Formal judgement: The accused is hereby sentenced to death.
I'm deeply sorry for being born.
Why not try and appeal for a retrial?
The Yuki from the top of that hill, please think of her being already dead.
I faint when I get too worked up.
I know.
About Woman (A) being no atrocious woman.
About Former Boyfriend (I) not just being the pure and innocent victim.
Please open it.
Mitsuyama, come out.
Please take her.
It's time for your exercise. Come out.
Someone got executed this morning, right?
Turn right.
Forward.
< Blog entry about "Former Boyfriend (I)" and how he's not just an innocent victim, but no actual details. >
< Messages (1) >
Good evening. My name is Sasaki.
Can you let me
hear your story about Tanaka Yukino?
I'm an old friend of her.
By writing something like that
the bereaved family members might get angry at you,
but I for one still can't believe for her
to have actually done such a thing.
This guy...
Maybe it's him?
You're a childhood friend?
Yes, we often played together when we were in elementary school.
When was the last time you met her?
Let's see... A long time ago.
And yet you're convinced that she's innocent?
You must be quite a pure person, Sasaki-san.
No, that's not...
Me and Keisuke...
The victim, Inoue Keisuke. We've been hanging out together since junior high.
I also knew his wife.
I gave them baby clothes in various colors as gifts in celebration of them having twins.
All your mails telling me that she might be innocent...
I apologize.
I just got really curious...
I read every entry on your blog.
But isn't there something you haven't written about yet?
You're Inoue-san, right?
Inoue Keisuke, right?
My name is Tange, I'm a lawyer.
I can't believe this. Her being a stalker.
The girl I know would never do such a thing.
She's kind, cares about her friends...
During junior high, for the sake of an important friend,
she sacrificed herself.. - A stalker...
A stalker and what's more, a murderer.
She knew Keisuke's family was inside,
sprinkled the kerosene and set it on fire.
I want to know.
What was she like at the time she hooked up with Inoue Keisuke?
What kind of person is Keisuke-san?
Retrial? Don't you fuck with me!
Do you even realize what she's done!?
It's the death penalty, you hear me! What else is there?
I'm sorry, I understand your feelings,
but with her not appealing to a higher court, I'm sure she must be sorry about...
She ain't sorry!
Excuse me.
She's not being sorry or anything!
That moment proved it to me.
When I saw her smile inside the court the day she received her sentence.
A smile?
Immediately following her death sentence, she smiled and looked delightful.
In front of the portraits of Mika and my daughters...
She smiled.
You continued to call him countless of times
10 months ago
and kept following him around.
You even tracked down Inoue-san's new apartment.
You often stopped by that apartment, right?
Yes.
And in your final diary entry you wrote about your decision to do it.
"I don't want to be with my halfhearted self anymore."
"As of today, I bid farewell to this notebook."
"Thanks for falling in love with someone as worthless as me."
"Goodbye, Keisuke-san."
You made up your mind when you wrote this.
It was a premeditated crime.
I was told that I'm needed.
Keisuke-san, he told me that I'm needed.
That's why I thought this would be the last time.
I thought that maybe I should believe him.
Translation: HPriest @ d-addicts Twitter: @hpriestsubs
Timing: keiko1981 www.giftedones.net
3 years ago
Thanks.
So... your name's Yukino-chan?
How long have you been going out with Keisuke?
Dunno...
What are you guys up to, huh?
She doesn't talk much. She'll start talking after a few drinks, though.
I have to work.
He's my friend. Has been since junior high.
- Be a bit more hospitable, will ya. - No, I'm fine.
The coffee is great.
Yukino, me too.
Here.
Can I have a cigarette?
Wow, you were totally in sync right now.
W-What... What is this? Even though it's your first meeting?
That was perfectly synchronized!
It occurred to me that time. For her to have those cigarettes,
it must have been for the same reason as me.
You see, Keisuke often asks for a cigarette.
And he becomes quite a pain if it's a brand he doesn't like.
Satoshi, lend me some money. I only need another 10,000 (90 USD).
You'll definitely get it back by today.
I'm already dry.
Then get your ass over to an ATM!
Hurry up, will ya!
He easily snaps, often loses control,
gets obstinate, is stubborn and a sore loser.
But...
