Chapter Summaries

Rikka Takanashi mistook Yukino Yukinoshita for a fellow supernatural being, then compared their chests and reconsidered after Mashiro said Rikka’s was slightly bigger. The chapter ended with Rikka claiming her Wicked Eye had only been joking.

• Rikka Takanashi called Yukino Yukinoshita an Iceberg Banshee and asked her to help free Rikka from the Sacred Culinary Artist’s restraints.
• Yukino asked Toka Takanashi for a chance to speak with Rikka and insisted she was human, but Rikka remained convinced they were alike.
• Rikka pointed out that Yukino and she shared the same small chest, prompting Sogo Doma and the others to compare them in silence.
• Mashiro Shiina said the Wicked Eye was wrong because Rikka’s chest was a little bigger than Yukino’s.
• Rikka decided the Wicked Eye had misjudged their similarity, declared herself far stronger, and then claimed she had only been joking.

Rikka Takanashi tried to recruit Yukino Yukinoshita as a companion, applying Sogo Doma’s advice to unite allies. Toka Takanashi challenged Rikka’s insistence that she needed subordinates instead of friends, leaving Rikka speechless.

• Rikka remembered Sogo Doma’s advice to unite every force that could be united and decided Yukino Yukinoshita could be an ally.
• Rikka declared that she would allow Yukino to become her subordinate, leaving Yukino bewildered.
• Toka apologized to Yukino for Rikka’s behavior and told Rikka that no one called a companion a subordinate.
• Rikka argued that Sanae Dekomori was her subordinate, and Toka asked whether Rikka truly saw Sanae only that way.
• Toka said she felt sorry for Rikka and accused her of not daring to admit that she had a friend.

Takanashi Rikka admitted that she and Takanashi Toka were friends, while Yukino Yukinoshita wondered about her own friendships amid the group's teasing. As the classical music competition continued, Sogo Doma fell asleep and spread his drowsiness through the group, leaving Umaru determined to wake him before she nodded off too.

• Takanashi Rikka realized she considered Takanashi Toka a friend, though she turned away as she admitted it.
• Yukino Yukinoshita reflected on whether Mashiro Shiina, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Ako Tamaki were her friends as the group bickered about who had been left out.
• Sogo Doma stirred up the group by claiming Ako Tamaki had been isolated, until Umaru reminded everyone they had come to watch the competition.
• The group settled down to watch the performances, but Popura Taneshima, Aoi Yamada, Kyoko Shirafuji, Ako Tamaki, and Mashiro Shiina grew drowsy.
• Sogo Doma put on an eye mask and fell asleep, and Umaru struggled to stay awake before deciding to wake him.

Sogo Doma joked with Umaru and Utaha Kasumigaoka about the music competition, then teased Yukino Yukinoshita for not knowing the slang meaning of “flag.” The group kept calling Yukino a Showa-era person, leaving her confused and irritated.

• Sogo Doma claimed he had been listening to the contestants while wearing an eye mask, and Umaru asked who seemed likely to win.
• Sogo Doma said the next contestant would win and warned that Kaoru might have raised a flag before Miyazono’s performance.
• Yukino Yukinoshita asked what “flag” meant, and Utaha Kasumigaoka was surprised that Yukino thought it meant a banner.
• Sogo Doma called Yukino a Showa-era person, and he and Yukino traded jokes about their school days and Japanese teachers.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka redirected the conversation toward Yukino’s misunderstanding, and Yukino again asked whether a flag meant a banner.

Doma Sougo explained what a FLAG meant after Yukino Yukinoshita admitted she was unfamiliar with the term. The group argued over whether Umaru had jinxed Kaoru’s upcoming performance, and Sougo began to claim Miyazono had lied about something after the performance.

• Doma teased Yukino for not knowing what a FLAG was, and Mashiro and Ako confirmed they knew the term.
• Utaha explained that a FLAG was a familiar story cue that suggested a character was about to suffer a setback or die.
• Yukino questioned whether story conventions could predict real events, while Umaru insisted Kaoru would be fine during her performance.
• Sougo said Umaru had raised a textbook FLAG and admitted he might find it interesting if something went wrong for an unfamiliar contestant.
• Sougo changed the subject by claiming Miyazono had lied to everyone after her performance.

