Episode 22 - STUDY
Mikoto is escorted to Therestina's prison cell. Therestina greets Mikoto as "my little guinea pig", and asks whether her visit means she's now experienced the darkness of Academy City. Mikoto says she has, but adds that in spite of that darkness, it was also people in Academy City who saved her from it. Therestina scowls and tells Mikoto to go away, but she refuses, asking if Therestina knows anything about Febri's creators.
Therestina is not inclined to be helpful, but eventually admits she's heard of a project to create an artificial human called a "chemicaloid". Mikoto asks what its purpose was, to which Therestina shrugs and says it was probably just some people trying to get noticed. She adds that it might be connected to an upcoming public event, and Mikoto realizes she means the Academic Reach Assembly. When Mikoto asks why they'd need to get noticed, Therestina retorts that a Level 5 like Mikoto, lab animal notwithstanding, is surrounded by friends and given every opportunity... but for those who don't even qualify as lab animals, the darkness goes deeper than she can imagine.
Meanwhile, the members of ITEM are relaxing at a pool when they're contacted by their liaison. It seems they're being asked to deliver a "message" to the people who tried to manipulate them the other day. Mugino complains about having to clean up after her superiors' mistakes, but is told she's free to get as rough as she wants.
At the Judgement office, Mikoto fills the others in on what she's learned — in particular, that Febri's creators may be targeting the Reach Assembly. Uiharu immediately goes onto her computer and starts looking up information on people connected to the event. As she does this, Kongou shows up with a present for Febri: a new dress in a similar style to the one she has. Glancing over at Uiharu's computer screen, Kongou sees a photo of a man she recognizes as the one who was looking for Febri. It identifies him as Haruki Aritomi, a scientific prodigy who regularly wins top honours at the Academic Reach Assembly. However, Uiharu quickly discovers that he isn't participating this year, and neither are several other prominent regular attendees.
Alone in a lab, Nunotaba is surreptitiously searching for something on a computer. Whatever she's looking for isn't there, though; she mutters that "Lab One" is the only remaining place.
That night, as they prepare Febri for bed, Uiharu and Saten wonder why someone as brilliant as Aritomi would be involved in something so shady when he could do so much good instead. Meanwhile, Kuroko contacts Yomikawa to see if Anti-Skill can do anything, but is told there isn't enough evidence. Mikoto, thinking about what Therestina said, asks Kuroko if they'd still be friends even if she wasn't a Level 5. Kuroko assures her that being a Level 5 has nothing to do with their relationship.
The following day, Uiharu's investigation reveals that Aritomi is one of the directors of a company called STUDY Corporation. It seems to specialize in chemical and pharmaceutical research, and owns a factory in District 17. Mikoto says they should go and check it out for any possible clues to helping treat Febri.
Soon after, Aritomi and his group receive word that an intruder has broken into "Lab One". He brushes it off, saying that location is a decoy — there's no data left there except for information on the "neutralizing agent". Upon hearing this, Nunotaba volunteers to go there and check, just to be safe. As she heads out, Aritomi watches her leave and smirks.
The intruders turn out to be ITEM, who are busily smashing up some autonomous powered suits defending STUDY's factory. Mikoto arrives just as they're finishing up; seeing ITEM, she ducks out of sight. She manages to eavesdrop on their conversation, from which she gathers that the powered suits are being controlled remotely by some sort of ability. As ITEM departs, Takitsubo senses Mikoto's presence, but says nothing.
Sneaking inside, Mikoto senses active electronics deeper in the facility. She tracks it to a computer room and discovers Nunotaba downloading something onto a data drive. Mikoto demands to know how Nunotaba is involved with this; in response, Nunotaba gives her the data drive, saying it contains the recipe for the toxin neutralizing agent in Febri's lollipops. Then she admits that she gave Mikoto's name to Febri, saying she didn't know anyone else she could turn to for help in saving the girl.
At that moment, Aritomi steps into the room, saying it won't be that easy. He tells Nunotaba he'd suspected it was she who let Febri escape, then reveals that the data here is fake — the sole copy of the neutralizing agent's real recipe is on a data drive he has with him. Holding it up, he warns Mikoto against using her ability in case she damages it. Then he tosses a medical injector to Nunotaba, saying it's a paralyzing agent; he orders her to inject Mikoto with it, promising to hand over the data if she does. Nunotaba protests, but Mikoto holds out her arm and tells her it's their best chance to save Febri. Nunotaba reluctantly injects Mikoto, who quickly falls to the floor, helpless.
Nunotaba tells Aritomi to hand over the data. Instead, he drops it on the floor and crushes it with his foot, gloating that his masterpiece, "Janie", is about to be revealed to the world...
Tropes
- Barely-There Swimwear: When ITEM is at the pool, Frenda is wearing a minuscule slingshot bikini that hardly looks safe for walking around in, much less swimming.
- Evil Is Petty: Aritomi destroys the recipe for the medicine that can keep Febri alive right in front of Nunotaba and Mikoto, apparently for no other reason than sheer spite.
- Freudian Excuse: Therestina tells Mikoto that life in Academy City is utterly miserable for those who don't measure up, either as espers or by proving themselves valuable as researchers. She's speculating about STUDY's motives, but is pretty clearly speaking from her own experience as well.
- Hannibal Lecture: Not for the first time, Therestina tries one on Mikoto. It doesn't take this time, either.
- Kick the Dog: There was no real reason for Aritomi to destroy the recipe for Febri's medicine, other than to prove what a Jerkass he is. That said, we only have his word that it was the only copy.
- Motive Rant: Therestina gives Mikoto one on behalf of STUDY and, it is implied, all Academy City's left-behind researchers.
- Shut Up, Hannibal!: Mikoto tells Therestina that even though she's seen the darkness of Academy City up close, she's also seen it and its people at their best.
- Super Drowning Skills: Takitsubo's idea of "swimming" is doing the dead man's float face down in the pool. When Kinuhata asks if she's all right, she says she's having fun.
- You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Aritomi demonstrates that he'd rather let Febri die than go free, or spend any more effort trying to retrieve her.
