Original subtitles

In the 21st century, there was a legendary man at Sobu Police Station.

His hobby was to investigate and solve cases past the statute of limitations.

The name of this man was Kiriyama Shuichiro.

But 12 years ago, he was transfered from the Limitation Task Force of Sobu Police Station

to the Federal Bureau of Investigation in America.

Years passed and I'm afraid the legendary man

is only a distant memory somewhere in a corner of people's head,

but now Kiriyama Shuichiro came back to the Limitation Task Force.

Long time no see.

Who's this punk?

Hey, wait! Stop that please. I'm Kiriyama!

Kiriyama-kun?

- You returned from America? - Of course. It's been 12 years.

You look totally changed.

Suspicious... just like Serpico!

- No, you can't say that. - Well, it's a bit hard.

Good morning!

Kiriyama-kun?

That's not true! Kiriyama-kun? You're back?

What's with her?

Geez! Why didn't you say anything!

You come back after such a long time without saying a word.

You should know the best how that feels!

- What could she mean with this? - Well, what could she mean?

Well, that's how it is, isn't it?

Mikazuki-kun... Oh, it's not Mikazuki anymore, right?

As for that, you can call her Mikazuki now.

Once, she wasn't Mikazuki anymore,

but she became Mikazuki again.

- She's divorced! - Hey, don't talk so loud!

While you weren't here, she somehow got carried away.

That is all?

Huh? Sanae-san, you're expecting a child?

For this reason, don't disturb the child in the womb

by looking as if you were surprised that I'm still alive.

Sanae-san will become a mama!?

It's not Sanae anymore. Now it's Saneyoshi.

My husband's name is Saneyoshi.

It's kind of puzzling, huh?

This here is puzzling too, isn't it?

That brings back memories. It's a case past the statute of limitations, right?

While you were in America, the legislation on the statute of limitations has changed.

For serious crimes such as murder the statute of limitations was abolished.

I see. But...

Well, it's not abolished for all cases.

The Limitation Task Force will process them with particular zeal.

We're not working with particular zeal.

The unprocessed files are piling up. It doesn't become less at all.

This is a case that has been neglected for more than 9 years.

That's sloppy, isn't it?

- The Urashima gas station fire incident. - A mere fire?

No, a high school student came to death.

It could have been an accident, suicide, or murder.

Nobody can say for certain. It's time-barred since April 26, 2010.

Only 1 day before the statute of limitations was abolished for murder.

This alone is romantic, isn't it?

Kiriyama-san, could it be you feel a strange curiosity again?

No, not really.

In the end, once I press this "Time-barred" stamp on it,

it's no case anymore.

Doesn't this

resemble a closet filled with folded and wrapped up futons?

No, it doesn't remind me of that.

It resembles the nightly view from under a lighthouse or the democracy during the Taisho era. (1912-1926)

That's what it reminds me too!

Boiled meals and grilled meals, a lot has happened in these 12 years.

Wham!

In a nutshell,

9 years after the statute of limitations was abolished for serious crimes,

Kiriyama Shuichiro returned from the USA.

Jikou Keisatsu has begun.

The times when you could quietly hide a time-barred crime are over.

Over! Over! Over! Over! Over! Over!

Welcome to the show.

Seems such things don't change.

What do you mean?

Your habit to eat your rice plain white.

Isn't it unpleasant if a food contains several different flavors?

I don't like that. It's unpleasant.

You're right. Perhaps it's the same with life.

Listen, Kiriyama-kun, it may be unpleasant to mention it,

but you didn't answer my question at that time.

What do you think about me?

An earthquake!

Of course, I haven't forgotten.

- So you do remember. - I'll give you my answer soon.

Really?

First, I want to know the answer to this.

24 years ago, in the night of April 26,

in the lonely port town of Urashima in Sobu a gasoline station burned down.

The fire spilled over to the gasoline stock

and this caused a big explosion.

- Is there anyone from the police? - What happened?

In the ruins of the fire a corpse was discovered

which was terribly burned by the intense flames and so the identification wasn't easy.

Because of a uniform button in the carbonized right hand

and the height and physique

it was presumed that the victim was a former part-timer, high school student Sawamura Koji.

No one had seen him after the fire

and when he had not returned home 1 month later,

it was judged that the corpse was Sawamura Koji.

Whether it was an accident, suicide, or murder

was investigated from all points of view,

but a final conclusion was never reached.

In 2010, this case became barred by the statute of limitations.

At first glance, it's not a case that's rewarding to investigate, but I guess I'll give it a try.

Really? You'll resume your hobby?

I have nothing to do at home.

What about sorting your luggage, for example?

I have none.

None?

I have a toothbrush, though.

What? Kiriyama-kun, could it be you're still single?

That's right. You concluded it from what I just said, right?

Shall I go out with you?

Well, if I say I'll go out with you, it doesn't mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend.

I wouldn't want it to appear like that.

I'll only go with you to investigate that time-barred case, of course.

Geez, what did you think I was saying!

- That hurts! - Gyo, gyo, gyo! (gyo = fish)

Right, they serve fish. Hurry up!

So Kiriyama is single.

This may be a one-in-a-thousand chance for a divorced woman like me.

Or a trap leading to ruin.

It brings back memories, this marriage registration form.

Write your name on the marriage registration form.

You lost with rock-paper-scissors, didn't you?

12 years ago...

What's that? It's even stamped!

A family crest?

If I press my stamp on it and send it to the registration office, I'll be married?!

No, it's not like this.

No, no, no, no, that would be wrong.

Uah! Cinnamon?!

How did it become a cinnamon stick?

- Mikazuki-kun, what are you talking about? - No, I was just speaking to myself.

Good morning.

Oh! You shaved off your beard?

Somehow he looks like a boring guy now, right?

- He is boring! - Stop it please.

Good morning!

Oh, Ayakumo-kun! Do you come as oil peddler again?

Looks like you're running criss-cross.

It's terrible since the morning.

"Oi, Ayakumo, tackle that problem!", they keep saying.

- What the Hell is going on! - I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

Huh?

This girl is a newcomer in the Criminal Department, Ayakumo-kun.

Pleased to meet you. I'm Ayakumo from the Criminal Department.

And this is our returner from America, Kiriyama-kun.

Kiriyama?

The legendary man, Kiriyama Shuichiro?!

- You drop the honorific? - It's really you, right? Great!

The legendary man, Kiriyama Shuichiro!

Kiriyama?

Long time no see.

That I know!

Kiriyama, shouldn't you have said a word to the Forensic Department too?

Kiriyama, I regret

that I told you that story.

Sorry. It's a misunderstanding. It wasn't you.

Don't mention it!

What's that supposed to mean, huh?

What do you want!

Oi, Ayakumo!

Looks like you're telling a boring story here again.

Kumamoto-san, Ayakumo is boring, right?

- "Boring", you say? - Her stories, I mean.

They're not interesting at all, Ayakumo.

Even if you're a promising newcomer in the Criminal Department,

train your humor muscles, Ayakumo.

- What humor muscles? - Well, apart from that,

the legendary man Kiriyama Shuichiro-san is back from America.

Oops! What's legendary about Kiriyama?

He's not King Arthur. Right, Matarai-sensei?

Stop it already.

In any case, Kiriyama is not the legendary man.

The legendary man is me, Jumonji Hayate.

What's wrong?

What a shock! I thought my heart would stop.

What's that! Doesn't this man look like Kiriyama?

