Episode 20: "Night at the Aquarium"

Seeking out the Azuchi-Momoyama Half-Baked Castella, Yo and the others made their way to Aquamarine Park, but the front gate was tightly locked.
According to what Yutaka said, the owner had been killed as a result of being involved in weapons development. But, to the public, he committed suicide due to a slump in business.
There was a sign posted at the entrance that read: Closed Due to Decline in Business.
Yutaka and Minami were going to try to hack into the network to remotely unlock the gate, but before they could even begin to try, Q broke the lock with brute force.

As they walked into the aquarium, they noticed dancing shadows on the ground from the lights that shone from within the water tanks.

Yo was surprised to see all the marine life still alive despite the aquarium having closed. As they continued walking, they found a sign detailing the introduction of a fully automated care system.
As long as it remained powered, this advanced system would handle tasks ranging from water quality treatment to even feedings.
The person who had developed this system was the chief of the marine life research institution. Apparently, he had also been involved in weapons development.
Deep down, Yo thought it was a shame considering his wonderful genius.

According to Minami, the castella was located in the backyard of the squid display. The team made their way through the aquarium.

Tsuki Iroha
"Wow! Aquariums at night are SO pretty! Why don't we stop and take a look around since we're here?"

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"I wanna see the sharks! Ooo, and the penguins!"

Q
"Seeing penguins would be nice.
I'd love to see baby penguins too, if they have any..."

Tsuruko Semba
"Guys, we're not here to enjoy the exhibits! Please don't go forgetting our objective!"

Tsuki Iroha
"Sorry! I just couldn't help myself from getting all excited."

Yo Kuronaka
"I can't say that I blame them. It's surprisingly clean despite being abandoned.

Tsuruko Semba
"Isn't it strange that there's still power to a facility that's been closed down for this long?"

Eiji Todoroki
"Generally you'd attempt to cancel all utilities. Hey, stop dawdling and keep moving forward."

The blue of the tanks swayed on the walls as they moved deeper and deeper in. The group kept periodically stopping to look at the colorful marine life.
They stopped the longest when they arrived at the penguins.
Q and even Minami were glued to the glass as they watched intently as the penguins made cute movements.

Yo and Yutaka slowed down and walked side by side as they watched them all from afar.
So that the silence didn't drag on, Yutaka casually offered Yo a piece of caffeinated gum, but swore him to secrecy as he didn't have enough for everyone.
Beyond the bitterness of the gum, Yo suddenly pictured the Manager as he looked at Yutaka's back.
In that moment, he strongly hoped that he, himself, would become like them. An adult who could notice someone's problems and offer a helping hand without a second thought.

Eiji Todoroki
"Don't go running ahead!"

Minami Oi
"My apologies, I got carried away for a moment."

The stragglers who stayed behind to look around had finally caught up to Yo and the others.
Minami's face had turned a little red with embarrassment, but she was enjoying her time at the aquarium.

Yutaka Gotanda
"We still have a few days before the CEO awakens again. There's enough time to watch the penguins."

Q
"I feel a lot better having heard that."

As they continued making their way through the aquarium, they spotted the squid show stage ahead.
The audience seats were caked in a thick layer of dust, and the pool had been completely drained.
Despite that, the stage and banners were still shining brightly.

Yo Kuronaka
"The Azuchi-Momoyama's around here somewhere, right?"

Tsuki Iroha
"Should be! I can't wait to see what it looks like!"

Eiji Todoroki
"Hm?"

They were getting close to their destination, but suddenly Eiji stopped moving.
Like a chain effect, everyone else stopped dead in their tracks.

Yo Kuronaka
"Eiji?"

Eiji Todoroki
"Uh, I think the floor up ahead is moving."

Minami Oi
"I see it too. What is that? Mr. Kuronaka, think you might be able to tell?"

As Minami suggested, Yo shifted his gaze to where they were looking. The floor up ahead was moving as if it was the surface of water.
The waves quickly reached everyone, and as they prepared themselves...

"Shaaark!"

