Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc

The Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc is the ninth story arc in SPY x FAMILY.

With the biannual Imperial Scholars Mixer coming up, Damian sees a rare opportunity to meet with his reclusive and distant father. However, Twilight also has his own plans to intrude on their meeting.

Summary
Damian, Emile Elman, and Ewen Egeburg look at the school bulletin and see that the Imperial Scholar's semi-annual get-together will start next week. Although the event has nothing to do with the boys, they eagerly discuss how they will eventually become Imperial Scholars. Peering from the corner, Anya Forger watches the group and recaps her goal to become an Imperial Scholar and help Loid Forger with Operation Strix. However, Anya has given up on earning eight Stella Stars, discouraged by her lack of progress in academics and sports. Anya resolves to Plan B: befriending Damian, which is not going any better. The boys see Anya staring at them and tell her to stop and go away.

Anya expresses her frustration, and Becky Blackbell appears and does the same, albeit for a different reason. Becky says she knows how Anya feels as love is hard to communicate, prompting Anya to think about what she loves: Loid, Yor, Bond, peanuts, and cartoons. When Anya connects it to Damian, she bluntly denies it, and Becky assumes she is being bashful. Becky decides to help make Damian fall for Anya, saying that boys are easily fooled by outward appearances. So if Anya dresses up all cute, Damian will surely fall for her. Thus, Becky and Anya go on a shopping trip on the weekend. Martha Marriott, Becky’s butler, drives the girls to the shopping center, and Anya is excited to ride in their fancy car. Becky complains about not seeing Loid when she picked up Anya and how tough of a rival Yor will be after seeing how pretty she is. Hearing this, Martha quietly discourages Becky from homewrecking. Becky compliments Anya’s bag (by working-class standards) and asks what is inside. Anya produces a large wad of cash, shocking Martha. Before leaving, Loid had gifted the spending money to her, believing that forging a positive relationship with the Blackbells could have serious benefits. Anya wonders how many peanuts she can buy with the money, but Becky reminds her that they are shopping for clothes.

At the shopping center, the staff from the clothing department line up to welcome Becky. An employee informs Becky that they have prepared a variety of brand-new haute couture fashions for her. Anya is surprised by all this and asks Becky if her father is the "Prince of Darkness." She then asks how much money Becky brought, but Becky says she has never brought money anywhere in her life. Becky tells Anya that the store usually brings stuff to her house, but she was so excited to go shopping with Anya that she reserved the whole store. With that, Becky helps Anya find a look that "even Damian cannot resist."

Anya tries on various stylish outfits while Becky shares her thoughts. Afterward, Anya gets exhausted and remarks that fashion is hard. Becky agrees, saying they cannot narrow down their options when they do not even know what Damian likes. Anya points out that she wears her uniform at school every day, so Damian will not see her new clothes. Becky says all the halls throw parties at the end of the term, and students will be allowed to wear street clothes with the teacher’s permission. Becky realizes that if the parties are open to parents, Loid will most likely be there. She shouts that she needs something too and asks a shocked Anya what look Loid prefers. Becky also tries on different outfits, wondering what Loid would like. After finishing, Becky concludes that she does not even know anymore and decides to buy them all, much to Martha’s concern and Anya’s shock.

Becky asks what Anya has decided on, but Anya tells her that she cannot look at clothes anymore, so Becky says they can check out the shoes. The girls check out all the accessories at the store while the boxes Martha carries continue to stack up. They stop at a café to rest and have sweets. Martha, covered by boxes, sternly tells Becky that she has bought too much. Becky remarks that Anya did not get anything; Anya says she does not even know what she wants, reiterating that fashion is hard. Becky looks quietly, then shyly asks if Anya had fun shopping. Anya smiles brightly and tells Becky that she had so much fun, as this is the first time she has gone shopping with a friend, and Becky is touched to be called her friend. Becky decides to find something Anya wants while Martha watches from the side with a smile.