Well, it is Kiriyama-kun.

Come on, Hachisuka-san! Kiriyama is...

It is Kiriyama.

Kiriyama... Kiriyama... Kiriyama!

Outch! Outch! Outch! Outch!

I see. Well made, isn't it?

No, it's really him! Right, Kiriyama-kun?

Hachisuka-san, long time no see.

Kiriyama, welcome back.

This is good.

I really don't understand!

- Come on, Ayakumo! - Yes!

It's time for the morning conference. We will discuss that difficult case now.

Before the discussion we'll have dinner. Why is that, Ayakumo?

I don't understand. And it's morning.

Because they say,

"The mystery will be solved after dinner". (Title of a TV drama)

Excuse me!

- They won't solve any mystery. - It's like Rakugo. (Comic story telling)

Jumonji-san would be a great Boke, wouldn't he? (The fool in a comedy duo)

He looks like a man of 40, but could it be he's actually 80?

That's Bimao (Beautiful Devil) Fujiwara.

Who is Bimao Fujiwara?

- You don't know Bimao Fujiwara? - No.

That's like not knowing Tamori. (Famous TV star in Japan)

- He's that famous? - He is.

- This is Bimao Fujiwara. - How old do you think is this man?

38.

- What's with you all? - This man is 70.

To be precise, he's 71.

Bimao Fujiwara alias Fujiwara Yasujiro,

born September 21, 1948, is 71 years old.

A man in the 70s with the body of a 40-year-old.

8 years ago, he was accidentially detected

on Nasu-B's TV variety show and caused a sensation.

- Are you Fujiwara Yasujiro-san? - Yes.

Excuse me, how old are you?

I'm 62.

That must be a lie!

Hearing from a man who undoubtedly looked like 30 that he was 62

shocked interviewer Nasu-B and made him turn red.

Various sources accused him of misstating his age,

but he denied them all and it's commonly believed that he's really 71 now.

On a radio show

he was introduced as "not a beautiful witch but a beautiful devil"

and from that moment on, Fujiwara Yasujiro became Bimao Fujiwara to the people.

It's the official Bimao Fujiwara Kon-Jack shredder

"Guillotine-san"!

From health food to training machines,

products under Bimao Fujiwara's name sold like crazy.

The person who regularly took Bimajin Supplement now looks like this.

He promised to juvenate middle-aged and old people and turn them into idols.

~Bimao~

By the way, Sanae-san, why do you carry that photo with you?

Kiriyama-san, even if you dig there, nothing will come out.

I'm... I'm sorry.

In any case, this seems

to be the Bimao Fujiwara era.

Bimao Fujiwara... Bimao Fujiwara?

Huh? Kiriyama-kun, are you investigating Bimao Fujiwara?

No. I prefer this time-barred case.

The gasoline station fire, right?

I'm mainly interested in this.

So you'll resume your hobby.

A reunion is not just a consolation prize~ Reunion!

What is Mikazuki-senpai doing?

She seems unusually tensed up, doesn't she?

The white transport vehicle was 20 kilo over.

Okay. I'll stop it.

Stop! Stop! I'm telling you to stop!

What's up?

Listen! Your weight and speed were both 20 kilo over the limit!

And so, after 12 years,

I accompanied Kiriyama-kun on his hobby again.

Well, in the end my husband and I broke up.

I see. But, it was your own decision, right?

That's right.

Then, I think that's the best way.

Why?

You often hear, "If you did A then,"

"you should do A now too",

but in the end I think you should do what you consider the best now.

- Ask the Indians. - Why?

Right? That's what you think, right?

You're absolutely right.

That guy is a yea-sayer.

He's my cousin.

Shiotoride is my cousin.

He's your spitting image, isn't he?

Are you wondering about my forehead?

My...

name is Hari.

- An unusual name, isn't it? - That's true.

If you become a policeman with this name, they call you "Dirty Harry".

Dirty Harry.

- Dirty Harry! - We heard it.

It's a shame, isn't it?

It's not a shame.

Okay, that's all.

This bean sweets

somehow looks like a "Star Wars" villain, doesn't it?

You bad guys... I'll eat you all in one go.

And? What were we just talking about?

Right, right!

- You're wrong. - Eh? Sawamura Koji-san, who burned to death

was not a part-time clerk at the gasoline station?

No, he was not.

The prefectural police sent us the data,

but our fax has no cutter.

Look here.

Here it is.

As the owner confirmed, Sawamura Koji-san had worked part-time at the station,

but at the time of the fire he had already quit.

And the room in which the corpse was found?

It was an unused room.

Then, Sawamura Koji-san was alone in an unused room?

Isn't that unnatural?

Unnatural... Well, it is unnatural.

But, the both of you have something unnatural too.

What about the parents? Sawamura Koji-san's.

The late Sawamura Koji-san's

mother was

Sawamura Kanako, at the time of the fire 38 years old.

His father divorced her when he was in elementary school.

It seems he had left home, but there are no detailed informations.

Are the both of them still alive?

Well, we have absolutely no informations about that.

But I don't think they've died already.

By the way, did anything happen recently?

- Why do you ask? - Well,

just the other day someone else came and asked the same questions.

(Kuhonbutsu means 9 Buddhas)

Bimao Fujiwara's past

is covered by our writer Kuhonbutsu.

Yeah, I see.

- Hobby? - Yes, Kuhonbutsu-san.

Investigating time-barred cases is my hobby.

Is something like that okay for a policeman?

Well, I'm not sure about that.

Why does your hobby lead you to me?

Why did you enlarge it? Even to A3.

It is A3.

Well, it's alright. Make it short, okay?

It may be coincidence, but

there were 2 people trying to find something in Urashima.

Kuhonbutsu-san, why did you

investigate the time-barred case Sawamura Koji-san?

Sawamura?!

Koji-san.

He burned to death in a fire at a gasoline station.

No, I wasn't investigating such a case.

You were not? What did you want in Urashima Town then?

Bimao Fujiwara?

Right. He's a hot topic presently.

You know he's suspected of misstating his age, don't you?

Looking so young at 71. No wonder.

Bimao Fujiwara alias Fujiwara Yasujiro's birthplace is Urashima Town.

Is that so?

Don't act so surprised!

Bimao Fujiwara's past took place in Urashima Town.

So, by pure chance, I went to Urashima Town because of a completely different case.

It is a completely different case, isn't it?

What do you mean?

Well,

all in all, it must have been coincidence.

Well then.

If one of us finds anything out, let's share the information.

Yes please.

Kuhonbutsu-san,

was Sawamura Koji-san an acquaintance of yours?

No, I don't know him.

I see. Sorry for inconveniencing you.

Not at all. Well then.

I think this woman is hiding something.

Why that?

Because the automatic door opened.

Kuhonbutsu-san was standing right here.

Come here for a moment.

This automatic door

has a sensor that reacts to the human body temperature.

As you stand there now, the automatic door doesn't open, right?

Yes.

- Mikazuki-kun, you idiot! - Hey!

You see!

When I called you "idiot", your temperature rose and the sensor reacted.

Indeed.

When I get angry, it makes me hungry.

But you didn't have to treat me.

No, I didn't treat you, I asked what you wanted to eat.

The automatic door opened when I asked her a question.

And what was this question?

"Was Sawamura Koji-san an acquaintance of yours?"

But, Kuhonbutsu-san's answer was "No".

What if this was a lie?

