Recaps

Kiyohiko told Shinobu Kocho a clumsy story that offered to share the burden of her dream, and her laughter and response showed that his words had reached her. Shinobu let him try to help, while Kiyohiko struggled to explain away his own flustered feelings.

• Kiyohiko told Shinobu a story about a demon offering to share a bad woman's burdens and asked her to put faith in him.
• Shinobu laughed genuinely, called the story stupid and corny, but said she would let the demon try.
• Shinobu flicked Kiyohiko on the forehead for eating her pickled ginger, then gave him konpeito and thanked him for the story.
• Shinobu's Bond Value rose to 55, while Kiyohiko blushed and denied that he liked her.
• Shinobu returned to her room, privately acknowledging that the story had cracked open her heart and saying they would talk if Kiyohiko could truly help.

Kiyohiko misunderstood Aoi Kanzaki’s questions about Shinobu Kocho’s visit, while Aoi mistakenly believed he had endured punishment to protect her lie about the pickled ginger. Aoi’s Bond Value rose as she thanked him and left, and Kiyohiko decided to confront Shinobu for supposedly telling her about the previous night.

• Aoi Kanzaki brought Kiyohiko an elaborate breakfast and nervously asked whether Shinobu Kocho had visited him.
• Kiyohiko awkwardly described their conversation and said Shinobu had laid hands on him, meaning she had flicked his forehead.
• Aoi misinterpreted his words as evidence that Shinobu had punished him and worried he might have revealed where the pickled ginger came from.
• Kiyohiko said he had not mentioned the food, and Aoi’s Bond Value rose to 60 as she thanked him for protecting her lie.
• Aoi left after wishing Kiyohiko a good rest, while he decided to confront Shinobu for sharing details of their visit.

Shinobu Kocho and Kiyohiko misunderstood Aoi Kanzaki’s comments about their rooftop encounter, each believing she had learned more than she actually knew. Shinobu decided to speak with Aoi, while Kiyohiko offered to explain their relationship if Aoi got the wrong idea.

• Kiyohiko barged into Shinobu Kocho’s office and accused her of telling Aoi Kanzaki about their private rooftop encounter.
• Kiyohiko repeated Aoi’s questions about Shinobu’s visit and whether anything else had happened, convincing Shinobu that Aoi had witnessed them together.
• Shinobu denied telling Aoi and guessed that Aoi had happened to see them on the rooftop.
• Shinobu told Kiyohiko not to mention the encounter again and said she would talk to Aoi.
• Kiyohiko offered to explain their relationship to Aoi if she misunderstood it, leaving Shinobu speechless.

Shinobu learned that Aoi had only given Kiyohiko her pickled ginger and had seen nothing happen on the roof, realizing she had been misled into thinking Aoi knew about her and Kiyohiko. She left Aoi and beat Kiyohiko with her sheathed Nichirin Blade for misleading her.

• Shinobu questioned Aoi about what she had seen the previous night, and Aoi confessed she had given Kiyohiko Shinobu's pickled ginger and lied about him taking it.
• Shinobu asked whether Aoi had seen anything on the roof, and Aoi said she had gone to bed without seeing anything.
• Shinobu realized Kiyohiko had made her believe Aoi knew about the roof, and she forgave Aoi for giving away the pickles.
• Shinobu kicked in Kiyohiko's door and struck him repeatedly with her sheathed Nichirin Blade for misleading her.

Kiyohiko discovered that Kanao Tsuyuri had been secretly observing him and tried to understand her strange behavior. After she brought him meat-filled rice balls, he asked her to spar so he could gain combat experience, and she agreed by flipping her coin.

• Kiyohiko confronted the silent watcher in the courtyard and discovered Kanao Tsuyuri hiding behind an azalea bush.
• Kanao flipped her coin and wrote observations about Kiyohiko in her notebook without answering his questions.
• Kanao gave Kiyohiko two meat-filled rice balls, which he accepted and ate.
• Kiyohiko asked Kanao to spar with him for exercise and combat practice.
• Kanao flipped her coin, checked the result, and nodded at Kiyohiko.

