Chapter Summaries

At the Lungmen Guard Department, Chen Huijie discussed Hoshino’s arrest with Hoshiguma and went to the holding cells. There, Rope tried to recruit Hoshino for an escape, but a mission appeared that led Hoshino to promise to get Rope out alive.

• Chen Huijie told Hoshiguma she had crossed swords with the pink-haired Cautus while arresting her.
• Hoshiguma asked whether they should send Hoshino to Rhodes Island with Rope, and Chen Huijie decided to see what happened.
• Rope guessed Hoshino came from a wealthy family because her white stockings were spotless, then offered to help her escape for payment.
• A mission appeared telling Hoshino to help and protect Rope, with Spirit Katana: Sakura Blossom as the reward.
• Hoshino examined the locked Honkai Impact 3rd character icons and vowed to get Rope out alive.

Hoshino, now in Yae Sakura’s body, tried to protect Rope as they escaped the holding cell, but they found Constable Ch'en waiting in the corridor. Hoshino drew a sword and met Ch'en’s oppressive presence with her own, leaving their confrontation poised to begin.

• Hoshino took Rope’s hand and promised to protect her, accidentally squeezing hard enough to hurt her.
• Rope opened the holding-cell door and found the corridor empty, which made her suspect something was wrong.
• Rope encountered Constable Ch'en, who stood across the corridor with a drawn longsword and a blade embedded between them.
• Hoshino stepped forward, drew the blade, and discovered that Yae Sakura’s swordsmanship came naturally to her.
• Hoshino gathered her momentum and glared at Ch'en, who responded by glaring back.

Hoshino and Ch'en faced off in a tense sword duel, while Hoshiguma secretly watched with Rope. The exchange ended in an instant, with Chi Xiao breaking Hoshino's sword, though the result of the duel remained unclear.

• Hoshiguma caught Rope hiding and told her not to interrupt Hoshino and Ch'en's standoff.
• Hoshino waited for Ch'en to attack, then provoked her by asking whether she planned to move forward.
• Hoshino used Yae Sakura's sword technique, and she and Ch'en counterattacked in the same instant.
• Hoshino's longsword broke in two from the heat of Chi Xiao's strike.

Hoshino and Superintendent Chen's brief clash ended in a deadlock when Chen's Chi Xiao reacted to Hoshino's strength. Hoshiguma helped Hoshino and Rope escape through a window, while Chen stayed behind.

• Hoshino realized her locked Spirit Katana: Sakura Blossom left her unable to complete the mission, while Chen struggled to control Chi Xiao after their exchange.
• Hoshiguma returned Rope's whip and told her to use Drag on Hoshino, pulling the shrine maiden away from Chen.
• Hoshiguma indicated the open window, and Hoshino jumped out of the Guard Department.
• Rope followed by leaping from the nine-meter height and rolling across the lawn to soften her landing.
• Hoshiguma watched the pair retreat and asked why Chen was not watching with her, and Chen replied that she was not interested for the moment.

Chen studied the broken blade after Hoshino’s criticism of her swordsmanship, then tried to draw Chi Xiao and unleashed a violent burst of sword energy that shattered the Guard Department’s windows. Outside, Hoshino waited for Rope to lead her home and offered to make her an attendant, while both watched the disturbance erupt behind them.

• Chen examined the broken sword with Hoshiguma and admitted Hoshino’s words had humiliated her by exposing her shortcomings.
• Hoshiguma persuaded Chen to let her leave early, and Chen privately complained that Hoshino had mocked her swordsmanship.
• Chen gripped Chi Xiao and roared for it to draw, sending a thunderous burst of sword energy through the Guard Department and shattering its windows.
• Hoshino waited outside for Rope and told her she needed an attendant, prompting Rope to consider whether the offer could help her escape the slum.
• Rope and Hoshino turned toward the Guard Department as its windows shattered, and Hoshino denied causing the disturbance.

After the Guard Department explosion, Hoshino had nowhere to go and followed Rope to her small home in Lungmen’s slums. Hoshino ate enough to threaten Rope’s savings, then suggested that shrine offerings could provide money.

