Chapter Summaries

After moving into Tatsumi Shrine as Asatake Yoshino’s fiancé, Azer decided to uncover Sui Zhi’s secrets despite Yoshino’s wishes. The next morning, Muramasa revealed that she could touch him and shared local gossip as they went for a run through Sui Zhi Town.

• Asatake Yoshino asked Azer not to investigate the supernatural secrets of Sui Zhi, but Azer resolved to find answers on his own.
• Muramasa warned Azer about the dangers and explained that Yoshino had been affected most, while admitting she could touch him and he could touch her.
• Azer moved into the Asatake family home at Tatsumi Shrine as Yoshino’s fiancé.
• Azer woke before dawn and prepared for his usual morning run, telling Muramasa that he had trained every morning for more than ten years.
• Muramasa shared gossip about Azer’s companions and explained that Asatake Anqing had married into the Asatake family and was related to Kurama Genjurou.
• Azer and Muramasa left the Shrine and ran toward the streets of Sui Zhi Town.

Azer ran his familiar morning route through Sui Zhi Town to Umou Academy, where he would attend after transferring, while telling Muramasa about his long history of training. Back at Tatsumi Shrine, he encountered a sleepy Asatake Yoshino, who recognized him and slapped herself to make sure she was awake.

• Azer jogged around Sui Zhi Town with Muramasa, recalling how Kurama Genjurou had made him and Rentaro run before kendo practice.
• Azer explained that his talent with weapons and tools had driven him to train for years, earning attention from sports schools and the national team.
• Azer reached Umou Academy, looked around the school he would attend, and then returned to Tatsumi Shrine.
• Asatake Anqing greeted Azer, told him breakfast would be ready soon, and said he would introduce someone to him later.
• Muramasa slipped away so Azer could shower, but Asatake Yoshino entered the living room and recognized Azer after greeting him; she slapped her own face and began to cry.

Azer accidentally interrupted Hitachi Mako while she was bathing, and the two fought after mistaking each other for intruders. Asatake Anqing cleared up the misunderstanding and introduced Mako as the Hitachi Family guardian who manages the Asatake household.

• Asatake Yoshino tried to reset her strained interaction with Azer after slapping herself, and Azer left to wash his clothes.
• Azer entered the bathroom without knocking, where Hitachi Mako mistook him for an intruder and attacked him with a kunai.
• Azer disarmed Mako and identified himself as Asatake Yoshino's temporary fiancé and prospective heir to the Asatake family.
• Asatake Anqing arrived and mediated as Azer and Mako apologized and cleared up their misunderstanding.
• Asatake Anqing introduced Hitachi Mako as the guardian of the Asatake family, whose household duties made her a pillar of the family.

Azer cleared up the misunderstanding with Hitachi Mako, but Asatake Yoshino insisted on keeping him out of her family's affairs, leaving breakfast painfully tense. After Yoshino and the others went about their day, Azer left Tatsumi Shrine to visit Mating Lu Hua's family sweets shop.

• Azer praised Hitachi Mako's combat skills, and they agreed to put the embarrassing bathing incident behind them.
• Asatake Yoshino interrupted Mako and refused to tell Azer about her family's matters, saying he should live an ordinary life and avoid dangerous trouble.
• Azer avoided responding to Yoshino, and the household ate breakfast in silence before everyone went their separate ways.
• Bored in his room, Azer decided to visit Mating Lu Hua at her family's sweets shop.
• Azer walked through Sui Zhi, heard townspeople gossiping about his engagement to the Shrine Maiden, and arrived at Tashinoya.

Azer visited Tashinoya and reunited with his cousin Kurama Koharu and childhood friend Mating Lu Hua, who were working at the dessert shop. After learning Lu Hua had expanded the menu for tourists, he ordered dessert and a selection of new items to take back to Tatsumi Shrine.

• Azer entered Tashinoya and found Kurama Koharu working as a waitress, where she asked whether the Divine Sword matter had been resolved.
• Kurama Koharu explained that she was working part-time at Mating Lu Hua's shop and said Kurama Rentaro was out flirting with tourists.
• Mating Lu Hua greeted Azer and teased him about his engagement to Asatake Yoshino, which Azer learned she had heard about from his mother.
• Azer noticed Tashinoya offered more modern desserts than he remembered, and Mating Lu Hua explained that she had changed the menu to appeal to tourists.
• Azer ordered fruit ice cream and cola for himself and asked Mating Lu Hua to pack one of every new item for him to take back to the Shrine.

