Kikuhiko and Hatsutaro, promoted to futatsume, left their master's house to live an impoverished life on their own. Ever since changing his name to Sukeroku, Hatsutaro's popularity has skyrocketed. Even Kikuhiko is shocked by his unwavering ability to make people laugh at difficult stories. Meanwhile, Kikuhiko is working to feed the both of them, so much so that he can't even get good training done. To cheer him up, his master introduces him to a geisha called Miyokichi...

After finding his own rakugo, Kikuhiko has become quite popular. Even when he's out with Miyokichi, rakugo is all he can think about. Meanwhile, Sukeroku is buoyed into arrogance by his own popularity. He takes on stories beyond his station, he picks fights with the masters... Sukeroku is dragging Kikuhiko around, complaining about the lectures he's receiving, when Miyokichi arrives to interrupt...

The girl Kikuhiko met at the soba shop in the hot springs town turned out to be Konatsu, Sukeroku and Miyokichi's daughter. She leads him to her house, where Kikuhiko finally reunites with Sukeroku, who seems to be living in squalor. Miyokichi made him quit rakugo, but he also wouldn't work. Miyokichi had to resort to working in nightclubs to support Sukeroku, and eventually got fed up and left. But Kikuhiko just has one thing to say to Sukeroku: "Come back to Tokyo and do Rakugo again."

A magazine has exposed Yotarou's past as a former convict and member of the yakuza, plunging the rakugo world into scandal and sullying Yotarou's name. Although he continues performing as if nothing has happened, his growing desperation is coming out in his performance. He loses TV appearances, and the customers in the theaters have begun to turn on him, as well. But Yotarou's insecurities seem to come from more than just the scandal...

While performing "Hangon-ko," Yakumo passed out and dreamed of being in a hall of candles, being strangled by the Second Generation Sukeroku. Yotarou's voice brings him back to consciousness, but he won't be getting back on stage. Yotarou was about to get on the ambulance taking Yakumo away, when he heard the voices of the people looking forward to his performance. "I gotta do rakugo." Left behind in the theater, Yotarou steels himself to get up on the stage. His performance? Inokori.

As eras change, one thing remains rock solid. To Yotaro, that's Yakumo. After being inspired by the "Shinigami" he heard from him in prison, he decided he'd follow him anywhere. Those straightforward words lead Yakumo to talk about rakugo and his own death. Yotaro insists that if he wants to die in the theater, he needs to do rakugo again, and invites him to perform at the prison with him. Though Yakumo hesitates at first, he eventually decides to try doing rakugo for the sake of others. less