GOD DAMN IT. I KNEW I COULDN’T TRUST THAT GIRL! She freaked me out the first time, and now she baits her out?! WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?! What is her game? Regardless Aoi was manipulated by some force, and wounded up separated from Ginji, and now she is trapped somewhere likely at the port’s warehouse, or worse case scenario, a ship. It is hard to say whether or not she did this with good intentions of bringing about an important encounter that would help inspire Aoi the marvellous dish she needs to create. Either way, her captors intend to keep her there for two days to make sure she doesn’t fulfill the request.
We don’t know who it is, but someone is trying to sabotage her job of cooking for the Royal Family. While she may not be like her grandfather is causing ruckus in the Hidden Realm, her restaurant and cooking abilities makes her an unwanted competition. I am sure there are many who are jealous of her being requested to cook for the royal couple’s anniversary. It is an opportunity everyone wants since it would not only give them bragging rights, but boost their name and reputation.
As result we now are now in a situation where Aoi is held captive. This particular development surprises me a bit because it looks like the Mystery Ayakashi may be addressed a lot sooner than I had anticipated. They are certainly making it hard to figure out who is it, dropping hints that it could either be Oodanna or Ginji. In this particularly episode, they were sure to even draw parallels to the event, showing us how both of them interact with certain things that only the Mystery Ayakashi should know about. In Oodanna’s case, he repeated the same words of comfort. However words are something that can be easily repeated by anyone, where as gestures tend to be more unique to the situation. There is also the fact he didn’t know about her fear for storms, but even that we can’t completely disregard if we were to interpret it as he didn’t think the incident had traumatized her to that extent. Aoi had started asking him about it, but for whatever reason she decided against it. Oodanna had a certain look in his eyes, but it was a moment I am having a hard time getting a read on since it could be interpreted as being the one or knowing who she is talking about.
Then there is Ginji, who has been more or less on everyone’s radar, and the prime suspect for the case. So far there is a lot about him that fit the bill. He comes from the Southern Lands (where that mask is supposed to be from), currently he is the only one who pointed out that curry and rice is her favourite food without her even recalling having mentioned it to him. It is also strange how he is always trying to dodge the subject, or twist his words as though he is trying to hide something. And Aoi has caught onto this, but she is kind of in this state of denial where she is brushing him off as one of the potential candidates, and to some extent is subconsciously holding herself back from asking him about it.
That being said, it is probably safe to say the predicament Aoi is in will likely shed light onto who the Mystery Ayakashi is. With that in mind, what we will all be watching out for is how Ginji responds to her disappearance. With her favourite food down, the only thing left is to confirm whether or not he knows of about at least one of her greatest fears that came out of that incident.
Now when it comes down to who will be the one to save Aoi (unless she were to figure something out), naturally the first person that comes in mind is Ginji. However there is also a possibility Oodanna might appear, and perhaps that’s how the amulet will come into play. Oodanna didn’t exactly explain how it it works, but we do know it is a stone he enclosed with his ogre fire, and is said to help protect her. That being said, considering it didn’t protect her from being rendered unconscious and manipulated by the external forces, it makes me wonder just how it is supposed to function. Is it something that can summon/alert Oodanna if she is in danger or work like a GPS and track her down? Or is it like the Tengu-Fan, and is something that she would be able to use to help fend for herself?
Regardless, it’s a tough situation for Aoi to be in because up until that point, she had been diligently following the conditions Oodanna had given her, stay close to Ginji and don’t wander off on her own. It is a tough pill to swallow because sure enough, one has to wonder if he will let her go off without him again. He took the leap of faith by trusting the amulet and Ginji would be enough to keep her safe. In fact, Oodanna initially rejected her request to go to the Eastern Lands because he didn’t want her to go without him because he concerned about her being attacked by assassins again. He was unable to go with her because he was already scheduled to attend the Hachiyo Night Meeting held in Youto. It is supposed to be an important meeting where all of the leaders who rule the eight lands gather and it cannot be missed. Eventually he gave in, partially tempted by the food she made to bribe him (clever girl), and because he understood why it was important for her to pick up the ingredients herself.
Other than the more serious and plot-related events that took place, the first half of the episode was quite light-hearted and fun. I mentioned this last week, but I absolutely love how much thought Aoi puts into her meals. As she tries to figure out the menu for the royal couple’s anniversary, she has a theme of creating a meal that will remind them of good memories from the past, and create new ones for the future. I look forward to the day they meet because Ritsuko is a human who is said to have fallen in love with Nuinion, and the two dated in the Apparent Realm. I am sure Aoi is curious about how the two fell in love.
Another thing I really liked this episode was seeing the mischievous side of Aoi that reminds everyone a bit of Shiro. Byakuya especially has trust issues because of him. He thought she was going to blackmail him by knowing his secret of going up to the mountains to spend time with the Tube Cats (wild Ayakashi, THEY ARE SO CUTE!!!!). She even teased him slipping in how he likes to go to the mountain in the back. Even Ginji and Akatsuki were like, “What did you do to him?” HAHAHA! She may not be as eccentric and chaotic as her grandfather was, but in some ways, she can be even more terrifying with her more subtle and clever tricks, especially with food in the mix.
Actually speaking of which, since she needed to get permission from Oodanna to visit the Eastern Lands’ Foreign Delicacy Market, she cleverly came prepared with food to bribe him with. Sure enough it proved effective, especially when he has a soft spot of her making him a meal, regardless of her ulterior motives. 
I almost felt bad because Oodanna was so happy about her making bento for him! It was the first time we saw him with such a child-like face, and he really wanted it so he came up with a compromise by providing her the amulet. Unfortunately for him, Aoi appears to be completely oblivious of what he meant by that since he had to say it twice, but was interrupted the second time! And if that wasn’t bad enough, Aoi unintentionally wounded his heart when she said he acts like her grandfather. At first he was mortified at the idea she thought he looked old, and then felt even worse when she said he acted like her grandfather (aka an old man). To add salt to the wounds, even Byakuya tells him he is acting like her Guardian more so than her fiancé. While Aoi has moments when she is conscious of being close to him, the two certainly have a longgggggg~ way to go before they become anything like lovers, if they are to be paired up together.
EXTRA NEWS! 😀
Announcement: Kakuriyo: Bed & Breakfast for Spirits, coming Winter 2018. Get spirited away by this new @ShojoBeat release. pic.twitter.com/5k7anqsmQb
— VIZ @ ACEN (@VIZMedia) May 20, 2018
Hopefully someone will pick up the Light Novel next! 😀
