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.
Kousuke Asazuki... He knew things only my brother would know...
What are the Blade Children?
Why are they after me? What exactly was my brother pursuing?
Are you paying attention, Ayumu?
Uh... no, not really.
I'll see you in my office after class.
Okay, class, let's continue...
"Faculty Office"
It's not that your grades are a problem,
it's your constant day-dreaming and lack of participation.
It's normal for kids your age to drift away from time to time, but,
I just don't think you're living up to your potential.
So, I haven't done anything wrong?
Not specifically, no.
I just think you could try harder.
You're a smart kid when you put your mind to it.
Don't you think you owe it to yourself to excel as much as you can?
Not really. What do you care anyway?
After all, I am just a regular old boring high school student.
You don't give yourself enough credit.
You're not like all the other students, you have a gift.
Someday, that gift may change someone's life.
So, is that all you wanted?
Soon, you will understand. Your nightmarish destiny will engulf you.
I gotta say, he's pretty clever... Little Narumi, I mean.
Not only did he guess my card, but he survived Stage 2...
It's obvious he's Kiyotaka's little brother.
Your strategy was weak. You made it too easy for him.
Hmm... So, it's my fault then?
So tell me, does Little Narumi really have what it takes
to change the destiny of the Blade Children?
That all depends on how the plan goes.
Ah, the so-called plan. You know, they call it fate because people can't change it.
So they do. But our fate was made by people.
Making it all the more unchangeable.
Stop lying to me!
But... I didn't do anything, really.
Miss Suzuki, what's going on here?
Oh, Mr. Imazato.
This student broke the window and she's standing here lying to me about it.
She won't admit what she's done.
I'm not lying!
Someone really did throw a rock from outside and break the glass!
Then why are there shards of glass on the outside of the building?
If the rock really came from outside there should only be broken glass on the inside.
But, I... didn't... I promise...
Stop lying to me!
Now, now, Miss Suzuki.
Mr. Imazato, I can handle this, thank you.
Hold up a minute.
Don't you know? Glass has elastic properties.
It bends when it's hit.
This flexibility allows the glass to return to its normal state.
The same thing happens when it breaks.
The bending causes glass fragments to fly off in both directions.
It's what's known as the "Blowback effect".
The girl isn't lying.
So if I were you? I'd clean up the glass and apologize to her.
He really is just like his older brother.
So, you've decided to take matters into your own hands.
Why not?
I know you, I know how you work. You're going to kill Ayumu aren't you?
Please, it's not as though we haven't already tried.
At this point, he hasn't reached his full potential.
He still lacks something vital: The ability to believe in himself.
But there's no doubt in my mind that an irreplaceable power lies within him...
Do you really intend to crush your last hope with your own two hands?
If he is what you say, then we won't be able to kill him.
His power will make him invincible to us.
Listen, Rutherford... you go after Ayumu, consider me your enemy.
I'll hunt you myself.
That didn't sound like it went very well...
Things can get a lot tougher around here if Imazato turns against us.
He already knows too much about our plans.
If he were to talk to Little Narumi, it could make things much more difficult.
So, why don't you take care of the Little Narumi problem?
If it were that easy, I would've handled it already. Besides, he knows my face now.
In that case, ask young Rio to assist you.
Rio's good and she knows what she's doing but...
I just can't stand being around her.
Hold it right there!
What's you're deal?
Guess what? I've got terrific news!
Sorry, not interested. See you later.
But I found some information on Kousuke Asazuki.
Asazuki?
Kousuke Asasuki, 17 years of age.
Born August 28, 1987, that makes him a Virgo by the way.
He attended Moriwaka Middle School until he was 14.
In his second year, he had a run-in with a teacher and she was injured.
After that, he disappeared and hasn't been heard from since.
Any family?
I couldn't find anything on his father...
But, his mother was killed in an accident when he was only three years old.
That's some pretty good detective work.
Oh that? It was nothing... Just you wait, buster...
Gimme a week, I'll find out where he lives,
what kind of shoes he wears, I'll even tell you what he eats for breakfast.
Okay, that's scary... But... about Asazuki...
Based on his background, I'd say he stays on the move...
But he must've found somewhere to go.
He can't be working alone... He must be getting help from someone.
Um...
Ayumu?
Ayumu!
Isn't there something you'd like to say to me?
Like...
Like, "thank you so much, Hiyono... Because of you, the notes of truth will play!
I don't know what I'd do without you!"
You know, some moving words of gratitude!
Um... What? Why would I want to do that?
Hiyono Punch!
