Loid Forger/Synopsis

## History

Twilight has discarded everything about his past to work for the country of Westalis in opposition to the country of Ostania. Hence, he has no real name, and his current name is merely an alias. According to his falsified background as "Loid Forger," his wife passed away two years prior, and he has been raising their daughter Anya as a single father since then.

Not much is known about his previous life, not even his real name or age. What is shown of his past is mostly his childhood, where he became a war orphan, and later as a soldier in the war with Ostania and becoming the spy known as Twilight. He rarely remembers his childhood, however, no longer being able to recall his parents' faces.

An only child, Twilight was raised in Luwen, Eastern Westalis. His father was strict with a pacifistic view on war, while his mother was very loving towards him and often sang him lullabies. Their conflicting views on parenting Twilight resulted in the two frequently arguing with each other, much to Twilight's distress. Twilight was good friends with three other boys, whom he frequently played games with at an old army storage depot he found. The boys gave each other army-related nicknames such as "Major," "Corporal," and "General," while he was called "Advisor." He desired to join the army with his friends when they became older, wanting to "kill all those awful monsters from the east." However, his father deeply disapproved of his ambition and activities, hitting him and berating his ignorance of Ostanians and approach towards conflict.

Feeling left out due to all his friends having soldier uniforms and toy guns, before his father left for a work trip, Twilight lied to him to get pocket money and buy the soldier set but immediately felt guilty for lying. Later, Twilight changed his mind about playing with his friends because of his guilt and left their hideout, deciding to earn back the money he got from his father. Shortly after, the Ostanian Army crossed the border and began to attack the eastern provinces of Westalis, launching a bomb at the friends' hideout. They continued to attack the rest of Luwen, devastating the town square. Twilight survived the explosions, being protected by some debris by his helmet, but was left with a deep gash on his head.

Twilight evacuated from his hometown with his mother, and they were able to lay low with her relatives in Kielberg. This calm was short-lived, as Kielberg was also attacked by an air raid, and Twilight lost his mother. He was then left to survive on his own amidst the chaos. Twilight had nothing left in his life except hatred towards Ostania, so when he grew older, he joined the Westalis army under the identity of "Roland Spoofy," taking the name of a dead older man from his hometown and lying about his age. Twilight fought in the East-West conflict, using his skills as a tactician to win battles, eventually earning the rank of sergeant after many officers died in combat.

On one of his posts in the mountains, he encountered an Ostanian deserter who got caught in one of his traps. The deserter begged for his life as he wanted to be with a woman before he died. Amused by this, Twilight spared him, surprised that the enemy soldiers could seem human. They had a conversation about the start of the war, which eventually devolved into an argument as Twilight grew furious at the deserter and accused him of spreading Ostanian propaganda. Their argument exposed their location to Ostanian soldiers, forcing both men to flee and go their separate ways.

Suffering several injuries from his escape, Twilight got sent off the front lines to recover. There, he reunited with his three friends, who had miraculously survived the bombing and joined the military together. Realizing they were still alive after all this time, Twilight started to tear up, having blamed himself for their deaths. The friends were now together again, and as an excited Twilight invited them out for dinner, they revealed that they were being deployed for a military campaign but promised to hang out once they returned. Twilight would later learn that the operation his friends were assigned to was ill-conceived and recklessly planned, and only their dog tags were returned to him.

Twilight began to reflect on the loss of his friends and his conversation with the deserter. He realized he knew nothing about the war and had been fighting his enemies with blind rage the whole time. He concluded that "Ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is weakness. Ignorance is a sin." Sometime after, Twilight was approached by a man who knew his real name, and that he enlisted with a fake name and age. The man revealed himself as military intelligence and had come to recruit Twilight. Threatening to have Twilight court-martialed if he refused to join, the man instructed him to pack his things and meet him at a station at a later date.

Given time to think about his choice, Twilight sat with his friends' dog tags in hand and told himself that all the information in the world would not bring them back now and that nothing he did would allow him to return to the days of his youth. Twilight arrived at the station to meet with the man, who took his belongings and threw them into a nearby fire, then told him to toss away his name and rank to become a shadow for his country. Twilight responded that no one knows his real name, adding that he does not care about his country or winning the war. After being asked what his reasons were, Twilight thought about his new goal: to make a world where kids don't need to cry.

After joining WISE, he met Sylvia Sherwood, who became his new commanding officer and handler, and turned him into a first-rate intelligence operative using the harshest means necessary. In between this time and before the beginning of Operation Strix, Twilight mentored Agent Nightfall. When receiving Operation Strix, Twilight had been working as a spy for around ten years, undertaking countless missions for the sake of creating a better world.

## Synopsis

### Introduction Arc

Twilight disguises himself as Edgar and meets with an investigator to purchase photos and negatives which provide evidence of a foreign minister using a toupee. After obtaining the evidence, he leaves just before the actual Edgar shows up. Later, in another disguise, he breaks up with Edgar's daughter, Karen, after using her to get information on him and burns the evidence.

The next day, Twilight receives a new mission: Operation Strix. He is to get close to Donovan Desmond, the leader of the National Unity Party and a threat to the truce between the East and the West, and probe any seditious activities. But since Desmond only attends social gatherings at Eden Academy, the prestigious private school his son attends, Twilight must get a wife and a child and enroll at the same school within a week. While taken aback by the mission's requirements and short deadline, the operation is key to maintaining the peace between the East and the West, so Twilight accepts.

Heading to Ostania's capital city of Berlint, Twilight forges his new identity as Loid Forger, a psychiatrist, and buys an apartment. Despite his dislike for children, Loid has no other options and goes to a shady orphanage to look for a child capable of reading and writing to pass the school's admission exam. He is introduced to Anya, who impresses him by solving a crossword puzzle all by herself. Amazed by her intellect, Loid chooses to adopt her and takes her to his home. Unbeknown to him, Anya is a telepath who lied about her age and intelligence to get Loid to adopt her.

While on a shopping trip together, he notices that Anya may not be all that smart and considers replacing her. However, she starts to cry and causes a scene. Loid panics as eyes are drawn toward them and buys her peanuts to calm her down. On their way home, Anya gets tired and asks Loid to carry her. Rattled by her irrational behavior, he borrows books on child-rearing to try and understand her. He decides that after completing his mission, he will send Anya back to the orphanage, saying there is no future for them.

The next day, Loid struggles to get Anya to study. Frustrated, he decides to head out without Anya, who persists in her attempts to follow him until he barricades her inside their home. Meeting with Franky Franklin, his information asset, he obtains a school application, an exam appointment, and a copy of the test. Loid also receives information on Anya from Franky's investigation and learns there are no records of her birth, age, or parentage, and she has gone through various foster homes in the past year under different names. Franky jokes that the two are compatible, but also reminds Loid not to get too attached, advice that Loid knows all too well.

Returning home, Loid notices the barricade tempered and finds an ambush inside. He takes out his attackers but realizes Anya has gotten kidnapped. He initially thinks of finding her but rationalizes that he could start over without her. While he thinks this, Nguyen, one of his attackers, swings his weapon at him. Twilight defeats Nguyen and swaps disguises with him, as he heads to Edgar's hideout at an abandoned supermarket, where Anya is his hostage.

Twilight rescues Anya, and as she bursts into tears, he remembers his past and why he became a spy: to create a world where children won't have to cry. He takes Anya outside and instructs her to go to the police station, hoping to put her in a better orphanage, and returns to the base. Inside, Twilight sets up traps for Edgar's gang and defeats them one by one until Edgar is left. Twilight holds a gun to Edgar's head and asks to be left alone, threatening Karen.

Leaving the building, Loid is surprised to see Anya outside waiting for him. She wishes to stay with him, and he accepts. After moving to a new home, Loid helps Anya study for the exam and makes her memorize the answers with the test copy. Anya manages to pass the exam, which relaxes Loid for the first time in years. However, this is short-lived, as he receives a letter informing him that phase two of the enrollment will be an interview which requires both parents in attendance, and he now needs to find a wife.

Loid attempts to disguise Franky as the mother but fails. He instead has Franky collect and copy all files of unmarried women from Berlint City Hall, so he can look for a mother candidate. After Franky points out Anya's unseemly appearance, Loid takes her to a boutique to be measured for clothing, wishing to make her more presentable. There he meets Yor Briar, who moonlights as an assassin. Unaware of her true job, Loid learns that she needs a pretend boyfriend to bring to her co-worker's party. He agrees to help her, under the condition that she helps him with Anya's school interview by playing her mother and intending to eventually have her agree to marry him. Yor accepts, and the two agree to go to the upcoming party together.

However, Loid receives an urgent mission to recover stolen treasures from Westalis and take down the smuggling ring responsible, which happens to be on the same day as the party. To finish the mission quickly, Loid brings Franky along and bribes him with one of the stolen items. The two underestimate the size of the smuggling ring and barely escape them after retrieving the treasures. While inspecting the goods, Loid claims a diamond ring and argues with Franky over who should have it. While they bicker, a car with some surviving smugglers drives out in front of them, and they crash.

After Loid finishes his mission, he arrives at the party late and accidentally introduces himself as Yor's husband. A jealous Camilla tries humiliating Yor by bringing up her previous work of doing special "massages" for clients (which, in truth, was Yor carrying out her assassinations). To the surprise of everyone, Loid expresses his admiration for Yor's dedication to working hard to provide for her younger brother, Yuri. Loid excuses themselves, and they leave the party.

In the van, Loid apologizes to Yor for mistakenly calling himself her husband. Yor tries to present an idea but is interrupted by a car slamming into them. Inside are survivors from the smuggling ring, so Loid leads them to an old factory and defeats some during the chase. When confronted about their predicament, Loid convinces Yor that their pursuers are patients suffering from hysteria and he is treating them with the latest method of "concussive therapy." Loid saves Yor from an attack, and she returns the favor by kicking a smuggler away. Loid thanks her, and they share a laugh about how she sent the smuggler flying before resuming their escape.

While running, Yor proposes that they get married as an extension of his original condition, surprising Loid so much that he trips. Loid agrees and tries to find the diamond ring to propose to her but discovers it to be lost. He notices a nearby grenade and grabs it before ducking behind a generator. Loid pulls the pin and hurls the grenade at the smugglers while using the pin as a makeshift ring. As the smugglers blow up behind them, Loid says his wedding vows to Yor.

### Admissions Interview Arc

With their marriage cover established, Loid helps Yor move into their home and back-dates their marriage certificate by a year to avoid suspicion from Eden Academy. After Yor settles in, Loid holds a mock interview with disappointing responses from Yor and Anya. He concludes that it may have been too soon for an interview and decides to take them out on an outing, hoping to cultivate some upper-class knowledge and shared experiences. Throughout the day, Loid despairs the mission's success because of how hopeless Yor and Anya are. He tries to think of a backup plan to avoid relying on them but gets visibly upset at being unable to do so. Yor worries for him and suggests they get some fresh air, taking them to a park she frequents to relax.

When they witness a thief stealing an old woman's purse, Yor gives chase, prompting Loid to follow suit. Loid loses sight of the thief on a busy street until Anya points out a cake shop the thief is walking by. He recognizes the disguised thief and apprehends him. They return the purse to the old lady, who is grateful to the family. He thanks Yor for helping in his motivation to do his work, and after Anya says they are flirting, they deny it in embarrassment. Returning home, Loid conducts another mock interview with better results and reassures himself that if they could make the old woman think they are a family, then the mission still has a chance.

On the day of the interview, Loid prepares Yor and Anya before heading to Eden Academy. As they make their way to the school, he immediately senses that they are being watched. He concludes that their observers are the faculty evaluating them, with the selection process already underway. He tells the family to do as they practiced, and they salute the statue of the academy's founder. Upon seeing a male student stuck in a gutter, Loid recognizes this as another test. He signals to Anya, who suggests they help the boy. When Loid pulls him out, mud gets splattered over his and Anya's clothes, but they reveal a change of clothes.

When a horde of animals escape from the school farm, the applicants and their families panic and run away, while Loid assumes this is another test. Loid is hesitant to pull out his gun to stop the cow leading the stampede, but Yor quickly disables the cow while Anya gently comforts it. Pacified, the cow gets up and returns to the farm with the other animals. Afterward, housemaster Henry Henderson rushes outside to compliment their abilities. He informs them that the interviews will be delayed and asks the Forgers to tidy themselves after Loid and Yor tore their clothes during the chaos. Loid proceeds to scare the housemaster by revealing another change of clothes.

As the interviews begin, Loid admits to feeling more nervous about the interview than past dangerous missions in his thoughts. The Forgers are called into the interview room and come face-to-face with their interviewers. At the interview, they give satisfactory answers, but Murdoch Swan, a divorcé, deliberately tries to taunt and fail them. When asked what score she would give her parents, Anya gives them 100 points. Swan follows up by asking Anya which mother she likes best, upsetting her and Yor. Loid sits back, restraining himself as Swan mocks the family until he snaps, raising his fist at Murdoch but holds back and smashes the table instead.

Loid excuses himself for his actions before turning his back on the interviewers and leaving with his family. Loid expresses his disappointment in the teachers, which angers Swan but moves Henderson to punch him in their defense. At home, Loid believes they will get rejected from the school and berates himself for being so emotional during his mission. Yor and Anya encourage him to be optimistic, so they clink their cups to celebrate their hard work. However, a family photo falls as a bad omen.

