Escape King Arc

The **Escape King Arc** is the second story arc of *Golden Kamuy*.

## Summary

### Shiraishi Yoshitake, The Escape King

As Asirpa shows Sugimoto hare tracks, she teaches him how to catch animals by using traps. However, instead of an hare they manage to catch another Abashiri convict. Once they have tied up the convict to the tree, Asirpa starts copying his tattoo on paper while Sugimoto tries to interrogate him. The prisoner keeps silent, and Sugimoto sarcastically wonders if the trap crashed his windpipe. The prisoner attempts to taunt Asirpa by calling her Sugimoto's pet dog, which infuriates Sugimoto and makes him squeeze the convict's face and threaten to break his jaw. Asirpa stops Sugimoto and tells him that she is used to hearing such things so she isn't bothered. Sugimoto lets go off the prisoner but thinks to himself that one doesn't have to get used to being berated. As he thinks that, Sugimoto remembers of his past.

Back in his village, Sugimoto is seen looking out of the door of his house. Accompanied by her mother, a young woman named Umeko is watching him from the distance. Her mother tells her to stay away from that house and to give up on Saichi. Later, some kids run past the Sugimoto house while pitching their noses and holding their breath, saying three members of that family have died of consumption. At night, when Sugimoto watches his house burn down, Umeko runs to him, relieved that he is not hurt. She asks him who set the house on fire, and Sugimoto replies that he did. He explains to Ume that he received a message of his father's death so now there's nobody left to call that place home. He then announces that he is leaving the village. When Sugimoto tells Umeko that she should listen to her parents and marry Toraji, Umeko cries and begs him to take her with him. But Sugimoto tells her to stay away from him, as he might be already sick himself. With tears in his eyes, Sugimoto tells Umeko that he doesn't want to kill her.

Sugimoto leaves the village, promising himself he will come back in two years if he doesn't show any symptoms. But when he comes back, he sees Umeko being married off.

In the present, Asirpa alerts Sugimoto that she's found a hare. She explains to Sugimoto how to capture the hare and instructs him with throwing a stick over the hare's head, to which Sugimoto protests that he will feel bad for scaring a hare like that. While the two are busy catching the hare, the prisoner manages to break out of his bonds. He is revealed to be Yoshitake Shiraishi, the legendary Escape King and genius at breaking out of any confinement. Shiraishi spits out a razor blade wrapped in waterproof oil paper and tied up to his tooth with a horsehair, then uses his amazing agility to cut the ropes and set himself free.

Asirpa manages to catch the hare but she sees the prisoner escape and warns Sugimoto, who immediately chases after him. Asirpa tells Sugimoto to not follow the escapee too far, as the weather is getting worse.

Sugimoto pursues Shiraishi to a cliff, which Shiraishi tries to climb down. Sugimoto draws his gun, saying he will shoot Shiraishi unless he goes back, but Shiraishi tells him to just shoot, since getting shot or later makes no difference for him. The two men are interrupted by a loud sound, which Sugimoto assumes is gunfire. However, it's *nipus hum*, "the sound of trees splitting", a phenomena where a sudden drop in temperature causes the sap in the trees to freeze and the trunk to split open. The sound of the wave of cold produces an avalanche, and Sugimoto and Shiraishi try to escape it. However, the snow under their feet starts breaking, and the two fall down into the cold river.

Sugimoto and Shiraishi fall into the icy water, and both of them start panicking, fearing of dying of hypothermia. As they get out of water, Sugimoto tells Shiraishi to go gather *sitat*, but Shiraishi doesn't understand him. Sugimoto tries to light up the matches he has on him, but it doesn't work. Dazed from freezing, Shiraishi attempts to rub wood together to start a fire, but to no avail. As the men are fighting for their lives, Asirpa waits for Sugimoto to return to the hut, thinking of how much she wants to eat the hare they caught.

It dawns on Sugimoto that he can use a rifle and its bullets to start a fire. Unfortunately, his rifle is out of reach, and the ammo pouch has no bullets inside. Sugimoto stubbornly refuses to give up and declares himself Sugimoto the Immortal once more before entering the water again. Shiraishi is confused, but Sugimoto tells him to search for cartridges with him unless he wants to die.

Hearing it, Shiraishi offers Sugimoto a deal: he will help him if he lets him go. Sugimoto yells that it's not the time to make a deal as they might die if they don't start the fire soon. Shiraishi counters him, claiming he will die no matter what and he'd rather see Sugimoto freeze to death first. Sugimoto continues to frantically search for the bullets but tells Shiraishi that if he really wanted he would have killed him and skinned him earlier; they only wanted to hold him captive until they find the gold. Shiraishi asks Sugimoto one more time if he is taking the deal, and Sugimoto finally agrees.

Shiraishi spits out a cartridge that he has had on him but only remembered about some moments ago. The two put the cartridge in a split log with birch tree shavings and Sugimoto hits it with a bayonet and a rock. As they see that they've managed to make a fire, overjoyed Sugimoto and Shiraishi put their arms around each other.

Later, while their clothes is drying, Shiraishi tells Sugimoto what he knows about Abashiri Convicts. He reveals that there are a total of 24 prisoners, although it is unknown how many are still alive. Shiraishi claims to not know anything about Noppera-bou's friends, saying only their leader who took charge of escape does. Sugimoto asks who was that man, and Shiraishi responds that they thought he was just an old quiet man, a political prisoner. However, it was merely a façade: during the prisoners' escape, their leader pulled a sword away from one soldier and killed three of them in the blink of an eye. The man was a soldier on the losing side of the Battle of Hakodate 30 years ago, a samurai who fought for shogunate. Shiraishi says that it might be a rumor, but the prisoner is actually the merciless Vice-Commander of Shinsengumi Hijikata Toshizou, who was thought to be dead.

Before Shiraishi leaves, he shares another thing with Sugimoto: Noppera-bou told all convicts to head to Otaru. Sugimoto threatens Shiraishi that he next time he meets him he will take his tattoo. He then warns him to forget about the gold and adds that there are more people who are after it, like the 7th Division who are seasoned war veterans. Shiraishi looks back at Sugimoto and tells him that whatever the situation, he will always escape since he is the Escape King.

In Otaru, a soldier from the 7th Division reports to the First Lieutenant Tokushirou Tsurumi that Ogata Hyakunosuke has awakened; Tsurumi exclaims that he wants to pay a visit to Ogata. In Tsurumi's room, a fleshed and tanned tattooed human skin can be observed on the wall, signaling that the 7th Division has started their gold hunt as well.

