Chapter Summaries

Sogo Doma tried to divert suspicion from himself by teasing Masuzu Natsukawa about not wearing panties, but his comments about smelling blood drove the others away from him. The chapter ended with Masuzu angrily demanding to know why he had called her bloody.

• Sogo Doma changed the subject from rumors about him to Mashiro and Eriri, then to whether he was gay.
• Sogo Doma accused Masuzu Natsukawa of not wearing panties, and her flustered denial made the others more suspicious.
• Masuzu Natsukawa suggested Sogo had peeked under her skirt, but he dodged the accusation with an insult about smelling his enemies.
• Sogo Doma said he could smell blood on Masuzu, and Yukino Yukinoshita, Utaha Kasumigaoka, Eriri, and the others retreated beyond his reach.
• Masuzu Natsukawa called Sogo a bastard and demanded to know why he claimed she smelled of blood.

Sogo Doma turned Masuzu Natsukawa’s accusation that he was gay back on her by repeatedly demanding proof that she was wearing panties, leaving Masuzu furious and the others bewildered. He then compared Eriri Sawamura unfavorably to the fictional Airi, provoking Eriri’s irritation.

• Sogo Doma challenged Masuzu Natsukawa to prove she was wearing panties by lifting her skirt, while rejecting the other girls as witnesses.
• Sogo Doma kept twisting Masuzu’s objections into supposed admissions that she was not wearing panties, and Masuzu called him gay.
• Sogo Doma explained that he had used the exchange to make Masuzu experience what it felt like to be slandered.
• Sogo Doma said Eriri Sawamura’s looks were her main asset and compared her unfavorably to Airi, irritating Eriri.

Eriri Sawamura sought help from Yukino Yukinoshita after suspecting the art club president had discovered her doujinshi drawings. Sogo Doma claimed he could solve the problem but refused to explain, leaving Yukino, Utaha, and Eriri frustrated.

• Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka teamed up to silence Sogo Doma after he mocked Eriri and Yukino.
• Yukino offered to help Eriri with whatever was troubling her, earning Eriri's admiration.
• Eriri explained that she had accidentally submitted a doujinshi draft during art club activities and feared the president had seen it.
• Sogo said he had a simple solution, then refused to explain because Yukino and Utaha had told him not to talk so much.
• Utaha demanded that Sogo reveal his plan, but he complained that they only wanted him to speak when they needed something.

Sogo Doma teased Eriri Sawamura and the others while they worried that her doujinshi work might be exposed. He then began explaining how to handle the situation, leaving them to hear his proposed solution.

• Sogo Doma traded barbs with Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka when they asked him to help Eriri.
• Sogo suggested finding a time machine, and Eriri started searching before Yukino stopped her.
• Utaha and Yukino tried to reassure the dejected Eriri and asked Sogo whether he had a real solution.
• Sogo said the problem was simple and asked them to assume that Eriri's manuscript had been discovered by someone suspicious.
• Eriri objected that the worst outcome would be her doujinshi work spreading through the school, but Sogo said that would not matter much.

Sogo Doma tried to reassure Eriri Sawamura about the risk of her doujinshi secret being exposed, then explained how someone could manipulate her into gradually agreeing to bigger demands. Eriri remained distressed, while Yukino Yukinoshita objected to Sogo’s advice.

• Sogo Doma told Eriri Sawamura to accept the possibility that people might learn she drew doujinshi, but Eriri demanded another solution.
• Sogo asked Mashiro Shiina how she would stop someone from revealing a secret, and Mashiro suggested getting rid of them.
• Yukino Yukinoshita rebuked Sogo for encouraging Mashiro, while Eriri insisted she would not harm anyone.
• Sogo described how someone could use Eriri’s desire to recover her manuscript to escalate requests little by little.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka explained Sogo’s tactic as exploiting habituation and a gambler’s mentality, and Sogo compared it to asking for a window after threatening to tear off a roof.
• Sogo concluded that Eriri’s secret being exposed might prevent anyone from using it against her, leaving Eriri frustrated by his reasoning.

Sogo Doma pushed Eriri Sawamura to consider how she would handle the person who knew her identity, then proposed denying that she had drawn the incriminating manuscript. The chapter ended with Sogo sketching in Eriri’s art style, surprising her and Utaha Kasumigaoka.

