Chapter Summaries

Plot points and events

• Qian Huanyue learns that the Quasi-Spirit who attacked her was a contestant in a brutal competition where only one person can survive and claim a Soul Crystal. The crystals are essential to Quasi-Spirits: they supply Spiritual Power, and shattering one means death.
• Kurumi has used her [Tenth Bullet] to learn about the situation and shares Qian’s disgust at the competition.
• Hii Hibiki reveals that she entered the area to visit her best friend, Yūkage, who is competing. She fears Yūkage’s injuries may keep her from surviving and wants to stop Puppeteer, the powerful ruler of the Tenth Domain.
• Hibiki hoped to find someone strong enough to help. Her “Nameless” Angel, [King Killing], can swap her body and abilities with a target’s, but it also transfers their personalities and cannot be reversed unless the target relinquishes what they gained.
• Qian offers to help, first saying she wants to test her strength, then adding that she wants to be Hibiki’s friend.

Character developments and interactions

• Hibiki begins frightened of Qian but becomes hopeful and impressed by her kindness. She had even been considering whether Qian or Kurumi would be a suitable target for [King Killing].
• Qian’s playful manner gives way to sincere compassion. Kurumi recognizes her familiar softheartedness and quietly approves.
• Kurumi feels anger on Hibiki’s behalf, seeing echoes of painful experiences involving friends being separated. Qian notices Kurumi’s reaction and offers help partly to ease it.
• Hibiki is astonished to learn that Qian and Kurumi are Spirits, whose power far exceeds that of Quasi-Spirits.

Significant themes

• Friendship and loyalty: Hibiki risks herself to help Yūkage, while Qian offers friendship to someone she has only just met.
• Compassion amid exploitation: The competition treats contestants’ lives as expendable, sharply contrasting with Qian and Kurumi’s concern for Hibiki.
• Power and sacrifice: The Soul Crystal and [King Killing] both tie power to grave personal costs, raising questions about what people will risk for survival and those they care about.

Key plot points and events

• Qian Huanyue, Kurumi, and Hii Hibiki search for the Quasi-Spirit known as the Puppeteer, moving through unfamiliar locations with Huanyue’s spatial rifts.
• They encounter hostile doll girls—dead Quasi-Spirits whose bodies, memories, and former Nameless Angels are controlled by the Puppeteer.
• Kurumi and Huanyue destroy wave after wave of dolls with little difficulty. The relentless attacks seem intended to exhaust them, but Huanyue’s Spiritual Power barely diminishes; the repetition instead wears down her patience.
• Kurumi reveals that the dolls are made from dead Quasi-Spirits. Huanyue’s amusement turns to anger, and she decides she is finished treating the search as a game.
• Kurumi uses her City of Devouring Time to remove the scattered remains. Hibiki is unsettled by the sight, so Huanyue comforts her, while Kurumi lightly teases her.

Character developments

• Qian Huanyue: Begins confident and playful, treating the doll attacks as easy target practice. Learning what the dolls are makes her confront the grim reality of Quasi-Spirits’ lives and fuels her resolve to find the Puppeteer.
• Kurumi: Remains composed and capable, but grows bored with the repetitive fighting. Her gentle cleanup of the remains contrasts with her eerie ability and teasing manner.
• Hii Hibiki: Moves from nervousness to astonishment at Huanyue’s strength, then feels disturbed by the dolls and Kurumi’s power. Huanyue’s reassurance helps her regain her composure.

Significant themes

• The cost of power and survival: Quasi-Spirits’ deaths are turned into tools, exposing the cruelty behind what first seemed like a simple battle.
• Dehumanization and control: The dolls retain memories and abilities but are stripped of agency and made loyal to the Puppeteer.
• Compassion beneath strength: Huanyue’s warmth toward Hibiki and anger at the dolls’ fate reveal a protective, moral side beneath her confidence.

Character interactions

• Huanyue leads the search and invites Kurumi and Hibiki to travel with her by holding hands.
• Hibiki explains the dolls’ nature as they attack, while Huanyue and Kurumi quickly dispatch them.
• Kurumi shares the grim truth about the dolls, prompting Huanyue’s change in mood.
• Huanyue comforts Hibiki with a reassuring touch and kind words; Kurumi then teases Hibiki, and Huanyue playfully encourages the exchange.

Chapter Summary: “Quasi-Spirit: Not Impressed?”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Kurumi Tokisaki introduces herself as a Spirit in a university classroom, openly revealing her identity. Shiori recognizes her from previously seen footage but is surprised by her lack of secrecy. Kurumi then asks Shiori to show her around campus.
• Elsewhere, Qian Huanyue demonstrates her overwhelming power by destroying a building and capturing several wild Quasi-Spirits with her floating swords.
• The captured Quasi-Spirits are terrified of Huanyue, whom they view as a “Demon King” because of her effortless strength and threatening playful punishments.
• Kurumi uses her healing ability, [Dalet], on Yangliu Xiying, restoring her from severe injuries and returning her consciousness to normal.
• Hii Hibiki is overjoyed to find Xiying alive and embraces her, nearly crying from relief.
• After recovering, Xiying learns that Kurumi and Huanyue rescued her. The three quickly establish playful nicknames—“Kurumi-mi” and “Huanyue-yue.”
• Xiying explains that the Quasi-Spirits competing in the event were deceived. The true purpose of the competition is to turn them into dolls for the mysterious Puppeteer.
• She reveals that the strongest enemies inside the competition are the Puppeteer’s existing dolls, confirming that the Puppeteer is likely nearby.

Character Developments

• Kurumi Tokisaki displays confidence and boldness by revealing herself as a Spirit publicly. She also demonstrates her extraordinary restorative ability and enjoys teasing Huanyue.
• Qian Huanyue proves herself overwhelmingly powerful, defeating and restraining multiple Quasi-Spirits without effort. Despite her intimidating behavior, she is playful and appears to care about protecting others.
• Hii Hibiki shows deep affection for Xiying, reacting with intense relief and happiness when her friend is healed.
• Yangliu Xiying recovers physically and mentally, then provides crucial information about the competition and the Puppeteer’s scheme.
• The captured Quasi-Spirits become submissive after witnessing Huanyue’s strength, abandoning any hope of resisting her.

Significant Themes

• Power and intimidation: Huanyue’s destructive strength completely overwhelms the other Quasi-Spirits, forcing them to reconsider resistance.
• Deception and exploitation: The competition is revealed to be a trap designed to transform participants into dolls.
• Friendship and emotional relief: Hibiki and Xiying’s reunion highlights the importance of loyalty and the emotional cost of the competition.
• Healing and hope: Kurumi’s power reverses Xiying’s severe injuries, presenting an almost miraculous contrast to the violence surrounding them.
• Playfulness amid danger: Kurumi and Huanyue use humor and teasing even during a threatening situation, giving their alliance a mischievous tone.

