After the dust settles from yesterday’s tire-swinging chaos, Engine contacts someone through his communicator. On the other end, the mysterious voice is completely shocked to learn that Engine has found a “natural talent.” Not only that, but Engine casually drops that he’s already recruited him as a Cleaner. The person on the other end nearly chokes, probably imagining paperwork nightmares, but before more questions can fly, Engine disconnects, leaving them hanging.
Of course, Rudo immediately starts running his mouth, insisting that he never agreed to join any weird garbage gang, thank you very much. He’s still focused on one thing—getting back to the Sphere. But before he can even finish his sentence, the cranky old person treating his injuries starts yelling like a banshee, calling him stupid for wandering into no man’s land. “If you’d breathed that toxic air a few minutes longer, you’d be worm food by now! You should be down on your knees thanking the nice man who dragged your reckless butt out of there!” she shouts.
Rudo, baffled, starts thinking this old guy’s got some serious screws loose… only to freeze when the “old man” snaps back, “OLD WOMAN, YOU BRAT!” as if she could hear his thoughts. At that point, Rudo decides it’s best not to argue with telepathic grandma.
After the treatment, Rudo reluctantly thanks Engine for footing the bill. Engine, with his trademark smirk, explains that the whole kidnapping stunt earlier was to show Rudo exactly how Spherities are viewed down here. He’s free to go ask around if he doesn’t believe it, but the second people find out where he’s from, the welcome wagon is going to turn into a pitchfork mob.
Later, Engine tries to lighten the mood by taking Rudo out for a burger, which blows the kid’s mind. Up until now, he thought the Pit was just endless trash mountains and nightmare monsters, but there’s an actual city here—with neon signs, fast food, and somewhat questionable hygiene standards. Rudo wonders aloud if the fries are made of leftover scrap metal, but takes a bite anyway because starving isn’t fun.
While inhaling burgers, Engine finally remembers to ask Rudo’s name. In return, he gives the boy his first “Pit 101” lecture, explaining that down here, trash absorbs the emotions of the people who toss it away—anger, regret, sadness. When all that negative energy festers long enough, it mutates into a twisted life force called Anima, which in turn gives birth to the monstrous Trash Beasts.
The only things that can kill them are special weapons called Jinki, or Vital Instruments. These are objects that have soaked up positive emotions instead of hate—tools and items cherished and used with care. Since both Trash Beasts and Jinki share the same Anima core, only Jinki can truly destroy the beasts.
Engine points out that Rudo’s strange habit of treasuring discarded junk makes him a perfect Giver—a rare person who can awaken the hidden power in these objects. In fact, those old gloves he wears? They’re already a Jinki in their own right, probably saving his life without him even realizing it.
In short, the Cleaners are basically garbage beast exterminators, and they desperately need more Givers to help protect the Pit. Hearing all this, Rudo’s mind drifts back to Regto, remembering how he once said that objects could develop souls if you cared for them long enough. Looks like the old man wasn’t crazy after all.
Curious, Rudo asks if joining the Cleaners means Engine can help him get back up to the Sphere. But Engine shrugs, admitting he has no idea how to go back up there—but his boss might know something.
At one point, Engine asks where Rudo got those gloves, and when the boy says his father gave them to him, Engine nods knowingly, understanding why Rudo treats them like treasure despite their worn-out state. He reminds Rudo to keep taking good care of them. That single comment tugs at Rudo’s memories, and for a moment, he’s back with Regto, the day those gloves were first placed in his hands.
Later, as they’re leaving, Rudo finally gathers some courage and tells Engine that he owes him one for saving his life. Engine just waves it off, saying there’s no need to mention it… and casually hands him some money. Rudo’s jaw nearly hits the floor. A kind gesture? From this sarcastic umbrella-wielding maniac?
Not quite.
Engine explains that the money came from selling all of Rudo’s clothes, which is also how he paid for the medical treatment and food. Rudo’s expression twists between horror and betrayal, realizing he’s standing there in borrowed rags while some creep down the street is probably auctioning off his shirt for spare change.
And that, dear viewers, is how Rudo learns the first rule of the Pit: trust no one with your wardrobe.
Rudo is furious when he realizes Engine hadn’t been doing him any favors at all—all this time, he was actually spending Rudo’s money. And to make matters worse, Engine says it like he’s done Rudo a kindness, pointing out that those “fancy spherite clothes” wouldn’t have gotten him anywhere down here anyway. He sold them for cash and paid for the medical treatment and food with that. Rudo is still seeing red, but before he can yell at Engine, a cat darts out of nowhere, snatches his remaining money, and takes off like it just pulled the heist of the century.
