Campbelldon Tennis Arc

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

The Campbelldon Tennis Arc is the eighth story arc in SPY x FAMILY.

Along with his agent co-worker, Fiona Frost, Twilight must enter an underground tennis tournament in an attempt to recover the Zacharis Dossier, rumored to "reignite the flames of war," before the government of Ostania does. Meanwhile, Yor struggles with her insecurities and worries about Loid's "lover."

The Hospital Visit
Anya is tasked with a "job investigation" for her class report and chooses Yor as her first pick. Overthinking what she should talk about, Yor imagines bringing Anya to an assassin job, with Anya dressed in a similar assassin outfit as her. In this scenario, Yor helps Anya with her assignment by thoroughly explaining and demonstrating her work conduct and killing methods to Anya in excruciating detail. Back in reality, the two conclude that Anya should make her report on Loid's job. When Loid returns, he agrees to help Anya.

Two days later, Loid brings Anya to the Berlint General Hospital, where he works as a psychiatrist. While showing Anya around the hospital, Loid answers her interview questions, but she listens to and records his thoughts relating to his spy work instead. They encounter the staff, who dote on Anya and give her candy, much to her pleasure, and she stops paying attention to Loid trying to explain his job, and he decides to stop answering her questions. After Anya asks to see where Loid works, he takes her to one of the empty consultation rooms, where she begins to fiddle with the bookshelf in boredom. Loid quickly stops Anya, revealing an emergency escape route on that bookshelf in his thoughts.

Loid leaves to meet with a fellow WISE agent, but not before providing Anya a sand table to play with while she waits. Anya quickly goes to the bookshelf and pulls a lever hidden inside, revealing a ladder leading below the room. An excited Anya explores the escape route, and through a vent, she watches several doctors discussing the neuroscience behind the paranormal perception. When Anya tries to leave, she realizes her leg is stuck under a pipe and struggles to free herself. Her struggling sounds are mistaken for a ghost, terrifying the committee.

Anya manages to escape and return just as Loid is about to return. She quickly makes something on the sand table before he comes in. Loid analyzes her sand table to observe her subconscious mind but is shocked by her sand table being utter chaos. Interpreting it as Anya being subconsciously stressed, Loid takes the blame and decides she needs immediate care. He offers to help work on the report together and checks what Anya has written in her notebook, which contains notes on his spy work. However, Anya's writing is unreadable to Loid, and Anya says she will work on the report herself.

Loid and Anya return home, and Yor asks if Anya got to see Loid perform his concussive therapy, describing the way he punches and kicks and leg sweeps his patients, which Loid desperately tries to explain. On the day of the report, Anya presents Loid's psychiatrist job, but ends up putting him and his work in a bad light, shocking Henry. While on a briefing with Sylvia Sherwood, Loid gets a shiver and is later summoned to the school, where he manages to talk his way out with his equivocation skills.

DECIPHER THE PERPLEXING CODE
In the anime, Anya is inspired by a scene from Spy Wars and decides to make a top-secret code for a rendezvous. However, since their trip to the hospital, Loid points out that because of Anya's terrible handwriting, the code will be unreadable, let alone solved. After Loid leaves for work, Anya gets Yor to help write down several copies of her secret code. Anya first hands her first pages to Bond, the neighbors, then Franky, refusing to reveal its contents. On the next day at school, Anya gives Becky her code, but Becky gets upset when Anya refuses to say anything. She then gives a copy to Damian, who quickly crumples it up and throws it away in irritation. Later that night, Anya sets her alarm clock to one hour before the rendezvous and has a dream about someone showing up after cracking the code.

Meanwhile, Franky returns home and remembers the code Anya gave him. Upon noticing the nice handwriting and smell of the paper, Franky assumes that this is a love letter from a beautiful woman. The next day, Franky arrives early at the rendezvous, dressed in a suit and tie while carrying a bouquet of roses. While Franky had successfully cracked the code, he ended up staying up all night out of excitement, and as he waits, he starts wondering who the mystery woman might be. At the Forger home, Anya sleeps through her ringing alarm clock, which Bond promptly shuts off.