Backstage before their performance, Kaori Miyazono encouraged the uneasy Kousei Arima and convinced him to accompany her despite his doubts about playing the piano. They prepared to go onstage together, with Kaori still expecting him to give her the performance he owed.

• Kousei Arima regretted revealing Kaori Miyazono’s condition and struggled to comfort her in the contestants’ preparation room.
• Kaori Miyazono urged Kousei Arima to give the performance everything he had, insisting that conveying their music mattered more than avoiding mistakes.
• Kousei Arima admitted he still did not know whether he could play and said he had wanted Doma-senpai to accompany Kaori instead.
• Kaori Miyazono told Kousei Arima that he owed her a perfect performance and said an inconspicuous accompanist could help her shine.
• The announcement called Kaori Miyazono and Kousei Arima as the next performers.

At the preliminary round, Sogo Doma and the others discussed Kaori Miyazono’s secret before she took the stage with Kousei Arima. The audience recognized Arima as the famed “human metronome,” and the group began worrying that their repeated predictions might jinx the performance.

• Sogo Doma changed the conversation to Kaori Miyazono’s lie, while Umaru insisted she trusted Kaori’s reasons.
• The announcer introduced Kaori Miyazono and Kousei Arima as the next performers.
• The audience recognized Arima as the former “human metronome” and speculated about his return to music.
• Umaru worried that Arima might hold Kaori back, and Sogo Doma pointed out that the reveal made her prediction seem like a FLAG.
• Yukino Yukinoshita argued that nothing would go wrong, while Sogo Doma and Utaha Kasumigaoka joked that their predictions might jinx the performance.

Kaori Miyazono began her violin performance, but Kousei Arima froze at the piano and failed to accompany her. As the others wondered whether Umaru’s FLAG had caused the mishap, they learned Arima could no longer play, and Mashiro observed that Kaori was enjoying the stage while Arima was afraid.

• Kaori Miyazono took the stage and began playing the violin with confidence.
• Kousei Arima sat trembling at the piano and failed to start the accompaniment, prompting alarmed murmurs from the audience.
• Umaru feared that her FLAG had caused Arima to freeze, but Sogo Doma dismissed the idea and explained that Arima had told him he could no longer play the piano.
• Mashiro Shiina said Kaori had not seemed surprised by Arima’s silence and was enjoying performing.
• Mashiro Shiina watched Kousei Arima and said that he was afraid.

During a rehearsal, Kousei Arima froze at the piano, overwhelmed by his fear and memories of his mother. Kaori Miyazono reminded him that his music had first made her love music and urged him to remember the joy it brought him, leaving him unsure whether he could play again.

• Lady Umaru realized Kousei Arima was afraid of the piano, while Mashiro Shiina recognized his fear.
• Kousei Arima sat trembling at the piano and apologized to Kaori Miyazono, saying he could no longer play.
• Kaori Miyazono asked Kousei Arima whether he liked music and told him she had first fallen in love with it after hearing him perform as a child.
• Kaori Miyazono urged Kousei Arima to remember the happiness music had brought him and play again.
• Kousei Arima looked at his hands and asked whether he could still play.

Kousei Arima overcame his fear enough to play alongside Kaori Miyazono, and the pair gave an unconventional performance that moved the audience. The competition was already over, but the applause gave them a more dignified farewell.

• Kaori Miyazono urged Kousei Arima to decide whether he could share his own music, then continued playing despite the competition being over.
• Kousei Arima heard the music and tentatively pressed a piano key, realizing he could respond to Kaori Miyazono.
• Kaori Miyazono and Kousei Arima played together, blending their styles into a performance that captivated the audience.
• Sogo Doma helped spark the audience's applause, and Kousei Arima praised Kaori Miyazono before she credited him with succeeding.
• Sogo Doma told Lady Umaru that, although they had no chance of advancing, the applause made their exit more dignified.

After the competition, Toka Takanashi invited Jun Sato and Hiroomi Soma to attend Totsuki’s residential training, and Kyoko Shirafuji tried to join for the free food. Sogo Doma resisted Gin Dojima’s request that he teach there, then discovered Umaru already thought he was a slacker.

