02x08 - And So, the Ruler Disappeared

[bunniefuu]

We've been waiting for you, Iwanaga-sama.

Why, hello there.

I'm Otonashi Goichi.

I do apologize, Kotoko-san.

I'm sure you were surprised to suddenly be asked to meet with

an older gentleman you don't know.

But I believe that you're the only one who can do this.

Otonashi Goichi.

He runs over hotels around the world,

and is involved with other businesses, as well.

The famous president of the Otonashi Group.

Why would someone like that want to see me?

I'm not sure if I should say I'm surprised or just finding this troublesome.

Er, I was just trying to be as courteous as possible.

I guess when you gain a certain status, it can be taken as confrontational.

I'm a mere girl compared to you, President.

I'm not confident that I can help you at all.

I'd say it's quite impressive that you can sit here and have tea with me one-on-one.

And while I am called the president of the Otonashi Group,

I just happened to end up in that role.

I'm not originally from the Otonashi family.

I worked at one of their hotels

and was offering suggestions to better manage them all,

when the president at the time, Otonashi Denjiro, took a liking to me,

and had me marry his daughter, Sumi-san.

Denjiro acknowledged his daughter's talent for management,

and wanted her to take over the family business.

And in truth, Sumi-san was indeed amazing at running the business at the time.

After our marriage, Denjiro passed away, and Sumi-san officially became the president.

She expanded the business even further, and it became a name known worldwide.

She also gave birth to three children. She could only be called a hero after all that.

But I heard that you were the one who protected the group after Sumi-san's death.

The group would've been in trouble had you not been there.

Had Sumi-san lived a year longer,

the group would've fallen.

President Otonashi Sumi

Twenty-three years ago, Sumi-san

encountered someone who was believed to be a burglar,

Yominichi Shimbun

Otonoashi Group's Female President m*rder*d

Stabbed to Death by a Burglar on the Streets

President Otonashi Sumi

and was stabbed to death.

The suspect still has not been caught.

Yes.

But you see, I'm that suspect.

Surely you jest.

But it's not a joke.

Oh, but I didn't k*ll Sumi-san myself.

So you're saying you hired someone to k*ll her?

That would make more sense.

But it's not easy to find someone who'll commit m*rder for you.

Indeed.

The one who k*lled Sumi-san was a fox monster called a yoko.

I made a deal with something outside the boundaries of reason

and had them k*ll Sumi-san.

Now, that's definitely taking a joke too far.

Why would the president of a world-famous hotel group

ever talk about something as illogical as a yoko?

It's precisely because I am the president of a hotel group.

So many people pass through hotels every day.

They can become a stage for all sorts of incidents ending in death.

And because of that, there are many stories of people seeing

supernatural phenomena and ghosts in our guest rooms.

I'd never admit this publicly, but there are indeed certain things that exist.

I definitely made a deal with a yoko twenty-three years ago.

And why are you telling me this?

You're quite famous among a certain crowd.

I hear that you have some thoughts about supernatural things.

Of course, since this request came through my parents,

I will reluctantly take it,

but in the end, everything has a logical explanation that comes from

misapprehensions and mental preconceptions.

I am a child of science.

My glass eye and prosthetic leg are products of that.

Yet I can sense that your glass eye and prosthetic leg are results of you

disappearing and being blessed by the supernatural.

Putting aside anyone else, I wanted to make this request of you

because I felt you'd be the only one who'd believe me.

I do beg your pardon. Please continue.

Twenty-three years ago, our group was continuing to expand.

Making the group the best in the world was Denjiro's will and Sumi-san's goal.

But the group was exceeding its limits and starting to fall apart.

Yet still, Sumi-san wouldn't stop.

The executives of the group couldn't stop Sumi-san, either.

Sumi-san was trying to rule the lives of our children, as well.

Our eldest son wanted to become a chef, but she refused to allow it,

and tried to make him the heir to this hotel empire.

She didn't agree with the partner our daughter brought home,

and tried to break them up.

Our second son tried very hard to carry on with the duties of the group,

but she wanted our eldest to take over and wouldn't let our second participate.

Everything had come to a head.

If we'd let it continue, the group and our children would've been crushed.

I knew all this, and yet my hands were tied.

So I holed up in a mountain villa, trying to devise a plan.

If only... If only Sumi-san was gone, everything would go perfectly.

If only Sumi-san was gone...

