Human beings live
Human beings fall.
There is no convenient shortcut
to save human beings, except that.
(From "Discourse on Decadence" by Sakaguchi Ango)
It looks good on you.
I'll take this, and this too
Thank you very much.
Oh, that kimono sash too.
Yes, I'll be right back
Thank you for everything. Thank you very much.
Thank you. Thank you very much.
Please come again. Thank you very much.
Case 3 The Shoplifting Family
I heard she's shoplifting.
That Asai family's mistress. Huh?
Don't they own a big store? The Asai family...
KAISHU KATSU'S WIFE OMIN
They've been in business for generations since the Bunka-Bunsei era.
Aren't they a long-established dry-goods wholesaler?
But why? They shouldn't be in trouble with money.
KATSU'S DISCIPLE IZUMIYAMA TORANOSUKE
KAISHU KATSU
It's against the law to steal no matter who you are. Why don't they just arrest them?
EDITOR IN CHIEF, NISHIKIE NEWSPAPER HANANOYA INGA
That's why none of the stores are suing.
I guess they don't want to get into trouble with the big stores, so they quietly accept it
Hmm... Ah~.
METROPOLITAN POLICE, SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR YUJI SHINJURO
That's how the world is now.
Don't fight with people who have money. Rather, lean on them.
Even now, the unthinkable is happening
(humming)
Hmm?
You'll catch a cold if you sleep here.
Aah~!
Excuse me...
I didn't call for you today. Aah, now, now...
There seems to be no one around who witnessed the crime.
Did anyone hear a noise? Also no.
There's a big scar on his head.
But there's no trace of blood around it. It must have been brought in from somewhere.
I got an I.D.! What is it?
The watchman said he's a servant of the Asai family.
The Asai family? Yes, sir.
Ah! The shoplifter! Shoplifter?
This way, madam. - Ah.
This year's kelp from Otaya-san is not good...
Check the inventory. Hey.
Your daughter brought a detective with her.
ASAI FAMILY MISTRESS SUGI
Nice to meet you. I'm Asai Kiku.
ASAI KIKU
Kiku-san and I practice flower arrangement together.
KANO RIE
That's why I asked you for advice on this case.
I heard you're a great detective.
Please find the criminal.
First, let me hear your story.
Yes.
To tell you the truth, half a year ago, my father was murdered by someone...
Hm?
Ah, this case, huh? What is it?
Yeah, you probably don't know this because you were still overseas.
It's a case that caused quite a stir.
So he was the owner of this place... Yes.
The original killer hasn't been found yet. And now there's another case like this...
Kiku-san is wondering if it's the work of someone who has a grudge against the Asai family.
I'm afraid...
(footsteps)
Kiku-san. - Ah, Shinpei-san.
Are you okay? Yes, I am.
KIKU'S FIANCE HANADA SHINPEI
It's Kiku-san's fiance, Shinpei-san.
What are you doing? Why don't you just leave it to the police?
Mother, at this rate, I won't be able to have a wedding with Shinpei-san.
Please have the same consideration for me.
Shinpei, what are you doing...!
The culprit is that man, of course.
Which man?
Kajitani, the gardener. Gardener?
After Gonroku-sama was killed, he disappeared.
DOCTOR HANADA
Sorry for the late introduction. I'm Hanada, the family doctor.
He is Shinpei-san's father.
So, what do you think is the reason Kajitani killed Gonroku-san?
Madam...
Kajitani, as it turns out.
GARDENER KAJITANI
He was courting Kiku.
I've been waiting for you, young lady.
Ah... hey, let go of me! You know how I feel.
Hey! Stop it. Somebody! You know how I feel. Hey.
Let go of me! You know how I feel...
Kiku-san, are you okay? Are you okay?
When my husband, Gonroku, found out about this...
HEAD OF ASAI FAMILY GONROKU
He said he'd never let that happen again...
Kajitani!
(Coughing)
You have no idea what you're doing! (coughing)
Perhaps it was Kajitani who got angry and killed him.
The way he was killed was so horrible...
He couldn't even let his daughter see his face for the last time...
Isn't the gardener suspicious this time as well?
Ah, you have a pet?
Yes, my father got it from somewhere.
Black cats don't usually get along with people.
I used to have one.
I remember this incident too. He was the Head of the Asai family, wasn't he?
It was so cruel that they couldn't even see his face at the funeral.
The police investigated after that.
But the gardener they think is the culprit hasn't been caught.
