Mission 22

Loid's shot severs the strap securing the bomb to the shepherd. The animal knocks him flat, and Keith triggers the detonator, but the device is already sailing into the river behind them and the explosion touches no one. Loid deposits the dog in a dumpster, and Keith, realizing the distant figure was never Minister Brantz, turns to run.

Yor, still hunting for Anya, spots the fleeing car from a footbridge and leaps down into its path. One kick sends the vehicle off the road and into a pole, leaving Keith unconscious. She reports the crashed terrorist to the police and goes back to searching.

The operation winds down at Kemono Park, where Handler decides the Ostanian government can mop up the aftermath while WISE holds the recovered dogs pending orders. Leaving to rejoin his family, Loid walks straight into Anya, Yor, and Bond outside the shop. Fumbling excuses fly in both directions before Yor recounts what happened, and Loid, apologizing for his long "restroom" absence, scolds Anya for running off and learns the big dog kept her safe.

Loid identifies Bond as a Project Apple subject that cannot simply be left loose, exchanging a look with Handler nearby. She and another agent approach in SSS disguises to question the family and announce the dog must be confiscated over its terrorist ties. Anya refuses outright, and when persuasion fails, she vows never to set foot in school again unless Bond stays. Handler yields immediately rather than risk Operation Strix, brushing aside Loid's objections, and promises Anya the other dogs will be treated kindly. Speaking privately with Loid, she mentions having once had a daughter about Anya's age and smiles that peace carried the day. Walking home, Yor and Anya quietly congratulate themselves on their heroics while Loid sighs at how narrow the margin was.

Bond spends the night under medical examination and arrives at the apartment the next morning. As Anya welcomes him, memories surface of the Project Apple laboratory and the scientists who tormented him there. Told he now belongs to the Forger family, Bond recognizes the scene from his old vision of the future and barks with joy as Anya wraps him in a hug.

Loid throws the bomb into the river and neutralizes the shepherd, foiling the assassination.

Yor kicks Keith's car off the road and unknowingly delivers the terrorist leader to the police.

Anya's threat to quit school forces Handler to let the Forgers keep Bond.

Bond joins the family, seeing the future from his vision finally realized.

Sylvia's remark to Loid about a daughter close to Anya's age is the first reference to her having had a child.

The scientists in Bond's laboratory flashback include the same black-haired and bald figures seen in Anya's Chapter 1 flashback, suggesting the two experiments are connected.

The chapter continues the Doggy Crisis Arc and is adapted in Episode 15 of the anime. Loid and the dog Aaron share the cover.