The girls head to a stuffed animal shop, but a sheep keychain catches Anya’s attention. Anya asks what it is, and Becky explains it is a department store’s mascot. Seeing how cute it is, Anya decides to get one, while Becky remarks on how childish she is. Anya says it will be a memento of their shopping trip and proof that they survived. Becky is hesitant, remembering her father saying he does not want her wearing anything less than the finest. Before Becky can think any further, Anya buys keychains for themselves, and Martha urges her to accept the gesture of friendship, saying her father would say the same. An embarrassed Becky then takes the keychain. She asks Anya why they went shopping, and Anya says she forgot. They brush it off and decide to head home.

Becky and Anya fall asleep on the drive back, and Martha flashes back to the past. When Becky was in preschool, she would make fun of the other kids and pick on them, calling them brats. After learning that she would be attending Eden Academy, Becky expressed her distaste, saying the school has ill-bred kids, to her father’s shock. While Martha prepared Becky’s school uniform, she told her madam that understanding that you do not have it all figured out is the first step to growing up. Later, after returning from Eden on the first day, Becky tells Martha about Anya and how school might not be so bad after all. Back in the present, Martha looks at Becky and Anya and expresses her happiness for Becky.

Returning home, Loid is stunned to see the keychain, which cost 300 dalc apiece. Anya says it is her and Becky's special thing while Bond glares at the keychain.

At the start of school, Becky and Anya greet each other and cheerily talk about their matching keychains. Passing by, Damian and his friends see the girls chatting, and their smiling faces catches Damian's eye. Ewen asks Damian what is up with him, and he dismisses them in embarrassment.

On the day of the Imperial Scholars mixer, Twilight once again infiltrates Eden Academy, this time as a professor. With Ostania's top brass in attendance, security has tightened with agents and the military on guard. Loid remarks how difficult it is to infiltrate the Imperial Scholars mixer, citing past failed attempts by other agents. The event is being held at the “Tower of Wisdom,” which not only has few possible entrances but even tighter security with state-of-the-art technology. There is the option of taking the tower by force, but that could only work once and be effective if the goal was to assassinate Donovan Desmond. But because Operation Strix requires establishing continuous contact with Donovan, it is out of the question. Approaching Donovan in disguise is another option, but Twilight is aware of the risks and decides to meet him as Loid Forger instead. He concludes that opportunities to encounter Donovan outside the tower are virtually nonexistent but should try to explore those possibilities.

Meanwhile, Cecile Hall finishes class for the day, and the teacher reminds them to leave the school grounds as it will be closed in the afternoon for the Imperial Scholars event. The students chat about the mixer and who will be attending. One of the girls asks Damian if his dad will be there since his brother Demetrius is an Imperial Scholar. Damian does not hear them, instead thinking back to a phone call with Demetrius. Damian asked his brother to deliver a message to Donovan: to meet with him in the courtyard at Library 2 after the mixer. Demetrius agrees but tells Damian not to get his hopes up, as their father is a busy man, before ending the call.

In the present, the girls continue to ask to meet with Donovan, and Damian angrily tells them to leave him alone and stomps away with his friends in tow. Reading his thoughts, Anya realizes Damian’s plan. Seeing that her plan to win Damian's heart with fashion failed, she decides to tail him and face Donovan herself. The boys have already noticed Anya and tell her to go away. Ewen suggests there is a reason why Anya has been chasing Damian, and the boy reddens up, assuming romantic reasons. Ewen elaborates that Anya might be chasing him to curry favor with Donovan, and Emile agrees, saying Anya is the same as all the others. Embarrassed and enraged, Damian calls Anya names before running away. Anya suggests punching him again, but Becky, who had been with her, reminds her that she would get expelled.