On the day the admissions are announced, the Forgers look for Anya's application number on the board and are dismayed when it is not there. Henderson appears and reveals that he had Anya placed at the top of their waiting list. Three days later, they receive a call announcing Anya's acceptance into Eden Academy and celebrate. Franky comes over shortly to join the celebrations and suggests that Loid give Anya something as a reward. Anya wants to reenact a castle rescue scene from her favorite show, *Spy Wars*.

Loid refuses but relents when she starts to cry. In addition to Franky's goading, he rents a castle and requests several of his fellow agents to act as guests. As the begin their reenactment, Anya designates Loid as the spy who will save her and Franky as the boss of the "League of Evil," then hides behind a turned-over table. After Loid defeats Franky and a drunk "Yorticia," he rescues "Princess Anya," who hugs him. Anya tells Loid she will work hard while he congratulates her for getting in, and they go to the balcony to look at the stars.

### Eden Beginnings Arc

The Forgers go to the boutique to get Anya's measurements for her uniform. The shop owner warns Loid about discrimination from Eden alumni families, friction between dorm and commuter students, and rumors of kidnapping students, which scares Anya. Later, when the family eat at a restaurant, Loid receives a coded cipher in his meal, informing him to attend his next briefing in five days.

On the day of the briefing, Loid gets a call from the tailor telling him that Anya's uniform is ready, which he asks Yor to handle. Loid heads to a photo booth, which is a secret elevator that lowers him to the underground safe house. There, Sylvia greets him and immediately chastises him for the expense reports on the rental of the castle. Loid responds by giving more expense reports for the school, citing them as essential to the mission.

Sylvia moves on to brief Twilight for Phase Two of Operation Strix: to develop Anya into an Imperial Scholar, a student group part of the school's honor program. She tells Twilight that to become an Imperial Scholar, the student must earn eight merits called Stella Stars but warns him of Tonitrus Bolts, demerits given for poor grades and behavior. Twilight becomes uneasy at Anya's capability to become an Imperial Scholar. Loid returns home and is confused to see Yor and Anya practicing physical exercises.

On Eden's orientation day, the Forgers listen as a faculty member gives a speech congratulating the new students. In his thoughts, Loid has mostly abandoned the plan to make Anya an Imperial Scholar and placed her in the same class as Damian Desmond, Donovan's second son. Calling his Plan B the "Friendship Scheme," Loid hopes that if Damian and Anya get along, she will eventually be invited to his house, which will allow Loid to meet with Donovan and fulfill the mission. Loid sees that Henderson is in charge of Anya's class and thinks it odd that the housemaster got put in charge of first-year students. After Anya leaves for the school tour, Loid and Yor head to the Hall C Lounge for a meet-and-greet with the students' guardians.

At the lounge, Loid sees that Damian's parents are nowhere to be seen. Loid reminds himself that there is no need to rush because now that he has made it into Eden, he has all the time he needs. A faculty member announces that the orientation has finished, and a group photo will be taken in the courtyard. Loid notices that Anya is nowhere to be seen and is pulled aside by Henderson, who informs him that Anya punched Damian and earned one Tonitrus Bolt. Loid is despondent over Anya already endangering both Plan A and B. As the group photo gets taken, the Forgers are unable to hide their distressed faces.

The next day, Loid notices Anya withdrawn behavior and wonders if what happened yesterday is still bothering her, so he assures her that he is not upset with her. During breakfast, both Anya and Yor apologize for their role in yesterday's incident. Loid brushes it off but hopes Anya will learn to be more careful about fights.

Loid and Yor send Anya off on the school bus, and he reminds her to apologize to Damian. A worried Loid follows Anya to school and tries to get her to make up with Damian by the end of the day, doing things like altering her textbook, leaving notes around the school, and writing on her food. As her new friend Becky Blackbell continues to interfere, Loid goes to the P.A. system to call her to the student hall, leaving Anya alone to apologize to Damian. Loid is satisfied as he watches Anya make a tearful apology to the boy but is shocked when Damian completely rejects her apology. Seeing that Plan B has failed, he drops to the floor in despair.

At home, Loid decides to proceed with the original plan to improve Anya's academics. When he starts pressuring her to study, Anya runs off to her room in frustration. Yor intervenes, saying that Loid should not force the studies on her. Loid contends that if she does not study, she will never become an honors student. Yor asks if that is what Anya wants, and says she wants her to enjoy school while studying enough to keep her from flunking out. Loid agrees, remembering that Anya is still young and is probably not worrying about grades. They decide to take a break for some tea and make Anya some hot cocoa.

Loid and Yor try coaxing Anya out with the cocoa, but she stays in her room. Yor says the situation reminds her of her brother, prompting the two to talk about Yuri and his education. Loid realizes Yuri's motivation was likely earning Yor's praise, and she wonders if they can do the same for Anya. Loid does not believe he has been acting as the ideal father, but Yor reminds him that Anya thinks otherwise, bringing up her 100-point score. Loid reminds himself to keep things slow and steady for the mission. He checks on Anya and finds her fast asleep after studying by herself. Loid smiles to himself and carries Anya to bed while she mutters in her sleep. As he leaves her room, Loid wonders how he would feel if they were a real family.

### Secret Police Arc

At a café, Twilight and Sylvia meet up, and she asks if they can expect Anya's grades to improve since HQ is planning around eight Stellas in four months. A visibly tired Twilight says it will not be a problem, and Sylvia sees how bad he has become at lying recently. She then tells Twilight that their informant in city hall has been taken by the State Security Service and warns him to be careful as they now have less knowledge of where the enemy could be watching them.

At home, Loid observes Anya as she watches *Spy Wars*, wishing she could pay that much attention when they study. He is surprised when Anya correctly says that Bondman's gun has two-eighths of ammunition and notes that she learns better with the cartoon. Yor bursts in, announcing that her brother is coming over to visit tonight. She asks Loid what they should do, and he replies that this is what he prepared the "Lovey-Dovey Marriage Kit" set for, decorating the house with stereotypical objects a couple would have. While waiting for Yuri to arrive, Loid and Anya pass the time by reading comics together until she falls asleep. While Loid and Yor prepare for their guest, Loid thinks about how the closer Yuri is, the more likely he will see through the deception, and he will not let the family he has worked so hard to build come apart in one night. Yuri arrives, and the couple welcomes him while Loid hides his dark glare.

As Loid and Yuri greet each other, Loid intends to find out if Yuri will be a threat to the family. He heads to the kitchen to make them food while the siblings catch up. When Yuri demands an explanation for their marriage, Loid recalls an earlier discussion with Yor, where she claimed to have the perfect excuse for Yuri. With Loid counting on her, Yor tells her brother that she forgot to tell him. Loid is dumbfounded when Yuri accepts her response and wonders if this is normal in the Briar family.

Loid returns with some food, and Yuri reveals a bottle of wine, offering Loid to drink with him. Yuri asks the couple how they first met, and they retell their meeting at the boutique. When Yuri asks specific questions about their relationship, Loid starts to feel that this has turned into an interrogation. Loid gets asked what he calls Yor and replies: "Just Yor." Yuri then asks her what she calls Loid, suggesting nicknames like "Loidy" or "Loi-Loi." Yor is too embarrassed to speak, and assuming he is correct, Yuri drinks away in anger.

Loid changes the topic to Yuri's career, and they chat about his trip to Hugaria. Loid notices that Yuri is using a conversation template by Ostanian Intelligence for his responses and deduces that he is a member of the SSS. Despite the danger, Loid thinks there are benefits in being on friendly terms with an SSS agent: as long as he is not suspected as Twilight and can keep outmaneuvering Yuri, it could serve as a valuable intel source about the SSS. When Yor asks if Yuri is happy to have such a wonderful brother-in-law, he reiterates that he does not recognize their marriage or Loid as a brother-in-law, explaining how important Yor is to him.

Yuri says he always wanted her to settle down with someone who could protect her more than him and asks "Loi-Loi" if he can do that. Loid uses his skills as a master liar to tell Yuri that he loves Yor as much as he does and whether from knives, bullets, or even a nuclear bomb, he will stop at nothing to shield her from harm. A drunk Yuri starts accusing Loid of being a liar and spills some water on the table. Yor and Loid reach out to clean up the spill and accidentally touch hands. The two awkwardly back away, much to Yuri's suspicion, and he questions their relationship.

Yuri tells them to prove their love by kissing each other, or he will have their marriage annulled. Twilight panics at how the situation has gone out of control but calms down in 0.1 seconds, reminding himself that he is Westalis's greatest spy and has faked many relationships with women before, so a kiss or two should be nothing for the sake of the mission. He agrees to kiss, telling Yor that it will be just like what they do every day, and closes in on a blushing Yor.

Unable to kiss Loid while sober, Yor downs the wine bottle to get drunk. The now intoxicated Yor pushes Loid down onto the couch and tries to kiss him. However, Yor quickly becomes embarrassed, and Loid swiftly dodges her slap which hits Yuri, who flies across the room. Yuri misinterprets the slap as Yor being mad that he tried to stop their kiss and temporarily concedes defeat. When the siblings start staggering while trying to help each other up, Loid catches them. He openly admires the siblings' bond and assures Yuri that he will do everything he can to support Yor.

Yuri pushes Loid away and announces his departure. Loid tells Yuri he is welcome to come back and visit anytime for Yor and also to meet Anya. Yuri says he will be back to find proof that Loid duped Yor into marrying him and threatens to have Loid executed if he makes Yor cry. However, he quickly cuts himself off before finishing and running away, leaving Loid to think about his threat. While he and Yor clean up the house, Loid checks for any listening devices Yuri may have planted and is relieved to find none.

Yor thanks Loid for tonight and how he was willing to accept Yuri as family. Loid says that as someone with no other family apart from Anya, he envies the siblings. More importantly, he is glad Yuri did not find out about their sham marriage. Yor agrees and suggests that they go to bed. They remember the shared bed, and Loid says they will sleep separately. While Yor and Anya are asleep, Loid sits down to read an issue of *Spy Wars* and contemplates the Briar siblings, wondering when was the last time he felt envious of others before deciding to head to sleep.

The next day, Loid is surprised when Anya gets upset about not seeing Yuri. Because Yuri is an SSS member, Loid suspects that Yor is aware of his identity as a spy and used a pretext to get close to him. Despite his hesitation, Loid plants a listening device under Yor's collar. After dropping off Anya at the school bus, Loid shadows Yor to her work, eavesdropping on her conversations while on the city hall roof. He listens to Yor asking her co-workers for advice on how to be a better wife, to no avail. Loid concludes that he will not get a decisive answer unless he questions her directly.

Loid disguises himself as an SSS Lieutenant and, joined by a disguised Franky, confronts Yor under a script that the letter she sent has a coded message for Westalis. After attempting to intimidate her with Secret Police torture stories, they claim that a woman taken in for questioning had a family member in the SSS and was released. Loid aims to corner Yor to see if she knows Yuri is in the SSS, but she resists arrest and defends his and Yuri's innocence. Seeing that Yor is genuine, Loid tells her that they incorrectly decoded the letter and after apologizing for the misunderstanding, they excuse her.

After Yor leaves, Franky asks Loid if he feels guilty for doubting her and reminds him that they need to hide their emotions and cannot trust anyone. Refusing to get lectured by Franky's disguised face, Loid tears it off. Franky complains since he was hoping to get some girls with it, and Loid ironically tells him that pursuing women with deception is wrong.

Loid meets Yor on her way home from work and retrieves the listening device. Yor apologizes to Loid for being an incompetent wife, and he tells her to be herself without worrying about their cover. A relieved Yor expresses her gratitude for marrying Loid, which stirs him. He destroys the listening device and buys a cake with Yor to celebrate their fake anniversary. Loid and Yor welcome Anya home from school, who is happy to see them getting along.

### Stella Star Arc

Three days before Anya's dodgeball match, Loid is told by Anya of a rumor from Becky that there is a chance to earn a Stella Star by being the MVP of an interclass dodgeball match in P.E. class. After hearing that it was a rumor, Loid is skeptical.

After seeing Anya's failing grades, Loid gets her to study. After seeing her sour mood, he wonders if he is pushing her too hard. Knowing there are plenty of ways to earn Stella, he lets Anya do a variety of extracurricular activities to see if she excels in any of them, to no avail. Twilight reminds himself to calm down, remembering that he should not rush Anya so early and should pay attention to find out what she naturally excels in. He knows that Donovan will not make a move immediately but recalls his goal to achieve eight Stella Stars in four months and wonders if he has time to spare. Anya, who has been attempting to use a jumping rope, gets tangled in it and falls to the floor but tells her father that she will work hard with a determined look.

The next day, Loid brings Anya to the city hospital, revealing that community service is another way to earn Stella. Loid mentions that Stella has been awarded for long-term volunteer activities, saving lives, and even assisting law enforcement. While volunteering will not pay off anytime soon, Loid hopes he can still foster a social conscience in Anya. Loid and Anya receive several assignments, but Anya underperforms in all of them. When Anya tries to run off on her own, the annoyed staff excuse her and Loid from service. Anya apologizes to Loid, but he tells her that everyone makes mistakes and decides to go home.

