Chapter 6

is the sixth chapter of the Silver Spoon manga.

Reflecting on a past conversation with his career counselor, Hachiken ends up snapping as Komaba for asking about his decisions to attend Yezo. In an effort to quell their angers, Aki takes the two to the stables where her uncle helps explain to them about caring for horses. Afterwards, they bear witness to a funeral for a horse, which, after hearing why, prompts Hachiken and Komaba to apologize.

Summary
During middle school, Hachiken speaks with his middle school's career counselor about the high school he plans to attend. His career counselor, who is hesitant about Hachiken's decisions, asks whether he is fine with his choices and whether he has even informed his parents of his decisions; Hachiken solemnly explains that he only wants to be away from his family whom he believes will not care about what he does. His career counselor then decides to find a high school suitable for Hachiken's choice of future and for his dilemmas; however, upon realizing that Hachiken only wants to be away from home, he pulls out a folder with a suggestion to Yezo Agricultural High School.

Hachiken struggles to tell Aki and Komaba about his reasons for going to their high school; seeing his reluctance, Komaba assumes that Hachiken simply gave up and chose to attend Yezo as a last resort. The remark causes Hachiken to snap and he lashes out at Komaba for being part of a farmer family with a seemingly easy life compared to modern society. In turn, Komaba himself becomes angry and has a heated staredown with Hachiken.

Aki, who becomes worried about the tension between the two, suddenly gets a phone call from her uncle and uses it as an opportunity to take the two boys away.

She ends up taking them to the stables for the Ban'ei horses that were just competing in the race, where her uncle happens to be working at. Aki introduces Hachiken and Komaba to her uncle. Her uncle quickly acquaints himself with the two boys before taking them around the stables, explaining of the many special treatments needed to take care of horses, as well as the actions horses make that link to what needs must be fulfilled.

Towards the end of the small tour, Hachiken notes that Aikawa should have been with them considering his dream to become a veterinarian. He suddenly asks one of the men working at the stables about the requirements of becoming a veterinarian. Among the man's list of requirements, which he admits is from a personal perspective, is whether or not the veterinarian can kill animals if necessary; hearing this, Hachiken starts thinking about his classmates' respective backgrounds. Afterwards, the man receives a call and states that he needs the students to leave, as he needs to take care of an emergency.

As the three teenagers leave the stables, they notice a Buddhist priest dealing with a funeral for one of the horses. Aki's uncle explains that the horse passed away just yesterday and gives an in-depth monologue about horses, primarily about how their life tends to depend on their usefulness, which he concludes is all a part of the mistake for the livestock to have been born; afterwards, as a sign of respect, all four of them pray to the deceased horse before them.

Hachiken later asks Komaba about whether his mother has to take care of their cows on her own, having recently learned that his father passed away several years before. Afterwards, Hachiken apologizes for his outburst earlier and Komaba even apologizes for being inconsiderate with the entire ordeal. Aki then smiles at the fact that Komaba apologize to Hachiken, resulting in a brief argument between the two; upon this, Hachiken becomes worried that the two could actually be more than childhood friends.