Character Interactions

• Kurumi asks Shiori for a tour, establishing an unexpected connection between them.
• Huanyue intimidates the captured Quasi-Spirits while jokingly offering to “adjust” their restraints or punish them.
• Kurumi heals Xiying, allowing Hibiki and Xiying to reunite.
• Huanyue and Kurumi playfully exchange nicknames, and Xiying immediately accepts them.
• Hibiki questions Xiying about the Puppeteer, leading to the discovery that the entire competition is part of a scheme to create new dolls.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Huanyue locates the “Puppeteer,” Supanye, inside a heavily fortified school building and attacks it with the Angel [Seraph of Thousand Blades], causing the structure to collapse.
• Supanye summons [Talos] and unleashes thousands of dolls to defend her. The dolls coordinate different combat roles—attack, support, defense, and ranged offense—but remain completely ineffective against Qian Huanyue.
• Qian Huanyue casually counts the dolls as she destroys them, eventually reaching 4,000, treating their desperate resistance almost like an amusing performance.
• Realizing she cannot win, Supanye begs for mercy. She offers Qian Huanyue Soul Crystals, loyalty, servitude, and even to become her “dog.”
• Qian Huanyue briefly pretends to consider the offer, but ultimately decides that she would rather kill Supanye. The remaining dolls make one last futile attack before being annihilated.
• Qian Huanyue uses a powerful cannon-form version of [Seraph of Thousand Blades], inspired by Kotori’s [Camael] Cannon. She first teleports Kurumi, Hii Hibiki, and the other Quasi-Spirits to safety, then fires the attack.
• The blast completely erases Supanye, the dolls, and the remaining school structure, leaving the area empty.
• Immediately afterward, Qian Huanyue discovers that the attack has badly burned her hands. Her intimidating, detached persona collapses as she begins crying from the pain and heals herself with spiritual power.

Character Developments

• Qian Huanyue demonstrates overwhelming combat power, effortlessly defeating thousands of dolls and destroying Supanye’s entire stronghold. Her calm, elegant, and almost playful behavior emphasizes how far above her opponent she is.
• Despite her terrifying strength, Qian Huanyue remains highly sensitive to pain. The injuries caused by her own uncontrolled attack reveal her vulnerability and lack of experience handling such destructive power.
• She learns an important lesson about controlling the Angel’s power: overwhelming attacks can injure the user if proper protection is not prepared.
• Her concern over being seen crying highlights her embarrassment, pride, and more childish emotional side beneath her “great villain” façade.
• Supanye is exposed as cowardly, selfish, and manipulative. Her earlier confidence in controlling countless dolls disappears once her advantage fails, and she immediately abandons dignity to beg for survival.
• Supanye also recognizes too late that she had multiple chances to escape but wasted them through greed and overconfidence.

Significant Themes

• Overwhelming power versus desperate resistance: The dolls fight with coordination and loyalty, but their efforts are meaningless against Qian Huanyue’s superior strength.
• The loss of humanity through manipulation: Although the dolls retain fragments of their former personalities and abilities, they have been stripped of their hearts and turned into tools for Supanye’s protection.
• Consequences of selfishness and greed: Supanye’s decision to create, manipulate, and sacrifice dolls ultimately leaves her isolated and defenseless.
• The danger of uncontrolled power: Qian Huanyue’s attack succeeds, but the backlash injures her, showing that immense strength carries risks.
• Contrast between appearance and reality: Qian Huanyue appears cold, elegant, and invincible while fighting, but privately she is frightened of pain and cries once the danger has passed.
• Embarrassment and vulnerability: The chapter humorously undercuts the dramatic victory by showing Qian Huanyue worrying that someone might have witnessed her crying.

Character Interactions

• Qian Huanyue and the dolls: She treats their coordinated attacks with detached amusement, praising them sarcastically while effortlessly destroying them.
• Qian Huanyue and Supanye: Supanye pleads for her life and offers submission, but Qian Huanyue rejects her and kills her without sympathy.
• Supanye and her dolls: The dolls are completely devoted to protecting her, despite having been exploited and transformed into weapons. Their loyalty contrasts sharply with Supanye’s willingness to betray her own dignity to survive.
• Qian Huanyue and her allies: Before using the final destructive attack, Qian Huanyue safely teleports Kurumi, Hii Hibiki, and the remaining Quasi-Spirits away, showing that her apparent recklessness is limited by concern for her companions.
• Qian Huanyue and herself: After the battle, the chapter focuses on the contrast between her public image as an unstoppable Spirit and her private panic, pain, and determination to hide her humiliation.

Plot points

• Amid the ruins, Qian Huanyue experiences a memory through Tohka’s eyes: Tohka’s first bond with the silver-haired girl, then Shiori’s promise to protect her and help her live normally. These relationships help the Spirit gain her name, Tohka.
• Huanyue witnesses the moment Tohka’s Spiritual Power is sealed. Shiori turns away just as Tohka leans in, and their foreheads collide—sealing Tohka without a kiss.
• Surprised and embarrassed, Huanyue wonders whether Shiori had used the sealing ritual as an excuse to kiss her on their own date. She hides her feelings and leaves the ruins for the Ninth Domain.
• Kurumi notices Huanyue’s watery eyes. Huanyue insists everything is fine, then asks for something sweet to change the subject.
• Hii Hibiki explains that Quasi-Spirits can create things by imagining them and using Spiritual Power. Huanyue tries to make pudding, but accidentally turns Seraph of Thousand Blades into a hard, pudding-shaped object. Kurumi produces Black Forest cake easily, leaving Huanyue baffled and left out.

Character developments and interactions

• Tohka is shown as once lonely and comforted by the silver-haired girl’s kindness; Shiori’s reassurance helps her trust others and claim an identity.
• Huanyue is moved by Tohka’s memories, but becomes flustered by the discovery about sealing. She masks her embarrassment, then shows playful frustration when her attempt to make a treat fails.
• Shiori and Tohka share an awkward, affectionate moment: Shiori’s hesitation leads to a forehead bump rather than a kiss, yet the seal still succeeds.
• Kurumi perceptively teases Huanyue and offers to help, while Hibiki explains the domain’s unusual rules and quietly tries to keep others from laughing at Huanyue.

Themes

• Connection and belonging: Tohka’s bonds with Shiori and the silver-haired girl give her comfort, a name, and hope for an ordinary life.
• Awkward affection and misunderstanding: Huanyue reinterprets her own date with Shiori in light of what she has witnessed.
• Comic frustration and inclusion: The others’ effortless creations contrast with Huanyue’s accidental weapon-pudding, making her feel like an outsider for a moment.

