Time to clean up and get ready for tomorrow's workshop! MC and Taishakuten are helping Hippolytus carry things.
Hippolytus: Thanks you two! We need more stuff since more people came. I used to worry I wouldn't get through them all.
Taishakuten: Where do we put the stuff?
Hippolytus: There!
The culture clubhouse building. Hippolytus opens the door to the closest room.
MC: A flower shop on campus? / Cool! / (look around)
---
(B) Hippolytus: I know, right?
---
Hippolytus: Welcome to the Setagaya's Gardening Club room!
Taishakuten: Nice! You could open shop up right now.
Hippolytus: I modeled it after an average flower shop. I might make flower arrangements in the future.
Taishakuten: Cool idea. And damn you're smart for a fluff head with flowers on the brain!
Hippolytus: Ruuude, haha.
MC: Unreliable Old Reliable Senpai! / I could get used to this / maybe you should be working harder at teaching
(A) Hippolytus: WHAT
(B) Hippolytus: Haha, you sound like my kouhai
(C) Hippolytus: (GASP!) Your Shinjuku senpais will call you a bratty kouhai if you keep that up.
Hippolytus: Okay, back to work! Now we'll go to the greenhouse, the school's pride! Or one of since Director Perun is greedy as hell.
MC: Sounds about right.
Taishakuten: You know the sch--oh right. So that's why Volkh treats you so differently!
MC and Taishakuten get one with carrying things and following Hippolytus. They see a bunch of greenhouses. Hippolytus enters one and starts talking to some potted plants.
Hippolytus: Nice! Any changes? Oh, you aren't doing well here, huh? HUP!
Taishakuten: Damn he picked up a huge one solo!
Hippolytus: ...I can't see ahead of me!
MC: Take my load, Taishakuten / I'll lead you! / man, gardening is manual work
(A) Taishakuten: Naw, you take my load. Gimme a sec, Hippolytus!
Taishakuten gives MC his half of the carried stuff and goes to help Hippolytus.
(B) Hippolytus: Thanks! We'll take this one further inside.
(C) Hippolytus: Yep, lots of work. Oh wait, guide me further inside so I can put this one down there!
Later
Hippolytus: I'm glad I didn't trip and fall with that huge plant!
Taishakuten: Why didn't you ask us for help earlier then!? Ugh. Well I know how serious you are, sorry I talked shit about you at first.
Hippolytus: Um, what now?
Taishakuten: I just pick fights a lot, especially with strong dudes.
MC: Hippolytus, strong? Really? / (quietly stare)
Hippolytus: (surprised)
Taishakuten: All high and mighty, proper sorta folks are my enemy. Not anyone else though, so good luck with the workshop Hippolytus! B-but I can't help you with the romance stuff...
MC: So you accept him now? / You're serious deep down too / singleminded gangsters are cool
(A) Taishakuten: Yeah, what fun is it if you know how it goes from the start?
(B) Taishakuten: You sound like the old shopping district folks.
(C) Taishakuten: What? ...well it's cool how frank you are.
Taishakuten: We done yet? Let's go back!
MC, Hippolytus, and Taishakuten head back to the workshop. But then they see two people arguing.
Farm Student A: Girl you were gonna confess to Volos like THAT? Back off, he's MY man!
Farm Student B: Shut your mouth before your brain falls out, pea-for-brains!
MC: what I heard Volos
Hippolytus: Maybe we should stop them from fighting.
Taishakuten: Let them fight.
MC: but people getting hurt could be a problem for the workshop. unless they don't get hurt too bad...
Farm Student A: I challenge you to a duel over Volos's hand!
Classic glove throwing duel challenge! ...except they hit Taishakuten instead!
MC: oh they're dead now
Taishakuten: So. You wanna throw hands, huh?
Farm Student A: O-o-oh my god how do you manage to miss me from four feet away!?
Farm Student B: ME? I'm not the one who missed the broad side of a barn and--
Taishakuten: SHUT UP AND PUT EM UP, TAISHAKUTEN IS HERE TO KICK ASS
Farm Students A and B: OH NO
They know who he is.
Taishakuten: Oh yeah you guys were fighting over Volos or whatever? So I get him if I win?
Farm Students A and B: NOOOOO
Taishakuten: That a war cry or whatever? Haha! Oh you guys don't have a bancho, even though they stopped doing that like 30 years ago? Eh, you both can come at me and you win if I say I give up. Then you can do whatever. But guess what happens if I win?
MC: Wait Taishakuten, stop! / (he's holding back...?)
(AB) Taishakuten: Shut up MC!
Taishakuten throws his apron at MC.
Farm Student A: what do!?!?
Farm Student B: This was your idea! We gotta fight!
Hippolytus: Oh no we have to stop him!
MC: wait / this isn't a real fight, maybe... let's believe in him
---
(BC) Hippolytus: what
---
Taishakuten: Bring it, bitches!
BATTLE START (more happens after)
Farm Student A: AAAAAA
Taishakuten: That it!?
Farm Student B: Take this!
Taishakuten: ooh, nice punch. Have one of mine.
Farm Student B: OOF
Taishakuten has just been standing there tanking hits and hitting back for every one.
Farm Student A: Nothing's been working! But we can't let him have Volos... we have to keep going!
MC: m-maybe you should stop, Taishakuten? / (hmm, those two seem different)
The two mobs are leaning on each other now since they're struggling to stay standing.
Farm Student A: Combo attack?
Farm Student B: Combo attack! RAAAAH!
Taishakuten: okay I give up.
Farm Students A and B: ...what?
Taishakuten: BITCH DID I STUTTER?
Farm Students A and B: NO SIR
MC: holy shit what, is it doomsday?
