“Shinobi Battle”...?

Oh, I heard about that!

They're gonna hold it at Nonogi Park, right?

Yeah, and the winners receive premium annual passes that give you access to the gym's private rooms.

What?!

You get access to the private rooms for a whole year?!

That's incredible...

And you want to compete in this event?

*Nod*

It'll be nice to see what a brand-new facility has to offer, and...

If I decide to compete...

There's a chance that I'll be able to inspire hope in those who aren't all that athletic.

Some people said they wanted to dance like me, and this might be the push they need to start seeing the joy in exercising.

I see...

Yes, I also remember some people saying how they couldn't quite get the dance right, or how they're not as fit as they like to be.

Yeah, but there's also some risk involved with you competing.

I know. Members of the public will also be competing, so they may be startled by my presence.

And some of our fans may not be happy about me teaming up with people they don't know.

Yeah, that is a tough one...

It is...

But...

I want to enter.

If there's even the slightest chance of me helping our fans, then I want to do this.

Haruka...

I'm all for you entering!

What...?

So, the truth is... I...

Some people feel really bad about themselves after coming up short, even when they tried their absolute best...

They might decide it's impossible for them, and not want to try anymore.

But... When things are looking really down, seeing your hero do her best can be just the motivation you need to keep on trying.

Oh, uhh...! At least, that's what happened to me...

Minori...

Yes, seeing you team up with people I've never seen before would make me kinda jealous...

But I really love seeing you give something all you've got! It makes me want to keep rooting for you!

I agree. I'm sure our fans will feel the same way when they see you doing your best, Haruka.

I know. What if we did a few streams of you training for this event?

By doing so, they should feel really inspired when they see you competing during the actual event.

Yeah, I really like that idea.

We'll need to do a good job of explaining everything to them. Let's start thinking about what we're going to say during our next stream.

All of you...

Go, Haruka!

Do your best and win for us!

Inspire a ton of hope in everyone by grasping victory!

Thank you...

I promise to do my absolute best.

Alright, we're all here!

Kiritani, Akito, thank you both again for agreeing to do this. Especially you, Kiritani. I know I'm asking quite a lot of you.

No, that's okay.

(After he invited me, we explained everything to our fans, and they seemed okay with me doing this.)

(Now that I have their blessing, I need to do my very best during this event.)

Still, I never imagined myself forming a team with Haruka Kiritani...

I look forward to working with both of you.

Also, there's no need to give me special treatment. I think it's best if we kept things friendly and informal.

And, since we're doing this, let's do our best to win.

Yes, absolutely.

Let's do our best!

So, let's begin by reviewing the rules!

Shinobi Battle consists of three stages.

Each member will be assigned one, and teams will be competing for the fastest total time.

In other words, we each just have to focus on finishing the stage we're assigned as fast as possible, right?

Right!

And members are allowed to choose which stage they'd like to tackle to prepare for it.

I, Tsukasa Tenma, will be taking the first stage, which consists of the “spider walls” and the “log bridge”.

For the spider walls, competitors are tasked with crossing a space using two walls that they will find on either side of them, without touching the ground.

So, like an actual spider, you have to use your hands and feet to stay stuck to the walls. That's going to really test your arm and leg muscles.

Yes, and the log bridge is no walk in the park either. It simply involves reaching the other side by balancing across a fallen log...

But if you slip at all, there is a very real possibility of falling off entirely.

I see...

But you've been doing quite a lot of strength training for your shows, Tenma. Tests of strength such as these are right up your alley.

Yes, so you can leave the first stage to me!

That said, Akito's second stage isn't any easier. It involves the “high vault” and “water spider” obstacles.

For the former, one must launch themselves over a vault box, one stacked to be eight sections tall.

Call it twice the height of a normal vault box. I should be able to get over it. But it will test my jumping ability.

And then, there's the water spider...

That's the one where you have to cross a pool using a pole while balancing yourself on a pair of inner tubes, yes?

That's right. The center of each inner tube allows a person to stand on it because it's covered up, so you can slide across the water's surface...

But you'll have to control your center of gravity perfectly. Yes, you'll have a pole to balance yourself, but you'll fall in if you put too much weight on either float.

I thought this the first time we discussed these obstacles too, but I'll probably have to use muscles I normally don't...

Yes, those sound a bit troublesome...

But you run and do strength training every day as a part of your routine, right?

I imagine that's built your core up well. I'm sure you'll do just fine with a little practice.

Right...

I'll just have to do my best.

Finally, Kiritani, you'll be tackling stage three.

That involves the “wall climb” and “hanging poles” obstacles.

The former simply involves climbing the wall to reach the top. The latter entails leaping between poles that hang down from the gantry. This is by far the most difficult stage...

You also run the risk of jamming your fingers or injuring yourself in some other way after falling, so please be careful.

Thank you.

I will.

But I promise to do my absolute best.

So, let's do what we can to achieve victory.

Yes, and we'll be counting on you!

That's it for the overall course...

In conclusion, we'll all be making use of very different muscles.

Which means we'll need to come up with efficient ways to strengthen the ones we're going to use. We don't have much time until the event.

Yes, you're right...

Why don't we start by trying to come up with some good exercises for ourselves?

Oh, about that...

There's something I'd like you two to see first.

You want us to see something?

Yes, these notebooks include training schedules that I'd like each of you to follow until the day of the event.

I designed them with winning in mind, so I hope you'll give them a try.

Oh, that's wonderful!

Alright, let's have ourselves a look and...

Huh?!

What...?!