Then how about I grant that wish of yours?

Tell me more.

I am a yoko, an ancient ayakashi.

I can do things that go beyond the laws of your world.

I was surprised and a bit afraid, but the reality of the future

of both the group and my children scared me more than a monster could.

I-I...

Very well.

Then I shall slay your wife for you.

Huh?

In return, you shall grant a wish of mine.

Who knows what this monster could've taken from me in our dealings?

But I...

Wh-What do you wish for?

I want you to develop the land on the neighboring mountain,

and make it a human habitation.

Some of my brethren that I'm in conflict with

are using it as their lair from which to expand their influence.

I want to stop that from happening.

We can probably gain control of that land.

It'll never work with Sumi-san still in the picture,

but with her gone, it'll be possible.

I'll do it.

If Sumi-san disappears, I'll grant your wish!

I'll make sure she's gone within a month.

It happened about ten days later.

Sumi-san was stabbed to death on the street

by someone the authorities believed to be a burglar.

And once the funeral and the chaos within the group settled...

I k*lled your wife for you. Don't forget your promise.

If you break your promise, I'll k*ll you next.

He actually used a human in a power struggle with other yokai...

What a worldly yoko.

So you kept your promise, then?

Yes. It took about six months to develop that mountain.

After that, I became the president of the Otonashi Group,

our business strived for achievable heights,

and we cut back or divested in certain areas, as well.

If we had continued as Sumi-san intended,

the damages would've been enough to break the very backbone of our group.

And what happened to the children that Sumi-san was trying to control?

Our eldest son left the group and became a chef.

He even has his own restaurant now.

Our daughter married her boyfriend, and his business also became successful.

They both live happily to this day.

Our second son became involved in our business and rose to executive director.

In other words, after Sumi-san passed, everything really did go well.

Correct.

While m*rder is a taboo, the fact that we chose it

led to everything else working out.

Everything went astonishingly well.

That's splendid.

Do you mind if I order some chiffon cake to celebrate?

But it's not splendid.

If even one thing had happened that made people wish Sumi-san hadn't d*ed,

there'd be no problem.

That would've been a reminder to me that m*rder is never the answer.

It would've convinced me that every choice has its consequences.

I'm sure you're aware that

I stepped down from running the company due to health reasons, yes?

Yes.

I have malignant tumors that have spread throughout my body,

and I've been told that I only have one year to live.

In about six months, I'll be overcome with immense pain and meet an awful end.

I haven't even told my family about this yet.

I'd like to keep this a secret for a while.

That aside, when I heard about this condition, I was actually relieved.

I thought I was finally getting what I deserved for that m*rder.

What I did, without a doubt, was m*rder.

And I should be rightfully punished for it.

If I'm not, it defies order.

I will admit that it does indeed defy order.

So what exactly do you want from me?

I'm worried about my children.

Everything went well in my children's lives due to their mother's death.

Their road to success is precarious.

If someone's death might make something else in the future go well,

they might think of m*rder as an option.

So I need to show my children that I must die this way

to atone for my decision to k*ll Sumi-san.

I have a solid alibi. I could not have committed the crime.

Even if I told them the truth about asking the yoko for help,

I'm sure my children wouldn't believe it,

nor would they believe I hired someone to k*ll their mother.

Since the actual k*ller was the yoko,

I cannot prove my part in this crime.

Right. I highly doubt they'd believe you.

Which is why I need to do something to make my children

believe that I did indeed k*ll Sumi-san.

That's where you come in.

Even if... the way I have this m*rder play out is a lie?

My children have the right to know who k*lled their mother.

Not knowing is the same as having thorns piercing their hearts.

I want them to be relieved of that, as well.

I have a detailed plan to get my children

to believe that I committed the m*rder,

and I know what role you'll be playing.

Oh. Let's make another order before we get into those details.

Will chiffon cake do?

I'd like cheesecake and a matcha roll cake, as well.

And So, the Ruler Disappeared

So that happened about two weeks ago.

Talk about another troublesome case...

Good luck.

Why are you talking like this doesn't concern you?

Of course I'm going to have you help me, Kuro-senpai!

This happened two weeks ago, right?

Didn't you keep this quiet from me because you didn't need me?

It was hard to bring up until auxiliary investigations

were complete and the best approach was decided.

Did you confirm the story with the yoko that made this deal with the president?

Yes.

There was only one that fit the profile, so it didn't take too long to find him.

