Crack theories

[Cloelia]

I got a super crack theory. I said before that I would just keep posting whatever comes in my mind and don't care if it sounds stupid and so on, but, this is really cracky, so feel free to ignore this crap.

What's this theory about? Well, out of nowhere I suddenly had this doubt: what if everything that happens from chapter 93 to chapter 95 could actually be part of an -ingenious- Yukio's plan?

Now, here are some basics I kept in mind:

-Yukio's battle against Todo.
-Yukio using the nutrient bullets trick twice. ("Can't you do anything else?" (Rin))
-Yukio's infamous ability to fake emotions to his advantage/convenience.
-Yukio's plan to trick Hachirotaro into shifting Shura's regenerative ability/demon sword contract to him.
-Kato-sama is an unpredictable betch and a sucker for plot twists.

(click to show/hide)

As I said, it's a theory that spans from chapter 93 to chapter 95. It all starts from this panel:



Yukio's -determined- look (that's how I want to call it and I'll explain why). Let's start from here. What happens in chapter 93? Yukio hits rock bottom. No matter what he did or how much he achieved during his (exorcist) life, he thinks to himself: "I was weak (when I was a kid) and I couldn't get any stronger"=I was weak and I'm -still- weak=everything I done up to this day was useless=I'm tired of struggling=I give up=I want to die.

He's lost all his will to keep pursuing his biggest (and the fact that he would wish to kill himself 'cause of his "failure" prolly proves that this was also his -only-) objective in life: become stronger (than Rin). He points his gun at his head and pulls the trigger, only to have Satan burn the bullet, call him a "weakling" and a "fool".

Now, back to Yukio's close-up panel. I stared at it for a while and asked to myself: considering who's Yukio, that glare: does it really look like it's coming from someone who's thinking to himself "Okay, so I can't die. What I'm gonna do now? Oh, I got it. Let's make a (foolish) last stand and go ask Mephisto for infos I know 100% he will never agree to give me. After all the times I declared I'd never accept anyone's help and I'd never go ask anyone for advice, am I going to start now 'cause I'm -that- desperate?" or "Okay, so I finally discovered who's in my eyes. And from what Satan said, it looks like he needs me for something. Oh, hi there Shima. That's right, the Illuminati are after me too. Now, I have all these infos. Let's come up with a way to use them at my advantage. Sheesh, Satan's right... I really am a fool. I may be weak but I'm smarter than this. Let's put together a plan."

Now, the thing which bothers me: we can safely state that Yukio tried to shoot himself at around 7:12/13 am. Next time we see him, it's around 11:30 am. First of all, I found it weird that Kato-sama suddenly started showing us at -which- time -what- happens. Maybe there's a reason behind this?

So, on to an analysis of chapter 94. We're shown only one panel about what happens after Shima shows up in front of Yukio (Yukio "taking" Shima down). But, that technically happened at around 7:30, right? And Shima is calling Mephisto to warn him right after the press conference's started. Isn't it weird he waited for 3 hours before making that call? Were both his arms so weakened by Yukio's grip that it took him 3 hours to recover a bit of mobility? And there're also two other weird things to consider. Before Mephisto hang the call up Shima was about to add something else. AND let's not forget Lightning got some plan of his too. At the beginning of chapter 94, he weirdly states "I hope nothing -unexpected- happens." while facing away. Also, the fact alone he'd brought up the barrier matter in -that- moment out of all looks... um...

What am I getting at? I have the feeling Shima, Lightning and Yukio may have a connection of some sort.

Back to the press conference. Mephisto turns to find Yukio there. Yukio starts questioning Mephisto about what he knows. About his eyes, and so on. And, the eyes are conveniently Satan-shaped to help him make his point clearer. Mephisto eventually refuses to answer and proceeds to provoke him right after Shima warned him that Yukio was about to break. Like, so he's about to break? Let's give him a final boost.

Next step: Mephisto begins to talk and Yukio is at his side. I'm assuming -Mephisto- absolutely knew that Yukio would've tried to shoot him at this point AND that he was gonna do it right there, in the middle of a press conference on a live broadcast. Here I'm assuming this was -still- all part of Mephisto's plan. He needed a reason to compromise Yukio and get him confined without looking like he (Mephisto) was the one behind it. As for the objective of his plan... well, whatever Mephisto could gain from that.

But, here's where Mephisto's plan fails. Tell me what you want, but a coincidence as big as someone randomly shooting Mephisto from the audience 1 nano sec before Yukio pulls the trigger is, imo, too "stupid" a clichè for Kato-sama's skills. So, what I think is this: it's -actually- all Yukio's plan.

One step at a time: Mephisto wasn't randomly provoking Yukio. He totally expected him to shoot him. But, he didn't want to lose his body -yet-. So what I think Mephisto was planning is: "The moment Yukio will shoot me (from the side) I'll use my time/space skills to reduce the damage/camouflage the shoot which will come from -that- side." Something like putting on a barrier to his right temple to decelerate the bullet speed and reduce the -strength- of the impact. In other words, he was planning to take the shot but not to let it damage his body in a compromising way.

But, surprise surprise, the shot came from the front side. Something he totally -didn't- expect. So, the damage was higher 'cause he wasn't ready to protect himself from that side. And this would explain the surprised look on his face. But Yukio looks surprised too, nah? And here's where I'm gonna connect this episode to three of the facts I listed at the beginning of the post:

-Yukio's battle against Todo.
-Yukio using the nutrient bullets trick twice. ("Can't you do anything else?" (Rin))
-Yukio's infamous ability to fake emotions to his advantage/convenience.

Now, a lil step back: during the fight against Todo, before the BEI. Here's what happens: the pattern is similar. Todo provokes Yukio. Yukio "lures" him into believing that he's falling into his trap (it's arguable that Yukio is prolly only -half- faking his emotions during this part, I know). Todo even comments "You're not hitting anymore. Your heart speaks the truth." 'cause he -really- believes Yukio's NOT missing him on purpose. Yukio successfully tricks Todo into believing this. But, Yukio was -not- randomly shooting, he was setting up a magic circle. And once all's ready, he smirks at Todo. I also noticed these two panels:



In this case, we're never given by Kato-sama any hint about Yukio's plan. We're tricked into believing what Todo believes too until the plan is complete. 'Cause that's Kato-sama's choice. And that's another reason why I think she may be avoiding to put any panel that could hint to a possible Yukio's secret plan on purpose. Like she did back in that chapter.

