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On a train heading for Tokyo, Alistair and Shirley were sitting in the same cabin, while Lelouch and C.C. were in the cabin across from them.

Alistair: I mean, the guy was freakin' stupid! Why would I trust him with the bomb!?
Shirley: I'll say! He had no idea what he was doing.
Alistair: Right? I said to him, "Set it for 10 minutes". He set it for 5.
Shirley: You were 9 years old. 9 years old, and running a simulated military situation. You facepalmed at that, didn't you?
Alistair: No, I forcefully hit my forehead on one of the pipes. Then, he tried to fix it, despite me saying not to. But, he managed to fix the time issue. By putting it to 1 minute. Then, activating the bomb.
Shilrey: (wheezing laugh) You must've been pissed.
Alistair: Well, I got our asses out of there, then proceeded to beat the ever-loving crap out of him for dozing off during bomb setup training.
Shirley: The same way you beat down Mao?
Alistair: Less fatally, actually.
Shirley: The guy was looking to be part of the Rangers, and he screwed up on setting up a bomb.
Alistair: There you have it. That's the guy Rivalz reminds me of.
Shirley: Wow.
Alistair: Welcome to my world. It's a mad world.

As Alistair and Shirley continued their conversation, Lelouch and C.C. had been listening to them talk.

Lelouch: So, that's why he hates Rivalz.
C.C.: I actually saw Alistair blast Rivalz with a double-barrel shotgun, filled with bean bag rounds, launching him to a wall.
Lelouch: (laughs) Dammit. I missed out on that, too. I wondered what that noise was. That's why he yelled "Gotcha, bitch!" at the top of his lungs.
C.C.: Anyway...
Lelouch: Right. Mao. Alistair effortlessly figured out that his Geass lets him read minds. So, how does Alistair know about Geass?
C.C.: I told him about it.
Lelouch: Makes sense. Otherwise, you wouldn't be staying in his room. You know Mao. You gave him his Geass.
C.C.: Yes. Geass manifests differently for different people.
Lelouch: Power selection is a randomizer, then.
C.C.: At full concentration, Mao can read minds up to 500 meters away, even dig deep into the subconscious and straight into memories. For guys like you, who fight with their heads, he's the worst kind of enemy to put up with.
Lelouch: God, 500 meters. He could read my mind, but not Alistair's. Why?
C.C.: That's simple. His mind has been tempered into an obsidian trap.
Lelouch: Don't you mean a steel trap?
C.C.: No, I mean obsidian. You pry it open, reach your arm in and get it clamped, you will die. It doesn't matter if it isn't a vital area, you're going to die.
Lelouch: God's sake... He even had to put up with Hawking's bullshit. How long have you known Mao?
C.C.: 11 years.
Lelouch: A predecessor, huh? What's his deal? Why is he here?
C.C.: He's here for me.
Lelouch: Some kind of obsession?
C.C.: You could say that.
Lelouch: So, are there limits to his Geass?
C.C.: He has complete mastery over it. No need for eye contact and it's limitless, he can use it however many times he wants.
Lelouch: Mastery must come with a weakness, right?
C.C.: You'd be right. He can't turn it off.
Lelouch: Ohh...! That's gotta suck. He hears voices upon voices upon voices, in his head, all the time, unless he concentrates. Wait, if he wants to get to you, why'd he screw with Shirley's head?
C.C.: For the fun of it, I guess.

Immediately, Lelouch and C.C. heard Alistair's phone ring.

Alistair: (answers phone) Hello?
Tamaki: (over phone, drunk) Hey, Alistair! Whassup?
Alistair: What the-? Are you drunk?! Why are you calling me?
Tamaki: Hey, come on, man! I need you here, at the bar I usually go to. I'm lonely, with Black Knight recruits, gettin' drunk, for no damn reason. I need help.
Alistair: (facepalms) You're drunk, and you decided to call me.
Tamaki: Yeah?
Alistair: And, you legitimately thought it was a good idea?
Tamaki: ...No.
Alistair: (sighs, removes hand from face) Look... Just stay there, I'll get you home.
Tamaki: But...
Alistair: Stay at the bar! (closes phone) God...
Lelouch: What was that about?
Alistair: A friend of mine decided to get drunk, and now I have to drag his ass home. You guys have to go on, without me, while I find the dumbass. The bar's in Mavericks territory, so everything's gonna be fine.
Shirley: You sure?
Alistair: Who do you think you're talking to?
Shirley: Fair enough.

Around 20 minutes later, Alistair finds Tamaki at someone's house, talking to a man who was unfamiliar to Alistair.

Ohgi: Just go home, Tamaki!
Tamaki: Come one, Ohgi! You can bring her along!
Ohgi: There's no one here!
Alistair: Tamaki! I told you to stay at the bar!
Tamaki: Alistair! You made it!
Ohgi: Wait, Alistair?!
Alistair: Dammit, Tamaki! Why the hell are you drunk!?
Drunk Female Voice: Hey, I know that voice!

Alistair turned around and saw Kanda, holding a bottle of alcohol in her hand.

Kanda: Alistair! Whassup!?
Alistair: Kanda?!
Tamaki: Kanda! You're drunk, too?
Kanda: Damn skippy, I'm drunk! Hey, Alistair. Want a drink? (hand Alistair bottle)
Alistair: Let me think about it. (immediately crushes bottle with left hand) No.
Kanda: Ohh. I forgot. Why the hell am I drunk, again?
Tamaki: Hey, I forgot, too.
Alistair: Kanda, you're not going back to Miharu, like that.
Kanda: Yeah. Last time I did, she lectured me to no end.
Tamaki: You can stay at my place. I've had some renovations.
Kanda: As long as we don't do something regretful, I'll live.

