The Detective Is Already Dead Episode 2: I Still Remember, After All This Time

Sakuya Otsuki finds a body, suspended by a crane, in a dark warehouse. The victim is Nejihiko Watanoya, precisely hanged. As Sakuya notes the chilling mechanics of the death, his phone rings, and Yuruyu's cheerful voice grates on him. He demands she come to him. A glint of metal leads him to a smartphone, but before he can reach it, a figure in a clown mask ambushes him. A blade pierces his neck; he falls, the world blurring as the killer takes the phone and leaves him for dead.

Sakuya gasps awake in the same warehouse, his wound miraculously healed. Lilithea sits by him, calm and unconcerned, informing him he has been dead for over an hour. She reveals Nejihiko Watanoya's identity and explains how evidence was planted, using Sakuya's own blood, to frame him. The detective realizes his fingerprints were pressed onto the remote control for the crane after his supposed death, a meticulous setup. His resurrection offers a unique testimony.

Sakuya and Lilithea arrive on the luxury cruise ship, startling the Watanoya family in the lounge. Family members cry out, believing Sakuya to be a ghost or zombie, but he stands tall, introducing himself as the detective. Kashihiko Watanoya, the patriarch, confronts him, furious and defensive, refusing to believe anyone but Sakuya killed his brother. A young woman, Miko Watanoya, becomes hysterical, shouting accusations. Sakuya calmly explains he too was a victim, revealing the clown mask.

Sakuya begins to dismantle the frame-up with cold logic, pointing out the impossibility of a continuous blood trail if he had been stabbed near Nejihiko. Lilithea provides specific details about the scene, solidifying his argument. He then exposes the planted fingerprints on the crane remote; a device used by many circus performers, yet only his prints were found after his death. Kashihiko deflects, insulting Nejihiko's character. Sakuya asks about the victim's missing smartphone, suggesting it holds a critical dying message, which prompts Miko to beg for his help.

On the ship's deck, under a bright moon, Sakuya discusses the missing smartphone with Lilithea and Soso. He theorizes the killer feared specific information on the device, hence its disappearance. Sakuya warns them the killer is still on board and will likely strike again. Suddenly, Yuruyu calls, bubbling with excitement. She has discovered that Lulu the cat wears a collar camera, capturing everything it sees, and is now on the upper deck reviewing the footage.

Yuruyu watches the cat camera footage, her initial excitement giving way to terror as the clown-masked figure appears behind her. The killer lunges with a knife. Yuruyu screams, dropping Lulu and scrambling back towards the railing, the killer close behind. Sakuya, hearing her cries through the phone, sprints to the upper deck. He arrives just as Yuruyu slips over the railing, catching her hands. The killer, now revealed to be Wako Watanoya as her mask shifts, tries to push them both into the ocean. Just as Wako prepares a fatal strike, Lilithea appears, pinning Wako's cloak with darts and allowing Sakuya to pull Yuruyu to safety.

On the ship's stage, Wako confesses to the murder, claiming she acted to protect the Watanoya family's legacy. She explains Nejihiko intended to expose their illegal operations. Sakuya presents the decisive evidence: footage from Lulu's camera showing Wako and Nejihiko arguing. The footage captures Nejihiko confronting her about 'Black Melon Cookies' used for cannabis trafficking. The full scope of the family's drug ring is laid bare, horrifying Amahi Watanoya. Sakuya reveals Nejihiko's dying message, 'M,' stood for 'Mother,' a plea for the family to remember its roots. Wako is led away, her ambition having destroyed everything.

Sakuya and Lilithea stand at the ship's railing, reflecting on the two cases they were hired to solve. Sakuya reveals the infidelity case was less scandalous than it appeared; the target was merely obsessed with Lulu the cat. Yuruyu joins them, cheerful and unharmed, thanking Sakuya for saving her. Lilithea's eyes glow faintly as Yuruyu affectionately calls Sakuya 'Master,' a subtle hint of jealousy.

A sudden roar shatters the peace as a massive passenger jet, 'XX999,' flies dangerously low, then crashes into the Queen Irie. Explosions rip through the ship, flames engulfing the deck. Sakuya and Lilithea are separated by fire. Amidst the inferno, Sakuya sees a figure he believes is his long-lost father. Ignoring Lilithea's warnings, he runs towards the flames, desperate for answers. He reaches the figure, enters a surreal state, and hears a cryptic question about 'brain matter.' The figure smiles, then dissolves. Sakuya collapses, overwhelmed, but Lilithea pulls him away as the Queen Irie becomes a burning wreck, its fate uncertain.