Okay. Here you go.
Thank you very much.
After a visit to the detention center,
it sure feels good to have a glass of barley shochu.
You didn't follow my advice, did you, Mr. Kujo?
You're talking about the Yakuza case? Thanks for the food.
You went to visit the boss of the Fushimi-gumi
on Mr. Kyogoku's orders, I'm guessing.
If I don't take the case,
I'm pretty sure he won't get a fair defense.
How would you define a "fair defense?"
It looks like we'll just have to agree to disagree.
I'm saying this, Mr. Kujo,
because I'm worried about what could happen to you.
You keep this up and they won't just disbar you.
Sure, they could throw me in jail.
Those guys'll do whatever it takes to protect themselves.
In other words, you're worried about my actual survival.
You could lose what's most dear to you.
Even now, it's not too late.
I'll say it as often as I have to.
I'm really worried about you, Mr. Kujo.
Mr. Horikawa was sentenced to death today.
Mr. Horikawa? You mean the case you were removed from?
Yeah.
It still bothers me. I wanted to see it through to the end.
I wasn't responsible for the result.
But all the same, it isn't easy to accept.
Excuse me. Another round, please.
Coming up.
Thank you very much.
Sure thing.
I'm really enjoying this column of yours, Ms. Ichida.
I'm glad to hear that.
Oh, speaking of. About that favor I asked you for…
Setting up interviews with people who are trying to reintegrate into society?
Yes.
That's my specialty. I'd be delighted to give you a hand.
Thank you very much.
Not at all.
Um, I hope you don't mind my asking,
but how'd you get into writing something like this?
Oh.
I started out reporting for a weekly magazine. You know the kind.
I had just landed a job at a big publishing company,
and as a new hire, I was assigned to this gossip rag.
Around that time, a random act of violence was in the news, a murder.
A random act of violence?
It was on a bullet train. Around 20 years ago.
There was a middle-aged executive who was killed
while trying to defend another passenger from some deranged guy with an axe.
Oh, right. That one.
At first, we ran the story of a hero.
An elite businessman and graduate
from the University of Tokyo's Faculty of Law who saved a life.
But right after that article went to press,
I got a call from my editor-in-chief.
Dig around in the big hero's private life
and find some gossip about women, anything with sex.
A week later, we ran an article
about how the elite businessman was involved in sugar dating.
The magazine sold like crazy.
And suddenly, public opinion turned against him.
The hero who saved a stranger's life
was transformed into an object of endless scrutiny and mockery.
Right after that, I quit working for the weekly magazine,
and then I left the company.
I still regret writing that article, hurting a family like that.
I'm sorry for making you think about such a painful memory.
It's not your fault. I think about it all the time.
After the first article was published, an acquaintance at the funeral home
let me pose as an employee so I could get information on the victim's family.
It was a very small affair,
a quiet family funeral with just the mother and son.
The son was comforting his mother as she knelt by the body, weeping.
I just couldn't bring myself to talk to them.
The son stayed up all night just watching the incense burn.
I'm sure he wanted to cry and scream.
But it looked to me like
he was desperately trying to bottle up all his feelings.
Well, we ended up drinking on the roof again after all, huh?
Black Thunder would be lonely otherwise.
This is the last one, girl.
I think this might be it for me, Mr. Kujo.
I understand.
Mr. Kujo doesn't get it, does he?
RINO
Just answer the call.
Don't keep your daughter waiting.
I can tell it's her by the look on your face.
Hi, sweetie.
Mmm.
Mm-hmm.
Of course, I will.
Fifteenth of August. I won't forget.
Mmm.
I promise you.
Yeah.
Bye-bye.
Did you just make a promise?
Yeah.
She put me in a tricky position.
Daddy, you're always so busy,
so I'm making a reservation with you for my birthday a month early.
Well, you absolutely have to keep a promise to your daughter.
Right.
Mr. Kujo, what does family mean to you?
I guess it's something you can't escape from.
Can't escape from?
