Summer River Adventure Prologue

Let's start by defining overworld shifts. That is the term used for phenomena that occurs here in Tokyo while it's connected to other worlds. When specific conditions are met, the mental landscape of a Transient is transposed onto a part of Tokyo, a residual mini-garden kind of area. One of those conditions is when the Transient who acts as the core of the shift has their regrets tied to a place. As for the others...we'll get back to this later.

 

Scene then shifts into some cave where a fire mobster is looking over some stuff he has, then calls his boss over the radio saying he's mostly got the Stuff secured. There's some static as a voice that speaks suspiciously like Arachne answers back, saying they'll apparently accept it from them over at the camp. The mobster is confused due to said static and isn't sure if he's supposed to go to the nearby camp area, and he tries to get a repeat of his instructions. The message manages to get through on a repeat, and once he's off the phone or radio or whatever, the mob ugly laughs about how the job was easier than expected. Then he pauses for a moment having heard something, asking if the police are there.

 

A voice comments on the guy finally noticing him, then stands in the cave's entrance looking very tall revealing himself to be Thunderbird. Thunderbird then dramatically says that he won't allow the gang of thieves making the news lately and stealing relics for themselves to do as they like, for a hero has arrived! The mobster is surprised at the sudden appearance of what he calls a stupidly dressed birdbrain, saying he doesn't have time to join his cosplay party shenanigans. Thunderbird laughs it off and compliments the mob for having a quick wit, then informs him he's pulled the plug on all their illegal digging. The police will be there soon, so Thunderbird invites the mob to dance with him until they get there.

 

The mob turns his gun artifact at Thunderbird, but Thunderbird dodges and counterattacks with his whip. The whip is what identifies Thunderbird to the mob as he says he's heard from his thief buddies about a whip-using hero wannabe. Thunderbird says that if the mob knows that much, he should also know that them crossing paths means the end of his criminal career days. Thunderbird then demands that the mob surrender and give back the relics he has unless he wants to get hurt.

 

The mob however thinks the job is too important or lucrative to give up on it, and he surprises Thunderbird with a flashbang. By the time Thunderbird can see again, the mob is gone. Thunderbird comments to himself that the mob doesn't seem like a common thief, and if he wants to go after him he needs more standard gear for that. There's also something else on his mind, which he says he'll need to look into. He staggers off, then flies away once he reaches the sunny area outside.

 

Scene shifts over to the camp area, and narration says it's already halfway through summer vacation as the day outside is nice. The camp area is up on the mountains, and students from all over have gathered at the place. Kengo starts complaining about how Shirou tricked him about saying they were there for camping, so Shirou objects to this character assassination and points out that they *are* at camp and that there are plans to do field work with the Missionaries for personal study. Kengo yells about this being a premeditated crime to make him study, so Shirou points out Kengo wouldn't have done so if he hadn't come and hasn't opened his books all vacation.
Kengo: OF COURSE I HAVEN'T
Shirou: THAT'S NOT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF, DUMBASS

 

Kengo slightly changes the subject to complain about being made to watch the little kids of the gang, so Kijimuna pops up trying to comfort Kengo by saying it'll be fun to play in the water with everyone. He also adds that he's an island boy, so playing in a mountain river is a different kind of fun than playing in the ocean. Agyou tells Kengo to hurry up and finish his work so they can all play together.

 

Shirou says the field work ought to be good since that turned out to be a fun adventure for Hanuman and Robinson. Kengo is supposed to like moving around, right? Study hard, play hard! Kengo doesn't give a response to this, so Shirou talks about how he and Ryouta have written a report based on their volunteer experience and turns to ask the Evil if it was fun. The Evil excitedly chatters back. Kengo gets irritated feeling that Shirou is mocking him with a smug aura, so he prompts you to say something. You either suggest that you both work hard on your homework assignments, try to convince him the field work is fun, or say you have some other work to do. A gets an extra line of Kengo sympathizing over how you're forcing a smile when you wanted to have fun. B has a different extra line of Kengo getting mad at you being the honor student and demanding that you spar with him later.

 

Anyways, Shirou brings up that he's heard you had some other task you were asked to do. He and Kengo are both surprised by some noise coming as he wonders if it's some sort of dance or something, then are shocked at Arachne showing up with her Reality Marble shenanigans and colored spotlights. She excitedly greets you all and says it's been a while, then welcomes you all to her new shining collection out here in the wonders of nature.

 

Kengo lampshades the light show and asks where it came from since there aren't any spotlights around, and you either whistle and cheer for Arachne, greet her back, or comment on how excited she is. A and B has Arachne glad to see you doing well and happy that you're helping her. She then asks your opinion on her new swimsuit since it's important to see how reactions go for the cutting edge of fashion. C instead has her say she's always cheerful. What's two or three all nighters in a row? Also the sun is too bright. But light and shadow are bright this summer, and seeing how bright everyone else means she can't help but cheer up too.

 

Anyways, Maria and Ryouta walk up at this point. Maria thanks everyone for coming, and Ryouta greets everyone and asks if the summer camp has been fun for people. Arachne casually notes Maria and Ryouta being there and says she's always ready. Shirou takes notice of this and asks if this means Arachne is also part of whatever volunteer work is going on.

