Chapter 12 Episode 9: City of Cybernetics and Pleasure 3

Time moves on to the point where you, Akiha, and Catoblepas have reached the festival event area, and you remark in surprise about the crowds, ask if everyone is here for cosplaying, and note that there are photographers too. This festival is the Akihabara Festa, an all inclusive otaku event covering things like anime, manga, video games, light novels, and cosplay. There are cosplay okay zones in every direction as you three ooh and ahh at things.

 

Akiha expresses his amazement at there being so many people coming to cosplay. Catoblepas laughs and says cosplaying has become mainstream. He's heard that there are people who can actually go pro at it, so sometimes talent scouts come around too. This is notably the first time of the day that Catoblepas is smiling, and Akiha decides to agree that cosplaying is awesome. He attempts to throw his arm around Catoblepas's shoulders, but Catoblepas backs away and apologizes, saying he's too close. He then quickly excuses himself to go change into costume.

 

After Catoblepas walks off, Akiha turns to you in shock and asks why Catoblepas ran away. You remind him Catoblepas just said he was getting too close, tell him to pay better attention, and/or offer to act as a go-between for the two of them. He quickly nods and agrees as he calls you Dr. Otaku and then Master Otaku. You object to the titles and/or start to regret your decisions in life.

 

The game decides to play a flashback towards the end of the previous episode of Akiha telling you he wants to be friends with the nerds of Akihabara but can't figure out how to do it and asks you for help. Once that's done, Akiha declares he's totally going to be friends with everyone in Akihabara with your help. When he notices you spacing out, he asks you what's wrong, so you tell him that everything's fine, then think to yourself about how you can't say you aren't an otaku now and feel guilty. Akiha is still confused, but he decides to not ask.

 

Some time later, the scene shifts over to where Catoblepas is. There was a line at the changing room area and he managed to get changed, but he comments that there's a lot of people out and about, so now he can't get back to where you two are. A couple of deity cops warn him to watch where he's going so he won't bump into anyone, so he quickly says he'll be careful. Catoblepas then sighs to himself and worries about being rude earlier, wondering why he is the way he is. He wanders off with his eye(s?) hidden by his hair, and the cosplay area has gotten more crowded with time, so much so that it's easy to bump into people even though he's trying not to.

 

Nearby where Catoblepas is, a cosplay maid is having her picture taken by a couple of objecthead men acting as scouts. They ask her to look their way then thank her as they snap some pics. The mobs talk about her and some other people they were looking at being charming, but they haven't found anyone yet who makes them go head over heels at a single glance. But finding diamonds in the rough is their job though, so they're confident they'll know right away if they come across anyone like that. Catoblepas accidentally bumps into one of them around this point, and he apologizes for it but then meets them in the eye (somehow) when his bangs shift to the side.

Back to your end of things, a PA announcement starts up asking everyone to be careful not to bump into anyone and get hurt since there's so many people around. You comment on the crowd and how the place is heating up. Akiha cheerfully agrees, and you comment on his good mood, ask if he likes otakus, or be taken aback at how much he likes otakus. B gets an extra line of him saying yes, then asking you to keep calling him just Akiha.

Akiha starts talking about how he likes Akihabara and not just otakus because he likes the heat that comes from people gathering together. He admits he still doesn't get otakus much yet, but he says he thinks it's amazing how the flames of passion spread out and gather again. You either agree, say you understand, or comment that his innocence is stabbing you in the feels. C gets an extra line where Akiha interprets this to mean chest pains, so he quickly assures you he's taken a course in emergency aid. You have to tell him that's not what you mean, so he then thinks it's some kind of otakuspeak like 'oof' is or something. When you tell him that's hard to understand, he scratches his head and comments on otakus being really hard to get.

Akiha then talks about how having large crowds like this means it's a lot more likely for accidents and fights to start happening. There are policemen around as security though, so he figures he and his youth firefighter volunteer squad won't need to be involved. You are curious about Akiha being a firefigher and/or comment on his clothes looking like a firefighter's uniform. Akiha realizes he's never told you before, so now he tells you he's part of Akihabara's youth firefighter volunteers. He has to do a lot of training every morning, which has been buffing him out. He also knows of a secret evac route near the park the event is happening, so you can rely on him if a sudden emergency pops up.

Akiha slightly changes the subject as he talks about how he likes Akihabara and people who have something burning inside them. There's been plenty of times when those burning emotions end up spreading into disastrous situations though, and he's seen it happen a lot himself. If the city ever is burning too much then he and the others will protect everyone. He admits he just said that to sound cool, but he actually might just want to get along with everyone. He hates being lonely, and he laughs that he might just like it when things are fun. You either tell him not to get too rowdy, say he's a good guy, or say you like that about him. In B, he's surprised but thanks you. In C, he blushes and says he hasn't heard that in a while since coming to town. He then yells and thanks you, saying he likes that side of you too.

You change the subject to comment on Catoblepas taking a while and ask Akiha if he thinks he's okay. Akiha agrees that he does seem to be gone longer than you'd expect for someone going to change, so he suggests going to check on him. He gets interrupted by screaming and cries for help, and Akiha says it's coming from the direction Catoblepas went off to. You say you heard Catoblepas yelling, so you tell Akiha you guys should go and start heading over. He agrees and runs along with you.

Over where Catoblepas is, he's getting pestered by the scouts asking him to lift his hair again. He attempts to get them to stop, but the mobs start half-forcibly moving his hair out of the way. They start ranting about how great Catoblepas's facial structure and body type are and declare him a diamond in the rough. They can't take their eyes off him, and one wonders what the burning feeling inside them is all about. But anyways they're sure they'll score a huge bonus if they get Catoblepas to sign up with them. They attempt to invite him to their agency and beg him to take their business card, but then devolve into fighting amongst each other to pick him up.

More randos start coming over drawn by the commotion, then get affected by Catoblepas's mystic eye. They beg to see more of his face, and the maid in the crowd tries pushing her way through to declare Catoblepas as hers. Catoblepas tries to beg them to stop, then yells for help. He notices you and Akiha soon after, so you signal to Akiha and reach out to Catoblepas. Akiha puts his back into what he's doing, and you follow up by activating your artifact to cut the distance between you and Catoblepas.

Catoblepas is shocked when your power has you and him flying through the air, and Akiha is surprised by what he thinks is you doing a superjump before moving to catch you two. Akiha then laughs about your crazy plan and compares what you did to a tengu's shukuchi. You are mildly surprised that Akiha can fly and comment you feel you've seen something like his wings somewhere else before. Akiha tells you he's a karasu tengu and asks if you know another one, but he then puts the thought aside to ask Catoblepas what happened.

Catoblepas starts apologizing and claiming fault to Akiha's confusion, and all the mobs down below are demanding and pleading to see more of Catoblepas's eye. Catoblepas explains that the eye he normally keeps hidden actually has a certain power to it unlike chuunibyou posers that causes people to fixate their attention on him. You ask about his eye, then process that it's the cause of what's happening.

Catoblepas apologizes some more saying it's always caused other people trouble. There's a lot of pushing and pulling and screaming coming from the crowd, which slowly starts bumping into people who haven't actually seen Catoblepas's eye. Catoblepas says he thought he could become someone else if he grew out his hair and did cosplaying. He was happy at first and gained a bit of confidence to try cosplaying outside, so he didn't want to cause a disturbance at a cosplay event.

Akiha sympathizes with Catoblepas, and you ask if that's why he avoids people and/or why he was distancing himself from Akiha. Akiha looks sad for a moment, but then brings up he never called it a bother. Catoblepas is surprised by this, and Akiha talks about how there's plenty of things in the world that spread around in a negative way. He then asks Catoblepas if it's lonely feeling afraid of that happening that you stop doing anything else. Catoblepas doesn't answer, so Akiha assures him he'll do something about this and asks that he keeps saying he likes cosplaying. He likes it when Catoblepas enjoys cosplaying, and he's always wanted to be friend with him. It's just depressing when a friend says you're being a bother.

Akiha looks for a way out of the area as it seems the policemen called in for help have also been charmed by Catoblepas's mystic eye. He talks about he can't do something about the rioting visitors and lead away the others at the same time, so you volunteer to help. Akiha decides to rely on you then, and he says he'll take care of putting out the fires since he's always done that. The episode battle then begins as he says he'll show you his artifact, and more happens after that.

After the battle, narration starts talking about how Akiha Gongen is a tengu who carries the faith of protecting against fires and suppressing fire disasters. The mantra that shows that power is the line On Hirakennou Sowaka, and it means "Flame, Burn Like Thunder." On a slightly different note, this land was once burned down before it had its current name. In order to stem the spread of anxiety, the Divided Spirit of the tengu that protects against fire was ceremonially brought over from elsewhere.

A Divided Spirit is a Shadow cut apart from the original entity, and the original entity is a different person who walks a different path. To them, Akiha Gongen was a new person who just looked a lot like him. His life then spread to the people seeking protection from fire, like a flame that burns a field. It is said that the fire prevention fields surrounding the city were called Akiha-no-hara. Akiha Gongen loved the people who live in Akihabara, and he thought of them as charming and lovely. He thinks to his other self he was divided from "would you have loved them like this too?" A hot feeling fills the inside of his chest, telling him he isn't alone. It tells him that there is someone else who loves the same things he does.

