Chapter 214

After being rejected by Azumi, Kano tells him of Hyosuke, her love interest. Bontenmaru sets out to visit the neighbouring province, because he just can't imagine it. He decides to camp out at an nearby inn, until he could see them together himself. He spotted him and wonders how she could love someone of such low status instead of him. "'I want to see that man. No, I want to see how Azumi acts when she meets that man. (...) They tell me he has no status, no station ... a mere sculptor's apprentice ... Why? Why!? Why does she love a man of such low status!? A man of that level instead of me? The shogun's own son! Why!?'"Three days pass, and his guards grow incredibly bored and all agree that all four of them aren't needed to protect him like this, and thus they agree to take turns in pairs watching him, until news come.

Meanwhile Hyosuke has gotten the whole day off, and meets up with Azumi, who's able to move around as she wishes for the most part as this mission prioritizes Tobizaru's health and recovery. They go sightseeing, see the parade, eat dango, and more during their date. Then they spot a lost kid, and Hyosuke goes to look for his granpa as he still remembers his face and had paid attention to both their faces by coincidence.

Azumi admires his ability to perfectly grasp somebody's likeness in nearly an instant, but Hyosuke tells her his dream is not to simply recreate something that already exists, but to create something original. "a sculpture that strikes the soul; that grasps the heart and mind of its viewer." Something that will stay in this world for centuries.

They then visit the temple and writes a wish on a wooden tag. Azumi wishes for Hyosuke's wish to come true. When asked if she didn't write something for her own future, she replies she never thought about it since she'll keep carrying out missions until the time she's finally killed. Shocked, he brings up their previous argument and reminds her that there is a way to live peacefully even for her, without taking lives. She tells him that when she heard his dream, she thought the future looked so bright for the first time, and that she never thought about her own life in the long term. "'I just never thought about it. I'll just keep on carrying out missions until the time I'm finally killed.'"On their way back, Bontenmaru dressed up in a disguise and is waiting for them at the bridge. Then he sees her so happy, and notes that she has never smiled for him like that even once. He curses Hyosuke as they pass him by.