01x09 - Mission: Daughter Dearest II

[bunniefuu]

Welcome to Uwe Manor.

I have to say, you kids must have

a couple of screws loose

to come all the way up into the mountains here.

This mansion's owner is Mr. Uwe Appel.

The Appels family has been involved with

the Republic's government for generations,

and Mr. Uwe is currently the vice-minister

of the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

So, you want jobs to work while

your seminary school is on break?

Well, you have letters of recommendation

from a local politician,

so I trust you're well-versed in etiquette.

Please, don't think of us as students.

We can handle any task you deem fit to assign us.

I'm looking forward to working with you, Ms. Head Maid!

Oh, that sounds far too fancy for me.

Please, just call me Olivia.

By the way

why's she been glaring at the mirror this whole time?

I look f*ck' ridiculous.

SPY CLASSROOM

Embrace the toll of pain

The scabs that will never fade

That day, a forceful draft snatched it away

Unable to change, I have to leave it behind

Come, outrace your fear

Face the unfamiliar sky and day on your own two feet

And greet the sunrise

Misfortune gave rise to happiness

You saw a guidepost at the end of despair

And now, it's lit with a single flame

Shake off the entangled past

And fight until you find a place your heart can soar

Ah, surviving through each moment

24 Hours Before the Infiltration

The Impossible Mission Lamplight's

been assigned this time around

MISSION: Daughter Dearest II

is to hunt down an Imperial assassin who's

infiltrated the Din Republic's borders.

I'm going to be selecting four

strongest people among you

and taking those and only those members along

with me when I set out for the mission tomorrow.

You've split your duties evenly among you until now,

and I'm aware that doing so has

allowed you all to grow stronger.

However, I apologize, but I can't

take all of you with me this time.

I mean, I guess it makes sense.

He's worried about what'll happen

if he delegates missions to us.

Then again, if he keeps doing 'em solo,

he's gonna hit his breaking point.

In other words, taking along the best four of us

is a pretty logical decision, yeah.

Still, it's a bummer.

Feels like it's gonna make things

kind of awkward around here.

Who do you think the four are gonna be?

Well obviously, the team's beautiful leader

Yours Truly is gonna be at the top of the list-

No, but seriously.

Well, Monika's gotta be a shoo-in.

Out of all of us on the Operations squad,

she's our unbeatable star player.

At this rate, you and me are just

gonna end up holding down the fort.

Sure feels that way.

Huh? What're you doin', Sara?

Me and Sybilla are on cooking duty today, remember?

Teach asked me to.

He and Miss Grete are neck-deep

in a strategy meeting right now.

Dang, you don't see that every day.

Usually, Teach always cooks his own food.

I guess the mission's really keepin' him busy.

This is our chance!

I'll grab the poison!

I'll get the restraining wire!

Your teamwork is impressive, but you really

need to think these things over more!

The question is, what's the best way

for the three of us to poison him?

I see I've become an accomplice

Look, Sara, this is our last chance to get chosen!

Thinking back, he's never gone for

any of the food or drinks we poisoned before.

What if we coated it onto his utensils?

I dunno

We could make the food super bland,

then poison the condiments!

You really think that'd work?

This looks like it could be interesting.

They sound kind of desperate.

Hmm

We're just tryin' to poison his food, right?

I feel like we're missing the most obvious option.

I'm listening.

All we gotta do is make super damn tasty.

Sara, I know I've been hiding it, but I'm secretly a klutz.

Uh-huh

For example, I'm the kind of person who

can know all the right answers on a test,

then get zero points because

I put them all in the wrong boxes.

No kidding.

But here's the difference!

This white-haired chick's the kind of person

who'd take the test the right way

and end up with zero points anyways!

Now listen here, you little sh*t

What's the harm in giving it a try?

Let's see what you've got.

Trust me, this'll work.

Heck, if it doesn't, I'll even put on a strip show.

With Sybilla as the star.

Now where the hell do you get off-

Ooh, I'm looking forward to it!

Well, I do at least have a plan.

I-is this

a recipe?!

I saw Klaus cooking 'em for himself once.

