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Prologue
Isezaki Ijinchou
Yokohama
The Yokohama fire department responds to a report of red smoke coming out of an abandoned building near the river. Upon arriving they don't find a fire, but a collection of flares arranged to look like an arrow pointing towards something covered by a tarp. The two firemen on the scene pull the tarp back to reveal a rotting, fly-infested corpse tied to a chair, a great splash of blood beneath the body.
Kamurocho, Tokyo
December 6th, 2021
Takayuki Yagami, disgraced lawyer turned private investigator, is on a stakeout with his partner Masaharu Kaito and their latest client, a young woman named Keiko. Bored out of his mind, Kaito tries plumbing Yagami for some trivia games, but Yagami is focused on the burger joint their target is supposedly in. Keiko is also not one for trivia, which Kaito replies by saying that kind of attitude was what got her conned in the first place. Yagami reassures Keiko that she's not at fault and that it's too early to jump to the conclusion that it was a con, which brightens Keiko's mood as she says she was right to come to Yagami's agency for help.
As they wait, Keiko says the guy they're looking for, "Kosuke-kun", only ever eats fast food for lunch, Yagami finds it odd that he hasn't left the burger joint in over 20 minutes, wondering if Kosuke is a slow eater. Kaito asks why Keiko just rushed into a date with some random punk she met on the internet, which Keiko refutes: she and Kosuke had been chatting on a dating app for some time, and he really seemed to get her. Kaito snarks that he "got her" enough to dump a 1.2 million yen bill in her lap at the bar they visited, which Keiko again defends due to Kosuke being a college student short on cash- besides, he also told her the yakuza would murder him if he didn't pay up soon. Yagami confirms that Keiko has about 400K left to pay up, with Keiko adding Kosuke has been pressuring her into going into sex work to cover the rest of the tab. Kaito says this is a classic bar scam an ex-yakuza like him knows all about, Which Keiko again defends that they don't know everything yet before expressing her frustration as to why the cops don't shut down sleazy bars and sex clubs like that. Yagami says that Non-Intervention policies prevent the police from doing so, but fortunately Genda Law Office knows all the ins and outs of Kamurocho and is more than happy to help... or at the very least get Yagami and Kaito on the case.
Just then, Kosuke shows himself and exits the burger joint. Yagami leaves Keiko with Kaito and goes to shadow Kosuke, to see where he goes and if he meets any suspicious parties. He follows Kosuke into town and spots him meeting another young woman; thinking that at the very least he's a cheater, Yagami gets in close and takes some pictures. Fortunately, it's innocent- the young woman is an underclassman of Kosuke's checking in to see why he hasn't come to their club meetings lately. Kosuke continues on with Yagami following close behind, but as the two continue deeper into the city they attract some unwanted attention: a gang of yakuza that recognize Yagami as the detective that busted their aniki for cheating. Pissed that they suffered due to Yagami's actions, they go out and attack the detective, but Yagami fights them off without much issue. However, in the process he nearly loses Kosuke, eventually picking up the young man's trail as he heads into a parking lot.
Yagami trails Kosuke through a convenience store (where the young man withdraws a large amount of cash) and down to a seemingly abandoned building with a man standing guard outside. Yagami tries to get in, but the man at the door drives him off saying no walk-ins allowed. Undeterred, Yagami looks around and spots an open window on the third floor, using his parkour skills to climb up the AC ducts and into the building. When he gets through, though, a pair of thugs enter the room and ask what he's doing there. Yagami acts dumb, saying he's a guest of Kosuke's that got lost and is trying to find him again. The thugs tell him Kosuke is in the Tatami room on Floor 5 (hinting that the building is an illegal gambling hall), but when Yagami goes to leave they ask for his membership card. Yagami apologizes as it seems he's lost his card, but this gets the thugs angry- they don't have membership cards, so Yagami is obviously an intruder. Yagami drops the act and beats the thugs down before calling Kaito and informing him of what he learned. As he's on the phone, though, one of the thugs recovers just enough to call for backup, forcing Yagami to sneak through the lower levels of the building to get to the hall.
After taking out the guard at the front of the Tatami room, Yagami enters and sees that it is indeed a gambling hall. Kosuke is there, and he is getting cleaned out on a string of bad luck. The men running the den joke about Kosuke's bad luck, but he is undeterred as he's got a lot of cash on hand thanks to the girls he's been swindling, of which Keiko is only the most recent. After Kosuke leaves the gambling den, Yagami exits the building and calls Kaito, the other man agreeing to bring the van around while Yagami confronts Kosuke. Yagami approaches Kosuke and calls him out on the scam, and as he gets defensive Kosuke threatens to call the Tojo Clan on Yagami, Yagami is unimpressed, and when Kosuke tries to punch him he deflects the blow before reminding Kosuke the Tojo Clan disbanded years ago, so that kind of threat won't get him anywhere. Now panicking, Kosuke tries to fight Yagami, but the detective easily takes him down. Just then some of Kosuke's fellows from the gambling hall come out, stepping up to defend their "customer" from Yagami. This does little to defeat Yagami, and Kosuke finally decides to make a run for it. Yagami chases Kosuke down to an alley, where he's joined soon after by Kaito and Keiko. Kaito jokes Yagami's probably the only lawyer he knows that solves problems with his fists, and both Kosuke and Keiko are surprised to learn Yagami is a lawyer. Yagami pulls out his badge and confirms yes, he is a lawyer, but he's not a practicing lawyer and mostly sticks to detective work. First things first, though, the four of them are going to have a nice little chat in the van.
Kosuke gets shoved into the back with Yagami, all the while proclaiming his innocence. He tries to get Keiko on his side, only to piss her off further when he refers to her as "Yuko-chan". Yagami nicks Kosuke's phone and asks him to call the bar he's been working with, but Kosuke continues to plead his innocence. Kaito isn't having it and lays out just how the scam works, which finally gets Kosuke to shut up about his innocence. However, the bar's run by an ex-Tojo Clan member, and he'd kill them all if they tried to oppose him. Kaito (being ex-Tojo himself) brags that they're not scared of some limp-dicked yakuza- Yagami Detective Agency is the best around, after all. Kosuke's never heard of them, which gets Kaito riled up until Yagami gets him to calm down- reputations take some time to build, after all. Yagami calls the bar and has Kosuke answer, the man on the other line asking if he's given up on Keiko and found another girl. Yagami chimes in and asks for some more details, which the yakuza lays out before asking just who he's speaking to. Yagami tells the man that he and his colleague will be stopping by later to pick up Keiko's money (plus a little extra for operating expenses), and they better have it all there when they arrive. With that settled, they're ready to move on and deal with Kosuke's handlers, and the man tries to reaffirm his innocence by proclaiming his love for Keiko.
Yagami isn't having that either.
The group drives over to Genda Law Office, Kaito waiting in the van with Kosuke while Yagami takes Keiko inside for her own safety. They find head lawyer Ryuzo Genda going through some paperwork, the older man welcoming the two inside. Yagami notices the absence of both junior lawyers, Saori Shirosaki and Issei Hoshino, with Genda telling him they're down at the courthouse for a sentencing. Yagami asks if they got another big murder case, but Genda says no- it's a public nuisance case: two months ago, a man by the name of Akihiro Ehara was caught groping a woman at a train station, and the video of his capture promptly went viral (to further sensationalize the story, it turns out Ehara was an on-duty cop). Yagami asks why Genda Law got involved, with Genda saying that usually Kamuro PD has a lawyer to handle these sorts of things, someone to set up a plea deal that would get Ehara stripped of his badge but out of prison, but Ehara kept pleading his innocence so the lawyer dropped the case, letting it bounce over to Saori, Yagami guesses Hoshino went along to try and impress her, but declines to stick around and wait for them to come back and tell him more. Genda chides Yagami for overworking himself, but Yagami sees nothing wrong and tells Keiko he'll be right back with her money.
Yagami and Kaito drag Kosuke over to the bar he brought Keiko. Kosuke pleads once more to let him go, but the two older men are not so lenient. Just before they bust in, though, Yagami gets a phone call- it's Fumiya Sugiura, the young thief turned crimefighter that helped Yagami back in 2018. Yagami asks what the occasion is, and Sugiura has some big news- he and Makoto Tsukumo have opened their own detective agency down in Yokohama. Yagami says that's great, but they're kind of in the middle of something and hangs up on Sugiura. With that settled for now, Yagami and Kaito drag Kosuke into the bar. Inside they find a small gang of yakuza-looking fellows hanging out, the leader asking if they're the guys that called in earlier. Yagami and Kaito toss Kosuke aside and explain who they are, and to Kaito's pleasure they do recognize him. Pleasure turns to anger when the leader taunts Kaito about the break-in that got him thrown out of the Tojo Clan in the first place, but Yagami holds his partner back before making his demands for Keiko's money. The thugs aren't budging and get ready to fight, with Yagami and Kaito preparing as well. Then Yagami's phone rings. It's Tsukumo, who's worried Sugiura said something to offend Yagami and that's why he hung up. Yagami reassures Tsukumo everything is fine and he'll call back later before hanging up again, and with that settled the two heroes battle it out with the yakuza. The thugs go down easily enough, and Yagami and Kaito leave the bar with Keiko's money (and their fee).
That night, Yagami and Kaito return to Genda Law and give Keiko her money back. Kaito goes on to tell Genda that the thugs closed up shop and skipped town after the fight, and they won't be bothering any other young women in the future. Keiko is grateful for their help, swearing to be more careful with who she trusts next time... and to get a new dating app to try out. Kaito knocks her for just dating guys she meets online, but everyone says that's a legitimate way to meet a romantic partner- even Genda says Kaito's got to get with the times. With that Keiko leaves, Kaito giving her a friendly wave goodbye.
After Keiko leaves, Yagami notes Saori and Hoshino aren't back from the courthouse yet. Genda is suspicious too, though he doesn't buy Kaito's theory that they stopped off for a quickie somewhere- they're not together (yet), and he's got a lot more time and experience behind him than they do so he's best at picking these sorts of things out. Kaito asks if he's also referring to the late Mitsugu Matsugane, Kaito's former patriarch and Yagami's other father figure. Genda says yes, commenting that while they were on opposite sides of the law, they were both men doing their best to cut it in Kamurocho. Genda tells them they should go to visit Matsugane's grave sometime, and the two agree before they depart for the night. Yagami and Kaito go back to their office to relax and catch up with Sugiura, who is perfectly fine with the interruption and happy to talk. He actually has a favor to ask of the two- he and Tsukumo got set up in Yokohama six months ago, and they've been fairly busy with cases since then. The reason why he called was that they landed a really big case that, if all goes well, could get them business for life, and Sugiura wanted to bring Yagami and Kaito in so they could show the two newbies the ropes and help with the investigation. Yagami and Kaito are happy to help out, and they make arrangements to meet in Ijinchou the next day to begin the investigation.
During all this, Ehara is at court to hear his sentence. The man seems rather crass about his fate, with Saori and Hoshino chiding him as it may give the judge a bad impression of him. Ehara is not worried - after all, he's guilty as charged. All the preparations are made, after all. Saori has no time to ask what he means when the judges enter, calling Ehara up to hear his sentencing. The court sentences Ehara to six months in prison, a rather severe charge for a first-time offender. But when the presiding judge asks Ehara to sit down for the rationale, Ehara does not.
Instead, he smirks.
Ehara asks the judge if he knew the identity of a body discovered three days prior in Yokohama. When confusion ripples through the court, Ehara takes that as a no and decides to enlighten them: the body is of Hiro Mikoshiba, the man Ehara holds responsible for driving his own son to suicide four years prior. Ehara says Mikoshiba should have died a thousand times for his crimes, but because the law did not see his actions as criminal he walked free. The judge tells Ehara to hold his tongue before asking the defense for an explanation, and while Hoshino tries to stammer out a defense Saori stares down Ehara at the witness box.
Yokohama
The Yokohama fire department responds to a report of red smoke coming out of an abandoned building near the river. Upon arriving they don't find a fire, but a collection of flares arranged to look like an arrow pointing towards something covered by a tarp. The two firemen on the scene pull the tarp back to reveal a rotting, fly-infested corpse tied to a chair, a great splash of blood beneath the body.
Kamurocho, Tokyo
December 6th, 2021
Takayuki Yagami, disgraced lawyer turned private investigator, is on a stakeout with his partner Masaharu Kaito and their latest client, a young woman named Keiko. Bored out of his mind, Kaito tries plumbing Yagami for some trivia games, but Yagami is focused on the burger joint their target is supposedly in. Keiko is also not one for trivia, which Kaito replies by saying that kind of attitude was what got her conned in the first place. Yagami reassures Keiko that she's not at fault and that it's too early to jump to the conclusion that it was a con, which brightens Keiko's mood as she says she was right to come to Yagami's agency for help.
As they wait, Keiko says the guy they're looking for, "Kosuke-kun", only ever eats fast food for lunch, Yagami finds it odd that he hasn't left the burger joint in over 20 minutes, wondering if Kosuke is a slow eater. Kaito asks why Keiko just rushed into a date with some random punk she met on the internet, which Keiko refutes: she and Kosuke had been chatting on a dating app for some time, and he really seemed to get her. Kaito snarks that he "got her" enough to dump a 1.2 million yen bill in her lap at the bar they visited, which Keiko again defends due to Kosuke being a college student short on cash- besides, he also told her the yakuza would murder him if he didn't pay up soon. Yagami confirms that Keiko has about 400K left to pay up, with Keiko adding Kosuke has been pressuring her into going into sex work to cover the rest of the tab. Kaito says this is a classic bar scam an ex-yakuza like him knows all about, Which Keiko again defends that they don't know everything yet before expressing her frustration as to why the cops don't shut down sleazy bars and sex clubs like that. Yagami says that Non-Intervention policies prevent the police from doing so, but fortunately Genda Law Office knows all the ins and outs of Kamurocho and is more than happy to help... or at the very least get Yagami and Kaito on the case.
Just then, Kosuke shows himself and exits the burger joint. Yagami leaves Keiko with Kaito and goes to shadow Kosuke, to see where he goes and if he meets any suspicious parties. He follows Kosuke into town and spots him meeting another young woman; thinking that at the very least he's a cheater, Yagami gets in close and takes some pictures. Fortunately, it's innocent- the young woman is an underclassman of Kosuke's checking in to see why he hasn't come to their club meetings lately. Kosuke continues on with Yagami following close behind, but as the two continue deeper into the city they attract some unwanted attention: a gang of yakuza that recognize Yagami as the detective that busted their aniki for cheating. Pissed that they suffered due to Yagami's actions, they go out and attack the detective, but Yagami fights them off without much issue. However, in the process he nearly loses Kosuke, eventually picking up the young man's trail as he heads into a parking lot.
Yagami trails Kosuke through a convenience store (where the young man withdraws a large amount of cash) and down to a seemingly abandoned building with a man standing guard outside. Yagami tries to get in, but the man at the door drives him off saying no walk-ins allowed. Undeterred, Yagami looks around and spots an open window on the third floor, using his parkour skills to climb up the AC ducts and into the building. When he gets through, though, a pair of thugs enter the room and ask what he's doing there. Yagami acts dumb, saying he's a guest of Kosuke's that got lost and is trying to find him again. The thugs tell him Kosuke is in the Tatami room on Floor 5 (hinting that the building is an illegal gambling hall), but when Yagami goes to leave they ask for his membership card. Yagami apologizes as it seems he's lost his card, but this gets the thugs angry- they don't have membership cards, so Yagami is obviously an intruder. Yagami drops the act and beats the thugs down before calling Kaito and informing him of what he learned. As he's on the phone, though, one of the thugs recovers just enough to call for backup, forcing Yagami to sneak through the lower levels of the building to get to the hall.
After taking out the guard at the front of the Tatami room, Yagami enters and sees that it is indeed a gambling hall. Kosuke is there, and he is getting cleaned out on a string of bad luck. The men running the den joke about Kosuke's bad luck, but he is undeterred as he's got a lot of cash on hand thanks to the girls he's been swindling, of which Keiko is only the most recent. After Kosuke leaves the gambling den, Yagami exits the building and calls Kaito, the other man agreeing to bring the van around while Yagami confronts Kosuke. Yagami approaches Kosuke and calls him out on the scam, and as he gets defensive Kosuke threatens to call the Tojo Clan on Yagami, Yagami is unimpressed, and when Kosuke tries to punch him he deflects the blow before reminding Kosuke the Tojo Clan disbanded years ago, so that kind of threat won't get him anywhere. Now panicking, Kosuke tries to fight Yagami, but the detective easily takes him down. Just then some of Kosuke's fellows from the gambling hall come out, stepping up to defend their "customer" from Yagami. This does little to defeat Yagami, and Kosuke finally decides to make a run for it. Yagami chases Kosuke down to an alley, where he's joined soon after by Kaito and Keiko. Kaito jokes Yagami's probably the only lawyer he knows that solves problems with his fists, and both Kosuke and Keiko are surprised to learn Yagami is a lawyer. Yagami pulls out his badge and confirms yes, he is a lawyer, but he's not a practicing lawyer and mostly sticks to detective work. First things first, though, the four of them are going to have a nice little chat in the van.
Kosuke gets shoved into the back with Yagami, all the while proclaiming his innocence. He tries to get Keiko on his side, only to piss her off further when he refers to her as "Yuko-chan". Yagami nicks Kosuke's phone and asks him to call the bar he's been working with, but Kosuke continues to plead his innocence. Kaito isn't having it and lays out just how the scam works, which finally gets Kosuke to shut up about his innocence. However, the bar's run by an ex-Tojo Clan member, and he'd kill them all if they tried to oppose him. Kaito (being ex-Tojo himself) brags that they're not scared of some limp-dicked yakuza- Yagami Detective Agency is the best around, after all. Kosuke's never heard of them, which gets Kaito riled up until Yagami gets him to calm down- reputations take some time to build, after all. Yagami calls the bar and has Kosuke answer, the man on the other line asking if he's given up on Keiko and found another girl. Yagami chimes in and asks for some more details, which the yakuza lays out before asking just who he's speaking to. Yagami tells the man that he and his colleague will be stopping by later to pick up Keiko's money (plus a little extra for operating expenses), and they better have it all there when they arrive. With that settled, they're ready to move on and deal with Kosuke's handlers, and the man tries to reaffirm his innocence by proclaiming his love for Keiko.
Yagami isn't having that either.
The group drives over to Genda Law Office, Kaito waiting in the van with Kosuke while Yagami takes Keiko inside for her own safety. They find head lawyer Ryuzo Genda going through some paperwork, the older man welcoming the two inside. Yagami notices the absence of both junior lawyers, Saori Shirosaki and Issei Hoshino, with Genda telling him they're down at the courthouse for a sentencing. Yagami asks if they got another big murder case, but Genda says no- it's a public nuisance case: two months ago, a man by the name of Akihiro Ehara was caught groping a woman at a train station, and the video of his capture promptly went viral (to further sensationalize the story, it turns out Ehara was an on-duty cop). Yagami asks why Genda Law got involved, with Genda saying that usually Kamuro PD has a lawyer to handle these sorts of things, someone to set up a plea deal that would get Ehara stripped of his badge but out of prison, but Ehara kept pleading his innocence so the lawyer dropped the case, letting it bounce over to Saori, Yagami guesses Hoshino went along to try and impress her, but declines to stick around and wait for them to come back and tell him more. Genda chides Yagami for overworking himself, but Yagami sees nothing wrong and tells Keiko he'll be right back with her money.
Yagami and Kaito drag Kosuke over to the bar he brought Keiko. Kosuke pleads once more to let him go, but the two older men are not so lenient. Just before they bust in, though, Yagami gets a phone call- it's Fumiya Sugiura, the young thief turned crimefighter that helped Yagami back in 2018. Yagami asks what the occasion is, and Sugiura has some big news- he and Makoto Tsukumo have opened their own detective agency down in Yokohama. Yagami says that's great, but they're kind of in the middle of something and hangs up on Sugiura. With that settled for now, Yagami and Kaito drag Kosuke into the bar. Inside they find a small gang of yakuza-looking fellows hanging out, the leader asking if they're the guys that called in earlier. Yagami and Kaito toss Kosuke aside and explain who they are, and to Kaito's pleasure they do recognize him. Pleasure turns to anger when the leader taunts Kaito about the break-in that got him thrown out of the Tojo Clan in the first place, but Yagami holds his partner back before making his demands for Keiko's money. The thugs aren't budging and get ready to fight, with Yagami and Kaito preparing as well. Then Yagami's phone rings. It's Tsukumo, who's worried Sugiura said something to offend Yagami and that's why he hung up. Yagami reassures Tsukumo everything is fine and he'll call back later before hanging up again, and with that settled the two heroes battle it out with the yakuza. The thugs go down easily enough, and Yagami and Kaito leave the bar with Keiko's money (and their fee).
That night, Yagami and Kaito return to Genda Law and give Keiko her money back. Kaito goes on to tell Genda that the thugs closed up shop and skipped town after the fight, and they won't be bothering any other young women in the future. Keiko is grateful for their help, swearing to be more careful with who she trusts next time... and to get a new dating app to try out. Kaito knocks her for just dating guys she meets online, but everyone says that's a legitimate way to meet a romantic partner- even Genda says Kaito's got to get with the times. With that Keiko leaves, Kaito giving her a friendly wave goodbye.
After Keiko leaves, Yagami notes Saori and Hoshino aren't back from the courthouse yet. Genda is suspicious too, though he doesn't buy Kaito's theory that they stopped off for a quickie somewhere- they're not together (yet), and he's got a lot more time and experience behind him than they do so he's best at picking these sorts of things out. Kaito asks if he's also referring to the late Mitsugu Matsugane, Kaito's former patriarch and Yagami's other father figure. Genda says yes, commenting that while they were on opposite sides of the law, they were both men doing their best to cut it in Kamurocho. Genda tells them they should go to visit Matsugane's grave sometime, and the two agree before they depart for the night. Yagami and Kaito go back to their office to relax and catch up with Sugiura, who is perfectly fine with the interruption and happy to talk. He actually has a favor to ask of the two- he and Tsukumo got set up in Yokohama six months ago, and they've been fairly busy with cases since then. The reason why he called was that they landed a really big case that, if all goes well, could get them business for life, and Sugiura wanted to bring Yagami and Kaito in so they could show the two newbies the ropes and help with the investigation. Yagami and Kaito are happy to help out, and they make arrangements to meet in Ijinchou the next day to begin the investigation.
During all this, Ehara is at court to hear his sentence. The man seems rather crass about his fate, with Saori and Hoshino chiding him as it may give the judge a bad impression of him. Ehara is not worried - after all, he's guilty as charged. All the preparations are made, after all. Saori has no time to ask what he means when the judges enter, calling Ehara up to hear his sentencing. The court sentences Ehara to six months in prison, a rather severe charge for a first-time offender. But when the presiding judge asks Ehara to sit down for the rationale, Ehara does not.
Instead, he smirks.
Ehara asks the judge if he knew the identity of a body discovered three days prior in Yokohama. When confusion ripples through the court, Ehara takes that as a no and decides to enlighten them: the body is of Hiro Mikoshiba, the man Ehara holds responsible for driving his own son to suicide four years prior. Ehara says Mikoshiba should have died a thousand times for his crimes, but because the law did not see his actions as criminal he walked free. The judge tells Ehara to hold his tongue before asking the defense for an explanation, and while Hoshino tries to stammer out a defense Saori stares down Ehara at the witness box.
Chapter 1: Black Sheep
Yagami and Kaito arrive in Yokohama and plot out their course to get to Yokohama 99, Sugiura and Tsukumo's new detective agency. Kaito is disappointed they won't be able to hit Chinatown for some food, but Yagami says they'll get their chance soon enough before they head off. On their way, they spot a commotion ahead: a pack of teenagers is harassing a restaurant owner, knocking over his menu board and taunting him to try and goad him into a fight. Kaito expresses disgust at the sight, so Yagami suggests they go and deal with things. By dealing with things, he means give the bullies a taste of their own medicine; Yagami snatches the leader's phone out of his hand and pockets it while Kaito slugs the teen who knocked over the menu board. Pissed at their fun being ruined, the bullies try to fight Yagami and Kaito, but this only gives Yagami a chance to show off his new fighting style designed for less gruesome takedowns. Beaten and humiliated, the bullies run off while Kaito compliments Yagami on his new moves.
Yagami turns over the confiscated phone to the restaurant owner, who thanks Yagami for the rescue. He explains that the teens were from Seiryo High, a prep school in Ijinchou, and they have been causing trouble around town for some time. The teens never go after hard targets like the yakuza or the local triad, the Yokohama Liumang, but civilians like himself are fair game. Yagami and Kaito are the first people to step up and oppose them, and for that he is grateful. Kaito asks if the owner knows of Yokohama 99, but the man is unfamiliar with the name. Regardless, Yagami and Kaito thank the man for the info and continue on from there, eventually reaching the building where Sugiura and Tsukumo have set up shop.
They go inside and find Tsukumo and Sugiura have an excellent setup. The two newbies welcome Yagami and Kaito and sit them down to chat. Tsukumo and Sugiura tell the two that the problem they're facing is not all that common in Kamurocho, but Kaito is quick to make a guess... it's a gang war, right? That Liumang people mentioned causing trouble? Tsukumo says not- their problem is actually school bullying. Tsukumo gives the two newcomers a quick lecture of what bullying is and it's causes among schoolkids (raging hormones from either sex causing them to single out and try to "destroy" perceived weaklings"), with Sugiura saying they've actually gotten a lot of bullying related cases since they set up shop. Yagami asks for more details, and Tsukumo says their client is the chairman of a private high school who wants them to discreetly uncover any signs of bullying at his school. As the school has nearly 600 students, Tsukumo and Sugiura believe it's a task too big for just two detectives, but they'll be getting more info when they meet their client for dinner that night. They extend an invitation to Yagami and Kaito, who happily accept.
The group meets up that night at Kyoinro, an upscale restaurant in Chinatown. There Yagami and Kaito are introduced to Yuzo Okuda, Chairman of Seiryo High School, with Kaito asking Yagami if that's the same Seiryo those punks they beat up earlier were from. When the Chairman asks if something's wrong, Yagami says they had a previous run-in with the students, going into detail about their actions (and Kaito's boasting about teaching them a little lesson with his fists). Okuda says he'll just pretend he didn't hear that while Kaito takes pride in his work, though Yagami chides Kaito on his lack of professionalism. Tsukumo says they can start their operation tomorrow, but first he wants to go over details with Yagami and Kaito. As Okuda explains, Seiryo takes bullying very seriously, but the anxiety that incidents might occur always lingers. Okuda believes in preventative measures, and as if by fate he stumbled across Yokohama 99 when he was first thinking of the problem and felt the detectives would be excellent for sniffing out any bullying. Sugiira says most of their clients are parents wanting to confirm their child's claims, which makes the job easier because then they have a suspect to follow- this time, though, they've been asked to execute more punitive measures on a much larger scale, a scale that two detectives on their own wouldn't be able to pull off.
Yagami asks if they have a plan, and Tsukumo says yes; they will place cameras in strategic locations around the school, places where teachers or other staff might not be able to monitor and thus would be prime areas for bullies to lurk about. Two weeks, and they'll have all the information they need. Of course if someone finds the cameras they'll be in a load of trouble, so Tsukumo called in Yagami and Kaito to lend their experience in hiding the cameras. Sugiira says that this is all confidential; no one on staff besides Okuda is to know about the operation, but Okuda has heard of Yagami's successes in Kamurocho and believes he is more than up for the task.
Yagami has a few more questions for the Chairman. First off, if they do find evidence of bullying, what then? Okuda says they'll provide counseling services to the students to remedy the problem, as well as contact the authorities. When Sugiura asks if that might just add more to his teachers' workload, Okuda concedes that might be an issue and he can't ask his teachers to actively monitor for every possible incident. Kaito suggests paying them a bonus, and while Okuda says that's a good idea he counters that there's no clear-cut solution to bullying. Yagami then asks why he's going so far as to hire detectives, with Okuda saying he wants to stomp out all sources of bullying entirely before they become a problem. Unfortunately he can't always rely on his teachers, which intrigues Yagami and leads him to asking more. Okuda says that sometimes teachers might misinterpret something or try to cover up things, which leads to Yagami pressing a little further. The Chairman relents and starts from the beginning- four years prior, a student at the school committed suicide. Yagami asks if it was bullying related, but Okuda says no; a third-party investigation was unable to find any proof of bullying. The parents of the student disagreed and sued Seiryo, but the courts reached the same conclusion and dismissed the case. Yagami asks if Okuda thinks anything happened, and Okuda says while he would like to believe no bullying happened he's too far removed from the classroom to say that with confidence. He's never seen anything out of the ordinary, but recently one of his student teachers disappeared from the school (presumably from mental burnout) and has been reported missing. All Okuda wants is light shed on this darkness that's plagued the school. Yagami is satisfied with the information, and the five settle in to enjoy their meal.
After dinner, Tsukumo has the cameras prepped and goes over final details; they only have a few cameras, so they'll have to be strategic about where they place them about the school. They will disguise themselves as AC repairmen, which should allow them access to the campus they wouldn't have otherwise. He reminds the two to be on their guard, as only the Chairman knows why they're really there and having a teacher or student catch on will raise problems. With that settled, Tsukumo gives the two free reign of the office, and they all call it a night.
The next day, the four detectives suit up and head out to Seiryo High. After signing them all in, Tsukumo takes them to the courtyard to get the lay of the land and plan out their approach; they have twenty cameras in all, and once they're set up Tsukumo can monitor them from his laptop and they'll be able to see what's going on. Yagami suggests they split into two groups with ten cameras each, as moving alone might look suspicious and going all at once would take too much time. He and Kaito will form one group while Tsukumo and Sugiura form another, and with the cameras distributed they head off into the school.
Yagami and Kaito make good progress, putting cameras in the shoe locker, stairwells, and throughout the second and third floors of the classroom building. As they're looking for a place to put their last camera, Yagami spots something of interest: the bullies from the other day are here, going into Class 2-2. Guessing that if there's going to be bullying it's going to be in there, Yagami suggests they set up their last camera in there. Kaito agrees and the two head in, but as they're about to get to work they are called out by a pretty young woman asking if there was an inspection that day. Kaito is smitten while Yagami apologizes for the inconvenience, but the woman is suspicious; she would have been told about an inspection, and they don't look at all like the school's regular AC repairmen who were there last month. Yagami plays dumb and says they're just here on call, but the woman (who introduces herself as Sawa, Class 2-2's teacher) challenges them on who called them here. Yagami is able to settle Sawa's concerns, while Kaito tries flirting with her despite an elbow to the ribs from his partner. With Sawa placated, Yagami and Kaito set up the final camera, unaware that the lead bully seems to have recognized them as they leave.
As they leave Class 2-2, Yagami chides Kaito on almost blowing their cover with his flirting. Kaito apologizes, saying Sawa reminds him of a teacher he had a crush on back when he was a teen, but Yagami reminds him they have a job to do and he should remain focused. Tsukumo calls them and tells them to meet up in the gym (as it's empty) so they can test the cameras and prepare their next steps, and the two go to meet with Tsukumo and Sugiura. As they test the cameras, Tsukumo asks why Yagami chose a classroom for one of them; Yagami explains he saw the students that gave them trouble go in there, so it would warrant a camera. So far there's no sign of bullying yet, so they'll have to keep an eye on the cameras and see how things play out. As the day goes on and the detectives relocate to the roof for a smoke, Sugiura says they've got something: on the camera in Class 2-2, they see the bullies single out one of their classmates, shoving her around and writing something on her hand in permanent marker. Kaito is all ready to go down there and kick the bullies' teeth in, but before he and Yagami can do so Sugiura informs Yagami the bullies have finished up and left the class and their victim behind. While Kaito fumes that none of the other students stepped in to help, Yagami suggests they go scope out the scene for themselves and get a better idea of the situation. Tsukumo and Sugiura will bring their evidence to Okuda and plan out their response.
Yagami goes to Class 2-2 and finds the bullied girl still there, her head on her desk. Yagami inspects her closer and sees her name is Mami Koda, and one of the bullies had written "slut" on her hand. Tsukumo calls in and asks Yagami and Kaito to meet him in the chairman's office; upon arriving they find Sawa inside with the chairman and Yokohama 99, Okuda explaining he wanted to bring Sawa in as Class 2-2's homeroom teacher. They play the recording from before, with Sawa expressing shock at seeing things were this bad. Yagami confirms that the victim is Mami Koda, with Sawa adding she and her tormenters are all part of Seiryo's basketball club. she goes on to say that she noticed Koda wasn't as energetic as she usually is, with Kaito suggesting they just expel the bullies and be done with it. Okuda shoots this down, as it would raise ethical concerns if they used the video as evidence. Sawa asks if Okuda is just going to cover everything up, and while Okuda denies this Sawa says they must act soon before Koda does something drastic. Tsukumo suggests they find a way to physically separate Koda from the bullies, but Okuda says it's not that simple; bullying victims often hide their suffering from others so as not to raise a scene, so if they try approaching her on this they might hit a wall in getting her to open up. Yagami agrees, so they'll just have to come up with a way to resolve the bullying without getting directly involved.
Sawa asks Yagami who he is to speak with such confidence and say they can just end the bullying in the classroom. Yagami has Tsukumo pull up the video again, saying that there's something in there that they can use to end the bullying. That solution? The other students; most of them sit around looking uncomfortable as Koda is harassed but don't lift a finger to try and stop them. Sugiura isn't surprised, guessing they're remaining silent so the bullies don't turn on them next. Yagami says the students' silence is fueling the problem, but if they express how they truly feel the pressure would turn on the bullies- if the class turns against them and stands up for Koda, they risk becoming pariahs if they continue their bullying. All they need now is a voice to rally around, and Yagami asks Tsukumo to get some small speakers that they can install in hidden locations around the classroom. Tsukumo says he'll get them before school's out, and while he goes off to resolve this Sawa tells Okuda that regardless of what happens, she does not intend to let this be swept under the rug. As Sawa leaves, Okuda explains that Sawa had just started teaching around the time of the suicide four years ago, and the inability to do anything really affected her. He asks Yagami to do whatever it takes to resolve this matter, and Yagami says he'll do his best.
After school, Yagami collects the speakers and heads down to Class 2-2, with Tsukumo monitoring him. There's a problem, though- one of the stairwell cameras appears to have something blocking it, and that could mean losing valuable information. Yagami takes a detour to inspect the camera, spotting that someone has put a small sticker on the lens. When Yagami takes the sticker off, Tsukumo sees who did it- a female student is watching from the stairs with one of the gym teachers in tow. Accusing Yagami of being a pervert, the student (identified as Amasawa) sets the gym teacher on Yagami, who manages to escape by jumping out a window and climbing up to a nearby roof. Tsukumo alerts Yagami that campus security has been called, but with his help Yagami is able to sneak past the guards and reach Class 2-2. He sets up the speakers, and after a quick test from Tsukumo he confirms they're all in working order. Yagami makes to leave, but the bullies come into the classroom and corner Yagami. As one of the bullies goes off to fetch two members of the rugby team, the leader demands Yagami give back his phone or provide some means of replacing it. When the rugby players arrive, Yagami manages to dodge past them into the hallway, taking the fight to a more open area where he can maneuver. Though outnumbered, Yagami defeats the students and makes a run for it, escaping the school and returning to Yokohama 99. While Kaito teases Yagami for his narrow escape from the sex offender registry, Sugiura suggests that maybe he should have been a bit rougher on the bullies. Yagami says fists don't always solve everything, and if his plan works tomorrow they won't have to worry about violence again.
The next day at lunchtime, the bullies approach Koda and start harassing her, kicking her chair and stealing her food. Just then Yagami, Kaito, and Sugiura begin calling out the bullies through the speakers, throwing their insults back in their faces while encouraging Koda to keep her chin up. It takes a bit of time, but it starts having the desired effect; one by one, the other students begin agreeing and calling out the bullies, and soon the entire class has rallied to Koda's defense. With the class against them, the bullies slink off while Sawa (who is in Okuda's office with the detectives) marvels at the turnaround. Yagami explains that what they were seeing was a clear case of Bystander Syndrome, the tendency for people to not get involved when they see something is wrong for fear of embarrassing themselves or drawing more trouble. But, if one person does step up and holds their ground, then others will follow their example (Yagami comparing it to penguins waiting for one of their number to take the first plunge), and that might be the first step to resolving their bullying problem. As the adults talk, another girl in the classroom goes to Koda and reassures her the bullies won't be coming back, causing Koda to cry for joy.
Yagami suggests to Sawa that they continue to monitor the situation for now, as it might be too soon for adults to get involved. Sawa says Yagami's plan worked, but going forward she would like to see teachers taking responsibility for these sorts of things. Yagami agrees and Sawa excuses herself, and when Kaito argues Yagami shouldn't have been so harsh to her Yagami counters that it seems Sawa thinks they're some second-rate detectives unworthy of investigating academia. Okuda, though, is impressed and thanks Yagami for his assistance, but before Yagami can bask in the glory he gets a call from Genda Law Office. It's Saori, and she has urgent need for Yagami's skills for a case she's working on. Yagami says he can't take rush work right now as he's in Yokohama, explaining his deal with Sugiura and Seiryo High. Saori confirms he said Seiryo High, explaining to Yagami when he asks how she knows of it: two months ago, a student teacher who had attended Seiryo High in the past disappeared. Yagami asks how Saori knows all this, and Saori identifies the teacher as Hiro Mikoshiba, a murder victim whose body was discovered in Ijincho a few days ago.
The police only just identified the body as Mikoshiba, but someone else was able to do so days before the police: Ehara, the sex offender that Saori was defending when Yagami was in Kamurocho last. Saori explains Ehara was arrested the same day Mikoshiba was murdered, but he was on his way to the train station at the same time Mikoshiba was still alive, giving him a solid alibi. Then someone else directed the authorities to Mikoshiba's body (as Ehara was still in prison), and while Saori guesses that's the true murderer she believes they might have some connection to Ehara and the two may have collaborated on this. Yagami asks what motive he would have, and Saori says Ehara's son (also a Seiryo High student) committed suicide four years prior, with Ehara blaming Mikoshiba for the death. Saori wants Yagami to find out the truth to Mikoshiba's murder, as before she assumed Ehara was just some random groper but now she believes he's part of something much greater and more insidious. And she, as Ehara's lawyer, has taken personal responsibility for both overlooking the possibilities concerning Ehara's actions and letting the court make a misguided verdict, as she now believes both the groping case and the murder are one in the same. Yagami asks what he should do, with Saori suggesting he start interviewing some of the people around Seiryo High, because if they can learn how and why Mikoshiba disappeared it might be their best lead going forward. Happy that one job is rolling into another, Yagami accepts the case.
Yagami turns over the confiscated phone to the restaurant owner, who thanks Yagami for the rescue. He explains that the teens were from Seiryo High, a prep school in Ijinchou, and they have been causing trouble around town for some time. The teens never go after hard targets like the yakuza or the local triad, the Yokohama Liumang, but civilians like himself are fair game. Yagami and Kaito are the first people to step up and oppose them, and for that he is grateful. Kaito asks if the owner knows of Yokohama 99, but the man is unfamiliar with the name. Regardless, Yagami and Kaito thank the man for the info and continue on from there, eventually reaching the building where Sugiura and Tsukumo have set up shop.
They go inside and find Tsukumo and Sugiura have an excellent setup. The two newbies welcome Yagami and Kaito and sit them down to chat. Tsukumo and Sugiura tell the two that the problem they're facing is not all that common in Kamurocho, but Kaito is quick to make a guess... it's a gang war, right? That Liumang people mentioned causing trouble? Tsukumo says not- their problem is actually school bullying. Tsukumo gives the two newcomers a quick lecture of what bullying is and it's causes among schoolkids (raging hormones from either sex causing them to single out and try to "destroy" perceived weaklings"), with Sugiura saying they've actually gotten a lot of bullying related cases since they set up shop. Yagami asks for more details, and Tsukumo says their client is the chairman of a private high school who wants them to discreetly uncover any signs of bullying at his school. As the school has nearly 600 students, Tsukumo and Sugiura believe it's a task too big for just two detectives, but they'll be getting more info when they meet their client for dinner that night. They extend an invitation to Yagami and Kaito, who happily accept.
The group meets up that night at Kyoinro, an upscale restaurant in Chinatown. There Yagami and Kaito are introduced to Yuzo Okuda, Chairman of Seiryo High School, with Kaito asking Yagami if that's the same Seiryo those punks they beat up earlier were from. When the Chairman asks if something's wrong, Yagami says they had a previous run-in with the students, going into detail about their actions (and Kaito's boasting about teaching them a little lesson with his fists). Okuda says he'll just pretend he didn't hear that while Kaito takes pride in his work, though Yagami chides Kaito on his lack of professionalism. Tsukumo says they can start their operation tomorrow, but first he wants to go over details with Yagami and Kaito. As Okuda explains, Seiryo takes bullying very seriously, but the anxiety that incidents might occur always lingers. Okuda believes in preventative measures, and as if by fate he stumbled across Yokohama 99 when he was first thinking of the problem and felt the detectives would be excellent for sniffing out any bullying. Sugiira says most of their clients are parents wanting to confirm their child's claims, which makes the job easier because then they have a suspect to follow- this time, though, they've been asked to execute more punitive measures on a much larger scale, a scale that two detectives on their own wouldn't be able to pull off.
Yagami asks if they have a plan, and Tsukumo says yes; they will place cameras in strategic locations around the school, places where teachers or other staff might not be able to monitor and thus would be prime areas for bullies to lurk about. Two weeks, and they'll have all the information they need. Of course if someone finds the cameras they'll be in a load of trouble, so Tsukumo called in Yagami and Kaito to lend their experience in hiding the cameras. Sugiira says that this is all confidential; no one on staff besides Okuda is to know about the operation, but Okuda has heard of Yagami's successes in Kamurocho and believes he is more than up for the task.
Yagami has a few more questions for the Chairman. First off, if they do find evidence of bullying, what then? Okuda says they'll provide counseling services to the students to remedy the problem, as well as contact the authorities. When Sugiura asks if that might just add more to his teachers' workload, Okuda concedes that might be an issue and he can't ask his teachers to actively monitor for every possible incident. Kaito suggests paying them a bonus, and while Okuda says that's a good idea he counters that there's no clear-cut solution to bullying. Yagami then asks why he's going so far as to hire detectives, with Okuda saying he wants to stomp out all sources of bullying entirely before they become a problem. Unfortunately he can't always rely on his teachers, which intrigues Yagami and leads him to asking more. Okuda says that sometimes teachers might misinterpret something or try to cover up things, which leads to Yagami pressing a little further. The Chairman relents and starts from the beginning- four years prior, a student at the school committed suicide. Yagami asks if it was bullying related, but Okuda says no; a third-party investigation was unable to find any proof of bullying. The parents of the student disagreed and sued Seiryo, but the courts reached the same conclusion and dismissed the case. Yagami asks if Okuda thinks anything happened, and Okuda says while he would like to believe no bullying happened he's too far removed from the classroom to say that with confidence. He's never seen anything out of the ordinary, but recently one of his student teachers disappeared from the school (presumably from mental burnout) and has been reported missing. All Okuda wants is light shed on this darkness that's plagued the school. Yagami is satisfied with the information, and the five settle in to enjoy their meal.
After dinner, Tsukumo has the cameras prepped and goes over final details; they only have a few cameras, so they'll have to be strategic about where they place them about the school. They will disguise themselves as AC repairmen, which should allow them access to the campus they wouldn't have otherwise. He reminds the two to be on their guard, as only the Chairman knows why they're really there and having a teacher or student catch on will raise problems. With that settled, Tsukumo gives the two free reign of the office, and they all call it a night.
The next day, the four detectives suit up and head out to Seiryo High. After signing them all in, Tsukumo takes them to the courtyard to get the lay of the land and plan out their approach; they have twenty cameras in all, and once they're set up Tsukumo can monitor them from his laptop and they'll be able to see what's going on. Yagami suggests they split into two groups with ten cameras each, as moving alone might look suspicious and going all at once would take too much time. He and Kaito will form one group while Tsukumo and Sugiura form another, and with the cameras distributed they head off into the school.
Yagami and Kaito make good progress, putting cameras in the shoe locker, stairwells, and throughout the second and third floors of the classroom building. As they're looking for a place to put their last camera, Yagami spots something of interest: the bullies from the other day are here, going into Class 2-2. Guessing that if there's going to be bullying it's going to be in there, Yagami suggests they set up their last camera in there. Kaito agrees and the two head in, but as they're about to get to work they are called out by a pretty young woman asking if there was an inspection that day. Kaito is smitten while Yagami apologizes for the inconvenience, but the woman is suspicious; she would have been told about an inspection, and they don't look at all like the school's regular AC repairmen who were there last month. Yagami plays dumb and says they're just here on call, but the woman (who introduces herself as Sawa, Class 2-2's teacher) challenges them on who called them here. Yagami is able to settle Sawa's concerns, while Kaito tries flirting with her despite an elbow to the ribs from his partner. With Sawa placated, Yagami and Kaito set up the final camera, unaware that the lead bully seems to have recognized them as they leave.
As they leave Class 2-2, Yagami chides Kaito on almost blowing their cover with his flirting. Kaito apologizes, saying Sawa reminds him of a teacher he had a crush on back when he was a teen, but Yagami reminds him they have a job to do and he should remain focused. Tsukumo calls them and tells them to meet up in the gym (as it's empty) so they can test the cameras and prepare their next steps, and the two go to meet with Tsukumo and Sugiura. As they test the cameras, Tsukumo asks why Yagami chose a classroom for one of them; Yagami explains he saw the students that gave them trouble go in there, so it would warrant a camera. So far there's no sign of bullying yet, so they'll have to keep an eye on the cameras and see how things play out. As the day goes on and the detectives relocate to the roof for a smoke, Sugiura says they've got something: on the camera in Class 2-2, they see the bullies single out one of their classmates, shoving her around and writing something on her hand in permanent marker. Kaito is all ready to go down there and kick the bullies' teeth in, but before he and Yagami can do so Sugiura informs Yagami the bullies have finished up and left the class and their victim behind. While Kaito fumes that none of the other students stepped in to help, Yagami suggests they go scope out the scene for themselves and get a better idea of the situation. Tsukumo and Sugiura will bring their evidence to Okuda and plan out their response.
Yagami goes to Class 2-2 and finds the bullied girl still there, her head on her desk. Yagami inspects her closer and sees her name is Mami Koda, and one of the bullies had written "slut" on her hand. Tsukumo calls in and asks Yagami and Kaito to meet him in the chairman's office; upon arriving they find Sawa inside with the chairman and Yokohama 99, Okuda explaining he wanted to bring Sawa in as Class 2-2's homeroom teacher. They play the recording from before, with Sawa expressing shock at seeing things were this bad. Yagami confirms that the victim is Mami Koda, with Sawa adding she and her tormenters are all part of Seiryo's basketball club. she goes on to say that she noticed Koda wasn't as energetic as she usually is, with Kaito suggesting they just expel the bullies and be done with it. Okuda shoots this down, as it would raise ethical concerns if they used the video as evidence. Sawa asks if Okuda is just going to cover everything up, and while Okuda denies this Sawa says they must act soon before Koda does something drastic. Tsukumo suggests they find a way to physically separate Koda from the bullies, but Okuda says it's not that simple; bullying victims often hide their suffering from others so as not to raise a scene, so if they try approaching her on this they might hit a wall in getting her to open up. Yagami agrees, so they'll just have to come up with a way to resolve the bullying without getting directly involved.
Sawa asks Yagami who he is to speak with such confidence and say they can just end the bullying in the classroom. Yagami has Tsukumo pull up the video again, saying that there's something in there that they can use to end the bullying. That solution? The other students; most of them sit around looking uncomfortable as Koda is harassed but don't lift a finger to try and stop them. Sugiura isn't surprised, guessing they're remaining silent so the bullies don't turn on them next. Yagami says the students' silence is fueling the problem, but if they express how they truly feel the pressure would turn on the bullies- if the class turns against them and stands up for Koda, they risk becoming pariahs if they continue their bullying. All they need now is a voice to rally around, and Yagami asks Tsukumo to get some small speakers that they can install in hidden locations around the classroom. Tsukumo says he'll get them before school's out, and while he goes off to resolve this Sawa tells Okuda that regardless of what happens, she does not intend to let this be swept under the rug. As Sawa leaves, Okuda explains that Sawa had just started teaching around the time of the suicide four years ago, and the inability to do anything really affected her. He asks Yagami to do whatever it takes to resolve this matter, and Yagami says he'll do his best.
After school, Yagami collects the speakers and heads down to Class 2-2, with Tsukumo monitoring him. There's a problem, though- one of the stairwell cameras appears to have something blocking it, and that could mean losing valuable information. Yagami takes a detour to inspect the camera, spotting that someone has put a small sticker on the lens. When Yagami takes the sticker off, Tsukumo sees who did it- a female student is watching from the stairs with one of the gym teachers in tow. Accusing Yagami of being a pervert, the student (identified as Amasawa) sets the gym teacher on Yagami, who manages to escape by jumping out a window and climbing up to a nearby roof. Tsukumo alerts Yagami that campus security has been called, but with his help Yagami is able to sneak past the guards and reach Class 2-2. He sets up the speakers, and after a quick test from Tsukumo he confirms they're all in working order. Yagami makes to leave, but the bullies come into the classroom and corner Yagami. As one of the bullies goes off to fetch two members of the rugby team, the leader demands Yagami give back his phone or provide some means of replacing it. When the rugby players arrive, Yagami manages to dodge past them into the hallway, taking the fight to a more open area where he can maneuver. Though outnumbered, Yagami defeats the students and makes a run for it, escaping the school and returning to Yokohama 99. While Kaito teases Yagami for his narrow escape from the sex offender registry, Sugiura suggests that maybe he should have been a bit rougher on the bullies. Yagami says fists don't always solve everything, and if his plan works tomorrow they won't have to worry about violence again.
The next day at lunchtime, the bullies approach Koda and start harassing her, kicking her chair and stealing her food. Just then Yagami, Kaito, and Sugiura begin calling out the bullies through the speakers, throwing their insults back in their faces while encouraging Koda to keep her chin up. It takes a bit of time, but it starts having the desired effect; one by one, the other students begin agreeing and calling out the bullies, and soon the entire class has rallied to Koda's defense. With the class against them, the bullies slink off while Sawa (who is in Okuda's office with the detectives) marvels at the turnaround. Yagami explains that what they were seeing was a clear case of Bystander Syndrome, the tendency for people to not get involved when they see something is wrong for fear of embarrassing themselves or drawing more trouble. But, if one person does step up and holds their ground, then others will follow their example (Yagami comparing it to penguins waiting for one of their number to take the first plunge), and that might be the first step to resolving their bullying problem. As the adults talk, another girl in the classroom goes to Koda and reassures her the bullies won't be coming back, causing Koda to cry for joy.
Yagami suggests to Sawa that they continue to monitor the situation for now, as it might be too soon for adults to get involved. Sawa says Yagami's plan worked, but going forward she would like to see teachers taking responsibility for these sorts of things. Yagami agrees and Sawa excuses herself, and when Kaito argues Yagami shouldn't have been so harsh to her Yagami counters that it seems Sawa thinks they're some second-rate detectives unworthy of investigating academia. Okuda, though, is impressed and thanks Yagami for his assistance, but before Yagami can bask in the glory he gets a call from Genda Law Office. It's Saori, and she has urgent need for Yagami's skills for a case she's working on. Yagami says he can't take rush work right now as he's in Yokohama, explaining his deal with Sugiura and Seiryo High. Saori confirms he said Seiryo High, explaining to Yagami when he asks how she knows of it: two months ago, a student teacher who had attended Seiryo High in the past disappeared. Yagami asks how Saori knows all this, and Saori identifies the teacher as Hiro Mikoshiba, a murder victim whose body was discovered in Ijincho a few days ago.
The police only just identified the body as Mikoshiba, but someone else was able to do so days before the police: Ehara, the sex offender that Saori was defending when Yagami was in Kamurocho last. Saori explains Ehara was arrested the same day Mikoshiba was murdered, but he was on his way to the train station at the same time Mikoshiba was still alive, giving him a solid alibi. Then someone else directed the authorities to Mikoshiba's body (as Ehara was still in prison), and while Saori guesses that's the true murderer she believes they might have some connection to Ehara and the two may have collaborated on this. Yagami asks what motive he would have, and Saori says Ehara's son (also a Seiryo High student) committed suicide four years prior, with Ehara blaming Mikoshiba for the death. Saori wants Yagami to find out the truth to Mikoshiba's murder, as before she assumed Ehara was just some random groper but now she believes he's part of something much greater and more insidious. And she, as Ehara's lawyer, has taken personal responsibility for both overlooking the possibilities concerning Ehara's actions and letting the court make a misguided verdict, as she now believes both the groping case and the murder are one in the same. Yagami asks what he should do, with Saori suggesting he start interviewing some of the people around Seiryo High, because if they can learn how and why Mikoshiba disappeared it might be their best lead going forward. Happy that one job is rolling into another, Yagami accepts the case.
Chapter 2: Vicious Cycle
Before he gets started, Yagami asks Saori for some information on Ehara. Akihiro Ehara is a senior officer with the Tokyo Metropolitan Police, held in prison for sexual assault. He was separated from his wife, who moved to Yokohama seven years prior when Ehara's son entered Seiryo High School while he stayed in Tokyo for work- three years after that, their son Toshiro committed suicide, and Ehara's wife has refused to return to him. As for the groping charge, Ehara continues to insist he didn't do it, despite security footage, witness testimony, and trace elements of the victim's underwear being found on his hand. All of this was pretty indisputable evidence, but when Ehara had his sentence handed down he started talking crazy and identified Mikoshiba's body. Ehara seems to hold Mikoshiba personally responsible for his son's suicide, even suing Seiryo for compensation (though he would go on to lose that suit).
Saori doesn't have much more information on that case, but Yagami mentions he knows the chairman of Seiryo and can ask him for more information. Saori gives him the okay, but gives him something to be mindful of: no one can know that Mikoshiba has been killed, as the police haven't made an official announcement yet. If they learned word had gotten out, they'd lock everything down and deny Yagami access to the case. Furthermore, Yagami has 13 days to conduct his investigation, otherwise Ehara's first sentence will be carried out and they will lose their chance at an appeal to bring the murder to light. Saori promises to send Yagami Mikoshiba's picture, and Yagami says he'll get all the info she needs before they hang up.
Kaito asks what Yagami was talking about, but Yagami says he has a few things to ask Chairman Okuda first. Yagami goes to the Chairman and asks if the picture he has is Mikoshiba, which the chairman confirms before asking if something has happened to him. Yagami says he can't say, client privilege and all, and presses on with his questions. First, he asks how long Mikoshiba was supposed to be assigned to the school, with Okuda saying he had a term of three weeks but stopped coming just before he finished- nothing seemed out of place until the day before he disappeared, so he was told. Yagami asks if this means they weren't too close, Okuda saying they just exchanged some pleasantries when he arrived and nothing more. Yagami then asks if he knew about the rumor that Mikoshiba was a bully involved in the suicide four years prior; Okuda says he heard the rumor, but the official review was that no bullying had occurred. But that wasn't enough to ease his mind, and Yagami asks if that was why he had them launch their investigation, with Okuda agreeing while saying the case from four years ago has already been settled.
This only draws more questions from Yagami: why would the chairman of a high school launch a secret investigation of his school, and pay from his own pocket as well? Okuda says that an administrator can't be openly suspicious of his student body, and with the rise of social media the chance of getting his face in the news increased dramatically so he was forced to act in secret. Yagami gets that, but he asks why now of all times? Was it because of Ehara's arrest? With everyone watching Ehara's case, it would certainly look bad on Seiryo if evidence of bullying popped up now and justified his enmity towards the school. The police might even assume Okuda was covering up everything if they launched an investigation into the matter. Kaito asks if Okuda was just going to sweep everything under the rug when they were done, and while Okuda denies this he does admit Ehara is the reason he asked for the investigation; seeing the footage on TV made him fear that sooner or later the scandal would boil over and lead to more trouble for Seiryo. Yagami says he's not here to make enemies with the chairman and just wants more info on Mikoshiba, with Okuda directing him to Sawa as she was his master teacher. Kaito tells Yagami he should have been nicer to keep on her good side, and after Yagami declines an offer from Okuda to call her back here he goes to the faculty office to speak with her (dismissing Kaito, Sugiura, and Tsukumo in the process).
Yagami goes to the faculty office, but Sawa is not there. Another teacher asks what he's doing there, and he says he'd just hoped to talk with her about something and asks where her desk is. The teacher points Yagami to Sawa's desk, which be begins searching for any information on Mikoshiba. He doesn't find much, but he is drawn to the picture Sawa has on her desk of her in her high school days. That picture seems to be covering up another photo of a Seiryo High student, but Yagami declines to investigate further as it might come off as suspicious. Sawa arrives and asks what he's doing here, and Yagami says he has a few questions to ask concerning Mikoshiba. He explains what Okuda told him about Mikoshiba being Sawa's student teacher, asking her if she noticed anything off about him in the days leading up to his disappearance. Sawa says he just stopped showing up one day and that was that, with Yagami asking if she could go a little deeper than that. When he sees Sawa get defensive about this, Yagami backs up and asks how Mikoshiba was as a student, bringing up the rumor that he was a bully in the past. Sawa says that was just a rumor and as far as she knew then Mikoshiba was a model student, and he seemed to get along with the kids during his time as a student teacher. Sawa insists she knows nothing about Mikoshiba being a bully, but Yagami notes this is odd considering how she reacted to Koda being bullied. He brings up the incident four years ago and Ehara's recent arrest, telling Sawa he believes Ehara still blames Mikoshiba for what happened, but Sawa once again asks what Yagami hopes to achieve with this, saying he's been reckless with what happened the other day and should be done with the chairman's investigation. Yagami says he just wants to know more about Mikoshiba, asking if perhaps there were students he got along with better than most. Sawa says Mikoshiba liked to interact with the basketball club, as he was a member back when he was a student and would go to their practices. He seemed especially fond of the gang of bullies, and Yagami thanks Sawa for the information as he goes to have a chat with the basketball club.
Out in the hall, Yagami calls Kaito and asks if he's still in the school. Kaito, salty at Yagami apparently making moves with Sawa, asks if he enjoyed his chat with the teacher, with Yagami countering that he's pretty sure Sawa hates him. But he has a job for Kaito- he wants him to fire up the drone and find the bullies for him, and he'll search the gym in the process. Kaito agrees to the plan and Yagami heads to the gym, but upon arriving he doesn't see the bullies. He does see Koda shooting hoops by herself, and he goes over to ask her some questions about Mikoshiba. He doesn't get far before he's beaned in the back of the head by a basketball, Kaito informing him after the fact that the bullies have just entered the gym and are closing in on him. Thanking Kaito for the "help", Yagami turns to face the bullies as they form up around him. They ask why he's here, with Yagami saying he has some questions about Mikoshiba that maybe they'd like to answer. The bullies aren't in a talking mood and want to take revenge for the other day, and Yagami is forced to beat them down once more.
As the leader tries to take one final swing at Yagami, Yagami pulls him into an arm lock and tells him he needs to find a better outlet for his anger. Just then Sawa arrives and asks what's going on, with the other bullies scattering while Yagami tells the leader not to mention anything lest he tell Sawa they attacked him with bats. He tells Sawa that it was just a misunderstanding, which the leader repeats before hobbling off to meet up with his friends. With the bullies gone, Sawa berates Yagami for getting into a fight with a student on school property. He reminds her that he's here at the chairman's request, but she says that means nothing and she could easily blow the lid off of the chairman's investigation. She tells Yagami to leave and stop roaming the school dressed like some bum, storming off while Yagami calls Kaito and asks to speak with Okuda. He explains to Okuda the problem with Sawa, and Okuda has to agree with Sawa and suggests Yagami leave. Yagami has a counter offer: why doesn't Okuda hire him as a teacher, then he can stick around longer? Okuda shoots this down, as you need a certification to become a teacher and Yagami's law degree and license won't do jack in that regard. Though, Yagami could get by if he was hired on as an outside consultant, like a guidance counselor or club supervisor. Yagami likes that idea and asks if there's a club he could supervise, like a kung fu club, but Okuda doesn't know of a club like that and all the clubs he does know have supervisors already. Kaito tells Yagami he and the others will be heading back soon, but Yagami refuses to leave without finding something to give to Saori.
