02x03 - The Big Bro Shinzo Safety Watch Team

[bunniefuu]

Now I just need to contact
Mr. Hotokeyama, and...

Ugh, not again.

MISSION: YOZAKURA FAMILY

What? Do I really have to do that?

MISSION 30 THE BIG BRO SHINZO SAFETY
WATCH TEAM What's the problem?

Not like it's the first time.

Yeah, but still...

Sorry, Big Bro Shinzo.

Um, is something wrong?

Oh, uh... no, it's nothing.

So it's next week, all right?

Don't try to run away!

Hey!

Ugh.

Huh?

Hmm, this is severe.

Maybe the issue is with
the durability of the Yae itself?

Okay! Now's a good time as any to tinker
with upgrades while it's being repaired.

All right,
I'm heading out to buy some parts.

I'll help you with that.

No, I can handle it just fine.

Huh? But...

You seem exhausted lately, Taiyo,
so you can rest up.

And besides, I'll be shopping
at Bloodspray Shopping Arcade,

which is seedy and a little dangerous.

Oh...

Bloodspray Shopping Arcade?

Who'd give it a name like that?

Oh, but will you be all right on your own,
Big Bro Shinzo?

Huh?

Well, um...

No need to worry!

Ayaka!

I am well accustomed
to going to that shopping arcade.

As it happens, I was hoping
to get a tune-up for my needles,

so I will be happy to accompany you!

Then why don't we go together, Ayaka?

All right!

Your timing is great.
- It sure is.

Always impressive, Master Shinzo!
- Hey, it was just a coincidence.

All right, we'll be on our way.

See you later.

Have a good one.

Kengo? Nanao?

All right, we'll be heading out now, too.

Heading out? Where?

Isn't that obvious?

We're going to follow those two.

Huh?

Hey, no.

We can't tail them!

As long as they don't spot us,
we'll be fine!

Not to mention...

we'll get to see something amusing.

Something amusing?

As you know, Big Bro is shy and a wimp.

He can't speak coherently
with anyone except his family,

and he's reluctant to step outside.

Uh-huh.

For him to go out
with someone outside the family--

not just anyone, but a girl,
even if it's just Ayaka--

well, that's a huge deal!

Huh? Well, then...

Come on, let's get going, Taiyo.

Whoa! Hey...

BLOODSPRAY ARCADE
Hey, it's him.

Yeah. Is he here to stock up?

Look at that.
He's panting at the sight of that g*n.

You think he's worked up
by his murderous fantasies?

Yeah. So that's the Yozakura family's
battle freak...

Shinzo Yozakura?

Just as we thought, they have
the wrong idea about Big Bro Shinzo.

Big Bro Kengo.

I-I can't help it!

Behold, Mr. Shinzo!

See how it curves so nobly!

Y-Yeah.

I guess it does.

Who has a meltdown like that over Ayaka?

Could he be more sheltered?

Actually, if you're only realizing now
that you're in unfamiliar territory,

you're way beyond dense, Big Bro!

Now, then, Master Shinzo,

since they're having a sale today,
let's go on a shopping spree!

Well, he's not gonna last much longer.

At home, he's okay because she's
like an extended member of the family,

but I guess he still
can't be alone with her outside the house.

If he could at least hold out
until they're done shopping...

All right!
Why don't we give him a hand, Nanao?

Yeah.

Gentle Breeze.

Now he should be able to really relax.

Please look at these!

Don't you think these needles with
poison pellets are lovely and convenient?

Master Shinzo?

Huh? What?

Yeah, they look good!

It's just...

while it's true that these
titanium needles made by Senbon

are small and extremely sharp,
matching your combat style,

the quality's dropped off since Mushiro
took over the company 16 years ago,

so it would be best
to buy the ones...

He's talking up a storm!

Jeez, what a weapons geek.

Taiyo, stop the flow, will you?

What?

It's for your brother. Do it!

What?

Big Bro Shinzo... sorry.

Fun fact, before the w*r,
they harvested...

...venom from scorpions--*

RAINY SEASON'S END
PARALYSIS b*llet

Nice going, Taiyo.

All right, let's back up Big Bro

while relishing
the sight of him in panic mode!

And so began their bizarre adventure.

Ow!

Huh? Would it k*ll you
to watch where you're going, bro?

You broke my buddy's arm, see?

How are you gonna pay--

Ayaka, couldn't you
have just talked them down?

Oh, no, Master Shinzo.

After all, they're the ones
who picked that fight.

"Swift death to evil"!

She's the one protecting him!

What do you think?

Does it look good on me, Mr. Shinzo?

Well, let's see.

It's lightweight,
making it easy to move around in,

and it's woven with alloy fibers,
so its strength is more than sufficient.