### Pursuers

Asirpa and Sugimoto catch a hare in the forest. Asirpa explains that hares are called *isepo* in Ainu, which means "small creatures that cry 'iii'". She suggests they make *citatap* out of the hare meat and tells Sugimoto an Ainu legend of how hares got their black tips on their ears. Long ago, the deer once had legs like the hare has now. However, the deer was tricked into trading his legs with those of the hare's; when the deer realized he was deceived, he threw a burning brand at the hare, hitting its ears. Sugimoto notes how the hare would be perfectly camouflaged were it not for its black tips, and now it doesn't matter how fast it can run as one can spot it easily in the snow. Sugimoto concludes that the moral of the story is,

Asirpa offers Sugimoto a hare's eyeball, saying the man who catches the rabbit gets to eat the eyes. Sugimoto reluctantly eats the eyeball, much to Asirpa's entertainment. Asirpa cooks *citatap* and adds Ezo matsutake and oshiroi shimeji mushrooms, as well as *pukusa* (Alpine leeks) for the flavor. Sugimoto greatly enjoys the meal but he wants to add miso to enhance the flavor. When he takes out his tin with miso, Asirpa screams in disgust, assuming it's not food but actually *osoma*, or poop. Sugimoto offers her to try miso, but Asirpa refuses, believing Sugimoto is trying to feed her poop.

Next day, Asirpa and Sugimoto are walking through the forest; Asirpa explains how to find a brown bear's den. She points at an uprooted tree and says there's a cave hollowed out beneath the roots of the fallen tree. Asirpa asks Sugimoto to take a look at the tree and check for the signs of a bear living there such as icicles at the mouth of the cave and an odd, earthly smell inside. However, he should be careful, as the bear is not hibernating but just drowsy and can charge out if woken up. Sugimoto walks to a cave and examines it, noticing icicles and kuma bamboo grass laid on the floor. He asks Asirpa if they should catch the bear and how should they do it. Asirpa explains that they need to use stakes to fence up the entrance; once the bear comes to investigate it, one shoots a poisoned arrow through the stakes. She then reveals that her father was so brave that he would crawl inside the bear's den with a poison arrow in hand and kill the bear by himself. Asirpa claims there's an Ainu saying that goes: a brown bear will never kill a human that enters its den. Sugimoto is not interested in hunting more bears so he suggests they should get going.

Meanwhile, four 7th Division soldiers are seen near the hut that Asirpa and Sugimoto used before. They deduce that the hut was used recently and notice prints from a man's boots and a child's deerskin shoes. The oldest soldier doubts that a hunter and his child would attack and defeat a capable man like Superior Private Ogata. It's revealed that Ogata managed to regain consciousness for a short time; however, he wasn't able to say anything since his jaw was broken. Instead, he wrote a single word with his finger — "Immortal". One of the soldiers wonders if Ogata was trying to brag about being immortal, but the older soldier doesn't believe it, thinking he wouldn't use all of his remaining strength just to brag or joke.

As Asirpa and Sugimoto walk through the woods, Asirpa notices something flashing in the distance from the place where they stayed last night. Sugimoto realizes it's binoculars; he grabs Asirpa and starts running. A 7th Division soldier, who is watching the two through binoculars, reports to others that he has found Ogata's attackers. The soldiers then chase after Sugimoto and Asirpa using skis.

Upon realizing they cannot outrun their pursuers, Sugimoto offers Asirpa to split up. He hands her the tattooed skins and tells her to not fight back and simply give the skins to the soldiers if she is found, as he believes they won't harm her. Sugimoto says that all that matters for Asirpa is that the gold is found; who gets to do it is irrelevant, so she should do as Sugimoto asks her. Asirpa looks concerned and warns Sugimoto against fighting the 7th Division soldiers because they will kill him. Sugimoto turns to her and says that he is immortal.

The four soldiers find the tracks. Genjirou Tanigaki points at Asirpa's footprints and notes that it's where Sugimoto and her split up. The officer in charge orders Tanigaki to follow Asirpa while he and the other two pursue Sugimoto. Tanigaki follows Asirpa's footprints and realizes that the girl doubled back on her tracks, just like animals would do. He looks at the bamboo grass and examines the bark of nearby Jezo Spruce, noticing that it's been torn off recently. Tanigaki looks up at the tree branches and tells Asirpa to climb down, promising he won't harm her. Asirpa stays silent, so Tanigaki asks if she understands Japanese. Asirpa decides to play along and replies to him in Ainu,

Tanigaki asks Asirpa to come down, and after thinking for a few moments she agrees. Asirpa leaves the tattooed skin on the branch and Tanigaki helps her climb down. He asks Asirpa about Sugimoto, wondering if he is her brother or father. Suddenly, a squirrel wobbles the branch with the tattooed skin, causing it to fall down. Tanigaki is shocked to see a child carry the skin, and Asirpa reaches for her quiver. Before she can do anything, Tanigaki commands her to drop the bow. Terrified, Asirpa drops her weapon. Tanigaki notes that Asirpa can actually understand Japanese. He then loads his rifle and tells her to put the quiver and knives down, too. Something catches Asirpa's attention: as Tanigaki turns his head, he sees Retar charging at him.

In the meantime, Sugimoto is running away from the three soldiers. The scarred soldier draws his rifle at Sugimoto and tells him to stop and throw down his weapons. Sugimoto stops and puts his hands up and says he was thinking they wanted to arrest him for poaching. He adds that the Ainu girl was his guide. The officer in charge and the other man assume they got the wrong idea about Sugimoto and ask if he's seen anyone suspicious around. However, the soldier with a scar recognizes Sugimoto from seeing him at the field hospital in Port Arthur. He calls him Sugimoto the Immortal from the 1st Division, and the soldiers realize that the "Immortal" clue that Ogata gave them was about Sugimoto. The soldiers aim their weapons at unarmed Sugimoto, who is standing right in front of an uprooted tree which in fact a bear's den; a pair of shining eyes is seen inside the den.

As Sugimoto stands with his hands up, cornered by the 7th Division soldiers, he has to make a tough decision. After repeatedly telling Sugimoto to get down, the soldiers decide to shoot out Sugimoto's knees. Before they can do that, Sugimoto jumps into the bear's den behind him, screaming that he is immortal. The soldiers ask the officer in charge if they should smoke out Sugimoto, but he replies that there's no need and they should just start shooting. A soldier with a scar on his face wonders if they might kill Sugimoto while shooting, which won't let them interrogate him about what happened to Ogata. However, the officer says that he can hardly believe that Sugimoto is worthy of being called "immortal" or said to "fight like a devil"; he suggests they put the legend to the test and see if Sugimoto dies that easily.

As the soldiers start shooting in the bear's den, they are surprised by a bear's roar. A huge brown bear comes out of its den and attacks the soldier, hitting him with its claws and ripping off the skin on his face and breaking his jaw. The soldier accidentally fires in the man behind him, killing him instantly. The scarred soldier remains still and asks the bear to calm itself. He reminisces of his grandfather who worked in the mountains and told him how to act when meeting a brown bear: one should stand still and calmly talk to the bear while maintaining eye contact. The soldier then shoots at the bear, wanting to take revenge for his grandfather, who was eaten by a brown bear. However, the shot hardly grazes the bear and it attacks the soldier, biting into his neck and mauling him with its sharp claws. The soldier attempts to fight back, stabbing the animal with his bayonet and telling it to "come and get him".

Some time later, the officer with his face torn off is seen shooting at the dying bear before falling to the ground and succumbing to his own wounds. The other two soldiers are also dead, with the scarred soldier gutted and tossed up on the tree branches. When everyone is dead, Sugimoto comes out of the den, holding a bear cub that was in the burrow with him. He thinks of Asirpa's words and says the she was right about a brown bear never killing a human that enters its den. Sugimoto wonders if Asirpa managed to throw off her pursuer. He looks at the bear cub and tells him that he can't leave him here so he will take him with him. However, Sugimoto warns the bear that Asirpa might turn him into *citatap*.

