Note: The following recap contains unmarked spoilers. Proceed with caution.
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Part 1: Shun Akiyama
Chapter 1: The Infamous Loan Shark
March 1st, 2010
Kamurocho, Tokyo
While the city of Kamurocho teems with activity, Shun Akiyama (president of the lending firm Sky Finance) is busy resting on his couch reading a tabloid magazine. A string of murders has run through the town according to the articles, but even the possibility of a serial killer about isn't enough to keep Akiyama's attention. He tosses the magazine aside and rolls over for a nap, but a call comes into the office, first on the office phone and then on Akiyama's cell. It's Akiyama's assistant, Hana, and she's not too happy to see that Akiyama's lazing about, and on today of all days. Akiyama guesses that today is important because... it's her birthday, right? Hana yells at Akiyama for forgetting it's Collection Day, and he should be out making his rounds to get some money from their customers. Akiyama protests that he didn't forget, he was just waiting for the rain to stop. A peek outside and a comment from Hana confirms that it stopped raining hours ago, and Hana tells Akiyama to get moving while she gets some food. Akiyama hangs up and trudges down the stairs into the streets of Kamurocho, where it immediately begins raining as he steps outside.
Akiyama decides to head out towards the Hotel District fist. On his way there, a trio of goons from rival firm Kamurocho Loans approach him in Theater Square, pissed that Akiyama's antics are costing them business. Akiyama says he just runs a better business, needling them on how his customers don't go for gaudy ads and predatory loans from a less than legitimate business like theirs. The thugs get riled up and attack Akiyama, but Akiyama proves to be a surprisingly good fighter and beats them down. The beaten thugs swear vengeance and run off, and Akiyama decides to continue on his rounds. On his way to the Hotel District, he spots an acquaintance of his- a young punk named Takeshi Kido of Kanemura Enterprises, and he seems to be in a big hurry. Akiyama goes to pay Kanemura Enterprises a visit, overhearing what's frustrating Kido: members of the Ueno Seiwa Clan are causing a ruckus at Club Elnard, despite being subservient to the Tojo Clan same as Kanemura Enterprises. Akiyama enters while an underling questions why that's such a big deal, with Akiyama asking if the boss and Family Captain Hiroaki Arai are in. Kido tells Akiyama that the boss had some errands to run (he's actually in the other room watching TV), and Arai is with the head of the Shibata family working to get in to Kamurocho Hills.
Akiyama lets Kido know he heard everything about their issue with the Ueno goons. He turns to the underling and rattles off his likely history- street punk that caught sight of Arai, thought he looked cool and decided to join up. Kido interrupts and tells Akiyama that he'll let the boss know he stopped by, which Akiyama takes as his cue to leave. Before he steps out, though, he turns to the underling and puts the issue in terms he'll understand: you wouldn't go making a mess on Shibata family territory, right? That'd just be disrespectful to both the higher-ranking family and Kanemura, and Arai would come out to discipline the punks that did so. What's going on right now is much the same: the Ueno are disrespecting the higher-ranking Tojo Clan by wearing their colors and messing up their territory, essentially pissing over the Kanemura group in the process. The underling finally gets it, and Akiyama tells him he's got a good future ahead of him if he keeps that up. Before he leaves, Akiyama tells Kido he has one more thing to say to Kanemura: he's not going to last much longer if he lets pests come in and gnaw at his power base, he should stop coming to Akiyama just to balance his checkbook, and he should remember just what the terms of their arrangement are (which he says just loud enough so Kanemura can hear him in the other room).
After Akiyama leaves, Kanemura comes out of his room and asks Kido what they're going to do about the Ueno Saiwa. Kido tells him he's still trying to reach Arai, with Kanemura telling him that if things do get out of hand he'd like to keep things quiet. Kanemura tells Kido to keep trying on Arai, and then returns to his room. After a moment, the underling comes forward and asks Kido what the deal is with Akiyama, and Kido gives a brief biography: Shun Akiyama is a money lender and owner of Sky Finance, but he acts unlike any other loan shark in town. Called "The Lifeline of Kamurocho", Akiyama lends to those that other sharks have turned away, and he has some rather unorthodox methods. Rather than charge collateral or interest, Akiyama instead has his would-be clients perform a task of some sort before he does business with them. The task is often something random, like working at a soup kitchen or picking up trash, and Akiyama doesn't seem to gain anything from it. Finally, Akiyama makes regular house calls to his clients, just to make sure they don't skip out on him or anything. Kido doesn't know how much about Akiyama is truth and how much is fiction, but he does know one thing: no one that borrows from Shun Akiyama ever comes back to him for more.
Meanwhile, Akiyama has taken a break from his rounds to go to a nearby convenience store, buying beers and snacks for a homeless camp near Kamurocho Hills. While he and the hobos have a good time of drink and conversation, Akiyama spots Arai walking Patriarch Kazuo Shibata to his car. Arai gets the call about Club Elnard and heads over, with Akiyama shadowing him to see what will go down. He doesn't get very far before the Kamurocho Loans trio returns to extract their revenge, and this time they brought their yakuza handler to provide backup. Akiyama is not intimidated and beats the group once more before heading to Club Elnard, brushing past the doorman when he tries to stop him from going in.
Inside, the two Ueno Seiwa goons (Masaru Ihara and Yukata Mishima) are causing a ruckus, getting handsy with the hostesses and harassing the waiters. Akiyama invites himself into their party and begins mocking them for their choice in drink, but when Mishima tries to hit him with a bottle Akiyama dodges and returns the favor, knocking him out cold. Akiyama chides the unconscious Mishima for picking a fight, as if he was a yakuza his antics would be considered a declaration of war. Ihara panics and says this wasn't part of the deal, but Kido bursts in before Akiyama can learn just what "the deal" is. Ihara takes Kido's presence as part of a set-up and prepares to fight, with Akiyama telling Kido to stay out of this as he was the one that started the confrontation. He continues to taunt Ihara, emphasizing that he's a civilian and the fight has nothing to do with the Tojo or the Ueno. Now riled up, Ihara doesn't care and attacks, but Akiyama is able to easily dispatch the man.
As Akiyama cleans himself up, Arai arrives and oversees the damage. The yakuza offers Akiyama a cigarette, and Akiyama tells him he always had a knack for reading his mind. Not about the cigarette, but that Arai didn't ask Akiyama the specifics of why he got into a fight. Arai guesses it has to do with the terms of his loan with Kanemura, and Akiyama agrees before coming clean to both Arai and Kido: he wants Kanemura out, as he thinks Arai would be a much more effective leader of Kanemura Enterprises and could easily make it big in Kamurocho, maybe even as big as the legendary Dragon of Dojima. Arai says he doesn't hold a candle to the former Fourth Chairman, and inheriting some third-rate yakuza family isn't going to change that, but Akiyama disagrees- after all, he got where he was with a sudden windfall, and there are plenty of opportunities around for Arai to make his break. Yes, Kanemura's a third rate family, but there are worse positions to be than the boss of a third rate family.
Just then, Ihara reveals he's not quite out of the fight, getting back to his feet and pulling a pistol on Akiyama. Arai pushes Akiyama out of the way, saying he'll handle this now. He steps up and tells Ihara if he realizes what he's about to do, warning him the consequences will be dire if he takes the shot. He steps forward to take the gun, but just as he has it in hand Ihara pulls the trigger and shoots Arai in the stomach. While Kido and Akiyama rush to Arai, Ihara panics and grabs Mishima before fleeing. Fortunately the bullet was only a glancing hit, and Arai tells Kido to chase down the Ueno goons while Akiyama helps him back to his feet. Arai apologizes for the trouble and heads off to help Kido, with Akiyama telling him to remind Kanemura of the terms of their agreement.
Akiyama leaves Club Elnard and gets a call from Hana. Surprise, she's still not happy that it's taking Akiyama so long to do his rounds, yelling at him for just taking his sweet time while she has to do all the heavy lifting. Akiyama apologizes and tells her she can go home for the day, but Hana tells him she can't: there's a bunch of scary men fighting outside, and she's scared one of them might try to lay hands on a delicate flower like her. Akiyama laughs at the description of Hana as a "delicate flower", which she takes umbrage at before saying that one of the men had a gun. Akiyama gets serious and asks who these men are, and while Hana can't directly identify them she does give Akiyama enough information to tell him they're with the Ueno Seiwa.
Akiyama rushes back to Sky Finance to help Hana, arriving just as a gunshot rings out. He goes into the alley behind Sky Finance and sees Arai standing over the dead body of Ihara, the yakuza telling Akiyama that he was wrong about Arai's chances of making it big before he leaves. No sooner has Arai left that another man enters the alley and heads straight for the body, telling Akiyama he should leave before the cops arrive. Akiyama asks who the newcomer is, but he doesn't answer and once more warns Akiyama that some on the police would take great joy beating a confession out of him. But ultimately Akiyama's hesitancy costs him, and the cops apprehend him while the first man tells Akiyama that Sugiuchi won't go easy on him. Akiyama is only left with questions while the police drag him off, Hana yelling down for him to come back.
Kamurocho, Tokyo
While the city of Kamurocho teems with activity, Shun Akiyama (president of the lending firm Sky Finance) is busy resting on his couch reading a tabloid magazine. A string of murders has run through the town according to the articles, but even the possibility of a serial killer about isn't enough to keep Akiyama's attention. He tosses the magazine aside and rolls over for a nap, but a call comes into the office, first on the office phone and then on Akiyama's cell. It's Akiyama's assistant, Hana, and she's not too happy to see that Akiyama's lazing about, and on today of all days. Akiyama guesses that today is important because... it's her birthday, right? Hana yells at Akiyama for forgetting it's Collection Day, and he should be out making his rounds to get some money from their customers. Akiyama protests that he didn't forget, he was just waiting for the rain to stop. A peek outside and a comment from Hana confirms that it stopped raining hours ago, and Hana tells Akiyama to get moving while she gets some food. Akiyama hangs up and trudges down the stairs into the streets of Kamurocho, where it immediately begins raining as he steps outside.
Akiyama decides to head out towards the Hotel District fist. On his way there, a trio of goons from rival firm Kamurocho Loans approach him in Theater Square, pissed that Akiyama's antics are costing them business. Akiyama says he just runs a better business, needling them on how his customers don't go for gaudy ads and predatory loans from a less than legitimate business like theirs. The thugs get riled up and attack Akiyama, but Akiyama proves to be a surprisingly good fighter and beats them down. The beaten thugs swear vengeance and run off, and Akiyama decides to continue on his rounds. On his way to the Hotel District, he spots an acquaintance of his- a young punk named Takeshi Kido of Kanemura Enterprises, and he seems to be in a big hurry. Akiyama goes to pay Kanemura Enterprises a visit, overhearing what's frustrating Kido: members of the Ueno Seiwa Clan are causing a ruckus at Club Elnard, despite being subservient to the Tojo Clan same as Kanemura Enterprises. Akiyama enters while an underling questions why that's such a big deal, with Akiyama asking if the boss and Family Captain Hiroaki Arai are in. Kido tells Akiyama that the boss had some errands to run (he's actually in the other room watching TV), and Arai is with the head of the Shibata family working to get in to Kamurocho Hills.
Akiyama lets Kido know he heard everything about their issue with the Ueno goons. He turns to the underling and rattles off his likely history- street punk that caught sight of Arai, thought he looked cool and decided to join up. Kido interrupts and tells Akiyama that he'll let the boss know he stopped by, which Akiyama takes as his cue to leave. Before he steps out, though, he turns to the underling and puts the issue in terms he'll understand: you wouldn't go making a mess on Shibata family territory, right? That'd just be disrespectful to both the higher-ranking family and Kanemura, and Arai would come out to discipline the punks that did so. What's going on right now is much the same: the Ueno are disrespecting the higher-ranking Tojo Clan by wearing their colors and messing up their territory, essentially pissing over the Kanemura group in the process. The underling finally gets it, and Akiyama tells him he's got a good future ahead of him if he keeps that up. Before he leaves, Akiyama tells Kido he has one more thing to say to Kanemura: he's not going to last much longer if he lets pests come in and gnaw at his power base, he should stop coming to Akiyama just to balance his checkbook, and he should remember just what the terms of their arrangement are (which he says just loud enough so Kanemura can hear him in the other room).
After Akiyama leaves, Kanemura comes out of his room and asks Kido what they're going to do about the Ueno Saiwa. Kido tells him he's still trying to reach Arai, with Kanemura telling him that if things do get out of hand he'd like to keep things quiet. Kanemura tells Kido to keep trying on Arai, and then returns to his room. After a moment, the underling comes forward and asks Kido what the deal is with Akiyama, and Kido gives a brief biography: Shun Akiyama is a money lender and owner of Sky Finance, but he acts unlike any other loan shark in town. Called "The Lifeline of Kamurocho", Akiyama lends to those that other sharks have turned away, and he has some rather unorthodox methods. Rather than charge collateral or interest, Akiyama instead has his would-be clients perform a task of some sort before he does business with them. The task is often something random, like working at a soup kitchen or picking up trash, and Akiyama doesn't seem to gain anything from it. Finally, Akiyama makes regular house calls to his clients, just to make sure they don't skip out on him or anything. Kido doesn't know how much about Akiyama is truth and how much is fiction, but he does know one thing: no one that borrows from Shun Akiyama ever comes back to him for more.
Meanwhile, Akiyama has taken a break from his rounds to go to a nearby convenience store, buying beers and snacks for a homeless camp near Kamurocho Hills. While he and the hobos have a good time of drink and conversation, Akiyama spots Arai walking Patriarch Kazuo Shibata to his car. Arai gets the call about Club Elnard and heads over, with Akiyama shadowing him to see what will go down. He doesn't get very far before the Kamurocho Loans trio returns to extract their revenge, and this time they brought their yakuza handler to provide backup. Akiyama is not intimidated and beats the group once more before heading to Club Elnard, brushing past the doorman when he tries to stop him from going in.
Inside, the two Ueno Seiwa goons (Masaru Ihara and Yukata Mishima) are causing a ruckus, getting handsy with the hostesses and harassing the waiters. Akiyama invites himself into their party and begins mocking them for their choice in drink, but when Mishima tries to hit him with a bottle Akiyama dodges and returns the favor, knocking him out cold. Akiyama chides the unconscious Mishima for picking a fight, as if he was a yakuza his antics would be considered a declaration of war. Ihara panics and says this wasn't part of the deal, but Kido bursts in before Akiyama can learn just what "the deal" is. Ihara takes Kido's presence as part of a set-up and prepares to fight, with Akiyama telling Kido to stay out of this as he was the one that started the confrontation. He continues to taunt Ihara, emphasizing that he's a civilian and the fight has nothing to do with the Tojo or the Ueno. Now riled up, Ihara doesn't care and attacks, but Akiyama is able to easily dispatch the man.
As Akiyama cleans himself up, Arai arrives and oversees the damage. The yakuza offers Akiyama a cigarette, and Akiyama tells him he always had a knack for reading his mind. Not about the cigarette, but that Arai didn't ask Akiyama the specifics of why he got into a fight. Arai guesses it has to do with the terms of his loan with Kanemura, and Akiyama agrees before coming clean to both Arai and Kido: he wants Kanemura out, as he thinks Arai would be a much more effective leader of Kanemura Enterprises and could easily make it big in Kamurocho, maybe even as big as the legendary Dragon of Dojima. Arai says he doesn't hold a candle to the former Fourth Chairman, and inheriting some third-rate yakuza family isn't going to change that, but Akiyama disagrees- after all, he got where he was with a sudden windfall, and there are plenty of opportunities around for Arai to make his break. Yes, Kanemura's a third rate family, but there are worse positions to be than the boss of a third rate family.
Just then, Ihara reveals he's not quite out of the fight, getting back to his feet and pulling a pistol on Akiyama. Arai pushes Akiyama out of the way, saying he'll handle this now. He steps up and tells Ihara if he realizes what he's about to do, warning him the consequences will be dire if he takes the shot. He steps forward to take the gun, but just as he has it in hand Ihara pulls the trigger and shoots Arai in the stomach. While Kido and Akiyama rush to Arai, Ihara panics and grabs Mishima before fleeing. Fortunately the bullet was only a glancing hit, and Arai tells Kido to chase down the Ueno goons while Akiyama helps him back to his feet. Arai apologizes for the trouble and heads off to help Kido, with Akiyama telling him to remind Kanemura of the terms of their agreement.
Akiyama leaves Club Elnard and gets a call from Hana. Surprise, she's still not happy that it's taking Akiyama so long to do his rounds, yelling at him for just taking his sweet time while she has to do all the heavy lifting. Akiyama apologizes and tells her she can go home for the day, but Hana tells him she can't: there's a bunch of scary men fighting outside, and she's scared one of them might try to lay hands on a delicate flower like her. Akiyama laughs at the description of Hana as a "delicate flower", which she takes umbrage at before saying that one of the men had a gun. Akiyama gets serious and asks who these men are, and while Hana can't directly identify them she does give Akiyama enough information to tell him they're with the Ueno Seiwa.
Akiyama rushes back to Sky Finance to help Hana, arriving just as a gunshot rings out. He goes into the alley behind Sky Finance and sees Arai standing over the dead body of Ihara, the yakuza telling Akiyama that he was wrong about Arai's chances of making it big before he leaves. No sooner has Arai left that another man enters the alley and heads straight for the body, telling Akiyama he should leave before the cops arrive. Akiyama asks who the newcomer is, but he doesn't answer and once more warns Akiyama that some on the police would take great joy beating a confession out of him. But ultimately Akiyama's hesitancy costs him, and the cops apprehend him while the first man tells Akiyama that Sugiuchi won't go easy on him. Akiyama is only left with questions while the police drag him off, Hana yelling down for him to come back.
Chapter 2: The One
December, 2005
Akiyama is living as a homeless man on the streets of Kamurocho. He wakes up from a nap in Theater Square just as an explosion tears through the upper level of the Millennium Tower, drawing hundreds of onlookers. Akiyama doesn't pay it much mind and prepares to head to his new resting spot, but just then millions of yen begin to rain from the sky. Swept up by seeing money again, Akiyama runs through the crowd grabbing as many bills as he can carry.
The Present Day
Akiyama is awakened from the jail cell he's being held in by a guard, telling him he's cleared for release. On his way out, Akiyama runs into detective Junji Sugiuchi, who tells him he was lucky that Hana was there as a witness and cleared Akiyama's name. Akiyama is ready to leave, but Sugiuchi gives him a warning: stay out of the way and stop wasting money on guys like Kanemura, as it's only stirring up trouble around town. That's all well and good, but Akiyama has his own reasons for doing what he does and won't stop lending to those who need it. Sugiuchi decides to drop one more bomb on Akiyama before he leaves: Kanemura is dead. Sugiuchi gives Akiyama one final warning to stay away from Kanemura and the Ueno Seiwa, or the police won't do anything to help him.
Akiyama returns to Kamurocho and gets a call from Hana. She's relieved to see that Akiyama's out, and Akiyama thanks her for coming to help him get out of jail. Hana is grateful, but still mad because Akiyama left her with a mountain of paperwork to keep Sky Finance in the black. She tells Akiyama to get down to the office, and with nothing else to do he heads back. He arrives and finds the office empty, but at least Hana bought him lunch... which is now ice cold. As he looks for a lighter for his cigarette, he opens a drawer and reveals a picture of him and his friends in his younger days. He quickly closes the drawer and leans back, preparing for another boring day at the office.
Before he can settle in, though, a customer walks in the door- it's a woman, dressed in a heavy coat and wearing dark sunglasses. Akiyama quickly apologizes for the mess and invites the woman to sit, and after a pause she takes off her glasses and tells Akiyama she's here for a loan. To Akiyama's surprise, the woman in front of her is a dead ringer to the woman from his old photo, but he pushes through the surprise to get to business. The woman lights a cigarette, but takes some time before asking Akiyama if it's true that he offers limitless loans with no interest or collateral. Akiyama asks where she got that information from, but the woman doesn't answer him. Akiyama guesses the woman probably got it from another lender that turned her down, but that doesn't matter much to him. Once more he asks her how much she wants, but when the woman hesitates again Akiyama decides to relax more tension and have a smoke himself. He borrows her lighter and notes that it's labeled "Drama Queen", which he finds surprising as there aren't many places around town with names like that. Akiyama asked the woman if that is where she works, but she quickly says she used to work there but doesn't anymore. Akiyama tries again to get the woman to name her figure, saying he can't help if she doesn't tell him what she wants, and the woman finally comes clean with her figure: one hundred million, in cash, preferably within the next ten days.
Akiyama confirms that the woman has no collateral or guarantor before questioning if she knows just how much she is asking for. The woman quickly takes this as a rejection and makes to leave, apologizing for wasting Akiyama's time, but Akiyama stops her by saying he didn't say "no". He invites her to sit down again, making tea and telling the woman how they do things around Sky Finance. She will have to pass Akiyama's test before he lends her the money, telling her the test will be harder since she's asking for so much. Akiyama notes that she seems to be in a hurry with her ten day request, and if she fails that could mean time lost from that limit. He asks once more if she's willing to go through with it, and the woman replies she is.
Before Akiyama can tell her the parameters of her test, he gets a call on his phone. It's Kido, who was just released from the precinct after being questioned on Kanemura's murder. Sugiuchi also informed Kido about Arai's actions, and the two agree to meet up later after Akiyama has finished up with his customer. Akiyama returns to the woman, telling her he needs a little time to think up her test and asking her to come back tomorrow. The woman agrees and Akiyama shows her to the door, but before she departs Akiyama realizes he never asked her for her name. She tells him to call her "Lily", though she doesn't say if that's her given name or just an alias. After Lily leaves, Akiyama goes to the roof and calls a club he has controlling interest in, telling them he's got a new girl coming in tomorrow and wants her to start immediately. About then Hana returns and greets Akiyama, the two settling in for a day of work.
Akiyama finally gets his call from Kido, asking him to meet on the roof of the red building in Theater Square. They meet up and discuss the events of the previous night, neither one of them believing that a cool-headed fellow like Arai would go off the handle on a two-bit thug like Ihara. Kido then tells Akiyama about what happened with Kanemura: after he lost the Ueno Seiwa men and failing to reach Arai, Kido returned to the family office to regroup. But when he arrived there was no one to greet him, no noise from the boss' room either. Kido went inside to check, only to find Kanemura dead on his couch with a knife wound to the back. There was no sign of a struggle, and Kido says the cops believe the murderer to be a woman due to the state Kanemura was found in: shirtless and with traces of lipstick around his neck and face. Kido says there's a few things that don't add up- why was the office empty with no one to keep an eye on the boss, and Kanemura never expressed an interest in women before so why would he suddenly invite someone in now? Akiyama says it's not out of the realm of possibility- maybe the woman was a Femme Fatale who worked Kanemura into an obsession, and that obsession eventually caught up with him.
But enough about that- they've got work to do, as a gang of yakuza approach the two. Akiyama guesses they're Shibata's men here to haul them in for the incident with Arai. He tells the leader that killing them won't get the Ueno Seiwa off their backs, and while the leader agrees the boss' orders are paramount and they're not going to back down. Akiyama tells Kido to run back to Sky Finance while he deals with the yakuza. Kido hesitates, but eventually makes a run for it while Akiyama fights and defeats the yakuza. The leader tells Akiyama that another squad of men are going to Sky Finance right now, but Akiyama doesn't seem too worried. Unfortunately, Sugiuchi and a squad of policemen arrive, the detective berating Akiyama for getting involved in yakuza affairs again. He orders the police to run Akiyama in, but Akiyama makes a break for it and escapes the police following a chase across the rooftops of Kamurocho. Akiyama arrives back at Sky Finance, just in time to see Hana finishing up her beatdown of the Shibata men. He stumbles into the office and collapses on the couch, Hana getting him a glass of water before returning to her work while Kido looks on in absolute confusion.
Akiyama is living as a homeless man on the streets of Kamurocho. He wakes up from a nap in Theater Square just as an explosion tears through the upper level of the Millennium Tower, drawing hundreds of onlookers. Akiyama doesn't pay it much mind and prepares to head to his new resting spot, but just then millions of yen begin to rain from the sky. Swept up by seeing money again, Akiyama runs through the crowd grabbing as many bills as he can carry.