The second fact is: as Rin pointed out, Yukio used the nutrient bullet trick twice. It made me wonder: so is it possible that Yukio's recycling the same pattern of actions again to trick Mephisto? It worked quite well against one hella good mindfu*ker (namely Todo), so he may have thought it was a good plan to use against Mephisto as well.

Now, back to chapter 94. Who's the shooter than? I'm guessing someone like an ally Yukio assigned the task to shoot Mephisto. As I said, we got 3 hours from the moment Yukio tried to shoot himself and the press conference began. So, that's quite a long time to organize a plan.

If so far I'm right, than this could explain Mephisto's words: "You never know what humans will do, that's why they're so interesting." while he's staring at Yukio. Mephisto can't be talking about the shooter. He's talking about Yukio. By this time, Mephisto saw through Yukio's plan and he's "complimenting" how smart it was of him to think/execute this plan to trick him.

But the plan is not over yet. And now I think it's a good time to talk about something else. Okay, if Yukio really got a plan: what is he aiming at?

Oc, his undying wish: he wants to become stronger. And here's where I'm gonna connect another fact:

-Yukio's plan to trick Hachirotaro into shifting Shura's regenerative ability/demon sword contract to him.

Let's take a few steps back. As I said, Yukio may have thought to himself after hearing Satan's words: "It looks like he needs me for something, that's why he's keeping me alive." I can think of Yukio using this to his advantage. And I can picture Yukio making some sort of "pact" with Satan to get (in exchange) something from him: I guess, power. But, it's a pact (and Yukio's darn good at making those too) so Satan has to gain something from it too. Okay, so what could Satan possibly want?

In chapter 1 Satan makes it quite clear: "Assiah will be mine!" "I need -you- (Rin) in order to lay claim to this world!". So, basically, he plans to do something to "conquer" Assiah AND Rin is needed in his plan. Plus, he may need a body capable to sustain being possessed by him for a very long time.

Yeah, he got the Illuminati working on that too. But I believe, somehow, Yukio wants to help Satan -his own way- (he's still stubborn and he already claimed "the Order and the Illuminati are both bad" which in my mind sounded like "You two are the same. So I'm not gonna side with any of you."). So now it's Yukio AND Satan working together.

Does Yukio really want to help Satan annihilate Assiah? I think not. But he may want to trick Satan into believing that (and I think Yukio's aware he's gonna 'cause casualties, but) so he'll play along with Satan's plan for a while. And here's where Rin comes into play.

And here's where I start analysing chapter 95. Back to Yukio's plan: I'm sure the choice to have the shooting happen during the live broadcast was calculated. Yukio knew he was gonna be arrested if he was seen holding the gun. But he knew that Shura would've obviously tried to defend him. And here's where it gets tricky. If Yukio was proved innocent in a question of hours, he would've been released and... case closed. But, Yukio plans to "help" Satan and if Satan somehow needs Rin "to lay claim on Assiah" than, he gotta think of a way to get to him. I'm gonna be honest, this next part is not as easy to explain and I'm not quite sure about it myself. It looks too (way too) far-fetched, I know, but I got something like a reason for this and I'll tell you in the end.

So, let's say Yukio needs a plan to lure Rin. One that will force him to even leave the Order with no chance to get back. And, technically, if Rin's gonna complete his "Yukio's rescue" quest, there'll surely be no coming back for him. His "betrayal" will result into experiments, or even the infamous execution. Maybe that's the point where Yukio's trying to get Rin to. Let's skip this for now.

Yukio planned for the shooting to be broadcasted. He knew Rin would see it/been informed about it. And he knew that Rin would've come to rescue him. But, as I said above, if Yukio was proved innocent, he would've been freed in a question of hours. Nothing biggy. And... that's why Yukio needed a more effective plan. Why not showcase his Satan-shaped eyes and have him confined 'cause of them? Again, the eyes -conveniently- change shape at quite the right time.

Anyway, why do Yukio's eyes -apparently- randomly change shape? I thought of this: what if Yukio asked Satan to do so/they can somehow communicate, like, telepathically now and Satan takes over Yukio's eyes at "command"?

This aside, screw the shooter matter, Yukio can't escape from this. Shura tells Rin about Yukio and... in the last panel of chapter 95 we get Yukio's "I was expecting you to show up" look. Which I'm gonna translate into "I was waiting for you to show up." 'Cause, really, Yukio knew Rin would do it. And that's why I think he set him up on purpose.

So, after all this nonsense, I'm gonna even place a short prediction based on this crappy theory: Kato-sama loves plot twists. We're all expecting Yukio to stay silent, to yell at Rin, Rin to yell at him... but I think we're all expecting Yukio to NOT follow Rin out of that room. Believe it or not, I have a feeling that if there's some big plan behind these last 2 chapters and will be revealed only later, for the next few pages we'll get some unpredictable event, like: Yukio quietly accepting Rin's help and actually letting him rescue him. I think it'd fit Kato-sama's style. We'd be left like: for real?! But the truth will be revealed only later. Maybe even by the end of chapter 96. And I think that would be quite one hella cliffhanger...

One last thing, about Satan's plan and Yukio needing to hand Rin to Satan for something. Why would Yukio trick Mephisto and have him actually shot? We know that Yukio knows about the Artificial Gehenna Gate. In chapter 42, Shura hands him a report with a pic of the Gate. I'm not sure (but I guess yes) if Yukio knows about the barrier that Mephisto put around it too. So, the moment Yukio aimed his gun at Mephisto I'm guessing he knew that by weakening him, the barrier would've collapsed. So the answer is: Satan -can prolly- come out of THAT Gate and "walk" into Assiah (even if not in "physical" form). Something like in the anime, I guess. So he needed for the Gate to open and the barrier was a problem.

AND Satan needs Rin. The only thing I could think of is making a connection to the anime again. Grandpa Egin states that he could "save" Rin by having him lose his demonic powers by destroying Gehenna. So Yukio, at first, tolerates him (Grandpa Egin) using Rin as a "sacrifice" to open the Gate. He than can't stand watching Rin "suffer" anymore and offers to take his place. But, at first, he was somehow accepting to let Rin be used for the sake of the plan.

To make things even more complicated, Yukio (in the manga) could even be faking to be using Rin as a "sacrifice" to offer to Satan but will reveal it was just a trick. Like, when he tricked Hachirotaro into thinking he actually shot Rin with real bullets. Why? Really, 'cause I hope, deep inside, that Yukio somehow still cares for Rin. I hope...

