Chapter Summaries

After Hanayo choked while eating, Sogo Doma teased her and Rin Hoshizora before Kotaro Katsura tried to defend the girls’ toughness. Sogo claimed he was hardworking because he got up when his alarm rang, leaving everyone unimpressed.

• After Hanayo stopped coughing, Sogo Doma jokingly called her the legendary Hitoe for continuing to eat despite choking.
• Sogo Doma teased Rin Hoshizora about her name and suggested cute girls were good at lying, flustering Rin when he called her cute.
• Hanayo defended Rin, but Sogo Doma twisted her words and continued teasing both girls until Kotaro Katsura told him to stop.
• Kotaro Katsura praised the Muse members for persevering through tough training, and Sogo Doma claimed they were not as strong as he was.
• Utaha Kasumigaoka thought about how Sogo Doma distracted her from writing, while Sogo insisted he was hardworking because he got out of bed when his alarm rang.

Sogo Doma argued that escaping bed required extraordinary effort, then teased Muse while they discussed his piano skills and counted their members. He spotted a disguised person at the neighboring table, who tried to flee when noticed.

• Sogo Doma claimed he needed carefully controlled temperatures and a specially designed bed to get out of bed, while Honoka Kosaka and the others questioned his excuses.
• Sogo Doma called waking up as soon as an alarm rang a sign of being fierce, and the members of Muse wondered whether he or they were abnormal.
• Maki Nishikino revealed that Sogo Doma played piano, and Kotori Minami quietly told Honoka Kosaka that Sogo was the Great Demon King feared by Yoko Toma.
• Sogo Doma continued counting Muse's members, stumbled over Rin Hoshizora's name, and pointed out a person at the neighboring table.
• Honoka Kosaka and the others saw a sunglasses-wearing person in a long coat, who turned and tried to run.

Sogo Doma exposed Nico Yazawa as the mysterious woman who had been secretly taking food from the table, and Kotaro Katsura revealed that she was Otonokizaka Academy’s Idol Research Club president. Nico denied wanting to become an idol, but Sogo pointed out that Mai Sakurajima’s arrival had made her stop stealing food, revealing Nico’s deep admiration for Mai.

• Sogo Doma stopped the mysterious woman from fleeing by accusing her of skipping the bill, then revealed she had taken food from the table.
• Kotaro Katsura identified the woman as Nico Yazawa, president of Otonokizaka Academy’s Idol Research Club.
• Kotaro Katsura explained that Muse’s club application had been rejected because Nico’s idol research club already existed.
• Nico Yazawa claimed she had followed Honoka Kosaka and the others only to find weaknesses in their idol efforts.
• Sogo Doma observed that Nico had stopped taking food after Mai Sakurajima arrived, and Nico panicked at his accurate guess about her admiration for Mai.

Sogo Doma exposed Nico Yazawa for eavesdropping and used her stolen food as leverage to bring her into Muse’s conversation. After Honoka Kosaka invited Nico to join, Nico accepted and began asserting her expertise in idols, while Sogo pressed her to demonstrate it in front of everyone.

• Sogo Doma spotted Nico Yazawa eavesdropping and threatened to report her for secretly eating someone else’s food unless she joined the conversation.
• Sogo argued that Nico wanted to become an idol because she was president of an idol club and had been following Muse out of jealousy.
• Honoka Kosaka sincerely invited Nico to join Muse, and Nico accepted while criticizing the group’s shallow understanding of idols.
• Nico offered to advise Muse on idols, and Sogo challenged her to explain what idols needed to do in front of the gathered group.
• Sogo said idols had to be ready to perform under everyone’s gaze, and Mai Sakurajima acknowledged that he was right.

Nico Yazawa performed her signature idol greeting for Muse, but Sogo Doma’s reaction and Mai Sakurajima’s explanation of idol personas left her struggling to defend her approach. The chapter ended with Nico beginning to shut down as the others considered the risks of building an image too early.

• Nico Yazawa accepted Sogo Doma’s request to perform and delivered her “Nico Nico Nii” greeting.
• Sogo Doma sprayed juice in surprise, and Nico Yazawa angrily defended her performance as an important part of being an idol.
• Kotori Minami objected to having to imitate Nico Yazawa, while Mai Sakurajima clarified that a persona was only one way to attract fans.
• Sogo Doma and Mai Sakurajima explained that an idol persona could backfire if the idol acted against it or limit the fans they could attract.
• Mai Sakurajima described how popular idols sometimes changed their image, and Nico Yazawa began to shut down.