I figured it might come in handy at some point,

so I watched him the whole time through.

If we follow that recipe to the word,

we'll be able to whip up some magnificently tasty grub!

Instead of poisoning the food, we'll use

its magnificent flavor to get his guard down.

That's when we launch our ambush

and finish the job with some poisoned tea!

I apologize taking up your time like that.

Thank you, that was magnificent.

It was delicious.

Right? We've got more, so dig in.

Lily, go make 'em some tea.

Aye aye, cap'n!

That sounds wonderful.

If I could be so bold, though,

a little more seasoning would make it taste even better.

Try it. Consider this part of your training.

It's so f*ck' good!

You said it! It's like a whole new dish!

It's not just my mouth.

My whole body is crying out in joy!

This is what happens when you eat too fast.

Th-thanks

a million.

Dammit, we followed the recipe to a T.

Why didn't it work?!

Well, I can't say I'm surprised.

You have my condolences.

Don't forget about that strip show you owe us.

I'll bring something to record it with, yo!

I guess that's that.

Looks like we're gonna be on house-sitting duty.

Man, and all I wanted was to go along

and hopefully help out a bit.

I don't usually get bent so out of shape,

Present

but I still can't believe that we were

the four who got picked.

Grete was the one helpin' Klaus come up with the plan,

so that much checks out, but aside from that

Monika was pissed.

How exactly did Tweedledumb

and Tweedledumber here get chosen

while I, the most competent person here,

ended up having to stay home?

The boss has his reasons.

Now that we've been chosen,

we'll have to work hard enough to make up

for everyone who didn't make the cut.

You're right. This is no time to be sulking

over havin' to wear a maid uniform.

You sure that picking us was the right call?

Would you rather I didn't?

Nah, I'm happy as hell. It's just

This mission will have a special significance

for you in particular.

That said, I know it's going to be dangerous,

so you don't have to go if you don't want to.

Y'know, for a guy as daring as you,

you sure get cautious in a hurry

when it comes to your teammates.

Well, don't you worry.

I'll make sure we get this mission done!

I owe you a huge one for findin' me in that academy.

Whatever expectations you got for me,

I plan on blowing 'em outta the water!

Wh-what in the world

You kids are incredible!

Not at all. We were just doing our jobs.

Is our work to your liking?

You'd better believe it is!

Why, you might actually be able

to hold your own against Mr. Uwe!

You honor us.

Our target's an assassin called Corpse.

According to the Foreign Intelligence

Office's investigation,

Corpse's next target is the guy who owns this mansion.

It sounds like he's back.

Our job is to pose as maids so we can protect the guy,

then beat the sh*t outta Corpse when

the b*stard tries to go in for the k*ll.

So far, everything's goin' golden!

Welcome home, sir.

Who in the blazes are you people?

These are your new maids.

I told you about them this morning, remember?

I thought you might've gone and brought

your little sisters to work or something.

They look like a bunch of wet-behind-the-ear children.

Please, take another look.

See how they all have different color hair than me?

Well, fine.

Olivia, bring it here.

Again with this, sir?

Hurry up and bring it to me already!

You're wasting time!

Two of my close politician friends recently died

under suspicious circumstances.

I've been trying to figure out

where the k*ller might be lurking

but now, you've finally shown your faces!

Hmph. So, you're just a bunch of ordinary little girls.

But remember this.

If I see you acting the slightest bit suspiciously,

I won't hesitate to sh**t.

This geezer's a nutjob.

You there, with the white hair!

Your test will be to make me dinner.

R-right away, sir.

I apologize for the wait.

I made you beef pot-au-feu with

tendon meat and organic vegetables.

I have to cook all the time as part of my training.

Whipping that up was child's-

Any maid who cooks this poorly

is a waste of space!

Something has felt off about the mansion

ever since we started working here.

The rooms are kept terribly dark, and aside from

the three of us, the only people who live here

are Mr. Uwe himself, his mother, his wife,

Olivia the head maid,

and his live-in personal secretary.

That's only five people.

And the entire place is strangely barren.

