Kyuuma starts narrating, and he talks about how he feels like he's always trying to follow in someone's footsteps and chasing after someone. His parents, his teachers, his senpai, his same grade classmates, and sometimes even his kouhai. There are plenty of times when his senpai doted on him and hung out together with him, and this continued on when he got into Yoyogi. Sometimes it was with his third year senpai in the sumo team. Sometimes it was with his second year senpai on the rugby team. There's also the track and field team, wrestling team, and the football team. All of his senpai treated him well. He saw the strides they made, and he took it as encouragement to work hard and tried his best.
Sometimes though, Kyuuma takes note of himself running after them from behind. There he is, that stupid space filler who couldn't keep up with his senpais' encouragement. His senpai shone so bright that he wanted to look away since he's still just a first year who doesn't measure up yet. So many things build up that he can't do anything about, which just builds up his frustrations at the same time. He grows desperate thinking if only he could focus on looking forward. He doesn't have the time to turn his attention away from baseball, and he believed he didn't have the time to waste thinking about anyone else. Yet the feelings he carries remain in his heart, never fading away and turning indistinct like the fog. He carries it on with him, along with the chocolate his has hidden in his chest he treasures so much.
Things tune in back to the present as Kyuuma pants, running forward towards the vision of people he wants to catch up with. You tell Kyuuma he's almost there, grab his hand, or piggyback carry him and run. B and C gets an extra line with him reacting in embarrassment at this. But anyways, Snow starts making an announcement in regards to the event to all participants. It is currently time for a 15 minute break, and during this time taking photos of peoples' chocolates will not count towards your score like the first break. This is the last break for stage 1, so please keep that in mind. Snow also says he'll announce where the goal area is for this part is, so it's best that people not miss this part.
Shuten tells you that it's break time now, so you can stop running. You nod and acknowledge that it's that time, say you ended up running full steam ahead, and/or comment that it felt a bit like youth. Fergus laughs that running goes hand in hand with adolescence, and things would just be perfect if it was time for sunset now. Shuten is weirded out and baffled by Fergus's comment, but he thanks him for helping. Kyuuma says he wasn't thinking when he ran, but now that he's stopped he asks where you guys are since he doesn't know what alleyway you guys went into is. Fergus checks and notes that you guys still seem to be in the event area boundaries, but it is still pretty far away from the train station. He suggests leaving the plans for what to do next aside for now and having everyone introduce themselves.
Shuten agrees with the point and says they didn't have time for that earlier with the big battle before. He introduces himself as a third year at Shinjuku and part of the baseball team, then thanks Fergus again for helping them out. Kyuuma gives his full name and says he's a first year and baseball player at Yoyogi, then thanks Fergus for helping as well. Fergus laughs and approves of his introduction, then introduces himself before saying nice to meet youth. Kyuuma almost repeats the same thing back politely before his brain stumbles at the odd shoehorn of youth there.
Shuten comments it's a lifesaver that break time came when it did, because if he doesn't take a breather he might fall over. Kyuuma offers to buy everyone drinks and asks if anyone wants anything specific. Fergus accepts the offer and gives Kyuuma some money, then gives a vague request for something that makes him feel that youth happening. Kyuuma agrees, gets confused at this request, but says he'll do it anyways.
You offer to go with Kyuuma since it'd be hard to carry all the drinks on his own, but he quickly insists he'll be okay as he's used to being asked to buy stuff on the baseball team. He'd also like for you guys to all rest since the match event only just started. He excuses himself and runs off, and you comment that he seems to be different and faking his cheer today. Fergus says he doesn't know Kyuuma, but he suggests that maybe he's having teen troubles. He asks if Sir Shuten knows anything since he was with him. Shuten isn't keen on being addressed that way, but he doesn't insist on making Fergus stop.
