One thing that is clear as day is that Sugimoto is desperate for any connections or leads regarding Asirpa. In fact, it is when he is fighting after taking too many hits that his real emotions come out. He blames himself for what is happening both with Asirpa and his past. As Gansoku mentions, Sugimoto needs to forgive himself because he is doing the best that he can do given the circumstances.
Still, the good news that Gansoku mentions to Sugimoto is the conversation between Asirpa & Shiraishi. Asirpa still believes that he is alive. It’s hard to say whether Asirpa truly believes in that, but Sugimoto hearing that has to be a huge boost to his confidence. Thankfully, now, thanks to the two Ainu kids, they got the dogs back and the copy of Gansoku’s tattoo. Now they can move forward to catching up to Asirpa.
This episode adapted chapters 144-147 as well as the last few pages of 143. Overall, solid job. This episode is a bit haunted by the skipped Sugimoto backstory from S1 because it dampens this scene because Sugimoto is haunted by both his past and present, and the anime doesn’t touch on his past.