Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 7

The sun is starting to set on Tenteres and the scenery turns breathtaking. The light dances off the reddening sands as the party's taxi zooms along. Shaft yells he's here to pick up the party and tells the trio who's been fighting on foot to get in. Mokdai thanks Shaft, and you either talk to Kalaski saying the cavalry is here or wave Alchiba over. In A, Kalaski says everything is going to plan, then thanks you and Shaft. In B, Alchiba breathes a sigh of relief saying you guys have great timing and jokes that you guys are on the same wavelength.

 

Behind you guys, one of the mercenary is shaking his fist and swears to not let you guys pass and ruin things for Vulpecula. Kalaski tells the guy to piss off, but since there's no time to say any more than that he tells Alchiba it's time to get going. Kalaski also waves to Mokdai to come along and get ready to jump into the car. Mokdai responds that he's coming and asks that you guys not ditch him. You and Shaft reach out to pull Kalaski and Alchiba in, and after you guys pull Mokdai in next, Shaft goes back to his seat.

 

Shaft yells that he's going to be driving full speed ahead to the monolith and asks everyone to hang on. He whispers next his hope that the car doesn't get a space flat tire. When the car starts revving, Mokdai starts yelling about the car shaking since planetary driving mode apparently turns off the gravity control. Kalaski is relatively unfazed as he comments on Shaft being more animated and wonders why. Shaft says he's finally opened up his eyes when you told him something. If what he can do can help you guys, then he'll put his all into it. And the thing he can do right now is take you guys where you guys want to go.

 

At that point your phone faintly glows, showing you the familiar path found window message, although the car hitting a bump or something causes you to drop the phone down. Shaft notices nothing as he asks you to come up to the passenger side seat and help him with his map display. You are taken by surprise by the request as you pop back up from picking up your phone, and when you look at it again the window from earlier has disappeared. And since you can't do anything about that you do as he asks and climb forward to fiddle with the map, commenting that you feel like there was a big waste just now.

 

Title card pops up, and this episode is called Space Taxi Chasers!

 

Back to the story, Mokdai is looking out the window and mutters to himself about you guys getting close to the monoliths and the showdown with Vulpecula. Kalaski can hear him and agrees, then notices something off in the distance. Way up ahead is a space truck, which looks to be more heavily armored than necessary if it's here to make a delivery. Kalaski thinks aloud that there aren't any towns on the planet to deliver too since most everyone evacuated to elsewhere, and the only thing up ahead is the monoliths. Alchiba adds that the warp gate is down for the day, so there shouldn't be a delivery truck to begin with. Based on how showy the truck is, he also observes that it's more likely to be from an organization's like an army instead of a private truck.

Kalaski says that the army stationed on the planet has been withdrawn due to a ceasefire, and he starts thinking about who's left on the planet that would still be that dangerous when the party comes to a realization together who it could be. Mokdai is the one to say the truck must belong to Vulpecula and says you guys can't leave it alone. Said truck starts behaving oddly, swerving around in a panic like it's noticed your approach and speeding up. The taxi's navi starts making an announcement too, and it tells you guys it senses a heat signature within the truck up ahead as it warns there may be something dangerous on board.

Kalaski is shocked that the car's nav system is giving a heat warning to you guys, so Shaft explains the warning tends to pop up a lot when he gets near military vehicles and fuel transports. The sensor goes off around rockets and stockpiles of firearms, and he remembers the manual saying it'd also react to bombs and missiles. Mokdai is alarmed at the mentions of the latter two things, and Kalaski is sure there must be something crazy on board that is meant to destroy the monoliths with. He asks Shaft to step on it, so Shaft says he will as he accelerates the taxi again. There are fewer and fewer ruined buildings as you all proceed, and eventually the one truck ahead of you guys is the only other thing out on the desert.

Kalaski figures if you guys can stop the truck then it'll stop Vulpecula's schemes. He asks Shaft to open a door so that he can go pin down its movements. He gets ready to go, but Alchiba stops him and brings up the possibility that Kalaski could end up setting off the bomb inside the truck. And with how big the truck is, a bomb inside it would be powerful enough that the blast would reach you guys too. Mokdai tries pointing out that it'll destroy the monoliths if it gets there before you guys do, and while Alchiba concedes the point, he feels it appeared way too conveniently.

Alchiba thinks to himself, and the rest of the party is tense while watching him. Alchiba says he must be overlooking something to be thinking something is wrong with the truck. He turns to you to ask for your opinion with the deductions like he has all event, and you either say it's moving too fast, say the truck is leading you guys on, or say it's baiting you guys into attacking it. Alchiba says you're right whichever option you choose, though the reason differs for each choice. In A, Alchiba reasons that if it does have a bomb on board, it couldn't be going that fast. In B, Alchiba agrees that it's trying to lure you guys away so it must be a trap. In C, Alchiba says it deliberately let you guys see it and is trying to get you to follow it when it zoomed off.

In any case, Alchiba deduces there isn't really a bomb on board the space truck. You however bring up you guys can't tell without opening it up and that you guys can't risk the possibility his reasoning is wrong. Alchiba decides to go along with your concerns and asks you guys to hang onto your seats. Kalaski attempts to get Alchiba to explain himself, but Alchiba ignores him as he opens a door and leans out. Alchiba comments on his disbelief that his old marksmanship practice would be helping him out here, but he asks everyone to believe in him and his deductions before firing.

The truck is somewhere between 10 to 20 meters away from the taxi at this point, and Alchiba fires twice. Kalaski freaks out at this and tells you to get down in case the truck is carrying a bomb, but Alchiba manages to burn off the two locks on the truck's doors. You are amazed at this, then note that the doors are opening. The truck turns out to be empty as Mokdai points out, and Kalaski says you guys would have had your names added to the memorials if Alchiba was wrong. Kalaski then has a thought and wonders why Shaft's car sensor went off then. Alchiba admits his hands were sweating a bit, but he declares that the truck has now been proven to be trying to lead you guys away, then tells Shaft to get away from the truck and push ahead for the monoliths.

Shaft responds affirmatively, though he's taken aback when mercenaries reveal themselves from the truck ahead and start aiming their guns at you guys. You yell out to Shaft to dodge them, so Shaft tells everyone to hold onto something. The mercenaries start firing at you guys in a shower of lasers, but Shaft manages to pull some evasive maneuvers and bank around them all without slowing down. Mokdai attempts to ask if the heat signature that set off the car sensor was the mercenaries' guns in between getting jostled around, and Kalaski is both amazed and baffled at how crazy Shaft is driving. Shaft says he can read the enemy's movements, meaning he can figure out how to misdirect their fire and find safe spots to drive through.

Shaft continues cutting his way through the laser beams, but eventually Alchiba is shocked to see at least 8 more space trucks flying around in the area both ahead and to the sides of you guys. The trucks are surrounding you and slowly approaching in. Kalaski curses that the villains have already set up their formation, and if you guys can't break out of it you won't be able to get to the monoliths. Mokdai points out the earlier ship is moving strangely again, which upon further observation is turning around to face you guys. You worry about them attempting to ram you and call to Shaft, and Shaft says an ex-pro rugby player has his tricks before calling himself a fighting taxi driver.

Shaft makes the smallest movement possible to counter the enemy truck's charge, then barely grazes his way past them all. He tells you it'll be okay as he compares their movements to tackles. Since he can read that he can avoid them, and he asks you to believe in him. Kalaski is impressed by how determined Shaft looks and comments he's found the thing he can do, then warns him enemies are coming from both sides. Shaft acknowledges the warning and quickly weaves the car past, barely slipping past the laser fire.

Kalaski says he's going to open the door and shoot back, then asks which way he should point at. Shaft thanks Kalaski and asks him to focus on the left side while the mercenaries are reloading. Kalaski does as asked, using his ultimate move to control the incoming laser fire. Mokdai starts cheering about there being less enemies now. Alchiba has been looking around thinking about something, and Mokdai's comment seems to trigger a realization in him. When he voices this, you ask him what he figured out, so Alchiba decides to set this up as another quiz style deduction for you. So, Alchiba noticed that there's been one truck in particular among the bunch that's always been slightly away in a safer spot and points it out to you off to the right. Now why would one of the trucks be off to the side like that when you guys have been pushing your way through?

You say that truck must have Vulpecula in it or the bomb in it, and either way Alchiba says you're right. Vulpecula's pulling the needle in a haystack trick, which Alchiba figures is because he didn't have the time for anything fancier. Case analyzed! Alchiba then yells to Shaft about Vulpecula being in that one truck over there and asks him to pull in closer to it, so Shaft says he'll do it and asks Kalaski to run interference. Kalaski says he can handle it, but since he's been spamming his ultimate so much he's running low on stamina, so he asks if five seconds is enough time.

Shaft says that's plenty of time and charges the taxi ahead. Kalaski whispers over to you to ask that you cancel out his hero form after he fires off his ultimate again so he can get some rest before facing Vulpecula. You agree to it and apologize for how much he's pushing himself. Kalaski waves it off, then fires his ultimate to delay the mercenaries' attacks on the taxi momentarily. Alchiba follows up using his ultimate to provide covering fire, and Shaft takes the opportunity to slip the taxi by.

Kalaski sighs after he reverts to civilian form, apologizing for taking a breather and saying he'll bounce back soon. Alchiba says he's done well and notes that that one truck is the only thing left. Mokdai asks Shaft if he can stop that truck without damaging it, so Shaft says he'll try. It's probably going to make people's heads spin, but he asks you guys try to keep steady. Shaft floors the pedal until the taxi is just under top speed, then cutting ahead of the truck and spinning the steering wheel hard.

Shaft's speed trick sends you screaming, and the truck swerves away to avoid ramming into the taxi while stomping on the brakes. Kalaski is surprised the truck actually stopped and compliments Shaft. Mokdai moans about his dizziness, but he compliments Shaft too. Shaft is glad everyone seems fine and admits he did overdo things a little. You either ask Mokdai if he's okay or tell everyone to stay on guard. A gets an extra line where Mokdai says he's hanging in there and can keep fighting.

Anyways, Alchiba says the truck doors are open and asks you to take command with the operation. Mokdai tells you to be careful and for you and Shaft to not leave the car. He'll be shielding you guys in the meantime. You nod and wish everyone good luck, and the party nods back before jumping out of the taxi. Kalaski asks you to transform him back again since he's okay to fight now, but a voice says he can't let you guys do that. Vulpecula warps in behind Kalaski and proceeds to knock him out with a karate chop to the neck.

