Each Sticks to Their Own Story / Trial in Court

"Please ask! I will definitely tell you the truth. However, I didn't expect to find a handsome young man like you in the Staff Department. Would you like to stay for lunch before you leave? My cooking skills are quite good, and my stir-fried pork is very delicious." Yumiko had a faint smile on her face.

Shinji Hirako felt a strong sense of unease.

Normally, a woman whose husband is the Jail would be somewhat panicked, but a woman with an aristocratic background would most likely use her connections to find a way to get her husband out of the Jail.

But this woman was far too calm, as if she had expected all of this.

He teased Shinji Hirako with unhurried and deliberate movements.

"The food at our Staff Department is pretty good, so we won't eat here. Inuta Ranpo said he was home the whole night the incident happened, is that true? Remember, you must tell the truth. Perjury is a serious crime, think it through before you speak," Shinji Hirako asked.

Yumiko took another satisfying puff of her pipe, then said calmly, "He was indeed home that night; he didn't leave from beginning to end."

Shinji Hirako was actually very familiar with lying tricks, because his parents were notorious swindlers in Rukongai in their early years, but they eventually ran into trouble and gave up the business.

Later, Shinji Hirako's mother taught him a lot, saying that when people lie, there are always some micro-expressions on their faces that they cannot control.

Just like a man being questioned by his wife, when he lies, he always likes to touch his nose or his forehead.

He himself may not even realize it in many cases.

Shinji Hirako noticed that the woman never made eye contact with him, her eyes constantly glancing to the side.

Because everyone speaks in different ways, Shinji Hirako had a vague feeling that there was something wrong with the woman, but he couldn't be sure whether she was lying or not.

"Besides the two of you, is there a third person who can corroborate your testimony? If someone can prove that Inuta Ranpo never left this room that night, all of his crimes can be cleared, and you two can be reunited," Shinji Hirako said.

Yumiko's lips curled into a disdainful sneer, Shinji Hirako's heart skipped a beat. This sneer wasn't directed at him, but rather at Yumiko's useless husband.

"I'm sorry, young man, no guests came that night, so we can't verify if what we said is true." As Yumiko said this, her eyes couldn't help but glance to the left again.

Shinji Hirako couldn't help but follow the woman's gaze to the left, where there was just an ordinary wardrobe.

"I see! Okay, I understand. I'm very sorry to have bothered you," Shinji Hirako said calmly, then stood up to leave.

"Handsome young man, come back to play again when you have time." Yumiko waved enthusiastically.

Just as Shinji Hirako reached the door, he suddenly realized the look in that woman's eyes.

Yumiko's eyes kept involuntarily glancing to the left, looking at the wardrobe. Lying was only one possibility; could there be something hidden in that wardrobe?

Shinji Hirako stopped abruptly at the door, then turned around sharply, a faint smile on her face, "Would it be alright if I conducted a quick search of this room, assuming what you're saying is true?"

Yumiko's expression changed slightly for the first time, and her fingers gripping her pipe tightened involuntarily.

Shinji Hirako observed all these subtle changes.

Shinji Hirako couldn't help but grin, revealing a row of very neat teeth.

Looks like I guessed right...

Shinji Hirako strode towards the wardrobe.

"Wait... wait a minute, how can you be so rude, handsome young man? Even if you're good-looking, you can't do whatever you want!" Yumiko exclaimed in a panic, but it was too late. The wardrobe had already been opened by Shinji Hirako, and inside were just some very ordinary clothes.

"Seriously! How can you just rummage through a woman's clothes like that? That's incredibly rude. Believe me or not, I'll file a complaint against you!" Yumiko yelled.

Shinji Hirako ignored them, taking out the clothes one by one, making sure they were okay before throwing them on the floor, leaving the room in a mess.

"You... you..." Yumiko cried out in panic, but at that moment, Shinji Hirako noticed something unusual.

This is a seasonal garment, neatly folded and placed at the very bottom of all the clothes.

