Are you family?
N-No, I know her from work.
As for us, we're friends.
Then can one of you contact her family?
I-Is it that bad?
She's through the worst of it.
The problem is her unborn child.
For privacy reasons, I can't say any more unless it's to a relative.
She has no family.
Her parents died a long time ago,
and she has no siblings.
She's unmarried as well.
Hmm, that's a problem.
It would be best if the father made the call, then.
I am the father.
I see.
So, how is the baby doing?
The baby's heartbeat is getting weaker.
Likely due to the poison.
If your priority is the mother's safety, then abortion is an option.
What will you do?
Well?
It's just like this wine.
When I opened it a minute ago, it was still stiff and hard to take, no?
But try it now.
It's delicious!
Your novels will be the same way.
They'll be a wonderful wine that intoxicates many readers.
Sensei!
I'm so glad!
Where am I?
The hospital.
So I'm alive...
Yes.
You didn't drink enough poison for it to be fatal for you.
However...
You mean my child?
The doctor told you, then.
He did.
I miscarried, didn't I?
So it goes.
This was fate.
Perhaps it's better for a child never to be born without a father.
Why did you poison yourself?
You think I did it?
It had to be whoever sent that threatening letter...
Nothing was supposed to happen if we served the correct wine, right?
Which means you chose the wrong wine.
I could tell after a sip of it myself.
The culprit was hiding among the audience.
They had a taste and realized you were wrong.
And so they poisoned me.
That's impossible.
Everyone at the party was served the black-label wine.
Everyone except for you.
I wanted to see how you'd react when you had the wrong wine.
So I made sure you got a different glass.
But then you collapsed from the poison.
I never thought you'd do that to yourself.
And I had no idea that you were pregnant.
I don't know how to apologize.
Looks like you got me.
I'm surprised.
Why do this, Sensei?
You okay, Issei?
Yes, I'm fine.
You don't look good at all.
You need to rest.
Thanks.
But I'm fine.
Let's keep going a little more.
I think I'm reaching my limit...
I can feel the thirst welling up within me, little by little...
Is finding this wine really that important to you?
Yes.
That is why I'm here.
The wind's picking up.
There's an abandoned building where we can rest.
It's empty, but it'll get us out of the wind.
The next village is still over a day away.
Issei!
Wine...
There's no wine out here.
I have water. Drink this.
Give me wine...
Issei! Where are you going? Issei!
Issei! Where are you?
Where did you go?!
You can't get lost out here. It's below freezing.
Answer me, Issei! Issei!
Give me wine...
You'll freeze to death if you collapse here!
You're as cold as ice...
This is why I told you to eat!
What should I do?
Wine...
Don't die.
It would be too sad if you die before you find what you're looking for!
You still haven't found it yet, right?
Issei...
I suppose I should explain myself,
after all the trouble I've caused you.
I was going to abort the baby.
Rather than bring it into the world without a father, like me.
You grew up without a father?
Yes. I was an illegitimate child.
And my mother passed before she told me my father's identity.
I suffered so much...
So I wasn't going to have this baby.
I didn't want to destroy his family, either.
But I didn't want to do this in secret.
I wanted him to know what happened.
But I didn't want him to think I was the one responsible.
Which is why I set the whole thing up.
The mystery wine, the menacing letter,
and the threat to kill me if I couldn't identify the wine,
all culminating with my baby...
You actually wanted to keep the baby, didn't you, Natsuyagi-sensei?
That's why you asked me to identify the wine.
You could say that.
It was a little gamble.
If someone could identify the wine, I wouldn't drink the poison.
My child would be born out of wedlock and forced to bear that fate.
Perhaps somewhere in my heart, that was the story I wanted.
The story's not over.
I identified the wine.
But it's too late! My baby is...
Your baby survived! It's a miracle!
What will you do?
It appears your situation is complicated,
but for now...
Can the baby be saved?
Please save the baby as well!
That's our child!
Please!
So you want to have the baby?
Of course.