Back to the present, Akiha is calling to the god Onamuchi no Mikoto for power as he casts his NP. He throws his rope around the frenzied crowd, and it is described as having the power to contain fires as well as carrying the faith of Akihabara that he shares a name with. The crowd then yells out like late season 1 90s Sailor Moon monsters of the week, and the talent scouts specifically start talking about feeling refreshed, wondering why they cared so much about bonuses and promotions.

You are surprised by everyone's reactions and wonder what just happened, asking if they attained sage mode enlightenment or something. Akiha explains that his artifact has the ability to make any fire burn itself out, even mental ones. Once he confirms that everyone has calmed down, he puts his wings away and poses. You ask if that means their flames of passions went out and are glad for the moment that things are safer.

Akiha cheers about you guys successfully solving things as he starts calling you his best friend instead of Otaku all the time. You either cheer with him, be shocked at this sudden change in social status, or say you'd be okay if the relationship went even deeper. Catoblepas starts thanking the two of you for helping him, glad that his costume wasn't damaged.

You take note of Catoblepas being able to speak more naturally with Akiha and ask if he's okay. Catoblepas is confused for a moment before understanding what you mean, so he apologizes for not speaking properly earlier. When he isn't in costume he has problems holding a conversation with people. You go 'oh' at this and ask if that means he doesn't actually hate Akiha. Catoblepas confirms as such and says Akiha's a good guy. Akiha is touched by this and moves to hug him, but Catoblepas still shies away from this invasion of personal space and apologizes. The shock of this makes Akiha facefault, and you are either taken aback at this, note that he's been going up and down, or point out the brutality of it all.

Kuniyoshi and Hecate walk by and greet you guys. Kuniyoshi says he came to see your cosplay debut(s?), and Hecate says she just finished sending something to the print shop before apologizing for running away yesterday. You take note of their presence and say it's fine, then ask why they ran to begin with. Kuniyoshi says it's because Akiha was there, though he clarifies it's not because they hate him or anything. Hecate says he tends to erase all their materials when it's time to burn through getting their work done. He just can't be there when they have works to make, though he does feel bad about it. You point out that Akiha is standing behind them, causing the two to freak out and run away when they spot him. Akiha bursts into tears about this to you. You comfort him and sympathize, and you have the option to say you're there for him. C gets an extra line of Akiha sobbing about how nice you are.

Elsewhere in the event festival area, some cops are calling for reinforcements because of some rioting happening. Sanat Kumara slips in behind them, and they freak out when he does...something. Whatever it was, the two cops react in confusion afterwards and wonder what they were doing. They realize they're on the radio still, but they're confused by the operator asking them about the riot they were talking about. Sanat Kumara then heads off, and some other cops notice him. One of them thought he was Shinjuku Police Station's Hougen, but the other didn't see him and thinks it might just be someone else. The first cop is open to this idea, though he was sure the silhouette he saw was Hougen's. He shrugs it off as just someone similar, though they did seem younger than him.

Scene shifts over to the Shining Needle Castle reversed palace where Fuxi is standing around along lining up talismans with his eight trigram board like he's playing some kind of game. One talisman is placed on the center while a bunch more are arranged around it. Fuxi then takes one of them out, like he's making a path out from the center. He starts considering what the next move will be when he hears footsteps coming up the staircase nearby, so he turns to see who it is.

The Smoky God walks up, and Fuxi comments on his casual surprise at seeing him there. He's amused when the Smoky God asks what his goal is this time, and he says he's always looking towards revolution when making his move. That should be something everyone already knows though. Fuxi then asks if Smoky God is aware of that one famous card game where which cards are valuable and which ones aren't can change in an instant. That's what he's going for, and he says the Smoky God can laugh at him for doing the same thing as usual, even if he only has one card in hand.

Fuxi picks up the center talisman and tips it against his mouth. The next instant it seems to split into a bunch of talismans that he fans out in his hand. Fuxi asks if Smoky God thinks the game will be over if it gets divided like this. It's still only halfway there, and as he moves card carefully one by one, an inescapable game end will arrive. There is no way of getting out of the eight trigrams' divination, he says. That said, it takes time to line up the right cards to call for revolution. While everyone else is shuffling their hands, he wants to make it in time. The Smoky God turns around at that and starts walking out, and the episode ends with Fuxi saying he's looking forward to seeing what his next move will be as another player.

Chapter 12 Episode 8: City of Cybernetics and Pleasure 2

We pick up from before with Akiha Gongen walking into the workspace cafe, Hecate and Kuniyoshi fleeing from his presence, and Akiha introducing himself to you. He describes himself as not an otaku, but since he lives nearby he comes to the shop a lot. He declares his meeting with you to be fate, so he cheerfully suggests that you two become buddies and offers to show you around town.

 

Catoblepas returns having not noticed Akiha coming in, but he's shocked when he does see him next to you. Akiha figures him coming back to talk to you means you two know each other, and he says he thought as much if you're a cosplayer otaku. Catoblepas tries to explain that not all cosplayers know each other, so Akiha goes 'oh' at that and asks where everyone else went.

 

Time passes to the next day as you wake up, having camped out at the workshop cafe. Someone is sleeptalking about deadlines, someone else is yelling about needing to put together their costume together for an event within an hour, and Customer #C asks to borrow a 3D printer for their figure partition printing deadline today. You yawn as you get up, comment on being able to relax and sleep, then get out of your sleeping bag. Seems like the sleeping bag was just left there all the time, so you just borrowed it for the night. And since the shop is open 24/7, they do have service arrangements for naps or overnight stays that don't include meals.

 

You think about buying some breakfast, going outside for a breath of fresh air, and wonder if it's fine to stay in costume. One of the maid workers informs you it's fine to go outside in costume since permission has been given for that due to an event starting soon. It's a combined event for anime, manga, and cosplaying that brings in a lot of tourists from outside the city, and the maid tells you to have fun as she says she'll look after your things. 

Out in the streets, there's a ton of people walking around. You comment on what Akihabara is like and note that there's a lot of maids and robots around as well as people who look like specialists in something. This is Tokyo's leading city of electronics and otaku culture, and it is also a city where lots of Transients who have been summoned to Tokyo like to visit for sightseeing. Even now, wealthy looking visitors are looking around accompanied by bag boy servants.

You observe the huge number of tourists coming in, then think about there being an event going on which is what lets you go outside while cosplaying. You're still in the costume Catoblepas lent you, and as you walk around you sort of notice the Smoky God looking at you. You wonder if that actually happened, but you shrug it off as someone who wanted a look at a cosplayer. With the costume you have on, anyone who knows how you normally look should be unlikely to figure out who you are. And at the very least, it should be unlikely for anyone who only has a vague idea of your appearance to come attacking you.

You tell yourself you can relax as your mind drifts to the attack from the day before at the dorm. The other students clearly loathed you when they attacked, and you wonder if the rest of the gang is doing okay. You're worried about the school and want to call, but you recall Shirou advising you to refrain from making contact as much as possible while you're incognito. Since you guys don't know who's really attacking you, there's no telling where they'll come from. There's something else Shirou was going to bring up, but he decides against it for whatever reason. But anyways, Shirou says it'd be best to only call in case of progress or emergencies. He should be fine since you seem to be the only target at present, so he asks you to lay low until the situation changes while they gather information.

You wonder why you were attacked all of a sudden since you weren't doing anything wrong, then wonder what people are saying about you on the internet. Akiha and Catoblepas soon run into you, and Akiha greets you good morning as he asks if you've been wearing your costume all morning. You turn around in recognition of the voice and see the two of them in their regular clothes. You then greet them, thank them for yesterday, and can optionally struggle to remember Akiha's name. C gets an extra line where Akiha reminds you what it is and pleads for you to remember it.

Catoblepas is speaking a lot more shyly as he thanks you for yesterday. Akiha comments on how great it is he met you guys there, and Catoblepas weakly agrees. You take note of Catoblepas trying to distance himself from Akiha and wonder what their relationship is like, and Akiha is surprised at the reaction he got before trying to push past it. He brings up hearing about an anime and manga festival happening from Catoblepas, and he suggests that the three of you go attend it. He figures you must like that as he asks you if he's right, so you either agree and say you wanna go, remember that you're pretending to be an otaku, or tell Akiha he shouldn't decide things for other people. In A, Akiha is pleased and says he's glad he invited you. In B, Akiha notices you being quiet and asks if he said something weird. In C, Akiha is surprised by this and figures it must be some sort of otaku social rule. And since you're here he tries inviting you to go together.

Anyways, Akiha turns to Catoblepas and invites him to the festival. You either ask Catoblepas to join you guys, say you'll go if he goes, or go on a tangent and say he looks good in casual clothes. C gets an extra line where Catoblepas is surprised and starts to thank you before backing out on it. Either way Catoblepas starts mumbling about the event before eventually agreeing and going quiet again. You are confused by this and bring up that he was talking loads without issue just the day before, which is followed by a flashback about him talking before saying he'll go get some drinks.

