It's a curse.
If I had a time machine,
I'd punch my past self.
I found the old newspaper article online.
It was an accident, wasn't it?
Yet you still...
Shōtarō's death was my fault.
It was because I lied.
I should have followed!
Why did I go blank and leave?
How should I act next time we meet?
Tatewaki-kun.
- Yes? - We're beginning the meeting.
Sorry.
Now then, I'll take suggestions
for the annual summer holiday exhibition.
We do something like that?
It's a highlight of the year.
Last year we introduced the ecology of insects,
and "Little Warriors of the Earth" was very well-received.
The "Insect 1 Grand Prix" got everyone excited.
Insect 1 Grand Prix?
It was a fight.
Between a Hercules beetle and a Caucasus beetle.
- They fought? - They did!
Me and Tanigami-kun wore costumes...
Costumes, huh...
Now, what shall we do this year?
Me me me me!
Me me me!
Yes, Tanigami-kun.
I think the theme should be mud.
Mud dyeing experience, mud packs,
mud dolls, and mud dumplings.
We'll call it Mud Fest!
Right. What else?
The unknown world of carnivorous plants
a virtual reality experience so real you'll think they might eat you.
- How about it? - Virtual reality...
Right?
We don't have the budget.
How about a treasure hunt?
While searching with a map for treasure,
people will explore the museum.
That looks rather good.
Yes!
Tatewaki-kun, what do you think?
Eh?
Ah...
I think they all seem interesting...
That's not what I mean.
Is there anything you want to do?
Me?
Ah, well...
Nothing.
All right then...
Let's chose between these 3.
Who'll take this schedule to general affairs?
Ah, I'll do it.
If you would, then.
Tatewaki-kun...
If you come up with an idea, don't hesitate to tell us.
I still don't feel like I have the right to speak here yet.
What are you talking about?
You're one of the team here.
Well, I say that,
but for a year after I came here
I kept on wondering if I should really stay.
Eh? You did?
Just as Kujō-san realised,
I came here to escape to plants.
But having come here, I made up my mind,
conducted more and more research,
and ta-da~ here's the result.
You're supposed to laugh.
Ah, sorry.
Well, since we're in this environment
we have unlimited research opportunities,
so if something interests you, why not try studying it?
Okay.
I need to buy lunch.
Something that interests me?
Something that interests me...
It's no good,
my head's full of Sakurako-san.
I know, I know.
Nothing.
This will answer nothing.
"This specimen of a Burmese python was assembled
"under the supervision of Kujō Sakurako,
"Japan's leading osteologist."
"2007".
"Inamori City Museum".
We're being taken off the case?
Our part in this is over.
Don't just leave it to HQ!
What were you thinking?!
You charged in without waiting for instructions
and damaged the crime scene!
Go and help out elsewhere for a while.
Kondō?
You're Kondō, right?
Fujioka!
Deal with him, please.
It's been so long!
I've seen how successful you've been.
So you're a detective?
Yeah.
Hey, are you okay?
Nepenthes attenboroughii, the world's largest carnivorous plant.
It's said they even eat rats.
- Rats? - Yes.
Better still, let's have mud wrestling!!
I'll add a Polaroid of me as a prize for the stamp rally.
I see, I see...
We had a dispute like this last year.
So, which have you chosen?
I can't decide...
Sorry about this.
When we called to ask your opinion,
Gran invited us for a meal.
And you?
We called because we wanted you
to confirm something for the case report,
and we were invited for a meal.
Gran, you didn't have to invite so many people!
I'm sorry.
Chanchan Ishikari salmon...
"The more the merrier", I thought.
Let's begin with a toast.
- Where's some sake? - Hand it around.
I have high uric acid,
- so I'll have Shochu high. - I'll have the same.
Thank you.
How did this happen?
A Corpse is Buried Under Sakurako-san's Feet
Bone 7
Subtitles by Candylemon
Oh~
Thanks for your help with Hitoe and the others.
Didn't get much of a result though.
Well, let's drink tonight.
I mean let's drink again tonight.
Eh?!
Kondō-san, you're close friends with Fujioka Takeshi?
