Ishi No Mayu (石の繭 / Stone's Cocoon)

Stone's Cocoon Episode 1

Dad

Dad, what are you thinking about?

I ...

had a few unsolved cases.

I'm still thinking about it now.

Alright, I'll be a police in the future and solve that case.

You will?

Yes, I'm not going to be a bride but a police.

Is that so?

Toko will be a police, huh?

Why are you laughing?

Dad?

Dad ...Dad is

It hur..hurts...

Dad

Yes? This is Kisaragi.

It's Hayase. A weird corpse was found at Shinbashi 7-chome abandoned building.

I'm telling the address now.

Okay.

Minato Ward, Shinbashi 7-chome 3-7, high building.

It's gonna take a while. Don't forget to pack for staying over.

Yes.

I'll go immediately.

Going for a vacation at this hour?

You should have continued sleeping.

You're bringing this? -Yeah.

Please call a taxi. -Okay.

Hello...excuse me

Dad

I'm borrowing this okay?

Here.

You need it for various purposes right?

Thank you.

Your father used delivery services for the bigger luggage.

Really? -Yeah. He only brought the smaller ones.

I see. Ah then please send it over. -Okay.

Toko

Don't push yourself too much.

It's something I have to do.

Also, please mail me if there's anything beside emergency.

The other day I was shocked when you called in the middle of a meeting. -Alright, I'll be more careful.

Well then, I'm heading out. -Take care.

[Confirmation from Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department

[A body had been discovered at Atago Minami. Urgent meeting within the jurisdiction]

Otsukaresama desu. -Thanks.

Over here. Excuse me, please make way.

Thanks.

Excuse me

Is Chief Hayase around?

Kisaragi, over here!

Yes!

The victim is probably a male.

Probably?

You'll understand once you see it.

Oh, Kisaragi. -Sorry for being late.

What was he thinking about?

We've never seen this kind of scene before, huh?

Kisaragi, have a look too.

What is it?

Looks like mortar. A type of cement.

Why use mortar to harden the corpse?

No idea.

Only the chest was left exposed.

Looks like it.

Why did he do that?

Shut up...think about it yourself.

The hardness of the mortar on the body and head looked different.

Perhaps only the body was hardened first.

Chief

I'm sorry for being late.

Please look at this.

It's on the second floor's office.

Is that mortar?

Got it. Send it to the crime lab. -Okay.

You can come now.

C'mon Kisaragi, you're also a member of 1st Division. -Yes.

He was probably tortured.

Doesn't seem to have any sign of life on the chest injury.

Then after death?

The mortar on the body was more carefully smeared.

Maybe he was covered after being made to sleep.

Be careful.

Sorry!

Don't be so careless, Kisaragi. -Yes.

Is this the trace of the chair?

Sorry

Missy, if that's the chair then what happened?

Hmm

Just now senior Takano was talking about the chair from 2nd floor.

It was placed here.

Sorry for saying something irrelevant.

Kisaragi-san, nobody's blaming you.

We just want to listen to what you wanted to say.

Yes...

The chair is for sitting...he was sitting

I don't know.

Missy, you've worked hard. -Sorry.

The criminal might have sat there demanding something from the victim.

He was taking his time questioning the victim.

That was why he hardened the body first?

For the purpose of interrogation he hardened him this way and after

he got what he wanted, he filled his head with mortar.

What about the peeled mortar?

If it's peeled after death then it's not for the purpose of torture.

Then why? -Oi, Kisaragi it's good to have questions but think about it yourself.

You too!

Mr. Forensic? -Yes?

Stand up!

We're now going to begin the investigation task force for the murder case at Shinbashi 7-chome.

I'm Hayase from Section 11, 1st Division of Tokyo MPD. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu.

Sit!

Let's begin with the case's overview from Atago Minami Criminal Division.

Mochizuki from Atago Minami Criminal Division.

Please look at the documents in your hands.

Today, July 10th, an emergency call was received at around 1.30am.

The source was from a mobile phone.

Saying there was a corpse in the basement of the high building at Shinbashi 7-chome.

The caller hung up without giving a name but

we confirmed it was a night guard's mobile phone and unrelated to the case.

Kadowaki from 1st Division MPD.

From the questionings, at around 4am yesterday

we received information that a white wagon-like vehicle was in front of the building.

This vehicle disappeared at a little after 5am.

There's no information on the car model and number.

Next, forensics please.

Kamoshita from MPD Forensics.

The estimated time of death is between 12.30 - 1.30am.

Meaning the victim was still alive just before the call came in.

Cause of death was mortar inhalation through respiratory tract which caused fatal suffocation.

It's assumed he was hardened with mortar from the neck and below for more than 20 hours.

There were signs of assaults on the face.

The upper half body was naked.

A part of the chest skin was peeled.

In the absence of living cells, we think it was peeled after death.

Tokushige from 1st Division MPD.

The victim is male, height 177cm, weight about 65kg, age between 30-40.

There's nothing to identify him and no past history from his fingerprints.

What about the articles found?

At present, we have an important clue.

This year, from 1/23-3/22, an exhibition was held at Ueno National History Museum.

The Large Pompeii Exhibition

This was stuck at the ceiling.

The height of the ceiling is 2.2 meters.

The killer might have some kind of intent...

Chief Hayase, it's an urgent call.

For me? -No, he wished to be connected to someone from the operation.

Sounds like the criminal.

Hayase. -Yes.

The receiver has changed. I'm from Special Task Force.

I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting.

Yes?

You made your caller wait for 1 minute 20 seconds.

The correct response should be "I'm very sorry to have kept you waiting."

Isn't that common sense?

I'm sorry about that.

Do you have information regarding the Shinbashi case?

What is your name?

It's Satou.

Satou huh?

Satou-san, the murdered victim was a male right?

I'm going to ask again. What is your name?

It's Satou...

Satou-san

Was the cause of death due to suffocation from mortar?

Why do you... -I'm going to ask again.

Next time, if you still use Satou as an alias next, I'm going to hang up.

What is your name?

It's Hayase.

Hayase-san

I hate people who lies.

Can we change to a different person?

Oh right...

A female would be nice.

Compared to a sordid male, I'm more happy to speak to a girl.

Listen, talk to the caller without angering him.

Yes.

Very sorry for making you wait. I'm Kisaragi Toko. Nice to meet you.

'Nice to meet you' huh?

How do you write Kisaragi?

Kisaragi (如月) from the 2nd month of old lunar calendar

Toko (塔) is from 'Pisa and the Leaning Tower' and Ko (子) from children.

Yes, yes. Understood.

So Kisaragi-san

Are you feeling nervous?

Yes...

How should we address you?

Well, let's see.

How about Toremi?

Toremi...

The astrologer Ptolemy?

You're quite knowledgeable, aren't you?

I like horoscope.

When is your birthday?

February 9th

So your birthday coincides with your name's origin, huh?

What a miracle.

I get told that a lot.

February 9th. Aquarius.