Catoblepas hangs his head and won't look at you as he keeps mumbling. You make an observation about how differently he's acting and wonder why that is before it comes to you. Akiha asks Catoblepas if he's okay and says he's worrying you, so Catoblepas starts apologizing profusely and blushing.

You pause for a moment, then tell Catoblepas that he should be clear about how he feels if he's against something. Akiha agrees with you, but he adds that Catoblepas doesn't really dislike much of anything. Catoblepas stammers an agreement, but he still insistently keeps looking away. Eventually he excuses himself saying he needs to wash his hands, and Akiha silently watches him run off. You decide to talk to Akiha and suggest that he may be bothering Catoblepas. He seems surprised at the idea, and you point out the possibility that Catoblepas feels bothered by him. Akiha thinks on this, then asks if you had thought so too. You are surprised in turn, ask if Akiha was worried about that, or silently nod.

Some time later, Akiha starts telling you that after he was summoned to Tokyo, he's been feeling like he hasn't been able to connect with anyone near him. All the creators and otaku who goes to the same school he does always seem totally focused on their things, and he's never really got that. He's tried visiting that cafe they all meet up at, but he's vaguely aware of them avoiding him. But still, since he's moved to this city he really wants to make friends with them. He can't tell what it is he's doing wrong though, so he doesn't know how to make it work. You either suggest that he's invading people's personal space or that he looks like he's mocking them. In A, Akiha is surprised and figures that means otaku don't like standing so close to other people. In B, he seems to get a revelation and says he was just trying to compliment them.

Either way Akiha is totally impressed with you and says you're like an expert otaku researcher. You either say you only get them a little bit, deny you're that much of an otaku, or freak out a little and tell him to stop. C gets an extra bit of him being surprised by your reaction. Akiha then decides to ask you for a favor, and the episode ends with him asking you to teach him everything you know about otakus.

Chapter 12 Episode 7: City of Cybernetics and Pleasure 1

Licht starts going over his memories, wondering when and where something happened. He remembers soon after that it happened that one day one of his art class friends was awarded for his work in an art contest. The memory starts up a flashback, and Licht thinks about how the spotlight shining on someone that wasn't him was so bright. The adults all praised the boy's talent, yet the boy doesn't even twitch an eyebrow at it all. But if Licht were in his place, he'd have been spinning on the balls of his feet with glee. So why didn't he win? He tried so hard, enough to spew blood for his work. He wanted to win, but he couldn't make it. What went wrong? Whose fault was it? No one answered the thoughts that welled up within him, so he left the venue to get away from it all.

 

Licht wasn't in the mood to go back to Roppongi, so he just wandered around and ended up in Akihabara. Over there he happens to see a poster inviting people who are true creators to come inside to a salon cafe, and he decides to go inside out of curiosity. Inside Licht ends up joining Masanori's table, and Masanori starts talking about what the place was before it became what it is then. Long ago before the Gates had opened, the cafe used to be a library for novelists who were also known as revolutionaries. Now it's a place where creators meet up and talk about their work.

Masanori says he's picked up the posthumous works of those old writers too. There's a lot of stuff that emotionally touched him, which includes the works of expressionists who have come to Tokyo as well. He comments that art and creation are wonderful things, and he's impressed that creators who have long passed can still sway minds after they're gone. Masanori says he also wants to be a literary man who could do the same thing, but he was confronted everyday by his lack of ability and poetic wit. Licht empathizes as the two start talking and hitting it off, and Masanori eventually declares that creating something has to be your inescapable penance facing against your work. Licht narrates that at that time, he just nodded over and over. Masanori then says that he believes that doing so is how you can get influence to move other people, even in death. He starts ranting like a man possessed as he says that's how you can gain the influence to make people think your work applies to them even after you're gone.

Things tune back to the present with Licht making a face, prompting Tsathoggua to ask him out of worry if something's up with the video creator. Licht says says he met him once before, way before he had met you. Neither of them were able to achieve anything with their creative works, and they both had talents in other fields. Licht thinks about how Masanori's storytelling style was impressive since it did made people think they were someone else for a bit. The viewers start posting zealous comments after the video ends, and Licht says he's feeling that something is amiss. Licht then apologizes when he notices he's got a call from someone in the Summoners. When he answers, he first asks why whoever on the other end is so flustered before reacting in shock at the news he gets.

Back to your end, you are in the middle of being abruptly attacked by your no name schoolmates. You try to ask why they're doing this as you desperately try to avoid their assault. They yell about you being the main culprit, so you try to ask them what they mean and talk your way out of a fight. Shirou however comes in to save you by blowing a fire extinguisher to make a smokescreen and leads you out of your room. When they try to chase after you, Sandayu stops them and refers to what they're doing as mischief. The students are surprised to see him, and Sandayu sighs to himself about how much work it is to be a teacher.

When you and Shirou escape to the outside of the dorm, Shirou is relieved that no one has chased after you guys, then tells you to listen closely to him and run away after that. You thank Shirou, ask for an explanation for what's going on, then ask where everyone else is. Shirou explains that the rest of the guild is acting as decoys so that you can escape. Shirou then starts explaining by jumping to the main point: part of the game's hidden parts has been revealed, specifically the part where the game's main players' (re: World Representatives) goal is you. People now know that there are people who have been given large advantages in the game. You either are confused at this, start to get what that means, or say aloud that you get what's happening. C gets an extra line of Shirou being impressed you're more calm than he is.

Anyways, Shirou says that this means all guild battles up to this point have been shown to be irrelevant, and everyone else never had a chance of winning. Most people thought the game was fair, but the outrage at finding out it wasn't is huge. Of course, as far as Shirou knows nothing has been doxxed about the World Reps' positions. Everyone's anger has been concentrated on you now, and even things that don't involve you have been forcibly distorted to do so. You've been partly doxxed with your size, your school affiliation, your ambiguously human or Transient status, and your current physical position You either ask in shock why that happened or ask if the game is changing up. Shirou says the Reps have never exposed you to danger like this before, and the game is unmistakably changing right now. He's about to say more on that when he decides there isn't actually time to be going over it now, so he tells you to focus on getting away from Shinjuku. There needs to be time for the madness to pass.

You ask Shirou where you're supposed to go if people know what you look like. Shirou says he's had the rest of the gang looking into other guilds for refuge, but Ikebukuro, Aoyama, Roppongi, and Kamata are all dangerous right now. Right now, the members of every guild are blowing up with anger over not being informed of things. The best place for you to go to would be someplace that has as little to do with guild battles as possible, and if possible it should be somewhere where you can disguise yourself completely to lay low. You ask if there actually is a place like that since you've never disguised yourself before.

Shirou says you would stand out if your disguise changed your face and stature. A professional doing it would be one thing, but amateur work would give you away eventually when people notice something off with it. And if you're the only one with makeup on and standing weirdly, people are going to notice that too. But if everyone around was also disguising themselves, then it might work, and Shirou says maybe he'd have an idea. Licht picks up on the phone with Shirou and says he does know of a place like that. He then starts quickly making a phone call to someone else. If he were his old self, he'd never have thought to ask for help, but he isn't his old self anymore. When the call picks up, Licht is on the phone with one of his art class friends and asks for a favor.

Time passes and the scene shifts to Akihabara in Taito Ward. Here stands a certain unique guild, known to give precisely zero craps about guild battles. That's not to say that they maintain neutrality out of interest in it like the Crafters are, and it's not like they use their own power to reject outsiders like the Outlaws do. There is only one condition to being accepted into the guild, and that is to be a creator. You are then welcomed by a bunch of maids who cheerfully give you a pack of canned foods meant for creators working hard on stuff. You have the option of using the sewing machines in the shop if you want to use them for making cosplay outfits, and you can buy threads and fabric at the desk if you need to. If you want to use any electrical outlets or USB chargers, you can go ahead and use them since that service is included in the entrance fee.

Some time passes as Catoblepas says he's done with the resizing for his next cosplay costume. He then asks you if your make is done yet, then prompts you to put your arm through the sleeve and pose together with him. You are either baffled as you try to keep up, ask if you're doing it right, and/or pose as directed. The costume you've been given is noted to be unrealistic, and you now look like somebody completely different. Not even the people who know you should recognize you in this state.

Kuniyoshi is geeking out about how the combination of kimono, katana, and a long haired kemono is the best thing ever and yells about all the *~inspiration~* coming to him. He then asks Catoblepas to raise his arms a bit and you to lower your jaw as he furiously scribbles into his notepad. He's not the only one in the cafe space going all in on drawing though, as a dog lady next to him is doing so as well. She asks Catoblepas to pose towards her since she's having a problem catching his expression on paper. Her directions include stepping forward closer to her and him holding you more firmly around your back. She wants the hateboner mood going on with you two looking angrily at each others' eyes!

