Chapter 15

## Scent

* Color
* Volume

**Scent** (におい, *Nioi*) is the 15th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Asirpa searches for Sugimoto, very annoyed with him leaving her behind without saying a word. She says that she won't rest until she's tracked Sugimoto down and whacked him with a *sutu*. However, after checking the hunting huts where the two of them used to stay at an finding them empty, Asirpa realizes she will have to search for Sugimoto in Otaru. Asirpa calls Retar: she blows into a deer whistle (*ipapkeni*) to imitate a deer's cry so that Retar would come to the sound. Being able to tell that Asirpa needs his help just from her scent, Retar comes to her aid.

Sugimoto is walking down the street in Otaru when he sees a prostitute riding a man-powered sleigh. Sugimoto thinks it's Umeko and is overcome with memories of returning to his village after the war to bring Toraji's bones back to his family. In the memory, he sees Umeko talking to her son, who is showing her different flowers. Umeko says her eyesight is bad but her nose makes up for it. Sugimoto walks up to Umeko's mother and gives her the finger bones that belonged to Toraji. Umeko asks who is it, and her son replies that it's a soldier.

Umeko's mother recognizes Sugimoto, and Umeko walks up to him, asking if it's really him. She says that she can't see anything but a blur but upon walking closer to Sugimoto she senses something that makes her recoil. Hearing that Umeko doesn't recognize him, Sugimoto is stunned. He wonders what he smelt like to Umeko that she reacted in such a way. Sugimoto concludes that the Saichi Umeko knew is probably long gone and even with her eyesight healed, Umeko might not recognize him again.

In the present, Sugimoto tries to stop the woman in the sleigh but upon coming closer he realizes that he confused her with Umeko. After apologizing to the woman, Sugimoto approaches a brothel owner he and Asirpa met some days ago. He asks if anything strange has been going on recently, and the man tells Sugimoto that a customer in another brothel hurt one of the prostitutes. The man requests Sugimoto to find that customer and deal with him, but Sugimoto is confused, saying there's nothing strange about that. The man reveals that the customer who hurt the prostitute had strange tattoos on his body.

Sugimoto goes to a brothel which disguises itself as a soba restaurant. Before he meets with the hurt woman to ask her about the tattooed prisoner, Sugimoto is offered a bowl of soba. After having a good meal, Sugimoto comments on how tasty it was. His lunch is interrupted by two 7th Division soldiers who came to the restaurant to catch him. Sugimoto immediately attacks the soldiers, lunging at them and knocking off their feet. Outside the restaurant, he is attacked by another man, but Sugimoto quickly throws his attacker on the ground and tramples him. Sugimoto is then surrounded by more armed soldiers and is outnumbered. The two soldiers (who appear to be twins) who first found him in the restaurant order him to get on his knees so they can shoot him. One of the twins whacks Sugimoto on the back of his knees with the butt of the rifle, making him fall on the ground. The soldier hits Sugimoto repeatedly with a rifle, but the other twin tells him to step back so he can kill him.

## Character Appearances

* Asirpa
* Retar
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Umeko Kenmochi *(Flashback)*
* Toraji Kenmochi *(Mentioned)*
* Tatsuma Ushiyama *(Cameo)*
* Kouhei Nikaidou *(Debut)*
* Youhei Nikaidou *(Debut)*