Original subtitles

Just like Seike Ichiro is under Hiroko's influence, Hiroko is also under her mother's influence?

It seems Ying Hua shouted the same Chinese words when she got drunk.

Ah, that must be Fuchou

What does that mean in Japanese?

It means "Paying back".

What is Hiroko trying to do by manipulating her son?

Making stricter laws for hate speech regulation has taken us a step closer to realization.

Yes. It's the basis of my role as a politician.

Because the most important thing for me is to stand and support those who are vulnerable.

What he is talking about is admirable, but I'm not sure if he is talking about his true intention.

Do you think Hiroko told him to say that?

It's possible.

By the way, how much longer do you plan to goof around here?

Because I can learn the basics of how to work as a journalist from an excellent journalist if I come here.

Don't flatter me.

I'm talking about Michiue.

Say it's about me!

Hey, be quiet!

By the way, it seems that there's a discussion about introducing the direct election of the Prime Minister in the ruling party.

Yes.

The direct election of the Prime Minister?

It's easier to understand if you imagine the U.S. Presidential Election.

The direct election of the Prime Minister refers to the system in which citizens directly vote to nominate the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister thinks to reduce dissatisfaction with the parliamentary system that citizens can't elect the Prime Minister directly through this system.

Of course, This requires a constitutional amendment, so we'll discuss this further to gain public understanding.

I wonder who proposed the direct election of the Prime Minister first?

I think it's good that citizens can choose the Prime Minister directly

I'm not sure if we can be so optimistic.

Who gets the most benefit if the direct election of the Prime Minister is realized?

It's Seike Ichiro.

This is a good opportunity for Seike Ichiro to become the Prime Minister.

While the direct election of the Prime Minister allows to pick up public opinions, it also leads to the concentration of power into the Prime Minister.

If we mess up one step, it leads to the risk of falling into heavy-handed politics.

Just like how Hitler established the Nazis...

That's...

This may be similar to how Hiroko had Ichiro make proposals regarding tougher penalties for hate speech.

Prime Minister, please establish a team within the Realization of Revision of the Constitution, and we can discuss the direct election of the Prime Minister.

Well, you made such a bold proposal.

Is this a preparation for you to become the Prime Minister in the future?

Not at all.

I'll never do anything to outwit Prime Minister Habu and Minister Morohashi who brought me to this position.

Minister Morohashi, he is right.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Seike revealed that the direct election of the Prime Minister is considered within the ruling party

What exactly is Hiroko trying to plot by making Ichiro the Prime Minister?...

Seike's grandma Liu Ying Hua

Fuchou = "Paying back"

Boss,

I refuse.

I haven't said anything yet.

Another business trip, right?

I refuse. It's too early to go to Ehime.

But Ichiro's origin is certainly from his grandma.

I want to know the true meaning of Fuchou that Liu Ying Hua always said.

Investigating without any evidence is something only an incompetent journalist does.

What kind of evidence do we need?

Evidence for all of them.

Michiue's father, Seike Yoshikazu, Representative Takechi, Arisa, and Kurose...

We need evidence that Hiroko killed all of them.

It seems difficult to prove any of them.

Hello? What?

Welcome back.

Where's Yuki?

He came back with your mother from the hospital a while ago.

Welcome back. He seems to have a cold.

He'll be fine since he doesn't have the fever anymore.

Thank god.

I'm sorry for making you close the restaurant tonight.

Yu, your mom is here. Take care.

Wait.

Actually...

I hope we can live together as before.

Once what I'm doing right now is over, I'll think about that seriously.

I think it's better to stay with him, chatting and doing various things together, for his sake.

Well, although the period of being a child seems long, it actually goes by very quickly.

Actually, I've been tracking down Togashi who is the former secretary of Minister Morohashi.

I want to know what happened to him after Togashi resigned as Morohashi's secretary.

I'm sorry, but I thought you who'd been a diet member's secretary may know something.

Pull out immediately. Don't get involved with Togashi.

What do you mean?

You know something, don't you?

Please tell me.

Are you really fine?

I want to go to school.

You had a fever yesterday, so you should stay in bed for at least one more day.

That's right. You should listen to your mom.

Because I'm supposed to teach the other classes how to sort trash today.

I want everybody at my school to learn how to sort trash. See you!

What's sorting trash?

That's what I taught him.

Suzuki,

Hello.

Fuchou?

It means "Paying back" in Japanese.

What's paying back for?

I don't know.

Anyway, I haven't found the key evidence to corner Hiroko.

This may help you.

Togashi who is missing and was the former secretary of Minister Morohashi lives in the underworld right now.

