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Excurs
ion Form
Going somewhere?
Yes. I have important plans over the break.
You're going out, too, Hana? That's unusual.
Well, yes.
Will you come as far as the station with me, then?
I've already arranged for a car.
In that case, I think I'll take you up on that.
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Aya-san, will you be going home over the break?
Well, I'm going to Tokyo for a bit.
Really? That sounds lovely. What part of Tokyo are you visiting?
O-Oh, uh, nowhere special. Just near my hotel.
Oh, so like one of the big theme parks?
No, nowhere like that, I don't think.
I'm going to something with Mio and our friends.
With the White Lily?
My, h-h-h-h-how delightful!
Talk about dashing in aggressively.
And I'm going with Mio and our friends.
It's not just us. It's a whole group.
I understand.
I assure you, I really get it.
Get what?
Oh, but, uh, I hope you'll have stories to tell me when you get back.
I'll just buy you a souvenir like a normal person.
Like Tokyo Bananas or Hiyokos.
Hiyokos got their start in Hakata.
Why'd you say that in Hakata dialect?
Anyway, I'll get you whatever looks good.
You don't need to worry about getting me anything.
Your wonderful memories are the best souvenir I could hope for.
R-Right.
Here you go.
Uh, thanks?
Travel Guide
EVO Japan is only a week away.
And you made this just for that?
Is it me, or is she getting too into this?
It's all sightseeing spots.
Uh, and what about EVO Japan?
Feel free to look that up yourselves.
Uh, right.
Accommodation
The Inui House
We can stay over?
Yup. My relatives in Tokyo will put us up for a few days.
That means we can stay for the grand finals if we make it that far.
S-Sure. You're mighty confident.
The SF6 grand final is on the last day. When should we book our flight back for?
I mean, we can always just hang out in Tokyo after we lose.
Except I'm going to win! I'll be in the grand final on the last day!
U-Uh, I'd appreciate the cheapest flight you can find.
All right. I'll keep that in mind when looking.
Great. That takes care of rides and beds. Next let's pick out some good places to eat.
I'm a total novice when it comes to that. Mind if I let you choose?
Okey dokey.
That's grub, rides, and beds out of the way. What's left?
Oh, excursion forms.
Don't forget to submit yours. With a parent's signature, remember.
Right.
Don't tell me...
No, I do have mine!
I did fill it out! I just forgot it!
Spoken like someone who didn't do her homework.
Mio, tell the truth. We won't get angry.
Spoken like someone who'll definitely get angry.
How am I supposed to tell my mama I'm going to Tokyo for a game tournament?
She snapped.
When she's at fault.
Does she really need to be that blunt about it?
Very well.
How about this, then?
Name
Yorue
Guardian
Mio-san, you aren't...
Forging a signature on paperwork?
Forget breaking the rules. That's breaking the law.
It won't be a problem if I don't get caught.
Well, it's no skin off our noses.
But we are going rather far,
so the school may call her if something comes up.
A vacation. This is just a vacation. A vacation with friends.
Stick to that story and don't say a word about video games.
That way, it won't be a problem.
It's risky,
but you'll get no return if you don't go in with a crouching medium kick.
Aya-san.
Aya-san!
Aya-san.
Please talk to my mama.
She'll never believe it coming from me.
I can't believe it.
Mio-chan finally brought home friends.
Oh, have a seat.
Oh, where are my manners? This is a first, and I'm just so happy.
Thank you so much for being good friends to Mio-chan.
Oh, that's all right.
She's so pretty.
There's no way this lady would say, "Defeat me here and now."
So what brings you here today?
We're planning a trip to Tokyo over the coming break.
We were hoping you'd sign Mio's excursion form.
Mio-chan? Go to Tokyo?
Yes. To see the sights.
My Mio-chan, who only cares about video games?
Won't she be a burden? In fact, I'm sure she will be.
Video games are all she cares about,
so she'll be up to her eyeballs in them the minute she's left unsupervised.
Please don't worry.