Kotaro Katsura helped Nico Yazawa confront her doubts about Muse and invited her to join the group. Sogo Doma then suggested Elisaki become an idol too, prompting Katsura to defend his eccentric idea of samurai spirit.

• Sogo Doma revealed that Katsura had known Nico Yazawa was following Honoka Kosaka and the others.
• Katsura explained that Nico had kept pursuing her idol dream after her friends gave up, and Nico accepted his praise.
• Katsura invited Nico to join Muse as its manager, and Nico agreed.
• Sogo pointed out that Elisaki could also join, but Katsura said she was destined to inherit his dojo as a samurai.
• Katsura defended samurai spirit by claiming that even his questionable jobs and behavior could express a pure soul and a duty to support the weak.

Sogo Doma and Kotaro Katsura argued over whether samurai could become idols, while Elisaki declared her admiration for Katsura. Sogo revealed that he knew who had named Muse and offered to uncover the answer through his suspicious “slap divination.”

• Sogo Doma and Kotaro Katsura traded bizarre arguments about samurai, idols, and working at a transgender bar.
• Elisaki said she wanted to become a samurai like Kotaro Katsura, and Sogo teased Katsura about being Cao Cao.
• Sogo pointed out that another fan besides Elisaki had been involved in Muse’s story: the fan who had named the group.
• Honoka Kosaka and Kotori Minami asked Kotaro Katsura who had named Muse, but he admitted he did not know.
• Sogo Doma offered to reveal what people most wanted to know through “slap divination,” alarming Kotaro Katsura.

Sogo Doma used Katsura Kotaro’s slap to give Nico Yazawa a playful fortune, convincing her and the Muse girls that her dream of becoming a star was close. He continued interpreting the handprint as a sign involving Muse, while Mai Sakurajima and Utaha Kasumigaoka recognized his reading was mostly improvised.

• Sogo Doma proposed slapping Katsura Kotaro as part of his fortune-telling, and Katsura eagerly asked Honoka Kosaka to do it.
• Honoka Kosaka hesitated, so Nico Yazawa slapped Katsura Kotaro instead.
• Sogo Doma read the handprint as a sign that Nico Yazawa would soon become a huge star, and she became excited by his prediction.
• Sogo Doma interpreted nine lines as Nico achieving her dream with nine others, suggesting Muse would become famous.
• Sogo Doma pointed out two faint lines in the handprint, while Mai Sakurajima and Utaha Kasumigaoka remained unconvinced by his improvised reading.

Sogo Doma read Nico Yazawa’s palm and suggested that people connected to Muse’s Mercury retrograde might eventually join the group. Kotaro Katsura revealed that the student council president and Tojo had been watching Muse, while Sogo’s comments about adding another member left the girls wondering about his intentions.

• Honoka Kosaka questioned whether Nico’s palm lines were actually visible in the slap mark on Kotaro Katsura’s face, and Sogo advertised the Doma Family’s imaging device.
• Sogo interpreted Nico’s palm lines as Mercury retrograde and said the people affected might become Muse’s companions.
• Honoka guessed that the student council could be involved, and Sogo suggested that one of its members might eventually join Muse.
• Katsura confirmed that the student council president had watched Muse perform and explained that her ballet background shaped her high standards.
• Katsura said Tojo also watched Muse and thought highly of them, while Sogo teased that more slaps might reveal further information.
• Honoka counted the possible members and pointed out that Muse would have ten if the student council president, Tojo, and Touma joined; Sogo remarked that one more person would make the group nine colors.

Sogo Doma clarified that he had never promised Kazusa would join Muse, but suggested she could compose for them and compete with Maki Nishikino. He then predicted that the other reluctant girls would eventually join, leaving Muse and Kotaro Katsura shaken by the possibility that the person who named Muse had foreseen a nine-member group.

• Sogo Doma said Kazusa might not join Muse but could become their dedicated composer, and he encouraged Maki Nishikino to treat her as a rival.
• Kotaro Katsura recalled Sogo Doma’s reckless childhood treatment of Kazusa, explaining why Ms. Yoko disliked him.
• Honoka Kosaka asked whether Eli Ayase and Toujo would really join, and Sogo Doma predicted that the reluctant girls would eventually become enthusiastic members.
• Sogo Doma wondered who had named Muse and suggested the name had predicted there would be nine members.
• Kotori Minami and Umi Sonoda realized that the name Muse had been chosen when only the original three members were together, and they were unnerved by the implication.