Taishakuten: Damn, you guys did good sticking to your guns even when you were wrong. But shouldn't you be focusing on someone else?
Farm Student A: Oh, right...
Farm Student B: We got caught up in the wrong thing...
A breeze carries along a flower petal.
Hippolytus: ...a ylang-ylang petal? But those are only inside the greenhouses.
Taishakuten: Hey MC, Hippolytus? You guys know Volos?
MC: He's a friend / nope / (look at Hippolytus)
(C) Hippolytus: Um, I talk to him sometimes and have his phone number.
Taishakuten: Cool. Think you can introduce these guys to him?
Farm Student A: What, really? Maybe not now...?
Taishakuten: But why tho? And if he says no, we're shit outta luck anyways.
MC: You want to look your best when you see him, right?
Farm Student B: Yes, he'll worry if we show up all beat up.
Taishakuten: WHAT
MC: uh yeah, why is that a surprise?
Taishakuten: Oh, right. Other people might not like being seen hurt.
Hippolytus: (stares in surprised gardener)
So anyways MC, Hippolytus, and Taishakuten take the two mobs to the school nurse and carry on with business.
Hippolytus: (frown)
Taishakuten: What?
Hippolytus: Oh, nothing. Just remembering my home world.
MC: Huh...can you tell us?
Hippolytus: ...it's not that interesting.
Hippolytus (narrating): So Olympus wants love to spread like lightning, so they're cool with spouse stealing. I think Tokyo calls it NTR or cuckolding? It happened a lot. I was working as a chaste and pure guy for a while so I didn't care.
Taishakuten: So are you here in Tokyo because you hated how things were there?
Hippolytus: ...no, I was exiled haha.
MC: Why? (Reminds me of Arachne.) You seem cheerful despite the subject.
Hippolytus: Uhhhh, so like, I used to be a radical anti-romance guy. So many people kept yelling they wanted to bond fates with me and stuff and then I made the wrong person mad? I just wanted to be pure... But I couldn't, so I kinda resisted when Taishakuten said what he said. Sorry about that, I know you're here to help.
Taishakuten: !!
Taishakuten: Hippolytus...
MC: WHAT / and you seem so chill usually / What's up, Taishakuten?
Taishakuten: ...Hippolytus, maybe what you did was considered a crime in your home world. But I commit crimes like all the time. Anyone calls you a faker, they can call me one too!
Hippolytus: ...you're so nice, Taishakuten.
MC: He's nice deep down / I'm here too, Taishakuten / he just like you fr fr
(A) Taishakuten: SHUT UP
(B) Taishakuten: Hell yeah!
Taishakuten: Just saying, I think about old fights sometimes too. Anyways, we're back at the workshop!
The party regroups.
MC: (Huh, I don't know anything about Taishakuten's home come to think of it...guess he has things he doesn't wanna talk about either.)
Later, that night at bed time
MC: Who is it? (open the door)
Taishakuten: Hey MC, sorry it's so late but I had to talk to you.
Taishakuten brought drinks and gives MC one. Then he sits on the floor.
MC: What? / oh my god you like someone?
(BC) Taishakuten: NO! ...wait, stop making me shout this late.
Taishakuten speaks softer.
Taishakuten: Felt like I had to explain why I said no again to joining the Summoners. I don't plan on getting into App battles. It'll take more explaining but it'll take a while. You cool with that?
MC: Okay / is this about what happened earlier today? / (sleepy...)
(B) Taishakuten: Yeah.
(C) Taishakuten: Wake up, dammit! Or I'll blast you with my lightning bolts!
Taishakuten collects himself and gets ready to talk.
Taishakuten: So like I'm from Garothman and I'm known for being evil there. We got seven seats of good and evil over there, but it's more like being gang leaders. I got one because I didn't like Ahura Mazda, so whatever! But then they called me a damn pretender! When you get summoned to Tokyo, you get this doppelganger with your name as a Shadow. Shangri-La and Deva Loka say they have the real me. Pricks. I've been living a life of true evil here, dammit! I punched everyone who looked at me, but I never got away. I'm still affected role-wise as being oppositional.
Taishakuten: Fun fact, my doppelgangers? They got partners/rivals. Irreplacables ones. But I'M the one stuck with an archenemy. Just goes to show you my identity's been pulled apart. I'm real glad Shibamata accepted me. Dunno the differences much, and maybe what I believed in was wrong. But I decided, and not even some God of Tokyo will stop me from calling myself Taishakuten if the Shibamata folks believe in me.
MC: Wow.
Taishakuten: (takes a drink) I stay out of App battles out of respect for Shibamata and wanting to live as one of them. I get into a fight, it's for me. But it gets tricky if I get into a group battle. But...
Taishakuten: (takes another drink) I also care about my friends here in Tokyo. Wasn't expecting to have to deal with one asking me to join up and squaring that with what I want, and I've been thinking about it the whole time. I mean, if all of Tokyo and Shibamata gets set on fire or something, I might join up, but dammit I can't say it right now.
MC: Whoa, you venting to me? You're still cool.
He's opening up and waiting for you to say something.
This could be very important.
MC: Let's take it slow and think about it. / I care about you too.
---
(A) Taishakuten: I guess I'll figure it out later. Whatever, let's see where this train goes! ...I believe in you MC, and in you not blabbing about all this to people.
(B) Taishakuten: ...uh, you talking about helping me out in Shibamata like you said before? Wait, not really huh? (blush) Well thanks. Gimme some time to think about it. [Flag set!]
---
Taishakuten gets up and holds his hand out.
MC: (shake hands) / (fist bump)
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(B) Taishakuten fistbumps back.
---
Taishakuten: Thanks again MC. You're a real one!
Taishakuten leaves. He left a flower gift next to your bottle.
End of Episode
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