Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

Courtroom No. 103, Tokyo District Court.

At exactly nine o'clock in the morning, sunlight streamed in through the high windows, casting diamond-shaped spots of light on the polished marble floor.

The gallery was packed, and the media area was already set up with cameras and microphones. Although the sound of shutters had been banned before the trial began, the flashing red dots behind the lenses were like a pair of watchful eyes.

The presiding judge slammed his gavel down.

"The trial of Kento Suzuki, who is accused of forced indecent assault, has now officially begun!"

Masashi Akiyama and Kento Suzuki sat in the defendant's dock.

Kento Suzuki was wearing a slightly oversized suit, which Maki Suzuki had specially prepared to make him look more energetic, but the marks of his long-term detention were still etched on his face: his eye sockets were sunken, his cheekbones were prominent, but his eyes remained clear.

Across from her, Ayaka Fukuda sat in the plaintiff's seat.

She wore a pure white dress today, her long hair was naturally loose, and she lowered her head slightly, so others could not see her expression.

Fujita Shige, standing beside her, was smug. His overweight body was wrapped in an inexpensive suit, and his small eyes scanned Akiyama like searchlights, making no attempt to hide his malice.

Before the trial, Fujita specifically sought out Akiyama and delivered a harsh message: "Experience the courtroom one last time, Akiyama-san. Your career ends here."

Thinking of this, Masashi Akiyama's lips curled up almost imperceptibly.

In the front row of the audience section, Maki Suzuki and Runa Fukuda each sat at one end.

Maki Suzuki clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms; Runa Fukuda sat elegantly, occasionally raising her hand to wipe away tears, perfectly playing the role of a grief-stricken mother.

"Presiding Judge, Associate Judges!"

Fujita Shiki stood up triumphantly, his voice booming like a bell:

"The prosecution has irrefutable evidence sufficient to prove the defendant, Kento Suzuki, committed the crime!"

He raised his hand to signal, and the bailiff presented a stack of documents to the presiding judge.

"First, the medical diagnosis report of the victim, Ayaka Fukuda, clearly shows that she has mild soft tissue contusion and acute stress reaction;

Second, the testimonies of three witnesses all confirmed that the defendant had long shown "extra attention" to the victim and engaged in inappropriate behavior by repeatedly meeting with him alone.

Third, the surveillance video of the "crime scene" provided by the victim corroborates that the defendant had multiple contacts with my client!

Fujita abruptly changed the subject, pointing sharply at Fukuda Runa in the front row of the audience:

"What deserves even more sympathy is that the victim's mother, Ms. Fukuda, has been working tirelessly for days to seek justice for her daughter, leaving her physically and mentally exhausted! The youth of an innocent girl has been destroyed, and the hopes of a mother have been shattered—all of this stems from the defendant's despicable actions!"

Fukuda Runa immediately raised her hand to wipe away her tears, her shoulders trembling slightly, her voice choked with emotion:

"My Ayakako... she was supposed to go to university and live a normal life... Kento Suzuki, how could you be so cruel! I beg the judge... to give my daughter justice!"

As soon as the words were spoken, a murmur rippled through the gallery. Accusing glances shot like arrows towards the defendant's dock.

The reporters all bent down to take notes, afraid of missing any details.

Someone was looking through photos taken of Masashi Akiyama before the trial. In the photos, the young lawyer had delicate features and was smiling at the camera. The person circled Akiyama's face prominently and then wrote four large characters: "A disgrace to the legal profession!"

A kind-hearted young housewife took out a handkerchief and handed it to Fukuda Runa, who was crying.

Fujita glanced at it smugly, a provocative smile playing on his lips:

"Defense attorney, you must know that this evidence is intricately linked and irrefutable. As a senior colleague, I advise you to give up this futile struggle as soon as possible and get your client to plead guilty. Otherwise... your career will be ruined today!"

The presiding judge looked at the defendant's dock: "Defense attorney, please speak."

Masashi Akiyama slowly stood up.

He ignored Fujita's provocation and didn't even glance at him.

"Your Honor, the prosecution's 'ironclad evidence' is actually riddled with flaws."

Masashi Akiyama paused, his gaze sweeping across the judge's bench:

"First, the diagnostic report can only prove that the victim had physical injuries, but cannot prove the source of the injuries;

Secondly, the three witnesses were close friends with the victim, Ayaka Fukuda, and all of them had been criticized and educated by the defendant, Kento Suzuki, for violating discipline, which constituted a clear conflict of interest, raising doubts about the objectivity of their testimonies.

As for the surveillance footage, it can only prove that the two parties had contact, but it cannot prove that the contact was "forced molestation."

"Objection!" Fujita immediately retorted, his voice rising. "The conflict between the witness and the defendant precisely proves that the defendant is narrow-minded and retaliatory, further corroborating his criminal motive! The source of the victim's injuries is clear: it was caused by the defendant's violence!"