You yell out to Kalaski in alarm, but Shaft stops you from leaving the taxi due to the danger. Vulpecula assures you he only knocked Kalaski out, then says he predicted Kalaski would have to push himself to stop the other trucks and cancel his transformation afterwards. Alchiba yells at him for attacking someone who isn't transformed, so Vulpecula responds that he'd be in his old cage if he could act in a mannerly way. He'd probably have chosen to disappear before that happens though. He'd have preferred incapacitating you as well, but fortunately for you you're in a tricky spot for him to try reaching.

Mokdai declares he won't let Vulpecula touch you and challenges him to a fight, moving to stand in front of both Kalaski and the car. He glares at him as he says he has something to say to him in Kalaski's place, which interests Vulpecula enough to lend an ear. Mokdai starts talking about how he doesn't know much about the planet, but he's learned from Alchiba how the people here live their days. He also learned how Alchiba felt in chasing after Vulpecula up to this point.

Mokdai takes a step forward, continuing his speech by talking about how he's only met him twice now but understands how much Vulpecula values living in the present. However, Mokdai feels that what Vulpecula is doing is harming others who are living in the present as well. He was surprised when he saw Kalaski's photos, and he concedes that there are a lot of people suffering in the moment. But there's also a lot of people trying their best to live their best lives right now, and the thing that supports these people is interpersonal connections. Even if those people die, that bond between them lives within others in the present. Vulpecula destroying cultural sites is harming those people living in the present, which makes them unable to live in said present. As such, Mokdai accuses Vulpecula of being contradictory.

Vulpecula stays silent at said accusation. Alchiba agrees with Mokdai, saying things filled with feelings and memories of the past bring support to people living in the present so they can walk towards the future. The past may being pain they might rather forget, he says as he looks over towards Shaft, but it is their right to choose whether the pain stops them or pushes them forward, not Vulpecula. Vulpecula is wrong to destroy things willy nilly, even if he's doing this to run from his own pain.

Vulpecula asks if that's all you guys have to say, calling your words ugly, empty platitudes. He calls Alchiba the one who's contradictory, protecting the past of others while hating his own, but Alchiba interrupts to say that's his past self now. That's why he's surpassed his past with this new form to stand against him, and he readies his gun against Vulpecula. Off to the side, Shaft is looking over at Alchiba and mumbles to himself what he said and asks if he's still lost himself.

Vulpecula dismisses Alchiba's argument as nonsense and challenges him to beat down his minions and capture him if he can. Vulpecula calls the mercenaries up, and the mobs all pour out of the trucks to stand in front of him ready to battle. Alchiba tells Mokdai that it doesn't look like they can talk Vulpecula to your guys' perspective. Mokdai concedes that's the case, so he asks you to handle the operating. You agree after a moment and tell them to be careful.

You do your best to command Alchiba and Mokdai and spot attacks for them, but Kalaski is still out cold. The mercenaries stay in formation and keep the pressure up on them, leaving no time to even catch a breath, and without a plan the two start wearing out. Vulpecula seems disappointed that the two of them can't fight back against superior numbers, leaving him no room to join in on it. As such, he flourishes his cape and tells the minions to handle it while he goes back to the truck to get the main show started.

Shaft asks you if there's really nothing he can be doing now, frustrated. You don't have an answer for him, and Shaft starts talking about understanding a little earlier that nothing he's done has been a waste up to this point. His time as a rugby player and time as a hero will help him as he is now, so he wants to help the party somehow. Your phone glows in response, brighter than it did before. Shaft doesn't seem to notice as he talks about suffering enough that he wanted to forget about it, but he says if he did forget it all his current self wouldn't be here. He's not cool enough to say he's broken free of his past, but he still wants to put everything he has into whatever he can do now.

Your phone lights up with the path found message window for Shaft, so you tell him this must be the future he's chosen. You see an unshakable determination in his eyes, and Shaft is surprised at the idea of becoming a hero again. He steels himself, looking like he's getting ready to play rugby again as a serious look fills his face, and he grabs your shoulders. He confirms he wants to be a hero again and asks you to change him, so you comply and hit the connect button on the command window.

A bright light covers Shaft, and Vulpecula is shocked by the sudden appearance of a new hero at this point. Mokdai is surprised as well and asks if Shaft is the one transforming. Alchiba notes that this is the light of a path connecting and says he was waiting for Shaft. The light flashes to reveal Shaft in his hero form, and he takes a moment to refamiliarize himself to the feeling of power welling inside of him. He recognizes that his power is to show the way for others, so he takes it upon himself to guide everyone. He tells you he can do this and says he still hasn't brought everyone to where you guys wanted to go, then jumps out of the taxi.

Mokdai notices that Shaft's hero form is different from his old Iron Man form, though his though is interrupted by gunfire. Vulpecula takes a moment to remember Shaft's name. Now that he's discovered his present self, Vulpecula says all he needs to do is cut away his past now. Shaft returns Vulpecula's interested gaze back, declaring he won't treat things like other people's problems anymore and saying Vulpecula is wrong. Everyone in the party had worried about him, so he as a hero will show them the path he believes is right.

Vulpecula sighs in disappointment, saying he'd have left him alone if he chose to discard his past. But since Shaft is standing against him now too, Vulpecula decides he'll beat his philosophy into you all even if it goes against his aesthetics. You tell the party to be careful and to stay focused, and Mokdai nods as he asks Shaft to work together with everyone. Alchiba says that this time you guys will make Vulpecula understand by force. Shaft says he won't lose his way anymore since he can't be that way as your driver. He swears to take you guys to where you want to go and to the future, and so the episode battle begins.

Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 6

Shaft starts narrating and talks about being lost at what to do with himself when rugby and heroing were closed off to him. Fortunately he had some savings from his last job at least, so he decided he should use them as funding to finding himself some work he could do alone and not bother anyone with. Shaft then talks to himself saying there's no way there'd be anything that would conveniently fit those parameters. And of course not, as work is a team thing that requires your participation in. Shaft talks about how he forgot that even one job is founded on the work of many others. With that in mind, Shaft decided he should at least look for a job where he'd be able to take sole responsibility for what he did. And so he made use of the one skill he had left which was driving a space car, then began working as a taxi driver.

 

In a flashback to the past, Shaft talks about paying the fees to join a taxi organization, dispatch registration, comm installation and the space taxi itself blew out almost all of his savings. Whether or not things would go well, Shaft had no other choice but to go all in, so he psyches himself up to do his best. He liked driving, but he didn't really have the know-how to make a living off of it. He had no idea how to actually find customers, and he had to struggle through with things. Everything came back to him, so he did his best to learn so he could do things well this time.

 

Life was unkind to Shaft. In one job, Shaft goes to greet a customer and somehow bumps into them, leaving him to frantically ask if they're okay. In another job, Shaft brings his customer to what he believes is their destination, only to find out they were heading for somewhere else. He had tried his best, but his work life was just a string of disasters piling on up. He chose a job hoping to not be a bother to those around him, yet that was what he did. Was he this much of a screwup when he was a rugby player? ...well no, he's not even a rugby player anymore. He's just Shaft now. He doesn't want to remember his past and cling to old glories anymore.

 

After a sigh, Shaft looks at his dusty old hero licence. On paper Shaft has transferred to a different hero agency, Global Drivers Union, but his licence remains suspended. He talks to himself about how that's understandable. If a hero can't become a hero, he might as well not be there. There's nothing else he can really do anymore, aside from beg for forgiveness for all his blunders. If he can just stick to his job, things will be okay. He'll have money and be able to eat, and then he can try to improve in his work. Maybe then his life wouldn't be so hollow... Today he hopes he won't make a mistake. Today he hopes he won't cause anyone problems. Today he hopes he won't disappoint anyone. It's tiring waking up with that depression hanging over him. God, some other hero, anyone really...can someone out there tell him how to get out of this funk?

 

Back to the present, Kalaski asks Mokdai if anyone is still following the party. Mokdai looks out the window looking nervous to check, but he sees that you guys seem to have made it out and thanks Kalaski for his plan. The party sighs and lets the tension melt out, and you compliment everyone for doing well and/or be relieved that everyone is okay for now.

 

Kalaski says it might be too early to be letting your guard, but that said everyone did great in cutting through so many enemies stacked against you to get out of there. Shaft says he was worried about everyone and is glad you're all okay, then says he'll set the car to autopilot so he sit in closer for the strategy meeting. Alchiba starts talking about how he hasn't seen through Vulpecula's teleportation trick yet, but finding out Kalaski's ability could work on him is a good find. Mokdai looks a bit sad as he turns to Alchiba and asks why Vulpecula would be so set on destroying the past that he'd lead a bunch of others for it. From what he can tell, Vulpecula isn't doing this for the evulz, and he says he'd be a great hero if he turned his power and efforts towards defending people.

 

Alchiba thinks on the question and says that only Vulpecula himself is privy to his motive, but from his own experience it doesn't seem like destruction is his actual desire. He keeps talking about stealing away the past, which Alchiba reframes as erasing. His friends seem to sympathize with him, and Alchiba believes they probably have dark pasts they want to get rid of as well. You consider the idea of not wanting to think about unpleasant things, but you say you feel that's nothing unusual. Mokdai says he wants Vulpecula to atone for his crimes and work as a hero. There's a lot of crimes to make up for, and he realizes he sounds naive, but he still wants him to consider it.

Kalaski says that if that's the ideal Mokdai is holding, he'll have to put in the effort to make it come true. People can have whatever ideals they want, and it's the job of heroes like them to realize them. Mokdai agrees after thinking for a second, and he says he needs to make Vulpecula accept the idea too as he nods to himself and balls up his fists. Shaft comments on how amazing Mokdai is for trying to understand Vulpecula and wanting to show him the right path to take. Mokdai is embarrassed as he says he's not that amazing. He just likes sentai and anime, and he finds it really cool when the heroes and villains have their own unyielding beliefs in justice and clash them together. Now that he's a hero too, he's thought about how he'll be doing that too, though the thought does embarrass him.

