Chapter 270

## The Cause of It All

**The Cause of It All** (全ての元凶, *Subete no genkyō*) is the 270th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Sugimoto asks Ariko where Hijikata's Group is, and the latter claims that he does not know but that they must bw searching for Asirpa as well. Hearing this, Sugimoto becomes frustrated that they do not have the manpower to fight against the 7th Division, and Ariko asks if he knows where Asirpa is. Shiraishi points Ariko towards the church, saying that they have no idea how many men and guards are in and outside of the building. After mulling over it, Ariko declares that he will go and check on the situation and, if possible, grab Asirpa and escape.

Sugimoto is concerned since the 7th Division does not trust him, and Shiraishi admits they do not know which side he is on. Ariko states that, despite being so small, Asirpa has thought far more seriously about the future of the Ainu than he has. Her bravery and demeanor brought him to shame, so now he wishes to help her. Sugimoto and Shiraishi entrust Asirpa’s safety to Ariko as he gallops towards the church, telling the two men to get ready.

Inside the church, Asirpa asks about Kiroranke’s fingerprints found on the belongings of the murdered Ainu and realizes that it was a lie that Inkarmat told them to feed information to Tsurumi. Tsurumi claims that since Inkarmat was also using the 7th Division to close the book on her past, they were merely using each other. He asks Asirpa what the cause of all of the mess was, saying if Wilk had not done several things, then certain incidents would have played out differently, including the deaths of his family.

Tsurumi says that his wife Fina was a woman with a very sharp intuition and that she may have realized that he was not just any ordinary Japanese living in Russia; the fact that she never left his side showed her belief in his love for her. He continues, saying that he revealed his true name to Fina when she was dying, claiming that it was not a “confession of betrayal” and that with her sharp intuition Fina would be able to understand. Tsurumi says that the fact that he has kept his family’s bones all this time has made him a failure as a soldier tasked with being an intelligence operative and that he can somewhat understand Wilk.

Tsurumi thanks Sofia for telling him what she knew and reaches into his bag, claiming that as gratitude he will show her something that will free her from her many years of guilt. He takes out a bullet from the bag, stating that he found it in his daughter Olga’s head. Tsurumi says that the bullet did not come from the rifle that Sofia used as well, nor the machine gun that Kiroranke operated; it came from a pistol. Much to Asirpa’s horror, Tsurumi reveals that since the Russians used pistol bullets which were a little larger than the one in his hand, the person who shot the bullet was none other than Wilk.

Tsurumi flicks the bullet to the floor as he declares that Wilk was the one responsible for the deaths of his family and puts the skinned face of Wilk onto his head as he calls out Asirpa’s name. Asirpa and Sofia are terrified by Tsurumi’s conduct and Asirpa realizes that her father is the one who turned Tsurumi into such a sad person. Sofia asks if Tsurumi’s goal was to get revenge on Wilk, and Tsukishima, who is eavesdropping from outside of the room, swears that if revenge truly was Tsurumi’s goal then he will kill Tsurumi himself. Tsurumi tosses Wilk’s face onto the ground as he sits back in his chair, saying that if he really wanted revenge, he had numerous chances to kill Asirpa.

Instead, Tsurumi states that his end goal is for Japan to flourish and that in order to defend Japan from other countries they would need military funding to continue fighting. Tsurumi says that on the side of the metaphoric road that they are travelling on he has his own tiny personal memorial. For the sake of his comrades sleeping in Manchuria and his family sleeping in Vladivostok, Tsurumi wishes for the soil that they are sleeping on to become a part of Japan. With this, Tsurumi exclaim that to turn aside from the 7th Division’s road for the sake of his own personal memorial is absolutely out of the question. Tsukishima is relieved to hear Tsurumi’s declaration, and Koito pats him on the shoulder with a huge smile on his face.

Tsurumi explains that during the Russo-Japanese war many Ainu soldiers fought and died in battle and that there were even Ainu who were awarded the Order of the Golden Kite. He asks if they could only value the extremist Ainu who plotted to break away from the Japanese while ignoring the souls of the Ainu who chose to be part of Japan and risked their lives to gain status in Japanese society. Tsurumi states that, as a soldier, dividing Japan is something he cannot abide and that, since Asirpa has been entrusted with the gold by her father, she can choose a future with the Ainu and the Japanese together. As Asirpa begins to look uncomfortable, Tsurumi exclaims that she is the only one who can atone for the sins of her father.

## Character Appearances

* Saichi Sugimoto
* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Rikimatsu Ariko
* Toshizou Hijikata *(Mentioned)*
* Kiroranke *(Flashback)*
* Inkarmat *(Flashback)*
* Asirpa
* Sofia Golden Hand
* Tokushirou Tsurumi
* Fina *(Flashback)*
* Olga *(Flashback)*
* Hajime Tsukishima
* Otonoshin Koito
* Wilk *(Flashback)*}