Summer River Adventure Episode 2 Part 2

Title card pops up in a new version that's kinda weird, but anyways the title of this episode is The Wonder of the Fearsome Orochi Lurking in the River!

 

But anyways after that little scuffle with Shiva, he and Jugo have joined the party in traveling downstream on the once again calm river. A new boat has been added to the party's inventory, and Jugo asks if you guys are sure it's okay to take him along. Magami says it's fine since he's heard that there's some suspicious people around in the area. Acting alone would be dangerous, and protecting citizens is the duty of police officers like them. Jugo starts to suggest it'd be more dangerous for him to be present, and you either say you'd prefer to ask him along if it doesn't get in the way of his training, or say it's reassuring having him along. The latter gets an extra line where Jugo is flattered and says he isn't put off by you saying so.

 

Jugo says he borrowed a boat too, and he admits to being stuck on his training. Honestly going along with you guys might help him figure something out faster than if he just continued standing under that waterfall. As such he asks to be included, though he might hinder things. He offers to carry stuff or whatever you ask him to help you guys with. He then comments that returning an Ancient Wolf skull sounds like it'll be pretty difficult.

 

Shiva pipes up to agree, then sighs about how things have come to this while he'd taken his eyes off of things for a bit, so now he can't just quietly focus on his own stuff. Shiva turns out to be standing with his arms folded on the bow of Jugo's boat, and he shakes his head to himself. Jugo asks how long Shiva intends on sticking around and says he could just go back to his own training, so Shiva says he doesn't plan on following anyone's instructions and will just do as he pleases. Jugo then asks that Shiva sit down because he's making it hard to see. Shiva however loudly says no, annoying him.

 

Tajikarao tells the two to knock it off, sighing about them getting off on a bad foot after just knowing each other. Magami agrees saying a previous enemy is now a friend, and he's happy that they can work together. Shiva is unimpressed, and you thank Shiva, ask him to get along with Jugo, or comment that you guys have someone who won't be honest coming along.

 

Shiva says you know nothing and says he's just sharpening his skills. After a moment he starts addressing Jugo again, telling him he does recognize his courage for challenging him with just the power of the human body. Shiva however also says he knows Jugo is hiding something in his body, which Jugo angrily attempts to deflect. Shiva says when Jugo grabbed him, he felt some sort of power inside him. He asks why Jugo won't use that power, wondering if Jugo looks down on him or something.

 

Jugo tells Shiva to stop saying anything more on the subject and will only say that the power wasn't meant for things like this. He looks angry and hurt, and he declares that he'll get strong on his own. There's nothing else to it. Shiva is impressed by the answer and says he admires him. If that's what Jugo wants to do things, then he'll graciously let his own dissatisfaction slide. Jugo doesn't respond to this, so Shiva decides to advise Jugo not mistake his own capabilities or misjudge who he challenges unless he wants to be victimized by someone interested in his secret. Jugo doesn't outright reject the advice, but he does tell Shiva he doesn't like how he spoke, no matter how strong he is.

 

Arachne starts saying she was worried about Jugo and Shiva at first, but now it looks like they're getting along. Both Shiva and Jugo loudly deny this, causing Arachne to freak out a little and apologize before wondering if it's complicated between them. Tajikarao talks about how everyone has things they won't accept at first, but for now he's glad things haven't come to blows. They're a team even if things are rough around the edges, but they definitely are on the same wavelength.

 

Silence passes between the party for a bit as the sounds of nature goes by, and Magami decides to innocently ask you a question after a bit. He understands your relationship with Jugo, but he asks about your relationship with Shiva, who reacts with a twitch at that. You can either say you two are friendly rivals, say you guys have some sort of fate together or something, or suggest Shiva likes you although you’re unsure. In A, Shiva has to think about it and says it's not totally wrong. Jugo starts poking holes at Shiva's demeanor saying he clearly looks happy about that and suggests he helps you out all the time. In B, Shiva says it's true you guys did have a previous connection, one which constantly binds him. Jugo rejects the idea of fate and says Shiva could just admit he likes you. Then he wonders if Shiva rushes at you all the time because he can't do so. In C, Shiva yells that he's never thought about anything so steeped in passion and desire, surprising Jugo at how upset he got despite trying to be all cool and collected. Then he asks if Shiva helps you all the time because he just can't admit it.

Shiva takes offense and says Jugo is making outrageous claims against someone so devoted to abstinence and asceticism as him. He flips the conversation around to accuse Jugo of being oddly supportive of you after just meeting you, then asks if he fell in love with you at first sight. You are surprised and ask Jugo if that's true, say you're happy about that, or be shocked at this sudden escalation.

Jugo stiffens up at the question and your reaction, at which point Orochi starts acting up while his guard is down. He pales as he crouches down and yells, and the Orochi brand on his arm starts constricting him from the arm up. The original event party members are shocked by this development, and Tajikarao asks what's happening and what's up with the sudden crowd of wyverns plus Mushussu flying around is all about. Arachne says that's surprising, but she's more concerned with Jugo acting up and tries to ask him what's wrong. Magami thinks Jugo is having stomach pains and offers to rub it.

Shiva tells everyone to stop because he senses something coming, and one large shadow among the circling group of wyverns starts flying in closer, at which point someone yells. Arachne is annoyed by the loud yelling and says things are escalating far too quickly for her to keep on top of, and Magami whines about being crashed into. Mushussu turns out to be ridden by a couple of mobsters who laugh about managing to snatch something on their fishing pole. And at the end of their rope is the bag of stuff taken from the ruins.

Tajikarao asks what the hell is going on next and asks if the guys are thief gang he's read about in the report. Magami starts freaking out about the skull being stolen from him and pleads for its return. Shiva recognizes Mushussu and is surprised into wondering why he's with them, and the mobs start cheering about how well things went for them. It was really handy when Mushy or Mash or whatever gathered all those wyverns, and they tamed all of them using some Super Science Taming Dango (kemi-dango for short somehow) specially made by their boss. And now the booty is theirs, so they're gonna leave now.

Tajikarao tries telling them to stop, and Jugo is still struggling to deal with his possession in the meantime. Arachne tells Jugo to get a grip as she starts to say something about the dragon mark on him, and Jugo tries to keep down the Mizuchi snake mark. Eventually he tells everyone to hang onto the boats, as the moment he touches his arm the river starts glowing eerily. Tajikarao is surprised that the river is starting to get rough all of a sudden, and the river gets describes as rampaging like a giant surging snake.

The mobs try getting Mishy or whatever to settle down, baffled that he's suddenly acting up and wondering if they didn't give him enough of their Doraemon-ass magical bun tool. They also notice that the other wyverns are acting up too, and they try not to drop the relics again.

Back to your guys' end, the river starts spewing water columns, one of which pushes the party up from below. Arachne screams in confused panic at the boats rising, and Shiva asks in shock if Jugo was hiding something crazy like this inside his human body. Jugo isn't really in any condition to talk and tells Shiva as much, trying to control what's happening. You however suggest taking advantage of the situation to reach Mushussu, then tell everyone to be careful they don't fall out.

Shiva tells you you're speaking crazy talk and points out that this is not a natural phenomenon. He describes it like the unstable overworld shift you guys are in is being overwritten by some other faith. He figures that the wyverns are being called in by this power, and he wonders what faith could affect even dragon underlings. Meanwhile, the river starts standing up like Orochi, bringing the party along its swaying back.

The mobs freak out wondering why the river is starting to act like a snake and coming after them, so they order the wyverns to chase you guys away. They throw out more of their taming dango at the wyverns, whose eyes change upon eating them before they charge at the party. Arachne compares the chaos to being half an hour before needing to make an appointed payment what with the dragons attacking and the boat flying. Magami says this could be your chance to get the skull back from the thieves if you can make it past the wyverns...maybe. Tajikarao says you guys still can't let go of the boats and wonders how anyone is supposed to fight midair.

Shiva says he doesn't care what this relic business is all about, but he decides to think of what's happening as another form of training. He turns to you and Jugo, telling you two to follow him for some special lessons. Jugo is baffled at this, but you are ready to take back the relics, tell Shiva not to fall off the boats himself, or say there's no room for that now. Shiva snorts either way and tells you guys to not take your eyes off him for a second as the episode battle starts. More happens after that.

After the battle, things tune in at Shiva jumping off of the boat, grazing past Mushussu to attack the mobs riding him. One mob reacts in pain and orders Mush to retreat while another orders a recapture of the bag. Magami says the bag is falling over and yells for someone to catch it, so you reach out and try to grab it. Arachne tries to dissuade you from the idea, concerned you'll fall out into the surging waters. Jugo tries to get Mizuchi under control and is concerned about you, but the waters get even more violent, crashing and pulling in trees with great big waves. Arachne screams, and Tajikarao compares the roughness to a mikoshi falling over. Shiva is also surprised at the amount of power going around and compares it to an actual dragon's rampage. You freak out about the boat tipping over and yell, but then you realize someone's caught you. The moment you close your eyes you hear wingflaps and feel a strong arm holding you.

Thunderbird tells you you shouldn't act recklessly, then tells you to keep your wits about you. You react in surprise at either the fact that you're flying, that you don't immediately recognize who's helping you, or at the fluff you feel. Jugo wonders if there's some bird or plane near you, and you try to turn around to see who's with you, but the reflected sunlight makes that difficult.

Shiva is glad to see you're okay, commenting on how unlucky you are. He's concerned about how things will go if they keep up this pace, and he's still kicking wyverns around while he's thinking all that. He talks about the wyverns being drawn in by something, which he figures is a result of some faith gathering in the river. If the Mizuchi is forcefully gathering faith to manifest itself, then it should be possible to stop it by hitting it with some other faith while keeping it down.

