Halloween Police Episode 3 Part 1

Yggdrasil, one of the 23 worlds connected to Tokyo, is a world composed of several smaller subworlds tied together with a rainbow bridge. For example, there's the human world of Midgard. There's the world of the dead, Helheim. There's Mulspelheim, the world of the people of flames, along with Nilfheim, the world of the people of ice. Just as the living cannot live in the land of the dead, the people of flames cannot live in the land of ice. For that reason, compartmentalization became a thing with each race having its own world to live in. And one of those subworld realms would Alpheim, the land of tiny fairies. And there's also Svartalfheim, the land of dark fairies.

Alp is a type of fairy born in Yggdrasil known as a dream demon. They are a race that lives by feeding on the dreams of others, and their bodies are made up of the same stuff as dreams. It's probably for that reason that they are able to change their forms to other people's dreams. Their specialty is to pretend to be someone's dreams while they're dreaming. It's so easy for them to blend in with the people of the other realms and take their dreams.

The Halloween festival should have been a piece of cake for Alp that he could handle before breakfast. He can change into anything and adapt himself to anywhere. He can mimic the form of whatever any random person is dreaming up, but unfortunately Alp has a personal dream of wanting to be a popular person. Oh the irony of someone easily making someone else's dreams come true be such a failure at making his own dream a reality. It has no solid form, and he struggles on with making it happen, unable to mimic anyone else.

Now it's time to turn things back a bit to before the commotion that happened at Daikanyama, back to the early morning over at Ueno. Since every school has delayed the opening of their respective Halloween festivals, Ueno Academy is holding its own in the afternoon. They are publicizing their own using songs and dance as a showpiece, probably as a response to how famous Daikanyama's Halloween festival is. People there are in the middle of rehearsing, keeping themselves busy until it's showtime.

Among all those people is the school's organizer for the festival Alp, who is standing outside Ueno's front gate looking all proud. He laughs to himself about how all the preparations are are good, and he's sure that everyone is going to get their socks knocked off when they see it happen. He had to cut back on sleep for the planning, but he also worked hard to get his Halloween costume ready! It's totally going to be a hit, and soon he'll be a popular guy in the spotlight! He's practiced giving out autographs, and his smile has perfected being at that exact 45 degree angle. He did mess up with placing an order for the candy, but since there's candy wholesalers nearby in Ueno that wasn't a problem. Alp also went to the training meeting, so all that's left is to wait for the doors to open.

Alp starts hugging his patchwork costume to himself as he thinks about how hard everyone in school worked on the festival. He talks to himself about how it's sure to be a success, though he quickly changes this to making it a success. He then remembers he's supposed to be rehearsing his dance, but before he leaves he notices someone poking their heads in and out by the gate.

A couple of tricksters are hanging around, and Red comments that it doesn't look like Ueno is going to be doing anything since it doesn't look Halloween-y at all. Green points out that the flyers said it'd be happening today though, and he can see people around and hear music playing. He asks if they should go back, but Red protests they came all this way already. He apparently was looking forward to getting some juice here after biking over.

A couple of tricksters are hanging around, and Red comments that it doesn't look like Ueno is going to be doing anything since it doesn't look Halloween-y at all. Green points out that the flyers said it'd be happening today though, and he can see people around and hear music playing. He asks if they should go back, but Red protests they came all this way already. He apparently was looking forward to getting some juice here after biking over.

Alp walks over to talk to the tricksters and asks what they're up to. Red's first reaction is to be impressed at how well made Alp's Frankenstein costume is, so Alp basks for a bit as he agrees at how cool it is. Green says they came to see the Halloween festival and asks why they can't go in, so Alp explains it'll start in the afternoon and asks them to wait a few hours. The tricksters are loudly surprised by this, startling Alp himself.

Red is reluctant to wait around for a few hours and suggests heading to Daikanyama. Green remembers they have a meeting in the afternoon, so he gives up and says they should just go. Red clicks his tongue saying he was looking forward to the rapping and dance off. Alp asks the two to wait and offers to play with them for a little bit instead. He's still rehearsing, but he he can do the rap and dance off with them at least. Red is surprised and asks if that's okay, so Alp says he's the organizer for Ueno's festival this year and can't bring himself to ignore children who came to enjoy things. He assures them that making dreams come true for people is his specialty, and he'll do it for them too even if it's for just a little bit. The kids cheer, and the three go inside the school grounds.

