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.
Rio's way too reckless.
I mean, come on.
She went and blew herself up just to escape Ayumu's little web.
Rio did not walk the tightrope of death so that she could escape.
Quite the contrary.
She took the risk so that she could defeat Little Narumi head-on.
Everything we have done so far has been a preliminary move toward victory.
The true match has yet to begin.
Here. From Rutherford.
Oh, that was so sweet of him.
It's so yummy!
So Rio, you wanna clue me into the next step in your little game with Ayumu?
I'm glad you asked. This next part is something I could use your help with.
There's Rio's room, Ayumu.
Yeah.
Thank you so much. You're too kind!
Well, we weren't entirely uninvolved. You seem to be doing a lot better though.
Yeah, the doctor says I'll be out soon.
Too bad that stuffed animal was a failure.
What?
We tracked down the store you bought it from.
I'm sure you assumed the stuffed animal would be obliterated in the explosion,
so it would be impossible for us to find out where it came from.
So you were either careless or lazy
and bought it at a store near the school.
I found plenty of them on the shelves.
You failed, Rio. The store clerk even remembers you buying the stuffed animal
the day before the incident.
Um... What are you talking about?
Don't play dumb. The store's security camera captured the entire transaction.
You see, Rio, my information network reaches well beyond the school grounds.
Sorry, you didn't stand a chance.
The truth of the matter is there was no security camera
and the clerk only thought he remembered seeing Rio at the store.
It was all made up, just to see if she'd come clean.
Now, it's her turn. Time to see if she calls our bluff.
I know you're one of the Blade Children. You won't get away.
I should have expected this from Kiyotaka's younger brother.
But I am impressed you discovered I'm one of the Blade Children.
However, if we keep butting our heads like this, as equally matched opponents,
I don't think we'll ever see this thing through to the end.
Okay, Kousuke!
Yo! Long time no see!
Asazuki?
This is one messed up situation...
You sure you want to go through with it?
I've always known that it would come down to something like this.
And besides, if I can't make it through this,
how can I ever hope to beat fate?
So, Little Brother, the time has now come to begin our final game,
and put an end to this.
Access denied? I'm blocked out of Kiyotaka's file?
Why? The password's correct and I should have clearance at this level.
What's going on here?
But, it's not just Kiyotaka. Sonobe, Imazato, Adachi,
I can't access any of their files and I should be able to.
There's something connecting all of them, something they have in common,
but what is it?
Madoka, dear.
Commissioner Kanzaka.
The game is simple. It will settle things once and for all.
One packet is plain old sugar, and the other is strychnine.
A poison.
It kills you by causing respiratory paralysis and circulatory collapse.
It's extremely bitter. Sensitive tongues can still taste it,
even when it's 400,000 times more diluted than this.
This is about two times the lethal dose, only I don't know which is which.
The packets are exactly the same.
When I say, we'll each choose a glass and drink the entire contents.
Choose the poison and you can say your final goodbyes,
We share the same risk.
Which one of us will death drag away? Can you guess?
I'll even let you go first! Go ahead, pick one!
I don't mind getting leftovers.
That way, it won't matter even if I do know which one has the poison.
What kind of an idiot would play this stupid game?
It doesn't matter what happens between us, the law will still judge you!
Can it really, though? I have a funny feeling
that this proof you claim to have is nothing more than a bluff.
Did I guess right?
Why do you insist on this elaborate game?
If you want me dead, there are much easier ways to do it.
You're correct. We could kill you easily if we wanted to.
But something prevents me from doing so.
A promise made to Kiyotaka.
A promise to Kiyotaka? What do these guys know about my brother?
What's wrong Ayumu?
Calm down. Don't lose focus.
Figure out what she's thinking and let logic do the rest.
And just so you know, I haven't done anything like poison both glasses,
like a coward.
I mean, where would the challenge be if we both die?
Why should I believe a word you say?
Well, if you like, I'll pick one and I'll drink it first.
If it kills me, then you win the challenge.
If it doesn't kill me you can do whatever you want.
You don't even have to drink the other glass if you don't want to.
But, if you're the type who runs away, then you certainly have nothing to lose.
But poison myself on purpose? Only a fool wouldn't run away.
I'm not afraid to drink it.
There's no absolute guarantee that I'm going to die.
You're talking about twice the lethal dose of strychnine!
The chance of survival is virtually zero! You'd die instantly!
You're right about that.
But to run away from my challenge, isn't that really the same as death?
A terrible fate awaits you
and will simply snatch away that which you desire and all you hold dear,
as it slays your spirit and mind.
Yes. You understand. Kiyotaka took everything from you,
and now you only live with your head down.
I won't run away.
I will always go forward to protect what I hold dear and to change my fate.
Even if that involves risking my own life to win.
