Amakane Island, on the beach beside the cliffs.
In a makeshift tent camp, several wandering samurai were cooking over a fire. One of them watched the firewood slowly burn out.
He glanced around and discovered that the others were so lazy they had not collected a single piece of firewood.
Left with no choice, he went looking nearby for sticks, branches, and the like.
Perhaps because they were close to the sea, the air was rather damp. The branches he found were all too wet to light.
The wandering samurai suddenly caught sight of the parcel that courier had dropped yesterday. He remembered that there seemed to be a stuffed doll inside.
It was useless to them, and as wanted criminals, they could not take it into the city to sell.
Tearing it open and using the cotton inside to start the fire would be perfect.
The wandering samurai walked over to their pile of odds and ends and retrieved the parcel they had carelessly tossed there.
It was a transparent bag containing a limited-edition Raiden Shogun plush doll. If they sold it, someone might pay several hundred thousand Mora for it.
Unfortunately, as wanted wandering samurai, they had no way to turn even valuable possessions into cash.
Using something so expensive to start a fire counted as indulging in luxury for once.
The wandering samurai could not help reflecting on how taking a shortcut to get rich quickly had left him living in hiding wherever he went.
Even if he had money, he could not spend it. Was this really worth it? If he had never taken this path...
Perhaps, like most ordinary people, he would have earned himself a home in the city through hard work by now.
Just as this wandering samurai was regretting his mistaken choice...