• Rope suspected Hoshino had caused the Guard Department explosion, and Hoshino let her keep believing it without confirming anything.
• The crowd dispersed after the explosion, and the Guard Department began repairs while Superintendent Chen returned to work the next day.
• Hoshino realized she had nowhere to return to and decided to have dinner at Rope’s home.
• Rope brought Hoshino to her sparse home in the slums, then worried that Hoshino’s appetite would exhaust her savings within a month.
• Hoshino said that setting up an offering box at a shrine would make money come on its own.

Hoshino and Rope set out to collect offerings under the guise of a shrine maiden, with Rope leading Hoshino to a harbor used for smuggling. As the harbor’s owner, Karon, approached, Hoshino vanished from Rope’s side and went to meet him with her broken sword.

• Hoshino explained the shrine maiden’s duties to Rope, who compared her role to collecting protection fees as offerings.
• Hoshino and Rope left with a cardboard offering box, and Hoshino chose a broken sword as her weapon.
• Rope led Hoshino to Little Wind Harbor and explained that Karon used it to smuggle cargo into Lungmen.
• Hoshino admitted that her talk of the gods’ will really meant her own will.
• When Karon approached the harbor gate, Hoshino disappeared from Rope’s side and confronted him, asking whether he wanted to make an offering to her god.

Hoshino and Rope confronted the smuggler Karon and took the gold hidden in his horns, prompting him to report the robbery to the Guard Department. Karon also told Chen that Hoshino had claimed to beat her in swordsmanship, leaving Chen silent as Swire watched.

• Hoshino approached Karon with Rope and asked him to make an offering to the gods.
• Karon recognized Rope and grew suspicious, then laughed at Hoshino's claim that Chen Huijie had lost to her in swordsmanship.
• Hoshino told Rope to stand behind her and watch as Karon's bodyguards surrounded them.
• At the Guard Department's temporary office, Swire questioned Chen about the escaped terrorist and the damage to the building.
• Karon arrived at the meeting and reported that Hoshino had robbed the gold hidden in his horns and claimed to have beaten Chen.
• Chen lowered her head in silence while Swire watched her reaction.

Hoshino and Rope sold the gold from Karon’s false horns and divided the money, while Hoshiguma recorded Rope’s role in the robbery for a Guard Department evaluation. Swire found Hoshino in the slums and, after experiencing the shrine maiden’s sword aura, asked what perfume she used.

• Rope and Hoshino exchanged the melted gold for 120,000 Lungmen dollars, and Hoshino let Rope keep the money as meal money.
• Hoshino checked her mission and found that she still had not saved Rope or made progress toward the objective.
• Hoshiguma wrote that Rope had participated in a street robbery and needed reevaluation, while Chen Huijie asked who would handle the case.
• Swire went to the slums and questioned Hoshino about leading others in a robbery.
• Hoshino demonstrated her sword aura, causing Swire to experience three seconds of death, and Swire asked what brand of perfume Hoshino used.

Swire warned Hoshino not to lead Rope astray and hinted that the Lungmen Guard Department was assessing Rope. After Rope regretted joining Hoshino's robbery, Hoshino tried to restore her hope by taking her to distribute the money and help her build a better future.

• Swire asked Hoshino about her cherry-blossom scent, challenged her lack of shrine facilities, and warned her not to drag Rope into darkness.
• Swire told Hoshino and Rope that the Lungmen Guard Department had been assessing Rope, and Hoshino's mission progress advanced.
• After Swire left, Rope regretted joining Hoshino in robbing robbers and feared she had ruined her chance to earn the Guard Department's favor.
• When the mission warned that Rope's hope was fading, Hoshino told her that their robbery had raised starting capital for building fame and faith.
• Hoshino took Rope and the two cases of Lungmen dollars out to hand out money, then told her to keep at least 20,000 Lungmen dollars for food.

Hoshiguma and Swire discussed Hoshino’s arrival in the slums, while news of the shrine maiden spread through Lungmen’s network of informants. After Hoshino’s dramatic public appearance provoked Ch’en, the two constables headed to confront her.