In the underworld?

Yes. A retired secretary told me.

I heard Togashi does dirty work such as cover-ups and falsifications under Morohashi.

Cover-ups?

Could it be Togashi covered up Morohashi's involvement in the BG Incident?

It's possible.

If that's the case, did Togashi kill your father too?

I have something I've been investigating right now,

Was it Morohashi who ordered Togashi to kill my father?

But Hiroko has a cassette tape that's the evidence of the BG Incident.

Hiroko and Morohashi may be connected behind the scenes.

Everything will be clear if we can find Togashi including the connection between Morohashi and Hiroko.

Do you know where Togashi is now?

I don't know where he lives, but there's a bar where Togashi often goes.

I'll go with you.

You told me to do what I needed to do before.

Solving the BG Incident that ruined my life is what I need to do now.

I understand.

If it goes well, we can corner Hiroko.

Laughing Matryoshka (Warau Matryoshka)

Don't make contact with Togashi even though he shows up.

We may be able to find proof of his connection with Morohashi and Hiroko if letting him float for a while.

Michiue,

I'm listening.

Since I'm the only one among us whom he's never met before, I'll go there spying on him.

Please.

I wonder why Hiroko wanted to control Ichiro.

My son had a fever last night.

And I told him he could skip a class and rest one more day at home.

But he didn't listen to me because he had plans with his friends.

I realized that the older children will be, the more they act on their own decisions.

Hiroko never let go of Ichiro. She always keeps holding him back.

What made her act that way?

When Ichiro became a representative, he told me this...

I have a heart's desire that I must accomplish after that.

What's your heart's desire?

I'll tell you some other time.

Ichiro's heart's desire may be connected to the paying back that Hiroko installed in him.

If Hiroko is trying to take away his son's life to fulfill her ambitions...

Michiue, what do you really think about Ichiro?

No doubt my father's accidental death was the reason I became curious about Ichiro's personality.

If he wants to free himself from bondage, I want to help him.

That feeling hasn't changed yet.

I see.

What about you, Suzuki?

I'm not authorized to comment, but I also want to set him free.

It's Togashi.

Togashi just entered the bar.

Confirmed.

Togashi escaped from the back door.

Togashi escaped from the back door.

I go this way.

Okay.

Togashi,

It seems that Prime Minister Habu trusts you a lot, but as long as I'm around, I won't let you do as you please

Minister Morohashi, as I told you the other day, I'll never do anything to outwit you.

If that's the case, don't forget that feeling if you want to remain a politician.

Ah, Michiue, did you find Togashi?

Ah, Suzuki,

I'll ask the bar staff about Togashi.

They may know something about him.

Please.

I want the ruling party to discuss carefully that the direct election of the Prime Minister may cause the potential danger to lead to heavy-handed politics.

Hello?

Togashi was found...However, he is dead.

What the hell is going on?

His body was found floating in the Takatsuki River this morning.

At first, the police determined it as a suicide, but they imply it as an incident now.

There's a man who was pushed off the rooftop of a building and survived.

He is Togashi's subordinate.

He starts confessing various things since he is scared to be murdered.

I sent his picture to you.

He is the man who followed me the other day.

I see. His name is Murai Teruo.

It seems that Togashi ordered him to handle cover-ups and falsifications.

If that's the case...

He kill your father due to Togashi's order.

Murai let Kurose, a track driver hired by Togashi, kill your father.

After that, Togashi ordered Murai to dispose of all the materials related to the BG Incident that your father had including his PC.

Murai confessed the person who ordered them to Togashi was Minister Morohashi.

Is Murai connected to Hiroko?

Unfortunately, Hiroko's name was never mentioned.

I see.

Damn it, now we have no info that can corner Hiroko.

Is what Murai is saying true?

Say something.

No doubt it's nonsense.

Don't believe what a weirdo punk is saying!

But the police don't think it's nonsense.

The police want to hear the details from you.

Don't talk nonsense. Who do you think I am?

There's no way I do such a thing!

It's totally nonsense! I don't understand.

Seike Ichiro liked your post

Minister Morohashi, please answer us!

Are you involved in the death of your former secretary Togashi?

What kind of relationship did you have with Togashi?

Did Minister Morohashi instigate the murder? He is suspected of involving in the murders of 3 people including his former secretary and a journalist

Damn it.

Yamanaka,

Suzuki,

Have you read the article about Minister Morohashi?

Yes, but it didn't mention Hiroko at all.

Where's Michiue?

It seems that she's gone to Ehime without any evidence.

