Mara has returned after recovering from her injuries and takes possession of Megumi's body to torment Keiichi and Belldandy with the help of Senbei, a God who spreads unhappiness.
Summary
Sitting on her motorcycle, Megumi comments on the unusual weather when a crack of lightning strikes nearby. Mara emerges from the smoke, glad that she has finally recovered from her injuries sustained by the Lord of Terror through many days of sitting in hot springs and fighting wild animals. Megumi approaches her, curious about her falling from the sky, but Mara quickly pins her to the wall. Realizing that she is Keiichi's sister and that she finds her cute, Mara chooses to make a "contract" with Megumi and takes control of her body.
The Third Class Earth Spirit who looks after Megumi as a rat notices her enter her apartment, but he immediately realizes that she is not really Megumi. While Mara sifts through and isn't impressed by Megumi's wardrobe, the spirit changes to human form and accosts her from behind, but Mara effortlessly backhands him across the room. She then uses magic to change him into a stuffed rodent resembling Sonic the Hedgehog.
Mara next goes to Nekomi Tech and spots Keiichi and Belldandy discussing his upcoming test drive for the Motor Club. She takes out a codd-neck soda bottle and opens it, releasing the seal and summoning Senbei, the tiny-yet-flamboyant God of Poverty and Disasters who makes people unhappy. Mara orders Senbei to attack Keiichi, whom she believes she's pointing at, but it's actually Aoshima, and Senbei immediately gets to work by summoning a banana peel for Aoshima to slip on. Aoshima avoids slipping but steps into a bucket of water that makes him lose his balance and fall onto Tamiya, who had his back turned to him, and he gets punched. Mara is impressed with Senbei and instructs him to go after Keiichi, her real target, after she separates him from Belldandy.
Mara approaches Keiichi and Belldandy and says that she needs to talk with Belldandy privately. Neither of them suspects anything and Keiichi heads off to the Motor Club. Alone, Mara tries making Belldandy flustered by telling her that she loves her, but Belldandy unexpectedly says she loves her, as well as Tamiya, Otaki, Urd, Skuld, and even Professor Kakuta. Of course, when asks, she says that she loves Keiichi most of all.
Senbei sees Keiichi enter the motor clubhouse and gets to work. Upon entering, Keiichi walks in on Sora Hasegawa, a freshman club member, putting her clothes on, and then she suddenly faints in his arms. Belldandy and Mara enter the room, and Mara immediately begins saying that this is typical behavior for Keiichi to dump girlfriends as soon as he's not interested anymore. However, Belldandy defends Keiichi by saying, embarrassingly, that he's not man enough to do such a thing. Aoshima then enters and says that he smells gas. Immediately, Hasegawa realizes that the pilot light of a nearby stove had gone out and gas was leaking into the room, something Keiichi fixes by opening a window. Mara realizes that Senbei can't succeed unless she can deal with Belldandy, as she constantly creates new happiness around her.
Meanwhile, the Earth spirit manages to move his body and tries to contact and warn Belldandy.
Tamiya and Otaki have a pickup truck with a modified engine for Keiichi to test drive. Belldandy prepares some tea for Keiichi, and he notes that the tea stalk standing upright is a sign of good luck. As Keiichi starts driving, Senbei attacks the engine and causes a fire. Belldandy repeatedly tries using magic spells to put the flames out, but she's unable to do so because Mara is suppressing her powers by her close proximity. Suddenly, the Earth spirit arrives and tackles Mara to the ground, and he tells Belldandy that Mara has possessed Megumi. Immediately, Belldandy pours hot water into her tea, and the lucky steam forces Mara to vacate Megumi's body.
Without Mara suppressing Belldandy, all of her magic is unleashed at once, extinguishing the flames of not only Keiichi's truck, but all the flames in the city, including the gas heater in Sayoko's house while she was taking a bath. Keiichi checks up on Belldandy as she is resting after using up so much magic, Megumi wonders how she got to Nekomi Tech but takes the rodent doll she finds back with her, and Mara shocks Senbei with lightning out of frustration.
Trivia
- This is the first chapter in which Urd makes no appearance whatsoever since her first (cameo) appearance in chapter 13.