It doesn't matter how far you run
or if you change your last name.
It latches onto your back and won't let go.
If you try to force it off, you'll pull off your own flesh too.
You're talking about the Kurama family?
How come you hate them so much?
If I think way back, it might be because of my name.
Your name?
When you take the written character for "human" and spell it backwards,
you get "Taiza," funny enough.
Apparently, the name was my father's idea.
So of course, when I was growing up,
the other kids would tease me and call me "backwards human."
I told myself, "What an awful name he decided to give me."
I've never stopped resenting him for that.
I went through something like that too.
My last name has the word "crow" in it, so they said it was bad luck.
All the kids teased me about it.
I wonder which of the two is worse.
A backwards human… or a crow.
Yeah, I wonder which is worse.
But your daughter isn't a Kurama, and you know it.
So you should keep your promise and go see her.
Absolutely.
I’M NOT HERE
My back hurts.
This place is a total dump.
Hey, hey. Hey.
Wow, great place you got here.
Excuse us. Here's the key.
Oh, hey, everything's cool. I stuck to the back roads all the way.
A pleasure doing business.
Let's go.
Hey, how are we getting back?
Uh… We'll take the bullet train from Oyama Station.
How are we getting to the station?
Thirty-nine minutes by foot, it says.
What the hell?
Bad enough they've got us delivering boosted cars,
which is crazy risky for a crappy 30,000.
Such bullshit!
We're gofers, dude. What do you expect?
Gofers, huh?
Sugawara's looking down on us, that bastard!
What?
Yo, you dissing Mr. Sugawara?
Hey.
Let's go rip off that car dealer.
Huh?
Bro, I scoped out the safe and the security camera.
Are you crazy? That's a bad idea.
We don't know what kind of scary guys he's connected to.
Hey.
Better not get caught then, right?
-Hey! What are you doing, huh?! -Get over here!
-Get down, now! -Grab him! Now!
Where's the money? Where's the safe? Huh?!
-Get him! -What are you gonna do now?
Open the safe!
-Yeah! -Piece of cake.
That car dealer was shitting his pants.
I almost shit mine when Inukai called me.
He goes, "Hurry up, dude, bring anything that looks like a weapon."
Okay, dump those tools tomorrow. It's garbage pickup day.
Not here though.
Got it.
So, we gonna go to a strip club and party with this cash?
Let's play a game before we go.
A game?
A trust game.
We do this to each other.
It doesn't work without trust, right?
You do it to me first.
I'm a bit clumsy, so…
I'll show you.
Does it hurt, Komatsu?
This is where the trust game begins.
That cop Arashiyama's daughter, the one who got dropped,
nobody would've found out if you hadn't snitched!
What's your story for this at the hospital?
What's your story for this?
I went too far. I was pretending to cut off my own fingers.
Good.
What's gotten into you all of a sudden?
I wanted the house to be like when I was a kid with flowers everywhere.
I see.
Is something up?
Huh?
You look a little sad.
My job with Mr. Kujo. I've decided to quit.
Why is that?
I got a lot out of it. Why not try somewhere else?
Have you decided who you want to work for?
Mm-hmm.
What sort of person is this new attorney? Is he a good person?
I'd say it depends on your standards. What do you consider good or bad?
Whether they can help people or not.
Your dad was made out to be a bad person after he died.
He was killed by a criminal.
And then he was killed again by the public.
At the time…
nobody lifted a finger to help us deal with it all.
So I want you to be…
one of the good guys,
an attorney who helps those who are suffering and in need.
I will, Mom.
You know, I'm feeling okay now.
Mmm.
Although…
I wanna ask you for something.
What is it?
When can I see Mr. Kujo?
NAGARAGI LAW OFFICE
Mr. Nagaragi, it's an honor to be working with you.
The honor is mine.
-It's a pleasure. -Likewise.
We're delighted to have you on board, Mr. Karasuma, but I'm a little worried.
About what?
I'm worried that my old friend Mr. Kujo
is alone again.
