Episode 27

Something Precious (大切なもの) is the seventh episode of the second season, and the twenty-seventh episode of The Eminence in Shadow anime adaptation.

Synopsis
シャドウの裏切りと絶望的な状況にアルファたちが憔悴する中、彼の残した“暗号”がついに解読される.
 * -|English= The Major Corporate Alliance has forced closure of all their storefronts, bringing the citizens' unrest to its peak. But can Shadow Garden weather the storm?
 * -|Japanese= 大商会連合の崩壊が始まり、ミツゴシ銀行にも破綻の危機が迫る.

Summary
As citizens struggle to pay for commodities in the royal capital from inflation, all bills produced by the MCA are being refused due to those being the most counterfeited, while Mitsugoshi Company bills are the only accepted notary. However, Mitsugoshi bank still has a policy for accepting and exchanging MCA bills for coins, and are also suffering in exchanging the counterfeits alongside the legitimate bills. As thousands of citizens form lines outside Mitsugoshi Bank, Gamma is silently concerned while Eta begins decyphering Shadow's coded message. Beta and Nu worry over Alpha, isolated in the main office by the fire place after learning John Smith was Shadow, lamenting the perceived betrayal.

As men in suits redeem cash for coins by the caseful, they leave having redeemed their notes while the citizens who see them find their bank branches closed upon arrival, escalating the distrust of paper currency as Yukime savors the result from afar. Elsewhere, Gettan wants answers from Garter, who informs him that they were unable to find the source of the counterfeits but discovered that Yukime is the mastermind. Garter continues to elaborate that the Snow Fox Corporation's use as a front for the White Tower, and carriages for Snow Fox were seen exchanging bills for gold, and those carriages followed the routes for the counterfeit bills. However, a shocked Gettan tries to rationalize the revelation, knowing Yukime turned to prostitution to survive, but his therianthrope senses hear and recognizes the sound of the bells from her war-fan, sensing her formidable presence amid the crowd. Overwhelmed, Gettan orders the carriage to stop as he clutches his pocket watch, adorned with his laced lanyard bells.

As Gamma watches over a still saddened Alpha, she still updates her about the MCA closing storefronts due to insolvency and citizen unrest reaching a boiling point as riots are breaking out. Customers are also racing to Mitsugoshi banks to exchange what they can for gold, overwhelming their company cashiers. Despite having plenty in reserve, Gamma reports that they only have a few days left before their vaults run dry, to which even their domestic and foreign assets will not survive the credit collapse. Concurrently, Nu is organinzing the Numbers within the Headquarters office and receives a projected graph of their market shares turning from an upscale into a credit decline if the situation remains. Gamma tries to pitch an idea to alleviate public concern, such as showing a fully stocked vault, but Alpha dismisses the idea as Shadow was John Smith and it was he who instigated the credit crisis. Gamma denies the notion of Shadow abandoning them, but Alpha rationalizes the situation as them not meeting his expectations despite all the wisdom and resources he shared, thus he washed his hands of them. Gamma slumps to the floor crestfallen as Alpha recalls her pledge to Shadow after he cured her.

Nu enters, finding the two leaders in a depression, but resumes her report that they found solid evidence that Gettan was a Cult of Diablos agent who conspired to circulate counterfeit bills in a plot to bankrupt Mitsugoshi. Gamma is jokingly flattered as the Cult saw Mitsugoshi as a threat, despite their affiliation to Shadow Garden being secret, which is probably why Shadow left them as they were engaged in economic warfare. By Gamma's comment, Alpha has an epiphany of sorts as the Cult hadn't circulated any counterfeits but Shadow still circulated his own counterfeits. By Alpha's logic, Shadow created the whole scenario as he circulated the counterfeits under an alias while cutting off contact, but was unsure to what end. Just then, Beta enters with news that Eta successfully cracked Shadow's code and presents the translated message. Reading it, Alpha cries joyous that their master didn't abandon them. The message is Shadow telling them that he has turned traitor and he has to forsake his name to do so, printing counterfeit bills with help form an accomplice, storing all their recovered gold in the facility where they rescued his sister. While he thinks they may resent him for it, he holds that his choice was for the best.

