So what did you need to discuss?
Relying on HQ wasn't getting me anywhere.
Our opponent this time.
So I researched them myself.
It's the secret unit from DIH,
Japan's Defense Intelligence Headquarters.
They're the former Joint Staff's
Second Office Special Research Unit.
A.k.a. the SR Unit. The unit director is Hinoki Yousuke.
It's your old crew, Tojo.
(Baby, you know...)
(Ready, move!)
(Stand by! Yeah!)
(Five, four, three, two, one, zero, go ahead!)
The burning hot grip and my frozen vision
hoteru gurippu kouchoku no bijon
The midnight's making me sick.
hakike ga suru no midnight
You put your gun against my forehead
hitai ni juukou mukete
putting me to sleep with anger to the world.
nemure sekai shousou
Where is God? There's no way out.
where is god deguchi wa nai
orokamono dreamlike utagau wa
I suspect it's like a fool's dream
Let's embrace the black and white
dakiau yo black and white
bokura wa nani wo yume miteite
What is this dream we're having?
(Ready!)
(3...)
(Right now!)
(2...)
(Stand by!)
(1...)
This gunshot reminds me that judgment day begins tonight!
'cause I loathe people like you.
We'll break the fake blue sky.
itsuwari no aozora wo yabutte
dareshimo umare shinu dake nara
If we're merely living from the cradle to the grave,
I will put my trust
only one shinjitai
houkai kara umareru ashita wo
in the only possible future, born after the apocalypse.
You ready? Brace yourself!
It's the DIH — Japan's Defense Intelligence Headquarters.
Their secret SR Unit is led by Hinoki Yousuke.
I suspect they're the "apparition"
interfering with my work
in Southeastern Asia, but what do you think?
Could you confirm that,
former SR officer Tojo Akihiko-kun?
Wasn't that supposed to be an order, not a request, Kasper?
I'm not trying to pick on you because you're my former subordinate.
You're qualified for the job. I don't intend to lecture you, either.
In fact, I thought you'd be up to it considering your personality and lifestyle.
"I don't like your methods. They don't sit well with me,"
is what you would say as you bounced from job to job.
However, this case is like a spring breeze passing by that made me
"Ah, you will never be free of these chains."
I don't like this.
Why are you taking the SR Unit so lightly?
You make it sound like this will be easy.
Knowing you, you've already picked a fight with them, haven't you?
Wipe your own ass.
Rather, I accepted their challenge.
The invisible man tried to strangle me, so I flung my fists around.
And I'm not taking them lightly. That's why I asked for your help.
You will end up helping me even though you say you don't want to, Koko.
"Spring breeze," my ass.
At least act serious when making a transaction.
What will you do if I find out that the SR Unit is guilty?
I'll crush them. Isn't that a given?
Hopefully the apparition will be a bit easier to see by then.
That right there! Your disposition to destroy things still hasn't changed.
Same for Hino-san. He's as unmoving as a solid rock.
I bet he's still the same.
Things won't go as smoothly as you think.
Really? You're a talented man, Tojo.
How did it affect the SR Unit when you left?
That's right. Unlike people, organizations change easily.
The agency that Colonel Hinoki is working so hard to protect...
...may be a castle on sand.
Castle
of
Lies
He talked his head off and then went back home.
The SR Unit's stronghold is in a dummy company in Jakarta.
Supposedly Kasper is going to hold those guys back.
Us siblings help each other with work.
We've been doing so since we were little, so it's a given.
If we're successful, my brother will regain his Southeast Asian routes.
Plus he promised to repay the favor big time.
But there is a chance you'll have to attack your old team and your old boss.
Do you feel torn, Tojo?
Nope, not at all.
Please don't look so perplexed, Koko-san.
Oh, I didn't make myself clear.
Hino-san was indeed the superior officer who was kind enough
to pound a bunch of stuff into me when I was a mere officer in the JSDF.
But I am currently your subordinate. I'm a member of HCLI.
This isn't someone you can deal with while feeling torn or indebted to.
Besides—
Who is making Koko look so miserable?
My neck is in Hell, but my back is in Heaven!
What a glorious sleeper hold!
The world may be vast, but Koko-san's unit is the only place
where I can experience a move like this!
Actually, this is bad!
