Akira, Shizuka, and Kencho are back on the road to Akira’s folks when they come across a wrecked truck on the road, surounded by zombies. Without hesitation, Akira dons his Akirager costume to rescue the survivors, but they, or rather she doesn’t need help. She’s a one-woman zombie-killing matching, resplendent in full samurai regalia. She is Beatrix Amerhauser, German national and lover of All Things Japan.
Beatrix had the awful luck to work her whole adult life to save up enough to visit Japan and experience all she has to offer just when the pandemic broke out. So while she may not have an official list (at least on paper; it’s probably in her head) she’s determined to experience “the Beautiful Nippon” all the same.
That includes having a fancy sushi dinner, hence the truck: she was transporting fresh fish to a sushi chef in Takasaki City. Akira is the first to agree to help, as he wants sushi too, and Kencho and Shizuka go along. But while they have a nifty little plan in place to herd and burn as many zombies as they can, the matches they have don’t work.
As the zombies swarm and draw closer to their precious RV, Beatrix has a momentary crisis of confidence. But Akira snaps her out of it by leading by example—that is, running headlong into danger as usual. Shizuka and Kencho back up their close-range fighting by preparing Molotov cocktails that mop up the zombies. The sushi chef, still alive, treats the quartet to the best sushi dinner of their lives, and it’s enough to make Beatrix weep.
After the great Japanese tradition of sushi, the four continue their road trip, but when a classic Japanese heat wave makes them hot and sticky, they seek out the invigorating waters of a hot spring town. Beatrix finds the ladies’ kimonos aren’t generously proportioned enough to hold her Teutonic bust, so she wears the same robe as the guys.
Akira, realizing that he and Kencho are with two cute babes, comments that under normal circumstances this would be a great spot for a date. That’s when the Shizuka of old comes out, decrying love and romance as wastes of time and resources. She’s also scandalized at the prospect of sharing the only working hot bath with the guys, but Beatrix casts away her clothes in preparation to join them without fear or shame.
When a horde of amphibious zombies emerge from beneath the water, the four have to make a run for it, seeking refuge atop a nearby bluff. That night, Akira wanders off to find a drink of water and comes upon a picturesque natural mountain hot spring. He disrobes and dives in, only to find a nude Shizuka is already there.
They agree to stay on their respective sides of the rock and Akira promises not to peek, and they’re eventually able to relax. Shizuka even apologizes for snapping at him about love before; she tells him after a lifetime of having her opinions shot down by her awful father, hearing and accepting the opinions of others doesn’t come easy.
She continues to say she’s “bad at romance” and tries to act tough by saying she only needs her job, but in reality she’s afraid of being hurt. When Akira points out she’s being very open, she says if she does ever fall in love with someone, she hopes it’s with someone she can be this open with.
She then realizes how that must sound to Akira, but before she can qualify, the two are interrupted by the arrival of a naked Kencho and Beatrix, ready to join the party. Seeing the quartet promised by the OP and ED finally completed is quite simply fun as hell, Beatrix is a great new addition, and Shizuka x Akura is definitely ship-worthy. It’s a shame we’ll have to wait a bit for the last three episodes to air.
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