Then Sawamura Koji-san who burned to death was an acquaintance of hers.

That's what it adds up to, doesn't it?

Still, what Kuhonbutsu-san is investigating is Bimao Fujiwara's past.

It has nothing to do with Sawamura Koji's death, right?

Listen! Imagine you enter the sea with beach sandals.

Your beach sandals slip off here,

but suddenly they pop up unexpectedly at a far away place.

That's the same thing.

What are you talking about?

Unexpected things can have a connection.

For example, Sawamura Koji's death and Bimao Fujiwara's past.

Your husband will feel cold this evening, don't you think?

Is this the Edo period? (1603 - 1868)

- Oh! - Also Oh!

Apart from that, are the both of you dating?

No... why?

I mean, seeing you together on a day off,

what other conclusion could I draw from that.

Well, how should I put it...

- She's going out with me. - Eh? I knew it!

What? We're dating? The both of us?

To be precise, she accompanies me on my hobby.

Hobby?

I see. That's how it is.

Jack Nance, the "Eraserhead".

- There is such a thing? - No.

What is your hobby?

Investigating time-barred cases and finding out the truth.

You're a legend, aren't you?

The man with the hobby to investigate time-barred cases, Kiriyama Shuichiro!

Kiriyama-kun is a strange guy.

I want to do that too!

No, no! Aren't you a detective? It's your job anyway!

That's exactly the reason.

Investigating as a job is hard, but as a hobby it's completely alright.

I'll do my best!

After all, there was no clue to Sawamura Koji's case

- to be found in Urashima Town. - For now.

And the fact that Bimao Fujiwara alias Fujiwara Yasujiro came from this town

is already commonly known.

We are investigating the death of Sawamura Koji.

The writer Kuhonbutsu-san is investigating Bimao Fujiwara's past.

~Bimao~

These are completely different things, aren't they?

Right. But, why was she worried because of the fire?

It looked like there was anything, so I immediately

tried to compile the facts.

- As expected from a detective, right? - She's sitting there like a detective.

24 years ago, Fujiwara Yasujiro

left Urashima Town and never returned again.

24 years ago, in a fire at the gasoline station

Sawamura Koji died.

But is there a relationship between Sawamura Koji and Fujiwara Yasujiro?

His divorced father is Fujiwara Shinichi,

Fujiwara Yasujiro's older brother.

Can this be true! He's Sawamura Koji's uncle?!

Sawamura Koji is Fujiwara Yasujiro's nephew.

Oi! Oi! Oi! (Oi = nephew)

Be that as it may, but

between Fujiwara Yasujiro and Sawamura Koji's death there's no connection.

What happened later?

Then, 8 years ago, Fujiwara Yasujiro appeared on a farm in Kochi

and Fujiwara Yasujiro became Bimao Fujiwara.

There should be a connection between all this, don't you think?

It all happened in odd years!

Don't talk as if it was a miracle.

- You're right. - Very true.

- Mikazuki-kun... - Be quiet!

The death of his nephew

can't have been indifferent to Bimao Fujiwara.

Right?

An impressive building, isn't it?

That's the Bimao Fujiwara effect.

However, the guard looks strict so do your best.

- We'll definitely be detected. - Don't worry about being detected.

- What is it? - Excuse me...

There's an Azuki panda.

You're right! An Azuki panda!

- I'll be right back. - Okay.

Excuse me!

Excuse me, I'm a writer. Yoimachigusa is my name.

If it's a coverage about me, I refuse.

- It's about something different. - Something different?

Actually, it's about that incident

in which a person named Sawamura Koji was involved.

May I ask who you are?

I'm a writer. My name is Yoimachigusa.

I'm here for an interview with Fujiwara-san.

Do you have an appointment? I suppose you have none.

We don't grant interviews without prior appointment.

Fujiwara-san, go ahead.

But... Fujiwara-san!

You're persistent!

Are you... alright?

- Yes, thank you very much. - You're welcome.

Excuse me... here.

Fujiwara-san!

Well then.

Oi! There's someone strange. Take care of her!

Well done.

However, wasn't that way of falling exaggerated?

Do you think it will work?

The trap was a success, I guess.

What's that? Why are you all in here?

Well, we're here because we want to know how the age of a corpse is ascertained.

The age of a corpse?

Let's see...

By a certain aura.

That's certainly not true. "Certain aura"... is that forensics?

It was a joke!

You can guess it from the DNA. If you want to know exactly, ask a biochemist.

- A biochemist! - That's Hadouken. (gesture from "Street Fighter II")

So the DNA is required?

Then again, can you ascertain the age of a living person by their DNA?

If they're alive, shouldn't you better ask that person?

- Is that an answer? - Typical of him.

What's with you! Are you so dissatisfied?

Morosawa-san, this...

Huh?

Good timing! I'll leave the rest to my assistent Yasutomo-kun.

What is it all about?

Tell us, can you ascertain the age of a living person by their DNA?

DNA?

The age determination by telomere provides some accuracy, I think.

- "Thermae Romae"? - Be quiet!

I proceed.

The number of times a cell can regenerate is limited.

This is controlled by a structure at the end of the chromosomes called telomere.

You could say it's like a tear-off calendar inside of the human DNA.

Is it possible to read its state?

Yes. There's an error margin, but you can limit the age to some extend.

Do you have any further questions?

I've understood practically nothing, so don't bother.

If there's anything again, please ask me.

Morosawa-san, it's about this sample...

- He's brilliant, that guy. - He's competent, our Matarai-kun.

Matarai? Like Matarai-san?

The same family name, but what a difference, don't you think?

- Kiriyama-kun, don't you know? - Know what?

He is Matarai-san's son.

- Is that so? - Yes.

So it is.

Uwah, uwah, uwah! As if a kite gave birth to a hawk, isn't it?

What did you say! Wonna fight? Come on!

- No, no, no! - Hey wait! Kiriyama, wait!

Yes. I've just arrived in front of it.

Kuhonbutsu-san, I think you are investigating

Bimao Fujiwara-san's past with a certain conviction.

It's his facial expression.

His facial expression?

Then, did Bimao Fujiwara and you have any contact in the past?

No, it's not that.

What do you mean, then?

Bimao Fujiwara has the facial expression of a person I know.

Sawamura Koji-san.

Kiriyama-san, you knew it, didn't you?

At that moment when the automatic door opened, I realized.

Was Sawamura Koji-san an acquaintance of yours?

No, I don't know him.

Kiriyama-san, Pa-ne-e.

It means "odd" (hanpana). You don't know?

No... I returned from America only recently.

More important, what's with that facial expression you mentioned earlier?

Right. It's the facial expression of a person I loved.

During my 2nd year in high school

I attended a prep school in Masagohara City.

There I met Sawamura Koji-san.

I'm begging you. You have to keep the deadline.

He was my one-sided love.

He was neither financially nor mentally fit for it.

His mother wanted Koji-san who had excellent grades

to go to college

and seemed to be having several jobs simultaneously.

He also did his best to comply with his mother's intentions.

But, since that day he stopped coming to prep school.

- The day of the fire, right? - Yes.

I learned about the fire a little later.

You got to know Bimao Fujiwara only after that, right?

Yes. I will never forget the shock that day.

When they said on TV it was presumed he had perished in the fire.

Sawamura Koji-san's facial expression?

No, it's not his facial expression. It's him!

They say the kanji for "Rice"

shines brighter than the kanji for "Light".