Yagami heads to the front office, reasoning he could get a part time job as a janitor or something. On his way he spots a bulletin board covered in posters- maybe there's some job advertisements there. Yagami goes to see what's up, but this catches the attention of a student who is inspecting the board- Kyoko Amasawa, the girl who accused Yagami of being a pervert. Yagami plays dumb and tries to leave, but Kyoko says she has proof- he's wearing the same sneakers as the "pervert" was the other day. When Yagami points out that anyone could own the same pair of sneakers, Amasawa counters that before he arrived she treated the area with a clear polymer that shows up under blacklight, and she watched that spot to make sure no one save Yagami stepped in that spot. Furthermore, she took a picture of the camera before Yagami made off with it, and with a little help from the police she can trace it right back to him. Yagami should consider it his misfortune that he was caught by the Mystery Research Club of Seiryo High, and the girl prepares to drag him off to the faculty office for interrogation. When his initial attempts at stalling fail, Yagami offers to negotiate for Amasawa to drop the matter. Amasawa only wants the truth and nothing else, leading Yagami to investigate for anything he might use as leverage. He spots the poster Amasawa was putting up, which says the Mystery Research Club is in need of a new advisor as their old one is leaving, making special emphasis for detectives or mystery writers.
Yagami makes his offer: if Amasawa drops the pervert thing, he'll be the MRC's new advisor. When Amasawa reacts in shock at Yagami being a detective, he hands her his card and tells her he's in school on a case, but that's all he can mention at this time. As Amasawa muses on this, Yagami says that he needs more time on campus but needs a reason to be there without drawing Sawa's wrath, so if he becomes the MRC's advisor everyone gets what they want. Amasawa does admit Yagami being a detective tracks better than him being a pervert, but she's not totally convinced about everything. She intends to put Yagami to the test, and for that she asks him to follow her.
Amasawa leads Yagami to a storage closet underneath one of the stairwells, which she says is the MRC's club room. She tells Yagami to be on his guard, as the other member of the club is a blackbelt and won't hesitate to beat him up if he tries anything funny. Inside, Yagami is greeted by Amasawa's brother Kento, who's reading manga in the corner. Amasawa invites Yagami to sit and explains what the MRC is all about; she founded the club one year prior, and they mainly research and critique mystery novels from all over the world and all time periods. Sometimes, though, they investigate real mysteries, which Yagami is a little leery about as it might attract trouble. Amasawa says she's not one to put herself in danger, but she's also not one to leave any stone unturned that might lead to resolving some big case. Yagami suggests that maybe they should just go to the police, but Amasawa asks if he'd like of she took him to the police instead? This shuts Yagami up on that front.
Yagami asks what the test Amasawa has planned is. Amasawa says she wants to test Yagami's detective skill and his character as a human being, and Yagami asks how exactly he's being tested on that. Amasawa explains it has to do with a risky case she's investigating- rumor has it that a member of the dance team is working as a "sugar baby", dating older men for gifts and favors, but Amasawa hasn't been able to determine who yet. Yagami asks if it's really that dangerous, but Amasawa replies that the girl has been getting a bad reputation on social media for stringing along her marks before swindling them out of a lot of money. Apparently, one of her recent marks was a thug with anger issues, the man declaring his intent to kill the girl among other nasty things. The thug has his men out searching for the girl, so Amasawa wants to find her first and warn her before something bad happens. Yagami sees that this is a worthy cause and agrees to the test.
Amasawa escorts Yagami to the Dance Room, where the dancers are hard at work practicing their routine. Amasawa notices the team captain, Sayaka Nishizomo, is fussing over her routine book and brings Yagami to her. Sayaka is on edge upon seeing Amasawa, but Amasawa assures her she's not seeking trouble and just wants to help. The two explain that the normal dance supervisor is out sick and can't make practices, leaving the Dance Club without a mentor to help with their routines. Furthermore, they have a dance meet coming up soon, and Sayaka has been wracking her brain trying to make sure the routine is perfect. Fortunately, Amasawa has Yagami on hand, and she says he'll help with the routine. Yagami tries to protest that he's not a dancer, but Sayaka is too caught up and thanks Yagami for his help. Amasawa encourages Yagami to embrace the role (citing Sherlock Holmes), and while Yagami continues to protest Sayaka asks for his help. Their routine is good, but she feels it's missing a "wow" factor that will really put it over the top. Yagami is reluctant, but with Amasawa's comments he realizes she's testing his deductive skills.
Yagami watches the routine and suggests maybe they need some new, flashier moves to really stand out. When Sayaka asks what exactly he means, Yagami offers that maybe they should include some moves based on martial arts, like kung fu. Sayaka likes that idea, but no one in the club knows kung fu. Yagami does, though, and Sayaka eagerly asks him to show off some of his moves so they can practice. Yagami is once more reluctant to dance, but a threat from Amasawa to call the cops gets him to change his tune and he agrees to give it his best shot. The dancers show him the basics of their routine and let Yagami go from there, and surprisingly he proves to be a great dancer. While Sayaka and the other dancers fawn over his skills, Amasawa asks why Yagami lied about his dancing skills (Yagami swearing he just got lucky). Sayaka and her friends get to work practicing the new moves Yagami showed off, but she insists Yagami come back and give some more pointers in the future. Yagami agrees, and Amasawa takes him back to the MRC room.
Yagami asks Amasawa if he passed her test, which Amasawa says he did (and is impressed at how quickly Yagami was able to gain their trust). Regardless, Amasawa would be happy to have Yagami as the MRC's advisor, and apologizes for the whole pervert thing. Though she guessed there were other motives for Yagami's presence and actions, citing the Ehara case, but she says she won't pry further as that would interfere with Yagami's investigation. Amasawa says she'll tell Chairman Okuda about wanting Yagami for an advisor, with Yagami asking if it's common for outsiders to get picked for advisor roles. Amasawa says yes, as while they do have a faculty advisor that's usually a rubber-stamp role and having an outsider helps them actually learn and grow within the club. The chairman himself will be acting as their faculty advisor (with Amasawa implying she might have blackmailed him into the role, just a little), saying that they do cause a little bit of trouble for him when Yagami wonders why Okuda didn't mention the MRC earlier when he asked. Amasawa formally welcomes Yagami into the MRC and asks him to stop by later for more info.
With his place at Seiryo High secured, Yagami is free to conduct his investigation of Mikoshiba. Remembering that he was a basketball player during his student years and was chummy with the current generation, he heads to the gym to speak with the players. He arrives and introduces himself to the assembled players, asking if they saw anything strange about Mikoshiba during the time they knew him. When they don't answer, Yagami changes tactics and asks about Mikoshiba's character: was he a good guy, a jerk? One of the girls says that Mikoshiba was... "enthusiastic", for lack of a better term. He showed up every day for their practices and hustled them harder than their coach ever did. Before they answer if he was friendly with the students, the players note that a number of their club members are missing: Koda, Matsui, Akane, none of the 2-2 students are there on time. Yagami asks what's so special about them, and the first girl says Koda was Mikoshiba's "favorite"; as a newbie who joined the basketball club in high school (when most of the other players had already been playing for years), Mikoshiba drilled Koda harder than all the others, and according to one of the players it seemed like Mikoshiba would tease and mock Koda's skills during practice. That and sexualized comments about Koda's handling of the ball led some of the players to assume that maybe Mikoshiba and Koda had a thing going on out of class (which Yagami guesses is the source of the "slut" attacks against Koda). He asks if the 2-2 kids showing up late is normal, but the other players say that usually everyone's here and warming up, so maybe they're all still in class. As the other players go off to practice, Yagami races to 2-2 in fear that Koda is being targeted again.
Sure enough, Yagami arrives to see Matsui and the other bullies harassing Koda. This time, it seems Koda intends to quit the basketball club, and the bullies try to intimidate her into not doing so or else she'll look "irresponsible". Yagami steps in and tells the kids to back off, but they're still annoyed to see him sticking around. One pulls out his phone to try and get a humiliating video of Yagami getting thrown out as a trespasser, but Yagami says that as advisor to the MRC and a personal guest of the chairman he'll be coming back every day from now on, whether they like it or not. The bullies slink off, and Yagami goes to Koda to check on her and ask about Mikoshiba. When he mentions that the others said they seemed close, Koda seems surprised by this description. Guessing that wasn't the full truth, Yagami decides to drop the issue and leave Koda be, but as he leaves Koda asks if it was him on the speakers at lunch. No one had ever come to Koda's defense before, and he has to be the first person that spoke out, right? Yagami downplays his actions, but Koda is grateful for his rescue. She says she never thought about how badly the others were treating her until people started standing up for her, which led her to believe maybe she could stand up to the basketball club.
Yagami asks if that's what inspired her to quit. Koda says she always wanted to play on a real team like the manga she read as a kid, where even if you fell behind your teammates would always have your back. That is why she stuck around with it for so long, and quitting just seems like giving up. Yagami assures her that's not the case; the world can be unfair, and sometimes people decide they're fine with that and enjoy seeing others in pain, and if that's the kind of environment she finds herself in she has every right to quit. Koda says Yagami can say things like that because he's a strong person, so Yagami suggests they structure it as something other than "quitting"- there are other ways to play basketball outside of club sports, and if she's good enough she doesn't even need to be in a school to get noticed. If basketball is her dream, Yagami guarantees there's a path for her, and all she needs to do is find it. Koda asks if that might be considered cheating, with Yagami asking for her to humor him for a moment. She then asks if Yagami really will be sticking around as the MRC's advisor, and Yagami says he'll be there for her if she runs into any further trouble. With that he gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and leaves, with Koda moving to prepare her resignation from the basketball club.
Out in the hallway, Yagami is approach by Akane, the girl among the bully group. She says Matsui and Sakaki want to talk to him about Mikoshiba, maybe help out with this case he's working on. Yagami asks about this new change of heart, with Akane saying they want to get on Yagami's good side so he doesn't give a bad report to the teachers. Matsui and Sakaki are waiting upstairs, and they'd love to be of some help to Yagami and get a fresh start. Yagami isn't fooled and asks how many guys she has up there waiting to jump him, maybe some upper classmen to help out? Akane claims Yagami is judging them without getting to know them first, and while Yagami still smells a trap he agrees to meet with them as he might be able to pump Matsun and Sakaki for information on Mikoshiba.
Yagami goes up to the third floor and finds Matsui and his posse waiting for him on the other end of the hall. Feigning ignorance of their "trap" Yagami approaches them, and a group of upper classmen jump out of the nearest classroom to surround him. Yagami asks if this many people knew Mikoshiba well with Sakaki countering that these guys like to hang out with the Liumang instead. The leader boasts of connections with the triad, bringing them girls in exchange for being an honorary member. Matsui says that from now on Yagami won't be able to lay a finger on him, with Sakaki asking Yagami for an apology of one million yen for all the trouble he's caused them. Yagami is unimpressed and warns the kids that if they want to bring in adult things like gangs and yakuza, he'll have to treat them like adults. The upperclassmen attack, but Yagami is able to defeat the first round before the leader throws an eraser in his eyes. The leader tries to stab Yagami with a knife, but he holds off the attack long enough to make his escape out a window. While the leader sends his goons to search for Yagami and helps himself to a smoke, Yagami takes tome time to clear his eyes and sneak back up to the classroom, diving in and catching the leader off guard. One fight later, and the upper classmen are down for the count while Yagami approaches a much more genuinely apologetic Matsui and Sakaki.
Yagami takes Matsui and Sakaki up to the roof to talk, and there the boys explain everything; Mikoshiba showed up every day to their practice, and as soon as the coach would leave he would start drilling them relentlessly. If anyone fell behind, he would just drill them harder, which quickly singled out Koda as the weakest link. Yagami guesses Mikoshiba was pretty harsh on Koda, with Matsui saying that about the only thing she was good at was uniting the rest of the team against her. Yagami would hardly call that "unity", shutting up Masui, before mentioning that Mikoshiba has been reported missing and foul play is suspected. Masui jokingly suggests maybe Koda did it in a crime of passion, but one Death Glare from Yagami gets him to shut up again. Sakaki suggests talking with Sawa, as she was Mikoshiba's master teacher, with Yagami telling them that Sawa had no real negative opinion on Mikoshiba. Matsui finds this surprising, as from his perspective Sawa was unusually cold towards Mikoshiba during his training, and when he asked Mikoshiba about it he learned about the student that killed himself four years ago and that Sawa suspected Mikoshiba of being the bully that instigated it. Matsui even asked Mikoshiba straight up once if he was a bully in high school, which the other man laughed off. Yagami thinks this isn't enough to conclude Mikoshiba was a bully, but it does undermine Sawa's defense that he was a model student that never had any issues with her.
Deciding he needs to talk with Sawa again, Yagami goes down to the faculty office but finds her absent. One of the other teachers tells him that Sawa was called into the chairman's office, as apparently they have a guest wanting to speak with her. Yagami thanks the teacher for the information, but before he leaves he decides to take a peek at the picture hidden behind Sawa's high school photo. It's of a student from Seiryo, but Yagami can't recall if he's seen the kid around in the halls; maybe this is Ehara's son? Yagami replaces the picture and heads to Okuda's office, where he spots Sawa being greeted by the chairman. Before he can approach two men and a cop brush past him and head inside as well, and Okuda hurries to Yagami and explains they're with the Kanagawa police. They're hear to talk about Mikoshiba's disappearance, and Okuda asks what is really going on with Mikoshiba. Yagami says the police will have all the same information he does, leading Okuda to assume Mikoshiba's dead and assumes the worst. As he heads back inside, one of the policemen gives Yagami a glare before closing the door, leaving the detective to his own devices.
Saori doesn't have much more information on that case, but Yagami mentions he knows the chairman of Seiryo and can ask him for more information. Saori gives him the okay, but gives him something to be mindful of: no one can know that Mikoshiba has been killed, as the police haven't made an official announcement yet. If they learned word had gotten out, they'd lock everything down and deny Yagami access to the case. Furthermore, Yagami has 13 days to conduct his investigation, otherwise Ehara's first sentence will be carried out and they will lose their chance at an appeal to bring the murder to light. Saori promises to send Yagami Mikoshiba's picture, and Yagami says he'll get all the info she needs before they hang up.
Kaito asks what Yagami was talking about, but Yagami says he has a few things to ask Chairman Okuda first. Yagami goes to the Chairman and asks if the picture he has is Mikoshiba, which the chairman confirms before asking if something has happened to him. Yagami says he can't say, client privilege and all, and presses on with his questions. First, he asks how long Mikoshiba was supposed to be assigned to the school, with Okuda saying he had a term of three weeks but stopped coming just before he finished- nothing seemed out of place until the day before he disappeared, so he was told. Yagami asks if this means they weren't too close, Okuda saying they just exchanged some pleasantries when he arrived and nothing more. Yagami then asks if he knew about the rumor that Mikoshiba was a bully involved in the suicide four years prior; Okuda says he heard the rumor, but the official review was that no bullying had occurred. But that wasn't enough to ease his mind, and Yagami asks if that was why he had them launch their investigation, with Okuda agreeing while saying the case from four years ago has already been settled.
This only draws more questions from Yagami: why would the chairman of a high school launch a secret investigation of his school, and pay from his own pocket as well? Okuda says that an administrator can't be openly suspicious of his student body, and with the rise of social media the chance of getting his face in the news increased dramatically so he was forced to act in secret. Yagami gets that, but he asks why now of all times? Was it because of Ehara's arrest? With everyone watching Ehara's case, it would certainly look bad on Seiryo if evidence of bullying popped up now and justified his enmity towards the school. The police might even assume Okuda was covering up everything if they launched an investigation into the matter. Kaito asks if Okuda was just going to sweep everything under the rug when they were done, and while Okuda denies this he does admit Ehara is the reason he asked for the investigation; seeing the footage on TV made him fear that sooner or later the scandal would boil over and lead to more trouble for Seiryo. Yagami says he's not here to make enemies with the chairman and just wants more info on Mikoshiba, with Okuda directing him to Sawa as she was his master teacher. Kaito tells Yagami he should have been nicer to keep on her good side, and after Yagami declines an offer from Okuda to call her back here he goes to the faculty office to speak with her (dismissing Kaito, Sugiura, and Tsukumo in the process).
Yagami goes to the faculty office, but Sawa is not there. Another teacher asks what he's doing there, and he says he'd just hoped to talk with her about something and asks where her desk is. The teacher points Yagami to Sawa's desk, which be begins searching for any information on Mikoshiba. He doesn't find much, but he is drawn to the picture Sawa has on her desk of her in her high school days. That picture seems to be covering up another photo of a Seiryo High student, but Yagami declines to investigate further as it might come off as suspicious. Sawa arrives and asks what he's doing here, and Yagami says he has a few questions to ask concerning Mikoshiba. He explains what Okuda told him about Mikoshiba being Sawa's student teacher, asking her if she noticed anything off about him in the days leading up to his disappearance. Sawa says he just stopped showing up one day and that was that, with Yagami asking if she could go a little deeper than that. When he sees Sawa get defensive about this, Yagami backs up and asks how Mikoshiba was as a student, bringing up the rumor that he was a bully in the past. Sawa says that was just a rumor and as far as she knew then Mikoshiba was a model student, and he seemed to get along with the kids during his time as a student teacher. Sawa insists she knows nothing about Mikoshiba being a bully, but Yagami notes this is odd considering how she reacted to Koda being bullied. He brings up the incident four years ago and Ehara's recent arrest, telling Sawa he believes Ehara still blames Mikoshiba for what happened, but Sawa once again asks what Yagami hopes to achieve with this, saying he's been reckless with what happened the other day and should be done with the chairman's investigation. Yagami says he just wants to know more about Mikoshiba, asking if perhaps there were students he got along with better than most. Sawa says Mikoshiba liked to interact with the basketball club, as he was a member back when he was a student and would go to their practices. He seemed especially fond of the gang of bullies, and Yagami thanks Sawa for the information as he goes to have a chat with the basketball club.
Out in the hall, Yagami calls Kaito and asks if he's still in the school. Kaito, salty at Yagami apparently making moves with Sawa, asks if he enjoyed his chat with the teacher, with Yagami countering that he's pretty sure Sawa hates him. But he has a job for Kaito- he wants him to fire up the drone and find the bullies for him, and he'll search the gym in the process. Kaito agrees to the plan and Yagami heads to the gym, but upon arriving he doesn't see the bullies. He does see Koda shooting hoops by herself, and he goes over to ask her some questions about Mikoshiba. He doesn't get far before he's beaned in the back of the head by a basketball, Kaito informing him after the fact that the bullies have just entered the gym and are closing in on him. Thanking Kaito for the "help", Yagami turns to face the bullies as they form up around him. They ask why he's here, with Yagami saying he has some questions about Mikoshiba that maybe they'd like to answer. The bullies aren't in a talking mood and want to take revenge for the other day, and Yagami is forced to beat them down once more.
As the leader tries to take one final swing at Yagami, Yagami pulls him into an arm lock and tells him he needs to find a better outlet for his anger. Just then Sawa arrives and asks what's going on, with the other bullies scattering while Yagami tells the leader not to mention anything lest he tell Sawa they attacked him with bats. He tells Sawa that it was just a misunderstanding, which the leader repeats before hobbling off to meet up with his friends. With the bullies gone, Sawa berates Yagami for getting into a fight with a student on school property. He reminds her that he's here at the chairman's request, but she says that means nothing and she could easily blow the lid off of the chairman's investigation. She tells Yagami to leave and stop roaming the school dressed like some bum, storming off while Yagami calls Kaito and asks to speak with Okuda. He explains to Okuda the problem with Sawa, and Okuda has to agree with Sawa and suggests Yagami leave. Yagami has a counter offer: why doesn't Okuda hire him as a teacher, then he can stick around longer? Okuda shoots this down, as you need a certification to become a teacher and Yagami's law degree and license won't do jack in that regard. Though, Yagami could get by if he was hired on as an outside consultant, like a guidance counselor or club supervisor. Yagami likes that idea and asks if there's a club he could supervise, like a kung fu club, but Okuda doesn't know of a club like that and all the clubs he does know have supervisors already. Kaito tells Yagami he and the others will be heading back soon, but Yagami refuses to leave without finding something to give to Saori.
Yagami heads to the front office, reasoning he could get a part time job as a janitor or something. On his way he spots a bulletin board covered in posters- maybe there's some job advertisements there. Yagami goes to see what's up, but this catches the attention of a student who is inspecting the board- Kyoko Amasawa, the girl who accused Yagami of being a pervert. Yagami plays dumb and tries to leave, but Kyoko says she has proof- he's wearing the same sneakers as the "pervert" was the other day. When Yagami points out that anyone could own the same pair of sneakers, Amasawa counters that before he arrived she treated the area with a clear polymer that shows up under blacklight, and she watched that spot to make sure no one save Yagami stepped in that spot. Furthermore, she took a picture of the camera before Yagami made off with it, and with a little help from the police she can trace it right back to him. Yagami should consider it his misfortune that he was caught by the Mystery Research Club of Seiryo High, and the girl prepares to drag him off to the faculty office for interrogation. When his initial attempts at stalling fail, Yagami offers to negotiate for Amasawa to drop the matter. Amasawa only wants the truth and nothing else, leading Yagami to investigate for anything he might use as leverage. He spots the poster Amasawa was putting up, which says the Mystery Research Club is in need of a new advisor as their old one is leaving, making special emphasis for detectives or mystery writers.
Yagami makes his offer: if Amasawa drops the pervert thing, he'll be the MRC's new advisor. When Amasawa reacts in shock at Yagami being a detective, he hands her his card and tells her he's in school on a case, but that's all he can mention at this time. As Amasawa muses on this, Yagami says that he needs more time on campus but needs a reason to be there without drawing Sawa's wrath, so if he becomes the MRC's advisor everyone gets what they want. Amasawa does admit Yagami being a detective tracks better than him being a pervert, but she's not totally convinced about everything. She intends to put Yagami to the test, and for that she asks him to follow her.
Amasawa leads Yagami to a storage closet underneath one of the stairwells, which she says is the MRC's club room. She tells Yagami to be on his guard, as the other member of the club is a blackbelt and won't hesitate to beat him up if he tries anything funny. Inside, Yagami is greeted by Amasawa's brother Kento, who's reading manga in the corner. Amasawa invites Yagami to sit and explains what the MRC is all about; she founded the club one year prior, and they mainly research and critique mystery novels from all over the world and all time periods. Sometimes, though, they investigate real mysteries, which Yagami is a little leery about as it might attract trouble. Amasawa says she's not one to put herself in danger, but she's also not one to leave any stone unturned that might lead to resolving some big case. Yagami suggests that maybe they should just go to the police, but Amasawa asks if he'd like of she took him to the police instead? This shuts Yagami up on that front.
Yagami asks what the test Amasawa has planned is. Amasawa says she wants to test Yagami's detective skill and his character as a human being, and Yagami asks how exactly he's being tested on that. Amasawa explains it has to do with a risky case she's investigating- rumor has it that a member of the dance team is working as a "sugar baby", dating older men for gifts and favors, but Amasawa hasn't been able to determine who yet. Yagami asks if it's really that dangerous, but Amasawa replies that the girl has been getting a bad reputation on social media for stringing along her marks before swindling them out of a lot of money. Apparently, one of her recent marks was a thug with anger issues, the man declaring his intent to kill the girl among other nasty things. The thug has his men out searching for the girl, so Amasawa wants to find her first and warn her before something bad happens. Yagami sees that this is a worthy cause and agrees to the test.
Amasawa escorts Yagami to the Dance Room, where the dancers are hard at work practicing their routine. Amasawa notices the team captain, Sayaka Nishizomo, is fussing over her routine book and brings Yagami to her. Sayaka is on edge upon seeing Amasawa, but Amasawa assures her she's not seeking trouble and just wants to help. The two explain that the normal dance supervisor is out sick and can't make practices, leaving the Dance Club without a mentor to help with their routines. Furthermore, they have a dance meet coming up soon, and Sayaka has been wracking her brain trying to make sure the routine is perfect. Fortunately, Amasawa has Yagami on hand, and she says he'll help with the routine. Yagami tries to protest that he's not a dancer, but Sayaka is too caught up and thanks Yagami for his help. Amasawa encourages Yagami to embrace the role (citing Sherlock Holmes), and while Yagami continues to protest Sayaka asks for his help. Their routine is good, but she feels it's missing a "wow" factor that will really put it over the top. Yagami is reluctant, but with Amasawa's comments he realizes she's testing his deductive skills.
Yagami watches the routine and suggests maybe they need some new, flashier moves to really stand out. When Sayaka asks what exactly he means, Yagami offers that maybe they should include some moves based on martial arts, like kung fu. Sayaka likes that idea, but no one in the club knows kung fu. Yagami does, though, and Sayaka eagerly asks him to show off some of his moves so they can practice. Yagami is once more reluctant to dance, but a threat from Amasawa to call the cops gets him to change his tune and he agrees to give it his best shot. The dancers show him the basics of their routine and let Yagami go from there, and surprisingly he proves to be a great dancer. While Sayaka and the other dancers fawn over his skills, Amasawa asks why Yagami lied about his dancing skills (Yagami swearing he just got lucky). Sayaka and her friends get to work practicing the new moves Yagami showed off, but she insists Yagami come back and give some more pointers in the future. Yagami agrees, and Amasawa takes him back to the MRC room.
Yagami asks Amasawa if he passed her test, which Amasawa says he did (and is impressed at how quickly Yagami was able to gain their trust). Regardless, Amasawa would be happy to have Yagami as the MRC's advisor, and apologizes for the whole pervert thing. Though she guessed there were other motives for Yagami's presence and actions, citing the Ehara case, but she says she won't pry further as that would interfere with Yagami's investigation. Amasawa says she'll tell Chairman Okuda about wanting Yagami for an advisor, with Yagami asking if it's common for outsiders to get picked for advisor roles. Amasawa says yes, as while they do have a faculty advisor that's usually a rubber-stamp role and having an outsider helps them actually learn and grow within the club. The chairman himself will be acting as their faculty advisor (with Amasawa implying she might have blackmailed him into the role, just a little), saying that they do cause a little bit of trouble for him when Yagami wonders why Okuda didn't mention the MRC earlier when he asked. Amasawa formally welcomes Yagami into the MRC and asks him to stop by later for more info.
With his place at Seiryo High secured, Yagami is free to conduct his investigation of Mikoshiba. Remembering that he was a basketball player during his student years and was chummy with the current generation, he heads to the gym to speak with the players. He arrives and introduces himself to the assembled players, asking if they saw anything strange about Mikoshiba during the time they knew him. When they don't answer, Yagami changes tactics and asks about Mikoshiba's character: was he a good guy, a jerk? One of the girls says that Mikoshiba was... "enthusiastic", for lack of a better term. He showed up every day for their practices and hustled them harder than their coach ever did. Before they answer if he was friendly with the students, the players note that a number of their club members are missing: Koda, Matsui, Akane, none of the 2-2 students are there on time. Yagami asks what's so special about them, and the first girl says Koda was Mikoshiba's "favorite"; as a newbie who joined the basketball club in high school (when most of the other players had already been playing for years), Mikoshiba drilled Koda harder than all the others, and according to one of the players it seemed like Mikoshiba would tease and mock Koda's skills during practice. That and sexualized comments about Koda's handling of the ball led some of the players to assume that maybe Mikoshiba and Koda had a thing going on out of class (which Yagami guesses is the source of the "slut" attacks against Koda). He asks if the 2-2 kids showing up late is normal, but the other players say that usually everyone's here and warming up, so maybe they're all still in class. As the other players go off to practice, Yagami races to 2-2 in fear that Koda is being targeted again.
Sure enough, Yagami arrives to see Matsui and the other bullies harassing Koda. This time, it seems Koda intends to quit the basketball club, and the bullies try to intimidate her into not doing so or else she'll look "irresponsible". Yagami steps in and tells the kids to back off, but they're still annoyed to see him sticking around. One pulls out his phone to try and get a humiliating video of Yagami getting thrown out as a trespasser, but Yagami says that as advisor to the MRC and a personal guest of the chairman he'll be coming back every day from now on, whether they like it or not. The bullies slink off, and Yagami goes to Koda to check on her and ask about Mikoshiba. When he mentions that the others said they seemed close, Koda seems surprised by this description. Guessing that wasn't the full truth, Yagami decides to drop the issue and leave Koda be, but as he leaves Koda asks if it was him on the speakers at lunch. No one had ever come to Koda's defense before, and he has to be the first person that spoke out, right? Yagami downplays his actions, but Koda is grateful for his rescue. She says she never thought about how badly the others were treating her until people started standing up for her, which led her to believe maybe she could stand up to the basketball club.
Yagami asks if that's what inspired her to quit. Koda says she always wanted to play on a real team like the manga she read as a kid, where even if you fell behind your teammates would always have your back. That is why she stuck around with it for so long, and quitting just seems like giving up. Yagami assures her that's not the case; the world can be unfair, and sometimes people decide they're fine with that and enjoy seeing others in pain, and if that's the kind of environment she finds herself in she has every right to quit. Koda says Yagami can say things like that because he's a strong person, so Yagami suggests they structure it as something other than "quitting"- there are other ways to play basketball outside of club sports, and if she's good enough she doesn't even need to be in a school to get noticed. If basketball is her dream, Yagami guarantees there's a path for her, and all she needs to do is find it. Koda asks if that might be considered cheating, with Yagami asking for her to humor him for a moment. She then asks if Yagami really will be sticking around as the MRC's advisor, and Yagami says he'll be there for her if she runs into any further trouble. With that he gives her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and leaves, with Koda moving to prepare her resignation from the basketball club.
Out in the hallway, Yagami is approach by Akane, the girl among the bully group. She says Matsui and Sakaki want to talk to him about Mikoshiba, maybe help out with this case he's working on. Yagami asks about this new change of heart, with Akane saying they want to get on Yagami's good side so he doesn't give a bad report to the teachers. Matsui and Sakaki are waiting upstairs, and they'd love to be of some help to Yagami and get a fresh start. Yagami isn't fooled and asks how many guys she has up there waiting to jump him, maybe some upper classmen to help out? Akane claims Yagami is judging them without getting to know them first, and while Yagami still smells a trap he agrees to meet with them as he might be able to pump Matsun and Sakaki for information on Mikoshiba.
Yagami goes up to the third floor and finds Matsui and his posse waiting for him on the other end of the hall. Feigning ignorance of their "trap" Yagami approaches them, and a group of upper classmen jump out of the nearest classroom to surround him. Yagami asks if this many people knew Mikoshiba well with Sakaki countering that these guys like to hang out with the Liumang instead. The leader boasts of connections with the triad, bringing them girls in exchange for being an honorary member. Matsui says that from now on Yagami won't be able to lay a finger on him, with Sakaki asking Yagami for an apology of one million yen for all the trouble he's caused them. Yagami is unimpressed and warns the kids that if they want to bring in adult things like gangs and yakuza, he'll have to treat them like adults. The upperclassmen attack, but Yagami is able to defeat the first round before the leader throws an eraser in his eyes. The leader tries to stab Yagami with a knife, but he holds off the attack long enough to make his escape out a window. While the leader sends his goons to search for Yagami and helps himself to a smoke, Yagami takes tome time to clear his eyes and sneak back up to the classroom, diving in and catching the leader off guard. One fight later, and the upper classmen are down for the count while Yagami approaches a much more genuinely apologetic Matsui and Sakaki.
Yagami takes Matsui and Sakaki up to the roof to talk, and there the boys explain everything; Mikoshiba showed up every day to their practice, and as soon as the coach would leave he would start drilling them relentlessly. If anyone fell behind, he would just drill them harder, which quickly singled out Koda as the weakest link. Yagami guesses Mikoshiba was pretty harsh on Koda, with Matsui saying that about the only thing she was good at was uniting the rest of the team against her. Yagami would hardly call that "unity", shutting up Masui, before mentioning that Mikoshiba has been reported missing and foul play is suspected. Masui jokingly suggests maybe Koda did it in a crime of passion, but one Death Glare from Yagami gets him to shut up again. Sakaki suggests talking with Sawa, as she was Mikoshiba's master teacher, with Yagami telling them that Sawa had no real negative opinion on Mikoshiba. Matsui finds this surprising, as from his perspective Sawa was unusually cold towards Mikoshiba during his training, and when he asked Mikoshiba about it he learned about the student that killed himself four years ago and that Sawa suspected Mikoshiba of being the bully that instigated it. Matsui even asked Mikoshiba straight up once if he was a bully in high school, which the other man laughed off. Yagami thinks this isn't enough to conclude Mikoshiba was a bully, but it does undermine Sawa's defense that he was a model student that never had any issues with her.
Deciding he needs to talk with Sawa again, Yagami goes down to the faculty office but finds her absent. One of the other teachers tells him that Sawa was called into the chairman's office, as apparently they have a guest wanting to speak with her. Yagami thanks the teacher for the information, but before he leaves he decides to take a peek at the picture hidden behind Sawa's high school photo. It's of a student from Seiryo, but Yagami can't recall if he's seen the kid around in the halls; maybe this is Ehara's son? Yagami replaces the picture and heads to Okuda's office, where he spots Sawa being greeted by the chairman. Before he can approach two men and a cop brush past him and head inside as well, and Okuda hurries to Yagami and explains they're with the Kanagawa police. They're hear to talk about Mikoshiba's disappearance, and Okuda asks what is really going on with Mikoshiba. Yagami says the police will have all the same information he does, leading Okuda to assume Mikoshiba's dead and assumes the worst. As he heads back inside, one of the policemen gives Yagami a glare before closing the door, leaving the detective to his own devices.
Chapter 3: Two Sides of the Same Coin
While he stakes out Okuda's office, Yagami reads the official press report on Mikoshiba's death, noting the man himself has not been identified as the victim. Soon, Sawa is released from Okuda's office, the teacher running into Yagami in the hallway. He asks if he can accompany her back to the faculty office, while Sawa asks if he knew all along that Mikoshiba was murdered. Yagami suggests they take the discussion somewhere more private, heading back to the faculty office. On their way, Sawa asks why Yagami didn't tell her sooner what was going on, with Yagami countering that the police haven't gone public with the info so he had to keep quiet about that. He asks her what else the police questioned her on, but Sawa replies that falls under information she shouldn't be telling Yagami. She encourages Yagami to leave before he gets into a fight with another student and makes things worse, but Yagami tells her that as the MRC's advisor he'll be allowed on campus for now on. He then asks if the police mentioned any suspects, but Sawa says they only told her that Mikoshiba had been murdered. They asked a lot of questions about Mikoshiba's training, but never gave her the chance to ask her own questions. Yagami guesses that Sawa doesn't have any idea about someone who might want Mikoshiba dead, like Ehara perhaps. Sawa asks what Yagami is on about, with Yagami explaining he suspects Ehara was somehow connected to Mikoshiba's murder despite his pending groping charge, given he knew the exact location and identity of the body before the police did. Sawa asks if Yagami thinks Ehara killed Mikoshiba, and while Yagami says Ehara's arrest gives him a solid alibi there's still the possibility that he's connected in some way.
Sawa asks how Yagami knows all this, but Yagami asks that they try a little give and take first; he wants to know why, if Sawa said Mikoshiba was a model student, she confronted him as a student about whether or not he was a bully. Sawa insists she didn't lie, while Yagami tells her that he also learned that Mikoshiba was the instigator behind Koda's bullying as well, and quite sadistic at that; it's no stretch to assume that he was behind bullying Ehara's son. Sawa snaps that the boy's name was "Toshiro", and as she leaves to finish her work she tells Yagami to meet her at the café "Plage" at 9 that night.
Yagami leaves the school and calls Kaito for a check in. Turns out Kaito's on a bar crawl with Sugiura and just made his third stop, Tsukumo having gone back to the office for some equipment tune-ups. He asks Yagami if he'd like to join them, but Yagami declines as he's meeting Sawa later; this upsets Kaito once more as he thinks Yagami's going on a date with her. Regardless, he asks Yagami where they'll be in case he needs backup, but Yagami declines to mention that before hanging up. With some time to kill before he meets with Sawa, Yagami heads back to the office so he can talk with Tsukumo, telling him all about his conversation with Genda Law about Ehara and his connection to Mikoshiba's murder. Yagami asks Tsukumo to look into the suicide for him, but Tsukumo is one step ahead of Yagami and already conducted his research prior to accepting the job from Okuda. The victim, Toshiro Ehara, hung himself in his room one day before school, but because he left no will or suicide note his motive for doing so is a mystery. The investigation launched following his death found no evidence of bullying, and Yagami recognizes Toshiro's picture as the one from Sawa's desk. Ehara cried foul and sued the school for Toshiro's death, but that just turned up more of the same and the suit was rejected. They're interrupted when a new crime-tracking system Tsukumo set up finishes updating, with Tsukumo asking Yagami to help him test it out while he waits for the time to meet Sawa.
That night, Yagami heads out to Plage to meet with Sawa. he spots her sitting in the balcony and goes to meet her, but before he gets inside he's attacked by a group of men in white masks. As Yagami fights them off, a mysterious woman approaches Sawa with some information for her. Down in the street Yagami fights the masked men, managing to drive them back and shatter one of their masks. Just as it seems the men are ready for round 2, a newcomer steps out of Plage and offers Yagami a hand. As Yagami sputters as to who the newcomer is, the man steps up and tells the attackers to back off as he's much stronger than Yagami. The attackers retreat, and Yagami "thanks" his rescuer for scaring off the thugs before he could ask who they were. He runs inside to speak with Sawa, finding her holding a photo (and spotting a second coffee cup at her table, indicating someone was there), but Sawa has changed her mind and no longer wishes to speak with Yagami. Yagami asks if she was threatened by someone connected to the crime, with Sawa saying she didn't know who it was (the woman was wearing sunglasses and heavy clothing to disguise herself), but they said that it would be best if Yagami and Sawa steered clear of the Mikoshiba case. Yagami asks what happens if he refuses, and Sawa hands him the picture she received: it's of Mikoshiba just before his death, beaten bloody while strapped to a chair. Sawa makes to leave, refusing Yagami's offer to walk her home and telling him to leave her alone for now on.
With Sawa gone, Yagami sits down and examines Mikoshiba's photo. Whoever took the photo worked him over good, making sure he was unable to escape before beating him bloody. Yagami also notes Mikoshiba was dressed up rather nicely, possibly hinting that he was abducted on his way to work. The only other hint he can find is that Mikoshiba was in a room with a lot of rubble, possibly somewhere in Ijincho. As Yagami inspects the photo, he mulls over the new information: the woman who gave the photo to Sawa is obviously connected to the case, as are the men in white masks that attacked him. It's possible they were the ones that killed Mikoshiba, but why would they attack him when the police have already launched their investigation? Yagami pockets the photo and heads out, and outside Plage he finds a piece of the mask he broke during the fight.
The man who "saved" him (who has been hanging out nearby) tells him that's a Liumang mask, as the Liumang will go after anyone for the right price. Yagami asks if the new guy wants anything more, and he says he wants to know why an outsider like Yagami was attacked by the Liumang. Yagami says he has a few ideas but he's not sharing, but when he tries to leave the other man cuts him off and hands him his card: his name is Jin Kuwana, and he is a "handyman" who takes odd jobs around Ijincho, jobs that not even the police can touch. Yagami says he's not interested in Kuwana's services, but Kuwana holds him back as he sees Yagami as "competition" for his services around Ijincho. Yagami refuses Kuwana's request for an apology, and the two come to blows. Kuwana proves to be just as skilled if not more so than Yagami, the two eventually fighting to a draw. Before they can continue, Kaito and Sugiura arrive to break it up, as the police will be here soon and then everyone will be in trouble. Surprisingly, Kuwana and Sugiura know each other, but Sugiura says he'll explain later and the four make their escape.
At a local park, Sugiura berates Yagami and Kuwana for fighting like a pair of children. Yagami says that Kuwana started it before asking how the two know each other; Sugiura says Kuwana has been his and Tsukumo's sempai since they arrived in Yokohama, as having connections to both the law and the underworld places him in a higher tier of service than them. They haven't personally worked together, but the two rookies did give proper respect to Kuwana when they were introduced (unlike some people we know). Kaito asks who the guys that attacked Yagami were, with Kuwana saying they were a Liumang group called the White Masks, elite assassins of the triad that will attack anyone for the right price. They were surprisingly inept back there, though, leading Kuwana to guess they were just trying to intimidate Yagami. Yagami asks Kuwana if he can find out who hired them, but Kuwana says not even they know; all their gigs are received anonymously from a website on the dark web. Kuwana wants to know just what Yagami has gotten himself in to, as Ijincho is his town and he wants to be on alert for any changes therein. Kaito is all for it as it might be good to have a local on their side, and they still need to thank him for saving Yagami (despite Yagami protesting that he didn't need saving). Kaito invites Kuwana to join him on his bar crawl, to Sugiura's dismay, but Yagami declines and says he'll just head back to the office for now.
Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 and gives the picture to Tsukumo, explaining how he got it and what else happened that night. Whoever the woman was that gave Sawa the photo, she must be either working with or for Ehara and hired the Liumang to slow Yagami down. Tsukumo asks if they want Yagami to drop the Mikoshiba case, but Yagami believes there's more to it as the police investigation is a more pressing threat. Yagami believes they were trying to intimidate Sawa; when Toshiro Ehara killed himself, Sawa suspected Mikoshiba of being a bully, which is why Yagami was going to meet with her in the first place. That was what they were trying to keep quiet, and Tsukumo says they must have done a good job and scared off Sawa. Yagami is undeterred and plans to continue the investigation, saying they made a mistake in thinking a gang attack wouldn't cause him to double down on his research. That night, Mikoshiba's death is officially announced, and the news soon reaches the faculty and students of Seiryo High.
Sawa asks how Yagami knows all this, but Yagami asks that they try a little give and take first; he wants to know why, if Sawa said Mikoshiba was a model student, she confronted him as a student about whether or not he was a bully. Sawa insists she didn't lie, while Yagami tells her that he also learned that Mikoshiba was the instigator behind Koda's bullying as well, and quite sadistic at that; it's no stretch to assume that he was behind bullying Ehara's son. Sawa snaps that the boy's name was "Toshiro", and as she leaves to finish her work she tells Yagami to meet her at the café "Plage" at 9 that night.
Yagami leaves the school and calls Kaito for a check in. Turns out Kaito's on a bar crawl with Sugiura and just made his third stop, Tsukumo having gone back to the office for some equipment tune-ups. He asks Yagami if he'd like to join them, but Yagami declines as he's meeting Sawa later; this upsets Kaito once more as he thinks Yagami's going on a date with her. Regardless, he asks Yagami where they'll be in case he needs backup, but Yagami declines to mention that before hanging up. With some time to kill before he meets with Sawa, Yagami heads back to the office so he can talk with Tsukumo, telling him all about his conversation with Genda Law about Ehara and his connection to Mikoshiba's murder. Yagami asks Tsukumo to look into the suicide for him, but Tsukumo is one step ahead of Yagami and already conducted his research prior to accepting the job from Okuda. The victim, Toshiro Ehara, hung himself in his room one day before school, but because he left no will or suicide note his motive for doing so is a mystery. The investigation launched following his death found no evidence of bullying, and Yagami recognizes Toshiro's picture as the one from Sawa's desk. Ehara cried foul and sued the school for Toshiro's death, but that just turned up more of the same and the suit was rejected. They're interrupted when a new crime-tracking system Tsukumo set up finishes updating, with Tsukumo asking Yagami to help him test it out while he waits for the time to meet Sawa.
That night, Yagami heads out to Plage to meet with Sawa. he spots her sitting in the balcony and goes to meet her, but before he gets inside he's attacked by a group of men in white masks. As Yagami fights them off, a mysterious woman approaches Sawa with some information for her. Down in the street Yagami fights the masked men, managing to drive them back and shatter one of their masks. Just as it seems the men are ready for round 2, a newcomer steps out of Plage and offers Yagami a hand. As Yagami sputters as to who the newcomer is, the man steps up and tells the attackers to back off as he's much stronger than Yagami. The attackers retreat, and Yagami "thanks" his rescuer for scaring off the thugs before he could ask who they were. He runs inside to speak with Sawa, finding her holding a photo (and spotting a second coffee cup at her table, indicating someone was there), but Sawa has changed her mind and no longer wishes to speak with Yagami. Yagami asks if she was threatened by someone connected to the crime, with Sawa saying she didn't know who it was (the woman was wearing sunglasses and heavy clothing to disguise herself), but they said that it would be best if Yagami and Sawa steered clear of the Mikoshiba case. Yagami asks what happens if he refuses, and Sawa hands him the picture she received: it's of Mikoshiba just before his death, beaten bloody while strapped to a chair. Sawa makes to leave, refusing Yagami's offer to walk her home and telling him to leave her alone for now on.
With Sawa gone, Yagami sits down and examines Mikoshiba's photo. Whoever took the photo worked him over good, making sure he was unable to escape before beating him bloody. Yagami also notes Mikoshiba was dressed up rather nicely, possibly hinting that he was abducted on his way to work. The only other hint he can find is that Mikoshiba was in a room with a lot of rubble, possibly somewhere in Ijincho. As Yagami inspects the photo, he mulls over the new information: the woman who gave the photo to Sawa is obviously connected to the case, as are the men in white masks that attacked him. It's possible they were the ones that killed Mikoshiba, but why would they attack him when the police have already launched their investigation? Yagami pockets the photo and heads out, and outside Plage he finds a piece of the mask he broke during the fight.
The man who "saved" him (who has been hanging out nearby) tells him that's a Liumang mask, as the Liumang will go after anyone for the right price. Yagami asks if the new guy wants anything more, and he says he wants to know why an outsider like Yagami was attacked by the Liumang. Yagami says he has a few ideas but he's not sharing, but when he tries to leave the other man cuts him off and hands him his card: his name is Jin Kuwana, and he is a "handyman" who takes odd jobs around Ijincho, jobs that not even the police can touch. Yagami says he's not interested in Kuwana's services, but Kuwana holds him back as he sees Yagami as "competition" for his services around Ijincho. Yagami refuses Kuwana's request for an apology, and the two come to blows. Kuwana proves to be just as skilled if not more so than Yagami, the two eventually fighting to a draw. Before they can continue, Kaito and Sugiura arrive to break it up, as the police will be here soon and then everyone will be in trouble. Surprisingly, Kuwana and Sugiura know each other, but Sugiura says he'll explain later and the four make their escape.
At a local park, Sugiura berates Yagami and Kuwana for fighting like a pair of children. Yagami says that Kuwana started it before asking how the two know each other; Sugiura says Kuwana has been his and Tsukumo's sempai since they arrived in Yokohama, as having connections to both the law and the underworld places him in a higher tier of service than them. They haven't personally worked together, but the two rookies did give proper respect to Kuwana when they were introduced (unlike some people we know). Kaito asks who the guys that attacked Yagami were, with Kuwana saying they were a Liumang group called the White Masks, elite assassins of the triad that will attack anyone for the right price. They were surprisingly inept back there, though, leading Kuwana to guess they were just trying to intimidate Yagami. Yagami asks Kuwana if he can find out who hired them, but Kuwana says not even they know; all their gigs are received anonymously from a website on the dark web. Kuwana wants to know just what Yagami has gotten himself in to, as Ijincho is his town and he wants to be on alert for any changes therein. Kaito is all for it as it might be good to have a local on their side, and they still need to thank him for saving Yagami (despite Yagami protesting that he didn't need saving). Kaito invites Kuwana to join him on his bar crawl, to Sugiura's dismay, but Yagami declines and says he'll just head back to the office for now.
Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 and gives the picture to Tsukumo, explaining how he got it and what else happened that night. Whoever the woman was that gave Sawa the photo, she must be either working with or for Ehara and hired the Liumang to slow Yagami down. Tsukumo asks if they want Yagami to drop the Mikoshiba case, but Yagami believes there's more to it as the police investigation is a more pressing threat. Yagami believes they were trying to intimidate Sawa; when Toshiro Ehara killed himself, Sawa suspected Mikoshiba of being a bully, which is why Yagami was going to meet with her in the first place. That was what they were trying to keep quiet, and Tsukumo says they must have done a good job and scared off Sawa. Yagami is undeterred and plans to continue the investigation, saying they made a mistake in thinking a gang attack wouldn't cause him to double down on his research. That night, Mikoshiba's death is officially announced, and the news soon reaches the faculty and students of Seiryo High.
Chapter 4: Red Knife
The following day, the staff and administrators of Seiryo High School are swamped with calls from concerned and angry parents wanting answers about Mikoshiba. Meanwhile, Kaito asks Yagami what he plans to do while Kaito sleeps off his hangover, with Yagami saying he plans to go to Seiryo and check up on Sawa. He goes over the new information regarding the woman who got Sawa to back out, with Sugiura wondering if perhaps they were trying to cover up that there was bullying in the first place. If so, why? Wouldn't exposing Mikoshiba's crimes be beneficial for their cause, whatever it might be? Tsukumo agrees, but Kaito wants to know why Sawa changed her mind so quickly; Tsukumo posits that they wanted her to hide the truth so as to not rock the boat, maybe from a superior like Okuda. Yagami doesn't think the chairman has that much control over Sawa, so he decides he'll just have to ask her directly.
Yagami returns to Seiryo after classes have ended. On his way to the faculty office he runs into Koda, who heard about Mikoshiba's murder and guesses Yagami already knew he was dead when he started asking around. Yagami affirms this, and just then Matsui and Sakaki arrive and say he should have told them earlier. Yagami apologizes as he was not allowed to do so in fear of tearing the teens up, and Matsui asks if he knows who did it; they were all close to Mikoshiba and would like some closure on that front. Yagami says he doesn't know yet, only that Mikoshiba was killed shortly after he stopped showing up at Seiryo (which was in the news reports). Matsui asks if he got anything from sawa yet, with Yagami saying he's still working on that front. Matsui asks that Yagami keep him in the loop, as he and his friends are fairly angry about what happened, and while Yagami makes no promises he will do what he can to get to the bottom of things. Matsui formally introduces himself and leaves, and once he's gone Koda asks that Yagami keep her in the loop as well; she didn't like Mikoshiba that much, but she never imagined he'd get killed and is seriously conflicted over the matter. Yagami says he will, and Koda departs.
Yagami enters the faculty office and approaches Sawa, who tells Yagami to leave her alone. Sensing she won't be of any help right now, Yagami leaves and decides to go to the scene of the crime to inspect it closer. He calls Tsukumo and asks him to find the crime scene, with Tsukumo warning him the cops have already cleared out any important evidence. Yagami says he'll make that judgment for himself, and Tsukumo pins the site to an abandoned building by the Sakura River. Yagami goes there and finds the main entrance padlocked shut- not a difficult task to break in, but it's still daytime and there are people around, so he decides to sneak in another way. He finds some broken fencing leading to the back, climbing through and parkouring his way up to an open window. Inside, Yagami investigates the crime scene, noting the burn marks from the flare arrow and the splash of dried blood where Mikoshiba's body was found. Given the evidence and the picture he has, Yagami concludes that Mikoshiba was brought alive to this spot and then murdered, rather than his body being dumped here after the fact.
Just then Yagami hears the building being unlocked; it's the two plainclothes police officers from the other day, and they catch Yagami before he can make his escape. While Yagami does get them to hold off calling for backup, they do end up handcuffing him and interrogating him as to who he is and why he's here. Yagami hands them his card as introduction, with the lead cop introducing himself as Kisuke Watanabe of the Kanagawa Police. Watanabe asks Yagami what he's doing at the scene of a crime, with Yagami saying he thought it was fine to come poking around since the police were finished with it. Watanabe asks if he's here at Genda Law's request, and when Yagami asks how he knows this Watanabe says he learned that there was a pervert being tried in Kamurocho who had information regarding the case, but HQ denied their request for an interview with the man. They did get an audience with Saori (the "grouchy one" according to Watanabe), and since Yagami is a Kamurocho based detective it stands to reason he'd be hired by a Kamurocho based firm like Genda Law. Yagami asks if this means they can uncuff him, but Watanabe wants to press that they were denied access to a material witness who knew about the body, which has understandably frustrated him. Yagami guesses maybe HQ is shielding Ehara, one of their own, but Watanabe says HQ isn't covering for Ehara lest they get burned by sticking up for a pervert with connections to a murder. HQ said they would handle Ehara and asked for Watanabe to hand over his case notes, which he's miffed about on top of no one being able to interrogate Ehara about his role in the murder.
Yagami asks if this means Kanagawa and Tokyo are in a petty match of one-upmanship, which Watanabe confirms saying that until they're finished the cops can't touch Ehara. Watanabe says he was planning on taking Yagami down to the station for interrogation, but perhaps they can cooperate instead; if Yagami found any more clues then maybe Watanabe will take the cuffs off. Yagami thinks this is a waste of time, but he does have some questions for the police so he agrees before handing over a copy of the photo of Mikoshiba. After Watanabe uncuffs him, Yagami explains what happened that night and tells them about the mysterious woman who gave the photo to Sawa to shut her up. Yagami didn't get a good look at the woman, but it tracks with what Watanabe has; Mikoshiba was last seen alive on October 7th around 6:30 AM, talking with his mother as he left home for the day. Given that no one else saw him afterward, it's assumed that he was taken somewhere close to his home, in a vehicle if Watanabe had to guess. That would mean at least two people had to be involved in grabbing Mikoshiba- one to drive the car while another forced Mikoshiba inside and kept him compliant (Watanabe saying three people if he were to do it). From the autopsy report, Mikoshiba ate breakfast that morning and died about an hour later (putting his death somewhere around 7:30 AM), meaning that he was brought directly here and killed not long after, cause of death being a slashed throat.
Watanabe asks what Ehara was up to then; according to records, Ehara passed through the ticket gates at Ikebukuro Station around 7:43 AM. Yagami concludes it was impossible for Ehara to have committed the murder, then; Ikebukuro Station is thirty kilometers away from Ijincho, meaning Ehara would have had to make an hour's journey in thirteen minutes to have killed Mikoshiba and then got to the train. Watanabe says it's a solid alibi, yet somehow Ehara knew exactly where Mikoshiba's body was and when it would be discovered despite being in jail at the time. If they can interrogate Ehara maybe they can learn about Mikoshiba's killers, but HQ has closed everything off and left them with scraps. However, HQ can't stop Ehara's defense lawyer from speaking with him, so Watanabe wants Yagami to go and speak with Saori about interviewing Ehara.
Yagami has a few questions for Watanabe before he does so. As Watanabe describes it, the body was found partially decomposed, the arms ziptied together behind the chair and the throat slashed. Whoever it was that killed Mikoshiba had beaten him beforehand, and every one of his fingers were broken as well (suggesting mafia or yakuza action). The killer, once they had tortured Mikoshiba for a time, cut his throat with a knife from behind (they have not located the murder weapon at this time). Also, given the state of the food in Mikoshiba's stomach Watanabe estimates Mikoshiba was killed between 7:30 and 12 on October 7th, unless the killers force fed him beforehand in which case the window for death stretches out to the end of October, about three weeks. The burn marks on the floor are the result of flares that alerted the fire department to the body's location; whoever set them must have coordinated with Ehara beforehand so he would be able to predict the body's discovery, but to what end remains a mystery.
Yagami has no further questions, and Watanabe asks how he got to Seiryo High so soon. Yagami says he was in on a different case, but spots something of interest outside: three men appear to be spying on the building from the nearby bridge. Yagami leaps out the building and chases them down, tackling one of the men and bringing him back to Watanabe. The man claims he and his friends were just checking out the murder scene, and he ran off when he saw Yagami jump out the window and give chase. The man hands over his ID, identifying his name as Akaike, and says the others are some classmates from his alma mater Kurokawa Academy in Tokyo, here in Yokohama scouting out a place for their reunion. They had heard about the murder and wanted to check out the scene of the crime, and that's when Yagami spotted them. Watanabe and his partner check their IDs and find no evidence of suspicious behavior, so they are sent away without further trouble. With that out of the way, Watanabe thanks Yagami for his time and looks forward to hearing what he has to say about Ehara, leaving while Yagami prepares to talk to Saori.
Saori calls Yagami as he heads back to Yokohama 99. He explains he has a few leads to go off and explains Watanabe's issues with Tokyo PD, asking when Saori plans to speak with Ehara next. Saori says she can get that set up as soon as possible before asking Yagami if this means he'll be helping with the interrogation. Yagami says he was just about to ask, but he'd like some more info on Ehara's arrest first. Saori says that Hoshino will be travelling to the scene of the groping the following day, and Yagami can meet with him there to discuss details. Saori hands the phone over to Hoshino, who's happy to be working alongside Yagami again and looks forward to his help. Yagami is looking forward to it as well, asking for Hoshino to bring a copy of the written statement on the groping when they meet at Ikebukuro Station the following day.
Yagami meets Hoshino at Ikebukuro Station, the two starting at the sign where Ehara was filmed searching for a victim. According to Hoshino, Ehara entered the station at 7:43 AM and spent an hour searching for his target. At 9:06 he spotted his victim (an office worker and mother named Yui Mamiya) and boarded the train heading for Shinjuku Station. The train security camera captured Ehara bumping into Mamiya before slipping his hand down her skirt, Mamiya saying she was too scared to call for help during the six minute train ride. Yagami has Hoshino send him the video, and they board a train heading to Shinjuku to continue their investigation.
On the train ride, Yagami notices the train is fairly empty compared to when Ehara assaulted Mamiya. Hoshino says that the train during that time is usually at 180% capacity. Yagami happens to be standing approximately where Ehara was on the day of the groping, and he takes a moment to look around the train cab to see if there's anything he might have missed. Everything seems to be in order, and they proceed to the next step after disembarking at Shinjuku. Here, Hoshino says, Mamiya grabbed her attacker's wrist and got her first good look at his face, which allowed her to identify his face in court along with the police finding trace elements of her underwear on Ehara's hand. After Mamiya grabbed him, Ehara freed himself and made a run for it, running across the station with Mamiya in pursuit until Ehara was captured. With all the evidence arranged against him, it was near impossible to defend Ehara in court. Hoshino pulls up a diagram of the station and traces Ehara's path, about a hundred meters down the station before he was caught. As they head to where Ehara was caught, Yagami asks Hoshino to trace out the locations and fields of view of the security cameras along the path.
They reach the spot where Ehara was caught and Hoshino presents his diagram; Yagami examines it and notices a small blind spot on the path, but nothing out of the ordinary. Yagami asks if both victim and culprit were regular train riders, with Hoshino saying yes; Mamiya took the train every weekday as part of her commute, while Ehara was off duty and going to visit his wife (so he claimed). As for why it took him so long to board a train, Ehara claimed visiting his wife was a bother and he was putting it off as long as possible, but then he always had weak excuses for what happened, so establishing reasonable doubt was nearly impossible. Yagami concludes Ehara is probably guilty, but he still knew Mikoshiba's murder would happen around the same time, leading him to think the assault was pre-planned rather than spontaneous. Hoshino agrees, reasoning that maybe even his capture played into Ehara's plan, as it provides a bulletproof alibi as to how he couldn't have killed Mikoshiba. He obviously has some connection, but proving that connection will be difficult if Ehara is fully committed to the plan. Hoshino asks if Yagami has some idea about Ehara's accomplices, maybe some assassins he could have hired; Yagami shoots this down as Ehara would need a lot of money to hire assassins, and by Hoshino's report he barely had enough money to sue Seiryo over Toshiro's death. Saori calls in and tells Yagami that she plans to speak with Ehara the following day. Yagami agrees to meet with her at Genda Law Office before heading to the detention center, and for now he'll go back to Ijincho to confirm Ehara's motive: that Mikoshiba was really a bully towards Toshiro four years ago, and that means talking with Sawa one more time.
