Another location. There’s a banner hanging over the street: “Fourth Annual Eating Contest”. And here’s our trio. Fuu can’t believe their luck: they’ve just arrived in Edo, and here’s free food, all you can eat! Perfect for people as hungry as we are.
They step up to the table and a man asks for their fee. We thought it was free, they say, crestfallen; Jin adds that they wouldn’t be here if they had any money. That’s OK, says the man, just give me something of value; the winner gets all the entry fees. Mugen and Fuu hand over their sword and tanto. And you, samurai?–asks the man. [He calls Jin this because of his two swords; only members of that class were permitted to carry more than one.] Jin-san replies with dignity that he won't part with his soul so easily, but Mugen yanks the swords out of Jin’s obi and lays them on the table. Jin is in shock. Mugen and Fuu blithely insist that it’s just for a little while, since they’re so hungry they’re sure to win; Mugen adds “if we’ve paid this much to enter, there’s no way we’ll lose.” Fuu grabs Jin by the arm and hauls him away from the table, and in they go. Mugen pauses to notice an odd figure waiting in the line, a tall burly guy in a big straw hat and wooden shoes...
Inside, it’s like a cross between a sports event and Iron Chef, with enthusiastic announcers commenting on the eating action. All of last year’s best competitors are here again, including the winner, Sonosuke the Bottomless Stomach, and Izumi, known as “The Queen of Eating” and “The Sweet Tooth Queen”. The dish being served is a local favorite, anago-don: barbecued conger eel and rice. The only rule is that the one who eats the most bowls wins; when you’ve had enough, you set down your bowl and press your palms together. And they’re off!
Jin is the first to quit, after only two bowls. Why’d he even enter? –puzzle the commentators. Jin is sweating. I should never have let this happen, he mutters. Mugen, please... [and you know that wasn’t easy to say...] But Mugen starts to waver. Jin glares and orders him to eat, but it’s no use; he reels and falls off the bench. Saving their cutlery is up to Fuu.
And it looks like she might; contestants drop like flies until only four are left: Sonosuke, Izumi, Fuu, and the big guy Mugen spotted in the queue outside. On they plow, easily bypassing “last year’s record-setting 22nd bowl”. Izumi falls behind and quits; Sonosuke too; but Fuu and the big fellow eat on. Her stomach is as big as the galaxy, it is one with the cosmos!–marvel the commentators. Are we witnessing the evolution of the human stomach? 27th bowl and Fuu seems to be going strong, but a pesky fly starts to annoy her, and–fatefully–she claps her hands together trying to catch it. UH-oh: too late. She’s out of the competition. The big guy whoops happily and flings away his hat in elation.
Outside on the steps. Jin is despondent (“..that katana...”); Mugen’s just pissed off. Fuu, grossly bloated and looking miserable, tries to explain about the fly. Up walks the big guy, beaming cheerily and saying what a lovely day it is; he’s very visibly carrying all three swords. Jin is riveted. Mugen and Fuu look him over suspiciously: your accent’s weird, you have blue eyes, and red hair... But he says no, no, I really am Japanese; my name is Jouji.
Whoever you are--says Jin--that sword you have is my life. Please give it back.
No, says Jouji flatly. “I didn’t mean for free,” counters Jin, and Jouji eagerly makes an offer: he wants a tour guide. If they’ll show him the sights of Edo, he’ll return Jin’s katana. Mugen says count him out, he doesn’t know anything about Edo, and Fuu says they need to get about their search, but Jin firmly overrules them both, telling Jouji that he’s so knowledgeable he’s been called “the Map of Edo”. Liar, mutters Mugen, but quietly...
So they tour Edo, though it’s immediately apparent that Jouji knows a lot more about it than any of them do. Mugen and Fuu, to their credit, at least try to give poor Jin some backup. (“Um, that’s Statue #1, and that’s Statue #2...”) Jouji isn’t bothered at all by their ignorance, seems delighted just to be here and loves everything they see, no matter how ordinary (“Wow! This must be Edo sushi!”) Meanwhile, we see a grim-looking bunch of armed men combing the city, asking everyone if they’ve seen a foreigner...and the basket-headed guys are still trooping around as well...
After a fireworks display Jouji buys them all dinner, and Jin suggests that’s enough sightseeing for one day, but the big guy wants to see more. Suddenly the armed men barge in, calling out that they know a foreigner is hiding in here, and anyone who shelters him will be charged alongside him; you’d better turn him in if you know what’s good for you. Mugen comments that a tone like that makes him all the more determined to hide the man. So what if I don’t want to turn him in? The posse stops short. We admire your nerve, says their leader, but you’d better apologize if you want to live. Well, you know Mugen, now he’d sooner die than give in; it’s time to kick butt. Hey, he says to Jouji, gimme back my sword. No, he says. What?! This is no time to argue!–yells Mugen. Too late. The troop leader points and orders the foreigner arrested.