Makino Yuzuha flipped through the group photo of the Southern Cross on her phone wallpaper, then summoned her courage.
[I can tell the production team really likes using this kind of montage cut.]
[Do you even understand cinematography?]
[Anyway, they understand movies better than Nakayama Ryu does.]
[This pink-haired girl is a newcomer to the Protagonist Group!]
[So was that black-haired girl from the Southern Cross earlier.]
[So cute.]
Afterward, Makino Yuzuha requested to join the Supernatural Club.
In the middle of the scene, there were flashes of Makino Yuzuha eating soba on New Year’s Eve, unlocking her superpower after she started choking.
After the screen filled with “hahaha,” the scene shifted to Kaori Onishi dragging Yuki Asahi along to do some cleaning.
[That Moon Pendant… could it be?]
[Wow, a token of affection.]
[You can tell Yuki really likes that necklace.]
[Oh my god, exactly how much of the plot was skipped?!]
[Someone’s face doesn’t look right.]
Then, Jiang Jian Yue pushed Makino Yuzuha inside and hurriedly left again.
[Emi looks so busy.]
[Is she coming back for dinner?]
[Wait? Why ask that?]
[Could it be?]
“Senior Jiang… she’s actually living with me right now.”
[?]
[No, seriously, how much content did I miss?!]
[What exactly happened?]
Next was the segment where Makino Yuzuha showcased her superpower.
[Awkward.]
[She’s already doing great.]
[Is it because the protagonist’s stats are too high?]
[It could also be the difference between a Parasite and a Cicada Shell Host.]
[Soft control.]
[This ability is pretty awesome. It’s much stronger than a certain blonde-haired female extra who plays with water.]
[Don’t start drama with Kaori.]
[So how was this win probability calculated?]
Yuki Asahi’s “departure declaration” left both Kaori Onishi and the bullet comments in shock.
[Traitor!]
[Is this the greatest transfer of all time?]
[I’ve decided to take my talents to Special Response HQ. As for Kaori Onishi, I wish them all the best in the Supernatural Club.]
[He can’t even stay on the same team?]
[This is cuckoldry!]
[How is this happening? Why is a certain person in the lead female role always losing?]
[Please, stop chasing me and killing me, I beg you.]
[Is Emi not competing either? Don’t tell me she’s going to show up in Special Response HQ Unit 1?]
[That would be insane.]
[Emi is the organizer; it wouldn’t be good for her to step down into the fray.]
[We want to know too!]
[What exactly happened over this break?!]
The camera moved to the Chinese restaurant at Makino Yuzuha’s house.
Makino was hiding in a small booth, looking at the content of the LINE group chat.
Several times she wanted to join the conversation, but by the time she sluggishly finished typing, the previous topic had already ended.
She hurriedly deleted it and could only repeat what others said.
[This is too real.]
[This is what life is like for us invisible people.]
[Huh? Is this pink-haired girl from Serys?]
[Wow, the Yakuza are so arrogant.]
[You have successfully provoked a lion.]
[Osaka Police versus Tokyo Yakuza, did you guys know?]
[Speaking of which, Hanyu, as part of the Protagonist Group, doesn’t seem to have much of a connection with the protagonist.]
Indeed, especially regarding Yuki Asahi; he probably didn’t even know Hanyu Yukiki yet.
[Another person from Serys?]
[People from Serys are like that; they can’t wait to see you all the way home.]
[There are so many people from Serys in this show.]
[Lots of foreigners.]
[It’s more like Japan is a small place, so it’s normal for there to seem like a lot of foreigners.]
[He was adopted but didn’t change his surname.]
[Hanyu is being thoroughly investigated.]
Hanyu Yukiki followed the group of Yakuza members.
The camera cut to Makino Yuzuha, who was picking out items in a merchandise shop.
[You can tell Makino really loves the Southern Cross.]
Then she stepped outside and was harassed by those Yakuza members.
