Chapter Summaries

Chapter Summary: “I Count as Your Inheritance Too, Don’t I?”

1. Key Plot Points and Events

• Himeko explains that entering the Path of Elation requires a relaxed, carefree mindset, while Yan Huan observes the absurd Phantom Moon hanging in the sky.
• They travel to the Pigeon River District in Two-Phase Paradise to investigate the Tavern’s address and reunite with Dan Heng and Sunday, who have made new discoveries.
• Himeko reveals that the district was once closely connected to her family, the Hui Shi family, and that she has not returned home in fifteen years.
• The modern, prosperous district contrasts with Himeko’s memories and prompts her to reflect on the decline of her family and the possible loss of its former properties.
• Yan Huan encounters the Raccoon who previously photographed him. The Raccoon invites them into its magazine office to discuss compensation for the unauthorized photograph.
• Himeko identifies the building and surrounding street as former Hui Shi family property, explaining that almost nothing remains of the family’s vast holdings.
• The chapter ends with Yan Huan joking that he should count as part of Himeko’s inheritance. Himeko responds affectionately, saying he has inherited her will—but warns him not to die while pursuing dangerous endeavors.

2. Character Developments

• Yan Huan remains irreverent and suspicious, mocking the ritual and worrying that the Raccoon’s invitation may be a trap. However, he also shows warmth and emotional attachment toward Himeko.
• Himeko is presented as calm and nostalgic. Returning to her old home forces her to confront her family’s decline, her fading legacy, and the possibility that no one will remain to inherit it.
• Himeko also adopts a more openly maternal attitude toward Yan Huan, acknowledging that he has inherited her ideals and expressing genuine concern for his safety.
• The Raccoon demonstrates a surprisingly strong sense of responsibility by remembering its promise of compensation, despite initially appearing eccentric and intrusive.

3. Significant Themes

• Inheritance and legacy: The Hui Shi family’s lost wealth symbolizes the impermanence of status and material possessions. Himeko suggests that true inheritance lies in the continuation of one’s ideals rather than property.
• Home and nostalgia: Himeko’s return to Pigeon River District highlights how places change over time and how returning home can reveal both personal and familial loss.
• Family beyond blood: Yan Huan’s playful claim that he is part of Himeko’s inheritance reflects their chosen-family bond. Himeko confirms that he has inherited her “will.”
• Danger and care: Himeko’s warning about Yan Huan’s reckless behavior emphasizes the emotional cost of adventure and the fear of losing someone close.

4. Character Interactions

• Himeko guides Yan Huan through the Elation ritual, establishing her role as a composed mentor.
• Yan Huan and Himeko discuss the district’s history, with Himeko revealing personal details about her family and past.
• The Raccoon’s nervous but earnest interaction with Yan Huan contrasts with Yan Huan’s suspicion and humor.
• The closing exchange between Yan Huan and Himeko shifts from joking about inheritance to a sincere affirmation of their emotional bond, with Himeko treating Yan Huan like a beloved child or successor.

Chapter Summary: “We Really Are Useful!”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Himeko and Yan Huan inspect the magazine office in Two-Phase Paradise and discover it in complete disarray.
• They meet Phantom Prince and the other raccoons, who reveal that their editor-in-chief abandoned them while fleeing debt. The raccoons have gone months without pay.
• Initially frightened that Yan Huan has come to collect money, the raccoons propose a solution: Yan Huan should become the editor-in-chief of Raccoon Weekly.
• They promise to turn the magazine into the exclusive media outlet for the Star Rail Express, using its popularity to publish sensational stories, increase sales, and eventually raise money to compensate Yan Huan.
• Yan Huan rejects the proposal, pointing out that they are effectively asking him to help them make the money they owe him.
• Himeko argues that the raccoons could still be useful as a local intelligence network and media organization during the dangerous situation in Phantom Moon Game.
• The raccoons insist they are highly capable and offer to prove their usefulness by answering a series of trivia questions.
• Their absurd answers—such as claiming Asta’s “pocket money” funds most of Herta Space Station’s research and identifying Conan as Kudo Shinichi—demonstrate their broad knowledge while maintaining the chapter’s comedic tone.

Character Developments

• Yan Huan remains distrustful, pragmatic, and easily irritated by manipulation. He refuses to let the raccoons disguise self-interest as compensation and emphasizes the more urgent dangers involving Aeons and Emanators.
• Himeko displays practical judgment and strategic thinking. Unlike Yan Huan, she recognizes that even unreliable raccoons could provide valuable information and logistical support in an unfamiliar environment.
• Phantom Prince and the raccoon workers are shown as desperate but resourceful. Although they are broke and frightened, they quickly devise a business proposal and aggressively advertise their skills.
• Puli Ce acts as the raccoons’ chief negotiator, using pleading, flattery, and physical clinginess to persuade Yan Huan.
• The raccoons’ willingness to kneel and beg highlights both their comedic desperation and their determination to survive.