Azer visited Tashinoya, brought desserts back to Tatsumi Shrine, and reflected on his uncertain engagement to Asatake Yoshino. That night, he decided to search for Sui Zhi’s secret by going into the mountains, despite Yoshino’s warning.

• Azer enjoyed Tashinoya’s desserts, considered whether the shop had business problems, and left with treats for the Shrine.
• Azer returned to Tatsumi Shrine and shared the desserts with Asatake Yoshino, Asatake Anqing, Hitachi Mako, and Muramasa.
• Asatake Yoshino worried that Azer had been dragged into her troubles, while Hitachi Mako pointed out that Muramasa had already made him involved.
• After running through town and returning to his room, Azer drew Muramasa and announced that he would investigate Sui Zhi’s secret.
• Azer told the worried Muramasa that he was going into the mountains.

Azer deduced that Sui Zhi’s hidden danger was in the mountains and set out to investigate it after dark despite Muramasa and Asatake Yoshino’s attempts to stop him. He entered the mountain’s dangerous, untraveled area, while Yoshino followed after him.

• Azer reasoned that the secret danger in Sui Zhi was likely something Muramasa had to fight and concluded that it was hidden in the mountains after dark.
• Muramasa begged Azer not to go, and Asatake Yoshino tried to block his way, but Azer argued that they could not deny him the freedom to act on his own reasons.
• Azer tricked Yoshino and Muramasa into looking away and escaped the Shrine; Yoshino changed into her Shrine Maiden attire and followed him into the mountains.
• Azer cautiously climbed the dark mountain and reached the narrow animal trail leading into the area Sui Zhi residents avoided.
• Azer smiled and stepped into the dangerous part of the mountain.

Azer ventured into the mountains to investigate the danger facing Asatake Yoshino, despite Muramasa’s attempts to stop him. After a Cursed God emerged and attacked, Azer dodged its charge and whip-like tentacle, then reached for Muramasa as the fight continued.

• Azer continued deeper into the mountains, and Muramasa caught up with him and begged him to turn back.
• Azer insisted on investigating and warned Muramasa that he would leave her behind if she kept trying to stop him, so she agreed to follow.
• Azer heard something moving through the brush, and a filthy, mud-like creature emerged from the darkness.
• Muramasa identified the creature as a Cursed God and warned Azer to be careful.
• The Cursed God charged Azer and attacked him with a whip-like tentacle, but Azer dodged its strikes despite the steep, obstructed terrain.
• Azer gripped his sword as the Cursed God continued attacking.

Azer fought a Cursed God that regenerated from ordinary wounds, then defeated it after Muramasa merged with his sword and empowered it with Divine Power. As Muramasa began to explain what the creature was, Yoshino screamed, and Azer rushed toward her.

• Azer cut the Cursed God in half, but it regenerated and continued attacking him.
• Muramasa explained that only her Divine Power could kill a Cursed God and merged with the sword in Azer's hand.
• Azer used the empowered Muramasa to sever the creature's attacks and destroy it, turning it to ash.
• Azer scolded Muramasa for failing to coordinate with him, then asked her to explain what the Cursed God was.
• Yoshino screamed, and Azer sprinted toward the sound.

Asatake Yoshino pursued Azer through the mountain, but a Cursed God knocked her off a cliff before Azer rescued her and killed it with Muramasa. They fell into a river and washed ashore; after Azer revived Yoshino, he helped her search for a place to rest.

• Asatake Yoshino encountered a Cursed God on the mountain path and missed its head with her Hoko Bell, after which it knocked her over a cliff.
• Azer arrived and tried to pull Asatake Yoshino to safety, enduring the Cursed God's attacks before throwing Muramasa to destroy it.
• Azer and Asatake Yoshino fell down the cliff and plunged into a river, then Azer carried her to shore.
• Azer found that Asatake Yoshino had stopped breathing and revived her with CPR.
• Asatake Yoshino woke, and Azer supported her as they set off to find somewhere to rest.

After Azer and Asatake Yoshino escaped the river and sheltered in the mountains, they waited for Cong Yu while discussing the Cursed Gods. Yoshino revealed that her family had long protected Sui Zhi by destroying the monsters before they could grow powerful and attack the town.

