Ruru’s reaction is classic sumikko (corner) energy: he panics, curls up behind his favorite shelf, and mutters, "I just wanted to make a spinning wheel…" Mid-panic, the Goddess appears—not in person, but as a shimmering hologram from the workbench. Her tone is no longer playful.

Ruru, still covered in soot and holding a self-returning spear, looks at her with tired eyes. Then he does the most sumikko thing possible: he offers her a cup of tea.

But Chapter 4—released exclusively this week in Japan’s Monthly Shonen Gangan and simultaneously on the official digital platforms—has changed the game. What started as a slow-burn story about a reclusive artisan has just escalated into something far more dangerous and compelling.