Chapter 277

## Operation "Protect Yuusaku's Virginity"

**Operation "Protect Yuusaku's Virginity"**, or **Operation Save Yusaku Hanazawa's Virginity** (花沢勇作童貞防衛作戦, *Hanazawa Yūsaku dōtei bōei sakusen*) is the 277th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

At the Imperial Japanese Army's 1st Division's headquarters, Tsurumi talks about the Ainu gold with their commander, Lieutenant General Hidenobu Okuda, who tasks him to find the gold for the Central Government. Okuda praises Tsurumi's information-gathering ability as he requests Tsurumi to keep him informed on every last detail of his investigation. Tsurumi wonders if he really should speak to the commander of the 1st Division instead of his own superiors, but Okuda reveals that Hanazawa Koujirou, Tsurumi's commander, is in his debt and so Tsurumi should have no issues moving about freely.

When Tsurumi asks about the debt, Okuda states that he had helped cover up a scandal involving the Hanazawa family as the army is divided into factions between the people from the Satsuma and Choushuu domains, so Hanazawa's scandal would have been extremely unwelcome. As such, Hanazawa approached Okuda for help and revealed his own vulnerability to him. Okuda notes Tsurumi being from Niigata and that his highly-esteemed former samurai family suffered during the Battle of Hokuetsu, wondering if Tsurumi hates both Satsuma and Choushuu.

Okuda then declares to use the Ainu gold to put an end to the control that the warring factions have over the army before Tsurumi asks for more detail about the Hanazawa scandal. As Tsurumi and Tsukishima, Ogata, and Usami walk out of the headquarters, Tsurumi notes the phrase, "You're no true military man unless you're from Satsuma or Choushuu", which both the Army and Navy believe in. He then rants about Okuda's true intentions as he is certain that Okuda is on the side of Choushuu and that he is afraid that the Ainu gold would fall into the hands of Hanazawa on the Satsuma side and strengthen their position within the army. Tsurumi calls it all a pathetic farce and says that he is well and truly sick of the Central Government.

Tsurumi immediately changes his focus onto information about the Ainu gold that he obtained in Russia; he states that he has found corroboration for it. Tsurumi then turns to his men, suggesting that before they return to Hokkaido, they should pay a visit to Yuusaku as well as Kikuta.

Elsewhere, Kikuta tells Sugimoto that Kaeko Kaneko wishes to meet again at the same Imperial Hotel, but Sugimoto questions what will happen if she finds out he is a substitute. Kikuta responds that he can just give him his uniform back and call it a day, but Sugimoto corrects himself, speaking about Kaeko since she knows some bad stuff about the army. Kikuta looks back at Sugimoto and says that he has a "plan B" but that it is not something that he needs to know about.

At the army academy, a woman calls out to Yuusaku, asking if he has received the message from Kikuta. Yuusaku is confused about it, and the woman's colleague exclaims she wasn't supposed to tell Yuusaku about the message. Yuusaku eventually finds out as the couriers reveal the truth to him. Yuusaku rushes off to find Kikuta to ask him what is going on. Tsurumi and his men arrive at the army academy only to find out that Yuusaku left mere minutes ago before they came. Tsurumi asks about his destination, which leads him to the Imperial Hotel.

At the Imperial Hotel, while Sugimoto and Kaeko sit down for a meal, Hamako Yamamura "accidentally" drops beef stew on Sugimoto's uniform. Kaneko hurries Sugimoto into the room she booked to have him change clothes. Meanwhile, Kikuta watches from outside and wonders where Sugimoto thinks he is going.

As Kaeko urges Sugimoto upstairs, Tsukishima informs Tsurumi that he has spotted an officer candidate heading upstairs with a woman, saying that it could be Yuusaku. Kaeko points Sugimoto to the bathroom, and Sugimoto finds a bath already filled with hot water. After some thinking, Sugimoto takes his clothes off, not wanting to dirty the uniform that belongs to Kikuta. While Kikuta looks for the both of them from outside, Sugimoto is startled by Kaeko peeking in on him and attempts to close the door. Kaneko implores him not to bring shame to her as a woman, but Sugimoto says that they aren't even familiar with each other in the first place. She says it is fine as he has quite the handsome face and pulls his clothes from under the door before making a threat against the Hanazawa family should he refuse.

Tsurumi approaches Yamamura, asking if she has seen an officer candidate with a young woman, but Yamamura denies it. However, he hears Kaneko calling out Yuusaku's name and wonders why Yuusaku and Kaneko are in a room by themselves, then criticizes Kikuta for allowing the situation to reach this point. Usami turns to Ogata, asking him if it is the first time he has met his little brother. He wonders whether Ogata is looking forward to seeing what kind of person Yuusaku is since he is a man worthy of waving the army flag.

Inside the bathroom, Sugimoto says that Yuusaku's mother wants to keep him away from the army and Kaneko reveals Hiro's past as a nurse who helped many injured soldiers and as such does not want her own son to go to war. Kaeko tells Sugimoto that he should show some consideration towards Hiro.

Sugimoto then blows his cover, saying that it is something that Yuusaku has to decide for himself since it is his own life, after all. As he prepares to leave, Sugimoto tells Kaneko to ask Yuusaku which path he wishes to choose before approaching the window and showing the "X" pose to Kikuta. Tsurumi kicks the door down and declares that they will protect Yuusaku's virginity, but Kaneko threatens to reveal everything that she talked about with Hanazawa's wife, Hiro. Tsurumi is unfazed as he points his gun at Kaneko while Sugimoto listens from outside of the room, furious that the "plan B" involves killing Kaneko just to keep her from talking. Ogata asks where Yuusaku is, before Sugimoto leaps into the room, wearing only his cap, screaming that he will kill all of them, and Ogata just silently smiles at him.

## Character Appearances

* Tokushirou Tsurumi *(Flashback)*
* Hidenobu Okuda *(Debut)* *(Flashback)*
* Koujirou Hanazawa *(Flashback)* *(Mentioned)*
* Hiro Hanazawa *(Flashback)* *(Mentioned)*
* Tokishige Usami *(Flashback)*
* Hyakunosuke Ogata *(Flashback)*
* Hajime Tsukishima *(Flashback)*
* Mokutarou Kikuta *(Flashback)*
* Saichi Sugimoto *(Flashback)*
* Yuusaku Hanazawa *(Flashback)*
* Kaeko Kaneko *(Flashback)*
* Hamako Yamamura *(Flashback)*