Key plot points and events

• Qian Huanyue learns that the Ninth Domain revolves around idols: performers gain fan energy from their supporters, which becomes Spiritual Power.
• While imagining a bizarre idol performance featuring Kurumi, Hii Hibiki, and Yangliu Xiying, she is teased for getting carried away.
• Hii Hibiki concludes that Huanyue wants to become an idol. Huanyue denies it, but the others enthusiastically encourage her.
• Hibiki, revealing she was once a top-tier producer, takes Huanyue to an idol practice facility and outfits her in a polished stage costume.
• Huanyue sings into a microphone, impressing everyone with her voice. She explains that she used to sing for herself when she was human.
• The group is surprised and moved that Huanyue remembers her human life clearly; she says those memories are an important part of her.

Character developments and interactions

• Qian Huanyue is initially flustered by everyone’s assumptions and encouragement, but she cooperates and reveals a hidden talent for singing. Her recollection of her past also shows a tender, reflective side beneath her playful manner.
• Hii Hibiki takes charge as an energetic producer, confidently identifying Huanyue’s potential and organizing her first practice.
• Kurumi playfully teases Huanyue but supports her enthusiastically, quickly imagining herself as a fan.
• Yangliu Xiying offers sincere praise and cheers Huanyue on.
• The group’s excitement gives way to a quieter, shared moment as they discuss how rare and precious memories of human life are for Quasi-Spirits.

Significant themes

• Performance and belonging: In the Ninth Domain, idol-fan affection is a source of power, linking self-expression with mutual support.
• Memory and identity: Many Quasi-Spirits lose memories of their human lives, making Huanyue’s intact recollections exceptional.
• Encouragement and friendship: The others’ playful, wholehearted support helps Huanyue discover a talent she had not considered pursuing.
• The lasting weight of hardship: Huanyue’s casual mention of singing recalls a painful human past, giving her cheerful present-day demeanor greater emotional depth.

Plot points and events

• Mio Takamiya, still incomplete without merging with Reine Murasame, reflects on Qian Huanyue, an Otherworldly Spirit created by a Spirit Formula in another world. Mio believes Huanyue arrived here because that world’s Formula was flawed, leaving her unusually weak for an Origin—though still immensely powerful.
• Mio notes that the plan to use Shiori as a substitute for “Shido” cannot work. Sealing Huanyue is also difficult: Huanyue likes Little Shido, but Little Shido lacks enough power to seal more than a tiny fraction of her Spiritual Power.
• Remembering Shinji’s death and her own past failures, Mio considers Huanyue’s gentle, stable nature fortunate. She hopes Huanyue will not obstruct her plan and may even become an ally; if the plan fails, Mio is almost willing to let Huanyue kill her.
• In the present, Huanyue sneezes and jokes that someone may be gossiping about her. Hibiki teases her by creating an even more revealing performance outfit. Huanyue retaliates by using her Angel to lift Hibiki and drag her into the changing room.
• With Xiying refusing to help, Hibiki emerges wearing the outfit, looking cute and distressed. Huanyue laughs triumphantly.

Character developments and interactions

• Mio appears calculating and dangerous, but her grief over Shinji and longing for death reveal profound sorrow beneath her composure. She views Huanyue’s compassion as a potential safeguard and source of hope.
• Huanyue is powerful but emotionally soft and good-natured; in the lighthearted scene, she also shows a playful, mischievous side.
• Hibiki is cheeky enough to tease Huanyue, but quickly becomes the target of her revenge.
• Xiying sides with Huanyue for the amusement of seeing Hibiki in an idol outfit, while Kurumi watches with entertained detachment.
• The scene shifts from Mio’s grave reflections to affectionate, comic teasing among the group.

Significant themes

• Power and incompleteness: Both Mio and Huanyue are linked to origins and Spirit Formulas, yet each is incomplete in a different way.
• Grief, guilt, and self-destruction: Mio’s memories of Shinji shape her ruthless plans and her willingness to die.
• Compassion as strength: Huanyue’s softness, which could seem like a weakness, may be what keeps her from threatening Mio’s goals.
• Playful companionship: The outfit prank offers a brief, warm counterpoint to the chapter’s darker reflections.

Chapter Summary: “First Appearance: Huanyue-chan”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Huanyue joyfully explores her new life as a Spirit, grateful to be free from the pain and limitations of her former existence. Although she misses her parents, she begins looking forward to the future and embraces her new name, “Qian Huanyue.”
• She soon encounters a practical problem: she has no money. After failing to find any delinquents to rob, she notices a dessert shop hiring a clerk.
• Pretending that her identification and belongings were stolen, Huanyue persuades the shop owner to let her work for the day.
• Dressed in an apron with her silver hair tied into a side ponytail, Huanyue attracts a large crowd and dramatically increases the shop’s business by distributing flyers.
• After four hours, she earns 7,200 yen and receives pudding and strawberry cake as an additional reward. She enjoys the desserts intensely, rediscovering the simple happiness of eating sweets.
• The owner encourages Huanyue to be more confident, socialize, and experience the outside world. She also invites Huanyue to return for future part-time work.
• Later, after manifesting again, Huanyue learns to use her Angel, Seraph of Thousand Blades, to perform targeted teleportation. She teleports to Tenguu City, where she unexpectedly collides with “that person,” setting up her next major encounter.

Character Developments

• Qian Huanyue: Demonstrates optimism, resourcefulness, and a mischievous willingness to manipulate situations when necessary. Her work at the dessert shop helps her reconnect with ordinary pleasures and strengthens her resolve to change her life rather than remain defined by her past.
• She also begins becoming more socially confident. Initially inexperienced and uncomfortable outside, she responds positively to the shop owner’s encouragement.
• Dessert shop owner: Proves kindhearted and perceptive, immediately sympathizing with Huanyue’s fabricated story. She recognizes Huanyue’s appeal, rewards her generously, and offers her future employment. Her casual comments about friendship and confidence influence Huanyue.
• The owner’s girlfriend: Is mentioned as someone waiting for her at home, adding a small detail about the owner’s personal life.

Significant Themes

• Rebirth and self-reinvention: Huanyue sees her Spirit existence as a second chance and decides she can become someone different from who she was before.
• Rediscovering everyday happiness: Simple experiences—earning money, eating pudding, and enjoying cake—carry deep emotional significance because Huanyue had been deprived of such pleasures.
• Independence and adaptation: Despite having no money or identification, Huanyue quickly finds a way to survive by using her appearance, charm, and initiative.
• Healing through ordinary human connections: The shop owner’s kindness gives Huanyue a brief but meaningful sense of acceptance and normalcy.
• Freedom versus the past: Although she still misses her former parents and remembers her previous life, Huanyue begins choosing hope and the future.

Character Interactions

• Huanyue manipulates the shop owner’s sympathy by pretending to be stranded, but their relationship quickly becomes genuinely warm.
• The owner styles Huanyue’s hair, praises her appearance, teaches her to trust her feminine charm, and encourages her to socialize with others.
• Huanyue initially refuses extra food out of politeness, but eventually follows the owner’s advice to listen to her own desires.
• Their farewell is affectionate: Huanyue promises to return, while the owner welcomes her back for future work.
• The chapter ends with Huanyue using her Angel to reach Tenguu City and accidentally colliding with an important, unnamed person.

