"Popular Novelist Arrested"
The media is reporting that Makoto was arrested.
The press is being rather ruthless with both Makoto and Kyosuke.
Is there any way you could at least announce that he wasn't arrested?
Please!
You don't get a say in this, Little Miss Narc.
This is our job.
This is STAND's job.
But why...
Why didn't I tell you?
Isn't it obvious?
You're nothing more than a scout.
You're an outsider.
I know that Mr. Hattori is correct.
At some point I started thinking that
I could also actually help STAND myself.
I thought that I could help since my body is resistant to drugs.
You're doing your best.
I believe that you're earnest and sincere.
But... You're still naïve.
Even if you were in STAND right now, you'd just be a burden.
"Stand My Heroes"
I heard that Rei's scouting duties have been put on hold.
Yeah.
I got a notification this morning.
From now on, the higher-ups will be in charge of scouting for STAND.
She was ordered to go back to her normal duties until there's a new candidate.
Did you tell her?
I did.
She just smiled and said to give her all
the work she hadn't been able to do lately.
How noble.
Well, if that's the case, maybe I'll ask her out on a date.
I'll even use some PTO.
Think about your age. Why don't you head home?
Aw, don't get so mad.
Jeez, Dad.
I'm not your father.
So her scouting duties have been put on hold...
She must've done something.
If it has anything to do with her going to the MPD yesterday, I feel responsible.
Maybe I should've stopped her.
But she seems to be doing okay.
I thought she'd be more obviously down.
Are you two completely blind?!
Look!
Her shoulders are bent forward six more degrees than usual.
The sides of her mouth are also 2.2 millimeters lower than usual,
and her conjunctiva are slightly bloodshot.
Curse you... What if Izumi's DNA makeup changes from emotional stress?!
What if her hair falls out?!
Could you not be such a weirdo?
To think that you'd ever bother to give me a call about work...
What brought this on, Asagiri?
Don't worry. My feelings towards you haven't changed one bit.
What a coincidence. We apparently agree on something.
How is she doing?
Why are you asking me? Ask her yourself.
So this was your department's doing.
We're just doing our job.
Then what are you so worried about?
Even she understands that.
I'm not worried about it.
You're her mentor, aren't you?
You're the one who's supposed to worry about her.
What?
It's time to wrap up work.
Oh, right. I'm just going to finish this up really quick.
Hurry up and head home before they get to you.
Is everyone able to leave now?
I'll go ahead and make the reservation.
Thank you very much.
Should we invite Mr. Watabe, too?
Yeah, sure.
Don't push yourself.
No matter how much you try to hide how you're feeling,
your real feelings aren't going to go away.
You're not going to be able to move forward unless you let them all out.
Um...
Go on. I'm listening.
It's rough... Not being able to do anything.
I couldn't do anything about Makoto
or even help Kyosuke out.
I may have this unique condition, but it doesn't even matter.
Mr. Arakida completely saw through me.
Everyone was just being nice to me, and I was totally oblivious.
At this rate, I really am just a burden.
I'm so pathetic that it's embarrassing.
I-I'm sorry. I've said too much.
But my heart doesn't feel as heavy now.
Thank you very much for listening.
Rei!
You done with work yet?
Oh, s--
She's not here.
Wha? But...
She's not here.
Then I guess it's just us tonight.
Sounds like it. Let's go.
Come on. Hurry up, Kotaro.
Right.
Um...
If you actually wanted to go, I apologize.
If we actually went to drink with them,
I couldn't guarantee to get you home tonight.
Huh?
What are you doing? Hurry up and come in.
B-But it's pretty late...
I shouldn't be at an unmarried gentleman's house...
Make sure you lock the door.
Wow...
This place is amazing.
Are you hungry?
Huh?
Actually, yes, I sort of am...
Guess I'll whip something up.
Um... Did you really make all of this, Mr. Aoyama?
You even arranged everything in such a beautiful way.
Don't mention this at work. Got it?
It's so good!
Even these sides are delicious!
