Tokyo Unnatural Forensics

Chapter 493, Uesugi wins the case.

P.S.: I spent a lot of time writing the outline for Volume 5 today, so I'll combine the two into a 4500-word chapter for now!

Uesugi Muneyuki was beginning to understand what the so-called new god was.

The so-called Old Gods represent the fundamental laws of the world and the chaotic power of disorder.

The new gods represent order, logic, and reason.

It sounds like the new god has a more high-end and sophisticated vibe, right?
But that's not actually the case. To put it bluntly, for example, which Earth was more suitable for human habitation: the Earth during the Hadean eon or the Earth now?

Without a doubt, it is the Earth as it is now.

But was Earth more capable during the Hadean eon or is it more capable now?

Without a doubt, it was the Hadean eon, a time when Earth was experiencing terrifyingly high-speed rotation, frequent and continuous magma eruptions, relentless lightning storms, extreme high temperatures and lack of oxygen, and pure destructive power. Let flames purify everything, let the winds obey my command, and let the fools who follow the false order forge a pact with blood and shadow!
The Old Gods represent supernatural laws and powers, but the last Old God used his supernatural laws and powers to suppress magic and mystery, ultimately bestowing order, reason, and logic upon humanity.

From this perspective, He is incredibly great. His emergence signifies the arrival of the human era and the end of the era of the old gods.

Uesugi Muneyuki sighed, thinking that this answer wasn't bad. The fact that the inner world was getting weaker and weaker and that it was becoming increasingly difficult for new gods to be born meant that he would not be able to switch from urban fiction to fighting the Three Pure Ones as an emperor in the future. With a single thought, a flower bloomed and he could dominate the ages. The two great beings fought to the edge of the universe, and even the Great Dao was obliterated.

It's no wonder that Jun Ayamura is unwilling to come out of the inner world, because the outside world is very uncomfortable for her, and even "toxic" to some extent. Therefore, she chooses to hide deep in the inner world, either waiting for the opening of the Gate of Takamagahara or waiting for the world to return to chaos. Her hostility towards humanity is also understandable.

And in a way, he is able to cross between the two realms?

Uesugi Muneyuki pondered in his mind, but unfortunately there were only three questions.

When he came out, Erena was waiting for him at the door. Because she was going out on a field trip today, Erena was wearing a standard suit, trousers, and jacket. When she saw Uesugi Muneyuki finally come out, the tall beauty excitedly rushed over, and naturally, there was a violent tremor in front of her, which was so earth-shattering and earth-shattering.

"Zongxue, are you alright?" Erena's beautiful face lit up with joy. "Can we go back now?"

Today, the two of them are going out on patrol and don't need to return to the Metropolitan Police Department. The tall beauty naturally has other plans and ideas. She wants to take Uesugi Muneyuki to practice martial arts together, and by the way... hehehehe.

"Wait a moment." Uesugi Muneyuki could tell from the expression on Erena's face what she was planning, so he squeezed her hand to indicate that she shouldn't rush. "We still have to see someone else."

"Ugh~ Why are there so many things to do?" Erina pouted.

The two waited at the hospital for a while longer, when lawyer Kunipa from Nishimura Asahi's office arrived. He greeted Uesugi Muneyuki and asked him to wait a moment before entering Professor Zaizen's ward.

After waiting for a while, Attorney Guoping came out again. He hesitated for a moment, then threw the appeal letter that Professor Zaizen had given him into the trash can, shook his head with a wry smile, and thought to himself that his winning streak was about to end.

The deceased cannot be the plaintiff, nor can they be the defendant. When Professor Zaizen passed away, the judicial process automatically ceased, so continuing the lawsuit was no longer meaningful.

We lawyers wouldn't do something so pointless, so this appeal application... just needs to be dragged out until Professor Zaizen passes away, and that'll be the end of it.

Unbeknownst to Attorney Guoping, Uesugi Muneyuki witnessed this scene and remained silent in his heart.

Death is ultimately the fairest thing.

The legal profession is the most typical example of lawful evil. Its existence is to exploit every loophole, distort every interpretation, and find every basis to achieve its own goals. Like bureaucrats, it is a monster born from two laws that extend from the extreme order of humanity.

Many people would say that merchants are also products of lawful evil, but that's not actually the case. The essence of a merchant should be "absolute neutrality." The characteristic of this profession is that it "needs basic order and craves a certain degree of chaos." Only with basic order can a merchant guarantee his own interests, while only by craving a certain degree of chaos can a merchant make a profit.

A typical businessman only wants to make money. If an entity has only one purpose, and to achieve that purpose, regardless of good or evil, order or chaos, it has only one goal, then it can be understood as being absolutely neutral.

