Huckle: Hello, Parallel Flight.
Okitaka: Huckie, long time no see! How y'all doing?
Huckle: Okitaka? It wasn't THAT long ago. So what's up?
Okitaka: Nothin' much, just makin' small talk. Just gonna to where Furlong and your two Operators will be by coincidence and all.
Huckle: ...well okay, I'll join you. Nothing important is happening right now anyway.
Okitaka: Thanks! I'm still surprised you okayed letting them go on that job. Y'all talk about being shorthanded all the time.
Huckle: Well yes, but this is the off season. We still have Exio to handle things, and I made the other two promise to come back in case of emergencies. Helping people like this is part of our job at hero agencies. If anything, I'm surprised UEHA would send a hero out for that job.
Okitaka: Fair point. We don't have anything huge going on right now...and there's somethin' I'm curious about.
Huckle: What's that?
Okitaka: That consultant Johann or whoever Furlong told me about. His physical description made me think of somethin'...
Huckle: A fox alien in a mask? I know why you aren't saying it outright, but isn't that too little info to make suspicions on?
Okitaka: I mean, yeah, no one's ever seen what he's like out of his villain suit. Alchiba still hates the police so he ain't helpin' either. Still, it's real possible he's hidin' out on Earth and we conveniently have a fox in a mask with unknown origins hangin' around. So why not scope him out a l'il? So I sent Furlong over on some conditions.
Huckle: ...you sent a new firefighter hero to SPY?
Okitaka: Eh, I didn't ask him to do anything too bad. Showtime's still a way's off. If Vulpy's gonna pull something it'll be on 3/14, the day of the show. If we get any dirt on him before then, then we can just nab him there.
Huckle: ...I see.
Okitaka: Anyways, everything's a learnin' experience! I'm always hoping Furlong grows some more! And I hear a buncha different heroes get into some weird new changes hanging around your Operator MC. If something like that happens with Furlong that'll be grand. Thanks for helpin' Director Huckle!
Huckle: B-but I won't be doing anything with that. MC causing changes, hmm...?
Title card: White Day
Yatomi Circus
The party and Yasuhiko's circus troupe are hanging around in the center of the big top.
Yasuhiko: Okay, time to start for the day! First, the warm ups! We're gonna do some practice while keeping the hero acrobat show in mind! My troupe will be joining us now! Please go easy on us!
Purple: Heh, don't worry bro! We're pros!
Yellow: I'm not confident about my battle skills, but my show skills are perfect!
Green: Don't mess up, bro! This ain't like your animal show!
Yasuhiko: I-I know! And stop calling me Bro! It's Ringmaster!
Team Circus: Yes, Bro!
Yasuhiko: GODDAMMIT
MC: Aww how nice / I don't think they take him seriously
Melide: Okay, that's enough of the opening act. Line up so I can transform you.
Yasuhiko: Hey, don't treat us like a joke! And guys, don't make her wait too long!
Furlong: W-whoa, Melide's gotten used to directing them...oh right I have to focus too! I can do this... I can do this... I can do this!
Furlong: Alright, I'm ready! MC, please transform me!
MC: Okay! / Do you do that EVERY time?
---
(B) Furlong: I-if I don't I start feeling embarrassed! Q-quickly, please! Before I lose my nerve!
---
Everyone gets changed while Not Vulpecula is standing to the side watching.
Vulpecula: Okay, time to start! We're beginning from the part with the 13th song and scene.
Yasuhiko: O-okay! Here we go!
MC: Wait Johann's directing and not Yasuhiko...?
Furlong: MC? What's wrong? We're about to start!
Yasuhiko: BEHOLD THE YATOMI CIRCUS TROUPE'S POWER!
BATTLE START (more happens after)
Vulpecula: Okay everybody, break time!
Yasuhiko: (panting) ...okay! Alright, that's enough guys! It feels like we've come a long way now!
Vulpecula: Yasuhiko, you've gotten a lot better. You still make a lot of wasted movements and hesitate at times though. You don't act like that with your other moves.
Yasuhiko: Maybe I should have responded to hero calls more often... I'll try a little harder after the break!
Vulpecula: Very good.
MC: Really weird. It's like they're teacher and student. Are consultants supposed to be like that?
Purple: Nah, it's fine. That's how they relate to each other.
Furlong: What's that mean...?
Yellow: Well I can't really explain it...
Green: Maybe we'll tell you later. Just think of them as Like That for now.
MC: Uhhhh???
Furlong: ...
Later
The party enjoys sweets and drinks with the troupe members during the break.
Yasuhiko: Wow, you really surprised me at how fast you picked things up Furlong! I asked you to do some really tricky stuff, but at this rate you should have it down in 2-3 more practice sessions. Normally it takes a lot more than that.
Green: C'mon Bro, he's an active duty hero and firefighter. We're teaching him, but I've been thinking he's learning fast since he's so fit. Training every day is important! Maybe you should work out too, Bro. We can always help with that, y'know?
Yasuhiko: S-shut up! I'm still working more than the average person!
Furlong: N-now now...still, I'm kind of happy being complimented like that. Ehehe.
