The show strips away all the noir paranoia and replaces it with Hei trying to solve a murder while surrounded by incompetent cops and his handler losing her mind over a cherry blossom picnic. It's the only moment the series lets you breathe, and it works because you know exactly how much darker everything is about to get. A single episode that proves Darker than Black understands its own weight better than shows that never stop swinging.

Known as Episode 26, this side story of Darker than Black takes place during the events of the first series. The Syndicate gives Hei and his team another job: a Contractor has been killed, and his much-wanted belongings are rumored to lie buried under a cherry tree. The police also look into the rumor. Meanwhile, Misaki Kirihara and her team plan a trip to the cherry blossom festival. The one-episode special blends comedy with science fiction.