Hanako-san of the Toilet
One student tells another about the Seven Mysteries of the school, of which the most famous is No.7: "Hanako-san of the Toilet".
Yashiro Nene summons Hanako, who turns out to be a boy. He says that she can call him "Hanako-kun" instead, though everything else she has heard about him is true, and asks what her wish is. Nene introduces herself and says her wish is to have her feelings reciprocated right away by the person she likes: "Minamoto-senpai" (Minamoto Teru) from second year, known as the prince of the school.
Hanako agrees to fulfil her wish, but offers a tattered self-help book of love strategies instead of a special tool like Nene had expected. He explains that this is safer, since borrowing a supernatural's power comes with an equivalent price, and he doesn't have any such tools anyway. Reading Method 78 ("Leverage your special skills") from the book, Hanako asks Nene if she has any skills.
Nene reveals that her special skill is gardening, which she began (along with cooking and sewing) because the boy she used to like had said that he preferred feminine girls. Nene had liked him since soon after starting middle school, and confessed to him one month ago, after three years of honing her skills. But he bluntly rejected her, saying he didn't know who she was, and that someone with radish legs like her wasn't his type.
Nene resolutely claims that she isn't bothered by it anymore, saying that she'll show that boy up by having her feelings reciprocated by an amazing person like Teru. Hanako comments that this really means she's fine with it being anyone. Nene denies this, but Hanako points out that she knows almost nothing about Teru, not even his first name. Unable to answer, Nene tries to change the topic. Hanako offers her a heart-shaped message card and a pen instead, telling her to gift Teru something she's planted. Nene eventually agrees, deciding to write a thank-you note on the card (since Teru helped to pick up her pencil case recently) as a confession would seem too hasty.
The next morning, Teru finds tomatoes and cucumbers with a thank-you card on his desk, causing a ruckus over the strange occurrence. Nene, who had been secretly watching with Hanako, is very embarrassed and says that she'll quit gardening. Hanako suggests switching to her other special skills instead, but their next three strategies (Nene sewing a button back on for Teru, making a character bento for him, and colliding with him in the corridor) also fail for various reasons.
Back at the toilet, Nene laments the failures and says there should be a more direct way, to which Hanako suggests confessing to Teru. When Nene vehemently rejects this, Hanako says it's the only idea he has left since he's also new to this. Nene is shocked to hear it. Hanako replies that few people have called or are able to call on him. Nene says that this explains why he's only given her ordinary items and chaste strategies despite being a ghost. Trying to refute this, Hanako shows her a kokeshi doll (which he claims is slightly weird) but Nene tosses it out the toilet window.
Nene then notices a pouch that Hanako had dropped earlier. Opening it, Nene finds two sparkling disc-like objects and asks Hanako what they are. When he answers that they're for matchmaking, Nene puts one into her mouth before Hanako can stop her. He explains that they're mermaid scales, and that those who consume scales taken from the same mermaid will receive a dreadful curse, in exchange for a very strong bond. On hearing this, Nene swallows the scale. She says that being cursed is alright if it means Teru will reciprocate her feelings, calling Hanako a liar before running away.
When Nene finally finds Teru, there's already a girl confessing to him. Teru declines, saying that there's already someone he likes, though Nene thinks to herself that it wouldn't matter anyway with the mermaid scale. She suddenly realises that scales have appeared on her hands and arms, and wonders how things turned out like this, despite her hard work. Nene then admits that she's almost never talked to the people she likes, nor even gotten them to know her name. She had been working on the wrong things while being certain that she'd be rewarded for them, to the point of asking a supernatural for help, so now she's just reaping what she had sown.
Hanako finds her just in time. Nene realises that she's in water and able to breathe. It's revealed that Nene has turned into a fish, and is now inside a fishtank Hanako had decorated. Hanako explains that this is the price: the curse has completely turned Nene into a fish, though the effect could've been weakened if someone had swallowed the other scale. Hanako asks why Nene hadn't used it, and she explains her realisation: she was only trying to make use of Teru rather than actually liking him, and (as Hanako had said previously) anyone would do as long as the feelings could be mutual, which turns out to be her true wish.
The mermaid then appears to receive Nene as her servant. Batting Hanako aside, the mermaid picks up Nene's fishtank. Hanako asks the mermaid to let him fulfil Nene's wish first, but when she refuses, he draws a kitchen knife and slashes her underside, forcing her to temporarily retreat without Nene. To fulfil Nene's wish of becoming human again, Hanako swallows the scale, bonding them and allowing him to suppress the curse on her. Nene becomes his assistant in exchange, and finds that she's able to touch Hanako now because of the bond. Hanako has granted two of her wishes: wanting to become human again, and wanting to have her feelings reciprocated by someone (which he says means the same as being bonded, to her). He then tells her that the scales will disappear by drying them.
The Faeries
Nene has been cleaning toilets in the week since she became Hanako's assistant. She asks Hanako to let her go for today, so that she can go on a second date with Fuji, though the "date" is really for Nene to compile Student Union paperwork alone. Hanako refuses, and points out that Fuji is merely using her. Nene says that she'd rather tidy paperwork alone than clean toilets with Hanako, until Hanako declares that he's going to buy fish food (implying that he'll turn her into a fish).
The next day, one of the hakujoudai monitors Nene, while a dark shape watches her from behind. Nene's books, stationery, and brooch suddenly disappear during class. Afterwards, Aoi tells Nene about the rumor that Faeries are responsible for things disappearing, but your life will also be taken if you look at them. Though Aoi dismisses it as mere rumor, many things have gone missing, including a sports towel, Akane's Hanitaro, and even the locker doors. Aoi then accidentally drops the watering can on Nene when something knocks into her. Nene flees to the old school building so that no one will see the scales, still followed by the hakujoudai. She spots a towel to dry herself with, followed by a trail of the other lost items including her own, and ends up seeing the Faerie, who attacks her.
Hanako arrives just in time to save her, using the hakujoudai to scatter the Faerie into many small rabbit-like shapes. He introduces them as the Mokke, weak supernaturals who do small thefts and pranks, gathering in large numbers and transforming on being attacked. Though the Mokke would not naturally hurt people, they had no choice due to the change in their rumors. Hanako asks Nene if she is willing to help change the Mokke's rumors so that he won't have to eliminate them (as would be his duty in the Seven Mysteries), and the Mokke apologize to Nene, expressing their wish to continue staying. Nene agrees to help, as they remind her of White Inferno, a white hamster she used to keep. She also thanks Hanako for the two times he's saved her.
Heading up to the rooftop, Hanako asks if Nene really hates toilet cleaning that much, and says that he's been looking forward to it: doing things and chatting together after school, which he finds nostalgic, like having friends. Nene says she'll call him "Hanako-kun" from now on, since it's more friend-like. Hanako looks surprised, then smiles before asking about the rumors Nene plans to spread.
Later, two students are discussing lost items and the Faerie rumor when Nene comes up to them with sweets for them to carry, which will keep them safe from the Faerie. Nene then says she has to go to a friend's place, making the students wonder when she enters the toilet. Meanwhile, the Mokke are happily carrying their sweets, but several of them bump into Minamoto Kou, who asks if they know Hanako. When the Mokke run away, Kou declares he will search for Hanako himself and exorcise him.
The Misaki Stairs
Nene is still thinking about Hanako's words when Aoi calls her name. As they tend to the classroom's plants, Aoi comments that Nene has been distracted recently. To cheer her up, Aoi tells her the rumor of No.2 The Misaki Stairs, about the staircase in front of the art room. Their teacher then arrives to remind Aoi of her career guidance meeting at the art room. After Aoi hurries off, Nene notices that the flowers have bloomed and decides to tell Aoi about it tomorrow. The next morning, Nene arrives to find that all traces of Aoi have disappeared. No one else remembers Aoi, not even her mother. Recalling the rumor about the stairs, Nene decides to seek out Hanako, but collides with Natsuhiko in the hallway. A black origami swan (later revealed to be a kokujoudai) then hides in Nene's pocket without her noticing.
However, Nene only manages to tell Hanako about Aoi's disappearance that evening, as he had been absent before. Kou arrives next to confront Hanako, as Yokoo and Satou from his class have also disappeared. Hanako explains that the staircase is one of the seven places in school that connect to a boundary, and that the missing students have been brought. Living people who go astray there will have their very existence erased, though slightly exceptional humans like Nene and Kou seem to be unaffected. Kou describes what he has heard about the boundary from Teru: a sea that connects the two shores, it is a world of the dead or supernaturals with no place to go, and things forgotten by everyone.
Hanako seems impressed at Kou's knowledge. He also reassures Nene that he will help, as it is his duty as No.7, though he also needs her assistance. Kou interrupts the moment, and declares that he will go as well to protect Nene, even when Hanako says he won't protect him. The trio arrive at the stairs to see blood dripping down, as described in the rumor. They climb to the fourth step, and are transported to the Misaki Stairs.
Hanako says that the missing students should be somewhere in this boundary. Looking around, Nene thinks that this really is a different world: there are many small dolls with "two" (二) covering their faces, and the ground is submerged in water up to her ankles. Seeing nobody around, Kou asks if the students have been ripped apart, but Hanako answers it wouldn't be this quick. As the Seven Mysteries who control the school's supernaturals, they need to be known by as many people as possible, and being scary threats will make them more memorable. Even so, he says No.2 has gone overboard and must be stopped.
A rotary phone then rings, and Nene answers it. Yako (claiming to be Misaki) says that she once taught at the schoolhouse at the top of these stairs, but she was killed and ripped apart. She asks them to search for her body, starting with her right arm with which she'd written on the blackboard, and tells them to hurry. Yako hangs up, and a large hourglass flips over. Kou encourages Nene to ignore it as a prank call, but Hanako says not to, since the Seven Mysteries are the strongest within the territories they control (like the toilet, for him). Nene suggests searching for the arm first. Hanako looks around and finds an erotic magazine which he shows Kou, who tries to make him close it. Ignoring the commotion, Nene begins searching, but can't help imagining her popularity if she were that attractive.
Finally, they each find an arm: a muscled wooden arm carving (Kou), a robot arm (Hanako), and a mannequin's right arm (Nene). Nene scolds Kou for only bringing the arm he'd liked and Hanako for not being serious, as they should be looking for a woman's arm. Hanako then points out that she looks different. Nene says she's always looked like this, but a push-up bra falls out as she strikes a pose. Hanako consoles her when she tries to cover it up.
Time runs out, and the dolls begin moving, saying it is time for class. A giant scissor suddenly appears, and Hanako dodges, pushing Nene and Kou down just in time. As they dash towards the still-closed door, a doll catches hold of Nene's foot. Hanako frantically shouts her name, and it's revealed that the scissors are now right above her.
Hanako saves Nene just in time, temporarily destroying the scissors with a kick. Picking Nene up, he and Kou make a run for the door. The Mokke run over, carrying the three arms that they found earlier, and Kou throws one of the arms into the shrine (later shown to be the muscled wooden arm he'd originally found).
The door opens, closing behind them after they pass through. They see similar stairs and dolls, and another phone rings. Hanako answers, and Yako tells them to look for her left arm. Hanako interrupts and asks if she remembers him, but Yako does not directly respond. The search's time limit starts again. When Kou asks about weaknesses, Hanako explains about the yorishiro that provide power to the Seven Mysteries, which would be in the deepest part of this boundary, most likely at the top of the stairs.
They continue searching for the body parts as instructed: right leg, left leg, torso, eyes, and ears. Finally, they find the last part, and the door opens, though Nene is bothered about something. If the caller wanted them to assemble a body because she was unable to do anything without one, then who had been the person on the phone?
Stepping into the topmost level, Nene observes that it does feel different from before, but realizes that the drop from the edges appear bottomless. They then spot a grotesque figure seated in a chair, assembled from the body parts they assembled earlier. Someone approaches quickly, followed by a voice that Nene recognizes from the phone, and Yako reveals herself as a beautiful woman. She runs up to the figure, apparently pleased with it. Calling the figure "Misaki", Yako animates it by breathing onto it, but it swiftly collapses and falls apart.