Yagami returns to Ijincho and heads to Seiryo High. Sawa once more says she'll be of no use to Yagami, while Yagami says Ehara had something to do with Mikoshiba's death, and he believes Sawa knows the truth about what really happened four years ago. Sawa insists she knows nothing, so Yagami tells her he is going to speak with Ehara soon and he inspected the site of Mikoshiba's death, saying that he suffered mightily before he was killed. Furthermore, Ehara knew in advance that Mikoshiba would die, and the groping was to prove that he had nothing to do with the crime... or perhaps he did that so as to send a signal that he got his revenge for Toshiro's death. If Yagami is going to face Ehara tomorrow, he needs something to work with, so he asks again: was Mikoshiba in any way responsible for Toshiro's death? Sawa continues to insist that no evidence was found, but Yagami takes her picture frame and exposes Toshiro's photo before asking her to repeat that statement as if he were here; if she sticks to her story, that will be the end of it and Yagami will never ask her anything again. Sawa can't do it, and takes Yagami to the roof to tell him everything.
It was four years ago; Sawa had just started her teaching career and transferred to Seiryo High to teach English, and was working hard to learn names and faces to better acclimate to the school. One day when she was taking a break on the roof after school, Toshiro rushed past her; she asked him what was wrong, but he just shushed her and ran off (Sawa noticing that his nose was bleeding). Soon after Mikoshiba arrived looking for Toshiro, but Sawa lied and said she hadn't seen him. Yagami takes this to mean Mikoshiba was harassing Toshiro, and Sawa says Toshiro approached her later on and said much the same; when he would go home with Mikoshiba and his friends they would have him fork over his money, first as a joke for supposedly lowering their average test scores. Mikoshiba latched on to this and offered to tutor Toshiro, taking his money later as "tuition" for their services. They would even break into Toshiro's house and steal the money his mother left him for dinner, and when he couldn't pay they would beat him up or humiliate him in the bathroom.
Eventually Sawa went to Mikoshiba's teacher and told him everything Toshiro had told her; the man was a veteran with tenure and head of their grade, so surely he would know how to deal with this. But instead, the teacher told Sawa not to raise a commotion, as they were close to graduation and such a report would cause trouble. Furthermore, Mikoshiba had no real evidence against him, and at the time Sawa thought that was enough but now she knows someone should have done something. All she could do was keep an eye on Toshiro and make sure he wasn't alone at school, but for him that wasn't enough and Toshiro hung himself on the first day of the third trimester.
Yagami asks if that was when Sawa confronted Mikoshiba about Toshiro, with Sawa confirming. Mikoshiba denied everything and even seemed shaken by the whole event, and when Sawa heard a third party investigation was being launched she thought the truth would be uncovered. An anonymous questionnaire was sent out to the student body and many students wrote down their answers, but Yagami questions how they came to the conclusion that no bullying was taken place. Sawa says the third party never directly interviewed any students to build their case, and the same teacher that had told her to ignore Toshiro's claims was placed in charge of sorting the results, where he purposely destroyed every survey that came back with a report of bullying lest it come to light that he ignored the problem. Neither Toshiro's mother nor his father were aware of the problem, and so the tenured teacher declared (without consulting the principal or the chairman) that no bullying took place, with the investigation wrapping up shortly before Mikoshiba graduated.
Sawa says that nearly 300 students across Japan, of all grade levels, commit suicide every year, and less than 3% are identified as being caused by bullying - Toshiro's case was another one that didn't fall in that category. Ehara was not satisfied and launched his lawsuit, seeking compensation for Toshiro's death. The trial dragged on and Sawa was even asked to testify, and she was planning on telling them everything Toshiro had told her before the tenured teacher and the school's lawyer got to her first. They told her everything about the surveys and the investigation, in an effort to convince Sawa to change her testimony. On top of this, Toshiro had never told anyone besides Sawa that there was a problem, and she had no recordings or anything to back up her claims, so there would be no objective evidence to bullying happening, and the school's lawyer said it would not be proper to convict Mikoshiba on mere hearsay. In the end, they coerced Sawa to change her testimony and thus keep silent about Toshiro's death, a decision that haunts her to this day. As for the tenured teacher? He transferred schools and got away scot free, though Sawa admits she doesn't have the right to blame him for what happened.
That still doesn't answer how Ehara learned about it or came to the conclusion that Mikoshiba was the culprit. Yagami asks if Sawa has told anyone else about the surveys, but she tells him no. Sawa goes on to say that she witnessed bullying in high school as well; a boy was pushed too far by his classmates, and ended up throwing himself off the roof of the school. The boy (Mitsuru) survived, but has been in a coma for thirteen years with no idea if or when he will wake up. Mitsuru's teacher knew about the bullying, but all he ever said to the bullies was "don't overdo it"; he was savaged by the public when that came out and forced into an early retirement. But for Toshiro, no one was held responsible for what happened, not even Sawa. Yagami says that Mikoshiba should have been the first in line to take responsibility, and he guesses Ehara thought the same thing. Sawa says that as a kid she always wanted to be a teacher, and after Mitsuru she felt obligated to do so, but when the same thing happened years later she couldn't do anything. Sawa breaks down crying, and Yagami steps forward to comfort her. Once he's certain Sawa has calmed down, Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 to rest before confronting Ehara.
Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 to find Kaito playing shogi with Kuwana while Sugiura tests the drone and Tsukumo works the computer. Kaito tells Yagami that Kuwana came looking for him, but having a beer and a game in the meantime is alright by him. Yagami asks what Kuwana wants, with Kuwana replying he knows Yagami is looking into Mikoshiba's murder and wants in. Yagami is reluctant to give him information, telling Kuwana to finish his game and go home, while Kuwana counters he'll need someone who knows Ijincho if he's going to be poking around- otherwise Kuwana will keep hanging around Yokohama 99 until Yagami changes his mind. Yagami says it's not really his call to make, but Tsukumo and Sugiura are fine with bringing Kuwana in to help.
Tsukumo tells Yagami that he found some news about Ehara that Yagami should take a look at; apparently some people have been posting online in support for Ehara's actions, kindling for the growing flames around the story. Yagami asks if some of them might be Mikoshiba's killer, and while Tsukumo says it's too early to tell there are some suspicious posts to be found. One, for example, says that Ehara totally predicted the police would find Mikoshiba's corpse, but that information was only recently released to the press- the media had been hyping up the pervert cop angle, but the trial itself was old news by the time Ehara spoke about Mikoshiba. Kuwana comes over and tells Yagami they should have told him sooner that they have multiple suspects running around, but Yagami says there's no way of knowing if the killers are even in town or long gone Just then, some unseen assailants pitch rocks through the windows of Yokohama 99; Yagami and Kaito rush to the window to see Liumang White Masks running off into the darkness, and Yagami leaps out the window to give chase. Yagami chases the Liumang down to a small alleyway restaurant, where the member signals more of his fellows to ambush Yagami. The Liumang member removes his mask and tells Yagami he's not been paid to kill him, with Yagami asking why he took off his mask then. The man introduces himself as Tesso, an officer candidate for the Liumang, and tells Yagami that he is now officially banned from Ijincho before revealing his clawed gloves. Yagami asks Tesso who put him up to this, but Tesso denies knowledge of any specific backer and doesn't really care- getting to fight a man like Yagami is its own reward. Tesso tells his men to leave Yagami to him, and with that he leaps at Yagami and the two battle it out.
When Yagami defeats Tesso, the other Liumang rush in to beat the detective down. Fortunately, Kaito and Kuwana arrive to assist, Kuwana telling Yagami to make a run for it while he has a change. Yagami does (after convincing Kuwana to pay for replacing Tsukumo's windows) and the three continue their fight with the Liumang while making their escape. Just as they get clear, Tesso shows up again and praises Yagami for his fighting skill. Yagami asks again who hired them, but Tesso repeats that he doesn't care and it would be easier if Yagami just left Ijincho. Yagami suggests he refuse the next job that comes in regarding him, but Tesso says he'd accept the job again before sending Yagami on his way. On the way back to Yokohama 99 Kuwana compliments Yagami on his victory over Tesso, though he warns him that there may be other Liumang leaders that might try taking a swing at him. When they get back to Yokohama 99, they find the place unusually dark and Sugiura on the ground with a head injury. Tsukumo is cowering in the back with a broken finger, saying that masked men came in and attacked them while Yagami and the others were out. While Kuwana calls them an ambulance, Tsukumo says the attackers gave him some pictures of Yagami speaking with Hoshino and Watanabe, along with one final warning to stay out of Ijincho. Kaito concludes that the Liumang were bait to lure them away from the office, and the main attack happened while they were distracted.
While the paramedics treat Tsukumo and Sugiura, Kuwana pulls up the security feed to see what happened. Shortly after they left to chase down the Liumang, a gang of seven men dressed in clown masks and wielding bats arrived. Kuwana says they're not Liumang, and Yagami guesses they're Ehara's accomplices and hired the Liumang to lure them away. Yagami asks if this many people can be involved with one murder, as the more people you add the greater the chance of a leak or betrayal, so they must have something pretty strong to keep them from backstabbing one another. Kaito suggests maybe they're cops sympathetic to Ehara's cause, but when Kuwana points out some flaws in that guess Kaito asks him what alternatives do they have. Kuwana says normally he'd stick it to the Liumang, but they've already been ruled out. There's the Seiryu yakuza and the Korean Geomijul, but the former are more rational than this and the latter are camera shy. Yagami says they at least have a lead on who their facing, but Kuwana tells him that he should be careful before he goes sticking his neck out further. He's not going to get mixed up further, at least, and leaves Yokohama 99 telling them that he'll be avoiding them for a little while.
Tsukumo and Sugiura return from the hospital the next day, Tsukumo whining about his broken finger while Sugiura does his best to rest off his head injury. Yagami promises he'll make things up for them, which Tsukumo says he can start by finding out who their attackers were. He asks if they want to send this information to the police, but Yagami declines as they can use it as a bargaining chip later if they need more information. While Tsukumo works on that, Yagami and Kaito head back to Kamurocho so Yagami can go and speak with Ehara.
When they arrive, Kaito senses that the city seems noisier than usual. As they head further into Kamurocho, Kaito notices that there seems to be more punks than usual roaming the streets, with Yagami and Kaito noticing a few groups going shop-to-shop asking the owners about something. Two of them spot Yagami and approach, showing them a picture of a man and asking if they've seen him, saying the fellow was a manager at a girls' bar in town. Kaito asks if they need to have all these thugs out looking for one guy, then asks why he doesn't see more girls in the photo. The leading thug says the man was a backroom manager of some kind for the bar, and he was working as usual until one day five years ago he just up and disappeared. Yagami finds it odd that people would still be looking for a man who disappeared five years prior while Kaito asks for names (of the guy they're looking for and who's looking for him). The lead thug takes issue with this and thinks the two detectives are trying to pull a fast one on him, drawing the attention of the other thugs on the street. Yagami and Kaito continue to press for information, but this only riles up the thugs and they attack.
They beat the thugs, with Kaito noting that the thugs in Kamurocho seem to have lost their edge. Yagami notices they've attracted attention from more thugs, led by a tanned giant in a leopard-print sweater. Kaito identifies the giant as Daimu Akutsu, a former Tojo yakuza, and Akutsu comes up to the two and... takes a selfie. As he walks away, Akutsu comments that he should probably just hire Yagami for the job. Kaito asks if Akutsu is the one leading the search, but he says no; Soma is the one who got the job to find the manager, and first person to do so gets a nice pile of cash for their troubles. Yagami asks who "Soma" is, and Kaito fills him in on details; Kazuki Soma is another ex-Tojo man who runs a gang in Kamurocho called RK. Yagami asks if a lot of Tojo men jumped ship for RK while Akutsu asks Kaito if he wants to join up, as they have far less regulations and scruples compared to the yakuza. Kaito declines, while Akutsu tells Yagami that he best stay on their good side if he doesn't want a knife in the back. Akutsu and his posse walk off while Yagami guesses Akutsu never made it far in the Tojo, with Kaito saying he was on the front lines but never made it past that before the Tojo folded. Soma as well suffered a similar fate, left to his own devices while the Tojo was disbanded. Now it seems like these ex-yakuza are out trying to reunite the underworld under the banner of RK (no idea what the name means), and they'll take any two-bit thug looking to make some easy money. On the subject of ex-Tojo men, Yagami asks if Kaito has talked with his old partner Toru Higashi lately, and Kaito says he's been busy running the arcade the family left him when they disbanded. He suggests Yagami go say hello sometime, but Yagami says Higashi doesn't exactly like him so that won't end up going anywhere.
Yagami and Kaito go to Genda Law, where Saori is waiting for Yagami. Genda expresses doubt that Ehara will cooperate, but Hoshino says that's why they're bringing in Yagami to catch him off guard. With that they gather up their things and head for the detention center, Kaito going back to their office to hang out until Yagami is finished. At the detention center Ehara is brought to Yagami and Saori, saying he expected them to have moved on by now. Saori says that the body in Ijincho has changed things, and Ehara notices Yagami before asking if Hoshino was fired. Yagami introduces himself as a former Genda Law Offices employee and current advisor to the MRC at Seiryo High School, which catches Ehara's attention. He asks what they want, and Saori tells him to avoid playing innocent and tell them how he knew about Mikoshiba's body. Ehara claims he learned of it in a dream and merely said what he wished out loud, with Yagami asking if he'd have such a dream because of Mikoshiba ruining Toshiro's life.
Ehara agrees, saying that he knew about Mikoshiba shaking his son down for money and how none of the other students came to his aid, but when Yagami asks if he has any proof Ehara counters that if he did he wouldn't have lost his lawsuit. He reminds the two that he's convicted of sexual assault, which he will freely admit to have done so, and he does not need nor want an appeal on that front. He gets up to leave despite Saori's insistence he say, but he stops when Yagami mentions Mikoshiba died in fear and agony. Ehara turns back to them and says that sounds wonderful, and Yagami manages to draw him back with the picture Sawa gave him of Mikoshiba. Yagami explains how he got the picture in the first place and a little refresher on Sawa, and Ehara says that while he hated the staff of Seiryo so much he wanted to kill them, Mikoshiba was the only one that truly deserved retribution. He rants that it was an idiotic allowance for him to become a student teacher, and the law has no right to pass judgment on anyone if it can let a man like Mikoshiba walk free. Yagami accuses Ehara of orchestrating Mikoshiba's murder and demands Ehara tell him who his accomplices are, but Ehara merely says Yagami is wrong before he leaves.
They return to Kamurocho, and Saori tells Yagami that Ehara is definitely guilty. But they can't pursue the matter further without a connection between him and the others. Yagami expresses frustration at missing the others, but for now he'll go back to his office and rest before he returns to Ijincho to keep searching. Saori tells Yagami she'll be in touch and departs while Yagami returns to his office. Once there, Kaito pulls him over and shows him a video- specifically, a video claiming to be footage of Mikoshiba's murder. In the video, Mikoshiba is tied to the chair while a figure in a white raincoat and motorcycle helmet circles him. He pleads for mercy, but to no avail before the figure pulls his head back and slashes his throat with a knife. The task complete, the figure steps in front of the camera and removes his helmet, revealing the face of Ehara. Kaito says that Ehara had an alibi, but this video throws all that into confusion- regardless, Kaito can't shake the feeling that this video is the real deal. Yagami says he needs to talk with Ehara again, wondering aloud just what the man has pulled.
Yagami returns to Seiryo after classes have ended. On his way to the faculty office he runs into Koda, who heard about Mikoshiba's murder and guesses Yagami already knew he was dead when he started asking around. Yagami affirms this, and just then Matsui and Sakaki arrive and say he should have told them earlier. Yagami apologizes as he was not allowed to do so in fear of tearing the teens up, and Matsui asks if he knows who did it; they were all close to Mikoshiba and would like some closure on that front. Yagami says he doesn't know yet, only that Mikoshiba was killed shortly after he stopped showing up at Seiryo (which was in the news reports). Matsui asks if he got anything from sawa yet, with Yagami saying he's still working on that front. Matsui asks that Yagami keep him in the loop, as he and his friends are fairly angry about what happened, and while Yagami makes no promises he will do what he can to get to the bottom of things. Matsui formally introduces himself and leaves, and once he's gone Koda asks that Yagami keep her in the loop as well; she didn't like Mikoshiba that much, but she never imagined he'd get killed and is seriously conflicted over the matter. Yagami says he will, and Koda departs.
Yagami enters the faculty office and approaches Sawa, who tells Yagami to leave her alone. Sensing she won't be of any help right now, Yagami leaves and decides to go to the scene of the crime to inspect it closer. He calls Tsukumo and asks him to find the crime scene, with Tsukumo warning him the cops have already cleared out any important evidence. Yagami says he'll make that judgment for himself, and Tsukumo pins the site to an abandoned building by the Sakura River. Yagami goes there and finds the main entrance padlocked shut- not a difficult task to break in, but it's still daytime and there are people around, so he decides to sneak in another way. He finds some broken fencing leading to the back, climbing through and parkouring his way up to an open window. Inside, Yagami investigates the crime scene, noting the burn marks from the flare arrow and the splash of dried blood where Mikoshiba's body was found. Given the evidence and the picture he has, Yagami concludes that Mikoshiba was brought alive to this spot and then murdered, rather than his body being dumped here after the fact.
Just then Yagami hears the building being unlocked; it's the two plainclothes police officers from the other day, and they catch Yagami before he can make his escape. While Yagami does get them to hold off calling for backup, they do end up handcuffing him and interrogating him as to who he is and why he's here. Yagami hands them his card as introduction, with the lead cop introducing himself as Kisuke Watanabe of the Kanagawa Police. Watanabe asks Yagami what he's doing at the scene of a crime, with Yagami saying he thought it was fine to come poking around since the police were finished with it. Watanabe asks if he's here at Genda Law's request, and when Yagami asks how he knows this Watanabe says he learned that there was a pervert being tried in Kamurocho who had information regarding the case, but HQ denied their request for an interview with the man. They did get an audience with Saori (the "grouchy one" according to Watanabe), and since Yagami is a Kamurocho based detective it stands to reason he'd be hired by a Kamurocho based firm like Genda Law. Yagami asks if this means they can uncuff him, but Watanabe wants to press that they were denied access to a material witness who knew about the body, which has understandably frustrated him. Yagami guesses maybe HQ is shielding Ehara, one of their own, but Watanabe says HQ isn't covering for Ehara lest they get burned by sticking up for a pervert with connections to a murder. HQ said they would handle Ehara and asked for Watanabe to hand over his case notes, which he's miffed about on top of no one being able to interrogate Ehara about his role in the murder.
Yagami asks if this means Kanagawa and Tokyo are in a petty match of one-upmanship, which Watanabe confirms saying that until they're finished the cops can't touch Ehara. Watanabe says he was planning on taking Yagami down to the station for interrogation, but perhaps they can cooperate instead; if Yagami found any more clues then maybe Watanabe will take the cuffs off. Yagami thinks this is a waste of time, but he does have some questions for the police so he agrees before handing over a copy of the photo of Mikoshiba. After Watanabe uncuffs him, Yagami explains what happened that night and tells them about the mysterious woman who gave the photo to Sawa to shut her up. Yagami didn't get a good look at the woman, but it tracks with what Watanabe has; Mikoshiba was last seen alive on October 7th around 6:30 AM, talking with his mother as he left home for the day. Given that no one else saw him afterward, it's assumed that he was taken somewhere close to his home, in a vehicle if Watanabe had to guess. That would mean at least two people had to be involved in grabbing Mikoshiba- one to drive the car while another forced Mikoshiba inside and kept him compliant (Watanabe saying three people if he were to do it). From the autopsy report, Mikoshiba ate breakfast that morning and died about an hour later (putting his death somewhere around 7:30 AM), meaning that he was brought directly here and killed not long after, cause of death being a slashed throat.
Watanabe asks what Ehara was up to then; according to records, Ehara passed through the ticket gates at Ikebukuro Station around 7:43 AM. Yagami concludes it was impossible for Ehara to have committed the murder, then; Ikebukuro Station is thirty kilometers away from Ijincho, meaning Ehara would have had to make an hour's journey in thirteen minutes to have killed Mikoshiba and then got to the train. Watanabe says it's a solid alibi, yet somehow Ehara knew exactly where Mikoshiba's body was and when it would be discovered despite being in jail at the time. If they can interrogate Ehara maybe they can learn about Mikoshiba's killers, but HQ has closed everything off and left them with scraps. However, HQ can't stop Ehara's defense lawyer from speaking with him, so Watanabe wants Yagami to go and speak with Saori about interviewing Ehara.
Yagami has a few questions for Watanabe before he does so. As Watanabe describes it, the body was found partially decomposed, the arms ziptied together behind the chair and the throat slashed. Whoever it was that killed Mikoshiba had beaten him beforehand, and every one of his fingers were broken as well (suggesting mafia or yakuza action). The killer, once they had tortured Mikoshiba for a time, cut his throat with a knife from behind (they have not located the murder weapon at this time). Also, given the state of the food in Mikoshiba's stomach Watanabe estimates Mikoshiba was killed between 7:30 and 12 on October 7th, unless the killers force fed him beforehand in which case the window for death stretches out to the end of October, about three weeks. The burn marks on the floor are the result of flares that alerted the fire department to the body's location; whoever set them must have coordinated with Ehara beforehand so he would be able to predict the body's discovery, but to what end remains a mystery.
Yagami has no further questions, and Watanabe asks how he got to Seiryo High so soon. Yagami says he was in on a different case, but spots something of interest outside: three men appear to be spying on the building from the nearby bridge. Yagami leaps out the building and chases them down, tackling one of the men and bringing him back to Watanabe. The man claims he and his friends were just checking out the murder scene, and he ran off when he saw Yagami jump out the window and give chase. The man hands over his ID, identifying his name as Akaike, and says the others are some classmates from his alma mater Kurokawa Academy in Tokyo, here in Yokohama scouting out a place for their reunion. They had heard about the murder and wanted to check out the scene of the crime, and that's when Yagami spotted them. Watanabe and his partner check their IDs and find no evidence of suspicious behavior, so they are sent away without further trouble. With that out of the way, Watanabe thanks Yagami for his time and looks forward to hearing what he has to say about Ehara, leaving while Yagami prepares to talk to Saori.
Saori calls Yagami as he heads back to Yokohama 99. He explains he has a few leads to go off and explains Watanabe's issues with Tokyo PD, asking when Saori plans to speak with Ehara next. Saori says she can get that set up as soon as possible before asking Yagami if this means he'll be helping with the interrogation. Yagami says he was just about to ask, but he'd like some more info on Ehara's arrest first. Saori says that Hoshino will be travelling to the scene of the groping the following day, and Yagami can meet with him there to discuss details. Saori hands the phone over to Hoshino, who's happy to be working alongside Yagami again and looks forward to his help. Yagami is looking forward to it as well, asking for Hoshino to bring a copy of the written statement on the groping when they meet at Ikebukuro Station the following day.
Yagami meets Hoshino at Ikebukuro Station, the two starting at the sign where Ehara was filmed searching for a victim. According to Hoshino, Ehara entered the station at 7:43 AM and spent an hour searching for his target. At 9:06 he spotted his victim (an office worker and mother named Yui Mamiya) and boarded the train heading for Shinjuku Station. The train security camera captured Ehara bumping into Mamiya before slipping his hand down her skirt, Mamiya saying she was too scared to call for help during the six minute train ride. Yagami has Hoshino send him the video, and they board a train heading to Shinjuku to continue their investigation.
On the train ride, Yagami notices the train is fairly empty compared to when Ehara assaulted Mamiya. Hoshino says that the train during that time is usually at 180% capacity. Yagami happens to be standing approximately where Ehara was on the day of the groping, and he takes a moment to look around the train cab to see if there's anything he might have missed. Everything seems to be in order, and they proceed to the next step after disembarking at Shinjuku. Here, Hoshino says, Mamiya grabbed her attacker's wrist and got her first good look at his face, which allowed her to identify his face in court along with the police finding trace elements of her underwear on Ehara's hand. After Mamiya grabbed him, Ehara freed himself and made a run for it, running across the station with Mamiya in pursuit until Ehara was captured. With all the evidence arranged against him, it was near impossible to defend Ehara in court. Hoshino pulls up a diagram of the station and traces Ehara's path, about a hundred meters down the station before he was caught. As they head to where Ehara was caught, Yagami asks Hoshino to trace out the locations and fields of view of the security cameras along the path.
They reach the spot where Ehara was caught and Hoshino presents his diagram; Yagami examines it and notices a small blind spot on the path, but nothing out of the ordinary. Yagami asks if both victim and culprit were regular train riders, with Hoshino saying yes; Mamiya took the train every weekday as part of her commute, while Ehara was off duty and going to visit his wife (so he claimed). As for why it took him so long to board a train, Ehara claimed visiting his wife was a bother and he was putting it off as long as possible, but then he always had weak excuses for what happened, so establishing reasonable doubt was nearly impossible. Yagami concludes Ehara is probably guilty, but he still knew Mikoshiba's murder would happen around the same time, leading him to think the assault was pre-planned rather than spontaneous. Hoshino agrees, reasoning that maybe even his capture played into Ehara's plan, as it provides a bulletproof alibi as to how he couldn't have killed Mikoshiba. He obviously has some connection, but proving that connection will be difficult if Ehara is fully committed to the plan. Hoshino asks if Yagami has some idea about Ehara's accomplices, maybe some assassins he could have hired; Yagami shoots this down as Ehara would need a lot of money to hire assassins, and by Hoshino's report he barely had enough money to sue Seiryo over Toshiro's death. Saori calls in and tells Yagami that she plans to speak with Ehara the following day. Yagami agrees to meet with her at Genda Law Office before heading to the detention center, and for now he'll go back to Ijincho to confirm Ehara's motive: that Mikoshiba was really a bully towards Toshiro four years ago, and that means talking with Sawa one more time.
Yagami returns to Ijincho and heads to Seiryo High. Sawa once more says she'll be of no use to Yagami, while Yagami says Ehara had something to do with Mikoshiba's death, and he believes Sawa knows the truth about what really happened four years ago. Sawa insists she knows nothing, so Yagami tells her he is going to speak with Ehara soon and he inspected the site of Mikoshiba's death, saying that he suffered mightily before he was killed. Furthermore, Ehara knew in advance that Mikoshiba would die, and the groping was to prove that he had nothing to do with the crime... or perhaps he did that so as to send a signal that he got his revenge for Toshiro's death. If Yagami is going to face Ehara tomorrow, he needs something to work with, so he asks again: was Mikoshiba in any way responsible for Toshiro's death? Sawa continues to insist that no evidence was found, but Yagami takes her picture frame and exposes Toshiro's photo before asking her to repeat that statement as if he were here; if she sticks to her story, that will be the end of it and Yagami will never ask her anything again. Sawa can't do it, and takes Yagami to the roof to tell him everything.
It was four years ago; Sawa had just started her teaching career and transferred to Seiryo High to teach English, and was working hard to learn names and faces to better acclimate to the school. One day when she was taking a break on the roof after school, Toshiro rushed past her; she asked him what was wrong, but he just shushed her and ran off (Sawa noticing that his nose was bleeding). Soon after Mikoshiba arrived looking for Toshiro, but Sawa lied and said she hadn't seen him. Yagami takes this to mean Mikoshiba was harassing Toshiro, and Sawa says Toshiro approached her later on and said much the same; when he would go home with Mikoshiba and his friends they would have him fork over his money, first as a joke for supposedly lowering their average test scores. Mikoshiba latched on to this and offered to tutor Toshiro, taking his money later as "tuition" for their services. They would even break into Toshiro's house and steal the money his mother left him for dinner, and when he couldn't pay they would beat him up or humiliate him in the bathroom.
Eventually Sawa went to Mikoshiba's teacher and told him everything Toshiro had told her; the man was a veteran with tenure and head of their grade, so surely he would know how to deal with this. But instead, the teacher told Sawa not to raise a commotion, as they were close to graduation and such a report would cause trouble. Furthermore, Mikoshiba had no real evidence against him, and at the time Sawa thought that was enough but now she knows someone should have done something. All she could do was keep an eye on Toshiro and make sure he wasn't alone at school, but for him that wasn't enough and Toshiro hung himself on the first day of the third trimester.
Yagami asks if that was when Sawa confronted Mikoshiba about Toshiro, with Sawa confirming. Mikoshiba denied everything and even seemed shaken by the whole event, and when Sawa heard a third party investigation was being launched she thought the truth would be uncovered. An anonymous questionnaire was sent out to the student body and many students wrote down their answers, but Yagami questions how they came to the conclusion that no bullying was taken place. Sawa says the third party never directly interviewed any students to build their case, and the same teacher that had told her to ignore Toshiro's claims was placed in charge of sorting the results, where he purposely destroyed every survey that came back with a report of bullying lest it come to light that he ignored the problem. Neither Toshiro's mother nor his father were aware of the problem, and so the tenured teacher declared (without consulting the principal or the chairman) that no bullying took place, with the investigation wrapping up shortly before Mikoshiba graduated.
Sawa says that nearly 300 students across Japan, of all grade levels, commit suicide every year, and less than 3% are identified as being caused by bullying - Toshiro's case was another one that didn't fall in that category. Ehara was not satisfied and launched his lawsuit, seeking compensation for Toshiro's death. The trial dragged on and Sawa was even asked to testify, and she was planning on telling them everything Toshiro had told her before the tenured teacher and the school's lawyer got to her first. They told her everything about the surveys and the investigation, in an effort to convince Sawa to change her testimony. On top of this, Toshiro had never told anyone besides Sawa that there was a problem, and she had no recordings or anything to back up her claims, so there would be no objective evidence to bullying happening, and the school's lawyer said it would not be proper to convict Mikoshiba on mere hearsay. In the end, they coerced Sawa to change her testimony and thus keep silent about Toshiro's death, a decision that haunts her to this day. As for the tenured teacher? He transferred schools and got away scot free, though Sawa admits she doesn't have the right to blame him for what happened.
That still doesn't answer how Ehara learned about it or came to the conclusion that Mikoshiba was the culprit. Yagami asks if Sawa has told anyone else about the surveys, but she tells him no. Sawa goes on to say that she witnessed bullying in high school as well; a boy was pushed too far by his classmates, and ended up throwing himself off the roof of the school. The boy (Mitsuru) survived, but has been in a coma for thirteen years with no idea if or when he will wake up. Mitsuru's teacher knew about the bullying, but all he ever said to the bullies was "don't overdo it"; he was savaged by the public when that came out and forced into an early retirement. But for Toshiro, no one was held responsible for what happened, not even Sawa. Yagami says that Mikoshiba should have been the first in line to take responsibility, and he guesses Ehara thought the same thing. Sawa says that as a kid she always wanted to be a teacher, and after Mitsuru she felt obligated to do so, but when the same thing happened years later she couldn't do anything. Sawa breaks down crying, and Yagami steps forward to comfort her. Once he's certain Sawa has calmed down, Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 to rest before confronting Ehara.
Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 to find Kaito playing shogi with Kuwana while Sugiura tests the drone and Tsukumo works the computer. Kaito tells Yagami that Kuwana came looking for him, but having a beer and a game in the meantime is alright by him. Yagami asks what Kuwana wants, with Kuwana replying he knows Yagami is looking into Mikoshiba's murder and wants in. Yagami is reluctant to give him information, telling Kuwana to finish his game and go home, while Kuwana counters he'll need someone who knows Ijincho if he's going to be poking around- otherwise Kuwana will keep hanging around Yokohama 99 until Yagami changes his mind. Yagami says it's not really his call to make, but Tsukumo and Sugiura are fine with bringing Kuwana in to help.
Tsukumo tells Yagami that he found some news about Ehara that Yagami should take a look at; apparently some people have been posting online in support for Ehara's actions, kindling for the growing flames around the story. Yagami asks if some of them might be Mikoshiba's killer, and while Tsukumo says it's too early to tell there are some suspicious posts to be found. One, for example, says that Ehara totally predicted the police would find Mikoshiba's corpse, but that information was only recently released to the press- the media had been hyping up the pervert cop angle, but the trial itself was old news by the time Ehara spoke about Mikoshiba. Kuwana comes over and tells Yagami they should have told him sooner that they have multiple suspects running around, but Yagami says there's no way of knowing if the killers are even in town or long gone Just then, some unseen assailants pitch rocks through the windows of Yokohama 99; Yagami and Kaito rush to the window to see Liumang White Masks running off into the darkness, and Yagami leaps out the window to give chase. Yagami chases the Liumang down to a small alleyway restaurant, where the member signals more of his fellows to ambush Yagami. The Liumang member removes his mask and tells Yagami he's not been paid to kill him, with Yagami asking why he took off his mask then. The man introduces himself as Tesso, an officer candidate for the Liumang, and tells Yagami that he is now officially banned from Ijincho before revealing his clawed gloves. Yagami asks Tesso who put him up to this, but Tesso denies knowledge of any specific backer and doesn't really care- getting to fight a man like Yagami is its own reward. Tesso tells his men to leave Yagami to him, and with that he leaps at Yagami and the two battle it out.
When Yagami defeats Tesso, the other Liumang rush in to beat the detective down. Fortunately, Kaito and Kuwana arrive to assist, Kuwana telling Yagami to make a run for it while he has a change. Yagami does (after convincing Kuwana to pay for replacing Tsukumo's windows) and the three continue their fight with the Liumang while making their escape. Just as they get clear, Tesso shows up again and praises Yagami for his fighting skill. Yagami asks again who hired them, but Tesso repeats that he doesn't care and it would be easier if Yagami just left Ijincho. Yagami suggests he refuse the next job that comes in regarding him, but Tesso says he'd accept the job again before sending Yagami on his way. On the way back to Yokohama 99 Kuwana compliments Yagami on his victory over Tesso, though he warns him that there may be other Liumang leaders that might try taking a swing at him. When they get back to Yokohama 99, they find the place unusually dark and Sugiura on the ground with a head injury. Tsukumo is cowering in the back with a broken finger, saying that masked men came in and attacked them while Yagami and the others were out. While Kuwana calls them an ambulance, Tsukumo says the attackers gave him some pictures of Yagami speaking with Hoshino and Watanabe, along with one final warning to stay out of Ijincho. Kaito concludes that the Liumang were bait to lure them away from the office, and the main attack happened while they were distracted.
While the paramedics treat Tsukumo and Sugiura, Kuwana pulls up the security feed to see what happened. Shortly after they left to chase down the Liumang, a gang of seven men dressed in clown masks and wielding bats arrived. Kuwana says they're not Liumang, and Yagami guesses they're Ehara's accomplices and hired the Liumang to lure them away. Yagami asks if this many people can be involved with one murder, as the more people you add the greater the chance of a leak or betrayal, so they must have something pretty strong to keep them from backstabbing one another. Kaito suggests maybe they're cops sympathetic to Ehara's cause, but when Kuwana points out some flaws in that guess Kaito asks him what alternatives do they have. Kuwana says normally he'd stick it to the Liumang, but they've already been ruled out. There's the Seiryu yakuza and the Korean Geomijul, but the former are more rational than this and the latter are camera shy. Yagami says they at least have a lead on who their facing, but Kuwana tells him that he should be careful before he goes sticking his neck out further. He's not going to get mixed up further, at least, and leaves Yokohama 99 telling them that he'll be avoiding them for a little while.
Tsukumo and Sugiura return from the hospital the next day, Tsukumo whining about his broken finger while Sugiura does his best to rest off his head injury. Yagami promises he'll make things up for them, which Tsukumo says he can start by finding out who their attackers were. He asks if they want to send this information to the police, but Yagami declines as they can use it as a bargaining chip later if they need more information. While Tsukumo works on that, Yagami and Kaito head back to Kamurocho so Yagami can go and speak with Ehara.
When they arrive, Kaito senses that the city seems noisier than usual. As they head further into Kamurocho, Kaito notices that there seems to be more punks than usual roaming the streets, with Yagami and Kaito noticing a few groups going shop-to-shop asking the owners about something. Two of them spot Yagami and approach, showing them a picture of a man and asking if they've seen him, saying the fellow was a manager at a girls' bar in town. Kaito asks if they need to have all these thugs out looking for one guy, then asks why he doesn't see more girls in the photo. The leading thug says the man was a backroom manager of some kind for the bar, and he was working as usual until one day five years ago he just up and disappeared. Yagami finds it odd that people would still be looking for a man who disappeared five years prior while Kaito asks for names (of the guy they're looking for and who's looking for him). The lead thug takes issue with this and thinks the two detectives are trying to pull a fast one on him, drawing the attention of the other thugs on the street. Yagami and Kaito continue to press for information, but this only riles up the thugs and they attack.
They beat the thugs, with Kaito noting that the thugs in Kamurocho seem to have lost their edge. Yagami notices they've attracted attention from more thugs, led by a tanned giant in a leopard-print sweater. Kaito identifies the giant as Daimu Akutsu, a former Tojo yakuza, and Akutsu comes up to the two and... takes a selfie. As he walks away, Akutsu comments that he should probably just hire Yagami for the job. Kaito asks if Akutsu is the one leading the search, but he says no; Soma is the one who got the job to find the manager, and first person to do so gets a nice pile of cash for their troubles. Yagami asks who "Soma" is, and Kaito fills him in on details; Kazuki Soma is another ex-Tojo man who runs a gang in Kamurocho called RK. Yagami asks if a lot of Tojo men jumped ship for RK while Akutsu asks Kaito if he wants to join up, as they have far less regulations and scruples compared to the yakuza. Kaito declines, while Akutsu tells Yagami that he best stay on their good side if he doesn't want a knife in the back. Akutsu and his posse walk off while Yagami guesses Akutsu never made it far in the Tojo, with Kaito saying he was on the front lines but never made it past that before the Tojo folded. Soma as well suffered a similar fate, left to his own devices while the Tojo was disbanded. Now it seems like these ex-yakuza are out trying to reunite the underworld under the banner of RK (no idea what the name means), and they'll take any two-bit thug looking to make some easy money. On the subject of ex-Tojo men, Yagami asks if Kaito has talked with his old partner Toru Higashi lately, and Kaito says he's been busy running the arcade the family left him when they disbanded. He suggests Yagami go say hello sometime, but Yagami says Higashi doesn't exactly like him so that won't end up going anywhere.
Yagami and Kaito go to Genda Law, where Saori is waiting for Yagami. Genda expresses doubt that Ehara will cooperate, but Hoshino says that's why they're bringing in Yagami to catch him off guard. With that they gather up their things and head for the detention center, Kaito going back to their office to hang out until Yagami is finished. At the detention center Ehara is brought to Yagami and Saori, saying he expected them to have moved on by now. Saori says that the body in Ijincho has changed things, and Ehara notices Yagami before asking if Hoshino was fired. Yagami introduces himself as a former Genda Law Offices employee and current advisor to the MRC at Seiryo High School, which catches Ehara's attention. He asks what they want, and Saori tells him to avoid playing innocent and tell them how he knew about Mikoshiba's body. Ehara claims he learned of it in a dream and merely said what he wished out loud, with Yagami asking if he'd have such a dream because of Mikoshiba ruining Toshiro's life.
Ehara agrees, saying that he knew about Mikoshiba shaking his son down for money and how none of the other students came to his aid, but when Yagami asks if he has any proof Ehara counters that if he did he wouldn't have lost his lawsuit. He reminds the two that he's convicted of sexual assault, which he will freely admit to have done so, and he does not need nor want an appeal on that front. He gets up to leave despite Saori's insistence he say, but he stops when Yagami mentions Mikoshiba died in fear and agony. Ehara turns back to them and says that sounds wonderful, and Yagami manages to draw him back with the picture Sawa gave him of Mikoshiba. Yagami explains how he got the picture in the first place and a little refresher on Sawa, and Ehara says that while he hated the staff of Seiryo so much he wanted to kill them, Mikoshiba was the only one that truly deserved retribution. He rants that it was an idiotic allowance for him to become a student teacher, and the law has no right to pass judgment on anyone if it can let a man like Mikoshiba walk free. Yagami accuses Ehara of orchestrating Mikoshiba's murder and demands Ehara tell him who his accomplices are, but Ehara merely says Yagami is wrong before he leaves.
They return to Kamurocho, and Saori tells Yagami that Ehara is definitely guilty. But they can't pursue the matter further without a connection between him and the others. Yagami expresses frustration at missing the others, but for now he'll go back to his office and rest before he returns to Ijincho to keep searching. Saori tells Yagami she'll be in touch and departs while Yagami returns to his office. Once there, Kaito pulls him over and shows him a video- specifically, a video claiming to be footage of Mikoshiba's murder. In the video, Mikoshiba is tied to the chair while a figure in a white raincoat and motorcycle helmet circles him. He pleads for mercy, but to no avail before the figure pulls his head back and slashes his throat with a knife. The task complete, the figure steps in front of the camera and removes his helmet, revealing the face of Ehara. Kaito says that Ehara had an alibi, but this video throws all that into confusion- regardless, Kaito can't shake the feeling that this video is the real deal. Yagami says he needs to talk with Ehara again, wondering aloud just what the man has pulled.
Chapter 5: Double Jeopardy
Kaito goes back through the footage of Ehara while Yagami calls Tsukumo for his opinion. While the footage is making waves online, it has yet to crack into the mainstream media, with Tsukumo confirming there's a lot of rumors and hearsay circulating right now. Yagami asks if maybe this is a deepfake, and while Tsukumo says AI has advanced to the point such a thing could be pulled off he already checked and the video shows none of the telltale signs of being a fake. Still, there's not enough information to confirm that it hasn't been manipulated in some other way, and thus isn't admissible for evidence against Ehara. Yagami asks if he knows when and where it was uploaded, with Tsukumo saying the video debuted the previous night, but was released on multiple overseas platforms first so as to cover the poster's tracks. Yagami is certain that Mikoshiba's murderers were behind it, as no one else would have known how Mikoshiba was killed and thus wouldn't have been able to stage the murder as accurately as the video shows. Yagami still has some questions as to why they would release the footage in the first place, so resolves to try and talk with Ehara again.
Yagami and Kaito head back to Genda Law, but before they go inside they are stopped by Mafuyu Fujii, Tokyo District Prosecutor and Yagami's Implied Love Interest. Mafuyu wants to discuss the recent video with Saori as the prosecutor's office is in a panic over the video, as if it's real it means they secured a wrong conviction for Ehara. If they were to retract that conviction it would be an embarrassment for the prosecutor's office, so for now they are hoping to see what the defense is planning in response to the video. They head inside and are greeted by Saori, who asks Mafuyu if she came down here just for the case or perhaps to get a chance to see Yagami. Mafuyu denies that, though Kaito does tease Yagami a little before they get to work.
They review the footage together, with Mafuyu saying the prosecution is rejecting any evidence that does not come from unknown sources, essentially denying that the footage is anything new to them. Yagami asks if this means they don't plan on questioning Ehara about this, with Mafuyu confirming as the prosecution wants to stick with their original verdict of Ehara's sexual assault. The prosecution believes the video is falsified evidence, and prosecutor Sadao Takano (who got Ehara his verdict) is pressing hard for them to stick with this narrative and not bring up any more evidence. Genda can see his point, as no one would trust a justice system that easily flipped its verdicts over sudden evidence. Yagami protests that's just sweeping the issue under the rug, with Mafuyu adding that with the prosecution's stance on the evidence the police won't push any further lest they know for certain the video is real. With the police taking no action, they cannot press Ehara on the video, thus removing him as a suspect. Yagami notes it's ironic that up until this point everyone was rearing to bring Ehara to justice but now they want nothing to do with the issue, with Genda saying they don't want to challenge a ruling that favors their organization. The case will be dropped, and if Ehara did kill Mikoshiba he'd essentially commit the perfect crime and get away without any challenge. Saori will not allow Ehara to make a farce of the justice system like that, and none of the others are willing to let that stand as well. Even Mafuyu is willing to lend a hand wherever she can, wishing them the best of luck before she departs.
After Mafuyu leaves, Yagami goes to Saori and suggests they go speak with Ehara again. Saori agrees, but before they can act on that they get a call from Ehara's prison; Ehara is refusing to speak with any further representation. Yagami guesses Ehara's conspirators must have informed him about the timing of when they would release the video, and that's why he could predict they'd want to set up a second interview. Hoshino asks what they should do now, with Genda saying there are other leads to pursue besides Ehara; Saori explains that the new footage undermines Ehara's alibi of being a pervert, so either the murder video or the sexual assault are fake. Yagami concludes they need to reexamine the sexual assault case, as no one expected it to be an alibi for a murder or that Ehara would have accomplices. Hoshino points out Ehara's sexual assault was caught on plenty of security cameras, and has plenty of physical evidence to back it up as well. They'll need something to start their search, with Yagami reviewing the evidence and coming back to the video at Ikebukuro Station- perhaps "Ehara" is actually a double taking a spot at the train station while the real Ehara killed Mikoshiba, and then the two swapped places in time for Ehara to assault Mamiya. Saori says she ruled that out, as there's simply no time frame between the events that would allow Ehara and a double to trade places. But they do have a lead, as they could question Mamiya and determine if she saw anything out of place the cameras might have missed. Saori says she'll get that set up (warning Yagami they won't be in for a warm welcome as the defendant's attorneys), and while she works on that Kaito suggests he and Yagami go get some food.
Outside the two detectives note they're not alone; RK goons are watching from the street, including those they beat down the previous day. Yagami would rather not make a scene in front of Genda Law Office, so he and Kaito act casual as they head down the street. The RK goons follow but don't draw closer, eventually annoying Kaito enough for him to turn and yell at them. This proves to be a distraction before more RK goons attack with bats, the thugs surrounding Yagami and Kaito as they prepare to fight. They fight off the ambush, but the other RK goons merely make some threatening gestures before leaving without another word. Yagami wonders if all the thugs in Kamurocho signed on to RK, while Kaito says they should relocate before the cops come and arrest them.
They find another spot in Kamurocho, but RK continues to tail them. Kaito guesses they're coming at them in waves, with Yagami noting that at this rate they'll never get a chance to meet with Saori or the others. Kaito suggests they go to RK's headquarters- maybe he could convince Akutsu or Soma to back off from them. Yagami asks if he even knows there that is, with Kaito saying there's a club at the back of Theater Square that used to be their exclusive spot. They head to the club and ask to be let inside, when the leading thug that had been following them steps out and says they've been waiting for Yagami and Kaito... rather, just Kaito, as Akutsu gave orders that he only wants to speak with Kaito, even offering him a nice high ranking spot in RK if he joins up. Kaito is unimpressed and asks to be taken to Akutsu, with Yagami wondering why he's not allowed in (thinking to himself that a gang base full of thugs is a dangerous place even for Kaito). Kaito reassures Yagami that he'll be fine and heads in, Yagami waiting outside much to the doorman's displeasure.
Ten minutes pass and no sign of Kaito. Yagami decides to take matters into his own hands and sneak in, teasing the doorman enough so he rushes at Yagami, only for Yagami to trip him so he smacks his head against a wall. With the guard down, Yagami sneaks through the main entrance but notices there are too many RK goons in the way for him to get inside without making a scene. He moves into a storage room and finds an open air duct, crawling inside and making his way through the rafters. During his travels he hears two RK goons talking, overhearing that Kaito is in the VIP room with Akutsu. Yagami sneaks in further, spotting a bartender that kind of looks like him from afar. He follows the bartender into the bathroom and knocks him out, stealing his clothes and heading out to the main floor.
Just as Yagami gets near the VIP room, one of the RK members approaches him and demands a drink. Yagami backtracks and makes the man his drink, and fortunately the guy passes out shortly after. With the coast (somewhat) clear, Yagami continues on his mission, sneaking closer to the VIP room so he can get a visual on Kaito and Akutsu. Kaito has once again refused Akutsu's offer of employment, with Akutsu insisting Kaito wouldn't have to drop the detective gig and would only need to lend a hand to RK every now and then. Kaito remains unimpressed and continues to talk smack about RK, Akutsu, and Soma, while Akutsu threatens Kaito to not talk down to him in front of his men. Akutsu promises RK isn't like the yakuza- a man can easily make his fortune and then walk away for a civilian life, and with Kaito and others like them training them up they could be a serious power in the underworld. Kaito refuses and tells Akutsu to leave him and Yagami alone. Akutsu warns Kaito that if he's not with them then he's against them, but Kaito doesn't care. Akutsu tells his lieutenant to round up the others, but Yagami steps out of the shadows to interrupt (Kaito having anticipated that Yagami would break in regardless of what happened).
Yagami and Kaito defeat Akutsu's goons, with Kaito turning to Akutsu and telling him to leave them alone. Akutsu doesn't give an answer; instead, a lanky fellow dabbing his nose with a handkerchief steps out of the shadows, telling Yagami and Kaito he'll get the boys to lay off. Kaito identifies the newcomer as Soma, the leader of RK, and while Akutsu protests Soma coming in and stealing his thunder Soma is able to give a perfect rundown on who Yagami and Kaito are and what they've been up to as civilians. He turns to the two after apologizing for his allergies, saying he's disappointed they won't get a chance to work together but he's leaving the option open for them to change their minds later, and so he and his men will leave them alone. Kaito is happy to see someone around here has some sense and leaves, but Yagami stays behind to ask if Soma has given up searching for that guy RK was looking for the other day. Soma tells Yagami they recently learned the guy was dead, most likely murdered, which satisfies Yagami's curiosity and he departs as well.
Outside, Yagami tells Kaito that they shouldn't have underestimated RK despite the gang being new to the scene. Kaito tells Yagami that Soma is behind the drive to recruit ex-Tojo men, and has been busying himself teaching the newcomers all the nasty parts of the business (protection rackets, loan sharking, mugging, the works). RK has about fifty full time members, but with part timers and other hangers-on that number gets close to two thousand. Just then Yagami gets a call from Saori- she has found information on Mamiya, who lives with her family in East Ikebukuro. Saori is on her way to speak with Mamiya. Yagami tells Saori he'll meet her there, while Kaito heads back to the office as he won't be of much use to Yagami.
Yagami meets up with Saori, and the two head for East Ikebukuro. As they walk through the apartment complex Mamiya lives in, Saori reminds Yagami that they might have a rough time getting Mamiya to talk (hence why they did not inform her they were coming- she might have just refused to speak with them). Yagami says they should hope this doesn't upset her further, which Saori agrees with before they arrive at the apartment. Saori rings the intercom and asks to speak with Mamiya, with Mamiya asking why they want to talk with her. Saori says they had something come up that they want to address with her, but Mamiya asks if it would be legal for her to turn them away. Yagami steps in when it seems Mamiya won't speak with them, saying they only want a brief, informal chat to clear her of any relation to the Mikoshiba killing and if they don't do it now, they'd have to drag in paperwork and bureaucracy and no one wants that, do they? This wins Mamiya over and she allows the two in, while Saori says she'll never take Yagami at face value again.
The two go inside, with Yagami taking a moment to survey the apartment while Mamiya ushers her six year old son to his room. Once they're settled in, Saori asks Mamiya to go over the events of the day Ehara assaulted her one last time. Mamiya says there isn't much to say: it was just a normal day, she was on her way to work and then someone groped her. By her own admission she was too scared to cry out when Ehara grabbed her, fearing he'd just back off and downplay the incident and thus leave her with no change to catch him. Instead she waited until the train was about to stop before grabbing him (which gave her her first look at Ehara), and when he broke free and ran she followed in pursuit. She never lost sight of Ehara, and eventually he was captured.
Yagami praises Mamiya for sticking up for herself and helping to capture Ehara, but there's something that contradicts her testimony. He presents the footage of Ehara murdering Mikoshiba, explaining the backstory and what they found in the video. As Yagami puts it, either the video is fake or Ehara didn't grope Mamiya that day, and after hearing Mamiya repeat her testimony he says the video must be faked. Mamiya asks that if that's the case, who would post such a video and why, with Yagami telling her he's still working on that part and had hoped maybe Mamiya might have had a lead or two, but that's clearly not the case. He and Saori get up to leave, apologizing for the intrusion.
They return to Genda Law Office, where Yagami joins Saori as she makes her report to Genda and Hoshino. They say they got no new information from Mamiya, so Hoshino suggests they look into the murder footage then. Genda tells Hoshino not to get too far ahead as they still have the identity of the poster to look in to, asking Yagami if he has any leads. Yagami explains that they were able to identify Mikoshiba's place of death from the video. That and the matching blood splatters leads him to believe Ehara's accomplices are behind the video, but Hoshino asks why they would post the video. Yagami guesses perhaps they were hoping to make a mockery of the police or even the whole justice system; Ehara got convicted for groping as an alibi for Mikoshiba's murder, then his accomplices upload the video to show he'd essentially gotten away with murder. Genda wants to get back to how they could have faked the video, with Hoshino suggesting they could have put Ehara's head over the face of the actual murderer, but as they've established before there's no sign the video's been faked. So Yagami has them walk back and operate under the possibility the video is real- in that case there's bound to be a flaw in the groping defense they've only just stumbled across. Saori brings up Yagami's stand-in theory, but Hoshino counters they couldn't find a time where a double could have swapped with Ehara. But Yagami says they did, pulling up the diagram Hoshino made of the train station; shortly after the first stairwell there is a noticeable blind spot where the cameras don't cover, so if there was a double that would be where Ehara would trade places with the fake.
Saori counters that Mamiya was behind Ehara the whole time- could a double have switched places without her noticing? In a packed station at rush hour, maybe, but Hoshino says Ehara seems a might careless if that was his plan- there's no guarantee he could have made the switch or not been grabbed by another person. Or what if Mamiya had called for help while on the train? She would have caught the double before they could make the switch. It doesn't make sense that the conspirators would leave such a crucial detail to chance. Yagami says that maybe that supports his theory: what if the conspirators planned for that and gave the illusion of chance to throw off observers? What if Mamiya was colluding with Ehara the whole time? If Mamiya was in on the plan, she would have known about the switch and just pretended she was chasing the same man. Saori can't believe a woman would fake a sexual harassment case like this, while Yagami says he's only positing the idea to make his theory work; once Mamiya saw the switch was complete, then she would call out the real Ehara as a perp and allow for his capture. Saori counters that if the swap theory is correct then there would be no chance for Ehara to get ahold of Mamiya's underwear, yet there were trace elements found on his hand during the investigation. Yagami replies that Mamiya being in on the plan covers for that- while the double was lurking about the station, Mamiya could have met with Ehara and given him access to her underwear (which would also explain why it took him so long to act).
Saori has one more question: why would Mamiya be party to a crime like this? She has a family and is well off, so why would she take such a risk to establish an alibi for a murderer? Yagami hasn't gotten that far yet, but perhaps Mamiya was promised something that far outweighed the risk, or perhaps Ehara blackmailed her. Saori asks what kind of blackmail would be big enough to coerce Mamiya's compliance? Yagami asks Hoshino to do some searching on Mamiya's background. Hoshino pulls up the following information: Yui Mamiya is 30 years old, her maiden name is Suzuki, and she attended Kurokawa Academy before attending Touto University for college. Yagami goes back to Kurokawa Academy, bringing up the incident with the three men who had been spying on the crime scene when he went to inspect it- they were about the same age as Mamiya. Genda asks if there's a point to this, with Hoshino pulling up the website for Kurokawa before squealing over how cute the girls' uniforms look.
That's when Yagami makes the connection: the uniforms match the ones Sawa and her friends were wearing in the picture she has on her desk. Sawa spoke to Ehara about Toshiro's bullying, and if she, Mamiya, and the three men were all classmates at Kurokawa, then that would provide the connection between the groping and the murder. It's a tentative connection at best, but no detective worth his salt would pass up this information.
Yagami and Kaito head back to Genda Law, but before they go inside they are stopped by Mafuyu Fujii, Tokyo District Prosecutor and Yagami's Implied Love Interest. Mafuyu wants to discuss the recent video with Saori as the prosecutor's office is in a panic over the video, as if it's real it means they secured a wrong conviction for Ehara. If they were to retract that conviction it would be an embarrassment for the prosecutor's office, so for now they are hoping to see what the defense is planning in response to the video. They head inside and are greeted by Saori, who asks Mafuyu if she came down here just for the case or perhaps to get a chance to see Yagami. Mafuyu denies that, though Kaito does tease Yagami a little before they get to work.
They review the footage together, with Mafuyu saying the prosecution is rejecting any evidence that does not come from unknown sources, essentially denying that the footage is anything new to them. Yagami asks if this means they don't plan on questioning Ehara about this, with Mafuyu confirming as the prosecution wants to stick with their original verdict of Ehara's sexual assault. The prosecution believes the video is falsified evidence, and prosecutor Sadao Takano (who got Ehara his verdict) is pressing hard for them to stick with this narrative and not bring up any more evidence. Genda can see his point, as no one would trust a justice system that easily flipped its verdicts over sudden evidence. Yagami protests that's just sweeping the issue under the rug, with Mafuyu adding that with the prosecution's stance on the evidence the police won't push any further lest they know for certain the video is real. With the police taking no action, they cannot press Ehara on the video, thus removing him as a suspect. Yagami notes it's ironic that up until this point everyone was rearing to bring Ehara to justice but now they want nothing to do with the issue, with Genda saying they don't want to challenge a ruling that favors their organization. The case will be dropped, and if Ehara did kill Mikoshiba he'd essentially commit the perfect crime and get away without any challenge. Saori will not allow Ehara to make a farce of the justice system like that, and none of the others are willing to let that stand as well. Even Mafuyu is willing to lend a hand wherever she can, wishing them the best of luck before she departs.
After Mafuyu leaves, Yagami goes to Saori and suggests they go speak with Ehara again. Saori agrees, but before they can act on that they get a call from Ehara's prison; Ehara is refusing to speak with any further representation. Yagami guesses Ehara's conspirators must have informed him about the timing of when they would release the video, and that's why he could predict they'd want to set up a second interview. Hoshino asks what they should do now, with Genda saying there are other leads to pursue besides Ehara; Saori explains that the new footage undermines Ehara's alibi of being a pervert, so either the murder video or the sexual assault are fake. Yagami concludes they need to reexamine the sexual assault case, as no one expected it to be an alibi for a murder or that Ehara would have accomplices. Hoshino points out Ehara's sexual assault was caught on plenty of security cameras, and has plenty of physical evidence to back it up as well. They'll need something to start their search, with Yagami reviewing the evidence and coming back to the video at Ikebukuro Station- perhaps "Ehara" is actually a double taking a spot at the train station while the real Ehara killed Mikoshiba, and then the two swapped places in time for Ehara to assault Mamiya. Saori says she ruled that out, as there's simply no time frame between the events that would allow Ehara and a double to trade places. But they do have a lead, as they could question Mamiya and determine if she saw anything out of place the cameras might have missed. Saori says she'll get that set up (warning Yagami they won't be in for a warm welcome as the defendant's attorneys), and while she works on that Kaito suggests he and Yagami go get some food.
Outside the two detectives note they're not alone; RK goons are watching from the street, including those they beat down the previous day. Yagami would rather not make a scene in front of Genda Law Office, so he and Kaito act casual as they head down the street. The RK goons follow but don't draw closer, eventually annoying Kaito enough for him to turn and yell at them. This proves to be a distraction before more RK goons attack with bats, the thugs surrounding Yagami and Kaito as they prepare to fight. They fight off the ambush, but the other RK goons merely make some threatening gestures before leaving without another word. Yagami wonders if all the thugs in Kamurocho signed on to RK, while Kaito says they should relocate before the cops come and arrest them.