Arachne giggles and says she isn't volunteering actually, but doing field work. She figures it should be obvious with her swimsuit, but her objective is to monitor the latest swimsuits. Kengo asks for an explanation, baffled, so Maria answers that she's doing large scale field work along with some verification. Arachne's maison studio is working together with the Crafters to develop some new fabrics and things. It's not just swimsuits as the camp has also received a lot of equipment and tents among other things too. Ryouta says it's also workable enough to be sold in stores now, then asks Arachne if her swimsuit is still in the testing stage.

 

Arachne thanks Ryouta for the vote of confidence, but says her work still isn't at the point where it's expressing what she wants it to. It should first express herself and make everyone shine brighter, and she wonders if that anxiety is also part of her Shadow. But anyways, that's the mission assigned to her for her fashion, so bring on the criticism!

 

Kengo says that's all well and good but asks what that has to do with you. Arachne explains that you're in charge of taking pictures for making videos she'll upload for her PR social media. Recent research says that ads that make you feel like you're closer to what's happening is more effective according to what Mr. CEO President told her. So with that in mind, Arachne's decided it'd be even better if she had you use your phone to take these pictures instead of a pro, and don't forget the hashtag! You either enthusiastically say you'll take tons of pictures and try to do as well as a pro or sigh about being caught up in things. In the former, Arachne says she's glad she asked you and says she'll be counting on you. In the latter, Arachne pleads for you to not look so down and tries suggesting making some fun memories together.

 

Anyways, Kijimuna and Agyou come back at this point in their swimsuits. Agyou is excited to see Maria and asks to be included in whatever conversation everyone is having. Kijimuna thanks Maria for inviting him and talks about how there's more nature in Tokyo than he thought it did. Maria is happy as she thanks them in turn for coming and says they should enjoy themselves.

Maria changes the subject to tell everyone that the mountain you guys are on doesn't originally exist in Tokyo. It's actually an overworld shift, and she asks if the two of them recognize anything in it. They aren't limited to mountains, but this phenomenon has been observed ever since Tokyo was walled up, and it's when some other environment appears in Tokyo. Most aren't stable though, and they go away in short order.

Ryouta asks about you getting caught up in them often. You've gotten used to them, but looking back on it he thinks it's weird. Arachne seems alarmed to hear this, and Shirou starts joining in on the topic. He explains that overworld shifts are a phenomenon where the regrets of Transients create a physical space in Tokyo, but if the core Transient isn't present the thing falls apart. Maria compliments Shirou for being well-informed, adding that while they aren't completely understood there are things that are known, then clears her throat before continuing.

Maria starts talking about the reasons why an overworld shift that would normally go away would stick around, and one theory is that it has to do with the number of hearts and minds supporting the place. The main trio seems surprised as they ask about this, so Maria brings up great big mountains and rivers as things of emotional support in different worlds from long ago. What would Transients think of them if they were to appear in Tokyo? Arachne suggests they'd find it nostalgic since it'd be closer to their old worlds than Tokyo would be, so Maria says she's right. Those kinds of scenes can remind a lot of people of things, and when their faith gathers up to maintain the shift, the memories from these other people reinforce the place. This has lead to some cases where the shift starts looking like a patchwork, but not all of them as there's cases where one Transient supports the thing by themselves. Maria then explains that the field work is designed to protect people from accidents and deepen their understanding of such things.

Ryouta talks about how accidents tends to get on the news a lot when there's a long break. People suddenly getting caught up in these overworld shifts tends to be relatively common too. Maria says she's brought in a lot of teachers from all over, and she believes they'll have helpful information. Arachne says she'll take part since it might make for good reference for a rescue suit for emergencies.

Kengo has pretended to fall asleep by this point, so Ryouta tells him to stop that and points out the mountains and waterfalls he goes to are also part of an overworld shift. Maria notices that it's been a while so she has to go to her next meeting and excuses herself. Before she can go, lots of angry shouting crops up as cops demand this one Transient they're pursuing to stop.

Said Transient is the mobster from earlier who is trying his damndest to evade them after getting this far. He throws a smoke bomb, which does hold up the cops for a bit. Tajikarao comes up and says it can't stop them though as he orders Oguchi Magami to go with actual English dog commands. Magami responds affirmatively and refers to Tajikarao as his handler and goes off barking repeatedly.

You are surprised by this abrupt interruption, though you notice Tajikarao soon after and see someone jump out of the smoke. Magami is running after the mobster saying he's going to catch him, and the mobster freaks out for a moment before pulling something else out and flinging it at Magami. The bomb or whatever blows Magami back like a bowling ball, causing him to crash into the cops coming up behind him, knocking them and Tajikarao over. Tajikarao is surprised at how strong the mob is, and you ask if he's alright and are concerned by the sudden commotion. Spectators start gathering around the cops, and the mobster soon escapes.