Shaft feels a bit ashamed of himself seeing how into this Mokdai is, saying Mokdai does his best for the things he likes while all he can do is hide while everyone fights. He apologizes for not being any help despite there being a villain right in front of him, and he looks away and deflates. Alchiba shakes his head at this, saying Shaft is being too self-deprecating and he should be affirming himself the most. Shaft apologizes again, and Alchiba admits that everyone has times where they loathe themselves. Shaft himself noticeably has some serious mental baggage.

Alchiba cups his chin as he thinks for a moment before continuing. Since the party is up against armed villains in this case, Shaft doesn't have any reason to mentally beat himself up for not being able to help fight. Even if they weren't trying to hurt anyone there's always the chance that a stray bullet could hit him. No matter what he did in his past, Shaft is now a noncombatant driver taking the group over to the memorial monoliths. He's doing his best to complete his job, and that's good enough. That's already helping everyone.

Shaft concedes the point and apologizes for saying too much. Kalaski decides to clarify for Alchiba and says he's worried for him. Nobody here thinks of Shaft as a useless waste of space; they want him to do what he can do. No one is planning to grill Shaft over what happened in his past, but since he can't act as a hero right now, he's a civilian everyone should protect. Wouldn't he say the same thing if he were a hero? Shaft pats down his chest as he looks more cheerful than before, agreeing with the point and saying he was overthinking things. You either tease Alchiba for not being more forthcoming or Kalaski for being nice. In A, Alchiba says he's always honest and straightforward. He might not have said enough though, so he'll have to be careful of that. In B, Kalaski sighs and says he wasn't trying to comfort Shaft. He was just speaking the truth.

Anyways, Alchiba thinks for a moment as he looks over at Shaft. It might not be of any help at the moment, but he offers to talk about his past while you guys take a break. So, he used to be what the Earth would call a police force, but stuff happened and he ended up quitting. He temporarily lost the ability to become a hero after that no matter how much he tried, which he notes is the same with Shaft. He feels that he was more self-indulgent than he'd like to admit or think about back then, and when he lost the power to be a hero he lost the motivation to find another job. Supporting himself took all his effort then, but he slowly figured out what he could do between his last job and the way he is now. When he decided to be a detective rather than a hero or policeman, he changed a bit. That's why he decided to live embodying his new wish and belief in making things clearly black and white. It was then that he regained his ability to be a hero, and he feels his new wish led him back to that point.

Shaft looks surprised at this story, and Alchiba says while he's proud of his current work, it's the same thing Shaft is doing when you get down to it. It's helping people who are in trouble. Shaft just does it by driving them where they want to go while Alchiba solves mysteries and investigates. Alchiba suggests Shaft could stand to be prouder of his work, so Shaft thanks him and wonders if that's how it should be.

Alchiba smiles and jokingly continues by saying Shaft's a disaster of a driver, but he asks him to stick with you guys until you get to your destination. Mokdai agrees, saying it was Shaft who had the idea to check for Vulpecula's video updates. Kalaski adds that Shaft was the one who told the party about the dream burial bird to figure out the video riddle. He may not have confidence in himself, but there's still meaning in him doing what needs to be done and him knowing what he knows. Shaft still looks at a loss at how to process what everyone's saying to him, but his eyes look brighter than they have before. He admits he still thinks of himself as a drag on you guys, but he thanks everyone again saying all the comments are making him feel more upbeat.

Shaft gives an embarrassed laugh, at which point you notice something up front and ask if it's the monoliths. Shaft says you guys are almost there now, but he notices something in front of them the next moment. He shuffles back over to the driver's seat and hits the zoom button on the dashboard, and the screen shows that there are mercenaries waiting up ahead. Kalaski notes that they're Vulpecula's minions and says there's clearly more of them than you guys saw earlier. He asks you to get everyone transformed so the party can go greet them.

You comply with the request and ask everyone to be careful. Once the party is suited up, Alchiba sighs at how there hasn't been time to really have a break from the fighting. For now though, he asks you to stay in the car with Shaft and operate from here. Mokdai also asks you to run the camera and says it's been prepped for streaming, then remembers to ask you to mute the microphone this time to make it video only. He can run the sound with a mic on his end, and he says doing it that way should bring in even more views. Mokdai then says he'll do his best out there, so you say you understand and will take care of things.

Kalaski hands Shaft a radio transceiver and asks him to keep in touch while avoiding the enemies. Shaft agrees to the request, so Kalaski asks if Mokdai and Alchiba are ready to jump out when they get closer to the enemies. Alchiba says he is and says there being this many mobs around means Vulpecula should be nearby too. He also decides to treat this as a warm up for his new form, and Mokdai says he's ready to fight and try to make Vulpecula see things his way. Kalaski counts down then, and once he hits zero the party jumps out. Shaft wishes everyone good luck, then talks to himself about doing the things he can do himself. The episode battle begins as he says you guys are heading in too and warns you the ride will get bumpy. The story continues after that.

After the battle, the story tunes in midway as Alchiba uses his ultimate to laser blast his way through the mercenaries. The finisher damages them, but the mobs still try to rally themselves to block the way. Kalaski runs in to use his burst shot to disrupt their formation, setting them up for Mokdai to swing in with his own finishing move. Mokdai's attack kicks up a shockwave, and you continue filming all this through the window as Shaft keeps driving.

Shaft is surprised at how the party is pushing through despite the huge numbers disadvantage against you guys. He then remembers to radio Kalaski and informs him you guys will be able to break through the enemy lines in a moment. He says that positioning the monoliths at 12 oclock and banking to 3 oclock, he'll be able to come pick up the party so you guys can all zoom off to the destination. Kalaski gives a quick affirmative response, then relays the message to Alchiba and Mokdai.

Shaft gets himself mentally ready, then asks you to handle the camera from the passenger side seat. You agree to this and say his directing is perfect, which causes Shaft to laugh as he thanks you. Now that he's found something he can do, it seems he's giving it his all. You note that he's avoiding all the stray bullets flying out there and has great driving skills, though Shaft says it's not that amazing. He says he actually hasn't been in the driving business that long, and he starts to talk about a previous job before trailing off. His brows knit as he takes a deep breath, then keeps his eyes straight ahead as he asks if you'll listen to him.

Shaft admits he knows this isn't the best time to be having this conversation, but he wanted you to hear him out a bit. He has a certain worry on his mind, and while you guys have found out about it already, he talks about how he's always made a lot of mistakes even back then. He slightly hangs his head in shame, but he pushes through with his confessional to say he hated how clumsy he was. He always told himself he had to keep it together, but he kept bothering people and became anxious about whether he was souring them on him. Eventually he tried to distance himself to keep from being a bother, but he still hurt someone in doing so. Even now he's a civilian who can't fight as a hero, and at this point Shaft stops himself and apologizes for suddenly talking about all this.

You point out to Shaft that you're just an Operator and not a hero either. You've also thought about how you couldn't do anything besides have the others fight for you, so Shaft apologizes for coming off as terrible when he was speaking to you. He tells you he thinks you're amazing, and he feels like everyone has the things he's lost and doesn't have. You pause for a moment before telling him you understand how he feels since the same goes for you, and this surprises Shaft enough to briefly look to you as he asks what you mean.

You tell Shaft that you were fired from your previous workplace upon becoming an Observer, and that you've only just recently transferred jobs. Shaft quickly apologizes as he figures this is an awkward subject for you, and he panics quietly about being insensitive. You however shake your head, and you tell Shaft that while what you can do is severely limited, it's not a bad thing to be helped by everyone.

Shaft sucks in his breath before reiterating that he really does think of you as someone amazing. You're doing the things he didn't have the courage to do. Around this point Shaft veers over to some ruined buildings for cover as you two approach the rendezvous point with the party, and you refute Shaft's statement by saying it's thanks to him you guys got here and are about to pick up the party. You give him a quick look as you keep the camera running, and you smile when you meet Shaft's eyes. You ask him if he considers any of this as assistance for the heroes fighting out there.

You turn back to focus on watching the party, and Shaft mulls over what you said to himself for a moment. If what he's doing is helping out the heroes, then that means he's still on a team like when he was in rugby. You can't win a game all on your own, and while he was called Iron Man, he was able to do what he could because everyone was supporting him. He starts having a realization that he can still do things in his current state, and upon reaching your destination he quickly changes the car to go to the pickup point for the party. Shaft thanks you for listening to him, and he says he'll try a little more and see if he can find what it is he can do. He gives an embarrassed laugh, then focuses on where the party is. He asks you to hold on tight as he'll be flooring the pedal to pick them up, and the episode ends with the title card popping up. This episode is titled What I Can Do Now.

Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 5

We pick up from last time with Shaft driving the party towards the memorial monoliths and everyone else trying to discuss and decode Vulpecula's riddle video. Kalaski starts talking about the parting bird comment Vulpecula made, and Alchiba says that seems to be related to the time limit you guys have. There probably isn't a need to haul ass just yet, but figuring it out should shed some light on things. Alchiba then asks if anyone has ideas on what that hint means as he replays Vulpecula's videos parts mentioning it.

You think on the bird line and say it's so puzzling. Shaft speaks up from the front to suggest the possibility it's referring to a dream burial bird, and Mokdai comments on how ominous that name is. Shaft quickly explains that it's a bird that sings only at dawn and got its name from a story that says it sings to mourn the dead. It has a beautiful voice that it's well known for, and Shaft says a previous customer told him about it. Alchiba thinks it over and says it's also known as a dreamingale, a rare bird seen only in certain areas. He then asks aloud what the bird's song represents if Vulpecula's hint is referring to it. You either say it means rarity, bad omens, or dawn.

The correct answer is C. A and B has Alchiba doubt the presented answers as he says he feels it should be time related based on the riddle. But once you get it right he praises you for figuring it out, then says the next bit to puzzle out is *which* dawn Vulpecula is talking about. Alchiba then has a brainwave and notices there's a Japanese pun built into the riddle where part of things can be reinterpreted as "4" and "from today." If the terrorism is the main part of the show and the second video he put up the next day is the second act, then he asks how many more days until Vulpecula acts. You can say either two, three, or four days.

The correct answer here is B. If you pick A or C, Alchiba tells you to slow down and count the first day too before figuring when "four days' time" would land. But anyways yes the original message meant that Vulpecula was going to act in four days after his upload. Mokdai asks what the finale actually means, so Alchiba explains that normally means the last act of a show, but in this case it should refer to the beginning of Vulpecula's terrorism. When you combine it with the second video saying the date's been changed, when will it happen then? You can either say tonight, tomorrow morning, or tomorrow night.

