Floor 10: The Man Who Pursues Dreams

Oh come on! How can there be THIS many people here!?

It really does feel like we're being forced to plow through a field of fellow customers.

Um, excuse me! Can you please let us through!?

I never thought the skills I developed to handle con crowds would ever come in handy anywhere else, but it looks like this is my time to kagayaku!

Don't try to fight them, Mash! You need to be aware of your destination in three-dimensional space and make your way there by reading the flow of foot traffic!

Here, see? Easy, right? ...Then again, I guess it's not the kind of thing you can pick up so quickly, huh.

Grr, will you lot back off already!? Not even my golden theater was ever this jam-packed!

？！

Umu, thank you, Master. It seems my light weight only worked against me here.

Of course, I could easily rid us of this problem with one swing of my sword, but...

？！

If you're having difficulty making your way through, you're welcome to walk behind me. I'm not having any trouble keeping my footing.

(I wonder... She's still part statue, right? Does that mean she weighs more than)

I sense some preoccupation with my body mass. Is there a problem?

N-nope, no mondai here! You're right, it's nobody's business what other people may or may not weigh!

Thank you, Galatea. That should be a big help!

At any rate, good job on making it to the tenth floor! Keep this up, and

Oh, right. There's something else you guys should know.

The moment you gained access to this tower, a number of other Servants ran in here ahead of you.

I don't know what their reasons for doing that might've been...

...but I thought you should be aware of that in case you end up running into one of them her

At any rate, good job on making it to the tenth floor! Keep this up, and

Oh, right. There's something else you guys should know.

The moment you gained access to this tower, a number of other Servants ran in here ahead of you.

I don't know what their reasons for doing that might've been...

...but I thought you should be aware of that in case you end up running into one of them her

What...!? Chotto a minute, Ma-chan! Look! Over there!

Whoa, Master and company? What a surprise. When'd you guys catch up with me?

Blackbeard! So you were here, too?

Well, I did think we would probably run into you at some point...

...since Akihabara seems very much like your kind of place.

Duhuhu, so you missed little old Beardie? Does this mean my time has finally come?

Hmm. He's just hearing what he wants to hear... Yep, that's definitely him.

So Beardie, what's with that schoolboy-style backpack?

Yes, I am curious about that too. It makes you seem even more...well...

You look like a creep.

Hey! This is NOT a schoolboy backpack!

This is the backpack-style box I had custom-made to carry my precious figures safely and securely.

Wanna see them? It wasn't easy narrowing my prized collection down to my favorite seven, believe me.

Oh my. These are wonderful.

(Interrupting) You can tell!?

Yes, I can. The dolls' construction is immaculate, and I can also sense how much you love them.

It's a very pure and endearing kind of love.

You must have a gift for this sort of thing. These dolls are lucky to have you.

Oh man, that's the nicest thing anyone's said to me in ages! No...ever!

Hmm. Even I can tell these dolls are beautiful.

However, I am sure you did not purchase them here. Where are you taking them?

Heh. Well, I can't blame you for wondering! Maybe this'll answer your question.

？！

Blackbeard? Why are you blocking our way?

Sorry guys, but I can't let you get to the top floor ahead of me.

Huh?

Do you really need me to spell it out? I've got one reason and only one reason for being here!

To make 'em into real flesh and blood people!

I love 'em, you know!? I really, truly love 'em!

Ahh, once they're human, we can...and then, and maybe even... Duhu. Duhuhu!

Honestly, even if they all turn out to despise me, I'd still be happy they were alive.

Besides, I'm sure they'd end up looking my way...eventually!

Ohh, no no no. Bad idea, Beardie. Don't you know the only place the easy harem route leads is a painful death?

But what a way to go!

I don't see the problem. This all sounds wonderful to me.

There is no purer love than that between a human and a beloved doll he wishes were human. I wish you nothing but luck in making this dream come true.

More full-throated support!? This is starting to freak me out! I'm not used to this kind of affirmation!

Well, the thing about her is... (Filling him in)

She's a statue come to life!? The first of her kind from Greece!?

Oh man, I KNEW I had a good feeling about this rumor! Thank you, Chaldea summoning system!

It's true. Even inanimate objects can become human as long as they are loved.

I'm living proof.

You know, now that you mention it...

You do seem like you've taken all the best parts from god-level figures and real-life tens... (Gulp)

To think, my ideal woman has been standing right in front of me this whole time...

