What is this?!
Mio Kanesaka. I'm going to threaten you now.
- Huh? - Work for me.
The Intimidator: Kanji Senkawa
Or I'll send this picture around the whole school.
How did this end up happening?
Rich Female University Student: Mio Kanesaka
I'm supposed to be just an ordinary university student...
- Thank you. - Thank you.
Thank you for waiting, what would you like?
Coffee for two please and...
I'm the person who's taking on your request,
Sawako Kasaya-san - - And you are?
Client: Sawako Kasaya
I'm the Intimidator. Nice to meet you.
A close friend of Eru-san?
Don't tell me you...
you don't know her! She was immensely popular....
Is she a famous person?
'Gomen ne Katamoi', 'KISS LOVE HUG',
'Nakitai oki hodo namida wa denai'. You don't know these famous songs?
I don't think I know them.
I can't think of you as a twenty-something, you're more like an endangered species!
I'm not a dinosaur!
What happened to this Eru-san?
Eru...
Eru Tachibana passed away a year ago.
Huh?
It started with a radio program.
Today, please listen to my new song,
"Love BOMB!
Because of the title, I was told not to play the song
due to a recent bomb scare.
How the hell is my song gonna hurt somebody?
I'd be an idiot to hold back for something so stupid.
Singer-songwriter: Eru
Because of this, the press began bashing Eru,
accusing her of being disrespectful.
Every little thing was exaggerated and blown out of proportion.
It was this article that had a fatal impact and turned everything for the worst.
Ah...
Diva Eru used a GHOSTWRITER!!
Ghostwriter?
Possibly as evidence, someone posted the handwritten lyrics
which looked different from her handwriting. Look there.
Eru could no longer stand being called a fake, so she...
Someone planned this ghostwriter rumor.
I was with her forever, so I know she did no such thing!
So would you like us to intimidate the article's publisher?
I know I'm being a bit forward but, blackmail is a crime you should avoid.
It's not about money!
I want the person who cruelly bullied Eru in the press
to write a retraction and restore her honor.
I'd like it done before her death anniversary.
Takuma Motegi.
The article made the magazine famous and he became editor-in-chief.
- Here you are. - OK!
Hacker: Tochiotome
Thief artist: Meguro
Are you guys celebrating something?
- It's a welcome party with curry. - Welcome party?
It's to celebrate you officially joining our group.
Meguro's curry looks delicious, but you'll be surprised
how average it tastes.
Alright, relax and eat to our hearts content!
If you guys think I'm becoming a member...
Tochiotome, where's the guy's house?
Eh, you can't!
You're going to threaten editor-in-chief, Motegi
to retract the article, aren't you?
Accusing someone randomly is absolutely horrible.
- Nevertheless, threats are... - How about
we catch a scoop this guy is dying to get his hands on
and trade with that?
- I think that's fine. - Is it really?
Yes, as long as there's no threatening involved.
What I looked into was a house with a little something.
Permission Pea. Do you mean the snack?
- Does she usually react this slowly? - Yup.
Yuuto Kakimiya has been actively singing and acting...
and has become really popular recently.
I like him a lot.
If you were a magazine editor, what kind of scoop would you like?
A young, hot actor that's growing in popularity.
An honest young man trapped in a sex scandal.
Yup.
It's the Senkawa cannon!
The Senkawa Cannon?
Is catching a scoop so easy?
That's where you come in!
Mio Kanesaka.
Alright, let's eat this.
- Looks delicious. - The spinach smells great!
We're here.
I refuse. I won't do it.
This is a business I'm running, so it's an order.
Your "business" seems to exploit its employees.
- Do we exploit the employees, Meguro? - Yes...
Do you think you can back out this late in the game?
Mio Kanesaka.
Ah!
- He's here. - Go Mio Kanesaka.
Now!
And thus I became
a partner in crime.
I have no choice.
Ah!
Ah...
- Are you OK? - I'm OK.
I feel so bad, luring such a
kind person into my trap.
- Um, you're Yuuto Kakumiya-san, right? - Huh?
Um, I'd like to hug you...
- What? - I'm sorry.
Hey!
- Are you my fan? No,
I just realized what I did.
- That is below you. - Yes it is.
I usually don't do such impolite things.
