The following contains spoilers for Spy X Family Chapter 72, by Tatsuya Endo, translated by Casey Loe available in English from Viz Media.
The Red Circus saga continues, as the terrorist group's plans are derailed by the ambush set up by the police. However, the Red Circus isn't going to simply surrender with this setback to no one's surprise. Making things worse is the appearance of the State Security Service (SSS), who intend to neutralize the Red Circus regardless of any civilian causalities. As tense negotiations begin between the Red Circus and police force, the hostage students continue to try to cope with the situation they find themselves in.
Most interestingly, we get to see how a situation unfolds when neither Loid nor Yor are around to resolve it. While WISE is providing support from the background, they're unable to directly send any agents to the scene. Furthermore, Yor's brother Yuri is pushed into the spotlight this time around, as he scrambles to do whatever he can in his position as an SSS officer to save Anya and the other kids.
Conflicting Interests
While the ideal resolution would involve the terrorists surrendering and the school children of Eden's Academy coming out unscathed, actually achieving said goal remains... unfeasible. The bus that Anya is on is only one of two that have been taken hostage. The second bus' location is currently unknown, and the Red Circus group has warned that any attempts to rescue the students will result in a double murder-suicide.
As far as the police force and school are concerned, securing the students' safe return is their highest priority. However, the SSS are focused on protecting their country from terrorists by any means. Negotiating with said terrorists is not an option. Thankfully, both the SSS and police force answer to the same ministry who has told them to wait for now. However, the clock is ticking, as the Red Circus group demands the release of their comrades and safe passage to another country in exchange for the students. They'll wait only so long before taking more drastic measures.
While WISE normally wouldn't involve themselves in this matter, due to it being considered a domestic dispute and the SSS' territory, Operation Strix is in danger as long as Anya and Damian are held hostage. Complicating this matter is that both children in particular have had bomb collars strapped to them. While we know the one attached to Anya is a fake, we never actually received confirmation that the one on Damian is also a dud. It's rather unlikely that the terrorists are willing to jeopardize themselves by being so near the blast radius, but they're fully willing to simply put a bullet in the children if need be. With Twilight away on a mission, the best WISE can do right now is anonymously provide information support via the phone tip line to the proper authorities.
As for Yuri, despite being a part of the SSS and supposedly willing to sacrifice civilians for the country's safety, he is unwilling to put Yor through the pain and grief of losing Anya. The moment he overhears others discussing the tip they received from WISE about the second bus' location, he utilizes all of his contacts and skills to track down its location. Despite being far too attached to his sister, Yuri demonstrates once again that he is one of the most capable officers in the SSS. Whether he decides to try and rescue the second bus on his own or call in backup remains to be seen, but he can't afford to mess up here. Not with Chihuahua girl's life and his sister's happiness on the line.
Elegance Under Fire
Unsurprisingly, the children on the bus are beginning to suffer from fatigue, hunger, and thirst. The police convince the Red Circus to allow someone to transport basic supplies but are warned to not send a cop or there will be severe consequences. Housemaster Henderson, who immediately rushed to the scene after hearing the news, volunteers to do so in an attempt to also reassure the children with his presence.
Despite threats from the terrorists to remain quiet, Henderson maintains his ever-elegant composure and ensures the hostages are taken care of. Even more impressively, upon noticing that the adult chaperone of the bus was injured, Henderson without a moment's hesitation offers to trade places with the man as a hostage to ensure he can receive medical attention. Henderson is truly a man dedicated to his students.
It's also around this time that we learn of a surprising connection between Henderson and Becky's butler, Martha. The two apparently know each other well enough to be on a first-name basis with one another. We know from Loid's analysis that Martha is most likely an experienced former soldier from the way she carries herself and from being assigned as Becky's bodyguard. While it's not unimaginable to think that Henderson knows Martha from previous school-related events, given their familiarity, there may be more to Henderson's past than we know of. Especially considering how physically capable he is at his age and how calm he is being taken as a hostage.
The Red Circus' Origins
This arc isn't the first time the Red Circus is mentioned. As early as chapter 17.5, Yor had actually been sent to eliminate some members of the Red Circus, as they had caught the attention of Garden. A subsequent news report detailed the aftermath and introduced the Red Circus as a group of domestic terrorists funded by foreign powers. However, their true origin is muddled by the state's propaganda.
During a conversation between Henderson and the Red Circus' leader, Billy Squire, we learn that the group was initially a peaceful student organization advocating for peace and equality in Ostania. However, the state decided that their group's existence was an eyesore and used violent means to quell them. During this quelling, Billy's daughter was killed for being a member of the group. Spurred by this tragic loss, Billy has since led the Red Circus down a path of violence to ensure their original goals are met. No matter how much of a far cry their group is now from when they started, the Red Circus is determined to enact revenge and justice on the state that struck first.
It's a painful echo of the path that Loid almost took when he lost his friends and family in the war so long ago. If someone else had intervened in Billy's life shortly after losing his daughter, he could be a very different man from the one now that's willing to harm children for his crusade. Whether there's more at play here in the Red Circus' history remains to be seen. After all, this is a series about espionage and deception. But it certainly shows what losing your family can do to a person. We can only imagine how Loid and Yor will react when they learn about the incident.