Aqours Chapter 29

Intra-club Field Day

We're kicking off the fall sports season!

Story 1

Mari: One, two, three, four! Okay, that was perfect! Ruby: Yay! Hanamaru, Yoshiko, we were perfect! Yoshiko: I love how it feels when everything comes together and we’re perfectly in sync. I think the time has come to use my Final Ragnarok move. Hanamaru: *Pant* *Gasp* All my practice is paying off, zura. Dia: You’re adapted to the harder choreography because you’ve improved your stamina quite a bit. Chika: Great job today, everyone! Who’s up for a last little jog since the weather’s so nice? You: Me! It’s cooled off enough that working up a little sweat feels good. Riko: It’s the perfect temperature to exercise in. Kanan: Fall’s the season for sports, right? I’ll go jogging, too. Ruby: Me too! I want to practice even more so that my dancing will look super-cool. Dia: I can’t wait to see that! Maybe I’ll catch a glimpse of a different side of you, Ruby. Mari: Sounds like our new song needs some more mature choreography. Hanamaru: I’ve gotta build up my stamina so I can keep up with you all, zura! Yoshiko: Zuramaru, you’ve got way more endurance now than when you first started. Consistency is key, as they say. Chika: The special regimen Kanan made must be working. Riko: True. It was all I could do to not collapse when we first started, but now I feel like I’ve got plenty of energy left. You: We’ve all improved our endurance a lot. Actually, during my last diving practice, my body felt as light as a feather! Chika: That’s right! I forgot you were working on a new move, You. I should start coming to watch you again! Hanamaru: The high dive really is, well… high, isn’t it? Maybe you should go scout it out as a location to descend from, Yoshiko? Yoshiko: It’s YOHANE! And this fallen angel prefers to descend where she can show off a bit more. Riko: I’m glad your training regimen is so balanced, Kanan. I can play even the most powerful piano pieces very smoothly now. You: Yeah, your piano playing has gotten a lot more energetic, Riko. You were a beast playing last time! Mari: I guess increasing stamina and endurance can help you improve at all kinds of things! I haven’t been horseback riding in a while, so maybe I’ll go. Ruby: It feels like we’re training our mental focus, too. Like when I see Dia’s practicing the koto. She’s enchanting! Dia: Y-You were watching me?! Ruby: Yeah! I heard the most beautiful music, so I went to listen from close up. But when I saw how focused you were, I didn’t want to interrupt. Dia: You’re so considerate, Ruby. But the more people listening, the more productive my practices are. Next time, please don’t be afraid to call out to me. Ruby: Okay! I will, promise! Hanamaru: Speaking of focus, Ruby, I noticed that you survived all the way to the end last time we played dodgeball in gym class. Yoshiko: Not a single wasted movement, and not a single ball landed. As expected of a little demon with whom I shared the powers of my magic eye. Hanamaru: That too! Yoshiko, I was shocked when you caught the ball, zura. Yoshiko: My magic eye sees through all. Such pitiful throwing technique has no effect on the fallen angel Yohane. You: Seeing our training pay off elsewhere really motivates you to work even harder, doesn’t it? Chika: Is it time for our next live show yet? I wanna get up onstage and put all this energy into dancing! Kanan: Hee, hee. Don’t get ahead of yourself, Chika. Anyways, I’m happy to see my training regimen is paying dividends in multiple ways for you all! Riko: Knowing that all of you are working just as hard gives me the encouragement I need to keep going. You: Same here. Weightlifting’s one of my hobbies, but it’s pretty boring doing it solo. I only look forward to it because doing it as a group makes it fun! Mari: That gives me a great idea! I’ve been feeling like I’m stuck in a rut with my yoga lately. Maybe it’d be more fun if you all joined me! Kanan: That’s right. I forgot you do yoga. Dia: I think training our flexibility is an excellent idea. I’ve thought of doing yoga as well. Hanamaru: I’d love to be even a little bit flexible, zura. Ruby: You spend a lot of time sitting, Hanamaru. I think some stretching would be great for you. Yoshiko: Mu, ha, ha. This may just lead me to discover a new fallen angel’s pose. Riko: Falling from grace in a yoga pose would definitely be something new. Chika: New is good! *Giggle* Yoshiko doing a yoga fallen angel descent is something I’ve gotta see! Mari: Then we’ll mix in some sequences that include some stylish poses! Yoshiko: I-I’m not that flexible yet, so don’t make it too hard. Hanamaru: It’ll be good experience, zura! Ruby: Let’s both do our best, Yoshiko! Chika: Huh? What’re you grinning about, You? You: I dunno. I can’t help but smile when we start talking about exercising, or moving, or just practice in general. Riko: We’ve only really talked about it when rehearsing dances and formations until now, but it is pretty interesting. Kanan: Looks like you’ve all mastered the level one workout. Time for me to get to work on level two! Mari: knowing you, I’ll bet you’ve already got everything planned out down to the last rep. Kanan: Well, I did, but now I think we could make something better if we all contributed ideas. Yoshiko: If we all put our heads together, I think we could come up with a training regimen that would hit every last millimeter of our bodies. Hanamaru: Yoshiko’s being serious, zura?! Yoshiko: I need these skills in order to blend in amongst humans while I prepare for my war against heaven. Ruby: After we make up our new training plan, we’ll all be able to move our bodies any way we want. This is so exciting! Chika: All right, let’s start brainstorming! Kanan: I say we start with that jog. Let’s say down to the shore and back? Let’s go, everyone! Mari: Yeah! Time to get the blood pumping! Let’s go! Dia: Kanan! Mari! You forgot your bags!

Story 2

Hanamaru: Mmm. Nothing beats a cold, sweet treat! Ruby: I know, I love ice cream after practice. It feels so nice to have something cold and sugary coating your mouth! Yoshiko: My ebony veil has bested the sun, and now, I can enjoy this feast in the darkness. Riko: Yoshiko, it’s dark because it’s fall. Kanan: I love the warmth of summer and all, but feeling this nice cool breeze on my face is really something special. You: Autumn’s short here, so days like this where we can be out in the wind and actually enjoy it are few and far between. Dia: I wish we could have weather like this for a little bit longer. Winter’s just around the corner. Mari: Ahh, how I love the changing of the seasons! We need to make sure we enjoy fall to the fullest! Chika: Hey, Mari! Is that sweet potato-flavored ice cream? That looks so yummy! I knew I should’ve picked one of the limited-time flavors. Hanamaru: I got chestnut! It feels like the flavors of fall with just a hint of the last bit of summer. It tastes so refined, zura! Dia: I went with green tea and mochi. They expertly hid brown sugar syrup and soy flour inside, and it was so delicious! Ruby: That looks yummy, Dia. Can I have a spoonful? I’ll share some of my sweet potato flavor with you. Dia: Of course you may! Here you are. *Giggle* I see you like it! Chika: Mmm. That hit the spot! Maybe next time I’ll get mikan orange flavor. Riko: You’re a mikan orange fanatic, Chika! As for me, I’ll probably go with one of the limited-time flavors next time. Hanamaru: It’s hard to pass on the grape and pear flavors, zura. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to sample them all before it gets too cold. Mari: Having ice cream inside during the winter is okay, but it’s nowhere near as great as eating it outside after a hard practice session! You: Next time we should all get different flavors, and share with one another. Then we could all taste everything in one shot. Chika: You, you’re a genius! I’m officially endorsing that plan! Now I’ll get to taste all kinds of flavors tomorrow! Riko: Don’t go overboard on the sweets, Chika. Yoshiko: Shing! I sense a bus! Ruby: Ah! There it goes. Hanamaru: Well, we missed it, zura. Guess we’ll have some free time until the next one comes, zura. Chika: I guess another round of ice cream isn’t on the table, is it? Heh, heh. Dia: Everything in moderation, Chika. I think we should effectively use this extra time we’ve been given. You: Running down to the beach would be fun, but we don’t wanna set such a high hurdle that we don’t leave ourselves a cushion, time-wise. Kanan: Why don’t we all have our group discussion now? Dia: What do you mean, Kanan? Kanan: Well, we’re all together, and we’ve got plenty of time till the next bus comes. I say we get to work making a new training regimen together, like we said! Mari: Nice idea! Let’s give everyone a chance to pitch her ideas for the new plan. Chika: I was thinking we could try to teach whatever our own specialty is. It’d be fun! Riko: My specialty… Hmm. Nothing comes to mind, but it does sound like a fun topic! You: I wanna test how much we can do right now, before we start a new training program. Dia: That would be extremely useful into for determining the difficulty level of our practices. Hanamaru: I’m not very athletic, so I dunno about this. Ruby: You’ll be okay, Hanamaru! You always give it your best shot! Mari: It’s not like a phys ed test. Keep in mind that this is much more casual! Kanan: Yeah, everyone should think of it like just another Aqours practice. We’ll test our physical prowess, and have fun doing it! Chika: I know! Let’s make it like an Aqours-only field day! You: F-Field day?! Chika: Yeah! We’ll set up in the school courtyard and really let loose! If we’re doing games, like at field day, then everyone will have fun, right? Hanamaru: Oh! In that case, there are probably a bunch of events I’ll be good at. Yoshiko: Zuramaru, I bet you’re an expert at the bread-eating part of the relay race. Hanamaru: How’d you know, zura? Oh, I like the ride where you have to carry a table tennis ball on a spoon too, zura. Dia: Well, this is shaping up to be a lot of fun! Mari, can you get us permission to use the courtyard next Sunday? Mari: But of course! I’ll take care of it ASAP! Kanan: So what events should we do? I love coming up with ideas for stuff like this, so I’m already itching to start setting up! You: If we each think of something, we’ll have nine different events. I wanna do an obstacle course! Chika: Yeah, it should be things we’d want to do at a field day. How about a ball-toss, but with someone carrying the basket on their back and running around? Ruby: I want to do a race where you have to eat candy to finish! It’d be even more fun if we mixed up all different sizes. Dia: I think we should have a tug-of-war to test our strength. We’re going to need to include more upper body training in our next program. Riko: the table tennis ball on a spoon race sounds perfect for training balance and posture. It’s a lot harder than it looks! Yoshiko: What about dizzy bat? If you’re not careful, you’ll fall from grace face-first onto the ground. Mu, ha, ha. Kanan: I’d like to do a straight-up sprint, too. If we keep it to a short distance, it might be closer than you think! Mari: A caterpillar race would make it feel like a real field day. Hanamaru: Oh! We should do a cheer-off, too! That’s the perfect event for a school idol group. Ruby: Yeah, I wanna do that, too! I love cheer-offs. They really get you fired up. Chika: We could split up into AZALEA, CYaRon!, and Guilty Kiss. Then we’d have three teams of three. Perfect for a cheer-off. Riko: Then we could show what’s special about each unit. I think that might end up being a highlight! Dia: That settles it, then. We’ll take the ideas we’ve come up with, flesh them out, and hold the first-ever Aqours field day! Together: Yeah!