From my understanding,

houses belonging to generational members of parliament

are generally much more extravagant.

Damn, you really know your stuff.

To be honest, I actually come

from a politician's family myself.

For real?!

Even compared to the other people I met in those circles,

this mansion's owner seems exceptionally

curmudgeonly.

Given his hatred of wastefulness, he could

very well fire his entire maid staff at any time.

I wasn't expecting this.

This ain't like you.

You should be running circles around that geezer-

The truth is

when I have to talk to men besides the boss,

it gives me a stomachache.

Sorry, what?

I'm terribly sorry.

Don't sweat it.

In that case, I'll handle the old man in your stead.

Oh, Sybilla!

Don't you worry.

This is barely a speed bump.

Let's all put our skills together

and make this mission a success!

MISSION: Daughter Dearest II

Hold it, Silver!

That pillowcase is still perfectly functional!

Throwing it out would be a waste!

Yes, sir!

You too, Red!

I can't take it. You'll have to excuse me.

White, your cooking sucks!

How many times do I have to tell you to stop wasting

ingredients before it gets through to you?!

At the end of the day, our job's

to protect the damn guy, right?

Why don't we just tell him that

we're here as his bodyguards?

That's not an option.

Cunning politician or not, he's still a layman.

He's liable to accidentally leak intel to our foe.

Don't forget that Corpse may already have

gotten close to Mr. Uwe.

I know.

Sara and I are going to continue gathering intel

and providing backup from nearby.

I'm counting on you three

to handle things inside the mansion.

Are you starting to get used to things around here?

I am. Thank you for asking.

Well, I'm turning in.

Thank you for your hard work today.

I need to find some sorta blackmail material

so I can keep the old b*stard under control.

He went in for a physical?

I didn't take him for the type.

Is this

Mr. Uwe specializes in matters regarding welfare policy.

As I understand, he specializes

in exposing the rich and powerful

and advocates for improving

conditions for the impoverished.

What the hell are you doing in here?!

I-I thought it'd be educational

You're White, judging by your voice?

You shouldn't be skulking around at night like that.

Nose to the grindstone, y'know?

That's the file you were reading?

Why?

No, I won't press you on that.

There's a story I heard, back when I used

to frequent the nation's orphanages.

It must've been eight years ago.

Back then, gangs took advantage

of the postwar chaos to run rampant.

And the Cannibals were the worst of them all.

Over in the capital, they committed

every crime under the sun.

But one day, their ringleader got arrested,

and the g*ng fell apart.

Do you know how that happened?

Beats me.

The ringleader's daughter secretly tipped the police off.

It was an admirable deed.

Even after all the violent abuse she suffered,

she was still willing to turn the entire g*ng against her

just to protect her young brother and sister.

The siblings made it safely to an orphanage,

but soon after, the older girl ran off.

Why're you telling me all this?

I just remembered that the daughter

was a gallant girl with white hair.

If she's still alive, she'd be just about your age.

I'll overlook the fact you trespassed in here.

However, all three of you are fired.

But you can't!

I hired you against my better judgement

as a favor to a politician friend,

but I just can't abide the waste of it.

I want you out of here by morning!

At least tell me this!

If you hate waste so much, why not sell this huge house?

It's out in the middle of nowhere.

It's barely worth anything.

Are you sure it's not 'cause being the countryside

make it easier to spot assassins?

I can't afford to die just yet.

The nation's social services still need me.

and that's the long and short of it.

Sorry. I screwed up.

But I want you to hear me out.

There was a while there where I lived in

an orphanage with my brother and sister.

The place was dead broke,

and for some reason, that just pissed me off.

That's why I decided to become a spy.

I wanted to change the world however I could.

Uwe and I have a lot in common.

Right now, I'm on top of the world.

That punk Teach took my feelings into account.

I wanna rise to the occasion, and I wanna keep Uwe safe.

Please, I'm askin' you to lend me a hand!

It would be my pleasure.

Of course.

How are we supposed to save our jobs, though?

Are we back on the blackmail plan?

I'm gonna cook him a meal that'll blow his socks off

and make him realize what a good maid I am.

