"Man, this place is rowdy," Mash said, munching on a sakura daifuku.
"Like I said, compared to other places, this should be peaceful. But lately, it's been relentless…" Shizuko sighed, rubbing her temples.
"They mentioned a 'client.' Any guesses who that might be?" Mash asked, popping another daifuku into his mouth.
"No clue. I mean, who'd even want to ruin the festival?" Fina replied, also chewing on a daifuku.
"Right… Oh, pass me another one," Mash said, reaching out.
"Can you two stop eating daifuku for a second? I can't focus!" Shizuko snapped.
"Keep going," Mash and Fina said in unison, unfazed.
"Ugh, I give up!" Shizuko groaned.
After the Chimimoryo Troupe's retreat, Mash and Fina were back at Hyakuyado, scarfing down sakura daifuku. Shizuko tried to scold them for eating mid-conversation, but it was like talking to a brick wall.
"Seriously, ever since the Cherry Blossom Festival started, those Chimimoryo jerks have been causing trouble everywhere!" Shizuko fumed.
"The Chimimoryo Troupe—Street Style. They've always been troublemakers in Hyakkiyako," Fina added. "But they've never been this organized before. It's like someone's deliberately trying to sabotage the festival."
"Didn't they say something about 'as requested'?" Mash pointed out, pausing mid-bite.
"Oh, yeah!" Shizuko's eyes widened.
"They're just your typical Kivotos delinquents, but it sounds like someone hired them as mercenaries," Fina mused.
"So… someone's pulling the strings to wreck the festival?" Mash asked.
"Probably," Shizuko nodded. "(But why would Izuna-chan work with them…?)" she thought, her brow furrowing.
The more Mash pondered, the less sense Izuna's actions made. She'd talked about enjoying the festival together, yet here she was helping the troupe ruin it. That's a contradiction, right? Mash wondered.
"Either way, as someone aspiring to the path of chivalry, I can't let this slide!" Fina declared, slamming her fist on the table.
"Ugh, what's their deal!?" Shizuko ranted. "We've managed to stop them so far, but they're getting more frequent and more numerous. If the festival gets ruined, we'll be the ones taking the blame from everyone! This is not okay!"
Shizuko's outburst was understandable—being the committee chairwoman came with a mountain of responsibilities.
"But, Fina, I don't get it. Why would anyone want to sabotage the Cherry Blossom Festival?" Shizuko asked, calming slightly.
"Maybe…" Mash started.
"Who cares about their reasons? They're just pissed off about something," a new voice interrupted.
Turning toward the voice, Mash saw a bipedal cat in a hakama. At this point, a talking, walking cat barely fazed him, though he couldn't help but think, I'm getting way too used to this weirdness.
"Yo, I'm the head of Hyakkiyako's shopping district," the cat introduced himself.
"President Mike?" Mash guessed.
"Who're you calling Mike!? I'm—"
"Kemo? No, Tama? Wait, maybe Matagoro?" Mash rattled off.
"Listen to me! I'm Nyan Tenmaru!" the cat roared.
"Mash Burnedead, nice to meet you, Nyan Tennyo-san," Mash said politely.
"Not Tennyo!!" Nyan Tenmaru yowled. "What's wrong with your teacher!?"
"Don't ask us…" Fina muttered.
"Uh, President? Why would anyone have a problem with the festival?" Shizuko asked cautiously.
Mumbling, "Kids these days…" Nyan Tenmaru cleared his throat and shared his thoughts.
"This time, something's different. Traditionally, the Cherry Blossom Festival ends with a big firework display. But this year, you're doing something new, right? Some fancy experiment?"
"Yes," Shizuko nodded. "For this festival's finale, we commissioned a special device from Millennium—a holographic firework display that's unaffected by weather or smoke. It's special and nice!"
"Sounds expensive," Mash remarked.
"Exactly. Not everyone's thrilled about change," Nyan Tenmaru sighed. "Some folks just don't like it when things shift, especially when it involves students throwing around big money."
"That's so selfish," Shizuko muttered.
"Yeah, well," Nyan Tenmaru shrugged.
"But the president always helps us out, even if he acts all grumpy. He's been super supportive for this festival too," Shizuko said with a smile.
"Fina knows! It's called being a tsundere!" Fina grinned.
"I'm not a tsundere!" Nyan Tenmaru snapped.
"Tsun Tenmaru-san," Mash teased.
"I'm gonna lose it, Sensei!" the cat growled.
