for the wooden barricades, just like the other girls around her, including her teammates Mukuge and Hototogisu. But seeing everyone working together to help defend their home has inspired her, and she can't help but jot down what comes to her. Whatever song she'll come up with will definitely be loved later, but for now Kagetsu is forced to put down her notes and get back to work. She continues to sharpen her spear, while occasionally glancing at her notepad, trying to resist the urge to grab it now that Suzushiro's not looking. Suddenly, Hototogisu grabs the notepad and hides it, saying that if she keeps getting distracted, she'll hurt herself like Ajisai did. A saddened Kagetsu understands, and continues working.

Suzushiro, as instructed by her fellow Dragon Higiri, is helping to make sure that the fortification process is going smoothly. She's not really used to being in a leadership role like this, but the threat that the Man poses is serious, so she doesn't complain. Everyone has to pull their own weight today, including her. She's just glad that her job is an easy one, unlike those who had to travel outside the village. All Suzushiro has to do right now is make some spears, and watch the others, mainly the underclassmen. So far, everything's gone well. Besides Ajisai's minor injury earlier, nothing eventful has happened. At the rate they're working, they'll be finished by dinnertime. If the Man shows up again, he'll be in for a surprise.

Unfortunately, something actually HAS happened, just not under Suzushiro's watch.

Back in the dining area, Higiri and Tachiaoi are shocked at Sazanka's disappearance. The tied-up troublemaker was still here when Asagao walked in. She must have freed herself while they were all talking about food and rationing, and slipped out through the door. That was just a few minutes ago, but she's most likely already left the village in search of the Man. Her goal is to defeat him, and she's clearly determined to see this through, despite being told not to. On the bright side, she definitely doesn't know where he is, so she hopefully won't encounter the dangerous foe. The bad thing is that it also means that she'll be running all around the forest trying to find him, which makes finding her harder, especially since she'll be avoiding any upperclassmen that go looking to capture her. And if she somehow does manage to locate her target, she could get hurt, or worse.

This situation reminds Higiri of yesterday, when Housenka and Tsuwabuki were running around out there as well. They had the chance to do that because Higiri didn't stop them from fighting, and let them run off. Even if she didn't know about the danger at the time, she still let two feuding girls sprint off, and it could have led to them getting attacked. Now another student's in danger because she failed again, and she needs to fix the problem again. She needs to bring Sazanka back before anything bad happens. However, it's forbidden to go somewhere alone, as per Sumire's rules. She can't venture off alone even if she's technically in charge right now. Luckily, she knows just who to ask for help. Higiri leaves Tachiaoi in charge of things and rushes away.

Running outside, she starts to head over to where a majority of the girls are working. Higiri would rather not alert the whole village to Sazanka's actions, and slows her run to a calm walk as she enters everyone's view. She finds Suzushiro watching over some underclassmen, with her eyeing Kagetsu specifically. Higiri casually asks her to follow her back to the command area, and the two walk away. Once they're out of view, Higiri quickly explains the situation. Suzushiro's surprised, but at the same time, she's not surprised that Sazanka would do this. She's still worried though, Sazanka's not capable of fighting the Man 1-on-1. It's doubtful anyone but Hana and Konoha can do that. She's way in over her head on this one, so Suzushiro agrees to go help Higiri. They gather some rope and other gear, and run out into the forest.

There's a few reason why Higiri picked Suzushiro to search with her. She's a competent fighter, she has great perception, and they have synergy together due to being on the same unit. Her perception will help immensely with finding the runaway, especially against a target that isn't great at blocking perception. Hopefully with her skills, she can track and sense Sazanka and they can capture her before midday, and preferably before Sumire and Tsubaki wake up. Suzushiro questions whether or not they should wake those two up, mainly Tsubaki, but Higiri wants to avoid disturbing them. They really need rest, and this isn't their mistake to fix.

With so many upperclassmen currently not available, the village could easily become chaotic. Hopefully they'll all keep following the rules while they're gone.

