WISE Arc

"I didn't know the real reason the war had started. I thought there wouldn't be a war at all... I hated the enemy without knowing why. I picked up a gun without knowing why. I obeyed my country without knowing why. Ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is weakness. Ignorance is a sin."

- Chapter 62.3

The WISE Arc is the eleventh story arc in SPY x FAMILY.

Many of WISE's spies and personnel must carry out their work in attempt to bring peace between Ostania and Westalis. Among them is Twilight, who must reflect back on why it is he became a spy and how he'll proceed with his dark past behind him.

Note that the following sub-headings are fan-made and used to better organize the story.

Spy and Dog
At the dog park, Loid puts Bond under suppression and protection training, with Franky acting as the suspect. Bond bites down on Franky's cloth-covered arm, but he lets go once Franky starts yelling at him. Loid scolds Bond for releasing the target early and muses that Bond is too kind to bark and bite. Loid decides to move on to scent work and explosives detection, but Bond looks forlorn upon hearing him, to Loid's concern. Franky suggests that the training is reminding the dog of his bad memories at Project Apple. He tells Loid to make the training fun for Bond and leaves. Accepting the suggestion, Loid takes Bond for a walk through the town.

Bond sees a vision of a boy dropping his ice cream and crying. He then spots the same boy close by with the ice cream and makes a plan to prevent the fall of his ice cream, where he will receive Loid's praise afterward. He runs forward and tries to stop the boy from tripping to the confusion of Loid and the boys, who think he is trying to steal the ice cream. Bond's actions end up causing the boy's ice cream to fall, and the boy begins to cry. Loid apologizes and buys him a new one with three scoops. As Loid scolds Bond, the dog sees another vision of an old man being struck by a bicycle. He quickly runs over to the man and pulls him by the coat, which angers the man but saves him. Loid once again scolds Bond for his behavior and is confused by his actions despite the lack of disciplinary problems. Bond gets another vision but chooses to ignore it after imagining an angry Loid sending him back to the pound.

Suddenly, Bond foresees an apartment in flames as a woman cries out for her 'Daisy.' Using his nose, he is able to pinpoint where the apartment is and tries running toward it. Loid initially holds him back but relents when Bond loudly barks at him. They arrive at the apartment, where onlookers gossip that it is arson. Recalling his vision, Bond gnaws off his leash and runs into the building, and Loid follows in pursuit. In the building, Loid calls out for Bond, looking for him. He sees a burning piece of debris about to fall onto Bond and quickly kicks it away. To his surprise, Bond retrieved a small pug that got left behind, wearing a collar with the name 'Daisy.'

They try to leave the building, but a flaming pile of rubble falls and blocks the way out. As Bond begins to panic, Loid quickly makes a plan to make their escape through the fire escape. Before Loid can move, Bond gets a vision and stops him. Suddenly, the floor in front of them collapses. Loid is shocked and thanks Bond for saving him. Loid mistakenly believes it was Bond's nose that was able to detect the collapse, unaware of his powers of foresight. Seeing the amount of smoke, Loid uses a plastic bag to make a crude oxygen tank, allowing them to cross the areas with smoke, and they put Daisy in a backpack.

The two jump out of the second-floor window and remove Daisy from the backpack. A nearby old man is amazed by their efforts to save Daisy. They realize Bond is on fire and quickly douse him with a bucket of water. With his fur wet, Bond's body is revealed to be skinny, and Loid has to stifle his laughter, to Bond's embarrassment. Bond catches a scent and tries to shake off the water before running off.

Behind a corner, a suspicious man dressed in black enjoys the sight of the burning apartment, visibly excited as the woman, Miss Bennett, cries out for Daisy. Bond quickly runs at him and bites his leg. Panicked, the man grabs a knife from his bag and reveals numerous fire accelerants and incendiary devices. Seeing this, Loid deduces that the man is the culprit responsible for the recent arsons in the area and quickly immobilizes him before Bond is hurt. Loid ties him up with a cord, deciding to let the police handle him.