Mash had met plenty of tsundere students, whose "tsun" was softened by clear "dere," making them endearing. But Nyan Tenmaru? His "tsun" was pure, unfiltered tsun—no "dere" in sight, Mash was certain.
"Well, I'm outta here. Good luck," Nyan Tenmaru said, sauntering off.
"See ya!" Fina waved.
With the cat gone, Mash refocused. They needed to deal with the Chimimoryo Troupe first.
"Let's find their hideout and shut them down," Mash suggested.
"If we could, we would've already!" Shizuko exclaimed.
"Hmm… How about asking the Training Club for help?" Fina proposed.
"Huh?" Shizuko's voice dripped with reluctance.
"Training Club?" Mash asked.
"Yup! They're super strong and… kinda reliable!" Fina said, though her tone wavered.
"Why the question mark? And why's Shizuko looking like that?" Mash pressed, noticing her grimace.
"Well… they're good people, really! But the Training Club members are… eccentric," Shizuko explained. "They do bizarre things under the guise of 'training.' Like solving jigsaw puzzles while sleeping, beating up street punks to become 'refined ladies,' or claiming to master mind-reading as part of being a proper Yamato Nadeshiko."
"Training… what even is that?" Mash muttered, intrigued. With manpower in short supply, he made a decision. "Let's ask the Training Club for help."
"What!?" Shizuko yelped. "But—"
"They're good people, right? It'll be fine," Mash reassured.
"And if anything goes wrong, Sensei's got it covered!" Fina added confidently.
"Leave it to me," Mash said with a nod.
"All I can see is a future where you physically drag them into this…" Shizuko muttered.
Just as they prepared to contact the Training Club, another explosion and gunfire echoed outside, this time farther away.
"They're back already!?" Shizuko groaned.
"Didn't Sensei just thrash them?" Fina asked.
"Steel nerves, huh," Mash remarked.
"Please, Sensei, take care of it! This time, make sure they're done!" Shizuko pleaded.
"I'm not finishing anyone off," Mash said firmly.
"Right! Sensei's too kind—he'll just half-kill them!" Fina chirped.
"Not that either!" Mash protested.
Despite their biased assumptions about him, the trio rushed to the scene.
At the site, the Chimimoryo Troupe was, as expected, wreaking havoc. Mash stepped forward to deliver another lecture, but a voice cut through the chaos.
"Stop right there, Chimimoryo Troupe!" it declared.
"Hm?" Mash turned toward the sound.
"Boldly!" one voice shouted.
"Gracefully…" another added.
"Uh… beautifully…? Is that right?" a third hesitated.
"Perfect!" the first confirmed.
"Here to protect the town's peace—the Training Club's beautiful trio has arrived!" they announced in unison.
"Reporting!" the second echoed.
"Um, reporting…" the third mumbled.
"Flawless entrance! Right, Tsubaki-senpai?" the first beamed.
"Hmm? Sure…" the second yawned.
"Kaede-chan, I feel like we're being stared at…" the third whispered nervously.
A sleepy-looking girl, an energetic one, and a shy pink-haired girl stood before them, all dressed in miko outfits. Mash didn't find their attire particularly noteworthy—until he noticed one girl's outfit.
"I've seen a lot in Kivotos, but this one's on another level," Mash muttered.
"Hmm? What's that…?" the sleepy girl asked, tilting her head.
"I'm Mash Burnedead, Schale's teacher. Sixteen years old," Mash introduced himself.
"Teacher…? I'm Kasuga Tsubaki, also sixteen," the sleepy girl said with a yawn.
"Hey!" Mash nodded.
"Wait, Schale's teacher is a kid like us!?" the energetic girl exclaimed. "I'm Yumi Kaede, by the way!"
"I'm Mizuha Mimori. I've heard a lot about you," the shy girl added softly.
"Hey… Just to check, is her outfit normal around here?" Mash asked, gesturing to Tsubaki.
"?" The trio blinked.
Tsubaki's outfit was beyond bold—not just flashy, but revealing in a way that made Ako's wardrobe look tame. Mash had accepted bunny outfits as necessary for undercover missions, but this was her everyday attire.
"Isn't that… a bit much for daily wear?" Mash ventured.
"Huh? What's that about?" Tsubaki asked, genuinely confused.
"No self-awareness…?" Mash muttered.
"Let me explain!" Kaede jumped in. "That's just Tsubaki's thing!"
"It's… way beyond what we could pull off…" Mimori added, blushing.