NIGHTFALL
At WISE Safe House G, Sylvia briefs Fiona Frost, aka Agent Nightfall, on Twilight's upcoming mission next week. Sylvia is also assigning it to Fiona, as per her proposal to make it a joint operation. Sylvia instructs Fiona to inform Loid of this development and to work out the plan together, warning Fiona to ensure it does not get in the way of Operation Strix. This prompts Fiona to ask about the progress of Strix and apologizes for not being available to fill in for the wife role at the time. She proposes taking over, but Sylvia rejects her, saying that changing wives now would draw scrutiny from Eden Academy and that the Forgers are in good standing with their neighbors, so they will keep the family as-is. Before leaving, Fiona mutters that there would be no choice if the wife were to abandon the role, and Sylvia warns her not to be plotting something.

Fiona waits for Yor to be alone at home and approaches her, under the story that she came to return the magnifying glass Anya left at the hospital. Yor thanks Fiona and invites her in. As the two sit together in the living room, Fiona schemes to remove Yor from Operation Strix and usurp the wife role. Fiona tries to look for an opening, but Yor has her guard up as they have never had guests besides Franky and Yuri. Fiona decides to make Yor leave of her own will as it would be risky to remove her directly. Fiona brings up Anya, asking if Yor does not tire of having to raise a child in an attempt to pressure her into giving up her role as the wife. However, Yor does not think so and says she and Anya have a lot of fun together but wishes she was good at more things to make it easier for Loid. Fiona agrees and begins to claim that Loid frequently complains about Yor at work but is interrupted when Loid and the rest of the family return, after seeing the rainy forecast.

Loid is surprised to see Fiona and inquires what she is doing there, assuming something urgent must have happened. The agents converse in secret code, and Fiona states that she is here to assess the state of Operation Strix. Fiona believes Loid's talents are being wasted on playing house and that Yor should be doing the housework, but Loid pushes back. Sensing their tension, Anya wonders if she is a bad person. However, Anya reads her mind and learns that Fiona is deeply in love with Loid. Fiona believes she would provide far superior domestic and operational support, imagining Loid praising her abilities and deciding to marry her instead while Yor runs away crying. As Loid and Fiona stare each other down and Anya is left stunned, Yor decides to make drinks for everyone.

As Yor prepares the drinks, she recalls Fiona's previous words about Loid's complaints, then imagines him deciding to report her to the authorities and marrying Fiona afterward. Brought down by this, Yor feels she cannot blame him if he feels that way. Yor serves everyone their drinks, giving Loid some milk for his coffee. Fiona is surprised when she sees Loid using the milk, something she has never seen before, and becomes irritated at the thought of Loid showing a side of himself only to Yor. Amused by Fiona's thoughts, Anya accidentally drops her cup of cocoa on the table. Fiona scoffs at the carelessness and imagines training Anya by a strict minute-by-minute schedule to maximize her knowledge and strength and transform her into a Stella Star procurement machine. Anya is scared by this and decides she cannot let Fiona become her mother. Anya begins clinging to Yor and calls her the best mother in the whole world for wiping up her cocoa.

Yor is touched by Anya's praise and promises Loid that she will try harder for the family. Loid smiles and assures her that she already works hard enough. Seeing this, Fiona flashes back to Loid instructing her to never show her true feelings. Having observed his many disguises, she detects that his smile with the Forgers is at least genuine and clenches her fists. Fiona quickly excuses herself, and Loid remarks that she did not bring an umbrella and decides to walk her to the station. Loid runs after Fiona, who informs him that they have been assigned to partner up on the next mission. As she turns towards Loid with a sad expression, she thanks the rain for hiding her emotions. Fiona resolves to show how capable she is in their next mission, in the hopes that Loid will realize she is the only one fit to be his wife, and walks away in the rain.

