Someone starts things off by narrating how they noticed that one day, they realized they had never moved on from a certain time. They couldn't see what was coming next, and they didn't know how to move on. They couldn't tell what was wrong, and they couldn't figure out how to make things better. Stress, fear, and anger wells up from that, and they start wanting concrete answers from anyone at all. Then comes the spider's thread dangling before them that will save them and them alone. If they grab onto it, it's a convenient miracle that makes one believe that maybe something will change. But then, how many people will miss out on that...?
Back to the present, you wake up in some room as Akiha Gongen is snoring next to you. You are slightly confused by where you are and comment on the snoring. Akiha wakes up shortly after wonder what the soft thing he's feeling is before realizing it's you and greeting you good morning. You curiously ask him why he's there or be slightly alarmed and ask where you are, so Akiha scratches his head and casually tells you you're in his room before asking if you remember what happened.
When you try to remember, a flashback kicks in of the day before, after the commotion at the Akihabara Fest. Catoblepas tells you and Akiha to get ready to pose when the cameramen signal for it, so Akiha happily does so in the costume Catoblepas brought. Catoblepas says it looks great and compliments the two of you, and you move to pose between the two of them.
The agents move to take some pictures of you guys, and once they finish up they thank Catoblepas. They're about to say more to him when you step in and ask them to not step any closer. If they want to talk to him, the can talk through you so another riot doesn't happen. The mobs quickly insist it'll be okay since they aren't going to push him to join their agencies. They mention feeling great and helpful today like some evil feelings have been taken out of them, and they wonder if this is what people mean when they talk about enlightenment about one's place in life. You are either amazed at Akiha's artifact or ask if this counts as brainwashing. Going with the latter gets an extra line with Akiha protesting at you making him sound bad and asking you to stop.
Anyways, Akiha explains that all his artifact does is cause any fires already present to burn themselves out. It's not like he's actually causing enlightenment here. If another spark lights up, they can burn up again like they have before. No Shijimi shenanigans here! The cameramen ask Catoblepas if he's interested in a business referral if he likes cosplay. Catoblepas thanks them but politely turns them down since he has other things he wants to do first. The cameramen are disappointed, but they tell him he can always call the number on their business cards if he ever changes his mind. And even if it's not to accept the referral, they offer to help him if he needs it.
You step in to head off the conversation before things escalate again, so the cameramen say they'll send Catoblepas the pictures they've taken of him and wish him luck. Catoblepas thanks you for your help and is glad another incident didn't happen again. You wave it off, saying you're glad he had fun and that it was fun for you too. He nods, then has a little laugh to himself. You decide to ask Catoblepas what that thing is that he wants to do is, and Catoblepas is surprised by the question. He asks you to not laugh at him, then admits that he wants to make a cos-rom with the costumes he likes. You either ask him what that is or say you see.
Akiha asks what it is either way, so Catoblepas explains that it's a collection of cosplay photos and videos. He's happy that he's been made a part of the Creators since he admires mangaka and creators, but he still hasn't made anything himself yet. Because of that, he's decided to make a go of it, but he's still too scared to do it alone. He's tried tons of times before, but he could never make the leap to actually do it. Catoblepas then asks with some desperation if you and Akiha will make the cosplay compilation with him since the three of you doing it here must be some kind of fate. He's already got three costumes arranged for it, and he asks if you guys would dress up with him right away.
The flashback ends there as Akiha says you three then came over here to his room, which is also at the station for the youth firefighter squad he's a part of. The three of you spent all night dressing up, he explains while putting on his work uniform. You accept this explanation and say your memory of it is hazy, wondering how many costumes you guys went through in the end.
Catoblepas is also in the room with you guys asleep on your other side, sleeptalking about how happy he is to have so many cosplayer friends. Akiha laughs as he comments on how happy he seems, then realizes he has to get going already. You ask Akiha where he's going, so he says that while he's off from school, he still has training and his job to go to. He gives you a duplicate key to his room, saying you can stay there whenever you want. The cafe sharespace starts charging like crazy if you spend successive nights in a row, and Akiha insists it's fine if you stay because you two are buds now. You wonder what you should do yourself, but for now you decide to wake Catoblepas up.
Time passes to the point where you and Catoblepas head outside and walk through Akihabara. You comment on how there's a lot of people around again and how it seems like there's more people coming to visit an event. Catoblepas starts apologizing to you for yesterday, worried that he ended up forcing you to cosplay with him. You either wave it off, say it's fine if it's for him, or say he can owe you. Catoblepas thanks you again then, and you mention you've gotten more costumes to change into, which is nice because you wouldn't be able to wash the one you have if it was the only one and because you have to stay in costume all the time.
Catoblepas takes note of you saying you have to be in costume at all times, so he starts to ask about your reason for coming to Akihabara. Just then some random troopers come by to talk about plot relevant rumors. Have you heard? Has anyone told you? It's that freak from Shinjuku Academy. They say they're the ones behind all the riots happening lately. Apparently they ran away somewhere, but it's scary to think they may be somewhere in that area, what with them leading the power players by the nose and toying with guild battles.