To make a last connection with the anime. Grandpa Egin gave Yukio the role of Paladin. That's also why I think Satan may offer Yukio "power" in exchange of his help. But, Yukio, in the end, will never be actually planning to get help from Satan. He will just be using him for the sake of some bigger and more complex plan and... that's quite all. I'm done! Sorry for this long ass post again. I thought all this at 3 am last night so... I guess I better sleep at that time next night.

[tandem]

That's surely crack. What I get is the idea that the past two chapters are actually a trap for Rin. Although we've been expecting Yukio eventually turn against Rin for a while, but certainly not to that level.

But what is Shima or Lightning's role in this theory? I thought you were going to include them?

[Cloelia]

^ Let's say it's -crap-, lol

As I said, Rin part's sorta just a scratch. I had more ideas about Mephisto's shooting part.

About Shima and Lightning I had something in mind too. But I couldn't find a way to put the pieces together so I didn't include that part. It was something along the lines of: Shima got asked by Lightning to suggest Yukio a plan (related to Mephisto's shooting), so Lightning's acting like a source of infos for Yukio and Shima is the "mediator". But, that would've meant Yukio was -accepting- help from Lightning. And I said Yukio's still too stubborn to accept help (even from Satan) so I cut that part off.

[HorseTechie]

^ Haah... no, this idea doesn't sound too far fetched. I couldn't quite place a finger on it until you spelled out an important detail that it looked like too much time had passed between when Shima witnessed Yukio shooting himself, and then calling Mephisto that Yukio is "going to break". 

Because the sudden way Yukio went from feeling terribly sorry for himself, to going after Memphisto with a renewed sense of anger was very curious.  What was his real motive?

And then we were left hanging in not knowing what Lightening had asked Shima help him do..... 

Something is going on, and I do agree Yukio is up to no good. The question is if it is for Satan... because.. I wondrt why would Yukio WANT to help Satan now (after so much appearing to be against him earlier on in this series). 

[SimpleBliss]

You're right, it IS suspicious that the time stamps are being shown now. Is it to illustrate the large gaps, for better flashbacks? Or...

What if...

In the anime, when Satan began talking to Yukio, he told Yukio everything. Then, in a fit of anger, Yukio confronted Egin.

What if this is the same here?

What if, between knocking Shima unconscious and confronting Mephisto, Satan spoke to Yukio?

After all, Satan DID talk to Yukio a little, when he called him a fool. Why wouldn't he say anything else? I think that Satan must have said something provocative, causing Yukio to angrily confront Mephisto again. What he said, I don't know...maybe this is the start of that demonic rage I talked about. After all, he s got the "demonic" part down. Satan just has to keep sparking the rage. He's a provocative voice. He must have some effect on Yukio. I don't think Satan is the silent type, anyways (truthfully, he just can't stand awkward silences).

(Shima didn't call Mephisto sooner because he was unconscious, by the way)

[HorseTechie]

(Shima didn't call Mephisto sooner because he was unconscious, by the way)

Hai, that was my first thought too.... but that kind of seemed like a long time though. (And without another random passerby not noticing him there?) *tsk*

[earthforge]

After all, Satan DID talk to Yukio a little, when he called him a fool. Why wouldn't he say anything else? I think that Satan must have said something provocative, causing Yukio to angrily confront Mephisto again. What he said, I don't know...maybe this is the start of that demonic rage I talked about. After all, he s got the "demonic" part down. Satan just has to keep sparking the rage. He's a provocative voice. He must have some effect on Yukio. I don't think Satan is the silent type, anyways (truthfully, he just can't stand awkward silences).

Maybe Yukio unconsciously locks out Satan's voice? He started to hear it when he was at his lowest, but stopped hearing it after the suicide attempt. It reminds me of how his eyes used to change back when the life-threatening circumstance ended, but now they are spontaneously activating/deactivating. The biggest difference between then and now is that Yukio clearly no longer fears being seen with the eyes active. So if this is the case, then Yukio's self-denial is both the shield from Satan's influence and the reason why Yukio couldn't learn anything from the suicidal training.

[WhiteFang]

I think a super crack theory at this point, given the whole situation with the time-stamps, would be that Yukio is actually using the insanity as a facade, *let* himself be caught on purpose, and eventually plans to defect as well (to the Illuminati) to meet this sort of ultimate end of not only exorcising himself of Satan, but wrecking the Illuminati from the inside in the process (dying as a martyr himself). I just wouldn't put it past his demented ego and clever dick self, is all I'm sayin'. And it would be quite the twist, though perhaps a bit too similar with the whole act he put up with Shura. Then again, the whole atmosphere there, I see part of that as blatant foreshadowing where the next time he goes against his friends and Rin, he's actually going to mean it instead of faking it. Kind of rambled away there, but who knows.

[SKL]

I got a super crack theory. I said before that I would just keep posting whatever comes in my mind and don't care if it sounds stupid and so on, but, this is really cracky, so feel free to ignore this crap.

What's this theory about? Well, out of nowhere I suddenly had this doubt: what if everything that happens from chapter 93 to chapter 95 could actually be part of an -ingenious- Yukio's plan?

Now, here are some basics I kept in mind:

-Yukio's battle against Todo.
-Yukio using the nutrient bullets trick twice. ("Can't you do anything else?" (Rin))
-Yukio's infamous ability to fake emotions to his advantage/convenience.
-Yukio's plan to trick Hachirotaro into shifting Shura's regenerative ability/demon sword contract to him.
-Kato-sama is an unpredictable betch and a sucker for plot twists.

(click to show/hide)

As I said, it's a theory that spans from chapter 93 to chapter 95. It all starts from this panel:



Yukio's -determined- look (that's how I want to call it and I'll explain why). Let's start from here. What happens in chapter 93? Yukio hits rock bottom. No matter what he did or how much he achieved during his (exorcist) life, he thinks to himself: "I was weak (when I was a kid) and I couldn't get any stronger"=I was weak and I'm -still- weak=everything I done up to this day was useless=I'm tired of struggling=I give up=I want to die.

He's lost all his will to keep pursuing his biggest (and the fact that he would wish to kill himself 'cause of his "failure" prolly proves that this was also his -only-) objective in life: become stronger (than Rin). He points his gun at his head and pulls the trigger, only to have Satan burn the bullet, call him a "weakling" and a "fool".