MC: You're working hard, Furlong / Yeah you're so buff / Wow...
Furlong: I-I mean...this is getting embarrassing...
Melide: Wow, Furlong can't handle compliments well. So relatable.
Yasuhiko: We're gonna be okay by show time! We gotta get our heads in the game and get ready!
Melide: Well there's only a little time left until then. I hope it all works out. MC, are you up for it?
MC: Yep / Maybe not
Furlong: W-we'll be okay. I can trust you two to handle things. I know, we've battled together...oh no did I sound too arrogant!? I'm sorry!
Melide: ...thanks for the compliment but you are making it weird for me too...
Furlong: I-I'm sorry...
MC: Oh boy it's this again / awkward / cute
Melide: By the way, why is show time on 3/14? Because of White Day?
Yasuhiko: Hm? Oh right, you aren't from Japan Melide. 3/14 is Citizens' Day with the schools and government on holiday. If kids are gonna come it should be on a day they can go, right?
MC: Oh I see / Oh
Furlong: Oh right, my shifts are scheduled regardless of the holidays so I completely forgot about that. I really did think it was because of White Day.
Melide: Oh. I read about White Day in a book, but I don't know much about local holidays.
MC: You read it in a book? / You didn't know about White Day either?
Melide: Oh, you didn't know? White Day is pretty much a Japan-only thing. No other country has a day for reciprocating Valentine's gifts. Other countries don't even give chocolate on Valentine's.
MC: Oh! / Right.
Furlong: B-but it's a nice custom, people giving each other candy with their feelings.
Yasuhiko: (frowns)
Purple: Hey since the show's on White Day why don't we do something related to it? Like giving something to everyone visiting!
Yasuhiko: W-what? You wanna do that?
Yellow: Bro? You not into the idea?
Yasuhiko: N-no, that's not what I meant...
Melide: How about marshmallows then?
Yasuhiko: !!
Furlong: Those are standard return gifts for White Day, right?
Melide: Yes, that's what I've heard. But I also heard there was a time that it meant you were rejected though... It should be fine to get a bunch of them ready. We started selling tickets on Valentine's, right? It should be perfect.
MC: Yeah!
Yasuhiko: Y-you guys, I--
Green: Yeah! And marshmallows won't cost too much!
Purple: Omigod don't talk about prices when we're talking about feelings!
Yellow: I think it'll be great at showing how we feel if we bag the marshmallows and give them out!
Furlong: I-I like marshmallows. They're sweet and fluffy and float in cocoa.
Melide: And they're cute. Maybe we can make them look nicer.
Yasuhiko: YOU GUYS I HATE MARSHMALLOWS
MC: What!?
Melide: !?
Yasuhiko: Oh...sorry to ruin the mood. I'm gonna go walk it off.
Purple: Wait, bro!?
Yasuhiko walks off.
MC: What was that all about?
Melide: ...did I say something to upset him?
Yellow: ...oops. We never really talk about marshmallows, so...it must have something to do with his dad.
Furlong: The previous ringmaster?
Green: Yeah. Bro wouldn't flip out if it wasn't related to him. He doesn't like talking about his dad much, and we don't bring him up much either so we totally forgot about it. He's probably gonna be gone all day.
MC: What happened between them?
Purple: ...you heard how his dad revamped this circus right? He did it by going into the red at first and buying the latest VR equipment to use, then worked his ass off. After that he went around recruiting any alien with cool abilities he heard about. And in doing all that...he sacrificed his home life and family harmony.
Purple: Bro was interested in the circus, so Mr. Yatomi called him over from overseas. Bro loved it all and put everything into his training, but things still weren't good between them. He opposed all his dad's policies, and they'd either fight about it or not speak to each other all day.
Purple: Then one day a Monster incident happened and Mr. Yatomi disappeared. As much as they fought, Mr. Yasumi still recognized Bro's efforts and made him the next ringleader.
Purple: Bro didn't accept him though and rejected all his old circus policies. Dunno how related it was, but visitors became harder to get, and here we are.
Yellow: We wanna do something, but nothing's gonna change unless Bro changes first. We're stuck.
MC: Huh... / the family drama, man / maybe Yasuhiko just isn't meant to be the ringleader?
Green: We still believe in Bro and want to follow him. He's still thoughtful of us and the animals. We wanna support him, but we have no idea how we can do that...
Melide: He hates his dad...?
Vulpecula: (angry frown)
Yasuhiko never did come back by the end of the day. The party gets ready to leave when MC walks down some backstage hallway.
MC: I wonder if Yasuhiko is okay?
Suddenly a shelf slides over revealing a secret entrance as Yasuhiko walks out!
Yasuhiko: ...oh.
MC: !
Yasuhiko: AAAAHH! Why are you here!? (scrambles back to the secret door)
MC: I'm going home???
Yasuhiko: But this doesn't lead to the exit! ...oh, you're still learning where things are, huh? I know I was feeling down earlier, but I'm still sorry I didn't do the camera check earlier. (awkwardly scratches head)
MC: You okay? And what is that?