FIRST FIT OF JEALOUSY
Anya and Bond are watching the cartoon Bear Squad when Loid calls her for bedtime. Anya continues to watch, and right when the penguin character gets killed, Loid grabs Anya and takes her to bed. She requests to sleep with her penguin plush tonight and goes to sleep while hugging it. Outside of the door, Bond glares at the penguin. Anya wakes up the next morning to find her penguin ripped apart. Loid points out that the damages are bite and claw marks, so Anya looks at Bond. Bond looks away, but she reads his mind and hears jealous thoughts directed at her penguin. She yells at Bond that she hates him, which puts him in despair.

Yor says she will fix up Anya's penguin, but she ends up ripping it up more, to Anya's dismay. Loid tells Anya that he will buy her a new one, but she exclaims that she wants to keep the one she has as the penguin was gifted by him, causing him to blush slightly. He concedes and tells her to finish her breakfast and then study while he fixes up the penguin. While he fixes up the penguin, Bond looks for something in the kitchen, and Anya cries as she studies. Loid finishes his work and presents the mended penguin, which looks like Frankenstein's monster to Anya. Bond walks into the room holding a bag of peanuts in his mouth as an apology. Anya decides to forgive Bond, so he and the penguin shake on a peace treaty. Watching from the side, Loid wishes that East-West relations could be mended as easily as this.

Entering the Campbelldon
At Berlint General Hospital, Fiona reflects on how Twilight being with his family has led him to develop inappropriate emotions and has worsened him as a spy. Seeing Twilight become like a knife with a chipped blade aches her heart. Despite that, she finds this new version of him adorable and endearing and still yearns for him. Because of this, she is determined to usurp the wife position from Yor.

Fiona gives Loid the overview of their new mission: acquire a painting from world-renowned art collector Cavi Campbell's possession: Lady In The Sun. The painting was previously owned by the late Colonel Erik Zacharis, who worked in the East's military intelligence division during the war and played a major part in ending it. They believe he was in possession of secrets that could reignite the flames of war in documents known as the "Zacharis Dossier." It is rumored to contain information about human experimentation by the East on prisoners of war and massacres committed by the West. It is believed that the painting they are hoping to get holds the key to finding this dossier. Their goal is to retrieve the dossier before the Eastern government learns of its existence and gets it for themselves. The painting is being kept beneath Campbell's mansion with tight security. Loid asks if Fiona has a plan, and she confirms this.

Loid and Fiona show up to an underground tennis match in disguises with tennis rackets in hand. Loid asks Fiona if this was the best option, and Fiona says she believes it to be the most promising one. The tournament they are about to participate in is known as "Campbelldon," hosted by Cavi and the fellow members of his illicit tennis club. While the competitors are usually very skilled, the winner of the tournament gets to take an item of their choice from Campbell's collection. It also gets rid of any risks of having to try and steal the painting.

The First Match: The Foneys vs. Walson and Bobble
Loid and Fiona are called to play under the aliases "Twain and Nafalia Foney," a married couple. Their opponents are Walson and Bobble, a famous duo that dominated the Grand Slam Circuit a decade ago. Loid tells Fiona that he has not played much tennis, but had practiced with his family beforehand, so Fiona tells him to stay out of her way. She believes by showing off her tennis skills, she can prove how much of a better asset she would be to Operation Strix. The odds are extremely high against the agents, with the former pros being the clear favorite to win. Loid wishes Walson and Bobble a good game, to which they respond that it will be a slaughter.

The match begins with Loid serving, who surprises everyone by winning the first game by himself. Walson and Bobble are shocked at their loss but decide in the next game to aim for Fiona since they have not seen her play yet. Similar to Loid, she shocks them with her skill as she uses a powerful backhand slice. After Loid compliments her, Fiona decides to keep showing off how amazing she is as they beat their competition and retrieve the painting, imagining Loid picking her up into his arms and asking her to be his doubles partner for life. Fiona then proceeds to win the rest of the match by herself, bringing Walson and Bobble to their knees in defeat.

Watching from their balcony seats, Campbell and his associates discuss how the Foneys have shaken things up. One of them says that, unlike ordinary opponents, the pair will have trouble against his Bolic Brothers. Another associate dismisses them, saying they are just drug addicts, but their manager explains that his company's new drug: "Oso-R," is being given a trial run in the next match. This drug makes the Bolic Brothers transform from scrawny, skinny men to large, hulking musclemen. Loid, after seeing them, questions whether this was really risk-free, and Fiona simply responds by telling him they just need to do their best.