Tamaki and Kanda left the vicinity of Ohgi's house, together, leaving Alistair and Ohgi to themselves.

Alistair: My own speech skills surprise me.
Ohgi: So...
Alistair: (looks at Ohgi) Look, I'm sorry about Tamaki bugging you.
Ohgi: I'm used to it. So, you're Alistair, huh?
Alistair: You know my name, how?
Ohgi: Tamaki and Kallen mentioned you.
Alistair: You know Kallen, huh?
Ohgi: Yeah. She appreciates you being her friend.
Alistair: Aww.
Ohgi: And, I heard you're from America.
Alistair: That's right.
Ohgi: (sighs) God. Freaking Hawking.
Alistair: So, the Japanese know about Hawking?
Ohgi: The only people who don't probably never keep track.
Alistair: Yeah. By the way, why was Tamaki bugging you?
Ohgi: Well... Look, I found this wounded woman, and treated her wounds. The problem is...her clothes are wet, and I can't change her out of them. She unconsciously resists, too.
Alistair: So, reassure her. Tell her that you're trying to help.
Ohgi: That might work. There's also the issue about me not having women's clothing.
Alistair: Improvise. Bandage the top of her torso.
Ohgi: Old school. Why didn't I think of that? Thanks! You've been a big help!
Alistair: No prob.

As Alistair left, Ohgi entered his house and closed the door, locking it back in the process. He entered the bedroom and approached the unconscious Villetta, who was laying in his bed.

Ohgi: Reassure her.

Ohgi sat Villetta up and began to undress her, and Villetta tensed up.

Villetta: Please... I... I don't...
Ohgi: Please, listen... I just want to help. Your clothes are wet, and if I don't change you out of them, you'll get sick. I wouldn't want to do anything that would hurt you.
Villetta: You...want to help...?
Ohgi: Yes.
Villetta: (smiles) Thank you...

The next morning, Alistair was on the phone and holding a data disk in his other hand.

Alistair: Yeah, hi. I'm having a bit of trouble accessing something, but it's not downloading from the disk.
Woman: (over phone) Well, do you remember what was on the disk?
Alistair: I know what's on the disk, you don't wanna know what's on it, and I need to destroy the data, before it... Oh, wait. It's downloaded. Gotta go. Actually, wait. What are you wearing, right now?
Woman: Uh, a tube top. (pauses) Hello?
Alistair: (sternly) Get off my phone. (closes phone) Unbelievable. One of those "work at home" jobs. Dammit.
C.C.: Alistair, I need to tell you something.
Alistair: (screams, turns around) How long have you been there?
C.C.: For a while.
Alistair: Huh. (notices plush toy in C.C.'s hands, thinking, frustrated tone) Why is Motimon wearing a tiny hat?
C.C.: Anyway, you need to understand something...
Alistair: (out loud, normal tone) I really don't.
C.C.: Mao's not the person you think he is.
Alistair: (pauses) Pretty sure he has a fetish for carousels.
C.C.: As you know, Mao can read minds. I know this, because I gave him that power.
Alistair: I know. So, what next, a Geass that can turn a spirit into a Lovecraftian demon?
C.C.: Take this seriously. Mao's target is me. He's obsessed.
Alistair: Have you tried, I don't know, a mental hospital?
C.C.: I don't think that would work. Also, by "spirit," did you mean...?
Alistair: Any spirit, in general. Although, if they found Hawking, we'd be boned.
C.C.: If Hawking's spirit became a Lovecraftian demon, people would shit bricks.
Alistair: I wouldn't. I'd kill him, again.

Meanwhile, at a Britannian Knightmare hangar, Suzaku was putting on his school uniform, while talking with Cecile.

Suzaku: You need me to have a medical checkup?
Cecile: It's part of the regulations. Every Knightmare pilot has to do this.
Suzaku: Alright.
Cecile: It will be scheduled for tomorrow, after school.
Suzaku: Got it. Oh, do you know of any way that I can get to see Princess Euphemia?
Cecile: You want to meet her?
Lloyd: It's not happening. You have to be at least a Knight of Honor, to get in, not a friendship with her.
Cecile: Yes, but an earl can arrange a meeting, too.
Lloyd: What, me?
Suzaku: Wait, what?! Lloyd's an earl?!
Lloyd: Cat's out of the bag, then, huh?
Cecile: Prodigy among prodigies. He can't even separate work from play.

Back at Ashford Academy, Lelouch, Alistair and Milly were conversing with each other.

Milly: So, I heard that you destroyed a shitload of terabytes of pornography.
Alistair: It was Hawking's porn, so you should realize what was on it and how difficult it was to destroy the sources.
Milly: Wow. Hawking was a sick bastard.
Alistair: Lovecraftian, at best.
Lelouch: I saw something as bad as an Eldritch abomination, once, and tried to schedule electroconvulsive therapy. But, apparently, trying to inadvertently wipe your own memory to forget it even existed is frowned upon!
Alistair: Mad world, brother. Mad world.
Milly: By the way, Shirley's been more upbeat. Did you talk to her?
Alistair: Yeah.
Milly: You sure know how to speak.
Lelouch: Tell me about it. He destroyed an entire base that was built into a mountain, with nothing but scientific logic and words. You cannot best him.
Milly: Anyway, thanks. You really cheered her up, whatever you did.
Alistair: I'd...rather not go into details.
Lelouch: Shirley kissed him on the forehead.
Alistair: Damn you.
Milly: Hey, you deserved it, after all you've been through.