• Sogo Doma warned Eriri that the person who knew her identity could use the manuscript against her, while Eriri panicked and Yukino Yukinoshita offered to accompany her.
• Sogo suggested taking the person out, but Eriri and Yukino rejected the idea and Utaha noticed that Sogo had another solution.
• Sogo proposed that Eriri deny drawing the manuscript and claim she had borrowed it, but Eriri objected that its art style would give her away.
• Sogo dismissed blaming Mashiro, noting that the art world would ridicule Toyogasaki if Mashiro drew doujinshi, and Mashiro said her family supported her artistic choices.
• Sogo rapidly sketched a drawing in Eriri’s art style, leaving Eriri astonished and Utaha wondering how he had done it.

Utaha Kasumigaoka reflected on how Umaru Doma’s imagination helped her finish Love Metronome, while Sogo Doma was accused of imitating Eriri Sawamura’s art style. The chapter ended with Eriri protesting after Utaha called the style “Kinnshining’s.”

• Utaha Kasumigaoka recalled that Umaru Doma’s wild ideas had helped her finish Love Metronome’s final volume, which Sonoko Machida submitted after Editor-in-Chief Yamagami agreed to end the series.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka asked Umaru Doma why she would not try writing a novel, but Umaru denied having creative talent while playing a game flawlessly.
• Eriri Sawamura accused Sogo Doma of imitating her art style, and Sogo asked Mashiro Shiina how long she would need to imitate it.
• Mashiro Shiina said the drawings made her feel strange, so the second young lady covered her eyes and challenged Sogo.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka said Sogo was familiar with Kinnshining’s art style, and Eriri protested that she was Eriri Sawamura Spencer.

Utaha Kasumigaoka and Sawamura Eriri clashed while Yukino Yukinoshita considered how Eriri could retrieve a manuscript that exposed her doujinshi identity. Yukino favored resolving the matter through conversation and warned that Eriri could not keep her secret if she continued drawing doujinshi.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka teased Sawamura Eriri, while Yukino Yukinoshita interpreted Utaha's behavior as romantic jealousy.
• Yukino proposed retrieving the manuscript, making Eriri's identity public, or denying her work, and advised against denial because it could not last.
• Sogo Doma joked that Eriri should kill everyone who knew her secret, and Yukino pointed out that this would include them.
• Kaguya Shinomiya recalled how Yamazaki and his group helped her gain freedom from the Shinomiya Family, after which she prepared many red bean paste buns.
• Yukino said she preferred negotiating for the original manuscript and warned Eriri that continuing to draw doujinshi would likely expose her identity again.

Yukino and Sogo discussed Eriri's fear of revealing that she drew doujinshi, and Yukino urged her to tell the truth. Eriri remained troubled, so Yukino said she had prepared a plan with several steps.

• Yukino encouraged Eriri to give up drawing doujinshi, but Sogo explained that Eriri was the only artist in her doujinshi circle.
• Sogo revealed that Eriri's mother founded and led the circle, and Yukino offered to accompany Eriri when she told the other members the truth.
• Yukino said people could defend themselves by exploiting others' weaknesses, and Sogo joked that he would charge anyone who discovered his doujinshi work.
• Eriri objected that the problem was having her identity exposed, and Yukino told her to be shameless like Sogo.
• Eriri admitted she would not be so troubled if she were like Sogo, and Yukino said she had already worked out several steps in a plan.

Yukino proposed ways for Eriri to protect her hidden identity, but her planning session kept getting sidetracked by arguments with Sogo. Sogo brought up Shizuka Hiratsuka, the Service Club’s advisor, leaving Eriri worried that asking the club for help might expose her secret.

• Yukino suggested Eriri act unconcerned about her original manuscript so the other party could not judge how much it mattered to her.
• Sogo pointed out that his art style resembled Eriri’s, and Yukino teased them while Eriri defended her work.
• Yukino proposed finding the other person’s weakness as a backup plan, prompting Sogo and Yukino to bicker over photos and videos he had of her.
• Sogo asked what Yukino thought of Shizuka Hiratsuka, and Yukino and Utaha agreed that Hiratsuka was a good teacher.
• Sogo explained that Hiratsuka advised the Service Club, and Eriri worried that seeking their help could reveal her Kashiwagi Eri identity.

Sogo Doma teased Yukino Yukinoshita about how eccentric and unreliable Shizuka Hiratsuka was, while defending his own character and perfect exam scores. The conversation ended with Utaha Kasumigaoka joining in to mock Yukino’s boast of being outstanding.

