Construction Chronicles of the Heartbroken Carpenter Episode 1

Narration starts by talking about how the year is starting, and as spring is on the horizon children are running around outside. And there, a young man watches over them with a smile. Camera then tunes in a bit closer to some temple in Asakusa and says the guy is hanging laundry up to dry.

Then a boy starts crying and calls another boy a jerk for taking something from him. The other boy says it’s just for a second and blames him for not lending it out sooner. A girl says he shouldn’t bully weaker kids because Motosumi said so.

Motosumi then walks over and tries to break up the fight. The girl runs over to tell him what’s going on, so the second boy pouts about being tattled on and gives back the thing. Motosumi crouches down and says in the kindest tone he can muster that he’s told them Stealing is Bad™️ before, then asks to see what it is they were fighting over.

It turns out to be some bean. The second boy thought it’d be something cooler since the first boy was hanging onto it so much. The first boy says he wants to plant it in the garden, which gets the kid’s interest.

Motosumi says the bean’s been fried so it probably won’t grow. Then he asks if they found the bean on temple property. The kid tells him he found a bunch dropped by the wall and is disappointed it won’t grow into anything. The subject reminds Motosumi of something, so he asks the children if they’ve heard of Setsubun before.

The girl volunteers and says she was told by some old grannies about how it’s a holiday to drive out oni and bring in good luck. The first boy asks if that would affect Zenki and Goki, the oni babies with Motosumi, and says that would be sad. The sudden attention on the babies makes them start fussing.

Motosumi agrees as he tries to calm them down, then says they do things differently now because of that. His tone roughs up a bit, and the red boy asks what’s wrong since he’s making a face. Motosumi takes playful offense at not being addressed respectfully and tickles the boy in response.

The boy complains since he was worrying over him. Motosumi says he doesn’t need a kid to worry for him, then says it’s almost nap time, and any kid who can’t get back before he does will have to clean the tub. The children run back inside as Motosumi follows slowly behind them.

Scene shifts over to the Kamata school as a big guy is putting some ink on some lumber, and the seriousness at which he’s doing it makes it hard to approach him. Kurogane then shows up calling for Takemaru, looking for him. Since Takemaru doesn’t answer, Kurogane wonders if he isn’t back from college yet.

Takemaru pretends not to have noticed Kurogane barging in, and narration says what he’s doing is very important as that’s where construction starts. Kurogane tries to get Takemaru’s attention by getting right up against his back, putting his chin on his shoulders, and waving his hand in front of his face. Takemaru ignores all of this.

Kurogane decides to give up talking directly and figures he’ll just leave a note then. He’s still impressed with how hard Takemaru is concentrating though rather than put off, then leaves. After he does, Takemaru complains about him doing this all the time. He does think Kurogane is cute, but he also says he hates humans and Kurogane is just one of them. 

He continues mumbling to himself about how outrageous the touching was, then thinks that this kind of skinship is why Suzuka fell from grace. He calls it bold of humans to do so, then figures he should try it himself if he ever gets into a relationship.

Amatsumara barges in at that point shouting and asking if Takemaru is there. This surprises Takemaru into slipping way into his native (Tohoku I guess?) accent, so he has to remind himself to tone it back down. Once he’s ready with that he turns around and calls Amatsumara over to the room he’s in. Amatsumara asks if he got Kurogane’s message and leans in.

Takemaru steps back since he’s too close for his tastes, even if Amatsumara’s eyes suck. He also claims that if he’s too close he’ll get nervous and be unable to talk. Amatsumara asks if that’s why he ignored Kurogane, then says he can tell from his muscles that Takemaru kind of likes it. He also asks if he just doesn’t know how to spend time with other people.

Takemaru says he knows other humans aren’t at fault, but he doesn’t like the ones who tricked him and made Suzuka fall. He has heard his old colleague is in some baseball team somewhere and getting along with humans though, then turns his attention to Kurogane’s note.

Amatsumara comments on him changing the subject and offers to give him advice. Takemaru declines saying he’s at the age he should find his own answers. Back to the note, it turns out to be a request for material gathering for making barricades for Setsubun.

Takemaru says this time of year is always rough, and Amatsumara says that it’s like how Santa exists. If there’s enough people who believe it, then it’s possible for beans to hurt oni. Takemaru says if oni are in danger then he’ll pitch in and help and says he’ll go to Asakusa right away.

