Attorney Kujo, this is the first time I've seen you refuse a case.
Why'd you say no to Ms. Hanae Iemori?
Because down the line, it's a hassle to be accused of a conflict of interest.
You mean because you used to work at Attorney Yamashiro's firm?
I worked there for about five years before I set up my own office.
Has he always had a bad reputation?
No.
In the beginning, he was liked and respected
by everyone in the business.
It's just…
He caught a big case and became really well-known.
So he started doing business outside of his legal practice.
Then, he went bust and owed a ton of money.
And he went to some unsavory types to cover his debts?
After which, he found himself obliged to offer them his services
whenever they said so.
Money is a scary thing.
Seriously scary.
Ah.
Hello, Attorney Nagaragi.
Ah…
My dear Kurama, it's been a while.
I'm using Kujo as my name now.
Oh, right, so I was told. Your wife's last name, right?
My ex-wife, sir.
Ah. I beg your pardon.
Is work going well?
Thanks to everything you taught me, I've been doing pretty well.
So what can I do for you?
I'm thinking about going after this lawyer, an old friend of mine.
If you're not sure whether to do it, sounds like he's quite a good friend.
All right, please just listen. I'm going to talk to myself.
Let's take a stroll.
Sure.
"The law is nothing but the ethical minimum."
The famous words of Jellinek, the German legal theorist.
Things that strike us as immoral aren't always going to be illegal.
Privately, people like to invoke ethics to judge each other.
The law doesn't work like that.
We all have different ethical standards, right?
Sometimes the law can be unfeeling, even cruel.
If you abuse it, it becomes completely immoral.
You have to keep this straight in your head.
A lawyer is one who seeks to serve the interest of their client.
A client who knows almost nothing about the law
is at the complete mercy of their lawyer.
So, of course, they follow their lawyer's instructions,
hand over a huge sum of money,
and end up signing a document that's totally unfair.
Lawyers who are looking to get rich quick,
when they should only be concerned about whatever's best for their client,
bring shame on us all.
Yes, sir.
So, Kujo…
When the parents do evil deeds, the son must step in.
Yamashiro's evil deeds must be stopped.
Attorney Kujo.
What do you say to some room service?
That's okay. I'm fine.
But you signed away all your assets to your ex-wife, right?
And you're living in a tent?
Some hot food would do you good.
These days, I prefer to have one meal a day.
I find I concentrate better with the fasting,
and it also gives my digestive system a break.
The autophagy effect increases one's immunity.
What the hell is that?
You gotta eat.
A parent's always gonna worry that their son isn't eating enough.
It's Yamashiro. Listen…
Meat and bread.
And send up some beer right away.
I said beer!
And make it snappy!
Right.
You eat meat in the morning?
If you're in your prime,
a bit of meat in the morning gives you the boost you need.
So, what's on your mind?
I am the lawyer representing Shigenori Iemori's heir.
I am calling upon you as the executor of the will
to show me, as required, the inventory of the estate and the will.
You know the one I mean.
The guy who left his entire estate to Kikogi,
the company that runs the nursing home.
When we ran a financial check on the estate,
we were told that you, Attorney Yamashiro, as executor
withdrew the entire amount of the estate from the bank.
I just duly and solemnly executed the will as required by the law.
But Mr. Iemori was in an advanced state of dementia.
There's no way he could have communicated.
We will file a criminal complaint for counterfeiting a document,
uttering such a document,
or criminal coercion, depending on your response.
You want the will?
Okay.
Here's the will written up all nice and properly by the man himself.
WILL: I, SHIGENORI IEMORI, HEREBY DECLARE THE FOLLOWING AS MY WILL.
THE EXECUTOR OF THE WILL: YUZO YAMASHIRO TESTATOR: SHIGENORI IEMORI
Truth is, I don't mind fighting it out.
But remember, I care about you like you're my own son.
If you're unhappy,
I could pay a lump sum equivalent to the statutory reserved share.
In that case, the daughter gets around half.
Uh, that's around 200 million yen.
What do you say?