Shiva starts jumping from wyvern to wyvern towards the river snake thing. Jugo calls after him telling him not to let his guard down, saying the Mizuchi is still only just One Head. Shiva scoffs at the concern and tells him to watch as he pulls out another NP out of his ass recreates one of the legends carved into faith, the power that lead him to catch the river/Ganga in his head. He kicks off one wyvern and zooms right at the river-snake's head, and you call out to him in concern, say you understand and leave him to it, and/or hope for Shiva's safety. The moment Shiva touches the water, a bright light flashes in the area.

Some time later, the party pops back up from the water. Arachne initially thinks she's late for a meeting before wondering if she passed out when she tunes back in. She then starts calling out to you and the party asking if everyone is okay. Magami pops up next spitting up water, saying he's fine before pleading for Tajikarao to wake up. Tajikarao wakes up yelling about the sun for a second before his brain catches up to things, and he asks if you guys are saved. He then asks if you're okay in alarm. You either formally reply that you're fine, say you're okay somehow, or imitate Arachne's speech pattern for a second to say you're good.

Once everyone gets used to the light, everyone is relieved to see that things have calmed down. Magami is loudly thankful that you're okay, and he starts licking you. Tajikarao gets irritated at this and tells him to stop doing that since he's working, then points and asks if that's where Jugo and Shiva are.

You look over to see the two of them have just surfaced, and Jugo apologizes to Shiva. Shiva tells Jugo that if he seeks the path, then he can't show anyone weakness. He talks about getting a good look at the fragment of cursed power hiding within Jugo, then asks if Jugo is holding onto it or was made to hold onto it. Whichever way it is, he won't pity him since that would be an insult to people like them. Jugo is surprised but agrees, saying he'll get stronger. He refuses to lose to it, which is why he wants to be stronger. The light shines through the tree leaves onto the two, and tranquility settles in the area for a moment. Thunderbird walks over noting everyone seems okay, so he suggests getting things ready while the overworld shift is stable. Everyone is surprised at his appearance and puts themselves on guard, so Thunderbird tries to assure you guys he's not suspicious and is another person hoping to return the relics. The episode ends as he declares that a hero has arrived.

Summer River Adventure Episode 2 Part 1

As a reminder about what happened last time, our event investigation party was boating along the river when they fell off a waterfall and crash into a young man in the middle of training up in the mountains. A moment's touch with you makes him feel the strings of fate pulling, at which another angry and indignant trainer pops up to complain. Perhaps this too is fate, so can the party step in and intervene?

 

But back to our regularly scheduled plot, the story decides to go look at something else for a while to leave that plot thread hanging. Over at the camp area, Maria announces it's time for everyone to start making curry, and asks for everyone's cooperation. Other teachers will be here to help out, so it'll be great if everyone makes something good. The younger members plus Ryouta all excitedly agree in response.

 

Robinson starts talking about how curry is totally a camping staple after you taught him about it. Shirou agrees with him, and he talks about how making a huge pot of curry makes it even more special. Managarm says he agrees, but he turns to Maria and suggests that maybe there's too much curry being made. Maria is unconcerned and says there's portions for the people coming later. Kengo has to ask for details because he says there's way more than 20 plates' worth of curry in the pot and has to wonder how much these people will eat. Maria says that's exactly why everyone needs to help out, then prompts everyone to start working.

Zabaniya walks up to inform Maria that the lecturers she's called for have arrived, and Arslan is talking with them at their base. Zabaniya will be here to help now, so Maria thanks him and asks him to get to work with the kitchen knife and potatoes she handed to him. Zabaniya is confused by this, so Maria says she's helping make curry and asks him to peel the potatoes. Zabaniya is surprised at this, but when the younger members cheer and are excited to cut veggies with him he's happy to join in after processing it all.

Some time passes to the point where Maria goes to apologize for making her guests wait. Said guest includes Balor, and Maria introduces herself as one of the Missionaries and one of the head organizers of the event. She's working as a volunteer, and she thanks Balor and the others on behalf of the whole group for coming, hoping they make some good summer memories.

Balor laughs, amused that Maria would say all that to the grim as hell warmongers, so Arslan says he's already told him Maria won't falter when facing him. They actually made a bet about this earlier, and since Arslan won he asks Balor to help teach his students when he has time. Balor calls everyone a bunch of daredevils risking their livings hanging around in front of him, but he agrees to help Arslan since that was the deal, then mentions his participation in this event is due to coinciding interests. He may be part of the prison school, but it is still a school in Tokyo so it needs to have midterm exams and stuff. Anyone who fails those things will have extra classes to do, and that's who he's brought with him.

Balor is accompanied by an entourage of giants who back up that they are there for extra credit make up and thank Maria for letting them be there. They also refer to her as a teacher, which Maria turns down saying she doesn't merit the title. She does say that the children are waiting for them though, so she hopes that everyone gets along and has fun.

Arslan changes the subject a little to ask if Balor is dressed too casually for the occasion, saying that's usually his shtick. He then asks if Balor is good at dealing with children, so Balor laughs and says he's kind when he's interacting with people who aren't warlike. He doesn't hate children either, so if he can dote on them he will. And speaking of children, he's noticed the Summoners around but hasn't seen you, so he asks where you are.

Marduk steps in to answer, saying he's heard from other people that you went downstream to do a different task. Balor is mildly disappointed but will wait to visit with you later. So with that on the back burner, Balor starts telling Marduk he's had to go through so much trouble going over Marduk's school credits. He may be an army commander, but he's still at risk of failing his classes and not for lack of trying. Balor then warns Marduk to try not to be eaten by Mushussu.

Marduk is baffled by this, and Balor wants to accuse him of playing dumb, but he knows he isn't and that just makes it more irritating. Goddamn whippersnapper forgetting everything he's been taught. To the side, Arslan internally notes that Balor is acting like a teacher to Marduk despite also being another king, though he doesn't understand what Balor is talking about when he says eaten and memory loss.

Marduk notes that he's found some notes he doesn't remember writing, so he figures it must have come from his independent summer studies. Balor yells that it doesn't matter if he forgets it all, so it's no wonder he's still a goddamn first year student after all this time. For once in his life he needs to make Mushussu stop with the nomming and all. Marduk agrees, though he admits he doesn't understand what he's being told. Plus there's curry for lunch to help ease things. He talks about Mushussu looking forward to it for a while now, except he notices Mushussu acting strangely. Arslan tells everyone to get down to Maria's surprise, and Balor realizes Mushussu has gone berserk as he orders everyone to follow Arslan's command. A group of screaming wyverns suddenly appear flying above, which Mushussu joins over Marduk's attempts to stop him.

Scene then shifts back to your end of things as Shiva is using his ability to control the past, present, and future to push back you and Jugo. He calls you guys weak, and he says that while Jugo has trained himself well as a human, that's all he's got going for him. Arachne says she can't tell what's going on, though she has figured out Shiva's measurements at least. Tajikarao says things are getting too crazy as Shiva's attacks are causing the trees and ground to crack and is pushing the waterfall back. Magami says fighting and environmental damage are wrong and that people should get along.

Shiva notes that since Jugo hasn't pulled out an artifact at any point, he must not have one. You are surprised by this observation and wonder if Jugo is a summoner-type app player. Shiva says that few native app players are given artifacts suited for fighting. The ones that aren’t contract with a Transient to fight for them, as the battles cannot be fought directly if you don't have an artifact with a power to it. Shiva then asks why Jugo insists on fighting anyways,  so Jugo says it's out of pride. If he isn't fighting himself there isn't a point to it. Shiva finds it interesting and challenges Jugo to show it all the way to the end.

Jugo gets hit, and he internally comments on how rough and direct Shiva's attacks are and how superhumanly strong he is. But he has to remind himself not to give up or else he won't get stronger. Shiva is surprised when Jugo manages to grab one of the bandages wrapped around his hands, but he quickly fends him off by flipping him away. You call after Jugo in concern, and Shiva is about to compliment Jugo for getting a hold of him even if it was a fluke when he notices something happening.

Jugo starts struggling to keep Orochi under control, his face contorting from the effort. Orochi's craze also causes wyverns on the mountain to start roaring, so you either try to ask Jugo what's wrong, ask what he meant when he told Orochi to stay inside, or tell Jugo to switch places with you against Shiva. In A, Jugo attempts to tell you to not worry about him and his personal problem. In B and C, Jugo says that won't work and that he can't leave things to you.

Shiva decides he should just force the fight to end and tells Jugo to train himself and come at him another time. He kicks off and disappears from sight, causing a column of water to blow up, and the next instant he cuts through it with another kick. Magami however runs in to intercept the attack to Arachne and Tajikarao's surprise. He says he won't let Shiva get away with what he's doing, then says he'll show the legend/kitan that gets told of in Asuka as he activates his NP. The tattoo on his body shines in response, and he recoils from the force of Shiva's attack. Shiva however is shocked he tanked it, and the aftershock stirs up waves along the river. Both then fall onto their asses due to losing their balance, but then Magami starts laughing about understanding something.

Magami talks about Shiva being happy, and Shiva is surprised by this statement. The light coming from Magami's tattoo starts fading, and Tajikarao asks Magami to explain. Magami says he doesn't know the deeper details, but he says he does sense happiness beneath the anger in Shiva's attack. Shiva doesn't attempt to contradict this, and Magami adds that the anger Shiva feels is directed towards his contrary emotions. Magami has felt something like this personally before too, back when he was a guard in Takamagahara. He says Shiva must have become happy about something and laughs, and said laughter fills the summer air. Shiva says nothing, so you ask if Shiva was happy to see you, happy to fight with Jugo, or just call Shiva's name in curiousity. B gets an extra line of Jugo being surprised and wondering if that's true.

