Suzunari First (chapter)

Short Summary
The round 4 match starts, and Nasu Unit's choice of map surprises all.

Long Summary
Flashback Murakami's teammates find him crouching in the corner of their operating room, crying. Surprised, Kuruma asks what happened. Kon explains that apparently Arafune suddenly gave up on the Attacker role, and Betsuyaku wonders if it was because he felt the difference in their abilities. Kon hits his head, saying that was unnecessary, and Kuruma tries to say it mustn't have been because of Murakami, but Murakami says it was always like that. He says that he learns from other people, starts having fun, and then the others start leaving and the group breaks up. He then says that this time, all he did was learn Arafune's theories and that he didn't go through any of the hardships. Murakami then adds that all his side effect does is stealing other people's efforts. Kuruma decides to go meet Arafune and asks if that's really how he feels. Arafune says Murakami is just thinking too hard and explains that he always planned to quit when he got 1000 points. He just didn't tell anyone about it because it sounded like an excuse. Kuruma is relieved to know it's not Murakami's fault, but Arafune said he was indeed shocked when he surpassed him, and he thought he should leave Murakami to be the Attacker. He then says that now that he proved he can get to 8000 points with his theory, he plans to do the same as a Sniper, and then as a Gunner, as he plans to become the next perfect All-Rounder, after Kizaki. He says his goal is to popularize a method to mass-produce All-Rounders through theory, which is different from Murakami's method, which impresses Kuruma. Arafune then says that once his goals are accomplished, he'll go back to teaching his theories to Murakami. Kuruma then asks Arafune to tell the same to Murakami, and he records a video of Arafune telling Murakami not to get so full of himself, and that it was his teaching that did it. He then says that Murakami should only says stuff like "stealing other people's efforts when he surpasses people like Tachikawa, Kazama, or Kageura. At the end of the video, Arafune then asks if it was good, and Kuruma says it was perfect, thanking him. Kuruma then tells Murakami that it's alright to get stronger in his own way and that people will be thankful for him being so strong. Flashback Ends

Murakami then wakes up in Suzunari First's Operation Room, and Betsuyaku and Kon greet him. He then says he's ready.

Meanwhile, Tamakoma Second discusses their strategy and what map Nasu Unit will choose. Osamu theorizes Exhibition Hall, Riverside or Industrial District, as these maps have a lot of open spaces, and it's easy to become a target. He then says that Nasu Unit will probably focus on mid-range fights, which causes Usami to ask why he thinks that. He explains it's because their ace, Nasu, is a Shooter, and he mentions the match last Sunday, where Suwa Unit beat Suzunari First. Yūma asks if Suwa unit barraged Murakami from a distance, and Osamu says that was basically it. He says that was the only time in recent records that Murakami was completely blocked, and as Nasu Unit had the advantage in the middle range they won't let this chance getaway, and the same strategy would work on Tamakoma Second 2 as they have a similar formation. He then adds that if he was in Nasu Unit's position, he'd only fight while shooting. Osamu then says that this time they're the "reacting side", that they should face their opponents as a group as much as possible, and that no matter what stage is chosen grouping comes first, as practiced. Yūma and Chika then comply.

In Nasu Unit's operation room, the girls discuss their strategy. Kumagai says they're choosing the Riverside, and that they'll have to rely on luck as the transfer locations are random, but their priority is to group up and then to destroy the bridge. She then tells them to be careful with Murakami and Yūma while moving, and asks Hiura if she remembers where they're meeting. Hiura says it's on the site where Murakami isn't, and Kumagai confirms with while asking if Hiura is alright. Hiura says she is, but Shiki mocks her for crying the day before, which prompts her to say she's already gotten over it. Shiki asks Hiura if she remembered to equip Meteora, and she says she already did. Nasu then says she'll need Hiura's support, and Hiura complies. Nasu then tells Kumagai she'll need to rely on her defense, which Kumagai knows, and says she'll make sure to get points.

In the auditorium, Mikami of Kazama Unit announces the match and introduces herself as the narrator of the day. She then introduces the commentators: Jin and Tachikawa. Mikami says the location chosen by Nasu Unit is Riverside A and asks the commentators what they think, asking Tachikawa to go first. Tachikawa says they obviously want to isolate an attacker in the other side of the river and then destroy the bridge, to give Nasu the advantage. He then adds that Suzunari and Tamakoma must already know that and that the terrain won't be the only thing to decide the battle. Even if they're separated, the river's water only reaches to someone's waist, so you can easily traverse it if you have support. Jin asks if that's so, which makes Tachikawa ask if he saw anything, but Jin dismisses his question. Mikami then says the match is starting and tells all units to prepare for transfer.

Getting to the map, the members of Tamakoma and Suzunari are surprised to see heavy rain and flooding in the city. Mikami announces that the transfer is complete, and all agents are on the field. The map is riverside A, with a storm climate. Tachikawa is impressed, that'll make it hard to cross the river as falling into it is dangerous. Jin notes that weather and time period are included in the map options, but he never saw such an extreme configuration. He says it's visible how serious Nasu Unit is about the match. Mikami then says that all units were separated by the river, so it seems the main objective of the teams right now is to reunite. Nasu takes the lead with their advantage of choosing the storm. Nasu then orders her teammates to start the operator, to which they comply.

Characters in Order of Appearance
Characters in italic are only seen briefly and have yet to make a proper appearance.
 * Kō Murakami (flashback)
 * Tatsuya Kuruma (flashback)
 * Yuka Kon (flashback)
 * Taichi Betsuyaku (flashback)
 * Tetsuji Arafune (flashback)
 * Kō Murakami (actual appearance)
 * Tatsuya Kuruma (actual appearance)
 * Yuka Kon (actual appearance)
 * Taichi Betsuyaku (actual appearance)
 * Osamu Mikumo
 * Yūma Kuga
 * Chika Amatori
 * Shiori Usami
 * Yūko Kumagai
 * Akane Hiura [debut]
 * Rei Nasu
 * Sayoko Shiki
 * Kaho Mikami
 * Kei Tachikawa
 * Yūichi Jin

Triggers in Order of Appearance

 * Bagworm (Chika & Betsuyaku)