If you write it, you'll understand. First, "Light".

Light.

- Now, "Rice". - Rice.

Look! Don't you feel now that "Rice" shines brighter than "Light"?

This feeling of light we call "Pikaa".

I'm very...

sorry.

Pikaa~!

Bimao Fujiwara isn't Fujiwara Yasujiro but looks like Sawamura Koji

according to Kuhonbutsu-san's opinion.

If she's right, the problem is who was the corpse?

Furthermore, if Sawamura Koji is alive,

why did he turn up as Fujiwara Yasujiro?

There's only 1 answer. In order to create Bimao Fujiwara.

Why that?

He thought if a beautiful witch could make money, a beautiful devil could make money too.

Excuse me.

"If 30-year-old me became 60-year-old Fujiwara Yasujiro,

I'd make a lot of money in the future as Beautiful Devil!"

So the high school student Sawamura Koji must have thought, right?

Well, yeah... Will it chime?

Is that a cinnamon stick? It's genuine, isn't it?

You're noisy.

I'm sorry.

My name stamp

turned into a cinnamon stick!

Stop looking at me with sympathetic eyes. It's true.

- It was me. - I knew it. When did you do it?

At the time when Sobu Station was renovated, about 10 years ago.

10 years ago!?

When you left your stamp on my desk.

Huh? Is that your name stamp?

No.

It's Mikazuki's.

Then, where is it now after 10 years?

Here.

You have it! Since 10 years?

All these 10 years I haven't noticed.

You, you!

To begin with, could it be you didn't use your stamp since 10 years?

That's obvious.

On the other hand, how often should you have used your stamp in those 10 years?

That's...

Does it matter now?

I've got it!

"I've got it!", you say?

If even a stamp was replaced for 10 years,

maybe...

Behind Bimao Fujiwara, there's a mastermind.

Seguro Iwao has taken Bimao's management in his hands.

He also runs a health food company

and makes huge profits by the Bimao boom.

What kind of relationship is there between Seguro Iwao and Bimao Fujiwara?

That's what I still don't know.

However, around the year 2011

Bimao began to work on a farm which was run by Seguro Iwao.

Did they meet for the first time on this occasion?

No. They know each other since youth and both had connections to the underworld.

But, there's a blank space in Bimao's past.

A blank space?

Yes. Bimao Fujiwara's unaccounted time.

I investigated it, but in regard to several years there was no information whatsoever.

That's a bit unnatural, isn't it?

Well, there are a few dubious-looking things

and it seems even the police are secretly investigating Seguro and Bimao in another matter.

A secret investigation?

And in the course of this investigation Sawamura Koji's death by fire 24 years ago boiled up again.

Exactly.

Granted, even if this was a case of murder, it's past the statute of limitations already.

But in order to expose Seguro Iwao's dark deeds it's worth checking out.

Right. Who was the person who died in the fire at the station?

Black or white, you want to be clear about that, right?

There is a detective in charge of this investigation,

but he wouldn't tell me anything specific.

Do you know Inspector Kijima from the Prefectural Police?

I think I've heard about Prefectural Police officer Kijima.

According to Jumonji-kun,

a nasty, disgusting thing must have happened.

- I wonder why it became like this? - What happened?

Inspector Kijima is my ex-husband.

If what I heard is true,

I must say you're lucky. Is he really such a person?

You don't need to know!

What's such a doggy look supposed to mean?

Sorry for calling at such a busy time. It's me.

I'm at the Prefectural Police headquarters right now. Okay. Then, please do.

That bastard!

I guess I'll go home.

- So suddenly? - See you.

Your fried chicken with potatoes. Sorry for having kept you waiting.

Such a big serving is almost harassment, isn't it?

Here, Mikazuki-kun, help yourself, help yourself.

Don't be shy.

Since you went talking with your ex-husband, it will give power to your nerves!

Fantastic!

Well, a lot of things do exist, but let's say "Cheers"!

Right, right, right!

Cheers!

So, how was it?

Of course, the Prefectural Police also want to bring Bimao Fujiwara's past to light.

If he misstated his age, it would be a case of fraud, wouldn't it?

However, in Bimao Fujiwara's past

there are interruptions at some points of time.

Bimao Fujiwara alias Yasujiro left Urashima Town 26 years ago.

He got together with a young woman from Tokyo

and lived in Tokyo with her.

But, from a Yakuza group which had taken care of him

he embezzled about 10 million yen.

Inspector Kijima told you a lot, didn't he?

Well, for that an ex-wife has her tricks.

Her tricks, huh?

And later?

Until the moment when Nasu-B interviewed him, there's nothing you could grab.

Well, it's no wonder, is it? He had stolen money from that gang after all.

But 8 years ago, he appeared out of the blue.

Fortunately, these Yakuza

didn't come to Bimao Fujiwara's place, right?

He's Bimao, so he can't have changed much in 26 years.

This Yakuza group

was defeated in a conflict 10 years ago and completely destroyed.

Somehow, our guest today is a devil.

No, he is a devil indeed. Beautiful Devil Fujiwara, 71.

Impressive, isn't it? This punch, this pose!

Hello.

I'm Bimao Fujiwara.

Here, the gasoline station has been standing.

Right. But it's an empty lot now.

If on the day when the station caught fire,

not Sawamura Koji was in that room but someone else...

Kiriyama-kun, are you saying...

If on the day when the station caught fire,

not Sawamura Koji was in that room but someone else...

Kiriyama-kun, are you saying...

Hi! I'm very sorry! I'm late.

It's alright.

It's a bit awkward. Look!

- Please don't worry about this anymore. - But...

The thing is,

there is no autopsy report on Sawamura Koji's corpse.

None?

The material about Fujiwara Yasujiro and Sawamura Koji is completely gone.

On February 14, the Big Valentine Fire

practically burned this town down to the ground.

The only thing that didn't burn were the tears of our Guardian God.

After the fire and 8 years of redevelopment, all this had become an empty lot.

It has completely changed, hasn't it?

Did anything happen?

You are Bimao Fujiwara-san, aren't you?

Yes. Well...

Are you perhaps...

I'm Yoimachigusa, the writer.

Ah! From that time.

I am Kiriyama from Sobu Police Station.

To tell the truth, I'm investigating the fire at the gasoline station as my hobby.

Hey!

- Hobby? - Yes.

Investigating cases past the statute of limitations is my hobby.

It's past the statute of limitations?

Then, it's closed, right? That's good.

Actually, this land

was recently bought by an affiliated company of mine.

It's better if there remains no strange story.

So that's how it is.

Stop!

Stop! Oi! You're soaking wet!

Well, I think they'll build some kind of factory here.

That's one of the reasons.

- Bimao Fujiwara-san. - Yes?

Didn't you want to grant this woman an interview?

Appeal to my office for that.

Well,

this is my personal contact information, in case there's anything.

I got it! His personal contact information.

It's the fruit of your grandiose tumbling the other day, don't you think?

Fujiwara-san!

- Are you... alright? - Yes.

- I'm sorry for the exaggeration. - Thanks to it, he gave you his card.

If people feel guilty about something, they sense a strong urge for atonement.

And the result is this trap effect.

He really doesn't look like 71, does he?

- No... it was in vain. - Is there any trouble with that guy?

Well, he's called "the soaking wet person" and he's suspicious.

- Rumour says he steals fish. - "The soaking wet person"?

Yes.

