Hell's Hot Paradise Episode 5 Part 2

Zhurong starts narrating about himself, describing himself as an otherworldly light that drifted through the space of Old Ones. He would absorb surrounding colors and shine in any hue, so he was called the Color Out of Space. But these colors originally weren't his, but ones he absorbed from someone else. All he did was float around in space in perpetuity, hearing the carols of praise for the king coming off in the distance. All he had was essentially pure instinct to take in colors from around himself, and it wasn't until he crossed the rainbow bridge that he learned that this was loneliness.

When he arrived in Tokyo for whatever reason, the first person he saw shone brilliant in rainbow colors. When they saw him, he thinks they extended their hand to him, but the next thing he knew he was the only one around. Now that he looks back on it, Zhurong figures he must've absorbed Zhurong Original into himself. It was the first time he had a name, so he went on believing that he was Zhurong. Since then, he took in many colors/lives into himself until he turned black as the colors/sins piled up. Zhurong feels he's done something he can never take back, and he apologizes to Zhurong Original and everyone else. It won't be long until he disappears...

Back to the present, Colorong says he wants to disappear but can't, and he asks what he needs to do to give everything back to Zhurong. His despair deepens as he plaintively asks why he can't release Zhurong's life (re: role and power), and you say Zhurong's cries are filling your head. Mineaki talks about having heard of the name Zhurong as belonging to a Transient from Hourai, and he describes him as a shining heavenly aurora reflecting any kind of color onto its surroundings that gained a beastman form. Mineaki then talks about the Transient from Old Ones, the Color Out of Space, something imperceptible to the human eye and said to have the power to draw in the surrounding light into itself. The two are believed to come from different worlds yet share a common identity, and he suggests that's why the two were drawn together and fused.

Mineaki then starts talking about how Transients from Old Ones have the ability to teleport without being restricted by Enclosed Areas. Nyarlathotep for example uses this power to shadow clone himself however many times he likes. Mineaki suggests that maybe the Color Out of Space did the same sort of thing. If they overlapped themselves over a ton of people all over Tokyo and absorbed their lives, it could explain why this incident's overworld shift acts differently from other kinds.

Daikoku adds to that by suggesting the faith directed towards Ne no Kuni or Awakage-sama dragged himself along with it, but his presence is what allowed you guys to have a method for escaping the place. Daikoku needles Mineaki for suspecting him of having a hand in the incident again, but he stops when elemental bursts go off in the area. Kamui leaps forward to defend you with the fire wheels, but he is shocked when the things disappear upon hitting Zhurong. Xolotl sends the burning turquoise snakes after Zhurong next, concerned he'll gather so much energy he'll overload and explode. This fails to work either as you point out and wonder what to do under these circumstances.

Kamui's fire wheels were originally Zhurong's so they just got taken back, but Zhurong gives no reaction to Xolotl's attacks. And while this is going, Sarutahiko presses forward towards Zhurong, tanking calamitous attacks going off as he goes. You look to him in concern, tell him to come back because of the danger, or quietly watch him go. Sarutahiko talks about how nothing can't be made up for as you can do it once everything is done with. It happened with him, when he was saved when he arrived in Hell. He knows that he has no idea what'll be in store for him as long as he's alive. And since Sarutahiko was saved, if he doesn't save Zhurong next then things won't make sense.

The damage done to Sarutahiko piles up as he continues getting hit by storm and fire, but he walks forward undaunted. Sarutahiko scoffs at the idea of Zhurong not being the real Zhurong as dumb, as he is the one Sarutahiko thinks of when it comes to Zhurong. You get the feeling Zhurong reacted slightly to Sarutahiko's emotional yells, and you say that while things were different at first, Colorong is also Zhurong.

Zhurong's eyes start reclaiming their color which everyone can see. Kamui calls out to him saying Zhurong promised to show him his newspaper when it was done and make the Berserkers look cool in it. Xolotl says Zhurong isn't the only one to make a mistake, and he wants him to keep living in spite of that. They smile gently for Zhurong even when powerful attacks strike them.

Mineaki talks to Colorong and says that human eyes probably can't perceive him, but his eye can with the clairvoyant eye he borrowed from someone else that wasn't him. He observes that Colorong and Zhurong look very similar, almost indistinguishable, and he mentions Zhurong is smiling inside him. Just as Colorong thought Zhurong was brilliant and colorful, Zhurong thought the same of him, and Colorong is surprised by this.

Daikoku compares the Color Out of Space and Zhurong to two peas in a pod, saying that if they came from the same world people would probably have considered them one and the same. But once the walls dividing the worlds were put up, they were split into separate beings. Colorong tries to argue that he and Zhurong are distinct beings from each other and asks what he should do. Daikoku starts suggesting that if Colorong no longer needs Zhurong and gets a response to his own wish, he might get a separate body. Daikoku then says that he and Colorong are similar in that they have only their own wishes and a borrowed body. He himself was once syncretized to Okuninushi into one identity and is now wearing the shadow of the Transient Daikoku.

