"STELLA"
Impossible... All of our pursuers are...
Let's go back to our hideout and regroup.
I have a bad feeling about this.
No way... Bondman, this can't be happening!
I can't believe this! Hey, hey! Wake up!
Hey, Anya.
Anya is busy right now.
This is just awful.
No! I don't wanna study!
Now, hold on.
We made a deal. You agreed to start studying at 5 PM.
You demon! Papa is a demon!
Operation Strix, Phase 2...
In order to attend the target's social gathering,
I need to make sure my daughter Anya becomes an Imperial Scholar.
For her to achieve that, she will need to get good grades
and receive Stellas.
PROVERBS
How many times do I have to tell you?
That's supposed to be an "E," not an "A."
B-But, Loid-san, her math score here is pretty good.
Well done, Anya-san.
He has two-eighths of his bullets left!
Is this because of her cartoon?
Oh, that's right.
This proverb is the same one Bondman was saying in episode 16.
I forgot...
Well, remember!
You know, it's the episode where the guy with the sideburns appeared.
I just happened to mess up my mind-reading cheat on this test.
From now on, I'm gonna spend a lot of time
Good at: ??
trying to figure out which classmate is good at what subject.
And then I will definitely get perfect scores,
no problem.
I tried sounding like Papa.
It would be easy to make her every score an A+ by using backdoor methods.
But if she suddenly scores that high,
the school and those around her will become suspicious.
In order to make this all seem as natural as possible,
I need to nurture her basic knowledge.
If she ends up being shunned by her classmates, it may affect her life at school.
I can't have her not wanting to go to school.
If I read everyone's minds to get 100s, they'll all hate me?
Hey, how do you even know that?
You creepy little witch!
I guess forcing her to study too much might be a bit rough on her.
If her motivation remains low, her concentration won't improve,
so she'll have a lesser chance of learning.
A change of pace is also important.
There are ways of earning Stella besides academics.
Right, then.
Why don't we take a break from studying and draw?
For example, art.
Hey, that looks really cool!
Is it a cheetah? No, wait...
I bet it's a panda!
It's a moo cow. The one that was at school.
For example, music!
This is a violin for children.
There's always sports!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Come on, don't cry.
Stay calm, Twilight.
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
She's still in first grade.
I need to figure out what she has a talent for and help her excel in it.
Why don't we do some jump rope?
It's a lot of fun.
Right. Don't panic.
It's not like Desmond is immediately going to make his move.
It takes an incredible amount of time to begin a war.
But...
HQ was estimating that she'd be able to receive eight Stella in about four months.
Do we actually have that much time?
Papa...
Anya will do her best.
Now untie me.
Uh, right.
Anya.
Why don't we go out tomorrow?
An ooting?
Academics, the arts, sports...
But there is actually one other way to earn Stella.
Community service.
Thank you so much for agreeing to volunteer at our hospital today.
I will now go over the duties we'll be asking you to perform.
We will have you split up into your families to perform your duties.
In the past, there have been many cases where students
did long-term volunteer work to earn their Stella.
Rescuing others or helping apprehend criminals
were also methods a few used to earn Stella, but rare.
We could use more personnel from HQ to act out these scenarios,
but considering the risks that could entail, we won't be able to easily pull that off.
That is what we will be expecting from all of you.
Even if she isn't immediately able to receive any Stella,
it would be beneficial to Anya to learn the importance of community service.
Now, if I can have the Forgers clean this dressing room.
There's a pool!
Yes, for physical therapy.
Maybe cleaning was a bit difficult for you.
Then let's have you organize books in the library.
Excuse me, sir, could you do something about... that?
Could you go work somewhere else?
Anya is bored with chores.
I wanna do the job where I give the doctors their scalpels.
Huh?
I'mma go to the operating room!
Hey! Stop that! Come back here!
We've had enough of your "help"! Please leave!
Papa, I'm sorry.
Don't worry about it. Everyone fails sometimes.
But what do we do if our chances of earning Stella through community service also dry up?
Hey, is physical therapy hard?
It is,
but you need to work hard so that you can run again.
Man...
Three more minutes.
Hey, is the water in the pool cold?
Don't worry about that. Go on, get changed.
I'll go get changed, too.
All right, one, two. One, two. One, two.
I wonder if that's the adult pool...
Focus on your toes.
One, two. One, two. One, two. One, two.
Man... it really is kinda cold.
You're almost there! One, two. One, two.
Ken?
Huh? Is he still changing?
Hmm... I might have to ask HQ to reconsider our game plan.
C-Can't... breathe...
My legs... won't move...
The pool!
Papa!
What is it? You just went to the bathroom, didn't you?
Someone's drowning in the pool!
What?! How do you know that?
Exactly who are you?!
Help me... Help me...
Papa...
Anya is terrible at volunteering.
So I...
I'm gonna become a pro swimmer and get stars,
so I'm gonna go practice in the pool!
What?! Come back here! That's not a public pool!
Ken!
He must've snuck out.
Hey!
Where are your parents?
Wow! The pool! How fun!
What's that about?
Where is the drowning person?
I'm...
I'm... gonna die...
What are you doing, little girl?!
Anya... can't... anymore...
Hey, are you two all right?
Ken!
Papa...
Someone get a doctor!
I tried to swim and found this boy sinking.
Ken!
Are you all right?
Ken!
Calm down, miss.
Is everything okay?
Ken! Ken!
But there were so many people around.
Did you hear anything?
I'm so sorry! I had no idea you were drowning!
It was a drowning response.
Children tend to drown more quietly than you would expect.
Many die because no one notices they're drowning.
Please make sure you keep your eye on him.
And good job for noticing.
I saw bubbles.
And you should be careful, too.
Thank you! Thank you!