• Azer found shelter for himself and the freezing Asatake Yoshino, then urged her to wring out her wet clothes while he faced away.
• Azer reassured Yoshino that the Cursed God was manageable and decided they would wait for Cong Yu to find them before descending the mountain.
• Yoshino learned that Azer had given her mouth-to-mouth while rescuing her and blushed as she complained that he had taken her first kiss.
• Azer connected the Cursed Gods to the yokai in Sui Zhi's legends and asked Yoshino why the monsters had not endangered the town.
• Yoshino explained that Cursed Gods multiplied and grew stronger by absorbing filth, and that they had once descended the mountain to slaughter people.
• Azer concluded that the Asatake family had protected Sui Zhi by eliminating the Cursed Gods before their numbers and strength could grow.

Azer learned that the Asatake family and Sui Zhi were both cursed by the monster slain with Muramasa, and that the family fought Cursed Gods to protect the land and themselves. Asatake Yoshino tried to keep Azer out of danger, but their argument ended when she realized he was staring at her in her undergarments.

• Azer explained that the Asatake family had fought Cursed Gods for centuries and asked whether one of their ancestors had wielded Muramasa to slay the monster behind Sui Zhi's curse.
• Asatake Yoshino confirmed that an Asatake ancestor had wielded Muramasa, and Azer concluded that the family had been cursed along with Sui Zhi.
• Asatake Yoshino avoided explaining the curse's effect and urged Azer to stay at the Shrine while she handled the danger.
• Azer argued that Cursed Gods would target him as Muramasa's wielder and rejected Yoshino's attempts to protect him.
• Asatake Yoshino grabbed Azer's arm while arguing, then screamed when she noticed him staring at her in her undergarments.

Azer and Asatake Yoshino returned to Tatsumi Shrine after surviving the Cursed Gods, while their awkward encounter left them both flustered. A doctor examined them, and the chapter ended with everyone reacting uneasily to Azer’s examination.

• Muramasa found Azer and Asatake Yoshino and said the mountain’s impurity had lessened after she purified the two Cursed Gods.
• Muramasa mistook Yoshino’s blushing for a fever and flew off to alert Asatake Anqing and Hitachi Mako, leaving Azer and Yoshino alone.
• Yoshino asked Azer to keep their near-naked rescue and his artificial respiration secret, and said she would explain the curse and Cursed Gods later.
• Azer and Yoshino returned to the Asatake home, where Asatake Anqing, Hitachi Mako, and doctor Komagawa Mitsuha were waiting.
• Komagawa Mitsuha found only minor scrapes and a low temperature on Yoshino, but the others reacted uneasily when she began examining Azer.

After the group discovered Azer’s infected wounds from the Cursed God, Komagawa Mitsuha treated him and they planned to cleanse the impurity with Sui Zhi’s hot springs. Asatake Anqing explained that he had arranged Azer and Yoshino’s engagement to help his lonely daughter, not to place Sui Zhi’s burdens on Azer.

• Muramasa, Asatake Yoshino, and Hitachi Mako exposed Azer’s back, revealing two severe wounds left by the Cursed God.
• Komagawa Mitsuha treated Azer and warned that the wounds and lingering impurity could endanger his health; she recommended a hot spring to help purify him.
• Asatake Anqing arranged for Azer to use the hot spring bath, while Yoshino reluctantly went to change instead of tending to him because her curse could flare up.
• Azer asked whether his grandfather and Asatake Anqing expected him to use Muramasa to exorcise Cursed Gods, and Anqing denied wanting to burden him.
• Asatake Anqing told Azer he had arranged the engagement because Yoshino’s curse had left her isolated and he hoped Azer could help improve her life.

Asatake Anqing explained why he had proposed Azer and Yoshino’s engagement and asked Azer to be understanding and pay attention to his daughter. While bathing in Suiori Hot Spring, Azer felt its purifying effects and concluded that the Asatake family’s curse and Sui Zhi’s secrets were more serious than he had realized.

• Anqing told Azer he had proposed the engagement because he trusted Muramasa’s judgment and feared Yoshino would remain isolated.
• Azer said he did not dislike Yoshino but warned Anqing that he was not suited to deliberately building relationships or solving her social and psychological problems.
• Anqing asked Azer to understand Yoshino, watch over her, and witness everything about her without forcing him to pursue the engagement.
• Azer soaked in Suiori Hot Spring and felt pain in his back as the water appeared to purify impurities in his body.
• Azer reflected on Sui Zhi’s hidden supernatural aspects and suspected Yoshino’s Inugami Possession curse was more serious than it seemed.
• Azer noticed the Asatake family’s unusually small number of descendants and decided to keep investigating its secrets.