Kiyohiko sparred with Kanao and briefly subdued her, but Shinobu Kocho caught them and decided his training needed to become more intense. She left him facing an hour of personal instruction from her.

• Kanao challenged Kiyohiko to spar and quickly knocked him across the dojo.
• Kiyohiko focused and used his flexibility to disarm Kanao and restrain her.
• Shinobu Kocho entered, saw Kiyohiko holding Kanao, and questioned why he had wanted to train with her.
• Kanao left after Shinobu told her to go back and wash her face.
• Shinobu told Kiyohiko she would personally train him for the next hour.

Shinobu Kocho put Kiyohiko through a punishing training game, demanding that he praise her whenever she struck him. After pinning him in a close-quarters takedown and teasing him, she told him their training still had a long way to go before the hour was up.

• Shinobu Kocho challenged Kiyohiko to touch her clothes, making him say "Miss Shinobu is the gentlest" whenever she hit him.
• Shinobu repeatedly struck Kiyohiko for twenty minutes, and he struggled to keep up with her speed.
• Kiyohiko tried to use the same close-range hold on Shinobu that he had used on Kanao, but she evaded him and pinned him to the floor.
• Shinobu teased the flustered Kiyohiko, pinched his cheek, and told him to get up because their training hour was not over.

After Shinobu Kocho’s training left Kiyohiko badly bruised and ravenous, Aoi Kanzaki fed him and learned he had received Shinobu’s treasured candy. Shinobu later visited Kiyohiko and teased him about his behavior during training, leaving him wary of another session.

• Aoi Kanzaki found Kiyohiko bruised after training, fed him rice balls, and listened to him complain about Shinobu Kocho.
• Kiyohiko offered Aoi a piece of konpeito, then hid the bottle when she recognized it as Shinobu’s treasured candy jar.
• After Aoi left, Kiyohiko wondered over Shinobu’s gift and carefully kept the candy bottle close.
• Shinobu entered Kiyohiko’s room, said she was prepared to deal with disobedient pupils, and teased him about being loud in the dojo.
• Kiyohiko suspected Shinobu was making a dirty joke and objected to the prospect of more training.

Shinobu Kocho checked Kiyohiko’s condition and gave him a 300-question questionnaire to prove he was human, demanding it be finished before lunch. Kiyohiko filled it with sarcastic answers and drawings, and Shinobu Kocho returned at lunchtime to ask whether he had finished.

• Kiyohiko denied saying much to Aoi and tried to change the subject when Shinobu Kocho asked about the candy.
• Shinobu Kocho examined Kiyohiko’s pulse and confirmed that he had recovered, though his temperature was still low.
• Shinobu Kocho handed Kiyohiko a 300-question questionnaire about his physical condition and told him to finish it before lunch.
• Kiyohiko answered the questions with jokes and complaints, including drawing a crooked turtle to represent the Hashira-level members.
• Shinobu Kocho came back at lunchtime and asked Kiyohiko whether he had finished the questionnaire.

Shinobu reviewed Kiyohiko’s questionnaires and forced him to drink her bitter medicinal soup after finding his drawing of her as a turtle. Though she teased him afterward, the drawing softened her hatred for a moment, and she stored the questionnaire among her treasured keepsakes.

• Shinobu brought Kiyohiko congee and medicinal soup, then examined the questionnaires he handed her.
• Shinobu found Kiyohiko’s drawing of the Insect Hashira as a turtle and made him drink the extra-concentrated medicinal soup.
• Shinobu left Kiyohiko sprawled on the tatami and asked Aoi to prepare refreshments with a little bitter melon juice for him.
• Shinobu added an angry speech bubble beside the turtle drawing and reflected on her sister’s wish for demons and humans to understand each other.
• Shinobu read Kiyohiko’s ideal-type answer and carefully put his questionnaire in the drawer with her treasured keepsakes.

