Episode 21 - Voices
Therestina and her Multi-Active Rescue team secure the scene of the earthquake. Kuroko asks Therestina about Konori's theory that AIM field tampering is behind the incidents. Therestina confirms it, but says that's a problem for MAR and Anti-Skill to deal with. Saten and Uiharu leave with Haruue, who is being taken to the hospital to be treated for shock; in the meantime, Mikoto and Kuroko return to their dormitory to avoid getting caught out past curfew.
Back in their room, they discuss what they know about AIM field tampering. Mikoto immediately thinks of Level Upper, since Kiyama was doing something similar. Kuroko points out that Kiyama is in prison, and adds that only an esper could affect AIM fields like this. Somewhat reluctantly, she asks Mikoto what she thought of Haruue's odd behaviour before and during the incident.
The next day, Saten visits the Judgement office but is surprised to find that Uiharu is not there — she's taken Haruue to a nature park to help her recuperate. Kuroko and Mikoto, meanwhile, covertly look up Haruue's information in the ability bank. It says her ability is telepathy; Mikoto is relieved to see that she's only Level 2, which is too weak to cause the Poltergeist incidents. However, Kuroko finds a footnote which says that Haruue has shown the capacity for higher-level abilities under rare circumstances.
At the nature park, Haruue tells Uiharu that she's sick of being a passive and helpless type of person. She reveals that, years ago, she had a best friend who disappeared. She's been desperately hoping to meet her friend again, and says it's time she started looking for her proactively. As Uiharu says that she'll help, Haruue's suddenly expression turns distant, and once again she starts whispering "where are you? Why are you in pain?" A moment later, a Poltergeist incident erupts right on top of them.
Therestina's MAR team arrives and restores order, but dozens of people have been injured. Kuroko, Mikoto and Saten arrive at the emergency treatment center where they find Uiharu; she tells them Haruue has passed out. Kuroko starts asking if Haruue was behaving oddly before the incident, but Uiharu gets angry when she realizes what Kuroko is suggesting.
Therestina, hearing them argue, comes up and says that a Level 2 esper like Haruue couldn't possibly be causing these incidents. To be certain, however, she suggests they have Haruue checked out, and has her transferred to a MAR medical laboratory. After putting her through various tests, they conclude that she isn't powerful enough to be behind the AIM field tampering. Kuroko mentions the footnote from Haruue's file, angering Uiharu again, but Therestina says Haruue's telepathy is a passive form that can only receive signals, not send them.
Meanwhile, Kongou is being held for examination at the same MAR facility, since having a Poltergeist incident occur around a Level 4 esper is cause for concern. While talking to some doctors, she glimpses Mikoto and the others passing by her room, although they don't notice her.
The four girls and Therestina visit Haruue as she regains consciousness. She doesn't remember the Poltergeist incident, but says that she heard her long-lost friend's voice inside her head. She reveals that recently she's been hearing her friend crying out to her telepathically from time to time. Noticing that Haruue keeps looking at her locket, Uiharu asks if there's something important inside. Haruue opens it and shows them a picture of her missing friend as a young child. When she sees the photo, Mikoto realizes to her shock that she's seen this girl before. Her name is Banri Edasaki — and she was one of the Child Errors in Harumi Kiyama's experiment...
Tropes
- Call-Back: Mikoto brings up Level Upper, and remembers Kiyama's vow to keep doing whatever it took to rescue her students.
- Chekhov's Gun: Several:
- The fact that Haruue's ability level can spike to abnormally high levels under certain circumstances turns out to be a Red Herring as far as the Poltergeisting is concerned... but it will become significant later for different reasons.
- Kongou is being kept for examination at the MAR laboratory, which will also be important later.
- Therestina assumes Saten is an esper like the others; Saten is interrupted before she can correct the misconception. This, too, will have future ramifications.
- Red Herring: It turns out Haruue is not the one causing the Poltergeisting, in spite of appearances.
- Took a Level in Jerkass: Both Kuroko and Uiharu are guilty of this.
- Kuroko's concerns about Haruue are valid to a point, but she is incredibly tactless in the way she brings them up, especially around Uiharu. She also immediately suspects the worst possible explanation for Haruue's behaviour note , rather than any number of more innocent ones note . She also doesn't apologize even once Haruue is cleared of suspicion.
- Uiharu, meanwhile, is understandably offended by Kuroko's clumsily-voiced suspicions, especially given that Haruue is vulnerable and in need of support. However, she refuses to even listen to Kuroko's concerns and all but accuses her of wanting to arrest Haruue on the spot. She subsequently spends the rest of this episode (and the next one) sulking and giving Kuroko the cold shoulder.
- Wham Shot: The photo of Haruue's missing friend is Edasaki, the little girl from Kiyama's memories.
