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.
One morning, at the beginning 
of the Month of Frost,
،ذات صباح، في بداية شهر الصّقيع
Eines Morgens Anfang November
trug der Detektiv sein Gewandt aus Kristall
Una mañana del mes de la escarcha,
Una mañana del mes de la escarcha,
Un matin de début novembre,
Una mattina, all'inizio del mese della brina,
Uma manhã, no começo do mês do gelo
В месяц Инея однажды