Thank you for going through all this trouble.
Go ahead and eat up.
There's something I want to show you once you're done eating.
Huh?
You're not actually thinking I only brought you here to cheer you up, are you?
These documents...
They're just things I gathered through my own research.
About an incident where people were harmed due to a drug.
Harmed?
There was a pharmaceutical company manufacturing a new drug.
But it was never completed
because there were problems during the clinical testing.
There were participants in the clinical test
who experienced sudden side effects.
Dizziness, nausea, and even seizures.
There were that many terrible side effects?
The pharmaceutical company acted too late,
and the victim list grew as one incident happened after another.
This happened 16 years ago.
"2 Die in a Traffic Collision" "Two Cars Involved in an Early Morning Crash"
"No Sign of Braking Before Crash" "The Driver Was Found Unconscious"
Sixteen years ago?
Then were those two car accidents...
What are you talking about?
Sixteen years ago, Kyosuke and Makoto's little sister
was involved in a car accident.
Apparently the driver was using some kind of drug.
I also encountered a major accident 16 years ago.
A car had crashed into a nature park.
The Amusement Park in the Forest.
Yes. Part of that nature park had a little amusement park called that.
I'm very aware of that incident.
Mr. Aoyama.
Why are you looking into this drug-related incident on your own?
Because the Aoyama Trading Company, my father's company,
was involved in the funding of that new drug.
Aoyama Trading Company?
That huge... Wait, does that mean you're...
"Aoyama Trading Company" You're the son of...
"Aoyama Trading Company" Yeah.
But wait.
Neither the incident involving Kyosuke's little sister
or the incident at the park
were reported as drug-related incidents.
There's more to this story.
In order to avoid an enormous amount of reputational damage,
they manipulated some information.
All these incidents were just dismissed as mere traffic accidents.
And they made it so the creation of the new drug never happened.
Does that mean...
The identity of the suspect, the drugs he was using...
Everything in this case was left unanswered and unsolved.
This whole thing was a coverup?
There aren't many companies that can make it so this incident never happened.
Look.
The Omori Pharmaceutical Company?
The one who ordered the coverup wasn't just an Omori Pharmaceutical employee,
it was their top shareholder and the head of the Kujo Family.
And that secret is still being held by the current head of the Kujo Family,
Soma Kujo.
There are some dark rumors involving him.
Don't go near him on your own.
"[Anonymous Case]" The "Anonymous Case"...
Where have I...
Have you ever heard of the incident called the "Anonymous Case"?
Judging by the conversation the detectives were having,
they mentioned an Anonymous something or other...
Wait... Is all this somehow connected?
Sara's accident and the incident at the Amusement Park in the Forest...
The incident involving Maki... The root cause was...
These drug-related incidents...
"No Sign of Braking Before Crash" "The Driver Was Found Unconscious" These drug-related incidents...
"2 Die in a Traffic Collision" "Two Cars Involved in an Early Morning Crash" These drug-related incidents...
There's one more thing.
Is this the component analysis of Plus?
That drug that was just confiscated...
Yeah.
And here's the component analysis of the new drug Omori Pharmaceutical Company created back then.
They're exactly the same. Does that mean...
The drug that circulated ten odd years ago and recently resurfaced again as Plus.
The prototype for that is definitely this drug.
Who has this data that should've disappeared in the coverup?
The same people who created this newer drug and have the means to distribute it.
Soma Kujo...
The talks about him controlling drug deals are just rumors,
but it's still worth checking out.
Even though it wasn't intentional,
if something they unleashed into the world turned evil,
they should still have to take responsibility somehow.
Both him and I.
You, too, Mr. Aoyama?
What I saw that day...
Seeing those children hurt and their parents
screaming in fear as they cried for help.
All the adults were panicking so much that none of them even saw me.
Hurry!
Even though I was just a kid, I thought...
This was all our fault.
It's true that my father had a hand in making that incident happen.
But there was nothing I could do back then.
