We start with our main protagonist, Shichimi, bidding farewell as he readies for his journey into Edo (on our Earth, Edo was the old name of Tokyo before it became the capital of Japan). His mother has just died, only leaving him a walnut and a request for him to go to his half-siblings. Shichimi bids farewell to a sternly old man, who is a firefighter. We can tell this from the symbol on his cloak. This symbol is also on Shichimi's cloak. Upon reaching the town of Edo, Shichimi meets a mysterious man, who ridicules the peace of the world as an illusion.