Party: Daidoji Jinsoku, Doji Natsuki, Hida Ganko, Togashi Amajino, Yoritomo Shohei
The party rushes in to find a large Oni stained with the blood of Flower in their house. A trail of blood leads from the basement (where the suspect was tortured) to the bedroom of Yoritomo Shohei, where Flower had gone to pick up some blankets for Doji Chi (who was passed into the care of Ashidaka Michitaka, the brother of Chi's suspected father). It keeps repeating "Chi chiii chiiiiiiiiiii" over and over, causing Shohei great worry.
They set about defeating it, with various moments of individual heroism between the samurai. As the Oni is knocked down, the group spies a red-robed individual outside and a quick split occurs: Daidoji Jinsoku, Hida Ganko and Togashi Amajino seek to capture their suspected tormentor, while Yoritomo Shohei seeks to find Doji Chi and assure himself of her safety, before bringing her back to the Temple of Osano-Wo. Doji Natsuki initially starts after the suspicious person too, but seeing as how the bushi are on it, she returns inside. There, she finds the Oni still breathing and spends some time cutting off its head.
Then she proceeds downstairs to find Itoshi (the torturer) still in the holding cell, alive but injured, and he explains when the others arrive what happened. Which is to say, the prisoner turned into the Oni they defeated.
Hida Ganko receives an invitation from Shosuro Hyobu, informing him he would be most welcome in three days at her residence for a talk about the city.
A messenger also arrives from the Temple of Osano-Wo, informing the party that Yoritomo Shohei has taken up residence there.
And then all hell breaks loose, as apparently THREE opium locations in and around Ryoko Owari have been attacked while the party was occupied otherwise.
The Bayushi holding of Necessary Village was raided and plundered.
The Shosuro warehouse is robbed by day.
The Soshi warehouse near the river is literally attacked by people in black clothes, who sail off with a lot of the stored content...
