Chapter Summaries

Sogo Doma called Taihei Doma to defend the Doma family’s lavish spending, then impersonated Shizuka Hiratsuka’s mother to pressure Shizuka about marriage and her blind date with Taihei. He ended by leaving Shizuka furious after teasing her about her habits.

• Sogo Doma argued with Taihei Doma that the Doma family’s extravagant spending helped the market, leaving Taihei unsure how to respond.
• Sogo Doma called Shizuka Hiratsuka and impersonated her mother, claiming she had come to Tokyo to ask when Shizuka would have a grandchild.
• Sogo Doma told Shizuka Hiratsuka that the Doma family had arranged her blind date with Taihei Doma for the next day.
• Sogo Doma praised himself while impersonating Shizuka’s mother, then switched voices and teased Shizuka about her personality and drinking.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka realized Sogo Doma had tricked her and angrily demanded that he show himself.

Sogo Doma used Mrs. Hiratsuka’s voice to pressure Shizuka Hiratsuka to marry Taihei Doma or Sogo himself. Shizuka ended the chapter facing a date with Taihei and Sogo’s promise to judge how well she performed.

• Sogo Doma impersonated Mrs. Hiratsuka and teased Shizuka about her smoking, drinking, street racing, and fighting.
• Sogo told Shizuka that her mother wanted her to marry Taihei Doma, or Sogo if she failed to win Taihei over.
• Mrs. Hiratsuka threatened to drag Shizuka to the Doma Family’s home and hung up after insisting she wanted to see her daughter married.
• Sogo called Shizuka again and urged her to follow his instructions on her date with Taihei, while she refused to let him control it.
• Sogo revealed that he had investigated Shizuka’s past blind dates and teased her about her disastrous dating history.

Sogo Doma met Mai Sakurajima and her mother to collect information while preparing to oversee his adult younger brother Taihei Doma’s blind date. After arranging for Taihei, Umaru, and Shizuka Hiratsuka to meet at a Ginza restaurant, Sogo joked with Mai about being his brother’s matchmaker.

• Sogo Doma inspected the USB drive Mrs. Sakurajima brought and explained that his younger brother was going on a blind date.
• Sogo called Taihei Doma and told him to meet at the Woodland Orchard Hotel Restaurant, where Umaru would join them and Taihei would pay for the meal.
• Sogo called Shizuka Hiratsuka and insisted that she come to the restaurant, using the threat of calling her “little Shizuka” to pressure her.
• Mai Sakurajima questioned why Sogo was arranging a blind date for his brother, and Sogo said the woman and he were both in a hurry.
• Sogo claimed Taihei was his little brother despite being an adult, and Mai challenged his joking insistence that he was the only person who could be called big brother.

Sogo Doma persuaded Madam Sakurajima to promote Mai Sakurajima as a beautiful goddess by selecting glamorous clips instead of material that could undermine her image. When Mai asked what they had discussed, Sogo embarrassed her with a story about her childhood to stop her probing.

• Sogo Doma criticized the clips Madam Sakurajima had selected and explained why Mai’s image should focus on her looks rather than her acting.
• Sogo showed Madam Sakurajima footage of Mai playing an angel and argued that editing and promotion could turn even a poorly rated drama into effective publicity.
• Madam Sakurajima agreed to cooperate with Sogo’s plan and took the USB drive back to select new material.
• Mai suspected her mother had become a fan of Sogo and asked what they had been discussing.
• Sogo claimed Madam Sakurajima had told him Mai wet the bed at age three, embarrassing Mai and ending her questions.

Mai Sakurajima realized Sogo Doma had used his entertainment-industry insight to help her, while Sogo focused on arranging his younger brother Taihei’s marriage so he would take over the Doma Family. The chapter left Mai stunned by Sogo’s determination to push Taihei into becoming a CEO.

• Ms. Sakurajima admitted that Sogo’s judgment about the entertainment industry surpassed the material she and Mai had chosen.
• Mai reflected on how Sogo had helped her become visible again and wondered whether his kindness was too great to repay.
• Sogo pointed out Taihei at the restaurant and asked Mai to check whether Taihei could see her.
• Mai suspected Sogo intended to sabotage Taihei’s blind date, but Sogo insisted he wanted Taihei to marry and inherit the Doma Family.
• Sogo explained that he wanted Taihei to stop working his way up from the bottom and become CEO, leaving Mai bewildered.

