Tsugumi has a vision of a waterfall with the mysterious boy that Ai had been seeing in the sunset world. Ai's voice identifies the boy as Sentaro. A shopkeeper asks Tsugumi if she's alright and Tsugumi says that she's fine, taking some groceries she bought home. Later, Hajime gets home after spending a night at a bar and notices that Tsugumi is dressed formally. Tsugumi tells Hajime that he needs to go somewhere and that he missed it the previous year. Tsugumi leaves on her own when Hajime says he doesn't know what she's talking about. Tsugumi visits her grandparents' house while at home, Hajime notices that Tsugumi brought a book of nature photos home. Hajime opens the book to a picture of a waterfall with a caption that says it was taken at Mutsume Village. Meanwhile, Ai gets a message about another client. The minions note that Ai has been moody and acting oddly lately. Tsugumi looks through a photo album of her mother. At the bar, the bartender reminds Hajime that it's the anniversary of his wife Ayumi's death.
Hajime recalls the day he met Ayumi, who he went to school with. He asked her out on a date, but she was too shy. After the editors of the school newspaper ended their meeting, Ayumi came back and took Hajime to a café. Hajime apologized for scaring her, but Ayumi said that she wanted to go on a date with him. The two got married some time later, but Hajime had to leave during the reception for his job as a journalist, which he still regrets. Meanwhile, Ai watches a couple enter a hotel and says the woman's name, Noriko Hayashi, as Tsugumi has another vision. The vision also gives Tsugumi the location, Central Hotel 7. Tsugumi's grandparents notice that she's spaced out, but Tsugumi says she's fine. Tsugumi and her grandparents go to a café and Tsugumi reflects that she still thinks that Hell Girl is doing the right thing and doesn. Tsugumi calls Hajime and curtly gives him the information from her vision before hanging up. At the hotel, Noriko asks her boyfriend, Keiji, to move into an apartment with a better view while Ai's minions look on. Keiji reluctantly accepts. Hajime gets into a taxi and tells the driver to hurry. The taxi gets caught in a traffic jam and the driver correctly deduces that Hajime is a reporter due to him being in a hurry. The driver says that reporters tend to be more concerned with their jobs than with their families, which reminds Hajime of a job he was called out for late at night while Ayumi was still alive. Hajime was called out to report on an accident at a power plant and several similar incidents. Ayumi had hoped that Tsugumi's birth would cause Hajime to focus more on his family, but he instead worked even harder as a result. Tsugumi gets back from her call and she and her grandparents leave.
Hajime arrives at the hotel and recalls the night Ayumi died. Hajime had been called in to get information on a politician who had been having an affair. Hajime had arrived at the hotel where the politician and his mistress had met, only to find that the politician's mistress was Ayumi. Hajime attacked the politician in a rage and was pulled away by his co-worker, Murai. In the present, Hajime pays the driver and rushes outside just as a man unties the thread from the straw doll and calls out Noriko's name. Hajime is unable to stop the man from pulling the thread and Ai rides forth to claim Noriko's soul. Hajime asks the man if he realizes what he has done, but the man says he loved Noriko while she saw him as an open pocketbook and left him when the money ran out. This reminds Hajime of how he couldn't forgive Ayumi for cheating on him. Murai tried to tell Hajime to calm down as Tsugumi still needed a mother. Hajime said that no child should have an unfaithful parent. Hajime said that he wished he had never met Ayumi, a sentiment echoed by Hell Girl's client in the present. The man says that Noriko deserves to go to Hell. As this is happening, Noriko screams at the sight of her boyfriend transforming into a pile of money that falls to the floor. She goes over to Ichimoku Ren for help, but he also turns into a pile of money, saying that this must be convenient for her. She then asks Wanyuudo for help, but he asks if she wants money, turning into a five-yen coin and chasing her down the hall.
Hajime tells the man that he made the biggest mistake of his life, but the man says that Hajime has no idea what he went through. Hajime recalls how he chased Ayumi away and how it lead to her death in a car accident. At the site of the crash, Hajime refused to believe that he had a hand in Ayumi's death. In the present, Noriko runs through the halls as the people around her continue to turn into piles of money. At the end of the hall, Hone Onna guides Noriko into a bank vault which closes behind her. Noriko asks where she is and Hone Onna lights a match, saying that it is a place full of her precious money, but also a place she can never leave. Hone Onna tells Noriko to beware the fires and drops the match, setting the vault alight. Noriko tries to get away, but Ai appears and banishes her to Hell. On the boat to Hell, Noriko tries to blame the men she dated for flocking to her. Ai tells her not to worry: no one will ever flock to her again. Noriko looks at her reflection in the water and screams at the sight of her face, which has become hideous and skull-like. Ai ferries Noriko through Hell's gate.
In the world of the living, Hajime tells the man that hate just leaves you empty and revenge can't solve your problems, but the man doesn't listen. Ai looks on from the rooftop as the man just chuckles at his revenge. Tsugumi and her grandparents visit Ayumi's grave and find a box of rice with chestnuts, Ayumi's favorite food. Tsugumi realizes that Hajime just visited the grave. A candle with the man's name, Goro Suetsugu, is lit.
This episode contains examples of:
- Big "NO!": Noriko lets one out while being ferried to Hell after seeing her now skeletal, disfigured face.
- Character Focus: This episode focusses on Hajime and his backstory.
- Empty Piles of Clothing: In Noriko's Hell-banishment, all the people around her vanish and are replaced with piles of money scattered around their empty clothes.
- Gray Rain of Depression: Present during Ayumi's death.
- Greed: Noriko seems to be greedy for both money and material possessions.
- In the Hood: This episode is the only time we see Ichimoku Ren's hood up.
- Ironic Hell: Noriko is a vain Gold Digger who basked in men flocking to her because of her pretty face. Guess what happens when Ai ferries her to Hell.Noriko: It's the men. They're the ones who flock to me. Why am I being punished?
Ai: Don't worry. No one will flock to you from now on.
(Noriko looks at her reflection and screams in terror at her now disfigured face) - Karmic Transformation: Noriko's face becomes hideous and skull-like as punishment for her treatment of the people who fell in love with her.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Hajime is forced to realize that for all his condemnation of Noriko's fiancé for willingly damning themselves to Hell out of payback for Noriko just treating them like a pocketbook rather than a person to love, he essentially did the same thing to Ayumi, lashing out at her for her affair, which ultimately led to her death.
- One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Hajime's flashback to talking to a colleague of his about Ayumi's affair starts and ends with him expressing the exact same sentiments as Goro.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Ichimoku Ren delivers one this time.Noriko: My friend! All of a sudden he just—Ichimoku Ren: Turned into money or something? Well now, how convenient for you. After all, men are just... money, right?