Story 3

Chika: There! All done! This is how the basket for catching balls should look, right? You: Looks good to me. Let me put it on my back and try carrying it around. One-on-one basket toss matches are gonna be a blast! Riko: And they only last 30 seconds, so both the runner and shooter can go full speed the whole time. It’s going to come down to the last second every time! Ruby: I’m not sure I’ll be able to get away. Hanamaru: If your reflexes are as sharp as when we played dodgeball, you’ll be fine, zura. Dia: Well, now that we’ve finished our basket, let’s do a practice round. Come here and try it on, Ruby. Ruby: Eek! G-Go easy on me, okay Dia? Mari: *Chuckle* Sister versus sister! What a climatic showdown! All right, ladies, let’s go! Ruby: Eeeeeeeeeeek! Yoshiko: S-So fast! This must be my little demon’s true power! Hanamaru: We saw the depths of Ruby’s speed, zura. Kanan: Time’s up, Dia! Dia: *Pant* *Gasp* *Wheeze* Excellent running, Ruby. Ruby: *Pant* Thanks, Dia. I had no idea I could move that fast. *Huff* *Huff* You: The person carrying the basket has to be able to evade the chaser, so you must have incredible reaction time, Ruby. Chika: Yeah, yeah! Now that I think about it, the field day games we came up with are gonna test all kinds of skills. Kanan: Maybe field days just generally end up with a good balance of activities so that everyone in school can enjoy them. Dia: A lot of the events involve counterintuitive movements and challenges with composite elements, which make them quite different from normal sports. Hanamaru: That’s true. Like when I watch an obstacle course race, it’s really fun seeing the standings change when people hit the obstacles, zura. Mari: Some cross country and even horse races include obstacles, too. It’s very interesting. Chika: This field day was a great idea. We’ll get to do all kinds of races and events. It’ll be like a fitness test, without the test part. Riko: It may be like a fitness test, but there are some things no test can measure. *Giggle* And clearly we’re going to see some hidden talents! Yoshiko: The time is nigh for Yohane to reveal the full potential of her dark powers… Hanamaru: Yoshiko, what’s your best event, zura? Yoshiko: The human names would be something akin to dizzy bat, and caterpillar race. You: Oh, speaking of the caterpillar race, I brought a bunch of extra cardboard. Let’s start making the caterpillars! Riko and I already did test pieces. Chika: Aww! You, you drew a ship on yours! It looks really cool. And Riko, I can hear one of your piano melodies just looking at yours. Riko: I was thinking of songs that would go with field day events while I drew it. It looks a bit like sheet music, so maybe you’re right, Chika! Mari: Now I’m really in the field day mood! We all need to make our own caterpillars. Kanan: I’ll probably do something ocean-themed. I could even draw on the inside, so it’d be like rushing towards the goal while chasing fish! Dia: That’s so you, Kanan! I might decorate mine with ribbons that look like traditional field day headbands. Ruby: You too? That’s exactly what I was gonna do! I bet it’ll look extra cute if ours match. Hanamaru: Yoshiko, what’re you drawing with that black magic marker, zura? Yoshiko: Mu, ha, ha. My ebony ark and the accompanying magic sigil. Though it’ll be some time before my dark arts are complete, I have no choice but to act now. Hanamaru: That’s some dedication to your shtick to make a caterpillar that looks exactly like the ones in the mortal world, zura. Yoshiko: Don’t call it a shtick! Besides, against human opponents, I don’t need to invoke my mystical fallen angel powers! You: Looks like we’ve made a lot of progress. I think we should step back a second and make sure we’ve got everything we’ll need. Chika: Let’s see. We’ve got a rope for the tug-of-war, table tennis balls, regular balls, and we’re working on out caterpillar as we speak. Riko: We’ve got bats for dizzy bat, too. Plus balance beans, hurdles, and nets for the obstacle course. Kanan: We’ve got metal trays for the candy-eating race, but we still need flour and the candies themselves. Mari: I’ve already ordered both! I picked