• The Valonaria Restaurant staff said goodbye, and Toka invited Jun Sato and Hiroomi Soma to study at Totsuki as assistant chefs.
• Kyoko Shirafuji learned the training would be free and asked to attend for the food, so Toka said it depended on Sogo Doma’s agreement.
• Toka revealed that Gin Dojima had asked Sogo to guide Totsuki’s students, and Sogo objected that a former expelled student teaching there would insult the school.
• Sogo denied that his departure from Totsuki had been a protest and insisted he had simply lost a Shokugeki to Eishi Tsukasa.
• Umaru said she had thought Sogo lost because he served water, and Sogo realized she had long considered him a slacker.

Sogo Doma agreed to visit Totsuki with Umaru and the Wagnaria staff, then used a drink run as an excuse to slip away and watch Kaori Miyazono. Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka followed him, and their conversation turned to whether Rikka Takanashi lacked knowledge or ability.

• Toka Takanashi praised Sogo Doma’s Shokugeki performance, while Umaru awkwardly insisted she had only joked about calling him a salted fish.
• Sogo Doma agreed to guide students at Totsuki, and the Nakiri family’s invitation also went to Kyoko Shirafuji, Yukino Yukinoshita, and others.
• The Wagnaria staff departed excitedly for Totsuki, and Sogo Doma watched Rikka Takanashi leave after she declared she would break his seal.
• Kaori Miyazono emerged from Vienna Music Hall, and Sogo Doma offered to get drinks so he could slip away and observe her situation.
• Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka accompanied Sogo Doma to an alley, where they discussed the Service Club and whether Rikka counted as someone lacking.

Sogo challenged Yukino’s belief that Rikka’s chuunibyou was merely false, prompting Yukino to question what she truly wanted from changing the world. Utaha began to explain her own choices about Kaori Miyazono, but the chapter ended before she finished.

• Utaha questioned why Yukino had not offered help to Rikka Takanashi and Toka, and Yukino said help would be futile if they did not want to change.
• Sogo explained that Toka accepted Rikka’s chuunibyou because it helped Rikka live more happily and stop dwelling on the past.
• Sogo compared Yukino’s goal of changing the world to Rikka’s search for the Unseen Boundary Line, arguing that both could give people purpose and belonging.
• Yukino struggled to answer when Sogo asked whether she knew what she truly wanted and whether changing the world would satisfy everyone.
• Sogo teased Utaha for avoiding Kaori Miyazono’s private matters, and Utaha insisted she knew what she wanted before beginning to address Kaori.

Utaha Kasumigaoka learned that Sogo Doma and Umaru had seen through Kaori Miyazono’s lie about being ill and understood that Kousei Arima was the only person she meant to deceive. In the park, Kaori confessed that she was healthy and explained that she wanted Kousei to rediscover himself and fall in love with music again.

• Utaha questioned whether Kaori had been lying all along, and Sogo said Kaori’s lie was meant only for Kousei.
• Sogo explained that Umaru had recognized Kousei as the reason for Kaori’s deception and sent him away so Kaori could speak freely.
• In the park, Kaori bowed to Umaru and admitted she was healthy, aside from mild hypoglycemia.
• Kaori explained that she had lied because she wanted Kousei to find his old self and love music again.
• Kaori recalled that Kousei had mistaken her fainting for proof of illness and promised to keep her condition secret.

Kaori Miyazono asked Kousei Arima to accompany her in the Vienna Music Competition, but he confessed that he could no longer hear the piano. Kaori pressed ahead with the plan, declaring him her Friend A and inviting him to compete with her.

• Kaori Miyazono learned that Kousei Arima had seen her violin performance and accepted his praise for it.
• Kousei Arima admitted that he liked music, especially the piano, and Kaori asked him to accompany her at the Vienna Music Competition.
• Kousei Arima said he could no longer play the piano because he could not hear its sound.
• Kaori Miyazono declared herself the protagonist and invited Kousei Arima to compete with her as her Friend A.

