The Serialist (二流小説家　シリアリスト)

Hey, Akaba.

I want you to tum in a story on...

the hot and steamy happenings of a dating tour.

No need for finesse, just chum it out.

May I throw in a murder that occurred during the trip...

and center the story around finding the murderer?

- Make it like a whodunnit? - Yes.

Would our readers want that?

Well...

Well, I guess it's fine to write what you like once in a while.

You're a pretty good writer.

I don't quite have the sense for what our readers want.

I'm counting on you.

Oh yes...

I'm sorry for your loss. Here's the condolence money.

- You don't have to... - Just take it.

Who is it? Your father or your mother?

My father passed away ten years ago.

Oh yeah, that's right.

That was... When the story about a vampire was... Right?

Now I recalled it.

"Vampire in Love"

It's a light novel targeting young female readers.

It's not going to sell if the author is man.

So I used your name and photo for the author's profile.

I used your maiden frame "Sasaki".

The publisher has agreed to publish my next book under my own name...

if this book sells.

Really?

I'm not sure things will go so smoothly.

My mother was always at the patio with a bunk an her lap.

Wanting to be by her side, I became an avid reader myself.

My greatest wish was for Mother to read the books I wrote.

She was my one constant reader.

"Need to put more effort into delineating the morality play".

Even now when she is gone...

she remains my harshest critic.

Mother...

I am an unfilial son.

And a second-rate writer.

"The Serialist"

"Kobayashi and Akaba's"

According to the contract you signed with my dad...

you should be paying me your monthly rent of 90,000 yen...

while my dad is away in the States.

I know.

You're three months behind on your rent.

I know things have been tough for you, but I can't wait any longer.

If I tell my dad, you will be out on the streets in a second.

- I know. - No, you don't.

I'll be getting paid for my manuscript tomorrow.

"The Awakening of Love by Akaba Ippei"

"His fingers teased and tantalized Aiko till she could bear it no more".

"She finally gave in to him".

"Oh, yes..."

Could you please write something less sleazy?

I set it!

Go back to your dormitory and crack your books already.

You have school tomorrow, don't you?

What's this?

You came in ninth for the nationwide mock exams?

Oh, I almost forgot. This was in the mailbox.

The publisher had this forwarded to me?

The sender is Kurei Daigo from Tokyo Detention House.

Kurei Daigo?

"From: Kurei Daigo"

"To: Akaba Ippei"

Kurei Daigo, a self-proclaimed photographer.

He murdered four women he recruited for his photoshoots.

The women had their photos taken before they were killed in their own house.

Kurei decapitated his victims and placed flu wars around their bodies.

He sent photos of his victims in life and in death to the police...

provoking a furore.

He was dubbed 'The Serial Photo Killer"...

and gained international infamy.

After his arrest, he repeatedly changed his statement...

in bid to misdirect the investigation.

In spite of his attempts, he was sentenced tn death in 2010.

The heads of his victims were never found.

I'm Kurei Daigo, a death-row inmate.

Not once have I breathed a word of the truth since my arrest.

Neither during the interrogations, nor during my trial.

I want you to hear my story.

Hear me out and write my memoir.

I want to come clean about what really happened to those women.

And the real reason why I did it.

It would be an honor if I can have a meeting with you...

at your earliest convenience.

Yours sincerely, Kurei Daigo.

He sure is frightfully polite.

Is this letter really from him?

The memoir of a serial killer. That sounds like a bestseller, Ippei.

I haven't decided if I'm going to see him.

Besides, I don't even know if it's really from him.

- Maybe it's just a prank. - Don't be such a coward.

This is exactly why your fiancée left you.

If I were you, I'd definitely pay him a visit.

Even if this tums out to be a prank, this could be a lucky break for you.

But I have a deadline to meet...

Deadline for what? Another piece of sleazy erotica, I bet.

Don't you want to be a truly great novelist?

Erm...

Is that letter really from Kurei Daigo?

We have one condition.

Do not publish a single thing he said while he is still alive.

What?

You may publish whatever you like...

after his death sentence has been carried out.

That's all.

So... this letter really is from him?

There's one thing I don't understand.

Publishers have been knocking down our door trying to get a one-on-one with him.

He has turned them all down.

Why did he choose you?

Well, it doesn't matter.

I believe that he is innocent.

I will get his death sentence revoked.

Too bad for you.

You may get to write his memoir, but you'll never get to publish it.

Doesn't Miss Maeda remind you of a witch?

Everyone's scared of her.

She passed the National Bar Exam in her fifties.

Sometimes, I wonder if she's not quite right in the head.

Or maybe she's just too smart.

Passing the National Bar Exam in her fifties?

Sounds like she knows black magic all right.

Right?

Erm...

Does she really think Kurei is innocent?

She's a beautiful woman.

And she passed the bar exam in her fifties.

She was getting quite a lot of attention even before she took this case.

The media accused her of taking on this case as a publicity stunt.

This may sound strange, but Miss Maeda is so convinced of his innocence...

that I can't help but think maybe, he really Is innocent.

But Kurei...

All we know for sure is that he photographed those dead bodies.

The hair found on the victims matched his DNA.

That was why the police, the prosecution, and the jury thought he was guilty.

"Visitor number sixteen, please come to the tenth floor".

I'll wait here for you. Be careful.

"Vampire in Love"

Sorry-

This book...

Oh, this is one of my favorite books.

I've read it so many times that it's all worn and tattered.

Is something the matter?

Thank you for coming.

I'm Akaba. Akaba Ippei.

- Am I how you imagined me to be? - What?

I said, am I how you imagined me to be?

Yeah...

Mr. Akaba.

You're exactly how I imagined you to be.

An ineffectual man whose only strength lies in being diligent.

But seeing how you have no qualms meeting a heinous killer like me...

it seems you really want to be a bestselling writer, don't you?

I have a question for you.

Just one?

WhY The?

"Aiko spread her porcelain-white legs open provocatively".

"An involuntary moan escaped her lips as she giddily recalled..."

"how she was grabbed by her hair..."

"and forced to watch herself being humiliated and defiled in the mirror".

I love the way you write.

I'm your fan.

Well...

- About writing your memoir... - Nothing's confirmed yet.

You want to write this tell-all, you have to do one thing for me.

What?

Ever since my arrest...

I've been getting a lot of it.

Fan letters.

I have quite a devout following out there.

Thanks to the media, I'm famous.

I get flooded by letters from my fans.

People who want to do what I did.

People begging me to many them.

People who wish to satisfy my every desire.

Isn't life ironic?

I'm finally popular with women, and I'm behind bars.

What is it that you want me to do?

I want you...

to write an erotic novel just for me.

I want you to write a love story of me and my devotees.

That is the condition?

I will never get to touch or photograph another woman.

This is all I have left.

I've already picked out three devotees.

Please write a story about each of them for me.

Let me think about it.

I'm very sure you will take this deal.

He's here.

What were you thinking?

How could you just do what that beast said?

What?

We are the bereaved.

Kurei killed my wife.

I'm Mishima.

They are Mr. and Mrs. Harashima, and Mr. Ikita.