Ose takes the party to the reception room for a reintroduction after Nomad figures out his disguise. Hermes is amused while Nomad reluctantly agrees to have Ose join the party. Time skip to the day before the Santa Sendoff Ceremony where the police students are holding a phantom thief countermeasure planning meeting. Ose and Nomad give their information to predict the thieves' infiltration route. Touji and the police students take notes. Hougen explains the investigation and provides things for the day of. Suddenly...
Hougen: PRACTICE FIGHT!
Police Students: YEEEEAAAAHHHH
Party: WHAT
BATTLE START (more happens after)
Hougen: Battle over!
Police Students: THANK YOU VERY MUCH
MC: wat / fratboys! / yeah baby
Hougen: Sorry to spring that all of a sudden. You guys fired up to go now?
MC: I guess??? / Yep! / So are the Santa School people
Hougen: Good! Look over there.
Wolf A: Like oh my god the police and the special defenders are soooo strong!
Girl B: Aw hell yeah the thief punks are going DOWN!
Hougen: ...there's probably going to be people shrinking away because they aren't used to things like this like we are on the force. Tomorrow the school will be sealed off, and only app users will be stationed inside as the defense team. That means it'll be an enclosed area and app magic can fix us all up on the physical side of things. They'll still remember what happened and how they got hurt though, so it's important to show they have strong, reliable allies!
MC: I see / We got used...
(B) Hougen: Haha, you know there's a saying in Tokyo that says you uses whoever's handy in a crisis, right? You may be close with Ded, but since you're still a special defense member you'll need to help.
Tajikarao: Thank you all for joining us in a sparring match!
Touji: You got caught up in shenanigans again.
MC: Hey Tajikarao / Don't worry, Touji / (sorry about keeping quiet about stuff)
(A) Tajikarao: Tomorrow is the big day! Don't worry, we're here too!
(B) Touji: Don't forget we're up against pro thieves. If anything happens, come to me. Don't go in recklessly.
Everyone starts splitting off to their respective posts. The party goes to the reception room to talk about the plans for the drill.
Ose: Confidential meeting time! Just like the rules stated earlier when we joined up, info on other members was banned. Now let's talk about the people on the thieves' team: Jiraiya, Benten, and Taromaiti! (pulls out papers on the three)
MC: OMG Benten! / Jiraiya looks tough / Taromaiti!?
(A) Hermes: Dude you're shaking. Is she that crazy or something?
Nomad: Why is Miss Self-Proclaimed Pretty Rocker a thief
Ose: Stuff happened. Based on what I've found we'll need to think outside the box with her.
(B) Nomad: Jiraiya? Is that really him on that side?
Part timer buddies!
Ose: Yeah he's been in on this from the beginning, like me. He calls himself a chivalrous thief, but I guess we'll see how good he really is soon.
Hermes: Yeah but we can't expect him to do his usual tricks this time.
(C) Nomad: Hermes, isn't she your coworker? Why's she a thief here?
Hermes: Yeah my bad, I knew from the start. She wasn't originally in on things before.
Ose: She's filling in for Kalki instead. She's a top class swordswoman. Best to avoid going one on one with her.
Ose: Welp we should be okay going against them. What do you think, Nomad?
Nomad: I guess. We do have the numbers, so we should be able to catch them if we corner them. Plus the police are here. I wanna think even Jiraiya isn't enough to offset that difference in power between both sides.
Hermes: Hmmmm
MC: What's up?
Hermes: Oh no I get how the situation is. Should be easy peasy right? So I thought it'd be a little boring.
Nomad: This is a practice drill what did you expect? There can't be a real threat to anyone's life.
Ose: The police are all set, and we even have Nomad, Ace Detective with us.
Hermes: What I'm saying is that things are too perfect!
Hermes: Hey Nomad, what do you think if things are going this smoothly? Stuff happens all the time in real cases. What if we really got prepared for anything?
Nomad: Don't JINX us! What if something really does happen!?