Tanigaki is attacked by Retar, who is protecting Asirpa. Retar breaks Tanigaki's leg and is about to bite into his throat when Asirpa stops him. Asirpa tells Retar that he is the last *Horkew Kamuy* (Wolf God, or Howling God) and she cannot let him become *Wen Kamuy* for her sake. Still, she is thankful that he's saved her. Asirpa scratches Retar's belly and calls him a good wolf.

### Ainu Kotan

They keep playing around until Sugimoto appears, calling out to Asirpa. Alerted by his voice, Retar flees, and Sugimoto wonders if the wolf took down Tanigaki, who is lying unconscious. He asks Asirpa if the soldier is alive, and Asirpa chooses to lie and tell Sugimoto that Tanigaki is dead, thinking that a tough guy like him would survive here even with a broken leg.

Asirpa notices the bear cub Sugimoto hid in his coat earlier and asks him about it, much to Sugimoto's surprise. He tries to hide the cub, however, Asirpa doesn't buy it and wonders what Sugimoto was going to do with the cub. Panicking, Sugimoto claims he is going to become the cub's mother and promises to take good care of him. Asirpa doubts that Sugimoto even knows what bear cubs eat, and Sugimoto gives up, handing Asirpa the cub. He says Asirpa will have to eat the baby bear alone because he can't stand the thought of eating the cub. Asirpa is confused by Sugimoto's assumption and reveals that the Ainu don't eat bear cubs; instead, there's a tradition to raise a bear cub they find during a hunt. Asirpa announces that they're going to her village, or *kotan*.

When Asirpa and Sugimoto enter the *kotan*, they're greeted by children who are all excited to see Asirpa back. Sugimoto notes that no one seems to be afraid of him, and Asirpa replies that the Ainu are very curious and enjoy new things. She invites Sugimoto to their house, *cise*, and introduces him to her grandmother, who she calls Huci. Sugimoto promises Huci he will be leaving soon and explains that he only came to leave the bear cub and is not going to impose on her for long. Asirpa says that her grandmother doesn't understand sisam language but she wants Sugimoto to have a meal and spend the night in the *kotan*.

Inside the *cise*, Sugimoto worries that his presence might cause problems. Huci says that Sugimoto is the first guest Asirpa ever brought here and they'd like to extend their hospitality. Asirpa tells Sugimoto that her late grandfather, *ekasi*, was the most important person in the village, so nobody would ever say anything against Huci. She shows Sugimoto Huci's mouth tattoo, saying the more important the man, the larger the tattoo his wife can get. Asirpa notes that everyone in the village is interested in Sugimoto, and Sugimoto notices the villagers looking at him through the window with curiosity. He smiles and laughs nervously.

In the woods, Tanigaki has come to his senses. As he is applying a splint on his broken leg, Tanigaki is thinking of the gorgeous wolf with silver-white fur he saw. Tanigaki decides that it must be his Matagi blood calling, and he won't stop until he has hunted the wolf down.

While staying at Asirpa's kotan, Sugimoto asks her about her family. Asirpa says she is living in her *cise* with her grandmother while her aunt and uncle live in another house. Asirpa reveals that her *ekasi* (grandfather) fell sick and died six years ago and her mother died of illness soon after giving birth to her. Speaking in Ainu, Huci tells Sugimoto that Asirpa spends all of her time in the mountains and can't do a woman's work; a woman that cannot sew or knit is unable to find an Ainu husband. She says that Asirpa refuses to get tattooed despite being nearly of age, and Asirpa argues that a lot of girl refuse to get tattooed — Huci is just old-fashioned. Asirpa's grandmother asks Sugimoto to take Asirpa as his wife, as she can't depart this world in peace until she knows her granddaughter is safe. Sugimoto asks Asirpa to translate what Huci just said, but Asirpa, visibly ablush, tells Sugimoto that Huci said that people shouldn't eat poop. Sugimoto smiles and once again claims that it's not poop, it's miso.

A small Ainu girl points at Sugimoto and says *sinna kisar*. Asirpa explains that the girl noticed how strange Sugimoto's ears are compared to the Ainu. Sugimoto asks the girl's name, and she introduces herself as Osoma. Sugimoto thinks she is messing with him, but Asirpa tells him it's not a joke: the Ainu have a custom of giving babies disgusting names to protect them from evil spirits of illness. Once children turn six years old, they get a real name based on their personalities and what they've done in life. Sugimoto wonders what Asirpa's name was, and she says it was *Ekasiotonpuy*, meaning "grandfather's butthole".

When Huci feeds the bear cub, Sugimoto asks what she is feeding him. Asirpa replies that it's a mixture of meat and broth. She muses that the cub will grow up to be as huge as his mother in just three years. Sugimoto asks if Asirpa doesn't like bear cubs, pointing out that she hasn't even touched the baby bear. Asirpa says it's not that she doesn't like them. However, she thinks Sugimoto should stop petting the cub or he will get too attached to him. Sugimoto looks confused by what Asirpa said and asks if they will return the bear into the wild once he gets bigger. Asirpa reveals that they will perform a ceremony and send the bear off to the Land of the Gods. She tells Sugimoto of a bear cub she doted upon as a child. Asirpa was so attached to him, she tried to sneak the cub out and return him to the mountains right before the ceremony; the adults were furious with her, and Asirpa was so sad she didn't participate in the ceremony. She explains to Sugimoto that for the Ainu it's not an act of killing, but of "sending back". The Ainu believe that all useful things around them, things with power beyond their control, are *kamuy*, or Gods. The *kamuy* send useful things from the Land of the Gods to human world; in order for their lives to be peaceful, humans must take good care of the objects they use and not neglect their prayers. As the Ainu are hunters, the *kamuy* of animals are especially important. When they're in the Land of the Gods, all *kamuy* take the form of humans; when they come to the human world to play, they're clad in the flesh of animals. The bear, *kimun kamuy*, is especially important among the animal *kamuy*: for one or two years the Ainu raise the bear cub in a cage, *heperset*, and when the time comes, the whole village turns out and sends the cub off with a great celebration in a ceremony called *Iomante*. At the ceremony there's signing and dancing, lots of food is prepared, and the bear's spirit is sent off with many gifts so the gods know that the human world is a wonderful and fun place and will come back to earth.

Hearing Asirpa's story, Sugimoto wonders if Asirpa really believes it, noting that if she did believe it, sending the bear off wouldn't be that sad for her back then. Asirpa explains that within every belief lies a useful lesson to help people survive: for example, raising the bear cub instead of killing it means they will have more fur and meat in the future. Asirpa claims that her people lived their lives following those lessons, so she believes they're correct. Still, it doesn't mean that there's no sadness in saying goodbye, and that's why she prefers to keep her distance. Sugimoto smiles and says that Asirpa seems different from other Ainu. Asirpa tells Sugimoto that her father gave her the name Asirpa, which means "new year" but can also mean "future".