Catoblepas apologizes to you as he complies with her request, then asks Hecate if he got it right once he's in position. Hecate has a nerdgasm and tells him to stay like that, ranting about her shipping brain processes are kicking into high gear and saying she should have enough material for five black magic books for the weekend. You either wonder why you're cosplaying in resignation, ask what the hell kind of place this is, or suggest a different pose and shift around into it. C has Hecate and Kuniyoshi surprised but get even more inspired as they say you totally get the essence of the thing. Catoblepas in turn asks if you're also a drawer as he admires you.

Anyways, Catoblepas explains to you that the shop is a famous shared space for creators in Akihabara. It's pretty much a 24 hour manga cafe and studio mashed together. It used to be a more refined production salon, but it was renovated into what it is now just recently. Kuniyoshi adds that their guild often uses the place when they're busy with doujin printing. Hecate says there's a lot of members who do their work totally online, but those who work offline find the shop convenient. Catoblepas adds that they can't actually use sewing machines to make costumes online after all. Kuniyoshi wishes you could've been introduced to the guildmaster earlier, but that can be done in steps. For now though, he welcomes you to the Akihabara Creators.

You repeat the name Creators in shock, attempt to ask who everyone is, and/or try to get an explanation. Kuniyoshi realizes no one's actually introduces themselves yet, so there's gonna be some talking to do. He explains that they're all members of the Akihabara guild, and the Creators are a gathering of creators. That includes artists, writers, cosplayers, costume makers, and a lot of otaku nerds. It's the guildmaster's policy that the guild is a collection of people who make things. He then introduces himself, saying he's a friend of Licht's as he politely greets you. He does doujin work mostly, and he's totally into furries. That said he specifically denies being into them so much that he's an otaku.

Hecate introduces herself next, describing herself as a shipping otaku and having a little giggle about enjoying the chemistry oh so much. If she senses a ship, then racial differences and inorganic or organic base states of the relevant parties be damned. Also, she says she might not quite be an otaku in terms of her interests. Catoblepas introduces himself as an apprentice cosplayer, and he also passes off as identifying as an otaku since he feels that'd be presumptuous of him.

You introduce yourself back to the three, say everyone looks like an otaku to you, or comment it's like a random sampling of otakus. Kuniyoshi asks you if you're an otaku and guesses you're one for cosplaying. Catoblepas is happy at the idea since it means there's more people dressing up, and he says he hopes he can go attend an event together with you. You are surprised at the otaku status question, and Kuniyoshi is surprised in turn as he tells you Licht said you wanted to focus on cosplaying while you were taking a break from school. Licht even said you were dying to go cosplaying and asked Kuniyoshi to help you.

You are further taken aback to Kuniyoshi's mild confusion, but then you remember that Licht had told you that was the story he told people in Akihabara. He doesn't really understand much, but he says that the best way to blend in there is to go declare yourself an otaku. If you aren't, just play the part as best you can and hide. Back to the present you quickly claim you are totes an otaku and politely hope to get along with them while you do the cosplay thing.

Catoblepas cheers at having a new cosplayer friend, though he did have costume maker friends already. He asks what kind of anime and manga you like, but he also says cosplaying as an original character is cool too. He has tons he wants to talk to you about, and he wants to wear a lot of costumes and take a lot of pictures with you. Catoblepas then catches himself and suggests taking a break first, so he says he'll get you something from the cafe's drink bar and wanders off.

You think to yourself about the Akihabara guild being a thing and act like a tourist as you look around the shop. Kuniyoshi notices this and asks if the place looks that unusual to you, so Hecate wonders if you're the kind of otaku who normally does things alone. Kuniyoshi then reminisces that Licht was like that too the first time he came here. You ask if everyone in the cafe is a creator, ask if they're also guild members, and ask if they're all otaku. Kuniyoshi thinks on the question briefly, then says that while there's a lot of otakus around, not all of them are. It's not that you have to be one to be allowed inside the shop, but he and Hecate say they'd be happy to have people in if they get along. They're about to say more on that when a new voice walks in and comments on hearing Hecate and Kuniyoshi. The two immediately bail to your confusion, shock, or your curiosity in someone new coming in. Akiha Gongen then walks up and wonders if you're a new otaku, and the episode ends with him introducing himself to you.

Live A Hero Chapter 4 Episode 4: Nest of Outcasts

It's been an hour since you guys handed off the villains to the police, and now the party is following Melide and Monomasa down an underground passage connected to the first class Sengen business district. Akashi comments on how moldy it smells down there and asks where it is you guys are even going. Mokdai says you guys have gone down pretty far and notes it feels more like you guys are heading to a shelter rather than some secret organization's hideout. Melide says he's not that off base and explains that if an Observer doesn't have a way of blocking the Broker's supervision, they'll have to hide themselves as physically far from the sky as possible.

Sui asks who the Broker is since you guys keep mentioning him, and the only thing she's ever heard about him is that he harms Observers somehow. Akashi adds that he doesn't know much either aside from the Broker being the one to turn you into an Observer. You say that's not wrong, wonder how to explain it all, or say you don't know much either. Melide says that she thinks that's a good enough explanation for now, surreptitiously looking to you as she notes that it's true he's threatening you. You are surprised that Melide is aware of that, so she smiles as she says that there are plenty of ways for Observers to use their abilities that you don't know about yet. Knowing too much about that could impede your daily life though.

Huckle is quiet with a look on his face, which prompts Ryekie to ask him why he's doing that. Huckle says he knows a bunch of Observers who have met the Broker. He hasn't himself, but you have and even talked to him. He wonders what line separates those that have seen the Broker and those that haven't, and he wonders if it has something to do with the giant thing you said you saw. Melide says nothing, and Crowne says that it sounds like not meeting him is for the best. Having some inscrutable alien upending your life and throwing nasty requests at you can't possibly end well.

Huckle says that's true, but he points out that Crowne doesn't actually have a reason to tag along at this point. Everyone else was brought along for being an Observer or a hero, and given that she's neither at the moment she doesn't need to join in. Crowne says she's worried about what it is you guys are caught up in, and she's especially concerned about what sort of things you might be getting dragged into. She admits she might just be butting in where she's not wanted though. Huckle notes that while Crowne was casual about mentioning a dangerous request, it's pretty much confirmation that she did hear you guys talking about it before. Crowne apologizes for eavesdropping on something so serious, but now that she has she can't pretend to be uninvolved. Akashi tries to ask for an explanation, so you tell him you'll do that later. He's surprised, but doesn't press any further.

Ryekie suddenly reacts to something and stops moving, so Mokdai asks him if something is wrong. Ryekie says it's probably he imagination after a moment, but he thought he felt someone watching him. There's no sounds to support that idea though, so it just strikes him as weird. As it turns out though, Crowne Alter is down there with you guys stalking you all.

Time passes a bit to the part where you guys reach the end of the tunnel which is a slightly wider area. Monomasa was up front leading everyone, and once he gets there he gestures for everyone to stop as he's surprised that someone isn't there. You ask Monomasa who he's looking for when he starts looking around, and in that instant you feel some wind brush against the back of your neck. Akashi quickly jumps in to save you with a diving tackle, and the wall you were standing in front of suddenly gets impacted and releases a burst of smoke. Ryekie starts looking for whoever attacked, and Monomasa sighs about how there's so many hotheaded people around.

A voice says that was a decent display of instant explosiveness, and Yoshiori reveals himself as he waves the smoke away. He notes that you guys being able to see him must mean you guys are heroes and Observers, though he admits he's already aware about one of you being a hero. He glares at Ryekie, and Ryekie is surprised as he recognizes Yoshiori. You either ask Ryekie about knowing him, ask who he is, or ask Ryekie to set you two up saying Yoshiori's your type. C gets an extra line where Akashi wonders aloud whether he was better off letting you get dunked on.

Anyways, Ryekie says he does know who Yoshiori is. He's one of the strongest villains he's fought in his entire career, a freelance veteran that people have nicknamed as the Invisible Mercenary. The only thing known is that he'll help any villain for the right price, but anything else about him has remained an enigma no matter how much he was investigated. Mokdai is shocked as he's heard of the title and asks if he's the guy who was never caught on camera. Sui is shocked in turn at Mokdai's question and asks about what that even means. Yoshiori laughs and says he's happy Ryekie recognized him at a glance. He talks about how it's normal for cameras to not work on him and for investigations to find nothing on him since he's turned into someone who doesn't exist in the world.

You ask Yoshiori what he means by not existing in the world, and Crowne asks if he's saying he's some sort of ghost. Akashi freaks out and tries to deny the idea of spirits existing, so Huckle points out that's probably not what's going on. Yoshiori did just physically destroy a wall after all. Mokdai then guesses that Yoshiori is a youkai, leading Sui to point out that Yoshiori looks too human for that to be right. Yoshiori gets pissy at all the supernatural being comparisons and yells about fulfilling his duties, then looks at Melide. Melide sighs in resignation and complies, holding up a hand to him and transforming Yoshiori.

