Chapter Summaries

Sogo Doma argued that Shizuka Hiratsuka was a kind and capable woman who helped everyone by delegating problems to the Service Club. He left her flustered, then claimed his light novel earnings were far too small to support him and his imouto.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka challenged Sogo Doma's claim that Yukino Yukinoshita was a hopeless do-gooder, and he accused her of exploiting Yukino by relying on the Service Club.
• Sogo Doma described the arrangement as a win-win-win situation that benefited the people seeking help, Shizuka, and Yukino.
• Sogo Doma praised Shizuka as beautiful, competent, kind, and not greedy, prompting her to deny that she was the reason her matchmaking dates failed.
• Sogo Doma suggested he would seek funding from the school and Toyogasaki, and Shizuka called him overly obsessed with money.
• Sogo Doma said his light novel sales could not support him and his imouto, leaving Shizuka recalling his praise of her.

Sogo Doma told Shizuka Hiratsuka that he and Umaru suffered from their modest lifestyle, comparing their home and lack of a car with the luxuries enjoyed by other wealthy families. Shizuka was left questioning her own finances after Sogo framed their enormous house and costly daily needs as ordinary.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka doubted that Sogo Doma earned less than Taihei, despite Sogo calling his income a drop in the bucket.
• Sogo claimed Umaru had it hard despite her reputation at Toyogasaki as a talented, popular young lady.
• Sogo compared the Doma home and its large bathtub with castles and luxury homes belonging to Eriri, Yukinoshita, and Kaguya Shinomiya.
• Sogo complained that he and Umaru had no car or driver and had to walk to school, while Shizuka pointed out that they were minors and lived nearby.
• Sogo described Kobe beef, king crab, and caviar as food they could do without, then said he carefully budgeted to give Umaru an ordinary life.
• Shizuka reflected that her own apartment and finances seemed shabby beside Sogo's idea of ordinary living.

Shizuka Hiratsuka urged Sogo Doma to value self-reliance and earn money through legitimate work, using a metaphor about smoke and dirt to explain that lasting success required a strong foundation. Sogo Doma twisted her metaphor into a joke about rich and poor children, leaving Shizuka exasperated.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka compared her comfortable life with the immense wealth of prestigious families and felt that her own circumstances were not truly rich.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka insisted she supported herself through her teacher's salary, and Sogo Doma asked whether her family had kicked her out.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka defended self-reliance and warned that dishonest schemes would eventually be exposed, saying she had been pleased to hear Sogo Doma was writing novels and drawing manga through legitimate means.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka explained that people needed to strengthen their foundations to achieve lasting success, but Sogo Doma interpreted her metaphor as a claim that rich children were fragile and poor children were grounded.

Sogo Doma argued with Shizuka Hiratsuka about self-reliance, family wealth, and whether Taihei was foolish for refusing to use his family’s resources. He left Hiratsuka irritated after implying she had been playing dumb and teasing her about her views on Yukino.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka criticized people born into prominent families who relied on others instead of working, and Sogo Doma challenged her metaphor about smoke and clouds.
• Sogo Doma denied playing dumb while teasing Hiratsuka about her poverty, concern for her reputation, and apparent pity for Yukino.
• Hiratsuka threatened to involve Sogo’s little sister to correct his values, and Sogo joked that Hiratsuka was old enough to know better.
• Sogo argued that people with family resources should use them rather than reject their advantages, and said Taihei might be foolish for trying to start from zero.

The chapter described the pressure Taihei Doma felt as the Doma Family’s unqualified sole heir, compared with his brilliant father, brother, and sister. Taihei suspected Umaru shared Sogo’s lazy side but dismissed the thought, then felt the weight of his responsibility rise.

• The narration contrasted Ryunosuke Akasaka’s genius with the limits imposed on young people by seniority and recalled how Sogo Doma had helped him.
• The narration explained that Taihei had refused family assistance and remained an ordinary employee despite being considered talented.
• The narration described how Keiryu Doma’s reputation and the achievements of Sogo and Umaru intensified expectations for the Doma family.
• Taihei worried that Sogo’s maliciously playful nature could get him beaten and suspected Umaru sometimes showed the same lazy attitude.
• Taihei dismissed his suspicion about Umaru as a possible result of his poor eyesight, then felt the pressure of responsibility rise within him.

The chapter explained why Taihei Doma insisted on working his way up from the bottom: he felt enormous pressure to live up to his outstanding father, his infamous younger brother, and his seemingly perfect sister. It left Taihei trying to convince himself that Umaru did not share Sogo's lazy nature.