Nikaido felt like he'd made a big decision.
Perhaps...
He already has a son.
Losing faith in your father is just like losing your father.
Maybe the reason my mother never told me anything
was because she didn't want to hurt an innocent child.
So I'll raise this child myself.
This was for the best, right?
Well, the rest is up to them.
But maybe the wine will help work things out.
That's what wine does, you know?
Yeah.
What happened with this wine has brought me closer to the Second Apostle.
But I can't drink it yet.
I will in front of him...
Tomine.
Mom, I'm thirsty.
Let me have something to drink.
No, Issei. Not yet.
I can't go on.
Give me a drink. Anything.
I will once we're at the top.
Make sure your throat is totally parched.
There's nothing like that first sip.
Issei?
Loulan? I...
You'd all but passed out from the cold and thirst.
Your lips were frozen blue.
I had no choice but to warm you up like this.
But you're okay now, right?
Loulan, I'm thirsty. I'm parched.
I was waiting to hear you say that.
I found this in the sand.
Is this... wine?
This is what you wanted, right?
Are you okay to drink it?
Yes.
Is it good?
I can see it...
What I've been searching for.
Really?
Yes.
All thanks to you.
I'm glad.
It's such a curious drink...
Have you never had wine before?
I haven't.
A red sunset...
The desert sun, warm but sometimes harsh...
What?
Did I say something weird?
No, I was impressed.
A strong imagination and expressive power...
You'd make an excellent wine taster.
Come to Japan if you're interested.
If you train under me, you'll become a wonderful taster.
Really?
But I've only ever lived in this desert...
Take your time thinking it over.
You're a kind man, Issei.
It's been a long time since anyone's called me that.
Let's go, Loulan.
Yeah.
What will you do now, Issei?
I'll go back to Japan.
There's nothing left for me in this desert.
I see.
You found the wine you were after.
Yes.
But more than just the wine...
The wine I was looking for was in my memories.
I found it thanks to you, Loulan.
So I was useful to you after all?
I'm glad.
Let's go.
What's he doing?
He thinks the Second Apostle is the premier version of the wine we had.
Now he's trying to pinpoint the vintage,
so he's drinking a bunch of different second wines to narrow it down.
Wouldn't it make more sense to drink premier wines instead?
I can't do that.
Ah, so you were listening.
If we both identify the apostle,
victory will come down to our descriptions at the tasting.
He'll deliberately choose not to drink his pick beforehand
so his first impression will be stronger.
I see.
So I can't drink mine either.
The best I can do is sample second wines to narrow down the vintage.
It'll be an incredible battle, I think.
I can't lose.
As Kanzaki Yutaka's only real son.
His real son, huh?
Okay, it's one of these two.
I came to say hi.
I'm shooting here today.
Is this a tasting for the Second Apostle?
Yes, that's right.
Did you know that Tomine Issei has gone missing?
He went to China, I heard.
He ran away?!
And no one can reach him?
I thought you might know something...
But I guess not.
Sara-chan, why are you looking for Tomine?
Oh, well, the search for the apostles
is big news for wine fans right now, you know?
So Shizuku-san's got no clue either, huh?
Well, they are rivals after all.
Still, where did he get off to without one word to his little sister?
Hello, this is Sara.
Listen to me! Issei-san is...
What? He went dark in the Taklamakan Desert?!
The tasting for the Second Apostle is tomorrow!
If he doesn't make it in time, he loses automatically!
The least he could do is call me!
I see.
So that's it...
I don't think he'll lose.
Of course, that's if he makes it back safe.
Show me the truth, Mona Lisa!
I'm sure of it!
The Mona Lisa my father loved was the premier version of this vintage!
I'm so sorry! I'm sure he'll be here!
But he was supposed to be here an hour ago.
I think we'll have to consider this a forfeit.
I'll wait as long as I have to.
I don't want to win like that.
Oh? Then tell me how it is you want to win.
Tomine...
I apologize for the wait.
