Aibou TV Season 5 Episode 20 - When Sasanquas (Christmas Camellia) Bloom(サザンカの咲く頃)

Subtitle: When sasanquas (Christmas Camellia) Bloom(サザンカの咲く頃)

 Programmer Yū Senuma(瀬沼 優) falls to his death from the roof of a building in Shinjuku between 10 PM and 12 PM. Two pairs of footprints are discovered at the top of the building, leading the Sōichi to consider the possibility that the programmer was murdered. The next day, the CSIs are shocked to discover that someone stole all the evidence related to those footprints, which had been preserved inside a locked evidence locker in the Keishichō. Shortly later, Masahiro Shimamura(嶋村 雅弘), who worked under Superintendent Supervisor Onoda years ago, also dies under mysterious circumstances. Who stole the evidence and why? Who killed Yū Senuma(瀬沼 優) and Masahiro Shimamura(嶋村 雅弘), and are their deaths related?

Characters appearing/mentioned in the story

Masahiro Shimamura(嶋村 雅弘) - Divorced manager who worked at the National Police Agency Security Bureau. For some reason, he lurked near the building where Yū Senuma(瀬沼 優) died while the policemen from the Keishichō investigated the scene of the crime. Shortly later, Shimamura called Superintendent Supervisor Onoda as the manger was dying. The policemen who investigated Shimamura's death recalled that Shimamura died clutching a sazanka flower in his right hand and holding his cell phone in his left hand. The police ruled Shimamura's death as a natural death, but Superintendent Supervisor Onoda suspected foul play. To confirm his suspicions, the Superintendent Supervisor invited Inspector Ukyō to breakfast where the superintendent supervisor revealed that Shimamura was his subordinate years ago when the superintendent supervisor was the head of the Public Security Intelligence Agency. The superintendent supervisor gave Shimamura's photograph and house key to Inspector Ukyō to start the investigation.

While investigating Shimamura's room, Inspector Ukyō realized that someone had left a hidden camera and wiretapped the room after Shimamura died. They Tokumeigakair pair  also discovered an encrypted file on a removable disk which the brought back to the Keishichō for further analysis. Back at the crime lab, CSI Yonezawa discovered that the file contained the lines to Kimi Ga Yo, the Japanese national anthem. Inspector Ukyō realized that the removable disk was a trap and breaks the device open, revealing a small tracking device. Whoever left the tracking device now knew that someone inside the Keichishō was investigating Shimamura's death.

Investigating further, it is revealed that Shimamura had contacted Yū Senuma(瀬沼 優) to ask Yū Senuma to work on a certain project, even though the company Yū Senuma(瀬沼 優) worked for only accepts work only from civilian(non-government) customers.

Inspector Ukyō recalled a case from ten years ago where a nearly untraceable poison was used, and asked the Superintendent Supervisor, who also remembered the case. Ten years ago, Shimamura detected a random numbers transmission on an unauthorized radio frequency. He could not track down the source, but they were able to decode the message. The decoded message gave the names and job titles of three people in Japan involved in making and selling a parabolic antenna. These three people all died shortly afterwards under mysterious circumstances. The worker who made these dishes had a minor wound, and they identified a rapidly metabolizing poison from the wound.

While the Tokumeigakari pair happen to be with the Superintendent Supervisor at his residence, he receives an unexpected package from Minoru Suzuki(鈴木 実). Shimamura used this name in the past in similar situations. Shimamura sent a jar, and he had sent all the stolen evidence back, along with a memory card, all wrapped in aluminum foil. The Tokumeigakari pair took the evidence with them, but were assaulted by a group of men shortly after leaving Superintendent Supervisor Onoda's residence. Fortunately, they managed to get away. Later, they discovered that the Public Security Intelligence Agency searched all delivery items picked up at a certain time and checked them using some kind of x-ray device.