Long time no see, Inukai.
What do you want?
So that's the reception you give to someone
who did ten years because of your orders?
A trip down memory lane, that's what you want?
-How many times did you visit me? -You refused to see me.
So show me that you're serious and visit me more than once!
But I'm so over that.
Three million isn't enough for doing Arashiyama's daughter.
I want three hundred.
-Three hundred million? -Yeah.
I turned up some interesting information.
You had orders to get rid of Arashiyama's daughter.
She was sleeping with Koyama, the head of a porn studio.
Those orders came from Kyogoku of the Fushimi-gumi.
So then you used us. Kids who didn't have a clue.
Three hundred million is still cheap!
What is all this?
It's ancient history.
It's not ancient history!
You know who this belongs to, right?
We've got your right-hand man, Kuga.
Mr. Sugawara wants to talk to you.
You had Kuga work at Mr. Sugawara's nursing home.
You sniffed out some dirt, leaked it to the media, and ruined him.
You won't get away with this.
Three hundred million yen.
You'll deliver it in a week.
You're the ancient history,
Mr. Mibu.
I heard the kid who killed President Koyama's mistress is blackmailing you.
I always have my ear to the ground.
The kid and Sugawara are trying to shake you down for 300 million yen, right?
As soon as you pay them even once, you're doomed.
They'll come back again and again until they've picked you clean.
Listen, Mibu.
I'll step in for you and make this all go away.
No, thanks.
It's my mess. I can deal with it myself.
That so?
Well, watch yourself.
Thank you very much.
Excuse me.
You're the one who should watch yourself.
Mibu's here!
Mibu! Show us the 300 million yen.
Kuga, are you alive?
No. I'm dead.
Good.
I'll get you out of here.
Okay.
Do you think now's the time to be making jokes?!
Hey, you came empty-handed. Cough up the cash.
Your yapping is so loud.
I'm not gonna pay, idiot.
Are you messing with me, Mibu?
You used Kuga to ruin my nursing home business, didn't you?
I don't want just 300 million yen.
Give me all of it, everything you're worth.
If you don't hand it over,
I'll bury the two of you deep in the mountains.
I won't pay you a damn thing.
In fact, you owe me for the watch.
Are you gonna go running to Mr. Kyogoku for help?
There's nobody here to rescue you.
Moron!
I always come ready for anything,
Mr. Sugawara.
Huh?
What the hell?!
Shut up!
Are you okay, Kuga?
Does it seem like I'm okay?
You're a masochist. You'll live.
I'm not a masochist.
Hey.
Let go of me, damn it!
If you're gonna kill me, get on with it,
Mibu.
Careful what you wish for.
I'm not gonna kill you.
Mr. Sugawara,
I actually have a lot of respect for you.
You're smart and a good businessman.
And us…
So far nobody amounts to shit around here. We're a bunch of half-assed street thugs.
If we're ever going to get real power,
we're gonna need you to help us.
Time to join us.
No way!
You've got to be kidding!
Ten years of my life you took,
and you've got the balls to spout that shit?
You chose to kill that girl, Inukai.
Think about it.
Don't get mad at the wrong guy.
I'm Kyogoku's good little lapdog.
I'm just like you, a lapdog that does what it's told.
But one day…
I'm gonna take off my collar and give it back to him.
Everyone…
Together, we'll be strong.
Mr. Karasuma.
You gonna meet with a client in there?
I am.
I just delivered some food to the boss. Grilled eel on rice.
Is that so?
I heard you and Mr. Kujo parted ways recently.
You guys fight or what?
You keeping tabs on your lawyer?
He's my guardian angel. I have to know everything about Mr. Kujo.
Guardian angel, huh?
Your closer, right?
Your fixer, more like.
Time for you to make a clean getaway, Mr. Karasuma?
It doesn't matter what you say.
Look, kid. You're still young, so let me tell you how the world works.
Even when you're sure you've made your escape,
once you've got some mud on you,
when you least expect it,
a bloody hand will reach up from the ground and grab you.