Well done, little girl!
First-year student from the Cecile Dorm, Anya Forger,
has earned a Stella for rescuing a boy.
You're amazing, Anya!
You're the first of the first graders to get one!
I'm so proud of you for some reason.
Ultra-amazingly elegant, Miss Forger.
Well done, Anya!
She beat me.
You're amazing, Miss Anya! Truly amazing!
I'm so happy for you!
She unexpectedly earned a Stella.
An excellent result,
but how do I describe this?
It's similar to how I feel when I've thwarted a terrorist attack.
I'm so proud of her.
Well done.
Anya's powers actually helped someone?
Eheh!
All right, then. I'm going to make you a feast today.
Anya wants Papa to cook.
Stella needed to become an Imperial Scholar: 7 Tonitrus Bolts until expulsion: 7 Everyone's respect: +100
Shock!
I heard that your daughter earned a Stella, Agent Twilight.
Yes, Handler. She somehow managed it.
Couldn't we set things up with other agents
to fake whatever you need to get the other Stella?
People would get suspicious.
More importantly, we can't take risks that could potentially
expose the identities of other agents or get them arrested.
Yes, you've got a point.
Is HQ panicking a bit?
No.
But there are numerous businesses surrounding Desmond
that seem to be engaging in shady financial dealings lately.
We can't be too laid back in this situation.
Try to make contact with Desmond immediately.
Give your daughter some candy or something to get her motivated.
Morning!
Did you see that thing yesterday?
I forgot my homework!
Heh.
Hey, is that her? The girl from Class 3 that suddenly got a Stella?
Apparently it's a new record.
I heard she rescued someone.
This star is just so brilliant that I stand out now.
Really?
Heh.
Good morning, Anya!
Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Call me "Starlight Anya."
Uh... Sure.
You're totally like a celebrity now.
Everyone looks up to you.
You might even make a hundred friends!
Bam!
I totally see you in a new light, Miss Anya! Be my friend!
You should totally come over to my place with your dad!
Bam!
Well done, Anya! The mission is now a success!
And so the world was at peace.
Don't get a big head.
What's their problem? Ugh! They make me so mad!
That didn't go as planned. The world is in peril.
Let's go, Anya.
Let's go, Starlight Anya.
Yup.
Ugh, what a pain.
Ha. That's hilarious.
Who does she think she is?
She keeps showing off her stupid badge.
Who actually comes to school wearing it?
Who would believe such a violent girl actually rescued someone?
They say she saved a kid from drowning,
but she probably kicked him in and let him sink herself.
Oh, I could totally see that!
What if she actually paid the school a bunch of money for her Stella?
What? She doesn't look {/i1}that{/i0} rich to me.
Shock...
Don't even worry about it. They're all just jealous.
Hey, Damian. Wouldn't you agree?
She totally cheated, didn't she?
Do you really think we go to some third-rate school
that would hand out Stella by mistake? Or because someone was being underhanded?
Is that what you think?
Uh, no...
If you've got a problem with our school,
why don't you take the transfer exam for another one?
He's so manly at times like this.
Gosh, he's cool.
The fact that she didn't cheat is why I'm so mad that this little shrimp got ahead of me.
Maybe he's more earnest than he looks.
Let's begin class.
By the way,
have you decided what your reward's going to be,
An—Starlight Anya?
Reward?
Of course! Whenever you work really hard on tests or contests,
you're supposed to get a reward.
You mean I can get peanuts?
Come on, you should ask for something way more expensive.
After the test we had the other day,
I got them to buy me a cute little dress and a tiara!
But I mean...
I guess they haven't given me that much.
Is your family part of a secret organization that pulls the world's strings?
What are you talking about? They run a perfectly legitimate company.
Then Anya wants a castle.
That might be asking for too much.
Where would you even put it?
Then...
A year's worth of peanuts?
That shouldn't be a problem at all, but is that really what you want?
Rewards are difficult.
Well... I think the reward that made me the happiest is my little Wiesel.
Oh, that's my puppy! It's the cutest!
Come here, Weezy!
Mister Dog?
Do you have a dog, too, Second Son?
Huh? A dog?
What are you asking that jerk for?
Max!
Who cares?
Don't talk to me!
Anya has a doggy now, too.
All right! Let's see who's cuter, yours or my Max!
Bring it over to my place! And your dad, too!
Well, hello, Mr. Forger.
Let's stop this war, Mr. Desmond.
And so the world was at peace.
Heh.
You want a dog... as a reward?
Mm-hm.
Having a dog will bring peace.
Peace? Like peace of mind?
Hmm... Well, I was thinking of buying you something.
Miss Anya...
Taking care of a living creature requires a lot of work.
It is a very big responsibility!
Responsibility...
A dog, huh? Yeah...
Let's discuss this a bit further.
Loid...
Papa!
A properly trained dog may prove useful in securing this house.
Dogs are so violent, though.
I'm so terribly worried that one might rip Miss Anya to shreds.
Anya would like a cute puppy, please, Papa.
A tiny one.
Huh? Sure, all right.
Ah, well. I'm sure we can find a small dog that's still capable.
I'll see if HQ can get us one later.
All right. Why don't we go to a pet shop this weekend?
We get a buyer yet?
Things are pretty tough right now.
We got some punks who think they're revolutionaries.
What, they gonna use 'em as bomb dogs?
These little guys sure have it rough,
getting tinkered with just so they can end up as toys for some humans.
Shut up! If you want food, quit yer yappin'!
They sure don't look that smart.
Do Numbers Three and Five look weaker to you?
Hell if I know. Who cares?
God, it always reeks in here.
Yeah, let's get the hell outta here.
Anya wants this one...
Or this one!
Oh, thank goodness. They look very weak.
PENGUIN PARK