Significant Themes

• Practical value amid chaos: Even seemingly useless or dishonest characters may become valuable in a dangerous situation.
• Debt and exploitation: The raccoons’ unpaid labor and abandoned workplace expose the unfair treatment they have suffered, while their proposal humorously reverses the creditor-debtor relationship.
• Information as power: Himeko recognizes that a media outlet with access to local rumors and information can be as useful as physical strength.
• Survival through cooperation: The chapter suggests that alliances can form even between distrustful parties when both sides have something to gain.
• Comedy through absurdity: Cross-world references, exaggerated begging, and ridiculous trivia answers turn a potentially serious negotiation into a farcical scene.

Character Interactions

• Yan Huan confronts the raccoons over their attempt to make him finance their recovery, while Puli Ce and the others repeatedly plead for mercy.
• Himeko mediates between Yan Huan and the raccoons, reframing them from debtors into potential allies.
• The raccoons collectively demonstrate their usefulness by answering questions, trying to convince Yan Huan that they can serve as reliable informants and media workers.
• The scene establishes a humorous contrast between Yan Huan’s suspicion and Himeko’s openness to unconventional solutions.

Chapter Summary: Be More Careful in Your Next Life

Key Plot Points and Events

• Yan Huan accepts the raccoons’ offer to become the president of Lili Communications, reluctantly taking responsibility for managing the strange magazine.
• The raccoons guide him to the president’s desk and show him the company’s “New President’s Work Guide.”
• The guide explains the president’s duties: managing the raccoon reporters, remaining online during the magazine’s busiest hours, and solving problems the employees cannot handle.
• It also contains disturbing warnings, especially that only raccoons and the president should be present—and that if Yan Huan sees anyone else, he must not acknowledge them. Most ominously, it states that once someone arrives, they can never leave.
• Yan Huan doubts the position is as easy as the raccoons claim, reasoning that the former president would not have escaped if the job were simple.
• While exploring the computer, Yan Huan discovers an inflammatory article written by Phantom Prince, accusing him of joining the Phantom Moon Game to pursue Sparkle and manufacture a romantic scandal.
• The article portrays Yan Huan as shamelessly exploiting Sparkle’s fame and calls for an investigation into the Star Rail Express.
• Yan Huan confronts Phantom Prince, who immediately admits the article was a “hit piece” and nervously offers to replace it.
• Yan Huan reads the comments, finding both criticism of Phantom Prince’s reporting and further jokes about Sparkle, Yan Huan, and Baseball Bat Raccoon.
• Furious at Phantom Prince’s behavior, Yan Huan declares that the raccoon can wait until his next life to receive his salary.

Character Developments

• Yan Huan reluctantly assumes a leadership role, showing skepticism, authority, and a willingness to investigate the workplace rather than blindly trusting the raccoons.
• His discovery of the article highlights his sensitivity to reputation and his readiness to confront anyone who spreads malicious rumors about him.
• Phantom Prince is revealed as an irresponsible and provocative journalist. Despite his aggressive public persona, he quickly becomes submissive when confronted by Yan Huan.
• The raccoons remain enthusiastic and obedient, reinforcing their dependence on Yan Huan as their new president.

Significant Themes

• Leadership and responsibility: Yan Huan must manage an unusual workforce while facing threats and mysteries beyond ordinary workplace problems.
• Rumors and media manipulation: Phantom Prince’s article exaggerates Yan Huan’s motives and demonstrates how gossip can distort reality.
• Power and accountability: Although Phantom Prince freely attacks others through his publication, he immediately backs down when forced to answer for his work.
• Hidden danger and supernatural uncertainty: The president’s guide suggests that Lili Communications is not merely eccentric but potentially trapped in a dangerous, otherworldly environment.

Character Interactions

• The raccoons enthusiastically appoint Yan Huan as president and escort him to his workstation.
• Yan Huan challenges the instructions left by the former president, expressing distrust of the job’s supposed simplicity.
• He directly confronts Phantom Prince over the defamatory article, forcing him to apologize and promise a correction.
• The comments section creates further comedic conflict, with users mocking Phantom Prince’s reporting and Phantom Prince responding with increasingly absurd advice and insults.