Everyone's here, I see.
Then let us begin.
The Second Apostle
"The Second Apostle."
"It is...
the Mona Lisa."
"I was..."
...driving along the road from Florence to Pisa.
An ancient church suddenly caught my eye, and I stopped the car.
Climbing a stone-paved path from Roman times,
I came upon an old house.
I sensed a mysterious presence.
I stepped inside and was immediately met with an artist.
I saw two paintings covered in black cloth.
The artist asked me, "Which do you love?"
I asked in response,
"When were these painted, and who do they depict?"
The artist replied,
"The one on the left was done in spring
and depicts a woman who has just conceived."
"The one on the right was done in summer,
but I cannot tell you who modeled for the painting."
I understood everything.
The one I love is...
"The painting on the left," it reads.
Yutaka went and made the second one a real doozy, eh?
That's fine.
I've learned a lot about wine.
If you're talking like that, you must have no idea what you're up against.
Just so we're clear,
there won't be a repeat of the miracle you had with the First Apostle.
Excuse me.
Robert, is this one really that hard?
Yes.
You could find your way to the last apostle by carefully scrutinizing flavors.
But not this one.
You must unravel the true riddle of the wine,
as if you were solving the mystery in a detective novel.
So are you saying Tomine could do it?
Not as he was during the battle over the First Apostle.
But it seems to me that his loss has taught him an important lesson.
This won't be as easy as last time.
I know that.
Surely you won't lose twice in a row, will you, Issei-san?
Who wins and loses isn't what's important.
I'm taking this chance to reach greater heights.
The heights seen by Kanzaki Yutaka,
who could describe wine in the words of God himself.
Glad to hear it.
Why, you haven't had anything to drink.
I haven't had a drop of wine for the past week.
What?
This makes the first time in the past few years.
Not a day has gone by that I didn't drink wine, let alone a week.
Yet for the past week, I've avoided anything like tastings
or dinners that revolved around wine.
It's been so long since I've even picked it up...
Oh, I can hear it! The voice of wine!
"Why don't you drink me?"
What I need is thirst!
As a wanderer in search of the Second Apostle!
Speaking of, did you prepare what I asked for?
Y-Yes.
It's a very dangerous place, I'm told.
Does this have something to do with the "thirst" you speak of?
The Taklamakan Desert.
In the Uyghur language, it means "once you enter, you will never leave alive."
Now...
How close can I get to the riddle of the Mona Lisa here?
I've seen the Mona Lisa several times.
My dad took me to the Louvre a lot.
The Mona Lisa was always important to him.
Is there some reason for that?
If anybody knows the answer,
it'd be the man who's worked for him since before I was born.
Welcome home, Young Master Shizuku.
Don't call me that, Yoshida-san.
I've come with some questions today.
Would you be willing to hold them for later?
An old friend of mine is visiting at the moment.
Natsuyagi-sensei?!
A-Are you Natsuyagi Maiko-sensei, the mystery writer?
Yeah.
She consulted my dad when she was working on a mystery that involved wine.
That's how Shizuku-kun and I first met.
Now, is this sweetheart your girlfriend?
Aw, no way...
Taiyo Beer Sales Partner
Wine Division Consultant
My name is Shinohara Miyabi. I'm with Taiyo Beer's wine division.
Oh, so you know him through wine as well.
It's been a while, Sensei.
Since my father's funeral?
Indeed.
I wanted Yoshida-san's help with something.
But if you work in wine,
perhaps I'll ask you instead.
What is it?
I received a strange bottle of wine.
Wh-What is that? The label's pitch black.
The cork's been changed as well.
It's sealed with red wax.
A letter also arrived with the wine.
Bacchus?
The god of alcohol?
"Apollo offered to Diana and Diana offered to Apollo
a single bottle of wine."
"Emotions that cannot be forgotten."
"Bonds that cannot be severed."
"What do the right hands of the newborn gods reveal to us?"
"Only those who find the answer by the time of the banquet shall survive."
What is this?
I don't know.
If we take it literally, the "banquet" is likely the party
I'm holding next week to celebrate my latest novel.
