Everyone is searching for a new world
to attain that overflowing dream.
They all jump over the horizon,
regardless of what lies beyond.
We've run,
we've dived into hope,
and forgotten only courage.
And we've been swept away by the crowd
only to lose something dear to us.
I smile with a twisted face,
and it was the best smile I could put on.
The inside of my mask overflowed with tears
so I covered my wet mask with yet another mask.
I continue to walk through the flat battleground,
and I struggle, unable to warp.
The dream waits quietly on a cape far away.
Even if I fumble around clumsily,
I'm sure I'll still be able to make it there.
Great. Overslept again.
Almost forgot today was the day.
Two years ago today my brother, Kiyotaka, disappeared.
'I'm going to pursue the mystery of the Blade Children,' he said.
And with those words, he vanished without a trace.
Oh, no! Are you okay?! Come on, young lady, say something!
Hello? Talk about dangerous. The auard rail's missing.
Did you do this?! Did you push her off there?!
Huh?
Thanks for coming, Assistant Inspector.
Enough talk. Let's hear it.
Yes, ma'am. The injured girl's a second year student
at Tsukiomi Academy, Sayoko Shiranagatani.
She fell from a fifth floor landing. Broken auard rail. We're looking into that.
Oddly enough, the delivery truck parked below her
acted more as a cushion than anything, so her injuries aren't severe.
But we won't be able to question her for a bit, she's pretty freaked out.
Is it an accident, suicide, or attempted murder?
We can't rule anything out yet.
No, Wataya. Given the situation, I doubt this was a suicide.
Why do you say that?
Notice anything strange about those glasses over there?
Well, if I was a high school girl, I'd probably think they looked lame!
That's not what I mean... People who take their own lives
generally care about their appearance before they die...
A girl her age, literally, wouldn't be caught dead wearing glasses like those.
How do you know? Maybe she was just weird and liked the way they looked on her?
Open your eyes and tell me if she's wearing them in her school ID.
This girl doesn't normally wear her glasses. She only puts them on if she has to.
You're right.
Wouldn't be the first time. Now start using your brain, Detective.
Sorry.
Professor Sonobe, with your skilled educator's eye,
do you believe you saw the freshman student, Ayumu Narumi, commit this horrid crime?
As one of the teachers here, I don't want to place blame on anyone...
but I did see young Mr. Narumi... standing exactly where Sayoko fell from.
That's eyewitness testimony, folks!
How do you feel about these accusations?
I already told you once, I didn't do it...
Besides, what kind of an idiot would try to kill someone
by pushing them onto a truck parked not fifty feet below?
Only, today, the truck just happened to be parked there.
Any other day, any other time,
it would have been a straight shot right to the pavement.
Care to explain this exciting new development in the story, Ayumu?
I don't have to explain anything to you...
But you look like you have something more to say.
Yeah, who are you anyway?
I am a sophomore at the Tsukiomi Academy, three-nine grade point average,
and head of the school newspaper... Hiyono Yuizaki!
Enough, young lady.
It's my job to question the witnesses here, not yours.
This is from Professor Sonobe's sworn testimony.
"Actually, I just transferred to this school a few days ago.
So I've taken to exploring the campus during my lunch."
"As I turned the corner I heard a girl scream.
Naturally, I looked around to see what was happening."
"Then I saw her fall, with the auard rail in tow. Everything froze for a moment.
When she hit the around, instinctively, I went to help her.
Then I looked up and saw Mr. Narumi standing there.
He didn't seem to rush to help."
That's his statement word for word. It makes you nervous.
I'm trained to see that kind of thing...
Now, tell me again, what were you doing up on that roof, boy?
Like I said before, I was taking a nap...
I got up, and as I was headed back downstairs, I heard someone scream,
so I checked to see what it was all about. Don't like it? That's your problem.
Inspector, he obviously did it!
Calm down.
Now, when you were on the landing,
did you notice anyone else in the immediate vicinity?
Sure didn't... It was only me.
What a grade A moron! By saying that, you just placed yourself as the only person
in the whole world who could've pushed Sayoko off that landing!
You are the guilty party!
You know, I don't have time for this. If I don't get home soon...
I'm going to be in trouble up to my eyeballs.
Oh, is your mommy aonna yell at you?
Not quite.
It's his gorgeous sister who will be mad at him...
if he doesn't hurry home right now and get a nice dinner ready.
Huh?!
Sometimes I'm amazed you made detective... What's my full name, Wataya?
Inspector Madoka Narumi.
Good. Now tell me his full name.
Ayumu Naru- That's the... same name.
Brilliant deduction, you get a cookie.
You mean this kid is...
This kid is my brother-in-law.
What!?
I'm going to let you go. I just hope you realize
what kind of trouble you've gotten yourself into this time.
Trouble and I are friends... I'm getting used to him.
I swear that girl is such a freak.
Wow... So That inspector is actually Ayumu's older sister-in-law.
This story is aonna explode in the headlines!
What is this supposed to be?
It's just what it looks like - curry.
Of course it's curry... I'm not blind.
I just thought we'd be eating what I wanted for dinner...
