Swordsmith
Apparently they discovered a new metal on a remote planet.
Tetsuko's request: Watch this program in a bright room and at a safe distance from your TV.
As a smith, I really want to get some of it.
So look after the store while I'm gone.
I'm counting on you all.
What a weirdo.
She's looking for orichalcum in this era of sword prohibition?
But she doesn't seem to be short on customers.
I wonder what they're like.
Let's see...
This is a fine sword, but it shows no sign of use whatsoever.
Its owner must be a bakufu official who slings it on his waist as an accessory.
This one's unsigned, but has been reforged several times.
I'd say it's a radical Joi rebel's weapon of choice.
Then, Gin-chan...
What kind of person would you say was using this sword?
That's a sword of destruction that a soldier picked up
without knowing it was cursed, couldn't unequip it,
and thus kept using it.
The owner came along with it!
What? This isn't a strap?
Why would you use the corpse of a soldier as a strap?!
Who in their right mind—
Pardon me.
I'd asked for a sword to be repaired. Is it done yet?
A customer from a whole different setting showed up!
Strike When the Sword and Overlord are Hot
Swordsmith
I see.
So Tetsuko-dono isn't around.
Pardon the late introduction.
Hero Lotosix
I'm Hero Lotosix, from the planet Hero.
The Galactic Overlord, Tiramisu, threatens the peace of the galaxy,
so I'm on a journey to take him down.
But in the midst of our travels,
the soldier Takeshi equipped a cursed weapon, leading to this situation.
Uh, instead of a smithy,
shouldn't you visit a church to lift the curse?
Lift Curse Revive
The sword of destruction may be cursed, but it's a powerful weapon.
I wanted this corpse removed so that the sword may be used.
That's what you asked for? And you call yourself a Hero?!
But the sword of destruction is usable this way.
You can get rid of the corpse, but the curse won't go anywhere.
So instead of using it directly,
equip it along with Takeshi.
Takeshi will curse you!
I see!
This way, Takeshi can rest in peace, too!
You're only using Takeshi at this point!
No wonder this smithy is renowned across the galaxy.
Please, use your considerable skill to grant another of my requests.
The only thing capable of defeating the Galactic Overlord, Tiramisu,
is a sword that only the Hero of legend may draw,
the Galactic Holy Sword, Cosmos.
But it has remained dormant for so long, it has been considerably damaged.
I'd like you to reforge this sword.
You haven't drawn it out!
That thing doesn't recognize you as the Hero at all!
You just ripped out the sword along with the rock!
The Overlord draws ever nearer.
Since time was running out, I went at it with an excavator.
What kind of Hero are you?!
Just go defeat the Overlord with your excavator!
The final battle is almost upon us.
Please hurry.
Swordsmith
Ready it while we get some rest at an inn.
Wait a second!
Take Takeshi with you!
What do we do, Gin-san?
The fate of the universe is riding on this.
We can't ignore it.
If it's just yanking the sword out, we could handle it ourselves.
But this is a legendary sword that even the Hero couldn't yank out.
Well, we have legendary dom queens here.
Yank, not wank!
It really won't budge an inch.
You can't think of it as yanking the sword out of the rock.
Just remove the rock from the sword!
She broke it!
She broke the legendary sword!
So this is the legendary jackknife...
I've never heard of that before!
With this jackknife, slitting the Overlord's throat should be a cinch.
I've never heard of the Hero taking on the Overlord with a jackknife!
What do we do about this?
At this rate, the Hero's gonna lose to the Overlord!
Pardon me!
Wh-Who are you people?!
So you're the so-called finest smiths in the galaxy?
Um, I have an appointment.
I'm Galactic Overlord Tiramisu.
Galactic Overlord Tiramisu
I brought my sword, so could you take a look at it?
Y...
You, too?!
The thing is...
I'm plotting to take over the universe,
but this Hero stands in my way.
The only thing that can defeat the Hero is the Evil Galactic Sword, Machinas,
which only the true Overlord may draw.
I got my hands on that legendary evil sword, which is all well and good,
but it has remained dormant for ten thousand years and has grown completely rusted.
Where the hell did you stick it?
Canned Peaches
Were you trying to open a can of peaches with it?
I could not hope to duel the Hero with the sword in this state.
I want you to reforge it at once.
To help you with the job,
I shall leave one of my men, Rotting Kiyoshi, with you.
A Rotting Kiyoshi appeared!
Finish the job before Kiyoshi completely rots away.
I'm counting on you.
He's not gonna be of any help!
This is just harassment!
First the Hero,
and now even the Overlord left his sword with us.
You're breaking that one, too?!
Of course.
If one of the swords were shorter than the other, they'd find out we broke it.
But if they were of similar length,
they'd think that's how legends go, and shrug it off.
As if!
What are they, legendary idiots?!
If they find out, they'll demand a legendary amount of compensation!
Hey, isn't the Hero's sword a bit longer here?