Should I fail to identify the wine by then,
I will not survive... is what I suppose it means to say.
Don't tell me this is a threat!
Wow, it's kind of like a mystery novel.
What do you think, Shizuku-kun? Are they serious?
I couldn't say.
But all we can do is open the wine and drink it!
H-Hey, Shizuku-san!
You don't know what's in there!
If something dangerous is mixed in,
I'll know from the scent.
It's just wine.
I should expect no less from Yutaka-sensei's son.
Natsuyagi-sensei, may I have a taste?
Of course.
This is...
Wh-What's wrong?
A woman who looked like the Mona Lisa...
The Mona Lisa?
So this is the Second Apostle?
No, my image of the apostle was that of a finished painting.
This was more like glimpsing the moment before she was painted...
It's difficult, huh?
It's not difficult so much as... How should I put it?
It's a strange wine. It feels... vague.
See if you can find the answer for me, Shizuku-kun.
Or else Bacchus might kill me.
No, thank you.
Your lips are dry.
It's cold here, but this is still a desert.
You should drink water.
You speak Japanese?
Are you Japanese?
No...
My mother was.
She taught me the language.
Thank you.
Would you like to ride on the camel?
It'll be a full day before we reach the next village.
Would that be all right?
Have you come in search of something?
I see travelers with eyes like yours once in a while.
Here, in these empty wastes...
I came in search of wine.
In the desert?
I'm sure I'll find it...
the moment when my thirst for wine reaches its limit.
It's a sad thing to eat alone.
Let's have this together.
Thank you.
But I can't eat right now.
I'll take the water.
Why?
You must be suffering without food.
A bit of suffering is just what I need.
Tell the caravan master that you all don't need to worry about me.
Is there a problem?
You're the first Japanese person to come this far in search of wine.
I see Japanese people sometimes, but they never make any sense.
They never make any sense?
They say they're trying to "find themselves."
What do people mean by that?
You're right here.
Is that funny?
I wasn't laughing at you.
I'm the one who's being strange.
What I'm after isn't much different than the other Japanese people you speak of.
So you're here to find yourself too?
Perhaps.
Say, what's your name?
Oh, I hadn't introduced myself yet?
I'm Tomine Issei.
What about you?
Loulan.
A lovely name.
It sounds almost French.
There are many French winemakers with that name.
You really love wine, don't you, Issei?
Am I wrong?
You're right.
That's exactly right.
I love wine!
I wish I could give you the wine you're looking for.
Where is it?
I don't know.
But it's out there somewhere.
Talking with you makes me feel like I can find it.
Hearing that makes me happy.
I hope you find it.
Yes, that's fine.
I'm busy getting ready for the party, but it'll be fine.
I'll be waiting with some delicious wine.
Bye.
Yutaka-sensei's son wants to come over to look for clues.
Is it okay to let a guy like that into your house?
Oh, are you jealous?
No! Don't answer it!
It's my home phone. If I don't answer, they'll worry.
Please.
Fine.
Sorry to bother you when you're so busy, Natsuyagi-sensei.
I was thinking there might be some kind of clue in your cellar.
That's fine.
Look around all you like.
Um, we brought you this wine.
Oh, thank you, Shinohara-san.
Is something wrong?
Sorry.
I have a rule about never drinking second wines.
Huh? Why not? It's delicious!
But second wine will always be second place.
It can't beat first wine.
I don't like that.
I-I'm sorry! Next time, I won't...
It's fine. Don't worry about it.
Now, I'll take you to my beloved wine cellar.
Did I offend her?
Don't worry. It's fine.
I keep my Bordeaux on this side,
and my Burgundy is on the other side.
Take your time looking around.
I've got something to take care of, so I'll be upstairs.
This collection is incredible!
I guess you can afford this stuff when you're a famous mystery author.
Huh?
Why are these shelves totally empty?
You're right.
Huh?
This isn't a first wine.
Look. It's a second.
Why does she have just the one when she doesn't drink it?
The rest is all first wine...
That was a real sight to behold, Natsuyagi-sensei.
Oh, pardon me.
Is this...
The name's Nikaido.
