Live A Hero Book 2 Chapter 1 Episode 7: The End Goal (Abridged)

Ryekie: Akashi, he moved! (he says after blasting Evil Ninjas with lightning)
Akashi: What? Whoa!?
Akashi manages to block a traffic sign swing with his bat, clashing not-swords for a bit before pushing it back.
Akashi Alter: ...huh. You actually stopped that. Whatever, you still have less battle experience than I do.
Akashi: Shut your mouth! I'll stop you no matter what it takes! I'll never give MC to anyone like you!
Akashi Alter: ...man, fighting someone who won't give up is really turning into a pain in the ass.
Akashi Alter drops the traffic sign and jumps back.
Akashi: NOW!
Akashi creates a fireball in his gloved hand and readies to bat it, but...
Akashi Alter: You're too slow.
Akashi Alter grabbed car chains at some point and uses them to catch Akashi's bat.
Akashi: WHAT
Akashi Alter then slams Akashi into his own fireball, then into the ground.
MC: Akashi! / WHAT

Akashi: Dammit, how's he reading my moves!?
Akashi Alter: ...you're really easy to read. Must be nice to live in a world where you don't have to think much!
Ryekie: Akashi! No!
Ryekie fires a lightning bolt at the chain. It's made of metal, so it hits Akashi Alter too.
Akashi Alter: Ow! (lets go of the chain and glares at Ryekie) ...I really do need to focus on you first. Stop bothering me.
Part of Akashi Alter's suit melts off into some fluid that slithers over to grab the KOed Evil Ninjas. Akashi Alter then throws about 10 of them at Ryekie to pin him down.
Ryekie: Ugh! Dammit, they're heavy!

Akashi Alter approaches Akashi.
Akashi: Justice! You bastard...!
Akashi picks up his bat, gets up, and starts running.
Akashi Alter: So your Parallel Weapon is...a bat.
Akashi Alter uses a liquid tentacle from his suit to steal Akashi's bat!
Akashi: HEY!
Akashi runs over to grab his bat back while Akashi Alter just stands there. Once he gets in reach...
Akashi Alter: ...
Akashi: !?
Akashi gets another look at Akashi Alter's face, features and bitter expression.
Akashi Alter: Get the hell out of here. Now. (Mega Kicks Akashi)
Akashi: AAAUUUGH!!
Akashi is sent flying and bounces 2-3 times off the ground and rolls before he stops.
Akashi: U-ugh...shit...
Akashi's suit cancels out, taking the bat with it.

MC: Akashi! Are you okay!?
Danzo: Hey, wait!
MC rushes out without thinking about it to Akashi.
Akashi: MC...g-get back! They'll catch you! (holds his stomach and coughs while warning MC)
Akashi Alter is already in front of MC and Akashi.
Exio: No!
Akashi Alter looks Highly Displeased at MC.
MC: W-what...!? / You ass! / I-I'm scared...
Akashi Alter is pulling MC up by the collar!
MC: WHAT!? L-let go!
Akashi: MC!
Akashi Alter: ...nothing personal. This is just something I have to do for my own goals...still, you guys seriously piss me off.
At this close a distance, MC gets a better look at Akashi Alter's face. His expression looks different and his face looks older, but his features and eye color is definitely Akashi's.
MC: Y-you...!

Danzo: 'scuse me, cutting in! (pulls MC away from Akashi Alter)
MC: Danzo!
Small Monster: REEEEEEE (body slams Akashi Alter to the ground)
Akashi Alter: Ugh!
Small Monster: Whoooop (disappears into a nearby Path)
Exio: Danzo, do it!
Danzo: I got it! (throws flashbang)
Akashi Alter: !?
When the light dies down, MC, Akashi, Rykie, and the rest of the party is gone. Evil Ninjas run out from the building.
Evil Red: Hey, where'd the target go!?
Akashi Alter: ...tch.

Later
Akashi: ...ngh?
Akashi wakes up in a clean bed. He's still bruising from the beatdown he took.
Akashi: ...is this a hospital?
Roiker: No, it's our safehouse.
Akashi: Uh, Roiker was it? Why am I here?
Roiker: You had a light concussion from all that damage you took, but I think you're okay now. Danzo got you all out of it by causing a disturbance by the time you passed out. He then brought you all to one of our safehouses where Santetsu, Seiichirou, Huckle, and I regrouped with you. I treated you and Ryekie, and everyone is in the next room over.
Akashi: Oh...so everyone's okay?

Akashi: Everyone's up, right? I'll head over too. It still kinda hurts...but I can move.
Roiker: Sure. I made dinner too. Come over once you're dressed.
Akashi: Wait, what...?
Roiker: ...oh, you didn't notice?
Roiker points next to Akashi's bed where his clothes (or at least his top) have been cleaned up and folded.
Akashi: ...oh. (pulls bedsheet up to his shoulders)
Roiker: Sorry, they were sweaty. And more importantly they were in the way of treating your injuries. Don't worry, only Exio and I saw anything when we were bandaging you up. Your clothes are dry now too.
Akashi: ...thanks.