Chapter Summary: “No! I Object”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Hii Hibiki refuses to sing when Qian Huanyue offers her a microphone, asking to dance instead. After agreeing, Hibiki playfully retaliates against Yangliu Xiying for ignoring her by tickling her.
• Hibiki then decides that Xiying should become an idol as well. Although Xiying claims she cannot sing or dance, she ultimately agrees because she cannot resist Hibiki’s persistence.
• Inspired by this, Qian Huanyue invites Kurumi to join the idol group so that she will not be left out. Kurumi accepts willingly, recognizing that she cannot escape the others’ enthusiasm.
• Nia Honjo, who has become a shut-in and stayed behind at home instead of traveling to the Neighboring World, is forcibly brought there by Qian Huanyue while sleeping.
• Huanyue asks Nia to evaluate a song she wrote. The song, titled “Love’s Lingchi,” combines pop-metal music with disturbing lyrics about violently tearing apart and holding onto a lover.
• Nia is horrified by the lyrics but diplomatically praises the rhythm and calls the lyrics “distinctive.” Huanyue is reassured and prepares to approve the song.
• The others accept the song for different reasons: Hibiki sees its shocking contrast as artistically effective, Xiying admires Huanyue too much to object, and Kurumi views the experience as amusing and potentially memorable.
• Just as Huanyue is about to finalize the decision, a beautiful blonde Quasi-Spirit objects, drawing everyone’s attention.

Character Developments

• Hii Hibiki is shown as energetic, mischievous, and highly determined. She enjoys pulling her friends into her plans and takes on the role of an enthusiastic idol producer.
• Yangliu Xiying demonstrates her gentleness and loyalty. Despite being powerful and initially reluctant, she indulges Hibiki and agrees to participate.
• Qian Huanyue becomes increasingly excited about forming an idol group. She is playful and enjoys provoking shocked reactions, but she also wants her friends included and cared for.
• Kurumi remains elegant, perceptive, and indulgent toward Huanyue. She supports the idol project partly because she wants Huanyue to enjoy herself, while privately finding the bizarre song amusing.
• Nia Honjo is characterized as a complete shut-in who retains ordinary human habits despite being a Spirit. She becomes the reluctant voice of reason, though she lacks the courage to openly criticize Huanyue’s song.
• The blonde Quasi-Spirit is introduced as someone willing to challenge Huanyue and the group, suggesting a more critical or principled personality.

Significant Themes

• Friendship and inclusion: The characters repeatedly bring one another into the idol project so that no one feels excluded.
• Indulgence and loyalty: Xiying and Kurumi support Huanyue’s wishes because of their affection, admiration, or gratitude toward her.
• The contrast between violence and entertainment: Huanyue transforms emotions shaped by constant fighting into an idol song, creating a deliberately unsettling mixture of cute performance and brutal imagery.
• Self-expression and emotional release: Huanyue explains that writing the song helps her process the violence and killing that have filled her recent life.
• The need for opposition: The group’s unquestioning support makes Nia uncomfortable, and the blonde Quasi-Spirit’s objection introduces the possibility of genuine criticism.

Character Interactions

• Hibiki teases and tickles Xiying, revealing their close friendship and Hibiki’s playful dominance.
• Hibiki pressures Xiying into becoming an idol, while Xiying responds with patient indulgence.
• Huanyue affectionately recruits Kurumi, hugging her while carefully controlling her strength.
• Huanyue interrupts Nia’s sleep and transports her to the Neighboring World to obtain an honest evaluation of the song.
• Nia silently seeks Kurumi’s assistance, but Kurumi deliberately leaves her to handle the situation alone.
• Huanyue, Hibiki, Xiying, and Kurumi all interpret the violent lyrics favorably for different personal reasons, leaving Nia as the only visibly uncomfortable participant.
• The chapter ends with the blonde Quasi-Spirit openly declaring, “No! I object,” creating a direct challenge to Huanyue’s plan.

Chapter Summary: “Help Me, Great Idol”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huili Liyinmeng, the former ruler of the Ninth Domain and once a famous idol, is reminded of the horrific idol-industry experiences she witnessed through Miku’s perspective after encountering the Great Black Pillar.
• Those memories traumatized her so deeply that she lost the ability to sing. Although she can still make sounds, she mentally freezes whenever she steps onto a stage.
• While observing Qian Huanyue’s group preparing for their first idol performance, Huili becomes frustrated by their poor lyrics and mediocre composition. She believes their exceptional potential is being wasted.
• Qian Huanyue notices Huili’s expertise and asks her to improve the group’s musical arrangement. Nia uses her Angel, [Ratziel], to confirm Huili’s identity and investigate possible ways to help her.
• [Ratziel] suggests possible future routes involving the “Dream Amusement Park,” “Voice of the Moon,” and “Cradle of Dreams,” though Nia warns that these are only possibilities and cannot determine the future.
• Rather than asking Huili to perform, Huanyue gently persuades her to help behind the scenes, appealing to her pride and her unwillingness to let talented girls debut with bad music.
• Huili agrees to revise the arrangement, refusing payment in Soul Crystals because she is not yet desperate for resources.

Character Developments

• Huili Liyinmeng: Her confidence as a former idol clashes with trauma, insecurity, and despair over her lost singing voice. Although she initially denies being an expert, her criticism reveals that her passion and musical instincts remain intact. Huanyue’s trust gives her a reason to participate without forcing her back onstage.
• Qian Huanyue: She shows her characteristic impulsiveness, confidence, and kindness. Instead of treating Huili as a dangerous or unstable stranger, she immediately recognizes her value and recruits her as a friend and collaborator.
• Nia Honjo: She provides crucial information through [Ratziel], identifying Huili’s history and discovering possible methods for restoring her voice. She also recognizes that Huili must ultimately be helped through her own choices rather than relying entirely on others.
• Kurumi Tokisaki and the other girls: Their presence reinforces the group’s unity and trust in Huanyue’s decisions, even as Huili remains an outsider.

Significant Themes

• Healing through purpose: Huili’s trauma has robbed her of singing, but her musical expertise and love of idols remain. Contributing to the group may become the first step toward recovery.
• Potential versus wasted talent: Huili sees the group’s beauty, charisma, and individuality as extraordinary, making their weak material seem especially tragic.
• Trust and friendship: Huanyue accepts Huili without demanding proof, payment, or immediate emotional recovery.
• Freedom and uncertain futures: Nia’s predictions offer possible paths rather than fixed destinies, emphasizing that the characters’ choices can still change the outcome.
• The contrast between performance and authenticity: Huili’s glamorous former identity conflicts with her current inability to sing, while Huanyue’s group approaches idol activities as a joyful experience shared among friends.