No, thanks.
My client is adamant that the entire estate be recovered in full.
That's the only acceptable outcome.
Well, Attorney Kujo…
Are you… really going to cut off your nose to spite your face?
-Yes. -Yes?
Yes?!
Yes.
Yes, he says!
You think you could ever have made it as a lawyer without my help?
Show your second father some respect!
I'm just doing what he taught me.
Siding with my client no matter what.
I don't understand all your mumbo jumbo.
-Well, as I explained to you-- -I don't wanna hear your explanations.
Just make sure you get back the whole thing.
Yes, yes.
One "yes" will do.
You took Ms. Iemori's case. I'm impressed.
There's no going back now.
I realize that.
So, do you have a plan for taking on your old mentor?
I'm working on a few ideas.
But you're at a complete disadvantage.
There's even a testament written and signed by the late Mr. Iemori.
Except that Mr. Shigenori Iemori was in the throes of dementia.
So we have to ask, could he write his will of his own free will?
Well, his daughter, Hanae, is convinced that someone forced him to write it.
If only we could prove it one way or another.
That's a pretty tall order.
After all, the old fox we're up against
knows every trick in the book.
I'm still surprised.
Surprised?
I was sure you'd refuse the case.
Why did you take it on?
Now then,
let's get going.
KIKOGI NURSING HOME, INC. KIKO
Oh. Hello, there. Welcome!
You must be the lawyer.
It turns out that President Sugawara is just a little late today.
While you're waiting, perhaps I could show you both around?
Sure, that would be nice.
Okay. Right this way.
Over here is the games room.
The residents love to come here
just to hang out and have fun together.
The facility is clean,
and the residents seem to be in a great mood.
Thank you. We do our best.
-Excuse me. -Oh.
Hello.
"A bright and happy future starts when we have believing hearts."
The president created that motto himself.
Even the elderly, if they have faith in a bright future,
can feel a new will to live.
I see.
Today, they're coloring.
Hey.
Nobody's allowed in there. It's off-limits.
Uh… I'm sorry.
Oh! Mr. Kuga.
Oh.
You must be Attorney Kujo, huh?
That's right.
President Sugawara is busy today and can't meet with you.
Will that be all, then?
But we have an appointment.
Please make another.
Understood.
Time to go, Mr. Karasuma.
What? But we've barely seen anything yet.
Let's go.
So that's it?
They had no intention of showing us the important area anyway.
Yeah, you're probably right.
Mr. Karasuma.
Yeah?
I have a… small favor to ask.
A bright and happy future starts when we have believing hearts.
Hey, there, boys!
You can't do that, Mr. Udagawa. No excursions allowed without our say-so.
You broke the rules,
so that means you're confined to bed for a week.
I'm really hungry.
Sure thing. Curry or ramen? What'll it be?
I don't want any more cold food.
I want something hot, like rice and miso soup.
The curry and ramen here are best when they're cold.
You should quit being so selfish.
Hey.
You want to end up like Iwai in the bed beside you?
Want me to put a hole in your stomach? Give you food in a tube?
No.
Then you're gonna have to stand it.
Bright and happy future
starts when we have believing hearts.
Go on.
A bright and happy… future starts with--
-Put some heart into it! -A bright and happy future starts--
Louder! I can't hear you!
A bright and happy future starts when we have believing hearts!
Okay, one more time.
A bright and happy--
Udagawa's done with his meal.
Right.
Did he eat everything?
Yeah, after I forced the curry down his throat.
Man, I tried that stuff once. I literally thought I was gonna die.
Working here…
You used to it?
Yeah.
The workers get to do what they want. The job's really cool.
Sugawara thinks caregiving is a business,
and we should keep our feelings out of it.
If the residents are confined to the facility,
it cuts down on travel costs for visits to their family.
And the compensation will keep coming in until the residents die.
He said it's like a subscription.
Subscription.
For real.
With old folks just sitting on loads of dough,
the point is to get them hooked, he says,
and use the caregiving as a way to suck them dry.