My lady! We found the one you were looking for!

My name is Fubuki.

The mere thought that a proud yoko

such as myself would ever assist a lowly human is sheer insolence!

Release me!

Or I will use my powers to unleash a great calamity upon this la—

You totally did it!

You used a human to destroy the mountain, among other offenses!

Mononoke who have nothing to do with any of this

were also chased away from the mountain!

Why? Why do you think I'm the criminal behind this?

Where is your proof?

President Otonashi told me everything.

Wh-Wh-Wh-What?!

I'm sure you'll be punished severely by your brethren.

It's not my place to interfere,

but if you cooperate in telling me what you know about Otonoashi Sumi's m*rder,

I'll tell them to take it easy on you with their punishment.

Now, tell me everything you know truthfully.

Fubuki was cunning, but in the end,

he was tripped up by President Otonashi's righteousness.

Are you sure the unsavory rumors about you in social circles

didn't deal the fatal blow?

The president wouldn't have come to you if he hadn't heard about them.

I'm sure those who are jealous of my elegance

are the ones spreading baseless rumors about me.

They're not baseless at all!

Anyway, some things were unexpected, but we got to the truth of the matter.

So how are you going to deal with President Otonashi, who gained fortune

through supernatural means?

Is there anything that you need to actually set straight?

Karaoke

Even if a ghost were to appear at the hotel and scare some guests,

they may not have immediately done anything defying order.

But if we leave the matter alone,

the humans may do something drastic about the ayakashi,

and the ayakashi will be put in a rough spot.

Meaning I need to do something so that neither side gets hurt

before this kind of problem gets bigger.

That is my role, after all.

If you could get one of those prizes with your powers,

it would make a heartwarming story.

Wouldn't that be cheating?

Then I'll just have to get it with skill instead of your powers.

You can buy ballpoint pens at any convenience store.

Senpai, take a closer look!

These are mysterious pens that make swimsuits disappear

when you turn them upside-down!

I want them! I want them so much!

Just look at this detailed design! We must get these, no matter what!

And? When a m*rder,

especially one committed intentionally by someone with high social standing,

Remaining

is looked over like it's no big deal, that's probably not too great.

Right. At present, President Otonashi hasn't told anyone other than myself about this.

He realizes that what he has done is wrong

and wants to warn his own children, as well.

But later, they might rethink it and get the message that if they're ever in trouble,

they can rely on the supernatural, and everything will work out.

Remaining

So just in case,

we need to make sure his children never decide to rely on supernatural powers.

And for the same reason,

it's also wrong for the supernatural side to try to get closer to humans.

The yoko Fubuki is going to be punished by his brethren for that very reason.

We'll probably need someone equally punished from the human side.

That is what order is, after all.

Wouldn't you say President Otonashi

is already paying for it, considering he doesn't have much longer to live?

If his illness had claimed him when he was younger, it might be considered payment.

But he's , so he could die for any number of reasons.

With that in mind,

other people would probably consider the president's actions just,

and he might pass away thinking he may have been right after all.

This matter won't end up right unless I fix a few things.

You're pretty harsh.

I promise you, this is the kinder option.

Not to mention,

the fact that the president wants to rely on me to right his wrongs

is a bit dangerous when it comes to the question of order.

Dangerous?

No adult would trust someone like me this much.

It's proof that President Otonashi

thinks it's right to rely on things that are outside of our logic when he's in trouble.

He's definitely tied down by his success from the past.

Meaning that I do have to resolve this.

So what are the steps you're going to take?

It seems like President Otonashi has a plan.

I'm going to come up with and reveal

a fake story that makes the president the culprit.

At least, that was my plan...

But it's not quite that simple.

It'd be hard for them to accept a story someone else created

that makes me the culprit.

So we should make them think about it

and come up with suspicions against me on their own.

Then, if there's a believable explanation,

they'll believe that I am the culprit.

So he then gave his children this assignment:

"Twenty-three years ago, I k*lled my wife, Sumi-san. Now prove that is the truth."

The one who comes up with the best answer

gets to take priority in receiving their father's inheritance.

And he wants me to judge which of their explanations is best

and place them accordingly.

Imagine having to do an assignment for your inheritance...

They'll probably try to remember that past incident for this assignment.

And with that filter in place, everything will start to look suspicious,

m*rder*r...?

making it even easier to believe their father is the culprit.

That's what the president wants.