[You can hit me, but don’t hit my merch!]
[What a domineering ability.]
[Shock! Wave!]
Makino Yuzuha saw Hanyu Yukiki knocked to the ground and instantly froze in place, after which she was restrained and taken away.
The subsequent scenes followed Makino Yuzuha and the thugs from the Dragonno Association, using their conversation to provide more information about the organization.
Then, Makino Yuzuha sent out that distress signal.
The camera cut to Yuki Asahi at that moment.
Jiang Jian Yue quickly set down the large bottle of cola in her hand.
“Aha, you perk up the moment you see your little boyfriend, don’t you?”
Meiguan teased.
On the computer screen, Yuki Asahi saw Makino Yuzuha’s distress message.
[Where are the teammates? Teammates, save her!]
The location where Yuki Asahi was currently situated was an indoor training ground she had never been to.
With white lights and gray padded mats, it was filled with the minimalism and coldness of the “DRG” style.
Yuki Asahi was wearing a black training uniform, standing in the center of the field.
[New clothes!]
[This outfit really highlights his muscle lines.]
[So hot.]
‘I’ve put up with you for twelve episodes and two OVA episodes!’
Yuki Asahi’s expression was not relaxed.
He was looking down at his phone, which clearly displayed Makino Yuzuha’s “help” message and Kaori Onishi’s frantic “@everyone” in the group chat.
He abruptly looked up, his expression anxious.
Just as he was about to step forward, a dull voice stopped him.
“Captain, training time isn’t over yet. Where are you going?”
The camera zoomed out, and Jiang Jian Yue saw Yuki Asahi’s “teammates.”
There were two men wearing the same uniform, but they were clearly much older than him.
One had a buzz cut and a sharp, capable look, like an old soldier.
The other was white-haired with a frivolous appearance, currently wiping sweat with a towel in annoyance.
[This look in their eyes isn’t right.]
[A classic trope repeated for the third time.]
[It seems like he hasn’t convinced the crowd.]
Yuki Asahi frowned.
“I have an emergency. Training is suspended.”
“An emergency again?”
The white-haired man clicked his tongue, throwing the towel onto the ground.
“Last week it was physical discomfort, and today it’s an emergency.”
“I’m saying, Captain, are you here to be an idol, or are you here to lead the team?”
The man with the buzz cut crossed his arms and spoke coldly,
“Captain Yuki, we are putting our lives on the line. We aren’t here to play house with you, a high school student. If you don’t have the ability, then give up the position as soon as possible.”
“Exactly, exactly!”
— These words weren’t spoken by the people in the animation; they were spoken by Meiguan.
Inside the animation, a flicker of anger passed through Yuki Asahi’s Golden Eyes, but he seemed to think of something and forced it back down.
“I’ll say it one more time,”
he said, enunciating every word.
“Training is suspended.”
“Ha!”
The blonde man laughed from anger.
“Who do you think you are? You’re just a parachuted officer who got the job through connections. Do you really think you’re something special? If you’ve got the guts, beat me right here! Otherwise, get your ass back to school!”
“That’s enough, Sato.”
The buzz-cut man pulled his companion back but kept his gaze fixed on Yuki Asahi.
“Captain, we just want a leader who has strength.”
“If I may be blunt, the ‘strength’ you displayed in last week’s sparring…”
He shook his head, his contempt plain for all to see.
“…was simply not enough to convince anyone.”
[Little brother, what kind of strength do you have?]
[Wait, aren’t these people the ones whose powers awakened? Don’t they know Yuki Asahi saved them?]
— ‘They actually don’t.’
[Let’s see your strength.]
The production team seemed to hear the call of the bullet comments.
The screen flashed, inserting a black-and-white memory fragment.
It was a sparring match between Yuki Asahi and the buzz-cut man.
Yuki Asahi threw a punch, which the man easily parried.
Then, the man counterattacked from the side with a fluid series of movements, actually forcing Yuki Asahi back several steps.
