The Surgical Department has added a nurse who is starting today, so let me introduce you.
Now's a good time.
This is Suzuki Akiko-san.
It's nice to meet you.
"At that time..."
"...I didn't know yet."
"What it was she was thinking..."
"And, what it was..."
"...she had stopped thinking about..."
Ala. Then you and Saburo-sensei were both at that island clinic somehow?
Yes. That's right. We were together.
All the files in this area are related to Committee Infection Countermeasures, aren't they?
Isn't he an incredible Sensei?
Yeah. Very much so.
I loved him, too.
Ala. Then did you come chasing after him?
Actually, that's right.
I'd like to say.
For pete's sake...
You're interesting.
- This is related to equipment management. - Yes.
Eh? You're in love with him too, Suzuki-san?
- I'm in love with him, too! - I thought so.
The way his butt is so tight...
Yes?
- We have a problem, Saburo-sensei. - Yes?
The patient yesterday who was in difficulty that we normally wouldn't have accepted...
...but who we accepted at Sensei's discretion.
Ah... yes.
Due to that unplanned operation, several of the nurses who were set for today's night duty went home...
...and the anesthesiologist has been working straight through without being able to take a nap.
The shifts are in complete disarray.
I'm very sorry.
Please be careful from here on.
Yes. I'm sorry.
Is that a bad habit of yours?
That's just how I did things during my time on the island... I'm sorry.
What I meant was your habit of apologizing to people right away.
Especially when it comes to patients and their families...
...you mustn't apologize so readily.
If they ever started a trial, that would put you at a disadvantage.
I'll be careful.
Hisatsune-kun.
Yes.
"Personnel Change Tasaka Saburo-dono"
"Deputy Director"
Me? The Deputy Director?
Well then...
Saburo-kun. How old are you now?
I'm 35.
I married Yoshie when I was 31...
...and was adopted into the Tasaka family as their son-in-law.
I was made Deputy Director at the same time.
You and I are now the same.
Truth is, because there was a woman I was seeing back then...
...I hesitated.
It was a case though where I couldn't stop things.
It was a trifling stumble.
You have already started going up the staircase.
I understand.
Heiwa Fansubs Presents: "Kumo no Kaidan" "Staircase of Clouds"
Episode 6: "The Abandoned Woman's Revenge?! The Mysterious Document Exposing His True Nature"
I didn't know you would be coming over, Saki-chan.
- She dropped by suddenly. You haven't eaten, right? - Yeah.
- I'll eat. - Yes, yes.
By the way, Akiko-san from that island...
...found a job with our hospital, didn't she?
Yeah...
You were the one who called for her, weren't you?
I wasn't.
You did call for her, didn't you?
I didn't.
Saki.
"Takaoka-kun"
Aki...
Just where are you?
"Tasaka General Hospital"
Deputy Director, good morning.
- Good morning! - Good morning!
Good morning.
- Deputy Director, good morning. - Good morning!
- Good morning.
Good morning!
Good morning.
"Although only my job title had changed..."
"...people had changed their attitude towards me like this."
- Is that how it is... - Good morning.
- Oh... Deputy Director. - Good morning.
The Deputy Director's chair is here.
This hospital may change, won't it?
Eh?
If nothing else, the next Director won't be bound by the old-school-ties system.
Isn't he the most successful man ever from "Kanto Medical University"?
What kind of feel will you bring? The one with a promising future in his hand?
Before you become a man of the clouds, just a single friendship...
- Excuse me. - Yes.
- We would like these by the end of the day. - Understood.
Deputy Director, it's your turn.
Excuse me a moment.
"The door is closing."
What's this about?
They just happened to be recruiting nurses here.
Shouldn't I have?
Well...
"2nd Floor."
- Well then, if you would please. - Yes.
Sorry for not having met you earlier. I'm Nogami of Surgery.
I'm Suzuki.
Um...
Would you have some time tonight?
Eh?
Aikawa... No...
It's about the Deputy Director.
I have heard...
...the Deputy Director and you were together at the Mikotojima Medical Clinic.
That's right.
I had once been engaged to the Director's daughter.
Is that right?
But you know what the results of that were.
I was unceremoniously dumped.
But, I still love her, even now.
That's why I can't overlook this, no matter what.
Overlook what?
Whether he truly loved her when they married...
...or if he just simply wanted the position he's in now.
