Asirpa/Story

Overview
**Story**
Gallery

## Background

Asirpa was born to Wilk and Riratte in Hokkaido, near Otaru. Shortly after giving birth, Asirpa's mother passed away.

As a very young girl, Asirpa received a *hohciri* from her father and was told that once she gets bigger, they will go on a hunt together; until then she must keep the *hohciri* tied in front of her hair.

Wilk once told Asirpa about the *meko oyasi*, saying that it is a monster cat that would eat all of a person's items. Asirpa was horrified to hear this and asked if it even eats a person's tobacco case.

Asirpa and Wilk went to hunt some bears and they found a mother bear and its cub wandering around. Asirpa asked if they would kill the baby bear and whether they could just bring it back to the *kotan* instead. However, Wilk said that the cub had grown too large for them to raise it. He asked Asirpa if she thought killing the cub was cruel, then told her that the bears would become a part of their flesh and blood and live on inside of them. Wilk finished his story by saying that if they did not hunt, then they would starve, and that misplaced sympathy or kindness could potentially become weaknesses —the weak lose and get eaten.

One cold night, as they huddled together in a hut, Asirpa asked Wilk to tell her more about her mother. Wilk told her about how they met and how she taught him everything about the Ainu culture. Wilk then took Asirpa in his arms and said that he had something to tell her which she must never forget. He explained that he once told her mother about how he got his name and so her mother gave him an Ainu name, *Horkew Oskoni*. Wilk described its meaning to Asirpa and said that the only ones who knew his name were her and her mother, and that Asirpa must never tell anyone.

## Plot

### Introduction Arc

Asirpa first encounters Sugimoto when she sees him attacked by a bear. She shoots the bear with a poison arrow and saves Sugimoto's life. When the bear is dead, Asirpa asks Sugimoto about Takechiyo Gotou's dead body, and Sugimoto explains that the sow killed him. Asirpa thinks it's strange that a bear that came out of hibernation would eat a human. She cuts the bear open and examines its stomach, discovering that it's empty. They conclude that another bear killed the man. Asirpa tells Sugimoto to give up on Gotou's body because the bear will come back for its prey. Sugimoto refuses to leave the corpse behind, and Asirpa tells him to prepare for the fight. She looks Sugimoto in the eyes and says a harsh phrase, "The weak get eaten".

When Sugimoto tells Asirpa of the stolen Ainu gold, she says that she believes him, as her father was one of the Ainu that was killed that night. She then tasks Sugimoto with gathering firewood so they can have enough light to see in the dark. When Sugimoto moves the corpse closer to the fire, Asirpa realizes something about the tattoos: the man had no intention of sharing the gold, as the tattoo is wrapped around the chest and arms of the prisoner and it meant that they had to be killed and skinned to get the full map.

Asirpa tells Sugimoto that when a brown bear kills a human, it is cursed to never be able to eat anything else and as a result it no longer fears humans and becomes more violent and dangerous. Such an animal becomes known as a *wen kamuy* (evil god).

Sugimoto and Asirpa start gathering *sitat*, bark from white birch trees. Suddenly, the brown bear walks to the campfire and Gotou's corpse. The bear roars and tosses the firewood Sugimoto was carrying with its paw. Shocked, Sugimoto screams, alerting Asirpa. Asirpa tells Sugimoto to get beneath the bear and grab onto its belly as she pulls out an arrow to shoot at it. Since their campfire was destroyed, Asirpa can't see the bear in the dark. Hearing Sugimoto struggle, she thinks the bear probably got him. Asirpa shoots at the bear, however, as her arrow reaches the bear, Sugimoto pulls out his army knife and stabs it. This causes the bear to flinch and turn another way, and the arrow deflects off the bear's skull.

As the moon has appeared in the sky, the bear notices Asirpa and charges at her, knocking her aside and making Sugimoto fall off it too. Asirpa quickly gets up and draws her knife as the bear roars at her. Suddenly, a white wolf jumps out and attacks the bear. Asirpa reaches out her hand and calls the wolf by its name, Retar. She then instructs Sugimoto to aim for the bear’s heart, which is right under its armpit. Sugimoto takes aim and shoots the bear.

On the ground, Sugimoto points his bayonet against the bear and, as the beast falls down on him, the bayonet pierces its heart and kills it. Asirpa walks closer to the bear and asks if *sisam* is still alive. Sugimoto confirms it, and Asirpa tells him about Ainu ways of hunting bears with the use of the spear and the bear's own weight. She is impressed by Sugimoto’s bravery and tactics, but he says he only did it on instinct. Sugimoto asks her to help him get up, and Asirpa holds out her hand to him. As Asirpa helps Sugimoto, they introduce themselves to each other.

Sugimoto looks around, searching for the white dog he saw earlier. Asirpa corrects him, saying Retar is actually a wolf. She points at a hill, where Retar is seen howling on the moon.

Once they set another fire, Asirpa tells Sugimoto about how five years ago, her father and six other Ainu men were killed while moving the gold to another hiding place. Hwever, Asirpa and her village didn't know the murderer had been caught and thrown into Abashiri Prison; they didn't know about the tattooed prisoners either. Sugimoto suggests that he and Asirpa should team up and find the gold, but Asirpa is skeptical about how they’re going to do that.

Asirpa finishes cutting up the bear and hands Sugimoto its gall bladder, which he can dry and sell for a lot of money. She explains that the Ainu don't eat bears that ate humans, since a bear that does evil things and becomes an evil god is sent to a hell called *teine pokna mosir*; Asirpa is adamant about not wanting to kill people.

Sugimoto explains that the gold is probably still not found and her father’s killer must be still alive in prison. While he skins the prisoner's corpse, Sugimoto asks Asirpa if she helped him because she realized she can find the gold and have her revenge for her father's death. He promises he’ll be the one doing all the dirty work while she provides her knowledge to him. Sugimoto believes that, despite their different goals, if they work together, they can be an unstoppable force.

On another day, Sugimoto and Asirpa walk in the forest while preparing traps, with Asirpa explaining how Ainu snares work. After setting enough traps, Sugimoto and Asirpa talk about the possible places where the Abashiri Convicts might be. Sugimoto suggests they look for prisoners in Otaru, the closest town to them.

In Otaru, Asirpa interrogates prostitutes, inquiring if they've had customers with strange tattoos. Before the women could answer her, a large man, who appears to be the owner of the brothel, grabs Asirpa by her collar and lifts her up. Upon examining Asirpa's face, the man concludes she must be around 12-13 years old since she doesn't have her Ainu mouth tattoo that young girls receive when they come of age. He threatens to sell Asirpa to a brothel, but Asirpa takes her *menokomakiri* and hits her attacker with its pommel in the eye, which makes the man release her from his grip. The brothel owner is then attacked by Sugimoto, who puts the man in a chokehold while Asirpa shows him the drawing with the tattoo design. The man reveals that someone came before asking about the tattoo.

Sugimoto and Asirpa continue to ask around town until they decide to call it a day. Upon returning to the woods, they get followed by a strange man who plans to kill them. When the man passes by the makeshift bridge, he gets into one of Asirpa's traps. As the man tries to free himself, Sugimoto and Asirpa notice the tattoos on his shoulders and back and realize that he is one of the tattooed convicts.

Asirpa leaves Sugimoto with the prisoner to find some firewood. When she returns, she hears Sugimoto threaten the prisoner. Asirpa reminds Sugimoto of their deal and that he promised not to kill anyone or else she won't help him. Sugimoto puts the gun away, saying that he hoped she would play along and he was only bluffing in order to get the prisoner to talk.

Sometime later, Sugimoto and Asirpa fix the prisoner's arms using a branch and some ropes so that Asirpa can sketch the convict's tattoo. Sugimoto compliments Asirpa on her drawing while Asirpa is impressed with how useful pencils are for sketching. As Asirpa sharpens the pencil, she talks about her father, saying that he was good with his hands and as such was popular with the ladies. Asirpa explains that an Ainu man crafts a *makiri* and gives it to the woman he likes. She reveals that the *menokomakiri* in her possession was made by her father and asks the prisoner about who tattooed him.

