Footsteps echo across the floor of an abandoned building, and the phantom thief Vulpecula walks up to the distorted fuzzy feed of a camera and begins to sing of the present.
"Hello wise ladies and gentlemen who live in the present times. Tonight, allow me to invite you to the phantom thief's gorgeous show. White draws close to rotating Blue, and the envy of the curious onlookers gazing upon them stains the stout silky white skin. Everyone lives in the present, and everyone watches the now. Let us release that beauty, for there is no need for the thorns of sadness that pierce hearts so. ...and now it's show time! More beautiful than falling petals, and more brilliant than shining light! I shall gracefully steal away the mossy scenery before the bird sings of the finale to signal the time to depart! Well my friends who live in these dear moments, I shall see you when the curtain rises..."
Title card pops up, and this episode is called The Detective's Big Miscalculation.
We tune back in at the spaceport lobby where Alchiba greets you and Mokdai, saying he saw you two only yesterday and will be working with you for the next few days. Mokdai greets Alchiba good morning and comments that he's excited since this will be his first time helping with a detective. You greet Alchiba as well, then ask where you guys will be going and what is it a detective even does. Alchiba explains that the first part of the schedule is to call a space taxi to go to the moon. As he mentioned before, he's doing this on this own rather than working with his agency, so he isn't allowed to use their spaceship to get up there instead. His own spaceship is under maintenance at the moment, and he's uncomfortable about driving a loaner space car anywhere far, so that leads to the taxi. Alchiba then points the way to the taxi counter and says he'll talk more on the way over.
Mokdai asks Alchiba if he's going to be Sherlocking his way through the mystery and explaining the howdunnit once you guys get to the moon. Alchiba laughs and says he is going there to do some deductions, but the most important things for a detective is reasoning, observation, and steady investigation. So the first order of business over there would be to gather information, figure out what the target is, then gather evidence. The work can't really begin unless you know what it is Vulpecula is after.
You guys reach the space taxi counter, and Alciba walks up to the desk clerk to ask for a space taxi. The clerk agrees, then asks for confirmation that he understands that he's getting a single taxi. The clerk hands Alchiba a ticket after that, and you take the moment to ask why you guys are going to the moon. Huckle and the rest of the office is going there, but it doesn't seem like they know where Vulpecula is. Alchiba says that's a good question as he calls you buddy, complimenting your insight as good enough to be an assistant who can keep up with a detective. Before he says more, the beastman clerk informs Alchiba that the taxi he called is coming, then asks him to leave the security area and head to the car pickup and dropoff gate.
Alchiba comments on the good timing, then says he'll give you his reasoning for the moon on the way over. You and Mokdai follow Alchiba out to the underground parking area where a small spaceship/spacecar is waiting with the apparent driver, an Earthling man. Specifically, the driver is Shaft, who thanks you guys for calling as he introduces himself. You either politely greet him back or comment on how nice and burly he is. In the former, Shaft says you can give him and order if you want as he promises to give you guys a smooth ride to your destination. In the latter, Shaft is surprised and tells you he used to be a rugby player. Mokdai comments with some resignation that you're the same as always. That said, he tells you that since Akashi asked him to keep track of what you say and do, he'll have to tell Akashi about this later.
MC: wait what
MC: wait what
Alchiba greets Shaft, then asks him to pick up your guys' luggage. Shaft says he will and asks you all to board the car before him, but he panics when he can't find his car keys. Mokdai expresses concern over Shaft as Shaft pulls all his pockets out to look for the keys, and you either say you're worried or roll with it and say everyone makes mistakes. Alchiba asks Shaft if he's okay after a moment, telling him that you guys want to go to the moon and remind me to grab the party's things. Shaft finds the key soon after, then acknowledges Alchiba's request as he gets the doors to open.
While the spaceship looks like a thick plated and larger make car on the outside, the inside seats are much softer like a sofa. Alchiba relaxes as he sits down with a sigh, commenting on how comfortable it is. Mokdai says it's been a long time since he's been in a space taxi, but it's nice how comfy it is. He then pulls up a round cushion and points out how fluffy it is to you. You either agree, say Mokdai is getting too comfortable with things, or compare the cushion to his stomach. In A, Mokdai happily talks about how the cushion feels and wishes his own fur was like that. In B, Mokdai gets flustered as he says he's a proper adult who knows how to switch on and off work mode. In C, Mokdai tries to insist his stomach is a bit solid since he does have some muscle there, but then you tell him you were talking about it in terms of form.
Shaft announces that he's about to start driving, so he asks you guys to get your seat belts on. He turns to bow to you guys and puts on his earpiece, the engines start as the door locks click, and Shaft soon drives the car over to the linear catapult. Once the preparations are ready, he calls traffic control to launch the ship. Alchiba says Shaft can handle the driving and picks up with the earlier conversation. Since you asked about why you guys are going to the moon, Alchiba asks you first to look at a video he has. Said video is the calling card Vulpecula sent/streamed.
