Chapter Summaries

Eriri reflected on her mixed feelings about Sogo Doma, whose charm and past kindness were tangled up with his relentless teasing. She and Yukino realized that Utaha’s question had exposed how distance could make their memories of Sogo seem more flattering.

• Eriri compared Sogo’s ordinary approach to otaku culture with Tomoya Aki’s fanatical behavior and remembered how Sogo had helped her stop blaming herself.
• Eriri recalled that Sogo had left for Totsuki because his father was jealous of his closeness with Umaru, though she had never known the reason.
• After reconnecting with Sogo, Eriri found his teasing had grown worse, especially when Utaha Kasumigaoka joined in, while Yukino comforted and protected her.
• Eriri wondered whether she would have kept admiring Sogo if she had not spent so much time with him again, like Sakura Yamauchi.
• Eriri and Yukino understood that Utaha’s question concerned how distance could polish memories of Sogo and create a favorable filter.

Sakura Yamauchi wondered whether Sogo Doma was still the admirable person she remembered, while the others warned her about his character. Sogo tried to kiss Masuzu Natsukawa to prove he was not gay, and Yukino Yukinoshita ended the confrontation by calling the police.

• Yukino Yukinoshita, Eriri, and Utaha Kasumigaoka warned Sakura Yamauchi to be cautious about Sogo Doma despite his encouragement in the past.
• Masuzu Natsukawa argued that pretending to be Sogo's girlfriend would keep others from calling him gay, and Sogo objected that he was not gay.
• Sogo threatened to put Masuzu through eighteen positions, then leaned in to kiss her when she insisted he was gay.
• Sogo suggested that Yukino and Eriri could also prove he was not gay, and both girls reacted while Masuzu tried to stop him.
• Utaha used Sogo's behavior to make Sakura question whether he was still the hero she remembered.
• Yukino announced that she was calling the police as Sogo turned to ask what she was doing.

Sogo Doma defended himself against accusations from Yukino Yukinoshita and Masuzu Natsukawa by explaining Ryunosuke Akasaka’s fear of girls. A blunt comment from Mashiro Shiina then left Eriri distressed over her nearsighted glare.

• Yukino Yukinoshita threatened to call the police over Sogo Doma’s remarks, and he warned that Masuzu Natsukawa could also face trouble for calling him gay.
• Masuzu Natsukawa cited Sogo’s beach encounter with Ryunosuke Akasaka as evidence, and Sogo explained that Ryunosuke feared girls rather than hated them.
• Sogo Doma claimed he helped Ryunosuke overcome his gynophobia by taking him around girls and supplying him with 18X magazines.
• Mashiro Shiina asked whether Ryunosuke was better-looking than Sogo, and Sogo insisted that he was not.
• Mashiro Shiina said Yukino Yukinoshita, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Ako were pretty but Eriri was unfortunate because her squinting glare looked scary, leaving Eriri dejected.

Sogo Doma teased the Service Club about everyone’s flaws while introducing Ryunosuke Akasaka, whose appearance resembled Yukino Yukinoshita’s. The banter ended with Mashiro Shiina asking about her own flaw, and Sogo observing that her smiles were unusually faint.

• Sogo Doma reassured Eriri Sawamura by saying her flaws did not diminish her good qualities, and Mashiro Shiina called Eriri cute.
• Sogo Doma suggested Yukino Yukinoshita might share interests with Ryunosuke Akasaka, then showed the Service Club a photo of the cross-dressing boy.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka noticed Ryunosuke Akasaka and Yukino Yukinoshita looked like brothers, prompting Yukino to threaten Sogo Doma over his teasing.
• Sogo Doma called Utaha Kasumigaoka fat, and Eriri Sawamura mocked her before Utaha teased Eriri about needing glasses.
• Mashiro Shiina asked Sogo Doma what her flaw was, and he said her smiles were too faint.

Sogo Doma persuaded Mashiro that becoming a manga artist could help her experience and depict the life she had missed while drawing. He then argued that Masuzu Natsukawa’s plan to pretend to be his girlfriend would bring her unwanted obligations and gossip, leaving her to reconsider the idea.