Alpha concludes this is how Shadow sees the world, Beta sees this as him doing what he did for them, and Gamma is happy he foresaw everything and chose the best option. The trio are happy he countered the Cult's plot against Mitsugoshi and used their own plan against them, collecting a tremendous fortune for them to weather the credit crisis as the Cult no longer has the MCA for an economic and trade asset. Beta attests that the Cult chose the wrong fight because Shadow has a greater understanding of credit creation than the any other. Gamma praises his bold effort collecting the funds fully aware of the risks to a credit collapse, as he hid his identity to remove his connection so the relation between the counterfeit bills doesn't expose Mitsugoshi and Shadow Garden being the same. Beta also concludes that Shadow chose a spot they were familiar with to mark where they would need to go to recover their gains-- "In fooling your enemies, first deceive your allies." Now needing to collect the gold where they know it to be, the trio praise their lord's brilliance and foresight, as the Numbers mobilize. Alpha recalls how he told her she'd understand when it was all over and what he was doing was the best choice, with this revelation exactly as he said. But when Gamma asks about Delta, Alpha reassures them not to worry as she is hiding behind an open window, safe and sound. Beta and Gamma give her a hug as Delta tries to explain she was on a secret mission for Shadow, but can't explain anymore because it's a secret. While Alpha gives her a grammar lesson as Cid would never talk like that, the trio continue to hug her much to Delta's confusion.

That evening, "John Smith" slaughters more men looking into the counterfeit production. But Cid is happy to be the only guy on staff with unpaid overtime, as Yukime telling him she wasn't into the plan for the money led Cid to be happy at keeping all the gold for himself. Returning to the cave, Cid plans to look down upon the city from somewhere on high while mutter something that only sounds profound, and call it a day. However, he goes dead silent upon finding an empty room, pondering how it would take time to carry out the enormous sum of gold and it couldn't have been taken far. But Natsu and Kana rush in having lost contact with Yukime and are afraid Gettan got to her. In a sudden turn of attention quieting the two, John Smith laughs in a manic rage perceiving Gettan as the thief, and the two see the empty storage also. But while Kana thinks it may be too soon to assume it was Gettan, John Smith blazes his mana in a rage, frightening the girls as he swears Gettan will return what is precious to him.

In the royal capital, riots of citizens lead to bonfires of MCA bank notes being burned. Concurrently, Yukime overwhelms Gettan in an isolated spot within a park, mortally wounding him with her war-fan with minimal effort. Losing to her legendary power as a nine-tailed fox, Gettan boils over wishing he had that power so he wouldn't have had anything taken from him or his home, voicing Yukime's perceived unjustified betrayal turning against him. As he rants about how he could do more with money and power, Yukime admits that something unknown to her had changed him, but as he saved her and her village all those years ago. Yukime hopes that man still remains inside of him and concludes their battle, leaving Gettan to live defeated. But in his rage at feeling mocked, he drops his pocket watch as he reaches for a Red Pill, gaining a power boost and using his snapped blade to slash Yukime. As his eyes regrow, a bloodthirsty Gettan claims he should have killed her that day. But upon seeing the slashed Yukime remind him of that day, a traumatic episode overtakes Gettan as he moves to finish her, but is stopped by a timely attack from John Smith.

A stunned Yukime sees John standing as Gettan mocks him for coming into the open. But as John Smith clashes with Gettan's blade, the masked fighter states he is there to retrieve something precious to him. Gettan thinks he means Yukime, recalling how she was all those years ago, as John Smith exclaims he knows Gettan is the one who stole from him. As John Smith reiterates his reclaim of his precious thing, Gettan roars offended he would feign ignorance. As their fight rages around the park, Yukime retrieves Gettan's pocket watch thinking how it would have been simpler for John Smith to abandon her, but is stuck by his declaration of "something very precious." Thinking John Smith so compassionate, Yukime's distraction by flattery is ended when Gettan is sent flying past her, bloodied by John Smith's wrathful assault. As John Smith demands Gettan confess what he has to say, Gettan refutes he has nothing to say as he tries to swallow the rest of the pills in the bottle. Yet John Smith counters by stomping his foot into Gettan's mouth, then demands Gettan say what he needs to say, beating him every time he says he has nothing. After some time, Gettan recalls the obscene power hurting him now as the masked monster who took his eyesight years ago, weeping at just wanting to power to protect what he wanted. Gettan dies pointing to Yukime and leaving his precious treasure to John Smith, who states he'll take care of his treasure as he hugs Yukime to heal her wound. The magic coursing through her allows her to remember the touch of someone who healed her when her village was destroyed, realizing he was the boy who saved her life and tearfully thanks him for all he has done.

