A seemingly cheerful student hides a terrifying secret, forcing Hanaori and Narukami into their most dangerous battle yet. But surviving the fight is only the beginning of their problems.
The episode 4 of Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life starts with Narukami-sensei unexpectedly becoming the center of attention after cheerful student Takanashi Ayame begins sticking unusually close to him around school. Their classmates immediately tease the teacher about finally entering his "popular phase," while Hanaori watches the situation from nearby with growing irritation. Although everyone else treats Ayame's behavior like harmless admiration for one of the school's few young male teachers, Hanaori senses that something feels completely wrong.
Ayame openly asks Narukami for private lessons after school despite having no academic reason to need them. The innocent request makes the teacher uncomfortable, but Hanaori is far more bothered by how naturally the girl inserts herself into his personal space. Jealousy mixes with suspicion as Hanaori silently compares herself with Ayame, wondering whether someone so cheerful, attractive, and universally liked might actually be Narukami's preferred type. The uncomfortable feeling refuses to leave her mind.
The mystery deepens when Hanaori learns that Ayame was not always the bright, outgoing girl everyone knows today. An upperclassman explains that she used to struggle socially and barely interacted with her classmates before suddenly transforming into one of the school's most popular students almost overnight. Her personality, confidence, and overall presence changed so dramatically that it felt unnatural, almost as though she had become an entirely different person. That strange detail immediately catches Hanaori's attention.
Before Hanaori can investigate further, Ayame suddenly pulls Narukami away under the excuse of discussing something important in private. At nearly the same moment, Oz's investigators reveal disturbing information about the recent monster incidents. Their investigation suggests that someone has been opening gates connecting Earth with another world, and the culprit is likely not a witch but a Returner—a former hero summoned to another world who returned home while keeping extraordinary powers gained during that adventure.
The explanation immediately connects several suspicious details. Returners often appear completely different after returning because their experiences reshape both their personalities and outlook on life. Hearing this description reminds Hanaori of everything she just learned about Ayame's sudden transformation. The similarities are impossible to ignore. Realizing Narukami is currently alone with the very girl matching that profile, Hanaori instantly concludes that his life may already be in danger.
Inside the empty room, Ayame drops her cheerful schoolgirl act and activates her Charm ability, attempting to control Narukami by forcing him to look into her eyes. She confidently expects the skill to overwhelm him, but Narukami calmly reveals that her ability has absolutely no effect on him. Instead of becoming enchanted, he immediately exposes her true identity, proving he already suspected she was a Returner using supernatural abilities to manipulate people around her.
Narukami explains that Ayame's appraisal ability misidentified him as an ordinary "commoner" because he deliberately prepared countermeasures against magical inspection. The revelation catches the young hero completely off guard, forcing her to realize she underestimated the quiet teacher from the very beginning. Rather than panicking, Ayame quickly regains her composure, showing the calm judgment expected from someone who survived another world's brutal battles and understands how dangerous experienced opponents can be.
Narukami asks what she truly wants, and Ayame finally reveals the obsession driving every action she has taken since returning home. She insists she belongs in the fantasy world where she served as the chosen hero and believes returning there is her only purpose. To achieve that impossible goal, she intends to keep growing stronger by gaining experience through killing powerful opponents, treating real human lives as nothing more than experience points in a game.
Ayame openly admits that Narukami, the witches, and even Hanaori have become obstacles standing between her and the world she longs to return to. She coldly explains that defeating powerful people grants tremendous experience, making them ideal targets for her growth. Even more chilling, she confesses that before leaving this world, she intends to kill everyone who bullied her and every classmate who ignored her suffering, believing her overwhelming power finally lets her express the hatred she kept buried for years.
Convinced she is carrying out the duty of a true hero, Ayame prepares to eliminate Narukami first. She gathers magical energy and proudly declares that she will demonstrate the overwhelming power she gained in another world. Before she can unleash her attack, Narukami senses the rapidly increasing mana around them and realizes the confrontation has reached a point where ordinary conversation is no longer possible. The deadly clash is seconds away from erupting.
Just as Ayame moves to finish Narukami, Hanaori and Mana burst into the room after rushing to rescue him. The interruption completely changes the flow of battle. Ayame immediately turns her attention toward the newcomers, forcing everyone into a frantic close-quarters struggle where attacks, evasions, and desperate reactions happen almost simultaneously inside the confined classroom. The tense atmosphere makes it appear as though someone could die at any moment.
The situation looks incredibly suspicious afterward, leaving everyone wondering who actually defeated the Returner. Narukami calmly reconstructs the sequence of events. Ayame lunged toward Hanaori and Mana with a knife, but while charging she accidentally tripped over Narukami's leg and lost her balance. Hanaori instinctively swung her weapon while avoiding the attack, yet the decisive blow unexpectedly came from her knee striking Ayame as the collision threw everything into chaos.
Mana's magic then lands several unexpected hits while Ayame struggles to recover, finishing the encounter before the Returner can regain control. Rather than a perfectly executed strategy, the victory results from split-second reactions, fortunate timing, and teamwork formed under extreme pressure. The heroes themselves seem surprised that such a dangerous opponent falls through a combination of instinct, accidents, and quick support instead of an overwhelming display of strength.
With the immediate danger over, Narukami thanks Hanaori for risking herself to save him. He quietly observes that fighting another human for the first time clearly shook her, proving she remains kind despite everything she experienced as the former Hero. Hanaori brushes off the praise by insisting she simply fulfilled her responsibility, although her lingering glare toward Narukami suggests her complicated emotions have hardly disappeared.
