Character Relationship Map: Points and Lines

Characters

• Kiichi Mihara (played by Hiroshi Minami) — protagonist

  A detective investigating the deaths of government official Sayama and a restaurant hostess. He questions the apparent double-suicide after noticing that a train receipt accounts for only one meal and...

• Tatsuo Yasuda (played by Isao Yamagata) — supporting

  A man whose movements become central to Kiichi Mihara's investigation into the deaths of Sayama and a hostess. Yasuda claims to have been in Hokkaido, but travel records and a register signature compl...

• Ryoko (played by Mieko Takamine) — supporting

  Tatsuo Yasuda's ill wife, whom investigator Kiichi Mihara visits during his inquiries. Their circumstances are described as strained, and her connection to Yasuda's private life becomes relevant as in...

• Hasegawa (played by Ushio Akashi) — supporting

  A doctor connected to Yasuda's private life. He tells Kiichi Mihara that police have examined medical records, indicating that the investigation is reaching beyond travel records and into Yasuda's per...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Kiichi Mihara → Hasegawa (Professional Investigator And Medical Source) — Hasegawa's report gives Mihara information about police inquiries into medical records.

  Hasegawa reports that police have examined medical records, indicating that the investigation has reached Yasuda's private life.

• Kiichi Mihara → Ryoko (Professional Investigator And Witness) — Mihara seeks information from Ryoko as part of his inquiry into Yasuda.

  Mihara visits Ryoko and learns more about her circumstances with Yasuda.

• Tatsuo Yasuda → Ryoko (Family Husband And Wife) — Their strained circumstances provide investigators with context about Yasuda's private life.

  The account identifies Ryoko as Yasuda's ill wife, and Mihara visits her to learn about their circumstances.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Kiichi Mihara → Tatsuo Yasuda (Conflict Investigator And Suspect) — Mihara's scrutiny of Yasuda's travel history and identity makes Yasuda the central subject of the investigation.

  Mihara focuses his investigation on Yasuda and examines whether Yasuda's account of his whereabouts is truthful.

Story Analysis

Mihara investigates a suspected double suicide as political motives and conflicting travel evidence point toward a larger deception.

Plot Progression

1. A Scene That Does Not Fit — Two bodies are discovered, and cyanide makes a double suicide appear plausible. Mihara questions that explanation after noticing a one-meal train receipt and the absence of a suicide note.
2. Scandal Behind the Death — The official's evidence is connected to a political scandal, and his death benefits others. Mihara considers whether the official was manipulated or forced to protect a superior.
3. Tracing Yasuda's Journey — Mihara examines Yasuda's account of being in Hokkaido, but travel records initially fail to confirm it. A signature in a register deepens the questions surrounding Yasuda's movements and identity.
4. Another Woman on the Route — Witness accounts and a hotel register suggest Yasuda travelled with a woman other than the dead hostess. The new travel details complicate the apparent double-suicide account.
5. Private Lives, Open Questions — Mihara visits Yasuda's ill wife, Ryoko, while Hasegawa reports that police have examined medical records. The account closes with unresolved questions about the deaths and Yasuda's journey.