Later
Akashi walks into a large but somewhat dim room.
MC: Akashi, you're up! How are you feeling?
Akashi: Y-yeah, I'm fine. Sorry to worry you.
Ryekie: Oh, you're up! Hungry? Come over and eat!
Huckle: Again Ryekie, stop talking while you're in the middle of eating. Anyways, you must have had a hard time Akashi. We're safe for now, so you can relax.
Akashi: R-right...
Akashi looks over to see Seiichirou in the middle of thinking.
Akashi: YOU!
MC: Akashi, what!?

Akashi grabs Seiichirou's collar before anyone can stop him.
Akashi: You promised you'd keep MC safe when you brought us here to Osaka! What the hell happened back there!? We walked into the lion's den and got surrounded! They almost got them!
MC: Akashi, stop! / ...
Huckle: Akashi, wait! I know how you feel, but...
Seiichirou: ...no, he's right to be angry. It's true MC was in danger, so he can be angry with me. (looks seriously at Akashi)
Seiichirou: I'm sorry for putting your childhood friend in that position.
Akashi: ...I'm sorry for losing my cool there. (lets go and slumps into a sofa)

Seiichirou: The enemies shouldn't know about this place. I've sent Danzo to scout around just in case, but he hasn't reported anything of note so far. We should be fine for the time being.
Seiichirou leaves the room.
Akashi: Why is this all happening...? I don't get it anymore.
Exio: Akashi...
Santetsu: ...please forgive him. (closes the book he was reading and sighs)
Santetsu: National organizations are strict on the chain of command, so he couldn't oppose them. He also seems deeply hurt about being betrayed by the subordinate he trusted the most. You don't have to sympathize with him, but it'd be nice if you could leave it at that.
Akashi: ...right.

Akashi looks down to see a meal set in front of him. Fluffy white rice, a nice miso soup, some sides, and some ginger fried pork.
Akashi: Uhh, what is this?
Roiker: Oh, everyone already ate. I just remade this for you. It's all I could put together on short notice.
Ryekie: Yeah, it's great! (puts chopsticks down and claps his hands together)
Roiker: I'm glad you liked it. There's more soup and rice if you want any. (picks up Ryekie's dishes and goes back to the kitchen)
Santetsu: It's not poisoned or anything. Laundry and cooking are like hobbies for Roiker.
MC: Yeah it's good / He's more domestic than I thought...
Akashi: What is he, my mom or something?

Later
Roiker: I see. So MC got to look at that man from up close and says they really do resemble Akashi.
MC: Yeah. There were a lot of differences though.
Akashi: I was surprised too...he knew what I was thinking and saw everything I was going to do. And right before he kicked me... (flashback!) He looked just like me back when I was told I couldn't make it to the pros...
Ryekie: Isn't he way too different from Akashi even if he is a parallel self? His Parallel Weapon was a suit that could melt and use anything around to attack, but Akashi uses baseball stuff for his powerset.
Huckle: If the wish he has is different, then so will the the form of the Parallel Weapon he has. Hero 101. If he is Akashi, then something must've made his wish change. In Crowne's case, a difference caused a divergence in time and changed her whole personality. Something just as big must've happened to Akashi too then...
Akashi: Huh...I'd rather not think about what that could be...
Exio: (crosses arms) The Alliance already had an idea about that Akashi, right?
MC: wait what

Exio: When I came in contact with him, I sensed the same ether flow around him as Akashi. There are some differences, but I believe it's highly likely he's Akashi. Someone in the Alliance who met Akashi before must have told you that the Shin Ashihara's collaborator has the same ether flow as him, didn't they? Is that why Seiichirou plotted to have Akashi come along to the meeting too?
Santetsu: ...someone did sense it, yes. But it's true we had no evidence it was Akashi. No one in the Alliance has met Akashi before, but we knew about him since he's in the same agency as MC. And just before this situation happened, we got news from the Alliance of a strong villain within the Shin Ashihara. They said someone resembling Akashi had appeared and seems to be important.
Roiker: Parallel Flight has MC, who the Broker is fixated upon. And earlier they met a person from a parallel world. Wouldn't it be natural to think that a What If version of Akashi exists then?
MC: New proper noun!

Roiker: We call parallel versions of specific people What If beings, as in What If this one thing had happened.
Huckle: You think he's Akashi's What If since he looks like Akashi?
Roiker: Yes, I realize judging based off that is hasty, but we had no way of verifying it. It's why we wanted to meet Akashi. If the man we heard about was What If Akashi and opposed us, we'd know one part about his identity. We thought we'd need a hint from Akashi to protect MC from the villains.
Akashi: Hmm...but I couldn't really hold up against him...
Roiker: ...it's true he's more experienced with battles. It feels less like those are skills he's picked up and more...I'm getting to far into speculation, I should stop. Point being, we still don't have enough information to determine if he really is What If Akashi. Planning countermeasures against him still requires figuring that part out.