The first thing Benisumomo does after getting far enough away from the village is break Sumire's rules. She goes off on her own, without telling Mizubashou where she's going. She only states that she's bored as she leaves. Once she gets far enough away from her teammate, she begins to run towards her destination. She's not interested in setting traps that probably won't even work, she has something else that she wants to do right now.

Mizubashou doesn't mind her leader's departure, and happily begins to set up the traps by herself. Being a massive trap enthusiast, this job is heaven for her. She can do the thing she loves, and she won't get in trouble for it! She might even save the village too. Of course, judging by the damage done to the village, Mizubashou's regular traps might not work on the Man. If he can bust through walls and ceilings, he can snap a standard rope trap, or jump out of a regular pit. So Mizubashou goes bigger. More advanced knots, larger pits, better camouflage. A tougher opponent means that she really doesn't have to hold back. Even if he can get out of these too, they'll be more of a hassle to deal with, and may even tire the Man out which makes him easier to fight. Plus they're more fun to make. She rapidly creates them faster than one would think possible. Her one hope right now is that she won't have to take down all her traps once this is over. Not just because she hates dismantling unused traps, but also because she's already set A LOT, and isn't stopping anytime soon.

Touwata, meanwhile, is stuck at the village, unable to leave due to the rules. She can only hope that they're okay, and that Benisumomo doesn't slack off. Since she's not allowed to go with her team, she has instead devoted her time to acting as a supervisor in the village. She's been routinely going between the command room, the courtyard, and the farm, making sure everything's going well. She hasn't forgotten what happened two days ago, with Hana and the stone. If she hadn't asked Hana to lift it, then both teachers would still be here, and no one would have to worry about the Man. They would have most likely defeated him before he even got close to Akane. In Touwata's mind, this is her fault. So she's working to make up for it in any way she can. Still, it doesn't feel like enough...

The blade cutting her skin hurt, but the medicine used to clean the wound stings even worse. It'll prevent an infection though, so Ajisai bears with the pain. After the wound is cleaned, Mokuren wraps her finger up with a bandage. Within a few minutes, the cut doesn't really hurt anymore, and Mokuren says that it'll heal fully in a few days. That's great and all, but Ajisai can already picture Shion and Suzuran overreacting to the little cut. It happens every so often. She gets hurt, and even though it's nothing major, they always restrict Ajisai from doing the thing that caused her to get hurt. The last time Ajisai got hurt and needed healing from Mokuren was when she sprained her wrist while trying to train her combat skills. After that, her teammates didn't let her near the training dummies she was practicing on for a week. She's also at times accidentally cut herself while working with kunai and shuriken, and like those times, they definitely won't let her work with sharp objects for a while. The thought of her overprotective teammates treating her like a baby makes her mope so hard that she forgets that Mokuren and Housenka are in the room with her.

Mokuren notices Ajisai's pouting, but doesn't connect it to Shion and Suzuran. Instead, she believes that Ajisai's worried about going back to work, out of fear that she'll hurt herself again. Feeling bad, she offers to let Ajisai stay here, and help the medical unit with their job. At first, Ajisai wants to reject the offer. Sitting indoors making medicine and stuff doesn't seem like it'll impress her teammates. In fact, if Shion and Suzuran hear that she got cut once while making spears and then gave up to go do something easier, they might lose any respect for her that they have. Though, on the other hand, getting hurt did kind of sour the whole idea of making an entire barricade by herself. Maybe it was unrealistic to think she could do it in the first place, she's not even very good at making the spears. She'd have to rush to get it done, and the idea of hurting herself again makes her hesitant. Looking to Mokuren, she sees the medical girl sparkling. She's clearly excited for an opportunity to teach someone how to work with the herbs. Rejecting the offer would undoubtedly make her sad. Between not wanting to get hurt again, and not wanting to disappoint Mokuren, Ajisai accepts the job. As for her teammates perception of her, well, she'll deal with that later.