The conversation soon turns toward Ayame's tragic fate. Narukami reflects that another world granted the lonely girl unimaginable power, allowing every resentment she had suppressed to burst free without restraint. Hanaori wonders whether there might have been another solution, perhaps sending Ayame back instead of ending her journey here. Narukami sadly rejects the idea, explaining that once she embraced killing to become stronger, there was no realistic path back to the innocent hero she once was.
After such a grim battle, the episode suddenly shifts into lighter comedy. Hanaori remembers cutting Narukami's necktie during the fight and buys him a replacement as compensation. Although she repeatedly tells herself it is simply repayment for the damage she caused, she becomes increasingly nervous about handing the gift over. Embarrassed by how personal the gesture feels, she even asks her classmates for advice, only to receive teasing responses that leave her even more flustered.
Meanwhile, Narukami unknowingly creates another misunderstanding after researching gifts that high school girls supposedly like. Internet articles convince him that accessories make excellent presents, prompting him to prepare something in return without realizing how suspicious the timing appears. While Hanaori struggles to hide her embarrassment, Narukami innocently believes he is simply expressing gratitude for her thoughtfulness, setting up another wonderfully awkward interaction between the two former enemies.
Hanaori finally gathers enough courage to hand Narukami the replacement necktie, sincerely apologizing for destroying his previous one during the battle. Narukami gratefully accepts the gift, but before Hanaori can escape the awkward moment, he surprises her by presenting a small ring in return. The unexpected jewelry instantly sends Hanaori's imagination racing toward the worst possible conclusion, making her fear he is somehow proposing to her in the middle of the school day.
Narukami quickly clears up the misunderstanding by explaining that the ring is actually a magical weapon disguised as an accessory. Remembering how Hanaori had to fight dangerous enemies with nothing but her fists or an ordinary knife, he secretly asked Oz to prepare equipment worthy of a former Hero. The ring contains a hidden weapon that can be summoned with a command, allowing Hanaori to defend herself properly whenever another supernatural threat appears.
When Hanaori activates the ring, her legendary holy sword Rosen Ritter materializes once again. Holding the familiar weapon immediately brings back painful memories from her previous life, including the climactic confrontation where she defeated the Demon Lord after countless battles. The brief flashback reminds viewers that both Hanaori and Narukami still carry emotional scars from their former identities despite now living peaceful lives as ordinary people.
The peaceful atmosphere does not last long before another misunderstanding erupts. Rumors spreading throughout the all-girls school convince teacher Rokudou that Narukami and Hanaori might secretly be involved in an inappropriate relationship. She summons both of them for questioning and enthusiastically analyzes every rumor students have reported, treating the entire situation like an overdramatic romance investigation while the embarrassed pair desperately deny every accusation.
Rokudou asks how each of them truly feels about the other, creating one awkward moment after another. Narukami bluntly calls Hanaori troublesome, while Hanaori nearly blurts out thoughts she immediately regrets. Their constant arguing only convinces everyone watching that they resemble a couple refusing to admit their feelings. Every attempt to explain the truth somehow makes the rumors sound even more believable instead of clearing them up.
Pressed for an explanation about their unusual relationship, Narukami and Hanaori awkwardly describe their shared past using ordinary modern analogies instead of revealing their reincarnated identities. Narukami compares his actions to building a large supermarket that unintentionally destroyed a struggling shopping district before later saving the town from a corrupt mayor. Through the strange metaphor, they explain the painful misunderstanding that originally made Hanaori see him as the enemy.
Hanaori admits that Narukami took away everything precious to her during their previous lives, yet he also became the one person capable of saving countless others. Those conflicting memories explain why she still cannot completely forgive him despite understanding the truth behind his actions. Rokudou is deeply moved by the emotional story, while the students secretly observing everything become even more convinced that the pair must secretly be dating.
After Rokudou warns them to be more careful because school rumors could seriously damage Narukami's career, Hanaori apologizes for causing additional trouble. Even so, she honestly tells him that she still has not forgiven him for everything that happened in their former world. Narukami quietly accepts those words without complaint, admitting that he manipulated Hanaori long ago because only the Hero possessed the strength needed to finally defeat the Demon Lord and free him from endless war.
The conversation softens considerably afterward. Narukami remarks that Hanaori constantly drags him into troublesome situations, but those everyday arguments are proof that they now live in a peaceful world instead of a battlefield. Hanaori smiles and confidently replies that remaining positive is simply part of being a Hero. Their exchange quietly shows how both former enemies are gradually learning to value the ordinary life they once could never have imagined.
The episode ends with Hanaori and Narukami once again denying that they are a couple after their friends jokingly tease them about their relationship. Although Hanaori loudly insists she would rather kill Narukami than date him, her blushing reaction and their increasingly comfortable daily interactions suggest the distance between the former Hero and former Demon Lord continues to shrink. The post-credit scene then reveals that Hanaori secretly weakened Ayame during their battle by using Energy Drain, explaining why she remained so composed throughout the confrontation and quietly exposing one hidden detail the audience never witnessed during the fight itself.
Hanaori-san Still Wants to Fight in the Next Life Episode 4 delivers a satisfying balance between dark fantasy, fast-paced action, emotional character development, and romantic comedy. Ayame's tragic story adds surprising depth to the conflict, while the battle avoids feeling repetitive by focusing on strategy instead of pure spectacle. The second half smoothly shifts into humorous school-life moments without losing sight of the emotional history between Hanaori and Narukami. The ending reinforces how far both characters have come since their former lives, making this one of the strongest and most entertaining episodes of the series so far.
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