We tune in in front of the train station at Kasai Coastal Park. With Tokyo being walled as it is, it's one of the few places in Tokyo where you can swim at the beach. Aside from the leisure facilities the place is kept up as a place needed for aquatic Transients' daily living. Andvari's resort is located here too. However, with the imperishable daytime causing people anxiety, there are fewer pedestrians wandering around than usual, even with the midsummer heat going about. Ziz comments on this lack of people going out despite the heat, and she worries about there not being anyone coming. Ryouta insists it'll be okay since he and Shirou are helping out, and they've put up posters around. He mentions that Andvari even sprang for a TV commercial. Dude moves so fast working the angles it's scary.
Shirou mentions that it's still a worry that people might not go outside with the unusual situation of a sun that won't set. Nothing else has actually been changed by this incident, but suddenly having your daily rhythm thrown off is unnerving. Ziz tries to rally everyone and say you guys should put on a great play that'll help people forget about that worry. The Evils happily chatter, and Shirou is dismayed that they don't seem to feel responsible for causing this incident, though they have said they'd help.
Ryouta brushes past that point to say it'd be more eyecatching to have more people for a play. He then tries to remember what the type of play is called and ends up with pastrami. Ziz corrects him and says it's a pastorela, a shepherd's play. It uses Christmas as its main subject and is an improv play. It can be performed by pros or amateurs as a way to spread Christmas around. Ziz also mentions considering having songs added, but since there isn't enough people for a chorus that'd be hard to do. You either figure that's why you guys are going for something everyone can join in on, hope it'll go okay, or say Ziz looks great in her new dress.
In A, Ziz compliments you for understanding that point and offers to give you a gold star. Now all you guys need to do is make the play seem so fun that everyone will want to jump in too. In B, Ziz says she's sure it'll be okay because Ded, Itzamna, and the rest of you are helping to make it a success. Everything will go alright, and she promises to work with you guys too to make this thing a success. No need to worry about anything! In C, Ziz thanks you and says she likes the dress too. Despite it being a Santa outfit, it's not hot for her at all. The cloth texture is gentle on her feathers too, and she says she's deeply touched by Arachne's work.
Anyways, Ryouta comments on Ziz not being with Behemoth at the moment and that she's taking a part time job for winter break. Ziz explains that Behemoth is starting on some part time work himself so he can get presents to exchange for Christmas. She talked it over with him, but since she didn't have much experience herself she wasn't able to give much in the way of advice. She started thinking that when she's in charge of a class of her own, she figured this would be a problem during career consultation. Because of that, she talked with the other teachers and got permission for a short term job for some work experience.
Shirou is amazed that Ziz thought of things that far and spared her own time for this. Ziz says that she thought if she stayed inexperienced the students would get worried. The other teachers told her to go do this so that she can show people that there are things that can be learned outside of school too. She then happily tells you guys that she plans to use the money she's getting for this to treat Behemoth to some nice food for helping her realize this. You either express jealousy for Behemoth, politely ask to join in, or offer to treat Ziz to something. Ziz laughs no matter what you choose, and Shirou points out that someone is coming out of the station.
Ashigara walks out and belts out a yell of 'Summer Christmas!' Kyuuma is with him and wonders if Ashigara actually meant to say Merry Christmas instead since he has no idea what's up otherwise. Ashigara pouts that he just doesn't like that society is going on and on about how the Christmas he was looking forward to got cancelled. Yasuyori was going to be around for once, but then he said he was picking up a part time job, and then everyone else started saying they wouldn't be able to make it for the party so now he's feeling lonely and weeeh.
Durga is also with the two of them and talks about how some of the third year students bring crazy gifts to give for the season, so she's feeling some pressure for the gift exchange. If her present isn't the best, then UGH! But that aside she shouldn't be going over the price limit, because otherwise people would nail her to the wall for that. Kyuuma says it's fun to think about presents within a set price range, though getting something above it would be awkward.
Durga says that's why they came here, to tell Yasuyori not to overdo it at his job. And while they're at it they're gonna have some fun at the leisure resorts around and make everyone who didn't come SO jealous. Ashigara agrees with the idea, though he mentions Gunzou has mentioned coming by later. Kyuuma then notices you shortly after that you are here next to this super tall lady. Ashigara gets annoyed since he thinks you're off enjoying Christmas and ditching the rest of them, then gets ready to hit you. You can either talk to him, Kyuuma, or Durga.
In A, Ashigara loudly greets you a Summer Christmas, then is a little
surprised when you tell him you heard that earlier. He interprets this
to mean that it's catching on, then says he's heard a weird rumor about
Christmas being cancelled. Still, things like this are fun, he says as
he laughs. In B, Kyuuma greets you normally before remembering he should
say Merry Christmas. He talks about how weird it is that things are hot
like this, then asks how you're holding up. Then he mentions that the
fading on his uniform finally let up, but he's worried it'll fade again
with all this sun. In C, Durga greets you with an abbreviated form of
Merry Christmas, and then an abbreviated Happy New Year while she's at
it. Now that she's said it first, that makes her the first. When you
tell her it's too early for that, she says it should be fine since she
heard in class that some cultures say New Years to cover the
Christmas-New Years time period.