100,000! 100,000! (900 USD)
- It was like an explosion. - That was incredible.
I'm glad I sticked to that machine.
Yeah...
- Sorry about that, Satoshi. - About what?
I showed some bad attitude back there.
I hate that side of myself. I get kinda hot-headed...
At least he apologizes to me.
I always look at his awkward face and tell him it's fine.
I'm hungry! It's my treat, so let's go and have some yakiniku.
- Nah, I'm fine with some family restaurant. - It's okay, come on.
It was that night when I met her for the second time.
- You found a job? - Yeah.
Way to go, man.
Well, they say being an SE is a pretty tough job, however.
( systems engineer )
Look at you!
Huh?
Ain't that Yukino?
Keisuke?
Hey! What are doing, you idiot!?
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Killing yourself is the lamest thing you can do!
You don't wanna do that! People will only laugh at you!
I'm dispensable...
I'm...
This world doesn't need someone like me.
I don't know what happened, but you won't get any pity from me!
Hey!
Of course I need you!
So you'll need me as well!
I definitely won't let you die! Okay?
Promise me.
The next time you feel like dying, you call me.
If you can't reach me, call him!
Call Satoshi!
I'll definitely come! Wherever you are, I'll come!
You got that?
Your reply!?
You can't.
We aren't done talking yet.
Come on, pull yourself together.
Show me some willpower, come on.
Keisuke...
Yukino-chan? Eh? Is she okay?
It's a chronic disease. She's had it since childhood.
She gets worked up and faints.
She usually wakes up again after some rest.
See ya.
She was in a constant state of being frightened.
Frightened of being abandoned. Frightened of not being needed.
It felt like she'd rather getting beaten than being frightened.
Getting beaten...
Keisuke wasn't going easy on her.
When people accept you for who you are,
it gets easy to take advantage of their kindness with a carrot and a stick.
And since there's no malice involved, it only gets worse.
Hey Yukino, I bought us some beer.
- Thanks. - Some chu-hi as well.
( shochu highball )
Thanks for having me.
- Here. - Thanks.
Have a seat. The hot pot will be ready any minute now.
Looks good.
Hey!
What's with that bruise?
Hey, Yukino! Bring us some beer!
- Come on, we need to cheers. - Coming~
- Okay, cheers! - Yes, cheers!
Cheers.
Nice and cold!
Man, you've outdone yourself today.
- I used more meat today. - That my girl.
Let's see...
- Satoshi, let's drink tonight! - Yeah.
No... Please don't.
It's okay. He's already asleep.
But still, that's...
Shut up! Or I'm gonna beat you up!
Forgive me...
Forgive me, Yukino.
Don't worry, it's okay.
I'm trying my best.
So please don't abandon me.
I won't. There's no way I'll abandon you.
Let's try our best. Together, let's try our best.
Hey, you should stay for breakfast.
Right, but I have an appointment.
Yukino-chan.
You're too good to him.
You'll end up getting battered like this.
You should break up...
Did Keisuke say that?
He wants to break up? He doesn't need me anymore?
No, no... That's all me.
He...
If you let him take advantage of you, he won't stop at nothing.
I'm the one who is taking advantage of him.
He gives me the feeling of being needed.
We promised each other. We'll try our best together.
But Keisuke isn't such a sincere kind of guy.
- It's totally amazing. - Really?
Yeah, it totally is. It's fast like that.
- What? It's that fast? - I'm telling you.
- Then maybe I should also try it. - See?
You'll be surprised.
Alright, alright.
This is Satoshi. Mika-chan.
Satoshi!
Hello.
He told me you're working at a huge company. That's amazing!
Right?
What's this?
What do you mean?
I'm leaving.
Hey Satoshi, wait!
Hey, wait!
What's the deal with you?
You said you wanted to talk about something important,
but it turns out you only wanted to introduce your affair to me.
It's not an affair.
I'm thinking about getting married with Mika.
What?
And what about Yukino-chan?
Things happened and I gave it a lot of thought...
Does Yukino-chan know about this?
I don't understand.
I'm asking for us to break up.
But why?
I want to be alone.
Did you fall in love with someone else?
No.
I just want to start over from scratch.
Start over?
I've been taking advantage of you.
All the money I borrowed from you...
I don't care about money.
That's exactly why we can't be together anymore.