• The narration described how Sogo Doma had helped Ryunosuke Akasaka, a young genius who had struggled to afford university before joining Sogo.
• The narration explained how seniority outweighed ability, limiting the respect given to gifted young people such as the Sanzenin heiress.
• Taihei Doma refused his family's help and remained a low-level employee despite being considered talented, while Sogo and Keiryu had already achieved much more.
• Taihei worried that Sogo's malicious antics might get him hurt and suspected that Umaru sometimes showed the same lazy aura as Sogo.
• Taihei dismissed his suspicion about Umaru as a mistake, then felt the weight of responsibility press on him.

Taihei Doma decided to intern at an outside company and work his way up from the grassroots, believing that would help him understand and eventually lead the Doma Family. Keiryu Doma tacitly approved, while Sogo Doma mistakenly thought Taihei and Keiryu had both lost their minds.

• Taihei Doma worried that Sogo Doma's influence might turn innocent Umaru into a lazy spender and decided he had to protect the Doma Family.
• Keiryu Doma struggled to explain how Sogo Doma's guidance had helped him manage the conglomerate, so he advised Taihei to take his time and study.
• Taihei Doma interpreted Keiryu Doma's account of rising from the bottom as a reason to begin his own career at the grassroots level.
• Taihei Doma asked to intern at an outside company so he could learn how the Doma Family's businesses differed and identify their shortcomings.
• Keiryu Doma tacitly accepted Taihei's plan, privately relying on Sogo Doma to handle any problems.
• Sogo Doma wondered why Keiryu Doma had approved Taihei's plan to start at the bottom.

Taihei Doma decided to take an internship at a company outside the Doma Conglomerate and work his way up from the bottom, believing it would teach him how to improve the family business. Keiryu Doma accepted his plan to preserve his paternal dignity, while Sogo Doma was left baffled that Taihei would actually start at the lowest level.

• Taihei Doma worried that Sogo Doma might set a bad example for Umaru and resolved to protect the Doma Family for their sake.
• Taihei Doma misinterpreted Keiryu Doma's advice about learning patiently as encouragement to gain experience by starting at the bottom.
• Taihei Doma told Keiryu Doma he wanted to intern at an outside company to understand the Doma Family's shortcomings.
• Keiryu Doma accepted Taihei Doma's plan, quietly relying on Sogo Doma to handle any problems.
• Sogo Doma realized that Taihei Doma intended to work his way up from the lowest level and wondered why Keiryu Doma had allowed it.

Sogo Doma worried that Taihei’s independence would leave him responsible for inheriting the exhausting Doma Family Commander position, so he and Umaru left the family to avoid it. He hoped Taihei would eventually take over and support them, but the chapter ended with Sogo recognizing that the family’s collapse could cost countless people their jobs.

• Sogo Doma feared Keiryu Doma would make him inherit the family business after Taihei began interning at another company.
• Sogo considered undermining Taihei’s company but hesitated because it belonged to Taihei’s childhood friend and could damage their relationship.
• As Taihei advanced from a low-paying job, Sogo prepared to flee with Umaru and sever ties with the family.
• After Keiryu used the inheritance rights to lure him back, Sogo decided Taihei had deliberately left him the Commander’s burden.
• Sogo hoped Taihei would inherit the position so he and Umaru could return to a carefree life, while worrying that the Doma Family’s collapse would cost many people their jobs.

Sogo Doma worried that Taihei’s growing independence would leave him stuck inheriting the exhausting Doma Family business, so he decided he and Umaru should stay away until Taihei became Commander. He remained convinced that Taihei should inherit the family and support them, while recognizing that the family’s collapse would hurt many people.

• Sogo Doma feared Keiryu Doma would make him inherit the family business after Taihei started interning elsewhere.
• Sogo realized Keiryu’s generous allowance had encouraged his extravagant lifestyle and made him dependent on the Doma Family.
• When Taihei continued working his way up at his childhood friend’s company, Sogo decided to flee with Umaru rather than risk becoming Commander.
• After Sogo left, Keiryu tried to lure him back with the inheritance, while Taihei stayed away from the family business.
• Sogo imagined returning only after Taihei became Commander so he and Umaru could live as dependents, but he acknowledged that the Doma Family’s collapse would cost many people their jobs.