Shiva eventually says you shouldn't put words in his mouth, and that he doesn't feel like casually revealing anything. He does however commend Jugo for being brave enough to challenge him, and anything else is something you guys can come up with your own explanations for as he looks away from you. Arachne comments on this being how Magami's artifact works, and the episode half ends with Jugo quietly looking halfhearted as he balls his fists up.

Live A Hero Chapter 4 Episode 8: Another Person's Hand of Salvation

We tune in to Crowne driving her car down the highway, and outside the lights of the harbor district and the ocean are visibly drawing closer. Huckle notes that this is the scrapyard in the eighth block of the port district, then asks if this is where Crowne would go if she committed some sort of crime. Crowne says yes, and although she's unsure how much history lines up with her Alter, but she herself would go here. It's close to her workplace and she knows the roads, and she knows that no one comes by at night. She also knows that the factories in the area close up by this time of day, and that there's not much in the way of residences and stores.

 

Ryekie says he understands Crowne's reasoning if they assume the assailant is an alternate world version of her, and Crowne admits she'd rather not think about it. Even if it's a different version of her, she'd still prefer they not do crimes. She feels so strongly about it that she wishes they weren't around, but it's a difficult topic. Sui sympathizes with Crowne, and Akashi asks if it's really okay to not have brought Procy and Gomeisa along. If they're looking into places Crowne would go to, then maybe Procy could come up with more hints. Mokdai says that while there is another Crowne running around, the Procy her Alter has is more a monster that just looks like him, so he suggests that they don't think the same way.

 

Huckle says that Procy has to clean up his bar, so he'll have to close for business for the day. Gomeisa meanwhile has been very insistent on staying with Procy, so he probably wouldn't have come either. Akashi goes 'oh' at that and drops the idea. You wonder if Procy is seriously hurt, wonder where Yoshiori is, or wonder where Monomasa is. In A, Huckle assures you that Procy won't be kept down by the level of damage he took since he's a veteran hero. Akashi then asks if Yoshiori is actually coming along with you guys. In B, Mokdai takes a moment to look, then points him out to you. Yoshiori is outside on a motorcycle in a rider suit following behind Crowne's car. Akashi notes that Yoshiori's right hand can still grab the handle, though it was still transparent when he saw him take off his jacket earlier. Mokdai notes that he can wear it normally and wonders if Yoshiori is just invisible to normal people. He then notices Monomasa is outside too, and it turns out Monomasa has jumped onto a wall on the highway and running atop it, baffling Akashi at how strong he must be. C is mostly the same as B with the order reversed.

 

Anyways, Akashi starts to refer to the third person of the villain group, and he looks over to where Melide is in the car with you guys, holding her hands together like she's praying with eyes shut and mouth closed. Akashi asks if she's fine, wondering if she's carsick since she's been like that the whole time. Melide answers that she's fine, and doing what she's doing calms her down. She prays that Exio is okay, and Mokdai sadly observes that Exio seems important to her. Ryekie wonders aloud how they're related, though he figures they aren't blood connected father and daughter. They must have something tying them together if she cares that much for him. You agree, say you're curious, or try to dissuade Ryekie from asking Melide about it.

 

Melide is quiet, and Ryekie quickly tells her he doesn't actually want her to answer and apologizes for being rude. Melide decides to answer anyways after a moment, describing Exio as her savior. She's noted to be struggling to talk about it, and when Sui repeats it in confusion Melide confirms as such.

 

Narrative flashback starts up, and it turns out Melide became an Observer shortly after she was grown up enough to be aware of her surroundings. It just happened one day all of a sudden like she was born with the power all along, and she casually transformed heroes who happened to be around. The heroes thanked her, but everyone else started being curious of her. This eventually turned into looks of fear from everyone including her blood relatives, and so began the days where Melide was called a witch.

 

Monsters started appearing in Melide's life, like when she was going to a picnic or going shopping. They turned up on family trips and at family gatherings. People were relieved at first that no one died, but eventually they noticed that they always turned up where Melide was. They started doubting her, and while the idea that Observers can draw Monsters to them is still an unproven assumption, it wasn't long before her family started thinking it was true.

Melide's family beat and cursed at her. She begged for them to stop to no effect, so she started apologizing for being born. Everyone started calling her a witch. They called her a disaster magnet who brought Monsters around that endangered everyone. Her parents started getting on the "Melide is a witch" train when her mother was seriously injured in a monster attack, and her home life fell apart. They wished she never had that power. They wished she wasn't theirs. They wished she was never born. It was then when her self-esteem was in shreds from blaming herself that The Incident happened.

One day, the city was attacked by Monsters. Heroes rose up to fight them, and the citizens could do nothing but run in fear. Melide was among those people. She loses sight of her parents in the confusion and calls out for them, but it eventually sets in that they abandoned her. Melide blames herself and her power, and she gives up on running. People ignored her in their attempts to escape if they weren't bumping into her or pushing her aside. She had long since run out of tears to shed over her plight by then, and she sits down among the rubble in despair.

Melide mumbles to herself wondering why she became a witch like she's delirius. The battle soon ends afterwards and silence falls on the city. If that was how things were going to be, then she'd have preferred to get eaten and be put out of her misery. Exio walks up to Melide at this point looking sympathetic for her, and Melide tenses up reflexively at his approach. Melide asks who Exio is and fearfully tells him to stay away. It's less a fear of getting attacked by a larger man and more a fear that anyone being near her will start to hate her. Exio denies hating her, surprising Melide as he calls himself her friend.

Back to the present, Melide says that was when Exio took her with him. He became a parental substitute for her, so she loves him. If he never showed up, she'd never become as strong as she has in terms of an Observer and a person. You go 'oh' at that, and Sui notes that's why Melide cares about Exio so much. She empathizes a bit with her saying she was saved by her teacher as well. Huckle says he doesn't know what Exio is thinking, but at least  him being Melide's parental substitute means he must care about her.

Melide talks about being someone who can make her power stronger herself since in the end, the only one who can protect you is yourself. She does add that she believes there are lives that can only be saved by other people, which Ryekie thinks about. Melide brings up an example for her point, though she admits she was told to not talk about it much. Specifically, her example would be Monomasa as another person whose life was saved by another. You are curious about this, so Melide says yes.

Melide starts up another flashback as she talks about how Monomasa's original personality had his future mapped out for him since he was young and raised accordingly. He went to a famous sports university and became a top class athlete with the expectation he'd make a grand debut. But these expectations cast a deep shadow on Monomasa's heart. Heavy expectations and disciplining was put upon him, which he was not allowed to reject. He was raised to be a literal puppet, and by the time he figured out that this was unusual it was impossible for him to change the course of his life on his own.

With his life dictated by his parents with no input from himself, Monomasa despaired and eventually decided he'd jump off a roof. But up on the roof he decided to end his life at, he found a small Monster up there. The monster thought it was strange that Monomasa could see him yet made no attempt to run. He just stared at him lifelessly.

The monster eventually asks if Monomasa is going to run and reminds him that he's looking at a monster. The monster still had something of a will, though it's unclear whether it was born with it or if it got possessed by the will of someone it ate. Either way he was aware he used to be a hero, and therefore couldn't bring himself to eat anyone. With no other choice, he decided he'd just wait up on that roof to fade away.

Monomasa answers that he won't run from the monster since he wants to die. The monster actually attempts to talk him out of it, saying so many people died and disappeared despite not wanting to...including himself. Monomasa just tells the monster to live in his place then. He notes that the monster is close to fading since it hasn't eaten anything, so he's fine letting it eat him. He's tired of his life, so the Monster can be Osato Monomasa instead.

The monster is sad at this, but he decided to eat someone for the first time that day. It may be more correct to say he took in Monomasa's consciousness though. Monomasa disappears from this world, and the Monomasa we know is born grieving and crying over this development. He regretted his shame and cursed his attachment to life, so he decided to make a vow. Rather than fully absorb Monomasa's consciousness, the Monster stored him away and borrowed his body, deciding to show him a multitude of things in the world until he wanted to live again.

Back to the present, Melide explains that this is how the Monomasa you guys know is a Monster. He's a monster with a heart, two lives bonded together from mutually helping one another. Crowne sympathizes with how hard it is to live according to other people's expectations, and you think on Monomasa's backstory, say it's sad, and/or go silent. Akashi's memory is jogged at this point regarding Monomasa, so Mokdai asks if he knows who he used to be. Akashi says Monomasa was a senpai at school who did gymnastics. People said he was in the running for being top of the class, an elite, and hard to approach. He forgot about him though, then wonders when it was he disappeared.

The car starts shaking at this point, and Mokdai's first surprised thought is that the car is running on gravel. Crowne says it's an earthquake though and tells the party she's pulling over. The car still shakes after she does so, and even the lampposts on the highway can be seen shaking. Ryekie says the quake is stronger than any quake that's hit recently, so there's definitely some damage to the city. Akashi bumped his head against the car's ceiling during the shaking and asks if this really is a monster's doing.

The quake eventually stops, and Sui is relieved when it does. Huckle looks up the quake stats and reads off the shindo rating is six but the epicenter is unknown. Mokdai figures that must mean monsters should start appearing, and someone starts knocking on a window. Crowne rolls it down, revealing Yoshiori who tells everyone to get out because the monsters are here, so Ryekie says it's time to fight back.