Sogo Doma arranged a meeting between Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka, intending to set them up, but Shizuka turned it into a discussion about Sogo’s truancy and drinking. Taihei explained Sogo’s culinary-school background before Shizuka’s phone interrupted their conversation.

• Mai Sakurajima tried to get Taihei Doma’s attention, but he ignored her, delighting Sogo Doma.
• Taihei entered the expensive private room and learned that its costly services were included in the fee even if unused.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka arrived, and Mai followed her into the room as Shizuka asked whether Taihei was Sogo’s guardian.
• Shizuka introduced herself as Sogo’s Japanese teacher and raised his frequent absences from class and drinking.
• Taihei explained that Sogo had studied cooking at culinary school before transferring to high school and suggested he might be struggling with his current studies.
• Shizuka began responding to Taihei’s theory, but her phone rang and she excused herself to take the call.

Sogo Doma coached Shizuka Hiratsuka on how to use tutoring as an excuse to see Taihei Doma, then disrupted their meeting by calling Taihei and insulting them both. Shizuka and Taihei joined forces to address Sogo’s attitude toward studying, leaving him startled that Shizuka was with Taihei.

• Sogo Doma called Shizuka Hiratsuka and criticized her for failing to offer to tutor him, suggesting she could use it to spend time with Taihei Doma.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka returned to the private room, where Sogo called Taihei and asked whether he had met the old woman visiting his home.
• Taihei Doma defended Shizuka from Sogo’s insults, while Sogo called both of them old and teased Taihei about being an uncle.
• Taihei Doma told Sogo that his attitude toward studying was a serious problem, and Shizuka offered to supervise him with his guardians’ cooperation.
• Sogo Doma acted surprised that Shizuka was with Taihei, while Mai Sakurajima remarked that Sogo was a drama queen held back by knowledge.

Sogo Doma explained to Mai Sakurajima that he had provoked Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka to make them bond over a common enemy. In the private room, Taihei and Shizuka discussed how to correct Sogo’s habits and revealed that he had been drinking since childhood.

• Sogo Doma used coin tricks to explain to Mai Sakurajima how a common enemy could bring strangers together.
• Sogo admitted that he had deliberately drawn Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka’s hatred toward himself so they would work together.
• Mai learned that Sogo’s grudge against Taihei stemmed from Taihei trying to make him and Umaru call him big brother.
• Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka agreed to rule out violence while discussing how to correct Sogo’s habits.
• Taihei told Shizuka that Sogo had been caught drinking as a child and had not changed even after all four of his limbs were broken.

Taihei Doma explained to Shizuka Hiratsuka why reasoning and punishment had failed to change Sogo Doma’s reckless habits, and they considered appealing to his pride. Their discussion was interrupted when waiters brought the Spend-a-Lifetime-Together Set Meal, leaving them convinced Sogo had arranged it.

• Taihei Doma told Shizuka Hiratsuka that Sogo had resisted both arguments and violence, even defending his carefree outlook with statistics about people who died in accidents.
• Taihei explained that Sogo’s main weakness was his unusual concern for his own pride, especially his refusal to acknowledge Taihei as his older brother.
• Shizuka suggested they might address Sogo’s bad habits by appealing to his obsession with saving face, and Taihei asked whether she had an idea.
• Waiters entered and announced that the Spend-a-Lifetime-Together Set Meal Taihei and Shizuka had ordered was ready to be served.
• Taihei and Shizuka exchanged glances and realized that Sogo had arranged the suspicious meal.

Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka discovered that Sogo Doma had arranged their meal as the start of an elaborate game. Sogo showed them a recording of Taihei asking a restaurant owner to stop him from fleeing a blind date, and the footage ended with Taihei promising to pay every customer's bill if he ran away.

• Taihei apologized to Shizuka for Sogo's setup, then decided to accept the prepared meal after noticing the waiters seemed eager for him to cancel.
• Taihei warned Shizuka that leaving might have consequences, but the television turned on and Sogo, disguised as Okita Kura from the Void, announced his game.
• Taihei accused Sogo of arranging the meal so rejecting it would make them lose the game, and Sogo denied being his brother before showing footage.
• Taihei watched a recording of himself asking a restaurant owner for help with his social anxiety and insulting her while trying to explain his predicament.
• Taihei's recording revealed that he had asked the restaurant owner to watch him on his blind date and offered to pay every customer's bill if he ran away.

