Sumeru Hype

Episode 1-1

Leona: Life just ain’t fair… Can't believe I got stuck going on this useless trip to this good-for-nothing city.

Vil: Excuse you? You’re the one who invited us here, you know. You’re ruining the nice scenery, so could you maybe try not complaining for like five seconds?

Kalim: This place is totally awesome! The scenery's beautiful everywhere you look, and the city’s absolutely huge. I’m so glad we got to come hang out in Leona’s hometown.

Leona: Oi. Lemme tell you this one more time: we ain’t here for fun and games. Our goal is to…

Lilia: You needn’t be so concerned, Leona. We all understand what we’re here for. No matter who we go up against, they’ll be no match for us. We’ll win this thing lickety-split!

Leona: …..Fine. Long as you get it. Ya’ll better not mess this up, you hear? You guys gotta be the ones who win the title of “Sunset Warrior”.

(A phone rings)

Leona: …Augh. Would ya shut up already? Who the heck would call me this early.… It’s…!! Tsch. If I don’t answer him now, it’ll just come back to bite me in the butt later.

(Leona accepts the call)

Leona: What’s up? Got a morning report for me or something? Huh. A reminder call? That’s new. Guess I shouldn’t expect anythin’ less from the grand chamberlain of the royal family. You sure are somethin’. Listen, you can save your breath. You called just to tell me to come home in time for Tamashina-Mina, right? I get it, it totally slipped my mind last year. Hah, it might just slip my mind this year, too. ….What? You’re comin’ here to get me? At Night Raven College? And you're bringin' all the chamberlains!? I didn’t know you’d take this so seriously… Fine, fine, I get it. I’ll come home the day before the festival.  …Yes, I mean it. Have I ever lied to ya? ….Oh, quit with the blabbering. It was just a joke. But I got one condition for me coming home. You have to make sure to leave a slot free for one team in the “Catch the Tail” tournament.  ….Why? Doesn’t matter. Stop complainin’ and just do it.

(Leona hangs up the phone)

Leona: Give me a break… The hell is he so obsessed with some stupid old event for? What a hard-headed geezer. Ah, now that I think about it, this is a good chance to take care of that little problem I got. ‘Kay, then I’ll need to go assemble the right pieces to win this game.

(After school - Savannah Claw Dorm Lounge)

Everyone: ….

Leona: So ya made it after all, Lilia and Vil. Nice work, Jack.

Jack: No problem!

Vil: And just why have you gathered us here?

Leona: There’s somethin’ I wanna discuss with ya’ll.

Lilia: If it’s really that important, wouldn’t it have made more sense for you to come to us, instead?

Vil: Goodness. If Jack hadn’t come to fetch us, I would have kept on ignoring your summons.

Grim: What he said!

Yuu: G-Good afternoon…

Leona: …Hold it. Why’re Grim and Yuu here?

Jack: I ran into them when I went to get Vil Senpai and Lilia Senpai, and they tagged along on their own.

Grim: Anywhere there’s lots of people gathered together, there’s bound to be lots of tasty food!

Jack: First time I ever heard that.

Leona: You two are just gonna get in the way. Buzz off already.

Vil: Forget them and hurry up and tell us what’s going on, Leona. We’ll go ahead and leave if you don’t start talking.

Leona: Alright, alright. Sounds like you just can’t wait to hear this, huh. Well, it ain’t nothin’ bad or anything. I’d just like to humbly invite my dear school friends to come visit my homeland with me, is all.

Jack: Huh? Your homeland… You mean Sunset Savannah?

Leona: Yup. They’ll be having Tamashina-Mina this weekend in the royal capital, Sunrise City

Grim: Tamashi….Mui…

Leona: Tamashina-Mina. It means “Gift from the Heavens”. Basically, it’s a festival where we all pray for rain. We hold it every year around this time, right before the rainy season starts.

Lilia: Oh, my. I’ve heard of that festival before, but I’ve never seen it for myself. It always sounded like such a fun occasion!

Jack: I’m guessing you’re going back home to take part in the festival, Leona Senpai?

Vil: And you’re inviting us to come along? …I smell something fishy. What’s your end goal here?

