Chapter Summaries

Sogo Doma visited Madam Nakiri in the hospital and discussed her God's Tongue and anorexia with Senzaemon Nakiri. Senzaemon left the conversation alarmed after mistaking Sogo's comments about creating affection for romantic interest in Madam Nakiri and learning how Sogo had once tied Erina up as a weather doll.

• Senzaemon Nakiri introduced his daughter, Madam Nakiri, to Sogo Doma, who learned that her highly sensitive God's Tongue had made food unbearable and left her dependent on nutrient solution.
• Sogo Doma privately thought Madam Nakiri might make a good match for Taihei, while Senzaemon worried that Sogo had improper intentions toward his daughter.
• Sogo told Senzaemon that age was no barrier and that people without feelings could create them by spending time together, leaving Senzaemon unsure how to respond.
• Sogo recalled tying Erina in front of a window to pray for sunshine, and Senzaemon recoiled at the revelation.
• Sogo explained that Erina had been an Erina-branded weather doll, leaving Senzaemon aghast.

Sogo Doma tried to explain his teru teru bozu prank involving Erina to Senzaemon Nakiri, then struggled to hide his connection to the eccentric Kondo Group from Utaha Kasumigaoka. He left Utaha unimpressed as Yamada and the others lamented his departure from their dojo.

• Sogo Doma explained that hanging Erina by the window as a teru teru bozu had brought clear weather, and Senzaemon Nakiri reacted with alarm.
• Senzaemon Nakiri concealed his embarrassment while Sogo misunderstood his remarks about Erina bringing clear weather.
• Yamada exposed that Captain Sogo had beaten Osanai for knowing the answer to what one plus one was, confusing Utaha Kasumigaoka further.
• Sogo Doma tried to take Utaha elsewhere and said he had left the dojo because he felt out of place among its goofballs.
• Yamada and the others mourned Sogo Doma's departure and recalled their lost youth together.

Sogo Doma visited the Kondo Dojo with Utaha Kasumigaoka and found its members pretending to be sad about his departure. As they bickered over old memories, Sogo defended his reputation and admitted he had been comfortable while watching his seniors train.

• Sogo Doma remembered drinking nearly thirty Kondo Group members into alcohol poisoning at his farewell party, then felt insulted by their false sorrow.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka questioned whether Sogo had ever been popular after seeing the members' expressions, and Sogo blamed Hijikata for turning them against him.
• When Sogo confronted Ueda, Ueda mistook his own name for Yamada and claimed that Miss Doma had been the dojo's darling.
• Ueda explained that he had been sixteen and had run beneath the sunset while Sogo watched, prompting Utaha to tease Sogo for standing aside.
• Sogo claimed that he had been observing his seniors' posture, then admitted that he had simply been comfortable while they trained.

Sogo Doma spun a story about protecting Earth to persuade the Kondo Group trainees that they were his successors, while Utaha Kasumigaoka doubted every word. When Shizuka Hiratsuka was discovered sneaking around the dojo, Sogo rushed to stop the trainees from raising the alarm.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka watched in disbelief as the Kondo Group trainees accepted Sogo Doma's claim that he had been protecting Earth from alien threats.
• Sogo told the trainees that Earth had chosen not to threaten Hijikata and Kondo, and that he had left to avoid causing a misunderstanding.
• Ueda asked whether the trainees were Sogo's successors and had been chosen to monitor the Vice Commander, and Sogo encouraged them to believe it.
• Sogo told the trainees to keep his visit secret from Hijikata and Kondo Isao, and they loudly agreed that they would protect Earth.
• Someone spotted Shizuka Hiratsuka inside the dojo, so Sogo rushed in with an excuse about his stomach to stop the trainees from sounding the alarm.

Isao Kondo tried to conceal that he had been the gorilla in the pool, then lectured Sogo Doma and Toshiro Hijikata about letting a wild animal into the dojo. He argued with Sogo over his unpaid tuition and recalled offering to teach him for free, unaware at first that Sogo’s family was wealthy.