Sogo Doma used a recording to expose Taihei Doma’s elaborate plan to overcome his fear of women, then teased him and Shizuka Hiratsuka by revealing he had also recorded her. After explaining his restaurant surveillance to Mai Sakurajima, Sogo said Mai’s problem could be resolved that day and prepared her for a comeback.

• Taihei Doma’s recording showed him asking a restaurant proprietor to supervise his blind date and offering ten million yen, with a threat to pay two hundred million if she failed to spend his savings after he ran away.
• Sogo Doma revealed that he had staged the recording as Okita Jigokuzo and told Taihei that fingerprints, seals, and handwriting could verify the evidence.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka asked what would happen if she left first, and Sogo revealed that he had recorded footage featuring her too.
• Mai Sakurajima questioned why Sogo had sent her to spy when he could monitor the restaurant himself, and he explained that he had hacked its systems while handling other tasks.
• Sogo told Mai that she could prepare for her return to public life once Taihei’s matchmaking problem was solved, then joked about her making a comeback in a bunny-girl outfit.

Sogo Doma revealed his scheme to turn Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka’s meal into a game about their personal flaws. After he ended the broadcast, Taihei grew wary of Hiratsuka, then remembered she had originally come for a home visit.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka and Taihei Doma watched a playback of the contract scene and realized Sogo had planned the setup.
• Sogo Doma, posing as Okita Kura, challenged them to identify his motive and explained the game he had arranged.
• Sogo urged Taihei to stop obsessing over work and the Big Brother title, then told Hiratsuka to frighten Taihei into avoiding her.
• After Sogo shut off the television, Taihei stepped away from Hiratsuka and claimed he disliked sitting near the dining table.
• Hiratsuka reminded Taihei that she had come for a home visit, and he suspected Sogo had made him distrust her on purpose.

Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka shared the romantic dinner Sogo had arranged while discussing how to correct Sogo’s behavior. They agreed to keep working together, though Taihei’s suggestions increasingly sounded like invitations to date.

• Taihei Doma apologized to Shizuka Hiratsuka for doubting her and for Sogo’s disrespectful behavior.
• A waiter shrank the table and served the Together for Life Set Meal, turning their dinner into an awkwardly romantic scene.
• Taihei Doma admitted he had doubted his ability to educate Sogo, and Shizuka Hiratsuka urged him not to give up.
• Taihei Doma asked Shizuka Hiratsuka to help him correct Sogo, and she agreed because she was Sogo’s teacher.
• Taihei Doma suggested they discuss their plan at a cinema and later at the top of a Ferris wheel, leaving Shizuka Hiratsuka wondering if he was asking her out.

Shizuka Hiratsuka and Taihei Doma mistook the effects of Sogo Doma’s engineered candles for genuine attraction during a home visit. After Shizuka identified the candles and put them out, Sogo insisted the awkward encounter was still better than the worst-case scenario.

• Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka discussed seeing a movie and meeting again, while Mai Sakurajima and Sogo Doma watched and commented on their apparent attraction.
• Sogo explained to Mai how hormones and brain chemistry could create the sensation of love.
• Shizuka realized her feelings had begun after the candles were lit and told Taihei that something was wrong with them.
• Shizuka and Taihei blew out the candles, ending the fragrance’s effects, and Taihei apologized for his behavior.
• Sogo claimed the failed date was within his expectations and compared it favorably to worse possibilities, including Shizuka arriving hungover.

Sogo Doma watched his plan give Taihei Doma a first experience of romantic feelings, even after Shizuka Hiratsuka exposed the scented candles. In the private room, Taihei and Shizuka discovered that Sogo had also arranged their meal and wine, including a bottle priced at ten thousand dollars.

