Chapter Summaries

Azer joined his new class at Umou Academy, where his classmates questioned him about transferring, drawing the Divine Sword, and his romantic history. After Azer revealed he had never dated anyone, the class headed to the opening ceremony, and he caught Kurama Rentaro trying to escape.

• Nakajo Hinami introduced Azer to their small class, where he agreed to answer three questions from his classmates.
• Azer explained that he had transferred to Sui Zhi for a change of pace and because his mother and maternal grandfather's family were connected to the area.
• Azer confirmed that he had drawn the Divine Sword at Tatsumi Shrine and said the event prompted him to stay.
• Hitachi Mako asked whether Azer had ever dated, and Azer said he had never had a girlfriend or even held a girl's hand before coming to Sui Zhi.
• Kurama Rentaro called Azer's claim impossible and made a crude joke, prompting Nakajo Hinami to end the questions and send the class to the opening ceremony.
• Azer grabbed Kurama Rentaro by the back of the neck when he tried to flee.

Azer reunited with Kurama Rentaro at Umou Academy’s opening ceremony and teased him about his failed attempts to court tourists. After the ceremony, Azer walked home with Asatake Yoshino and Hitachi Mako, but Yoshino’s curse suddenly triggered.

• Azer complained that Kurama Rentaro had stopped training, and Rentaro admitted he had quit after Azer left Sui Zhi.
• Kurama Rentaro invited Azer out, then envied him for becoming the Shrine Maiden’s fiancé and living with her.
• After the opening ceremony, Kurama Rentaro and Kurama Koharu left Umou Academy, while Azer headed home with Asatake Yoshino and Hitachi Mako.
• Asatake Yoshino began struggling as they walked, and animal ears suddenly appeared on her head.
• Hitachi Mako recognized the change as the Asatake family’s curse being triggered.

Azer confronted Asatake Yoshino over her attempts to bear the Asatake family’s curse alone, arguing that the Cursed God threatened all of Sui Zhi and that he had the right to help. Yoshino remained unable to answer as Azer left the living room with Muramasa.

• Hitachi Mako explained that the defilement had accumulated again and that they would need to exorcise the Cursed God on the mountain that night.
• Muramasa explained that the curse’s animal ears would become visible to more people as the defilement grew stronger, while Yoshino insisted the curse would have no other effects.
• Yoshino asked Azer not to go up the mountain alone, but Azer challenged her for trying to exclude him and shoulder the danger by herself.
• Azer argued that the Cursed God threatened Sui Zhi and his loved ones, and warned Yoshino that he would part ways with her if she rejected his involvement.
• Mako and Asatake Anqing urged Yoshino to accept Azer’s help, but she could not respond as Azer freed himself and left with Muramasa.

Azer, Asatake Yoshino, and Hitachi Mako set out together at night to confront the Cursed God in the mountain forest. As Azer stopped at the sound of movement in the bushes, the Cursed God had not yet appeared.

• Azer found Asatake Yoshino and Hitachi Mako dressed for battle and agreed to let them accompany him up the mountain.
• The three left the Asatake family home with Congyu while Asatake Anqing stayed behind to await their return.
• As they traveled deeper into the forest, Hitachi Mako explained that Cursed Gods sought out the Asatake bloodline and that she could only support Yoshino in battle.
• Azer stopped when bushes ahead began to rustle.

Azer, Mako, and Yoshino confronted a Cursed God in the mountains, and Azer destroyed it with a single Divine Power-infused iaido strike. With Yoshino’s beast ears gone, the group prepared to return to Mr. Anqing.

• The Cursed God attacked Azer and Yoshino, while Mako deflected its tentacles and protected Yoshino.
• Yoshino dodged the Cursed God and struck its forelimb with the Hoko Bell, but Azer kicked it away before it could retaliate.
• Azer challenged the Cursed God to attack once more, then charged it and cut it in two with a Divine Power-infused strike from Muramasa.
• The Cursed God turned to ash, and Muramasa cheered while Azer teased her for not possessing the sword during the fight.
• Azer noticed Yoshino’s beast ears had vanished, and Mako said they should return to Mr. Anqing.