[?]
[He got crushed?]
The screen flashed back again, showing a different angle.
Yuki Asahi delivered a side kick.
The buzz-cut man didn’t have time to react at all, but at the moment Yuki’s foot was about to strike the other’s ribs, he forcibly withdrew ninety percent of the force.
It turned into a limp “caress,” which the opponent used as an opening to grab him and slam him to the ground with a shoulder throw.
[He’s throwing the match!]
[But he held back way too much!]
[Yuki just doesn’t remember if he was supposed to win or lose this round.]
[Wait, is this all you guys practice as ability users?]
— ‘Of course they don’t just practice this.’
Jiang Jian Yue frowned.
At the time, she had heard Yuki Asahi say he was “holding back,” and she thought they had fought to a fifty-fifty draw.
As it turned out…
He was basically just “taking a beating.”
“Pffft, hahaha!”
Meiguan laughed mockingly.
“Is little Chunan that afraid of hurting people?”
“No wonder he’s treated like a diversity hire.”
“…Idiot.”
The memory ended, and the scene cut back to the training ground.
Facing the doubts of the two men, Yuki Asahi’s expression remained unchanged as he said casually:
“I… don’t have time to explain to you.”
He left those words behind and ignored their shouting, heading straight for the locker room.
“Hey! You jerk!”
“Stop right there, Captain Yuki! This is desertion!”
The white-haired man hopped madly with rage, while the buzz-cut man pulled out a communicator, his face grim.
“Forget him. Let him go! Once he leaves, I’ll report this to the superiors immediately! Why should a high school student be lording it over us?!”
[Are they grade schoolers?]
[So typical.]
[He could obviously kill them with one kick, but he keeps enduring it… I can already see the satisfying revenge plot coming up later.]
— ‘But knowing Yuki Asahi’s personality, he probably won’t retaliate.’
The camera followed Yuki Asahi.
He rushed into the locker room without turning on the light.
In the darkness, he slammed his fist into a metal locker with a loud “thud.”
[He’s so anxious.]
[Can’t a guy be anxious for once?]
[Locker: I knew this jerk was going to hit me.]
[If it were me, I’d be anxious too. I feel bad for Yuki.]
[Hurry up and save her, forget about work!]
He yanked the locker door open and grabbed his school uniform and bag.
He didn’t ask anyone for leave — but as a Consultant-level official for Special Response HQ, Yuki Asahi was a fairly high-ranking officer himself.
It didn’t matter if he didn’t ask for leave.
After a mid-scene transition animation, it was time for Jiang Jian Yue’s “heroic” (questionable) entrance.
When the bullet comments saw Jiang Jian Yue using an ability they had seen on someone else in the OVA, they erupted in celebration — as if they had accomplished some shared, glorious feat.
Just as expected.
Jiang Jian Yue’s “copy” ability was now fully revealed to the audience, except…
While Jiang Jian Yue was deep in thought, she suddenly discovered that the images on the computer screen used very clever editing to completely skip over the part where she went berserk.
Because the main perspective was on Makino Yuzuha, only a few shots showed Yuki Asahi arriving at the scene and an injured Koji Hattori.
[Why is Uncle Hattori injured again?]
[Where did Emi go?]
Koji Hattori had someone take Makino Yuzuha away first.
Then, the scene changed and cut to… Oowada Toshihiro?
Jiang Jian Yue’s expression darkened…
What exactly was this Insect Mound trying to do?
They had edited out all her scenes of losing control and being soft, leaving only a small hint in the background with the DRG bodyguards standing ready.
“Isn’t it good to maintain your cool image? Or would you rather show the audience some lovey-dovey scenes?”
Meiguan said with a chuckle,
“Wait, did you actually have an exhibitionist streak?”
She clearly does, she even wants to be defeated on the tournament GF just to fulfill that promise she made to Yuki back then, she wants that defeat CG so fucking bad