Now, back to Yukio's close-up panel. I stared at it for a while and asked to myself: considering who's Yukio, that glare: does it really look like it's coming from someone who's thinking to himself "Okay, so I can't die. What I'm gonna do now? Oh, I got it. Let's make a (foolish) last stand and go ask Mephisto for infos I know 100% he will never agree to give me. After all the times I declared I'd never accept anyone's help and I'd never go ask anyone for advice, am I going to start now 'cause I'm -that- desperate?" or "Okay, so I finally discovered who's in my eyes. And from what Satan said, it looks like he needs me for something. Oh, hi there Shima. That's right, the Illuminati are after me too. Now, I have all these infos. Let's come up with a way to use them at my advantage. Sheesh, Satan's right... I really am a fool. I may be weak but I'm smarter than this. Let's put together a plan."

Now, the thing which bothers me: we can safely state that Yukio tried to shoot himself at around 7:12/13 am. Next time we see him, it's around 11:30 am. First of all, I found it weird that Kato-sama suddenly started showing us at -which- time -what- happens. Maybe there's a reason behind this?

So, on to an analysis of chapter 94. We're shown only one panel about what happens after Shima shows up in front of Yukio (Yukio "taking" Shima down). But, that technically happened at around 7:30, right? And Shima is calling Mephisto to warn him right after the press conference's started. Isn't it weird he waited for 3 hours before making that call? Were both his arms so weakened by Yukio's grip that it took him 3 hours to recover a bit of mobility? And there're also two other weird things to consider. Before Mephisto hang the call up Shima was about to add something else. AND let's not forget Lightning got some plan of his too. At the beginning of chapter 94, he weirdly states "I hope nothing -unexpected- happens." while facing away. Also, the fact alone he'd brought up the barrier matter in -that- moment out of all looks... um...

What am I getting at? I have the feeling Shima, Lightning and Yukio may have a connection of some sort.

Back to the press conference. Mephisto turns to find Yukio there. Yukio starts questioning Mephisto about what he knows. About his eyes, and so on. And, the eyes are conveniently Satan-shaped to help him make his point clearer. Mephisto eventually refuses to answer and proceeds to provoke him right after Shima warned him that Yukio was about to break. Like, so he's about to break? Let's give him a final boost.

Next step: Mephisto begins to talk and Yukio is at his side. I'm assuming -Mephisto- absolutely knew that Yukio would've tried to shoot him at this point AND that he was gonna do it right there, in the middle of a press conference on a live broadcast. Here I'm assuming this was -still- all part of Mephisto's plan. He needed a reason to compromise Yukio and get him confined without looking like he (Mephisto) was the one behind it. As for the objective of his plan... well, whatever Mephisto could gain from that.

But, here's where Mephisto's plan fails. Tell me what you want, but a coincidence as big as someone randomly shooting Mephisto from the audience 1 nano sec before Yukio pulls the trigger is, imo, too "stupid" a clichè for Kato-sama's skills. So, what I think is this: it's -actually- all Yukio's plan.

One step at a time: Mephisto wasn't randomly provoking Yukio. He totally expected him to shoot him. But, he didn't want to lose his body -yet-. So what I think Mephisto was planning is: "The moment Yukio will shoot me (from the side) I'll use my time/space skills to reduce the damage/camouflage the shoot which will come from -that- side." Something like putting on a barrier to his right temple to decelerate the bullet speed and reduce the -strength- of the impact. In other words, he was planning to take the shot but not to let it damage his body in a compromising way.

But, surprise surprise, the shot came from the front side. Something he totally -didn't- expect. So, the damage was higher 'cause he wasn't ready to protect himself from that side. And this would explain the surprised look on his face. But Yukio looks surprised too, nah? And here's where I'm gonna connect this episode to three of the facts I listed at the beginning of the post:

-Yukio's battle against Todo.
-Yukio using the nutrient bullets trick twice. ("Can't you do anything else?" (Rin))
-Yukio's infamous ability to fake emotions to his advantage/convenience.

Now, a lil step back: during the fight against Todo, before the BEI. Here's what happens: the pattern is similar. Todo provokes Yukio. Yukio "lures" him into believing that he's falling into his trap (it's arguable that Yukio is prolly only -half- faking his emotions during this part, I know). Todo even comments "You're not hitting anymore. Your heart speaks the truth." 'cause he -really- believes Yukio's NOT missing him on purpose. Yukio successfully tricks Todo into believing this. But, Yukio was -not- randomly shooting, he was setting up a magic circle. And once all's ready, he smirks at Todo. I also noticed these two panels:



In this case, we're never given by Kato-sama any hint about Yukio's plan. We're tricked into believing what Todo believes too until the plan is complete. 'Cause that's Kato-sama's choice. And that's another reason why I think she may be avoiding to put any panel that could hint to a possible Yukio's secret plan on purpose. Like she did back in that chapter.

The second fact is: as Rin pointed out, Yukio used the nutrient bullet trick twice. It made me wonder: so is it possible that Yukio's recycling the same pattern of actions again to trick Mephisto? It worked quite well against one hella good mindfu*ker (namely Todo), so he may have thought it was a good plan to use against Mephisto as well.

Now, back to chapter 94. Who's the shooter than? I'm guessing someone like an ally Yukio assigned the task to shoot Mephisto. As I said, we got 3 hours from the moment Yukio tried to shoot himself and the press conference began. So, that's quite a long time to organize a plan.

If so far I'm right, than this could explain Mephisto's words: "You never know what humans will do, that's why they're so interesting." while he's staring at Yukio. Mephisto can't be talking about the shooter. He's talking about Yukio. By this time, Mephisto saw through Yukio's plan and he's "complimenting" how smart it was of him to think/execute this plan to trick him.

But the plan is not over yet. And now I think it's a good time to talk about something else. Okay, if Yukio really got a plan: what is he aiming at?

Oc, his undying wish: he wants to become stronger. And here's where I'm gonna connect another fact:

-Yukio's plan to trick Hachirotaro into shifting Shura's regenerative ability/demon sword contract to him.

Let's take a few steps back. As I said, Yukio may have thought to himself after hearing Satan's words: "It looks like he needs me for something, that's why he's keeping me alive." I can think of Yukio using this to his advantage. And I can picture Yukio making some sort of "pact" with Satan to get (in exchange) something from him: I guess, power. But, it's a pact (and Yukio's darn good at making those too) so Satan has to gain something from it too. Okay, so what could Satan possibly want?

In chapter 1 Satan makes it quite clear: "Assiah will be mine!" "I need -you- (Rin) in order to lay claim to this world!". So, basically, he plans to do something to "conquer" Assiah AND Rin is needed in his plan. Plus, he may need a body capable to sustain being possessed by him for a very long time.

Yeah, he got the Illuminati working on that too. But I believe, somehow, Yukio wants to help Satan -his own way- (he's still stubborn and he already claimed "the Order and the Illuminati are both bad" which in my mind sounded like "You two are the same. So I'm not gonna side with any of you."). So now it's Yukio AND Satan working together.

