After being elected as the governor of Tokyo, he will debut as a band!

The aforementioned arguments were entirely within Kensuke Komikado's expectations. He sneered, stepped forward, and stood in front of the opposing lawyer. Although the lawyer was taller than him, his aggressive posture and arrogant smile gave him the upper hand. "Who says that Mr. Kakimoto has to come in person to deal with this plagiarism issue?"

These words caused an uproar in the courtroom.

The plaintiff is accusing Kakimoto Takatsukasa of plagiarism, right? But judging from the plaintiff's lawyer's statement, it seems that the plagiarist is not Kakimoto Takatsukasa, but someone else.

Although the defendant's lawyer had communicated with Takatsukasa Kakimoto before the trial, how could Takatsukasa Kakimoto possibly tell him about his appropriation of his disciple's work? Therefore, he did not understand what Kensuke Komikado meant by that sentence for a moment.

He could only raise his hand to protest to the judge, stating that Komekado's remarks were irrelevant to the case and that the plagiarism of others was not within the scope of this case.

The presiding judge supported the defense attorney's argument and demanded that Komikado explain the relationship between "the plagiarism of others" and "the plagiarism of Kakimoto Takatsukasa".

Kensuke Komikado took out a list of songs signed by fifteen of Kakimoto's disciples from Mayuzumi Machiko's hand, and then presented his claim: "Your Honor, please see that all the signatures on this document are from Mr. Kakimoto's disciples, and all the works listed in the document were created by these disciples of Mr. Kakimoto, but Mr. Kakimoto has claimed them as his own."

"The same goes for the song 'Eighteen Months of Love.' Its true author is not Mr. Takatsukasa Kakimoto, but one of his many disciples, Ms. Noriko Ishida. Ms. Noriko Ishida was not only my client's college classmate, but the two also formed a band together. She not only heard 'Gray Confusion' with her own ears, but also saw the sheet music and lyrics of the song with her own eyes."

Before the defense attorney could say anything after Kensuke Komikado finished speaking, Takatsukasa Kakimoto slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.

"Defamation! This is utter defamation! Those idiots, I painstakingly nurtured them, gave them the opportunity to become composers! And they actually ganged up to slander their teacher! Your Honor, the guys who signed that document are thugs with neither musical talent nor moral principles. A document drafted by such a group of thugs is nothing but a piece of waste paper that demonstrates 'ingratitude and moral depravity,' and it doesn't meet the most basic requirements to be considered evidence! Your Honor, you absolutely cannot accept such fabricated false evidence!"

He was really panicked.

Admitting to plagiarism only proves that he only fell into this trap this year.

He's reached a point where his talents have run dry... Even if his commercial value and industry authority decline, the decline will be limited.

However, if he admits to appropriating his students' works, it would mean that all the creativity he has demonstrated over the past twelve years is fake. He would not only lose all commercial value, but would also be scorned by the entire industry.

While in Japan, it's not considered heinous for a teacher to publish their student's work under their own name, most teachers will still acknowledge the student's contribution in the appendix or reserve the position of second or third author for the student... If a teacher were to take all the credit and leave nothing for their student, then they would have no moral compass whatsoever.

Whether from the perspective of a composer's professional ethics or a teacher's professional ethics, he will become an object of contempt by the entire society.

The bald presiding judge gave Kakimoto a disapproving look, as if to say, "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?" Then he said to Kensuke Komikado, "The court will verify the authenticity of this evidence. Does the plaintiff's lawyer have any other evidence to submit?"

“Yes, Your Honor, I would like to invite the witness to the stage next,” Komekado said.

The presiding judge nodded and gestured to the bailiffs to invite the witness inside.

Noriko Ishii was the first to stand in the witness stand.

Upon seeing that it was her, Takatsukasa Kakimoto actually breathed a sigh of relief.

Noriko Ishii only joined Kakimoto's training program two years ago and has been his disciple for less than a year. She can't say much about his appropriation of her disciples' works.