Leona: Thanks for makin’ this quick for me. The reason I’m invitin’ ya is because of… Catch the Tail.

Vil: Catch the Tail? I’ve never heard of that before.

Jack: Me neither. The heck is that?

Leona: It’s the name of this competition that takes place during the festival, where you gotta try an' grab some beads off your opponent's head before they nab yours. Magic and weapons are a no-go… It’s a pure test of your physical strength.

Jack: Oh yeah? Sounds pretty interesting.

Leona: There’s three players per team, and 16 teams in all compete together in a tournament. It’s pretty much the highlight of Tamashina-Mina. Even the king of Sunset Savannah and a bunch of guests from all over the world come to watch.

Grim: Then I bet the prize must be somethin’ awesome, right….? Like a year’s supply of tuna cans!?

Leona: Of course, there’s gonna be lots of prizes to go around… Is what I’d like to say, but unfortunately there ain’t any prizes or cash money up for grabs.

Grim: ...Lame.

Leona: Regardless, every year we get tons of people wantin’ to compete. And the reason is… The members of the winning team become Sunset Warriors.

Episode 1-2

Vil: Sunset Warriors…. I hadn’t expected to learn so many new words today.

Leona: It’s ‘cause all this stuff has been around for a long time and the lingo hasn’t changed. Listen, I’m fed up with everything, too, so don’t come complainin’ to me about it. The Sunset Warriors are a team of guardians that protect the country and support the king and queen. 

Lilia: Oh? Something like… an imperial guard?

Leona: Originally, yeah. But now that we’re in times of peace, a job like that really doesn’t matter anymore. Nowadays, it’s more-or-less just an honorary title that’s given to the winning team.

Lilia: Well, that’s good, isn’t it? You could say that the title itself is a symbol of the peaceful times we now live in.

Leona: If you’re tryin' to put it as nicely as you can, sure. The job itself is long gone, but what hasn’t changed is that the title’s got a lot of prestige attached to it. Every year, highly skilled competitors from all over the country come down to take part in the tournament.

Jack: Gotcha… So in order to become a Sunset Warrior, you’re also going to compete in Catch the Tail!?

Leona: Nah, I ain’t gonna compete… Well, more like I ain’t even allowed to.  

Vil: What do you mean?

Leona: It’s tradition for the younger brother of the heir to the throne to become the leader of the Sunset Warriors. And right now, that’s me.

Lilia: I see. So in other words, you’re already the leader of the Sunset Warriors. And since that isn't going to change anytime soon, then it makes sense you wouldn’t be permitted to compete in a game where the rest of the group members are chosen.

Leona: Yeah. And the leader has this friggin’ annoyin’ duty called “The Lessons of the Guardian”. I have to teach the other Warriors the understanding, good sense, and etiquette needed to protect both the monarch and the kingdom.

Vil: Understanding?

Lilia: Good sense?

Jack: Etiquette?

Grim: You have to teach people all that, Leona?

Everyone: ….Pfft. Ahahahhahah!

Grim: Nyahaha! They sure picked the wrong guy for that!

Jack: Ahahaha…. Ah! S-Sorry, Leona Senpai!

Leona: Hmph. Just as ya’ll have kindly pointed out, O Wise Ones, someone as rough around the edges as me just ain’t cut out for a gig like this. That’s why I’m trying to get out of it, no matter what it takes. Last year, I pretended like I accidentally forgot all about the festival and didn’t go home. And that’s what I’d been plannin’ to do this year, too. But this morning…. They called me up to remind me about it. There’s no tellin’ what they’ll do if I don’t agree to come back home now. I was thinkin’ I might as well throw in the towel and stop tryin' to swindle ‘em, but…

Lilia: But you really don’t want to have to go home and do this whole “Lessons of the Guardian” thing, do you?

Vil: Amazing. You can’t even do what’s required of you?

Leona: Hey, you have no idea just how long and annoying those stupid lessons are. So zip it. Anyways, that’s why I singled out you three to take with me.

Jack: Huh? You don’t mean…

Leona: Yup. I’m gonna have ya’ll win Catch the Tail for me. If a bunch of students from Night Raven College end up winning, all we gotta do is get our stories straight and pretend we finished doin’ the “Lessons of the Guardian”.