As dorm monitors, we will oversee the trip responsibly.
You're dorm monitors?
Travel Guide
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Travel Guide
If you'd like to see our itinerary.
This really is a normal vacation.
Oh, Omotesando! I'd love to go there, too.
I want to try those pancakes.
Y-You know, Mama...
I studied hard because I was looking forward to this trip with everyone.
Kuromi Girls Academy 1st year Math 1 Semester 1 Midterm Examination
So I'd really like to go to Tokyo.
With my friends.
I see. You've found something that matters to you, aside from video games.
You've found something you enjoy enough to make yourself study hard.
Aside from video games.
Of course you have. You've finally made friends.
Of course you want to go play with them.
Without video games.
Just to be absolutely clear...
This has nothing to do with gaming, does it?
All right. You girls have fun.
Please keep an eye on Mio-chan for me.
Now there's nothing to stop us.
We're going to Tokyo.
Yeah!
The airport's huge and packed with people.
That's Tokyo for you.
Th-This is Tokyo.
I didn't think it would be so normal. I guess it has it all, even countryside.
Nagasaki feels more like a city, don't you think?
I wouldn't go that far.
Well, we are out in Narita.
This isn't Tokyo?
It's Chiba.
Okay, so Tokyo's about an hour by train from here.
And we'll hail a ride from Tokyo Station.
Shall we get going, then?
Um...
Tamateya, it's this way.
I've seen that on TV.
It's looking much more like Tokyo now, isn't it?
We still have some time. Let's stop by somewhere. Come on.
Mio-san, are you still not on speaking terms with Yu-san?
Can you blame me?
She committed the heinous crime
of registering me for EVO Japan with the cringe-as-hell name "White Lily."
I said I was sorry, White Lily.
Don't call me that!
You've got it all wrong. I wasn't trying to prank you or anything.
Senpai, are you all right? You look a little tired.
I've had a lot of odd jobs to do since our exams.
A double life of monitor duties and locals takes it out of you.
One more game.
She's down to the magic pixel.
Why don't we call it a night?
You won't run it back?
I'm fine. Don't mind me.
We all want to win at the tournament.
Sweet!
That reminds me. Just to be sure, you did all enter EVO Japan, right?
Yeah.
I haven't yet!
I planned to, but then, uh, all that stuff with my mama happened, and...
Aya-san, no fair.
I'm playing like it's the world championship.
You seem to have your hands full.
I'm about to enter myself, so why don't I enter you, too?
I-I'd appreciate it.
Okay.
But, uh, I guess I was pretty sleepy myself,
because I typed "White Lily" into the player name box without thinking.
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I was right there! You should've just asked for my player name!
Is that mouth of yours just an extra hole for air?!
You've got me there.
By the way, what names did the two of you enter under?
I'm "Inuyu."
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"Dog bath"?
Inu Yu
Oh, "Inuyu" because your name is Yu Inui?
Yup.
I entered as "Ayaman."
It was my nickname in junior high.
What about you, Senpai?
What's yours, Tamateya?
I didn't really have a player name, so I registered as "Teya-senpai."
Yeah?
"Teya-senpai"? I bet commentators will have trouble saying that.
Th-That doesn't matter.
I like it.
Let's go! It's our first night in Tokyo, the city that never sleeps!
I finally have my stick in my hand.
Okay. Let's do this.
Hey, did you see Fighting Game Checker?
What's that?
A site with a lot of info on it.
Yeah?
They write articles about famous players and top contenders and stuff.
What do they say about me?
Why do you think they'd cover you?
Uh, would you stop looming over us? It's distracting.
What happened to sightseeing? Tokyo Tower?
We came all the way to Tokyo!
I know we're here to compete, but I want us to go sightseeing, too!
We will. Just after EVO.
I'm going to win, so I won't have time.
Let me play, too.
She was really in your head that time, huh?
Still, I should compliment Mio on her perfect yomi in that situation.
I thought I'd picked the least likely option.
How'd you see it coming, White Lily?
Well, you see...
I'd like to know, too.