A huge shadow accompanied by a high pitched scream leapt up.
It was a robot built in the shape of a shark.
It appeared to be swimming through the ground as if it could change earth into water.

Tsuki Iroha
"Eeeww! What IS that? It's swimming around in the ground!"

Minami Oi
"Mr. Gotanda, could this be...?"

Yutaka Gotanda
"I believe so. It's Samezu, the robotic shark designed to kill. It was developed by the chief of the marine life research institution!
Don't tell me... Did the remaining members think to use the closing of this place as an opportunity for a trial run?!"

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"What?! That's a SHARK?! It looks nothin' like the ones I've seen!"

It really was a large robot that resembled a real shark.
It perfectly blended in with the background via a stealth function built into its body. It hadn't completely vanished, however, as its distorted silhouette was visible on the ground.
Perhaps that's why it had appeared like it was swimming in the ground.

Upon closer inspection, close to the stage there were shreds of what looked like clothes, and clumps of something white on the ground.
Perhaps they were the remains of people who had been attacked by Samezu.

Like a predator who had found its prey, the robotic shark circled around Yo and the others.

Q
"It's looking like we won't be able to avoid a fight."

Tsuruko Semba
"Everyone! It's a formidable foe, keep your eyes on its movements!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Got it!"

The first person to attack was Q.
Anticipating that Samezu's attack patterns were going to be hard to read, he attempted to grab its attention by rushing at it straight on. Giving the other members a split second to press the advantage from other angles.

However, Yo got too greedy.
His withdraw was too slow, and just as he was about to be consumed by Samezu's blast, Yutaka pulled him back by the shoulders, and deftly got him out of harm's way.

Before he could catch his breath, Yo heard a cute high-pitched noise whizzing toward him.
Minami's cute humanoid robot 'Togosshy' scanned him for any injuries, quickly bandaged him up, and administered some pain relievers.

They were always great in a pinch.
Thanks to Yutaka and Minami's wealth of experience, they excelled at keeping an eye on their surroundings.
The other members were saved a few times by their protection as well.

The attacks became more relentless. Q managed to pull Samezu's attention while the rest of the team continued their assault. They soon found their attacks had become more efficient as they found a perfect rhythm to them.

Before long, Samezu's cries began growing hoarse, and its motions strained.
Eventually, it stopped moving all together and entered self-repair mode.

Eiji Todoroki
"Hmph! Not even a shark can stand against my prowess!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Seems like it's down for the count. Should we just leave it?"

Q
"Yeah. Time is of the essence now."

Yutaka Gotanda
"Works for me. There's no need for us to deliver the killing blow. Well then, let's make our way to the back yard. Wait a moment..."

Yutaka suddenly stopped in place and anxiously moved his fingers to his ears.

Yutaka Gotanda
"...That's weird. I could've sworn it was just there a moment ago."

Yo Kuronaka
"Something the matter? We have to keep moving."

Yutaka Gotanda
"Ah, sorry. But have any of you seen my earring? I thought I was wearing it."

Upon a second glance, his earring, a symbol of the Shinagawa Tribe, had disappeared.

Tsuruko Semba
"Um, is it by chance the yellow item over by the shark?"

Tsuruko was pointing toward a yellow light underneath the shark.
There was no doubt about it. It was definitely Yutaka's earring.

Yutaka Gotanda
"Tch. How unfortunate."

Minami Oi
"Mr. Gotanda, we must retrieve it!
With what's become of the Shinagawa Tribe, there's no way we'd be able to find a replacement!"

Yutaka Gotanda
"It's okay, Oi. It's my fault for not properly caring for it.
Let's just keep moving forward."

Despite his words, Yutaka's footsteps had grown more visibly heavy.
Yo, suddenly recalling that Yutaka had a habit of subconsciously reaching up to touch his earring, found himself taking off toward Samezu.

Yo Kuronaka
"Just give me a sec, I'll grab it."

Tsuki Iroha
"Yo?! Are you out of your mind?! Don't go near that thing!"

Ignoring Tsuki's warnings, Yo made a beeline straight toward Samezu.