01x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

You'll find

NOZOMI YAMADA

happiness.

Mom!

-Letting Ms. Miku stay here?

-Wakanaen also helped you

when you were young, right?

Everyone has their own secrets.

I welcome you!

We all live with secrets

throughout our lives.

They lurk in darkness,

waiting to be unveiled.

Is Ms. Miku not eating with us?

She's not part of our family,

so she may feel

more comfortable eating alone.

But wouldn't she feel lonely?

We're giving her food and shelter.

She should be well content.

How delicious!

MIKU YAMADA

SKY CASTLE

Mom

I finally got into this house.

And the secrets

will eventually be the cause of disaster.

-Here you go.

-Thank you.

Sorry, Miku.

I need to talk to Aoba,

so could you bring my portion for me?

What?

Oh, don't forget my tea too.

Don't worry. Miku and I are

getting along well at my place.

That's great to hear.

-You and Miku?

-Living together?

She has no relatives, so we took her in.

Aoba's family is taking care

of her expenses too.

Yeah.

So, you're saying

both of your families

are taking care of Miku?

That's right.

But I feel a little bad for her.

Her outfits are so lame she's sticking out

like a sore thumb in Sky Castle.

Hey. She's here.

Say something when you arrive.

Come on, let's eat.

-I got a perfect score in English too.

-You deserve a treat!

But I couldn't have done it

without the help of Big Sister Miku.

You're right.

Ms. Miku should be the one having a treat.

Not at all.

I'm already grateful

that I'm able to stay here.

You're really humble.

You must have got this from your mom.

It's time to leave, dear.

We're having dinner with your mom.

We can't be late.

-Okay.

-Ruri, hurry up!

-See you later.

-Coming!

Wait for me!

SKY CASTLE

I wanted to let you live

in a wonderful place like this.

Why did the Asamis take Ms. Miku in

despite her background?

I suspect Ms. Miku

already knows who her dad is.

That is all the more reason that

the Asamis need to warmly welcome her.

The more the Asamis are defiant,

the stronger Ms. Miku's grudge will be.

If Ms. Ruri were to be affected by this,

her entrance exams would be affected too.

This time, we're dealing with sigma k+1.

It's easy to lose points here

if you're not careful.

I'll keep that in mind.

MAY'S SCHOLASTIC TEST RESULTS

NUMBER 1 - RURI ASAMI - 496 POINTS

NUMBER 2 - SHO NIKAIDO - 493 POINTS

NUMBER 3 - MIKU YAMADA

How did I lose?

There's no way

a freeloader like you can win.

NUMBER 1 - RURI ASAMI

It's not your fault.

Forget about Ruri. Look at Sho.

Second? You're amazing!

I'm ranked 14th.

Looks like I ate your dust.

Well, I have to give credit

to the mock questions.

Mock questions?

Yeah.

My dad received

the mock questions from Ruri's tutor.

About 90% of the questions

came up in the test.

Share them with me next time!

Don't tell your dad, okay?

She was the top scorer

on this month's scholastic test

and became the student council president.

-Thank you.

-And one more thing.

Volunteer activities are also

an area of evaluation.

What are your plans?

My mother-in-law runs

a rehabilitation center. I'm thinking

she can volunteer there, and then we can

ask my mother-in-law to submit a report.

Very well. Allow me to accompany to ensure

-contents of the report are appropriate.

-Okay.

Please bring along Ms. Miku.

Her rival, Ms. Miku?

I would like to see with my own eyes

just what kind

of influence she has on Ms. Ruri.

Understood.

He was a kind

and wonderful person.

You loved him, didn't you?

Ranking second place is impressive!

But that's only because the mock questions

happened to come out in the test.

He couldn't have done it if

he wasn't intelligent in the first place.

-You should be more proud of it.

-She's right.

If I were you, I'd be making red rice.

Hmm?

Is she writing her novel?

KYOKO NIKAIDO - MISAKI NATSUME

She's making

her presence known again there.

Mrs. Izumi.

We've asked you

not to write countless times.

What are you thinking?

IZUMI MINAMISAWA

Whether I write or not,

it's up to me to decide.

