Chapter 10 Episode 5: Academy Military Prison 2

Yasuyori begins narrating about his past, the time when he could laugh innocently and live in ignorance. He wants to go back but feels like he can’t because he’s learned what he’s really like. The group he thought of his friends and thought also saw him that way was the people he thought of as important. Friendship was what tied them together, and he believed they would never hurt each other.

 

But it turns out that Yasuyori had forgotten the times when he wasn’t like that, which he believed was how he really was. He saw that he was someone who could hurt the people dear to him. He ran before anyone could find out, before he could hurt anyone again.

 

Yasuyori then describes the prison school as comforting since the only people around are like him. It’s a place where everyone quietly believed that everyone else was going through the same thing. It’s the one place left that accepts him for what he is, the place he can be whether he likes it or not. He feels that being elsewhere is impermissible.

 

Now he wishes to protect the place. Yasuyori also mentions that he has to feel that way, so he hopes that his old friends will forget about him. He hopes they won’t remember that he was a monster who would attack his friends.

 

Scene then shifts to Somewhere in Nakano. The Analyst starts up for exposition as Ose is in some school’s secret room that acts as one of the safe houses for the Agents. Aside from some of its top members, no one knows that it’s a stronghold for the guild.

 

Ose is shooting at a target with his golden gun, and Mineaki claps for him saying that a thinker like himself has to compliment him. Ose brushes it off, then suggests they get to exchanging notes. He starts by asking Mineaki about the investigations he and his client have done about a certain surprise. He also teases him about who Mineaki’s real client is, asking if it’s the Warmongers, the Invaders, or someone else.

 

Mineaki says that all he wants is to see the proper end to this chain of events, by which he means the true ending without the loops starting up again. Ose asks if that’s why he’s so willing to play triple agent. Mineaki laughs it off and says Ose’s doing something similar, not working for any of the true big three guilds. Ose laughs off having the point turned back against him and agrees to return to the main topic.

 

Ose then asks Mineaki about how the present situation could likely cause issues for him. As a result of all the loops happening, the big three guilds have agreed to ban certain moves that would cause a deadlock. After all, the game will stagnate if loops happen so quickly.

 

One of these rules is that “all guilds are forbidden from directly interfering with the trophy until the last move as been made.” Except this time the opposite event has happened, and Ose seems surprised that you’d intentionally put yourself in one of the side’s hands.

 

He figures you’re doing this to force the big three to come to blows, upset the board, slip through the cracks, and gather information. Ose seems to approve and says causing chaos is the correct thing to do as a weak party.

 

Ose notes that while everyone calls them the true big three guilds, even those guilds aren’t united in their thoughts internally. Each Representative has their own viewpoint. But even with that fact, Ose says that the Warmongers are acting strangely.

 

The other guilds are asking if the Warmongers are intending to break the rules, yet the Warmongers are moving slowly. No one could blame the other guilds for accusing them of rule breaking. Ose compares it to them being afraid of a move being made against them.

 

Mineaki speaks up and tells Ose of a rumor he’s heard of. So apparently in the Warmongers’ training drill place/academy military prison, they’re holding a “disastrous thing” of some kind in their deepest interior section. Ose finds this interesting, and Mineaki elaborates that this Thing is something that has never happened before in any of the loops. If it isn’t investigated from the outside, the Warmongers might...something he cuts off on.

 

Mineaki says that the prison is working probably, so he suggests that things be done as quietly as possible. Ose comments on how far out Mineaki is sticking his neck out and how it doesn’t look like simple curiosity. Mineaki confirms that and says this time he’s working hard since this bit can’t be dismissed as other people’s affairs. He just loves his students and coworkers, man.

 

Scene then shifts back to your side as morning comes just like any other day. Yasuyori comes by ordering everyone to tidy up their sheets and head to the mess hall for breakfast. After eating it’ll be time for drills again. You either yawn about how well you slept, comment on a night passing by, or wonder if Jacob and R-19 will be joining you yet.

