Live A Hero Book 2 Chapter 1 Episode 13: Return to Orient City (Abridged)

Akashi: Home Run Fireball!
Ryekie: Supreme Thunder!
Huckle: Mega Kick!
The heroes are destroying Monsters left and right, causing the dimensional space to shake and the cracks to widen. Pieces fall away, showing the blue sky beyond it.
MC: Keep going guys!
Osaka
Santetsu: The Path flickered for a second!
Roiker: It's crumbling!? What's going on inside!?
Inside the Path
Party reaction shot!
??????: !!
A roar shakes the dimensional space!
Seiichirou: Whoa! It feels like the heroes are getting infinite power! The Path is progressively falling apart. The exit is closing! We can do it!
Exio: I didn't imagine it to happen this way, but it feels like we're almost there. MC! We can't let this chance slip by us!

Suddenly MC gets dizzy...
MC: Whoa...
Exio: MC? What's wrong!?
Seiichirou: I guess all that power is starting to get to them. But we've almost won! Hang in there a little bit longer!
MC: Right...!
MC holds a shaky arm up towards the other end of the Path and focuses. Their thoughts become a bright white light that flows towards their hand.

??????: !!
Another roar shakes MC's body, but MC doesn't look away. Seiichirou and Exio brace themselves besides MC.
Seiichirou: Eat it, freak!
Exio: Go back to where you belong!
Akashi: MC, do it!
Ryekie: I believe in you!
Huckle: We're counting on you!
MC: Close already!
The Path rapidly fades, cracking and shrinking. Light covers everything.
??????: !! ...
The roar grows distant...and then MC passes out.

Later
MC: ...huh?
MC is in some hospital or whatever with an IV hooked up.
Akashi: MC, you're awake!
MC: Akashi? Where are we?
Melide: This is a hospital in Orient City. You've been asleep for almost two days. You fainted in Osaka, but their hospitals were slammed, so you were driven here in Seiichirou's car.
Monomasa: Your mind seems clear. That's good.
Door slam!
Ryekie: MC, I'VE BEEN SO WORRIIIIEEED!
Akashi: No wait Ryekie, don't hug them! They've got an IV tube, remember!? Come on, wipe your face. But yeah I'm really glad you were just sleeping.
Mokdai: Yeah, everyone was worried about you. We stayed for as long as visiting hours let us. Director Huckle even stayed overnight. I gotta call Sui and Crowne since they've been concerned this whole time.
MC: Oh...sorry.

Yoshiori: Hey Sleeping Beauty. I brought Exio with me.
Exio: Hi MC. How are you feeling? You seemed exhausted, but the doctors didn't find anything wrong in particular.
Huckle: Well I can't blame them after all that weirdness they did. You should rest for today and tomorrow at least. Workers' comp will pay the hospital bill. Also Seiichirou just called and wanted to talk to you. (activates space phone hologram)
Seiichirou: MC, thank you for yesterday. You have my gratitude for fighting together with us.
MC: No, it wasn't much... / I just did what I could. / Are you hurt?
---
(C) Seiichirou: Me? I'm fine, just some bumps and scrapes. It seemed you were the one hurt most back there, physically and mentally.
---
Seiichirou: I'm sincerely glad to hear you're recovering. I can only send words of encouragement, but please do take care of yourself.
Face change to go with subject change!
Seiichirou: Now to other news you missed out on and the things I wasn't able to talk to you about earlier...

Later
Mokdai: The news said "the terrorists who blew up Osaka were destroyed along with the conveniently timed mass outbreak of Monsters so we conveniently do not know which villain group did it." Man, the Shin Ashihara really hid their tracks there.
Mokdai's listening to the conversation while looking at the news.
Seiichirou: Well it's true the public doesn't know who did it because the leaders who instigated the terrorism got eaten by Monsters so they forgot he ever said Make Japan Great Again. But then again, if he wasn't eaten it wouldn't seem weird wherever that info leaked from. So I guess the leaders being erased was all just as planned.
MC: How awful... / But we remember. / What about heroes and Observers?
(A) Mokdai: B-but you guys remember.
(BC) Mokdai: Y-yeah, what about that?

