"The perfect stroke" is the title of this short scene. It is set in the ice forest, and it is narrated by a young woman who is a friend of the narrator's late wife. She tells the narrator that she was a friend to her late husband, who was a member of the shogunate. The narrator tells the woman that he is now the highest-ranking noble and that all decisions fall on him. He tells her that he must rip out the words that offend his soul. He says that he has been wandering in search of his wife's body for days, and he can feel her alive. He begs the narrator to let his son live. He is unsure if this is the real body, but he sees light from the clearing. This place is familiar to him and he trembles at the feeling that reigns here. He asks the narrator not to leave him alone, and the narrator tells him to come with him to the well so that they can have some fun together before he loses his head as well. He swears that he will kill them all, but the narrator says that they have finally found the "one worthy man" among the scarlet worms. They will cut him to pieces, he says, and tie him to their blades