Pai! Pai!
Are you all right, Pai?
"Do you know anything about the starry skies of the past?"
"Do you have any memories of them?"
Is this the topic of the questionnaire?
It's a strange topic, isn't it?
It's probably because of the rumor about the stars.
Rumor?
That's right! It's today, isn't it?
You can see the stars of the past for one night. Didn't you know?
Stars of the past?
From midnight until dawn.
No way. We're not talking about happy hour at Kabukicho, you know.
This month's goal
on our loan
Bonus payment
N-n-n-n-no! Excuse me!
In any case, what you want me to do for this brat... I-I mean...
your son, is conduct a survey, correct?
Even these kinds of extra credit assignments can affect his grades.
The more the better, as far as this assignment is concerned.
Other children will probably collect ten replies at most.
So let's make it fifty... no, a hundred for my child.
Okay...
Obtain a hundred replies for this questionnaire.
Well, about that...
I'll pay 100,000 yen.
Just because it's a child's homework assignment doesn't mean it's acceptable for my Yoshihiro-chan to lose.
Even so, homework should be done by yourse...
We'll get a hundred responses! Let us take care of this assignment!
Leave it to the Kurasawa Detective Agency!
I hope you didn't have a personal relationship with November 11.
Nothing aside from a professional one.
Decade had good reason to be concerned. There's little doubt November 11 was a member of the E.P.R.
Did the E.P.R. have any motive to kill Decade?
This case is no longer within our jurisdiction.
Don't probe into this matter any further.
Actions taken by PANDORA were rather aggressive the other day,
very uncharacteristic of a research facility.
Since when has PANDORA...
Didn't you hear what I said, Kirihara?
This case is out of our jurisdiction.
It was simply another case involving the death of a contractor.
He was...
He was someone who took pride in himself.
Whether he was a contractor or not had nothing to do with it.
His last words were...
"Do what you believe is right."
Excuse me.
Wait! Did he contact you?
That was just a joke.
That area in South America has been off-limits ever since the incident occurred.
The only thing we know for sure is that massive warfare broke out around it,
which was on the scale of a world war.
During the conflict, myriads of contractors were deployed as weapons.
Hei and Amber were among them.
They were assigned by the same syndicate.
It was said that Hei wasn't a contractor when he earned his reputation as the Grim Reaper.
Is that true?
There was another contractor who was widely feared, though.
The one named Pai, Hei's sister.
Is she still in the middle of her remuneration?
You two are always together. You look like lovers.
Are you gazing at the stars again?
Only because I don't have anything else to do.
No matter how long you stare at them, you won't be able to see the stars of the past.
Yes. According to Schroeder,
Secret line
the light emitted by the masked contractor
and the light observed prior to the disappearance of the gate in South America
are believed to be the one in the same.
Light, you say?
Yeah, it was an intense light.
I've never seen anything like it.
I realized why Amber needs Hei.
She wants to replicate what happened in South America,
and she probably needs Hei's power to do it.
Are you saying there's a connection between Hei and the disappearance of the South American gate?
Hey, wait a minute. If what you say is true...
The contractor's identity has been confirmed to be BK201.
Yes, I've already made the arrangements for the elimination of his unit.
The stars of the past?
Yes, the stars from the distant past.
Anything is fine. Please try to recall anything that comes to mind.
Stars are stars.
I can't tell the difference between the stars of the past and the present.
}Sir, do you have something to add?
Anything about the stars or the night skies of the past is fine.
You're wasting your time on him.
He's not the talkative type.
I get nostalgic whenever I think about the night of the Giacobinids.
It's been thirty years.
No... Since Toshikyuki was still in elementary school back then, it's been longer than that.
Don't you remember?
He insisted on watching the meteor shower, so I drove him out in the middle of the night.
We waited for quite a while, but we never saw it that evening.
In the end, he fell asleep.
To those of you who plan to go outside soon,
No, I haven't made any plans.
Rie has some tips for you.
Although it's still overcast, showers are expected later in the evening, so make sure to bring an umbrella with you.
I just don't have the time to be gazing at the stars.
It looks like it might be called off. The forecast says it's going to rain.
The skies aren't going to be clear? We won't be able to see the stars of the past, will we?
Do you believe in it, too?
Well, who knows?
Not that rumor again.
Come to think of it, I do have some memories of the stars.
What kind of memories? Something romantic?
No, nothing like that.
Do you remember when you were about this tall?
You got lost in an amusement park.
By the time I found you, it was already dark.
I was scared to death, but you kept a straight face and said,
"I was watching the stars".
You're kidding! I was really cute, wasn't I?
You sure were. That happened while your mother was still well.
That was a pretty horrible attempt at tailing somebody, Saitou, Kouno.
What's the meaning of this? Who ordered you to do it?
Er... That's...
If you were ordered to follow me, you should have asked Ohtsuka to do it in your place.
B-Boss!
Li-kun?
Wait!
U-Um... Are you hungry by any chance?
Episode Twenty-Three
God is In His Heaven...
Did I look that hungry to you?
Well, sort of. You looked like someone I knew.
Did I look like the criminal you're looking for?