Kiyohiko comforted Aoi after his cold touch triggered her fear, and she felt encouraged by his words. Aoi left him to suffer through Shinobu’s bitter daifuku, promising to keep watching him.

• Aoi brought Kiyohiko tea and daifuku on Shinobu’s orders, but recoiled when their fingers brushed and felt how cold he was.
• Kiyohiko reassured Aoi that her work at the Butterfly Mansion mattered and called her its sunshine.
• Aoi’s mood lifted, and the system reported that her bond with Kiyohiko had reached 90.
• Kiyohiko bit into the bitter daifuku and writhed in agony while Aoi laughed and left, telling him she would be watching him.

Kiyohiko set a powder trap for Shinobu Kocho to avenge her bitter melon juice prank, but Kanao Tsuyuri caught him preparing it. Kanao silently let him continue and watched as he finished setting up the trap.

• Kiyohiko climbed above the infirmary door and prepared a bucket of flour, chili powder, green plum powder, and other ingredients to dump on Shinobu Kocho.
• Kanao Tsuyuri appeared in the corridor and watched Kiyohiko struggle to hide the bucket.
• Kiyohiko claimed the trap was an ancient blessing ritual and tried to persuade Kanao to keep quiet by offering her sweets.
• Kanao flipped a coin, then stepped aside without stopping Kiyohiko from returning to his trap.
• Kanao stayed to watch Kiyohiko work and thought that she wanted to see her master happy too.

Kiyohiko’s trap backfired when Shinobu Kocho sent a basin of powders crashing onto his head, leaving him covered in flour and unable to see. Shinobu cleaned his eyes, then assigned him three days of grinding medicinal powder, and dismissed his protest.

• Shinobu Kocho noticed Kiyohiko’s trap and nudged the basin so its contents fell on him.
• Kiyohiko sneezed and struggled to clear the flour, chili powder, and sour plum powder from his eyes while Shinobu teased him.
• Shinobu Kocho crouched beside Kiyohiko and gently wiped the powder from his eyes and face.
• Shinobu Kocho ordered Kiyohiko to help Aoi grind medicinal powder for three days without wearing a mask.
• Kiyohiko protested that his other daily training and treatments left him no time, but Shinobu Kocho overruled him.

After Shinobu Kocho drew his blood, Kiyohiko ate lunch at the Butterfly Mansion and unexpectedly became angry when he remembered Giyu Tomioka. He tried to hide his reaction by criticizing Giyu to Shinobu, who watched him without answering.

• Kiyohiko ate a large meal with Aoi Kanzaki, Kanao Tsuyuri, Shinobu Kocho, and the three little ones after Shinobu had drawn his blood that morning.
• Kiyohiko reflected on Aoi and Kanao’s progress and imagined himself as a matchmaker for their future relationships.
• When Kiyohiko remembered that Shinobu’s canon pairing was Giyu Tomioka, he felt inexplicably irritated and snapped his chopsticks in half.
• Shinobu questioned Kiyohiko about breaking the chopsticks, and he awkwardly claimed he was testing their quality.
• Kiyohiko asked Shinobu about Giyu and criticized his antisocial manner, while Shinobu listened with a knowing smile.

Kiyohiko asked Shinobu Kocho to take him along on her next mission so he could leave the Butterfly Mansion, but she refused in front of him. Afterward, Shinobu secretly told Aoi Kanzaki to contact the logistics craftsmen.

• Shinobu Kocho teased Kiyohiko about being jealous of Giyu Tomioka, and Kiyohiko denied it while coughing on his rice.
• Kiyohiko offered Shinobu his pickled ginger and asked her to bring him on her next mission in a wooden box.
• Shinobu refused, citing Kiyohiko's close supervision, the danger of sunlight, and the burden a box would place on her during a mission.
• After Shinobu left, Kiyohiko complained about her stubbornness, while Shinobu privately told Aoi Kanzaki to contact the logistics craftsmen and keep it secret from him.

