Thrilled by a friend's poetry collection, Takuboku begins to lose confidence in himself. Kyousuke tries to cheer him up, but when he finds out that Takuboku was involved in talks of someone buying Oen, the prostitute from the same province as them, he can't conceal his indignation. Meanwhile, at the milk hall, Yoshii, Sakutarou, and Bokusui hold a poetry contest, refereed by Nomura, to see who will confess their feelings to Kiku, the waitress.
A friend of mine, Kitahara Hakushuu, 
a man overflowing with wisdom wrote...
أحد أصدقائي، كيتاهارا هاكوشو، رجل
...يفيض بالحكمة كتبَ
Ein Freund von mir namens Kitahara Hakushū,
der mit großer Intelligenz gesegnet ist …
Lo escribió mi sabio amigo
Hakushu Kitahara.
Lo escribió mi sabio amigo
Hakushu Kitahara.
Hakushû Kitahara,
un ami talentueux, en est l’auteur…
L'ha scritto un mio amico, pieno di spirito
e risorse, che si chiama Hakushū Kitahara.
Foi escrito por Hakushuu Kitahara,
um amigo meu muito talentoso...
Её написал мой друг, Китахара Хакусю,
человек необычайной мудрости...