The cover shows a close up of Rohan Kishibe against a purple background, posing with his hands. Four paint brushes reach in from outside the frame and surround his face. (en)
Rohan tells Koichi about the time he went to Venice, and entered a confessional. While inside, a man told him about his youth as a laborer where he had a beggar carry heavy bags of corn, which lead to his death. Afterwards, the beggar vowed he would take his revenge. The man's life then took a fortunate turn, and he became successful. Just when he was at his happiest, the spirit of the beggar took possession of his daughter. The spirit offered him a chance to redeem himself if he could throw a piece of popcorn in the air higher than a nearby lamppost and catch it in his mouth, three times in a row. If he succeeded the spirit would leave him forever, otherwise, he would cut off his head. He succeeded twice, but missed the third time and the spirit immediately cut off his head. While Rohan was wondering how the man could still be alive, the man's servant dragged himself into the church carrying his head, followed by the beggar. Venting his wrath at being duped, the servant and also the beggar vow to stalk him until his daughter is happiest, and then take their revenge. (en)
Rohan asks his manga editor, Minoru Kaigamori, for an advance. To explain why he spent all his money buying forested mountains, Rohan tells him a story which took place at Mutsu-kabe Hill. Naoko Osato, the daughter of a wealthy family, accidentally killed her lover, the gardener Gunpei, after shoving him onto some golf clubs. Gunpei's body mysteriously continued to bleed from his head wound following his death, so she hid his body in the house. Daily, she disposed of the blood which flowed from his wound, even years after marrying her fiancé. Sometime later, Rohan encountered a girl in the area who accidentally tripped in front of him, fatally striking her head which began to bleed. Quickly using his Heaven's Door ability to rewrite her past, he saved her and learned that she was the child of Naoko and Gunpei, born after his death. He realized that she was possessed by a Yōkai that propagates itself through descendants, but decided to leave the family alone and let them have their own form of happiness. Rohan then used the experience as inspiration for his manga. (en)
Yoma Hashimoto is recruited as a male model, and becomes quite successful, but also narcissistic and obsessed about his body shape. He encounters Rohan at the gym and after competing against him, becomes even more obsessive. Eventually, he steals money from his girlfriend Mika to buy more equipment and she throws him out. At the gym, Rohan challenges Yoma to a contest on two treadmills in which the first to reach 25 km/h can grab the remote control and stop their machine. Rohan beats Yoma, who demands a rematch. This time, Yoma intimidates Rohan, and when he tries to grab the remote early, Yoma breaks three of Rohan’s fingers. He also smashes the window behind them so the loser will be propelled through it. Rohan uses Heaven's Door and discovers that Yoma has killed anyone who interferes with his training. Yoma wins the contest, but Rohan had written on Yoma's hand that he would stop Rohan's treadmill instead of his own, so it is Yoma who is sent flying. Rohan regrets that he crossed the line by angering Yoma, who had become the avatar of the god of speed Hermes, and decides to run for his life. (en)