 

As you make your bed and change clothes, you look around and see everyone else is following suit. You note the presence of other members in the group besides the one you fought the day before, and you think that if they all attack you another fight like before will happen. For now though you have to focus.

 

Some of the giants start talking to you and ask about your name as you all head over for breakfast. You either be cold, afraid, or just nod to the question. It turns out the water giant is the leader of the group, so the others tell you to show him respect. He tells them to not make threats, but shrugs and says you aren’t the type to back off so easily since you’re also a wild one, I think. Plus there’s what happened after the fight, so you being defensive isn’t unreasonable.

 

Anyways, the lead giant tells you to relax because you’re all in the same position. You are confused by this, and the giant explains that you must be someone who was Forced to Remember what you were like. The rest of the group pat your shoulders in sympathy, and the water giant says the ones who attacked you yesterday were also new prisoners. They need time to accept what they’re Really Like, which is why they attacked. Not that anyone else was any different to begin with.

 

Anyways, the giant comments on you having balls for looking so calm still. He mentions what a shock it was to have the memories returned. As you are about to say something about that, Yasuyori yells for you two to finish eating up. The giant suggests you not get Yasuyori’s attention on you, then heads off.

 

Time skips a bit to you all heading out for drills, and Yasuyori starts you guys off with running around the outer circumference. You head off and can comment on the shaking the giants are causing. The shadow giant who attacked yesterday starts talking to you while running along, and he apologizes for what he did. He also mentions the leader told him that you’re all in the same position so you guys better get along as you don’t have anywhere else to fit in. He gives an awkward smile as he holds his hand out.

 

You think to yourself that you were expecting the place to be a lot more brutal. You also note that it isn’t really camaraderie the giants are sharing as you feel something is up, like they’re looking for something else.

 

Anyways the giant talks about still being unable to accept the memories, then talks about how everyone here is like him. He desperately asks you about him not needing to bear it all alone and that you understand him, a dark light in his eyes as he smiles. You wonder about either or both of those parts of him.

 

The Shadow giant starts asking you about you attacking your friends, but Yasuyori calls over to you two and orders the small talk to stop. The giant drops the conversation in fright and distances himself to continue running.

 

Yasuyori then tells you something that he describes is less a suggestion and more a warning meant to prevent trouble. He tells you straight out that unlike everyone else around, there’s a certain special policy regarding your memories. If people were to find out, Yasuyori says you’d be causing disorder and ostracization. If you don’t plan on leaving soon, he says you should keep quiet about your memories.

 

You ask if he’s talking about the loop memories as you flashback to Tiger Man talking about people remembering their memories and living in eternal war. You also flashback to Claude talking to you about what happens to people who regained their memories of the war parts. Yasuyori is surprised you know and confirms that.

 

Yasuyori elaborates that most people have only forgotten about the war that dragged everyone into it and repeated itself, where everyone was divided and attacked each other. Yasuyori asks how much you do remember, so you tell him you only remember being killed and may not have any memories of killing. You also think to yourself that you don’t know what happens before or after any of it.

 

Yasuyori seems sad as he opines that not having any memories of being the assailant like them is a blessing. He doesn’t seem to have any memories before or after the deaths in his, but he says remembering that he’s a beast who could attack his friends at any moment drove him away from everywhere else.

 

You take note of Yasuyori telling you he doesn’t remember everything in shock, and you wonder if the memories are being selectively given or something else is up. Yasuyori continues by saying he can’t go back to Yoyogi, then panics for a moment upon realizing what he said. Then he calls over the squad and says it’s time for the combat drills next.

 

Time skips a little as you guys head to wherever your drills are taking place while some other group is still there. Yasuyori comments on this, then says he heard Squad 25 has new members and instructors added today. He’s then shocked to see Avarga and Daisuke around. You recognize Taurus Mask and take note of Avarga. Yasuyori asks in dismay why they’re here as the episode ends.