Chapter 9 Episode 16: System of Karma 1

It’s time to once again cut away to see what someone else is doing. In this case we tune in to Akasaka in Minato Ward. Ose shows up and talks to Kotarou, acting mildly surprised he’s still using the base there. Kotarou in turn asks why he’s there and calls him onii-chan. Ose asks him to stop since there’s no one else around to watch and all his underlings are all elsewhere.

Ose then says the ones in the West will be moving soon and asks if Kotarou’s group has joined up with them yet. He doesn’t answer that question, and instead talks about how things haven’t changed much even if they moved based to a Nakano portal. All that did change is that instead of being hired by crazy rich people in Minato, they’re now hired by the militants in the West. Also the Warmongers are based in Nerima.

Anyways Kotarou says if that’s all that’s different he figures his group can just make use of the vacant portals. He suggests that he can just do things carefree, not like Ose who has ties of obligation as a former soldier of Gehenna. Even if the Akasaka Agents have disbanded, it’s not like the Fuuma Ninja Corp can’t find work anymore.

Kotarou talks about how they’ve run up a debt because of that last job from Roppongi so they can’t end things all of a sudden, and the pay is good. He’s not totally disregarding the idea of a new Agents, but he says there should have been some checking as to whether new jobs could be found.

Ose has a little laugh and says that isn’t the real reason. He suggests there’s someone in Nerima that Kotarou doesn’t want to see, dropping hints about them being famous as a politician and calls them a student legislator. In their home world they had some sort of relationship with the Originator.

Before Ose actually says what kind of relationship it is, Ose backtracks for a moment and says it’s less that Kotarou doesn’t want to see whoever and more Someone Inside Kotarou doesn’t want to see them.

Kotarou decides to correct Ose on one point, which is that he will only work for money. To him, what happens to Tokyo is somewhere between ‘whatever’ and ‘you do you.’ Most of the other Agents are like that too, including Tadatomo. The Agents as an organization didn’t mean much to them, they just used it for their own ends.

Ose comments on how that enthusiasm doesn’t suit Kotarou, though it fits his appearance. Kotarou then gets annoyed and says he’s busy if all Ose came to do is be snide. Ose apologizes and says it’s a bad habit of his to be so talkative. He also has a peace offering for him if he’ll take it.

Ose throws a note he pulls out of his chest to Kotarou. Kotarou is taken aback at the contents, and Ose confirms that it is a list about one of the true big three guilds that control Tokyo. It is a list of the members of the Warmongers, which includes the guildmaster dispatched from the Game Masters, seven of the World Representatives, and all the guildmembers.

Ose talks about how active the Warmongers are. By aggressively spreading the memories from the loops they are increasing their numbers, and the one at the forefront of this is the El Dorado World Representative, Tezcatlipoca.

From what Ose has heard, Tezcatlipoca is accompanied by a large crowd of jaguar Transients. However, he’s also heard rumors that no one knows what he really looks like. Ose finds that idea ridiculous and says it’s like being covered in smoke. He also suggests that maybe Tezcatlipoca has a shape changing concept like he does.

Kotarou grumbles about how shamelessly Ose is speaking and drops his own kiddie speech pattern to ask if Ose really came to make him ask if he doesn’t have an artifact of shapeshifting. Ose just smiles without answering.

Ose then changes the subject a little and says it’s real how the Warmongers are expanding. They’re moving faster than the ones to the south and to the east. The guild members are acting shrewdly too, and Ose then namedrops two names: the tactician Inusaka Keno Tanetomo and the shielder Inuta Kobungo Yasuyori.

Kotarou takes note of those names, and Ose says they seem to have the same kind of orbs Tadatomo does. He suggests there might be a connection, then asks Kotarou to tell Tadatomo about that. He thinks he’ll be happy about it anyway.

Kotarou asks what it is Ose wants from him in return, burning the note as he looks at him suspiciously. Ose says he has a favor involving Breke, who only recently appeared. Kotarou asks if Ose wants him captured, but Ose clarifies that he wants them to leave him alone even if they see him. He’d prefer they pretend like they never see him.

Koutarou says it’s a pretty weird job, even with all the ones they do get. Ose responds that, to borrow Kotarou’s phrasing, he’s got a lot of different ties of obligation before coming to Tokyo. Kotarou asks him about how he was this great soldier back in Gehenna, but Ose says he wasn’t referring to that. There are other ties. Being popular is hard, man.

In any case, Ose says this isn’t officially a job. It’s just a personal favor he’s asking. Ose decides it’s time to excuse himself and says he’ll see Kotarou again in some stinging thrill. Kotarou insists that all he wants is money for himself and his underlings so they can eat, not thrills.

As Ose leaves, he says this work doesn’t suit him and comments on the difficulty of it. But if Odin’s familiar(s?) have come, then Ose has to make a move himself. He gives off a big sigh before looking up at the sky, then says he’s prepared to see it to the end.

