Sorry to bring you out so late.
That's fine. We're running out of time.
Have a good night.
Thanks.
- You... Asai-san! - Security!
Police! Please call the police!
- It's him! - Wait!
Ryo-kun!
Ryo-kun! Time to go. What are you doing?
Dad, what's this?
Hmm?
Ow! I overslept again.
- Ah! It's the 14th today! - Yeah.
Ah! I forgot! Yesterday was my birthday!
You're 26 then.
Yep. I was working on some reports and completely forgot.
- Wonder if the boss forgot too. - Huh?
He usually tries to sneak in
a present when he sees people working hard.
I got these reading glasses.
I got Italian sunglasses.
I got an amusement park ticket for my kid.
I got the latest FBI investigations book.
Ah, I didn't get anything.
Ah, how sad!
Ah, boss. Yesterday I...
Yesterday was 12 months since
the murder of a lecturer at Tokyo Science and Tech University.
We've received new information. We're reinvestigating.
While fleeing the scene of the crime, the suspect fell down the stairs and died.
Correct.
The suspect, Hirota Takuma, came in contact with the victim at the bar he worked at.
The victim, Asai Masafumi, a lecturer at Tokyo's University of Technology
and a leader in genetic engineering had worked in the lab of Professor Sonoda.
Leader in genetic engineering?
It seems Hirota
was seen arguing at the bar where he worked with Asai,
just a few days before the murder.
No weapon was found at the scene but
circumstantial evidence and the resulting investigation put him in the picture for the murder.
But Hirota died as well and the case was left unsolved.
The weapon was found in the Tamagawa river yesterday.
A DNA test put the blood on it as the victim's.
So there's a chance Hirota didn't do it?
Why?
How could someone who died at the scene
travel 30 minutes to the river and dispose of the weapon?
Ah...
So, there's an accomplice or a real criminal at least.
It is unclear as to why Asai was visited by Hirota.
So let's use that as a start for the re-investigation.
Tsukamoto and Takamine, talk to those who knew Hirota.
Fukuzawa and Sakuragi,
talk to people at the university. Do a thorough investigation.
- Yes. - Yes.
Boss. Actually, yesterday...
I remember. I asked you to get those reports completely finished up, right?
Yeah, I did but...
Okay. Do a good investigation then.
Yes.
Zettai Reido (Absolute Zero) - Case 10
Hmm, university looks like fun.
First we'll visit Professor Sonoda's laboratory and ask around there.
Okay.
Hey, what department are you in?
Want to come to go-kon*? (*blind-date party)
- Eh? - Give me your number.
A go-kon? Okay!
Hey! What are you doing?
Ah, I'm sorry!
- What are you doing? - I'm sorry.
Ah! You can't just apologize this away!
How are you going to make up for it?
I'm really sorry.
Are you a university student?
No, I don't go to University.
That makes sense.
An uneducated person like you,
you have no idea how important something like this is.
So going to university makes you this arrogant?
- What's that now? - Sir!
I'm very sorry. This is on us.
I don't care about that!
- This place hires idiots? - Hey!
- Stop it Hirota! - And violence right away? Of course.
Just say it again, I'll kill you!
And now assault.
I'll destroy you. I'll make sure this place is closed.
Sir! I'm very sorry!
Seriously, we'll take care of everything.
So it seems Hirota got in trouble and ended up in reform school.
You took guardianship of him after that?
He really wanted to clean up his act
and worked hard as a bartender.
So Hirota couldn't forgive Asai and headed for the lab then?
I think he couldn't handle being called an idiot.
But, I really do hope there's some way to prove he didn't murder him.
What is this Asai-san?
Your paper is a copy of what I wrote.
Research themes blend together, you know.
- It's just a coincidence. - Don't act stupid.
You stole it right from my laptop.
You have evidence?
I'll sue you for libel then!
Well, I don't want to speak ill of the dead but...
Asai-san was a terrible researcher.
And I don't know how but
he always found out people's secrets. It was a terrible thing.
Secrets?
Ah, well, none really that important.
Saegusa-san...
Right after the accident,
you were promoted from Assistant Teacher to Lecturer, then to Associate Professor.
- Yeah. - Excuse me,
what's the difference between Assistant Teacher and Associate Professor?
It denotes your status in the research labs.
Professor, Associate Professor, Lecturer, Assistant Teacher.
So then, when Asai-san died, so did your rival for your research paper.
So then, you think I had something to do with this?
I'm just talking about possibilities.
Ah, Professor Sonoda.
The police have
reopened Asai-sensei's murder case and are here asking about it.