You react in shock to the latest gossip and how it's been spiraling out of control. They seem to notice you looking in their direction and look back at you, but then continue talking as they walk off, if slightly suspicious. You are relieved that they didn't figure you out and say you blurted your surprise out without thinking. Catoblepas has been watching you throughout that instance, then asks if what those troopers were talking about has something to do with you. He's picked up on some level since he first met you that you were hiding something, and when you cosplay he says he's felt that you have the same panic and guilt he does. He asks if you're running and hiding from something offering to hear you out, so you decide to let him in on things.
After an offscreened explanation, Catoblepas sympathizes with your situation. You apologize for hiding things, ask if he believes the rumors, or ask if he's ever heard of them. A gets an extra line where Catoblepas quickly says it's fine since he's been hiding stuff too. But anyways he's never heard of them before, and hearing them now he doesn't wholly believe them either. Based on what he knows of you, he feels you aren't the kind of person who'd do something that horrible. Everyone has their own set of circumstances, even those they can't do anything about, he says as he gently taps himself underneath his bangs.
Catoblepas says he wants to accept your feelings for opening up to him, just as you've done for him before. You thank him, grab his hand tightly, or grab his hand with both of yours. In B and C, Catoblepas is surprised by the sudden gesture, but then laughs and squeezes back. In any case, Catoblepas talks about how nice it feels to cover for someone when they've covered for you, though there is something he wants to check with you. Specifically, he asks if there's some sort of role or power being used to have everyone believe the rumors.
You shrug since you're unsure, but you feel there may be more at play and/or that they're being used simultaneously. You think back to the night you were attacked in your room, and everyone there who wasn't an app user or Transient believed the rumors just as wholeheartedly as they did. So if they didn't have the app but believed it, Catoblepas reasons whatever is causing this isn't coming from the app and wonders why that is. He quickly assures you it's not that he doesn't believe you, but he does think it's weird. If it happened because of a class and power like he has, then he'd understand it.
Catoblepas's eye has the power to fascinate anyone who sees it whether they want to be or not, and that's what makes Catoblepas's class and power terrifying. But Catoblepas points out that the rumors about you seem to be just that, rumors. That would mean that everyone has their own way of interpreting them. Even if you manage to 100% guess right what happens in the future, there's going to be some contrarians and people who won't believe you out of sheer spite against you.
You either agree that Catoblepas has a point and wonder if some other trick is being used or wait for him to continue. Catoblepas says that for as how far the rumors have spread, he's never heard anyone in the guild discuss them. You are surprised about this and ask him about it to confirm, so Catoblepas says it could be because no one near him cares about guild battles. He has heard of the battles were the guilds fight over territories, and maybe the guildmaster for example has heard of some stuff.
You ask Catoblepas what kind of person the Akihabara guildmaster is, so he admits he's never met them before. He does admire them though, so he would like to meet them though. Some time passes as you two go to the cafe workspace, and Kuniyoshi explains that the guildmaster doesn't meet with anyone who isn't a creator with a portfolio of works done. Catoblepas says that's why he's trying to make that cosplay compilation, and he's heard they're an amazing creator. Hecate adds that she does have a portfolio and talked to the guildmaster, but she's only done so through an internet avatar.
You ask what kind of person the guildmaster is, so Kuniyoshi says he's someone who's related to a lot of works in society that you've probably heard of. Hecate brings up examples like some famous manga, a net anime, an AR app that's trending, a recent internet video commercial that went viral, and that's just the stuff she knows. Kuniyoshi then points to a poster of a phone game that's been getting streamed a lot lately and asks if you know that one. You recognize it as the game Kengo showed you, say a friend showed you a video, and comment on it being popular.
Catoblepas asks everyone to slow down a second and asks how one person can be involved with making so many different things in different fields. How does a single person manage to make manga, anime, programs, videos, and games and have them all become popular? You suggest he could be a multi-creator or that a few of those things were gifts from heaven, but that can't explain everything. Kuniyoshi then explains that the guildmaster has only ever created one thing.
Catoblepas is surprised by this, so Kuniyoshi clarifies that the kids the guildmaster created are the ones who make all those other creative works. Hecate then explains his specialty is creating artificial intelligences for use in creating works. They're a group of AI avatars that have split into separate pieces as far as their processor will allow. They collect and study data and are capable of making things from any sort of genre. And they then work together to create works infinitely.
Scene shifts over to where the Smoky God is, commenting to himself that it's almost time. He thinks back to the time in his homeworld where he gave salvation. He lent his ear to the people seeking salvation, extended his hand, and spoke the words and tales they needed to hear. When one person was satisfied, he'd move on to the next. He was revered and honored by many, and while there are many worlds out there, there's very few people who can said to have saved as many people as he has. The Smoky God then brings up a phrase Gautama Siddhartha that seems to mean 'I am the only special person in the world,' but he admits there are places he could not reach by himself. He starts talking about the king of Asura who fell to the world of carnage, the one he once called his friend. The episode ends with him saying that he'll save you from the repeating cycle of reincarnation.
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