Sogo Doma’s fortune-telling led Kotori Minami and Umi Sonoda to suspect that Nozomi Tojo had been connected to naming Muse. As Sogo prepared to leave, Mai Sakurajima asked to speak with him privately, where a misunderstanding ended with her kicking him again.

• Sogo Doma suggested that Muse’s name came from someone connected to the student council president, prompting Kotori Minami and Umi Sonoda to suspect Nozomi Tojo.
• Sogo Doma teased Kotaro Katsura about taking a slap and finding the Muse members, while Katsura privately appreciated that Sogo had investigated for him.
• Sogo Doma tried to leave, but Mai Sakurajima asked him to talk privately about work, and Utaha Kasumigaoka reluctantly let them go.
• In the maid café’s staff room, Mai Sakurajima asked whether Sogo Doma had chosen Utaha Kasumigaoka, then praised his taste and described herself.
• Sogo Doma told Mai Sakurajima, “Living is for Mai Sakurajima,” leaving her confused about his relationship with Utaha before Mai kicked him.

Sogo Doma and Mai Sakurajima discussed why he had helped Muse and why he had helped Mai in the past. The conversation ended with Mai saying she would work hard, while Sogo reflected on his vast wealth and the people he supported.

• Mai Sakurajima asked Sogo Doma whether he had helped Muse because its members were cute, and Sogo said he had been interested in Katsura Kotaro's fighting ability.
• Sogo claimed Katsura Kotaro could take on a hundred highly disciplined Oki-senpais, leaving Mai bewildered.
• Mai pressed Sogo about whether he would have helped her if she had not been ignored by others, and Sogo said men tended to go easy on beautiful creatures.
• Mai said she would work hard, then asked whether Utaha Kasumigaoka could make her money.
• Sogo reflected that neither Mai nor Utaha's earnings compared with his wealth and recalled supporting Umaru and Erina Nakiri.

Sogo Doma reflected on the women and family supporting him financially before Mai Sakurajima questioned his income and teased him about wanting women on both arms. The conversation ended with Sogo insisting that he wanted to keep Mai and Utako Kasumi as employees who earned him money.

• Sogo Doma considered how the Yukinoshita Family, Mai Sakurajima, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Akane Kosaka had helped support him.
• Sogo Doma told Mai Sakurajima that Utako Kasumi's latest novel earned only ten or twenty million in royalties, surprising Mai.
• Mai Sakurajima pressed her foot down on Sogo Doma's instep while reminding him that he had made her shoot a swimsuit gravure.
• Sogo Doma invited Mai Sakurajima to go to the beach with him and Utako Kasumi during the summer.
• Mai Sakurajima teased Sogo Doma about wanting women on both arms, and he clarified that he meant he wanted to keep both women as employees.
• Sogo Doma reminded Mai Sakurajima that she had once pried fifty million out of him for the swimsuit gravure.

Muse discussed Sogo Doma’s unusual nature and reconsidered Kotaro Katsura’s character, while Nico Yazawa revealed Doma’s fame and the extraordinary value of his music. The group was left stunned by the news that his recorded piano piece could sell for one billion yen, with no copies available even at that price.

• Honoka Kosaka asked Maki Nishikino whether Sogo Doma was truly exceptional, and Maki described him as very special.
• Kotori Minami explained that she had met Doma before and that he had influenced her suspicions about Kotaro Katsura.
• Umi Sonoda defended Katsura, citing his sword practice, his care for Elisaki, and the respect he had earned from others.
• Honoka Kosaka teased Umi by calling her Boss Umi, then bluntly told Nico Yazawa that she did not seem mature.
• Nico Yazawa said Doma’s ability to invite Mai Sakurajima made his character less important, and Maki revealed that his recorded piano piece could sell for one billion yen with no supply available.

Muse discussed the one-billion-yen price Maki Nishikino had asked for Sogo Doma’s music and learned that Doma’s generosity might make him pay Nico Yazawa twenty million yen to break her hands. Maki reassured them that their idol group was likely to succeed, while warning that Doma’s circle had gathered information about them and that scrutiny would come with idol life.

• Maki Nishikino told Muse that one billion yen would not have persuaded the Doma Family to let Sogo Doma’s music influence people’s hearts.
• Nico Yazawa wondered if Doma would pay her twenty million yen to break her own hands, and Maki said he might.
• Maki explained that Doma had once been a celebrated musical prodigy and spent money extravagantly, prompting Nico to consider going back for the offer.
• Kotori Minami reminded Nico that broken hands would interfere with becoming an idol, and Maki said Muse would likely succeed because of Doma’s fortune-telling and Mai Sakurajima’s help.
• Maki said Doma had investigated Mr. Doma, indirectly learning about Muse, and warned that scrutiny would be common once they became idols.