When Tasaka Akiko-san...
...was admitted to the island clinic...
...I think there certainly was...
...a mutual attraction between them.
As for him, probably...
I think he seriously came to love Akiko-san.
There's no doubt about that.
Is that right.
Feelings of yearning for the one you love...
...and wanting to marry that person...
...those sorts of feelings don't just vanish, do they?
Oh, what's up?
Have you heard about Akiko-san?
What about her?
Truth is...
She's working as...
...a nurse at my hospital.
Aki is? Why would she do that?
- I don't know. - Let's meet up right now.
Eh?
I've left the clinic.
I'm living here now.
And? Why is this? Where's Aki living?
Well, that's...
No matter how often I call her cell phone, she won't pick up...
...and she won't respond to her answering machine, either.
Come to think of it, you said you got an incoming call from her...
Yes.
Let me see that for a bit.
Ah...
"Akiko-san"
Ah...
Hello?
Aki?
Takaoka-kun?
What is this...
How...
What is this?!
All right. I'll switch over to him right now.
Hello, Aki?
Just how long to you intend to go on like this?
It's said there's a search system for doctors nowadays...
...where you can simply enter a name into a website...
...and find out right away if a doctor has been registered.
I know that.
You could be found out after just one try at that site.
I was quickly appointed to Deputy Director.
Deputy Director?
Normally there wouldn't be any suspicion...
...that the Deputy Director of a major hospital...
...would be an unlicensed doctor, now would there?
Excuse me.
You're okay with being found out?
Deputy Director!
Are you going to the regular meeting?
It's my first time, so I'm nervous.
I think the topic of discussion will probably be your admitting that emergency case.
Ah...
Because the Deputy Director accepted that emergency case in spite of objections...
...you'll have our support.
- And my support. - Mine, too.
You could say somehow that I was surprised and impressed!
Though I think this place could become more difficult for us as a result...
...we will follow you to our utmost.
Yeah. Thanks. So long.
Ah, um...
We happened to hear from Suzuki Akiko-san that you and her were together on that island...
...and she said that over there, um...
"...even if you violate the medical practitioner's law, you won't necessarily be prosecuted..."
And that even the nurses would give anesthesia injections.
I took Yamadamiyo-san to CT just a little while ago.
Yes.
Suzuki-san...
...also told us, "they had an unlicensed doctor there as well."
And that it seems where that person is right now is unknown.
In other words...
...I think having, at bottom, only a superficial idealism of humanism...
...won't preserve the potential of this Tasaka General Hospital.
Therefore, in the future, in regards to accepting emergency cases...
...I believe they should be even more limited than they are now. I'm done.
Deputy Director Tasaka.
Yes.
Let us hear your opinion.
If you have a dissenting opinion, please speak it.
I...
Well, I also...
...agree with Nogami-sensei's opinion.
In accordance with past policy...
...I think we should be cautious about...
...accepting emergency cases in the future.
I am done.
I thought he would be a bit more of a troublesome person, though...
He's become a member of the Tasaka family as well.
He wouldn't like going against your management policies, now would he?
- Is that sarcasm? - Not at all.
Ehh... Well then...
Well then, since that will do it for today, I'd like to thank everyone for their hard work.
Deputy Director, um...
I happened to overhear a little of what our nurses have been saying.
Yes.
Was there perhaps an unlicensed doctor at the Mikotojima Medical Clinic, where you were previously?
- Eh? An unlicensed doctor? - Yes.
Is that true?
Well, about that, I...
You mean at the time you were appointed Deputy Director they were already...
Yes.
As you'd expect, they weren't there.
Well, from the standpoint of those of us who are engaged in the medical business, look...
...I just couldn't leave this alone.
If this is true, I would have to file a complaint with the police.
Hisatsune-kun...
That's right, Hisatsune-san.
Please try and phone that medical clinic on Mikotojima.
Certainly.
Is this the Mikotojima Medical Clinic?
Ah, um, I am the Secretary General for Tasaka General Hospital in Tokyo.
My name is Hisatsune. Ah, yes, hello.
Ehh... This call may be abrupt, but Manager could I...
Deputy Director, is there something you need?
Ah, no...
Do you have some business with us, Deputy Director?
Ah, no.
By the way, Suzuki Akiko-san is single, isn't she? She's around 40, right?
Yes, as I recall.