As instructed by Sumire, Mokuren and Housenka are preparing medicine and other herbal solutions. Ajisai understands what the medicine is for, but not the other creations that Mokuren describes as repellents. Unlike the remedies, the repellents aren't used on the girls for treating injury or sickness, they're used on buildings and the ground. Mokuren explains that while the buildings in Akane are pretty secure, bugs can still manage to find their way into them. This includes the dorms, the kitchen, and the farmhouse. The scent of harvested crops and food come from these places, and attract the pests, which obviously isn't a good thing. Luckily, bugs hate the scent of certain herb mixes, so it's possible to create repellents that are routinely applied in and around the buildings, warding off insects.

Since medicine is a bit too advanced for Ajisai, she makes repellents instead. The process for making them is simple enough, and she gets the hang of it eventually. For a while, things are silent in the Monkey Unit room as the three girls work. It somewhat reminds her of days off with her own unit, though with no pampering from Shion and Suzuran. In fact, it's nice to be able to work without those two holding Ajisai's hands through anything that can be considered a challenge. After some time, the girls near completion of the job. They've made enough medicine for any potential injuries tonight, and are nearing completion of the repellents. Despite this being work, time flew by surprisingly fast. As they get closer to finishing, Housenka begins to become a bit more chatty, and talks with Mokuren about the attack last night. This makes Ajisai realize Housenka's been quiet this whole time, just making mixtures. She's surprised at how well she's been working this past hour or so. She's never seen Housenka work this hard or be this quiet. Maybe it's because girls like Tsuwabuki and Sazanka aren't around for her to start arguing and fighting with?

Either way, things went well with this job, better than the barricade crafting. Now, Ajisai thinks about how she can avoid embarrassment when her teammates come back...

Having salvaged a good amount of materials and tools from the fallen shack, the Boar Unit and some other girls decide to take a well-deserved break. It's been hours since they started, so the girls sit down and begin to chat. There's one main topic to talk about, the Man. The students discuss their efforts so far to prepare for his potential return, and what might happen if he does come back. The three Boar Unit members, Dokudami, Aogiri, and Shakuyaku, talk about their recent travels outside the village.

About four weeks ago, the trio departed to do some training. A day was spent working on weapons techniques and team attacks. It was a fairly successful training trip, and once they were satisfied with their progress, they started to head back home. In typical Boar fashion, they got lost while trying to do so. They spent two weeks walking around, trying to locate the village, but they couldn't find it. They mainly walked in circles and kept accidentally retreading all of their steps. Things would have continued this way if the Boars hadn't encountered Hasu, who was going back to the village after taking a walk. She's the one who led them back to Akane, and they've stayed put since then.

This scenario isn't unusual for the Boars, they've gotten lost a lot before. However, looking back at it now, the Boars wonder if they were at risk of encountering the Man. Was he out there with them? Did they almost run into him? Were they close to being attacked by him? There was never any sign of anyone else out there, but they can't help but think about it. At the very least, the idea of the Man following them to Akane is doubtful. It's been two weeks since their return, why would he wait this long? Men don't wait and plan things, they're supposed to be unintelligent. Plus, he mainly rummaged through their food supply and farm. The Boars think that's on par with what a wild animal would do, though he's clearly more powerful than an animal.

The Boar's conversation is soon joined by three underclassmen. Ume, Itadori, and Hasu were working on the barricades, but are also taking a break now. They want to talk about the Man too.

Ume: "You guys spend a lot of time outside the village! You've never seen a man right?"

Shakuyaku: "Nope. Never seen one."

Dokudami: "Doubt we'd even know one if we saw one. What are they supposed to look like again?"

Itadori: "I heard they're big and hairy."

Hasu: "Higiri said the man last night either had more than two arms, or was wearing something around his neck."

Dokudami: "Imagine that, fighting a man with four arms or something! Could be fun."

Shakuyaku: "If he does have more than two arms, he can probably block multiple opponent's attacks at once. He might even be able to use more than two weapons at the same time.. Though more limbs means more weak spots to hit."

Aogiri: "It's a good thing we'll be prepared for his return, because he seems really strong."

