Where am I?
The tea's ready.
Saeko!
But how...
You don't remember?
We came straight to my place after we had drinks at the Bengal last night.
Just a second here!
First we went drinking at that place, the second place was that one...
Right! From there we did go to Bengal.
After that I don't remember a thing!
Just keep your promise.
Promise?
Okay, time to put your clothes on. We're going to meet the other party.
Other party?
You're not going to say you don't remember, now are you?
I don't remember a thing.
Ryo Saeba, you've made the mistake of a lifetime!
A bodyguard?
This is Jerry Smith. He's an American.
Compared to when I was living in Japan a long time ago,
things have certainly changed.
This place, where I used to board, has become an impressive traditional inn.
Something of old Japan still survives here.
That promise you mentioned this morning,
does it involve me doing bodyguard work for this old coot?
Right, you said you'd be happy to do it, didn't you?
I don't remember a thing.
Well, I never! That's no way for a man to act. Once a man gives his word...
Correct! A Son of Nippon is always thus.
Mr. Saeba, Ms. Saeko has informed me of your prowess.
I'm looking forward to having you,
in tandem with Ms. Saeko, as my bodyguard starting tomorrow.
In tandem? Just a second here...
Ryo has said he will devote all of his energy to it.
I can now rest assured that my holiday in Japan will be a pleasant one.
Just what is your relationship to this old guy?
When I was a rookie,
I ran into a dead-end on an international case, and he helped me.
You might say I owe him something.
Okay, I get it. I made a promise, I guess, so I'll keep it.
I just can't remember making it.
But since I spent the night at your place,
that means I must have done something like...
You're not the kind of person to not do "something".
Then I must have done this too.
Such behaviour!
To act so in public, how shameful! When did the Sons of Nippon become so weak?
I wonder when?
Man, this is awful. I don't want to...
Welcome home.
Oh, Kaori, I'm home.
Where did you stay last night?
Well, that part's right at least. I know I stayed there.
But I have no idea what happened after we left the bar.
But that's the first time I've ever blacked out in my life.
Geez, my head is pounding.
What's this?
You pervert!
I don't remember a thing.
I love Japan.
Ms. Saeko, you may well be correct
when you say the Japan I'm searching for no longer exists.
But I still love it. If I am to die in Japan, I will be satisfied.
Mr. Smith, do you remember what you said to me when you helped me?
What was it I said?
You said that I should never give up hope.
That I should have faith in God and myself.
Did I say that?
This is one bet I'm going to win.
Considering our opponents are pros, your confidence is admirable.
My partner is Ryo Saeba after all.
Do you love that man?
If you love him, marry him.
Marry Ryo?
Life is short. Leave no regrets.
Regrets? Well, a little alcohol won't hurt.
What a lonely, no mokkori night!
Have a nice day.
Good morning, Mr. Saeba!
What are those clothes supposed to be?
Okay, let's go. If we leave now, we'll make it in time for the third race.
That look isn't in fashion at the track these days.
Horse racing started out as a game developed by the English aristocracy.
So of course the tradition is different from Japan's.
It would be the height of folly
to imitate a gentleman just for appearance's sake.
It's just as if you were some old man who travelled forward in time.
When I lived here, there were cows wandering up and down the street.
Cows!
According to Saeko,
you're the president of one of the two top newspaper companies in America.
I was until half a year ago, to be more accurate.
I retired from active involvement, and am now chairman of the board.
Nothing really dangerous involved in that kind of work,
so why do you need a bodyguard?
Years ago, when the Mafia and Japanese gangs joined forces to invade America,
I mounted a big campaign to clean house, and sweep them out of the country.
So, the Japanese syndicates still bear a grudge against you?
I tried to keep my visit to Japan a secret,
but the media sniffed me out, and my name and face appeared all over Japan.
I see.
Which horse are you betting on, Saeba?
Two horses, Kaori Lady and Super Saeko.
Neither one popular, and both long shots.
No good reason for my choices.
Their names are similar to names of women I know. What about you?
A little bet on numbers one and eight.
Oh, come on. They're both favorites, aren't they?
Even if you win, you won't get much.
You'd have to bet at least a hundred bucks.
I bet something like two hundred thousand bucks.
Two hundred thousand bucks?!
And I thought ten bucks was a little much.
It's not the amount of money that's important.
It's betting on what you believe in. It's the same in life.
Right...
Go, Super Saeko!
Oh, there is hope!
Look at those haunches! Way to work those muscles baby! I love you!
What was that?
Number two, Kaori Lady. She's very agitated.
That Ryo! Not coming home until morning like that!
The gates open, and they're off!
Go, Saeko! Kaori! The gates open, and they're off!
Go, Saeko! Kaori!
Number eight, Yumin Suki, and number one, Suwano-green, are out in front.
I didn't know Ryo went for this kind of thing. I'm a little worried about him.
As they round the far turn, it's Suwano-green in the lead,
followed closely by Yumin-suki.
And trailing the pack comes Super Saeko, and Kaori Lady in dead last.
Go! What are you doing Kaori Lady?
Four hundred meters remain.
Oh, look at that!
Kaori Lady and Super Saeko have come charging up from the rear.
Mr. Saeba, those are the horses you bet on.
What amazing speed!
Go! Looking good! What amazing speed!
Go! Looking good!
Kaori Lady and Super Saeko are still gaining ground fast.
Here come Kaori Lady and Super Saeko up through the pack!
Kaori Lady and Super Saeko have taken the lead!
Get down!
What's happening? Something's upset the lead horses!
Damn! What's happening? Something's upset the lead horses!