Ayumu... uh... well, I...
What is it?
I just wanted to thank you for helping me today!
Not the brightest girl.
Yeah, not so much.
So, what did you do for her?
Ahh... Nothing worth being thanked for. No big deal.
I told you you don't give yourself enough credit.
What do you want?
You should learn to accept gratitude when it comes your way.
It wasn't much, but you did help that girl. You didn't have to, but you did.
You see, it's important to believe in yourself.
That's exactly what I've been trying to tell him.
Ayumu, I'd like to talk to you about the Blade Children.
I thought you'd be interested.
But I'm putting myself at risk by speaking to you like this.
Act like we're talking about school or something.
What can you tell me?
There are forces at work all around us, Ayumu, right now, even as we speak...
There's more going on than you could imagine.
I need some straight answers... Who are you? What's happening?
And what am I supposed to do about it?
We'll continue our chat later, in the Lecture Hall... six o'clock.
Mr. Imazato?
It's only five o'clock?
I'm running a search on Kousuke. Maybe I can pull up an address or a phone number.
There's nothing on him in the school records.
Something's going on in the lecture hall!
What's going on?
I don't know... Everyone's over there.
Come on, let's go check it out.
Wonder what happened?
Let's find out.
Hey, What's going on in there?
It's Mr. Imazato. He collapsed on the floor.
Is he okay?
No. We're too late. There's no pulse.
Ayumu, I'd like to talk to you about the Blade Children.
There's more going on than you could imagine.
Someone wanted him silenced... But who?
Hey, you guys can't just barge in here and start...
He's not breathing and his heart has stopped.
Looks like Rigor mortis is starting to set in.
Don't bother with an ambulance, it's too late.
Someone call the police right away... Now!
I'm on it!
All right, which one of you was the first to discover the body?
Uh... I did.
Tell me what happened.
I was passing by the class and glanced in. He was just lying on the floor.
I called to him but he didn't answer.
How do you think he died? There's no blood, he doesn't seem injured.
Maybe he had a heart attack.
It wasn't a heart attack. He was gassed.
Gassed? I don't smell anything.
You wouldn't, the doors and windows are open. The room has aired out by now.
Besides, this isn't the kind of gas you can smell.
It's really cold in here.
I wonder if the air conditioning is turned on.
Cold? So that was the murder weapon.
Murder weapon? Are you trying to tell me this was a murder?
The timing's too perfect to be an accident.
He mysteriously dies right before he was going to tell me a secret?
The Blade Children have to be responsible for this.
What's going on in here?
Mr. Imazato has been murdered. Don't touch anything and don't let anyone leave.
Lock down the campus and wait for the police.
This was definitely a homicide...
Occurring shortly shortly after 4 o'clock this afternoon.
The killer is most likely a female, and by my deduction,
is four and a half to five feet tall.
She is a student here and probably still among us.
She wears a size five shoe. She's small, but don't let that fool you. She's dangerous.
How can you tell all of this?
Because the melody of logic always plays the notes of truth.
Hiyono, I've got a job for you.
Can you take this information and narrow down a list of suspects?
Give me three days and I'll have it down to twenty people.
I'm counting on you!
He's counting on me!
Watch out... I'm coming for you, Blade Children.
"Science Lab"
Just as I thought.
But, there's nothing here.
Exactly, the killer took it... The murder weapon, I mean.
Another weapon?
Yep, dry ice.
Here! It's a list of vital stats for all students. Height, weight, age...
Using this list as my starting point,
I'll extract only the girls who are between four and a half and five feet tall.
But that still leaves us with over fifty girls.
This is where my skills really pay off.
I hope so.
I'll just review all their schedules for today and map out all of their movements.
Then, I'll determine to whom each of them spoke,
paying special attention to the area near the crime scene.
By tomorrow evening, I should be able to get you a complete rundown
for every one of them.
I got to hand it to you, your investigative skills really are something else!
Yeah, I know! Aren't they? By the way, I was wondering...
What does dry ice have to do with gas poisoning?
Dry ice is nothing but frozen carbon dioxide...
Imazato was poisoned with carbon dioxide.
Carbon dioxide?
Yeah. People don't realize that CO2 can be deadly.
Just because it's in the air all around us doesn't make it safe.
In highly concentrated amounts it'll kill you, just like carbon monoxide will.
Yikes! So, the room must've been filled with carbon dioxide
left when the dry ice evaporated.
Mr. Imazato went in and basically suffocated.
Exactly.
Dry ice must be kept at a temperature below negative 94 degrees.