The Present Day
Akiyama is awakened from the jail cell he's being held in by a guard, telling him he's cleared for release. On his way out, Akiyama runs into detective Junji Sugiuchi, who tells him he was lucky that Hana was there as a witness and cleared Akiyama's name. Akiyama is ready to leave, but Sugiuchi gives him a warning: stay out of the way and stop wasting money on guys like Kanemura, as it's only stirring up trouble around town. That's all well and good, but Akiyama has his own reasons for doing what he does and won't stop lending to those who need it. Sugiuchi decides to drop one more bomb on Akiyama before he leaves: Kanemura is dead. Sugiuchi gives Akiyama one final warning to stay away from Kanemura and the Ueno Seiwa, or the police won't do anything to help him.
Akiyama returns to Kamurocho and gets a call from Hana. She's relieved to see that Akiyama's out, and Akiyama thanks her for coming to help him get out of jail. Hana is grateful, but still mad because Akiyama left her with a mountain of paperwork to keep Sky Finance in the black. She tells Akiyama to get down to the office, and with nothing else to do he heads back. He arrives and finds the office empty, but at least Hana bought him lunch... which is now ice cold. As he looks for a lighter for his cigarette, he opens a drawer and reveals a picture of him and his friends in his younger days. He quickly closes the drawer and leans back, preparing for another boring day at the office.
Before he can settle in, though, a customer walks in the door- it's a woman, dressed in a heavy coat and wearing dark sunglasses. Akiyama quickly apologizes for the mess and invites the woman to sit, and after a pause she takes off her glasses and tells Akiyama she's here for a loan. To Akiyama's surprise, the woman in front of her is a dead ringer to the woman from his old photo, but he pushes through the surprise to get to business. The woman lights a cigarette, but takes some time before asking Akiyama if it's true that he offers limitless loans with no interest or collateral. Akiyama asks where she got that information from, but the woman doesn't answer him. Akiyama guesses the woman probably got it from another lender that turned her down, but that doesn't matter much to him. Once more he asks her how much she wants, but when the woman hesitates again Akiyama decides to relax more tension and have a smoke himself. He borrows her lighter and notes that it's labeled "Drama Queen", which he finds surprising as there aren't many places around town with names like that. Akiyama asked the woman if that is where she works, but she quickly says she used to work there but doesn't anymore. Akiyama tries again to get the woman to name her figure, saying he can't help if she doesn't tell him what she wants, and the woman finally comes clean with her figure: one hundred million, in cash, preferably within the next ten days.
Akiyama confirms that the woman has no collateral or guarantor before questioning if she knows just how much she is asking for. The woman quickly takes this as a rejection and makes to leave, apologizing for wasting Akiyama's time, but Akiyama stops her by saying he didn't say "no". He invites her to sit down again, making tea and telling the woman how they do things around Sky Finance. She will have to pass Akiyama's test before he lends her the money, telling her the test will be harder since she's asking for so much. Akiyama notes that she seems to be in a hurry with her ten day request, and if she fails that could mean time lost from that limit. He asks once more if she's willing to go through with it, and the woman replies she is.
Before Akiyama can tell her the parameters of her test, he gets a call on his phone. It's Kido, who was just released from the precinct after being questioned on Kanemura's murder. Sugiuchi also informed Kido about Arai's actions, and the two agree to meet up later after Akiyama has finished up with his customer. Akiyama returns to the woman, telling her he needs a little time to think up her test and asking her to come back tomorrow. The woman agrees and Akiyama shows her to the door, but before she departs Akiyama realizes he never asked her for her name. She tells him to call her "Lily", though she doesn't say if that's her given name or just an alias. After Lily leaves, Akiyama goes to the roof and calls a club he has controlling interest in, telling them he's got a new girl coming in tomorrow and wants her to start immediately. About then Hana returns and greets Akiyama, the two settling in for a day of work.
Akiyama finally gets his call from Kido, asking him to meet on the roof of the red building in Theater Square. They meet up and discuss the events of the previous night, neither one of them believing that a cool-headed fellow like Arai would go off the handle on a two-bit thug like Ihara. Kido then tells Akiyama about what happened with Kanemura: after he lost the Ueno Seiwa men and failing to reach Arai, Kido returned to the family office to regroup. But when he arrived there was no one to greet him, no noise from the boss' room either. Kido went inside to check, only to find Kanemura dead on his couch with a knife wound to the back. There was no sign of a struggle, and Kido says the cops believe the murderer to be a woman due to the state Kanemura was found in: shirtless and with traces of lipstick around his neck and face. Kido says there's a few things that don't add up- why was the office empty with no one to keep an eye on the boss, and Kanemura never expressed an interest in women before so why would he suddenly invite someone in now? Akiyama says it's not out of the realm of possibility- maybe the woman was a Femme Fatale who worked Kanemura into an obsession, and that obsession eventually caught up with him.
But enough about that- they've got work to do, as a gang of yakuza approach the two. Akiyama guesses they're Shibata's men here to haul them in for the incident with Arai. He tells the leader that killing them won't get the Ueno Seiwa off their backs, and while the leader agrees the boss' orders are paramount and they're not going to back down. Akiyama tells Kido to run back to Sky Finance while he deals with the yakuza. Kido hesitates, but eventually makes a run for it while Akiyama fights and defeats the yakuza. The leader tells Akiyama that another squad of men are going to Sky Finance right now, but Akiyama doesn't seem too worried. Unfortunately, Sugiuchi and a squad of policemen arrive, the detective berating Akiyama for getting involved in yakuza affairs again. He orders the police to run Akiyama in, but Akiyama makes a break for it and escapes the police following a chase across the rooftops of Kamurocho. Akiyama arrives back at Sky Finance, just in time to see Hana finishing up her beatdown of the Shibata men. He stumbles into the office and collapses on the couch, Hana getting him a glass of water before returning to her work while Kido looks on in absolute confusion.
Chapter 3: Trouble in the Tojo Clan
Akiyama and Kido are called in to Police HQ for questioning later, meeting up outside the bathroom once they're finished. Kido says something seems off about Sugiuchi's pursuit, almost as if he's got a personal obsession with Akiyama and Arai; he kept asking Kido about how the two met, what were the terms of Kanemura's loan with Akiyama, that sort of thing. All this questioning has Kido curious as well, but Akiyama refuses to say more before the two leave. And good thing for him as well, for Sugiuchi was listening to them talk from inside the bathroom.
Akiyama returns to Kamurocho and heads back to his office, but finds Sugiuchi waiting for him there. He doesn't want to talk to the cop and tries to leave, but Sugiuchi tells him he's not here to arrest Akiyama- rather, he's here to let him know the police have put a 24-hour surveilance detail on Sky Finance. Neither one is happy with the arrangement, but Sugiuchi says that's his orders and Akiyama should be grateful. Not only is the Shibata family on the warpath, but Captain Isao Katsuragi of the Ueno Seiwa Clan as well; he earlier rejected a peace offering of cash and one of Shibata's fingers from Sixth Chairman Daigo Dojima himself, instead asking for either Arai's head or control of Kamurocho Hills to make up for losing Ihara (who was a freshly promoted lieutenant in the Ueno Seiwa; Katsuragi would have asked for Goro Majima instead, but taking Kamurocho Hills seems like a fair compromise). As such, the Tojo Clan is on a mad dash to find and kill Arai before the cops or Ueno Seiwa get him first, and Sugiuchi has been keeping tabs on those Arai was close to in case he tries to make contact, hence his harassing Akiyama. Sugiuchi prepares to leave, but Akiyama questions as to why he's making such a big fuss about all this- upcoming promotion perhaps? Sugiuchi angrily tells Akiyama to shut up, but says no more before Lily arrives and he takes his leave.
After Lily makes herself comfortable, Akiyama asks her one last time if she's sure she's ready to go through with his test. When Lily replies yes, Akiyama tells her that part one of the test is a date with him, along with some clothes shopping to make sure she looks good. Lily is confused, but goes along as she has nothing else to lose. Akiyama takes Lily around town, buying her nice jewelry and clothes before sending her out to get her hair and nails done (all on Sky Finance's tab, of course). The two meet up later outside the club Elise, and he is gobsmacked when he sees how good she looks in the new outfit. He quickly recovers and sits Lily down, telling her that part two of her tests is to entertain him as if he were a customer since she's just been hired as a hostess for the club. Akiyama wants her to be the number one hostess at the club and bring in three million yen in three days- do that, and the one hundred million loan is hers. While Lily is initially hesitant, she ultimately agrees to Akiyama's test, and the two have a pleasant evening together.
Duty calls and Akiyama leaves the club for the night, though he and Lily agree to meet up at Theater Square after her shift. On his way there, Akiyama gets a call from the manager at Elise telling him that Lily brought in nearly half a million on her first shift- impressive, but she'll need to step up her game if she's going to make three million. The two meet in Theater Square, and Akiyama tells her about her progress in completing his test. He encourages her that she'll do great, and Lily laughs at the duality of him telling her this is a test and telling her she'll do great. Akiyama reassures her that he doesn't want Lily to fail, then asks her where she would like to go on part two of their date. Lily says there's a bar over in the Champion District she would like to visit, and the two head out.
On their way to the champion District, Lily spots a building that she doesn't recognize. On her urging the two go inside and head to the roof, where her memory is jogged and she does recall being here- with how the city has advanced, this building was once one of the tallest is now pretty short. Akiyama asks Lily if she came her often, and she tells him she used to live in this building a long time ago. Back then she was nearly broke and lived in a tiny apartment, but it still brings back memories. Lily then asks Akiyama why men are always looking upward, always focusing on making their next big break while forgetting the women at their sides. Akiyama says his view is kind of skewed, but it's hard to make the people you love happy if you have no money and men seem to really lean in to that kind of thinking. Lily says she wishes things would have just stayed the same, the two finding it ironic that for how little she used to care about money she now needs it more than anything else. As they watch Kamurocho from the roof, Akiyama asks if maybe this one time he, not his money, can make someone happy. When Lily questions what he means, Akiyama swoops in and kisses her; though initially surprised, Lily does return the kiss, though she admits later she isn't quite sure why she didn't back away. She turns the question back on him, and Akiyama admits he hasn't felt this way in almost five years since his last girlfriend dumped him.
Just then a gang of Shibata Family thugs arrive to interrupt the two, and after his usual snark Akiyama dives right in and defeats the thugs. With the Shibata goons down for the count, Akiyama and Lily flee to a nearby park, Akiyama apologizing for getting Lily caught up in his own issues. Feeling that they've had enough fun for one night, Akiyama tells Lily to head home and he'll stop by the club the next night to check on her progress.
Akiyama returns to Kamurocho and heads back to his office, but finds Sugiuchi waiting for him there. He doesn't want to talk to the cop and tries to leave, but Sugiuchi tells him he's not here to arrest Akiyama- rather, he's here to let him know the police have put a 24-hour surveilance detail on Sky Finance. Neither one is happy with the arrangement, but Sugiuchi says that's his orders and Akiyama should be grateful. Not only is the Shibata family on the warpath, but Captain Isao Katsuragi of the Ueno Seiwa Clan as well; he earlier rejected a peace offering of cash and one of Shibata's fingers from Sixth Chairman Daigo Dojima himself, instead asking for either Arai's head or control of Kamurocho Hills to make up for losing Ihara (who was a freshly promoted lieutenant in the Ueno Seiwa; Katsuragi would have asked for Goro Majima instead, but taking Kamurocho Hills seems like a fair compromise). As such, the Tojo Clan is on a mad dash to find and kill Arai before the cops or Ueno Seiwa get him first, and Sugiuchi has been keeping tabs on those Arai was close to in case he tries to make contact, hence his harassing Akiyama. Sugiuchi prepares to leave, but Akiyama questions as to why he's making such a big fuss about all this- upcoming promotion perhaps? Sugiuchi angrily tells Akiyama to shut up, but says no more before Lily arrives and he takes his leave.
After Lily makes herself comfortable, Akiyama asks her one last time if she's sure she's ready to go through with his test. When Lily replies yes, Akiyama tells her that part one of the test is a date with him, along with some clothes shopping to make sure she looks good. Lily is confused, but goes along as she has nothing else to lose. Akiyama takes Lily around town, buying her nice jewelry and clothes before sending her out to get her hair and nails done (all on Sky Finance's tab, of course). The two meet up later outside the club Elise, and he is gobsmacked when he sees how good she looks in the new outfit. He quickly recovers and sits Lily down, telling her that part two of her tests is to entertain him as if he were a customer since she's just been hired as a hostess for the club. Akiyama wants her to be the number one hostess at the club and bring in three million yen in three days- do that, and the one hundred million loan is hers. While Lily is initially hesitant, she ultimately agrees to Akiyama's test, and the two have a pleasant evening together.
Duty calls and Akiyama leaves the club for the night, though he and Lily agree to meet up at Theater Square after her shift. On his way there, Akiyama gets a call from the manager at Elise telling him that Lily brought in nearly half a million on her first shift- impressive, but she'll need to step up her game if she's going to make three million. The two meet in Theater Square, and Akiyama tells her about her progress in completing his test. He encourages her that she'll do great, and Lily laughs at the duality of him telling her this is a test and telling her she'll do great. Akiyama reassures her that he doesn't want Lily to fail, then asks her where she would like to go on part two of their date. Lily says there's a bar over in the Champion District she would like to visit, and the two head out.
On their way to the champion District, Lily spots a building that she doesn't recognize. On her urging the two go inside and head to the roof, where her memory is jogged and she does recall being here- with how the city has advanced, this building was once one of the tallest is now pretty short. Akiyama asks Lily if she came her often, and she tells him she used to live in this building a long time ago. Back then she was nearly broke and lived in a tiny apartment, but it still brings back memories. Lily then asks Akiyama why men are always looking upward, always focusing on making their next big break while forgetting the women at their sides. Akiyama says his view is kind of skewed, but it's hard to make the people you love happy if you have no money and men seem to really lean in to that kind of thinking. Lily says she wishes things would have just stayed the same, the two finding it ironic that for how little she used to care about money she now needs it more than anything else. As they watch Kamurocho from the roof, Akiyama asks if maybe this one time he, not his money, can make someone happy. When Lily questions what he means, Akiyama swoops in and kisses her; though initially surprised, Lily does return the kiss, though she admits later she isn't quite sure why she didn't back away. She turns the question back on him, and Akiyama admits he hasn't felt this way in almost five years since his last girlfriend dumped him.
Just then a gang of Shibata Family thugs arrive to interrupt the two, and after his usual snark Akiyama dives right in and defeats the thugs. With the Shibata goons down for the count, Akiyama and Lily flee to a nearby park, Akiyama apologizing for getting Lily caught up in his own issues. Feeling that they've had enough fun for one night, Akiyama tells Lily to head home and he'll stop by the club the next night to check on her progress.
Chapter 4: The Promise
The next day, Kido returns to Sky Finance and Akiyama tells him what he learned from the police. Kido tells Akiyama that they're still nowhere close to finding Arai, and with the rest of the Tojo Clan out hunting for him time is running out for Kido to get answers from him. Akiyama asks Kido if he thinks the Tojo Clan cares, as they see Arai as a liability they can just hand to the Ueno Seiwa without bothering to learn his reasons for killing Ihara. Kido refuses to just let Arai be the Tojo's sacrifice, and Akiyama gives him some money to track down Arai while he takes care of other matters. But Kido is suspicious, refusing to take the money until Akiyama tells him why he's so insistent on helping Arai.
Akiyama heads back to his desk, telling Kido that Arai saved his life six years prior. Before Sky Finance, Akiyama was a promising young investment banker, with a law degree and a solid job with a bank called Touto. But in 2005 he was framed for embezzlement and fired, and in his attempts to clear his name Akiyama burned through his savings and wound up on the streets. But then the Millennium Tower explosion literally dropped one million yen in his lap, and Akiyama was all set to rebuild himself. But a man has to sleep, and while he was distracted Akiyama was robbed blind by a pack of homeless hunters, young thugs who like to beat up on hobos For the Evulz. Arai, then a newbie under Kanemura, beat up the gang and returned Akiyama's money for no stated reason, promising Akiyama that he'd rise up and clean up the city. Thus Akiyama tells Kido that he's got high hopes and respect for Arai, and looks forward to seeing what he will do for Kamurocho one day. He goes on to say that the people of Kamurocho may come from different walks in life, but they all share one thing in common: a dream, some grand desire that drives them no matter the circumstances. So few people achieve that dream, though, and to Akiyama what Kamurocho needs is someone to show them they can achieve that dream. Arai is that someone in Akiyama's eyes, someone with the strength and drive to fill the deep shoes left by Kazuma Kiryu. Kido is impressed by Akiyama's vision, and swears he'll put the money to good use to find Arai.
Hana arrives just as Kido is leaving to find Arai. Akiyama says he's going to check up on Lily, but Hana tells him that he has work to do and needs to go collect from the bar Marimba, which is three days behind on their debts. He heads out, but finds the place locked up for the day. As he's leaving, though, Akiyama spots the bar Lily used to work at, Drama Queen, and decides to pop in for a visit. Before he heads in, though, a nearby Crossdresser stops him and tells Akiyama that Drama Queen is an okama bar, guessing he's into that sort of thing. Akiyama wonders why Lily would lie to him about working at a crossdressing bar, heading inside to speak with the manager about her. When he goes in, though, he finds the manager's rotting corpse in the back, stripped down to his underwear and his throat slashed. Closer examination reveals a Shibata Family crest on his jacket and the missing lighter, though Akiyama is too spooked by the revelation to make any further connections.
Akiyama hurries back to Sky Finance, but when he enters he finds the place trashed and Hana lying unconscious on the floor. He rushes to her and wakes her up, asking what happened. Hana explains that she found Kido in the office after going out for lunch, the man explaining he'd hoped to find Akiyama and run some things by him (after replacing some books on Akiyama's shelf). Hana made tea for Kido while they waited for Akiyama to come back, but just then some thugs came into the office. Hana was ready to fight them off like the last group, but these guys had guns and knocked Hana out. Akiyama asks if it was the Shibata Family again, but Hana says no; the leader was someone named Midorikawa, who is a member of the Hatsushiba Clan allied to the Shibata. They grabbed Kido and dragged him off to who knows where, and they nicked the Sky Finance client registry while they were at it. Akiyama tells Hana he's going to get Kido and the registry back, with Hana telling him to be careful while she waits for an ambulance to arrive.
Akiyama heads out into Kamurocho to look up leads on Midorikawa. His search eventually leads to the theater, where a group of homeless men tell him that the Hatsushiba Clan took Kido down into the tunnels beneath. The main entrance is locked, though, but the leader says that Akiyama can use the tunnels connecting out of the Millennium Tower's basement to get through. Akiyama heads to the Millennium Tower and heads down, finding the Hatsushiba family down there in force. He asks that they return Kido and his registry back, but when the thugs refuse Akiyama fights his way through them. On his way through the tunnels, Akiyama is attacked by a homeless man named Kogoro Sugekawa, who had come to liberate the tunnels from the Hatsushiba and thought Akiyama was one of them. The two team up and continue the fight, helping a few others who stuck around despite the yakuza moving in along the way.
Akiyama eventually reaches Midorikawa, finding him with Kido and a bald man he guesses is the Hatsushiba chairman. He demands they release Kido and return his registry, but Midorikawa and Hatsushiba refuse. Akiyama and Midorikawa fight, with Midorikawa fleeing halfway through to fetch a chainsaw while Akiyama fights off more of his goons. Eventually Akiyama defeats Midorikawa and catches Hatsushiba trying to sneak out with the registry. Hatsushiba begs for mercy, and Akiyama says he'll give it if Hatsushiba tells him why he did this. The yakuza tells him Shibata asked a favor, as he wanted to find Lily's whereabouts and guessed she may have contacted Akiyama; if she did as a client, her contact information would be in Akiyama's records.
Akiyama and Kido leave the tunnels, with Kido apologizing for getting Akiyama into this mess. Akiyama tells him not to worry about it and sends him on his way, returning to the office for a breather. He gets a call from Elise's manager telling him that Lily succeeded in making over 3 million yen, lamenting that he wishes Lily could stay longer as she has a gift for being a hostess and has been driving up sales ever since she arrived. The manager puts Lily on the line, and Akiyama congratulates her on her success and tells her he'll be waiting on the top of the Millennium Tower with her money. The two meet and Akiyama gives her the one hundred million as promised, and Lily thanks Akiyama for giving her some hope; she had planned to just take the money and leave, but Akiyama helped her feel like it was okay to dream again. She promises to pay Akiyama back, but Akiyama tells her not to worry about it- he's not in the business for money, just seeing people's lives change for the better. He even asks Lily if she wants to know why he chose that test for her, saying that it wasn't so much a test for her as it was a test for him. Akiyama admits that in the past he's been a Horrible Judge of Character and has been betrayed or let down by numerous people- his employer, his ex, Arai, the list goes on. He found Lily alluring and wanted to see if she could make three million in three days, and fortunately she passed.
Before Lily leaves, though, Akiyama has one question that if she answers means she'll never have to pay him back: why did she kill Kanemura and the manager at Drama Queen? On top of that, the Shibata crest on the manager's jacket and the goons that attacked them on their date point to her having a past grudge with them, so what is that past? After a long pause, Lily tells Akiyama that she'll choose to pay Akiyama back instead of telling him the truth. For now, though, she's leaving town to take care of her business, with Akiyama telling her to come back and visit sometime soon. As Lily leaves, Akiyama takes a moment to look out across Kamurocho and finish his cigarette.
Akiyama leaves the Millennium Tower and gets a call from Hana, telling her he got the registry back and will be waiting for her at the office. The two meet up and Akiyama tells Hana that they probably won't be seeing the money from Lily again, which outrages Hana. Akiyama argues that since it's his money and company he can do what he likes, but this is the last straw and Hana quits before storming out of Sky Finance. Akiyama chases Hana down to Children's Park, asking her again what she's got against Lily. Hana says that even by his standards he shouldn't be loaning out that kind of money to complete strangers, accusing him of favoritism towards Lily due to how closely she resembles his ex, Eri. Akiyama admits while the resemblance is uncanny, he wouldn't stoop that low. Hana doesn't buy it and accuses Akiyama of refusing to let go of the past, saying that Eri left him the instant he went bankrupt and was only ever in it for the money. Akiyama admits that he is carrying around some baggage, but says he doesn't think he can just magically let go of it. Hana still intends to quit, though, saying that their relationship has become a bit codependent and she needs to sort out her feelings towards him first. With that, Hana leaves to parts unknown.
As Hana leaves, Akiyama gets a call from the manager at Elise begging for his help; some shady looking yakuza types just arrived and are making a mess of the place and asking for Lily. Akiyama hurries over and finds a shirtless yakuza on the karaoke machine. The yakuza introduces himself as Daisaku Minami of the Majima Family before trying to get back to karaoke, but Akiyama turns off the machine and asks why he's here with his men. Minami tells Akiyama he's looking for Lily, and Majima asked that she be brought back to headquarters as soon as possible. Akiyama tells Minami that she's not here anymore, and he refuses to tell Minami of her whereabouts when he asks. Minami tells Akiyama he's not leaving until Akiyama tells him where she is, and Akiyama warns him that he'll have to do this the hard way then. The two fight, but Majima arrives and tells Minami to stand down after Akiyama defeats him (and that his singing sucks). The Mad Dog formally introduces himself and asks for Lily, and is genuinely disappointed to hear that she's gone. Akiyama asks what Majima wants with Lily and why the Shibata family is after her. Majima says it's simple: he's got to protect Yasuko after his screw up back in 1985.
