[Discussion] Ryusei no Kizuna - Nino, Ryo, Toda Erika

Ryusei no Kizuna (literally translated: Meteor Bond)
Author: Higashino Keigo

Published in Shuukan Gendai magazine from September 16th, 2006 to September 15th, 2007. And published as a novel book by Kodansha in March 5th, 2008.

Catchy phrase:
"14年後、彼らが仕掛けた復讐計画の最大の誤算は、妹の恋心だった"
"14-nen-go, karera ga shikaketa fukushuu keikaku no saidai no gosan wa, imouto no koigokoro datta"
"14 years later, their biggest miscount in their revenge plan is, their sister's love"

Synopsis:
Ariake is a family of five, living under the same roof. But their relationship situation is quite different than other common families.

The father, Ariake Yukihiro, is the western food restaurant owner, ARIAKE, a specialist in Hayashi rice (hashed beef rice; contains beef, onions, and button mushrooms, in a thick demi-glace sauce which often contains red wine and tomato sauce). He has 2 birth sons, Koichi (Ninomiya Kazunari) and Taisuke (Nishikido Ryo). I have no information about their birth mother, but she probably has died.

The mother, Yazaki Toko, in the past, was working in the entertaining trade (night club, etc), she got pregnant coz of her work and she gave birth to Shizuna (Toda Erika). Toko live in the Ariake's house as a mother and a wife, but for some particular reasons, Yukihiro and Toko doesn't register marriage to the ward office. However, Yukihiro adopted Shizuna as his own daughter, and so in school she used the name, Ariake Shizuna. (Yes... that means Koichi and Taisuke are not related by blood at all with their sister, Shizuna.)

When Koichi, Taisuke and Shizuna were in elementary school, on one night, they went out of house to see the meteor rain. When they returned to the house, the 2nd child, Taisuke saw someone suspicious coming out of the house. While the first child, Koichi, found their parents' dead body. The police cannot find the murderer. And the siblings joined an orphanage.

14 years later, due to a cause and other(like childhood trauma/cheated by bad people and to keep surviving), the siblings become a group of swindlers, fooling rich men to get their money.

Koichi (Ninomiya Kazunari) is the mastermind, he does the detailed research and plans. When he got out of the orphanage, Koichi had work in a company once, but the company went bankrupt, the president commited suicide, and Koichi had to be responsible to pay the company's debts. Then Koichi decided to swindle rich men's money. And he continue the work together with his brother and sister. Koichi care about his younger brother and sister deeply, and do anything to protect them.

Taisuke (Nishikido Ryo) is a specialist in disguise (salaryman, executive, etc). He work on the front line, meeting with their targets directly.

Shizuna (Toda Erika) work on the front line together with Taisuke, and her main task is to seduce the targets.

One day, the three get to know the Togami-tei restaurant owner, Togami Yukinari, a young man. When Yukinari's father, Togami Masayuki, show up, Taisuke immediately recognized him as the guy who suspiciously came out of their house on the night their parents murdered. The siblings soon concluded that Togami Masayuki is the murderer of their parents and starts to plan revenge.
Their suspicion got stronger when they tasted Togami's foods. When he was a child, Koichi was taught how to make Ariake's cooks by his father. When he tasted Togami's cooks, he can immediately recognized it as Ariake's taste, and so he concluded that Togami has stolen the Ariake's recipe.

The first step of the revenge plan is, Koichi told Shizuna to get close to Togami Yukinari to steal the man's heart. Unexpectedly, Shizuna fell in love with Yukinari for real. And Taisuke who often move around together with Shizuna, realized this first...