Hey, Settei. This isn't getting us anywhere.
I know. They're gathering around some kind of great power.
Like that over there?
Wait!
We should exorcise the area first!
We don't have time for that!
There's their boss!
Crap. That dark spirit has a mind of its own?
Seriously? It pierced my Soul-Fragment Aura.
O contractor of my soul...
Become the wall that divides the truth from illusion.
Separate flesh, blood, and spirit.
Sever,
Phantom Realm!
Damn.
Kondo-san...
Sincerity
Why does "music" exist in this world?
I think I've figured it out
This melody will go on living much, much longer than us
For thousands and tens of thousands of years
Carrying the flames of wishes past
Traveling across time
What color is your elegy?
Well? Tell me
My 1,000% pure curiosity
Can't be stopped
Let my heart sing, sing, sing, sing and turn my life into music
I despise the word "destiny"
Ghosts still believe in pure dreams
Just as everyone's souls scream
The racing ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump, ba-dump running through the present
Waltzes through the new world with enough force
to break through the afterlife's border
Now smile and shine
What was that for, Rui?
That's what you get for overdoing it.
Sure, but who hits someone they just helped?
I confirmed your responses are normal.
You seem fine.
Hey, wait! Hey!
Damn it. I'm gonna kill her.
What a foul mouth.
It's not appropriate language for a temple.
What shall we do, Monk?
We don't have time to wait for Akari to recover.
In that case, I can do it.
You're too exhausted from repeated battles.
But...
Yoichi needs rest, too.
Am I up?
We encountered countless weak dark spirits.
Your power is perfect for that.
But Akari mentioned a swordsman spirit.
I can't beat a strong individual enemy.
I could probably buy time forever, though.
That's true. I don't know who that spirit is, but they're special.
They're probably a Great Ghost as or more powerful as Cleopatra.
Great Ghost?
The spirits of great people.
The ghosts of people who made their mark on the world
are as powerful as you'd expect.
Then use our strength.
We offer it to Seria.
Huh? What?
It's a pain for us to speak directly into your mind, isn't it?
It's also a pain when you suddenly show up.
I suppose that's true. Forgive us.
But Aiba-san must be exhausted, too.
Seria's exhausted hardly any of her own strength.
She must be using the energy of the spirits possessing her.
The other day was a walk in the park.
Now, let us go.
Are you sure, Cleo?
What do you mean?
I promised we'd look for your son Caesarion.
We don't know where to begin looking.
Sometimes you run into people where you least expect it.
Yes, and we can simply win over the swordsman and force him to help us.
Easier said than done.
Is there nothing you can do to trigger Spirit-Sync?
No. It's involuntary.
I see.
But even without your Spirit-Sync Requiems,
you still have an abundance of power.
Follow my orders. It's worth testing your abilities.
Hey.
You can't seriously be considering leaving me behind.
Akari.
We will. You'd just get in the way.
No, I'll get better in a couple of days.
That's too slow. If our next attempt fails, I'll bring you after that.
Keep quiet and wait here.
But...
Don't be in such a hurry to die, Akari.
Your life doesn't just belong to you.
Fine.
Akari-san?
What is it, Akari Murayama-san?
Shut up! Die, Monk!
Why is Akari-san like that?
Excuse me.
H-Hello.
Thanks for coming, Yotetsu.
I see you're still a lolicon.
Fool.
And you still hit people, too.
So, what did HQ say?
Seria Aiba-san.
Y-Yes?
TERA will hire you as a medium.
Employment Contract
A medium?
You'll be given room and board.
Officially, you'll be dead, but TERA recognizes your existence.
Wh-What should I do?
TERA's goal is the occupation of the Phantom Realm.
We seek to secure as much territory as possible.
Depending on your contributions, you may be rewarded.
You could request a transfer to another branch as well.
But I want to help the monk, not TERA.
With Settei-san's personal goals?
N-Never mind. Forget I said anything.
I am aware of his goals.
I volunteered to manage and assist the Ibaraki Branch to make those reality.
