Original subtitles

I talked to my mom for the first time in a while.

I finally told her I got moved to Sengoku Weekly's Incident Team.

So then, she told me to quit.

But you wouldn't quit, right?

I had a hard time keeping up with all the work I was tasked to do,

so I briefly considered it.

That's how it is at first.

What do I need to do to get to do my own work?

That reminds me, when you were at your old department,

weren't you excited when you got an interview in?

It was the first feature I got to lead.

Why don't you set up an interview for the Sengoku Weekly?

I never considered that.

You're right…

An interview for the Sengoku Weekly.

Sounds good.

Maybe write up a few general questions.

Sometimes a big name will accept for some reason.

I will!

I have experience with interview questions.

But it can't be just anyone.

I mean, you'll have to use your own judgment,

even if someone agrees to it,

it'll get scrapped if the Desk isn't interested.

Then you're screwed.

Why?

You won't hear the end of it at the pitch meeting.

He'll call it tiny or tepid.

-Or "It's bland." -Or "Rejected!"

-Or "You think this is good?" -"Worth less than toilet paper."

I'll try to find someone good then.

WRITE SOME QUESTIONS

Sorry.

Good luck.

Yes?

This might be pretty tough.

HIMAWARI MINATO DAIGO IWAKURA

The only people I actually want to meet tend to be decent people.

But I know that makes for a weak interview for the Sengoku Weekly.

Come in.

You wanted to see me?

Oh, it smells good.

Have you had lunch?

Not yet.

You can have all this.

Really?

Is this an experiment?

Not at all.

I have a favor to ask you.

Help me while you eat?

I see.

That is a tough one.

I managed to come up with five people.

Let me run through them.

Okay.

A second-generation councilperson who is not meshing with her supporters.

It's a little too niche to be interesting.

Next please.

A department store manager being accused of harassment.

I don't need an interview to get the picture.

Next.

An insider from a movie with a suddenly replaced lead actor.

That's a common occurrence.

In this case, you'd need to interview more than one person.

And the actor in question is important.

An amateur manga writer caught evading taxes.

Being an amateur author instead of a vetaran could be a good angle,

but I doubt it would work.

An idol singer whose younger sister became more popular.

That will just sound like some sibling quarrel.

Is that all?

I don't know.

You should first research what Kitahama Desk is interested in,

and base your pick on that.

Taking a shot in the dark is just a waste of time.

If you're tired of playing support,

you need to fundamentally change the way you think.

Wait a second.

That's way too harsh.

I just channeled Kitahama Desk in my head.

Maybe wipe the mayo off your face first.

Other side.

Also, could you not eat while you criticize me?

You said I could eat while we do it.

Come in.

There you are.

-Good work. -Hey.

It stinks.

-Is now a good time? -Sure.

You did an interview feature at your old post,

with the actor Kosuke Suenaga.

Yes, I did. About him leaving his troupe.

Apparently he suddenly pulled out of a play.

Huh?

There were rumors of various forms of harassment and mental instability,

he must have caused another scandal to get forced out.

Can you find out what happened?

His reason for leaving the play?

Yes, understood.

Looking forward to it.

Goodbye.

ONE YEAR AGO AT THE PR ZINE DEPARTMENT

Perfect. Thank you.

Sorry, Nayumi, Mr. Suenaga is running late.

Do you mind waiting?

-Okay. -My apologies.

-Actually. -Yes?

I heard Mr. Suenaga was mentally unstable.

They're just rumors.

That he takes medication for it.

We don't know if that's true or not.

It'll be fine.

I'll go get Mr. Suenaga.

Ms. Shinoda.

We found Suenaga's usual hair salon.

His stylist is named Miyoshi. Can you go?

Okay.

It'll be compensated.

Huh? Wait, do you mean I should get my hair cut?

We're having trouble getting info.

We go to rehearsals, but no one involved with the play will talk.

He won't even respond if we do a house visit.

We go to his favorite pub Tokichiro, and it's always packed.

The hair salon should be easier in that regard. Good luck.

We're ready for you now.

Okay.

SENGOKU WEEKLY

Sorry for the wait.

Thank you for requesting me, how do you want it cut?

I'd like to thin it out a bit.

Understood.

We'll start with a wash.

Excuse me.

It's still so hot these days.

Um.

Does Kosuke Suenaga come here often?

We've had several people like you come in.

A tabloid, huh?

Aren't you embarrassed?

Buzzing around human misery. Only ever exposing their bad side.

Digging up just the surface,

spreading it to entertain the masses.

You don't even consider who you might hurt.

What if it were you?

What if it was your family?

Maybe think about that?

What you're doing

is stomping on people's lives and feelings.

Please leave.

Hello?

How'd it go?

The salon was a bust.

I see.

Don't sweat it.

His favorite pub is called Tokichiro, right?

But that place is tricky.

It's probably full by now.

I doubt you could question people anyway.

TOKICHIRO

Um, excuse me.

May I talk to you?

AKARI

Mr. Suenaga hasn't been visiting for a while now.

When did he stop coming?

I can't talk about our patrons.

That's understandable.

But he was causing lots of problems.

Even when it was super crowded he'd talk to me when I served him.

I ignored him once, and he got super sad.

Was that the last time he came?

No, it wasn't.

With the same girl as usual.