Yako is disappointed by the failure. When Nene asks about the other students, Yako answers that they're all around them. A hill of giant scissors and life-sized faceless dolls is revealed behind the chair where the figure had sat, and more body parts are scattered around in the water. Spotting Aoi amongst them, Nene runs over and tries to wake her up, but only causes Aoi's doll-like head to fall out its socket. Yako declares that she will rip them apart as the rumor says, and sends a pair of scissors towards Nene, but Kou stops the blade with his right arm.
However, this causes it to turn into a doll's arm, as the result of getting cut by the scissors. Kou tells Hanako to transform with the cape (like he did in the fight against Kou from Chapter 3) but Hanako says he cannot use the hakujoudai's powers within Yako's territory without her permission, unless her yorishiro is destroyed.
Instead, Hanako tells Kou to keep Yako occupied for a while before walking over to Nene, who's hugging Aoi's headless doll body. Holding out a hand, Hanako asks Nene to stand up, but she doesn't respond. Hanako then asks if she's giving up even though Aoi isn't dead yet. At Nene's surprise, Hanako explains birth and death are both impossible here at the boundary, and so those who do not give up are the strongest. Wiping away her tears, Nene takes his hand and says that that she'll do anything.
Hanako grins unsettlingly. He's then shown tying a rope around Nene as she stands at the very edge. Hanako explains that the yorishiro isn't here, so the deepest part of the boundary may be at the very bottom instead of the top. Holding on to the rope with one hand, Hanako pushes Nene off the edge with the other, cheerfully saying that he's counting on her.
Nene introduces herself and the plot so far, up until the point where Hanako pushed her off the edge.
She wakes up to find herself lying on the ground between a small shrine and a torii gate beside a stone staircase. The Mokke, who had been laying flowers around her, scatter at her awakening. Nene realizes that she had turned into a fish while falling and landed here. Guessing that this is the deepest part, Nene hurries to search for the yorishiro, but trips over a desk near the torii gate. The desk falls over and its drawer opens, causing papers to scatter all over the staircase, including a book labelled "Secret" and "Do Not Read".
Finding it clearly suspicious, Nene opens it anyway to find a poorly-written entry about scaring students, with corrections and comments from the teacher, signed Misaki. The next page Nene picks up says that Misaki cut the writer's hair. Nene then finds an old photograph of a man she guesses to be "Misaki-sensei", surrounded by children as well as a fox statue on a pedestal, in front of a shrine similar to where she'd woken up. The accompanying entry has much better writing, and describes taking a photo with Misaki and the other children.
In the next entry, the writer has received the scissors used to cut her hair from Misaki, and says that she will place it in the shrine and treasure it. However, a later entry says that the writer made dolls since Misaki didn't come today, without any comments from Misaki below. After more entries about Misaki's continued absence, the writer then talks about a rumor that a teacher died from falling down the stairs in an accident, and wonders what death is like, deciding to ask Misaki the next time they meet. It's followed by many blank pages, and finally an entry: since Misaki may not come anymore, the speaker decides to create Misaki.
At this moment, Yako descends the stairs behind Nene, wielding the scissors. Yako confirms that she wrote those entries, and that she had merely borrowed Misaki's name to assemble his body. Nene is rendered immobile by the small dolls, and says that Misaki wouldn't be happy with what Yako has done. Yako appears to laugh, but then ferociously kicks Nene, replying that she's well aware that Misaki would scold her if he knew. Even so, she wants to get scolded by Misaki again, and will do anything for that sake.
Nene calls for Hanako's help as Yako attacks with the scissors, and a hakujoudai suddenly knocks the scissors aside. The other hakujoudai then floats out of Nene's dress pocket and towards Hanako as he appears. However, he looks badly worn and collapses as Nene runs over. Hanako says that he might die, but dismisses it as a joke before whispering to Nene. He tells her that the yorishiro should be something of utmost value to Yako, and that Nene only needs to peel away the seal on it.
Yako interrupts and attacks again, but Hanako halts the scissors and binds Yako with rope while Nene runs towards the shrine. Yako tries to stop Nene with the dolls, as she cannot build Misaki without the yorishiro, and says that she's always been doing this for Misaki's sake. However, Nene likens Yako to her previous self, pointing out that Yako is really doing this for her own sake rather than Misaki's. Nene then steps and jumps over the dolls (to Hanako and Yako's shock). The rope around Yako loosens, as Nene pulls the seal off the yorishiro: the scissors from Misaki, which had been kept in the shrine. Hanako is now able to use his cape, and appears in front of Nene before Yako can attack. Hanako stabs Yako with his knife, removing her seat in the Seven Mysteries as the scissors and surrounding scenery crumble away.
Nene then sees Yako's memory from taking the group photo with Misaki and the other children at the shrine. Misaki tells everyone to smile, then includes the fox statue by the torii gate as well, whose spirit is revealed to be a much younger Yako.
Nene then wakes up to find herself back in the school. Hanako shows her that Kou has turned completely into a small doll, then picks Yako up in the form of a small fox – an Inari fox statue, the true identity of the Misaki Stairs. Yako refuses to apologise (despite Hanako threatening to turn her into kitsune udon), but tells Nene that Aoi and the rest will be back to normal by the morning, now that she has lost most of her powers. Nene then gives Yako the photograph, saying that she has not forgiven Yako for what she did, but apologises for destroying something important to Yako as well. However, Yako bites Nene's hand when she touches her, and finally tells them her name before running away.
Exhausted, Nene stumbles into a wall. Hanako kisses her on the cheek, saying that it's a reward and a good luck charm to cheer her up.
In the ensuing ruckus, the black origami swan flies out of Nene's pocket and back to Natsuhiko, who returns with it to Sakura. Sakura hits Natsuhiko with a book for being noisy, then welcomes the swan back as it morphs into a kokujoudai. Sakura says that she's glad that things went well.
The Confession Tree
Nene imagines a handsome prince offering her a kiss, only for him to turn into Hanako. Nene accidentally rejects him aloud, disturbing the class.
During gardening practice, Nene reflects on everything that has happened in the month since she met Hanako. She freaks out again upon recalling the kiss on her cheek, which was the first time she'd been kissed. Nene then suddenly wonders if it'd been because Hanako likes her, which might even be why he saved her from the mermaid. Aoi comes by then, and Nene talks to her inside the gardening building.
Aoi agrees that Hanako seems to like Nene, though Nene says that he isn't her type. Aoi suggests dating him as a trial anyway and tells Nene to be prepared since he will surely confess soon. Aoi then says that confessions are popular lately, pointing out the Confession Tree in the garden (although Nene does not recall it being there previously). According to the rumours, those who confess under the tree will be bonded together. Two people arrive under the Confession Tree right then: Akane and Lemon. To Aoi and Nene's confusion, Akane confesses to "Ao-chan" towards Lemon, who responds half-heartedly. Aoi guesses that it's a practice confession. She also points out that the have been more couples in class lately, almost all of whom confessed under the Confession Tree, and says that Nene might be called there soon too. Nene demurs, but blushes.
That evening, while Nene is cleaning the toilet, Hanako asks her to meet him under the Confession Tree after school the next day.
The next morning, Nene arrives to tell Aoi the news but instead finds Aoi in tears. After their practice confession yesterday, Akane and Lemon began to like each other, and have decided to start dating. Aoi is conflicted, even though has only ever liked Akane as a childhood friend.
By the end of school, Nene still has not been able to discuss with Aoi. As Nene walks to the practice garden, she considers how to respond to Hanako's expected confession. Hanako is already waiting under the tree, and promptly confesses to Nene, asking her to date him. Nene is excited at getting her first confession and first boyfriend until Hanako whispers instructions to quickly turn him down. Nene does so (belatedly), causing the Confession Tree to rebuke her, rising and revealing a face on its trunk. The Tree tries to attack Nene with a branch when she calls it gross but is foiled by Hanako's protection spell on her cheek.
Before the Tree could do any more harm, Hanako quickly reduces it to the size of a sapling. Hanako explains to Nene that the Tree is a supernatural called Kodama. The Kodama believes that love leads to happiness, thereby forcing anyone who confesses under it to become a couple. Hanako was using Nene to catch the supernatural as it only reveals itself in front of couples. Nene realizes her mistake and tries to console herself by telling herself that Hanako was never her type anyways.
As Hanako discusses with Nene about changing the school rumours, he notices her walking towards the school gates. He teases her for believing it's a real love confession until he sees Nene crying. Nene then slaps him and scolds him for confusing her feelings.
Hanako, realising he has hurt Nene, asks her to wait. When Nene asks for a reason to do so, he responds by removing his hat and grabbing her hand. He pulls her into a hug, telling her to stay until she's done crying. Nene agrees. She realizes that despite calling him a friend, she never tried to find more about Hanako or his past. At that very moment, Nene wishes to learn more about the supernatural she had made friends with.
The Young Exorcist
Hanako is on the rooftop with Nene reading a book together on a sunny day.
Nene wished for a man to randomly fall from the sky and protect her from dangerous supernaturals, (Hanako as the evil spirit in her imagination) and fall in love with her and have a happy ending. As if what she wished came true, Kou suddenly then descends from the rooftop with his staff and introduces himself as an exorcist from the Minamoto clan. His goal was to exorcise Hanako that time, and he didn’t care if he‘ll get hurt or something of that sort because he was doing it for the sake of the school. He attempts to exorcise Hanako with his staff but Hanako instead held onto it, causing him to have a minor burn from the staff on his hand. Attempting to exorcise him again, Nene got into his way, protecting Hanako with herself and saying that she was his friend and a first year high schooler.
Kou then reveals the fact that Hanako was murderer in his past life, His knife a proof that he took someone’s life in it. She couldn’t believe it at first, until Hanako raised his knife onto Kou’s neck, his other hand around Yashiro and admitting that he did kill someone. He changed into his other form and says that he can’t exorcise him because he was already atoning for his sins as the seventh mystery of the school. The two fought together for a while, and then Hanako sealed Kou’s staff, (which was identical to his on the cheek.) making it powerless unless peeled off. Kou couldn’t take it off, instead then insisted to Hanako that he should remove the seal from his family’s heirloom. Hanako on the other hand, delivers a punch to his stomach, defeating Kou in their battle. Then, Nene suggests that they should hide the staff while the boy was still sleeping. Hanako questioned her if she’s worried about him, making Nene answer yes and says that he’s her friend. Hanako said that she could be friends with someone, even though if that someone is a murderer, someone who took someone’s life with a knife. She became silent after he said that sentence and proceeds to walk away while insisting that it was a joke. Nene was left deep in thought for the rest of the day.
The 4PM Bookstacks Arc
Hanako is mentioned several times early in the arc, though he does not appear until later. In the library, Nene wrongly assumes Sakura is Hanako's girlfriend based on her description of him. When Kou arrives at the toilet, he finds a message left by Hanako, saying that he's gone to a meeting. Hanako is mentioned multiple times in Nene's book from the 4PM bookstacks, including her contract with him, her poem after Hanako first takes off his cap, and finding out his true identity.
Hanako only appears in person when Kou and Nene are being pursued by the butterfly version of Nene. He takes it down easily before greeting Kou and Nene, then pushes them apart. Hanako then stops Tsuchigomori from bullying Kou and Nene for reading about the future, and finally introduces him as No.5 The 4PM Bookstacks. Hanako explains the Seven Mysteries' role in protecting the school's peace and his suspicion that there is a betrayer among them, using a human assistant to change the supernaturals' rumors'. He suggests temporarily removing the Seven Mysteries so there will be no risk of them going rogue and asks for Tsuchigomori's Yorishiro so Nene can destroy it. When Tsuchigomori agrees on the condition that Kou and Nene tell him their personal secrets, Hanako asks if Tsuchigomori will fight him otherwise. During the "fight", Hanako pats Nene after her made-up exchange diary with Teru is revealed, but otherwise stays uninvolved until Kou demands him to say something. Hanako asks if Tsuchigomori wants to hear his secrets and he declines, but Nene and Kou refuse to let go. Hanako finally admits to liking plain handmade donuts, though he reacts defensively at Tsuchigomori's comment. When Tsuchigomori opens the bookcases leading to his Yorishiro, Hanako and Kou prepare to charge in but are stopped by Tsuchigomori, and Hanako tells Tsuchigomori to take care of his assistant before the bookcases close.