Character Interactions

• Huili harshly criticizes the group’s planned music, then apologizes after realizing her tone was inappropriate.
• Huanyue approaches her playfully, first recognizing her expertise and then teasingly calling her a “reliable great idol.”
• Huili briefly fears Huanyue may retaliate for her rudeness, revealing her vulnerability and lack of confidence in her combat abilities.
• Nia verifies Huili’s identity and communicates with Huanyue through [Ratziel], helping them understand her trauma.
• Huanyue offers Huili a meaningful role without pressuring her to sing, while Huili is moved by Huanyue’s sincerity and agrees to improve the group’s arrangement.

Summary

This chapter is an editorial replacement rather than a narrative episode. The author explains that, because of volume-division and timing constraints, the original chapter could not be deleted or easily revised. Instead, it is moved to the back and replaced with a short donation-thanks section.
The majority of the chapter consists of repeated acknowledgments to readers who supported the work through various virtual gifts, including “Powering Up with Love,” flowers, a “Love Power-Up,” an “Explosive Root Flower Scatter,” Bobo Milk Tea, and a Like. Numerous usernames are thanked, some appearing multiple times and with varying capitalization or spacing. The author continues listing supporters until the replacement reaches the necessary word count, ending with the remark, “That made up enough words.”

Character Developments and Interactions

There are no fictional characters, plot developments, or interpersonal interactions. The only direct relationship presented is between the author and the readership, with the author expressing gratitude for readers’ financial or virtual support.

Significant Themes

• Reader appreciation: The chapter emphasizes gratitude toward the audience and recognizes individual supporters.
• Publication constraints: The opening explains the practical limitations of editing and restructuring a serialized work.
• Meta-fictional/editorial commentary: Rather than advancing the story, the chapter openly discusses its own production and replacement.
• Community support: The repeated acknowledgments highlight the role of readers in sustaining the work.

This excerpt is not a narrative chapter but an extended acknowledgment section.

• Key events: The author repeatedly thanks readers and supporters for donations, flowers, and “Powering Up with Love” contributions. A few supporters are credited for specific gifts, such as the “Burst Root Flower Shower.”
• Character developments: None; no fictional characters or plot actions are presented.
• Themes: Gratitude, reader support, community participation, and appreciation for ongoing encouragement.
• Character interactions: None in the narrative sense. The passage consists of direct acknowledgments to numerous named users and supporters, many of whom are thanked multiple times.

Chapter Summary: “A Little Strange Writing”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Huanyue worries that she wears white dresses too often and may cause readers “visual fatigue,” openly breaking the fourth wall.
• First-Meeting Kurumi offers to take Huanyue shopping. The Kurumi Four Heavenly Kings appear, apparently eager to give Huanyue a gothic Kurumi-style makeover, but the author removes them from the scene before they can act.
• The chapter shifts into a series of humorous interview-style questions about the characters’ relationships and preferences.
• Huanyue names Huili Liyinmeng as her favorite idol. Miku Izayoi becomes jealous, insisting that she met Huanyue first, while Liyinmeng unexpectedly declares Huanyue her temporary favorite idol.
• Tohka describes Huanyue as a good friend and wishes they could spend more time together. Huanyue views Tohka affectionately as a sturdy, energetic, food-loving little sister and gives her 100 kinako breads as a friendship gesture.
• Nia complains that she is constantly bullied and reduced to comic relief. After dreaming about this mistreatment, she is comforted by Huanyue, who gently pats her head but also laughs at Nia’s insistence that she is an “eternal maiden.”
• When asked about the qualities of the person they like most, Shiori lists many of First-Meeting Kurumi’s virtues, while Kurumi praises Huanyue’s kindness, tolerance, attentiveness, adorableness, and physical attractiveness.

Character Developments

• Qian Huanyue is portrayed as self-aware, playful, affectionate, and emotionally supportive. She recognizes the absurdity of the story while maintaining warm relationships with the other characters.
• First-Meeting Kurumi shows a considerate and protective side by offering to help Huanyue choose new clothes. Her admiration for Huanyue is affectionate and openly flirtatious.
• Miku reveals a possessive, competitive streak over her bond with Huanyue, becoming jealous of Liyinmeng.
• Liyinmeng responds to Huanyue’s admiration with surprising fondness.
• Tohka emphasizes her emotional closeness to Huanyue and her desire for more time together.
• Nia remains sensitive beneath her comic-relief role. Her dream reveals insecurity about being mistreated, while her interaction with Huanyue restores the chapter’s playful tone.
• Shiori and Kurumi both provide affectionate descriptions of the people they care about, reinforcing their romantic or emotional attachments.

Significant Themes

• Fourth-wall humor and authorial control: Characters acknowledge the story, its readers, and even the author’s manipulation of events.
• Affection and friendship: The chapter highlights the varied bonds between Huanyue and the other girls, ranging from sisterly friendship to jealousy and romantic admiration.
• Comedy through exaggeration: The characters’ dramatic reactions, the Four Heavenly Kings’ intense makeover plans, and Nia’s complaints create a deliberately absurd tone.
• Insecurity beneath humor: Nia’s dream and Miku’s jealousy show that the comedy often masks genuine emotional concerns about recognition, importance, and belonging.
• Appearance and self-image: Huanyue’s concern over her repeated white dresses and Kurumi’s comments about her looks add a light focus on fashion, presentation, and attraction.

Important Character Interactions

• Huanyue and First-Meeting Kurumi share a gentle, supportive exchange about shopping and clothing.
• Miku competes with Liyinmeng for Huanyue’s attention, physically clinging to her while complaining.
• Huanyue and Tohka affirm their close friendship through food, teasing, and sisterly affection.
• Huanyue comforts Nia after her nightmare, mixing genuine concern with affectionate teasing.
• Shiori and Kurumi each praise the qualities of someone they admire, with Kurumi’s description strongly suggesting her feelings for Huanyue.

Chapter Summary: A Little Something Written on a Whim

Key plot points and events

Sawa Yamauchi’s various personalities gather in her mental world and debate what should happen to them. The General criticizes Sawa for using the personalities only when convenient, while the Young Lady wants freedom and is distracted by her admiration for Qian Huanyue. Sawa considers sending them to the Neighboring World or otherwise giving them more independence, but is unsure how to manage them.
Seeking advice, Sawa consults Kurumi Tokisaki, who mischievously encourages her to keep all the personalities close. Kurumi compares them to her own troublesome clones and suggests that Sawa’s personalities may be viewed as separate individuals rather than mere tools. Sawa decides to regard them as her “daughters.”
Her personalities strongly protest this description, and later their conflict causes Sawa’s body to twist and speak in multiple voices at once. Qian Huanyue witnesses the bizarre scene and is terrified, interpreting Sawa as a grotesque “multi-headed monster.”

