Chapter 48

Mission 48 (: 48) is the forty-eighth chapter of the SPY x FAMILY manga, written and illustrated by Tatsuya Endo. It was released on June 28, 2021.

Summary
As Sickle-and-Chain Barnaby makes his way to Yor, Anya watches with apprehension. Anya knows Loid will see the battle if he steps outside the shop and will have even more reason to do so if he hears someone scream. Anya makes a wincing face, worried about the situation, and Loid cannot read her expression and asks himself what is going on in her head. He wonders if Anya was hurt when he initially refused to buy the keychain and misreads his daughter's mental state, flattering her as she reads his thoughts. He then remembers Handler telling him to treat the trip as part of Operation Strix and comes to believe that she anticipated this.

A shop employee approaches Loid and offers him souvenir apparel. Loid refuses, but Anya speaks up. She claims to be dragged down by Loid for not having fun, so he must be dressed like it if he wants her to have fun. Persuaded by her words, Loid decides to transform himself inside and out to become the quintessential fun and upbeat father. Loid asks for every article of clothing the shop has and heads into the fitting room to change. Anya gets ready to help Yor, but realizes that Loid has already finished getting dressed. Anya hears Loid thinking about reworking the outfit and leaves, knowing he will be busy.

While was Barnaby passing by the entourage, he crosses paths with Olka, Gram, Zeb and Yor, so he quickly swings his blade at them. Yor moves just as quickly, ducking the attack and moving the others with her. As they begin to fight, Yor tries to get into close range with Barnaby, but his skills with the chain prevent her from getting closer. A crowd gathers around the fighters, and Yor hears Anya among them, cheering her on.

Yor is at first horrified but is relieved when Anya pretends not to recognize her and convinces the onlookers that the fight is a circus performance. Yor resumes the fight, trying to close the gap. Barnaby notices the crowd and decides to kill them next. He then freezes up when he sees Yor charging at him with a scary look on her face. A frightened Barnaby tries attacking her, but she weaves through the attacks and closes the distance. Yor grabs his chains, ties him up, then immobilizes him by striking his pressure points.

The crowd is impressed by the "performance" and cheers while Anya acknowledges how scary her mother is. After Yor leaves with an unconscious Barnaby, Anya hears Loid satisfied with his outfit and hurries back to the shop. Anya revels in knowing that she helped Yor without Loid suspecting a thing and is thrilled by the experience. Loid emerges from the fitting room, dressed in an outlandish combination of clothes and accessories, believing to have achieved his goal. To his shock, Anya is unimpressed and calls him uncool. Meanwhile, Yor returns to the group after ditching Barnaby at a seat.

Trivia

 * The weapon the assassin uses is a kusarigama, a Japanese weapon combining a sickle and a weighted chain.