So, I think it was that gardener who did it this time too!
No, no. It might be the work of someone trying to make you think so.
But why the servant?
Shoplifting...
Eh?
He's started turning that thing. It's started again...
Maybe the mistress is caught in the middle.
She might have been blackmailed by someone who knew about the shoplifting.
It wouldn't look good if the world knew.
And it's right before his only daughter's wedding.
As expected of you, Katsu-sensei! That's a brilliant deduction!
It's started again
Something strange.
I'd like to get something a little higher quality...
Yes, ma'am. I'll bring it to you right now.
Thank you very much!
Please come again. Thank you for your patronage.
That was so brazen
I'm so sorry as always. How much did she take today?
Paying for things later, still makes it shoplifting!
Ahem. Ah~ I'm sorry.
But why? Yeah.
She can buy whatever she wants, as much as she wants.
She started this habit half a year ago.
What do you mean, half a year ago?
You mean after your father Gonroku-san passed away? Yes.
The Asai family was becoming more and more prosperous in the Meiji era.
But after the death of my father, everyone was afraid that the store would start to decline...
(crying voice) You...
Father...
(crying voice)
But my mother took over and took charge as the female owner.
I'll take the bonito flakes first.
Thank you for your hard work.
This year's azuki beans are very expensive.
Be careful with your purchases. Yes, certainly
Thanks to her, the store was safe. But...
But... I can't imagine how hard it must have been for my mother...
Huh...
It is the duty of the master to make decisions about the business.
The future of the store depends on him.
Speaking of which, Rie-dono... Yes.
Yes. She's taking over from (Kiku's) father and is doing a splendid job in the business.
So you think that burden in her heart is the cause of her shoplifting?
That's what Professor Hanada said.
I see.
I'm sure you understand... I won't write about it.
Don't be lazy. Help me out here.
What does your mother do with the things she stole?
That's...
Otaka, that's enough for now.
Thank you for your hard work. Yes. Madam.
Huh~.
(Bell ringing)
(squeal)
(chirping)
I didn't know why she would arrange them a storehouse.
I guess she's just enjoying the spoils of war.
We don't understand what the rich do.
Too much money is a bad thing in the first place.
It's not that money is bad. Depending on how you use it, money can be good.
It's just a question of who uses it. She's strong-minded.
He's a tomboy. Tomboy? "Jajauma" (unmanageable woman, or a restive horse)
You're being a jerk again.
You get worked up so easily
Asano. Get the carriage. Huh? What's the matter?
Hurry up!
I diagnosed it as a mental illness.
So it's because of the stress of running the store?
I can't think of anything else.
In addition to Chinese medicine, you also studied Western medicine, didn't you?
Yes, to study Western medicine.
It must be really expensive to study Western medicine, right? Yes.
It was an amount that I, a poor person, could never afford.
But Gonroku-sama gave me a helping hand.
Oh, so after you became a doctor, you became the Asai family's doctor?
Yes.
I heard that your son is going to join the Asai family as a son-in-law after he marries Kiku-san.
Yes, that's why he's currently training at a different wholesale store.
Didn't you ever think of having him take over this clinic?
That was my intention. I never thought he'd marry the daughter of a man to whom I owe so much...
But their feelings for each other were so strong...
Gonroku-sama was against it at first, but now that he approves, I too...
Excuse me. Huh?
Tuberculosis lung pain...
It's a book about pulmonary tuberculosis, isn't it? Ah... yes.
Do you think the murderer is the gardener too?
Yes. That's what I think.
I knew him too since he used to frequent the Asai residence.
I really felt he was a wicked person.
We still don't know the whereabouts of Kajitani, the gardener.
We don't know where he is because his relatives have cut off all ties with him...
You idiots!
Yuki Shinjuro was directly commissioned by the Asai family for this case.
If he finds the culprit... The police,
SUPERINTENDENT, TOKYO METROPOLITAN POLICE DEPARTMENT HAYAMI HOSHIKEN
will face no greater shame than this! Yes!
What is it!
Excuse me!
A witness said he saw a man running away from the scene that night!
Hurry up! Ouch. What did he look like?
Yes! Well...let's see...
Hurry up! Yes...!
Our investigations have revealed,
that you killed the servant.
Was it not you?
The servant who was blackmailing the shoplifting mistress,
Dr. Hanada killed him.
There's no mistaking that. That doctor owes a debt of gratitude to the Asai family.
But if you look into it...