Sogo Doma argued with Shizuka Hiratsuka about whether Taihei should pursue success on his own or rely on the Doma Family. Hiratsuka defended Taihei’s self-made path by pointing to Lord Gui Long’s rise, while Sogo tried to persuade her that Taihei should take up the family responsibilities instead.

• Sogo Doma objected to Shizuka Hiratsuka’s praise of Taihei’s independence and argued that relying on family support was not shameful.
• Hiratsuka cited Lord Gui Long’s rise from a fallen household as an example of self-made success.
• Sogo challenged whether Lord Gui Long could truly be called self-made because the Doma Family already possessed inherited wealth.
• Hiratsuka argued that Lord Gui Long had built the family’s standing through his efforts and that Sogo had no reason to look down on Taihei for trying the same.
• Sogo insisted that Taihei had no need to become self-made if Lord Gui Long’s own hard work had already secured the family’s success.

Sogo Doma argued with Shizuka Hiratsuka about whether Taihei needed to succeed independently, while she defended Taihei by pointing to Gui Long’s self-made rise. Sogo left the argument insisting that Taihei had no reason to pursue self-made success if Gui Long had already achieved it.

• Sogo argued that relying on family support was not shameful and tried to convince Shizuka that Taihei’s independence was misguided.
• Shizuka countered that Taihei’s difficult path could make his success more meaningful and compared him to Gui Long, who had risen from the Doma Family’s humble circumstances.
• Sogo claimed the Doma Family had always been distinguished and argued that Gui Long had benefited from the family’s inherited wealth.
• Shizuka challenged Sogo’s claims, arguing that Gui Long had built his success through his own efforts and that Sogo had no right to look down on Taihei for doing the same.
• Sogo admitted he was not looking down on Taihei but insisted there was something wrong with him, then argued that Taihei’s self-made ambitions would make Gui Long’s achievements seem wasted.

Shizuka Hiratsuka challenged Sogo Doma’s claim that Taihei was wrong to support himself, using Mashiro’s choice to draw manga to expose his contradictory reasoning. Sogo insisted he only wanted to protect his brother from wasting the Doma family’s resources, and the conversation ended as Shizuka began to criticize him.

• Sogo argued that Taihei’s independence wasted Gui Long’s talent for making money and the family resources meant for his children.
• Shizuka argued that people choose their own meaning and cited Mashiro’s dream of becoming a manga artist.
• Shizuka pointed out that Sogo’s reasoning about Taihei could also condemn Mashiro’s choice to pursue manga instead of classical art.
• Sogo changed his arguments, saying Taihei could take a shortcut through his family and that he wanted to protect his older brother.
• Sogo claimed the Doma family lacked anyone who knew how to spend money since he had left home, and Shizuka began to say something her teacher did not know whether she should say.

Sogo Doma argued that Taihei should rely on the Doma family’s wealth instead of supporting himself, while Shizuka Hiratsuka challenged his reasoning by comparing Taihei’s choices to Mashiro’s pursuit of manga. The conversation ended with Shizuka questioning Sogo’s motives, and Sogo began to tell her not to act like a woman.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka asked why Gui Long’s success mattered to whether Taihei supported himself, and Sogo Doma claimed Taihei was wasting his father’s talent for making money.
• Sogo argued that Gui Long had worked hard to give his children an easier path, while Shizuka insisted people should seek meaning and realize their own value.
• Shizuka used Mashiro’s decision to draw manga as an example of pursuing a personal dream, and Sogo struggled to explain why Taihei’s choice was different.
• Shizuka pointed out that Taihei could take a shortcut through family resources, but Sogo deflected by saying he was only trying to protect his brother.
• Sogo admitted he thought the family’s wealth was going to waste because neither he nor Taihei was spending it, and Shizuka questioned his motives.
• Sogo told Shizuka to say what she wanted to say instead of acting like a woman.

Sogo Doma defended his spending and his criticism of Taihei by arguing that the Doma Family’s wealth came with responsibility for its employees. He left Shizuka Hiratsuka insisting that Taihei needed the ability to shoulder the family’s future burdens.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka confronted Sogo Doma about wasting the Doma Family’s money and dragging Taihei into it.
• Sogo Doma argued that the family’s wealth supported countless jobs and that spending money helped keep it circulating.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka countered that the family’s businesses already reinvested their profits and challenged Sogo Doma to justify spending money he had not earned.
• Sogo Doma claimed he had criticized Taihei because he was disappointed that Taihei had not lived up to expectations.
• Sogo Doma argued that Taihei would someday have to carry responsibility for the many people whose livelihoods depended on the Doma Family.