He sure squeezed Iemori like a lemon,
the one who died the other day.
Iemori, huh?
He was a lot of work.
He was pig-headed.
I punched him so hard I cracked his rib.
You know, my boss got me to do this, uh, funny thing.
I had to make Iemori write the same sentences over and over.
Sometimes he'd put up a fight and refuse to do it.
Every time he said no, I flicked his broken rib just like that.
The look he got on his face was hilarious. I made a video of it.
You wanna see it?
Sure.
Executor! The executor of the will!
You got that? Go on! Write it!
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!
I… I can't breathe.
Give me that.
Uh…
Testator.
You mean you actually kept evidence of abuse?
President Sugawara. I…
Tell me, do you save your photos and videos to the cloud?
No, sir.
Trouble is, these days, smartphones can survive
being submerged in water.
When you get to the top,
drop your phone.
And it better break!
Yes, sir!
Mr. Sugawara, I'll throw your coffee away.
I didn't bother to wash my hands after I used the john.
There's gotta be a lot of germs in there.
That's nasty.
Drink it.
Huh?
You heard me.
Yes, sir.
Whenever I look at the half-dead old folks in this place,
it always makes me think they're a lot like this country of mine.
This country? Japan, you mean?
With more and more elderly people, Japan's taxes come from the workers,
which is barely half the population.
The rich know how to avoid taxes and hide their wealth.
The burden will fall on the working stiffs
who have their taxes squeezed out at the source.
I made it to the top!
Do it!
Yes, sir!
What? I can't hear you!
Yes, sir!
Kuga,
give me that coffee.
We're gonna milk this thing as much as we can,
then we'll get the hell out of this dying country,
relocate to someplace that's up-and-coming,
and just kick back and relax.
Sharing this cup makes us brothers.
You turn on me and I'll kill you.
Yes, sir.
BEIJING RESTAURANT CHINESE CUISINE
Thank you very much.
Welcome! Come on in.
Eat as much as you want.
It'd be nice to take me
to a high-end sushi place for once.
Or a teppanyaki restaurant where the chef cooks in front of you.
We always end up going to this kind of place.
Hang on there.
Ms. Yakushimae! This kind of place? That's a little rude!
Come on. Take a look around you!
The walls are plastered with fake autographs!
Those autographs are real.
What do you mean, fake?
Morgan Freeman. No way he ate in this place.
He used the washroom!
Hey, Attorney Karasuma. This is fraud, right?
-Huh? -Maybe I'll sue this restaurant.
Okay, come on.
When we're through with this case, we'll get Mr. Kujo to take us out.
I'm holding you to that.
So, did you find out anything about Ms. Iemori's case?
Oh.
The late Mr. Iemori used to run a famous jewelry store.
You heard about that?
Yeah, I knew he was the owner of a jewelry store.
Not that it was famous, though.
Put it this way. The store wasn't a success.
It was famous for having no customers and somehow not going out of business.
Yeah, well, we've heard that story before.
But the family owned a lot of land, so there was no shortage of money.
And I guess she got into some disputes with her younger brother and his wife.
IEMORI
Her younger brother is named Keisuke. He's an accountant.
Hey!
That's bugging the neighbors.
-His wife's name is Saeko. -Here.
Before Shigenori developed dementia,
it seems that Keisuke left with his mother.
Leaving Hanae to take care of her dad… all alone?
That's right.
It can't have been easy.
He would wander about aimlessly and turn the house upside down.
I asked a friend of mine who's a caregiver.
She thinks Shigenori must've had a pretty severe case of dementia.
How severe?
It goes like this.
Preclinical, early, middle, advanced. Those are the four stages.
Mr. Shigenori's cognitive abilities had declined.
He was unable to recognize people
or understand words, so he had advanced dementia.
Advanced…
So that's 1,012 yen.
What?
One thousand and twelve.
-Okay, my dear. Give me a second. -Okay.
I have got things to do. Look at this doddering old biddy.
Try getting your wallet ready before you reach the register.
-I'd like to… -Yes.
I'd like to use this to pay for it.
