Once, there was a giant hero who stood in the way of an army named Goliath. His astonishing strength sent shivers of fear down anyone's spine, yet a young shepherd boy stepped up to fight him. In the end of that battle, the boy's stone pierced through the giant's forehead unerringly. His allied soldiers were surprised by this, and they went on to celebrate his victory. They called it the birth of a new king, one who would guide their way. The boy used to be a shepherd, possessing the role of guiding lost sheep. He would be the one to guide everyone to the faraway place, where the all-knowing all-capable light descended from.
This boy will one day become king. This boy was promised the direct path to glory. Those lost and hurt in life will look up to him and assuredly think of him as dazzling. People seek what they were not given because what they don't have looks brighter to them. Many people like that hold hesitation within them, and the boy who had no hesitation is David. All who come to Tokyo come seeking something they could not obtain in their home worlds, so what is it that David sought? Whatever it is, he never spoke a word of it.
Title card pops up, and this chapter is called Valentine Chocolate Heart.
Scene then tunes into the specially set up lobby in the Berserkers guild area where Duo is sitting on a sofa in the middle of things. The TV monitor is showing a view of every area in Ikebukuro alongside the current rankings and chocolate point count for the event participants. Duo is processing all of this data with no issue and typing away at several computers around him without missing a beat. He carries on with a look like he knows everything in the world, though he's reserving his judgment for one thing.
Snow walks up to Duo, apologizing for the interruption to tell him he's brought lunch for him and taking care to speak in a quiet dignified manner to keep his being a distraction to a minimum. Duo thanks him and says he'll eat it once he's done with checking something. Snow says it should be them thanking Duo and the Hongou Wisemen for their cooperation. It's due to their development and applicability of the app's expansion function to practical levels that the Berserkers can use it for this event. There's also Duo monitoring everything for them too. Snow smiles as he hands Duo some cocoa made with some special milk, then turns towards his feet once he's done with that.
Snow asks why Garm is sitting down there, so Garm sits up and sounds guilty as he says he did something bad to Kyuuma and asks what he should do. Snow suggests Garm could just go apologize to him if he feels that bad about it, and Duo pats Garm and tells him he's a good boy. Garm is surprised but pleased by this, and he starts wagging his up til now drooping tail. Moritaka and Shuuichi walk up at this point, and Shuuichi is highly displeased as he expresses jealousy that Duo is petting him. Moritaka tries to get Shuuichi to calm down as he explains Garm was feeling sad, and Duo pointedly greets only Moritaka. Moritaka thanks him and says he's back as he greets him and Snow. Shuuichi tries to laugh off being ignored, and while he says this is a regular thing, it still hurts. Moritaka suggests Duo say something to Shuuichi out of pity.
Snow welcomes Moritaka and Shuuichi back, then asks them how things are outside. Shuuichi answers that the link program the Wisemen have developed is confirmed to be working. Moritaka expresses amazement about the expansion function and says it gives him appreciation about how he doesn't know everything. Snow says he was surprised by it too, though there is one thing that he doesn't understand, so Shuuichi asks if he's talking about the Wisemen not taking payment for things This Time. Snow says nothing as he stares back at him, so Shuuichi takes this to mean yes.
Shuuichi says that normally, he'd like to work out a deal, but this time being involved with the event is enough. Snow asks if he's saying he has some other motive for this, so Shuuichi initially explains that someone he knows is participating in this event and his choices will be an important sample for them. Shuuichi then backtracks from this to say that there's something he wants to see himself as a kendoka, which is all he'd like to say on that. He insists that he's not lying, and he says that he went through the trouble of getting Moritaka to come with him especially for this too.
Shuuichi looks over at Duo, and narration starts talking about how Systems are things meant to achieve eternity for worlds by gathering the wills in the world to benefit the greatest number of people. For those who bear the System, hesitation is only just a delay in their judgment, so they are always made to compete over their processing speed. But right now, Duo just watches silently over you and Fergus as you two run down Ikebukuro.
