Case NOT Closed - Chapter 46: Hunters Can Also Disguise Themselves as Prey

“The trial is over, and now the verdict!”

“First, the defendant Tatsuya Nagai is found guilty of infringing on the plaintiff Nishitani Miho’s personal rights, and is required to pay her thirty million yen, and issue a public apology.”

“Second, all court costs for this session shall be borne by the defendant.”

“Judgment is concluded, court adjourned!”

Tatsuya Nagai collapsed to the ground, his face ashen.

The judge did not convict him of premeditated murder and rape, only because this lawsuit was within the scope of civil litigation.

But as a prospective judicial candidate, he probably knew that his life was over.

Soon, Tatsuya Nagai would be taken away by the judicial police, then transferred to the police department, and finally to the prosecutor’s office for prosecution.

As the plaintiff, Nishitani Miho, finally showed a sense of relief on her face, wearing a peaceful smile.

“Mr. Lawyer, thank you so much!”

She shook Kensuke’s hand, expressing sincere gratitude.

Kensuke waved his hand. “No need to thank me, Nishitani-san. This victory is thanks to your cooperation.”

Haibara nodded beside them.

The second litigation fact, that the defendant had pushed her down the stairs, was indeed difficult to capture. They had informed Nishitani Miho in advance, and she immediately agreed to cooperate. That day, she deliberately stood on the stairs, waiting for the defendant to come and push her again, to obtain evidence.

Nishitani Miho expressed her gratitude and bid farewell to Kensuke before happily leaving.

“I have a question.”

At this moment, Haibara voiced her previous doubts.

“According to the conditions of this civil lawsuit, you actually didn’t need to resort to perjury. You could have won with just the photos I took. So why risk breaking the law and fabricate so much additional evidence to send the other party to jail? Doesn’t that go beyond the scope of what the client requested?”

“Oh, about that.”

Kensuke responded.

“Haven’t I told you many times before? A lawyer’s duty is to protect the interests of the client.”

“Is it really that simple?”

Haibara raised her head, her ice-blue eyes meeting Kensuke’s gaze.

Kensuke smiled and met her gaze calmly.

“It’s just that simple.”

“I see.”

Haibara looked away, watching the departing figure of Nishitani Miho.

At this moment, she seemed to be as cheerful as a sparrow.

She can be so happy because she can finally relax.

After being assured that the defendant won’t retaliate against her anymore, she doesn’t have to worry about being followed or any premeditated intrusions, because the other party is about to go to jail. After all, Kensuke has paved all the way out for the client.

…

The trial concluded, and in the following days, the police department and the prosecutor’s office applied for an arrest warrant for Tatsuya Nagai. Subsequent evidence collection included the physical evidence package mentioned by Kensuke in court and a search of his home.

From the tools in the physical evidence package, the forensics class obtained a large amount of his DNA.

In his home, the police also found many adult items.

Combined with the other physical evidence mentioned in court by Kensuke, along with witness testimonies, a fairly comprehensive chain of logic was established.

Soon after, the prosecutor’s office prosecuted him. In court, his premeditated murder and premeditated rape were established, constituting criminal preparation, and he was sentenced to five years in prison due to the severity of the offense.

Komemon Law Firm.

“This guy is really dumb.”

After reading the news, Haibara couldn’t help but comment.

“You put so many inappropriate things in his house before, stuff that wasn’t even his, and he still didn’t throw them away, just letting the police find them.”

“What else did you expect? What’s left in the head of someone who stalks others?”

Kensuke casually remarked.

“There are only two kinds of bad people in this world, the very smart and bad, and the dumb and bad.”

“Does the very smart and bad refer to yourself?” Haibara teased.

“Yep, thank you for the compliment.”

“Your thick skin remains as ever.”

“I never wear makeup.”

“Are you implying you were born beautiful? I think you’re more like an old hag— pretend I didn’t say anything.”

Kensuke wisely shut his mouth when he saw Haibara baring her teeth like she was about to bite him.

Checking the time, Kensuke spoke.

“Alright, we should get going.”

Following the judgment, Tatsuya Nagai must pay Nishitani Miho thirty million yen in compensation.

Nishitani Miho has already received this money.

It’s been busy these past few days, and Kensuke needs to go pick up his own commission.

Taking the tram and following the address given by Nishitani Miho over the phone, Kensuke arrived in the lively commercial street of Edogawa, Tokyo.

After receiving the compensation, Nishitani Miho rented a storefront here and opened a new pastry shop, becoming the boss herself.