I was right, just as I thought.
That's...
Don't move.
Someone's trying to snipe you from the seats in the aft.
Come on. That wasn't convincing at all.
Is that so?
Because...
It's a strange feeling. When you've chased suspects for as long as I have,
you develop an attachment to what you do.
Always on the job, aren't you?
It's true that I've put in a lot of time,
but after a while, you become another face in the crowd to the organization.
It feels like I've lost a part of my identity.
Every organization is the same.
They treat you like a pawn and exploit you at will.
You might be right.
Like I said, it's not that I can't pay the bill.
I'm just short on cash right now, so I'll pay you later.
Sir, your name is on our blacklist.
If I recall, you pulled the same stunt last year.
You must be kidding! You must have mistaken me for someone else!
Right. There's no way my boss could afford to come to a place like this very often.
No way! Are you serious?
I'm shocked. I didn't know you liked middle-aged women!
M-Middle-aged...
Well, if it isn't Li-kun! Your timing couldn't have been better.
Stars?
Yeah, any memories about the stars of the past.
People sure like to talk about them.
Memories tend to become exaggerated.
Well, taking the emergence of the gate and everything else into consideration,
I suppose it's a result of their insecurity.
Insecurity?
The recent terrorist attack, for example.
People appear to be calm and collected, but I'm sure they're insecure about the present,
which is why they rely on their memories.
This is where we part ways.
You saved my ass. Thanks for the meal.
What do you mean by that? Make sure you pay me back.
Thanks.
Isn't it a wonderful sight?
Yeah.
How do you feel about this city? Do you like it?
Well, it's not that I don't like it.
It's moderately indifferent,
yet moderately warm.
I wasn't supposed to stay here as long as I have,
but now I wish I could make it my home.
I see. This city is getting more violent by the day, though.
This city is serene
compared to the tragedy my sister and I lived through.
Were you in a combat zone?
How about your sister? Is she still there?
No, she isn't.
Did she pass away?
That must have been a sad moment.
I wonder about that.
A part of me might have felt relieved.
Have you heard about the rumor?
I have, but I don't think it's going to happen.
I didn't think anyone would believe it, but...
Oh, look.
Do you think we'll be able to see it?
Dad!
Is everyone going to wait until the skies clear up just to catch a glimpse of the stars?
Do you want to see the stars of the past?
I do, but I want to show it to others even more.
It won't happen unless the stars of the present fade away, though.
They weren't real to begin with.
True, but if those stars were to disappear all at once,
I think it'd be sad in its own way.
I have to go. I'm glad we were able to talk.
I was thinking about too many things and wasn't sure about what I was doing.
When you're not sure about something, you should just trust your intuition.
Was it something I said?
No, you're right.
Thanks for keeping me company. I had fun.
Me, too.
I'll see you around.
Onii-chan...
I made the stars fall again.
There were so many... today...
Hei, it's over.
Let's go back.
Oh, no. It's starting to rain.
I told you we wouldn't be able to see them.
Weren't you looking up at the sky a minute ago?
Don't be ridiculous.
Detectives have to be realistic in order to do their jobs, Kiko.
Whether the stars disappear or a weird gate appears,
no matter how many changes occur in the environment, people won't change how they live their lives.
Boss, you're pretty cool today, aren't you?
Don't fall for me, Kiko.
All's right with the world, huh?
Hei, stay away from your apartment!
What happened?
Don't ask!
Get in!
Huang!
It looks like we were thrown out of the syndicate.
What? Why?
That's what I'd like to know.
Hei, about the disappearance of the gate in South America...
Are you hiding something from us?
No hard feelings, BK201.
I'm just following orders.
A manipulator of gravity, huh?
Supernaturals with power tend to get cocky and forget about their surroundings.
You're...
Hey, take it easy. There's no need to panic.
I was sent by Amber as a messenger.
We'll be waiting for you inside the gate, BK201.
Bullshit! It isn't a place you can enter that easily.
That's why I shall act as your guide.
Did you think we'd fall for that?
Very well.
Hei?
I don't know what happened at Heaven's Gate,
including the reason why my sister Pai disappeared.
Amber's the only one who knows.
That's why...
you want to find out for yourself.
Do it.
Meet with Amber and talk to her.
Huang!
Hop in.
I'll take you as far as I can.
Why? Why are our superiors mobilizing without notifying us first?
There was a possibility of some kind of intervention.
Intervention?
Don't tell me...
Dad?
Dad, what is it? I'm a little busy right now.
Evacuate as soon as you can, Misaki!
Evacuate?
I'll explain the details later.
Leave Tokyo at once!
What's going on? Don't tell me...
whatever happened in South America is about to take place here...
At the moment, we have two primary objectives:
Lead the dolls into the gate,
and destroy the particle accelerator.
Let's go.
It's almost here, the beginning of the end.
Twinkle, twinkle, sparkle, sparkle,
the stars shine, and fall to the ground.
Boom, boom, the place where they fall
is inside a mist, where nothing can be seen.
The mist inside men's minds.
Just wait until you see what is there.
Episode Twenty-Four Meteor Shower...