Camera jumps over to Kyuuma who is looking at sports drinks, figuring that'd meet Fergus's request. He asks David if he thinks so too, then goes on to pick out drinks for him and everyone. Back at your end, you wonder if Kyuuma is feeling not confident about something and if he's worrying about something. Shuten says Kyuuma is normally a straightforward kind of guy who's easy to read. He's pretending to be fine, but he won't say what's on his mind. Shuten points out that he's also not with anyone from Yoyogi like he normally does. You ask if he means like Ashigara and Gunzou, then agree that it's strange for Kyuuma to not be with the other jocks.
Shuten is sure that there must be a reason for Kyuuma to be on his own this time. You have a quick flashback to when you met him at Bukuro and note that he did seem unhappy then, and Fergus stays quiet. You note that this seems like some sort of delicate issue since Kyuuma seems unlikely to volunteer anything about it, so you wonder how you can figure it out another way.
Kyuuma gets back at this point, then wonders what you guys are talking about. Fergus turns to him and notes that Kyuuma is going through his youth, which confuses Kyuuma of course. Fergus asks if he's worried about something and feeling like he 'can't take both options,' which shocks Kyuuma. Fergus talks about how Kyuuma wouldn't be in a dilemma and feeling lost if he could choose both, and it's because he thinks both are important that this is a youth thing. Kyuuma looks mad at this, and you can either try to talk Fergus out of this since he's being so abrupt about the topic or just watch quietly. Shuten asks you to let Fergus speak if you try the former.
Fergus comments that Kyuuma is lucky to have two things so important to him that he can't choose, which surprises Kyuuma. Fergus argues that this means he doesn't have time to be standing around lost in thought, so he should be doing his best to go after both of them. Kyuuma attempts to protest about the possibility that he gets neither of the things he wants, so Fergus tells him to open his ears wide and listen to him. They say that if you chase two hares you will catch neither, but youth is about going in full force. So, Kyuuma has to be going all in on this, and Fergus asks if Kyuuma is doing so. Kyuuma is baffled speechless at this, so you try to reign Fergus in saying Kyuuma isn't getting it and apologize to Kyuuma since Fergus is just like that and that he shouldn't take him that seriously.
Shuten apologizes for interrupting the speech but informs you guys that break time is almost over. Once you're all done with your drinks, Shuten says he'll throw the bottles away, and then you guys need to figure out a plan. Kyuuma is surprised and attempts to insist on being the one to throw the trash away, but Shuten suggests he could do with thinking over what Fergus was talking about. Shuten then grabs Fergus and drags him away, insisting he help toss the trash out over Fergus's protests about needing to discuss the problems that come with youth.
After the two of them go, you comment on that bit and ask Kyuuma if he'd like to talk since there's still a bit of time left. Kyuuma takes a moment, then decides to open up to you. He talks about having made the chocolate he has himself since he wanted to make his senpais happy. He shows you his chocolate, which are all shaped like baseballs. Kyuuma admits he originally had other plans as Ashigara and Gunzou had plans for an chocolate exchange party. Kyuuma however couldn't bring himself to go, so you either ask him why or quietly wait for him to go on.
Kyuuma talks about how his senpai who have talked about things with the faculty staff at school are those on the road to being pros. It's nothing unusual at Yoyogi, but Kyuuma admits to feeling like a loser since they seem like they're going far away. It frustrates him that he hasn't shown results, and his senpai are so amazing that he can't bring himself to look at them. If asked if he had time to go to this party, he says he really wanted to go. It's only natural that he'd hate himself for worrying and being indecisive. He admits to being frustrated to you, and you can either smile at him, hold his hand, or hug him. B has an extra line of Kyuuma being a bit surprised by this. C has a different extra line where he's shocked by that.
In any case, Kyuuma hangs his head ashamed, and he holds his chocolate so tightly that the wrappings make creaking sounds. Shuten comes back at this point and asks if you guys are done talking. Kyuuma doesn't really answer that, and Shuten prompts him to get moving. He thinks of him as a rival, so he's not going to give him any slack and asks if Kyuuma understands. Kyuuma nods in response.
