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!
Wait!
She said she hated this home and left!
Many uncertainties...
will happen in our lives.
But no matter what,
you can't deny your past.
I will get you on the register.
I will write the statement and come back to you.
Mom.
Ouch.
Are you okay?
I'm okay.
This...
I'm sorry.
I'll compensate you.
It's all right.
But it's torn.
It's a present from my mom.
I see.
It's something important.
Yes.
So it's really okay.
Are you learning French?
Yes.
But I'm ashamed to admit that I'm still not good at it.
I'm really sorry.
Are you hurt?
I'm fine.
I'm sorry for not noticing you too.
Well then.
(About Myself, About Others)
(Mao)
Your call will be transferred to the voicemail.
Please leave your message after the beep.
Mao.
It's me.
Mom is doing well.
She wrote me a letter.
It seems like she is in Choshi right now.
So don't worry about her.
(Hello. I am the administrator of the Sunflower Forum.)
(You have a new message.)
Good evening.
What happened to your mom after that?
Is she okay?
She is fine.
I have decided to wait for my mom.
Mr. Whiskey Bon Bon have taught me a lot of things.
Thank you.
It might be too late for an introduction.
My name...
is Kusano Kota.
I am 21 years old.
My name is Tanizaki Rei.
I am 18 years old.
I work in a patisserie.
Patisserie?
Are you...
a baker?
Yes, I make the apple pies in the patisserie.
I see.
Is that why your username is Apple Pie?
Yes.
I really want to eat the apple pie made by Ms. Apple Pie.
Really?
Someday,
can I go to your store and eat the apple pie...
made by Ms. Apple Pie?
(Apple Pie)
Of course, please come.
I'm home.
- Welcome home. - Welcome home.
I'm home.
Do you want some apple pie?
I'll pass.
I bought it yesterday.
You brought some back last time, didn't you?
The apple pie from this store was so delicious.
It's delicious.
Is that so?
Is Tanizaki the girl whose case you have been dealing with?
Yes.
Goodness, Naoto.
It spilled everywhere.
- Goodness. - I'm sorry.
Be careful.
Please lift your head slightly.
Look here, please.
Like this?
You're too stiff, Rei.
Just relax and smile like usual.
Here.
As expected of Satsuki.
She looks so professional.
These are common questions from "City Watcher".
What is your treasure?
My treasure...
is this cake knife.
I bought it at a specialty store when I was in Paris.
I've been using it ever since.
I'm so used to it that it feels like a part of my hand.
I see.
What is Ms. Tanizaki's treasure?
My treasure is this French textbook.
It's a gift from my mom.
Have you been to Paris?
I haven't.
But I would really love to.
Studying there is my dream.
The work of a patissier...
takes a lot of time and requires a lot of strength.
Why did you choose this job?
I think being able to win with your own ability is great.
It doesn't matter if you are male or female.
You can use your ability to make a good or bad dessert...
based on its appearance and taste.
Your ability speaks for you.
How about Ms. Tanizaki?
The first dessert...
I made with my mom when I was young was apple pie.
Hot from the oven,
it was sour and sweet.
I felt happy with just one bite.
At that moment, I realized that desserts can bring happiness.
(Poivre currant tart)
I want this, two Opera cakes and one apple pie.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
Yes?
Apple pie.
Do you still have them?
We do.
Apple pie.
Ms. Apple Pie.
Could you be Mr. Whiskey Bon Bon?
I am.
Nice to meet you.
Nice to meet you too.
Sorry for the wait.
You really came.
Yes.
The apple pie looks delicious.
I'm looking forward to eating it.
I'm happy.
Right, I secretly put some macarons inside.
Consider it as a gift.
What's the matter?
It's nothing.
I just thought this was fun.
It is indeed.
I...
don't have friends.
When you want to get close...
or be friends with someone,
at that time,
you'll talk about yourself normally, right?
Yes.
But...
I can't do it.
I am in the same situation as you.
After talking a few times with you, I feel connected to you.
I'm sorry.
Don't mind me.
Let's be friends then.
What?
Between the two of us,
you can tell me things that you aren't able to tell others.