As expected, Noriko Ishii simply explained the background of her creation of "Eighteen Months of Love" and clearly pointed out where she directly plagiarized the score of "Gray Confusion" and where she adapted the lyrics of "Gray Confusion" by only changing the rhymes and personal pronouns.

There are many details in it, and these details are something that Takatsukasa Kakimoto, the nominal author of the song, could not possibly mention.

The presiding judge and the professor from Tokyo University of the Arts, who appeared as an expert juror, exchanged a brief glance, which generally confirmed that Noriko Ishida's testimony was credible.

After Noriko Ishida finished giving her testimony, she sincerely apologized to Mei Fuyuyama in court before leaving the courtroom.

The presiding judge adjourned the court, partly to verify the authenticity of the new evidence submitted by Kensuke Komikado, and partly because new developments in the trial had complicated the case, requiring them to review the facts.

During the recess, Takatsukasa Kakimoto attempted to threaten and bribe Noriko Ishii, questioning her, "You actually testified for an outsider and accused your own teacher. Don't you want to stay in the industry anymore? If you want money, just say so. Instead of continuing to make trouble here, taking the money and keeping quiet is the best option for you." He continued, "Even if you lose this case, my connections in the industry will still ensure you never get ahead! And your senior colleagues, if they were really capable, they wouldn't have waited until now to testify against me. A few pieces of paper can't possibly shake my position."

As he anticipated, after saying these words, Noriko Ishii would definitely act timidly, even to the point of crying. Once he took out the money he had used to bribe her, even if she didn't recant her testimony, she would most likely refuse to appear in court when it came time for the appeal.

Kakimoto Takatsukasa believed he understood his "disciples." He knew that once the "first to stick out" backed down, the rest would immediately retreat into their shells. Expecting them to withstand the pressure and deliver results was really asking too much of them.

However, Noriko Ishii's reaction was unexpected.

After hearing Kakimoto's threatening words, she only showed a contemptuous expression. When Kakimoto took out a thick envelope (which he had asked his assistant, Ozawa, to retrieve first) and tried to hand it to her, she actually threw the envelope containing several stacks of ten thousand yen bills on the ground.

Then, looking at Takatsukasa Kakimoto, he revealed a smile as if he had gotten his revenge.

Then he added this comment—

"Mr. Kakimoto, you're finished."

Kakimoto Takatsukasa was so angry he gritted his teeth. He didn't know where Ishii Noriko got the audacity to say such a thing. Did she really think that a few signed works could ruin her reputation?

But when the court adjourned in the afternoon and the presiding judge called in the second witness, he suddenly understood where Noriko Ishii's confidence came from.

Ooki Oohara, the only one among his disciples who had made it big, who knew a little about the rough and exploitative methods he used in the early days of his composition training program, and who had the ability and prestige to gather his disciples, had also stood on the opposite side of him.

When Takayuki Oohara appeared in court, he instantly realized that he was finished.

But Kakimoto didn't understand why Daikai would do such a thing. By standing up and exposing his teacher, he would also cause all the achievements and status that he had worked so hard to obtain over the years to disappear.

The Japanese music industry will not tolerate someone who betrays their teacher continuing to enjoy success.

I've treated him well these past few years and even given him some good business deals. Why would he risk his future and fight me to the death for a member of an underground band?

Isogachi Music Awards: 129 Betrayed by all, the dust has settled.

Today's court hearing ended with Kensuke Komikado applying to add a plaintiff, and the presiding judge adjourning the court for a retrial at a later date.

Although Kakimoto Takatsukasa was not directly ruled against in court, it was clear to both parties, their lawyers, and those in the audience that this was the worst possible outcome.

The presence of more plaintiffs means that the scope of Kakimoto Takatsukasa's infringement is wider. In addition, all the new plaintiffs are his disciples. Such a case of disciples suing their teacher is quite shocking in Japan, a country that highly values ​​hierarchy.