Asirpa is unable to interrogate the prisoner further, as he is killed by Hyakunosuke Ogata's shot. Sugimoto pulls Asirpa down for safety, and she notices that prisoner's blood got on the drawing and ruined the sketch. As Sugimoto attempts to scout for the sniper, Asirpa cuts down a tree branch to use for a smoke screen.

When Asirpa sees Sugimoto almost kill Ogata, she stops him by calling out his name. Ogata manages to distract Sugimoto by bringing up his nickname of Sugimoto the Immortal and flees; however, he gets struck with the butt of the rifle which Sugimoto throws at him. Ogata loses his senses and falls down from the cliff into the cold river, breaking his jaw during the fall.

Once Ogata is out of their sight, Asirpa asks Sugimoto about his nickname. Sugimoto explains his worldview, saying that during the war he learned the trick to staying alive: you don't let anybody kill you.

Later, as the two walk through the woods, Asirpa tells Sugimoto about hunting huts nearby and that they should change where they sleep each night in order to not get caught. Sugimoto is impressed by her knowledge and wonders who taught her so much. Asirpa explains that since she didn't have any brothers her father took her hunting in the woods with him and taught her everything. She says she enjoys it more than sitting at home and doing typical female stuff, like knitting.

When they reach a temporary hut called *kuca*, Asirpa suggests they make a meal out of the squirrels she caught with her snares. As she skins them, she explains that she is going to cook *citatap*, an Ainu dish where one uses a knife to make minced meat. Asirpa says that Sugimoto can eat the brain since it's a tasty treat. Sugimoto is taken aback by that suggestion, which offends Asirpa who assumes Sugimoto has a problem with Ainu cuisine. Not wanting to disrespect Asirpa and her culture, Sugimoto begrudgingly eats the raw squirrel brain. Next, Asirpa demonstrates how to mince the squirrel meat to make *citatap* and explains the meaning behind the name of the dish: ci (we), tata (mince), p (it). Then, she asks Sugimoto to mince it too and say citatap while doing it. When the meat is minced, Asirpa says that normally citatap is eaten raw, but for special *sisam* Sugimoto she will make it into a *ohaw* (soup) and add some dried *pukusakina* (soft windflower).

Once *ohaw* is ready, Asirpa and Sugimoto proceed to eating it. Sugimoto says it's delicious, while Asirpa exclaims, *"Hinna, hinna!"* Sugimoto asks her what that phrase means, and she explains that it's an Ainu expression for showing your appreciation for food. Sugimoto smiles and repeats *"hinna, hinna"* after Asirpa.

### Escape King Arc

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.

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. As Shiraishi and Sugimoto fall into the icy water and 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.

Some time later, 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. 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.

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.

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. 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. 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*. 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.

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 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*.

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".

Next day, 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. 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. 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.

Another day, Sugimoto and Asirpa catch an otter, and Asirpa tells Sugimoto about how to make a dish out of it. 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's 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.

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. 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.

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*.

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. 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, which Shiraishi uses to get inside Sugimoto's cell.

Later, when Tsurumi follows Sugimoto's sledge on horse and attempts to shoot him, 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.

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.

Some other day, 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.

### Legendary Hunter Arc

Asirpa and Sugimoto continue through the snowy forest, searching for deer. Asirpa tells Sugimoto to hurry, but Sugimoto is exhausted because his feet keep getting stuck in the thick layers of snow. Asirpa suggests they take a short break and chew *hupca* (needles of a Sakhalin fir) for energy boost. Sugimoto finds *hupca* quite bitter, and Asirpa makes fun of him for being a *sisam* with delicate test buds. After trying to chew *hupca*, Sugimoto is thirsty. He asks Asirpa for some water, but the girl drinks all the remaining water they have, refusing to give Sugimoto any. Sugimoto considers eating snow, but Asirpa stops him, warning that he will get cold. Instead, she suggests they cut the Hardy kiwi vines to drink its sap. Asirpa crafts a makeshift pair of snowshoes from the vines for Sugimoto, so they can continue travelling the forest in comfort.

Asirpa notices traces left by the deer and takes out her *sutu* then rubs it against the tree bark, making a sound so the deer would come back to investigate. She explains that deer are an essential part of the Ainu way of life and that they're used for many things, like making shoes or crafting arrow footings, *makanit*. Asirpa retells Sugimoto an old Ainu legend that she learned from Huci. In the old days, there were more deer than there are now. So many, that people went hunting after they put their pot on the fire to start cooking. Unlike the *kimun kamuy* (bear) or *horkew kamuy* (wolf), the Ainu do not call deer *kamuy*. Instead, they're called *yuk*, which means "prey". The Ainu believe that the god who rules over the deer spread *yuk* all over the land so that humans would have something to eat. But one winter, the snow was so deep that the deer couldn't dig deep enough to reach the grass. A great number of deer died, which in its turn caused the wolves that hunted them to follow the same fate. Asirpa thinks that people didn't have proper respect for the deer that the gods sent to them, so the gods refused to send any more.

As Asirpa finishes her tale, a deer appears nearby. Sugimoto tries to slowly load his gun. However, the sound alerts the deer and it runs away. Sugimoto attempts to shoot it but misses, grazing it instead. Asirpa and Sugimoto follow the deer's tracks, and Asirpa finds drops of the animal's blood on the bamboo grass. Sugimoto is worried about his missing shot. Asirpa sees tracks that belong to a dog and two men. Upon examining the tracks, she realizes that one of those man must be Genjirou Tanigaki.

Asirpa and Sugimoto continue to chase the deer. Sugimoto says they must hurry, and Asirpa worries that if the deer keeps running, the stress will make its meat taste worse. Asirpa and Sugimoto plan to ambush the animal, which is hiding in a Sakhalin fir down the slope. Asirpa promptly slides down by using a hiking stick, which alarms the deer. Sugimoto runs after the buck, but falls down and loses the prey. Asirpa suggests they make a quick temporary shelter out of a stunted Sakhalin fir. Inside their makeshift tent, Asirpa and Sugimoto start a fire, but it's still cold. Asirpa tells Sugimoto to take his coat off and turn his back to the fire so his body could absorb the heat. She explains that in Ainu they call it *setur sesekka*, warming one's back. Sugimoto looks upset, and Asirpa assumes he is worried about the flavor of the deer's meat. However, Sugimoto is anxious about completely other thing...

In the morning, Asirpa and Sugimoto continue their search for the deer. Asirpa finds traces of the deer's presence: the place where it slept and its droppings. She says it's still warm and puts it in Sugimoto's hand, warning him that he can't eat this kind of *osoma*. Sugimoto throws away the droppings, yelling that there is no kind of *osoma* anyone can eat. They notice more tracks, and Asirpa concludes that the deer must be getting tired. She points at the tree nearby and tells Sugimoto that the deer must be hiding in there. She explains her strategy to Sugimoto, and Sugimoto mentally prepares to shoot the deer.

When Asirpa lures the deer out of its hiding, Sugimoto draws his gun at it. But as he sees the deer running at him, Sugimoto hesitates, seeing his own frenzied self in the face of the deer. The deer hits Sugimoto's rifle with its horns, causing it to go off, and escapes. However, it gets caught by Retar who pins it down to the ground. Asirpa and Sugimoto walk up to the struggling deer. Asirpa asks Sugimoto why didn't he shoot even though he said he would finish it off. Anxious, Sugimoto attempts to explain why he hesitated. Seeing the deer fight for its life despite the blood that was pouring from its wound getting frozen, Sugimoto couldn't move a muscle as he realizes that the deer is *him*.

Asirpa stabs the deer in the neck, killing it swiftly. She calls Sugimoto out, saying that if he isn't ready to see it through to the end, he shouldn't fire his gun in the first place. She then cuts the deer's stomach open and asks Sugimoto to put his hands inside of its body. Sugimoto does as Asirpa said and comments that his numb hands are getting warmer from the heat of the body. Asirpa tells Sugimoto that the deer warmed him in its death, the warmth reaching him and giving him life. Hearing her words, Sugimoto is reassured.