But in Cid's usual self, he ponders if Gettan meant there was treasure buried in the snow.

The next morning, in order to quell the rioting, Princess Iris Midgar and her Crimson Order raid the MCA vault only to find it empty. As Garter attempts to make excuses, Iris orders Marco Granger to arrest Garter and fulfills the order with charges of disrupting the market, offensive actions against the royal distribution network, and more. Iris walks away, a severity to her gaze. Elsewhere, Yukime returns to a worried Kana and Natsu, curious where John Smith was as Yukime believes he has gone to give Gettan a proper burial, as she holds onto Gettan's pocket watch and bell lanyard. In reality, Cid is digging where he thinks Gettan left a treasure. In the empty storeroom, Yukime is confused before Alpha makes herself known. As Kana and Natsu stand guard, Alpha sees Yukime's confusion and acknowledges Shadow didn't tell her yet, so she hands Yukime a letter belonging to Gettan after Shadow Garden seized relevant documents before the royal investigation into the MCA dissolution. Yukime tells Alpha that the handwriting is sloppy but is not necessarily due to Gettan's eyesight, recalling his studies in their youth and his inability to sit at a desk, so she'd write for him any correspondence. Alpha elaborates how the Cult of Diablos took advantage of Gettan's weaknesses and led him astray, to which Shadow and Shadow Garden are at war with them. Alpha surprises Yukime by revealing how Mitsugoshi Company is the public front of Shadow Garden, and they took all her gold to survive the credit crisis. Meanwhile, Gamma and her staff welcome astonished citizens to Mitsugoshi with towers of gold to reimburse them for their bills. While Alpha understands if Yukime wishes to feel betrayed by this revelation, the Spirit Fox instead expresses only gratitude. Alpha then accepts Yukime into their ranks, as Mitsugoshi handles the public and the Snow Fox Corporation deals in the underworld connections. Meanwhile, Gamma and her staff easily exchange coins for bills as the public trust in Mitsugoshi grows after the credit crisis.

Back in the park, Cid continues digging for the gold he thought Gettan had left him with Delta helping him dig, as she pesters him to honor his promise to do what she wanted. Cid retorts that he promised to do anything within his abilities and wished he had a voice recorder to prove she was lying, much to her confusion and shock about such a device as he jokes it could destroy the world. Cid makes a compromise but can't guarantee anything as he isn't Santa Claus, a fiendish demon lord in red who descends upon the world of shadows, who betrays people's dreams and uses the despair to paint his robe red. Cid explains he was betrayed by Santa because his dream as a boy didn't come true, and when Delta asks what his dream was, he stops himself before he admits he wanted to be the Eminence in Shadows. Thus, Cid decided never to tell people what really mattered to him henceforth, and Santa betrayed his dream every year since, leaving scars on his heart. Circling back to Cid's point, he isn't Santa and cannot give her anything. But with Delta confused, they agree they're not on the same page and move on. But Cid tells Delta he's going on a journey soon, so he wants her to think hard about what she'd want from him and to tell him once he returns.

In reality, Cid thinks Yukime and Alpha are furious with him, so he's going out of town for a while as they "cool off" and he'll nonchalantly return after enough time passed; likely the end of winter and not apologize. Because Cid has discovered the secret technique to never lose interpersonal relationship is to exasperate people into giving up on the topic; similar to a baby making a mess and nobody gets upset. While he is "the winner" then, he is simultaneously the loser. As he leaves, Delta discovers something and calls for Cid, only for him to be out of earshot and gone.

Trivia

 * Due to Cid's counterfeiting plan happening before the Cult could act, he unknowingly crippled their influence in Midgar. As their plan was predicated on removing their gold assets from the MCA while bankrupting Mitsugoshi, leaving their market pawn to crumble as well.
 * Eta uses a specialized typewriter as a form of a | code machine.
 * After Eta relays the decoded message, she writes "I'm Tired" (つかれあ) in | Hiragana with the native script underneath.
 * Given the time between Alpha's discovery of Shadow playing John Smith and Eta's decryption, it can be estimated that Eta translated the message within six to twelve hours of his handing the message to Beta.
 * While Delta used "hush-hush secret mission" and Alpha corrected her, this is because Cid is much more casual around Delta and Alpha hasn't heard him use informal vernacular.
 * The credit collapse happening in Midgar Kingdom is similar to | the 1929 market crash on Earth.
 * When Cid healed Yukime's back, she recalls the very same magic that saved her shortly after her village was wiped out.