Given Takatsuka Kakimoto's status and fame in the music industry, this case could become a nationally sensational one.

This also means that Takashi Kakimoto's infamy will spread to every household in Japan, leading to public opinion questioning the integrity of famous composers and lyricists in the music industry... At that time, it is likely that not only ordinary people will despise his behavior, but his colleagues in the music industry will also hate him to the bone.

In this situation, he probably only has one path left: a shameful retirement.

When he left the courtroom, Takatsukasa Kakimoto felt as if his legs no longer belonged to him, and he could only move forward little by little. The "famous lawyer" he had hired at a high price did not offer to help him when he saw his condition. He simply said respectfully, "The plaintiff's lawyer has presented new evidence, and I need to go back and organize the relevant materials. Time is of the essence, so I will take my leave first," and then left.

Although the profession of a lawyer is to protect the legitimate rights and interests of their clients, and even if the client is a heinous criminal, the lawyer must defend them, work is work and life is life. Lawyers are also normal people, and they also have their own moral likes and dislikes.

The lawyer hired by Kakimoto Takatsukasa will continue to adhere to his professional ethics in his work and will do his best for him, but he shouldn't even think about anything outside the scope of his practice.

Mr. Kakimoto, please take good care of yourself!

As Takatsukasa Kakimoto watched his lawyer walk away, and saw that his lover and disciple, Tsubaki Ozawa, who was supposed to be waiting for him outside the courtroom, was nowhere to be seen, he was overcome with grief.

He was not young after all, and coupled with years of a life of debauchery, his health was not ideal. The emotional turmoil at that moment caused his blood pressure to spike, to the point that…

Julien found it difficult to move the left side of his body.

Just then, his phone started ringing incessantly.

Although he had a bad feeling, he still took out his phone and answered the call.

"Moshi Moshi? Chief Hiroshima? I'm at the courthouse..."

"Mr. Kakimoto, our cooperation is over! The station manager is aware of your actions. From this moment on, all business collaborations between you and Fuji Television, Fuji Production, Akashi Productions, Pony Canyon Records, and other organizations are suspended indefinitely! All unlaunched projects are also cancelled!"

The cold and harsh voice on the phone further chilled Takatsuka Kakimoto's mood.

"No, Chief Hiroshima, you must have misunderstood something. Things aren't as bad as you think. The court hasn't officially declared me the loser yet. As long as I can bribe those opportunistic disciples and get them to recant their testimonies in the next trial, there's still a chance to salvage the situation."

Takatsuka Kakimoto tried his best to persuade the Hiroshima police chief on the other end of the phone. Although he himself was not confident that he could turn the tide, he had to put on a show that he still had hope.

Director Hiroshima is the head of Fuji Television's production department and a key figure in Takatsuka Kakimoto's career in the entertainment industry. If even Director Hiroshima decides to abandon him, he will truly become a pariah.

Faced with media criticism, public opinion, and the backlash from his peers, he will no longer have any ability to resist.

"You still think your problems are all in that case?"

When the Hiroshima police chief heard his words, he showed no sign of changing his mind. On the contrary, his voice carried an undisguised tone of annoyance.

"Your disciples have far more evidence than you imagine! They've already exposed your violent intimidation of disciples, your use of exploitative contracts to control them, and even your hiring of yakuza to threaten their families to the Asagi Shimbun and Asagi TV. With the broadcast of your midday news an hour ago, half of Tokyo knows about your shady dealings!"

"What? How is that possible! Even Oohara Takayuki couldn't possibly know about those things... Only Tsubaki..."

Takatsukasa Kakimoto got stuck at this point.

Could it be that... Tsubaki Ozawa also betrayed him?

This woman was in charge of the internal management of Kakimoto Takatsukasa's disciples. Many of the shady dealings that Kakimoto Takatsukasa did to his disciples involved her treasures... As the saying goes, it's a human flesh bun husband-and-wife shop. Only lovers/wives with a very close relationship can trust someone to do such filthy things like having children without an anus.

