After she joins the GunPla club that Mika leads, Aoi finds herself in awe with how nice the GunPla displays and room is. A rather small room, but enough to fit in the crazy ideas of the people that went inside this clubroom. Aoi sits down and stretches, asking Mika what they will do in the club.
Mika: "Isn't it obvious? GunPla things!"
Aoi: "Wow. Can you be more vague than that..."
???: "Yawn. Mika, got more snack in the box? I am hungry."
Mika: "Ah. I forgot to introduce you! This is my friend and assistant, Tama Ebikawa!"
Tama: "Ya-ho... Nice to meet you..."
Aoi: "Likewise! I am Aoi!"
Tama: "I am Tama...Mika... gonna grab a snack, okay?"
Mika: "Tama! Don't eat all of it!"
Tama: "Nom nom nom... want some?"
Aoi: "Well, don't mind if I do! Mmm! This is good!"
Tama: "Right? Gundam Base always has good snacks. Maybe if we go there, we'll buy again."
Mika: "ahem... Anyway, Aoi. You built GunPla before, right?"
Aoi: "Yeah. I told you I won in GunPla contests before, right?"
Mika: "What kind of GunPla you usually build?"
Aoi: "Hmmm...I usually go for mono-eyed suits and grunt suits. Gundams are too overrated... everyone builds it."
Mika: "Well, it's Gundam Build Fighters afterall."
Everyone gives Mika a confused look.
Tama: "That was a bad fourth wall breaking. We are not even official material, so I think we should not cringe the audience."
Aoi: "I agree. Munch munch munch."
Mika: "Geez! Fine! Ahem! Anyway, particular Gundam series you like?"
Aoi: "08th MS Team, Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin, and Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn are my favorites! I also like After War Gundam X!"
Tama: "Woah. I like After War too. Good taste."
Aoi: "Ehehehe..."
Mika: "I share the same sentiments. Last one...Which Mobile Suit is your favorite?"
Aoi: "Geara Zulu and Zaku III. They look cool, they have decent firepower... The design also gives a real robot feel to it too compared to other Mobile Suits!"
Tama: "My favorite is Legillis! Very evil-looking! Menacing! And look very ravishing!"
Mika claps her hand
Mika: "Okay! That will be enough. Here. My gift for me to you!"
Mika hands over a box of Zaku III and Zaku II the Origins kit.
Aoi: "Wait... you're giving two GunPla for free? Sweet!"
Mika: "Hehehe! I also gave Tama free kit after her interview is done. I gave GunPla based on their answers to my questions. Sadly, I don't have a Geara Zulu-"
Aoi suddenly lunges at Mika for a hug
Aoi: "I will treasure these! Thank you!"
Mika: "Hahaha! Glad you liked it- oww!"
Tama: "Not fair... Tama also wanna hug Mika! Hugs for everyone!"
Aoi: "Ahahahaha! Hey now! I am holding a model kit! I might break it if we hug too much!"
Mika: "Geez! Hahaha!"
After a minute of cuddling, Aoi brings a pair of nippers, files, and twizzers to the table.
Aoi: "Hey, let's build these two!"
Mika: "Hmm..I wanna see you work, but we still have school you know! Even though it's recruitment day for clubs... Let's go to Gundam Base later. Sound Good?"
Tama: "I am gonna sleep..."
Mika: "Tama! Class!"
Tama: "Yes... yes..."
Aoi: "Was Tama our classmate?"
Mika: "Nope. She's the same grade as us, but she's in a different section. I heard she was crazy good in all subjects, despite being lazy..."
Aoi: "How did you even meet her?"
Tama: "She was cooking noodles in here and I ate the noodles she was cooking."
Mika: "I can't forget that, you glutton! You literally slurped my cup!"
Tama: "Yah. My lips hurt that day... Then Mika pulled my ear using a tweezer."
Mika: "I had her pay for my noodles, but I just recruited her in the club because I pity her... Then when I asked her if she knew about Gundams, she pulled out her custom Legilis-"
Tama: "ReGilis! Then I challenged her in a GunPla battle... it was like BOOM! Then she went BANG! And I was like OOOOOOOOHHHHH!!!"
Mika: "Basically, she lost against me, but I barely won. She was actually pretty good. I lost my wits that day to be honest."
Tama: "And that's how I got recruited! Hehe! After you build your GunPla, let's try out!"
Aoi: "Yeah!"
*Bell rings*
Mika: "Our class has started! Let's go Aoi! To Gundam Base later, alright?"
Aoi: "Right! Ah. My new GunPla."
Tama: "See you guys later! Yawn..."
Hours has passed, school is finally over. Aoi and Mika packed their things and prepare to leave. They meet up with Tama, who was sitting on a bench.