The Second Match: The Foneys vs. The Bolic Brothers
Elsewhere, Anya and Bond play tennis at the park with Yor. Yor is lost in thought, contemplating Loid and Fiona's relationship and what it could mean for her. She considers getting rid of Fiona but quickly brushes away the idea. Anya reads her thoughts and assures her mother that she has nothing to worry about. Yor asks what Anya meant by that and wonders if she knew what she was thinking. Anya, realizing her mistake, quickly covers it up by telling her not to worry because Loid will win and "bring home the trophy." Yor smiles and joins Anya to cheer Loid on.

At the tennis tournament, the announcer says the next match will be between Team Foney and the Bolic Brothers. Loid points out the drastic difference in their appearance since the first round. Fiona informs Loid that anything goes in the tournament, from modified rackets to drugs. She tells Loid that she believes steroids are involved, which he says is an understatement. The Bolic Brothers intimidate the audience with their strength, convincing many of them to place bets on them.

The brothers then approach Loid and begin throwing insults at him. While Loid is unfazed, Fiona snaps, leading her to completely dominate their match and not allow them to score any points. The Bolic Brothers lie on the ground with tennis ball marks all over their body as the announcer announces their victory. Loid questions if hitting them with every smash hit was necessary, and Fiona simply tells him her hand slipped. The manager of the brothers cries about his secret weapons being ruined, and Cavi tells him he might need to send the drug back to R&D. The others comment that even Cavi must be sweating after seeing how good the Foneys were, which he denies.

The Final Match: The Foneys vs. The Campbell Twins
Afterward, the Foneys continue to make their way through the tournament and to the finals, with Fiona making lots of flashy plays to try and impress Loid. Before the finals begin, a butler takes them to a waiting room. There, the agents discuss their next opponents: Carrol and Kim Campbell, Cavi's son and daughter. Despite the teens' honed experience with tennis since they were young, Fiona is confident in their victory. Loid tells Fiona to reel it in, noting her hand is covered with bruises. Loid tells her to keep herself under control and that losing one's cool can mean losing a life. Fiona gives in and thinks to herself how great it is to have Loid fret over her.

Suddenly, the spies notice a colorless and odorless gas filling the room. Loid realizes this is an attempt to hinder their abilities and why the Campbell sibling's past opponents appeared to be off their game. He tries to open the door but finds it locked. He contemplates picking the lock but thinks there may be a guard outside, and it would look suspicious for normal people to be able to do that. Continuing their discussion in Morse Code, they decide to pretend they got caught in the trap and try to prevent themselves from taking in as much gas as possible.

As the start of the final match begins, the odds are in the Foney's favor, but Cavi bets ten million on his children. He laughs to himself about how the Foneys had to suck up the gas for ten minutes and is confident that his children will beat them. To add to the effects of the gas, the spies must face the twins' modified rackets, which they use to win the first game. However, the effects of the gas weaken, and the Foney's strength is returned to them.

The second set begins with a powerful serve from Carrol, followed by a return from Loid. Kim tries to hit the ball with some spin, but Fiona quickly returns it, scoring a point. As they continue playing, Loid and Fiona win three more sets. Carrol looks over to a suited man on the sidelines, who gives him a nod before fiddling with a control panel. In the next game, the siblings serve, and Fiona attempts to return it. However, before she can hit the ball, the floor tile under her foot sinks into the ground, causing her to hit it out of bounds. Loid realizes that the court separates into 36 panels, and now they know why. Loid refuses to lose to their gimmicks and tells Fiona to back him up. Fiona stares in admiration as she thinks how this is the Twilight whom she fell in love with. Fiona walks to Loid's side and tells him the two of them will crush their opponents together, and declares her love for him in her thoughts.