He's always soaking wet. That's queer!

However, I'm an old man after all.

Since I'm 40, it gets harder and harder.

You are 40 years old?

Yes. November this year I'll become 41.

The opposite of Bimao.

Urashima Town?

Where the Big Valentine Fire occured?

Right. I want to retrieve the relevant data.

Huh? Did anything happen in Urashima Town lately?

No, it's another case.

Actually, Jumonji-san asked me to look it up.

Jumonji!

- Are you talking of me? - Uwah!

Oh, the boring person Ayakumo!

What are you doing here?

Well, I'm looking for the material that you requested.

Is that so?

Yes. You told me this morning.

Oh, oh, oh!

My flash memory isn't working.

- Did I say that? - Let's say it again!

What was it about then?

- Perhaps a case in Urashima Town? - Urashima Town?

No, it's...

Yes. Jumonji speaking.

Oi, Ayakumo, where are you hanging around?

Yes, I'm sorry.

I'm in the police archive now. Come here at once!

Understood!

Well, I said "at once"...

Oops! That's damned fast, Ayakumo.

Yes!

This material must be checked by noon today.

Understood!

Your gags are lame, so you should always move that fast.

It's too surreal... this conduct.

Huh?

Suicide!?

[Middle-aged woman poisoned by carbon monoxide] [Was it suicide?]

Say,

why did you tell Bimao frankly what you're doing?

What do you mean?

You told him you investigated this case as your hobby.

Well, it's a kind of bet.

If you don't know why someone is approaching you, you are especially on guard.

For example...

- What's that? It's scary! Stop it! - That's what I mean.

I see.

After all, I think Bimao Fujiwara isn't Fujiwara Yasujiro

but Sawamura Koji.

The fire at the gasoline station was the birth of Bimao Fujiwara.

I roughly know the external circumstances, but

if you don't know the motive, you can't get to the truth.

It was suicide.

Sawamura Koji's mother committed suicide and was brought to hospital by an ambulance.

No, not in Urashima Town but in Yamabushi City.

Yes, 23 years ago.

Right, 1 year after the fire at the gasoline station.

That's the data I've got so far.

As expected from the Criminal Department, to dig as deep as this.

No, it's not like that.

But, what's the connecting link between her suicide and the fire?

The death of her son?

Well, that's possible.

But, it's also possible that it was not Sawamura Koji

who died in the fire at the gasoline station but someone else.

Who, for example?

A clerk who worked there.

Viewed in this light, it's also possible that the corpse was that clerk.

Your ham sandwich. Thanks for waiting.

Okay.

Ham sandwich sounds like Korean, doesn't it?

Ham-san-doo!

- That's how they speak, don't they? - They do!

Enjoy your meal.

Now that everything got lost in the fire inferno,

the only way to prove that Bimao Fujiwara is Sawamura Koji is

telomere.

DNA...

We would know his approximate age, but what about the motive?

Nothing happens without a motive.

Say, by the way, am I a boring person?

Why?

Well, Jumonji-san always calls me like this.

He says I'm boring.

- You have an interesting face. - What's that supposed to mean?

Oops. It's from Mikazuki-kun.

Is she angry?

She says Bimao Fujiwara invited her.

Bimao Fujiwara, 71 years old.

He's said to bench-press 120kg.

What in the world might be his secret?

Please wait just a little moment, okay?

Yes. Thank you very much.

In the end we will need Bimao's DNA, that's what it amounts to.

How true.

I wish we had his DNA.

Are you alright?

Yes. I'm honestly sorry.

What I wanted to interview you about

is your nephew Sawamura Koji-san.

He died in the fire at the station.

That was certainly more than 20 years ago.

- You knew that? - Of course.

But I couldn't come to the funeral.

You were in Tokyo all the time?

No.

It's him, isn't it?

The man who was together with you at that time who investigates time-barred cases as a hobby.

- You mean Kiriyama? - Right. Kiriyama-san.

You came to me because he told you so.

Yoimachigusa-san, you're not a magazine writer.

No, I...

Please tell Kiriyama-san

he should please abstain from such dishonest machinations and approach me himself.

I'm back!

Huh? Where's Kiriyama-san?

He said he was going to look for Ayakumo-san.

Ayakumo? That's me.

Strange, isn't it? Well, doesn't matter.

- Home welcome! - Back I am! (They permute the words)

Huh? Where's Kiriyama-kun?

No idea.

- Where did he go? - I guess he returned home.

This is his home.

That's long enough. We should eat now.

- Is that alright? - Absolutely!

He called us all here himself and then didn't say a word.

Let's try to call him.

It's ringing, isn't it?

Over there.

- That's just silly. - Let's eat!

I had the opportunity to talk with the man who was in charge at that time.

He drew portraits of the persons who were involved in the gasoline station fire for me.

Pictures disappear in a fire, but people's memories do not.

Look.

It's good!

The detective in charge at that time came from an art school.

I see. And who is this man?

The owner of the gasoline station.

He was the material witness in Fujiwara Shinichi's accident.

If we could find this man...

Unfortunately, he died 10 years ago in another city.

I'm home.

Mikazuki-kun, where have you been?

Kiriyama-kun, where have you been yourself!

Well, I've bought Shirataki. (Japanese noodles)

What took you so long to buy those Shirataki?

Well, there's a big boom in Bimao Fujiwara's Shirataki diet.

So that's why.

I've tried it myself, but of course it didn't work.

Couldn't it be that this was your own fault?

Aside from those Shirataki,

this is one more man who worked at the gasoline station.

- Huh? - What is it?

- It's him, huh? - What's wrong?

The soaking wet person!

I'm not wet because I like it!

We know.

I'm telling you, before the fire occured,

Fujiwara Yasujiro was hiding in the gasoline station.

Bimao Fujiwara?

Are you sure about that?

There is no doubt.

It was Fujiwara Yasujiro.

Fujiwara Yasujiro was chased by a gang

for something he had done in Tokyo.

That's why he lived secludedly in a bare room with only a heater.

At the time of the identification of the corpse, the owner of the station

didn't say a word to the police about Fujiwara Yasujiro, right?

- Of course. - Why?

It was possible that the corpse was Fujiwara Yasujiro just as well.

No, it wasn't.

Someone had seen Fujiwara Yasujiro after the fire.

Does that mean Fujiwara Yasujiro murdered Sawamura Koji?

Who knows?

- There's no motive, huh? - That's right.

But, the owner Inomata never mentioned that Yasujiro was alive.

He even didn't tell the police that he was hiding from the Yakuza.

Is there a reason why the owner went so far?

Inomata was in Fujiwara Yasujiro's debt.

Fujiwara Yasujiro's older brother was Fujiwara Shinichi.

Sawamura Koji's father, right?

Right. Sawamura Kanako's ex-husband.

The one who killed him was probably

Fujiwara Yasujiro.

Killed?

Sawamura Koji's father was killed?

And even by his own brother?

It happened about 2 years before the fire.

That's how I looked at that time.

Officially, it was an accident caused by brake failure.

Shinichi-san, what's wrong?

Oi, Inomata, have a look at the radiator. For free.

Inomata, when will you finally repay the money?

Surely someday...

The guy who was seized by the neck

was the gasoline station owner Inomata.

- It was a money trouble? - Precisely!

The owner Inomata and Fujiwara Yasujiro had both

borrowed money from Fujiwara Shinichi.

If Fujiwara Shinichi died, their debts would disappear too.

