Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

A slight commotion arose from the gallery.

Some listeners who had been brainwashed by the media and moved by Kenichi Nakajima's performance began to show thoughtful expressions.

"I...I didn't mean that! I just wanted to solve the problem!"

"Solve the problem?" Masashi Akiyama pressed on relentlessly. "So, in the office, besides inquiring about the missing goods, what else did you do to resolve the problem? According to Yuna Sakura, you asked to check her personal belongings, and she complied. And then? What else did you ask for?"

Kenichi Nakajima's pupils suddenly contracted.

"I...I was just following the procedure..."

"Procedure? In the convenience store's employee handbook, which procedure states that the store manager has the right to conduct a search of a female underage part-time worker's belongings in a locked office, beyond the scope of her personal items? Which procedure allows you to make demands that may infringe on another person's bodily autonomy under the guise of 'verifying innocence'?"

"I didn't! You're making false accusations!"

Kenichi Nakajima suddenly stood up, his face flushed, and roared uncontrollably, "That little bitch has mental problems! She stole! She slandered me! She even dragged me down with her after she died! I did nothing wrong! I just... I just..."

Just as he was about to be driven to the brink, on the verge of blurting out something unthinkable and potentially revealing more of the truth...

"Bang!"

The gavel struck heavily, the sound echoing throughout the courtroom.

The presiding judge, a stern-faced middle-aged male judge, frowned and announced in a deep voice:

"Objection overruled! However, given the emotional state of the defendant's witness, the court hereby announces a half-hour recess! Both parties are requested to calm down, and the proceedings will resume in half an hour!"

Court adjourned?!

Adjournment at such a critical juncture?!

Not only did Masashi Akiyama frown, but even those in the audience began to whisper among themselves.

Kenichi Nakajima's crumbling defenses and the insults that were about to spill out were abruptly interrupted. He felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and he quickly covered his mouth and slumped back into his chair.

Kenichi Nakajima was deathly pale and drenched in cold sweat. He was filled with lingering fear and terror.

Just a little bit more... just a little bit more and he would have...

Masashi Akiyama slowly withdrew his gaze and looked toward the judge's bench.

The judge looked uneasy and avoided his gaze.

He glanced again at the prosecutor's bench, where the prosecutor was tidying up documents, but his lips were tightly pursed.

What a coincidence!

Just as they were about to break through his defenses and extract a crucial confession, the court adjourned at the perfect moment.

This is by no means a coincidence.

Masashi Akiyama's gaze swept over the middle-aged men and women in the audience who seemed out of place in the courtroom, before returning to the evidence in front of him.

The court session resumed half an hour later.

When Kenichi Nakajima stood on the witness stand again, he seemed like a completely different person.

Although his face was still somewhat pale, the panic, anger, and near-collapse he had felt earlier had completely disappeared.

His back straightened again, his eyes regained their composure, and even carried a hint of arrogance.

No matter how Akiyama Masashi changed his angles and attacked with sharper rhetoric and psychological pressure techniques, he remained like a stone that had been repeatedly polished, stubbornly holding onto his bottom line.

More subtly, the attitudes of judges and prosecutors have also undergone subtle changes.

The judge began to interrupt Masashi Akiyama's sharp questions more frequently, stopping him on the grounds that they were "irrelevant to the core of the case" or "leading."

During the cross-examination, the prosecutor also began to intentionally or unintentionally explain on behalf of Kenichi Nakajima, emphasizing that he had no malicious intent, and even began to question the contents of Yuna's suicide note and the testimony of her friend.

"Such simplistic and emotional content is not sufficient to serve as evidence," the prosecutor said.

During the half-hour recess, the scales of justice in the courtroom seemed to have been quietly tipped in place.

In the audience, Rieko Uchida bit her lip so hard that she didn't even realize her nails were digging into her palms.

Rio Arimura looked anxiously at Masashi Akiyama, wondering why Mr. Akiyama hadn't produced the audio recording evidence yet.

Masashi Akiyama remained expressionless as he continued to exert pressure with words while rapidly processing information in his mind.

The judge's unusual interruption, Kenichi Nakajima's sudden composure after the recess, the prosecutor's bias...

All of this points to the possibility that during the recent recess, someone provided guidance and reassurance to Kenichi Nakajima, and may even have exerted some kind of pressure on the court.

Kenichi Nakajima's younger brother, that district councilor, is indeed a force to be reckoned with.

However, this was within his expectations.

Or rather, he deliberately didn't bring out the recording directly beforehand, but instead used rhetoric to launch a strong attack, in order to force out any possible external interference from the other party and observe their reaction under pressure.

Now, part of the goal has been achieved.

It's time to play the first real trump card.

As Masashi Akiyama was preparing to request the presiding judge to present new key evidence and play the recording.

"Bang!"

The gavel was struck again.

This time, it was the prosecutor who stood up.

"Your Honor," the prosecutor began solemnly, "given that the evidence presented by the plaintiff so far consists mostly of subjective testimony and circumstantial evidence, lacking core physical evidence or an objective chain of evidence directly proving the defendant's alleged acts of forced molestation, illegal detention, etc., and considering the complexity of this case, the involvement of minors, and its significant social impact, in order to ensure judicial fairness and thoroughly ascertain the facts, we request a temporary recess to allow both the prosecution and defense more time to supplement and verify evidence. We recommend... that the trial resume in one week."

Request another recess? In a week?

The courtyard erupted in uproar.

This is clearly illogical!

The trial had just entered the crucial stage of evidence examination, and the plaintiff's lawyer was clearly in control, pressing the case step by step. At this moment, the prosecutor suddenly requested a long recess on the grounds of insufficient evidence, and the intention was all too clear.

This is clearly a delaying tactic to cool down public attention, give the defendant breathing room and room to maneuver, and may even be an opportunity to erase more traces and exert greater pressure.

The presiding judge remained silent for a few seconds, exchanged brief glances with the prosecutor and the defendant's lawyer, and then slowly nodded.

"Given the special and complex nature of this case, and to ensure the quality of the trial, this court grants the prosecution's application. The court is now adjourned. The trial will resume in this courtroom at 10:00 AM next Wednesday, seven days from now. Court adjourned!"

The gavel fell with a dull thud.

Kenichi Nakajima visibly breathed a sigh of relief, even subtly puffing out his chest, and his gaze toward Masashi Akiyama carried a hint of smugness and provocation.

Masashi Akiyama stood quietly, watching the judge leave the courtroom, the prosecutor organize the documents, and Kenichi Nakajima quickly leave accompanied by his lawyer.

The crowd in the gallery gradually dispersed amidst the murmurs and discussions.

"Attorney Akiyama! How could they do this!" Rio Arimura rushed to his side, both anxious and angry. "This is clearly..."

"I know," Akiyama Masashi interrupted her, slowly putting away the documents on the table.

"Someone is getting anxious."