Alp's dance off with the kids causes a lot more damage than he expected as it destroys the surrounding layout. Cu Sith, Fenrir, and Leib all come running over to investigate all the noise, only to find Alp all by himself in the middle of all the destruction. The kids have disappeared already and Alp, still lagging as he attempts to process everything, wails as he gets taken to the staff room to be interrogated and then informed of the festival's cancellation in the midst of that.

Back to the present, Alp finishes his story about how he ended up the way he did over at Daikanyama, running out of his mind in terror. The party is currently over on the way to Ueno, and you have to think on how to politely word your thoughts as you settle on asking what kind of dancing Alp was doing. Alp is depressed, still with his hands tied in rope, and Touji says Alp probably got what was coming to him. Ebisu and Hotei are shocked at how blunt this is, and Hotei says he might have a point, but that's still unnecessarily harsh. Azathoth however cackles about how Touji is acting like a big shot cop there and approves.

Touji tries to argue that it's the correct course of action for a school and organization when trying to uphold order, so Alp should just take his punishment like a man. He starts arguing that if Alp recognizes that himself then there shouldn't be anything else to talk about, but you cut Touji off firmly and say Alp knows and is upset because of that. Touji is surprised for a moment, then apologizes to Alp. Alp says it's okay after a moment, noting he has to make up for it and think about what he did. He also notes that the cancellation hasn't formally been decided yet, and Touji thinks to himself that he messed up again like at the training meeting.

Touji thinks about how his biggest flaws are his stubbornness and inflexibility and how those are why he keeps making the same mistakes. Hotei says Alp may be right, but he wonders if you guys can actually make it in time since it's still close to opening time and a motion to cancel has been recommended. Hotei then asks if the cancellation suggestion came from the police, and Touji looks away silently. Hotei complains that he'll be sad if Touji ignores him, so Touji stumbles over himself apologizing and asking if he's talking about the famous pandayaki. Ebisu's necklace suddenly whips its hand and yells "what the hell y'all" surprising Touji and Hotei. Ebisu apologizes saying it just did it on its own, and the necklace starts handwhipping at him as it repeats itself, causing Ebisu to get flustered about not being able to stop it. Azathoth cackles madly as he watches.

You ignore the hand necklace shenanigans and ask if you guys can do anything when you get to Ueno despite the cancellation notice. Touji realizes that's what you guys are talking about and agrees to explain. Since the notice was sent a lot of things have changed, and currently the pranks have caused a lot of misinformation. You ask Touji about that last point, so Touji explains that educational organizations are obligated to notify the police when they decide to open an event. There needs to be an idea of where the event grounds are, how many people will be around, and a patrol route on the day of needs to be decided. If there's a report of a serious accident or something, then the police can quickly take charge to deal with things. If the reports sent to the police are pranks or faked, then things are different.

Hotei notes that Touji is right now that he thinks about it, and crank calls are a thing. Touji continues explaining that normally the police of the local area are the ones to check things out, but there's been a lot of prank reports blowing up since that morning. People pretending to be victims of pranks are calling in, and now the police are in a mess because of it. As such, Hougen has ordered Touji to go himself to confirm things on location. Ebisu asks if that means the cancellation isn't a sure thing yet, and Alp gets hopeful that things can still be salvaged for Ueno's festival.

You say you guys need to check things out and prompt everyone to start running for Ueno, but Hotei pleads for you to slow down. Ebisu isn't happy at the idea of having to run again either, but he decides he'll just have to put up with it for his friends. Azathoth laughs and offers to teleport the party over, but you decline the offer because it scares you, so Azathoth laughs about how sharp your eyes are. Touji tells Alp they should go, though he warns him to be careful since he's still tied up with the rope. Alp says he knows, and everyone starts making their way over.