When Nene removes the seal from Tsuchigomori's lunar rock Yorishiro, she sees a memory of Tsuchigomori and Amane in 1969.
When Nene wakes up in the infirmary, Tsuchigomori confirms that the person who'd changed his future was Hanako's past self, Amane.
After Tsuchigomori leaves, Hanako reappears with Kou and Yako, jumping onto the bed and thanking her for destroying the Yorishiro.
Afterwards, Hanako confronts Tsuchigomori in the corridor, asking if he told Nene anything.
The Donuts
Hanako observes that Nene has been acting weirdly, not complaining about toilet cleaning, and not looking at him either.
He is also shown being upset when Kou told him that they wouldn't be cleaning the toilet that day, and sneezing while Nene is talking to Kou about him.
Hanako is overjoyed when Nene gives him the donuts as she is also acting normal.
The Little Mermaid Arc
Hanako is stunned by Tsukasa's appearance, and doesn't react until Nene shoves him out of the way. He slams Nene down onto the floor before finally coming to his senses and leaving.
When Nene goes to Tsuchigomori for advice, Hanako is revealed to be hiding behind a curtain in the room.
After the fishes pull Nene into the pool, Hanako catches her with a net before she can drink the mermaid's blood. He tells them that Nene likes him, regardless of how their world is like, and threatens to turn them into sashimi if they continue. Hanako then apologizes to Nene and thanks her, promising to tell her everything someday.
Mitsuba Arc
Hanako appears with Nene when Kou drags Mitsuba to the toilet, and suggests doing something about his lingering attachment. He tells Nene to stay away, and says that it'll merely increase his work slightly if something goes wrong.
Hanako is playing cards with Nene and the Mokke when the hakujoudai alert him, and he hurries out of the toilet, donning his cape.
Hanako stabs and slices through Mitsuba's changed form, pulling Kou away when he is released. He grabs Tsukasa, demanding to know why he did this, and breaks down when Tsukasa mentions the murder before disappearing. He tells Kou that death is the end and nothing can begin after it.
The Tea Party Arc
When Yashiro and Natsuhiko fall into the 'boundary', Hanako's voice is able to be heard through a radio that the Mokke's are carrying much to the relief of Yashiro. Hanako jokes about Yashiro's antics and how it is such a handful to have an assistant like her. As Yashiro explains the situation, she quickly apologizes to him before he resumes to help her. He explains about the place mentioning it is out of nowhere and is able to lead her back towards Hanako through the many doors. He carefully explains about the doors emphasizing that some doors are dangerous and she would have to be careful.
As Yashiro finds the door that she is seemingly familiar with, she meets the Hanako-kun when he was a human formerly known as Yugi Amane. After their short encounter, Hanako quickly sends her his way, catching her with a big smile on his face. Hanako notices Yashiro's odd clothing and presumes to change her into her school uniform which he is familiar seeing her in. He smiles, welcoming Yashiro back happily.
The Three Clock Keepers Arc
Aoi Akane recounts to Yashiro Nene the First School Mystery, which is about the Three Clock Keepers who guard a magical clock present in the school that controlled the flow of time throughout it. If anyone touched the clock without the Clock Keepers' permission they would steal the time remaining in that person's life.
Yashiro is terrified at this rumor and thinks to herself how she had at first found Aoi's rumors to be fun but ever since she had met Hanako all the rumors Aoi told her came true. Yashiro wonders if this is the next rumor she will have to investigate and is jogged out of her reverie as Aoi comes close and tries to tell her something.
She is interrupted however by yelling coming from their classroom. As they rush to their classroom, both of them are shocked to find it in a mess with all the plants in the room overgrown, the desks rusted, the floor caked with a thick layer of dust and all the windows broken. The students find that all their belongings present in the classroom prior to the incident had also been ruined, however Aoi sees that her belongings were unchanged. Yashiro thinks over this turn of events and upon seeing the sudden growth spurt of the plant in the classroom and thinks that it was as if time had jumped forward for everything in the room.
When she tells this story to Hanako, he is intrigued but before he can say much he is interrupted by Minamoto Kou suddenly appearing and loudly asking Hanako for his help. He says that two boys from his classroom had suddenly turned into old men not long after the incident at Yashiro's classroom. Hanako confirms that these are the doings of a supernatural and that it could only be one of the Seven School Mysteries. Yashiro interjects and says that she had heard of the First School Mystery from Aoi just earlier that day and Hanako is glad she has already heard the rumor so that he doesn't have to tell it himself.
Hanako explains that the Three Clock Keepers each have their own power of control over time. The First Keeper can turn back time, the Second can stop time and the Third can move time forward. Seeing that it could only be the Third Keeper causing such mischief throughout the school, the trio team up and go to find the Third Keeper.
As they make their way to find the supernatural, Kou asks Hanako if he knows where the Keeper would be and Hanako replies that he does not know. Kou is irritated and asks how the Leader of the Mysteries would not know where they are. Hanako responds that the Keepers were prudish and that the first time he met them they told him never to see them again after they were disgusted at him when he said they could do all the perverted things they wanted with the use of their powers. Consequently he was not even aware of where their boundary lie and Kou gets into an argument with Hanako about his perversion, leaving Yashiro disgusted.
Seeing that Hanako was no better off than they were at knowing the whereabouts of the Keepers, Yashiro sighs but suddenly Hanako remembers that the Second Keeper was hiding as one of the students at the school. He says that he already has a good idea of who they are looking for and leads the trio to Yashiro's classroom, saying he sensed a supernatural presence from it. He reveals to Yashiro his suspicion of Aoi, pointing out that her belongings had been unaffected by the Keeper's power. As Yashiro thinks over the matter, the door suddenly bursts open with Aoi and Akane Aoi behind it and Aoi rushes forward to greet Yashiro.
Seizing this opportunity, Hanako quickly posseses Yashiro's body, much to her shock. He grabs Aoi's arm and pulls her down, asking her with a sneer if she were hiding anything from Yashiro. The others look on in shock at this turn of events and Yashiro herself observes the goings-on as an apparition from the ceiling.
Yashiro and Kou quickly explain the situation as Hanako mentions it is the work of a supernatural and explains how only one of the Seven Mysteries could have caused this. He quickly explains the Three Clock Keepers, one that can stop time, turn back time and move time forward.
Hanako explains why the Clock Keepers never wanted to see him again due to his dirty joke. Hanako mentions how one of the Keepers are hiding in the school as points towards a direction sensing a presence. He points towards Yashiro's class as Hanako explains how he finds Aoi a little suspicious. Hanako apologizes to Yashiro as he possesses her trying to seek information from Aoi using perverted gestures as Akane Aoi intimidates them before chasing 'Yashiro' and Kou. He presumes to hit 'Yashiro' as Hanako flies out of her body much to his surprise. After forming a temporary alliance with Akane, they watch Aoi in the auditorium before Hanako summons Hakujoudai using it to attack the stage lights as Yashiro watches in fear before Hanako reassures her everything is fine.
After luring School Mystery No.1, Akane presumes to attack Hanako. They decide to take it somewhere else as Akane explains the situation calling Yashiro and him similar in terms of their contracts. Akane calls Hanako a slimy, perverted brat as Hanako is shown to be relatively offended by this. They figure out the culprit of the time change is Mirai, the other Clock Keeper before Hanako points his knife towards Akane's neck calling them the ones that are behind the disturbances. Akane calls Hanako a thoughtless supernatural that has murdered someone as Yashiro defends him. They form a temporary team.
Hanako tells Kou not to let Mirai touch Yashiro. As Mirai flings herself towards Yashiro, Hanako is shown to be distressed. Mirai mentions about Yashiro's short lifespan, as Hanako hugs Yashiro in a way of protecting her. Hanako looked worried before smiling as he explained the situation. It is then known Hanako knew that Yashiro was going to die early due to the fact Yashiro was able to summon him in the first place. Hanako tells Kako, the Clock Keeper who can turn back time to bring it back to the state as it was in before. Hanako mentions that no matter what there is nothing he can do about Yashiro's life span.
Searching Arc
Hanako is seen in supernatural No.5's place at the start of the Arc hiding behind the curtains.
Yashiro is then seen trying to find Hanako, as she checks the practice garden which he was previous idling around in. She then finds Hanako at the school rooftop as he is shown to be lost in thought. He is shown to be surprised as she presumes to brag about 'her love letter'. Yashiro notices Hanako's behavior as he explains that even though he is a ghost, they still have their worries. Yashiro being unaware of the situation she is in doesn't understand why Hanako is so down. Yashiro decides to cheer Hanako up the same way that he did for her. She proceeds to kiss Hanako on the cheek making him flustered as Hanako seemingly tries to kiss Yashiro on the lips before Kou enters, yelling loudly and interrupting them.
Mokke of the Dead
In the start of Chapter 39, it shows Minamoto Teru conducting an experiment on a Mokke. This led Hanako to turn into a candy zombie. Yashiro and Kou unaware of this trying to convince Hanako to return to his old self, however to no avail. They attempt to escape the school to see more zombies before noticing that a Mokke was the cause of the situation. They proceed to hide in a locker to hear a strange noise. Kou attacks the outside intruder (Akane) before Teru appears and explains the situation about how the Mokke had been infecting the virus around. They noticed that the juice 'Salty Tangerine' has an effect on Akane who had turned into a candy zombie. They purify them with salt and everything returns to normal.
Red House Arc
The story continues on summer vacation. Yashiro Nene reflects on how her daily life had changed ever since the supernaturals were severed from the world, since most of her time was spent on interacting with supernaturals. Aoi Akane tiredly stares at the empty balcony across his window, presumably it belongs to Akane Aoi's household. Both of them receive an invitation from Minamoto Teru at their door asking them to hangout.
The three then went on to an amusement arcade. Teru gazes at the arcade games with excitement. When Nene asks him why he chose the arcade, he explains that as a member of an exorcist family, he works all day and all year to do his job. He says that this is the first time he ever took a day off, since all the supernaturals had completely disappeared. The mention of this triggered some memories of Hanako during the severance within Nene, she hesitatingly offers to explain to Akane about Hanako and the supernaturals. Akane declines this offer, saying that he already knows what happened and whatever Nene knew he probably already had a general idea of it.
Teru looms his stuffed toy over to the two, frightening Nene. He suggests that that the two should play too and says he surprisingly finds crane games fun. He then tosses a bunch of stuffed toys he gained from the crane games over to them, which irritated Akane.
They then went to a karaoke bar. Akane shows Teru a device where he could enter the songs. They discover a food menu within the device and Teru went on to order a Jasmine Tea for Nene, a Mango Float for himself, and a Vegetable Boba Crush for Akane. Teru also orders a super-mega-sized Sugar Honey Toast.
Nene reflects, telling herself that she finally got on an outing with Teru, and that when everything goes back to normal, she would tell it to Aoi and brag about it to Hanako. She thinks of what they would say. She smiles, and then crumbles. Teru notices this and excuses himself out of the room, telling Akane to look after Nene. Nene begins to cry. Akane asks her what's wrong. She apologizes for crying and confesses that she didn't know what to do about Aoi and Hanako. Akane tries to come up with words to say, but fails. He sits down and reveals to Nene that he made a promise to Aoi that they would do a lot of things in the future, such as going to the zoo and playing games together, so he won't cease any effort to bring them back. He asks Nene for her cooperation to extract some information from Teru, expressing that they share similar goals, and that Nene is someone he could trust. Nene asks if there is anything she could do. He replies with "Who knows?" and rhetorically asks that even she would be angry if things ended up just like this.
The delivery for the food arrived, and Akane ponders on what they are going to do with the massive sugar toast. Nene lifts the spoon and starts chomping on the food, while doing so she agrees to cooperate with Akane. Teru returns and comments on how he came back and sees that Nene became a hamster. Akane pins it on Teru for making an outrageous order. Teru asks if Nene is feeling any better, she nods. He then asks if she is free for the evening, she replies with "More or less." He suggests that the two has something they wished to talk to him about, he then invites the both of them to his place.
