Synopsis

Hijikata and his forces successfully seize the city defended by the Matsumae Clan, though not without the loss of their battleship, the *Kaiyo Maru*. During a subsequent meeting, Hijikata is overcome by a sudden, visceral bloodlust, and experiences a vivid hallucination of Chizuru. Back in Sendai, Chizuru maintains a daily vigil at Koudou’s grave, only to encounter Kazama Chikage there one afternoon. Believing him to have abandoned his pursuit of Hijikata, she is disheartened when Kazama vehemen