Does Yukio really want to help Satan annihilate Assiah? I think not. But he may want to trick Satan into believing that (and I think Yukio's aware he's gonna 'cause casualties, but) so he'll play along with Satan's plan for a while. And here's where Rin comes into play.

And here's where I start analysing chapter 95. Back to Yukio's plan: I'm sure the choice to have the shooting happen during the live broadcast was calculated. Yukio knew he was gonna be arrested if he was seen holding the gun. But he knew that Shura would've obviously tried to defend him. And here's where it gets tricky. If Yukio was proved innocent in a question of hours, he would've been released and... case closed. But, Yukio plans to "help" Satan and if Satan somehow needs Rin "to lay claim on Assiah" than, he gotta think of a way to get to him. I'm gonna be honest, this next part is not as easy to explain and I'm not quite sure about it myself. It looks too (way too) far-fetched, I know, but I got something like a reason for this and I'll tell you in the end.

So, let's say Yukio needs a plan to lure Rin. One that will force him to even leave the Order with no chance to get back. And, technically, if Rin's gonna complete his "Yukio's rescue" quest, there'll surely be no coming back for him. His "betrayal" will result into experiments, or even the infamous execution. Maybe that's the point where Yukio's trying to get Rin to. Let's skip this for now.

Yukio planned for the shooting to be broadcasted. He knew Rin would see it/been informed about it. And he knew that Rin would've come to rescue him. But, as I said above, if Yukio was proved innocent, he would've been freed in a question of hours. Nothing biggy. And... that's why Yukio needed a more effective plan. Why not showcase his Satan-shaped eyes and have him confined 'cause of them? Again, the eyes -conveniently- change shape at quite the right time.

Anyway, why do Yukio's eyes -apparently- randomly change shape? I thought of this: what if Yukio asked Satan to do so/they can somehow communicate, like, telepathically now and Satan takes over Yukio's eyes at "command"?

This aside, screw the shooter matter, Yukio can't escape from this. Shura tells Rin about Yukio and... in the last panel of chapter 95 we get Yukio's "I was expecting you to show up" look. Which I'm gonna translate into "I was waiting for you to show up." 'Cause, really, Yukio knew Rin would do it. And that's why I think he set him up on purpose.

So, after all this nonsense, I'm gonna even place a short prediction based on this crappy theory: Kato-sama loves plot twists. We're all expecting Yukio to stay silent, to yell at Rin, Rin to yell at him... but I think we're all expecting Yukio to NOT follow Rin out of that room. Believe it or not, I have a feeling that if there's some big plan behind these last 2 chapters and will be revealed only later, for the next few pages we'll get some unpredictable event, like: Yukio quietly accepting Rin's help and actually letting him rescue him. I think it'd fit Kato-sama's style. We'd be left like: for real?! But the truth will be revealed only later. Maybe even by the end of chapter 96. And I think that would be quite one hella cliffhanger...

One last thing, about Satan's plan and Yukio needing to hand Rin to Satan for something. Why would Yukio trick Mephisto and have him actually shot? We know that Yukio knows about the Artificial Gehenna Gate. In chapter 42, Shura hands him a report with a pic of the Gate. I'm not sure (but I guess yes) if Yukio knows about the barrier that Mephisto put around it too. So, the moment Yukio aimed his gun at Mephisto I'm guessing he knew that by weakening him, the barrier would've collapsed. So the answer is: Satan -can prolly- come out of THAT Gate and "walk" into Assiah (even if not in "physical" form). Something like in the anime, I guess. So he needed for the Gate to open and the barrier was a problem.

AND Satan needs Rin. The only thing I could think of is making a connection to the anime again. Grandpa Egin states that he could "save" Rin by having him lose his demonic powers by destroying Gehenna. So Yukio, at first, tolerates him (Grandpa Egin) using Rin as a "sacrifice" to open the Gate. He than can't stand watching Rin "suffer" anymore and offers to take his place. But, at first, he was somehow accepting to let Rin be used for the sake of the plan.

To make things even more complicated, Yukio (in the manga) could even be faking to be using Rin as a "sacrifice" to offer to Satan but will reveal it was just a trick. Like, when he tricked Hachirotaro into thinking he actually shot Rin with real bullets. Why? Really, 'cause I hope, deep inside, that Yukio somehow still cares for Rin. I hope...

To make a last connection with the anime. Grandpa Egin gave Yukio the role of Paladin. That's also why I think Satan may offer Yukio "power" in exchange of his help. But, Yukio, in the end, will never be actually planning to get help from Satan. He will just be using him for the sake of some bigger and more complex plan and... that's quite all. I'm done! Sorry for this long ass post again. I thought all this at 3 am last night so... I guess I better sleep at that time next night.

You sure make some great theories. I think it's possible and much of it adds up. But I don't think Yukio can suddenly start being persuaded by Satan so quickly even in this broken state, and even if Satan started saying some convincing stuff. Satan has been pretty much the bane of Yukio's life. What with Rin, Shiro's death, and now himself. The reason behind his whole sh*tty life can be traced back to Satan. Sure Yukio is at rock bottom right now, and may even be willing to be very destructive to all he knows, but I don't think he will suddenly ally with his greatest bane in 3-4 hours of persuasion.

[tandem]

Although theoretically Satan is also Yukio's ultimate enemy, until now we haven't seen many of Yukio's thoughts on Satan. Rin and Bon declared they'll beat Satan one day, but Yukio didn't. Unlike Rin, Yukio didn't witness Shiro's death. It's likely all his opinion about Satan come from other people : Shiro told him Satan is bad, the Order told him Satan is bad, Mephisto or the Order told him Satan killed Shiro, ... etc. You wouldn't expect Rin listen to a word from Satan, but things might be different in Yukio's case. That's what the anime-only ending is based for. And actually part of the anime-only audience are also convinced that Satan is not so bad (well, because they forget what happened in ep2).

[SKL]

^
No I do think it's possible for Satan to persuade Yukio into something eventually, I just don't think it could happen that quickly. It would be bad writing in my opinion. Katou is so careful with her character lead-ups and build-ups to an action, that I would see it as pretty sloppy plot-wise for Satan to win Yukio over so immediately and during the very first instance they sort-of interacted.