Suddenly, Anya hears Loid's thoughts, expressing his frustration at how the two are not getting along and that Plan B is failing, but wonders if Anya is attempting to befriend him. Twilight decides to follow Damian if he tries to meet with Donovan. Hearing her father’s plan, Anya follows after Damian with Becky in tow. Heading to the courtyard, the boys discuss Damian’s plan to meet with his father. Eavesdropping on their conversation, Twilight confirms that Damian will meet with his father as the group decides to check out the mixer for themselves. Outside the Tower of Wisdom, Imperial Scholars and their families walk through the school grounds, heading to the event. The boys are amazed at how many people there are, and Emile comments that even among all the famous people present, Donovan is a V.I.P., which makes Damian freeze up. He decides not to see his father, shocking everyone. Damian reasons that Donovan is an incredible and busy man that does not have time to waste on people like him. Before he can inform his brother, he is stopped in his tracks by Anya.

Damian tells her to leave, calling her a stalker, but Anya smugly taunts him, asking him if he is scared and says she knows he is. Damian wonders if she is reading his mind, causing Anya to worry. Anya then nervously reveals that Damian got 50 points on his reading test. When asked how she knew, Anya says she peeked over Damian’s shoulder, making Becky think Anya has really become a stalker. Anya says Damian is scared his father will find out about his poor grade and tries empathizing with him, admitting to getting 17 points. Anya says she does not know if Loid likes her, so she is also scared, and adds that he gets mad at her often. Despite that, Anya believes in her father because she loves him, so she will use all her courage to tell him that she failed.

While everyone, including Anya, is confused by what she said, it convinces Damian to go through with meeting his father. In the courtyard, the kids wait for the mixer to end. Becky is surprised Anya is also waiting, as she just wants to go home. She assumes Anya is eager to meet Damian’s parents and look for their blessing to marry, misreading her seriousness. Becky decides to wait with Anya, hoping to see the ‘big moment’ with her own eyes. However, Anya falls asleep shortly after, and Becky realizes her mistake. She asks a nearby Martha to take Anya back to their car as they prepare to leave. On their way out, they pass by Twilight, who reveals a handmade duplicate of Anya’s expensive sheep keychain made with cheaper materials. With that, Twilight puts his plan into motion.

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 is waiting, Loid appears and asks the boys if they have seen a sheep keychain. Damian recognizes the description and gives Loid the replica that was planted on the ground earlier for them to find. The boys connect the dots and realize they are talking to Anya’s father. Realizing who he is talking to, Loid quickly kneels before Damian and apologizes for Anya’s behavior at the 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. Damian is surprised his father showed up, while Loid comes face-to-face with Donovan. He tries to talk to Donovan, but the bodyguards tell him to leave. However, Donovan gives him the chance to speak, prompting Loid to apologize for Anya’s behavior towards Damian and introduces himself with a smile.

At a WISE safehouse, a rookie member reviews a file containing attendees to the Imperial Scholars mixer, including Donovan Desmond. Seeing how the mixer is a treasure trove of intelligence, he suggests sending more agents to back up Twilight. Sylvia Sherwood advises otherwise, saying it would be giving them easy prey. She reminds the young man that they are in enemy territory and Eden Academy is the front line of this cold war.

At Eden Academy, Loid introduces himself to Donovan and thinks about his investigations of any media regarding the man. In it, he could not learn much about Donovan since his disappearance from the public eye. With this conversation, he must learn more about Donovan, his behavior, how to get him interested in "Loid Forger," and extract the plans for the war he 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. However, Donovan brushes it off with an unusually bright smile, startling Loid. Donovan states it is just a spat among kids, but Damian yells that Anya laid hands on him, a Desmond. Loid agrees and insists on making amends. Donovan smiles again and says it is fine, although he appreciates the sentiment. Loid realizes he is being blown off and withdraws, but not before thanking Donovan for his generosity.