Asirpa and Sugimoto continue to cut the deer up. Asirpa offers Sugimoto to try some raw liver but, after concluding it's too bitter because of the stress the deer sustained, she gives it to Retar. After eating the liver, Retar sniffs something in the air and starts acting strange. He pushes Asirpa to go faster, clearly agitated by someone's presence. In fact, Retar detected the powerful scent of death that was coming from Tanigaki and Nihei and realized something unpleasant was approaching. Asirpa explains that wolves are very cautious animals and normally, Retar would have been gone by now but he is staying to tell them to hurry up. Asirpa thinks to herself that it must be the soldier from the other day and that he must be still following them. She suggests Sugimoto they take as much as they can carry and head back.

After moving to a safe distance, Asirpa and Sugimoto watch Nihei and Tanigaki who came to the spot with deer's carcass. Sugimoto wonders if the two might be hunters. Later, they return to one of their hunting huts but find it occupied. Sugimoto draws his gun but turns out it was just Shiraishi who came back from town. He presents them a bottle of sake, and the trio proceed to cook the deer meat. Asirpa feeds Shiraishi some brain while Sugimoto eats raw lungs. She then announces they're going to make *citatap* from deer's windpipe, *sewri*. Shiraishi starts chopping the windpipe but seems disappointed as he wanted to eat some actual meat. Asirpa, who's already drunk some sake, yells at Shiraishi for not saying *citatap* out loud. She calls Shiraishi and Sugimoto pathetic little city boys for not being able to enjoy raw meat and agrees to cook loin meat, even roasting it using salt.

The trio enjoys their meal and drinks, getting progressively more drunk. When Sugimoto says he is already full and can't finish his food, Asirpa gets mad and slaps Shiraishi, then passionately delivers a speech on honoring one's prey and remembering it after death. Sugimoto feels touched by those words and asks if Asirpa would remember him if he dies.

Asirpa starts crying and begs Sugimoto to not die. Sugimoto says he is immortal, and Shiraishi feeds Asirpa another spoon of *citatap* to comfort her. Asirpa shouts that *citatap* is wonderful and jumps, breaking through the roof of their hunting hut. Meanwhile, Shiraishi tells Sugimoto that he's managed to get some info about a tattooed convict, Tetsuzou Nihei.

Asirpa realizes that she has heard Nihei's name before. She recalls how there used to be horrible men who would go around murdering hunters and stealing their prey. Once when Asirpa and her father were hunting, they became the target of those men. Asirpa's father marked the bear's fur with a symbol and later recognized it when a man brought the same pelt to the fur trader.

Sugimoto asks Shiraishi about Nihei, and Shiraishi describes him as an older man with graying hair, carrying a Type 18 single shot rifle, and accompanied by a brown Ainu hunting dog. Sugimoto realizes that this matches the appearance of the man he and Asirpa saw earlier. Shiraishi then reveals that the fur trader in town told him that Nihei asked about the money he'd get for the pelt of a white wolf. Asirpa is shocked to hear it: Tanigaki was hunting for Retar not her. In the morning, Asirpa, Sugimoto, and Shiraishi set out to find Nihei and Tanigaki to protect Retar. They notice the smoke rising in the distance. Asirpa says it's rising from the place where they killed the deer yesterday.

Sugimoto and Shiraishi spot Nihei, but Shiraishi can't confirm his identity unless he sees his face. Sugimoto tells Asirpa to stay put and use her bow as a back-up while he and Shiraishi get closer to Nihei. Asirpa notices that Nihei is aiming at something and realizes he set a trap for Retar. Suddenly, she notices the wolf hiding behind a tree. Asirpa internally begs Retar to stay away, while Nihei, who has also noticed Retar, grows more excited and impatient. Retar emerges from his hiding spot but, before Nihei manages to pull the trigger, Asirpa shoots an arrow in the mess kit, alerting the wolf. Nihei takes a shot and the bullet grazes Retar's fur, scaring him away.

Sugimoto and Nihei fight, and Tanigaki takes Asirpa hostage and orders Shiraishi and Sugimoto to drop their weapons. Furious with Tanigaki using Asirpa as a human shield, Sugimoto loses control and charges at Tanigaki with his bayonet and throws the blade at the man, stabbing him through the palm of his hand and his cheek. Nihei tackles Sugimoto and holds him in a chokehold on the ground. Shiraishi calls out to Tanigaki, saying he should be ashamed of using an innocent child as a hostage. Tanigaki doesn't budge and claims that the last time he saw Asirpa she was carrying a tattooed skin so they shouldn't pretend she has nothing to do with the situation. Asirpa tries to reason with Tanigaki, telling him that her life isn't worth much to Shiraishi and he will start shooting. She says there's no need for them to shed blood and it's better to calm down and stop fighting. Nihei warns Tanigaki not to trust Asirpa, reminding him that women are frightening creatures. Tanigaki shouts that he doesn't care whether Asirpa gets hurt in the process, and Sugimoto gives in, telling Shiraishi to drop the gun. Sugimoto then asks Nihei to take Asirpa away so she wouldn't see them being killed.

Nihei agrees and asks Tanigaki to get him some ropes to tie Sugimoto and Shiraishi up. Sugimoto and Shiraishi exchange looks, silently coming up with an escape plan. Nihei proceeds to bandage his injured hand while Tanigaki takes Asirpa away, much to her protest. Distracted by a sudden memory of his daughter, Nihei doesn't notice that Shiraishi and Sugimoto managed to flee. Nihei alerts Tanigaki of the two men escaping. Tanigaki pulls Asirpa's bandana over her mouth to silence her and takes her to the river. Exhausted and not thinking straight, Tanigaki walks into an Ainu deer trap, *amappo*. Before Asirpa manages to warn him, Tanigaki is struck with a poisoned arrow in his leg. Asirpa commands him to untie her and tells him that since Ainu poisons have no antidote, the only way to save Tanigaki is to carve away the flesh around the wound. Tanigaki agrees to it, and Asirpa dives the blade into Tanigaki's thigh.

Nihei finds Asirpa tending to Tanigaki and realizes that he walked into the deer trap. Asirpa explains that she cut away all the flesh around the wound but since the poison was mixed by someone else she doesn't know if Tanigaki will survive; at any rate, he won't be able to move anytime soon. Asirpa suggests they stop their fight as they didn't come to kill Nihei in the first place. Nihei disregards Asirpa's words and promises Tanigaki to kill the white wolf and bring it back to him. Asirpa is taken aback by Nihei's tenacity. Nihei grabs Asirpa and runs away with her, hoping to get the wolf to come out of the hiding. As Sugimoto and Shiraishi look for Asirpa and Nihei, Retar is seen running someplace else.

Asirpa tells Nihei to put her down. She pleads with Nihei, saying that Retar is the last of his kind. She asks if Nihei is going to wipe out the proud *Horkew Kamuy* just for some coins. Nihei claims the wolves are already wiped out and he doesn't care about the money — he just wants to be the last hunter to see a Hokkaido wolf. Nihei brings Asirpa to an open spot. Asirpa tries to put up a fight but Nihei ties her to a tree branch, telling her to not bother trying to kill herself by biting off her tongue. Asirpa cuts him off, saying that she isn't going to kill herself and all that matters to her is that Retar doesn't become a *wen kamuy*

Nihei tells Asirpa that their fight with Retar is a fight to the death between two beasts, and Nihei plans to survive. He promises to end it in one shot so Retar won't suffer. Retar appears and charges at Nihei, dodging his shots. Retar attacks the hunter, and then he is joined by his mate, who bites into Nihei's neck, killing him. Sugimoto and Shiraishi arrive at the scene and free Asirpa. Asirpa hears howling and sees four wolf cubs. Asirpa is deeply touched by seeing Retar's family. She is reminded of the night when Retar left and realizes that this is the reason of his departure. Lastly, Tanigaki joins the others. He sits down with now deceased Nihei and reads the Matagi chant to him to guide Nihei in the afterlife. Asirpa insists they take Tanigaki and Ryu with them to the Ainu village.

### Immortal Beast Arc

After the ordeal with the bears and the yakuza, and successfully getting her great-aunt's clothing back, Asirpa spots a bow hanging on the wall and reaches for it, saying that the craftsmanship is incredible. Dun tells her that he got it from a famous hunter in Hidaka and that he'd like for her to have it since her previous bow had been broken in the battle with the bears. In return, he'd like to know about the tattoo that they are after, however Sugimoto shoots him down saying that for his safety, it is best that he not know.