In Otaru, Hijikata Toshizou goes to a brothel disguised as a soba restaurant to find another Abashiri convict, Ushiyama the Undefeated. Hijikata finds Ushiyama with a prostitute, and Ushiyama immediately assumes that the prostitute sold him out. He grabs her leg and throws the woman at Hijikata, who dodges it and attacks Ushiyama with his katana. The two men clash, and Ushiyama pulls out his gun, asking if Hijikata really thought his katana would cut through his thick skull. Hijikata shows Ushiyama a copy of tattooed skin made on oil paper; he explains that there's no need to kill each other when they can copy the tattoos instead. Hijikata offers Ushiyama to join him, mentioning that sooner or later they will come to blows with the 7th Division and they need the tattooed skins they're in possession of. Ushiyama snarls and sarcastically wonders if Hijikata is planning to have a swordfight with the whole Imperial Japanese Army. Hijikata smiles and says that it doesn't matter how old you are, boys just love to play with swords.

Asirpa and Sugimoto come to a stream to catch fish. Asirpa shows Sugimoto an Ainu trap for catching river fish, *raomap*. The trap that was set up yesterday managed to catch a lot of sculpins, and Asirpa is planning to gut the fish. She asks Sugimoto for help, but he realizes that he forgot his bayonet in Asirpa's houses and rushes to get it. On his way to Asirpa's house, Sugimoto is suddenly stopped by an Ainu man. The Ainu man saves Sugimoto from triggering *amappo*, an arrow trap with aconite root poison. The man tells Sugimoto of his cousin who was hit by a poisoned arrow like that; he died after spending several days in agony.

The Ainu man introduces himself as Makanakkuru, Asirpa's uncle and the father of Osoma Makanakkuru tells Sugimoto that he's been worried about Asirpa since she's been going to the mountains on her own after her father's death, but now he can rest easier knowing a strong guy like Sugimoto accompanies his niece. Sugimoto corrects Makanakkuru, claiming it's Asirpa who is saving him most of the times. Makanakkuru says that Asirpa is a smart girl and Sugimoto must be a good man if she likes him.

Makanakkuru reminisces of the story of the Ainu from their *kotan* gathering gold to fight off the *sisam*; the gold ended up being stolen and Asirpa's father was killed along with his comrades. He says that their ancestors gathered that gold and for decades, it lay untouched, until a group of men decided to use it to buy weapons. The people in the *kotan* believe that those men were killed by *Wakkus Kamuy*, god of the water. For Ainu, rivers are sacred and must be kept clean. Panning for gold turns the water in the river cloudy, which makes it difficult for fish to breathe; without fish animals like otters, foxes, and brown beers would disappear also. Makanakkuru exclaims that soiling the pristine waters just to gather weapons for war is something that shouldn't have been done. He believes that the gold was processed by some sort of evil spirit — it was cursed.

Back in Asirpa's house, Sugimoto and Asirpa give Huci the fish they caught in the trap. Sugimoto notices Huci doing some kind of gesture and asks Asirpa about it. Asirpa explains that Huci was making an offering to her guardian spirit: when you receive something you're supposed to share some of it with your guardian spirit. According to the Ainu, the guardian spirit, or *turenpe*, is comes in and out through the back of one's neck. Every person is born with a guardian spirit, which can be a spirit of fire, water, thunder, or animals like wolves and bears. *Turenpe* are in control of one's character and fate, and some Ainu claim to be able to see the guardian spirits. Asirpa tells Sugimoto that Huci can see *turenpe* and that his guardian spirit is very powerful. Sugimoto touches his nape and remarks that maybe it's his guardian spirit that makes him immortal. However, he wonders why Asirpa never made any offerings to her *turenpe* during their travels, and she replies that in this village only old folks do that.

Huci and Asirpa prepare *kinaohaw*, a broth made from roasted sculpins and vegetables like daikon, carrot, potato, spinach, and kombu. Sugimoto makes an offering to his guardian spirit and tastes the broth, praising the flavor. Still, he thinks the broth would be made even better with miso. Asirpa snaps at Sugimoto, telling him to not take out his poop in her house, but Sugimoto manages to offer Huci some miso before Asirpa can do anything. Asirpa grabs a punishment rod, *sutu*, and menacingly approaches Sugimoto with it while Huci watches them with a smile.

Elsewhere in the woods, Lt. Tsurumi and his soldiers from 7th Division are looking for the four men that disappeared earlier. A soldier reports to Tsurumi that continuing the search will be difficult as heavy snowfall will likely cover any tracks. Tsurumi says that all four men were experienced mountaineers, especially Tanigaki who comes from a Matagi family. As such, Tsurumi finds it difficult to believe that his soldiers would simply get lost or stranded.

Tsurumi is alerted by Captain Wada, who appears accompanied by another soldier. Wada is furious with Tsurumi, shouting that he took four of his men to Otaru without his permission. Moreover, Wada accuses Tsurumi of secretly taking ammunition and weapons from Asahikawa. Tsurumi takes out a handkerchief and wipes cerebrospinal fluid from his face. He apologizes and explains that part of his frontal lobe and skull were injured during the Battle of Mukden, and sometimes an odd fluid leaks out of the wound. Wada tells Tsurumi he can't cover for him anymore, and with an injury like his he shouldn't have managed to keep his rank of First Lieutenant. He points his index finger at Tsurumi, exclaiming that he has no place in the Imperial Japanese Army. Suddenly, Tsurumi sinks his teeth into Wada's finger and bites it off, much to Wada's shock. Tsurumi wipes his mouth with the handkerchief and apologizes, saying he's been having troubles with controlling his temper after his frontal lobe injury. Aside that, he claims to be in good health, and adds that a warrior takes pride in his scars. Wada is appalled by Tsurumi's lunacy and orders the soldier that came with him to fire at will. However, the soldier shoots Wada instead, killing him. Tsurumi tells his men to strip off Wada's body of his uniform and bury him, saying that he will make nice fertilizer for the plants when spring comes, unlike their comrades in Manchuria, whose graves are cold and barren stones. Tsurumi stands before his men, declaring that they still haven't received reparations from Russia, and so the soldiers who defended the frontier were left with nothing but barren, worthless land. As he looks in the distance, Tsurumi announces that their war is not over.

Sugimoto and Asirpa catch an otter, and Asirpa tells Sugimoto about how to make a dish out of it. However, since the otter was killed by aconite arrow, its meat must be cooked and not eaten raw, so they can't make *citatap* and will have a soup (*ohaw*) instead. Asirpa tells Sugimoto that in Ainu the river otter, *esaman*, is considered to be an incredibly forgetful *kamuy*. That's why one should never eat otter or speak its name during *Iomante* or other important ceremonies in order to not forget any steps. When the soup is ready, Sugimoto tastes it and finds it delicious. Asirpa says there's a more delicious part and gives Sugimoto a boiled river otter head. Sugimoto awkwardly tries to eat it.

In the *kotan*, kids ask Asirpa to play with them. They give her a *kisarri* ("long-eared monster"), a toy for scaring children which you use while standing outside the window and making scary noises. Asirpa offers Sugimoto to give it a try, but his attempt to scare the children falls flat. Asirpa takes the matters in her hands and shows everyone how it's done, terrifying the children. Sugimoto tries again, but fails and kids leave him. Later, Asirpa joins other children at a game of *Uko Karip Ciwe*, a ring catch game, and Sugimoto watches her with a smile.