Mokdai is surprised to see Vulpecula's calling card video, and you ask him if the video is that amazing and if it's that exciting. Mokdai says is amazing and exciting since the videos normally aren't archived, so you can only see them broadcasted in real time normally. The old videos are unobtainable, and Mokdai has only caught a few of the old ones midway through for a few minutes. He's really glad that he's helping out with Alchiba this time since he's always wanted to watch one the whole way through.
Alchiba is amused at how familiar Mokdai is about Vulpecula's videos and says they aren't put on public sites. It was kind of a pain to get the video, but Alchiba is a detective after all. He can't tell you guys where the video was hosted, but it is a copy of genuine evidence. The poem that Vulpecula put together is going to be the riddle you guys need to solve to stop the crime, but you note that the poem is so incoherent that you don't really get it. Alchiba laughs and says that how it looks at first glance. He's seen an identical poem before in his work on this case before though, and he rewinds the video to a certain point and pauses it.
Mokdai has a brainwave and asks if the calling card itself is revealing the crime, so Alchiba says he's doing great but asks him to leave some stuff for the detective to explain. Alchiba then theatrically clears his throat and asks you guys to enjoy the puzzle part of the investigation. First off, Vulpecula mentioned a White and Blue, which Alchiba explains denotes which heavenly object the crime will be happening at. Blue refers to the rotating planet with that color while White refers to the object that is close to that planet. Alchiba asks what you think that means then, and you are given the choice of saying a planet and planetoid, a planet and its satellite, or a black hole and white hole. The story won't continue until you choose the right choice (B), and if you pick the others Alchiba drops a hint that Blue points at a planet and asks you to think what White would mean in that context as the incorrect choice is removed.
Alchiba tells you you're correct when you get it right, saying White and Blue refers to a blue planet and a white moon. The curious onlookers bit Vulpecula mentions would be a comparison to the police and you guys who are going after him, so when Vulpecula says you'll 'stain the white' that would refer to you guys getting over to the white moon first to stop his crime. So if you put that all together, which place do you think it'll happen at? You can say either moon, planet, or planetoid. If you don't pick A, Alchiba tells you to think it over calmly and tells you white means moon, so he asks you to piece out what 'onlookers polluting the white' would mean here. Then the choices come up again until you pick it.
Anyways, Alchiba says it's pretty certain that the crime will be happening on the white moon. When Vulpecula mentions envy being directed at Blue and White, it's a hint that there's only one moon involved because he otherwise wouldn't specify only two heavenly bodies involved. Alchiba says the most important hint to specifying which planet you guys need to check is the reference to it being blue, and he asks you what you think that means. You either say it's a place where a lot of the life on the planet is blue, it's a planet that rains all the time, or a planet with lots of water. If you don't pick C, Alchiba tells you you're off and that calling a planet blue is based on how it looks from space before the other choices pop up again.
Once you get past that part, Alchiba says you might have a talent for sleuthing. Mokdai is surprised and says that you guys may be able to find out where Vulpecula is going if you guys look into blue planets with a white moon. Alchiba adds some extra information to this, saying Vulpecula so far has only operated in the Orion's Arm part of the universe. The only planet and moon combo locations that stick to that regional designation would be Earth and the moon, and Muirauqa IV and Tenteres. You ask where Muirauqa IV is, which mildly surprises Mokdai as he says it's a planet covered in water. Plenty of heroes working on Earth come from there.
While the party is discussing the video, Shaft is peeking over at you guys as it turns out he's enough of a disaster to have forgotten where you guys are heading to. He tries to ask you guys that, but he doesn't speak loud enough for you guys to notice, so no one answers him. He actually decides to take his ear piece out of his ear to listen harder to it, and he does pick up that you guys are talking about work so he feels bad about possibly interrupting. He does remember that he was given a location back when you guys boarded, but he doesn't remember what. He suddenly picks up on you guys mentioning Tenteres, so he figures that must be it and calls traffic control for permission to use the warp gate to get there. He deploys the car's stabilizer, tells the controller that he's going to the Muirauqa star system, then speeds towards the warp gate near the moon's orbit.
Back to your discussions, Alchiba explains that Vulpecula's talk of thorns of sadness piercing the chest is the most important bit and should refer to his target. Since the chest is the most important part of a person's body, in terms of a planet it should refer to a central capital. The thorn bit ought to mean some sort of super skyscraper, and in terms of the moon, the highest building over there in the colonies would be Archimedes' main office. Vulpecula destroys things that relate to the past, and Alchiba reasons that Archimedes is symbolic of Earth's technological development to this point. You either be amazed at Alchiba's deductions or act like you knew all along. In the former, Alchiba is happy about you being openly surprised and likes your surprised expression. In the latter, Alchiba calls you easily carried away given that you said you didn't understand things earlier, but he still finds that charming.