B is the right answer. A and C has Alchiba assuming you already know and are rushing yourself into saying the wrong answer and thinks it's cute. But yes he's sure Vulpecula is gonna bomb the monoliths tomorrow morning. The crime will probably be happening tonight he says, so he suggests hurrying on over to stop him. On another note, Alchiba compliments Shaft for knowing about the dream burial bird. Shaft is thrown off by this but thanks him, glad that the tidbit helped and saying bird names are worth remembering.

Kalaski sighs in amazement and says Alchiba really IS smart. He thought of him as a jokey playboy at first. Alchiba chooses to laugh this off, but he still points out that Kalaski hated being judged at first glance too. Kalaski gets the point and apologizes, saying he'll make up for this later. Alchiba says he's not that put off by the comment, and he says that since they're all working together to stop Vulpecula it's better not to make each other feel bad.

Mokdai seems confused as something occurs to him, which Alchiba asks about when he notices. Alchiba figured it has something to do with his reasoning, but Mokdai quickly denies having any doubts about it. What Mokdai is actually thinking about is how it feels like Alchiba is personally obsessed with Vulpecula to him. Alchiba finds it interesting that it looks that way to him, and Mokdai says stopping a villain is the right thing to do, but he feels that Alchiba cares more about catching Vulpecula in particular than preventing his crime.

Alchiba sighs, prompting Mokdai to apologize in embarrassment. Alchiba waves it off and says he was actually surprised at how observant Mokdai is when it comes to other people's words and actions. If he trains that ability up, Alchiba says he's sure Mokdai could be a great detective himself. Mokdai is flattered by the compliment, and after a bit of thoughtful chin holding, Alchiba decides it's about time to talk about his first meeting with Vulpecula not long after he started being a detective.

Flashback kicks in to Alchiba being on some ship and making a summation about how Vulpecula alone was never actually invited to whatever party is going on. Vulpecula is silent at first before laughing, and he compliments Alchiba for figuring it out. He then says Alchiba still underestimated the situation and asks him to guess why Vulpecula is apparently alone. Alchiba needs a second to process this before concluding that Vulpecula is acting as a decoy. Vulpecula says he said as much in his calling card poem, but since Alchiba couldn't figure it out beforehand that's just a shame. But anyways it's almost time for his little fireworks show to start!

Alchiba desperately attempts to talk Vulpecula out of his sabotage, saying the server he's after only stores data of unidentified people that shouldn't have any value to him. Vulpecula regards him for a moment before revealing this server is named the Extinction Server and agrees he has no need of it. But that's exactly why he's going to get rid of it. Discarding fragments of the past is a necessary process for living in the present. Alchiba still attempts to appeal to Vulpecula, saying a villain like him should know that these fragments are all that's left of people eaten by Monsters to prove they existed.

Vulpecula pauses before asking if the past is that valuable. These were people who weren't saved, and Vulpecula asks if Alchiba has anything in his past he'd rather get rid of too. Alchiba doesn't answer, so Vulpecula asks if he made him remember something unpleasant. If he did, he suggests Alchiba just get rid of it. There's no need to be bound by the past, and he says Alchiba may have certain qualities as he invites him to live in the present with him.

Alchiba shoots the offer down, saying his own past is unimportant but he won't stand letting other peoples' pasts be tossed away. He admits to trying to put everything into black and white, but he also says that it's too early to write the server off yet. Vulpecula is displeased by this as he says Alchiba could never understand his aesthetics, calling him a foolish hypocrite for trying to protect other peoples' pasts despite hating his own past self.

Vulpecula returns his focus back to his crime in progress and orders his underlings to take the server, and Alchiba shouts out his protests in vain as a light flashes in the distance, leaving him to watch the undersea server get its power cut off. Alchiba grieves over this saying there was still a chance to get those people connected, and he decries Vulpecula's actions as trampling over someone's memories instead of stealing the past. Vulpecula calls the notion a ridiculous dress up of memories. He sighs and says he's done, then taunts Alchiba to come after him like some crazy jilted lover. That ought to be a good job for a detective that can't catch him like this, he says before flourishing his cape and jumping off the deck.

Alchiba is shocked by Vulpecula's action since the party they were at was on an ocean cruiser, so jumping overboard is generally not helpful. But it turns out that Vulpecula has jumped over to a spaceship he had arranged prior, and he spares Alchiba a look of disdain as he calls him a stupid clown who should just get drunk on his own miseries. The next time he shows up in front of him he should at least define himself as black or white, and Vulpecula bids him goodbye as his ship zooms away. Alchiba angrily cusses him out as he watches him go, swearing not to let Vulpecula destroy anything else and wishing he had more power and the ability to be a hero.

Title card pops up, and this episode is called Give Me the Strength to Fight.

Back to the present you express some sympathy for Alchiba, who says that was the most frustrating thing in his life. He wasn't able to come up with an argument against Vulpecula's philosophy, and all he could do was watch Vulpecula get away with his crime. It was embarrassing, and Alchiba is sure he was feeling lost then like he is now, which is why he couldn't win.

You ask Alchiba about this sense of being lost, so Alchiba says it's about how he feels the future should be. Vulpecula believes that there is a future in discarding the past, and while Alchiba disagrees with that viewpoint he can't really explain himself his actual position. Alchiba shows you guys his hands, and there are old rugged traces on his palms. Mokdai expresses his surprise at them, and Kalaski observes that those are traces of Alchiba having held a gun in his past. Alchiba confirms as much, calling his callouses mementos of a past he'd like to get rid of but can't. Even if he thinks of it as terrible, he can't throw away the skills he's picked up from that time, and he still uses them in the present. If he has to, he'll take his gun up even now.

Alchiba balls up his fist as he says he hates his past, but he can't approve of abandoning all of it like Vulpecula is arguing for. He feels that as long as he keeps his conflicting viewpoints in mind, he'll probably always be charging recklessly at Vulpecula. But Alchiba says he's fine with this since he can't come up with anything better. You express concern for Alchiba or stay silent, and Shaft starts thinking about his own circumstances as he's been following along the conversation while driving. Shaft soon catches sight of something up ahead, so he tells you guys about it and says he'll be stopping the car for now before taking the taxi to cover.

Mokdai starts worrying that Shaft saw Vulpecula's minions coming after you guys. Kalaski notes that you guys don't have that much time to stretch out, so he'd rather just force his way past them if possible. He asks Shaft if he saw an estimate to how many people were up ahead, so Shaft says he picked up at least ten cars even if they were far away. If they're all enemies, that's quite a bit of them over there.

Kalaski says it sounds like there's too many to just engage them, but there's not much time to come up with a plan either. Alchiba says Vulpecula as a person isn't the aggressive belligerent sort, and he points out the mercenaries were able to make their escape easily earlier. Vulpecula's more the tactical type to bring in armed friends to help him destroy things of the past while he leads from the back. There's no telling how many people he's brought, but he's thought things out pretty well.

A voice suddenly speaks out thanking Alchiba for the compliment, and Vulpecula reveals himself smiling as though he was there from the beginning. Alchiba is taken by surprise by this, and Mokdai is mildly freaked out at him showing up all of a sudden. You are surprised as well, though you quickly tell everyone to transform and get ready to fight. Vulpecula makes no effort to move as the party suits up, then starts introducing himself to everyone, confident that you guys can't lay a finger on him.

Alchiba calls Vulpecula's words a cheap taunt and says he won't fall for it, but Vulpecula bows unconcerned. Vulpecula says he isn't here to make a taunt since he doesn't want to hurt you guys. Since you guys are contradicting his aesthetics, he came hoping to make a deal. Alchiba says he isn't letting go of how Vulpecula destroyed the Extinction Server, but Vulpecula just sighs and looks at him, saying he doesn't remember anything he's stolen. He argues that losing the past and forgetting its sadness is how you fill the present with joy, and he says Alchiba should know since he has the qualifications for whatever. Alchiba says Vulpecula can talk all he likes after he's arrested as he charges him, but Vulpecula makes no effort to move away.

Just as Alchiba is about to grab him, Vulpecula disappears from the spot he was standing in. Vulpecula casually taunts you guys from his new position as he reiterates that you guys can't catch him. Mokdai is amazed at Vulpecula's disappearing trick and compares it to magic, so you either tell him this isn't the time to be impressed or tell everyone to be careful. A gets an extra line where Mokdai goes 'oh, right' and has to refocus on the situation at hand.

Kalaski is annoyed as he wonders what trick Vulpecula is pulling. Vulpecula comments on how unaesthetic you guys are and says he just needs you guys to not get in his way before indirectly threatening you all. Alchiba declares he's here as a detective hero and not just a detective today, so he'll figure out what he's doing as he casts his ultimate move Demonstration "Mávro Áspro." A scanning laser beam is shot out from Alchiba's Parallel Weapon, but Vulpecula disappears just as it's about to hit him causing the weapon to spit out a No Data error message.

Alchiba is dismayed and angry his weapon wasn't able to scan Vulpecula, and Vulpecula in turn calls him a dull boy for doing so terribly. This provokes Alchiba into casting his ultimate again, but you try to tell Alchiba to stop spamming it since it isn't working and he's just draining your ~~MP~~ Views for nothing. Vulpecula flexes on Alchiba again by teleporting away, and Alchiba says he realizes he's wasting Views and curses being unable to do anything again with Vulpecula in front of him. Another failed scan message pops up for him, but your phone starts glowing red again, causing you to suspect another variant path is opening up.

Alchiba grits his teeth at this, and Vulpecula laughs as he calls him a fool again. His weapon does suit him though, what with him tied up with his past. But he doesn't have the ability to catch him, so he should just sit back and watch his show. Pained frustration shows on Alchiba's face, asking if he's really going to keep being the stupid puppet in Vulpecula's plays. He admits to having a past he'd rather let go of, but that's not something he can just do. He knows this, but this isn't enough to be a point to use as an argument against Vulpecula. He then tries pushing himself to come up with a way to nab him.

You speak up to say you feel the past has things that are important, and Alchiba reacts like this is a big revelation. Vulpecula looks unimpressed as he comments that sounds like the sort of thing you'd say as someone on Alchiba's side. You meet his eyes when he turns to look at you, and meanwhile Alchiba looks down on his hands and the callouses he got from holding a gun in the past. Alchiba admits to being shaped by his past, and while he'd rather not accept it the future exists because the present and past do. That's why he's unable to let the past go, and agonizing over this is how he walks towards the future.