Ah, no no...
We're not really close.
We were elementary school classmates
and met by chance today.
What what? Who is it?
Fujioka Takeshi.
He composes a lot of TV and film theme music.
- I don't know him. - You don't?
This is him.
I hadn't seen him for 20 years.
He's become a real star.
I thought I'd never see him again.
You don't seem very happy.
Ah...
The truth is, when we met,
he suddenly said, "I'm going to die soon".
Is he ill?
No...
He says it's a curse.
A curse?
The men in his family have been short-lived for generations,
so he's convinced he'll be the same.
He seemed to be languishing.
I'm thinking of visiting him at home tomorrow.
We're off duty.
You're a good friend.
Ah, no...
As I child, I was bullied.
He was the one person who always came to my rescue.
What's that?
Kondō-san, you're one of us!
Pardon?
Fujioka-san, you're a good man!
Ah, I have a request...
Fine, I get it.
What?
- You want me to go with you? - Ah, no...
It's fine, we're off duty.
Don't worry about it.
The one I wanted to come...
- Gran! - Yes?
- Where's dessert? - Coming.
If you're ever in trouble, tell us, comrade.
A curse is ultimately a question of fighting spirit.
Thank you for helping clean up.
Not at all, thank you for having us.
There was a lot of clamour.
That's fine.
I'm happy so many people came.
Miss Sakurako and I always feel low at this time of year.
It's since you came, isn't it?
That so many people have gathered here.
I'm truly grateful.
No...
I haven't done anything.
In fact, rather than helping,
I'm annoyed with myself for making things worse.
Ah, I'll take the rubbish out.
If you would.
Um...
I'm sorry about what I said last time.
Why apologise?
Well...
I'd like to help if I can,
although I don't suppose I can...
I don't need your help.
That's true.
Huh? Kondō-san.
What are you doing here?
Ah... I've been waiting.
Eh? For me?
About the Fujioka I mentioned earlier,
can you come with me tomorrow?
Me?
With Kujō-san, if possible.
With Sakurako-san?
Fujioka's an intelligent man,
so if Kujō-san reasons with him
and explains there are no such things as curses,
I think he'll come around.
I feel like I understand, but...
"Pointless."
"Why should I go with you and do that?"
...is what I'm sure she'll say.
Please persuade her.
Why are you so determined?
Because he's the reason I'm who I am today.
What?
Fujioka always came to my rescue when I was being bullied.
Even though he wasn't strong either.
I wanted to become someone who saved people, like him.
That's why I'm asking you.
His house is in Inamori, so it's quite a distance.
Inamori?
It's a good idea to visit bones on your day off.
Thank you very much.
I assembled my first specimen for Inamori City Museum.
I still tremble at the thought of the feeling
I had when it was done.
Ah, hands on the wheel!
What do you think I used, after much experimentation,
to beautifully bleach the Burmese python bones?
I wonder...
Pineapple juice, maybe?
That's right! How did you know?
It was really just a guess...
She's so excited about it.
If I tell her the real objective now...
I can't say.
I can't wait.
Our reunion after 10 years.
That's touching...
What's going on?
Please, listen to what he says about the curse.
- I'm leaving. - Wait, Sakurako-san.
Oh, the whole cast is here?
You came!
Thank you so much!
Thank you, thank you.
Ah, wait, the bones!
Afterwards, we'll go and visit them.
- Please. - Please.
It's a good composition.
It's useless.
I can't release that to the world.
Don't just shut yourself away.
Why not have a change of scene?
I don't have time for that.
I'm Shintani of Office Fujioka.
Ah, sorry.
My name is Tatewaki.
- Pleased to meet you. - Pleased to meet you.
I'm Shintani.
Please, sit down.
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Let's see...
You're a police officer?
Yes.
This is my senior, Yamaji-san.
These people are the osteologist Kujō-san and Tatewaki-kun.
Osteologist?
We've heard roughly what's going on.
It's a curse, right?
Leave it to us.
We have to consider his position.
It would be a problem if the public heard about this.
It's fine.
Since they've come all this way.
It started when my uncle died 6 months ago.
