Red Circus Arc

The Red Circus Arc is the thirteenth story arc in SPY x FAMILY.

Eden's first graders go to the museum for a cultural experience, but on the way, two of the buses are hijacked by an extremist group of terrorists called the Red Circus, including the one Anya is on. Now, Anya along with her fellow classmates must figure out how to survive and get out of this life-or-death situation.

Before the Incident
At the SSS headquarters, the Boss receives a report regarding the leader of the Red Circus extremist group, Billy Squire, who is rumored to be commanding a faction in Berlint.

Elsewhere in the city, Anya and the rest of Eden Academy's first years are heading to the Berlint Museum for a field trip. All the classes are in four buses, and joining Cecile Hall on theirs is Wald Hall. Hoping to create progress for Operation Strix, Anya attempts the same method that Loid used on Gerald Gorey to make Damian indebted to her. However, in true Anya fashion, the plan fails. On the other hand, Damian is perplexed by Anya's odd behavior and wonders if it is because he has not yet repaid her for the handkerchief. He tries to take out some snacks to give her, but they are eaten by his friends instead.

The Hijacking
As the bus approaches the museum, two of the four buses, one of which Anya is on, go straight ahead, passing the building. The driver then stops and opens the door to two individuals that climb aboard, one of them being Billy Squire. Billy immobilizes the dorm tutor unconscious with a taser, and the buses continue moving. Upon noticing the bus has gone off course, Mr. Green begins tailing them in his car, but Billy shoots at him and crashes the car. Billy then tells the terrified students that their bus has been taken hostage by the Red Circus, telling them to do what they say if they want to live.

The report of the hijacking quickly reaches the police and Eden Academy, and Henry Henderson makes an order to ensure that neither the students nor media get a word of it. At the bus, Anya becomes dizzy from her classmates' overwhelming thoughts of fear. Suddenly Bill Watkins tells everyone to calm down and that help will come, but quickly quiets down when threatened by Billy. Billy then explains that the students have been taken hostage due to their prestigious backgrounds, and he will wager their lives to negotiate with the government.

At the same time, WISE hears about the hijacking and Sylvia decides to get involved after hearing that Anya and Damian are there. Since Twilight is out on a different mission, Sylvia orders her agents to gather intel and provide support to the police behind the scenes.

The students try to figure out where they are going, which gives Anya the idea to read the minds of their hijackers, but they have other concerns at the time. Anya pretends that she desperately needs to use the bathroom, which makes the driver think about where the bus is headed: Papier Park. Anya passes this info to Becky, and together they devise to make a rescue plan. Anya and Becky write an SOS and place it in Becky's tin container. Damian notices them and throws them a note warning them not to act recklessly. The girls share the plan with him, and Damian decides to help create a distraction by telling the terrorists that he needs to use the bathroom. Anya and Becky throw out the SOS, which is discovered by passersby. Billy notices what the girls have done and puts a collar on Anya. When she tries to touch it, he tells her it is a bomb and threatens to detonate it if anyone else tries anything.

At the SSS headquarters, the Lieutenant is ordered to suppress the suspects and cover any information about the incident from the public. Yuri approaches his superior, asking about Anya, but is told to stay behind. While initially compliant, Yuri cannot bear the thought of Yor's despair if Anya is harmed and demands to be brought along but gets restrained to a pillar. At the same time, Becky's father gets word of the SOS message and is stopped by Martha from acting rashly.

Back on the bus, the children are terrified of the bomb and back away from Anya, who is just as frightened. However, after hearing Billy's thoughts revealing that it is a fake immediately after, Anya quickly relaxes, baffling her classmates. Anya then playfully hits the bomb, terrifying her classmates, and their thoughts once again overwhelm her. Damian believes she was acting to alleviate everyone and confronts Billy, demanding that the bomb be placed on him instead. To his dismay, however, Billy responds by also putting a bomb on Damian. Damian begins fearing for his life, but Anya soothes him by taking his hand and whispering to him that the bomb is a fake. Becky is amazed by Anya's maturity, which she immediately takes back when Anya hits her bomb again.