Anya suddenly runs off to the rehabilitation pool, saying she will practice swimming to get a Stella. Loid is confused, unaware that Anya heard Ken drowning in the pool with her telepathy and had run off to rescue him. Anya almost drowns in her rescue attempt, but Loid jumps in and brings the children back to the surface. Despite her recklessness, the adults thank Anya for her deed and bravery. After Anya receives her first Stella Star, Loid thinks about how he never expected Anya to earn a Stella Star that way, but it was an ideal outcome for the mission. Loid thinks it strange that he cannot help but feel so proud of Anya and congratulates her.

A disguised Sylvia and Twilight meet in a subway car and discuss Anya's recently earned Stella Star. Sylvia mentions that several businesses linked to Donovan have made suspicious financial transactions recently and tells Twilight to quickly find a way to get close to Desmond, as the signs do not look good. Back home, Anya tells Loid and Yor that she wants a dog as her reward. He tells Anya that he will give it some thought and thinks about how a well-trained dog could improve their home security while envisioning a big, muscular dog. Loid decides to go as a family to a pet shop over the weekend to see what is available. Somewhere else, a large, fluffy white dog's ears perk up as it gets a vision of the Forgers happily smiling at it.

Before their trip to the pet shop, Loid is tasked with an extra mission to take down an arms dealer, which he completes with ease. Afterward, he meets with a WISE contact to give an update report on Operation Strix. When Loid returns home, he is exhausted from his extra work but overhears the neighbors gossiping about how the family is never seen together. Having been so caught up in his work that he neglected his facade as a family man, Loid decides to correct this by telling the family that they should go on an outing on the weekend, picking the aquarium after seeing Anya's drawing. Yor notices his exhaustion and suggests that he rest, but he convinces her that they need to be proactive in acting like a normal family. However, Loid must first clear his slate of other missions during the week.

The weekend arrives, and Loid is completely worn out from completing all the missions. Despite that, he insists he is fine and they head to the aquarium. At the subway station, Loid notices a WISE symbol requesting direct contact. He goes to the source of the symbol, the subway store lady, who has another mission for him. Loid bluntly declines, but after some back and forth between the woman, he accepts the mission after learning that it entails specifications for a chemical weapon that a group of terrorists are attempting to obtain at the aquarium.

At the aquarium, the Forgers run into one of their neighbors, and to Loid's dismay, Yor offers the family to join them on their trip. With intel that the specifications were stored in a microfilm and placed in a penguin's mouth, Loid suggests they go to the penguin exhibit first. However, the penguin exhibit happens to be the largest in the world, with 200 penguins on display. As Loid struggles with where he should start looking, Anya points out to him a penguin who appears to have something stuck in its throat. Loid decides to investigate and leaves with the excuse to get a drink.

Infiltrating the staff penguin keepers, disguising himself as a rookie member and hiding the unconscious body in the locker room. Inside the exhibit, Loid inadvertently impresses the chief by remembering all the penguins' names and correctly distributing their food in quick succession to reach the coughing penguin, Parlie, whose condition he points out and leaves with him to take to the veterinarian.

Once alone, Loid examines Parlie and confirms that the microfilm is inside him. A man then appears, claiming to be a biologist from Berlint University and asking for Parlie. After receiving his I.D., Loid exposes the man as a fraud, and the now-revealed terrorist flees after a brief scuffle with Loid. Despite wanting to get intel on the man's terrorist group, Loid prioritizes the microfilm as he is escorted to the veterinarian by the chief. On his way there, he is surprised to see that Yor and Anya have apprehended the terrorist, which allows him to extract intel on the terrorist group.

Loid returns to the group carrying a large penguin plush for Anya, which he won in a quiz to identify the penguins on his first try, though he claims otherwise. Loid is then able to impress the neighborhood ladies, boosting their image of him. With his current problems now resolved, Loid contemplates requesting a long vacation but stops after seeing Yor and Anya's smiling faces, reminded of his goal for a better world. The family move on to see the dolphin show, though the exhausted Loid has to ask Anya to slow down.

After the family trip, Anya takes a liking to the penguin plush, whom she initiates into her "spy agency," and tours him around the house, even introducing Loid and Yor as fellow agents. Loid catches Anya trying to enter his room without permission and reprimands her, making Anya cry. Loid and Yor try to explain that it is dangerous to enter their rooms, but Anya continues to cry and threatens to run away. Realizing that this could derail the mission and not wanting to see Anya cry, Loid picks up the penguin plush and tells her to stop crying. Yor follows suit, and after Anya calms down, she takes her embarrassed parents to the candy store, where she cheers up after they buy her a snack.

### Doggy Crisis Arc

The Forgers go for their outing to the pet shop to find a dog for Anya. The shop, affiliated with WISE, deals in military dogs, and the family sees big and intimidating dogs. Loid, who wants a guard dog, asks Anya if she likes the dogs but is shocked when she rejects them. The family hears of a nearby adoption fair and decides to check it out. Before they can leave, Loid receives new orders from WISE. He tells Yor he has bowel problems and needs to find a restroom, saying they can go ahead without him. Anya backs up his play, albeit to his embarrassment.

Twilight is informed of an assassination plot against Foreign Minister Brantz. WISE suspects the plotters, a group of isolationist college students from Berlint University, plan to strike during tonight's summit. His fellow, the WISE Agent, explains that they caught one of the members loitering around the embassy but cannot extract any information from him, which is why they called Twilight in. Twilight impersonates the terrorist leader, Keith Kepler, to trick the student into revealing their plans to Sylvia. They learn of the terrorists' plan to strap bombs on several dogs and send them after the minister.

While discussing their next move, Twilight asks Sylvia if they can cancel the summit. Sylvia explains that canceling would play right into Ostania's ruling party's hands. She says that if the public ever found out about this, it could break the peace between the East and West, which is why they must stop the plan at whatever cost.

Twilight is sent to investigate one of the hideouts mentioned by their captive and finds two vans under the name "Kevin Knowles." He reports his findings to Sylvia, who has found a solid lead on the source of the dogs: Project Apple. They predict that the former test subjects ended up on the black market, which is how the terrorists got them. Sylvia tells Twilight to be careful as the dogs could still be highly trained or possess enhanced intelligence.

Anya reads the white dog's mind to see his future vision of her family, but the vision changes with Loid missing and the family distraught by it. The vision changes to show a bomb going off in the city and Anya witnessing Loid's death in the aftermath, spurring her to prevent this future. Two hours before the conference begins, Twilight is with Sylvia interrogating the terrorist members captured by WISE. After learning the potential locations of all four bombs, Sylvia orders Twilight and other agents to locate them. Twilight agrees and expresses his shared sentiment with Sylvia's viewpoint on war, stating that he is done with it.

Twilight and two other agents arrive at an old building, one of the bomb's locations. Inside, the agents are confused to see a message drawn in ketchup on the door across them, unable to understand what it means. Twilight sees there is no one else around and suggests taking it slow. The WISE Agent says they have no time and rushes to open the door, but Twilight stops him. Outside the building, Anya reads the dog's mind to see that the future vision with Loid has reverted. Back inside, Twilight peers through a nearby window and uses a glass shard to find a wired bomb on the other side of the door, which is set to explode when opened. Twilight looks outside to see SSS agents approaching the building and opts to let them handle the bomb, but not before leaving a written message.

Twilight decides to go to where Minister Brantz is, predicting that with Keith's plans failed, he might try attacking the minister directly. Twilight approaches Brantz in his hotel room and takes his clothes, which he uses to disguise himself as the minister. As he exits the building, Yuri is there as a contingency from the Foreign Ministry. Yuri leaves after showing the car Brantz will be escorted in, but after he leaves, Twilight takes the car and drives off.

Keith follows him, using a dog to sniff the minister's scent from his clothes. Twilight drives around to lure Keith to the WISE agents as they attempt to intercept him. After they fail, Twilight abandons the car to escape on foot, and Keith sends the dog after him. Their chase stops at an alley near the river, where Twilight pulls out his silencer and removes his disguise. He says it is time to end this before firing.

Twilight fires at the dog, breaking off the strap holding the bomb. The dog pounces on Twilight, biting his arm and pushing him to the ground. Keith sees this and detonates the bomb. However, Twilight had already thrown the bomb into the river behind him, so he was unharmed by the explosion. Twilight pulls the dog up and throws it into a nearby dumpster. Keith, believing he was following Minister Brantz the entire time, is surprised by all this but realizes that the intimidating man in the smoke is not Brantz. Keith realizes his plan is in trouble and drives away, only to be stopped by Yor afterward.

Twilight reconvenes with Sylvia the agents at the pet shop as they reflect on the recent events. Twilight leaves, telling the others that he has to return to his family. Outside the shop, he runs into Yor, Anya, and the dog with her. After asking what they are doing here, Yor explains what happened while Loid left. Loid realizes they got caught up in the crisis and apologizes for his absence. He reprimands Anya for running off but asks for her safety. Anya says she was protected by the dog, whom he recognizes as one of Project Apple's test subjects, and looks to Sylvia, knowing they cannot let him run free. Despite this, Loid thanks the dog for protecting Anya.

Sylvia approaches the family disguised as an SSS agent and says they must take in the dog. Anya refuses the idea, telling them that she wants the dog. Loid attempts to convince her otherwise, but Anya says if she cannot have him, she will never go to school again. Sylvia relents and orders a surprised Loid to keep the dog under control under his supervision. On their way home, while Yor and Anya proudly think about how they saved the day, Loid is utterly exhausted. The next day, the dog arrives at the Forger home, and Loid stands with Yor and Anya as they welcome him to their home.

Before she leaves for school, Loid tells Anya that she will not get a Stella Star for helping stop the terrorist attack and adds that she must keep it secret for East-West relations. After Anya returns from school, Loid suggests taking their new dog for a walk, so the family goes to the dog park. Loid explains to Anya that she is responsible for caring for the dog their whole life. While watching Anya play, Loid thinks back to his lecture and realizes he is not one to talk about such things, as once he completes his mission, he will abandon the family and let WISE handle them. He reminds himself that the "peace" between East and West is thin, using the recent crisis as an example, and tells himself that he needs to end this cold war, believing it to be the best possible future for everyone.

After returning home, Anya introduces her parents to Bond, named after *Spy Wars* protagonist Bondman, and everyone approves of the name. When Anya watches cartoons with Bond, Loid tells her they will be studying after he is out of the bath, and gets annoyed as he hears them playing from the bathroom. After his bath, Yor eagerly beckons him to look around the corner, to which he sees Anya and Bond curled against each other on the floor while fast asleep. Charmed at the sight of it, Loid and Yor agree to give Anya a pass from studying for the night.

### Midterm Exams Arc

In the evening, Loid notes how Yor has been coming home late the past few days. He is concerned for her but decides not to pry due to the nature of their relationship. When Yor arrives, Loid notices her grim expression and hands covered in cuts and bandages. Loid asks if she would like dinner, but she declines and tells him and Anya to eat without her as she is not hungry. As she walks away, Loid wonders what is going on with her.

The next night, Loid is training Bond and thinks about how bright he is and should get security-dog training. Yor arrives with groceries and proclaims that she will make dinner tonight, which shocks Loid and Anya. As she cooks a stew, Yor explains that she has been taking cooking lessons with Camilla and apologizes for hiding it from them. She serves Loid and Anya the food, and to their surprise, the food is good, which they express to Yor. In response, Yor starts crying out of happiness. Loid tells Yor that he cannot wait to see what she makes next, so she presents him and Anya her "Yor Forger original" dish. They both excitedly eat it before collapsing to the ground.

Franky calls Loid for a meeting to tell him that he has fallen in love with a woman. Loid is uninterested but decides to help Franky get a date with the woman after he insists. Franky shares all the in-depth intel he has on Monica McBride, the woman he has fallen for, though Loid is taken aback by it and calls him a stalker. After some banter between the two, Loid creates a flow chart using Franky's data to stimulate a conversation with Monica, though Franky wants a fool-proof approach, so he disguises himself as Monica to help Franky practice having a conversation with her.

After Franky leaves to ask out Monica, Loid already has a feeling that it will not go well. The next day, Loid, Yor, and Anya walk to the playground for their outing and notice a dejected Franky across the street. When Loid asks Franky how things went, Franky claims that he managed to get a date at a later time and will now be heading to the bar for drinks. Loid lets Yor take care of Anya at the playground while he consoles Franky at the bar with some drinks and reminds him that their jobs prevent them from having relationships anyway, which Franky finds ironic coming from him.

Loid regularly meets with his Sylvia for his spy work, though doing so risks their identities being exposed, so they must be careful for these important meetings. During one of these meetings, Loid notices that the disguised Sylvia forgot to remove the price tag from her coat, but chooses not to inform her out of fear of her. At another time, the two shake off the SSS agents shadowing Sylvia and decide to make their meeting a quick one. During this meeting, Loid informs Sylvia that Anya is now able to jump over two vaulting horses stacked and jump rope five times in a row, leaving Sylvia in disbelief.

As Anya's midterms draw closer, Loid opts to help his daughter with her studies. Knowing that she could get all eight Tonitrus Bolts if she fails her midterms and final exams, Loid must keep her from getting expelled to continue his mission. As Anya struggles, Yor calls Yuri over to help tutor her. After trying to prod some information out of Yuri, Loid leaves to run some errands, an excuse to work on his other missions. After Yuri leaves, Loid returns with groceries, and Yor tells him how hard Anya has been studying. After picking up a workbook Anya was working on, he discovers that it is on foreign languages, a subject that is not one of her midterm subjects. Dumbfounded, Loid chuckles to himself and thinks that Operation Strix may very well be doomed.