Yasuhiko: Uhh... (considers whether or not to pretend he didn't hear the question)
Yasuhiko: ...I guess it's okay to tell you.
Yasuhiko opens the secret door to a hallway leading underground.
MC: You have a secret basement?
Yasuhiko: Follow me. I wanna show you something.
Furlong is somewhere nearby.
Yasuhiko brings MC to a dark room that's dreary, filled with furniture, and barely seems livable.
Yasuhiko: This is my private room, though that office we had tea in is also my room. I stay here when I don't want to see anyone.
MC: Huh. Looks sad.
Yasuhiko: Well...I don't really come in here that much. I just put the bare minimum of things in here I need to hang around.
Yasuhiko pushes a tile on the wall to open a secret safe, then pulls out a key to open it. There's an old-fashioned box inside.
Yasuhiko: Look at this.
Yasuhiko opens the box and reveals a dark brown rock that's big enough to sit in both his hands. It's shaped like a regular tetrahedron and shines like metal.
MC: What's that? It looks like chocolate.
Yasuhiko: It does, doesn't it? It's our family treasure, the Yatomi Crystal.
MC: And what is that?
Yasuhiko: My ancestors discovered this in the 20th Century, and since then a bunch of scholars and thieves have been after it. That's why I keep it here.
MC: Really? It doesn't look like much.
Yasuhiko: I thought so too. I wondered if it was trash when I first saw it. Turns out it's a storage device for aliens who came to investigate Earth. Apparently it came to Earth along with some meteor that hit us in the 17th Century and it's been recording all sorts of information since. The UFOs and cryptids we used to see were terminals for this thing connected through radio waves.
Yasuhiko: My ancestors found the thing on accident and had no idea what it was worth. They still figured it was important and passed it down with great care. Once we met aliens, my grandfather asked to have this examined, which is when we found out what it was.
Yasuhiko: I dunno how it works, but it turns out this thing's records aren't affected by Monster memory erasure. It could show us Japan's old capital or how Mt. Fuji looked before it came back.
MC: OH MY GOD
Yasuhiko: Yeah, it's that important. Everyone wanted it, but Grandpa refused to give it to anyone. He gave it to Dad, and then it came to me. I haven't seen what's in it, but I heard it glows like a rainbow when replaying memories. That's why we called it a crystal.
Yasuhiko sighs as he boxes it up and puts it away.
Yasuhiko: Dad was the last owner when he got eaten by Monsters, so now people think the owner is unknown. And since most people don't know where it is, they forgot about its existence too. Aside from Vulpecula coming after it on the day of his announcement video, I mean.
MC: Wait what / Yeah this does seem like something he'd go after / Why did you bring up Vulpecula?
Yasuhiko: UHHH I mean...well you know how Vulpecula is that one phantom thief who goes around destroying records and symbols of the past? I was just thinking maybe he was after it, haha. Not like the police knew about it...
Yasuhiko: ANYWAYS, I said all that but I don't really care about the crystal actually. It was only kept under wraps like this because Dad did so. This was originally Dad's room. I don't really care what happens to my family, so I figure I can just focus on keeping the circus going. And not because Dad kept it up, but because I don't want something I love to go away.
MC: You hate your dad that much? / What happened anyway? / Sounds complicated.
Yasuhiko: ...simple. Dad didn't really care about us, so I hated him. (starts leaning on a desk and idly kicking his feet)
Yasuhiko: I never saw Dad in person until I was 16. Before then, I'd only talk with him just once a year over the phone. When I was old enough to remember things, I was living with Mom overseas. I heard about how Dad ran his circus and Mom used to perform in one, so I was often taken to them when I was younger and loved them. I wanted to dress in bright costumes and entertain people, so I loved Dad's work but hated him. He always sent marshmallows on 3/14 like he was using White Day as an excuse. Mom would call after opening them up, and Dad would literally talk with us for like five minutes acting like he hated doing so. I only got one minute out of those five. How does anyone make a relationship out of one minute out of an entire year?
Yasuhiko: I didn't know what White Day was back then, and we never actually sent him anything ourselves, so I never got why he'd send marshmallows. It felt like he was doing it just because. He was curt on the phone and didn't really listen to me. And that's why I hate my dad and marshmallows.
Yasuhiko: When I turned 16 Dad was suddenly called to Japan, and that's how I joined up. I was happy to join, but I never got along with Dad. The circus acts I love and the ideal circus Dad wanted were too different, so we fought whenever we saw each other. Sure, he taught me some things, but our relationship didn't really get better under his Spartan training style.
Yasuhiko: Then the Monster incident happened, and I inherited the circus and the crystal. It didn't go well after that. Things were too set up like how he wanted it to be, and me trying to do what I wanted clashed with the presentation. We kept losing popularity after that.
MC: Sad.
Yasuhiko: That's why this show has to work. If it doesn't, I'm totally out of ideas. I have to do whatever I can to make the circus a success. I have to do it for the troupe, the animals, Johann and his staff, and the rest of you who agreed to come help.
Yasuhiko and MC leave the secret room. Furlong quietly stands nearby as it closes up.
End of Episode
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