Akiyama heads back to his desk, telling Kido that Arai saved his life six years prior. Before Sky Finance, Akiyama was a promising young investment banker, with a law degree and a solid job with a bank called Touto. But in 2005 he was framed for embezzlement and fired, and in his attempts to clear his name Akiyama burned through his savings and wound up on the streets. But then the Millennium Tower explosion literally dropped one million yen in his lap, and Akiyama was all set to rebuild himself. But a man has to sleep, and while he was distracted Akiyama was robbed blind by a pack of homeless hunters, young thugs who like to beat up on hobos For the Evulz. Arai, then a newbie under Kanemura, beat up the gang and returned Akiyama's money for no stated reason, promising Akiyama that he'd rise up and clean up the city. Thus Akiyama tells Kido that he's got high hopes and respect for Arai, and looks forward to seeing what he will do for Kamurocho one day. He goes on to say that the people of Kamurocho may come from different walks in life, but they all share one thing in common: a dream, some grand desire that drives them no matter the circumstances. So few people achieve that dream, though, and to Akiyama what Kamurocho needs is someone to show them they can achieve that dream. Arai is that someone in Akiyama's eyes, someone with the strength and drive to fill the deep shoes left by Kazuma Kiryu. Kido is impressed by Akiyama's vision, and swears he'll put the money to good use to find Arai.
Hana arrives just as Kido is leaving to find Arai. Akiyama says he's going to check up on Lily, but Hana tells him that he has work to do and needs to go collect from the bar Marimba, which is three days behind on their debts. He heads out, but finds the place locked up for the day. As he's leaving, though, Akiyama spots the bar Lily used to work at, Drama Queen, and decides to pop in for a visit. Before he heads in, though, a nearby Crossdresser stops him and tells Akiyama that Drama Queen is an okama bar, guessing he's into that sort of thing. Akiyama wonders why Lily would lie to him about working at a crossdressing bar, heading inside to speak with the manager about her. When he goes in, though, he finds the manager's rotting corpse in the back, stripped down to his underwear and his throat slashed. Closer examination reveals a Shibata Family crest on his jacket and the missing lighter, though Akiyama is too spooked by the revelation to make any further connections.
Akiyama hurries back to Sky Finance, but when he enters he finds the place trashed and Hana lying unconscious on the floor. He rushes to her and wakes her up, asking what happened. Hana explains that she found Kido in the office after going out for lunch, the man explaining he'd hoped to find Akiyama and run some things by him (after replacing some books on Akiyama's shelf). Hana made tea for Kido while they waited for Akiyama to come back, but just then some thugs came into the office. Hana was ready to fight them off like the last group, but these guys had guns and knocked Hana out. Akiyama asks if it was the Shibata Family again, but Hana says no; the leader was someone named Midorikawa, who is a member of the Hatsushiba Clan allied to the Shibata. They grabbed Kido and dragged him off to who knows where, and they nicked the Sky Finance client registry while they were at it. Akiyama tells Hana he's going to get Kido and the registry back, with Hana telling him to be careful while she waits for an ambulance to arrive.
Akiyama heads out into Kamurocho to look up leads on Midorikawa. His search eventually leads to the theater, where a group of homeless men tell him that the Hatsushiba Clan took Kido down into the tunnels beneath. The main entrance is locked, though, but the leader says that Akiyama can use the tunnels connecting out of the Millennium Tower's basement to get through. Akiyama heads to the Millennium Tower and heads down, finding the Hatsushiba family down there in force. He asks that they return Kido and his registry back, but when the thugs refuse Akiyama fights his way through them. On his way through the tunnels, Akiyama is attacked by a homeless man named Kogoro Sugekawa, who had come to liberate the tunnels from the Hatsushiba and thought Akiyama was one of them. The two team up and continue the fight, helping a few others who stuck around despite the yakuza moving in along the way.
Akiyama eventually reaches Midorikawa, finding him with Kido and a bald man he guesses is the Hatsushiba chairman. He demands they release Kido and return his registry, but Midorikawa and Hatsushiba refuse. Akiyama and Midorikawa fight, with Midorikawa fleeing halfway through to fetch a chainsaw while Akiyama fights off more of his goons. Eventually Akiyama defeats Midorikawa and catches Hatsushiba trying to sneak out with the registry. Hatsushiba begs for mercy, and Akiyama says he'll give it if Hatsushiba tells him why he did this. The yakuza tells him Shibata asked a favor, as he wanted to find Lily's whereabouts and guessed she may have contacted Akiyama; if she did as a client, her contact information would be in Akiyama's records.
Akiyama and Kido leave the tunnels, with Kido apologizing for getting Akiyama into this mess. Akiyama tells him not to worry about it and sends him on his way, returning to the office for a breather. He gets a call from Elise's manager telling him that Lily succeeded in making over 3 million yen, lamenting that he wishes Lily could stay longer as she has a gift for being a hostess and has been driving up sales ever since she arrived. The manager puts Lily on the line, and Akiyama congratulates her on her success and tells her he'll be waiting on the top of the Millennium Tower with her money. The two meet and Akiyama gives her the one hundred million as promised, and Lily thanks Akiyama for giving her some hope; she had planned to just take the money and leave, but Akiyama helped her feel like it was okay to dream again. She promises to pay Akiyama back, but Akiyama tells her not to worry about it- he's not in the business for money, just seeing people's lives change for the better. He even asks Lily if she wants to know why he chose that test for her, saying that it wasn't so much a test for her as it was a test for him. Akiyama admits that in the past he's been a Horrible Judge of Character and has been betrayed or let down by numerous people- his employer, his ex, Arai, the list goes on. He found Lily alluring and wanted to see if she could make three million in three days, and fortunately she passed.
Before Lily leaves, though, Akiyama has one question that if she answers means she'll never have to pay him back: why did she kill Kanemura and the manager at Drama Queen? On top of that, the Shibata crest on the manager's jacket and the goons that attacked them on their date point to her having a past grudge with them, so what is that past? After a long pause, Lily tells Akiyama that she'll choose to pay Akiyama back instead of telling him the truth. For now, though, she's leaving town to take care of her business, with Akiyama telling her to come back and visit sometime soon. As Lily leaves, Akiyama takes a moment to look out across Kamurocho and finish his cigarette.
Akiyama leaves the Millennium Tower and gets a call from Hana, telling her he got the registry back and will be waiting for her at the office. The two meet up and Akiyama tells Hana that they probably won't be seeing the money from Lily again, which outrages Hana. Akiyama argues that since it's his money and company he can do what he likes, but this is the last straw and Hana quits before storming out of Sky Finance. Akiyama chases Hana down to Children's Park, asking her again what she's got against Lily. Hana says that even by his standards he shouldn't be loaning out that kind of money to complete strangers, accusing him of favoritism towards Lily due to how closely she resembles his ex, Eri. Akiyama admits while the resemblance is uncanny, he wouldn't stoop that low. Hana doesn't buy it and accuses Akiyama of refusing to let go of the past, saying that Eri left him the instant he went bankrupt and was only ever in it for the money. Akiyama admits that he is carrying around some baggage, but says he doesn't think he can just magically let go of it. Hana still intends to quit, though, saying that their relationship has become a bit codependent and she needs to sort out her feelings towards him first. With that, Hana leaves to parts unknown.
As Hana leaves, Akiyama gets a call from the manager at Elise begging for his help; some shady looking yakuza types just arrived and are making a mess of the place and asking for Lily. Akiyama hurries over and finds a shirtless yakuza on the karaoke machine. The yakuza introduces himself as Daisaku Minami of the Majima Family before trying to get back to karaoke, but Akiyama turns off the machine and asks why he's here with his men. Minami tells Akiyama he's looking for Lily, and Majima asked that she be brought back to headquarters as soon as possible. Akiyama tells Minami that she's not here anymore, and he refuses to tell Minami of her whereabouts when he asks. Minami tells Akiyama he's not leaving until Akiyama tells him where she is, and Akiyama warns him that he'll have to do this the hard way then. The two fight, but Majima arrives and tells Minami to stand down after Akiyama defeats him (and that his singing sucks). The Mad Dog formally introduces himself and asks for Lily, and is genuinely disappointed to hear that she's gone. Akiyama asks what Majima wants with Lily and why the Shibata family is after her. Majima says it's simple: he's got to protect Yasuko after his screw up back in 1985.
Part 2: Taiga Saejima
Prologue
April 20th, 1985
Kamurocho, Tokyo
Taiga Saejima, a member of the low ranking Sasai Family of the Tojo Clan, is hanging out in his apartment with Yasuko when Majima arrives for a visit. Saejima greets his kyodai and the two chat, Majima commenting on the weather and how the yakuza have to get involved with this new "climate change" thing everyone's worrying about. He produces a watermelon for the three of them to cool off with, saying that it wasn't cheap and they might as well enjoy it while they can. Sensing that Majima wants to talk shop, he sends Yasuko out to buy some beer while they turn to the other "gift" Majima brought: a handbag with six revolvers and enough bullets to go around, more than enough to handle Yoshiharu Ueno and his Seiwa Clan men. Saejima asks what kind of odds they'll be facing, with Majima saying they'll probably be up against a small handful, ten at most. They put away the guns and Majima tells Saejima that this is his last chance to back out: two on ten is not great odds, and even if they pull it off they'll probably get ten years in prison at least, and the hangman's noose if they're really unlucky. Majima, he's a loner and ready to die for the Shimano Family, but Saejima still has Yasuko to look after and Majima asks if he's okay with just leaving her. Saejima replies that he too would die for his boss, and at the end of the day that's the only thing that matters; that, and seeing just how far he can rise in the Tojo Clan.
The next day Saejima arrives outside the ramen shop where Ueno will be visiting, but Majima is a no show. Feeling something's wrong, Saejima goes to a nearby phone to call in and see what the problem is, but just then Ueno and his men arrive. Ueno brought a lot more than ten men, closer to eighteen, but Saejima is undeterred. He runs back to his car and retrieves the revolvers (two in his belt, one in his coat pocket, one in his mouth, and both hands), and thus armed Saejima storms into the shop. The combination of surprise, Saejima's brute strength, and none of the Seiwa men being armed saved Captain Katsuragi means Saejima mows them down, ultimately cornering Ueno before shooting him.
Kamurocho, Tokyo
Taiga Saejima, a member of the low ranking Sasai Family of the Tojo Clan, is hanging out in his apartment with Yasuko when Majima arrives for a visit. Saejima greets his kyodai and the two chat, Majima commenting on the weather and how the yakuza have to get involved with this new "climate change" thing everyone's worrying about. He produces a watermelon for the three of them to cool off with, saying that it wasn't cheap and they might as well enjoy it while they can. Sensing that Majima wants to talk shop, he sends Yasuko out to buy some beer while they turn to the other "gift" Majima brought: a handbag with six revolvers and enough bullets to go around, more than enough to handle Yoshiharu Ueno and his Seiwa Clan men. Saejima asks what kind of odds they'll be facing, with Majima saying they'll probably be up against a small handful, ten at most. They put away the guns and Majima tells Saejima that this is his last chance to back out: two on ten is not great odds, and even if they pull it off they'll probably get ten years in prison at least, and the hangman's noose if they're really unlucky. Majima, he's a loner and ready to die for the Shimano Family, but Saejima still has Yasuko to look after and Majima asks if he's okay with just leaving her. Saejima replies that he too would die for his boss, and at the end of the day that's the only thing that matters; that, and seeing just how far he can rise in the Tojo Clan.
The next day Saejima arrives outside the ramen shop where Ueno will be visiting, but Majima is a no show. Feeling something's wrong, Saejima goes to a nearby phone to call in and see what the problem is, but just then Ueno and his men arrive. Ueno brought a lot more than ten men, closer to eighteen, but Saejima is undeterred. He runs back to his car and retrieves the revolvers (two in his belt, one in his coat pocket, one in his mouth, and both hands), and thus armed Saejima storms into the shop. The combination of surprise, Saejima's brute strength, and none of the Seiwa men being armed saved Captain Katsuragi means Saejima mows them down, ultimately cornering Ueno before shooting him.
Chapter 1: To The Truth
Saejima turned himself in shortly after the attack. The police suspected the hit to be a part of the continuing feud between the Tojo and the Ueno Seiwa Clan, but Saejima's silence during interrogation meant the cops were unable to link him to a larger conspiracy and write him off as a lone wolf attacker. A few months later, Saejima is charged with 18 counts of murder and sentenced to death. 25 years later, on March 1st 2010, Saejima is issued a transfer order and is moved to a new prison.
March 3rd, 2010
Saejima arrives at his transfer, the sergeant of the guard Saito welcoming him to Okinawa Penitentiary No. 2 (a maximum security prison built on a small island off the coast). Saito takes Saejima to his cell and tells him to "enjoy" however much time he has left before his execution, unaware that one of the prisoners has taken an interest in Saejima.
Later that day, Saejima is at dinner and is confronted by a few of the other inmates. Specifically, Ueno Seiwa men who are none too happy to see the man who killed their leader walking around. Unfortunately for them Saejima's strength has not gone away during his time in jail, and he easily defeats the other inmates before the guards arrive to break up the fight. Saejima is dragged to a private room and beaten bloody by Saito, but the prison warden stops Saito before he beats a third prisoner to death. Saito and the other guards leave, and the warden tells Saejima he has the visitor: the prisoner who showed interest in Saejima upon his arrival, who tells the warden he'll have his contacts on the outside forward him a tidy bonus for his trouble.
The prisoner sits down with Saejima and introduces himself as Goh Hamazaki, a Patriarch of the Tojo Clan. Saejima asks what he wants, and Hamazaki asks if he knows the name of the prison he's in. Saejima tells him Okinawa Penitentiary No. 2, but Hamazaki tells Saejima that no such place exists in official records. Look on any map and you'll find a low-security correctional facility, but in reality this is a high-security private prison funded by dark money coming from the government. Hamazaki says it's a dumping ground, a place where guys like him and Saejima are sent when someone wants them to disappear. Saito has a reputation for brutality and has already killed several men, but Hamazaki says the upside is most of the guards here are corrupt and easily bribed. That being said, Saejima asks why Hamazaki wanted to talk with him, and Hamazaki says he needs Saejima's help.
Hamazaki decides to deliver some bad news: the Ueno Seiwa not only survived Saejima's attack, but they are now thriving and have a close alliance with the Tojo Clan. Worse, Patriarch Sasai took the blame for the failed hit and stepped down from his family, the Sasai Family crumbling while the rival Shibata Family rose to take their place. In the end, the only thing the Ueno Seiwa hit got rid of was the Sasai Family and Saejima, and to further twist the knife Hamazaki tells Saejima that Majima purposefully betrayed him to get him out of the way.
The next day, Hamazaki meets Saejima out in the yard, handing him a copy of his cell key. Saejima is still not willing to help Hamazaki, who continues to stoke Saejima's rage to get him on his side. Hamazaki tells Saejima his escape plan: they'll break out that night while everyone's asleep. He'll go first, and while Saejima keeps the guards busy Hamazaki will raid the warden's office (though he doesn't say what for). They'll meet up and make their way outside, where they'll head to the part of the yard with the guard tower and use a grappling hook to get up to the wall. Saejima asks how Hamazaki got a grappling hook, and Hamazaki tells him he hasn't... yet. He was actually counting on Saejima bartering with the other prisoners to secure rope and a sturdy object to make a grappling hook. Hamazaki points Saejima to a fellow named Kamiyama, an illegal weapons smuggler/manufacturer that got hauled in on account of yakuza business, and tells Saejima that he'll build anything if he gets the right supplies.
Saejima gets a chain and small hoe from some of the prisoners, and Kamiyama is able to make the grappling hook. Hamazaki has Saejima hide it in a manhole near the tower, and the two return to their cells in preparation for their breakout. That night, Hamazaki and Saejima launch their plan, Hamazaki disguising himself with a stolen uniform while Saejima pitches his bed out of his cell to make some noise. While the guards run to confront Saejima, Hamazaki slips past and makes for the warden's office. Saejima goes down and beats the hell out of Saito and his men, grabbing the sergeant's keys while Saito warns him escaping won't be as easy as he thinks. Saejima continues his rampage, fighting off dozens of guards and multiple attacks from Saito to reach Hamazaki. Hamazaki steals some documents from the warden's desk that will prove Okinawa Penitentary's existence, and thetwo continue their fight against the guards to reach the tower and the grappling hook.
The two make it outside, Saejima securing the grappling hook before telling Hamazaki to start climbing (since he's got the documents and escape was his idea to begin with). Hamazaki is impressed and a bit confused by Saejima's old-school approach, but begins his climb. When Hamazaki reaches the top, Saito and his men arrive to take Saejima in. Saejima tells Hamazaki to go while he faces off with Saito, the two fighting while Hamazaki runs off. Saejima is ultimately able to defeat the guards, but he's too weak to finish the climb. Just before he falls, though, Hamazaki returns and pulls Saejima up, the two taking a breather before heading to the cliff. Saejima asks why Hamazaki came back instead of making a run for it, and Hamazaki tells him he thought ditching Saejima would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Besides, Saejima's only the second person who ever trusted him, and he's not going to give that up right away.
Hamazaki resets the grappling hook to go over the side and into the sea, telling Saejima to go first this time since he has more to lose if he gets caught. He hands Saejima the chain, and Saejima declares Hamazaki is his kyodai after all the help he's given him trying to escape. As Saejima begins his climb, Hamazaki calls down to him and suggests they reunite and team up to take the Tojo Clan when they get back to the mainland. Just then, Saito arrives and shoots Hamazaki, but Hamazaki has enough strength to not succumb. He tells Saejima to find a man named "Kiryu" when he gets to shore, using his last bit of strength to tackle Saito and throw both of them off the prison wall. With his one friend gone and the guards closing in, Saejima has no choice but to jump into the sea as well.
March 3rd, 2010
Saejima arrives at his transfer, the sergeant of the guard Saito welcoming him to Okinawa Penitentiary No. 2 (a maximum security prison built on a small island off the coast). Saito takes Saejima to his cell and tells him to "enjoy" however much time he has left before his execution, unaware that one of the prisoners has taken an interest in Saejima.
Later that day, Saejima is at dinner and is confronted by a few of the other inmates. Specifically, Ueno Seiwa men who are none too happy to see the man who killed their leader walking around. Unfortunately for them Saejima's strength has not gone away during his time in jail, and he easily defeats the other inmates before the guards arrive to break up the fight. Saejima is dragged to a private room and beaten bloody by Saito, but the prison warden stops Saito before he beats a third prisoner to death. Saito and the other guards leave, and the warden tells Saejima he has the visitor: the prisoner who showed interest in Saejima upon his arrival, who tells the warden he'll have his contacts on the outside forward him a tidy bonus for his trouble.
The prisoner sits down with Saejima and introduces himself as Goh Hamazaki, a Patriarch of the Tojo Clan. Saejima asks what he wants, and Hamazaki asks if he knows the name of the prison he's in. Saejima tells him Okinawa Penitentiary No. 2, but Hamazaki tells Saejima that no such place exists in official records. Look on any map and you'll find a low-security correctional facility, but in reality this is a high-security private prison funded by dark money coming from the government. Hamazaki says it's a dumping ground, a place where guys like him and Saejima are sent when someone wants them to disappear. Saito has a reputation for brutality and has already killed several men, but Hamazaki says the upside is most of the guards here are corrupt and easily bribed. That being said, Saejima asks why Hamazaki wanted to talk with him, and Hamazaki says he needs Saejima's help.
Hamazaki decides to deliver some bad news: the Ueno Seiwa not only survived Saejima's attack, but they are now thriving and have a close alliance with the Tojo Clan. Worse, Patriarch Sasai took the blame for the failed hit and stepped down from his family, the Sasai Family crumbling while the rival Shibata Family rose to take their place. In the end, the only thing the Ueno Seiwa hit got rid of was the Sasai Family and Saejima, and to further twist the knife Hamazaki tells Saejima that Majima purposefully betrayed him to get him out of the way.
The next day, Hamazaki meets Saejima out in the yard, handing him a copy of his cell key. Saejima is still not willing to help Hamazaki, who continues to stoke Saejima's rage to get him on his side. Hamazaki tells Saejima his escape plan: they'll break out that night while everyone's asleep. He'll go first, and while Saejima keeps the guards busy Hamazaki will raid the warden's office (though he doesn't say what for). They'll meet up and make their way outside, where they'll head to the part of the yard with the guard tower and use a grappling hook to get up to the wall. Saejima asks how Hamazaki got a grappling hook, and Hamazaki tells him he hasn't... yet. He was actually counting on Saejima bartering with the other prisoners to secure rope and a sturdy object to make a grappling hook. Hamazaki points Saejima to a fellow named Kamiyama, an illegal weapons smuggler/manufacturer that got hauled in on account of yakuza business, and tells Saejima that he'll build anything if he gets the right supplies.
Saejima gets a chain and small hoe from some of the prisoners, and Kamiyama is able to make the grappling hook. Hamazaki has Saejima hide it in a manhole near the tower, and the two return to their cells in preparation for their breakout. That night, Hamazaki and Saejima launch their plan, Hamazaki disguising himself with a stolen uniform while Saejima pitches his bed out of his cell to make some noise. While the guards run to confront Saejima, Hamazaki slips past and makes for the warden's office. Saejima goes down and beats the hell out of Saito and his men, grabbing the sergeant's keys while Saito warns him escaping won't be as easy as he thinks. Saejima continues his rampage, fighting off dozens of guards and multiple attacks from Saito to reach Hamazaki. Hamazaki steals some documents from the warden's desk that will prove Okinawa Penitentary's existence, and thetwo continue their fight against the guards to reach the tower and the grappling hook.
The two make it outside, Saejima securing the grappling hook before telling Hamazaki to start climbing (since he's got the documents and escape was his idea to begin with). Hamazaki is impressed and a bit confused by Saejima's old-school approach, but begins his climb. When Hamazaki reaches the top, Saito and his men arrive to take Saejima in. Saejima tells Hamazaki to go while he faces off with Saito, the two fighting while Hamazaki runs off. Saejima is ultimately able to defeat the guards, but he's too weak to finish the climb. Just before he falls, though, Hamazaki returns and pulls Saejima up, the two taking a breather before heading to the cliff. Saejima asks why Hamazaki came back instead of making a run for it, and Hamazaki tells him he thought ditching Saejima would leave a bad taste in his mouth. Besides, Saejima's only the second person who ever trusted him, and he's not going to give that up right away.
Hamazaki resets the grappling hook to go over the side and into the sea, telling Saejima to go first this time since he has more to lose if he gets caught. He hands Saejima the chain, and Saejima declares Hamazaki is his kyodai after all the help he's given him trying to escape. As Saejima begins his climb, Hamazaki calls down to him and suggests they reunite and team up to take the Tojo Clan when they get back to the mainland. Just then, Saito arrives and shoots Hamazaki, but Hamazaki has enough strength to not succumb. He tells Saejima to find a man named "Kiryu" when he gets to shore, using his last bit of strength to tackle Saito and throw both of them off the prison wall. With his one friend gone and the guards closing in, Saejima has no choice but to jump into the sea as well.
Chapter 2: Tiger and Dragon
By some twist of fate, Saejima washes up on the beach outside Morning Glory Orphanage, where he is discovered by Haruka Sawamura while she's taking the dog out for a walk. Saejima wakes up later to find himself inside the orphanage with his injuries treated, Haruka telling him about what happened after she found him on the beach. She tells him her uncle is out checking with the cops to see if there was a shipwreck or something, and in his panic at the thought of being discovered Saejima knocks Haruka over. Fortunately he comes to his senses and backs off before things get out of hand, Kiryu arriving shortly thereafter. Haruka quickly excuses herself (much to Kiryu's confusion), leaving Saejima alone with his new benefactor.
The two sit down to talk, with Kiryu asking if Saejima remembers anything from before he ended up on the beach. Saejima doesn't answer right away, feeling it's rude for someone to start asking questions without giving so much as a name. Kiryu apologizes and introduces himself, and Saejima realizes that this is the guy that Hamazaki told him to find. Saejima tells Kiryu that his name is "Suzuki", though he doesn't give much more information when Kiryu presses him. Kiryu offers to help him out with contacting the authorities since "Suzuki" appears to have lost his wallet and ID. Saejima, though, asks if he's the Kiryu, begging for Kiryu's help once he gets confirmation.