Immediately after his brother's accident, Yasujiro went to Tokyo

and when he returned to Urashima, he hid in the gasoline station.

That's why at the time of the fire the owner Inomata

didn't speak a word about Yasujiro who knew too much.

If the police had snooped around, it would have all come out.

- What is going on here! - You shocked me.

So at the time of the fire, Yasujiro was living in that room of the gasoline station.

But, the one who died was the high school student Sawamura Koji.

Why a high school student died in the fire,

I do not know.

However,

I have a feeling that I'm the next who will be roasted.

That's why you're always wet. Somehow it's a cheap trauma, right?

Well... it's a minor case, isn't it?

Nowadays, it's a case for splendid photos.

Because the photos of the criminals in minor cases are usually splendid, right?

You mean like this, right?

Yeah, that's surely a criminal.

Hey, put it away!

Do you know that Fujiwara Yasujiro is now super-famous as Bimao Fujiwara?

~Bimao~

Doesn't seem familiar to me.

You know it, don't you?

Well...

You're still hiding something.

Could it be Sawamura Kanako-san's...

Huh?

What's that?

The leftovers. From the fire at the station.

What? That's all that's left?

What's that! Such a big box for such a small item?

Is this the trend recently?

But the printer prints only black and white.

Such a package!?

Return it to the bereaved family please.

The bereaved family?

But Sawamura Koji's father and mother are both dead.

His mother is also dead?

Yes. Seems she committed suicide after the fire.

I do remember Sawamura Kanako-san.

Her complexion was characteristic.

We still have all the records.

What a luck!

Well, the thing is, the deceased Sawamura Kanako-san...

She died? There is such a record?

But the newspaper said she committed suicide.

According to our records, Sawamura Kanako-san survived!

Is that true?!

What do you think is that?

"Kanashige Mayday".

It's in the neighbourhood of Kanashige Town after all.

Kanashige... (kanashii = sad)

This

is the perfect name for a facility for women who have reached the end of their life, right?

You shouldn't say such things.

Well, that's how it is.

[ Kanashige Mayday ]

This is Sawamura Kanako-san.

Pleased to meet you. Kiriyama is my name.

- This is Ayakumo-kun. - I'm Ayakumo.

Perhaps it's a little intrusive,

but I would like you to take a look at a photo.

Here it is.

I don't know him.

Please look closely.

He looks like 40 now, but

doesn't he resemble a 17-year-old teenager who you knew very well?

I don't know him. I have never seen this man.

I don't know this man!

Don't you remember? Your son.

Doesn't he look like your son who died in a fire?

I don't know him... I don't know him... I don't know him...

I don't know him... I don't know him...

I'm sorry! I'll clean it up at once!

I don't know him...

If we're successful,

we'll get top class Genius Horse Burgers at 3,000 yen apiece!

Kiriyama will really treat us, won't he?

That's what we take this risk for.

You're doing nothing at all!

He would recognize me as the fake reporter so it wouldn't work.

Will this really work?

We have to give it a try.

Damned! At such a busy time. My desk is full and so is my bladder.

Forget it!

Kiriyama, this time you're going too far.

Aren't you overdoing your hobby?

Well, maybe you're right.

From the stairs of Roppongi subway station,

"Pachinko Minami" reads as "chinko mina"

on this pinpoint photo.

(chinko mina = Don't stare at my penis)

Never mind! Forget it!

So, an official DNA test takes samples of both persons and costs 100,000 yen.

100,000 yen?

- As black labor, it's 5,000 yen. - Then, as black labor please.

And, where's the sample?

The first one is this.

A woman's? Where's the other one?

Then, do it please.

Excuse me!

- Are you alright? - Ye... Yes!

I have to apologize.

Are you unhurt? (Okega wa arimasen ka?)

- I've got the hair. (Okeke ga arimashita.) - What's that?

Eh?

Then, bye-bye.

Geez! Don't give me a shock please!

But look!

If Bimao Fujiwara alias Fujiwara Yasujiro

is indeed Sawamura Koji,

where could the real Fujiwara Yasujiro be?

The fact that he doesn't utter a word against the abuse of his name

can have, broadly speaking, 3 possible reasons.

1st: Bimao Fujiwara is the real Fujiwara Yasujiro.

The 2nd is,

he's living in a world without TV and Internet.

That's not impossible. And 3rd...

He isn't in this world anymore.

I'm honestly sorry.

The fake reporter! That's alright.

Here you go. This is being marketed as rejuvenating water.

Such a bottle costs 1,500 yen. Expensive, isn't it?

Cheers!

I'm sorry for calling you.

No problem. If there's something you want me to know.

Well, it's no big deal.

What is it then? Is your hobby investigation making progress?

Honestly speaking, not at all.

I'm considering various possibilities, but they come all to a dead end.

Various possibilities?

For example, it's possible that the high school student Sawamura Koji-san was murdered

and the fire was started in order to destroy the evidence.

- A case of murder? - Yes.

It's very rude to say this, but...

I am the murderer.

No, it's not like this.

In order to become a criminal, you need one thing above all.

- And that is? - A motive.

You had no motive. A motive to kill the high school student Sawamura Koji.

Well, that's true.

Sawamura Kanako...

No way!

But Sawamura Kanako also had absolutely no motive to kill her son Sawamura Koji.

That's right.

There is no one who had a motive to kill Sawamura Koji-san.

For this reason, the probability that it was a case of murder is low.

Anything else?

I have to apologize.

I fell into my bad habit to talk about all these dead ends.

These are the leftovers.

Leftovers?

Is this what you wanted to give to me?

But, why to me?

Among Sawamura Koji's living relatives,

there is no one eligible but you, his uncle.

I see.

This is all?

Yes.

The size of the box isn't very appropriate, is it?

Indeed.

It's the button that Sawamura Koji-san held in his hand.

Someone told me that he had excellent grades

because he was raised by a single mother and desperately tried to meet her expectations.

Sad, isn't it?

What about that mother?

Isn't she the rightful person to receive the leftovers?

She seems to have attempted suicide 1 year after the fire.

There is no reason why I should visit you again.

Is that so?

It's useless to poke around in this case any longer.

- Are you giving up? - Yes.

I'm sorry for molesting you with my boring hobby.

Kiriyama-san, I wish we had met a little earlier.

What do you mean?

Nothing. It had no particular significance.

Well then.

Excuse me,

Sawamura Koji-san.

I'm sorry.

So Bimao Fujiwara is indeed Sawamura Koji.

Provided that the automatic door is telling the truth.

These parking meter receipts are too small to tear them off!

Never mind! Forget it!

Kiriyama, the result of the DNA test is here. 5,000 yen.

Thanks for your order.

And this is the result.

Based on the DNA of their hair,

the probability that these 2 persons are parent and child is 96%.

That was Bingo!

Thank you very much.

I can't believe that you're the same age as my grandfather.

Being told that raises ambivalent feelings, doesn't it?

- Thank you very much. - Thank you very much.

Excuse me, an autograph for my mother please.

Huh?

- Ayakumo, you will go too, right? - Of course I'll go!

- You're going? Where? - To Bimao Fujiwara's place.

It's the grand finale at last.

~The attractive face of Yoshitoku~

I thought no one was in here.

Is it true that you're going to Bimao Fujiwara's place?

Kiriyama-san got a phone call from Bimao that he wanted to see him.