There are a ton of smaller monsters popping up on the cracked road, and most of them are looking in your guys' direction with hostility. Akashi is taken aback at how many of them are there since there's no one else around, and Huckle points out that must mean there's even more of them where people actually are. He pulls up the LIVE@HERO livestream running map showing where lives are happening, showing a map of Orient City on his tablet. There are red dots showing where battles are happening, and they have buried the entire map.

You are shocked at the map being redded out and ask if that means monsters are everywhere in the city, and Mokdai asks if every agency in the city is being mobilized. Ryekie notes that there's more livestreams being concentrated in the city center area and the city wards' subcity centers. Far as he knows, this is the worst danger he's ever seen Orient City face.

Yoshiori prompts the party to stop talking since the monsters are coming for you all. Monomasa asks Melide to transform them, so she complies by taking a prayer posture, gathering light into herself, then transferring it to them. Yoshiori and Monomasa start challenging the monsters to a fight, so Akashi and Ryekie ask you and Huckle to transform everyone else. You comply, and once Team Parallel Flight is suited up they stand next to Yoshiori and Monomasa.

Melide turns to you and asks you to take command of the villains. You are surprised and ask if this is okay or ask if they'll listen to you. B gets an extra line of her admitting she doesn't know. But anyways, Melide says it's more efficient to have one person commanding than having the chain of command split up. Also, she has no experience with commanding as an Operator. Monomasa says he doesn't mind if that makes things run more smoothly. Yoshiori on the other hand isn't thrilled but says he normally doesn't work under baby Operators. Akashi takes offence at this slight at you, so Yoshiori gets pissy and threatens to shoot him first. You tell the two to stop fighting and get ready for battle, so Yoshiori grumbles and says he'll follow your orders, so you better not waste him. Huckle says that with everyone on the same page now, it's time to get the livestream started. Crowne tells you guys the camera is ready to go whenever, and you acknowledge this as you declare the start of the episode battle. More happens after that.

After the battle, the story picks back up at the point the last monster gets destroyed and bursts into light particles. You declare the end of the battle and thank everyone for their work. Yoshiori asks if that's all of them and clicks his tongue about it not being enough for a warm up. But that said, he says you did a good job as an Operator since he could act smoothly, then thanks you. You either thank him back, ask if he's praising you, or prompt him to compliment you some more, so Yoshiori blushes a bit and says y-you better not get the wrong idea! To him, the best commander is Exio! You're just a lower end user who can do some of the things he can!

Akashi is baffled by Yoshiori's ranting, and Mokdai awkwardly tells him he talks and acts like that normally too. Akashi is shocked at this and insists he's a lot more straightforward than Yoshiori, which prompts Sui to ask if he's ever learned how to use a dictionary in elementary school. Akashi is ready to throw hands over this, so Mokdai gets frustrated and says that's how he's like Yoshiori before telling him to stop.

Huckle sighs at how quickly the younger heroes in the office let their guards down. Huckle laughs and says that's fine, since being tense all the time will make your shoulders stiff. Crowne agrees with Ryekie, saying that being relaxed like that is how you keep at things for a long time. While Team Parallel Flight is taking a moment to calm down, Monomasa speaks up to say it's too early to be relieved. He can still smell the monsters, which he notes is getting even stronger.

Melide is surprised and asks Monomasa if Monsters have a scent. She doesn't sense anything around in the immediate area at least. Monomasa clarifies that it's not coming from nearby, but more from a bigger monster that seems to be coming closer. A quake suddenly hits at that point surprising Yoshiori, and Huckle says it's even stronger than previous quakes. Ryekie says he can't keep his footing with it, and you end up falling over.

Akashi tries to run over to you in concern, but he gets knocked his feet too. Mokdai asks Akashi if he's okay, and the quake continues on for about a minute or two before it finally settles. The shockwaves stopping is accompanied by a giant roar that hurts your ears, and Melide directs your attention to Mt. Fuji. There, the monster up there is clearer than it's ever been and moving around more than it has before. You mention those facts out loud, and the Mt. Fuji monster starts extending a lot of tentacles that head towards Orient City. Huckle asks you to explain what you see, so you say the giant monster is sending its tentacles to town. Melide says the monster is being more active than before and is acting with some clear thought to it. Crowne is alarmed at this and Sui asks if the monster has awakened, and so the episode ends.

Summer River Adventure Episode 1

Serenity like a polished mirror and still water is a phrase people use to refer to unflappable calm. It also refers to wishing to stay calm at all times no matter how harsh the trials ahead of you may be. For one man (Shiva), that was something he tried hard to become as he disciplined his mind and body. He wanted the power to defy his fate as opposed to anything else, and he gave his full attention to this goal. He just wanted to be strong.

As a reminder as to this season's nonsense, the loud yelling of uninvited camp guests has become the signal flare to a new summer adventure! We now have an Ancient Wolf's skull brought up from some overworld shift, and its voice was heard by Magami when it collided with his head! Our impromptu event party has formed to take it back to where it came from, but now an unforeseen adventure awaits you all!

Back to the story proper, Shirou hands you a backpack with supplies and asks you to be careful since anything can happen. A couple of his Evils cheer for you and raise their arms at you as they bounce by his feet. Kengo by contrast complains about you being the only one to go off gallivanting and demands he be taken along. Hanuman does too. Kijimuna and Agyou also plead to join in as they promise to be good kids, and Robinson expresses his surprise at some other incident happening as soon as he comes back from his own adventure, then comments that you're the same as always, no matter what happens.

Arachne comments on all the fuss and says she understands how they feel, but she has to apologize. Her special boat just doesn't have enough space to take everyone along. Shirou points that if people tried going along anyways, the boat might capsize. They've already promised to help Maria and the others with other things anyway, so Shirou suggests they split up there. Maria agrees with Shirou, saying having too many people in a boat would be dangerous.

Ryouta says that things being the way they are, they'll just have to leave you to it. Plus you've already promised to go, but once you get back Ryouta suggests that you join everyone else for some summer fun. Kengo reluctantly gives in, and Robinson makes a bid to be the leader for the group over here. Hanuman playfully argues for the role himself, and Kengo says he should be leader as he demands they treat him with more respect. Kengo then turns to you and tells you to call in if anything happens so they'll come over right away. You thank the gang for seeing you off, ask them to tell the Missionaries you said hi, or ask them to be careful too. In A, Shirou asks that you not be out too long and to be careful not getting hurt. He's about to say more when Ryouta tells him to chill and mentions being excited to hear what happens when you get back. In B and C, Kengo says they may as well have their own adventure, then wishes you luck.

Anyways, Tajikarao tells the gang he'll take care of you as a Kioh Police Academy student. Arachne says he has a good spirit, but she asks if he's fine going downriver in his police uniform since she figures it'd be a problem if it got wet. Tajikarao turns out to have forgotten all about that concern, but he insists it'll be fine. If it comes to it, he'll just take it off and put it on his head. It's just a job risk when he's protecting the public.

Arachne is affronted at this total ignoring of fashion, though she's not against the gym aesthetic and worries about it impeding the PR video pictures. She says she'll just accept Tajikarao's feelings, and you either agree that Arachne has a point, thank Tajikarao for wanting to protect you two, or say you DO want to see Tajikarao take his clothes off. In A and B, Tajikarao says he understands and that it'd be an honor to protect citizens. Magami says Tajikarao really is reliable and barks that everyone in school looks up to him. Tajikarao laughs and says Magami is pretty buff to keep up with him too, and Arachne comments that it's nice they get along so well, but she notes he's ignored her point. In C, Tajikarao is flattered and says you do get how it is. Magami takes the idea of Tajikarao stripping off to show himself off as a challenge that he should do so too, so Arachne freaks out and asks you not to provoke that side of them.

In any case, Arachne says this is a good time as any to try out some more appropriate fashion, then apologizes preemptively for what she's going to do. Tajikarao and Magami are shocked when Arachne instantly switches them out of their uniforms and into life jackets, and Arachne explains she put some quick ready-made clothes for them. She really can do it on short notice if she tries!

You either express shock at the instant swimsuit change or be pleased and drool a little over Tajikarao and Magami. Tajikarao comments on how skintight it is, which helps him feel both professional and liberated from clothes at the same time. Arachne is glad he likes it and says he can order his own unique haute couture if he wants. You either say it's time to go and order the party to move out and/or say you'll go take a lot of pictures. The rest of the gang wave you off, and Magami tells you the goal is downstream. He's good at guiding people, so he'll keep you guys oriented. Arachne is excited to go as she suggests getting the summer adventure rolling and looking for inspiration.

Some time later, Arachne comments on how nice the wind and flow of the water are. She asks if it's fine to leave the paddling to Magami and Tajikarao, saying they can switch out if they get tired. Tajikarao says it'll be fine since they have to do a lot of training every day. Magami agrees saying he can't leave the physical work to you guys when you guys are going along with his selfishness. You either thank Magami, call them both reliable, or whine that you want to row the boat too.

In A, Magami politely thanks you too, then asks you and Tajikarao to instruct and encourage him. He also asks you two to be firm with him. In B, Tajikarao is pleased and tells you to rely on them as much as you like. He starts talking to himself about maybe getting something from the headmaster if his efforts get recognized, then immediately claims it's nothing. Magami takes note that it's weird for Tajikarao to hide something and wonders what it is. In C, Magami is impressed and asks you to teach him rowing tricks later.