After Azer’s injuries were treated, Muramasa explained that wielding Divine Power through the blade had left her exhausted, and Azer persuaded her to rest. Asatake Yoshino secretly entered his room overnight and woke up beside him the next morning, leaving Azer stunned.

• Komagawa Mitsuha examined Azer, prescribed daily hot-spring soaks and medicine for a week, and forbade him from training or climbing the mountain.
• Hitachi Mako stayed to watch over Asatake Yoshino while Azer returned to his room with Muramasa.
• Muramasa explained that she grew tired when residing in the blade because its Divine Power was consumed in battle, and Azer sent her to rest.
• Asatake Yoshino entered Azer’s room while he slept, intended to watch over him, and fell asleep beside him.
• Azer woke to find Asatake Yoshino hugging him beneath his covers, and she awoke after he had changed clothes.

Azer avoided Asatake Yoshino’s attempts to tend his wounds, then left with Muramasa to test new ways of using her divine power. He began exploring whether divine power could be applied beyond channeling it through the blade.

• Asatake Yoshino checked Azer’s back injuries and insisted on applying medicine, but Hitachi Mako took over and offered to teach her.
• Azer left the Asatake family home with Muramasa after confirming she had fully recovered.
• Azer explained that Muramasa excelled at harming spiritual beings but otherwise fought much like an ordinary blade.
• Azer told Muramasa he wanted to find more ways to use divine power, then slowly drew her to begin testing his idea.

Azer drew Muramasa and, with Congyu possessing it, explored its Divine Power. Muramasa guided the power into Azer, who discovered he could control it thanks to his unusual compatibility with weapons, leaving Congyu baffled and Azer eager to test his new abilities.

• Azer asked Congyu to possess Muramasa so he could study the Divine Power flowing through the sword.
• Muramasa synchronized with Azer and repeatedly guided wisps of Divine Power into his body, despite Congyu's panicked warnings.
• Azer's body emitted Spiritual Energy, and he found that his speed and reflexes had increased as the power took root.
• Muramasa stopped the process when Azer's pain intensified, and Congyu ended her possession and urged him to transfer the Divine Power to her.
• Azer calmed Congyu by showing he could control and conceal the Divine Power within himself.
• Azer explained that Muramasa had helped him absorb the power because he could perfectly synchronize with weapons, and Congyu concluded that her Master was special.

Azer tested his newly fused Divine Power, discovered it could enhance and heal him and grow stronger with training, then resumed his routine as his relationship with Asatake Yoshino warmed. A week later, he prepared to begin school at Umou Academy and saw Yoshino and Hitachi Mako in their uniforms.

• Azer tested his Divine Power and found it could purify filth, accelerate healing, boost his abilities, and strengthen through repeated use, though using it too much could harm him.
• Komagawa Mitsuha examined Azer and approved moderate morning exercise, and Azer resumed training while keeping his Divine Power secret.
• Asatake Yoshino grew less distant and more concerned about Azer, easing the strained atmosphere in the Asatake family home.
• After a week, Azer dressed in his Umou Academy uniform and prepared for his first day as a transfer student.
• Azer entered the living room and saw Asatake Yoshino and Hitachi Mako wearing new outfits.

Azer admired Asatake Yoshino and Hitachi Mako in their school uniforms before discussing whether to keep his engagement to Yoshino and his ties to Tatsumi Shrine secret. The three headed to Umou Academy for the opening ceremony, where their arrival drew the attention of the other students.

• Azer complimented Yoshino and Mako on their uniforms, making both girls blush, while Muramasa teased him about his appearance.
• Asatake Anqing explained that Azer and Yoshino's engagement had not been announced, and Azer agreed to deflect questions from outsiders while keeping the Cursed God and the curse secret.
• Muramasa vanished before the group left for school, and Anqing sighed over the difficult road ahead for Azer and Yoshino.
• Azer, Yoshino, and Mako arrived at Umou Academy, where other students watched them because of Azer's Divine Sword and Yoshino's status as Sui Zhi's Shrine Maiden.
• Yoshino offered to help Azer if anything troubled him, and the three entered the school building to find their classroom.