Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

During the week-long recess, everyone fell into a state of apparent calm.

Masashi Akiyama was not discouraged in the slightest by the bias of the prosecutor and judge in court.

Instead, he made excellent use of the forced seven-day extension.

He knew that in this day and age, courtroom battles were often closely linked to public opinion outside the courtroom.

Maki Suzuki used her journalistic skills to combine the clues provided by Masashi Akiyama with her own investigation.

It wasn't just her own energy, but also the other journalist friends she had made.

In-depth reports, background analyses, and analyses of doubts began to appear strategically in the social sections of major newspapers, columns on news websites, and influential accounts on social media.

The focus of the report is no longer just on Sakura Yuna's tragedy, but has begun to delve into the background, interpersonal relationships, and political trajectory of the convenience store manager, Nakajima Kenichi, as well as his younger brother, the ward councilor Nakajima Kohei.

At the same time, Masashi Akiyama's past was repeatedly brought up.

Graduated with top honors from the Faculty of Law at the University of Tokyo and achieved excellent results at the Judicial Research Institute. In his first case after starting independent practice, he successfully overturned the wrongful conviction of teacher Kento Suzuki. He then helped a client, Noriyuki Saionji, recover a huge sum of money after being defrauded. Not long ago, he even cleared the name of a convenience store clerk who was wrongfully convicted.

The media summarized the characteristics of the cases chosen by Masashi Akiyama as follows: weak evidence, strong opponents, high social attention, and often involving vulnerable groups.

Would a lawyer who is so skilled at and prefers to take on tough cases really choose a case with insufficient evidence just to gain fame and then go head-to-head with an opponent with a congressional background in court?

Public opinion has begun to shift subtly.

The debate over whether the store manager was truly innocent has become incredibly heated, with voices questioning the manager gradually overshadowing any sympathy.

Consequently, various analyses and speculations have emerged regarding the judge's adjournment at a crucial moment and the prosecution's sudden application for a postponement of the trial.

Meanwhile, the Nakajima family.

District councilor Kohei Nakajima, a man who was half a head shorter than his older brother and a full five years younger, was standing in front of Kenichi Nakajima, who was kneeling on the tatami mat.

He looked at his elder brother, whose face was ashen and whose temples were throbbing with veins.

In front of his family, he had long since torn off the mask of a gentle and refined politician he presented to the outside world, his voice trembling with suppressed anger.

"Idiot! Hopeless idiot!"

Kohei Nakajima's spittle almost splashed onto Kenichi Nakajima's lowered forehead.

"How many times have I told you? Stop it! Stop it! You want women? I have so many safe options I can arrange for you. Why do you insist on getting involved with those unknown, troublesome women out there?!"

Kenichi Nakajima knelt upright like a stone statue, his head bowed deeply, staring at his hands resting on his knees, his knuckles white from the effort he was putting into them.

His younger brother's roar was like a whip, lashing at his self-esteem and making him feel a burning pain.

"Look at the mess you've made!! That Akiyama Masashi is clearly trying to nail you, no, to the Nakajima family, to the pillar of shame!!"

Kohei Nakajima paced back and forth, his expensive custom-made leather shoes making a dull thud on the tatami mats.

"I went to great lengths to smooth things over with the judge and the prosecutor, buying you a week, not so you could just play dead! I'm telling you to figure out how to clean up this mess! Cut off all the loose ends! Understand?!"

The mother, an elderly woman dressed in a plain kimono with her hair neatly combed, sat at the head of the table and sighed softly.

She stirred the tea foam with the lid of her teacup and then spoke.

"Kenichi, your brother is right. You were really careless this time. Kangping used so many connections and took so much risk for you. You should be understanding, listen to him, and handle this matter well. Don't... bring shame to our family again."

Shame?

Shame?!?!

Kenichi Nakajima suddenly raised his head and looked at the so-called mother in front of him.

The mother, however, had long since looked away, her loving and worried gaze fixed on her youngest son, who was pacing anxiously.

"Kangping, don't get too angry. Take care of your health. Have some tea and talk slowly."

Kenichi Nakajima's heart sank completely into an ice cave.

It's happening again...

It will always be like this!

Before his younger brother was born, he was his mother's only darling, the young master Kenichi, and he received all the attention and love from his family.

But everything changed after my smart, handsome younger brother, who was good at reading people's expressions from a young age and had excellent grades in school, was born.

The parents' praise, expectations, and resources gradually shifted until they were completely tilted towards the younger brother.

He became the kind, honest, and reliable eldest son who deserved to help his younger brother.

Even after this incident, her mother's first concern was her younger brother's future and the family's reputation, rather than the potential imprisonment he might face.

Why? I'm clearly the eldest son!

Why can't I ever get the respect I deserve in this family?!

Even my only hobby, the one that makes me feel alive, is being trampled on and controlled by you?!

Humiliation, resentment, and hatred grew wildly in Kenichi Nakajima's heart, almost breaking through his reason.

He let his right hand hang limply, clenched into a fist under the cover of the wide sleeve of his kimono.

When his fingernails dug deep into his palm, and when that piercing, sharp pain shot through him, Kenichi Nakajima barely managed to suppress the urge to destroy everything.

He lowered his head again, squeezing out a dry, hoarse voice from his throat.

"...Yes. I understand. I'm sorry for causing trouble for everyone, I will...take care of it."

Kohei Nakajima stopped and gave him a cold look.

"That would be for the best. This week, you stay at your convenience store and don't go anywhere else! Hand over your phone! I'll handle things outside. You just need to watch your mouth and... those bad habits!"

Meanwhile, the atmosphere was equally heavy at Masashi Akiyama's law firm.

"Mr. Akiyama!"

Rieko Uchida suddenly stood up from the sofa, staring intently at Masashi Akiyama, who was sitting behind his desk.

A week of waiting and fluctuating public opinion have stretched the string of hope in her heart tighter and tighter, to the point that it is now on the verge of snapping.

"Can we really still win? Can we still get justice for Yuna?!"

"That scumbag! He has a congressman backing him! Even the judges and prosecutors are on his side! We only have one recording... What if, what if they can even manage to deny this?!"

She became increasingly agitated as she spoke, "If the law really can't do anything about him... if, if..."

"Then I... I'll do it my way! I'll make him pay! I'll make him regret ever being born! Just like what he did to Yuna!!"