Like the movie Carrie.
Carrie?
De Palma's greatest achievement.
You've gotta keep your eyes open.
You'll see.
Someday, the bodies of people you don't even remember
will come crawling out, and then they'll come looking for you.
Everyone likes to think their sins just fade away.
But when you're not looking, they get bigger.
Running only makes it worse.
I've gotta go.
Shinji!
Take good care of your family.
Hey! Wait!
-Hey! Hey, hey! Hold it there! -Woo!
Destruction of property. You're coming in.
Shut up, you bastard!
-Hey, wait a minute! -Get out of my way!
-Just stop it! Hey! -What's up with you?
-Are you tweaking or what? -Of course not, asshole!
-Ow! -Stop resisting!
-Get your stinking hands off me! -That hurts! Ow!
Ouch, ow, ow!
That hurts!
-Shut up and stop resisting. -You asshole. Call the police! Help!
What's wrong? You look a little down.
Is it true that I ran away?
Huh?
I was told I ran away
from the Yakuza who is close to Mr. Kujo.
I've always known about it.
His clients are involved in multiple cases of fraud and extortion.
There's a high risk of him being arrested and charged as an accomplice.
If he were prosecuted and convicted of a criminal offense,
he'd lose his job for good.
Even if he avoided a trial, he'd still be disciplined.
And in the worst case, he could be disbarred.
I understand your concern, Karasuma,
but it's Kujo we're talking about.
I'm sure he's being very careful to stay out of trouble.
What if there's a prosecutor who's dead set against him?
Couldn't Mr. Kujo end up in jail?
Dead set against him?
Is there a prosecutor like that?
Who knows?
That's some good press, Kurama.
Nice work.
No, sir.
Your formulation of the hypothesis was a stroke of genius.
My hunch was mostly right. That was all.
One thing you can be sure of, crooks like this,
they only care about taking what they can get.
That's true of bad people everywhere.
Even some prosecutors are starting to act like selfish corporate types.
But not you. I like your tenacity.
Thank you very much.
Now that Ono has quit, you're the only one I can rely on.
I'm counting on you.
And have you heard about what Mr. Ono intends to do when he retires?
Private practice, I think. A lawyer-for-hire.
I don't like lawyers.
Especially
ones who protect bad people.
I detest them.
Sorry. I kept saying I'd treat you, and I didn't get around to it.
I can pay for this.
No. It's fine. You can pick up the tab at a better place.
I won some money at the races,
and I wanted to thank you for introducing me to Ms. Ichida.
She said she'd join us later.
Mmm! This is good. You chose a great spot.
How come you quit working for Mr. Kujo?
Huh?
I'm the one who introduced you to him, right?
And yet you quit without even consulting me or telling me about it.
You're barely fit to be a member of society, let alone a lawyer.
I'm sorry.
So what happened?
I thought that if I stayed with Mr. Kujo,
I'd never end up doing what I really should be doing with my life.
Oh.
So that means
you have at least some idea of what to do with your life.
Sure. It's the same for you, isn't it? As a social worker.
Somehow,
I've been losing sight of it lately.
Did something happen?
Listen. As lawyers, you and Mr. Kujo use the law to…
to defend the rights of the weak, right?
Well…
And Ms. Ichida, the newspaper reporter,
uncovers the truth about social problems and shares it with the public
to stop those things from happening and to protect society.
Yeah. You're right.
So what should I be protecting?
Well, as a social worker,
you help rehabilitate people who have committed crimes.
Yeah, but is that even protecting them from anything?
Yeah.
Wouldn't it be more productive
if I could prevent them from committing their crimes in the first place?
Well…
I mean, what am I doing for them?
Should I be helping them get over their past
or stay safe in the future?
How do you do that?
How can I actually do some good?
What am I going to protect?
Hello, Ms. Ichida? Are you able to make it?
Uh, I'm sorry. I'm still staking out the prosecutor…
Uh, it's gonna be a long night.