Our family line is cursed?
Yeah.
Your father and grandfather both died young, too.
An ancestor must have done something bad,
and someone put a curse on us.
Don't be ridiculous.
You'll die one day, too,
so do what you want to do.
His cause of death?
Acute heart failure.
My father had a similar sudden death at 30.
I'm sure it's my turn next.
It might be a bad omen that I met you.
Fujioka.
I've slowly begun organising my belongings.
And I happened to find this...
Who are they?
This is me, and that's Kondō.
You had a hard time.
I'm really shocked that you became a detective.
Are you okay?
It's a curse.
It spoke.
My late uncle kept that bird, and I took it on.
It didn't speak at all for a while,
but as I weakened, it began saying that.
It's probably predicting my death.
A bird that predicts death?
It's only a matter of time.
Shintani-san, when it happens,
please look after my wife and child.
There you go again.
Child?
It'll be born in the autumn.
Hey, this is no time to talk about a curse.
The hospital said I had no abnormalities,
so what else could it be?
Sorry.
I need to get back to work.
Shintani-san, I'll leave them with you.
Okay.
He looks seriously ill.
Yes, he's always like that.
Would you look at this?
What is it?
A list of Fujioka family deaths.
He insisted his family line was short-lived,
so I decided to research it.
Ah, thank you.
It's true, looking at this,
most of them died before 50.
Ah, wait, Sakurako-san.
I'm sorry.
This is a meticulous summary.
I wanted to reassure him,
but instead it just worried him more.
Lately he's holed himself up in his work room,
gazing at a painting alone.
A painting?
He bought it abroad.
A picture of a beautiful forest.
He says looking at it makes him feel calm.
I don't care how,
but please find a way to save my husband.
Please.
This is very generous of you.
Not at all, it's an apology gift...
Naturally.
W-what happened?
He lied that we were going to see bones,
so I would go with him.
Young Master Shōtarō, you're quite devious.
Gran!
I'll fetch some tea~
Fujioka-san seemed to be in pain.
It's frightening.
Eh? Sakurako-san, you believe in the curse?
No.
What's frightening is human gullibility.
Gullibility?
Because of a non-existent curse,
he's so scared that he might actually die.
That's terrible.
Circumstances combining like that...
That's got nothing to do with it.
He's afraid because he doesn't understand himself.
If he were more self-aware,
he'd know the cause and could react accordingly.
Through knowledge comes strength.
In other words...
If we can find the truth behind each element,
we can save Fujioka-san?
I won't do it, though.
Fine.
I'll try investigating for myself.
Miss!
What's up?
I didn't want to see him that way.
Deep down, I've always admired Fujioka.
If he really does die,
it'll be on your mind forever.
You'll regret not listening to him more,
and feel there must have been something you could have done.
And you'll wonder why.
Why someone great like him is dead,
while someone shiftless like you lives on.
Go and face him.
If you abandon him, things will end this way.
Yamaji-san...
This is your treat.
Eh? Ah, no, this...
Never mind that, eat up.
I will, it's my money.
All right.
What are you up to?
Ah, it's about Fujioka-san's case...
How did it go?
Just as Kondō-san said,
Fujioka-san believes he'll die from a curse.
I want to find the cause of his ill-health
in order to change his mind,
and I wondered if it was related to where he lives.
What are the symptoms?
He kept on coughing.
It looked painful...
- Similar to asthma? - Yes.
His condition deteriorated about a month ago, right?
So it's not a chronic illness?
Tanigami-san, fetch a map.
I'm senior to you.
Where's the house?
It's in Inamori City.
- Inamori... - Yes.
- Hurry up. - Okay...
It's near the wetlands.
Ah, I've collected moss there before.
Maybe it's caused by the humidity?
I'll look into Inamori's weather over the past few months.
Perhaps it could be caused by dust?
The possibility of a plant pollen allergy
may have been overlooked.
- You're here to help out? - Yeah.
We've identified an investment fraud suspect, but he's not talking.
Fine, leave it to me.
- I'll make him sing. - No...
Can you focus on this data
and confirm the flow of money?