"Yeah?"

Masashi Akiyama raised an eyebrow, a movement so subtle it was almost imperceptible, yet it sent a shiver down Fujita's spine.

"Your Honor, please allow us to play this surveillance footage."

He gestured to the bailiffs. The large screen lit up, and the video began to play—

In the school corridor, Ayaka Fukuda approached Kento Suzuki with a sweet smile and handed him something.

At the office door, she blocked Suzuki's way of leaving, her body almost touching his.

Outside the music room, she followed Suzuki until he quickly left...

Frame by frame, scene by scene, the timestamps are clearly visible.

"This is the school's surveillance footage from the past six months in public areas," Masashi Akiyama's voice remained calm. "It clearly records that Ayaka Fukuda repeatedly and actively approached Kento Suzuki—including blocking his office door after class, deliberately getting close while pretending to ask him questions, and even following him in the hallway. This completely contradicts the prosecution's testimony that 'the victim was forced and tried to avoid her.'"

When the three prosecution witnesses saw the footage, their eyes instinctively darted away, and their faces turned slightly pale.

Ayaka Fukuda kept her head down, her long hair obscuring her face.

The audience erupted in uproar.

The cameras of the media reporters all turned to Fujita—cold sweat beaded on his forehead, but he tried to appear calm:

"This was just a normal teacher-student interaction! It's not impossible for a teenage girl to have feelings for her teacher and take the initiative to approach her. How can this negate the facts of the crime!"

"it is good."

Masashi Akiyama nodded, took a voice recorder from his briefcase, and handed it to the bailiff.

"Then let's look at this piece of evidence."

Fujita's expression changed drastically: "Prosecution objects! The source of this evidence is unknown, and its authenticity is questionable!"

"Your Honor," Masashi Akiyama then presented a document, "This is a report issued by the Tokyo Forensic Science Center, confirming that the recording is complete and has not been edited or tampered with in any way, and that voiceprint analysis confirms that the source of the content is Ayaka Fukuda and her classmate Rieko Uchida. According to the analysis, this recording has legal validity."

The presiding judge reviewed the report and nodded: "Permission to play."

Masashi Akiyama pressed the play button.

silence.

Then, the sound echoed clearly in the courtroom—

First came Ayakako Fukuda's voice, sweet yet mocking:

"Hey, Uchida, you left so decisively with Attorney Akiyama yesterday. How dare you show your face in front of me today?"

The sound of the slap was crisp and loud.

Then came the muffled thuds of punches and kicks, and suppressed cries of pain.

"I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Rieko Uchida's voice was broken and choked with sobs, "Fukuda-san, I did it all for you... I wanted to see if he had any schemes against you..."

"Oh?" Ayakako Fukuda's laughter rang out, light as if she were discussing the weather. "So, what did you hear?"

"Mr. Akiyama... Mr. Akiyama is giving up defending you!"

A brief silence.

"Give up the defense? Why?"

"Because he discovered... you falsely accused Mr. Suzuki. He said he found out that Mr. Suzuki never touched you, and that you staged this whole thing yourself." Uchida's voice trembled. "Fukuda-san... is it true?"

A soft laugh came from the recording.

"Well, he's quite smart." Ayaka Fukuda's voice carried a casual pleasure. "But even if I framed him, so what? Anyway, that Suzuki... doesn't like me, this is his karma."

The recording continues playing—

The entire process of Ayaka Fukuda complaining about Kento Suzuki's "ungratefulness," how she designed, orchestrated, and enjoyed the thrill of manipulating others...

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the silent courtroom.

Ayaka Fukuda remained motionless, her head bowed.

But in the audience, Fukuda Runa's face turned deathly pale.

She slumped into the chair, her lips trembling, no longer able to portray the grief-stricken mother with tears streaming down her face.

The audience erupted in cheers!

The reporters almost stood up, their cameras clicking incessantly, illuminating the courtroom as if it were daytime.

Some people were so excited their fingers were trembling, while others had already started typing news updates on their phones.

"This...this is a forgery! It's slander!" Fujita was drenched in cold sweat, his shirt back completely soaked. He stammered, "It must have been forged by Suzuki Kento and the defense attorney! The forensic report might be fake too!"

"Prosecution attorney."

The judge's voice turned cold:

"Please watch your words. The defense attorney has submitted a complete expert report, and the expert institution is legally qualified. If you cannot provide evidence to prove that the recording is forged, please be mindful of your professional ethics."

Fujita opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word.

Masashi Akiyama watched him quietly, as if he were watching an absurd play.

Then he turned to the judge's bench, his voice clear and firm:

"Your Honor, in order to further verify the authenticity of the recording, we request that witness Rieko Uchida be summoned to testify."