After the exams, Twilight goes to Eden Academy, worried that Anya has failed her exams. Tonight, his goal is to alter Anya's answers before they start grading the tests to prevent her from getting Tonitruses. Twilight disguises himself as Mr. Viehmann, an Eden Academy professor. On his way to the school vault storing the tests, he spots a strange man heading in the same direction. Twilight is baffled by the man's indiscreet and unorthodox methods as he makes his way to the vault and ends up having to cover up the sloppy tracks to avoid suspicion.

The man makes his way to the door to the vault, being watched by a security guard. After the man fails to show an I.D., Twilight intervenes to provide him with a fake. While doing so, Twilight is bewildered to see that the man wrote down his mission details on his hand. The orders are to change the Desmond brothers' test answers, and Twilight concludes that this man is also a spy, suspecting that Donovan hired him for the same goal.

After showing their I.D.s, they gain access to the vault. The spy attempts to enter the passcode to the vault but fails. He pretends to leave and lets Twilight do it in his stead. After opening the vault, Twilight is clumsily knocked to the ground and dragged inside the vault, where the spy proceeds to alter Damian and Demetrius Desmond's test scores. When the spy decides to gain exposure by signing his name on the tests, a shocked Twilight jumps up, shouting that spies are not supposed to leave a trace.

Twilight realizes he blew his cover and quickly tries to cover up for his mistake. However, the spy reveals himself as Daybreak and tells "Viehmann" to tell everyone about him. After Daybreak rolls away, Twilight checks the tests and discovers that Daybreak changed the answers to give the brothers failing scores. Needing their success for his mission to continue, Twilight reverts the changes. Afterward, he checks Anya's tests and is surprised by what he sees.

When the midterm results are released, Loid asks Anya how she can be so proud of herself when she nearly failed every subject, revealing that he did not change her scores after all. He decides to be stricter with her in advance of her finals but is nevertheless surprised she did not fail a single test, considering it impressive by her standards. After thinking that Anya barely managed to keep Operation Strix alive, she gives him a smug grin. In response, he tells her to think about her grades and asks if she will still be smirking after their study session, to her shock.

After returning home from school, Anya tells her parents about George Glooman's story. While Yor is moved, Loid does not understand how Glooman Pharmaceuticals being acquired by the Desmond Group means bankruptcy.

### Campbelldon Tennis Arc

Loid helps Anya with her job investigation project, taking her to the Berlint General Hospital, where he does his psychiatrist work. Loid answers Anya's questions while touring her around the place but stops after she gets distracted by the staff giving her treats. Anya asks to see Loid at work, but Loid says he cannot and instead takes her to a consultation room. When Anya starts fiddling with the bookcase in boredom, Loid stops her, revealing an emergency escape route in the bookcase through his thoughts. A WISE colleague knocks on the door, so Loid provides Anya with a sand table to play with and warns her not to touch anything else before leaving.

Outside, Loid's work associate, Fiona Frost, aka agent Nightfall, hands him some documents disguised as another mission. Loid returns to the room and analyzes the sand table, explaining that it is used to observe the subconscious mind. However, he is shocked to see the table in utter chaos. Believing Anya is subconsciously stressed by her recent adoption, Loid blames himself for failing as a parent and a spy and concludes that she needs immediate care. Offering to help with the report, he picks up her notebook, only to find it completely unintelligible. They return home to Yor, who talks about Loid's "concussive therapy," to his dismay. On the day of Anya's report, Loid gets summoned to the school after Anya gives a grim description of him and his job, but he manages to talk his way out of trouble.

Loid returns home with Anya after taking Bond out for a walk and is surprised to see Fiona inside talking with Yor, who explains that Fiona came to return Anya's magnifying glass left behind at the hospital. Loid thinks something urgent must have happened for Nightfall to arrive at his home, and as they communicate secretly, Fiona reveals that she is here to assess the state of Operation Strix. Loid stands firm against Fiona's challenges, telling her it is not her place to do so.

Everyone sits together in the living room to talk, where Fiona attempts to propose that Loid switch wives. When Anya affectionately clings to Yor, she promises Loid that she will try harder for the family. Loid smiles and assures Yor that she already works hard enough. Fiona then excuses herself and leaves. Loid sees that she forgot to bring an umbrella and decides to walk her to the station. Twilight runs after Nightfall, who informs him that she has been assigned to partner with him on their next mission. Twilight asks how she could forget that and is surprised when she turns to him with a sad expression. As she walks away, Nightfall tells Twilight that playing house has made him soft and to not drag her down in their mission.

One night, Anya watches a cartoon with Bond and is shocked when the penguin character dies. Loid pulls her away to put her to bed and is confused by how morbid the cartoon is. Before she sleeps, Anya requests her penguin plush, Penguinman, to sleep with, and Loid gives it to her. The next morning, Penguinman is found torn up, to Anya's horror. Loid points out the claw and bite marks on the plush, and Anya gets mad at Bond while Loid holds her back to calm her down.

After Yor manages to worsen the state of the plush, Loid tells Anya he can buy her a new one, but Anya cries that she loves it because it is a gift from him. Loid is touched and decides to fix it. When he returns the repaired penguin to Anya, he tells her the stitches are badges of honor and proof of Penguinman's fight for peace. Bond approaches Anya with a bag of peanuts, which Loid recognizes as him asking for forgiveness, and he reminds Anya of a lesson from *Spy Wars* as advice for making up with Bond. As he watches the two reconcile, Loid wishes the East-West relations could be solved that easily.

At the hospital, Fiona details their new mission to Loid. They must acquire a painting called Lady In The Sun, worth roughly one million dalc. It once belonged to the late Colonel Erik Zacharis, who is said to have possessed secrets that could reignite the flames of war. Said secrets are in a collection of documents known as the Zacharis Dossier, which supposedly contains information about inhumane actions from both the East and the West. According to a reliable source, the painting holds a clue to finding the dossier. The painting's new owner is Cavi Campbell, a world-renowned art collector. As it is beneath Campbell's mansion under tight security, Loid asks if Fiona has a plan, and she confirms this.

Twilight and Nightfall show up at an underground tennis court in disguises with tennis rackets in hand. Cavi and his underground tennis club run this competition, known as "Campbelldon." Here, the winner is allowed an item of their choice from Cavi's collection. With this, it rids any risks of trying to steal the painting. The agents get announced as married couple Twain and Nafalia Foney, the identities Nightfall registered them as. Their opponents are Walson and Bobble, a famous tennis duo that dominated the Grand Slam Circuit a decade ago. The bets are against them as men say they have worked hard towards perfection and will win this match.

The game begins with Twilight serving, and he effortlessly beats the duo in the first round. Walson and Bobble are shocked at their loss but decide to aim for Nightfall next since they have not seen her play yet. Like Twilight, she destroys them and wins the game without letting up any points. Afterward, their next opponents are the Bolic Brothers, who use a new steroid, "Oso-R," to transform themselves from thin, scrawny men to large, muscular ones. Twilight questions if this was risk-free, and Nightfall says they just need to do their best. Nightfall explains that anything from modified rackets, special gear, drugs, and unsportsmanlike conduct are allowed in this tournament. After the brothers mock Twilight, Nightfall ruthlessly beats them in a 2-0 match, hitting them with each smash.

As they play, Team Foney steadily makes their way to the finals. Twilight and Nightfall get escorted to a waiting room, where they discuss the threat of their next opponents: Carrol and Kim Campbell, Cavi's son and daughter. Nightfall is confident in their victory and says they have no time to waste, but Twilight reminds her to control herself, taking note of her bruised hand. Nightfall gives him a fiery glare, making him believe that she looks down on his methods. Suddenly, they realize that a non-lethal chemical agent is spreading around the room. They continue their discussion in Morse Code and conclude that their opponents are trying to impair their abilities before the match. Twilight tries opening the door, only to find it locked from the outside. Aware they are posing as regular civilians, the agents pretend to get caught in the trap.

As the championship match begins, Twilight and Nightfall are still feeling the effects of the gas. As the first set begins, the Campbell siblings use their modified rackets to help them win. In the second, the Foneys tie the score with three consecutive wins. As Nightfall makes a return, one of the panels on the floor drops, causing her return to go out of bounds. The spies notice this and realize that there are more tricks. However, Twilight is determined not to lose to such gimmicks and asks Nightfall to watch his back.

The Campbell siblings utilize other gimmicks against the agents, which only amount to being slight annoyances. At the start of the final set, Twilight notices Carrol making a signal with his tongue and spots a sniper hiding in the ducts behind them. Realizing that they are aiming for Nightfall, he quickly grabs her and is shot in the shoulder by a rubber bullet. Twilight explains the situation to Nightfall and reveals that he wore a bulletproof vest in case this happened. They decide to work around their shooter and focus on winning the game. As the game resumes, the spies are undeterred by their opposition and several more tricks, beating the Campbells and winning the championship match.

Carrol approaches Twilight, realizing that despite being aware of their tricks, the Foneys still won. Carrol expresses his frustration at himself for losing, and Twilight encourages him to become a better tennis player. Afterward, the agents go to collect their prizes from Cavi's collection. When they request *Lady in the Sun*, Cavi forbids them from taking it. Twilight deduces that Cavi has received a call from the SSS, who are probably on their way to retrieve the painting as they speak.

Nightfall requests to view the collection in person, while Twilight leaves "to sleep off his hangover." The SSS agents arrive and leave after taking the painting, and Cavi's butler escorts Nightfall away. The butler is revealed to be Twilight in disguise, having brought a forgery and swapped it with the original painting, which was placed into Fiona's bag. Seeing the secret code, the agents agree to deliver it to HQ for analysis and high-five each other, having completed the mission.

Nearing the Forger residence, Nightfall offers to drive Twilight all the way home. Twilight reminds her of his role as a happily married man and wants to avoid any suspicions of infidelity. Nightfall drops him off at the park, where they see Yor, Anya, and Bond playing tennis. Loid is then surprised to see Fiona exit her car and challenge Yor to a game of tennis.

Yor accepts Fiona's challenge, and the rest of the Forgers watch as her serve breaks through Fiona's racket and utterly beats her. Fiona concedes defeat but declares to one day challenge Yor to a revenge match before driving off. Loid hopes that Fiona did not give Yor the wrong idea but cannot imagine Yor being affected because of their sham marriage. His thoughts are interrupted by Yor, who enthusiastically exclaims her victory. After Yor struts away, Loid starts feeling exhausted.

Afterward, Twilight meets with Sylvia, who briefs him on their findings from the secret code. She hands Twilight the "Zacharis Dossier," in the form of Zacharis's diary. Reading it, Twilight learns that the "great threat" Zacharis was hiding was his collection of starlet photos in order to prevent strife between him and his wife. Astounded, Twilight asks how the dossier rumors started. The WISE Agent explains that before the war's end, Zacharis hosted Western diplomats at a musical performance and made them swear to secrecy so his wife would not find out, and, over the years, the story got embellished into the current rumor.

Realizing that he went through all that trouble for some postcards, Twilight tries to find a greater mystery behind it, but Sylvia assures him that there was no bombshell to reignite the war and considers it a victory. Twilight agrees, then sees a picture of Zacharis smiling with his wife and daughter and contemplates the notion that any lie is justified in the name of peace. On his way home, Loid goes to a bakery and orders an apple tart and a slice of caramel nut cake with Yor and Anya in mind.

Loid returns home from work to overhear the neighbors gossiping about him being a cheater that should get reported to the Secret Police. Loid worries about this, fearing Yor might tell Yuri about the recent events with Fiona, which could lead to his capture by the SSS. Seeking to resolve the situation with Yor, Loid invites her out after work and has Franky come over to watch over Anya and Bond, but Franky is irritated about having to babysit every time Loid goes out. Loid explains that he has to clear up the misunderstanding about his relationship with Nightfall and cannot discuss it in front of Anya. Loid decides to pay Franky for his help, and Franky quickly changes his tune.

Loid takes Yor out for some drinks, where they toast for her hard work. When Fiona gets mentioned, Yor tries to tell him something but cannot bring herself to speak, so she downs both of their drinks to get drunk. The now-drunk Yor questions Loid's relationship with Fiona, which Loid states is strictly professional, but Yor does not listen. She then talks about how she is a bad wife, is not pretty like Fiona, and that Loid must be bored with her now.

Seeing her reactions, Loid infers that Yor has romantic feelings for him. While initially shocked, he quickly enters "Twilight Mode" and immediately attempts a honey trap on her. Loid asks her to be his real wife, but an embarrassed Yor kicks him in the chin before he can finish. Twilight reads this as a rejection rather than bashfulness and concludes that Yor does not have romantic feelings for him. As he tries to make sense of the situation, Twilight wonders if being with Yor has thrown him off balance as he loses consciousness.

While asleep, Twilight hears a lullaby his mother sang to him when he was younger. He wakes up and finds himself resting his head on Yor's lap, who is singing the song. She explains that they got kicked out of the bar for causing a commotion, so she brought Loid to a nearby park, where he slept for about five minutes. Yor apologizes for her incompetence as his wife and assumes he is ready to move on. Twilight confides about his mother to Yor, how despite being unable to remember her face, he remembers feeling safe around her because she was strong. He relates this to how Anya feels safe around Yor, saying she is strong.