Everyone: He’s way too cunning!!!!

Yuu: What a sly guy…

Leona: Nah, it’s called bein’ clever. I hate doin’ pointless stuff.

Jack: Are we even allowed to compete? We’re not from Sunset Savannah or anything.

Leona: It ain’t a problem. People from all over can compete. Somethin’ about how anybody has the potential to become a guardian or whatever. It’s actually a pretty respectable policy, not what I’d expect from my country. There’s been plenty of foreigners and sightseers who’ve taken part over the years, so don’t worry about it. If a team of students from the famous Night Raven College compete, I’m sure the spectators will go wild.

Jack: Alright.

Leona: Jack, there’s not many guys at this school who can beat ya when it comes to physical strength. …But ya know, the people that’ll be competin’ are all pros at this stuff. What do ya think? Sounds interesting, right?

Jack: So I’ll get to put my strength to the test, huh. …Yeah, sure sounds like fun. I honestly still don’t get this whole “Sunset Warrior” stuff, but the competition sounds right up my alley. I’d love to see how far my strength will take me, going up against all those seasoned fighters!

Leona: Good. This is an important job, you hear. Next up, we got this old coot who’s always poppin’ up where ya least expect him. The way you can move around, it’s super-human. You’re friggin’ weird, alright? I honestly loathe teamin’ up with ya, but I’ll at least acknowledge your physical skills.

Lilia: Kufufu…. Leona, you really shouldn’t compliment me so unabashedly like that. I’ll get embarrassed, you know.  But I must say, I feel that Malleus would also be a good fit for what you’re looking for. You sure you don’t want to invite him? I have no doubt he’d be delighted if you did. How about I go ask him right now? Shall I?

Leona: Quit it!!! No way in hell I’d ever ask that horned jackass for any favors. I’m invitin' you instead, and I’m damn sure you understand that already!

Lilia: Ah… That’s too bad, but I guess it can’t be helped. This Catch the Tail game sounds like it will be a lot of fun, and I’m sure we’ll all look back on this experience fondly someday. I’ll be delighted to take part.

Leona: Why didn’t ya just say that in the first place then? When we get back, be sure you brag to Malleus all about the amazing trip you had an’ make him nice and jealous.

Episode 1-3

Grim: And the last person you invited is Vil. I bet he’ll be of some use. Not as much as me, of course.

Jack: Vil Senpai always makes sure to keep up with his training regiment. He’s a great choice.

Lilia: And with that wonderful fighting spirit of his, he’d make a splendid combatant.

Leona: I mean, you’re not wrong. But the deciding factor for me was… There’s tons of strong guys at this school, but they’re all stubborn boneheads.

Jack: You’re right.

Lilia: I’m not sure you’ve got room to talk, Jack.

Leona: With that in mind, Vil’s a dorm warden who’s got a good head on his shoulders. Besides, me an’ him have been super close pals ever since we started goin’ to school together.

Vil: Eww…. You said that with absolutely zero emotion. Basically, you picked me because you know I wouldn’t subject you to any meaningless drivel, is that right? Well, I refuse. You won’t get me to play along for such a crude reason like that. If you’d like to take another third year with you, how about Rook?

Leona: Not in a hundred years…. Come on. I’m countin’ on ya, Vil.

Vil: Oh? I wasn’t aware you were a fan of mine, Leona. All you have to do is teach the “Lessons of the Guardian” to the tournament winners, right? I don’t really understand why I need to take part in this Catch the Tail thing? Go ask someone else. I’ll be excusing myself now.

Leona: You sure about that? You’re gonna regret it if you don’t stick around to hear the rest of my proposal.

Vil: And what is it?

Leona: Since you’re into beauty and stuff, I’m sure you know about that place called Elephant Legacy, right?

Vil: …..Of course I do.

Jack: Elephant Legacy? Never heard of it.

Grim: Is it someplace that Vil would be interested in?

Leona: It’s a barren land where the sun don’t ever shine. It’s filled with volcanoes that spew hot air into the sky, and there’s a gorge that cuts through the area. It used to be called the Elephant Graveyard, and it was a lawless land where even the king’s power couldn’t reach. And now it’s a….