Outside the apartment, Ms. Bennett happily reunites with Daisy, hugging her. Bond smiles at the sight of the happy owner and dog. The old man informs the woman of her saviors, but Loid decides to leave discretely to avoid attention. Although Loid praises Bond for his actions, he has something else to say. Bond thinks Loid will scold him for biting the man's legs instead of the arms like he was taught, but Loid reminds him to be careful as his family will worry about him and apologizes for trying to train Bond so hard. Bond happily nuzzles up against Loid, who tries justifying his actions for the sake of his mission. As they return home, Loid plans for them to go to the dog park the next day and wonders why Bond's bark changes when he is wet.

Playdate with Becky
After watching a seduction scene on Berlint in Love, Becky is inspired to do the same with Loid. She calls up Anya's home and pretends that she happens to be dropping by their house while in the neighborhood. Soon after, Becky is at their door, confusing Anya with her quick arrival. Becky's thoughts reveal her intent to finally meet Loid in person and confess her love to him, though Martha disapproves.

Anya calls over Loid, who greets Becky while Martha apologizes for their unannounced visit with a gift. Loid welcomes Becky into their home and thanks her for being Anya's friend, causing Becky to fall backward with a lovestruck expression and reminding Anya of Fiona Frost. After Martha leaves, Anya takes Becky on a quick tour of the house, but the gap between their financial status is evident when Becky assumes their living room is a storage vestibule and is amazed at Anya's room being smaller than her dog's doghouse, leading Anya to quickly stop to their tour. After finding out Yor is out walking Bond, Becky begins to fantasize about herself and Loid in a similar situation as the Berlint in Love scene earlier, with her marrying Loid.

Reading her thoughts, Anya is shocked but is soon persuaded after Becky thinks about the benefits of being her mother. Anya decides to help Becky out with her plan, asking Loid to play with them and cheering Becky on. Loid chats with Becky, trying to gain more intel on the activities of Becky's father, while Becky is flustered and wonders if Loid is interested in her.

Yor arrives home shortly after with Bond and greets Becky. Anya tries to introduce Bond to Becky, who is too preoccupied with planning how to defeat Yor. Becky tries using techniques she learned from her television dramas, letting her hair down and flipping it, but to no avail. Yor then seats Becky beside Loid and serves everyone tea. Becky starts blushing sitting next to Loid and wonders if this is a scheme from Yor but sees this as her chance to win Loid over. She asks Loid why he was interested in her family, and he replies that he was just making conversation. This shocks Becky, who claims he has been playing her the entire time, making him spit out his drink. 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 and quickly carries her to a hospital. In her rush, she sees an oncoming car and tosses Becky in the air before taking a hit from the car and rolling over to catch Becky. Yor continues to the hospital, but Becky stops her and confesses to Yor that she wanted Loid to go out with her. To Becky's surprise, Yor is not angry and is simply relieved that Becky is well.

Loid and Anya soon catch up with them. Seeing a strongman game, Becky tries to prove her strength to Loid but falls under the weight of the hammer. Yor 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, hoping to be strong enough to one day win Loid over. Everyone returns home, where Yor teaches Becky how to punch. When Martha later arrives to pick up Becky, she is confused at the sight of the two.

Fiona and Franky
Sylvia Sherwood briefs Fiona Frost on a man named Sergei Ostosky, an Ostanian executive on the economics committee who is unlawfully restricting strawberry exports to Westalis, causing a national strawberry shortage. As a result of the shortage, there were no strawberries on Foreign Minister Brantz's birthday cake, and he went into a rage. Sylvia assigns Fiona a mission to deal with the problem before it causes a diplomatic crisis.

Fiona approaches Loid at Berlint General Hospital to ask for someone who can forge a state seal for a fake export license. Loid decides to direct Fiona to one of his assets, who has the connections to do so. As he leaves to talk with some hospital staff, Fiona stares at him from behind with a lovesick expression in her eyes and resolves to successfully complete the mission for his sake.

In an alleyway, Fiona heads down a flight of stairs to the location of Twilight's asset. As she approaches the door, she sees a button and a note stating to press the button for "service." Suspicious, she uses a pen to press the button, and it is revealed to be an electrified trap. She scoffs at the childish trap and enters before a dusty chalkboard eraser falls from above.