Loid reassures Yor that he does not intend to replace her with Fiona as Anya's guardian, and Yor should have more faith in herself, which is why he hopes she will continue being the Forger family's mother and wife, and the two reconcile. The two return home with Loid having swelled his chin, which Anya and Franky tease him for. The following day, Loid is shocked that Yor has forgotten everything that happened the night before, and they end up having the same conversation all over again.

### Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc

Before Becky arrived at the Forger home to pick up Anya for shopping, Loid left for work, but not before giving Anya spending money, believing that forging a positive relationship with the Blackbells could have some serious benefits. When Anya returns home, she shows a stunned Loid the sheep keychain she bought that cost 300 dalc (about $950) apiece.

On the day of the Imperial Scholars mixer, Twilight is at Eden Academy disguised as a professor to observe Donovan Desmond. The mixer is at the "Tower of Wisdom," which has few possible entrances and tight security. Twilight's options are thin, so his best bet is to encounter Donovan as "Loid Forger." He concludes that opportunities to make contact with him outside the tower are virtually nonexistent, but should try exploring those possibilities. Looking for Damian, Twilight sees him and Anya not getting along and is frustrated that Plan B's progress does not look well. He decides to follow after him if he tries to meet with Donovan outside the mixer. Twilight watches Damian having second thoughts about meeting with his father and Anya convincing him to go through with meeting him. After Anya falls asleep, Becky takes her home while greeting the disguised Twilight, who reveals a handmade replica of Anya's sheep keychain.

Twilight continues to observe the mixer from the outside until it finishes. He watches Desmond leave and decides to make his move. At the courtyard where Damian's group waits, Loid appears and asks the boys if they have seen a sheep keychain. Damian recognizes the description and gives Loid the replica. The boys connect the dots and realize he is Anya's father.

Loid pretends to be meeting Damian for the first time and kneels before the boy, apologizing for Anya's behavior at orientation. He tells Damian that he would also like to apologize to his parents, and at that moment, Donovan arrives. In his thoughts, Twilight apologizes to Damian for needing to crash his family reunion. As Loid comes face-to-face with Donovan, he tries to talk to him, but the bodyguards tell him to leave. However, Donovan lets him speak, prompting Loid to apologize for Anya's behavior toward Damian and introduce himself with a smile.

As Loid introduces himself to Donovan, he thinks about his previous investigations of any media regarding the man. In it, he could not learn much about Donovan since he went into hiding. With this conversation, Twilight must learn more about Donovan, his behavior, how to get him interested in "Loid," and extract the plans for the war Donovan is plotting. Donovan recalls the incident at the orientation and apologizes for being too busy to respond personally. Loid offers to bring a token of regret to his manor, but Donovan brushes it off with an uncharacteristically bright smile, startling Loid. Donovan states it is just a spat among kids, but Loid insists on making amends. Still smiling, Donovan says it is fine but appreciates the sentiment. Loid realizes he is getting rejected and withdraws, but not before thanking Donovan for his generosity.

Loid watches Damian failing in his attempt to express his humiliation to an uninterested Donovan. Loid then speaks up, saying Damian's anger is justified. He talks about Anya and her bizarre behavior, the challenges of raising children, and how uncontrollable they can be. Donovan concurs, saying that despite sharing your blood, your children are essentially strangers, people impossible to understand. He says that, in the end, people will never truly be sympathetic to each other. While Loid agrees with the idea, he tells Donovan that what is important is meeting the other person in the middle. Loid admits that while he cannot understand Anya's actions, he acknowledges her and creates opportunities for dialogue, even if it does not work out. Loid thinks about how, as a spy, he will never stop seeking to understand others.

Loid steps forward to pat a dejected Damian's shoulder and says that it may have been why Donovan took the time out of his schedule to meet with Damian. Loid starts to praise Damian for his knowledge and respect for Donovan, bringing up his school report on Donovan's work, which Loid had secretly snuck a peek at in the school. Loid mentions his initial concerns about the National Unity Party's platform but changed views after hearing about the passion with which Donovan looks out for Ostania's interests. He wonders if he should attend one of the party's seminars, praising Damian's work once again.

Donovan decides to wrap up the chat, but not before remembering Loid's name and saying that he enjoyed their conversation. Before he leaves, Loid asks Damian not to tell Anya that they talked, telling the boy that she is at an awkward stage and suspects that she does not hate him and hopes they can get along. Damian says that he does not hate her but quickly gets embarrassed and yells at Loid to go away. Loid laughs him off and departs, but not before sharing a glare with Donovan. He heads inside the school to watch Damian talk with his father and senses how distant Donovan is from his children.

He concludes that the closer Donovan and Damian are, the better the odds of success for Plan B. Loid decides that his next step is to lay the careful groundwork and take this new intel to HQ for analysis. Before leaving, Loid sees Damian and his friends and quietly watches for a moment. Loid returns home to see Anya fast asleep. Yor explains that she has been sleeping since she came home, and Loid thinks about how carefree she is.

While Loid and Anya watch TV, and Yor returns home with the groceries Loid had asked her to buy beforehand. To Loid's concern, Yor appears irritated and has a grim look on her face, which he believes is his fault for asking her to buy things. Unbeknown to him, Yor was on an assassin mission and got shot in the butt, which was causing her great pain. Loid hopes her mood improves in the morning, but when it passes, he sees that she looks worse than before, so he decides to lift her mood. Loid asks her out on a date as thanks for helping the family, and Yor, who wants to learn more about being a wife, accepts and hurries to get dressed. Meanwhile, Anya is also looking forward to the date, but Loid informs her that she cannot come and pays Franky to babysit her.

Loid, who had thought up 862 date ideas the night before, summons a chauffeur and prepares to take Yor on their date. To his shock, however, Yor says she would rather prefer to walk than sit for their date, narrowing Loid's ideas down significantly. As the two head off, Loid notices that Anya and Franky are shadowing them. Assuming they are playing a spy game, he decides to ignore them to prioritize winning over Yor. Loid first takes Yor to the mall, where he suggests she should wear a suit, but she refuses. They then go to a cinema, but Yor does not sit down throughout the entire movie. As they continue their date, Yor continues to refuse anything that involves sitting, all the while having a terrible look on her face. Loid is dumbfounded and wonders what he did wrong and if he was not thorough in his research.

Loid takes Yor to an expensive restaurant for dinner, and the two start by ordering drinks. Yor is served her cocktail and upon drinking it, she immediately cheers up, making Loid wonders if it was just the alcohol that caused this change. In truth, one of the waiters was an enemy that Yor failed to assassinate and attempted to kill her by poisoning the cocktail with blowfish poison. However, Yor was immune to poisons and it instead relieved her of her pain.

After the two enjoy dinner, they walk out to see the city's night scenery, and Yor thanks Loid for taking her out on this date and hopes they will be able to do it again, which Loid agrees to. They then see a carnival, and Loid proposes they visit it, and Anya excitedly tries to tag along. The next morning, Yor returns to her pained state after the poison's effects have worn off, and the stumped Loid concludes that he cannot understand women.

Bond runs away from home when he believes he will die from Yor's dinner after having a vague vision, hoping to find Loid and help him with his work so he can come home early and make his dinner instead. Loid is about to infiltrate Born Industries for an extra mission, tasked with stealing a sample of "Gerrulimus," a new truth serum developed by the company. He is surprised when Bond appears, and he orders him to go home. Bond refuses and instead guides him to a route free of people. Loid wonders how Bond knows this and recalls that Born Industries was presumably involved with Project Apple. Assuming Bond knows this and wants payback against the scientists who abused him and his friends as test subjects, Loid allows him to join the mission.

The two infiltrate the facility and make their way to the laboratory full of specimen lockers, but only one contains the serum. While Loid works to find it, Bond has a vision of the staff returning to the lab, with Loid holding them off and ordering Bond to run home. Bond becomes distressed by this and warns Loid of the imminent danger. Loid understands this, and before hiding himself, he leaves a note saying that the Gerrulimus has been stolen. After the staff sees this note and checks the locker with the serum, Loid and a masked Bond ambush and knock them out. Loid thanks Bond as he retrieves the sample, saying that he can go home early now, and as a result, Bond foresees Loid making his dinner. Bond rejoices for this outcome while Loid still assumes it is because he got his payback.

When Yuri drops by the Forger home to see Yor, everyone is at home, including Loid, much to Yuri's annoyance.

On their outing to the department store, Anya sees large electric plush animals to ride on and tells Loid she wants to ride one. Loid goes into a long monologue in his head, thinking about how pointless they are, but when Anya starts crying, and at Yor's suggestion, he lets her ride the animal. When Anya says she wants to ride it again, Loid thinks about how he cannot understand children. Later, Anya sees people at the ocean on TV and says she wants to go there. Loid compromises by taking her to the pool, and he and Yor watch Anya having fun. To their surprise, when they return home, Anya says she never wants to go to the pool again, having learned that other children pee in it. Not knowing this and concerned by her shift in mood, Loid is once again stumped.

One morning at the Forger home, Loid desperately tries to wake Anya up so she will not miss the bus and be tardy, worried that she will get a Tonitrus Bolt for too many tardies. However, Anya is too asleep to get up, and she ends up being tardy.

Anya gets back her latest test scores, and while reviewing them at home, Loid thinks about how her academic abilities have slightly improved. He notices her Classical Language test and how she would have done well if not for her spelling mistakes. He ponders on this as her class has barely studied Classical Language and wonders if she is well acquainted with it due to her upbringing. However, he points out that no countries are speaking that way in the present. He brushes the thoughts aside, saying there would not be any point in prying, and cheers up Anya by telling her that he made her favorite hamburger steak.

### Cruise Adventure Arc

At Franky's tobacco store, Twilight obtains intel for an extra mission and asks for pictures he requested, but Franky informs him that it will take a little longer as his contact specialized in that intel has been eliminated. Twilight questions if the SSS got him, but Franky explains that it was the assassin organization Garden, telling Twilight that they are more than just an urban legend. Brushing aside this information, Twilight asks Franky to get the photos anyways. In exchange for the extra trouble, Franky asks Twilight to help him with finding Kopi, a lost cat. Franky explains that Kopi belongs to Kacey, a girl he is aiming for. Uninterested, Twilight walks away while Franky tries to convince him.

Later that day, Loid and Anya go to the mall and notice a department store hosting a raffle whose grand prize is a three-day cruise trip. Anya participates in the raffle and wins the grand prize. When Yor comes home, Anya shows her the prize, and Loid suggests the girls go together since he has work. However, Yor reveals that she will also be traveling on the same ship for work on the same weekend. After Anya demands to go on the trip, Loid decides to request some time off. To his surprise, Sylvia allows him to go, but not before telling Twilight to consider the trip part of the mission. On the day of the trip, the Forgers take the train to the port and see the ship: *Princess Lorelei*. Loid and Anya part ways with Yor as they board.

On the ship, Loid tells an excited Anya that *Princess Lorelei* was built to exemplify Ostania's prestige, hence its vast array of entertainment and leisure activities it offers. They head to their room and find it small and cramped. A disappointed Anya tries to leave, but Loid reminds her not to complain as she won the trip for free. After stowing their bags, the duo walks through the atrium. Loid observes his surroundings, seeing the ship is a potential target for terrorism and decides he should stay vigilant. When Anya notes that he is not having any fun, Loid remembers Sylvia's orders and decides to refocus his efforts on attaining optimal recreation. With a new determination, he tells Anya that they should watch a show.

In the evening, Loid and Anya have dinner together. Anya mentions how strange it is to have dinner without Yor, and Loid agrees. Anya calls him sappy, and he gets embarrassed. Heading to their room, they pass through the ship's shopping promenade, where Anya sees a keychain and wants it, but Loid refuses. While Anya throws a tantrum, Loid spots several listening devices on the ship, undercover SSS agents, and suspicious groups, and concludes that they must be on their best behavior to avoid attention.

Suspecting their conversation is most likely being heard, Loid begins to stress over buying the keychain, overthinking the risks of his choices. He decides to buy the keychain for Anya but is shocked when she shouts at him to stay back. Baffled by Anya's behavior, Loid worries that she is at an emotionally unstable age. The shop employee approaches Loid to show him souvenirs he can buy, but he declines to focus on Anya's mental state. However, Anya convinces Loid that he must become fun to let her have fun.

Persuaded by her words, Loid decides to transform himself inside and out to become the quintessential fun and upbeat father. Loid tells the shop employee that he would like to try on every article of clothing they are selling and heads into the fitting room, where he tries to figure out his new look. After a while, Loid emerges from the fitting room, dressed in an outlandish combination of clothes and accessories, believing to have achieved his goal. However, Anya expresses her distaste and calls him uncool. Deciding not to buy anything after all, Loid and Anya walk back to their room. After Anya falls asleep in the hallway, Loid picks her up and heads to their room, but not before thinking about how they have not heard from Yor and assuming she is busy.

The next day, Twilight is out on the deck and reflects on how he failed to understand Anya's behavior the night before. Twilight accepts that he is not the perfect spy he thought he was, realizing there are still things unknown to him. Although he is a spy, he fears the unknown but overcomes it. And as the second day of the trip begins, he plans to overcome the challenge of understanding Anya. Walking around the ship together, Loid tries to observe, analyze, and adapt to Anya's actions. As for Anya, she plans to ditch him so she can help Yor with her job. Throughout the rest of the day, Anya tries distracting Loid with activities, but she gets too absorbed in every one of them. While this happens, Loid continues observing Anya.

