Yuuya had been waiting for Monday ever since he watched both episodes of Code Geass. During the rest of the week, he rewatched both episodes twice and realized there were so many details he'd missed the first time, mostly because he'd been too excited to see how everything played out.
This time, he decided to take it slow. He arrived home just in time; after freshening up, Code Geass Episode 3 had just premiered.
He started the video.
As the opening began, he couldn't help getting excited, vibing along with it.
"Cool… no need to get excited," Yuuya muttered to himself. "I can listen to the opening another time. Focus."
As the opening ended, the scene began with Britannian soldiers evacuating civilians from the ghetto, and in the mix, the terrorist group was also withdrawing. Then the camera shifted inside the royal ship, where Lelouch had pointed a gun at Prince Clovis.
Yuuya had been waiting for this scene, curious how it would unfold.
Clovis said, "I… I'm glad, Lelouch. I heard you'd died during the capture of Japan. What good news that you're back! Why don't you return to the homeland with me?"
Lelouch replied, "So you can use me as a tool for diplomacy again? It seems you've forgotten why we were used as tools in the first place. It was because my mother was killed."
A flashback of his mother's death appeared.
Yuuya leaned forward. "Interesting. So his mother was killed, and that scene—maybe his sister was with her. But she looks alive in that scene. How does the wound on his mother look so deep, yet she is still alive? Is that an animation mistake or foreshadowing? And who killed her? Clovis doesn't seem like he'd have the brains for that. And I don't think someone from outside could just sneak into the royal palace to kill one of the emperor's wives, especially without going after his son or someone more important. It must've been someone inside the palace. Maybe someone who didn't like that she was a commoner."
Lelouch shouted, "You people may have told everyone it was an act of terrorism, but I know you're the ones who killed my mother!"
Clovis protested fearfully, insisting it wasn't him. Yuuya agreed silently; he didn't seem like someone capable of that, someone who'd lost to a few terrorists.
Then Lelouch used his power to extract information about who killed his mother.
Clovis said, "Schneizel, the second prince, and Cornelia, the second princess—they know."
Lelouch answered coldly, "So you know only that."
As the power wore off, Clovis begged, "I swear it wasn't me! I swear!"
Lelouch pointed the gun. "You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty."
The scene cut to the school.
Yuuya murmured, "So he killed his half-brother. Does he have compassion for the Eleven people, or is this just revenge for what Britannia did to him—and maybe to save his sister, if she's still alive? What about changing the world, though? He said he wanted peace. If he'd let Clovis live, he was easy to control; he could've done more with him alive."
Lelouch appeared in the student council room. They were discussing the budget for club activities. After that, as they left for class, many students were watching the news about the incident in Shinjuku. The report said the terrorists had released poison gas.
Lelouch frowned. "That's strange. Why would they cover it up?"
Yuuya scratched his head. "Why wouldn't they cover it up? Am I too dumb to understand what Lelouch is implying here?"
When he saw the news, Lelouch remembered shooting Clovis. He covered his mouth and rushed to the washroom to vomit.
Yuuya thought aloud, "So did he feel bad about killing Clovis? Or is it just because it was his first time killing someone?"
Lelouch then pondered why they'd hidden Clovis's death, reasoning it must be to prevent chaos in Area 11 until someone else took his place.
Meanwhile, in a car, Lord Jeremiah and the woman Lelouch had used his power on were speaking.
The woman said, "Now that Prince Clovis has died, we purebloods—"
Jeremiah cut her off. "Let me make that call."
Yuuya nodded. "So they're hiding the news from the public to take his position."
The scene shifted again. Lelouch entered the classroom and saw the girl from Shinjuku, the one piloting the Knightmare Frame.
Yuuya leaned closer. "So is she Japanese? But she can't be. She's at an elite school, and I assume most students here are Britannian. Hmm, I don't know."
Lelouch stared at her. Rolo came up and asked, "Hey, what are you looking at? Do you have a crush on her?"
Lelouch replied, "No. It's just rare; she hasn't been in class since the term started."
rivalz explained, "Kallen Stadtfeld. She's been sick. She didn't attend much last year either, but her grades are top of the class. She's the daughter of the Stadtfeld family—wealthy, with a gentle reputation."