They find another spot in Kamurocho, but RK continues to tail them. Kaito guesses they're coming at them in waves, with Yagami noting that at this rate they'll never get a chance to meet with Saori or the others. Kaito suggests they go to RK's headquarters- maybe he could convince Akutsu or Soma to back off from them. Yagami asks if he even knows there that is, with Kaito saying there's a club at the back of Theater Square that used to be their exclusive spot. They head to the club and ask to be let inside, when the leading thug that had been following them steps out and says they've been waiting for Yagami and Kaito... rather, just Kaito, as Akutsu gave orders that he only wants to speak with Kaito, even offering him a nice high ranking spot in RK if he joins up. Kaito is unimpressed and asks to be taken to Akutsu, with Yagami wondering why he's not allowed in (thinking to himself that a gang base full of thugs is a dangerous place even for Kaito). Kaito reassures Yagami that he'll be fine and heads in, Yagami waiting outside much to the doorman's displeasure.
Ten minutes pass and no sign of Kaito. Yagami decides to take matters into his own hands and sneak in, teasing the doorman enough so he rushes at Yagami, only for Yagami to trip him so he smacks his head against a wall. With the guard down, Yagami sneaks through the main entrance but notices there are too many RK goons in the way for him to get inside without making a scene. He moves into a storage room and finds an open air duct, crawling inside and making his way through the rafters. During his travels he hears two RK goons talking, overhearing that Kaito is in the VIP room with Akutsu. Yagami sneaks in further, spotting a bartender that kind of looks like him from afar. He follows the bartender into the bathroom and knocks him out, stealing his clothes and heading out to the main floor.
Just as Yagami gets near the VIP room, one of the RK members approaches him and demands a drink. Yagami backtracks and makes the man his drink, and fortunately the guy passes out shortly after. With the coast (somewhat) clear, Yagami continues on his mission, sneaking closer to the VIP room so he can get a visual on Kaito and Akutsu. Kaito has once again refused Akutsu's offer of employment, with Akutsu insisting Kaito wouldn't have to drop the detective gig and would only need to lend a hand to RK every now and then. Kaito remains unimpressed and continues to talk smack about RK, Akutsu, and Soma, while Akutsu threatens Kaito to not talk down to him in front of his men. Akutsu promises RK isn't like the yakuza- a man can easily make his fortune and then walk away for a civilian life, and with Kaito and others like them training them up they could be a serious power in the underworld. Kaito refuses and tells Akutsu to leave him and Yagami alone. Akutsu warns Kaito that if he's not with them then he's against them, but Kaito doesn't care. Akutsu tells his lieutenant to round up the others, but Yagami steps out of the shadows to interrupt (Kaito having anticipated that Yagami would break in regardless of what happened).
Yagami and Kaito defeat Akutsu's goons, with Kaito turning to Akutsu and telling him to leave them alone. Akutsu doesn't give an answer; instead, a lanky fellow dabbing his nose with a handkerchief steps out of the shadows, telling Yagami and Kaito he'll get the boys to lay off. Kaito identifies the newcomer as Soma, the leader of RK, and while Akutsu protests Soma coming in and stealing his thunder Soma is able to give a perfect rundown on who Yagami and Kaito are and what they've been up to as civilians. He turns to the two after apologizing for his allergies, saying he's disappointed they won't get a chance to work together but he's leaving the option open for them to change their minds later, and so he and his men will leave them alone. Kaito is happy to see someone around here has some sense and leaves, but Yagami stays behind to ask if Soma has given up searching for that guy RK was looking for the other day. Soma tells Yagami they recently learned the guy was dead, most likely murdered, which satisfies Yagami's curiosity and he departs as well.
Outside, Yagami tells Kaito that they shouldn't have underestimated RK despite the gang being new to the scene. Kaito tells Yagami that Soma is behind the drive to recruit ex-Tojo men, and has been busying himself teaching the newcomers all the nasty parts of the business (protection rackets, loan sharking, mugging, the works). RK has about fifty full time members, but with part timers and other hangers-on that number gets close to two thousand. Just then Yagami gets a call from Saori- she has found information on Mamiya, who lives with her family in East Ikebukuro. Saori is on her way to speak with Mamiya. Yagami tells Saori he'll meet her there, while Kaito heads back to the office as he won't be of much use to Yagami.
Yagami meets up with Saori, and the two head for East Ikebukuro. As they walk through the apartment complex Mamiya lives in, Saori reminds Yagami that they might have a rough time getting Mamiya to talk (hence why they did not inform her they were coming- she might have just refused to speak with them). Yagami says they should hope this doesn't upset her further, which Saori agrees with before they arrive at the apartment. Saori rings the intercom and asks to speak with Mamiya, with Mamiya asking why they want to talk with her. Saori says they had something come up that they want to address with her, but Mamiya asks if it would be legal for her to turn them away. Yagami steps in when it seems Mamiya won't speak with them, saying they only want a brief, informal chat to clear her of any relation to the Mikoshiba killing and if they don't do it now, they'd have to drag in paperwork and bureaucracy and no one wants that, do they? This wins Mamiya over and she allows the two in, while Saori says she'll never take Yagami at face value again.
The two go inside, with Yagami taking a moment to survey the apartment while Mamiya ushers her six year old son to his room. Once they're settled in, Saori asks Mamiya to go over the events of the day Ehara assaulted her one last time. Mamiya says there isn't much to say: it was just a normal day, she was on her way to work and then someone groped her. By her own admission she was too scared to cry out when Ehara grabbed her, fearing he'd just back off and downplay the incident and thus leave her with no change to catch him. Instead she waited until the train was about to stop before grabbing him (which gave her her first look at Ehara), and when he broke free and ran she followed in pursuit. She never lost sight of Ehara, and eventually he was captured.
Yagami praises Mamiya for sticking up for herself and helping to capture Ehara, but there's something that contradicts her testimony. He presents the footage of Ehara murdering Mikoshiba, explaining the backstory and what they found in the video. As Yagami puts it, either the video is fake or Ehara didn't grope Mamiya that day, and after hearing Mamiya repeat her testimony he says the video must be faked. Mamiya asks that if that's the case, who would post such a video and why, with Yagami telling her he's still working on that part and had hoped maybe Mamiya might have had a lead or two, but that's clearly not the case. He and Saori get up to leave, apologizing for the intrusion.
They return to Genda Law Office, where Yagami joins Saori as she makes her report to Genda and Hoshino. They say they got no new information from Mamiya, so Hoshino suggests they look into the murder footage then. Genda tells Hoshino not to get too far ahead as they still have the identity of the poster to look in to, asking Yagami if he has any leads. Yagami explains that they were able to identify Mikoshiba's place of death from the video. That and the matching blood splatters leads him to believe Ehara's accomplices are behind the video, but Hoshino asks why they would post the video. Yagami guesses perhaps they were hoping to make a mockery of the police or even the whole justice system; Ehara got convicted for groping as an alibi for Mikoshiba's murder, then his accomplices upload the video to show he'd essentially gotten away with murder. Genda wants to get back to how they could have faked the video, with Hoshino suggesting they could have put Ehara's head over the face of the actual murderer, but as they've established before there's no sign the video's been faked. So Yagami has them walk back and operate under the possibility the video is real- in that case there's bound to be a flaw in the groping defense they've only just stumbled across. Saori brings up Yagami's stand-in theory, but Hoshino counters they couldn't find a time where a double could have swapped with Ehara. But Yagami says they did, pulling up the diagram Hoshino made of the train station; shortly after the first stairwell there is a noticeable blind spot where the cameras don't cover, so if there was a double that would be where Ehara would trade places with the fake.
Saori counters that Mamiya was behind Ehara the whole time- could a double have switched places without her noticing? In a packed station at rush hour, maybe, but Hoshino says Ehara seems a might careless if that was his plan- there's no guarantee he could have made the switch or not been grabbed by another person. Or what if Mamiya had called for help while on the train? She would have caught the double before they could make the switch. It doesn't make sense that the conspirators would leave such a crucial detail to chance. Yagami says that maybe that supports his theory: what if the conspirators planned for that and gave the illusion of chance to throw off observers? What if Mamiya was colluding with Ehara the whole time? If Mamiya was in on the plan, she would have known about the switch and just pretended she was chasing the same man. Saori can't believe a woman would fake a sexual harassment case like this, while Yagami says he's only positing the idea to make his theory work; once Mamiya saw the switch was complete, then she would call out the real Ehara as a perp and allow for his capture. Saori counters that if the swap theory is correct then there would be no chance for Ehara to get ahold of Mamiya's underwear, yet there were trace elements found on his hand during the investigation. Yagami replies that Mamiya being in on the plan covers for that- while the double was lurking about the station, Mamiya could have met with Ehara and given him access to her underwear (which would also explain why it took him so long to act).
Saori has one more question: why would Mamiya be party to a crime like this? She has a family and is well off, so why would she take such a risk to establish an alibi for a murderer? Yagami hasn't gotten that far yet, but perhaps Mamiya was promised something that far outweighed the risk, or perhaps Ehara blackmailed her. Saori asks what kind of blackmail would be big enough to coerce Mamiya's compliance? Yagami asks Hoshino to do some searching on Mamiya's background. Hoshino pulls up the following information: Yui Mamiya is 30 years old, her maiden name is Suzuki, and she attended Kurokawa Academy before attending Touto University for college. Yagami goes back to Kurokawa Academy, bringing up the incident with the three men who had been spying on the crime scene when he went to inspect it- they were about the same age as Mamiya. Genda asks if there's a point to this, with Hoshino pulling up the website for Kurokawa before squealing over how cute the girls' uniforms look.
That's when Yagami makes the connection: the uniforms match the ones Sawa and her friends were wearing in the picture she has on her desk. Sawa spoke to Ehara about Toshiro's bullying, and if she, Mamiya, and the three men were all classmates at Kurokawa, then that would provide the connection between the groping and the murder. It's a tentative connection at best, but no detective worth his salt would pass up this information.
Chapter 6: Converging Heat
Yagami draws up a diagram of the information they have on hand: Mikoshiba's murder was sparked by the death of Toshiro Ehara four years prior, with the current prime suspect being Toshiro's father. Ehara had accomplices (the men who attacked Yokohama 99 while Yagami pursued the Liumang) who kidnapped Mikoshiba and took him to the abandoned building in Yokohama where he was beaten and murdered; meanwhile, another accomplice disguised himself as Ehara and went to Ikebukuro station, where he remained for an hour before Yui Mamiya arrived. After assaulting Mamiya, the stand in met and switched places with Ehara, where he was then captured and arrested by the police. Mamiya (who was in on the conspiracy) would say it was Ehara the whole time, this giving him an alibi for murdering Mikoshiba. The sole connecting point between all this is Sawa, the teacher who first told Ehara his son was being bullied and who was a classmate of Mamiya (and possibly the other conspirators, if Genda's theory that they are the Kurokawa alumni that were spying on Yagami is correct). Sawa might have been the one to connect Ehara with the other classmates to carry out the scheme, as she felt remorse for not being able to do anything about Toshiro's death, though Yagami sincerely hopes Sawa is not the mastermind of the murder. Yagami plans to go back to Ijincho and confront Sawa about Mamiya, but for now there's no need to jump to conclusions.
Hoshino interrupts that he found some interesting information about Kurokawa; apparently they had their own bullying related suicide incident thirteen years prior. The student, Mitsuru Kusumoto, jumped off the roof of the school building after being bullied, and while he survived he is now comatose. What is also important is that Mitsuru's mother, Reiko Kusumoto, is now vice minister for the Ministry of Health, having succeeded Minister Ichinose when his crimes concerning AD-9 were exposed. Reiko has proven to be an exemplary civil servant, and her sympathetic story as a single mother trying to care for her comatose son has made her a hero in the eyes of the public. Genda asks if there's a point to this, with Hoshino pointing out that Reiko and Ehara both have had children suffer from bullying- perhaps there is a connection there that might be explored. Yagami has Hoshino look further into Mitsuru's case; the bully was a fellow third year named Shinya Kawai, who had been relentlessly harassing Mitsuru in and out of school. The teacher at the time did nothing more than say "don't overdo it", which he got justifiably eviscerated by the public over. Yagami guesses that Sawa, Mamiya, and the others were classmates that saw all this happen, and perhaps their guilt left them open to being persuaded to help Ehara kill Mikoshiba. To prove this they need to hear from the people directly, with Yagami returning to Ijincho to talk with Sawa while Saori preps Ehara's appeal.
Yagami returns to his office for the night, being awoken the next morning by Kaito. Kaito's already gotten the information about what Yagami's plan is, asking that if he meets with Sawa outside of Seiryo then he should be there as well. Yagami reminds Kaito that Sawa might be a suspect in Mikoshiba's murder, but Kaito is certain Sawa is innocent of all wrongdoing. They head to Ichincho, with Kaito declaring he's going to hit as many Chinatown restaurants as he can before heading back to Yokohama 99. But his plans are cut off when he spots Akutsu and a crew of RK thugs roaming the streets- what are Kamurocho thugs doing in Ijincho? Kaito tries to get Akutsu's attention, but the RK leader just says he's busy and can't talk. Yagami asks if Akutsu is in town because of them, but Kaito says Akutsu seemed as surprised to see them as they were to see him, so they're probably here on some other business. It must be big business as Akutsu has a sizable crew with him, but Kaito suggests they just steer clear for now before ushering Yagami on to Seiryo.
Yagami finds Sawa at her desk in the faculty office. She tells Yagami that she's seen the video of Mikoshiba's murder, with Yagami telling her the video is most likely real. Ehara most likely had someone colluding with him to set up the groping alibi, and Yagami brings up Mamiya to see if Sawa knows anything about her. Sawa does not recognize the name, but does react in shock when Yagami tells her Mamiya's original surname was "Suzuki" back when she attended Kurokawa Academy. Yagami brings out his theory that Mamiya and Ehara were working together, and their one link is Sawa herself. Sawa asks if Yagami is implying that she acted as a liaison between the two, with Yagami asking if she and Mamiya were close or had met recently. Sawa says no: Mamiya hung out with a more "extroverted" group at Kurokawa, and Sawa hasn't seen any of her classmates since she graduated. Yagami brings up that the two had a connection, with Ehara being the father of a bullied son and Mamiya the classmate of a bullied student, and that might have made her sympathetic enough to act as a groping victim in Ehara's alibi. Sawa is about to say more, but one of her fellow teachers tells here they're going to be late for a staff meeting. Sawa quickly gets her things together and makes to leave, while Yagami tries to get more information out of her. Yagami needs to know how Mamiya and Ehara connected, and believes Sawa may know the answer, either as information she might not realize is important or as part of the grander conspiracy. Sawa leaves for the staff meeting, with Yagami saying he'll wait for her when she's finished.
Yagami steps outside to call Saori and fill her in on the information he's learned. As it turns out, Saori and Hoshino has some info as well; Mitsuru's tormentor, Kawai, transferred schools following Mitsuru's suicide attempt, eventually graduating and finding work in Kamurocho. From what Saori and Hoshino found, Kawai was unrepentant and even somewhat proud about driving a classmate to suicide. Kawai was essentially a yakuza, though he never swore up, and Saori sends Yagami a picture of the man taken five years prior. To Yagami's shock, it's the same picture the RK members were showing around when they were searching for a missing man, with Yagami explaining as much to Saori. He also tells her that Soma mentioned Kawai was dead, though they apparently haven't found the body yet. Now that Yagami's brought it up, Kawai's disappearance is eerily similar to Mikoshiba's murder in that both were men accused of bullying that wound up dead. Saori counters that people disappear in Kamurocho all the time, and Kawai could have run afoul of many of the different pitfalls that plague the underworld. She tells Yagami that she'll investigate Kawai's disappearance on her end while Yagami continues to pursue leads in Ijincho.
Saori hangs up and tells Hoshino what Yagami told her about RK and Kawai. Hoshino wonders why RK is suddenly so invested in this guy, and if they're involved in the larger case. Saori doesn't have an immediate answer to this, so she asks Hoshino to continue his research online while she goes out and combs the streets. She decides to head to Bar Tender, as the owner Jo Masuda is well connected to leads she can follow. She goes inside and greets Jo and perpetual Tender guest Mari, telling them that she's seeking out RK members after she gets herself a drink. Jo says RK is everywhere these days, but you can't just walk up to one and ask if they're a member or not, especially if you need to ask them sensitive information like Saori needs to. Mari agrees, though she says that if Saori cleaned herself up a bit she'd have RK coming to her instead of the other way around. Saori agrees to the plan, and Mari takes her out to get a makeover so Saori can pass as a hostess as she roams the streets.
With Saori's makeover finished, she and Mari head out to find some RK members. They don't have to go very far, for a pair of RK members approach them and ask if they'd like to go for a drink. Saori sweet talks them into confirming they are RK members, and when she feels she's warmed them up enough she asks them about Kawai. The RK men don't tell her much more than she already knows, but they do end up dropping one piece of new information: from what witnesses said, Kawai was confronted by a group of old acquaintances (about ten, including a woman), and after a protracted argument these people shoved Kawai into a van and drove off. The RK man guesses that means Kawai was killed outside Kamurocho, as if he was still alive he would have returned by now. Saori presses on with her questioning, however one of the RK members has a question for her: how did she know Kawai's full name? The thugs grab Saori and demand she tell them who she is, but Saori plays defensive in an attempt to drive them off. This does not rescue her from the RK men, but fortunately it does catch the attention of a rival: Higashi, who comes up and knocks the two RK thugs out, rescuing Saori and Mari from their clutches.
Higashi starts to walk off, ignoring Saori at first as he thinks she's just another pretty socialite. When Saori addresses him by name and introduces herself, Higashi changes his tune and apologizes for not recognizing her. He offers to escort the two women somewhere safer (which Mari is really receptive of), but Saori has to call Yagami first to let him know what she learned about Kawai. However, Yagami doesn't seem to be picking up the phone, even as Saori calls again.
After finishing his conversation with Saori, Yagami heads back into Seiryo High as the staff meeting should be finished. Upon arriving, however, Yagami sees that Sawa is not there, with one of her colleagues telling Yagami she left halfway through the meeting; apparently there was a burglary at her apartment, and she rushed out to make sure all was well. The teacher calls Sawa to check up on her, but Sawa doesn't answer. Yagami asks the teacher if she knows where Sawa lives, but other than telling him Sawa lives within walking distance the teacher doesn't say much. Yagami goes to Okuda and asks him, though Okuda is reluctant to give out information on Sawa. Yagami tells Okuda about Ehara's plot to undermine the justice system, and that Sawa did report a bullying incident to Toshiro's teacher but was forced to keep quiet about it in her testimony. Yagami says that with Mikoshiba dead and Sawa not answering her phone, he wants to make sure nothing bad has happened to her. This wins the chairman over and he tells Yagami Sawa lives on Daikokuten Avenue, over by Hamakita Park.
Yagami hurries over to the apartment complex, sneaking in and heading to the third level where Sawa lives. When he arrives, he finds the place far too quiet for somewhere that recently had a burglary. Yagami heads over to Apartment 304 (where Sawa lives) and gives a knock, though no one comes to answer. As he waits, another person comes up the elevator behind him- it's Kuwana, and he's just as surprised to see Yagami as Yagami is to see him. As the two stare each other down, Soma (who is watching from a nearby car) declares his plan a success and orders Akutsu and his men to launch their attack.
Hoshino interrupts that he found some interesting information about Kurokawa; apparently they had their own bullying related suicide incident thirteen years prior. The student, Mitsuru Kusumoto, jumped off the roof of the school building after being bullied, and while he survived he is now comatose. What is also important is that Mitsuru's mother, Reiko Kusumoto, is now vice minister for the Ministry of Health, having succeeded Minister Ichinose when his crimes concerning AD-9 were exposed. Reiko has proven to be an exemplary civil servant, and her sympathetic story as a single mother trying to care for her comatose son has made her a hero in the eyes of the public. Genda asks if there's a point to this, with Hoshino pointing out that Reiko and Ehara both have had children suffer from bullying- perhaps there is a connection there that might be explored. Yagami has Hoshino look further into Mitsuru's case; the bully was a fellow third year named Shinya Kawai, who had been relentlessly harassing Mitsuru in and out of school. The teacher at the time did nothing more than say "don't overdo it", which he got justifiably eviscerated by the public over. Yagami guesses that Sawa, Mamiya, and the others were classmates that saw all this happen, and perhaps their guilt left them open to being persuaded to help Ehara kill Mikoshiba. To prove this they need to hear from the people directly, with Yagami returning to Ijincho to talk with Sawa while Saori preps Ehara's appeal.
Yagami returns to his office for the night, being awoken the next morning by Kaito. Kaito's already gotten the information about what Yagami's plan is, asking that if he meets with Sawa outside of Seiryo then he should be there as well. Yagami reminds Kaito that Sawa might be a suspect in Mikoshiba's murder, but Kaito is certain Sawa is innocent of all wrongdoing. They head to Ichincho, with Kaito declaring he's going to hit as many Chinatown restaurants as he can before heading back to Yokohama 99. But his plans are cut off when he spots Akutsu and a crew of RK thugs roaming the streets- what are Kamurocho thugs doing in Ijincho? Kaito tries to get Akutsu's attention, but the RK leader just says he's busy and can't talk. Yagami asks if Akutsu is in town because of them, but Kaito says Akutsu seemed as surprised to see them as they were to see him, so they're probably here on some other business. It must be big business as Akutsu has a sizable crew with him, but Kaito suggests they just steer clear for now before ushering Yagami on to Seiryo.
Yagami finds Sawa at her desk in the faculty office. She tells Yagami that she's seen the video of Mikoshiba's murder, with Yagami telling her the video is most likely real. Ehara most likely had someone colluding with him to set up the groping alibi, and Yagami brings up Mamiya to see if Sawa knows anything about her. Sawa does not recognize the name, but does react in shock when Yagami tells her Mamiya's original surname was "Suzuki" back when she attended Kurokawa Academy. Yagami brings out his theory that Mamiya and Ehara were working together, and their one link is Sawa herself. Sawa asks if Yagami is implying that she acted as a liaison between the two, with Yagami asking if she and Mamiya were close or had met recently. Sawa says no: Mamiya hung out with a more "extroverted" group at Kurokawa, and Sawa hasn't seen any of her classmates since she graduated. Yagami brings up that the two had a connection, with Ehara being the father of a bullied son and Mamiya the classmate of a bullied student, and that might have made her sympathetic enough to act as a groping victim in Ehara's alibi. Sawa is about to say more, but one of her fellow teachers tells here they're going to be late for a staff meeting. Sawa quickly gets her things together and makes to leave, while Yagami tries to get more information out of her. Yagami needs to know how Mamiya and Ehara connected, and believes Sawa may know the answer, either as information she might not realize is important or as part of the grander conspiracy. Sawa leaves for the staff meeting, with Yagami saying he'll wait for her when she's finished.
Yagami steps outside to call Saori and fill her in on the information he's learned. As it turns out, Saori and Hoshino has some info as well; Mitsuru's tormentor, Kawai, transferred schools following Mitsuru's suicide attempt, eventually graduating and finding work in Kamurocho. From what Saori and Hoshino found, Kawai was unrepentant and even somewhat proud about driving a classmate to suicide. Kawai was essentially a yakuza, though he never swore up, and Saori sends Yagami a picture of the man taken five years prior. To Yagami's shock, it's the same picture the RK members were showing around when they were searching for a missing man, with Yagami explaining as much to Saori. He also tells her that Soma mentioned Kawai was dead, though they apparently haven't found the body yet. Now that Yagami's brought it up, Kawai's disappearance is eerily similar to Mikoshiba's murder in that both were men accused of bullying that wound up dead. Saori counters that people disappear in Kamurocho all the time, and Kawai could have run afoul of many of the different pitfalls that plague the underworld. She tells Yagami that she'll investigate Kawai's disappearance on her end while Yagami continues to pursue leads in Ijincho.
Saori hangs up and tells Hoshino what Yagami told her about RK and Kawai. Hoshino wonders why RK is suddenly so invested in this guy, and if they're involved in the larger case. Saori doesn't have an immediate answer to this, so she asks Hoshino to continue his research online while she goes out and combs the streets. She decides to head to Bar Tender, as the owner Jo Masuda is well connected to leads she can follow. She goes inside and greets Jo and perpetual Tender guest Mari, telling them that she's seeking out RK members after she gets herself a drink. Jo says RK is everywhere these days, but you can't just walk up to one and ask if they're a member or not, especially if you need to ask them sensitive information like Saori needs to. Mari agrees, though she says that if Saori cleaned herself up a bit she'd have RK coming to her instead of the other way around. Saori agrees to the plan, and Mari takes her out to get a makeover so Saori can pass as a hostess as she roams the streets.
With Saori's makeover finished, she and Mari head out to find some RK members. They don't have to go very far, for a pair of RK members approach them and ask if they'd like to go for a drink. Saori sweet talks them into confirming they are RK members, and when she feels she's warmed them up enough she asks them about Kawai. The RK men don't tell her much more than she already knows, but they do end up dropping one piece of new information: from what witnesses said, Kawai was confronted by a group of old acquaintances (about ten, including a woman), and after a protracted argument these people shoved Kawai into a van and drove off. The RK man guesses that means Kawai was killed outside Kamurocho, as if he was still alive he would have returned by now. Saori presses on with her questioning, however one of the RK members has a question for her: how did she know Kawai's full name? The thugs grab Saori and demand she tell them who she is, but Saori plays defensive in an attempt to drive them off. This does not rescue her from the RK men, but fortunately it does catch the attention of a rival: Higashi, who comes up and knocks the two RK thugs out, rescuing Saori and Mari from their clutches.
Higashi starts to walk off, ignoring Saori at first as he thinks she's just another pretty socialite. When Saori addresses him by name and introduces herself, Higashi changes his tune and apologizes for not recognizing her. He offers to escort the two women somewhere safer (which Mari is really receptive of), but Saori has to call Yagami first to let him know what she learned about Kawai. However, Yagami doesn't seem to be picking up the phone, even as Saori calls again.
After finishing his conversation with Saori, Yagami heads back into Seiryo High as the staff meeting should be finished. Upon arriving, however, Yagami sees that Sawa is not there, with one of her colleagues telling Yagami she left halfway through the meeting; apparently there was a burglary at her apartment, and she rushed out to make sure all was well. The teacher calls Sawa to check up on her, but Sawa doesn't answer. Yagami asks the teacher if she knows where Sawa lives, but other than telling him Sawa lives within walking distance the teacher doesn't say much. Yagami goes to Okuda and asks him, though Okuda is reluctant to give out information on Sawa. Yagami tells Okuda about Ehara's plot to undermine the justice system, and that Sawa did report a bullying incident to Toshiro's teacher but was forced to keep quiet about it in her testimony. Yagami says that with Mikoshiba dead and Sawa not answering her phone, he wants to make sure nothing bad has happened to her. This wins the chairman over and he tells Yagami Sawa lives on Daikokuten Avenue, over by Hamakita Park.
Yagami hurries over to the apartment complex, sneaking in and heading to the third level where Sawa lives. When he arrives, he finds the place far too quiet for somewhere that recently had a burglary. Yagami heads over to Apartment 304 (where Sawa lives) and gives a knock, though no one comes to answer. As he waits, another person comes up the elevator behind him- it's Kuwana, and he's just as surprised to see Yagami as Yagami is to see him. As the two stare each other down, Soma (who is watching from a nearby car) declares his plan a success and orders Akutsu and his men to launch their attack.
Chapter 7: Blindsided
Yagami demands to know how Kuwana knows Sawa, and he won't take "she hired a handyman" as an answer. Just then Akutsu and some of his men exit Sawa's room, the big thug trying to kick Yagami in the gut. Yagami breaks free, but Kuwana spots more RK thugs moving in from behind. Kuwana says they're not here for Yagami- they're here for him, and he just blundered right into their trap. Yagami asks why a Kamurocho gang is hunting a handyman in Ijincho, but neither Kuwana nor Akutsu are offering answers. Yagami then asks Akutsu to leave Sawa out of this, but Akutsu merely tells his men to grab the two and do their best not to kill them. Surrounded, Yagami and Kuwana fight against RK.
As they fight, Akutsu grabs Yagami from behind and tells him to stay out of this. As Yagami tries to break free, Sawa pokes her head out of her room (showing she's received a nasty bruise on her cheek) and tells Yagami she'll call the police. Yagami thanks her as Sawa goes back inside, with Yagami freeing himself and stunning Akutsu. With the RK leader dazed, Yagami tells Kuwana to make a run for it, with Akutsu pursuing while he leaves men behind to deal with Yagami. Yagami fights off the thugs before running to Sawa's door, telling her to lock up and wait until he or the police get to her. Before he leaves, though, he asks Sawa how she knows Kuwana, but Sawa doesn't answer. Yagami tells her to stay safe while he goes to find Kuwana, only to be attacked by more RK members before he can get going. Yagami defeats the next wave of RK before heading downstairs. He finds more RK members beaten down, but Yagami guesses Kuwana took the pedestrian overpass rather than the elevator. Unfortunately there's more RK members on the overpass, and Yagami is forced to defeat them before he can proceed.
Yagami heads back to the stairwell and finds Kuwana cornered by Akutsu and RK. Yagami leaps down and joins the handyman in his fight against the gangsters, telling Kuwana that after this he's got a lot of questions for him. The two battle against Akutsu, but halfway through the fight Kuwana leaps past the RK men and escapes into the night, apologizing to Yagami as he does so. Yagami continues his battle, managing to drop most of the RK men and leave Akutsu on his knees. He goes to pursue Kuwana, but Akutsu tells him not to run off before pulling out his phone: Soma has taken Sawa hostage and is menacing her with an ice pick. Yagami demands to know what RK is up to, but Akutsu refuses to tell him before saying "time is up". Before Yagami can ask what he means, another RK thug steps up and clobbers Yagami with a baseball bat. As the RK thugs drag Yagami off, one of them pitches Yagami's phone into a nearby trash heap to prevent him being traced.
Yagami comes to to find himself strapped to a chair in an old warehouse, with Soma, Akutsu, and RK leering down at him. Soma apologizes as his men don't really understand the fine art of knocking someone unconscious, but it seems that Yagami has recovered enough for them to talk. Soma tells Akutsu he should be thankful Yagami is in a position to talk, while Akutsu defends that it's not his fault things went pear-shaped in the operation. Soma agrees to shoulder responsibility before slugging Yagami, lecturing the RK members that when torturing someone you start with pain to keep them fearful, which he demonstrates by giving Yagami a Near-Miss Groin Attack with his ice pick. Happy to see Yagami is in a position of fear, he warns Yagami that he's a Living Lie Detector, so the detective better be truthful in his answers.
Soma asks Yagami what his relationship is with Sawa, with Yagami saying the two are colleagues as of a few days ago. Soma asks for specific details, with Yagami telling him a little about the bullying case and how he met Sawa through there. Yagami asks what happened to Sawa, with Soma saying she's probably asleep in bed by now and his business ultimately isn't with her. Yagami guesses he wants Kuwana, but Soma counters that "Kuwana" is only an alias and asks how he and Yagami know each other, letting Akutsu slug Yagami to keep him answering. Yagami replies he only knows Kuwana as a handyman around town, with Soma guessing that means they don't know each other that well. Soma goes on to say Kuwana's real name is Kitakata, but he can tell by Yagami's body language that the name doesn't ring any bells. He asks Yagami if he knows where Kuwana ran off to, but Yagami counters that even if he did he wouldn't tell Soma. Soma guessed much the same, and unfortunately for Yagami that makes him useless to RK. As Soma leaves, Akutsu and his men close in with the big RK leader saying he and the boys are going to have some fun torturing Yagami to death.
Before they get started on the torture, Yagami asks Akutsu what they're doing in Ijincho. Akutsu says he should give Yagami the info as a parting gift before he kills him, but he's not feeling that generous today. Akutsu and his men begin beating Yagami relentlessly, each one taking his turn to pummel the detective. After a while Akutsu tells his men to hold Yagami up while another fetches a chainsaw, Akutsu firing it up before telling one of his men to get it on video. He tells Yagami that he and the others are going to slice Yagami apart piece by piece, dragging his death out long enough to send a message to others that try to oppose RK. Akutsu passes the chainsaw off to one of his underlings to take the first swing, but Yagami still has enough of his wits about him to taunt the man into chickening out. Akutsu, furious that Yagami is still being a smartass, grabs the chainsaw and prepares to go to work, but just then Kaito and Sugiura arrive to rescue Yagami. As they distract RK, Yagami breaks free of the men restraining him and prepares to fight, the three clashing against Akutsu's group and eventually defeating the gangsters. Yagami pins Akutsu down and demands answers for why they're hunting Kuwana and why they're looking for Kawai, but Akutsu still has some fight left in him and throws Yagami off before escaping. Kaito and Suriura run to Yagami, with Kaito lamenting that Akutsu appears to be smarter than they gave him credit for.
The three get a cab back to Sawa's apartment, where Yagami calls Saori and tells her what happened. Yagami is thankful for Saori, as she contacted Kaito about Yagami's disappearance and with Tsukumo's help they were able to find where RK was holding him. Saori says Higashi played a major role in the rescue as well (as he was the one who first found it odd Yagami wasn't picking up), going on to tell Yagami what she learned about Kawai and his disappearance. Yagami tells Saori to steer clear of RK from now on as they're far more temperamental than the yakuza, bringing up Kuwana and RK's quest to hunt him down in Ijincho. He plans to talk with Sawa and finally get everything he needs about Kuwana, with Saori telling him to be careful while she works on her end.
Yagami, Sugiura, and Kaito go up to Sawa's apartment and ring the doorbell (Kaito taking a moment to groom himself before Sawa sees him). When Sawa doesn't answer, Yagami gives the doorknob a try and finds it's unlocked. A peek inside reveals the place has been ransacked, and the three heroes rush in to make sure Sawa is alright. Unfortunately, they're too late: Yagami finds Sawa's dead body lying in her bedroom, collapsing and screaming in rage while Kaito and Sugiura recoil in despair.
As they fight, Akutsu grabs Yagami from behind and tells him to stay out of this. As Yagami tries to break free, Sawa pokes her head out of her room (showing she's received a nasty bruise on her cheek) and tells Yagami she'll call the police. Yagami thanks her as Sawa goes back inside, with Yagami freeing himself and stunning Akutsu. With the RK leader dazed, Yagami tells Kuwana to make a run for it, with Akutsu pursuing while he leaves men behind to deal with Yagami. Yagami fights off the thugs before running to Sawa's door, telling her to lock up and wait until he or the police get to her. Before he leaves, though, he asks Sawa how she knows Kuwana, but Sawa doesn't answer. Yagami tells her to stay safe while he goes to find Kuwana, only to be attacked by more RK members before he can get going. Yagami defeats the next wave of RK before heading downstairs. He finds more RK members beaten down, but Yagami guesses Kuwana took the pedestrian overpass rather than the elevator. Unfortunately there's more RK members on the overpass, and Yagami is forced to defeat them before he can proceed.
Yagami heads back to the stairwell and finds Kuwana cornered by Akutsu and RK. Yagami leaps down and joins the handyman in his fight against the gangsters, telling Kuwana that after this he's got a lot of questions for him. The two battle against Akutsu, but halfway through the fight Kuwana leaps past the RK men and escapes into the night, apologizing to Yagami as he does so. Yagami continues his battle, managing to drop most of the RK men and leave Akutsu on his knees. He goes to pursue Kuwana, but Akutsu tells him not to run off before pulling out his phone: Soma has taken Sawa hostage and is menacing her with an ice pick. Yagami demands to know what RK is up to, but Akutsu refuses to tell him before saying "time is up". Before Yagami can ask what he means, another RK thug steps up and clobbers Yagami with a baseball bat. As the RK thugs drag Yagami off, one of them pitches Yagami's phone into a nearby trash heap to prevent him being traced.
Yagami comes to to find himself strapped to a chair in an old warehouse, with Soma, Akutsu, and RK leering down at him. Soma apologizes as his men don't really understand the fine art of knocking someone unconscious, but it seems that Yagami has recovered enough for them to talk. Soma tells Akutsu he should be thankful Yagami is in a position to talk, while Akutsu defends that it's not his fault things went pear-shaped in the operation. Soma agrees to shoulder responsibility before slugging Yagami, lecturing the RK members that when torturing someone you start with pain to keep them fearful, which he demonstrates by giving Yagami a Near-Miss Groin Attack with his ice pick. Happy to see Yagami is in a position of fear, he warns Yagami that he's a Living Lie Detector, so the detective better be truthful in his answers.
Soma asks Yagami what his relationship is with Sawa, with Yagami saying the two are colleagues as of a few days ago. Soma asks for specific details, with Yagami telling him a little about the bullying case and how he met Sawa through there. Yagami asks what happened to Sawa, with Soma saying she's probably asleep in bed by now and his business ultimately isn't with her. Yagami guesses he wants Kuwana, but Soma counters that "Kuwana" is only an alias and asks how he and Yagami know each other, letting Akutsu slug Yagami to keep him answering. Yagami replies he only knows Kuwana as a handyman around town, with Soma guessing that means they don't know each other that well. Soma goes on to say Kuwana's real name is Kitakata, but he can tell by Yagami's body language that the name doesn't ring any bells. He asks Yagami if he knows where Kuwana ran off to, but Yagami counters that even if he did he wouldn't tell Soma. Soma guessed much the same, and unfortunately for Yagami that makes him useless to RK. As Soma leaves, Akutsu and his men close in with the big RK leader saying he and the boys are going to have some fun torturing Yagami to death.
Before they get started on the torture, Yagami asks Akutsu what they're doing in Ijincho. Akutsu says he should give Yagami the info as a parting gift before he kills him, but he's not feeling that generous today. Akutsu and his men begin beating Yagami relentlessly, each one taking his turn to pummel the detective. After a while Akutsu tells his men to hold Yagami up while another fetches a chainsaw, Akutsu firing it up before telling one of his men to get it on video. He tells Yagami that he and the others are going to slice Yagami apart piece by piece, dragging his death out long enough to send a message to others that try to oppose RK. Akutsu passes the chainsaw off to one of his underlings to take the first swing, but Yagami still has enough of his wits about him to taunt the man into chickening out. Akutsu, furious that Yagami is still being a smartass, grabs the chainsaw and prepares to go to work, but just then Kaito and Sugiura arrive to rescue Yagami. As they distract RK, Yagami breaks free of the men restraining him and prepares to fight, the three clashing against Akutsu's group and eventually defeating the gangsters. Yagami pins Akutsu down and demands answers for why they're hunting Kuwana and why they're looking for Kawai, but Akutsu still has some fight left in him and throws Yagami off before escaping. Kaito and Suriura run to Yagami, with Kaito lamenting that Akutsu appears to be smarter than they gave him credit for.
The three get a cab back to Sawa's apartment, where Yagami calls Saori and tells her what happened. Yagami is thankful for Saori, as she contacted Kaito about Yagami's disappearance and with Tsukumo's help they were able to find where RK was holding him. Saori says Higashi played a major role in the rescue as well (as he was the one who first found it odd Yagami wasn't picking up), going on to tell Yagami what she learned about Kawai and his disappearance. Yagami tells Saori to steer clear of RK from now on as they're far more temperamental than the yakuza, bringing up Kuwana and RK's quest to hunt him down in Ijincho. He plans to talk with Sawa and finally get everything he needs about Kuwana, with Saori telling him to be careful while she works on her end.
Yagami, Sugiura, and Kaito go up to Sawa's apartment and ring the doorbell (Kaito taking a moment to groom himself before Sawa sees him). When Sawa doesn't answer, Yagami gives the doorknob a try and finds it's unlocked. A peek inside reveals the place has been ransacked, and the three heroes rush in to make sure Sawa is alright. Unfortunately, they're too late: Yagami finds Sawa's dead body lying in her bedroom, collapsing and screaming in rage while Kaito and Sugiura recoil in despair.
Chapter 8: Phantom of Ijincho
Sugiura calls the police to report Sawa's murder while Yagami and Kaito mourn her, Kaito even closing Sawa's eyes in respect. Yagami guesses Soma killed Sawa before he came over to the warehouse RK had taken him, asking why he did this when he claimed to have no business with her. Kaito tells Yagami they have to pull themselves together and investigate, and with Sugiura's encouragement Yagami controls his rage to puts the facts together: Sawa was connected with Soma's main target, Kuwana, with Kaito suggesting that they have to find out what that connection was. Yagami also tells them about Kuwana's real name being "Kitakata", opening another front they'll have to research to learn anything.
With only a short time before the police arrive, Yagami inspects the apartment for further clues. From what he can see, RK forced their way in with a pair of bolt cutters to break the apartment's lock, and Sawa was killed by a single stab wound to the back of her neck (no doubt from Soma's ice pick). As Yagami inspects the body, he follows the splash of blood from Sawa's neck to a nearby book case- nestled within all the English books is Sawa's yearbook from her time at Kurokawa Academy. Sugiura notices this too, finding it odd that so much blood would gather around a single book and guessing they may find older pictures of Mamiya and the school bully Sawa mentioned. Yagami agrees, and when Kaito asks what they're going to do Yagami tells Sugiura to take the yearbook back to Yokohama 99- after all, the cops don't know about the connection between Sawa and the Kurokawa alumni that were spying on them, so they wouldn't be searching for the yearbook or any further evidence. Sugiura takes the book and leaves while Yagami and Kaito finish up in Sawa's apartment and await the police.
Yagami and Kaito debrief Detective Watanabe and his men when they arrive, fingering Soma as their prime suspect for Sawa's murder. Watanabe says they'll continue with the standard investigative procedures, and Yagami asks him if he has any idea of when Sawa was killed. Watanabe says his best guess was about three hours prior, leading Yagami to realize Sawa died shortly after Akutsu showed him the video of Soma taking her hostage. Yagami insists that Watanabe catch Soma, though Watanabe says they need a photo of the guy first before they can start putting out warrants. On top of that, Watanabe has a few questions about Kuwana as well- why has a Tokyo based gang started gunning for him, and how is he connected to Sawa. Yagami says he's still working on that part of the case, and Watanabe tells him to go home and wait for further contact.
Before he leaves, Yagami has a question for Watanabe- he knows that Yagami went to speak with Ehara, explaining that he thinks there's a link between Sawa and Mikoshiba's murder. So why hasn't Watanabe jumped on this to question Ehara? Watanabe tells Yagami that the top brass have locked him out of the Ehara case completely- they don't want to overturn Ehara's current guilty verdict, and even if they did there's no way a beat cop like Watanabe could pull it off. Yagami begins to think that Sawa's murder may be buried in a similar manner, and with that he departs with Kaito.
The next day, an assembly of the students and staff of Seiryo High is called, Chairman Okuda breaking the news of Sawa's death while Yagami broods in the back. After the students have returned to class, Yagami is called into Okuda's office to talk, and on his way there he is approached by Amasawa, the girl asking if he knows anything deeper about the case. Yagami explains he was the one who found Sawa and he knows who the killer is, but he refuses to let Amasawa get involved- the situation has gotten far more dangerous, and she has other cases she needs to focus on first. Amasawa hesitates at first, but agrees to carry on as before and let Yagami take care of the murder.
With Amasawa settled, Yagami goes to the Chairman's office, finding Okuda deep in mourning for Sawa. The two sit down to talk, Okuda mentioning he heard from Watanabe that Yagami was the first on site to find Sawa. Yagami confirms this, saying that while he did his best to keep an eye on Sawa there's still a few things he hasn't quite grasped. First and foremost is Kuwana, Yagami mentioning how he ran into the handyman outside of Sawa's apartment and how he thinks she must have gotten mixed up in his dealings. Yagami explains more about RK, their search for Kawai, and how Kawai and Sawa were classmates thirteen years prior, with Okuda admitting it's all a bit much for him to take. With the press, the murders of Mikoshiba and now Sawa, Okuda says he's being overwhelmed and pleads with Yagami to get to the bottom of everything, sobbing as the two lament how Sawa's promising life and career were snuffed out so soon. Yagami swears that no matter who stands in his way, he is going to resolve this case and Mikoshiba's as well, to which Okuda is grateful.
Before Yagami leaves, Okuda mentions he's worried about Class 2-2, Sawa's homeroom students, as some of them are troubled and he fear the bullying against Koda will resume now that Sawa is out of the picture. Yagami assures the Chairman that he will keep an eye on 2-2 while he's in town. Before he leaves campus Yagami goes to check on Class 2-2; outside, he's confronted by Matsui and Akane, the latter commenting on how things changed when Yagami showed up on campus (first Mikoshiba, now Sawa). Yagami doesn't blame them for thinking so, with Akane going on about how gloomy everyone is and at the end of the day Sawa's classes were nothing special. She angrily declares that she's not going to mourn like the others, calling the students hypocrites as they showed little sympathy when Mikoshiba turned up dead. Koda steps out of the classroom and tells Yagami that they will be fine, they just need some time to process things, but in the meantime she would like to be kept in the loop with whatever information he learns about Sawa's death. Akane challenges Koda about the change in attitude, but even Matsui tells Akane to back off now. Yagami tells the three that he was originally speaking with Sawa about Mikoshiba's case, and he believes she got caught up in whatever happened to him and he will get both cases resolved. Akane asks what the point is since it seems the internet has already painted Mikoshiba as the villain, storming off after Yagami offers to keep her in the loop as well. Matsui apologizes for Akane's behavior- of the basketball team, she was the closest to Mikoshiba and has been taking his death fairly hard, though he tells Koda he doesn't expect her to forgive him or the others for what he did. He gives her a formal apology, but Koda doesn't respond before hurrying back into the room. Yagami, though, says Matsui shouldn't be discouraged- if he recognizes that he was wrong and is looking to make amends, it's a great step forward in healing the damage their bullying caused, a fact Matsui agrees with.
Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 to meet with Kaito, Sugiura, and Tsukumo. They go back over the facts of the night Sawa was killed: she left a school meeting early due to a call that her apartment was broken in to, Tsukumo guessing RK disguised themselves as her landlord to lure her there. Kaito counters that their main target was Kuwana, which Yagami says both Akutsu and Soma confirmed before concluding Sawa was bait to lure the handyman out. Why, though? What connection do Sawa and Kuwana have with one another? And why does the Tokyo-based RK want a handyman that operates out of Ijincho? Yagami tells the others the only way they're going to get that information is from Kuwana himself, telling them they have to find the handyman before RK gets him. He goes on to say that Kuwana's real name is apparently "Kitakata", and RK is more familiar with the latter name than the former- at the end of the day, they know nothing about him other than that he's a handyman that works in Ijincho. Tsukumo tells Yagami that he tried contacting Kuwana the other day, but still hasn't heard back from the man. Yagami asks if he had an office they could check, but Sugiura tells Yagami that he operated off his cell phone- not even his business cards have an address on them. Kaito, though, did get a lead while he was out contacting the bars he visited with Kuwana- the man's home address; apparently, Kuwana lives in a prefab shack off West Central Street, a pretty dumpy location for someone that charges as highly as Kuwana does. Still, a lead's a lead, and Yagami and Kaito depart to go check out Kuwana's living arrangements for clues.
The two arrive at Kuwana's shack. They find that someone has forced the door open with a crowbar, Kaito guessing RK had the same information they did and forced their way in. They go inside and find the place has been ransacked, Yagami guessing Kuwana hasn't been back since the other night and may not even be in Ijincho anymore. Yagami still needs info, and wants to find out why Kuwana is operating under an alias if his real name is Kitakata. Yagami inspects the room and finds two things out of place: a pack of cigarettes near the futon and a perfectly clean ashtray on the desk. Knowing Kuwana vapes instead of smoking tobacco, Yagami inspects the cigarette closer and finds a USB drive disguised as a lighter within. Whatever is on the USB must be important, so the two decide to head back to Yokohama 99 to go over the information.
Yagami and Kaito head back outside, but they find a gang of RK thugs waiting for them. None of the officers are there, which Yagami says is for the best; if Soma or Akutsu were there, he probably wouldn't be able to control himself. Yagami approaches the gangsters and demands they tell him where Soma and Akutsu are, but the thugs aren't talking. Yagami and Kaito fight and defeat the RK thugs, but the leader insists they have no way of reaching the leaders and only get their orders anonymously. Kaito knocks the guy unconscious, declaring the RK rank and file useless pawns. Yagami agrees, guessing that Soma himself is probably another pawn for a bigger mastermind; someone had to fund RK's expedition into Ijincho, otherwise Soma and the others wouldn't bother coming out this far. Whoever the mastermind is, he's the one who wants Kuwana, and Sawa was just collateral damage in his pursuit of the handyman.
The two are about to head back to Yokohama 99 when a husband and wife step out of a nearby restaurant, asking if they are friends of Kuwara. Yagami says yes before asking how the man knows them, with the man explaining Kuwana has been a neighbor of theirs for ten years, and always lent them a hand at their restaurant whenever they were in need. Yagami tells the man they haven't seen Kuwana in a while and asks if there are any places he liked to visit, with the man saying Kuwana has an uncle that lives in Yokohama whom Kuwana stayed with for a few years when he first moved to Ijincho. The uncle is an ex-yakuza who runs a bar in town, and he was very proud of Kuwana when he first arrived. Yagami asks the man if he knows what Kuwana did before he became a handyman, but the man admits he never asked and doesn't have a great idea as to what it could have been. Kaito asks if the man knows Kuwana's uncle's bar, with the man directing them to Siren over in Chinatown. Yagami and Kaito thank the man for his help and depart for the bar.
When they arrive at Siren, they find the place empty and no one to greet them. There's no sign of a struggle or ransacking, leading Kaito to conclude the owner must have skipped town in a hurry to avoid RK. As they search for further evidence, a call comes in on the bar's phone, but it turns out that this is a trap- as Yagami goes on answer, Soma steps out of the shadows and stabs Kaito in the shoulder with his ice pick. Soma apologizes for attacking Kaito with the weapon he normally reserves for women, drawing a switchblade and stabbing the ex-yakuza in the gut when he tries to defend himself. Yagami attacks Soma while Kaito crumples to the floor, Soma taunting Yagami with the true meaning behind RK's name- "Red Knife". Yagami demands to know why Soma killed Sawa, with Soma saying she knew too much, pure and simple. At this point Yagami falls within that purview, so Soma will have to kill him as well. Yagami tells Soma he missed his chance at killing him, with Soma admitting leaving this in Akutsu's hands was a mistake as the two square off.
Soma proves to be a difficult challenge, the man's agility and knife skills keeping Yagami at bay. Just when it seems Yagami is overpowering him, Soma kicks Yagami in the head and stuns him. With Yagami helpless Soma goes in for the kill, but just then another call comes in on the bar phone. Curious, Soma leaves Yagami and answers the phone- it's the owner, whom Kuwana tipped off before Soma arrived and now wants to know what Soma is up to. Soma says he just wants to chat with Kuwana, but the man tells Soma he knows about Soma killing Sawa and doesn't imagine he'd spare an old man like him. He orders Soma to hand the phone off to Yagami or he calls the cops. Frustrated that he is not getting answers, Soma tosses the phone to Yagami and leaves. With Soma gone, Yagami tells the owner to call an ambulance so Kaito can get to a hospital. As the paramedics take Kaito away, the owner calls Yagami and tells him he's watching the detective. But he won't be meeting Yagami at his bar- instead, the owner instructs Yagami to meet him at a karaoke bar called Survive on the other side of town, then they will talk. Yagami guesses the man wants something from Yagami in return, with the man telling him he has ten minutes to get over to Survive or Yagami will never speak to him again. Yagami agrees and hangs up, heading towards the Entertainment District while the man heads over in a nearby taxi.
With only a short time before the police arrive, Yagami inspects the apartment for further clues. From what he can see, RK forced their way in with a pair of bolt cutters to break the apartment's lock, and Sawa was killed by a single stab wound to the back of her neck (no doubt from Soma's ice pick). As Yagami inspects the body, he follows the splash of blood from Sawa's neck to a nearby book case- nestled within all the English books is Sawa's yearbook from her time at Kurokawa Academy. Sugiura notices this too, finding it odd that so much blood would gather around a single book and guessing they may find older pictures of Mamiya and the school bully Sawa mentioned. Yagami agrees, and when Kaito asks what they're going to do Yagami tells Sugiura to take the yearbook back to Yokohama 99- after all, the cops don't know about the connection between Sawa and the Kurokawa alumni that were spying on them, so they wouldn't be searching for the yearbook or any further evidence. Sugiura takes the book and leaves while Yagami and Kaito finish up in Sawa's apartment and await the police.
Yagami and Kaito debrief Detective Watanabe and his men when they arrive, fingering Soma as their prime suspect for Sawa's murder. Watanabe says they'll continue with the standard investigative procedures, and Yagami asks him if he has any idea of when Sawa was killed. Watanabe says his best guess was about three hours prior, leading Yagami to realize Sawa died shortly after Akutsu showed him the video of Soma taking her hostage. Yagami insists that Watanabe catch Soma, though Watanabe says they need a photo of the guy first before they can start putting out warrants. On top of that, Watanabe has a few questions about Kuwana as well- why has a Tokyo based gang started gunning for him, and how is he connected to Sawa. Yagami says he's still working on that part of the case, and Watanabe tells him to go home and wait for further contact.
Before he leaves, Yagami has a question for Watanabe- he knows that Yagami went to speak with Ehara, explaining that he thinks there's a link between Sawa and Mikoshiba's murder. So why hasn't Watanabe jumped on this to question Ehara? Watanabe tells Yagami that the top brass have locked him out of the Ehara case completely- they don't want to overturn Ehara's current guilty verdict, and even if they did there's no way a beat cop like Watanabe could pull it off. Yagami begins to think that Sawa's murder may be buried in a similar manner, and with that he departs with Kaito.
The next day, an assembly of the students and staff of Seiryo High is called, Chairman Okuda breaking the news of Sawa's death while Yagami broods in the back. After the students have returned to class, Yagami is called into Okuda's office to talk, and on his way there he is approached by Amasawa, the girl asking if he knows anything deeper about the case. Yagami explains he was the one who found Sawa and he knows who the killer is, but he refuses to let Amasawa get involved- the situation has gotten far more dangerous, and she has other cases she needs to focus on first. Amasawa hesitates at first, but agrees to carry on as before and let Yagami take care of the murder.
With Amasawa settled, Yagami goes to the Chairman's office, finding Okuda deep in mourning for Sawa. The two sit down to talk, Okuda mentioning he heard from Watanabe that Yagami was the first on site to find Sawa. Yagami confirms this, saying that while he did his best to keep an eye on Sawa there's still a few things he hasn't quite grasped. First and foremost is Kuwana, Yagami mentioning how he ran into the handyman outside of Sawa's apartment and how he thinks she must have gotten mixed up in his dealings. Yagami explains more about RK, their search for Kawai, and how Kawai and Sawa were classmates thirteen years prior, with Okuda admitting it's all a bit much for him to take. With the press, the murders of Mikoshiba and now Sawa, Okuda says he's being overwhelmed and pleads with Yagami to get to the bottom of everything, sobbing as the two lament how Sawa's promising life and career were snuffed out so soon. Yagami swears that no matter who stands in his way, he is going to resolve this case and Mikoshiba's as well, to which Okuda is grateful.
Before Yagami leaves, Okuda mentions he's worried about Class 2-2, Sawa's homeroom students, as some of them are troubled and he fear the bullying against Koda will resume now that Sawa is out of the picture. Yagami assures the Chairman that he will keep an eye on 2-2 while he's in town. Before he leaves campus Yagami goes to check on Class 2-2; outside, he's confronted by Matsui and Akane, the latter commenting on how things changed when Yagami showed up on campus (first Mikoshiba, now Sawa). Yagami doesn't blame them for thinking so, with Akane going on about how gloomy everyone is and at the end of the day Sawa's classes were nothing special. She angrily declares that she's not going to mourn like the others, calling the students hypocrites as they showed little sympathy when Mikoshiba turned up dead. Koda steps out of the classroom and tells Yagami that they will be fine, they just need some time to process things, but in the meantime she would like to be kept in the loop with whatever information he learns about Sawa's death. Akane challenges Koda about the change in attitude, but even Matsui tells Akane to back off now. Yagami tells the three that he was originally speaking with Sawa about Mikoshiba's case, and he believes she got caught up in whatever happened to him and he will get both cases resolved. Akane asks what the point is since it seems the internet has already painted Mikoshiba as the villain, storming off after Yagami offers to keep her in the loop as well. Matsui apologizes for Akane's behavior- of the basketball team, she was the closest to Mikoshiba and has been taking his death fairly hard, though he tells Koda he doesn't expect her to forgive him or the others for what he did. He gives her a formal apology, but Koda doesn't respond before hurrying back into the room. Yagami, though, says Matsui shouldn't be discouraged- if he recognizes that he was wrong and is looking to make amends, it's a great step forward in healing the damage their bullying caused, a fact Matsui agrees with.
Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 to meet with Kaito, Sugiura, and Tsukumo. They go back over the facts of the night Sawa was killed: she left a school meeting early due to a call that her apartment was broken in to, Tsukumo guessing RK disguised themselves as her landlord to lure her there. Kaito counters that their main target was Kuwana, which Yagami says both Akutsu and Soma confirmed before concluding Sawa was bait to lure the handyman out. Why, though? What connection do Sawa and Kuwana have with one another? And why does the Tokyo-based RK want a handyman that operates out of Ijincho? Yagami tells the others the only way they're going to get that information is from Kuwana himself, telling them they have to find the handyman before RK gets him. He goes on to say that Kuwana's real name is apparently "Kitakata", and RK is more familiar with the latter name than the former- at the end of the day, they know nothing about him other than that he's a handyman that works in Ijincho. Tsukumo tells Yagami that he tried contacting Kuwana the other day, but still hasn't heard back from the man. Yagami asks if he had an office they could check, but Sugiura tells Yagami that he operated off his cell phone- not even his business cards have an address on them. Kaito, though, did get a lead while he was out contacting the bars he visited with Kuwana- the man's home address; apparently, Kuwana lives in a prefab shack off West Central Street, a pretty dumpy location for someone that charges as highly as Kuwana does. Still, a lead's a lead, and Yagami and Kaito depart to go check out Kuwana's living arrangements for clues.
The two arrive at Kuwana's shack. They find that someone has forced the door open with a crowbar, Kaito guessing RK had the same information they did and forced their way in. They go inside and find the place has been ransacked, Yagami guessing Kuwana hasn't been back since the other night and may not even be in Ijincho anymore. Yagami still needs info, and wants to find out why Kuwana is operating under an alias if his real name is Kitakata. Yagami inspects the room and finds two things out of place: a pack of cigarettes near the futon and a perfectly clean ashtray on the desk. Knowing Kuwana vapes instead of smoking tobacco, Yagami inspects the cigarette closer and finds a USB drive disguised as a lighter within. Whatever is on the USB must be important, so the two decide to head back to Yokohama 99 to go over the information.
Yagami and Kaito head back outside, but they find a gang of RK thugs waiting for them. None of the officers are there, which Yagami says is for the best; if Soma or Akutsu were there, he probably wouldn't be able to control himself. Yagami approaches the gangsters and demands they tell him where Soma and Akutsu are, but the thugs aren't talking. Yagami and Kaito fight and defeat the RK thugs, but the leader insists they have no way of reaching the leaders and only get their orders anonymously. Kaito knocks the guy unconscious, declaring the RK rank and file useless pawns. Yagami agrees, guessing that Soma himself is probably another pawn for a bigger mastermind; someone had to fund RK's expedition into Ijincho, otherwise Soma and the others wouldn't bother coming out this far. Whoever the mastermind is, he's the one who wants Kuwana, and Sawa was just collateral damage in his pursuit of the handyman.
The two are about to head back to Yokohama 99 when a husband and wife step out of a nearby restaurant, asking if they are friends of Kuwara. Yagami says yes before asking how the man knows them, with the man explaining Kuwana has been a neighbor of theirs for ten years, and always lent them a hand at their restaurant whenever they were in need. Yagami tells the man they haven't seen Kuwana in a while and asks if there are any places he liked to visit, with the man saying Kuwana has an uncle that lives in Yokohama whom Kuwana stayed with for a few years when he first moved to Ijincho. The uncle is an ex-yakuza who runs a bar in town, and he was very proud of Kuwana when he first arrived. Yagami asks the man if he knows what Kuwana did before he became a handyman, but the man admits he never asked and doesn't have a great idea as to what it could have been. Kaito asks if the man knows Kuwana's uncle's bar, with the man directing them to Siren over in Chinatown. Yagami and Kaito thank the man for his help and depart for the bar.