“Oh, it’s Komemon-san! Welcome!”

Nishitani Miho saw Kensuke approaching and waved to him cheerfully.

Kensuke glanced around and found the environment here quite nice. Fresh cakes were displayed in the windows, and there were customers browsing inside.

“Business seems good.”

“Of course, it’s all thanks to Komemon-san! I could only open a shop like this because of him!”

Nishitani Miho showed a pure smile and brought out a piece of cake for Kensuke and Haibara to taste.

Kensuke took a bite and found it smooth and delicate, with excellent craftsmanship.

“It’s quite delicious.”

Even the usually picky Haibara gave a rare compliment.

“Yeah, my dream was to open a pastry shop! I worked hard for a long time for this.”

Nishitani Miho said happily.

“Now that my dream has finally come true, I’m so happy!”

“Well, I wish you a bright future.”

Kensuke chatted casually with the client.

After receiving his commission, he didn’t linger and left the shop with Haibara, heading back to the law firm.

On the way, Haibara thought about the whole situation and couldn’t help but sigh.

“The ending is pretty good. Nishitani-san can achieve her dream, and the stalker guy is also caught and sent to prison.”

Kensuke turned to look at her, with a meaningful expression on his face.

“It does seem pretty good… if Nishitani-san didn’t plan it all beforehand.”

Upon hearing this, Haibara frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I found out online that Nishitani-san once complained on her blog that she really wanted to open a pastry shop but lacked the funds.”

“So? Are you suggesting…”

Haibara’s frown deepened, her expression becoming serious.

“Don’t you see? When this woman first came to the law firm.”

Kensuke said slowly, step by step.

“First, when I signed the contract with her, she showed shock and discomfort at the high commission I offered. It’s strange because if it was just to warn off a sexual predator, money shouldn’t be her priority.”

“Second, when I asked for information about Tatsuya Nagai, she almost effortlessly provided detailed answers, clearly knowing a lot about him.”

“Third, when I asked her to cooperate in staging the scene where Tatsuya Nagai pushed her down the stairs, she readily agreed.”

“Fourth, when she goes outside, most of the time, the clothing that she wears is those that are revealing most parts of her body, attracting the attention of men.”

“…”

“…”

Haibara fell completely silent.

Kensuke’s words, though plain in content, felt like a bucket of cold water, sending shivers down one’s spine.

After a long pause, Haibara spoke with difficulty.

“So, you mean, all of this was actually planned by Nishitani Miho?”

“Oh, I didn’t say that. After all, I don’t have any evidence.”

Kensuke flashed a classic smile.

“So, the following is just my personal speculation and may not be absolutely true.”

“To obtain funds to open a pastry shop, Nishitani Miho devised a plan. She deliberately wore revealing clothes every day to and from work, walking on the streets, with the aim of attracting sexual predators for harassment and later suing them for compensation.”

“Soon enough, indeed, a sexual predator was drawn to her attention and began stalking her, and that predator was Tatsuya Nagai.”

“However, Tatsuya Nagai’s madness exceeded her imagination. He even once pushed her down the stairs at the station. Afraid of being killed, she went to the police but, due to the short time, didn’t gather enough evidence.”

“In desperation, she could only plan ahead, seeking me, a popular lawyer, to conduct litigation because media reports about me portrayed me as having strong abilities, perhaps with a chance of winning.”

“The rest of the story is what we saw until the end of this trial.”

“…”

“…”

“So, that’s how it is. I never expected it to be like this.”

After listening to Kensuke’s words, Haibara muttered to herself.

She stiffly turned her head and looked towards the shopping street, where Nishitani Miho’s smiling and busy figure could be seen.

That figure looked so harmless, so innocent.

Kensuke smiled and patted her head.

“Didn’t I tell you before? There are no absolutely kind people in this world. Even the gentlest sheep have teeth. The prey you see might just be a hunter in disguise.”

Haibara remained silent.

Kensuke had indeed said such words before.

She never imagined that this would be so prophetic, and the outcome would be like this.

“But—”

Haibara moved her mouth, seeming to want to say something.

“There’s no ‘but’.”

Kensuke shrugged and said so.

“The criminal has been sent to prison, and she has received compensation to open her dream shop. Everything is fine.”

“The outcome of the matter doesn’t matter. This is what being a lawyer is about, never caring about the truth.”

“Law, also has no truth.”

Kensuke’s gaze was calm, his tone light, but his eyes flickered with insight into human nature.