Chapter Summaries

Sogo Doma explained how the Kondo Group concealed its strength and revealed that he had secretly intercepted footage of Shizuka Hiratsuka sneaking into the dojo. He left Shizuka embarrassed while teasing her about marrying Taihei and claiming Kaguya Shinomiya might have a crush on him.

• Sogo Doma told Shizuka Hiratsuka and Utaha Kasumigaoka that the Kondo Group's apparent immunity to smoke came from its defenses, not special training.
• Sogo accused Shizuka of being tempted to sneak a look at the secret technique scrolls and said he had gone easy on her during her break-in.
• Sogo showed Shizuka surveillance footage of her dressed in black at the Kondo Dojo and explained that he had intercepted it before it reached the monitors.
• Sogo again urged Shizuka to win over Taihei, then claimed Kaguya Shinomiya might have a crush on him.
• Shizuka questioned how Sogo knew Kaguya liked him and began to bring up the feud between the Doma and Shinomiya families.

Sogo Doma explained to Shizuka Hiratsuka how the Doma and Shinomiya Families had benefited from their public feud, while the declining Shinomiya Family sought a marriage alliance to regain its strength. He left her questioning whether the Shinomiya Family would really arrange a match with the Doma Family for anything less than major strategic benefit.

• The narration described how Keiryu Doma had used the Shinomiya Family as a visible rival while expanding the Doma Family by absorbing benefits from many others.
• Gan'an Shinomiya had kept the declining Shinomiya Family afloat through investments and hoped a marriage alliance might revive its fortunes.
• Sogo Doma asked Shizuka Hiratsuka why the Shinomiya Family would seek a matchmaking meeting if the families were truly enemies.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka said that interests could bring former enemies together, and Sogo Doma argued that the Shinomiya Family would not offer its daughter for a small profit.
• Sogo Doma explained that the Doma Family could gain influence and potentially become a fifth great conglomerate through an alliance with the Shinomiya Family.

Keiryu Doma reflected on why he had sent Sogo Doma to Totsuki and how Sogo’s unexpected influence there helped the Doma Family gain leverage over the Nakiri Family. The chapter contrasted the Doma Family’s concealed power with the Shinomiya Family’s conspicuous wealth, ending with Shizuka Hiratsuka’s limited understanding of the Doma Family’s strength.

• Keiryu Doma insisted that sending Sogo Doma to Totsuki had been meant to develop his cooking talent and temper him, not out of envy.
• Sogo Doma rapidly dominated Totsuki’s Elite Ten, and Senzaemon Nakiri could have lost his position as commander-in-chief if Sogo had wanted it.
• The Doma Family gained the initiative in its cooperation with Totsuki, but the families involved kept that fact quiet to protect their reputations.
• The chapter explained that the four great financial conglomerates were wary of the Doma Family, while the Shinomiya Family maintained a high profile to reassure shareholders and the public.
• Shizuka Hiratsuka viewed the Doma Family as powerful mainly because of its military force and remained uncertain whether the Sala Twin Trees belonged to it.

Shizuka Hiratsuka questioned why the Shinomiya Family would marry into the Doma Family, and Sogo Doma dismissed the idea that an old incident with Kaguya explained it. The chapter revealed how Keiryu Doma’s victories over the Shinomiya Family had bolstered his confidence, while Sogo quietly encouraged him and Keiryu chose not to risk an all-out war.

• Sogo Doma told Shizuka Hiratsuka that he had sprayed Kaguya Shinomiya when he was a child, and Shizuka doubted the Shinomiya Family would care about it.
• The Shinomiya Family tried to punish and suppress the Doma Family but repeatedly failed, suffering heavy losses when Sogo Doma was displeased.
• Keiryu Doma gained confidence after pressuring Gan'an Shinomiya, who feared that a war could destroy his family and leave it vulnerable to its many enemies.
• Sogo Doma had encouraged Keiryu Doma’s pressure campaign to show him that the Four Great Conglomerates could be challenged and to build his confidence.
• Keiryu Doma concealed the extent of his conflict with the Shinomiya Family because he could not defeat them decisively without Sogo’s help.

Sogo Doma explained to Shizuka Hiratsuka that the feud between the Doma and Shinomiya Families was mostly a misunderstanding and joked that Kaguya Shinomiya wanted his attention. Kotaro Katsura appeared to confirm that Kaguya kept many photos of Sogo, but revealed she used them as targets to beat up.

