XD Side Story Corner #3

XDU is pumping out a lot of new content this Christmas season. New events, new gear designs and plenty of new memoria that tell some silly side stories. This time we have a focus on a character who hasn't gotten much attention: the SONG bridge bunny Aoi Tomosato!

Outdoor Hot Springs Panic

Late one night at S.O.N.G. Headquarters, Tomosato is fiercely typing away at her terminal on the bridge. Suddenly, Genjuro enters. 

Tomosato: …Let’s see, the data for today is-

Genjuro: Hm? You’re still here…but you weren’t scheduled for a night shift today, right?

Tomosato: Oh, Commander. That’s right, but I haven’t finished inputting this data just yet. If I don’t get it done, it might cause problems later.

Genjuro: Where is Fujitaka? If I remember correctly you were supposed to work on this job together. 

Tomosato: He was starting to catch a cold so I sent him home. It wouldn’t be good if we all caught it. 

Genjuro: Oh geez, Fujitaka…he can’t even take care of himself. 

Tomosato: It was unavoidable. He’s been stuck in here the past few days busy with work. 

Genjuro: So I see, I’m willing to bet you haven’t taken any sort of break either. You have to know your limits.

Tomosato: Oh, you think so? I guess now that you mention it…

Genjuro: Don’t keep your mind solely on your work. Remember it’s equally as important to manage your health. 

Tomosato: Thank you. I’ll be sure to do that. 

Tomosato: (Now that I think about it, I don’t even remember the last time I took a day off…)

Tomosato: Once things have settled down I suppose I’ll take a breather somewhere.

Some time after Tomosato, Fujitaka and Genjuro are discussing work while the others are training with Kanade who is visiting from her world. 

Tomosato: Kanade sure is amazing. Her battle data has surprisingly high numbers, even when compared to the other girls.

Genjuro: A perfect example of why we shouldn’t judge based on gear compatibility alone. This is why we continue to do joint training sessions. 

Tomosato: Whew…I’m finished putting in all the data. Now I’ll forward it over to the analysis division. 

Fujitaka: Good work. 

Genjuro: Yeah, nicely done. 

Tomosato: Commander, regarding what I should work on next… Is there any data that needs immediate processing? 

Genjuro: Yeah, I can think of one thing. 

Tomosato: What’s that? 

Genjuro: Reducing the number of available vacation days you have. 

Tomosato: ….Excuse me? 

Genjuro: You haven’t taken a break at all recently. There’s nothing we need done immediately, so you should use this time to rest up. 

Tomosato: But…

Genjuro: You’re overworking yourself. You’re probably far more exhausted than you realize. 

Fujitaka: Why don’t you take a day off? I owe you one from when I had that cold, so I’ll pick up the slack while you’re gone. 

Tomosato: …Alright. I’ll take you up on that offer then. 

Kanade: Hey hey, what’s everybody up to in here?

Hibiki: Master, we’re back!

Chris: Training’s all done. 

Genjuro: Good job. How did the joint training go? 

Hibiki: Kanade is so cool! She just charges in like BOOM! And then cuts them down like SCHWING!

Chris: Nobody’s gonna understand if you explain it like that…

Shirabe: It definitely was a valuable learning experience. 

Kirika: I knew she must be strong since she was Tsubasa’s partner!

Kanade: Hey now, I don’t deserve that much praise. It was a worthwhile experience for me too, thanks all.

Kanade: So, what were ya chatting about in here? Something about taking up an offer?

Tomosato: Oh, well they were saying I’ve been working too much lately, so I was told to use up some of my vacation days. 

Tomosato: And I was thinking it would be a good opportunity to actually use them. 

Hibiki: Vacation…I’m jealous. If only we could take a break from school but still get credit on the test…

Kirika: Whoa that’s a great idea!

Shirabe: If that happened it would start a revolution for sure…

Chris: Even if that were the case, your grades would still depend on all your scores overall. And knowing you, you wouldn’t be able to get enough points anyway.

Hibiki: Gah…

Kirika: Sigh…

Shirabe: Hrm…

Kanade: Hahaha! You girls shouldn’t sweat your schoolwork too hard, just get it done!

Kanade: Anyway, if you’re going to take some time off why don’t you come with me? I was just thinking about wanting to go somewhere with somebody. 

Tomosato: Huh? You mean, with me?

Kanade: Well, I wanted to go with Tsubasa but it seems her schedule is packed full. I joined the training session today cuz I figured it’d be a good chance but-

Kanade: I’d still rather do something now than just go back to my world right away, ya know?

Kanade: Sorry, am I being a bother?

Tomosato: N-No, not at all.

Kanade: Great, then let’s do it. Where can we have some fun? Got any ideas?

Tomosato: Well I’m not sure…

Genjuro: …I’ve got just the place for you. You’ll definitely be able to enjoy it. 

Kanade: And where’s that…?

Later…

Kanade: Ah…this is heaven. Choosing a hot spring…the bossman really has good taste.

Tomosato: Indeed, I can feel my tiredness just slipping away…so relaxing. 

Kanade: …I never would have expected such a nice place way out here. I wonder if there’s a similar spot in my world.

Tomosato: It certainly seems possible. 

Kanade: Hmmm…but you know, it would be really nice if our bossman was as strong as yours…

Tomosato: That’s right, the Commander in your world is a little different from ours wasn’t he? 

Kanade: Yep. At the very least, he’s not a superhuman like yours. But when it comes to taking charge, strategizing and giving orders, he’s top notch. 

Tomosato: From my perspective I think I’d prefer him to be like yours… Ours is always wanting to leave the bridge even though he’s the Commander…

Kanade: Well considering all the power he has, I can’t blame him. ….Anyway, are you sure it was alright to spend your day off with me?

Tomosato: What do you mean?

Kanade: I just kind of invited you on a whim, but I wondered if maybe there was a certain someone you’d want to go with instead. 

Tomosato: Fufu. Unfortunately there’s no one like that. I’m always at work, so I’ve never had the free time for anything else. 

Kanade: What a waste…especially when you’ve got a body like that.

Tomosato: Eek! Watch where you put those hands. It’s inappropriate, you know?

Kanade: Oh come on, it’s nothing to fret about. I’m just giving you a massage. 

Tomosato: You just want to feel me up, don’t you? If you’re really giving a massage you should start properly from the shoulders. 

Kanade: I’ll gladly do that if it means I’m allowed to move to some other places after… Or would you rather have a go at me as payback?

Tomosato: What do you mean “payback”? Geez…stop acting like a college student and let’s just enjoy the hot springs okay? 

Kanade: Haha, sorry sorry!

THE END