out the most delicious candies, too. Hanamaru: Yay! Every treat you pick tastes out of this world. I can’t wait to try them, zura! Chika: What kinda flour did you get, Mari? Wheat flour? Mari: No. I did a lot of research, and it turns out potato starch is the best! Dia: I believe it’s not recommended to eat wheat flour by itself, but potato starch is fine. Chika: I had no idea. *Giggle* I learned a new fun fact! Riko: All that’s left is to get ready for the cheer-off and we’ll be done, right? You: Actually, we’re done! Right, Ruby? Ruby: Yup! We wanted to surprise you all, so we made field day-style outfits for CYaRon!, AZALEA, and Guilty Kiss! Mari: Wow! They’re gorgeous, yet sporty! I’m going to be totally on fire for the cheer-off! Kanan: I love how the skirts are like cheerleader skirts. Just looking at them has me feeling cheery! Dia: That’s my Ruby. Your meticulous attention to detail has produced wonderful results. Chika: I wanna change into mine and start the cheer-off right now! It’d be great if everyone from school could see it too. Riko: About that, Chika. I told everyone about it, and they all want to come see, too. You: Same here. Everyone’s been asking me! I think it’d be way more fun if everyone were there to watch. What do you think? Yoshiko: It’s the perfect opportunity for Yohane to reveal her dark designs to the world at large. Hanamaru: Yoshiko, do you want to stand out or not, zura? I can’t tell anymore. Dia: You make good points. Even though it’s late, if we advertise what we’re doing and people come to see, it’ll be that much more fun. Ruby: Yeah! It’s like how you can push yourself further at live shows with the crowd’s cheers pushing you forward. Being cheered at the cheer-off sounds fun! Chika: It’ll be like that extra gear you can go into when you’re onstage. All right! Let’s make some flyers and start putting them up! You: A fun-filled Aqours field day! I’m already getting all kinds of ideas for illustrations. Kanan: We’ll each make one, and post them up, Any objections, Mari? Mari: Of course not! Let’s strike while the iron’s hot!

Story 4

Chika: Good morning, everyone! Great weather for a field day, isn't it? Kanan: Yup, it’s a beautiful, clear fall day. And that cool breeze feels great! You: Okay! Who’s ready to start making the track? Dia: I borrowed a line marker and powder. We should draw it based on what we’ll use for the obstacle course. Yoshiko: Heh, heh, heh. Allow me to use it to draw the perfect magic circle for Aqours’ field day. Hanamaru: That’s a totally different kinda race, zura. And Yoshiko, what’s in that big bag? More fallen angel stuff? Yoshiko: They’re called artifacts, if you don’t mind. And they’re critical parts of my plan to show off my dark powers to the audience. Riko: You’ve really been looking forward to this, haven’t you Yoshiko? It’s going to be hotter than you think, so don’t overdo it. Kanan: We don’t have that much time before we start, so let’s keep up the pace. Did we decide how we’re gonna draw the track lines? Ruby: Don’t worry! Dia and I drew up a map last night. We just need to check it often while we work, and we should be okay. Mari: Atta girl, Dia! We can always count on you to take care of all the fine details. Riko: I’ll get a tape measure to make a guideline. Chika, can you do the same on the opposite side? Chika: Sure thing! Hee, hee. We’re gonna turn this bare ground into our very own field day course. So cool! Hanamaru: Hmm? Yoshiko, didn’t you make a caterpillar? Why’re you standing up, zura? Yoshiko: Aren’t you forgetting something very important, my dear little demons? Ruby: I don’t think so. We’re all ready, and we’re drawing the track as we speak. Hanamaru: And the other students are showing up to cheer us on, too. Riko: Is this black cardboard supposed to be an entry gate? Yoshiko: You have a keen eye, little demon Lili! Yoshiko: Welcome to the Hell Zone! Chika: Cool! An entry gate! What a nice surprise. Thanks, Yoshiko! You: Look, Yoshiko had a ton of black and white balloons in that big bag. How cute! Riko: I’ll help you decorate. *Giggle* This gate definitely has Yoshiko’s fallen angel style. Ruby: She’s got the field day