If I am really Mom and Dad's child,
why am I not on the family registry?
Let's get you...
registered.
Okay.
What is in a written statement?
The mom has to state the why a birth certificate wasn't issued.
It has to be sent to the Ministry of Justice.
Tanizaki and her mom are very late.
The appointment was for two o'clock, right?
Yes.
The number you have dialed...
- is currently unavailable. - Still can't get her?
She has left quite a few messages.
Her workplace said she left right after noon.
Yes.
She told them she was coming here with her daughter.
I wonder what happened.
Could she have changed her mind at the last minute?
Hey.
I'm sorry.
It's fine.
Contact me if there is anything.
My mom...
Maybe...
she changed her mind on the way here.
We don't know for sure.
As long as she wasn't in an accident or injured.
What is this?
Give it to me!
It was...
all my fault.
It was all my fault.
I'm back.
Welcome home.
Rei, you're back early. What about work?
I had an errand today, so I left early.
That's rare.
Mom said she was leaving work early today too.
Isn't she back yet?
Yes, doesn't look like she is.
- This is the latest news. - I'm so hungry.
A body of a woman was found...
in a park in Minami, Tokyo this afternoon.
The woman was judged to be between her thirties and forties.
The police are trying to confirm her identity.
Passersby discovered her body this afternoon...
at the Soyokaze Nishikouen Park in Minami Kosugi.
She had already collapsed then.
The police...
Mom?
Are you related to the owner of this phone?
- What? - This is the Minami Police Station.
The police?
Excuse me. I am Tanizaki.
Ms. Tanizaki?
I just saw the news.
- That... - The unidentified body?
Yes.
Don't worry.
They just identified the body.
Is this your mom's phone?
Yes, it is.
Where was it found?
It was left behind on a bus.
A bus?
The bus from the medical center to the train station.
She was heading for the City Office.
Mom and I had agreed to meet there at two o'clock,
but she didn't appear and I couldn't contact her.
Did she disappear since today?
Yes.
Just wait a little bit more.
After that, you can consider a request for a search party.
Rei.
Grandma.
Mao called me.
What is going on?
Weren't you supposed to go to the City Office?
I knew it.
She is still running away.
Don't worry too much about it.
Why?
She always stirs things up for those around her.
Even Keisuke...
Dad?
What about Dad?
Keisuke was in an accident because...
Dad was working...
when he had that accident, right?
Keisuke wanted...
to get you registered as soon as possible.
But they quarreled over your future.
Your mom ran out of the house and he went to look for her.
That's when the accident happened.
Of course, she didn't directly cause it,
but...
it was because of her.
You trusted her too, right?
She had that pitiful look about her.
In the end, she betrayed her own child to protect herself.
Rei.
It wasn't Mom.
Rei.
Leave her alone for a while, okay?
(I am on the bus heading for the City Office.)
The officer said there is a way to get registered.
Tomorrow,
come with me to the City Office.
Mom.
Hey.
Aren't you going to help me?
(Sunflower Forum)
Apple Pie, how did it go?
Whiskey Bon Bon.
My mom...
never came to the City Office.
My grandma says she has run away.
I know nothing at all about my mom.
I don't know what to believe.
What parents say aren't always the truth.
But mom did take the bus...
heading for the City Office.
She did intend to meet me there.
Is that so?
Actually, I met someone on this website too.
She and her mom also arranged to apply for her to be registered.
But...
her mom ran away just before they were about to go.
Of course,
I don't know what happened to your mom.
But I feel parents are all like that.
Apple Pie,
it's best if you look at the reality before you.
An 18-year-old without a family registry.
Your mom didn't come to meet you.
And...
she still hasn't contacted you.
When I had fevers...
when I was young,
Mom would grate some apples and feed them to me.
That made me very happy.
She even said they were magic apples.
Now that I think of it...
- I wasn't on the family register. - All right.
You'll be fine.
So it was because I couldn't go to the hospital.