• Hoshiguma told Swire she had delivered her message, and Swire offered to make Hoshino a top Lungmen idol if she pursued that path.
• Hoshiguma returned to the Guard Department with udon and found Ch’en furious over a shrine maiden carrying a Guard Department standard-issue longsword.
• Hoshiguma read the case file and saw that Hoshino had scattered Lungmen Dollars along with her petals, prompting Ch’en to insist on an operation.
• Ch’en ate the udon, then told Hoshiguma she planned to confront Hoshino over the sword and the public belief that the Guard Department had raised her as a vigilante.
• Hoshiguma and Ch’en arrived at the scene, where Ch’en spotted a rabbit on a rooftop before striding toward the end of the street to find the principal offender.

Hoshino defeated Ch'en in a sword fight and provoked her by comparing her unfavorably to her best friend. Hoshino fled with Rope, while Ch'en vowed to arrest her and Hoshiguma recorded her impressions of Rope.

• Hoshino used a feint to knock Ch'en to the ground, then explained her pragmatic approach to swordsmanship and criticized Ch'en's skill.
• Hoshino compared Ch'en's abilities to her best friend's, making Ch'en briefly furious.
• Hoshino found Rope with Hoshiguma, and the two fled before Ch'en could pursue them.
• Ch'en got up and asked Hoshiguma whether Hoshino really knew everything, then swore to throw the shrine maiden in prison.
• Hoshiguma wrote in Rope's file that Rope had scattered the stolen money and was unexpectedly cute.

After Ch'en sealed off Rope’s shelter, Hoshino followed a chain of ordinary Lungmen residents who guided her to Lin Yuhsia. Hoshino recognized the Rat King’s daughter and asked what Lungmen’s underground emperor wanted with her, while Lin Yuhsia questioned how Hoshino knew her identity.

• Hoshino warned Rope to run if she ever heard Talulah’s name, then found Ch'en’s officers surrounding Rope’s home.
• Hoshino noticed a silent old man point her toward an alley, and Rope recognized him as a fish-ball seller.
• Hoshino followed directions from ordinary Lungmen residents, while Rope grew nervous and asked who had invited them.
• Hoshino and Rope reached a street-corner tea table where Lin Yuhsia was waiting, and Hoshino greeted her by name.
• Lin Yuhsia asked how Hoshino knew who she was, and Hoshino claimed she had learned about Lungmen through an oracle.

Hoshino negotiated with Lin Yuhsia and the Rat King, who offered her a chance to help the Shimada Family find a new patron in exchange for favors. During the meeting, Hoshino’s system detected an unlock trigger near an ancient firearm, and Kallen’s character card began to progress.

• Lin Yuhsia warned Hoshino not to provoke the Lungmen Guard Department and offered to help her establish a shrine.
• The Rat King told Hoshino that the Shimada Family wanted to leave Lungmen and find a patron skilled in swordsmanship, offering her the information in exchange for a favor.
• Hoshino agreed to consider helping the Shimada Family and followed the Rat King inside to begin the negotiations.
• The Rat King explained that the ancient firearm on the wall was a wooden imitation that could not fire Originium rounds.
• Hoshino received a system notification about unlocking a character, and Kallen’s card began progressing as she looked toward the firearm.

Hoshino used a staged blessing to keep her hands on Lin Yuhsia’s antique pistols long enough to unlock Sixth Serenade. Lin Yuhsia realized Hoshino had been deliberately stalling, though she suspected the shrine maiden had even timed her return of the craftwork.

• Hoshino watched the progress bar advance as she stood near Lin Yuhsia’s antique firearm, eager to unlock Sixth Serenade.
• When Lin Yuhsia noticed Hoshino’s interest, Hoshino claimed the pistols reminded her of a close friend who would soon come to Lungmen.
• Hoshino asked to borrow the craftwork to offer her friend a blessing, and Lin Yuhsia unlocked the display case for her.
• Hoshino recited a haiku and sang a song while keeping her hand on the pistols, and the progress bar advanced until Sixth Serenade unlocked.
• Hoshino returned the craftwork, and Lin Yuhsia concluded that the shrine maiden had deliberately stalled for time and possibly calculated exactly when to stop.

Lin Yuhsia hesitated to answer Hoshino’s proposal, but the Rat King decided she should mediate between Hoshino and the Lungmen Guard Department. Hoshino then reached the Shimada estate and learned that its famous sword Jiaoqie was wooden, leaving her to help preserve the family’s secret and deal with its challengers.

