Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T Episode 09

Kouzaku Mitori (警策看取 (こうざくみとり) ) is the 9th episode of Toaru Kagaku no Railgun T. It was broadcast on March 27th 2020.

Kuroko finally discovered the identity of the mysterious girl from earlier. Kouzaku Mitori was enrolled in Kirigaoka Girls' Academy's middle school division, but information about her was hidden somehow. Upon further investigating in the control center of the Bank, Kouzaku was considered dead, but there are suspicious details found in her records. Moreover, rumors from a staff member caused Kuroko and the others to become more doubtful of the situation.

Mikoto and Shokuhou, who are in search of the mastermind Kihara Gensei, head to the conference room where he was supposed to make an appearance and tried to confirm his arrival at the venue. By using their abilities, they made their way inside of the conference hall and proceeded with their search. At last, the plan to capture the man-in-hiding Kihara Gensei becomes a success!

Synopsis
At the conference hall, Mikoto hijacks a Security Robot to restrain a guard assigned in the area. Then, upon taking the guard's tablet, Mikoto breaks through the facility using a Railgun shot. Misaki, who heard the blast from the other side of the facility, remarks about Mikoto's rough approach and opts for something more "elegant", using her ability to control the military personnel stationed in the area and block off any exit points.

Meanwhile, at the Judgment 177 Branch Office, Uiharu and Saten shift their investigation to liquid metal factories while Kuroko continues on searching the Bank for any records. As Saten locates a facility in District 7, Kuroko finds details on a certain Kouzaku Mitori, a middle school student of Kirigaoka Girls' Academy whose records are private. Uiharu eventually locates records about Mitori involving terrorist activity, but has doubts that the one who attacked them was the same girl. To investigate further, Kuroko and Uiharu decide to head to the Bank's control center, leaving Konori Mii to watch over Misaka Misuzu.

Saten leaves the Judgment office to look for something to kill time with. Here, she finds a spiky-haired participant of the Daihaseisai's Borrowed Item Race looking for a protective charm. She remembers having one, but the sentimental value of her charm prevents her from lending it to a stranger. However, upon seeing the boy's persistence, she changes her mind. The boy, who introduces himself as Kamijou Touma, promises to keep it safe and return the charm after the event.

To the shock of Kuroko and Uiharu, the records in the control center of the Bank reveal that Kouzaku Mitori had died from heart failure and was incinerated before any autopsy can be performed. But, the staff member in the area suggests that someone may be hiding something to warrant such a swift disposal of Mitori's remains. She tells about rumors of high-level espers or exceptional students disappearing from juvenile halls, and Academy City apparently enters deals with these people to release them in secret. Although unable to find any more information on Mitori, Kuroko concludes that someone influential may have enabled her release from the juvenile hall, and Misaka Mikoto was more likely the target of the attack.

Mikoto triggers confusion among the military personnel in the venue and slips through by dressing up as a member of the security detail for the event. She manages to reach the VIP rooms, but a guard stationed in the area informs her that evacuation plans were already in place and Kihara Gensei may have already moved to the basement. Unknown to Mikoto, the guard is already alerted to her suspicious activity. It is only through Misaki's intervention that Mikoto is allowed to deal with the guard. Misaki is then informed that Gensei has already been captured.

Saten sneaks inside the Shinohara Liquid Metal Factory, where she is surprised to find people working inside the decrepit facility. As her instinct brings her deeper into the complex, Saten stumbles upon a functional area, only to be discovered by someone. This girl warns Saten to leave the facility immediately, and the presence of a creature made out of liquid metal prompts Saten to run away. Although this girl, later identified as Xochitl, saw Saten as non-threat to their plans, the liquid metal creature continues the pursuit of the intruder and is later successful in capturing her. Xochitl later frees Saten and confronts the creature, who represents her "colleague" Kouzaku Mitori, exposing her as a traitor against her organization MEMBER after being informed by a fellow MEMBER operative that Mitori is not working for the Academy City Board of Directors. Mitori, who is hiding nearby, is aware that she does not know anything about Xochitl's combat ability and decides to fall back, warning her to leave Academy City if she wants to live longer. Xochitl is unfazed by the threat, as she is still on the hunt for someone inside the city, and proceeds to lead Saten to the exit, but not after scolding the girl for her foolhardy tendencies.

Mikoto and Misaki head to the location of the captured Kihara Gensei. However, Misaki immediately discovers that this "Gensei" is an unknown man disguised as him and Gensei is already aware of Misaki's actions against him. As Misaki brings Mikoto to a hurried car ride back to School District 2, Keitz Nokleben is informed of a breach in the facility where he is tasked to watch over Misaka 10032.

Major Events

 * Misaka Mikoto and Shokuhou Misaki break into the venue in School District 9 where Kihara Gensei was supposed to make an appearance. Both Level 5s later converge somewhere within the area.
 * Uiharu and Kuroko investigate on Kouzaku Mitori, who was suspected on the attack against them earlier. Official records say that Mitori had died some time ago, but rumors suggest otherwise.
 * Saten meets a spiky-haired boy during the Borrowed Item Race in the Daihaseisai.
 * Saten sneaks into the Shinohara Liquid Metal Factory, one known liquid metal factory in School District 7. She was discovered by a girl named Xochitl, but was allowed to leave unharmed.
 * After receiving a call from MEMBER operative Professor, Xochitl identifies Kouzaku Mitori as a traitor, working for someone else instead of the Academy City Board of Directors.
 * Misaki's hideout in School District 2 is breached.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Shokuhou Misaki
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Misaka Misuzu
 * Konori Mii (mentioned-only)
 * Kamijou Touma
 * Saten Ruiko's mother (flashback)
 * Xochitl
 * Kouzaku Mitori
 * Kihara Gensei
 * Keitz Nokleben
 * Misaka 10032

New Characters

 * Professor

Abilities

 * Electromaster (Railgun-variant) - Misaka Mikoto, Level 5
 * Mental Out - Shokuhou Misaki, Level 5
 * Liquid Shadow - Kouzaku Mitori, Level 4

New Abilities

 * Macuahuitl - Xochitl

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 9
 * School District 7
 * Judgment 177 Branch Office
 * School District 2
 * Exterior

New Locations

 * Shinohara Liquid Metal Factory

Trivia

 * This episode marks the first time magical abilities appeared in the Railgun anime.

Referbacks

 * The flashback of a young Saten receiving her good luck charm from her mother back in Railgun Episode 9 is used, when Saten ponders if she should give the charm to Touma.

Quotes

 * "I just love a good conspiracy theory." —Staff member at the Bank control center, after suggesting an alternate angle to Kouzaku Mitori's "death" in official records