Saejima makes up a story that a man on a boat he was working on told him to seek Kiryu out in case he needed help. They were then wrecked and Saejima was the only survivor, and now he needs some cash to get back to Kamurocho. Kiryu sees right through the story and asks Saejima how long he was in jail, since the weather last night was perfectly calm and Saejima doesn't seem to have a grasp of how much prices have gone up. Also, he saw what happened with Haruka, and can tell that Saejima hasn't seen a woman of any age in a very long time. Kiryu can relate, as his own ten year stint weighed heavily on him, and he suggests Saejima turn himself in peacefully and perhaps he might get off easier. Saejima laughs this off as the cops would execute him on sight (confirming he was on death row) and makes it clear that he intents to go to Kamurocho and get revenge on those that wronged him and his boss no matter what.
Kiryu refuses to help, saying that vengeance will only bring more misery on Saejima and he needs a good reason to get involved. Saejima asks what happens if he refuses to tell Kiryu, and Kiryu says he'll just stop Saejima's quest then and there. The two square off, both commenting that the other reminds them of someone (Majima) before charging in. Saejima's brute strength proves to be a perfect balance to Kiryu's technique, and the two are unable to overcome each other before Haruka spots them and runs to break them up. Saejima ends up reopening some of his injuries and collapsing, asking himself how he's going to face Hamazaki like this. Kiryu picks up on "Hamazaki" and brings Saejima back to the orphanage to rest.
Later, while Saejima recovers, Haruka and Kiryu talk. Haruka is still shaken by what Saejima said, and doesn't think she can trust someone who says they're friends with the man who stabbed Kiryu the previous year. Kiryu tells Haruka that just because Saejima knows Hamazaki doesn't mean he's a bad man, and perhaps Hamazaki turned over a new leaf in the year since his fall from grace (even saying that if Hamazaki showed up and asked for help, Kiryu would help him). He presses Haruka on whether she thinks Saejima's a bad person, being a yakuza and his association with Hamazaki and all, and Haruka admits she's not sure. That settled, Kiryu decides to head into town to get Saejima something to eat, also telling Haruka that there's a bag near the front door that belongs to Saejima and to give it to him when he wakes up.
Saejima wakes up several hours later, Haruka telling him Kiryu stepped out. She gives him the bag, which Saejima opens to reveal a change of clothes, a letter, and some cash. His composure nearly breaks when he realizes Kiryu decided to help him after all, but he quickly recovers before taking the bag and making for the exit. Saejima gets dressed and thanks Haruka for her hospitality, telling her his real name and asking that she pass that along to Kiryu when he gets back. As Saejima leaves, it's revealed Kiryu was nearby and most likely overheard everything, and he reassures Haruka that Saejma will be just fine when he gets back to the mainland.
The two sit down to talk, with Kiryu asking if Saejima remembers anything from before he ended up on the beach. Saejima doesn't answer right away, feeling it's rude for someone to start asking questions without giving so much as a name. Kiryu apologizes and introduces himself, and Saejima realizes that this is the guy that Hamazaki told him to find. Saejima tells Kiryu that his name is "Suzuki", though he doesn't give much more information when Kiryu presses him. Kiryu offers to help him out with contacting the authorities since "Suzuki" appears to have lost his wallet and ID. Saejima, though, asks if he's the Kiryu, begging for Kiryu's help once he gets confirmation.
Saejima makes up a story that a man on a boat he was working on told him to seek Kiryu out in case he needed help. They were then wrecked and Saejima was the only survivor, and now he needs some cash to get back to Kamurocho. Kiryu sees right through the story and asks Saejima how long he was in jail, since the weather last night was perfectly calm and Saejima doesn't seem to have a grasp of how much prices have gone up. Also, he saw what happened with Haruka, and can tell that Saejima hasn't seen a woman of any age in a very long time. Kiryu can relate, as his own ten year stint weighed heavily on him, and he suggests Saejima turn himself in peacefully and perhaps he might get off easier. Saejima laughs this off as the cops would execute him on sight (confirming he was on death row) and makes it clear that he intents to go to Kamurocho and get revenge on those that wronged him and his boss no matter what.
Kiryu refuses to help, saying that vengeance will only bring more misery on Saejima and he needs a good reason to get involved. Saejima asks what happens if he refuses to tell Kiryu, and Kiryu says he'll just stop Saejima's quest then and there. The two square off, both commenting that the other reminds them of someone (Majima) before charging in. Saejima's brute strength proves to be a perfect balance to Kiryu's technique, and the two are unable to overcome each other before Haruka spots them and runs to break them up. Saejima ends up reopening some of his injuries and collapsing, asking himself how he's going to face Hamazaki like this. Kiryu picks up on "Hamazaki" and brings Saejima back to the orphanage to rest.
Later, while Saejima recovers, Haruka and Kiryu talk. Haruka is still shaken by what Saejima said, and doesn't think she can trust someone who says they're friends with the man who stabbed Kiryu the previous year. Kiryu tells Haruka that just because Saejima knows Hamazaki doesn't mean he's a bad man, and perhaps Hamazaki turned over a new leaf in the year since his fall from grace (even saying that if Hamazaki showed up and asked for help, Kiryu would help him). He presses Haruka on whether she thinks Saejima's a bad person, being a yakuza and his association with Hamazaki and all, and Haruka admits she's not sure. That settled, Kiryu decides to head into town to get Saejima something to eat, also telling Haruka that there's a bag near the front door that belongs to Saejima and to give it to him when he wakes up.
Saejima wakes up several hours later, Haruka telling him Kiryu stepped out. She gives him the bag, which Saejima opens to reveal a change of clothes, a letter, and some cash. His composure nearly breaks when he realizes Kiryu decided to help him after all, but he quickly recovers before taking the bag and making for the exit. Saejima gets dressed and thanks Haruka for her hospitality, telling her his real name and asking that she pass that along to Kiryu when he gets back. As Saejima leaves, it's revealed Kiryu was nearby and most likely overheard everything, and he reassures Haruka that Saejma will be just fine when he gets back to the mainland.
Chapter 3: The 25 Year Vacuum
Saejima arrives in Kamurocho, finding the place has changed dramatically in the 25 years he was in jail. He decides to start his quest by going to the old Sasai Family offices near West Park, but only finds an abandoned building when he arrives. Lacking any information, he asks some of the hobos around the area, one of whom points him to another bum named Toku who hangs out in the underground mall. After wrapping his head around the concept of an underground mall, Saejima goes there and asks Toku if he knows what happened, but even after a drink to jog his memory Toku doesn't have any useful information. Toku suggests Saejima retrace his steps and work from there, and Saejima decides to head back to his old apartment to start off.
When he arrives, he sees a young punk working over some yakuza. It's Kido, and the goons he's just wrecked are more Shibata Family members hunting for Arai. Seeing a potential ally, Saejima breaks cover and asks Kido what he knows about Sasai, but Kido doesn't know anything and runs away when Saejima keeps interrogating him. Saejima chases Kido through the streets, eventually cornering him in Children's Park. After a rest, Kido tells Saejima about the events of the last few days and his search for Arai. Kido then asks Saejima what the Sasai Family he keeps talking about is, and Saejima explains why he's in Kamurocho and his own backstory with the Ueno Seiwa and the Shibata Family. Saejima tells Kido he just wants to know what happened to Sasai before he meets his end- all he wants from Kido is directions to someone who can provide that information. Kido does know someone, though he suggests they find somewhere private before the cops or Shibata Family finds them.
Kido takes Saejima down to the old Hatsushiba offices, which he's commandeered as a hideout. He tells Saejima about the Florist of Sai, how he uses homeless people to gather his information. Saejima heads out after one final warning from Kido that Kamurocho is crawling with cops today, and eventually comes across a lead that points him to the old entrance to Purgatory. When he arrives, though, he finds the entrance being used as an actual bathroom, putting him back at square one. However, on his way out he runs into a city construction worker who discovered the pleasure district in Purgatory on accident while doing some work over by Children's Park, possibly seeing the Florist himself go into a secret door down in the sewers. Saejima goes to Children's Park and finds a group of thugs camping out on the manhole, and after he defeats them he heads down into the sewers.
Saejima ends up in the Florist's office, the man himself waiting for him there. He asks the Florist for information on Sasai, which he says will cost 10 million. Saejima obviously doesn't have hat kind of money, but the Florist says there's other ways he can drum up the cash before taking him to to the Collesium. The Florist is hosting an exhibition deathmatch, and if Saejima wins he'll give him what he wants. Saejima agrees and enters the ring, battling against the champion Ivan Ibrahimovic until he achieves victory. The crowd, wanting to see some blood, chants at Saejima to finish off the vanquished champion, one member even tossing Saejima a sword to do the deed. After a long moment of hesitation Saejima casts the sword aside and furiously calls the crowd out; none of them have ever killed a man with their own two hands, had to live with the guilt and images burned into their minds for years afterwards. As he lays his soul bare, he calls the tournament bullshit and storms off, though it seems that his words have impressed the Florist.
When he arrives, he sees a young punk working over some yakuza. It's Kido, and the goons he's just wrecked are more Shibata Family members hunting for Arai. Seeing a potential ally, Saejima breaks cover and asks Kido what he knows about Sasai, but Kido doesn't know anything and runs away when Saejima keeps interrogating him. Saejima chases Kido through the streets, eventually cornering him in Children's Park. After a rest, Kido tells Saejima about the events of the last few days and his search for Arai. Kido then asks Saejima what the Sasai Family he keeps talking about is, and Saejima explains why he's in Kamurocho and his own backstory with the Ueno Seiwa and the Shibata Family. Saejima tells Kido he just wants to know what happened to Sasai before he meets his end- all he wants from Kido is directions to someone who can provide that information. Kido does know someone, though he suggests they find somewhere private before the cops or Shibata Family finds them.
Kido takes Saejima down to the old Hatsushiba offices, which he's commandeered as a hideout. He tells Saejima about the Florist of Sai, how he uses homeless people to gather his information. Saejima heads out after one final warning from Kido that Kamurocho is crawling with cops today, and eventually comes across a lead that points him to the old entrance to Purgatory. When he arrives, though, he finds the entrance being used as an actual bathroom, putting him back at square one. However, on his way out he runs into a city construction worker who discovered the pleasure district in Purgatory on accident while doing some work over by Children's Park, possibly seeing the Florist himself go into a secret door down in the sewers. Saejima goes to Children's Park and finds a group of thugs camping out on the manhole, and after he defeats them he heads down into the sewers.
Saejima ends up in the Florist's office, the man himself waiting for him there. He asks the Florist for information on Sasai, which he says will cost 10 million. Saejima obviously doesn't have hat kind of money, but the Florist says there's other ways he can drum up the cash before taking him to to the Collesium. The Florist is hosting an exhibition deathmatch, and if Saejima wins he'll give him what he wants. Saejima agrees and enters the ring, battling against the champion Ivan Ibrahimovic until he achieves victory. The crowd, wanting to see some blood, chants at Saejima to finish off the vanquished champion, one member even tossing Saejima a sword to do the deed. After a long moment of hesitation Saejima casts the sword aside and furiously calls the crowd out; none of them have ever killed a man with their own two hands, had to live with the guilt and images burned into their minds for years afterwards. As he lays his soul bare, he calls the tournament bullshit and storms off, though it seems that his words have impressed the Florist.
Chapter 4: Oath of Brotherhood
Saejima prepares to leave Purgatory, but the Florist stops him and tells him he expected Saejima wouldn't kill Ivan; having your champions kill each other is bad business, after all, and had Saejima gone through with it the Florist would have written him off as a psychopath not worthy of the information. The match was a test of Saejima's resolve, and the Florist takes Saejima back to his office to tell him what he knows about Sasai.
The Florist tells Saejima that after Sasai stepped down, the Ueno Seiwa put out a hit on him and forced him to go into hiding. A few months later Sasai was brought into Purgatory barely clinging to life, and he has been living on the streets ever since. While Saejima is surprised to hear Sasai is still alive, the Florist warns him that he's not the man he remembers before calling one of his men to bring Sasai in. The men bring in Sasai, and Saejima sees the Patriarch is now a senile old beggar who barely recognizes him. The Florist goes on to say that it was Majima who brought Sasai down to the Florist all those years ago, a fact that surprises Saejima. Saejima runs to Sasai and tries to jog his memory, despite the Florist saying Sasai is too far gone to recognize him. Still Saejima continues, and eventually Sasai is able to weakly identify Saejima. Saejima tearfully embraces his Patriarch while the Florist looks on.
After he's had some time to settle down again, Saejima thanks the Florist for his help. The Florist asks what Saejima's next move is, and Saejima confirms he intends to confront Majima about what really happened back in 1985. The Florist suggest Saejima head back to his hideout and lay low for a little while, as the police have been tipped off that he's in Kamurocho and are looking to haul him back to prison. Saejima sneaks back to the hideout, but upon arriving he finds the homeless men beaten and Minami waiting for him. Minami isn't looking for a fight, claiming self defense when the hobos jumped him; Majima wants to talk to Saejima and so sent Minami to find him. Minami tells Saejima to come to the Millennium Tower the following night, and Majima will be waiting for him there. Before Minami leaves, Saejima tells him to deliver a message to Majima: he better have some good answers, or Saejima will beat him to a pulp.
The following day, Saejima tells Kido about his encounter with Minami. Kido warns Saejima that Kaurocho is still crawling with police, so Saejima should lay low at the hideout while Kido searches for the best path to get to the Tower without being spotted. When he returns, Kido tells Saejima to take the sewers to get close to the Millennium Tower. Before Saejima leaves, Kido asks if he regrets what he did, with Saejima guessing Kido has something big planned for himself. He tells Kido that while he regrets killing those men, he doesn't regret following Sasai's orders and doing what he could to help the boss. That was the life he and Majima chose, and that is what it truly means to be a yakuza. He encourages Kido to go all out with whatever he is planning, as that would be the best way to honor his bosses and see his plan through to the end, and with that he heads out to face the Majima Family.
Saejima makes his way through the underground and across the rooftops of Kamurocho to reach the Millennium Tower. Upon entering he finds Minami and a small army of Majima Family soldiers, Minami saying that if Saejima is who he says he is they're going to be having a bad time. Saejima is looking forward to seeing what kind of family Majima has built up, fighting through Minami and several waves of yakuza before Majima himself shows up. He apologizes to Saejima for the wait and suggests they go somewhere more private to talk, taking Saejima outside to reveal an even bigger assembly of Majima Family men waiting for them. Majima tells him not to worry- it's just security so they can get to their final destination without the police bothering them. Saejima asks where Majima is taking him, to which Majima replies they're going to their old stomping grounds: the batting cages near the north end of town.
Once there, Majima fires up one of the machines and takes a few swings, encouraging Saejima to do the same for old times sake. Saejima isn't interested and ask Majima if he knows why he's here, and Majima guesses it's to find Sasai and get his revenge on him. Saejima asks Majima to stop goofing off and come clean about what happened that day, even catching one of the baseballs before Majima can hit it to get him to talk. Majima drops his bat and heads into the center of the range, asking Saejima to join him. He goes on to remind Saejima that they swore an oath back in the day: any betrayal means death. Since Majima "betrayed" Saejima and failed to protect Sasai, that means the only way Saejima is going to get answers is if he beats Majima in a fight. The two discard their shirts and battle it out, Saejima ultimately knocking Majima down before collapsing from exhaustion himself. Both lament that they seem to be slowing down, though Saejima is the most surprised by Majima's state of being: he's weaker than he remembers, and there's the whole thing with the eyepatch. Majima says that has nothing to do with anything, just the guilt he's been carrying for 25 years. Saejima asks what he means, and Majima says he lost his eye the same day they lost Saejima, even showing his brother the wound he received. Saejima asks if that's why Majima was a no show at the hit, and Majima tells Saejima what he thinks: the whole Ueno Seiwa hit was a setup meant to ruin Sasai, engineered by Kazuo Shibata.
The Florist tells Saejima that after Sasai stepped down, the Ueno Seiwa put out a hit on him and forced him to go into hiding. A few months later Sasai was brought into Purgatory barely clinging to life, and he has been living on the streets ever since. While Saejima is surprised to hear Sasai is still alive, the Florist warns him that he's not the man he remembers before calling one of his men to bring Sasai in. The men bring in Sasai, and Saejima sees the Patriarch is now a senile old beggar who barely recognizes him. The Florist goes on to say that it was Majima who brought Sasai down to the Florist all those years ago, a fact that surprises Saejima. Saejima runs to Sasai and tries to jog his memory, despite the Florist saying Sasai is too far gone to recognize him. Still Saejima continues, and eventually Sasai is able to weakly identify Saejima. Saejima tearfully embraces his Patriarch while the Florist looks on.
After he's had some time to settle down again, Saejima thanks the Florist for his help. The Florist asks what Saejima's next move is, and Saejima confirms he intends to confront Majima about what really happened back in 1985. The Florist suggest Saejima head back to his hideout and lay low for a little while, as the police have been tipped off that he's in Kamurocho and are looking to haul him back to prison. Saejima sneaks back to the hideout, but upon arriving he finds the homeless men beaten and Minami waiting for him. Minami isn't looking for a fight, claiming self defense when the hobos jumped him; Majima wants to talk to Saejima and so sent Minami to find him. Minami tells Saejima to come to the Millennium Tower the following night, and Majima will be waiting for him there. Before Minami leaves, Saejima tells him to deliver a message to Majima: he better have some good answers, or Saejima will beat him to a pulp.
The following day, Saejima tells Kido about his encounter with Minami. Kido warns Saejima that Kaurocho is still crawling with police, so Saejima should lay low at the hideout while Kido searches for the best path to get to the Tower without being spotted. When he returns, Kido tells Saejima to take the sewers to get close to the Millennium Tower. Before Saejima leaves, Kido asks if he regrets what he did, with Saejima guessing Kido has something big planned for himself. He tells Kido that while he regrets killing those men, he doesn't regret following Sasai's orders and doing what he could to help the boss. That was the life he and Majima chose, and that is what it truly means to be a yakuza. He encourages Kido to go all out with whatever he is planning, as that would be the best way to honor his bosses and see his plan through to the end, and with that he heads out to face the Majima Family.
Saejima makes his way through the underground and across the rooftops of Kamurocho to reach the Millennium Tower. Upon entering he finds Minami and a small army of Majima Family soldiers, Minami saying that if Saejima is who he says he is they're going to be having a bad time. Saejima is looking forward to seeing what kind of family Majima has built up, fighting through Minami and several waves of yakuza before Majima himself shows up. He apologizes to Saejima for the wait and suggests they go somewhere more private to talk, taking Saejima outside to reveal an even bigger assembly of Majima Family men waiting for them. Majima tells him not to worry- it's just security so they can get to their final destination without the police bothering them. Saejima asks where Majima is taking him, to which Majima replies they're going to their old stomping grounds: the batting cages near the north end of town.
Once there, Majima fires up one of the machines and takes a few swings, encouraging Saejima to do the same for old times sake. Saejima isn't interested and ask Majima if he knows why he's here, and Majima guesses it's to find Sasai and get his revenge on him. Saejima asks Majima to stop goofing off and come clean about what happened that day, even catching one of the baseballs before Majima can hit it to get him to talk. Majima drops his bat and heads into the center of the range, asking Saejima to join him. He goes on to remind Saejima that they swore an oath back in the day: any betrayal means death. Since Majima "betrayed" Saejima and failed to protect Sasai, that means the only way Saejima is going to get answers is if he beats Majima in a fight. The two discard their shirts and battle it out, Saejima ultimately knocking Majima down before collapsing from exhaustion himself. Both lament that they seem to be slowing down, though Saejima is the most surprised by Majima's state of being: he's weaker than he remembers, and there's the whole thing with the eyepatch. Majima says that has nothing to do with anything, just the guilt he's been carrying for 25 years. Saejima asks what he means, and Majima says he lost his eye the same day they lost Saejima, even showing his brother the wound he received. Saejima asks if that's why Majima was a no show at the hit, and Majima tells Saejima what he thinks: the whole Ueno Seiwa hit was a setup meant to ruin Sasai, engineered by Kazuo Shibata.
Part 3: Masayoshi Tanimura
Prologue
April 21st, 1985
Majima is brought to a warehouse by Shibata, complaining that their meeting is making him run late. Shibata tells Majima that he's not going to make the Ueno hit today, going on to say that Sohei Dojima changed his mind and doesn't want to stamp out the Ueno Seiwa just yet. Majima demands an explanation, and Shibata says the hit was originally Dojima's idea but goes on to ask if Majima thinks it's just a little suspicious that the Tojo knows every move Ueno is going to make upon his release from prison, and that a Chairman would have a humble meal of noodles upon his release instead of a lavish celebration. Shibata suspects a traitor in the Ueno Seiwa arranged the whole thing, with help from a second traitor within the Tojo Clan. The Tojo traitor, according to Shibata, is nonother than Saejima's Patriarch Sasai; Sasai has connections to the Ueno Seiwa, and it was his family that produced the tip about Ueno heading to the ramen shop. It would most likely act as pretence for the two clans to go to war, with Sasai and the Ueno Seiwa traitor stepping in to negotiate a peace that would elevate them in their own clans. That being said, Shibata suggests Majima just sit tight and let Saejima take the fall, otherwise it would look bad on the Dojima Family and Shimano.
Majima, though, refuses to just sit by and throw Saejima to the wolves. He intends to go and help Saejima, but Shibata has other plans and calls in his boys to keep Majima at the warehouse. Majima takes down many of them, but is ultimately defeated and chained to a support beam. Still, Majima remains defiant, even as the last Shibata thug takes out a dagger and stabs out Majima's left eye.
Majima is brought to a warehouse by Shibata, complaining that their meeting is making him run late. Shibata tells Majima that he's not going to make the Ueno hit today, going on to say that Sohei Dojima changed his mind and doesn't want to stamp out the Ueno Seiwa just yet. Majima demands an explanation, and Shibata says the hit was originally Dojima's idea but goes on to ask if Majima thinks it's just a little suspicious that the Tojo knows every move Ueno is going to make upon his release from prison, and that a Chairman would have a humble meal of noodles upon his release instead of a lavish celebration. Shibata suspects a traitor in the Ueno Seiwa arranged the whole thing, with help from a second traitor within the Tojo Clan. The Tojo traitor, according to Shibata, is nonother than Saejima's Patriarch Sasai; Sasai has connections to the Ueno Seiwa, and it was his family that produced the tip about Ueno heading to the ramen shop. It would most likely act as pretence for the two clans to go to war, with Sasai and the Ueno Seiwa traitor stepping in to negotiate a peace that would elevate them in their own clans. That being said, Shibata suggests Majima just sit tight and let Saejima take the fall, otherwise it would look bad on the Dojima Family and Shimano.
Majima, though, refuses to just sit by and throw Saejima to the wolves. He intends to go and help Saejima, but Shibata has other plans and calls in his boys to keep Majima at the warehouse. Majima takes down many of them, but is ultimately defeated and chained to a support beam. Still, Majima remains defiant, even as the last Shibata thug takes out a dagger and stabs out Majima's left eye.
Chapter 1: The Kamurocho Parasite
March 8th, 2010
Masayoshi Tanimura (the cop who spoke with Akiyama back when he first came across Ihara's body) is at Tokyo PD headquarters being interrogated by Sugiuchi. Sugiuchi wants to know why Tanimura was there and why his fingerprints were on Ihara's body, but Tanimura isn't listening. Closer examination reveals he's tuning in to a horse race on his earpiece, which earns him another tongue lashing from Sugiuchi. Tanimura couldn't care less and gets up to leave, but Sugiuchi gives him one final warning: don't stick his nose where it doesn't belong, otherwise he'll end up in an early grave like his father. Tanimura "thanks" Sugiuchi for the advice before leaving, saying he has to go on patrol as part of the Community Safety wing of Tokyo PD. Sugiuchi isn't impressed, since all he hear is that Tanimura spends his time shaking down illegal businesses for hush money, calling him a parasite after Tanimura leaves.