• Sogo Doma described Hiratsuka as eccentric and unreliable, and Eriri Sawamura was surprised that Yukino still considered her a good teacher.
• Yukino imagined Hiratsuka acting chuunibyou and grew embarrassed, but Doma tricked her into admitting the image seemed fitting.
• Yukino defended Hiratsuka as a qualified teacher while criticizing Doma, who countered by citing his perfect exam scores.
• Doma joked that Yukino was an A from head to toe, and Utaha pointed out the sarcasm in his compliment.
• Doma concluded that Yukino was full of flaws, and Utaha laughed at the exchange.

Yukino Yukinoshita and Sogo Doma debated how to protect Eriri’s secret identity, with Doma challenging Yukino’s plan to use the club president’s weaknesses. The discussion ended with Yukino asking Doma what solution he had in mind.

• Sogo Doma teased Yukino Yukinoshita about feeling insecure over her appearance and compared her with Hiratsuka-sensei.
• Yukino reflected that Doma and Hiratsuka-sensei seemed less concerned than she was about other people’s judgments.
• Doma agreed that Yukino could find leverage over the club president to keep Eriri’s identity secret, while Eriri questioned whether the plan would work.
• Doma proposed making the club president too afraid to approach Eriri, and Yukino objected that this amounted to intimidation.
• Doma pointed out that the president might have no weaknesses, or might be as hard to read as he and Hiratsuka-sensei, leaving Yukino asking for his alternative.

Sogo Doma and the others debated how Eriri Sawamura could protect her identity after her original manuscript was discovered, and Utaha Kasumigaoka proposed making Sogo the scapegoat. Mashiro Shiina demonstrated that she could imitate Eriri’s art style quickly, but her drawing still lacked the distinctive feeling of Eriri’s work.

• Sogo Doma teased Eriri and suggested she take out anyone who might expose her identity, while Yukino Yukinoshita pointed out that the group already knew her secret.
• Eriri and Yukino joked about killing Sogo rather than asking him for help, and Utaha warned that they would eventually need his assistance.
• Utaha suggested that Eriri could deny drawing the discovered manuscript and pin it on Sogo because their art styles were similar.
• Sogo asked Mashiro how quickly she could imitate Eriri’s art, and Mashiro said she could do it in about a day.
• Mashiro quickly drew in Eriri’s style, but she said the picture lacked the feeling of Eriri’s work.

Mashiro copied Eriri’s drawing almost perfectly, prompting Sogo Doma to explain how her version differed and Utaha Kasumigaoka to challenge his attempts to avoid taking responsibility. The group maneuvered Eriri into claiming she had submitted Sogo’s painting as her assignment, leaving Sogo to protest that the decision should be his.

• Mashiro showed Eriri a drawing that closely matched her work, though Sogo noted it lacked Eriri’s Shibuya atmosphere and had more refined splendor.
• Sogo began explaining Shibuya atmosphere to Mashiro, but Utaha stopped him and denied that they were looking for someone to take the blame.
• Utaha accused Sogo of considering letting Mashiro bear the rumors, and Sogo argued that Eriri had been caught with the doujinshi manuscript.
• Utaha and Yukino Yukinoshita brought up the painting Sogo had given Eriri, prompting Eriri to claim she had submitted it as her assignment.
• Sogo objected that the final decision should be his after Utaha had turned against him.

Utaha Kasumigaoka maneuvered Sogo Doma into taking the blame for Eriri Sawamura, with Eriri and Yukino Yukinoshita helping pressure him. After the art club president learned Sogo had drawn Eriri’s picture, she tried to recruit him and offered to protect his doujinshi secret, leaving Sogo with a new problem: how to refuse her.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka provoked Sogo Doma into agreeing to take the blame, while Eriri Sawamura and Yukino Yukinoshita backed her up.
• The art club president learned that Sogo had drawn Eriri’s picture and stopped pressing Eriri about the original manuscript.
• The president invited Sogo to join the art club and offered him a private classroom, asking Eriri to help keep his doujinshi work secret.
• Sogo declined the invitation, but the president vowed to keep pursuing him, and Eriri told him not to expect her thanks.

