Episode 24: "Fear of Freedom"

In the meantime...

Petite 24 Tribe Member
"So, uhm... What are we supposed to do now?"

Lazy Shinagawa Tribe Member
"Uh, well... With Mr. Ichinose gone... I guess we're free?"

Shinagawa Tribe Member
"Th-This just came out of nowhere! What are we even supposed to do now?!"

Kazuma's subordinates quickly fell into chaos now that they lacked their leader.
They'd followed Kazuma relentlessly, driven by the fear of layoffs.
And yet without him, they no longer had any direction.
No orders to follow. No boss to appease. No idea how to go on.
It was then they realized the freedom they'd so ardently wished for was a double-edged sword of terrifying possibilities.

Buff 24 Tribe Member
"M-Mr. Ichinose... Please tell us what to do..."

One after the other, Kazuma's subordinates gathered around the remains of the CEO, still somehow hoping for Kazuma's guidance.
Dust still hung in the air, as did the smell of char and oil.
Kazuma's hand stuck out from under the debris, dirt-covered and ring askew.

It shouldn't have been able to move anymore.

And yet, signaled with a faint metallic creak, the fingers curled slightly inward.
It was a faint, barely perceptible motion. And yet, they were sure they saw it happen—twice even. Every eye fell onto the hand. A gasp cut through the silence and one of them fell to their knees.

Petite 24 Tribe Member
"Waaaaaah! Mr. Ichinose! Mr. Ichinose i-is still moving!"

Yo Kuronaka
"H-Huh? What the heck?!"

Everyone turned around when they heard the scream.

The ground rattled violently, rubble being displaced and dust falling off of the CEO's shell.
A grinding sound came from within as an arm emerged from between the fragments. And then a shoulder came forth. Then a torso.

Kazuma Ichinose
"Ahaha... HAHAHAHAHA!!!
You worthless maggots! Did you simpletons really think it was over?!"

The rubble was pushed aside as a body rose from underneath. It was Kazuma Ichinose. Headless.

Yo Kuronaka
"...?!"

Tsuki Iroha
"EEEEEEK! It's his ghost!"

Kazuma Ichinose
"I shall never perish! Kazuma Ichinose will rise again as many times as it takes!"

Yo Kuronaka
"Wh-What the hell?! Where is his head?!"

Tsuruko Semba
"This... This must be a dream! Yes! It must! And when I wake up, I will be at the Fountain of Knowledge...
With a brand new, soul-stirring book awaiting me..."

Though he should've been dead, Kazuma stood before them all, alive. Right before their very eyes.
Everyone paled. Panic filled the air and a cacophony of screams saturated their ears.

Kazuma should be dead, so how was he moving?
How could he even stand up without his head?

Everyone panicked, except for Zero, who calmly nibbled a rice cracker as if nothing was wrong with the world at all.

Zero
"Hm? What's got everyone in such a tizzy?"

Yo Kuronaka
"H-He's walking around without his head! Why WOULDN'T we be freaking out?!"

Zero
"Huh? Oh, wait. Did I not mention that I turned Ichinose into a robot when he became one of the Numbers?"

Hyakuichitaro Senju
"N-No! This is the first you're tellin' us this, dumbass!"

Zero
"Whoopsie! I mean, there were so many things to explain, so something was bound to escape me."

Zero laughed carelessly at the confusion he'd caused. At the same time, Kazuma rummaged through the rubble for his head before snapping it back into place.
His hand went to his neck in a self-conscious motion meant to hide the thin brown line that signified the separation between his head and his body.
After that, he returned his unusually big scarf to his neck, tossing it carelessly over him. He turned to glare at everyone.

Kazuma Ichinose
"I heard everything! All the nonsense you fools have been spouting!
The governing rules are special! I will not allow you layabouts to go around and changing something I so cherish just like that!"

Tsuki Iroha
"Doesn't matter! It was our reward, and it's done!
If you want a game, then you'll have to make it an XB!"

Kazuma Ichinose
"Who would ever want to play such a confounding mix of martial arts and sports?!"

Despite the fury with which Kazuma snapped at Tsuki, he immediately did a heel turn as he dropped to his knees before Zero and begged.

Kazuma Ichinose
"Zero, please! I beg you reconsider!
The governing rules are perfection itself! Supreme above all!"

(What is he going on about?)

Kazuma's refusal to give up exasperated Yo.
He had just used their reward to abolish the governing rules and return XBs.
No way Zero would just listen to him.

Zero
"Aww!!! Ichinose!
It flatters me to hear you loved my creation so much!"

Well, that's what Yo would like to believe. But Zero melted the moment his original governing rules were praised.
His tail wagged wildly, a little flower sprouting above his head in a show of delight.

(I have a bad feeling about this...)

A deep, unsettling feeling bubbled within Yo's chest.

Zero
"I'm so happy that I want to give you another chance, Ichinose!"

Kazuma Ichinose
"S-So then... you are bringing the governing rules back?!"

Zero
"Of course not, silly! That would be no fun!
We JUST switched from the governing rules back to XB!
So of course we'll have to do an XB!"

Kazuma Ichinose
"Y-You want me to fight in XB? That barbaric, utterly pointless and crowded sport?"

Kazuma's face twisted in agony as he spat those words out.

Zero
"Yup, yup! But how about this? If you win, Ichinose, then I'll restore Shinagawa City's governing rules back to what they were!"

That was all he needed for the hesitation to fade.

Kazuma Ichinose
"A-As you wish... I promise I will restore the governing rules. Without fail."

His voice sounded pathetic. Humiliated.
He didn't quite accept the decision—that wasn't it.
It was more like he was resigned, knowing he had no other choice.

And so a rematch was decided upon—without everyone else's consent.
After all, Zero's decision was absolute. They had all long since learned that there was no point in protesting.

It wasn't all bad, though. The match would be an XB.

Yo and his team all had experience when it came to playing XB.
Kazuma, on the other hand, likely had no experience with XB if his earlier protests were anything to go by.

Kazuma Ichinose
"Good grief... To think I'd sink low enough to be forced to play XB...
But this will be the first and last time, you vulgar skunk. I will make sure I end you here."

Yo Kuronaka
"Right back at you. I won't lose. Not to you."

Sparks flew between the two of them as their eyes locked together. Then they set off, away from Layoff Plaza.