Episode 12: Kamunagi of the Chains

## Plot

**Spoiler warning: *Plot and/or ending details follow. (Skip section)***

At the Hakurokaku and in front of the whole gang, Anju lowers her head in apology. Munechika, too, bows low, asking for everyone's forbearance. She offers some delicious-looking confections that quickly mollify the girls, and then asks Haku to continue to look after the princess... and then the Guardian scuttles over to Anju's side to beg Rulutieh for more doujinshi.

Later, Haku walks with Oshtor through the halls of the imperial palace, dressed for an audience with the Mikado. It turns out that Munchika's official report on Anju's kidnapping painted Haku in a very favorable light as her rescuer, which seems to have earned him a commendation. The splendid audience hall is attended by lines of soldiers as well as the Pillar Generals, and at first Haku doesn't recognize the shadowy figure behind the curtain⁠—but when Honoka steps forward as the Mikado's attendant, he realizes that it's Mito back there. Haku points and shouts in surprise, which the Mikado plays off with a bemused laugh.

At the Mikado's command, two figures seem to float down into the room before Haku, dancing and shining with golden ornaments. The two offer Haku their hands, and the Mikado says that they are Haku's reward to do with as he pleases. They state their names—Uruuru and Saraana—and swear their eternal loyalty to Haku on the spot, body and soul.

As the Mikado recedes, laughing all the way, Honoka asks Haku to be good to her daughters.

In the aftermath, Dekopompo is shocked but Vurai quiets him with a stern reprimand. Woshis and Munechika pile on, reminding their fellow general that the Mikado knows his own mind and his word is law. The other generals wonder who Haku was; Mikazuchi only smirks.

The gang welcome Haku back to the Hakurokaku, but are shocked to hear that he got an actual meeting with the Mikado. The presence of the Twins is a further surprise. Kuon offers to help them if they don't want to be here, but her worries are in vain: they're clinging *all over* Haku, to everyone's chagrin.

The girls all seem to feel threatened, especially Rulutieh, whose spot the Twins have stolen by being good at making tea. They comment that they'll look after Haku at night, too, by which point Rulutieh has mustered up the courage to assert that it's *her* job—still meaning the tea, of course. Tea spills all over Haku's pants in the commotion, and the twins waste no time in moving to help clean it up...

Having successfully freed Haku of his pants, the Twins use a spell to dry them. This impresses the others, who begin to shower the two with questions about their magic and the Mikado.

At this point the old candyman Sakon enters the room, interrupting, and asks if Ukon is here. Since he isn't, he invites the gang to start drinking with him while they wait. Kiwru and Haku wonder how a candyman can afford the feast he's giving them.

In explaining how he knows Ukon, Haku lets slip that he's Oshtor, but Sakon already knows. He reveals his own true identity as Mikazuchi, and pops his bald cap on and off for the gang's amusement as Nekone overreacts to the "transformation".

Ukon arrives, and it emerges that he and Mikazuchi are excellent friends. Rulutieh looks on hotly.

Once things quiet down, Haku, Ukon, and Mikazuchi share a quieter drink by the moonlight, while the Twins attend them. They don't know why the Mikado gave Haku the Twins, who turn out to be Honoka's successors as chief priestess, but don't seem too concerned.

Later, though, back in the audience chamber, Oshtor reports that Maruruha has fallen to the Uzurushan invasion, and the Mikado authorizes the use of the Akuruka to show the barbarians the true power of Yamato.