Gingitsune: Messenger Fox of the Gods Season 1 Episode 4 Satoru and Haru

Satoru and Haru is the fourth episode of the first season of Gingitsune: Messenger Fox of the Gods, a Japanese anime series. The episode revolves around Satoru Kamio, a classmate of Makoto Saeki, who is suffering from a strange illness.

At the beginning of the episode, we see Makoto's high school classmate, Satoru, collapsing on the ground due to his unknown illness. The entire class seems worried about him as the teachers decide to take him to the infirmary and call his parents. However, it seems like Satoru's parents are not available, and the teachers end up calling Makoto's father, Saeki, who is a shrine priest.

When Saeki arrives at the school, he examines Satoru and concludes that his illness has a supernatural cause. He suggests that Satoru's family's ancestral god may be angry with them, and only a part of their family can appease the god. When Satoru hears this, he becomes defensive, saying that his family is not religious and has nothing to do with gods.

Meanwhile, Makoto seeks help from her messenger fox, Gintaro, who has a deep interest in observing human nature and interaction. Gintaro is particularly curious about the bonds between people and their gods. This curiosity leads him to suggest visiting Satoru's family shrine to investigate the cause of Satoru's illness.

Makoto and Gintaro sneak into Satoru's family shrine, where they find a sad and lonely fox spirit named Haru. She tells Makoto and Gintaro that she was once worshipped by the Kamio family but has been abandoned for a long time. Haru used to be the family's divine messenger, but because the family gradually stopped believing in her, she has become powerless, and bad things have happened to the family.

With Haru's help and guidance, Makoto and Gintaro find out that Satoru is the only one who can hear her voice. Haru is actually the messenger of the Kamio family's divine god, but because no one in the family believes in her anymore, she has been unable to do her job correctly. Gintaro comes to the conclusion that Haru's appearance and further interactions with Satoru have been responsible for Satoru's illness all this while.

Determined to help Haru and Satoru, Makoto and Gintaro stage a ceremony that involves haru running away and Satoru subsequently finding her. The fox spirit appears before him, and Satoru is finally able to convince his family of the existence of the god. The Kamio family is reunited with their god and have started to believe in her once again.

The episode ends with Satoru's family thanking Makoto and Gintaro for their help and Gintaro telling Satoru that he has a special ability to interact with gods, which he should cherish and use wisely. Further, Gintaro reminds Satoru that Haru's unseen presence should not be taken lightly as fox spirit Haru still has her hands on the destiny of the Kamio family.

Overall, the episode revolves around the importance of faith, belief, and the communication between humans and their gods. It shows how neglecting one's ancestral gods could lead to severe consequences, and how even the smallest act of kindness can make a significant difference.