Light envelopes Yoshiori briefly, revealing him in his soldier form when it snaps off. His exposed right arm and stomach shine with a light color compared to the starry sky. You are either taken aback at the transformation or say you think Yoshiori looks cool, and Yoshiori prompts you guys to transform so he can test your powers and see if it's worth letting you guys see Exio. He then sticks his right arm into his stomach, shocking Akashi. Mokdai realizes Yoshiori is pulling something out, and that something turns out to be a machine gun and a belt of bullets for it.

You exclaim about Yoshiori pulling out a weapon and ask how he did it, but Yoshiori just taunts about taking everyone on himself. Ryekie turns to Huckle for opinions, so Huckle says you guys will have to fight him since he's unlikely to just let you guys go with no strings attached. Mokdai notes that there's still a signal available despite how far down you guys are, so a live is possible. Akashi isn't thrilled about how having to fight it out, and Sui sighs since you guys were supposedly invited down here. Everyone starts transforming and getting ready to fight, and Ryekie says they're ready to go whenever as he signals to you and Huckle. You respond back affirmatively, and Yoshiori laughs saying you guys shouldn't think this will be a normal battle. The episode battle starts as he says he'll show you guys why he's called 'invisible' when your view count starts getting affected by it. More story after that.

After the battle the story tunes back in midway to Yoshiori cackling about how well everyone is holding up. It's been ten minutes since everything started, and the party is starting to wear out. Sui points out that Yoshiori is still going on strong. Mokdai points out how strong Yoshiori is and says he'd have lost immediately if he were going alone against him. Huckle says the view count isn't going up at all and wonders why that is, and Crowne says there's comments coming in asking why everyone is fighting nothing.

You are surprised that the audience can't see anything, so Yoshiori brings back up that he said he's been rendered a non-entity for this world. There are no records of him and no one can see him, so what can you do to a guy like that? Akashi then asks for him to stop and asks why they can see him then. Mokdai starts theorizing Yoshiori has invisibility powers, but he discards the idea as unfitting. Ryekie hasn't figured it out either, but he notes that his battle ability is for real. It really is the sort of power you'd expect from a battlefield drifting villain, and Ryekie makes a special note of Yoshiori's stamina as not the thing you just get from sports and fighting.

Yoshiori is flattered by the comments and brags about his military tactical prowess as well. He decides that he's done enough warming up and declares he'll be going all out now, so Ryekie decides to challenge him to bring it. Mokdai however is highly concerned about this, and Akashi is worried about Ryekie being Like That. You either try to yell for the battle to stop, say someone will die if this keeps going, or start getting excited about the battle getting more intense. C gets an extra line from Crowne protesting that you're supposed to be trying to stop this.

Huckle says that Ryekie can at least keep going, but everyone else in the party can't. A voice interrupts and apologizes for doing so, but he says he can't have everyone exhausting themselves here and asks Yoshiori to stop. The voice echoes in the room, and Monomasa comments on them finally coming out saying he left things alone for too long. Exio then reveals himself, then says he had too much fun watching things play out.

Exio has come out of a hidden sliding door that leads further inside the underground passageway, and Yoshiori is surprised at being stopped but reluctantly obeys, putting his gun down and reverting to civilian form. Akashi awkwardly notes that things have stopped as well, and Mokdai sighs in relief as they follow suit in reverting. Sui and Ryekie do afterwards, and Ryekie asks if the man who just showed up is Exio. Exio apologizes for the sudden battle happening and says it's part of Yoshiori's job as the door guard. He looks over everyone in your group and eventually stares at Huckle.

Huckle asks if there's something up with him, so Exio says it's nothing and asks he pay it no mind. He makes a show of clearing his throat and putting his hand on his chest, then says it's a pleasure to meet most of you guys for the first time. He introduces himself as Exio Grant, an Observer. You either keep neutral and say it's been a while after a pause, say you'd have preferred to not see him, or say you're happy to see him. B gets an extra line with Exio being kinda disappointed and surprised as he says he wanted to see you. C gets a different extra line where he says it's an honor and feels the same way about you.

Anyways, Exio happily welcomes you, asking if your presence here means you're going to be cooperating with him. He then reveals that he's aware of the Broker ordering you to kill him as he asks if you're here for that instead, and Huckle gets suspicious of Exio over this. Akashi is shocked at the reveal and turns to you for an explanation, so you either protest that you don't know either or say he just told you to do it. Exio adds that the Broker is that kind of guy, the sort of man who gives zero craps as to what you think. To him, every living thing in the world is nothing more than consumable items. Sui remarks that the Broker sounds like a worse and worse person the more she hears about him. Crowne says he's the kinda guy who makes random people into Observers, so he can't be on the up and up.

Melide starts suggesting to Exio that they not stay out for too long, so Exio agrees as he says you never know who may be watching. He invites you guys to come in so you can talk some more over tea. Mokdai asks Huckle for his opinion since he's suspicious of everything overall. Huckle answers you guys came this far already, but if anything happens then they'll have to rely on Ryekie. Monomasa assures you guys that they have no further intentions of attacking any of you, and he explains that the area on the other side of the door allows you to do whatever you want except for fighting.

Melide concedes it may be difficult for you guys to trust them, but she says they don't plan on lying. Yoshiori grumbles about wanting a bit more slack, so Melide sternly tells him he's not supposed to go against his promise to Exio. He gives in, and the party follows Exio after resolving themselves to continue. Exio thinks to himself about how there's four heroes and two Observers among you. He notes that Huckle seems to be really weak as an Observer, then thinks to himself that it's strange he's getting a feeling on the back of the neck when you alone shouldn't cause that reaction. The door closes behind you guys, and elsewhere, Crowne Alter is still stalking you all.

Exio leads the party to what's described as a uniformly styled meeting area and sit on sofas at his urging. Akashi immediately cries out about sinking in further into his seat than he expected since he never sat on a sofa like that before, and it's actually making him uncomfortable. Mokdai comments on how weird the room is with the Middle Age Europe aesthetic going on, and Sui compares it to a meeting area for warriors you'd see in fantasy movies, though she also figures the furniture isn't made of real wood and stone.

Exio laughs at the comparison and says Sui is close enough. Ryekie is confused by this momentarily, then remembers that Melide mentioned wanting your help in particular. He asks if that's related to all this and if the warriors in the analogy refers to heroes here. Exio confirms as such, though he says it isn't quite that specific. If villains are willing to help out too, then he'll happily accept them. Huckle says he's starting to understand how things are connected, then asks Exio for more concrete details on what he wants from you. Exio is about to answer when he realizes he hasn't brought any tea out. It's already been made, so he asks you guys to have some before it gets bitter and says he'll pick up the topic after that.

Exio claps his hands, so a wolf mob pushes in a cart from further in. Crowne comments on there actually being waiters here and how fancy it makes the place. Everyone else in the party is curious as they watch the tea get poured, but you recognize the mob as the one who started the Raidark Tower attack incident that led to Mokdai joining as a hero. He's also the guy who tried to kill you after the fact and then got eaten by a Monster Exio sicced on him before dumping into a space hole. You go on guard at his presence, but the mob just keeps calmly pouring tea out and handing cups to everyone. When he gets to you, he asks if you want any milk or sugar in yours.

You are confused by the mob's behavior, and you can ask for some sugar or decline the offer. The mob proceeds to pour your tea out as requested, then bows before pushing the cart back out of the room. You wonder aloud if it's some sort of act or someone who just looked like that one guy, but Exio laughs at your surprise as he comments that you do remember who that guy is. Akashi is curious about this and asks if you know the mob, so you fumble to come up with an explanation.

Exio says he won't give the specifics, but he bluntly informs everyone that the mob had a misplaced grudge that led to them trying to kill you. Also, the mob has lost all his memories since a bit before he started hating you. Akashi is taken aback and far more concerned about the murder attempt, and Mokdai is shocked as he asks you if that's true. Sui is the one to ask about the wolf mob's amnesia since hating someone enough to try killing them is not something a person just forgets.

Melide answers that Monsters have the property to eat records and memories. So if you control what memories they eat and then stop them partway through, you can manipulate memories. You are surprised that it's possible to do such a thing by using monsters, so Exio explains that the guy just couldn't live as he was before anymore. As such, he used the Monsters' ability to move around by ignoring distance to a degree, had the thing eat the mob, then send them both to Melide. Huckle then asks if he had Melide control the monster to erase most of the guy's memories. Exio admits as much and says he unfortunately can't control them that well, but since Melide could he had her do it.

Akashi gets up shaking in indignation, calling it horribly cruel. He argues that as dangerous as the guy was, it is never okay to take away his memories and turn him into someone else. Mokdai is taken aback at how fervent Akashi is about this and tries getting him to calm down, but Akashi says he can't and asks if they ever felt how frightening it is to lose your memories. He then quickly argues they never had, or else they wouldn't be doing all this. You express concern for Akashi and note that it's hard to lose your memories.

