Episode 19 - Academic Research Association
Mikoto and the others wonder how the mysterious girl Febri knows Mikoto's name. Mikoto identifies herself, but Febri seems frightened of her. She tries to gain the girl's trust by showing her a pink Gekota finger puppet, but this backfires when Febri snatches it away and refuses to return it.
They call Konori to see if there are any missing child reports that fit the the girl's description, but there are none. As it's starting to get dark, Saten volunteers to take care of Febri for now. She suggests they stay at Uiharu's place, where there's a spare bed due to Haruue having just moved out. Taking Febri home, Saten and Uiharu give her dinner and a bath. Uiharu peeks inside the bag Febri was carrying with her, and finds it full of lollipops. She also notices Febri's dress has had its label removed.
Back at the Tokiwadai dorm, Mikoto is still upset over losing her limited-edition pink Gekota, much to Kuroko's disgust. She is also puzzled and annoyed over the fact that Febri doesn't seem to like her. Finally, the fact that the little girl knew her name strikes her as ominous.
Meanwhile, Saten and Uiharu put Febri to bed. As the girl falls asleep, she drops her ubiquitous lollipop. Curious, Saten tries it and reacts with shock to the sour taste.
The next day they take Febri in to the Judgement office, where Uiharu searches in vain for her in Academy City's database. They wonder if she might be a Child Error — an abandoned child with no family. Haruue, who has dropped by the office, says they should make sure she ends up in a good institution (as opposed to one of the less savoury ones). Struck by an inspiration, Mikoto phones the Tokiwadai Dormitory Supervisor and asks her if Asunaro Park would be willing to take Febri in. After some inquiries, the answer is "yes" — but the soonest they can take her is five days from now. Saten and Uiharu volunteer to look after her until then. In the meantime, Febri has quickly become fast friends with everyone... except Mikoto, whom she continues to avoid for some reason.
Back in their darkened conference room, Aritomi and his group have noticed Uiharu's search requests about Febri. Aritomi is pleased to have found her trail, saying that she's become a real handful.
That afternoon, Konori, Kuroko and Uiharu have to help set up security at the Academic Reach Assembly. Mikoto, Saten and Febri tag along, although Saten is somewhat disappointed to find that it's just a dry academic conference rather than a festival. They run into Kongou, Wannai and Awatsuki, who are also helping out; Febri instantly warms to all three of them, much to Kongou's delight and Mikoto's frustration.
Nearby, Aiho Yomikawa of Anti-Skill is trying to help a couple of organizers deal with a truck delivering some unspecified equipment. As this is happening, Aritomi arrives on scene and starts looking around discreetly. He tells his associates over the phone that their equipment has been delivered, then adds that he's keeping an eye out for their target as well. A photo of Febri is visible on his phone's screen.
When the Judgement members go off to start working, Saten deliberately excuses herself to visit the washroom and leaves Febri alone with Mikoto. Mikoto tries to win Febri over, but the girl is having none of it, sitting sullen-faced and asking when "Ruiko" is coming back. Mikoto takes her eye off Febri for a moment, just as someone in a Gekota-like frog mascot costume passes by. Febri, fascinated, follows after it while Mikoto is distracted. A moment later, Mikoto turns back to find Febri gone, with only the pink Gekota puppet lying on the ground where the girl dropped it.
The mascot walks behind some buildings and takes its head off, revealing Pierce Aogami. He sits down and sees Febri, but she runs off in horror. No longer sure where she is, she wanders aimlessly around the campus, sniffling and wondering where the others went. Eventually, she emerges into a courtyard where Aritomi happens to be passing by. Spotting her, he says into his phone that he's found the target.
As Mikoto frantically searches for Febri, she runs into Kongou and asks for her help. The two of them eventually find Febri in a nearby courtyard... just as several security robots appear and attack her. Mikoto charges in and fries the robots before they can reach the girl. After a moment of shock, Febri bursts into tears and runs toward Mikoto's waiting arms... and right past her to throw herself onto Saten, who has just arrived.
Mikoto apologizes for letting Febri wander off, and Saten tells Febri to apologize to Mikoto for causing trouble. Febri does so, then shyly goes up to Mikoto, hugs her... and reaches into her pocket to grab the pink Gekota again. Mikoto starts chasing after her, but Saten says it looks like they've become friends.
From nearby, Aritomi has been watching the whole incident unfold. Realizing who Mikoto is, he gets back on the phone with the other members of his group. After a brief discussion, the group unanimously votes to carry out their "experiment" on Railgun...
Tropes
- Cuteness Proximity: Febri, towards anything she considers cute (especially Gekota) — and, conversely, everyone else towards Febri. Mitsuko Kongou practically squees out loud when she meets her.
- First-Name Basis: Febri calls everyone by their first name note — except, for some reason, Uiharu (whom she calls "Wee-ha"), Wannai, and Awatsuki ("Ah-tsuki").
- Friend to All Children: Saten, who has a young brother and knows how to interact with small children. Febri immediately likes and trusts her.
- Furo Scene: A brief one where Saten is bathing with Febri; seems to be mainly an excuse to show Saten in the altogether.
- Is That Cute Kid Yours?: Kuroko briefly thinks Febri might be Mikoto's daughter. Considering Mikoto is 14 and Febri looks about 8, everyone else just rolls their eyes.
- Mysterious Waif: Febri.