Alchiba balls up his fist(s?) and glares at Vulpecula, and he starts talking about how he'll be able to properly attack him once he affirms the past even a little bit and has a legitimate argument against Vulpecula's view of the future. He swears that he'll use even his horrible past to fight against Vulpecula, and your phone responds by giving you the window prompt for a new path for Alchiba. Alchiba doesn't seem to notice when you remark on the new window out loud as he asks you to operate and help him catch Vulpecula. But when you say you're opening the new path, he consents and says he'll be counting on you.

When you hit the confirm button on your phone screen, Alchiba is covered in a red light, shifting to his variant form when the transformation is finalized. Alchiba is surprised at his new form, though he quickly figures out it comes from a personal wish to have the power to arrest Vulpecula instead of a desire to climb up or for organizational recognition. He considers calling it an armed detective form, and he notes his wings are black, but a different shade from his police days. He accepts it all and says he'll fight for himself now.

You get excited as you say Alchiba looks cool and/or say he has a different vibe now. Shaft is shocked to see Alchiba in a different hero form, and Kalaski is slightly less so but still surprised to see the rumored Parallel Weapon changing in accordance to its wielder's mind state. He figures you must be that mysterious Observer that Narihito told him about. He's never seen it himself before, but he didn't expect it to change completely like that. He figures it must be because of how thoughts can influence a person's vision of a hero. Shaft is taken aback at this idea, then mutters to himself that maybe you could do something for him as he goes to hide by the car again.

Back to Alchiba, Alchiba looks at his new variant form weapon and comments on it being a laser gun similar to the gun he used to have. He finds it ironic that this is his weapon now, but he's glad it feels so familiar and declares Vulpecula won't be getting away. Vulpecula finds this development interesting and says this is a lot of progress coming from Alchiba, only to shrug and add that it's still not enough to pin him down. He asks Alchiba why he tries so hard to protect the memorial monoliths, and he argues that the people who go visit them are trapped by their grief.

Kalaski flips the argument around to say the monoliths give support for untold numbers of people that Vulpecula could never hope to see himself. Vulpecula however argues that memories of the dead are only a burden for the living, something that only prolongs suffering and makes the bright parts of life fade away. He calls it nonsensical to waste time spending your life thinking about the deceased. Mokdai rebuts the point and says everyone has people they don't want to forget about. People may feel lonely in those times, but protecting and remembering them is important.

Vulpecula's brows knit in irritation at Mokdai's argument, then asks what should be done for people eaten by Monsters and those who knew them. Nothing is left behind in that case, and if the people who knew them forgot about them they wouldn't be suffering their loss. To remember is to suffer. If you die in a war, a memorial will be made to mourn you. If you're a monster victim, no one need bother with being sad. But that's way too unequal, and the world is too harsh on those who have memories that won't go away. That's nothing different from the sophistry heroes support, the justice they claim to uphold by cutting down one and supporting the other.

Vulpecula continues monologuing his utter distaste for the layerings of dressing up the past, and he says that his thefts are making things equal. Kalaski finally finds a moment where Vulpecula is distracted enough to pull his ultimate on him, surprising Vulpecula when the stop effect sticks to him. Kalaski tells you guys to hurry and follow up since the effect only works for a few seconds as he holds his camera up, and you nod as you urge the others to attack. Alchiba thanks Kalaski, then fires his laser. Vulpecula still manages to shake the stun off to warp away, but he calls out to you all to compliment you guys for nearly managing to put a hole in his suit.

Kalaski cusses at the near miss, and Alchiba demands Vulpecula reveal himself again instead of run. Vulpecula answers he's not running, but going on with his regularly scheduled heist like he said he would in his video. It seems like you guys won't turn back, and it's a shame you haven't come to an understanding, so it's time for his family/friends/minions to keep you busy. The mercenary mobs burst out of the shadows on cue, and Alchiba asks what the big shame is before telling you to stay in formation. Shaft calls out that there's a lot of enemies here, and Mokdai says you guys will have to fight your way out since you're all surrounded.

You either worry about this situation, tell everyone to get ready, or say to keep frosty and break through. Kalaski whispers to you and Shaft the plan is to escape after taking some of the mobs out. The party will make an opening in the enemy line while Shaft is to sneak over to the taxi when he sees a chance to do so. Shaft says he'll do it, so Kalaski tells him to drive over to the party once he's in to pick everyone up and speed on out of there. He'll need to direct the party for that part, so Shaft says he'll do his best. Kalaski then lightly raps your head and tells everyone to get ready and to not die as the episode battle starts.

Live A Hero Space Taxi Chasers Episode 4

A flashback kicks in to Shaft's past, tuning in to the end of a rugby match where Shaft celebrates his team winning by making a comeback. His team mates compliment Shaft for kicking ass and taking names out there crediting his physical abilities for the win. Shaft narrates that rugby had been his whole life until recently, so his memories from that time have been seared the the underside of his eyelids. He had plenty of friends, and his life was fun. He wholeheartedly believed that he'd be turning into a pro rugby player and that all he had to do was go on and achieve it.

 

A teammate notices a talent scout coming by, so he prompts Shaft to look good when they come over. The scout thanks everyone for coming to the space league tryouts, and they specifically single out Shaft as doing well out there and asks to talk to him some more. Shaft is surprised by this but quickly agrees. Shaft's teammates are excited for him, calling him the Iron Man and joking about getting his autograph now before he goes to be the best player in Japan Earth. Shaft is a bit awkward as he frets about the situation, but he happily laughs. His teammates tease, but ultimately cheer for him. It was a happy time for Shaft, what with having the support of his team and being able to make a living out of the thing he loves in life. Practice and sponsored matches would be coming forward and make rugby his whole life, and some time after that, his manager gives Shaft a suggestion.

 

Shaft's manager mentions there being a hero agency called Galaxy Athletes that supports the hero lives for pro athletes. Since Shaft has the ability to become a hero, the manager asks him what he thinks about becoming a pro hero along with his rugby stuff. Shaft is surprised at the proposal, but he quickly agrees and asks for more details. In narration Shaft says that he might have gotten carried. Everything in his life went well up to that point, so deep down he may have assumed it'd just keep going that way. But even so, he intended to his best in both jobs.

 

Flashback jumps forward in time to Shaft finishing up a battle with some monsters. He cheers getting through it successfully, then asks if that's all the enemies accounted for. An Operator tells him that it seems to be so, then says they should leave soon since the nearby buildings are falling apart. Shaft agrees with the point, though he asks the Operator to cancel his hero transformation for him due to fatigue of fighting for so long in it. But at that moment, a building crumbles and rubble falls. The Operator attempts to warn Shaft of this, but Shaft unfortunately isn't able to get out of the way in time. The Operator is horrified at this and tries to ask if Shaft is okay. Shaft is still conscious and tries to play tough, but he's seriously wounded as the Operator attempts to call for help.

 

Shaft narrates that injuries are a fact of life when it comes to sports and heroics. He's been hurt countless times up to that point in his life, so he figured he'd be fine if he recovers well enough. But getting crushed by falling debris took longer than usual for him to heal from. Some time later, Shaft's manager congratulates him for getting out of the hospital. His injury was serious, so even the medical staff were surprised that Shaft turned out as well as he did. But even so, it was bad enough that the manager needs to discuss Shaft's work situation with him now.

In the time Shaft was hospitalized, it turns out that upper management have talked about terminating his contract. Shaft is distraught at this and asks if he's being forced to quit the rugby league and why. His manager tries to keep polite and say Shaft still gets to choose to stay if he wants, but they are strongly encouraging him to stop. They just don't believe he can keep it up like he used to now post-injury. Shaft narrates that he knows it's a logical decision to quit the sports world and go into the business world, and he understands that the management is concerned for him. The manager adds that Shaft is in his thirties now, and that's the age range at which you hit the limits at which you can keep going in a demanding sport like rugby anyway. It would take even more time to make up for his medical leave, and that's time he just couldn't fit into his schedule.

Flashback jumps forward again where Shaft is at some office job and timidly asks what to do with some data he has for his data entry. A kind coworker goes to answer him and says Shaft doesn't need to be that deferential since it's fine. Shaft (whose last name is revealed to be Todoroki) has never done this before, so it's not like he can do anything about that. Shaft awkwardly nods and apologizes. Shaft narrates that when he got into data entry, he never got the hang of spreadsheets and had to bother people around him for help. They were kind to him, but that only made him feel worse. And with no rugby in his life now, everything felt dull and colorless. Why was he even alive? And how long was it going to continue?

When work is over Shaft watches a rugby match on TV or something, despite the bitterness and jealousy he feels in doing so. Part of him wants to know why he isn't down there with them, but another part of him knows he doesn't have a place there anymore. When he lost the ability to play rugby, his ability to become a hero went with it. He let other people define his limits and decide how he lived. He gave up really. It's his fault he gave up on rugby and heroics, so he decided that if nothing else he'd live his life so as to not bother other people. He didn't want to feel even worse than he did.

Some time later, Shaft is talking to his group manager and apologizes for meeting with him when things are so busy. He thanks him for all the help he was given, and as ashamed as he is to say it he admits he's thinking of retiring. Shaft then narrates that his life ended there. Everyone's lives come to an end at some point. His just happened to be then.

Title card pops up, and this episode is called I Can't Go Back to Those Days

We tune in back to the present as Kalaski thanks you all for helping him get rid of the looters. He feels he should pay back any debt he incurs, so he suggests heading over to the monolith right away to stop the phantom thief and junk. You speak up to ask for a moment to contact the police over on the moon, but Alchiba knits his eyebrows and makes a disapproving noise. Alchiba starts talking about not knowing the Earth and moon's police forces that well, but the public security force he was on before was very inflexible. If they're any similar, they'll need concrete proof before doing anything. He suggests that there's not enough now to contact them for any help and that it may be better to solve things on your own for now.

You are a little put out by Alchiba's argument but let it be and note how informed he is of things. Alchiba sadly says he was part of something similar in the past, but then changes the subject back to heading to the monoliths and asks Shaft to drive you guys over. Shaft agrees, then asks you guys to wait a moment for him to switch his taxi from space mode to planet mode.