Spare me!
Tojo and the chief are fighting!
S-Stop! C-Come on, Chief!
Hey, now. Quit fooling around.
Let me go! Let me go!
I don't recognize this number.
Hello? Good afternoon. This is Tojo Akihiko.
Long time no chat! Hino-san, are you currently free to talk?
Tojo?! What's up? Dang, it's been ages!
Have you been doing well?
You're in Japan? Just a sec! I'm driving at the moment.
Is that right? Then I'll call you back later.
No, no, wait! Wasn't there somewhere I could pull over on this road?
Oh, screw it! I can talk and drive at the same time.
You still alive, Tojo?
I'm alive and kicking. I'm in Japan for work.
I see you're the same as ever.
There's no need to change! I'm in good health.
But I've hit that age where I start thinking about things.
What are you doing now?
I heard you quit working for HCLI under Kasper Hekmatyar.
Are you utilizing the skills you acquired while in my unit?
Yes. Although I no longer work under Kasper, I'm still with HCLI.
I'm calling you today in regards to that.
Oh? What's the deal? Let's hear it.
Please pull out of the case concerning Kasper's Southeast Asian route.
HCLI is taking measures to destroy the SR Unit.
Oh, I see. What is he calling us?
A transparent apparition.
That description is pretty dead on.
He's right. That's the type of organization we run.
So how is he going to defeat a ghost he can't see, Tojo?
The person who served under both you and Kasper can see the ghost.
That is my role in the matter.
Sounds noisy. Are you in Narita?
I'm sorry.
This conversation is over. I may need to speak with you again,
so keep using that pre-paid phone. Later.
You just went, "Phew!"
Don't eavesdrop, Old Fart!
I thought you might make a run for it after getting thrown in an unfortunate position.
This is work! Work! Like I'd ever run away!
Why are you laughing?
He always screws up somewhere when he gets anxious over a job.
He hasn't changed.
It's been a while since I had such a good laugh.
I fished around.
Skipping to the point, the SR Unit is guilty, Koko-san.
Got it. In that case, Tojo, brief everyone on the SR Unit.
Keep it short and simple enough for Jonah to understand.
Make it Jonah's level?!
The SR Unit is the Self-Defense Forces' secret unit.
They gather intelligence and conduct espionage.
In other words, they're spies.
They were made in the middle of the Cold War by request of the DIA,
America's Defense Intelligence Agency.
It's said that intelligence agencies of that nature are hard to develop in Japan.
The police force is too politically powerful.
With unsettled international policies, they often prove to be impractical, etc.
In recent years, you can hardly even consider the JSDF's
Counterintelligence or Central Intelligence operational.
From the war to this day, agencies have sprung up only to vanish.
There was Organization F, the Kawabe Agency and the Ground Staff.
During the Vietnam War, it was said,
"Some areas are hard for Americans to infiltrate, but are feasible for the Japanese."
The SR Unit was one of the groups that surfaced to gather intel.
The unit was composed of the original unit director,
who stationed their base in Jakarta, Indonesia, and 50 soldiers selected from the armed forces.
But they had financial difficulty staying afloat.
As a secret unit, they couldn't just ask the Ministry of Finance for a budget.
So they devised a way to supplement the SR's budget
by mediating arms purchases between America and the JSDF.
That's when they set up the SR Unit's dummy trading company, Ganville Trading.
Even after the Vietnam War,
the SR Unit continued to hide behind Ganville Trading like a pea crab.
They continued to work in the arms trade without affecting Japan
as they fought and grew through information warfare against Communist powers.
Their arms business reached the point that the SR budget became unnecessary.
That's about when they got their fifth director, Colonel Hinoki.
He used to be my superior officer.
In 1997, the DIH, Defense Intelligence Headquarters,
underwent reorganization. With its base in Indonesia,
the self-sustaining and highly independent SR Unit
was too much for the DIH.
Only a handful of staff and assemblymen even know of its existence nowadays.
The story has it that the SR Unit exercises their authority in quiet secrecy
in Southeastern Asia's underworld
while Kasper and HCLI are quickly expanding their influence.
It was inevitable that they would clash.
Their land is filled with Chinese and Indian immigrants.
The economics, religion, and information there is a pool of chaos.
It's filled with characteristics we'd find attractive.