It seems that the wife's habit was actually an open secret to the people in that store.
Then what is it? You still think it was the gardener, Kasaya?
Yes! Hmm...
No, no, no, no...
Oh, Shinjuro, what do you think?
Do you still think the wife is suspicious?
Shinjuro-sama, some tea...
This! What? It's for Shinjuro-sama.
What's the difference?
Ugh~! Ah...
He's alive...
Oh~! This is...
These are scissors used by gardeners.
When I was talking to Kiku-san in this room, suddenly...
Did you see his face?
No... I didn't either.
But my mother...
I heard a commotion and was on my way to this room.
I saw him running away in the garden... and I thought it was Kajitani, the gardener.
Look, Shinjuro. It's Kajitani, after all.
He's still holding a grudge against this family and is lurking around.
All right, I'll go check it out with the police.
Please do. Haha~.
Kiku-san...
My father and mother...
this is the last picture of them together.
In the Meiji era...
I never dreamed my family would end up like this.
Shinjuro, go to America.
Shinjuro, where is your family?
If you don't want to answer... They're all dead.
Eh...
The Boshin War (1868 - 1869) was a civil war in Japan fought between the new government forces led by the Satsuma, Choshu, and Tosa clans, which established the new Meiji government after the restoration of the monarchy, and the forces of the former Shogunate and the Ouetsu Confederation. The name derives from the fact that the zodiac sign of the 4th year of Keio/the first year of Meiji is Boshin.
In the last Boshin War*...
Saigou-sama, thank you for coming.
SAIGO TAKAMORI
I had some business to attend to nearby.
Please make yourself at home.
You've really made a big name for yourself.
When I first met you, you were just a samurai fresh out of Satsuma.
I'm grateful for you bearing the responsibility of looking after me that time
I was a rustic samurai from the countryside. I was so rude while playing in the teahouse.
Ho ho. Oh, what was it? Was it before you met me?
No, it was after that.
It would have been nice if it was before that. Then I'd be an army general's wife now.
As the wife of an army general, I could have lived a life of luxury.
What are you talking about... someone like you... right?
Hmm...
Saigo Takamori, January 23, 1828 – September 24, 1877) was one of the most influential samurai in Japanese history and one of the three great nobles who led the Meiji Restoration. Living during the late Edo and early Meiji periods, he has been dubbed the last true samurai.
I never thought I'd meet you...!
What's with you... You're not acting like your usual self.
What? Nothing like that...
What about you?
Is that okay?
Then...
This is the first time in my life I've had such a delicious manju!
That's true...
I eat them all the time. Really.
I'm heading home now.
Oh, welcome back.
He came back at the right time.
This is Yuki Shinjuro, the famous detective who returned from a trip to the West.
Oh? I've heard a lot about you.
Where's your hometown?
Do I have to tell you?
That was a rude thing to ask.
It doesn't matter to me where you come from.
as long as you're not from Satsuma or Choshu and as long as you have the ability the government will hire the best.
I knew there were times when the way he looked at you was like that, but...
Yeah...he's the son of a shogun.
What?
He was the only one who survived the Boshin war.
All of his parents, siblings, and relatives died on the side of that bandit army.
Well then...
Yeah...
I'm sure he hates Saigou and myself for making the Meiji era what it is today.
If Kajitani was the one who threw the garden shears at the window.
I have no doubt he's around here.
But there's someone who claims to have seen Dr. Hanada?
She only saw him running away, not at the murder scene.
But... if he's not the murderer, why isn't Dr. Hanada saying anything?
Ah~.
Eh?
We borrowed the medicine purchase ledger in the presence of his son.
From a certain point in time.
You stocked up on ginseng in large quantities, didn't you?
I did it.
I'm the culprit.
First, the motive for the series of crimes.
The gardener, Kajitani, was courting Kiku-san.
But he was harshly criticized by the master, Gonroku-san, and killed him.
Six months later, he killed his servant and threw a pair of scissors at the window.
Everyone thought that Kajitani's strong resentment against the Asai family was the motive for the crime.
What? He didn't?
As for the servant's murder, Dr. Hanada said he did it.
No way... My father?
If that's the case, what about Kajitani? Before that.
The key to this case is...
Shoplifting.
Why did the mistress start shoplifting?
Wasn't that from the stress of taking over a big store?
Then why did she keep the loot in the storehouse?
And why was the mistress the only one who had access to this warehouse?
Isn't it because there's something
in the storehouse that must be hidden?