Once you guys reach Ueno Academy, everyone is shocked to see that there's no signs of Halloween decorations put up anywhere over there. Azathoth comments that you guys couldn't dodge the event flag, but then again there might not have been one to begin with. Alp freaks out about the festival getting cancelled, leading to Touji trying to get him to calm down and suggest that might not be the case. Hotei also tries to get Alp to slow down and decides now would be a good time to use his vending machine gag. When Ebisu protests, Hotei says that when a friend is upset he's going to try making them smile. Azathoth laughs and clowns around, saying Hotei's idea is good. You decide to reign people in and suggest going inside to talk to someone.

Leib comes over and asks who you guys are to be dancing around in front of the school gate, and Alp pales upon seeing him. Leib notices Alp with you guys in shock soon after and tries asking where he's been all day, but Alp starts yelling apologies and running away. Touji protests this since he's still hanging on to the rope tied around Alp's hands, but Alp doesn't hear him and ends up dragging him backwards. Touji does manage to tell you he'll leave Ueno to you and promises to call later as he gets pulled away, and Azathoth laughs and says it looks like Touji bugged out and started moonrunning. You attempt to tell Alp to stop and/or tell Touji to roll.

Leib stops you from going anywhere and asks you to explain what's going on. Specifically, he asks why Alp is with a police officer and what Alp has been doing all this time. Hotei asks if Leib is Alp's schoolmate, then suggests he sit down for the explanation while you attempt to protest out of concern for Touji. Ebisu suggests Touji might be okay since it's him, and Azathoth laughs as he says gathering information is important to events.

Time passes as the party goes to one of Ueno's classrooms to talk, and Jambavan brings over some tea and cookies he's made himself. Cu Sith says Jamabvan's cookies are great and that the tea is something special he got from a friend. Ebisu finds that interesting and notes that the cookies look similar to what you guys saw at Daikanyama. Azathoth complains about being served tea and pumpkin cookies again, but they're good enough that he still accepts some. Leib brings the conversation back to his asking about what's up with Alp, so you begin the explanation.

One offscreened explanation later, Leib sighs about Alp taking on all the responsibility himself. Fenrir talks about how no one can escape the wheel of fate's turnings, though he understands the pitiful cries of Alp the Dream-Eating Panda well enough. You ask Leib what he means, so Leib says the part where Alp went crazy and destroyed the stage with his dancing during rehearsal is true. He also knows about the recent commotions, and other students are aware the police has sent a call to the school saying the festival should be canceled. Things then got complicated when conflicting stories came out about whether the cancellation was actually a thing, so Leib and the others looked into it. What they found was that a third party pretending to be involved with the festival work are trying to get them cancelled.

You react in shock at that revelation, and Leib tells you that the end result is that Ueno's Halloween festival isn't actually cancelled yet. All the chaos going on has been constantly delaying it opening up though. Leib's tried to contact Alp to inform him of this, but so far he apparently hasn't had the presence of mind to check his texts, and Cu Sith notes Alp did run out in the middle of things. Leib says he must be afraid of opening them up, and while he sympathizes, it's also annoying.

You ask who could be trying to meddle with the Halloween festivals, and Leib wonders if the culprit is doing all this for shits and giggles or some other reason. Ebisu says if that's the case, you guys need to look for Alp. Touji still hasn't called in yet anyways. Leib apologizes for taking your time, then asks you guys take Cu Sith along. Cu Sith says he'll take care of it and knows Alp's scent, and Leib says the rest of them will keep working on getting the festival ready for when Alp gets back.

Hotei asks Leib if they can make it in time since there's nothing up, but Leib assures him it'll be fine and says Alp must've forgotten the trick they set up for this. Before he says any more, a loud noise in front of the school interrupts everyone, and Jambavan is startled as he says it came from the front gate. Fenrir says his silver fur is bristling at an evil presence trying to stain the school in darkness, and Azathoth laughs as he asks what the hell that means. Azathoth then shrugs this off as a staple thing and calls it a drag. Ebisu asks you and Cu Sith go out to find Alp while the rest of the party handles whatever is going on, so you agree and say you'll come back right away when you find Alp. Cu Sith leads the way as he howls, and Leib tells you to tell Alp to look at his phone when you find him.

Time passes as you and Cu Sith reach the school gates, and Cu Sith leads on saying Alp seems to be outside the school somewhere. You run into the Halloween Bad Brats Brigade on the way, but you ignore them for now to focus on Alp. When you catch a glimpse of Harlot among them for a second you do react in doubt and surprise, but Cu Sith prompts you to keep going.