(Breathing heavily) Oh man, this is incredible. Now I really can't wait to get to the top floor!

I've never met anyone else who is so excited to learn the truth about dolls. You really do have a rare gift.

Oh for... Stop that! You have no idea how much worse you're making this!

Never mind the circumstances of your creation. We need to think about what is happening right now.

Exactly.

Blackbeard. Edward Teach.

I don't have any problem with you trying to come up with a way to turn dolls into humans on your own.

But when your plan involves climbing this tower that drains innocent people of their life force and playing into this King of Figures' hands...

...then we have a problem. Come on. Think about what you're doing here.

Hey, girlie, how 'bout you think about what YOU'RE doing before you call me by my real name like we're friends? Are you trying to kill me with happiness or something?

(What's with this pirate!? Is he just messing with me, or does he actually mean that, too!?)

？！

Master, they say this King of Figures guy can turn any figure you really love into a real-life human for you.

That's... That's the stuff of dreams, Master!

And pirates like me...we're all about chasing our dreams.

Really, when you think about it, this is another kind of treasure!

And when there's treasure a pirate wants, we do whatever we gotta do to take it!

So I'm not letting you get past me, Master, even if it means I have to fight you myself.

Any self-respecting pirate would do the same!

Now, come on! Just try and stop me!

Hang in there, girls! Soon, my dream of all of us living haremly ever after will come true!

Dammit! If only these wicked thoughts hadn't entered my head!

Now I'll never get to live the life I dreamed of with my fave figures. No bathing... No snuggling... No spoon-feeding...

Sounds to me like all you've got in there are wicked thoughts, Beardie. Don't you think you were pushing your luck bringing seven figures in the first place!?

Hey, come on. Do you have any idea how long it took me to narrow it down to just seven?

I love them all so much, but I knew I couldn't bring them all with me. It was agonizing, I tell you.

Even when I was writing down everything I love about each one to compare them more easily, I kept flashing back to the joyful times when I acquired each of them...

In the end, the only fair thing I could think of was to draw lots through my tears...

...Let me ask you something out of curiosity.

Let's say you made it to the King of Figures, but he was only willing to make one of your dolls human.

What would you have done?

...

Hell if I know.

I could never choose just one of my girls.

Like I just told you, even picking seven of them was downright torture.

After all...I love each and every one of my wonderful figures equally.

So I think, if there could only be one to come alive...

They'd probably have to choose among themselves.

That way, the one who loved me most would get to be all:

"Oh yes, I promise I'll make you happy forever and ever, Lord Blackbeard! I wuv you sooo much!"

If that happened, I could totally die happy! Though not by blowing myself up!

...I knew it. You really are a wonderful person. You and King Pygmalion may be more alike than I thought.

Though not in your appearance or mannerisms. Those couldn't be more different.

I knew it! I KNEW my time had come! Hey, what do you say you and I hit the doujin shops together?

All right, that's enough! You already lost, remember!?

And so, Blackbeard, now dead, would go on to spend the next three days and nights searching aimlessly for his head.

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Ugh. I hope he's pleased with himself now that we've wasted so much energy on him.

All right, now that that's over with, let's keep moving.

But remember, like I told you earlier, Blackbeard might not be the only Servant you'll see in this tower.

I just hope nobody else you run into causes this kind of trouble...

All right, now that that's over with, let's keep moving.

But remember, like I told you earlier, Blackbeard might not be the only Servant you'll see in this tower.

I just hope nobody else you run into causes this kind of trouble...

Whoa, what is this place? It's so retro that it's got a ton of ancient relic-class parts just lying around.

I knew this planet was out in the boonies, but I still can't believe they'd leave treasure like this out for the taking.

And the security has holes you could fly a space truck through. Are there just not space pirates in this part of the galaxy?

Oh well, never mind that. Let's just see exactly how much treasure we've got here.

This mysterious glowing device seems like as good a thing to start with as any.

Let's simulate popping it into my ship and see howHuh? Ninety-nine-percent compatible? That's...more than I was expecting.

Okay! Compatibility: check. But what would it actually look like in practice...?

Whoooa! I have no idea what it does or what it's for, but damn if it doesn't look awesome!

This might be just what I've been looking for to take my spaceship to the next level.

Okay, what about this mysterious bar then?

It looks exactly like a flying space obelisk. Gorgeous.