I’m very sorry, but we don’t accept that…
Wherever you look here, it's just old people.
MENTHOL RUB
Bad taste.
Please don't go down this aisle.
-Bad. -Excuse me.
Excuse me. Excuse me.
Dad!
Oh! No, no, no. No, no.
Dad, let's go home. Let's go home. Let's go home.
Excuse me. I'm sorry.
-Ma'am, ma'am! -I'm sorry.
-You're gonna have to pay for that. -I'm sorry. Come on. Oh no!
-Give me the answer. -Dad, stop it. Stop it. Stop it.
Give me the answer!
Dad. No, no, no, no.
Dad?
Hey, what is that? Do you smell it?
Oh my God. It stinks. What the hell?
-Something stinks. -It does.
What is it?
No way.
That's disgusting. Let's go.
There's an open cash there.
Good morning, Mr. Kujo.
Good morning, Mr. Karasuma.
What happened here?
The office is a total disaster.
Don't tell me… The cops raided us?
Uh…
It was Black Thunder.
When she doesn't get enough exercise, she gets wound up,
and this is what happens.
If we don't find him a new owner soon,
we're gonna have to shut down our practice.
So, how did it go?
The background check on Ms. Iemori.
It sounds like Mr. Shigenori's dementia was quite severe.
In my opinion, he was too far gone to be able to write a will.
I see.
It could be that someone copied Mr. Shigenori's handwriting
and forged the will.
The only thing is…
This…
It's Mr. Shigenori Iemori.
He's writing the will himself.
I sent this to our opponent's lawyer.
I see.
I gotta admit, 3,000 yen gets you a tasty burger.
Good, isn't it?
The hotel's specialty, I guess.
So…
You're telling me we're all good, Mr. Yamashiro?
Mr. Sugawara,
you shouldn't worry.
In legal disputes,
ideally, you wanna get your opponent to give in to you
without hurting them.
Sure, we could beat them in court,
but a showy victory is beside the point.
The best kind of settlement comes with no applause, no glory.
It means
it's important to win without having to fight.
I showed him parental love.
But Attorney Kujo showed me his fangs.
He lost the battle before it started.
Ah, Father…
How could this possibly have happened?
It was probably made under Attorney Yamashiro's instructions.
Since it's written by hand, the will is valid.
He wants to resolve the issue quickly.
He's looking for a settlement.
A settlement? You mean, I'm supposed to accept half?
There's no way I'm gonna agree to that.
Attorney Yamashiro has assembled a strong case, you know.
He's got the recording of the will being written.
I'm sure the primary care doctor is conspiring with the nursing home.
The doctor will hold back any medical records that could weaken their case.
It's like the perfect crime. There isn't a scrap of evidence.
There's nothing we can do about it.
In a court of law, the evidence gives Attorney Yamashiro
a huge advantage. He's got an ironclad defense.
Ironclad indeed.
Ms. Iemori.
Considering how expensive a drawn-out trial can get,
accepting their offer of the statutory reserved share
would be the wise course of action.
No, no, no, no, no.
No way in hell. Absolutely not.
I just give away the inheritance? To some crooks who run a nursing home?
All of it… Is there no way to get it all back?
If there is a way,
it would have to be to catch them off guard.
Catch them off guard?
Why does Attorney Yamashiro go to such lengths to rig the evidence?
Looking at it from another angle,
it suggests he thinks the case is legally weak.
So…
It's important to win without having to fight.
A lesson my mentor taught me.
So Mr. Yamashiro has lost the battle before it started.
Really, though, you are such a rude young man.
-Get those things off the desk. -Oh.
Yes, yes.
One "yes" will do.
Shoes on the desk…
What the hell is going on? This totally sucks.
I don't know. I heard some idiots are fighting with security.
Hey, let us in! Hey!
I'm calling the cops!
I said let us in! Hey!
Get out of the way.
Huh?
There we go.
Mibu.
What took you?
So tell me…
What've you been teaching your crew?
They knew I was backing this joint and came at it anyway?
No, sir.
