Partner in Crime Genjiro Tanigaki attempts to quit, but Tsurumi reveals that Inkarmat is pregnant with Tanigaki's child and instead sends him on a mission to get rid of Sugimoto. As Asirpa's group dry Heita's tattooed skin, they examine his labelled gold samples and Shiraishi suggests that if the sample from "Boutarou the Pirate" was retrieved from Lake Shikotsu where Noppera-bo lost some when his boat capsized, it may provide a clue to the gold's location. Elsewhere, Ogata rejoins Hijikata's group and reveals that Sofia Goldenhand is after Asirpa whom he suspects has discovered the key to unlocking the code on the skins. In Sapporo, Ishikawa Takuboku writes articles for the local newspapers about a series of brutal killings of prostitutes. This news causes Hijikata to suspect the killer is another escaped convict while Tsurumi come to the same conclusion. Tsurumi sends Warrant Officer Kikuta to investigate along with Private Usami. A flashback to many years earlier shows how Usami became Tsurumi's acolyte - he killed another student in a fit of jealousy and Tsurumi helped cover it up.