Episode 17

**Wizard of Far East (Case 4.3)** is the 17th episode of the Great Pretender series.

## Summary

During a meeting with some people from a sister company from Shanghai, Edamura is reunited with his father. He tries to patch things up with his father, by helping him rescue the slave children and Abigail, but everything goes horribly wrong.

## Plot

A flashback showing Edamura and his mother Miki study Chinese linguistics together. Later they meet with Seiji Ozaki Miki's husband and Edamura's father at the courthouse where he defends his client in court. Time passes by and Seiji is on the news for being a conspirator in an illegal slave trade organization.

Edamura visits his mother in the hospital and gives her a toy figure that he got from a machine. Hoping it'd be an angel, it turns out that it was really a wizard. Regardless, Miki loves the present as she hopes the wizard could use his magic to cure her and exonerate his father. On the other hand, Edamura notes that not once has his father went out of his way to visit her after his release. However, Miki notes that she forgives his father. More time passes by and Miki's health takes a turn for the worst until she finally passes away.

In the present, Edamura delivers Abigail her food, and they discuss the escape plan that involves the slave children. Abigail also notes that Edamura has worked at the company for a long time and that it might be taking its toll on him. Contrary to that, Edamura reassures Abigail that he's fine and won't do something drastic like join the mafia.

The next day, Edamura gets a phone call from Ishigami who tells him Suzaku wants to see him. Afterward, along with Ishigami, Edamura is brought to Suzaku's office and she has him act as a Chinese interpreter for the Chinese mafia from Hong Kong. Apparently the mafia men originally belonged to Suzaku's trading company as they ran a dummy company in Shang-Hai. This changed when the Chinese market grew and the company became more powerful than Suzaku's company, sequentially becoming independent. It was all orchestrated by the company leader named Liu Xiao and his partner Chen Yao.

Ishigami, Edamura, and a nameless co-worker meet Chen in the underground parking lot of Suzuka's company. It's noted by Ishigami that Liu was expected to be the person greeting them there. Also, Edamura recognizes one of the men associated with Chen. Soon, Chen meets with Suzaku who complains that she wanted to speak with Liu. Chen details that his boss is unwell so he couldn't make it, but Suzaku doesn't buy it. Cutting to the chase, she informs Chen that she'll be taking 80% of their overall profits for herself, which angers Chen, but Suzuka doesn't hold her tongue.

After seeing off Chen and his interpreter, Edamura asks Ishigami about Chen's interpreter. Ishigami answers that the interpreter named Oz was once a lawyer that was caught in some legal mess. After being released from prison, he was picked up by the ShangHai mafia after he was released from prison. Learning this, Edamura confronts Laurent in a park and uses a clothesline move on him. He then goes on a tirade how Laurent set him to meet his father again. Laurent plays it off and as Edamura walks off tells him that the next plan starts at 3:00 a.m. early that morning.

Back at the trading company, Abigail is informed of the situation and notes that Seiji may have joined the mafia out of desperation. Denying that's the case, Edamura is then told by Abigail that he's just like his father, that being a scumbag loser.

That night, after parting ways with Chen in his hotel, Seiji is accosted by Edamura in his hotel room. Seiji then explains to Edamura that he tried to visit his mother in the hospital, but couldn't get himself to do it. He was then picked up by the Shanghai Mafia. To redeem himself, Edamura has his father help him rescue the slave children held in the trading company. They do this while rescuing Abigail and Cynthia acts as the getaway driver. All goes according to plan until Ishigami and his men ambush them on the highway. It's there that Seiji revealed that he betrayed them all.

## Characters

* Makoto Edamura
* Laurent Thierry
* Abigail Jones
* Cynthia Moore
* Miki Edamura
* Seiji Ozaki
* Ishigami
* Akemi Suzaku
* Liu Xiao
* Chen Yao