When they arrive at Siren, they find the place empty and no one to greet them. There's no sign of a struggle or ransacking, leading Kaito to conclude the owner must have skipped town in a hurry to avoid RK. As they search for further evidence, a call comes in on the bar's phone, but it turns out that this is a trap- as Yagami goes on answer, Soma steps out of the shadows and stabs Kaito in the shoulder with his ice pick. Soma apologizes for attacking Kaito with the weapon he normally reserves for women, drawing a switchblade and stabbing the ex-yakuza in the gut when he tries to defend himself. Yagami attacks Soma while Kaito crumples to the floor, Soma taunting Yagami with the true meaning behind RK's name- "Red Knife". Yagami demands to know why Soma killed Sawa, with Soma saying she knew too much, pure and simple. At this point Yagami falls within that purview, so Soma will have to kill him as well. Yagami tells Soma he missed his chance at killing him, with Soma admitting leaving this in Akutsu's hands was a mistake as the two square off.
Soma proves to be a difficult challenge, the man's agility and knife skills keeping Yagami at bay. Just when it seems Yagami is overpowering him, Soma kicks Yagami in the head and stuns him. With Yagami helpless Soma goes in for the kill, but just then another call comes in on the bar phone. Curious, Soma leaves Yagami and answers the phone- it's the owner, whom Kuwana tipped off before Soma arrived and now wants to know what Soma is up to. Soma says he just wants to chat with Kuwana, but the man tells Soma he knows about Soma killing Sawa and doesn't imagine he'd spare an old man like him. He orders Soma to hand the phone off to Yagami or he calls the cops. Frustrated that he is not getting answers, Soma tosses the phone to Yagami and leaves. With Soma gone, Yagami tells the owner to call an ambulance so Kaito can get to a hospital. As the paramedics take Kaito away, the owner calls Yagami and tells him he's watching the detective. But he won't be meeting Yagami at his bar- instead, the owner instructs Yagami to meet him at a karaoke bar called Survive on the other side of town, then they will talk. Yagami guesses the man wants something from Yagami in return, with the man telling him he has ten minutes to get over to Survive or Yagami will never speak to him again. Yagami agrees and hangs up, heading towards the Entertainment District while the man heads over in a nearby taxi.
Chapter 9: The Weight of Guilt
Yagami heads to Survive, going inside and finding his new contact waiting for him in the shadows. The man leads Yagami to the bar, the two settling in while the man denies Yagami a chance to learn his name. All he says is that he's Kuwana's idiot relative, an ex-Seiryu Clan yakuza who's been running Siren for 20 years until today. Yagami asks what will happen to the bar now that he's gone, but the man says that's none of his business at the end of the day. Yagami apologizes for the impropriety before asking how the two are related, as the man never mentioned "Kuwana" is an alias. The man compliments Yagami on doing his homework, though he says he's not here to divulge that kind of information when Yagami presses him on "Kitakata". Yagami asks why he called him to Survive, then, with the man saying Kuwana wanted him to stop by his office and grab something: a pack of cigarette with a lighter inside.
Yagami presents the USB stick and asks if this is what he wants, with the man saying Kuwana wants to keep the information on there private and asks that Yagami hand it over. Yagami wants to know what's on the USB first, declining to hand it over even if the man tells him. The man once more appeals to Yagami's sense of decency, and while Yagami does find that to be a more convincing argument he asks to speak with Kuwana as a trade. Kuwana, though, has already skipped town, so Yagami refuses to hand over the USB. He explains his connection to Sawa and how he ran into Kuwana outside her apartment, asking the man if he knows of any connection between the two. The man says no, with Yagami saying he'll hold on to the USB as it's his best lead yet, and if it really mattered so much to Kuwana he should have come himself instead of sending a middleman. The man tells Yagami to go easy on Kuwana, as he's the one who taught the handyman all his tricks; Yagami asks if that means Kuwana is an ex-yakuza too, but the man says Kuwana was just a civilian before circumstances drove him underground. That being said, Kuwana took to the underworld like a natural, and if Yagami wants to know why he just needs to look at the USB- it has all he could ever want to know about Kuwana, his past and his purpose. With that the man gets up to leave, Yagami asking if he should just let the man leave. The man says he shouldn't push his luck, as the bartender (Osamu Kashiwagi) doesn't take kindly to violence in his establishment, and with that he leaves Yagami.
Yagami heads back to Yokohama 99 to check the USB, but just before he goes inside he's approached by Tesso. The Liumang Officer is angry that Yagami brought a posse of Kamurocho thugs onto his turf, masking up while other Liumang agents step out of the shadows. Yagami pleads his innocence, but the Liumang aren't having it and attack the detective. Yagami fights off the Liumang, the lesser agents running off while Tesso demands some answers about what's going on in Ijincho with RK and Sawa's murder. Yagami explains all he knows, about Soma and the hunt for Kuwana, and if he had anything more he would tell Tesso. Tesso accepts this, declaring that as long as they're both fighting RK then he has no problems calling Yagami "brother"... just as long as he's the aniki, okay? Yagami asks what that's for, with Tesso explaining that as long as they're "brothers" the Liumang will not attack Yagami and allow him to pursue RK in peace, and it helps him save face for Yagami beating him again and again. Tesso tells Yagami to let him know when they find Soma, so he and the Liumang can work him over for killing a civilian on their turf. With that he leaves, letting Yagami go back into Yokohama 99.
Yagami goes inside, where Tsukumo and Sugiura confront him about Kaito and the attack at Siren. Yagami says that can wait, presenting the USB to Tsukumo and asking him to decrypt it. While Tsukumo works on the USB, Yagami explains what happened at Siren and about Soma's involvement, and about his encounter with Kuwana's "uncle" and the USB. Tsukumo says there's only one file on the USB, a video file of some sort that he boots up at Yagami's insistence. The video is of a group of students brutally bullying another student, beating the poor kid down until he ends up soling himself in fear. While Sugiura expresses disgust at the video, Yagami identifies the victim as Mitsuru Kusumoto, Sawa's classmate who attempted to commit suicide thirteen years prior. Tsukumo guesses this is a secret recording of Mitsuru's bullying, but why would Kuwana have this video on a flash drive? Yagami isn't sure, but Kuwana's uncle said this would be their lead into Kuwana's true identity and past.
Tsukumo rewinds to the beginning of the video, a clear shot to see all the key players in the bullying. The timestamp in the corner pegs the event to have happened on September 17, 2008, approximately 4:22PM (after classes would have been done for the day). Tsukumo cross references the date and sees that that was the day Mitsuru took his leap from the roof, meaning this might have been the last straw before he tried taking his own life. Mitsuru is easy to spot, as is his chief tormenter Shinya Kawai; Sugiura posits the possibility that Kuwana was a concerned parent looking after their child, but Yagami says Kuwana looks too young to have a 30 year old child. Yagami is also able to spot a younger Yui Mamiya (going by her maiden name Suzuki) and Akaike among the crowd of ten bullies, saying that if word of this got out they would all be in serious trouble- these people have moved on to have jobs and families, and if they were found to be complicit in a bullying-related suicide their lives would be ruined.
While Tsukumo says this provides some crucial background information, it doesn't provide a key link to Kuwana or provide a reason as to why he would have it. Yagami concludes that either Kuwana recorded the video himself, or whoever did entrusted it to him for some reason. Sugiura posits that maybe Sawa recorded the video and gave it to Kuwana to investigate, and while Yagami concedes that's a possibility it doesn't match with what he heard from Kuwana's uncle- that this would provide insight to Kuwana's past and his motivation. Given the age of the video, Kuwana would have been in his early 30s when the video was recorded- perhaps he was a teacher at the school when the bullying happened. Tsukumo suggests they check the yearbook then, Sugiura pulling it out and opening to the page of Sawa and Mitsuru's class. Tsukuko tells Yagami that, unfortunately, they already looked and couldn't find Kuwana among the list of teachers, so that may be another dead end.
Yagami takes a look at the yearbook page, noting that Sawa is the only one of the students that isn't even bothering to fake a smile. Moreover, the teacher is some random guy that looks nothing like Kuwana, lending credence to Tsukumo's warning. However, closer inspection reveals some oddities- Kawai is not present among the students, and Mitsuru's picture is on a different background than the others. The detectives guess that the yearbook photos were taken after Mitsuru attempted suicide, after Kawai had been forced to leave Kurokawa Academy due to his role in the bullying. Yagami inspects the yearbook closer before a thought comes to mind: Sawa said that the teacher that had overlooked Mitsuru's bullying was forced out of teaching after the revelations came to light. Could that mean the man in the yearbook is just a placeholder for the original. Tsukumo goes back to his computer to look up the name of the original teacher, and they get their answer: Mitsuru's former teacher was a man named Yu Kitakata. Tsukumo pulls up a picture, and Yagami sees that the picture is a dead ringer for Kuwana, meaning he was not only the teacher that overlooked the bullying but also Sawa's homeroom teacher.
Yagami begins to put the pieces together: Kitakata was forced out of teaching thirteen years ago, going to his uncle in Yokohama and becoming Kuwana to escape into the underworld. As for why, Yagami guesses Kuwana is out for revenge on the bullies, as if the incident never happened he would not have been forced out of teaching. All that hatred got focused onto Kawai, leading to his abduction at the hands of his former colleagues five years ago, one of whom may have been Kuwana. RK concludes Kawai was murdered and that Kuwana had some hand in it, leading to them arriving in Ijincho and killing Sawa. As for the others involved in Kawai's disappearance, Yagami guesses it's the other students in the bullying video. Sugiura asks what motivation they would have, with Yagami thinking that maybe Kuwana asked for help. No, he forced them, blackmailing them with the video so they would do his bidding and kill Kawai. Sugiura asks if that's really enough motivation to kill, with Yagami conceding that they don't know for certain that Kawai is dead as they don't have a body. However, they can find someone that can spread some light on the subject, announcing that he plans to go back to Mamiya to ask some questions about Kawa and Kuwana- once they can get to the handyman, they can finish tying up all the loose threads between Mikoshiba, Sawa, Ehara, and Kawai.
The next day, before he and Sugiura go to confront Mamiya, Yagami goes to the hospital to pay Kaito a visit. Kaito is recovering and in better spirits, talking about how he had a flashback to his rookie yakuza days when he was bleeding out. He goes on to tell Yagami that he gave a statement to the police about Soma, telling them he was the guy that killed Sawa. Yagami takes this to mean the police will track down and arrest Soma soon enough, giving them a chance to focus on Kuwana. Kaito admits he's pissed at Kuwana- the handyman must have known they were in Ijincho and had deeper motives for assisting them when they first met, perhaps learning they were digging into Mikoshiba's murder. Kaito expresses frustration that now they're getting a chance to get some action he's stuck in a hospital bed, but Yagami encourages him to focus on healing up while he and Sugiura confront Mamiya.
That night, Yagami and Sugiura go to Mamiya's apartment, Yagami saying he's here with a detective in order to keep Mamiya from turning them away. Yagami says Sugiura is investigating Sawa's murder, and while Mamiya says she hasn't seen Sawa since high school Yagami mentions that they ran into Kitakata at Sawa's apartment as well. Yagami and Sugiura wants to know more about Mamiya's relationship with Sawa, and after some more talking Mamiya lets them inside the apartment for a little. Mamiya takes some time in letting them in, claiming she was cleaning up to make the room presentable. Once they settle in, Yagami begins asking Mamiya some questions, about her relationship with Mitsuru and Kitakata and the like. Mamiya plays it cool and seems unfazed by these questions, so Yagami drops the pretenses and asks her if she helped stage the groping situation with Ehara. Mamiya gets angry and demands Yagami leave, but Yagami is undeterred as he continues on: Mamiya worked with Ehara to stage the groping incident so he could kill Mikoshiba, and Sawa had some connection to that as well. But now Sawa is dead at the hands of a Kamurocho-based gang that was looking for their former teacher, Kitakata. Mamiya denies having seen Kitakata in years, but Yagami proves her wrong by showing her the bullying video they found in Kuwana's office which clearly has her as an accomplice. Yagami asks Mamiya if Kitakata has told her anything about the video. Mamiya pleads with Yagami to delete the video, but Yagami presses onward with his questioning while she slumps over in defeat. Sugiura presses Mamiya on how she let Kawai and Kitakata take the fall while she and the others went on with their lives, but during all this Mamiya pulls out her phone and sends out a message. Just then, the masked men that attacked Yokohama 99 barge in, Yagami and Sugiura squaring off against them while Mamiya runs for cover. The two detectives defeat the men, Yagami unmasking one of them to reveal Akaike, meaning that these are the other bullies in the video with Mamiya. With the possibility of backup coming, Yagami and Sugiura decide to take Mamiya to a more secure location.
That secure location being Higashi's arcade, the ex-yakuza none too pleased to see Yagami bringing yet another captive to his business. Yagami insists they won't be long, and Sugiura is able to turn Higashi onto their side when he mentions that Kaito was stabbed in Yokohama. They get Higashi up to speed before Yagami turns to Mamiya, ready to begin their questioning. First, the video: Yagami wants to confirm that Kuwana was the one to record it, which Mamiya confirms. Yagami asks if Kuwana knew they were bullies back then, which she also confirms before Sugiura asks why they got off without so much as a slap on the wrist while Kawai was raked over the coals. Mamiya explains that they had no idea they were filmed until much later, long after they had graduated and started their own lives and families. Kuwana explained to Mamiya that he sat on the video for as long as he did so he could "teach" them again- had he released the video earlier it would have been bad but not crippling, but now it could destroy their whole lives, giving him the perfect leverage to bend to his will.
One by one Kuwana began contacting his former students- for Mamiya, he approached her five years ago while she was out on a walk with her son, saying nothing before showing her the video. Mamiya declares Kuwana a psychopath, but Sugiura points out she and her fellows seemed pretty psychotic to me. Mamiya defends herself by saying everyone acts out of line at some point, so why is she getting punished for something that happened so long ago? Yagami shoots her down by saying it's because she's ultimately a bad person, someone who's fine slinging barbs from a distance but who curls up and plays the victim when the spotlight turns to her. While Mamiya stews on this, Higashi mentions that this all happened five years ago, recalling that Saori was researching a case back then, and remembers that Kawai was the guy that got abducted around that time as well. Given this information and Mamiya's brief breakdown, Yagami takes this to mean she and the others were the ones who abducted and murdered Kawai. Mamiya inists they didn't do it, leading Yagami to guess Kawai was killed by someone else then.
Mamiya tells him Kuwana contacted them with news Kawai was in Kamurocho, ordering them to bring Kawai to him no matter what it took. They all went to Kamurocho and found Kawai at his bar, trying to convince him to come with them peacefully at first. Kawai wanted nothing to do with them or Kuwana, and after things escalated into a fight the group shoved Kawai into a van and drove off. They delivered Kawai to Kuwana at a wharf in Yokohama, begging his forgiveness, but Kuwana dismissed them all and was left alone with Kawa. The next day, each one got an email from Kuwana with a video of them kidnapping Kawai, meaning he had been hiding in the crowd filming them the whole time. Shortly after a second email arrived, this one containing a picture of Kawai's bloody corpse- put those two messages together, and it would look like the former bullies kidnapped and murdered Kawai, giving Kuwana even more leverage over them.
Since that day, Mamiya and the others have been at Kuwana's beck and call, doing whatever their former teacher asks of them. When Yagami asks what exactly he's asking of them, Mamiya breaks down and says Kuwana asks them to help him murder people. Higashi asks who exactly Kuwana's murdering, with Mamiya explaining Kuwana targets former school bullies who were involved in cases that led to a suicide- it doesn't matter how long ago it was, but if there was a bullying related suicide Kuwana was after the "culprit". Including Kawai, his body count stands at seven, Kuwana claiming this would be the only way the former bullies could atone for their mistakes in school until society started taking school bullying seriously. Higashi admits he's kind of rooting for Kuwana right now, which Yagami ignores before asking Mamiya if Mikoshiba's murder was a part of this as well. Mamiya says yes- the people who grabbed Mikoshiba, the ones who stopped Ehara at the train station, all were in on the plan. The rule is that they themselves never directly kill the target, but Kuwana gets their hands dirty with other matter such as luring the target to a vulnerable location or disposing of the body. They can never refuse him, though, for he will leak the video of them abducting Kawai to the police and turn over his corpse as well. Mamiya knows this because Kuwana is keeping Kawai's body on ice somewhere, ensuring he will always have leverage on them no matter what.
Yagami concludes Kuwana's been planning this for years, biding his time until he could step in and bend the former bullies to his will. He has a few more questions, though- mainly, how is RK involved and why was Sawa killed. Mamiya can't say for certain- all she does know is that Kuwana did reach out to Sawa six months ago, asking about Toshiro Ehara's suicide. The official report said no bullying occurred, but Kuwana managed to get the truth from Sawa; when Yagami asks how he did that, with Mamiya guessing Kuwana appealed to her vulnerabilities as a fellow teacher who had to deal with a suicide related incident; once he got the truth, Kuwana marked Mikoshiba as his next target. Yagami says that doesn't add up, and regardless it still doesn't explain why Sawa had to die. Just then, Yagami gets a call on his cell phone- it's Kuwana, and he's willing to talk if Yagami let's Mamiya go. Yagami agrees, and Kuwana tells him to meet him at Yagami's office, alone. Yagami tells Sugiura and Higashi that he'll call them to release Mamiya when eh's confirmed Kuwana is there, reassuring Sugiura he'll be fine on his own.
Yagami goes back to his office and finds Kuwana waiting for him at his desk, the handyman asking if he'll release Mamiya now. Yagami makes the call to Sugiura, and Kuwana invites him to take a seat so they can talk. Yagami settles in while Kuwana asks how Kaito is doing, with Yagami countering that while Kaito is fine Sawa has seen better days. Kuwana admits he didn't want to get her mixed up in all this, and Yagami asks him why he was at her apartment that night. Kuwana says he takes full responsibility for Sawa's death, and if he had the chance to go back in time and fix everything he would... thing is, he'd have to go back a long time to do that. Yagami asks if he means to back when he was still a teacher, and Kuwana says yes. Going through that kind of trial changes a man, and Yagami should know- Kuwana did his research and knows all about Emi Terasawa, the young nurse who died after Yagami's big acquittal case. In a way, they're both wounded men who have built convictions around that wound, a wound that will not heal until they're dead. Yagami reluctantly agrees.
Kuwana says Sawa first got roped into this thirteen years ago. She confronted Kuwana after class the day before Mitsuro jumped, asking him if he was really blind to how the other students were bullying Mitsuro. Until that day, Kuwana thought the bullying was no big deal, and his insistence the others not overdo it was being heeded- after all, Kawai was twice the size of Mitsuro, he had to have understood restraint. Sawa confronting him with a pitying look in her eyes, telling Kuwana how some days it seemed like Mitsuro was going to throw himself in front of a train, all of that shattered the illusion that Kuwana had won the hearts and minds of his students, and so he decided to investigate. The next day he set up a hidden camera in the room, and that's when he saw just how bad the bullying was. But by then it was too late- Mitsuro had jumped off the roof only a few minutes before Kuwana went to recover the footage. Later, when news of the incident broke and Kuwana confronted the class, the rest of the bullies turned on Kawai and covered up their involvement, throwing him and Kuwana to the wolves while they got away with no punishment.
That day, Kuwana began living his life with real purpose, Yagami asking if he could never forgive his former students and went as far as to sacrifice his life to make sure they atoned. Kuwana agrees- Mitsuro is essentially dead for all intents and purposes, but that doesn't mean he should be forgotten. Yagami shoots back that still doesn't mean Sawa had to die for it, asking Kuwana once more why he was at her apartment the night she was murdered. Kuwana reminds Yagami about Toshiro Ehara's suicide four years prior, and how Sawa was forced to lie in front of the court. When Sawa reached out to Kuwana about this she had no idea he would plot to murder Mikoshiba, but when Mikoshiba turned up dead she contacted Kuwana, asking some probing questions to see if he really was the one who killed him. Kuwana didn't tell her anything incriminating, but Sawa did mention something odd- that there was a detective at the school already investigating the incident despite the police having not released any information, leading Kuwana to Yagami. Kuwana couldn't have a detective poking around his business, so he set plans in motion to drive Yagami off and get Sawa to drop the subject. It was Kuwana who hired the Liumang White Masks to attack Yagami outside the café he was going to meet Sawa at, and he sent Mamiya to deliver Mikoshiba's photo to Sawa as a warning to get her to stay out of things. Kuwana admits he could have gone about a different way in sending Sawa a message, Yagami saying that's probably what convinced her Kuwana knew about Mikoshiba's death. Kuwana knew Sawa wouldn't sell him out to the police, the two being kindred spirits who lost a student to suicide, and if all went well she would stay out of the picture and not get involved.
But that's not what happened. The day she was murdered Sawa called Kuwana and told him she needed to speak with him, though she was evasive and wouldn't say why. Yagami says it isn't like Kuwana to just waltz over to someone like that, with Kuwana countering that Yagami doesn't know him well enough to make that judgment. Yagami then asks what he would have done when he confronted Sawa, with Kuwana saying he would have told her everything if she suspected he was involved in Mikoshiba's death and if it was troubling her. Kuwana insists Sawa would have understood, but in hindsight he guesses RK had already taken Sawa hostage and were using her to draw Kuwana to them. Yagami then asks why RK wants Kuwana so badly, and Kuwana admits he doesn't know- if he did, he'd have a better plan than running. He too believes there is a mastermind pulling RK's strings. Kuwana is interrupted by a call from Mamiya, the woman confirming that she hasn't been tailed by Sugiura or the others. Kuwana arranges to meet with her in just a moment, telling Yagami that he's leaving now. Yagami tells Kuwana he's not finished, but Kuwana warns Yagami to stay out of this and he'll take care of Sawa's killers, jumping out the window when Yagami asks that they at least stay in touch. Not wanting Kuwana to escape like that, Yagami jumps after him and gives chase.
Yagami pursues Kuwana through Kamurocho, eventually following him to an underground parking lot. Down there, Yagami is cut off from Kuwana by the masked gang, Kuwana telling them Yagami knows everything and could spill the beans at any given time- best to get rid of him, then. Akaike takes off his mask and asks Kuwana if he'll dispose of Yagami when they're finished, with Kuwana reassuring him he'll do his part if they knock Yagami out first. Yagami defeats the gang, but in the confusion Kuwana makes his escape. Yagami goes to inspect the unconcious men, but as he does so Mamiya steps out of the shadows and tries to hit Yagami with a bat. Unfortunately for Mamiya, Yagami is ready and deflects her attack, taking her prisoner once again as he says she'll just have to answer the questions he had for Kuwana.
Yagami presents the USB stick and asks if this is what he wants, with the man saying Kuwana wants to keep the information on there private and asks that Yagami hand it over. Yagami wants to know what's on the USB first, declining to hand it over even if the man tells him. The man once more appeals to Yagami's sense of decency, and while Yagami does find that to be a more convincing argument he asks to speak with Kuwana as a trade. Kuwana, though, has already skipped town, so Yagami refuses to hand over the USB. He explains his connection to Sawa and how he ran into Kuwana outside her apartment, asking the man if he knows of any connection between the two. The man says no, with Yagami saying he'll hold on to the USB as it's his best lead yet, and if it really mattered so much to Kuwana he should have come himself instead of sending a middleman. The man tells Yagami to go easy on Kuwana, as he's the one who taught the handyman all his tricks; Yagami asks if that means Kuwana is an ex-yakuza too, but the man says Kuwana was just a civilian before circumstances drove him underground. That being said, Kuwana took to the underworld like a natural, and if Yagami wants to know why he just needs to look at the USB- it has all he could ever want to know about Kuwana, his past and his purpose. With that the man gets up to leave, Yagami asking if he should just let the man leave. The man says he shouldn't push his luck, as the bartender (Osamu Kashiwagi) doesn't take kindly to violence in his establishment, and with that he leaves Yagami.
Yagami heads back to Yokohama 99 to check the USB, but just before he goes inside he's approached by Tesso. The Liumang Officer is angry that Yagami brought a posse of Kamurocho thugs onto his turf, masking up while other Liumang agents step out of the shadows. Yagami pleads his innocence, but the Liumang aren't having it and attack the detective. Yagami fights off the Liumang, the lesser agents running off while Tesso demands some answers about what's going on in Ijincho with RK and Sawa's murder. Yagami explains all he knows, about Soma and the hunt for Kuwana, and if he had anything more he would tell Tesso. Tesso accepts this, declaring that as long as they're both fighting RK then he has no problems calling Yagami "brother"... just as long as he's the aniki, okay? Yagami asks what that's for, with Tesso explaining that as long as they're "brothers" the Liumang will not attack Yagami and allow him to pursue RK in peace, and it helps him save face for Yagami beating him again and again. Tesso tells Yagami to let him know when they find Soma, so he and the Liumang can work him over for killing a civilian on their turf. With that he leaves, letting Yagami go back into Yokohama 99.
Yagami goes inside, where Tsukumo and Sugiura confront him about Kaito and the attack at Siren. Yagami says that can wait, presenting the USB to Tsukumo and asking him to decrypt it. While Tsukumo works on the USB, Yagami explains what happened at Siren and about Soma's involvement, and about his encounter with Kuwana's "uncle" and the USB. Tsukumo says there's only one file on the USB, a video file of some sort that he boots up at Yagami's insistence. The video is of a group of students brutally bullying another student, beating the poor kid down until he ends up soling himself in fear. While Sugiura expresses disgust at the video, Yagami identifies the victim as Mitsuru Kusumoto, Sawa's classmate who attempted to commit suicide thirteen years prior. Tsukumo guesses this is a secret recording of Mitsuru's bullying, but why would Kuwana have this video on a flash drive? Yagami isn't sure, but Kuwana's uncle said this would be their lead into Kuwana's true identity and past.
Tsukumo rewinds to the beginning of the video, a clear shot to see all the key players in the bullying. The timestamp in the corner pegs the event to have happened on September 17, 2008, approximately 4:22PM (after classes would have been done for the day). Tsukumo cross references the date and sees that that was the day Mitsuru took his leap from the roof, meaning this might have been the last straw before he tried taking his own life. Mitsuru is easy to spot, as is his chief tormenter Shinya Kawai; Sugiura posits the possibility that Kuwana was a concerned parent looking after their child, but Yagami says Kuwana looks too young to have a 30 year old child. Yagami is also able to spot a younger Yui Mamiya (going by her maiden name Suzuki) and Akaike among the crowd of ten bullies, saying that if word of this got out they would all be in serious trouble- these people have moved on to have jobs and families, and if they were found to be complicit in a bullying-related suicide their lives would be ruined.
While Tsukumo says this provides some crucial background information, it doesn't provide a key link to Kuwana or provide a reason as to why he would have it. Yagami concludes that either Kuwana recorded the video himself, or whoever did entrusted it to him for some reason. Sugiura posits that maybe Sawa recorded the video and gave it to Kuwana to investigate, and while Yagami concedes that's a possibility it doesn't match with what he heard from Kuwana's uncle- that this would provide insight to Kuwana's past and his motivation. Given the age of the video, Kuwana would have been in his early 30s when the video was recorded- perhaps he was a teacher at the school when the bullying happened. Tsukumo suggests they check the yearbook then, Sugiura pulling it out and opening to the page of Sawa and Mitsuru's class. Tsukuko tells Yagami that, unfortunately, they already looked and couldn't find Kuwana among the list of teachers, so that may be another dead end.
Yagami takes a look at the yearbook page, noting that Sawa is the only one of the students that isn't even bothering to fake a smile. Moreover, the teacher is some random guy that looks nothing like Kuwana, lending credence to Tsukumo's warning. However, closer inspection reveals some oddities- Kawai is not present among the students, and Mitsuru's picture is on a different background than the others. The detectives guess that the yearbook photos were taken after Mitsuru attempted suicide, after Kawai had been forced to leave Kurokawa Academy due to his role in the bullying. Yagami inspects the yearbook closer before a thought comes to mind: Sawa said that the teacher that had overlooked Mitsuru's bullying was forced out of teaching after the revelations came to light. Could that mean the man in the yearbook is just a placeholder for the original. Tsukumo goes back to his computer to look up the name of the original teacher, and they get their answer: Mitsuru's former teacher was a man named Yu Kitakata. Tsukumo pulls up a picture, and Yagami sees that the picture is a dead ringer for Kuwana, meaning he was not only the teacher that overlooked the bullying but also Sawa's homeroom teacher.
Yagami begins to put the pieces together: Kitakata was forced out of teaching thirteen years ago, going to his uncle in Yokohama and becoming Kuwana to escape into the underworld. As for why, Yagami guesses Kuwana is out for revenge on the bullies, as if the incident never happened he would not have been forced out of teaching. All that hatred got focused onto Kawai, leading to his abduction at the hands of his former colleagues five years ago, one of whom may have been Kuwana. RK concludes Kawai was murdered and that Kuwana had some hand in it, leading to them arriving in Ijincho and killing Sawa. As for the others involved in Kawai's disappearance, Yagami guesses it's the other students in the bullying video. Sugiura asks what motivation they would have, with Yagami thinking that maybe Kuwana asked for help. No, he forced them, blackmailing them with the video so they would do his bidding and kill Kawai. Sugiura asks if that's really enough motivation to kill, with Yagami conceding that they don't know for certain that Kawai is dead as they don't have a body. However, they can find someone that can spread some light on the subject, announcing that he plans to go back to Mamiya to ask some questions about Kawa and Kuwana- once they can get to the handyman, they can finish tying up all the loose threads between Mikoshiba, Sawa, Ehara, and Kawai.
The next day, before he and Sugiura go to confront Mamiya, Yagami goes to the hospital to pay Kaito a visit. Kaito is recovering and in better spirits, talking about how he had a flashback to his rookie yakuza days when he was bleeding out. He goes on to tell Yagami that he gave a statement to the police about Soma, telling them he was the guy that killed Sawa. Yagami takes this to mean the police will track down and arrest Soma soon enough, giving them a chance to focus on Kuwana. Kaito admits he's pissed at Kuwana- the handyman must have known they were in Ijincho and had deeper motives for assisting them when they first met, perhaps learning they were digging into Mikoshiba's murder. Kaito expresses frustration that now they're getting a chance to get some action he's stuck in a hospital bed, but Yagami encourages him to focus on healing up while he and Sugiura confront Mamiya.
That night, Yagami and Sugiura go to Mamiya's apartment, Yagami saying he's here with a detective in order to keep Mamiya from turning them away. Yagami says Sugiura is investigating Sawa's murder, and while Mamiya says she hasn't seen Sawa since high school Yagami mentions that they ran into Kitakata at Sawa's apartment as well. Yagami and Sugiura wants to know more about Mamiya's relationship with Sawa, and after some more talking Mamiya lets them inside the apartment for a little. Mamiya takes some time in letting them in, claiming she was cleaning up to make the room presentable. Once they settle in, Yagami begins asking Mamiya some questions, about her relationship with Mitsuru and Kitakata and the like. Mamiya plays it cool and seems unfazed by these questions, so Yagami drops the pretenses and asks her if she helped stage the groping situation with Ehara. Mamiya gets angry and demands Yagami leave, but Yagami is undeterred as he continues on: Mamiya worked with Ehara to stage the groping incident so he could kill Mikoshiba, and Sawa had some connection to that as well. But now Sawa is dead at the hands of a Kamurocho-based gang that was looking for their former teacher, Kitakata. Mamiya denies having seen Kitakata in years, but Yagami proves her wrong by showing her the bullying video they found in Kuwana's office which clearly has her as an accomplice. Yagami asks Mamiya if Kitakata has told her anything about the video. Mamiya pleads with Yagami to delete the video, but Yagami presses onward with his questioning while she slumps over in defeat. Sugiura presses Mamiya on how she let Kawai and Kitakata take the fall while she and the others went on with their lives, but during all this Mamiya pulls out her phone and sends out a message. Just then, the masked men that attacked Yokohama 99 barge in, Yagami and Sugiura squaring off against them while Mamiya runs for cover. The two detectives defeat the men, Yagami unmasking one of them to reveal Akaike, meaning that these are the other bullies in the video with Mamiya. With the possibility of backup coming, Yagami and Sugiura decide to take Mamiya to a more secure location.
That secure location being Higashi's arcade, the ex-yakuza none too pleased to see Yagami bringing yet another captive to his business. Yagami insists they won't be long, and Sugiura is able to turn Higashi onto their side when he mentions that Kaito was stabbed in Yokohama. They get Higashi up to speed before Yagami turns to Mamiya, ready to begin their questioning. First, the video: Yagami wants to confirm that Kuwana was the one to record it, which Mamiya confirms. Yagami asks if Kuwana knew they were bullies back then, which she also confirms before Sugiura asks why they got off without so much as a slap on the wrist while Kawai was raked over the coals. Mamiya explains that they had no idea they were filmed until much later, long after they had graduated and started their own lives and families. Kuwana explained to Mamiya that he sat on the video for as long as he did so he could "teach" them again- had he released the video earlier it would have been bad but not crippling, but now it could destroy their whole lives, giving him the perfect leverage to bend to his will.
One by one Kuwana began contacting his former students- for Mamiya, he approached her five years ago while she was out on a walk with her son, saying nothing before showing her the video. Mamiya declares Kuwana a psychopath, but Sugiura points out she and her fellows seemed pretty psychotic to me. Mamiya defends herself by saying everyone acts out of line at some point, so why is she getting punished for something that happened so long ago? Yagami shoots her down by saying it's because she's ultimately a bad person, someone who's fine slinging barbs from a distance but who curls up and plays the victim when the spotlight turns to her. While Mamiya stews on this, Higashi mentions that this all happened five years ago, recalling that Saori was researching a case back then, and remembers that Kawai was the guy that got abducted around that time as well. Given this information and Mamiya's brief breakdown, Yagami takes this to mean she and the others were the ones who abducted and murdered Kawai. Mamiya inists they didn't do it, leading Yagami to guess Kawai was killed by someone else then.
Mamiya tells him Kuwana contacted them with news Kawai was in Kamurocho, ordering them to bring Kawai to him no matter what it took. They all went to Kamurocho and found Kawai at his bar, trying to convince him to come with them peacefully at first. Kawai wanted nothing to do with them or Kuwana, and after things escalated into a fight the group shoved Kawai into a van and drove off. They delivered Kawai to Kuwana at a wharf in Yokohama, begging his forgiveness, but Kuwana dismissed them all and was left alone with Kawa. The next day, each one got an email from Kuwana with a video of them kidnapping Kawai, meaning he had been hiding in the crowd filming them the whole time. Shortly after a second email arrived, this one containing a picture of Kawai's bloody corpse- put those two messages together, and it would look like the former bullies kidnapped and murdered Kawai, giving Kuwana even more leverage over them.
Since that day, Mamiya and the others have been at Kuwana's beck and call, doing whatever their former teacher asks of them. When Yagami asks what exactly he's asking of them, Mamiya breaks down and says Kuwana asks them to help him murder people. Higashi asks who exactly Kuwana's murdering, with Mamiya explaining Kuwana targets former school bullies who were involved in cases that led to a suicide- it doesn't matter how long ago it was, but if there was a bullying related suicide Kuwana was after the "culprit". Including Kawai, his body count stands at seven, Kuwana claiming this would be the only way the former bullies could atone for their mistakes in school until society started taking school bullying seriously. Higashi admits he's kind of rooting for Kuwana right now, which Yagami ignores before asking Mamiya if Mikoshiba's murder was a part of this as well. Mamiya says yes- the people who grabbed Mikoshiba, the ones who stopped Ehara at the train station, all were in on the plan. The rule is that they themselves never directly kill the target, but Kuwana gets their hands dirty with other matter such as luring the target to a vulnerable location or disposing of the body. They can never refuse him, though, for he will leak the video of them abducting Kawai to the police and turn over his corpse as well. Mamiya knows this because Kuwana is keeping Kawai's body on ice somewhere, ensuring he will always have leverage on them no matter what.
Yagami concludes Kuwana's been planning this for years, biding his time until he could step in and bend the former bullies to his will. He has a few more questions, though- mainly, how is RK involved and why was Sawa killed. Mamiya can't say for certain- all she does know is that Kuwana did reach out to Sawa six months ago, asking about Toshiro Ehara's suicide. The official report said no bullying occurred, but Kuwana managed to get the truth from Sawa; when Yagami asks how he did that, with Mamiya guessing Kuwana appealed to her vulnerabilities as a fellow teacher who had to deal with a suicide related incident; once he got the truth, Kuwana marked Mikoshiba as his next target. Yagami says that doesn't add up, and regardless it still doesn't explain why Sawa had to die. Just then, Yagami gets a call on his cell phone- it's Kuwana, and he's willing to talk if Yagami let's Mamiya go. Yagami agrees, and Kuwana tells him to meet him at Yagami's office, alone. Yagami tells Sugiura and Higashi that he'll call them to release Mamiya when eh's confirmed Kuwana is there, reassuring Sugiura he'll be fine on his own.
Yagami goes back to his office and finds Kuwana waiting for him at his desk, the handyman asking if he'll release Mamiya now. Yagami makes the call to Sugiura, and Kuwana invites him to take a seat so they can talk. Yagami settles in while Kuwana asks how Kaito is doing, with Yagami countering that while Kaito is fine Sawa has seen better days. Kuwana admits he didn't want to get her mixed up in all this, and Yagami asks him why he was at her apartment that night. Kuwana says he takes full responsibility for Sawa's death, and if he had the chance to go back in time and fix everything he would... thing is, he'd have to go back a long time to do that. Yagami asks if he means to back when he was still a teacher, and Kuwana says yes. Going through that kind of trial changes a man, and Yagami should know- Kuwana did his research and knows all about Emi Terasawa, the young nurse who died after Yagami's big acquittal case. In a way, they're both wounded men who have built convictions around that wound, a wound that will not heal until they're dead. Yagami reluctantly agrees.
Kuwana says Sawa first got roped into this thirteen years ago. She confronted Kuwana after class the day before Mitsuro jumped, asking him if he was really blind to how the other students were bullying Mitsuro. Until that day, Kuwana thought the bullying was no big deal, and his insistence the others not overdo it was being heeded- after all, Kawai was twice the size of Mitsuro, he had to have understood restraint. Sawa confronting him with a pitying look in her eyes, telling Kuwana how some days it seemed like Mitsuro was going to throw himself in front of a train, all of that shattered the illusion that Kuwana had won the hearts and minds of his students, and so he decided to investigate. The next day he set up a hidden camera in the room, and that's when he saw just how bad the bullying was. But by then it was too late- Mitsuro had jumped off the roof only a few minutes before Kuwana went to recover the footage. Later, when news of the incident broke and Kuwana confronted the class, the rest of the bullies turned on Kawai and covered up their involvement, throwing him and Kuwana to the wolves while they got away with no punishment.
That day, Kuwana began living his life with real purpose, Yagami asking if he could never forgive his former students and went as far as to sacrifice his life to make sure they atoned. Kuwana agrees- Mitsuro is essentially dead for all intents and purposes, but that doesn't mean he should be forgotten. Yagami shoots back that still doesn't mean Sawa had to die for it, asking Kuwana once more why he was at her apartment the night she was murdered. Kuwana reminds Yagami about Toshiro Ehara's suicide four years prior, and how Sawa was forced to lie in front of the court. When Sawa reached out to Kuwana about this she had no idea he would plot to murder Mikoshiba, but when Mikoshiba turned up dead she contacted Kuwana, asking some probing questions to see if he really was the one who killed him. Kuwana didn't tell her anything incriminating, but Sawa did mention something odd- that there was a detective at the school already investigating the incident despite the police having not released any information, leading Kuwana to Yagami. Kuwana couldn't have a detective poking around his business, so he set plans in motion to drive Yagami off and get Sawa to drop the subject. It was Kuwana who hired the Liumang White Masks to attack Yagami outside the café he was going to meet Sawa at, and he sent Mamiya to deliver Mikoshiba's photo to Sawa as a warning to get her to stay out of things. Kuwana admits he could have gone about a different way in sending Sawa a message, Yagami saying that's probably what convinced her Kuwana knew about Mikoshiba's death. Kuwana knew Sawa wouldn't sell him out to the police, the two being kindred spirits who lost a student to suicide, and if all went well she would stay out of the picture and not get involved.
But that's not what happened. The day she was murdered Sawa called Kuwana and told him she needed to speak with him, though she was evasive and wouldn't say why. Yagami says it isn't like Kuwana to just waltz over to someone like that, with Kuwana countering that Yagami doesn't know him well enough to make that judgment. Yagami then asks what he would have done when he confronted Sawa, with Kuwana saying he would have told her everything if she suspected he was involved in Mikoshiba's death and if it was troubling her. Kuwana insists Sawa would have understood, but in hindsight he guesses RK had already taken Sawa hostage and were using her to draw Kuwana to them. Yagami then asks why RK wants Kuwana so badly, and Kuwana admits he doesn't know- if he did, he'd have a better plan than running. He too believes there is a mastermind pulling RK's strings. Kuwana is interrupted by a call from Mamiya, the woman confirming that she hasn't been tailed by Sugiura or the others. Kuwana arranges to meet with her in just a moment, telling Yagami that he's leaving now. Yagami tells Kuwana he's not finished, but Kuwana warns Yagami to stay out of this and he'll take care of Sawa's killers, jumping out the window when Yagami asks that they at least stay in touch. Not wanting Kuwana to escape like that, Yagami jumps after him and gives chase.
Yagami pursues Kuwana through Kamurocho, eventually following him to an underground parking lot. Down there, Yagami is cut off from Kuwana by the masked gang, Kuwana telling them Yagami knows everything and could spill the beans at any given time- best to get rid of him, then. Akaike takes off his mask and asks Kuwana if he'll dispose of Yagami when they're finished, with Kuwana reassuring him he'll do his part if they knock Yagami out first. Yagami defeats the gang, but in the confusion Kuwana makes his escape. Yagami goes to inspect the unconcious men, but as he does so Mamiya steps out of the shadows and tries to hit Yagami with a bat. Unfortunately for Mamiya, Yagami is ready and deflects her attack, taking her prisoner once again as he says she'll just have to answer the questions he had for Kuwana.
Chapter 10: Catch a Tiger
Yagami takes some pictures of the unmasked gang, telling a recovering Akaike that they won't be a threat to him anymore and that someday he might just have to call in a favor from them. Sugiura arrives with the van, Yagami telling Mamiya they're going back to Higashi's arcade, and if she wants anyone to blame she can just blame Kuwana (who "abandoned" her here). Back at the arcade, Yagami asks if Higashi called Saori and Genda Law, with Higashi saying they'll be over soon, adding that Saori seemed rather surprised at all the information they were able to get about Kuwana. As they have some time to kill before Saori arrives, Sugiura tells Yagami to take a breather and they'll call him when the lawyers arrive. Before he leaves, Yagami asks Higashi if he's noticed any unusual activity from RK lately; Higashi says the gang has been unusually quiet since the day before, and with Soma and Akutsu in Ijincho there's no way of knowing what's really going down. Highashi still wants vengeance for what happened to Kaito, though Sugiura notes it sounds like he hasn't really set down his old yakuza ways if he's talking like that.
Getting a call from Sugiura that Saori and the others have arrived, Yagami returns to Charles. Surprised to find even Genda is there, who simply wanted to look in the eyes of someone who could pull a fast one on the stone cold attorney. After Saori and Hoshino give condolences for Sawa, the interrogation begins again. Yagami says that all they know about her death is that it has something to do with RK chasing Kuwana, which they still don’t know ‘‘why,’’ so they’ll have to retrace Kuwana’s steps, starting with the harassment. Wanting to get this over with, Mamiya explains how Kuwana was able to use the groping to get Ehara an alibi for Mikoshiba’s murder. First off, the Kurokawa Sensei ‘’was’’ the stand-in, having a similar build helped, but what really sold it was a 3D printer that made a copy of Ehara’s face as a mask Kuwana wore. Genda’s incredulous of this, but Hoshino pulls up on his laptop that something like that is possible with a face scanner and resin. Inspecting the picture, Yagami notes the sunglasses and the pulled down face mask would hide the seams easily. Hoshino notes that it’s incredible, with so much visible, it makes sense the prosecution bought the act of him being just some sexual predator. But there’s something Yagami and Saori do find off: The Murder Video. Mamiya tries to look away in terror, but Yagami points out she aided and abetted in this, it’s too late to get standards. Wanting to know who uploaded the video, she explains that Kuwana did, uploading it once Ehara got the guilty verdict, he and Ehara wanted to stick it to the law that was lenient on bullies. The bully gets away with pushing a boy to suicide, and the bullies murderer only gets charged with battery. How would the public react to such a law being gamed in such a way? Yagami understands that it’s about making a mockery of the justice system. Genda notes that it’s a desperation act, since Ehara wasn’t concerned with his reputation anymore if it meant humiliating the law. With how nobody took responsibility for his son’s death, no wonder he went to Kuwana. Mamiya snorts that those two have nothing to lose, while the ones they blackmailed have everything to lose. The next piece of evidence is the trace fibers on Ehara’s hands matching the fibers in Mamiya’s underwear. So how was it in his hands if the stand-in touched her. Mamiya explains that before she got on the train, she met with Ehara and had him get the fibers on him in preparation. She admits it was hard to not laugh at how the court ate it up. But the next piece of evidence would be Ehara’s train pass which shows the time he got to the ticket station at Ikebukuro, 13 minutes after Mikoshiba’s murder. Mamiya tells him that all that happened was Sensei using the card himself, and slipped the card back during the switch. Hoshino is shocked at how obvious it is now. Yagami concludes that this is enough evidence to prove the evidence can be refuted, with Saori preparing an appeal. Genda finds that easier said than done, since Kuwana was found guilty already, so it all depends on Ehara, who naturally won’t want that. Yagami decides he and Saori will talk to him tomorrow, if for nothing else than to see his reaction to what they know. Everyone heads home, leaving only Yagami and Higashi, who is unsure if it was smart to let Mamiya go without turning her in for the cops, but Yagami notes there really isn’t anything they can do since there isn’t any proof of the murders, so all that can be done is Sugiura making sure she gets home safe. So now all Higashi can wonder is why Yagami is sticking around, making Yagami agree he’s overstaying.
The next day at the holding center, Ehara is surprised to hear he has the right to an appeal, with Yagami and Saori laying out everything they know. Declaring himself scum of the Earth, a pervert, Ehara refuses. But Yagami details how Ehara had Mikoshiba kidnapped Mikoshiba after saying his goodbyes to his mother with Kuwana’s students, and brought him to the warehouse to break his fingers before slitting his throat. Ehara continues to string along the Refuge in Audacity, even when shown the footage of him killing Mikoshiba. And of course, afterwards Ehara made his way to Ikebukuro, where Kuwana was disguised as him, though Yagami wonders if he knew him as Yu Kitakata. Continuing to how Ehara got the trace fibers and swapped places with Kuwana thanks to a blind spot. Ehara gives out Blatant Lies that he admits to the groping crime and accepts Toshiro was never bullied. But he bangs his fist to the table pointing out he has to abide by the law. Yagami understands that he was doing the justice the law didn’t provide him and his son. Ehara explains that everything his son went through was passed over like it never happened, the teachers, the school, the court, everyone! But Yagami finds it hard to believe that all it took was Kuwana to make him furious enough to break Mikoshiba’s fingers. So he found out sooner, so Yagami thinks Toshiro told only Sawa, so Sawa must’ve told Ehara. Ehara admits he’s close, Sawa did admit after the trial out of guilt to Kuwana, not knowing he was recording. It was the recording Kuwana played for Ehara of Sawa being muzzled by the teacher and barber. Saori finds it hard to believe there was really no other evidence to Toshiro’s bullying, not even a diary? Ehara admits there was nothing Toshiro said, not even to him or his mother. He admits it must’ve been his own fault, since Toshiro was bullied even in Middle School, with kids taking his pencil boxes and his books, but when he told his father, Ehara told him to stop being weak, not aware that that was all the strength his son could muster at the time, making this Ehara’s greatest failure. Even getting to a private school in Yokohama to get away from his father did nothing to improve Toshiro’s situation until he didn’t want to show weakness ever again. Yagami now understands that this was why he unleashed hell on Mikoshiba after Kuwana asked him if he wanted justice for Toshiro. Ehara found the former teacher bold but is forever grateful to him. Ehara also tells of how every time Kuwana got justice, he always worked with the families to give them justice. Saori points out Revenge Is Not Justice since laws would be pointless if otherwise. All Ehara asks her is what to do if the law fails and evil laughs at it? While some did find Kuwana unforgivable, nobody reported him to the police since others resonate with his ideals. Yagami agrees with Ehara that the law can be unfair and imperfect, but he’s fighting to make it fair with change. Ehara slams his fists to the table that laws don’t change fast enough. Toshiro was murdered in all but name, but Hiro Mikoshiba was allowed to walk free and enroll as a student teacher, a thought he finds insane. Ehara would’ve died of old age before any law would be written. As far as he’s concerned, he didn’t have any other choice but get blood on his hands. Yagami smiles, pointing out this is the first time he confessed. Ehara gives him compliments, since Kuwana made such an airtight plan and Yagami investigated better than a bunch of deadbeat cops. Yagami notes that he can thank Kuwana’s blackmail on his old students since that was the link needed to be made. Saori notes that Ehara will go to jail as a sex offender and will get off scot free since the police won’t go near him, even when, not if, he’ll confess after being released since they refuse to admit the murder video is authentic. So since he wants to make a mockery of the justice system, a retrial will give him another chance. But Yagami also warns he grabbed a tiger by the tail, a metaphor that goes over Ehara’s head. Yagami explains that someone is pulling the strings on the underworld to hunt Kuwana, this puppet master is the tiger in the metaphor. Sawa being killed was because she was involved with Kuwana. Ehara still has access to the news, even knowing the thugs are RK, but admits he didn’t know the reason. But Yagami is pretty sure it’s Ehara’s lies, which perpetuated into a rift, and whoever Kuwana killed before angered the puppet master. So if someone else is paying for Kuwana and Ehara’s crimes, then how can their justice be fair? To Ehara, she’s a woman who gave false testimony, but as Yagami points out Mikoshiba was a minor with no evidence, and has been haunted by that decision for the rest of her life. So Yagami’s gonna do what Ehara did for Toshiro, and go public with his and Kuwana’s crimes for Sawa. Ehara allows the pair to make an appeal, but finds Sawa’s death isn’t on him. Yagami points out that by that logic Mikoshiba didn’t kill Toshiro.
Returning to Genda Law, the old man is surprised Ehara admitted to the murder, but Yagami makes clear it was off the record. Saori notes that it should be enough for an appeal, but Genda notes that since the battery and the murder are the same case, so to prove there’s a murder, there needs to be evidence. And of course, the prosecution and police are swearing up and down that the murder video is fake, despite it being the opposite. Any idea to get the appeal gets shot down by Genda for pointing out Ehara won’t admit to murdering Mikoshiba in court. All this’d do is ruin Saori’s career if they feel, though she explains she’s extremely furious. Ehara and Kuwana devised this plan to make a joke out of the justice system, even when she and Hoshino fell for the trap, so how can they worry about reputations at a time like this? Not helping matters was that she fell for Ehara’s pervert act. Yagami agrees, since while he understands Kuwana and Ehara, he can’t condone it. He also notes he’s not very righteous in comparison since he just wants to draw out Kuwana into the public, which’ll mobilize RK and their backers.
Afterwards, Yagami gets a call from Tsukumo to tell him RK is amassing in Ijincho, with Soma possibly still there despite being a person of interest. He and Sugiura return to Yokohama 99, where they fill Tsukumo in on the details. Sugiura admits he still finds it strange that they don’t know what RK wants with Kuwana, so Yagami does some thinking. RK was first looking for Kawai in Kamurocho, but as soon as they believed he was killed they went looking for Kuwana, so what changed? Tsukumo suggests looking for someone in RK to tell them, so Yagami wonders if he could get the top brass of Soma or Akutsu.
While prowling the town, Yagami gets a call from Saori to admit something Ehara said has been bugging her. If Kuwana approached the families of bullied suicide victims, even when most rejected the offer they never went to the police, so if Kawai was his first victim…Did he go to Reiko Kusumoto, the mother of Mitsuru and current Vice Minister of Health? Even if she didn’t accept that’d make her an accessory to a revenge plot, that’s a secret to take to the grave. So what if ‘’she’’ is pulling the strings of RK? The gears turning, Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 and asks Tsukumo to look into Kusumoto. Pulling up the website on her, Tsukumo notes she hasn’t even been vice minister for a whole year and with no criticism of her, rare for a politician. Sugiura roots for her in comparison to Ichinose. Yagami notes that if she is connected to Kuwana and RK, she’d need a connection to the latter. So Sugiura decides it might be best to get straight to the source and go to Kusumoto themselves. Since Mitsuru is still in a hospital they can find a way to meet with her there. Tsukumo interrupts to show them a news report that a manhunt has begun for Yoko Sawa’s murderer: Yu Kitakata AKA Jin Kuwana!? Confused, Yagami decides to speak with Watanabe since if Kuwana was on video, he and RK should be as well. On the phone, Watanabe admits it’s mostly pressure from upstairs forcing them to look for Kuwana, and hangs up on Yagami. Luckily Tsukumo heard enough background noise to know he’s on the main streets in Chinatown.
Finding Watanabe and Sakurai, Yagami demands to know what stinks with the police right now. Deciding to fake a bathroom break together so Sakurai can return to the office, Yagami and Watanabe head to Hamakita Park. There, Watanabe makes clear that Kuwana using an alias and showing up on evidence is a bad look for him. And Soma? All video evidence of him and RK being at Sawa’s apartment is gone. Ever since Mikoshiba’s murder, the higher ups have been playing a political longgame. Someone high up in the food chain is keeping Ehara’s crimes and Sawa’s murder under wraps. First someone erases the Sawa murder footage of RK at the apartment so the only footage left is of Kuwana and only him. Furiously Yagami grabs Watanabe by the jacket collar to know who would do something like that. Watanabe tells him to give up on Mikoshiba and Sawa, because it’s clear that soon Kuwana will die in an resisting arrest accident and take the fall for both murders. Someone wants him gone and they have the power to do it. Watanabe accepts the defeat, being a cop for so long he’s seen his fair share of failure, it’s why he sticks to clear cut cases that aren’t possibly linked to corruption. This just gets Yagami even more mad since it’s indifference like this that let’s corruption fester. Whipping out a baton, Yagami and Watanabe break out in a fist fight. Getting a beating makes Watanabe open up, where Yagami gives the details of how RK broke the lock and how Soma held an icepick to her neck, even how she still had tears in her eyes when he and the others found her. So since she can’t make her voice heard for justice, he’ll let his voice be heard for her. Reluctantly agreeing, Watanabe admits the Kanegawa brass had a suspect file already made up, but it was for Kuwana instead of Soma. And the files on Kuwana came from Public Security according to the NPA. This worries Yagami, since they are a branch of the police that serves as a Spy Ring, not unlike the US’s FBI or CIA, keeping an eye on foreign agents, gangs, and political groups. Gathering intel is their first priority over catching criminals, so why would they be involved in Sawa’s case? Since RK was involved, they’ve had a keen interest from the beginning, thanks to RK shaping up to be the Tojo Clan’s successor. If RK roams free they can be easily monitored so crime busting isn’t necessary. And if RK falls, someone else will take their place thanks to an Evil Power Vacuum. Yagami is disgusted that the only reason Sawa’s murder is being swept under is so Public Security doesn’t have to look for a new intel source. Watanabe went the extra mile and spoke with Tokyo PD, and found Soma doesn’t have a criminal record, not even a profile picture. Legally he doesn’t exist, yet they have multiple files on Kuwana. So Public Security wants Kuwana to be a scapegoat for RK, thus he’s got a death sentence. Yagami needs a name, somebody who could pull that many strings, but Watanabe’s too low rank for that information. His phone starts ringing, telling Yagami that Kuwana was spotted in Fukutokucho, an abandoned building in Koreatown, where the Geomijul gang hang out. Watanabe only told Yagami off the record, so that he can tell Kuwana about Public Security.
On the way, Tsukumo calls to warn that Geomijul has already been blocked off by the police. But Yagami has to find Kuwana before the cops, so with the help of Tsukumo and Sugiura, he sneaks past the cops and RK who are working together. Getting past a few thugs, they find the Geomijul gangsters wearing stone-like masks, creeping out Yagami. The men tell Yagami and Sugiura that the intel was faked by them on Kuwana’s orders to see what the response to an eyewitness report would be. They confirm Kuwana’s in Ijincho, the city’s a cultural melting pot making it the perfect place for him to hide, specifically with Tesso and the Liumang. Heading over to the Liumang headquarters to meet with Kuwana and Tesso.
After sharing some banter with Tesso, Yagami and Sugiura share a seat with him and Kuwana who is now wearing some new clothes, where Yagami keeps him up to date, and tells Tesso just who this anonymous hire really is. Yagami and Kuwana are at their throats in the conversation, but Yagami does explain how it’s Public Security pulling the strings of both the police and RK, with Kusumoto possibly helping since she benefits from Kawai’s murder. If she’s involved then it’d be a repeat of the ADDC scandal for the Ministry of Health if found out. But Kuwana points out that there’s a flaw to the logic, that Kusumoto saw all of Kuwana’s students, so she’d go after them first since they’re easy targets, so why is Public Security not going after them? Simply put, Kusumoto isn’t leading Public Security. Sugiura goes a bit off topic to learn more about Kusumoto, and Kuwana explains she’s the one to stab Kawai in the chest, drawing out as much pain and suffering as possible. And the only people to witness are herself and Kuwana. And he has total faith in her, not to mention he doubts she has that much leverage. So whoever ‘’is’’ pulling the strings is trying to get to Kuwana to get to Kusumoto, thus is an enemy of hers. They could take her down, or blackmail her, or whatever. Sugiura adds that he read one time even the Prime Minister has a hard time with her due to how many arguments she won against him. Kuwana figures out that the puppet master figured out Kusumoto and Ehara are linked by bullied sons, and dug deep enough to find out about Kawai. Yagami interrupts to bring up Kuwana’s murders, surprising Tesso that he’s killed seven bullies. With the chain of victims getting revenge, the link between Kusumoto and Ehara is clear though: Sawa. Yagami and RK found out as soon as she realized what Kuwana had done. But Yagami thinks he doesn’t care, since he sees his bully murders as a service to the country, justice even, save for Sawa dying because of it, infuriating the two to fight again.
After the courtyard fight ends at a draw due to exhaustion, Tesso takes them to the Liumang restaurant where his boss (Tianyo Zhao) cooks dinner for the four of them. Even though Yagami and Kuwana refuse to look each other in the eye, they do agree that Kusumoto is being targeted by Public Security due to the fact Kuwana is a higher priority than RK is absurd. So Tesso has a thought, who would benefit from Yagami and Kuwana fighting? Public Security, since it makes Kuwana easier to find. So the two should work together instead and pull one under RK and Public Security. The two reluctantly agree to a temporary truce to take on Public Security. So to start they have to figure out if they really are the enemy. So to see if she’s being tracked, Kuwana thinks of calling her and they’ll trace the call. Public Security is the only agency able to pull that off, so it’s easy to learn. Tesso forces them to find another place to call, so Yagami wonders about the last time Kuwana called Kusumoto, which he answers was the night Kawai was murdered. So Yagami has a plan: Use two untraceable phones to relay voices to set the trap.
