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

Ikebukuro is the best.

It's in the northwest part of downtown Tokyo.

An area full of skyscrapers...

...and department stores...

...where we live our lives in peace.

Yeah, it's about to go down.

Right on time!

We're reaching the overpass!

I've got a clear visual on the car.

Hey, get back here, you junkie!

Everyone's polite and follows the rules here.

People smile and say hi as they walk down the street.

--There he is! --We found him!

The G-Boys?

King!

He's here!

All right!

Die!

Damn, what a knockout!

So cool!

Good work, Makoto. Thanks.

You always gotta hog the fun part for yourself,

hey, Takashi?

We're about love and harmony.

It's the friendliest place on earth.

Yep, that's why Ikebukuro's the best!

Well, what's the sitch this time?

Spill it.

Hm?

Do you remember that junkie we chased through traffic

the other day?

This is related.

Is that some new makeup trend?

Nice to see you, Takashi!

Ritsuko, hi. How are you?

Oh, dear!

A pretty little girl like you ought to keep her face

nice and clean.

That's a girl?

What do you think, genius?

There we go. Much better.

Right then.

Don't you have important things you should be discussing

with your friend?

I can stay and look after the fruit stand.

Make yourself useful and watch the girl.

How 'bout we call the shots, Mom?

So, kid, you got a name?

Yeah, it's Mion.

And your age?

I'm 12. Why, you planning something sketchy?

All right, here're your orders!

One miso ramen!

And the usual for Makoto.

Fruit ramen with the works.

Sweet. Let's dig in!

I think he's the only reason they bother keeping

that mess on the menu.

Okay. Sorry 'bout the wait, King.

One Tournedos Rossini with foie gras.

And this is a ramen joint?

Yeah, some ex-G-Boys run it.

What the heck are you talking about?

And while we're at it, who're you weirdos supposed to be?

You mind telling me what your deal is?

You really don't have a clue, huh?

I see. You must not be from around here.

So, the G-Boys.

They're a tough crowd who hang out in Ikebukuro.

This guy's Takashi Andou.

They call him their King.

You could say he's the guy in charge.

Oh, that big guy's Hiroto, his number two.

So how about you, Mion?

What's your story?

Listen, we're not gonna hurt you or anything.

Is there something I can help you with?

My mom needs help.

What they did to her was terrible.

So yeah.

A few of my guys caught Mion trying to light

a whole building on fire.

It was the North Gate Smoke Tower.

You know the one.

That dark skinny hi-rise next to the station that sticks out

like a sore thumb.

There's lots of shops inside hawkin' all kinds of drugs.

Lately, there's been more noise than usual.

Thanks to the traffickers and everything they bring with 'em.

For one, the guy who went postal on the road

was trippin' on something he bought there.

This girl's mom ended up in the ER after getting run down

by some other junkie.

The perp is on probation.

He's broke, so a decent settlement

is out of the question.

Bad places like that should be burned to the ground!

Don't try to stop me.

I'll keep lighting it up till it's nothing but ashes!

Mion, where's your father?

Who knows?

It's always been the two of us.

You know,

I never see her at home 'cause she works late to pay the bills.

Through the weekends.

And even on holidays.

It just isn't fair!

You've been dealt the same hand, Makoto.

I'm sure you can relate.

Listen up.

Let's consider this an official request.

Help me drive the North Gate dealers out of Ikebukuro.

The G-Boys don't like rats selling on our turf.

Do whatever it takes to get the job done.

You really have a soft spot for weepy kids, don't you?

Like you're the tough guy here.

Okay.

What should our next move be?

Are you one of those G-Boys as well?

I'm just a regular fruit vendor, kid.

Takashi and I are just old friends, that's all.

For this kinda puzzle... Yeah.

I think I know just the guy who can help us out.

Like a friend of yours?

You really the chief of police and not a scammer?

I'm the real deal.

I've been acquainted with Makoto since he was a youngster.

He knows the city better than anyone I know,

so I've had him assist me on cases quite a few times.

Reiichirou Yokoyama.

But I like to call him Big Rei.

Graduated top of his class at UTokyo.

So he comes in handy sometimes.

Go ahead, don't be shy.

It's my treat, so order anything your heart desires.

Um, thanks a lot, mister.

Now then. Let's get down to business.

There's a decent amount of detail to cover,

and we don't want to keep Mion out too late, do we?

Take a look at this.

We've gathered some evidence pointing toward the spread

of a dangerous new type of addictive drug.

Exhibit A: Festive baggies, right?

The merchandise inside is sprayed with narcotics

made from three grams' worth of dried toxins.

But it's actually being sold on the market as a kind of

trendy perfume.

It affects the brain immediately, inducing a kind of

temporary high.

In some cases, it can cause seizures, increased heart rate,

breathing issues, low blood pressure, or brain injury.

The cells in your head simply collapse and die.

Dude, can't you make it illegal or something?

We can't ban a product outright unless we can somehow

confirm its illicit substance.

And therein lies the conundrum.

A dealer can add in a large quantity of vitamin E

to act as a masking agent whenever they mix in

other chemicals to prep it to be shipped out.

It can take several months to properly analyze a sample.

Fortunately, regulations have come a long way,

and we've seen a decrease in the number of large dispensaries.

On the other hand, the traffickers keep finding

legal loopholes that allow them to make new chemicals

outside of regulation.

And they get more and more sly about how they sell.

It's a game of cat and mouse.

I guess even the police can't touch these guys.

Sounds like a tough situation.

What, so you're just gonna give up?

Well, let's see.

First things first, I think we should check out

their Headquarters.

The shops do everything they can to look like

they operate above board.

I doubt you'll find anything too suspicious

if you waltz in without a plan.

The pushers are small-time, though.

There's gotta be some weak spot we can crack.

Besides, I can't quit fightin' till I do right by Mion's mom.

No telling what this kid will do if I don't.

I'll figure it out.

And I'm gonna do it my way, got it?

I actually feel kinda sorry for those shmucks

now that you're coming after them.

Listen.

You still need to tread lightly since there might be bigger

factions at play.

Be sure not to try anything too risky.

Copy. I'll be careful.

Come on.

Go home already, kid.

Didn't Big Rei tell us we should be careful?

No way!