Why did Sawamura Koji decide to live as Bimao?

The most stereotyped reason would be he wanted to hide that he had killed him.

Even so, I still can't find it.

- The motive. - My heart! You're right, the motive.

The high school student Sawamura Koji,

why did he find it necessary to kill Fujiwara Yasujiro?

Stop it please! You're ticking like a clock.

The motive? Motive, motive...

...makes my heart beat~! (douki = motive, dokidoki = heartbeat)

That's boring, Ayakumo.

Let's go!

As a boring punishment you'll do a stakeout practice.

Immediately?

When shall you do it? At once, I'd say!

Can't it be shifted a little, huh?

There's a place where I have to go now!

You! You... you bitch!

Your gags are boring so be hot in the investigation!

No!

- Man, I'm so tired! - What happened?

I got drunk last evening.

I went home and when I woke up in the night,

Tutankhaten was looking at me.

It was the one from the ramen shop.

Seems I've brought him home.

- Isn't that illegal? - Sure it is.

But, why the Tutankhaten from the ramen shop?

After all, it's "Tutan Ramen".

- Ah, now I see! - That's why!

Quiet! Quiet! Be quiet, be quiet!

In the first place, why did you bring such a thing home?

Because my first love looked like Tutankhaten.

We shouldn't go deeper into this topic, okay?

- I guess you're right. - And then?

After that, I dreamed Tutankhaten had been stolen!

I thought, "That's bad" and when I jumped up and looked around,

Tutankhaten wasn't there.

And where was he?

Here you are?

He had returned to the ramen shop.

He must have gotten up early and went back by himself, don't you think?

Are you playing us for a fool!

Yes. The correct answer is,

my son had noticed and brought him back without asking me.

Quite boring for such a long story, wasn't it?

Don't make such weird sounds!

I've found it!

- Found what? - The motive.

First, I would like to clarify

that what I'm going to say now is only the result of my hobby.

The case itself is past the statute of limitations already.

Even if you proved to be the perpetrator,

I could take no action.

Bimao Fujiwara alias Fujiwara Yasujiro-san,

your true name is

Sawamura Koji-san, isn't it?

Are you claiming that again, Kiriyama-san?

Of course, I have evidence.

First, this.

This is the analytical result of Sawamura Kanako's DNA.

And this is your DNA.

The experts say unanimously that these 2 DNAs

are the DNAs of parent and child.

Do you think something like that was legal?

Even if it's only your hobby...

No, precisely because it's only your hobby,

analyzing other people's DNA without their permission is not allowed.

Well, but I...

On top of that, the result of the DNA test wasn't 100%.

As long as a few percent uncertainty remain, it's no definite proof.

Besides, did Sawamura Kanako

give you permission to analyze her genes?

What you said right now,

is based on the premise that Sawamura Kanako-san is alive, right?

Where did you come to know that Sawamura Kanako-san,

who was supposed to have committed suicide, was still alive?

Excuse me, an autograph for my mother please.

Huh?

At that moment, you realized that this woman

was your mother Sawamura Kanako-san, right?

Alright.

Let's assume, for arguments sake, that I'm Sawamura Koji.

The one who died in that fire

was Fujiwara Yasujiro-san.

You arranged that Fujiwara Yasujiro's body

would be taken for Sawamura Koji

and set the gasoline station on fire for camouflage.

And at this point in time, you turned

from Sawamura Koji into Fujiwara Yasujiro.

Luckily, you were 18 and had a driver's license already.

This is your driver's license application.

It wasn't burned in the fire disaster.

The gasoline station

was a convenient place to cover up the crime.

You returned to that room at night

and set it on fire with an oil stove or something like that.

Directly below the building with the corpse there was a fuel storage tank.

The fire burned for a long time

and all potential evidence was completely burned up.

Fingerprints, teeth, a skull that had been injured by a hit with a blunt instrument.

Only 1 item, which indicated that the corpse was Sawamura Koji,

the button of his school uniform, was left.

Kiriyama-san,

are you really a policeman?

What do you mean?

Hey!

Huh?

Hey!

Hey!

The most important thing with a murder is the motive, right?

Even under the assumption that I were Sawamura Koji,

I had no motive to kill my uncle Fujiwara Yasujiro.

What's wrong, Kiriyama-san? Already out of breath?

- Here. - Yes.

I'm very sorry if I didn't make myself clear enough,

but I never said

that it was you who killed Fujiwara Yasujiro.

What then?

The story is simple.

The one who killed Fujiwara Yasujiro

wasn't Sawamura Koji, in other words, it wasn't you.

Why do you say so?

Fujiwara Yasujiro had a strange habit.

Each Wednesday, when the gasoline station was closed,

he met with a certain person.

The day of the incident was a Wednesday.

There's a man who is now called "the soaking wet person"

but originally was an employee of the gasoline station.

Every day he went to the train station

and asked if not some strangers had come to town.

These strangers were the gangsters who searched for Fujiwara Yasujiro.

Fujiwara Yasujiro himself

was anxious not to attract the attention of his pursuers

and lived secludedly in town.

Even on that day, he went to visit Fujiwara Yasujiro.

He saw Fujiwara Yasujiro who was bleeding from a wound on his head.

What he saw was distinctly the dead body of Fujiwara Yasujiro.

The time was around 4:00 PM.

Who would believe the words of such a deranged man!

For a start, if it was like this, why did he keep quiet?

Extortion, blackmail, was it perhaps such a thing?

He didn't do that.

Why do you say so?

Because he had a feeling of guilt.

Guilt?

Yes. During his time as a clerk at the gasoline station

he had something to do with the accidential death of your father.

I think he helped somehow

to tinker with your father's car.

That's why he was anxious not to speak a word about the accident or with you

and acted that strange man called "the soaking wet person", I guess.

So, who killed Fujiwara Yasujiro actually?

- I think... - Kiriyama-san!

That person

was me.

That's impossible.

Impossible?

Because you, Sawamura Koji-san, were at another place at that time.

In the classroom of a prep school.

This is only based on your assumption.

No. It's Kuhonbutsu-san.

Nonsense. She's a writer and...

Right. The reason why she started to cover Bimao Fujiwara

was not to jump on the bandwagon of the Bimao boom.

It was because she secretly thought you had the facial expression

of a person she had met before.

Kuhonbutsu-san was a student at the same prep school as you.

She said on the day of the fire at around 4:00 PM

she saw you in the classroom of the prep school.

So, who in the world...

Didn't I tell you it was me!

You are covering for someone, right?

Considering all these circumstances, I come to the following conclusion.

The one who killed Fujiwara Yasujiro is...

The one who killed Fujiwara Yasujiro is...

Sawamura Kanako. Your mother.

And the motive?

My mother had no reason to kill him.

Your mother wanted to send you to college by all means

and had a number of jobs to earn money for an education fund.

Oneesan (Sister), long time no see.

At that time, she met by chance

her ex-husband's brother, Fujiwara Yasujiro.

- Hi. - Welcome back.

In this case there were two significant coincidences.

You look so similar, don't you?

The first was that Sawamura Koji and the young Fujiwara Yasujiro

were as alike as two peas in a pod.

A similarity between uncle and nephew

is not unusual from the genetic point of view.

At that time, your mother was willing to give the shirt off her back

in order to get the financing for your education.

Trust me. I'm your husband's little brother after all.

The one who took advantage of that was Fujiwara Yasujiro.

Neesan, Koji's prep school costs money, doesn't it?

