Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

Kobayashi Kosuke arrived as promised, looking even more haggard than before, with more bloodshot eyes.

"Attorney Akiyama, is there any progress? Are you able to get Miyuki out?" he asked anxiously as soon as he sat down.

"There are some clues, but they're complicated." Masashi Akiyama slowly stirred his coffee. "Dr. Kobayashi, I need you to recall some more details. Regarding Nurse Imai, did she mention anything to you about anything in the hospital that made her feel particularly uneasy or afraid, besides that riot?"

Kobayashi Kosuke's eyes flickered, and he shook his head.

"No... Junko is very professional. She doesn't talk much about her work troubles, because she doesn't want me to worry."

"Is that so?" Masashi Akiyama put down his spoon. "But I've learned from other sources that your facility seems to be... more than just an ordinary mental health facility. Some of the patients may have rather special circumstances. As a senior employee, Nurse Imai, did you really never notice anything unusual?"

Kobayashi Kosuke's expression changed. "You...who told you that? That's all rumors! Our hospital is a legitimate institution!"

"Whether it's a rumor or not, we'll only know after we investigate." Masashi Akiyama leaned forward slightly, looking directly into Kosuke Kobayashi's eyes, and continued.

"But the problem is, if Nurse Imai really got into trouble because she knew some secrets she shouldn't have, then what happened in the break room that day was probably not just an accident. Could those patients' behavior have been orchestrated?"

"Impossible!" Kobayashi Kosuke denied, but his voice trembled slightly. "Those patients were all having seizures at the time, out of control! This has been confirmed by both the police and the hospital!"

"The onset of illness can also be induced and exploited. Dr. Kobayashi, when you rushed in to save the person, besides seeing the patient committing violence, did you notice... anything else?"

Kobayashi Kosuke's forehead began to bead with sweat. He avoided Akiyama Masashi's gaze, picked up his water glass, took a sip, and tried to hide his panic.

"I... I was only focused on saving Junko at the time and didn't pay attention to so much... Later, the hospital leaders came to handle it, and they were also concerned about the hospital's reputation..."

"So, you still believe that Miyuki Nagai is absolutely innocent, and that someone framed her. And the real culprit is likely the person in the hospital who wants to cover it all up, right?" Masashi Akiyama concluded.

"Yes! That must be it!" Kobayashi Kosuke nodded vigorously, his tone becoming urgent again.

"Attorney Akiyama, you must believe me! Miyuki would never do such a thing! If you want to investigate, you should investigate the hospital's security system, check if the surveillance footage from those days has been tampered with, and investigate those who are close to the vice president and department heads! Only they have the ability to do these things!"

Kosuke Kobayashi has once again clearly pointed the finger at the hospital's management.

Masashi Akiyama nodded, asked no further questions, and politely ended the meeting.

After leaving the coffee shop, Masashi Akiyama stood on the street, watching Kosuke Kobayashi's slightly flustered back as he fell into deep thought.

Kosuke Kobayashi was eager to exonerate Miyuki Nagai.

However, he deliberately avoided talking about the dark side of the hospital, and even rushed to deny it.

Moreover, he kept steer the investigation toward the hospital's top management.

Kobayashi Kosuke's story is full of protection for Nagai Miyuki, but he avoids the key issues, which makes his logical chain deliberately broken and misguided.

He seemed eager to save Miyuki Nagai, but at the same time, he seemed even more interested in ensuring the investigation proceeded in his favor.

He desperately tried to prove Miyuki Nagai's innocence, but that innocence was based on the premise that she was a hapless victim who had been framed.

As for who the framing person was, Kosuke Kobayashi gave a seemingly reasonable suspect.

The two people he explicitly mentioned: the vice president and the director.

Who is he protecting?

Miyuki Nagai? Or himself? Or perhaps, a deeper secret that he dares not and cannot reveal?

It seems that a few pieces are missing from the puzzle of the whole case.

Masashi Akiyama took out his phone and dialed Maki Suzuki's number.

"Maki, help me investigate two more people. The key is to find out if there are any hidden, financial, or other connections between them besides being colleagues and lovers. Also, check Dr. Kosuke Kobayashi's recent bank account activity, and... whether he has any dirt on anyone that might be in someone else's hands."

Maki Suzuki is extremely efficient.

Two days later, a detailed background investigation report was sent to Masashi Akiyama's private email address in encrypted form.

The report shows that Dr. Kosuke Kobayashi's salary at the Shiodome Sanatorium was above average, but his bank statements over the past year showed several large sums of money deposited into his account from unknown sources, totaling more than 20 million yen.

These funds were transferred through multiple intermediary accounts, making it difficult to trace their ultimate source. However, the timing of these transactions vaguely coincides with several cases of unexpected patient deaths or families receiving large settlements.

More notably, one of the payments, amounting to five million yen, was deposited exactly one week prior, after Junko Imai's attack but before her death.

Kosuke Kobayashi's personal credit card debt miraculously decreased significantly within six months.

Moreover, according to Maki Suzuki's investigation,

The late Junko Imai had secretly consulted a law firm specializing in medical disputes and labor rights several times over the past year, but ultimately did not formally retain them.

She also posted several messages under a pseudonym on an anonymous online forum for medical staff, subtly asking "What to do if the hospital systematically covers up accidents?" and "How to save yourself if you have evidence of your superiors' misconduct but are being threatened?"

More importantly, Maki Suzuki unearthed an old news story.

About two years ago, a similar but unsuccessful attempted attack on a nurse occurred at Shiodome Sanatorium. The nurse involved resigned and left Tokyo shortly afterward, and the doctor in charge of the ward at the time... was Kosuke Kobayashi.

Kobayashi Kosuke is clearly not as innocent and pure as he portrays himself to be.

Masashi Akiyama was well aware of this, but there was another matter he couldn't judge at the moment.

That is, is the relationship between Kosuke Kobayashi and Junko Imai really as Kosuke Kobayashi described?

Are they lovers? Are they truly in love? Are they bound by an emotional bond?

What role did Kosuke Kobayashi play in the events that Junko Imai experienced?

An insider? A tacit accomplice? Or a coerced participant?

Yes, Masashi Akiyama has gradually turned his suspicious gaze toward Kosuke Kobayashi.

The other party's appearance was too coincidental, and the clues they revealed were too deliberate.

This made it hard for the ever-vigilant Masashi Akiyama not to suspect the other party.

Masashi Akiyama decided to split his forces into two groups.