Maybe next time.
What are prosecutors like?
What do they protect?
I guess they would claim to protect the idea of justice?
Even so, I can't stand those guys.
How come?
The legal system in this country follows the rule of exclusive prosecution.
Wait, run that by me again?
It works like this.
Only the prosecution has the authority to seek justice against criminals.
In other words, if the prosecution decides not to proceed to trial,
it's the same as being acquitted.
So they have the authority to decide people's fates.
I get it.
I really don't like those guys.
Good evening, Prosecutor Kurama.
Your article on the contractors was excellent.
My superior liked it too.
Thanks for all your help. The scoop was amazing.
Thank you very much.
You cover stories that conjure up strong emotions to reach your readers.
I have more leads like this. You want them, right?
What's wrong? Don't you want them?
Prosecutor Kurama.
Taiza Kujo, your brother, I mean,
has been meeting with the boss of the Fushimi-gumi.
It's almost as if he's acting like their lawyer on retainer.
One more thing.
One of Mr. Kujo's former clients, serving a suspended sentence,
was re-arrested for drugs.
This suspect was sent to Detective Arashiyama
of the Organized Crime squad.
Arashiyama, was it?
Do you know him?
We worked together on the case of a woman
who was killed and dismembered.
He's the kind of cop who stops at nothing.
Did you know that his daughter was murdered?
I'm aware.
For years he's been convinced that the Fushimi-gumi is behind it.
After all this time, he's still working that angle.
In his effort to take down the Fushimi-gumi,
Detective Arashiyama seems to be after Mr. Kujo.
Arashiyama's assessment has its strengths.
It looks like Taiza's career as a lawyer could finally be over.
What are you going to do about all this?
Continue your coverage. It's a scoop.
Ms. Ichida,
you cover stories that conjure up strong emotions,
that reach your readers.
What's wrong?
This stupid kid I know got busted.
Can you help me with it?
The guy's a hopeless scumbag,
but his father runs a construction firm I do business with,
so I have to babysit the asshole.
Could it be…
The product of really bad parenting choices.
You're gonna clam up again, Morita?
Your urine test came back positive.
You can't weasel out of this. Cough up the truth.
You know, there's something I wanna ask you,
Morita, old pal.
In your previous statement about the hit-and-run,
you swore that you lost your smartphone.
Uh, uh… Yeah.
Seems like you got a pretty old smartphone, wouldn't you say?
Huh?
What if this is the smartphone you lost?
-I found it under my bed. -Don't lie to me.
Back then, you pretended to lose it, right?
It wasn't your idea, was it?
Did Attorney Kujo coach you? Did he tell you to say you lost it?
If you talk I'll cut down your sentence,
so give me all of it, Morita.
Get a suspended sentence?
Can't you just try?
Probably impossible.
Your urine tested positive for drugs.
You also had MDMA, that's three pills, about a gram in total.
That's beside the property damage.
No way.
I'm going to prison?
Mr. Morita, you were serving a suspended sentence
for a traffic accident, and you reoffended.
Just clam up in there.
Was there a problem?
Detective, how can we prove that Morita left his phone at Kujo's office?
We need three things.
First of all, we need Morita to sign a statement declaring
that Kujo told him to leave it there.
We dangled the bait of a reduced sentence, so if we work him a bit more, he'll talk.
What's the second thing?
Matching testimony from another witness.
We will corroborate Morita's statement,
then the whole thing starts to be credible.
Some hard evidence is the third thing we need.
Were you able to get the phone's location data?
Yes.
What about on the day Morita turned himself in for the traffic accident?
The address of Kujo Law Office was in the location history.
So that means the phone had to be there.
I see.
I'd call that objective evidence, wouldn't you?
Yeah.
So, we've got two things covered.
The only thing left is the testimony from another person of interest.
Then we'll have all three things.
That's right.
One more thing.
Then Attorney Kujo will be looking at some serious time.
This is delicious.
I'm glad you like it.
Oh, and you must try a bit of this too while it's still hot.