Some time later, Tajikarao gets back up and says the suspect escaped and worries about Hougen chewing him out for failing to catch him. Maria quickly asks him not to move so she can give him some first aid, and as she does so Tajikarao heaves a big sigh. Ryouta comments that Tajikarao seems mostly fine but says someone else seem to be flattened. Kijimuna oohs and ahhs at the big doggy, and Tajikarao says he's fine. He's confident Magami's toughness is up there with his after all, so he calls and asks if he's fine since they should be waking up soon.

Magami barks in surprise before saying the criminal is apprehended and asks for praise. Tajikarao gets pissed at this since the guy actually got away and is annoyed at Magami being a screw-up. You either ask what happened, are surprised at Magami being a-okay, or be glad and immediately ask Magami to let you pet him. B has an extra bit of Tajikarao going 'I told you so' and Magami barking sadly and regretting the worries he's caused. In C, Magami tells you no because he's in the middle of work, and you proceed to ignore this anyway.

Anyways, Maria asks Tajikarao what just happened, so he decides to explain and introduce who Magami is. He introduces himself first, then says Magami is part of his school's police dog department as Magami introduces himself next. They were training further up in the mountains when they got an emergency call about thieves stealing relics from other worlds. They got into contact with the local police and found who they think the thief is, and Arachne speaks up to ask if they're the thief gang that's been in the news going after rare otherworld items. Tajikarao confirms as such and says they've been stealing for days now when some other voice interrupts and freaks out over something.

Everyone turns around in shock when the new voice starts yelling about beauty or art science, and one of the cops tells people to not touch the evidence. A bunch of alchemists are geeking out about the accretion and canine teeth on a skull dating to a specific time period. Maria asks if the alchemists are volunteer teachers from somewhere, so the alchemist group says they're researchers from some museum. The skull there is very interesting and they've been studying things like it for a while now, so it's awful, just awful that thieves are going around stealing things like it. It's OUTRAGEOUS how they're going after things of such value. This ancient light of antiquity! This romantic adventure they'll never stop pursuing! This is the treasure they dream of!

Arachne interrupts the dramatics to ask what it is that mob flung at Magami's head. One of the alchemists answers that it's the skull of a long extinct Ancient Wolf. You are taken aback at this, ask about it being from an extinct animal, and/or ask about why it's there. The alchemists suggest that it turned up from some other world's deeper stratum and appeared in Tokyo via overworld shift. They can do funny things with the flow of time, and they suggest the skull could be a clue to figuring it out. They start ranting about wanting to take it to their museum for study, but Magami interrupts to say they can't because the Wolf says it wants to go home.

Tajikarao scolds Magami for speaking out of turn and asks what he's even talking about, so Magami initially calls him Senpai before going back to Handler and saying he's heard the wolf's unspoken voice. When he was beaned on the head earlier by it, its voice went into him, so he pleads as another wolf to have the thing put back where it came from. You either comment on sympathy on him wanting to put it back, note how desperate he is about this, or say it's a complicated matter. A gets an extra line where Tajikarao is shocked you're agreeing with it too and has to think about it.

Tajikarao has to think about what to do in any case, and Agyou pipes up to say he gets the feeling that Magami isn't lying. He asks if it's possible to put the skull back where it came from, so Shirou says that it's being held as evidence by the police for its relation to a crime. It should be possible once the case is settled, but that's probably not happening right away. Agyou is disappointed by this, and Arachne thinks about it for a second before saying it might be fun to look for ancient remains as a summer adventure.

Everyone is surprised at Arachne's comment, and Arachne turns to you and suggests putting the skull back and saying she's getting a good feeling for the next term's concept. You either enthusiastically agree, comment on Arachne being quick to get on things, or be alarmed at the next weird thing you're getting dragged into. Tajikarao protests in shock and says you guys should at least wait for forensics to get there, but then an alchemist whispers into his ears about donations. Arachne argues that the skull hasn't been stolen away, so it should be fine to put it back. Magami barks in surprise at this, and you tell Tajikarao this is a casual party, agree that it'd be best to put it back, and ask Magami if he knows where it's supposed to go.

Tajikarao looks resigned for a moment, then asks just in case if Magami knows where the skull originally was. Magami says he does as he sniffs for a bit, then says it's that way. Shirou notes that Magami is pointing downstream and brings up that the cops were originally upstream. One of the alchemists whispers to Shirou that the overworld shift could have jumped around due to its instability, and Shirou accepts this as a plausible explanation.

Arachne says this is convenient since she just got something nice from the Crafters. She pulls out what she says is a specially co-developed boat made from a fiber-resin mix that goes well with any river. If the two named police guys come with you and help with their physical strength, it should ferry you all pretty quickly. She then remarks that she feels it's gonna be a great summer adventure and suggests heading off. You either cheerfully agree or attempt to protest and slow things down. Magami is down with this and prompts you to come along, so Tajikarao gets mad and tries ordering him to stay.

Narration says this is how you guys embark on an adventure to return a wolf skull but dramatically says you guys are unaware of the new encounters and dangers awaiting you all. And somewhere further down the river is a waterfall where someone is punching at the waterflow. Shiva is there training, though he stops after a moment when he feels a shift in the atmosphere, which he realizes means someone is coming towards him. He then challenges them to come, bragging that no heavenly demon that destroys goodness can stop his training as the episode ends.