Loid wonders if that is why Donovan seeks to control other nations with threats of military force and if he has uncovered a core belief. Loid proceeds to agree with the statement, saying that as a psychiatrist, he sometimes wonders if he can truly understand what goes on in his patients' heads. He adds that it may be arrogant to think that people can understand each other. In his thoughts, Loid knows that the idea of people reaching a mutual understanding by talking to each other is idealistic at best. Nevertheless, he tells Donovan that what is important is meeting them in the middle. Loid admits that despite not understanding Anya’s actions, he acknowledges her and creates opportunities for dialogue, even if it works out or not. Loid then thinks about how he, as a spy, will never stop seeking information 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 his son. Donovan supposes so, which surprises Damian. Loid then talks about Damian’s respect for his father, bringing up his school report on Donovan’s work, which he had secretly snuck a peek at in the school. Loid claims that it moved Anya so much that it was all she could talk about at home. He tells Donovan that he was touched by Damian’s respect and knowledge for his work as Party Chairman, praising the boy.

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 in Damian's report. He wonders if he should attend one of the party’s seminars, again praising Damian. An embarrassed Damian tells Loid to stop, and Loid happily apologizes. Donovan decides to wrap up the conversation, but not before remembering Loid’s name and saying that he enjoyed their conversation. Loid is satisfied with the result, chalking up Donovan remembering his name as a victory, and was able to memorize the faces and features of his security team. Loid thanks Donovan for sharing his time with him.

Before he leaves, Loid asks Damian not to tell Anya about their conversation. He says Anya is at an awkward stage, and if Damian thinks she hates him, Loid suspects otherwise, so he hopes they can get along. Damian shyly says he wants to as well, surprising his friends. He quickly gets embarrassed and yells at Loid to go away. Loid laughs it off and bids goodbye, leaving the Desmonds to talk.

Donovan looks to Damian, asking what his son wants from him. Damian starts getting nervous and says it was nothing. He struggles to get the words out, thinking back to Loid emphasizing the importance of creating a dialogue with others. As Donovan prepares to leave, Damian remembers Anya saying she will summon all her courage to tell Loid that she failed. Damian shouts out to his father, informing him of his Stella Star from the midterms, his 50 on his reading test, and how the griffin he made in art class won first prize. Hearing this, Donovan congratulates him. Damian asks why Donovan decided to come see him, and Donovan says he acted on a whim and to think nothing of it. As he walks away, he tells Damian to continue striving not to besmirch their family name. Damian enthusiastically agrees while Ewen and Emile cheer him on.

Watching from inside the school, Twilight senses how distant Donovan is from his son. He concludes that the closer Donovan and Damian are, the better the odds of success are for Plan B. As for Donovan, Twilight decides not to tail him, and his next step is to lay the careful groundwork and take his new intel to HQ for analysis. Before he leaves, Twilight sees Damian and his friends excitedly cheering for Stella. Loid watches them quietly before making his way out. Loid returns home to see Anya daughter fast asleep with Bond. Yor explains that Anya was already asleep since she was dropped off by Becky and Martha, and Loid thinks about how carefree she is. Anya mutters that she and Loid will “fight the superboss together,” and Loid has no idea what she is babbling about.

In the morning, an alarm at an Eden Academy dorm wakes its residents. Emile and Ewen wake up and tell Damian to do the same, or he will miss morning muster. After morning muster passes, Henry Henderson looks at Damian, who has woken up with dark circles under his eyes. As punishment, Damian is tasked with helping the dorm mother with chores and is forbidden from leaving school grounds until he finishes. Behind the corner, Ewen and Emile watch worriedly.

As Damian helps the dorm mother, his friends come to check on him. Damian, who studied all night, wants to earn more Stella Stars, and Ewen says he is pushing himself too hard. They mention that their dorm tutor will take all the boys to the movies and get roast beef on the way back. Damian is firm on not going and will study instead, hoping for his father’s praise if he works hard to better himself. After being shooed away by the dorm mother, Ewen and Emile purposefully loiter around the halls in an unkempt manner. Henderson sees this and decides to punish them as well, which they accept with excitement.