Aoi Akane and Yashiro Nene follow Minamoto Teru to Teru's house. Minamoto Kou welcomes back his brother and friends, who are exhausted from their earlier endeavor. He prepares a meal and brings it to the table, where he sees that Nene and Akane are extremely exhausted. Akane recalls all the debilitating activities that Teru had forced upon them. Teru giggles and shows Kou the souvenirs he brought back home. Teru also asks about Minamoto Tiara, Teru and Kou's younger sister. Kou replies that it was past nine and that Tiara was already asleep. Kou puts the meal on the table; Miso soup with tofu, some meat and potatoes, rice cooked with salmon, and some boiled mustard greens with soy sauce. Akane, Nene, and Teru praise Kou's cooking skills, proclaiming that his food is delicious. Akane even wonders if Teru and Kou are really related, as their skill sets and personalities are very different.
After the meal, Akane cuts to the chase and immediately asks Teru whether he would cooperate with Nene and him. Teru tells Akane that his question is extremely vague. Akane restates his earlier question and tells Teru that he wants to save Akane Aoi, who was sacrificed. Nene tells Teru that she wants to save Hanako-kun as well. Akane tells Teru that to accomplish their goals, he first needs to learn more about the severance. Teru agrees and takes out paper and a marker. He illustrates the Near Shore, the Far Shore and the ocean (the boundary) that connects them. He explains that the sea between the near and far shore, the boundary, was never a connection that anyone could freely enter. The Seven Mysteries are said to control the seven main paths to the far shore, from which all supernaturals leave and enter from. However, now, the boundaries have been blocked by the severance. This means that humans cannot cross into the boundaries anymore and supernaturals are forever trapped in them, unable to cross into the near shore. This sort of blockade also forcibly removed all of the remaining supernaturals from the near shore.
Nene comes to realization that her supernatural friends didn't disappear and that they are only trapped in the boundaries. Teru also says that curses are evidence that the supernaturals didn't completely disappear. For example, Akane still has his watch with him, and Nene still turns into a fish when she gets wet. Akane confirms this, stating that even though he can no longer use his ability to stop time, the watch is still there. Akane expresses regret about not meeting with Mirai and Kako before the severance happened and Nene asks if Kako could turn back time to before the severance happened. Akane says that this is a possibility, but he doubts that Kako would do that for him. Teru says that no matter the solution, if there is no way of interfering with the other side, they wouldn't be able to do anything. Akane asks if there really is no way to cross over the boundary right now, recalling when Teru went to save him and Aoi. Teru says that, instead of going through a proper entrance, he found a small crack leading to the far shore. He only used his powers to pry that crack open and connect it to where Akane and Aoi were. The cracks were sealed during the severance.
Akane realizes that Teru was planning to save Aoi all along, because Teru gave Aoi a bell to ward away evil spirits. Teru was strong enough to protect Aoi and Akane on his own, but when Aoi became stranded, no one would be able to protect her, so the bell was used so that she could protect herself. Teru remains silent and lets Akane continue on. Akane figures out the Teru already has a way to get to the sealed off boundaries. And given that, Akane assumes that Teru is only trying to figure out whether he should let them know, and whether he should let them come with him. Teru smiles and asks Akane how exactly they would get to the boundaries. Akane thinks for a while, and concludes that a hint probably lies in Teru's usual behavior. Akane asks Nene if she has ever seen Teru do his exorcist job while they're at school. Nene says that for the most part while they are at school, Teru has seem just like a regular student. And with this, Akane points out that his usual place of work should be somewhere outside of school. As evidence, he asserts that, ever since Nene and he had been able to see supernaturals, they have never been attacked by any outside of school. He initially thought that it was just because the school itself was dangerous, but now he wonders if Teru had been keeping the town safe. Teru smirks. Akane says that if that's the case, then Teru would know very well about the supernaturals outside the school.Teru sighs and says that he will be giving his answer a passing mark. He reassures that he will take Akane with him. Akane pauses for a moment and then celebrates with Nene. Akane grins as he takes out some notes from his baggage, and asks if it's okay for him to ask Teru a few other questions. Teru agrees. When Akane starts asking more questions, Teru decides to leave and get some drinks, knowing that the rest of the questions will take a while.
Kou approaches Nene and asks her to come with him. They go to Kou's room where he confronts Nene to ask whether she likes Hanako. Nene becomes very flustered, flailing her arms around and acting embarrassed. Kou reminds Nene that Hanako is dead and that he even killed someone else. Kou brings up the time when he met Natsuhiko, revealing that he learned how to turn someone into a supernatural.
Minamoto Kou tells Yashiro Nene about a person he met during the Study Camp, who told him the secret to becoming a supernatural. Nene asks if he was referring to becoming one through means of dying; Kou says no, but seems hesitant to continue further and attempts to leave the room. Nene grabs his arm and asks Kou if anything is bothering him. Kou remembers his deceased friend, Mitsuba Sousuke, who turned into glass during the severance. Kou tries to say something as Aoi Akane storms into the room. Akane asks if he could have a word with the two and requests them to come downstairs. He announces that they have put together a general plan to solve their issue. Nene walks downstairs with unresolved questions and wonders what Kou did during the severance.
Akane and Minamoto Teru explain that each supernatural has a deep connection with their origin in this town. Even after the severance, it is possible to open a path to the boundary through those. Akane assigns Kou and Nene to look into the Hell of Mirrors due to their familiarity with its representative, Mitsuba Sousuke. The next day, Kou comes to the school with Nene to look for things that Mitsuba may have had a strong bond with. When Nene asks if Kou had any ideas, Kou reiterates that the current third mystery is not the Mitsuba they knew, referring to when Tsukasa made a completely new supernatural with a part of Mitsuba. Kou admits to sometimes being confused about who Mitsuba is and stresses the possibility that Mitsuba truly is gone. He then suggests that they should go to ask different people.
Nene and Kou askes on of Mitsuba's old classmates, Yokoo. He states that he doesn't know much about Mitsuba, and instead refers Nene and Kou to his second year teacher. They ask the teacher in the faculty room, but he refuses to give up info about Mitsuba due to student confidentiality. Instead, he refers them to the members of the Photography Club. The members of the club didn't know much about Mitsuba, but one drew Nene and Kou a map leading to Mitsuba's grave. The two then went to the cemetery to search for Mitsuba's gravestone. Nene catches the attention of a woman passing by carrying heavy items. The woman loses her balance as her foot bends the wrong way. Kou and Nene run to tend to the woman, who askes them. The woman reveals herself as Mitsuba's mother.
Mrs. Mitsuba brings Kou and Nene to her apartment. Within the residence lies old photos of Mitsuba and his family and a shrine. Nene and Kou pay their respect to the shrine. Mrs. Mitsuba serves Nene and Kou some snacks. She says that it is the first time Mitsuba's friends have every visited. She asks the two what Mitsuba was like in school and wonders if Nene was the girlfriend of Mitsuba. Nene says no, but describes Mitsuba as a cute underclassman who had a cheeky side to him, referring to when she was called Radish-senpai. Mrs. Mitsuba sympathizes with her, stating that Mitsuba also called her a Carrot Monster Hag.
Nene says that Kou was the one who Mitsuba talked to the most. Kou says that he only went with him to take photos. With the small mention of pictures, Mrs. Mitsuba smiles and shows them some of her favorite pictures, all taken by Mitsuba. She also explains how Mitsuba adopted photography from his father's hobby. Mrs. Mitsuba had sometimes left the camera lying around the house, and somehow, Mitsuba had learned to use it. Soon, Mitsuba was earning photography awards.
Mrs. Mitsuba describes that Mitsuba has a very particular taste in fashion and nagged a lot about it. Every time she asked Mitsuba to take a photograph of her, Mitsuba would say no, saying that she should wear make-up and go to a beauty salon. Mrs. Mitsuba notes that Mitsuba took a specific interest in nature.
On his mother's birthday, Mitsuba promised to make curry for dinner. When Mrs. Mitsuba came home, the curry was there, but Mitsuba was nowhere in sight. Mitsuba left a note on the table, saying that he would be right back. The only missing ingredient in Mitsuba's curry was the potatoes. Mitsuba had forgotten to buy them, so he had left to buy them. That was how Mitsuba got into the accident.
Kou recalls a promise he made to Mitsuba, to develop the photos they took together. Sadly, they were never able to do it. Mrs. Mitsuba asks Nene and Kou to look at the pictures Mitsuba took, which were in his room. In the room, Nene sees the winter uniform and felt as if time had stopped. They looked through some old photos. Nene notices that Mitsuba barely took pictures of people. The only photos with people were of his mother. A photo slips out from the book. Nene picks it up and wonders what it is of.
Kou and Yashiro leave Mitsuba's house with a bag full of pictures. Yashiro talks to Kou about one of the pictures. That particular picture was apparently just a picture of blackness, but slowly changed to depict a scary looking house. The house was very old and in a western style. Kou and Yashiro start to talk about Mitsuba, but Teru interrupts them with a call and explains the house in the picture. Teru tells Kou and Yashiro that the house is called "The Red House". "The Red House" is a cursed house that kills anyone who enters it. Around 50 years ago, a family of four was murdered inside that house. Teru warns them not to enter the house, Yashiro and Kou listen to Teru but change their minds when they hear a little kid crying for help inside the house. After they enter the house they start to hear a conversation. Suddenly, they hear a noise through one of the doors. There seems to be the voice of a young child. The child starts to talk to Nene and Kou. He asks them if they still have all of their body parts. After Kou and Nene confirm that they do, indeed have all of their body parts, the child opens the door and asks "What should we play?" The child is a young boy who holds an uncanny likeliness to Hanako and Tsukasa when they were younger.
When Kou and Nene open the door, they are great by a mysterious boy. Nene jumps forward and grabs the boy hugging him in the process. She quickly turn to Kou and asks him why they came to the Red House. He answers telling her that they wanted to go to the Boundaries. She says that they came here to find something connect to Sosuke Mitsuba in order to travel to the Boundaries. She also points out how the boy has some similarities to Hanako. When touch the boys hand, she can feel his pulse. Which means he is a living, breathing human. Without hesitation she says that he might be Hanako's descendant. Stunned by that statement, Kou starts inspecting the boy. He questions both of them about who Hanako is. When getting a closer look Kou starts to see more similarities with Tsukasa more than Hanako. Nene agrees with the claim that he looks like Hanako. While she continues her statement, the floorboards break beneath her. Her and Kou come in agreement that they should exit the house since it was too dangerous. She picks up the boy and all three of them exit the room. When walking down the stairs, the boy asks why they are leaving with him. Nene says that the house is too old and dangerous to play in. He then says that it's dangerous to leave with him because they will get mad. Nene tells him not to worry and asks if Kou could contact Teru. When putting in his number, his phone goes to static and shows an image of the front door. Nene asks him if he's ready to leave. He quickly says that something weird is going on in the house. She opens the door and bugs leap out of the cracks of the door. They start dragging Nene through the door. Before Kou could reach her, he passes out. When he eventually wakes up he is greeted by him sitting on a sofa surrounded by stuffed animals while he's hold one. He notices that this was the room the boy was in. He looks around the room to see the boy humming a tune. He turns around and greets Kou. He rushes over to him and pins him to the ground saying he's not just a regular boy but that his is Tsukasa. He ignores Kou's response and says that Nene is through the door. Kou looks over to see the windows of the door covered in a dark liquid. He tells him that it was in fact dangerous to take him out of the house. He also says that he is unable to leave the house at all. Since Nene tried taking him outside 'they' got angry. He notices that Kou is unharmed and says that he can leave without her. He points to another door that has the view of the outside in it's windows. Kou thinks that he can call Teru if he leaves but then hesitates because he might not be able to get back in. He walks through the pile of stuffed animals and ignores Tsukasa. He turns to him and telling him that he will never forgive him for what he did. He opens the door and slams the door shut behind Tsukasa. When he enters the room the roof is covered in clocks and the walls are cover faucets. He continues to wander through the rooms one by one. While trying to see if he can look out a window, Tsukasa pulls on his leg asking if he likes Nene. He denies it quickly but Tsukasa keeps on asking him questions. After giving up, he asks if he can hold Kou's hand. Kou gives him a looks and walks away. Tsukasa still follows behind him and trips in the process. He gets back up and follows Kou around a turn and hits his head into the wall falling over.