### Edogai Arc

Afterwards, the group returns to Huci's sister's kotan, and to prepare for the dinner that night, she and Sugimoto heads out to grab some plants. During the harvest, she tells him about the various plants that the Ainu people eats and how the Ainu people prepare for the summer and winter seasons. They return to the village and see Kiroranke and Shiraishi who were able to catch some fishes. Later that night, they sit around a hot pot of Icaniw ohaw and merrily eats it. Asirpa falls asleep and has a dream about her father, then she wakes up to find Shiraishi snoring and drooling in front of her. She angrily hits him with her stick and leaves the hut saying that Abashiri is still a long way away.

In Yubari, Asirpa is trying to sell the bear's gall bladder to a buyer, but he tries to scam her by giving her less money than it's worth. When the buyer continues to act stubborn, Sugimoto and Kiroranke approaches and threatens him, with Shiraishi trying to break them apart. Later on, they head to a river and have fun splashing around and catching some lampreys to eat. After eating unaju made with lamprey and hearing Kiroranke tell of an Ainu legend, Asirpa makes a dirty joke at Shiraishi's expense.

The group heads back to Yubari, where they split up with Sugimoto and Shiraishi in one party while Asirpa and Kiroranke goes around town asking for information. Just then, there is a loud explosion from the Yubari coal mines and Asirpa and Kiroranke along with the Yubari citizens can only watch the pillars of smokes with a concerned look on their faces. Asirpa and Kiroranke along with the other Yubari citizens made their way to the Yubari mines where they spotted Ushiyama carrying Sugimoto and Shiraishi out from the mines. Upon seeing him, Asirpa instantly recognized him and pulled out a hanpen. When Ogata approached them and offered to explain the situation to everyone, they were taken to the Edogai store where he revealed Tsurumi's plan to them, much to their shock. The group are then approached by Hijikata carrying a cat and a tattooed skin, saying that they have to figure out whether the skin is real or not.}}

### Con Artists Arc

As Hijikata enters the room and speaks with Sugimoto about Noppera-Bou, Asirpa speaks up and is about to refer to him as her father. However, Hijikata cuts her off by threatening to draw his sword and demands whether they should join forces or fight to the death. Shinpachi Nagakura then come and tells Sugimoto's group to sell the skins and lead quiet lives back home, to which Sugimoto refuses. The tense mood is broken due to Asirpa's stomach loudly grumbling and Ienaga suggests that they eat something.

The two parties then sit around a table and a pot of nanko nabe. Asirpa quietly eats her food as Sugimoto begins to provoke Ogata. When Hijikata voices his concerns about distinguishing the fake skins from the real one, Ienaga says that she may know someone who may help, a counterfeit artist named Chouan Kumagishi. Some time later, Asirpa heads to the mines along with Sugimoto and Ushiyama to find Sergeant Tsukishima's corpse but are unable to locate it.

They return to the store to find that it has been set on fire and were able to rescue Ienaga when Ushiyama breaks the bars off of the windows. Once Sugimoto, Hijikata, and Ogata had successfully left the store, the group as a whole returns to the town where they agreed to split up in order to remain inconspicuous. Asirpa and Sugimoto heads out to Tsukigata along with their new partners, Ushiyama and Ogata while Hijikata and Ienaga meets up with Kiroranke, Shiraishi, and Nagakura.

The four of them take an off route path through a forest in order to avoid being spotted by anyone that can alert their position to the 7th Division. Asirpa spots some woodcocks and when Sugimoto asks if they taste good, she confirms that their brains do. She spots Ogata taking aim at them and tells him not shoot as woodcocks have an erratic flying pattern and suggests that they set some traps. The next day, she is irritated as her traps has caught only two woodcocks and plucks their feathers off violently.

They are approached by Ogata who was able to shoot down three birds and when Sugimoto notes that Ogata must've done it since he got worked up by Asirpa's words, Asirpa says Sugimoto must be jealous since he has terrible aim, to which he denies it. They cook up some woodcock brains and Asirpa offers it to Ushiyama who is extremely nervous about eating it, but Ogata declines to eat it. Afterwards, they begin chopping up the body to make some citatap and Asirpa to make an ohaw which they all eat. She tells them about an Ainu religious love poem which Sugimoto and Ushiyama enjoys.

They spent at least one night sleeping in the forest and were able to make their way to an Ainu kotan. However, Asirpa says she does not have any relatives in this kotan and says it is her first time coming here. They are greeted by an Ainu man that is proficient in speaking Japanese. Ushiyama points out a cage behind them, and Sugimoto sees that the bear is too big to fit in the cage.

When Sugimoto questions about the bear cage, the Ainu man says the bear simply grew too fast and that they will move it. He then introduces himself as Ekurok and says that his "father", Retanno Ekasi is the leader of the village and that they should ask him for permission to stay. They are led to his house where an Ainu man comes out and sees them only to go back inside immediately to begin cleaning. When Ushiyama asks if they are ready yet, Asirpa tells them a story about several important government officials that got caught in rain and couldn't enter an Ainu house due to them cleaning, which took so long that the rain stopped.

The young man comes out and leads them inside and Asirpa begins to take off her bandanna before deciding against it. Inside, they meet Retanno Ekasi who begins to gesture to them before Asirpa says "Musonkami" which catches everyone by surprise. When Ekurok is introducing his "family", Asirpa interrupts them again to go to the bathroom and leaves the house. Outside, she heads to the bear cage and sees that it has been poorly fed before being grabbed from behind. She is tied and gagged and taken to another house by Ekurok's Brother who asks Kumagishi to keep an eye on her. Asirpa is able to free her mouth to ask why they are pretending to be Ainu.

Asirpa explains that "musonkami" is an insult in the Ainu language and saw that the men had no idea what it meant. She began listing off other evidences of them not being Ainu before asking once more why they are pretending to be Ainu. Kumagishi covers her mouth and tells her to be quiet while explaining the true nature of the men, that they would kill anyone who came to the village and that they were originally convicts that escaped from Kabato Prison due to the assistance of a man named Kiyohiro Suzukawa. Asirpa asked him why he was broken out as well, and Kumagishi says that he has been confined to make counterfeit money by Suzukawa. As he is freeing Asirpa so that she could go out and ask for help, she asks him if Suzukawa had strange tattoos on his body. They suddenly hear Sugimoto's loud scream which Asirpa notes as being the long-eared monster.

As Sugimoto's yell could be heard throughout the whole village, Kumagishi says that he cannot stop the convicts that will come after him and that he feels sorry for Sugimoto. However, Asirpa says that since Sugimoto is angry, he should feel more sorry for the fake Ainu. Asirpa hears Sugimoto calling for him but before she could leave, one of the convicts comes in and sees that Kumagishi is letting her go. The convict was then knocked out by Monoa who has rallied the village's women to strike back.

Kumagishi looks out and sees that it is total chaos and that they should take this opportunity to escape but Asirpa refuses since they need him alive. She then tells him about her situation and confirms if he really is the counterfeiter Chouan Kumagishi. He reveals the reason why he started making counterfeit money and is about to say something to Asirpa before Sugimoto runs by, calling out her name. When Sugimoto is about to fire at Kumagishi, Asirpa is able to stop him and reveal that the man with her is Kumagishi. Suddenly, an arrow flies past Sugimoto and hits Kumagishi who lets out a groan of pain.

As Kumagishi falls to his knees, Asirpa shouts out his name. They realize that the arrowhead has been coated in poison and that there is nothing they can do since it was lodged in Kumagishi's stomach. With his dying breath, Kumagishi gave them a clue on how to find evidences in counterfeit pieces and Asirpa steps outside, confirming his death. She is horrified to find numerous dead bodies in front of her eyes and Ogata says that it was mostly Sugimoto's work. Sugimoto comes out and puts a hand on her shoulder asking if she is hurt as she could only stare at him in bewilderment.