Kalaski is quiet for a moment, and Mokdai asks why he's staring at Shaft when he notices. Kalaski says he was curious about something and asks Shaft if he used to be a hero. Shaft is shocked at the question and stammers something of an indirect no. You are shocked yourself to hear that Shaft is a hero, and Kalaski says that one hero maniac in Broadcasters is that much of a nerd. He believes he went to Galaxy Athletes to get some coverage of stuff, and Kalaski remembers being shown a picture of a pro rugby hero that looked a lot like Shaft. He has work-related photographic memory, and he comments on vaguely remembering seeing Shaft before.

Shaft goes quiet, and Mokdai turns out to have heard enough about Shaft's previous stint to ask if he's that illusory Iron Man hero who was only around for a short time. He only knows what they looked like in their hero form so he never noticed before, but he asks Shaft if he was that hero. Shaft asks if they can move on from the conversation as if shying away from his reflection in Mokdai's bright eyes. He only indirectly admits to it as he says he can't become a hero anymore and apologizes for not being able to do anything, and he grasps his cap tighter as he looks away.

You get concerned as you ask Shaft if he's okay, and Mokdai apologizes for getting so excited about a sensitive subject. Shaft however says he's happy they remember him and apologizes for being forceful earlier. Alchiba clears his throat to help clear the mood, saying that whatever happened in Shaft's past hasn't changed what you guys need to do now. He suggests that Shaft just do what he can right now, so Shaft thanks him and asks you guys to wait for him to get things ready. He walks over to the driver's seat, and the rest of you follow.

After the party gets into the car, Mokdai sighs as he feels guilty over what he said to Shaft. You point out that he didn't do so on purpose, so it should be fine if he apologizes. Kalaski asks why Shaft got the Iron Man nickname, so Mokdai explains it came from how implacable Shaft was during his heroing stint. No matter what attacks were thrown at him he just tanked through it without stopping, and people said it resembled how he played rugby. Kalaski says Shaft doesn't really look the part anymore since it looks like he's always blaming himself for something. The pessimism is a bit much. Alchiba says things would be easier if Shaft could fight as a hero with you guys, but if Shaft doesn't want to do so it's better for everyone involved that he not.

While everyone is having their whispered conversation about Shaft, Shaft suddenly yells for everyone to hold on as he suddenly floors the pedal. You and Alchiba are thrown by surprise and ask Shaft what's going on. Shaft answers that there are people shooting at the car now, though he can't tell who. He has managed to get the car to cover, and once he's there he turns to you guys in a panic and asks what to do next. Kalaski is calm as he points out that whoever was shooting should be pursuing you guys soon.

Mokdai asks why people are firing at you guys and wonders if the attacks are soldiers. For that matter he asks how Kalaski can be so calm about this. Kalaski explains that ambushes happen regularly in battle, and you have to be calm to deal with them. But in this case it seems like a deliberate attack against you guys as opposed to looters trying to sneak around. You either say it would be dangerous to be attacked while traveling, suggest attacking them first, or suggest running away. C gets an extra line where Kalaski says it'd be a problem if any refuge the taxi takes gets attacked too, so it'd be better to fight back.

Alchiba suggests stepping away from the taxi and ambushing whoever is after you guys when they get closer. He also asks Shaft to stick with you, figuring he should know how to act if he's an ex-hero. Shaft agrees to the suggestion and says he'll be counting on you. Kalaski says you guys will need to know who exactly is attacking you guys, so Alchiba hopes that it's just another big misunderstanding like Kalaski had when he attacked you guys. Kalaski gets snippy about it and says he needs to focus on what's going on now, so Alchiba sighs about his Parallel Weapon not really being suited for fighting and admits part of him wishes he had the gun he threw away in times like this. Your phone glows red which you notice, but when you go check it looks the same as ever.

Alchiba asks you if something is wrong, and Kalaski prompts you to transform the party quick before the unknown assailants come closer. You comply with his request, and Kalaski psyches himself up saying he's counting on you to operate after he's suited up. Alchiba suggests getting this over with quick so you guys can get to the monolith after this.

Mercenary mobs turn up soon after, and Mokdai is intimidated by their weaponry. Kalaski reminds him that you guys are ambushing them to keep yourselves safer, then tells him to stay focused. Eventually you signal the team to attack, and Mokdai charges the mercenary mob team first. The mercenaries are surprised by you guys using the taxi as a decoy, and Alchiba demands the mobs reveal who they are to you guys. Kalaski says he doesn't particularly care who they are, but if they're attacking then they're enemies as the episode battle starts. More happens afterwards.

After the battle, the story picks up midway with Kalaski casting his ultimate move Instant Capture "On Frame Resident" which is in effect a Stop spell to halt the mobs' movements when their photo is taken. Mokdai follows up to use his own finishing move to punch out the mobs as hard as he can. One of them shakes their hand angrily at getting their ass kicked so hard, and another mob orders a retreat and says to contact the others to get ready, especially the guys by the monoliths. The mobs all run off in a cloud of dust they kick up, and once it's confirmed they're gone the party cancels out of their suits and Shaft pops his head out.

Shaft asks if it's all over, then says he was on edge and comments on the mobs being dangerous. Alchiba talks about how you guys can't afford to lose your only mode of transport here since it would prevent you guys from reaching the monoliths. Shaft says the taxi actually belongs to him, so if it gets destroyed that's going to be a huge dent in his business and savings. You point out that the taxi is fine, so all's well that ends well. Shaft is dubious about this, but he doesn't argue the point with you.

Time passes a bit to Kalaski commenting on how fast the mobs ran away and how you guys lost the chance to question them. Alchiba however points out that the mobs mentioned monoliths before they left, and given the circumstances he's sure they serve Vulpecula. Mokdai is amazed by that deduction and reasons himself that this would mean you guys are on the right track going to the monoliths. At that point, you decide to suggest to Alchiba contacting the police on the moon or calling Huckle. He shows reluctance to the idea either way, though in the latter he adds a quick bit about how calling Huckle would also tip off the police.

Alchiba says after a moment that you guys should put off the phone call and hurry on ahead to catch Vulpecula yourselves. The warp gate is down, so it'll take time for them to get over here anyways. If Vulpecula leaves or comes up with a counter plan against you guys then this entire thing will have been a waste. And if Vulpecula's minions are attacking you guys at this point then you guys should already be posing a threat to him, so you ought to press on.

Shaft tries joining in the conversation and asks about Vulpecula streaming a video if he's going to move again. He's going all in on the phantom thief schtick with sending advance notice of his crimes before acting, so he figures he should do so. Alchiba admits it's possible and notes that Shaft has learned how to read Vulpecula's patterns as well. He decides to ask for some time to research something, then pulls out his phone to fiddle with it.

After some searching, Alchiba happily says that Shaft is right as there are signs that Vulpecula made a video a few hours ago. He'll be able to download it in a little bit. Mokdai is excited to see another of Vulpecula's videos, then catches himself and says it might have an important riddle to solve. You either sigh at Mokdai's geekiness or strongly remind him that Vulpecula is a villain. Either way Mokdai winces as he asks you not to get fed up with him and promises he's doing his best to catch him.

Vulpecula's video starts playing as he addresses his viewers, saying that while they may be looking forward to the second act of the show, the footsteps on the white silky skin have been discovered. Some uninvited foolish guests have arrived, and they are close to awakening the bird of parting. So there's been a change of plans and he's moving right into the finale. Vulpecula orders his family/minions to show the interlopers the joy of living in the present and the foolishing of standing still in the past. Once it's time to reveal the answer of his poem, he'll offer up a parting bouquet as a present.

When the video ends, you start to comment on what the video is and Alchiba says it's a war declaration with fools referring to you guys. The mention of the finale means there must not be much time left as well. Alchiba scoffs to himself about Vulpecula sending a taunt like this and says he'll be able to pay Vulpecula back for the humiliation he felt that one day. The episode then ends as Alchiba decides to stake his professional reputation on finishing this job.

Nightglows of the Starlit Sky Episode 6 Part 2

We tune in on our end where you are running through Shinjuku Chuo Park on a rainy night where no stars can be seen. Much of what happens is a repeat of what happened in the beginning of Chapter 9 with you attempting to get back to the dorm before curfew and Solomon talking about how much of a help he is in your life. There are some divergence points however, what with the PTSD flashbacks also getting stitched with flashes of AI Solomon during the event. Then the rest of the night plays out the part where you go save Breke from being attacked by machine troopers.

 

Scene then shifts to Azathoth's weird dream realm safe room where he comments on the game continuing on as he watches what's happening through a TV. But he has enough watching for now as he decides to switch over to playing a game again, at which point someone knocks on the door of the meta safe room. Nodens lets himself in, saying he was looking all over for Azathoth and asks what the room is supposed to be. Nodens then dramatically sighs as he plops himself next to Azathoth, and Azathoth is mildly interested in his presence before answering that this is all Azathoth's dream. That in turn means Nodens is part of his dream fantasy, and Azathoth is willing to answer some of his questions if he asks.

 

Nodens cackles as he decides to accept Azathoth's offer and joins him in the fighting game he's playing. Nodens hassles Azathoth for playing a mob, and Azathoth in turn taunts Nodens for playing a high tier character. Nodens starts dominating the round, and Azathoth plays along for a bit before destroying Nodens' character in one hit.

 

Nodens throws his controller down as he gets pissy for having lost, commenting that he knew he'd be losing and couldn't really alter the outcome of his big battle. Azathoth points out that it was their (as in plural) battle to Nodens, which he took a look at. Nodens laughs as he says Azathoth has a horrible personality, then asks if that's why Cthulhu was set up to be the game's trophy. Azathoth however denies it after some cackling of his own, saying he as the All Powerful Know Nothing wouldn't know about it. Cthulhu getting exiled to the depths of the sea was something the damn fool did on his own.

 

Nodens is shocked by this statement, and Azathoth adds that he'll see the end of his dream himself because that's his hobby. He's already reached his own end, which is something everyone from his world should be aware of. Nodens is silently mad for a moment, then accepts it and asks if that meant he was wasting his time and effort to begin with. They themselves couldn't change the world on their own, and yet they threw themselves stupidly and desperately into a dream nobody else asked for.