• Sogo Doma told Mashiro that becoming a manga artist could let her share new experiences and use them in her stories, though Mashiro insisted she had not missed anything.
• Masuzu Natsukawa questioned why Sogo had a boy’s cross-dressing photo saved, and Yukino Yukinoshita demanded that he delete her own embarrassing photos.
• Sogo Doma teased Masuzu about pretending to be his girlfriend and warned that fake relationships could lead to complicated feelings.
• Sogo Doma explained that Masuzu would need to spend breaks at the Service Club, prepare lunches, and endure gossip if they pretended to date.

Masuzu Natsukawa explained how romance-driven boys had harassed her, and Sogo Doma revealed that he had written the book inspiring their advances. The group reacted to the revelation as Natsukawa continued describing why she had transferred schools.

• Sogo Doma argued that Yukino Yukinoshita was difficult to pursue because she was busy and hard to find.
• Masuzu Natsukawa complained that romance tropes and advances had followed her at her old school.
• Sogo Doma admitted that he was the author of the book Masuzu had criticized, and Masuzu believed his claim that he was not gay.
• Eriri Sawamura realized Sogo had written the book she admired and reacted in dismay.
• Masuzu said that boys at her old school had repeatedly used scenes from Sogo's book to approach her.

Masuzu Natsukawa complained that boys had been using Sogo Doma’s romance novel as a dating playbook, crowding and bothering her at school. The group discussed the book’s influence and learned that its popularity had made the tactics too familiar to keep working.

• Masuzu Natsukawa told Yukino Yukinoshita that boys had crowded around her while she tried to get a reference book and had repeatedly returned trash and other objects as things she had supposedly dropped.
• Eriri Sawamura recalled a scene in Sogo Doma’s book where a boy approached a girl with a brick, and Masuzu said boys had actually copied the book’s tactics.
• Masuzu explained that a Shuchiin Academy student had used the book’s wall-pinning move to win a girlfriend and posted about it online.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka revealed that many Toyogasaki students, including Yukino, had read the book, and said a student’s attempt to use its tactics had been stopped by Fujigami.
• Utaha said the Shuchiin couple had reportedly fought because the girl thought the boy was insincere, while Masuzu insisted they had made up.
• Sogo argued that the book’s popularity would discourage boys from using its familiar tactics, and Masuzu conceded that his point made sense.

Sogo Doma explained the school club where boys ran naked until they vomited, while insisting he had quit immediately after founding it. His blunt excuses made Yukino Yukinoshita and the others less suspicious of his involvement, and he warned Masuzu Natsukawa that the club members were too disturbing to date.

• Sogo Doma admitted that he had hoped to enjoy watching Masuzu Natsukawa's fake-boyfriend plan unfold, prompting her and the others to call his hobby twisted.
• Sogo Doma explained that boys in the club ran until they vomited and exercised naked in pursuit of the Showa spirit, shocking Masuzu Natsukawa.
• Yukino Yukinoshita revealed that Sogo Doma had founded the club, but he claimed he had quit the day after it was established and never joined its activities.
• Sogo Doma said he had no interest in exercising with naked boys because he was not gay, then challenged Masuzu Natsukawa for opposing dating while proposing a fake relationship.
• Sogo Doma warned that the club members were terrifying and called anyone who ran naked until vomiting a pervert, further distancing himself from their activities.

Sogo Doma explained why boys at Toyogasaki eagerly hit on Masuzu Natsukawa, pointing to the school’s reputation and the scarcity of girls interested in them. The discussion left Masuzu’s request for help avoiding harassment unresolved.

• Masuzu Natsukawa realized that the boys who streaked at Toyogasaki were not popular with girls, and Sogo Doma said that was why they eagerly approached her.
• Sogo Doma suggested that Mashiro’s self-introduction had discouraged nearly all the boys from speaking to her, leaving Masuzu puzzled about what she had said.
• Sogo Doma mocked Masuzu’s proposal to pretend to be a couple and joked that Yukino Yukinoshita should grant his wish for Masuzu to spend her life alone.
• Masuzu Natsukawa clarified that she wanted the Service Club to help solve her problem with boys harassing her, and Yukino admitted she had not yet found a solution.

Masuzu Natsukawa reflected on why she thought Sogo Doma was an appropriate fake boyfriend despite his many flaws, and resented him for calling her stupid. She pressed Yukino Yukinoshita to confirm that announcing she had a boyfriend could stop other boys from harassing her.