Those beautiful memories...
have turned into painful and bitter ones.
Now I can't even bear...
to look at the apples that I loved so much.
I won't depend...
on Mom anymore.
As for future arrangements,
for the time being,
Tanizaki will remain as a part-time worker.
If you have to go to the City Office or have other matters,
as a part-timer, you can adjust your work hours accordingly.
If there's anything you need to do, please tell us.
Thank you very much.
One more thing.
Do you all know the magazine called "City Watcher"?
I do.
It's a free magazine.
I read it often.
Actually,
they want to come to our store to do interviews.
What?
Isn't that great?
Yes.
I will introduce them to pastries made with meticulous care...
by our pastry chefs.
Igawa.
Yes?
I want to introduce your desserts.
Then I'll make my Phrase Pistachio cake.
All right.
And Tanizaki.
Yes?
You too.
What?
Me too?
It's a special feature on promising pastry chefs.
Amazing!
Isn't it great?
You'll be making your apple pie, right?
Well...
How about the chocolate espresso cake?
What?
I'd like to make the chocolate espresso cake.
I'm back.
Rei.
Mom isn't home yet.
What exactly is going on?
Did you have a quarrel with Mom?
We didn't quarrel.
Why are you lying?
Mom left her cell phone on the bus.
We don't know where she is now.
What are you hiding?
Why aren't you telling me?
- Listen to me. - I...
I am always left out of things.
What are you saying?
It's true!
Mom is always only thinking about you.
It's always about you!
Our family revolves only around you!
- That's not true. - It is!
You are...
terrible.
Mao.
Mao, I'm sorry.
- I just... - Forget it!
Mao.
Mao, what are you doing?
I'm going to Grandma's.
- What? - I don't want to be here anymore!
Mao, wait!
Are there any progress on Tanizaki's case?
No.
It seems like her mom hasn't contacted her at all.
I see.
Perhaps her mom has gotten afraid or something.
I have heard cases about children with no family registry.
It seems there really are moms who can't bring themselves...
to write the statements.
After all, it is traumatic to face one's painful past.
No matter how much they suffer, humans will learn to forget.
That's how they live on.
Thank you for your hard work.
- Thank you for your hard work. - Thank you for your hard work.
Thank you for your hard work.
(Teio Product Employees Suspected of Buying and Selling Drugs)
(Was It A Company-wide Operation?)
(Coming In for Questioning Today)
Kiyama!
Kataoka committed suicide.
Suicide?
What happened?
Tozai Publishing, City Desk.
It's for you.
Speaking.
Kataoka's case has been canceled?
What is all this about?
That's different from what we talked about!
What are you doing here?
Leave.
Leave!
Please use these.
Please do something with them.
What happened?
My mom has disappeared.
Please help me even though there is no written statement!
My mom has run away and my sister has left home too!
She said she hated this home and left!
Tanizaki, calm down.
You won't understand, Mr. Kiyama.
My family is in pieces now.
What kind of a system is this?
What kind of a law is this?
But the problem is,
a child born less than 300 days after divorce...
Why?
Why must it be because of such a system?
Do I have to suffer so much...
merely because of this?
Your mom doesn't want your name in her ex-husband's registry.
If Mom...
had been really thinking about me, I wouldn't be in this situation.
I...
I'll make it myself.
I won't depend on Mom anymore.
But I don't have a birth certificate.
Let me take a look.
Kikuchi Obstetrics and Gynecology.
If this is a private hospital,
they may still have your medical records.
If they do, a new birth certificate can be issued.
It's impossible without a written statement, right?
Yes.
I'll go to the hospital where I was born.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
The birth certificate is given to the mom...
right after the child is born.
I know that, but I can't find it.
I really need it.
I'm sorry, but can you please help me?
It was 18 years ago, right?
Can you please look for it?
Please.
Ms. Tanizaki.
Yes.
We found your medical records in the archive.
We have reissued the birth certificate for you.
