Asagiri's generous donation has gone to a worthy cause, it seems: the Psycho Helmet Faith now has hundreds of additional members, a shiny new headquarters, and a thriving following online as a memetic religious movement. Mezato wants Mob to lead it.
It's marathon season again at Salt Middle School. Mezato invites Mob up to the school's roof to pester him about engaging with his fans, and suggests he run the marathon using his psychic powers to impress them. Mob intends to use his own hard-won strength, though. If he can place somewhere respectable, he'll ask Tsubomi out.
The Body Improvement Club lend their emotional support and advice; Ritsu takes on his chores at home; Onigawara gifts him a pair of new running shoes, and Reigen gives him time off from work to train, even taking time off himself from an apparently packed calendar to jog with him. While the boy builds up his stamina, Teru and Ritsu sub for him at Spirits and Such. Tsubomi and her friend show up for some relationship advice... prompting Ritsu to lose his goddamned mind out of worry for his brother.
Marathon day is here. Psycho Helmet faithful wait anxiously near the finish line for a glimpse of their leader. While the teenager doesn't get off to a good start, he does manage to place near the middle and nearly finish the marathon before passing out. An immense improvement from last year's showing.
Mob wakes up and heads home. Mrs Kageyama hums with pride in her boys; Ritsu—only a first-year—placed ninth, and Mob pushed himself so hard. She's making an extra-special dinner to celebrate. Suddenly, the doorbell rings; Ritsu pops up to answer. It's Shou... with an absolutely frightening look in his eyes.
Smoke rises lazily from the general direction where Mob is headed. It can't be...? His family's home. Gone. In shock and to his neighbors' horror, Mob steps into the flames to investigate, talking himself down the entire time. Nothing. Maybe they were able to escape? The sight waiting for him behind the next door he opens... melts down his explosion counter...
Tropes appearing in this episode include:
- A Child Shall Lead Them: Mezato's involvement with the Psycho Helmet Faith. She is one of the primary organizers, despite only being in the eighth grade. Here, she organizes a team to photograph Mob crossing the marathon's finish line; he never makes it there.
- Angst Nuke: Mob standing in the midst of his burning home in front of his family's bodies. His explosion counter hits ???% while he's still conscious; the rage and grief erupting from his body unleash a wall of flame, shattering a nearby window. He's just getting started.
- Immune to Fire: Mentioned earlier in the manga, but not the anime. Inukawa, his early-childhood acquaintance, notes at one point that Mob could pass his hands through flames without pain or damage, and wasn't shy about demonstrating it. It comes as quite a shock to his grieving neighbors. They seem to interpret his walking into his family's merrily crackling home as suicide, perhaps out of survivor guilt.
- Knight of Cerebus: Shou, appearing unannounced at the Kageyamas' in an abrupt The Call Knows Where You Live moment.
- Mood Whiplash: From wholesome, sweet slice-of-life territory and a personal point of pride for Mob... to the scene that ends the episode.
- Nightmare Face: The expression on Mob's face upon seeing what appear to be the charred husks of his family.