Confrontation
Suddenly, the bus takes a sudden swerve and stops, and the children are overjoyed by the presence of the police, who have stopped the bus with spike strips and surrounded it. Their joy is cut short when Billy fires a shot and orders them to return to their seats. As the police attempt to communicate with the hijackers, Billy forces the students to cover up the bus windows with black sheets and exits with Damian. Billy makes his demands to the police: to release his 17 imprisoned comrades and secure the Red Circus safe passage to Nortica, promising to release five students for every freed comrade.

A squad of SSS officers arrives at the scene, and its captain orders to storm the bus. The police commander resists, believing that the hostages' safety is the priority and they should negotiate with the hijackers. The captain decides to comply but notes that most of the imprisoned comrades are dead anyway. Inside the bus, Billy explains to his comrade, Vadim, that they will stall for time until the kids' parents pressure the government. An embarrassed Damian walks back to his seat, where he is consoled by Bill and his friends, who say that all they can do now is wait for the adults to rescue them.

Sylvia receives intel from her agents on the whereabouts of the missing second bus and leaks it to the police. The SSS report on the leaked information, which Yuri overhears, and he asks for permission to investigate. Yuri is released and quickly gets to work. After gathering intel from his informants, Yuri deduces that the second bus could be stashed somewhere in the area and scours around to find it. At the bus, the SSS captain receives a message from HQ telling his squad to go on standby until the second bus is found, which he begrudgingly agrees to.

Inside the bus, Billy notices that some of the kids need to go to the bathroom and allows them to step outside and do their business in the shrubs, although one at a time. Emile is the first to go and expresses loyalty to Damian and embarrassment at his situation, which Billy tells him to thank his parents for. Becky's father and Martha arrive at the scene, where Henry is also present, worried for the well-being of his students. At dusk, Billy asks the police for an update on the negotiations. The police commander explains that they are currently in the middle of releasing three prisoners, but in the meantime, they want to give the hostages food and water. Billy allows this, but only if someone from the school delivers it.

Henry volunteers to go, bringing the students rations from the Blackbell company. Henry is concerned about the well-being of the hostages, particularly with the dorm tutor, who he demands should be taken to a hospital. Henry asks to take the tutor's place on the bus, and Billy agrees. As the children eat the rations, Billy watches with a subdued expression. Henry notices this and asks if Billy also has children, to which the man responds that he had a daughter who was also a Red Circus member, but she was murdered by the state during a protest gone wrong. Seeking vengeance, Billy declares to make sure the government reaps what they have sown. Billy looks at two students sleeping, which makes him remember the memories of his daughter, Biddy, from her beliefs to the aftermath of her death. Witnessing these via her telepathy, Anya is surprised.

As this happens, Yuri locates the second bus at a warehouse guarded by the hijackers. Joined by a squad of other SSS officers, Yuri raids the warehouse, removing the hijackers and securing the hostages, but comes out of the altercation with a wounded shoulder. The SSS captain receives the news of the second bus and is given command of the situation. He starts by announcing to the hijackers that their comrades from the other bus are dead and gives them until dawn to surrender. Vadim is frustrated, and seeing that Billy has been completely shaken, decides to use the last resort: blowing up the bus with the hostages inside, planning to do it as the strike force rushes in. Anya hears about this plan and the thoughts of an SSS guard regiment preparing to storm the bus. Outside, the captain reveals they will actually be attacking at night, to the police commander's shock. Backed into a corner, Anya resolves to confront Billy.

At the Forger home, Yor is concerned about Anya's absence and calls Eden Academy to ask about her. While they tell her that the trip ran long, Yor is uneased and calls Sharon. Sharon informs Yor that her son already came home, and the trip got canceled, worrying her even more.

Story Impact

 * It is revealed that the Red Circus terrorist group that Yor assassinated in Extra Mission 2 had not vanished and there are still active members.
 * This marks the first arc in which Anya must resolve the main conflict on her own.
 * Anya and Damian earn their second Stella Star, while Becky and Bill earn their first Stella.
 * Anya and Damian become friends.

Trivia

 * Becky Blackbell's father makes his first physical appearance, although his appearance has already been presented in Becky's imagination in one of the early arcs.
 * Martha's surname and her long-standing acquaintance with Henry Henderson are revealed for the first time.
 * The Cecile Hall Dorm Tutor's name and personal history are revealed for the first time.