SAT ( ＳＡＴの男 / ＳＡＴのおとこ / ＳＡＴ no otoko / Man of SAT ) is the third chapter of the Elfen Lied manga series.
Plot
Kouta refuses to believe that Nyu, is the serial killer that the police detectives had described. They quickly retract their story of a mass murderer being on the loose and instead say the girl in question is just a mission person. They tell Kouta to contact them if he sees her, then withdraw amidst a minor argument between them.
Aboard a transport helicopter, the SAT members receive instructions on stopping Lucy as Bando roars with laughter at the chance to put his lethal skills to use, proclaiming it a waste of their elite training and the money that supports it not to. As the mission commander glares at him, Bando threatens the lives of his fellow members if they should kill the target first.
Cold, sad, and alone, Nyu draws stares from other people as she walks through the rainstorm back to the beach in where they found her. Back at the Maple House, a now severely confused Kouta resolves to go outside and help Yuka find Nyu.
The SAT transport copter arrives in Kamakura, with the mission commander laying down the terms and priorities of their pursuit. They may kill the target without checking in, but they must avoid hurting or killing other civilians, and also stay out of the two-meter reach of what he describes as a powerful, unconventional weapon. Defying his commander, Bando swaps search locations with another officer.
Nyu kneels down on the beach to scavenge for seashells but is still upset from being yelled at by Kouta. Meanwhile, Kouta finds and joins Yuka to continue his search for her.
"Let's hurry home before the plot escalates."
Bando is questioned by his junior partner, Satou, as to why he chose the beach as his target location. He merely cites choosing Lucy's first known landing area, then stops and smiles as he spots something.
Kouta and Yuka find Nyu collapsed from exhaustion on the cold seashore, wondering why she ever came out there, especially during a rainstorm. They spot the seashells she was gathering and how dirty her fingers were from digging in the sand, and Kouta realizes that she came there to replace the shell Kanae gave him when they were children, which Nyu snapped in half earlier. Gently chastising her for the risk she took with her health, he helps her up and promises a meal when they get home, only to be bear-hugged by her. Yuka winces at their embrace but promises that she will cook a welcome meal for the both of them to celebrate them finding Nyu unharmed. However, she is struck from behind, instantly falling unconscious, by Bando, who's elated and laughing out loud at finding his target.
See Also: Amnesia in Elfen Lied
Trivia
- The high degree of cooperation and connection between the Diclonius Research Institute, different levels of the Japanese government and the Kamakura police department is shown here for the first time when they deliberately fudge the story they tell Kouta. Shortly after this, one policeman comments that one of the guards killed by Lucy happened to be a friend of his, indicating the island facility's staff may draw from the local police/government as well.
- The chapter cover image is of Nyu in the clothes Yuka provided her with upon getting her home last chapter.
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