• Sogo Doma told Shizuka Hiratsuka that the Doma and Shinomiya Families’ clashes were minor skirmishes and that Kaguya Shinomiya would not hold a childhood cola incident against him.
• Sogo suggested Kaguya might have spread rumors about their families because she wanted his attention, while Utaha Kasumigaoka secretly restrained him.
• Sogo claimed Kaguya’s room was full of his photos and that she mentioned him more than ten times a day.
• Kotaro Katsura came out to testify that Kaguya had many photos of Sogo, but explained that she put them on dummies and dartboards to use as targets.
• Sogo asked why Kotaro had left his post watching Demon Hijikata and the others, and Kotaro replied that surveillance cameras made taking a break harmless.

Kotaro Katsura revealed that he had been playing along with Sogo Doma’s efforts to conceal things, then teased Sogo about his connections and bullying. He also disclosed that he worked in resource allocation for the Shinomiya Family, leaving the others astonished.

• Kotaro Katsura claimed Otae had joined his forces, but Otae clarified that she was only traveling in the same direction and intended to handle Kondo Isao herself.
• Sogo Doma accused Katsura of no longer playing dumb, and Katsura admitted he had gone along with Sogo because he knew Sogo was helping conceal things for Hijikata and Kondo Isao.
• Katsura and Sogo traded jabs about their friendship, and Katsura remarked that even Sogo could make friends.
• Katsura revealed that Kaguya Shinomiya used Sogo’s photos as dart targets and on a dummy, prompting Sogo to change the subject.
• Sogo challenged Katsura about working for the Shinomiya Family, and Katsura said he handled resource allocation rather than serving as a maid.

Sogo Doma bantered with Kotaro Katsura about cross-dressing, while Otae tried to leave after punching Katsura for making a crude joke. Katsura stopped Otae to keep watch on her, leaving Sogo convinced that neither Kondo Isao’s happiness nor the Kondo Group’s reputation had been saved.

• Kotaro Katsura called himself a janitor auntie, and he and Sogo Doma traded jokes about cross-dressing.
• Kotaro Katsura began to make a crude remark about bunny-girl clothes, so Otae punched him into the air.
• Otae tried to leave, but Sogo Doma stopped himself from arguing with her after Utaha Kasumigaoka intervened.
• Sogo Doma suspected that Hijikata or Kondo Isao had confessed something to Kotaro Katsura after Sogo left.
• Kotaro Katsura stopped Otae and said he had to keep an eye on her.

At the Kondo Dojo, Kotaro Katsura dropped his act and questioned Otae about how she had beaten Isao Kondo, then let the others leave. Otae agreed to Sogo Doma’s farewell while privately hoping not to see him again, but someone else could no longer sit still.

• Kotaro Katsura revealed that he had been pretending to play dumb and asked Otae how she had beaten Isao Kondo without seriously injuring him.
• Otae refused to explain and prepared to leave, while Isao Kondo worried that Katsura might hurt her.
• Kotaro Katsura abandoned his surveillance mission and departed with Elisaki.
• Toshiro Hijikata dismissed Otae and Katsura, then told Isao Kondo to save the medicine for the injured team members.
• Otae recognized that Sogo Doma had drawn her into conversation with subtle psychological tactics, then answered his farewell while hoping not to see him again.

Sogo Doma and Kotaro Katsura traded jokes about Shizuka Hiratsuka, Otae, and Kondo Isao after the dojo fight. Katsura explained that he was pretending not to know what happened so the dojo could avoid dealing with him as an eyewitness, while Sogo pointed out that he had already said too much.

• Shizuka Hiratsuka left to follow Otae, and Sogo Doma teased her about seeking information and training against the Kondo Dojo’s demons and gorilla.
• Kotaro Katsura praised Hiratsuka’s strength, and Sogo reminded him that Otae was a woman, prompting Katsura to realize Kondo Isao had sneaked into a woman’s home.
• Sogo and Katsura joked about Katsura’s supposed ignorance of martial arts and Kondo Isao’s injuries after Otae caught him sneaking in.
• Katsura admitted he had played along to spare Sogo trouble over beating the dojo boss and leaving members injured.
• Sogo said Hijikata, Kondo Isao, and Otae would face the headache if they pursued the matter, while Katsura claimed that as an outsider he did not know what happened inside.
• Sogo pointed out that Katsura had already said what happened aloud.

Sogo Doma and Kotaro Katsura argued over their names and whether Katsura had earned a favor by helping at the Kondo Dojo. Katsura revealed that Sogo had promised to help him during their previous meeting at a maid café, leaving Utaha Kasumigaoka shocked.