Please, sit.
About Fujioka's uncle?
Yes, I've been thinking,
and we're currently investigating to try to prove there's no curse.
Understood. Thank you.
I'll look into it, too.
Yes, thank you.
Okay.
Ah, excuse me...
I'm just going out!
Hey, wait!
Where are you going?!
Excuse me, I'm going out.
He's a little different from usual.
What are you doing here so late?
I'm sorry.
I'd like to hear your opinion on Fujioka-san...
Excuse me.
The location of his home has always been humid,
but this year...
there's been high rainfall this year,
continually since the start of May.
Fujioka-san began coughing a month ago.
It's worth considering
bronchial inflammation due to the humidity...
Wait.
In that case, wouldn't it happen every year?
Ah...
What's this?
Ah, I found it on Fujioka-san's blog...
That reminds me...
By chance, I'd bought this at a gallery.
They said the author was unknown,
but I found this.
Here.
Someone called Benny Johansson
painted it in the early 1800s.
This is all I've found out...
Hey, help me with this.
We need to finish by morning.
We'll go tomorrow.
Get Kondō to come, too.
Eh? Ah, yes!
I'll call him.
May I see your hands?
My hands?
That's right.
As I thought.
What?
You have horizontal lines on your nails.
They're called Mees' lines.
Did these appear recently?
Yes.
The doctor said I might be anaemic.
You said your husband looks at a painting
in his work room to feel calmer.
Yes.
Show me that painting.
Ah, wait...
Sorry.
They were all rolling in money...
Huh?
In here?
Yes.
You wait here.
This?
Stay back.
There's no doubt.
It's this painting that brings death.
The painting brings death?
Move.
What about this painting brings death?
This guy researched it.
It was painted in Europe in the early 1800s.
What about it?
In the 1800s, green paint
used Scheele's Green, a cupric hydrogen arsenite.
Scheele's Green at that time
contained a large amount of arsenic.
Arsenic? Isn't that poisonous?
There's no need to be surprised.
It's really quite normal.
The problem isn't the paint's components.
You bought this painting last summer, didn't you?
Yes.
So that means
this is its first summer here?
What's this? Mould...
Get back.
Due to condensation,
mould has thrived on the back of the painting.
This year has been wet since early May,
so there's been continual high humidity.
That has caused mould to propagate.
This particular mould is likely Scopulariopsis.
That caused the deterioration in health.
Mould?
Mould decomposed the arsenic in the paint,
creating an organic compound of arsenic
which then filled this room.
Those fingernails are evidence of that.
Mees' lines.
They're a symptom of arsenic poisoning.
So it wasn't just Fujioka's mindset
that caused his health to deteriorate?
Get rid of the mould from the painting,
hang it in a well-ventilated place,
and you can enjoy it again.
Do that, and your health will improve.
Wait a minute.
How do you explain my family being so short-lived?
As an example, in rare cases
abnormalities like arrhythmia can be genetically inherited.
When humans are under a lot of stress,
the adrenal glands secrete large amounts of cortisol.
Large amounts of cortisol
promote the onset of heart disease.
So it was caused by stress?
My uncle was a heroic man.
Wasn't he putting on a brave face in front of you?
When he was alone,
he repeated, "It's a curse, it's a curse".
It's a curse...
That's why "curse" is the only word
this myna bird ever says.
I did some research,
and I think it began speaking
when it saw you as its new owner
and became accustomed to its new environment.
Various coincidences piled up
and caused you to fear you were cursed.
That fear only increased the symptoms.
Relax, you're not dying.
There are no such things as curses.
I see.
I'm not dying...
What's wrong?
You seem disappointed.
Wait, what are you saying?
Does that put pressure on you?
To produce a new work.
What?
You're famous now, and you've won prizes abroad.
People have high expectations.
You feel crushed by that pressure,
and wanted an escape.
Am I wrong?
Fujioka?
That's right.
You're spot on.
I can't write the way I used to.
I've exhausted my talent.
I was relieved when my health deteriorated.
I thought I could die peacefully this way,
without having to meet people's expectations.
I'm a weak person.