What about Colonel Hinoki?
His cover is that he works as the senior executive director of Ganville Trading.
He has a sham marriage with a Thai woman.
He's shrouded in lies!
But I believe it was all meant to help him focus on espionage.
He entered a Self-Defense Force university, jointed the Western Army Infantry Regiment,
trained to become a ranger, took the Command and General Staff course,
became an officer in the American Defense Intelligence Agency
and then joined the SR Unit. He's an elite that climbed his way up.
When he joined the unit, the American army held his operations in high regard.
He disguised himself as a Japanese businessman,
smuggled himself into an enrichment plant
for highly enriched uranium run by the Iranian government,
and gathered information on Iran's nuclear development.
He was called, "Japan's one and only spymaster."
He is particularly conscientious of how he runs a secret unit.
Those from the darkness stay in the darkness.
Draw those in the light of the sun into the darkness.
He'll do anything to keep things quiet.
Earlier I said he's like a rock, which was also in reference to this.
So Koko-san, be careful.
Roger!
Why must an arms dealer and intelligence agency butt heads? Really!
Not that I want to be friends with them or anything.
He's asleep! Jonah is sleeping while standing!
That actually made me a bit sleepy, too.
Tojo, you intentionally made that hard to follow, didn't you?
Next is a report from Kurosaka, who flew to the scene
of the shooting of Korwit Nualkhair.
At the time of the robbery, the typhoon caused a blackout.
In pitch darkness, one man and the target were shot once in the forehead
and twice in the heart.
This is conclusive evidence that it was a "professional job."
This means—
Yeah, it was Kasper. He was behind this.
Sorry to interrupt your report.
Colonel!
On my way here, I heard him admit that he was guilty,
albeit though a somewhat indirect route.
My God!
In that case, Colonel...
Colonel!
Hold your horses. In light of this, I've initiated Plan K,
but we will be forced to alter the plan significantly.
His younger sister, Koko Hekmatyar, and her men are in Japan.
The operation henceforth will be called "Plan KK."
It has left the bounds of covert operations.
As you know, Koko Hekmatyar keeps mercenaries under her.
She is an arms dealer that has walked through war zones around the world.
We will no longer be the "Forgotten Unit" once we fight her off.
There may be an outbreak of war-like situations.
We hope there is, Colonel!
Understood. All of you, thank you for volunteering.
Let's cut loose.
DIH, SR Unit... Transparent ghost...
Koko, if you're going to sleep, you should crawl into bed first.
There is no need to force yourself to drink...
It's cool! It's cool! I'm dwinking 'cause I wanna.
Dis ish pretty yummy. Dis shtuff is good.
Dere's shtill some left and I can shtill dwink...
That's enough, Koko!
It may be summer, but you can still catch a cold if you fall asleep out here.
Come on. Let's take a shower.
Huh? You want to shower together?
You got it!
After our shower... What?! You want to sleep in the same bed?!
Sure thing!
I've got some moves that will put you into a deep sleep, so you're in good hands!
You're going to feel so refreshed, Koko!
This is Japan, so isn't it crazy how nerve-wracking it is
to go on a patrol with only a handgun, Jonah?
Isn't this a safe country? Just carrying a handgun is crazy enough.
Come to think of it, Koko is the craziest thing of all
the way she needs guns to protect her from all those assailants.
Yeah, you have a point.
But you know that she has a bunch of hot-blooded enemies, don't you?
I made sure that this is a safe country.
Kasper is keeping his promise.
He's a jerk, but I can trust him.
When it comes to Kasper, he sure gets talkative. Fascinating.
And isn't there zero possibility of this turning into a shootout?
No, it isn't totally zero, but...
Then I can relax. I don't have to worry about the kids from the base.
Yeah.
I see. So he was worried about those kids.
And, dang, you're amazing! You actually made a deal with Kasper.
Okay.
Very well. I will tell her.
We'll look like a group of backpackers
when we all go out carrying these big backpacks.
That's a riot!
I feel some disappointed eyes glaring at me.
Jonah, Tojo wasn't responsible for this.
I'm the one who decided we're going fully decked out.
First and foremost, I don't want a firefight.
Don't you worry; Japan is a safe country, Jonah.
But that doesn't mean we can go out ad about without weapons.