Time passes some more as Cu Sith leads you to a park a little ways away from Ueno Academy that borders on a residential neighborhood, and after a bit more sniffing he says he's found him and asks if you can see him. He and Touji are up ahead, with Touji stopping Alp from running any further. Cu Sith suddenly stops walking, so you ask him why. He answers that he's worried that Alp would be upset at the moment if he saw anyone from Ueno since he's worried about causing everyone problems. You agree to talk to Alp yourself, comment that Cu Sith is kind, or quietly pet Cu Sith. Cu Sith thanks you and says he'll head back first then.

Touji notices you come up and is glad you came, and you apologize for keeping him waiting and thank him for holding Alp. Alp is still depressed as he apologizes to you and Touji, then says he can't bring himself to face anyone. You sympathize and ask him not to say that, but Alp goes on to say he made a mess of everyone's efforts for the festival. He didn't want to disappoint some children who came by, but then he went and disappointed his school friends even worse. He wanted to be someone popular that everyone likes, but then made a bunch of people who trusted him hate him. Alp wonders what he should have done earlier, and he wonders if he should have let the kids down back then. Alp then starts to yell that he's upset about messing up again and afraid of going back, but you stop him here and ask if he has any text messages on his phone.

Alp is surprised as he pulls out his phone and sees everyone at school sending messages worried about him. You tell Alp that even if he messed up he's not alone, and you ask that he comes back with you. Touji gives a little snort and smiles as he says you're still the same as ever. He then turns to Alp and tells him that everyone makes mistakes. Given his own stubborn personality, he admits he may have made the same mistakes even more than Alp has. Pressure gets put on others and on himself, refuges get lost, and suffering happens. He knows how it is, so he tells Alp that if he's hurting all alone, then he should stop being alone. It's through having someone with you that you can see a new way of making your dream happen.

Alp points out that Touji transferred schools away from you and the other Summoners, and you seem sad at this point bring brought up. Touji doesn't immediately respond to this, and Alp asks if Touji is the same as him for distancing himself from his friends. You either say you want to ask Touji that too, silently look at Touji, or look away. Touji eventually answers that he figured out how to make his dream happen and just transferred out. Alp asks incredulously if he did so knowing the rest of you would be sad at this, so Touji says he did so wanting to become a policeman who could protect you all. You react in surprise to this statement, and Touji continues on by saying that he doesn't think a separation means an end to a relationship.

Alp is about to say more when a loud explosion interrupts him, and smoke starts rising in the distance. You point out that it's coming from Ueno, note that the noise was louder than before and wonder about the smoke, and/or call out to Alp. Alp starts getting concerned for everyone at Ueno, and Touji asks if he's going to stay there even if he could do something to help. He also points out that it's possible he'll never seen anyone at Ueno again.

The possibility makes Alp grab onto his costume, and he has a flashback of the other Ueno people helping him make his Frankenstein costume. Cu Sith talks about putting everything Alp wants to be into the costume since he doesn't have to settle for just one. Jambavan is helping with the head piece, then says it's cute and looks good on Alp. Fenrir talks about it being a patchwork of many dreams to make the ideal beast, which he calls a great idea and wants to touch too. Leib turns out to be the one to suggest that Alp call his costume the Fluffy Frankenstein if he wants fluff to be a part of it, and he fishes for compliments on his naming sense.

Back to the present, Alp thinks aloud about how everyone helped with his costume and how everyone supported him as the organizer. He wanted to be proud of his costume and show it off to people, and Alp talks about how he doesn't want to say goodbye to anyway yet and still has tons to say to them. He wipes away the tears welling up in his eyes and turns towards the school, so you say you guys should go to everyone and it's time for the Halloween Police to roll out.

Touji approves of Alp wanting to go back and cuts the rope, surprising Alp. Touji says he's acquitting him, though he notes that there wasn't a crime to begin with. He then says he'll contact his senpais at Kioh Academy and tell them the cancellation call was misinformation, and you nod to Touji and/or tell Alp it's time to run. Alp says he understands and says nothing will start without him, and the episode half ends as the three of you head back to Ueno Academy.