Shinji Hirako used the tip of his knife to lift the garment. "Madam, could you explain to me why there is bloodstain on this garment?"

The atmosphere froze instantly.

Yumiko finally showed a panicked expression.

"I'm taking this garment back for investigation as evidence," Shinji Hirako said.

Chapter 143: Each Holding Their Own Account

"You... you..." Yumiko's face finally showed a panicked expression. She clenched her fists and dared not speak anymore, but for some reason, there seemed to be a slight relaxation in her eyes.

"It seems you should prepare to remarry." Shinji Hirako smiled smugly.

They took the blood-stained clothes directly back to the Staff Department.

It was lunchtime, Shinji Hirako had been running around all morning and was starving, hurried to the dining hall after securing the evidence. There, he happened to run into Yamabuki Chidori, who was also eating.

"How's the investigation going?" Yamabuki Chidori asked with a smile.

"How can you still laugh? How does the Staff Department usually operate? How can the information in the documents be so different from the actual situation? My legs are about to break from running around!" Shinji Hirako couldn't help but complain.

Yamabuki Chidori simply smiled and said, "In that case, eat more meat. You'll need the energy to work when you're full."

At Yamabuki Chidori's suggestion, the kitchen chef piled Shinji Hirako's bowl full of meat.

Shinji Hirako hadn't expected the food at the Staff Department to be so much better than that of their Fifth Division. Just for that reason alone, staying at the Staff Department wasn't a bad idea.

"Chief Strategist, do you have any further experience in solving criminal cases?" Shinji Hirako asked.

"Not at all. Reasoning is my weakest point, but there are a few people in the Staff Department who are very good at it. They usually handle criminal cases. You can go and talk to them," Yamabuki Chidori said.

Shinji Hirako ate the rice in his bowl in large mouthfuls.

If this blood-stained garment becomes crucial evidence, then Kusakawa Ryunosuke could be acquitted, and the case would take a dramatic turn.

In the afternoon, he told his colleague, who was skilled in criminal cases, about his findings. His colleague immediately poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

"Bloodstained clothing is actually very difficult to use as strong evidence because it's so easy to forge. Anyone can just drop some blood on it and create fake evidence. Besides, there's simply no technology right now to prove that the bloodstains on the clothing are related to the deceased." Her colleague's words sent a chill down Shinji Hirako's spine.

Indeed, there was no technology to test DNA more than 700 years ago.

It is impossible to determine whether the bloodstains on the blood-stained clothes are those of the deceased.

If that's the case, everything will have to be overturned and started all over again.

The situation seemed to be getting increasingly complicated, but Shinji Hirako was actually quite pleased, and he became more and more interested in the case.

"Interesting! Very interesting!" Shinji Hirako's smile looked terrifying, and his colleagues around him felt a chill run down their spines, hurriedly going about their work.

"Hirako, the Central 46 will deliver its verdict in this case in five days. Why don't you just leave it alone and let the Central 46 handle this kind of troublesome matter?" his colleague said.

Shinji Hirako felt a vague sense of displeasure.

I must get to the bottom of this before the Central 46 issues its verdict.

"Alright, thank you. I'll go check if there are any more clues." Shinji Hirako walked a short distance away, took out paper and pen, and listed out all the evidence he had.

First and foremost is the murder weapon, the Zanpakuto. This sword belonged to Kusakawa Ryunosuke, and it was still tucked into his waistband when he was arrested. Because of this, everyone assumed he was the murderer.

But then he revealed that his wife had cheated on him.

Then the first question arises.

Did Kusakawa Ryunosuke's wife have an affair?

This is a very important issue.

If his wife were to actually cheat on him, and he were to kill her in the Rage, the Central 46 would not even sentence him to death; at most, he would only receive a few years in prison, and he would not even be stripped of his noble title.

Because under the laws of that era, women who committed adultery were sentenced to death. Men, on the other hand, were only subject to moral condemnation, and if the other party was an aristocrat, they might not even be condemned.

Therefore, Kusakawa Ryunosuke insisted that his wife had cheated on him.