Mokdai suggests the mention of silky pure white skin may refer to the main trait Lunarians are known for. Alchiba says it may be true, but he doesn't think Vulpecula put in a hint that easy in the video. He cups his chin as he thinks it over. When he talks again he talks about how the police have come to the same conclusion and how he can't let them get ahead of him. Based on Vulpecula's past actions, it's highly likely he's going to the moon. It's still only a possibility though, and it's too early to throw Tenteres out as a possibility too. You guys are going to the moon first since that's closer to Earth, and once you do some investigation he should have a better idea of Vulpecula's thought processes which he'll share with you guys.
Alchiba taps on his tablet a bit to switch out to some information on Vulpecula and his profile to show you two. Mokdai is surprised as he calls it a scrapbook of articles collected from a bunch of different planets. He's done a lot of research on heroes and villains himself, but he's impressed by this. Alchiba says some stuff happened in a previous case, at which he started looking into Vulpecula. He starts describing Vulpecula as someone who's very attached to the idea of living in the present, to the point of talking about abandoning all of the past. Alchiba tells you he's guessing here, but he figures the mention of a bird singing for a finale refers to a time limit. He hasn't figured it out yet, but he says that can be done on site. He'd prefer to start with getting information with your guys' help, though now he realizes you guys are still flying in the car. Odd, since the moon shouldn't be that far from Earth.
Mokdai notes that Alchiba has a point and hasn't noticed since you guys were so deep in discussions. It's been cool though since it's been like a mystery novel. Alchiba is flattered, then says he'll be counting on you two as his assistants. Shaft announces from the front that you guys will be reaching your destination soon, so he asks you all to prepare for atmospheric reentry. Alchiba gets excited about getting to work soon, and the three of you readjust your seats and seatbelts before Alchiba realizes Shaft mentioned an atmosphere. Given that the moon doesn't have one, he finds that strange.
When you guys land, you note that you all made it, then compliment Shaft's driving skills for how smooth the landing is. Mokdai agrees with you, saying he's a little jealous of drivers since he has no driving experience himself. Shaft laughs and says you guys are at your destination, then asks for payment to be done outside after the preparation is done. The party gets out soon after, and Mokdai quickly questions why there's so little people around if you guys are on the moon. Alchiba doesn't recognize the place either and asks if you guys are at a spaceport, and Shaft starts to talk about the cab fare from Earth to Tenteres.
You pick up on the mention of Tenteres, and Alchiba stops Shaft to confirm that since he told him you guys were going to the moon earlier. Shaft freezes in place, face paling as he panics about getting it wrong. There's a toll charged to use the warp gate to get over here that gets added to the fare, and Shaft apologizes to you guys saying he did it again. You either ask what warp gates are or ask if the charge changes things that much. In A, Mokdai says they're pretty straightforward as to what they are and compares them to a highway interchange. In B, Mokdai says he doesn't know but makes the same highway interchange comparison.
Anyways, Mokdai explains that warp gates are used to get to other star systems because they are light years away. Tenteres is in the Muirauqa star system and far from Earth, so it's probably a big charge to the fees. Shaft sheepishly shows the bill to Alchiba, and Alchiba nods for a moment before yelling that he's not paying that. Around that point, you hear some footsteps approaching and a voice talking about looking for someone and feeling people are around. Kalaski turns up, and he immediately gets suspicious of you guys asking why you're there in a place like this.
You question what Kalaski means by a place like this or comment on him being a kid with a camera, but Kalaski jumps to the conclusion that you guys are with some looters he saw. Mokdai attempts to plead for your guys' innocence in shock, but Kalaski refuses to believe you guys would accidentally turn up near a war zone. If you aren't looters, you must be grave robbers instead, and Kalaksi calls up his agency to get transformed.
After he gets suited up, Kalaski declares that he won't let you guys wreck the place. You are surprised by him transforming and/or attempt to get him to listen, but Alchiba sighs about it coming to a fight for some reason and asks you to transform him. Mokdai agrees, saying you'll have to get Kalaski to listen to you guys first to clear things up. You activate their hero forms, and once that's done Alchiba says he'll show you guys his power as a hero instead of a detective. Mokdai says you guys need to defend yourself first before you can try convincing Kalaski, then asks Shaft to hide somewhere. You get the stream set up and tell the two it's time to fight. Shaft for his part hiding in the shadow of the taxi surprised at you guys (I think) being heroes, but he feels he doesn't have a place in this as the episode battle begins.