• Kondo appeared fully dressed after emerging from the pool and denied being the gorilla, despite water dripping from his head.
• Kondo blamed Sogo and Toshiro for letting a wild gorilla into the dojo and praised them for handling the danger.
• Kondo called Umaru’s visit an inspection, while Sogo and Toshiro challenged his choice of words and conduct.
• Sogo reminded Kondo that he had refused tuition and insisted that Sogo stay to learn the dojo’s swordsmanship.
• Kondo recalled offering Sogo free lessons because he had mistaken the wealthy family’s street-stall meals for a sign of poverty.

Toshiro Hijikata tried to calm members who had mistaken Umaru and Sogo Doma’s search in the old weapons depot for a plot to silence them. Sogo then turned the members’ support for Mr. Katsura’s transgender bar into a baffling argument about indulging in men.

• Members told Toshiro Hijikata that Umaru and the captain were searching the old weapons depot for weapons, and Hijikata tried to reassure them.
• The members claimed Umaru feared they knew her secret and wanted to silence them, leaving Hijikata speechless.
• Okada and the others discussed Mr. Katsura’s dojo and said the Vice Commander had asked them to be accommodating toward him.
• Sogo Doma denied responsibility for sending Elisaki to Mr. Katsura and blamed Hijikata instead.
• Sogo Doma learned the members visited Mr. Katsura’s transgender bar and accused them of indulging in men, confusing Okada and the others.

Sogo Doma realized Hijikata and Katsura Kotaro had been presenting Kondo as a dignified, misunderstood man to the Kondo Group. When Sogo tried to correct the members’ assumptions about Otae, he discovered they believed she was a man.

• Sogo Doma wondered why Hijikata was helping Katsura Kotaro portray Kondo as an admirable man.
• Okada praised Kondo for enduring insults and staying true to himself.
• Sogo tried to interrupt, but the members assumed he was talking about Otae.
• Okada and the others insisted Otae was a man because of her strength and appearance, leaving Sogo stunned.

Sogo Doma listened as Okada explained why Kondo Isao had been arrested after pursuing Otae, while Sogo’s inner angel and devil argued over whether to spread the story. He restrained both voices and questioned Okada further, who suggested Sogo had meant to call Kondo a gorilla.

• Sogo Doma questioned why Kondo Isao had been arrested if Otae was a man.
• Okada explained that Kondo had recognized Otae was not a woman, and Sogo worried the group members would offend Otae by calling her a gorilla.
• Sogo’s inner angel and devil argued over whether to warn the members or encourage them to spread the story, then fought over what counted as the right thing to do.
• Sogo asked the angel and devil what one plus one equaled, then tied them up with tentacles when they both answered correctly.
• Sogo asked Okada again why Kondo had been arrested, and Okada asked whether Sogo had actually meant to call Kondo the gorilla boss.

Sogo Doma questioned his squad about how they had learned to see Kondo Isao as a gorilla, and discovered Hijikata and Katsura had hinted at the truth through something involving Okada. Okada resisted hearing the explanation in front of everyone, while Sogo tried to coax him into revealing it by pretending he could hide his identity.

• Okada told Sogo that Hijikata and Katsura had helped the squad realize Kondo Isao was a gorilla.
• Sogo pressed Okada to explain what the hints were, but Okada asked him to question Hijikata instead.
• Ozawa revealed that the hints had something to do with what Okada wanted to do, prompting Okada to stop him.
• Sogo suggested Okada cover his face so he could hear the explanation without being recognized.

Sogo Doma explained his strategy for dealing with idiots to Okada, then realized Utaha Kasumigaoka had come looking for him. He was left facing her ominous, gloomy mood without knowing how to respond.

• Sogo Doma told Okada that sending more idiots into an argument would create an IQ-reduction loop and make the opponent unable to refute him.
• Sogo Doma used Toshiro Hijikata’s hints about Kondo Isao to explain why he had been delayed and forgotten Utaha Kasumigaoka.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka approached and called Sogo Doma “Sogo-kun,” shocking Okada and the others.
• Sogo Doma changed the subject when Okada and the others questioned his relationship with Utaha.
• Sogo Doma sensed Utaha’s heavy, gloomy mood and wondered how he could avoid making it worse.