Ms. Kujo, the tutor whom you hired,

supports my move.

Ms. Kujo did what?

Yes, I told her

I look forward to reading her novel.

Why did such a tragedy

befall the Saejima family?

Thinking of how

she'll write that into a novel

got me intrigued.

That's a problem!

If such a novel were to be published

and Sky Castle attracts

the eyes of curious onlookers,

Ruri's exam performance will be affected.

The recommendation process

ends in October.

Ms. Ruri would have already completed

her exams before the novel is finished.

So, you're not going to do

what your student's parent asks of you?

That is not the job of an exam tutor.

If you so insist,

please feel free to stop her yourself.

Sorry to interrupt.

I've found where Mr. Tetsuto Saejima is.

And the letter I entrusted to you?

He should have received it by now.

I too am stuck in a sea of grief

like you are, Mr. Saejima.

TO MR. TETSUTO SAEJIMA

When I think of your wife,

my heart still aches,

as I could not save Haruto

who was suffering from his own problems.

As his exam tutor,

I express my deepest regret.

YOURS SINCERELY

My dad beats me when my grades go down.

He would tell me to go k*ll myself.

My mom pretends not to see it

and just forces me to study.

This house is hellish.

My parents should just die.

-A novel?

-About the tragedy of the Saejima family?

That's going to cause trouble, isn't it?

Of course.

That's right, a novel!

-She can't be serious!

-Can't she be stopped?

-A novel?

-About Sky Castle?

Yes! Let's do something about it.

I definitely don't approve.

What are you doing, dear?

-I'm collecting signatures.

-What for?

It's a petition

to stop Mrs. Izumi from writing.

He's helping us manage the campaign.

As the head of neighborhood council,

I have to do something for the people.

You too, Mrs. Kyoko.

I'll pass.

-What?

-Are you objecting to what I do again?

There's a part of me that resonates

with what Mrs. Izumi is doing.

Are you siding

with that impertinent novelist?

KOHEI MINAMISAWA

Seems like things have taken quite a turn.

Next Sunday,

I'll be holding a residents' meeting

regarding the writing of your novel.

A residents' meeting?

I did not stutter.

I would love for Mrs. Izumi

to attend as this is related to you.

95% of Sky Castle residents

over the age of 18 have signed a petition

opposing the writing of the novel.

Why are all of you so wary about the work

of an unknown author like my wife?

The point is that

she is lacking consideration

for Mr. Tetsuto Saejima

and his son Haruto,

who are in the midst of grief

over the loss of Mrs. Kaori.

I've made an appointment

with Mr. Tetsuto Saejima

to seek his understanding.

You're going that far?

You're acting like

those wicked journalists.

If your novel exposes

the scandal to the public,

it's going to devalue

Sky Castle's brand equity!

Do you have any idea

what impact this will have on our kids?

To protect our children,

don't you think you should stop writing?

It's actually the exact opposite.

I believe that writing novels

is the way to protect them.

Mrs. Kaori Saejima's suicide

and her son's rejection of the

school's offer are likely closely related.

Perhaps

his parents' excessive expectations

are what caused Haruto to suffer.

I feel the same too.

Like the Saejima family,

many of the residents here

spend a fortune

on their children's education

and impose their ideals on them.

A child's life and future

should be decided by them, not us.

Yet, the parents' ideals

-Their desires are cornering the kids.

-Your opinion is not needed.

We're asking for Mrs. Izumi's opinion.

Those are my exact sentiments.

In the past, a student of mine

crumbled under the pressure of her parents

and ended her life.

I want to protect kids

from such tragedies.

My wife recommended me one of your novels.

The theme of that

was educational disparity,

depicting the realities of orphanages.

For your current novel,

do you plan to depict

the disparity as well?

Yes, I'd like to raise that issue.

In that case, wouldn't we,

the residents of Sky Castle,

be portrayed in a critical light?

Why wouldn't we? You're criticizing

our educational policies

for cornering our kids.

Even if they were to be portrayed as such,

if it could bridge educational disparities

between the rich and poor

Please mind your own business.