Some time later, Fergus has checked the leader board and informs you guys that you've all dropped to an unimpressive position currently. The app's locator data says there's a bunch of participants over at the station area again right now, and the only way to get through this current situation is to go back to the battlefield and take chocolate points from other people. Shuten brings up that the clear conditions for stage one still haven't been declared yet, so getting points is all you guys can do for now anyways. You say you guys can't just run the whole time and need to aim for the top, or you have a bit of regret you guys didn't grab all that chocolate from earlier. C gets an extra line from Shuten laughing and saying it's too late to think that now.
Fergus says he was thinking about that before as well, but he decides it's all good since it's important to make your exit cool. Kyuuma is baffled by this, and Fergus loudly pushes past the point to state that you guys are going back out into the fight and covering for each other so that everyone will win this stage. You ask Kyuuma if he's holding up okay, and Kyuuma fumbles his words for a moment before thanking you for listening to him earlier. He's feeling better now that he got things off his chest, and he laughs ruefully about brooding earlier. He's here and all, and he swears to make himself helpful for you guys.
Scene shifts over to the station area by Ikebukuro's west exit. Some wolf mob acknowledges that he lost and hands over his chocolate as he asks the winner take a nice picture of it. Cthugha accepts the things and brags that he's a pro photographer, but then promptly takes a blurry photo. The battle unfolding rages on with camera clicks going off in the background. Those who lost leave, only to be replaced by a wave of newcomers. The cycle continues on and on, turning the area into a huge battleground. You comment your amazement at the scene and say it's not really just a free for all anymore, or you prompt people to say cheese. C gets an extra bit as Shuten, Kyuuma, Cthugha, and two nobodies all pose for the camera before Kyuuma tells you you're supposed to be snapping pics of chocolates and not them.
Anyways, Shuten says this big chaotic brawl is actually your chance to win big and make a comeback. Kyuuma is surprised at how quickly the point counts are rising as he looks at the chart, and Claude suddenly starts up a video announcement. He starts to express his enjoyment of everything happening when you yell at Claude to cut out his intro and get with explaining the win conditions already. He is actually taken by surprise by this and apologizes. He complies with cutting his speech short, then passes things over to Snow to explain in detail.
Snow steps up to their camera and says he'll explain the win conditions for this stage of the event. Shuten is surprised at how unruffled Snow is about this and prompts him to hurry it up. Snow says new location data is being sent to everyone through the app, and you should see some places colored red on the map. Those are the end goals of this phase for everyone who's collected enough chocolates. There's only a fixed number of slots for people moving on to the next round, and anyone who isn't there by the time things are called are out. Snow then signs the video call off with a well wishing in battle and a happy Valentine's. You note that the goal areas have shown up, though you kind of expected this already.
Camera jumps over to where Nomad is, up on the roof of some apartment building working as a bodyguard and observer for the event. He raises his voice in surprise at there suddenly being a lot more people participating in the event, and Kamui notes that this is people's last gamble for a chance at winning which is making the situation what it is. He suggests that something may be happening, and Taurus Mask gets excited by all the people around. Nomad asks where these people even came from and thinks they ought to have trained up some more. Kamui tells Taurus Mask it's almost time to go and that they should focus on their jobs as guards and observers. He and Nomad move on ahead, leaving Taurus Mask to ask for them to wait as he follows along, and at that point he reacts in surprise to noticing Kyuuma down there.
Back down on the street, Shuten declares it's time to go, so you guys should pray to the heavens for luck and hoof it to the goal. Several participants are seen breaking off early to head for the goal area, but this also coincides with more participants joining the battle as well. Kyuuma is shocked at the number of people here, saying that there's enough that he can't actually see the ground of the streets themselves. Fergus figures everyone there is attempting to make one last push to win, which is a problem for you guys since it'll prevent you guys from leaving.
You tell the party that you guys should break off too since you're all high enough in the rankings that you just need to make it to the goal line. The others agree, but some of the mobs notice your positions and attempt to call others to block you off. Shuten suggests that he and Fergus cut a way through and tells him to handle the left and right. Fergus says he's been thinking about how calm Shuten has been this whole time and asks if he was a general at some point. Shuten will only tell Fergus that he went through something similar once. He messed up and everything went badly for him though, and Shuten remembers about how he fell for a lie and lost a lot of his friends to the forces sent to capture Mt. Ooe.