Another typical example is a hungry farmer who does everything to feed his family. If things are normal, he might do odd jobs, farm, hunt, fish, pick fruit, or scavenge. But if none of these methods can fill his stomach, he doesn't mind stealing, robbing, or hunting. His only goal is to have enough to eat.

There's no need to view lawyers with prejudice. Lawyers are simply a product of the vast and complex human order system. As long as the rule of law exists and there are laws, lawyers will inevitably exist.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Uesugi-san." Attorney Kunihira was unaware that Uesugi Muneyuki had seen him discard Professor Zaizen's appeal documents. He adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and gestured for a separate meeting.

In a booth at a café in Bunkyo Ward, Attorney Kunipai handed a document to Uesugi Muneyuki and Ikeda Erena: "This is the result of our firm's discussions with Bungei Shunju. Uesugi-san, what are your thoughts? Can you accept these terms?"

"Let me see." Uesugi Muneyuki nodded, took the document, and examined it carefully.

Beside him, Erena curiously peeked out, wanting to see what it was.

Although the tall, beautiful woman wasn't particularly bright, she was at least literate. When she saw the words on the document, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "What? An out-of-court settlement???"

"Hehe, yes, an out-of-court settlement." Attorney Guoping forced a smile, skillfully concealing the hint of disdain in his eyes.

Yes, at the beginning of this year, the lawsuit concerning the Saito Asuka housekeeper case finally entered the court hearing stage.

With Uesugi Muneyuki producing crucial evidence from a gynecological examination and Weekly Bunshun's outburst at a critical moment, the attack against Uesugi Muneyuki suffered its most fatal blow, forcing Weekly Bunshun to face dual indictments from both the prosecutor's office and Uesugi Muneyuki.

Weekly Bunshun suffered heavy losses because of this incident. Almost all sponsors terminated their contracts, the number of regular subscribers decreased by nearly half, and the editor-in-chief, editors and paparazzi involved were dismissed. Most of the departments were laid off and a public apology was issued. Even its parent magazine, Bungei Shunju, issued a public apology, saying that it had "caused trouble" for the people. Subsequently, nearly half of the senior board members resigned.

The case that Uesugi Muneyuki entrusted was handled by Kunipei, a lawyer at Nishimura Asahi's office.

In an effort to gain the parties' understanding as quickly as possible, Weekly Bunshun offered an out-of-court settlement. The settlement included paying Uesugi Muneyuki and Saito Asuka a total of 4500 million yen in damages (3800 million yen after deducting the agency's cut), covering all legal and litigation costs, publishing apologies on the front page for three consecutive Thursdays to Uesugi Muneyuki, Saito Asuka, and Ishihara Mikoto, and privately promising not to report on Uesugi Muneyuki's private life again without irrefutable evidence (effectively abandoning the "battle" against Uesugi Muneyuki).

All paparazzi and editors involved have been dismissed, and the editor-in-chief has resigned.

"An out-of-court settlement? How can that be???" Erena gritted her teeth and clenched her small fists, quite exasperated: "How could they do such a thing and say such outrageous things? I will never forgive them! They must pay the price!"

“If an out-of-court settlement cannot be reached, then the first trial, the first hearing, the second hearing, the third hearing, the witnesses repeatedly testifying and appearing, then the appeal, the second trial, and the witnesses appearing again—this would drag on for a long time and cause enormous distress to the parties and witnesses. It would not only affect your lives but also your public image. Is this really okay?” Attorney Guoping said with a smile, “Think about Ms. Asuka. She has to appear and testify again and again, constantly missing her studies and reliving the past. Isn’t that also a form of harm?”

"I..." Erina was speechless for a moment, the tall beauty thinking, "Who understands what you're saying? Uesugi, say something!"

An out-of-court settlement, is that right?
Uesugi Muneyuki fell into thought.

Logically, he should have tried to make Weekly Bunshun pay the highest price.

But haven't Weekly Bunshun and the Suo father and son behind it already paid the biggest price?

Suo Ryohei was left partially paralyzed after being hit by the object and is still hospitalized at the University of Tokyo Hospital. His recurring urinary tract infections nearly drove the son of a member of parliament to suicide.

The executive in charge of this matter had his heart stopped by Mai-senpai.

Both parties involved suffered the most brutal retaliation. As for Weekly Bunshun... Uesugi Muneyuki really didn't have much interest in sending the parties involved to jail for two or three years; it was pointless.

Furthermore, it's worth mentioning that among the three East Asian countries, Japan, South Korea, and other nations differ in one key aspect.

Japan does not have a tradition of very strict political purges. Unlike other countries, where the ruling party changes hands frequently and each new president does everything in their power to impeach the previous one, Japan does not have a very comprehensive political purge every time a new leader is elected.