Sogo Doma defended his spending and challenged Shizuka Hiratsuka’s criticism by arguing that the Doma Family’s wealth carried responsibility for its employees and their families. He left her with the claim that Taihei would eventually have to shoulder the fate of countless people.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka confronted Sogo Doma about wasting money and dragging Taihei into his lavish habits.
• Sogo Doma argued that the Doma Family’s wealth supported jobs and livelihoods, and that spending money helped keep it circulating.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka countered that the family could reinvest its profits and demanded to know whether Sogo had earned the money he spent.
• Sogo Doma reframed his disappointment in Taihei as concern that Taihei lacked the ability to take responsibility for the Doma Family and its workers.
• Sogo Doma told Shizuka Hiratsuka that Taihei would one day have to carry the fates of countless people on his shoulders.

Sogo Doma tried to persuade Shizuka Hiratsuka that Taihei needed to prepare to lead the Doma Family, arguing that workplace seniority made advancement difficult. Hiratsuka challenged his version of Napoleon’s quote but could not dismiss his claims about the workplace, leaving her unable to reassure students that society was fair.

• Sogo Doma argued that Taihei’s wish to support himself would not prepare him to manage the Doma Family if Keiryu Doma could no longer lead it.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka corrected Sogo’s version of Napoleon’s quote and suggested Taihei was simply being a good soldier.
• Sogo argued that seniority often prevented capable young workers from receiving promotions.
• Hiratsuka recalled how seniority had burdened her at Sobu High School and contrasted its rigid culture with Toyogasaki’s newer, more relaxed environment.
• Hiratsuka decided she could not deny Sogo’s account of society or feed her students false reassurance.

Sogo Doma argued that workplace seniority and the Doma Family’s needs made Taihei’s career ambitions risky, leaving Shizuka Hiratsuka unable to dismiss his reasoning. Hiratsuka challenged his use of Napoleon’s words but recognized how much his claims reflected real workplace problems.

• Sogo Doma told Shizuka Hiratsuka that Taihei needed experience and advancement to support the Doma Family if Keiryu Doma could no longer lead it.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka challenged Sogo’s interpretation of Napoleon’s remark and argued that a capable soldier would not remain a soldier forever.
• Sogo argued that seniority often blocked capable employees from promotion, and Hiratsuka recalled how senior teachers had burdened her at Sobu High School.
• Hiratsuka reflected that Toyogasaki’s recent founding and younger staff had made its workplace more relaxed than Sobu High School.
• Hiratsuka considered Sogo a problem student because he seemed unusually jaded and focused on money, but she did not think he would believe an easy lie about society.

Sogo Doma tried to persuade Shizuka Hiratsuka to marry Taihei by claiming the Doma Family and its employees depended on them, while disguising his concern for his brother. Shizuka began defending Taihei’s good qualities, and Sogo concluded that Taihei’s caring nature made him a romantic threat to Umaru.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka suggested that Taihei’s father had not objected to him working, and Sogo insisted that Taihei’s choices could endanger the Doma Family’s employees.
• Sogo told Shizuka that marrying Taihei would let her influence him, then teased her about their slow progress and offered to coach their relationship.
• Sogo used the Doma Family’s employees to pressure Shizuka into considering marriage, praising Taihei as a respectable househusband while listing supposed flaws.
• Shizuka defended Taihei’s good qualities, and Sogo privately celebrated that she had taken the bait.
• Sogo recalled that Taihei’s caring behavior had once made him fear that Taihei might win Umaru over, including by bringing her toy figures.

Sogo Doma tried to persuade Shizuka Hiratsuka to marry Taihei, claiming it would protect the Doma Family and its employees. Hiratsuka began defending Taihei’s good qualities, while Sogo privately reflected on his brother’s gentlemanly nature and his own efforts to keep Umaru from being won over by him.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka questioned why Sogo Doma was so concerned about Taihei supporting himself, and Sogo said he feared the Doma Family’s employees would suffer if Taihei failed to manage its affairs.
• Sogo told Hiratsuka she could influence Taihei by marrying him and repeatedly urged her to move their relationship forward.
• Hiratsuka hesitated and pointed out that Taihei had many good qualities, despite Sogo’s claims that he had flaws.
• Sogo privately recalled Taihei’s considerate nature and worried that Taihei might have won Umaru over with gifts if Sogo had not acted first.