Sogo Doma guessed that Kaori Miyazono lied about liking Kousei Arima because she wanted to become his friend without making him grieve if she disappeared. Utaha Kasumigaoka urged Sogo to write the story down, but he clarified it was only a guess.

• Kaori Miyazono told Lady Umaru that she admired Arima and wanted him to love playing the piano again.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka questioned Sogo Doma about why Kaori had lied, and he suggested imagining that she truly had a terminal illness.
• Sogo told a story in which Kaori planned to become Arima’s friend and hide her illness so her eventual disappearance would not hurt him.
• Utaha asked Sogo to write the story down, but he refused, explaining that it was only his guess about Kaori’s motives.
• Utaha marveled at Sogo’s storytelling and reflected on her own achievements as a writer and student.

Utaha Kasumigaoka and Yukino Yukinoshita discussed Sogo Doma’s story idea about Miyazono and realized how exceptional his imagination was. Sogo explained that Kousei Arima was a piano prodigy who might achieve heights comparable to Mashiro, leaving both girls stunned.

• Utaha reflected on how meeting Sogo and competing with Yukino had pushed her to study harder.
• Sogo and Utaha discussed changing Miyazono’s supposed terminal diagnosis into a doctor’s misdiagnosis, weighing the difference between a moving story and a hopeful reality.
• Utaha questioned why Miyazono would lie about her time running out, and Sogo brought up Kousei Arima’s extraordinary musical achievements.
• Sogo said Kousei might rival Mashiro’s achievements in painting, and Utaha and Yukino reacted with disbelief.
• Utaha recalled Mashiro’s artistic talent and thought her illustrations could have greatly improved the sales of her first two books.

Utaha Kasumigaoka and Yukino Yukinoshita questioned Sogo Doma’s belief that Kousei Arima had extraordinary piano potential, but learned he had once dominated competitions before claiming he could no longer play. They realized Miyazono had lied to make Arima play again, though Utaha still interpreted that as proof she liked him, and Yukino called her love-brained.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka and Yukino Yukinoshita doubted Sogo Doma’s claim that Kousei Arima’s piano talent could rival Mashiro Shiina’s painting talent.
• Sogo Doma pointed out that Kousei had won numerous competitions before saying he could no longer play the piano.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka and Yukino Yukinoshita realized Miyazono had lied to get Kousei to play again.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka argued that Miyazono’s lie proved she liked Kousei, and Yukino Yukinoshita called Utaha love-brained.

Sogo Doma debated with Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka about whether lies could be justified, using examples to show how the same lie could help or harm depending on perspective. He left Yukino questioning her certainty that lies were always wrong.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka defended Cinderella's happy ending, while Yukino Yukinoshita questioned whether its ending proved that the story ended happily.
• Sogo Doma argued that a lie could weaken the person who told it, and Yukino said that reality built on lies was fragile.
• Sogo asked whether Yukino would prefer a comforting lie or a painful truth about a hospitalized relative, prompting Utaha to tease her.
• Sogo told a story about villagers who may have called a Christian's suicide a murder to spare his family from shame, and Yukino acknowledged that the lie might have been well-intentioned.
• Sogo suggested the deceased might have intended suicide as an accusation against his family or village, then told Yukino that the world was more complicated than black and white.

Sogo Doma challenged Yukino Yukinoshita’s belief in absolute correctness with a story contrasting a hardworking professional manager and a resting fisherman. He left her reconsidering whether the fisherman’s choice was right by asking what would happen if his father needed costly medical treatment.

• Sogo Doma questioned Yukino Yukinoshita about pursuing absolute correctness and finding something genuine.
• Sogo Doma told Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka a story about a manager who urged a fisherman to work more so he could eventually rest.
• Yukino Yukinoshita agreed with the manager’s reasoning, while Sogo Doma pointed out that the fisherman was already resting and that each man judged the choice from a different perspective.
• Yukino Yukinoshita admitted she could not decide who was right, and Sogo Doma declared that the fisherman was wrong.
• Sogo Doma asked whether the fisherman could keep resting if his father urgently needed expensive treatment, leaving Yukino Yukinoshita to consider the hypothetical.