Catch a Tiger (虚仮の一念, Koke no Ichinen, lit. "A Fool's Singleminded Efforts") is the tenth chapter of Lost Judgment.
Plot[]
Yagami takes pictures of the Kurokawa alumni's faces and takes Mamiya back to Charles for further interrogation. Higashi calls the Genda Law Office lawyers over, giving them a summary of the events. Higashi informs Yagami that with RK's main force in Isezaki Ijincho, the town has been quieter than normal, but he will ensure that they will be paid back for Kaito's wound. While the others are on their way, Yagami takes the opportunity to wander Kamurocho until Sugiura calls him back.
Saori, Hoshino, and Genda arrive to hear what Mamiya has to say. She confirms Saori's assessment that Ehara's decoy was the one who groped her, which was Kuwana himself due to their similar builds. Sugiura notes some parts of him look odd, and Mamiya tells him Kuwana 3D printed Ehara's face. Kuwana also used sunglasses to hide his eyes and a face mask to hide the seams. Mamiya also clarifies that she met with the real Ehara beforehand to plant undergarment traces on his hand, and that Kuwana borrowed Ehara's card and returned it to him while switching places in the camera's blind spot. Saori plans to file an appeal, but Genda points out that if Ehara does not want one, a retrial cannot take place. When the others depart, Higashi asks Yagami why he is letting Mamiya walk away, to which he replies there is not enough evidence to incriminate her for the murders.
The following day, Yagami and Saori visit Ehara at the detention center. He is told that Mamiya informed them he wanted a sexual battery alibi to avenge his son and humiliate the law by getting away with murder. Ehara acts clueless and declines an appeal. After recounting the events of the murder alibi, Ehara states he was informed of Toshiro's bullying by Kuwana, through a recorded call between him and Sawa. He said Toshiro never told him about the bullying, because when Toshiro told Ehara about how he was bullied in junior high, Ehara reprimanded him. He now sees Toshiro's act as one of courage, and regrets not listening. Toshiro chose to attend a private school because he did not like living with his father. Ehara still avoids confessing to Mikoshiba's murder. He says Kuwana approached him with the recording while he was on duty, and he is grateful for that. Kuwana also approached other families of bullying victims with an offer of justice, and those that rejected his offer did not report him. An exchange on the effectiveness of the laws causes Ehara to lose his temper and briefly admit to committing murder. Ehara states he fully intends to be incarcerated for sexual battery, and because law enforcement does not want to admit to any mistakes, they will overlook his confession of killing Mikoshiba. Yagami tells him as a result of the murder, other forces came into play, and Sawa was killed as collateral damage, then states he will get justice for her as Ehara did for Toshiro. Ehara agrees to an appeal to humiliate the court again, but states he will not admit to killing Mikoshiba. He adds that he is not to blame for Sawa's death, but Yagami counters that by that logic, Mikoshiba is not to blame for Toshiro's death.
Saori fills everyone in Genda Law Office on what happened. When Saori mentions proceeding with the appeal, Genda tells her they have no evidence of Mikoshiba's murder due to prosecution claiming the murder video was fake. Angered by being made a fool of, Saori states they should not consider the prosecutors' opinion, and that Ehara enjoyed seeing her duty to uphold the law even though she did not believe him to be guilty of sexual assault. Yagami is determined to get the appeal to expose Kuwana, and the trial is the best place to do so. By drawing out Kuwana, they can draw out RK and its mastermind. Genda gives them his blessing and, after the meeting is over, Yagami receives a call from Tsukumo telling him RK is amassing in Ijincho.
Yagami and Sugiura return to Yokohama 99 and inform Tsukumo of what they learned, but they are still unaware of why RK is targeting Kuwana. Yagami notes they went after Kuwana when the learned Shinya Kawai was killed, but they cannot get information out of low-ranking RK members. While wandering, Yagami receives a call from Saori. She states that something Ehara said is causing her to be concerned: Kuwana approaching many parents with his offer. Since Kuwana's first victim was Kawai, his own homeroom's bully, she states it is very likely he approached Reiko Kusumoto with the same offer. If she accepted, she would have committed a crime, meaning it is possible she sent RK to silence Kuwana to tie a loose end. Yagami asks Tsukumo to look into Kusumoto again.
Kusumoto was appointed to the position of vice minister earlier in the year, and there are little to no negative articles about her. Yagami states if someone in a position like hers was backing RK, they would be confident enough to commit something as risky as murder. Sugiura considers meeting Kusumoto, and Yagami suggests meeting her in the hospital her son is in. Just then, Tsukumo displays a news broadcast of a manhunt for Yu Kitakata under the premise that he is Sawa's murderer. Yagami is left confused by the police searching for Kuwana rather than the true murderer Soma, and Tsukumo brings up the camera footage of Kuwana also containing footage of RK. Yagami phones Watanabe for answers, and he states they are hunting Kuwana because of orders from the higher-ups. Noticing Watanabe's frustration, Yagami asks to meet him, but he hangs up. Tsukumo, however, was able to pinpoint Watanabe's location from background noise.
