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WIn chapter 144.1, Funa's knocker is confronted by Fushi and decides to play the villain. It takes a kid hostage and distracts Fushi with that, but later they find out that the child is a half-merged knocker and in no danger. It's just a performance that Funa's knocker put on to control Fushi, and works as effectively as the scene in which Funa dies.

Most of the knockers are acting how they perceive the human who their body belongs to would, but as Satoru says, it's only mimicry. There's no feeling behind it. He also compares them to dolls. They have the right motions, but ultimately they're just playing house. I am intentionally referencing the Volume 14 cover, write that down.

Now Fushi's side of things. When they confront the knockers, they're constantly trying to find the moral high ground so they won't feel guilty. They'd like to be the hero, and so they confront knockers with the sword that Hirotoshi calls "the sword of righteous fury." They approach Izumi's knocker saying things that make them sound like a monster slayer. It's a very dramatic scene. That's the angle Fushi is going for. But their desperation has begun twisting their character. This is how they appear to others:

With Mimori's and Funa's knocker, Fushi is looming above them with their face in shadow. As they approach Izumi's knocker and Mizuha, we don't get to see their face until after we see that the sky is dark and rain is pouring down. Until we see their gradual approach and the sword they're dragging through a puddle. Izumi's knocker's reaction to danger and the apprehension of Mizuha's face. They're not the hero in these situations.

Even their actions towards humans have become ambiguous. In this era, been confronted with the hurt of others because they neglect to consider the feelings of others, or they just don't care. Even though the manga readers understand Fushi's intentions, these scenes above still make it clear that they're in the wrong. At this point in time, no one really likes them or understands what the hell they're trying to accomplish and that won't work in their favor.

Since Izumi's knocker is the one that practices leniency, it was likely the one who told Mizuha it was OK to take a break. When Izumi was confronted with having done something she would never normally do, coupled with the reappearance of her father, she freaked out. Regardless of the circumstances, her inconsistency was probably another source of stress for Mizuha, and as we see when Izumi grabs onto her before she gets into her grandfather's truck, it can be frightening too.

I really really want to know what Mizuha's dad's deal is. From his behavior, he either knows everything about the Defense Corps. or next to nothing. He doesn't mention knockers at all when he talks to Izumi, despite that being a very conclusion to draw, if he knows anything about knockers. Izumi just agreed to visit the home of the father she despises, that's incredibly out of character and very suspicous. But if he knows what the Left Hand's plan is, then of course he wouldn't bring up any possibility of knockers. He would be deliberately gaslighting her. He's definitely lied to her in the past, but I honestly don't think he's smart enough for that.

From the bits Izumi overhears of the conversation between her dad and the Left Hand, more things about the Defense Corps. can be inferred. First, the Left Hand probably had some way of knowing or ensuring that Fushi would return within Mizuha's lifetime. Maybe it's the same sense that allows knockers to locate Fushi, but stronger because the Left Hand was around them and Hayase's successors for longer. Second, it's not just idiot people who worship the Left Hand. Knockers also think it's the literal best. They changed their whole plan for it and I want to know why they're so devoted. Finally, a piece of its plan has been revealed. Instead of bringing all humans to Paradise (read: killing them), the knockers are now bringing paradise to the humans. And killing the ones who get in the way. The Left Hand thinks there's something better about a living body than its experience outside of one, and I guess it managed to convince its friends.

So directly after Izumi decides that she must do something, there's a long timeskip during which she does nothing. This also happened in the previous chapter, where she explained that she had no choice but to stay with the Defense Corps. as a child, but continues delivering sermons as a young adult and is shown to be cautious but eager to please her mom with no intention of leaving. By the end of the chapter, she's also decided to continue as a ghost instead of changing her course of action. Alternatively, it's possible that something actually happened during that period. The only thing I can think of is Izumi discovering new information about the Defense Corps. and the like, which would then be on her computer.

The next plot point has been set up: Bon instructs Fushi to get the key to Mizuha’s house from Mizuha herself. It’ll be interesting to see if they actually obey or if they try to sneak in. It’s Bon’s orders vs. their own desires. They’ll probably bring Yuuki with them, since he’s more tech savvy than they are. If Mizuha supervises them, she’ll also see the photos of herself and Izumi, and Fushi might use this as an opportunity to shove Izumi’s love for her down her throat. Which is definitely super helpful. The password to the computer, 0406, or April 6th, is Mizuha’s birthday.

Probably the most important thing in this whole chapter is Izumi’s final line. She really likes to make the last page dramatic. The first part “Don’t do anything out of character” shoves one of Fushi’s biggest flaws in their face. They need to save everyone because it makes them feel better about themselves, and that desperation’s started to interfere with their ability to judge the situation with the knockers impartially. The Defense Corps. think of Fushi as inhuman, practically a god, as pure as an angel and as selfless as a saint. This is the Fushi that Izumi grew up reading about. She recognizes that the Defense Corps.’ version of Fushi aligns with what Fushi believes they should be, and when she warns them not to act out of character she’s reminding them that if they’re chosen to play the hero, they should stick to it. Unfortunately, Bon does what he’s always does and waters it down for Fushi, so they don’t get to hear this.