Scene shifts over to your end as Fergus stops for a moment in confusion. You ask Fergus why he's looking around all of a sudden and if he's lost, so Fergus says he thought he felt someone watching him. He apologizes for seeming to hesitate, and the two of you continue on through the enforced neutral zone in Ikebukuro Station towards the west exit. Once you two reach that area, Fergus suddenly starts talking to you again and asks if you'll hear him out before you guys go out there. You nod or say he can say whatever he wants, and B gets an extra line where Fergus laughs and says being told that could excite him like a horse.
Anyways Fergus asks if you've noticed yet in the short time the two of you have been fighting together, specifically the bit of hesitation he has while swinging his sword. You ask Fergus what he means, and Fergus looks over to his swords with a faint look of anguish in his eyes. He explains that his two patterned greatswords is without a doubt his artifact, which he describes as a partner that was with him everywhere in his home world, both in and out of battle. But ever since he came to Tokyo, as far as he remembers, it's never responded to him once. He can't use its power, so it's no wonder Kengo got fed up earlier. Fergus really couldn't use his full power back in that fight with him.
You call out Fergus's name in concern or stay quiet, and Fergus starts telling you he's sworn a number of geas back in his home world. He considers banquets and parties to be important things to him, and one of the geas he swore was to never refuse a party that gets loud and brings people together. You might think a contract with your own self might just be something like a charm, but it means a whole lot to Fergus. He wants to regain who he is as a warrior, then face Kengo again with his full power. And since Fergus was asked to go all out, he considers all this mayhem to be equal to a party. He has to rise up and respond to it, for that is his youth!
You tell Fergus you'll help him and say Kengo is hoping for that too, or you nod and look him in the eye. Either way, Fergus approves of your response and says he's falling for you. You are surprised by this, and Fergus laughs and says he means what he said. He's always been the type to crush on people easily since his time in his home world. You ask if he likes you as a friend or as something else, and Fergus starts saying something about what he thinks about falling in love with you again when he suddenly jumps like he got hit with lightning and stops talking. He thinks to himself as he wonders why he said 'again,' then figures he'll know why when this adolescence goes on.
Scene shifts over to the west end of Ikebukuro in front of the station area, and a bunch of mobs have acknowledged that they lost and hand over their chocolate to the winner. Shuten thanks them and compliments them for having done well, and the yaksha wishes him a happy Valentine's as she says she'll see him later. Shuten splits half of the gains with Kyuuma since he was part of that fight too. Kyuuma asks if he's sure since he credits most of the win to Shuten, which Shuten finds surprising as he says they won because of Kyuuma's help. Kyuuma reluctantly agrees with this, but then says he just did what Shuten told him to do.
Shuten calls Kyuuma methodical and says Ibaraki would have happily taken it if he were in his place. On second thought he might be mad about it since he seems weird about something, but Shuten sets the thought aside and tells Kyuuma to take the chocolate already. Kyuuma politely thanks him and accepts this time, and Shuten thinks to himself that something must be seriously wrong with Kyuuma since he's not his usual energetic self.
Kyuuma asks Shuten if he plans to keep sticking with him. He still thinks of himself as something of a loser, and he figures Shuten would be doing better if he were working on his own. He looks at his phone around this point and drops the thought midway to express surprise at how far away the top rankers on the charts are doing, enough that the phase might be over soon. Shuten says that's even more reason to try harder and suggests going to somewhere with a lot of people.
Kyuuma protests pessimistic about their chances, so Shuten asks Kyuuma about what he really wants. He also chides Kyuuma for not being the determined kouhai spouting lines about not giving up and making a comeback from behind, something he's sure Kyuuma would have done if they were playing one on one. Kyuuma is surprised by this and asks Shuten why he insists on sticking with him so much. Shuten talks about how Kyuuma is always hanging around with the jocks usually, but he noticed he was alone for once participating in the event. He doesn't know why he is, but he figures Kyuuma must have a reason to not be doing this with the jocks. He also seemed uneasy about something, so Shuten figured he'd accompany him.