If we don't go separate ways now...
I don't know what lies ahead, but we have to break up for now,
so I can try starting over by myself.
That's the only reason.
If you need someone else besides me,
I probably won't be able to forgive you.
I'll erase everything and die.
Yukino-chan!
This is for the better.
Keisuke is an egomaniac.
He can't even keep at a single job for a long time.
I thought this was my final chance.
I've always been abandoned by the people I had relied on.
That's why I was never going to become fond of anyone anymore.
I won't trust anyone!
That way, my life was going well.
However...
However, Keisuke had to pry it open again.
That's why I decided that this time...
This way... It will be the last time.
Relying on someone, trusting that person...
One last time...
But he's always been like that.
Always moody, breaking up with women after a short time...
It's better just to forget him.
There are better men out there. I'm sure you'll find someone.
It's impossible for me to forget...
It's pointless.
Even if you wait for him,
it will be pointless.
Because, for him...
You told her? About Mika-san?
I thought it would make it easier for her to break up with him...
From the next day, she started calling him countless of times...
Asking about that woman, wanting to see him,
loitering around his apartment...
I told him to at least return the money he...
Couldn't you just have kept quiet about it?
If you kept quiet, the breakup might have been a bit easier...
Hindsight is easier than foresight.
Couldn't you have considered her feelings a bit more?
For her to become like a stalker, that's your f...!
- Wow, I can't believe my eyes. - What do you mean?
I never figured you'd settle down and live a proper life like that.
Mika-san, you're amazing.
That's what happens when you suddenly become the daddy of twins.
It's a great responsibility.
Daddy will work hard~
( Caller: Inoue Keisuke )
Hello?
She found me.
I saw her just now, in front of the station, Yukino.
She must have located my new apartment!
What are you doing out here?
Listen, all he did was taking advantage of you.
You should just forget about that guy.
If it was me, I would make you happy.
I think, in a way, we're birds of a feather.
So why don't we...
The only reason I smiled at you was because you're a friend of Keisuke.
Don't get the wrong idea.
That was the last time I saw her.
But on the night of the incident, I got a call from her.
You sure it was the night of the incident?
It was around 8:00 pm.
It was past 1:00 am when she set the apartment on fire.
I only found out during the news the next day.
That's right...
It was my fault.
It's always been on my mind.
Ever since I saw the news...
If only I hadn't told her...
If I answered the phone that day...
Mika-san and the children wouldn't had to die...
Blaming myself...
I couldn't take it anymore and started the blog...
But it's too much...
Maybe if they were to hurry up with the execution
and Tanaka Yukino's existence were to disappear from this world,
maybe then I would find some comfort, I keep telling myself.
Enough.
You don't have to think about her.
Didn't you just find some comfort by telling me everything?
I'll think about what to do next.
So...
Can you please never again think about
wanting her to disappear from this world?
You...
You're the person she smiled at back then.
The day she received her sentence.
I was there as well.
For a moment...
...I thought she might be looking at me.
That she smiled at me...
I've always been curious.
About the person who received such a smile from her.
Who the hell is he?
I'm sorry I kept you waiting.
Hamanaka Sensei, thank you for giving me a bit of your time.
My name is Tange.
I'm Hamanaka. Nice to meet you.
- The pleasure is all mine. - Please, have a seat.
Excuse me.
You said you're investigating said case of murder-arson?
- Tanaka Yukino? - Yes.
But overturning a death sentence is a difficult task.
In this case you might even say it's impossible.
Now, what should we do about this?
Plead innocent?
That would be no different than doctors telling a terminal ill patient that everything will be okay.
There's no point.
Have you talked to the human rights committee at the JFBA?
( Japan Federation of Bar Associations )
No, not yet.
Then we can plead for violation of human rights and ask them to investigate.
We'll appeal for Tanaka Yukino to get an official psychiatric examination.
We also have to start a support group.
Even though she doesn't want support?
First of all we have to delay the execution.
We have to buy us as much time as we can.
This is where your skills as a lawyer come into play, Tange-kun.
- Anything else? - Getting the press involved can't hurt either.
Do you mean we should ask for an interview?
First it'll be about the formation of a support group.
By getting into newspapers and on TV...
( Caller: Tange Sho )
Yes?
