Warning: The following contains spoilers for World Trigger, Season 2, Episode 9, “Captain,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
There is a quote from Curb Your Enthusiasm that perfectly sums up Season 2, Episode 9 World Trigger: “a good compromise is when both parties are dissatisfied.” The negotiations for Hyuse’s acceptance into Border end up with a result where all parties made compromises, and yet they only leave the table with some of what they want.
This episode also shows that strategic thinking works both on and off the battlefield -- a good strategist anticipates their opponent’s possible moves and plans for them ahead of time. This is exactly what Osamu did when he foresaw the pushback against Hyuse from Border leadership. Osamu first used the case of Hyuse defeating invaders from Galopoula to show that he is willing to protect the Earth from invaders and is more than capable of doing so. But Commander-in-Chief Kido astutely points out that Hyuse joining will increase the firepower of Tamakoma Second, but not necessarily help Border as a whole since he is only working towards his own agenda.
Osamu knows his argument wouldn't be enough to convince Border, so he asked in advance for Tamakoma Branch Director Takumi Rindo to play devil's advocate. Rindo points out that Hyuse could become a threat to the expedition, as it is a long trip where the ship has to stop at several Neighborhood planets to refuel, meaning Hyuse could use these times to undermine the mission. Everyone at Border knows that Rindo is on Osamu’s side, so when he instead acts objectively and addresses Border’s concerns, it lets Border know that Osamu has already thought about the problem from their perspective, and isn't just acting selfishly.
Rindo’s speech also gives Osamu an opportunity to bring up another benefit of bringing Hyuse: he can act as a guide to all the Neighborhood planets. Since Aftokrator had invaded many planets and traveled throughout the Neighborhood, Hyuse can navigate the alien cultures and landscapes of the Neighborhood much better than Border agents -- having him on the expedition would be an unexpected boon.
Kido reluctantly agrees to allow Hyuse to join, but he has a condition of his own: Chika must agree to join the expedition, even without her teammates. This is because the expedition ship runs on Trion energy, and Chika’s huge Trion reserve will help make it so the ship won't constantly have to stop for fuel, reducing travel time and risk. Chika will basically act as a human battery for the ship. Chika agrees in exchange for Hyuse joining the team. She understands the dangers of going alone, since Aftokrator is still after her Trion, but she trusts her teammates will be able to make the Away Squad and protect her along the way.
This is when Kido finally informs Osamu that they won't be able to advance to A-Rank in time for the expedition, as Border has moved up the Away Squad audition timeline. The audition now takes place before the A-Rank promotion test, so there is no way for B-Rank Tamakoma Second to qualify. However, in the case where Chika agrees to help, the expedition ship can expand its capacity and allow some B-Rank teams on the trip, but Tamakoma Second will still have to place within the top two to be considered.
Kido has created a situation where Tamakoma Second will be forced to agree to let Chika help, otherwise the whole team has no chance of going at all. Kido knows everyone in Tamakoma Second is determined to be on the Away Squad, so he has a sure-win strategy even before Osamu ever stepped into the meeting. Kido compromises on letting Hyuse join Border, because he still wants to be fair to Tamakoma Second, and to balance the tension within Border, showing off the qualities of a good strategist and a great leader.