Seiichirou walks in.
Seiichirou: We didn't have much time to begin with, but it looks like we can't stay for much longer. (turns up the volume of his phone and shows it to the party)
News: We have multiple witnesses to the attack that happened in front of the National Defense Ministry office building, and the Tachiarai Unified Chief of Staff has suggested they may be a terrorist organization with connections within the government administration. The police and Defense Department are cooperating with their investigations. More news as reports allow...
Santetsu: ...so their political power can't hide things anymore.
Seiichirou: Yes...but it seems they still have enough to force us out of hiding. The inner group may be composed of particularly stubborn types, and it looks like they can't control them. Who knows what will happen if their rampage continues?
Ryekie: That bad, huh? We need to think even harder about how to keep MC safe.
MC: Okay this is really bad...

Roiker: ...you may be wondering what we can do in this situation. (sits down and focuses on MC)
Roiker: MC, will you join the Alliance?
MC: what?
Roiker: I'd been thinking about how to bring this subject up to you while thinking about ways out of this mess. Based on what's happening, I figured it was a good idea to suggest it.
Exio: ...I see.
Akashi: ...w-wait, can't we do something about what's going on? What would change with MC joining you guys?
Roiker: ...there are reasons for this, and I plan on making it advantageous for MC as well. First off, Exio might have an idea as to where I'm going with this since he's connected with the underworld, but we're known by various influential groups, especially those looking for Observers. But there are power differences between Observers, which makes what they can do unknown. It's why you can often see connected Observers like Exio and Melide using Monsters.
Exio: ...to be specific, I'm just controlling the Path instead of the Monster.

Roiker: Whatever the case is, it's true that's how others see it. Allied Observers are seen as people who could wreak all sorts of unforeseeable revenge if you go against them.
Huckle: So...MC joining you guys would mean organizations who would try to attack MC wouldn't be able to do so anymore?
Roiker: Yes. Our existence can be used as a deterrence. There's also something else: joining us makes it easier to plan ways to defend you. It'd allow for tighter information sharing and mutual protection, but... Exio being partly distanced and MC being a total outsider makes protecting them makes controlling information leak risks and ways of sharing information now rather limiting.
Seiichirou: Personally, I couldn't make any plans outside of sending in a false job request and meeting summons, then forcing you along with insufficient explanation. Should something like this happen again, I won't be able to completely set you up for safety.

Santetsu: ...I think you can also get some useful info about using your Observer abilities. Many Observers use their powers while not knowing what they're capable of.
Roiker: Yes, you can use us as a means of learning more about yourself. So please...would you consider it?
MC: Hmm...
Ryekie: But isn't the Alliance...?
Seiichirou: Yes, the goal is to take down the Broker. That is still our end goal. Joining with us would mean deciding to fight against the Broker and that is undoubtedly going to be a dangerous fight, so we can't force you to join. You don't need to answer quickly...but please at least think about it.
Akashi: MC...what do you wanna do? This is escalating really hard now.
MC: ...I'll think about it. I can't answer right now.
Roiker: ...that's okay. You can take as long as you want. We'll still think of ways to protect you from the outside until then.

That night, Somewhere in Osaka
Evil Red Leader: ...damn. The Alliance getting involved means this won't be straightforward. They've gone and hidden themselves. What now?
Akashi Alter: I plan to keep things as low key as possible like always. The government officials seem like they'll give up if they can't cover their asses.
Evil Red Leader: Hmph. You underestimate our organization's great justice. Aliens have already taken over GLORIOUS NIPPON almost to the point of no return. With that as our stage, how can we not go full power to take it back? Too many are sitting on the fence waiting and seeing.
Akashi Alter: ...stomping over books was just one big performance to you, asshole?
Akashi Alter is filled with disgust but keeps calm by thinking about his goals.
Akashi Alter: ...think of the consequences. The organization going public brings in way more risk. It isn't going to help with eliminating Monsters from Earth either.

Evil Red Leader: If we get That Thing, that'll be a secondary goal we can accomplish! Have you forgotten how Observers and Monsters are related!? I thought you were being weirdly talkative today, but all you're doing is needling us! I don't know why the superiors put you in with us, and I was never happy with how much power an upstart like you was given. You care about the target or something? There's rumors you're friends with them.
Akashi Alter: ...
Evil Red Leader: We gave you a second chance and you failed. We don't trust you and don't care about your opinions anymore.
Akashi Alter: >:(
Evil Red Leader: We'll have to stop caring about appearances now. The future of GLORIOUS NIPPON rests on our shoulders, so we can't let this chance slip by us. Osaka can go to hell if we get them.
Akashi Alter: ...you're getting dumber by the second. That's going even further from our goals.
Evil Red Leader: I thought I told you to shut the fuck up! Who CARES if your friends get in danger!? We will bring them back even if they're pushed to near death! The brain is the only part that matters, we can preserve their life however. Tell everyone we move out tomorrow morning.
Akashi Alter: ...
And then the next morning a giant explosion blows up in the center of Osaka.
End of Episode