I know I'm stupid, but I don't want to have more victims. And this is also for Seike Ichiro. Michiue

Ainan-cho, Ehime

Can you stand?

I'll answer it.

You're...

I'm sorry for the sudden visit.

I came back because I wanted to ask you something.

I have nothing to tell you. Please leave.

Do you remember the word "Fuchou"?

It's the word your mother who wanted Ichiro to be a politician often said, right?

Fuchou...It means "Paying back" in Japanese.

Is this word related to Ichiro's origin?

Is there any place you want to go?

You came all the way from Tokyo to investigate Ichiro's origin, right?

I think you'd like to see some scenery in the place where Ichiro grew up.

In that case, I'd like to visit a place where you revealed to young Ichiro that his biological father was Wadajima Yoshitaka.

It's Sotodomari.

Do you have a guest?

He is Komatsu, my husband.

She is Michiue, an excellent journalist.

A journalist?

I'll call a taxi. Please wait a little bit.

Yes.

I know I'm stupid.

I'm glad you're safe.

I'm going to Sotodomari with Hiroko.

Sotodomari?

Listen, Michiue, the person you're facing is a monster.

She may be a murderer.

Please be careful and don't forget about your son, Yuki.

Got it.

Hiroko may be wearing a mask herself just like she made Ichiro wear a mask.

Determine what the truth is.

Yes.

Sotodomari...

It's the town called Ishigaki Village facing the Uwa Sea.

That's the memorable place for Ichiro and Hiroko.

I wonder how long it's been.

This may be my favorite place in life.

This scenery is so beautiful that it isn't related to paying back.

I don't know if you can imagine...how my mother and I lived in a foreign land after the war.

My mother married a Japanese trader in Manchuria during the war and was brought to Japan.

But my mother who came from the opponent country that Japan hated wasn't accepted by her husband's parents.

My mother was abandoned by her husband and was left alone in a foreign land.

She didn't have enough money to go back to her country.

So, she started working as a bar hostess to make a living.

She was forcibly coerced into a physical relationship by a Japanese customer she met at a bar, and she eventually became pregnant with me.

I wasn't a child that my mother wanted to have.

Because she had me, it became harder for her to return to her country.

She had a child whose father was Japanese. it was obvious that she'd have had a hard time there even though she could return.

We didn't have the place to go back.

My mother had no choice but to continue living with being hurt by useless men after that.

Eventually, she became desperate that she couldn't work, and she became addicted to alcohol.

Fuchou...

Mom...

Liu Lilan,

Fuchou...

Paying back was the only emotional support for her who had no choice but to live in the country of the man who destroyed her life.

Did you inherit her desire to pay back?

I had a desire to fulfill her wishes.

However, I chose a way of life not to rely on the men.

I've known since I was young that men became interested in me for some reason.

All the men who got involved with me wanted me.

But I never let myself rely on them.

I control not only others but also myself.

I determined so and educated myself.

However, no matter how much education I got, It didn't become my purpose in life.

I was already bored with life when I was around 20 years old.

I met him at that time.

I met Representative Wadajima Yoshitaka.

Year 1977

A man who can marry a woman like you is very lucky.

Why?

Because you're intelligent.

If I were your husband, I'd rely on you a lot.

I'd ask your opinions every time I had trouble determining.

If an intelligent woman like you were my wife, I'd feel dependable.

He, being one of the top candidates among young representatives, often came to the bar and always requested me.

Funny enough, he always talked passionately about what politicians should have been.

That was as if I were listening to the speech on the street.

I felt that his talk lacked his own will.

Lacked his own will?

He'd been playing the role of a politician.

Furthermore, he'd been playing the role of a politician Wadajima Yoshitaka.

Thinking that way, I became more interested in him.

So, your mother passed away.

If there's somebody who is manipulating Wadajima behind the scenes...

My mother was everything for me.

I became a representative because it was my mother's dream.

I see.

Now that my mother has passed away, I don't know why I'm being a representative.

I'd better quit being a politician.

That's a bad idea.

Because your mother would be sad if you did that.

I thought he was a piece of artwork that his mother created.

I thought his usual brave face was a fake and that the real him was a man without any initiative.

When I realized that, I suddenly remembered the words that my mother always told me.

Fuchou...

Luckily, I haven't experienced obvious discrimination until now.

I've never felt lonely about not having a father.

But perhaps, I may have covered my emotion about paying back to Japan without realizing it.

Before realizing it, I was talking to him about wishing for Chinese and minorities to have an easier life in Japan.

Did you tell him your own background?

Yes, of course.

I took a gamble.

Actually, my real name is Liu Hiroko.

Liu?

I used to call myself Liu Lilan.