They help the Ainu women bury the dead convicts and Asirpa translating for the Ainu women says that they want to express their thanks and treat the group to dishes made with the year's harvest of turep. As they ready the ingredients, Asirpa explains to her group about how to prepare the food. Once they had finished, they begin to eat the turep which they enjoyed. When Sugimoto takes out his miso, Aisrpa immediately grabs and eats it, calling it miso which causes the Ainu women to be suspicious. She hands the miso to them which they found to be delicious as well and begins to praise her.

After they had finished enjoying themselves, Sugimoto's Group deliberates on what they should do with Kiyohiro Suzukawa. Ogata says that he'll just be a pain and that they should just kill and skin him with Asirpa questioning if he's going to kill a defenseless man. Sugimoto decides to take him along since they are in a hurry and they can talk with Hijikata about what to do with him. She helps translate for the Ainu women that they want Ushiyama to stay and repopulate the village due to him taking down a bear, but Sugimoto and Suzukawa carries him away despite his insistence. She tells her group that they do not have to worry about the Ainu women, that they are not weak, and that they will bring their kotan back to life. The group as a whole then says their farewells to the Ainu kotan.

They make their way back to Tsukigata and meet up with Nagakura at the inn. Nagakura says that he has two pieces of bad news, the first which is that Kumagishi is dead and they are surprised that he already knew. Asirpa asks what the other bad news is and Nagakura tells them that Shiraishi has been captured by the 7th Division.
Once Hijikata and Kiroranke returned from their mission and informed the rest of them that they had failed to rescue Shiraishi, everyone thought about what to do before deciding to leave Shiraishi to his fate since they already had a copy of his tattoo. However, Sugimoto refuses and says that he wants to save Shiraishi and pulls over Suzukawa, saying that they could use his skills as a con artist.

### Journey to Karafuto Arc

Kiroranke's group comes to a Russian village where Kiroranke and Ogata decides to do some information gathering and Shiraishi offers to Asirpa to have some tea in a nearby building. Unbeknownst to them, they were followed by Maiharu Gansoku who recognizes Shiraishi as a fellow tattooed convict. Inside, Shiraishi tries to comfort Asirpa about what happened with her father and says that he believes that Sugimoto may be alive. Asirpa responded that Sugimoto cannot be dead as he is "Sugimoto the Immortal" after all. Later, when Kiroranke and Ogata were unable to find any information in the village, they departed for their next destination.

Kiroranke's group finds some sea lions off of the coast of Karafuto so they decided to hunt them. Asirpa was able to finish off a wounded sea lion that had been shot by Ogata and tried to swim away. She helps Kiroranke cut up the sea lion and gives the meat to Ogata and Shiraishi. When Ogata expresses concern that he could not kill the sea lion, Asirpa tells him that they have thick skulls and that he should keep in mind not to aim for the head before happily gorging herself on the sea lion meat.

### Youichirou the Manslayer Arc

Once they had finished their hunt, Shiraishi asked what they will do with the sea lion skin and Asirpa informed him that they can make some *torar*, long and durable leather straps that can be used to bind or tie various things up and that they can also use the sea lion oil as seasoning for foods. They are then approached by a Karafuto Ainu man who offers to buy their sea lion skin as well as provide information on where they can sell their meats and innards. With that, they come to a fox breeding facility and are greeted by the owner there. Asirpa notes that most of the foxes on the farm are *setunpe kamuy*, benevolent gods.

When Kiroranke asked the owner about an Ainu village in the area, Asirpa asked him if she knew someone here. Kiroranke tells her that the Ainu village that used to be in their spot was the village where her father Wilk was born. Asirpa asked where everyone went and learned from Kiroranke the grim history of the village. He then tells her that her father believed that she is the light of hope and that she will soon learn the answer about her father in Karafuto. Afterwards, she went to observe the foxes as Kiroranke and Ogata silenty held their conversation about her and her father.

Kiroranke's group goes out to do some hunting and Asirpa encounters musk deers for the first time. Ogata shoots and kills one, which Asirpa and Kiroranke carves up. When Asirpa asks if their meat tastes good, Kiroranke denies it and says that the only useful part is the male's musk gland, which he takes out. Kiroranke offers to let Aisrpa smell it, and she reacts strongly to the smell, saying that it stinks.

Kiroranke then begins to talk about his younger days with Wilk, which catches Asirpa's interest and he spoke about the time Wilk took down his first prey and cut his *hohciri* off. This triggers a long lost memory of her father to come back to her and she says that thanks to the musk deer, she felt like she saw a part of her father she never knew and that she was able to recall a memory that she had forgotten. In the middle of her travels, Asirpa came upon a freshly laid mound of feces and became excited, thinking that a large prey must be nearby. However, Shiraishi revealed that it belongs to him since he had just pooped earlier.

### Border Crossing Arc

Asirpa's group hires a couple of Karafuto Ainu men to take them all the way to Shisuka (modern day Poronaysk) and made their way on foot through a forest. They come across a casket belonging to the Orok people and Kiroranke tells everyone about the Oroks. Just then, Ogata fired at something with his rifle and Asirpa asked him what he had shot. Ogata replies that it was an Ezo deer but Kiroranke says that there aren't any Ezo deer in Karafuto.

They come across a dead reindeer with a collar around it, which Asirpa puts on Shiraishi. They also find an Orok man looking for his reindeer, whereupon the group teases Ogata for killing it. The Orok man asks them to hunt wild reindeers together and Kiroranke tells Asirpa that her father also accidently killed a reindeer. Ogata asks Asirpa to come with him and she accepts, saying that it might help her remember something about her father.

As Kiroranke talks about the reindeer, Asirpa blurts out a word, which Wilk had taught her when she was young. While they prepare for the reindeer hunt, a reindeer turns around and bites Shiraishi, causing Asirpa to become concerned for him. However, she calls him a bad guy when he says that they should've ran away instead of apologizing for Ogata's mistake. Kiroranke says that in order to continue on from Shisuka, they'd have no choice but to make contact with the Oroks.

As the hunt began, Ogata tells everyone to stay back as he single-handedly kills the entire reindeer herd. Once the initial shock had worn off, Asirpa tells everyone to hurry up and skin the reindeers as they will have to make several trips to carry them all back. At the Orok village, Asirpa's group eats the reindeer meat as well as food made by the Orok women, while Asirpa offers the reindeer brain to Shiraishi and Ogata. She notes that due to living with the reindeer, the Orok people's customs are completely different from the Ainu, calling it fascinating.

She then listened to Kiroranke's idea for sneaking into Russia by hiding out among the Oroks who have tacit permission to go back and forth across the border. Some time later they carry out this plan, but unbeknownst to them, due to a leak from Tsurumi, the Russians were already aware of them and shoots one of the Orok men. Ogata tells Asirpa to stay down and says that they are dealing with an experienced sniper as they enter Russia.

As they are attacked by the Russians, Asirpa silently watches as Kiroranke restrains the Orok man who tries to help his father. They try to escape into the woods nearby by hiding behind the reindeers, even as a couple of them were shot and killed. When Ogata voices his concerns that the Russians are being too violent for crossing the border illegally, Asirpa wonders if they were waiting to ambush them. Suddenly, Kiroranke gets up and walks over to the elder Orok man to help him, which causes Asirpa to yell out at him. Due to Kiroranke's action, Ogata is able to shoot the Russian spotter, which gave them a chance to run into the woods.

Within the forest, they examine the Orok man and finds out that he had survived thanks to his large hat and Kiroranke says it was thanks to the gods. However, Ogata says it was thanks to him and that everything that happens has a reason behind them, including why they were attacked. Asirpa tells Kiroranke that he was right to try and save the Orok, but that he may have realized something if he went that far. Kiroranke only remained quiet as Ogata prepares to confront the Russians for answers, saying that the war with Russia isn't quite over yet.

As Ogata splits away from the group to battle with the Russians, Asirpa's Group hears a loud explosion which came from a trap that Kiroranke had laid down, killing one of the Russians and heavily injuring another. They eventually find Ilya, the Russian spotter whom Ogata had shot earlier and he speaks to Kiroranke in Russian, which Asirpa is unable to understand. Ilya pulls out a wanted poster of Kiroranke, shocking both Asirpa and Shiraishi, and says that Russia hasn't forgotten about Kiroranke.