• Sogo Doma reflected that Taihei Doma had felt his heart stirred and that his plan had achieved its original purpose.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka explained that the candles were scented rather than aphrodisiac, and Taihei admitted he had wanted to stay beside her until they grew old together.
• The head waiter confirmed that Taihei and Shizuka had requested the candles, revealing that Sogo had arranged them.
• Taihei and Shizuka declined to relight the candles, then learned Sogo had selected the same wine for both of them.
• The head waiter revealed the wine's market price was ten thousand dollars, leaving Taihei shocked and Shizuka frustrated by Sogo's extravagant spending.

Sogo Doma used food pairings and music to get Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka drunk and draw out their feelings. The chapter ended with Taihei offering to marry Shizuka before Sogo interrupted him and resumed playing.

• Sogo Doma explained to Mai Sakurajima that the wine and dishes were arranged to make people drunk, then led her to the private room.
• Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka drunkenly complained about their frustrations, including Taihei’s lack of dignity as a big brother and Shizuka’s inability to find someone to marry.
• Sogo Doma sat at the piano and played “Mariage d'Amour,” which prompted the drunk pair to talk about marriage.
• Taihei Doma insisted that Shizuka could marry if she wanted, then agreed when she asked whether he would marry her.
• Sogo Doma struck a rest note to interrupt Taihei, then began playing again.

Sogo Doma’s piano playing and the wine led Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka to dance and behave like a couple before a waiter interrupted them. They suspected the wine had been tampered with, and the waiter insisted they check the restaurant’s surveillance footage.

• Sogo Doma played the piano, and Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka danced together while Mai Sakurajima watched in confusion.
• The head waiter entered to serve the main course, and Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka abruptly sobered up and sprang apart.
• Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka questioned the head waiter about the wine, but he denied that anything was wrong with it.
• The head waiter accused Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka of planning to damage the restaurant’s reputation and revealed that he had turned on the surveillance cameras.
• Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka agreed to check the surveillance footage.

Shizuka Hiratsuka and Taihei Doma reviewed surveillance footage of their drunken behavior, then failed to find anything wrong with the wine. Sogo Doma called to tease Taihei about what happened, leaving Taihei protesting that he had not made a move on Shizuka.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka and Taihei Doma watched footage showing them acting wildly drunk after barely drinking any wine.
• The head waiter tasted the Riesling, found nothing wrong with it, and agreed to get drunk too rather than argue with the guests.
• The head waiter told the proprietress that Shizuka and Taihei had hit it off, while the proprietress dismissed their complaint as lovers being shy.
• Shizuka and Taihei inspected the wine and glasses again, then answered a phone call from Sogo Doma.
• Sogo Doma teased Taihei for supposedly making a move on Shizuka, and Taihei denied it while worrying about the consequences for her.

Sogo Doma’s attempt to arrange a blind date between Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka was exposed, while Shizuka revealed she had reasons to resist the match. The chapter ended with Taihei realizing Sogo could imitate voices and Sogo preparing to explain himself.

• Sogo teased Taihei about his behavior and denied Taihei’s accusations that he had manipulated events.
• Shizuka confronted Sogo, refused his plans, and revealed that her visit was meant to be a blind date with Taihei.
• Shizuka explained that Sogo had used the home visit as an excuse to bring her and Taihei together.
• Taihei and Shizuka learned that Sogo was not concerned about inheritance, though he complained that his allowance had been cut and a bounty placed on him.
• Taihei asked why Shizuka had mentioned quitting and leaving, and she admitted it was because of the female voice that had called her Little Shizu.
• Sogo realized Taihei knew he could change his voice and thought that he could still explain himself.

Sogo Doma’s staged matchmaking scheme brought Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka closer, even after Shizuka realized Sogo had deceived her. Sogo left them to decide what came next, as a relationship began to take shape.

• Taihei Doma asked Sogo Doma whether he had used his voice-changing skill, and Sogo hung up before answering.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka realized Sogo had impersonated her mother and felt relieved that the matchmaking had failed, though she blamed her own impulsiveness.
• Taihei Doma asked Shizuka Hiratsuka for her contact information, suggesting she could help him correct Sogo at school.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka recognized Taihei Doma’s interest, while Sogo Doma told Mai Sakurajima that events might not have been ruined after all.
• Sogo Doma explained how he had used staged first experiences and emotional contrasts to bring Taihei Doma and Shizuka Hiratsuka together, then closed his laptop and left them to it.