At night, when Asirpa and Osoma are fast asleep, Sugimoto is sitting together with Huci and Makanakkuru They hear a wolf's howl, and Sugimoto says that he's seen a large white wolf protect Asirpa twice; he wonders why would an animal behave like that. Makanakkuru explains that it must be Retar's howl they're hearing now. He reveals that Asirpa and her father saved Retar from a brown bear when he was just a pup; he looked like a tiny snowman, so they named him *Retar*, which means "white". Makanakkuru notes that Asirpa and Retar were inseparable, and after Asirpa's father death, she would go up to the mountains with Retar a lot. However, they belong to different worlds: one night, when Asirpa and Retar were in the forest, they were awoken by a howling. Retar wanted to follow the sound, but Asirpa tried to stop him, asking not to listen and come back to her. After looking at Asirpa for one last time and letting out a howl, Retar ran away, leaving Asirpa alone and sobbing, crying out for Retar and her *aca*.

Makanakkuru ends his tale by saying that, despite her mature behavior, Asirpa is still just a lonely, fragile little girl. As Makanakkuru picks up sleeping Osoma in his arms, he tells Sugimoto that Asirpa rarely smiled since that day, but now with him at her side Asirpa seems much happier. When Makanakkuru leaves, Huci tells Sugimoto something important about Asirpa, but since she is speaking in Ainu, Sugimoto is not really able to understand her. Still, he says that he knows that Huci loves Asirpa very much, just like everyone else in this village.

When Huci falls asleep, Sugimoto is still sitting by the fire, deep in thoughts. He thinks of Asirpa but then remembers how the two of them were chased by the 7th Division. Realizing his presence is dangerous for Asirpa, Sugimoto leaves the *kotan* without saying goodbye.

### Rescue Operation

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.

First Lieutenant Tsurumi appears and fires his gun in the air, demanding his soldiers stop attacking Sugimoto as he doesn't want him dead yet. Tsurumi smiles at Sugimoto and says that it's him who decides when Sugimoto will die.

Sugimoto is restrained and taken to the 7th Division barracks for interrogation. He tells Tsurumi that he is working for a man whose favorite proustite got hurt, so he is looking for some guy with a tattoo to pay him back for what he did. However, Tsurumi doesn't seem to believe Sugimoto's words; instead, he asks him if he likes sweets and offers Sugimoto a dango skewer. While Sugimoto eats a dango, Tsurumi mentions how they found one of his men washed up on the riverbank, barely clinging to life. When the man came to his senses, he wrote a single word with his finger: "immortal". Hearing this, Sugimoto attempts to leave, and Tsurumi accuses him of attacking Superior Private Ogata. The twins order Sugimoto to sit down, but Sugimoto mocks them, asking if he can mark one of them to tell apart, which angers the brothers. Sugimoto sits down and tries to explain himself, claiming they got the wrong guy and his name isn't even Sugimoto. Tsurumi says that he's seen Sugimoto the Immortal once, back in Port Arthur. He watched him cut his way across the battlefield "as though he was possessed by the devil himself", a sight so fascinating Tsurumi couldn't tear his eyes away. The First Lieutenant tells Sugimoto that he recognized him when he saw him fight in front on the soba restaurant, but Sugimoto denies being at Port Arthur. Tsurumi asserts that Ogata must have fought Sugimoto because he was in possession of tattooed skins and was looking for the hidden gold; that also explains why Sugimoto tried to run away from the 7th Division. Sugimoto keeps denying knowing anything about the tattoos or the gold and asks if Tsurumi is all right in the head. Tsurumi laughs and replies that a shell blew away a small part of his brain. The twins let out a small laugh too, and Sugimoto joins them, thinking it was a joke. Suddenly, Tsurumi stabs Sugimoto with the dango skewer, piercing it through his cheeks and mouth. Sugimoto remains silent, and Tsurumi compliments him on his toughness, saying he knew he really is Sugimoto the Immortal. Tsurumi warns Sugimoto that there's a way for him to destroy his "life's candle".

Meanwhile, Asirpa and Retar get readied to start their search for Sugimoto. Asirpa gives Sugimoto's sock to Retar he would follow his scent. She decides they should start searching at night so Retar wouldn't stand out too much.

Tsurumi offers Sugimoto to join his unit. He reveals that he's lost a lot of good men in the war and is short on soldiers as he has less than a hundred men scattered all over Hokkaido. Sugimoto argues that less than a hundred is still a big number of people to share the gold with, but Tsurumi explains that the gold will be used for military expenditures. He reveals that he is planning on buying weapons from Americans, take over the 7th Division, then commander the ports that ship vital resources from Hokkaido to the rest of Japan, and finally take over Hokkaido altogether. Tsurumi claims that the soldiers who were heroes on the battlefield returned home to the life of a vagrant; they've lost more than they've gained for service. Tsurumi once again asks Sugimoto to join forces with him, saying a courageous soldier like him is exactly who he wants in his army. Sugimoto takes out the skewer that Tsurumi stabbed him with and rejects the Lieutenant's offer.

At night, Asirpa and Retar go to Otaru searching for Sugimoto After picking up the scent, Retar points to a building where Sugimoto is supposed to be. Asirpa and Retar get inside, and Retar finds a sleeping man there. Asirpa takes out the *sutu* and hits the man, assuming it's Sugimoto, but after lighting the *cinoyetat* she sees Yoshitake Shiraishi before her, who she calls "excrement king". Asirpa wonders why Retar would take her to Shiraishi since he wouldn't follow the wrong scent. Shiraishi says he is there on his own, and Asirpa explains that she gave Sugimoto's sock to Retar to follow its scent. Shiraishi realizes that he and Sugimoto must have mixed up their socks after they dried their clothes. Asirpa makes a disgusted face and calls it gross. Shiraishi wonders if Sugimoto double-crossed Asirpa and left with taking all the tattooed skins they gathered. He then reveals that he heard a rumor of a some guy in a military cap starting a fight in the red-light district and then being taken to the 7th Division home base. Asirpa points her arrow at Shiraishi, demanding he take her to the 7th Division's base. Shiraishi reluctantly agrees but says he needs to wash his face first. Asirpa thinks of how she knew something bad would happen to Sugimoto. She is then alerted by Retar and notices that Shiraishi is running away. The Escape King climbs the roofs and digs a tunnel under a fence, but he is caught by Retar. Asirpa claims that Shiraishi can try running all he wants, but he will never escape the tracking ability of a *Horkew Kamuy*.