Thank you very much.
Here you are.
We wish you happiness.
What?
This is what we say...
when we hand the certificate over after a baby is born.
We wish them a future of happiness when we send them out of here.
(Birth Certificate)
(To Yoko. Are you well? How are Rei and Mao?)
(After the harvest here in Hokkaido, I'll send you some corn.)
Natsume Sayuri?
The number you have dialed is currently...
Hello, my name is Tanizaki Rei.
I am Yoko's daughter.
Are you Yoko's daughter?
Yes.
Please sit down.
Excuse me.
Natsume Sayuri is my maternal grandmother, right?
Yes.
Is she around?
She has passed away.
What?
Two months ago.
Is Yoko well?
Did she come by?
No.
Do you know anything about my mom?
Yoko's parents opposed her marriage.
After defying her dad, she ran away from home.
Is that so?
By the way,
is your dad still a glass craftsman in Otaru?
What?
No.
My dad was in the welfare services.
Welfare services?
I have never heard about him crafting glass.
That person isn't my dad.
Hello?
President, are you well?
Yes.
Yoko's daughter came to the factory today.
What?
In Hokkaido?
Yes.
She said her name is Tanizaki Rei.
What was she doing there?
She said she was looking for Yoko.
Yoko?
Welcome.
Excuse me.
Yes?
Where is the girl who makes the apple pies?
That would be Tanizaki. She is on leave today.
I see.
Hello.
What is it?
No.
It's nothing.
What is in that store?
We need to protect Rei.
Only we can protect Rei.
Okay.
Good morning.
Mr. Kiyama.
Sorry about the other day.
It's fine.
I got my birth certificate.
Is that so?
That's great.
When the nurse handed it to me,
she said,
"We wish you happiness."
They always wish the baby a future of happiness...
as they send the baby off.
I...
just need to make apple pies...
to feel very happy.
It might be a trivial matter to others.
But that's because...
they know nothing.
All that happiness I felt...
was just an illusion.
Many uncertainties...
will happen in our lives.
But no matter what,
you can't deny your past.
So cute.
What?
That baby.
That's me.
I know.
What?
Tanizaki.
A moment, please.
Okay.
Did something happen?
No.
Really?
To a pastry chef,
it's a strength to have a signature pastry.
Are you really set on doing the chocolate espresso cake?
Yes.
I see.
I understand.
You seem relaxed even though we have an interview coming up.
Hello, Minami City Office Night Desk.
Excuse me.
May I please speak to Mr. Kiyama?
Speaking.
I am Tanizaki...
I am Tanizaki Rei's mom.
Are you all right?
I'm really very sorry...
to cause you so much trouble.
It's fine.
Was...
Was Rei there...
that day?
Yes.
She waited a long time for you.
So...
Have you seen her since?
Do you know how she is right now?
She is very worried.
Have you been in touch with her?
I want...
to at least do what I can for her first...
before I face her.
Please tell me what I can do.
Only you...
can produce the written statement.
Can you send it to me?
Yes.
May I have the address?
Okay.
I got it.
I'll send it over.
Mrs. Tanizaki.
This is Kiyama.
This is the written statement you asked for.
Well...
Why did you make a special trip here?
I didn't come...
to ask why you didn't come with Rei to the City Office that day.
I'm sure you have your reasons.
But please clarify things with Rei.
She...
is doing her best.
Even while being nearly crushed under a weight of anxiety,
she is still going all out doing what she can do.
She went on her own to get her birth certificate.
She knew nothing could be done without a written statement.
But she still took the photo and the health record book...
to the City Office and pleaded with me to help her.
Please contact her.
Only you can protect her.
My husband...
used to always say this too.
"Only we...
can protect Rei."
When Rei was little,
we three used to come often...
to this beach.
I intended to do my best, even on behalf of my husband,
but I keep running away.
I couldn't take her to the hospital when even she was sick.
When Rei got injured or her condition got worse,
as a mom, I should have been worried about my child.
