Tensions are now flying high in this episode. For Tsukishima, his trust in Tsurumi is the lowest it has been, and he even points out the trust that Koito has in Tsurumi is wavering as well. In case someone didn’t realize, why him being able to speak normally to Tsurumi is a big deal. Though I have to credit Sugimoto understanding what is the best approach by keeping his emotions in check.
There was a lot to take in from the dialogue about what Tsurumi was mentioning. We as the audience knew that Tsurumi was Hasegawa back in S3, but this is the first time that characters in this series learn that information. For Koito it raises more questions, but for Tsukishima you can understand he was pissed. There was this other side of him that he didn’t know. He already knows Tsurumi was manipulating and using him, but this shows it was done to a greater extent.
Also, please keep in mind that Sofia feels guilt for pulling the trigger that killed Fina & Olga. Which was one of the reasons why she didn’t join Kiro and Wilk as they headed to Hokkaido. Would things have played differently if Sofia had stayed with them? Would Kiro have been happier if Sofia were around? If Kiro was able to let go of his goal, much like Wilk did countless things changes.
This ties into why we dive deep in Kiro’s letter. You can understand why Kiro did what he did because Wilk didn’t have the same drive that he did. As he focused on his family in Hokkaido, then everything that happened in Karfuto & Russia. Of course, Kiro being pissed and the fact that Wilk didn’t kill Kiro showed having a family made him grow kinder. Kiro always loved Sofia, so when Wilk prioritized his family, no doubt Kiro would be set off because the woman he loved is back in Russia still. This definitely gives the stuff before S3 a different feel.
Chapters 264-267 were adapted in this episode. Honestly, it’s impressive they got through everything in these chapters considering there is no action in these chapters. There was one panel of Kikuta that was cut. It is difficult to make of that at this point, though.