Meanwhile, severely beaten up Sugimoto is sitting bound to a chair in the 7th Division home base. He wonders if he should have pretended to cooperate with the 7th Division but realizes that Tsurumi would see through him. He thinks of the tattooed skins that he hid with the equipment that he looted off the soldiers killed by the bear. Sugimoto concludes that everything's turned bad because he tried to do it all by himself. The twins that attacked Sugimoto earlier enter the room and ask if he's still alive. Kouhei remarks they might have got the wrong guy since Sugimoto got caught so easily. Youhei looks at Sugimoto's face and says that despite taking a real beating, Sugimoto's face is already healing. He remembers the rumors of Sugimoto the Immortal recovering overnight from injuries the doctors thought were fatal. Youhei wonders if cutting out Sugimoto's guts would result in it just being all healed by tomorrow. Kouhei advises his brother against it, saying that if they kill him they won't be able to find out where he hid the skins. Youhei takes out his bayonet and suggests they cut off Sugimoto's fingers one by one until he reveals the skins' location. Sugimoto whispers something, and Youhei gets closer to him to hear what he says. Sugimoto promises that he'll give him a mark so he can tell the twins apart and headbutts Youhei, knocking his front tooth out and making him fall onto Kouhei. Sugimoto takes a deep breath and lunges himself into the twins, breaking the chair and taking Kouhei into a chokehold with his legs. As Youhei stabs him in the chest, Sugimoto continues to fight, once again declaring himself Sugimoto the Immortal.

Asirpa and Shiraishi arrive to the 7th Division barracks. Shiraishi says that there's about 30 soldiers at any given time; he mentions that the building used to be a store and that's why the windows have bars on them. Shiraishi tells Asirpa that the 7th Division are too dangerous to go against and they might already be too late. Asirpa remains confident that Sugimoto is still alive. She claims that Sugimoto is a man who is hard to kill and that he never lets his fear of death control him. Asirpa reminisces of Sugimoto fighting a bear and jumping into its den, saying that no one but her father would be able to do that.

Shiraishi climbs to the window of Sugimoto's cell and sees that the fight between Sugimoto and the Nikaidou twins is stopped by the soldiers who heard the ruckus. Lt. Tsurumi orders to keep the twins away from Sugimoto, and the soldiers tie up Sugimoto while commenting on how he was able to fight even with his hands and feet restrained. Shiraishi goes back to Asirpa and tells her that Sugimoto is alive, which cheers her up. Shiraishi comes up with an escape plan and strikes a deal with Asirpa: he is willing to bet it all on Asirpa and Sugimoto and rescue the soldier but in return he wants part of the gold. Asirpa agrees and says that she doesn't care about the gold so Shiraishi and Sugimoto can just split it between each other. Shiraishi explains the plan to Asirpa: they must tie a long rope to the four corners of the metal bars on the window, then Shiraishi sneaks into Sugimoto's cell and signals Asirpa. In her turn, Asirpa will have to tie a rope to one of the horses in advance and then make it run when Shiraishi gives the signal. The horse will yank the bars off, making it possible for Shiraishi and Sugimoto escape. Shiraishi asks if Asirpa has soap so he can lather up his body to slip through the bars easier. Asirpa says that she has none; however, she has some bear grease for cooking.

Sugimoto is lying in his cell when he is spooked by Shiraishi who he assumes is a monster. Shiraishi reminds him that he is the Escape King and explains that he came to rescue Sugimoto for an Ainu girl who threatened to shoot him with a poison arrow if he didn't help. Nearby, the 7th Division soldiers that were guarding Sugimoto hear some noise coming from the stables. They think it must be thieves and decide to check it out; however, it's actually Retar that the horses sensed. When Shiraishi tries to undo Sugimoto's handcuffs, someone approaches the door to Sugimoto's cell. It turns out to be the Nikaidou twins who came to take their revenge. Youhei tells his brother to wait outside and make sure nobody comes in while he kills Sugimoto and later makes it look like Sugimoto was attempting to escape. Kouhei advises his brother to not use the gun and instead use his bayonet. When Kouhei leaves with Youhei's gun and shuts the door, Youhei finds his bayonet missing. He turns around and sees Sugimoto charging at him while holding a knife. Some moments later, Tsurumi arrives at the scene and witnesses the aftermath of the fight: Youhei is dead and Sugimoto is heavily injured, with his intestines sticking out of his gut. Tsurumi remarks that the candle of Sugimoto's life is truly on the verge of being blown out. Sugimoto asks Tsurumi to save him, promising to give up on the skins, much to Tsurumi's delight.

Tsurumi] orders to prepare a sledge for Sugimoto and transport him to the bets hospital in Otaru. He tells Sugimoto that they will make every effort to save him so he should respond in kind and tell them where the tattooed skins are. Tsurumi whispers to one of his soldiers that he will follow the sledge with Sugimoto later on horse. While Tsurumi is waiting for his horse being prepared, he investigates Youhei's death site, which he finds strange. He notices a wound on Youhei's right hand and wonders if he really stabbed Sugimoto with it or Sugimoto just put it in his hand. Tsurumi sees bloody fingerprint on the underside of Youhei's belt. As a drop of liquid runs down Tsurumi's face, he wonders why Sugimoto readjusted Youhei's belt after killing him. In the meantime, Sugimoto gets up on the sledge and pushes down the soldiers that were transporting him. Tsurumi unbuttons Youhei's jacket and realizes that Sugimoto took the dead man's intestines and tricked them. Tsurumi immediately follows Sugimoto on horse and soon catches up with him. The First Lieutenant grabs his gun, but his horse is struck by Asirpa's poisoned arrow and falls to the ground. Tsurumi falls but quickly gets on his feet and chases Sugimoto on foot. He aims at Sugimoto but at the last moment chooses to let Sugimoto go. Tsurumi examines his dead horse and sees a strange wound on its body. Nearby, Asirpa, who is holding a poisoned arrow with a piece of horse flesh that she carved from the horse's body, tells Retar that he can't eat it.

Tsurumi goes back to the 7th Division barracks and one of the soldiers reports that someone set fire to the barracks. Tsurumi looks at the building on fire and comments that maybe the 7th Division should leave finding the tattooed skins to Sugimoto and his accomplices as they seem to be somewhat more competent than them. Another soldier tells Tsurumi that they were unable to retrieve the tattooed skin from the First Lieutenant's personal quarters. Tsurumi replies that they don't have to worry about it and unbuttons his jacket, demonstrating a shirt made from the tattooed skin. Shiraishi, who has disguised himself as one of the soldiers, notes that this is why he couldn't find the skin.

Sugimoto stops his sledge when he notices Asirpa and Retar. Sugimoto expresses remorse over his actions, and Asirpa seemingly leaps for a hug only to whack Sugimoto with a *sutu* instead. After getting away from the 7th Division, Asirpa, Sugimoto, and Shiraishi have to decide what to do with the horse. Sugimoto wants to keep it, but Shiraishi disagrees, claiming the horse will stand out and that disposing of it will be the best option. Asirpa says that she wants to give Retar a reward for helping them, so Shiraishi concludes its decided and shoots the horse while Sugimoto watches it with sadness in his eyes. After killing the horse, Shiraishi proposes they make sakura nabe, a dish made of horse meat. Shiraishi leaves to a nearby farm to get some eggs, and Asirpa and Sugimoto stay alone.

