Ikebukuro West Gate Park (池袋ウエストゲートパーク)

"This is a work of fiction. The characters, organizations, and names herein are fictitious, and bear no relation to existing entities."

"This is a work of fiction. The characters, organizations, and names herein are fictitious, and bear no relation to existing entities."

In our world, the balance between

"This is a work of fiction. The characters, organizations, and names herein are fictitious, and bear no relation to existing entities."

crime and punishment is forever being measured.

When it comes to the sentence for any given crime,

someone will say it's fair, and someone else will say it's too lenient.

This time, it's that kind of story.

"Majima Produce"

"Majima Produce"

Uh, excuse me.

"Majima Produce"

Oh, hello.

You're Makoto Majima-san?

Yeah, that's--

Wh-What?

Please smash this guy's leg.

Huh?!

Just one leg, left or right.

But I want him to be unable to walk without a cane for the rest of his life.

"Majima Produce"

Come with me.

"Majima Produce"

Hey!

"Ikebukuro West Gate Park"

By the way, what's your name?

Chihiro Hayama. I work at a West Gate shop.

Are we going somewhere?

I wanted you to see the scene.

"Scene"? What happened?

Exactly a year ago, my brother was working at an Italian place at the West Gate.

He was on his way home from work, after 11PM.

S-Somebody...!

Help me...!

His kneecap was busted into pieces.

This is where that beast attacked my brother.

All that was stolen was ¥3,000.

So, what happened to the beast?

He went to jail.

Then isn't that a good thing?

It isn't good at all!

As a minor, the beast was only in juvenile detention for seven months.

He's already out of jail like normal.

My brother still can't walk without a cane,

but he's strolling around town like nothing happened.

Thanks to that incident, he can't be on his feet for long periods of time.

So, he can't go on being a cook, and he quit his restaurant job!

All over a measly ¥3,000!

That beast!

All right. Tell me a little more about it.

What's his name?

Eiji Otokawa.

Why did you come to me?

I heard it doesn't cost much.

Well, good thing you did come to me.

Lately, there've been guys all over the place who'll do any job for money.

But hiring somebody like that is very dangerous.

It's common for them to threaten you afterwards

and demand money beyond what you agreed to pay.

For now, tell me everything you know about Eiji Otokawa.

At the end of last year, he got out of juvenile detention in Nagano Prefecture.

He doesn't have any kind of job, he just lives at home and wanders the town.

Hey, do you really want to smash this guy's leg?

Of course!

If you do that, it'll mean you've fallen to the level of beast, too.

Think carefully about it.

Still, though.

I want that beast to suffer the way my brother suffers.

I want you to wreck his leg.

"Big Rei"

"Big Rei" "Want to go out for drinks sometime?"

"Big Rei" "Want to go out for drinks sometime?"

Oh.

"Chihiro" "Right now I'm tailing"

"Chihiro" "the beast"

Chihiro! Where are you now?!

The arcade at Rosa Kaikan. He comes here a lot.

Don't do anything reckless until I get there!

Or, at all!

It's okay, I'm wearing sunglasses.

That's not what I mean!

Hello!

Hey, Big Rei?

There's something I need to know!

What, this isn't about what I sent earlier?

Can't go drinking today!

And, sorry, but I'm in a hurry!

His name's Eiji Otokawa. He got out of juvie recently.

Could you look him up and get back to me?

All right.

That figures.

"Rosa Kaikan"

That's the beast.

Looks like one seriously timid beast.

Hello.

Okay, hold on a second.

And so?

Eiji Otokawa, age 18. Unemployed.

On the street in Ikebukuro, he struck restaurant worker Tsukasa Hayama

on the shoulder with a cylindrical weapon.

After that, he stomped on the leg of Hayama, the fallen victim.

Hold on a sec. Was the weapon like, one of those extendable batons?

No, it wasn't. Length, 30cm. A stainless steel shoehorn.

Shoehorn?

That's right.

He was desperate, and that was something he had at home.

What do you mean desperate?

Some high school classmates of Otokawa's were extorting money from him,

and he was told to bring the money-- any amount--by the day after the attack.

He testified that, if he hadn't done it, he'd be the one to get hit.

Did the ones extorting money get in trouble?

Yeah. Four of them: Boy A, B, C, and D.

But they were all first offenders, so they just got warnings, not juvie.

In effect, they were acquitted.

So, only the bullied kid got sent to juvie?

Hey, like I always say, this phone call...

...never happened. Thanks.

Otokawa attacked your brother because he needed money to give to them.

He got caught and sent to juvie,

and the four extorters got off with a little scolding.

Maybe they want money again.

Hey, Chihiro. Would you still smash Otokawa's leg?

You got that?

I'm not sure, now.

But I'm not just going to do nothing.

"Rosa Kaikan"

"Rosa Kaikan"

You want to meet my brother?

"Rosa Kaikan"

Yeah. I know how you feel, but I don't know about his feelings yet.

"Daily Job Offers"

Yeah. I know how you feel, but I don't know about his feelings yet.

Besides, if I was your brother,

I don't think it'd sit well with me if I was kept out of all this.

But my brother doesn't know that guy is back in town.

We'll keep that a secret.

Why don't we pretend you're introducing a new boyfriend?

All right.

Coming!

Wow. The suit does not work on you.

"Episode 10"

Thank you for the invitation.

You're welcome.

Oh, hey, what about your parents?

They died in a traffic accident when I was 11.

Oh. Sorry to ask a weird question.

The reason my brother loves to cook

is because he wanted to have me eat delicious food.

What's all the whispering about?

Here, Makoto-kun. You eat up, too.

Thank you.

Your brother really is a good cook.

But our dream of starting a restaurant is gone now.