The chapter opens with a soliloquy in which the narrator laments the fact that the governor has sent his son Kumo to find his brother Ten. Kumo complains that he has been sent by the governor to find Ten but that his brother has said that there are no jobs for him today. He also complains about his brother Sora, who hates him even more than before. The narrator tells Kumo that he will be able to see his siblings if he can find him. He then tells him that he came across three corpses on his way to the shrine and that he would like to challenge him to a duel. He asks Kumo if he is the dangerous one and Kumo replies that he is. He goes on to say that the three corpses were officers and that Kumo is choking on the stench of their corpses. He says that he wants to duel Kumo and challenges him to stand on his ground, but Kumo says that the man is just a civilian and not a military man. He adds that he does not care what the duel takes as long as Kumo gets his way.