Do you still cherish me after you know that?

Thank you for telling me your secret.

My mother always told me to stand by the side of the weak.

I felt that you've just given me a mission as a politician.

Thank you.

After that, he began to present my opinion to the public as if they were his own.

Between Japan and China, or between Japan and Asia, making the relationship with them will be...

He began to stand out more to the public than before.

Did you try to manipulate Wadajima who'd run Japan in the future behind the scenes to be involved in controlling Japan?

Did you try to pay back against Japan?

Yes.

Minister Morohashi was hospitalized...

Because if he were to be arrested, the damage to our administration would be huge.

It was my order. I made him step down from the political world temporarily due to his pre-existing medical condition.

From now on, I'll rely on you even more.

I'll count on you.

Yes. I'll do my best.

Did you try to pay back against Japan?

Yes.

But I became pregnant with Ichiro at that time.

At that time, there wasn't as much understanding, and it was difficult for Wadajima to marry me who was half-Chinese.

That's why I didn't tell him I had his baby and broke up with him.

It was my first time to resent my origin.

Mom, have you regretted giving birth to me?

What? Of course, I haven't.

Why are you crying?

Nobody was on my side in my life.

That's why I gave birth to you.

I desperately wanted you as my ally.

An ally?

However, I'd think about what would have happened if you were a boy.

I thought if you were a boy, things may have been different.

After breaking up with Wadajima, I had been losing interest in being alive, but then I had an idea at that time.

I always wondered if my baby was a boy, what kind of future awaits us.

If my baby can fulfill my mother's and my wishes, what should I give this baby first?

A last name...

Did you marry Seike Yoshikazu to get a Japanese last name?

Does this mean you entrusted your paying off that you couldn't accomplish with Wadajima to Seike?

That's right.

Seike was a regular customer at my Ginza nightclub.

Hey, will you marry me?

I have a big vacant house in the countryside.

I'll die soon. Then, all my inheritance will become yours.

He did everything to marry me. He promised me not to investigate who the father of my baby was and to allow my mother to live with me.

That's why I married him.

Even though he treated you so well, why did you kill him?

That was an accident.

Well, I indeed wanted to kill him.

He was very kind at first, but that didn't last even for 6 months.

Shut up! Who do you think feeds all of you?!

Don't let the baby cry endlessly!

Seike was obsessed with jealousy towards Ichiro's biological father.

The day Seike died in an accident, I was with Ichiro and my mother at a relative's house in Okachimachi.

I've already confirmed that.

Even though you have an alibi, you can let somebody kill Seike, right?

Well, you can't prove I killed Seike and also you can't prove he killed Seike.

Who is he?

There's only one person I can ask for help.

Wadajima?

That's right.

I asked for his help on the phone once.

Then, the person who arranged that accident was...

Well, there's no way to confirm at this point.

Nobody can prove he did that forever.

Didn't you see Wadajima after that?

I did once in Tokyo.

Year 1987

He was already married to someone else at that time.

Please give this to our son.

Take care.

Summarizing the essentials for the direct election of the Prime Minister,

to respond quickly to emergencies such as natural disasters,

I propose adding a provision that allows for the consolidation of all the privileges of each ministry under the Prime Minister.

Ichiro inherited Wadajima's strong points and has grown up to be a good person.

I'll prepare for that.

Every time I see him advance in his career, I am grateful that I gave him everything I had...

Are you grateful?

Even though a lot of people became sacrifices for that?

What are you intending to do with Japan by giving Ichiro power?

However, let's work together and make it a reality this time.

Does anybody object to Seike's proposal for the direct election of the Prime Minister?

No objection!

It's you who manipulate Ichiro behind the scenes, right?

Seike's proposal was unanimously approved.

Thank you.

Please answer my question!

Year 2006

I can't imagine how long I've been dreaming this day.

Congratulations, Ichiro.

Thank you.

You still have a long way to go.

I'm aware.

You've done a great job to investigate this far.

However, You haven't been able to reach the crucial point.

That's the end of our conversation.

Wait, we haven't been done yet.

You have a cassette tape that is the evidence of the BG Incident, right?

Are you involved in the cover-up of the incident?

Why don't you answer me for this even though you told me the story happened in the past?

Why did you send Ichiro's thesis to Suzuki?

Thesis?

It's the thesis, "The dual structure of power in Nazism" that Ichiro wrote when he was in university.

I didn't send it to Suzuki.

It's true.

Then, who did it?

I have nothing more to tell you.

Next episode

It should be clear who Ichiro's Hanussen is.

I'm pretty sure she had that thesis.

Who is behind you?