After sharing a toast, Tsukumo gets them burner phones so that Yagami can call Kuwana with one of the phones, and use the other to call Kusumoto, so they can trace the call without finding him, and see who they send. Tsukumo finds a building under construction by Seiryo High with a crane to spot. And with Tsukumo flying a drone, Yagami tapes the phones together, giving Kuwana the chance to speak with Kusumoto while she’s in Mitsuru’s hospital room, telling her her phone is tapped. The phone is dangling from the drone through the streets as Kuwana tells her about how he’s being framed for Sawa’s murder, who Kusumoto remembers as the only girl to visit Mitsuru. Kuwana tells her that whoever is tracing her phone will come to see her about him. Two cars drive in with the headlights off and RK storming in, confirming the suspicion. Fighting through the six men, Yagami learns that they were sent by the bosses under Soma, and were told to catch him, with emphasis on not killing. With them being too stupid to understand their Public Security rent-a-thugs, Yagami warns the thugs to quit while they can.
Meanwhile, as Kuwana warned, a man approaches Kusumoto in Mitsuru’s room. This is Hidemi Bando, Coordinator of Public Security. He explains he’s only seeing her about Kawai, the bully who disappeared five years ago.
Getting a call from Sugiura that Saori and the others have arrived, Yagami returns to Charles. Surprised to find even Genda is there, who simply wanted to look in the eyes of someone who could pull a fast one on the stone cold attorney. After Saori and Hoshino give condolences for Sawa, the interrogation begins again. Yagami says that all they know about her death is that it has something to do with RK chasing Kuwana, which they still don’t know ‘‘why,’’ so they’ll have to retrace Kuwana’s steps, starting with the harassment. Wanting to get this over with, Mamiya explains how Kuwana was able to use the groping to get Ehara an alibi for Mikoshiba’s murder. First off, the Kurokawa Sensei ‘’was’’ the stand-in, having a similar build helped, but what really sold it was a 3D printer that made a copy of Ehara’s face as a mask Kuwana wore. Genda’s incredulous of this, but Hoshino pulls up on his laptop that something like that is possible with a face scanner and resin. Inspecting the picture, Yagami notes the sunglasses and the pulled down face mask would hide the seams easily. Hoshino notes that it’s incredible, with so much visible, it makes sense the prosecution bought the act of him being just some sexual predator. But there’s something Yagami and Saori do find off: The Murder Video. Mamiya tries to look away in terror, but Yagami points out she aided and abetted in this, it’s too late to get standards. Wanting to know who uploaded the video, she explains that Kuwana did, uploading it once Ehara got the guilty verdict, he and Ehara wanted to stick it to the law that was lenient on bullies. The bully gets away with pushing a boy to suicide, and the bullies murderer only gets charged with battery. How would the public react to such a law being gamed in such a way? Yagami understands that it’s about making a mockery of the justice system. Genda notes that it’s a desperation act, since Ehara wasn’t concerned with his reputation anymore if it meant humiliating the law. With how nobody took responsibility for his son’s death, no wonder he went to Kuwana. Mamiya snorts that those two have nothing to lose, while the ones they blackmailed have everything to lose. The next piece of evidence is the trace fibers on Ehara’s hands matching the fibers in Mamiya’s underwear. So how was it in his hands if the stand-in touched her. Mamiya explains that before she got on the train, she met with Ehara and had him get the fibers on him in preparation. She admits it was hard to not laugh at how the court ate it up. But the next piece of evidence would be Ehara’s train pass which shows the time he got to the ticket station at Ikebukuro, 13 minutes after Mikoshiba’s murder. Mamiya tells him that all that happened was Sensei using the card himself, and slipped the card back during the switch. Hoshino is shocked at how obvious it is now. Yagami concludes that this is enough evidence to prove the evidence can be refuted, with Saori preparing an appeal. Genda finds that easier said than done, since Kuwana was found guilty already, so it all depends on Ehara, who naturally won’t want that. Yagami decides he and Saori will talk to him tomorrow, if for nothing else than to see his reaction to what they know. Everyone heads home, leaving only Yagami and Higashi, who is unsure if it was smart to let Mamiya go without turning her in for the cops, but Yagami notes there really isn’t anything they can do since there isn’t any proof of the murders, so all that can be done is Sugiura making sure she gets home safe. So now all Higashi can wonder is why Yagami is sticking around, making Yagami agree he’s overstaying.
The next day at the holding center, Ehara is surprised to hear he has the right to an appeal, with Yagami and Saori laying out everything they know. Declaring himself scum of the Earth, a pervert, Ehara refuses. But Yagami details how Ehara had Mikoshiba kidnapped Mikoshiba after saying his goodbyes to his mother with Kuwana’s students, and brought him to the warehouse to break his fingers before slitting his throat. Ehara continues to string along the Refuge in Audacity, even when shown the footage of him killing Mikoshiba. And of course, afterwards Ehara made his way to Ikebukuro, where Kuwana was disguised as him, though Yagami wonders if he knew him as Yu Kitakata. Continuing to how Ehara got the trace fibers and swapped places with Kuwana thanks to a blind spot. Ehara gives out Blatant Lies that he admits to the groping crime and accepts Toshiro was never bullied. But he bangs his fist to the table pointing out he has to abide by the law. Yagami understands that he was doing the justice the law didn’t provide him and his son. Ehara explains that everything his son went through was passed over like it never happened, the teachers, the school, the court, everyone! But Yagami finds it hard to believe that all it took was Kuwana to make him furious enough to break Mikoshiba’s fingers. So he found out sooner, so Yagami thinks Toshiro told only Sawa, so Sawa must’ve told Ehara. Ehara admits he’s close, Sawa did admit after the trial out of guilt to Kuwana, not knowing he was recording. It was the recording Kuwana played for Ehara of Sawa being muzzled by the teacher and barber. Saori finds it hard to believe there was really no other evidence to Toshiro’s bullying, not even a diary? Ehara admits there was nothing Toshiro said, not even to him or his mother. He admits it must’ve been his own fault, since Toshiro was bullied even in Middle School, with kids taking his pencil boxes and his books, but when he told his father, Ehara told him to stop being weak, not aware that that was all the strength his son could muster at the time, making this Ehara’s greatest failure. Even getting to a private school in Yokohama to get away from his father did nothing to improve Toshiro’s situation until he didn’t want to show weakness ever again. Yagami now understands that this was why he unleashed hell on Mikoshiba after Kuwana asked him if he wanted justice for Toshiro. Ehara found the former teacher bold but is forever grateful to him. Ehara also tells of how every time Kuwana got justice, he always worked with the families to give them justice. Saori points out Revenge Is Not Justice since laws would be pointless if otherwise. All Ehara asks her is what to do if the law fails and evil laughs at it? While some did find Kuwana unforgivable, nobody reported him to the police since others resonate with his ideals. Yagami agrees with Ehara that the law can be unfair and imperfect, but he’s fighting to make it fair with change. Ehara slams his fists to the table that laws don’t change fast enough. Toshiro was murdered in all but name, but Hiro Mikoshiba was allowed to walk free and enroll as a student teacher, a thought he finds insane. Ehara would’ve died of old age before any law would be written. As far as he’s concerned, he didn’t have any other choice but get blood on his hands. Yagami smiles, pointing out this is the first time he confessed. Ehara gives him compliments, since Kuwana made such an airtight plan and Yagami investigated better than a bunch of deadbeat cops. Yagami notes that he can thank Kuwana’s blackmail on his old students since that was the link needed to be made. Saori notes that Ehara will go to jail as a sex offender and will get off scot free since the police won’t go near him, even when, not if, he’ll confess after being released since they refuse to admit the murder video is authentic. So since he wants to make a mockery of the justice system, a retrial will give him another chance. But Yagami also warns he grabbed a tiger by the tail, a metaphor that goes over Ehara’s head. Yagami explains that someone is pulling the strings on the underworld to hunt Kuwana, this puppet master is the tiger in the metaphor. Sawa being killed was because she was involved with Kuwana. Ehara still has access to the news, even knowing the thugs are RK, but admits he didn’t know the reason. But Yagami is pretty sure it’s Ehara’s lies, which perpetuated into a rift, and whoever Kuwana killed before angered the puppet master. So if someone else is paying for Kuwana and Ehara’s crimes, then how can their justice be fair? To Ehara, she’s a woman who gave false testimony, but as Yagami points out Mikoshiba was a minor with no evidence, and has been haunted by that decision for the rest of her life. So Yagami’s gonna do what Ehara did for Toshiro, and go public with his and Kuwana’s crimes for Sawa. Ehara allows the pair to make an appeal, but finds Sawa’s death isn’t on him. Yagami points out that by that logic Mikoshiba didn’t kill Toshiro.
Returning to Genda Law, the old man is surprised Ehara admitted to the murder, but Yagami makes clear it was off the record. Saori notes that it should be enough for an appeal, but Genda notes that since the battery and the murder are the same case, so to prove there’s a murder, there needs to be evidence. And of course, the prosecution and police are swearing up and down that the murder video is fake, despite it being the opposite. Any idea to get the appeal gets shot down by Genda for pointing out Ehara won’t admit to murdering Mikoshiba in court. All this’d do is ruin Saori’s career if they feel, though she explains she’s extremely furious. Ehara and Kuwana devised this plan to make a joke out of the justice system, even when she and Hoshino fell for the trap, so how can they worry about reputations at a time like this? Not helping matters was that she fell for Ehara’s pervert act. Yagami agrees, since while he understands Kuwana and Ehara, he can’t condone it. He also notes he’s not very righteous in comparison since he just wants to draw out Kuwana into the public, which’ll mobilize RK and their backers.
Afterwards, Yagami gets a call from Tsukumo to tell him RK is amassing in Ijincho, with Soma possibly still there despite being a person of interest. He and Sugiura return to Yokohama 99, where they fill Tsukumo in on the details. Sugiura admits he still finds it strange that they don’t know what RK wants with Kuwana, so Yagami does some thinking. RK was first looking for Kawai in Kamurocho, but as soon as they believed he was killed they went looking for Kuwana, so what changed? Tsukumo suggests looking for someone in RK to tell them, so Yagami wonders if he could get the top brass of Soma or Akutsu.
While prowling the town, Yagami gets a call from Saori to admit something Ehara said has been bugging her. If Kuwana approached the families of bullied suicide victims, even when most rejected the offer they never went to the police, so if Kawai was his first victim…Did he go to Reiko Kusumoto, the mother of Mitsuru and current Vice Minister of Health? Even if she didn’t accept that’d make her an accessory to a revenge plot, that’s a secret to take to the grave. So what if ‘’she’’ is pulling the strings of RK? The gears turning, Yagami returns to Yokohama 99 and asks Tsukumo to look into Kusumoto. Pulling up the website on her, Tsukumo notes she hasn’t even been vice minister for a whole year and with no criticism of her, rare for a politician. Sugiura roots for her in comparison to Ichinose. Yagami notes that if she is connected to Kuwana and RK, she’d need a connection to the latter. So Sugiura decides it might be best to get straight to the source and go to Kusumoto themselves. Since Mitsuru is still in a hospital they can find a way to meet with her there. Tsukumo interrupts to show them a news report that a manhunt has begun for Yoko Sawa’s murderer: Yu Kitakata AKA Jin Kuwana!? Confused, Yagami decides to speak with Watanabe since if Kuwana was on video, he and RK should be as well. On the phone, Watanabe admits it’s mostly pressure from upstairs forcing them to look for Kuwana, and hangs up on Yagami. Luckily Tsukumo heard enough background noise to know he’s on the main streets in Chinatown.
Finding Watanabe and Sakurai, Yagami demands to know what stinks with the police right now. Deciding to fake a bathroom break together so Sakurai can return to the office, Yagami and Watanabe head to Hamakita Park. There, Watanabe makes clear that Kuwana using an alias and showing up on evidence is a bad look for him. And Soma? All video evidence of him and RK being at Sawa’s apartment is gone. Ever since Mikoshiba’s murder, the higher ups have been playing a political longgame. Someone high up in the food chain is keeping Ehara’s crimes and Sawa’s murder under wraps. First someone erases the Sawa murder footage of RK at the apartment so the only footage left is of Kuwana and only him. Furiously Yagami grabs Watanabe by the jacket collar to know who would do something like that. Watanabe tells him to give up on Mikoshiba and Sawa, because it’s clear that soon Kuwana will die in an resisting arrest accident and take the fall for both murders. Someone wants him gone and they have the power to do it. Watanabe accepts the defeat, being a cop for so long he’s seen his fair share of failure, it’s why he sticks to clear cut cases that aren’t possibly linked to corruption. This just gets Yagami even more mad since it’s indifference like this that let’s corruption fester. Whipping out a baton, Yagami and Watanabe break out in a fist fight. Getting a beating makes Watanabe open up, where Yagami gives the details of how RK broke the lock and how Soma held an icepick to her neck, even how she still had tears in her eyes when he and the others found her. So since she can’t make her voice heard for justice, he’ll let his voice be heard for her. Reluctantly agreeing, Watanabe admits the Kanegawa brass had a suspect file already made up, but it was for Kuwana instead of Soma. And the files on Kuwana came from Public Security according to the NPA. This worries Yagami, since they are a branch of the police that serves as a Spy Ring, not unlike the US’s FBI or CIA, keeping an eye on foreign agents, gangs, and political groups. Gathering intel is their first priority over catching criminals, so why would they be involved in Sawa’s case? Since RK was involved, they’ve had a keen interest from the beginning, thanks to RK shaping up to be the Tojo Clan’s successor. If RK roams free they can be easily monitored so crime busting isn’t necessary. And if RK falls, someone else will take their place thanks to an Evil Power Vacuum. Yagami is disgusted that the only reason Sawa’s murder is being swept under is so Public Security doesn’t have to look for a new intel source. Watanabe went the extra mile and spoke with Tokyo PD, and found Soma doesn’t have a criminal record, not even a profile picture. Legally he doesn’t exist, yet they have multiple files on Kuwana. So Public Security wants Kuwana to be a scapegoat for RK, thus he’s got a death sentence. Yagami needs a name, somebody who could pull that many strings, but Watanabe’s too low rank for that information. His phone starts ringing, telling Yagami that Kuwana was spotted in Fukutokucho, an abandoned building in Koreatown, where the Geomijul gang hang out. Watanabe only told Yagami off the record, so that he can tell Kuwana about Public Security.
On the way, Tsukumo calls to warn that Geomijul has already been blocked off by the police. But Yagami has to find Kuwana before the cops, so with the help of Tsukumo and Sugiura, he sneaks past the cops and RK who are working together. Getting past a few thugs, they find the Geomijul gangsters wearing stone-like masks, creeping out Yagami. The men tell Yagami and Sugiura that the intel was faked by them on Kuwana’s orders to see what the response to an eyewitness report would be. They confirm Kuwana’s in Ijincho, the city’s a cultural melting pot making it the perfect place for him to hide, specifically with Tesso and the Liumang. Heading over to the Liumang headquarters to meet with Kuwana and Tesso.
After sharing some banter with Tesso, Yagami and Sugiura share a seat with him and Kuwana who is now wearing some new clothes, where Yagami keeps him up to date, and tells Tesso just who this anonymous hire really is. Yagami and Kuwana are at their throats in the conversation, but Yagami does explain how it’s Public Security pulling the strings of both the police and RK, with Kusumoto possibly helping since she benefits from Kawai’s murder. If she’s involved then it’d be a repeat of the ADDC scandal for the Ministry of Health if found out. But Kuwana points out that there’s a flaw to the logic, that Kusumoto saw all of Kuwana’s students, so she’d go after them first since they’re easy targets, so why is Public Security not going after them? Simply put, Kusumoto isn’t leading Public Security. Sugiura goes a bit off topic to learn more about Kusumoto, and Kuwana explains she’s the one to stab Kawai in the chest, drawing out as much pain and suffering as possible. And the only people to witness are herself and Kuwana. And he has total faith in her, not to mention he doubts she has that much leverage. So whoever ‘’is’’ pulling the strings is trying to get to Kuwana to get to Kusumoto, thus is an enemy of hers. They could take her down, or blackmail her, or whatever. Sugiura adds that he read one time even the Prime Minister has a hard time with her due to how many arguments she won against him. Kuwana figures out that the puppet master figured out Kusumoto and Ehara are linked by bullied sons, and dug deep enough to find out about Kawai. Yagami interrupts to bring up Kuwana’s murders, surprising Tesso that he’s killed seven bullies. With the chain of victims getting revenge, the link between Kusumoto and Ehara is clear though: Sawa. Yagami and RK found out as soon as she realized what Kuwana had done. But Yagami thinks he doesn’t care, since he sees his bully murders as a service to the country, justice even, save for Sawa dying because of it, infuriating the two to fight again.
After the courtyard fight ends at a draw due to exhaustion, Tesso takes them to the Liumang restaurant where his boss (Tianyo Zhao) cooks dinner for the four of them. Even though Yagami and Kuwana refuse to look each other in the eye, they do agree that Kusumoto is being targeted by Public Security due to the fact Kuwana is a higher priority than RK is absurd. So Tesso has a thought, who would benefit from Yagami and Kuwana fighting? Public Security, since it makes Kuwana easier to find. So the two should work together instead and pull one under RK and Public Security. The two reluctantly agree to a temporary truce to take on Public Security. So to start they have to figure out if they really are the enemy. So to see if she’s being tracked, Kuwana thinks of calling her and they’ll trace the call. Public Security is the only agency able to pull that off, so it’s easy to learn. Tesso forces them to find another place to call, so Yagami wonders about the last time Kuwana called Kusumoto, which he answers was the night Kawai was murdered. So Yagami has a plan: Use two untraceable phones to relay voices to set the trap.
After sharing a toast, Tsukumo gets them burner phones so that Yagami can call Kuwana with one of the phones, and use the other to call Kusumoto, so they can trace the call without finding him, and see who they send. Tsukumo finds a building under construction by Seiryo High with a crane to spot. And with Tsukumo flying a drone, Yagami tapes the phones together, giving Kuwana the chance to speak with Kusumoto while she’s in Mitsuru’s hospital room, telling her her phone is tapped. The phone is dangling from the drone through the streets as Kuwana tells her about how he’s being framed for Sawa’s murder, who Kusumoto remembers as the only girl to visit Mitsuru. Kuwana tells her that whoever is tracing her phone will come to see her about him. Two cars drive in with the headlights off and RK storming in, confirming the suspicion. Fighting through the six men, Yagami learns that they were sent by the bosses under Soma, and were told to catch him, with emphasis on not killing. With them being too stupid to understand their Public Security rent-a-thugs, Yagami warns the thugs to quit while they can.
Meanwhile, as Kuwana warned, a man approaches Kusumoto in Mitsuru’s room. This is Hidemi Bando, Coordinator of Public Security. He explains he’s only seeing her about Kawai, the bully who disappeared five years ago.
Chapter 11: Undercover
‘’’A Few Days Later…’’’
With Tsukumo’s help, Yagami and friends are able to find Mitsuru’s hospital, Toto University Hospital, where Kusumoto visits every night for 13 years. Despite Higashi’s doubts on getting her to confess, Yagami’s gonna try anyway to get Soma’s protection away.
While Higashi tries to find out where Soma and Akutsu are, Yagami and Sugiura pose as taxi drivers and pick up Kusumoto. Putting her traced phone in a black box, Yagami introduces the two men to her before telling her they know quite a lot about Kawai, but they simply want the truth from her. Yagami explains how Public Security traced her phone call from Kuwana, to which Kusumoto explains how Public Security’s only purpose is to maintain the status quo, and her cleaning up house makes her very dangerous to them. So now Yagami understands why Kawai was such a person of interest: He’s the one sin Kusumoto ever committed. And with Ehara making the news about Mikoshiba’s murder, Public Security made the connection, and they learned of Sawa being a teacher and a student who dealt with suicide inducing bullies through Mitsuru and Toshiro. Getting a reaction, Yagami starts asking questions, and simply asking if anyone contacted her, he figures that if anyone wanted to kill her, they could fake an accident. She also reveals that the Ministry of Health has access to the national pension fund, which is sitting on 160 trillion yen of taxpayer money. Some factions want to gamble that money to turn a profit, to deal with Japan’s financial problems, but Kusumoto doesn’t want to gamble away the country's future. So finding leverage is something that would be needed. When the question changes to Kawai, Kusumoto admits Kuwana showed her the video of Mitsuru’s torture, she tells them how all the bullies in the video came to the hospital after his suicide attempt with Crocodile Tears, checking to see if he’d wake up and tell her what they did without remorse. Kusumoto is ashamed of how foolish she was to believe them. And finally when Yagami shows concern for Mitsuru, his mother admits that he can wake up at any time, but he hasn’t for 13 years. He was just transferred to Toto that year to try to improve his condition. Concluding there’s nothing else, Yagami wonders if Kusumoto has anything to say to Kuwana. She tells him Kuwana needs to flee the country with Public Security after him. He’d be tortured and killed, and Kusumoto would be a pawn to the Ministry corruption. Yagami asks what would it matter? She killed Kawai, and thus got Sawa killed, so in Yagami’s eyes, it’d be better if she turned herself in. Kusumoto finds Kawai wasn’t a man, he was a monster. Her hatred is also for Kuwana, a subpar teacher who was oblivious to his students. Mitsuru’s video was the tip of the iceberg eight years ago, because after Kuwana showed her it, Kusumoto sought out Kawai, a girl’s club manager, and he didn’t even recognize her! He went to her with tears in his eyes to apologize for Mitsuru, and that night he thought she was just some cougar to hit on. That was when she decided to kill him, and it’s why she feels no guilt for his death or his former friends being blackmailed. Yagami asks her to repeat this, to the photo of Sawa, saying congrats for killing a monster, but tells her actions have consequences. He’s seen it before, and admits he won’t let history repeat itself. Giving her a new phone to call if she changes her mind, he and Sugiura drop her back off at the hospital.
‘’’Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama’’’
Heading to meet with Kuwana and the Liumang and tells them about Kusumoto, infuriating Kuwana. Both men argue again about whether she should turn herself in or not, with Yagami continuing to remind him of Sawa, the friends and loved ones who have to not know anything. Kuwana’s confident there won’t be any trouble since he has Kawai’s body hidden. Even being reminded of Ehara’s retrial is a good thing to Kuwana, wanting people to know what’s going on in schools. And he’s already thought of getting facial reconstruction surgery to get out of the country. To guilt Yagami, Kuwana sends Yagami the audio file he made of Sawa telling him about the original Mikoshiba Trial, the audio he played for Ehara. Since most bullies never let up (Mikoshiba did move on to Koda), Kuwana feels he can never stop if it’ll prevent another suicide or at least force the law to change. Yagami begs him to stop, that he’s going too far, but Kuwana tells him to just kill him and call it justice.
Resting up at 99, Yagami gets a call from Saori in the morning to discuss the retrial, which the prosecution wants to discuss with them about the Mikoshiba video whether it’s proper evidence or not. Returning to Kamurocho, Yagami and Saori meet with the judge, and prosecutor Sadao Takano, the latter of whom is disturbed at the accusations towards Mamiya of faking a sexual battery to be an accomplice to murder. Though the judge is willing to listen to how Ehara twisted the legal system, Takano looks down on Genda Law, since he finds Genda to be a hothead who was close to the Tojo Clan. Treating Takano like a child in law school didn’t help. With Ehara agreeing to the appeal, Takano doesn’t get it until Yagami points out Ehara doesn’t want to get away with murder, but to make a mockery of the justice system. Suddenly, they are joined by Bando to represent the police Ehara was a member of. Takano gives multiple reasons why the video shouldn’t be evidence, mostly that it could be doctored, but Yagami tells him the verdict was wrong. Everything about the trial was a trick to get Ehara the wrong guilty verdict, from the underwear fibers to the time gap in between the camera footage, thanks to the blind spot. Takano demands to know why this wasn’t brought up before, though given Saori clearly hated Ehara, it’s not surprising, even since he himself finds Ehara to be some pervert. This outburst proves a conflict of interest and thus the appeal is approved on the condition the murder video isn’t brought in since the judge has seen it himself. Everyone but Yagami and Bando leave, who Yagami can tell is Public Security and asks about the surveillance on Kusumoto. Ehara can’t be too important to him, so Bando’s there for Yagami, to find Kuwana. Bando feigns ignorance that Kuwana is Sawa’s murderer, not Soma or RK. Public Security is surveillance, so thugs like RK do the dirty work. Bando gives a light threat, so Yagami wonders where Soma is, though to get him he’s gotta hand over Kuwana before leaving.
On his way to Genda Law, Yagami finds RK surrounding the building, keeping an eye on him. Letting Saori know who Bando is, and together they work with Hoshino on leads to Akutsu, who’s back in Kamurocho. Hoshino explains that RK owns a number of cabaret clubs and if a hostess is successful she gets paid by Akutsu a bonus in cash, face to face. This bonus was on hold until Akutsu returned, which started up again yesterday. Not knowing where he is, Saori is actually looking forward to going undercover as a hostess once more. Hoshino gets ecstatic over this, creeping out Genda. Calming down, Hoshino reveals that one bar they do know is the Queen Rouge which Saori did do a previous stakeout at, and even though Akutsu bought the place and cut the high end corner, management is unchanged.
After a change of dress and makeup, and getting a wireless earpiece, Saori goes back into Queen Rouge, which has devolved into a dive bar for the RK. Unable to get a location of where the meetings are, she gets into character while Yagami gets support. Despite some of the girls giving her a hard time as well as Hoshino and Genda surprising her, Saori proves she is still a wild success. Winning first place gets Saori a taxi to the RK club, and everything is amiable with Akutsu until he reveals he knows Saori’s a lawyer, working with Yagami. The RK thug she questioned before identifies her. But Saori smiles and tells him things just got worse…For him.
Yagami and Higashi storm in, stomping out the guards in the process. Akutsu tries to mock them for being just two guys, until Kaito steps up to fight! And with Saori declaring the upcoming match, the three wipe the floor with Akutsu and his men. Knocking Akutsu down, Yagami and the others surround him. Starting with where Soma is, Akutsu admits he moves around more than he does. Yagami is incredulous at what a lapdog he is, but Akutsu explains himself. Soma can tell when people are lying, and won’t hesitate to take out a possible traitor. Kaito thinks he’s just buying into rumors, but Akutsu continues that he might be seeing the future, he was the first to bail on the Tojo Clan before the collapse. Usually a lot of money and a word to the boss is needed to leave, but he didn’t, telling Akutsu he already knows the Tojo Clan is done for. Kaito calls it impossible, but Akutsu swears it’s the truth, saying Soma laughed and told him to leave as well. Going underground, they built RK on the grave of the Tojo Clan. Yagami brings up that Soma is a pawn of Public Security, why else would he be looking for Kawai and Kuwana?
It’s Kaito who is put off by this information. Soma isn’t a pawn for Public Security, he’s a ‘’plant’’ for Public Security, he thinks. As trained spies, these cops infiltrate enemy organizations, like the Tojo Clan. And with the implosion going on in the Tojo Clan, Public Security would be the first to know thanks to how much politics was involved near the end, so Soma did know the Tojo was finished. Plus with him being a cipher to the cops, building up RK from the former Tojo Clan Yakuza, and being completely immune to the Sawa Case, it all makes sense. Akutsu panics, begging to leave. Soma has bugs in the club, he could be listening right now! Even he knows that’s a death sentence, and he’s proven right when two cops storm in and shoot him dead before fleeing.
With Tsukumo’s help, Yagami and friends are able to find Mitsuru’s hospital, Toto University Hospital, where Kusumoto visits every night for 13 years. Despite Higashi’s doubts on getting her to confess, Yagami’s gonna try anyway to get Soma’s protection away.
While Higashi tries to find out where Soma and Akutsu are, Yagami and Sugiura pose as taxi drivers and pick up Kusumoto. Putting her traced phone in a black box, Yagami introduces the two men to her before telling her they know quite a lot about Kawai, but they simply want the truth from her. Yagami explains how Public Security traced her phone call from Kuwana, to which Kusumoto explains how Public Security’s only purpose is to maintain the status quo, and her cleaning up house makes her very dangerous to them. So now Yagami understands why Kawai was such a person of interest: He’s the one sin Kusumoto ever committed. And with Ehara making the news about Mikoshiba’s murder, Public Security made the connection, and they learned of Sawa being a teacher and a student who dealt with suicide inducing bullies through Mitsuru and Toshiro. Getting a reaction, Yagami starts asking questions, and simply asking if anyone contacted her, he figures that if anyone wanted to kill her, they could fake an accident. She also reveals that the Ministry of Health has access to the national pension fund, which is sitting on 160 trillion yen of taxpayer money. Some factions want to gamble that money to turn a profit, to deal with Japan’s financial problems, but Kusumoto doesn’t want to gamble away the country's future. So finding leverage is something that would be needed. When the question changes to Kawai, Kusumoto admits Kuwana showed her the video of Mitsuru’s torture, she tells them how all the bullies in the video came to the hospital after his suicide attempt with Crocodile Tears, checking to see if he’d wake up and tell her what they did without remorse. Kusumoto is ashamed of how foolish she was to believe them. And finally when Yagami shows concern for Mitsuru, his mother admits that he can wake up at any time, but he hasn’t for 13 years. He was just transferred to Toto that year to try to improve his condition. Concluding there’s nothing else, Yagami wonders if Kusumoto has anything to say to Kuwana. She tells him Kuwana needs to flee the country with Public Security after him. He’d be tortured and killed, and Kusumoto would be a pawn to the Ministry corruption. Yagami asks what would it matter? She killed Kawai, and thus got Sawa killed, so in Yagami’s eyes, it’d be better if she turned herself in. Kusumoto finds Kawai wasn’t a man, he was a monster. Her hatred is also for Kuwana, a subpar teacher who was oblivious to his students. Mitsuru’s video was the tip of the iceberg eight years ago, because after Kuwana showed her it, Kusumoto sought out Kawai, a girl’s club manager, and he didn’t even recognize her! He went to her with tears in his eyes to apologize for Mitsuru, and that night he thought she was just some cougar to hit on. That was when she decided to kill him, and it’s why she feels no guilt for his death or his former friends being blackmailed. Yagami asks her to repeat this, to the photo of Sawa, saying congrats for killing a monster, but tells her actions have consequences. He’s seen it before, and admits he won’t let history repeat itself. Giving her a new phone to call if she changes her mind, he and Sugiura drop her back off at the hospital.
‘’’Isezaki Ijincho, Yokohama’’’
Heading to meet with Kuwana and the Liumang and tells them about Kusumoto, infuriating Kuwana. Both men argue again about whether she should turn herself in or not, with Yagami continuing to remind him of Sawa, the friends and loved ones who have to not know anything. Kuwana’s confident there won’t be any trouble since he has Kawai’s body hidden. Even being reminded of Ehara’s retrial is a good thing to Kuwana, wanting people to know what’s going on in schools. And he’s already thought of getting facial reconstruction surgery to get out of the country. To guilt Yagami, Kuwana sends Yagami the audio file he made of Sawa telling him about the original Mikoshiba Trial, the audio he played for Ehara. Since most bullies never let up (Mikoshiba did move on to Koda), Kuwana feels he can never stop if it’ll prevent another suicide or at least force the law to change. Yagami begs him to stop, that he’s going too far, but Kuwana tells him to just kill him and call it justice.
Resting up at 99, Yagami gets a call from Saori in the morning to discuss the retrial, which the prosecution wants to discuss with them about the Mikoshiba video whether it’s proper evidence or not. Returning to Kamurocho, Yagami and Saori meet with the judge, and prosecutor Sadao Takano, the latter of whom is disturbed at the accusations towards Mamiya of faking a sexual battery to be an accomplice to murder. Though the judge is willing to listen to how Ehara twisted the legal system, Takano looks down on Genda Law, since he finds Genda to be a hothead who was close to the Tojo Clan. Treating Takano like a child in law school didn’t help. With Ehara agreeing to the appeal, Takano doesn’t get it until Yagami points out Ehara doesn’t want to get away with murder, but to make a mockery of the justice system. Suddenly, they are joined by Bando to represent the police Ehara was a member of. Takano gives multiple reasons why the video shouldn’t be evidence, mostly that it could be doctored, but Yagami tells him the verdict was wrong. Everything about the trial was a trick to get Ehara the wrong guilty verdict, from the underwear fibers to the time gap in between the camera footage, thanks to the blind spot. Takano demands to know why this wasn’t brought up before, though given Saori clearly hated Ehara, it’s not surprising, even since he himself finds Ehara to be some pervert. This outburst proves a conflict of interest and thus the appeal is approved on the condition the murder video isn’t brought in since the judge has seen it himself. Everyone but Yagami and Bando leave, who Yagami can tell is Public Security and asks about the surveillance on Kusumoto. Ehara can’t be too important to him, so Bando’s there for Yagami, to find Kuwana. Bando feigns ignorance that Kuwana is Sawa’s murderer, not Soma or RK. Public Security is surveillance, so thugs like RK do the dirty work. Bando gives a light threat, so Yagami wonders where Soma is, though to get him he’s gotta hand over Kuwana before leaving.
On his way to Genda Law, Yagami finds RK surrounding the building, keeping an eye on him. Letting Saori know who Bando is, and together they work with Hoshino on leads to Akutsu, who’s back in Kamurocho. Hoshino explains that RK owns a number of cabaret clubs and if a hostess is successful she gets paid by Akutsu a bonus in cash, face to face. This bonus was on hold until Akutsu returned, which started up again yesterday. Not knowing where he is, Saori is actually looking forward to going undercover as a hostess once more. Hoshino gets ecstatic over this, creeping out Genda. Calming down, Hoshino reveals that one bar they do know is the Queen Rouge which Saori did do a previous stakeout at, and even though Akutsu bought the place and cut the high end corner, management is unchanged.
After a change of dress and makeup, and getting a wireless earpiece, Saori goes back into Queen Rouge, which has devolved into a dive bar for the RK. Unable to get a location of where the meetings are, she gets into character while Yagami gets support. Despite some of the girls giving her a hard time as well as Hoshino and Genda surprising her, Saori proves she is still a wild success. Winning first place gets Saori a taxi to the RK club, and everything is amiable with Akutsu until he reveals he knows Saori’s a lawyer, working with Yagami. The RK thug she questioned before identifies her. But Saori smiles and tells him things just got worse…For him.
Yagami and Higashi storm in, stomping out the guards in the process. Akutsu tries to mock them for being just two guys, until Kaito steps up to fight! And with Saori declaring the upcoming match, the three wipe the floor with Akutsu and his men. Knocking Akutsu down, Yagami and the others surround him. Starting with where Soma is, Akutsu admits he moves around more than he does. Yagami is incredulous at what a lapdog he is, but Akutsu explains himself. Soma can tell when people are lying, and won’t hesitate to take out a possible traitor. Kaito thinks he’s just buying into rumors, but Akutsu continues that he might be seeing the future, he was the first to bail on the Tojo Clan before the collapse. Usually a lot of money and a word to the boss is needed to leave, but he didn’t, telling Akutsu he already knows the Tojo Clan is done for. Kaito calls it impossible, but Akutsu swears it’s the truth, saying Soma laughed and told him to leave as well. Going underground, they built RK on the grave of the Tojo Clan. Yagami brings up that Soma is a pawn of Public Security, why else would he be looking for Kawai and Kuwana?
It’s Kaito who is put off by this information. Soma isn’t a pawn for Public Security, he’s a ‘’plant’’ for Public Security, he thinks. As trained spies, these cops infiltrate enemy organizations, like the Tojo Clan. And with the implosion going on in the Tojo Clan, Public Security would be the first to know thanks to how much politics was involved near the end, so Soma did know the Tojo was finished. Plus with him being a cipher to the cops, building up RK from the former Tojo Clan Yakuza, and being completely immune to the Sawa Case, it all makes sense. Akutsu panics, begging to leave. Soma has bugs in the club, he could be listening right now! Even he knows that’s a death sentence, and he’s proven right when two cops storm in and shoot him dead before fleeing.
Chapter 12: To Nourish A Viper
Getting away from the crowd and the cops, the four meet Mafuyu, who can’t believe cops would shoot at Akutsu (Especially given Japan’s gun taboo). Yagami notes they had to be Soma’s men, affiliation irrelevant at this point. Hearing Kaito say that in America the undercovers are called moles, Higashi adds that this shows Soma’s in a corner, if word got out his whole criminal career was undercover, everyone in the city would want him dead. Worried, Yagami asks Mafuyu to station cops at Genda’s just to be safe. Now they need to learn more about Soma.
Returning to Genda’s office, they find Genda and Hoshino had sobered up quickly after Akutsu’s death got on the news. After some teasing by Saora, both men are shocked to hear Soma might be an undercover cop. Yagami and Kaito consider it the ultimate monopoly on crime. Thinking it over before calling it a night, Kaito notes that Soma and Akutsu had to be in the Tojo Clan for 10 years since they were members of the Nikkyo Consortium, a faction Higashi is familiar with.
The next day at Charles, Yagami gets a call from Tsukumo that the RK attacked the Liumang to find Kuwana, only missing him since he went underground again. Nobody died, but this does give Yagami incentive to dig deeper into Soma. Higashi explains that the Nikkyo Consortium is a Tojo Clan family specialized in off the record dirty work, with Soma and Akutsu officer material. Disbanded before getting the big break, with Soma making RK to give these never-weres prestige. So Yagami tries to get in contact with someone from the Nikkyo Consortium, President Irie, who is now a Champion District Drunk at the Earth Angel bar.
Meeting Irie, who is envious of Matsugane dying before becoming a bitter drunk like him. Sharing a drink, Irie tells them his lieutenant scouted out Soma, flushing money at their casinos that he sweet talked some ladies out of. Soma was close to the lieutenant, so he might have approached about joining the family. When Yagami suggests he was Public Security, Irie is shocked because Soma did a hit job for them where he buried a troublemaker in the mountains. The way he was so nonchalant made people uncomfortable, like he’d done it before. But what does Irie care about? He’s one of the few who didn’t join Daigo Dojima’s new company or Soma’s RK, after all. Either way he’s a lonely old man. This pisses off Kaito who wants to leave, but before that, Irie points them to the Misawa Building on North Seiryo Avenue. It’s a gambling den, Kosuke’s gambling den, and is now owned by RK. The original owners, the Roppongi, are refusing to pay so there’s gonna be a fight tonight. With the possibility of Soma being there, they can’t pass it up.
Finding RK already in the building, Yagami, Kaito, and Higashi rush in. Returning to the Tatami Room, they save Kosuke from an RK member with a steel bat. But there’s no Soma.
Meanwhile, in Mitsuru’s hospital room, Kusumoto holds a meeting with Bando. She tells him she’s turning herself in, so that Sawa can get justice despite Bando’s protests. Seeing he just wants her as a blackmail tool, she objects because Sawa was Mitsuru’s only friend, not to mention she can tell Bando is just some greedy swine wanting the pension money. But as he leaves, Mitsuru suddenly wakes up! Kusumoto hugs her son for the first time in 13 years with tears in her eyes, and of course Bando weasels in to start blackmailing her.
After things calm down, Kosuke admits he never saw Soma, but did hear some of them talk about Soma being in Ijincho. Kaito suggests leaving Kamurocho and meeting with Kuwana, seeing as he’s being hunted by Soma.
Returning to Yokohama 99, the pair find Tsukumo while Sugiura is out looking for Kuwana. While looking around himself, he gets a call from Kuwana. He’ll send someone to pick upYagami at Sawa’s apartment, but he’ll need a disguise.
With Tesso’s help, Yagami sneaks through the sewers in his disguise (Player’s choice) to Fukutoku Park, where Akaike picks him up by car. The two head to the Funemiraikan, a ship that was converted into a museum. Yagami and Kuwana share a smoke on a rail while Akaike keeps guard. Kuwana starts by apologizing to Tesso for dragging him into his RK mess. But as Yagami reminds him, with Public Security being the real threat, he’s not safe anywhere in Japan, especially with Soma being an undercover agent. Yagami begs him to let Sawa’s and Mikoshiba’s murder be brought to light, and it can’t be covered up. Kuwana warns him that if he exposes everything, that exposes Kusumoto, and that’s one woman he won’t betray. Yagami tells him his Judgment is clouded. Kuwana points out to him that the rest of the world is turning a blind eye, but he can’t anymore. Kids committing suicide is making the news, but nothings being done to prevent it. And the bullies always say the same thing: “I had no idea they would ever kill themselves.” It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but Yagami does understand that. As far as Kuwana knows, these bullies are committing these acts of cruelty because they’ve never suffered, and he feels he has to make them know how unsafe they made their victims. Actions have consequences. Yagami admits he understands, and that’s what scares him. He warns that an unchecked sense of justice can make you lose control, and in the dark times rationalize yourself. Bringing up Sawa, Kuwana yells for him to shut up. This is all Yagami needs to hear, for what is Justice if it refuses to be responsible? Kuwana has a counter for Public Security of getting a new face through surgery and keeps killing bullies. It’s the only way he can atone for Mitsuru. So why bring Yagami to the boat? Yagami deserves to know why he insists on this determination. Kuwana gives him a necklace with a locket, a gift for Ehara since it has a picture of Toshiro. A final message, he calls it. Yagami tells him how Emi Terasawa died at the hands of a serial killer because he didn’t chase the truth, because murderers will always kill to keep secrets. So he reminds him that he himself and Kusumoto need to turn themselves in, because despite everything, Yagami believes they can both be saved.
While looking at the front gate, Kuwana sees Akaike get his throat slit by Soma, who orders the RK to storm the boat. As Yagami wonders how they found them, Kuwana figures it out: They followed Akaike, which means that the only way to know to track Akaike, they’d have to learn from Kusumoto, and she’d only betray Kuwana if something happened to make her change her mind. Why he doesn’t know yet, but right now they have to fight through RK. Both men fight off some of the strongest members of RK, though it eventually gets to be too much for them that Kuwana puts to work a plan B: He jumps off the boat as it suddenly explodes! Soma and RK flee while Kuwana disappears, leaving an ash-covered Yagami to inspect the locket.
Returning to Genda’s office, they find Genda and Hoshino had sobered up quickly after Akutsu’s death got on the news. After some teasing by Saora, both men are shocked to hear Soma might be an undercover cop. Yagami and Kaito consider it the ultimate monopoly on crime. Thinking it over before calling it a night, Kaito notes that Soma and Akutsu had to be in the Tojo Clan for 10 years since they were members of the Nikkyo Consortium, a faction Higashi is familiar with.
The next day at Charles, Yagami gets a call from Tsukumo that the RK attacked the Liumang to find Kuwana, only missing him since he went underground again. Nobody died, but this does give Yagami incentive to dig deeper into Soma. Higashi explains that the Nikkyo Consortium is a Tojo Clan family specialized in off the record dirty work, with Soma and Akutsu officer material. Disbanded before getting the big break, with Soma making RK to give these never-weres prestige. So Yagami tries to get in contact with someone from the Nikkyo Consortium, President Irie, who is now a Champion District Drunk at the Earth Angel bar.
Meeting Irie, who is envious of Matsugane dying before becoming a bitter drunk like him. Sharing a drink, Irie tells them his lieutenant scouted out Soma, flushing money at their casinos that he sweet talked some ladies out of. Soma was close to the lieutenant, so he might have approached about joining the family. When Yagami suggests he was Public Security, Irie is shocked because Soma did a hit job for them where he buried a troublemaker in the mountains. The way he was so nonchalant made people uncomfortable, like he’d done it before. But what does Irie care about? He’s one of the few who didn’t join Daigo Dojima’s new company or Soma’s RK, after all. Either way he’s a lonely old man. This pisses off Kaito who wants to leave, but before that, Irie points them to the Misawa Building on North Seiryo Avenue. It’s a gambling den, Kosuke’s gambling den, and is now owned by RK. The original owners, the Roppongi, are refusing to pay so there’s gonna be a fight tonight. With the possibility of Soma being there, they can’t pass it up.
Finding RK already in the building, Yagami, Kaito, and Higashi rush in. Returning to the Tatami Room, they save Kosuke from an RK member with a steel bat. But there’s no Soma.
Meanwhile, in Mitsuru’s hospital room, Kusumoto holds a meeting with Bando. She tells him she’s turning herself in, so that Sawa can get justice despite Bando’s protests. Seeing he just wants her as a blackmail tool, she objects because Sawa was Mitsuru’s only friend, not to mention she can tell Bando is just some greedy swine wanting the pension money. But as he leaves, Mitsuru suddenly wakes up! Kusumoto hugs her son for the first time in 13 years with tears in her eyes, and of course Bando weasels in to start blackmailing her.
After things calm down, Kosuke admits he never saw Soma, but did hear some of them talk about Soma being in Ijincho. Kaito suggests leaving Kamurocho and meeting with Kuwana, seeing as he’s being hunted by Soma.
Returning to Yokohama 99, the pair find Tsukumo while Sugiura is out looking for Kuwana. While looking around himself, he gets a call from Kuwana. He’ll send someone to pick upYagami at Sawa’s apartment, but he’ll need a disguise.
With Tesso’s help, Yagami sneaks through the sewers in his disguise (Player’s choice) to Fukutoku Park, where Akaike picks him up by car. The two head to the Funemiraikan, a ship that was converted into a museum. Yagami and Kuwana share a smoke on a rail while Akaike keeps guard. Kuwana starts by apologizing to Tesso for dragging him into his RK mess. But as Yagami reminds him, with Public Security being the real threat, he’s not safe anywhere in Japan, especially with Soma being an undercover agent. Yagami begs him to let Sawa’s and Mikoshiba’s murder be brought to light, and it can’t be covered up. Kuwana warns him that if he exposes everything, that exposes Kusumoto, and that’s one woman he won’t betray. Yagami tells him his Judgment is clouded. Kuwana points out to him that the rest of the world is turning a blind eye, but he can’t anymore. Kids committing suicide is making the news, but nothings being done to prevent it. And the bullies always say the same thing: “I had no idea they would ever kill themselves.” It’s a bitter pill to swallow, but Yagami does understand that. As far as Kuwana knows, these bullies are committing these acts of cruelty because they’ve never suffered, and he feels he has to make them know how unsafe they made their victims. Actions have consequences. Yagami admits he understands, and that’s what scares him. He warns that an unchecked sense of justice can make you lose control, and in the dark times rationalize yourself. Bringing up Sawa, Kuwana yells for him to shut up. This is all Yagami needs to hear, for what is Justice if it refuses to be responsible? Kuwana has a counter for Public Security of getting a new face through surgery and keeps killing bullies. It’s the only way he can atone for Mitsuru. So why bring Yagami to the boat? Yagami deserves to know why he insists on this determination. Kuwana gives him a necklace with a locket, a gift for Ehara since it has a picture of Toshiro. A final message, he calls it. Yagami tells him how Emi Terasawa died at the hands of a serial killer because he didn’t chase the truth, because murderers will always kill to keep secrets. So he reminds him that he himself and Kusumoto need to turn themselves in, because despite everything, Yagami believes they can both be saved.
While looking at the front gate, Kuwana sees Akaike get his throat slit by Soma, who orders the RK to storm the boat. As Yagami wonders how they found them, Kuwana figures it out: They followed Akaike, which means that the only way to know to track Akaike, they’d have to learn from Kusumoto, and she’d only betray Kuwana if something happened to make her change her mind. Why he doesn’t know yet, but right now they have to fight through RK. Both men fight off some of the strongest members of RK, though it eventually gets to be too much for them that Kuwana puts to work a plan B: He jumps off the boat as it suddenly explodes! Soma and RK flee while Kuwana disappears, leaving an ash-covered Yagami to inspect the locket.
Final Chapter: Darkest Before the Dawn
Genda and Hoshino talk about the boat bombing that’s been called a terrorist attack. Both know the body burnt beyond recognition was Akaike, and that Yagami’s description of what happened is covered up, no Soma or RK mentioned. Genda wonders where Yagami has been since last night. Saori admits that he sent her an email saying he's going to a hospital to meet with Kusumoto.
In Mitsuru’s hospital room, he’s inspecting himself in a mirror, finding it hard to believe it’s been 13 years. Kusumoto leaves for a moment to sit opposite of Yagami in the lobby. Yagami congratulates her on Mitsuru waking up, and he knows that he’s the reason she betrayed Kuwana. Her son needs to rebuild his life on his own two feet, and if she gets arrested now, he’ll be branded the son of a murderer, a pariah. She flashes back to how Bando was quick to manipulate the situation to force her to turn on Kuwana, with a smile on his face. Yagami is glad the boy finally woke up, but at the same time she’s continuing to cover up her crime, and with Akaike dead there are more bodies. But now Kuwana’s been betrayed, and he got away with his life, and nobody can tell what he’ll do next. But it won’t be Yagami’s business as far as he’s concerned, same goes for Kusumoto, since he only came to confirm why she betrayed the former teacher.
Reconvening at Yokohama 99, where Kaito and Sugiura return from a failed investigation of finding Kuwana. Yagami gives the locket to Tsukumo to figure out what’s so special about it, before heading back to Kamurocho to discuss Ehara’s trial with Saori.
There, he spots the entire Genda Law Firm along with Higashi and Mafuyu there as well. Saori’s first plan of business is to meet with Ehara and confirm he committed murder without the murder video. New evidence, Genda notes, and Mafuyu adds that Ehara opens up to Yagami the most, so they might get something from him. While Yagami waits for the meeting, Hoshino and Higashi will try to get a meeting with Ehara’s wife, since she might know some sort of hidden fact.
After wandering the city, Yagami and Saori eventually head for the detention center. Ehara starts off smug since the murder video can’t be used. With how determined the prosecution is to ignore the video, Ehara is confident he’ll only get charged with battery, making a mockery of the legal system. Yagami also figures that when he does confess, he’ll need evidence to prove he did kill Mikoshiba. Ehara mocks him for thinking he’ll give that away in court. Saori picks up on this that he does have evidence. The murder weapon makes the most sense given it still hasn’t been found. The knife would also have sentimental value to Ehara, not to mention would be the proof he did the murder. As Ehara makes his leave, Yagami tells him Kuwana vanished, and Public Security is hunting him. With it looking likely he won’t make it, Ehara admits he isn’t surprised. Yagami reminds him of how the two of them grabbed a tiger by the tail, and that tiger was Public Security. So to save Kuwana’s life Yagami needs his and Ehara’s murders to be exposed.
Ehara refuses. The thought of destroying the justice system is more important to him than risk it all for the man who got Ehara his revenge. Yagami finds this to be self justification but Ehara leaves anyway. Saori tells Yagami that after already making two requests of him she has one more to make. She wants him to be at the trial as a lawyer once more. With his lawyer badge always at the ready he accepts.
Returning to Yokohama, Yagami gets a call from Kaito. He, Higashi, and Hoshino are with Tesso and the other Liumang and want to meet with him. Yagami realizes this is because they were going to meet with Ehara’s wife and go over to talk. Getting over there, he also finds the Yokohama 99 are there as well. To start, everyone is looking forward to seeing Yagami in the courtroom again. But Yagami has questions of his own. When he asks about Kuwana, Kaito notes that it's a dead end. This worries Yagami since they don’t know what he’ll do now that Kusumoto has betrayed him. Next, Yagami wonders if Hoshino and Higashi already met with Ehara’s ex, with the pair glumly noting that it didn’t turn up much since the couple haven’t spoken to each other, much less live under the same roof, since Toshiro’s suicide. Only reason they haven’t divorce is due to Japan’s complicated divorce laws. Hoshino notes she moved out before the suicide, but she did let them light incense on his altar, other than that she was vacant, not even caring her husband got a battery charge. Yagami finds it hard to believe she’d care that little, not even to see the Mikoshiba video. And RK? They’re all over the town, strutting around like they own the place. Yagami is left stumped on what to do while the Yokohama 99 head off to keep looking for Kuwana.
Tesso offers lodging to anyone who wants it, with Yagami and the former Yakuza accepting. The next day Yagami gets news from Tsukumo he figured out what’s so important about the locket. It was a decoy with an SD card inside. It’s the Mikoshiba murder, but that’s not important. What is is that it is a WORM SD card. It stands for Write Once Read Many, and it’s the kind of SD card used by the police for crime scenes, and once it’s on the card it can’t be erased or altered. It can be moved elsewhere. In other words, the video on the SD Card is the original murder video. This is the evidence Yagami has been so desperately in need of! Tsukumo guesses that Kuwana knew they’d find the WORM, so it might’ve been an entrusting of evidence. The elevator opens and Matsun from Seiryo steps through. After hearing the MRC tell him where to find Yagami he had to come. Akane had started hanging out with some shady people and he didn’t know who to go to. The thugs are RK and they got her to blurt out that Yagami was a good friend of Koda’s. Even Akane knew what a bad idea that was and called Matsun right away. The former bully is terrified they’re gonna go after her and wants to save her. With Yagami’s advice Matsun makes a call to Akane. On speaker she tells them that RK took her and Koda to the Mikoshiba murder site. Koda’s voice chimes in begging to be saved before one of RK’s men interrupts.
Yagami and Sugiura rushes over while Tsukumo gets a hold of Kaito and Higashi as well as gets a drone over there. Twenty thugs have the two girls tied up with the four men to prepare a surprise attack. Yagami and the ex-Yakuza go in first, while Sugiura is spotted by a punk with a gun on the upper floor. Luckily Tsukumo flies the drone in the red smoke leaving RK gasping for air. Taking out the guys with knives to the girls neck and the gunslinger, the fight begins. Beating the twenty thugs, the girls get untied and Akane apologizes for what she’s done to Yagami and Koda. Both forgive her but the trouble isn’t over. Soma has arrived. He notes that Kuwana’s got them in a tight spot thanks to having Kawai’s body and he’s gonna reveal the location on the internet. Kusumoto and all of Mitsuru’s bullies will be ruined since their fingerprints and other evidence is all over the body. And Kusumoto is irreplaceable in the political world. That’s why he views himself as a Necessary Evil, since without him the ex-Tojo will be all over unsupervised. He and Kuwana sound too similar in that regard for Yagami’s liking. But unlike Kuwana, Soma enjoys dirtying his hands for what he thinks is for the good of the country. Yagami brings up his murder of Sawa, horrifying the girls. But Soma finds that murder justified since it kept all the secrets. Before Kaito can charge, Soma reveals Kuwana is using Kawai as leverage to keep Yagami and his friends alive. The only reason he’s meeting with them is that Kusumoto has a request: Don’t mention Kusumoto at Ehara’s trial. As he leaves Soma pulls out a gun and shoots Akane. Everyone checks on her as Soma flees. Luckily it was a paintball gun made to look like the real thing. Yagami apologizes for being careless, but assures them he has a plan. By turning Ehara’s groping trial into a murder trial the prosecution and the court will turn against Public Security.
‘’’One Month Later…’’’
Yagami leaves his office in his lawyer suit once more to enter the courtroom. Yagami goes in with active-duty officer Akihiro Ehara, found guilty of sexual battery and sentenced to six months, and hopefully turn it into a murder charge. Saori starts by pointing to the prosecutor’s two pieces of evidence: The security cameras and the fiber traces. She continues by showing the video of the disguised Kuwana waiting for the train. She explains how the stand-in was used as an alibi by Ehara to murder Mikoshiba in Yokohama. Takano calls this speculation, but it’s Yagami’s turn to take point. He explains how Ehara was chased through Shinjuku Station on film as an active cop. That was Ehara, the arriving police officers did a trace test on him to find the fibers…But, there is a blind spot in all the cameras that went off that day, near the stairway. Bringing Ehara to the stand, bringing up how he knew about Mikoshiba’s body before the body was ID’d. Ehara smugly tells him he had a dream about it. A classmate of Toshiro, who had committed suicide four years prior, to which Ehara sued the school, that can’t be a coincidence Yagami points out. His son was bullied but no evidence ever came up, so Toshiro’s suicide was ruled as an unknown reason. Due to the internet naming Mikoshiba the main bully it is likely this gave him intent to kill. Takano tries to say this is irrelevant to the sexual battery case forcing Yagami to spell out how the groping is an alibi, getting the objection overruled. With Ehara’s confirmation he had a reason to kill Mikoshiba, it set the groundwork for Yagami to prove the two crimes were synchronized. Takanao demands evidence to which Yagami responds that it’s the prosecution that should be bringing in evidence of the groping. Takano points out that the blind spot is flimsy with only a split second of a blind spot and with Mamiya running behind Ehara. Yagami tells him she was an accomplice, infuriating the man he’d accuse her of a False Rape Accusation. Yagami responds by pointing out there are other accomplices. The bystanders that grabbed Ehara and were recording the whole thing, and Mamiya herself are all students of the same class in Kurokawa Academy 13 years ago. Now how can these random people be acquainted with each other? Saori stands and adds that the murdered Yoko Sawa was also a classmate as well, and she was Toshiro and Mikoshiba’s teacher. Ehara speaks for himself that he didn’t commit murder and is indeed a pervert. The judge is confused since he approved the appeal who simply pointed to his lawyers. Yagami doesn’t deny it, but brings in evidence: The WORM SD Card. Yagami shows to Ehara the video and figures he was planning to release this after he got out of jail, but Kuwana can’t wait. Takano jumps on Kuwana’s name since Yagami’s not allowed to bring in names that weren’t put in discovery while Ehara is confused on who is really defending him. Yagami explains that he is the stand-in they’ve mentioned who is wearing a 3D printed recreation of Ehara’s face to commit the groping, pointing out how a face mask can cover the seams and how his face never moves. But the victim and defendant swear that the battery did occur, so the judge refuses to bring back Mamiya. But Yagami has a few more questions for Ehara. Bringing up Jin Kuwana again, this time elaborating he was Yu Kitakata, the Kurokawa teacher who got blacklisted, and has been making a name with the news. Ehara denies knowing Kuwana, so Yagami produces an audio file. It wasn’t a random internet post that made Ehara hate Mikoshiba, it was the phone call Kuwana recorded between himself and Sawa after the trial. Throughout her crying, she admits how the school’s lawyer and the homeroom teacher forced her to deny there ever being any bullying. She even tells them how she found Toshiro hiding from Mikoshiba and admitted to her what had happened. When Ehara tries to deny it, Yagami decides on a risky idea.
Yagami got the recording from Kuwana, though like the murder footage it can’t be evidence. Audio can be edited, and Sawa was only murdered a month ago with Kuwana disappearing. Nobody is left to prove it authentic, not to mention there might not be another recording. So Yagami is gonna delete it.
Ehara lunges at him, begging him not to delete the audio. But Yagami wants to know why he shouldn’t, to which Ehara tells him that’s the only proof of his son’s suffering at the hands of Mikoshiba. No, that's all he has left of Toshiro Ehara. The court ruled his suicide as not ascertained, and Mikoshiba got to repeat his bullying as a student teacher. There was no justice.
Akihiro Ehara: All of you. You're all so incompetent. You see yourselves as these paragons of law and justice, yet the truth slips right through your fingers! And then, my alibi made you a mockery. I made it so real. You passed me off as just another pervert. You were gullible. Every single one of you. Toshiro threw his life away and justice was blind to his pain. Mikoshiba walked free because of you! You condone murder and call yourselves the law?! That's why… That's why I did it. I took Mikoshiba's life with my own hands.
The first to leave the courtroom is Hattori the journalist along with other reporters who begin making this a front page story. Takano points out that to believe this story they’ll need proof. Accepting defeat, Ehara tells them he’s had his wife hold onto the last piece of evidence for him to unveil to complete the mockery of the justice system: The knife used to kill Mikoshiba, it’s in Toshiro’s altar, with Mikoshiba’s blood still on it. Hoshino is unnerved since he prayed at that altar. Now that Ehara will be going to jail for murder, Yagami has one final thing to say as the father finally lets his grief overtake him.
Takayuki Yagami: No matter how justified, vengeance is not something we can ever take into our own hands. That said, in the case of Ehara-san, our system failed him! We know the law strives to be just, but it failed to prove Toshiro-kun was bullied. That's not justice-not when no one is held responsible. The law, as well as those who enforce it, are far from perfect. So to the court, I say, let this case be a lesson: The law is failing to save people who need saving.