A floor tile sinks to the ground next to Loid, but he jumps over it and returns the ball, scoring a point. Carrol then tries hitting the ball in another sunken tile and bouncing it back in his direction. Fiona intercepts the ball and slams it to the ground, scoring another point. Carrol decides to change plans: manipulating the net's height. He signals to the staff, and they comply. Loid and Fiona notice the changes and opt to work around them. When the Campbells realize their tricks are not working, they try using more against the Foneys, from gusts of wind to coating the ball with stink spray. However, all their schemes only amounted to little more than a slight annoyance to the Foneys, who win the set and tie the scores.

The frustrated Campbell siblings decide to "call in the big guns." The game begins, and Loid sees no tricks used and wonders if the siblings have given up on them. As Fiona is about to make her return, Loid sees Carrol signaling with his tongue, then spots a glint at the ducts behind him. Inside, a sniper prepares to make his shot, aiming for Fiona. Loid moves quickly, tackling Fiona as he takes the bullet and tumbles to the ground, surprising everyone, including Fiona.

As the commentators relay the events, Fiona asks if Loid is alright. Loid confirms this, then picks up the bullet and shows it to Fiona, telling her that it is rubber and the location of their sniper. Fiona apologizes for letting this happen, but Loid reveals he anticipated this, which is why he wore a bulletproof vest under his shirt, and Fiona is amazed. Carrol is also amazed after he sees Loid get up and walk off over getting shot. Due to most of the tournament staff likely under Cavi's payroll, they decide to avoid any disruption to their match that could risk their chances of getting the painting. Since the bullets are low-velocity, the agents can try throwing off the sniper's aim by baiting shots as long as they can spot the signals.

The game resumes, and Loid makes his serve. He sees Carrol make another signal and realizes they will target him mid-serve. Loid staggers to the side and finishes his serve, surprising everyone. The sniper radios to the "court interference squad" for assistance, telling them to do whatever it takes to ensure the siblings win. Their tricks do not work on the agents, who predict their moves and move around them. The sniper calls in the ball boys to make their move. As Team Foney prepares to return a serve, Loid spots one of the ball boys pointing their wrist in his direction. The ball boy shoots a hidden bullet at Loid, who parries the shot, and the commentator sees Loid swinging at nothing. Fiona notes that they now have two more things to worry about, but Loid says that, unlike the sniper, the ball boys are much easier to read and will not do much harm. Loid resolves to finish the match, and the crowd is shocked by the team's bizarre movements while they play.

A frustrated Cavi yells at his children to get it together and beat their opponents, as he has a lot riding on this match. The ball and a bullet head to Loid, who returns them with a swing. The parried bullet hits Carrol in the stomach, staggering him. The line judge asks if Carrol is okay, and Carrol says he had too much milk in the morning, resulting in stomach cramps. Seeing that both teams appear impaired in the final stretch, the commentator calls the match a battle of sheer will as the audience cheers. While they play, Carrol thinks about how he does not want to lose and be beaten by Loid but sees that he is no match for him. Loid jumps up in front of Carrol, intimidating him with his aura as he slams the ball under the boy's legs. With that, the Foneys win the championship match, and the men betting on them stand up and cheer while Cavi sinks into his seat.

Carrol approaches Loid, realizing that despite being aware of the tricks, the Foneys still won. Carrol tears up and confesses that this is the first time he is disappointed in himself. Loid encourages Carrol, who is young and talented, that by working hard to hone his skills, he can become a great player one day. Carrol swears to train hard, and Loid cheers him on. Cavi tears up, saying that despite losing the tournament (and lots of money), he gained something after seeing how much his son has grown. One of Cavi's men interrupts him and whispers a message to him, which Loid notices.

After the game, the Foneys go through a catalog filled with all the art from Cavi's collection. Fiona picks Lady in the Sun, but Cavi appears to tell them he cannot give it to them. When Fiona asks why not, Cavi states it is due to circumstances beyond his control, but promises any other item and will even give them an extra item as an apology. Fiona and Loid whisper to each other, realizing that Cavi received a call from the SSS, who have gotten the same intel and are on their way to pick it up as they speak. Cavi speaks up, asking if they will take his offer, and Fiona asks to see the collection in person. Granting her request, Fiona goes to a private room full of Cavi's art. Cavi asks where Loid is, and Fiona says he left to sleep off his hangover and not to worry about him. She glances at Lady in the Sun and sees it in the room. Fiona then asks Cavi for a recommendation for her choice and if she can leave her bag on a nearby counter, which he allows.

