Hands off: Sawaranaide Kotesashi-kun! Episode 4

Hands off: Sawaranaide Kotesashi-kun! Episode 4: The Null Touch The Plot Teaser: Straight to the Conflict The walls are closing in on Kotesashi Yuuta.

His strictly enforced policy of zero physical contact, the only thing standing between him and a life sentence of obsessive, suffocating adoration, is about to be shattered.

A mandatory, school-wide Spirit Dance Festival is announced, requiring students to lock hands for intricate partner choreography.

Failure to participate means expulsion, forcing Kotesashi into a game of physical Russian Roulette.

But the true danger doesn't come from the dozens of love-drunk students vying to hold his hand.

It comes from the serene new transfer student, Amamiya Sora, who proves to be completely immune to his touch.

Is she the cure he's prayed for, or a catalyst for a chaos he can't possibly imagine? When their hands finally connect, the curse doesn't activate, but Kotesashi experiences a chilling psychic flash a cosmic warning that their connection is not one of romance, but of ancient, devastating power.

Important Characters: Roles and Motivations The central dynamic of this episode is defined by the three crucial players and the introduction of a game-changing enigma.

Kotesashi Yuuta: The Protagonist, The Cursed Object of Affection.

Yuuta’s role is one of constant, desperate evasion.

His deepest motivation remains the secret yearning for a normal life the ability to bump into a classmate or receive a supportive pat on the shoulder without instantly turning the recipient into a frantic, love-sick stalker.

The threat of expulsion forces him to risk everything he has maintained for years.

Hoshizora Akari: The Class Representative, The Obsessive Protector.

Having already fallen victim to Yuuta's touch, Akari's sole motivation is to ensure Yuuta remains hers and hers alone.

Her role becomes increasingly antagonistic in this episode as she attempts to eliminate every perceived threat, including creating physical barriers and engineering accidents to prevent other students from touching Yuuta, seeing the mandatory dance as a direct attack on her supremacy.

Amamiya Sora: The New Transfer Student, The Unaffected Enigma.

Sora’s role is that of a calm, observational catalyst.

She transfers into Yuuta's class mid-episode and immediately disrupts the established power structure.

Her motivation is unknown, but her calculating gaze suggests she is either deeply knowledgeable about the Affections Curse or possesses a corresponding power.

She is the only person who can touch Yuuta without consequence.

Mr.

Shirogane: The Homeroom Teacher, The Oblivious Authority.

He is motivated purely by boosting class participation and school unity.

His oblivious nature sets the entire disastrous plot into motion, as he views Yuuta’s extreme reluctance as simple teenage shyness.

Important Scenes in Sequence: The Descent into Chaos The Festival Mandate The episode opens with the chaotic aftermath of a standard, failed touch attempt, expertly thwarted by Yuuta's agility and Akari’s sudden, dramatic intervention (she leaps across the room and catches the would-be toucher in a full-body tackle).

Just as the tension settles, Mr.

Shirogane bounds in to announce the school’s mandatory Sun and Moon Spirit Dance festival, a complex folk dance requiring full, sustained, bare-skin contact.

Yuuta’s internal monologue his sheer terror at the prospect of holding hands for twenty minutes is quickly interrupted by Akari.

She dramatically slams her hand on his desk, declaring, “Yuuta-kun, I have already been cursed! I shall be your partner and hold your hand, saving you from these lesser, unworthy admirers!” The conflict is immediately established: Yuuta is cornered, and his self-appointed protector is the only one who thinks she has the solution.

The Appearance of Sora and the Casual Brush The first practice session is a disaster.

Yuuta employs every excuse imaginable (sudden, severe phantom cramps; allergic reaction to gymnasium air; claiming his hands are legally registered weapons) while Akari violently shields him, pushing away students with a chillingly cheerful smile.

Mid-chaos, Amamiya Sora is introduced.

She is quiet, carries an antique notebook, and observes the pandemonium with detached interest.

While Yuuta is mid-dodge maneuver, attempting to grab a drink, Sora stoops down to retrieve a dropped pen.

Her sleeve brushes lightly against the back of Yuuta’s hand.

Yuuta freezes, bracing for the inevitable, blinding wave of obsession.

Sora simply picks up the pen, says a soft, Excuse me, Kotesashi-kun, and walks back to her seat, showing absolutely no reaction.

The silence in the gym is deafening.

Akari's eyes narrow with an unsettling blend of fury and deep confusion she knows a threat when she sees one, but this one defies the laws of their cursed reality.

The Contact: A Chilling Vision During the final rehearsal, the teacher insists that the pairs must physically practice the final move: the Unity Link, where partners interlock all ten fingers.

Yuuta, out of excuses, is forced to participate.

To stop Akari’s aggressive demands, Sora steps in calmly and offers her hand to Yuuta, stating, I am the only one who can touch you without causing a disturbance.

Yuuta, desperate and terrified, slowly takes her hand.

As their fingers weave together for the first time, a completely normal physical human connection the curse remains inert.

Yuuta feels a flicker of hope, but before it can ignite, a powerful psychic backlash strikes him.

He sees a flash of fragmented, ancient imagery: a colossal, crystalline comet streaking across a black sky, followed by a fleeting view of a complex, glowing runic symbol carved into a piece of black rock.

Sora, visibly strained, instantly pulls her hand away, concealing a brief, sharp gasp of pain.

She doesn't explain the vision, merely saying, The connection is stable, but delicate.

The Festival Performance and Akari’s Desperate Move The night of the festival arrives.

Yuuta and Sora are partnered, moving through the dance with unnerving mechanical precision.

Akari, partnered with a random, easily manipulated student, watches, her eyes burning with jealous rage.

During the climactic, chaotic movement of the dance, Akari, unable to tolerate the sight of Yuuta's hand in another girl's, executes her plan.

She subtly extends her leg, tripping her own partner, who stumbles forward, set to collide directly with Yuuta, which would initiate contact with dozens of other students, turning the crowd into a riot of instant admirers.

The Redirected Curse: An Unforgettable Twist In a moment of pure instinct, Sora acts.

Instead of pulling Yuuta away, she shoves him out of the collision path and shields him, simultaneously pushing Akari's partner away.

In doing so, Sora's exposed hand slams directly against Akari’s arm a full, undeniable touch.

Yuuta braces for the inevitable doubling of Akari's obsession, perhaps expecting her to become even more fanatical for him.

However, the twist is profound: Akari’s eyes clear for a single, terrifying second, then immediately re-focus.

Her intense, singular love for Yuuta vanishes, replaced by a vacant look of confusion, instantly followed by the same burning, all-consuming adoration, but directed entirely at Sora.

Akari doesn't even spare Yuuta a glance; she turns, her hand immediately grasping Sora's, and whispers, My new, most beautiful Master.

I exist only to serve your perfection.

Sora did not break the curse; she redirected it, utilizing herself as a temporary conduit to siphon and re-target the overwhelming Affection Energy that was fixated on Yuuta.

Sora meets Yuuta’s stunned gaze across the gymnasium floor.

She gives him a small, almost regretful smile, her eyes holding a deep, ancient knowledge.

She then casually leads the now-obsessed Akari away, leaving Yuuta utterly alone on the dance floor, physically safe from his biggest stalker, but now faced with the terrifying reality that his curse is not a random affliction, but part of a larger, controlled power game that Sora has just initiated.

The Story's End and Dramatic Moment The episode ends not with a victory, but a dangerous stalemate.