-Omurice? -Yes.
My dad loved this. In the Karasuma family it's our lucky meal.
-For this, our thanks. -Enjoy.
This is good.
-You like it? -Yes. Mmm.
I love the seasoning. Especially the ketchup rice.
Mmm.
I've gotta say,
you're not what I was expecting at all.
The media refers to you as the "crooked lawyer."
So I really wasn't sure who was gonna show up.
Mom, please.
Huh? What's wrong?
I'm just giving him a compliment.
She's giving me a compliment.
I can tell you're a good person, Mr. Kujo.
How so?
Someone who enjoys their food like you do could never be a bad person.
-Please. Enjoy. Eat up. -Okay.
-Yes. Eat, eat. -Thank you.
This reminds me of your dad.
He used to make coffee for us after dinner like this.
He did, didn't he?
Mmm. He'd say, "Coffee is my specialty."
I sure do miss him.
Mr. Kujo.
Yes?
You know, ever since my husband passed away,
for the longest time,
I used to get numb with sadness thinking about the past.
But I think now… I'm finally rounding a corner.
Somehow, I'm starting to feel things again.
All his life, your dad was the kind of person
who felt compelled to help people in need.
That's what he was doing when he was killed
trying to defend that passenger who was being attacked.
But even in his last moments…
I don't think he had any regrets.
I think the way he died was also the way he lived.
Here you go.
Thank you very much.
Thank you for the coffee.
Mmm! It's delicious.
I'm glad you like it.
Mr. Kujo, I imagine your parents
would be proud to see how much you've accomplished.
I wonder about that.
It was always my mother's dream for me to become a prosecutor.
But I wasn't as talented as my father or older brother.
I kept failing the bar exam,
and there were times when I thought about giving up.
But even at my lowest,
I wanted to have something that only I could do.
My mother passed away when I was in my first year of high school,
but she always said I should try to become someone who helps others.
Even a person like me, despite my lack of talent,
can help others and give them hope.
I still sincerely believe that I've got to see it through to the end.
I wish I could've told my mother when she was still alive.
I chose not to be a prosecutor.
I chose to be a lawyer.
If that's what you want to do,
I'll support you with all my heart.
There.
I know that's what your mother would say.
Mr. Kujo?
Mr. Kujo, do you have a moment?
Should I come back?
No.
How can I help?
Yes.
Mm-hmm. Yes. Please hold on a moment.
Mr. Karasuma.
Yes?
A Honjo Police Station detective calling for you.
Of course, sir.
Hello. This is Karasuma. Who am I speaking to?
Hello, my name's Arashiyama.
I know this is a rather unusual request.
I'd like to ask you about a few things.
Would you mind coming down to the police station, Mr. Karasuma?
Morita's getting pressured by Arashiyama. I'm worried about it.
In chess terms, what is Detective Arashiyama up to?
He's attacking Morita, a pawn, to take down the two of us,
that is, a rook and a bishop,
so he can get to Kyogoku, the king.
What if Morita, a pawn, crosses to the other side
and gets promoted?
It would take a lot of guts
for the police to conduct a compulsory investigation of a law office.
To pursue that approach, they need solid evidence.
However,
if they really believe they can put us into checkmate,
they'll throw everything they've got at us.
Mr. Karasuma,
would you mind showing us your cell phone for a moment?
Why?
To make sure you're not recording this conversation.
Here you go.
So, what do you want?
Why did you decide to stop working at Kujo Law Office, Mr. Karasuma?
For personal reasons.
Surely you don't need me to go into the details.
Was it because you were sick of how Mr. Kujo
was always mixed up with criminals?
Amazing how police detectives always jump to conclusions.
All right.
It's true, isn't it,
that you saw Morita, one of Kujo's clients,
hand over his phone in the office when he was receiving legal counsel.
What are you talking about?
Morita just admitted it.
On the advice of Mr. Kujo, my phone was left in his law office.
That's right.