-You want to know who the girl was, right? -Sure.

But I won't tell you because I want to protect her.

So it's a celebrity, right?

-I'm not telling you. -It's okay.

Could you tell me any interesting stories about Mr. Suenaga then?

Huh? That's all you want?

Of course.

You can just share what you can.

Interesting stories?

There was nothing interesting about Mr. Suenaga.

It was around last year.

He apparently stopped drinking,

and only ordered alcohol-free beer.

But he'd always ask for a chaser even though it's non-alcoholic.

And we'd all laugh at the joke.

Does that mean, water?

Yeah.

The girl cracked a joke about him getting water with his alcohol-free beer.

They seemed happy.

We got a text chain from someone who's calling herself "Mistress Three."

It's really great, just take a look!

You love this stuff!

Nothing scarier than a mistress story.

Kitahama loves mistresses.

Plus, they keep talking dirty.

When was the most recent message?

Six months ago.

"Let's end this. I'm sorry."

That's scary.

Right?

He promised to marry Mistress Three,

but then he dumps her.

He won't even answer his phone.

So she left a terrifying message on his voice mail.

"I'll send all our texts to a tabloid."

So, he stepped down before this came to light.

Exactly! Now, turn it into an article.

Give it a big headline!

Okay.

Could I say something?

Something's been on my mind.

I read the latest Sengoku Weekly.

Only a small number of his fans would defend Suenaga's scandal.

THE TRUTH BEHIND KOSUKE SUENAGA'S DEPARTURE

There are a lot of online comments saying he stepped down because of this story.

Everybody loves juicy entertainment industry gossip.

It's also a popular subject for novels.

Which is why when authors write about the entertainment industry,

they do as much research as a tabloid,

and even wear themselves down.

It's hard everywhere.

I definitely believe that.

You can't send that.

The theater folks are objecting.

It's not 90 percent of theater company reps dating their lead actresses.

It's 80 percent.

For the follow-up, we'll go with Mistress Three's identity.

Mr. Kitahama, our articles from this week are doing well online.

Really nice!

So Mistress Three's picture, should we go with modest or sexy?

-Sexy! -Which is the right call?

-Mr. Kitahama. -What?

[BREAKING] STAGE ACTOR KOSUKE SUENAGA PASSED AWAY

According to an insider,

Suenaga hoped to finish his last play while battling terminal cancer,

but he stepped down after his condition got worse.

Honestly, it's not surprising we got backlash.

But it's less than I expected.

All thanks to you.

Something's been on my mind.

It was during this interview,

I saw him taking some kind of medication.

I heard he was mentally unstable,

so I assumed it was a mood stabilizer.

But maybe it was a different medication.

Mr. Suenaga stopped drinking alcohol last year.

So you think the medication is for a disease?

With everyone involved in the play not talking about it,

it could be a pretty serious disease.

It's purely conjecture, though.

We need more than a hunch.

Could you check out the surrounding hospitals just in case?

I know it'll be hard to get any personal information, though.

Daisuke, let's add that story from the pub to help build credibility.

And to close the article…

He had been seen taking medication last year,

and learning he quit his favorite vices, alcohol and cigarettes,

if the reason he stepped down is related to his health,

we pray for his recovery.

If we only pushed the scandal,

we would've gotten grilled.

Anyway, it's all thanks to you.

Please, that's too much.

But I'm surprised that waitress shared that he quit alcohol.

You might have a knack for bringing down people's defenses.

For sure.

That's why Murai had you investigating his multiple mysterious deaths case.

Multiple mysterious deaths?

What, he didn't tell you?

No.

MULTIPLE SUSPICIOUS DEATHS

What? What?!

I went and verified Madoka Hashimoto's job.

And checked the home of Kubozuka's guardian Mr. Watanabe.

Your work was crucial.

I'm sure he'll explain more next time.

Bye then.

Multiple mysterious deaths.

I never imagined I would be involved in something like this.

Where am I heading?

What's waiting for me at the end of this path I've been put on?

Wait.

This is no time to be poetic.

I have to switch gears and work hard on this interview feature.

So that's the situation.

What do you think?

The name's not ringing any bells.

You don't know Serendy Shogo?

Never heard of him.

He's a magician.

He has lovers all over Japan,

and he meets with them in hotels when he visits other cities,

according to posts from other fans.

So his audience knows.

I guess his misdirection only worked on his magic tricks.

Anyway, I thought Kitahama Desk might be interested since he likes love scandals.

Did you already send questions?

Not yet.

Then, before you do,

I have a request too.

Mr. Aoshiro?

You know him?

Yes, I've seen him on TV and in newspapers.

He's known for his looks.

Right.

He inherited a small apparel company in Niigata from his parents,

and made it into a national brand within a few years.

A young man's success story.

He's really impressive.

It's good you've already heard of him.

-You should request an interview. -What?!

With Mr. Aoshiro? Oh crap!

Nosebleed?

No, just snot.

You surprised me.

Sorry.

It'd be cool if it happens.

So?

An interview with Seiya Aoshiro.

TO BE CONTINUED

This isn't what we talked about!

I might be in trouble.

Those two only smile if they're up to something.

It's not a coincidence. How did I not notice until now?

It's starting to get interesting.

Subtitle translation by: Zensho Yamamoto