Rudo, not about to lose the last of his funds, gives chase. Sprinting through the filthy alleyways, he grabs a long stick lying nearby, only to realize too late that someone was already holding it. The cat hops onto a trash can, snoozes for a second, then rolls right off, giving Rudo just enough time to snatch the money back. But before he can celebrate, the stick’s original owner steps out from the shadows, looking like a serial killer who just caught someone stealing his last meal. Without a word, the man suddenly appears behind Rudo like a ninja, effortlessly yanks the stick back, and then—just to make things extra weird—starts sniffing it like it’s a priceless heirloom.
Rudo’s first thought? This guy’s crazy. But things only get stranger as the man introduces himself as Zanka Nijiku, a member of the Akuta Cleaners, proudly flashing the same emblem Engine had. He explains that Engine already told him about Rudo, meaning this eccentric stick-sniffer is his new trainer. But before training begins, Zanka decides on lesson number one: “Stealing bad.” To drive the point home, he tells Rudo to “tell his daddy he wasn’t raised right,” which hits Rudo like a slap in the face. Nobody insults Reto—not even a supposed trainer.
Rudo is seconds away from going full “Hulk smash,” but he suddenly remembers Reto’s words: “Think about how the other person feels before you hit them.” Taking a deep breath, Rudo realizes if someone stole his gloves, he’d be furious too. So, swallowing his pride, he apologizes, saying if he’d known the stick was a treasure, he’d have never touched it. To his surprise, this apology is like a cheat code—Zanka calms down instantly, deactivates his weapon, and even apologizes back for scaring him. For once, Rudo’s proud of himself. Reto would’ve been grinning ear to ear.
But that pride doesn’t last long. While Zanka extends his hand to help Rudo up, Rudo notices how much better Zanka looks when he’s smiling. Wanting to try it himself, he forces a grin… except it’s not a grin—it’s the kind of nightmare fuel that makes people check for exorcists. Zanka stares at him like he just saw a demon mocking him, and his temper explodes again. Rudo desperately tries to explain that it’s just his “friendly face,” but Zanka’s already convinced he’s being made fun of.
Their tempers boil over, and Rudo grabs the first thing he can find in the trash to fight back. Zanka freezes when he sees Rudo unknowingly channeling power into the random object like it’s a Vital Instrument, realizing Engine wasn’t exaggerating about his raw talent. But Zanka’s a pro, and skill always beats talent. He pressures Rudo hard, throwing his stick like a spear and nearly pinning him down. Rudo manages a weak counterattack that only grazes Zanka’s cheek. That’s when everything goes downhill. Zanka wipes the smear off his face, sniffs it, and goes pale as death—because the “weapon” Rudo picked up is a filthy toilet plunger.
Now it’s pure chaos. Rudo, clueless about what a plunger even is, assumes it’s some legendary underground weapon and goes full warrior mode, swinging it proudly as Zanka screams and dodges for his life. Sludge splatters everywhere like a disgusting rainstorm. Even Zanka, a trained cleaner, is begging for a timeout, but Rudo isn’t stopping until his opponent falls. Eventually, he leaps high into the air and lands the “finishing blow,” sending filth flying like fireworks.
When Engine finally shows up, he’s greeted by the sight of a defeated Zanka lying unconscious on the ground, drenched in… well, you can guess. Rudo stands frozen in embarrassment as he pieces together what just happened. Engine, meanwhile, laughs so hard he nearly breaks a rib, saying he never imagined their first meeting would involve a poop-covered beatdown.
Later in the car, Engine tries to comfort a mortified Rudo, saying this was the “perfect bonding activity.” Zanka might smell like death right now, but he’s still the best there is when it comes to mastering Vital Instruments, so Rudo’s got the right teacher. Zanka perks up at Engine’s praise despite his humiliation, while Rudo just silently wishes he could crawl into a trash can and disappear.Before things can get less awkward, Rudo notices a pair of boots sticking out of the car trunk. Engine casually explains it’s Rio, who just wanted to meet the “new guy.” Rudo freezes when she starts casually fiddling with his hair, his brain short-circuiting because not even Chiwa ever got this close. With that, Engine announces their next stop—the Cleaners’ HQ—ending Episode 3 on a note that’s somehow part action, part comedy, and part pure hygiene disaster.
