Original subtitles

On the night of Christmas Eve,

my father was murdered by someone.

The person arrested as the primary suspect

was Tomoya Endo.

Tomoya was the son of Rikiro Endo, a man who received the death penalty

for murdering a family 22 years ago in Higashikayama.

However, my father left me a letter that spoke of false accusations.

I can assure you that knowing everything won't put you at ease.

You became a member of the Yamashita family.

I am not… Komugi Yamashita.

Both Mr. Yamashita and you are just too good for your own sake.

AWAYAMA MATERNITY HOSPITAL

- Don't forget your lunch box. - I have it.

Take care then.

I'm leaving now. I'll be back later.

Okay.

Bye-bye!

- Bye! - Bye-bye!

Mama, I--

Wait a second. I'll be right there.

Okay.

Komugi!

Komugi, wake up already.

- It's time to get up. - Just a little longer.

Don't you have a morning class today?

You're sure? You won't get up?

Crap! I'm going to be late!

- See? I told you. - Come on.

- Why didn't you wake me up sooner? - I did.

It doesn't count if I don't actually get out of bed.

Seriously…

Oh, did that wake you up?

Sorry for being so loud in the morning.

I haven't had a lively morning in a while.

Breakfast will be ready soon, so just watch TV while you wait.

- …affecting the traffic. - Here.

- Thanks. - Moving on to our next news.

Yesterday, there was a house fire around 10 p.m. in Futtsu, Chiba.

Two bodies were found in the building's charred remains.

The police suspect the victims were a married couple inhabiting the house,

and are trying to verify their identities.

What?

It can't be.

MR. AKAZAWA MISSED CALL

Mr. Akazawa?

MR. MATSUKAZE

Did you see the news?

Yes, just now.

Wait, is it really Mr. Awayama?

Most likely.

- Do you think… - Yes?

No, it's nothing. I'll call you later.

Wait. Hey, what did you--

KYOICHIRO AWAYAMA MANOKA TAKAHATA

Did this happen because…

I went to meet them?

A two-story building was burned down,

and two bodies were found in the charred remains.

The police say

they are unable to contact the elderly married couple who lived in the house.

The police are trying to verify

if the bodies belong to the married couple.

KOMUGI

Chief.

We just checked with the Chiba prefectural police.

The couple that died were the two

named in Mr. Yamashita's letter, Kyoichiro Awayama and Manoka.

They're currently treating it as an accident caused by a kerosene heater.

They're not considering homicide.

Got it.

But in my opinion,

I think it's too early to assume this wasn't an intentional murder.

KYOICHIRO AWAYAMA MANOKA TAKAHATA

Both Mr. Yamashita and you are just too good for your own sake.

Chief, may I?

What is it?

This is only my conjecture at best.

I believe the people named in the letter

are all related to the Higashikayama case in one way or another.

Of course, that's just my conjecture.

But the last person,

Ikumi Hiroshima, has proven difficult to track down.

We have no idea where she is now.

Okay, see if she has anything to do with the Higashikayama case.

Yes, sir!

Chief.

Did you go home yesterday?

Why do you ask?

There's fur on your suit.

Is this dog fur?

Thanks.

Wait.

Wasn't the pet at his house a cat?

Chief Akazawa.

May I speak with you?

HOUSE FIRE IN FUTTSU, CHIBA TWO BODIES DISCOVERED

About the Awayama couple, if their deaths get treated as a crime…

Do I need to elaborate?

That article was bad enough.

If the public finds out that people related to

the Higashikayama case keep dying of mysterious deaths…

Worst case, both you and I…

You do get it, right?

- I'll keep trying. - Stop saying that!

You haven't even made Tomoya Endo crack.

But you'll keep trying?

You expect me to put my trust in that?

If I may, ma'am,

have you tried putting in some work yourself?

Who was it that failed to get useful testimony from Komugi Yamashita?

Who are you trying to resolve this case for?

I take pride

in conducting proper investigations that are fair to the victim!

Rest assured.

I won't make any blunders.

Now then,

I have a meeting to attend, so if you'll excuse me.

Someda took his own life, right?

That was by all means a suicide.

Didn't I tell you?

I'm a coward.

HOUSE FIRE IN FUTTSU, CHIBA TWO BODIES DISCOVERED

Could it be…

Surely not, right?

You okay, Mugi?

Listen.