Daikoku admits that he really doesn't want to say what he's about to, but he says that once his true wish is granted, Daikoku is probably going to say goodbye to him. Daikoku is to him the same as Zhurong is to Colorong, so Zhurong exists inside Colorong as a difficult to detach entity until he can say goodbye to him with a smile one day. He swears upon his will and tenacity that it's true.

A rainbow teardrop trickles down from Zhurong's emotionally broken eyes. Onamuji starts talking to Sarutahiko, asking if he's always been in a part of Sarutahiko's heart even into the distant future. He's not going to ask what happens to him later, but he plans on living out his life to the fullest. Whatever future comes, he'll be looking forward to the day he can see him again. Sarutahiko is touched by this, and Daikoku says nothing. Onamuji says that's all a lead up for what he wants to say to Zhurong, which is a thank you for letting him meet everyone.

Sarutahiko wipes away his tears as he yells again at Zhurong, asking if he heard everyone's messages meant just for him. You follow up and ask Zhurong to answer you guys if he did and/or say you love him. The colors return to Zhurong's eyes, and he cries as he asks for everyone to save him. He wants to go back with everyone including Zhurong, wanting to be with everyone until he can be himself. Everyone's artifacts start glowing in response, and you approve of Zhurong's declaration. Mineaki tells you you're the key to this, and he instructs you to use your Rending power at the point he directs you to. You either roll with it, or agree to it for now but ask in shock why he knows what your ability is. The latter gets an extra line of Mineaki laughing and saying he's just well-informed and asks you not to worry about that.

Anyways, Mineaki calls to the rest of the party to cut a path forward for you. Kamui has received Zhurong's fire wheels again and swears to use them to save him. Xolotl tells you to get onto his snake since it prooobably won't bite you. You do as Xolotl says while Kamui swings the wheels around, but dark flame walls block the way as a rampage effect of someone's power inside Zhurong.

Sarutahiko volunteers to deal with them, saying that cleaning up after people is his top specialty. He casts his NP, and in a departure to how everyone else does it normally, he separates the literary term all CSes are paired with and unpuns it to its original form, followed by the original spelling of his NP name. This causes a flood of bubbles to come out and put out the flames. Onamuji is amazed at this and asks if Sarutahiko was being serious when he said he'd be better at cleaning things if he could've used his power. Sarutahiko brags a little and says it's true as he tells Onamuji to keep watching. You either thank Sarutahiko or promise him something nice later. In A, Sarutahiko cheers you on and swears you'll never hear the end of it if you mess up. In B, he gets embarrassed and tells you to do these things in the right order.

You continue advancing while a bunch of magic powers go off at you, but a shining arrow shot from behind dispels them all. Daikoku tells Onamuji to watch how he uses the bow carefully since he may need to know it someday. Onamuji is taken aback at this and says he will, but before he says what he's about to say after that Daikoku says it's so he can go down a different direction Sarutahiko or Okuninushi did.

At this point, you call to Mineaki and ask if you're at the right spot. Mineaki confirms it and tells you to swing your power down hard, and you comply as you do the invocation spiel. Once you cast your NP, the mass of blue fireballs Zhurong absorbed scatter, and residents of hell reappear as they were. Zhurong also releases all the other people he absorbed and returns their original roles to their original owners. He falls out of the air unconscious, and you immediately go to catch him. The rest of the party runs up soon after to come check on Zhurong.

Zhurong awakens after a moment, slowly processing everyone's presence before remembering what happened and starts apologizing in great big tears. Sarutahiko however tells him he has something else he should be saying instead, guiding him towards the path he wants to take. Everyone nods to Zhurong, so Zhurong thanks you all for saving him and says he's come back. He looks ready to cry as he smiles, but everyone else smiles upon seeing that. Xolotl starts crying in relief himself now that Zhurong is okay. Mineaki laughs and says crying would detract from his face, but he's glad about how things ended. Sarutahiko and Xolotl hug Zhurong hard between themselves, and while it does hurt him a little, he looks plenty happy about it.

Some time later, you talk aloud about how this may be the last time you can use the hot springs at the inn, which is kinda sad so you figure you may as well enjoy it now. While you are thinking to yourself, Zhurong runs up to you from behind, asking you for some time to talk about something. You agree unconditionally, or agree and ask him to call you nii-chan, or nee-chan. Zhurong thanks you as he either goes with his default based on your set gender or complies with whichever you went with. You then decide whether to take a foot bath or a dip in the water.

Anyways, you and Zhurong go over to a slightly warmed, shining jacuzzi. Zhurong expresses interest in how bubbly it is and how something like that actually exists. But then he remembers he wanted to talk to you about something else, and he asks if it's true you have someone else inside you like he and Daikoku do. You either express shock and ask who he heard that from, say that seems to be the case but you aren't sure, or start to say Things happen to people who hear about that. C gets an extra line of Zhurong freaking out and asking what's going to happen to him.