- It's been a while. - Yeah.
I was about to call you as well.
- Really? - Yeah.
A person concerned told me a few things.
Where are you right now?
Y-You want to know... I'm in Yokohama.
Which area?
I'm at my office right now, but how about we meet somewhere?
Well, I'm sorry, I'm... still at work.
Huh? Where was your company again? I can wait somewhere nearby.
No, I'm sorry... I won't be done anytime soon.
- The meeting got prolonged... - I see.
As a matter of fact, there is someone I want you to meet.
Do you have time next weekend?
Then, how about Saturday?
Sasaki, get that box.
Of course, my bad.
I'm sorry, I forgot my business card.
I heard about it from Tange-kun.
You think there is a possibility of a false accusation?
Yes...
Japan has a conviction rate of over 99%,
whereas Hamanaka Sensei managed to win two times with an innocent verdict.
We're getting ahead of ourselves.
I'd like to hear about the reason why you think she was falsely accused.
You said you talked to a person concerned, right?
That's, well...
At the night of the incident, she called a friend at around 8:00 pm.
Although he didn't pick up the phone...
When you look at the statements, she was seen around Inoue-san's place at around 8:00 pm.
But the actual incident didn't happen until past 1:00 am.
I wonder what she's been up to during those five hours.
That's what's been bothering me.
I see. Anything else?
If possible, we'd like to hear something more concrete.
Like how mentally unstable she was during that time
or if she tried taking large doses of drugs... - Wait... W-What's going?
What is this?
If she was legally unaccountable during that time, she might get exempted from death penalty.
If anything, it would buy us some time at the retrial.
Buying time...
It may be orthodox, but it's the most effective technique.
Fortunately they haven't yet done a psychiatric...
- I'm sorry, if you excuse me. - Hey, Shin-chan!
One second.
Hey, wait!
What's gotten into you? After he took time out of his busy schedule.
You never thought she's innocent?
Is that your idea of saving her?
There's no other way!
It ain't that easy to overturn a death sentence.
So what? You only cared about the attention
and your chance to earn some credit by working with a famous lawyer?
I wanted her to show some remorse.
Right now neither the bereaved family nor she herself can be saved.
Disappointing.
What about yourself?
Trying to forget your own miserable life
by feeling pity for a woman who is even more miserable than you?
- What? - You lied to me, didn't you?
Just an ordinary office worker? A prolonged meeting?
What's wrong about being a cleaner?
Why did you have to lie about such a...?
You wouldn't understand!!
You always had everything you ever wanted.
You even became a lawyer.
Those who had a smooth life all along wouldn't understand.
How I feel, how she's feeling.
Stop acting like a brat.
I mean, what do you know?
Why she ended up like this?
Why she's waiting out her death penalty and refusing a retrial?
Do you know why?
It's not something someone can understand so easily!
She...
The death penalty...
Why she's accepting it like that...
How could anyone understand that?
It's because I don't understand!
I'm doing this so I can understand her.
Then go ahead and see her! Let me handle the formalities.
Why not?
Because you're a failed part-timer?
You won't see her because you're embarrassed?
Tell me I'm wrong and go see her. Or at least write her a letter.
Why can't you at least write a letter?
Have you always been so pathetic?
- Forget it. - Forget what?
I'll investigate by myself.
If I come across anything worth reporting,
I'll go and see her.
Until then...
I'm not qualified to meet her.
What's that supposed to mean? Hey!
Satoyama, have you gotten used it yet?
A little.
The coffee here is so bad, I'll never get used to it.
Yushima-san.
I keep looking at it.
It... when talking to a death row inmate, just like that...
My eyes wander towards the neck...
I know. It's the same for everyone.
It will be our job to put the rope around those necks one day after all.
Say, you really won't abandon me?
If you won't abandon me...
I want to start over a new life.
I want to live a proper life.
- So... - I'll keep my promise.
If you ever feel like abandoning me...
- I won't! - You'll have to kill me.
What?
Our promise from earlier.
Since I can't kill myself, you'll have to kill me...
Stop fucking with me!
So what, you'll kill me if I ask you to do it?
Sure, if that's your wish.
I promise.
I don't want such a promise.
Come on! Get off.
Translation: HPriest / Timing: keiko1981
Twitter: @hpriestsubs