The trial ends with Ehara awaiting his next trial for Mikoshiba’s murder. The courtroom empties until only Yagami and Genda Law are left. Takano sticks around to reveal Kanagawa PD found the knife forcing him to apologize for his conduct in the trial. Accepting his own arrogance, Takano parts from the firm on better terms. All of a sudden, Kusumoto and Bando walk in to talk to Yagami in private. Bando congratulates Yagami for the case with all his smarm. He reminds Yagami that if Kuwana reveals Kawai’s body that it’ll result in yet another Health Ministry scandal. Kuwana had sent a letter to Kusumoto that once Ehara’s trial is over he wishes to speak with Yagami on her phone.
At that moment, the phone rings, and Kuwana is put on speaker. Yagami warns him that calling like this will make him a dead man. So Kuwana has a plan of revealing where Kawai’s body is. He congratulates Kusumoto on Mitsuru’s reawakening. But he doesn’t want the family to suffer for Kawai’s cruelty, even encouraging her betrayal, so if they want his body, they need to trace the call. Bando dispatches Soma while Yagami rushes to Ijincho. But Yagami tells Kusumoto that Bando will have no problem silencing him and Kuwana since they both know too much. Just like Sawa, to which Yagami wonders if the mother will tell her son how his only friend was murdered over something like this. She begs him not to risk his life, but to Yagami, this is how it all works.
Arriving at Yokohama, Tsukumo calls Yagami to tell him that Kawai’s frozen body is all over the internet, with a deadline of where it will be located counting down. But Tsukumo datamined the picture to find it came from a warehouse on the Yokohama Coast that Kuwana’s uncle is the proprietor of. Sugiura, Kaito and Higashi are rushing over to pick up Yagami at this moment. Getting to the van, RK tries to apprehend the four. But the fighting attracts the cops, likely Public Security associated, and a lot of them. Watanabe tries to stop them but he’s overruled. The four look to be arrested, but the Seiryo kids being led by Matsun and Akane come through and distract them with threats of police brutality, against Yagami and Watanabe. When the cops try to chase after them, Tesso and his Liumang distract the cops.
With the people of the city on their side against RK and Public Security, the four make their way to the warehouse as the rain starts to roll in. With all that remains of RK swarming into the place at a total of a hundred men, the four storm in fighting as many as they can. Inside, Yagami gets a call from Kuwana who reveals this was a trap for Soma. Using Kawai’s body as bait, he’s gonna ensure Soma gets arrested and the leverage on Kusumoto will be taken away.
Underground the four go all the way to Soma as he and his men finally find Kawai’s body, preserved in a freezer. But Kuwana tries to crush the murderer by dropping a crate on his hand. Soma brandishes a gun and tries to shoot at all of them, almost killing Higashi. Sugiura kicks the gun away only for Soma to pull out a knife. Now the five of them fight against the last of RK till all that’s standing is Soma. That fight drags all the way to a walk-in freezer where Soma hides in the frosty fog. In a bit of irony, Yagami beats Soma with the same kick he himself got to the head that disoriented him. Yagami finishes him off with a headlock, promising that Bando won’t protect him when he wakes up in a jail cell. “To hell with necessary evil,” Yagami says.
With all of the thugs beaten up, RK is finished. As the four of them look at Kawai’s body, Kuwana warns them to not get too close. His phone is linked to a bomb under the slab which will go off if he wants it to. Higashi complains about how hard it is to keep track of what side he’s on, with Kuwana explaining he’s gonna destroy the body to free Kusumoto. Yagami refuses to leave, believing all he’s doing is ensuring she’s never free of her sins, not to mention it’ll risk Sawa never getting justice, ensuing the final battle. But Kaito has a thought that worries everyone before they leave the two men to fight.
Masaharu Kaito: The way I see this, Tak, you and Kuwana both have your reasons. Something to consider, but between the two of you, is there really a right answer?
Frustrated that he’s come so far and told he’ll have to quit, still with Yagami believing in him, Kuwana throws his phone to the ground as the two charge at each other. Charging at each other with all the rage, sorrow, and bitterness they can muster, they match each other punch by punch. And as this fight proves, the whole time, Yagami was holding ‘’back’’ with Kuwana. Forced to fight dirty, Kuwana still loses anyway. Now barely able to throw punches, Kuwana refuses to stop fighting.
Kuwana laments how truth can crush people. But Yagami counters that the truth being hidden is what caused Sawa’s death. Yagami tells him that when you take justice in your own hands, everything you do feels justified, it’s why it’s so easy to look past the damage caused. Who decides what’s right and wrong is not for the two of them to decide. Law’s aren’t fair, all that matters is truth, and Kuwana took Sawa’s truth. But Kuwana can give it back to her. Thinking of Sawa causes Kuwana to fall to his knees and break down in tears. All of a sudden the elevator opens to reveal Kusumoto.
Kuwana begs for forgiveness, only for her to tell him to lift his head up. Taking his hands she tells him she’s turning herself in for Sawa. She apologizes for making Kuwana think he had to do this, and forgives him for his mistakes as Kitakata. Kuwana breaks down even further. Later as the police arrive, Kusumoto calls Mitsuru to admit to him she’s being arrested for what she did to Kawai, begging forgiveness for being a monster. But Mitsuru shows he still loves his mother and will be there for her like she was for him, especially now that he’s walking again. The last we see of Kusumoto is her breaking down in tears while Watanabe and Sakurai watch.
The next day, Takano and Mafuyu meet with Bando in his office. They surprise him that Soma and most of RK have been arrested for Sawa’s murder. He’s Public Security’s inside-man working for Bando, making him complicit in Sawa’s murder. Bando denies what he can, until Mafuyu points out the murder video of Yoko Sawa was tampered with by Public Security so he could manipulate Reiko Kusumoto, who is being processed with Mitsuru’s bullies for Kawai’s death. Bando laughs that they’ll burn the country by going after the higher authorities of the country. Takano counters that they’ve already got Bando’s enemies testifying against him for his upcoming trial thanks to the murder footage finally being recovered. Now going to jail no matter what, Bando fumes that everything he did was for Japan and he’ll see them in court. Takano tells him he’s looking forward to the challenge since Yagami brought this to the light.
The Genda Law Office learns the news as all the conspirators are being arrested, except Kuwana. He’s disappeared to unknown places. Hoshino worries he’s still hunting bullies, but Saori assures him that Yagami thinks he’s done.
At the Yagami Detective Agency, Yokohama 99 drops by to bring some snacks they got at the nearby convenience store. Yagami also has Higashi come in with sushi to go along with the celebration. While everyone prepares to eat, Yagami is left thinking of his last talk with Kuwana.
Kuwana tells them he’ll leave Kawai with them, but he plans on going back to the shadows. Higashi objects only for Yagami to remind him that if he's arrested, Public Security will kill him and pin the blame for Sawa’s murder on him, starting this all over again. Kuwana once more calls Justice hollow and how he has to keep going for more kids like Mitsuru. But Yagami tells him that he is right, the law is hollow. The system does fail, but laws evolve, the people make it better, and it takes time and the work is never done. So that’s why Yagami will be there for the people it fails, but he won’t do it at all like Kuwana.
As Kuwana lumbers away, it’s revealed on a radio that he anonymously revealed to the cops where he left his other 5 victims, finally letting go of his pain. Meanwhile, bullying is continuing at Seiryo, but Koda and her new friends have learned from Yagami how to fight it. The end credits are of the five friends enjoying lunch till a cat stumbles into the office.
‘’’The End’’’
In Mitsuru’s hospital room, he’s inspecting himself in a mirror, finding it hard to believe it’s been 13 years. Kusumoto leaves for a moment to sit opposite of Yagami in the lobby. Yagami congratulates her on Mitsuru waking up, and he knows that he’s the reason she betrayed Kuwana. Her son needs to rebuild his life on his own two feet, and if she gets arrested now, he’ll be branded the son of a murderer, a pariah. She flashes back to how Bando was quick to manipulate the situation to force her to turn on Kuwana, with a smile on his face. Yagami is glad the boy finally woke up, but at the same time she’s continuing to cover up her crime, and with Akaike dead there are more bodies. But now Kuwana’s been betrayed, and he got away with his life, and nobody can tell what he’ll do next. But it won’t be Yagami’s business as far as he’s concerned, same goes for Kusumoto, since he only came to confirm why she betrayed the former teacher.
Reconvening at Yokohama 99, where Kaito and Sugiura return from a failed investigation of finding Kuwana. Yagami gives the locket to Tsukumo to figure out what’s so special about it, before heading back to Kamurocho to discuss Ehara’s trial with Saori.
There, he spots the entire Genda Law Firm along with Higashi and Mafuyu there as well. Saori’s first plan of business is to meet with Ehara and confirm he committed murder without the murder video. New evidence, Genda notes, and Mafuyu adds that Ehara opens up to Yagami the most, so they might get something from him. While Yagami waits for the meeting, Hoshino and Higashi will try to get a meeting with Ehara’s wife, since she might know some sort of hidden fact.
After wandering the city, Yagami and Saori eventually head for the detention center. Ehara starts off smug since the murder video can’t be used. With how determined the prosecution is to ignore the video, Ehara is confident he’ll only get charged with battery, making a mockery of the legal system. Yagami also figures that when he does confess, he’ll need evidence to prove he did kill Mikoshiba. Ehara mocks him for thinking he’ll give that away in court. Saori picks up on this that he does have evidence. The murder weapon makes the most sense given it still hasn’t been found. The knife would also have sentimental value to Ehara, not to mention would be the proof he did the murder. As Ehara makes his leave, Yagami tells him Kuwana vanished, and Public Security is hunting him. With it looking likely he won’t make it, Ehara admits he isn’t surprised. Yagami reminds him of how the two of them grabbed a tiger by the tail, and that tiger was Public Security. So to save Kuwana’s life Yagami needs his and Ehara’s murders to be exposed.
Ehara refuses. The thought of destroying the justice system is more important to him than risk it all for the man who got Ehara his revenge. Yagami finds this to be self justification but Ehara leaves anyway. Saori tells Yagami that after already making two requests of him she has one more to make. She wants him to be at the trial as a lawyer once more. With his lawyer badge always at the ready he accepts.
Returning to Yokohama, Yagami gets a call from Kaito. He, Higashi, and Hoshino are with Tesso and the other Liumang and want to meet with him. Yagami realizes this is because they were going to meet with Ehara’s wife and go over to talk. Getting over there, he also finds the Yokohama 99 are there as well. To start, everyone is looking forward to seeing Yagami in the courtroom again. But Yagami has questions of his own. When he asks about Kuwana, Kaito notes that it's a dead end. This worries Yagami since they don’t know what he’ll do now that Kusumoto has betrayed him. Next, Yagami wonders if Hoshino and Higashi already met with Ehara’s ex, with the pair glumly noting that it didn’t turn up much since the couple haven’t spoken to each other, much less live under the same roof, since Toshiro’s suicide. Only reason they haven’t divorce is due to Japan’s complicated divorce laws. Hoshino notes she moved out before the suicide, but she did let them light incense on his altar, other than that she was vacant, not even caring her husband got a battery charge. Yagami finds it hard to believe she’d care that little, not even to see the Mikoshiba video. And RK? They’re all over the town, strutting around like they own the place. Yagami is left stumped on what to do while the Yokohama 99 head off to keep looking for Kuwana.
Tesso offers lodging to anyone who wants it, with Yagami and the former Yakuza accepting. The next day Yagami gets news from Tsukumo he figured out what’s so important about the locket. It was a decoy with an SD card inside. It’s the Mikoshiba murder, but that’s not important. What is is that it is a WORM SD card. It stands for Write Once Read Many, and it’s the kind of SD card used by the police for crime scenes, and once it’s on the card it can’t be erased or altered. It can be moved elsewhere. In other words, the video on the SD Card is the original murder video. This is the evidence Yagami has been so desperately in need of! Tsukumo guesses that Kuwana knew they’d find the WORM, so it might’ve been an entrusting of evidence. The elevator opens and Matsun from Seiryo steps through. After hearing the MRC tell him where to find Yagami he had to come. Akane had started hanging out with some shady people and he didn’t know who to go to. The thugs are RK and they got her to blurt out that Yagami was a good friend of Koda’s. Even Akane knew what a bad idea that was and called Matsun right away. The former bully is terrified they’re gonna go after her and wants to save her. With Yagami’s advice Matsun makes a call to Akane. On speaker she tells them that RK took her and Koda to the Mikoshiba murder site. Koda’s voice chimes in begging to be saved before one of RK’s men interrupts.
Yagami and Sugiura rushes over while Tsukumo gets a hold of Kaito and Higashi as well as gets a drone over there. Twenty thugs have the two girls tied up with the four men to prepare a surprise attack. Yagami and the ex-Yakuza go in first, while Sugiura is spotted by a punk with a gun on the upper floor. Luckily Tsukumo flies the drone in the red smoke leaving RK gasping for air. Taking out the guys with knives to the girls neck and the gunslinger, the fight begins. Beating the twenty thugs, the girls get untied and Akane apologizes for what she’s done to Yagami and Koda. Both forgive her but the trouble isn’t over. Soma has arrived. He notes that Kuwana’s got them in a tight spot thanks to having Kawai’s body and he’s gonna reveal the location on the internet. Kusumoto and all of Mitsuru’s bullies will be ruined since their fingerprints and other evidence is all over the body. And Kusumoto is irreplaceable in the political world. That’s why he views himself as a Necessary Evil, since without him the ex-Tojo will be all over unsupervised. He and Kuwana sound too similar in that regard for Yagami’s liking. But unlike Kuwana, Soma enjoys dirtying his hands for what he thinks is for the good of the country. Yagami brings up his murder of Sawa, horrifying the girls. But Soma finds that murder justified since it kept all the secrets. Before Kaito can charge, Soma reveals Kuwana is using Kawai as leverage to keep Yagami and his friends alive. The only reason he’s meeting with them is that Kusumoto has a request: Don’t mention Kusumoto at Ehara’s trial. As he leaves Soma pulls out a gun and shoots Akane. Everyone checks on her as Soma flees. Luckily it was a paintball gun made to look like the real thing. Yagami apologizes for being careless, but assures them he has a plan. By turning Ehara’s groping trial into a murder trial the prosecution and the court will turn against Public Security.
‘’’One Month Later…’’’
Yagami leaves his office in his lawyer suit once more to enter the courtroom. Yagami goes in with active-duty officer Akihiro Ehara, found guilty of sexual battery and sentenced to six months, and hopefully turn it into a murder charge. Saori starts by pointing to the prosecutor’s two pieces of evidence: The security cameras and the fiber traces. She continues by showing the video of the disguised Kuwana waiting for the train. She explains how the stand-in was used as an alibi by Ehara to murder Mikoshiba in Yokohama. Takano calls this speculation, but it’s Yagami’s turn to take point. He explains how Ehara was chased through Shinjuku Station on film as an active cop. That was Ehara, the arriving police officers did a trace test on him to find the fibers…But, there is a blind spot in all the cameras that went off that day, near the stairway. Bringing Ehara to the stand, bringing up how he knew about Mikoshiba’s body before the body was ID’d. Ehara smugly tells him he had a dream about it. A classmate of Toshiro, who had committed suicide four years prior, to which Ehara sued the school, that can’t be a coincidence Yagami points out. His son was bullied but no evidence ever came up, so Toshiro’s suicide was ruled as an unknown reason. Due to the internet naming Mikoshiba the main bully it is likely this gave him intent to kill. Takano tries to say this is irrelevant to the sexual battery case forcing Yagami to spell out how the groping is an alibi, getting the objection overruled. With Ehara’s confirmation he had a reason to kill Mikoshiba, it set the groundwork for Yagami to prove the two crimes were synchronized. Takanao demands evidence to which Yagami responds that it’s the prosecution that should be bringing in evidence of the groping. Takano points out that the blind spot is flimsy with only a split second of a blind spot and with Mamiya running behind Ehara. Yagami tells him she was an accomplice, infuriating the man he’d accuse her of a False Rape Accusation. Yagami responds by pointing out there are other accomplices. The bystanders that grabbed Ehara and were recording the whole thing, and Mamiya herself are all students of the same class in Kurokawa Academy 13 years ago. Now how can these random people be acquainted with each other? Saori stands and adds that the murdered Yoko Sawa was also a classmate as well, and she was Toshiro and Mikoshiba’s teacher. Ehara speaks for himself that he didn’t commit murder and is indeed a pervert. The judge is confused since he approved the appeal who simply pointed to his lawyers. Yagami doesn’t deny it, but brings in evidence: The WORM SD Card. Yagami shows to Ehara the video and figures he was planning to release this after he got out of jail, but Kuwana can’t wait. Takano jumps on Kuwana’s name since Yagami’s not allowed to bring in names that weren’t put in discovery while Ehara is confused on who is really defending him. Yagami explains that he is the stand-in they’ve mentioned who is wearing a 3D printed recreation of Ehara’s face to commit the groping, pointing out how a face mask can cover the seams and how his face never moves. But the victim and defendant swear that the battery did occur, so the judge refuses to bring back Mamiya. But Yagami has a few more questions for Ehara. Bringing up Jin Kuwana again, this time elaborating he was Yu Kitakata, the Kurokawa teacher who got blacklisted, and has been making a name with the news. Ehara denies knowing Kuwana, so Yagami produces an audio file. It wasn’t a random internet post that made Ehara hate Mikoshiba, it was the phone call Kuwana recorded between himself and Sawa after the trial. Throughout her crying, she admits how the school’s lawyer and the homeroom teacher forced her to deny there ever being any bullying. She even tells them how she found Toshiro hiding from Mikoshiba and admitted to her what had happened. When Ehara tries to deny it, Yagami decides on a risky idea.
Yagami got the recording from Kuwana, though like the murder footage it can’t be evidence. Audio can be edited, and Sawa was only murdered a month ago with Kuwana disappearing. Nobody is left to prove it authentic, not to mention there might not be another recording. So Yagami is gonna delete it.
Ehara lunges at him, begging him not to delete the audio. But Yagami wants to know why he shouldn’t, to which Ehara tells him that’s the only proof of his son’s suffering at the hands of Mikoshiba. No, that's all he has left of Toshiro Ehara. The court ruled his suicide as not ascertained, and Mikoshiba got to repeat his bullying as a student teacher. There was no justice.
Akihiro Ehara: All of you. You're all so incompetent. You see yourselves as these paragons of law and justice, yet the truth slips right through your fingers! And then, my alibi made you a mockery. I made it so real. You passed me off as just another pervert. You were gullible. Every single one of you. Toshiro threw his life away and justice was blind to his pain. Mikoshiba walked free because of you! You condone murder and call yourselves the law?! That's why… That's why I did it. I took Mikoshiba's life with my own hands.
The first to leave the courtroom is Hattori the journalist along with other reporters who begin making this a front page story. Takano points out that to believe this story they’ll need proof. Accepting defeat, Ehara tells them he’s had his wife hold onto the last piece of evidence for him to unveil to complete the mockery of the justice system: The knife used to kill Mikoshiba, it’s in Toshiro’s altar, with Mikoshiba’s blood still on it. Hoshino is unnerved since he prayed at that altar. Now that Ehara will be going to jail for murder, Yagami has one final thing to say as the father finally lets his grief overtake him.
Takayuki Yagami: No matter how justified, vengeance is not something we can ever take into our own hands. That said, in the case of Ehara-san, our system failed him! We know the law strives to be just, but it failed to prove Toshiro-kun was bullied. That's not justice-not when no one is held responsible. The law, as well as those who enforce it, are far from perfect. So to the court, I say, let this case be a lesson: The law is failing to save people who need saving.
The trial ends with Ehara awaiting his next trial for Mikoshiba’s murder. The courtroom empties until only Yagami and Genda Law are left. Takano sticks around to reveal Kanagawa PD found the knife forcing him to apologize for his conduct in the trial. Accepting his own arrogance, Takano parts from the firm on better terms. All of a sudden, Kusumoto and Bando walk in to talk to Yagami in private. Bando congratulates Yagami for the case with all his smarm. He reminds Yagami that if Kuwana reveals Kawai’s body that it’ll result in yet another Health Ministry scandal. Kuwana had sent a letter to Kusumoto that once Ehara’s trial is over he wishes to speak with Yagami on her phone.
At that moment, the phone rings, and Kuwana is put on speaker. Yagami warns him that calling like this will make him a dead man. So Kuwana has a plan of revealing where Kawai’s body is. He congratulates Kusumoto on Mitsuru’s reawakening. But he doesn’t want the family to suffer for Kawai’s cruelty, even encouraging her betrayal, so if they want his body, they need to trace the call. Bando dispatches Soma while Yagami rushes to Ijincho. But Yagami tells Kusumoto that Bando will have no problem silencing him and Kuwana since they both know too much. Just like Sawa, to which Yagami wonders if the mother will tell her son how his only friend was murdered over something like this. She begs him not to risk his life, but to Yagami, this is how it all works.
Arriving at Yokohama, Tsukumo calls Yagami to tell him that Kawai’s frozen body is all over the internet, with a deadline of where it will be located counting down. But Tsukumo datamined the picture to find it came from a warehouse on the Yokohama Coast that Kuwana’s uncle is the proprietor of. Sugiura, Kaito and Higashi are rushing over to pick up Yagami at this moment. Getting to the van, RK tries to apprehend the four. But the fighting attracts the cops, likely Public Security associated, and a lot of them. Watanabe tries to stop them but he’s overruled. The four look to be arrested, but the Seiryo kids being led by Matsun and Akane come through and distract them with threats of police brutality, against Yagami and Watanabe. When the cops try to chase after them, Tesso and his Liumang distract the cops.
With the people of the city on their side against RK and Public Security, the four make their way to the warehouse as the rain starts to roll in. With all that remains of RK swarming into the place at a total of a hundred men, the four storm in fighting as many as they can. Inside, Yagami gets a call from Kuwana who reveals this was a trap for Soma. Using Kawai’s body as bait, he’s gonna ensure Soma gets arrested and the leverage on Kusumoto will be taken away.
Underground the four go all the way to Soma as he and his men finally find Kawai’s body, preserved in a freezer. But Kuwana tries to crush the murderer by dropping a crate on his hand. Soma brandishes a gun and tries to shoot at all of them, almost killing Higashi. Sugiura kicks the gun away only for Soma to pull out a knife. Now the five of them fight against the last of RK till all that’s standing is Soma. That fight drags all the way to a walk-in freezer where Soma hides in the frosty fog. In a bit of irony, Yagami beats Soma with the same kick he himself got to the head that disoriented him. Yagami finishes him off with a headlock, promising that Bando won’t protect him when he wakes up in a jail cell. “To hell with necessary evil,” Yagami says.
With all of the thugs beaten up, RK is finished. As the four of them look at Kawai’s body, Kuwana warns them to not get too close. His phone is linked to a bomb under the slab which will go off if he wants it to. Higashi complains about how hard it is to keep track of what side he’s on, with Kuwana explaining he’s gonna destroy the body to free Kusumoto. Yagami refuses to leave, believing all he’s doing is ensuring she’s never free of her sins, not to mention it’ll risk Sawa never getting justice, ensuing the final battle. But Kaito has a thought that worries everyone before they leave the two men to fight.
Masaharu Kaito: The way I see this, Tak, you and Kuwana both have your reasons. Something to consider, but between the two of you, is there really a right answer?
Frustrated that he’s come so far and told he’ll have to quit, still with Yagami believing in him, Kuwana throws his phone to the ground as the two charge at each other. Charging at each other with all the rage, sorrow, and bitterness they can muster, they match each other punch by punch. And as this fight proves, the whole time, Yagami was holding ‘’back’’ with Kuwana. Forced to fight dirty, Kuwana still loses anyway. Now barely able to throw punches, Kuwana refuses to stop fighting.
Kuwana laments how truth can crush people. But Yagami counters that the truth being hidden is what caused Sawa’s death. Yagami tells him that when you take justice in your own hands, everything you do feels justified, it’s why it’s so easy to look past the damage caused. Who decides what’s right and wrong is not for the two of them to decide. Law’s aren’t fair, all that matters is truth, and Kuwana took Sawa’s truth. But Kuwana can give it back to her. Thinking of Sawa causes Kuwana to fall to his knees and break down in tears. All of a sudden the elevator opens to reveal Kusumoto.
Kuwana begs for forgiveness, only for her to tell him to lift his head up. Taking his hands she tells him she’s turning herself in for Sawa. She apologizes for making Kuwana think he had to do this, and forgives him for his mistakes as Kitakata. Kuwana breaks down even further. Later as the police arrive, Kusumoto calls Mitsuru to admit to him she’s being arrested for what she did to Kawai, begging forgiveness for being a monster. But Mitsuru shows he still loves his mother and will be there for her like she was for him, especially now that he’s walking again. The last we see of Kusumoto is her breaking down in tears while Watanabe and Sakurai watch.
The next day, Takano and Mafuyu meet with Bando in his office. They surprise him that Soma and most of RK have been arrested for Sawa’s murder. He’s Public Security’s inside-man working for Bando, making him complicit in Sawa’s murder. Bando denies what he can, until Mafuyu points out the murder video of Yoko Sawa was tampered with by Public Security so he could manipulate Reiko Kusumoto, who is being processed with Mitsuru’s bullies for Kawai’s death. Bando laughs that they’ll burn the country by going after the higher authorities of the country. Takano counters that they’ve already got Bando’s enemies testifying against him for his upcoming trial thanks to the murder footage finally being recovered. Now going to jail no matter what, Bando fumes that everything he did was for Japan and he’ll see them in court. Takano tells him he’s looking forward to the challenge since Yagami brought this to the light.
The Genda Law Office learns the news as all the conspirators are being arrested, except Kuwana. He’s disappeared to unknown places. Hoshino worries he’s still hunting bullies, but Saori assures him that Yagami thinks he’s done.
At the Yagami Detective Agency, Yokohama 99 drops by to bring some snacks they got at the nearby convenience store. Yagami also has Higashi come in with sushi to go along with the celebration. While everyone prepares to eat, Yagami is left thinking of his last talk with Kuwana.
Kuwana tells them he’ll leave Kawai with them, but he plans on going back to the shadows. Higashi objects only for Yagami to remind him that if he's arrested, Public Security will kill him and pin the blame for Sawa’s murder on him, starting this all over again. Kuwana once more calls Justice hollow and how he has to keep going for more kids like Mitsuru. But Yagami tells him that he is right, the law is hollow. The system does fail, but laws evolve, the people make it better, and it takes time and the work is never done. So that’s why Yagami will be there for the people it fails, but he won’t do it at all like Kuwana.
As Kuwana lumbers away, it’s revealed on a radio that he anonymously revealed to the cops where he left his other 5 victims, finally letting go of his pain. Meanwhile, bullying is continuing at Seiryo, but Koda and her new friends have learned from Yagami how to fight it. The end credits are of the five friends enjoying lunch till a cat stumbles into the office.
‘’’The End’’’
The Kaito Files
Prologue
At Cafe Alps, Hoshino is meeting at night with a sketchy detective from the Bato Detective Agency, Shiro Senda, who mocks the lawyer for wearing sunglasses at night. Senda tells Hoshino that he was hired by his future fiance Saori to do a background check to make sure her boyfriend was honest. And Senda found Hoshino leaving a love hotel with another woman. Only reason Senda isn’t showing this to Saori is so Hoshino will pay him a hush money of four million yen.
At this moment one of the cafe customers walks up to them. He’s wearing a sweater, cap, and glasses, but Senda recognizes Masaharu Kaito, ex-Matsugane Family Tojo Clan Yakuza. He reveals he’s a detective now, and he and Hoshino have been working together to uncover the Bato Detective’s money scam, being former Tojo Clan Yakuza helps them out after all. Hoshino wonders about his acting. Kaito explains that a former client of Senda’s requested they get her her money back, adding the woman in the photo is Saori in a wig to end the extortion racket. When Hoshino shows the recorder he brought, Senda grabs it and tries to make a run for it. Kaito chases him through Kamurocho, and when he’s caught, Kaito forces Senda to take him to his boss.
Kicking Senda through the office of the Bato Detective Agency, Kaito notes it looks more like a Yakuza den than a detective agency. The chief consultant, Masao Igarashi, recognizes Kaito as having been Matsugane, to which Kaito recognizes the agency as the former Bato Family, the self-styled Tojo Clan R&D. Digging up dirt on a target and their associates is their specialty just to twist arms. Going from cops to civilians makes Kaito think they make honest detectives look bad, but digresses to get the million yen these ex-Yakuza took from his client. With his audio file ready for the cops if they don’t go through, the Bato Detectives start fighting Kaito. Beating up all the thugs, Kaito gets a million and a half yen from them, inflated due to the fight annoying him. All Igarashi can do is promise revenge.
Meeting at the Yagami’s apartment with Kaito and Hoshino, their client thanks them for getting her her money back. Kaito notes how her husband wasn’t even cheating, and she was just a victim of a scam by ex-Yakuza who turned into con artist detectives. Hoshino adds that’s been getting worse since the Tojo Clan dissolved with a number of those ex-Yakuza working under legitimate names that already have a business, ignoring the mandate that they can’t open a business for another five years. When she leaves more trusting of her husband, Kaito wonders how things are between Hoshino and Saori. They’ve been dating for three years and Kaito’s still waiting on the wedding. Hoshino admits he does want to get married but he’s worried Saori won’t be receptive to his proposal. Kaito tells him doubting doesn’t do any good, show her he means business and all. Pumped up, Hoshino heads back to the office, leaving Kaito alone.
Now Kaito’s left with his ennui. After a text from Yagami that the out of town investigation he’s doing for Genda is doing is going to take longer due to a divorcing husband taking his son into the mountains he’ll be gone a little longer. With Higashi working on opening up a second arcade (Though Higashi warned that some kid at the arcade keeps looking for him), Sugiura is investigating an affair, Tsukumo is streaming an anime movie, and Hoshino still working, all Kaito can do is head over to Tender.
On the way to the bar, Kaito spots a crowd being blocked off by police from entering a building. A murder has happened, with people worrying the Yakuza are returning. As Kaito keeps walking, a person in a raincoat watches the crowd. At Tender, Kaito catches up with Masuda and Mari, who lightly teases the leading man has left the sidekick alone. After a few drinks, Kaito asks if they know what happened across the street. Masuda admits that all he knows is that some young executive was murdered. The latest in a number of young executives being mysteriously murdered all over Tokyo. Masuda changes the subject by thanking him for helping out his customer with the Bato Detectives. Bragging about how he got Hoshino all ready to propose, Mari warns Kaito that if he rushes too much he could blow it. Now on the subject of romance, Mari wonders about Kaito’s love life. Masuda notes that most of his romances usually end with rejection, but he does remember this one woman he almost got engaged with about 15 years ago. Still heartbroken, Kaito begs him to not continue talking about her. Out of curiosity, Kaito wonders if there’s any more gigs. Masuda does tell him that a businessman was asking about him specifically to look for a missing person for two million yen. That’s for expenses, upon completion he’ll pay Kaito twenty million yen. Mari warns that to impress the client he should dress for success.
The next day, Kaito’s wearing a suit and tie while Higashi has on an apron while he brews tea for the client. Entering the office is a youthful man also in a suit and tie named Kyoya Sadamoto, CEO of Image Interactive. To start, Kaito asks who it is he’s been hired to look for exactly. Sadamoto needs to find his wife, who he believes is deceased. Confused, Kaito asks for an explanation. Sadamoto tells him how his wife went missing two years ago before being eventually found after committing suicide. She left home leaving only a suicide note and after Sadamoto went to the police she was declared a missing person. Six months later a body was found in the mountains of Chiba, possibly the missing wife. There is a waterfall near where she was found that is a popular spot where suicidal people go to kill themselves. Her body was extremely decomposed but police were able to identify her by a picture she had of herself and their son. Kaito inquires further, learning that there was a DNA test done that came back positive. So why does he think his wife is still alive? About a month ago, one of her old friends spotted a woman she swore was the late wife with a mysterious man. They fled when the friend called out her name. After this Sadamoto did his own research, learning that DNA testing isn’t always set in stone. Especially with the advanced decomposition there can be a wide variety of results. After hearing this, Kaito next questions about the compensation to make sure Masuda’s information was accurate. Sadamoto assures that there is a 22 million yen ready to be paid and he admits to even being ready to pay another ten million if his wife is alive and well. Higashi snarks that he’s being only paid fifty thousand to pour tea. Now all Kaito needs is a photo to identify the wife, only for Sadamoto to get nervous. He admits he’s gone to other detectives that only turned up to be dead ends. But when he heard Kaito was a Kamurocho detective, he knew he’d find her. Kaito knows her after all.
He shows the two ex-Yakuza a picture of his wife with their son. “Mikoko,” Kaito blurts out. Sadamoto admits that Mikiko Natsume is his wife’s maiden name and he already knows she and Kaito were engaged and living together fifteen years ago. Kaito remembers the last time he saw her was in 2007, when a rival clan had taken shots at the Matsugane Patriarch, and he refused to let this slide. All Mikiko wanted was for him to stay with her where it’s safe, but he ignored her begging to avenge his father figure. She left after realizing he was never going to leave the Yakuza of his own free will and might end up getting killed sooner or later. Now understanding that Sadamoto came to him since he knew her as well as her own sister, Kaito wants to know more. He admits he heard rumors of her life but he feels like there’s not enough to know everything. Not to mention he finds the thought of her committing suicide to be out of character for her, even being sparse in her own suicide note. Sadamoto notes that she did seem to have anxieties with her job and he was so busy with his own he was hardly ever home. Sadamoto admits that she probably doesn’t want to see him after how poorly he treated her, but notes their fourteen year old son Jun still misses her. He even took off after learning she might still be alive two weeks ago. Kaito is disturbed to hear how this man is letting his wife and son go missing, but Sadamoto admits Jun pulls stunts like this all the time with delinquent friends and he’s always missing the last train and staying at hotels instead of home.
Dejected, Kaito admits he might not be the right guy for the job. Sadamoto accepts this and leaves the office. Higashi stays a little while longer to make sure Kaito really wants to turn down this job but accepts that Kaito can’t bring himself to find Mikiko. As Kaito is preparing to go out for drinks he spots Sadamoto leaving the picture of Mikiko and Jun. Higashi offers to share drinks with him, but since he’s already made the tea he served for free, Kaito tells him to focus on his new business.
Kaito’s left alone in the office in his more casual wear pondering if he should toss the photo away or not. But he decides he’d rather go get drinks at Tender and leaves the apartment.
At this moment one of the cafe customers walks up to them. He’s wearing a sweater, cap, and glasses, but Senda recognizes Masaharu Kaito, ex-Matsugane Family Tojo Clan Yakuza. He reveals he’s a detective now, and he and Hoshino have been working together to uncover the Bato Detective’s money scam, being former Tojo Clan Yakuza helps them out after all. Hoshino wonders about his acting. Kaito explains that a former client of Senda’s requested they get her her money back, adding the woman in the photo is Saori in a wig to end the extortion racket. When Hoshino shows the recorder he brought, Senda grabs it and tries to make a run for it. Kaito chases him through Kamurocho, and when he’s caught, Kaito forces Senda to take him to his boss.
Kicking Senda through the office of the Bato Detective Agency, Kaito notes it looks more like a Yakuza den than a detective agency. The chief consultant, Masao Igarashi, recognizes Kaito as having been Matsugane, to which Kaito recognizes the agency as the former Bato Family, the self-styled Tojo Clan R&D. Digging up dirt on a target and their associates is their specialty just to twist arms. Going from cops to civilians makes Kaito think they make honest detectives look bad, but digresses to get the million yen these ex-Yakuza took from his client. With his audio file ready for the cops if they don’t go through, the Bato Detectives start fighting Kaito. Beating up all the thugs, Kaito gets a million and a half yen from them, inflated due to the fight annoying him. All Igarashi can do is promise revenge.
Meeting at the Yagami’s apartment with Kaito and Hoshino, their client thanks them for getting her her money back. Kaito notes how her husband wasn’t even cheating, and she was just a victim of a scam by ex-Yakuza who turned into con artist detectives. Hoshino adds that’s been getting worse since the Tojo Clan dissolved with a number of those ex-Yakuza working under legitimate names that already have a business, ignoring the mandate that they can’t open a business for another five years. When she leaves more trusting of her husband, Kaito wonders how things are between Hoshino and Saori. They’ve been dating for three years and Kaito’s still waiting on the wedding. Hoshino admits he does want to get married but he’s worried Saori won’t be receptive to his proposal. Kaito tells him doubting doesn’t do any good, show her he means business and all. Pumped up, Hoshino heads back to the office, leaving Kaito alone.
Now Kaito’s left with his ennui. After a text from Yagami that the out of town investigation he’s doing for Genda is doing is going to take longer due to a divorcing husband taking his son into the mountains he’ll be gone a little longer. With Higashi working on opening up a second arcade (Though Higashi warned that some kid at the arcade keeps looking for him), Sugiura is investigating an affair, Tsukumo is streaming an anime movie, and Hoshino still working, all Kaito can do is head over to Tender.
On the way to the bar, Kaito spots a crowd being blocked off by police from entering a building. A murder has happened, with people worrying the Yakuza are returning. As Kaito keeps walking, a person in a raincoat watches the crowd. At Tender, Kaito catches up with Masuda and Mari, who lightly teases the leading man has left the sidekick alone. After a few drinks, Kaito asks if they know what happened across the street. Masuda admits that all he knows is that some young executive was murdered. The latest in a number of young executives being mysteriously murdered all over Tokyo. Masuda changes the subject by thanking him for helping out his customer with the Bato Detectives. Bragging about how he got Hoshino all ready to propose, Mari warns Kaito that if he rushes too much he could blow it. Now on the subject of romance, Mari wonders about Kaito’s love life. Masuda notes that most of his romances usually end with rejection, but he does remember this one woman he almost got engaged with about 15 years ago. Still heartbroken, Kaito begs him to not continue talking about her. Out of curiosity, Kaito wonders if there’s any more gigs. Masuda does tell him that a businessman was asking about him specifically to look for a missing person for two million yen. That’s for expenses, upon completion he’ll pay Kaito twenty million yen. Mari warns that to impress the client he should dress for success.
The next day, Kaito’s wearing a suit and tie while Higashi has on an apron while he brews tea for the client. Entering the office is a youthful man also in a suit and tie named Kyoya Sadamoto, CEO of Image Interactive. To start, Kaito asks who it is he’s been hired to look for exactly. Sadamoto needs to find his wife, who he believes is deceased. Confused, Kaito asks for an explanation. Sadamoto tells him how his wife went missing two years ago before being eventually found after committing suicide. She left home leaving only a suicide note and after Sadamoto went to the police she was declared a missing person. Six months later a body was found in the mountains of Chiba, possibly the missing wife. There is a waterfall near where she was found that is a popular spot where suicidal people go to kill themselves. Her body was extremely decomposed but police were able to identify her by a picture she had of herself and their son. Kaito inquires further, learning that there was a DNA test done that came back positive. So why does he think his wife is still alive? About a month ago, one of her old friends spotted a woman she swore was the late wife with a mysterious man. They fled when the friend called out her name. After this Sadamoto did his own research, learning that DNA testing isn’t always set in stone. Especially with the advanced decomposition there can be a wide variety of results. After hearing this, Kaito next questions about the compensation to make sure Masuda’s information was accurate. Sadamoto assures that there is a 22 million yen ready to be paid and he admits to even being ready to pay another ten million if his wife is alive and well. Higashi snarks that he’s being only paid fifty thousand to pour tea. Now all Kaito needs is a photo to identify the wife, only for Sadamoto to get nervous. He admits he’s gone to other detectives that only turned up to be dead ends. But when he heard Kaito was a Kamurocho detective, he knew he’d find her. Kaito knows her after all.
He shows the two ex-Yakuza a picture of his wife with their son. “Mikoko,” Kaito blurts out. Sadamoto admits that Mikiko Natsume is his wife’s maiden name and he already knows she and Kaito were engaged and living together fifteen years ago. Kaito remembers the last time he saw her was in 2007, when a rival clan had taken shots at the Matsugane Patriarch, and he refused to let this slide. All Mikiko wanted was for him to stay with her where it’s safe, but he ignored her begging to avenge his father figure. She left after realizing he was never going to leave the Yakuza of his own free will and might end up getting killed sooner or later. Now understanding that Sadamoto came to him since he knew her as well as her own sister, Kaito wants to know more. He admits he heard rumors of her life but he feels like there’s not enough to know everything. Not to mention he finds the thought of her committing suicide to be out of character for her, even being sparse in her own suicide note. Sadamoto notes that she did seem to have anxieties with her job and he was so busy with his own he was hardly ever home. Sadamoto admits that she probably doesn’t want to see him after how poorly he treated her, but notes their fourteen year old son Jun still misses her. He even took off after learning she might still be alive two weeks ago. Kaito is disturbed to hear how this man is letting his wife and son go missing, but Sadamoto admits Jun pulls stunts like this all the time with delinquent friends and he’s always missing the last train and staying at hotels instead of home.
Dejected, Kaito admits he might not be the right guy for the job. Sadamoto accepts this and leaves the office. Higashi stays a little while longer to make sure Kaito really wants to turn down this job but accepts that Kaito can’t bring himself to find Mikiko. As Kaito is preparing to go out for drinks he spots Sadamoto leaving the picture of Mikiko and Jun. Higashi offers to share drinks with him, but since he’s already made the tea he served for free, Kaito tells him to focus on his new business.
Kaito’s left alone in the office in his more casual wear pondering if he should toss the photo away or not. But he decides he’d rather go get drinks at Tender and leaves the apartment.
Chapter 1: What Goes Around
Right before Kaito gets to Tender his phone rings. Higashi tells him the punk from before has come back. With Higashi busy he needs Kaito to help his employees out. Coaxed by Higashi about how one of them is a college girl with a thing for beards, Kaito agrees.
Getting to Charles Kaito finds a boy with dyed red hair getting into a fight with some thugs. The receptionist tells Kaito that the men were being disgusting until that boy started fighting them. Kaito steps up to help the kid, but when one of the thugs pulls out a knife…He passes out. Kaito fights the two thugs by himself and goes to check on the kid afterwards. Once he comes to, he turns into a total fanboy for Kaito. He’s Jun Sadamoto, Mikiko’s son, and he’s been looking for Kaito to help him look for his mom. Being honest, Kaito tells him what he told his dad. Jun follows as he leaves, and after Kaito says that it’s been so long she’s now a stranger, Jun tells him that his mom would never think of deserting him willingly. Kaito refuses to budge, so Jun comments that he probably doesn’t want to look because she ditched him. He read her diary to know that, and seeing how unnerved Kaito is, he continues by revealing the diary implies that Kaito might be his actual father.
Getting to Charles Kaito finds a boy with dyed red hair getting into a fight with some thugs. The receptionist tells Kaito that the men were being disgusting until that boy started fighting them. Kaito steps up to help the kid, but when one of the thugs pulls out a knife…He passes out. Kaito fights the two thugs by himself and goes to check on the kid afterwards. Once he comes to, he turns into a total fanboy for Kaito. He’s Jun Sadamoto, Mikiko’s son, and he’s been looking for Kaito to help him look for his mom. Being honest, Kaito tells him what he told his dad. Jun follows as he leaves, and after Kaito says that it’s been so long she’s now a stranger, Jun tells him that his mom would never think of deserting him willingly. Kaito refuses to budge, so Jun comments that he probably doesn’t want to look because she ditched him. He read her diary to know that, and seeing how unnerved Kaito is, he continues by revealing the diary implies that Kaito might be his actual father.
Chapter 2: Like Father, Like Son
‘’’16 years ago…’’’
At the height of the Tojo Clan, after the war between the Omi and the Jingweon Mafia, the Matsugane family was going through some bad blood with a rival clan that could’ve broken out into war. So when Kaito in his mid twenties gets a phone call to come to the office, he rushes over. When he gets there, he’s told that some lady has busted in and has one of the yakuza in an arm lock while another girl is sitting on the ground. The woman threatens the Matsugane family to not lay a finger on the girl, her little sister Maho Natsume, a college student. This is how Kaito met Mikiko Natsume, an office worker at the time, and flabbergasted that a normal woman has his friend Hotta crying like a baby. Kaito asks what happened, and he’s told Maho racked up a tab at their Host Club. She couldn’t afford the check so she’d have to work it off at a cabaret club, and her sister suddenly busted through and went ballistic. Since Kaito is running the cabaret clubs next month this is now his problem. Putting his future detective skills to the test, Kaito figures out what really happened: While Maho did rack up a debt at the Host Club, right here and now the Natsume sisters are the victims. Mikiko came to the office intent on paying Maho’s debt herself by working the cabaret instead, bringing her resume to apply and sweets to ease the tension. The only reason things escalated as they did is because Hotta got handsy on Maho, ripping open the buttons on her shirt. Mikiko’s impressed, thinking he should try becoming a detective someday. Kaito likes the idea, but continues hearing Mikiko explain that Maho’s currently in college, and if she were to work as a hostess she’d lose her education. Calling their parents is out of the question for Maho, who doesn’t need that embarrassment in her life. So since Mikiko is willing to work on repaying the three million yen, Kaito accepts.
It didn’t take long for Mikiko to become the most popular hostess, but given she also acts as a bouncer to some of the more rowdy patrons, Kaito has to jump in and save her when she bites off more than she can chew. On the phone with Higashi, Kaito tells him how the sisters lost their birth parents to a car crash at a young age and were adopted by the Natsume family for having nobody else. Returning to the hostess club to find Mikiko starting a fight with a customer who was groping one of her coworkers, Momoka, Kaito joins in when the thug invites some of his friends to fight. After the fight, Mikiko apologizes for escalating things, but Kaito tells her he’s the bodyguard so it’s his job to protect her.
Back in the present, Kaito takes Jun to the Yagami Office. Weirded out that Sadamoto left the photo of himself and his mom, Jun answers some of Kaito’s questions. To start with his mother, Jun admits it always seemed off how she’d just kill herself so abruptly. Kaito brings up the DNA test but Jun thinks she got caught up in something deep. Deep enough to fake a suicide and DNA test. Both agreeing something about work was making her anxious, Kaito learns she ran a cafe by herself. Her people skills made her popular, but her aggression towards disruptive people can make her enemies. Jun does admit she’d get a bad customer from time to time, not to mention the usual businesses that want to buy her out. But he can’t think of any of them having enough of a reason for wanting her dead. Finding this a dead end, Kaito decides he wants to know why Jun thinks he’s his son. Jun explains that his mom wrote in her diary every day but the entry from fifteen years ago after the breakup was pretty vague.
“I don’t know if I should keep it,” and “I’ll never see Masaharu-San again…I should get this taken care of though,” were the sentences that made Jun think about this possibility. Jun notes that not long after the breakup she was pressured by her parents into marrying Sadamoto once they found out about the pregnancy while Kaito stayed with the Matsugane Family. Until he was set up for expulsion and the family and Tojo clan ended up dissolved due to the convoluted conspiracies going on in the late 2010s. Kaito does find that the time does match up but for the sake of the argument he is Jun’s dad, then that means Sadamoto married a woman pregnant with another man’s son. And from the conversation he had with him, Kaito doesn’t see him as that much of a committed man. With nothing else to talk about but what kind of mother Mikiko was, Kaito is glad to hear Jun has nothing but praise for her. But Jun asks if he’ll help him look for her only for Kaito to remind him his father offered a good few million yen, he’s got rent to pay after all. All Jun does is hand him a watch…One of Sadamoto’s twenty million yen watches. In shock, Kaito looks this up to see if it’s authentic, and getting confirmation he’s disturbed that Sadamoto would buy a whole collection of watches at this price per watch. Kaito returns the watch since it was stolen from Sadamoto…But he agrees to go looking for Mikiko.
Their first stop is Cafe Alps, Mikiko’s favorite coffee shop. Getting there, Kaito remembers the last time he was there with Mikiko. The two had gone there with Maho to celebrate her graduating from college and already landing a job at a bank. Maho downplays the latter accomplishment since her parents know the board of directors. Mikiko warns her to be careful since she used to have a stalker. The sisters see their foster parents about to enter the cafe, and Kaito is squeamish. He’s a yakuza dating their daughter, of course they don’t approve of him. Maho assures him that since she played cupid with the both of them she should be able to get them to approve him.
Back in the present, Kaito thinks to himself that that was the last time he saw Maho. After hoping to himself she’s doing fine, he and Jun decide to start asking around. Finding the manager asleep in the back, Kaito wakes him up to answer his questions. Explaining he’s a detective Kaito asks him about Mikiko with a photo for identification. The manager admits he hasn’t seen her recently but he does remember her as a regular who came with Kaito quite a bit. The questions ends once they hear Jun is getting in a fight with a thug for smoking with a baby in the cafe. Jun’s already put the much larger man in an armlock his mom taught him. Kaito fights the two men, the Aragaki brothers, outside. After the fight sends the two scurrying, Kaito warns Jun that while he meant well he’s not gonna beat everyone with an armlock. Asking if his mother taught him, Jun beams that his mom was a badass. But Jun wants to learn more, only for Kaito to shut him down since he’ll just pick more fights.
Resuming his conversation with the manager, who describes how ten days ago a woman came for coffee and sat by the window like Mikiko. He thought she looked similar but he couldn’t put the connection down until Kaito showed the picture of her. She was wearing sunglasses so it might’ve been somebody else. Thinking back to Sadamoto’s story about last month makes Kaito ask about any other details. The manager does remember that when Mikiko herself would come, she’d sometimes bring a friend other than Kaito. He thinks she was from a cabaret club. Realizing the hostess is Momoko, the manager last heard she owned a bar in the Champion District.
On the way, Jun expresses interest in joining the Yakuza, to which Kaito tells him to never think about that. As a Yakuza you don’t have bank accounts or housing that isn’t controlled by an Oyabun, not to mention the cops have cracked down on crime to the point any Yakuza is now bankrupt. Now another group of thugs come at this, this time cuz Jun had fought them for beating up homeless people. When they brandish a knife and a taser…Jun passes out yet again. Waking Jun up makes Kaito ask what is making him have panic attacks all of a sudden.
Jun admits he has a fear of knives (Aichmophobia is the official name). His dad has had a knife collection for quite a long time and Jun was just a kid who just wanted to check them out. Ignoring his fathers warning until one day Sadamoto went up to Jun with one of those knives and sliced at his arm, showing him the danger he was ignoring. It might have only been the bare minimum to draw blood, Kaito is still disgusted the man dipped into being an Abusive Parent. Jun agrees the guy is a subpar parent, always working in the office, but did appreciate his dad did apologize for losing his cool like he did.
Continuing on to the Champion District, they find Momoko smoking outside her bar. Jun recklessly introduces himself as Kaito’s son but Kaito swears it’s more complicated than that. Explaining to her all he understands, she’s surprised there’s a possibility Mikiko is alive. When Kaito asks if she heard from her, Momoko comments she hasn’t seen Mikiko since the incident with Maho.
Having not heard from the Natsume family since the breakup, Kaito has no idea what happened. Momoko breaks the tragic news that 13-14 years ago, the Natsume family home was burned down with Maho and her parents still inside. In one night, Mikiko lost her whole family save for Sadamoto and Jun. What really hit Mikiko was that the arsonist was Maho’s stalker who promptly hung himself. All she had after that was a rage that could never be quenched. Since Jun was a newborn at the time he couldn't answer any of Kaito’s questions since he was kept out of the loop. The two are stumped on where to go next until Momoko points them to Kamuro Theater, the place Kaito asked Mikiko to be his girlfriend.
The building has been renovated and renamed, but the theater was still Mikiko’s favorite spot. Despite his doubts Kaito heads over there with Jun. Asking around they find out about the cleaning lady who has worked at the theater for four years and can recognize regulars. Finding her, they help her find a little girl’s lost cat all the way to the Millennium Tower. Returning the cat to her owner, the pair ask the cleaning lady questions about Mikiko. Kaito explains how she was spotted in town about a month ago and has history with Kamuro Theater. She admits she’s never seen Mikiko…But she does remember a man asking around for her with the exact same picture Kaito has.
This was a year and a half ago and the man was asking if Mikiko was found but this confuses Jun on who else could be looking for his mom. She admits she can’t remember all the fine details but she did keep his business card just in case. Since it’s at home the two will have to wait until she gets home to get it.
Kaito decides they’ll wait at the office but that’ll have to wait. The Bato Detectives are back with Senda leading them. They’re after Jun but are surprised to see Kaito. Even Jun is confused on why they want him, having tried to kidnap him before, figuring they want to ransom him to Sadamoto. Kaito fights them off until Igarashi holds a knife to Jun’s throat. With his back turned, Kaito gets knocked out by Senda with a baton. Remembering where the Bato Detective Agency is makes Kaito rush over there as quickly as possible.
As he expected the whole place is empty, even getting boxed up for moving. Finding a phone number on one of the boxes Kaito calls to find an address to Senryo Avenue.
It’s the KJ Art building which the Kyorei Clan had set up four years prior. Sneaking into the building to eventually find Jun in one of the top floors only to be found by Senda at the last second. Senda brings in Fudo Oshikiri, a towering ex-yakuza patriarch of the Omi Alliance who has been hired by the slimy detectives. After a dragged out fight, Fudo decides to leave. Hearing Jun call Kaito dad reminded him of his own son, Kenya (A Seiryo Student), and how he ruined his relationship with him. He’ll be damned if he does that to another family. Everyone’s flabbergasted as he leaves until Senda pulls a gun on Kaito. Thinking on his feet to save the man, Jun runs out the window while telling Kaito to meet at the batting center. With Senda sending his men to chase after Jun, Kaito is able to escape from KJ Arts.
Losing the Bato Detectives the two meet up at the batting center. Kaito quickly chastises him for being so reckless to risk getting shot. Jun retorts that Kaito didn’t even have a plan which the older man is ashamed to admit, not to mention they wanted Jun alive specifically (Senda even said they’d only shoot Kaito). Frustrated, Kaito decides it’s time to take Jun home so he can find Mikiko alone. When Kaito pulls out Sadamoto’s business card, Jun grabs the card and swallows it. Seeing how committed he is to not going home, Kaito asks him if he thought about his father. Jun tells him he knows his dad doesn’t care and might actually be relieved since it’ll mean more time at work. To prove a point, Jun tells him how he was gone for a whole week and the man didn’t even notice. Plus living with the man long enough makes Jun notice how Sadamoto thinks, even little how his dad looked at him was off. With Mikiko’s diary it makes Jun wonder if his dad hates him for not being his. This information is important to Jun so he can make sense of his life, and the way Mikiko wrote about Kaito it was like he was a local hero. Realizing this is where Jun got the interest in the Yakuza, Kaito begs him to give up on trying to join again.
—>‘’’Jun Sadamoto’’’: You say that, but how else am I gonna get strong? Strong enough to protect the people I care about?
‘’’Masaharu Kaito’’’: You wanna get strong, Jun? Then focus on what’s in here. (Points at his heart)
Jun is confused, but Kaito assures that if he keeps the fire burning it’ll make sense. Jun decides to keep following Kaito till then, who tells him the condition now is that he doesn’t risk ending up in a morgue. Patched up, the pair return to the Yagami office.
At the office, Kaito lies that he forgot the keys. Outside Kaito tells Jun that he could smell something off about the office. Namely there’s fresh cigarettes that aren’t his or Yagami’s favorite brand. Outside Kaito launches the drone and finds that Senda and his thugs are waiting for an ambush. Kaito responds by calling the cops on them. Senda’s chased off by the police with Kaito yelling he owes him for any damages. All of a sudden Kaito’s phone goes off, where he learns the cleaning lady found the business card. The man’s name is Yasutaka Shirakaba, a doctor living in Chiba, who was looking into Mikiko at Kamuro theater. Looking up the phone number leads them to his clinic in Chiba. As they enter a taxi, a man with dyed neon blue hair is spying on them and is told to tail them to Chiba by someone on the phone.
At the height of the Tojo Clan, after the war between the Omi and the Jingweon Mafia, the Matsugane family was going through some bad blood with a rival clan that could’ve broken out into war. So when Kaito in his mid twenties gets a phone call to come to the office, he rushes over. When he gets there, he’s told that some lady has busted in and has one of the yakuza in an arm lock while another girl is sitting on the ground. The woman threatens the Matsugane family to not lay a finger on the girl, her little sister Maho Natsume, a college student. This is how Kaito met Mikiko Natsume, an office worker at the time, and flabbergasted that a normal woman has his friend Hotta crying like a baby. Kaito asks what happened, and he’s told Maho racked up a tab at their Host Club. She couldn’t afford the check so she’d have to work it off at a cabaret club, and her sister suddenly busted through and went ballistic. Since Kaito is running the cabaret clubs next month this is now his problem. Putting his future detective skills to the test, Kaito figures out what really happened: While Maho did rack up a debt at the Host Club, right here and now the Natsume sisters are the victims. Mikiko came to the office intent on paying Maho’s debt herself by working the cabaret instead, bringing her resume to apply and sweets to ease the tension. The only reason things escalated as they did is because Hotta got handsy on Maho, ripping open the buttons on her shirt. Mikiko’s impressed, thinking he should try becoming a detective someday. Kaito likes the idea, but continues hearing Mikiko explain that Maho’s currently in college, and if she were to work as a hostess she’d lose her education. Calling their parents is out of the question for Maho, who doesn’t need that embarrassment in her life. So since Mikiko is willing to work on repaying the three million yen, Kaito accepts.
It didn’t take long for Mikiko to become the most popular hostess, but given she also acts as a bouncer to some of the more rowdy patrons, Kaito has to jump in and save her when she bites off more than she can chew. On the phone with Higashi, Kaito tells him how the sisters lost their birth parents to a car crash at a young age and were adopted by the Natsume family for having nobody else. Returning to the hostess club to find Mikiko starting a fight with a customer who was groping one of her coworkers, Momoka, Kaito joins in when the thug invites some of his friends to fight. After the fight, Mikiko apologizes for escalating things, but Kaito tells her he’s the bodyguard so it’s his job to protect her.
Back in the present, Kaito takes Jun to the Yagami Office. Weirded out that Sadamoto left the photo of himself and his mom, Jun answers some of Kaito’s questions. To start with his mother, Jun admits it always seemed off how she’d just kill herself so abruptly. Kaito brings up the DNA test but Jun thinks she got caught up in something deep. Deep enough to fake a suicide and DNA test. Both agreeing something about work was making her anxious, Kaito learns she ran a cafe by herself. Her people skills made her popular, but her aggression towards disruptive people can make her enemies. Jun does admit she’d get a bad customer from time to time, not to mention the usual businesses that want to buy her out. But he can’t think of any of them having enough of a reason for wanting her dead. Finding this a dead end, Kaito decides he wants to know why Jun thinks he’s his son. Jun explains that his mom wrote in her diary every day but the entry from fifteen years ago after the breakup was pretty vague.
“I don’t know if I should keep it,” and “I’ll never see Masaharu-San again…I should get this taken care of though,” were the sentences that made Jun think about this possibility. Jun notes that not long after the breakup she was pressured by her parents into marrying Sadamoto once they found out about the pregnancy while Kaito stayed with the Matsugane Family. Until he was set up for expulsion and the family and Tojo clan ended up dissolved due to the convoluted conspiracies going on in the late 2010s. Kaito does find that the time does match up but for the sake of the argument he is Jun’s dad, then that means Sadamoto married a woman pregnant with another man’s son. And from the conversation he had with him, Kaito doesn’t see him as that much of a committed man. With nothing else to talk about but what kind of mother Mikiko was, Kaito is glad to hear Jun has nothing but praise for her. But Jun asks if he’ll help him look for her only for Kaito to remind him his father offered a good few million yen, he’s got rent to pay after all. All Jun does is hand him a watch…One of Sadamoto’s twenty million yen watches. In shock, Kaito looks this up to see if it’s authentic, and getting confirmation he’s disturbed that Sadamoto would buy a whole collection of watches at this price per watch. Kaito returns the watch since it was stolen from Sadamoto…But he agrees to go looking for Mikiko.