• Masuzu Natsukawa recalled how her beauty and grades had attracted many confessions, while her opposition to romance and others’ jealousy left her isolated.
• Masuzu Natsukawa recalled that Sogo Doma had swindled her out of her spending money when they were children and listed the flaws that made her dislike him.
• Masuzu Natsukawa reasoned that pretending to date Doma could benefit them both, since she believed none of the Service Club girls liked him romantically.
• Masuzu Natsukawa told Yukino Yukinoshita that she had proposed Doma as her fake boyfriend because Yukinoshita had no immediate solution, then asked whether the plan was stupid.

Sogo Doma argued that Masuzu Natsukawa's fake-dating plan could lead to manipulation and romance, while Yukino Yukinoshita privately considered how Toyogasaki differed from other schools. The chapter left Masuzu stung by Doma's claim that her idea came from having few friends.

• Yukino struggled to decide whether Doma or Masuzu was right about the troubles beautiful girls faced at other schools.
• Doma interrupted Masuzu and argued that pretending to date could create romantic expectations and expose her to PUA tactics.
• Doma warned Masuzu to become strong and make her own choices instead of handing her fate to a pretend boyfriend.
• Doma suggested Masuzu's plan revealed that she did not have many friends, leaving her speechless.

Sogo Doma explained why pretending to date Masuzu Natsukawa would bring risks and complicate his future relationships. He argued that love should be exclusive and marriage should aim for lifelong devotion, leaving Masuzu and the Service Club speechless while Utaha Kasumigaoka delighted in his views.

• Yukino Yukinoshita suggested Masuzu Natsukawa had focused on studying for the University of Tokyo, and Sogo Doma teased her for having no friends.
• Sogo Doma argued that posing as Masuzu’s boyfriend would expose him to rejected suitors and other unwanted trouble.
• Masuzu Natsukawa admitted she had oversimplified the risks after Sogo pointed out that he had left the Doma Family.
• Sogo Doma said a future partner might care about being someone’s first love, and Utaha Kasumigaoka secretly approved of his belief in faithful love.
• Masuzu Natsukawa challenged Sogo’s views on breakups and divorce, and he insisted that marriage should be entered with the hope of lifelong devotion.

Sogo Doma defended the ideal of a faithful marriage, making Masuzu Natsukawa reconsider her cynicism about love while Yukino Yukinoshita and Eriri Sawamura reflected on their parents’ happy relationships. Utaha Kasumigaoka then hinted that meeting Eriri at the right time made her happy, leaving Eriri and Yukino stunned by the suggestion.

• Sogo Doma publicly said he believed spouses should stay faithful and remain together until their hair turned white, which made Masuzu Natsukawa, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Eriri Sawamura reflect on love.
• Masuzu Natsukawa admitted that Sogo’s view might be right, though she still questioned why anyone would care about romance.
• Sogo Doma asked Masuzu Natsukawa why she dismissed romance if love was meant to lead to marriage and a lifelong partnership.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka agreed with Sogo Doma and said that meeting Eriri Sawamura at the right time had made her happy.
• Eriri Sawamura and Yukino Yukinoshita were stunned by Utaha Kasumigaoka’s remark and wondered whether she had feelings for Eriri.

Yukino Yukinoshita reconsidered her relationships with Sogo Doma, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Eriri Sawamura, wondering whether Kasumigaoka was pursuing Sawamura and whether Doma’s constant teasing concealed deeper feelings. Her thoughts stalled when Kasumigaoka openly said that meeting Sawamura had made things exciting.

• Yukino reflected on her wary alliance with Kasumigaoka and how their arguments with Doma often drew Sawamura into the Service Club.
• Yukino realized Kasumigaoka seemed to focus more on Sawamura than on her and wondered if Kasumigaoka was trying to win Sawamura’s attention.
• Yukino considered how Doma had helped her make friends, eased her isolation, and shown that he understood and cared about her.
• Kasumigaoka said she was glad she had met the dazzling Sawamura at just the right time, leaving Sawamura speechless.

Sogo Doma argued that social relations and gender roles changed with productive forces, using matriarchal society to challenge Masuzu Natsukawa’s view that love was a gamble. The chapter ended with Sogo introducing another question, while the Service Club remained bewildered by his explanation.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka teased Eriri Sawamura and reflected that Eriri’s arrival had helped bring her and Sogo together.
• Masuzu Natsukawa questioned whether girls could only gamble on meeting the right person at the right time.
• Sogo Doma argued that historical changes in productive forces had shifted power between women and men.
• The Service Club struggled to follow Sogo’s explanation as he began to raise another question.

