Toaru Kagaku no Railgun Episode 17

"Tsuzuri's Summer Vacation" (夏休みのつづり) is the seventeenth episode of the Toaru Kagaku no Railgun anime series. It was first broadcast on January 29th, 2010.

Synopsis
It is still summer vacation.

Tessou Tsuzuri, part of the faculty, is left with paperwork even in the middle of the vacation. To add, she is a part of Anti-Skill, and that time, after an urgent call from fellow Anti-Skill and teacher Yomikawa Aiho, she is to arrive late yet again after missing the train ride to their rendezvous point.

Aiho and Tsuzuri represent the activity of Anti-Skill and Judgment especially during vacation, since they would be less focused in studies during this short time. Their first call didn't turn out well: Tsuzuri ends up being taken hostage in one of their assignments and is needed to be saved by Aiho herself, using a riot shield to knock out the hooligan (and hitting Tsuzuri as well).

Curfew time arrives, and a worn-out Tsuzuri walks with Aiho to do their rounds before going home. They arrive at an arcade and Tsuzuri checks it out for anyone who is still out despite curfew hours nearing. She is surprised when she sees Saten, Uiharu, Kuroko, and Mikoto on one of the game machines as the last three were the ones active during the Level Upper incident. They end up conversing with each other (with the topic moving to how Tsuzuri looks worn-out) until Aiho interrupts them. Aiho soon shifts her focus to the boy playing by himself on the other side of the arcade. Uiharu and Saten identify the boy as Kounoe, one of their classmates. As soon as Aiho approaches him, he leaves through the other exit of the arcade.

That night, Aiho and Tsuzuri pamper themselves in a hot spring after the hectic day and are joined by fellow teacher Tsukuyomi Komoe. The three then dine in a street stall and drink some alcohol. A half-drunk Aiho advises Tsuzuri to make an impact in a not-so-serious way, but that advice somewhat stays in Tsuzuri's mind into the night.

The next day, their shift as Anti-Skills continue; unfortunately for Tsuzuri, it ends up with all kinds of blunders: getting lost in making directions, putting salt in the wound of a lost girl (figuratively), and ruining the perfect flow of traffic.

As yesterday, Tsuzuri feels drained after the day, and is left with rounds before curfew.

She finds herself seeing Kounoe again in the arcade and decides to reprimand him. Seeing the game Kounoe is playing (a seemingly old fighting game called Gekisho 9) makes her lose focus, but she manages to remind herself of what she is supposed to do in the end.

Komoe, Aiho, and Tsuzuri go to the hot spring and the street stall just like yesterday; the only difference is that Tsuzuri is less lively than before. The other two notice her lethargic aura and decide to cheer her up; Komoe comments that girls turn into hunters in summer while Aiho gives another piece of advice to her: to do what she likes.

The next day, Tsuzuri decides to be late at Anti-Skill due to schoolwork and calls Aiho; Aiho then allows her to go free from her duty today in exchange for finishing the schoolwork and paying the next drinking session's bill, much to Tsuzuri's shock. Later in the day, she finishes her work and heads off home alone. She sees Kounoe again and decides to share her knowledge by revealing the hidden character in Gekisho 9 and giving some advice of her own.

Tsuzuri is about to test her "touch" on the game when Komoe calls for help with a totally-drunk Aiho back home.

That night, Komoe and Tsuzuri talk about how today was. Tsuzuri confesses about how it was tedious as a teacher. Komoe, on the other hand, enjoys being a teacher despite having students who "blew the roof off her house". Tsuzuri uses that confessional to boost her morale on being an Anti-Skill.

The next day, Tsuzuri becomes more lively to the tasks ahead and starts off with a more positive aura than before.

In her rounds in Area L of Academy City, she meets Index, who is fighting with a cleaning robot that she says was the one who took away her donuts. Later on, she meets up with a fast-food restaurant crew, who needs help with Himegami Aisa who wants all of their hamburgers.

Soon, she sees a girl who needs help looking for a pendant which she dropped earlier. Tsuzuri volunteers in helping, but the girl ends up finding it herself after a small tremor occurs. The girl then leaves abruptly without even a thank you.

Late in the afternoon, Tsuzuri finds herself in the arcade again. Instead of joining Aiho and Komoe in the hot spring, she tries out Gekisho 9 alone using the secret character. Soon, she is joined by another player who uses the secret character, too. They pit with each other in the three rounds that follow, but the mystery player ends up winning 2-1. Despite losing, Tsuzuri enjoyed the moment to let off some steam, and is surprised to know that it was Kounoe who defeated her. To add, he even refers to her as "Empress Jamie", from the secret character she unlocked in the arcade.

As the night looms, Tsuzuri accompanies Kounoe home, and there, Kounoe says thanks to Tsuzuri when they reach his home. Aiho then calls her, reminding her of the alcohol she owes her and Komoe, causing Tsuzuri to rush back to them.

The next day, Aiho, Tsuzuri, Saten, Uiharu, Mikoto and Kuroko meet up at the arcade, where they discuss what happened to Kounoe, who transferred to Zassou Academy in District 10. They also discover that "zassou" translates to "weed" in English and that the company with the name "Weed" is responsible for the Gekisho 9 fighting game.

Meanwhile, Tessou continues with Aiho in their Anti-Skill duty, lively as ever.

Adapted From

 * This is an anime-original episode, thus it is not adapted from a manga volume nor a light novel volume.

Characters

 * Misaka Mikoto
 * Uiharu Kazari
 * Shirai Kuroko
 * Saten Ruiko
 * Tessou Tsuzuri
 * Yomikawa Aiho
 * Tsukuyomi Komoe

New Characters

 * Kounoe Haruki
 * Himegami Aisa
 * Index Librorum Prohibitorum
 * Haruue Erii

Locations

 * Academy City
 * School District 7

New Locations

 * Playland Gau

Trivia

 * The title of this episode is a pun on the name of the featured character, Tessou Tsuzuri. Likewise, the title of this episode can be read as "Tsuzuri (Tessou) of the Summer Vacation".
 * The appearance of Himegami Aisa is not to be confused with her first appearance in Episode 7 of Toaru Majutsu no Index because she already wears the cross necklace that protects her from her own power; note that she receives this after the Ars Magna arc. (However, Aisa's statement about being enrolled in Kirigaoka Girls' Academy and the appearance of Haruue Erii, coupled with the tremor in Erii's scene, contradict this info, as the source of the tremor is addressed on August 8, the exact day the Ars Magna arc takes place- thus, before Aisa acquires the cross necklace and is subsequently expelled from Kirigaoka Girls' Academy.)
 * The girl in the locket appears to match the girl in the episode 11 flashback scene.

Referbacks

 * Komoe mentioning having students who "blew the roof off her house" and Aisa mentioning her enrollment in Kirigaoka Girls' Academy places this episode after the John's Pen incident and before the Ars Magna incident in Toaru Majutsu no Index.

Unanswered Questions

 * Why did Tessou Tsuzuri become lively after hearing that Kounoe transferred?

Quotes

 * "Their taste [of hamburgers] is unforgettable. So I want them all." -- Himegami Aisa, to Tessou Tsuzuri
 * "No way... kids don't say that anymore?" -- Tessou Tsuzuri, when she realizes the girl who lost her locket no longer uses the term 'locket' and uses 'pendant (with a picture)' instead.