On his way out, Tanimura is stopped by his superior, Satoshi Hisai, who wants to talk to him about Tanimura being spotted at a Mahjong parlor while out on patrol the other day. Hisai can't keep up with news like that coming in and tells Tanimura to stop gambling on duty, asking if he thinks his father would approve. Tanimura promises not to get caught up in that sort of thing, but upon arriving back in Kamurocho he starts searching for whoever ratted him out to the police. He goes to a parlor called Orchid Palace, approaching two of the regulars who were there the night he got reported. The first regular says it wasn't him, as ratting out Tanimura is just bad sportsmanship. The other regular says that maybe the new guy did it, but they backtrack and say they're not going to give Tanimura the information for free. They ask for two silver plates, which Tanimura goes to find. Upon delivering the plates, the men tell him the newcomer's name was Iida, and he spend his time over at Shichifuku Parking Lot doing some kind of work. They warn Tanimura thought that Iida was in a bad mood after Tanimura left the other night, so he best be careful.
Tanimura goes to the Parking Lot and finds Iida, who works as a punch-out artist. Tanimura isn't interested in games and tells Iida he has questions, and Iida blurts out that he was the one that ratted Tanimura out to Hisai. Tanimura thanks Iida for the information and prepares to beat him for the report, but Iida isn't scared as he's nearly impossible to hit. He's not, and Tanimura beats him up. Iida apologizes for reporting Tanimura and explains why he did it; he's been working as a punch-out artist for years, but every year some scary guy in a grey suit (Kiryu) shows up and smashes him into the ground. He turned to mahjong to take his mind off it and surprisingly turned out to have a knack for it... at least until Tanimura cleaned him out, and with mahjong and punch-out work both being dead ends Iida made the report. Tanimura is willing to let it drop, calling their fight even, but he warns Iida to never do it again or he'll have to take some serious action.
On his way out of the Parking Lot, Tanimura gets a call of a fight over at Theater Square. He goes and finds a thug shaking down a businessman, and he tells them that he won't report the incident if they get lost. The thug takes umbrage and attacks Tanimura, but he defeats the man and again tells him to get lost. After resolving that incident, Tanimura gets a call from a colleague of his named Zhao, who needs his help resolving an incident at his restaurant Homeland. Tanimura stops by a hostess club on his way to Homeland, where the doorman pays him a decent amount of cash to cover up that he has an illegal immigrant working inside. The man complains that Tanimura's been asking for more money lately, but Tanimura reminds him that getting caught employing illegals comes with either a three year stint in jail or a 3 million yen fine, and he doesn't want that now does he? In the meantime, he asks that the man keep an eye out for a specific woman wo's wanted by the police, handing him a picture of Yasuko/Lily before departing.
Tanimura arrives at Homeland, a Chinese Restaurant in Little Asia. Zhao's doing some work while Tanimura helps himself to a cigarette, the other man turning back to him to inform Tanimura another girl (whose father was just deported) will be joining them soon. Tanimura hands over the money he got from the hostess club to cover expenses, and while Zhao admits some exasperation at Tanimura's actions they can use whatever money they can get. He hides the cash and asks why Tanimura was late getting to them, and Tanimura explains his meeting with Sugiuchi and Homicide's increased vigilance since the shooting days earlier. Moreover, it involves the Ueno Seiwa, the same clan Tanimura's father was investigating when he was murdered (around the same time as Saejima's failed hit). Zhao asks if he thinks the two are connected, and while Tanimura can't say for certain he does note that the Ueno Seiwa have been quiet for almost 25 years and are only now making a splash again, so something big must be happening behind the scenes, and if Tanimura can get in close he might just be able to find his father's killer. The final key in Tanimura's hunt is Yasuko, who he reveals is the sister of Taiga Saejima and the last thing written in Tanimura's journal was to meet with her on some matter.
Just then, Tanimura gets a call from someone named Park, who runs a club named Midori. Park has a customer who is a dead ringer for the woman Tanimura is looking for and asks that Tanimura get over as soon as possible. Zhao tells Tanimura to be careful, as she may be connected to the resurgent Ueno Seiwa. Tanimura heads to Midori and meets the manager outside, who asks that maybe Tanimura could skip next month's inspection as they have a bunch of new workers from Korea and would rather not get buried under a mountain of fines. Tanimura says he'll consider it if Midori starts paying its workers a living wage, and with that the manager goes to fetch Yasuko. Yasuko comes out and Tanimura hands her the picture, telling her he has some questions about the shooting in 1985. Yasuko, though, denies any knowledge of the shooting, and before she can say more a gang of Shibata Family goons arrives to take her in. Tanimura fights off the thugs, but when he looks back Yasuko is gone. Tanimura demands the Shibata goons tell him where she is, with the leader saying she was probably taken to the docks.
Upon arriving at the docks, Tanimura finds more yakuza guarding the place. He fights his way through them to find Yasuko, eventually ending up outside an office in one of the warehouses. Inside, Tanimura hears Shibata speaking with Arai, the Patriarch telling the fugitive captain to lay low for a little while longer until things blow over. Daigo won't suspect a thing, and it's shown that Shibata used a fake finger to throw the Ueno Seiwa off the trail for a little while. Shibata plans to meet Katsuragi the following day at Cafe Alps, though Arai questions if going out in the open in Kamurocho is the best idea. But Shibata is not concerned, as he has a perfectly good reason to meet with Katsuragi. Besides, they have more pressing problems to deal with, mainly Yasuko (who is bound and gagged on a sofa in the office). Shibata unties Yasuko and asks her why she's been targeting his men, and she says she didn't think she'd be able to come up with the 100 million (a comment that catches Arai's attention). Arai offers to kill Yasuko for Shibata and rid themselves of the problem, but Shibata is in no rush- he wants to find out what motivated Yasuko to do the killings, after all... and maybe throw in a little rape as well.
Before Shibata can get going, however, Arai draws his gun and shoots him, telling Shibata that while Yasuko is still useful for his and Katsuragi's plans, Shibata is not. Shibata asks when Arai switched over to Katsuragi, but Arai corrects him that he's always been allied to Katsuragi, and he knows fully that Katsuragi and Shibata set up the failed hit of 1985. Shibata used the hit to ascend in the Tojo's ranks, using the truth of the matter to leverage Katsuragi for favors, but now Katsuragi sees Shibata as nothing but dead weight. Tanimura bursts in before Arai can finish Shibata, Arai shooting at him to drive him back into cover before making his escape. Tanimura rushes to Shibata and demands he tell him what really happened in 1985, but Shibata dies before he can say anything.
Masayoshi Tanimura (the cop who spoke with Akiyama back when he first came across Ihara's body) is at Tokyo PD headquarters being interrogated by Sugiuchi. Sugiuchi wants to know why Tanimura was there and why his fingerprints were on Ihara's body, but Tanimura isn't listening. Closer examination reveals he's tuning in to a horse race on his earpiece, which earns him another tongue lashing from Sugiuchi. Tanimura couldn't care less and gets up to leave, but Sugiuchi gives him one final warning: don't stick his nose where it doesn't belong, otherwise he'll end up in an early grave like his father. Tanimura "thanks" Sugiuchi for the advice before leaving, saying he has to go on patrol as part of the Community Safety wing of Tokyo PD. Sugiuchi isn't impressed, since all he hear is that Tanimura spends his time shaking down illegal businesses for hush money, calling him a parasite after Tanimura leaves.
On his way out, Tanimura is stopped by his superior, Satoshi Hisai, who wants to talk to him about Tanimura being spotted at a Mahjong parlor while out on patrol the other day. Hisai can't keep up with news like that coming in and tells Tanimura to stop gambling on duty, asking if he thinks his father would approve. Tanimura promises not to get caught up in that sort of thing, but upon arriving back in Kamurocho he starts searching for whoever ratted him out to the police. He goes to a parlor called Orchid Palace, approaching two of the regulars who were there the night he got reported. The first regular says it wasn't him, as ratting out Tanimura is just bad sportsmanship. The other regular says that maybe the new guy did it, but they backtrack and say they're not going to give Tanimura the information for free. They ask for two silver plates, which Tanimura goes to find. Upon delivering the plates, the men tell him the newcomer's name was Iida, and he spend his time over at Shichifuku Parking Lot doing some kind of work. They warn Tanimura thought that Iida was in a bad mood after Tanimura left the other night, so he best be careful.
Tanimura goes to the Parking Lot and finds Iida, who works as a punch-out artist. Tanimura isn't interested in games and tells Iida he has questions, and Iida blurts out that he was the one that ratted Tanimura out to Hisai. Tanimura thanks Iida for the information and prepares to beat him for the report, but Iida isn't scared as he's nearly impossible to hit. He's not, and Tanimura beats him up. Iida apologizes for reporting Tanimura and explains why he did it; he's been working as a punch-out artist for years, but every year some scary guy in a grey suit (Kiryu) shows up and smashes him into the ground. He turned to mahjong to take his mind off it and surprisingly turned out to have a knack for it... at least until Tanimura cleaned him out, and with mahjong and punch-out work both being dead ends Iida made the report. Tanimura is willing to let it drop, calling their fight even, but he warns Iida to never do it again or he'll have to take some serious action.
On his way out of the Parking Lot, Tanimura gets a call of a fight over at Theater Square. He goes and finds a thug shaking down a businessman, and he tells them that he won't report the incident if they get lost. The thug takes umbrage and attacks Tanimura, but he defeats the man and again tells him to get lost. After resolving that incident, Tanimura gets a call from a colleague of his named Zhao, who needs his help resolving an incident at his restaurant Homeland. Tanimura stops by a hostess club on his way to Homeland, where the doorman pays him a decent amount of cash to cover up that he has an illegal immigrant working inside. The man complains that Tanimura's been asking for more money lately, but Tanimura reminds him that getting caught employing illegals comes with either a three year stint in jail or a 3 million yen fine, and he doesn't want that now does he? In the meantime, he asks that the man keep an eye out for a specific woman wo's wanted by the police, handing him a picture of Yasuko/Lily before departing.
Tanimura arrives at Homeland, a Chinese Restaurant in Little Asia. Zhao's doing some work while Tanimura helps himself to a cigarette, the other man turning back to him to inform Tanimura another girl (whose father was just deported) will be joining them soon. Tanimura hands over the money he got from the hostess club to cover expenses, and while Zhao admits some exasperation at Tanimura's actions they can use whatever money they can get. He hides the cash and asks why Tanimura was late getting to them, and Tanimura explains his meeting with Sugiuchi and Homicide's increased vigilance since the shooting days earlier. Moreover, it involves the Ueno Seiwa, the same clan Tanimura's father was investigating when he was murdered (around the same time as Saejima's failed hit). Zhao asks if he thinks the two are connected, and while Tanimura can't say for certain he does note that the Ueno Seiwa have been quiet for almost 25 years and are only now making a splash again, so something big must be happening behind the scenes, and if Tanimura can get in close he might just be able to find his father's killer. The final key in Tanimura's hunt is Yasuko, who he reveals is the sister of Taiga Saejima and the last thing written in Tanimura's journal was to meet with her on some matter.
Just then, Tanimura gets a call from someone named Park, who runs a club named Midori. Park has a customer who is a dead ringer for the woman Tanimura is looking for and asks that Tanimura get over as soon as possible. Zhao tells Tanimura to be careful, as she may be connected to the resurgent Ueno Seiwa. Tanimura heads to Midori and meets the manager outside, who asks that maybe Tanimura could skip next month's inspection as they have a bunch of new workers from Korea and would rather not get buried under a mountain of fines. Tanimura says he'll consider it if Midori starts paying its workers a living wage, and with that the manager goes to fetch Yasuko. Yasuko comes out and Tanimura hands her the picture, telling her he has some questions about the shooting in 1985. Yasuko, though, denies any knowledge of the shooting, and before she can say more a gang of Shibata Family goons arrives to take her in. Tanimura fights off the thugs, but when he looks back Yasuko is gone. Tanimura demands the Shibata goons tell him where she is, with the leader saying she was probably taken to the docks.
Upon arriving at the docks, Tanimura finds more yakuza guarding the place. He fights his way through them to find Yasuko, eventually ending up outside an office in one of the warehouses. Inside, Tanimura hears Shibata speaking with Arai, the Patriarch telling the fugitive captain to lay low for a little while longer until things blow over. Daigo won't suspect a thing, and it's shown that Shibata used a fake finger to throw the Ueno Seiwa off the trail for a little while. Shibata plans to meet Katsuragi the following day at Cafe Alps, though Arai questions if going out in the open in Kamurocho is the best idea. But Shibata is not concerned, as he has a perfectly good reason to meet with Katsuragi. Besides, they have more pressing problems to deal with, mainly Yasuko (who is bound and gagged on a sofa in the office). Shibata unties Yasuko and asks her why she's been targeting his men, and she says she didn't think she'd be able to come up with the 100 million (a comment that catches Arai's attention). Arai offers to kill Yasuko for Shibata and rid themselves of the problem, but Shibata is in no rush- he wants to find out what motivated Yasuko to do the killings, after all... and maybe throw in a little rape as well.
Before Shibata can get going, however, Arai draws his gun and shoots him, telling Shibata that while Yasuko is still useful for his and Katsuragi's plans, Shibata is not. Shibata asks when Arai switched over to Katsuragi, but Arai corrects him that he's always been allied to Katsuragi, and he knows fully that Katsuragi and Shibata set up the failed hit of 1985. Shibata used the hit to ascend in the Tojo's ranks, using the truth of the matter to leverage Katsuragi for favors, but now Katsuragi sees Shibata as nothing but dead weight. Tanimura bursts in before Arai can finish Shibata, Arai shooting at him to drive him back into cover before making his escape. Tanimura rushes to Shibata and demands he tell him what really happened in 1985, but Shibata dies before he can say anything.
Chapter 2: The Perpetrator
Tanimura takes Yasuko back to Homeland for safety while the cops patrol Kamurocho in force. He reassures Yasuko that she'll be safe here, while she asks why he's doing all this for her. She also asks if he heard what Shibata said earlier, and while Tanimura says he did there's not much he can do- murder's out of his jurisdiction, and he doesn't have any hard evidence to back any claims up. He tells Yasuko to consider her stay in Homeland protective custody, and their conversations voluntary. Yasuko once again asks what Tanimura wants, and he presents his father's journal. According to him, the two were supposed to meet on April 30th, 1985, but that night his dead body was pulled from the Arakawa River. Tanimura tells Yasuko to think of it not as a cop questioning a suspect, but a son wanting to avenge his father's death.
Yasuko tells Tanimura that she never met his father face to face; they were supposed to meet at a café in Kamurocho that afternoon, but he called in and told her that he had to reschedule for that evening. He also said that he had proof that the hit was a setup and Saejima was not the perpetrator, and that a powerful third party was pulling the strings behind the conflict. Tanimura asks what he meant by that, but Yasuko admits she doesn't know; after he failed to show up for the reschedule time, she fled Kamurocho and never looked deeper. Tanimura thanks her all the same, and actually settles a few issues he had- normally when a policeman is killed it raises a firestorm among his fellow officers, but his father's death was written off as an accident when it clearly wasn't. Maybe this third party caught him with info he wasn't supposed to look at and killed him to cover their tracks. Tanimura then asks Yasuko why she suddenly came back after 25 years and why she's been killing Shibata men, and after a long hesitation she comes clean: Katsuragi contacted her and said that he could help free Saejima from prison, but at the cost of either 100 million yen or acting as his personal hitwoman. Tanimura asks how Katsuragi even got in touch with her, and Yasuko says she got a call from someone claiming to be a detective who put her in touch with "a man who can save your brother". Yasuko rushed back to Kamurocho and found Katsuragi waiting for her, and he said he was a victim of the 1985 shooting and his testimony could get Saejima's case reexamined- all he asked for was either 100 million or murder, with Yasuko choosing the latter. Tanimura asks why Katuragi sent her after the Shibata Family, and Yasuko says that she didn't know the people she was killing were linked to Shibata, but now she suspects they may have known something about what happened in 1985 and Katsuragi wanted her to silence them.
Tanimura thanks Yasuko, saying he has a clearer picture now: Katsuragi and Shibata were partners back in 1985, but Shibata had been blackmailing Katsuragi with the truth about what had happened and so Katsuragi sent Arai to silence him. Ihara's death the other day was most likely another power play, but Tanimura doesn't know why Arai ended up working for Katsuragi. The only way they're going to get more information is from Katsuragi himself, so Tanimura plans to use Yasuko as bait to lure the Ueno Seiwa captain out. Zhao asks what happens when Tanimura hands her over to Katsuragi, but Tanimura says he'll do no such thing- Katsuragi just has to know where Yasuko is. He asks her fi she's willing to work with him, but Yasuko refuses as Katsuragi's testimony is her best chance at freeing Saejima from prison. Tanimura doesn't trust Katsuragi to tell the truth and swears he'll prove Saejima's innocence, but he needs to know why his father was killed first. Yasuko accuses Tanimura of selfishly using her brother's freedom to pursue his own goals, and all she wants is to see Saejima again regardless of who's backstabbing who. Tanimura and Zhao once again plead with Yasuko to help, and she finally agrees before handing Tanimura a key to a car parked in the center of Kamurocho. Inside the trunk he'll find the 100 million yen, which she entrusts to Tanimura while she goes to Okinawa. Tanimura asks why she's leaving, and Yasuko tells him a police officer told her Saejima is scheduled to be executed in two days- Okinawa is where he's being held before then, and this will be her last chance to see him. She entrusts Tanimura with the money and leaves, with Tanimura leaving shortly after to retrieve the money.
Tanimura goes to the parking garage Yasuko hid the money, recovering it and leaving the lot in search of Katsuragi. On his way out he gets a phone call from someone who wants to help him track down the yakuza, telling Tanimura that an informant will be waiting for him on one of the rooftops around town. He goes to the indicated roof and finds a homeless man waiting for him, who gives Tanimura a bouquet of flowers before leaving. Inside the bouquet is a note saying Katsuragi will contact him soon, and Tanimura gets a phone call from the man right after that. Tanimura tells Katsuragi that he has Yasuko in custody and knows everything about the Shibata killings. Katsuragi asks what Tanimura wants, and Tanimura demands he tell him everything about the Ueno Seiwa hit and why his father had to die. Katsuragi says he will tell him everything on one condition: Tanimura provide some solid proof he has Yasuko in custody. Tanimura offers the 100 million, and the two agree to meet in front of the Millennium Tower the next evening at 5. Until then, Tanimura returns to Homeland to rest.
Tanimura goes to the Millennium Tower, and Katuragi reveals he has been hiding in the crowd. Tanimura suggests they take a walk around town while they talk, which Katsuragi agrees to before the two set off. As the walk, Katsuragi tells Tanimura that his father's death was not a result of the Ueno Seiwa hit, and Tanimura tells Katsuragi he was there when Arai killed Shibata and that his father was investigating the link between the two. Katsuragi says that's true, and Shibata told Katsuragi about every last detail of Saejima's attack on Ueno. Tanimura asks if it was risky putting himself in the way of a hit, but Katsuragi says that knowing every last detail helped him make proper preparations. As Katsuragi explains, both he and Shibata were getting on in years- the only way they were going to rise up was if something major happened to shake up the status quo of the two clans, and he's kept far enough above the mess to keep his hands clean. Tanimura guesses that's why he used Yasuko and Arai, to silence any loose ends in the Shibata family without drawing attention back to him. Katsuragi goes on to say that while Tanimura's father did discover this during his investigation, he was killed for something much greater: corruption in the highest ranks of the Tokyo PD. According to Katsuragi, Saejima didn't actually kill anyone and someone else came along afterward to finish the job, and the police covered it all up.
Tanimura demands Katsuragi tell him who killed his father and who the real perpetrator behind the Ueno Seiwa hit was, but Katsuragi wants to know where Yasuko is first. Tanimura hands over the money and tells Katsuragi that she's already on her way to Okinawa and he can forget about her, but Katsuragi laughs that it's too late for her and Tanimura. It's then that Tanimura realizes that the streets of Kamurocho are suspiciously empty, just before a small army of yakuza show up. Katsuragi takes his leave, but not before he reveals that he was the one who killed those men in 1985, and he ordered some of his men to pay Homeland a little visit. Tanimura once more demands to know if Katsuragi was the one who killed his father, but Katsuragi can't recall as he disappears into the crowd. Before the yakuza can finish Tanimura, Sugiuchi and the police arive and save Tanimura, the older cop telling Tanimura to go to Homeland while he arrests the Ueno Seiwa soldiers.
Tanimura grabs the briefcase of money and runs for Homeland, fighting off dozens of Ueno Seiwa goons along the way. During the fight one of the yakuza grabs the briefcase and runs, Tanimura chasing him down through the alleys and across the rooftops of Kamurocho. He eventually recovers the briefcase and continues his running battle through Kamurocho, breaking through the Ueno Seiwa to reach Homeland. Fortunately the restaurant is still standing when he arrives, and it appears Tanimura has a visitor: Chief Hisai.
Yasuko tells Tanimura that she never met his father face to face; they were supposed to meet at a café in Kamurocho that afternoon, but he called in and told her that he had to reschedule for that evening. He also said that he had proof that the hit was a setup and Saejima was not the perpetrator, and that a powerful third party was pulling the strings behind the conflict. Tanimura asks what he meant by that, but Yasuko admits she doesn't know; after he failed to show up for the reschedule time, she fled Kamurocho and never looked deeper. Tanimura thanks her all the same, and actually settles a few issues he had- normally when a policeman is killed it raises a firestorm among his fellow officers, but his father's death was written off as an accident when it clearly wasn't. Maybe this third party caught him with info he wasn't supposed to look at and killed him to cover their tracks. Tanimura then asks Yasuko why she suddenly came back after 25 years and why she's been killing Shibata men, and after a long hesitation she comes clean: Katsuragi contacted her and said that he could help free Saejima from prison, but at the cost of either 100 million yen or acting as his personal hitwoman. Tanimura asks how Katsuragi even got in touch with her, and Yasuko says she got a call from someone claiming to be a detective who put her in touch with "a man who can save your brother". Yasuko rushed back to Kamurocho and found Katsuragi waiting for her, and he said he was a victim of the 1985 shooting and his testimony could get Saejima's case reexamined- all he asked for was either 100 million or murder, with Yasuko choosing the latter. Tanimura asks why Katuragi sent her after the Shibata Family, and Yasuko says that she didn't know the people she was killing were linked to Shibata, but now she suspects they may have known something about what happened in 1985 and Katsuragi wanted her to silence them.
Tanimura thanks Yasuko, saying he has a clearer picture now: Katsuragi and Shibata were partners back in 1985, but Shibata had been blackmailing Katsuragi with the truth about what had happened and so Katsuragi sent Arai to silence him. Ihara's death the other day was most likely another power play, but Tanimura doesn't know why Arai ended up working for Katsuragi. The only way they're going to get more information is from Katsuragi himself, so Tanimura plans to use Yasuko as bait to lure the Ueno Seiwa captain out. Zhao asks what happens when Tanimura hands her over to Katsuragi, but Tanimura says he'll do no such thing- Katsuragi just has to know where Yasuko is. He asks her fi she's willing to work with him, but Yasuko refuses as Katsuragi's testimony is her best chance at freeing Saejima from prison. Tanimura doesn't trust Katsuragi to tell the truth and swears he'll prove Saejima's innocence, but he needs to know why his father was killed first. Yasuko accuses Tanimura of selfishly using her brother's freedom to pursue his own goals, and all she wants is to see Saejima again regardless of who's backstabbing who. Tanimura and Zhao once again plead with Yasuko to help, and she finally agrees before handing Tanimura a key to a car parked in the center of Kamurocho. Inside the trunk he'll find the 100 million yen, which she entrusts to Tanimura while she goes to Okinawa. Tanimura asks why she's leaving, and Yasuko tells him a police officer told her Saejima is scheduled to be executed in two days- Okinawa is where he's being held before then, and this will be her last chance to see him. She entrusts Tanimura with the money and leaves, with Tanimura leaving shortly after to retrieve the money.