I tell you everything too.
This is fun too.
Kusano, what do you do?
I do part-time manual labor work.
I want to find a proper job,
but I can't do it without my family registry.
You're right. I had a hard time with that too.
I found out that I wasn't registered...
when I was preparing for my promotion as an official employee.
In your current workplace?
Yes.
But they understood after I explained my situation.
Did you tell them?
Yes, I did.
I can't hide it from them forever.
I see.
You told them.
Right, did your mom contact you?
She sent me a letter.
She wrote all her feelings on it.
I want to believe her...
or should I say, I think I can believe her.
My mom...
is doing her best for me.
I, Tanizaki Yoko,
married Ayukawa Hiroki in April 1991...
when I was 18 years old.
But two months after that,
Ayukawa showed signs of domestic violence.
I...
have never received compulsory education.
What?
I had to be discreet since I was a child,
so I had always been alone.
Somehow...
How should I explain it?
I felt l like I was living on the borderlands.
It's only natural.
I can't rent a house...
or go online.
I can't work properly as well.
How did you live all this while?
I lower my pride to the people I hate...
to borrow their names.
Watching their expressions,
I bow down to them...
while hiding my own feelings.
If I don't do something, I won't be able to eat.
But, in the end,
I feel sad for myself.
Right now,
you think I am pitiful, don't you?
What?
No, why would I?
You think I had it worse than you.
That's normal.
Everyone thinks like that too.
They pity me.
Sorry.
I made the mood like this.
It's all right.
Thank you for meeting me today...
and listening to me.
I'm really happy.
After half a year of waiting,
I handed the marriage application with Tanizaki on November.
At that time,
I didn't know...
Ayukawa hasn't hand in the divorce application.
I went to Hokkaido again to find Ayukawa.
He...
What?
Aren't you coming back?
Please agree...
to the divorce.
Do you have another man?
Never mind.
After you left,
I thought about a lot of things.
In the end,
I guess...
it is better for us to be separated.
What's with that expression?
Stop!
Mao.
I heard the voicemail.
Did Mom send a letter?
She did.
Show me.
Show me!
Stop hiding things from me.
You're right.
(Tanizaki Rei)
Before you read this,
I have something to tell you.
Mao.
I'm not in the family registry.
What?
I am not...
in Mom's and your family registry.
You know...
Before I was born,
Mom was abused severely...
by her previous husband.
(Ayukawa)
I'm sorry, Rei.
I'm really sorry.
I didn't expect that you weren't registered.
And that Mom was divorced before.
I didn't expect those at all.
You must be surprised.
Even though our family isn't rich...
and we don't have a dad,
but I have always thought of us as a normal family.
But I didn't know anything.
I only think for myself.
I was selfish.
That's not true.
Sorry for hiding the truth from you.
I was afraid it was too much for you to handle.
I didn't know what to do.
But...
by not saying anything at all,
I made you suffer more.
Rei.
You can't be an official employee like this, right?
You can't go to Paris or get married, right?
Yes.
So I need to work harder.
You make it sound easy.
You are so pitiful.
How pitiful.
"City Watcher" is here.
Really?
- Let's read it. - I'm so excited.
Such good photos.
I agree.
Really?
It says that you are very professional.
What about Rei?
Amazing, Rei.
You had special treatment!
Isobe.
It's great that they wrote about our store like that.
At this rate, the customers will increase tomorrow.
(Our store's pastries are featured in this!)
Hello.
Is this the Tanizaki family?
Yes.
May I know who am I speaking to?
This is Natsume Shusaku.
I am...
Yoko's dad.
Are you Tanizaki?
Yes.
I am Natsume.
I apologize for not visiting you earlier.
It's fine, please sit.
You and Yoko...
I haven't seen her...
in 20 years.
Is that so?
Why did you come to Tokyo?
My wife passed away.
From a letter she left,
I learned about what happened to Yoko and my granddaughters.
Before that,
I had no idea she got married to Tanizaki Keisuke.
Has she been in contact with them all along?
I think so.
Does she also know about Rei's family registry?
Yes.
I want to do all I can for my granddaughters.
