Episode 5

I'm With You (私も一緒に,) is the fifth episode of the 86 -Eighty Six- anime adaptation, originally broadcasted on May 8, 2021.

Synopsis
The Republic of San Magnolia's revolution festival was close approaching. Lena declines Annette's invitation to go dress hunting due to work, to which Annette tells her to stop worrying about the Eighty-Six. While she hesitates to even attend celebrations in the first place, Shin assures her that her absence for only a day would not affect them. Lena hurried towards her command room after Shin suddenly warned her of a Legion attack, despite nothing showing up on her end. As the Spearhead Squadron prepared to engage the Legion, Lena was asked to cut her Para-RAID by Shin.

Plot
Lena tells Shin how Shourei saved her life in a Legion ambush that killed her father, and how he was kind and compassionate and wanted nothing more than to go back home to see Shin again. She also learns that the Nouzen family immigrated to the Republic from the Empire before the war, and possibly lived in the First Sector. Just then, Shin warns Lena of a Legion offensive, despite the fact that she hasn't received any notifications from command. Shin also warns Lena to cut her Para-RAID link with him due to the presence of "Black Sheep" in the Legion, but Lena insists on staying connected. However, during the battle, Lena begins to hear voices of people in distress, including Kaie's last words, and goes into shock. Though traumatized by the experience, Lena works up the courage to contact Shin again, and he explains due to a near death experience, he can hear the "voices of the dead" from the Legions, which is how he can predict their movements. Furthermore, the Legions' programming is based on how a human brain works. Because of this, the Legions have been able to copy the brains of the people they have killed on the battlefield, imprinting their victims' last thoughts into their programming and creating "Black Sheep" and "Shepherd" models that have far superior performance and intelligence. The Legion is in fact far larger and more intelligent than the Republic realizes, and has already evolved a method to exceed their original lifespans, meaning the Republic's defeat is inevitable. Hearing all this, Lena resolves to work with Shin to destroy the Legion "Shepherd" commanders within one year to end the war for good. Later that night, it is revealed that Shin bears a scar on his neck from a time where Shourei attempted to strangle him.

Differences from Light Novel

 * The scene in which Lena is talking to Shin and imagines the two of them kissing, where she ends up blushing, is original from the anime.
 * In the light novel, Shin talks to Lena after taking a shower, something that in the anime happens, temporarily, in reverse.