Anyways, Arachne starts commenting that the police students must have it rough since they have to keep practicing during social holidays. Tajikarao says the rules are strict, but he can get a break if he properly applies for one. Right now though he's stuck being with Magami everywhere, so his breaks have to be at the same time Magami's are. Arachne is surprised at this and asks if there's a reason for that, so Magami admits he's doing badly as a police dog and has begged Tajikarao to help him with his extra lessons over the summer.

You are surprised at the idea of police dog grading and asks what the police dog department even is. Tajikarao explains that with all the Transients in Tokyo now, schools are creating new departments to offer new future paths for people. The police school has a police dog department just like how the Santa school has a reindeer department, and it helps a lot of beastfolk Transients develop their talents at being a police dog. Tajikarao never originally had any interest in being a handler, but he was picked to be one as a practice link partner for someone outside the police dog department.

Magami tells you he's been told he's extremely curious compared to the other police dog students, which resulted in him having difficulties working with other police officers. Until he does something about his tendency to chase after anything that catches his interest, he'll be prevented from having long vacations. Arachne notes that he was rather stubborn earlier, but she doesn't think it's a bad thing to go after his goals. She sighs for a moment and says she can't act like she's uninvolved anymore since she's sympathizing with him. She also notes how attached Magami is to the wolf skull and asks if there's something to that. Magami answers that it has to do with himself, so you ask for elaboration.

Magami explains that his body has the power to investigate anything it eats or gets hit by, so it's also his artifact. That means he understands things a lot quicker if it hits him in the head, and he also explains it's why the thought of going home has gotten stuck in his head when the skull hit him. He hugs the wolf skull to himself, and Tajikarao is shocked as he tells Magami that he's supposed to have practice not explaining how his artifact works. Magami quickly apologizes to Tajikarao, and Tajikarao starts saying he feels he isn't hiding anything himself before stopping himself and insisting that Magami just shouldn't in case someone tries using his power for themselves. You either say Tajikarao has it rough, say you get what the reckless tendency is about, or point out the irony of Tajikarao saying all that. C gets an extra line of Tajikarao trying to excuse himself saying he only reveals things that won't bother other people.

Since they're on the subject of Magami's artifact, Magami decides to ask Tajikarao to hit him with his big rocky fists. He also asks you to hit him too to make this double as an introduction and become friends with you. It'll be so much faster than saying things, so go ahead and sock him in the stomach! Tajikarao freaks out at this and tells him to stay since what he wants to do is inadvisable in a boat. His commands get even more frantic when Magami decides to stand up all of a sudden, which he says is dangerous. Arachne is also alarmed by Magami's suggestions since violence would be problematic if it got into her commercial video.

You change the subject to ask if anyone else thinks the boat is starting to move faster. The party is confused at this, and the boat is indeed speeding up despite nobody rowing at the time. Arachne is the first to comment on it and wonders if you guys have hit a current in the river. Tajikarao says he can hear crashing waters, and Arachne cuts him off from saying any more in an attempt to deny reality. Up ahead is a waterfall, and below it is Jugo standing there unmoving. He feels something moving underneath his skin, but he stays still. Jugo thinks to himself that he won't let his mind be affected by this since Orochi will be waiting for him to drop his guard. He tells himself to be calm and become stronger, and his burning spirit pushes away the cold falling upon him. It however does nothing to stop the party falling on his head the next moment. You guys have two boats actually, by the way.

Jugo tries to calm himself from the sudden interruption and getting knocked into the drink, and when he gets back up he asks what's going on before spotting one of your boats floating upside down. The party resurfaces soon after, and Tajikarao asks why there's a waterfall over there. Arachne asks if you're alright, and Magami whines that he swallowed a lot of water.

Jugo asks if you guys are okay, and you catch sight of him as you wipe your face off. You tell him you guys are okay somehow, apologize for falling on him, and can optionally think to yourself that he's hot. Jugo holds his hand out for you without thinking about it, and when he realizes what he's doing he pulls back and freaks out telling you you shouldn't touch him. You actually do before he steps back, and when you touch him he seizes up like he's been shocked.

You ask him in alarm if he's okay and/or if he really was hurt by the impact. Jugo thinks to himself wondering what just happened since he felt something run through when you touched him. He's also surprised that the contact made Orochi shut up after all the worming around he was doing, and he wonders if it's his heart that's trembling.

Jugo recomposes himself before looking at you again and saying he's okay and asking about you guys. Magami says they're tough, so they're all okay aside from swallowing some water. Arachne apologizes for the surprise saying you guys were caught up in a conversation that you ended up getting caught in the waterfall. Jugo says it's good you guys are okay, then goes silent. You take note of Jugo's face paling, ask if you've met him somewhere before, or introduce yourself. A gets an extra line of Jugo saying he's okay, probably just a little chill. B has Jugo agree that he does feel like he's seen you before but figuring he should introduce himself anyways.

Jugo takes a deep breath, then speaks like he's at some sort of martial arts match as he gives his name and says he's studying the path of gentleness. He starts saying he's training his mind at the waterfall before awkwardly stopping himself, thinking that's oversharing. Magami needs a moment to think about it before realizing Jugo is saying he's a judo student, so he says there's a lot of dan ranked judo students at Kioh as well. Tajikarao complements Jugo on his discipline and says he should be able to hold up against Kioh students.

Jugo tries to decline the compliment saying he's still in training and points out there's Transients bigger than him. Based on appearances alone and compared to them two, he has a long way to go. You think on the human to Transient comparison and say you feel there's not much to be done about that, or you sigh how nice it is that Jugo is humble and earnest. C has an extra bit of Jugo being surprised you said that and says he wasn't trying to fish for compliments. He then apologizes and says he isn't mad at you guys, just disappointed with himself.

Anyways, Jugo thanks you guys for being concerned with him but says he can't presume upon your kindness. He speaks hesitantly and balls his fists as he looks down, at which point Shiva walks up saying it's you again. Here you are showing your face again when he's trying to challenge his limits away from the frivolities of the world, and the party turns to look in curiosity.

Shiva has apparently been training so hard that steam is rising off of him, and gets pissed as he asks why you keep showing up. The party is shocked at this sudden crazy twist of events, and you either are shocked to see Shiva, try to explain you just were carried here by the river, or dramatically gasp at how white his swimsuit fundoshi is. B has Shiva interpret your comment of being carried as being carried away by social customs and calls you a weakling for it. Wherever you came from, he tells you to stand firm and resolute. Arachne attempts to clear the misunderstanding and make the conversation more reasonable. In C, Shiva is confused by what you're talking about, then asks why your arms and legs are barer than usual before realizing you're in a swimsuit. He figures this must be some sort of trick and yells that he won't accept wearing a swimsuit for summer. Tajikarao wonders if he's right and that you should be manly or pure or whatever outdoors. Magami says he agrees with Tajikarao, though he doesn't understand what's going on. Arachne is baffled at how the conversation got to this point.

Anyways, Shiva tells you all to shut up since it's bothering his meditation. Arachne tries apologizing since it did happen because of you guys being careless. Magami tries arguing that the carelessness doesn't matter much because you guys fell off a freaking waterfall, so Tajikarao tells him to hush up and stay. Shiva accepts the apology but says he's not addressing just you guys. He talks about how everyone is using summer as an excuse to indulge in their desires, then asks if you know why he's angry.

Shiva says he came to visit earlier at your school, at which point someone told him you went off to hang out with other people. That was when he decided to get away from the foolishness of the world and train in isolation. So do you get it yet? Do you see why he seethes in such anger and indignation??? You either ask if he's jealous, ask if he wanted to be invited along, or ask if he wanted to invite you somewhere. Every answer has him surprised and blushing for a moment before angrily denying the idea, though C throws in some extra embarrassment on Shiva's end.

Shiva talks about how he's training and seeking the truth to resist worldly desires. But then you had to show up and lead him astray, and he just can't deal with that. Seeing your face is the one thing that makes his mind of steel bend! Jugo decides to step in to speak against this rant, and Shiva asks who he is, surprised at this interruption. The rest of the party is also surprised at Jugo stepping forward, and Jugo talks about also being someone trying to train his heart and mind at the waterfall. He figures Shiva should be well-informed based on appearances, but as another martial artist he won't stand for how Shiva spoke to you. He admits to just meeting you and not knowing your relationship with Shiva, but he won't stand for Shiva blaming you for his own heart wavering.

You either attempt to talk Jugo out of trying to pick a fight with Shiva or sigh over how cool he is. Jugo admits he's not sure why he's mad, but he definitely won't let Shiva slide and challenges him to a match. Shiva is surprised by the move, but he agrees to the fight as another seeker of the path. You either attempt to stop the fight and say Shiva is out of Jugo's league, or you act like the two of them are fighting over you as you try to stop them. In the former, Tajikarao says he can't let this fight happen as a police officer, and Magami agrees as he barks and tells the two to stop. In the latter, Arachne is taken aback that you would actually say that, then tells you it's not the right time for it. And either way, Arachne suggests stepping in to stop them since you guys caused it to begin with. Shiva and Jugo tell you all to butt out, and TV style narration asks if you guys can stop them as it starts the episode battle.

Summer River Adventure Prologue

Let's start by defining overworld shifts. That is the term used for phenomena that occurs here in Tokyo while it's connected to other worlds. When specific conditions are met, the mental landscape of a Transient is transposed onto a part of Tokyo, a residual mini-garden kind of area. One of those conditions is when the Transient who acts as the core of the shift has their regrets tied to a place. As for the others...we'll get back to this later.