Isobe(磯部) - The grateful manager of a hotel Amazon Odaiba (from episode 11 of this season). He provides a secure hotel where Miwako and Tamaki can stay while the Tokumeigakari pair solve this case.

Yū Senuma(瀬沼 優) - Elder brother of the twin programming team at Sepro EPR who fell to his death.

Shō Senuma(瀬沼 翔) - Younger brother of the twin programming team at Sepro EPR.

Yasuo Ōkubo(大久保 康雄) - Miwako's former boss at Teito Newspaper.

Noriyuki Iwasa(岩佐 紀之) - Commissioner General of the National Police Agency who has been at the job for less than two years. Ten years ago, he was the security directory. He moved the headquarters investigating the Yū Senuma(瀬沼 優)'s death from the Keishichō to the Public Security Intelligence Agency after Shō Senuma(瀬沼 翔) was arrested. He later had Superintendent Supervisor Onoda release the three people working for him after they were arrested.

Katsuhisa Sasaki(佐々木 勝久) - Official from the Ministry of Defense, administrative manager. He loses consciousness while giving testimony on live TV and passes away shortly afterwards.

Miyashita(宮下) - Head of a department in the Public Security Intelligence Agency. His name was on the document authorizing halting and searching through certain shipments, even though he himself didn't order it. The Public Security Intelligence Agency keeps most employees' names a secret and the names of higher ranking officers such as Miyashita's names are used on public documents.

Tōko Mizuhara(水原 塔子) - Manager Sasaki's subordinate. She is the principal investigator at the information headquarters for the Ministry of Defense. The Tokumeigakari pair observed her talking to Shō Senuma(瀬沼 翔) early in the episode.

Sōichirō Minami(南 蒼一郎) - Miyashita's subordinate whom the Tokumeigakari pair dubbed as "Mr. X." He works in the division overseeing information in the Public Security Intelligence Agency. He led the group of men who tried to retake the evidence Shimamura returned back from the Tokumeigakari pair. He also spied on the Tokumeigakari pair when they investigated Masahiro Shimamura(嶋村 雅弘)'s death and when they convinced Shō Senuma(瀬沼 翔) to confess to his brother's murder at the rooftop of the building where the murder took place.

Tsukasa Era(江良 司) - He works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs International Information Bureau. The Tokumeigakari pair observed him talking to Shō Senuma(瀬沼 翔).

Kōken Onoda(小野田 公顕) - Superintendent Supervisor Onoda receives a call from Masahiro Shimamura(嶋村 雅弘) as he is dying. Later, he invites Inspector Ukyō to breakfast and asks the inspector to investigate the death of Shimamura, who was Onoda's subordinate year ago. He provides more information for the Tokumeigakari pair, including the identities of Sōichirō Minami(南 蒼一郎) and Tsukasa Era(江良 司). Following the Commissioner General's orders, he also releases the people who kidnapped Sergeant Kaoru, but cleverly suggests a way to fight back to Inspector Ukyō.

Haruki Ōkōchi(大河内 春樹) - General Inspector Ōkōchi is forced to investigate and proceed with the process to fire Sergeant Kaoru because the Sergeant gave information about the current case to Miwako who wrote an article based on that information. Since there is no physical evidence to support the claims, Sergeant Kaoru will be held responsible for attempting to release unverifiable statements to the public.

The three people mentioned in the coded message and subsequently killed ten years ago

Tōyōkōkū Shōji Kabushiki Gaisha(東洋航空商事株式会社) - Orient Aviation Trading Co., Ltd.
eigyōbu(営業部) - sales department
Oda Shin'ya(オダシンヤ)

Kantō Eisei Tsūshin Kabushiki Gaisha(関東衛星通信株式会社) - Kanto Satellite Communications Inc.
eigyōbu(営業部) - sales department
Katou Yuuta(カトウユウタ)

Sakita Shibo? Seisakusho(サキタ絞製作所)
shokunin(職人) - craftsman
Sakita Jirou(サキタジロウ)