Kenshin starts his day with wash, playing with Dr. Gensai’s grandchildren. It’s a relatively peaceful day. Kaoru is disappointed that none of her students are coming back. They decide to go into town to get lunch.
In town, Kenshin notices a boy steal the wallet of a grandfather and then give it back when his grandson is overjoyed that he will buy him something. Later, the boy tries to steal Kenshin’s wallet. Kaoru stops him and reprimands him, but Kenshin hands him the wallet and tells him not to get caught. Angrily, the boy throws the wallet back to Kenshin screaming that he’s Yahiko Myojin of a family of Tokyo samurai and not to treat him like a kid. He doesn’t want pity. Kenshin reacts with kindness, telling Kaoru that if the world hadn’t changed, he would have been a fine samurai.
Yahiko sits by himself by a river. Several men come up to him asking him for their day’s wages. They start beating him.
At the restaurant, Kenshin and Kaoru learn that Yahiko’s parents passed away when he was very young and he was adopted by the leader of the Shuei yakuza. The leader paid for Yahiko’s mother’s medical bills, creating a debt that Yahiko would eventually have to pay back. Now Yahiko is forced to pit pocket to pay back the debt. Kaoru angrily decides that she will not let that stand and goes to Kanto Shuei to find Yahiko. She makes a deal with them over dice - if she wins, Yahiko will be free, but if she loses, she’ll become a slave for the Shuei syndicate until she dies. She calls “han” (odd) and the dice roll to 11 - she wins to the amazement of everyone else who have just been examining their weighted dice that always snake eyes. They realize Yahiko switched the dice and attack him. They then reveal that the debt he has to repay was never a debt - they lied to keep him there.
Suddenly everyone attacks, but Kaoru handles herself pretty well for a little while. Unfortunately for her, Gasuke the Manslayer, challenges her and pulls out a blade from his staff. They knock the wall down into the boss’s room where he’s eating. He asks for Yahiko, questioning him about his future goals. The boss commands that someone lit Yahiko know who owns him. Kenshin arrives in time to settle the matter, sending Gasuke the Manslayer into the ceiling in the process of his negotiations with the Boss. They take Yahiko and leave.
Comments: There's not much fighting in the beggining of the series but the fights become a lot more intense later on in the series.