I thought I'd tell you this after it was all over.

I found out…

that I wasn't related to my parents by blood.

What?

About half a year after I was born,

Mom and Dad took me in.

And I also learned that the people from my blood-related family

had all…

died.

It still doesn't feel real to me.

Part of me still thinks it must be a mistake.

And recently, I keep thinking

that I might have changed the lives of others for the worse.

I can't help but think

that it's all happening because I'm trying to learn the truth.

But even still…

I want to know.

Why was it that my father had to be killed?

And also…

In order to prevent people from suffering for crimes they didn't commit,

I have no choice but to ask you for help.

This is a duty that Dad entrusted me with.

Arisa?

Sorry.

But I don't think there's anything wrong with you wanting to know.

I want you to know that Dad's on your side.

I'm on your side.

What?

Just know

that I'll always be on your side, no matter what happens.

Okay?

Thank you.

Thanks.

I will…

move forward.

So I can learn everything.

I told Komugi everything and showed her the video.

What?

Miss went to meet Akazawa?

Are you sure she'll be all right?

It wouldn't be as big a problem if you had gone with her.

But what if he ends up getting information on our side?

And that's not all. If Akazawa is connected to all these incidents,

Miss could be in danger!

I think that's quite a leap of logic.

You never know.

It was more than possible for Akazawa to be involved

in the deaths of Someda and the Awayama couple.

And Akazawa has been lying to Komugi all this time.

Isn't it natural to suspect he's involved in something nefarious?

I'm truly sorry.

So it's true then.

I am Uta Hayashikawa.

Anything I say now will just be an excuse.

However,

I can say this for certain.

Even if I could go back in time,

I'd make the same choice.

Did Mr. Awayama and his wife really die in an accident?

Yes.

That's what the evidence points to--

I just can't believe that's what happened.

Is it possible that the deaths of my father, Mr. Someda,

and Mr. Awayama and his wife,

all have something to do with me?

With Uta Hayashikawa?

Please.

Could you reexamine my father's death,

as well as the deaths of Mr. Someda, Mr. Awayama and his wife…

and the Higashikayama case?

Please.

Komugi.

I can understand how you feel, but this is just a coincidence.

- A coincidence? - Yes.

A coincidence.

At any rate, Mr. Someda's death and Mr. Awayama's are unrelated to you.

You don't have to feel responsible for any of it.

Got it?

I've been looking for people that could give me info on Akazawa,

but I've had no luck so far.

You sure you've tried everything?

I even asked friends from my prosecutor days,

but didn't get a single lead.

People with info on Mr. Akazawa, huh?

Matsukaze, where's Mr. Kuze?

Dad is no longer going to come home, okay?

He said we should treat him as if he's dead.

I think I can be glad that Mom and Dad were my mom and dad.

I genuinely feel that way.

I have an idea.

I know someone that has info on Mr. Akazawa.

You're serious?

Mr. Matsukaze!

What? Why are you here?

Mr. Hasami told me to take care of you and handed me a plane ticket yesterday.

Hasami did?

You're going to see your mom, right?

- Well, yes. - Mr. Hasami told me.

You haven't seen her in a while?

He told you that much? That's so not cool.

How long has it been?

- Five years? - Maybe a bit more.

- Ten years? - Maybe even more.

Forget a while then, it's been an eternity.

An eternity?

But also,

thank you.

For what?

You're doing it to help me, right?

Going to see your mom?

I'm sure you must have your own circumstances.

Some kind of reason why you haven't seen her in so long.

If it's okay with you, I'd like to accompany you.

Right. Wait, what?

Well, you've done a lot for me.

So I figured I could help you out just this one time.

I'm fine. I can go and see her alone.

You might as well go sightseeing since you get to visit Fukuoka.

- But I-- - Don't worry. I'll go and see her.

See you later then.

FUKUOKA AIRPORT

MATSUKAZE

MATSUKAZE CALLIGRAPHY CLASS

Oh, Yoshiteru.

You're already here?

Yes.

Come in.

- Here. - Thank you.

We're almost done.

Okay.

Just wait a bit.

Right, now you go straight.

Keep going straight.

And stop!

Keep it straight.

Trust yourself.

There you go.

HONEST / BLUE SKY / LEFT AND RIGHT

Would it kill you to call me every once in a while?

- How many years has it been? - Five.

So? What is it?

I know how you are.