Character developments

• Sawa begins to seriously reconsider her responsibility toward her personalities instead of treating them as disposable resources. Kurumi’s advice leads her to accept them as something closer to family.
• Kurumi displays her playful, manipulative side, deliberately giving Sawa advice that may make her situation more chaotic while drawing on her own experience with her clones.
• Sawa’s personalities reveal distinct attitudes: the General is resentful and practical, the Young Lady is excitable and possessive, the Politician is calm and detached, and the Worker is concise and pragmatic.
• Qian Huanyue remains affectionate toward Kurumi’s incarnations but is frightened by Sawa’s uncontrolled transformations.

Significant themes

The chapter explores identity, individuality, and the meaning of family. It questions whether Sawa’s personalities are merely fragments or “clones,” or whether they should be recognized as independent people. It also highlights the tension between personal responsibility and the desire for freedom, as well as the humorous consequences of suppressing or mishandling different sides of oneself.

Character interactions

Sawa’s internal debate exposes the conflicting relationships among her personalities. Her conversation with Kurumi parallels their situations, with Kurumi using the Four Heavenly Kings as an example of troublesome but meaningful companions. Sawa and Kurumi share a playful, conspiratorial exchange, while Qian Huanyue’s frightened reaction provides the comedic conclusion and contrasts sharply with her usual fondness for Kurumi’s alternate selves.

Summary

• Key events: This chapter is an author’s acknowledgments section rather than a narrative chapter. The author thanks readers and supporters for their encouragement, comments, gifts, and continued engagement with the story.
• Character development: No fictional characters develop or take action. Instead, the author expresses increased motivation and confidence, emphasizing that reader support makes the effort of writing worthwhile.
• Themes: Gratitude, perseverance, creative companionship, and the meaningful relationship between an author and their audience. The author portrays each comment, gift, and message as a source of warmth and motivation during the writing process.
• Character interactions: There are no in-story interactions. The section focuses on the author’s relationship with readers, highlighting special supporters, loyal fans, and those who quietly offered flowers or encouragement.
• Closing message: The author promises to carry the readers’ support into future chapters and continue producing exciting developments while striving to meet their expectations.

Chapter Summary

Key Plot Points and Events

• The chapter consists almost entirely of an emotionally intense, one-sided phone conversation directed at Huanyue.
• The speaker is distressed because Huanyue attended a festival and spent time with an unfamiliar girl instead of them.
• They repeatedly ask who the girl is, whether Huanyue prefers her, and whether Huanyue has been thinking about them during summer vacation.
• The speaker longs to meet Huanyue in person, hear their voice, receive reassurance, and return to the closeness they once shared.
• As the monologue continues, the speaker becomes increasingly panicked, repetitive, and disoriented, questioning whether the call is still connected and whether Huanyue is listening.
• The chapter ends without a clear response from Huanyue. The speaker remains sobbing and desperately pleading for Huanyue to stay with them.

Character Developments

• The speaker: Reveals intense jealousy, possessiveness, insecurity, and emotional dependence on Huanyue. They want to be more than an ordinary friend—someone uniquely important and irreplaceable. Their distress escalates into obsessive thoughts, self-blame, physical symptoms, and fear of abandonment. They recognize that their behavior is “strange” but feel unable to control it.
• Huanyue: Remains largely silent and distant, appearing mainly through the speaker’s memories and expectations. The lack of response causes the speaker to project fears and hopes onto Huanyue, making Huanyue seem emotionally inaccessible.
• The unfamiliar girl: Never speaks or receives a defined identity. She functions as the focus of the speaker’s jealousy and fear that Huanyue’s memories and affection are being redirected to someone else.

Significant Themes

• Unrequited or unequal attachment: The speaker feels they invest far more in the relationship than Huanyue does.
• Fear of abandonment and rejection: The speaker repeatedly worries that Huanyue will stop speaking to them, treat them like a stranger, or value someone else more.
• Possessiveness and jealousy: The speaker wants Huanyue’s attention, smiles, memories, and companionship to belong exclusively to them.
• Need for validation: Beneath the jealousy is a desperate wish to feel special, valued, understood, and chosen.
• Emotional isolation: Although the speaker is technically communicating with Huanyue, the silence makes them feel completely alone and unable to reach the person they need.
• Loss and changing memories: The speaker fears Huanyue will revisit familiar places with the girl and “overwrite” the memories they once shared.
• Psychological unraveling: Repetition, physical pain, crying, confusion, and increasingly extreme thoughts convey the speaker’s deteriorating emotional state.

Character Interactions

• The central interaction is an unbalanced phone call: the speaker talks continuously while repeatedly begging Huanyue to respond.
• The speaker asks Huanyue to take more initiative, contact them first, reassure them, and confirm that they matter.
• They plead for physical and emotional closeness—holding hands, staying together, being understood, and receiving comfort.
• The speaker imagines Huanyue’s possible reactions but receives no confirmation, intensifying the sense of distance and desperation.
• The unfamiliar girl affects the relationship indirectly, becoming a symbol of Huanyue’s independence and the speaker’s fear of being replaced.

Chapter Summary: “Shiori Vs. Kurumi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huili Liyinmeng, the former ruler and once-famous idol of the Ninth Domain, has become socially isolated since losing her voice. Although many Spirits were once her fans, most have distanced themselves out of guilt or discomfort.
• She hopes to travel to the “Cradle of Dreams” near the domain boundary to obtain the “Voice of the Moon,” which may restore her singing voice. However, the journey is extremely dangerous for Quasi-Spirits.
• After recognizing Yangliu Xiying and the others as survivors of the disturbance in the Tenth Domain, Huili asks Qian Huanyue to escort her to the Ninth Domain’s boundary after their performance. Embarrassed by her own request, she initially tries to withdraw it, but eventually accepts Huanyue’s help.
• Huili contributes an excellent song written for her when she could still sing. Kurumi, Hii Hibiki, Qian Huanyue, and Yangliu Xiying decide to perform both songs, using the contrast between them to strengthen the show.
• Nia uses her Angel, Ratziel, to grant everyone professional-level singing and dancing abilities. She also begins imagining the performance as inspiration for a future manga.
• The group briefly considers an outdoor street performance, but Huili and Hibiki immediately reject the idea.
• Meanwhile, Original Kurumi and Shiori go shopping together to strengthen their relationship. Their conversation unexpectedly turns into a competitive discussion about Qian Huanyue’s food preferences, cooking habits, and favorite dishes.
• Shiori and Kurumi ultimately agree that Huanyue especially enjoys desserts and sweets, but neither concedes the broader “winner” of their rivalry.