As Fiona goes through, she continues to encounter several amateur-level traps and riddles. Finally, she comes to a door at the end, where she is greeted by a man with a black bag over his head aiming his gun at her. Fiona greets the man with Twilight's code phrase, and he removes his bag revealing him to be Franky Franklin. Franky tries to flirt with her jokingly, and she almost leaves out of exasperation.

Fiona names her request for a forged official seal, and Franky tries to get more details from her, saying he will get it from a friend. Fiona is unwilling to trust him and tries to get him to introduce his friend to her directly, threatening to have him incarcerated. She eventually acquiesces when he reminds her that she will not be able to meet with the counterfeiter without him, and he contacts his friend via the radio as a secret caller.

Fiona and Franky are waiting outside a bar where they arranged to meet with the counterfeiter. Fiona attempts to enter, but Franky stops her and convinces her to wear a disguise before entering. They change into disguises suitable for a club, pretending to be a couple. Franky is excited to be on a "date" with Fiona, who is wholly unenthused about the situation.

As they enter, they are stopped by the bouncer until Franky reveals his identity. At the club, Franky greets his many friends, showing off his new "girlfriend." Fiona eventually reaches her limit and threatens to kill him unless he stops. Franky apologizes before noticing the presence of his counterfeiter friend downstairs, and they approach him. Franky tries to greet him, but Fiona interrupts and gets straight to the point with her offer. She tosses a paper with her deal at him, but he throws it away upon seeing it and the deadline, walking away.

Fiona and Franky continue to follow him outside. Fiona points out two members of the SSS tailing them. The counterfeiter is shocked and accuses Franky of being careless. Fiona suggests it was his new clients that made a mistake. The counterfeiter tries to make a run for it but is too late to notice a man around the corner. Before he can get hit, Fiona pushes him down and kicks the man in the face, incapacitating him.

Fiona grabs him as they run and suggests he take her offer as repayment for saving him from the SSS. As they pass a corner, Fiona expertly throws another man waiting behind the corner with a knife. The counterfeiter is speechless at her skill, and Franky reassures him that he can trust Fiona. Another man shoots at Fiona, and Franky throws himself at Fiona to get her out of the way while she throws a knife at the shooter.

Fiona tries to get them to another place to hide from the SSS, but Franky displays his knowledge of the area and suggests using a tunnel path instead. Fiona recognizes Franky's skills as an asset, while he says he could even hide from WISE if he wanted to. Fiona asks why he is on their side, but Franky says he is not on anyone's sides: he is simply dissatisfied by the current state of Ostania and would rather shake things up.

Later, Fiona meets with Franky at his tobacco stand. He hands her a copy of the newspaper, along with the forged papers she asked for. Franky asks if she was the one who called the SSS on them, but she feigns ignorance. Fiona asks Franky if he has connections to fine art forgers and safecrackers, suggesting she will return to him with another job. Franky looks briefly moved but refuses to work with her, stating that he will lose his friends with her methods.

Old Lady Tonitrus
The cloudy skies over Eden Academy rumble as a stout woman walks through the school. Upon noticing a student smoking behind a pillar, she gestures to a man to hand her a box. With a loud clap of thunder, the student suddenly faints to the ground with a Tonitrus Bolt on his forehead as the woman walks away.

In Cecile Hall's classroom, Henry Henderson berates the student for the recent increase in tardiness and late homework assignments, eyeing Anya in particular. As Anya and Becky leave the classroom, they are interrupted by Damian, who mocks Anya's tardiness and bets she will be the first to be expelled for getting eight bolts. Becky defends Anya and begins bickering with Emile and Ewen, the latter two declaring that the three of them will run through the school in their underpants if Damian gets a Tonitrus Bolt.

Before Damian can rebuke them, Bill Watkins runs towards them, warning them to run away before it is too late. Outside, a pair of messily dressed older students complain about the noisy first-years. The woman from earlier approaches behind them and reaches into a box filled with Tonitrus Bolts before penalizing the boys for their unkempt uniforms, uncouth speech, and conspiring to commit acts of violence, placing Tonitrus Bolts on their foreheads. The woman turns and poses, calling her move "Tonitrus Strike." Her assistant, Rahden, compliments Donna Schlag on her bestowal of Tonitrus Bolts as Donna disparages the students of Murdoch Swan's Cline Hall. Henry greets Donna on her return as he looks at the fainted students. Henry wonders if she is overdoing it, and Donna smirks at Henry as she suggests paying his students a visit next and walks away.