I'm sure you came because you needed something.

About that…

Do you know Dad's contact info?

I kind of need to contact him for work.

That's all.

Thank goodness that I kept it.

What?

To tell you the truth,

after he left the house, there was just one time

when he gave me a call.

When I answered it, he didn't say even a single word.

But I knew…

it was your dad.

I wrote down that number just in case I ever needed it.

I thought of calling him back a few times.

But it just felt like I'd lose if I did.

Let's both live respectable lives, okay?

HONEST

Here you go.

Thanks.

You come like a hurricane, and leave just the same.

Sorry, I'll stay longer next time.

- You sure you didn't forget anything? - Yes, I'm good.

I'll be back.

Bye then.

- Yoshiteru. - Yes?

Come back whenever you feel like it.

This is your home.

Okay.

MATSUKAZE

You look just like your father now.

Did you have a good talk?

Well, yes.

That's good.

She was the same as always.

Honest to herself and straightforward as could be.

She's an amazing person, honestly.

Compared to her,

I'm just a wobbly mess.

Back there, Mr. Mikita called me respectable,

but he's totally off the mark.

I just make sure to appear that way.

It's all just pretense.

It just sucks.

A wobbly mess.

I think that's fine.

- Sorry? How? - I think it's respectable.

To wobble as you grow.

I think it's fine to be like that sometimes.

You really think so?

I know so.

How about you?

What were you doing?

- Me? - Yes.

I went to Ainoshima.

There were so many cats there.

It was like heaven.

It's my treat today.

- I get it. - Yes, let's not do that now.

RAMEN

SHINRYU RAMEN

Oh, that's good.

It's good, isn't it?

Here you go! Hakata's special tonkotsu ramen for you.

- There you go. - Thank you.

- Here's yours too, ma'am. - Thank you.

Please enjoy.

- It looks so cloudy. - That's your first impression?

If you do this, they break evenly in half.

Like so.

- Wow. - Yes.

- Wait, that's… - Wait, really?

- Look, I get it. - Don't get it.

Also, I told you to stop that.

But you said it too.

- I didn't know lawyers steal too! - "Steal"?

- I'm the one who taught him that. - Really?

See?

That's really neat.

It really is.

Thanks for the meal.

Yum! That's the best I've ever had.

Right?

It really might be the best.

But Mr. Someda's ramen was also the best.

How can both be the best?

Ramen tastes extra good when I eat it with you, Dad.

Same here.

This is a first.

How so?

I wish I could get ramen even though I'm already eating ramen.

That's a first.

- That's where you say, "I get it." - Yes, but you just…

- Never mind. - You're being too difficult.

- Excuse me, could I have some oden? - Sure.

- Give me one of every type. - Every?

- Really? - Well, I'm not the one paying.

When was the last time you went to see my old man?

I've been too busy to pay him a visit recently.

I've been dealing with one thing after another, you see.

But I do have some good news in exchange.

I got my hands on something interesting.

DIAMOND CLUB

And that is?

- Is that-- - I've finally found her.

The last person that holds the key to the Higashikayama case.

Well, in any case, we've almost reached the truth now.

That's all I have for today.

See you later then.

Right.

Next time I come here, do you want me to bring you anything?

Recently, I've been wanting to play some baseball.

Don't think I can manage that.

Excuse me.

Yoshiteru?

I…

What's wrong?

It's just…

What did I call you before?

I think you just called me "Dad."

Did I?

Yes.

You must've put in a lot of work.

Is your mother doing well?

She is.

Hey… Are you…

Oh, right.

I'm working as a security guard at my acquaintance's company.

I also help with the accounting.

I see.

But you know, I'm relieved.

I was always worried that I had caused trouble for you and your mom.

You did cause trouble.

You're right.

- I'm sorry. - No.

That was my bad. I'm not here to criticize you.

I'm here for work.

Okay.

I have a question.

You know Mr. Akazawa, right?

How do you know Akazawa?

I'm currently representing a person

that was arrested for the murder of a former police officer.

Wait, do you mean Mr. Yamashita's murder?

Yes.

The detective in charge of that case is Mr. Akazawa.

That's why I asked.

Yoshiteru, be wary of Akazawa.

What do you mean?

He's the kind of man…

You did it! Admit it!

…that wasn't afraid to cross any line for the sake of resolving a case.

I warned Akazawa himself, as well as my superiors.