Stop it!

- Stop it please. - Don't you trust me!

Koji may be my own child.

Don't talk like this!

I can't forget my sister-in-law's body.

Aniki's accident wasn't an accident. (Aniki = Big Brother)

Stop it now!

In the end, there was some kind of trouble and he was killed.

Aniki!

Aniki! Aniki!

When the soaking wet person saw the body of Yasujiro-san,

your mother was probably still in the room.

I'm sorry, but today's class is rescheduled.

And the other coincidence was

that the prep school class was temporarily cancelled on that day.

The gasoline station was sitting between the train station and your home.

Of course this is only my guess,

but I think you saw your mother

hastening away from the crime scene.

And then you found

the killed Fujiwara Yasujiro.

You were quite an intelligent boy.

You saw the scene and knew at once

that it was your mother who had killed Fujiwara Yasujiro.

The police would quickly detect the relationship between your mother and Yasujiro.

Once that happened, your mother came under suspicion

and would soon confess the crime.

Was there a way to protect your mother?

There was only one.

You had to impersonate Fujiwara Yasujiro.

If Fujiwara Yasujiro was alive,

your mother had not committed a murder.

Because the murdered person was alive.

But, what should you do with the corpse?

Suddenly you had an idea.

The corpse would impersonate you.

If the corpse was you,

no suspicion would fall on your mother even if the police judged it as murder.

And why, Mikazuki-kun?

- There's no doki (heartbeat)! - Correct.

There's no douki (motive).

She had no reason to kill her son whom she had raised with so much effort.

I think your mother was confused when they informed her

about the death of her son.

Why did her son burn to death in that room?

And the body of Fujiwara Yasujiro whom she had killed herself,

where had it disappeared?

I think your mother figured out your identity switch

from a very early stage.

But in the end it affected her state of mind.

The peculiarity of this case is

that the perpetrator didn't know you were her accomplice

and you made it appear as a different kind of case.

As a result, the police investigation was confounded and the case became time-barred.

That's all. This is the sum of what I found out.

As for the rest, I have to ask you as the perpetrator

to be so kind to tell us.

Bimao Fujiwara,

the person I'm now, was born on that day.

The day when I returned from prep school

and saw my mother rushing out of that room of the gasoline station.

I wanted to protect my mother at any cost.

This unique woman, my mother who worked so hard for me.

Eh? Yasujiro-san!

I met Seguro Iwao

after the case had become time-barred.

Seguro thought I was Fujiwara Yasujiro.

From his perspective it was a reunion after 16 years.

Fujiwara Yasujiro had to be over 60.

Of course, Seguro thought that Fujiwara Yasujiro looked unusually young.

And so he thought I could be used as poster boy

for the health food company he was running.

I let myself in for Seguro's scheme.

The trigger was the Big Valentine Fire.

Everything connected with the incident had turned to ash.

That's why I could become famous without having to worry.

If my mother was alive, she would certainly notice me.

She would recognize that I wasn't Fujiwara Yasujiro

but her son Koji, there's no doubt about that.

Hey, stop! Please don't enter here without permission!

Koji!

Koji... Koji! Koji!

Koji! Koji!

Koji!

Please go ahead.

Koji!

I didn't have to contact her.

It would be enough if she saw me on the TV screen.

That's the thought with which I was living.

The more I became Bimao Fujiwara, the more my mother's sin would be wiped out.

But now the time has come to take off the mask.

Kiriyama-san, let's go.

Go?

No matter how long it's time-barred, the police will investigate the case, right?

Moreover, the fact that I'm not Fujiwara Yasujiro

but Sawamura Koji will be seen as fraud.

No.

This is only my private hobby investigation.

It will never become publicly known.

Is that so?

Go ahead.

Excuse me.

Ah, Seguro-san.

Are you in the office now?

Yes, I'll come by.

Seguro-san,

I think I'll tell everything on a press conference tomorrow.

You mustn't do such a thing!

Wouldn't it mean the end of dreams and hopes!

The people you gave the hope of youth, do you want to throw them all into Hell!

It's too late. This automatic transmitter is sending a fax

that I'll hold a press conference about my false age statement to every media company.

Stop!

Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm very sorry,

but Fujiwara won't come here today.

A while after this,

we received a postcard from Kuhonbutsu-san who was spending some time abroad.

At this place Bimao Fujiwara,

no, Sawamura Koji-san

was currently living, she wrote.

Oh...

Excuse me, there's something I forgot to hand over.

- Okay, here you go. Here you go. - Thank you.

He's still living secludedly.

Mother!

Mother, it's hot today.

When you go to the fields later, you better put a cooler around your neck.

Kiriyama-san is here.

So you figured out I was living here.

I see, from Kuhonbutsu-san.

You're staying in touch with her, right?

Yes.

A letter from time to time.

Why are you here?

There's something I had forgotten.

I never disclose anything about my cases.

So, in order to put the perpetrator at ease

and as token of my gratitude for their cooperation I hand something over.

This.

It's my Darenimo-Iimasen card. (I won't tell anyone)

Darenimo-Iimasen card?

No... It's a Darenimo-Iimasenyo card. (I definitely won't tell anyone)

I put my personal seal here so keep it with you please.

Here you go.

And this one is for your mother.

The Darenimo-Iimasenyo card "F".

It's for women so the corners are rounded, right?

You recognized that very well!

Female intuition, perhaps.

Thank you very much.

This was really the last time. Well then...

Kiriyama-san,

it's hot, isn't it?

Can't we eat some icecream first?

It's sold at the roadside station and is pretty good.

Well, then I'll take some.

It will be sold out soon so I bought a lot.

Hey, have you seen him? Miraijin (Futureman) Otani.

Yeah, I saw him, I saw him. He's great, isn't he?

Ayakumo, what an outfit is that?

It's a disguise. We received a tip

that a wanted criminal disappeared into the crowd on a festival.

We'll investigate undercover now.

Rock'n Roll! Festival, festival, festival!

- You guys are tough, huh? - So you should better go out now.

First and foremost Hachisuka, what are you aiming for?

The Yurayura Emperor.

It's more the Yurayura goblin, isn't it?

That's enough!

Ayakumo, you're going as oil peddler, right?

Yes. I'll go change clothes at once.

Why are you circling? Whatever you do, it's boring!

I'm sorry!

By the way, guys, is that ice?

- You want some? - No, thanks.

How could a detective eat ice!

Kiriyama, what is the food a detective should eat?

Bread.

Kiriyama, that's correct! Ping-pong, ping-pong, ping-pong!

You're amazing, Kiriyama!

Did you shed your old skin when you were in America?

For a stakeout you need sweet bread and a pack of milk.

That's the meal of a gourmet cop.

There's no cop pudding. Right, Hachi-san?

"Shed your old skin"? "Gourmet cop"? "Cop pudding"? I don't understand a word.

What will happen now?

Ask Miraijin Otani!

Ah, I see! Miraijin Otani! Futureman.

You don't know him?

The good-looking grandpa who claims to come from the future.

His eyelids are single-edged.

Single-edged eyelids look so futuristic, don't they!

So the next Bimao is Miraijin?

The public is easy to manipulate, huh?

Man from the future... that's rubbish!

He is great!

His predictions are accurate right on the mark.

Since he comes from the future, he knows everything.

If you could see the future, what would you like to know?

I wonder if he couldn't tell me my future too.

Such a silence?