A Pulse-Pounding Night

After setting two glasses of water by the door, Seiko orders Momo and Bamora to stash or cover every mirror in the bedroom and to stay put between ten and five to keep clear of Reiko Kashima. Momo figures sleep will come easily, but Seiko plants doubt and, while closing the door, stresses that under no circumstances are they to leave the room. Night falls, and Momo lies awake, irritated that Bamora has already drifted off. A knocking at her window startles her, followed by Okarun's voice calling from behind the curtains.

Momo asks why Okarun is there so late, and the voice claims he came to return borrowed manga but has decided to stand watch as her guard, having learned from Seiko that a spirit is after her. Touched yet uneasy, Momo tells him not to bother, since his presence will only make her feel guilty and keep her awake. She is then floored to hear him confess his feelings as his real reason for protecting her. Flustered, she insists she cannot hear him clearly and asks him to tell her face to face tomorrow, which he agrees to before bidding her good night. Wanting the confession in person, Momo moves to step outside.

Momo stops short of the doorknob when she spots Seiko's sign forbidding her to leave. She tests the voice by asking if he plans to hang out with Jiji, and when it refers to him politely as Jiji-san, she realizes she is speaking to Reiko Kashima, since Okarun never addresses Jiji formally. She corrects the yokai and returns to bed, after which Reiko keeps mimicking Okarun's voice to rob her of sleep. The chapter runs in Volume 10 within the Space Globalists Arc and Kintama Hunt Saga, released October 18, 2022.