Picking off from the last chapter, Kou is demanding that Tsukasa tell him what his wish is, too. He says that if what Tsukasa says is true, in that people who come to the Red House have a wish they want granted, then Tsukasa being here must mean that he also has a wish he wants granted.
A flashback to Tsukasa's past begins, where he's rummaging in the garden outside of the Red House. He's pulling cosmos out of the ground, and places them next to groups of other items he's collected. The other collected items are a toy car, the skeleton of a small mammal, cicada shells, bottlecaps, and roly-polies. He says they're all "Amane's favorite things."
Finding a stray cat, Tsukasa takes it and the rest of the stuff he gathered into the house. He walks in on his mother talking to a visiting doctor, and waits outside of the room with the cat while she talks to him.
The doctor says that despite her and her child's great efforts to try and improve her child's naturally weak circulatory system, there's nothing they can do for him with modern medicine. Tsukasa's mother interjects, and asks the doctor if he'll never get better. Tsukasa looks shocked at her question, and it cuts to a frame of Amane, sick in bed and wheezing. The doctor doesn't answer her question and says that she should make sure he doesn't exercise or play with his brother, but even then Amane might not have more than a month left.
Flash-forward to November 25th, 1959. An older man is taking a picture of Tsukasa and Amane, who is confirmed to be their father. Their mother gives them their presents, which are two near-identical teddy bears. She then asks if they're hungry, and confirms that she's prepared donuts.
At the dinner table, Amane and Tsukasa's mother and father congratulate them on their fourth birthday. The dining table is full of many foods, including a giant buttercream cake with four candles on it and plain home-made donuts.
After an eating montage, their mother comments that she is thankful, and she didn't know what was going to happen to Amane for a while there. Their father says that the doctor also called it a miracle.
They ask if Amane is completely healed, and Amane makes a show of pumping his arms and confirms that he doesn't feel any pain. He says that he can do so many things that he couldn't before, like going to the pool, playing in the garden, and going on adventures. He's asked where he wants to go, and Amane says he'd like to go to foreign countries and space. Tsukasa is eating a donut, and turns to stare at Amane.
Shouting his name, Tsukasa leaps from his chair and tackles Amane. From their tall chairs, they topple onto the ground, with Tsukasa falling on top of him. Their parents ask if they're okay, and Amane confirms they're fine. He asks Tsukasa what that was all about, and Tsukasa asks him if he feels better. Amane once again confirms that he's feeling better.
Clinging to Amane's shirt, Tsukasa asks Amane if he loves him. Amane silently stares back for a moment, before beginning to pet Tsukasa's head. He then pulls Tsukasa's cheeks, and laughs as Tsukasa makes a wry face. Still laughing, he answers Tsukasa:
"Isn't that obvious!?"
Tsukasa, cheeks squeezed, reflects on his words. After a moment, he breaks out into a big smile and says, "I see!"
Their father chides them for rough-housing during their meal, and leads them away. As they leave, a door of the house creaks open, and Tsukasa hears a voice calling out to him. "Tsuuukasa-kun."
Tsukasa leaves to follow the voice, doors creaking open for him and leading him further into the house. He arrives in a room full of toys with a deep hole in the center, which is where the voice calling him is coming from. Once he's in the room, it tells Tsukasa that it has granted his wish, and asks him if he remembers their promise. Tsukasa confirms, and it tells him to offer a sacrifice of equivalent exchange.
Since Amane has gotten better, Tsukasa accepts. As he dangles his legs over the edge of the hole, Amane's voice can be heard calling through the hallways. He asks where Tsukasa has gone, and if he's playing hide-and-seek. Tsukasa smiles, and going unheard, he says goodbye to Amane.
Amane enters the toy-filled room, and finds neither Tsukasa nor the hole inside of it.
Coming back to the present, Kou looks confused, and Tsukasa begins to speak again. He tells Kou that his wish has already been granted, and that's why he can't leave this house anymore.
In search of information related to the Seven Mysteries, Teru and Akane are inside of the Nagisa Shrine. They're speaking to Nagisa Kunishige, the chief priest, who is asking Teru what business he was with him.
Akane asks who this person is. Teru explains to Akane that shrines and exorcists have partnered up for ages, wherein exorcists help priests whose clients have supernatural issues that can't be solved by the priests themselves. He says that they're sort of like the middleman for exorcists.
After Teru angers Kunishige with a barbed comment about their business relationship, Kunishige threatens Teru by reminding him that he's the one that puts the food on his family's table. He asks if Teru would rather they sever all ties, and force the Minamoto family to attract business on their own by putting billboards outside their house.
Teru counters him back by saying his family wouldn't be the ones at a loss for work, and that the priests would be the ones in a worse position. The priests can't settle the supernatural disputes on their own, and their customers would lose faith in them without the exorcists. The town would then be overrun with supernaturals, leading to people dying, all caused by the priests and exorcists trying to destroy each other.
After Teru taunts him about actually letting that happen, Kunishige changes the topic and asks why he came in the midst of the Severance. Akane is a bit surprised that Kunishige knows of the Severance.
As Teru is about to explain why they came, his phone begins to ring. Teru asks Akane to get it for him, as he's busy talking to Kunishige right now, and Akane sees that it's a call from Kou. Teru talks in the background about how they came to find a clue to travel to the boundaries, and that the Nagisa Shrine was once the Misaki Shrine. Before he can continue, Akane answers the phone, and a loud screech emanates from it.
The phone emanates a staticky noise before a loud voice is heard, one that seems to belong to a child. It calls Akane "Akane-kun", and asks to grant his wish. Teru takes the phone and hangs up before it can continue.
Teru asks who that was, and Akane swears it was from Kou. Visibly terrified, Kunishige yells that Akane has been cursed, and asks why he got a phone call from that child. Teru immediately questions Kunishige back, asking him if he knows anything related to that mysterious phone call just now.
A flashback begins, as Kunishige begins to explain himself. Decades ago, when he was only a senior priest, a woman and her child visited the shrine. The child had been missing for 6 months before miraculously coming back. They call it being "spirited away."
His mother says that she was happy at first, but noticed there was something wrong with him. She claims that whatever had come back was not her son, despite them looking the same, and that whatever was originally inside of him had been replaced entirely. She then begs for the chief priest to change her son back, but upon investigating him they were unable to find any abnormalities. He looked normal, and there was no sign of him being possessed an evil spirit. Kunishige notes that he thought something was instead wrong with the mother, rather than the child.
As the other priests attempt to soothe the mother, Kunishige approaches the child, who is drawing in the dirt with a stick. Kunishige makes friendly conversation with him, introducing himself and asking what he's drawing. Instead of responding to his question, the child points at him, and mysteriously states that Kunishige-kun's wish will be granted tomorrow. The next day, the chief priest dies; and the image of his dead body looks vaguely similar to what the child was drawing before.
Kunishige explains that the chief priest had previously insulted his family and made off with the shrine's money, leading to him wishing he would just disappear. He says that while the death was claimed to be an accident, he couldn't confidently state that the child's words were mere coincidence.
Additionally, years later, the same child died in his house in what was called a family suicide, and any individuals that approached that house thereafter died mysterious deaths. Kunishige says that the harm was supposed to stop after the Minamoto clan had forbidden any interference with the house, and chastises Teru for getting involved with it and letting his brother enter inside. He questions whether Teru is prepared to handle the blame for any damage this misstep might've caused, and Teru ruefully apologizes, saying he will take full responsibly.
Furious, Kunishige then proclaims that he'll be making a report to Teru's father about all of this, stating that children need to be scolded by their fathers once in a while. He then locks them inside of a room, forbidding them from leaving.
Akane tests the doors, but they won't budge. He asks Teru what they should do, saying they can't go and help Kou like this. In contrast to Akane's panic, Teru is instead spread out on the floor, complaining about nothing ever going right for him.
Teru suddenly questions if Akane knows about the Misaki Shrine, and goes on to explain it's history. Although it was located in No. 2's boundary, it used to exist in the real world, too, before being absorbed into the modern day Nagisa Shrine. Due to this, the past property of the Misaki Shrine is now kept within the Nagisa Shrine. He also states that Kunishige is a descendant of the Misaki household.
Because of the connection between these two shrines, Teru thought there might be some sort of artifact located within the Nagisa Shrine that would allow them to cross over to the boundaries. Teru thought he could use his position as the eldest son of an exorcist family to gain access to these artifacts, but his plan had ultimately failed.
He continues to whine, saying that he feels like he's no good at anything. He laments how the other day, that despite saving his town and community from supernatural menaces, and losing his glory days of youth to fighting them, his brother had asked him over breakfast what he'd do if he'd suddenly turned into a supernatural. Which he states as being "the worst."
Teru then curses Kunishige for not working with him, despite Teru trying his best to be polite and courteous, and Akane comments on how unbecoming all this whining is of him. Teru switches the topic to how he saw Akane doing inappropriate things with Aoi in the boundary, causing Akane to spit his drink out. Enraged, he begins shaking him as Teru laughs, Akane yelling about how Teru planned the awful timing of his entrance at the end of Chapter 69 all along.
Continuing in his self pity, Teru goes on to state how he's actually not very nice, and certainly no model student. He says that while Nene wishes to see No. 7, and Kou also seems to have some sort of objective, he simply just wishes to bring Aoi back.
Taken aback, Akane questions if Teru actually really does like Aoi. Evading the question, Teru states that Aoi is necessary to fulfilling his dream. Akane imagines this dream as Aoi being Teru's housewife, but Teru doesn't elaborate further.
Fed up with him now, Akane kicks Teru and tells him to shape up. If he doesn't, then Akane will just go and save her himself, telling her that Teru was useless all the while. Teru says that would be a bother, but Akane's words seem to spark some motivation inside of him.
Jumping to his feet, Teru whips out his katana and slashes the doors locking them inside to pieces. He then goes to Kunishige, who is currently making a phone call, and causes an explosion inside of the shrine. Afterwards, the other priests, including Kunishige, appear visibly shaken, saying that their heirloom has been stolen.
Outside of the shrine, Teru is victoriously holding up a small chest in his hand, exclaiming that they're going to the boundary. Akane is more ruffled in contrast, muttering an apology to the people of the shrine.
Picking off from the last chapter, Kou is telling Tsukasa that Yugi Amane died at 13 years old after killing his younger brother. Tsukasa and Nene are both shocked.
Kou says he will do something to ensure that it won't happen.
He claims that, because the Tsukasa they know looks identical in age to Hanako, and because the Tsukasa they are currently with is only 4 years old and says he's been stuck in the Red House for a long time, then that must mean that the older Tsukasa is a fake. He also says that Tsukasa being fake may be the very reason why Hanako killed him in the first place.
Kou says that if they return the real Tsukasa to his proper place in the timeline, then maybe Hanako won't kill his younger brother.
Nene agrees, but she and Kou both don't know how to return Tsukasa to his family. They decide to escape the Red House and ask Teru for his help.
However, Tsukasa isn't sure if he wants to go back. He thinks Amane is happier without him.
Kou claims that Amane didn't mean whatever he said, and that he must've just been heated up in the moment during an argument of some kind. He reassures Tsukasa that his older brother would be happy to see him, and Tsukasa guesses that he doesn't know as much about Amane as he thought he did. He decides he wants to go and see his older brother again.
The house then starts to shake. A pillar crashes in front of Kou and Nene, and walls start closing in and dropping in on them. Nene takes Tsukasa in her arms and runs, and Kou holds off the house for their escape and follows after them. He barely makes it out, the walls ripping a tear into his shoulder sleeve.
Nene tries to a calm a panicking Kou down by saying they're safe now, but the house continues it's pursuit. It begins to chase them through the hallways. Tsukasa silently observes that while the house is craashing pillars through the walls, they avoid touching the parts of the wall where flame-lit oil lamps were placed.
As they run, evading the pillars the house is trying to ram into them, Tsukasa asks Kou if they're going to die. Kou says no way, and tells him to think about what he'll do with his brother after getting out of here. Tsukasa thinks, before talking about how he always wanted to go to the Summer Festival with Amane. Nene is reminded of when she time-travelled to the past and met a younger Amane at said festival.
Nene sadly reflects on the fact that Tsukasa must've been so lonely, staying in this creepy house all alone for so long.