No, no, that's when you praise her
for how stylish she looks!

It's beyond crowded here.

Yes, it is.

It would be terrible if we got separated.

Ayaka, give me your hand for a second.

All right.

Huh? No way.

Huh?
- Huh?

Come on, next stop!

Okay!

Didn't see that coming!
- Didn't see that coming!

I'll take this one, please.

Oh, hey, Ayaka, want to take a break now?

Sounds good to me.

I was just feeling thirsty about now.

Ayaka.

Thanks for today.

I got to see the whole arcade.

No, no. I enjoyed myself, too.

So I guess they're done shopping?

Huh? Where's Kengo?

Thanks for waiting.

This is a surprise from Master Shinzo,

our "Good Job Parfait,
Blood Splatter Special."

Wow!

It looks so delicious, Mr. Shinzo!

And a surprise, no less!

I'm deeply moved and grateful!

Huh?

Uh... no. Excuse me...

It is a date, after all.

This is the least I can do.

So you say, but the truth is you
just want to savor their reactions, right?

Ha! Busted!

The staff must have made a mistake.

I couldn't do something this thoughtful.

I don't have the courage, see?

And I don't have
much common sense, either.

Hey, but thanks for keeping
a guy like me company today.

I think you're wrong about that.

What?

I know that you're an introvert,
Mr. Shinzo.

That's precisely why I find you so noble,

doing what you do
for Mr. Taiyo and Ms. Mutsumi.

I came to the Yozakura household

because I was obsessed
with Master Taiyo and Lady Mutsumi.

And so I can understand the power and
depth of your pure love towards those two.

Your love has my seal of approval,
Mr. Shinzo.

Please, be confident in yourself.

Whoa, they're having a moment!

Is it thanks to my nice assist?

Thank you, Ayaka.

Huh?

Ayaka told me that I should have
more confidence in my love.

So...

I'm not going to hold back
telling you this.

I did have a vague feeling
you were around.

I told you not to come,
because it was too dangerous.

In my mind, it's wrong to either propose
or go along with the plan. So...

We're sorry, Big Bro Shinzo!

On a whim, we dragged
Big Bro Taiyo here against his will.

Big Bro Kengo and I
were the ringleaders.

Huh? Damn you, Nanao, blabbing
like that with such accurate details.

You being the good kid?

Just as you three
acted out of concern for me...

I'm going to return the favor
in all sincerity...

with love.

Whoa!
- Whoa!

Oh, my.

THE NEXT DAY

Taiyo, I'm done with the upgrades!

Huh?

Seriously...

Guess I went a little overboard?

Welcome home, Taiyo.

Taiyo?

Taiyo!

Taiyo! Taiyo!

Hey, what's wrong, Taiyo?

What's going on, Mutsumi?

Big Sis, it's Taiyo!

The medicine that I concocted
isn't working.

I've never seen a case like this.

Mutsumi, has anything out of the ordinary
happened to Taiyo recently?

I'm not exactly sure, but at times,
his Blooming's been triggered on its own.

Blooming on its own?

Nanao.

Right. I'll look into that.

I'm counting on you.

Mutsumi, it's also partly due to fatigue,
so let's put him on bed rest for now.

It doesn't feel
like it's ever going to subside.

I can't breathe.

What... the heck.

What the...

Calm down, Taiyo.

Breathe slowly.

A voice in my head?

Just listen to me quietly.

The Blood Cherry Blossoms start eating
away at their host when they're weak.

The inability to control your Blooming
is a warning sign.

If your soul succumbs, you'll be consumed.

Think hard about the one you hold dear...

about a reason to live.

What was that all about... just now?

That voice...

seems like
I've heard it before somewhere.

The fox cries out,
dancing in the frozen snow

As humans daydream

I see you've awakened.

The Blood Cherry Blossoms
won't be manifesting for a while now.

Though make no mistake,
it's only for a while.

You've held out well, Taiyo.

Th-This person...

is she part of Kawashita's memories?

Snow.

I know I was in bed.

Is this a dream?

You've been infused with my blood
through Mr. Kawashita.

That's how I'm able
to intrude into your thoughts now.

You're dreaming of me through my blood.

It's all according to my desires.

I am the first Yozakura head.

The conscience of Tsubomi Yozakura.

Or does that sound too good to be true?

The only time that I can be awake is the
short period when my other self is asleep.

I'm going to make short work of this,

so feel free to dismiss this
as a strange dream.

Please...

I want you to k*ll me.

In order to k*ll me,
you'll first have to learn about me.

Broadly speaking,
the "former me" and the "current me."

The "former me" is easy.

It's mostly written in the Book of Buds.

Everything about me until my modern era
is recorded in that book.