 

Azathoth laughs madly for a while before telling Nodens that he doesn't know. He is the almighty and the totally ignorant and that title means something dammit. He knows nothing of Nodens' dream and nothing of Cthulhu's dream...but he'll still watch them to their end. He'll watch all the possibilities of worlds that have ended, or in other words all the bad endings. Nodens says he doesn't get it since their world already ended, but Azathoth clarifies that he means the bad endings for All Worlds.

 

Tokyo is in a time loop and the game is set up to decide which single world is the winner. But what happens if the ending where One World Wins...never happened? What if you define that as a bad ending having happened? Then after that bad ending, something completely different from it begins. If Old Ones were to win the wish of its exile Cthulhu can't be granted. Neither would Nodens's wish for that matter. Really, if any world wins, it'd be impossible to grant everyone's wishes. The end result is that no one's wish wins out and continues into an unknown future.

 

Nodens laughs as he calls everything above a pipe dream, incredulous at the idea that every world has failed. Azathoth says that everyone is stupidly repeating the loops over and over, but it's not a definite thing for no world to win. Put another way, no world has ever truly given up, and that is because every world has won against Old Ones. Nodens is unable to understand this since he doesn't have the intelligence to parse through it. But within him is the two Nodens who can since they have the wisdom for it. All worlds decide things based on a hierarchy, an incontrovertible rule that puts some things above others. Every other world always wins against Old Ones, which is an expression of this hierarchy and the only definite event to happen for the world when everything else is in flux. But now even this event is no longer set in stone, and all order to the game is lost.

 

Nodens looks back to the door he came in from as his eyes lights up in understanding. NG Nodens had lost against you, but he lost to you as Old Ones' representative. And NG Nodens also won against the other worlds as Old Ones' representative. Azathoth and Nodens start laughing like crazy together for a while, and eventually Nodens calls Azathoth an idiot and asks if such a thing is even possible. Azathoth fires back that it should be the best ending for Nodens, though he doesn't know or care himself. Nodens says it's the stupidest thing ever and admits that he's totally lost this. And, the both of them say it's also a win for Old Ones.

Nodens talks about how the game has been shown to have no definite parts to it, so what comes next is neither a true ending or a bad ending; it's on the path for something completely different. He starts to leave which prompts Azathoth to ask where he's going. Nodens says the room is the residence of what remains of Azathoth, so he can't stay there forever. He knows about the memory fragments of his time spent in the great space war. The great reversal of time has swept them away as pieces cut off from the original body, so if Nodens were to appear in Tokyo after this, he'd be a version of him without these memories. Nodens wonders aloud about whether he should retire like Azathoth did too, then sees the ones who have crossed over the horizon.

Tsathoggua starts sighing about how tired he is and says he wants some first class honey candy. Cthugha complains about how his role in the story turned out and says being treated as a disposable pawn by his friends hurt. He is happy with how cool his last actions were at the end though. Nyarlathotep jibbers nonsense suggesting he isn't too happy with how things went, but since Azathoth has been enjoying it all he leaves it be. The ex-rulers are moving on ahead from this frozen world for parts unknown, and Nodens decides that they want to see where that goes when Azathoth pokes him really hard.

Nodens is shocked at getting poked like so and asks Azathoth what his deal is. Azathoth tells him that since he's made a connection, he can be called over to Tokyo. When that might happen, nobody knows as a mutual bond can surpass anything and pull two things together. Azathoth tells him to go enjoy himself since that's probably what he wants. Not that he'd know or anything. Nodens rubs his forehead before twisting his face into a grin, then cackles as he tells Azathoth watch him make a mess of things before leaving. Cthugha follows behind looking excited while Tsathoggua feels more like it's all effort he can't be bothered to make. Nyarlathotep gives Azathoth a bow filled with reluctant sadness before leaving too, and soon the room goes back to being quiet.

Azathoth picks up his controller again as he thinks about what will be happening in the near future. There'll be a chance for him to reward you later on too. Azathoth wonders what it is he should give you, though he figures he could just tell you the same thing he told Nodens. He's already collected all the bad endings in this world, which is fine and all, but he's a little bored now. A thought then occurs to him as he reaches into empty space, then pulls a shocked Solomon out with a flash of light. Azathoth invites Solomon to play with him until he gets called again. He's half of you, so it should be fine to do this for a bit. Solomon thinks for a moment, then agrees. In the center of the universe where the ultimate mysteries are, it is said that the transcendent one sits there. He is the blind almighty yet incompetent one, forever dragging along in his sense of tedium. They say a tiny follower serves him to help relieve that boredom, but there is no one who can say whether this is true for sure. The End.

Nightglows of the Starlit Sky Episode 6 Part 1

Nodens starts narrating, and he talks about remembering that one day invaders from space came to invade and conquer the planet. It was the day he lost his throne as king of the planet, and he was driven to the abyss in the land of dreams where he spent his days having retired from the world. Even someone as wise as him had nothing better to do there beyond mulling over his old dreams, and this was by will of the creator who made everything in the world including him, Azathoth. Nodens did not have the power to oppose this state of being, and all he could do was accept it. But still, it's not like he was having a case of sour grapes over his new life. And it's not to say his life was empty now either.

 

Nodens' life having anything in it at all had to be because he wasn't alone in the Dream Land. His new dominion was also the home of the race known as the night gaunts. He was surprised and perplexed by them at first, what with how they lived by parasitizing dreamers. They were mischievous yet cowardly, wicked yet charming on some level. With no one else around to talk to after so many days, Nodens tried to make contact with them and approach them. It could just be mutual comfort, yet they needed each other to live. So Nodens lived his life with them over many years. His emotions engaged, and he embraced his friendship with them. Or perhaps he adored them. But because of those feelings, Nodens was unable to accept that the world of Old Ones had come to a dead end. He couldn't accept the cruel reality that he couldn't give the night gaunts who stayed with him in his final days a new dream. They were born to a world that has lost, and they were fated to be unable to take a step forward. So Nodens wished to show them the future, even if he had to discard his vaunted wisdom.

 

Over in the Tokyo Cathedral, Michael and Duo are talking to each other with Michael looking off into the distance. The conversation tunes in at the point where Duo finishes telling Michael about what happened in the Nightglows incident, and Duo adds that all the victims of the night gaunts are sleeping peacefully in the Agate Castle. He compares this to how participants who have lost at a battle royal are invited to watch the rest of the game in the stands. Everyone there seems to be seeing the same dream, a dream where the fate of humanity hangs in the balance of a space war. But that said, if they didn't wake up their dream would be no different from reality, and Duo asks Michael if he's satisfied with that explanation.

 

Michael is surprised at the idea of an invasion from space, especially by the fact that Old Ones of all worlds managed to do this. Something like that would send shockwaves among the 'players.' But now that the security hole they exploited to make this happen is closed, Michael asks why they did it now. Duo notes that day was the same day where unusual heavenly phenomenon happens once every so many decades, even in Tokyo. Duo suggests it could just be like that time the Resident at the Top of the Tower did something in the sky using media manipulation, but a lot of people looked up at the sky because of TV and internet news. Nodens then probably took that moment to show a memory of his past, a memory of an invasion of Earth from space.

Many people had seen that phantom spectacle of space invaders descending upon the planet. Then those many people had their thoughts frozen upon seeing all that, leading them to accept it as true. Duo talks about how things become real if enough people believe it, even if it were originally an illusion. This would include an overworld shift that involved outer space as well. When the shift was resolved, the events falling within its borders were reverted, but it was big enough that the reversal was on the level of a great reversal of time like the loops. It's big enough that you can hear waves, and it's also big enough that most people involved in it have lost their memories from it. Few can correctly perceive what had happened, such as Pillars like him. The experiment that spanned specific wards from the other day proved it, as the great reversion that happened there took people's memories as well.

Michael talks about how Utopia has cutting edge technology for System management and defense, and he asks if the help given for this incident came from their vigilance. Duo says the incident was something that happened beyond his own assumptions, and if he made one mistake he wouldn't have been able to resist either and the game would have been over. Duo admits he doesn't remember much about what happened in this incident either, but he remembers naturally being recognized as the last commander of humanity. He believes it's highly likely the Game Masters intervened by setting him up with the role of a space army to resist against the faith of a space invasion. From another perspective, that's all the threat the faith Nodens hacked into almost all of Tokyo amounted to.

Michael decides to ask just in case if Transients from Utopia can pull off the same trick Nodens did. Duo is quiet for a moment before he denies the possibility, at least if they're going with the same methods. Utopia and Old Ones have different views on What the Universe is Like. The latter says terror comes forth from the unknown, and the former says science uses the unknown as a starting premise instead. Michael decides to accept Duo's explanation, saying they probably won't need unknown madness to cause dependence. He smugly comments that Utopians (which he groups Duo with) say science is enough to function as their religion, though he thinks that in itself is mad in his view.

Michael becomes even more cautious against Utopia, and it's noted that he believes their science and logic surpasses self-indulgent insanity. Their two worlds may be opposites but they are aware of their differing ideologies. Michael comments that the Game Masters can take care of the security hole now that it's been exposed. Duo says he also certifies the plan to deal with it and that there's no problem with anything.

Michael changes the subject to ask where the trophy is and if this incident has influenced them in any way. Duo is slow to answer that nothing's changed with them and things are going 'just like always.' They're probably going back to their regular life of being helped and helping others. Michael scoffs at how kind they are, just like always. But anyways, while the records may be the same as usual, Michael asks if Duo can share his memories of this incident with him. He's understood what happened based off Duo's oral report, but he says he wants to experience the feelings that went with it too.

Duo comments that their cooperative relationship does have him sharing loop memories as part of the deal, but he points out that Michael can only ask him for his memories, not demand them from him. Michael argues that the incident should be shared with everyone, and he asks if Duo plans on keeping it all to himself. It's presented as a right and proper proposal of action, all in the interest of fairness. The result would be that they show the other parties their hands, but then they get to see theirs as well.

Duo is quiet for a moment before asking Michael if he's sure he wants these memories made public record for the main players. It includes how Michael died, yelling someone's name. Duo whispers those last words into Michael's ears, causing him to stagger in response. Michael then whispers back harshly, demanding to know if Duo actually saw that and if he showed that to his allies. A moment later, Michael takes a slow breath as he composes himself again, then thanks Duo as he says this meeting was very important. He admits that sharing memories through artifacts could turn out to be a one-sided disadvantage for the Utopia faction. He agrees to leave the incident report as just an oral report, and he says he'll use his authority to put a stopgap in their information. If anyone complains, Michael offers to talk to them about it instead. Duo thanks him, then promises he 'won't speak a word of it to anyone.' Michael leaves it at that and walks off. Duo watches him go before walking off elsewhere himself.