Professor, I'll speak with them.
Okay.
I'll take my leave here too.
Sakuragi, talk to her.
I'm going to follow this guy just a bit.
Huh? Uh, well...
I'm Higuchi.
A year ago I was a researcher,
and lecturer Asai-san my senior.
Though, we didn't have much contact with each other.
And you are now?
I'm an Assistant Teacher and now I work here in this lab.
I see.
And then...
If there's anything you want to know, I'll tell you.
Well... okay, can I ask something then not about the case?
- Not about the case? - It's been bothering me.
What is genetic engineering?
Sakuragi-san, you're not quite like the normal detective.
Ah, sorry. I just wanted to know what you were researching.
I'm not really that smart, so I don't get it all.
You shouldn't speak so poorly of yourself.
We all have unlimited potential.
Ah, yes.
Genes are the blueprint for life.
Genetic engineering, is the modification of these blueprints in some way.
And we may discover something new along the way.
- Something new? - Yeah, for example,
Professor Sonoda and I
have been studying the genetic make-up of immune cells to combat cancer.
With just a little more time we'll have some results.
And when you do?
We may have an actual cure for cancer.
Wow!
It seems tough, but this is all to help people, huh?
Just like a detective.
Huh?
It seems tough, but you do help people out too.
I see.
So, how's the investigation going?
There's a high chance that the murder weapon
was wrapped in this towel and thrown just a little bit upstream.
It's been a year but I'll see if there are any eyewitness reports.
- I'll put in the jurisdiction requests. - Thanks.
Takamine, what do you think of the criminal profile?
It seems strange for Hirota to be involved,
either as the criminal, or as an accomplice.
And of course, why was only the murder weapon hidden?
If only we knew why Hirota visited Asai in the first place
maybe we could find something.
Fukuzawa, how was the university?
I don't know how, but it seems Asai knew secret's about everyone's daily lives.
Secrets?
Somehow he knew that Saegusa had asked Assistant Teacher
Higuchi out to dinner and she'd refused.
Maybe she spread the rumor herself?
Higuchi-san isn't someone who would do that.
Why are you sticking up for her?
What did you find out about Asai?
Probably caused trouble in the laboratory.
A wiretap? Or a secret camera?
Nothing like that in his personal effects. But,
he had a receipt for a large purchase of memory chips.
Maybe he used them to hold data?
Maybe they're still at the lab?
- I think we should look. - Okay.
- Excuse us. - Excuse us.
Professor Sonoda, it's not only the Dean, but other departments who are angry as well.
- We should apologize. - Leave it alone.
We're from Investigations.
We asked to conduct a search of this laboratory commencing at 1 o'clock.
At 1 p.m.?
Ah...
- Please. - Thank you very much.
Thank you.
What's going on?
We have a faculty meeting today,
Professor Sonoda sprung it on me.
It is really irresponsible.
Professor Sonoda has no interest in anything but his research.
- Stop it. - But,
he doesn't even talk to us.
And, he makes other people cover his lectures too.
It's been tough for Higuchi-san.
Everyday she's picking up the slack for him.
Is Professor Sonoda really that terrible?
Our work here has worldwide impact.
Sure, he's hard to get along with but so are all the best researchers it seems.
Speaking of which, is Higuchi-san off today?
Her mother, just passed away.
Huh?
Found it.
What is that?
I believe, it is a wiretap laid by Asai-san.
Huh?
Now that we've located this, I'm sure we'll find a data receiver here somewhere.
Do a complete check.
Okay, got it.
Oh.
I knew there'd be a receiver.
He's got quite a lot here.
The fingerprints on the equipment were a match for Asai.
Forensics is running a few more tests on it.
I see.
So at fixed intervals, he would get the cards and transcribe the data?
I don't get how researchers work.
Excuse me. Someone from Tokyo Science and Tech would like a word.
I heard the police carried out a search of the lab.
I'm here to file a formal complaint.
It seems, Asai-san had bugged the laboratory .
These recorded conversations were found on memory chips.
The laboratory has important experimental data.
- We can't just have anyone going in there. - Higuchi-san...
We got permission yesterday from Professor Sonoda to inspect the lab.
Oh, I see.
I didn't hear about that.
I'm very sorry.
Anything from the wiretap?
Looking into it now.
Of course, there were no eyewitness reports
from the area where the weapon was dumped last year.
Just to make sure, lets check the 'N' system? ('N' system is a surveillance system used on Japanese highways)
Got it. I'll check for any suspicious vehicles around that time. ('N' system is a surveillance system used on Japanese highways)
Ah, thanks. Master,
what about the receiver?
