Yuka goes to the orphanage for her charity work, where she's supposed to teach the children about art. At first, she's not really sure what to do, and they stand around awkwardly in silence but after accidentally spilling some paint oils on paper, she gets inspired and starts doing some really creative finger-painting, and all the kids start to get interested. Toru takes pictures of her working.

Touyama arrives with his media entourage and Komiya announces his acceptance as chair of Yuka's committee. Yuka's happy to hear the news, and the two of them do some publicity shots together.

Later, Touyama is in a back room, where he summons Toru and confronts him with his identity. Toru gets upset, telling him that he'd killed his father and after Touyama mentions how he's not like his father who's weak, he grabs Touyama and shakes him. Yuka comes by and watches him from the doorway. He turns to leave and sees her in the doorway, but then Ryo walks by looking for Yuka, and Toru goes off down the hallway.

Afterwards, Touyama is talking with the orphanage director, and she asks if he wants to continue keeping the "secret" from Toru, and he says that they'd agreed to do so from the time Toru first entered the orphanage...

Kotou finds the other reporter spying on their house and later when he sees Yuka with the dog, he says to her that Toru is investigating his father's misdeeds and that when it's published, he'll be sent to jail...

Toru's on the phone confirming details with Kuroiwa, and he's told to start drafting the article. Yuka arrives at his flat, and asks him about what Kotou had told her. Toru tells her that he's just telling the truth and that people who commit crime deserve the punishment. Yuka says softly that Kotou-kun's wings are about to be broken... same as Toru-san's. She asks Toru if the truth has to cause people so much pain...

Asako goes to see the reporter collaborating with Toru, and she asks him if he's going to write the story on Touyama. He tells her that he's also going to write about the conspiracy between Touyama and their publishing house, and also about Yuka, saying that if praising her to the skies should prove to be so newsworthy, then to bring her crashing down should be equally so...

Ryo goes to ask Toru about his feelings towards Yuka and Toru admits to him that he loves Yuka. Ryo then asks Toru if he'll protect Yuka, and when Toru says she doesn't need protecting, he tells Toru that Yuka's the most pure person he knows, and this purity is very fragile and so must be carefully cherished. He asks Toru to do his best to protect her. Just before he leaves, he tells Toru that he too loves Yuka.

Ryo then tells Machiko how he'd just gone to see Toru and that he'd made up his mind to go to Osaka.

Toru thinks things over that night and goes to Yuka the next morning to tell her that he's not going to write Touyama's story. The news makes her happy but she's worried that it may affect his job, saying that it was supposed to be "his most important work" (quoting Asako). He tells her that his decision was not based on his position as a reporter but on his perspective on what's most important to a person. She thinks for a moment and replies "kokoro to kokoro desu" (heart-to-heart)...

Asako and Kuroiwa are in a meeting with Toru, telling him about how the other reporter is also following the story, and that he must give them his version immediately so they can publish it first. Toru hesitates, and Asako says "he must reveal the truth..." but he cuts her off, saying sometimes the truth isn't everything.

Ooya is confronting Sekawa and Komiya about their double-dealings and how he's discovered in the accounts that Komiya's been embezzling large chunks of money, and using Touyama as a shield.

Ooya then goes back to tell Toru, Asako and Kuroiwa, and they put more pressure on Toru to write the story, saying that if they don't print the truth first, when others publish it, it will implicate their whole Tohigashi corporation as being embroiled in the whole Touyama incident.

Kuroiwa then mentions how Toru will be able to use the story as leverage to return to the news bureau... and then looks over at Ooya (as Toru's boss) uncomfortably, but Ooya is surprisingly supportive, saying that Toru should go back to the news bureau as he is not suited to such a money-grabbing outfit as their magazine. Ooya looks at Toru and says that he should do it - for the company, for Yuka and also for the hapless Touyama.

When Toru still doesn't respond, Asako adds in her bit about how Yuka's future would be destroyed if he allows other papers to write up the story as he knows they will do it irresponsibly and in a sensationalist manner to make more sales... and says that if Toru loves Yuka, he should protect her. Toru silently gets up and leaves the room.

Yuka's gone to visit the dog, but it's unmoving and lifeless inside the kennel. She doesn't understand why and thinks it's sleeping until Kyutai comes along and realising it's dead, starts to cry. He doesn't understand why Yuka's not upset, as her response is calm, saying "so the dog's gone to heaven where my father is"...

Toru and Kotou comes up behind them and sees what's happening. Kotou asks Toru why he doesn't explain death to Yuka but he replies "knowing may not be a good thing..."

At home, Toru's thinking over everything that's been said to him - what Yuka had said about truth causing pain against what Kotou had said about telling her the truth, what Ryo and Takako had said about Yuka needing protection, what Asako had said about Yuka's talent being destroyed...finally, he reflects on what Yuka had said to him about "heart-to-heart"...

Takako tells Ryo about how Toru had come to see Yuka, and Ryo tells her that Toru really does love Yuka and of his own decision to go to Osaka.

That night, Toru meets Yuka in the orphanage storeroom and gets her to make a "yakusoku" that she will continue her work, no matter what happens. She does a "ubi-kiri" with him, and halfway through it, he grabs her and holds her tight...

The next morning, Tohigashi newspaper has published the story of the Touyama scandal. At the Move, Ooya finds a resignation letter from Toru.

The media is all over the Touyama household, and Yuka passes by and sees them there. She sees Touyama leaving the house, and Ryutai running after his dad's car crying, and Kotou holding him back. Yuka sees them and says softly that their wings are being broken...Yuka goes to find Toru at the Move but Asako tells her that he's gone and won't be coming back.

At home, Yuka's sitting in her workshop, and Ryo is saying to her that Toru has betrayed her and isn't a good person. But Yuka says he is... She starts to work, saying she's made a promise to Toru, and Ryo grabs her from behind, trying to stop her. He continues to hold her, but her mind's on Toru, and she says that when she's finished her work, he'll be back. Meanwhile, Ryo professes his love for her and Takako, passing by outside, hears him through the door.