Raclitus reveals to the crew that he's the Blue Liberation Front's operative. He assumes control of Gran's campaign to help the captain win the election.
Gran is running for student council president in a bid to confront the island's primal beast.
After receiving a full rundown of the election process from Zarazustra, the crew meets in an empty classroom to discuss campaign strategy.
Vyrn
Great, now we gotta run against the VP too...
Io
And Kition's no slouch either. She's already accomplished a lot, and she's, like, totally fearless...
Katalina
Well, it won't do us any good to wallow in pessimism.
Katalina
Appearing on the ballot proves that Gran is a worthy candidate.
Katalina
We simply have to get the votes.
Rosetta
That's the problem, isn't it? We can't slash our way to victory like we normally do.
Rosetta
Not to mention we're newcomers. How do we convince these kids to vote for Gran?
Lyria
Maybe we could talk to everyone we see?
???
You'd be wasting valuable time. Like Ms. Rosetta said, your captain is the new kid on the block.
Raclitus
Before you go making any speeches, you have to get the captain's face out there.
The crew turns toward the dissenting voice and sees Raclitus standing in the doorway of the classroom.
Eugen
It ain't nice to listen in on other people's conversations, Mr. Head Prefect.
Raclitus
Sorry for eavesdropping. You can relax though.
His words do little to sway the crew until he shows them a blue scarf.
Rackam
That's... You're the resistance operative?
Raclitus
The BLF has more or less informed me of the situation.
Raclitus
Sorry it took this long to link up with you guys, but I had to be sure before revealing myself.
His expression remains stoic, but he bows in gratitude toward the crew.
Io
Haven't you been friends with Zarazustra since you guys were kids?
Io
I thought he was all for the True King.
The corners of Raclitus's mouth dip.
Raclitus
Will you keep this conversation secret from him?
Dialogue Option
My lips are sealed.
Raclitus
Thanks. I need you to understand that I've got circumstances of my own.
Dialogue Option
Depends on what we talk about.
Raclitus
Fair enough.
Raclitus
But keep in mind this is a topic he doesn't want to discuss.
Raclitus
He told you about his upbringing, right?
Vyrn
He said the True King's philosophy saved him.
Raclitus
There's more to the story, which picks up after the government relocated him from our hometown.
Raclitus stares at the ground as he drudges up painful memories.
Raclitus
I was powerless back then.
Raclitus
There's so little you can do for a friend when you're just a kid.
Raclitus
I was pissed at his parents. At myself for leaving him to his fate. That anger almost broke me.
Raclitus
So I turned to the sword. I hated that I couldn't do anything for my friend who was wasting away.
Raclitus
Through training I was able to forge myself into a stronger person. Then one day something happened.
He grimaces, as if still unable to reconcile with the past.
Raclitus
When I returned from training, I happened to see his parents. The ones who brought him into the world, then abandoned him.
Raclitus
They were far too gaunt to be healthy Draphs. It reminded me of what someone might look like if they'd contracted a terrible illness.
Raclitus
Seems they became that way because Zarazustra was taken from their custody.
Raclitus
So wouldn't that imply that his parents actually loved him?
Raclitus
That's what people in the neighborhood were whispering to each other, but give me a break. That had to be a lie, I thought.
Raclitus
If his parents felt guilty enough to serve penance, then why didn't they take proper care of him in the first place?
Raclitus
They were heartless monsters only pretending to be people.
Raclitus
Or so I thought. In the end... they really were just people after all.
Raclitus's expression contorts with anger and pity.
Raclitus
After Zarazustra and I reunited in school, I promised to help him any way I could.
Raclitus
But I personally haven't come to a conclusion about what's right.
Raclitus
Is the True King justified in his actions? I don't know.
Raclitus
That's why I offered to cooperate with the resistance—to discover for myself what is just.
Rackam nods with understanding but has a question for the boy.
Rackam
Can you clear something up for me?
Rackam
You used the word "cooperate." Are you not a full-on member of the BLF?
Raclitus
I'm keeping my options open. I haven't decided yet whether I agree with them or not.
Rackam
But you've still made contact with them before, right? Have you ever met their boss?
Rackam
This person can apparently see into the future and knows way too much about who we are. Sounds shady as hell to me.
Raclitus
Not face-to-face, no. I managed to catch a glimpse of them from afar though.
Raclitus
It was a lady with black hair. Judging from her height, I'd wager she's a Human.
Katalina
A woman with black hair...
Raclitus has no further information on who runs the BLF.
The boy switches gears and returns to the reason why he came to see the crew.
Raclitus
I should've revealed myself sooner, but in any case, you have my support, Gran.
Raclitus
Although the primal beast is unknown to me, I can assist with your election campaign.
Lyria
You're a lifesaver! We had no idea where to start.
Io
Totally. Winning the race was looking bad with Patia joining in.
Raclitus
The election process itself isn't all that complicated. However, school policy still applies.
Raclitus
"Institute standard 107: candidates and their team may campaign up to the day before Election Day."
Raclitus
"108: if three or more candidates are running, the field will be narrowed down to two candidates via primaries."
Raclitus
"109: the final two candidates will be confined until the tallying of votes is completed."
Raclitus
These are the rules that directly affect the election.
Rosetta
That last one about being confined doesn't sound very nice, does it?
Raclitus
All that means is the candidates are isolated in a room away from where the votes are counted.
Raclitus
It's a safety measure to keep candidates from tampering with the ballots.
Vyrn
Basically campaigning is the main event, and we've got until the day before voting starts to win people over!
Raclitus ensures everyone has reached the same conclusion as Vyrn before continuing.
Raclitus
Every student is allowed to vote, and they typically fall into four major voting blocs.
Raclitus
Students belonging to athletics clubs, students in liberal arts clubs, and students in various committees.
Raclitus
The rest are considered independents.
Raclitus
For now, Gran should target the independent bloc.
Raclitus
Kition and Patia have built up strong bases with club and committee members thanks to their presence in school activities.
Raclitus
Rather than foolishly attempt to break their strangleholds, we should capture the swing vote.
Raclitus
Let's play up the fact that Gran is from a different skydom.
Raclitus
That uniqueness is a powerful weapon for capturing the support of students with no particular affiliation.
Rackam
Then the first order of business is to introduce Gran to the public.
Gran and company can finally relax a little now that they have a better understanding of how to proceed with the election.
With Raclitus acting as campaign manager, the crew gears up to hit the campaign trail.