All the recorded sounds were automatically put on the cards.
Every now and then Asai would change out the chips,
looks like he took care of them.
There's one left in there.
Well, moisture and dust shorted that one out.
Wait a second. So there might be data left from the day of the murder.
Fix it. We need to hear the contents.
- But it's impossible... - Impossible? And I figured you could do anything.
Omori-san, what have you been up to?
Figuring out how everyone is connected there.
The head of Science went after Inoue Haruka-chan from the women's university
but there was a rival in Professor Yoshida, who she went out with.
Does this have anything to do with the case? Maybe you're just indulging in self-interest...
How rude, Sakuragi!
Oh? Is there someone called Saegusa involved with this?
Yeah.
Oh, I think I got something! Going for it.
Okay.
Saegusa, haven't you been up to something?
Companies fighting for our work, so you got some kickbacks?
What do you mean?
I'm going to need you to work on my essay drafts from now on.
So you did copy my essay after all.
If you don't want this to get out, then you'll stay quiet.
There were no kickbacks.
In order to stay at the forefront of research,
there are times when we needed some extra money.
So, a worthwhile crime?
That's why you kept writing Asai's work then.
That may be so, but I didn't kill him.
I wonder. You have motive.
If you suspect me...
If we do?
If you know something, say so.
I thought it was strange.
And then right after, I saw you at Chuo Park in Shinjuku.
Please don't tell anyone.
I'll do whatever I can.
For now, get 3 million yen ready.
So he blackmailed Higuchi-san too?
After that, she asked me for advice.
But she asked me not to tell anyone.
Why was she being blackmailed?
She didn't tell me anything.
She probably didn't think I could help.
We need to check out why Asai was blackmailing her.
So then Asai had
secrets on a lot of people and was probably blackmailing them.
I know why Hirota went to visit Asai.
Asai recorded a phone call he had with Hirota a few days before the murder.
So suing you would cause trouble for the place?
What's wrong? You seemed so worked up yesterday.
Tomorrow?
You apologizing here is trouble for me.
Hirota knew he was causing trouble for his boss so...
he went there to apologize.
Then there's the testimony from the guards
who were there on the day of the murder.
No... it's not me.
He went there to apologize and by chance he was mistaken as the murderer.
He saw Asai there lying in blood, he probably just wanted to try and help.
That's terrible.
Got it.
We have a hit on the 'N' system.
There's a record of a car from Tokyo Science and Tech
passing through the area where the weapon was abandoned.
Who was it?
Higuchi.
Higuchi quit.
She quit?
Yes. She handed in her resignation suddenly yesterday.
Higuchi-san.
Excuse me. Fukazawa.
I just heard from Tsukamoto who went to Higuchi's apartment.
Her lease was canceled and the place is empty.
Her phone's disconnected. And her car is gone.
Higuchi is on the run.
The 'N' system has her car taking the Toumei Kawasaki interchange towards Ikeda.
- Should we dispatch police? - Ah, wait a second.
Towards Ikeda?
Could she be?
Higuchi-san.
We'd like to ask you some questions about the murder of Asai Masafumi.
We have a record of your car being in the area
where we believe the murder weapon was abandoned.
What were you doing in the 30 minutes
right after Asai was killed?
Did you kill Asai?
Please tell me about that day in detail.
I thought it would be difficult to dispose of the body.
But I figured, I could do something with the weapon.
I threw it into the river.
On my way back to the university, I was thinking about what to do
with the body in the laboratory.
I hadn't any idea what had happened there.
But, I knew that he didn't do anything.
You were visiting Hirota's grave?
Hirota-san got involved in all this.
I wanted to apologize to him.
So Hirota wasn't involved at all.
He really was making a fresh start.
So your motive for killing him
was because he was blackmailing you for money?
We have evidence that has him saying
it was strange to see you at Chuo Park in Shinjuku.
We'll figure it out.
I was...
having an affair...
with Professor Sonoda.
Huh?
A year ago... his wife checked into a hospital.
We would always meet at a hotel
near Chuo Park in Shinjuku.
Professor Sonoda's wife has passed away now, right?
Are you still going out with him?
No, it was just that time.
But why did Asai, go after you and not
Professor Sonoda?
If he got on Professor Sonoda's bad side,
Asai wouldn't be able to work in the lab again.
So that's why he went after me only.
If I got in trouble,
then I'd be kicked out of the university.
So eventually,
you killed him to put an end it all.
Yes.
So we got the full confession from Assistant Teacher Higuchi?
Yes.
Then, what's with the long face?
