さらい屋五葉 [Sarai-ya Goyō] #4

Two figures emerge from shadow on this quietly unsettling cover — a pale, hollow-eyed young man and a dark-haired companion partially obscured behind him, framed by delicate bamboo stalks. The muted palette and spare composition give Sarai-ya Goyō its distinctive brooding atmosphere, perfectly capturing the series' blend of Edo-period tension and restrained melancholy. Volume 4 from Shogakukan continues what is clearly a story told in whispers rather than shouts.