Back in the hallway, Bill is explaining Donna's prior absence and her fearsome reputation for handing out Tonitrus Bolts for any infraction, rumored to have single-handedly expelled over a hundred students. He warns them to run away as his classroom has already fallen victim to "Old Lady Tonitrus" and faints. Before the students can escape, Donna is already in front of them and introduces herself, instructing them to line up and prepare for a bag inspection. In the classroom, Donna checks the students' bags, giving out Tonitrus Bolts for snacks and playing cards she finds in them. To Anya's horror, she realizes Donna is gleefully having fun with punishing the students. Damian is relaxed since he and his friends did not bring anything prohibited. However, Donna punishes a student with a Tonitrus for not bringing a handkerchief.

She recounts the tale of an honor student who wiped his hands on his pants as he forgot to bring his handkerchief, earning him the nickname "Mr. Pee Pants." Her story ends with the boy eventually getting expelled for being a troublemaker and living a life full of hardship. The students quickly check for their handkerchiefs, including Damian, who is dismayed when he cannot find his. He recalls the promise they made earlier to run around the school in their underpants and thinks about asking Ewen for his handkerchief but is unable to sacrifice his friend. Anya initially takes some joy in Damian's distress but panics when he thinks he will not be able to face his father if he gets a Tonitrus Bolt. Damian tries to ask Ewen, but he is too late.

Anya quickly offers her handkerchief to Damian, reassuring him that she always brings two. Donna notices the "A" monogrammed on the borrowed handkerchief when she checks Damian, but he excuses it by claiming it is the "A" in his name. Next, Anya confidently goes forward but quickly realizes she did not bring a second handkerchief, and Donna gives her a Tonitrus. Seeing Anya cry, Damian feels conflicted and tries to admit the truth, but Anya hears Donna's intentions to give them two bolts each if she finds out they tricked her and quickly stops him. After the bag inspection, Damian tries to express his gratitude in a roundabout manner. Anya does not fully understand but is happy that she has gotten closer to Damian despite her new Tonitrus.

At home, Anya tells Loid that she and Damian have gotten closer. While Loid gets happy to hear it, he notices the Tonitrus on Anya's chest and faints, to Anya and Yor's shock.

Twilight
In Luwen, a region in Eastern Westalis, four boys pretend to be soldiers fighting a war. While their trench goes under fire, one of the boys, 'Advisor,' quickly turns the situation in his side's favor. He uses some string to drop a pot on the head of 'Major,' knocking him out. While 'General' gets distracted by this, Advisor sneaks behind him and points his gun at the boy's head, saying that he dies if he turns around. General refuses to back down and gets shot in the head with a rubber band. While Major and General complain about losing again, Advisor is told that he gets intense when they play war games. Advisor, who will one day become Twilight, replies that when he plays a role, he gets pretty into it.

General tells Twilight that he will not get a rank until he gets some proper military gear, to which the boy says that his father is strict about those things. 'Corporal' tries to reason with General, reminding him that Twilight found their secret hideout, an old army storage depot. While playing cards, the boys plan to have a sleepover in the hideout. Afterward, the children march back to the town and head their separate ways.

Twilight returns home and sees his father inside. With his toy gun still in hand, Twilight tries to hide it behind his back. His father chastises him for playing soldier and tells him to focus on his studies and future. Twilight says he plans to join the army with his friends, and his father refuses the idea, calling him a coward. Twilight proclaims he will kill all the monsters from the East, but his father slaps him. He asks if Twilight knows anything about the 'Ostanian monsters' and tells him there will be no war and that he should be hoping for peace instead of conflict. Upset, Twilight breaks his toy gun and runs to his room. Twilight's mother argues with her husband, questioning his treatment of their son, while he justifies it for Twilight's own good. In his room, Twilight calls his father out for speaking about peace while fighting with his mother.