Character Developments

• Huili Liyinmeng: Reveals her vulnerability, loneliness, and lingering hope of regaining her voice. Though initially withdrawn and ashamed of asking for assistance, she begins reconnecting with her former confidence and identity as an idol by sharing her old song.
• Qian Huanyue: Shows warmth and generosity by offering to help Huili despite receiving little in return. Her easygoing kindness causes Huili to feel both grateful and embarrassed.
• Nia Honjo: Demonstrates the power of Ratziel by instantly giving the performers the skills they need. Her casual, reckless use of such a valuable ability highlights her playful personality and lack of concern about possible consequences.
• Kurumi and Shiori: Both reveal how closely they know Huanyue and how much they care about her. Their friendly conversation develops into an amusing but intense competition over who understands Huanyue—and cooks for her—better.
• Kurumi: Takes pride in her cooking knowledge and past relationship with Huanyue, becoming visibly competitive when Shiori challenges her.
• Shiori: Displays jealousy and determination, especially after learning that Huanyue has already moved into Kurumi’s home despite Shiori arranging a room for her in the Spirit Apartment.

Significant Themes

• Loss and recovery: Huili’s lost voice represents the collapse of her former identity, while the planned journey to the Cradle of Dreams symbolizes her hope of reclaiming it.
• Identity beyond fame: Huili struggles after losing the adoration that once defined her, but participating in the performance allows her to rediscover some of her old joy.
• Friendship and support: The characters help one another through practical assistance, creative collaboration, and emotional encouragement.
• Affection expressed through food: Shiori and Kurumi’s knowledge of Huanyue’s tastes shows that cooking and remembering small preferences are ways of expressing intimacy.
• Friendly rivalry: Shiori and Kurumi’s competition is comedic but also reflects their mutual desire to be important to Huanyue.

Important Character Interactions

• Huili and Huanyue: Huili awkwardly asks Huanyue for help reaching the domain boundary, while Huanyue responds with sincere generosity.
• Huili and the performance group: Huili provides the new song, while the others enthusiastically incorporate it into their planned show.
• Nia and the performers: Nia uses Ratziel to give everyone instant idol skills, making the performance possible.
• Shiori and Kurumi: Their shopping trip becomes a contest over Huanyue’s dietary preferences, cooking abilities, and closeness to her.
• Shiori’s jealousy intensifies when she realizes Huanyue is already living with Kurumi, turning their previously friendly exchange into an unresolved battle for superiority.

Chapter Summary: “I Still Want to Help You”

Key Plot Points and Events

• With help from Nia Honjo and Huili Liyinmeng, the girls rapidly learn and rehearse their idol performance. Spirit power allows them to master techniques that would normally take months.
• Liyinmeng takes the role of a meticulous instructor, correcting each girl’s posture, expressions, timing, landings, and stage presence.
• The group experiments with different center positions:
  • Hii Hibiki brings energetic vitality.
  • Yangliu Xiying adds sharpness and competitive intensity.
  • Kurumi Tokisaki contributes elegance, mystery, and seductive charm.
  • Qian Huanyue combines liveliness, mischief, and captivating stage presence.
• Liyinmeng revises Huanyue’s unusual song arrangement, reducing its chaotic sections and giving it a smoother, more cheerful idol style. The Spirits and Quasi-Spirits approve of the improved version.
• When Huanyue suddenly becomes serious, Liyinmeng worries that she has overstepped and taken control away from the group’s apparent leader. However, Huanyue reveals that she simply wants to help Liyinmeng in return for the help Liyinmeng has given her.
• Huanyue’s sincere words deeply embarrass Liyinmeng but also ease the emotional emptiness she has carried since losing her singing voice.
• Later, at the Itsuka household, Shiori and Kurumi compete playfully through cooking. Their dishes are served to the hungry Tohka, Yoshino, and Kotori, and the contest ends in a tie.

Character Developments

• Qian Huanyue: Becomes increasingly enthusiastic about dancing and begins genuinely enjoying her role as an idol. She demonstrates emotional insight by recognizing Liyinmeng’s hidden insecurity and responds with straightforward kindness.
• Huili Liyinmeng: Shows exceptional professionalism and attention to detail as an idol mentor. However, she also realizes that past trauma has made her suspicious of others’ motives and unable to easily accept kindness. Huanyue’s sincerity gives her unexpected emotional relief.
• Hii Hibiki: Enjoys seeing her former dream of becoming an idol come true, despite originally intending only to be a producer.
• Yangliu Xiying: Treats idol training as a battle and embraces the challenge with her usual competitive determination, while also revealing a softer, more cheerful side.
• Kurumi Tokisaki: Performs with graceful mystery and observes Huanyue and Liyinmeng’s exchange with subtle, complicated emotions. Her cooking is highly skilled, though she recognizes Shiori as a formidable rival.
• Shiori Itsuka: Demonstrates impressive cooking ability and becomes competitive with Kurumi. She also struggles with jealousy when Kurumi mentions cooking for Huanyue.
• Kotori Itsuka: Monitors the progress of Huanyue and Shiori’s relationships through Ratatoskr’s system. She is frustrated that progress is slow and annoyed when the cooking discussion turns into another competition.
• Tohka and Yoshino: Act as enthusiastic, food-focused members of the household, eagerly enjoying the meal.

Significant Themes

• Mutual support and reciprocity: Huanyue’s desire to help Liyinmeng shows that kindness can inspire further kindness rather than remain one-sided.
• Healing from trauma: Liyinmeng’s suspicion and self-doubt stem from her past suffering, but Huanyue’s honest affection begins to weaken those emotional defenses.
• Identity and self-expression: Each girl’s unique personality emerges through her individual dance style, showing that becoming an idol does not require abandoning one’s individuality.
• Competition as bonding: The girls’ competitive attitudes—whether in dancing or cooking—create connection and camaraderie rather than hostility.
• Trust and accepting kindness: Liyinmeng struggles to believe that others may help her without hidden motives, making Huanyue’s sincere support especially meaningful.
• Domestic intimacy: The cooking contest at the Itsuka household highlights the growing closeness and friendly rivalry among the characters.

Important Character Interactions

• Liyinmeng gives individualized dance advice to Hii, Xiying, and Kurumi, establishing herself as a demanding but knowledgeable mentor.
• Huanyue praises Liyinmeng’s assistance and insists on returning the favor, leaving Liyinmeng flustered and emotionally moved.
• Kurumi teasingly comments on their interaction, while Huanyue playfully asks for everyone’s approval before moving on.
• Shiori and Kurumi prepare contrasting but equally delicious meals, creating a friendly culinary rivalry.
• Tohka, Yoshino, and Kotori enthusiastically judge the dishes, ultimately declaring the competition a tie.