Once Ilya had died from his wounds, Asirpa picks up the wanted posters as she and Shiraishi questioned Kiroranke about them, and Kiroranke then revealed his past to them and his involvement in the Russian emperor's death. As she listened to the story, she noticed another paper under Kiroranke's poster and finds that it is a wanted poster of her father, Wilk who was also involved in the assassination.

Some time later as they waited around, Shiraishi expressed concern about Ogata and wonders if they should help him, but Kiroranke says that Ogata wanted to be alone and that they should believe in Ogata's abilities. Afterwards, Asirpa's group hear several rounds of gunfire as Ogata and Vasily fought each other in a sniper battle.

As Asirpa looks through her binoculars, she sees that Ogata is returning from his sniper duel and notifies the others. They find that Ogata is now suffering from a terrible fever which he attempted to brushed off as nothing. Asirpa's group then makes their way to an Orok settlement where Asirpa tended to Ogata's health. They are joined by a shaman who recited a prayer for both Ogata and the elder Orok man who had been shot.

When Shiraishi left the tent to relieve himself, Asirpa notices him motioning at her to come out too. Outside, Shiraishi asks Asirpa to run away together now that Ogata is ill, saying that being with Kiroranke is too dangerous for them. However, Asirpa declines, which surprises Shiraishi before they are joined by Kiroranke who explains more about himself and Wilk to them. Asirpa says that she wishes to know more about her father and wonders if the Ainu gold should be found.

While Ogata slept, Asirpa notes that his fever had gone down. She is then given some *sewa* figurines which Kiroranke says are medical treatments for certain parts of the body. When Shiraishi is also given one and thinks it is a protective charm for his trips to the pleasure district, Asirpa coldly tells him that it was because of the dirty look on his face from watching a woman breastfeeding her child. After some time had passed, Ogata wakes up which Asirpa notices and greets him.

When one of the Oroks begins to carve out a reindeer bone, Asirpa asks what he is doing and Kiroranke explains that the Orok will divine the future for them. The Orok man tells them that someone is coming from behind them which Asirpa listened to quietly. Some time later, Asirpa's group prepares to leave the Orok settlement with a reindeer that the Orok gave to them to give to their relatives in the north.

Kiroranke apologizes to the Oroks for the Russian ordeal and turns to Shiraishi, saying that they should part ways. When Shiraishi agrees to it, Asirpa thanks him for his help and tells him to take care of himself. Asirpa, Kiroranke, and Ogata then leaves the settlement before being rejoined by Shiraishi, who says that he wants to have some fun with blonde Russian girls. Asirpa laughs, saying that if his groin hurt again, that would be his problem and Shiraishi says that he will be fine so long as he has the charm.

During their journey, Asirpa finds some tracks and wonders if they came from a *meko*, saying that they are too big to belong to them. Shiraishi asks her about the *meko* and Asirpa explains that they are cats, with Kiroranke stating that the tracks belongs to a lynx. Hearing this, Asirpa gets excited that it is a *meko oyasi* as her father had once told her about them. When Kiroranke tells her that he and Wilk had once hunted a lynx together, Asirpa is curious about how it tasted only to be told that it was terrible.

Asirpa is disappointed that the *meko oyasi* doesn't taste good but is relieved to hear more about her father and Kiroranke offers to tell her more about him. He tells her that there is a person being held in Akou Prison in Alexandrovsksakhalinsky and is their leader Sofia Golden Hand. Kiroranke says that Sofia should know more things about Wilk that not even he knows. With this, Asirpa's group makes the decision to head to Akou.

Asirpa's Group goes hunting for beluga with some of the Nivkh people and when Ogata manages to shoot and kill one, Asirpa praises him. As Kiroranke carves up the dead animal, Asirpa says that she has never seen a completely white *hunpe* before. When Shiraishi comments that they should have some miso to go with the whale soup, Asirpa reveals that she has Sugimoto's miso since she had been holding them for him.

Asirpa's Group eats the whale soup together and they run out of the miso, with Asirpa refusing to eat any miso that doesn't belong to Sugimoto. As they eat, Ogata says "hinna" which surprises Asirpa and she asks him to repeat it while looking back at Kiroranke and Shiraishi to see if they heard him as well. When Kiroranke and Shiraishi begins to talk about Sofia, Asirpa asks Kiroranke to tell her more about his leader. Kiroranke tells them about Sofia and that he and Wilk had admired her, which Asirpa is curious about and says that she wants to meet the revolutionary leader.

Kiroranke reveals his plan to break Sofia out of Akou Prison and Asirpa listens nervously as Kiroranke and Shiraishi discusses the details of the plan. When Shiraishi asks how he plans to get a large amount of explosives to blow up the prison's wall, Kiroranke points to a nearby lighthouse, saying that explosives has been supplied there in the case of a Japanese invasion and says that all they have to do is to wait for them to arrive so that they can set the plan in motion.

### Akou Prison Break Arc

Asirpa's Group heads to a Nivkh village where Asirpa is intrigued by a Nivkh man wearing a hat with ears. Afterwards, Asirpa's Group discusses breaking out Sofia and having her meet Asirpa. Kiroranke mentions that Sofia has several underlings in the prison but Asirpa is concerned if having them on their side would be for the good of the Ainu people. Kiroranke reassures her that it would be beneficial for every ethnic minorities so that they can continue to live their lives their own way.

Kiroranke then begins to tell Asirpa's Group about how he, Wilk, and Sofia first met a Japanese man named Kouichi Hasegawa who was living in Russia and their time learning Japanese with Hasegawa. He tells them about Hasegawa's suspicions of their background as well as the fact that Hasegawa was actually a spy for the Japanese army. As Kiroranke finishes up the story, he says that they never saw Hasegawa again and that Sofia continues to blame herself for the death of Hasegawa's daughter. He takes Asirpa's Group up north to where some drift ice are and begins to explain about the serfs, the Russian Orthodox Church and why he and Wilk joined Sofia's cause. Asirpa then asks him if he had told Sofia about what happened to Wilk.

Asirpa's Group goes hunting for some seals and Asirpa is able to catch one by impaling it with a *klaa* harpoon. As she pulls the seal out of the water, she notices a reindeer nearby and wonders if it came from across the sea. Ogata says that perhaps it came over because it was being chased by something. Later, Asirpa's Group drills some holes in the walls of Akou Prison and obtains the explosives from the abandoned lighthouse. They then go over their plan to break Sofia out and have her meet Asirpa. When daybreak arrives, Asirpa's Group sets their plan into motion, however only Kiroranke's explosives worked and Kiroranke curses that the explosives may not have been preserved properly.

Ogata begins to notice that something is wrong when none of the prisoners are coming out of Kiroranke's hole and wonders if something happened. Asirpa's Group then decides to make another hole with their explosives, which proved to be more successful as Sofia and her men were able to make their escape. Sofia approaches Asirpa, recognizing her clothes as being Karafuto Ainu before seeing Asirpa's blue eyes which she inherited from her father. Upon seeing Kiroranke, Sofia suddenly slaps him, apparently upset at what he did to Wilk, surprising everyone present.

Asirpa's Group is stunned by Sofia slapping Kiroranke but no one says anything until Sofia turns around, ready to leave. Afterwards, as they walk over the drift ice, Shiraishi notes that their plan worked perfectly as their disguise helps them to blend in with the Nivkh fishermen that had come out onto the ice to hunt. Asirpa asks Sofia about her father and she listens silently as Kiroranke translates for Sofia who recounts her time with Wilk and his dream to protect the Ainu culture for the future generation.

As Asirpa reflects on what she heard of her father's background, Kiroranke points her attention to a group of wolves that had come nearby to them. Upon seeing them, Sofia says that Wilk has always loved wolves and tells Asirpa about how Wilk sacrificed one of his comrades in order to avoid being caught by the secret police. She then asks Kiroranke and Asirpa if they knew the origins of Wilk's name but Kiroranke does not know and Asirpa struggles to remember. Upon hearing the origins of her father's name, a memory about Wilk telling her his true name comes back to her. Asirpa has a realization and thinks back on the letters of the tattoos that she and Sugimoto had obtained and lets out a gasp.