The next day, Twilight and his friends hang out at the town square. While buying croquettes, the adults ask the boys to help prepare for the upcoming town fair. While helping out, Twilight asks if there really will be a war. The adults assure him that the new pact the East and West put together has ended such conflicts. General then teases Twilight, saying whether there is war or peace, Twilight will not be let in the army for not having a proper soldier uniform. When Twilight protests, he is reminded of the toy gun he recently broke and gets embarrassed. Returning home, Twilight sees his father, who is preparing to leave for a work trip. Twilight lies about a reference book he needs for school and asks for pocket money. His father appears genuinely happy to hear his, which shakes Twilight. After Twilight receives the money, his father promises to take him to the town fair when he returns. Feeling guilty about his lie, Twilight calls out to his father but stops himself.

After buying the soldier set, Twilight goes to the secret hideout and shows it off to his friends. As the boys prepare to play, Twilight gets overcome with guilt and decides to help set up the fair instead. At the croquette stand, Twilight talks with the croquette lady about war, which she says is senseless, and that the people of Ostania are normal, just like them. Twilight starts feeling conflicted, realizing how different things are from what he thought they would be. Twilight asks the croquette lady if he can make ten dalc in a day if he helps at her shop, hoping to pay back his father. Twilight then thinks about apologizing to his father and asking his friends if they can play a different game.

Suddenly, a bomb is launched into the town and destroys the secret hideout. Meanwhile, the radio broadcasts a special alert, with reports that the Ostanian Army has crossed the border and is launching its attack on the eastern provinces of Westalia.

Twilight sees the bomb's smoke on the horizon and is confused. Another bomb is dropped on the town square, and Twilight is caught in the explosion. During the blast, a chunk of rock hits his head, knocking the boy unconscious. Twilight reawakens with minor injuries, having been protected by his helmet. As he gets up, he asks the croquette lady what happened. However, he is met with the collapsed croquette stand and the destroyed town square. Twilight stands still in shock and disbelief until he hears another explosion go off in the distance. Two people run past him, telling him that the Ostanian army is coming and they have to evacuate. Twilight is puzzled, remembering the adults saying there would be no war.

Twilight's mother arrives and is relieved to see him safe. She takes him home to gather their things, as they will be staying with her uncle in Kielberg. Twilight objects, saying he still has school and that the town fair is tomorrow, and his mother tells him to understand that there will be no town fair. After packing up, Twilight takes a final look at what is left of Luwen as he evacuates with his mother. At Kielberg, Twilight and his mother grieve over his father's absence. Twilight tells himself that grown-ups are liars. He cites the people who said there would not be a war, including his father, who promised to take him to the town fair when he came home. Twilight admits to also being a liar for lying to get ten dalc from his father and vows to tell him the truth when he returns. Twilight hears another explosion and runs to his mother in tears. His mother comforts him, assuring him that everything will be okay. Loid says he wants to go back to Luwen, hoping to see his father and play with his friends again, and his mother is silent.

Sometime after, Twilight sits by a bridge and excitedly catches a fish for dinner. As he returns home, he hears sirens go off as the town is about to be hit by an air raid. Twilight is carried to the shelter, and despite the people's protests, he rushes outside to find his mother. Twilight goes to his family's house, where he discovers the remains of his mother. Alone, Twilight cries out, standing in the rubble of the town. From that point onward, Twilight spent the next few years surviving on his own amidst the chaos.

Having lost everything he ever cared about and left with the things he despised, Twilight decided to join the army. Taking the identity of 'Roland Spoofy' and lying about his age, Twilight fought in the East-West conflict, using his skills as a tactician to win battles. Over time, Twilight wonders how many more corpses he must pile up before he can finally see the light of dawn on the horizon. On one of his posts, he hears a man get caught in one of his traps. Twilight fires at the scruffy-looking individual, who calls for a time-out and begs him not to shoot.

