The Away Mission Test: Part 17

Summary
''While Osamu ponders over the special assignment, his squad celebrates their newfound triumph. Later, Jin and the higher-up's explore the ulterior motive to assign an additional task, as well as the responses themselves. At 7pm, Day 2 scores are released.''

Long Summary
As his recommendations are put to use during the seventh round, Osamu brainstorms benefits of Rank War’s team battles — while also noting the disadvantages a simple squad v. squad format would bring. Ui celebrates their first win in the battle sims, but Katori feels glum at Wakamura’s lack of strength. His teammates praise the new communication protocol; Osamu returns to work.

At around 6:30pm, Jin and the higher-ups begin scoring. First, the time taken for each squad to divide workload is touched upon: while most were unassuming in their choices, there were some who caught on. Kitora, for example, volunteered immediately — explaining a need for efficiency, which her captain accepted without question. This received high marks from the evaluants. Teams who argued lost points, and some captains’ choices were contested.

Special assignment responses would be examined based on four criteria. Except for Ema and Kitazoe, everyone covered #1-2 concerning skills honed (or lack thereof) by 1 v. all vs. 1 v. 1 formations. Murakami’s Squad 10 could only cover those two points, but it is considered impressive given their limited time frame. #4, which explored relevance to Away Missions, was also widely acknowledged. Yuba and Sasamori brought up defense mission purposes outlined in #3, while Ōji and Osamu mentioned the management of Rank Wars — categorized under #3 as well. Individual evaluation resumes.

At 6:57pm, the simulated matches pause for the day, with Osamu’s team doing notably better in the second half. Not long after, Day 2 scores are released.

Characters in Order of Appearance
Characters in italics are seen briefly and have yet to make a proper appearance.
 * Osamu Mikumo
 * Kōji Oki
 * Hisato Sasamori (Mentioned)
 * Yōko Katori
 * Rokurō Wakamura (Mentioned)
 * Madoka Ui
 * Kōtarō Suwa
 * Masato Kageura (Flashback)
 * Kuniharu Kakizaki (Flashback)
 * Yūma Kuga (Flashback)
 * Nozomi Kako (Flashback)
 * Masamune Kido
 * Motokichi Kinuta
 * Eizō Netsuki
 * Takumi Rindō
 * Yūichi Jin
 * Ai Kitora (Flashback)
 * Shōhei Kodera (Flashback)
 * Yūta Miura (Flashback)
 * Rika Rokuta (Flashback)
 * Shūji Miwa (Mentioned)
 * Hiro Kitazoe (Mentioned)
 * Yuzuru Ema (Mentioned)
 * Murakami's Squad 10 (Mentioned)
 * Kotarō Tomoe (Mentioned)
 * Sumiharu Inukai (Mentioned)
 * Fumika Teruya (Mentioned)
 * Yutaka Kashio (Mentioned)
 * Takuma Yuba (Mentioned)
 * Kazuaki Ōji (Mentioned)

Triggers in Order of Appearance
All triggers are described in regards to the battle simulation.
 * Chameleon (Hisato Sasamori/Mentioned)