With her memories returning to her, Asirpa wonders why she had forgotten about them, even after her father had told her to never forget them and that she should've remembered when she saw Retar. She then remembers that after Wilk had told her the name, he had disappeared and Retar had also left her as well. As she cries over her losses, she realizes that she'd pushed that memory into a corner of her mind to keep from thinking about them. As Asirpa wipes her tears, she notices Ogata standing in front of her as Kiroranke asks him what was wrong but Ogata says that it is nothing and that they should hurry since the weather looks like it will get windy soon.

Asirpa's Group is separated from Shiraishi when the drift ice between them breaks so Shiraishi heads out to find another path to rejoin them and Asirpa warns him not to fall into the freezing water as there will be no one to save him. The rest of Asirpa's Group finds a big ice wall to take shelter behind while Asirpa and Ogata heads out to find some driftwood to burn. When Asirpa finds some more driftwood, she calls out to Ogata but he stops her, asking if she had remembered something very important earlier.

Ogata crouches down, asking Asirpa to tell her the key to solving the coded tattoos, reasoning that he only wishes to be paid a fair reward for risking his life during their travels. He says that he does not need all of the money, otherwise he would not have a peaceful life but that if Asirpa were to tell him the code, then she could be free from the fight for the gold and return to her *kotan* to be with her grandmother. Ogata continues to reason with Asirpa, telling her to leave the problems of the Ainu to Kiroranke and Sofia so that she would not have to shoulder such a heavy burden. Asirpa finally speaks up, asking Ogata why he had waited until after they were separated from Kiroranke to ask her this. Just then, they hear a gunshot off in the distance and Ogata takes out his binoculars before loading his rifle.

Asirpa asks if there are people coming after them but Ogata just stays silent as he looks out onto the drift ice. They hear Sofia calling out for Asirpa, which she notes and says that they should go back but Ogata tells her that back when Sugimoto and Wilk were shot at Abashiri Prison, Kiroranke had made a signal to somewhere before grabbing her arm. As they walk across the drift ice, Asirpa questions Ogata on what he said earlier and he tells her that Kiroranke had a sniper shoot Wilk and believes that the two of them must've had an argument over how they would use the gold. Asirpa is stunned that Ogata had not told her about this before and Ogata says that he thought it was necessary to work with Kiroranke so he kept quiet to see how things would play along but decided to break off the alliance since Kiroranke might kill them all once he gets the code. Ogata turns back to Asirpa and pleads her to tell him what she remembered, but Asirpa is suspicious of Ogata's words.

Upon seeing that Asirpa won't talk, Ogata says that he is just doing what Sugimoto asked of him, which surprises her. Ogata reveals that when he went up to the bodies of both Sugimoto and Wilk, Sugimoto was still conscious and he had begged Ogata to help the widow of his best friend. Asirpa gets angry, saying that he never once told her about this and that he had previously told her that Sugimoto was already dead when he checked on them. However, Ogata ignores her outburst and says that it was the last thing Sugimoto spoke of and asked if she wanted to hear more. Ogata tries to get Asirpa to tell him the code, saying that it was for the sake of Sugimoto's last request and she asks if he knew the woman's name. He says that her name is "Tome" and that they should be able to find her if they ask the army where Sugimoto was raised.

Asirpa asks a couple more questions about Sugimoto's final moments, including what he wanted to eat one last time and Ogata says that Sugimoto wanted to eat anglerfish nabe. Asirpa finally sees through Ogata's lies, knowing that Sugimoto's favourite dish was actually dried persimmons. She pulls away from Ogata but stumbles in the process and when Ogata attempts to calm her down, she grabs her bow and arrow, pointing them at Ogata, telling him to stay away from her as there is not a single thing that she can trust about him. Ogata finally admits to having lied to her all along and says that there is something that had been bothering him for quite some time. He states that when they had first met, Asirpa prevented Sugimoto from killing him due to her belief not to kill anyone in order to remain a "pure" person.

Ogata found it strange and asks if Wilk had not taught her about killing people and wonders if the icon of the Ainu has to remain "pure" as well. Asirpa is confused by Ogata's words but he tells her to kill him, saying that "pure" people don't exist in this world. Seeing that Asirpa is still hesitating, Ogata reveals that he was the one who killed her father and provokes Asirpa to take his own life. However, Asirpa lowers her bow, saying that she will not kill him and Ogata draws his rifle, pointing it at Asirpa, declaring that it is simply not right that people like her exists. Unbeknownst to the both of them, Sugimoto approaches them from behind Ogata with a furious look on his face.

Sugimoto roars at Ogata and his scream startles Asirpa, causing her to let go off of the bowstring holding the arrow in its notch. The arrow hits Ogata in his right eye and Asirpa can only stare in horror as Ogata falls down to the ground with a smile on his face. Asirpa collapses to her knees, in shock and trembling from what had happened as Sugimoto carves out Ogata's right eye and sucks the poison from his system. Sugimoto notices the ice below them breaking and he calls out to Asirpa, snapping her from her shock, telling her to grab his hand as he reaches out to her. Asirpa says Sugimoto's name as she jumps towards him and the two of them embraces each other as Asirpa states that she knew he was alive all along while Sugimoto reminds her of his title.

Sugimoto asks if she can stand since they need to get moving but Asirpa says that she cannot move away. He thinks she is still being emotional and tells her that they have to go after Kiroranke, however Asirpa reveals that her eyelid is frozen to his jacket's metal button. Sugimoto calls Shiraishi over and asks him to urinate on them, much to Asirpa's shock. Despite her pleads, Shiraishi urinates on them, managing to free Asirpa from Sugimoto's button and Asirpa tells Shiraishi that it is enough with a disgusted look on her face. Shiraishi turns to Sugimoto and asks him if he is crying, but Sugimoto denies it and says that the liquid on his face is just his urine.

### Return to Karafuto Arc

Asirpa, Sugimoto, and Shiraishi are able to find Kiroranke before Tanigaki shoots him, saying that there is something she needed to ask Kiroranke. Tsukishima orders Asirpa to move away from Kiroranke but Asirpa pleads him to stand back as if Kiroranke dies, she will never know the truth. Kiroranke struggles to stay alive, telling Asirpa to run away and meet with Sofia to talk about her father, believing that the key is within her. Asirpa looks at Kiroranke's wounds before saying that her memories had returned, and thanks him for getting her to remember. Upon hearing this, Kiroranke's expression relaxes and he tells Asirpa that he is leaving the rest to her, for their sake and with Sofia. Kiroranke calls out Sofia's name and Asirpa begins to ask him if it is true that he killed her father. However, Kiroranke never answers as she shakes his body, repeatedly saying his name.

Asirpa looks on forlornly as Shiraishi buries Kiroranke and she says that she wanted to hear directly from Kiroranke's mouth why her father had to die. Tanigaki relays what Inkarmat had said to him, that Kiroranke told her that Wilk had changed and betrayed his comrades. Asirpa wonders if her father really was killed because he killed the Ainu and took their gold, but Sugimoto reveals that just before he died, Wilk had claimed that he did not kill the Ainu, which left Asirpa feeling confused. Asirpa then remembers Sofia and looks around for her, since Sofia should know everything about her father and Kiroranke.

Asirpa sees a person off in the distance and both she and Sugimoto runs off to find the person, ignoring Koito's demands to stay by his side. As they get closer, they hear some violent sounds and upon peering around the ice block, sees Gansoku fighting a couple of Akou prisoners. They immediately turn to leave, pretending to ignore what they saw but Gansoku follows them back and helps carry Tsukishima, who is suffering from a neck injury. Asirpa continues to look around for Sofia and Sugimoto asks if they should come back to the drift ice after dropping the injured off at Akou. However, Asirpa says that it is not necessary as she knows they will meet Sofia again. Sugimoto then returns Asirpa's makiri knife to her and she thanks him as she puts it back on her sash.