For the future of our kids,

what's wrong with parents

being passionate about education?

A mom lives 24 hours a day

thinking about her kids!

You've never even

had a kid yourself. Don't act big.

Even so, I'm still a mom!

I have a precious son!

That son of yours is enjoying

a lavish life in this town, right?

That's because

you worked hard for him

to achieve that. We do too.

Why should we be criticized

for the sake of the poor?

Exactly.

Could you stop playing

"friend of the poor"

just so that you can make a name

for yourself as a novelist?

Are you going to disregard the poor

with such absurd logic?

I know

just how much the kids

in Wakanaen, an institution

my family runs, are suffering!

You spent time at the institution,

so you know that better than anyone!

Could you stop playing

"friend of the poor"

just so that you can make a name

for yourself as a novelist?

Are you going to disregard the poor

with such absurd logic?

I know

just how much the kids

in Wakanaen, an institution

my family runs, are suffering!

You spent time at the institution,

so you know that better than anyone!

When you were at Wakanaen, Yoko,

you cried because you couldn't pay

to go to cram school.

Yoko?

She lived at the institution?

Could it be that Mrs. Sae

I'm sorry.

I lost my cool and

What are you saying?

Mrs. Sae graduated

from Harvard University,

and her parents are surgeons in the US.

That's right.

-She was mistaken before too.

-Stop talking nonsense!

I couldn't care less.

Mrs. Sae, I didn't mean to

Whatever you say now, it's too late.

Mrs. Izumi is right.

I was raised in the institution.

I worked hard,

overcoming the adversities there,

and I was able to live here.

It was not my fault but my parents' fault

that I came to live there

in the first place.

It's all because my dad

Enough.

Why did you have to say

you were from the institution?

And in front of all our neighbors.

You almost spoke about your dad too.

Were you going to tell everyone

that your dad

was a criminal who stole and swindled?

Lower your voice!

If the kids hear

Ruri!

Ruri!

You've been deceiving me all this time?

Every birthday,

I received a present

from Papa and Nana in the US.

Was that all a lie?

I can explain, Ruri.

I've

suffered plenty because of my dad.

I didn't want you and Maju

to experience what I went through,

so I had to keep the act up.

Going to high school was

a dream I wasn't able to fulfill.

I didn't want you girls

to go through that,

so I provided you

with the best educational environment.

I'm trying

my hardest

to make you girls happy.

Please understand my efforts.

You keep telling me

that my good grades

are due to my superior genes.

But my mom's a liar,

-and her father is a criminal!

-Stop.

But your dad and his mom are not.

It's going to be okay.

My past is not going

to change anything.

Ruri, you are still the top scorer,

and your dad is still

an elite surgeon at Teito Hospital.

Life is still the same.

Nothing will change.

Leave me alone!

Get out of my room already!

Ruri!

I'm going to live here one day.

But you can't live in a fantasy world.

But you're amazing.

To think you really made it to Sky Castle.

Dad!

Wait!

Could it be

she's the daughter of a criminal?

Yoko lied to us.

Even liars get angry?

But my mom's a liar,

and her father is a criminal!

My, it's the liar.

Still, it's unbelievable.

She said she lived in an institution?

I got goosebumps hearing it.

You've been deceiving us

for over ten years.

I was so proud to be your friend,

and I bragged about it all the time.

I feel like a fool!

I don't think she has to go that far.

Everyone here

overreaches to dress up

and conceal their misfortunes.

It's not just you.

I'm the same too.

Are you trying to defend me?

Mind your own business.

You don't have to be so down.

Even if your parents are liars,

you're far better off than me.

Don't worry.

I owe you a debt of gratitude,

so I won't tell anyone.

CROQUETTE SET C - YAKINIKU SET A

Could you bring my portion for me?

Oh, don't forget my tea.

How could you bring disgrace on Hideyo?

That's not what you promised!

Wasn't the secret safe with you?

Is Ruri okay?

If she fails her entrance exam

because of this,

I'll hate you for life!

When that happens, I'll have Hideyo

divorce you, and I mean it.

To prevent that,

I'll need your cooperation

for her volunteer work on Sunday, please!

