This chapter's epigraph is from a poem by Hiroshi Sugimoto. It's about a man who has been promoted to lieutenant in a fire brigade. The poem is about the promotion of a man to lieutenant, and it's a reference to the fact that the lieutenant is a member of the same brigade as Hiroshi's friend, the captain of a company called company 7. The captain of the company is Hiroyuki, and he's the one who's been promoted. He's also the guy who linked up with the lieutenant. The lieutenant is the last man in the world to join the company, and Hiroyuki doesn't trust him. He thinks that the company's captain, company 5, has gone off to the shed outside of town, where he'll meet up with Hiroyuki. Hiroyuki and the captain have been sneaking around for a while, trying to figure out what's going on in Asakusa, and now they're alone. They can't help but wonder if they'll be able to stop the proto-conspiracy against the emperor, and if they can get it over with the emperor.