By At the airport, Takuma Kugayama passes inspection, but he starts twitching irritatingly when he notices the airport official’s crooked tie, eventually attacking him. Meanwhile, Mithril attacks a terrorist camp believing it belongs to a group called A21, but it turns out to be a false lead. Mardukas says that this is normal but Tessa says that they can’t take this matter lightly because A21 has a Soviet-made arm slave. Kalinin contacts Tessa to inform her that a member of A21 was arrested at Narita airport and that he may have the ability to activate the Lambda Driver. At the camp, Sousuke remembers that he was supposed to meet with Chidori for a history lesson. Chidori takes out her anger in a softball game. When she hits a home run, the ball bumps against a cloaked helicopter which drops Sousuke in the middle of the field. Sousuke offers a vague explanation for his absence. Enraged, Chidori knocks him out with a field base. During lunch, Sousuke presents Chidori with a pair of earrings and a bracelet. Chidori is very flustered at first, but when he explains that the earrings contain flash grenades for self defense, she pulls the pin off one and throws it in his face. Tessa flies to a secret location where Takuma is confined and meets Kalinin there.
Tessa watches Takuma through a one-way mirror while Kalinin explains the details. Takuma was tested positive for an enhancement drug which indicates that he may have had experience with a Lambda Driver. Since he’s under the custody of the Japanese government, Tessa had to personally come in order to confirm his ability. Suddenly Takuma starts hitting the glass and frightens Tessa before the medical staff sedates him. Tessa says that they need some equipment to test him for reactions, but she’s positive he’s one of them. The institution is attacked by a Savage, and Tessa realizes they’re after Takuma. The Savage fires at their location and Kalinin shields Tessa from the blast. Seina comes out from the Savage and notes that Takuma has already been moved too far from his transmitter’s tracking range. Seina orders the soldiers to find Takuma, as they can’t move the ‘demon’ without him. The other soldiers find a wounded Kalinin. Sousuke apologizes for standing Chidori up and reiterates his duty to protect her. Chidori berates him for putting his work above all else and tells him that she hates him. On the elevator, Chidori regrets yelling at Sousuke and stares at the bracelet she’s now wearing. Sousuke pulls out his gun when he senses someone in the safe house, which turns out to be Tessa and Takuma. Takuma tries to attack Sousuke but gets knocked out for his troubles. Sousuke serves Tessa some coffee while she explains how she escaped. She berates herself for causing Kalinin to sacrifice his life, but Sousuke tells her that someone like Kalinin is very hard to kill. Tessa laughs and says that Sousuke is just how Mao described him. She tells him that this is the first time they’ve spoken to each other in person and that they’re the same age. Tessa takes a shower while Sousuke radios command for reinforcements. He asks Takuma if he’s hungry, and the latter says he isn’t. The doorbell rings and Sousuke sees Chidori standing outside. He opens the door and she apologizes for yelling at him. Sousuke says that he’s at fault for bothering her. Chidori offers him leftovers from lunch, but Sousuke can’t allow her into the apartment and gets extremely nervous. Chidori spots Tessa’s shoes and is dumbfounded when she sees her step out of the bathroom.
We’re getting back to the plot with another arc. It’s revealed that the Lambda Driver can be controlled using a specific kind of drug, and as per the norm a young teenager is the guinea pig. This is also where Chidori starts to get annoying. Just like how Sousuke can’t cope with school life, she simply can’t accept him for who he is and takes her safety for granted, as if the events of the Khanka arc simply never happened. Tessa obviously has a crush on Sousuke despite them meeting in person for the first time here, and inevitably this will lead to a love triangle. Her small figure belies her age, but how did she manage to escape unnoticed with a sedated Takuma in tow?
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