After the Cursed God was exorcised with ease, Asatake Yoshino struggled with feeling useless beside Azer and Hitachi Mako. Azer found her dancing at the shrine and offered to train with her, leaving her stunned.

• Asatake Anqing rejoiced when Azer, Asatake Yoshino, and Hitachi Mako returned safely after exorcising the Cursed God.
• Hitachi Mako went home, Asatake Anqing rested, and Cong Yu wandered off while Azer bathed and changed.
• Azer followed Asatake Yoshino to the shrine and watched her perform a Dedication Dance before the Go-shintai.
• Asatake Yoshino told Azer she felt useless because Mako protected her and Azer could defeat the Cursed God so easily.
• Azer asked Asatake Yoshino if she wanted to train with him, and she froze in surprise.

Azer began training with Asatake Yoshino, who wanted to become less powerless, and took her on a ten-kilometer morning run. Yoshino struggled near the end but reached Umou Academy with Azer as dawn broke.

• Azer greeted Yoshino early in the morning, and she slapped herself after misinterpreting his teasing remark about the previous night.
• Azer told Muramasa that Yoshino would join their workouts after she had agreed to train with him.
• Azer led Yoshino through warm-ups and then set off with her on a ten-kilometer run to Umou Academy.
• Yoshino told Azer she rarely went out alone and that her father and Mako would worry if they knew she had come with him.
• Yoshino's breathing faltered after five kilometers and she was exhausted by eight, but Azer encouraged her to continue until they reached Umou Academy at dawn.

Azer trained Asatake Yoshino at Umou Academy and outlined a plan to improve her stamina, footwork, and combat skills against Cursed Gods. As they resumed their morning exercises, Kurama Genjurou arrived.

• Azer gave the exhausted Asatake Yoshino water and explained the training plan he had prepared for her.
• Asatake Yoshino agreed that morning training would fit around her Shrine duties, studies, and Dedication Dance practice.
• Azer described how training while activating Divine Power had improved his physical fitness and strengthened his Divine Power.
• Azer and Asatake Yoshino resumed their exercises before school, and Kurama Genjurou arrived carrying a wooden sword.

Kurama Genjurou visited Azer at Umou Academy and, after checking that he was well, challenged him to a spar. Azer and his grandfather began a fierce sword fight, leaving their match unresolved.

• Kurama Genjurou found Azer with Asatake Yoshino and asked whether he had settled into life at the Shrine Maiden’s home.
• Kurama Genjurou offered Azer a chance to spar, and Azer eagerly accepted.
• Azer and Kurama Genjurou faced off with wooden swords while Asatake Yoshino watched.
• Asatake Yoshino dropped her water bottle, breaking the standoff and prompting Kurama Genjurou to attack.
• Azer deflected Kurama Genjurou’s powerful opening slash, and the two exchanged rapid blows in front of Umou Academy.

Azer fought Kurama Genjurou in a fierce wooden-sword match and finally surpassed his grandfather, who advised him to stay aware and focus on protecting those beside him. Azer and Asatake Yoshino returned home, where their families approved of Yoshino beginning training with him.

• Azer and Kurama Genjurou fought intensely until their battered wooden swords forced them to stop, and Kurama Genjurou acknowledged that Azer had surpassed him in strength and skill.
• Kurama Genjurou warned Azer not to become blinded by obsession and reminded him to defeat the threats in his new life and protect those by his side.
• Azer and Asatake Yoshino exchanged a flustered glance, and Kurama Genjurou told Yoshino he was entrusting his grandson to her care.
• Kurama Genjurou left with the broken wooden swords as keepsakes, while Azer and Yoshino discussed how their families worried over them and headed home.
• Azer and Yoshino returned to the Asatake family home, where Asatake Anqing and Hitachi Mako happily approved of Yoshino training alongside Azer.

Azer learned why his classmates shunned Kurama Rentaro as rumors spread that Azer was Asatake Yoshino’s fiancé. The speculation drew attention from students and Sui Zhi’s elders, leaving Yoshino distressed about whether to reveal the engagement as their bond grew more complicated.

