From Your Brother
The confusion you must be in from receiving this letter out of the blue...
I completely understand.
You may already be aware,
but I am spending my days in this land, with no regret.
There are countless things I should apologize for or tell you about,
and I've been wanting to see you.
However, my current situation prevents me from seeing you in person, so I have sent a messenger.
Await his arrival on the Huangpu River side of the public garden at 3:00 PM tomorrow.
Dearest Brother
What am I doing?
I don't even know where to send this.
Miss, where are you headed?
To the department store.
My fountain pen broke.
The one you received from the young master?
Something wrong, Aoi?
Do your teeth hurt?
Oh, it's just gum.
Never heard of it?
Oh, these!
It's the first time I've ever had one.
It's sweet!
It's delicious!
You throw it out once the sweetness is gone.
Be sure not to swal-
You swallowed it?!
I can't?
What happens if I swallow it?
Will I die?
I'm going to die?
I'm only a girl! Am I going to die?!
I think that's enough, Aoi.
Aoi! You are so mean!
I'm sorry!
Apologizing isn't enough!
In the biggest shopping district of Shanghai, the Nanking Road of the Shanghai International Settlement,
three department stores, Sincere, Sun Sun, and Wing On, stand in a row,
and a fourth store, The Sun, was about to be built.
Together, people called those four stores "The Big Four."
What was that?
What happened?!
Did you hear something?
Sounded like an explosion.
Firecrackers?
What happened?
Was it an accident?
I'm not sure.
The war has started!
Get away from here!
Who was that?
Is something wrong?
Miss?
What happened?
Weren't you against contacting us by phone?
About an hour ago, an advanced crime notice was received by the Consulate-General of Shanghai.
Someone set bombs in the four department stores of the Nanking Road.
So was that the sound I heard?
It was in The Sun, the one being built.
I was just talking with a military attaché on sending you out to investigate.
Do we have any clues on the culprit?
We don't.
But they went out of their way to send a notice, and didn't detonate all the bombs simultaneously...
Furthermore, they blew up the incomplete store first.
Their main objective doesn't appear to be simple destruction.
A threat...
Or a diversion...
Do you have your guns?
Yes.
Um...
They're heavy to carry around.
Is that it?
What?
Wing On?
You're in Wing On right now?
What's wrong?
It's Yukina.
Good.
I finally got a hold of you.
Listen.
I need you to focus.
I'm going to send you the images of where the bombs are located.
Wait a minute.
How do you know where they are?
I think...
The person who set the bombs up showed the images to me.
I'll tell you later in more detail.
We don't have time.
I'm sending you the images.
Wait...
I can't tell where that is.
I think the restroom images are from Sincere.
There's something on the floor.
I think the stair landing is...
Wait.
I see Sun Sun and The Sun from the window.
You can't see The Sun from Sincere with Sun Sun in the way.
That would mean it's Wing On.
Where you are.
Yes.
But I don't know which story.
Either way, we'll need to look everywhere.
And the clock tower would be...
Sun Sun.
Take advantage of the chaos and sneak in.
Kazura, take Sun Sun.
I'll go to Sincere.
Okay, we've begun our search, too.
Yes.
Kazura was also attacked.
He also vanished immediately after.
So there's at least one enemy in each store.
Make sure you stay on guard.
I know.
I don't see it on this floor.
We should...
Wait.
Someone's here.
I can sense him.
You...
You told me where the bombs are.
Who are you?
Come with me.
To your brother.
Natsume.
You're bleeding.
Where did he go?
Is that it?
From the young master?
I didn't mean to hide it.
I simply wasn't sure if it was truly from my brother.
That man was trying to take you away.
If he was truly a messenger from the young master...
Natsume was shot?
Is he okay?
Fortunately, it only grazed his arm.
I see.
There's definitely someone here also,
but I haven't gotten a good look at his face.
I see. You got separated from your parents?
Here.
What's this?
It's chewing gum.
Eat it like this.
It's sweet.
Don't swallow it though.
I'll have to get her out of here first.
Found it.
Can you hear me?
We're up against an esper.
What?
Kazura encountered him.
He said that they both had the same power.
Most likely, we're only up against one person.
Give me a break...
Should I consider myself lucky or unlucky?
There it is.
Let's disarm it.
I can do it.
I can disarm it.
Stay back.
I'm going to disarm the detonator.
I can read the faint memory of the one who put this together.
Stay back.
Please begin.
He's here.
Above us.
He's on the roof.
Wait, Natsume.
You're wounded.
Find her parents instead.
I'll be going.
Miss!
I'll be fine.
Who are you?
What are you after?
Above you!
How much time does Aoi have?
Not much.
There seems to be no end to this.
It appears I must resort to drastic measures.
I've put powdered poison inside the advertising balloon you see above.
If you won't comply, I'll blow it up.
Why?
What are you after?
If you had gone to the location on the letter, you wouldn't have been involved.
Come with me.
Come with me to your brother.
You shouldn't have any reasons to decline.
You came to this land to look for your brother.
How did you know that?
I'm also somewhat familiar with reading the minds of others.
If you try to cut the electric line, I'll know immediately.
Why doesn't my brother come to me in person?
Your brother is waiting for the right moment.
The right moment?
What's going on, Yukina?
He works for my brother.
What?
Is that true?
If he were lying, his heart would slightly waver.
But...
his heart...
Relay this to Kazura.
I'm going to blow away his switch with my power.
So take the chance to...
You can't.
You're out of time.
You can't use your power.
Besides, he can read us as well.
Now, come.
Why are you hesitating?
So you could still use your power.
How pathetic of me to have fallen for that.
I also hesitated for a moment.
You sound more truthful when you speak directly to the mind.
You lost because you could read others minds.
Oh, Mommy! Daddy!
Mommy!
Lili!
I'm so glad you're all right.
What is this?
It looks like chewing gum.
It's not very common. Who gave it to you?
I don't know.
Takachiho Isao's group, huh?
Who would've guessed that they have people with the same abilities as us?
Which is precisely why they came to gather some information after discovering our existence.
Well, it's probably something along those lines.
What, exactly, could they be plotting in Shanghai?
It may not be in Shanghai.
This may have been their strategy to give us a false lead.
However, it's certain that they're getting ready to start.
The letter's rather personal.
You can give it back to Yukina.
But... I'm surprised she turned down her brother.
I see no reason to be surprised.
Takachiho Isao is nothing more than an enemy to us now.
Episode 03
A Shadow Falls on the Big Four
It may all be taken by one single camera,
but photographs change with the photographer's personality.
You cannot taste the food from mere photographs.
Yet capturing their taste is what makes a professional.
Even their repelling relationships are overcome by the wheedling voice.
When oil and water mix together, will the cat truly bring some baozi?
A close relationship is a beautiful one, or is it?
Next time:
Next Episode
"Camera and Baozi and Stray Cat"
Camera and baozi and stray cat.