• Sogo Doma and Kotaro Katsura admitted they had both been pretending during their earlier exchange, then argued about Sogo calling Tae a beast after she deliberately got his name wrong.
• Sogo tried to leave, but Katsura insisted that going to the Kondo Dojo had been an attempt to help him.
• Katsura claimed that his help made him Sogo's benefactor and said he had come to collect on a promise.
• Sogo denied making any promise until Katsura reminded him of their meeting at a maid café, shocking Utaha Kasumigaoka.

Sogo Doma teased Kotaro Katsura about his recent activities and his close relationship with Chairman Minami, while Katsura insisted he had done nothing wrong. Elisaki’s attempts to defend him only made him look more suspicious.

• Sogo Doma and Kotaro Katsura joked about how long it had been since they last met, and Katsura listed his recent work arranging Elisaki’s transfer and becoming Muse’s manager.
• Sogo Doma questioned Katsura’s claim that he had simply held heartfelt talks with Chairman Minami, suggesting he was pursuing her.
• Kotaro Katsura denied being a wife-stealer, but Elisaki turned away when he claimed she would know he was innocent.
• Elisaki tried to explain Katsura’s visits to her school and the chairman’s office, then undercut his claim that he only went there as Muse’s manager.

Kotaro Katsura pressed Sogo Doma for help finding a way to support Muse, and his sincerity about Chairman Minami and Elisaki briefly moved the others. He finally explained that watching the girls work toward their goals while he could only stand by made him feel helpless, prompting Sogo to recognize the feeling as competition.

• Sogo Doma coached Kotaro Katsura into admitting that he had sought Chairman Minami’s support and felt concerned about her loneliness.
• Kotaro Katsura insisted he wanted to help Muse and keep Elisaki’s new school from closing, moving Elisaki to apologize for doubting him.
• Sogo Doma joked that Katsura should join Muse in women’s clothes, and Katsura seriously considered the idea before Utaha Kasumigaoka brought them back to the topic of school idols.
• Kotaro Katsura kept urging Sogo Doma to help, and Sogo reminded him that he had never promised to do so.
• Kotaro Katsura told Sogo Doma that watching Muse strive toward its goals while he could do nothing made him feel helpless, and Sogo recognized the feeling as competition.

Sogo Doma brought Utaha Kasumigaoka to a Ginza maid café with Kotaro Katsura, whose bizarrely poor reputation among the staff left Utaha astonished. Sogo tried to distance himself from Katsura, but the chapter ended before the maid, Caiying, could answer Katsura’s appeal.

• Sogo Doma reflected that Katsura’s interruption at the dojo had helped distract Utaha from the proposed match between Sogo and Kaguya Shinomiya.
• Sogo and Utaha sat with Katsura at a familiar maid café, where no one welcomed them or brought menus.
• A maid explained that the staff had been arguing over who would have to serve Katsura, and Sogo guessed that the maid had drawn the worst lot.
• The maid abruptly apologized to Sogo after learning he was not actually Katsura’s companion, prompting Utaha to notice the café’s blatant double standard.
• Sogo asked the maid whether he should keep his distance from Katsura, while Katsura called on Caiying to defend him.

Sogo Doma and Utaha Kasumigaoka visited a maid café, where Kyoko revealed that Katsura Kotaro had helped several single mothers and was connected to many of the café’s maids. Kotori Minami arrived to handle the situation, while Sogo placed orders and mocked Katsura’s request for a love-filled cappuccino.

• Kyoko told Katsura that Caiying had taken the day off to attend her mother’s wedding and credited Katsura with helping Caiying accept her new father.
• Kyoko revealed that Katsura had supported several single mothers, including her own, and that she had been selected as a maid to serve him.
• Katsura insisted his relationships with the mothers were innocent, while Sogo and Utaha reacted with disbelief.
• Kotori Minami arrived and told Kyoko she would handle Katsura and Sogo, prompting Katsura to claim she understood him.
• Sogo ordered a fruit sundae, juice, and Kabukiro, and teased Kotori’s signature omurice spell while refusing Katsura’s love-filled cappuccino request.

Sogo Doma teased Kotaro Katsura about craving affection, but Kotori Minami later clarified that Muse did not consider him their manager. The disagreement over how Muse had treated Katsura’s support left Kotori and Elisaki in a tense argument while Sogo watched.

• Sogo Doma teased Kotaro Katsura about wanting affection, and Kotori Minami helped Katsura recover by suggesting he only wanted more cream and sugar.
• Kotori Minami told Katsura that Muse appreciated his support but had never agreed that he was their manager, and she said the group did not need one.
• Elisaki accused Kotori of denying Katsura after he had supported Muse, but Kotori insisted that the group valued all its fans.
• Elisaki challenged Kotori over how Muse had repaid Katsura, and Sogo Doma refused Utaha Kasumigaoka’s request to intervene.