Higuchi-san... had big dreams of working in the lab.
But in the end,
to throw away all that had been built up so far
I just can't understand
why she murdered him.
I see.
This is probably not good, empathizing with the criminal.
Rookie, there are lots of different investigation methods.
- Huh? - Takamine and Fukuzawa
like to use profiling data.
Shiraishi-san and Tsukamoto, like to make decisions at the scene of the crime.
How about you?
Me?
Maybe it's a diversion. Or maybe it's pointless.
But if there is something that is bothering you,
you always make sure you follow it to the end, right?
I probably would have stopped the investigation with Hirota.
You like to blur the lines between victim and criminal.
Maybe you should try your own investigation?
My investigation?
Higuchi-san, never went to high school.
So why than at age 23, did you want to go to university all of a sudden?
Sorry to call you all the way out here.
Excuse me for a second, but who are you?
I'm Nozaki.
I'm taking over for Higuchi as an Assistant Teacher in the Genetic Engineering Department.
Higuchi-san said she was involved in an affair with you, Professor Sonoda.
Ah, that Higuchi.
One year ago, she did try to get close to me.
Sorry to say, but that's all it was.
She confessed to killing Asai because
he was blackmailing her about it.
Unfortunate for her.
He always carefully considered relationships and... was quite calculating.
Please wait a second.
She was always by your side supporting you for years.
She was just there as a last resort to carry the burden.
Well, that explains a lot.
Well Takamine, Professor Sonoda doesn't look like he lied.
No signs of nervousness, no signs in body language,
and his language didn't sound weird either.
His language?
When you lie, your pitch and speed changes quite a bit.
So then he was being honest.
Yoko always worked really hard.
I remembered she had a lot of part time jobs back then.
I think her father passed away when she was a 8th grader.
Higuchi-san's father passed away in middle school so she
didn't go to high school.
She took on a lot of part time jobs to support her mother.
And then when she turned 20,
she worked at this cafe as a waitress.
How about this?
Kinda tough.
Welcome.
Thanks for waiting.
Ah, sorry.
You always look like you're studying difficult stuff.
Genetic engineering.
Genetic engineering?
Genes are the blueprint of life.
If you change the blueprints, you may be able to change life.
That's really amazing. So different from what I do.
That's not true.
This cafe is a comfortable place to be.
Do you know why?
No.
It has a good atmosphere, because the people who work here treat people nicely.
You're the only one with something special
to make this place what it is.
Professor...
Her working here has been a big help to me.
But, I think she really does want to study more.
That's not the case.
She always looks jealous of the university students studying here.
No. Well, I can't do it.
Can't? Who decided that?
Everyone has... infinite possibility.
Since then, Professor Sonoda would come by here
and help her study.
After getting her high school equivalence degree she entered university.
And then she wanted to support him so
she went on the route of a researcher.
To Higuchi-san,
meeting Professor Sonoda was a special event then.
Do you remember anything else about her?
Ah, speaking of it...
What? Professor Sonoda spoke that coldly about Higuchi-san?
Takamine thinks he's telling the truth.
That's completely different from what I heard.
What did you get from questioning her?
She's tried to make up for it all this time.
- But something feels weird. - Feels weird?
She will probably get life imprisonment.
But she isn't complaining or anything. It seems too easy.
I don't like it either.
Something is weird about Professor Sonoda.
And this Nozaki who appeared all of a sudden?
The timing is too good.
Sorry, put them here. Michio, thanks.
What's this?
We got transcripts of all the recorded conversations.
Something might be in them.
You too?
Why did Asai not go after Professor Sonoda?
Higuchi said if Asai got on Professor Sonoda's bad side, he wouldn't get into the lab.
But if he wanted money, he should have approached him.
It is strange.
- Sakuragi... - Yes.
What did you get?
Three months before the murder,
Higuchi-san was seen crying alone at Chuo Park in Shinjuku.
I'd like to find out what made her that sad.
Okay. Fukuzawa and Takamine go through the transcriptions.
- Yes. - Tsukamoto, look into
this new guy Nozaki.
Shiraishi-san, support Sakuragi on this.
- Okay. - Okay.
Here's a list of the neighborhood buildings.
Let's check out all the eyewitness reports on Higuchi.
Okay.
Nozaki-san, you were classmates with Higuchi-san, right?
What about it?
It was on Higuchi's recommendation you were offered the position of Assistant Teacher.
I also heard that you have taken over the paper she was writing.
Is that true?
There's no record of Asai blackmailing Professor Sonoda.
Nothing here either.
Just Professor Sonoda missing lectures and messing up people's schedules.
