Ep. 22: Ekaterina seeks Fujita to direct Kamae museum annex in exchange for Benois Madonna loan

22

The declining steel city of Kamae collaborates with the Russian Hermitage Museum on an art exhibition. Ekaterina Kalchnikova, known as the Empress of the Hermitage, arrives to curate the event and establish a Japanese annex. Flashbacks reveal her past collaboration with Fujita before his tenure at the MET. While Kamae’s mayor prefers Professor Maruyama for the director role, Ekaterina advocates for Fujita. After Fujita proves superior in a skills test, he declines the position. Instead, he negotiates a deal allowing Ekaterina’s preferred artwork, the Benois Madonna, to be exhibited in Japan for one month annually.