haranami | Spy THE Mission

Location: Seisou Hall Common Room

Madara: Ooooi, Eichi-san! Kuro-san! Is our game of tag over already?

At this rate, my big, grand scheme is gonna go to waste!

I stole your friend’s precious D, so I thought you’d come at me more fiercely…

Maybe I should’ve gone all out and taken the guy himself hostage! That’d probably light a fire under you, huh?

Kuro: …Tch. Look at him, actin’ like he hasn’t even broken a sweat. If he keeps sprintin’ around nonstop in the gardens and the rooms like this, we won’t stand a chance.

Eichi: It appears that our opponent is quite the formidable one.

I expected that you’d be able to put up a good fight, but Mikejima-kun is the captain of the track-and-field team. It’d be impossible for us to win against him in a game of tag.

All we can do is try to use our knowledge and numbers against him.

It’s me, you, and Keito, who’s watching over us from above. If we put our heads together, we’d be a match for even Manjushri. [1]

Kuro: Oi, don’t kill Hasumi off like that.

Eichi: It’s quite alright; I can make death jokes if — and only if — they involve Keito.

Besides, I was on the brink of death myself just a short while ago… ♪

Kuro: There you go again, callin’ ‘em “death jokes.”

Well, whatever. We aren’t gonna get anywhere just standin’ around and shootin’ the breeze like this. Hurry up and tell me what you’re thinkin’, would ya? You’ve gotta have some kinda clever idea, right?

Eichi: But of course. That being said, my plan isn't fully fleshed out, and even I have to admit that it’s rather trite.

You’re very agile, so I’d like you to chase after Mikejima-kun, leading him towards the place where I’ll be waiting in ambush. There, we’ll perform a pincer attack.

Kuro: Gotcha. A pincer attack, huh?

Luckily for us, Mikejima’s gotten real far away — it’s the perfect time to split up. I’ll lead him to the ambush site and grill him good.

Eichi: Wonderful. First things first, we have to decide where to guide him…

Location: Seisou Hall 2nd Floor Passage

Madara: Hmmm? Looks like I’ve lost sight of ‘em again.

If the people who’re “it” don’t put in more effort, the person running away’s gonna get reaaaal bored! What a pickle, what a pickle!

But I’ve been preeeetty curious… about what this D or whatever is actually about.

Maybe I should take a quick peek? I’m pretty sure Anzu-san’s a fan too, so I might be able to gain some new insight.

Alrighty, then… Oho?

Kuro: Finally found ya, Mikejima.

Madara: Ooh. You came in the nick of time, Kuro-san! I was about to read each and every page of this D!

Looks like you came alone — is Eichi-san resting ‘cause he got all tuckered out from running around?

Is he okaaay? I’d be a tiiiny bit worried if he had to get hospitalized again.

Kuro: Then you can rest easy. He’s just takin’ a lil’ break so he can cook up our next plan of action.

He told us to go play tag by ourselves for a while to kill time.

Madara: Hoho, that’s good to hear!

Alright, then — show me what you’re made of! I wonder if you’ve got what it takes to catch me, Kuro-saaan?

Kuro: I let my guard down earlier, but you’re not gettin’ away this time.

Come at me! If you think you can get away, you’d better put your money where your mouth is!

Madara: Ooh! How scaaaary!

(Here I go! There’ll be a flight of stairs around this corner here. Once Kuro-san’s in the blindspot, I’ll get away with a sprint.)

Kuro: (...That’s probably what he’s thinkin’, but he’s fallin’ right into our trap.)

(He’s not gonna run straight; he’ll take the stairs, and that’ll put some distance between us. But Tenshouin’s waitin’ right behind that corner. He’s gonna snatch the D away the moment Mikejima arrives.)

Madara: (I’ll slow down a lil’ at this turn — mmgh?)

Eichi: Take that!

Madara: Nuoh. Were you here the whole time, Eichi-san!?

Uh oh! Looks like you managed to grab onto the corners of the D.

That’s not good enough, though!

Eichi: (It’s futile. At this rate, Keito’s D is going to tear; I have no choice but to let go.)

Madara: Fufu. Woooonderful! Seems like you’ve given up!

Eichi: What a shame — we were so close to victory. In terms of physical strength, it truly is impossible for me to win against you.

However, I shan’t allow myself to quietly give up and let you have the D. No, this is far from over.

Madara: That so? I hope you know the same trick won’t work on me twice. Do you have any other ideas, I wonder?

Eichi: Fufu, I certainly wouldn’t tell you if I did. I'd hardly be worthy of the name Tenshouin Eichi if I didn’t have some sort of trick up my sleeve, though; I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a backup plan or two.

Madara: Ooh, lemme give you a rooound of applause! You just wouldn’t be Eichi-san if you didn’t, huh ♪

I hope you show me your next plan sometime soon.

…Oh?

Kuro: I won’t let cha forget about me, Mikejima!

Madara: Woah, you almost slipped my mind! Good job sneaking up on me, Kuro-san!

Did you plan on catching me while I was chatting with Eichi-san? Sucks to be you, though — I’m taking my leave here!

Whoopsy daisy… ♪

Kuro: He threw the D down the stairs?!

Eichi: That isn’t all, Kiryuu-kun. Mikejima-kun threw himself down the stairs as well.

Kuro: He’s freakin’ insane. He jumped over the railing all the way down to the first floor, and now he’s gone.

Dammit. I feel like I’m playin’ against a little kid. He’s slippery as an eel, dodgin’ us like that.

Anyways, what’re we gonna do next? You said you’ve got a couple of backup plans, right? D’you think any of ‘em can help us get back the D?

Eichi: “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have a backup plan or two,” huh.

That was quite the outrageous bluff, if I do say so myself. I have nothing of the sort prepared, you see.

Kuro: Haaah? The hell? Do you really not have any other ideas?

Eichi: There’s no need to fret; I have confidence in my abilities to plot and scheme. It should be easier for me to come up with more ideas now that I have a blank canvas in front of me.

Let me ask you something before I start pondering our strategy, though... Did you notice something odd about the D?

Kuro: Somethin’ odd?

Eichi: Yes. I felt as though something wasn’t quite right when I glanced at it earlier. I wonder why that is?

Kuro: That doesn’t really help… It doesn’t matter whether or not somethin’ was off about it — we’ve gotta do somethin’ about Mikejima.

I ain’t really jumpin’ for joy at the thought of this, but I’ll follow whatever plan you come up with.

Eichi: You’re a great help, Kiryuu-kun.

…Ah.

Perhaps I can use the strange feeling I had earlier as the basis for my next plan.

Kuro: …You sure 'bout that?

Eichi: Yup. It’s an all-or-nothing sort of gamble, but I’d like you to assist me.

The second phase of the D Recovery Plan begins… Now.

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Translation notes:

1. Manjushri is a bodhisattva that is known to be the embodiment of transcendent wisdom.

Spy THE Mission - Chapter 4