spirit, too. Dia and I made a banner to cheer us all on, too! You: Oh, wow. I love the high contrast of the blue and white. It screams “Aqours field day!” Mari: Our dream entry gate is complete. Since we’re going this far, why don’t we have an opening ceremony where we all promise to play fair? Kanan: Sounds nice! After all, we’ve got the chairwoman and the student council president participating, so it sounds appropriate to me. Chika: *Giggle* School-wide field days are great, but who knew you could do them with just the members of your club? Kanan: It just started out as an idea, but putting everything together has been a lot of fun. Yoshiko: The gates of Hell opening! Come! Pass through Yohane’s midnight portal, little demons! Hanamaru: The entry gate’s all set up, zura! You: We’re done drawing the track lines, too! Chika: Then it’s time for our field day to begin! Aqours… Together: Sunshine! Chika: Great job for the morning half, everyone! That was a blast! Dia: I’ve got sports drinks for everyone. They’re a gift from our audience. Yoshiko: An offering for eh fallen angel Yohane? What considerate little demons. Hanamaru: *Glug* *Glug* *Glug* Whew! Nothing like a tasty cold drink, zura! Ruby: I worked up such a sweat, I might drink mine in one gulp. Yummy, isn’t it Hanamaru? You: Well, we just did a round robin with the nine of us. The competition was white-hot in every category, too. I loved every second. Kanan: And the results were totally different every time. It’s been really interesting to see. You all are doing awesome out there. Riko: The sound of everyone cheering motivated me to move faster than I thought I could. Mari: It was on such short notice, too. I’m so glad they all came out to support us and are having fun, too! Dia: Well, we’re done with the track events. I recorded everything, so we can rewatch and analyze our performance later. Ruby: You’re taking this seriously, aren’t you, Dia? It’s really amazing that you’re even using a field day to measure your fitness. Kanan: We’ve learned a lot about everyone’s strengths. It’ll be useful into for broadening our dance repertoire. Mari: *Chuckle* Already thinking of new formations, Kanan? Riko: That means we can vary our practices more, too. I can’t wait to see what you come up with. Hanamaru: Whew. Now that I’ve calmed down, I’m starting to get hungry, zura! Chika: Sounds like we should break for lunch, then. Who wants to trade snacks? You: Me! I brought grapes for dessert, but we cal all share them. Ruby: Eek! Yoshiko, why’s your food completely black?! Hanamaru: Must be a new fallen angel recipe, zura. Yoshiko: Good eye, little demon Zuramaru! Taste the infinite bliss of Yohane’s ebony lunchbox special! Hanamaru: *Chew* *Chew* Whoa, this is… seaweed-wrapped friend chicken, zura! Riko: Yoshiko, your fallen angel cooking is really leveling up lately. Dia: Ruby, I packed a layered lunch for us to share. Ruby: Yay! You always make lunches with my favorites, so I look forward to them every time. Thank you, Dia! Chika: All these lunches look so professional. Riko, yours looks totally stylish! Riko: I made rolled-up sandwiches so I could share with everyone easily. Hanamaru: I packed rice-stuffed fried tofu, zura! You: There’s something special about field day lunches. Mari: I prepared mine like hors d’oeuvres so everyone could have some. Please, help yourselves! Kanan: If it tastes as good as it looks, I’ll be back for seconds. Thanks! Chika: *Giggle* Riko, these sandwiches are great. Eating lunch together is the best! Dia: We all need to eat up so that we’ve got energy for the afternoon half! Ruby: Next is the CYaRon! vs. AZALEA vs. Guilty Kiss cheer-off! I’m gonna do my Rubesty! Hanamaru: All that exercise got rid of the butterflies in your stomach, zura. Right, Ruby? Kanan: Maybe getting up and moving your body brings the adrenaline to a more appropriate level. Mari: We all learned a lot from doing this field day. A bountiful fall harvest of new knowledge. Or something like that! Chika: Maybe we’ve all got hidden skills even we ourselves haven’t noticed. The field’s our stage today, so let’s get out there and perform at our best! Together: Yeah!