The address of Kujo Law Office was found in the location history of his phone
on the day Morita turned himself in for the hit-and-run.
That's a clear case of concealing evidence.
He came for a consultation. Of course the address is in the history.
Mr. Karasuma, what do you got there? That's a pen that records, isn't it?
I've seen one of those gizmos before, so I noticed it.
You came prepared, like a good boy scout.
Who knows when you might be subjected to an unlawful interrogation?
Did you also happen to record the conversation
between Mr. Kujo and Morita?
If that's the case, didn't you hear the instructions
from Mr. Kujo to conceal the evidence?
Surely, you weren't an accomplice, were you?
Mr. Kujo was just doing what any good lawyer would do.
Mr. Karasuma, if you try to cover for him, you'll end up being disbarred with him.
Are you okay with that?
Wouldn't that upset your mother?
-She's got nothing to do with this. -That's not true.
If the story gets around that you're a crooked lawyer,
then people will say you really are a family of degenerates.
My family?
What do you mean by that?
What do I mean?
I mean your father, the pervert.
Sure, I could remind the public
by having another article written about what kind of man he was.
Fukami, cut it out.
For years now,
Mr. Karasuma's family has been going through hell because of that article.
I apologize for his behavior. That was rude of him.
But it must be obvious.
If we called in a lawyer in this unorthodox way,
it shows we're pursuing this investigation with a certain level of commitment.
If you give us a statement, we can get to Kyogoku.
You're the last piece of the puzzle.
You can help save the weakest people who are suffering because of those crooks.
Let's put an end to this.
INUKAI
Excuse me.
What is it, Inukai?
I just kidnapped a guy.
I worked him over good.
Someone asked me to. What should I do with him?
Is this someone you know?
Never met the guy.
I grabbed him where the security cameras don't see.
So, it's all good.
Then get rid of him somewhere.
Just in case, lie low.
Yes, Mr. Mibu.
Turn off your phone after you hang up.
Huh?
I don't want the police to pick up the location signals.
Don't just turn it off.
Remove the SIM card and stash it somewhere away from the phone.
Oh. Okay.
When things cool down,
turn on your phone while you're driving on the highway.
Got it.
You and me, always getting into trouble, aren't we?
I'll say.
Excuse me again.
Yes?
Mibu.
Listen. I just heard from my wife. She said our son is nowhere to be found.
You know anything?
Haven't been able to reach him since last night.
It's probably no big deal, but…
No, nothing on my end.
I see.
Get back to me if you hear something.
Okay.
The person you are trying…
Damn it! Inukai turned off his phone already.
Mibu, what's up?
Some serious shit, Kuga.
Find Inukai.
I wanna know who the hell that idiot kidnapped.
What are we gonna do with him?
We'll dump him in front of a hospital.
I'm staying low just in case. You guys should do the same.
Don't even know why we snatched him. What did he do anyway, huh?
No business of mine, really.
The story is the guy was getting cocky and causing trouble,
so I was asked to teach him a lesson.
What's this?
He heard what we were saying.
This kid's face is even more annoying than his father's.
Change of plans.
It turns out I've gotta go.
I'm on my way to visit Mr. Morita, anyway.
I'm grateful to you, Mr. Kujo.
Other attorneys just worry about covering their asses, so they play it safe.
You're not like that.
When it comes to fighting for your clients, you give it all you got.
Has everything been okay since my last visit?
Huh?
Are you still clamming up?
Uh-huh.
Um…
Well?
I wanna know… …can I switch lawyers?
'Cause… my dad,
he's got this attorney he wants me to use, right?
Just been fired? That's gotta suck.
Oh, yeah. You missed your pal. Mr. Karasuma just left.
Karasuma was here?
Yeah, we had a whole lot of questions for him.
About Mr. Morita.
Mr. Karasuma.
Oh, hello.
Are you okay?
Listen, Mr. Kujo, can I ask you for a favor?
Of course.
I'd like to have one of those coffees you make.
Thanks.