I'm really sorry!
Good job.
From now, I will threaten you.
Subtitles by mahfuza19
Episode 2
Wouldn't it be better if I didn't play that role?
You played your part quite nicely.
That's how it is? All business till the end.
You're pretty smart.
Welcome.
Please take a seat here.
- Let's go. - OK.
- Make it for two. - OK Senkawa san.
editor-in-chief: Takuma Moteki
I sent the email to you. Pleased to meet you.
Ah, it's you.
You wanted to sell me a scoop.
Yes. I'm the Intimidator.
The Intimidator? What does that mean?
I'd like to do businness with you.
Before that, could you please empty your pockets?
Your phone as well.
So, let me get to the point.
Takuma Moteki, from now on I'm going to threaten you.
I want you to write a retraction of the Eru article.
An article that restores her honor.
Eru? The singer who committed suicide?
Gossip is that your article caused her suicide.
I only write articles based on facts I've collected.
You claimed she had a ghostwriter. Isn't that complete nonsense?
That information came from a reliable source.
The popular singer's disguise was pulled off and
the readers believed it.
At this point, I don't want stories about people dying. they don't sell well.
There is an exclusive scoop that I can sell for a high price.
But I'll give it to you, no charge.
If you pass up a scoop like this your publisher might forget you in the future.
Then... what's this?
Last night, my company also kept an eye on Yuuto Kakimiya.
Don't you think your staged scoop is hopeless?
Am I right? The lady over there?
I appreciate your effort.
Well then.
Senkawa's cannon has tragically misfired.
Greater the certainty, further the fall.
You used a fake photo to make a scoop, which was wrong.
He's the editor-in-chief, of course they're watching us.
Because of you, "Hachibe"...
they witnessed the fake scoop. - Ukkari Hachibe?
He was a disciple of Yashichi!
He was also a friendly, frivolous person
who enjoyed sweet rice dumplings.
You're a "Mito Komon" TV series fan!
I won't deny I'm not careless like
Ukkari Hachibe.
But Senkawa-san over here tried to deceive someone foolishly,
so he's the evil local governor.
You are an evil governor, aren't you?
No no, I'm not a local governor.
Rather than blaming your failures on others,
shouldn't you reflect on your mistakes?
Failures? That's expected.
Are you already thinking about your next scheme?
- Well, slowly. - Slowly?
So tell us the next step.
Well then, I'll take my leave.
Hang on, your job isn't over yet.
You've got to report the news to the client.
Me?
I'll leave it to you.
I see. It seems Takuma Motegi
doesn't want to admit his mistake.
Do you also like music, Sawako-san?
Eru-san and I went to the same high school.
I was placed very low in what's known now as the 'school caste' system.
I was treated as the plain, simple music lover who doesn't attract much attention.
Eru was bright, fun and very popular with the whole class.
Eru was singing a song by my favourite artist.
My heart was instantly captured by her melodic voice.
I wanted to sing with Eru so I practiced playing my
instrument to the best of my ability.
Both of us were immersed in music everyday.
In class, we passed messages
- written in musical notes. - Musical notes?
Yes. Musical notes replace the letters.
I believed that Eru would definitely become a star.
She saved people with her singing voice, just like she saved me.
There were actually quite a lot of fans who were saved.
It must be heartbreaking, losing such a dear friend.
Eru used to like sitting here and looking up at the sky.
She's suffering because she couldn't save her friend.
I can't leave this person alone.
Sawako-san.
I want to also clear away the false accusations made against Eru-san.
Huh? Money?
To threaten Motegi, we need money.
About 3 million should do it, right?
Well we obviously don't have 3 million.
It seems the jobs selected by a certain someone almost put us in the red, right?
Every month, I have trouble making ends meet.
Um, sorry to disturb.
While reporting to the client,
we had a little chat.
Sawako-san and Eru-san went to high school together.
She fell in love with Eru-san's melodic voice
and they went on to play songs together.
They would exchange letters written with musical notes.
What do you mean?
This is a simplified chart of the musical notes.
For example, for M, I, O
you would draw the eighth note, then the quarter note and then the eighth note.
Oh I see. You substitute the alphabet with musical notes.
Other than this, what did you think when you met Sawako Kasaya?