Twilight recognizes the man as an Ostanian soldier. The man surrenders and explains that he is a deserter who got lost wandering the mountains. He begs for something to eat, but Twilight ignores his pleas and prepares to shoot. The deserter pleads with him again, saying he does not want to die without ever being with a woman. Twilight is amused and wonders how even the enemy can seem human. He gives a cigarette to the deserter, who starts talking about a research experiment at a university. In it, the test subjects were shown something unpleasant while unaware of the context, but when a certain idea was placed in their heads, they had a complete shift in opinion. Twilight tells the deserter to get to the point, so the deserter explains that the whole war is pointless, caused by a diplomatic fiasco, and forcing regular people to fight each other.

Twilight strongly believes that Ostania started the war, but the deserter tells him that Ostania says otherwise. The deserter then talks about the bombing of Luwen, saying it was a false flag operation. Twilight gets riled up and points his gun at the deserter, saying that those bombings took all his friends, and the deserter retorts that he is in the same boat. Twilight kicks down the deserter and prepares to shoot, blaming Ostania for taking everything from him. He recalls his father's words, asking him if he knows the 'Ostanian monsters' and has seen their evil deeds. Twilight says he has, which is why he will do the same to them in order to avenge everyone's deaths. However, Twilight hesitates to shoot and is promptly shot in the head, only being protected by his helmet. His attackers are the Ostanian army that had been pursuing the deserter. Not wanting to get caught, the deserter flees. Twilight also makes his escape, and as he stumbles down the mountains, he wonders what he is doing. After suffering multiple injuries, Twilight gets sent off the front lines to recover. While recuperating, Twilight reunites with General, Corporal, and Major, who had survived the bombings. While they are happy to see him alive, Twilight starts to tear up, having blamed himself for their supposed deaths. The boys reveal that they chased after him right before the first bombing. With the friends now together again, an excited Twilight invites them to a restaurant. However, the others say they will be deployed that night for a military campaign but promise to hang out once they return. However, Twilight would learn that the operation they were assigned to was planned recklessly, and all that came back from his friends were their dog tags.

With this loss, Twilight contemplates the power of knowledge and how he truly knew nothing from the beginning. Without knowing the reason why and making his own conclusions, Twilight picked up a gun and obeyed his country's orders to fight his enemies. He concludes that "Ignorance isn't bliss. Ignorance is weakness. Ignorance is a sin." After some time, Twilight is approached by a man who knows his real name and that he enlisted with a fake name and age. The man reveals himself as military intelligence and has come to recruit Twilight, stating that his skills were better suited for information, the strongest and essential weapon of all. The recruiter adds that Twilight would be court-martialed if he refuses to join them. The man then instructs him to pack his things and meet him at the station at noon on Tuesday. Twilight sits with his friends' dog tags in hand and thinks to himself that all the information in the world will not bring them back and that nothing he does will allow him to return to the days of his youth.

Twilight arrives at the station and realizes the man is who he claimed to be. The recruiter takes Twilight's belongings and tosses them into a fire, then tells Twilight that he must throw away his name and rank and become a shadow for the sake of his country. Twilight does not care, as there is no one left that knows his real name, nor does he care about his country and winning the war. The recruiter is confused and asks what Loid's reason is, and as a youthful group of children passes them by, Twilight claims there is none. Upon joining military intelligence, Twilight meets his new commanding officer, Sylvia Sherwood, whose orders are to turn him into a first-rate intelligence operative through the harshest means necessary.

Reliving his training days, Twilight jolts up in a cold sweat. Yor is happy to see him awake, commenting on how he kept tossing and turning. Twilight remembers he is in "Loid's" house and tries to collect himself, thinking about what he just dreamt of. Anya asks if he had a bad dream and tries to read his thoughts, but Twilight's mind is cloudy as he says he does not remember. Anya pats her father's head, assuring him that there is nothing to be afraid of, which embarrasses him.

Loid wonders why he was asleep on the sofa, and Anya reminds him that he fainted after she got a Tonitrus Bolt. Loid quickly worries about how this damages Operation Strix, and Anya apologizes for messing up. However, he asks Anya if it brought her closer to Damian, which she confirms. Loid says it is a good thing and tells Anya that friends are important and should be cherished, thinking back to his old friends. A short silence is interrupted by Bond, whose stomach starts growling. Loid decides to prepare dinner, and upon Anya's request, he makes hot onion soup. Afterward, the Forgers sit in the living room to enjoy their meal.

