You love Satoko, don't you?
What's most important to you?
Which is it?
Now...
being...
with you,
hurts so much.
Good bye
Chapter 9 Truth
Revitalizing a Village with Dinosaurs Hachigo Village, Aomori Prefecture Discovery of fossils makes it a tourist destination
Twenty-four years ago,
The Mantai incident which took place in Hachigo village, which caused it to lose respect.
It seems you were present at the time.
I didn't recognize you because you were using a different last name.
I was adopted into another family.
Iwamatsu-san,
Can you tell what happened during that time?
Satoko-chan has suffered enough, there is nothing more to say.
Anything is fine.
Please tell me if you remember anything.
I'm damned if I say anything, I'm damned if I don't.
Before the incident.
There are parts of the village where industrial waste facilities were being built.
Shut up! You rag!
Rag?
You have no idea how much Satoko has suffered.
It makes me so mad.
She fell so low, they treated her like trash.
Just like how you would clean a toilet with a rag.
Did you hear anything about her father?
No!!
For Satoko's sake.
I'm just trying to clarify the facts.
She doesn't need you to clarify the facts. It's not to reveal the truth.
It's to keep them away.
Her father, Mantai, was truly
a fabricator and a foolish person.
This is how society works.
It's the only thing that has made her suffer.
That's why,
all I've ever wanted to do is to keep her away from all that.
Giving her
a warm and comfortable space.
That's all I've ever thought about wanting to do.
No matter how hard you try to look for a peaceful place,
as long as there is darkness
it will pull you back.
What?
Satoko found a job at this library, you arranged all that didn't you?
My father told me,
if something were to happen,
I need to help Satoko.
That's what I was told.
But, with respect to your adopted father,
this incident has caused so much trouble,
so why do you refuse to say anything?
No.
This was all happening while you were just students.
And Makoto-san is nowhere to be found.
Satoko had nothing to do with it.
Still, do you not find it strange?
Didn't you feel uncomfortable about it?
How long will you be gone?
I haven't quite decided yet.
It's fine.
Go home and take your time.
Oh, did you manage to contact your father?
I tried calling him but I'm not getting through.
And I haven't gone back in twenty years.
I'm worried about getting home from the station.
You're joking.
I mean...
Why are you specifically taking the night train?
Going back to my parents' home,
I'm scared.
If I sleep through the night on the train,
I might make it.
But...
it would be hell if you couldn't sleep, wouldn't it?
Yeah.
H-Hell.
Please have this.
I used to read these comics all through the night.
That's why I think this will help you get to your destination.
You're kidding!
It's so much baggage
are you trying to make it difficult for her?
Oh, sorry.
Here you go.
In the end, it's God's will you know...
You know,
I like a sense of security knowing that I am protected by something.
These...
are all for protecting your wealth, aren't they?
Aw man,
you're totally off the mark!
Money
Here you go.
These...
have noise cancelling,
they completely shut out everything around you.
So you don't have to focus on on the outside world.
Wow, did you think of that by yourself?
Yeah.
But isn't it uncomfortable to be wearing headphones all night long?
Ah, that was stupid!
Haha, what were you thinking?
Here.
And this.
Put these on, so that you will look inconspicuous when you're walking about.
But doesn't that stand out too much?
Yeah, that's really conspicuous!
It really stands out.
Yeah.
You're right!
Yeah.
Hahaha.
Thank you.
I'm not sad,
I'm sorry.
I'm so happy.
Truly, thank you all so much.
Sato-chan,
have a safe trip.
I'm going.
If only I could reveal the truth about what happened,
I'm sure it will make a big difference in Satoko's life.
Iwamatsu-san,
at the time,
what did her father, Makoto-san, say to you about the truth about the Mantai incident?
Do you remember anything about it?
Come to think of it...
When the fossil was unearthed
there was a big fuss behind the scenes.
My father was there to witness it all.
What?
I'd never seen my father in that state before.
Where is that letter now?
I don't know.
If it's still around though...
When my father died,
he was getting rid of the family home.
I had to dispose of a lot of his belongings into a storage room.
It's possible it might be there.
Ton-ton-pat-ton
Ton-pat-ton
I couldn't get on the bus.
Yes.
Here you go.