What do you mean?
Since you're kind and thoughtful,
I thought you might have felt something.
Ah, I thought about wanting to clear away the false accusations made against Eru-san.
As long as it's done in a lawful manner and without intimidation.
Mmm, so how about this?
We'll ask Motegi to look into Eru-san again,
then ask him to print a retraction.
Ah, I think that's a brilliant idea!
But Motegi is a sly, old editor-in-chief.
It'll be difficult to get him to retract something.
But maybe, just maybe, we can solve it with money?
That's right. We could pay him around 3 million, right?
Yeah.
Isn't it wrong to use money to get articles written?
- Not at all. - It's a necessary expense.
- It's quite common. - It's campaign funds.
You said you won't use your money for yourself,
but to help others, right?
This is how you can help.
I want to help in the right way.
Not in a sneaky way.
You're willing to pay 30 million for a stranger,
so is it wrong to pay 3 million to restore the honor of someone who died?
- That's not the problem. - So what's the problem?
I don't want to be someone that needs money to solve everything.
Isn't this a good solution as a last resort?
Our job is to make our requests successful, right?
I have no intention of joining your group.
Other than money, what are your strong points?
Overly serious, naively honest and unusually softhearted.
Other than those three attributes, what else do you have?
- There must be something else. - There isn't.
- There is! - There isn't and that's that!
I won't use money!
I'll restore Eru-san's honor in a different way.
I'm leaving.
- Don't ever come here again! - That's a given.
She'll probably never come again.
You said it was a good tactic.
How annoying.
Is there a way to recover Eru-san's honor
without using money?
There is a way, surely.
Huh, Mio? You're listening to Eru-san ?
I guess Mio-chan is falling in love after all.
This is simply a reference. Quite a beautiful piece of music though.
The lyrics and the melody of the song
make you feel giddy, don't they?
But an article exposed that her songs were ghost written.
It's a shock that she died, but
I did feel kind of deceived after hearing it.
Ah, I really wanted that giddy feeling to return.
Having said that, we can really sympathize with Eru-san
because of this song, isn't it?
- See you. - Bye bye.
Does everyone in the world see Eru-san this way?
What can I do about this?
I did it again.
If it's OK...
Neighbor: Kaoru Kyoda
This is great! I wanted to eat something sweet too.
That's a relief to hear.
If it's OK, why don't you join me?
Huh?
I feel like it'll taste even better if we eat together.
Because of my curiosity and his kindness, I ended up entering a man's...apartment.
- Did you say something? - Ah, no nothing.
What were you thinking about this time?
- Huh? - When you think about something,
you told me you have a habit of making rice dumplings.
If you like, you could tell me even though I won't be too helpful.
I want to restore the honor of a dead person who's been misunderstood.
But what I can do for her, is nothing to boast about.
It'd be amazing if something could be done.
Ah.
I picked this up because
I could do something at the arcade.
It resembles a stuffed animal I liked a long time ago.
You can have it if you want?
- Is that OK? - In exchange for the rice dumplings.
Thank you very much.
Don't be afraid.
I think you should do something that only you can do,
to help others.
Somehow, my heart felt lighter.
You want to pay Motegi?
- Huh?! - Huh?!
Yes. After what you said, I thought I should
make use of my strengths.
That's right! You ought to make the most of it.
Even if I act stubborn, the fact that I can pay
money doesn't change.
As expected you're strength lies with simplicity...no I mean in an honest place.
I'll go and see Motegi tomorrow with some information I've collected.
Senkawa-san, thank you for providing me with the opportunity
to reflect on myself.
And the same from me!
We got the 3 million!
Yay!
Even so, why does she want to pay the 3 million?
It's probably because of the way young girl's think.
Senkawa's second cannon is in action!
Thank you.
So the partner of the Intimidator wished to meet me?
Sorry for taking up your time.
Strictly speaking though, I'm not really a partner of the Intimidator.
Could you briefly tell me what you wanted to discuss?
I'd like you to write a retraction of the Eru-san article.
I'm going to refuse such a request.
Eru-san using ghost writers is the truth.
There's also clear evidence it was a fabrication to slander her.
So I'd like you to collect the data once more.
Collect the data again?
Unfortunately, no one is really interested in reading about a dead person.