[Cloelia]

^ First of all, pleasure to meet you, SKL! I joined this forum on April and right now I'm not sure if you were active/a lot active at the time. But I read a lot (a very lot) of old topics months ago (I literally sat here and read Yukio's/Rin's and the twins topic all in one stand, to say one) to catch up to as many posts as possible (man, I wish I'd found this place earlier, why could I never find it?) so even if someone doesn't post for a while and shows up again I feel "familiar" with them somehow. So, hehe, it's a pleasure to see someone come back and post again! *sorry for off-topic*

Thank you for going through the long -crack- theory. I agree Satan wouldn't be able to "brain-wash" Yukio's mind no matter which words or arguments he can come up with. Toward the end, I said that I think Yukio will -not- actually accept to eventually help Satan, but may decide to "trick" him into believing that but he (Yukio) will actually be "using" him to his advantage (get "power" from him in the end. Which is stupid, I know, but that's the first thing I thought of).

And I used Hachirotaro's episode as an example. In that case too, Yukio tricked Hachirotaro into thinking he wanted to make a contract to their mutual benefit, but he was actually faking the whole thing and aiming to get an advantage only to -himself- (:to free Shura from the "limit age" contract and get the regenerative ability and demon sword to himself. I know this is not 100% accurate and I'm sure Yukio expected Rin to stab Hachiro before he could end signing the contract symbol. Even if, when Yukio is checking his chest to see how much of the symbol was drawn on it, it made me wonder if Yukio actually -hoped- he could've got that "power", after all). So, Yukio used this "method" already and not against any random demon.

[SKL]

^ First of all, pleasure to meet you, SKL! I joined this forum on April and right now I'm not sure if you were active/a lot active at the time. But I read a lot (a very lot) of old topics months ago (I literally sat here and read Yukio's/Rin's and the twins topic all in one stand, to say one) to catch up to as many posts as possible (man, I wish I'd found this place earlier, why could I never find it?) so even if someone doesn't post for a while and shows up again I feel "familiar" with them somehow. So, hehe, it's a pleasure to see someone come back and post again! *sorry for off-topic*

Nice to meet you too Cloelia! It's the same I feel like I already know you since I've read many of your posts.
I tend to come and go in the forums. There are periods where a I post a lot and others where I drop off and life takes me to other places. But I was there when this forum was in the planning. Like Neeneen and earthforge especially were at mangafox brainstorming, and made this forum happen. Which is pretty neat.

And I used Hachirotaro's episode as an example. In that case too, Yukio tricked Hachirotaro into thinking he wanted to make a contract to their mutual benefit, but he was actually faking the whole thing and aiming to get an advantage only to -himself- (:to free Shura from the "limit age" contract and get the regenerative ability and demon sword to himself. I know this is not 100% accurate and I'm sure Yukio expected Rin to stab Hachiro before he could end signing the contract symbol. Even if, when Yukio is checking his chest to see how much of the symbol was drawn on it, it made me wonder if Yukio actually -hoped- he could've got that "power", after all). So, Yukio used this "method" already and not against any random demon.

Yukio is so complex and is really a much darker character than Rin. Like you say his ploy on Hachirotaro was a masterstroke. He saved Shura's life by solving a seemingly inescapable problem. Just think about it. Even Shiro probably didn't think there was a way to get her out and accepted her short life as an inevitability. Yukio, in a way, was the true hero of that arc. But to succeed, he had to employ some dark tools. This being the fact that he understands a demon's mind better than Rin ever could...and most likely as Toudou insists, it's because he can think like one as well.

It was all an act of course. As you see it worked so well for Hachitaro that he ended up finding Yukio the most interesting fellow he encountered in a long time right up until he realized he was played for a fool. But as Shima goaded, there's always some truth laced in those lies. The problem is we don't know which parts were true and not so true. We know Yukio seeks power, but so far I think it's been mostly as a defensive measure. He has realized how vulnerable he is and needs the power to take down his enemies. It didn't seem like Yukio ever wanted power for evil domineering or megalomaniac reasons, or to subjugate the innocent. Can that it be morphed into that? There's a chance if Katou really wants to push that route I guess. There's also the statement of getting rid of his annoying brother. We already know he harbors jealousy and resentment toward Rin, but we also know for sure he loves him as well. Again it depends on what route Katou wants to take. How strong are these darker desires? In my opinion, I think it's very human and quite normal to harbor some darker thoughts/desires like this. Whether it's overpowering or if the person acts on them is what determines whether it's good or bad I believe.

What I'd like to see is Yukio actually tricking Satan like you said. He's done it several times now with other demons, that it would be the most amazing feat if he takes part in Satan's defeat in such a way. Yukio is somewhat akin to Lighting in some regard I think. They employ darker and morally questionable tactics to succeed. And in a story like this, I do think it's a necessity for some characters to take this role in order for the 'good guys' to win. Let Rin, Shiemi, Bon etc take their roles as the shining knights of all that is good, while people like Yukio, Lightning, and Shima do the dark and dirtier (yet necessary) tasks. I think both are needed to win.

[SimpleBliss]

I got a super crack theory. I said before that I would just keep posting whatever comes in my mind and don't care if it sounds stupid and so on, but, this is really cracky, so feel free to ignore this crap.

What's this theory about? Well, out of nowhere I suddenly had this doubt: what if everything that happens from chapter 93 to chapter 95 could actually be part of an -ingenious- Yukio's plan?

Now, here are some basics I kept in mind:

-Yukio's battle against Todo.
-Yukio using the nutrient bullets trick twice. ("Can't you do anything else?" (Rin))
-Yukio's infamous ability to fake emotions to his advantage/convenience.
-Yukio's plan to trick Hachirotaro into shifting Shura's regenerative ability/demon sword contract to him.
-Kato-sama is an unpredictable betch and a sucker for plot twists.

(click to show/hide)

As I said, it's a theory that spans from chapter 93 to chapter 95. It all starts from this panel:



Yukio's -determined- look (that's how I want to call it and I'll explain why). Let's start from here. What happens in chapter 93? Yukio hits rock bottom. No matter what he did or how much he achieved during his (exorcist) life, he thinks to himself: "I was weak (when I was a kid) and I couldn't get any stronger"=I was weak and I'm -still- weak=everything I done up to this day was useless=I'm tired of struggling=I give up=I want to die.

He's lost all his will to keep pursuing his biggest (and the fact that he would wish to kill himself 'cause of his "failure" prolly proves that this was also his -only-) objective in life: become stronger (than Rin). He points his gun at his head and pulls the trigger, only to have Satan burn the bullet, call him a "weakling" and a "fool".

