Over here!
Can you hear me?
Please help!
Are you all right?
"Stand My Heroes"
The brand-new investigation agency that will be
specializing in unsolved drug-related cases that have been on the rise lately...
...AKA "STAND."
"Drug Control Department: Itsuki Aoyama"
You are the elite few who have been chosen to establish this new agency.
"Same Department: Daisuke Seki" You are the elite few who have been chosen to establish this new agency.
"Same Department: Daisuke Seki" Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Drug Control Department,
"Same Department: Daisuke Seki" and MPD Investigation Section 1.
I hope you'll both do your best with this new venture.
"The History of Drugs" "Drugs and Fear" "Opium and Asia" Seki, I expect that you'll be in charge of scouting other members.
"Cannabis Control Law" "Behavioral Analysis" "Addiction and Brain Functions" "Mind-Altering Drugs" Seki, I expect that you'll be in charge of scouting other members.
I'm terribly sorry, but my current department is fairly new,
so I don't think I could be in charge of another section.
We'll need the best of the best for STAND's full operation.
This is a very important role that will require
someone to scout qualified members of the police, the DCD, and civilians for STAND,
regardless of their current assignments.
Indeed.
We'd feel much better if you'd accept the job.
As you can probably tell,
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Satoru Watabe" As you can probably tell,
"Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Satoru Watabe" he's not exactly interested in moving up the ranks.
Actually...
I have the perfect candidate to act as a scout in my place.
Rei Izumi?
Isn't she the agent that's currently on probation
because she messed up the premises check the other day?
This isn't a job for a useless newbie that can't even do her job.
I beg your pardon,
but she has her own set of beliefs and the strength to see justice through.
And most importantly,
she has a talent that's rather hard to come by in the DCD.
I will vouch for her as her mentor.
She's perfect for the job.
Good morning!
Huh?
Good morning, Rei.
Congrats on breaking out.
Breaking out? Really?
Here. Want some coffee?
Thank you.
U-Um...
"Drug Control Department: Haru Natsume"
Mr. Seki and Mr. Izumi aren't here yet.
I'm sure you'd rather get your lecture out of the way first, but...
Don't tease her too much, Natsume.
"Drug Control Department: Shun Imaoji"
Good morning.
Sorry, I gave her your coffee.
Huh?
Oh, I'm so sorry! Here!
No, no. Ladies first.
You pulled an all-nighter, didn't you?
Why don't you hold back on the caffeine and get some sleep?
Well, I'd rather not sleep at the office...
"Drug Control Department: Kotaro Yui"
What happened to him?
He was saying how he couldn't sleep when he thinks about you, Izumi.
Misleading, much?
Well,
it's true that he was worried about you while you were stuck on probation at home.
And so were we.
Welcome back.
How'd the meeting go?
Oh, well if it isn't Rei.
Mr. Seki.
I'm terribly sorry for the trouble I've caused.
My probation has been lifted as of today.
Welcome back.
What's the matter? You look so down.
Here you go. Everyone's favorite, a little gift from me.
How about we have some tea?
"The Shortcake" from Henri Charpentier.
You've heard of it, Itsuki?
It's famous, isn't it?
You make it sound like I should know this.
Watabe, don't you need to go back to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs?
Jeez, you're so cold.
Did you forget how I helped you out back there already?
Would you help me bring out some coffee?
Of course.
A new investigation agency that isn't the police or the DCD...
STAND?
I heard rumors about a super elite team being put together,
but to think that even civilians are being considered as candidates...
How surprising.
Pretty intense, right?
About that. Izumi...
There's a job I'd like you to do.
Me?
This is...
They're candidates for STAND, which we were just talking about.
As of today, you've been appointed as their scout.
Huh?
What?!
Oh? That's perfect.
I wish you could've heard Aoyama passionately talking about you.
Everyone's expecting great things from you. You've got this, Rei.
Mr. Watabe.
B-But...
Don't think you can do it?
No. I'll do my best!
I'm counting on you.
In that case, hurry up and eat.
Huh?
Now that you've taken the job, there's no time to waste.
I have somewhere to take you.
You're taking me somewhere?
Take another look at the list of candidates.
