86 -Eighty Six- Ep. 3: I Don’t Want to Fight

Theo, sitting in his Juggernaut cockpit looks over to something burning in the woods while someone tells him they are sorry about Kirschblute (Kaie). Back on June 13th, Haruto brings a large dead pig over to Theo and Daiya, who is cooking some food. Haruto wonders where Anju is, hoping she can take over his dinner duties and is told by Daiya that she’s at the river on cleaning duty with the other girls. The girls headed there after breakfast and since it’s now lunchtime, Haruto and Theo believe them to be bathing. Calling it “Heaven on Earth,” Haruto pressures Daiya into coming along with him and Theo, saying they may die tomorrow, and he will refrain from looking at Anju. At that moment several of the girls are having fun in the river as Anju and Kaie sit on the rocks nearby. The girls ask Kaie to join in which she declines at first. She wonders if it’s okay for them to have fun. Anju says she’s being too serious and figures Shin knew they’d do this. The girls tease Kurena about liking Shin and she denies liking him. Kaie jokes about going after Shin herself and partaking in “Yobai” (night crawling) with him. Kurena tells her she should be more dignified and reserved. The girls continue to joke around with her. Daiya, Haruto and Theo watch from the bushes nearby. Haruto and Theo push Daiya out, revealing him to the girls. They initially draw their weapons but upon realizing it’s him call him a pervert and throw rocks at him. Anju walks up to him with belt in hand and a devious look on her face. Kaie tells the others to come out and hits Theo in the head with a rock. Later, the three boys kneel before the girls. Haruto and Theo try to pass along any answers to Daiya who claims there is something they wanted to ask them. Kurena asks why they didn’t use the Para-RAID to get in touch with them and he says it would be awkward if they interrupted while they were talking about romance. This drives the conversation once again to Kurena and Shin, but Lecca claims Shin won’t raise an eyebrow at her and is no fun at all. When again pressed for why they are here, Daiya asks what Yobai means causing the girls to throw more things at him. Later that night Kurena leaves the recreation room while Shin and the others carry on a conversation with Lena via their Para-RAID. Lena is surprised to hear about them having rats. Daiya follows Kurena out to the hall. She is mad about the time Shin spends talking with Lena, saying he should be spending it with the rest of them. Daiya says it’s just for now and that the “Princess” will eventually stop reaching out. Kurena asks why he bothers with a white pig and that he should break her already. Daiya says Shin doesn’t want to break anyone and asks if she could say that to him directly. Kurena apologizes, but claims to still hate Lena. She is one of the Alba, who killed her parents and used them for target practice. Back in the recreation room, Kaie tells Lena about a meteor shower she saw. Raiden claims to have seen one as well in the middle of a battle where Shin was the only other survivor. Their Juggernauts had run out of gas and until Fido came they couldn’t move. Raiden tells Lena that Fido’s their dog and she initially thinks it’s a real one until Daiya talks about it beeping instead of barking. Raiden claims nights on the battlefield are so dark it’s scary, until he saw the meteor shower. Shin says at the time he had said if this is the last thing he saw, maybe things aren’t so bad. Lena says she wishes she could see a meteor shower; the lights don’t go out where she is so they can’t see the stars. Kaie says the nights here are really dark. Being able to see the stars is one of the good things about this life. Lena asks if she hates the Alba. Kaie says it hurts being discriminated against, that life in the camps is hard and she’s scared when she fights. She isn’t able to like the people who declared people like her livestock and imposed this life on them. But she knows that all Alba aren’t bad, just as all Eighty Six aren’t good. She claims that she’s one of the rarer races among the Eighty Six and a lot of stuff happened at camps in her prior unit. She’s sure there are good Alba but she’s never met any. She tells Lena she’s taking a bit of interest in her and if she can ask her something.