Tanimura goes to the parking garage Yasuko hid the money, recovering it and leaving the lot in search of Katsuragi. On his way out he gets a phone call from someone who wants to help him track down the yakuza, telling Tanimura that an informant will be waiting for him on one of the rooftops around town. He goes to the indicated roof and finds a homeless man waiting for him, who gives Tanimura a bouquet of flowers before leaving. Inside the bouquet is a note saying Katsuragi will contact him soon, and Tanimura gets a phone call from the man right after that. Tanimura tells Katsuragi that he has Yasuko in custody and knows everything about the Shibata killings. Katsuragi asks what Tanimura wants, and Tanimura demands he tell him everything about the Ueno Seiwa hit and why his father had to die. Katsuragi says he will tell him everything on one condition: Tanimura provide some solid proof he has Yasuko in custody. Tanimura offers the 100 million, and the two agree to meet in front of the Millennium Tower the next evening at 5. Until then, Tanimura returns to Homeland to rest.
Tanimura goes to the Millennium Tower, and Katuragi reveals he has been hiding in the crowd. Tanimura suggests they take a walk around town while they talk, which Katsuragi agrees to before the two set off. As the walk, Katsuragi tells Tanimura that his father's death was not a result of the Ueno Seiwa hit, and Tanimura tells Katsuragi he was there when Arai killed Shibata and that his father was investigating the link between the two. Katsuragi says that's true, and Shibata told Katsuragi about every last detail of Saejima's attack on Ueno. Tanimura asks if it was risky putting himself in the way of a hit, but Katsuragi says that knowing every last detail helped him make proper preparations. As Katsuragi explains, both he and Shibata were getting on in years- the only way they were going to rise up was if something major happened to shake up the status quo of the two clans, and he's kept far enough above the mess to keep his hands clean. Tanimura guesses that's why he used Yasuko and Arai, to silence any loose ends in the Shibata family without drawing attention back to him. Katsuragi goes on to say that while Tanimura's father did discover this during his investigation, he was killed for something much greater: corruption in the highest ranks of the Tokyo PD. According to Katsuragi, Saejima didn't actually kill anyone and someone else came along afterward to finish the job, and the police covered it all up.
Tanimura demands Katsuragi tell him who killed his father and who the real perpetrator behind the Ueno Seiwa hit was, but Katsuragi wants to know where Yasuko is first. Tanimura hands over the money and tells Katsuragi that she's already on her way to Okinawa and he can forget about her, but Katsuragi laughs that it's too late for her and Tanimura. It's then that Tanimura realizes that the streets of Kamurocho are suspiciously empty, just before a small army of yakuza show up. Katsuragi takes his leave, but not before he reveals that he was the one who killed those men in 1985, and he ordered some of his men to pay Homeland a little visit. Tanimura once more demands to know if Katsuragi was the one who killed his father, but Katsuragi can't recall as he disappears into the crowd. Before the yakuza can finish Tanimura, Sugiuchi and the police arive and save Tanimura, the older cop telling Tanimura to go to Homeland while he arrests the Ueno Seiwa soldiers.
Tanimura grabs the briefcase of money and runs for Homeland, fighting off dozens of Ueno Seiwa goons along the way. During the fight one of the yakuza grabs the briefcase and runs, Tanimura chasing him down through the alleys and across the rooftops of Kamurocho. He eventually recovers the briefcase and continues his running battle through Kamurocho, breaking through the Ueno Seiwa to reach Homeland. Fortunately the restaurant is still standing when he arrives, and it appears Tanimura has a visitor: Chief Hisai.
Chapter 3: Door To The Truth
Tanimura tells Hisai and Zhao what he learned from Katsuragi, meaning that Taiga Saejima is innocent of murder (though he's still guilty of attempted murder, anyway). Hisai tells Tanimura that he'd been tipped off by Sugiuchi that Tanimura was planning to contact the Ueno Seiwa, and had been spending the better part of the day scouring the city looking for him to make sure he stayed out of trouble. Zhao tells Tanimura that at least he has something of a lead into his father's death, but Tanimura says something is still bothering him: the police covered up the truth of the massacre and pinned the blame on Saejima, but to what end? Hisai has an idea: though he knows nothing of a cover up (he was low on the totem pole during those days), there may be some information hidden in Archive Room 13, AKA "The Scandal Graveyard", since that's where most reports on police misconduct get buried. Taniura is all ready to go, reasoning he wouldn't get permission to go looking if whoever they're up against is willing to bury mass murder, and he's taking Hisai with him (since he's not a regular at HQ and wouldn't know where to look). Hisai reluctantly agrees and the two head out.
The two make it to Archive Room 13 and begin their search. He eventually finds it and reads through the details: Saejima began his attack at noon, killing eighteen of the twenty Ueno Seiwa men present (with Katsuragi and Ueno himself being the only survivors), but as Katsuragi said there's not mention of his role in the event. The case was assigned to detectives Taigi Tanimura and Junji Sugiuchi, a fact that surprises Tanimura as no one ever told him Sugiuchi was involved. Taking this as his best lead, Tanimura leaves with Hisai to go back to Kamurocho, Hisai going back to the station while Tanimura goes to Homeland to digest what he learned.
The two make it to Archive Room 13 and begin their search. He eventually finds it and reads through the details: Saejima began his attack at noon, killing eighteen of the twenty Ueno Seiwa men present (with Katsuragi and Ueno himself being the only survivors), but as Katsuragi said there's not mention of his role in the event. The case was assigned to detectives Taigi Tanimura and Junji Sugiuchi, a fact that surprises Tanimura as no one ever told him Sugiuchi was involved. Taking this as his best lead, Tanimura leaves with Hisai to go back to Kamurocho, Hisai going back to the station while Tanimura goes to Homeland to digest what he learned.
Chapter 4: A Detective's Honor
The next day Tanimura leaves Homeland with the money, intending to return it to Akiyama at Sky Finance. He arrives to find Akiyama asleep on the couch, and the two recognize each other from when they met the night of Ihara's murder. Tanimura is surprised to learn that he's the man who lent Yasuko 100 million, and Akiyama asks how Tanimura knows Lily's real name. The two sit down and Tanimura explains what happened, with Akiyama wishing Yasuko had found him sooner so she wouldn't be forced into killing. Tanimura returns the money to Akiyama, but he declines; As he explains, Akiyama only invests in those that he thinks are worth it, and he won't accept the money unless Yasuko returns it in person. Upon being asked where Yasuko is, Tanimura tells Akiyama that she's in Okinawa to be near Saejima upon his execution. Akiyama is disappointed by this, telling Tanimura he's in love with Yasuko and hoped to see her again- the 100 million yen is his last real connection to her at this point. Tanimura isn't impressed, but just then Akiyama gets a call from Kido about Mishima, the Ueno Seiwa man that was with Ihara the night he was shot.
Akiyama explains his side of the story, and that he had been backing Arai before this whole mess started (and he laments it seems like he backed the wrong guy, again). He says Mishima is seeking police protection in exchange for all the information he has, and Akiyama suggests that Tanimura go and speak with him rather than risk a dirty cop going to silence Mishima. At the very least, it may get Tanimura closer to the answers he's seeking, as the major players keep overlapping with one another in a way that can't be mere coincidence. The two begin to piece together more of the case: Ihara's murder must have been a part of Katsuragi and Shibata's plan to take over the Tojo Clan, but eventually Katsuragi soured on Shibata and dispatched Yasuko to start eliminating loose ends that might have revealed the truth about 1985. The only thing Akiyama can't figure out is why Katsuragi moved now instead of eliminating everyone years ago? Tanimura suggests that maybe Katsuragi panicked over something else that happened, and perhaps a third party has been pulling his strings and is now forcing him into killing, like the top police brass that covered up the truth all those years ago.
Akiyama asks if Tanimura is going to meet Mishima, and Tanimura says he intents to set a trap with Mishima. Mishima has made himself a liability to Katsuragi and whoever in the police is manipulating everything, and Tanimura hopes that meeting with him will lure the traitor out in the open. Akiyama thinks it's risky, but Tanimura is sure he's ready. The loan shark tells Tanimura that Mishima is hiding out at the docks, and Tanimura calls in to Organized Crime to report his meeting with Mishima and set his trap. With that settled, Tanimura fetches a cab and goes to the docks, finding the warehouse where Mishima is hiding. Tanimura promises to protect Mishima in exchange for dirt on the Ueno Seiwa, and Mishima begins to spill the beans: he and Ihara were ordered to start trouble at Club Elnard, though Katsuragi didn't say why. But then Akiyama showed up and threw the plan into disarray, but Mishima doesn't remember anything between getting a bottle smashed over his head and waking up in a trash heap in the Champion District with Ihara nowhere in sight. He guesses someone must have been chasing Ihara given where he left Mishima, and his search eventually lead him to Ihara's body. Mishima fled the scene and returned to headquarters, but as he tried to calm down he overhead Katsuragi talking with someone over the phone. He didn't catch much (Katsuragi had been on the phone for a while and was in another room), but Katsuragi did mention the police multiple times and Mishima freaked out when he heard this: "Ihara's dead, just as planned. We'll get rid of Mishima as soon as we find him". Mishima ran off again and has been in hiding since.
Mishima begs Tanimura for his protection, and Tanimura says he can stay at his hideout until he can find official accommodations. Suddenly Mishima is shot through the chest, and as Tanimura turns he sees Sugiuchi coming out of the shadows, gun drawn. Sugiuchi is impressed by Tanimura's planning and asks how he figured he was the traitor, and Tanimura says he suspected Sugiuchi wasn't just any regular cop. He was tipped off by Sugiuchi's clothing and accessories, of all things; the man always seemed to have a fresh, clean pair of fancy shoes, when a normal homicide cop would just by some cheap shoes and wear them into the ground (more practical for someone working murder scenes), and his watch is a high-end brand most working class folk would never afford or have even heard of. Not helping Sugiuchi's case is how obvious he's been- stepping at just the right moment to save Tanimura from Katsuragi's men, sending Hisai to Homeland before Tanimura got there, it's almost like Sugiuchi wanted to be discovered by Tanimura. He tells Sugiuchi he's seen the police records on the Ueno Seiwa hit, and he knows his father would never cover up the murders of 18 people- Sugiuchi must have been in bed with Katsuragi even back then and had been ordered to cover it up. Sugiuchi fires several shots at Tanimura to get him to shut up, ranting that he doesn't know the first thing about him.
Just then the lights flash on and a small army of cops rushes into the warehouse lead by Junichi Sudo. Tanimura tells Sugiuchi to surrender, but he just laughs it off and prepares to leave, saying Sudo won't shoot him as Japanese officers are forbidden from shooting outside of self-defense. Unfortunately Tanimura doesn't play by the rules and fires a warning shot at Sugiuchi, which earns him praise from Sugiuchi for being the first officer in nearly 30 years he's met that's done well by the uniform. Sugiuchi makes a run for it with Tanimura in pursuit, the two hopping into nearby boats to continue their chase across Tokyo Bay. Tanimura eventually corners Sugiuchi at another section of the docks, wounding him with a bullet to the shoulder. Sugiuchi admits that he killed Tanimura's father, and Tanimura charges forward before handcuffing himself to Sugiuchi. The two fight, and Tanimura eventually defeats Sugiuchi before aiming his gun at him. Sugiuchi again confirms he killed Tanimura's father, and Tanimura demands to know why an honest cop would kill his partner like that.
Except Sugiuchi isn't an honest cop. He's yakuza.
Sugiuchi is actually Katsuragi's sworn brother, and he joined the police to act as a spy on the force. Tanimura asks if Sugiuchi killed his father in cold blood because he was close to revealing the truth, but Sugiuchi says the truth is more complicated; Saejima's guns were actually loaded with rubber bullets, and Katsuragi killed the Ueno Seiwa men with real bullets after Saejima fled the scene. Sugiuchi came along later and shot Katsuragi and Ueno to complete the cover story, then filed his police report to finger Saejima. Unfortunately his superior, Chief Munakata, saw through it immediately- all the kills were made with clean, precise headshots, but with Saejima working alone against twenty men he would have met with resistance and could never have lined up those shots. Additionally, all the dead men lacked bulletproof vests, yet their bodies showed injuries received from rubber bullets, rubber bullets that are still in classified testing and would be out of reach of a normal street thug like Saejima. Finally, what kind of man would Saejima be that he would waste so much time and energy shooting the Ueno Seiwa with rubber bullets only to cap them with the real deal immediately afterwards while sparing Katsuragi and Ueno with minor injuries. Munakata guessed Katsuragi orchestrated the entire affair and Saejima was just a pawn, and he was "surprised" Sugiuchi didn't reach the same conclusions. Munakata, though, used this information to blackmail Sugiuchi into introducing him to Katsuragi.
Tanimura is shocked, as Munakata is now the Deputy Commissioner of Tokyo PD. Sugiuchi tells Tanimura that Munakata has been backing the Ueno Seiwa since then, and trying to take him down is ultimately a fool's errand. Still, it feels good to get this off his chest after 30 years, and Sugiuchi even admits that getting the praise he did as a cop felt good even if his loyalties lay with the Ueno Seiwa. He congratulates Tanimura on his dedication and surrenders, but before Tanimura runs him in he wants to know what Munakata's ultimate plan is. Sugiuchi tells him to quit while he's ahead, but Tanimura refuses to back down and wants to know what ultimately resulted in his father's death. Sugiuchi gets up and lights a cigarette, but just then a gunman shoots him before speeding off in a boat. As he dies, Sugiuchi warns Tanimura that there's another traitor in the police, and thanks Tanimura for helping him find some peace in his life.
Meanwhile, Munakata gets a call from Hisai informing him Sugiuchi is dead. Munakata tells Hisai to deal with the rest of Tanimura's associates, and it's revealed that Hisai has Zhao and his daughter tied up in Homeland. He draws his pistol as Zhao asks what he's going to do to Tanimura, a gunshot ringing out as the scene cuts to the outside of Homeland.
Akiyama explains his side of the story, and that he had been backing Arai before this whole mess started (and he laments it seems like he backed the wrong guy, again). He says Mishima is seeking police protection in exchange for all the information he has, and Akiyama suggests that Tanimura go and speak with him rather than risk a dirty cop going to silence Mishima. At the very least, it may get Tanimura closer to the answers he's seeking, as the major players keep overlapping with one another in a way that can't be mere coincidence. The two begin to piece together more of the case: Ihara's murder must have been a part of Katsuragi and Shibata's plan to take over the Tojo Clan, but eventually Katsuragi soured on Shibata and dispatched Yasuko to start eliminating loose ends that might have revealed the truth about 1985. The only thing Akiyama can't figure out is why Katsuragi moved now instead of eliminating everyone years ago? Tanimura suggests that maybe Katsuragi panicked over something else that happened, and perhaps a third party has been pulling his strings and is now forcing him into killing, like the top police brass that covered up the truth all those years ago.
Akiyama asks if Tanimura is going to meet Mishima, and Tanimura says he intents to set a trap with Mishima. Mishima has made himself a liability to Katsuragi and whoever in the police is manipulating everything, and Tanimura hopes that meeting with him will lure the traitor out in the open. Akiyama thinks it's risky, but Tanimura is sure he's ready. The loan shark tells Tanimura that Mishima is hiding out at the docks, and Tanimura calls in to Organized Crime to report his meeting with Mishima and set his trap. With that settled, Tanimura fetches a cab and goes to the docks, finding the warehouse where Mishima is hiding. Tanimura promises to protect Mishima in exchange for dirt on the Ueno Seiwa, and Mishima begins to spill the beans: he and Ihara were ordered to start trouble at Club Elnard, though Katsuragi didn't say why. But then Akiyama showed up and threw the plan into disarray, but Mishima doesn't remember anything between getting a bottle smashed over his head and waking up in a trash heap in the Champion District with Ihara nowhere in sight. He guesses someone must have been chasing Ihara given where he left Mishima, and his search eventually lead him to Ihara's body. Mishima fled the scene and returned to headquarters, but as he tried to calm down he overhead Katsuragi talking with someone over the phone. He didn't catch much (Katsuragi had been on the phone for a while and was in another room), but Katsuragi did mention the police multiple times and Mishima freaked out when he heard this: "Ihara's dead, just as planned. We'll get rid of Mishima as soon as we find him". Mishima ran off again and has been in hiding since.
Mishima begs Tanimura for his protection, and Tanimura says he can stay at his hideout until he can find official accommodations. Suddenly Mishima is shot through the chest, and as Tanimura turns he sees Sugiuchi coming out of the shadows, gun drawn. Sugiuchi is impressed by Tanimura's planning and asks how he figured he was the traitor, and Tanimura says he suspected Sugiuchi wasn't just any regular cop. He was tipped off by Sugiuchi's clothing and accessories, of all things; the man always seemed to have a fresh, clean pair of fancy shoes, when a normal homicide cop would just by some cheap shoes and wear them into the ground (more practical for someone working murder scenes), and his watch is a high-end brand most working class folk would never afford or have even heard of. Not helping Sugiuchi's case is how obvious he's been- stepping at just the right moment to save Tanimura from Katsuragi's men, sending Hisai to Homeland before Tanimura got there, it's almost like Sugiuchi wanted to be discovered by Tanimura. He tells Sugiuchi he's seen the police records on the Ueno Seiwa hit, and he knows his father would never cover up the murders of 18 people- Sugiuchi must have been in bed with Katsuragi even back then and had been ordered to cover it up. Sugiuchi fires several shots at Tanimura to get him to shut up, ranting that he doesn't know the first thing about him.
Just then the lights flash on and a small army of cops rushes into the warehouse lead by Junichi Sudo. Tanimura tells Sugiuchi to surrender, but he just laughs it off and prepares to leave, saying Sudo won't shoot him as Japanese officers are forbidden from shooting outside of self-defense. Unfortunately Tanimura doesn't play by the rules and fires a warning shot at Sugiuchi, which earns him praise from Sugiuchi for being the first officer in nearly 30 years he's met that's done well by the uniform. Sugiuchi makes a run for it with Tanimura in pursuit, the two hopping into nearby boats to continue their chase across Tokyo Bay. Tanimura eventually corners Sugiuchi at another section of the docks, wounding him with a bullet to the shoulder. Sugiuchi admits that he killed Tanimura's father, and Tanimura charges forward before handcuffing himself to Sugiuchi. The two fight, and Tanimura eventually defeats Sugiuchi before aiming his gun at him. Sugiuchi again confirms he killed Tanimura's father, and Tanimura demands to know why an honest cop would kill his partner like that.
Except Sugiuchi isn't an honest cop. He's yakuza.
Sugiuchi is actually Katsuragi's sworn brother, and he joined the police to act as a spy on the force. Tanimura asks if Sugiuchi killed his father in cold blood because he was close to revealing the truth, but Sugiuchi says the truth is more complicated; Saejima's guns were actually loaded with rubber bullets, and Katsuragi killed the Ueno Seiwa men with real bullets after Saejima fled the scene. Sugiuchi came along later and shot Katsuragi and Ueno to complete the cover story, then filed his police report to finger Saejima. Unfortunately his superior, Chief Munakata, saw through it immediately- all the kills were made with clean, precise headshots, but with Saejima working alone against twenty men he would have met with resistance and could never have lined up those shots. Additionally, all the dead men lacked bulletproof vests, yet their bodies showed injuries received from rubber bullets, rubber bullets that are still in classified testing and would be out of reach of a normal street thug like Saejima. Finally, what kind of man would Saejima be that he would waste so much time and energy shooting the Ueno Seiwa with rubber bullets only to cap them with the real deal immediately afterwards while sparing Katsuragi and Ueno with minor injuries. Munakata guessed Katsuragi orchestrated the entire affair and Saejima was just a pawn, and he was "surprised" Sugiuchi didn't reach the same conclusions. Munakata, though, used this information to blackmail Sugiuchi into introducing him to Katsuragi.
Tanimura is shocked, as Munakata is now the Deputy Commissioner of Tokyo PD. Sugiuchi tells Tanimura that Munakata has been backing the Ueno Seiwa since then, and trying to take him down is ultimately a fool's errand. Still, it feels good to get this off his chest after 30 years, and Sugiuchi even admits that getting the praise he did as a cop felt good even if his loyalties lay with the Ueno Seiwa. He congratulates Tanimura on his dedication and surrenders, but before Tanimura runs him in he wants to know what Munakata's ultimate plan is. Sugiuchi tells him to quit while he's ahead, but Tanimura refuses to back down and wants to know what ultimately resulted in his father's death. Sugiuchi gets up and lights a cigarette, but just then a gunman shoots him before speeding off in a boat. As he dies, Sugiuchi warns Tanimura that there's another traitor in the police, and thanks Tanimura for helping him find some peace in his life.
Meanwhile, Munakata gets a call from Hisai informing him Sugiuchi is dead. Munakata tells Hisai to deal with the rest of Tanimura's associates, and it's revealed that Hisai has Zhao and his daughter tied up in Homeland. He draws his pistol as Zhao asks what he's going to do to Tanimura, a gunshot ringing out as the scene cuts to the outside of Homeland.
Part 4: Kazuma Kiryu
Chapter 1: Reunion
Hamazaki stumbles half dead into Morning Glory, being spotted by Kiryu and Haruka while the girl is going out for the day. Kiryu treats Hamazaki's wounds, with the former yakuza asking what's up with Haruka. Kiryu reminds Hamazaki that Haruka hates him for stabbing Kiryu the previous year, which he says is fair before Kiryu tells him he knows Hamazaki is an escapee from prison. Kiryu asks why he did it as it'll only add more time to his sentence, but Hamazaki doesn't say anything. To get him to open up, Kiryu tells Hamazaki that Saejima passed through a few days ago, and Hamazaki is happy to hear Saejima made it out alive and may be on his way to Kamurocho. Kiryu asks what the link between the two is, and Hamazaki says they're brothers before begging Kiryu for his help.
Hamazaki explains who Saejima is and how they met, telling Kiryu about the private prison they were in before their escape. Kiryu asks why he chose Saejima as his partner, and Hamazaki says not only is Saejima strong, but Hamazaki knew the truth about the Ueno Seiwa hit (including Majima's "betrayal" and Shibata's culpability) and wanted Saejima to know what really happened, but the two got separated before Hamazaki could tell Saejima more. Hamazaki wants Kiryu to tell Saejima the truth, no matter what, as not only will it probably save Majima's life but it would be doing right by Saejima, the only man who ever trusted Hamazaki besides Kiryu himself.
Kiryu has one question: why does he have to do it? Hamazaki pulls the ledger he stole from the Okinawa Penitentiary warden's office and hands it to Kiryu, saying it shows how the prison was set up and would get the money to operate. Kiryu opens it and sees, to his shock, the Tojo Clan was financing the prison through Kyohei Jingu, meaning the fight for the ten billion yen that started the entire series points right to Okinawa Penitentiary No. 2. Hamazaki explains that back when he was still in the Tojo Clan, he learned that top brass in the Tokyo PD had been laundering money through criminal organizations, including the Snake Flower Triad he had allied himself with. The end goal was the financing of Penitentiary No. 2; the police would use the prison as a dumping ground for yakuza they rounded up, and then would make deals with those very same yakuza to commit crimes the police could resolve with ease, essentially making crime a police-run affair and allowing the corrupt to easily rise through the ranks. Hamazaki had only been looking for a little dirt to act s a bargaining chip against the warden, but this is way out of his league and could see him disappear if he tried to go public. Kiryu, though, was at the center of the mess from 2005, and knows exactly what went down during the fighting. Kiryu is still hesitant to agree and asks Hamazaki what his real motives are. Hamazaki opens to another page in the ledger and shows the police's grad scheme: the destruction of the Tojo Clan through the Ueno Seiwa taking control of Kamurocho Hills. If Kiryu doesn't do something, then the Tojo will be wiped out and supplanted by another syndicate. Unbeknownst to either of them, Haruka has been listening the whole time.
The next day the orphans return from their field trip. They spot Hamazaki and ask who he is, but before Kiryu can introduce him Haruka runs up and tells them to stay away from Hamazaki. Haruka puts herself between Hamazaki and the orphans, telling them that he's the man who stabbed Kiryu last year and calling Kiryu out on helping him after all he did. Hamazaki doesn't deny it and tells Haruka he'll keep his distance, and when Kiryu tries to get Haruka to calm down she asks if he seriously trusts Hamazaki after everything last year. When Kiryu says he does, Haruka angrily says she'll never trust him and tells Kiryu not to come crying to her when Hamazaki betrays him again before she runs off.