Hmm. I guess it should be okay as long as it doesn't give me an error. All right, let's throw this in too, and...

I'm amazed I found the parts I've been looking for here. I guess you really can't judge a shop by its sign.

I swear, where did humans go so wrong?

They're so hung up on things like "fuel economy" and "hybrid vehicles" now that they've forgotten something crucial.

Namely, how frigging cool it is to have a gadget with a propeller or a jetpack or a Rocket Punch built in.

Ugh, when did so-called "smart" machines become all about miniaturization and efficiency?

It's like people have completely forgotten what the concept even means.

...Hm?

Hey, Mister.

What is this "Elisa Particle Reverse Spiral Noncontinuous Super Imposer" device you have here? And why does it come in both AC and DC versions?

Oh, those? I bought them off a couple of customers. I have no idea what they do, either.

They've got no manual and no guarantee they'll work. Just think of them as curiosities.

So you sell items whose purpose even you don't know?

I've always wanted my store to be a go-between for different people who understand rare gizmos' true value.

That's why businesses like this exist in the first place.

Hmm. Well, I can certainly understand that. All right, I'll take both of them.

Great! I'll ring you up right now!

(I may not know what they do now, but I can find that out easily enough by taking them for a test-drive after analyzing them.)

You know, um... Now that I think about it, I really don't think you need to worry about me...

Don't be ridiculous, Danzo. We're here because I chose for us to be here. If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked for it.

We guardian statues are occasionally obligated to demonstrate the sophistication, dignity, and magnanimity which accompanies our superiority.

That's why I brought you here, since you and I are both members of the mecha family... Uh, Genus? My model line?

You should be grateful for this.

(A part of her line? I could have sworn I am the older one.)

Don't worry. It goes without saying that this is all my treat.

Shopping is always fun, but it's a festival's worth of fun when you're doing it on someone else's dime.

Your mission today is to accept that without question or reservation.

I, um... I see...?

Besides, I've always thought you lacked pizzazz.

So as your colleague, it's only natural that I would want to help you work on that.

Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize I was so deficient.

Although, um, I'm not sure what you mean by "pizzazz"?

Well, to put it more clearly, I mean...

Fashion.

Fashion?

That's right. Take a look around this store.

You do have the basics covered with your armaments and such...

But you still need some gear with more visual impact.

Maybe a chest laser, or electric blasts from your horns, or an ultimate weapon that plays its own theme song when you prepare to fire it...

Basically, the flashier, the better.

Y-y-y-you mean...

You want me to be chic!?

But, I'm an old-fashioned shinobi. And a shinobi's job is to sneak unseen in the shadows.

I fail to see how being so flashy will help me to accomplish that...

Now you're being ridiculous again. Nobody ever said fashion had to be practical.

...?

Take humans and their rings. Nobody uses them as their primary means of weaponry, right?

Sure, some assassins might incorporate them into their work by keeping poison in them or something...

But in general, fashion is valued for its own sake.

What I'm trying to say is, just wearing some kind of visible external equipment is enough. It doesn't matter if it's useful or not.

The very act of equipping it is what brings out your chassis's value. That's what it means to be fashionable. Get it?

Umm...

I... Well, I think... No.

(Sigh) All right, let's try this then. Think about someone you like. Someone you're really close to.

Now imagine how they'd react when they see you equipped with something fashionable.

...

(Whoa. Is that a chic hidden laser Lady Danzo's got equipped?)

(That'll be great for roasting enemies to a crisp in a pinch. Good thinking! She's so reliable!)

...

That...does seem like it could be nice...

Right?

And the only way to find something that suits you is to try it out.

Er, that's very kind of you, Lady Mecha Eli-chan, but I wouldn't feel right accepting such generosity...

It's too late to back out now.

Mister, we'd like to test-drive this equipment. ...Huh? We can't do that with junk parts?

All right then, I guess I'll just have to buy the whole lot. Keep them coming. I'll be paying with my Csejte Card.

Hehe. You know, it's kind of nice getting to completely customize a chassis other than my own for a change.

Wait! You mustn't open that hatch without Lady Mecha Eli-chan!?

Khh... Smoke bomb!

Activating air circulators.

(It's so nice to see two mecha cosplayer girls getting along so well... Maybe I've always wanted to see this and somehow never knew it...)

(Between this, and all the weird products that've been selling like crazy these last few days, I'm so glad I decided to keep this store open!)