Do you see? If you can't overcome this little game,
then your fate will undoubtedly still kill you eventually.
Fate means nothing to me.
But it seems I have no other choice than to settle this here and now.
I will accept your challenge, Rio.
Missing Persons fall under the jurisdiction of Public Safety.
Detectives like you are not to get involved.
You're telling me I can't access information
regarding my own husband's disappearance?
I know this is hard for you. Kiyotaka was a good man.
The fact is, I'm not doing this for personal reasons.
There's more to it than that.
I believe that my husband's disappearance
is linked to a series of recent murders.
You're an excellent detective.
If I were you, I wouldn't want to tarnish my career.
But, I think...
Do we have an understanding?
Your strategies and tactics won't be of any use now, Little Brother.
What you do need is the ability to believe in yourself.
Your conviction that you won't lose will be the deciding factor in this game.
Well, let's begin.
Wait!
Do you really think this little charade of yours is going to fool me?
The ability to decipher strategy is what'll decide the outcome of your game.
Not the ability to believe, or whatever.
You really are something.
You know, you're a lot smarter than you look and you've got guts.
To be honest with you, I wasn't sure what to think.
I was trying to understand the psychology of a girl
who was stupid enough to blow up her own chest just to hide a missing rib.
You were intuitive and knew my perspective had changed.
You switched from evasion to attack.
So you devised this little challenge
to ensure that I would have a crushing defeat.
Would you seriously put yourself in a position
where you had a fifty percent chance of dying?
You know, I really wouldn't put it past you to do something so crazy.
After all, you did blow yourself up on purpose back at the school.
But, of course, at that point, the web we laid out was rapidly closing in,
and your only option was to walk the tightrope of death.
So, now we find ourselves here. You've called my bluff
and, at the moment, you certainly have the upper hand.
It would seem that you have me right where you want me.
So, why would you find it necessary to bet your life again?
Common sense would dictate that you wouldn't.
This game is rigged so you would have a one hundred percent chance of winning.
But, I gave you the first move. You chose your glass first.
How could I have rigged the game? You saw everything I did.
That's right, I did see, and that's where you gave it away.
You were going to drink first. If you didn't die,
then by process of elimination my cup would have the poison.
Why would anyone in their right mind
actually drink water they knew was poisoned?
There never was any poison to begin with. Both packets had sugar in them.
You started this scheme by blowing yourself up,
making me believe you were willing to risk your own life.
So, all you had to do was drink the water, not die,
and you'd win.
I'd be too afraid to drink what I thought was a glass of strychnine.
You'd have your victory over me and I would walk away in shame.
You said earlier you called my bluff, Rio?
Well, now I'm calling yours.
You did make a bad miscalculation, though.
If one of us had actually died of strychnine poisoning,
what were you planning to do with the body?
What would you have told the police?
They would run tests and discover that the death was a homicide.
You wouldn't take that chance. These glasses are only sugar water.
Ayumu!
Impossible.
That tongue-piercing bitterness! Strychnine!
That's just what I expected.
You talk big, but when it came down to it,
you hardly touched the glass to your lips before you gave way to caution.
You didn't drink nearly enough to kill yourself.
That's no way to go about changing your fate.
You believe me now? I promised a fair game.
She really is willing to risk everything.
Just as Rio thought,
the ability to believe in one's self decided everything.
Little Narumi's reasoning was correct. Neither of the glasses contained poison.
It was nothing more than extremely bitter-tasting cold medicine.
But, Rio blew herself up at the school and raised the stakes.
Little Narumi had to deal with the fact
that she would risk her life for what she wanted.
Plus, we made sure to point out that strychnine is very bitter.
As soon as that cold medicine touched his tongue,
he couldn't drink anymore.
If he'd really believed in himself he would have gone through with it
and he'd have been fine.
In the end, he gave in to his own self-doubt and lack of self-confidence.
He was supposed to believe in his reasoning and drink the water.
How can you face your destiny and fate if you can't have faith in yourself?
Hold it right there!
I'm sorry, but I refuse to believe that Ayumu's reasoning was wrong!
But the results are in. Just look at him. It's obvious his reasoning was flawed.
Not a chance, Rio! I believe in Ayumu!
There is no poison in this glass and I'll prove it!
See? It was nothing more than really bitter tasting water.
Too bad for you, but this isn't over.
Regardless of what you think, Ayumu hasn't lost to you.
You owe us another match.
I admit it. I did use a little trickery.
But whether you like it or not, he did lose the challenge.
Look at him. He knows he has failed horribly.
He thought he had it all figured out, but he didn't.
And, now he sits there,
a cowardly loser, ashamed of himself, as he should be.
Oh, get over yourself already!
Ayumu had you by the throat
and you were lucky you were able to slither your way out.
You cheated rather than face a real challenge.
