Now that Sugimoto and Asirpa have been reunited, the situation leads us back to what they are going to do next. Of course Sugimoto knows the best bet in finding the gold now with what happened in Abashiri Prison. Plus, even though working with Tsurumi is like working with the devil. The only worse thing than that is working with the devil you don’t know in Hijikata. It’s basically the lesser of two evils. Asirpa still wants more answers about her father and Sugimoto not telling her that her father wanted her to lead the Ainu. At some point I wonder if these two will have a different opinion because it seems natural for Asirpa to lead the Ainu.
We are introduced to members of the 7th Division, those being Sergeant Major Kikuta and Private First Class Ariko. These two end up leading the charge, which ends up taking out Anji Toni and taking his skin. Although something is odd between these two, as they don’t seem as loyal to Tsurumi as the others. Curious what their intentions are. The other part is that Ariko is Ainu, and his skills are showcased well, much like we have seen with Asirpa.
For most of the Tsurumi’s men, their backstory has dealt with loss. Otonoshin Koito is different, and it was hinted at with his father because he clearly wanted his son to grow, as traveling to Russia to help Sugimoto find Asirpa would be of benefit. Otonoshin was one spoiled brat. He was able to do anything he wanted with no consequences, and nobody disciplined him. Until he met Tsurumi when he slapped him. When a child finally receives a no, it is quite the shock, and for Otonoshin, it was a good type of shock.
Still, part of the issue is him dealing with his brother’s death. As he died serving the navy, he was at a different station than their father. It is clear that acting spoiled is him wanting his father’s love. Even worse, his brother’s death makes him unable to be out at sea. In a weird turn, Otonoshin getting kidnapped by the Russians was the best thing that happened to him. He finally got to see his father truly loved him despite his status. Tsurumi, who is basically now his hero, offers him a place in the army that suits his issues of being out at sea. It is effortless to understand why he respects Tsurumi so much now.
The last big point of the volume surrounds Ogata.Sugimoto is doing everything possible to save Ogata, and it is now about saving not only Ogata but also Asirpa. As he is trying to protect her. So him making a scene and escaping is something Sugimoto can be happy about because he wants to kill him, so the blood is on his hands and not Asirpa. Although Ogata speaking Russian was unexpected.