Duo goes to meet Bertro later, who comments on how humanistic and sweet smelling the flower of wiliness smells. He asks about Duo making an overbearing move and figuring Michael must have made a sharp expression. Duo comments that Bertro speaks like he saw it himself, but he confirms as much and says the clean up is done now. Bertro comments that it's sad whenever a festival ends and comments that the endless days are starting up. He called this incident insanity, and he says that's correct. But can Duo say right now that isn't the case, that they aren't insane right now? Maybe they were in their right minds in that one-time area.

Duo asks Vice Commander Bertro if he liked it. Bertro laughs in response and plays coy with his answer, but he admits that a small part of him feels like something is different. It might've been fine to stay that way, he says to Commander Duo. Bertro then walks off, and Duo watches him go. Once he's gone Duo shifts his gaze to the clear skies of Tokyo. No stars shine above up there, only down below within his chest.

The next day, things tune in over at Shinjuku Station where Jambavan is putting up fliers for Alice and asks how many he's put up already. Alice says that's his job as she asks if counting is supposed to be part of a researcher's duties. Jambavan answers that the medical research lab he goes in and out of isn't supposed to send him out to count out fliers and stick them up around town though. Even a generous guy like him would have to protest being called up by a little girl in the morning to carry a mountain of fliers to stick up everywhere.

Jambavan decides to ask just in case if Alice got permission to put up the fliers she's making him put up since he'd rather not have a police officer get on his case for it. Alice suggests it should be fine, and if anything the police should be thanking her for all this. Jambavan expresses his doubt for that, and it turns out the posters have a weird drawing of a star with a burning eye at the top. Jambavan comments that looking at it reminds him of bird repellent eyeball balloons that would get hung up in farm fields, then wonders if he spent a day putting them up in a pumpkin patch.

Alice concedes that the posters may be similar to those balloons, then asks Jambavan if he knows that the eye in the center used to be open. Jambavan asks if that means they used to be a normal eye, so Alice says it was a terrible eye that saw through everything. It was the eye of someone or something that could see past time and space, the transcendent one who viewed everything greedily. The eye was meant to stop the old ones, the ancients, and the abyssals. When man brought forth fire, that eye was burned. It burns even now in that drawing. Alice hopes that they never see that Certain Someone from Somewhere.

Jambavan looks back and forth between Alice giggling and the flier in his hand, then decides to pretend he hadn't heard anything and didn't ask about anything. He doesn't want to know what happens next or hear anything about it either. Alice approves as she calls Jambavan a good boy. Jambavan is unhappy about that as he's sure the flier can't be about anything good and asks as much to Alice. Alice denies it and tells him the thing it's for is already over. Jambavan is shocked by that and asks what the point was in putting them up. Alice says it's the key to a treasure chest, though the contents of said chest are already 'stolen.' Jambavan says he doesn't get why an empty box should be locked, and Alice agrees with the point.

Alice looks pleased, as though she's found some beautiful jewel in front of her. She tells Jambavan that he needs to keep going since he still has 710,042 fliers to put out. Jambavan protests it would take more than a day to put out that many, so Alice offers to let him go after he puts up just 42 more fliers. It's all pointless after all. Jambavan then points out that he could've just not done all of this to begin with, them pleads for Alice to not walk off on her own as he chases after her. The two then disappear into the crowds.

Scene shifts over to the Crafters' guildhouse where Oz has come to visit as usual, weaving through all the work going on to see Kurogane. Kurogane apologizes for keeping him waiting, saying his work took him a while. Oz says it's fine and says he should be the one apologizing, since he had to break a promise to deal with some sudden work from his student council. Kurogane brushes it off and asks what Oz wants to do that day. Oz shyly tells Kurogane he bought a new telescope, so he tries to invite Kurogane to stargaze with him that night.

Kurogane is happy for the invite, but he tells Oz he heard it was supposed to rain tonight to his shock. Kurogane puts his hand on the disappointed lion's shoulder, then suggests an alternative plan where they go to his room where Oz can show him his telescope there. They can talk about stuff besides the stars too. Oz trips over his words as he agrees, saying he wanted to talk to him about something as well.

Kurogane asks Oz if something happened, figuring he must have had something rough come up through his work as a student council member. Oz says it's not that and more about him having a nightmare recently. Something big and dark fell from the sky and swooped down at him, and he's been having trouble sleeping ever since. Kurogane sympathizes, then decides to invite Oz to stay over then. Oz is surprised at the offer but accepts. Kurogane quickly apologizes before saying he had a nice dream himself. Oz is interested as he asks if he was dreaming about a rocket, but Kurogane says he dreamed about a giant space cruiser. He doesn't actually remember anything else though, and he comments that it felt strangely real. Oz thinks it sounds fun and asks to hear more about it, so Kurogane agrees as he leads the way for Oz.

Over at Shinjuku Chuo Park you are helping Nomad put up a big fold-up tent, and he takes a big breath after getting it up. Nomad then asks you to bring him the gas stove, and you comply as you either say yes sir, comment that he's really getting into the food stall state or comment that he's pretty much stopped being a detective. Nomad starts venting to you and asks you what you think his first thought was when he woke up that morning. It was him needing to go to the supermarket to get stocked up for the stall. But it feels like everyone has the wrong idea about him. He is a detective goddammit, not a street vendor! Even the Kabukicho people have offered to set him up with a stall with more foot traffic if he goes over there! And then there's Andvari offering to write up a year's contract to work as a seller for him. Where are the damn detective jobs!? Looking for missing people, spying on suspected adulterers, even finding lost pets man. Can't anyone give him work that gets him money and information? He finally got himself a lead, but these cost of living expenses are killing him!

You either comment that Nomad is having an identity crisis (in English), say Nomad has started smelling like some nice sauce lately, or note that stand vendors get a surprising amount of information. In A, Nomad says you're reminding him of that one CEO. Ever since he started working in public spaces he's been getting a lot of compliments on his work. "You could make a blue ocean in that area if you did it," he said. Why the hell is he so good at this kinda business? Is that the star he was born under? In B, Nomad says he's been grilling yakisoba noodles every day so the smell of the sauce has been sticking to his fur. And goddammit that is so not in line with the hardboiled detective image! He showers every day and it still won't go away. It's some kind of joke, man. In C, Nomad says he thought the same thing when he first did this, and it surprised him how it went. But the customers kept coming so he never got a break. There wasn't even any time to be cool and get some negotiations going! All he could talk about was about his sales but not about what he was going after, and he can't even go elsewhere for that!

Anyways, as you and Nomad talk while doing his everyday(?) routine, a streak of light flies through the sky. Nomad notices and comments someone new must have come to Tokyo, so he sorta welcomes them to town. It's just a carefree sort of comment, but it's also only natural. So many different people are guided by the rainbow light of summoning from far away, and here it's just as meaningful as passing by each other. Nomad says it's about time to open shop for the day, then asks you to bring him the cooler box of ingredients. You either cheer about getting the first taste test, say you'll buy the first order of the day since it's almost lunchtime, or say it's time for an honest day's work. In A, Nomad tells you to stop that since this is both his breakfast and lunch. He'll still make you one, so he tells you to wait. In B, Nomad thanks you and says he likes generous customers. That said, you have been helping him so he'll treat you an order. In C, Nomad is depressed about how accustomed to this he is. But he has enough of the small talk for now and says he'll make an order for you as thanks for your assistance.

Nomad deftly cooks up some noodles and vegetables, and the smell of sauce starts wafting up. A voice comments on the nice smell and wanting their host to have some, and you turn to welcome them before trailing off in confusion. Nodens is there and laughs, asking if you live around here and telling you you shouldn't be staring at someone you've never met before. Nomad notices Nodens there and explains to him that the brat kid he's talking to is his assistant. If he could not intimidate you that'd be great thanks. Then he asks if he's there to obstruct business.

Nodens laughs and apologizes, saying their pride getting ticklish is their bad point. Nodens then asks about the tiny bit of food Nomad is making, and Nomad gets offended as he calls his yakisoba is one of Tokyo's best dishes. You think to yourself that Nomad is relatively proud of his noodles, think it is good but Tokyo's best would be pushing it, or just nod along. Nodens is amused and asks for an order, so Nomad obliges as he cooks another one up. Nodens looks fascinated as he watches, and you wonder if Nodens is the Transient who just got summoned to Tokyo.

Nodens takes notice of you again and asks to see your face. He laughs and tells you you don't need to be afraid, he was curious about you since he first saw you. He compares your eyes to the stars in how bright they are, glittering like they would in dreams and something he feels like taking with him when he sees them. Nomad repeats himself as he requests Nodens not cause a problem here, then gives him a rainbow tenkasu yakisoba he ordered. More customers start pouring in, so Nomad turns his attention to them. While he tries serving them one of the randos tries to walk off without paying, prompting Nomad to yell at them to stay and pay.

Nodens starts smiling at Nomad and offers to catch that walker if Nomad will let him off on paying for his order. Nomad is taken aback at the offer, and Nodens then summons some night gaunts and says it's time to be the talk of the town. The night gaunts appear from Nodens' shadow, and Nodens says he doesn't have any money since he just showed up himself before tearing off. Nomad is pissed as he addresses you, so you tell him you'll hold the stall and wish him luck.

Nomad complains about all the problems happening as he pulls out his bike to chase after them all, just another ordinary day in Tokyo. Nodens then teleports back to you after Nomad drives away, having forgotten one other thing. He talks like he was there the whole time, and he leans in closer to your face. You react by either slapping him as hard as you can, tell him stealing is a crime, or snatch his food away from him. In A, Nodens reacts in pain, but he's still amused and says you hit hard enough to wake people up and thought he'd be sent flying. In B, Nodens admits he thinks so too, but he has no patience so he won't bother holding himself back. In C, Nodens is shocked and calls you an even naughtier kid than himself.

Nomad notices Nodens and tells you from offscreen to catch him. Nodens takes note of Nomad calling your name, then says he'll see you later as he teleports away again. It's unclear whether this is just another meeting for you, or if you have just met someone special as this is a regular repeating thing for you. The episode half ends with the title card popping up, and this episode is titled It's Just Like the Stars.