Japan is closer to Europe and America in this respect.

For Japan, the most severe and cruel retaliation is that of someone like Morihiro Hosokawa, who was expelled from Tokyo and forced to return to his hometown as an antique collector for making "inappropriate" remarks.

Another example is our familiar old friend Kakuei Tanaka. Because of his involvement in the Lockheed case, Tanaka resigned in 1974, was prosecuted in 1976, was found guilty in 1983, appealed, was found guilty in the second instance in 1987, appealed again, and was found guilty in the final instance in 1995. However, by this time, Tanaka had already passed away for more than two years, and the judicial process was suspended.

Therefore, some argue that this was actually a tacit understanding within the entire national system. After all, Kakuei Tanaka was the president who created the "computer and tractor" economic miracle, making great contributions to the country and representing the economic boom. If he were imprisoned for corruption, it would damage the country's image. However, the Lockheed case had irrefutable evidence, so both sides tacitly appealed indefinitely and dragged out the process until Kakuei Tanaka died of illness, suspending the judicial proceedings. This both preserved the former prime minister's dignity and proved that he was indeed guilty.

However, the tradition of excessively pressuring competitors and engaging in family-oriented games like Candy Crush makes "run-gaku" (a Japanese term referring to a form of academic or business dealing) less prevalent in Japan compared to other East Asian countries. Japanese people are known for their dislike of traveling abroad and their strong belief in long-term operations and businesses (a fact well-known to those in foreign trade). The Japanese public has high confidence in long-term investments, and when people open shops or start businesses, they are mostly aiming for long-term success. They are less likely to think about making a quick profit and running away, and they are not worried about being targeted after achieving some success.

This is why Japanese football has been able to thrive; it is because the long-term plan from thirty years ago has been consistently implemented.

Of course, this behavior also leads to unresolved administrative redundancies and a large amount of low-quality political assets remaining unresolved in Japan. Over time, the Diet becomes filled with incompetent officials, the bureaucratic system becomes stagnant, and corporate and commercial laws become outdated. These are undeniable problems, which is why so many citizens applaud (edited for brevity) – it should have been cleaned up long ago! Why aren't these old slackers dead yet?! We need more (edited for brevity)! Launch them one by one and send these old slackers to heaven!
As for whether this thing is more beneficial or harmful, please judge for yourselves.

Moreover, if the endless appeals and protracted lawsuits cause harm to Saito Asuka, the girl's studies will be affected by the frequent court appearances. It's not so bad now that she's a minor, but once she becomes an adult, she will lose legal protection and have to appear in court in person, which will have more negative impacts. For example, having lawsuits will affect her employment and public opinion.

Finally, Uesugi Muneyuki's attention was no longer on this matter.

“Okay, I agree to an out-of-court settlement.” After thinking it over, Uesugi Muneyuki finally nodded: “Let’s do it the way Weekly Bunshun requested, but not on Thursday, it has to be Monday.”

"Okay." Lawyer Guoping breathed a sigh of relief and smiled.

And just like that, eight million yen was safely in my pocket (commission + legal fees)!
In fact, lawyers are not necessarily there to help their employers win lawsuits.

The important thing is to find a way to get paid in a way that the employer can accept.

This is part of our lawyers' code of conduct: if you don't like it, don't play!

Thus, Uesugi Muneyuki shook hands with lawyer Kunihira, signifying an out-of-court settlement between Uesugi Muneyuki and Weekly Bunshun.

In the end, Uesugi Muneyuki won the battle at the Sakurada Gate press conference!
........................

News of the out-of-court settlement between Uesugi Muneyuki and Weekly Bunshun quickly reached the ears of Diet member Masao Suo.

In a fit of impotent rage, the congressman smashed the fax machine in front of him to pieces!
The Weekly Bunshun only lost 4500 million yen, but I lost my son!
This matter is not over yet!
Suo Masao's son, Suo Ryohei, has been hospitalized for more than three months. Although he has resumed his normal routine and reconstructed his pelvis, he will have to use crutches for the rest of his life and will also have to wear a urinary catheter for the rest of his life.

Furthermore, Ryohei Suo suffered from severe PTSD and phantom pain, and at one point became so depressed that he wanted to commit suicide, but was stopped.

This son is finished.

This has plunged the congressman into an unprecedented crisis: he has no successor!
No one will respect a politician who has to use a cane and wear a urine bag! Not even themselves!

He needs a new successor.

After a long silence, Suo Masao finally made a phone call.

Actually, he has more than one son, Suo Ryohei, but he and his wife only have this one child. His other child was born to a hostess in Ikebukuro in his early years and is now a comedian at Yoshimoto Kogyo.

"Call Xiao to come see me."

(End of this chapter)