When it evaporated, the temperature in the room must've dropped
drastically leaving spots of condensation around the podium.
It was simply the natural moisture in the air that condensed into water
when the room temperature fell.
I think I'm following you. So the dry ice had to have been in the podium.
That's Right... And then once all of it had vaporized...
The killer lured Mr. Imazato into the classroom.
She probably talked with him as the gas slowly began to poison him...
Oh, I see.
The killer was probably someone he knew, so he wasn't suspicious.
Plus, carbon dioxide is an odorless, tasteless gas.
But, how is it that the killer was unaffected by the gas?
If she was in the same room with him...
She'd need to know that carbon dioxide is a heavier gas than oxygen or nitrogen.
As the dry ice evaporated, the poison gas settled in the bottom of the room.
The killer stayed safe higher up.
That's why you checked the area at the top of the classroom.
She turned the classroom into a deadly gas chamber, a sort of misty gallows.
She murdered Mr. Imazato and escaped.
Okay, how did you figure out the killer's height and shoe size?
I found fresh footprints all over the room.
They were most likely created when the killer stepped on the floor,
wet from condensation.
I determined her height based on the length of her stride.
And the gender?
Based on the height and small shoe size, the killer couldn't have been a boy.
Alright, one last thing... What made you decide it was one of the students?
Well, there was no sign of a struggle or any other type of physical violence.
By the time Mr. Imazato realized he was in danger, it was too late.
He'd already inhaled the deadly gas.
Which leads me to believe he wasn't surprised to see the person who killed him,
because she was a student here.
If I were guessing, I would say that the killer is someone we'd never suspect.
Man, you've got some nerve making me do all the grunt work.
Y'know, dry ice is heavier than regular ice.
That's why I called you... I wasn't gonna carry it myself.
Impressive though, the way you threw it together so quickly.
Who's there?
Mr. Imazato... I need to talk to you about something important.
Ah, Miss Takeuchi.
What's wrong? Is it too cold in here?
Yeah... I wonder if there's something wrong with the air conditioning.
You know... It's always coldest when death approaches.
What did you say?
You're determined to stand in our way no matter what, Mr. Imazato.
You're a...
Member of the Blade Children, Rio Takeuchi.
What do you want from me?
Simple. I have to be sure you won't tell Ayumu Narumi
what you know about the Blade Children.
Don't you think that's a little unfair to him?
Do you actually believe that fate is fair? Oh, come now...
If it was, then I wonder if the Blade Children ever would have been born at all.
I didn't know you were so pessimistic.
It's not pessimism... It's the stark reality of the situation...
Now, are you going to answer my question?
I won't stand by and let you kill Ayumu...
I would gladly give my life to stop you Blade Children.
Well, if that's the way you want it, then that's the way you'll get it.
You... you can't... hide the truth forever.
Mr. Imazato?
Goodbye...
Kiyotaka's little brother is going to be a headache for us.
You think so?
He's very bright. I mean, look at the way he immediately figured out
the physical description of the killer. He's amazing!
He has a keen sense of perception and deduction. So, what?
But, there's something more... Something extrasensory... It's a gift.
What did you expect? You challenged Little Narumi by killing Imazato at his school.
Ah... But Mr. Imazato was going to tell Ayumu everything...
Something had to be done right away. I had no choice but to kill him there.
Ah, don't sweat it Rio... The reporter girl helps him out a lot.
She's pretty smart, but without her tracking things down for him, he's got nothing...
And even together, they're no match for us.
Don't worry, we'll never be caught.
You're so stupid, Kousuke!
If you haven't noticed, Ayumu is just like his brother...
He's not going to walk away from this.
In the end though, we will be victorious.
Your deductions are pretty solid but...
We just don't have enough data. I can only narrow it down to ten students.
I've tried everything I can think of... Is it gonna be enough for you to go on?
I'm afraid not. Besides, my deductions aren't that great...
Even if we could single-out one person, it would be my word against theirs.
So, why don't you tell me what I'm doing all this work for?
Well... We need more, we need concrete proof.
The trap has been set so now we just wait...
I will win out in the end.
How could we have known this was just the beginning?
Things were about to take a drastic turn we never could have expected.
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!
A really interesting menu item has been discovered in a coffee shop by the station.
It's name? Natto Pumpkin Squid Ink Strawberry Parfait Deluxe!
I need to get info on that right away!
Next episode's highlight is when a lost cat visits the newspaper office!
On the next Spiral: Blind Spot in the Web.
Don't miss the serious turn of events in the next episode!
That's all for today's Hiyono's Playhouse!