Wait a second.
The same thing happened before.
So then...
on the days when Higuchi wasn't there Professor Sonoda forgot important things.
Yes. When her mother was hospitalized a year ago
and again, when she attended her mother's funeral.
I've figured out what bothered me about Nozaki.
He used to work in Professor Sonoda's laboratory.
He then went to work at a foreign lab but it seems he just came back.
According to Saegusa, it's the least likely place for him to return to.
Least likely place?
He left the lab the first time
because he didn't agree with Professor Sonoda's research objectives.
But, why doesn't Professor Sonoda seem to care about that at all?
I wonder why.
We couldn't get any information from the hotel near Chuo Park in Shinjuku.
But... we got something from another place.
Higuchi-san was keeping just a few more things hidden.
Yes.
We're from the Investigations Department.
Professor Sonoda, we're here about Asai's murder.
Could you let us see your notes on him?
Notes?
Please call a lawyer.
This interrogation has gone on too long.
No, we're still within our legal rights.
This is Professor Sonoda's daily diary.
And the notes he wrote about everyone related to him.
Higuchi-san....
That affair with Professor Sonoda was a lie, wasn't it?
The real reason you were being blackmailed...
It's this.
~ Alzheimer's disease ~
Why me?
I've been working my whole life on my research
and now I'm almost at the end.
Why now?
It'll be okay.
I'll always be next to you, supporting you.
I'm going to forget my research too.
We can keep on going.
I'll do... whatever I can to help.
Higuchi... Thank you.
I need to think about this alone.
What did I do at the university yesterday?
You had a discussion with Professor Yamazaki.
Yamazaki? Who is he?
Professor Yamazaki. From the lab next door.
He's an old friend.
They say you'll get the Nobel Prize.
The country lets you spend whatever you want.
And now you're losing all your memory?
I'll get results next year.
- Just let me get that far. - No.
You will get out of this laboratory.
And I will get all the credit...
for the results.
Did I kill him?
It's okay. You don't have to worry about anything.
I'll take care of it.
Professor, let's go home.
- I don't remember. - It wasn't you.
You didn't kill him.
This is what he wrote
"After my appointments were done, I felt sick suddenly and went right home."
about the day Asai-sensei was killed.
And here...
This is what he wrote about you.
"...detailed...
...strong-willed...
...calculating..."
Our analysis... puts the handwriting, as yours.
You changed Professor Sonoda's memories,
and made it look like you did it.
And then...
you took on all of the sins of the crime.
I met her at a cafe near the university station 15 years ago.
She had a great desire to study.
I taught her the value of wisdom.
For a long time, she's known how to treat others with kindness.
People naturally were attracted to her.
I'm proud to call her my student and
know she is a reliable Assistant Teacher.
Why did you do that?
If I never met him...
I wouldn't be who I am today.
The support he gave me for 15 years was...
immeasurable.
But he knew about his illness.
- And you knew about it too. - All he had was his research.
You take that from him, he's as good as dead!
I did... whatever I could to give him one more minute, one more second.
At least, do whatever I could to see his
research complete.
There was a memory chip
left in the recording equipment.
It was damaged, but we were able to recover the data.
It recorded what happened when the murder was committed.
Huh?
No. You will get out of this laboratory.
And I will get all the credit for the results.
- I refuse! - You're quite stubborn.
You should fall in line like Higuchi.
Higuchi... What did you do to her?
I just took everything she owns.
She said she would do anything for me.
She was even begging.
Maybe... I'll ask for her body next time.
She wouldn't even hesitate...
Professor Sonoda,
even more than his lifelong research...
even more than his illness getting out...
he worried...
about you the most of all.
Professor...
Who was that?
Hmm?
Who was that woman just now?
That is Higuchi Yoko.
She knew how to treat others... with kindness.
I finally understand it now.
Why you put Sakuragi on this team.
Let me hear it then.
Unsolved cases aren't just about how much time
we have left or just getting a closed case.
That's right.
Sakuragi, doesn't come
at things like a detective, she has her own viewpoints.
That pure sense of feeling,
may come up with new ways to close the case.
I don't think it's a quality anyone else has.
However, that puts her emotionally close with others.
She could get hurt easily.
But I think she's slowly, just a little,
getting a bit stronger.
So then, is the team complete?
No. No, I think we still have more to go.
Sakuragi-san,a package came for you.
They don't know when it came in though.
Thanks.
From the boss.
What is this?
A sleeping bag.
"Happy birthday, Go home every now and then. Don't catch a cold when you stay here! - Kurata"
He did remember about it after all.