• Azer learned from Hitachi Mako and Kurama Koharu that Kurama Rentaro had been isolated after quickly dating and dumping two girls in their class.
• Azer’s classmates treated him warmly because he was Yoshino’s constant companion, and rumors spread that he was her chosen husband.
• A male classmate asked Azer whether he was Yoshino’s fiancé, while Rentaro defended Azer’s privacy and teased him about the rumors.
• Azer noticed girls questioning Yoshino and Hitachi Mako, while Yoshino struggled with whether to admit the engagement and what it meant for their future.
• Azer heard that Sui Zhi’s elders had been visiting the Asatake family to ask about the engagement and decided Yoshino was the one who should worry.

Azer and the Asatake family discussed how the secret engagement between him and Asatake Yoshino had sparked growing attention in Sui Zhi. After Azer argued that they should deny the engagement, Yoshino left upset, and Asatake Anqing asked Azer to consider whether he truly wanted to marry her.

• Azer, Asatake Yoshino, and Hitachi Mako drew attention on their way to the Asatake family home, where they found that the engagement rumors were still spreading.
• Muramasa explained that the secrecy, Azer's drawing of the Divine Sword, and his daily visits with Yoshino had intensified public curiosity.
• Asatake Anqing and Muramasa suggested announcing the engagement, but Azer argued that they should deny it because neither he nor Yoshino seemed committed to fulfilling it.
• Asatake Yoshino left the living room after Azer said the engagement should be called off, and Hitachi Mako followed her.
• Muramasa warned Asatake Anqing that Azer had not taken the engagement seriously, but Azer did not relay her words.
• Asatake Anqing accepted responsibility and asked Azer to consider the engagement on its own merits and decide whether he wanted to marry Yoshino.

Asatake Yoshino struggled to understand why Azer’s proposal to dissolve their engagement upset her, and Hitachi Mako helped her recognize that she no longer wanted him to leave. Meanwhile, Azer left the Asatake home after a conversation with Anqing and murmured about marriage to Muramasa.

• Asatake Yoshino stopped her Dedication Dance and admitted to Hitachi Mako that her feelings were unsettled after Azer proposed dissolving their engagement.
• Hitachi Mako explained that Yoshino’s anger and anxiety showed she had grown attached to Azer and did not want him to leave.
• Yoshino realized she no longer wanted to distance Azer from herself, though she still wondered why her feelings had changed.
• Hitachi Mako invited Yoshino to her house to show her collection of shoujo manga.
• Azer left the Asatake family home, and Muramasa asked what Anqing had told him.
• Azer murmured about marriage with an unusually complicated expression.

After Asatake Yoshino and Hitachi Mako left for the Hitachi Family, Azer reconsidered how he viewed his engagement and his place in the Asatake household. He called his mother, Kurama Miyako, and ended the conversation feeling worse after she joked that the Shrine Maiden had beaten her to the daughter-in-law she wanted.

• Asatake Yoshino and Hitachi Mako left for the Hitachi Family, and Muramasa went after them while Azer stayed with Asatake Anqing.
• Azer cooked dinner for Asatake Anqing, who said Azer's cooking was better than Hitachi Mako's.
• Azer reflected on Asatake Anqing's request to take his relationship with Asatake Yoshino seriously and realized he had treated his life with the Asatake family like a transaction.
• Azer called Kurama Miyako, and they teased each other about his absence, his engagement to Asatake Yoshino, and his parents' romance.
• Kurama Miyako lamented that Asatake Yoshino had claimed the daughter-in-law she had wanted, leaving Azer to suspect she had been matchmaking him with Roka.

Azer called Kurama Miyako to ask what his parents thought about his engagement to Asatake Yoshino, but his mother encouraged him to take their relationship seriously and spend more time together. Azer realized he could neither say he liked Yoshino nor deny having feelings for her, and he was left considering his mother's advice.

• Azer asked Kurama Miyako how she and his father felt about his engagement to Asatake Yoshino, and she celebrated it as a blessing because Yoshino was Sui Zhi's revered Shrine Maiden.
• Azer asked whether his parents would accept him marrying into the Asatake family, and Kurama Miyako said they would leave the choice to him.
• Kurama Miyako recognized that Azer was unsure how to regard Yoshino and asked whether he liked her.
• Azer recalled Yoshino's Kagura Dance and admitted he could not say he liked her, but could not say he felt nothing for her either.
• Kurama Miyako advised Azer to set aside the engagement and Muramasa and try spending more time with Yoshino; Azer fell into thought as she ended the call and went to tell his father the news.