Back at the station,
Detective Arashiyama was asking you about Morita's case, wasn't he?
Yes.
Are you sure you're okay?
Don't worry about it. I made sure not to say anything.
No.
It's you I'm worried about, Mr. Karasuma.
Don't worry about me. You should be worrying about yourself.
Arashiyama is no longer being selective about his methods.
He's going after everyone
who might get him closer to the truth about his daughter.
Mibu and Kyogoku are at the top of the list.
And you're also one of his targets, Mr. Kujo.
Yeah, I'm aware of that.
He's got some real solid evidence.
Morita informed me he's no longer my client.
He'll probably cut a deal and make a statement.
What are you going to do?
I'll see it through. I'll do whatever I have to do.
Is protecting gangsters and lowlifes like Mibu and Kyogoku
something you have to do?
As a lawyer, I'm obliged to protect my client.
Even if you're walking into an ambush?
They'll sell you out to protect themselves like Morita's doing now.
It's dangerous to get too close to your clients.
You have to look out for yourself first.
Mr. Karasuma.
In this city it might seem as if we can do whatever we want,
but we're actually constrained by endless rules and regulations.
An invisible network of laws controls our daily lives.
I believe the law has one great virtue.
We're all equal because it treats us impartially.
I'm not looking for a textbook answer.
I wanna know what motivates you.
Motivates me?
After my dad was murdered,
my mother was mocked constantly, so she just shut down all of her feelings.
You're just like her.
There's a look in your eyes like my mother had when she was in pain.
Keep this up and you're risking disgrace.
The world will hate you, and you'll lose everything.
How will you be able to handle all that pressure?
To be honest with you…
I'm scared.
Terrified.
I may be a lawyer, but I'm also a human being.
My name may spell it backwards…
but I'm just as human as you are.
The first time I took on a case defending a gangster
when I was starting out as a lawyer,
I felt conflicted.
I wondered if what I was doing was really the right thing.
But if I had refused to be the guy's attorney,
another lawyer would still have had to do the job.
The same goes for those who are mistreated because they have no money.
I mean, your average lawyer,
they won't go near a case that involves the weak and the poor.
I learned that from experience.
The law may protect people's basic rights,
but it can't protect people's lives.
If I really wanted to help the most defenseless in society,
I would have to be willing to get my hands dirty and enter the jungle
where the strong prey on the weak and face the worst of humanity.
When a lawyer manages to save one, they bring sorrow to another.
That's what it means to be a lawyer.
So I decided to carry the weight of that sin.
But if you're disbarred and you lose your license, you won't be a lawyer.
All your noble aims are meaningless
if you can't help people defend their rights.
You can't help anyone if you're dead.
I don't want you to die, Mr. Kujo.
I want you to keep being a lawyer.
Mr. Karasuma.
Thank you so much.
All this reminds me of what your mother was saying about your father.
The way a person chooses to live
is revealed in the moment of their death.
The way a person dies
is also the way they lived.
Even if I'm disbarred, even if I die as a lawyer,
this is the way I have chosen to live my life.
And I'm doing something that only I can do.
So… I'm ready…
for whatever awaits me.
Let's chop him up and stick him in this box.
Wait a minute!
My old man is a big deal in the Fushimi-gumi!
His name is Kiyoshi Kyogoku!
If you do this, there's no going back!
Is that so?
Then that's all the more reason to shut you up.
Boss, no one around here saw Takeshi yesterday.
Just keep looking!
I have a bad feeling.
My gut's never been wrong.
No, please!
Let me go!
Mibu!
Someone named Yamamoto knows where Inukai's hideout is.
We gotta get there before Kyogoku. Get in.
Yes, sir.
Get any information you can.
Find out where Takeshi went.
Find him no matter what!
Please just stop!
No!
This is my last question.
Okay.
Mr. Kujo, do you…
do you need me or not?
No.
I don't need you.
Understood.
Attorney Taiza Kujo…
my time with you was short…
but thank you for everything.
Thank you very much.
Excuse me. ery much.