"What're we talking about?" Tsubaki yawned.
"Aren't you embarrassed, Tsubaki-chan?" Shizuko asked cautiously.
"Nope. It's comfy and cool," Tsubaki replied. "Normal clothes are too tight around my chest—hard to move or fight in. This is just right."
"…I see," Mash said, deciding to go zen and let it go. Refocusing, he turned to the Chimimoryo Troupe. "Time to deal with them."
"There he is again!" one of the troupe shouted.
"First strike wins!" another declared, firing a rocket—twice as powerful as the last.
Before Mash could swat it away, Tsubaki stepped forward, raising her shield.
BOOM!
"How's that!?" the troupe member sneered.
"Hmm… That woke me up," Tsubaki said, unfazed.
"Thanks, Tsubaki-chan. You okay?" Mash asked.
"All good. I'm tough," she replied sleepily.
"No way… They attacked Sensei without hesitation!" Kaede gasped.
"It's unbelievable. They knew what could've happened if that hit him," Mimori added, horrified.
"Shut up! It's the only way to beat him!" the troupe member snapped.
The Chimimoryo Troupe formed ranks, guns at the ready. Shizuko and Fina moved to Tsubaki's side, reloading their weapons and mirroring the formation.
"I get being scared of Sensei, but that's too reckless!" Shizuko shouted.
"Totally!" Fina agreed.
"Is Sensei that strong?" Kaede asked.
"Yup! Like a gorilla!" Fina said proudly.
"Could've gone with a human comparison…" Mash muttered.
"Can we count on you, Sensei? Their teamwork's tight—we can't break their formation easily," Shizuko said.
"Sure thing. What's the plan?" Mash asked.
"Hmm…" Tsubaki whispered something to Mash.
"Love it. Everyone, can you help out?" Mash asked the group.
"I don't know you well yet, Sensei, but I'll trust you! What do we do?" Kaede replied eagerly.
Tsubaki shared her plan, and Mash agreed, enlisting Shizuko and the others.
"Operation start… Scatter!" Tsubaki commanded.
At her signal, everyone except Mash and Tsubaki dispersed, confusing the Chimimoryo Troupe, who tried to track them.
"Crap, it's a trap! He's gonna—" one shouted.
"Where's the shield girl—wait, where's he!?" another panicked.
As the troupe searched for Mash, something plummeted from the sky.
BOOM!
"GYAAAH!?" the troupe screamed.
"Introducing the Combined Magic: Shield Jump Hammer Kick!" Mash declared.
"It's just a heel drop from the air," Tsubaki yawned.
"Operation success! But is that really a plan!?" Shizuko exclaimed.
Tsubaki's strategy was simple: Mash used her shield as a springboard, launching himself skyward before crashing down with a devastating heel drop. The impact shattered the ground, throwing the troupe's formation into chaos.
"Surrender now!" Shizuko ordered.
"Guh!" the troupe groaned.
"Sensei's move was insane, but holding his weight? That's nuts!" Fina marveled.
"I'm not the Training Club's leader and tank for nothing," Tsubaki said sleepily. "Can I nap now?"
"Just a bit longer!" Kaede pleaded.
"Damn it… That's cheating!" a troupe member wailed.
As Shizuko and Fina restrained the troupe, one of them shouted, "Who is this Schale guy!? Where's that… ninja wannabe!?"
"Speaking of which—" Shizuko started.
"Izuna-Style Ninjutsu! Omni-Directional Smoke Veil!" a voice rang out.
"Smoke screen—" Mash began.
"Followed by… Izuna Ninja Kick!!" Izuna shouted, launching a flying kick at Mash.
He dodged with a backflip. "Close one."
"The ambush failed, but—Ninja Izuna returns as promised!" Izuna declared, striking a pose.
"Round two, huh, Izuna-chan?" Mash said.
"Indeed, Sensei!" Izuna replied, gripping a kunai in her right hand and shurikens in her left. "Prepare yourself!"
Author's Note: I'm not the only one who nearly fainted seeing Tsubaki's outfit, right? I didn't know there'd be a student with a crazier getup than Gehenna's Yokochi Chideyan! Also, huge thanks to her in every Total Assault!
To those wondering about Chise or Princess Chise's appearance—sorry, that's still a bit further off!
Brother: "Saori-chan's face is so perfect it's messing with my preferences."
Sister: "I feel you, bro."
Cool girls are great, and when they blush? Even better.
Comments and feedback are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!
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