Chapter 208

## A Grey That is Almost Indistinguishable From Black

**A Grey That is Almost Indistinguishable From Black**, or **Gray Infinitely Close To Black** (限りなく黒に近い灰色, *Kagirinaku Kuro ni Chikai Haiiro*) is the 208th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Ariko uncovers Toni from the avalanche and finds that he is still breathing, deciding to carry him down to the rest of the 7th Division when he is approached by Hijikata and Kantarou. Some time later, Tsurumi explains the difference between him and HIjikata in that Hijikata would need the full trust of the Ainu people for his plan to succeed. Therefore even if Ariko were to betray him, Hijikata would be unable to take truly thourough revenge against him.

Tsurumi states that he on the other hand treats all of his men equally, whether they be Japanese or Ainu. He then goes on to list the names of all of Ariko's relatives, much to his horror. In the present, Ariko and Toni are trudging through the snow without rest or else the 7th Division will catch up to them. They finally come to a wooden cabin where Hijikata, Nagakura, and Kantarou are waiting for them.

Nagakura comments on their pitiful state and Kantarou asks if Ariko managed to obtain the tattooed skin, to which he shows them. Hijikata asks if all six skins were truly all that were in Tsurumi's possession and Nagakura questions about the skin that Tsurumi always wear. Ariko responds that he timed the theft for when Tsurumi was in the bath so he should have that one as well. Ariko then has a flashback of Tsurumi telling him to be a double agent to inflitrate Hijikata's forces.

In order to make the deception appear authentic, Tsurumi orders Usami to beat up Ariko as Kikuta silently watches on. After taking some beating, Tsurumi orders Ariko to run as he has not told anything about their plan to the men who will be chasing him. Kikuta asks Tsurumi if it really was a good idea to hand the real skins over to Ariko instead of copies made on paper. However, Tsurumi states that paper copies can be faked in any way so they are not trustworthy to anyone but himself.

Tsurumi credits Edogai's works on the authenticity of the skins and reveals that the skins he gave to Ariko were made with real skins and that Ariko has no knowledge of the fake ones. He goes on to say that Hijikata's Group might beat them to solving the code and believes that the fake skins given to them will prove their worth soon. Meanwhile, Kantarou asks about Ariko and Hijikata states that they will keep a close eye on him, saying that despite knowing the cruelty of it, he had sent Ariko to Tsurumi knowing that the skin he brought to him would not belong to Toni.

Kantarou is shocked by this admission and Nagakura reveals that he had seen Sugimoto being taken away by the 7th Division, which meant that they had already seized the copy of Toni's tattoo as well. They theorize that the fact that Ariko was able to escape and make his way to them would mean that Ariko is a spy or that Tsurumi deliberately allowed him to take the tattooed skins. Knowing this, they come to the conclusion that the skins provided to them are highly likely to be fake, but Hijikata states that it is in their favour either way.

Kantarou finally understands the situation and exclaims that Tsurumi must have more in addition to the skins that Sugimoto had. Tsurumi notes the susicious skin that Edogai's cat had found and compares the total number of skins with the number of stuffed humans at Edogai's store and considers it a boon to be able to get all the fake skins in their hands, citing that their operation involving Ariko has brought some excellent results. Back in Noboribetsu, Tsurumi declares that since Asirpa is the key to solving the tattoo code, she must be guarded at all costs and that the 7th Division shall head to Karafuto.

## Character Appearances

* Anji Toni
* Rikimatsu Ariko
* Toshizou Hijikata
* Kantarou
* Tokushirou Tsurumi
* Usami
* Shinpachi Nagakura
* Waichirou Sekiya *(Flashback)*
* Kikuta
* Yasaku Edogai *(Flashback)*
* Asirpa