Not so, Mr. Sugawara.
You guys messed with my business interests.
Ah…
What do you say to that?
I'm sorry.
Huh?
I didn't catch that.
You sound insincere.
Get on your knees and apologize to me.
Mr. Mibu…
If you don't, I'll break his legs.
Here.
My subordinate was disrespectful to you.
I'm sorry. Please forgive us.
Mr. Mibu!
Pathetic little worms.
Kuga, are you filming this?
Yes, sir. I am.
Five million for the inconvenience.
Deliver it.
Mibu.
IEMORI
Saeko, thank you for helping me deal with this.
The estate cleaners can deal with the rest of the belongings.
Hanae.
What are these, photo albums?
Here. Take 'em.
Hey. Before he died,
you received a living trust of 25 million, right?
What did you do with it?
The whole thing went to the fees for Dad's nursing care.
What?
You spent 25 million on nursing care fees? I can't believe it.
That's what it costs.
I would know since I had to make all the arrangements by myself.
Oh, sure, sure.
You made all the arrangements by yourself,
so that's why you chose such a cheap nursing home.
It wasn't cheap.
Oh yeah?
This article online called it a garbage can for gramps.
So then you used the money you saved to get yourself some massages?
I heard it from the neighbors.
And what's wrong with that?
There I was, working, taking care of him,
getting by on four hours of sleep a night.
Well, I suppose a housewife like you wouldn't understand.
Watch it.
How dare you look down on housewives?
You let the nursing home steal the inheritance.
If that's what you think,
why didn't the two of you take care of him?
Why should I have to look after my father-in-law?
It was me who helped your mother use the bathroom in the end, you know.
And how much money do you think I gave you for living expenses?
Oh please, enough!
I could have had a totally different life, sister.
Your mother nagged me day and night, but I still put up with it.
Anyway,
you'd better get back our share of the inheritance
so I can have what I deserve.
Seriously… …I can't believe all the work I put in this family.
I'm so tired.
HANAE, 6 YEARS OLD KEISUKE, 4 YEARS OLD
AUGUST 7TH AT HACHIOJI AMUSEMENT PARK
AMUSEMENT PARK TICKET ADULT: 700 YEN
Something smells really good around here.
Hey, Mibu.
-Some freshly smoked meat. -Oh.
Would you like to join us?
-You sure? -Of course.
Then I'll give it a try.
Huh?
You're really tearing into it!
Mmm.
There's nothing like an afternoon beer on the roof.
It's the best.
Attorney…
here you go.
Thank you. I appreciate it.
Well, I have some things to take care of, so I'll be going now.
Thanks for the food.
Thanks a lot.
Uh.
Mr. Kujo, what's the deal with the USB drive?
Our ace in the hole for Attorney Yamashiro.
To catch him off guard.
Um…
I've gotta ask you again.
Go ahead.
Why did you insist on going up against Attorney Yamashiro,
even though he was your mentor?
I'm just working to defend my client's best interests.
Yamashiro's views, unfortunately,
happen to be at odds with those of my client.
Views that are at odds…
Supposing our views happened to be at odds for some reason.
We'd go up against each other too, right?
Don't say scary things like that.
You want some coffee?
Yes, please.
Hello, Attorney Yamashiro?
Did you see the news?
Yes.
ABUSE RAMPANT AT CHIBA NURSING HOME TOEI SHIMBUN ONLINE
Kujo, huh?
Which pollen's bugging you now?
At this time of year, it could be ragweed or rice, or…
Someone could be talking about me, I guess.
ABUSE RAMPANT AT CHIBA NURSING HOME TOEI SHIMBUN ONLINE
AS A FORM OF “DISCIPLINE”
A FLICK TO THE BROKEN RIB
ABUSE RAMPANT AT CHIBA NURSING HOME TOEI SHIMBUN ONLINE
How many times do you have to screw it up?
C'mon! Hurry up. Write it.
C'mon, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon!
Come on, get on with it!
No, that’s not how we do it.
Start from the beginning. Get it right this time. NLINE