Exio slowly asks Akashi if he thinks keeping your memories is something to be happy about. Akashi is surprised by the question and asks him to explain, so Exio brings up a hypothetical where the mob lives on with his memories intact. If he does, he might try to stab you again if he saw the chance to do so. The thought shocks Akashi, but he doesn't argue. Exio then brings up that the guy has committed certain serious crimes, so he'd have to pay for them to live in polite society. He admits it all started with what he told the guy. The guy misunderstood, lost his way in that back alley, and couldn't live as himself anymore. So, Exio made it so that the guy could live a more peaceful life. Exio cops to it being self-righteous to an extent, but he tried the best he could at the time.

Ryekie thinks on the idea about there being memories people might be better off not keeping, and Akashi attempts to argue. Melide observes that Akashi must have a lot of happy memories he wants to keep, then says she's jealous of him. She has tons of memories of her own she'd rather not remember, and she mentions that there are people who believe that getting rid of unhappy memories would be the best thing to do. Crowne seems to sympathize as she looks sadly at Melide, and Akashi looks conflicted as he balls up his fists before sitting back down again.

Exio says he does understand how you guys feel and comments that's why you guys can live where the sun shines. It just doesn't apply to everyone, and everyone has things that they'd rather not be looked at too closely. Those people get stuck having to live in the dark, and he says everyone that's there is like that. He brings up the rather specific example of someone crushed by the expectations and obligations forced upon him, so he chose to die. He then happened to meet a Monster that still had some sapience to it, then chose to surrender his body to it instead. Monomasa looks sad as he says nothing.

Exio then brings up another example, this time of a man who was eaten by a Monster on the battlefield. He survived, even if part of his body had vanished, but no one could see or hear him. Cut off from the world as he was, he was then forced to live in isolation. Yoshiori doesn't say anything to having his backstory blabbed to the party, and Exio says it's because there are people like that that he brings them over, hoping to help them. What he wants to do is to go up against the Broker, who had turned him into an Observer. He wants revenge on him for the sake of the minorities (re: Observers) in the world.

You ask about Exio's motive being his revenge on the Broker, so Exio says he didn't bring everyone over just to gain allies. He really does want to help save people because of the situation he's in. The people who reject the world, the people rejected by the world, the ones shunned by society, all of them are people he'll save because he wants to. If you want to abandon your past, you should do so. You already have the power you need right now to carve out your own future.

Ryekie comments on Exio's philosophy sounding like the most destructive type of justice where squaring things away with repentance is pointless. Exio straight up cops to that since that's what he believes is justice, then sips his tea. He suggests that Ryekie must have a past he'd rather not remember either, and he asks how he can keep hanging onto it while embracing the younger generations and holding them up as important. How can he keep calling himself a hero with a burden like that? Ryekie is shocked as he knows what Exio is hinting at and somehow knows himself.

Despite Ryekie clearly signalling that he wants to keep whatever Exio is referring to a secret, you and Mokdai turn to him and ask what Exio is talking about. Huckle sympathizes with him and doesn't speak of any details. Akashi picks up that Huckle must know too and asks him about it. Huckle admits he does, but he feels that it's Ryekie's story to tell if he ever feels like it. The most he will say is that it was the biggest taboo and biggest secret to Ryekie in terms of his hero identity. Exio apologizes for going on a tangent, then rerails the conversation back to what he actually wanted to talk to you guys about, then looks serious as he says it concerns the future of the city. On that note the episode ends.

Live A Hero Chapter 4 Episode 3: Monster VS Monster

Things tune in one day inside a car as Gammei calls you guys on the vidphone while in hero mode. He's representing UEHA's Team B and reports that they are fighting five of the burglar villains on their end. Eight still remain and are heading towards the city's west port, so Gammei says it seems like they've split up. Team A is currently pursuing that group, and he asks you guys to head over to the port as well to chase after them. Huckle replies back that Team Parallel Flight is about five minutes away from the west port area, and he suggests ambushing the villains on a narrow road before asking Gammei to carry on as he is. You either wish Gammei good luck, say you guys have things covered, or compliment Gammei's looks. In A, Gammei thanks you and says he's counting on you guys. In B, Gammei says you guys are reliable so he'll take you up on your words. In C, Gammei is shocked by the comment, telling you to stop staring at him and threatening consequences when he sees you in person.

Akashi comments on how the villains keep twisting and turning corners while trying to get away, and if you guys didn't have a tracking device to follow you'd have lost them already. Ryekie says that just goes to show how lively the villains are, so you guys should be ready to throw down once you catch up. Akashi then comments about feeling a weird sense of pity for the villains for trying so hard to escape while being watched as he eats something, and Mokdai starts getting indignant since Akashi is eating a burger he was saving for later.

Akashi is taken aback at this, saying he thought it'd be fine since he just saw Mokdai eat a donut a second ago. Mokdai complains that Akashi just had a ~~jelly donut~~ rice ball himself and whines that he was really looking forward to that teriyaki burger. Ryekie attempts to get the two to calm down since it's just a 200 raf/lah/space money burger, and Sui comments that no one seems concerned at all. You either shrug and say it's better than them being too nervous, say it's great, or comment that teriyaki burgers are tasty.

Crowne also happens to be along for the ride as she's in the backseat of the car fixing something, but she stops after a while to look at you. She's thinking about what she overheard the other day, and Huckle sighs wishing the party would think about him for a bit since he has to stay alert and drive the car. Huckle then talks to Crowne asking if her fix up will be ready soon since you'll be at the target location soon. Crowne is preoccupied still and says your name, so you try to bring her attention back to Huckle's question and ask why she's looking at you like that.

Crowne finally tunes in at this point and quickly claims that nothing is wrong. She's almost done fixing Mokdai's gadget and just needs to put the case back on. Huckle is a bit confused by Crowne's reaction, but he apologizes for asking her to do her work in the middle of a moving car. Sui notices Crowne acting weirdly and wonders aloud about that. She turns to look at her and happens to look outside the window while she's at it, at which point she catches a glimpse of Crowne Alter outside in an alleyway. The surprise makes her doubt herself and rub her eyes for a double take, but by then Crowne Alter is gone. When Crowne notices Sui looking, she asks if something's wrong. Sui decides to dismiss what she saw as a figment of her imagination, leaving Crowne to wonder what's going on.

Time skips about five minutes to the part where you guys have reached the ambush point and launch the attack. The wolf villain mobs are surprised by the trap and attempt to turn back, but Ryekie blocks the road behind them. Sui says the live feed is already up and that a net has been placed behind them, so there's nowhere for the villains to run to. Green is alarmed to see Justice around, and Yellow asks what the net thing is all about and if the rest of you are heroes. Red gets mad as he says forcing their way through is the only thing left they can do, so they proceed to transform and attack. Akashi calls to you about getting things started, and you respond affirmatively as you say it's time for the episode battle to begin. More happens afterwards.

After the battle, the story tunes back in shortly afterwards as the villains bemoan being captured so quickly and demand that you guys take the ropes off of them or else they'll kill you. Akashi comments that for all the chasing they put you through, the threats just aren't working with them tied down like so. Mokdai is doing his best to catch his breath since he says the villain gang was really strong. Sui however asks how long it'll take for Gammei to get there since the rope tying the villains up was made through her hero power, so she can't quit out until he gets there. Ryekie informs her that Gammei's group should be there in about 20 minutes and tells her to hang in there. Sui is shocked at this and says she'll be having muscle aches tomorrow.

Huckle apologizes for pushing Sui like this and says it'd have been a good idea if they brought their own chains or restraints of some kind. He then jokes about cutting the villains' tendons before saying that's not very heroic. The villains freak out about Huckle saying that with a smile and worry what would happen to them if they tried to run. You are a bit put off by Huckle's remarks, say that's not funny, or comment that Huckle does have his sadistic side. Crowne also comments that it's freaky how she can't tell how much of Huckle's suggestion was a joke, then asks if anyone else feels any rumbling. Mokdai notices the street lights are shaking, and then the rumbling becomes a lot more intense. Each quake sets off a wave that rolls along the ground, which reminds you of what you saw the other day. You decide to run off to check, causing Huckle to call after you asking where you're going.

When you get back to the main street, you see the thing over at Mt. Fuji again and exclaim it wasn't some hallucination. You can see the thing at the mountain move like like some sleeping thing tossing and turning when eventually you catch sight of something like an eye. Making eye contact with that causes you to freeze up in fright, and your blood chills as if a giant ferocious animal has spotted you. The giant monster then unleashes a loud roar that rattles your eardrums and knocks you off your feet. A scream comes from where the rest of the party is, and you hurry over to check what's happening.

Back to where everyone else is, smaller monsters have started appearing from the ground as the villains beg for help. Before anyone can do anything though they get eaten by the things, horrifying Ryekie. Sui is shocked the things ate her net along with them, but Akashi tells her to focus so they can stop the things and save the villains. Mokdai agrees, and while this is another battle coming soon after your previous one, he feels you guys should be able to handle it since there's just three small ones. Crowne calls out to you and Huckle saying the camera is ready to go and the live is on, and Huckle tells you you guys should finish this quick since everyone's tired. You respond affirmatively and say you guys will go at full force.