Zhurong says it's okay to not talk about it if you don't want to, but he was wondering if you ever felt anxious about that. Like in his case, he loves cameras. He's just starting to doubt whether that love of cameras is really coming from him specifically. You sorta shrug and say it did bother you before because you kept running into strangers who know who you are. Zhurong says that in his case, he's totally taken over Zhurong's memories and lived as him. He wonders what's different between you and him, and he floats the idea that there's something else mixed in too.

Zhurong starts wondering whether Zhurong Original would have walked the same path he did if he hadn't absorbed him. And if he became somebody else, would he have become totally different? You tell Zhurong he's overthinking things as what-ifs don't exist as you/he are the ones around at this point. Zhurong is surprised at this, so you talk about having friends who will call you by your name and how Zhurong has all of you. That should be enough, right?

Your words hit Zhurong hard as he says that may be true, since everyone calls him Zhurong. For now, he laughs about that being good enough. He thinks about something to himself for a bit, then starts telling you he wants to apologize to Zhurong Original one day. And actually talk to him before that. You either express some concern about that or say you'll cheer him on. In A, Zhurong acknowledges that he doesn't know how it'd turn out, but he still wants to do so. And he'll do his best to be able to talk to him and separate from him. In B, Zhurong smiles and thanks you, saying he'll do his best.

Zhurong smiles, looking the same as ever if you ignore how his eyes seem close to tearing up. With that subject off his chest, the two of you start talking about random things. Eventually the topic gets to what he'd want to do once he gets back to Tokyo. Zhurong says he wants to go somewhere with everyone, and it doesn't need to be anywhere far. He asks if you'll go with him when that happens, so you agree, say he should pick somewhere to go to, or say everyone will come.

Zhurong floats the idea of going to Sarutahiko's bath house with the party, and he starts to get to what he'd want to do after that when he gives a big yawn. He seems to have cried himself to drowsiness, and he mumbles about feeling sleepy before leaning on your shoulder and snoring softly. You sigh about this, say it's dangerous to sleep in a hot spring, and/or say you'll let him sleep. You pick Zhurong up and carry him in either your arms or on your back, and Zhurong sleep talks about how he loves everyone. You turn to look and see if he woke up, but all you see his him looking happy.

Time passes, and no one knows what could happen in an unknown space. So with that in mind, there's no way for anyone to linger for long. Time flies when you're having fun, and the time to say goodbye comes crashing down in a flash as the party gathers in front of the inn. Daikoku says that a majority of the Transients in Hell have been sent back to Tokyo with the bow and arrow. But now the place is getting highly unstable, but once you guys leave it or you guys should go back to where it's/you all are supposed to be. That in turn means this would be the last chance for you guys to talk to Onamuji.

Sarutahiko knows that Onamuji isn't someone from Tokyo, but rather someone fallen in from some other world. He'd always have to say goodbye to him, but now that it's come he's looking sad about it. Daikoku says he'll give the bow to Onamuji and asks if he'll use it to send the party back to their present. Onamuji sadly agrees but asks if it's fine since the bow and arrow should be valuable. Daikoku laughs and says it's fine since he doesn't need it now. It's better off in Onamuji's hands instead. Daikoku asks that Onamuji not walk the same path Daikoku did, for his sake. If he still gets to the point where he feels like he'll get crushed, he should remember how deeply determined Daikoku lived.

Onamuji turns to Sarutahiko, who has been staying quiet. Onamuji says goodbye and is glad he could see him like this. He promises to meet him again and jokes that it might be in his own future at Tokyo as he sideglances at Daikoku and smiles. Onamuji then thanks Mineaki for all he's taught him and wishes the best for the rest of the party. His voice quivers a little, and it seems he's doing his best to smile for you guys.

Sarutahiko tells Onamuji he'll do his best in Tokyo and one day run his own great bathhouse. If Onamuji ever comes by, Sarutahiko invites him to come see it. Onamuji agrees, saying Sarutahiko should be able to do it. Everyone else says their own goodbyes to Sarutahiko (sic) until it gets to Zhurong's turn. Zhurong says he wants to take a picture of everyone and give it to Onamuji. Mineaki nods at this and asks to Borrow the thing since the thing is Zhurong's. They proceed to ask some rando oni to take the picture for you guys, who agrees and prompts the party to get together. Zhurong is the one to prompt when the picture is taken, and the oni snaps it on cue.

Scene then shifts to the police station where Daikoku is snapped out of his thoughts as Tajikarao runs up yelling for him. A faded sepia photograph is in his hands, and he looks at it with distant eyes and a sardonic smile. Tajikaro expresses surprise at Daikoku smiling and looking at a photo, so Daikoku apologizes and says he was just thinking about some stupid things in the past. He opens up his desk and puts it face down inside. Tajikarao expresses interest in hearing more about it, though he realizes Daikoku may hate talking about his past. Daikoku however says he'll tell him about it someday, sometime later on when today becomes the past. To be continued in the epilogue!