Kyuuma attempts to talk to Shuten, and Shuten is surprised by this as he asks what's going on. Kyuuma asks Shuten if he regrets what he did in the past and wishes he could redo it. Shuten calls him stupid and says of course he regrets it, and not a night goes by where he doesn't think about what happened. Kyuuma is hesitant to say more, but Shuten admits that while he does regret it, he's never thought about going back and trying something different. Kyuuma asks him why he wouldn't, so Shuten says that if you start thinking that you'll fix things by redoing them however many times, you'll lose something important to you. If you're picking between letting two people die as opposed to three, that's really just a comparison of results. Doing that would reduce your friends to just numbers, which is a mindset that Shuten thinks can go straight to hell. He made his choice to live with his friends as he did. That's fine with him, and what happened is his burden to bear.
Fergus quietly thinks on that, and Shuten notes that while Kyuuma and Ibaraki put him on a bit of a pedestal, it's because he's with others that it looks like he can walk forward without hesitating or getting lost. He tells Kyuuma he's not alone either, so he doesn't need to get caught up in these kinds of thoughts. Kyuuma is quiet, and you turn to him and suggest that you guys go together. He agrees, and soon afterwards Shuten and Fergus start plowing their way through the crowds to the befuddlement of the mobs they smack aside. Shuten says he won't hurt them, but he is going to kick them out of the way. Fergus says he'll hold back a little, but he won't show mercy in making his way through. Randos all around are shocked at his wildness.
Shuten and Fergus punch through in a one-two pattern, and Shuten signals for you two to follow him. You and Kyuuma run after them at full speed, and in full dramatic fashion an accident happens as Kyuuma drops his chocolate. Fergus asks what's happening, and Kyuuma repeats himself about how important the chocolate is. You ask about it, but Kyuuma turns around to go pick it up. Mobs are about to converge on him, but at that point Cthugha runs in and panics at people suddenly stopping since he says he can't stop on a dime himself. Kyuuma's mind flashes thoughts about knowing he never had time to stop or make a detour. With so many competitors almost on him, he pretty much accepts that he can't make it out...but then, someone comes back and jumps in front of him to help.
Kyuuma is surprised that you came back for him, and you tell him it'll be okay and ask if he can stand. He looks guilty about this, but then starts to say something about you. He starts thinking again about why he passed up on going to the jocks' chocolate exchange party and came to Ikebukuro instead. Kyuuma says you always give it your all no matter what is happening, no matter where you go, and no matter where you go back to. Kyuuma lived his life while lost and directionless. Still he put his full effort into it and ran, and now he wants to see that certain someone who lived that way.
Whatever path in life he takes, there's sure to be some regrets. But if you look at it another way, this would also mean that he has two things so important to him that he has to measure them against each other. He can see how far Shuten and Fergus have walked ahead in life already, and that gives him the encouragement to go forward. At the very least he's picked up on one thing, which is that he does have the time to worry about things. He should run as hard as he can so that he doesn't have the time to think about his worries. And if the time comes where he has to make a decision, he should be able to smile more than he can now. If he has regrets, he can feel them then.
Kyuuma starts thinking about his senpais at Yoyogi, his senpai at other schools, and someone else he doesn't fully mention. He talks about how everyone is walking their own paths, going to places he likely has no idea about. Kyuuma then squeezes your hand, as if reaffirming to himself that you're there. You call out his name, and Kyuuma thanks you for giving him some courage. He says you guys should get going and run together, and the light has returned to his eyes. Kyuuma then declares his name and position on his team as he challenges people to come at him as the episode battle begins. More happens afterwards.
After the battle, things tune in with you and Kyuuma running off from the field hand in hand. Kyuuma tells you to keep running and to squeeze his hand tight. He takes in a deep breath, and the next moment he suddenly charges through with a burst of speed that shocks a bunch of people he blows out of the way. One person still manages to chase after you two, which turns out to be Cthugha as he breathes hard. He fires off his NP at you guys, somehow by accident, and he panics at tipping his hand and being unable to stop it.
