10 years after his young daughter became a victim in a case and slipped into a coma from which she has never awakened, Natsume Nobuto, a former officer at a juvenile detention centre, has turned into a policeman. Now over 40, this latecomer has been a rookie detective with the Violent Crimes Section at Higashi Ikebukuro Police Precinct’s Criminal Affairs Division for four months. The section is in charge of deadly crimes such as murder and robbery. Higashi Ikebukuro Police Precinct’s jurisdiction of east Ikebukuro is an area where an entertainment and nightlife district has spread out behind high-rise buildings while a short walk away is an old town streetscape. This district of contradictory elements is like looking at a microcosm of society with its many facets. Natsume teams up with the veteran detective Fukumori Seiichi and younger female detective Adachi Ryoko to deal with cases as he finds out the truth. Despite the heartrending pain he has been through, he still tries to believe in people despite his job of treating people with suspicion. There have been three suspicious fires believed to be acts of arson within the jurisdiction. One night, a fourth fire occurs. An apartment is burnt down, claiming the life of a man. The dead man is Sato Hideaki. He is the common-law husband of nurse Maeda Keiko and had been living together with her and her son Yuma, but the two of them could marry because of Yuma’s opposition. However, Fukumori and Ryoko learn through their inquiries that Sato had been tormenting mother and son over money matters. They head to the hospital where Keiko works. At the same time, Natsume has been intently watching Yuma who keeps playing the claw game at a game centre. He joins Fukumori and Ryoko shortly afterward and verifies Keiko’s alibi on the night of the fire with a patient. Next, he visits Yuma to check on his alibi but … …jdramas.wordpress.com