Soda Master (ラムネモンキー)

TANBE STATION

Can I interest you in a Christmas cake?

LOTTERY

A trip to Hawaii!

- What do you want to do? - Buy presents!

That sounds nice.

I always knew Matilda was cool.

How long are you staying?

Unlike Chan's place, it's cozy here.

You should go home.

Your mom likes me. I wouldn't mind doing the care giving.

Don't make it sound so easy.

Even professional caregivers couldn't handle her.

She seems like a nice girl.

- Is she single? - I don't know.

Why not ask her out for Christmas?

Don't be stupid.

My shift is over, I'll be going now.

Thank you for your work.

Hello?

Yes, I just finished.

Yes, I'll make dinner when I get home.

Okay.

What about my dinner?

Are you planning on starving me?

The man who was following Ms. Matilda was a factory worker nicknamed Rambo.

It seemed like we had found the culprit,

but Rambo was really a comrade of Matilda's late father,

and was actually protecting her.

But Rambo himself had been eliminated by someone.

Exactly who was targeting Matilda?

One individual has come to our attention.

According to records, Seikichi Nihei, the man you called Rambo,

was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries

on December 25th, 1988.

Christmas Day.

The police questioned a person, Hisao Torikai, a seller of bamboo rods.

It seems he also suffered major injuries.

It was treated as an assault and battery case,

due to an argument, and ended without indictment.

No way it was just an argument.

In order to get rid of Matilda, Torikai first eliminated Rambo.

A few days later, Matilda herself…

Who is this Torikai person?

And what do you mean by "seller of bamboo rods"?

You used to see them often.

Always shouting, "Bamboo rods, to hang laundry with!"

They drive around selling bamboo rods.

- Bamboo rods? - Yeah.

So that was a viable business model back then

1988 truly is a mystery.

Even back then, we found it strange.

I wonder if he's in any of our videos?

I reviewed the tapes, and no.

Did you find Number 12?

No.

Where did you leave it?

He might have been on that one.

I just can't find it! What can I do?

I checked the Hakuro-kai's membership roster,

Torikai's name was there.

Hakuro-kai?

- A local organized crime group. - What?

A local yakuza.

- Should I even stay in this town… - The Hakuro-kai disbanded a long time ago.

Old-school local yakuza just can't survive now.

Is there any member from back then we can talk to?

No active members!

It has to be someone who left that world and is living honestly.

You know, hiding the tattoos on their back and quietly living their life.

My senior officer helps ex-yakuza reintegrate into society.

I'll ask him to find someone.

It hurts!

Ouch! It hurts!

Okay, turn on your side.

Torikai Hisao, huh?

That's a nostalgic name.

Back when I knew him, he had a bad leg and used a cane.

- Does this part hurt? - It does!

That's the kidney.

Could you tell us what kind of guy he was?

Well, he wasn't a sharp tool,

but you could use him for anything. Robberies, beatings, hits…

All sorts.

Oh, excuse me, could you not use gang terms?

In short, to the public he was a bamboo rod seller,

but in the shadows, he would take any job for a dirt-cheap price.

He was a yaku-neta .

Oh, we used yaku-neta to mean "a troublemaker."

So, even murder?

Yes, if he got the money,

he would do it cleanly, without leaving evidence.

What is he up to now?

He was killed in retaliation a long time ago.

Do you know a woman named Michiru Miyashita?

Who?

In 1988, Torikai might have killed her.

How about Seikichi Nihei?

He was assaulted by Torikai.

Doesn't ring a bell.

Oh, well…

If an ordinary woman were to be killed by a yakuza,

what kind of reason would there be?

Usually,

it's when an amateur unknowingly encroaches on our turf.

Whether it be drugs, gambling, or for women, it's usually prostitution!

I don't think she did anything like that.

How can you be sure?

From my experience,

I can usually tell with men just how much of a villain they are.

But with women, I never know.

They look innocent but can do terrible things without batting an eye.

Look, right here. The prostate.

It hurts!

Ouch!

This is getting quite scary.

Ms. Matilda…

Just what kind of person was she?

I still can't imagine it.

Matilda being a dangerous woman who would clash with the yakuza.

- Isn't she just a schoolteacher? - Perhaps she wasn't just a teacher.

We don't know the real Matilda.

There must be someone somewhere who knows Ms. Matilda well.

But lately, the social media account we made for her is nothing but spam.

Laugh at me if you want. It would make me feel less awkward.

No…

It looks good on you! Right?

It really suits you.

Look, us old guys don't know how to tease a young girl.

We can't just call you "cute," right?

"Cute" is fine.

Well then, you're cute… and sexy.

That's not good.

The world has become so complicated.

Christmas during the Bubble era was like a day for sex.

Christmas was a day for sex?

Everyone wanted to spend it as a couple,

stay at the Akasaka Prince and drink champagne.

Even you guys?

No, we missed the Bubble.

It was a completely ridiculous era.

What was everyone so fired up about?

The Christmas of 1988…

Do you remember how you spent it?

Wasn't that right before Ms. Matilda disappeared

and exactly when Mr. Rambo was attacked?

I have no memory of it.

I still remember my middle school Christmas clearly.

That was recent for you.

For us, it was ages ago.

Even so, try to remember!

Editing…

Weren't we cooped up in the clubroom doing that?

- Editing? - Yes!

CHRISTMAS

Cut this part out. It's embarrassing.

- No, it's for the ending blooper reel. - We don't need one!

No, a Jackie Chan movie isn't complete without it.

At this rate it will be longer than the movie!

Hard at work, huh.

Oh, Mr. Trendy!

A Christmas treat for you guys.

No-bake cheesecake.

You've never had it, right?

It's got fresh cheese on it!

Thank you.

We're screening at the community center on January 6th. Please come.

January 6th, okay. I'll write it down.

That's a huge planner.

It doubles as a daily diary.

I've been keeping one since I was a kid.

Wow, you filmed this much?

Editing must be a pain.

Chan filmed way too much.

That's true.

We had a screening on New Year's, so we had no time for Christmas.

Three boys in a cramped room, going back and forth about this and that.

Just constant arguing.

I've never had a decent Christmas, then or now.

I'm the same this year.

I'll be working here.

That's how it is for most people.

Looking back, the Bubble-era Christmas was actually quite nice, in its own way.

I would've liked to pop some champagne with a woman

at the Akasaka Prince!

Right, Kam-Bo?

I remembered something too.

What?

It was… yeah…

It was Christmas that year.

TANBE STATION

Men were confessing to her, one after another,

but Matilda didn't pay any attention to them.

She just brushed them off.

Several men?

Feels like an old-timey drama.

I definitely saw it.

She must have had a lot of boyfriends.

So I think someone Matilda rejected held a grudge.

Petty revenge for being ignored?