Scene of the Crime
事件の現場
Jiken no genba

The story deals with the Ujiie family, specifically Akihiko whose sister, Harumi, moves in to recuperate after a serious accident. Her behavior quickly gets on the nerves of Akihiko's wife, Yoshiko. The story begins with Yoshiko and her mother-in-law watching the police take a neighbor away after an argument turned violent next door. Harumi suddenly appears at her brother's home after getting into a car accident while seeing her husband off on an overseas trip. Little annoyances soon begin to build, like when Harumi makes a comment that toast for breakfast and not rice means the family will not be at full strength as they begin their day. Yoshiko wonders if they should start making more elaborate breakfasts thanks to that comment, but Akihiko tells her not to trouble herself, that Harumi is a guest and should be happy to have what they provide.

Harumi continues to comment on Yoshiko's cooking, asking why her miso soups do not have more ingredients and then asking her mother how she used to do things. Once things settle down Yoshiko discovers that Harumi has been smoking in the house as well, something that she hates due to the lingering smell. When Harumi comments that Akihiko and Harumi are doing a poor job of raising their unsociable son, Fuyuki, Yoshiko coldly tells her she has never had any children to raise. Now everyone is upset with Harumi angry at Yoshiko and Yoshiko mad at her husband for not standing up for her. Akihiko is irritated that he has to come home to all of this arguing after working long, hard days to pay for everything.

The next day Akihiko comes home from work to discover all the lights off, the house empty and a bloody knife in the sink. With thoughts of the attack that took place next door still on his mind he begins to panic. Soon all three come in the front door, explaining that they went to see Hikawa Kiyoshi who was filming in a nearby park and then to karaoke afterwards. The bloody knife was from slicing fish which Yoshiko was in the middle of before being invited out to the park. Soon the police arrive and Akihiko has to explain he called them due to his imagination getting the better of him.

Chapter Details

	Published In: Big Comic Original 2007 Vol. 3.5 Birds of Fate
	Publication Date: February 20, 2007
	Pages: 4 (full color) 4 (red tint) 24 (black and white)
	Anime Adaptation: None
Notes: The Ujie family has a clever system of puns associated with their given names. Each name represents a different season, with Fuyuki (fuyu = winter), Akihiko (aki = autumn), and Harumi (haru = spring) as examples. Rice vs Bread for Breakfast - Japan is generally regarded as being a rice-based food culture. However, bread — or pan in Japanese, derived from the Portuguese word pão — is eaten almost as widely. Many people prefer toast for breakfast over a bowl of rice, and sandwiches and filled sweet or savory breads called kashipan are just as popular for lunch as bentō and onigiri rice balls. The most ubiquitous type of bread in Japan is the white and pillowy square-shaped bread called shokupan, which simply means “eating bread.” Made of white flour, yeast, milk or milk powder, butter, salt and sugar, shokupan is both loved and taken for granted by most. Miso soup is a simple dish to make, and because it has so few ingredients, leaving out even one would be noticeable. Wakame is brown seaweed and Harumi is complaining that that's all Yoshiko put in it. Daikon miso soup uses a vegetable option in place of tofu and nameko miso soup uses mushrooms. The women of the house all bond over watching Kiyoshi Hikawa (氷川 きよし) on television. Hikawa is the known as the Prince of Enka due both to his popularity and young age.