Chapter 78

Morning finds Sylvia Sherwood asleep in a disaster of an apartment until her dog forces her out of bed. Coworkers at the Westalis embassy in Ostania needle her about her rumpled appearance before she rides a hidden elevator down to the WISE office, where she fields reports and issues orders as Handler, only to get scolded by a subordinate for the mess around her own desk. She skips a lunch invitation in favor of walking her dog, which is really her scheduled rendezvous with Twilight. At home, an aborted attempt at tidying up dissolves into memories of her late daughter and a partner the story leaves unnamed.

At the dog park, Loid has brought Anya and Bond along after a half day of school. A note tucked into the collar of Sylvia's dog Aaron saddles him with an additional mission next week, and he reports no progress on the Melinda Desmond front. Anya recognizes Sylvia, while Loid recognizes Aaron: one of the explosive-laden dogs from the plot against Minister Brantz, whom Sylvia took in afterward. Through her telepathy, Anya listens to the dogs converse and discovers Bond has no memory of Aaron, to the shepherd's dismay. Anya proposes a contest to settle which dog is better trained, and Sylvia surprises Loid by accepting, staking the extra mission on the result.

Aaron demolishes the obstacle course in a flawless 39 seconds against Bond's stumbling two-plus minutes. The retrieval round asks each dog to sniff out the rival owner's hidden handkerchief; Bond loses interest almost immediately, then follows the smell of pasta to dried noodles stuck on Sylvia's jacket pocket, precisely where her handkerchief happens to be hidden, stealing the round. The frisbee finale collapses into farce when Bond, having foreseen a gust of wind ruining both throws, stands still, chases his frisbee late, and takes it square in the face. Sylvia rules the whole match a draw.

Before leaving, she tells Loid of rumors that Project Apple research teams may still be running, with WISE probing for a Desmond connection. Anya innocently remarks that even someone Sylvia's age had fun, striking a nerve, though the Handler admits the day was enjoyable and offers to play again. Walking home, she promises Aaron a properly cleaned house.

Sylvia's double life is shown in full: embassy secretary above, WISE Handler below, and a slovenly home shadowed by her late daughter's memory.

Loid receives an extra mission via a note on Aaron's collar and confirms no progress with Melinda Desmond.

Aaron is revealed as one of the bomb dogs from the Brantz assassination plot, adopted by Sylvia.

Bond and Aaron compete in three events, obstacle course, scent retrieval, and frisbee, ending in a tie that leaves Loid's extra mission in place.

Sylvia relays rumors that Project Apple research may still be active and possibly tied to Donovan Desmond.

Mission 78 runs 23 pages in Volume 12, released April 3, 2023, in the Bus Hijacking Arc, with no anime adaptation listed. Aaron and Sylvia share the cover.

Two facts previously confined to the EYES ONLY official fanbook enter the manga here: Sylvia's messiness outside work, and her adoption of the German Shepherd that attacked Twilight in Chapter 22, now named Aaron. Her family, including the daughter she once mentioned to Twilight, also appears for the first time.