Kotaro Katsura defended his support for Muse after Kotori Minami and Honoka Kosaka questioned whether the school idol group needed a manager. He offered to be their chief fan or fan club president instead, while Elisaki remained suspicious of his intentions.

• Sogo Doma suggested watching Kotori Minami and Elisaki argue like spectators, prompting Utaha Kasumigaoka to suspect he enjoyed her arguments with Yukinoshita too.
• Elisaki challenged Kotori over whether rejecting a manager reflected Muse's view or her own.
• Honoka Kosaka arrived with the other Muse members and agreed that the group did not need a manager because it was only a school idol group.
• Umi Sonoda tried to explain that Muse wanted to pursue its dream without seeking profit, and Kotaro Katsura said he understood.
• Kotaro Katsura promised to support Muse without expecting financial return and offered to be its chief fan or fan club president.
• Elisaki objected that Katsura's proposed fan club title did not match what she believed he really wanted.

Sogo Doma joined Kotaro Katsura and Muse at the café, where his conversation with Honoka Kosaka and his teasing of the group caused confusion. He left Honoka wondering whether Muse had been secretly eating at the café without her.

• Kotaro Katsura encouraged Elisaki and Muse to pursue their dreams, but Sogo Doma interrupted to ask why Katsura was not thinking about him too.
• Sogo called himself a spectator and asked Kotori Minami to bring him cola and popcorn while Muse continued their discussion.
• Sogo explained that he had learned Kotori’s nickname from Honoka, then casually called Honoka by her first name and confused her and Umi Sonoda.
• Kyoko brought the group their fruit parfaits and told Kotori that the manager had given her a paid day off and asked her to do her best.
• Sogo ordered more snacks and asked Kyoko to bring Muse their usual order, prompting Honoka to wonder if the others had been secretly eating at the café without her.

Sogo Doma teased Honoka Kosaka and Kotori Minami about not being regular customers, then turned their confusion into an order for every item on the menu. He declared that Katsura Kotaro would pay, leaving the group and maid Kyoko stunned.

• Sogo Doma pointed out that Honoka Kosaka and her friends did not have a usual order, making Honoka explain that they had only recently learned Kotori Minami worked there.
• Honoka Kosaka revealed that Katsura Kotaro had encouraged Kotori Minami's training, and Katsura proudly praised Honoka for remembering his advice.
• Sogo Doma questioned whether Katsura Kotaro was truly reliable, prompting Honoka to realize that Sogo might be Katsura's friend.
• Sogo Doma claimed that the group did not need to order and told Miss Kyoko to bring them every dish and drink on the menu.
• Sogo Doma said Katsura Kotaro would pay for the entire order, while Umi Sonoda, Kyoko, and the others stared in disbelief.

Sogo Doma turned Katsura Kotaro’s attempt to treat Muse to a meal into a series of awkward misunderstandings, then exposed Elisaki’s ambition to become a samurai. The chapter ended with Sogo beginning to suggest a different way to describe her goal.

• Sogo Doma pretended to apologize to Katsura Kotaro, then pushed him into ordering multiple dishes for Muse and Elisaki.
• Katsura Kotaro named each girl’s favorite food and drink, earning their gratitude and frustrating Sogo Doma.
• Sogo Doma hinted that Katsura Kotaro and Elisaki had an unspeakable relationship, embarrassing Elisaki and alarming Muse.
• Sogo Doma revealed that Elisaki wanted to become a samurai and explained how he had inferred her goal from Katsura Kotaro’s role as her teacher.
• Sogo Doma began proposing that Elisaki be described as a woman who wanted to become a samurai.

Sogo Doma challenged Muse’s assumption that Elisaki had caused the dispute with Kotori Minami, pointing out that Elisaki had only defended Kotaro Katsura after Kotori rejected him. The group was left confronting its bias toward Kotori and the chairman’s role in the decision about Katsura.

• Sogo Doma’s comments about Elisaki becoming a samurai prompted Kotaro Katsura to accuse him of belittling her resolve.
• Sogo Doma pointed out that the Muse girls had not known Elisaki wanted to become a samurai, then questioned why they had sided with Kotori without asking what happened.
• Sogo Doma reminded Honoka Kosaka that Elisaki had asked whether Kotori’s rejection of Katsura was Kotori’s own choice, Muse’s choice, or the chairman’s decision.
• Honoka Kosaka apologized and admitted Muse shared responsibility because they felt unworthy of Katsura becoming their manager.
• Sogo Doma argued that Muse’s feelings about their worth did not matter as much as Katsura’s attitude and the chairman’s decision, leaving Kotori and the others awkwardly silent.