Cavi's butler approaches Cavi about Lady in the Sun, and Cavi tells him that the SSS will arrive in 10 minutes and to prepare it for them in the lobby. When the SSS arrives, they retrieve the painting and thank Cavi for cooperating before leaving. Cavi's butler escorts Fiona to her car, and she asks the butler if WISE will let them moonlight as tennis pros. The butler removes his face mask, revealing himself as Loid, and says he has had enough of tennis for a while.

On the drive home, Loid admits to panicking a little when Cavi refused to give them Lady in the Sun but reveals that they successfully obtained it. Having planned, Loid brought a forgery of the painting and swapped it with the original while disguised as the butler, sneaking the original inside Fiona's bag. With this, the SSS will have to scour the forgery for a secret code that does not exist. Seeing the secret code on the painting, Loid and Fiona decide to bring it to HQ for analysis and high-five each other over completing the mission.

Yor vs. Fiona
Nearing the Forger's neighborhood, Fiona wonders if Loid has acknowledged her skills, which would make her a more suitable wife and partner. Loid gets dropped off at a park, and before he can say goodbye to Fiona, he is interrupted by Yor calling for Anya and Bond to go home.

Fiona steps out of her car and greets the family. Loid explains that Fiona gave him a ride home while she thought to stop by and say hello. Fiona looks at Yor's racket and asks if Yor plays tennis. Yor explains that she and Anya practiced with Loid the other day, and Anya proudly states that she hit many home runs. Loid thanks them for their help, and Fiona scoffs in her thoughts. Fiona believes Yor to be presumptuous for believing Loid's words, thinking she would have helped Loid achieve further greatness. Fiona proceeds to challenge Yor to a game.

Loid asks what Fiona is doing, and she explains in code that she wants to make sure Yor is prepared for the physical rigors of Operation Strix. In her thoughts, Fiona plans to crush Yor and have her relinquish her role as the mother. Loid tells Yor that she does not have to accept, but Yor believes if she declines or loses, Loid will report her to the SSS for being a weak tennis player and replace her with Fiona, and thus she accepts the challenge. Reading both of their minds, Anya can feel the tension between the women and becomes excited. Before starting their game, Fiona tells Yor to come at her with everything she has. Loid tries warning Fiona but gets told to step back. Yor decides to go all out, making a powerful swing as she serves. However, Yor appears to miss her shot, and the ball drops to the ground.

Fiona scoffs at this but sees the ball immediately dice into small pieces. Yor thinks how she always cuts through the ball when she swings too hard and decides to hold back a little if she actually wants to hit it. Yor calls Anya for another ball, and Anya gets Bond to bring one for her. Yor then tells a stunned Fiona that she is going to try again. While Fiona tries to process what just happened, Yor swings the ball, which moves faster than sound and in a perfectly straight line. While the ball will go out-of-bounds, Fiona tries her best to return it but struggles to push forward. She thinks about how her love for Twilight cannot lose to Yor, who stands in the way of her ambition. Fiona ultimately fails, and the ball breaks through her racket.

Fiona falls to the ground, shocked by her defeat. Fiona declares Yor the victor for now but will one day challenge her to a revenge match. Fiona tells Yor to enjoy her life until then before driving off and, in tears, declares that she will never give up, to Yor's confusion. Loid hopes Fiona did not give Yor the wrong idea, but because of their sham marriage, cannot imagine Yor being affected by her. His thoughts are interrupted by Yor, who enthusiastically exclaims her victory. After Yor walks away in a huff, Loid starts feeling exhausted.