Now then, let us begin.
Here are the wines you selected.
Who will drink first?
Shizuku-kun went first during the battle for the First Apostle.
This time, I'll go first.
Just so we're clear, going first doesn't give you an advantage.
Nobody said it did.
What's got you so worried?
I'm not worried.
I just can't wait to drink.
You can't?
Is that really true?
What?
Right now, you are arrogant Bacchus.
Who are you?
What are you trying to tell me?
Issei, describe it.
Tell us of the wine you brought.
A mother.
At the end of my journey, I found a mother, the Mona Lisa herself,
and her life-giving waters.
And what is the wine?
I will reveal that after Shizuku-kun drinks his.
What?
Now I can look at you and see all kinds of things.
Drink this wine of yours...
with the arrogant palate of Bacchus who has forgotten hunger and thirst!
Arrogant?
Don't be stupid.
I'm always thirsty for wine.
You're not the only one who's found the truth.
Mona Lisa, who...
Who are you?
Da Vinci?!
What's wrong, Shizuku-kun?
Shizuku, describe the wine you tasted.
It was the Mona Lisa...
It was the Mona Lisa, I'm sure of it!
I was taken to his atelier...
And I saw the Mona Lisa.
He'd just finished it. I could smell the paint.
The Mona Lisa drawn in summer.
When I saw the Mona Lisa giving off the energy of a burning sun,
I realized...
The model for the Mona Lisa
was none other than Da Vinci himself!
There is a theory that Da Vinci himself was the model for the Mona Lisa.
That her smile was Da Vinci's, as he enjoyed his little trick on the viewer.
But the Second Apostle in the will
didn't depict a Mona Lisa modeled on Da Vinci himself.
Indeed.
He knows that better than anybody.
I don't understand.
I was so sure when I chose this wine...
When I had a second wine of the same vintage,
the 2000 Alter Ego, I was sure of it!
It revealed to me a mysterious woman standing in the light of spring.
So why did I see Da Vinci in summer when I drank the premier version?
I see. So that's it.
You fell for a cépage trap.
Cépage?
In the world of wine, cépage refers to the grape variety
and sometimes the percentages of a blend.
Palmer primarily uses Cabernet Sauvignon, which has strong tannins and acidity,
and Merlot, which has a rich fruit flavor.
The second wine uses primarily Merlot,
and its rich taste reminded you of the Mona Lisa.
You thus assumed the premier wine must be the Second Apostle.
That's why you chose the corresponding 2000 Château Palmer!
But you'll see the difference the moment you drink it.
I don't feel kindness. I feel a strong sense of self-expression.
Their second wine that year, Alter Ego,
has a soft, elegant feel.
But for the premier 2000 Château Palmer,
the Cabernet Sauvignon was of exceptional quality that year
and they used more than usual in the blend.
Thus the strong tannins resulted in a full-bodied wine!
So it's the Mona Lisa but also Da Vinci himself.
Tomine... Then what was your answer?
The other Mona Lisa.
Kind and carrying life within her womb,
all with a strong sense of mystery...
A bottle featuring both qualities!
I present to you...
The '99 Château Palmer!
The Second Apostle, chosen by God!
Château Palmer's masterpiece of the 90s.
The '99!
Shizuku-san, this is it!
Why...
Why couldn't I tell?
I saw that...
I'll tell you why, Shizuku.
You began with nothing but your thirst,
but now you're finally starting to understand the world of wine.
Yet the more you see, the deeper and more mysterious that world becomes.
Do you understand, Shizuku?
You got it wrong because you've begun to learn.
The winner of this battle was clear from the start.
Shizuku-kun, I will warn you.
As you are now, you will not make it to the end of our quest for the apostles.
Tomine-san takes this round.
You have each won one match.
Do entertain me more next time.
May I have another?
Yes, I'll have one myself.
To your defeat, and your new journey.
Incredible... He's incredible.
The man named Tomine Issei...
Dad... how can I beat that genius?
What should I do?