After giving subordinate Crea the go-ahead to continue a secretive operation, Eagle trains with the men under his command and discusses adding extra patrols to secure the city from the Garicalege. He also orders that a "Shugo Bird" be procured for Jessie. Eagle later visits Jessie at the temple and bandages her arm after a bloodletting ceremony, leaving her with a talking bird named Sierra that will follow her on her daily rounds and raise the alarm if there's trouble. Jessie performs her duties as a Blue Doctor accompanied by Sierra, enjoying the thought that Eagle is protecting her from afar.
Randy teases Jessie about her crush on Eagle, but solemnly advises her to confess to him and then get over it — the laws of the Silkdeep Empire prohibit relationships between those of Blue Blood and other citizens, and it imposes severe punishment on anyone who "seduces" a Blue Person away from their tribe. Sierra echoes Randy's advice to Jessie the next day, threatening to reveal Jessie's feelings for Eagle if Jessie doesn't come clean. Jessie (who worries that she might hurt Eagle if he reciprocates her feelings and they can't be together, or that things will become awkward between them if he doesn't reciprocate her feelings) begs Sierra not to tell him and runs off in embarrassment.
Finding herself in an unfamiliar part of town, Jessie unwittingly stumbles into a black market selling illegally obtained Blue Ramun. She's recognized by the crowd as a Blue Doctor and nearly attacked, only to be saved at the last moment by Crea (who was working undercover to collect evidence against the sellers). Waiting outside the black market is Eagle, who slaps Jessie and berates her for making herself difficult to protect. Jessie breaks down crying, needing to be comforted by Eagle. Eagle apologizes for hurting her. Jessie falls even more in love.
In the Garicalege's hideout, Rowan is appraised of the black market bust in Lezak. He orders his men to abandon their operations there for the short term and makes plans to "visit" Eagle.
With things settling down after the black market's dissolution, Eagle shows up at the temple to cook for Jessie and Randy. Sierra has an adverse reaction to being in close contact with Jessie. Randy, Eagle, and Jessie share a meal and a moment of respite.
Chapter 4 provides examples of:
- After-Action Patch-Up: A Downplayed example, but Eagle tends to Jessie's cut after a bloodletting ceremony in the temple. Although Jessie has been caring for her own lacerations since she was barely old enough to walk, when Eagle tenderly takes her hand and bandages the wound her heart starts to pound and she can't stop thinking about him.
- Bitch Slap: Eagle attempts a Get A Hold Of Yourself Man slap against Jessie, but it doesn't work and she breaks down crying where she had previously been calm. It comes off instead like a bitch slap: the Captain of the Guard slaps a teenage girl (who barely comes up to his chest) so hard that it immediately leaves a bruise on her face, right after she's been rescued from a black market run by a dangerous Superhuman Trafficking operation that would have literally bled her dry just to make a bit of coin.
- Black Market: Crea has been investigating a black market run by the Garicalege right in the Lezak District. Jessie stumbles into the same black market while running from Sierra and needs to be rescued.
- Break Them by Talking: Downplayed because it comes right after a Get A Hold Of Yourself Man/ Bitch Slap, but it's Eagle's vocal disappointment in Jessie that really get the waterworks flowing:Eagle: Why did you run away from Sierra? It doesn't matter how much I try to protect you. If you don't cooperate then everything is meaningless. You are this town's Blue Doctor. You need to realize that.Jessie: ...you're such an idiot, Eagle! You didn't need to tell me that! I already know that! I'm a failure. I'm always bothering you. I always interrupt you from your work. I've made you so angry. I'm sorry...
- Entitled to Have You: Inverted — Randy and Sierra tell Jessie that Eagle isn't allowed to have a romantic relationship with her because she's a member of the Blue Ramun tribe. Sierra bluntly tells Jessie that she'll have to marry a member of her own clan one day.Sierra: I think you should consider the pride and responsibility of inheriting the blood of the Blue Ramun. Sooner or later, you are going to marry someone of your own clan. It's best for you to learn to love him. Whoever he is.
- Forbidden Love: Relationships between Blue People and citizens of the empire are forbidden. Jessie's crush on Eagle could prove dangerous if she finds out he reciprocates her feelings.
- Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Inverted - Jessie was relatively calm after being rescued from the black marketeers by Crea. Eagle slaps her across the face and demeans her for making his job of protecting her harder to do. Jessie immediately breaks down crying, pounding on Eagle's chest and calling herself a failure.
- Instant Messenger Pigeon: Shugo Birds appear to be used to "record" and send messages — except instead of employing vocal mimicry or carrying written documents, they're sapient creatures capable of holding intelligent conversation.
- Japanese Honorifics: There's a little gag panel where Jessie refers to Sierra the bird as "Sierra-san," with Sierra demurring that the honorifics really aren't necessary.
- Knockout Gas: Crea uses a censer filled with a fast-acting knockout incense to incapacitate the villains in the black market and rescue Jessie.
- Not in Front of the Parrot!: A Zig-Zagged example, because this "parrot" is a fully sapient creature capable of speech who threatens to reveal Jessie's crush on Eagle if she doesn't confess herself.Sierra: I'm going to report this to Eagle. It's my job to do so... In the mean time, it's best to pull away. Give up on him as gracefully as you can.Jessie: Please... don't tell him!
- Precocious Crush: Discussed — Randy flat out tells Jessie that her feelings for Eagle are a childish crush she needs to get over, as per the page quote.
- Real Men Cook: Eagle turns up at the end of the chapter to cook Jessie the meal he promised her back in Chapter 2.
- Rescue Romance: Crea does all the hard work of rescuing Jessie in this chapter, but Eagle gets all the (romantic) credit. Even after he slaps her and berates her for making herself hard to protect, Jessie still can't get over how much she likes Eagle and wants to please him.
- Talking Animal: Eagle's Shugo Bird, Sierra, is able to speak.
- Undercover Cop Reveal: One of the masked figures at the underground black market is revealed to be guardswoman Crea, who was investigating the Garicalege's activities in Lezak District. She saves Jessie from the hands of the smugglers and thieves who would have taken her blood without a second thought, though she has to blow her cover to pull off the rescue.
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Values Dissonance: The manga was published in the early 2000's, at a time when Domestic Abuse wasn't exactly talked about outside of dramas or tragedies. The deployment of the "Get A Hold Of Yourself Man" slap, which would have gone relatively unnoticed and unremarked on, would be more likely to be interpreted as a "Why Did You Make Me Hit You?" slap nowadays.