Takemaru asks Amatsumara to pass on the message to Kurogane and leaves. Amatsumara says he could have at least be polite enough to say “I’m heading out” and wonders when he’ll open up.

Title card pops up, and this chapter is called The Human Hating Oni Carpenter.

Things then tune back at Shinjuku Academy at lunch time as Ryouta says Shirou made something for everyone and prompts people to clap for him. Kengo says that’s nice of him and asks what it is. It turns out to be ehoumaki, which he hopes people will like.

You ask how to eat an ehoumaki or ask if this world has a certain way to eat them. Moritaka says some people in Wa no Kuni face the lucky direction and eat the whole thing without speaking as there’s apparently benefits to doing so. Ryouta thinks you’d choke with something so thick and long in your mouth. You either say it still looks good or agree with him.

Touji tells Ryouta to be careful since stopping partway through could affect your destiny. He also says facing the right direction will concentrate your spirit. And if you don’t want to be cut off from someone you care about you should treat eating the ehoumaki like it’s a life or death battle. It may be wordplay, but Touji says if enough people believe it then it might happen.

Ryouta thinks Touji takes everything too seriously, but he won’t lose when it comes to food. Then he starts to eat. You can either say the customary pre-eating expression or just start without saying anything.

Kengo pops up in the middle barely seconds later having eaten all of his. You either say thanks for the food or express surprise at how quick that was. Kengo says eating fast is his specialty and asks if the Setsubun curse is done with. That reminds him of the bean throwing part of the holiday, so he brings it up. Shirou comments on him knowing about it, then says the bean throwing and yelling parts have been abolished.

You either ask about the bean throwing, the shouting, or ask what goes on over here. Touji answers that until Transients showed up, he heard it was like how it is normally: throw beans and chant that oni get out and luck comes in. With Tokyo as it is now, that’s become inappropriate.

Shirou comments on Touji knowing stuff as a Shinto priest, and Ryouta says there’s a lot of oni Transients around. Kengo suggests saying Shirou in that case, and Shirou starts whacking him for being a jerk and trying to skip out on make up classes.

Touji sighs about having gotten used to this and says this isn’t the time to play around. Shirou and Kengo protest that they aren’t. Anyways Touji says if you guys want, he’ll play the oni as he does happen to be part oni. Kengo says he’s not interested in throwing beans at friends and apologizes for being insensitive.

Touji says he just thought there were some good points to old Shinto rituals and says he doesn’t mind now, thanking him for his consideration. Ryouta says he thinks it’s cool Touji is an oni, which baffles him. Ryouta asks if no one else ever said that to him, and Touji says he’s avoided talking to people his age outside work so he doesn’t even remember speaking to anyone like that. He also brings up being a hunter of his own kind before backtracking on the topic.

Back on subject Touji says he just wanted you guys to know what the older folk used to do. Shirou says he’s interested in a cultural sense and agrees. You then suggest you guys say “oni in, luck out” or “oni in, luck in” and make a Setsubun tradition of it.

Solomon pops up yelling and telling you to stop since you shouldn’t say that in this time period. He also says he feels like your oni acquaintances are warming up. But he doesn’t think it’ll be dangerous, so he tells you to do your best and peaces out. Moritaka asks why you’re staring into space and offers to take you to the nurse’s office if you don’t feel well.

Shirou tells him he thinks you’re fine and comments on how you look from the side. Before he can finish the thought someone slams the door open and draws everyone’s attention. Ibaraki barges in and demands to know who said “oni in” because he’s happy about it

You greet him without missing a beat and ask if he came all this way to hang out. Ryouta is shocked you actually brought an oni in with your words, and Touji remembers that Ibaraki is a first year student here. Kengo thinks it’s a fight and is totally up for it. Shirou asks him to stop that while at school and indirectly compares Ibaraki to Zaoh.

Kengo is about to blab Zaoh’s summoning word when Ryouta zooms in to stop him. Shirou sighs about how there’s another forbidden word at school now, and Ibaraki demands a bit of food. You comment that he’s become a bit friendly or ask if this is the power of saying oni in.

Either way Shirou says he can have some since he made a lot. Ibaraki calls it plundering like an oni and takes a bite. You either say it’s good, say he can’t hide that he’s been raised well despite the tough guy act, or say it’s fun to feed kouhai like this. Going with A he agrees and says he’ll grab some for Shuten too.