Ose says Breke should go run around all of Tokyo and see it all for himself. Once he’s done that, he, or “they”, should do as they see fit. That’s what he and the one who hired him wants.

Speaking of Breke, scene shifts over to his side as he reverts back to his normal self, saying his transformation undid itself. Harlot’s chalice has stopped glowing in his hands, like it’s rejecting the one not its true owner. Breke asks if the one he turned into was the original owner, and a response from within himself starts speaking to him.

Two overlaid voices confirm that for him, saying they recreated the user. Breke catches on that there is more than one voice and asks if they’re inside him. They say they are, talking about how happy they are he’s calmed down enough that they can talk to him now.

Breke asks who they are and says he can tell it’s two voices when he calms down. Only one voice speaks this time, and it says they’re speaking from the memory unit. They also say there’s a log in there saying they’re called Hugin and Munin. The other voice speaks from the thought unit, saying they take info from the memory unit and recreate them as thoughts. Together they support him, the main personality.

Hugin and Munin tell Breke that he can just think of them as the controllers, supervisors, and recreators of all the thoughts and memories within his body. Breke asks if there really is other people inside himself, and the crows confirm it for him. They have the memories, thoughts, and body details of the ones who have fulfilled their roles, and the nanomachines can be used to recreate them.

Breke sums it up as Harlot being one of the records within him. Hugin and Munin tell him that before he woke up, someone had left those registered logs in their body. Breke asks why anyone would do that, then demands that they tell him why he’s even there.

Hugin and Munin tell him they can’t answer that and reiterate that he’s the main personality. When Breke is confused by this, they tell him he gets to decide their purpose because that’s how it was set up. He tries to process that, and the crows prompt him to decide their next move as they say they’ll support him.

Before Breke can make a decision, the reinforcements of jaguar wrestlers he knocked out as Harlot show up, and they start surrounding him. Breke notes that they’re on guard against poison attacks and working together, so they must be pro soldiers. Hugin then starts suggesting they evacuate.

Breke says that it is the most logical course since they don’t know what the enemy’s goal or numbers are. However, he decides against it since there should be other people around in the building. If any retreat is happening, it’ll be after he saves them all. Hugin asks for a reason, so Breke answers that it was because he was saved, flashing back to when he asked you why you helped him. Since you saved him, he wants to do the same thing.

Hugin sets up battle mode, and Munin pulls some data to use about a previous artifact user from one of the ones back there. Breke asks if they’re talking about the helmet, and a transformation triggers as he feels something swelling from within. As he transforms, his consciousness apparently subsumes. The wrestlers for their part are shocked to see Surtr since he’s already reported to be out of things.

Scene then shifts over to Amatsumara as he’s finished up his work and asks Xolotl about the results. Xolotl now has eyes again and he’s amazed by how clear everything is. Amatsumara is glad to hear the prosthetics are working out so well and laughs about how great their engineering is. Xolotl feels so inspired and says he needs to thank Hakumen for the present. He also thanks Amatsumara for the eyes and promises to take care of them.

Amatsumara laughs saying that if he’s that happy about them, he’s pretty blessed himself. Then he asks Xolotl to sign off on the paperwork in the next room over to officially complete the transaction. Xolotl says he will and says he wants to see everyone soon.

The sounds of the wrestling and stuff can be heard in the room they’re in, which Amatsumara finally decides to comment on. He wonders if Hephaestus came back or if it’s Takemaru or someone else. Before he thinks any more on that, two of the wrestlers run in. He thinks they’re rude customers at first, but then they fire their rubber artifacts at him and start tying him up.

Amatsumara tries to bring up Kamata’s neutral ground status, but the rubber starts wrapping him up harder. He tries to flex out of it, but it doesn’t help. He’s shocked his muscles can’t break him out, and Xolotl briefly freaks out for a second before trying to cast his CS. The wrestlers stop him by using Amatsumara as a hostage as they call themselves heels.

Musashi cuts in, then takes down the two mobs before they realize what’s happening. One of them still has it in them to say they want to be on camera just a bit longer before collapsing. Musashi currently has his old man self in the driver’s seat, who calls the wrestlers hams. His young man self says they’re just too into their roles and compares them to play villains. Then he realizes he needs to cut Amatsumara out.

Musashi goes on to do so and asks if he’s okay. Amatsumara thanks him and asks who the wrestlers are. Musashi says he doesn’t know who they really are but reports that they’re tearing the place apart. Xolotl is shocked to hear that and runs off as Musashi suggests retreating to safety. He calls out for you, and when Amatsumara is unable to stop him, he tells Musashi they should go after him.

Musashi protests that it’s dangerous. Amatsumara says that the job isn’t done until the paper is signed. Also they can’t just sit by and let a customer be endangered, because that’s not what a craftsperson does. He runs off after Xolotl, and Musashi follows after saying you don’t just leave a bodyguard behind. And then the episode ends.