They decide to take a break in a library after it seems they have shaken off their pursuers. However, Nene comments that this looks to be a dead end, and Kou says they should go back.
To The Far Shore Arc
After escaping from the Red House, Nene and Kou search desperately for Tsukasa, who presumably "perished" in the fire. After some searching, the pair come across a well, which looked like it had survived the flames. Kou and Nene scream Tsukasa's name down the well, but no one answers. Nene suggests they go down there and look for him, but Kou stops her and says that they should head back to his house first. Nene is about to refuse, but is stopped by Kou crouching down in front of her, and asking her to get on. Kou piggy-back rides Nene back to his house in order to let her injured leg rest.
Once they make it home, they both explain to Teru and Akane what happened inside of the red house. As they process the new information, Teru concludes that they can cross over to the boundary through the red house, thanks to Nene and Kou. Realizing how hungry they’ve been, they all decide to order pizza, upon Minamoto Tiara request . Nene and Kou share their goals to the group. Nene wishes to rescue Aoi and knock some sense into Hanako, while Kou is intent on protecting Nene and has his own personal reasons as well. The group plans on meeting at the red house the next morning. They all contently enjoy their meal. After finishing their pizza, Nene realizes how late it’s been and excuses herself from the table to make a call. She stays on the phone with her mom for a while and starts to head back to the group. Just outside the door, Nene overhears Teru’s plan to save Aoi and end Hanako for good. Teru entrust Akane and Kou to deal with Yashiro as Nene listens in horror, wondering what to do.
At 10 Am, Kou, Teru, Nene and Akane arrive at the Red House. Kou and Nene guide the others to the well they found yesterday, which Teru confirms is a connection to the boundary. Akane questions Teru about the artifact Teru stole, which is revealed to be a severed hand. Teru explains his theory that they could cross over to the boundary by eating a small part of a supernatural to temporarily remove their existence in the near shore. Akane quickly realizes that they would have to eat the hand, which Teru says is unnecessary and reveals that they already ate some with the pizza yesterday. Akane charges at Teru in anger, but ends up tripping into the well. Nene and Kou fall into the well with Teru right behind them.
Meanwhile, Aoi notices a black hole expanding in the boundary. She discovers her body is starting to disappear due to the severance. Hanako finds Aoi and leads her to a train that goes to the far shore. On the train, Hanako informs Aoi that she’ll become a supernatural by the time they reach their destination. Aoi changes the topic to love and reveals that she hated and loved the good part of Akane. Aoi ask Hanako what he likes about Nene. Although hesitant at first, he says he likes everything about Nene.
The train suddenly stops and pans over to Nene pushing the brakes, with Kou holding back the conductor. Akane and Teru are on the roof of the train, ready to save Aoi.
Teru and Akane fend off the supernaturals on the train. While fighting, Akane suddenly feels a pain in his gut, as it pains him to be in his supernatural form. Amused by Akane's pain, Teru then gloats about him going to save Aoi, which motivates Akane continue fighting.
The scene changes to Aoi's perspective, who is hiding behind some crates on Hanako's order. She is confused on what's happening around her, ever since the train has stopped. As she tries to investigate the situation, she bumps into a supernatural. The supernatural smells the Kannagi blood on Aoi and grabs her.
Teru and Akane kick down a door and find Hanako standing in front of them. Hanako informs them that they were too late to save Aoi. Teru calls him out on his bluff and tells Akane to find Aoi, while he deals with Hanako. Teru distracts Hanako, while Akane runs out the door to find Aoi. A fight starts up between Teru and Hanako. Teru uses his powers to blast open the roof, giving him more flexibility.
Aoi is gathered around by a group of supernaturals who are prepared to eat Aoi. Just as Aoi would have been eaten, Akane stops the supernatural's time and carries Aoi out of the train carriage. Akane then in tears, hugs Aoi, feeling sheer joy that he has been reunited with her.
The scene shifts back to the fight with Teru and Hanako. Hanako is losing the fight, as he is pinned to the ground by Teru. Teru continues stabbing and zapping Hanako. He criticizes Hanako's way to extend Nene's lifespan, pointing out that there's no guarantee his plan will work out for her, as he can kill her himself. Teru is about to deal the final blow, before we see a familiar traffic saftey earring flash by. Kou blocks Teru's blade away from Hanako and yells for Nene. Nene runs in and grabs Hanako. The two of them run out the train's exit, with the final remark from Nene that they are escaping.
Hanako and Nene have run away from the train, traveling alongside the submerged train tracks. Nene is pulling him along behind her and breathing hard, and one of Hanako's Hakujoudai are missing. Hanako is yelling to get her attention.
He eventually breaks free from her grasp, stopping them both in their tracks, and asks why she came here. He begins to say it would have been fine if Teru and Akane came and exorcised him, but before he can finish his sentence, Nene slaps him across the face.
Frustrated, she grabs his shoulders and yells at him, saying that she had only come to see the person that she loves. Hanako, stunned and unable to speak, listens as she goes on, noting all the trouble she had to go through to get here. She talks about how they were unable to come to the boundary, about her being trapped in the strange Red House, and about the weird pizza she had to eat to enter the boundary. She further notes that she got Kou to help her once she learned that Teru was planning to exorcise him, and that they then had to run for their lives to get out of there. Pushing him onto the ground, she asks him why, then, that the first words out of his mouth are complaints.
Hanako counters her words by saying he doesn't matter, and that Nene had wished for this in the first place. She made a wish to him to live for ninety more years in the real world, and he says that if they save Aoi now, then Nene will die.
Interrupting him again, Nene screams at him to stop, and that she doesn't want her wish to be granted anymore. She asks him why it ended up like this, and why he's always doing things on his own. Crying, she hugs him on the floor, calling him an idiot and saying she hates him.
Later, they arrive at some sort of indoor pool building, where Nene and Hanako are sitting on a spiral staircase. While Nene is dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, Hanako begins to apologize. He says that he knew Nene would never have agreed to him extending her lifespan like this, not by him sacrificing her best friend to do so, but he wanted to do something for her. As he's both a ghost and a murderer, he can't live alongside her normally, so he wanted their meeting to have meant something. He says that he wanted her to continue living, but by his own hand. He had to be the one to give her life.
After he apologizes once more, Nene considers what he said. She deduces that he's saying that he wants to have her all to himself, and that his words were an indirect love confession. Careful to not get too carried away, like in The Confession Tree, she tries to pry a proper confession out of him by slyly asking him why he'd do all of that for her.
When he continues to neglect giving her the answer she's gunning for, she worries that she really had misinterpreted what he was saying. Suddenly, he gets up, and hugs her from behind.
Hanako says that he never thought he'd see her again, but says he's glad that he did. Staring into her eyes now, he wonders what's wrong with him to be feeling this way. Cupping her cheek, hugging her once more, then threading their fingers, they gaze into each other's eyes... lean in... and smooch.
After the fact, Nene clutches him tight, crying once more, and says that she's happy she got to see him again, too.
The chapter starts off with a colored page announcing the results of the Chapter 77 Project, the "Situation Vote", where fans voted for which character they thought was the best fit in a handful of specific situations.
The chapter formally starts by picking up near the end of Chapter 85, with Kou protecting Hanako from a lethal strike from Teru's sword. As Nene rescues Hanako, and they begin to run away from the train, Teru tries to chase after them. Kou stops him again.
Kou clashes weapons with Teru, who effortlessly blocks each of Kou's blows. As their weapons grind against each other, Teru says that this wasn't what he had meant when he told Kou to "follow Yashiro-san" in Chapter 83. But Teru figures that Kou already knows what he meant, anyways.
Kou says that he isn't trying to help Hanako, exactly, but that he's doing this because he wants to support his senpai, Nene, who he made a promise to.
Teru tells Kou to quit the heroics. Lamentingly, he talks about how he never expected Kou to be of much help here in the first place, but that he hadn't expected him to get in the way. He then says they'd have been better off if Kou had just stayed home to cook dinner for them.
Kou says he isn't trying to act like a hero at all, and that he's always found Teru's treatment of supernaturals weird. He tries to say that he thinks Teru's opinion that every supernatural is evil is wrong, but Teru cuts him off.
Teru says that Kou might be right in him being weird, and wonders if Kou sees him as a villain right now. But he says that this is the way exorcists must act, and that he can't be normal. He yells at Kou, asking him why he can't understand that.
Kou yells back, saying there was no way for him to know that because Teru kept him distanced from exorcist work in the first place. Teru wouldn't let Kou come along with him on missions as a child because it was too dangerous, and had him do house chores instead.
Kou says he doesn't really mind doing the housework, or anything, but that it makes him feel pathetic. He says that Teru started doing exorcist work younger than Kou did, and that everyone relied on Teru. Meanwhile, all Kou's done is take over the work his mom used to do. Frustrated, Kou screams and asks why he was the only one that ever did that.
In reply, Teru knocks Raiteijou spinning out of Kou's hand, and pins him up from behind against the train. Kou, now defenseless, is told by Teru that is was all because Kou was "too weak". As Kou cries, Teru admits, however, that Kou's weakness is something he's envied from time to time.
Then Akane arrives, with Aoi in tow, and asks what the hell is going in. After breaking up the fight, he asks why they started fighting in the first place. Teru explains that Kou let Nene and Hanako escape, while Kou trembles silently to the side. Akane berates Teru, saying they both expected Kou to turn on them anyways, and that Teru totally went overboard. In comparison, Akane's a lot kinder on Kou, who shakes off Akane's concern by yelling that he's fine.
Akane relents, and says that they can settle their family disputes when they get home. For now, they need to discuss what their next move is.
Kou lingers behind the group as they begin walking off, lamenting to himself that he'd never asked Teru to protect him in the first place. As he trudges through the water, unbeknownst to him, a shadow begins to form behind him. Teru looks back, noticing it before he does, and screams his name. Lunging forward, he grabs Kou and shoves him out of the way, protecting him from the attacker. The unknown enemy strikes his sword arm, causing Teru to stagger.
The attacker is School Mystery No. 6, the Lord of Death. He says that the boundaries stopped collapsing, and came to see what was causing it. He claims that Teru looks familiar, before correctly placing his identity-- a member of the Minamoto Clan of exorcists.
Holding a bloodied Teru up by the collar of his shirt, he fixes Kou with a glare. Kou stares back in horror, his brother's blood splattered on his body.
The chapter starts off with School Mystery No. 6 standing before Kou, who was now fallen in front of him. The Lord of Death holds an unconscious Teru in his left hand. He realizes that Teru and Kou are apart of the Minamoto Exorcist clan. He remarks that they've gotten a lot weaker, and drops Teru into the water below.
Kou rushes to him, calling his name. He turns Teru over, but he's unresponsive. Enraged, he then charges at No. 6 with his staff, Raiteijou, but No. 6 simply grabs his staff and punches him in the ribs. Akane then attempts to stop time, but before he can, No. 6 knocks the pocket watch out of his hand, saying he won't allow it.
With all three of them defeated, No. 6 is free to grab Aoi, and he uses a centipede-like supernatural to keep her restrained. He notes that the boundaries still haven't resumed their destruction, and guesses the three he defeated weren't the cause. Uncaring, he grabs Aoi's hand, saying all he needs to do is get her to the Far Shore.
But Aoi resists, shocking him with her anti-evil artifact. She asks why he'd do something so awful, saying she won't forgive it.
No. 6 closes her mouth with his hand, a smile on his face. He says that humans seem to like to ask him that, and that he's heard the word "why" from them plenty of times.
A flashback begins, with a shadowy samurai figure asking a much younger No. 6 that same question: "why". No. 6 notes that right then was the first time he was asked that.
The samurai is referred to as Yorimitsu-sama, and he had come to quell the demons on the mountain that No. 6 lived on. He'd defeated them all in the blink of an eye, and tells No. 6 that soon all of the demons would be killed. One such demon was one that No. 6 referred to as "master", and he was the master of the mansion No. 6 lived in. No. 6 remarks that, though he had no concept of family as a demon, he considered his master and fellow demons something similar to it.
