Credit where it’s due. Shoushimin Series has had one of the bigger seasonal level-ups I’ve seen in anime for a while. More impressively, the two arcs with which it’s accomplished it could hardly be more different. That both have worked so well may be surprising after the first season, but on the other hand maybe it’s just a case of cream rising to the top. This is the guy who wrote Hyouka after all, and I said when that was airing that the gap between its best and worst episodes (and arcs) was unusually wide.

This episode in particular was probably the series high point in a couple of respects. Tension – like, actual tension – was there in abundance. A genuine sense of risk. And we got what as far as I can remember is the only bit of emotional openness we’ve seen. At least from the main characters. It’s funny that Osanai mocked (though unintentionally) Kobato’s middle-school flyer plan as “straightforward” when, in fact, this was arguably the most straightforward episode yet. I certainly don’t need to see that all the time – that’s not what Shoushimin Series is. But because it’s such a unicorn, it came off in very striking fashion.

Most of the juice hasn’t really come from the mysteries themselves, either in the firestarter arc or this one. They’re fine, but the character interactions are where the show has gotten much more interesting (like Hyouka). Back in middle school, the result of said flyer scheme is a possible identity of the girl with Hisaka – “Eiko from Health”. As in the health division (pre-med) at the high school whose uniform she was wearing. The two girls acting as go-betweens report that Eiko denied being involved but that’s meaningless, obviously. The full name of that girl is Hisaka Eiko, and that makes her Shoutarou’s older sister.

I speculated last week that the nurse could be the that girl and Hisaka’s sister, but noted that she seemed too old. Guess not, since that’s exactly how it turned out (again, no coincidences). In that same timeline the two supposed geniuses gets pantsed by the konbini daughter, who immediately figures out the car mystery as soon as Yuki tells her why the cops wanted to see the video – the driver ditched it in the river (both times). Chibi-Jougorou also gets a visit from a man claiming to be Shoutarou’s father but isn’t, basically telling him to back off or else.

In the present both Yuki and Jougorou have figured out nursie is drugging him. Her with the help of the bug (replacing a recorder) hidden in the false bottom of the chocolate box(es). He finally takes the hint about the water and is awake when she visits. and that’s when we get that genuine moment. Yuki actually thanks Jougorou for saving her life, and implicitly expresses regret over the way she’s treated him. They go for a roll, he confirms his suspicions about the nurse, and she (Eiko) is there waiting for them when they get back. And what follows is the edgiest and most suspenseful scene of the entire run so far.

So Eiko was the driver this time, she did hit him on purpose, and Yuki’s presence – like Fujidera’s the first time – was coincidental. What we still don’t know is why she felt the need to do that, why she was motivated enough to drug him and plan to Gillooly him, and why the Hisaka siblings were intent on covering up the truth of the first incident. I think the whole business of Eiko getting away with what she did at the hospital is pretty far-fetched but meh, it’s fine – it comes in the service of a good yarn (and this season certainly qualifies).