Short Mission 12

With the end-of-class gala at Eden Academy a week out, Becky and Anya plan a shopping trip, chaperoned by Martha. Budget-conscious Loid, mindful of WISE's purse strings, has instructed Anya to buy ready-to-wear, which Becky insists has gotten impressive lately even as Martha notes the prices. Becky hunts for something that will "knock Damian dead," idioms that Anya takes literally and shudders at. After cycling through styles, Anya picks for herself: a sleek black number evoking the dress Yor wears on assassin work. Becky opts for sparkles, and the shop promises delivery within days.

The receipt lands like a bomb at home. Learning the dress cost 5,000 dalc, Loid collapses and pleads for a return and rental instead, dreading Sylvia's reaction, but the order cannot be canceled. Resolved to wring value from Plan B's expense, he launches Anya into dance practice, barking instructions she cannot follow. Chaos snowballs when Anya lands on Bond's tail, sending him careening into Yor and her drinks. A drained Loid privately writes the practice off and considers a Plan C built around Yor, which Anya overhears telepathically. Stung, she insists on continuing until she gets it right, quoting his own words about the value of friendship and her wish to grow closer to Damian. Loid softens and schedules more practice.

Next morning Anya wobbles down the school corridor on aching legs. Damian and his friends mock her gait, joking that the dress bankrupted her into eating eraser shavings, and she stomps over to confront them despite Becky's advice. That afternoon, still sulking, she flatly refuses Loid's call to practice, leaving him baffled.

Anya selects a black gala dress inspired by Yor's assassin look, committing Loid to a non-refundable 5,000-dalc purchase. Dance practice at home goes poorly, but Anya overhears Loid's thoughts of falling back on Yor and demands to keep training for Damian's sake. Teasing from Damian's group the next day sours her mood, and she snubs the follow-up practice session.

Numbered 96.1 in Volume 14 and part of the Term Finals Arc, the chapter slots into Chapter 95, unfolding between panels on its third page. The dress's 5,000-dalc price converts to roughly 1.5 million yen, around 10,000 in US currency. Becky, Anya, Martha, and Loid share the cover.