Ryouta decides that since an actual oni is here they might as well ask him about Setsubun. Ibaraki says Setsubun sucks for other oni since strangers throw beans at them. Ryouta is appalled and says there are cool oni like Touji around. Touji finds this embarrassing and asks him to stop saying that.

Ibaraki personally takes bean throwing in stride since that means he’s terrifying and that’s what an oni should be. He was disappointed to find out Tokyo doesn’t do that anymore. Still, other oni get nervous this time of year and he says a lot of them are in Kabukicho. There’s also a lot of underground resistance members coming carrying beans for shrine visits too. This prompts the building of barricades every year.

Because of all that, he suggests you guys stay away from Kabukicho. You comment on this state of things, and Ibaraki asks what the oni in thing you guys were talking about is for. Shirou explains the bit about thinking up a new way of doing Setsubun. Ibaraki suggests throwing something other than beans since he’s sick of it.

Shirou thinks out loud about how throwing ehoumaki wouldn’t work, then tells Kengo and Ryouta to stop looking like it would be. Shuten then walks in asking Ibaraki what all the noise is since he could hear from outside on the ground floor. You greet him and ask why he’s here.

Ibaraki tells Shuten about your oni in thing, and Shuten says you’re thinking about something weird again. Ryouta thinks you upset him and suggests apologizing. You either do so or say you might start liking the way he’s looking at you.

Going with A Shuten clarifies that he’s not glaring at you and that he was just surprised. Anyways he says he wants to ask you something and requests that you come with him. Ibaraki squawks loudly in surprise, which prompts Shuten to compare that to acting like a dumbass and asks what his problem is.

I’m not quite sure what Ibaraki is saying but I think he’s talking about how Shuten never asks anyone for anything despite taking on other people’s requests. At the very least he protests that he doesn’t ask Ibaraki for anything. Shuten says Ibaraki is always helping him, which makes him happy and try to be the one to do whatever it is he’s here for.

Shuten turns him down saying an old friend asked him for help so he wants to ask a human (i.e. you) to do it because an oni can’t. Ibaraki gets pissed and says you better not think you’ve won. You either say you don’t or rub it in his face.

Anyways Shuten asks if you’ll hear him out. You agree to it. Shirou worries about you going alone though it should be fine within the school. Touji sympathizes and says if someone suspicious were around the teachers would have done something already. You say you’ll be going and ask everyone to think about the Setsubun thing some more. Kengo says he’ll do it but asks you not to expect much from him. Moritaka says they can think of something together.

Scene then shifts to Asakusa as Motosumi takes a bat from an umbrella stand and goes outside after the kids are napping. Some other weird kids are saying oni and luck should get out as they throw beans around. Motosumi tells them to stop because they’ll make birds come in. If they won’t he’ll make a call. The kids keep doing so anyways.

Motosumi yells at the kids to stop it already and demands to know who taught them to do this. The two say it doesn’t matter because oni kids are here, and adult oni are violent. Better get them now before that happens. Motosumi has things he wants to say, but he decides the first thing to ask is why they heard beans can get rid of oni.

The boy says it’s because of Japanese wordplay. The word for bean can also have its pronunciation associated with the phrase “to destroy evil.” Also the boy throws in a remark about Motosumi being an old man who knows nothing. Motosumi protests both points as a temple raised high schooler.

The kids are shocked by this. Motosumi comments that constantly being taken for being older than he is is a shock too, then focuses and tells the kids to stop judging things on appearances in regards to him and oni. What you should judge people on are actions and not their birth circumstances, so they ought to throw beans at something else.

The kids do stop, but they leave one last remark about him not knowing anything. Motosumi demands they stay because he’s not done talking yet. He tries to chase them but loses them quickly. He then starts thinking about how kids nowadays shouldn’t know about the bean thing, so an adult must be putting them up to this.

Motosumi heads back, then finds someone at the gate looking in at the temple. They notice him come back and turn to face him. Motosumi demands to know what they’re there for, and it turns out Takemaru is here. Takemaru asks if he’s the head priest and says he can smell oni children around. He also asks if he’s mistreating them since Setsubun is close by.

Motosumi denies it and tells him he lives there with orphans. Takemaru believes him and apologizes for misunderstanding. Motosumi in turn asks if he’s an oni and compliments his horns. Takemaru is happy about it but asks if he’s trying to trick him.

