Episode 21: "Time's Running Out"

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Yo Kuronaka
"...Huh?"

Yutaka Gotanda
"Tsuki! Kuronaka just woke up!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Why... Why was I sleeping here?"

Upon opening his eyes, Yo found himself lying down on a worn-out sofa facing a tank in Aquamarine Park.
A dull ache lingered in his back, and the effort needed to get up woke him up rather effectively. He winced.

Tsuki Iroha
"You don't remember?!
Come on! You took a shark all on your own just to get Mr. Gotanda's earring back!"

Tsuki and Gotanda filled him in on what had happened. Yo leapt at Samezu once it had exited its healing mode and delivered the final blow.
Though just as that happened, Samezu self-destructed, having caught Yo in the blast. He'd been asleep for the past several days, recovering from a nasty head injury.

Yo Kuronaka
"I see... Sorry for all the trouble, everyone."

Yutaka Gotanda
"Why on earth would you go and do something so reckless? You could've died then and there."

Despite Gotanda's harsh words, he leaned down so he could look Yo in the eye.
Though his gaze was undoubtedly furious, behind it shone a very real worry.

Yo Kuronaka
"I'd be lying if I said I was thinking straight at the time. I just... knew it mattered to you and the others.
So it mattered to me to get it back."

Yo could tell his sincerity reached Gotanda, the anger he previously displayed slowly subsiding.
Gotanda clutched the recently recovered earring tightly.

Yutaka Gotanda
"I can't thank you enough for retrieving my treasure for me, but I'll ask you please refrain from doing something so reckless ever again."

Yo Kuronaka
"Yeah, I can try."

They locked eyes together and chuckled.

The heavy thud of footsteps snapped them from the moment.
Yo turned toward the heavy, ever-approaching sound, and saw Hyakuichitaro, followed by everyone else who also shouldn't have been there.

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"Hey! Nice to see sleepin' beauty out and about!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Sorry about that. Didn't mean to delay everything."

Tsuruko Semba
"No, don't worry about it.
The backyard turned out to be bigger than we first thought, so it took us longer than we expected to find it..."

Minami Oi
"Still, we found it! Look! This is the Azuchi-Momoyama Half-Baked Castella!"

As Oi said this, she pointed to a box held in Q's hands.

It was a quite ornate box, wrapped in gold leaf and shining brilliantly, with a bird crest stamped right on top of the lid.
You could tell at a mere glance that this was no ordinary object.

Tsuki Iroha
"Whoa! So it really does exist!"

Yo Kuronaka
"But how do we know if it's the real thing?
If we give him the wrong item, we might be laid off..."

Despite everyone's mirth and joy at their accomplishment, Yo and Gotanda couldn't celebrate openly.
After all, what if what they held in their hands was not the real Azuchi-Momoyama Half-Baked Castella? How could they know for sure?

Their unease started to catch on and silence quickly spread amongst the group. It was all still, until someone decided to break that silence.

Q
"No. The Otori family crest is stamped on using a special technique. You can't fake it.
And if you still can't trust it, then let me be the one to hand the castella over."

Q spoke, low and soft, yet determined, as he pointed toward the bird emblem.

Yutaka Gotanda
"Thank goodness. I trust your judgment, Q. If you say it's the real thing, then it is."

Q
"Maybe, from the start..."

Yo felt like he could no longer follow the plot.
How could Q speak with such certainty? And why would Gotanda just follow along without even the slightest hesitation?
Well... Yo trusted them. Even without answers, he knew there was no real room for doubt.

Yo Kuronaka
"Well, if you two are certain, then so am I."

Tsuki Iroha
"Me, too!"

Following Yo's lead, everyone else looked on, determined looks on their faces that spelled trust.
And maybe Yo just imagined it, but he could've sworn the slightest smile seemed to tough Q's lips.

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"All right! Let's get this to the CEO, then!"

The clock ticked on, closing in on midnight. Closing in the time for layoffs.
The group rushed out of Aquamarine Park and toward Layoff Plaza.

Yo Kuronaka
"Whoa, whoa. Who're all these people?"

When they all arrived, they saw members of the 24 Tribe and the Shinagawa Tribe standing guard around the CEO.
You could easily count more than a hundred of them.

Minami Oi
"We've never seen security this strict, even when compared with past data."

Yutaka Gotanda
"They might be exercising extra caution, considering the XG..."

Eiji Todoroki
"Figuring out how to deliver this to the CEO will be quite the conundrum...
Up, up, you lot! Go and come up with something already! And don't even bother asking me for ideas, because I have none."

Tsuruko Semba
"Come on! If we all put our heads together, we can think of a plan!"

Despite Tsuruko's optimism, a suitable plan would not be easy to come by.

Tsuki's suggestion was to have Minami's humanoid drone, Togosshy, fly the Azuchi-Momoyama to the CEO, but the area was crawling with security drones. There was no guarantee it could make it safely.
Another consideration was to force their way in via car, but Kazuka was prepared for such an occasion.
Multiple cars had been placed along the road leading to Layoff Plaza, all of them perfectly in the way to make a car entry impossible.