Damian is surprised to see his friends join him, who say they will help him so they all can go to the movies. Damian tells them to go ahead without him, but they stay to help him do the chores anyways. Ewen adds that they can pretend to be Imperial Scholars, wrapping a sheet around himself like a cloak. While the boys play around, Henderson watches from the inside and thinks about how there is nothing more elegant than the precious elegance of youthful friendship.

While they play, Damian looks at the sky in a daze. Mr. Green, the school custos, jokes that Damian has the face of someone who would rather be at a picnic, which an embarrassed Damian denies. Henderson decides to give the boys a new punishment for their tomfoolery while doing chores: going on a field research trip with Mr. Green.

Mr. Green takes the now frantic boys on a fast-paced canoe ride, planning to take them to a lake for a picnic. As Damian spots an approaching “waterfall,” he accidentally falls off the canoe. When he cries for help, Ewen and Emile jump after him, only to end up in the same situation. They decide to let Damian survive to live on their dreams, which moves him. Green interrupts, revealing that the water is shallow, and embarrasses the boys. After starting a warm fire on land, Green tells them to catch some fish for dinner. With Green’s help, the friends prepare to fish. They look for bait and turn over a rock to find some earthworms, which frighten Damian. After Ewen and Emile chase Damian around with worms, they start fishing and successfully catch fish for each of them. As they enjoy their hard-earned meal, Green tells Damian that it is okay to enjoy oneself every now and then. After eating, he takes the boys to “Stella Lake,” which Damian is excited to see.

Upon reaching their destination, the boys are amazed by the lake, where the stars reflect on its surface and look like they can be reached, hence the name Stella Lake. Damian is shocked there are no Stellas but denies that the trip was wasted. He, Ewen, and Emile lie down on the ground and look at the stars. While taking in the sight, Emile says the stars look like sugar sprinkled on the sky, which makes Damian burst into laughter. Green says they should be heading back and reminds them to write out a proper field report.

After returning to the dorm, Green sees Henderson with the reports in hand. Henderson thanks Green and asks if he was able to “let the boys loose,” which he confirms. While Henderson reviews the reports, he says Damian's needs some work, noting how brief it is.

While lying on the couch, Bond receives a vision where everything is pitch black. He wonders what it means and assumes a scientist from Project Apple will come to kill him. As Bond frets, he sees the family photos and imagines his family mourning for him but says he died happily. Bond accepts his fate and goes to Anya’s room to say goodbye, but she says she is busy with homework and shuts the door on him. Bond trudges to Yor, who apologizes to him for forgetting to buy more dog food. And because Loid is out working, Yor decides to cook Bond’s dinner.

At that moment, Bond’s vision changes and reveals him dying from eating Yor's dinner. Bond starts to panic, then realizes he can refuse to eat the food. However, he recalls Anya telling him that Yor will kill him if he makes her upset, then imagines Yor killing him when he refuses. Defiant, Bond starts thrashing around the house but comes up with an idea: if Loid comes home early, he can make Bond’s dinner and, in turn, prevent his death. With this resolve, the family dog unlocks the door and runs away, bewildering Yor.

Bond runs around the streets of Berlint, sniffing for Loid's scent. He eventually tracks down Loid, who is outside the Born Industries facility. His current mission is to steal a sample of "Gerrulimus," a new truth serum developed by the company. However, because he has no time to collect intel for impersonation, his only option is to infiltrate directly. He is surprised when Bond shows up and tells him to go home. Bond refuses and tries to explain his situation to Loid. Loid is confused, so Bond 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 lets him tag along to complete their missions.

The two infiltrate the facility and make their way to the laboratory, which is full of specimen lockers, one of them containing the serum. While Loid works to find it, Bond has another vision. He foresees the staff returning to the lab, causing Loid to hold them off, and orders Bond to run home. Bond becomes distressed and warns Loid to hide. Before hiding, he leaves a note saying the Gerrulimus has been stolen for the staff to see, tricking them into opening and checking the locker with the serum. Loid and a masked Bond jump down on the men and knock them out. Loid thanks Bond as he retrieves the sample and says he can go home early. As a result, Bond has a vision of Loid making his dinner and Yor happy for his safety, and he barks for joy.