Kyuuma protests that his own hesitations and worries don't really warrant having Shuten bother himself with him. Shuten says Kyuuma has something about him that shines greatly in his eyes, now that Shuten himself has let go of his own hesitation. He tells Kyuuma to get a hold of himself, so Kyuuma tries to focus before he gets surprised by David happily hugging him.
Scene shifts back to your end as you and Fergus reach the west end of Ikebukuro. Specifically, the two of you are at a large park over there that happens to be near where the Berserkers have set their guild base. It's a place where tons of different people stop by for a break, whether it be the weekday or the weekend. But with things being Valentine's today, things are different. A bunch of mobs are fighting each other and asking for the others' chocolates, and some apologize preemptively for possibly hurting them. Fergus is pleasantly surprised at the free for all brawl happening, and he laughs and suggests that the two of you go join in on the ultimate melee.
You express some worry about jumping into that chaotic mess of a fight, and suddenly you guys hear a scream that seems familiar. The voice yells about there being too many people beyond what he was expecting, and you pipe up to say you recognize the sound of that kouhai. Shuten and Kyuuma are around, and Shuten is mildly surprised at the number of people around and says it reminds him of the big battles at Oeyama. Kyuuma asks him for ideas since everyone is attacking them for their chocolates, and Shutten seems unconcerned as he says this is to be expected with them placing high on the rankings. Kyuuma is baffled at his reaction and says that they're stuck running since they're basically surrounded. Fergus asks if you know them as he comments on them being ganged on, so you either answer that they're your friends, a senpai and kouhai, or some people who are important to you. A and B has Fergus declare that friends help friends when they're in trouble. C has Fergus impressed instead as he says that's more reason to jump in.
Either way you nod and agree with Fergus. Fergus says that while this is a competition, helping takes priority so you guys should make an opening in the battle lines for them to escape through. The two of you then charge. Camera then jumps over to Kyuuma and Shuten again, and it takes Shuten a moment to figure out what all the extra noise is before he realizes you guys came to help. Kyuuma is surprised when Shuten points you out to him, and he asks why you're here. Shuten tells him to focus and act like a proper rival now, so Kyuuma does his best to get in head into gear as the episode battle begins. More happens after that.
After the battle, things pick up with you yelling as you cut an opening for Kyuuma and Shuten to run through. Shuten urges Kyuuma to get going, so Kyuuma does so but worries about being chased from behind. Randos try to stop them and go after Kyuuma since he's lagging. Fergus however steps in to cover his escape, and he says he won't hesitate to swing his sword for a friend before channeling Shimazu Yoshihiro with a yell of 'chesto.' He proceeds to create a blast of wind that blows a bunch of randos away that yell about how wild this is.
Fergus swings again, sending even more no namers yelling about this wild strike up in the air. This also has the added effect of making the chocolates of everyone he hit rain down, which Kyuuma is amazed about. Fergus tells Kyuuma to not look back and to keep running as he refers to him as your friend and someone he's fallen in love with. Kyuuma obeys, and once he goes Fergus roars towards the other fighters, yelling a farewell to youth before disengaging himself and leaving tons of baffled people in his wake.
You run full speed on a little bit later, not paying any attention to the chocolates as you pass by. Kyuuma talks to Fergus to express amazement again and asks who he is, so Fergus tells him he's a second year at Bukuro and gives his name. Kyuuma recognizes him as the famous ace in high school kendo people have talked about. You tell Kyuuma you're glad he's okay and ask what happened since you're surprised to see him with Shuten. Kyuuma sadly notes that you're always surrounded by notable people, and the episode ends with Fergus being surprised and his sword wavering as if feeling lost.
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