No, impossible! She was my lover, and our interests were closely intertwined. Besides, I was the principal offender in those things, so she had to be an accomplice! How could she risk her body and the wealth she had gained through years of subservience?

A change of heart? Impossible. If that woman really had any conscience, she wouldn't have been doing dirty work for herself for so many years!

What... what on earth is going on?!

Takatsukasa Kakimoto felt a wave of dizziness, as if something was stuck in his throat, and he wanted to speak but couldn't.

Then he heard the Hiroshima police chief on the other end of the phone say, "I don't know how they obtained this evidence, but with your level of judgment, you were so arrogant at the dinner party last week, saying that your disciples were all obedient and grateful to you?!"

"Buy yourself a good burial plot as soon as possible. If you wait any longer, you might not even be able to keep this money..."

Kakimoto Takatsukasa didn't hear the last sentence at all. The thought of his lover holding evidence of his illegal and criminal activities and talking about his dark history in front of reporters from Asagi Shimbun and Asagi TV, in front of millions of people watching the live TV broadcast, made him so angry that he fainted.

……

Ozawa Tsubaki's judgment is far sharper than Kakimoto Takutaka's.

The night before the trial, Da Haiyuan Jingxing asked her out for dinner and told her about his plan to seek justice for his long-exploited junior classmates in court the next day. As soon as he told her, she realized that something was wrong.

He was on Kakimoto Takatsukasa's side. If Ookai Hara told him about this, wasn't he afraid that he would go back and relay the matter to Kakimoto Takatsukasa, causing him to take countermeasures?

During the meal, Tsubaki Ozawa carefully observed Takayuki Oohara's behavior and found that he was completely relaxed.

If a person can appear so relaxed when facing a major event, there are usually only two possibilities: either he has completely let go and decided to go all in, not caring at all about the potential consequences of leaks; or an authoritative figure has assured him of the success rate of the event, making him believe that he has the victory in his grasp, and naturally he will not feel nervous.

However, the manners of Tairahara Takayuki during the meal remained as polite as ever, completely unrelated to the carefree attitude of "giving up everything" or abandoning all pretense. So it could only be the latter.

Sure enough, before the two had even finished half of their meal, another guest of Taigahara Takayuki arrived.

When Tsubaki Ozawa saw this person, she was immediately startled.

Ordinary people might not recognize this person, but as someone in the entertainment industry who frequently deals with the media, she recognized him as Keisuke Otsuka, the editor-in-chief of the second editorial department of Asazuki Shimbun.

The Second Editorial Department of Asagi Shimbun is second only to the core editorial department in status within the newspaper. It is mainly responsible for content in the fields of society, culture, and education. The editor-in-chief of this department can even speak with cabinet members and is a person with great influence in the media industry.

This editor-in-chief, who is not responsible for entertainment gossip, gets along very well with Takayuki Oohara, a pop music composer who is only slightly famous in the music industry and basically unknown outside of it.

Seeing this, Tsubaki Ozawa understood.

So, without much persuasion from Taira no Takayuki, she took the initiative after the meal to hand over some evidence she had of Kakimoto Takatsukasa using illegal means to coerce and exploit his disciples.

Her request was to settle scores with only Kakimoto Takatsukasa, so that she could use the money she had received from him over the years to go back to her hometown and marry her childhood sweetheart, her ex-ex-ex-ex-ex-boyfriend.

Taigahara Takayuki also knew that Ozawa Tsubaki had only been following orders all these years and was at most an accomplice or a coerced accomplice, so he agreed to her request.

Thus, the fate of Takashi Kakimoto for the rest of his life was decided.

……

What happened afterward was a natural progression.

Asagi News and Asagi TV exposed a series of despicable acts by Takatsuka Kakimoto, who used training courses as a pretext to discover talented young people, then appropriated their works, and turned his students' painstaking efforts into stepping stones to consolidate his industry position and amass more wealth. These actions quickly sparked widespread discussion in society.

