The team have taken up residence in the House of the Evergreens, the inn owned by Baba, and are having dinner together in a private room upstairs, the evening after meeting the Imperials, Dragon and Crab. Hajime and Yuzume have had to drag Eiko away from his work in order to do this. Hajime has also taken it upon himself to sort out the food, since he’s something of a gourmet, and has gone around local vendors to get their recommendations. Yuzume has approached a local guzheng player, Reina, to provide entertainment as they chat.
The group talk about the sakeworks and tease Hajime over his fascination with the Mirumoto dueling technique (or more specifically, Mirumoto Sanae). Eiko takes the opportunity to take notes about the style for a secret writing project, and Minoru reveals that he spent time in the Dragon lands after leaving his dojo, studying with the Togashi.
The topic turns to Otomo Kazuko and the AAZ, but Yuzume isn’t keen to discuss details around Reina, who seems to have shown interest in the conversation when Kazuko was mentioned. Eiko believes the idea could cause war and upset the great clans, but Yuzume thinks that the idea shouldn’t be discounted because of this – she seems keen on the idea of someone trying to do something different and progressive. Eiko still believes it won’t last long if it comes to pass, and questions Kazuko’s motives. Minoru believes it could just as easily be both, and understands Eiko’s concerns and traditional approach, but is more concerned about all of the paperwork that could be involved.
The conversation turns to the Moth and the short time that they have to investigate so that the new Emerald Champion doesn’t immediately dissolve them, and Reina misses a note, prompting Eiko to keep an eye on her. Hajime, more engaged now that the political talk is over, gives Yuzume the talisman he found and explains the strange feeling he got when he discovered it. He tells the others about Shiba Kizuki, and Eiko flinches – he knew Kizuki once upon a time, but doesn’t elaborate. Hajime continues to explain that he doesn’t think Kizuki and his ward are on the up and up, and the group talk about the appointments they’ll have to make with the Dragon and Phoenix before Minoru tells the others about the meeting with the Crab.
As Minoru considers other cases he has to handle, such as the sabotage of the watchtower in winter, a servant arrives with some food, gifted to the team by Seppun Ishima. It’s considerably fancier than anything Hajime acquired from the locals, but the men are suspicious. Minoru asks for a description of the person who delivered it, and Eiko dismisses Reina. They then pull the food apart to check it for poison while Yuzume looks on flatly, pointing out that if it is a trap, its purpose is only to gauge the team’s reaction, and that this was an overreaction. Eiko dismisses her concern immediately, and everyone digs in, but the food is ruined, much to Hajime’s dismay.
Dinner wraps up, and Eiko asks Yuzume to help him research Otomo Kazuko back at the magistrate’s office. She agrees, but in such a rude and flippant way that Eiko assumes she said no, and goes off on his own, furious at how his attempts to befriend her are always met by such an attitude. It angers him further that it reminds him of past failures to communicate with others, something that he feels isolates him from his peers. During his research he discovers that Kazuko showed a great deal of promise as a student, and was set to be a confidant of the Imperial heirs, but actively chose lower-ranking positions throughout the Empire. Chancellor of Hirosaka is the highest position she’s ever held, and she’s only had any kind of career worth mentioning since the Tsunami, when she began traveling to visit daimyos in different great and minor clans across the Empire, which Eiko finds deeply suspicious.
Meanwhile, Yuzume communes with the spirits of the Moth, focusing on the talisman and asking for their aid. Her room is filled with smoke, and it fills with the ghosts of the members of the Moth clan who died in the fires at winter. One of them, Kaikoga Ren, was the previous owner of the talisman, and says it needs to go to her daughter. When asked how to find the child, Ren’s spirit struggles, unable to communicate directly, and vanishes in a pool of ashes along with the other spirits of the Moth. She leaves behind a small black cat made of a charcoal heart as the only clue. Yuzume ponders the events of the winter, and how if things had gone differently, could they have saved Shogo and the Moth?
While this is going on, Minoru and Hajime play Go together and discuss the people they’ve met recently. Minoru is the much better player, with Hajime falling into traps without really considering where to place his pieces, and Minoru teases him a little more about his fascination with Sanae and Kizuki, letting him know that he sees how Hajime’s interest in them is more than professional. A blushing Hajime leaves to go meditate and Minoru packs up the board, amused.
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