Sogo Doma tried to conceal why he had gone to the restroom, but his excuses and the Kondo Group members’ interruptions kept making matters worse. Utaha Kasumigaoka’s suspicion returned, leaving Sogo’s attempt to escape the awkward situation unresolved.

• Sogo pretended he could not see Utaha, then apologized when she threatened to leave.
• Utaha claimed she had come inside to use the restroom, and Ozawa pointed her toward the opposite direction from Sogo.
• Sogo blamed the dojo’s changed layout, but Okada and Ozawa contradicted his excuse and exposed his perfect sense of direction.
• Sogo claimed he had rushed off in search of a restroom, and Okada and Ozawa briefly seemed to back him up.
• Okada remarked that Sogo had kept everyone talking despite urgently needing the restroom, bringing Utaha’s suspicion back.

Sogo Doma visited Kondo Dojo with Utaha Kasumigaoka and was teased by his team after they misunderstood his excuse for coming. The welcome back softened the moment, but Sogo ended by complaining that the dojo lacked practical high-tech features and a Gundam.

• Okada and Ozawa repeatedly teased Sogo Doma about holding in his need to use the restroom, while Utaha Kasumigaoka watched.
• Sogo admitted he had made up the restroom excuse because he wanted to revisit Kondo Dojo, and Utaha said she had come to see where he used to stay.
• Okada and the others told Sogo, "Welcome back," and called Kondo Dojo his home.
• Sogo rejected the idea that the rundown dojo was his home, then complained that its renovations lacked useful functions and modern technology.
• Sogo argued that the dojo needed a house-transformation function and a Gundam, and blamed Hijikata and the others for being too stingy to pay for them.

Sogo Doma complained about Kondo Dojo while its members and Utaha Kasumigaoka tried to follow his eccentric explanations. Meanwhile, Shizuka Hiratsuka slipped into the grounds and decided to search for the secret technique scroll, convinced that Heaven was helping her.

• Sogo Doma called the dojo unsuitable and described its fluorescent tubes as training laser swords, amusing the Kondo Group members and bewildering Utaha Kasumigaoka.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka entered Kondo Dojo unnoticed because Shaqiang's security system classified her as harmless.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka changed her plan from surveying the dojo to finding its secret technique, telling herself that taking the manual would count as borrowing.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka wandered among the dojo's extensive grounds and modern facilities, still believing its secret techniques were hidden there.

At Kondo Dojo, Sogo Doma introduced Utaha Kasumigaoka to Okada and the others, who mistook his behavior for tsundere affection. Sogo tried to convince them he regarded Hijikata as a brother-in-arms, but his repeated talk of assassinating him only made his team more suspicious.

• Sogo Doma introduced Utaha Kasumigaoka to Okada and the others, and she explained that she and Sogo were gathering material.
• Utaha suggested that Sogo cared about Kondo Dojo, prompting Okada to call him tsundere.
• Sogo claimed he saw Hijikata as his best friend and brother-in-arms, while insisting his assassination attempts had only been jokes.
• Sogo argued that Hijikata's strict management made the Kondo Group miserable and asked whether the others would be happier if Hijikata disappeared.

Sogo Doma tried to convince the Kondo Group's members that they resented Hijikata's strict training and should help him get rid of the vice commander. His attempt backfired when the members praised Hijikata's leadership, and Sogo revealed that his own assassination attempts were supposedly a way to protect Hijikata.

• Sogo Doma recalled how Hijikata trained diligently and followed the same strict rules he imposed on the Kondo Group.
• Sogo asked Okada and Ozawa whether they wanted an easier life without Hijikata, but they said their days before joining the Kondo Dojo had felt empty and their current lives were fulfilling.
• Sogo argued that other members might resent Hijikata and suggested that dissatisfied members would come to him to help kill the vice commander.
• Sogo claimed his assassination attempts were only pranks and that he regarded Hijikata as a brother-in-arms, while accidentally implying he might take money to kill him.
• Okada and the others realized Sogo had let something slip, while Utaha Kasumigaoka was left speechless.