Their first stop is Cafe Alps, Mikiko’s favorite coffee shop. Getting there, Kaito remembers the last time he was there with Mikiko. The two had gone there with Maho to celebrate her graduating from college and already landing a job at a bank. Maho downplays the latter accomplishment since her parents know the board of directors. Mikiko warns her to be careful since she used to have a stalker. The sisters see their foster parents about to enter the cafe, and Kaito is squeamish. He’s a yakuza dating their daughter, of course they don’t approve of him. Maho assures him that since she played cupid with the both of them she should be able to get them to approve him.
Back in the present, Kaito thinks to himself that that was the last time he saw Maho. After hoping to himself she’s doing fine, he and Jun decide to start asking around. Finding the manager asleep in the back, Kaito wakes him up to answer his questions. Explaining he’s a detective Kaito asks him about Mikiko with a photo for identification. The manager admits he hasn’t seen her recently but he does remember her as a regular who came with Kaito quite a bit. The questions ends once they hear Jun is getting in a fight with a thug for smoking with a baby in the cafe. Jun’s already put the much larger man in an armlock his mom taught him. Kaito fights the two men, the Aragaki brothers, outside. After the fight sends the two scurrying, Kaito warns Jun that while he meant well he’s not gonna beat everyone with an armlock. Asking if his mother taught him, Jun beams that his mom was a badass. But Jun wants to learn more, only for Kaito to shut him down since he’ll just pick more fights.
Resuming his conversation with the manager, who describes how ten days ago a woman came for coffee and sat by the window like Mikiko. He thought she looked similar but he couldn’t put the connection down until Kaito showed the picture of her. She was wearing sunglasses so it might’ve been somebody else. Thinking back to Sadamoto’s story about last month makes Kaito ask about any other details. The manager does remember that when Mikiko herself would come, she’d sometimes bring a friend other than Kaito. He thinks she was from a cabaret club. Realizing the hostess is Momoko, the manager last heard she owned a bar in the Champion District.
On the way, Jun expresses interest in joining the Yakuza, to which Kaito tells him to never think about that. As a Yakuza you don’t have bank accounts or housing that isn’t controlled by an Oyabun, not to mention the cops have cracked down on crime to the point any Yakuza is now bankrupt. Now another group of thugs come at this, this time cuz Jun had fought them for beating up homeless people. When they brandish a knife and a taser…Jun passes out yet again. Waking Jun up makes Kaito ask what is making him have panic attacks all of a sudden.
Jun admits he has a fear of knives (Aichmophobia is the official name). His dad has had a knife collection for quite a long time and Jun was just a kid who just wanted to check them out. Ignoring his fathers warning until one day Sadamoto went up to Jun with one of those knives and sliced at his arm, showing him the danger he was ignoring. It might have only been the bare minimum to draw blood, Kaito is still disgusted the man dipped into being an Abusive Parent. Jun agrees the guy is a subpar parent, always working in the office, but did appreciate his dad did apologize for losing his cool like he did.
Continuing on to the Champion District, they find Momoko smoking outside her bar. Jun recklessly introduces himself as Kaito’s son but Kaito swears it’s more complicated than that. Explaining to her all he understands, she’s surprised there’s a possibility Mikiko is alive. When Kaito asks if she heard from her, Momoko comments she hasn’t seen Mikiko since the incident with Maho.
Having not heard from the Natsume family since the breakup, Kaito has no idea what happened. Momoko breaks the tragic news that 13-14 years ago, the Natsume family home was burned down with Maho and her parents still inside. In one night, Mikiko lost her whole family save for Sadamoto and Jun. What really hit Mikiko was that the arsonist was Maho’s stalker who promptly hung himself. All she had after that was a rage that could never be quenched. Since Jun was a newborn at the time he couldn't answer any of Kaito’s questions since he was kept out of the loop. The two are stumped on where to go next until Momoko points them to Kamuro Theater, the place Kaito asked Mikiko to be his girlfriend.
The building has been renovated and renamed, but the theater was still Mikiko’s favorite spot. Despite his doubts Kaito heads over there with Jun. Asking around they find out about the cleaning lady who has worked at the theater for four years and can recognize regulars. Finding her, they help her find a little girl’s lost cat all the way to the Millennium Tower. Returning the cat to her owner, the pair ask the cleaning lady questions about Mikiko. Kaito explains how she was spotted in town about a month ago and has history with Kamuro Theater. She admits she’s never seen Mikiko…But she does remember a man asking around for her with the exact same picture Kaito has.
This was a year and a half ago and the man was asking if Mikiko was found but this confuses Jun on who else could be looking for his mom. She admits she can’t remember all the fine details but she did keep his business card just in case. Since it’s at home the two will have to wait until she gets home to get it.
Kaito decides they’ll wait at the office but that’ll have to wait. The Bato Detectives are back with Senda leading them. They’re after Jun but are surprised to see Kaito. Even Jun is confused on why they want him, having tried to kidnap him before, figuring they want to ransom him to Sadamoto. Kaito fights them off until Igarashi holds a knife to Jun’s throat. With his back turned, Kaito gets knocked out by Senda with a baton. Remembering where the Bato Detective Agency is makes Kaito rush over there as quickly as possible.
As he expected the whole place is empty, even getting boxed up for moving. Finding a phone number on one of the boxes Kaito calls to find an address to Senryo Avenue.
It’s the KJ Art building which the Kyorei Clan had set up four years prior. Sneaking into the building to eventually find Jun in one of the top floors only to be found by Senda at the last second. Senda brings in Fudo Oshikiri, a towering ex-yakuza patriarch of the Omi Alliance who has been hired by the slimy detectives. After a dragged out fight, Fudo decides to leave. Hearing Jun call Kaito dad reminded him of his own son, Kenya (A Seiryo Student), and how he ruined his relationship with him. He’ll be damned if he does that to another family. Everyone’s flabbergasted as he leaves until Senda pulls a gun on Kaito. Thinking on his feet to save the man, Jun runs out the window while telling Kaito to meet at the batting center. With Senda sending his men to chase after Jun, Kaito is able to escape from KJ Arts.
Losing the Bato Detectives the two meet up at the batting center. Kaito quickly chastises him for being so reckless to risk getting shot. Jun retorts that Kaito didn’t even have a plan which the older man is ashamed to admit, not to mention they wanted Jun alive specifically (Senda even said they’d only shoot Kaito). Frustrated, Kaito decides it’s time to take Jun home so he can find Mikiko alone. When Kaito pulls out Sadamoto’s business card, Jun grabs the card and swallows it. Seeing how committed he is to not going home, Kaito asks him if he thought about his father. Jun tells him he knows his dad doesn’t care and might actually be relieved since it’ll mean more time at work. To prove a point, Jun tells him how he was gone for a whole week and the man didn’t even notice. Plus living with the man long enough makes Jun notice how Sadamoto thinks, even little how his dad looked at him was off. With Mikiko’s diary it makes Jun wonder if his dad hates him for not being his. This information is important to Jun so he can make sense of his life, and the way Mikiko wrote about Kaito it was like he was a local hero. Realizing this is where Jun got the interest in the Yakuza, Kaito begs him to give up on trying to join again.
—>‘’’Jun Sadamoto’’’: You say that, but how else am I gonna get strong? Strong enough to protect the people I care about?
‘’’Masaharu Kaito’’’: You wanna get strong, Jun? Then focus on what’s in here. (Points at his heart)
Jun is confused, but Kaito assures that if he keeps the fire burning it’ll make sense. Jun decides to keep following Kaito till then, who tells him the condition now is that he doesn’t risk ending up in a morgue. Patched up, the pair return to the Yagami office.
At the office, Kaito lies that he forgot the keys. Outside Kaito tells Jun that he could smell something off about the office. Namely there’s fresh cigarettes that aren’t his or Yagami’s favorite brand. Outside Kaito launches the drone and finds that Senda and his thugs are waiting for an ambush. Kaito responds by calling the cops on them. Senda’s chased off by the police with Kaito yelling he owes him for any damages. All of a sudden Kaito’s phone goes off, where he learns the cleaning lady found the business card. The man’s name is Yasutaka Shirakaba, a doctor living in Chiba, who was looking into Mikiko at Kamuro theater. Looking up the phone number leads them to his clinic in Chiba. As they enter a taxi, a man with dyed neon blue hair is spying on them and is told to tail them to Chiba by someone on the phone.
Chapter 3: Out For Blood
All of a sudden, Kaito finds himself waking up in the past to Mikiko making breakfast. Now wanting to tell Mikiko he’d like to skip out, valuing her more than Matsugane, they are interrupted by Jun. Mother and son tell Kaito he’s dreaming and needs to wake up.
Waking up in a taxi, he and Jun are dropped off at Shirakaba’s clinic. The building is a duplex between Shirakaba’s house and his clinic. Ringing the doorbell they are greeted by a mousy, plain man with glasses who introduces himself as Shirakaba. Sitting around his patio table he answers Kaito’s question about his trip to Kamurocho. The doctor tells them he was simply trying to confirm an identity. As the town’s main doctor he works as the coroner and performs autopsy for the local police. So when an unidentified woman was found at a waterfall suicide victims frequent, and due to the decomposition on the body she could only be identified by the photo taken at the Millennium Tower. After they had a possible identification, Shirakaba did the DNA test and found it was Mikiko.
After a moment of shock, Kaito starts thinking. Shirakaba said the photo was at Millennium Tower, so ‘’why’’ would he go to Kamuro Theater and talk to a cleaning lady there about Mikiko? Now wanting an explanation, Shirakaba lets them into his house. He had told them the house was a mess before but it’s actually well kept together. While he makes tea the suspicious Kaito takes a look around. A woman’s purse and jacket, the smell of familiar perfume, but surprisingly of all a picture of Mikiko outside Kamuro Theater. Checking the photo shows a date as January 2022, confirming she’s still alive. Now with more questions than answers, he and Jun share tea with Shirakaba. After he confirms his mother’s survival, Jun is ecstatic. Shirakaba explains that he found Mikiko at the base of the waterfall alive but with dissociative amnesia, only able to remember her name. He only went to Kamuro Theater after seeing her cry Tears of Joy when she saw the theater on the news, leaving Kaito touched. The framed picture was taken when he took her there earlier in the year. As for where she is now, she just suddenly left without telling Shirakaba anything. Kaito decides to step back at the beginning: Why was her death faked? Shirakaba explains it was to protect her. After he found her a Tokyo based gang of twenty something hoodlums with street clothes, piercings, and dyed hair came looking for her. And while Mikiko hid she was trembling the whole time. Shirakaba figured these men pushed Mikiko off the waterfall and was double checking to make sure she was dead, so Shirakaba used his coroner status to fake her death with another body. And the cops weren’t involved due to Mikiko’s insistence. The amnesia may have stopped her from remembering, but on some level she could remember that somebody wants her dead. Now wanting to know why Mikiko left, Kaito is told that she suddenly got her memory back ten days ago, rushing out of the house with a fury in her demeanor and wanting to finish “Unfinished business.” Jun cares more about why his mom hasn’t contacted her family, with Shirakaba thinking she might commit a crime since she’s unpersoned, which would mean she can do anything without hurting them.
But when Jun asks for clarity, Shirakaba becomes squeamish all of a sudden. Specifically, if he knew who Mikiko was he shouldn’t have had trouble contacting her family. So why didn’t he? Kaito adds in his curiosity if he ever even told Mikiko she was a wife and mother. All of a sudden Shirakaba begs for forgiveness for being swayed by Mikiko.
Kaito groans while Jun is creeped out: Shirakaba fell Love at First Sight with Mikiko. So out of a fear of her leaving, Shirakaba hid the picture of her and Jun from Mikiko. Kaito understands he wanted to protect her from the thugs that pushed her, but he still kept who she really was from her and left a father and son to grieve. Shirakaba accepts this and is prepared to be The Atoner by helping Kaito.
All of a sudden a plethora of honking horns get their attention. Stepping outside they see a street gang approaching the house led by the man with blue hair. He asks for Mikiko for the sake of his Shinjuku gang, the Crimson Lotus. Introducing himself as Nishio, Shirakaba recognizes the gang as the ones asking for Mikiko beforehand. Shirakaba tells him she’s dead, but Nishio tells the three not only is Mikiko alive, but she’s killing the senior members of Crimson Lotus. All those murders of young up and coming businessmen are assassinations of the leaders of Crimson Lotus. Nishio orders his men to check inside Shirakaba’s house, starting a fight with the doctor showing he was taught how to fight.
After the Crimson Lotus are defeated a man covered in tattoos dressed in a fur jacket guzzling down a bottle of sake till it’s dripping off his chin approaches. Kaito’s confused by the drunk, but Nishio speaks to him like an underling. He introduces himself as Shusuke Kenmochi, the leader of Crimson Lotus and a Blood Knight through and through. An underground fighting champ, Kenmochi looks at a lamp post and rips it out of the Earth. Using the lamp post as a massive hammer he fights Kaito until he loses the lamp post. Ready to resume the fight until he starts to throw up. Nishio and Crimson Lotus take him away while he’s screaming for more booze.The three men are left confused until Shirakaba offers to drive the two to Kamurocho and help out.
During the awkward drive back to Kamurocho that night, Shirakaba wonders how Kaito knows Mikiko. Both Kaito and Mikiko had the same look when talking about Kamuro theater so he figures it must’ve been a romance that ended in heartbreak. Kaito admits he once thought he’d be with Mikiko forever, but his Yakuza life seemed just as important at the time. Shirakaba decides to ask if Kaito still loves her, ignoring the husband, to which Kaito admits that it doesn’t feel so simple to answer. Bonding with him, Shirakaba tells him he knows Mikiko might never return his love, but still he’s decided that if he gets the chance he’ll propose to her. Honest that it’s so he can at least let her know how he feels, Shirakaba is wished by Kaito good luck.
Returning to Kamurocho the trio spots an office building on fire and the fire department blocking off the road. Gossip of a gang boss being killed makes the three think of Crimson Lotus and how they accused Mikiko of murder. Heading to Tenkaichi Street they find the burning building and Jun spots Mikiko on the roof, so Kaito sneaks past the cops and Crimson Lotus to get up there. He finds Mikiko with longer hair in a fur lined coat pointing a gun at a businessman with another having a bullet in his head already. Kaito starts the reunion by punching a Crimson Lotus thug calling for backup.
“Masaharu-San,” Mikiko blurts out in surprise and confusion. All Kaito can do is look at the dead body and ask why? She reveals to him that the death of her family was their fault. Crimson Lotus murdered her parents and Maho by burning them alive and pinned it all on Maho’s former stalker. But more Crimson Lotus storm in and prepare to kill Mikiko. But Kaito grabs her and jumps off the roof of the five story building, landing on his back to the roof of a car to save her. Mikiko crawls away still intent on her revenge as medics take Kaito to the hospital.
Waking up in a hospital bed, Kaito asks Jun what had happened. Shirakaba tells him that the businessman Ashizaki who owned the office was shot dead on the roof while Nishimura, the one Mikiko was threatening, was found dead in an alleyway earlier in the morning. Miraculously without any broken bones, Kaito decides to leave the hospital to keep investigating. Before leaving, Shirakaba reveals he did some investigating on the murders. On the surface they’re ordinary businessmen, but he did manage to find they all were rumored to have criminal connections to the point some changed their names. Kaito’s not surprised since the Crimson Lotus acts more like a college club than Yakuza. Shirakaba adds that the most disturbing detail is that each victim was an underground fighting veteran yet were successfully subdued and interrogated before being murdered. Jun notes his mom didn’t let up on her exercises even when Sadamoto married her. Deciding to investigate last night’s crime scene, the three prepare to leave. With Shirakaba serving as alibi, Kaito and Jun make it to the lobby…
…Where Sadamoto spots them. He’s in contact with the police and one of those contacts told him Jun was at the hospital. Jun runs off saying his father doesn’t care, leaving Kaito and Sadamoto to talk. Telling him everything, Sadamoto is relieved to hear Mikiko’s alive. Sadamoto tells the detective that the Natsume family was under pressure from a broker to sell their property. And he condones her vengeance, finding it justified. Kaito decides to broach the subject of answering whether or not he’s Jun’s father. Sadamoto admits he knew about Jun’s obsession, but tells him it’s nothing more than a wannabe Changeling Fantasy of his. Can’t blame him for having such a deadbeat father and preferring a Yakuza with a heart of gold is Sadamoto’s thought. Sadamoto gets a call and quickly prioritizes his phone but promises to pay expenses. Leaving an ignored Kaito alone till Jun returns.
Returning to the office building, Kaito sneaks up to one of the burnt out rooms. Inside he finds a burned up hard drive in a still working computer and a tablet in one of the desk drawers. Finding the password in a jacket found on a hanger, he unlocks the tablet to see a picture of Kenmochi with some other men at a club with the file titled “Rhizome Group Homies 02.”
Finding a familiarity, Kaito pulls up the picture Shirakaba made for the victims and finds each man is on it. Now wondering what this “Rhizome” is and how it’s connected to Crimson Lotus, Kaito figures it was a college club and Kenmochi changed it into Crimson Lotus. Since the senior members of the gang are being killed, then Kenmochi must be the next target.
Outside Kaito finds Jun winning at gambling against a cop. Getting him away, Kaito calls Tsukumo and sends him the hard drive after explaining the case. Now the pair prepare to stake out Kenmochi. Switching from disguise to disguise, even fighting a few thugs, and Kaito learning Jun has a pack of cigarettes to his objection. They follow Kenmochi all the way to a love hotel, and spots Mikiko going up the elevator after with another man. But it turns out to be a trap since several Crimson Lotus members knock the guy out and grab Mikiko. Kaito rushes for the elevator and tells Jun to wait at the office.
Getting inside, Kaito finds the other guy…And it’s Senda? He tells Kaito he was hired to bodyguard Mikiko, meaning the Bato Detectives were hired by Mikiko. With the whole hotel crawling with Crimson Lotus, Kaito fights through all of them. Getting to the penthouse suite, he finds Kenmochi in his underwear surrounded by booze bottles with a knocked out Mikiko. With Kenmochi bragging he took advantage of Mikiko, Kaito grabs a marble table and throws it at him. Kenmochi ‘’catches’’ it. With his Blood Knight tendencies in overdrive, Kenmochi fights Kaito in earnest. Kaito shows that he’s a better fighter than the drunk until he all of a sudden starts sobbing.
“I never meant to kill anyone,” he says, “Nobody was supposed to be in the house!”
Turns out Kenmochi did set the house on fire, but somebody told him the Natsume family was on vacation so he didn’t even know until after the fact he became a murderer. He throws up, and when he looks up, he sees the ghosts of the Natsume Family. After throwing up again, Kenmochi admits he lied about taking advantage of Mikiko. He explains that the only thing keeping the ghosts in his head away is booze and fighting, so he is now always thirsty for more so he can’t hurt anymore. Kaito tells him he hopes he’ll hurt till the day he dies, then knocks Kenmochi out. With the Crimson Lotus out of the way, Kaito takes Mikiko to safety.
Waking up in a taxi, he and Jun are dropped off at Shirakaba’s clinic. The building is a duplex between Shirakaba’s house and his clinic. Ringing the doorbell they are greeted by a mousy, plain man with glasses who introduces himself as Shirakaba. Sitting around his patio table he answers Kaito’s question about his trip to Kamurocho. The doctor tells them he was simply trying to confirm an identity. As the town’s main doctor he works as the coroner and performs autopsy for the local police. So when an unidentified woman was found at a waterfall suicide victims frequent, and due to the decomposition on the body she could only be identified by the photo taken at the Millennium Tower. After they had a possible identification, Shirakaba did the DNA test and found it was Mikiko.
After a moment of shock, Kaito starts thinking. Shirakaba said the photo was at Millennium Tower, so ‘’why’’ would he go to Kamuro Theater and talk to a cleaning lady there about Mikiko? Now wanting an explanation, Shirakaba lets them into his house. He had told them the house was a mess before but it’s actually well kept together. While he makes tea the suspicious Kaito takes a look around. A woman’s purse and jacket, the smell of familiar perfume, but surprisingly of all a picture of Mikiko outside Kamuro Theater. Checking the photo shows a date as January 2022, confirming she’s still alive. Now with more questions than answers, he and Jun share tea with Shirakaba. After he confirms his mother’s survival, Jun is ecstatic. Shirakaba explains that he found Mikiko at the base of the waterfall alive but with dissociative amnesia, only able to remember her name. He only went to Kamuro Theater after seeing her cry Tears of Joy when she saw the theater on the news, leaving Kaito touched. The framed picture was taken when he took her there earlier in the year. As for where she is now, she just suddenly left without telling Shirakaba anything. Kaito decides to step back at the beginning: Why was her death faked? Shirakaba explains it was to protect her. After he found her a Tokyo based gang of twenty something hoodlums with street clothes, piercings, and dyed hair came looking for her. And while Mikiko hid she was trembling the whole time. Shirakaba figured these men pushed Mikiko off the waterfall and was double checking to make sure she was dead, so Shirakaba used his coroner status to fake her death with another body. And the cops weren’t involved due to Mikiko’s insistence. The amnesia may have stopped her from remembering, but on some level she could remember that somebody wants her dead. Now wanting to know why Mikiko left, Kaito is told that she suddenly got her memory back ten days ago, rushing out of the house with a fury in her demeanor and wanting to finish “Unfinished business.” Jun cares more about why his mom hasn’t contacted her family, with Shirakaba thinking she might commit a crime since she’s unpersoned, which would mean she can do anything without hurting them.
But when Jun asks for clarity, Shirakaba becomes squeamish all of a sudden. Specifically, if he knew who Mikiko was he shouldn’t have had trouble contacting her family. So why didn’t he? Kaito adds in his curiosity if he ever even told Mikiko she was a wife and mother. All of a sudden Shirakaba begs for forgiveness for being swayed by Mikiko.
Kaito groans while Jun is creeped out: Shirakaba fell Love at First Sight with Mikiko. So out of a fear of her leaving, Shirakaba hid the picture of her and Jun from Mikiko. Kaito understands he wanted to protect her from the thugs that pushed her, but he still kept who she really was from her and left a father and son to grieve. Shirakaba accepts this and is prepared to be The Atoner by helping Kaito.
All of a sudden a plethora of honking horns get their attention. Stepping outside they see a street gang approaching the house led by the man with blue hair. He asks for Mikiko for the sake of his Shinjuku gang, the Crimson Lotus. Introducing himself as Nishio, Shirakaba recognizes the gang as the ones asking for Mikiko beforehand. Shirakaba tells him she’s dead, but Nishio tells the three not only is Mikiko alive, but she’s killing the senior members of Crimson Lotus. All those murders of young up and coming businessmen are assassinations of the leaders of Crimson Lotus. Nishio orders his men to check inside Shirakaba’s house, starting a fight with the doctor showing he was taught how to fight.
After the Crimson Lotus are defeated a man covered in tattoos dressed in a fur jacket guzzling down a bottle of sake till it’s dripping off his chin approaches. Kaito’s confused by the drunk, but Nishio speaks to him like an underling. He introduces himself as Shusuke Kenmochi, the leader of Crimson Lotus and a Blood Knight through and through. An underground fighting champ, Kenmochi looks at a lamp post and rips it out of the Earth. Using the lamp post as a massive hammer he fights Kaito until he loses the lamp post. Ready to resume the fight until he starts to throw up. Nishio and Crimson Lotus take him away while he’s screaming for more booze.The three men are left confused until Shirakaba offers to drive the two to Kamurocho and help out.
During the awkward drive back to Kamurocho that night, Shirakaba wonders how Kaito knows Mikiko. Both Kaito and Mikiko had the same look when talking about Kamuro theater so he figures it must’ve been a romance that ended in heartbreak. Kaito admits he once thought he’d be with Mikiko forever, but his Yakuza life seemed just as important at the time. Shirakaba decides to ask if Kaito still loves her, ignoring the husband, to which Kaito admits that it doesn’t feel so simple to answer. Bonding with him, Shirakaba tells him he knows Mikiko might never return his love, but still he’s decided that if he gets the chance he’ll propose to her. Honest that it’s so he can at least let her know how he feels, Shirakaba is wished by Kaito good luck.
Returning to Kamurocho the trio spots an office building on fire and the fire department blocking off the road. Gossip of a gang boss being killed makes the three think of Crimson Lotus and how they accused Mikiko of murder. Heading to Tenkaichi Street they find the burning building and Jun spots Mikiko on the roof, so Kaito sneaks past the cops and Crimson Lotus to get up there. He finds Mikiko with longer hair in a fur lined coat pointing a gun at a businessman with another having a bullet in his head already. Kaito starts the reunion by punching a Crimson Lotus thug calling for backup.
“Masaharu-San,” Mikiko blurts out in surprise and confusion. All Kaito can do is look at the dead body and ask why? She reveals to him that the death of her family was their fault. Crimson Lotus murdered her parents and Maho by burning them alive and pinned it all on Maho’s former stalker. But more Crimson Lotus storm in and prepare to kill Mikiko. But Kaito grabs her and jumps off the roof of the five story building, landing on his back to the roof of a car to save her. Mikiko crawls away still intent on her revenge as medics take Kaito to the hospital.
Waking up in a hospital bed, Kaito asks Jun what had happened. Shirakaba tells him that the businessman Ashizaki who owned the office was shot dead on the roof while Nishimura, the one Mikiko was threatening, was found dead in an alleyway earlier in the morning. Miraculously without any broken bones, Kaito decides to leave the hospital to keep investigating. Before leaving, Shirakaba reveals he did some investigating on the murders. On the surface they’re ordinary businessmen, but he did manage to find they all were rumored to have criminal connections to the point some changed their names. Kaito’s not surprised since the Crimson Lotus acts more like a college club than Yakuza. Shirakaba adds that the most disturbing detail is that each victim was an underground fighting veteran yet were successfully subdued and interrogated before being murdered. Jun notes his mom didn’t let up on her exercises even when Sadamoto married her. Deciding to investigate last night’s crime scene, the three prepare to leave. With Shirakaba serving as alibi, Kaito and Jun make it to the lobby…
…Where Sadamoto spots them. He’s in contact with the police and one of those contacts told him Jun was at the hospital. Jun runs off saying his father doesn’t care, leaving Kaito and Sadamoto to talk. Telling him everything, Sadamoto is relieved to hear Mikiko’s alive. Sadamoto tells the detective that the Natsume family was under pressure from a broker to sell their property. And he condones her vengeance, finding it justified. Kaito decides to broach the subject of answering whether or not he’s Jun’s father. Sadamoto admits he knew about Jun’s obsession, but tells him it’s nothing more than a wannabe Changeling Fantasy of his. Can’t blame him for having such a deadbeat father and preferring a Yakuza with a heart of gold is Sadamoto’s thought. Sadamoto gets a call and quickly prioritizes his phone but promises to pay expenses. Leaving an ignored Kaito alone till Jun returns.
Returning to the office building, Kaito sneaks up to one of the burnt out rooms. Inside he finds a burned up hard drive in a still working computer and a tablet in one of the desk drawers. Finding the password in a jacket found on a hanger, he unlocks the tablet to see a picture of Kenmochi with some other men at a club with the file titled “Rhizome Group Homies 02.”
Finding a familiarity, Kaito pulls up the picture Shirakaba made for the victims and finds each man is on it. Now wondering what this “Rhizome” is and how it’s connected to Crimson Lotus, Kaito figures it was a college club and Kenmochi changed it into Crimson Lotus. Since the senior members of the gang are being killed, then Kenmochi must be the next target.
Outside Kaito finds Jun winning at gambling against a cop. Getting him away, Kaito calls Tsukumo and sends him the hard drive after explaining the case. Now the pair prepare to stake out Kenmochi. Switching from disguise to disguise, even fighting a few thugs, and Kaito learning Jun has a pack of cigarettes to his objection. They follow Kenmochi all the way to a love hotel, and spots Mikiko going up the elevator after with another man. But it turns out to be a trap since several Crimson Lotus members knock the guy out and grab Mikiko. Kaito rushes for the elevator and tells Jun to wait at the office.
Getting inside, Kaito finds the other guy…And it’s Senda? He tells Kaito he was hired to bodyguard Mikiko, meaning the Bato Detectives were hired by Mikiko. With the whole hotel crawling with Crimson Lotus, Kaito fights through all of them. Getting to the penthouse suite, he finds Kenmochi in his underwear surrounded by booze bottles with a knocked out Mikiko. With Kenmochi bragging he took advantage of Mikiko, Kaito grabs a marble table and throws it at him. Kenmochi ‘’catches’’ it. With his Blood Knight tendencies in overdrive, Kenmochi fights Kaito in earnest. Kaito shows that he’s a better fighter than the drunk until he all of a sudden starts sobbing.
“I never meant to kill anyone,” he says, “Nobody was supposed to be in the house!”
Turns out Kenmochi did set the house on fire, but somebody told him the Natsume family was on vacation so he didn’t even know until after the fact he became a murderer. He throws up, and when he looks up, he sees the ghosts of the Natsume Family. After throwing up again, Kenmochi admits he lied about taking advantage of Mikiko. He explains that the only thing keeping the ghosts in his head away is booze and fighting, so he is now always thirsty for more so he can’t hurt anymore. Kaito tells him he hopes he’ll hurt till the day he dies, then knocks Kenmochi out. With the Crimson Lotus out of the way, Kaito takes Mikiko to safety.
Chapter 4: Cat & Mouse
Igarashi and Senda take Mikiko to their office along with Kaito. At the office, Kaito wants to know why they didn’t say they were working for Mikiko, only for Igarashi to explain they only found out the other day. She only gave the job she wanted done, not her name: Protect Jun Sadamoto. Since she’s trying to get revenge on Crimson Lotus, she wanted to make sure Jun wouldn’t get in trouble and when she was done, they’d leave Japan together. At that moment Mikiko wakes up, surprised that Kaito's there. He reminds her he’ll always be her bodyguard. Sitting together around a coffee table, Kaito starts asking Mikiko if she really killed those Crimson Lotus founders.
She admits she intended to, but every time she picked a target, ‘’somebody else’’ killed them first. Same goes for Ashizaki from last night, with the building on fire as well. With Mikiko’s approval, Kaito starts asking more questions. Mostly to clarify her motive and Shirakaba’s account of her staged suicide. She explains that Kenmochi was a real estate broker who was interested in the Natsume land for profit. Two years ago Crimson Lotus found out and staged the suicide. Mikiko still has no idea how she survived. Out of curiosity, Kaito asks what made her remember, to which Mikiko said she saw her husband Sadamoto on the news…Looking Smug. But Kaito wonders why try to leave Jun with the Bato dopes. Mikiko explains that they are about anonymous confidentiality compared to normal detectives and she was able to pay with the wedding ring Sadamoto gave her.
Eventually, Kaito asks about the diary entry that makes Jun think he’s his father. Hearing the sentence Jun read, his mother realizes she was talking about money she borrowed from Masaharu and never gave back due to breaking up. With Mikiko starting to feel exhausted, the conversation ends with Senda taking her into a back office to rest. Igarashi notes that his subordinate seems to be getting a crush, with Kaito noting she is a Dude Magnet. Kaito also finds the agency quite devoted to her, with the ex-yakuza oyabun admitting he respects fearless women. During a smoke break, Kaito looks up Sadamoto and finds he is popular with the media. Getting a call from Tsukumo, who tells him the hard drive contained scans of some under the table transactions of a security company getting payments over seven years from seventeen years ago coming from a smartphone app company called Devenir, which doesn’t exist anymore and was likely a dummy corporation.
But when Senda makes coffee for Mikiko, he finds the crusading woman has escaped out the window. With Senda stammering, Kaito figures out the other detectives know where she went, but Igarashi initiates a fight with the ex-yakuza to protect Mikiko. Kaito demands answers, but Igarashi asks if ‘’he’’ can really protect Mikiko? He did abandon her once before for the Matsugane family. He tells the ex-yakuza that her anguish and anger is more than he can imagine, and if he’s serious about saving her, he’ll need better resolve. Kaito demands to know how the detective knows, who admits the job was more than just collecting Jun. If he wants to know what made Mikiko become obsessed with revenge, then Kaito will have to be in Ijincho for the grand finale.
Igarashi gives Kaito the time to finish any business he has left in Kamurocho. With Jun still at the office, the two decide to hang out together for a little while, meeting up with Higashi and Hoshino in the process. After hearing from Yagami he finally resolved the mountain hunt he’ll be back in Kamurocho by the morning. Eventually, the pair meet up with Senda, with Kaito ready to go. Jun’s left behind in Kamurocho making Kaito promise to bring his mom back.
On the drive, Kaito asks why Ijincho is so important, to which Igarashi explains that there’s an event at the Grande Blue Marino Hotel that’s hosting the reunion for Rhizome, the founders of Crimson Lotus. Mikiko’s going there for those founders and the only other person she wants dead: The one killing Crimson Lotus before her. Kaito’s confused since the enemy of my enemy is my friend so the saying goes. Igarashi tells him that since he’s under client confidentiality he’ll have to figure things out himself, but if he figures it out confidentiality isn’t broken. The hour-long drive will also help the three pass the time. Now that he’s thinking about it, Kaito is confused about the office fire since the victim was already dead, so why? He tells Igarashi his best bet would be to destroy the evidence on the hard drive. The older man notes the illegal transactions between Rhizome and Devenir, which Mikiko had him look into for a side project alongside protecting Jun. He explains that Devenir is a dummy company, a front for someone to transfer money to Crimson Lotus for illicit activity. Kaito figures this is the one killing Crimson Lotus for the simple reason of hiding his connections. But who? Igarashi gives a hint linked to why she approached anonymously, besides hiding from Crimson Lotus…
—>‘’’Igarashi’’’: As a matter of fact, Mikiko-San never even contacted this person about it. Even though you’d think this would be the first person she’d run to after getting her memories back.
Kaito gasps in shock that only one person fits that description: Kyoya Sadamoto, her own husband! But this makes Kaito worry since if he’s associated with Crimson Lotus, that means he’s connected to the Natsume Family arson. Why would he be paying the people who burned Mikiko’s family? Igarashi reminds him Devenir was sending Crimson Lotus money for seventeen years, well before the arson. Since he knew them years before he’d marry Mikiko, that means Sadamoto is directly behind the arson. Two years ago Mikiko had learned this and Sadamoto had Crimson Lotus try to silence her. Now Kaito has just one question: “Just who the hell is Kyoya Sadamoto really?”
“The fucking devil,” Igarashi tells him, “The type who’d make a Yakuza piss himself.”
He explains it all started with Rhizome, an event club Kenmochi created in college with a few friends. They weren’t too successful until an upperclassman named Kyoya Sadamoto, a business admin major at the time. As an advisor he turned Rhizome into a success, his classmates viewing him as a guru. It was his advice that turned them to more gray areas, becoming Crimson Lotus without ever having to be an actual member since he had his own business to work with. Working with both sides of the law, Sadamoto’s Image Interactive flourished with Crimson Lotus, his cleanup crew. But that growth started to fizzle out (implied due to his excessive spending habits on watches, jewelry, and cars) and Sadamoto risked losing everything. That’s when he learned of the Natsume Family, and how Kenmochi wanted to redevelop property they owned, but what makes Sadamoto a devil is what he did with the information. How he learned all about the family, with two foster daughters, one having a stalker and another dating a Yakuza. He made a plan to fix all his problems at once by ‘’’inheriting’’’ the Natsume fortune of tens of billions of yen.
Kaito calls Sadamoto insane at the realization that he married Mikiko for her money. With the appearance of an honest businessman, the Natsume’s clearly favored him over Kaito for Mikiko to marry. And Sadamoto managed to manipulate Kaito without ever meeting him, simply by pretending to approve of him and Mikiko, giving all kinds of support that if he ever quit he wouldn’t have to worry. He gave Kaito opportunities to leave, and Kaito threw it away for Matsugane, driving Mikiko away to Sadamoto. And Sadamoto went to great lengths to get the marriage approved by her parents, all the way up to a shotgun wedding. Jun was conceived for the purpose of his father making more money. And how did Mikiko find out? Two years ago Sadamoto got blackout drunk, a rarity for him, with his email readable. Mikiko read those emails and realized what she had married, only for Sadamoto to wake up and overpower her thanks to his knife collection. With the use of drugs he was able to get her out long enough for Crimson Lotus to dispose of her.
After hearing all of this, Kaito compliments Igarashi for the Bato Family truly being Tojo R&D. But now Igarashi wants to know how Kaito feels, Sadamoto played him like a fiddle and took everything from the woman he loves. Kaito tells him he made his choice but he can’t wait to get back to Yokohama so he can knock his lights out.
At the hotel, the trio make it but due to needing to be on a list and with Kaito the youngest at 40 they won’t pass as college graduates. Looking around makes Kaito decide to go in disguised as a server. Hearing an ex-thug server went on a smoke break alone, Kaito confronts him. To his surprise it’s Tashiro from the Matsugane Family. Bitter at having his clothes stolen by Yagami four years ago, not to mention going from yakuza to server is a huge letdown, he decides to fight Kaito to decide who strips who. Kaito wins and strips Tashiro. While exploring the party he hears Sadamoto isn’t coming but that someone’s snuck into the party with another woman’s name, with confirmation the woman is Mikiko he chases her to the roof. Kaito and the Bato Detectives fight through Nishio and the Crimson Lotus, protecting the surprise guest Sadamoto. On the roof, Kaito is separated from his new friends, but finds Mikiko in a red dress pointing a gun to a smoking Sadamoto’s back.
The now smarmy Sadamoto tries to guilt Mikiko about what their son will think of his mother murdering his father? The clear hesitation makes Sadamoto mock her compassion, boasting that nice people don’t make money. Himself, however? When he sees a business opportunity he takes it, ignoring “worldly affairs and superficial relationships” he finds worthless. Kaito calls him out for being The Sociopath, cutting down his old pals and burning a family alive that mean nothing to him. Sadamoto is quite ecstatic that Kaito gets it, calling the Natsume arson a brilliant idea. This infuriates Mikiko to train her gun on him again.
Sadamoto remains calm, for good reason: Kenmochi storms in with Jun over his shoulder, having just kidnapped him for his friend. Sadamoto holds Jun in an headlock with a knife to his throat. Sadamoto admits he never did expect to give his son such a phobia, but is glad he “Taught” him this lesson. Kaito voices his disgust at the man being prepared for Offing the Offspring. Sadamoto gives his demands to Mikiko that if she shoots Kaito then Jun’ll go free. Thinking on his feet, Kaito remembers how Kenmochi swore the Natsume house was supposed to be empty, and that Mikiko is a murderer, so how’d he react knowing he was lied to?
Kaito tells him everything from how Sadamoto killed off Crimson Lotus to cut his ties and pin the whole thing on a vengeful woman, how he hired Kaito to find Mikiko so he’d ensure she takes the fall before she reveals the truth, and of course how he bragged about the Natsume Arson. As long as Mikiko and Crimson Lotus exist, Sadamoto would always be at risk of having his crimes exposed to the media he adores so much. Kenmochi begs for his friend to say Kaito’s lying, but Sadamoto admits that the night of the arson, he spoke to Maho on the phone. She and her parents were thanking them for the vintage Bordeaux he bought them for her birthday, and was glad the wine snobs they were didn’t taste the sleeping pills he spiked it with. “What’s a million yen between friends?” he says. While they were asleep being burned by Kenmochi, Sadamoto was at a restaurant with his wife.
As Kenmochi reels from this, Sadamoto checks his watch, complaining about a delay. All of a sudden, Kenmochi coughs up blood and crumbles over. Sadamoto is ecstatic that it’s now working. Nishio and other Crimson Lotus members run in to warn Sadamoto about the party, only for them to die coughing up blood. Kaito demands an explanation, to which Sadamoto shows the two his phone, showing how a number of people in the party below are dying coughing up blood till the dance floor is red and the party goes fleeing in terror. Sadamoto admits he spiked the drinks with poison, slow acting and meant for the members of Crimson Lotus. But Kaito points out that some of them, notably women, weren’t Crimson Lotus members, to which Sadamoto shrugs that they shouldn’t have taken from the table marked for Rhizome. But nevertheless, he celebrates that all his criminal ties are gone and when Mikiko takes the fall, she’ll go down as another vengeance seeking vigilante who roped in the innocent. Sadamoto takes the time to mockingly assure Kenmochi he’ll have a great funeral.
Once more, Sadamoto repeats his ultimatum to Mikiko of shooting Kaito and Jun going free. He explains how he’s not supposed to be there, but he had left hairs and fingerprints belonging to Mikiko in the kitchen where the poison was made, not to mention Kaito’s body on the roof with the half-truth of the Natsume arson being released on the news. He even offers to give her a hundred million yen to flee overseas with Jun. But he knows how guilty Mikiko will feel, so Sadamoto suggests she just shoot herself right after so Jun will have another hundred million, but if she takes too long he will kill Jun. All Mikiko can do is break down while calling Sadamoto a devil.
But Kaito walks up to her, assures everything will be fine, and takes the gun to point at Sadamoto. Kaito tells him there’s a new ending: Dirtbag husband kills an entire family, kills the thugs he hired, and is now holding his wife’s son hostage, but an ex-Yakuza takes up a gun and shoots him dead, going to jail but saving another family. Seeing Kaito’s resolve makes Jun remember what Kaito told him about being strong. And at this moment, Jun is no longer afraid of knives, and puts his father in an armlock, kicking his knife away. Sadamoto breaks free and pulls out another knife. Turns out he brought his beloved collection with him in case he had to fight. Sadamoto admits that he suffers from Evil Cannot Comprehend Good, and the two begin to fight, with Kaito getting his hand nicked. Sadamoto does have an advantage with knives and gas, but Kaito fights through and beats him into the ground.
But before Kaito can celebrate, ‘’he’’ starts coughing up blood. He realizes Sadamoto had laced his knives. With both men down, Mikiko walks up to Sadamoto and puts her heel to his throat, ready to shoot. Now seeing the Dirty Coward look at her in terror, she’s ready to shoot while calling everything a lie. Kaito begs her to stop, telling her that the last time he went looking for revenge was when Matsugane was shot, and it cost him Mikiko, someone he realized was more important. If she shoots Sadamoto, she’ll lose something just as important. Jun breaks down in tears, firmly believing he’s losing his mother again, wondering if he's one of the lies that Sadamoto made to her? Dropping her gun, thinking of Jun’s childhood, Mikiko embraces her son and breaks down.
Suddenly, a pale and bloodied lip Kenmochi stumbles past Kaito, still seeing Maho and the Natsume Family in his vision, before he lunges at Sadamoto, demanding to know why he did these horrible things. He strangles Sadamoto till his face is purple and his neck snaps before finally collapsing dead. But Kaito suddenly passes out.
Kaito wakes up in a hospital bed, watching Jun beat Higashi at poker. Jun tells him he’s been out for three days while Higashi shows him the fruit basket Yagami got him. Mikiko stayed as long as she could, but Shirakaba took her back to his house to rest. Higashi reveals that Sadamoto did die and his crimes have been revealed. Changing out of the hospital wear, Kaito takes Jun to the roof to talk. Kaito starts by telling him about his own dad, a drunk who beat on his family till Kaito ran away, dropped out of school and joined the Tojo Clan. Kaito admits he wished he’d drop dead, and put all the blame for his life on his father, but admits it was a case of Never My Fault. But when he heard his father had died, Kaito was surprised he could only think of better times with his dad. Jun opens up a little as well, about how his dad had bought a new car and asked if there was anywhere he’d like to go, and Jun got his wish of always seeing the ocean. Though in hindsight, it was clear Sadamoto just wanted to drive his new car, but Jun couldn't help but cry. The two who should’ve been father and son hug it out, with Jun declaring that he doesn’t want to be Yakuza, but rather someone who can be there for the people he cares about, like Kaito.
Leaving the hospital, Jun shows Kaito a letter Shirakaba wrote for him when he woke up. The letter details how Shirakaba is still adamant on proposing to Mikiko, and if he feels the same way, then he should come to Chiba and show his resolve. Kaito decides to go to Chiba right away.
The pair meet with Mikiko and Shirakaba, with all four finally able to relax. Though Shirakaba shows the wedding ring he bought for Mikiko and offers to let the mother and son live with him. At this, Kaito speaks up, he admits he’s not ready to give up on Mikiko. So now Shirakaba challenges him to a duel, a fist fight to see who is better. Kaito’s unsure until Shirakaba rips off his shirt, revealing he’s got the physique of a bodybuilder. He’s been training for the last two years since Crimson Lotus showed up, and to honor him, Kaito rips his own shirt off.
In a franchise like this, where the Final Boss is always some irredeemable monster or The Chessmaster, no broken friendships or contests of pride are involved here. It’s just two men fighting to see who can better protect the woman they love. But despite all the injuries he’s accumulated over this bizarre job, Kaito proves himself by headbutting Shirakaba’s fist, injuring him enough for Kaito to win. With the fighting over, the two part as friends, and Kaito approaches Mikiko, admitting his apartment’s pretty dirty and he sometimes can’t afford the rent, but he asks if she’d still like to come home with him?
—>‘’’Mikiko Natsume’’’: Gladly.
She admits she intended to, but every time she picked a target, ‘’somebody else’’ killed them first. Same goes for Ashizaki from last night, with the building on fire as well. With Mikiko’s approval, Kaito starts asking more questions. Mostly to clarify her motive and Shirakaba’s account of her staged suicide. She explains that Kenmochi was a real estate broker who was interested in the Natsume land for profit. Two years ago Crimson Lotus found out and staged the suicide. Mikiko still has no idea how she survived. Out of curiosity, Kaito asks what made her remember, to which Mikiko said she saw her husband Sadamoto on the news…Looking Smug. But Kaito wonders why try to leave Jun with the Bato dopes. Mikiko explains that they are about anonymous confidentiality compared to normal detectives and she was able to pay with the wedding ring Sadamoto gave her.
Eventually, Kaito asks about the diary entry that makes Jun think he’s his father. Hearing the sentence Jun read, his mother realizes she was talking about money she borrowed from Masaharu and never gave back due to breaking up. With Mikiko starting to feel exhausted, the conversation ends with Senda taking her into a back office to rest. Igarashi notes that his subordinate seems to be getting a crush, with Kaito noting she is a Dude Magnet. Kaito also finds the agency quite devoted to her, with the ex-yakuza oyabun admitting he respects fearless women. During a smoke break, Kaito looks up Sadamoto and finds he is popular with the media. Getting a call from Tsukumo, who tells him the hard drive contained scans of some under the table transactions of a security company getting payments over seven years from seventeen years ago coming from a smartphone app company called Devenir, which doesn’t exist anymore and was likely a dummy corporation.
But when Senda makes coffee for Mikiko, he finds the crusading woman has escaped out the window. With Senda stammering, Kaito figures out the other detectives know where she went, but Igarashi initiates a fight with the ex-yakuza to protect Mikiko. Kaito demands answers, but Igarashi asks if ‘’he’’ can really protect Mikiko? He did abandon her once before for the Matsugane family. He tells the ex-yakuza that her anguish and anger is more than he can imagine, and if he’s serious about saving her, he’ll need better resolve. Kaito demands to know how the detective knows, who admits the job was more than just collecting Jun. If he wants to know what made Mikiko become obsessed with revenge, then Kaito will have to be in Ijincho for the grand finale.
Igarashi gives Kaito the time to finish any business he has left in Kamurocho. With Jun still at the office, the two decide to hang out together for a little while, meeting up with Higashi and Hoshino in the process. After hearing from Yagami he finally resolved the mountain hunt he’ll be back in Kamurocho by the morning. Eventually, the pair meet up with Senda, with Kaito ready to go. Jun’s left behind in Kamurocho making Kaito promise to bring his mom back.
On the drive, Kaito asks why Ijincho is so important, to which Igarashi explains that there’s an event at the Grande Blue Marino Hotel that’s hosting the reunion for Rhizome, the founders of Crimson Lotus. Mikiko’s going there for those founders and the only other person she wants dead: The one killing Crimson Lotus before her. Kaito’s confused since the enemy of my enemy is my friend so the saying goes. Igarashi tells him that since he’s under client confidentiality he’ll have to figure things out himself, but if he figures it out confidentiality isn’t broken. The hour-long drive will also help the three pass the time. Now that he’s thinking about it, Kaito is confused about the office fire since the victim was already dead, so why? He tells Igarashi his best bet would be to destroy the evidence on the hard drive. The older man notes the illegal transactions between Rhizome and Devenir, which Mikiko had him look into for a side project alongside protecting Jun. He explains that Devenir is a dummy company, a front for someone to transfer money to Crimson Lotus for illicit activity. Kaito figures this is the one killing Crimson Lotus for the simple reason of hiding his connections. But who? Igarashi gives a hint linked to why she approached anonymously, besides hiding from Crimson Lotus…
—>‘’’Igarashi’’’: As a matter of fact, Mikiko-San never even contacted this person about it. Even though you’d think this would be the first person she’d run to after getting her memories back.
Kaito gasps in shock that only one person fits that description: Kyoya Sadamoto, her own husband! But this makes Kaito worry since if he’s associated with Crimson Lotus, that means he’s connected to the Natsume Family arson. Why would he be paying the people who burned Mikiko’s family? Igarashi reminds him Devenir was sending Crimson Lotus money for seventeen years, well before the arson. Since he knew them years before he’d marry Mikiko, that means Sadamoto is directly behind the arson. Two years ago Mikiko had learned this and Sadamoto had Crimson Lotus try to silence her. Now Kaito has just one question: “Just who the hell is Kyoya Sadamoto really?”
“The fucking devil,” Igarashi tells him, “The type who’d make a Yakuza piss himself.”
He explains it all started with Rhizome, an event club Kenmochi created in college with a few friends. They weren’t too successful until an upperclassman named Kyoya Sadamoto, a business admin major at the time. As an advisor he turned Rhizome into a success, his classmates viewing him as a guru. It was his advice that turned them to more gray areas, becoming Crimson Lotus without ever having to be an actual member since he had his own business to work with. Working with both sides of the law, Sadamoto’s Image Interactive flourished with Crimson Lotus, his cleanup crew. But that growth started to fizzle out (implied due to his excessive spending habits on watches, jewelry, and cars) and Sadamoto risked losing everything. That’s when he learned of the Natsume Family, and how Kenmochi wanted to redevelop property they owned, but what makes Sadamoto a devil is what he did with the information. How he learned all about the family, with two foster daughters, one having a stalker and another dating a Yakuza. He made a plan to fix all his problems at once by ‘’’inheriting’’’ the Natsume fortune of tens of billions of yen.
Kaito calls Sadamoto insane at the realization that he married Mikiko for her money. With the appearance of an honest businessman, the Natsume’s clearly favored him over Kaito for Mikiko to marry. And Sadamoto managed to manipulate Kaito without ever meeting him, simply by pretending to approve of him and Mikiko, giving all kinds of support that if he ever quit he wouldn’t have to worry. He gave Kaito opportunities to leave, and Kaito threw it away for Matsugane, driving Mikiko away to Sadamoto. And Sadamoto went to great lengths to get the marriage approved by her parents, all the way up to a shotgun wedding. Jun was conceived for the purpose of his father making more money. And how did Mikiko find out? Two years ago Sadamoto got blackout drunk, a rarity for him, with his email readable. Mikiko read those emails and realized what she had married, only for Sadamoto to wake up and overpower her thanks to his knife collection. With the use of drugs he was able to get her out long enough for Crimson Lotus to dispose of her.
After hearing all of this, Kaito compliments Igarashi for the Bato Family truly being Tojo R&D. But now Igarashi wants to know how Kaito feels, Sadamoto played him like a fiddle and took everything from the woman he loves. Kaito tells him he made his choice but he can’t wait to get back to Yokohama so he can knock his lights out.
At the hotel, the trio make it but due to needing to be on a list and with Kaito the youngest at 40 they won’t pass as college graduates. Looking around makes Kaito decide to go in disguised as a server. Hearing an ex-thug server went on a smoke break alone, Kaito confronts him. To his surprise it’s Tashiro from the Matsugane Family. Bitter at having his clothes stolen by Yagami four years ago, not to mention going from yakuza to server is a huge letdown, he decides to fight Kaito to decide who strips who. Kaito wins and strips Tashiro. While exploring the party he hears Sadamoto isn’t coming but that someone’s snuck into the party with another woman’s name, with confirmation the woman is Mikiko he chases her to the roof. Kaito and the Bato Detectives fight through Nishio and the Crimson Lotus, protecting the surprise guest Sadamoto. On the roof, Kaito is separated from his new friends, but finds Mikiko in a red dress pointing a gun to a smoking Sadamoto’s back.
The now smarmy Sadamoto tries to guilt Mikiko about what their son will think of his mother murdering his father? The clear hesitation makes Sadamoto mock her compassion, boasting that nice people don’t make money. Himself, however? When he sees a business opportunity he takes it, ignoring “worldly affairs and superficial relationships” he finds worthless. Kaito calls him out for being The Sociopath, cutting down his old pals and burning a family alive that mean nothing to him. Sadamoto is quite ecstatic that Kaito gets it, calling the Natsume arson a brilliant idea. This infuriates Mikiko to train her gun on him again.
Sadamoto remains calm, for good reason: Kenmochi storms in with Jun over his shoulder, having just kidnapped him for his friend. Sadamoto holds Jun in an headlock with a knife to his throat. Sadamoto admits he never did expect to give his son such a phobia, but is glad he “Taught” him this lesson. Kaito voices his disgust at the man being prepared for Offing the Offspring. Sadamoto gives his demands to Mikiko that if she shoots Kaito then Jun’ll go free. Thinking on his feet, Kaito remembers how Kenmochi swore the Natsume house was supposed to be empty, and that Mikiko is a murderer, so how’d he react knowing he was lied to?
Kaito tells him everything from how Sadamoto killed off Crimson Lotus to cut his ties and pin the whole thing on a vengeful woman, how he hired Kaito to find Mikiko so he’d ensure she takes the fall before she reveals the truth, and of course how he bragged about the Natsume Arson. As long as Mikiko and Crimson Lotus exist, Sadamoto would always be at risk of having his crimes exposed to the media he adores so much. Kenmochi begs for his friend to say Kaito’s lying, but Sadamoto admits that the night of the arson, he spoke to Maho on the phone. She and her parents were thanking them for the vintage Bordeaux he bought them for her birthday, and was glad the wine snobs they were didn’t taste the sleeping pills he spiked it with. “What’s a million yen between friends?” he says. While they were asleep being burned by Kenmochi, Sadamoto was at a restaurant with his wife.
As Kenmochi reels from this, Sadamoto checks his watch, complaining about a delay. All of a sudden, Kenmochi coughs up blood and crumbles over. Sadamoto is ecstatic that it’s now working. Nishio and other Crimson Lotus members run in to warn Sadamoto about the party, only for them to die coughing up blood. Kaito demands an explanation, to which Sadamoto shows the two his phone, showing how a number of people in the party below are dying coughing up blood till the dance floor is red and the party goes fleeing in terror. Sadamoto admits he spiked the drinks with poison, slow acting and meant for the members of Crimson Lotus. But Kaito points out that some of them, notably women, weren’t Crimson Lotus members, to which Sadamoto shrugs that they shouldn’t have taken from the table marked for Rhizome. But nevertheless, he celebrates that all his criminal ties are gone and when Mikiko takes the fall, she’ll go down as another vengeance seeking vigilante who roped in the innocent. Sadamoto takes the time to mockingly assure Kenmochi he’ll have a great funeral.
Once more, Sadamoto repeats his ultimatum to Mikiko of shooting Kaito and Jun going free. He explains how he’s not supposed to be there, but he had left hairs and fingerprints belonging to Mikiko in the kitchen where the poison was made, not to mention Kaito’s body on the roof with the half-truth of the Natsume arson being released on the news. He even offers to give her a hundred million yen to flee overseas with Jun. But he knows how guilty Mikiko will feel, so Sadamoto suggests she just shoot herself right after so Jun will have another hundred million, but if she takes too long he will kill Jun. All Mikiko can do is break down while calling Sadamoto a devil.
But Kaito walks up to her, assures everything will be fine, and takes the gun to point at Sadamoto. Kaito tells him there’s a new ending: Dirtbag husband kills an entire family, kills the thugs he hired, and is now holding his wife’s son hostage, but an ex-Yakuza takes up a gun and shoots him dead, going to jail but saving another family. Seeing Kaito’s resolve makes Jun remember what Kaito told him about being strong. And at this moment, Jun is no longer afraid of knives, and puts his father in an armlock, kicking his knife away. Sadamoto breaks free and pulls out another knife. Turns out he brought his beloved collection with him in case he had to fight. Sadamoto admits that he suffers from Evil Cannot Comprehend Good, and the two begin to fight, with Kaito getting his hand nicked. Sadamoto does have an advantage with knives and gas, but Kaito fights through and beats him into the ground.
But before Kaito can celebrate, ‘’he’’ starts coughing up blood. He realizes Sadamoto had laced his knives. With both men down, Mikiko walks up to Sadamoto and puts her heel to his throat, ready to shoot. Now seeing the Dirty Coward look at her in terror, she’s ready to shoot while calling everything a lie. Kaito begs her to stop, telling her that the last time he went looking for revenge was when Matsugane was shot, and it cost him Mikiko, someone he realized was more important. If she shoots Sadamoto, she’ll lose something just as important. Jun breaks down in tears, firmly believing he’s losing his mother again, wondering if he's one of the lies that Sadamoto made to her? Dropping her gun, thinking of Jun’s childhood, Mikiko embraces her son and breaks down.
Suddenly, a pale and bloodied lip Kenmochi stumbles past Kaito, still seeing Maho and the Natsume Family in his vision, before he lunges at Sadamoto, demanding to know why he did these horrible things. He strangles Sadamoto till his face is purple and his neck snaps before finally collapsing dead. But Kaito suddenly passes out.
Kaito wakes up in a hospital bed, watching Jun beat Higashi at poker. Jun tells him he’s been out for three days while Higashi shows him the fruit basket Yagami got him. Mikiko stayed as long as she could, but Shirakaba took her back to his house to rest. Higashi reveals that Sadamoto did die and his crimes have been revealed. Changing out of the hospital wear, Kaito takes Jun to the roof to talk. Kaito starts by telling him about his own dad, a drunk who beat on his family till Kaito ran away, dropped out of school and joined the Tojo Clan. Kaito admits he wished he’d drop dead, and put all the blame for his life on his father, but admits it was a case of Never My Fault. But when he heard his father had died, Kaito was surprised he could only think of better times with his dad. Jun opens up a little as well, about how his dad had bought a new car and asked if there was anywhere he’d like to go, and Jun got his wish of always seeing the ocean. Though in hindsight, it was clear Sadamoto just wanted to drive his new car, but Jun couldn't help but cry. The two who should’ve been father and son hug it out, with Jun declaring that he doesn’t want to be Yakuza, but rather someone who can be there for the people he cares about, like Kaito.
Leaving the hospital, Jun shows Kaito a letter Shirakaba wrote for him when he woke up. The letter details how Shirakaba is still adamant on proposing to Mikiko, and if he feels the same way, then he should come to Chiba and show his resolve. Kaito decides to go to Chiba right away.
The pair meet with Mikiko and Shirakaba, with all four finally able to relax. Though Shirakaba shows the wedding ring he bought for Mikiko and offers to let the mother and son live with him. At this, Kaito speaks up, he admits he’s not ready to give up on Mikiko. So now Shirakaba challenges him to a duel, a fist fight to see who is better. Kaito’s unsure until Shirakaba rips off his shirt, revealing he’s got the physique of a bodybuilder. He’s been training for the last two years since Crimson Lotus showed up, and to honor him, Kaito rips his own shirt off.
In a franchise like this, where the Final Boss is always some irredeemable monster or The Chessmaster, no broken friendships or contests of pride are involved here. It’s just two men fighting to see who can better protect the woman they love. But despite all the injuries he’s accumulated over this bizarre job, Kaito proves himself by headbutting Shirakaba’s fist, injuring him enough for Kaito to win. With the fighting over, the two part as friends, and Kaito approaches Mikiko, admitting his apartment’s pretty dirty and he sometimes can’t afford the rent, but he asks if she’d still like to come home with him?
—>‘’’Mikiko Natsume’’’: Gladly.