Really?
Yotetsu, when are you leaving?
Tomorrow evening.
Then help me until then.
You've got plenty of time on your hands, right?
Of course.
We'll head out to place flagstones tomorrow morning.
Riku, Seria, Yotetsu. I'm counting you.
Yes, sir.
Understood.
Hey, Akari.
Pass me that record over there.
Over where? The Zoo True Bee one?
No, to the right of that.
Oh, this desert one.
Cool sleeve, right?
Huh? Oh, yeah.
But this person's face is blurry. What's that about?
I went to buy that with Eriko.
With Grandma, huh?
That's why I never bought a new one to replace it.
Looking at this reminds me of the music and how things looked back then.
Some memories cling to objects, I guess.
But even among them, this one is special. It even comes with music.
That's why I love records.
I still can't throw them away even though I can't listen to them anymore.
How many times have you told me about this?
Do you have anything like that?
Huh? Like what?
Oh, a pot.
For tea?
No, for plants.
We made it when we went to Izu, remember?
I guess it's different since we can still use it.
Oh, yeah. Anything planted in that grows well.
Right? You'd better keep it even if it breaks.
You're right.
I wish I could listen to this.
You'll be able to someday.
Hey!
Music detected. Please cease singing immediately.
Your cooperation is appreciated.
To thank you, MiucS will provide you with a song composed for you, Masanori-sama.
Would you like to hear it?
Hell no.
Understood. Please let us know if you need it in the future.
MiucS is always with you.
Have a good day.
I'll make sure you can sing again someday.
What was that?
Sorry. I brought your medicine.
Friend of yours?
Yeah.
Come in.
Pardon me.
This is from Rui-san.
Thanks.
I, um...
Is this a "The Maid Saw It All" thing?
Huh? Oh...
Thanks for coming, miss. Would you like some coffee?
Yes, please.
Are you surprised?
Yes. I had no idea your "grandma" was actually your grandpa.
Are you saying that on purpose, Serian?
My grandma's dead. She's at a grave nearby.
What? I-I see. Your grandma's already...
Wait, what's Serian?
Your nickname.
You've got kind of—actually, a real extraterrestrial quality to you.
So, you know.
I'm not sure I know what you mean.
Yeah? Sorry. Then I'll change it.
You don't have to do that.
Yeah? Then it's nice to meet you, Serian.
It's nice to meet you, too, Akarin.
Yeah, you're definitely from Pluto.
You don't like Akarin?
That's not my only issue.
You don't have a reason to call me that, right? That's not good enough.
Just call me Akari. That's what everyone calls me.
Okay.
Good.
Akari-sa— Akari, you fight for your grandpa and grandma, right?
Yeah.
I want my grandpa to be able to listen to music and sing like he used to.
And I want to protect the things he's loved.
MiucS would threaten to kill someone unless they
threw away their records, you know?
And that's why you're so passionate.
Grandpa might not be around much longer.
But since you proved you can sing if you die before your actual death,
maybe I'll have him do that.
It can be pretty inconvenient.
I had to come here without GPS navigation.
And I'm dead to the world.
I have less freedom than you think.
I see. I think I'd choose this over singing.
I won't deny that you don't notice some conveniences until you've lost them.
I wonder how Grandpa feels.
Not that I want him to die.
But you want to grant him his wish.
Yeah, but that's not all.
What?
Uh, never mind! It's nothing!
Well, now I'm curious.
Then perform a party trick or something. Just make my grandma laugh.
Then I'll tell you the other reason I fight.
Party trick? Grandma?
She likes humor that's both bold and dirty.
Something at least on the level of "Don't worry. I'm wearing."
Uh, what?
Don't worry. I'm wearing!
Who is this guy?
Tonikaku Akarui Takamura?
What a name!
He was popular when I was your age.
Then he got popular in Southern Europe for some reason.
And you're supposed to do something like this?
Yes. Don't you get curious when someone keeps secrets from you?
Saionji-san.