Everyone gets ready to fight again, at which point another quake hits followed by the loud roar. You flinch and complain about the noise again, but Huckle only notices the tremors. You are confused about him not being able to hear the roar, and Huckle soon asks you why you're covering your ears. You don't have an answer for him, and the roaring stops soon after. But when that does happen, even more little Monsters pop out of the ground and screech at you guys until the alleyway is filled with them. Ryekie is rudely surprised by this development and Mokdai briefly freaks out at the influx of monsters. Sui is concerned that there's too many to take on, and Akashi says he's lost track of the original set of monsters that ate the villains. You wonder aloud in shock how this happen or ask if it's related to the roaring, at which a voice behind you notes that you can hear it. Melide is standing behind you when you turn to look, and Crowne is surprised at her sudden appearance. Melide just calmly comments on meeting you again and greets you. You either ask her name or shout it out. In A, Melide reminds you what her name is, though she tells you you don't need to remember it. In B, she's mildly pleased to see you remember.

Anyways, Huckle asks if Melide is an acquaintance of yours, but he pushes the thought aside telling her to get away since it's dangerous for civilians to get involved. Melide says that in her view, Huckle is way more of a civilian than her. She clarifies that she means in the sense that he's someone who was randomly caught in the middle of things and gives him her sympathies. Huckle is taken aback at this and asks what she means, but Melide cuts him off and says the two of them can dispose of the trash here.

You repeat Melide mentioning 'dispose of' in confusion and/or start to suspect what she means. One of the monsters suddenly floats up into the air and gets bisected, surprising Akashi. Monomasa then lands down with a soft thud where the monster was, already in hero mode. You recognize Monomasa from before and/or call his name, and Ryekie is shocked as he says he doesn't recognize him as a hero he knows and asks who he is. Mokdai says Monomasa seems more like a villain than a hero and notes how he's dripping stuff. Akashi demands to know who he is, though he adds that he is happy he helped out. Monomasa waves off the thanks as he says this is both work and food for him, which confuses Akashi.

Melide tells Monomasa that there's about 65 Monsters running around and asks if he can handle them. He answers it should be fine if he can keep them penned up, and it should all be done in two minutes as he asks Melide for her help. She nods in acknowledgement, so Monomasa puts his hands out, roaring as he turns his fingers into whips. Monomasa then jumps up by turning his legs into springs, and when he comes back down he swings both arms to sweep the monsters up. Mobs get knocked into other mobs before poofing out of existence.

Sui is surprised at how strong Monomasa is and asks who he is. Mokdai notes that he doesn't seem to be using a Parallel Weapon. There ARE ones out there that can gigantify your limbs, but they shouldn't be able to turn them into other things. Akashi asks what Monomasa is doing then, and Huckle is the one to suggest he might be a Monster. Ryekie is shocked at the idea since he's never heard of one having any sapience. Sui says there has been a case of that happening before, and she brings up the one that ate her mother. Monomasa however still seems different from that one, and the best Sui can try to explain it is that Monomasa is clearer than her mother was. Like he has a soul while her mother seemed indistinct. Akashi just yells that he doesn't get it and asks what it is he's seeing with his own two eyes, and you either comment that Monomasa must be a Monster or ask what he really is.

While the party is working through their collective feelings of 'what the hell is going on,' Monomasa continues on with clearing out the trash mobs. Once the last of them is defeated, the villain mobs get dumped back into existence and seem no worse for the wear. Monomasa declares the disposal is complete and asks if any more are left. Melide says it seems all clear and thanks him for his efforts, so Monomasa returns his limbs to their regular form as he walks back to her.

Mokdai expresses his surprise that Monomasa cleaned out the monsters so quickly, and Crowne expresses an interest in finding out how Monomasa's limbs work. Meanwhile the villains from before notice that the rope net tying them down before is gone now so they could try to make a break for it, but Monomasa whips out a finger and uses it to suspend the villain gang up in midair. One of them freaks out while another still has enough nerve to demand that Monomasa let go, but Monomasa brings them closer to him and tells them to take their punishment like good captured criminals unless they want to die before the monsters all around are gone. The mobs quail at this and sink to the ground when Monomasa puts them down.

Monomasa notes that the villains should stay still now, so Ryekie awkwardly thanks him and fumbles for his name. Monomasa gives his alias of Monstrooper, so Ryekie thanks him again and uses that name this time, leading Monomasa to say he actually sorta likes it. Akashi tries talking to him next, so Monomasa assures him that while he is a Monster, he doesn't eat people. He reverts out of his battle form and says that eating people goes against his body and soul. Mokdai is mildly surprised Monomasa has a more normal form, and Akashi gets the feeling he's met him somewhere before. You either agree that it's weird, ask Akashi if he knows him, or sigh over how cool Monomasa is. B gets an extra line, Akashi says it's less he knows him and more that he's seen him before. He's never talked to him before though, and he isn't sure anyhow. C gets a different bit with Akashi noting your interest in Monomasa despite what just happened, then talks to himself about feeling he's seen him somewhere before.

In any case, Melide turns to you and asks if you can still hear that Monster at the moment. You realize that you don't now that she's brought it up, and you notice the quakes have stopped as well. Melide notes your reaction and says it seems like the thing went back to sleep again. She calls it a sleepyhead, but maybe it staying asleep would be better. Monomasa asks if the thing really is getting closer to awakening, so she confirms as much. If it isn't taken care of soon, things could get dicey.

Huckle asks the two what they're talking about, then asks if the quakes and the monster spawning in are related. Melide looks down at the question, then says that since they're together with an Observer capable of seeing the thing, it might be better to have them cooperating as well. You ask Melide about what she means by that, so Melide says she wants you in particular to help. She opens up another piece of candy and puts it in her mouth, then says it's fine to do so after you hand the mobs off to the police. She asks if you guys will follow her after that to go see Exio, and the episode ends with Crowne reacting in shock at the namedrop.

Chapter 12 Episode 6: Infection 3

Have you heard? Has anyone told you? Someone woke up and chose literal violence over at Kabukicho again. That's been happening a lot lately. It's almost like terrorist level lately, so I dunno what'll happen if it breaks out at school too. I can't even sleep at night anymore. All the news has been terrible lately, so maybe something else has been happening. Some freak has been going on about Tokyo being destroyed soon and having a prophecy that save them from it, but there's no way anyone can know what the future has in store 100% correctly. If you've got something like that, then you may as well give me the week's weather and sports lotto numbers. Or maybe tomorrow's stock prices. Though...maybe this one guy is legit? They say he's been right on everything. On another note apparently all the violent crimes happening are because of actors pretending to be natives and Transients. Have you heard? Has anyone told you?

 

Ellie then starts taking over narration, and she describes herself as a student who attends Kabukicho Academy where all the local onis go to. At least that's what the school records should say. Maybe. Not that she's proud of the fact, but she doesn't really have any memories of diligently attending class. She's a vampire, so she's stronger than any teacher or student. But she was formerly a human, so she figures the other students and teachers are confused about how to actually treat her. Ever since she became the way she is, she's been aware of how people get suspicious of things that they can't place in one category or the other. It's made her uncomfortable, so she doesn't go to her school much. There is however one teacher who sticks by her to give her guidance, she thinks. He keeps saying stuff like children shouldn't walk around at night by themselves. But isn't that what nightwalker means? He also goes around at night looking for students like her. What was his name again? Oh right...

Things then tune in back to the story where Kresnik disarms a bunch of high school oni girls feared as demons back in their homes without taking a single hit, almost like he's playing with a bunch of kids. Time skips a bit as he and Ellie make their escape, and eventually Kresnik comments on how the mob girls made no hesitation to attack after they get far enough away from them for now. He thinks about how unusually determined the yakshas were in attacking Ellie, and he feels something is wrong since this is usually impossible. It's generally hard to go all out against someone you recognize the face of, but the way the mobs struck out was like they were convinced they were in the right.

Kresnik wonders aloud about how someone has to act to get a student to listen so closely, since he'd like to know how to do that. He's struggling to make just one student listen to him as it is, then notices Ellie is quiet and asks if she forgot who he is. That, or he suggests she might not be used to being protected by others despite protecting people herself. Ellie stays quiet a little longer before before noting that he really is Kresnik, and Kresnik jokes he wouldn't be able to hide his shock if she did forget about him. Ellie however gets impatient and asks about what Kresnik did earlier and where he learned to move like that.

Kresnik's earlier actions are noted to be clearly the moves of an experienced veteran, but Ellie's impression of Kresnik is that he's just some random teacher at her school. There shouldn't be anyone who could do what he did even with Kabukicho being as big as it is. Ellie asks out loud if he's not a regular teacher, but Kresnik claims after some hesitation that he's just a teacher who gets looked down on by students.

Ellie asks why Kresnik doesn't just use his power to make himself get taken more seriously, so Kresnik says he's had enough of onis (and races in general) fighting against each other, both in terms of seeing and doing it. You could also say that he doesn't want to repeat his past mistakes again. Ellie doesn't have a response to that, so Kresnik suggests moving again before they're found. There seems to be some strange people among the students. Ellie stops Kresnik to ask one last question, which would be why he saved her. Kresnik actually stops and turns around at this, surprised, but he answers by turning the question around and asking if teachers need any special reasons to save their students.