Now, back to Yukio's close-up panel. I stared at it for a while and asked to myself: considering who's Yukio, that glare: does it really look like it's coming from someone who's thinking to himself "Okay, so I can't die. What I'm gonna do now? Oh, I got it. Let's make a (foolish) last stand and go ask Mephisto for infos I know 100% he will never agree to give me. After all the times I declared I'd never accept anyone's help and I'd never go ask anyone for advice, am I going to start now 'cause I'm -that- desperate?" or "Okay, so I finally discovered who's in my eyes. And from what Satan said, it looks like he needs me for something. Oh, hi there Shima. That's right, the Illuminati are after me too. Now, I have all these infos. Let's come up with a way to use them at my advantage. Sheesh, Satan's right... I really am a fool. I may be weak but I'm smarter than this. Let's put together a plan."

Now, the thing which bothers me: we can safely state that Yukio tried to shoot himself at around 7:12/13 am. Next time we see him, it's around 11:30 am. First of all, I found it weird that Kato-sama suddenly started showing us at -which- time -what- happens. Maybe there's a reason behind this?

So, on to an analysis of chapter 94. We're shown only one panel about what happens after Shima shows up in front of Yukio (Yukio "taking" Shima down). But, that technically happened at around 7:30, right? And Shima is calling Mephisto to warn him right after the press conference's started. Isn't it weird he waited for 3 hours before making that call? Were both his arms so weakened by Yukio's grip that it took him 3 hours to recover a bit of mobility? And there're also two other weird things to consider. Before Mephisto hang the call up Shima was about to add something else. AND let's not forget Lightning got some plan of his too. At the beginning of chapter 94, he weirdly states "I hope nothing -unexpected- happens." while facing away. Also, the fact alone he'd brought up the barrier matter in -that- moment out of all looks... um...

What am I getting at? I have the feeling Shima, Lightning and Yukio may have a connection of some sort.

Back to the press conference. Mephisto turns to find Yukio there. Yukio starts questioning Mephisto about what he knows. About his eyes, and so on. And, the eyes are conveniently Satan-shaped to help him make his point clearer. Mephisto eventually refuses to answer and proceeds to provoke him right after Shima warned him that Yukio was about to break. Like, so he's about to break? Let's give him a final boost.

Next step: Mephisto begins to talk and Yukio is at his side. I'm assuming -Mephisto- absolutely knew that Yukio would've tried to shoot him at this point AND that he was gonna do it right there, in the middle of a press conference on a live broadcast. Here I'm assuming this was -still- all part of Mephisto's plan. He needed a reason to compromise Yukio and get him confined without looking like he (Mephisto) was the one behind it. As for the objective of his plan... well, whatever Mephisto could gain from that.

But, here's where Mephisto's plan fails. Tell me what you want, but a coincidence as big as someone randomly shooting Mephisto from the audience 1 nano sec before Yukio pulls the trigger is, imo, too "stupid" a clichè for Kato-sama's skills. So, what I think is this: it's -actually- all Yukio's plan.

One step at a time: Mephisto wasn't randomly provoking Yukio. He totally expected him to shoot him. But, he didn't want to lose his body -yet-. So what I think Mephisto was planning is: "The moment Yukio will shoot me (from the side) I'll use my time/space skills to reduce the damage/camouflage the shoot which will come from -that- side." Something like putting on a barrier to his right temple to decelerate the bullet speed and reduce the -strength- of the impact. In other words, he was planning to take the shot but not to let it damage his body in a compromising way.

But, surprise surprise, the shot came from the front side. Something he totally -didn't- expect. So, the damage was higher 'cause he wasn't ready to protect himself from that side. And this would explain the surprised look on his face. But Yukio looks surprised too, nah? And here's where I'm gonna connect this episode to three of the facts I listed at the beginning of the post:

-Yukio's battle against Todo.
-Yukio using the nutrient bullets trick twice. ("Can't you do anything else?" (Rin))
-Yukio's infamous ability to fake emotions to his advantage/convenience.

Now, a lil step back: during the fight against Todo, before the BEI. Here's what happens: the pattern is similar. Todo provokes Yukio. Yukio "lures" him into believing that he's falling into his trap (it's arguable that Yukio is prolly only -half- faking his emotions during this part, I know). Todo even comments "You're not hitting anymore. Your heart speaks the truth." 'cause he -really- believes Yukio's NOT missing him on purpose. Yukio successfully tricks Todo into believing this. But, Yukio was -not- randomly shooting, he was setting up a magic circle. And once all's ready, he smirks at Todo. I also noticed these two panels:



In this case, we're never given by Kato-sama any hint about Yukio's plan. We're tricked into believing what Todo believes too until the plan is complete. 'Cause that's Kato-sama's choice. And that's another reason why I think she may be avoiding to put any panel that could hint to a possible Yukio's secret plan on purpose. Like she did back in that chapter.

The second fact is: as Rin pointed out, Yukio used the nutrient bullet trick twice. It made me wonder: so is it possible that Yukio's recycling the same pattern of actions again to trick Mephisto? It worked quite well against one hella good mindfu*ker (namely Todo), so he may have thought it was a good plan to use against Mephisto as well.

Now, back to chapter 94. Who's the shooter than? I'm guessing someone like an ally Yukio assigned the task to shoot Mephisto. As I said, we got 3 hours from the moment Yukio tried to shoot himself and the press conference began. So, that's quite a long time to organize a plan.

If so far I'm right, than this could explain Mephisto's words: "You never know what humans will do, that's why they're so interesting." while he's staring at Yukio. Mephisto can't be talking about the shooter. He's talking about Yukio. By this time, Mephisto saw through Yukio's plan and he's "complimenting" how smart it was of him to think/execute this plan to trick him.

But the plan is not over yet. And now I think it's a good time to talk about something else. Okay, if Yukio really got a plan: what is he aiming at?

Oc, his undying wish: he wants to become stronger. And here's where I'm gonna connect another fact:

-Yukio's plan to trick Hachirotaro into shifting Shura's regenerative ability/demon sword contract to him.

Let's take a few steps back. As I said, Yukio may have thought to himself after hearing Satan's words: "It looks like he needs me for something, that's why he's keeping me alive." I can think of Yukio using this to his advantage. And I can picture Yukio making some sort of "pact" with Satan to get (in exchange) something from him: I guess, power. But, it's a pact (and Yukio's darn good at making those too) so Satan has to gain something from it too. Okay, so what could Satan possibly want?

In chapter 1 Satan makes it quite clear: "Assiah will be mine!" "I need -you- (Rin) in order to lay claim to this world!". So, basically, he plans to do something to "conquer" Assiah AND Rin is needed in his plan. Plus, he may need a body capable to sustain being possessed by him for a very long time.

