Chapter 120

Camilla, Millie, and Sharon corner Yor at Berlint City Hall over the mystery man she met the previous night. Out of excuses, Yor flashes a distress signal to Matthew, who summons Hemlock and presents him as "Mr. Jones," a transfer employee who was merely handing Yor a client's sample product. The cover satisfies Sharon and Camilla, while Millie falls for the newcomer on sight and starts angling for a date. Hemlock bristles at the arrangement until Matthew, who orchestrated the placement to force some social education on him, threatens to report any slacking to the Shopkeeper. Watching Hemlock fumble through office life, Matthew tells Yor the posting is temporary, noting that not every person fits every role.

Across town at WISE Safehouse G, Loid drifts out of focus during Sylvia's briefing, his mind stuck on Yor since their date. When talk of marital friction prompts a WISE Agent to gripe about Operation Strix's endless hassles, Fiona seizes the moment to propose a "Neo Strix" with herself cast as the wife, then freezes when Loid concedes the idea might be sensible. Sylvia shuts it down, ordering him to keep Yor in place; losing her would jeopardize the operation's path to Donovan Desmond. Chastened by how the date went, Loid commits to fully understanding his wife before pushing the mission forward.

At Eden Academy, another Anya-Damian squabble prompts Becky's advice: hand on heart, think honestly about your feelings. Anya tries it, sees only memories of Damian's insults, and re-confirms her verdict that he is a jerk. At home, with Loid working late, Yor helps Anya with homework while praising Loid and asking about the places father and daughter lived before. Reading her mother's mind, Anya asks outright whether Yor is interested in him, and when Yor denies it, passes along Becky's technique. Yor tries it and admits she might be in love with Loid. She immediately buries the feeling, reasoning that he sees the marriage as a contract and her as someone incapable of a normal life, and swears Anya to secrecy. Anya, fuzzy on what "love" means, promises anyway. Yor resolves to keep protecting the household regardless, and when Loid returns and agrees to cook omurice at Anya's request, he mentions Yor's fondness for the dish.

Yor speaks her feelings for Loid aloud for the first time, confiding in Anya and swearing her to secrecy while resolving to guard the Forger home despite believing her love can never be returned. Sylvia rejects Fiona's "Neo Strix" proposal and orders Loid to preserve the current family structure, and Loid commits to understanding Yor completely before advancing Operation Strix. Hemlock begins a stint at city hall under the alias "Mr. Jones" as Matthew's social rehabilitation project.

The chapter serves as the emotional resolution of the Poacher Hunting Arc, converting the doubts Hemlock planted into Yor's private acknowledgment of love. Anya's mind reading is the pivot that draws the confession out. The parallel hand-on-heart scenes contrast Anya's conclusion about Damian with Yor's about Loid. It runs 18 pages, released July 21, 2025, and is collected in Volume 17.