As long as you know how to unlock it,
it's not that difficult.

I'll carve it deep inside
so you won't forget.

The problem is the "current me."

The more time passes, the fewer memories
I have that I can share with the other me.

And so...

the only one with an accurate grasp of me
is Mr. Kawashita.

Him alone.

But because the other me is clutching
Mr. Kawashita so tightly,

my voice can't reach him.

The only way
is for you to contact him directly.

What?

At this time, Mr. Kawashita
is with the Spy Association,

under the control
of the government and the police.

Even as an insider, it won't be easy

for you to question him
without being recorded or watched.

To speak with him unsupervised, you'll
need a Silver Rank spy license or higher.

The Book of Buds
and a Silver rank license,

that's what you'll need first of all
in order to k*ll me.

The other me is starting to awaken.

So this is farewell for now.

What's happening now,

what I'm saying to you...

right now, you surely have no idea at all.

Whether you pass this off
as just a bad dream

or else as reality is up to you.

Don't misread this.

For you and Mutsumi's sake, as well...

A dream?

At a glance, it's just an ordinary dial.

But that's just how it appears.

The mechanism, made with the same metal
as your Cherry Blossom Ring,

will respond only to my blood.

Body temperature, heart rate,
the amount of someinine.

Yes...

it will open because it's you.

That said, this book cannot help you yet.

You'll see when you open it.

I see.

Right now,
this book serves only as proof...

that I'm not a dream, that is.

Now, then... what you can do right now...

What I can do right now...

You want to take the Silver rank spy exam?

All of a sudden?

You can get your work done
without one, can't you?

Right, right.

Um...

How can I tell them that insane story?

Big Bro Taiyo?

Well, he seems to have his reasons.

Yeah. We're not gonna pry.

Did you think that's how it would go down?

Now give it up,
or I'm gonna break various bones.

I hate you, Taiyo! I'm never gonna
wash my clothes with you again!

You better watch it, Taiyo.
We're spies.

Keeping secrets in a half-baked way
would be suicidal.

If you're gonna talk, talk.

If you're hiding it,
hide it with all you've got!

Otherwise, our curiosity and spy skills

will run a bulldozer
right over your privacy.

I'd forgotten
how terrifying this family was!

All joking aside, even families have


If you're honest to a fault,
you'll flunk the test.

Even though
that's what's so great about you.

SILVER RANK ADVANCEMENT EXAM And it's not like there's
much difference between the Silver and Bronze exams.

DAYS REMAINING: 16!! At your level right now,
you shouldn't have any problems passing!

The one issue you might have
is the proctor.

Proctor?

The proctor for a Silver rank exam
is always a Gold-rank spy.

Well, not that there are that many
Gold Ranks in the first place,

and taking the criteria into account,
you can pretty much predict who it'll be.

A high achiever
even among the Gold-rank spies.

To facilitate coordination
between the proctors,

they're assigned by organization.

Someone who hasn't served as a proctor
in the last two years.

If I'm analyzing this right,

this might be the dreaded year
that comes along once every few years.

The year of zero successful candidates.

TO ACCESS THE VENUE,
PLEASE DECIPHER THE CODE BELOW

The Spy Promotion Exam starts when, using
a code found on the official website...

...the candidates each try
to enter the exam venue.

There are a few hundred of us here.

I think that's the Yozakura family's...

The Skeleton Island thing...

Oh! You may be the Yozakura family's hope,
but that unflinching gaze...

You're so awesome!

This angle's such a keeper, too!

Uh... who are you?

Oh! I haven't introduced myself yet.

BRONZE RANK
I'm Usa, a reporter for Spy Day!

Nice to meet you!

Wasn't Spy Day the weird magazine

that's written so much drivel
about me and the Yozakuras?

I'm gonna ignore her.

Hey, refusing to be interviewed?
That's cold!

So are you taking this exam

so you can contact the Tanpopo head,
Makoto Kawashita?

Wh-What's up with that?

In the first place, the Yozakuras
have no need to take this test now.

Meaning...

you need the "Right to Meet with Someone
Under the Association's Surveillance"

granted to Silver-rank holders,

and furthermore wish to do so on your own,

without your siblings,
who already have this right.

Something like that?

Or so I said to my boss.

If you have time to hallucinate,

then use those useless ears
to question him, you third-rate reporter!

The publishing industry sure is brutal.

Though I do think
I'm on the right track.

True that!

FIRST TEST SITE
PLEASE WAIT HERE

It's huge... but empty?

Well, I'm starting to get all excited!

Excited?

Because this is so rare!

Getting to experience the skills of
the Association's top Gold Rank up close!

Whoa.

Everyone's already here.

G-Good morning.

NEXT EPISODE
SPY ADVANCEMENT EXAM