Do you have a secret?
I didn't do anything special.
I had a bad feeling, and it came true.
What are you, a Newtype?
Perhaps it's a matter of sense? Or talent?
There are sort of tricks to making good reads, though.
Oh! Tell me more!
It sounds obvious, but you need to watch what your opponent does.
For example, watching Mio play, you'll notice this.
When space opens up between her and her opponent,
she tends to edge forward till she's right in their face and then block.
Now that you mention it...
Basically, she gets in, then does nothing.
Well, she blocks, but that's it.
It lets her see what move or tactic her opponent will use.
By doing that over and over, she builds up data to help her make reads.
I see.
So since remembering your opponents' choices is obviously important,
she goes out of her way to create more chances to study them?
I get so overwhelmed, I don't even remember what I've done half the time.
I suppose I'll have to start working on that.
Of course, there's an even more important trick to making good reads.
Hey, don't hold out on us, White Lily.
Don't call me that.
Wh-What's your secret?
Push the buttons with feeling.
Push the buttons...
...with feeling?
What exactly does that mean?
Hitting your buttons with feeling makes your moves hit harder.
Yeah, nope.
I'm sorry. I don't really care for superstitions.
It's not a superstition.
Forget it and hit rematch already.
Okay. I'll hit it with feeling.
Stop that.
Wow. I bet that packs a punch.
We're not playing the original Street Fighter here.
You're gonna wreck your buttons.
These babies can take it.
Push the buttons with feeling?
I lost.
Nice try.
The tournament starts tomorrow.
Nothing I do to prepare seems to make me any less nervous.
What's wrong with that?
Feeling nervous just proves you're taking it seriously. Not that I'd know.
I wonder if I can play as seriously as I should.
You're too serious, if anything.
I mean, you're a high school girl in the bloom of youth
who came all the way from Nagasaki to Tokyo for a fighting game tournament.
You're not even enjoying Tokyo now you're here.
You're holed up in a room gaming forever, same as usual.
Can you get more serious?
You have a point. I suppose we're all fairly hardcore.
"All"? Yeah, I guess we all are.
Still...
No matter how hard I try, I can't seem to catch up.
Figures. Of course you wanna get to where they are.
Do you get feelings like that, too?
Nope. Not at all.
But I still kind of get how you feel.
I've watched you for a while now.
And it always seemed like you were really pushing yourself.
But I think you probably weren't working hard so much as you were on edge.
Or maybe forcing yourself.
Or putting on an act.
So I was kind of scared of you at first, Tamaki-san.
I was always shocked at how slapdash you were about everything, Inui-san.
Let's have all the fun we can tomorrow, Tamateya.
Yes, let's, Yu-san.
This is kind of embarrassing, huh?
All right! Let's do this thing!
Ah, I can't stand it!
What'd I tell you? Think about when to charge it.
I just want to be sparking all the time.
Okay! I'm up next!
Kobushi Gaming Team
Pro Gamer
(Rage)
What's going on right now?
So today...
Gekido-san has decided he's not sleeping till he wins 100 ranked matches straight.
Cecil, I was just playing ranked while we shot the shit,
and I happened to win 99 matches straight.
Kobushi Gaming Team
Pro Gamer
Cecil
Sorry, Gekido-san.
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Here it comes.
Well, what do you know?
I'd call it 50-50 whether I get that 100th win.
What?
You're giving yourself even odds?
Nice to meet you
"Alice_Alice_A"? Not a name I know.
An obnoxious Guile main who's been all over ranked lately.
Really? Maybe it's somebody's alt.
So I lost, huh?
The hell is that Guile?
We may get to see for ourselves.
Huh?
At EVO Japan.
Sounds like fun.
Arisa-chan? Let's go eat.
Okay! I'll be right there.
Translation: William Varteresian Timing: Edgar Cruz Editing: SMR Quality Check: Geoff Mazzolini Translation Check: David Saylor
All of you out there watching this, I'll k*** every last one of you dead, too!
Illustration: Dai@nani