"Top Secret" "STand Alone National Department Candidate List" "Name - Itsuki Aoyama" "Age - 28" "Height - 181 cm"
I'm not exactly unrelated to this case.
I'll do everything I can to support you.
I'm a little worried.
Not only is she the scout, but once STAND goes into action,
she'll be on the front lines of any related cases, right?
Being on the front lines of unsolved cases dealing with drugs...
That's a pretty rough job for a girl.
He's already considered all of this.
Aoyama, that is.
Even then...
There's no one more suited for the job than her.
Right?
Yui.
How long have you been awake?
I mean, Izumi is a super rare case.
Drugs have no effect on her body.
She has special drug immunity.
Stop looking around so much.
I'm sorry.
Excuse us.
Oh, it's Mr. Aoyama and some girl.
What brings you here?
Good grief.
Who gave a narc like you permission to snoop around here?
Asagiri.
I see that you're as exhausting to look at as ever.
Look who's talking.
Okay, you two. That's probably enough.
So... Is this the girl?
She is. Izumi, this is Asagiri, and this is Sugano.
You saw their names on the list, right?
They're both candidates for STAND.
"Investigation Section 1: Natsuki Sugano" They're both candidates for STAND.
"Same Section: Tsukasa Asagiri"
Mr. Hattori's not back yet?
I'd be more surprised if he ever came straight back.
Mr. Hattori?
He's the chief of this section, and he'll be directing STAND.
Huh?
Yup!
That's why we, as his subordinates, are pretty much guaranteed to also be...
Oh.
"Investigation Section 1: Sosei Arakida" Oh.
"Investigation Section 1: Sosei Arakida" And here's another candidate.
Sosei, apparently that girl's the scout everyone's talking about.
Sosei?
Um, I'm Rei Izumi with the DCD.
I look forward to working with you.
Sosei...
Um, please wai--
Thank--
Can you properly do your job as a narc with those shoes?
This isn't a game.
I don't have time to help out someone who can barely do their job.
I'm really sorry about that.
Arakida's like that to everyone.
He's basically a lone wolf.
Do you want to quit?
I do not. I decided to do this, so I'm going to see it through.
This time, I'll...
You already paid for your mistakes from last time.
You need to move on.
I got distracted by something else
"Fukui Pharmacy" I got distracted by something else
"Fukui Pharmacy" and ended up interfering with a premises check.
That's unthinkable for an experienced agent to do.
I couldn't argue with anything that Mr. Arakida said.
But I'm also disappointed in myself because I couldn't.
Oh, I'm sorry!
I shouldn't be talking about this at work...
Please forget what I said!
Looks like we still have a little bit of time.
What you did back then wasn't a mistake.
It was justice.
And if anything, we know your dedication to see that through.
The actions you thought were right might not be great from another point of view.
The other side of justice is another side of justice.
The other side of justice is another side of justice?
That's a saying I learned when I was still a rookie.
I engraved that into my heart
and was prepared to see my own sense of justice through,
even if that ended up seeming evil to someone else.
That's what this job entails.
Yes, sir.
Not to mention, that wasn't your fault.
I'm sure Mr. Seki told you, as well,
but if the whole thing was blown by just a rookie's mistake,
it was a failure from the start.
That's not...
But it is true.
We're all in the same boat here.
Right. Thank you very much.
Shall we?
Yes.
I've got this.
Good morning. Are you on a break?
I am.
"The Planet Next Door Is Blue" I beg your pardon,
"The Planet Next Door Is Blue" but I never got to properly introduce myself yesterday.
You're in my way.
Please wait!
Aw, poor girl.
She sure seems to be trying hard.
Mr. Arakida!
I'm pretty sure you have no business with me.
Your job as a scout is to persuade candidates for STAND to join.
I'm already joining STAND.
But I'm going to keep my distance from you. That's all.
If you understand, stop following me around.
I want to see this job through!
And for that to happen, I'm sure I'm going to need help
from everyone in Investigation Section 1.
That's why I'd like you to properly acknowledge me.
I heard that you have a strange condition.
Huh?
A rookie that got to join on an exemption
because her body is immune to certain drugs.
Do you know what everyone says about you?
That you're like a princess that needs protection from everyone.
If that's true, then I can't acknowledge you.
