01x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

I talked to my mom

for the first time in a while.

I finally told her I got moved

to Sengoku Weekly's Incident Team.

So then, she told me to quit.

But you wouldn't quit, right?

I had a hard time keeping up

with all the work I was tasked to do,

so I briefly considered it.

That's how it is at first.

What do I need to do

to get to do my own work?

That reminds me,

when you were at your old department,

weren't you excited

when you got an interview in?

It was the first feature I got to lead.

Why don't you set up an interview

for the Sengoku Weekly?

I never considered that.

You're right…

An interview for the Sengoku Weekly.

Sounds good.

Maybe write up a few general questions.

Sometimes a big name will accept

for some reason.

I will!

I have experience

with interview questions.

But it can't be just anyone.

I mean, you'll have to use

your own judgment,

even if someone agrees to it,

it'll get scrapped if the Desk

isn't interested.

Then you're screwed.

Why?

You won't hear the end of it

at the pitch meeting.

He'll call it tiny or tepid.

- Or "It's bland."

- Or "Rejected!"

- Or "You think this is good?"

- "Worth less than toilet paper."

I'll try to find someone good then.

WRITE SOME QUESTIONS

Sorry.

Good luck.

Yes?

This might be pretty tough.

HIMAWARI MINATO

DAIGO IWAKURA

The only people I actually want to meet

tend to be decent people.

But I know that makes for a weak

interview for the Sengoku Weekly.

Come in.

You wanted to see me?

Oh, it smells good.

Have you had lunch?

Not yet.

You can have all this.

Really?

Is this an experiment?

Not at all.

I have a favor to ask you.

Help me while you eat?

I see.

That is a tough one.

I managed to come up with five people.

Let me run through them.

Okay.

A second-generation councilperson

who is not meshing with her supporters.

It's a little too niche to be interesting.

Next please.

A department store manager

being accused of harassment.

I don't need an interview

to get the picture.

Next.

An insider from a movie

with a suddenly replaced lead actor.

That's a common occurrence.

In this case, you'd need to

interview more than one person.

And the actor in question is important.

An amateur manga writer

caught evading taxes.

Being an amateur author instead of

a vetaran could be a good angle,

but I doubt it would work.

An idol singer whose younger sister

became more popular.

That will just sound like

some sibling quarrel.

Is that all?

I don't know.

You should first research

what Kitahama Desk is interested in,

and base your pick on that.

Taking a shot in the dark

is just a waste of time.

If you're tired of playing support,

you need to fundamentally

change the way you think.

Wait a second.

That's way too harsh.

I just channeled Kitahama Desk in my head.

Maybe wipe the mayo off your face first.

Other side.

Also, could you not eat

while you criticize me?

You said I could eat while we do it.

Come in.

There you are.

- Good work.

- Hey.

It stinks.

- Is now a good time?

- Sure.

You did an interview feature

at your old post,

with the actor Kosuke Suenaga.

Yes, I did. About him leaving his troupe.

Apparently he suddenly

pulled out of a play.

Huh?

There were rumors of various forms

of harassment and mental instability,

he must have caused another scandal

to get forced out.

Can you find out what happened?

His reason for leaving the play?

Yes, understood.

Looking forward to it.

Goodbye.

ONE YEAR AGO

AT THE PR ZINE DEPARTMEN

Perfect. Thank you.

Sorry, Nayumi,

Mr. Suenaga is running late.

Do you mind waiting?

- Okay.

- My apologies.

- Actually.

- Yes?

I heard Mr. Suenaga was mentally unstable.

They're just rumors.

That he takes medication for it.

We don't know if that's true or not.

It'll be fine.

I'll go get Mr. Suenaga.

Ms. Shinoda.

We found Suenaga's usual hair salon.

His stylist is named Miyoshi. Can you go?

Okay.

It'll be compensated.

Huh? Wait, do you mean

I should get my hair cut?

We're having trouble getting info.

We go to rehearsals, but no one

involved with the play will talk.

He won't even respond

if we do a house visit.

We go to his favorite pub Tokichiro,

and it's always packed.

The hair salon should be easier

in that regard. Good luck.

We're ready for you now.

Okay.

SENGOKU WEEKLY

Sorry for the wait.

Thank you for requesting me,

how do you want it cut?

I'd like to thin it out a bit.

Understood.

We'll start with a wash.

Excuse me.

It's still so hot these days.

Um.

Does Kosuke Suenaga come here often?

We've had several people like you come in.

A tabloid, huh?

Aren't you embarrassed?

Buzzing around human misery.

Only ever exposing their bad side.

Digging up just the surface,

spreading it to entertain the masses.

You don't even consider

who you might hurt.

What if it were you?

What if it was your family?

Maybe think about that?

What you're doing

is stomping on people's lives

and feelings.

Please leave.

Hello?

How'd it go?

The salon was a bust.

I see.

Don't sweat it.

His favorite pub

is called Tokichiro, right?

But that place is tricky.

It's probably full by now.

I doubt you could question people anyway.

TOKICHIRO

Um, excuse me.

May I talk to you?

AKARI

Mr. Suenaga hasn't been visiting

for a while now.

When did he stop coming?

I can't talk about our patrons.

That's understandable.

But he was causing lots of problems.

Even when it was super crowded

he'd talk to me when I served him.

I ignored him once, and he got super sad.

Was that the last time he came?

No, it wasn't.