Thank you.
Maeda Koukichi
Mantaira
I hate you! I hate you!
I hate you father!
By any chance...
Are you Satoko?
Yes.
He passed away,
it's his birthday today.
That's truly unfortunate.
It's hard, isn't it?
Why?
What?
I'm sorry.
I don't understand.
Uhm...
This...
These are children's messages to Makoto-sensei.
Makoto-sensei?
Yes.
After he resigned from his position as a professor,
every week in his house,
the kids would study with him.
That's why...
*Makoto Sensei means "Truth Teacher", "Truth" is one of the kanji characters in his name
"Makoto-sensei" was what all the kids called him.
I also participated when I was a little girl.
And after that, no one wanted to take care of it.
So I took the liberty of helping out.
Amazing.
He was adored by everyone.
Yeah.
He was really interesting when he spoke.
I got to see...
the best teacher ever.
Why?
In my eyes...
He was the worst father ever.
Did he ever
tell you
anything about me?
Yes.
He said you loved books like he did.
You worked in a library in Tokyo.
You don't suppose...
he tried to called the library before...
Yes, that was me.
I'm sorry.
Previously Makoto-sensei
told me not to try to contact you, but...
But...
I think he really wanted to.
I asked him why you didn't want to see him.
He laughed and said, "It's nothing".
But then...
even though he was laughing,
I had never seen such pain underneath his eyes before.
I'm sorry for poking my nose in your family's business.
No.
But I'm sure,
Satoko-san,
is a great person like Makoto-san, aren't you?
What?
Excuse me.
Coming.
Was I mistaken?
Thinking about it.
Satoko-san,
you have a visitor.
What?
Sorry for dropping by unannounced.
Why?
There was something I wanted to ask you.
There is nothing more
to say to you.
What was your father's most important place?
What?
Before the incident,
A company wanted to develop near the mountains,
Opposition to Construction of Industrial Waste Treatment Plant Hachigo Village, Aomori Residents Demonstrate Demanding Withdrawal
and planned to build an industrial waste treatment plant near the village.
The residents were against it.
But they were still forced to go ahead with the plan.
It seems there was a lot of tension in the village.
But,
a waste treatment plant?
That's right.
But the project was halted,
and the treatment plant was not built.
Because a professor at a university...
had discovered a dinosaur fossil.
The tourists and the press flocked to the village.
The village attracted attention from all over Japan.
As a result,
the plan for the consturction of the treatment plant was abandoned.
The whole truth is explained in here.
Maeda Koukichi
This is...
It's a letter from your father to the village head.
Mantaira (or Mantai Makoto)
Dear Koukichi,
I know what you did.
You may have felt that you had no choice.
I know that
you broke into my lab
and took the dinosaur fossil out of my lab.
And buried it in the ground without anyone knowing.
But...
in your determination to save our village,
you fabricated this lie.
That's why
I thought I would do what I could to help you.
If you were the only one who excavated and unearthed it,
no one would believe you.
That's why
if a known paleontologist, like myself, excavated it,
then it would get the attention of the press.
But
I never thought it would blow up into such a big thing.
It became a big deal.
And then,
it even ended up getting written into textbooks and taught in schools.
TV stations also came.
It became a tourist attraction.
Dinosaur Village
Even you.
I remembered when you were dressed as a caveman.
That was really funny.
Sooner or later.
The truth is going to come out.
And when it does,
I will take full responsibility.
I did it on my own.
It is my job
to take responsibility.
I will never let anyone take away our precious home from us.
This is my choice.
I want to protect this place.
You don't have to...
worry about anything.
Please take care
of the village.
Your father
in order to protect this village,
took responsibility for the fossil.
He was trying to protect it.
He didn't want this place to be taken away from the villagers.
Satoko...
Did you know?
Dad.
I am happy that you are my father.
You know dad,
I want to read lots of interesting books.
Eggs are a little salty, but...
they're nice aren't they?
That's why
you are my father.
I'm so happy.
No one else can be my father,
I'm really happy about that.
Dad,
why are you crying?
Is something's wrong?
No.
Nothing's wrong.
Then why?
Bonsoir
Bonsoir Mademoiselle.
You didn't notice I was Stendhal all along, did you?