Jack / Grim: *Gulp*

Leona: Hot spring resort.

Jack / Grim: Hot spring!? Resort!?

Leona: Yup. With all those gushing geysers and that magnificent scenery, not to mention the specialty goods they make usin’ geothermal energy, it’s become the foremost sightseein' destination in the whole country. …Well, I say “foremost” destination, but it ain’t like there’s really many others you can count.

Lilia: I’ve been there before. I found it a very enjoyable location.  

Vil: Both the mineral water sold at Elephant Legacy, as well as the mud from the hot springs, are reputed to be great for your skin.  …I-I would like to go there, but I’d rather go on my own. It’d be much more enjoyable than going with you.

Leona: That’s only if ya could go without me.

Vil: …What?

Leona: If you’re willin’ to participate in the Catch the Tail competition for me… I’ll personally take ya to this special location at Elephant Legacy that only members of the royal family are allowed to access.

Vil: HUH!?

Leona: If ya went to the hot springs on your own, you’d never be able to get to this location without me. And of course, that spot is guaranteed to be good for your beauty or whatever. If ya pass up on this opportunity, you won’t ever get to go there for the rest of your life.

Jack: Wow. No matter how you look at it, there’s no way Vil Senpai’s gonna be able to turn him down now…!

Lilia: Now I understand. Since he had such a powerful card up his sleeve, that’s why he went ahead and invited Vil.

Vil: You really are a sly man, proposing something like that to me. ...Fine. I'm hereby reserving a spot on Producer Leona’s Sunset Savanna Sight Seeing Tour. In exchange, you need to do your job and show us around properly. Okay, Mr. Tour Guide?

Leona: Uh-huh. I’ll be the best darn escort you ever had.  

Grim: A festival in Sunset Savannah, huh… Sounds like it’s gonna be a lot of fun.

Yuu: I wonder if they’ll be serving lots of good food!

Grim: No doubt about it! Leona! We’ll come along, too!

Leona: And just who do ya think is gonna take ya?

Grim: What!?

Leona: Ain’t no way you guys are up to snuff for Catch the Tail.

Grim: Hey, no worries! The heck would I wanna join in on some annoying competition? All I’m gonna be doing is stuffing my face with tasty grub!

Leona: …And now there’s even less of a reason for me to take ya’ll.

Grim: But why!! TAKE US WITH YOU! TAKE US WITH YOOU! TAKE UUUUSSS!!!

Leona: Shut up, furball!

Lilia: Why not let them come along, Leona? The more traveling buddies, the merrier.

Leona: Bringing along a couple of dead weights is just gonna be a pain in the neck. 

Jack: Grim’s rolling around on the floor making a fuss, but… What about you, Yuu?

Yuu: I’d love to go, if I could…!

Lilia: You see, Leona? I think you should stop being so miserly and let them come. If we go on this trip together with everyone…. Then we’ll be able to create a lot of fun memories together.

Leona: And I’m telling you, we ain’t goin’ there for fun and games.

Lilia: Such a cold-hearted man! Then maybe I’ll stay behind, too, and we can have a party at Ramshackle Dorm.

Leona: Tsch. I know exactly what you’re up do. Okay, fine. They can come be our team support or whatever.

Yuu: We’ll give it our best!

Leona: Oi. I’ll be countin’ on ya, so you better make sure this furball here doesn’t go and cause me any trouble. You got it?

Episode 1-4 (The weekend)

Grim: Ah, it’s Vil. Howdy!

Vil: Good morning, Grim and Yuu. You two are both headed towards the Mirror Chamber, I presume? Let’s go together.

Yuu: We’ll probably get there pretty early, huh.

Vil: Of course. Punctuality is everything in showbiz, you know. People who arrive late on set never get very far in the industry. Oh? You’re bringing the Ghost Camera with you, I see.

Grim: Uh-huh! We’re gonna take lots of pics of all the yummy food we eat there.

Vil: Please do be sure to get a picture of us winning Catch the Tail, alright?

Jack: Good morning, Vil Senpai! Ah, and there’s Grim and Yuu.

Vil: Good morning, Jack. You’re here early.

Jack: Yeah, I didn’t want to keep my Senpai waiting.