During break, Lelouch approached Kallen and used his power on her.
"Were you the pilot of that Glasgow in Shinjuku yesterday?" he asked.
She replied, "Yes."
"Why terrorism?"
"Because I'm Japanese—though technically, half Britannian."
As the power ended, she looked confused. "Do you want something from me?"
Lelouch said, "No," and walked away. Then he turned back slightly. "Just to be sure, don't say anything about what happened in Shinjuku."
He tried to use his power again, but it didn't work.
Yuuya observed, "So he can only use it once per person, and it has to be through eye contact. Why not use it to give permanent commands? Or maybe it has a time limit. And now, since he mentioned Shinjuku again, it'll definitely make Kallen suspicious."
The scene shifted to Lelouch's house, where a maid and a girl in a wheelchair were folding origami.
When Lelouch entered, he said, "Sorry I'm late."
The girl smiled. "Welcome home, big brother."
Yuuya tilted his head. "So she's blind and crippled. But in the flashback, her eyes were open. Maybe her leg injury came from the attack, but why did she lose her sight? Could it be from the shock of seeing her mother get killed? But with the kind of technology they have in this world, shouldn't they be able to heal her eyes?"
Lelouch and Nunnally chatted and ate dinner.
The next day, Lelouch stood near a river where his professor usually passed by to reach school. He used his power to ask for the test questions, and the professor answered immediately. Lelouch then tried again, but the power didn't work, confirming it could only be used once per person.
Meanwhile, the general who had overseen the poison gas project tried to flee, but Jeremiah and his team intercepted and captured them using their Knightmares.
Later, Lelouch invited Kallen to the student council building for a chat. From their earlier conversation, Kallen suspected he might be the one she'd heard on the radio.
Just before they could talk, Shirley, the student council president, and rivalz entered with food and drinks. The president announced they were celebrating their new member, Kallen. Her grandfather had invited her to join the club so she could take part in its activities.
While Rivalz and Shirley struggled to open the champagne, he accidentally tossed it toward Lelouch. The liquid splashed onto Kallen, and the scene cut to her showering in one of the rooms. Lelouch went to get her some extra clothes.
He was about to leave, Kallen called out, "Hey, can you hand me the pouch over there?"
Lelouch picked it up and gave it to her, but she grabbed his hand. Inside the pouch was a small knife, which she pointed toward his wrist.
"Why did you bring up Shinjuku? Why did you mention it?" she demanded.
Lelouch answered calmly, "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with Shinjuku?"
As she kept questioning, the phone rang.
"If you don't pick up, someone will come," Lelouch said, lifting the receiver. "Hello, this is Ashford Academy student council, no, I'm—oh."
Kallen pressed the knife harder. Lelouch handed her the phone. "It's for you. He says you'll know who it is once you talk."
She hesitated, then took it. "Hello?"
A voice on the other end said, "I'm glad you're alive and well, Q-1."
It was the same voice she'd heard on the radio. She looked at Lelouch, uncertain. Was I wrong?
The voice told her a time and place to meet the next day.
Yuuya muttered, "That sounded like Lelouch, but he's right here. How did that voice come through?" He came up with several theories but wasn't sure which was right.
As Lelouch returned to his room, the maid still under his power was recording something.
Yuuya nodded. "Right, I didn't notice that before. He just gave her an order, and he didn't respond to her question."
After Kallen finished her shower, Lelouch and the others gathered downstairs. Everyone was watching the news.
On TV, Prince Jeremiah said, "Prince Clovis has died. He was killed." He gave a speech meant to inspire, while the broadcaster added, "We've just received new information: the suspect who killed Prince Clovis has been captured. Private Suzaku Kururugi, former Eleven and honorary Britannian."
The episode ended.
Yuuya leaned back. "That's clever. They're trying to remove the system that lets Elevens become honorary citizens, and with this, they can abolish it completely. It's really getting interesting. So many characters moving at once, and the political part is fascinating. This is exactly what I expected from Muzishiro's story."
He clicked on the next episode.
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