You had it rough that day.

No matter what her past may be, Mrs. Sae

is an amazing wife, and that is a fact.

I want to be as ambitious as her.

Our family will still maintain

a good relationship with yours.

Thank you.

I heard your conversation.

What a great friend to have.

You're not very perceptive, are you?

He was mocking me.

I can see

the look of scorn behind his eyes.

You're thinking too much.

That's what I think.

My respect for you and Mrs. Sae

is still the same.

No need to force yourself.

It's just going to make me feel worse.

Hey

Wait

Please don't get me involved in that mess.

Don't forget I'm the one who made you

chief of neurosurgery department.

I don't recall asking you

to make me chief!

TAKASHI OKOCHI

It's an important mission

for the hospital.

-That has nothing to do with me.

-It does!

I found out the real reason why

the director scouted for Chief Minamisawa.

It was to cover up his scandal.

-What scandal?

-Our cutting-edge medical devices'

clinical trial data is suspected of being

falsified, and the Ministry of Health,

Labor, and Welfare is

about to launch an investigation.

The director was trying

to cover up the fraud with the help

of Parliamentary Secretary Higashibara,

who had been supporting

Dr. Minamisawa's activities.

However, Dr. Minamisawa refuses to

be involved, saying that the allegations

must be duly investigated,

which is straining

the relationship between the two.

In other words, this is an opportunity!

Oh, sorry.

I'm sorry.

If we introduce Parliamentary Secretary

Higashibara to the director,

then Mr. Asami could take back

the director's position,

-and we too could be reinstated.

-But

I don't have any connection

with Mr. Higashibara.

His classmate

from elementary and junior high is

actually Dr. Nikaido.

-You did your research well.

-I did.

Even now,

we still keep in touch with each other.

That's awesome!

Dr. Nikaido,

to save Teito Hospital,

could you introduce us

to Parliamentary Secretary Higashibara?

Do you feel the same too, Mr. Asami?

Please do.

Then, I have one request.

Look what I got my hands on!

It's the mock questions

for June's scholastic test.

Not again.

They agreed

to continue providing me with them.

Even if they're accurate, the scores

don't reflect Sho's true ability.

He will change

if he maintains his academic rank.

His success is going to motivate him

to work hard so his rank does not drop.

When I gave you

this pyramid

for your birthday,

do you remember what I said?

Do you remember?

Aim for the top.

That's right. Aim for the top, Sho!

Doing so will change

your view of the world.

The pyramid is a symbol of society.

Between a life

where you crawl at the bottom

and a life where you shine at the top,

which will you choose?

The answer is clear, isn't it?

Please don't impose those values on Sho.

You grew up in the upper echelons of

the pyramid without a care in the world.

I

would love for Sho

to be at the top of Teito Hospital.

But if I fail the entrance exam,

it's all for naught anyway.

-I have a foolproof plan.

-What?

Well

I've got a hold on that old dunce!

Isn't this great!

Mrs. Izumi.

You're writing.

I've made a terrible gaffe.

I need to apologize to Mrs. Sae

But

thank you for standing up for me.

The theme of your novel

is essentially our family's problems.

The father's expectations

are causing the child to suffer.

So, please don't give in.

Don't worry.

I'm not going to falter that easily.

I hope you stay strong too.

Yes. I'm going to do my best.

ASAMI REHABILITATION CENTER

-You're hurting me.

-Oh, I'm sorry.

Who's that girl?

That's Ms. Miku. We took her in.

She's staying with you?

The poor girl lost her immediate family,

so Hideyo decided to take her in,

at least until the entrance exams

are over.

If this was to affect

Ruri's entrance exam performance

This was also the recommendation

of the exam tutor

whose students have a 100% passing rate.

You're letting an exam tutor

meddle with your private life?

I'm leaving everything in Ms. Kujo hands.

Do you know what you're saying?

Exam tutors are like reference books.

They're disposable once exams are over.

You should distance yourself from her.

"At that moment,

the blue bird flapped its wings,

and it flew away into the sky."

-"Hey, big brother!"

-"It's okay."