Lilia: Oh, is everyone here already? Good morning!

Vil: Morning, Lilia. ….Why are you wearing your PE uniform?

Lilia: I don’t do very well with direct sunlight, so I picked out a comfortable outfit for the trip. Looky here, I also packed a parasol and a handheld fan.

Jack: I figured it would be best to wear something respectable, so that’s why I came wearing my school uniform… I wonder if that was the wrong choice.

Vil: No, you made the right choice based on the time, place, and occasion. We’ll be accompanying a member of the royal family to his homeland, after all.

Lilia: I’m a seasoned traveler, so I’m exercising the utmost caution here. I also made sure to let Malleus know how to reach me in case of an emergency, since he has to stay behind at the dorm.

Vil: Sounds like you’ve got all your bases covered, then.

Lilia: Kufufu. Just who do you take me for? I’m a professional solo traveler, you know. Before I enrolled at the school I went traveling alone all over the world, so this is nothing new for me. But this time, I promised to take plenty of photos while on our trip. I hope you boys will help me out with that.

Yuu: Let’s take lots of pictures together!

Lilia: That’s the spirit. Ah, this is why traveling is so much fun! Is Leona still not here yet? It’s about the time we’d agreed to meet.

Jack: Not yet. When I knocked on his door this morning he answered me, so I thought he was awake. But…

Grim: Knowing that slacker, he probably went right back to sleep.

Vil: Even though we’re all going on this trip because of him…

Leona: *Yaaawn*….

Jack: Good morning, Leona Senpai!

Leona: ‘Sup. Is everyone here?

Jack: Yes! All accounted for.

Vil: Once we get there, will the tournament be starting right away?

Leona: Nah, the festival is starting today, and the tournament will begin tomorrow. Today, you guys are gonna use the tournament arena and get some practice in.

Lilia: So we’ll at least have time to get down the basics, then. That’s a relief.

Vil: And we’ll also have plenty of time to stop by Elephant Legacy, correct?

Lilia: You don’t even gotta ask. I made us arrangements and everything. Alright, let’s get goin’.

???: Huh?

Kalim: What’re you guys all doing here?

Leona: Kalim… The heck are you doin’ in the Mirror Chamber?

Lilia: Well, isn’t this a coincidence. Good morning, Kalim.

Kalim: Oh, hey! Good morning, Lilia! And good morning, everyone else!!!

Vil: Since you’re in the Mirror Chamber, I take it you’re planning to go somewhere?

Kalim: Yup! I’m going to Sunset Savannah!

Leona: What…!?

Everyone: !!!

Kalim: Wait a sec! Since Leona’s here, are you guys maybe all going to Tamashina-Mina, too?

Leona: “Too?” So that means… It’s just what I was thinkin’.

Vil (whispering to Leona): Leona, did you also invite Kalim?

Leona (whispering to Vil): Don’t make me laugh. You need brains and brawn if you wanna compete in Catch the Tail. There’s no way a sheltered bub like Kalim would stand a fightin’ chance.

Lilia: Kalim. Who invited you to go to Tamashina-Mina?

Kalim: The royal family of Sunset Savannah.

Jack: The royal family?

Leona: Every year, important folks from all over the world get invited as guests of the state. Figures they would also reach out to the son of a top merchant from Scalding Sands.

Vil: Were you not aware he’d been invited?

Leona: It’s bad enough I have to go back home, no way I’d go waste my time lookin’ through the friggin’ guest list.

Grim: Hm? Hey… I don’t see Jamil anywhere?

Kalim: Jamil went on ahead to Sunset Savannah already. There’s lots of other staff members from back home that are coming along, and he was saying they’d be meeting with the people in charge of the festival. It sounded like they have a lot of stuff to do, like going over what’ll happen during the ceremony, and organizing the security and everything.

Lilia: Oh, my! Even just going to a festival is quite the serious matter for you, it appears.

Jack: We’ll be competing in Catch the Tail.

Kalim: Woah. Catch the Tail is that tournament they have during Tamashina-Mina, right? Good luck, you guys! I’ll be cheering you on from the stands!

Jack: Heh. We’ll be counting on ya!

Leona: Enough with the chit chat. Let’s go.