Episode 4: When Hurdles are Overcome
The day before the special course, Aoi was giving her final practice presentation to Yuuki and the others.
Aoi
... T-Thank you for listening.
Yuni
Hmm. I see no problems with the presentation. The delivery was slightly awkward, but all you need to fix that is a little confidence.
Chloe
Yeah, it was good. Nice job.
Yuuki
1. Applaud.
Aoi
T-T-This is all thanks to you guys! T-Tank you!
Chelle
Congrats, Aoi!
Aoi
Eek!
Chelle
Aw, why'd you run! I was just gonna hug you and give you some head pats! A little skinship between girls is important, you know?
Aoi
Eeek!
Chloe
Hey. Why are you hiding behind me?
Chelle
Boo, Chloe! Give Aoi back to me!
Yuni
Hm, it's not as though she belongs to you. Indeed, don't you realize what it is about you that elicits such reactions? I can understand Aoi's feelings.
Chelle
Eh, what are you talking about?
Chloe
Yeah, I get it, too. How to put it -- your brightness can be imposing.
Chelle
What!? Of course, I know about my dazzling radiance! I've heard myself compared to gold or silver stones, but still!
Chelle
Still, it's not that bad, right? You're cool with me, right, Aoi?
Aoi
Eeeek!
Chelle
For real... for real?
Yuni
Heh, you won't get anywhere by trying to pushing loners like us around. It's just like romance. If the push doesn't work, then try the pull.
Chelle
Yuni, since when did you know anything about romance?
Yuni
Guh...!!
Chloe
Chelle. That counterattack was too strong. You brought her to her knees.
Aoi
I... It's not like that.
Aoi
Hearing you call me cute, and seeing you approach me so sociably... It was just a surprise to me.
Chelle
Aoi...! Then, it'll be all right if I take it more slowly, right? Slowly, slowly...
Aoi
Eeeek!
Chelle
A shocking defeat. I was supposed to be able to befriend anyone in seconds...
Yuuki
1. "You should do some training."
2. "Chelluun."
Option 1.
Aoi
Eh, t-training? There's training to become like Chelle...?
Chelle
What? Training!? People need training to talk to me!?
Option 2.
Aoi
Eh, what, what was that!?
Chelle
Chelluun! You get it, Yuuki. Let me give you some fanservice as a reward -- I'll blow you a kiss!
End of options.
Aoi
I see... If I can become more like Chelle, then I'll be able to give the special course with confidence!
Chelle
Why are you talking like becoming like me is some kind of ordeal?
Yuni
I can understand the reasoning, though. If she can reach the point of talking comfortably with as extroverted a person as you, Chelle, then it should boost her own confidence as well. The hurdle is quite high, however.
Chloe
Sounds good, right? No objections here. It's a tall hurdle, though.
Aoi
I-I understand! I'll get to the point of being able to speak with Chelle! However high the hurdle may be...!
Chelle
Hey, wait, wait, before you keep going on your own, could you not make it sound like I'm the most difficult person in the world to get along with? I'm not a tall hurdle at all!
Chelle
... I'm not, right?
Then, the day of the special course...
Chloe
Whoa. There's a lot of people here. Can we leave?
Yuni
Wait, Chloe. Don't you want to witness the results of Aoi's hard work?
Chloe
Yeah, yeah, I know. I was just joking.
Chelle
Were you really? But anyway, Aoi... No matter how many times we practiced, she wasn't able to get to the point of talking to me in the end...
Chloe
Guess you've realized how high the hurdle was.
Yuni
... She's quite late. If she doesn't get here soon, she won't have time to prepare, will she?
Chloe
Yeah. The prints we prepared for her haven't even been handed out yet.
Yuni
... I wonder.
Chloe
... It couldn't be.
Chelle
... Maybe.
Chelle & Yuni & Chloe
She ran away, didn't she?
Chloe
What do we do?
Yuni
Hmm... I should have marked her with tracking magic beforehand. Well, it's too late for that now. For now, Chloe, we should go search...
