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.
"Though I work and work
رغم أنني أعمل وأعمل"
Obgleich ich arbeite und arbeite,
Por mucho que trabaje,
Por mucho que trabaje,
« J’ai beau travailler
et travailler encore,
Lavoro, lavoro ancora
Por mais que eu trabalhe
«Работай, работай! Что из того?