By dinnertime, Loid wonders why Anya now looks upset after having fun all day. Loid worries that Anya hates him and is in a rebellious phase, asking if she is okay. Anya says she is enjoying herself but wishes Yor could be with them, as she likes it better when they are all together. Loid agrees and tells Anya that he can ask if Yor has time to meet tomorrow by sending a message through the concierge. He then says there will be fireworks after dinner and asks Anya if she wants to see them, adding that they might find Yor's group there. The duo go outside as the fireworks begin, and Loid is unfazed by the spectacle. Throughout the show, Loid wonders how Anya can get excited over the same thing repeatedly.

Returning to the ship, Loid notices that the undercover SSS agents look troubled and learns of a bomb inside the bilge. Deciding to intervene, he first wonders what to do with Anya, who shows him a drop-in daycare she wants to play in. After dropping her off there, he leaves to gather intel. Impersonating one of the crew members, Loid locates the bomb and approaches the men trying to disarm it, claiming to have been a bomb-disposal technician in the Marines. After being informed that the bomb will detonate if removed, Loid notes that the bomb is a model favored by Western extremists.

Knowing that WISE would be aware of any operations like this, Loid suspects it was arranged to look like a Western operation and proceeds to disarm the bomb. While the men around him celebrate, Loid suspects more bombs are hidden on the ship. He shares his suspicions with the others, explaining that if the enemy's goal is to sink the ship, the bomb he just disarmed would not be enough. He suggests evacuating the passengers as a precaution, but the SSS agents refuse to avoid causing a panic.

Loid leads the covert operation in defusing the bombs and is later told that a bomb was discovered in the upper deck. After seeing the bomb hidden inside a lamp-post clock, Loid wonders if the true goal of the enemy is to sink the ship. He realizes there will not be enough time to disarm it and instead unscrews the clock from its post, resolving to throw it into the sea. Despite a crewman's pleas, Loid throws the bomb off the ship, which detonates midair, causing a commotion that passengers overhear and unknowingly knocking two men from their raft below.

Twilight tells a crew member to announce something over the intercom to calm the passengers down. He also orders the crew to search the ship and to ask the SSS agents to stay on high alert for the rest of the trip. After ensuring everything is secure, Twilight returns to the daycare as Loid to pick up Anya, who has fallen asleep. Picking her up, he thinks about how he had to abandon his family again. Realizing what he just said, he reminds himself that his "family" is part of his mission and starts to overthink things again.

The cruise ship arrives at the resort island, and Loid sees that the SSS agents are now watching for further incidents. Sensing his seriousness, Anya tells him that a normal father would jump and hop alongside her. Listening to her, Loid starts to jump around but quickly gets embarrassed when he spots Yor, who got their message and was able to get the day off. With the family together again, they decide to spend their day having all sorts of fun at the resort. At a petting zoo, Loid and Yor watch Anya play with the sheep, and Yor says she feels at peace. Loid agrees while thinking about how the trip has been anything but peaceful for him. Yor wishes this peace could go on forever, and Loid quietly stares.

Afterward, the family goes to the ocean to go snorkeling and surfing. Yor gives Anya a strong push on her surfboard that sends her speeding across the water and flings her off the waves. Loid surfs to Anya and catches her. While Yor frantically apologizes, Anya asks to go again, but Loid refuses. On their way back to the ship, Yor falls asleep on Loid's shoulder, tired from fighting for so long without rest. Anya falls asleep shortly after, forcing Loid to carry them both, to his embarrassment. He thinks that Yor must have had a rough few days of work but went with them so she could make Anya's day. He smiles and tells Yor to rest up.

The family returns home and is welcome by Bond and Franky. The family then sits together while having some drinks and snacks. Meeting with Sylvia, Twilight reports on the bomb incident on the ship, which has not been made public. She tells him of several missing passengers who all had fake passports and believes those people may have wanted to instigate a conflict between the East and the West. Twilight is ordered to keep an eye on the extremist movements in Ostania, as it could affect Operation Strix. Sylvia asks about the vacation, and Twilight tells her that it was a grueling ordeal and was way more work than any other mission as he walks away.

At the Forger residence, Yuri makes his visit and shouts for joy over reuniting with his sister, and Loid wonders if he must be so loud. After Anya returns home dejected and sits in the living room with everyone, she tells them how she lied about her trip to her classmates. Loid asks her why she felt the need to lie in the first place, and she tells him that she wanted attention. In his thoughts, Loid lectures Anya on casually lying and how to lie. However, in reality, he half-heartedly tells her that lying is wrong. After Yuri and Yor agree, the room falls into awkward silence, and Anya says that she will try to stop lying, as being a liar seems pretty rough.

### WISE Arc

Loid prepares to take Bond out for a walk and he invites Anya to come along. When Anya declines, too busy doing origami, Loid decides that he can do dog-training with Bond while they are out. At the dog park, Loid trains Bond in protection and suppression training, with Franky forced to participate as the target while wearing a bite sleeve. Franky yells at Bond, who lets him go, but Loid lectures Bond never to let go of a suspect after biting down on them. Loid wonders if Bond is too nice and that barking and biting does not come naturally to him. Loid tries moving forward with the training, but when Bond becomes glum, he wonders what is wrong. Franky reminds him that Project Apple was developing superior military dogs, so their training might bring back bad memories for Bond. Franky suggests that Loid make Bond's training fun and to take him for a walk before leaving, and the two decide to do just that.

While walking through the city, Bond causes trouble for Loid by attempting to change the results of future visions he sees. Loid is confused and annoyed by this, reprimanding Bond for his actions. Suddenly, Bond stops in his tracks, frantically sniffing and looking around, and tries to run off. Loid holds Bond back with the leash, only to relent after being barked at. The two head to a burning apartment, and Loid wonders if Bond reacted to the smell of the fire.

Bond runs off into the building, causing Loid to go after him and discover that he went to rescue Daisy, a puppy that got left behind. They run to the exit, but more burning debris falls and blocks them. With no other choice, Loid and Bond's only option is to cut through the smoke to break their way out. Noticing a plastic bag Bond is stepping on, Loid has the idea to scoop up breathable air from the ground to make Bond a crude oxygen tank. After carrying Daisy in a nearby backpack, Loid and Bond crash their way out of the building and land safely on the street.

After seeing that Bond has caught on fire a little, an onlooker gets a bucket of water and pours it on the dog, revealing his skinny figure. As Yor is the one who usually bathes Bond, this is the first time Loid has seen him like this, and he is stifling his laughter. Bond runs off again to bite down on a suspicious man peering from across the block. As the man digs through his bag, he reveals fire accelerants and incendiary devices, inadvertently outing himself as the arsonist of the building and other recent fires. Before the man strikes Bond with a knife, Loid knocks him out. After tying up the criminal, Loid calls in a tip for the police. Loid and Bond watch Daisy reunite with her owner Miss Bennett.

Loid says they should leave, as being in the papers will not end well for them. Loid then pats Bond, praising him but also warns him to be careful as Anya would be sad if something happened to him. He then apologizes for Bond's training, saying his dog duties should come second to him being a member of the Forger family. While walking home, Bond affectionately rubs on Loid, who denies his intentions in embarrassment. Loid tells Bond that because he has no other extra missions tomorrow, he suggests taking the whole family to the dog park after Bond was left out of the family vacation.

Loid and Bond return home, with Yor and Anya surprised by Bond's appearance. Loid lies that Bond got soaked by a hose during their walk, but Anya learns of their true deeds through her mind-reading. While Yor goes to get a towel for Bond, Anya gets Loid's attention and rewards him and Bond with paper Stellas, which she dubs their "Worked Super Hard on Your Walk" award. While Loid is surprised by this and thinks Anya is just playing pretend, he wishes she would get real Stellas, to her shock. Later, the Forgers sit together for dinner and happily enjoy some omelet rice.

Becky arrives at the Forger home to confess to Loid, inspired by a seduction scene from one of her television dramas. After welcoming Becky to their home, Loid sits in the living room while Anya shows her around. When Anya asks Loid to play with them, he chats with Becky, trying to gain more intel on her father's activities, but makes the girl assume he is romantically interested in her.

Yor and Bond arrive home, and Becky tries seduction techniques from her show on Loid to little success. After Yor serves them tea, Becky asks Loid why he was interested in her family, and he replies he was just making conversation. This shocks Becky, who claims he has been playing her the entire time, making him spit out his drink as he worries that Yor will misunderstand. However, Yor sees nothing of this, upsetting Becky. Becky does her final trick, leaning on Loid's arm and pretending to be tipsy after drinking the tea. Yor is distraught, thinking she somehow poured alcohol into Becky's tea. Despite Loid's reasoning, Yor carries Becky to the hospital.

Loid and Anya catch up with Yor and Becky, finding them at a nearby park. Seeing a strongman game, Becky tries to prove her strength to Loid but falls under the hammer's weight. Yor mistakenly assumes that Becky wants to win the grand prize for Loid and single-handedly wrecks the game with her strength, rendering everyone speechless. Defeated, Becky asks Yor to train her, and they return home, where Yor teaches Becky how to punch. Martha arrives to pick up Becky and is confused at the sight of Yor training Becky. Watching from the background with Anya, Loid gets a feeling of déjà vu.

Going back to the day before his cruise trip, Loid chats about his upcoming vacation with his co-workers at Berlint General Hospital and apologizes for giving them extra work while he will be gone. Later, the day after he returns, he goes to the hospital to receive documents of his other patients from Fiona, who asks if anything changed. Thinking about Anya's behavior and the bomb threat, he says there was nothing much. Loid then asks Fiona the same question and is given a similar reply. Loid recalls an earlier conversation with Sylvia, who informed him of Fiona doing a good job covering his mission for him in his absence. Loid is surprised by this, knowing that Fiona also had her own missions, and offers her the leftover souvenirs he got from his trip. To his surprise and confusion, Fiona glares at him intensely as she accepts them, then thanks him and leaves his office.

At Berlint General Hospital, Nightfall asks Twilight for help, looking for someone who can forge a state seal for her mission. He recommends her to Franky, who may have the connections to help her.

Anya returns home from school and tells Loid that Damian will be giving her cake one day. Loid is happy to hear they are becoming friends but faints when he sees the Tonitrus Bolt on her person. While unconscious, Twilight dreams of his past, from his childhood to his recruitment to WISE. After this dream, Twilight wakes up in a cold sweat and is comforted by Anya, who also reminds him of her Tonitrus. While stressed by this setback, he recalls that Anya and Damian were able to become closer and emphasizes the importance of friendship to Anya. Bond's stomach starts grumbling, so Loid prepares the family some hot soup as they eat together. Twilight takes a break to recover, prompting Sylvia to take matters into her own hands when the peace between East and West gets threatened.

### Friendship Schemes Arc

After his break, Sylvia wastes no time assigning Twilight an extra mission, which he finds brutal. When Anya arrives home, Loid and Yor wobble to the kitchen to prepare dinner, worn out from their secret jobs. A determined Anya asks Loid to study with her, and in his surprise by this, he jumps to the conclusion she got another Tonitrus and begins to collapse, and Yor catches him.

When Yor returns home from shopping, she tells Loid that she met Melinda Desmond, wife of Donovan Desmond, at the department store. After she tells him about their encounter, Twilight thinks how Melinda, like Donovan, has her circle small and exclusive. However, because she has not involved herself in politics since their party lost power, WISE has not found much about her worth reporting while monitoring her. Also, since Melinda seems somewhat estranged from her husband and sons, she has been deemed a high-risk, low-reward target for information value. Twilight suspects Yor's encounter with Melinda could have been a setup from Melinda's side.

Loid's thoughts are interrupted by Yor, who asks if it would be okay if she attended another one of their get-togethers. Twilight wonders what to do, considering the risks of denying her request or blindly agreeing without understanding who has the upper hand. Ultimately, he allows Yor to join Melinda's friend group. Twilight thinks that if Melinda has no ulterior motive, this could help lower Yor's risk of being reported, and she might even bring back useful pieces of gossip from their outings. And if Melinda does have a motive, he will be watching and be ready to protect Yor.

More importantly, a friendship between the two could be the key to learning more about the Desmond family and developing a new approach. With this, Twilight conceives Plan C: "The Mommy-Friends Scheme." Depending on Melinda's standing within the Desmond family, this plan could provide an even more direct route to Donovan than Plan B. Having read his mind, a determined Anya runs off to study, and Loid notices her new motivation.

At Berlint General Hospital, Loid gets swarmed by affection from the staff and patients. While Loid appears humble about his popularity, he thinks about how his efforts to reinforce his cover identity and grow his networks of contacts have been going well. Loid calls Fiona to his office to discuss his next plan: interact with any patients connected to Melinda. He explains that Yor managed to join Melinda's social circle and how he wants to extract any information from them. Fiona says there may be patients connected to Melinda but notes that Gerald Gorey, the hospital director, will not assign him any patients out of personal spite. Loid is frustrated, as he has worked hard to get on Gerald's good side. Loid soon becomes aware of Gerald's schemes to turn him into a pariah in the hospital. Loid decides to play along, and to Gerald's dismay, the staff treats Loid kindly.

