Treating Someone

October 6th, Thursday, 2 PM...

Lawyer Dai, the lawyer who initially took on Tsubokura's case, a new female lawyer at Miki Law Firm, had by this point investigated a high-end Japanese crab restaurant in Ginza.

For the past two days, Dai had been searching for "loopholes" in Blogger Lady's blog, and had already found several. Now, she needed to expand on these "loopholes" by visiting each restaurant where the blogger had posted.

"Hello, I'm a lawyer. May I ask you a few questions? It's about this..."

Just as Dai was about to ask, the kimono-clad receptionist at the front desk, with a practiced smile, said, "I'm sorry, please contact our public relations department for such inquiries."

Lawyers, after all, are not official personnel, so their questions do not carry the force of mandatory cooperation.

"Could you possibly reveal a little? It won't cause any trouble for your business..." Dai pleaded.

Just as the receptionist was about to refuse again, a man in a suit, who appeared to be the lobby manager, suddenly walked over. Just as Dai thought he was going to kick her out, he asked, "Are you Lawyer Dai?"

"Huh? Yes..." Dai nodded, puzzled.

"Yes, the guest who made the reservation for you is in the private room at [Ume]. Please come this way," the lobby manager said, giving the receptionist a look to indicate she didn't need to say anything further.

"Huh? No one made a reservation for me..." Dai was confused, instinctively about to refuse, but then seemed to think of something and quickly changed her tune, "Then, please lead the way."

Although she didn't know what was going on, Dai felt...

This "guest" must be related to the case!

After all, with the surname Dai and being a lawyer... it shouldn't be that easy to have the same name.

After changing her shoes and being guided by another kimono-clad waitress, Dai changed her footwear and entered the high-end restaurant, which had a very retro style.

At the entrance to [Ume], there was indeed a small plum tree, whether real or fake, she couldn't tell. The waitress knelt down, knocked three times on the door, and then slid open the door. Dai then saw...

A "mountain" kneeling in the main seat!

At first glance, Dai even experienced some illusionary confusion about the spatial distance and the size of the low table. Only the next moment did she realize...

It wasn't the room or the table that was the problem; it was that this person was simply enormous!

"Are you... Chief Shiraishi?" Although Dai had never dealt with Shiraishi before, she had seen him at the last court session. They hadn't even exchanged greetings face-to-face, but his physique was truly unforgettable.

"Please, have a seat," Shiraishi said, gesturing to the seat opposite him.

The private room was in a Japanese-style individual dining setup, with two tables facing each other.

"Excuse me," Dai said. Although she didn't know what was happening, she increasingly believed it was related to the case.

Dai adjusted her hip-hugging skirt and knelt down somewhat uncomfortably. The abnormal friction against her calves made her inwardly complain—she should have known not to wear black stockings today.

Shiraishi didn't speak first...

"Chief Shiraishi..."

Just as Dai was about to lose her patience, two waitresses brought in the main course for the day. Each carried a crystal crab, prepared in nine different ways, from sashimi to crab legs to hot pot, all laid out.

Dai's attention was immediately captivated, and she even swallowed. But just as she was inwardly chiding herself for being weak-willed and was about to question Shiraishi if he was trying to "bribe" her...

"This is our Thursday special gift, Crab Claw Tempura," the waitress introduced, placing a small plate of fried crab claws in front of Dai.

Hearing this, Dai's pupils contracted. She quickly checked her phone and then asked the waitress, "Wait! You said this is a Thursday special? Was it like this two months ago? Do you not have it on Fridays?"

"Hmm? Our specials haven't changed since we opened. On Fridays, we have... a selection of drinks," the waitress replied matter-of-factly.

Upon hearing this, Dai immediately gave herself a little pep talk, punching the air lightly. She then took pictures with her phone, but...

She soon realized that this was probably no coincidence!

After the waitresses left, Dai couldn't help but ask, "Chief Shiraishi... have you already discovered something?"

"Yes, if a blog isn't meticulously recorded and published at the exact moment, it loses its significance as physical evidence. And if it's merely witness testimony, a month has passed, and the memory of that Blogger Lady could very well be muddled," Shiraishi stated frankly.

"No, it's not muddled; it's invalid evidence that cannot be clearly testified to!" Dai clearly didn't want to follow Shiraishi's logic. She still believed in her client.

"Heh, arguing about such things is pointless," Shiraishi shook his head.

"What do you mean?" Dai frowned, sensing hidden meaning in his words.

"Lawyer Dai believes her client very much?" Shiraishi countered.

"Of course," Dai replied firmly.

"Unfortunately, an alibi is no longer necessary for that Blogger Lady," Shiraishi said calmly.

"Why?" Dai had a bad premonition.

"On that day, the victim's estranged wife also went to the victim's home during the time of the incident..."

Just as Dai felt a flicker of hope, thinking the police had shifted their investigation, Shiraishi continued, "Her car was captured on surveillance, and it was Tsubokura, specifically wearing a hat and gloves."

Dai was completely stunned...

After a long pause, Dai finally said, "How, how is that possible... Tsubokura should have..."

"The coffee cart order machine's record for the next day also shows an order at that time. You should understand what that means, right?

Your client, Tsubokura, entered the crime scene during the time of the incident with murderous intent and having made thorough preparations. This is an unshakeable fact," Shiraishi said slowly.

"So... why are you telling me all this?" Dai was in a state of confusion, even feeling disheartened.

Shiraishi, however, smiled slightly, "Tsubokura must have gone to the crime scene fully prepared, even leaving time to confuse the witness's memory. At first, during the interrogation, he didn't crack at all, fabricating an alibi that the investigation found credible... How could someone like that leave fingerprints on the murder weapon? Besides, the parking surveillance captured his gloves."

"Huh?" Dai's eyes regained a bit of their sparkle.

"Actually, I suspect there's another possibility at the scene..." Shiraishi began to explain leisurely.

Then, Shiraishi stated his objective: "It's not difficult to verify. We just need to interrogate both suspects thoroughly. It's just that my previous search was too hasty, and I can no longer interrogate Tsubokura. However... you still can."

"Wait, doesn't the Prosecutor's Office have..." Dai quickly confirmed.

"The Prosecutor's Office only accepted the new evidence that was unfavorable to Tsubokura. Otherwise, we wouldn't be meeting today," Shiraishi said matter-of-factly.

"How can they do that..." Dai immediately became anxious. She didn't want him to die just because Tsubokura had deceived her; rather, she felt... the truth was the truth!

Dai thought about what Shiraishi had just said, but then said with difficulty, "But... we can only see Tsubokura, and we can't go find Ms. Rin-da..."

"I've already reported Ms. Rin-da to the Prosecutor's Office as a new witness, and they've accepted it. So... tomorrow, you'll have an opportunity during the witness questioning segment to ask about contradictions in her testimony. If it can truly confirm the second possibility, then indict her as the true culprit in court!" Shiraishi calmly stated his objective.