Alice no Toge (Alice's Thorn / アリスの棘)

I've already thrown everything away. To take revenge on every single person

who drove my father to his death.

Stored inside that vacation home are files concerning everything about you.

If Bandai bought this vacation home...

First thing he'll do is get rid of that incriminating information.

I'll try to avoid everyone's eyes and take Yuma out to the vacation home.

How come you keep on talking about the vacation home?

It's because I want to take a walk with you.

Isn't that reason good enough?

- How do you feel about him, Asumi? - Nothing especially.

That was too bad about Hyuga Sensei. I heard his body was found this morning.

- Catecholamine? - It's a drug that quickly increases blood pressure.

If a patient with dieulafoy lesion takes it,

the artery in the area around the lesion will burst,

and cause excessive bleeding.

Bandai made my father take catecholamine

and bleed excessively.

Bandai's

a killer with a doctor's facade.

Miura Naoko

Employee Name Miura Naoko

Position Operating Room Head Nurse

Nitta-kun, size 7 and a half gloves for me please.

Miura-san, she's the doctor who will be observing the surgery today.

I'm Mizuno Asumi. Pleased to meet you.

10 sheets of gauze. Surgical drape.

Yes, they're ready.

BP is dropping. 60 over 40.

Give me gauze. And suction. Hurry!

Why...

Bleeding from the root of the left gastric vein.

Apply the hemostat and close it with 4-0 proline.

The part that flows into the portal vein burst. If you don't suture it, the tear will get bigger.

Phew, we made it. That was close.

Don't come in here with your mediocre knowledge.

- Who does she think she is? - She's not known as Iron Woman for nothing.

- Iron Woman? - Oh, didn't you know?

She's competent but totally unsociable. That's why she's Iron woman.

Miura Naoko. If this note is true, she's the one who got the catecholamine.

How is she connected to Bandai?

I don't know that yet, but...

Tomorrow will be a better day.

His condition changed suddenly during surgery... I'm sorry.

You said he'd recover in no time.

Your father's the scum of the earth.

That's a lie!

...it doesn't change the fact that she's one of the people who drove my father to his death.

I'll make sure she atones for her sin.

I understand how you feel, but...

Hyuga's death was caused by a drug.

You can guess who did it, can't you?

If our true identity gets found out, it's all over.

Be careful.

- Yuma. - Yes.

Why were you at the vacation home with Mizuno Asumi that day?

What are you doing here?

I'm sorry I couldn't introduce her to you properly.

Or rather,

we haven't actually started dating yet...

I'm asking you why you were at the vacation home.

That's because...

she insisted on seeing Hyuga Sensei's vacation home.

Why?

She wanted to see Hyuga Sensei's art collection.

Asumi.

I need to talk to you for a minute.

About Yuma Sensei.

During that trip the other day,

where did you and Yuma Sensei go?

About that...

I'm going to confess my feelings to him.

Asumi, I'm counting on you for your support.

Why don't you have a drink too?

Your son's a very popular guy.

I just happened to see

Mizuno Sensei and the nurse, Hoshino-san,

fighting over your son.

I thought she didn't look familiar, but apparently that's because that doctor called Mizuno

just started working at the hospital this spring.

Date Sensei forced the patient into signing the consent form...

We're covering up the fact that the new drug was what caused his condition to worsen?

Is she just an immature chit of a girl, or is she...

I guess I'll have her checked out.

Apparently, the two of them meet there once in a while.

What's their relationship?

She's probably his mistress, huh?

- Excuse me. - Yes?

What's more, Miura's been a head nurse for more than 15 years.

If she wanted to, she could get drugs without anyone's knowledge.

Be it catecholamine or whatever.

A press conference is planned later today.

Moving on to the next news. A week has passed since

the body of former attorney, Hyuga Makoto-san,

was discovered in Shibuya, Tokyo.

The suspect is yet to be identified, and

MPD is continuing its investigation of his friends and acquaintances...

It's scary, isn't it? This incident.

Cause of death is cardiac arrest due to potassium chloride.

Apparently,

they found a needle mark on his thigh.

A human life can be easily taken with just one drug.

We medical professionals

have to make sure we handle medications with care.

It's the doctors' job to deal with medications, isn't it?

Nurses merely get them ready as instructed by the doctors.

I heard you were close with Mizuno Sensei.

You mean Asumi? Well, I guess so.

I want you to tell me about her.

Her personal history, personal relationships,

anything.

Excuse me, but...why do you want to know that?

I heard Mizuno Sensei's been

following my son around.

I'd like to ascertain whether she's a suitable partner

for my son or not.

7F Department of Neurosurgery/Brain Surgery

Miura Yukihiko-sama

Miura?

Name: Miura Yukihiko Age: 48 years old

Persistent Vegetative State

Length of hospitalization 15 years 6 months

15 years...

That explains it.

Visiting someone at this hour?

I have the night shift tonight.

When I passed by a little while ago,

I saw you going into that room.

Is Miura Yukihiko-san

your husband?

I was surprised.

When I saw his medical record and found out that he's been hospitalized here for 15 years.

I thought this hospital's policy was to transfer patients requiring long term hospitalization,

so I was wondering why.

I don't need to answer that, do I?

- Hello. - Takagi-san's condition took a sudden turn.

It's postoperative strangulated ileus. Hurry over.

You and an intern are the only ones available right now.

- Miura-san? - I was called in because they're shorthanded. Hurry.

Takagi Shiro-san. 68 years old.

We will perform an emergency surgery on postoperative strangulated ileus.

Scalpel.

There's a much larger area of necrosis in the small intestine than I expected.

DIC has occurred. Pulse rate is up to 160.

BP is dropping. 80 over 50.

Saturation is on the decrease as well.

Stop daydreaming.

That hesitation is taking away the patient's life.

Clamping the strangulated intestinal tract.

We're going to cut open the mesentery and perform a ligature of the blood vessels.

Excuse me...

Thank you.

Not a bad job. On your surgery.

I found Miura Naoko's name in a news article from 15 years ago.

Elevator accident?

The accident occurred 6 months before Osanai Sensei passed away.

"Miura Yukihiko-san was critically injured while protecting his wife, Naoko-san."

So that's why Naoko's been going to visit her husband every day.

But don't let sympathy get to you.

The fact that he's been able to stay at this hospital for 15 years

goes to show you that she's dependent on Bandai's power.

I know.

I'm going to get closer to her

and try to probe the truth.

You know, today

something good happened.

The lilies of the valley in the courtyard finally flowered.

They were planted in an area that doesn't get much sun

so I was worried that they may not bloom, but

they produced these really cute flowers.

Suddenly,

I felt like praising them

and telling them "Good job."

Maybe tomorrow

I'll take a picture for you.

Okay?

Mizuno Sensei.

Are you visiting someone?

Yes.

But they were busy, so I'll come again some other time.

- What's that? - It's for Kenta.

He hasn't been doing well lately and there are days he can't get out of bed.

Miura-san. Are you all right, Miura-san?

Excuse me.

Do you know Mizuno Asumi-san who lives above here?

There's something I'd like to ask about her.

Oh, are you perhaps Asumi's friend?!

Huh? Oh...sort of.

Really? Is that right? Come on in. Please, come in.

So what about Miura Naoko?

She's resting in her room right now, but...

it doesn't look like she comes back here very often.

She must stay at the hospital most of the time.

I see.

You think you might be able to find any leads?

I'll try looking after this.

Sorry to trouble you.

Don't you have any relatives or anyone who can help you?

If I did, I would've asked long time ago.

I guess there was a time I had friends.

A long time ago.