After all, I am an arms dealer!
And there you have it, gents!
The SR Unit in question wants to meet with us.
Mr. Hinoki called Tojo late last night and sent me an e-mail.
The location is the Umihotaru's parking area.
We're meeting under the pretext to "discuss splitting Southeast Asia."
Like he'd ever do that!
They're the ones who don't think we can work things out by talking.
So what's the point? And why now?
Why haven't they taken cover maneuvers to kill my brother like Tojo anticipated?
"I'm the culprit! Let's meet up and talk about it."
Normally, this is a pretty common scenario,
but it's becoming increasingly hard to read our opponent
when the apparition stops acting like one.
What on earth is the SR Unit after?
Well, there's no point in brooding over it.
They don't have a base in Japan.
Their agency uses various service areas off the highway
when they need to hold meetings.
Finding them will prove hard if we miss this opportunity.
Commence the operation!
Okay...
Have you ever gone to Umihotaru?
Nope. It was completed in 1997, but I had already left Japan by then.
She's right. Hino-san's methods have changed.
But why?
Jakarta, Indonesia
Commence the operation.
You had a proposal for splitting the Southeast Asian route, Ms. Kurosaka?
Right! I came to present a rough draft of the proposition.
I sincerely apologize that one such as myself came to represent our company.
If we can reach a compromise, a man named Himoki,
who serves as Ganville Trading's executive director,
will come see you in person at a later date.
As you are already aware, we also function as a secret agency.
I hope you understand why we must take such rude measures.
That's fine. May I take a look at your proposal?
Mr. Kasper, thank you very much!
In that case, I brought some papers with me. Please give me a moment.
Kasper, why are you spacing out? She's an assassin.
The SR Unit is attacking us.
Whoa, there! That just about gave me a heart attack!
Wasn't she super fast?!
She hid that in her belt. You overlooked it in your body check, Poe.
A Japanese sword?!
I'm sorry.
It's a super-thin Japanese sword!
It cut off the sole of my boot clear up to the steel sole guard.
It's the SR Unit, huh?
Any other adversaries?
Unknown!
Their numbers?
Unknown!
Your orders!
This hotel is dangerous. We're pulling out.
We will annihilate our foes. Kill them on sight!
We're going to have to get the police involved. This is such a pain!
Tojo! Tojo, your guess was way off!
Well, I won't hold it against him. Honestly, I was caught by surprise myself.
What I don't understand is why, when they know how powerful we are.
Are you underestimating us, SR Unit?!
We've lost contact! Kurosaka is dead.
Pinch them between the north and southwest stairwells!
What is the situation at the stairwells?
All set.
Fighting sure can be tough, huh?
My soldiers have far more experience than yours!
Oh, jeez! Why are you so happy, Kasper?
Yes, well, I am actually happy.
I've always dreamt of fighting these guys.
Or the soldiers before them, to be more precise.
Bluntly put, in Southeast Asia after WWII, the SR Unit was a
"Japanese arms business that tucked their pistols in their pants."
There are the descendents of the men who created the world from the underworld.
I've heard that they cruelly betrayed my father.
Of course I'd want to pit my strength against theirs!
But they're just parrying me.
Colonel Hisaki needs to put up more of a fight.
Goodness. How did you turn out like this?
And here you used to be so cute.
Oh, jeez! There are still some left standing?
Whatever.
Kill them. Kill them.
As your lamentation grows faint and disappears,
nageku koe wa kasumi okizari ni
kimi no kimi dake no kuni wo tsukutteru
I will create a nation that will be yours alone.
nee oshiete
Hey, tell me...
hanbun no sekai wa donna iro de
What colors make half of the world,
donna nioi dashiteiru no?
And what smell does it have?
dare ni mo mienai paretto he no gu kasanete
I'll take my brushes to an invisible palette
kimi wa kotoba sae nurikaete waratteiru
and I'll even repaint your words as we laugh.
doushite soba ni itemo
Why can't I make out the tone of your heart,
kokoro no hashi desura yomitorenai?
even though I'm by your side?
bokura ni nozondetemo onaji temochi ni narenai nara
Even if you long for us, it will not be the same.
hayaku katahou wo ubatte
So please, find someone else quickly.
Castle of Lie