Sugimoto's Group stops by a Nivkh settlement near Akou so that the soldiers can rest from their battle against Kiroranke. Meanwhile, Asirpa, Cikapasi, and Enonoka are shown around the settlement by the local Nivkh children. Asirpa notes that the Nivkh clothing looks similar to the Uilta clothing, commenting that they are all a little different and yet alike as well and that she would have never known about their culture had she stayed in Hokkaido.

When Gansoku and Svetlana leaves to cross the continent, Sugimoto tells Asirpa that she better let Huci know she is doing well too. Asirpa states that Tsurumi may not let her return to the *kotan* and Sugimoto thinks so as well, saying that Tsurumi only needs her for the tattoo code and that it would be better to work with him than with Hijikata. Asirpa is confused by this statement and asks him if her father had told him anything else but Sugimoto denies this.

Asirpa says that if she finds the gold, she may be able to find out why her father was killed and asks Sugimoto if he will continue to cooperate with Tsurumi, which he begrudgingly says that he will since Tsurumi has taken all of their tattooed skins and is the closest person to finding the gold which is still his main goal. Asirpa notes that this meant that they are walking the same path again and the two of them renew their partnership contract to work together once more.

In a *to ryv*, a Nivkh winter home, Sugimoto's Group listens to Enonoka translate a Nivkh legend about a man who put charcoal on his buttocks in order to scare away a monster that was approaching him. Once she had finished, Sugimoto wonders why such a weird story had been passed down in the Nivkh community but believes that there must be a lesson to it, which he asks Asirpa about. Asirpa replies that "those who do bad things are afraid of being seen". With Shiraishi off in the bathroom, Asirpa exclaims for Sugimoto to show her his butt and she put markings on it in order to emulate the legend to surprise Shiraishi. Once Shiraishi had returned, they found that Shiraishi also had the same idea to surprise them as well.

Sugimoto sees some Nivkh women working on something and asks Asirpa about it and she reveals that they are tanning fish skin which will be used to make boots and clothes. When Sugimoto sheepishly puts a fish skin hat on his head, Asirpa commends that it looks good on him. She tells Sugimoto that the Nivkh have their own traditional dish also made from fish skin called *mos*, which Sugimoto's Group enjoys. Sugimoto sees a Nivkh woman making medicine from plants and Enonoka tells him that it won't be enough to save Ogata's life, and Sugimoto declares that they must bring a doctor to treat Ogata.

Asirpa silently stares at Ogata's form as Koito objects to saving Ogata due to the risk from being in the country illegally where they can easily get reported on. However, Koito relents after Sugimoto informs him that Tsukishima also needs a doctor to take a look at him. Some time later, Sugimoto and Enonoka manages to return with a Russian doctor who examines both Tsukishima and Ogata. The doctor states that Ogata needs to be brought back to his hospital for better treatment and Sugimoto's Group sets out on the dog sled with Ogata tied down to it.

Sugimoto's Group arrives at the hospital and they wait outside of the building while the doctor and his nurse operates on Ogata. Once they had finished, the doctor steps out to inform Sugimoto's Group that despite doing all he could, Ogata is gradually getting weaker and he will die soon. Asirpa is crushed to hear the news and so Sugimoto decides to head inside the hospital to ask if there is any other way Ogata's life can be saved. Moments later, Sugimoto runs out screaming that Ogata has escaped and orders everyone to find him while telling Asirpa not to leave his side.

As Asirpa and Sugimoto searches for Ogata, Asirpa hears the sound of a horse running and sees Ogata making his escape, informing Sugimoto about it. When Sugimoto takes his rifle out to shoot, Asirpa asks if he is going to shoot Ogata but Sugimoto reassures her that he will only aim for the horse. However, Sugimoto fails to hit the horse or Ogata and both Asirpa and Sugimoto can only silently watch as Ogata makes his getaway.

### Return to Hokkaido Arc

Sugimoto's Group makes their way south towards the national border and stops by a Karafuto Ainu village to rest. They are given some of "grandma's chewed dango" to eat, which Sugimoto and Shiraishi becomes drunk off of. When Sugimoto begins to cry that he lost his miso case, Asirpa pretends not to know anything about it and feigns sorrow about the loss. Once Sugimoto, Shiraishi, and Tsukishima had recovered, Sugimoto's Group heads to Shizuka to do some shopping for necessities, and as they prepared to set off, Asirpa notices that Sugimoto had disappeared.

Shiraishi goes to look for Sugimoto but is suddenly shot in the leg by a sniper, alarming the whole group as Asirpa calls out to Shiraishi. Asirpa shouts to Shiraishi, telling him to get behind a building but Shiraishi says that he has been shot in the leg so he is unable to move quickly. The sniper shoots at them again and Asirpa along with Tanigaki, Cikapasi, and Enonoka hides behind the dog sleds for cover. As they hid, the soldiers comes to the conclusion that their attacker must be Hyakunosuke Ogata, as he is the only person who can shoot from a far distance.

Asirpa suggests that she, Tanigaki, Cikapasi, and Enonoka push the dog sled closer to Shiraishi so that they can rescue him. However, Tanigaki refuses, saying that if the sniper really is Ogata, then he might be after her. When Asirpa still tries to come up with a way to save Shiraishi, he tells her to stay away as he has a plan of his own. When Tsukishima lifts his cap up on his rifle for the sniper to shoot at, Tanigaki wonders if he is playing with the sniper, but Tsukishima says that it is for the sake of their coordinated attack in order for Sugimoto to find and defeat the sniper.

Koito calls out to an elderly man driving a horse-drawn sledge to stop or else he will be shot at. When the man passes by unharmed, Tsukishima raises his cap and figures out that Sugimoto was able to defeat the sniper. Hearing this, Asirpa immediately runs off to find Sugimoto despite Tanigaki calling out to her. She manages to find Sugimoto and overhears him telling the sniper how her presence has helped to cleanse and save him. Afterwards, the rest of Sugimoto's Group catches up and finds Sugimoto being friendly with the sniper.

Asirpa tells Sugimoto's Group that the sniper, Vasily was one of the soldiers after Kiroranke and Tsukishima tells Vasily that Kiroranke has died, that Ogata has gone missing, that they only came to retrieve Asirpa, and that they have nothing to do with the Russian Emperor's assassination. Afterwards, Sugimoto's Group leaves town but they notice Vasily following them on horseback and Shiraishi wonders if Vasily does not believe them about Kiroranke's death but Asirpa says that Vasily no longer cares about Kiroranke as his wanted poster was torn up to be used for drawing.

Asirpa asks Sugimoto if Ogata will come back and Sugimoto says that so long as she is the key to solving the code to the gold, there is a chance that he might. However, Asirpa notes that Ogata had acted like he was going to kill her and wonders if he really wanted the gold, to which Sugimoto suggests that Ogata is just stirring things up for the fun of it. Upon returning to the lighthouse and giving Svetlana's message to her parents, Asirpa and Sugimoto meets at the top of the lighthouse to talk about Sofia and how she is the only person to know the truth behind everything.

Sugimoto's Group decides to stay in Toyohara to wait for Tsurumi to arrive in Karafuto so Asirpa and Sugimoto goes out hunting and stumbles upon wolverine tracks. Despite Sugimoto's warning, Asirpa suggests they hunt one as she wonders what a wolverine's brain tastes like. Asirpa then prepares a prayer ritual, which Sugimoto notes that despite being a new Ainu woman, she still makes sure to perform her Ainu rituals. Asirpa states that since they will be heading into the mountains, they will be facing all kinds of danger and that performing the ritual helps to make them more focused. She says that now that they have matches, they only use their tools when they go out to hunt and laments how they will be able to leave them behind for the future.

They are then approached by two men who asks Asirpa to perform her ritual again and upon being questioned by Sugimoto reveals that they are here to record moving pictures. Before they could explain what moving pictures are, they are suddenly attacked by a wolverine. However, Asirpa and Sugimoto are able to kill the wolverine and its pack, and takes their brains out to eat. Sugimoto turns to one of the men, asking them what they were filming and they tell Sugimoto and Asirpa that they had been with two Karafuto Ainu men but got separated. Asirpa wonders if filming is different from taking pictures and the two men explains that their device is a cinematograph which they are using to record a lot about the Ainu culture.

## References

1. ↑ Character profiles from the Golden Kamuy fanbook