Ose: I thought you'd say that. But on the other hand I understand what Hermes is getting at, so I went ahead and made it more interesting so that the thieves won't be coming in this particular route.
Nomad:
Nomad: YOU WHAT
Ose: Well I thought your advice at our last meeting had something to it, so I accidentally slipped some fake intel into our notes.
Hermes: Nice!
Nomad: NO IT ISN'T! Are you guys really on the police's side!?
Hermes: Well Hougen asked me to join and all so...
Ose: Where's the fun if things go all according to plan?
MC: They're so alike / Why / HELL YEAH!
Nomad: Goddammit, if this weren't a practice drill I'd be arresting you two!
Ose: What kind of drill doesn't include a hiccup or two? Also, Ded and Hougen gave me the okay to do it so it's all good.
Nomad: IS NOT (furiously scratches head)
Hermes: Hey Not Ose, since our notes on the thieves have been messed up, does that mean you gave them fake info too?
Ose: Yep. Fair's fair if both sides ran into a little accident. Should make for a good show if both sides run into issues and see who can deal with it.
Nomad: Head hurts. Maybe I should arrest you guys first?
Ose: Oh don't worry. I'm not messing up the entire training bit. The organizers told me to keep both sides in balance when they gave my plans the thumbs up. So I did! My own plans are coming along just fine too.
MC: What are your plans?
Ose: Oh I didn't say? I just...want some excitement in my life. I know everything and can do anything, so that's where I'm coming from. It also makes every day boring, so I welcome any thrill that'd put my life in the balance. (wink)
Hermes: Ohh, so that means you aren't just sticking with being a double agent, huh?
Ose: Why are we suddenly talking about that?
Hermes: What kind of guy looking for thrills would be fine with just keeping things in balance?
Hermes: I bet you're the only one here with exact info on both sides, meaning if you put some fake intel around you can manipulate things and see how things go. You being upfront about being a spy means it's more convenient for you that way instead of hiding it. We can't do anything anyways about any lies you make since you have your power, and the more time passes the more paranoia spreads. The more we take notice of you, the better that hides your plans huh?
Ose: ...
Hermes: Anyways you're setting things up so that it'll be a close finish and either side could win, right?
Ose: ...even if things do end that way, I'll be finishing my job with no problems if the balance is maintained. Everything past that is up to everyone themselves, but I'm still going to be on this side and trying my best to win.
Hermes: Right. You did bother to set this all up and all.
Ose: ...heh. I've accepted this job, but I need to make it enjoyable. You really are the L to my Light.
Hermes: But anyone could have--
Ose: Thought of all this? Why don't you look around then?
Hermes: !
Nomad: Hermes?
MC: Wow Hermes / Damn you read really deep into that / wait what
Hermes: ...well played, bitch.
Ose: Aww, you mad? Does Nomad being so surprised at your thinking abilities bother you that much?
Hermes: (cold glare)
Ose: ...yep, just like the ace detective has noticed. You and I are in the Same Position. Figuring out what I'm doing from the information we collected is one thing, but being able to figure out what I'm actually thinking is not something any passing acquaintance can do. And yet you did. You understand what that means, right?
Hermes: ...you set me up?
Ose: I didn't think this up because of where I stand. It's something I thought of from experience of being in a similar position as you. Isn't that right? To be able to analyze someone's words and actions and get into their headspace to predict their actions, you need to be familiar with them, or you need very similar experiences as them. And to repeat myself, we only recently met, meaning it's likely the latter.
Hermes: ...I'm just some wandering bum. Sure I've done crimes, but nothing like you.
Ose: Oh relax, I'm not gonna dig up your past and air out your dirty laundry. I'm just giving you a little payback over stuff from the past few days.
Hermes: My bad, it's just like me to not have a brain filter.
Ose: Oh, I see. So everything you've said is what you've been thinking?
If everything Hermes said about Ose applies to himself as well, then Hermes is possibly lying again or Not Speaking the Truth. And he is hiding information only he knows. Ose is saying "I know."
Hermes: ...
End of Episode Part
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