Kiryu goes to the beach to speak with Haruka, who still doesn't get why Kiryu is trusting Hamazaki. She also fears that this time if Kiryu goes to Kamurocho, he's never coming back, saying she doesn't care about what happened five years ago if it means keeping Kiryu safe. Kiryu counters that she lost her parents in that mess up, and he lost his brother Nishiki and his father figure Kazama as well; if there was something bigger happening, wouldn't she want to know more about what happened? Haruka just wants to make sure Kiryu is safe, but Hamazaki arrives and tells her not to worry. He's decided he's going it alone, and Kiryu can stay in Okinawa and forget about the file- it's ultimately not worth risking his life over, and Hamazaki can just wait in prison for the next time Saejima gets sent back.
Hamazaki intends to head downtown and turn himself in to the police, but Kiryu says he's coming with- not only does Hamazaki not know the lay of the land, but he deserves at least some kind of sendoff to set his mind at ease. When they arrive at the police station, though, they find Yasuko arguing with the police about the prison Saejima's in, with none of them knowing of any Penitentiary No. 2. The police tell her to go home, but Kiryu approaches her and confirms that Saejima is her brother. The three of them go to the now abandoned Tamashiro Family offices to chat in private, and Yasuko properly introduces herself and explains how she has been trying to see Saejima every day for the last 25 years. She rushed to Okinawa when she heard Saejima was being transferred to Penitentiary No. 2, but got the same ring around that no one knows about the prison that they just witnessed. Hamazaki confirms the prison is real and explains his side of the story, telling Yasuko that Saejima escaped days ago and is probably in Kamurocho by now (which Kiryu confirms). Yasuko tells them she needs to get back to Kamurocho, with Kiryu agreeing to get her there.
Just then they hear a commotion outside. Hamazaki goes to look and sees cops, with the three trying to make their escape before they get caught. They are just a little too slow, but it turns out it isn't the police- it's Saito and his guards from the prison. Hamazaki offers to surrender if Saito will leave Kiryu and Yasuko alone, but Saito tells him that the warden wants her too. Kiryu tells Hamazaki to protect Yasuko while he confronts Saito, and the Dragon of Dojima proves to be a much tougher challenge for Saito than anyone else he's faced. Kiryu fights his way through the building to clear a path for Hamazaki and Yasuko, and when the fighting is finished Hamazaki hands Yasuko to Kiryu and tells him to get her to Kamurocho to see Saejima. Kiryu agrees and he leaves with Yasuko after she thanks Hamazaki, but Hamazaki collapses after they leave from a series of wounds to the back.
Hamazaki explains who Saejima is and how they met, telling Kiryu about the private prison they were in before their escape. Kiryu asks why he chose Saejima as his partner, and Hamazaki says not only is Saejima strong, but Hamazaki knew the truth about the Ueno Seiwa hit (including Majima's "betrayal" and Shibata's culpability) and wanted Saejima to know what really happened, but the two got separated before Hamazaki could tell Saejima more. Hamazaki wants Kiryu to tell Saejima the truth, no matter what, as not only will it probably save Majima's life but it would be doing right by Saejima, the only man who ever trusted Hamazaki besides Kiryu himself.
Kiryu has one question: why does he have to do it? Hamazaki pulls the ledger he stole from the Okinawa Penitentiary warden's office and hands it to Kiryu, saying it shows how the prison was set up and would get the money to operate. Kiryu opens it and sees, to his shock, the Tojo Clan was financing the prison through Kyohei Jingu, meaning the fight for the ten billion yen that started the entire series points right to Okinawa Penitentiary No. 2. Hamazaki explains that back when he was still in the Tojo Clan, he learned that top brass in the Tokyo PD had been laundering money through criminal organizations, including the Snake Flower Triad he had allied himself with. The end goal was the financing of Penitentiary No. 2; the police would use the prison as a dumping ground for yakuza they rounded up, and then would make deals with those very same yakuza to commit crimes the police could resolve with ease, essentially making crime a police-run affair and allowing the corrupt to easily rise through the ranks. Hamazaki had only been looking for a little dirt to act s a bargaining chip against the warden, but this is way out of his league and could see him disappear if he tried to go public. Kiryu, though, was at the center of the mess from 2005, and knows exactly what went down during the fighting. Kiryu is still hesitant to agree and asks Hamazaki what his real motives are. Hamazaki opens to another page in the ledger and shows the police's grad scheme: the destruction of the Tojo Clan through the Ueno Seiwa taking control of Kamurocho Hills. If Kiryu doesn't do something, then the Tojo will be wiped out and supplanted by another syndicate. Unbeknownst to either of them, Haruka has been listening the whole time.
The next day the orphans return from their field trip. They spot Hamazaki and ask who he is, but before Kiryu can introduce him Haruka runs up and tells them to stay away from Hamazaki. Haruka puts herself between Hamazaki and the orphans, telling them that he's the man who stabbed Kiryu last year and calling Kiryu out on helping him after all he did. Hamazaki doesn't deny it and tells Haruka he'll keep his distance, and when Kiryu tries to get Haruka to calm down she asks if he seriously trusts Hamazaki after everything last year. When Kiryu says he does, Haruka angrily says she'll never trust him and tells Kiryu not to come crying to her when Hamazaki betrays him again before she runs off.
Kiryu goes to the beach to speak with Haruka, who still doesn't get why Kiryu is trusting Hamazaki. She also fears that this time if Kiryu goes to Kamurocho, he's never coming back, saying she doesn't care about what happened five years ago if it means keeping Kiryu safe. Kiryu counters that she lost her parents in that mess up, and he lost his brother Nishiki and his father figure Kazama as well; if there was something bigger happening, wouldn't she want to know more about what happened? Haruka just wants to make sure Kiryu is safe, but Hamazaki arrives and tells her not to worry. He's decided he's going it alone, and Kiryu can stay in Okinawa and forget about the file- it's ultimately not worth risking his life over, and Hamazaki can just wait in prison for the next time Saejima gets sent back.
Hamazaki intends to head downtown and turn himself in to the police, but Kiryu says he's coming with- not only does Hamazaki not know the lay of the land, but he deserves at least some kind of sendoff to set his mind at ease. When they arrive at the police station, though, they find Yasuko arguing with the police about the prison Saejima's in, with none of them knowing of any Penitentiary No. 2. The police tell her to go home, but Kiryu approaches her and confirms that Saejima is her brother. The three of them go to the now abandoned Tamashiro Family offices to chat in private, and Yasuko properly introduces herself and explains how she has been trying to see Saejima every day for the last 25 years. She rushed to Okinawa when she heard Saejima was being transferred to Penitentiary No. 2, but got the same ring around that no one knows about the prison that they just witnessed. Hamazaki confirms the prison is real and explains his side of the story, telling Yasuko that Saejima escaped days ago and is probably in Kamurocho by now (which Kiryu confirms). Yasuko tells them she needs to get back to Kamurocho, with Kiryu agreeing to get her there.
Just then they hear a commotion outside. Hamazaki goes to look and sees cops, with the three trying to make their escape before they get caught. They are just a little too slow, but it turns out it isn't the police- it's Saito and his guards from the prison. Hamazaki offers to surrender if Saito will leave Kiryu and Yasuko alone, but Saito tells him that the warden wants her too. Kiryu tells Hamazaki to protect Yasuko while he confronts Saito, and the Dragon of Dojima proves to be a much tougher challenge for Saito than anyone else he's faced. Kiryu fights his way through the building to clear a path for Hamazaki and Yasuko, and when the fighting is finished Hamazaki hands Yasuko to Kiryu and tells him to get her to Kamurocho to see Saejima. Kiryu agrees and he leaves with Yasuko after she thanks Hamazaki, but Hamazaki collapses after they leave from a series of wounds to the back.
Chapter 2: To Kamurocho
Tanimura is in Homeland praying over two police badges, those of Hisai and Siugiuchi. Zhao comes out of the back office and asks if he's leaving already, going on to ask if he's alright after everything that's been revealed. Tanimura sympathizes with Hisai and Sugiuchi, as both were men trying to break free from Munakata and Katsuragi and met their ends in the process. It's revealed that Hisai shot himself rather than follow through on Munakata's orders to kill Zhao and his daughter (and said Tanimura was dead to throw Munakata off the trail), and in a similar way Sugiuchi came clean about the evens of 1985 despite knowing it was a death sentence. Zhao asks what he's going to do now to bring down Munakata, as he's one of the most powerful men in law enforcement and won't be defeated so easily. Tanimura says that none of his fellow officers are likely to help him, but he does have a new ally to rely on: Akiyama, who makes his entrance soon after. Akiyama tells Tanimura that men from the District Attorney came in and started tearing up his office, claiming the tests he gives to his clients is a form of coercion. He offers to come back later as Tanimura seems to be in the middle of something, but Tanimura says his timing couldn't be better and he has something he wants Akiyama to help him with.
Meanwhile, Kiryu and Yasuko arrive in Kamurocho. Kiryu can already tell that something is wrong with all the cops around, but resolves that they need to find Saejima quickly before things get out of hand. First, though, there's something Kiryu needs to ask Yasuko, and the two go to New Serena to talk. Upon arriving, Kiryu finds his old friend and ally Makoto Date working the bar. Kiryu introduces Yasuko to Date, Date explaining he's running the bar while Mariko is out of town before asking why Kiryu's back in Kamurocho. Kiryu sits Yasuko down and asks her why she wants to see Saejima so bad she'll murder for it. Yasuko says that she owes Saejima her life, explaining that when she was young she needed a kidney transplant and Saejima helped her get that transplant. Date says it's not uncommon for siblings to do things like that, but Yasuko says that she and Saejima didn't match, with her hesitation leading Kiryu to conclude that they're not actually blood related- Saejima is Yasuko's stepbrother from her stepfather's previous marriage, while she was only a baby when he married her mother. Since her mother passed by the time Yasuko needed the kidney, Saejima tracked down her biological father and begged him to be a donor. As it turns out, her father was a hatchetman for the Omi Alliance in Kansai, and Saejima (then only fifteen) tracked him down regardless of the consequences. Her father demanded 30 million yen for the donation, and mugging people on the street just wasn't cutting it despite Saejima's determination. That's when he caught the eye of Patriarch Sasai, who gave him the money in exchange for Saejima joining the Tojo Clan. Throughout all this Saejima never turned his back on Yasuko, giving up his plans to become a teacher and joining the yakuza just to support her.
Yasuko finishes by saying Saejima gave her a reason to keep on living. Kiryu finishes his drink and gets ready to leave, but he tells Yasuko to stay at New Serena. If Saejima is the main support for her will to live, what will she do if she learns he's dead? He understands what it's like to lose so much, but her love for Saejima has clouded her vision and led her to doing some very bad things, so he needs her to stay here and calm her mind while he goes and finds Saejima. Yasuko reluctantly agrees, and Kiryu instructs Date to watch over her while he hits the streets to find some leads.
As Kiryu steps out into the streets, Date runs after him to tell him some things he couldn't say in front of Yasuko: word on the street is that Saejima and Majima have already linked up, with Majima using a massive show of force to keep the cops away from his brother. Kiryu asks Date if he knows where Majima is, as he needs to speak with him about not just Saejima but the other revelations about the Tojo Clan and the police. Date tells Kiryu to head to the Millennium Tower, but when Kiryu arrives he sees Majima has been arrested and is being led away by the cops. Kiryu calls out to Majima and asks what happened, with Majima telling Kiryu he got trapped and is getting hauled in for a little while. Kiryu asks who's responsible, and Majima says that Daigo is the one who ratted him out. As he's led to the police car, Majima warns Kiryu that it's all connected: the 1985 hit, the ten billion, Yasuko, everything, and if he doesn't do something soon it's all going to come crashing down and destroy the Tojo Clan.
Meanwhile, Kiryu and Yasuko arrive in Kamurocho. Kiryu can already tell that something is wrong with all the cops around, but resolves that they need to find Saejima quickly before things get out of hand. First, though, there's something Kiryu needs to ask Yasuko, and the two go to New Serena to talk. Upon arriving, Kiryu finds his old friend and ally Makoto Date working the bar. Kiryu introduces Yasuko to Date, Date explaining he's running the bar while Mariko is out of town before asking why Kiryu's back in Kamurocho. Kiryu sits Yasuko down and asks her why she wants to see Saejima so bad she'll murder for it. Yasuko says that she owes Saejima her life, explaining that when she was young she needed a kidney transplant and Saejima helped her get that transplant. Date says it's not uncommon for siblings to do things like that, but Yasuko says that she and Saejima didn't match, with her hesitation leading Kiryu to conclude that they're not actually blood related- Saejima is Yasuko's stepbrother from her stepfather's previous marriage, while she was only a baby when he married her mother. Since her mother passed by the time Yasuko needed the kidney, Saejima tracked down her biological father and begged him to be a donor. As it turns out, her father was a hatchetman for the Omi Alliance in Kansai, and Saejima (then only fifteen) tracked him down regardless of the consequences. Her father demanded 30 million yen for the donation, and mugging people on the street just wasn't cutting it despite Saejima's determination. That's when he caught the eye of Patriarch Sasai, who gave him the money in exchange for Saejima joining the Tojo Clan. Throughout all this Saejima never turned his back on Yasuko, giving up his plans to become a teacher and joining the yakuza just to support her.
Yasuko finishes by saying Saejima gave her a reason to keep on living. Kiryu finishes his drink and gets ready to leave, but he tells Yasuko to stay at New Serena. If Saejima is the main support for her will to live, what will she do if she learns he's dead? He understands what it's like to lose so much, but her love for Saejima has clouded her vision and led her to doing some very bad things, so he needs her to stay here and calm her mind while he goes and finds Saejima. Yasuko reluctantly agrees, and Kiryu instructs Date to watch over her while he hits the streets to find some leads.
As Kiryu steps out into the streets, Date runs after him to tell him some things he couldn't say in front of Yasuko: word on the street is that Saejima and Majima have already linked up, with Majima using a massive show of force to keep the cops away from his brother. Kiryu asks Date if he knows where Majima is, as he needs to speak with him about not just Saejima but the other revelations about the Tojo Clan and the police. Date tells Kiryu to head to the Millennium Tower, but when Kiryu arrives he sees Majima has been arrested and is being led away by the cops. Kiryu calls out to Majima and asks what happened, with Majima telling Kiryu he got trapped and is getting hauled in for a little while. Kiryu asks who's responsible, and Majima says that Daigo is the one who ratted him out. As he's led to the police car, Majima warns Kiryu that it's all connected: the 1985 hit, the ten billion, Yasuko, everything, and if he doesn't do something soon it's all going to come crashing down and destroy the Tojo Clan.
Chapter 3: Encounter
Daigo is in his office with Munakata, who gets off the phone to inform Daigo that Majima has been arrested. Munataka thanks Daigo for his cooperation and asks if he's willing to go all in, with Arai watching over the proceedings. Daigo expresses disbelief that the Ueno Seiwa shooting and the 2005 yakuza war are all connected, but Munakata reassures him it's all true. He goes on to say that organized crime is an important cog in the machine of society, saying that the police and the yakuza worked together to help restore Japan after the Second World War (the police kept law and order while the yakuza drove out foreign threats). In a way, the yakuza and the police aren't so different, but these days the yakuza have lost their place in the shadows and have become more bold and open in their operations- it's time they went back to where they belong. All Daigo has to do is say the word, and Munakata will destroy the Ueno Seiwa though official means- the only thing he wants is for Daigo to promote Arai to Clan Captain, to act as liaison between the Tojo Clan and the police while also taking over direct operations. Daigo has one concern, that the Ueno Seiwa won't just roll over and accept the change, but all he gets from Munataka is a smirk.
Meanwhile in Purgatory, Saejima has been captured by Katsuragi and the Ueno Seiwa, though he took down dozens of yakuza in the process. Saejima demands to know why Katsuragi is here and what he wants from Saejima, but Katsuragi tells him that he still has a role to play- killing him would just be a waste. He reveals that he was the killer in 1985 and Saejima only damned himself, but doesn't reveal more as they'll have plenty of time to talk later. He needs Saejima and Yasuko for something big, and with them, the file, and all the money he just got from Sky Finance, he has no need for Munakata. Just then Katsuragi's new ally steps in, revealing himself to be Kido.
Back with Kiryu, he rushes back to New Serena to make sure Yasuko is safe. When he arrives, he finds Yasuko gone and Date knocked out on the floor. When Date comes to, he says that he blacked out shortly after he returned from talking with Kiryu outside. He does remember that Yasuko poured them some drinks, meaning it's possible she drugged him so she could slip out. Date apologizes for slipping up, but Kiryu tells him not to worry before he heads out to find Yasuko again. He spots her running in the street with two men he doesn't recognize, eventually following them to the sewers beneath Children's Park.
Tanimura and Akiyama lead Yasuko through the sewer when they hear Kiryu following. Tanimura hands Yasuko his pistol and tells her to go ahead, while he and Akiyama handle the "Ueno goon" following behind. Akiyama tells her that the tunnel will take her to Purgatory, where someone matching Saejima's description has been spotted. Yasuko reluctantly takes the pistol and wishes the two good luck, running off while Akiyama and Tanimura step out to confront Kiryu. Kiryu demands they step aside, but Tanimura and Akiyama refuse to budge before the three come to blows. Kiryu, though, is no mere mook and clobbers the two, running off to follow Yasuko while Tanimura and Akiyama recover. Kiryu arrives in Purgatory, only to find the Florist and his men beaten savagely. Akiyama and Tanimura arrive soon after, and the Florist tells them that Katsuragi and Kido took Yasuko.
Meanwhile in Purgatory, Saejima has been captured by Katsuragi and the Ueno Seiwa, though he took down dozens of yakuza in the process. Saejima demands to know why Katsuragi is here and what he wants from Saejima, but Katsuragi tells him that he still has a role to play- killing him would just be a waste. He reveals that he was the killer in 1985 and Saejima only damned himself, but doesn't reveal more as they'll have plenty of time to talk later. He needs Saejima and Yasuko for something big, and with them, the file, and all the money he just got from Sky Finance, he has no need for Munakata. Just then Katsuragi's new ally steps in, revealing himself to be Kido.
Back with Kiryu, he rushes back to New Serena to make sure Yasuko is safe. When he arrives, he finds Yasuko gone and Date knocked out on the floor. When Date comes to, he says that he blacked out shortly after he returned from talking with Kiryu outside. He does remember that Yasuko poured them some drinks, meaning it's possible she drugged him so she could slip out. Date apologizes for slipping up, but Kiryu tells him not to worry before he heads out to find Yasuko again. He spots her running in the street with two men he doesn't recognize, eventually following them to the sewers beneath Children's Park.
Tanimura and Akiyama lead Yasuko through the sewer when they hear Kiryu following. Tanimura hands Yasuko his pistol and tells her to go ahead, while he and Akiyama handle the "Ueno goon" following behind. Akiyama tells her that the tunnel will take her to Purgatory, where someone matching Saejima's description has been spotted. Yasuko reluctantly takes the pistol and wishes the two good luck, running off while Akiyama and Tanimura step out to confront Kiryu. Kiryu demands they step aside, but Tanimura and Akiyama refuse to budge before the three come to blows. Kiryu, though, is no mere mook and clobbers the two, running off to follow Yasuko while Tanimura and Akiyama recover. Kiryu arrives in Purgatory, only to find the Florist and his men beaten savagely. Akiyama and Tanimura arrive soon after, and the Florist tells them that Katsuragi and Kido took Yasuko.
Chapter 4: Chain of Betrayal
Date treats Tanimura in New Serena while Kiryu and Akiyama check Sky Finance. The two return and report the place is trashed, and they stole every last yen Akiyama had scraped together... all one hundred billion of it. Kiryu admits that even he was surprised Akiyama had that much, and Tanimura demands an explanation. Akiyama says he kept all his money in a vault in his office, and guesses Kido must have found it and stole it all. Tanimura wants to confirm they're talking about the same Kido, Arai's number two. As it turns out, Kido got into Akiyama's vault completely by accident nine days prior (the lock was hidden behind the legal books he had been messing with when Hana found him), and him finding it makes sense. He got hauled in by the Hatsushiba Family not long afterwards, which also didn't make much sense as Kido is a lot stronger and more skilled than he looks. Tanimura asks why he'd hide that, and Akiyama guesses it's just how Kanemura ran his outfit: no showy flashes of strength, just low level operations to keep themselves out of the spotlight should another big dustup tear through the city (which is why he asked Akiyama for a loan- his lack of action meant he wasn't expanding and making money, and thus was a liability to the Shibata Family).
Akiyama guesses Kido faked his kidnapping after getting into the vault, which he realized after noting a number of the books on his shelf were placed out of order. Date asks why he didn't just put his money in a bank, and Akiyama says he doesn't trust banks and couldn't find one with a decent rate of interest. He also says the robbers were probably the guys from the "DA", sent by Katsuragi once Kido tipped him off to the money's whereabouts. Akiyama admits he's kind of down, but no matter- he'll make that money back in no time. And as a bonus, he finally got to meet Kazuma Kiryu, the man who (indirectly) saved his life and got him off the streets... Come to think of it, that ten billion that got blown up was probably the same money that got Akiyama fired from his investment job in the first place, so it's become personal now. As Akiyama has a smoke, he muses that perhaps fate dragged the three together, a sentiment all men present agree on.
Date asks what their next plan is, guessing they plan to get Saejima and Yasuko back. Kiryu says that's a given, but Tanimura ask how they're going to do that: with Katsuragi flushed with cash, he's not exactly an easy target to hit. Kiryu says they have an ace in the hole, presenting the prison ledger Hamazaki stole. He tells them they can use it as leverage against both Munakata and Katsuragi, explaining to his allies what's in there and how he came upon it. All he needs to do is get in touch with Katsuragi, with Tanimura offering his phone since they have spoken with each other before. Kiryu calls Katsuragi and offers to trade the ledger of Yasuko and Saejima, with Katsuragi confirming Kiryu hasn't told Munakata about this. Katsuragi, though, won't just give up the two that easily, so he makes Kiryu a counter offer: solo the entire Ueno Seiwa Clan on his way up Kamurocho Hills, and Katsuragi will give him Yasuko, Saejima, and Akiyama's money. Kiryu agrees to the terms, and Katsuragi tells him he'll be expecting him at ten that night.
Kiryu tells the others of his plan. Tanimura and Date both think it's a bad idea, but Akiyama senses Kiryu won't be dissuaded and wishes him luck. Kiryu heads out to Kamurocho Hills, fighting his way through the Ueno Seiwa Clan to reach the roof. He finds Katsuragi there with Yasuko and Saejima bound and gagged, Katsuragi complimenting Kiryu on his strength. Kiryu produces the file and demands Katsuragi hand over the siblings and the money, with Kido arriving with the cash on an elevator after Katsuragi tells Kiryu to relax. He has Kido free Yasuko first, telling Kiryu he'll send her over first in exchange for the file. Once he's confirmed it's authentic, they'll leave Kiryu with Saejima and the money. Kiryu agrees, and Kido brings Yasuko over to him before taking the file. Yasuko apologizes to Kiryu for running away, but at least she got a chance to speak with her brother again. Just then Kido draws a gun and aims it at Kiryu and Yasuko, Katsuragi chiding them on their stupidity before ordering Kido to shoot them. Kido, though, turns around and unloads into Katsuragi, and as the Ueno Seiwa Captain asks why Kido reveals Arai hidden behind the money. Kido gives the file to Arai, who thanks Kido for his hard work before putting a bullet in his stomach.