Dokudami: "Yeah, but we can all take him."

Ume and Itadori are still somewhat nervous about this whole Man thing, but Dokudami reassure them that with everybody working together, they can make it out okay. The Man got in a sneak attack while the girls were in bed last night, but next time they'll be ready to take him on. He doesn't stand a chance against thirty-five kunoichi.

Somewhere in the forest, near some fruit trees, Sazanka stops sprinting and takes a breather. She's successfully escaped without anyone knowing. She might not have long though, Higiri or somebody else will notice her absence eventually. They'll hunt her down and try to get in her way. She'll have to work fast to catch and defeat the Man. Problem is, she has no idea where he is at all. She can use this time to prepare though. Good thing Mizubashou's not the only one good at setting traps, as she begins to set up her own around the fruit trees. To differentiate her traps from any set by the Sheep Unit or anybody else, she's tying small red ties around the ropes. They'll act as her signature, proof that she's the one who caught the Man. This location isn't random either, she's hoping that if the Man is around the area, he'll come get some fruit. He attacked their food supply last night, so he probably has a big appetite. And she shouldn't have to worry about other students falling for these traps, since no one had the job to pick fruit. Of course, she can't count on the Man trying to grab a snack, this is only one part of her plan.

She isn't just going to wait around for the enemy to show up. Lots of trees grow fruit in the forest, this is just one spot. It'll be tough to get to every fruit area and rig them up alone, but if Tsubaki can spend the entire night looking for the Man, then she can manage this for Tsubaki's sake. She can set up traps at spot with lots of fruit trees, then run between all the areas checking the traps. If she finds him, she'll lure him into one of the places. Once he's caught, she can hit the Man with her arsenal of weapons and fire jitsu until he's defeated. She'll then drag the Man to the center of Akane, and present him to Tsubaki, and be hailed as the best by her. In Sazanka's mind, this plan is perfect.

Not too long after arriving, she's finished up with the traps. Sazanka thinks about where to go next. There are several spots that are about the same distance away. Sazanka will need to prepare all of the spots, while remembering to avoid the upperclassmen. The Sheep Unit is supposed somewhere out here setting up traps as well, and they may come to these areas, but she's not worried about them. She's counting on Mizubashou being able to spot her traps and avoid them. Mizubashou never falls for traps. As for Benisumomo, Sazanka knows that she won't care about this stuff, and has probably already left to slack off at her hammock. The main problem might be that the wild animals living in the forest get caught in them, wasting them. If that happens, there should still be enough traps for this to work. It HAS to work, this is for Tsubaki, after all. Sazanka won't give up, she will earn praise from her leader, and-

That's weird, all of a sudden, Sazanka can't move her arms. It's like they're stuck in place. Looking down, she sees why. Sazanka, without even realizing it, is now bound by rope. She let her guard down thinking about her plan, and now she's done for. Still, she's sure that Higiri and the others couldn't have found her this fast. Did they actually manage to do it? Turning around, she understands. They didn't find her, others tied her up. Shion and Suzuran are responsible for this. More specifically, Shion's bound her with rope, while Suzuran carries a basket on her back.

Shion: "You snuck out of the village, didn't you?"

Sazanka's visibly caught off guard by Shion correctly pointing it out instantly. She tries to lie but Shion sees right through her attempt. Shion gives the underclassman a small scolding for breaking Sumire's rules, while Suzuran puts the basket down and picks some fruits. Shion finishes her scolding, and takes note of the traps laid around the area. They're pretty obvious, probably because Sazanka sees men as unintelligent enough to walk right into them. She also recognizes that no one else is going to be in this area, and sees no reason to take them down. Sazanka may be breaking the rules, but taking them down would only help the Man. They'll just have to remember to get rid of them when this is over.

Once Suzuran's gotten a few fruit for Ajisai, she grabs the basket again, and Shion begins to pull Sazanka along, as they all begin to head back home. Sazanka protests loudly, but the upperclassmen tune her out, and continue dragging the angry escapee, who only got to set traps in one area...