There has been a growing skepticism in society regarding the competence of renowned composers and lyricists in the music industry. Many older composers and lyricists, upon releasing a new song, are bombarded with questions at press conferences from reporters eager for drama: "This song is full of youthful style, did you really create it?" As a result, they have had to reduce the number of works by their students that they can use, allowing talented young people to step into the limelight earlier and become rising stars in the world of composition and lyric writing.

These people are grateful for the courageous actions of Mei Fuyuyama, Noriko Ishii, and Takayuki Oohara, which have dealt a blow to this bad practice in the Japanese music industry—although it is still a long way from being completely eradicated, it is at least a big step in the right direction.

Fuyuyama Mei is because "with" does not exist

Because of her "disobedience to superiors and disobedience to teachers," she rarely had a negative reputation. Many singers and bands invited her to write articles... But unfortunately, Fuyuyama Mei was obsessed with hardcore heavy metal rock, a genre that is difficult for ordinary people to appreciate. So, after a small peak, the number of singers who wanted to collaborate with her returned to normal. However, the live performances of her band were no longer as deserted as before, and living a comfortable life through her love of playing rock music was no longer a pipe dream.

Noriko Ishii and Takayuki Oohara faced rejection from some of their senior colleagues, but a newly emerging group of young composers/lyricists extended an olive branch to them. With the support of TV Asahi and the "national treasure musician" Hasumi Yashio, they were finally able to completely break free from the shadow of Takatsukasa Kakimoto and fully unleash their talents as composers.

As for Takatsukasa Kakimoto... after ending his call with the director of Fuji Production in Hiroshima, he fainted. Although he survived after being rushed to the hospital, he was left with symptoms of a stroke.

Half of his face and half of his body were not under his control, and he was even unable to attend the subsequent court hearings. Of course, the verdict would not change because he had a stroke.

A public apology and full compensation are both required.

Meanwhile, due to newly submitted evidence involving violence, intimidation, unfair contracts, and hiring gangsters, the prosecutor's office also intervened, turning the civil case into a criminal case. In order to avoid going to jail, Kakimoto Takatsukasa had to spend a lot of money to settle with the disciples who accused him, thus avoiding imprisonment.

The rights protection statements that Kensuke Komikado had asked Machiko Mayuzumi to send to various agencies/entertainment companies in advance also came into play. Due to the court ruling, the copyrights of more than seventy musical works were transferred from Takatsukasa Kakimoto to his disciples. The singers and bands who performed these songs were guilty of actual infringement. They needed to pay performance license fees to the new copyright owners, but the law also allowed them to seek compensation from Takatsukasa Kakimoto for these losses.

Having just spent a large sum of money to buy his freedom, Takatsuka Kakimoto is now truly at the point of having to sell everything he owns and lose money.

A few months later, he couldn't even keep his house in Tokyo and had to return dejectedly to his hometown in the countryside of Gunma. However, after suffering a stroke, he was unable to take care of himself, and his wife had already divorced him, leaving him to rely on his son for support.

However, his son was also unhappy with his affair and found him a cheap nursing home in the countryside of Gunma, where he would spend the rest of his life.

……

Back to Sickhack.

The Tokyo music scene, already in turmoil due to the Kakimoto incident, had no time to spare for them.

Those agencies and entertainment companies that originally wanted to smear Sickhack in the media are now forced to focus their public relations budgets on the crucial task of alleviating public distrust of the music industry.

After Fuyuyama Mei publicly expressed her gratitude to Kikuri Hiroi of Sickhack and Seika Iji, the manager of the Starry Night Showroom, for their help in the Kakimoto case, some observant and thoughtful people realized that Kakimoto Takutaka's downfall seemed to be related to his instigation of the Tokyo music industry to launch an "attack" against Sickhack.

Although they were still unclear about what exactly was going on, even just to avoid bad luck, they were hesitant to cause trouble for Sickhack anytime soon.