Sogo Doma challenged Masuzu Natsukawa’s ideas about romance and women’s choices, then pressed her to explain why she wanted him to pretend to be her boyfriend. The chapter left Masuzu admitting that she only wanted to focus on getting into the University of Tokyo.

• Sogo Doma argued that women in the Doma Family could make their own choices, including whether to marry.
• Sogo Doma teased Masuzu Natsukawa for calling herself an opponent of romance while seeming preoccupied with it.
• Masuzu Natsukawa declined to let Sogo Doma pretend to be her boyfriend, saying she did not want him disgraced.
• Sogo Doma asked Masuzu Natsukawa why she wanted to pretend to date, and she admitted that her goal was to get into the University of Tokyo.
• Sogo Doma concluded that Masuzu wanted to avoid boys and dating so she could focus on her goal, leaving her frustrated by how simple he made it sound.

Sogo Doma challenged the Service Club to consider whether they would believe rumors blaming Masuzu Natsukawa after she rejected boys, drawing on their own experiences with isolation and malicious gossip. The chapter ended by explaining Eriri’s guilt toward Tomoya Aki and why she had walked away from him after Sogo exposed the truth.

• Yukino and the others struggled to find a way for Masuzu Natsukawa to reject confessions without attracting ugly rumors.
• Sogo Doma interrupted Yukino and asked whether the Service Club would believe such rumors.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Ako Tamaki recalled how rumors and exclusion had affected them, while Eriri had hidden her otaku interests to protect her reputation.
• The chapter explained that Eriri felt guilty because Tomoya Aki had endured bullying while openly embracing otaku culture, which she herself had concealed.
• After Sogo Doma exposed Eriri’s feelings and the truth behind them, Eriri found Tomoya Aki ridiculous and left him without attachment.

Sogo Doma reassured the Service Club that rumors could be countered by shaping public opinion and relying on their own circle of friends. He asked Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka how they would respond to rumors about Natsukawa, and their answers left him confident they could fight back.

• Yukino and the others worried that rumors could harm people even when they were not believed.
• Sogo explained that rumors could be countered with facts and that public opinion could be manipulated.
• Sogo pointed out that Yukino, Mashiro, Ako, Eriri, and the others formed a circle with the means to push back against rumors.
• Sogo asked Yukino whether she would refute rumors about Natsukawa, and Yukino said she would.
• Sogo asked Utaha how she would respond, and Utaha said she would make the rumor-spreaders shut up.

The chapter explains why Utaha Kasumigaoka kept people at a distance and how Sogo Doma helped her connect with Yukino and the others. It leaves Sogo praising Umaru’s extraordinary ability to make friends.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka had used her aloofness and sharp tongue to protect herself and avoid unwanted relationships.
• Sogo Doma’s confidence and verbal skill had overcome Utaha’s defenses, and she eventually recognized him and the people around him.
• Utaha had become close to Yukino Yukinoshita and Kashiwagi Eri, teasing Eri because she was easy to handle.
• Sogo contrasted Utaha’s earlier isolation with Umaru’s charisma and said Umaru could serve as the standard Masuzu Natsukawa would have to surpass.
• Sogo praised Umaru’s public image and ability to win people over, even as others struggled to describe her true personality.

Utaha Kasumigaoka learned that Umaru Doma wanted to test her as a future sister-in-law, while Umaru feared Sogo Doma’s girlfriend might send her back home. The chapter ended with Utaha recognizing how much Sogo cared for her, despite his jokes about living off a woman.

• Sogo Doma had beaten the wealthy families who proposed Umaru’s political marriage and taken Umaru away with him.
• Umaru told Utaha Kasumigaoka she was testing potential sisters-in-law and wished Shihae-san could fill the role without needing a test.
• Umaru explained that she feared being sent home if Sogo’s girlfriend could not tolerate her, though she doubted anyone would like her brother.
• Utaha noticed how Sogo brought Umaru cola and games, then massaged Utaha when she complained of back pain.
• Sogo joked that he wanted to live off a woman and bring a freeloader along, while Utaha recognized his quiet care for her.