• Lin Yuhsia gave Hoshino the Shimada Family’s address, and the Rat King told Lin Yuhsia she had lost the negotiation by failing to make a decision.
• The Rat King judged that Hoshino and the Lungmen Guard Department had no irreconcilable conflict and instructed Lin Yuhsia to offer terms they could not refuse.
• Hoshino and Rope found the Shimada estate, where a drone first mistook Hoshino for someone coveting Jiaoqie before recognizing the address Lin Yuhsia had written.
• Shimada Zenzō led Hoshino to the castle tower and showed her Jiaoqie, which turned out to be a wooden strip painted to look like a sword.
• Zenzō explained that the real Jiaoqie had been secretly auctioned off decades earlier and asked Hoshino to help keep the wooden sword’s secret while dealing with challengers.

Hoshino agreed to help the Shimada Family stage a defeat that would let them pass off their wooden sword as the legendary Flood Dragon Cutter and leave Lungmen with their dignity intact. After Zenzō handed her the blade and a lavish shrine site, a newspaper photo of her drew Ch'en’s furious attention and sparked an argument with Swire.

• Shimada Zenzō explained that Hoshino had to defeat him in a staged duel, praise the family’s swordsmanship, and take the Flood Dragon Cutter so the Shimada Family could leave Lungmen without losing face.
• Hoshino demonstrated her swordsmanship by silently cutting off Zenzō’s topknot with a wooden sword, and he entrusted the Shimada Family’s final glory to her.
• The Shimada Family staged publicity photos that made Hoshino look sinister, then gave her a large shrine site complete with a sign, statues, and torii gates.
• Ch'en saw Hoshino on the newspaper’s front page and grew furious, while Swire provoked her into a shouting match.
• Hoshiguma tried to mediate and pointed out that Hoshino had received the legendary Flood Dragon Cutter, asking Ch'en if she counted as a dragon.

Ch'en analyzed the shrine maiden's actions as part of a scheme connected to Talulah, while Hoshiguma offered a simpler interpretation. Hoshiguma's advice helped Ch'en recognize that she might be letting fear of Talulah distort her judgment.

• Ch'en resented the Guard Department's orders to seal investigations about the shrine maiden and learned that Yae Sakura had become a special consultant without her knowledge.
• Hoshiguma read about Yae Shrine's new artificial mountain and considered visiting, but Ch'en angrily forbade her from going.
• Ch'en suspected the shrine maiden's actions and choice of sword were calculated and concluded that she was probably one of Talulah's followers.
• Hoshiguma suggested that the shrine maiden had judged both Ch'en's and Talulah's swordsmanship as poor and wanted their fated duel to be less embarrassing.
• Hoshiguma warned Ch'en that assuming everyone connected to Talulah was her subordinate showed fear, and Ch'en felt her thinking clear.

Hoshino tested her transformation into Happy Kallen at Yae Shrine and met Shingen, who arrived to challenge the shrine maiden. Ch'en Huijie then appeared and challenged Shingen herself, while Hoshino ordered him beaten.

• Hoshino transformed into Happy Kallen but found that she had no dual pistols.
• Hoshino told Rope she was a shrine member using Originium Arts and tested Kallen's strength by lifting the Hiyumaru statue.
• Shingen arrived at Yae Shrine and demanded to challenge its shrine maiden.
• Ch'en Huijie arrived and challenged Shingen, prompting Hoshino to tell her to beat him to death.

Ch'en intimidated challengers at Yae Shrine while Hoshino hid the shrine’s secrets and spoke with Hoshiguma. Hoshiguma revealed that Rope’s Guard Department assessment required her to risk her life saving someone else.

• Ch'en drove away thirteen challengers at Yae Shrine by threatening or striking them with her scabbard.
• Hoshiguma arrived with dinner for Ch'en, then asked Hoshino why the shrine worshipped a giant Hiyumaru figure.
• Hoshino invented an explanation for the shrine’s beliefs and persuaded Hoshiguma to donate five hundred.
• Hoshino traded information with Hoshiguma about Rope’s assessment and claimed Yae Shrine had fourteen members.
• Hoshiguma said Rope needed to have risked her life to save someone else to meet her strict assessment standard.