When the time is suitable,
maybe I can talk to Yoko.
Yoko isn't at home, is she?
How do you know?
Rei went to Hokkaido to find Yoko.
Did she go alone?
Yoko's disappearance...
has something to do with Rei's family registry, right?
I think so.
There's a lot going on inside Yoko's mind now.
She wrote Rei a letter.
She told Rei to trust and wait for her.
I don't want Yoko to follow my footsteps.
Do you know where she is now?
Are you going to meet her?
No,
I can't meet her now.
But...
Great job, Tsutsui.
- Right? - You were acting cool.
- What? - I have never seen you like that.
Kiyama.
Tsutsui is in the magazine.
A special feature on handsome guys in Minami.
- They said he is handsome. - A handsome guy.
Let's not talk about this. Look at this.
What?
That's right.
Tanizaki Rei. What a hardworking girl.
Now that's how a person's face should look like.
- Handsome, go buy an apple pie. - Wait.
The sales today are great.
It must be because of "City Watcher".
Who knows?
But I'm really happy.
There is another one.
Tanizaki.
We will be sending your apple pies to the headquarters.
What?
Well, I wanted the headquarters to read the article.
So I asked "City Watcher" to send them a copy.
After that, they requested to taste your apple pie.
You must make them properly.
Yes.
Igawa.
Yes?
Please check the order for next week.
Okay.
Please give me three apple pies.
All right, thank you.
You were on the free paper, weren't you?
Yes.
I read it and came here just to buy it.
Please give me four of them.
- Thank you. - Thank you for coming.
Please, Satsuki.
You want four, right?
Okay.
Rei, these are the last ones.
We are sold out of apple pies for today.
(Apple Pie)
(Phrase Pistachio)
Thank you for your hard work.
- Thank you for your hard work. - Thank you.
Thank you for your hard work.
Your apple pie was well-received in the headquarters.
They intend to use apples...
for the new products release during autumn.
They intend to include your product into that project too.
After everything is done,
you'll definitely be promoted to an official employee.
This is a rare opportunity.
Don't think about anything else. Just work hard.
Igawa and the others too.
I'm counting on you for the coordination of shifts.
Okay.
Please wait for a while.
I studied hard in a specialized school.
I took a rigorous job test.
I started as an official employee in this company.
But Rei is just a part-timer.
She has no fundamental knowledge at all.
Igawa.
She is younger and is a part-timer.
but I watched you let her be in charge of the apple pies.
And because of her story with her mom,
the reporters did a good write-up on her, didn't they?
Her apple pies are selling like hotcakes...
not because they taste good,
but because they read the article.
Promoting Rei to an official employee,
letting a part-timer be responsible for production...
and letting her join the project team.
All these...
are just sympathy for her.
A patissier should be judged based on her ability.
No matter how pitiful she is,
this favoritism is too much.
Igawa.
You saw the pain Tanizaki suffered,
yet you still dare to say all those things.
Before taking into account of your identity as a patissier,
I think as a person,
your way of thinking is problematic.
Don't take it to heart.
Satsuki.
Satsuki, wait.
Promoting Rei to an official employee...
and letting her be responsible for baking the apple pies,
didn't all these happen before we knew she wasn't registered?
I know!
But...
I found it.
Excuse me, is Mr. Kiyama around?
He is on his break.
Isn't he at the smoking room?
Something to ask me?
Yes.
Actually, there's an interesting girl.
I was wondering how you would conduct the interview...
and write the article.
I want your opinion.
I am not a reporter anymore.
I'll come back again.
Hey.
Do you two know each other?
I am responsible for her now.
Responsible?
I'm Nakatsu, Kiyama's junior from the newspaper agency.
Newspaper agency?
Mr. Kiyama, were you a reporter before?
Yes.
He was a very passionate...
and capable reporter back then.
That's enough, hurry and leave.
I'll be leaving then.
You were on the free paper.
Did you read it?
Yes.
It was a large feature.
This is for you.
Are you selling it to me again?
It's for you to eat.
What?
Because I know Mr. Kiyama will tell me the truth.
The truth?
I don't know why I am losing my confidence.