Shizuka Hiratsuka searched the strangely empty Kondo Dojo for secret technique scrolls while Sogo Doma and the others discussed Okada’s past actions in front of Utaha Kasumigaoka. Sogo pressed Okada to reveal what he had done, leaving Okada alarmed that the secret might spread beyond the Kondo Group.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka wandered through the Kondo Dojo’s facilities and wondered why its archive appeared unguarded.
• Sogo Doma and Utaha Kasumigaoka discussed Otae, while Okada and the others clarified that Otae was a man and that Kondo had noticed his hidden power.
• Sogo Doma redirected the conversation to what Okada had done to earn a hint from Hijikata.
• Okada tried to stop Sogo Doma from explaining the matter in front of Utaha Kasumigaoka, but Sogo argued that Okada could cover his face and pretend not to be there.
• Sogo Doma suggested that even if Okada learned the truth, he could tell other people afterward, leaving Okada dumbfounded.

Sogo Doma questioned Okada about the embarrassing incident, only to learn that Okada had been trying to imitate Kondo’s ideas about manliness. Ozawa then described the eccentric habits of Hijikata, Katsura, and Otae, leaving Utaha Kasumigaoka startled and Sogo speculating about Katsura’s motives for wearing women’s clothes.

• Sogo Doma used a famous quote to encourage Okada to face his embarrassing past, and Okada and the others were moved by his words.
• Ozawa explained that Okada had wanted to learn Kondo’s way of being a man.
• Sogo agreed that strong people often had unusual quirks and secretly used Okada’s situation to needle Hijikata.
• Ozawa cited Hijikata’s mayonnaise habit and Katsura and Otae’s fondness for women’s clothes as examples.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka reacted with shock, while Sogo wondered whether Katsura wore women’s clothes for money or by choice.

Sogo Doma reunited with Okada and the others, whose complaints about cross-dressing and Hijikata’s mayonnaise turned into a discussion of their fear of their vice commander. Sogo insisted he had tried to kill Hijikata many times, leaving his companions uneasy about how casually he spoke of their deadly rivalry.

• Sogo Doma reflected on the cross-dressing men around him while Okada argued that cross-dressing would not make anyone strong.
• Ozawa and the others reassured Okada that they were his family, but Okada demanded that they take away Hijikata’s mayonnaise.
• Ozawa and the others admitted they feared Hijikata, and Okada confessed that he did too.
• Sogo offered to help, then clarified that he and Hijikata were brothers in life and death because one of them would survive.
• Sogo boasted that Hijikata would already be dead if he had not been lucky, alarming Okada and the others.

Sogo Doma suggested that the Kondo Group could pool small contributions to pay him to kill Hijikata, while the others insisted they could not afford it and reminded him of their brotherly bond. The chapter then digressed into a critique of job insecurity and workplace conformity, ending with an unnamed person encouraging himself before work.

• Okada and the others recalled that Hijikata had survived the captain’s many attempts against him.
• Ozawa told Sogo Doma that the Kondo Group could not pay him to kill Hijikata, whom Sogo and Hijikata had lived and fought alongside as brothers.
• Sogo Doma proposed that the Kondo Group’s members and affiliates each contribute a thousand or two to raise the fee.
• The narration described people’s dependence on stable employment and the social pressure surrounding work and conformity.
• An unnamed person carefully groomed himself, checked his reflection, and told himself he was the best.

Sogo Doma reflected on Japan’s preference for stable employment and the despair that could drive people to suicide, comparing monthly salaries with Utaha Kasumigaoka’s book earnings. He recalled Sonoko Machida’s story about a manga artist abandoning her child and his shocked, darkly comic response.

• A suited man stepped onto the train tracks to kill himself while commuters watched without intervening.
• Sogo Doma considered how people’s fear of change and reliance on steady work could lead to breakdowns and suicide.
• Sogo Doma compared Taihei’s projected lifetime salary and inheritance with the tens of millions Utaha Kasumigaoka had earned from Love Metronome.
• Sonoko Machida told Sogo Doma that a manga artist had abandoned her child because she felt unable to afford raising it.
• Sogo Doma asked whether the child had been thrown out as burnable or non-burnable trash and joked about Boruto.