Takemaru backs off from the question and says he’ll put his pride on the line to apologize. He has to pay Motosumi back for looking after the oni kids anyway, then introduces himself. Motosumi introduces himself back and apologizes for thinking he was a thief or something. Side note I forgot Motosumi’s last name was Tohno.

Anyways Takemaru asks if Motosumi has children despite not looking like he’s that old, which almost freaks him out into a heart attack. Motosumi apologizes as he’s usually not treated as someone young. But back to the point, Takemaru offers to fix up the temple.

Motosumi likes the idea but he doesn’t have the money to pay him. Takemaru waves it off, saying he can get materials for free through his artifact. Motosumi is impressed and asks if he can ask him about something. He wants to know if it’s true throwing beans can destroy oni.

Scene shifts back to your side as Shuten takes you to the school roof. You comment on how cold it is and hint that someone should warm you up. Oniwaka pops in and says he’ll do that for you, surprising Ibaraki.

In response to Shuten noting his being there, Oniwaka says he’s here to protect you because you suck at self-care. So he’ll help keep you warm and guard you from strange oni who have taken you somewhere deserted for some reason. Ibaraki calls him overprotective and asks if Shuten agrees. Shuten is about to say Ibaraki is like that too before backing off on that.

Anyways you comment on how warm Oniwaka’s hand or body is. He’s baffled since you don’t seem to be listening to him, saying he originally planned to stay hidden unless things went south. Ibaraki says Shuten isn’t the barbarian he looks like, which mildly offends him and forces Ibaraki to walk it back a bit and blame Oniwaka.

Oniwaka says he did that himself, then asks what they want with you. Ibaraki offers to make Oniwaka leave, but Shuten lets him stay as he doesn’t seem actively aggressive. Shuten then gets to the point, telling you he wants you to get along with Takemaru. You either ask about getting along with an oni, say this is so sudden, or say you sense a new love.

Going with A, Shuten explains that Takemaru lost his one-sided love to a human, which among other things lead to him hating humans as a whole. Shuten clashed with humans a lot himself, but any grudges he’d have are unrelated to you he says as he looks at Oniwaka.

Oniwaka asks if he’s trying to say something, though Shuten denies it. He also makes reference to some battle in his past and covers half his face with his hand, then stops himself as he admits he does hold a grudge of sorts. When you try to talk to him, he says it’s nothing and that you are you. Then he gets back to the subject at hand.

He adds that it would be a shame to begrudge someone who’d say “oni in,” then asks if you’ll go see Takemaru later. Oniwaka cuts in to say you should get back inside for health reasons. You agree to go, saying you’ll try, say you’re curious, or say you can’t turn Shuten down.

Oniwaka is baffled you’d do this as Shuten already described Takemaru as hating humans, warning you he might eat you. He tries to talk you out of this, but you say if anything happens then Oniwaka will be there. Ibaraki sympathizes with Oniwaka a bit for also having a dutiful boss. He says that’s how you are and swears to protect you. Shuten thanks you for doing this.

Scene shifts again to Chuo Park as some rando swordsman is flinging beans at Kagutsuchi. Kagutsuchi tries to get him to stop and offers to take him on in a direct fight. Rando however tells him to piss off because he wants to exterminate oni, not fight. That’s what’s supposed to happen on Setsubun, so of course throwing beans will do something.

Kagutsuchi asks if he’s done something bad to him because he doesn’t remember anything like that. The guy says he hates oni because they somehow ruined his life in some unspecified way. Kagutsuchi then tries to point out that he’s unrelated to whatever seemed to have happened, but the rando tries to attack.

Suzuka swoops in to intervene because she’s against bullying children. She tells the guy she’ll fight him if he wants and she’ll show no mercy. He decides to piss off himself, so Suzuka checks on Kagutsuchi. He thanks her and calls her strong, which she waves off.

Kagutsuchi talks about being too inexperienced to know how to hold back, so he’s forbidden from fighting outside of sparring matches. He also says he wants to be strong enough to fight without hurting anyone. Suzuka says he shouldn’t pay too much attention to the guy since he’s not at fault for whatever.

Suzuka then notices a scrape on Kagutsuchi’s knee, so she tells him to come with her so she can put something on it. He tries to protest it as not a big deal, so she tries to convince him. At that point a light appears near them taking them by surprise, and a red oni appears. He asks them if they know who you are, which is where the episode ends.