Takeshi-san...
You idiot!
You're not weak.
I know your strength better than anyone.
When we were young,
you never looked away when I was bullied.
It was because I wanted to be like you
that I became a detective.
If you're alive, that's enough for me.
For me, and for our child.
Why not start over again?
Don't worry.
I'll always back you up.
I'll finish the composition.
I feel like I can do it now.
Yeah.
I'll go shopping.
Let's have a feast tonight.
Oh, sounds good.
It's a curse.
Thank you so much!
Kujō-san, you're amazing.
It's him you should thank.
Tatewaki-kun, thank you.
Ah, no no.
You're the one who saved Fujioka-san's life.
Still, I'm glad.
I heard from his wife,
he'd been putting his affairs in order, just in case.
Putting his affairs in order?
Yes, assets and copyrights.
Yamaji-san...
Yes, Kondō here.
Apparently your friend's company is about to go bankrupt.
What?
I'm helping investigate investment fraud.
His company is on the list of victims.
They're in serious debt.
Debt?
Sakurako-san?
It's a curse.
It would be a problem if the public heard about this.
I can't write the way I used to.
They're in serious debt.
The bones are connected.
We're going back.
- What's going on? - Where's Fujioka?
He's in his work room...
Thanks, excuse us.
Fujioka!
- Call an ambulance. - Okay!
Boy, let's move him.
Okay.
Let's go.
Hey, can you hear me? Fujioka!
No response.
Sakurako-san, look...
The composition is finished. I can leave with no regrets.
No...
Attempted suicide?
Takeshi-san?!
Takeshi-san, hang in there!
Fujioka...
- Takeshi-san! - Fujioka!
Get in, please.
Where are you planning to go?
I have to contact the relevant parties...
Stop this monkey show.
What's going on?
Fujioka didn't attempt suicide.
This guy tried to kill him.
Eh?
Strong disturbance of consciousness,
the discarded medicine pack,
and the eye discharge...
You gave him a strong hypnotic with alcohol,
to make it look like suicide.
What are you talking about?
Shall I explain, then?
While claiming to be worried about him,
you were carefully preparing for his death.
I'm his business partner.
It's natural I should prepare for the worst.
"The worst"...such as debt?
Your motive was his assets.
Confident in his talent,
you invested company funds in a dubious scheme.
But Fujioka fell into a slump
and was struggling to create new works.
The company is headed for bankruptcy.
In the midst of that, Fujioka's health deteriorated
and he claimed he was dying due to a curse.
You made arrangements so that if he died,
his estate and future royalties
would all go to the company.
But today, he lost his fear of dying
and turned his mind towards life.
So you frantically plotted
to kill him and frame it as suicide.
But you didn't study enough.
With modern sleeping pills,
however many you take with alcohol, you won't die.
So that's that.
Tell the rest to the police.
You failed to calculate
for the fact that after 20 years
Fujioka was reunited with a friend who rushed to help him.
And that friend had an ally
who would do whatever it took to help
without needing any reward.
Yamaji-san.
Fujioka is okay.
I'm glad I faced him properly.
Thank you.
I didn't do anything.
Yamaji-san.
What will you do now?
Nothing will change.
I'll do whatever it takes.
So this was your first job?
That's right.
Isn't it fascinating?
Burmese pythons have about 350 vertebrae.
10 times as many as humans.
I really struggled to complete this.
Eh? You did?
What do you think I am?
I'm sorry.
Everyone is a beginner at first.
It's only natural to worry.
Your attitude has improved lately.
Your vertebrae are straighter, too.
It's not bad.
Maybe because I've cleared my head?
I've realised that rather than worrying and doing nothing,
it's better to try following my heart
and see where it might lead.
It's thanks to you.
"Doing whatever it took to help without needing a reward"...
Was that about me?
Eh? Are you starting to acknowledge me?
Don't be conceited.
Ah, there's something incredible here.
So big...
Sakurako-san is a mysterious person.
If I'm by her side,
I can always find the answers.
Even though I'm immature
and there's not much I can do,
I can be there for her.
Her brother probably felt that way,
just like I do now.