Gerald then attempts to report Loid to the SSS, accusing him as a spy. Loid calls for the assistance of Franky, having him intercept Gerald's report and partake in his ruse. Loid provides Franky and Fiona with undercover SSS agent disguises, and they pretend to arrest him. They look through Gerald's alleged evidence proving Loid is a spy, which is an obvious forgery. Gerald's accusation and other dirt on him are exposed, so the faux agents decide to arrest Gerald instead. As part of the ruse, Loid passionately defends Gerald's innocence and praises him. Franky and Fiona let Gerald go, leaving him indebted to Loid, who offers to have access to the VIP exams. After returning home, Loid thinks about moving Plan C forward after having dealt with Gerald.

One morning at the Forger home, Yor wakes up with swollen hands. She says if she rests them all day, they might get better. Suddenly, Yuri bursts in to have fun with Yor on his free day. He sees her injured wrists and immediately blames Loid. Yuri then tells Loid to do the cooking in Yor's stead. Loid and Yor head to the kitchen to start cooking, where she says he always takes such good care of her and cannot thank him enough for his kindness. Wanting Yor's praise as well, Yuri decides to take over the cooking. After the cooking is finishes, Yuri feeds Yor his dish. After eating, a nervous look on her face grows, shocking Yuri. He then demands Loid feed Yor *his* dish, insisting it will prove Loid's love for her. When Loid tries feeding a blushing Yor, Yuri yells at him not to feed her in front of him and tells Anya to do it. After being fed, Anya asks Yor if the food is good, and she says it is delicious.

A defeated Yuri slams at the floor, and he pushes for another battle: cleaning the dishes. Upon finishing, the adults look at the results and see that Loid cleaned the most, whereas Yuri has broken several of them. Yuri challenges Loid to several more chore battles, and Loid continues to beat him each time, wanting Yuri to go home already. Yor says they have used up all their detergent and garbage bags, so Yuri declares a final bout with Loid to see who can buy the best stuff the fastest and for the least money. After obtaining the list from Yor, Yuri quickly dashes off. As Loid steps out, he thinks about all the stores he should stop by to get the items, including replacements for the dishes Yuri broke.

Loid returns before Yuri and greets him when he returns. When Yuri falls to the floor in defeat, he spills his bag, and Yor sees that he bought whistle candy, one of their favorite childhood snacks. Yor cannot believe Yuri found the candies after all these years and thanks him. Loid props up Yuri, saying he knows Yor better than him. Yuri eats up the compliment and declares victory before rushing out the door. Yor and Loid stare silently for a moment, and Yor apologizes for Yuri's antics.

### Red Circus Arc

Two Eden school buses get hijacked by the Red Circus, and WISE quickly intercepts the police radio to continue obtaining information. The WISE Agent asks Sylvia if they should call Twilight for help, but she declines as he is currently out of town on an undercover mission and would not be able to return right away.

After hearing about the situation, Loid races back to Berlint and disguises himself as a strike team officer alongside the WISE Agent as the strike team prepares to storm the bus. However, the situation is resolved without the need of the strike team, and Loid watches Yor and Anya reunite. An exhausted Loid is relieved everything ended safely and decides to head back. The WISE Agent asks if he will go to Anya and comfort her, but Loid says that he needs to maintain his cover as he is supposed to be on a work trip but will cook her favorite dinner when he gets home.

For her courage during the crisis, Anya earns her second Stella Star. While Loid and Yor are proud of her, they scold her for her recklessness against the criminals. Loid worries that Anya has been traumatized by the incident and decides to approach her with patience and care, and he drives her to school. During the drive, Loid apologizes for not being there to pick up Anya, who asks if families that pick up their kids love them more. Loid replies yes, and in his thoughts, assumes that Anya resents him because he did not come to pick her up and wonders how to resolve this. Anya hears his thoughts and steers him to get her some cake after school.

At Berlint General Hospital, Loid is approached by Thomas Austin, Cecile Hall's Dorm Tutor, who believes he is suffering from nightmares after the bus incident. During their session, Loid finds inconsistencies in Thomas' words and actions, and has Fiona investigate him afterward. In their next session, Loid informs Thomas that his symptoms started months before the bus incident and that his stressor is something he is exposed to daily: his wife, who scares him even more than the terrorists. Thomas realizes this too and begins to panic. Loid and Thomas then discuss how the latter can resolve this problem with his wife, but Thomas is too afraid to do so. Loid starts to try easing the fears with talk therapy, which proves difficult, and Loid concludes that authentic marriages seem difficult.

Loid meets Sylvia at the dog park for their meeting. Sylvia notices Anya and Bond are also there playing, and she asks Loid why she is here with him, and Loid replies that Anya had a half-day at school and wanted to play. Loid greets Sylvia's dog, Aaron, and from his collar, he obtains a note containing details for a new extra mission assigned for him next week. Sylvia then asks if there has been any progress with Melinda, to which Loid answers no. Anya walks up to them to look at Aaron, who Loid recognizes as the dog that attacked him during Minister Brantz's attempted assassination. Sylvia confirms this, adding that she took Aaron home and under her care, something Loid did not expect.

Bond and Aaron get close until Aaron suddenly barks madly at Bond. With their meeting over, Sylvia leaves with Aaron, but they are stopped by Anya, who asks about the dog. Anya declares that the two dogs should have a showdown to see who is better. To Loid's surprise, Sylvia accepts and convinces him to participate by promising to remove his new extra mission if he wins.

The first event is the obstacle course, and whoever finishes it to the end faster wins. Aaron and Sylvia earn a flawless 39 seconds, but Bond stumbles across the course and finishes at over 2 minutes. However, Loid refuses to back down. The next event is "tracking and retrieving," in which the dogs must find their opposing owner's handkerchiefs, which have been hidden around the park. The dogs begin by familiarizing themselves with Loid and Sylvia's scents, who have wiped away their scent as much as possible. The dogs start tracking, and Bond is able to quickly retrieve the handkerchief from Sylvia's jacket, thus winning the event.

The final event is frisbee tracking, and the dog who can catch a frisbee thrown the farthest wins. Loid and Sylvia throw their frisbees, but Bond stays in place, to Loid's confusion. As the sudden gust of wind comes, the frisbee returns to Bond, who runs over to catch it. However, the frisbee hits him in the face, and he falls over, to Loid and Anya's concern, and Sylvia decides to call it a tie. Afterward, Loid and Sylvia watch Anya and the dogs play, and she informs Loid that there are rumors that some of the Project Apple research teams may still be operating. Loid asks if it is connected to Donovan Desmond through the previous administration, and Sylvia tells him that WISE intends to find that out.

### Mole Hunt Arc

Loid gets a call from Yor telling him that she will be eating out with her co-workers, so she does not need dinner. This relieves Loid, seeing that her relationship with them is improving. An intoxicated Yor returns home late at night, and Loid welcomes her. He then catches Yor when she falls over and remarks that she had too much to drink. To his surprise, she flips off his arm and crashes to the floor, and Loid concernedly asks what she drank to get her this drunk while she frantically apologizes.

The next day, Loid makes Anya breakfast and reminds her to get dressed for her playdate with Becky. Becky arrives shortly after and attempts to chat with Loid before leaving with Anya and Martha, whom Loid thanks for bringing Anya with them. Loid then spots Yor creeping into the living room and greets her. Loid thinks about how she drank heavily last night; he hopes it means she had a good time but fears she may have been drinking away her dissatisfaction with him. He decides to take a direct approach and asks Yor to tell him any concerns she has with their life at home. Yor says she has gripes about everything, despairing Loid. As Yor shouts to Loid that she is dissatisfied with their life together, Yuri bursts through the door for a visit and is shocked by what he hears.

Loid gets annoyed by Yuri's poor timing; Yuri almost threatens to have Loid executed and tells Yor to divorce him, but she refuses. Seeing that she still wants to continue their fake marriage, Loid wants to resolve things and asks Yor how long she had this grievance, and she answers it was since yesterday. Loid is shocked and tries to remember why she is griping, even considering that her co-workers learned his true identity as a spy and told her. Yuri demands that Loid apologize, which he does. Yor refuses the apology, so Loid promises to never make her feel bad again. Yor says that is exactly the problem, confusing Loid even more while Yuri yells at him.

Loid decides to wrap up the conversation before Yor accidentally says something to expose their marriage to Yuri. The phone suddenly rings, and Yor picks it up, then tells Loid it is a call for him from the hospital. On the phone, Loid receives an emergency call and code indicating a serious incident and takes his leave shortly after. On his way to the hospital, Loid notices Yuri and, to his surprise, Yor following him. He decides to shake them off, but Yuri unexpectedly runs off.

Yor follows Loid all the way to the hospital, but leaves shortly after, which relieves him. In the hospital, Fiona reports to Loid that they have an "extreme Level 3 situation." She explains that WISE HQ found a mole they have been locating, but the mole had already gone underground by the time they got discovered, as well as stealing top secret documents. Among them was a coded map indicating areas of activity by WISE agents in Ostania, including that of Operation Strix. If the information falls into the SSS's hands and gets decoded, it would put the agents' lives in jeopardy.

Loid and Fiona meet with the WISE Agent and another agent and drive to northwest Ostania. The WISE Agent informs them about the identity of the mole, Winston Wheeler. Loid is familiar with the man as he once worked with him on a mission before coming to Ostania, and can vouch for his talent as a spy. The Agent tells them that Winston is believed to have already crossed to Ostanian territory, but is rumored to be meeting with the SSS at a hotel in Shellbury. Loid states that they must recover the files before Winston hands them to the SSS, but Fiona suggests cutting off all active operations in Ostania, including Operation Strix. Loid rebukes this, saying they will never get close to Donovan Desmond as they are now, and they are to follow Sylvia's orders to recover the files. Fiona apologizes as the agents enter SSS territory.

The agents arrive at Shellbury, and in a lone alleyway, the WISE Agent gives out code names for the agents, telling Red 1, Loid, to stall the SSS from making contact with Winston. Loid disguises himself as Winston and approaches Yuri to tell him that he will change the location of the meeting with the SSS.

Drawing the agents away from the hotel, Loid tries to stall for time to allow Fiona's team to capture the real Wheeler. When the agents question if he is really Wheeler, Loid tells them that the yellow gemstone on his tie is proof of their signal. This is revealed to be false information and the agents have Twilight surrounded. Their captain praises Loid for his impersonation of Winston and prepares to capture him, but Loid is already a step ahead.

Loid detonates the park's fountain to distract the agents as he runs off and reveals a hidden gun from his briefcase, which he uses to shoot at the agents. Loid runs through the trees, and some pursuing agents get caught in his hidden rope traps. Loid quickly disguises himself as Yuri, pretending to be injured and telling other members where "Twilight" ran off to. After they leave, he quickly gets up and descends to the sewers, but not before leaving a footprint behind. Sensing someone else in the sewers, Loid attacks them from behind a corner and prepares to shoot them, but hesitates as he realizes it is the real Yuri, who had chased after him.

While Loid is taken aback, both he and Yuri draw their guns and fire. Yuri shoots Loid's arm, but he shoots Yuri's gun away. Yuri kicks Loid's gun from him, and the two men jump away from one another to create some distance. Gripping his injured arm, Loid questions himself why he hesitated to shoot when he saw Yuri, but the two begin to fight when Yuri attempts to arrest him. Loid quickly knocks Yuri to the ground, but Yuri gets up and orders him to surrender, saying that the sewer is surrounded, but Loid tells Yuri to leave if he does not want to die. Yuri rushes at Loid, who removes his belt and strikes Yuri's jaw, once again knocking him to the ground.

Believing Yuri is unconscious, Loid walks away but is surprised to see himself blocking an attack from Yuri. The two resume their brawl, trading blow after blow. Loid questions how Yuri keeps getting back up and if this is what being raised by Yor does to someone. Loid decides to stop holding back and bashes Yuri's head with a pipe. To his fright, an unconscious and bloody Yuri gets back up but ultimately collapses. Loid prepares to deal a final blow but hears Yuri muttering an apology to Yor. Loid stops and tosses away the weapon, heading further down the sewers with a low expression.

An exhausted Loid looks for a safe zone outside the sewers until he suddenly hears the echoing footsteps of someone being chased. Not knowing the circumstances, he decides to assess the situation first. As the noise stops, Winston emerges from behind and launches an attack on Loid. Still suffering from his arm wound from his battle with Yuri, Loid resumes his Yuri impersonation to trick and defeat Winston while he is still unaware of his identity. However, Winston sees through the ruse, having heard Loid's footsteps also being that of someone being chased. Looking at the disguise, Winston realizes he has encountered Twilight and decides to unmask him, and the two start fighting. Winston eventually manages to incapacitate him and almost removes Loid's mask.

Fiona arrives just in time and fights Winston, defeating him and stopping him from unmasking Loid. Loid comes to shortly after and stops Fiona from killing Winston. After tying up Winston, Loid sees Fiona grimacing at him and believes she is upset at him for losing, and he openly acknowledges that he may be losing his edge. After Fiona asks about his arm wound, Loid says it was from Yuri, explaining that he was unable to finish him off due to how it could affect Yor and hinder Operation Strix.

With the possibility of the SSS finding them soon, Loid wants to get leaving but cannot carry both Wheeler and Fiona in their current states. The WISE Agent appears, still disguised as Gascoigne, and helps to carry Wheeler while Loid takes Fiona, carrying her on his back. Fiona insists on walking on her own, but Loid says that she would get caught and is pushing herself once again. Fiona accepts this "reward" and tells Loid to hurry them out of the area. After regrouping with the others, the WISE agents leave Shellbury with Wheeler in tow.