Sogo Doma tried to refuse the Art Club president’s persistent invitation, but she countered each excuse by interpreting his words as proof of his kindness and love of drawing. The president then hinted that she would reveal a secret about Eriri and claimed Eriri had helped her with love advice, leaving Eriri protesting her innocence.

• Sogo Doma refused the Art Club president’s invitation, but she kept pressing him to explain why.
• Sogo Doma claimed drawing made him sick and that he only drew doujinshi to make money, but the president argued that he loved drawing and was kind for worrying about the club.
• The president said Eriri was the Art Club’s treasure, and Sogo Doma agreed while Eriri looked mortified.
• The president offered to tell Sogo Doma a secret about Eriri if he joined the club, prompting Eriri to deny any wrongdoing.
• The president claimed she had been a love detective and that Eriri had given her valuable suggestions, while Eriri protested that she had never done so.

Sogo Doma and Sawamura Eriri questioned Hayakawa Mana about why she was willing to reveal Eriri’s secret to recruit him for the art club. Hayakawa explained that she saw kindness in Doma’s choice to bear his loneliness alone, leaving him doubtful that she understood his motives.

• Hayakawa Mana offered to reveal her evidence about Eriri if Sogo Doma joined the art club.
• Eriri denied that she and Doma were in sync, but Hayakawa pointed out that they had asked the same question at the same time.
• Doma challenged Hayakawa to explain why she was willing to sell out Eriri just because he was involved.
• Hayakawa said she wanted Doma to join because his work showed his love of drawing and desire to connect with like-minded people.
• Hayakawa praised Doma for hiding his identity to avoid bringing shame on the art club, while Doma insisted he had drawn doujinshi only for money.

Hayakawa Mana teased Sogo Doma and Eriri Sawamura about their romantic connections before revealing she wanted to discuss Kashiwagi-sensei. Eriri realized Hayakawa had mistaken Sogo for her and was about to address him as Eri-sensei.

• Hayakawa Mana brought up Sogo Doma's top exam score, and Eriri Sawamura reacted strongly when she wondered whether he had a girlfriend.
• Hayakawa Mana suggested Eriri could lose a war of love, prompting Sogo Doma to explain that Eriri and another girl were both his childhood friends.
• Hayakawa Mana questioned why Sogo drew doujinshi for money when his grades could earn him scholarships, and he insisted money was the reason.
• Hayakawa Mana asked to speak with Sogo about Kashiwagi-sensei, but Sogo said Eriri could stay.
• Hayakawa Mana addressed Sogo as Eri-sensei, and Eriri realized she had mistaken him for Kashiwagi Eri because of a manuscript.

Hayakawa Mana revealed that she had recognized Sogo Doma as Kashiwagi-sensei and suspected Sawamura Eriri knew his identity. The conversation ended with Mana insisting Doma had abandoned a popular doujinshi series for creative reasons, not money.

• Hayakawa Mana told Sogo Doma she was a devoted fan of Kashiwagi-sensei, while Sawamura Eriri reacted with surprise.
• Mana praised Doma's work and said Eriri was closer to Kashiwagi-sensei because she was close to Doma.
• Mana explained that she had initially suspected Eriri because her art style resembled Kashiwagi-sensei's, but said her work lacked the original's storytelling soul.
• Eriri's reaction to Mana's comments tipped her off that Eriri knew Doma was Kashiwagi Eri, and Mana admitted she had deliberately tested her by mentioning Kashiwagi-sensei and Eri-sensei separately.
• Doma tried to steer the conversation away from Eriri's slips, but Mana argued that he had not abandoned Fatherly Love Is Like a Mountain for money because its popularity could still be exploited.

Sogo Doma and Sawamura Eriri spoke with art club president Hayakawa Mana, who praised Kashiwagi Eri’s doujinshi as innovative and socially critical while trying to persuade Doma to join the club. Mana connected Eriri to the heroine Airi and Kashiwagi Eri, leaving Eriri embarrassed and blaming Doma for the hints.

• Hayakawa Mana argued that Kashiwagi Eri’s doujinshi aimed to innovate and described how its disturbing plot criticized social indifference.
• Sogo Doma dismissed Mana’s praise and refused to join the art club, even when she tried to tempt him with information about Airi.
• Mana suggested that Sawamura Eriri had served as Airi’s model, but Eriri denied it.
• Mana pointed out the similarities between Airi, Eriri, and Kashiwagi Eri, prompting Eriri to accuse Doma of doing it deliberately.