Yorimitsu then tells No. 6 that he will kill him, and let's him choose whether to attack him or run away. No. 6 responds by saying he won't do either because he wasn't told to, and tells Yorimitsu to do whatever he wants. Yorimitsu finds this strange, as he says demons are born with the urge and desire to kill and destroy, but No. 6 is different. He's selfless, and desires nothing.
Calling him "defective", Yorimitsu decides to take No. 6 under his belt as a shikigami, putting him to work under him. Thus began No. 6's life with humans, working for Yorimitsu until his eventual death, and even longer after that for his other descendants. He did all manner of tasks for them, from fetching herbs to killing a house full of people. Despite this, and despite him obediently and efficiently carrying out all of his tasks, his presence made the humans he lived with uncomfortable.
One other such task he would do was capture runaway kannagi, then breaking their legs or gouging out their eyes if necessary. We see him do just that to a young kannagi girl, who yells about how she doesn't want to sacrifice her life for the people of the village. In response, before gouging out her eyes, he says that her role is to die, and that it's his role to do this.
No. 6 notes that his time with the humans, performing the role he was ordered to do, was no different from his time with the demons on the mountain.
Sometime later, No. 6 is being told that he will watch over the next sacrifice, and to continue as usual; break her legs if she runs, gouge out her eyes if she resists, and get rid of anyone trying to help her. But the man ordering him pauses, seemingly troubled. He says that this newest sacrifice is only six years old, and very unreasonable. He thinks the Akane clan must have sent her to them so young because the family didn't want the child to resent them.
He doubts a demon like No. 6 would do good with kids, but guesses it'll be fine as long as he doesn't kill her. He tells him to do whatever he likes with her, and No. 6 obeys his orders.
Skipping forward, and a young girl in a fancy kimono is bowing on the floor in front of No. 6. She says her name is Sumire, and says that she is honored to be given this role, and that it's a pleasure to meet No. 6. After finishing her formal speech, she sits up, dropping the honorifics. With bright eyes, she innocently asks him if he's going to be Sumire's new husband.
No. 6 stares back at her blankly.
Continuing from the ending of the previous chapter, the young Sumire is asking the young No. 6 if he is her new husband. He negates this, stating she's going to be marrying God, and it won't happen till she's much older. Sumire then comes to the conclusion that No. 6 is her unlawfully wedded husband, and out of exasperation he agrees with that.
Following this, No. 6 starts to care for Sumire. As she is the youngest girl he's ever had to watch over, he starts doing different kinds of jobs, like playing house with her as her husband. She cooks him meals, cleans the house, and does his laundry, just like she were his wife. No. 6 comments that this is "strange," but Sumire criticizes his lack of life skills, saying he can't take care of her if he can't even do things like cook his own meals right.
No. 6 starts to say that it's his duty to take care of her, and Sumire says he should act as her husband if he's so worried about it. No. 6 then comments that he doesn't know what a husband does, and Sumire decides to show him.
The two of them go outside, to a field of flowers. Sumire chides him about complimenting her properly, and then No. 6 begins to hear the conversation of two passerby men. They spot the twosome, and call Sumire a "sacrifice" and No. 6 a "pet demon." Remarking on their carefree behavior, they comment on how they both must not know the fate awaiting Sumire to be able to act like that.
Sumire brings No. 6's attention back to her by placing a flower crown on his head, stating they "match." She then giggles, saying it doesn't suit him. They then hear chirping, and Sumire finds an injured little bird on the ground.
Skipping forward in time, No. 6 is walking home, dripping blood. Sumire has grown older, and was waiting for him to come home. She is surrounded by countless injured animals, that have been treated with bandages. In her lap is a rabbit. She tells him to change out of his dirtied kimono and that she'll start supper soon.
No. 6 makes a comment about how the number of injured animals in her care has increased, and that she must like taking care of them. But he questions why she does it: from his perspective, she gains nothing from doing it. Sumire responds by saying there is a meaning, and that these little animals can't survive without any help. Thus, she has total control over them: she controls whether they live or die. Their lives depend entirely on her.
Sumire begins to treat No. 6 as he ponders this. He asks why she wants control over them. Sumire responds that, when she herself dies, she wants the ones she leaves behind to grieve for her. She wants them to be so sad that they go crazy, and hopes they go to Hell.
Times goes forward, and Sumire is exorcising supernaturals with No. 6 for the sake of the village people. While most praise her, one girl throws a rock at her. Another yells at her, complaining that Sumire should have come here before her husband's leg was devoured by the monster. Another girl begs for her child to come back, who was presumably eaten by the monster. They say that it's all Sumire's fault for not dying yet, and that the monster wouldn't have come if she'd already been sacrificed.
A girl starts to throw a rock again, but No. 6 jumps in to protect Sumire and elbows her in the face. As No. 6 and Sumire walk away, one of the girl's angrily states she will kill her, as another villager tries to calm her down by saying she can't die before the ceremony. Sumire is laughing as she leaves with No. 6, but in the crowd they leave behind, one person ominously comments that "now's as good a time as any"...
In their house at night, Sumire is telling No. 6 that this will be their last time spending the night together. She asks him a favor, and he agrees. She asks him if they could pretend to do what a married couple does, just for tonight. No. 6 then pins her down to the bed, getting very close to her face, brushing her hair out of the way, tapping their foreheads together...
...before KONK!! He fakes her out, roughly smacking his head against hers. Sumire yells, asking him what he's doing. He tells her to go to bed, shutting the screen door behind him, and leaving her confused and rubbing her head. On the other side of the door, No. 6 wonders why she can't just ask him to save her. He wonders why she won't cry, even though she's about to die. He wants her to lie and do all of that anyways, even if she doesn't mean it.
As Sumire falls to her doom, he comments that she was such an uncute girl.
After she's been sacrificed, the villagers throw a party. No. 6 watches with a neutral expression as they rejoice at the peaceful times awaiting their village. They make a brief comment about already having picked the next Kannagi, and decide that No. 6 will just take care of her again.
No. 6 reflects on what Sumire told him earlier:
"When I'm gone... I want there to be sadness. I want them to cry and cry. Feel miserable. Become so sad, they go crazy..."
No. 6 gets up.
He slaughters every single adult in the room. "I hope they go to Hell," Sumire had said.
The children left behind are crying, and a girl asks him why he did this. No. 6 reaches out for her, but changes his mind and leaves. He wonders why he did that himself. He doesn't know why.
Eventually, an angry mob finds him. With little resistance, they take him down. No. 6 comments that he felt neither anger, sadness, nor hatred. Only that he wanted to do things differently, and tell her things he never said.
The chapter begins with a flashback, where Sumire is about to be sacrificed to God and jump off the cliff. No. 6, who was present at this ceremony, wonders if he should have slaughtered everyone there, except for Sumire, and saved her.
But he wonders if saving her would even be the right choice, when she never actually asked him to do so.
Returning to the present, No. 6 is still holding up Aoi. She had asked him why he was doing all of this, and he finally informs her that he would like to know that himself.
Suddenly, a beam of lightning strikes the back of No. 6's head. He turns around, and we see Kou standing there and holding his brother's spirit blade. He tells No. 6 to let Aoi go.
No. 6 had thought Kou wouldn't be able to get here with the wounds he had inflicted on him, and tells him he's persistent. Enraged, Kou lets out a battle cry and attacks him with the sword. Getting a closer look, No. 6 recognizes it as the same sword that Yorimitsu-sama wielded. Kou informs him that it belongs to his brother.
As they clash, Kou explains that his Raiteijou was sealed, so it wouldn't have been able to defeat No. 6. His brother had told him that the sword he's holding now was used to defeat demons, so Kou thought it'd be a perfect fit to exorcise No. 6 with.
Kou is impressed by how strong the sword is, saying it's just as powerful as he thought it'd be, but laments upon how heavy it is. The physical strain of using it is also causing his previous injuries to hurt like crazy, and he wishes he could swing it around as easily as Teru does.
Seeing him in distress, No. 6 asks Kou if he's feeling alright. This only makes Kou even more mad, causing him to swing his sword. His swing ends up slicing through No. 6's arm, which delights Kou. No. 6 is unfazed, however, and simply yanks the sword out of his flesh. He knocks Kou off his feet by pulling the sword forward, and smacks him in the head and on his back. He then readies his fist, punching Kou in the face and slamming him into the ground.
After roughing him up some more, No. 6 asks Kou why he came here. He wonders if it was to save Aoi, who he guesses might be important to him, or if it was revenge for what No. 6 did to Teru.
Kou is silent in response. No. 6 tells him to go home, and that he has no interest in messing around with kids like him. As he's walking away, with Aoi in tow, Kou is angry that he was called a "kid" and runs forward to punch him. No. 6 easily thwarts his attack and grabs him, lifting him up by his arm.
No. 6 tells Kou that if he rushes in without a plan like this, then he'll die. But No. 6 wonders if that's actually what Kou wants, and then surmises that someone must want Kou to kill No. 6, even if it costs Kou his own life. A picture of a defeated Teru is shown, lying on the ground.
Kou denies this. He says that he's too weak and stupid for anyone to wish something like that of him. But that doesn't matter to him; he's still going to defeat No. 6, even if nobody is counting on him to do so.
Kou then outlines what he's going to do. He's going to save Aoi, and the injured Teru and Akane as well. By ruining the ceremony to sacrifice Aoi, he'll then be able to open up the Boundary again and get the supernaturals to come back. A picture of Mitsuba when he was disappearing during the Severance is shown. He further adds on that with No. 6's power to control both life and death, they might be able to help Nene with her lifespan, too. A flashback of Hanako cradling Nene's dead body during Chapter 27 is shown.
Kou begins to say that doing this will make everyone happy, but he remembers when Teru told him to stop "acting like a hero" and cuts himself off. He then chomps down on No. 6's nose, who is thrown off by this and left stunned for a second. Seizing the chance, Kou stabs No. 6 with the sword, telling him that he's going to make everybody happy.
No. 6 reflects on this, and as the sword is piercing him, we see a flashback of a young Sumire and No. 6. He notes that no one has ever asked him to make them happy, and that he has never wished to be happy himself. The chapter ends with the lightning from Teru's sword electrifying No. 6.
After Kou shocked No. 6 with anti-spirit lightning by piercing him with Teru's spirit blade, they are both panting and hunched over the floor. Kou thinks he may have won, but No. 6 lunges forward and grabs his face in his hand.
Preparing for the end, Kou is suddenly rescued by Natsuhiko. Kou, confused, asks him why he's here. Natsuhiko explains that he came to the Boundary in order to capture No. 6, as he told Kou he wanted to do in Chapter 65. He further explains that No. 6 was a real pain in the butt for him, since he kept stopping the supernaturals before they could rampage in the mortal realm.
Kou is shocked silent by this revelation, and Natsuhiko thanks him for his help, reaching a hand out to him.
The scene changes to Hanako and Nene, who still remain inside of the empty indoor pool building that they were in during Chapter 86. While Nene is busy showing him a puzzle she brought with her, and Hanako asks if she understands the severity of the situation they're in right now.
Nene informs him she does, and to prove so, she goes in-depth to explain exactly what the situation they're in is. Because Hanako tried to take Aoi to the Far Shore to extend Nene's lifespan, he pissed off Teru, Akane, Kou, and Nene. Since Teru and Akane would exterminate Hanako on the spot if they found him, Nene says that she ran away with Hanako, with some help from Kou.
After Hanako-kun apologizes for his rudeness, Nene grows quiet. After a moment, she says she understands what he was trying to do, and that Hanako was only trying to grant her wish for her. Nene says she's changing her mind, and that she wants to stop trying to extend her lifespan. She says that they'll let Aoi go back to the mortal realm, and that Nene will stay here in the Boundary.
Nene then tries to show Hanako-kun the other cool stuff she brought with her to kick off her new life as a dead person, but Hanako interjects. He asks her if she thinks that staying in the Boundary means that she won't die, even if her lifespan runs dry. Or, is it that she doesn't actually care if she dies?
She confirms this, and Hanako smiles. He asks her, then, if she'll never go back to the mortal realm, and stay here with him forever. Nene confirms this also.
Raining on her parade, Hanako informs her that the dead long to go to the Far Shore. He asks her if she, like other dead people, would want to go there with them. He tells her that if she chooses to stay here, instead, that she would become a supernatural. Nene looks surprised, and he asks her if she knew that supernaturals and dead people aren't the same thing.