He also offered another version of the story, which was that he got completely drunk that night and had no idea what had happened.

Which of the two versions of the story is true?

Then, the Inuta Clan crest was found under the bed.

According to both sides' testimonies, the two families had never had any contact before.

So where did this badge come from?

It's like you're China, and one day you suddenly find an ID card belonging to an America fugitive under your bed, even though this America fugitive has never been to China.

This is practically Quantum Mechanics.

Then came the blood-stained garment that I discovered.

Although Yumiko appeared flustered at the time, a hint of relief flashed in her eyes. Why was that? Now, recalling the situation, the woman's eyes kept glancing to the left, as if deliberately guiding her to find the bloodstained garment.

Does this mean their relationship as a couple is very bad?

Is this woman going to send her husband to the Jail with her own hands?

If their relationship is bad, why would she protect her husband?

The statements are completely contradictory.

Shinji Hirako felt like his head was about to explode.

He kept tapping his head with his hand, hoping to sort out his thoughts.

Actually, even if he completely ignores the case now and lets it develop naturally, no one will say anything. Just like his colleague said, it's better to hand over the troublesome matter to the Central 46 and enjoy some peace and quiet.

But he himself was fascinated by these things.

Shinji Hirako was not only a very intelligent person, but also a man with extremely keen intuition. When Aizen was still the Lieutenant, he was the first to realize that Aizen a problem, but he was unable to find any evidence and kept rejecting the infection.

Little did they know that they had already fallen into a trap of Kyōka Suigetsu.

Shinji Hirako rubbed his head, wondering where else he could find clues.

Wait a minute, if a couple has a bad relationship, won't they argue frequently? If they argue frequently, Lin should be the first to know.

The Inuta Clan is merely Low-Ranking Noble, lacking the luxurious courtyards of the Great Noble. Therefore, if the couple were to quarrel, the neighbors would surely hear it. Perhaps it would be better to ask the neighbors for their opinions.

Shinji Hirako brought back a large glass of chilled juice from the cafeteria, drank it all in one go, and mustered up her energy to go investigate again.

When the neighbors saw the Staff Department's work badge, they cooperated very enthusiastically.

"You mean their relationship? It's great! They've never argued, Yumiko is a very virtuous woman. What's wrong? Is there a problem?"

The old neighbor looked at Shinji Hirako with a strange expression and asked.

Can that kind of woman truly be considered virtuous and capable?

They also wanted to save themselves for the stir-fried pork.

Chapter 144: Trial in Court

Should I follow what I see, or should I listen to what my neighbors say?

What kind of person Yumiko is will determine the course of this case.

But this woman deliberately showed two faces.

In front of her neighbors, she was gentle and virtuous, a respectable woman.

But in front of me, she becomes flirtatious and unrestrained.

Which one is the real him?

Even Shinji Hirako himself was a little confused.

The two parties have only met once. How can you possibly understand a person's temperament and character based on a mere ten minutes of contact?

After failing to find anything in the investigation, Shinji Hirako had no choice but to revise the documents submitted to the Central 46, adding new evidence and the results of his own investigation.

Hopefully, the people in the Central 46 won't be like those scoundrels who couldn't distinguish right from wrong.

Five days passed quickly.

The Central 46 officially opened the trial.

It will soon be clear who is guilty between Kusakawa Ryunosuke and Inuta Ranpo.

In the highest seat, Yamabuki Chidori stood with her hands in her sleeves, ready to observe the trial.

Soon all the criminal suspects present had arrived.

"Kusakawa Ryunosuke, you are suspected of murdering your wife. Do you plead guilty?"

Kusakawa Ryunosuke cried out in panic, "I plead not guilty! I've been framed! You must clear my name!"

Soon, the murder weapon was brought out by Death himself.

"Then how do you explain that the murder weapon was hanging on your waist when you were attacked? Based on the blade comparison, this knife is the murder weapon used in the crime."

Kusakawa Ryunosuke looked completely bewildered.