But the fabrication you printed will be considered factual!
Please report the truth about Eru-san.
This is for your expenses to get the info again.
So please get the data on Eru-san one more time.
How annoying! I'm not some hack you can buy off!
So look at this as money to cover the cost to re-check the facts.
I don't need money.
The only thing I want is a scoop.
I understand that but...
- Hey! I've got evidence against him. - Huh?
I told you not to misappropriate our money.
- A good for nothing lady. - Misappropriate?
Since we already possess this large amount of money,
I already told you we're going to stop recovering Eru-san's honor.
What's going on?
I also don't...
We've located the person that gave you the scoop about Eru-san
and coaxed the truth out of them,
and they readily gave us the money.
They must be reflecting on what a bad thing they did to Eru.
Which is why we're going to stop pressing you for a retraction.
And even then, this person here, like a sly fox, tries stealing information.
- A thief. - Huh?
Stop uttering nonsense.
It's not nonsense.
Whether you believe it or not is up to you.
Anyway, we're going to remove ourselves from this case.
Well, I'm looking forward to your scoop.
Let's go.
What do you mean by misappropriation and restoring of Eru-san's honor being canceled?
Come on... come on...
Also, you lied about knowing the source of Eru-san's slander, right?
- That's right, isn't it? - Yes, I was bluffing.
Hattari Hanzo? ( A play on Samurai's name: Hattori Hanzo)
Ah, when you combine 'hattari' and ' hattori', it becomes Hattari Hanzo, right?
You made a bad pun but I'm very familliar
with the period drama, so I understood it quite easily,
What's happening?
Right now, he's on the phone with someone.
I'm going to look into his call log and I.D. who it is.
Yes!
So you really didn't pay them money?
I said that, didn't I?
Please don't contact me if it's to ask about
some con-man wannabes!
Kimie Tsuchiura
Editor-in-chief.
Kimie Tsuchiura?
Yup, she's the former company manager.
Huh? Motegi-san is thug that bullied Eru-san to suicide?!
I wouldn't want to keep in touch with a guy like that.
Suspicious isn't it? There's no clear connection between these two, yet it seems they're connected by Eru-san's incident, after all.
There must be a reason why he wrote a fabricated story.
Do a background check immediately.
Meguro, are you ready to leave?
Too late to back out now.
OK, off to work you go!
Meguro, the businessman, will head off on business.
I'll leave it to you.
Excuse me.
Yes. At the usual place?
OK.
I restored the mail that Kimie Tsuchiura deleted.
A deleted email? That's brilliant.
She was sending a few suspicious emails to Motegi, a year ago.
This must be a proposition to trade
her own story for Eru-san's.
Are they seriously doing a business transaction?
Motegi got hold of a scoop related to Kimie Tsuchiura.
It'd be quite troublesome if the story was exposed.
Thank you.
I'm saved.
I hear you're a good one.
What are you looking at?
- Go over there! - Excuse me.
Kimie-san.
Will you be granting my wish soon?
How do I rank compared to the rest?
I don't put women in a rank.
Liar.
I'll consider your wish if you think about making me your number one woman.
You won't regret it.
Is that so?
Let's go and get sushi.
So the company manager is also a drug dealer.
What an awful thing.
That Fuwagami group is also involved.
Ah, that's right. Fuwagumi's boss-
Do you mean the group that was involved in the bank transfer scam?
That day, you narrowly escaped death.
Who do you think saved you that time?
That time, I was in such a dangerous...
It was Meguro-san that helped me.
Yeah.
Fuwagumi's boss and that woman are in...
Even though the company manager sold out Eru,
this is probably the story they wanted to exchange.
Then Eru-san is...
This is something we can use to coax information out of the boss...
So he kept Tsuchiura Kimie's secret and was treated as a nuisance
and thought of as a suspicious person?
Does that mean that the evidence
that Eru had a ghost writer was also fabricated?
What?
Kimie Tsuchiura sent this to Motegi.
Huh?
Did you notice what I did?
You did too?
We've discovered the ghost writer.
Keeping a secret is quite troublesome, Sawako Kasaya-san.
Huh?
You were Eru's ghost writer.
How did you know?
This symbol here,
is the same symbol written over there, isn't it?