Anyways, Ziz asks if they're your friends since she hasn't seen them around Shinjuku Academy. She then introduces herself to the jocks and says she's an apprentice teacher working at Shinjuku. Ashiagara tells her that they're Yoyogi students, then introduces the three of them to her. Kyuuma greets Ziz politely and thanks her for looking after you. Then he notices Durga being weird and asks her what's up. Durga mumbles a bit about feeling like she's lost in a bunch of ways but says she can show she's number one in other ways. Durga then puts that aside to greet Ziz and asks for her App contact info if she's okay with that.
Ziz laughs and wonders if there are a lot of positive students at Yoyogi. She tells the jocks that she's doing a part time job for the Christmas Party happening at AndvaResort, then asks if they'd like to join in on the pastorela they'll be doing since they're already here. Kyuuma is surprised since they were heading to that same resort, and Ashigara gets mad at the mention of a party thinking Yasuyori was ditching him for it. He then agrees to join the play and tells Durga and Kyuuma to come along so that they can all surprise him.
Ziz is pleasantly surprised to hear the jocks are Yasuyori's friends as she calls it a coincidence and a Christmas miracle. Durga is shocked to hear Ziz is already friends with Yasuyori, so she agrees to join in on the play too. Shirou is baffled at how contrarian Durga is, commenting on how well she rolls with anything and how much initiative she has. Shirou then asks Ziz about the script now that they have actors joining in.
Ziz tells Shirou there isn't a script for a pastorela, but she does have the structure for the play's story down in her head. She explains that originally the play was restricted to people who could actually read. She wishes the people like that can live in peace and happiness, and she wonders how she can spread her predecessors' teachings. She says the people of old thought about it, then came up with an idea. If people can't read, then they put on a play using songs and pictures! And so the teachings spread far and wide.
You either ask if this pastorela is one of them, be amazed at how well informed Ziz is, or think to yourself the play is already starting. In A, Ziz confirms and says the purpose of a pastorela is to pass down the origins of Christmas through traditions. She suggests that if textbooks were anime or video games, people wouldn't sleep through them before saying she's kidding. In B, Ziz says Ded told her about all this. Other countries have something similar going on for them. Maybe even the remaining festivals, songs, and dances will make for a fun discovery. C just skips ahead.
Anyways, Ziz starts talking about how the play that'll be performed from this point on is about a story from ancient times. She casts herself as the humble shepherd that looks after the sheep in the hills and asks the audience to listen to her. She stands up straight as the current party applauds for her, which draws more attention from people passing by. Ziz talks about how she spent the day being so busy looking after sheep that she was about to fall asleep against their fluffy wool when suddenly a bright star started shining in the sky to the east. She then plays dumb for a sec to point out the sun in the sky and wonders if the star was as bright, maybe the night would be day. Random passersby snicker at this.
The play continues as Ziz asks if people have heard a rumor about how stars shining in the sky means a new king is born. Ooh, what if this star is the star of that rumor? What if a new king has been born in the east? Oh my oh my, she has to go celebrate this birth and wish for the future prosperity of the land! And so this became the day that people came together to celebrate the king's birth, which is believed to be connected to Christmas as it is now.
Ziz then asks everyone what kind of country they think is a country where everyone can live happily. Can anyone live happily wherever they are? Ryouta thinks for a second and defines happiness as the freedom to eat nice things whenever you want. Kyuuma agrees with that, but he also says there are other enjoyable things too. Ashigara whines about not wanting to be left alone and wants a place where everyone will be his friend. Durga thinks for a moment and says that's nice, but she'd still like to be the very best, like no one ever was. Everyone getting along is cool, but it isn't everything. While comparing yourself and being compared may hurt at times, having it is what pushes her to reach higher.
You note that no one's really come to an agreement and that the ideas may be incompatible. Shirou suggests that the outcome when you put all of them together is a country where you're free to pursue what you want. Putting it that way means that it's still likely that these desires might clash with one another though. Kyuuma agrees as he says that if there are people who would be happy surrounded by others, there ought to be people who'd be happier alone.
Ziz nods and says she thinks that wouldn't be wrong for a place where anyone can be happy. But again, if it's not wrong then there might be conflicts where people believe that their way is correct. She then suggests that it's important to know that there are people who like the things that you don't. If you don't, then you'd otherwise be rejecting what other people like. No matter how much you like something, it'll be a shock if you take it too far. And if the shocks and surprises go too far, you might end up not liking it anymore.
Durga compares the idea to a Christmas gift exchange. She mentions that one time, Yasuyori brought a present that went over budget. It is fun trying to pick something people would like to get, but there needs to be a bit of restraint when it comes to surprises. Ziz laughs and says it's important to not force your likes onto someone else, so she suggests going to tell the new king what they like so that he can make a great kingdom in the future. It's because people like so many things that they can live in happiness. Showing that the world is full of things that people like will help bring things to a better world! Ashigara agrees and says they should go, but then he gets surprised by something showing up.