 

Scene then shifts into some cave where a fire mobster is looking over some stuff he has, then calls his boss over the radio saying he's mostly got the Stuff secured. There's some static as a voice that speaks suspiciously like Arachne answers back, saying they'll apparently accept it from them over at the camp. The mobster is confused due to said static and isn't sure if he's supposed to go to the nearby camp area, and he tries to get a repeat of his instructions. The message manages to get through on a repeat, and once he's off the phone or radio or whatever, the mob ugly laughs about how the job was easier than expected. Then he pauses for a moment having heard something, asking if the police are there.

 

A voice comments on the guy finally noticing him, then stands in the cave's entrance looking very tall revealing himself to be Thunderbird. Thunderbird then dramatically says that he won't allow the gang of thieves making the news lately and stealing relics for themselves to do as they like, for a hero has arrived! The mobster is surprised at the sudden appearance of what he calls a stupidly dressed birdbrain, saying he doesn't have time to join his cosplay party shenanigans. Thunderbird laughs it off and compliments the mob for having a quick wit, then informs him he's pulled the plug on all their illegal digging. The police will be there soon, so Thunderbird invites the mob to dance with him until they get there.

 

The mob turns his gun artifact at Thunderbird, but Thunderbird dodges and counterattacks with his whip. The whip is what identifies Thunderbird to the mob as he says he's heard from his thief buddies about a whip-using hero wannabe. Thunderbird says that if the mob knows that much, he should also know that them crossing paths means the end of his criminal career days. Thunderbird then demands that the mob surrender and give back the relics he has unless he wants to get hurt.

 

The mob however thinks the job is too important or lucrative to give up on it, and he surprises Thunderbird with a flashbang. By the time Thunderbird can see again, the mob is gone. Thunderbird comments to himself that the mob doesn't seem like a common thief, and if he wants to go after him he needs more standard gear for that. There's also something else on his mind, which he says he'll need to look into. He staggers off, then flies away once he reaches the sunny area outside.

 

Scene shifts over to the camp area, and narration says it's already halfway through summer vacation as the day outside is nice. The camp area is up on the mountains, and students from all over have gathered at the place. Kengo starts complaining about how Shirou tricked him about saying they were there for camping, so Shirou objects to this character assassination and points out that they *are* at camp and that there are plans to do field work with the Missionaries for personal study. Kengo yells about this being a premeditated crime to make him study, so Shirou points out Kengo wouldn't have done so if he hadn't come and hasn't opened his books all vacation.
Kengo: OF COURSE I HAVEN'T
Shirou: THAT'S NOT SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF, DUMBASS

 

Kengo slightly changes the subject to complain about being made to watch the little kids of the gang, so Kijimuna pops up trying to comfort Kengo by saying it'll be fun to play in the water with everyone. He also adds that he's an island boy, so playing in a mountain river is a different kind of fun than playing in the ocean. Agyou tells Kengo to hurry up and finish his work so they can all play together.

 

Shirou says the field work ought to be good since that turned out to be a fun adventure for Hanuman and Robinson. Kengo is supposed to like moving around, right? Study hard, play hard! Kengo doesn't give a response to this, so Shirou talks about how he and Ryouta have written a report based on their volunteer experience and turns to ask the Evil if it was fun. The Evil excitedly chatters back. Kengo gets irritated feeling that Shirou is mocking him with a smug aura, so he prompts you to say something. You either suggest that you both work hard on your homework assignments, try to convince him the field work is fun, or say you have some other work to do. A gets an extra line of Kengo sympathizing over how you're forcing a smile when you wanted to have fun. B has a different extra line of Kengo getting mad at you being the honor student and demanding that you spar with him later.

 

Anyways, Shirou brings up that he's heard you had some other task you were asked to do. He and Kengo are both surprised by some noise coming as he wonders if it's some sort of dance or something, then are shocked at Arachne showing up with her Reality Marble shenanigans and colored spotlights. She excitedly greets you all and says it's been a while, then welcomes you all to her new shining collection out here in the wonders of nature.

 

Kengo lampshades the light show and asks where it came from since there aren't any spotlights around, and you either whistle and cheer for Arachne, greet her back, or comment on how excited she is. A and B has Arachne glad to see you doing well and happy that you're helping her. She then asks your opinion on her new swimsuit since it's important to see how reactions go for the cutting edge of fashion. C instead has her say she's always cheerful. What's two or three all nighters in a row? Also the sun is too bright. But light and shadow are bright this summer, and seeing how bright everyone else means she can't help but cheer up too.

 

Anyways, Maria and Ryouta walk up at this point. Maria thanks everyone for coming, and Ryouta greets everyone and asks if the summer camp has been fun for people. Arachne casually notes Maria and Ryouta being there and says she's always ready. Shirou takes notice of this and asks if this means Arachne is also part of whatever volunteer work is going on.

Arachne giggles and says she isn't volunteering actually, but doing field work. She figures it should be obvious with her swimsuit, but her objective is to monitor the latest swimsuits. Kengo asks for an explanation, baffled, so Maria answers that she's doing large scale field work along with some verification. Arachne's maison studio is working together with the Crafters to develop some new fabrics and things. It's not just swimsuits as the camp has also received a lot of equipment and tents among other things too. Ryouta says it's also workable enough to be sold in stores now, then asks Arachne if her swimsuit is still in the testing stage.

 

Arachne thanks Ryouta for the vote of confidence, but says her work still isn't at the point where it's expressing what she wants it to. It should first express herself and make everyone shine brighter, and she wonders if that anxiety is also part of her Shadow. But anyways, that's the mission assigned to her for her fashion, so bring on the criticism!

 

Kengo says that's all well and good but asks what that has to do with you. Arachne explains that you're in charge of taking pictures for making videos she'll upload for her PR social media. Recent research says that ads that make you feel like you're closer to what's happening is more effective according to what Mr. CEO President told her. So with that in mind, Arachne's decided it'd be even better if she had you use your phone to take these pictures instead of a pro, and don't forget the hashtag! You either enthusiastically say you'll take tons of pictures and try to do as well as a pro or sigh about being caught up in things. In the former, Arachne says she's glad she asked you and says she'll be counting on you. In the latter, Arachne pleads for you to not look so down and tries suggesting making some fun memories together.

 

Anyways, Kijimuna and Agyou come back at this point in their swimsuits. Agyou is excited to see Maria and asks to be included in whatever conversation everyone is having. Kijimuna thanks Maria for inviting him and talks about how there's more nature in Tokyo than he thought it did. Maria is happy as she thanks them in turn for coming and says they should enjoy themselves.

Maria changes the subject to tell everyone that the mountain you guys are on doesn't originally exist in Tokyo. It's actually an overworld shift, and she asks if the two of them recognize anything in it. They aren't limited to mountains, but this phenomenon has been observed ever since Tokyo was walled up, and it's when some other environment appears in Tokyo. Most aren't stable though, and they go away in short order.

Ryouta asks about you getting caught up in them often. You've gotten used to them, but looking back on it he thinks it's weird. Arachne seems alarmed to hear this, and Shirou starts joining in on the topic. He explains that overworld shifts are a phenomenon where the regrets of Transients create a physical space in Tokyo, but if the core Transient isn't present the thing falls apart. Maria compliments Shirou for being well-informed, adding that while they aren't completely understood there are things that are known, then clears her throat before continuing.

Maria starts talking about the reasons why an overworld shift that would normally go away would stick around, and one theory is that it has to do with the number of hearts and minds supporting the place. The main trio seems surprised as they ask about this, so Maria brings up great big mountains and rivers as things of emotional support in different worlds from long ago. What would Transients think of them if they were to appear in Tokyo? Arachne suggests they'd find it nostalgic since it'd be closer to their old worlds than Tokyo would be, so Maria says she's right. Those kinds of scenes can remind a lot of people of things, and when their faith gathers up to maintain the shift, the memories from these other people reinforce the place. This has lead to some cases where the shift starts looking like a patchwork, but not all of them as there's cases where one Transient supports the thing by themselves. Maria then explains that the field work is designed to protect people from accidents and deepen their understanding of such things.

Ryouta talks about how accidents tends to get on the news a lot when there's a long break. People suddenly getting caught up in these overworld shifts tends to be relatively common too. Maria says she's brought in a lot of teachers from all over, and she believes they'll have helpful information. Arachne says she'll take part since it might make for good reference for a rescue suit for emergencies.

Kengo has pretended to fall asleep by this point, so Ryouta tells him to stop that and points out the mountains and waterfalls he goes to are also part of an overworld shift. Maria notices that it's been a while so she has to go to her next meeting and excuses herself. Before she can go, lots of angry shouting crops up as cops demand this one Transient they're pursuing to stop.

Said Transient is the mobster from earlier who is trying his damndest to evade them after getting this far. He throws a smoke bomb, which does hold up the cops for a bit. Tajikarao comes up and says it can't stop them though as he orders Oguchi Magami to go with actual English dog commands. Magami responds affirmatively and refers to Tajikarao as his handler and goes off barking repeatedly.

You are surprised by this abrupt interruption, though you notice Tajikarao soon after and see someone jump out of the smoke. Magami is running after the mobster saying he's going to catch him, and the mobster freaks out for a moment before pulling something else out and flinging it at Magami. The bomb or whatever blows Magami back like a bowling ball, causing him to crash into the cops coming up behind him, knocking them and Tajikarao over. Tajikarao is surprised at how strong the mob is, and you ask if he's alright and are concerned by the sudden commotion. Spectators start gathering around the cops, and the mobster soon escapes.