Dang, the brute-force approach!

But I like it. It's such a Sybilla plan.

Are you sure about this?

You know that's a state hospital, right?

Yeah.

I need you to send Bernard in through the vents.

I'll steal what I need while he makes a scene.

I'm code name Pandemonium -

and it's time I cleaned 'em out.

Good morning.

Didn't I fire you?

I wanted to thank you for last night before I went.

How insolent.

What do you think's gonna happen?

We did the food prep just like Sybilla asked

while we waited for her to get back.

All we can do now is trust in her.

This is vile!

It's better than last time, but it's still inedible dreck!

Yeah, figures.

What?!

These are the results from that physical you took.

Your red blood cell count is way below average.

It's a telltale symptom of vitamin deficiency.

How did you get your hands on that?!

It's giving you a taste disorder.

On some level, you probably already realized it.

After the Great w*r, you started

sacrificing everything to economize.

In particular, you went around and gave supplies

to orphanages all around the country.

You even gave 'em the food off your own plate.

So what if I did?

There's a limit to how far you can go!

Your body's not getting the nutrients it needs.

That's what gave you that taste disorder.

You said that the dish I just made

was better than the last one.

That's because I loaded it chock-full of spices.

It was the smell you were reacting to, not the flavor.

When you can't taste anything,

you start preferring food that's heavily seasoned.

At this rate, you're gonna put yourself in an early grave!

You need to hire us.

You can't possibly call that a waste anymore!

I'll make you nutritious food every day,

get you your sense of taste back,

and serve you a meal you can really enjoy!

Little girl

don't go sh**ting your mouth off

like you know everything!

Nice, that went well.

At least we managed to save two of the jobs.

Why did you volunteer to quit?

What choice did I have? I mean

This nation still has scores of people who get nothing

to eat each day but a single scrap of bread.

As someone who works in social welfare,

what kind of example would I be setting to the world

if I went and hired three new maids?

after he went and said all that, I had to at least

compromise by letting him drop one of us.

Besides, I can't even take the credit for our win.

All I did was copy you.

You didn't just modify the food to suit our tastes,

you seasoned each plate based

on our individual nutritional states.

That's what made 'em taste so damn good, right?

Sure, I got fired, but I'll bounce back.

I can swap to a supporting role and help the mission by-

Was that it?

Huh?

Was Mr. Uwe's only symptom the taste disorder

caused by his malnutrition?

What do you

Please, take another look.

See how they all have different color hair than me?

You're White, judging by your voice?

No way.

He's got nyctalopia?

Night blindness, as it's often called, is a condition

where one's vision declines dramatically in the dark.

And it's caused

by vitamin deficiencies, the same as the taste disorder.

Mr. Uwe does his own driving,

but he should probably give that a rest.

Given the circumstances, he can't possibly

think of hiring a driver as wasteful.

Welcome back, sir.

Your blasted driving is too wasteful.

Can't you steer any more gently?

Wow, rude.

I'll have you know I've got

a perfectly good driver's license.

It's fake, but I've got it.

What was that?

Oh, nothing.

C'mon, watch your step.

Get down!

Over there!

Damn you, k*ller!

We'll go after him!

What?!

You and the head maid should get inside!

Call the cops, fast!

Magnificent.

The assassin's finally made his move.

Sybilla and Lily, you two should prepare yourselves.

I've been watching the night as it pours on down

Even as it gets closer and closer

(Give it up, give it up)

If I quietly gave you my secret name

I could vanish into the dark to avoid being found

I've forgotten all about those secret tears I shed

Like my cells all got replaced

I'm a different person now

So let's frolic our way through these busy days

I kind of want to talk to you

But everyone is gone

That's not what it means

To make someone a promise

I've been watching the night as it pours on down

Even as it gets closer and closer

(Give it up, give it up)

If I quietly gave you my secret name

I could vanish into the dark to avoid being found

And when we're born again

Flying through a new night sky

We intersect again and again

Standing on level stars

And gazing straight into each other's eyes

I want to give it to you when we meet again