Yeah, he got the Illuminati working on that too. But I believe, somehow, Yukio wants to help Satan -his own way- (he's still stubborn and he already claimed "the Order and the Illuminati are both bad" which in my mind sounded like "You two are the same. So I'm not gonna side with any of you."). So now it's Yukio AND Satan working together.

Does Yukio really want to help Satan annihilate Assiah? I think not. But he may want to trick Satan into believing that (and I think Yukio's aware he's gonna 'cause casualties, but) so he'll play along with Satan's plan for a while. And here's where Rin comes into play.

And here's where I start analysing chapter 95. Back to Yukio's plan: I'm sure the choice to have the shooting happen during the live broadcast was calculated. Yukio knew he was gonna be arrested if he was seen holding the gun. But he knew that Shura would've obviously tried to defend him. And here's where it gets tricky. If Yukio was proved innocent in a question of hours, he would've been released and... case closed. But, Yukio plans to "help" Satan and if Satan somehow needs Rin "to lay claim on Assiah" than, he gotta think of a way to get to him. I'm gonna be honest, this next part is not as easy to explain and I'm not quite sure about it myself. It looks too (way too) far-fetched, I know, but I got something like a reason for this and I'll tell you in the end.

So, let's say Yukio needs a plan to lure Rin. One that will force him to even leave the Order with no chance to get back. And, technically, if Rin's gonna complete his "Yukio's rescue" quest, there'll surely be no coming back for him. His "betrayal" will result into experiments, or even the infamous execution. Maybe that's the point where Yukio's trying to get Rin to. Let's skip this for now.

Yukio planned for the shooting to be broadcasted. He knew Rin would see it/been informed about it. And he knew that Rin would've come to rescue him. But, as I said above, if Yukio was proved innocent, he would've been freed in a question of hours. Nothing biggy. And... that's why Yukio needed a more effective plan. Why not showcase his Satan-shaped eyes and have him confined 'cause of them? Again, the eyes -conveniently- change shape at quite the right time.

Anyway, why do Yukio's eyes -apparently- randomly change shape? I thought of this: what if Yukio asked Satan to do so/they can somehow communicate, like, telepathically now and Satan takes over Yukio's eyes at "command"?

This aside, screw the shooter matter, Yukio can't escape from this. Shura tells Rin about Yukio and... in the last panel of chapter 95 we get Yukio's "I was expecting you to show up" look. Which I'm gonna translate into "I was waiting for you to show up." 'Cause, really, Yukio knew Rin would do it. And that's why I think he set him up on purpose.

So, after all this nonsense, I'm gonna even place a short prediction based on this crappy theory: Kato-sama loves plot twists. We're all expecting Yukio to stay silent, to yell at Rin, Rin to yell at him... but I think we're all expecting Yukio to NOT follow Rin out of that room. Believe it or not, I have a feeling that if there's some big plan behind these last 2 chapters and will be revealed only later, for the next few pages we'll get some unpredictable event, like: Yukio quietly accepting Rin's help and actually letting him rescue him. I think it'd fit Kato-sama's style. We'd be left like: for real?! But the truth will be revealed only later. Maybe even by the end of chapter 96. And I think that would be quite one hella cliffhanger...

One last thing, about Satan's plan and Yukio needing to hand Rin to Satan for something. Why would Yukio trick Mephisto and have him actually shot? We know that Yukio knows about the Artificial Gehenna Gate. In chapter 42, Shura hands him a report with a pic of the Gate. I'm not sure (but I guess yes) if Yukio knows about the barrier that Mephisto put around it too. So, the moment Yukio aimed his gun at Mephisto I'm guessing he knew that by weakening him, the barrier would've collapsed. So the answer is: Satan -can prolly- come out of THAT Gate and "walk" into Assiah (even if not in "physical" form). Something like in the anime, I guess. So he needed for the Gate to open and the barrier was a problem.

AND Satan needs Rin. The only thing I could think of is making a connection to the anime again. Grandpa Egin states that he could "save" Rin by having him lose his demonic powers by destroying Gehenna. So Yukio, at first, tolerates him (Grandpa Egin) using Rin as a "sacrifice" to open the Gate. He than can't stand watching Rin "suffer" anymore and offers to take his place. But, at first, he was somehow accepting to let Rin be used for the sake of the plan.

To make things even more complicated, Yukio (in the manga) could even be faking to be using Rin as a "sacrifice" to offer to Satan but will reveal it was just a trick. Like, when he tricked Hachirotaro into thinking he actually shot Rin with real bullets. Why? Really, 'cause I hope, deep inside, that Yukio somehow still cares for Rin. I hope...

To make a last connection with the anime. Grandpa Egin gave Yukio the role of Paladin. That's also why I think Satan may offer Yukio "power" in exchange of his help. But, Yukio, in the end, will never be actually planning to get help from Satan. He will just be using him for the sake of some bigger and more complex plan and... that's quite all. I'm done! Sorry for this long ass post again. I thought all this at 3 am last night so... I guess I better sleep at that time next night.

It's not too far fetched to believe Yukio is planning something big, mainly because we're still in the dark about what he went to Headquarters to do after he got out of the hospital....sounds like he's setting something up...

Yukio didn't say anything after he got arrested. Here's a crack theory: What if Yukio set up/hired the shooter himself? Because he WANTS the world to go to hell?

Though I doubt that because he seriously looked surprised about the shooter...

Wait I think this is what you were saying, Cloelia

[Taytronics7]

I've been thinking about what Lightning wanted Shima to do in order to get the spell off him. It's easy to assume that it's Yukio who Lightning is interested in keeping tabs on, but what if it isn't? All we know is that Lightning asked Shima to "do something for him". I'm starting to think that it has something to do with Lightning's investigation and the upcoming trial. Throughout the Blue Night Investigation arc, we see that while Bon and Lightning are discovering the secrets of Section 13, at the same time we see Shiemi learn something from her mother that causes her to quit being an exorcist. I don't think it's mere coincidence that these 2 events are happening at the same time.

Maybe Lightning's request of Shima is where these two plotlines merge. If we go with the theory that Shiemi's mother is the nephilim of Shemihaza and the real traitor based on chapter 87, maybe Lightning wants Shima to bring Shiemi in for the trial and examine her as a witness. As of chapter 95, Shima has the perfect opportunity to confront Shiemi about it. Her and Izumo tricked the guards into leaving and Izumo faked being ill in order for the other two guards to bring her to the infirmery, leaving Shiemi all alone.