Mika: "Hey Tama!"
Tama: "Mika! Aoi!"
Aoi: "Yo!"
Mika: "Let's get going."
Leaving the school grounds, Aoi and Tama excitedly race to see who gets to the station first, but Mika scolds them. On the way, they talk about their start on GunPla. Mika reveals that her father makes religious sculptures and her mother is a mangaka. She says that she got into GunPla when she asked her father for one because it's like building a scultpure. According to her, her first Gundam series was New Mobile Report Gundam Wing. Aoi says she got into GunPla because her father was a military man, thus her taste in Mobile Suits. Her first Gundam anime was Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, but she preferred the story of 08th MS Team. Tama has the most outrageous answer of them all: her parents were hardcore otakus; her mother is a mecha otaku, while her father is an idol otaku, but both run a food business together and is not ashamed to admit that they are otakus. This revelation caused both of them to laugh.
They took a train to get to the place. After getting off, Aoi stares at the huge 1/1 scale Unicorn Gundam.
Aoi: "Hehe. No matter how many times I come here, this thing's a spectacle."
Realizing their friend is still staring at the Unicorn Gundam, the two grabbed her bag. Aoi then goes after the two. They went to the cafe nearby to grab smoothies and head straight to the place where most builders go.
Mika: "Here we are."
Aoi brings out her tools.
Aoi: "Let's get to building."
Tama: "Snip! Snip!"
Mika: "Excited to see how you build."
Aoi: "Here we go!"
Aoi first builds the Zaku II.
Tama: "Ahhh... Sounds of snipping is just pure ASMR. It's making me fall asleep."
Mika: "The way you cut is fantastic! Look at those parts cut beautifully... and you're quite fast too."
20 minutes has passed
Aoi: "Now weapons are the only ones left."
Tama: "Woah! The parts have no nubmarks at all!"
Aoi: "Just a simple file does the trick, but I used my special file to make things smooth. Annnnd I am done!"
After finishing the kit, Aoi proudly presents it to the two of her friends.
Mika: "Wow... such a clean build! And the seamlines are fixed too. I mean, that's a GunPla contest winner for you!"
Aoi: "Hehe!"
Tama: "Ooohhhh... Can we test drive it? I brought my GunPla!"
Aoi: "Hmmm... but I still wanna build the Zaku III..."
Mika: "How about we build it together? Watching you build got my fingers itching!"
Tama: "Count me in!"
Aoi: "Alright!"
12 minutes has passed
The three: "Done!"
Mika: "Although I admit, We kinda almost did nothing while building it..."
Tama: "Does building the left leg count?"
Aoi: "Ahahaha! But it was fun building with your friends. Now that I am done, let's do some warm up!"
Tama: "I challenged you first!"
Mika: "Hahaha! C'mon. Let's go to the stadium area."
As they happily got up and leave for the stadiums, a figure notices them.
???: "Heh. Interesting."
Once they got to the stadiums, Tama brings out her ReGilis while Aoi brings out her Zaku II.
...but Aoi realized she doesn't have a GP Base.
Tama: "It's alright. You can borrow one on your left."
Aoi: "Oh! Alright."
Setting their GunPla to their GP Bases, the stage starts up.
Machine: "Plavsky particle dispersal. Battle field selection: Field 01, space. Please set your GunPla."
Tama: "..."
Aoi: "... Hey."
Tama: "Hmm?"
Aoi: "I have a confession to make... this is my first GunPla battle."
Tama: "Wait... really?"
Mika: "Hold on. You haven't done Build Fighting before?"
Aoi looks at them with a sad face.
Aoi: "Actually yes. I was opposed to the idea of making my creations fight back then. But now, I am okay with it."
Tama: "Err... should I take it easy or-"
Aoi: "Nope. I wanna learn this the hard way!"
Tama then gives a sly smile to Aoi. Aoi looks back with smile. The two finishes their battle preparations.
Machine: "Battle start!"
Aoi: "Aoi Takanashi, Zaku II, let's go!"
Tama: "Tama Ebikawa, ReGilis, here I go!"
Leering at each other, they get their GunPla in the battlefield. Mika watches Aoi carefully, a fired up expression on her face.
During the battle, the man earlier decided to spectate stealthily.
???: "Hmmm... Aoi Takanashi, show me your strength."
Who is this man? As the battle between Tama and Aoi gets hotter, the more potential everyone sees in Aoi. She started wobbly, but eventually gets the hang of it.
Meanwhile, the mysterious man gets more excited as the battle rages on then fixes his hair upwards. He muttered under his breath:
???: "This scene... feels like that time I first battled with him. Such intensity, even with a straight build."
Who is this man? Why does he have sights for Aoi? Is he a creepy old man? Time to find out next chapter.
Ch.02 END