Mokdai: There must be some people who remember if heroes and Observers can remember...
Seiichirou: Did you forget who's running the news and doing the investigation?
Mokdai: ...I don't follow.
Huckle: The Shin Ashihara have collaborators in the government, mass media, and investigative agencies, which means they have control on the narrative even if anyone speaks up.
Ryekie: We interact with heroes and Observers a lot, but the actual number of us including villains compared to the whole population is small. And if the villains can erase the memories of any civilians that happened to be around, they can just dismiss what we say as crazy talk.
Monomasa: ...it happens a lot in incidents involving villains and Monsters. It's harder to prove something when the proof involves Parallel Weapons and Monsters, so heroes have to arrest criminals in the act. Which is why it's easy for villains to act undercover.
MC: That's terrible...

Yoshiori: Everyone that trumpets about justice in society is like that. If someone rushes at you, you crush them yourself and deal with the clean up yourself. It's how we lived when we were villains because we had to.
Melide: ...we lived because we were helped by society's organizations. It's a miserable topic when you're on the side that's hurt...you can't judge the criminals.
Seiichirou: ...that said, the Shin Ashihara have to do everything they can to suppress controverting testimony, and they currently have to focus on the chaos that happened here for the time being. I doubt they have room to come after you again.
MC: Then...I guess we're okay for now.

Seiichirou: So it seems there's other groups starting to make moves targeting you, so apparently the potential you showed is a big topic in villain networks. They fear your incredible abilities...though I suppose you wouldn't be happy about that. But anyways it seems they see they can't underestimate you. I can't say you're completely safe, but for now I doubt they'll attack in the near future.
Huckle: The irony of MC's struggling becoming a deterrence...
Akashi: ...um, what happened to my other self?
Huckle: ...he disappeared without a word at some point.
Seiichirou: Sorry, we have no info pertaining to him. If we believe him, then it's true he left the Shin Ashihara. No idea for what he did after that though. Why did he come here? How? Is he connected to the Broker? Mysteries.
Akashi: ...oh.
MC: Wonder where he went? / Will we see him again? / You worried about him?
(C) Akashi: Not...really...?

Akashi: ...sorry, I'm gonna step outside.
And so he leaves, frowning.
Mokdai: He's been like that ever since he came back. Is he okay...?
Seiichirou: It's understandable. A parallel world self oh himself suddenly shows up...
Flashback
Akashi Alter: My childhood friend disappeared one day and now I'm looking for them.
Present
Seiichirou: Who would ever expect that to happen? He must be confused.
MC: Akashi...
Seiichirou: ...anyways, we should be glad you all safely returned home to Orient City. We had our motives, but we feel it's good we at the Alliance we able to make contact with you. We still hope MC will join us as we said earlier. You can take as much time as you need to think about it. If you ever come to a decision...tell Exio. Until next time... (click)

Huckle: ...well, time for us to make some plans.
Agency scrolling shot
Huckle: Hero support is our agency's main work, but from what I've seen of this incident we need to make countermeasures for the care and backup of our Operators too.
MC: ...yes. / Sorry...
---
(B) Huckle: Hey, you don't need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong, and you didn't become an Observer because you wanted to.
---
Huckle: But after this, I won't be able to do anything since I'm not an Observer anymore. So as the one who wants to leave things to the person who knows the most of how this agency works, I'd like to say something.
Huckle looks to Exio. Exio nods.

Exio: ...yes. Personally, I've always been concerned about you since I learned about you. I have to ask again, but do you remember if you were conscious of what you were doing when we were inside that Path in Osaka?
MC: No...I don't even know much about Paths.
Exio: Figures... You never had time to understand your abilities. It's true you're in danger of destroying yourself if you mess up trying to control and use Paths, but from what I hear that hasn't happened in practice. (sighs and steps forward to MC)
Exio: ...you really are peculiar for an Observer, beyond anything I could imagine. But it's because you have that much power that you have to learn how to control it for your own safety. It's impossible for me to perfectly understand how you see the world and how you can use your powers, but I can at least teach you how to control Paths. Observers need their own training just like heroes have to train their bodies. (holds out his hand)

Exio: You can join or not join the Alliance, whichever. I don't think they'll mind you not deciding on it now. But will you let me teach you how to use your Observer abilities and the right mentality for them? You can think of it as for your own protection. ...so, feel like studying under me? (smiles)
MC: Okay / YES / (silently take his hand)
Exio: Okay, I'll try to live up to your expectations. Let's do our best.
And that's how MC started to learn about using their abilities while being taught by Exio.
Meanwhile on the hospital roof, Akashi is leaning on the handrail and looking out into the streets.
Akashi: ...
All he can think about is Akashi Alter.
Akashi: ...what was his goal? He said he didn't come just to see us...but he totally went out of his way to do so. Why'd he come to this world...why'd he come to see me and MC...?
End of Chapter