Everyone sighed in unison, frustrated and struggling to come up with something.

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"Oh! I just came up with the perfect plan!"

Hyakuichitaro's cheerful voice broke their solemn pondering.

Yo Kuronaka
"What do you got?"

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"Let's distract them! See, we put somethin' suuuper cool they can't resist lookin' at and that way we lure them all out!
If they're all checkin' it out, no one will be there to guard the CEO!"

Hyakuichitaro offered his plan, eyes shining expectantly.
Childish though it may be, no doubt that was the best idea someone of his age could come up with.
Though most of the group would try to dismiss the silly plan with some tact, one among them lacked the delicacy to avoid hurting the young child's feelings.

Eiji Todoroki
"Now, that has to be the most nonsensical and worthless idea I've ever heard. Idiocy only matched by its owner, of course."

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"WHAAAT?!
I don't gotta take that from you of all people!"

Hyakuichitaro flushed brightly at Eiji's ridicule of him.

Yo Kuronaka
"Aren't you being too harsh?
Hyakuichitaro's the youngest among us. You could cut him some slack, you know..."

Yo's attempt to try and smooth things over seemed to fall on deaf ears.

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"Not you too, Yo! That's it! I'm done being made fun of!
I'm just gonna eat this castella myself, then!"

Hyakuichitaro's anger escalated as he lunged for the castella Tsuruko was holding.

Tsuruko Semba
"Ah! No, no, no! Don't! This is something you absolutely mustn't eat!"

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"Gimme! Gimme! GIMME!"

Tsuruko Semba
"No, no, nooo!"

Tsuruko held the castella high above her head, backing away, intent on protecting it from Hyakuichitaro.
He wasn't so easily defeated, however, as he tried hopping up and down to reach it.
Tsuruko jumped in turn with him, but their near-equal heights gave her very little advantage.
Still, she barely managed to keep it from Hyakuichitaro's reach, who kept fruitlessly bouncing up and down.

Eiji Todoroki
"You're acting like a rabid animal, trying so desperately to eat it. Heh, though that reminds me... Heh heh..."

Minami Oi
"What are you laughing about now?"

Eiji Todoroki
"I just remembered how he almost ate a sponge back at the hotel because he mistook it for castella.
Heh heh... What a shame I couldn't see it in person."

Eiji chuckled, reminiscing to himself.
Yo didn't feel like laughing, however, having been there to witness the mishap firsthand.
The sponge had a soft, yellow side and a brown, more abrasive scrubbing pad attached to its bottom side.
Even Yo briefly mistook it for a castella.
Had Hyakuichitaro not mentioned he'd found it among cleaning supplies, Yo could've made the same mistake.

Yutaka Gotanda
"He...mistook a sponge for castella...?"

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"Yeah, so what?! Got a problem with that?!
You also makin' fun of me, Gotanda?! You also think I'm an idiot?!"

Though Yutaka muttered to himself, clearly having thought of something, Hyakuichitaro still believed he was being teased yet again.
He stopped his jumping and pulled away from Tsuruko to lunge at Yutaka with just as much fervor.

Yutaka Gotanda
"No, Hyakuichitaro. You're not an idiot at all!
Quite the contrary, actually! You've just given me the most brilliant idea!"

Yutaka caught Hyakuichitaro and lifted him up with ease, intent on expressing his gratitude.
So, Hyakuichitaro wasn't an idiot, but had in fact given him an idea?

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"H-hey, quit it! Put me down! You're embarrassin' me!"

While everyone exchanged quite puzzled looks, a still airborne Hyakuichitaro reddened all the way to the very tip of his ears.

Yutaka Gotanda
"Ah, my apologies. I got a little carried away there."

Yutaka gently lowered Hyakuichitaro to the ground and beckoned everyone to come closer, his voice lowering to a soft murmur.

Yutaka Gotanda
"May I have your attention, everyone?
It might be a long shot, but I've come up with a plan."

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Yutaka Gotanda
"And that's the plan. What do you all think?"

Tsuruko Semba
"I see... Well, it's a little unorthodox."

Q
"Isn't it too dangerous?"

Everyone seemed to have their own doubts about Yutaka's plan, but Yo somehow had a good feeling it would work.
Not to mention they were running out of time and options. They had to go for it.

Yo Kuronaka
"Let me hold on to the castella.
I promise I won't fail."

Yo's response inspired Yutaka, who stepped up, resolute, to take up the most dangerous role.
You could tell the determination that shone bright came from a desire to avenge the manager, something in which he was not alone. Yo, too, wanted it.
So he turned to Yutaka, fire shining bright in his eyes.
An understanding came between them, and Yo knew that Yutaka was aware of his feelings.
He placed his hand on Yo's shoulder, determination shining bright, and said, "WE won't fail."