Why didn't you go through with it for real?
Why didn't you use real poison?
Because you're the coward, that's why.
You should be the one hanging your head in shame.
You set up a rigged game and depended on a cheap trick to save your skin!
You didn't have the guts to face him fairly!
If you'd truly wanted to settle things,
you should have put faith in your luck and risked your life.
Instead, all you did was trick him!
You knew that fate and luck were on Ayumu's side and not yours.
You knew you would lose to him unless the game was rigged.
You feared Ayumu from the beginning.
You weren't afraid of a bomb,
but you were afraid of Ayumu's ability to figure you out.
You couldn't put your life in the hands of fate.
You were the one who ran away first.
So you can take your pompous, self-righteous attitude and shove it!
You frighten me. Really.
As much as I hate to say it, I think she's right.
Sorry. Today's just not your lucky day.
Understand, we made a promise with Kiyotaka regarding Ayumu.
He insisted that we treat him with a certain respect.
He never said anything about you.
If you're going to insist on being a problem,
I won't hesitate to eliminate you.
So, you're just gonna kill me, too?
Like you killed Mr. Imazato?
Yes. Murder is just so easy, and honestly,
life can be a whole lot less risky once you've removed your enemies.
Killing Imzato was easy, and killing you will be easier.
I've been waiting for you to say that!
I've been recording everything you've said.
The cops are gonna love this.
You've admitted to murdering Mr. Imazato, plus you've threatened to kill me.
Anything else you'd like to add to your statement?
This is a pretty compelling piece of evidence, wouldn't you say?
I started recording when we came into the room, so I've got everything.
I had a hard time getting you to talk about it,
but a good reporter knows how to lead her subject.
You were being cautious and that's understandable.
But in the end, like so many others, you let your guard down.
I think the police will find just enough evidence here
to bring a solid case against you.
You sneaky little vixen!
I always save the trump card for the end of the game. Don't you?
Okay, Hiyono. What is it that you want from us?
I don't think you'd be telling us this
if you were just going to give the tape to the cops.
Yeah. I do want something. A fair rematch between you and Ayumu.
Hiyono! What are you thinking?
I'm thinking about you, silly! Don't you like my idea?
Ayumu!
You've crossed the line, little girl.
Oh, it can get much worse, I assure you.
Ayumu, you have to hurry! Run!
Get the tape out of here!
I wouldn't if I were you!
Give the tape to Rio,
or watch your little friend here make like the pretty birdies and fly.
Ayumu! Don't do it. As long as you have the tape they won't hurt me.
You know it won't do them any good to kill me
until they get ahold of that tape!
Think about it. They are not going to be satisfied
if they have to end this challenge with brute force!
Go, Ayumu! I'll be fine. You will face them another day and you'll win!
Believe in your strength!
Damn.
Oh well, I guess we should just hold onto her for a while.
Kousuke, you might want to consider letting go of her.
Do you like it? My special stun-gun packs a hundred thousand volts!
Enough to bring a bear to its knees!
Be careful with that thing! You could hurt someone.
That's the point, Kousuke.
Maybe you'll think twice the next time you try and push me out a window.
So, you could have gotten away any time you wanted to. Isn't that right?
Yeah. Well, I like to plan ahead.
Then why didn't you just leave with him?
You guys having me as a hostage
is just the kind of motivation Ayumu needs right now.
Come again?
I'm interested in the degree to which you want Ayumu and I to have a rematch.
You're very passionate.
But I'm not sure that your hostage plan was such a good idea,
given the circumstances.
It might give him the feeling that he failed you and himself.
Maybe this is the worst thing you could've done.
No, this won't sit well with him, that's for sure.
When he's had a chance to think it through he'll see.
The poor boy is finished, Hiyono.
You know, they say when you fall, it's best to fall straight to the bottom.
And the farther you have to crawl back up,
the stronger and greater you will become as a result.
Things have become quite complicated.
Yeah, I guess so.
And what about the Yuizaki girl? Where is she?
We've got her locked up, for right now.
So Little Narumi has tasted failure, and now wanders the playing field,
ever the loser.
Kiyotaka said it best: The ability to get up after a defeat
is far more admirable than the ability to never lose.
Okay, so this will ensure the safety of the tape. But...
I ran away. I left her back there at the mercy of the Blade Children.
My brother wouldn't have hesitated.
My brother would have believed in himself.
He would have stayed and fought!
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!
; Bahm, bahm, bahm! ;
When we fall, let's fall straight to the very, very bottom!
All we have to do after that is crawl back up!
Next episode's highlight is when Ayumu goes bungee jumping
after regaining his determination under a waterfall!
On the next Spiral: Day of the Defeated
The farther you have to crawl back up,
the stronger and greater you will become as a result.
That's all for today's Hiyono's Playhouse!