There's one thing I want to ask.
Since you're Eru's ghost writer,
why did you ask us to restore Eru's honor?
I think you lied to us on purpose.
What happened between the two of you?
I wasn't talented enough to sing.
But Eru had a beautiful voice, and people flocked to her.
Eru sang the songs and I wrote them.
We complemented each other.
But the weekly magazine continuously
bashing Eru made...
Look Eru, the number of songs made just by the two of us. There's so many!
Your songs give people the strength to carry on.
If you just sing again, the gossip will stop!
- That's why- - I don't need it!
Eru the artist is a fake!
I won't sing anymore.
Leave me alone.
- Eru... - Don't come here again!
Not long after, that music score was released to the public.
How is Eru?
Eru said she doesn't want to see anyone.
Our collaboration was a secret kept by just the two of us.
Our friendship would end when someone else found out our secret.
I thought that Eru must have exposed the story about the
ghost writer because of me.
So she hated me and killed herself.
And because of that,
you wanted to atone for what you did to Eru Tachibana.
I'm sorry I hid this from you guys.
You no longer have to continue with my request.
No.
I'm going to make Motegi write a retraction of Eru's story as planned.
Huh?
It doesn't matter who the ghost writer is.
In whatever way we can,
we'll fulfil your request.
I understand Motegi and Tsuchiura were partners, but how on earth can you intimidate Motegi?
Even if you shove all the facts at him, he can feign ignorance, right?
I don't believe he'll help to restore her honor.
Don't we have something we could threaten him with?
I keep repeating myself, but I think it's better if you don't threaten him.
Why don't we think about other ways other than threatening?
Are you some kind of Mother Theresa?
Your work is the plan of a cunning local governor.
The only thing I could agree with is catching the scoop Motegi-san
wants and doing business with that.
Really appreciate that.
How about starting again by
looking for a really interesting scoop?
I'm pretty confident I could fabricate something though.
I just know something scoop-worthy about Fuwagumi's boss.
Huh, what is it?
That's enough for today. Mio Kanesaka, go home.
Then please return the picture you threatened me with.
I guess it's OK to return it.
It's not this picture. I need you to give me the...
We can fire the final Senkawa cannon.
Meguro.
This one, do it this way.
and this one...
Everyone please settle down as everything is ready.
Just as I expected of you.
To be in such a bright place.
So, what are you going to do after you finish your speech?
Why? Are you pulling out of Eru's case?
Ah, no. We're surprisingly insistent.
Do what needs to be done, and we'll quickly leave.
What is it?
Takuma Motegi, I'll be threatening you once again.
Write a retraction to restore Eru's honor.
If you don't, your secret will be revealed to the world.
My secret? And what will that be?
You wrote in the article that Eru had a ghost writer.
The reason is because you made a trade with the company president Tsuchiura Kimie and her drug dealing story.
Kimie Tsuchiura's drug dealing story?
If I caught such a scoop, I wouldn't let go of it.
Oh really? I wonder if you can say the same thing after you see what we've got. Meguro-kun.
Tada!
I already told you I know that was staged. Just give up already.
Giving up... I see, it's staged.
- Meguro-kun. - Tada!
This picture on its own might look staged.
However, what do you think people will see when they look at both pictures together?
So the editor-in-chief hired a woman and fabricated a scoop?
Ah, is that what they'll think?
That's why I didn't take the money.
The world isn't interested in whether it's true or not.
Say no to a retraction now,
and I'll expose you right here, right now.
Something like, "The woman in the picture is your accomplice"...
Looks like a lot of people from your rival company in there.
Which means his long life as an editor-in-chief will come to a quick end.
Life as a reporter too, right?
Eru ended her life.
You're better off because you're alive.
I'll give you two options.
A: Write a retraction.
B: If you don't, I'll enlighten the
world with the scoop
about you.
Motegi-san, you'll be going on shortly.
I'll write a retraction.
Tsuchiura Kimie and Fuwagumi group are related through drug dealing.
You also caught this story?
Around the time I got hold of President Tsuchiura's scoop, she asked me
to trade it with Eru's story.
It was the story about Eru having a ghost writer.
Eru, this is what mere bashing does to you?
Please start writing at least one new song.
