Sasaki, unnerved by his encounter with the boys, locks himself in his office. His thoughts are interrupted by a phone call, and leaves to rendezvous with a 'lover' at a local motel. After arriving, Sasaki is horrified when Joe appears and draws a gun. Joe takes Sasaki to a beach where the other boys have dug a large hole near the water. Despite his attempts to bribe them, the boys bury Sasaki up to his neck as the tide begins to come in. Sasaki screams for mercy as the boys leave saying he'll confess everything. Just when it seems he's about to die, Sasaki wakes up in the motel, unable to discern if what happened was real or a nightmare. Setsuko finds Mario waiting for her and takes him to her apartment. Mario reveals that he spared Ishihara, saying he wasn't worth killing. The next day, Sasaki prepares to give a campaign address but becomes flustered when he sees Joe and Cabbage in the audience. In the sound booth, Turtle, Soldier and Uncovered play a recording of Sasaki confessing to all his crimes, including his part in Ei'ichi and Sakuragi's deaths. Exposed, Sasaki drops out of the mayoral race and loses his hospital. Setsuko prays at Sakuragi's grave saying that she and boys can finally move on. At the tree, Mario gives each of his friends a bullet taken from Sakuragi's body. Their revenge satisfied, they leave to begin pursuing their dreams. Mario looks back at the tree and sees an image of Sakuragi smiling back at him.