I told them he would cause problems someday.

I warned them several times.

Akazawa must have held a grudge.

A police officer in his thirties was arrested for stealing

a bag filled with cash from a car.

RYOGOKU POLICE STATION

RYOGOKU POLICE STATION

Akazawa.

That was the last time I saw him.

But I'd never have imagined you'd be handling Mr. Yamashita's case.

Did you know Mr. Yamashita?

Actually, Mr. Yamashita contacted me some time ago.

What?

He wanted to ask me something about Akazawa.

- Sorry for bothering you. - It's okay. What did you need?

I'm actually reinvestigating a case that Akazawa and I handled 22 years ago.

It was a mass murder that happened in Higashikayama.

- Okay, I understand. - Yes.

I'm afraid I was no longer a part of the police by that time.

I see.

That was the only time I talked to him.

But I had this feeling after talking to him.

Unlike me who just ran away,

Mr. Yamashita kept fighting in order to correct his own mistakes.

I should have done the same.

But it's too late for that now.

Yoshiteru.

I put you through a lot.

I'm so sorry.

I should get going soon. I have the night shift today.

Oh, right.

Hey, wait.

Did you really not steal--

I trust my father, as well as the letter he wrote.

I trust all of it!

I think I can be glad that Mom and Dad were my mom and dad.

I genuinely feel that way.

What's wrong?

Dad.

I'm sorry.

For not trusting you.

Yoshiteru.

I feel like I've finally…

been set free.

HOUSE FIRE IN FUTTSU, CHIBA TWO BODIES DISCOVERED

Here you go.

I got you a souvenir.

- What? - I was in Fukuoka.

For me?

What did you get?

I got it since it looked cute.

It was for sale in Ainoshima, an island with lots of cats.

Really?

It's so cute.

Consider it a thanks for the charm.

What a lovely present.

Thank you.

Also…

I came here today because…

I heard from Akazawa.

Komugi.

I'm sorry for keeping it a secret from you all this time.

But please understand, Komugi.

I want you to live a happy life as Komugi Yamashita.

It's okay for you to forget that you used to be Uta Hayashikawa.

I wish…

I could do that.

You should.

But that's…

impossible.

The fact that I am Uta Hayashikawa…

can never be erased.

Listen.

Mamoru doesn't know about your past.

He just became a police officer. This is an important period for him.

If it came to light that his father was involved in all of this…

I'm really sorry.

But I have a role as a mother.

Please.

Do it for our sake.

Forget it ever happened!

What…

A hundred million?

What?

Is this supposed to be hush money?

- It's an apology. - Where did you get all that money?

I told you before. I keep secrets from Akazawa too.

Please, just take it.

And never tell Akazawa or anyone else about this.

Keep it a secret between you and me.

Please, take it. Don't go any further--

I will not stop!

I promise you…

I will reach the truth.

I will find out why my father was killed.

And what it was that he wanted me to do.

I'm leaving.

Right, one more thing.

Mr. Yamashita said something strange about Akazawa.

By the way, I wanted to ask if you knew that Akazawa and his wife

were living separately during the period the crime occurred?

Apparently, his wife once left the house with their child.

Well, I can only assume he had his own troubles.

Living separately?

IKUMI HIROSHIMA NEW MESSAGE

- Goodbye. - See you tomorrow.

See you.

DIAMOND CLUB

I finally found you.

Ikumi Hiroshima.

Never tell Akazawa or anyone else about this.

Both Ms. Kyoko and Mr. Akazawa are still hiding something.

The forensic test results came in.

What does it say?

That white fur matches the fur of the dog that we took custody of

from the Awayama house.

It does?

Where did you get it?

Come here.

It was on Chief Akazawa's suit.

Chief Akazawa?

Wait, wouldn't that mean he was at the Awayama residence before the crime?

I don't know.

But I do know that he's hiding something from us.

I'm sure of it.

DEPARTMENT SUPERVISOR

Sorry for calling you over so suddenly.

This is unusual of you.

I just wanted to confirm something.

Really now?

I guess you must be a coward too.

The house fire at that former maternity hospital…

Do you have anything to do with it?

Dad.

Answer me, Dad!

There has to be more.

Will you team up with me?

You can't go there.

The culprit!

Even if it leads to hell.

Let's go and find the peacock.

Subtitle translation by: Saim Ul Hassan