An Evil and some Christmas Evils ride in blowing on trumpets, and you wonder when in shock they ran off, when there became to be more of them, and why they're going on a rampage. Shirou is also surprised to see his Evils doing this along with the Christmas Evils. Said Evils keep on blowing on their trumpets as they start surrounding the party. Ziz starts asking why the Evils are doing this, so they babble at her while continuing to honk away with their instruments. Ziz interprets them as saying they're doing this because that's what demons do and challenging you guys to a battle if you want to pass. Shirou is scandalized at how they're speaking to her, but Ryouta tries to say that this is probably part of the play.
Kyuuma says that's nice if it's true, then looks to Ashigara for ideas on what to do. Ashigara says if the Evils are picking a fight, then they're gonna get one. Durga agrees, saying being an athlete means getting fired up if obstacles get in the way. You either challenge the Evils to come at you, say you feel bad doing this, or tell people not to go at it too hard. Then the episode battle begins as the Evils chatter some more, and more story happens after that.
After the battle, narration picks back up to talk about how the pastorela you guys are putting on in front of the train station is drawing attention from curious onlookers. The party continues with performing the play while warning the audience of the dangers of sunstroke and overexposure to sunlight. Itzamna is watching from somewhere commenting on how creatively you guys are doing your play, but he says the big hurdle is coming up past this point. How well can you guys handle the opinions and criticisms of the audience?
As it turns out there are those among the audience who are watching the play unfold with bitterness in their hearts. The thing tying these Transients together is that they hate Christmas. They believe Christmas to be an occasion for good children, and they see themselves as naughty children. For example there's this one ghost around who is jealous of children who are blessed by Christmas. He on the other hand will scare people and get driven away just for looking inside people's homes. As it went on, the ghost started seeing himself as a bad child who brings unhappiness just by existing. The ghost is watching the play from a further distance than everyone else, and he despairs at what he expects the ending to be. It'll probably end with the demons being driven away and the side society sees as 'just' winning.
Back to the play, the Evils performing fall over as the audience gets excited over the staged battle. Ziz asks them if they're okay and asks again why they came to stop the party. When the Evils chatter, Ziz translates it into them saying that Christmas is a time when only the wishes of good children get granted. Everyone calls them naughty children, even though there ought to be some naughty children among those called nice. They reject the unfairness of being the demons used as a comparison point for the good children, so they hate Christmas and will ruin the day for it. Shirou is saddened to hear they feel this way, but Ryouta tries to assure him this is just part of the play.
Ziz acknowledges that it's pretty common in anecdotes that pass down morals to cast demons as villains and unnecessary for the world. But she questions how true that is and whether that label is Everything to a person. Does the world really deal in absolutes where someone is right and someone is wrong? Would the wisest sage in the world have the answers to everything?
Ziz then turns to the audience and asks if they've heard of a certain story she's going to bring up. Long long ago, the man of a certain couple sold his beautiful clock to buy a decorative comb for his wife. But then as it turns out, the wife cut her hair and sold it off to buy a chain for her husband's clock. It's a story of people who considered the ones they love and decided to let go of the things they treasured with no regrets for them. So maybe something Ziz considers important and right to her won't hold the same values to someone else. That's just a personal difference. How much does one person know, and how much can they see?
Ziz laughs for a bit, then asks everyone watching the play to think about something. Specifically, she asks everyone to think about what they love, and to think about someone who's not them what they love. You can choose to think about your own likes, the likes of someone you care about, or the likes of a total stranger. Ziz says that there's probably plenty of cases where people misunderstand what others think is important like that tragic story she just mentioned. But even among the gifts that someone out there doesn't want, there ought to be something mixed in there that only you would want. She then invites everyone to come with her to journey with the wise men on their journey to know everything and find answers.
Shirou's Evil chatters curiously, which Ziz interprets as a question as to whether a bad child's wish will be heard out. She says that they don't know everything, so it's too early to decide how something could be, just like a sheep-watching shepherd. She then suggests getting up and coming along with her, which she addresses to both the Evils and to the audience watching. She also notices someone hidden further away also watching them, so she calls out to them and asks if someone is there. This turns out to be that ghost mentioned earlier, and you invite the ghost to come with you guys too if he wants.
The ghost hides away in response, but Ziz wonders if you guys got its interest. She figures he'll come along later, so she asks if everyone else is ready to go. She takes in a deep breath, then calls out loud as if ready to sing up into the sky. Ziz then leads everyone forward to where she says the star is past the hills, where the wise men's journey begins. The Evils excitedly chatter and sing with Ziz as everyone starts moving along, and other people in the audience starts joining in.
The ghost watches you guys as its hostility fades away, then slowly follows shortly afterwards. Maybe his own wish will be granted too, he hopes in his heart. Time skips a bit to everyone reaching Andvari's Resort as Ziz addresses the guests and says today will be a day of celebration for Christmas. She welcomes them all to the AndvaResort's Christmas Party Area, and on that note the episode ends.
Yay!
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