Yui.
Wait, Yui.
Yui!
F-Father...
Yui!
I thought killing Matsumine would be the end of it.
How could I have been so foolish?
Episode 7
So this is when you...
Got it!
Koi-koi!
Hey, you know your stuff!
Hey now, hanafuda is against the law.
Aw, it's fine. It's all in good fun.
That's right!
It's good fun!
Fine. Just don't blame me if you end up a mess like Soji.
Hey...
Did you get in a fight with Raizo-san?
Huh?
All the damn time. Why?
Well, he never comes downstairs anymore.
Oh, he's actually been kinda busy.
Just give him some space.
That dumbass.
What are we doing in a nunnery at this hour?
Oh, just another aspect of our training.
Venerable sirs.
I hope you will honor us with your prayers again tonight.
Why are these women here?
Look closer, fool.
They're male prostitutes?
Indeed they are.
Which means we would not be committing the sin of lying with a woman.
That's...
These are not impure women,
but guides who will lead you to enlightenment via the works of the god of bliss.
I hope you find it a joyful experience.
This is your first time, right, Seiku?
You may have the first pick.
You want me to choose?
Bless you! Bless you!
This smell... It can't be...
Opium?
I have no desire to do this.
How cruel of you.
My name is Ichinojo, and I may only be a lowly prostitute, but I can still be shamed.
From your bearing and way with words, I would say you are from a home of some repute.
Why sully yourself with opium?
When restricted to modest meals, your senses become sharper as a result.
So you are from a samurai family.
Those witches are always listening.
If they hear you, you'll end up just like me.
What do you mean?
You're being too loud.
And what of our young guest?
Learning of the enlightenment of pleasure at the hands of Ichinojo, Keigyoku-sama.
What wonderful news. High-minded moralists like him always fall the hardest.
Now, stop that! What do you mean by "fall"?
Indeed. All we are doing is guiding the lost to the true joy of enlightenment.
Please forgive me.
Though I must say, it would be a shame if that boy remained in robes.
Now that is a wonderful idea!
In a beautiful kimono, with his hair regrown, he could be quite fetching.
We may have made a divine connection tonight!
You were assigned the honorable duty of traveling to Nagasaki,
but after being poisoned by opium, you are now used as an outlet for men's passions.
It is so cruel.
My family in Edo believes I am dead.
Do you have any relatives?
No.
I have a younger brother.
He'll do a wonderful job as head of the house. That's the only saving grace in all this.
But what about you?
If I could just bite my vendetta into a gold coin—
No!
Stacking sin atop sin will do you no good!
But what else can I do?
Join a temple.
No matter what has happened to you, the Buddha will accept you.
How can I after all this?
There has to be a way.
Seiku-sama...
Oh, my. Is there something wrong with your ceremonial medicine?
No, not at all.
Even after applying powder and lipstick, men truly are terrible liars.
Did that monk put strange ideas in your head?
No. He was very kind to me.
I hear the monk known as Seiku
lost his family in a pandemic and entered the temple as a result.
Had he lived, his younger brother would likely be around your age now.
Seiku-sama...
How pitiful it is for him to be haunted by such shadows.
You must bring him salvation.
What are you...
There are more ways to take the medicine than simply smoking it.
Master Liu.
Come in.
This Hoenji temple is definitely the place.
Is that you, Ichinojo?
I'm sorry. I still don't know what to do.
Ichinojo?
Ichinojo...
Ichinojo! Ichinojo!
Ichinojo!
Chobo! Chobo! Chobo!
Mister monk, sir.
Could you please read a sutra for a child?
He was only three...
I cannot. I have strayed from Buddha's path.
I am no longer a monk.
And here I thought they'd rebuilt that rundown old temple because they were a pious bunch...
Well-known monks and members of prestigious samurai families...
They've been providing people who can't openly visit red-light districts
with not just prostitutes, but opium, as well.
And if the customers are pretty enough, once they're hooked, they get recruited.
It ain't just convenient, it practically runs itself.
How come stuck-up people are always the easiest to trick?
Sakata the magistrate, Azumi-ya the merchant, and now, nuns...
Just how many are involved with opium?
Those first two might have been moderating the flow previously.
Too much supply means prices fall hard. Rice and opium are the same that way.
Then, with their deaths, there is no one at the reins?
Either that, or someone has stumbled upon enough opium to flood the market.
Did Chinatown find Matsumine's supply?
We can't confirm either way yet.
All we can really do is execute this revenge.
Excuse me.
And here I thought he was finally lightening up.
Try and keep an eye on him.
I get the feeling that when opium is involved, he might run off on his own.
You gotta be kidding me, boss!
You try getting in that fool's way once he's on a tear.
You might just end up cut in half.
Which is why I want you to stop him before he becomes that far gone.
You make it sound easy.
Huh?
You can't get a professional to sharpen that thing?
Any decent craftsman can tell when a katana has been used to kill.