As they discuss how they barely managed to protect their intelligence assets in Ostania, the Agent invites Loid for a drink when they get back to Berlint. Loid declines, saying he must be home soon after leaving under the pretext of a work emergency and having a squabble with Yor. After the Agent inquires about it, Loid says he is having trouble reading her feelings. Fiona suggests coming with Twiight to investigate their issue, but Loid tells her to get to a hospital instead.

Returning to the Forger home, Loid reflects on the long day he has had and prepares himself to deal with Yor's grievances. To his surprise, Yor welcomes him home with a smile, which relieves him so much that he falls to his knees as his emotions begin to conflict. After making up an excuse for his facial injuries and asking about Anya, Loid tries to apologize to Yor. However, Yor explains that she only made up gripes to appear normal to her co-workers. Astounded, Loid loses the energy to act or think and completely collapses to the ground.

The weary Loid asks Yor to take over his share of housework for the next two days, which she happily agrees to. Loid asks why she is so happy, and Yor tells him that what she really wants is to be able to take care of Loid and have him rely on her a little. She then tells him that he does not have to be perfect all the time. Loid thanks Yor for telling him that but thinks to himself how he has become aware of his weaknesses, and after fighting Winston, reminds himself that he must be perfect in order to survive the world he lives in.

Yuri bursts in to see Yor, and Loid quickly gets up. After the men share their alibis for getting injured, Loid decides to make tea, but twitches his right arm in pain as he grabs some cups. Yuri suddenly rushes to Loid and checks his arm, and is surprised to see nothing there. Yor inquires what Yuri is up to, who makes up an excuse about looking out for Loid. After Yor hurries Yuri out of the house, she tells Loid to get a shower and rest, which Loid thanks her for.

In the shower, it is revealed that Loid disguised his wound. Loid realizes Yuri must have figured out his injury just by watching him and that he cannot be underestimated. Loid reminds himself that once a seed of doubt takes root in someone else, it will spell the end for a spy, and tells himself pull himself together. Heading out of the bathroom, Loid smells something burning and worries that Yuri might have returned after acting on his suspicions. What he instead finds is that Yor attempted to iron his shirt but accidentally set it on fire. Thinking how hopeless things might be after all, Loid collapses to the floor in exhaustion.

The next day, the family has breakfast made by Yor, as she insists on doing the housework while he rests, and Loid thinks about how he needs to quickly heal from the damage he took yesterday. When Anya asks if they are not going on an outing today, Loid apologizes, saying that he needs to rest. After breakfast, he heads to his room to not only rest but attend to lots of paperwork. Loid later comes out of his room to see the family and Franky, who arrived to deliver the things he requested, causing a commotion. Exhausted, Loid quietly goes back into his room.

### Term Finals Arc

The Forgers get new neighbors in the elderly Authen couple. Seeing it important to learn everything he can about their neighbors, Loid offers his help to Barbara Authen as they move in. Later, Barbara's husband, Sigmund, returns home with Yor, Anya, and Bond, to Loid's surprise. After the family formally welcomes the couple to their neighborhood, they bear witness to how affectionate the two are.

After helping at the charity bazaar for disabled veterans, Yor returns home after having drinks with her co-workers. Having learned what "posh" is from them, Yor greets the family with a fancy greeting, which takes Loid aback.

The term finals for Anya's first term at Eden are just a week away, and Loid is more anxious than ever. Loid feels hopeless seeing Anya's recent quiz scores, not to mention losing his last-resort tactic of changing the test answers since the incident with Daybreak after the midterms, after which Eden ended up strengthening their security. Despite that, Loid sees a possible road to success in the Classical Language subject, which appears to be Anya's singular academic strength, and hopes that if they focus on it, she could possibly earn a Stella Star. However, Loid's dreams are dashed after watching Anya play with her snot, and he reminds himself to stay in reality.

Loid tries to help Anya with her studies, but his teaching skills are falling short. He considers calling Yuri again to help but quickly decides against it due to Yuri's suspicions of him. Suddenly, the Authens arrive at their door, inviting them over to have cookies that Barbara baked as she hopes to get her new neighbors better. Loid holds Anya back from leaving her study session, and Sigmund suggests that everyone needs a break. Loid would rather have Anya focus on studying, but after deciding to take the opportunity to probe the Authens, he accepts their invitation.

The Forgers go to the Authens' apartment and chat over the cookies. When Barbara talks about and teases the Forger couple's marriage, a flustered Yor almost reveals her and Loid's agreement, so Loid changes the subject to the many books the Authens own, to which Barbara explains that Sigmund used to be a university professor. As Sigmund talks about his past, Loid concludes that Sigmund does not appear to be a threat sent to target him, having done a background investigation beforehand, but still remains cautious. Loid sees that Sigmund has books on language and mentions Classical Language, causing Anya to exclaim her goal to get the top grade in that subject. Sigmund offers to help Anya study, and seeing no harm in it, Loid allows it.

Sigmund starts by asking Anya her favorite book, and Anya says *Spy Wars*, so he reveals the first volume of the comic to use as their textbook. Observing them, Loid sees that method as a lost cause due to him not succeeding when he tried it. Loid continues observing the lesson and interjects when he thinks it might be getting too complicated. However, Sigmund emphasizes letting Anya find joy in studying. As Sigmund resumes his lesson with Anya, Loid thinks about the old man's teaching philosophy. He had never considered doing such a thing before for Anya due to the difference in their beliefs, as he holds knowledge and understanding only as tactical weapons and tools of survival.

After a fun and successful lesson with Sigmund, Anya and her parents make their leave, with Sigmund offering to teach her again, which Anya accepts. Sigmund asks what Anya will do after she aces her exams and becomes an Imperial Scholar and what her goal is. After turning to her parents, she replies that she wants world peace. Sigmund is happy with this answer, while Loid is embarrassed and says that Anya watches too many cartoons. Later that night, Loid has tea with Yor, who is happy that they have such lovely neighbors. Loid agrees with her statement, but his thoughts remain cautious.

For the next few days, Anya studies hard for her term finals with Sigmund's help. The day before the exams, Anya returns home with a rugged look and stubble after having "mastered the art of the Classical Language." When Loid asks about her appearance, Anya says she wanted to look like she overcame rigorous training. Loid sees that she has been doing well in her practice tests and wonders if success could really be possible.

Five days after the term finals, Anya's results are revealed, and she has earned a Stella for getting the second highest score in Classical Language in her grade but also got a Tonitrus for flunking her Math final. Loid is dismayed by the Tonitrus but does not scold her, knowing that there is more value in her achieving her Stella in her academics, and he proudly praises her. Before Anya goes to sleep to prepare for the award ceremony the next day, Loid asks if she was ever in an environment where Classical Language was used when she was younger, but she tells him that she cannot remember much from back then. Loid accepts the answer and tells her to forget about it as he pats her head and tells her good night.

The next day, when Anya returns home, he and Bond greet her on the verge. Loid asks her for her newly received Stella before she loses it and, to his bewilderment, sees that she simply gives him a blank expression. Not understanding what is happening, Loid assumes that Anya has already lost her Stella, but Anya states that she will stay like that until she becomes "a super genius." Loid doesn't see any point in her strange behavior and tries to convince her to start blinking so that her eyes don't dry out. Anya emotionlessly declares that she does not understand him, to which Loid lets out a long, tired sigh.

Anya tells Loid that she wants to go skiing on a snowy mountain after watching Bondman do it on TV. Loid tells her they do not have time for that, but relents when Anya starts to cry. As such, as Anya's reward for working hard on her exams (and Loid deciding to ignore her Tonitrus for the day), the Forgers take a ski trip to a big, snowy ski mountain. As Loid gives Anya lessons on skiing, Yor is having trouble skiing herself and stuns Loid after she kicks herself off a tree and flips to make a safe landing. After Anya falls over with her skis on, decides that she has been disappointed with her skiing experience and wants to go home, to Loid's confusion. Bond cheers her up as they both go sledding, and the family ride down the mountain together.

As the weather gets colder and a blizzard starts to form, the Forgers try to leave but find that all the roads have been closed off, forcing them to stay at a lodge for the night. At the lodge, the Forgers are given the last vacant room. After meeting the guests and workers in the lodge, the family has dinner, and a tabloid writer tries to scare Anya with an old town legend of "The Red Snowman." While Anya is excited by the legend and wants to look for it, Loid swiftly rejects it.

Before the Forgers head to their room, the lodge owner's wife reminds everyone to return to the lobby in an hour to try their famous cakes. At their room, Yor quickly leaves to go outside, too flustered to share a room with Loid, and he appears oblivious to her mood. Loid also leaves to observe the lodge's layout for possible escape routes and decides to let Anya and Bond tag along. After an hour, Loid and Anya have cake in the lobby, with Loid wondering where Yor is. Shortly after Loid sees Yor return to the lodge, one of the guests is found stabbed in their room.

After telling Yor to take Anya back to their room, Loid checks on the body. Seeing that the young man is still alive, Loid orders the onlookers to get him towels, a lighter, needle, and thread and explains to them that he is a doctor trained in surgical procedures. Loid does all he can for the young man, who is left to recover. When the lodge owner reveals that their phone line has been cut, Loid says he can fix the phone lines, claiming that he had a part-time job repairing electronics while in college.

After the call to the police is made, the lodge owner announces that they will not be able to arrive until morning. One of the students worries about the killer, but Loid tells everyone that after investigating the area and observing the recent incidents, he has concluded that the attacker is not an old town legend or an outsider, but someone inside the lodge. Yor frantically tells Loid that she is innocent, and while he believes her, he says that they have to treat everyone as a suspect to isolate the culprit. However, when Yor begins to fall under suspicion by the other people, Loid defends her and declares to find the real culprit and prove their guilt. Loid tries to get the alibis of everyone between dinnertime and the finding of the victim, but the ski club members choose to stay in their room until the police arrive.

After witnessing the time and place of the next attack in Bond's vision, Anya tips off the information to Loid under the guise of wanting to explore. While he refuses Anya's request, Loid ends up going and happens upon the killer, the lodge owner, right before his next attack. Confronting the killer, Loid uses his intuition and photographic memory to uncover the killer's tricks and dismantle his alibi, all while without raising any undue attention. When the police arrive in the morning, they find that the incident has already been resolved. Loid is questioned about how he caught the killer, and he lies about what really happened.

Afterward, on the Forgers' way to the station, Yor praises Loid for saving the stab victim's life, though Loid is exhausted after not getting any sleep. Anya is excited by how the incident felt like a real-life detective show and declares it the best trip ever. As Loid and Yor warn her to stay away from dangerous people, Anya thinks to herself how both of them are dangerous too.

## References

*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 62.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 1, and Episode 1.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 2, and Episode 2.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 3, and Episode 3.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 4, and Episode 4.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 5, and Episode 4.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 6, and Episode 5.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 7, and Episode 6.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 8, and Episode 6.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 9, and Episode 7.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 10, and Episode 7.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 11, and Episode 8.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 12, and Episode 8.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 13, and Episode 9.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 14, and Episode 9.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 15, and Episode 10.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 16, and Episode 11.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 17, and Episode 11.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Extra Mission 1, and Episode 12.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Short Mission 1, and Episode 12.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 18, and Episode 13.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 19, and Episode 13.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 20, and Episode 14.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 21, and Episode 14.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 22, and Episode 15.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 23, and Episode 15.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 24, and Episode 16.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Short Mission 2, and Episode 16.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Short Mission 5, and Episode 17.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 26, and Episode 18.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 27, and Episode 18.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 28, and Episode 19.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 29, and Episode 20.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 30, and Episode 21.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Short Mission 3, and Episode 21.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 31, and Episode 22.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 32, and Episode 22.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 33, and Episode 23.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 34, and Episode 23.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 35, and Episode 24.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 36, and Episode 24.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 37, and Episode 25.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 38, and Episode 25.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Extra Mission 2, and Episode 26.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 40, and Episode 27.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 41, and Episode 28.
*SPY x FAMILY* Anime: Episode 28,
Volume 2 Bonus Comic
*SPY x FAMILY* Anime: Episode 28,
Volume 7 Bonus Comic
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 42, and Episode 29.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 43, and Episode 29.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 44, and Episode 30.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 45, and Episode 30.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 46, and Episode 31.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 47, and Episode 31.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 48 (pp. 1-6), and Episode 31.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 48 (pp. 20-23), and Episode 31.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 49, and Episode 32.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 50, and Episode 32.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 51, and Episode 33.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 52, and Episode 33.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 54, and Episode 34.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 55, and Episode 34.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 56, and Episode 35.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 57, and Episode 35.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 58, and Episode 37.
*SPY x FAMILY* Anime: Episode 37.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga and Anime: Chapter 59, and Episode 36.
*SPY x FAMILY* Anime: Episode 36.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 60.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 61.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 63.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 64.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 66.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 67.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 68.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 70 (p. 8).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 75 (pp. 14-15).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 76 (pp. 1-4).
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 77.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 78.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 79.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 80.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 81.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 82.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 83.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 84.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 86.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 87.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 90.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 91.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 92.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 93.
*SPY x FAMILY* Manga: Chapter 94.