My songs are just a way to make money, right?
You make fun of music.
I don't make fun of anything.
So why are you still dealing drugs?
I even begged you to quit, didn't I?
Eru...
To protect the secret that she disclosed to you,
she interfered with Eru's life and sold you her secret.
If you know that's the truth, why do you blackmail me?
Because I'm very passionate about my job.
Please write an article that sells well.
Please.
Please welcome the editor-in-chief of Weekly Magazine, Takuma Motegi-san.
WEEKLY MAGAZINE
ERU VINDICATED! "Ghostwriter": Baseless Office Rumor
It seems Eru was a good person after all.
That ghostwriter theory was a lie.
If she can't overlook some one taking drugs,
ghostwriting is out of the question.
That's why I'm listening to Eru's songs again.
Seriously that giddy feeling is coming back!
- You want to hear? - Yup.
Thanks.
Today is Eru's one year death anniversary.
It feels like God wanted us to think of Eru.
It's not god...
It was thanks to strong-arming that Eru's honor could be recovered.
But...
Besides the reward, we're mean to take this car too, right?
No, of course I declined, but she said the car would bring back painful memories.
She's taking the anniversary of Eru's death as a chance to reorganize her life.
- Death anniversary? - Yeah it's been one year.
I wonder if she's closing her shop as soon as her best friend's honor is restored?
Ah.
What is it?
Senkawa-san! Is this the other reward from Sawako-san?
- I need you to lend me your strength. - Huh?
I mean, I need you to lend me the secrets written down in your notebook.
My notebook?
I've got something I need to tell Sawako Kasaya-san. Do you know where she is?
No, even if you ask me...
Today's the anniversary her friend's death, right? I have a bad feeling.
Where is it? Where would she go to remember Eru?
Sawako-san!
Wait! Don't do it. Please get down.
You've already atoned for Eru-san's sake.
And despite this, you still plan to end your life?
Even if I wanted to live, Eru won't forgive me.
Eru-san doesn't resent you.
How do you know?
Because there was a message left for you.
Over there.
You understand the meaning behind the musical notes, don't you?
A.
R, I, G.
A, T, O, U.
S. A. W. A.
Thank you, Sawa.
Before she died, she had already conveyed this.
This is your best friend's true feelings
which she couldn't tell you.
I'm sorry, Sawa.
Thank you.
If you had died,
no one would have been able to tell you
about Eru san's true feelings.
From now on,
you have a reason to live.
Eru...
Here you go.
- Mio-chan, you wanna try? - I'm alright.
Is this the famous "30 million" lady?
I thought she'd be ugly.
Wait, how did you hear about me?
I cannot remember at all.
Ah, did you return the picture to her like you promised?
Ah, this?
- Yup. - You're returning it...
This is quite an ugly picture.
Is this what you used the picture for?
It looks real, doesn't it?
I was scared. It looks like Rachel is the one stabbing him.
Really?
But if you look at it properly, it seems quite fake, doesn't it?
Huh? This is my best Photoshop masterpiece so far!
Tochiotome?
Wait a minute please.
What did you just say?
Did I hear correctly? "Photoshop"?
EH!
Did you really blackmail me with a fake photo!?
I can't believe you lied to me.
But you actually did such a thing, right?
- Is that so? - Whatever lie or sham people
see as the truth, eventually becomes the truth.
Exactly.
- Can I put on the tv? - Yes, go on.
It's Fumo Nitobe!
I rather like this man.
He's a candidate to become the future prime minister.
How is everyone? Are you all good?
Master. Nitobe-san has come.
Take a seat.
Todoroki Sensei, you summoned me?
I will listen to your story properly.
For the sake of our country, you're working your body hard, aren't you?
Thank you for your compliment.
There's been talks of that
youngster standing out too much.
It's really just nonsense.
It's just that
If by any chance, you're behavior seems to bother me
more than the talks about the youngster, then...
I will be very careful not to disgrace your name, sensei.
Have you still not heard back from Mio-san?
I wonder why.
It's just like someone else.
She's a stubborn child.
I guess there's no longer anyone to help
the Intimidator.
Why do I feel disappointed?
Is it imprudent of me to have found
it a little fun while it lasted?
Yes!
It's been a while.