Sugimoto says that skinning the horse will be difficult, but Asirpa replies that they won't skin it and brings up a story of a fur thief who stole furs from a hunter and later was identified in the town and arrested. Asirpa looks at Sugimoto's face and tells him to get some rest since he's taken quite a beating. Sugimoto's face darkens and he tells Asirpa that this kind of thing is expected when you're chasing after a criminal's gold and they could be captured, tortured, and even killed. Sugimoto says he doesn't know how he would face Huci and other people in the village if anything happened to Asirpa. Asirpa accuses Sugimoto of considering her a burden and, before he can protest, throws a slab of meat at his face, saying a compress of raw horse meat can help reduce swelling and bleeding. As Asirpa is continuing to cut the meat, she states that she's already lost her father in the most horrible way and is prepared for the worst. Asirpa explains that she decided working together would help both of them get what they wanted and that she made that choice thinking it's the right one. However, Sugimoto treated her like a child and refused to trust her as his partner and then got himself captured.

Shiraishi returns with a lot of food that he received from farmers, which he believes is attributed to the army uniform he is wearing. The group goes to one of the hunting huts and get to cooking. However, the atmosphere is tense, and Shiraishi notices it, saying they should eat some tasty food and make up. When the nabe is ready, Shiraishi and Sugimoto proceed to eating it. Before Asirpa takes a bite, she hears Shiraishi say that there's miso in the nabe. She looks disgusted and asks Sugimoto if there's really *osoma* in the food. Sugimoto confesses that miso is an integral part of sakura nabe. Shiraishi is confused by Asirpa's reaction, and Sugimoto explains that Asirpa thinks that miso is poop; Shiraishi laughs it off as cultural differences between the Japanese and the Ainu. Sugimoto apologizes and promises he will make the nabe again without miso. However, Asirpa forces herself to eat the nabe and actually finds the *osoma* delicious.

In Otaru, Toshizou Hijikata and Tatsuma Ushiyama visit an old acquaintance of Hijikata, Shinpachi Nagakura. Nagakura agrees to let Hijikata use the house they're visiting as his base of operations; he says he can give him whatever capital he has on hand, and a small number of the latest foreign-made guns he received. However, Nagakura laments that there's a limit to what he can do for Hijikata, and that he is too old to join his crazy schemes. Hijikata doesn't believe it, claiming Nagakura's body must be burning for the chance to revive the Shinsengumi legend. Ushiyama, who's been listening to the conversation, recognizes Nagakura and the legendary Nagakura Shinpachi, the best swordsman in the entire Shinsengumi. Ushiyama tells the two men that he's figured out they're after more than just gold.

The group of Toshizou Hijikata is looking for allies to search for the gold. Hijikata wants to recruit Zenjirou Shibukawa, a leader of of a band of thieves that was recently released from Kabato Prison. Ushiyama is skeptical of Shibukawa's cooperation, and Hijikata reveals that earlier he sent some messengers to the men but they never returned. Still, Hijikata claims that they need Shibukawa's talents and his men and empathizes that they must not kill Shibukawa under any circumstances. Ushiyama mentions that there's only ten of them versus a dozen of Shibukawa's men, which puts them at disadvantage. Hijikata disagrees and says that one cannot count on raw numbers winning battles, what matters is how many men on your side are prepared to die.

Upon arriving to Shibukawa's residence, Hijikata and his men get inside the building. One of Shibukawa's men confronts them but Ushiyama quickly grabs him and throws him in the air, breaking the ceiling. Shibukawa says that he hasn't seen Hijikata since he was transferred to Abashiri Prison but back in Kabato Prison he helped him a lot. Hijikata asks if his men have arrived, and Shibukawa replies that they did and were tortured until they gave up the information about Ainu gold. Hijikata announces to Shibukawa that he will either join him or fight to do the death. Shibukawa asks Hijikata to show him his Abashiri tattoo, but instead Hijikata throws him the severed heads of the men that were supposed to attack Hijikata and his group. Hijikata demands Shibukawa order his men that are hiding behind the walls to lower their weapons. Shibukawa seemingly surrenders, saying Hijikata may have fooled everyone in Kabato by acting like a quiet old man, but he always knew that Hijikata was a dangerous son of a bitch. Suddenly, Shibukawa shouts, telling his men to kill the group, but he is immediately shot by Hijikata. The fighting ensues, and Hijikata, carrying both his katana and Winchester rifle, kills several of Shibukawa's thieves and orders his own men to let anyone escape. Ushiyama watches him, remarking to himself that this must be the true face of the Shinsengumi's Merciless Vice-Commander.

Some time earlier, a conversation between Hijikata and Nagakura occurs. Nagakura says that "if a man does not die when he is meant to, what awaits him is a shame worse than death". He expresses surprise at the fact that despite his old age, Hijikata wants to start a war. Nagakura wonders if Hijikata is actually seeking a place to die, but Hijikata denies it, jokingly claiming he is planning on living another hundred years.

When the fight ends, Hijikata stands above the dead bodies of Shibukawa's men. Before leaving, he laments that Shibukawa wasn't half the man Kondou was. In the carriage on their way back, Ushiyama asks if Hijikata is planning on re-creating the Shinsengumi and warns him that he is only interested in the gold. Hijikata says there are a great multitude of people that want to liberate this land of Ezo that have existed here for a long time. Somewhere else, Noppera-bou looks out of his prison cell and utters Asirpa's name.

In the meantime, Asirpa asks Sugimoto where's the Excrement King, and Sugimoto replies that Shiraishi went to town to gather intel. Asirpa then tells Sugimoto to help her retrieve the icicle from a tree branch. She explains that when maple trees' branches crack, the sap drips out and freezes into icicles. Sugimoto eats an icicle and notices how sweet it is. Asirpa points at an Ezo deer's tracks she sees in the snow, and Sugimoto suggests they go after the deer. He asks how the deer meat tastes, and Asirpa replies that its brain is tasty with salt.

