Babylon (バビロン)

It all started one month ago.

Shiniki.

A new initiative that originated in an island country in the far east

was broadcast on the news and spread around the world.

But three cities have already said they're going to allow suicide.

Isn't suicide bad?

This is an indiscriminate attack by an ideology.

It's terrorism.

The fourth city, huh?

I can't believe it's happening in Hartford, in our own country.

But I still believe

that most problems in life can be solved if you keep thinking about them.

But there's always a time limit in the real world.

That's my biggest problem.

The population of Hartford is 125,000.

This figure only includes the residents.

The number of people active in the city is actually 1.2 million.

The city was once well-known as a trading hub.

Many insurance companies are still located there today.

The current mayor, Benicio Flores, is from Puerto Rico.

He went to the University of Hartford, and then the University of Connecticut.

This is his second term.

He's a Republican, huh? What's he like?

He's mild-mannered. He's a moderate. He's a politician with a clean image.

Is he clean enough to make the residents go along with the suicide law?

Well, I'm not sure.

-Were you able to contact him? -Yes.

Apparently, he hasn't refused to talk to the government yet.

Then...

We'll talk to him on the phone in one hour.

Yeah. Thanks.

And contact the CIA and the FBI also.

Well, just take care of this.

We have a meeting with France coming up soon, and now this?

Well, we should prioritize domestic affairs.

President, have you reached a conclusion yet?

Well,

I'm still missing

a lot of pieces.

President,

I'm just carrying out my normal duties as the mayor.

And what are those?

A mayor's job is to provide the residents with a safe, healthy, and prosperous lifestyle.

I heard about a law

that embodies a new initiative, known as the suicide law.

I decided that adopting this law

would improve the lives of the 125,000 residents of Hartford.

I see.

But I still feel that you're rushing the matter too much.

Why did you skip the necessary processes

and hurry to adopt the suicide law?

Well...

Excuse me. You're right.

President, the reason is a little abstract.

It's not logical, but...

I don't mind. Continue.

Yes.

For example, if you trace the roots of our country, the United States, back in history,

you'll find that it starts with Columbus' discovery of the new continent.

The passion felt by the people in search of the new continent

was what paved the way to this new land.

And in the 19th century, our country experienced the gold rush.

People tamed the wild lands in the west in search of gold.

They had the will, the dynamism, and the courage to set foot into untrodden lands.

We still have it.

The frontier spirit.

I saw the frontier of mankind within the suicide law.

It's just as you said, president.

I could've spent more time investigating it thoroughly,

but I couldn't stop.

I know I might be overstepping, but in my opinion, this is what it means to have courage.

Powers that have not been delegated by the Constitution of the United States belong to the state and the people.

In principle, we don't have the power to object

to Hartford's adoption of the suicide law.

I just wanted to tell you that we have no intention of fighting against your state.

President--

But it's not that I completely approve either.

I'm just putting this on hold.

The government and I both have our own powers, of course.

If it comes down to it, I can sign an executive order to deploy troops to Connecticut.

What?

Well, let's stay in close contact.

That was more than enough, president.

I wonder how many cities are going to adopt the suicide law.

The think tanks are analyzing it right now.

First, we need to determine whether

the adoption of the suicide law in those three cities was really something that happened naturally.

Do you mean a conspiracy?

The cities each made the decision so fast.

Rather than being influenced by one another,

I think it's more likely that the cities were in contact behind the scenes

and coordinated the timing of their announcements.

Do you have evidence?

The investigations are ongoing,

but it's still just a guess.

Well, I feel the same way.

It's more likely that people are up to something in secret.

Please, continue the investigation.

Dead slow ahead. As usual, huh?

He's always like this.

His nickname fits, "the Thinker."

I have another one, "the Honest Man."

Yeah, but it's not necessarily a bad thing.

He was able to stop Flores by hinting that he'd send the army.

Honesty can turn out to be a tough weapon sometimes.

Well, we often get hurt because of that double-edged sword.

You know, I don't have the time to start a serious discussion

about a stupid, childish house rule

cooked up by the mayor of a small town in Asia.

Right. That's what I wanted to talk about.

Aren't you going to see the mayor of Grenoble?

He's not important. I don't even remember his name.

He's just an average guy who's only talent is raising money.

I bet he just went along with the law because he thought it would bring in good business.

You're being pretty careless.

I think this is a huge social problem.

Are you making light of him, or are you making light of the problem itself?

Alex, I'll tell you.

I'm not making light of the problem.

I'm making it less of a problem.

Politics is equivalent to controlling the sentiment of the people.

For stupid initiatives like the suicide law,

all you have to do is treat them like low quality fads and stamp them out.

You don't have to keep up the charade those crazy youngsters started.

Are you talking about Itsuki Kaika?

I think he's the important one.

I think he still has something up his sleeve.

Some cards he hasn't laid out on the table yet.

It's just a gut feeling, though.

I don't know about that. I'm not interested either.

I'm a little interested in it, though.

I said, I don't know.

Why don't you ask him directly?

You...

Do we have the option of meeting Itsuki?

No.

-But-- -No!

Politics is equivalent to controlling the sentiment of the people. Luca has a point.

During the televised debate, Itsuki appealed to the peoples' emotions.

He's still popular now.

If you make an appearance, Itsuki would make a great performance out of it.

Okay. Let's forget about it, then.

Apocalypticism.

Is he planning to resurrect the devil again?

An evil person.

Someone who's going to destroy the world.

Do you really have conclusive evidence?

I see.

Then let's notify the president tomorrow.

What's this?

It's information about the existence of a particular person.

Does that person have anything to do with the problems going on with the suicide law?

She might also be involved in the adoption of the law by countries around the world.

You're right.

If that report really is true,

then it's a real possibility.

By the way, director, which one are you talking about?

They're all the same person.

Please, explain more.

President,