We should give the Hero an advantage.
You moron! Smiths don't take sides!
A smith only focuses on striking the metal in front of him with all his might!
I don't want to hear that from a guy breaking swords with all his might.
Break off a little more from the Hero's sword.
Huh?
Now the Overlord's is longer.
The Hero's is longer again.
The Overlord's is longer again.
This is harder than I thought.
So these are...
...the legendary beam sabers!
You're not fooling anyone!
They were better off being stuck in a rock and a can of peaches!
That's it!
Let's stick them back in something to hide their lengths.
We'll say that when we removed the rock and a can of peaches,
they were stuck in a Hero and an Overlord.
That's Takeshi and Kiyoshi!
All right.
Now if we give the Overlord's corpse to the Hero
and the Hero's corpse to the Overlord when we return the swords, it'll all be settled.
But there's just one problem.
We have the Hero's and the Overlord's swords,
but which was which?
How many times do I have to tell you?!
A Hero appeared! A Wizard appeared! A Fighter appeared!
Don't walk in a line! Move side by side!
Ever since he equipped the legendary sword,
he's become so aggressive, he's like a totally different person.
His breath smells kinda sweet,
and he even emits freezing waves every now and then.
How many times do I have to tell you guys?!
Walk in a single line!
Anyone who steps out of line gets sent to the cart!
Everything's changed since he got his hands on that sword.
Lately, he's been calling us his "party,"
and opening chests in people's homes without permission.
Swordsmith
They totally got swapped!
We've gotta return them to normal quick!
Does it really matter?
Heroes and Overlords aren't all that different.
It's like how at the end of people's lives,
you can't tell if grandpas and grannies are men or women.
It's nothing like that!
At any rate, we should return the swords to their original owners.
I don't mind,
but whose sides were Takeshi and Kiyoshi on?
Hey, Hero.
Off to the cart with you.
You've forgotten that your job is to take out the Overlord.
You have no right to lead a party!
Get lost!
Our great Hero, Kiyoshi-sama!
I'm no Hero.
In the past, I was defeated by the Overlord
and manipulated without being allowed to die.
I'm nothing but a filthy puppet!
I'm nothing but rotten Kiyoshi.
But now that the holy sword has revived me, I understand.
What's truly filthy and rotten
is your heart, Overlord!
What's wrong, Tiramisu?
Nothing, sire.
Do your scars ache?
So do mine.
The curse inside me and
this sword of destruction bay for the blood
of the Hero, who left me to die because he was too cheap to pay the church's fee.
The final battle draws near.
Do not forget to keep your weapons in shape.
Yes, great Overlord Takeshi-sama!
I have returned.
Who are you?!
The legendary swords revived something outrageous!
So, which is Takeshi and which is Kiyoshi?
Does it matter?!
Haven't they gotten a lot bigger since the last time we saw them?
That one's a bit longer.
That's not fair.
No good.
Now this one's bigger.
Wait, Gin-san...
Now this one's bigger again.
So these are...
...the legendary beam sabers!
We're back to square one!
Do you guys have to keep striking until the blade's gone each time?!
I told you,
a smith only focuses on striking metal with all he's got.
I get it now.
You guys aren't cut out to be smiths!
Nah, you might be surprisingly good fits.
Tetsuko-san!
Thanks for looking after the store.
Unfortunately, I couldn't find any of that legendary metal,
but thanks to you, I discovered something even better.
These swords were forged to prevent conflict.
They are undeniably legendary swords.
Try giving them these.
I'm sure your feelings will reach them.
This is no time to be fighting among ourselves.
Yes.
We have more important things to do.
Change of plans, men!
Fight Switch Flee Tactics
The Hero party and Overlord army will cooperate
Go Hard Go Easy Go All-Out Follow Orders
and go all-out to demand compensation!
Fight Switch Flee Tactics
I don't know about that conflict, though.
Excuse me.
Mind if I stand next to you for a while and take shelter from the rain?
We both have it rough, don't we?
Moisture is the natural enemy of us machines.
If only it rained oil,
we could be free, too.
Oh, looks like it's let up.
I'll be taking my leave, then.
Let's both do our best at our jobs.
Oil Rain
Cigarettes
Excuse me.
A carton of Fair Weather cigarettes, please.
Tama-chan?
I guess this will be your last errand to this place.
Take this chance to tell Tose to quit smoking.
So you are closing up shop?
Never thought that poison-smoking hag would outlast me.
Otose-sama says, "I'll wait however long it takes to get your illness cured.
I'd hate to see a shop that sells Fair Weather go away forever,
so come back, even if you have to do it as a vending machine."
Even if I reopened this seedy shop,
the only customers I'd have would be weird hags.
My partner and I, we've both grown too old.
It's high time we called it quits.
Partner?
Yeah.
The junk heap that's worked with me for years
and gotten even more broken down than I have.
Now it's just scrap metal that's taking shelter from the rain.