Someone said I was pitiful...
because I wasn't on the family registry.
That's why I got my manager's recommendation...
and had a big feature.
That's why my apple pie is selling a lot.
I guess I'm different after all.
I always thought that I could change the future,
but I guess I was wrong.
I don't think sympathy has that kind of power.
It's easy to put blame on something by saying that,
but isn't it okay...
to be greedier?
I shouldn't be the one eating that.
Be greedier?
Good morning.
How is it?
Satsuki, good morning.
Good morning.
Satsuki.
Please taste my apple pie.
I want you to try it.
Please judge for yourself...
if I got my opportunities out of pity.
Coming.
A delivery for you.
(Tanizaki Yoko)
Who is it from?
I have no idea.
Someone left it at the entrance when I wasn't around.
Thank you.
You're welcome.
(Her Single-minded Approach Reveals Her Love For Apple Pies)
My treasure...
is a French textbook I got from my mom.
I would love to go to Paris one day.
Studying in Paris is my dream.
The first dessert...
I made with my mom when I was young was apple pie.
Hot from the oven,
it was sour and sweet.
I felt happy with just one bite.
At that moment, I realized that desserts can bring happiness.
I reminisce on my memory of my mom.
Baking desserts with happiness...
will bring happiness to those who taste it.
I think that is an incredible thing.
Even when things are hard, I'll be all right.
Thinking that way...
has changed my life.
Thanks for your hard work.
The apple pie...
is very delicious.
But...
I won't admit defeat to you.
I won't lose to you from now on.
Kusano.
Sorry for asking you to come despite your busy schedule.
What's the matter?
That day,
after listening to what you said,
I thought you were pitiful.
But I was wrong.
I'm sorry.
Kusano is Kusano.
We are not registered.
We are different from others without a doubt.
But we can't admit defeat because of this fact.
Someone...
told me this.
That it is okay to be greedier.
At that time, I had a thought.
Is a person's...
character and capability...
determined by their family registry?
The things we can't do.
Do we use the absence of family registry...
as a reason for not doing it?
I hated that.
Though I'm in a predicament,
I'll remain confident so that I can change my future.
So Kusano,
you need to be greedier.
Sorry for being sudden.
Good luck with your work.
I'm home.
Welcome home.
We are having curry today.
Mao.
I'm your older sister.
No matter what happens,
I'll still be your older sister.
You'll be my younger sister.
We are Mom's daughters.
I am Tanizaki Rei.
I am me.
I am right here.
I am not pitiful.
So just treat me as usual.
Even if everyone sympathies me, I won't be weak.
What's wrong, Rei?
No, it's nothing.
It looks delicious.
Right?
I'm home.
Welcome home.
Mom.
I'm sorry.
Rei.
Mao.
I'm sorry.
That's all for today.
What?
I'm leaving.
Though I'm in a predicament,
I'll remain confident so that I can change my future.
So Kusano, you need to be greedier.
(Minami City Office)
These are my elementary and middle school...
graduation certificates.
Health record book.
Photographs.
My birth certificate.
And the written statement.
Thank goodness, your mom came home.
Yes. Thank you for everything.
Not at all.
I heard from Kiyama that you were hoping to apply...
without letting Ayukawa know your current address, right?
Yes.
Okay then.
Please ask your mom to fill in this form.
After that, have the police to acknowledge them.
What are these?
These are for victims who suffered from stalking and domestic abuse...
to apply for assistance.
I'll hold onto these first.
We will submit them to the Legal Affairs Bureau.
I'm counting on you.
I'm okay.
Thank you.
Do your best.
Okay.
(Tanizaki Rei)
Tanizaki.
Of course, I am happy to be registered.
But I won't be going to your place anymore.
What are you planning?
There is something more important than money now.
You won't make them sad anymore, right?
In the end, you have to sacrifice your children.
Tanizaki Rei.
You can quit anytime you want, if you can survive this way.
I just want to find out the winner between the two of us.
Can you describe what happened during this incident back then?
Is it okay getting my family registration like this?
My dad died when I was four years old.
Run!
Don't come over!
I won't give Rei to you!