Grandma, right? I understand why you don't mind the nickname Akari gave you.
I'm glad.
So I'll also call you—
Don't.
You don't need to know right away, do you?
You should sleep so you're ready for tomorrow.
You're right.
Well, I should get going.
Good night, Saionji-san.
Good night, Aiba-san.
Good night, Kae-chan.
Good night, Seri-chan.
What is it?
Nothing. Excuse me.
For Akari's grandpa's sake, I have to destroy MiucS
and find a trick to perform...
It's thicker than before.
It's pitch black.
I'll provide Spiritual Armor.
Thanks.
Riku, handle those.
This is more than I expected.
But whatever.
O accursed, pitiful spirits of the dead...
The life you seek lies here.
Sync with me, and manifest as my power!
Wow.
Deathbind.
It allows her to command any spirits less powerful than herself.
Are you all right?
Yes, I'm fine.
There's simply a lot of them, and they were powerful in life.
They gathered around that person?
Charge straight in. I'll back you up.
Got it.
Cleopatra, Caesar, Antonius.
Lend me your strength.
You look beautiful.
Here I go.
Please move! We need this space!
They're quick, but...
She's holding her ground.
It's no surprise, with three Great Ghosts inside her.
I don't mind playing a supporting role.
Can you do it?
Yes.
Spirits, position yourselves so they can't enter here.
The rest of you, support Seria-chan.
They're crying?
Kondo-san...
Kondo-san? Could it be?
Are you okay?
I knew it.
Shedding tears
Of grief and sorrow...
Where are you now?
I am still fighting
I will go anywhere
As far as I must
In the name of sincerity...
In the name of sincerity!
Right now, standing beside my comrades
And fighting with them
Is proof that I am alive
Swearing loyalty to my lord
I swing and strike
The unclean
Are cut down
By my blade
Kill?
Sacrificing your life
While illness gnaws at your body
Staining it with its color?
Kill
Sacrificing my life to kill
With both joy and sorrow
Stained with pale blue-green blood
Have you been waiting here for news?
Yes.
On April 25th of Keio year 4,
Kondo Isami was arrested and beheaded.
After that, Hijikata Toshizo and Yamaguchi Jiro butted heads.
The Shinsengumi shrank, and Hijikata Toshizo was shot dead.
The Shinsengumi are gone now.
I see.
Thank you.
Wait.
It's still here.
Without a stir, it would fall into darkness, flower and water.
Rise up
BUSHIDO HERO
With an unwavering vow in your heart
With courage
You live together
Justice is here
For an eternity
Passed down for generations
BUSHIDO HERO
A battle known to all
And acknowledged
With our hearts as one now
Let the light shine on sincerity...
Sparks scatter
We aim high
We are strong
With courage
We live together
Justice is here!
A dream of final moments
Will you show it to me
The fate of this battle
Yes
With our hearts as one
Let the light shine on sincerity...
Visiting hours have ended
Please train me!
Very well.
Heck yeah!
But that weapon must be difficult to wield.
It has to be this.
The blade's three shaku, seven sun, and three bu long, like me.
You're hopeless.
Here we go!
Is that all you've got?
I'm not done yet!
There's more?
I'm throwing out what we don't need since we got out the swords.
What? But what about the memories?
I don't have any.
But...
She's just like them.
What do you mean?
You're playing dumb?
Settei-san, your goal is—
The destruction of MiucS.
No, that's not all.
I am helping you achieve your revenge.
I'm also exploring ways to deal with the organization that took their life.
I never asked you to do that.
Whoops, I should get going. See you later.
It's Obon.
Let me wallow in my sentimentality.
Murayama Family Grave
Okay, go for it.
Got it.
I'll chant!
Attagirl.
Ah, clearing a path even though I'm not certain
Advancing towards a faint light
Ah, on this path of thorns
To prevent the pain from wilting our hearts
We pray
Buffeted by headwinds
The harder it is to walk
The less we're bothered by this path of thorns
Fly freely up into that sky
It will surely be a delight, now break your fate