Hey, Gran.
I put some cash in, but I'm not getting any cigarettes or change back.
What's going on here?
How many times do I have to tell you?
That thing isn't too good at math,
so you have to pay it in exact change!
How can a vending machine be bad at math?
Not there! Here!
Oh, something came out.
Isn't this mine?
Hold on a second!
Why is this vending machine smoking my cigarettes?!
You probably put it in a foul mood by kicking it in the wrong place.
A vending machine shouldn't be sulking!
Gimme back my cigs and money!
Don't you dare give him any change, you junk heap!
You two are in cahoots, aren't you?!
Please cease your violent behavior.
No machine is junk.
Its body can no longer keep up with its heart, is all.
It's all right.
You can let everything out today.
I'll listen to it all.
It let something else out!
It's hungover, it seems.
Which vending machine did this vending machine buy One Cup from?!
So it can still do its job if it tries.
Now I won't have to buy cigarettes for a while.
You thief!
Somebody call the police!
I am the police. What do you want?
Cigarettes
Huh?
My umbrella suddenly won't open.
What do I do?
The ingredients will get soaked.
Excuse me.
Mind if I take shelter from the rain for a while?
That doesn't count as slacking off from the job, right?
For personal reasons, we'll be closed for a while. - Owner
Don't worry.
I'm sure she'll be healthy again in no time.
So please don't think you've been abandoned.
You're not scrap metal.
After all,
you have a customer who needs you right here.
But a carton for 500 yen is too generous.
Sell one at a time in the future.
That way, I'll be able to come every day.
Are you crying?
Let's both do our best at our jobs.
Snack Otose
Huh?
Tama got a boyfriend?
A boy...
Wait, does gender even apply to machines?
You men are too dense.
You can't pull the wool over a woman's eyes, though.
A woman's eyes?
Wait, does gender even apply to hags?
Every time I send her out to buy cigarettes lately,
she always comes back late.
With the wrong brand, even.
Also...
How to Talk to Quiet People
She's been skimming through some weird data when she has time.
She's just brushing up on her customer service.
You're overthinking this.
I'm just worried she fell for a bad guy.
Besides, don't you think it's strange that
someone as careful as her would forget her umbrella?
Beats me.
She's probably taking shelter from the rain somewhere.
What? It's closed?
Oh, well. Guess I'll have to use the junk vending machine.
One pack of cigarettes. 90 yen in change.
Now that's unusual. It actually worked!
Cigarettes
Two packs of cigarettes. 180 yen in change.
I finally picked up this pocket change, but...
One butt.
I wonder if I'll get lucky again.
One point.
Why are we being singled out?!
Why are you barking out weird orders from the side?!
What are you talking about?
I'm only taking shelter from the rain.
You'll pay for this!
It's always like that.
She comes to buy cigarettes without an umbrella in this rain,
and stands there talking to the vending machine.
She's even given it the nickname "Tobako-san."
Tobako, eh?
Thanks. You were a great help.
Wait up, Boss!
What exactly is going on there?
Isn't it obvious?
They're just friends.
Oh, the rain's let up.
I'll be leaving, then.
Tobako-san?
Don't worry.
I'll be back to buy cigarettes again tomorrow.
No...
Cigarettes or no cigarettes, I'll be back
to take shelter from the rain.
Huh?
Fair Weather
This is...
Tobako-san, did you keep this from me because you thought I would stop coming
if I finished my errand?
This will put a smile on Otose-sama's face.
It looks like we're no longer pieces of junk.
Sold Out
What's wrong, Tobako-san?
I'll take a look right away...
I'm sorry to say this, but it can't be repaired.
Tama, she's done her job.
That old lady won't be coming back, right?
This cigarette shop is done for.
It's pretty run-down.
The whole thing might crumble at once.
Be careful.
Huh?
Wasn't there a...
It's all right.
You're not scrap metal.
After all,
you have someone who needs you right here.
You have me,
your friend!
Even if you can no longer sell cigarettes,
or be of help to people,
Illegal dumping! Remove this trash at once!
what does that matter?
Why can't a machine exist just so people can take shelter from the rain with it?
I forgot my umbrella.
Let me take shelter for a bit.
There's no longer a roof here that'll keep out the rain.
That's fine.
I just found a machine I wanted to take shelter from the rain with.
Besides, the rain has already let up.
Fair Weather
So you don't have to take shelter from the rain anymore.
You can forget about your duty now.
At least in the very end,
wipe the rain off her
not as a machine, but as simply a buddy.
Tobako-san...
If you don't stop her already,
she really will rust into scrap metal.
You never learn.
How many times have I told you...
Whether you're selling or crying, do so one pack at a time.
But just for today, I'm sure nobody will find out.
Because it's raining oil.
Snack Otose
The hell?
These are soaked.
Next episode is finally the 300th.
And finally...
The Shogun Assassination Arc
kicks off.