Sogo Doma tried to reassure Utaha Kasumigaoka about his conversation with Mai Sakurajima, but their teasing turned to his connections with the Doma and Yukinoshita families. The chapter left Utaha questioning how Yukinoshita Haruno compared with Yukino, while Sogo joked about the difference between them.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka confronted Sogo Doma about his conversation with Mai Sakurajima and the shoeprints on his shoes.
• Sogo insisted that Mai was innocent and explained that he had lent her the Doma Family name to support her mother's talent agency.
• Sogo revealed that he had ties to Yukinoshita Haruno, and Utaha reacted with disbelief at his connections to women.
• Sogo described Haruno as a little-sister fanatic who tried to steer Yukino onto a different path.
• Utaha agreed that Yukino was an outstanding student, and Sogo compared her with Haruno as an upgraded version, prompting Utaha to joke about their figures.

Utaha Kasumigaoka questioned Sogo Doma about his ties to Yukinoshita Haruno and Mai Sakurajima, then wondered whether Mai might be interested in him. Their date remained awkward and unmemorable as Utaha worried they would run into another of Sogo’s cute-girl acquaintances.

• Utaha asked Sogo why he focused on girls’ chests, and he explained Yukinoshita Haruno’s influence over her sister.
• Sogo described Haruno as a protective siscon and said she oversaw his business arrangements with the Yukinoshita family.
• Utaha learned that Haruno and Mrs. Sakurajima jointly managed Mai Sakurajima, whom Sogo sometimes summoned despite her busy schedule.
• Utaha reconsidered whether Mai might be interested in Sogo and recalled that she knew his real personality from spending time with him.
• Utaha reminded Sogo they were on a date and asked whether they would run into another cute-girl acquaintance.

Sogo Doma and Utaha Kasumigaoka finished an ordinary amusement-park date, and Sogo gave Utaha a headband before they returned home. There, they found Megumi Kato visiting with Umaru and Mashiro, and Kato explained that her parents had accidentally left her behind while shopping.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka teased Sogo Doma about his original plan to show her the splendor of the world and said she enjoyed spending uninterrupted time with him.
• Sogo Doma and Utaha Kasumigaoka took pictures and headed home, where Sogo gave Utaha a headband as a gift.
• Sogo Doma and Utaha Kasumigaoka found Megumi Kato sitting with chibi Umaru and Mashiro at the Doma Residence.
• Megumi Kato said her parents had accidentally forgotten her while shopping, and Umaru explained that she had invited Kato over.
• Mashiro called Megumi Kato cute, and Umaru revealed that she had told Mashiro about Kato.

Megumi Kato’s conversation with Utaha Kasumigaoka and the Doma siblings revealed that Megumi had read Utaha’s yuri novel, Love Metronome, and recognized her as its author. Megumi then teased the panicked Umaru by acting as if she and Utaha were romantic rivals for Umaru’s affection.

• Utaha Kasumigaoka failed to recognize Megumi Kato from their earlier meeting at the school gate, then apologized when Megumi reminded her.
• Megumi said she was happy that Komaru recognized her, and Umaru explained that she had often praised Megumi to her little sister.
• Megumi revealed that she had found Love Metronome in Umaru’s bag, read it, and thought Komaru was too young for the yuri novel.
• Megumi identified Utaha as Utako Kasumi-sensei and asked whether she and Sogo Doma had been on a date.
• Umaru denied that Utaha was interested in Sogo, while Megumi teased her by calling her Komaru and suggesting Utaha liked Umaru.

Sogo Doma tried to rescue Umaru Doma and Utaha Kasumigaoka from Megumi Kato’s pointed remarks, but Megumi’s easy familiarity with the family and her cooking quickly drew Umaru’s attention. The chapter ended with Megumi offering to help Umaru accept green peppers, and Umaru eagerly agreeing to listen to her.

• Megumi Kato teased Utaha Kasumigaoka about the similarities between her fictional heroines and herself, leaving Utaha and Umaru Doma uncomfortable.
• Umaru pleaded with Sogo Doma to change the subject and blamed him for the trouble caused by her bringing Love Metronome to school.
• Sogo invited Megumi to stay for dinner, then learned that her parents had left her at the mall and she had forgotten her keys.
• Megumi revealed she had already made home-cooked dishes, and Umaru praised her cooking while complaining about the green peppers in her lunches.
• Megumi offered to persuade Umaru to try different foods, and Umaru excitedly said she would listen to her.