Later, Loid meets with Sylvia, who briefs their findings from the secret code and hands Loid the "Zacharis Dossier," in the form of Erik Zacharis' diary. Reading it, Loid learns that the threat Zacharis hid was his collection of starlet photos. Zacharis liked theater and bought postcards to support the actresses, but his wife disapproved and told him to get rid of them. Unable to part with his collection, he locked it away lest it reignited the flames of strife between him and his wife. Astounded at the revelation, Loid asks how the dossier rumors started. The WISE Agent tells him 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. Over the years, the story was embellished into the current rumor.

Realizing that he went through all that trouble for some postcards, Loid tries to find a greater mystery behind it, but Sylvia assures him that there was no bombshell to reignite the war and to consider it a victory. Loid agrees and sees a picture of Zacharis smiling with his wife and daughter, then 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 nutcake for Yor and Anya, respectively. Back home, Yor sits on the couch with a dazed expression. Meanwhile, Fiona trains in the mountains with a large rock tied to a stick, roaring while the wildlife watches from the side in fear.

The Role of a Mother and Wife
Yor trudges home from work with the same dazed expression. The neighbors hear her mutterings and assume that Loid is cheating on her and hope she reports him to the SSS. Nearby, Loid overhears their gossip and wonders if Yor has become suspicious of Fiona. He realizes this is not only bad for appearances, but if Yuri ever hears about it, Loid getting caught by the SSS seems all too possible.

Loid invites Yor for a night out, leaving Anya and Bond at home with Franky to watch over them. Loid meets up with Yor and takes her to a bar. After getting their drinks, the two toast to Yor's hard work with Anya and housekeeping. Yor senses that Loid has something he wants to say, but she concludes that he will be replacing her with Fiona. She wonders what she will do if she is no longer a part of the Forger family. Yor then remembers that she and Loid married out of self-interest, so she does not have the right to pry into his personal life. Assuming that Fiona is someone he legitimately cares for, Yor decides to withdraw from their fake marriage so he can be happy.

She tries to inform Loid of her decision but cannot bring herself to say anything. Seeking strength through liquid courage, Yor downs her and Loid's drinks. However, a now-drunk Yor demands to know if Loid s in love with Fiona. Loid tries to explain that he and Fiona have a strictly professional relationship, but Yor does not listen to him and talks about how she is a bad wife and is not pretty like Fiona. She sulks, remembering Loid saying she was pretty, and believes he must be bored with her now. Loid realizes Yor has been jealous and believes she has romantic feelings for him. Although initially surprised by the revelation, Loid enters "Twilight Mode" in 0.1 seconds and immediately takes advantage of the situation, attempting a honey trap on Yor.

Yor is surprised by Loid's sudden advances, and her heart starts racing. Loid tries asking her to be his real wife but gets cut off by an embarrassed Yor kicking him in the chin, and he goes up in the air. Loid gracefully lands on his feet, seemingly unaffected, and the onlookers applaud. However, he starts to wobble and interprets Yor's powerful kick as a rejection, concluding that she did not have romantic feelings for him after all. While Yor frantically apologizes to Loid, he tries to make sense of the situation. Believing he botched her emotional analysis that badly, Loid wonders if being with Yor has thrown him off balance as he loses consciousness.

While asleep, Loid hears the lullaby his mother sang to him when he was young. He wakes up and finds himself resting on the lap of Yor, who was singing the lullaby. 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's mother and wife, and the two reconcile.

Back home, Anya waits for Loid and Yor to return and notes how late they are, suggesting they are "shacking up together." Franky asks where she learned that phrase, and she says it was mostly from Becky. Franky then asks if Anya likes her parents, to which she replies that she loves them. Loid and Yor return home, and Anya begins to ask if they were smooching but stops when she sees Loid with a swelled-up chin, which she and Franky tease him for. While making tea for everyone, Yor thinks about how surprised she is to have found a place she was so unwilling to leave behind.

The next day, Yor wakes up and is surprised by Loid's swelled chin. Loid is shocked that she forgot everything that happened yesterday, and they end up having the same conversation all over again.

Story Impact

 * Fiona Frost, an agent from WISE, is introduced.
 * A small part of Loid’s backstory is revealed, specifically about his mother.