Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

Miyuki Nagai told a story in fits and starts.

In her fragmented account, the commotion in the break room that day began with a seemingly ordinary argument. A patient had deliberately provoked Junko Imai, using vulgar language and even attempting to physically assault her.

When the riot broke out, Junko Imai entered the lounge to try to sternly stop it, but instead angered the other party.

Chaos ensued.

"Junko-neechan... she told me to go get someone, to press the alarm..." Nagai Miyuki's voice was faint. "I... I went... I pressed it... but... it seems... it's a little slow to sound..."

From Miyuki Nagai's perspective, the patients were not completely and indiscriminately insane before Dr. Kobayashi rushed in.

They targeted Junko Imai with a clear objective. Tearing, biting, slapping…

Other patients were either terrified, stayed away, or... started making a fuss.

"Snowflakes...they're shouting that it's snowing..."

Miyuki Nagai's eyes glazed over, and her body began to tremble slightly again.

Regarding picking up the medicine, her account was consistent with Dr. Kobayashi's: it was Junko Imai who asked her to go.

But she emphasized, "Junko-neechan was very scared that night. She held my hand tightly; her hand was ice cold and she was shaking."

"She said...she said 'They won't let me go'...I asked her what she saw, but she wouldn't say, she just cried and told me to hurry back."

"I...I got the medicine and went back...Junko-neechan took the medicine and seemed a little calmer, and fell asleep. I...I also drifted off to sleep...and then...and then in the morning...she...she..."

Miyuki Nagai's voice was interrupted by a sob, and she could no longer speak, falling silent once again.

Masashi Akiyama listened quietly until the end.

The details described by Miyuki Nagai differ subtly from those in Dr. Kobayashi's version.

After leaving the Metropolitan Police Department, Masashi Akiyama did not return to the office, but instead went to the Shiodome Sanatorium again.

He did not make an appointment, did not identify himself as a lawyer, and instead chose another method of investigation.

Today is a limited open day for patients' families, which is held once a month.

Masashi Akiyama disguised himself simply, wearing ordinary black-rimmed glasses and an inconspicuous dark coat, blending into the crowd of family members who came to visit.

His target this time was the patient.

The doctors and nurses were conscious, but perhaps due to professional discipline or a deeper fear, they remained tight-lipped about everything they knew.

But patients whose mental state fluctuates and who teeter on the edge of the rules are different.

Perhaps their fragments of words are actually overlooked pieces of the truth.

Sometimes, those who are clear-headed choose to remain silent out of a state of confusion in order to protect themselves.

However, those who are delirious may reveal the reality closest to the truth in their delirious ramblings.

Taking advantage of the relatively relaxed management on open days, Masashi Akiyama skillfully lingered near the public activity areas to observe and observe.

An elderly patient, sitting on a garden bench, gazing at the sky and muttering to himself, suddenly grabbed his sleeve after he offered him a cigarette, speaking in a mysterious yet fearful tone.

"The white... angel... was eaten by black birds... several... black birds... all together..."

Another middle-aged patient, who was pacing back and forth in the corridor and seemed agitated, suddenly widened his eyes and said in a low voice when he heard Masashi Akiyama casually mention that "it seemed a bit noisy a few days ago."

"They're at it again! Punishing the disobedient! That new angel...disobedient...so he's being...Shh! Don't say it! There are ears! There are ears on the walls!"

These fragmented, metaphorical, and fearful words piece together a picture that is far darker than a simple medical malpractice or patient riot.

"The black bird," "Punishing the disobedient," "Not a real patient," "Knowing too much"...

Masashi Akiyama got the clue he wanted, but he fell into an even deeper silence.

At the same time, Rio Arimura used all legal channels to inquire about the history of Shiodome Sanatorium, its shareholder background, the resumes of its management, and whether there were any abnormal deaths or complaints in the past.

Maki Suzuki also used her connections in the media and investigative fields, and quickly received some disturbing feedback.

The nursing home's financial flows are complex, involving certain shady conglomerates.

Historically, there have been many cases of patients dying unexpectedly or committing suicide, but these incidents were quickly quelled, and the families received large sums of hush money.

There are even rumors that some wealthy young men who are considered troublesome by their families, or those who have committed crimes but escaped punishment through mental evaluation, are secretly sent here for treatment.

All the known clues gradually converged, collided, and were reassembled in Masashi Akiyama's mind.

The outline of the truth began to emerge menacingly.

This seemingly professional sanatorium may very well be a shady place disguised as a medical facility.

It normally admits mental patients, but also takes advantage of its closed nature and the ambiguous nature of mental illness to receive troublesome individuals who are not accepted by society or their families, and may even be a sanctuary or transit point for certain crimes.

Therefore, it is reasonable that the newly hired Miyuki Nagai was completely unaware of this.

But what about Junko Imai, who has been working for three years and is a supervising nurse?

She may have noticed something unusual during her daily work, or even inadvertently seen something she shouldn't have.

As a doctor and a close lover of Junko Imai, Kosuke Kobayashi could not possibly have been completely kept in the dark.

Dr. Kobayashi said that he arrived too late on the day Junko Imai was assaulted, which led to the tragedy.

But what if the patients' behavior wasn't completely out of control, but rather a carefully orchestrated persecution of Junko Imai?

Miyuki Nagai happened to be the newcomer who witnessed part of the process but failed to stop it due to cowardice. She became the perfect witness, and also the next target to be dealt with.

Either silence them or frame them as the murderer—killing two birds with one stone.

So, let's go back to the original question.

Did Miyuki Nagai actually kill someone?

Based on his analysis of her emotions and personality, Masashi Akiyama felt that she didn't seem like it.

However, Dr. Kobayashi's desperate attempt to exonerate her reveals a flawed logic that cannot withstand close scrutiny.

During that meeting, he kept pointing the finger at the hospital's management, which was not inherently wrong, but his eagerness made Akiyama Masashi a little suspicious.

Was Dr. Kobayashi truly acting solely out of a sense of justice and sympathy for Miyuki Nagai?

Or is he trying to steer the investigation in the right direction, to protect a deeper secret, or... himself?

Masashi Akiyama decides to see Kosuke Kobayashi one more time.

So he arranged to meet Kobayashi Kosuke at a quiet café near the hospital.