## Story Impact

* Yoshitake Shiraishi, the infamous Escape King and a former Abashiri Prisoner, is introduced.
* Shiraishi is caught by Sugimoto and Asirpa's traps. He manages to escape from his bounds, but Sugimoto catches up with him. However, the two men fall into a cold river and have to cooperate to survive.
* A moment from Sugimoto's past is revealed: his family died of tuberculosis and he had to abandon his village and his beloved, Umeko. Upon his return two years later, Umeko was already married to Toraji.
* It's revealed that there are 24 Abashiri Convicts in total; Noppera-bou told them to seek his allies in Otaru.
* The prisoners' escape was led by Toshizou Hijikata, the merciless Vice-Commander of Shinsengumi who was thought to be dead.
* Hyakunosuke Ogata regains consciousness and is interrogated by Lt. Tsurumi. Ogata's jaw is broken so he only manages to write one word with his finger: "Immortal".
* Sugimoto and Asirpa are pursued by Genjirou Tanigaki, Houzou Tamai, Naoaki Noma, and Fumio Okada.
	+ Tanigaki follows Asirpa and finds the tattooed skin she has had on her. However, Tanigaki is attacked by Retar, who appears to protect Asirpa. Retar breaks Tanigaki's leg and knocks him unconscious.
	+ Asirpa stops Retar from killing Tanigaki, saying she doesn't want the wolf to become a *Wen Kamuy* for her sake.
	+ Sugimoto is followed by Tamai, Noma, and Okada. They catch up with him near a bear's den. Noma recognizes Sugimoto from seeing him at the field hospital in Port Arthur. He calls him Sugimoto the Immortal from the 1st Division, and the soldiers realize that the "Immortal" clue that Ogata gave them was about Sugimoto.
	+ Sugimoto jumps into the bear's den, and the soldiers start shooting in it, accidentally awakening the bear that dwelled inside. The bear comes out and attacks Tamai, ripping off the skin on his face and breaking his jaw. Tamai accidentally fires his gun into Okada, killing him instantly. Noma attempts to stay still and fight the bear off, but the beast overpowers him. In the end, Tamai manages to shoot the bear till its dead and then succumbs to his wounds.
	+ Sugimoto comes out of the bear's den with a bear cub and goes back to meet up with Asirpa. He intends to keep the bear a secret so Asirpa won't turn him into *citatap*.
* Asirpa discovers the bear cub Sugimoto was hiding and suggests they go to her Ainu *kotan*.
* Sugimoto is greeted by Asirpa's grandmother, Huci. He also meets Asirpa's cousin, Osoma.
* Tanigaki regains consciousness and is determined to hunt Retar down.
* Asirpa explains various facts about Ainu culture: she reveals that the bear cub will be raised in the *kotan* and then they will send him off to the Land of the Gods in the ceremony of *Iomante*.
* Hijikata meets another convict, Tatsuma Ushiyama. He recruits him to his group in pursuit of the gold.
* Asirpa's uncle, Makanakkuru, is introduced.
* Tsurumi is looking for his missing soldiers in the woods. Captain Wada arrives on the scene, accompanied by Hajime Tsukishima. Wada calls Tsurumi out on taking four of his men out without permission and then losing them.
	+ The conflict escalates, and Tsurumi bites Wada's finger off. Wada orders Tsukishima to shoot Tsurumi; however, Tsukishima shoots Wada instead.
* Makanakkuru reveals that after Wilk's death, Asirpa spent all of her time with Retar. One night, Retar left Asirpa, and since then Asirpa rarely smiled, but now she seems happy when Sugimoto is around.
* Sugimoto decides that involving Asirpa in the gold hunt is too dangerous. He chooses to leave without saying goodbye and look for the gold on his own.
* In Otaru, Sugimoto heads to a soba restaurant to meet with a woman who was attacked by a man with strange tattoos.
	+ The meeting turns out to be a trap: the 7th Division soldiers surround Sugimoto.
	+ Kouhei and Youhei Nikaidou get into a fight with Sugimoto and attempt to murder him.
	+ Lt. Tsurumi intervenes and stops the fight. Sugimoto is taken to the 7th Division barracks.
* During the interrogation, Sugimoto denies knowing anything about the gold or being Sugimoto the Immortal.
	+ Tsurumi stabs Sugimoto in the face with a dango skewer. He then reveals that he is short on soldiers and wants Sugimoto in his unit. Sugimoto refuses to cooperate.
* Asirpa and Retar search for Sugimoto in Otaru.
	+ They encounter Shiraishi, and Asirpa forces him to help her find and free Sugimoto.
* Kouhei and Youhei sneak into Sugimoto's cell, intending to torture him. Sugimoto manages to fight back, and their fight is stopped by the soldiers that heard the noise.
* Shiraishi creeps into Sugimoto's cell and unties his bounds. However, they're interrupted by the Nikaidou twins who have come back for revenge.
	+ Youhei is left alone with Sugimoto, and Sugimoto manages to overpower and kill him.
* Tsurumi arrives and finds Sugimoto severely wounded. Sugimoto agrees to give up the location of the tattooed skins if Tsurumi saves him.
	+ Tsurumi orders to get Sugimoto in the hospital. He is escorted by two soldiers on the sledge.
	+ When Sugimoto leaves, Tsurumi investigates the scene of murder. He realizes that Sugimoto tricked him and is not actually wounded.
	+ Sugimoto steals the sledge, but he is promptly pursued by Tsurumi.
	+ Asirpa shoots a poisoned arrow in Tsurumi's horse, causing Tsurumi to fall down. However, the First Lieutenant continues his chase.
	+ Ultimately, Tsurumi decides to let Sugimoto go.
* The 7th Division barracks are set on fire. A soldier reports to Tsurumi that they were unable to retrieve the tattooed skin from Tsurumi's quarters; Tsurumi reveals that it's safe and that he is wearing a shirt made out of the tattooed skin.
* Sugimoto and Asirpa reunite. Sugimoto apologizes to Asirpa, but Asirpa is angry at Sugimoto for treating her like a child and getting himself in trouble.
* Shiraishi suggests they cook sakura nabe. Asirpa tries miso for the first time and actually finds it delicious, despite believing that it's *osoma* (poop).
* Hijikata and Ushiyama meet up with Shinpachi Nagakura, the best swordsman in the entire Shinsengumi. Nagakura agrees to aid Hijikata.
* Hijikata and his men head to a meeting with Zenjirou Shibukawa. Hijikata wants to recruit Shibukawa, who he believes is a valuable ally.
	+ Shibukawa's men meet Hijikata with hostility. After a brief conversation, Shibukawa orders his men to kill Hijikata, but Hijikata shoots him first. A fight ensues.
	+ Hijikata comes out victorious and leaves with his group.

## Characters Introduced

### Main Characters

* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Toshizou Hijikata
* Genjirou Tanigaki
* Tatsuma Ushiyama
* Hajime Tsukishima
* Kouhei Nikaidou
* Shinpachi Nagakura

### Supporting Characters

* Huci
* Osoma
* Makanakkuru

### Minor Characters

* Naoaki Noma
* Houzou Tamai
* Fumio Okada
* Kouji Wada
* Youhei Nikaidou
* Zenjirou Shibukawa

## Chapters

* 006. **Persecution** (迫害, *Hakugai*)
* 007. **The Escape King** (脱獄王, *Datsugoku-ō*)
* 008. **Flight** (逃走, *Tōsō*)
* 009. **Cornered Rat** (窮鼠, *Kyūso*)
* 010. **Gamble** (博打, *Bakuchi*)
* 011. **Ainu Kotan** (アイヌコタン, *Ainu kotan*)
* 012. **Kamuy Mosir** (カムイモシリ, *Kamui moshiri*)
* 013. **Guardian Spirit** (憑き神, *Tsuki-shin*)
* 014. **Howling** (遠吠え, *Tōboe*)
* 015. **Scent** (におい, *Nioi*)
* 016. **Shinigami** (死神, *Shinigami*)
* 017. **Trackers** (追跡者, *Tsuiseki-sha*)
* 018. **Rescue Operation** (救出作戦, *Kyūshutsu sakusen*)
* 019. **Gallop** (駆ける, *Kakeru*)
* 020. **Argument** (喰い違い, *Kui-chigai*)
* 021. **Ghost** (亡霊, *Bōrei*)

## Episodes

* 02. **Nopperabo** (のっぺらぼう, *Noppera-bō*)
* 03. **Kamuy Mosir** (カムイモシリ, *Kamui moshiri*)
* 04. **Grim Reaper** (死神, *Shinigami*)
* 05. **Race** (駆ける, *Kakeru*)