I saw them yesterday.
She and Nogami-sensei were talking on the sly.
Just like me... she prefers younger men.
"The door is closing."
What are you intending?
Why are you going around saying there was an unlicensed doctor at the Mikotojima Medical Clinic?
I didn't say it was you.
What are you thinking?!
What is it you want?!
What did you tell Nogami-sensei?
Are you that interested?
Of course I am!
After all... I only just misunderstood.
Eh?
I was a fool.
You didn't have...
...any interest in me from the start, now did you?
Well...
With all the excess free time you had on the island...
...you just wanted a suitable and convenient woman you could fool around with.
That's all I was, wasn't it?
No, you're wrong about that.
That's a misunderstanding...
"5th Floor."
- Excuse us. - Excuse me.
- Excuse us.
I'm sorry, I'm getting off.
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
"The door is closing."
Ah!
I got in touch with the Mikotojima Medical Clinic.
- Laugh at me. - Eh?
There doesn't seem to have ever been an unlicensed doctor at the Mikotojima Medical clinic...
...and that a fine and splendid doctor...
...has come to the medical clinic.
- Is that right? - Yes.
I also contacted the Village Office, but the Village Chief was amazed as well.
"Having such strange rumors going around is a bother," he said.
Well then...
"I mustn't misunderstand."
"This was just..."
"...something they did for their own self-preservation."
"It certainly wasn't because..."
"...they were trying to protect me."
"There is no longer..."
"...a place for me on that island..."
I'm home.
- Ah, welcome home. - Thanks for your hard work.
Excuse me for disturbing you.
I'm home.
- Ah, welcome home. - Thanks for your hard work.
Excuse me for disturbing you.
Say, look. She says she brought us some Mikotojima sake as a wedding present.
- Thanks. - Not at all.
And she expressly brought along some things you had left behind on the island.
Eh?
Over here.
She said if she had left them there, they would have been thrown away.
I'm sorry if I did something unnecessary.
No! Thank you very much.
What are you thinking about?
I need to get back.
I've prepared a meal for you.
Well, but...
I'm... fine about her.
Akiko-san!
- You haven't eaten, have you? - Ah, no.
Then I'll prepare it right away.
Hey Dear, come help out.
Ah.
Here, take this out.
Ah, since she went to all the trouble, let's serve her sake while we eat.
It's delicious.
Akiko-san, your cooking is quite good, isn't it?
I'm so happy; I was praised.
Ah, you have something there.
I'm sure you must use the highest-quality ingredients.
No... I get them all from a supermarket nearby.
- On your day off, the two of us... Right? - Huh?
We went out shopping.
Could it be...
I don't think it would be good if there was a misunderstanding.
About what?
Saying it here may seem somewhat strangely reversed, but...
That I and him...
You know we used to go out together?
Yes. I heard about it from my husband.
In that case it's fine.
At first I misunderstood, so I questioned him closely about it.
"No way, it wasn't like that," I asked.
- Right? - Eh?
And then he said, "don't be foolish."
I see.
Akiko-san, don't you have someone you're going to marry?
- Who? Me? - Yes.
No, no, no...
After all, you just can't meet anyone who wants to live on such a small island...
But you've decided to work at our hospital and have started living in Tokyo, haven't you?
You could find someone now.
That's true. Thank you. I'll do my best.
Once you get a boyfriend, you absolutely must introduce him to me.
Of course.
Please have an after-dinner sweet.
I'm sorry, could I use your bathroom?
Ah, yes, go ahead.
- Over there. - Thank you.
You told me Akiko-san was someone already in your past, didn't you?
Eh?
But that doesn't appear to be the case for her...
Who is it?
Ah, it's Mom.
I see.
Yes?
You don't necessarily have to answer.
I...
...died.
I was killed by you.
What do you mean?
At any rate, your true self will be exposed before long.
That's true...
It'd be best if you stopped this already.
I wonder about that.
If you want to run away...
...then let's run away...
...together.
Before things become irreversible.
To some...
...far-off place.
All right. I'll drop by when I'm in the area.
So long.
Are you going to go visit her?
I'll go with you.
Well, one of these days...
I'm sorry. I have the night shift today, so I ought to get going already.
It's okay if you take your time here.
I'm sorry.
I'm sorry for dropping by so suddenly. Thank you for the meal.