You promised a Mediterranean bouillabaisse and mountain risotto!
Where is the complex aroma of the saffron?
The fresh, tender mussels and scallops? I don't ask. I just want good food.
I was busy being treated like a criminal all day.
Sorry I didn't have time to prepare your feast before your arrival, Queen Madoka.
And what have we here?
I thought it was strange that you didn't even dirty a pot making dinner,
but this is the last straw... A baa of pre-made heat-&-serve curry!
Wow... Nothing gets past you, does it?
Are you mocking me?!
I can't believe it's been two years since he disappeared...
Two longest years of my life.
I never noticed before, but you've kind of got an attitude at work.
Many people inexperienced in the real world confuse professionalism
with a bad attitude.
Maybe. But you can't say the people you work with would call you 'nice'...
Ow.
You can't get mad at me for speaking the truth.
Seriously, you know things don't look good for you, right?
If a judge or jury gets a look at your testimony,
you stand out as the only possible suspect.
Sure didn't... It was only me.
Those few words could pin you as the culprit.
It's highly unlikely that this is a case of suicide.
And it looks more like someone pushed the poor girl than it does a simple accident.
Honestly, Ayumu, as it stands now,
it looks like you were the one who pushed her over the railing.
So unless someone used a "special trick" we couldn't see, then I am the only suspect?
What kind of "special trick?"
Figure out the trick and you'll find the real culprit.
You've gotta give me more than that. What's this trick about?
Well... I'm just an amateur, Madoka. I don't know for sure.
I guess I'll wash the dishes.
You lie. You've figured it out already.
No, but if I were you, I'd have someone keep an eye on Sonobe.
Remember how he talked about the truck
like he was some kind of expert on the parking lot?
How could someone know that having only worked there for a couple of days?
Good point.
No one would have known that kind of detail
unless they spent some time keeping an eye on that spot.
In other words, he really did his homework when he cased the area around that landing.
But he rushed right over to her when she hit the around.
Meaning that if he did push her... he would have had to run down the stairs
just as quickly as she fell. Even faster. The story doesn't hold water. Sorry.
That's what I'm getting at. Unless someone pulled some kind of magic trick,
I'm the only one who could have pushed her.
Not to mention, Sonobe did make a point to shout at me at the crime scene.
Did you do this?! Did you push her off of there?!
When he said that every eye down there turned and looked at me.
It was in that brief moment that he picked something up and slipped it into his pocket.
Earth to Ayumu, you still with us?
You should really work on not being so introverted...
Unless you speak your mind, you'll just be found guilty.
I'm not really that concerned about it.
How could you not be concerned about being the prime suspect?
Because I'm just a lowly high school freshman.
You're the police inspector, I'll leave the detective work to you.
You're so difficult... Just like your brother.
Okay, so I'm difficult. It's a family trait.
But being indifferent to everything- now that one is mine alone.
I'm all locked up inside myself, I just don't really know why.
Am I scared of getting involved with something just to have it taken away?
Or am I scared that when I open my eyes, I'll see the darkness before me
and get dragged in the same way he did.
Until I can touch with my own two hands the unseen truth...
I will not return.
I am not like my brother.
How are you feeling? Would you maybe like a sip of water?
Sayoko?
She's got amnesia, too? That's twice for her. And bad news for us.
I mean, if she can't remember anything,
we could question her all day and we'd still ate nothing.
Doesn't matter. That note we found should be the key to solving this case.
"Go to the fifth floor landing. Oh, yeah. That note they found in the bottom drawer of her desk.
There you will meet someone That's how we know someone lured her onto that landing.
who knows about your past." Someone set this thing up for her to fall.
What do you think her past has to do with it? Does she have some secrets?
We all have secrets. She went to that landing yesterday to find some answers.
Amnesia or not, she acts like she can't hear anyone who talks to her.
And, for some reason, her family's been really uncooperative.
My brother was the best at everything he touched.
There was nothing that guy couldn't do.
I watched him my whole life, always wanting to be just like him.
By his teens, he was considered one of the finest pianists in the world.
Even with all of the acclaim, he quit, like it was nothing to him.
Then, in his twenties, the police nicknamed him the Divine Brain.
He solved more crimes than they did...
At some point, as I struggled to emulate him, I began to detest him.
Because every one of my struggles reminded me of his effortless nature.
I found you, Mr. Criminal!
Haven't you heard of due process? What do you want from me anyway?
I was simply curious if your cute little ears had picked up on the rumor yet.
What rumor?
What I mean is...
The people have a right to know. What did it feel like when you pushed that poor girl?
I've told you a dozen times, I didn't do it.
But The hallways are littered with whispers
saying that freshman Ayumu Narumi is a heartless murderer
So you just automatically believe these rumors?
I couldn't ignore them. The rumors spread like a virus.
Someone is getting the word out on you as fast as they can.
Sonobe.
That's him! That's the guy that pushed Sayoko... Talk about creepy looking.
See, you're the talk of the campus.
He's got guilty written all over that ugly face.
I heard there's still no solid proof he did it.
Tell me, Mr. Criminal, what do you plan to do now?
Go to my next class.
