Episode 2: The professional killer’s memories and mystery of the younger sister
The bomb explosion in front of the Ginza Izutsuya department store left many dead and injured. At the same time, many have been deeply traumatised too. Miyuki, a little girl who witnessed the bomb explosion, is now intently colouring with crayons in a room at a designated treatment centre. Scattered around her are bizarre crayon drawings, drawings and more drawings.
Worried about the little girl’s condition, a counsellor tells the girl’s mother that her daughter is drawing what she saw at the scene of the bomb explosion, “She said that she saw a monster”. He also refers this to the police.
At the police box where Narumiya works, Osugi and Narumiya check the security camera footage taken at the time of the explosion. However, they fail to find the scenes that should have been captured of the place that the little girl was looking at after going through footage from eight security cameras. The incidence rate is too high to believe the cameras were knocked out by the impact of the blast so someone must have deliberately erased them. Narumiya thinks they will have to search for films shot by members of the public.
Kuraki, who has been ordered by Muroi to take two weeks off work, invites Miki out for a meal. When he comments on her appetite, she retorts that she is still reeling from the shock of being tailed and then suddenly asked to lunch. He smoothly says this is the way Public Security does it and that his objective is to have a delicious meal with her. Miki tells Kuraki that the homeless man who picked a quarrel with his wife and her friends was assaulted and threatened by someone. After a while, Kuraki interrupts and starts to recite details of her personal history. She points out that even someone of his rank should not be able to see a Public Security officer’s personal information. But he counters that it is their job to see what cannot be seen.
Miki claims that there is nothing interesting about her background, but Kuraki thinks otherwise. He casually mentions that he did a search on her father who was also a Public Security officer and went missing during a mission when she was in high school. He notes that there is practically no information relating to this case to the point of it being unusual. Miki glares at Kuraki and warns in a hard voice that it is none of his business. But Kuraki refuses to let the topic go. He comments that it is exceptional that she could become a Public Security officer when she should have been diverted elsewhere under ordinary circumstances. Unable to tolerate this provocation any further, an agitated and angry Miki declares that she is leaving. Kurakiin turn accuses her of running away. What he wants is for her to tell him everything she knows about the bomb explosion. Miki readily agrees and says Shingai who has been missing since the bomb explosion is a brutal professional killer. But Kuraki has already heard this … …
After that, Kuraki visits Athena Security and confronts Higashi, the man he suspects of being Shingai’s employer. He asks if Higashi knows of the whereabouts of a missing company employee called Shingai Kazuhiko who was identified in Ishikawa Prefecture but promptly disappeared. Higashi claims not to know who Shingai is. Then Nakagami cuts in to tell Kuraki to leave, but Kuraki changes tact and asks where Akai is. Hearing from Nakagami that Akai has gone on a holiday overseas, Kuraki says he is amused, “Didn’t Akai go to kill Shingai?” Striding right up to Kuraki, Higashi gets in his face to say that he hates Public Security because of its unreasonable investigations. He advises Kuraki to follow procedures and come here again before walking off.
Kuraki resorts to strong-arm tactics in order to corner Higashi. He follows Higashi to his gym and breaks into his car. While Higashi is working out, he plants the gun found in the car’s glove compartment in Higashi’s gym locker and then tips the police off.
Miki, who has just had another run-in with a persistent Osugi, finds Kuraki standing across the street from Minami Azabu Police Precinct watching Higashi. She questions his intentions, but he nonchalantly says that he rushed over after hearing about Higashi’s arrest. Miki does not want her team’s efforts to go to waste if Higashi is arrested for another case. However, Kuraki is more interested to know why Higashi’s house was not searched given the gun in his possession. He guesses that maybe the police came under pressure and Higashi has someone’s backing. Miki points out that he may have tried to stir things up but Higashi is not an easy opponent. Her team is watching Higashi and she asks him not to do whatever he wants. This goes ignored by Kuraki who asks what she would like to eat.
At the restaurant where Kuraki and Miki have adjourned to, Kuraki asks if Miki has seen the security camera footage and noticed anything odd. She tells him that Osugi had mentioned that footage was erased. Kuraki cannot help thinking that Athena Security or someone from Public Security was behind it. But Miki offers the opinion that it may have been a coincidence. A moment later, she concedes that maybe it was Athena Security, which leads Kuraki to ask what they would have erased. She gives a noncommittal answer. Kuraki watches her closely throughout their conversation.
Meanwhile, Shingai, who still has not regained his memory, visits the memorial again. The more he reads the messages left for the victims of the bomb explosion, the more shaken he gets and he wonders to himself if he was really responsible for this. Shingai later shows up at the apartment building where Satomura said he lives and the caretaker immediately recognises him. This information quickly reaches Miki’s ears while she is with Kuraki. She pretends that nothing has happened and excuses herself to go on an assignment.
Nakagami has also been informed of Shingai’s return and the dispatch of a “cleaning crew”. He issues the order not to kill Shingai until the IC chip is recovered. This is overheard by Kuraki who has come to Athena Security to seek confirmation of Shingai’s appearance. Although Nakagami continues to deny knowledge of Shingai, Kuraki’s question about the IC chip makes Nakagami warn him that he has unknowingly stepped across a line which he should not cross. Kuraki is undeterred and responds that he looks forward to what will happen. Nakagami smirks and says he hopes Kuraki will have fun.