Please come again anytime.
Then I'll take you up on that.
You're a great success. Best of luck, Deputy Director.
Thank you very much.
"Please check into Aikawa Saburo"
You'll be dragging your wife off her post as Board Director before long, won't you?
That's my intention.
But peacefully.
How?
I have a trump card.
You think you have an asset...
...by using your marital relationship as the cause.
When you talk like that...
...you make it sound like I'm a bad person.
After all, you use hospital funds to pay off politicians, don't you?
Ah sorry, sorry.
What's up?
There's a little something I'm concerned about.
Though I tried to look up the Deputy Director's name to confirm his credentials...
"Name: Aikawa Saburo"
If it's an emergency, I can go! Oi!
Sorry, but I won't be able to stay overnight tonight either.
Eh!?
Say.
Huh?
Is the you right now...
...the one you really hoped you would be?
Eh?
I feel uneasy about that sometimes.
Wondering if I didn't derail your life somehow...
What are you talking about out of blue?
Do I...
...bring you happiness?
Are you...
...not happy?
But...
What's the matter?
"Tasaka General Hospital"
Yes?
This is Tasaka General Hospital's Hisatsune.
Ah, Hisatsune-san.
Sorry for calling in the middle of the night.
Would it be possible for you to come to the hospital right away?
Is there an emergency?
Ah, no, no, no. It's nothing like that.
There's just a little something I'd like to confirm with you, Deputy Director.
Something you want to confirm?
What do you mean...
It's just a little something I'd like to hear about from you, yes.
"Getting a sudden summons at this hour..."
"...and not for an emergency call."
"Moreover, from the Director."
"What is it they want to confirm?"
"I have to think..."
"...they've discovered I'm not licensed."
"No, wait."
"When I was on the phone with the Secretary General earlier..."
"...he was speaking to me in a very light tone."
"If it were that all my lies have been exposed..."
"...he would have been far more serious."
"Yes, if that were the case..."
"...it could be said there would be several police waiting for me here."
"Director's Office"
"Before things become irreversible."
"Let's run away together."
"The scene on the other side of this door..."
"I won't be able to determine that unless I open this door."
"I'm supposed to be the possessor of a strong luck."
"Right now there's nothing but..."
"...my life right here."
Come in.
Excuse me.
Ah, Saburo-kun. Sorry about the time.
No.
Could you take a quick look at my PC?
I've found something interesting.
Ah.
"Using the given terms, no corresponding doctor can be retrieved."
"It's over."
"Search Results: Search Results - 0"
"Everything... is over."
Do you have anything to say about this?
What should I say?
You don't seem willing to explain it away.
As long as you remain silent, I won't understand!
I'm very sorry.
I told you not to apologize so easily!
You don't think...
...that I've known nothing about this until now, do you?
But, when I learned this fact...
...it was already too late.
Just before you and my daughter were married...
...Chief Secretary Kataoka of the "People's Party" personally said...
...he wanted to know about your personal history in detail.
You remember him, right?
On the day you visited here for the first time...
...he strangely left his operation up to you.
From that Secretary General Kataoka we got...
..."I want to make an excellent doctor such as him my own chief physician, no matter what."
But then what happened?
The result of our contact with "Kanto Medical University" was...
"No one named Aikawa Saburo has been..."
"...on our graduation lists since the opening of our school."
In other words, this Tasaka General Hospital...
...had unwittingly allowed a VIP like Secretary General Kataoka...
...be operated on by an unlicensed doctor!
What would happen if the world found out such a thing?!
This wouldn't be finished with just you being ruined!
Do you understand what it is I'm saying?!
Well then...
What should I do...
It's convenient that you're married to my daughter.
Who would ever suspect a man such as you being an unlicensed doctor?
In that case...
What should I do?
This matter cannot become public knowledge.
Moreover, you will go on being the Deputy Director.
What does this mean?
You're... letting me...
That's what it means.
I can't do this anymore...
I'll surrender myself to the police...
You will not bring my daughter any more unhappiness than she already has!
I told you before, didn't I?
You have already started up the staircase.
You are not allowed to go back down it!
I will protect you.
I'm Yamamoto, but...
How do you know my real name?
I've been looking really hard for you.
Have we met somewhere before?
This is our first meeting.
But...
Don't you know the guy who started this restaurant with you very well?
Aikawa... Saburo...