Epilogue
A news report discusses Jonas Wellman, a renowned former opera singer in Ostania who plans on traveling to Westalis for a cultural exchange event. Because of his popularity which reaches even Westalis, people hope his performance will improve East-West relations. However, tabloids reporting scandals about Jonas are published, with claims of Jonas' mistresses to crime connections. Jonas gets swarmed by reporters about these stories, which he declares are untrue.

At WISE Safe House D, a rookie is in disbelief over the allegations. Sylvia orders him to take whatever steps necessary to ensure the news of the scandals do not reach Westalis, but the rookie refuses. Sylvia walks up to him and slams on the wall, reiterating her order. While they work, Sylvia asks the rookie why he is so upset about the situation. The rookie explains that people in both the East and West fought hard to make the cultural exchange happen, and he believes it will amount to nothing with the scandals. She asks the rookie if he hates Jonas, which he affirms and cites the tabloids. Sylvia explains that the tabloids were mouthpieces for the National Unity Party during the war and that the people claiming to be the sources of the stories are all suspect. Regardless, the rookie dislikes Jonas, and Sylvia tells him to act based on objective reasoning, reminding him that lives may hinge on any little scrap of information. A WISE agent reports to Sylvia a death threat sent to Jonas. Sylvia orders an investigation into everything the police know before leaving for the embassy to change plans for the event. On the way there, Sylvia is exhausted from training the recruits. She flashes back to when she instructed Twilight and wonders if she was being soft then.

A while later, the rookie shows Sylvia a new tabloid rebutting all of Jonas' scandals, which she is already aware of. The rookie arrogantly changes his stance on Jonas, and Sylvia punches his head. The WISE Agent says they do not have to worry about the death threat anymore, but Sylvia denies this, believing that the person who made the threat will go through with it. Watching the live news footage of people gathered at Jonas' office, Sylvia notices a guard who looks out of place. She calls a kebab store near the office and orders the kebab man to watch the suspicious guard. Sylvia and the other agents move out to interfere, the rookie asks if they should call in Twilight, but she says he needs to rest after he keeled over in his home. Inside Jonas' office, his associates tell him that the police asked them not to leave the office. However, as they have a party tonight, they plan on taking the back door to avoid the media. Outside, the kebab man sees the guard revealing a silenced pistol and starts to worry. As Sylvia and the other agents arrive, he reports that the guard is preparing to shoot. Sylvia orders the kebab man to keep Jonas away from the guard, which he does by approaching him and his guards with kebabs. Sylvia runs up to the guard and strikes his hand with her belt, making him drop his gun. The man tells Sylvia not to get in the way of his justice and reveals a knife, but Sylvia strikes under his jaw, knocking him out. While the kebab man apologizes to the guards, Sylvia and the other agents run off with the unconscious man.

At the airport, Jonas departs for Westalis in high spirits after being cleared of his scandals. Meanwhile, Sylvia's shoulder aches from the day before, for which she makes an excuse. Returning to the Safe House, Sylvia discusses the guard with the agents. Confirmed to have sent the death threat, Pance Karmer is a former soldier who bounced from job to job after the war, racking up multiple arrests for assault. Still affected by the war, he was obsessed with "punishing the corrupt" for the sake of the people. Sylvia says he took too much pride in having fought for peace, something they must watch out for.

The rookie vows never to be deceived by his ignorance. He plans to see one of Jonas' performances as an apology, but the WISE Agent tells him that Jonas may be defecting to Westalis. He explains that one of Jonas' mistresses was the wife of an organized crime boss who might go after his life if he returns. The rookie is confused, recalling the article rebutting Jonas' scandals, while the Agent and Sylvia move on from the topic. The rookie asks for the truth, so Sylvia tells him to find the answers himself.

Story Impact

 * Parts of Loid's backstory are revealed: namely, his participation in the war, his meeting with Franky Franklin, and how he came to work for WISE.
 * Anya Forger receives her second Tonitrus Bolt.