Some time later, Tajikarao gets back up and says the suspect escaped and worries about Hougen chewing him out for failing to catch him. Maria quickly asks him not to move so she can give him some first aid, and as she does so Tajikarao heaves a big sigh. Ryouta comments that Tajikarao seems mostly fine but says someone else seem to be flattened. Kijimuna oohs and ahhs at the big doggy, and Tajikarao says he's fine. He's confident Magami's toughness is up there with his after all, so he calls and asks if he's fine since they should be waking up soon.

Magami barks in surprise before saying the criminal is apprehended and asks for praise. Tajikarao gets pissed at this since the guy actually got away and is annoyed at Magami being a screw-up. You either ask what happened, are surprised at Magami being a-okay, or be glad and immediately ask Magami to let you pet him. B has an extra bit of Tajikarao going 'I told you so' and Magami barking sadly and regretting the worries he's caused. In C, Magami tells you no because he's in the middle of work, and you proceed to ignore this anyway.

Anyways, Maria asks Tajikarao what just happened, so he decides to explain and introduce who Magami is. He introduces himself first, then says Magami is part of his school's police dog department as Magami introduces himself next. They were training further up in the mountains when they got an emergency call about thieves stealing relics from other worlds. They got into contact with the local police and found who they think the thief is, and Arachne speaks up to ask if they're the thief gang that's been in the news going after rare otherworld items. Tajikarao confirms as such and says they've been stealing for days now when some other voice interrupts and freaks out over something.

Everyone turns around in shock when the new voice starts yelling about beauty or art science, and one of the cops tells people to not touch the evidence. A bunch of alchemists are geeking out about the accretion and canine teeth on a skull dating to a specific time period. Maria asks if the alchemists are volunteer teachers from somewhere, so the alchemist group says they're researchers from some museum. The skull there is very interesting and they've been studying things like it for a while now, so it's awful, just awful that thieves are going around stealing things like it. It's OUTRAGEOUS how they're going after things of such value. This ancient light of antiquity! This romantic adventure they'll never stop pursuing! This is the treasure they dream of!

Arachne interrupts the dramatics to ask what it is that mob flung at Magami's head. One of the alchemists answers that it's the skull of a long extinct Ancient Wolf. You are taken aback at this, ask about it being from an extinct animal, and/or ask about why it's there. The alchemists suggest that it turned up from some other world's deeper stratum and appeared in Tokyo via overworld shift. They can do funny things with the flow of time, and they suggest the skull could be a clue to figuring it out. They start ranting about wanting to take it to their museum for study, but Magami interrupts to say they can't because the Wolf says it wants to go home.

Tajikarao scolds Magami for speaking out of turn and asks what he's even talking about, so Magami initially calls him Senpai before going back to Handler and saying he's heard the wolf's unspoken voice. When he was beaned on the head earlier by it, its voice went into him, so he pleads as another wolf to have the thing put back where it came from. You either comment on sympathy on him wanting to put it back, note how desperate he is about this, or say it's a complicated matter. A gets an extra line where Tajikarao is shocked you're agreeing with it too and has to think about it.

Tajikarao has to think about what to do in any case, and Agyou pipes up to say he gets the feeling that Magami isn't lying. He asks if it's possible to put the skull back where it came from, so Shirou says that it's being held as evidence by the police for its relation to a crime. It should be possible once the case is settled, but that's probably not happening right away. Agyou is disappointed by this, and Arachne thinks about it for a second before saying it might be fun to look for ancient remains as a summer adventure.

Everyone is surprised at Arachne's comment, and Arachne turns to you and suggests putting the skull back and saying she's getting a good feeling for the next term's concept. You either enthusiastically agree, comment on Arachne being quick to get on things, or be alarmed at the next weird thing you're getting dragged into. Tajikarao protests in shock and says you guys should at least wait for forensics to get there, but then an alchemist whispers into his ears about donations. Arachne argues that the skull hasn't been stolen away, so it should be fine to put it back. Magami barks in surprise at this, and you tell Tajikarao this is a casual party, agree that it'd be best to put it back, and ask Magami if he knows where it's supposed to go.

Tajikarao looks resigned for a moment, then asks just in case if Magami knows where the skull originally was. Magami says he does as he sniffs for a bit, then says it's that way. Shirou notes that Magami is pointing downstream and brings up that the cops were originally upstream. One of the alchemists whispers to Shirou that the overworld shift could have jumped around due to its instability, and Shirou accepts this as a plausible explanation.

Arachne says this is convenient since she just got something nice from the Crafters. She pulls out what she says is a specially co-developed boat made from a fiber-resin mix that goes well with any river. If the two named police guys come with you and help with their physical strength, it should ferry you all pretty quickly. She then remarks that she feels it's gonna be a great summer adventure and suggests heading off. You either cheerfully agree or attempt to protest and slow things down. Magami is down with this and prompts you to come along, so Tajikarao gets mad and tries ordering him to stay.

Narration says this is how you guys embark on an adventure to return a wolf skull but dramatically says you guys are unaware of the new encounters and dangers awaiting you all. And somewhere further down the river is a waterfall where someone is punching at the waterflow. Shiva is there training, though he stops after a moment when he feels a shift in the atmosphere, which he realizes means someone is coming towards him. He then challenges them to come, bragging that no heavenly demon that destroys goodness can stop his training as the episode ends.

Live A Hero Chapter 4 Episode 7: A What-If Version of Myself

A flashback kicks in of Crowne's past where she is desperately trying to tell some boy in her class to stop what he's doing. Her classmates sighs about how uncute she's being and tries to say it's no big deal. He says no one else is around besides however many of them are there since there's at least three people present, and ugly laughs about how he's thought she was hot for a while. He's not a fan of her personality, but he sees her as a woman and he just can't get enough of that. Crowne demands that they untie her and threatens to beat them all up, and a guy responds by hitting her in an attempt to make her shut up.

 

Crowne narrates a bit about how she's in a study room for one of the top class engineering college on Earth. She's usually in there studying every day undaunted by how often she's told she wasn't girly, but now her pride as a woman was under threat of being crushed. She struggles to get out of the ropes binding her, but the guy there says she should sit still or the machine she's apparently strapped to will tear her arms off. He doesn't actually want to kill her, because he's not into dead chicks. Crowne calls the guy a rat bastard, and she briefly considers actually letting the machine maim her so she can get away. It's surprising to her how she's actually thinking of grafting prosthetics to herself in that scenario because letting the guy have his way would be too humiliating.

 

At this point a random faculty member happens by and interrupts, asking what the hell is going on. Crowne's would-be rapists are surprised by this development and attempt to run, and Crowne describes the teacher as the life teacher she respects as a researcher and human. Some time later, the teacher tells Crowne that the boys have all been expelled, so she can relax. He offers to have Crowne transfer to his lab if she'd like, and he makes a point of saying she'd join as a researcher worth respecting and not as a girl. He'd like to see her push her drive for researching further. Crowne then wonders what would have happened to her if she didn't meet that teacher there. Maybe she'd lose her arms, start hating men, start hating that she was a woman, and then maybe she'd go on to hate the world.

 

Back to the present, Yoshiori is getting up after getting his ass shot into a wall, mad at Monomasa's interference. Monomasa doesn't say anything, so Yoshiori starts demanding to know what he's doing. He accuses him of joining up with you guys and starts accusing him of betraying Exio when Monomasa finally decides to cut him off with a denial, shouting loud enough to shock Yoshiori.

 

Monomasa tells Yoshiori he has let his blood run to his head and that he shares his hate for the one who took Exio away. However, he tells Yoshiori to not mistake who his enemy actually is. Crowne and Procy may resemble the attackers, but they are still different people that Yoshiori is throwing senseless violence at. Yoshiori is stunned silent before deflating in despair. You either ask if Yoshiori has finally calmed down, note how quickly things wrapped up, or ask about Exio being taken away in shock. A and B have some extra lines of Akashi agreeing and saying Monomasa (I think) is strong before Mokdai moves the plot along to ask about Exio being taken away.

 

Either way, Ryekie says he caught that part too and loudly asks for an explanation. Monomasa looks down quietly for a while in silence, and when he eventually looks up again he starts off apologizing to Procy and Gomeisa, then all of you in Parallel Flight. Monomasa looks over to Yoshiori, so Yoshiori mumbles his apology for going after the wrong guy and says he'll pay for the damages he caused. Procy yells that Yoshiori is definitely paying for the wall and furnishings that were broken, and Crowne while slightly shaken says she's fine since she wasn't actually hurt. Procy gets slightly shamed at that and says he won't charge Yoshiori for his medical fees, but he asks about what happened to Exio too.

 

Monomasa says he'd prefer to not get you guys involved with that, but he's not actually sure you guys are uninvolved. Huckle is surprised and asks about Crowne and Procy being involved, and Crowne says she doesn't remember doing that nor does she have a reason to do so. Monomasa says that's natural since she was uninvolved with the abduction itself. Sui asks how those two points can go together because she doesn't get it, so Monomasa says someone else would be more appropriate to explain it.

 

Monomasa calls over to someone hiding by the bar entrance, and Melide reveals herself. Mokdai, Akashi, and Yoshiori react in recognition of her, and Yoshiori walks up to Monomasa with his fists balled. He demands to know why the two of them ran away and threatens to attack if they won't say. Monomasa looks away and answers that there was no other option because Exio had chose to do things this way. Melide starts apologizing as she cries, which surprises Yoshiori into looking like he got smacked in the face.