Hide it? What's in the storehouse?
Your father, Gonroku-san's body had his face smashed in, right?
That's why, Kiku-san, as his daughter, you didn't see his face in the casket.
Yes
And after the death of the master, the shop was doing well under the leadership of Sugi-san, who became the mistress.
The store was doing well. But...
was that really Sugi-san's skill?
What do you mean?
What if Gonroku-san hadn't been killed?
Ha... huh?
(coughing)
Gonroku-san was suffering from tuberculosis lung pain, so-called pulmonary tuberculosis.
In Dr. Hanada's office, there were books related to pulmonary tuberculosis.
There was a ginseng that was said to be effective against this disease.
And... a black cat.
There's a legend that a black cat can cure pulmonary tuberculosis.
Oh, I've heard that before.
From here on, it's just a theory I've drawn on my own.
Kajitani, the gardener, was probably killed six months ago.
Kajitani probably found out about Gonroku-san's disease and threatened to tell everyone around him about it.
Since you don't mind if people know the master's illness?
What? This store is in the food business.
The day the world finds out, everything...
will be over.
Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Gonroku-san, who didn't want his illness to be made public,
tried to persuade Kajitani somehow, but in the end...
After the murder, after crushing his face,
he asked Dr. Hanada to pretend that he had been killed instead.
If that were the case, we wouldn't be able to find Kajitani.
And...
He hid himself in the storehouse and started living there.
(Coughing)
That's all.
As the Lord of the house, he wishes to protect his family,
before his remaining life expires.
And...
And a father's desire to protect his daughter.
And the mother, Sugi-san...
In order to take care of her husband, Sugi repeatedly shoplifted.
and made up excuses to go into the storehouse alone and deceive the people around her.
"I don't care what people say about me.
as long as I can protect my husband..."
Dr. Hanada cooperated in order to repay his debt to Gonroku-san.
He faked Kajitani's corpse as Gonroku's.
Even though he was accused of killing the servant, he never told the truth.
On the contrary, he was even willing to take the blame.
Everything was self-sacrifice...
Self-sacrifice.
That is the truth of this case as I deduce it.
Hmm? But what about the servant who was killed?
The servant wanted to see the treasure in the storehouse, or steal it.
So he used a ladder to peek inside.
Whoa~!
Ah~!
It was an accident.
Dr. Hanada may have been there at the time.
To treat Gonroku-san.
Hold on, ma'am. Doctor.
Why didn't he call the police then?
If he called them, they might ask him to show them the warehouse.
If Gonroku-san being alive and Kajitani's murder came to light,
everything in the Asai family will be finished.
However...
No one expects Gonroku-san to be in this warehouse.
Everything I have told you, is the report on the case you requested.
But...
This... is just a theory I made in my head.
I have no intention of telling the police.
Father... Mother!
(crying)
So the truth finally came out?
Ah.
He wrote a letter to the police saying he was the murderer of Kajitani, the gardener.
He sent it to the police.
Dr. Hanada had nothing to do with it.
Getting a letter like this after all this time...
I don't know.
What? But...
I guess we finally know who the culprit is now...
Who would believe a letter from a dead man?
Huh...
Let the innocent one go.
The important thing is to admit that you have committed a crime and take the first step quickly.
That's what Lord Saigo said.
You'be been released. Get out.
It was a splendid wedding befitting a large store.
The bride was really beautiful.
I'm glad to hear that.
Also, the mistress left the store to the young couple who succeeded her.
She went back to the house with her husband's dead hair.
Now she can finally get out of the warehouse... Yeah.
Shinjuro.
Go to America.
It's the sword that has protected the Yuki family for generations.
You must cherish that life.
Father...
Mother...
Turn it to face yourself and then arrange it. Yes
You're taking lessons on flower arrangement...
I guess she now has a pretext to come to my house.
Pretext?
You're really slow.
huh? I'm back.
Oh, where have you been?
Well, well, well.
Ah, welcome back. Ah...welcome back.
Ah...
You laughed, didn't you? I'm not laughing.
You did! You're quite clumsy, aren't you?
Ah!
Again, you're such a rude person.
If you're going to laugh, why don't you do it?
Come on! Here you go. Shinjuro-san?
Show me what you just learned. Shinjuro-san!
Hey!
Next Episode Case 4 - Lincoln's Shadow
"By the people, for the people...
Lincoln? Lincoln said!
Violence conquers all, but its victory is short-lived!