It didn't sit right with me. I felt pathetic and angry.
I've never forgotten that feeling.
Eventually, I started looking into this case.
Then I found out more about cases involving illegal drugs
and before I knew it, I was doing my current job.
I could've ignored it and avoided a job like this.
I'm sure some people want to forget about it and don't want this dug up.
Some people may even get hurt.
But I'm going to keep moving forward.
I'm going to settle this.
Until then, I don't plan on joining STAND.
So that's your justice, Mr. Aoyama?
You told me before, remember?
The other side of justice is another side of justice.
That you were going to see your justice through
even if you end up seeming evil to someone else.
I really haven't been able to do anything.
I want to help, but I feel like I'm being told, "We don't need your help."
It hurts so much...
No, that's not it!
It frustrated me so much!
I also... want to see my justice through!
Do you want to help?
Huh?
Now that your scouting duties are on hold, you have some time, don't you?
B-But... You've done all this research on your own so far...
I told you before, didn't I?
I acknowledge your sense of justice.
I wanted to ask for your help. That's why I told you this.
What do you think?
If...
If there's anything I can do to help the people
who have been hurt by this incident...
I want to move forward.
Please allow me help you.
Everyone,
I'm so sorry that I've worried you.
Aw, and we wanted to go out drinking to cheer you up.
Your eyes are no longer bloodshot.
Looks like you're back in perfect condition.
Good job, mentor. Guess I won't be able to use my PTO after all.
But I'm amazed.
You managed to gather all this information off the clock.
Seriously.
But, now, we might be able to find out where Plus came from and its distribution route.
We might even be able to find out more about the Anonymous Case, too.
Which means...
We might be able to find out the real reason they wanted to create STAND.
Though finding out too much could lead us to our destruction.
But it's probably too late to turn back now.
Not to mention our princess wants to continue moving forward.
P-Princess?
Izumi.
We're on your side.
If this is the path you've chosen, we'll walk down it with you.
Mr. Seki...
All right.
Thank you very much.
Excuse me a moment.
"I heard something happened with the cops. But I'm not a member of STAND yet, so our relationship doesn't change."
I mean, I decided to help Rei because I liked her.
So this doesn't change anything.
Right, Kagura?
Why are you asking me? I'll do my job as long as I get paid.
Why can't you be more honest?
Shut up. Hurry up. It's your turn.
"Hatori feels the same. I think Aki does, too."
There are people right in front of me and beyond who say they're on my side.
That they won't change.
It was raining outside, and its coldness almost made me look down,
but when I looked up, I saw a new view.
There was light piercing through the clouds
and one day, the sky will be blue again.
I'm going to believe that and continue moving forward.
So the guy that we were wary of apparently has his eyes on you after all.
Looks like he's now recruited that scout that I mentioned before.
Now that STAND is also looking into the Anonymous Case,
you should probably be more careful.
You're right, especially to see my goals through.
You going to see Mr. Kujo?
Is he not feeling well again?
He's been busy lately.
We need him to at least get some supplements.
"Kujo Family - Kiyoshi Shindo" We need him to at least get some supplements.
"Kujo Family - Kiyoshi Shindo"
I'm going to make sure I'm doing my job.
Of course.
"Kujo Family - Koya Kirishima" If anyone ever threatens him, I'll protect Mr. Kujo with my life.
"Kujo Family - Kaname Yamazaki" But you're the only one who can deal with any illness, you shady doctor.
You sound like you're having fun.
"Kujo Family - Go Miyase"
Oh wait, it's not food?
The geraniums I was growing out back bloomed magnificently.
Mr. Shindo, Mr. Kujo is free right now.
He's off the phone?
He was just touching base with Mr. Hiyama as usual, right?
Who knows what they're actually talking about?
Who cares about that?
As long as we're in this household,
Mr. Kujo is the most important person in our lives.
No matter
what secrets he may possess.
Oh, look at the time.
I should head home.
A message?
"Received Message" "Don't get involved any further if you don't want to die"
What... is this?