You're likely to make some enemies judging a competition like that.

Besides being the judge, he expects me to also give them hints

to make sure his children can come up with adequate explanations.

Adequate explanations? But the truth is that he had the yoko k*ll her.

So by that, I mean an adequate, yet false, explanation.

It seems that the president has an alibi,

so I'm sure it won't be easy

to come up with an explanation wherein their father is the culprit.

We'll probably need to do some work to lead them

toward the fake explanation that I came up with.

This demands more and more effort...

If we use my kudan ability,

we'll probably get to a future where our goal is achieved for sure,

but we'll need a conclusion that's completely believable.

Revival!

Skeevy

Actually, if there's an outsider involved in a story involving a relative that

might be a m*rder*r, won't that make it harder to give an answer?

That's what I told him, but...

But if we have an outsider involved,

they'll be forced to believe that I'm not joking.

So he said.

He plans to use me to the very end.

Take over for me, Senpai!

We won't be able to get this anymore.

At noon on September rd, he's going to gather everyone involved to the hotel,

and ask for their answers.

However, we'll hear the final answers starting at noon on September th.

Until then, the ones present will argue and gather information,

and we'll be correcting their answers.

That sounds like an awful gathering.

You're going to be there as well, Kuro-senpai.

Oh, darn. I have work that day.

Then go tell them you can't work that day!

Oh, fine. Looks like I'm going to have to motivate Senpai a bit.

I mean, I do feel a little bad about this.

So today, I put on a pair of sexy panties just for you, Senpai!

They're paisley print! Take a look!

Stop that!

You're not the least bit sexy to begin with.

Zero times anything is still zero.

Also, there's nothing sexy about paisley.

What?! How can you not understand how salacious this is?!

We did it! We got it, Senpai!

All right, fine. I'll do what I can.

Though trouble between humans seems way more tiring

than trouble between yokai and monsters.

I agree. But even so, I've been working things out, so have no fear.

It's just...

It's just what?

Oh, nothing.

Why did the president trust me so much and seem so certain?

September rd

As we've discussed, I wanted you all to come up with logical explanations

on how I m*rder*d Otonashi Sumi-san and present them.

The one who gives the best explanation

will earn priority in receiving my inheritance.

The one who will be judging your explanations is Iwanaga Kotoko-san.

Your final explanations will take place tomorrow at noon, when I am present.

Until then, you can present explanations to Kotoko-san as often as you'd like.

You may also change or correct your explanations.

Gathering everyone involved who may end up inheriting his fortune...

This is turning into the perfect stage for an incident to take place.

Allow me to introduce everyone.

This is my second son, Susumu.

Otonashi Susumu

He's the executive director of the Otonashi Group.

This is my daughter's husband, Fujinuma Koya-kun.

Fujinuma Koya

He's the president of a used car sales company that he started.

Koya-kun is smarter than my daughter Kaoruko, and he's got guts.

I'm sure he'll be able to come up with an better explanation than her.

This is my eldest son Ryoma's daughter and my granddaughter, Rion.

Otonashi Rion

Cooking is everything to Ryoma,

so he wouldn't show up here if it meant closing his shop for a day.

In Rion's case, her grandmother's m*rder took place before she was even born.

That means she can see this incident without preconceived notions,

and will be able to give everyone a brand new perspective.

These will be our three candidates.

Father, just what is your goal in all of this?

It's exactly what I've told you.

I want you all to know the truth about who k*lled your mother

and show you that the one responsible will be paying for the crime.

There's no way you could've k*lled Mother.

Even if you did, what's the point in judging you for it now?

You'll be able to clearly see the point once you get to the truth.

Why will this young lady be judging us?

Kotoko-san is able to determine the truth better than anyone else.

My name is Iwanaga Kotoko.

The gentleman at my side is Sakuragawa Kuro.

Because my right eye is made of glass and my left leg is a prosthetic,

I've gotten permission to have Sakuragawa here assist me just in case.

Neither Sakuragawa nor I will be revealing anything we see or hear here.

So for these two days,

please offer us your explanations without any hesitation.

As President Otonashi has requested,

I will be judging everyone's explanations fairly, based on truth and order.

There you have it.

I look forward to your explanations tomorrow.

Let me just say this one more time.

Twenty-three years ago, I k*lled Sumi-san.

I am the m*rder*r.

I want you to expose the details of that truth.

To be continued