The Detective Is Already Dead (探偵はもう、死んでいる。)

Attention passengers.

Is there a detective on board?

I must have heard that wrong.

That's not the sort of thing they ask for on a flight

at 35,000 feet in the air.

I must be mistaken. At least, I hope.

Although, it wouldn't surprise me--

I've always stumbled face-first into trouble.

It's like I'm a magnet for inconvenience.

Getting caught up in a flash mob just walking down the street.

Or witnessing a white powder transaction

while testing a new shortcut.

The sheer number of murder scenes I've happened upon

has made me a regular "person of interest" with the police.

Or like today.

I'm being forced to fly overseas,

carrying an oversized attaché case containing

I have no idea whatsoever.

The question just seems odd.

I can understand the flight attendant asking for a doctor...

...or a nurse.

But a detective?

Your attention, please!

Is there a detective on board?

Wow. So I didn't hear her wrong.

But it's not my problem, because I'm not a detective.

Yes, I'm a detective.

Ah.

Hey. Can you tell me your name?

Oh man, why'd I just blurt that out?

Perfect.

Hey, you.

Be my sidekick for this case, will you?

Huh?!

Yes, as I said, I'm a detective. This is my sidekick.

Right this way.

Hang on, what is this about?

It's Siesta.

Siesta?

You asked me what my name was.

That's kind of an odd name.

It's a code name.

A code name?

Lots of people have them.

You're the first I've met.

What's your name?

Kimizuka Kimihiko.

I see. Then I'll call you "Kimi."

Do you mean, like, a nickname? Or like "you" in Japanese?

What do you think, Kimi?

I've found one, and the detective has a sidekick.

Oh? So there actually was a detective on board.

You're substantially younger than I would have imagined.

Which one is the detective?

This is one of the worst situations imaginable.

First things first, introduce yourself, please.

-- -- Hmph.

It's "Bat." A code name, of course.

See?

Lots of people have code names, just as I told you.

Are you kidding me?!

I don't care about being wrong about that kinda stuff

at a time like this!

My name's Siesta. This is my sidekick, Watson.

The two of us grew up together on Baker Street.

Tell me, Bat. What is it you're trying to do?

And why did you call for me, a legendary detective?

Hah! This little lady's funny!

Right, then. Let's see if you can deduce the reason why

I commandeered this passenger jet.

If you manage to deduce correctly,

then I'll refrain from snapping the pilot's neck.

Hmm.

You didn't call us up here just to have us guess the answer

to that question, did you?

On the nose, detective. It's all just a game.

A deadly game where the lives of 600 passengers are at stake.

It's all so exciting!

If you're able to correctly surmise my reasoning

for this attempted hijacking, then you win, and that's that.

So if we succeed, we save the lives of everyone onboard,

and if we fail, they die, right?

Sure! We'll keep it nice and simple.

Fair enough.

But you must be aware if we fail at this little test of yours,

you'll crash and burn with everyone else on board.

Do you not value your own life?

If I wasn't doing something like this,

I wouldn't feel truly alive. You get me?

Wow, you have so much time on your hands.

You might have a point!

It's gotten so bad, that I've gone and hijacked

a plane now, haven't I?

Right. You just gave me the answer.

Ah?!

With all that time on your hands, you got so bored,

you hijacked a plane for fun.

That's my final answer.

Wait, isn't that a bit hasty? Are you really sure?

The lives of all of these innocent passengers

depend on your answer!

I mean...

He just told us as much, didn't he?

He got bored, had nothing else to do,

so he thought "I'll hijack a plane!"

Look, I heard the same thing as you,

but what if he was saying that as a distraction?

Ah, that. Are you insinuating that this man

could be lying?

Uh?

Face to face with an Ace Detective,

he's intimidated into claiming that the answer he let slip

was actually a red herring, and so he's planning to bring

the entire game to an end by insisting that I lost?

In other words...

...you're saying he's scared?

Well, am I right?

Heh...

You're incredible! You got me! Very impressive work there.

I never would have imagined you'd twist my own words

into such a tangled knot!

The outcome is more abrupt than I'd anticipated.

That's fine.

My purpose has already been achieved.

And so, I'll stand down.

No need to worry, that one over there is merely unconscious--

he's not dead.

I expect to be arrested on arrival at the airport,

but I haven't killed anybody just yet.

So, after a short stay in the Big House,

I'll be right back out.

So, he was right, you were lying.

What are you trying to say?

Oh, nothing.

Here's the deal, Ms. Detective.

It's true--my real reasons for trying to hijack this plane

were indeed different from the one you gave me.

But out of respect for your boldness, I'm pretending to lose

this time around, just for you.

Come on, don't make me spell it all out.

That's still a win.

So, I suggest we take a cue from Bat's mature response here

and return to our seats, as well.

No, you misunderstand--that's not the lie I was talking about.

Earlier, you told me that you didn't mind putting

your own life at risk in a hijacking, Bat,

but that was a lie.

The truth is, you were actually afraid of dying.

What're you saying...?

You stood down far too quickly.

You admitted defeat and gave up without even fighting.

Things as they are, there's no way you single handedly hijacked

a plane, then cowardly backed down when confronted

by a young girl and her sidekick.

I suspect you did this hijacking under some other

entity's direction, and you yourself have been ordered

to die, along with your victims, in the ensuing plane crash.

The simple truth is you're afraid and don't want to die,

and so, you used us as a way to get out of a fate

that would have otherwise been inescapable.

Oh...

But, if that's the case, why go through the elaborate ruse

of this guessing game?

If he wanted to abandon the hijacking,

he could have just quietly surrendered without all these

unnecessary theatrics.

Sadly, his pride would never allow him that.

Rather than give up, he wanted to be beaten fair and square.

Even if it was just for show.

You think that's what this was...?

Hang on!

Mm?

Where are you going all of a sudden?

Now that our task is finished, I was heading back to my seat.

Okay, but don't leave me behind!

I assumed you'd tag along without me

having to say anything.

Hey.

One last thing I'd like to know.

How were you able to figure everything out?

What clues led to those deductions?

You said you figured it all out because I gave up

my attempt too quickly.

But was that all?

That was part of it.

But to be honest, I've known about you from the beginning.

Ah?!

I knew that this was the flight you were going to be on,

and that you were planning to hijack this aircraft.

And on top of that,

I know all about your associates who ordered you to do it.

Any true detective worth their salt

gets a solid handle on the ins and outs of a case

before the incident even occurs.

So that's how you knew to call my bluff.

Oh, man. I'm glad I asked you to clarify

just in case, before all was said and done!

Heh.

Sidekick, get down!

Huh--?