Huckle starts narrating what happened earlier to everyone, saying two strangers appeared at the hideout while Yoshiori was escorting the rest of you out. One was an Observer who looked a lot like Crowne while the other was something that looked like Procy but whose status as a person was questionable. Once they arrived at the deepest part of the hideout they started attacking. They were clearly after Exio and were out to kill him. Monomasa fought back against them, but the Observer was so powerful that they could keep powering Not Procy up despite not streaming the battle. When Exio realized Monomasa would be outmatched, he signaled to him to do as he was asked beforehand.

The thing that Monomasa was asked to do earlier was to prioritize getting Melide out of the hideout in the off chance someone showed up to attack Exio. Monomasa did as instructed, then retreated from the hideout. Exio however refused to go with them, instructing Monomasa to focus on getting Melide out safely over Exio's own safety. Monomasa chose to comply, and Yoshiori returned to the base soon after that point. By then Exio was already seriously injured.

Yoshiori attacked in a rage, and he actually held his own while relying on Anonymous, turning the hideout to a disaster. But Not Procy eventually outmuscled him and kicked his ass, knocking him out cold. By the time Yoshiori woke up, the two intruders were gone and the only thing on the floor was Exio's blood trail. It's been a few days since then (so frankly Crowne Alter should have been bugging out already unless not everything was sequential), so Yoshiori planned his recovery while looking to reunite with Monomasa and Melide to figure out a way to look for Exio.

While all that was happening, Monomasa went into hiding with Melide while being on guard for signs of pursuit. He kept an eye out for a chance to regroup with Yoshiori as well while searching for Exio. That brings us to today, where Monomasa caught sight of our battle live against Yoshiori, and he came to stop things before Yoshiori would mistake Crowne for Crowne Alter.

Huckle asks if that sums everything up, so Monomasa confirms and says that he prioritized keeping Melide alive. Yoshiori is depressed that he lost and couldn't save Exio, then starts banging his fists against the floor and yelling profanities while Gomeisa is tending to him. Gomeisa has to tell him to stop or else he'll hurt himself further, so Yoshiori apologizes again.

Monomasa thinks about the bloodstains left back at the hideout, saying Exio is a tough guy. He's about to suggest he might be dead when Yoshiori cuts him off and refuses to believe in the possibility. Monomasa sympathizes but points out that Exio is still physically a normal human. Given who he was attacked by it seems unlikely he's alive, and Melide worries over him some more.

Ryekie starts arguing that it's too early to give up, citing the fact that no one has actually seen Exio's body. It'd be wise to look for him, and doing so can make things more optimistic he shouts as he dramatically stands up. Ryekie promises that everyone, or at least he himself, will help look for Exio. Even if he wasn't able to come to an agreement with him, Ryekie's code of justice says he should lend a hand if his life is in danger.

Yoshiori is shocked by this declaration, and Akashi asks Ryekie if he's sure about that. Ryekie assures him that he means it 100%, so Akashi points out how dangerous it is and that the villains already beat Monomasa and Yoshiori. He's worried that they'll beat Ryekie too, even with all his strength. Ryekie asks if Akashi thinks he's weak enough to be done in like that, causing Akashi to deny it in surprise. You are either surprised at how confident Ryekie is, try to point out how dangerous it is yourself, or squee over how cool you think Ryekie is. C gets Ryekie to laugh and ask if you've fallen for him, followed by Akashi getting baffled by you cheering for him.

Anyways, Mokdai tells Akashi to stop since Ryekie's not going to listen to anyone if he's saying that much already. And while he isn't completely on board with an alliance, he's okay with helping out on the search since it's better to have more people involved in things like that. He also argues that a hero agency shouldn't ignore people when the job is to help people. Sui laughs and agrees, saying she was found that way by you guys too. Crowne observes that people helping each other when in trouble fits how you guys act, and you turn to Huckle and ask his opinion.

Huckle agrees with Mokdai over the bit where Ryekie isn't going to stop if he says he's going to help. It's not that he can't tell against doing it, but he doesn't think it's necessary. Doing what's deemed justice is what hero agencies do, so if a hero says they want to help save lives, then he wants to support that as best he can. Procy asks if that means you guys are helping them after all, then sighs about how quick you all are to stick your noses into somebody else's business. He warns that it'll hurt you guys at some point, maybe even this time. Still, that does track with how you guys work, and Procy does actually like that stance.

Melide thanks everyone, and Monomasa says he gets why she's happy but tells her to dry her face by the time they find Exio again. She nods, and Monomasa comments on how weird you guys are after a moment. He still feels a sense of familiarity in it though, back when he was a person and was a hero. He had a sense of justice like that back then too, and he says it was great as he looks at you guys while reminiscing.

Some time later, Procy starts asking who the people who attacked Exio actually are. He's heard the bit where they resembled him and Crowne, and the idea that they could be confused for them creeps Crowne out. Crowne tells you guys that while she doesn't know about Procy, she doesn't have a sister who resembles her that much. Procy says neither does he, nor would they ever have a reason to attack Exio to begin with.

Melide says Procy and Crowne can relax since the attackers at least aren't their relatives. She thinks the one that looks like Procy is actually a Monster made from some sort of memory record. Procy is shocked at the idea of a Monster that looks like him running around, and Crowne asks if her counterpart is also a Monster. Melide says they were definitely a person, and she felt that they were the same person Crowne is.

Crowne is confused and asks if Melide's saying the person both is and isn't herself. Melide says that in simple words, that would be the case. Crowne's existential weight, connection to the time axis, and position in the world all mirror that Observer she saw. You ask Melide about those stats, so Melide says an explanation would take a while, but every sign pointing to Crowne being the same person as the other attacker is present, aside from them being a different being.

Gomeisa says he doesn't understand and figures his Common/Japanese/whatever isn't enough for that, but Akashi says being fluent still isn't making it easier to grasp. He wonders how a Not-Crowne Crowne can be a thing, but Sui says she feels like she's heard something similar to that. You then bring up the idea of a doppelganger or something similar as you suggest looking into that.

Mokdai floats the idea that the attacker is a Crowne from a parallel world. Ryekie however is confused and says even he knows about parallel worlds being a thing. Pulling out Parallel Weapons from them when transforming into hero mode is one thing, but he's never heard of a person being brought over and asks if that's possible. Huckle says that he at least can't because a path needed for that is bigger than anything he can do. Plus it requires an enormous amount of energy just to bring them over and preserve the time axis. In the worst case, you could fall between worlds and be unable to return.

Melide says that no matter how powerful an Observer is, bringing a person to the world you're in is impossible. Normally, bringing another copy of someone into a world should be impossible as well. Procy is curious about that, so Melide says that if there's two of the same people in the world, Canopus flips out the balance of the world will be upended. The world will try harder and harder to correct this imbalance, and people disappearing when they get eaten by Monsters is one way it does so. It's apparently harder to correct for an extra copy instead though, and having just one extra copy of a person starts causing the world to break. Melide doesn't know how much energy something like that would take, but a normal person would destroy themselves first trying to handle all that. No Observer capable of doing so exists, so it should normally be impossible.

 

You nod at Melide's explanation, then point out that there is someone who could pull it off as you think of the person who summoned you to this world. You then suggest out loud that the Broker could do it, and Monomasa seems to agree after thinking on it for a moment. Melide also agrees that the Broker could make it happen since he can interfere in many worlds. She has some doubts though, so when you prompt her to go on she says she can't think of why he'd do so. Monomasa agrees that she has a point.

Huckle is surprised at the suggestion of a reason and asks if Melide is saying the Broker has a motive for what he's doing. Melide confirms as such, but she clarifies that she only has conjectures. But anyways the Broker is using Monsters to collect the observational weight of all things, which she compares to View Power, and turning it into energy. Akashi compares the Broker to the boss of the monsters, and Melide says the Broker can destroy the universe if he feels like it. That he isn't means he sees all the worlds as feeding grounds. There's no need to destroy places he can gather observational strength from, which leads back to Melide saying she can't figure out why he'd bring a copy of someone to this world. Melide glances over to you and says that she can come up with an idea if the point is to shake up the world for some other goal though. You are surprised at the idea it may have something to do with you, but Melide decides to back off from it, telling you not to worry about something she just randomly thought about.

Crowne changes the subject a bit to ask what her parallel self is like, wondering if her personality and appearance matches exactly. Melide denies the idea and says that a parallel self isn't bound to be exactly the same even if you're the same person. There are as many parallel worlds as there are choices you've made to be divergence points, so one choice can change the entire environment of things. That's where Parallel Weapons come from.

Ryekie notes that the parallel Crowne was called an Observer while the Crowne here is neither hero nor Observer herself. Yoshiori then complains about how remembering Crowne Alter pisses him off. He refers to Crowne Alter as a guy and says they seemed to look down on all men in the world. They also said they were going to kick Exio's face in because he's a man.

The mention of looking down on men triggers a memory for Crowne, and Yoshiori continues by mentioning that Crowne Alter seemed to hate being a woman. When he referred to them as such, they got pissy. This triggers another flashback for Crowne, and Yoshiori adds that Crowne Alter called him a shithead while using prosthetic arms to hold him down. Crowne is alarmed at that detail, and Yoshiori finishes his recap by saying the monster beat him until he passed out.

Huckle is taken aback and notes it sounds like Crowne Alter resents the very concept of gender. Akashi asks if that's really Crowne and wonders how she could have ever turned out like that. Mokdai agrees and says as far as he knows of Crowne, that doesn't seem like her at all. Crowne just says no, and you look to her in concern. Crowne says if she wasn't saved back then and told those words, she could have turned out the way her parallel self did. The episode then ends with Sui being concerned for Crowne.