Yuri Briar is surveilling a room through a listening device as three men enter. He quickly assesses the position and skill of the men through their footsteps, determining that two of them are big and professional and that his target, Conrad, sits on the sofa. After Yuri announces they have made the deal, the lieutenant tells him they are going in. The lieutenant and two members of SSS enter, arresting the men on suspicion of espionage. Conrad attempts to evade arrest through the window, only for Yuri, who waits outside to disable him.

Back at the SSS building, a superior praises Yuri for his work and give him another assignment to investigate Franklin Perkin, a journalist who writes several books and articles that slander Ostania and sells them to Ostanian black markets, and stop his work from influencing public opinion. The lieutenant expresses some concern for the amount of work Yuri's been doing lately, but Yuri reassures him. Yuri is disgusted at Franklin for selling out his own country for money. Yuri monitors Franklin, referring to him as Subject J-095, and carefully logs all his actions from waking up to sleeping, as well as the appearance of fellow passengers on the train and his conversations with his coworkers. The lieutenant is impressed at the number of details but tries to persuade Yuri to let someone take over as he has pulled two all-nighters in a row. As the lieutenant reads out the report, Yuri twitches in response to some words that sound similar to Yor, so he tells Yuri to rest.

At Franklin's apartment, the landlady loudly knocks on his door to demand he pay his back rent. Franklin tries to persuade her to give him a few more days and promises to pay up the day after tomorrow. After the landlady leaves, he prepares to leave, informing his father that he will be going out for a bit. Yuri and the lieutenant nod at each other and follow Franklin outside. Franklin tries to find something to write about as he discreetly takes pictures with a camera hidden under his jacket. Several children run past him, playing with a Bondman replica pistol. Franklin walks up to them and snatches the replica pistol, throwing it into a nearby dumpster. The children quickly dig into the dumpster to find the toy, and Franklin takes a picture to show them as desperate and hungry street urchins. When the children threaten to report him to the SSS, Franklin intimidates them and angers Yuri.

Franklin returns home to write a new article. His father is concerned about his activities, but Franklin says he wants to make the country a better place for his family to live, and wishes they had more money so his mother would still be alive. As Yuri listens, he wonders if Franklin is motivated by concern for his family on the report but rips it out and crumples it.

On the 11th, Yuri continues to monitor Franklin, noting no signs of attempted contact with his publishers. Franklin is working at the post office. After a load of mail gets cleared by the monitors, Franklin offers to handle the mail instead and discreetly slips the manuscript into the mail.

On the 15th, Franklin prepares to leave but sees Yuri and SSS officers waiting outside the apartment. Though shocked, he accepts his fate and tells his father he will not be back for a while. After Franklin walks outside, Yuri informs him that they've arrested the publishers. Franklin expresses appreciation for them waiting outside, and Yuri tells him there was no reason for his family to witness his arrest while he places handcuffs on him. As Franklin gets escorted away, Yuri says he will apply for his father to receive financial assistance, and Franklin thanks him.

Yuri's boss pats him on the back, saying he is proud of him. The boss promises to treat Yuri to a steak dinner. Afterward, Yuri drops by the Forger's home. When Yor asks if something is wrong, Yuri says he simply wanted to see her face. Anya reads Yuri's mind and pats him. Yor also pats Yuri on the head and praises him, deciding to make some tea for everyone.

Within Eden Academy's Seven Wonders, there are rumors of the "Pastry of Knowledge". It is said that a mysterious pâtissier randomly appears in the cafeteria and offers extraordinarily delicious desserts. As many of those who managed to eat this pastry have become Imperial Scholars, it has become rumored that the pastry makes one instantly smarter.