Scene shifts to your end as you go over pretty much all of Shinjuku Academy looking for Sandayu, which includes the front gate, the hallway, the classroom, the back of the dorms, the classroom, and the roof. This takes pretty much all day as evening sets in by the time you give up, and you lean on a rusty handrail on the roof out of fatigue. It gives out under your weight and you fall over. You twist around to try to grab something but fail, so you either freak out, call for help, or try to get into a breakfall position as best you can.

Sandayu shows up conveniently in time to save you as he tells you to keep your mouth shut and grab onto him, and you react to his presence in shock, say you'll do as he says, and/or silently obey. You get the feeling of being embraced by Sandayu in midair, and Sandayu proceeds to do a wall jump by kicking off the side of the building. Time passes a bit, and you sneeze a few times and mention how cold you are as Sandayu had landed in a pond, though that did help you guys. Sandayu laughs about how you still have your life, then claims it was lucky he was just passing by at the time he showed up. You either agree, be suspicious of the timing, or ask if he'd been watching you the whole time. B and C gets extra lines where Sandayu laughs the question off and says he doesn't have that much time on his hands.

Anyways, Sandayu says he just happened to see you fall, so he went to rescue you. He then asks if you were looking for something up there, so you answer that you were looking for him since you wanted to ask him something. Sandayu is surprised by this but prompts you to go on, then asks if you're going to confess your love. You either deny the idea, start to say yes before changing it to no, or cop to it straight up. In A, Sandayu acts shocked that you took that question seriously before joking about looking for consolation money from you. In B, Sandayu initially blushes before realizing you said no and says you're surprisingly quick to go along with things. In C, Sandayu laughs and says he didn't expect you to take that seriously and says you're cuter than he thought. He offers to show you his special Zokkin Hiseidan booklet before laughing and saying it was a joke, commenting that he just can't stop teasing his students.

Sandayu moves back to the main point and asks again why you really wanted to talk to him. You fumble your words for a moment, but he waits patiently. You then ask Sandayu who he really is, ask if he's hiding something, and/or ask him to tell you anything and everything. Sandayu is baffled at the question and goes quiet for a while, but eventually starts laughing uproariously.

Scene shifts to Tsathoggua's room down in the casino, and Licht wakes up in a fit and asks where he is. Melusine is glad to see him awake since she's been worried, and Licht processes that she and Tsathoggua are around. Tsathoggua is glad to see him up too and tells him he's in his safe house. Licht is confused about this, but then things start coming back to him about the riot from the other day.

Flashback kicks in to explain how the rulers of the Tycoons lost their properties and corporations one day. It all happened way too quickly, and while they tried their hardest to find out who did it from the outside, they didn't manage to figure anything out. So the next thing they did was start looking for the perpetrator within the guild. Someone had started yelling that there must have been insider tradings going on, and violent paranoia broke out. Barely any time passed before factions started to split and attack one another.

Back to the present, Tsathoggua explains that he used his teleportation to bring the three of them there for an emergency retreat. Licht nods to this as Melusine starts making some food, and Licht thanks Tsathoggua for what he did. Tsathoggua waves it off saying they're friends and part of the same guild. Licht thinks on that and says that kinda makes him feel guilty as he remembers what he once did. Specifically, the time he tried to get Hakumen, Ophion, and Lucifuge to get rid of each other. All that time he spent, all the goading he did, and all the understanding he made was what made it all possible.

Licht starts talking about manipulating other people's states of mind is the one thing he's as good as the best are at it. But in this incident things got a little too much even with his presence, and they also went a bit too quickly. It made him almost sure that someone was on the inside causing all of this, so how did they manage to read the Tycoons that far? A pain in the head makes Licht briefly stop and hold his bandaged head, so Tsathoggua tells him to not worry so much since it'll affect his injuries. Licht weakly agrees and says it may be time to rest, so Tsathoggua invites him to lay around and do nothing with him. There's tons of things to play with in the room, so if he wants to play with or read something then Tsathoggua says he's welcome to do so.

Licht decides to ask what Tsathoggua has been watching on the phone this entire time, so he answers it's some Youtuber that's been trending lately that his gamer friends told him about. He's pretty popular, and Tsathoggua asks if Licht wants to look too. Licht leans in, and Tsathoggua spouts some catchphrases the web show mentalist has been using, like "this will absolutely fit your mentality" or "I can show you whole future." Licht laughs and says that sounds like a classic spiel by a charlatan, and he thinks about how nothing is absolute in the world. Anyone who would say so would have to know about everything in the world, but if that were true he doesn't get why they'd need to make videos. Someone who manipulates others would need anxiety and the unwillingness to be tricked by others in those people to take advantage of. He's surprised when he does see the video, saying he recognizes the uploader from somewhere when Tsathoggua thinks he's interested. The uploader is Masanori, and Licht says it happened that one time when he was coming back from one of Kuniyoshi's award ceremonies and went to Akihabara.

Scene shifts over to your end as you and Sandayu leave the night watch teacher's office having dried off your clothes. As you two start walking out of the building Sandayu admits he's not actually a native and asks if you'd believe him if he said he was a worker from the shadows sent to protect you. You either disbelieve him, say you'll believe him if it's true, or stare at him. Sandayu laughs whatever you pick, saying it should be fine and that you ought to believe him. He's not sure what he actually can tell you and says it'd be a problem if you asked him to spill everything. Wouldn't it be the same if you were told to tell him everything? You either admit he has a point, hem and haw for a bit, or say you could actually do that. C gets an extra bit as Sandayu laughs at the response and says he can tell you next time then. He does warn you it'll be sad as hell though.

Anyways, Sandayu asks if you're still projecting bits of your old teacher onto him. He was someone who went as far as being your guardian and close to you, and now he's gone. You believed in him, but some unease still exists within you like he betrayed you. And now you have a shady old man as your new teacher, and Sandayu asks if you're on guard against him thinking he might do the same thing. You either awkwardly deny it, say that might be true, or silently stare at him. A gets an extra line of Sandayu laughing as he says he can tell when kids are lying. B has Sandayu laughing as well as he comments that he likes it when people sass him.

In any case, Sandayu looks right into your eyes like he's looking deeper into you. He eventually sighs and comments that you really were special to the previous teacher. He knows how it is, and he looks off sadly into the distance as he thinks about the time he was teaching Goemon. Since he goes quiet for a while, you ask Sandayu if he's alright, and he just brushes it off as nothing important. Sandayu then starts talking to you about how the heart is a thing that changes, which goes for everyone. He might say he'd never betray your feelings towards him, but there are no absolutes in the world. If you happen to damage something important to him, would it be wrong of him to hold that against you?

You are put off by the subject and ask why he brought it up, so Sandayu laughs after a bit and says it's just a hypothetical. He goes quiet for a second, then makes a point of telling you that his work isn't about getting you to believe him. All he'll do is what's asked of him and doing it when necessary. Believing everything he says just because you two are teacher and student would be as dumb as a chicken walking into a fox den. No one really knows what's going to happen next, so he advises that if things seem vague to you, it's fine to take them that way.

You ask Sandayu to explain more clearly, say you feel like he's pulling something over on you, or ask if he's just saying he's just shady. Sandayu laughs and says that adults are people who are good at pulling tricks and misdirection. If that's all for the day, he suggests you head home quick since he's still going to be busy with other things as he starts shooing you away with his hand. You however ask for a moment longer, so he asks you what's up. You either thank him for saving you, politely say you'll look forward to seeing him in class, or decide against saying anything after all. Sandayu is surprised, then bashful whichever way you go.

As the night time falls, he laughs to himself about how you asked him questions earlier thinking no one else would ever do it like that. He stops when he picks up on something happening, which he notes is coming from the dorms and that things are starting. Scene then shifts to your room where you are doing your best to evade and block attacks with whatever is in reach from other Shinjuku students, and you yell for them to stop. The attack was sudden, and the students yell about you being the source of things. You try to ask for an explanation, but no one is willing to talk.

Scene then shifts to the front of the dorms where Shirou has just arrived as he calls up Shuuichi. Shuuichi tells him that he and everyone else needs to get away from there right away. Shirou however asks Shuuichi to slow down and explain what's happening since he still doesn't understand what's happening, but Shuuichi admits that he doesn't know either. He does however suggest that you guys cut back on intraguild communication as as much as possible, disguise yourselves, and lay low somewhere else.

While this is happening though, Shuuichi wonders how you guys would even do that. That One Video is already making the rounds and must have a view count in the order of millions, copied near limitlessly and spreading around. He understands why Balor kills everyone around him, because there's no other alternative when going up against the Invaders. Shuuichi then tells Shirou that you have become the enemy to all of Tokyo. There's no telling where enemies are lurking and where they'll attack, and you are the only ones to not know what will be happening on the game board. It's like trying to play chess blind. Shuuichi then comments about not wanting to say things in a particular way, but as he looks up he thinks about how there's absolutely no way for you guys to win as the episode ends.