Kiyohiko saved a gravely injured Demon Slayer by taking on his wounds and healing them himself, prompting Shinobu Kocho to show unexpected concern. Shinobu led Kiyohiko to the dining hall for a supposed special meal, and Aoi Kanzaki and the Kakushi realized Shinobu might be planning to cook it herself.

• Shinobu Kocho struggled to save a Demon Slayer whose abdomen had been torn open and who was losing too much blood.
• Kiyohiko moved Shinobu aside and healed the injured man, taking an identical wound that soon healed on his own body.
• Shinobu asked Kiyohiko whether it had hurt and touched his healed abdomen, then returned to teasing him when he joked about her concern.
• Shinobu invited Kiyohiko to the dining hall for a special meal, claiming it was a reward for losing blood.
• Aoi Kanzaki revealed that the dining hall had no food prepared, leading her and the Kakushi to suspect Shinobu Kocho was going to cook herself.

After Kiyohiko recovered from his injuries, Shinobu Kocho prepared a special meal at the Butterfly Mansion, and he joined her in the kitchen. Shinobu teased him by comparing them to newlyweds, leaving Kiyohiko flustered as they finished cooking.

• Aoi Kanzaki ordered the Kakushi members to clean the room after Kiyohiko was out of danger.
• Shinobu Kocho began cooking a special meal while Kiyohiko watched from the dining area.
• Kiyohiko offered to help and washed greens, then passed them to Shinobu.
• Shinobu Kocho joked that they looked like a newlywed couple, and Kiyohiko choked on his water and denied being embarrassed.
• Shinobu Kocho finished the noodles and called Kiyohiko over to eat.

Kiyohiko ate the ginger-heavy udon Shinobu Kocho had made, then clashed with her over his reckless use of his pain- and injury-transferring Blood Demon Art. Shinobu warned him she would restrain or kill him if he lost control, and the chapter ended with her turning away in anger.

• Shinobu Kocho tricked Kiyohiko into eating a huge serving of ginger by pretending to be hurt when he complained.
• Shinobu Kocho told Kiyohiko he was forbidden from using his Blood Demon Art recklessly because its strain and hunger could make him lose control.
• Kiyohiko refused to promise he would stop saving injured people, insisting that doing so was his own bottom line.
• Shinobu Kocho threatened to confine Kiyohiko and feed him wisteria poison medicine, or cut off his head if he became a danger.
• Kiyohiko tried to placate Shinobu Kocho by offering to ask her before saving someone next time, but she told him to shut up and turned her back.

Kiyohiko tried to find a way to apologize to Shinobu Kocho after she ignored him, but his attempts to get advice from Aoi, Kanao, and the three little girls all failed. He ended the morning sprawled in despair on the storage room floor.

• Shinobu Kocho walked past Kiyohiko without acknowledging him when he tried to greet her.
• Kiyohiko asked Aoi Kanzaki how his friend could make up with a girl he had angered, and Aoi scolded him for not caring about himself before making him wash sheets.
• Kiyohiko asked Kanao how to calm an angry girl, but her silent smile gave him no useful answer.
• Kiyo, Sumi, and Naho suggested red bean buns, cat's cradle, and blowing away the pain, so Kiyohiko imagined Shinobu retaliating and lay down in despair.

Kiyohiko sought Mitsuri Kanroji’s advice on ending Shinobu Kocho’s silent treatment, but Mitsuri recommended a dramatic kabedon. The plan was exposed to Shinobu, who seemed eager to see Kiyohiko try it.

• Kiyohiko intercepted Mitsuri Kanroji and asked her how his supposed friend could make an angry woman forgive him.
• Mitsuri advised Kiyohiko to corner the woman with a kabedon, reassure her, and bring a gift.
• Kiyohiko asked Mitsuri to keep their conversation secret and left to consider how he would apologize to Shinobu Kocho.
• Mitsuri ran into Shinobu, panicked under her questions, and revealed Kiyohiko’s kabedon idea.
• Shinobu Kocho heard about the plan and said she was looking forward to it.