Oh? Are you the Little Miss Narc that everyone keeps talking about?
"Little Miss Narc"?
Thanks for the coffee.
"Investigation Section 1: You Hattori"
Are you wondering, "Why did I have to buy this guy coffee?"
Oh, of course not.
It's written all over your face.
You're rather easy to read.
So, what do you think about Sosei? You think you'll be able to tame him?
T-Tame him?
You basically need to be a lion tamer to tame him though, Little Miss Narc.
A lion tamer?
They're strict towards themselves as well as others, yet still kind.
That's why they might seem mean.
Are you going to give up?
No!
I see. I'm glad you're enthusiastic.
Let me give you a little lecture to thank you for the coffee.
Huh?
Have you decided which STAND candidate to pursue first?
I really don't feel like I belong here.
But this is where...
Who is this?
The man who sits at the top of one of
Japan's most prominent financial groups, the Hiyama Group, Takaomi Hiyama.
He's a huge celebrity!
Well, this celebrity happens to have another side to him.
There's a highly efficient group of informants, consisting of
four celebrity members with Hiyama at its center, called Revel.
Informants?
I'm pretty sure things will be a little easier
if you can manage to convince them to join you.
You know what they say.
"Those who control the information control something or other."
Would I even be able to meet him, though?
I think you will, as long as you know where to go.
Like where?
For example...
"The Hiyama Group to Hold a Gala on a Yacht to Commemorate Their New Business" A gala, maybe?
There he is.
"Revel: Takaomi Hiyama"
Mr. Kujo!
I'm sorry about that. Are you all right?
Yes. I apologize, as well.
Get her a new outfit immediately.
Oh no, I'm totally fine. You can barely even tell.
But...
I'm sorry that I wasn't more careful.
If you ever need anything, please contact this number.
Now, if you'll excuse me.
Here you are.
Th-Thank you very much.
Izumi?
Mr. Aoyama?
What are you doing here?
I came to see one of the STAND candidates named Mr. Hiyama.
What brings you here? I thought you were working on a different case today.
Did you say anything to that man just now?
Huh? Not really. I just almost bumped into him... He gave me his business card.
"Executive Director"
Kujo?
Wait, no way!
"Top Secret" "STand Alone National Department Candidate List" "Name - Soma Kujo" "Age - 30" "Height - 179 cm" He's another STAND candidate?
"Head of the Kujo Family: Soma Kujo"
There are some dark rumors involving him.
Don't go near him on your own.
A fire?
Mr. Hiyama!
This way!
Mr. Arakida?
What are you doing here?
Wha--
Where's the client?
Sosei has him secured.
But a different problem just showed up.
Looks like he ran into the DCD.
What?!
What do you think you're doing?!
That's my line.
What's going on here?
They're my bodyguards.
A few days ago, there was a death threat sent to the Hiyama Group.
A death threat? But why?
It's not hard to make enemies when your side business is selling information.
This might also be the work of the person who sent the death threat.
Just make sure you don't get in the way.
Hold it!
Hey!
Izumi! That idiot!
Have a nice little nap.
Chloroform?
Damn it!
Who the hell are you?
Why you--
Mr. Arakida.
I've got the suspect.
Izumi!
Mr. Aoyama!
Are you all right?
Yes.
How's Mr. Hiyama?
He's fine.
Thank goodness.
Hello?
The suspect has been caught, and Mr. Hiyama is safe.
Glad to hear it.
Did you know about this, You? The fact that she'd be on this ship.
"She"?
Rei Izumi.
Sounds like you changed your tone a bit.
So you did put her up to this.
Well, that Little Miss Narc seems interesting, doesn't she?
Well? Feel like being friends yet?
Stop that.
It's just...
She's so reckless that I can't bear to watch.
So you're going to help her out?
Sure.
My feet that had lost their heels looked so mismatched with my one piece dress.
I honestly looked a bit absurd.
My battered feet, my messy hair...
I must look absolutely awful right now.
But for some reason,
I felt rather proud about that.
I felt like I could do my best again tomorrow.
Like someone had given me a gentle push.
Ah... So that's the princess who has the special drug immunity.
Hello?
Yup. Hiyama's fine.
More importantly, I found someone really interesting.