As Kido is lowered away with the money, Arai introduces himself to Kiryu and tells him it's an honor to meet him. Kiryu says he has no right to be talking about honor after he just betrayed his sworn brother, and swears that Arai will never take the Tojo Clan. Arai tells Kiryu that he's too late to stop that, just like he's been too late to stop any other threats to the Tojo Clan. As Arai leaves, Yasuko rushes to Saejima and unties him, but Saejima immediately pounces on Katsuragi and rips open his coat, revealing Katsuragi was wearing a bulletproof vest the whole time. Katsuragi again taunts Saejima about how he never killed anyone and that Sasai wasted so much on a fool like him, while Saejima writes Katsuragi off as not worth killing. As Saejima walks away, Katsuragi pulls a gun and shoots him in the arm, but Yasuko jumps in the way before Katsuragi can land a killshot. Fatally wounded, Yasuko calmly walks over to Katsuragi, the yakuza panicking and firing wildly to try and finish her. He fails, and Yasuko draws Tanimura's pistol and puts a bullet in Katsuragi's head after thanking Saejima for all he's done for her and explaining that she's the only one here with blood on her hands, so it has to be here to finish this. Yasuko collapses after killing Katsuragi, and as Saejima rushes to her side she apologizes one last time before passing.
Akiyama guesses Kido faked his kidnapping after getting into the vault, which he realized after noting a number of the books on his shelf were placed out of order. Date asks why he didn't just put his money in a bank, and Akiyama says he doesn't trust banks and couldn't find one with a decent rate of interest. He also says the robbers were probably the guys from the "DA", sent by Katsuragi once Kido tipped him off to the money's whereabouts. Akiyama admits he's kind of down, but no matter- he'll make that money back in no time. And as a bonus, he finally got to meet Kazuma Kiryu, the man who (indirectly) saved his life and got him off the streets... Come to think of it, that ten billion that got blown up was probably the same money that got Akiyama fired from his investment job in the first place, so it's become personal now. As Akiyama has a smoke, he muses that perhaps fate dragged the three together, a sentiment all men present agree on.
Date asks what their next plan is, guessing they plan to get Saejima and Yasuko back. Kiryu says that's a given, but Tanimura ask how they're going to do that: with Katsuragi flushed with cash, he's not exactly an easy target to hit. Kiryu says they have an ace in the hole, presenting the prison ledger Hamazaki stole. He tells them they can use it as leverage against both Munakata and Katsuragi, explaining to his allies what's in there and how he came upon it. All he needs to do is get in touch with Katsuragi, with Tanimura offering his phone since they have spoken with each other before. Kiryu calls Katsuragi and offers to trade the ledger of Yasuko and Saejima, with Katsuragi confirming Kiryu hasn't told Munakata about this. Katsuragi, though, won't just give up the two that easily, so he makes Kiryu a counter offer: solo the entire Ueno Seiwa Clan on his way up Kamurocho Hills, and Katsuragi will give him Yasuko, Saejima, and Akiyama's money. Kiryu agrees to the terms, and Katsuragi tells him he'll be expecting him at ten that night.
Kiryu tells the others of his plan. Tanimura and Date both think it's a bad idea, but Akiyama senses Kiryu won't be dissuaded and wishes him luck. Kiryu heads out to Kamurocho Hills, fighting his way through the Ueno Seiwa Clan to reach the roof. He finds Katsuragi there with Yasuko and Saejima bound and gagged, Katsuragi complimenting Kiryu on his strength. Kiryu produces the file and demands Katsuragi hand over the siblings and the money, with Kido arriving with the cash on an elevator after Katsuragi tells Kiryu to relax. He has Kido free Yasuko first, telling Kiryu he'll send her over first in exchange for the file. Once he's confirmed it's authentic, they'll leave Kiryu with Saejima and the money. Kiryu agrees, and Kido brings Yasuko over to him before taking the file. Yasuko apologizes to Kiryu for running away, but at least she got a chance to speak with her brother again. Just then Kido draws a gun and aims it at Kiryu and Yasuko, Katsuragi chiding them on their stupidity before ordering Kido to shoot them. Kido, though, turns around and unloads into Katsuragi, and as the Ueno Seiwa Captain asks why Kido reveals Arai hidden behind the money. Kido gives the file to Arai, who thanks Kido for his hard work before putting a bullet in his stomach.
As Kido is lowered away with the money, Arai introduces himself to Kiryu and tells him it's an honor to meet him. Kiryu says he has no right to be talking about honor after he just betrayed his sworn brother, and swears that Arai will never take the Tojo Clan. Arai tells Kiryu that he's too late to stop that, just like he's been too late to stop any other threats to the Tojo Clan. As Arai leaves, Yasuko rushes to Saejima and unties him, but Saejima immediately pounces on Katsuragi and rips open his coat, revealing Katsuragi was wearing a bulletproof vest the whole time. Katsuragi again taunts Saejima about how he never killed anyone and that Sasai wasted so much on a fool like him, while Saejima writes Katsuragi off as not worth killing. As Saejima walks away, Katsuragi pulls a gun and shoots him in the arm, but Yasuko jumps in the way before Katsuragi can land a killshot. Fatally wounded, Yasuko calmly walks over to Katsuragi, the yakuza panicking and firing wildly to try and finish her. He fails, and Yasuko draws Tanimura's pistol and puts a bullet in Katsuragi's head after thanking Saejima for all he's done for her and explaining that she's the only one here with blood on her hands, so it has to be here to finish this. Yasuko collapses after killing Katsuragi, and as Saejima rushes to her side she apologizes one last time before passing.
Finale: Requiem
Arai delivers the file to Munakata, but the Commissioner isn't happy as Arai did not complete his mission. Arai apologizes, but ultimately it doesn't matter to Munakata; yes, Kido may have lived, but Kiryu destroyed the Ueno Seiwa Clan so Munakata can focus on getting the money. He has the file, yes, but Munakata asks why Arai didn't also bring the hundred billion yen as well- with his men assisting, it would have been a trivial task. Arai counters that Munakata never instructed him to recover the money, but Munakata calls it a rookie mistake to let billions in untraceable funds just slip by, billions they need if their plans are to work. Munakata asks if Arai knows where the money is, and he says that it's in Kiryu's hands. Munakata tells Arai they'll negotiate with Kiryu, ordering Arai to go to Okinawa and kidnap Haruka and the orphans to use as a bargaining chip against Kiryu, even offering Arai a gun for the job. Arai hesitates but ultimately takes the gun, but as Munakata turns away Arai aims the gun at the Commissioner and tells him as a yakuza and as a cop he's done taking orders from him. With that, Arai shoots Munakata.
At New Serena, Kiryu and Tanimura wait at the bar while Saejima and Akiyama mourn Yasuko (Akiyama having gone back to his office for some privacy). Date asks what their next plan is, and Tanimura says they can't just let things end like this, not for Saejima or Akiyama. Saejima gets up and heads for the door, telling Kiryu he's just going to get some fresh air. Just then Kiryu gets a phone call from Haruka, informing him that Hamazaki just died of his injuries. She asks if Hamazaki died protecting Kiryu, and when Kiryu says that appears to be the case she admits she wishes she had a chance to apologize for what she said. Haruka goes on to say that Hamazaki's dying words were for Kiryu to protect the Tojo Clan from the cops, as it was the last proof that men like him still existed. He also wished to pass that information along to Saejima, and Kiryu thanks Haruka for the information before telling her he'll be home soon so they can give Hamazaki a proper burial.
Kiryu goes up to the roof to speak with Saejima (which Akiyama notices while he's sulking in his office). Saejima tells Kiryu he doesn't care about revenge or bringing the corrupt police to justice, and Kiryu informs Saejima of Hamazaki's death and the circumstances of his passing, as well as his final wish. As Saejima contemplates this, Kiryu tells him he's finally realized that the lives of men like them are not their own- there's always some new problem, some new person they have to protect. For years Kiryu fought against that fact, but he's done fighting and has accepted that this is his life now. They have to see this through to the end, because there's so many people that are counting on them. Tanimura and Akiyama agree, joining Kiryu and Saejima on the roof as Akiyama says they all have unfinished business in this.
The four return to New Serena to plan their battle. Akiyama suggests they just take his money to the top of Millennium Tower and wait for their enemies to come to them. Date and Tanimura aren't sold on that, but Akiyama explains in detail: they don't know which of their enemies (Arai, Kido, Munataka, the Tojo) is really pulling the strings, so getting them all in one place may be just what they need to expose the truth. They'll bring the money up and then alert the parties that they're willing to bargain for a piece of the pie, with the idea the parties will tear each other apart when they collide. Once they know who the Big Bad is, the four of them will pounce and beat them down. Kiryu and Tnimura agree to the plan, and Akiyama tells them it'll take some time to get the money up to the Millennium Tower, so they can use the time to rest and prepare for the night. With the four in agreement, they split up for the day and return once the money is in place.
After a small funeral for Yasuko, the four march to the Millennium Tower to await their foes. Daigo is the first to arrive, followed by Arai who says he's not surprised considering Daigo has been directing Kido since the beginning. Kido arrives and confirms it, with Daigo asking how long he knew. Arai said he knew since Kido told him about Akiyama's money, telling Arai he wanted to fake giving it to Katsuragi and then investing it in Munakata's plan... or so he said. Arai never told Kido about his link to Munakata, so Daigo must have been the one to tell him. Daigo had Kido tell Katsuragi about the money, and Katsuragi (desperate now that Munakata had abandoned him) slipped up and took the bait, leading to his death. But Yasuko's death threw off Daigo's plan- if she lived, Saejima and Kiryu would have left Kamurocho as they no longer had a reason to fight. Arai let Kido live, knowing he'd run back to Daigo for aid.
Arai asks Daigo why he betrayed the Tojo Clan, turned his back on the ideals Kiryu and Kazama and others fought to preserve. Daigo tells Arai that the Tojo Clan is a shell of its former self, and without heroes like Kiryu around to support it the Clan is on the brink of collapse; Daigo had to cut a deal somewhere to get the money and power he needed to support the Clan. And Arai is not one to talk to him about betrayler, considering that he's been a whipping boy for the police for so long. Arai counters he's no whipping boy, revealing that he's actually an undercover cop and always has been, inserted into the Tojo Clan by Munakata to take over the yakuza. But that's in the past, and with Munakata dead and Daigo powerless Arai will seize the Tojo Clan and rebuild it and Kamurocho in his image.
Munakata, though, reveals himself to be very much alive, and he has a squad of special forces here to arrest Arai and Daigo. Arai asks how Munakata survived, and Munakata shoots Arai in the gut... with a rubber bullet, perfected from the ones used in the Ueno Seiwa hit in 1985, and just like the ones he had loaded in Arai's gun when he shot him. He berates the other three for their lack of finess before telling them that the special forces men are loyal to him, and they will execute the three and leave Munakata with the money. Before the special forces can do so, a helicoper arrives and scatters the money with its downdraft. Out step Akiyama, Tanimura, Saejima, and Kiryu, the four splitting up to pick their targets: Saejima to Kido, Kiryu to Daigo, Tanimura to Munakata, and Akiyama to Arai.
Akiyama is up first, telling Arai that he was surprised at how ambitious Arai really was. Ultimately, though, he can't preach justice while stealing other people's money. Arai says Akiyama is welcome to try and stop him before casting off his jacket, Akiyama saying he wished he'd seen that kind of ambition back when they first met. Arai charges at Akiyama, who throws him down to a lower level of the building before the two battle it out. Eventually, though, Akiyama emerges victorious.
Saejima approaches Kido, warning him that he's going to practice what he preaches and go all out on the kid. He goes down to a lower level and casts his jacket off, asking that Kido do the same. Kido complies, telling Saejima that he stuck true to what Saejima said, and when he saw the money he knew his chance at a break was then. Saejima and Kido square off, battling it out until Kido is defeated.
Kiryu and Daigo face off, Kiryu apologizing for dumping Daigo in the metaphorical deep end and letting him struggle. But he's done running now, and the two have a mutual Battle Strip. Daigo asks that if Kiryu were in his place, would he have worked to rebuild the Tojo without the money. Kiryu can't say for certain, and Daigo says he would return the Clan to Kiryu if he could, but his pride and standing as the Sixth Chairman is on the line and he cannot back down. Kiryu jumps to an observation deck and tells daigo to follow him, the Sixth Chairman obliging before leaping after Kiryu. The two fight it out, and Kiryu defeats Daigo after a drawn-out fight.
Finally, Tanimura corners Munakata. He tosses aside his badge and tells Munakata he quits, so he can really throw away the book and give Munakata the beating he deserves. Munakata summons his special forces men and tells Tanimura he'll die like a dog, which Tanimura laughs off. See, Kamurocho produces men like Kiryu, Saejima, and Akiyama- men who can tear apart whole yakuza clans to see justice through to the end. Munakata is out of touch with how Kamurocho works, and Tanimura is going to be nice and refresh his memory. Munakata orders is men to kill Tanimura, but Tanimura burst through the crowd and ultimately defeating them and the corrupt Commissioner.
Munakata tries to scramble away, but is cut of by the four heroes. He goes to a beaten Daigo and asks him to intervene, but Daigo says he shouldn't be surprised that he can't stand against Kiryu and that Munakata should make his peace. Munakata pins himself against a railing while Tanimura draws his pistol, and when Akiyama attempts to intervene Kiryu stops him to let things play out. Tanimura shoots around Munakata but doesn't kill him, and is soon joined by Arai who tells Munakata he must pay for his crimes- death would only be an escape. Instead Munakata will rot in the prisons he built, and Arai says he'll be joining him as he casts aside his pistol. He then thanks Tanimura for showing him how corrupt the police had grown, and is proud to pass the torch on to a man like Tanimura.
Munakata, though, begins to laugh. He's the second highest ranking officer in Tokyo- there's no way their trumped up charges will stick. And even if they did, would they want all of Japan to fall into chaos due to the scandal? And there's no point in killing him either, as that would land them all in prison for the rest of their lives. He continues to laugh that their plan fell apart at the very last moment, but Akiyama asks if he wants to see something really funny before calling in Date and Sudo, who arrive via police helicopter. Date begins to throw newspapers out the door, all of which have a front-page story highlighting Munakata's crimes. Akiyama tells Munakata that they slipped a copy of the file to Date for him to copy, and now everyone knows the truth of what really happened. Munakata dives for Arai's discarded gun and shoots Akiyama, with Tanimura stepping up and arresting him while the others rush to Akiyama. By some stroke of luck, the bullet struck a thick stack of yen Akiyama had in his pocket, and while stunned the moneylender is otherwise unharmed. While the heroes relax, Munakata makes another dive for the gun and shoots himself dead.
Two weeks later, a pretty woman arrives at Sky Finance while Tanimura waits outside in a car. She goes up to the office and finds Akiyama asleep on the couch, and as Akiyama tries to clean up he realizes its Hana (having lost a tremendous ammount of weight during her time away). She asks if she could have her old job back, and prepares herself for a kiss from Akiyama... before he decides to make her bento instead. Seeing that her boss hasn't changed much, the two resume their usual bickering as Hana takes full stock of the wreck Akiyama's left the office in. On the roof, Kiryu and Date are talking about his recent move to rejoin the police. Tanimura yells up to Date that they're going to be late, and Kiryu tells Date that he'll see him around someday soon.
Before he heads back to Okinawa, though, Kiryu goes to Tojo Clan headquarters. Shortly after he arrives Saejima follows him in, Kiryu trusting him to help protect the Clan going forward. Saejima agrees, and the two go to meet Daigo and Majima for Saejima's return to the ranks and the founding of the Saejima Family.
The End
At New Serena, Kiryu and Tanimura wait at the bar while Saejima and Akiyama mourn Yasuko (Akiyama having gone back to his office for some privacy). Date asks what their next plan is, and Tanimura says they can't just let things end like this, not for Saejima or Akiyama. Saejima gets up and heads for the door, telling Kiryu he's just going to get some fresh air. Just then Kiryu gets a phone call from Haruka, informing him that Hamazaki just died of his injuries. She asks if Hamazaki died protecting Kiryu, and when Kiryu says that appears to be the case she admits she wishes she had a chance to apologize for what she said. Haruka goes on to say that Hamazaki's dying words were for Kiryu to protect the Tojo Clan from the cops, as it was the last proof that men like him still existed. He also wished to pass that information along to Saejima, and Kiryu thanks Haruka for the information before telling her he'll be home soon so they can give Hamazaki a proper burial.
Kiryu goes up to the roof to speak with Saejima (which Akiyama notices while he's sulking in his office). Saejima tells Kiryu he doesn't care about revenge or bringing the corrupt police to justice, and Kiryu informs Saejima of Hamazaki's death and the circumstances of his passing, as well as his final wish. As Saejima contemplates this, Kiryu tells him he's finally realized that the lives of men like them are not their own- there's always some new problem, some new person they have to protect. For years Kiryu fought against that fact, but he's done fighting and has accepted that this is his life now. They have to see this through to the end, because there's so many people that are counting on them. Tanimura and Akiyama agree, joining Kiryu and Saejima on the roof as Akiyama says they all have unfinished business in this.
The four return to New Serena to plan their battle. Akiyama suggests they just take his money to the top of Millennium Tower and wait for their enemies to come to them. Date and Tanimura aren't sold on that, but Akiyama explains in detail: they don't know which of their enemies (Arai, Kido, Munataka, the Tojo) is really pulling the strings, so getting them all in one place may be just what they need to expose the truth. They'll bring the money up and then alert the parties that they're willing to bargain for a piece of the pie, with the idea the parties will tear each other apart when they collide. Once they know who the Big Bad is, the four of them will pounce and beat them down. Kiryu and Tnimura agree to the plan, and Akiyama tells them it'll take some time to get the money up to the Millennium Tower, so they can use the time to rest and prepare for the night. With the four in agreement, they split up for the day and return once the money is in place.
After a small funeral for Yasuko, the four march to the Millennium Tower to await their foes. Daigo is the first to arrive, followed by Arai who says he's not surprised considering Daigo has been directing Kido since the beginning. Kido arrives and confirms it, with Daigo asking how long he knew. Arai said he knew since Kido told him about Akiyama's money, telling Arai he wanted to fake giving it to Katsuragi and then investing it in Munakata's plan... or so he said. Arai never told Kido about his link to Munakata, so Daigo must have been the one to tell him. Daigo had Kido tell Katsuragi about the money, and Katsuragi (desperate now that Munakata had abandoned him) slipped up and took the bait, leading to his death. But Yasuko's death threw off Daigo's plan- if she lived, Saejima and Kiryu would have left Kamurocho as they no longer had a reason to fight. Arai let Kido live, knowing he'd run back to Daigo for aid.
Arai asks Daigo why he betrayed the Tojo Clan, turned his back on the ideals Kiryu and Kazama and others fought to preserve. Daigo tells Arai that the Tojo Clan is a shell of its former self, and without heroes like Kiryu around to support it the Clan is on the brink of collapse; Daigo had to cut a deal somewhere to get the money and power he needed to support the Clan. And Arai is not one to talk to him about betrayler, considering that he's been a whipping boy for the police for so long. Arai counters he's no whipping boy, revealing that he's actually an undercover cop and always has been, inserted into the Tojo Clan by Munakata to take over the yakuza. But that's in the past, and with Munakata dead and Daigo powerless Arai will seize the Tojo Clan and rebuild it and Kamurocho in his image.
Munakata, though, reveals himself to be very much alive, and he has a squad of special forces here to arrest Arai and Daigo. Arai asks how Munakata survived, and Munakata shoots Arai in the gut... with a rubber bullet, perfected from the ones used in the Ueno Seiwa hit in 1985, and just like the ones he had loaded in Arai's gun when he shot him. He berates the other three for their lack of finess before telling them that the special forces men are loyal to him, and they will execute the three and leave Munakata with the money. Before the special forces can do so, a helicoper arrives and scatters the money with its downdraft. Out step Akiyama, Tanimura, Saejima, and Kiryu, the four splitting up to pick their targets: Saejima to Kido, Kiryu to Daigo, Tanimura to Munakata, and Akiyama to Arai.
Akiyama is up first, telling Arai that he was surprised at how ambitious Arai really was. Ultimately, though, he can't preach justice while stealing other people's money. Arai says Akiyama is welcome to try and stop him before casting off his jacket, Akiyama saying he wished he'd seen that kind of ambition back when they first met. Arai charges at Akiyama, who throws him down to a lower level of the building before the two battle it out. Eventually, though, Akiyama emerges victorious.
Saejima approaches Kido, warning him that he's going to practice what he preaches and go all out on the kid. He goes down to a lower level and casts his jacket off, asking that Kido do the same. Kido complies, telling Saejima that he stuck true to what Saejima said, and when he saw the money he knew his chance at a break was then. Saejima and Kido square off, battling it out until Kido is defeated.
Kiryu and Daigo face off, Kiryu apologizing for dumping Daigo in the metaphorical deep end and letting him struggle. But he's done running now, and the two have a mutual Battle Strip. Daigo asks that if Kiryu were in his place, would he have worked to rebuild the Tojo without the money. Kiryu can't say for certain, and Daigo says he would return the Clan to Kiryu if he could, but his pride and standing as the Sixth Chairman is on the line and he cannot back down. Kiryu jumps to an observation deck and tells daigo to follow him, the Sixth Chairman obliging before leaping after Kiryu. The two fight it out, and Kiryu defeats Daigo after a drawn-out fight.
Finally, Tanimura corners Munakata. He tosses aside his badge and tells Munakata he quits, so he can really throw away the book and give Munakata the beating he deserves. Munakata summons his special forces men and tells Tanimura he'll die like a dog, which Tanimura laughs off. See, Kamurocho produces men like Kiryu, Saejima, and Akiyama- men who can tear apart whole yakuza clans to see justice through to the end. Munakata is out of touch with how Kamurocho works, and Tanimura is going to be nice and refresh his memory. Munakata orders is men to kill Tanimura, but Tanimura burst through the crowd and ultimately defeating them and the corrupt Commissioner.
Munakata tries to scramble away, but is cut of by the four heroes. He goes to a beaten Daigo and asks him to intervene, but Daigo says he shouldn't be surprised that he can't stand against Kiryu and that Munakata should make his peace. Munakata pins himself against a railing while Tanimura draws his pistol, and when Akiyama attempts to intervene Kiryu stops him to let things play out. Tanimura shoots around Munakata but doesn't kill him, and is soon joined by Arai who tells Munakata he must pay for his crimes- death would only be an escape. Instead Munakata will rot in the prisons he built, and Arai says he'll be joining him as he casts aside his pistol. He then thanks Tanimura for showing him how corrupt the police had grown, and is proud to pass the torch on to a man like Tanimura.
Munakata, though, begins to laugh. He's the second highest ranking officer in Tokyo- there's no way their trumped up charges will stick. And even if they did, would they want all of Japan to fall into chaos due to the scandal? And there's no point in killing him either, as that would land them all in prison for the rest of their lives. He continues to laugh that their plan fell apart at the very last moment, but Akiyama asks if he wants to see something really funny before calling in Date and Sudo, who arrive via police helicopter. Date begins to throw newspapers out the door, all of which have a front-page story highlighting Munakata's crimes. Akiyama tells Munakata that they slipped a copy of the file to Date for him to copy, and now everyone knows the truth of what really happened. Munakata dives for Arai's discarded gun and shoots Akiyama, with Tanimura stepping up and arresting him while the others rush to Akiyama. By some stroke of luck, the bullet struck a thick stack of yen Akiyama had in his pocket, and while stunned the moneylender is otherwise unharmed. While the heroes relax, Munakata makes another dive for the gun and shoots himself dead.
Two weeks later, a pretty woman arrives at Sky Finance while Tanimura waits outside in a car. She goes up to the office and finds Akiyama asleep on the couch, and as Akiyama tries to clean up he realizes its Hana (having lost a tremendous ammount of weight during her time away). She asks if she could have her old job back, and prepares herself for a kiss from Akiyama... before he decides to make her bento instead. Seeing that her boss hasn't changed much, the two resume their usual bickering as Hana takes full stock of the wreck Akiyama's left the office in. On the roof, Kiryu and Date are talking about his recent move to rejoin the police. Tanimura yells up to Date that they're going to be late, and Kiryu tells Date that he'll see him around someday soon.
Before he heads back to Okinawa, though, Kiryu goes to Tojo Clan headquarters. Shortly after he arrives Saejima follows him in, Kiryu trusting him to help protect the Clan going forward. Saejima agrees, and the two go to meet Daigo and Majima for Saejima's return to the ranks and the founding of the Saejima Family.
The End