Unable to get answers about the IC chip from Nakagami, Kuraki goes after Higashi instead. He demands to know what is inside the IC chip and whether Athena Security was the one that erased the security camera footage. After all, it would be easy for a security company to do that without leaving a trace. Higashi asks what Kuraki has to prove his involvement in the bombing. Kuraki does not believe Higashi will say this once Shingai is in custody and vows to capture Shingai. He asks why Shingai was used to try to kill Kakei and if it was Higashi himself who ordered the bombing. Higashi is curious to know the reason Kuraki is so concerned about this case. What will he do when he learns why his wife had to die. He will not be saved by the answer. As a Public Security officer, he should know that there are also truths that are better left unknown. Kuraki’s insistence to know the real truth makes Higashi laugh cynically and ask if there is any other truth in this world besides those that are fabricated. Convinced that there must be some big conspiracy behind this case, Kuraki asks who Higashi has behind him. Higashi says he is better off not knowing.
As the “cleaning crew” arrives at the apartment building, Shingai is staring at a wall of photos and newspaper clippings on Parasite Net hidden behind a cabinet in his apartment. Hearing the approach of the “cleaning crew” along the corridor, he ducks out of sight and springs a surprise attack on them. They eventually subdue him after a long struggle, but he manages to escape through a window.
Miki, who has been lying in wait for Shingai, spots him running on the rooftop. She reports to her team that Shingai succeeded in escaping the men that got ahead of them, and is about to proceed to verify this when Osugi suddenly dashes out into the path of her car. She is forced to brake hard to avoid hitting him. Osugi runs up to her window, demanding to know who that is and what they are pursuing. Recovering from her shock, Miki quickly drives off.
That night, Miki informs Tsuki that Osugi has realised Shingai’s existence. She explains that she did not notice she was being followed. While this is an unanticipated development, Tsuki decides that it is not a problem since Miki can make use of Osugi. A worried Miki brings up Kuraki and asks if it is all right to leave him alone now that he has become fixated on Higashi. She does not think anything rash should be tried with Higashi. A hint of a smile plays on Tsuki’s lips as he turns and walks away without a word.
The next day, Shingai travels to Higashi Nakano where Satomura had said his sister Hiromi lives. Snatches of his past have started coming back to him through his flashbacks. He sees enough of them to locate her apartment and let himself inside with the house key. But Hiromi does not seem to have been home for some time. There is such a foul odour in the apartment that he has to cover his nose with his arm. In the bedroom, Shingai finds a suspended cage with a dried four-legged creature speared through the middle with an ice pick. As he stares at it curiously, he gets another severe headache and struggles to open the window to let fresh air in.
Some time later, Shingai is awakened from his sleep by the persistent ringing of the doorbell. The caller is Miki. She “guesses” that he is Hiromi’s brother from his “close resemblance” to his sister and introduces herself as the next door neighbour, Kaneko. Playing the part of the concerned neighbour, Miki expresses worry for Hiromi who has not been home recently and mentions the open window. Shingai confides that he is searching for Hiromi and invites Miki to come in because he has questions about her.
Inside the apartment, Shingai asks about the nature of Miki’s relationship with his sister. Miki tells him that they would go to the supermarket together and chichat. When her apartment’s lock was broken one month ago, it was Hiromi who paid the money for her. She tried to return the money the next day, but Hiromi was not in. In fact, she has not come home since that day. Shingai says he does not know where his sister is too. Then he asks what kind of person his sister is. At Miki’s look of confusion, he explains that he is suffering a temporary memory loss due to an accident. Miki clarifies that she and Hiromi are not that well acquainted although she happened to see him with his sister on two occasions.
In the next moment, Shingai turns those words on Miki. If she has seen him twice, she should know what he looks like. She makes the excuse that he always wore a hat. Then they hear the sound of the door of the neighbouring apartment being opened. Before Miki can react, Shingai pounces on her and pins her down. She struggles but stops once she sees the ice pick in his hand. He shakes out the contents of her handbag and sees her police identification. Miki admits that she knows about him and asks if he has truly lost his memory. However, Shingai warns her that he will be the one asking the questions.
Miki’s words confirm what Shingai had already heard from Akai. He also learns that the police have been keeping close tabs on him for sometime and wonders if she has come to arrest him. Miki points out that if that were the case, she would have leapt on him the moment he opened the door. She advises him to seek police protection from the men searching for him because they intend to silence him. Shingai tells her to shut up and starts asking about his sister. Miki tries to persuade him to quickly admit himself into a hospital for treatment. Knowing what this means, Shingai says he will recall what kind of person he is on his own, even if he is the bomber. So Miki’s next words come as a surprise to him. He demands to know why he is being followed if he is not the criminal.
At that moment, the doorbell rings. Someone pounds on the door furiously. As Shingai starts to move towards the door, Miki calls out to him to do as she says and promises to find his sister for him. Her eyes widen and she instinctively inches backwards when he walks over to her with the ice pick raised to strike.
The skewer lands with a sickening thud just as the door bursts open. Kuraki rushes into the apartment only to find it empty and the balcony door wide open
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