Kiyohiko apologized to Shinobu Kocho for ignoring her feelings and admitted that she was the most important person to him. Shinobu accepted his apology and the ginger pork, then returned to Mitsuri Kanroji blushing and admitted that something good had happened.

• Shinobu Kocho realized Kiyohiko had planned a kabedon, then went to meet him while Mitsuri Kanroji waited in her room.
• Kiyohiko abandoned his plan and offered Shinobu a plate of ginger pork, but she teased him about his clumsy methods.
• Kiyohiko apologized and confessed that he had failed to consider her feelings and did not want her to worry because she was the most important person to him.
• Shinobu accepted his apology and took the plate, while Kiyohiko's confession raised her Bond Value to 80.
• Shinobu returned to Mitsuri with the pork, denied that a kabedon had happened, and admitted that something good had occurred.

After dinner at the Butterfly Mansion, Shinobu Kocho asked Kiyohiko why he risked himself to save people, and he began telling her about his former life as a doctor's apprentice. The chapter ended with Kiyohiko recounting his exhausting medical work while Shinobu listened attentively.

• Shinobu Kocho teased Kiyohiko into eating a large serving of pickled ginger, and Aoi Kanzaki and Kanao were relieved that the two had made up.
• After dinner, Shinobu Kocho joined Kiyohiko on the veranda and asked why he was so determined to keep people from dying.
• Kiyohiko avoided explaining his reincarnation and began a story about his life when he was three.
• Shinobu Kocho said she was interested in everything about Kiyohiko, and he eagerly described his former work as a doctor's apprentice.

Kiyohiko dominated Aoi Kanzaki in a medicinal-broth splashing game and bragged that Shinobu Kocho would be his next target for revenge. Shinobu appeared behind him and confronted him after hearing his plan.

• Kiyohiko splashed Aoi Kanzaki seven times and mocked her for losing.
• Aoi Kanzaki accused Kiyohiko of cheating, but he reminded her that she had challenged him and splashed him repeatedly before.
• Kiyohiko declared that he would take revenge on Shinobu Kocho by trapping her and taunting her.
• Aoi Kanzaki noticed Shinobu Kocho behind Kiyohiko and tried to warn him.
• Shinobu Kocho confronted Kiyohiko about his plan while resting her hand on her Nichirin Blade.

Shinobu Kocho prepared to take Kiyohiko on a mission, teasing and overpowering him before he shrank himself to fit inside a specially made box. The chapter ended with Shinobu carrying him on her back as they set off.

• Shinobu Kocho teased Kiyohiko about their earlier sparring, while Aoi Kanzaki fled the dojo and left him to face her.
• Shinobu Kocho pinned Kiyohiko down, and he apologized while privately claiming he had let her win.
• Shinobu Kocho explained that she had a padded wooden box made so she could take Kiyohiko along as bait or a meat shield.
• Kiyohiko teased Shinobu Kocho about having planned to bring him, but she threatened to cut him up and pack him into the box.
• Kiyohiko shrank to child size, climbed into the box, and thanked Shinobu Kocho for making it comfortable.
• Shinobu Kocho shut and fastened the box, lifted it onto her back, and warned Kiyohiko to hold on as they departed.

Shinobu Kocho and Kiyohiko reached a Wisteria Family Crest household and were mistaken for a married couple. The old woman assigned them the only available guest room, leaving them to face the awkward arrangement together.

• Shinobu Kocho let Kiyohiko out of his box and warned him not to reveal that he was a demon.
• Shinobu Kocho introduced herself to the old woman at the wisteria-crested house, who welcomed them inside.
• The old woman mistook Shinobu Kocho and Kiyohiko for husband and wife, and Kiyohiko frantically denied it.
• Shinobu Kocho called Kiyohiko her disobedient subordinate while the old woman remained unconvinced.
• The old woman said there was only one guest room left and hurried away, leaving Shinobu Kocho and Kiyohiko staring at each other.