JJK : Death Trade Ch 85 : Retrial (Patreon)

I once again found myself standing inside the familiar courtroom in the witness box. The domain sprang up this time even without him saying anything, forget hand signs.

'What sort of domain is this...?'

"We're having a retrial..." Higuruma fixed his ruined suit as much as he could while still slowly healing those wounds, which were taking particularly longer to heal.

'Retrial...' My mind spiraled at those words. Thus, that meant that his domain was in effect this entire time after all...

I mean, it made sense. He clearly stated that my technique is ineffective during the court session and penalty phase. It can only happen if his technique was already in effect.

So, does that mean only the non-aggression pact lifted during the penalty phase, while we were always inside his domain?

What a pain this domain is...

"I already told you," I said, gripping the booth's railing as the courtroom's oppressive architecture settled back into place around us, "I don't wish to fight. Even you are perceptive enough to see that if I wished to kill you just now then you would already be dead. Stop this nonsense, would you..."

"No can do... I have chosen this path, I intend to see it through. After all, what kind of lawyer would I be if I couldn't bring judgment to a criminal's crimes?"

Yup... I knew it, this bastard was exactly like Suguru Geto, a man who wished to do good in all the twisted ways possible.

"And what is my crime? Stealing Megumi's clothes? Dude, come on, that was a prank, A PRANK!"

"Do you have to escalate the matter that much?" I shouted back with irritation. Half indignant at his logic and half concerned about what he might do if I gave him time to learn more. The monster just learned Reverse Cursed Technique, what next... he'll figure out binding vows.

Man, that would be dreadful.

"Yes, I have to, but not because of that... no," Higuruma admitted, straightening what remained of his ruined jacket with a dignity that didn't match the blood still crusted at his collar. "You stealing someone's clothes doesn't provide enough penalty to deal with you..."

I blinked... what did he mean, doesn't provide enough penalty?

And that was when a horrible thought came to me, what if he can confiscate something every time I am announced guilty by that ugly shikigami behind him...

A chill ran down my spine.

"W-what do you mean exactly?" I just hoped that it wasn't something so horrifying as slowly being stripped of every power I have. That would be deadly.

"Meaning if I can prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that you've committed a crime worthy of the maximum sentence—then the court grants the death penalty..."

Death penalty.

I muttered under my breath, yeah, that sounded a lot more like how a court would act instead of my earlier estimate. But then what is this death penalty?

"...So this whole thing was just you fishing for a technicality to kill me."

"Essentially, yes." He said it without a hint of shame. "I can't defeat you, I already know that. You are a better fighter and stronger than me if my Gavel is not by my side. All I have learned, even hand-to-hand fighting, was something that I picked up in the last ten days in the colony. I can't possibly stand up to you in that regard. My only chance to beat you is to get a death penalty and get the execution order."

A cold chill ran down my spine. What would this death penalty be like, something which would kill me immediately, giving me no way to retaliate?

No... that is too broken, right?

Clearly, there is a requirement to achieve that penalty, otherwise he would generally start with that.

Not to mention the penalty section of the domain explains that in the end the domain master still has to act personally to execute the penalty. So, I doubt it would be something so unreasonable like direct killing by a sure-hit effect.

I hope so...

"Shall we begin?"

"You're asking like I have a choice in the matter!" I chidded with irritation.

He straightened his papers, cleared his throat, and of course completely ignored my comment before starting.

"The defendant, Yami Akindo, is charged with the murder of Hanyu and Haba, curse-marked players of Tokyo Colony 1."

I didn't hesitate. "I confirm the killings. But it was self-defense. They attacked me unprovoked, on sight, with clear lethal intent. I only ended the fight after they made it clear they had no intention of stopping."

In certain ways it was true. At least in the case of Haba... I ended up killing him during the fight. Hanyu I killed later on. It's a murky line we're walking on. Though I hope the fact that she would have come after me even if I had spared her life, and the fact they came at me with lethal force to begin with, works in my favor...

Higuruma didn't seem to have any evidence this time around... that was strange. Or was it that the evidence could only materialize when real evidence somewhere in the world actually existed?

But what happened next baffled me. Higuruma walked off the witness box and someone else materialized there.

Blond hair, the same old jumpsuit I saw him wearing this morning.

"Heh~ Akindo-san?"

It was Amai Rin, the same guy whom I met this morning and asked for directions.

How come he came here? Is he real or just a projection?

"Amai Rin... you're the only witness to what happened this morning around six o'clock. Can you explain how you met Yami Akindo here and whether he killed the two sorcerers named Haba and Hanyu...?" Higuruma asked, now standing down from the witness box, beside Rin.

He looked half confused and half scared, but his eyes looked at me. He pursed his lips and finally spoke.

"By the time I came there, the fight was over. Both Haba and Hanyu were defeated. And, I don't think Akindo-san here is at fault, it was Haba and Hanyu who were hunting rookies in the colonies.

They had killed many new players. Akindo-san had just entered the colony when they both attacked him..."

Silence...

I felt like I could breathe again.

Higuruma studied both of us for a moment, then glanced toward the Judgeman.

The scales swayed, considered, and settled level.

"...Innocent," the Shikigami intoned.

I let out a breath which even I didn't realize I was holding. So... Judgment is not perfect when it comes to complicated matters like this. It follows the rules of Japanese law, if I'm not wrong.

"Thanks, Amai... you've been a great help." I gave a genuine smile to the boy.

"Ah... it's fine, Akindo-san. That's the least I could do." The boy smiled back before he vanished from the booth.

So, as long as my statements are not completely false and there is no incriminating evidence against me, even Higuruma can't completely use his domain to announce me guilty...

The only possible witness of me killing Hanyu would be Amai Rin, but he is currently under a binding contract not to say anything about it. Due to the non-aggression pact, even the domain can't do anything which could put the participants of the court into direct harm, and there is hell to pay if someone breaks a binding vow made with others.

And, there were no lies in Amai's words, just a hidden truth. The wording was just right to slip past Judgeman's lie detector, if he even had one in the first place.

Thank Kami I put him under a binding vow before leaving to hide both my technique and the killing from ever leaving Rin's mouth. And thanks for giving him a mind for what to say here...

Higuruma's jaw tightened, almost imperceptibly. He knew that I had killed, but that's all his technique provided. Whether I killed in self-defense or not, all that came down to what evidence his domain could collect and how he could shift the narrative.

If the statement itself given to the judgment by the defendant is true, or at least ambiguously true, Judgeman will choose the most realistic answer by default. Even Higuruma himself doesn't control the domain, he is still the lawyer here, the judge's orders are absolute. It was his job to provide evidence and charges which the defendant couldn't shirk off so easily.

"Fine... Next trial...."

"Oh, come on..."

xXx

A/N : Hehehe... I thought why not expand on others techiques as well while I was at it, it would be fun. Adding that Hazenoki had a curse energy trait. Reggie could combine the items of his receipts. And now Higuruma Domain and summon others for testimony is just fun little touch ups from my side.