Lena and Annette search for a map in a large room filled with a lot of bookshelves. Annette asks why she’s helping and Lena claims it’s because she bought her lunch. Annette says she better buy her dinner too. Lena wants to send a map to the Spearhead squadron, claiming they are currently fighting without any good one. The squadron has been in more battles over the past two weeks but hasn’t suffered any casualties. Annette asks if it would kill her to talk to her about a guy she can actually see. She’s having a hard time with a potential fiance, Humbert and complains about his large forehead and sweating. She regrets giving him her handkerchief when they first met. Lena is concerned about how the Spearhead squadron knows when the Legion is going to attack. The unit is always ready even before the enemy shows up. Annette tells her she shouldn’t get involved any further, but Lena claims it’s alright; they’re all humans and have a relationship of trust. Annette finds an old dusty map on the top of a bookshelf, but it is the one Lena is looking for. That night Lena activates her Para-RAID and thanks the Spearhead squadron for their work today. In talking to Shin about delays for supplies she hears a cat meow, spurning a conversation about the unit’s cat. They found it by a truck after its parents and siblings got flattened. It has taken the biggest liking to Shin, although they don’t know why since he doesn’t play with it, merely patting it once and a while. Someone speculates on if it’s because Shin is a good resting spot while he’s reading. They talk about how they call the cat by whatever they are feeling like in the moment. Hearing a bang, Lena is told it is a rat. Things cut to when they joked with Lena about having a dog and then to when they were talking about the meteor shower. Kaie asks Lena why she cares about them so much. Lena claims a long time ago she was saved on the battlefield by a processor. He said those like him were members of the Republic, being born and living here. He said it was a citizen’s duty to protect his country and he was proud to do so. She draws a picture of his face in her diary. Lena says they need to live up to the example set by his words. The Alba ask them to fight but don’t watch them do so or get to know them. It goes against what he said. Kaie tells Lena she must be a virgin, embarrassing her. She clarifies that what she means is she’s like a young girl who thinks the whole world is made of flowers. She’s got too much of an untarnished, pure ideal and isn’t cut out for being a handler and should find a replacement. She tells Lena she shouldn’t be involved with them; they’re not fighting for noble reasons. On June 15th Lena reaches out to the Spearhead squadron as the next operation begins. She is told by Shin that they’re already aware of the enemy’s position. By viewing the map, Lena finds a hill that would be well positioned for a better view and cover. She recommends Shin send Gunslinger (Kurena) there which he agrees to. Lena provides more advice and asks Kurena if she should send them the map later. Raiden asks if it’s okay to send classified information like that to an Eighty Six. Lena says that doesn’t matter; what good is information if it isn’t used? She also says they’re not Eighty Six and she’s never called them that. The Legion approaches and blasts start ringing out. Lena sees a Lowe ahead of Kaie’s unit which Kaie starts approaching. Looking at her map Lena realizes something is wrong and shouts out, but it’s too late. Kaie’s Juggernaut has headed into a wetland and is unable to move. Her last words before her unit comes up as destroyed on Lena’s monitor are that she doesn’t want to die. Later, the mission over, Lena says good work to everyone and that she’s sorry about Kaie and if she could have only found the map sooner. Theo asks what she has to be sorry about. He says from her perspective, the death of a few Eighty Six are things she will forget about before going home for dinner. They don’t have much to do, so when nothing is going on they can play along with her act where she claims to not discriminate against them. They just lost one of their comrades and don’t have the time to deal with her hypocrisy right now. He doesn’t let her get a word in and asks if she thinks they don’t care when one of their own dies. Maybe its right to not care, after all, the Eighty Six are pigs, less than human. Lena claims she doesn’t think that way but he says not to deny it. He claims those like her throw them out on the battlefield and she treats them like weapons while watching from a safe and warm place within the walls. If that’s not treating them like pigs, what is? She’s never called them Eighty Six but all that means is she’s left it unsaid. He asks if she thinks they’re out here fighting because they want to. Those like her locked them outside and forced them to fight and as such have caused the death of millions over the last 9 years, doing nothing to stop it. All Lena can do is shake her head in shock. Theo says that she thinks if she just acts nice and talks to them every day that counts as treating them human, but she’s never even asked them for their real names, referring to them with their code names all this time. Lena is unable to respond, tears coming from her eyes.