Instead,
I would think, "What should I do?"
When she started going to elementary school..
and later middle school,
I would go to the City Offices and schools over and over again...
and said I didn't understand and continuously denied things.
But Rei...
knows nothing of that.
She still grew up...
to be a gentle, cheerful and healthy girl.
I knew I couldn't just let it be and that I needed to do something.
Even so...
I still allowed...
the situation to come to this.
When Rei...
found out she wasn't on the family registry...
and questioned me,
I couldn't answer her properly.
When she wanted me to help her apply for her ID,
I couldn't say yes to her.
Even after agreeing to go,
I still ran away.
I...
I am a weak person.
I am a terrible mom.
I don't think you are terrible.
I kept lying to her and hurting her.
After what I've done, I don't blame her for hating me.
What hurt Rei so much...
was because she felt happiness when she was with you,
don't you think?
Rei may be showing a brave front, but she's still waiting.
She wants to believe...
in the mom she loves so much.
Haven't you been protecting Rei all this time?
Tell her those feelings.
What is important...
is what you are going to do from now on.
(Tanizaki Rei)
(Tanizaki Yoko)
Mom?
To Rei.
Rei.
I am so sorry...
that I didn't meet you at the City Office that day.
I was afraid I may not be able to explain properly over the phone,
so I'm writing to tell you my situation and feelings that day.
That day,
I was on the bus...
heading for the City Office.
At that time,
I suddenly saw my ex-husband walking along the street.
I was scared.
I was thinking, "Why is he in this city?
Did he come because he found out I was here?
Or was it a coincidence?"
I wasn't sure.
But if we were to meet,
you would probably be in danger.
That's why I ran away.
I have done you wrong,
but...
you would still always smile at me.
You don't know just how your smile saved me...
when I was suffering.
I wouldn't have survived until now...
if it wasn't for you.
I don't know if you'll ever forgive me,
but Rei,
I will get you on the register.
I will write the written statement and return to you.
Rei,
I am a weak mom...
who have caused you pain.
But I still want to protect you.
I love you with all my heart.
From Mom.
Mom.
Rei, this is a magic apple.
You'll get well soon.
Okay.
Here.
How is it?
It's delicious.
Is it? I'm glad.
Thank you for coming.
Welcome.
This apple pie was really delicious, right?
Have you had the apple pie here?
Yes, even though there was a mistake with it.
- What? - Naoto.
No, it's nothing.
Don't say strange things.
I'm sorry. Three apple pies, please.
Of course. Thank you.
I'm back.
Mr. Kiyama, I'm back!
Welcome home.
We went shopping.
Is that so?
- Go wash your hands. - Okay.
(Night and Holiday Counter)
That's great.
Isn't this great?
To write that statement,
she'll have to face a past that she can't bear to recall.
So it might take some time.
- But... - But...
from now on,
no matter what happens, I'll believe in my mom.
Okay.
My mom suffered for my sake.
I am the only one who can believe her.
Yes.
So I'll give it my all to do what I can do...
while I wait for Mom.
Okay.
It was as you said.
Everything that happened since I was born until now...
is very important.
They are all important.
You too, Mr. Kiyama.
No matter what happens,
please don't deny what you were up until now.
Many uncertainties will happen in our lives.
Thank you very much.
Not at all.
(Written Statement)
(Tanizaki)
Stop!
Ouch.
Are you okay?
I'm sorry.
Ms. Apple Pie.
Letting a part-timer be in charge of the pastries.
All these are just sympathy for her.
Is Tanizaki the girl whose case you have been dealing with?
I didn't expect that you weren't registered.
You need to be greedier.
I guess I'm different after all.
Mr. Kiyama, were you a reporter before?
You and Yoko...
Everyone thinks like that too. They pity me.
You think I had it worse than you.
Do your best.
I will.
Be greedier?
Though I'm in a predicament,
I'll remain confident so that I can change my future.