Chelle
I'll go search for her. Could you two start preparing for the course?
Chloe
You're going to be the one searching?
Yuni
Is that really for the best?
Yuuki
1. "I trust Chelle."
Chelle
Yuuki, thanks a chell. Then, I'll be back in a chelly!
Chloe
... That's not gonna catch on.
Yuni
Hmm... Then, let us begin preparations for the course.
Chloe
Got it...
Later.
Aoi
... W-What do I do?
Aoi
The classroom was so full of people, and they all looked my way when I was about to go in...
Aoi
I ran off without thinking...
Aoi
Yuuki, Yuni, Chloe, Chelle... I'm sorry for doing this to you...
Aoi
I know that, no matter how much I apologize... You won't forgive me.
Chelle
Chelluun!
Aoi
Aaahhh!?
Chelle
Hey, Aoi! So you were here after all, in the same classroom as before!
Aoi
Chelle...!
Aoi
I-I'm sorry! Y-You spent so much time helping me, but I...!
Chelle
Yeah, it was sure surprising. I was wondering to myself, after that much practice, could she have really run away from the real thing?
Aoi
O-Ooh!
Chelle
You've got some real guts. It's something that even I couldn't pull off. Major respect. Seriously, I'm not even being sarcastic.
Aoi
... Huh?
Chelle
Listen. I think you've got a ton of courage, Aoi. Just, wouldn't you be better off showing it in the opposite way?
Chelle
The thing is, one way or the other, courage is still courage. It takes courage to run away, too.
Aoi
I have courage...?
Chelle
Yeah. And I think it'd be worth a try to redirect yourself a little.
Chelle
You remember, right? You remember all the things you did to prepare for today.
Aoi
......
Aoi
For today... I worked really hard. I had Chloe behind me to spur me on, I had Yuni helping me prepare the presentation materials, and...
Aoi
... Now, I have you, Chelle. To give me... confidence.
Chelle
Aw, you're gonna make me blush with that! I'm glad you liked what I said just now. Chelluun!
Aoi
Ch-Chelluun!
Chelle
Ooh. You did it! As brave as Chloe is, she'd never be able to use that greeting -- so the fact that you did means you don't have anything else to fear.
Aoi
Y-Yes...! I'll go back to the classroom at once...!
Aoi
Thank you! Chelle...!
Later.
Aoi
... T-That's the end of my presentashun! T-Thank you for listening!
Yuni
I was worried about how things would turn out, but this has exceeded my wildest expectations.
Chloe
Yeah, it was perfect.
Yuuki
1. "Thanks, Chelle."
Chelle
Heh heh! Feel free to thank me even more, Yuuki.
Aoi
W-Whoa!?
Female Student 1
Aoi! Could you tell me more about those forest animals you mentioned during the class?
Female Student 2
Are there other uses for the reagent you showed us earlier?
Aoi
E-Eek...!
Chloe
Ah, guess her brain is already fried... She's one step from blowing. We only ever practiced up until the end of the presentation -- isn't this trouble?
Yuni
Indeed. We did not consider that she might be inundated with questions after the course. Hm, perhaps we should step in to help.
Chelle
Hmm, I wonder. I think she'll probably be okay.
Chelle
Why don't we watch for just a little longer?
Aoi
(I need to change the way I show my bravery...!)
Aoi
U-Um...! About the animals living in the forest...
Aoi
A-And, um... You can use the powder from earlier for hunting -- if you dip your arrowhead in it, it creates an explosive...
Chelle
See?
Aoi made it through the special course without any problems. All the while, the BFFs Club looked on happily.
Female Teacher
Pardon me. Aoi, there is one more thing I'd like to ask of you.
Aoi
Y-Yes?
Female Teacher
Are there flora in the Elven Forest that are capable of becoming gigantic?
Aoi
Huh? Yes, there are...
Female Teacher
... Then, my eyes were not deceiving me... There was a massive plant, in the shape of a giant root...
Aoi
Huh!?
Aoi
Could that have been... the mandragora...?