Anya and Becky play pretend with their matching sheep dolls. Becky tries to play a romantic story with a prince and a battle story with twins separated at birth, but Anya does not understand and refuses to play along. Becky tells Anya news about how they are going to divide them into new classes by ability at the end of the term. After hearing Becky's explanation, Anya is horrified that she might be all alone, so Becky encourages her to work harder. Becky adds that the grouping is rumored to be based on not just midterms and finals, but tomorrow's quizzes too, and is particularly disgusted at one of them being on Classical Language.

Anya and Becky overhear an older male student whispering to another student about the Pastries of Knowledge selling in Dining Hall 2, made by a formal royal chef visiting today. The student adds that eating one guarantees one for Imperial Scholar, to the shock of Anya and Becky, and that they are macarons this year. They quickly run off to get them before the limited supply runs out. Anya and Becky look at each other before they run off as well. Anya thinks she could be a genius if she eats one, while Becky is excited to try macarons from a former royal chef. They soon see a queue of students for the pastries, but Damian and his friends run up next to them with the same goal. The server announces that there is only one order left of the special Pierre Pommier Macaron set. The two groups try to be first to get the last set but are stunned when George Glooman has already ordered the macarons. The server announces that the special item is sold out as George cheers for his luck.

Damian and Becky rush up to George and demand he gives the macarons to them. When George says they are his as he bought them with his allowance, the kids remind him what he owes them. George concedes to give up four macarons out of the set of five macarons. They realize they have five people and decide to have a round of Old Maid to determine who gets the macarons.

Anya is unaware of the rules as she has never played cards before, so Becky quickly explains the rules. Damian and Emile scheme to stick Anya with the joker, but Anya easily figures out which of their cards is the joker with her mind-reading abilities and gets rid of all her cards. Damian and his friends are in disbelief and accuse her of cheating. Damian thinks the only other explanation is that she can read minds if she is not cheating, shocking Anya. Anya panics and suggests they play another round. She decides she needs to make mistakes on purpose. On Anya's turn, she purposefully takes the joker from Ewen's deck. Damian and his friends laugh at Anya, tempting her to hit them, but Becky calms her down.

Damian's turn to take a card from Anya has arrived, and her facial expressions are very easy to read. Damian easily picks out another card from her deck. Everyone else gets rid of the cards, leaving only Anya and Damian. George comments that Damian is also terrible at the game, while Becky cheers on Anya. Anya panics at the thought of not getting a macaron, thus failing her tests and being in a different class from Becky. As Damian is about to take a card, Anya begins to cry.

George gives everyone their share of the macaron, except Damian, after purposefully taking the joker at the sight of her crying face. Anya offers to share half of her macaron with Damian. Damian blushes and rudely rejects her in embarrassment, walking away. The four students eat their macarons. Anya becomes fired up after eating the pastry and studies excitedly until the quizzes the next day.

When their results come back, Henry shows that Anya's quiz results are just as bad as before. The other students stare at Anya in disbelief. Becky tries to cheer up the depressed Anya so that she will make it up on her finals.

At home, Loid and Yor look at Anya's quiz papers while Anya goes to her room to sulk. Loid notes that she would have done well on her Classical Language test if she had not lost so many points for spelling mistakes. As Anya cries into her penguin doll, he wonders how she did so well if they barely studied Classical Language and if she is acquainted with it due to her upbringing, but he says there is no point in wondering. Loid tells Anya that he made her favorite hamburg steak for dinner, and Anya is quickly happy again. Yor adds that she tried to make dessert, and Bond barks in horror.

Story Impact

 * Donovan Desmond makes his first physical appearance.
 * Loid has his first meeting with Donovan.

Trivia

 * The faces of some Imperial Scholars and graduates are first introduced as cameos in this arc.
 * Demetrius Desmond is the only one of them who has replicas, but at the same time, the only one whose face and silhouette were not visible.