Chapter Summaries

Kiyohiko tested Shinobu Kocho’s wisteria poison-transfer ability and confronted her about the toll her poison-filled body must endure, but she dismissed his concern. After healing his poisoned hand and satisfying his hunger at the Butterfly Mansion, he asked Aoi whether Shinobu had always been like that.

• Kiyohiko showed Shinobu how the poison in her blood badly damaged his regenerative cells and asked why she risked her health by carrying so much poison.
• Shinobu called the test a success, refused to discuss her condition, and left the dojo.
• Kiyohiko cut the poisoned flesh from his right hand, regenerated it, and felt his hunger surge.
• Kiyohiko crawled along the kitchen ceiling to avoid sunlight and startled Aoi Kanzaki while asking for raw, bloody food.
• Aoi gave Kiyohiko cooked fish, and he ate before asking whether Shinobu had always been like that.

Kiyohiko learned from Aoi Kanzaki that Shinobu Kocho had changed after her sister Kanae died and used poison because she could not decapitate demons. Back in his dark room, he complained about Shinobu but ate her favorite pickled ginger, then wondered whether living for her dead sister was worth it.

• Kiyohiko questioned why Shinobu subjected herself to poison, and Aoi Kanzaki told him not to judge Lady Shinobu.
• Aoi explained that Shinobu had once smiled genuinely but changed after Kanae died, and that poison was how Shinobu fought as the Insect Hashira.
• Kiyohiko returned to his boarded-up guest room and guessed Shinobu treated him as a stand-in for the demon who killed Kanae.
• Kiyohiko tasted the pickled ginger Aoi had given him, complained about its strong flavor, then ate it with the remaining fish.
• After replenishing his strength, Kiyohiko wondered whether Shinobu should keep living as she did for her dead sister.

Shinobu struggled to dismiss Kiyohiko’s concern for her as a demon’s act, though his sacrifice and her growing curiosity unsettled her. After Kanao described Kiyohiko’s bizarre antics, she asked Shinobu directly whether she cared about him.

• Shinobu remembered Kiyohiko taking her poisoned wound onto himself and questioned why he had been angry about her recklessness.
• Shinobu tried to convince herself that Kiyohiko had only been manipulating her, then wondered whether he was comfortable in his room.
• Kanao mimed seeing Kiyohiko cling to the ceiling with a stolen plate in his mouth, making Shinobu laugh.
• Shinobu told Kanao to let Kiyohiko be as long as he caused no trouble.
• Kanao asked Shinobu whether she cared about Kiyohiko, leaving Shinobu stunned.

Shinobu Kocho admitted to Kanao that Kiyohiko’s strange actions made her forget he was a demon, while Kanao hoped he would stay by her side. Shinobu discovered that Kiyohiko had eaten all her pickled ginger and decided he would pay, while he slept unaware of the trouble.

• Kanao told Shinobu Kocho that she had seemed genuinely happy and angry around Kiyohiko, and Shinobu admitted he kept making her forget he was a demon.
• Kanao said she did not hate Kiyohiko and hoped he could stay by Shinobu’s side, then left Shinobu alone.
• Shinobu went to the kitchen for pickled ginger and learned from Aoi Kanzaki that Kiyohiko had taken it along with other food.
• Shinobu laughed ominously and vowed that Kiyohiko would pay for eating her pickles.
• Kiyohiko woke to a system notification that Aoi Kanzaki’s Bond Value had reached 10, guessed wrongly that she had noticed his handsomeness, and went back to sleep.

Shinobu Kocho sat alone on the Butterfly Mansion roof, wrestling with her anger toward demons and her sister’s dream, until Kiyohiko joined her. They shared a gentler conversation, and Kiyohiko began telling her a story about a demon and a “mean, nasty woman.”

• Shinobu Kocho questioned whether humans and demons could ever get along and admitted to herself that she was tired of suppressing her anger.
• Kiyohiko found Shinobu Kocho on the roof and sat nearby, teasing her about her height and repeating her earlier rebukes.
• Shinobu Kocho asked Kiyohiko whether he had enjoyed her pickles, and he claimed they had been too spicy and thrown away.
• Shinobu Kocho asked whether Kiyohiko’s poisoned hand still hurt, but he deflected her concern by criticizing her Wisteria-soaked body.
• Shinobu Kocho asked Kiyohiko for a ghost story, and he began describing a handsome, kindhearted demon who met a mean, nasty woman.
• Shinobu Kocho guessed that the demon in Kiyohiko’s story was him, and he told her not to interrupt.

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.