Some inconsiderate fellows there.
If they had only held off a little longer, I would have won big!
Just where did that Ryo spend the night?
When he comes home, I'll make him confess, I promise you!
Excuse me, but could I remove these for...
No! Chocolate Parfait!
You are not finished?
I can eat as much as I want to, can't I?
Of course.
A lover of Japan or not, a horse race followed by zazen of all things.
My legs are numb!
I can understand Mr. Smith's concerns about Japan.
That this is what Japanese men have come to these days!
Yes, but what am I...
Don't stand behind me.
Don't push!
What could be worse than getting on a train right at rush hour?
I can't do anything about it. It's what Mr. Smith wants.
The dynamism of the Japanese economy, its power,
is born of the very jostling one experiences on this crowded train.
Without this knowledge, one cannot understand Japan.
The one I can't understand is you, old guy.
Oh, excuse me!
Pardon me!
I'm in sweet mokkori hell!
You've been dragging us all over the place, and I'm exhausted.
You're doing this to make a target of yourself on purpose, aren't you?
Well, I guess you deserve to be protected though.
If you will excuse me...
Hey, Saeko?
Look...
Yes, it's me.
I'm returning to America on the day after tomorrow.
You have two more chances left.
If you're successful, you'll get the rest of the money I promised.
I've already made the necessary arrangements.
Come on, okay, Saeko? Let's go drinking again.
This time we'll have an enjoyable and memorable evening together.
Please? Please?
I just can't believe this is the face of the same man who protected me today.
Okay, see you tonight!
Tonight? But what about guarding Mr. Smith?
Don't worry about the old guy.
Hold it!
I wonder where...
What did you do that for?
I just wanted to borrow some handcuffs and a rope!
Just who hides things like that under their skirt?
Okay, stand back.
What is it?
The tape I stuck on the door when we left the car has come off.
Please.
One more chance remains.
My car!
Ryo...
What?
You're not really completely drunk yet are you?
I'm fine. I'm fine. I still got something left in me.
Really? Keep it up then!
Looks like I have no choice.
Say, Saeko...
What?
I know you're going to take me home with you later, right?
Really?
What should I do, I wonder?
Bottoms up!
Right!
That was good!
Ryo, you didn't by any chance figure out what I did the other night, did you?
Of course! Now it's my turn.
Sorry, too bad!
A tablet is so easy to detect.
Well, I'll be!
What did that guy in there do? That foreign guy?
Detective Nogami brought him in.
Detective Nogami did?
She said to keep him here one night.
No doubt this is the safest place for me to be all right.
I feel strange. I'm really sleepy.
Really sleepy, right?
You didn't, did you, Ryo?
I have to agree with you that powder is much better.
You didn't even notice what you put in yourself.
So, you switched the glasses, didn't you?
Little Ryo doesn't fall for the same trick twice.
Saeko, there's something I want to ask you before you fall asleep on me.
What can I say? I lost this round.
You only want to talk?
As for my compensation, I'll take full payment after the job is finished.
Just leave the third round to me.
Today's is the last round, and the most dangerous.
Hey, big guy, you don't go sea-fishing on an old boat like this!
I like shoji. They have the feeling of Japan to them.
I see.
One weird gaijin...
But you haven't caught any fish the whole time.
I didn't use any bait.
Really?
Well, who knows, if it's a stupid fish you might catch one.
I highly doubt it. I'm not using a hook either.
That Ryo...
He's trying too hard.
Tomorrow you go home, right?
If I'm alive, that is.
Hiring me may have been an unlucky move on your part.
I suppose if a doctor told me
that I didn't have long to live because of an illness,
I'd probably feel the same way you do.
Knowing you're going to die regardless,
you come up with this dangerous game in which you have someone try to kill you.
You hire killers. You hire bodyguards.
And you place the last bet of your life.
You know, don't you? Saeko told you the whole story.
Saeko accepted your bet provided I join her as bodyguard.
That's correct.
Do you really want to do this?
I've already hired the killers.
Okay.
And if the bodyguard of my choice is able to protect you and I win?
I'll furnish you with some valuable information.
No, thank you!
To be sure, if anyone else made such an offer I'd jump on it in a flash.
If I win, I want you to live as long as life remains in you
without ever giving up hope.
So in this bet, I'm the stakes?
Very well, it's a promise.
So Saeko tricked me into getting involved just to get information.
Is that what she said?
No.
But it's strange.
After seeing you and Saeko,
I've begun to think life is a wonderfully precious thing.
You gave the killers a total of three chances, right?
Then, this is it.
Hold on!
Saeko!
Saeko wins this bet.
Mr. Smith has a strong sense of loyalty.
In thanks, he told me the locations of many hideouts for smuggling operations.
An unexpected windfall?
Thanks to you, Ryo.
Leaving my fate in the hands of God as it was intended
might be more interesting than I thought at first.
Regardless, those are some fine young people.
Let me see if I can tell their future.
Heads, they'll be happy. Tails, they'll be...
A mystery of the East perhaps.
Well then, I guess things are finished.
Saeko, you promised! Now give me that hot mokkori compensation!
Let's see. Why not talk about it with the person standing behind you?
What?
Too bad.
Maybe later sometime.
Hey, I have a new girlfriend! She says I'm strong and handsome. Nice, right?
You're fibbing! I don't believe it for a second.
It's true. And Arisa is one determined girl.
Watch out! Women who go after you always have something going on.
Being used, aren't you?
Well, I never! Look here, she's just crazy about me.
Is that right? Just don't come crying to me later.
See you then!