I'm the editor-in-chief of Shodansha's literature department.
An editor-in-chief?
I'm...
I've heard about you.
You're Kanzaki Yutaka-san's son, right?
I've heard you're helping to work out our little mystery.
That's right.
What do you make of the threat letter?
It's a prank. Best ignored.
What of the wine, then?
If you've known Natsuyagi-sensei for a while,
might you have any idea about it?
No, she and I only ever discuss work.
I don't know her as well as you think.
I see.
You're taking this too seriously, Sensei.
You even brought it up in your essay column, which only makes things worse.
Yes, but what if it isn't a prank?
This person is apparently out to kill me, so I wrote about it publicly
to let them know they can't intimidate me.
Well, we'd best be on our way.
Oh? You're leaving so soon?
Yes. See you again.
Th-Thanks again! Sorry to interrupt your work.
Oh, and we'll take this second wine back with us.
Since you didn't care for it.
What's gotten into you?
Those two are in a relationship.
They held and drank from their wine glasses the exact same way.
Is that enough to tell?
Plus, that threatening letter and the black-label wine...
These things aren't unrelated.
When we were down in the cellar,
I actually swapped the second wine we brought with the one we found.
Something was bothering me about the label.
It's...
I see.
That is a bit of a mystery.
Why don't we drink it?
We might be able to learn something.
Yeah, I'm sure of it.
This is the same as the black-label wine.
Really?
Yes.
Then the threatening letter...
Now that we've identified the black-label wine,
there's less to worry about.
But why did she have the black-label wine in her cellar to begin with?
This is a second wine called "Alter Ego,"
as in, one's other self.
It has its own unique taste compared to the premier Palmer.
I think, to her, this wine represents herself.
I see.
That's why she keeps this lone bottle locked away in her cellar,
even while she says she won't drink second wine.
She probably got rid of the premiers.
What a waste!
This one is delicious, of course,
but the premier wine is wonderful! It has an even more complex profile!
I wish I could try the premier.
I've got some.
If you're okay with a different vintage.
Do you mean it?
That's a valuable wine...
Well, it's fine.
Here. This is the one.
Let's start with a glass.
What is this feeling?
Something inside is screaming at me not to drink it.
What do I do?
No! I can't hold back!
What's wrong, Shizuku-san?
I can see the apostle... standing somewhere beyond this wine!
Issei! Issei, wake up!
What's wrong?
Bandits are approaching.
They'll go after Japanese people first.
Bandits?
Let's get ready to run!
They're here!
Gunfire?
We need to hurry!
Over here! This way!
Loulan, where are we going?
I don't know!
Just run!
If you stay here, you'll be killed!
Natsuyagi Maiko New Novel Release Party
Natsuyagi-sensei sure knows how to throw a party.
Are you sure about this, Shizuku-san?
Serving that wine...
Yeah, of course.
It should show us what's really going on here.
Now, a word from Natsuyagi-sensei herself!
Thank you for coming to celebrate my new novel.
As some of you may know,
I was actually sent a mysterious wine the other day.
What you're drinking now is the wine
that Kanzaki Shizuku-san of Taiyo Beer's wine division believes it to be.
I wanted you all to enjoy trying to solve the mysteries of this wine,
so I've prepared this tasting blind.
What could it be?
I can't wait to find out!
I actually don't know what wine Kanzaki-san picked out myself.
If it's not, in fact, the same wine sent along with the threatening letter,
I could be a dead woman!
Don't worry. That won't actually happen.
So please enjoy the food and wine.
I'm Nikaido, EIC of Shodansha's literature division. I'll give the toast.
Cheers!
Well, Natsuyagi-sensei?
Indeed, it's very good. This is what was in the bottle?
I'm sure of it.
I see.
May I have a glass of water?
What's wrong?!
It hurts...
Sensei!
It's an emergency! Call an ambulance!
Sensei? Are you okay?
Are you okay? Where does it hurt?
Sensei! Sensei!
Was it... poison?
No way...
Somebody call an ambulance!
Sensei! Are you all right?
Sensei!
No way... This can't be!
Sensei!
Are you all right? Sensei!