left the house
that day
Is my boss here?
He hasn't come today
Where can he be?
Your boss is missing?
Mahjong nuts...
He stayed here till 2 a.m. Winning too
Unusual. Do such things happen?
A very pleasant hobby
A philanthropist offering money
You said it
He practically bought this shirt for me
A very nice man
So generous. Ah, this is it.
1,280, everybody
From everybody?
Wasn't Kenji with you?
He left and went to Shinjuku
When?
Why do you want to chase him
so much?
You're not looking so good
Anything wrong?
Start playing
Good evening
Your sister's pretty, isn't she?
You mean...my sister?
Do you know her?
She was here one day
Looking for you
When?
Let's see. Four, five days ago
Leaving?
Goodbye
What's she so restless about?
Why's Kenji avoiding her?
The reason is serious.
It's a sad, sad story
What does it about?
Tomita is responsible
He's really a bad one
Not me. I had nothing to do with it
Seems otherwise
What is all this?
He denies it. He's a tricky one
And then?
Once upon a time there was a boy
and a girl
attending university together
Young, good-looking and pure...
they were the best of friends
But a villain dwelt in the boy's
apartment house
He sowed the seeds of mischief
in the boy...
Bringing the boy and the girl together...
into relations far from pure
Is that true?
Yes, indeed, truer than true
Shocking, isn't it? Most shocking
That's enough
Wait. There's more to it
The girl left the university
and started studying shorthand
More and more she strayed
from the righteous path...
Joined the villain's group
An old and oft recreated story...
Now the girl is after the boy
It's growing very interesting
Maybe something else is growing too
Maybe she's helping
to increase the population
Are you certain?
Is that true?
Who knows? But in any case
it's an interesting phenomenon
wouldn't you say?
To think that that girl...I'm shocked!
True, quite true. It's shocking
most shocking
Oh, it's you
Come upstairs with me. At once
Why, what's the matter?
What is it?
Why did you go to that mahjong place?
Why did you?
What did you go there for?
Without telling me?
If I had told you...
How did you learn about that place?
Auntie said...
How did Auntie know about it?
Tell me the truth!
Auntie met her
Met who?
Mother
Then that woman is our mother?
Why did you say she couldn't be
our mother?
I didn't think she'd come back
That she could ever return to Tokyo
Why couldn't she?
Tell me, why not?
Please be honest with me
What happened?
Why did Mother leave Father?
It was while Father was away in Seoul
We had another home then
One of Father's subordinates
Yamazaki, came often
and helped in many ways
He was a tall, interesting man.
We both liked him
I was a child then too and
didn't understand
what was happening
Mother and that man...
Never speak of this in front of Father
I remember soon after Father came
back, he took us to the zoo
It was a bright day. You were so happy
You toddled this way and that
On the way home, you fell asleep
and Father had to carry you
When we got home
Mother had gone away
She never returned
But Akiko, never mention this to Father
Since that day he's tried so hard
to forget
Maybe...
I'm not Father's child
Akiko, what are you talking about?
I must take after my mother.
I don't resemble father at all
It's Mother impure blood
No! That's ridiculous!
Why do you think that?
It must be! I'm not his child!
It's Father
I'll go ask him!
You don't understand
Father!
What is it!
I want you to tell me...
Akiko
Yes?
What's going on?
Is she here?
You mean Kikuko?
Good evening. Alone?
There's something I want to ask
What can it be?
Come with me
Going out?
Just for awhile
Now, what is it?
Can we talk alone somewhere?
Let me see. I know a place
Come this way
Can I use your room?
Certainly. It's untidy, though
Don't bother
With no one to help me
I guess this will have to do
Come in.