There's a flashback as Hanako speaks, showing Kou and Mitsuba at the school entrance. Hanako says that if a dead person spends a long amount of time in the mortal realm or the Boundary, then they will gradually disappear. As an image of The Bent-Neck Boy at the School Entrance is shown, Hanako informs Nene that they may also turn into a supernatural instead, but there's no telling how much of their human selves will remain after their transformation. He says that the very same could happen to Nene, showing an image of a goopy supernatural creature with a Kamome Academy uniform, and that she could change so much that she might not even be "Yashiro Nene" anymore.
Nene starts crying, and asks why Hanako would tell her such a horrible thing. Hanako says that he's just telling her the truth, and forces her arms away from her face and begs her to listen. Grabbing her face in his hands, he looks into her eyes and tells her how childish she is, and how she's always acting on her own. He tells her she only ever thinks about the futures that are convenient for her.
But he bows his head, and asks her not to say it's okay for her to die.
Suddenly, Tsukasa appears out of nowhere. He asks Hanako what Nene should be saying, then. He informs Hanako that when he gave up, everything became so much easier for him. As Tsukasa speaks, an image of Hanako's past self, Amane, is shown, with a kitchen knife poised to stab his abdomen.
Nene and Hanako are both surprised by his sudden appearance, asking him why he's here. Tsukasa grabs Nene, and asks Hanako why he won't let Nene give up like he did, even though she wants to. He says that Amane can't grant her wish for her, and that he feels so bad for her.
Hanako swipes his knife at Tsukasa, freeing Nene from his clutches. He tells him that he wants Yashiro to live. Tsukasa parrots that back to him as a question, laughing as he does so, and with a big grin on his face, calls him "selfish."
So he asks what Hanako is going to do, then. Since Aoi's been saved, he can't extend Nene's lifespan by using her anymore. He has to think of some other way.
After Tsukasa taunts him some more, Hanako finally speaks. He says that if someone destroys the Yorishiro of every single School Mystery, then it is said that God will grant their wish.
Pleased, Tsukasa grabs both of Hanako's hands, and says, "Alrighty, then... Let's do it!"
The chapter starts with Sakura walking into the broadcasting club room. Disembodied voices in the dark are whispering about the rumor of the Seven Mysteries. They're taking about what happens if you collect all of them, but they drift off before we can hear.
Tsukasa is waiting for Sakura inside of the broadcasting room. He's doing a puzzle, one that Nene had in the previous chapter.
He asks her whether she found No. 6's yorishiro. Sakura confirms that she did, and that she was a girl named Sumire. Sakura says that she was lost, so she sent her back to where she came from.
Tsukasa pats Sakura on the head, and tells her she did a good job. He says that he did what he needed to, as well, and sent "that kannagi" to No. 6's boundary. In a flashback panel, we see that Tsukasa used his Kokujoudai to teleport Nene there, much to Hanako's shock.
Sakura is a bit confused, and asks Tsukasa if his big brother was okay with that. Tsukasa says that Amane "kinda made a face about it," but he eventually agreed to do his job, so there weren't any problems.
Tsukasa says that the only thing they have to worry about now is whether or not Nene will be able to destroy Sumire, who is a yorishiro bearing a human form.
But Sakura says she isn't worried. She says that the only way Nene can extend her lifespan is by destroying all of the yorishiro, and that even if she tried to escape the village they trapped her inside of, there was no way she would be able to do it without Hanako's help. Tsukasa nods along with what she's saying.
Sakura goes on to say that Sumire told her she was okay with being destroyed, and that when the time comes, she won't resist. Before long, the matter of No. 6 will soon be behind them.
Tsukasa puts his hand in Sakura's hair and tells her to look at him. He says that No. 2's, No. 5's, and No. 4's yorishiro have all been destroyed, and that No. 3's will be taken care of some way or another. With those four taken care of, there are only three yorishiro left to be destroyed. Tsukasa and Sakura are on the ground now, with Tsukasa crouching over her on the flooded boundary floor. He says that Sakura's wish will be granted when all of the yorishiro are destroyed, and that she'll finally be able to go outside. She's wished to go outside for over a hundred years, he says.
He surmises that she must be happy that her wish is coming true. Or, he thinks it could be the opposite, and wonders if she's thinking that she should have never made that wish. Tsukasa asks if she regrets making her wish.
Sakura says she doesn't regret it, and that she's happy.
Suddenly, Tsukasa is yanked off of Sakura, revealing that Natsuhiko has entered the broadcasting room. He asks Tsukasa why he's treating a lady like this, and Tsukasa just hums in response. Natsuhiko orders him to get out of here and take care of Mitsuba, and Tsukasa obediently leaves.
Sakura welcomes him back. Natsuhiko gets down on a knee and offers his hand to help her up, but she refuses him and gets up by herself. She asks him if he finished what she asked him to. Natsuhiko confirms that he did, and briefly sports the visage of a gentleman thief, saying he would steal the moon itself if she asked. Sakura thanks him and, as usual, is unimpressed by his display.
Natsuhiko brings up the yorishiro again, saying they only have three left to destroy... but corrects himself, saying they really only have two left. He asks her what'll happen when they're all destroyed, and discovers that even Sakura doesn't know. She says it's never happened before, but guesses that because the yorishiro protect the border between the Near Shore and the Far Shore, that life and death would be no more. She says that the living, dead, and even supernaturals will probably cease to exist. Not that any of that is a problem for her, she says.
Natsuhiko is quiet for a moment, but he turns to Sakura and asks her if she would go on a date with him if that ever happens. Sakura admonishes him, saying he would also cease to exist, so he wouldn't be able to take her on a date. Natsuhiko says she doesn't know that for sure, and hits her with his cutest smile. Sakura relents, and says that she'll go on a date with him if he lives, much to Natsuhiko's joy.
The scene changes, and it's nighttime. Sumire wakes up, and finds that she has awoken in a house within No. 6's boundary. She's visibly disappointed, saying that in the end, she ended up back in this village again.
She hears a rattling noise, and wonders if it's Sakura. Or maybe... just maybe... could it be No. 6?
No, it's Nene! She runs to Sumire, and they have a tearful reunion. They're both happy to see that the other is okay... except, Nene tells Sumire that someone named "Tsukasa-kun" brought her here. Nene is having a hard time getting her words out, and Sumire guesses that Tsukasa ordered Nene to destroy her, and that if she doesn't, Nene won't be able to leave.
Nene confirms this is true, and says she has no idea what to do. But she says that she'll find some other way to get out of here, and rushes away to go scour the boundary. Sumire waves her off with a smile, but monologues about how Nene doesn't have to do that, and that she's fine with things ending this way...
A cherry blossom petal suddenly lands on Sumire's head, much to her surprise. She doesn't remember the sakura trees blooming during this season, and follows the petals to find out where they're coming from. She finds a large sakura tree, and sees that No. 6 is passed out beneath it. Sumire calls out...
"Hakubo...?"
Beneath a sakura tree, No. 6 sleeps. Sumire, joyed to see him, clasps his hand and calls out his name: "Hakubo!"
In contrast to her joy, No. 6 is startled by her appearance. He jumps to his feet and backs up against the tree, screaming. Sumire is displeased, remarking that he looks as though he's seen a ghost. She admits, however, that he must be feeling a bit of regret if he's reacting in this way.
Trying to cut to the chase, No. 6 asks her why she's here, still looking uneasy. Sumire dodges the question, commenting that she planned on going easy on him because he looked as though he'd suffered an unusually grievous injury, but she sees now that he seems to be fit and well.
Skittishly, No. 6 tries to hide from her behind the sakura tree. Sumire says he never knows when to quit, and wonders whether she should punish him or not. She chooses violence, and proceeds to tie him up and torture him by placing a heavy stone on his lap. (TLN: this practice is called Ishidaki, and is a torture method practiced during the Edo period in Japan.)
Staking a sign that says "This man left his wife behind for over 100 years" next to him, Sumire laments about how she had so many things she wanted to say and do to him if she ever saw him again, but can't seem to remember them anymore. No. 6 makes a snide remark that she has a lot of nerve saying something like that, but Sumire either didn't hear him or pretends not to.
Changing subjects, Sumire brings up that she met Sakura earlier, who she describes as someone No. 6 works for. She notes that Sakura was the one who gave No. 6 his position as one of the school mysteries of Kamome Academy. Then, Sumire says that Sakura told her that she intends on getting rid of the school mysteries, saying that there's no need for them, and no need to protect the mortal realm any longer. Sakura will return the seven seats to their original form.
In conclusion, Sumire explains that No. 6's final job is to destroy his yorishiro, AKA Sumire.
With a sad expression, Sumire says that Nene, the only person who can destroy her, would never destroy Sumire willingly, even if it was the only way for Nene to leave No. 6's boundary. She tells No. 6 that it's for that reason that he must persuade Nene to do it. She tells him it's his duty, so he must be able to do it.
After a beat of silence, No. 6 says that if Sumire is telling him to do so, then he'll do it. Smiling with closed eyes, Sumire says that he hasn't changed at all, and that it's like they've gone back in time to that night.
Getting along with things, Sumire tells him to come with her to look for Nene.
The two of them walk through a moonlit, deserted town, the same one Sumire grew up in. They can't find Nene, and all the food has been left out on the tables in the houses.
Sumire suddenly spots a familiar building, and starts to reminisce about how the two boys that lived there would always bully her by throwing mud balls at her, but No. 6 would always come to save her. Comically ruining the moment, No. 6 says that if he didn't do that, then she'd end up beating up those boys and tossing them into the manure. Sumire stares back blankly at him, before turning to notice a persimmon tree. She says that she would pick persimmons from that tree every year, and that No. 6 would help her hang them up to dry. No. 6 remembers that she once broke the branch of that same tree when she tried to steal persimmons from it, causing her to fall and him to run to her rescue. Sumire stares blankly back again, and No. 6 lets out a chuckle.
No. 6 begins to point out several things Sumire broke, from a water wheel, to a burnt down shed, and even a jizou statue. He seems to be having a good time. Sumire gets upset about how unsentimental he's being, and No. 6 gazes off fondly into the distance and says she's got a wild personality. Sumire is offended at being called "wild", and puts on a cutesy face to try to appeal to him, saying they were just mistakes and that she's a beautiful girl burdened with a tragic fate. Deadpan, No. 6 calls her shameless.
Despite their banter, they have a good time walking around the town. Sumire says it's really fun to walk through town with no one around, but with almost planned timing, a raindrop suddenly splats onto her head. A rain storm begins, and Sumire shrieks. The two of them find shelter in a dirt tunnel in the side of a hill in the woods.
Sumire stares out into the downpour of rain, hoping aloud that Nene found shelter. No. 6 is silent, drawing Sumire's attention. He's staring at the lightning, and recalls the fight he had with Kou. He tells Sumire that he met a kid from the Minamoto family outside of the boundary, and that the kid was reckless, weak, and wouldn't listen to anything No. 6 told him. No. 6 says that Kou told him he was going to make everyone happy by defeating No. 6, which No. 6 finds ridiculous. Still, some part of No. 6 wishes he could have the same spirit Kou had...
Surprised, Sumire asks him if he regrets "that time," and we see a flashback of the ceremony in which Sumire was sacrificed. No. 6 pauses for a long time to think, and eventually asks her if she really thinks that's true. Sumire is unimpressed that he took all that time to say something so unprofound, but with a good-natured sigh, she reasons that he's always been that way.
As the rain continues to pour, Sumire starts to squeeze the water out of her hair, and hefts up the bottom of her kimono. No. 6 reaches out a hand to her, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear and clutching her head. He asks her if he should take her.
Sumire stares at him, and he stares back. She breaks eye contact, and asks if he means it like taking her as a wife. Chuckling, she says that she won't be tricked by him, and says he must be lying.
No. 6 grabs her arm, dragging her in for a kiss. Wide-eyed, Sumire begins to blush, asking him what he's doing. In response, No. 6 kisses her again. His sharp teeth scrape against her skin, drawing blood. Breaking away once more, he cradles her head, telling her he's serious this time.
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