"Blue birds are everywhere."

"Everyone who sent the bird off

was filled with smiles and happiness."

The end.

Thank you!

Thank you!

I'm Kujo.

It's a pleasure to be here.

I expected nothing less of a welfare

facility run by a former director's wife.

It was a very meaningful

volunteer experience.

Thank you for coming.

I'm glad Ms. Miku is

also a very kind and attentive girl.

Yes.

Ruri, you worked hard.

-Ms. Kujo, thank you for coming.

-Ms. Ruri, you did great.

You're Ruri's grandma, right?

Thank you for offering me

this wonderful opportunity.

You're Ms. Miku, is that right?

Yes.

The Asami family

has been taking care of me.

Mr. Asami must have lent

a helping hand to me

because he has

a charitable mother like you.

You don't have to be so formal.

Is something wrong?

You have beautiful nails.

I envy you, Ruri.

I wish I had

a wonderful grandmother like you.

Oh

You're welcome to visit anytime, okay?

Are you Mr. Tetsuto Saejima?

I'm Izumi Minamisawa.

I'm pleased to make your acquaintance.

You're the first ever visitor.

Two months have passed since that tragedy.

What are your current thoughts

on your wife?

It was my fault.

I thought the things I did

were for Haruto's sake.

To make him a doctor,

I forced him to study

and would beat him.

I'm the one

who drove Haruto into a corner.

Mrs. Minamisawa,

do you think you can change

the world with your novels?

Do you expect readers

to empathize with our pain

and change how they think?

I'd like to believe

they could reduce such tragedies,

even just a little bit.

It's a futile effort.

I had seen newspaper articles about a mom

who committed suicide

during her kid's exam period.

At that time,

I blamed the mom for being

so irresponsible to commit suicide,

leaving her child behind.

I was even mad

at the husband and kids, wondering why

they had failed to notice it.

In the end, I dismissed it as something

that had nothing to do with me.

We humans

unless we experience something ourselves,

we can't understand another's pain.

But there must also be readers

who can empathize.

-I want to prevent another tragedy.

-Even so!

When this gets out,

I'm sure some may blame me and Haruto.

How will Haruto feel about that?

Burdened with the grief

and responsibility of losing his mom,

he has yet to come and see me

and is probably still trembling somewhere.

I can't let him take the blame.

At the very least

I just want to protect my son.

Even if you write a novel,

Haruto and I will only be subjected

to a barrage of criticisms.

Am I doing something unnecessary?

Maybe I was being presumptuous.

So, Mrs. Izumi gave up

on writing the novel?

There's one more thing.

The sham of Ms. Ruri's mom

has been exposed in Sky Castle.

A sham you say?

They found out

she lived in the institution.

Now I know why you can't concentrate.

Your mom's true image

is different

from what you believed it was.

Your mom has been lying to you

ever since you were born.

That must really take a toll on you.

And yet

you're earnestly trying your best.

I'm proud of you.

I

just can't believe in anything anymore.

Don't worry.

I'm with you.

I won't lie to you.

Trust and follow my guidance.

Ms. Kujo,

you're the only one I can rely on.

Please show me the way.

Those who live in hope

die in despair.

Ruri's late, isn't she?

It's all Sis' favorites again.

You need to understand that she's taking

her entrance exam soon. It's not easy.

AYAKO KUJO

Ms. Kujo, did something happen?

Ms. Ruri is saying

she doesn't want to go home.

She doesn't want to come home?

She seems to be terribly distressed.

She seems to not want to see you too.

She'll be staying the night at my place.

Broken hearts

seek salvation.

I used to be on bad terms with my mom.

But if you become independent,

you will be free.

From now on,

you don't have to obey what your mom says.

Parents are the ones

who should be disposable.

Just like that,

salvation, along with malice,

creep into the crevices of their hearts.

The only person I can trust is Ms. Kujo!

Don't you think

the reason lies within you?

I'm with you.

Why would Ms. Kujo go

to such lengths for Mrs. Izumi?

SKY CASTLE

Don't tell me

THE SHOCKING TRUTH THAT WAS DISCOVERED