Chapter Summary: I Will Protect Your Life No Matter What

Key Plot Points and Events

• Qian Huanyue uses [Seraph of Thousand Blades] to instantly transport herself and Huili Liyinmeng to the border of the Ninth Domain.
• Liyinmeng intends to enter a dangerous area alone to seek the Voice of the Moon, hoping it will restore her lost singing voice. Quasi-Spirits who enter rarely return safely; survivors may become “blank” and disappear soon afterward.
• Believing their agreement complete, Liyinmeng prepares to say goodbye to Huanyue. She hopes that, if she succeeds, she can return to being a dazzling idol.
• When Liyinmeng tries to sing, fear and the blockage in her throat prevent her from producing a sound. Huanyue comforts her by singing the song Liyinmeng once taught her.
• Huanyue transforms [Seraph of Thousand Blades] into a microphone and encourages Liyinmeng to sing with her. Liyinmeng uses [Nameless Angel] to strengthen her stamina, endurance, and mental strength.
• Although Liyinmeng insists on facing the danger alone, Huanyue refuses to let her go unprotected. She ties Liyinmeng to her weapon and forcibly joins her journey.
• Liyinmeng reluctantly accepts, warning Huanyue to prioritize her own safety if they encounter serious danger.
• Huanyue firmly promises: “I will protect your life no matter what.”

Character Development

• Huili Liyinmeng briefly regains her former confidence when Huanyue calls her beautiful and promises to become her first fan. She imagines returning to the stage, but her inability to sing reminds her that she has not yet overcome her trauma.
• Liyinmeng remains determined to recover her voice, even though she knows the path is extremely dangerous. Her willingness to face the Voice of the Moon shows courage, but her repeated suggestion that Huanyue leave her behind reveals her low self-worth and expectation of failure.
• Qian Huanyue demonstrates both overwhelming power and emotional sensitivity. She supports Liyinmeng through song, encouragement, and physical protection rather than allowing her to sacrifice herself.
• Huanyue’s promise reflects her broader loyalty to her friends, including Kurumi and Nia. Protecting others is presented as a core part of her identity.

Significant Themes

• Courage despite fear: Liyinmeng cannot yet sing, but she continues pursuing recovery rather than surrendering.
• Hope and emotional support: Huanyue’s encouragement gives Liyinmeng strength when she cannot find it herself.
• Trust and companionship: Liyinmeng begins the chapter intending to travel alone, but Huanyue turns the journey into a shared effort.
• Self-worth and healing: Liyinmeng’s lost voice symbolizes her damaged confidence and identity as an idol. Huanyue’s faith helps her reconnect with the person she used to be.
• Protection and devotion: Huanyue’s final vow emphasizes that friendship means refusing to abandon someone, even when they believe they are a burden.

Character Interactions

• Huanyue playfully compliments Liyinmeng, causing the former idol to blush and regain some of her old pride.
• Liyinmeng promises that Huanyue can watch her performances after she recovers, while Huanyue declares she will be her first fan.
• When Liyinmeng fails to sing, Huanyue takes over the song and shares the microphone, creating a supportive duet despite Liyinmeng’s silence.
• Liyinmeng asks Huanyue to give her courage, and Huanyue sincerely promises to provide as much as she needs.
• Their final exchange shifts their relationship from a completed transaction to a genuine partnership: Liyinmeng may be unable to protect herself, but Huanyue refuses to abandon her.

Chapter Summary: “Miku Izayoi”

Key Plot Points and Events

• Huili Liyinmeng and Qian Huanyue enter the dangerous domain known as the Cradle of Dreams to search for the Voice of the Moon, despite warnings that it is a hellish place.
• Qian Huanyue uses [Seraph of Thousand Blades] to bypass the trial’s massive mountain and reach an abandoned amusement park within the domain.
• The arrival of the two Spirits triggers violent black rain and reveals a Great Black Pillar containing the memories of Miku Izayoi, titled “Neighboring World Compilation.”
• Liyinmeng tries to stop Huanyue from touching the pillar, fearing that Miku’s traumatic memories will affect them. However, the two accidentally collide with it and are drawn into the memories.
• They experience Miku’s suffering as an idol: false accusations, malicious rumors, public rejection, and the devastating loss of her singing voice. Liyinmeng is particularly affected because Miku’s trauma mirrors her own fear of failing as an idol.
• Both girls eventually regain control of themselves. A memory construct of Miku appears and encourages Liyinmeng to sing again.
• The three perform together on a temporary stage. Their singing restores Liyinmeng’s confidence and causes her Astral Dress to transform into [Aurora Glory].
• After the performance, the memory construct disappears, leaving behind two microphones containing the Voice of the Moon.
• Liyinmeng gives the Voice of the Moon to Huanyue, insisting that she no longer needs it because she has recovered her ability to sing. Huanyue instead invites her to perform with them after returning to the Real World.
• Their peaceful reunion is abruptly interrupted when someone fires spiritual bullets at Liyinmeng. Huanyue instantly blocks the attack with [Seraph of Thousand Blades], leaving Liyinmeng frightened and dependent on her protection.

Character Developments

• Huili Liyinmeng confronts the source of her inability to sing: Miku’s memories of betrayal, humiliation, and being abandoned by her audience. Rather than allowing fear to control her, she resolves to keep moving forward and sing for the people who support her.
• Her emotional breakthrough restores her voice and transforms her Astral Dress into [Aurora Glory], symbolizing her renewed identity as an idol.
• Qian Huanyue is deeply angered by Miku’s mistreatment and briefly loses emotional control after experiencing the memories. She quickly regains composure and becomes Liyinmeng’s emotional and physical support.
• Huanyue also accepts the role of Liyinmeng’s “fan,” encouraging her throughout the performance and inviting her to join future idol activities.
• Miku’s memory construct acts as a guide and mentor. Although she initially appears elegant and inspirational, her playful and flirtatious behavior reveals her familiar eccentric personality.

Significant Themes

• The psychological cost of public judgment: Miku’s trauma shows how rumors, slander, and blind public hatred can destroy an idol’s confidence and sense of self.
• The healing power of support: Liyinmeng recovers because Huanyue and Miku’s memory construct remind her that even one loyal fan can give meaning to her singing.
• Identity and artistic purpose: The chapter emphasizes that an idol’s value does not come solely from popularity or reputation, but from the emotions and connections created through performance.
• Facing trauma instead of fleeing from it: Liyinmeng must directly experience the memories that caused her fear before she can reclaim her voice.
• Friendship and protection: Huanyue repeatedly protects Liyinmeng, while Liyinmeng’s determination and trust strengthen their bond.

Character Interactions

• Huanyue initially acts as Liyinmeng’s guide and protector, transporting her safely through the domain and shielding her from the black rain.
• Liyinmeng’s attempt to protect Huanyue from Miku’s memories accidentally causes both of them to be trapped in the trial.
• During the memory performance, Miku takes both girls’ hands and encourages Liyinmeng to sing, while Huanyue promises to become her most loyal fan.
• Huanyue and Liyinmeng perform harmoniously with Miku, helping Liyinmeng regain her voice.
• Miku teasingly flirts with Huanyue and invites both girls to visit her in the Real World, embarrassing Liyinmeng and amusing Huanyue.
• After the trial, Huanyue invites Liyinmeng to perform with them, and Liyinmeng gladly accepts—only for an unexpected attack to place her in danger again.