Y'know, the boss could find you someone who knows how to keep their mouth shut.
You think I can entrust my sword to someone else when I can't even trust myself?
What in the world is that brat? Some kind of demon?
S-Stay back, monster! Murder in a temple? Do you want to go to hell?!
Hell?
If it even exists,
I'm pretty sure we're in it right now.
There we go.
We'll just deal with these intruders ourselves!
They know what they're doing. Stay alert!
What's wrong? Lost your nerve?!
Before the eyes of holy Saint Mary, full of grace,
for your sins and your misdeeds,
repent.
They must be the ribenji-ya I've heard about.
In time, I will make them captives to joy.
More cautious than you'd figure for a nun.
Bet she's picked up a lot of vendettas over the years.
I shall go, then.
Never a dull moment with you around, huh?
Just don't forget, this is about revenge.
What were they aiming at?
I have come for revenge.
Wait! Surely my life is worth more than a single gold coin!
I would gladly buy it back from you.
With opium?
If that's what you want! Gladly!
Tell me everything.
Not used to women, are you?
As I thought.
It was you...
Jigen-ryu, yes?
But it pales in comparison to my speed.
Too slow!
I praise you for the effort, at least.
Until we meet again, my naïve samurai!
Yeah, that ain't happening!
I can't... Not like this...
Whoa, there.
Damn, killing women just ain't pleasant.
Two at once, huh?
Very well.
Three at once, it turns out.
Is that guy even human?
I apologize for calling you in, given your weak constitution.
When the magistrate calls, I, Isarizawa, will risk life and limb to answer.
Now... how may I be of help today?
If the Nagasaki Trade Union's general overseer, Shishido-sama, is here,
I assume it must be something remarkable.
Administrator, have you ever heard of something called "bitten gold"?
It's a superstition among the merchants, isn't it?
Offer up a gold coin with teeth marks on it,
and your nemesis dies overnight, or something like that.
Quite dreadful.
Nothing but a ridiculous rumor.
It likely began with some rogue who was paid to kill someone, and took on a life of its own.
But we can hardly ignore this rumor if it is linked to Sakata-sama's death, can we?
Hm? What are you talking about?
Sakata died of a sudden illness.
This was brought to me by someone who was in a position to collect it.
It was originally a gift to Sakata-sama from our organization.
It's covered in blood!
And you are sure it belonged to Sakata?
I do remember seeing it before...
Sakata-sama's efforts earned him the union's respect,
but could easily have drawn the ire of someone who might bite a gold coin.
Isarizawa, look into this immediately!
Yes, sir!
I bet that bastard Sakata is thrilled on the other side, knowing you're such a fan of his.
Please see to it that his killers are brought to justice.
When it's the high-and-mighty general overseer making the request, I can hardly brush it off.
But I'm still busy trying to figure out who killed that Satsuma samurai.
No telling when I'll have time to investigate the curse of the bitten gold.
I appreciate your candor, but you'd be surprised by how things can be connected.
Perhaps you will find a lead in the Satsuma case while pursuing Sakata-sama's killer?
Well, ain't that a funny notion?
I'm a busy man, so how about we stop screwing around?
Would it kill you to thank me for taking care of Sakata's mess?
That asshole was so full of himself, he started dealing in opium.
I'd wager Nagasaki being full of junkies would be bad for your profits.
I'm not so sure.
When there's a famine, you sell rice.
When there's a plague, it's your job as a merchant to sell medicine.
And when there's opium...
You knew all along, didn't you?
I've heard your rise through the ranks has been thanks to your handling of opium crime.
Perhaps you'd be the one in trouble if it all dried up?
You fixing to take over where Sakata left off?
Who can say?
Perhaps you'd like to join me for tea. We can pay our respects to the departed...
Y'know, a girl I liked to visit messed around with opium.
Her pretty face looks like a skull now.
I was willing to laugh it off when it was just Sakata,
but if this escalates, it's gonna get ugly.
That's quite the weapon you have there.
Yeah. I had to offer up my family heirloom, Kiyomitsu,
to cover my tab at the entertainment district.
Not that I minded. The sight of blood makes me pass out.
Still, you never know what might happen.
I hope you don't intend to use this to commit seppuku?
If it comes to that, maybe you can help me out.
I'm sure a big shot like you can call someone to slice my head off real nice.
Y'know, rich boy, a head is enough to bite into a piece of gold.
Just something for you to remember.
Yes, I'll keep it in mind.
But in that case, perhaps I should bite a piece of gold for the sake of my operation?
You looking to avenge Sakata?
Of course not. But I'm ashamed to admit the residents of Chinatown
have been searching high and low for a hoard of opium lately.
I can hardly ignore that, can I?
As it happens, I've made arrangements to deal with that.
You could always kick back and just let it get dealt with.
That is actually quite reassuring.
Still, it never hurts to have extra insurance.
In that case, bite all the gold or squid jerky you like.
I'll do just that, then.
Episode 7
Next time, Episode 8