A Certain Desire (斯く在りし望み, Kaku-arishi Nozomi) is the tenth episode of Noragami Aragoto. It first aired on December 4, 2015.
Summary
Hiyori runs away at the sight of Fujisaki, hurt at what he had done as she tries to wipe her lip to erase the memory of him kissing her. As she walks along the street she hears Yukine's voice who talks about how he has been training with Kazuma so he hasn't done the homework she assigned him but she initially can't see him. She slowly begins to remember him and hugs him, relieved her memories are back. She goes to Kofuku' place, where he explains Yato is still missing and Daikoku comes crying over how Kofuku ahsn't appearaed which is strange since normally they try to send her away as soon as possible due to her bad luck. Yukine mentions how Kazuma has stated how all the Gods are currently stuck in heaven. Hiyori decides to go to search for Yato, realizing how little she truly knows of him and how she is no different for other people since she nearly forget him despite her promise to never forget. Meanwhile, Yato and Ebisu are being chased by Izanami's beldams. Yato asks if Ebisu can't do anything about her since he is her son but he says she abandoned him so it meant he means nothing to her. She manages to capture Ebisu but Nora sacrifices two of his shinki Tatsumi and Utami in order to help them escape, much to Ebisu's horror and Yato's disgust. Yato wonders why Father wants Ebisu to be saved and Ebisu gives Yato the locution brush, asking Yato to take it and Kunimi (his only shinki with him left) to the outside world and meet up with Iwami since he feels he won't make it. Yato asks why he is so obsessed with being a conjurer, where Ebisu reveals his true reason is to control the ayakashi since the world is filled with endless chaos and needless death and he believed by controlling ayakashi he could make the world a better place for humans as he could prevent some of the damage of the ayakashi. Yato, moved by this, decides that he doesn't have the same drive as Ebisu and that he will save Ebisu not for his Father but because he himself wants to. The two are then caught by Izanami. Yato cuts down Izanami's damsel while telling Ebisu to run. Hiyori tries to search up Yato in the history books but can't find anything about him and begins to wonder if Yato has a different name. Kazuma goes to Tenjin and explains the heavens are in disorder after Ebisu was discovered to be a conjurer and how strange it is the heavens are doing something about it now since they normally disregarded Ebisu's reincarnations. He asks Mayu, a plum spirit, to communicate with the trees in order to find out what is going on in the Heavens. She is initially hesitant since it could put her master Tenjin in trouble until she realizes Kazuma is also worried for his master Bishamonten. She communicates with the trees, who say Ebisu is in the underworld along with a male god and female shinki with a paper crown, which they deduce to be Yato and Nora, which Hiyori happens to overhear. Meanwhile Sentinels have locked up the six gods of Fortune with Oshi explaining it under the claim to ensure their safety while explaining Ebisu is being punished for being a conjurer after they brutally interrogated his shinki, many of which turned out to be Nora and after investigating his estate and finding several phantoms and masks. Okukinishi is not satisfied and flies into a rage, becoming a monster spider and Kazuma has knocked out all the Sentinels except High Sentinel Oshi, who is dumbfounded. Hiyori and Yukine sneak off to find Yato. Yato continues to stall Izanami while Ebisu runs (who reminds Kunimi to remember for him to thank Yato for everything) and he follows the scent of salt water in the hopes of an exit but he ends up at a dead end. He remembers when he was younger how he was told by some heartless and insensitive shinki how it didn't matter if he died because he would reincarnate, much to his horror. Hiyori and Yukine make it to the entrance but it has been sealed and can't be opened. Yato has been captured by Izanami but Ebisu decides to stay in Yato's place since he has been captured by Izanami's beldams. He orders Yato to take Kunimi and the brush to Iwami since Ebisu is going to die anyway. However, Yato tells him he is saving Ebisu not for Father but for Ebisu and instills in him the desire to live. Ebisu decides he wants to go back to eat a dinner at Olive House and Yato complies, the two running away. Yato suggests Ebisu use the brush to summon ayakashi to open a vent to the outside but only Ebisu escapes, as Izanami drags Yato back by tying her hair around his foot.
Characters in Order of Appearance
Adaptation Notes
This episode is based on chapters 31-34. The previous episode is based on chapters 29-32 but skipped parts that were addressed in this episode such as the investigation in Ebisu's estate, Kazuma asking Tsuyu what is happening in the heavens, and Hiyori remembering Yato. However, it still skipped the part where Ōshi tortured Ebisu's shinki into confessing his location.