Azer pushed his Divine Power training further and considered investigating the source of the Asatake family's curse. Kurama Genjurou then asked him to pick up a new Shinato Inn employee, who was also transferring to Umou Academy and would arrive that afternoon.

• Azer trained alone, sprinting at full speed with his Divine Power activated until the strain forced him to collapse.
• After recovering, Azer reflected that the Asatake family's curse could only be lifted by finding its source, rather than merely exorcising Cursed Gods and purifying filth.
• Azer recalled Congyu's warning that abusing Divine Power could damage his body and soul, so he continued to avoid using it at full strength.
• Kurama Genjurou approached Azer and asked for help, explaining that the inn's staffing problem had been resolved with a new employee.
• Kurama Genjurou told Azer the employee was a foreigner who would transfer to school in town, and asked him to pick them up and show them around.

Azer went to Sui Zhi Station to pick up Rena Lichtnerova, but took a quieter route after locals recognized him. At the bottom of a slope, he tried to stop a girl hurtling downhill and accidentally tore her clothes, leaving her to discover she was exposed.

• Kurama Genjurou told Azer that Rena Lichtnerova, a student his age from Northern Europe, was coming to work at the inn and might transfer to his class.
• Azer returned to the Asatake family home, where Hitachi Mako explained that Asatake Yoshino had stayed up all night reading shoujo manga and was still asleep.
• Azer left for the station to meet Rena, but changed to the back streets when passersby recognized him and began gossiping.
• A girl rushed uncontrollably down a cherry-tree-lined slope, and Azer stepped aside before grabbing her clothes in an attempt to stop her.
• The girl's clothes tore, she fell, and she screamed when she realized Azer was holding the fabric that had come off her.

Azer met Rena Lichtnerova after she lost control of her suitcase and tumbled down a slope, then showed her around Sui Zhi and brought her to Shinato Inn. After returning to the Asatake family home, he saw the person who had been gone all night.

• Azer met Rena Lichtnerova after she changed clothes, and she explained how chasing her suitcase had sent her racing down the slope.
• Azer offered to guide Rena around Sui Zhi and carried her suitcase as they chatted.
• Azer revealed that he was the person sent to pick Rena up and explained that his grandfather had asked him to show her around before bringing her to Shinato Inn.
• Azer took Rena to eat, showed her Umou Academy and local shops, and brought her to Shinato Inn shortly before three.
• Azer returned to the Asatake family home and saw the person who had not returned all night.

Azer and Asatake Yoshino reunited awkwardly after their disagreement, then apologized to each other and made peace. They prepared to discuss the engagement seriously, leaving its outcome unresolved.

• Azer entered the Asatake family's living room, where Asatake Yoshino blushed and Hitachi Mako and Muramasa teased them before pushing him to follow her.
• Azer found Asatake Yoshino at Tatsumi Shrine and watched her perform her daily Dedication Dance.
• After the dance, Azer and Asatake Yoshino apologized for their words and actions during their earlier argument and agreed to put the dispute behind them.
• Azer asked Asatake Yoshino to discuss their engagement seriously, and she agreed.

Azer and Asatake Yoshino discussed why their engagement had been arranged and admitted their doubts about being worthy of one another. They agreed to continue as fiancés and see how their relationship developed.

• Azer explained that he had treated the engagement as a formality because he thought it had been arranged to serve Asatake Anqing's plans.
• Azer told Asatake Yoshino that her father had hoped she would have someone to rely on, and she said she had suspected he was worried about her.
• Azer admitted he had never expected someone like Yoshino to want him, while Yoshino insisted she felt unworthy of him instead.
• After Yoshino asked whether Azer liked her, he said that he did and praised her dancing and her character.
• Yoshino said she no longer wanted to end the engagement, and Azer suggested they try getting along as fiancés.
• Azer and Yoshino agreed to continue their engagement and looked forward to their uncertain future.