The veteran pilots and Yuhata Midorikawa, another cadet, inquire Nagate about his fight with the Gauna but decide to let it for another day after realizing that he is still in recuperation. Later at night, Nagate learns the a festival known as the Gravity Festival is being held and leaves to check it out, while a fighting competition between guardian pilots is being held and despite fighting his best, Kunato is defeated by Akai, who remains the reigning champion, and Yuhata, who had hacked into the records of Nagate's battle against the Gauna, concludes that Akai made use of that to improve his skills. Meanwhile at the festival, Nagate meets Shizuka and they hang out together and Izana, who was looking for him, gets flustered upon seeing them together, injuring herself when an angered Kunato bumps into her, Nagate confronts Kunato for not helping Izana and he is injured once more while fighting him. Meanwhile, Captain Kobayashi learns that the Gauna had reappeared and is approaching Sidonia, assigning Akai's squad to deal with it. While recovering, Nagate and Izana are invited by Akai and his friends for a ride inside Sidonia's sea area before they sortie to fight the Gauna and in the next day, the cadets watch Akai and the others departing to confront the enemy, but the operation ends in failure as all pilots are killed by it.