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There is a long sigh that fills the space of Jigoku’s office. He looks up from his desk to the young man standing in the center of the room: Kazuma Asougi. The sigh did not come from the young defense attorney, though. It came from the judge, who is wrought with exasperation after hearing the younger man’s request.
“This is not a case you should be getting yourself involved in,” Jigoku says harshly. An outsider might have misinterpreted this as Jigoku trying to watch out for Kazuma. Kazuma, however, knows better. This is Jigoku trying to save his own hide.
For better or for worse, Kazuma knows the intricacies of this case. No one had ever explicitly laid the details out to him. But he could more or less piece them together himself.
Kazuma is part of an assassin exchange. He would go to London to perform a hit on an inspector. He did not know the details regarding what would happen in Japan. But the fact is this: John H. Wilson, a professor visiting from England, has been murdered and the investigation is not so subtly being rushed. As per the agreement, Jigoku is meant to make sure the killer isn’t prosecuted. Or at the very least, the killer shouldn’t get in any real trouble.
Kazuma doesn’t know who the real killer is. He only knows that the accused is his best friend and boyfriend, Ryuunosuke Naruhodou. If it hadn’t been him, Kazuma might have been able to leave the situation alone. He knows what he signed up for and what his role in this game is. (Not that he really intends to play it all the way through. Kazuma just wants to grab his rewards and go. But he does understand what Jigoku expects him to do.)
However, Ryuunosuke was never meant to be a part of it. Now that he is, everything has changed. Kazuma cannot let Ryuunosuke take the fall for this. He would die before he let Ryuunosuke be framed for a crime.
“I think I’m already fairly involved,” Kazuma states in retaliation to Jigoku’s claim.
Jigoku lets out a rumbling laugh that lacks any sort of amusement. It is an angry laugh. There are few people who scare Kazuma. Jigoku is one of them. At the very least, he unsettles Kazuma at the worst of times. Kazuma doesn’t know what lies in Jigoku’s interior, and he wouldn’t like to find out. Still, he holds his stance and refuses to bat his gaze away.
“You’re causing an awful lot of trouble for me, Asougi,” Jigoku says once he comes down from his laughter. “You should just leave the situation alone. That boy will take the blame for what’s happened, and we’ll sweep it under the rug. Then you’ll be on your way to London, just like you want.”
“No.” Kazuma looks at Jigoku in what he hopes is resolve. He rests his hand on the hilt of Karuma, hoping to draw strength from his ancestral sword. “I can’t do that. Ryuunosuke is too important to me. I won’t turn away from him when he’s in need.”
Jigoku hums and folds his hands under his chin. He examines Kazuma for a moment, looking for any chinks in his armor. Kazuma lets him look, maintaining his posture. Jigoku is certainly an intimidating man, but on this point, Kazuma will not budge. He will protect Ryuunosuke if it’s the last thing he does.
“Even if it costs you everything?” Jigoku asks. His voice is calm, and yet Kazuma hears the threat in it. “Even if it means you can never go to London, and never investigate what you think happened there? Even if you will never stand in another trial again?”
Kazuma has spent many years preparing for the truth behind his father’s death 10 years ago. Throughout that time he’s dedicated himself wholly to learning law so that he can discover what happened to his father in London. And yet, his response of agreement takes no time at all. “I would still defend Ryuunosuke, even if it meant losing everything I’ve built to this point.”
Brown eyes bore harshly into Kazuma. If ever there was a way to make Kazuma bend, it was certainly with the promise of the information he sought. So it doesn’t make sense that he would be willing to put everything on the line for the defendant. Even if he knew beyond a shred of doubt that the accused was not guilty, it was not always so easy to prove. Especially not when certain facts were deliberately covered up by the officials. Surely, knowing of the deal, Kazuma had to know that certain preventative measures had to be taken to hide the real assassin’s identity, no? Did he really think he could win?
Seeing Jigoku’s confusion regarding Kazuma’s position, the university student speaks again. “Don’t misunderstand me, my loyalty to my parents runs strong. I wouldn’t cast them away for just anyone,” Kazuma starts. Jigoku looks at him expectantly, a nonverbal cue that he should continue. “However, they’re already gone. The people I need to protect immediately are the people by my side right now. And the most precious person in my current life is Ryuunosuke. For Ryuunosuke, I would give anything within my boundaries. My dreams, my ambition, my life. Whatever it takes, I will not stand by and allow him to be unnecessarily hurt.”
Jigoku listens patiently throughout Kazuma’s explanation. When all is said and done, he hardly looks impressed. “So that’s how it is. That student takes precedence in your life,” Jigoku says dryly. “And you fully understand the consequences of your actions? What will happen if you lose this case?”
“I do. But I don’t intend to lose,” Kazuma declares once more.
In the face of Kazuma’s loyalty to the accused, Jigoku scoffs. He thinks Kazuma must be overly arrogant or just stupid to make such a statement. Jigoku can’t understand where this drive comes from, because all his life he has acted for his own benefit. He thought Kazuma to be the same, and that’s why he came to him about the assassination exchange in the first place. Jigoku thought he had him pinned down. But it seems that even revenge-bent Kazuma Asougi has some restraints.
“I’ll give you the night to mull it over. Your request for change of advocacy is accepted, but I will give you until the start of the trial to back out of this foolishness.”
Kazuma sets his jaw, his lips pressed tight together as he nods. He doesn’t say it, but Jigoku knows that Kazuma will not actually think further on the matter. But this is of little consequence to Jigoku. Words may not have worked, but he can think of a few other ways he can attempt to dissuade Kazuma from acting foolishly. He lets Kazuma go, dismissed with a wave of his hand. Kazuma bows, then turns and exits the room.
Perhaps, Jigoku thinks, it is time to have a talk with Yuujin next…