Marionette Girl: The Troublemaker

Otaru can't sleep. Not only is he still pondering over yesterday's events and why Lime was being held in an underground capsule, but he's also being punched in the face due to Lime thrashing in her sleep.

Multiple explosions rock the Japoness shopping district in the night, and amidst the blazing distraction, numerous masked men take off with stolen goods.
Come morning, Baiko and Tamasaburo report this to the ruler of Japoness, Shogun Ieyasu and his personal assistant, Hikozaemon. The elite guards weren't able to identify or catch the perpetrators, but they believe the thieves are from Gartland, judging from how the types of bombs used are the same as those of Gartland's military. Hikozaemon worries if last night's attack was the work of Faust, Gartland's fuhrer.

Otaru wakes up to having the front door kicked on top of him. This is Lime's doing (surprise!) and Otaru chastises her for being so reckless, arguing that having your head wedged in a door isn't meant to be part of a complete balanced breakfast. Speaking of breakfast - Lime got him breakfast! Otaru is intrigued, but he knows something's up...

Yep, Lime stole everyone else's breakfast, and they're pissed. Otaru tries to explain that he didn't do it, but they say that marionettes won't do anything without being ordered to first. She's annoyed at everyone abusing Otaru like that, though seeing her act on her own leads the crowd to believe she's defective. And there's only one solution for that - dismantling her!

Lime beats the stuffing out of all of them.

Hey, don't fret, old man Gennai's here to solve this ruckus...

With a bazooka!

Otaru diverts the blast just in time and begs for forgiveness - he doesn't want Lime to be dismantled. The crowd are shocked that he'd be so passionate about protecting a mere machine, but they shrug their shoulders and move on. Even Otaru begins to wonder why he's doing this.
That aside, time to go to work! ... wait, he didn't do his fish-selling round yesterday, so he's fired. Whoops.

The two walk home, and Lime is always entranced with all the sights of the city, even if it is just people's nosehairs. She notices that Otaru is bummed, though - after the morning's kerfuffle, he's worried he'll have to move to a new apartment, but that'll be a hard task if he no longer has a job. Lime's answer to this dilemma is to make silly faces. They come across an pamphlet for a firework show tonight; that'll cheer them up!

In a secluded wood, one of the masked men from the shopping distract attack scuttles into a building where he meets with the rest of his gang. They've found the perfect spot to attack next.

Otaru and Lime bump into Hanagata and his cronies, who mock him for hanging out with a marionette, especially one with such an uneven temperament and unremarkable physique. Hearing of his money woes, he offers him a job as a bodyguard with free room and board; after all, he only wants the best for his buddy Otaru.

Otaru doesn't want his charity.

It's bad enough taking it from Otaru, but from his marionette as well? Hanagata is offended! While walking away, the two bump into a small child - Yumeji, Hanagata's younger brother. Lime says hi and pats him on the head, though Hanagata is also outraged by this, screaming that it's rude, it's unclean and that he'll knock the socks off Lime if she comes near his brother again. Yumeji watches the two as they walk away; Lime wonders if he hates her too.

The fireworks festival is in full stride, glittering flowers lighting up the sky to an enchanted crowd... with Lime and Otaru stuck in the middle of it, unable to see a thing past all the noggins. He sees a few of the guys from the apartments giving him the stinkeye, and he's quite miffed about it; not wanting to be in the same company as people who think he's a freak, he storms out, dragging Lime with him. She's disappointed that she still can't see any of the fireworks.

They're noticed by Hanagata, who invites them onto his podium so they can see the fireworks better. Otaru still doesn't want any of his charity, but seeing how upset Lime is over missing all the spectacle, he takes up the offer. Lime is overjoyed to finally see the display properly, and Hanagata, after getting thoroughly sloshed, starts chatting with Otaru. He mentions that Yumeji couldn't tag along because he's got a stomach ache, and says that Otaru's a really nice guy, but he thinks his affections are wasted on a dumb ol' marionette - there's flesh-and-blood guys who deserve that attention more, y'know!

Meanwhile, the masked men are making their next strike, barging into homes, stealing the goods and setting explosives before they leave... and one of their targets happens to be Hanagata's home, with Yumeji still inside! Baiko and Tamasaburo intercept the thieves as they escape down an alleyway, but they use a smokescreen and flee before the two can catch up.

Hanagata's drunken spiel is interrupted when one of his lackeys rushes to the festival to warn him that his house is on fire! The group return and are shocked by this turn of events - except otaru, who laughs at his misfortune. Hanagata retracts calling Otaru a nice guy; his little brother is still in there!

Otaru tries to rush inside to search for Yumeji, but Hanagata and the others hold him back, claiming there's no chance of saving him now and there's no point risking their own lives. Otaru argues that if they just stand idly by, that makes them all murderers, but the argument is quelled when Lime rushes past them and into the house herself.

"It's okay, I'm just a machine, remember?" And with that, she disappears into the smoke.

The masked men flee via the rooftops, but are intercepted once more by the elite guard. They demand answers: were they sent from Gartland, and what are they after? The leader raises a bomb and is about to answer...

...only for three shadowy figures to strike them down and blow them the hell up. The three figures explain that the thieves were mere pawns, and they came to eliminate the thieves "for the glory of Gartland." They don't reveal their names, believing they'll meet again in the future, but before they leave, they say that Faust gives Shogun Ieyasu his kindest regards.

The house is rocked by explosions, and Otaru is despondent - if only the others hadn't been so callous towards Lime, she wouldn't have sacrificed herself! He starts throttling them in anger...

... when Lime emerges from the flames, carrying an unharmed Yumeji. Yumeji is gracious of his saviour, and is all too happy to be reunited with his brother. Otaru is overjoyed to have Lime back and hugs her. Lime appreciates the affection, though she has a question. "How are machines different from humans?" Otaru is taken aback by the question... but Lime gets distracted by fireworks before he can think of an answer.

The next morning, Otaru wakes up to the sound of Lime from outside. She's mingling with the other folks in the Kasahari Apartments, and she's getting along with them all like a house on fire. The crowd apologise for their actions from yesterday, and Gennai says that sometimes the defective things are the more charming things in life; besides, Lime's too cute to hate! "I'm defective," she chirps proudly.

The apartment next to Otaru's has a new owner - Hanagata! As of today, the two of them are neighbours, a development Otaru doesn't exactly take in stride. He doesn't dwell on it as Lime is looking for something to eat, and Otaru plans for them to go job hunting immediately afterwards; Hanagata wants to tag along, but Otaru can't stand hanging out with the guy, and the two bicker 'til the cows come home.

Despite the fact the three figures from Gartland are in shadow, they're visible as day in the intro animation. It's not like they try and keep them a secret for long - they get a proper introduction in the very next episode.