So, you intend to remain the object of the entire campus' attention?
I don't really mind it.
Strange... You don't seem like the type who relishes that stuff.
Attention is fine. It's when people follow me around everywhere that I get annoyed.
Find someone else to bother.
No!
You've barely given me enough for a quarter page.
If I'm bugging you, let me help you find out who really did this crime.
Then I'll have a story worth printing.
"Faculty Office"
You're dead-set on making me out to be the bad guy here.
Sorry you feel that way, son. I just told it like I saw it.
Then I'll do the same. And soon, everyone will know about you.
I will figure out what kind of trick you pulled yesterday.
This is scary...
It's hard to believe anyone could have survived a fall from way up here.
Pretty crazy...
And she was wearing her glasses? I always thought Sayoko hated those things.
What do you mean?
According to 'Hiyono's Data', she almost never wears her glasses
except for during lectures and driving class.
And what, pray tell, is "Hiyono's Data?"
My notebook filled with every bit of info I can squeeze from this school...
It's how I make my way, so everything in it is known only to me, and you can't see it.
Like I'd want to...
She must have put on her glasses to see something in the distance.
But what was she looking at? What, or who, did she need to see from up here?
Hiyono, down here! We're on our way to lunch! Do you want to go?
Yeah, sure! I'll catch up with you in a few! Still scary!
That's it.
Finally, the notes of truth are starting to play.
Great... Make it fast. I'm working.
I need you to check into something for me.
Okay... And that'll help us figure out the real criminal...
I'll look into it and get back to you in a bit.
Sometimes I would swear I'm talking to Kiyotaka.
Professor Sonobe...
Sorry to keep you waiting.
No problem. It's a nice day. What can I do for you?
Detective?
Right. We know that someone lured Sayoko up there...
We found a letter in her desk promising her some insight into her past
if she showed at the fifth floor landing at precisely five pm.
In other words, this was no suicide and no accident.
This was someone's attempt at murder.
That's all well and good. But have you figured out who pushed her off?
You're standing next to your prime suspect.
Not anymore, Sonobe... Sayoko wasn't pushed... She fell.
You've got some strange theories, kid.
Because what happened was unique... And behind every weird occurrence
there is something so normal, most people don't see it.
This is the trick you used.
The unseen hands you used to push her off of that landing.
Hands? Isn't he wearing a pair of sunglasses.
I think he's saying that the glasses are what made her fall.
The victim was given a note,
telling her to come to the fifth floor landing for answers.
I'm sure she was suspicious of the letter.
But curiosity can be more powerful than any emotion.
She was hoping that someone, anyone would have a light to shine over her clouded past.
So she made her way up to that landing... But no one came to meet her.
Like anyone, she looked around...
It was then that someone far below caught her attention. But Sayoko is nearsighted...
She had to dig out her glasses, the ones she hated,
to see who it was that was looking up at her... That was your little trick.
Imagine what would happen if you changed out a nearsighted girl's glasses
with a different prescription.
She'd start to lose her balance.
Instinctively, she would grab the nearest thing she could find - the railing -
which had been worked on earlier, making it no sturdier than a leaf in the breeze.
Lucky for her, though, the perpetrator had two very important things go wrong.
First, there's the truck.
The day she fell it was parked in a place that it usually isn't.
Without that truck there, it's a five-story drop to the pavement.
But the delivery truck actually cushioned Sayoko's fall. Without it, she'd be dead.
And secondly...
When the culprit recovered the doctored glasses from the girl,
he tried to carefully switch them with her usual pair...
But...
He cut his fingers on the shattered glass!
The investigators even found shards of glass from the different prescription.
The melody of logic always plays the notes of truth, Professor...
That's right, the person who did all this...
It was you.
I was wrong about him. This Ayumu kid is really something else!
My young friend...
The culprit was unlucky in a third way as well.
He crossed the path of one heck of a detective...
Kiyotaka Narumi's baby brother.
How do you know Kiyotaka?
Who are you really, Sonobe? Why did you try to kill that girl!?
The Blade Children...
Blade Children!?
I'm going to pursue the mystery...
...Of the Blade Children.
Sonobe!
Hold it!
Inspector!
He's over here!
Look...
What happened to him?
Why did Sonobe- How did...?
Wha-What is all this?
What are the Blade Children?
A sweet scent washes into my throat
and my feelings continuously overflow...
Don't look at me with that same gaze
that's like you're following a soccer ball.
I've already grown used to my third year at the office,
but did I lose something instead?
Those days long ago when we would talk about anything...
We're finally old enough now
to have those slightly awkward discussions about love.
A single day seems so long, but a whole year ends so quickly.
A whole year seems so short,
but how well will I be able to live the rest of my life?
Time for Hiyono's Useful News Report!
What in the world is going on?
There's suddenly a mountain of mysteries lately!
There's no taking your eyes off the Spiral now!
Next episode's highlights include Ayumu's great kitchen knife skills
and Hiyono's information assault. And the killer is...
Just kidding. What happens next time is top secret!
On the next Spiral: The Manor of Death.
Be sure to watch it, okay? That's all for today's Hiyono's Playhouse!