Chapter 36

Watching Damian and his friends chatter about the upcoming Imperial Scholar gathering, Anya takes stock of her stalled progress on Operation Strix: Stella Stars feel out of reach, and befriending Damian is going nowhere. Becky diagnoses the situation as love and prescribes a makeover, reasoning that a cute look will hook any boy, so the two plan a weekend outing.

Becky's butler Martha drives the girls to a shopping center, where staff greet Becky like royalty; she has reserved the entire clothing floor for the occasion. Anya arrives carrying a thick wad of cash from Loid, who sees strategic value in cultivating the Blackbell connection. She models outfit after outfit until she is worn out. When Becky realizes the end-of-term hall parties could put Loid in front of her while she is in street clothes, she starts trying on looks of her own and ends up buying nearly everything, burying Martha under boxes.

Resting at a café, Becky shyly asks whether Anya enjoyed herself, and Anya beams that this marks her first shopping trip with a friend. Being called a friend touches Becky deeply. Anya then falls for a sheep keychain based on the store's mascot and buys one for each of them as proof they survived the day. Becky hesitates, recalling her father's insistence on nothing but the finest goods, but Martha gently pushes her to take the token of friendship, and she does.

On the drive home, Martha remembers the preschool-age Becky who mocked other children and sneered at the prospect of Eden, and smiles at how much her young mistress has grown since meeting Anya. Loid is later staggered to learn each keychain cost 300 dalc. At school, Damian catches sight of the girls happily comparing their matching charms, and their bright faces leave him flustered in front of his friends.

Anya shelves the Stella Star route to Imperial Scholar status and leans on Plan B, prompting Becky to organize a shopping trip aimed at charming Damian.

Anya buys matching sheep keychains as a memento, and Becky, moved at being named a friend, accepts hers despite her father's standards.

Martha Marriott debuts, and her flashback shows how Anya's friendship has softened the once haughty Becky.

The chapter fills 21 pages in Volume 6 and opens the Imperial Scholars Mixer Arc, with Anya alone on the cover; Episode 24 adapts it. Martha appears here for the first time, identified only by her given name.

Endo dug through stacks of fashion magazines to capture the chapter's atmosphere, personally writing every headline and caption on the cover, and some of the outfits draw on Paris Fashion Week designs.