With the same girl as usual.

- You want to know who the girl was, right?

- Sure.

But I won't tell you because

I want to protect her.

So it's a celebrity, right?

- I'm not telling you.

- It's okay.

Could you tell me any interesting

stories about Mr. Suenaga then?

Huh? That's all you want?

Of course.

You can just share what you can.

Interesting stories?

There was nothing interesting

about Mr. Suenaga.

It was around last year.

He apparently stopped drinking,

and only ordered alcohol-free beer.

But he'd always ask for a chaser

even though it's non-alcoholic.

And we'd all laugh at the joke.

Does that mean, water?

Yeah.

The girl cracked a joke about him

getting water with his alcohol-free beer.

They seemed happy.

We got a text chain from someone

who's calling herself "Mistress Three."

It's really great, just take a look!

You love this stuff!

Nothing scarier than a mistress story.

Kitahama loves mistresses.

Plus, they keep talking dirty.

When was the most recent message?

Six months ago.

"Let's end this. I'm sorry."

That's scary.

Right?

He promised to marry Mistress Three,

but then he dumps her.

He won't even answer his phone.

So she left a terrifying message

on his voice mail.

"I'll send all our texts to a tabloid."

So, he stepped down

before this came to light.

Exactly! Now, turn it into an article.

Give it a big headline!

Okay.

Could I say something?

Something's been on my mind.

I read the latest Sengoku Weekly.

Only a small number of his fans

would defend Suenaga's scandal.

THE TRUTH BEHIND

KOSUKE SUENAGA'S DEPARTURE

There are a lot of online comments saying

he stepped down because of this story.

Everybody loves juicy

entertainment industry gossip.

It's also a popular subject for novels.

Which is why when authors

write about the entertainment industry,

they do as much research as a tabloid,

and even wear themselves down.

It's hard everywhere.

I definitely believe that.

You can't send that.

The theater folks are objecting.

It's not 90 percent of theater company

reps dating their lead actresses.

It's 80 percent.

For the follow-up,

we'll go with Mistress Three's identity.

Mr. Kitahama, our articles from this week

are doing well online.

Really nice!

So Mistress Three's picture,

should we go with modest or sexy?

- Sexy!

- Which is the right call?

- Mr. Kitahama.

- What?

[BREAKING] STAGE ACTOR

KOSUKE SUENAGA PASSED AWAY

According to an insider,

Suenaga hoped to finish his last play

while battling terminal cancer,

but he stepped down

after his condition got worse.

Honestly, it's not surprising

we got backlash.

But it's less than I expected.

All thanks to you.

Something's been on my mind.

It was during this interview,

I saw him taking some kind of medication.

I heard he was mentally unstable,

so I assumed it was a mood stabilizer.

But maybe it was a different medication.

Mr. Suenaga stopped drinking

alcohol last year.

So you think the medication

is for a disease?

With everyone involved in the play

not talking about it,

it could be a pretty serious disease.

It's purely conjecture, though.

We need more than a hunch.

Could you check out the surrounding

hospitals just in case?

I know it'll be hard to get

any personal information, though.

Daisuke, let's add that story

from the pub to help build credibility.

And to close the article…

He had been seen taking medication

last year,

and learning he quit his favorite vices,

alcohol and cigarettes,

if the reason he stepped down

is related to his health,

we pray for his recovery.

If we only pushed the scandal,

we would've gotten grilled.

Anyway, it's all thanks to you.

Please, that's too much.

But I'm surprised that waitress

shared that he quit alcohol.

You might have a knack for

bringing down people's defenses.

For sure.

That's why Murai had you investigating

his multiple mysterious deaths case.

Multiple mysterious deaths?

What, he didn't tell you?

No.

MULTIPLE SUSPICIOUS DEATHS

What? What?!

I went and verified

Madoka Hashimoto's job.

And checked the home

of Kubozuka's guardian Mr. Watanabe.

Your work was crucial.

I'm sure he'll explain more next time.

Bye then.

Multiple mysterious deaths.

I never imagined I would be involved

in something like this.

Where am I heading?

What's waiting for me at the end

of this path I've been put on?

Wait.

This is no time to be poetic.

I have to switch gears and work hard

on this interview feature.

So that's the situation.

What do you think?

The name's not ringing any bells.

You don't know Serendy Shogo?

Never heard of him.

He's a magician.

He has lovers all over Japan,

and he meets with them in hotels

when he visits other cities,

according to posts from other fans.

So his audience knows.

I guess his misdirection only worked

on his magic tricks.

Anyway, I thought Kitahama Desk might be

interested since he likes love scandals.

Did you already send questions?

Not yet.

Then, before you do,

I have a request too.

Mr. Aoshiro?

You know him?

Yes, I've seen him on TV

and in newspapers.

He's known for his looks.

Right.

He inherited a small apparel company

in Niigata from his parents,

and made it into a national brand

within a few years.

A young man's success story.

He's really impressive.

It's good you've already heard of him.

- You should request an interview.

- What?!

With Mr. Aoshiro? Oh crap!

Nosebleed?

No, just snot.

You surprised me.

Sorry.

It'd be cool if it happens.

So?

An interview with Seiya Aoshiro.

TO BE CONTINUED

This isn't what we talked about!

I might be in trouble.

Those two only smile

if they're up to something.

It's not a coincidence.

How did I not notice until now?

It's starting to get interesting.