Chapter 65

Dreaming of Butterflies (蝶を夢む 前篇,) is the 65th chapter of the Bungo Stray Dogs manga.

Summary
Yosano is angered with Mori's proposal of having the Agency split up and escape. Thinking that he never intended to save the Agency in the first place, Yosano accosts Mori and thinks that he merely arranged such escape plan in order to get her. Though admitting such aim to be his objective, Mori informs her that Fukuzawa agreed to the terms of the deal of exchanging an Agency member to the mafia. Yosano does not believe him, but he tells her that Fukuzawa is fine with Mori choosing Yosano to be sent to the mafia. However, in reality, Fukuzawa had specifically asked Mori during their deal not to choose Yosano in the mafia.

Hirotsu excuses himself inside, holding a radio with him. On the other side of the line, Fitzgerald calls Mori and says that he has sent the tiger boy to his hideout, much to Tanizaki's and Kenji's relief to hear that Atsushi is alive. Fitzgerald also tells him about the deal with Atsushi to use a healing ability for his sake in exchange for information that help can revive the Agency. As he shall arrive within 20 minutes, Fitzgerald hangs up. Mori is suspicious of the deal, thinking that Fitzgerald is the type of person who would support the winning side such as the Hunting Dogs instead of the currently crippled Agency. In other words, Mori thinks that the deal is a trap.

Later, Yosano prepares to proceed with the plan amidst Tanizaki reminding her that the deal might be a trap. Thinking that she would not side with the mafia no matter what, Tanizaki volunteers to take her place to be exchanged to the mafia, so he asks her what happened between her and Mori in the past. As they walk along, Yosano tells Tanizaki and Kenji her history with Mori and how she became the reason that Fukuzawa and Mori ended their alliance as part of the tripartite tactic.

Fourteen years ago, near the end of the Great War, the 11-year-old Yosano served as a military hospital scholar alongside Mori, erstwhile a military physician for the National Defense Force, and utilized her ability to heal soldiers. Along the way, she met a soldier who gave her a gold butterfly-shaped hairpin out of the cracks of a novel he was reading. He then thanked her for her ability of utmost importance and called her an "angel". The Soldier also mentioned Mori's confidential reason for drafting her, which involved producing an immortal regiment for the war.

As the war dragged on, Yosano's healing ability became the source of the troops' confidence to engage in the battle regardless whether they were attacked or injured. Yosano eventually questioned herself, thinking that her ability merely healed people to be repeatedly killed in the frontlines. To encourage her, the Soldier showed her a tally for times she saved his life and voiced out his gratitude for her. Nevertheless, Yosano remained horrified as the war worsened, with casualties increasing in number. Essentially, retreat never became an option so long as she remained healing the troops.

Trivia

 * The chapter's title, "Dreaming of Butterflies", is the name of a poem by Sakutarō Hagiwara, a Japanese writer who drew inspiration from Akiko Yosano's writings.