Chapter 215

## Angels of the Drift Ice

**Angels of the Drift Ice**, or **Ice Floe Angels**  (流氷の天使, *Ryūhyō no Tenshi*) is the 215th chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

Shiraishi attempts to eat the clione but spits it out in disgust, saying that it stinks. Sugimoto states that Tsurumi and his men must’ve gone to Wakkanai ahead of them by ship so they should take the most roundabout way possible in order to outmaneuvre them, which Shiraishi notes will be rough. As they cross the drift ice, Sugimoto cautions everyone to be careful so as not to fall into the freezing ocean.

Meanwhile, on the ferry ship, Usami suggests that they make the threat to kill Asirpa’s relatives but Kikuta comments that they have to make the threat before their target runs away, causing Usami to snap at him. He then suggests that they place an obituary in the newspaper, however Kikuta is against killing Asirpa’s grandmother. Usami says that they don’t actually have to kill her but just to put out a false obituary in order to show their intentions. Tsurumi comments that if Asirpa is having doubts about her actions and has yet to steel herself, then a threat might get her to obey them.

Asirpa exclaims that what they did was their only choice and that if they had given the gold over to Tsurumi, then it would not be used for the good of the Ainu people. Sugimoto agrees with Asirpa’s conclusion and notes that Shiraishi had eavesdropped on Tsukishima and Koito’s conversation about Tsurumi’s plans. The two men then begins to criticize Tsurumi’s goals and Asirpa wonders why Kiroranke went to fight in the Russo-Japanese War since he wasn’t Japanese or Ainu.

Shiraishi states that Kiroranke had tried to hide himself in Japan and that if he had refused the military conscription, they would look into his past so he thought the best thing to do would be to keep his mouth shut and fight in the war. He wonders if Kiroranke had thought that by killing as many Russians that he could, he would be able to keep fighting against the Russian Empire in his own way. Sugimoto muses that going off to war and fighting to the death is incredibly quick and simple when compared to the path that Asirpa is trying to take.

In Odomari, some of the local children points to the body of the soldier who had been sniped by Vasily and Tsukishima asks the children if they could find a door and another person to help carry the corpse. As Tsukishima inspects the body, he notices that his uniform had been stripped off and the children reveals that another man came, taking his clothes and gun, citing that he would not be needing them anymore.

During their trek across the drift ice, Sugimoto asks Asirpa if she realized a way to solve the tattooed code which she confirms. He begins to ask what the key was before changing his mind, saying that Asirpa can tell him when the time is right. Asirpa agrees that it is not yet time as she believes that if Sugimoto learns the code, then he will leave her behind and fight all by himself. She decides that so long as she does not tell the code to Sugimoto, then he will not leave her side and that she will serve to protect him as his shield. Asirpa then braces herself for when the time comes to tell Sugimoto the code, she shall plunge into hell along with Sugimoto.

All of a sudden, Shiraishi is attacked by a white bear, startling the rest of Sugimoto’s Group. As Shiraishi manages to break free from the bear’s grasps, Sugimoto prepares to fight against it by taking his rifle out. Shiraishi resurfaces from the freezing ocean, screaming that the water is too cold and Asirpa exclaims that Shiraishi has a clione sticking out of his nose.

## Character Appearances

* Asirpa
* Yoshitake Shiraishi
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Vasily
* Usami
* Kikuta
* Tokushirou Tsurumi
* Hajime Tsukishima
* Otonoshin Koito *(Flashback)*
* Rikimatsu Ariko *(Flashback)*
* Kiroranke *(Flashback)*
* Wilk *(Flashback)*
* Hyakunosuke Ogata