Narration talks about how one of Cthugha's forms is a giant fire ball. This superhot ball of flames draws near Kyuuma, but Kyuuma turns out to have an artifact(sic) that can beat that. All Giant Things that stand before David are fated to be crushed, and the more lost lambs and people needing guidance are around, the stronger David's power is. Kyuuma calls to David to throw a ball with him so that he can go on the course he's decided upon. David smiles and nods in response, and he recalls the wish he made on his summoning. David always cuts through the darkness with light to show the path, which is always straight and true. This is done to fulfill his role, to create the foundation for that certain something that will one day appear in this world. It is Because of This that Kyuuma's worries look so bright to David. It's why he likes him. The two synch up, and Kyuuma calls out his NP as he throws his ball directly at the core of the fireball coming at them. Cthugha is shocked and appalled at this, lamenting that his reincarnated OP legend is crashing down. Once the fireball has dissipated, Kyuuma looks red in the face as he grabs your hand and says that you guys should run together towards the goal line.
Some time later, Snow announces that the goal lines have closed and asks that people give a round of applause to everyone who has participated. Seating in the stands will be made available now for participants who enjoyed watching the battles, and there will be a chance for those moving on to take ultimate victory. But back to your end of things, Kyuuma is panting hard for a moment before he eventually asks you how his running was and says it was thanks to you. He freaks out when he realizes he's still holding your hand and asks in alarm if he grabbed it too hard. You tell him he was cool, say he ran great, or quietly squeeze his hand back. He's touched by your response whatever it is.
Shuten laughs that Kyuuma seems to have gotten through whatever he was worrying about and says it took him long enough. Fergus compliments the brightness of Kyuuma's youth and says it was good enough to fall in love with him. Kyuuma is surprised by their remarks, then says that was him giving everything he had and asks if that met their expectations. Shuten laughs some more and asks if Kyuuma understands what he did. Fergus tells him to calm down and look around at the proof of his youth carved all around him.
When Kyuuma looks around, Cthugha and a bunch of people who don't really matter are surrounding him, cheering and clapping for him while Kyuuma has trouble processing all this. Pirate A compliments Kyuuma's running saying he never saw anything like that before. Girl B asks him to teach her how to do that the next time he's in a game, saying she'll come watch and give him chocolate. Cthugha is baffled that he lost despite being an OP isekai reincarnation, but then talks to himself about how this might be a friendship flag and babbles a compliment to Kyuuma saying he wouldn't mind if they became friends.
Kyuuma asks if all this admiration really is being directed at him, and Shuten tells him he needs to say something in response to them since this doesn't happen often. Fergus declares that being surrounded by applause is another form of youth, so he better write it down since it won't happen again. Kyuuma stutters for a moment before thanking everyone for their words, then turns to you and happily says this is a first for him. He's surprised when tears start welling up in his eyes despite how happy he feels, and you quietly either pat him on the head or hug him. He cries out loud either way, and the applause, smiles, and tears keep coming for a bit longer.
A little ways away, Daisuke in on the phone and comments that Kyuuma seems fine now, and that he's so similar to him that he can't leave him alone. He was worried before about things, then he hears that Ashigara is pouting and threatening to forward slam him. Daisuke protests he's doing this because he was asked to, then says he has to go back to work and says he'll talk to Gunzou again sometime. Daisuke then comments on how friendly Kyuuma is to call everyone senpai despite being in other sports teams, and he sighs that Kyuuma would have done fine if he joined the wrestling team.
Back to your end, Kyuuma gives you a chocolate and says he now has the courage to do that. It's in the shape of a baseball bat and is small enough to fit in your palm. It's so very like him, and there is a hint of a special flavor to it. Fergus laughs about how this was an easy win and talks about how this is also youth when something catches his attention. Some cat sounding person recognizes Fergus and asks if he's that Fergus from the Ulster cycle. The episode ends as stage one does, and narration notes that things are still just beginning.
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