Yagami meets Watanabe and Sakurai in Chinatown, stating he has a feeling something is interfering with their jobs. Watanabe leaves Sakurai and they both head to Hamakita Park. There, Watanabe states Kuwana using an alias and surfacing near the home of his former student makes him look suspicious enough. When Yagami asks of Soma, Watanabe states there was no camera footage of Soma and RK at the apartment complex. The higher-ups bad been in a frenzy following the release of Mikoshiba's murder footage, and states someone in a position of power is staging a cover-up, starting with removing any camera footage with RK members in it. Hopeless, Watanabe states Kuwana will be killed and made to look like an accident, and the mastermind is too powerful to be stopped. Enrages by his reluctance, Yagami provokes Watanabe to a fight.
After Watanabe is defeated, Yagami makes clear his determination to give Sawa closure, causing Watanabe to relent. He tells Yagami that Kanagawa police higher-ups immediately put Kuwana as a suspect as soon as Sawa's case was opened, and the NPA stated information on Kuwana came from the Public Security branch. Watanabe states Public Security may have an interest in RK's criminal network, as after the Tojo Clan disbanded, many criminals went underground, and letting RK roam free means being able to monitor criminals. He also asked public security of information regarding Soma, but they had no record of him. They are intending to pin the blame on Kuwana and close Sawa's case with his death to keep their conspiracy secret. Watanabe receives a call informing him Kuwana was spotted in Ijincho in the Geomijul's territory. Watanabe requests Yagami fill Kuwana in, but not mention whom he got his intel from, then departs.
Tsukumo calls Yagami, informing him of the rumor of Kuwana's whereabouts, and the police are already barricading the area around Geomijul territory. When Yagami arrives at the location, Tsukumo helps him by dispatching Sugiura and distracting the people present with his drone, allowing Yagami to sneak in. Sugiura arrives, informing Yagami he saw police allow RK entry. They scale the buildings, fighting RK members who are looking for Kuwana along the way. When they reach the top and defeat the thugs there, masked Geomijul members reveal themselves. They state the rumor of Kuwana's location was false; they were asked by him to spread that rumor to see how his enemies would react. Normally the Geomijul hired him, but they are the ones being hired this time. Yagami and Sugiura are told Kuwana is with Tesso and they are cleared to see him, then shows them a secret escape route. They also warn the duo to not return as they are not officially welcome in their home.
The two arrive at the Yokohama Liumang hideout where Kuwana is hiding. Tesso lets him know that Kuwana hired him anonymously, and that Kuwana let him know of his scheme. Kuwana adds that Yagami has also ensured the Kurokawa alumni cannot act. With the assurances that neither side is keeping secrets from each other, Yagami tells Kuwana that Public Security is hunting him, possibly to prevent a scandal from ruining Kusumoto's reuptation, and that contracted RK to hunt him covertly. Kuwana states him approaching Kusumoto for justice is correct, and he did abduct Kawai using the Kurokawa alumni, but Kusumoto knows of the alumni, so if she wanted to hunt him, she would hunt them first. Sugiura asks how Kusumoto responded to Kuwana's offer, and he answers that she personally killed him by stabbing him in the chest, and ensured he died a painful death; a fact only Kuwana is privy to. He then states that Public Security may be targeting him to have leverage against Kusumoto, which, according to Yagami, would benefit her political rivals; people she has no shortage of due to her popularity and even the Prime Minister being challenged by her.
Yagami then mentions he pieced together that Sawa was targeted because she was traced from Kuwana. Kuwana states he never intended to involve Sawa, but Yagami does not let him deny the effect of his bully hunting. Kuwana states he may never be able to get rid of his shame, but he will not turn himself in, as it would compromise Kusumoto, and says she should not suffer for enacting justified revenge. Detecting a conflict between the two, Tesso gestures Sugiura to back up before they fight. When they tire out, Tesso and Sugiura convince them to stand down.
At You Tian, Tianyou Zhao cooks a meal for the four. Yagami and Kuwana call a truce at Tesso's insistence. They plan to verify if Public Security is truly the one in control of RK. To do so, they will call Kusumoto and if the location is pinpointed fast enough, it will confirm Public Security's involvement as they are the only force powerful enough for such a feat. Kuwana states he last contacted Kusumoto five years prior, when she killed Kawai, and arranged to never contact each other again. Yagami devises a plan to have Kuwana call Kusumoto through two burner phones to lure any listeners to a specific location.
Yagami goes to pick up the phones from Yokohama 99, and explain to Sugiura that one phone will call Kusumoto while the other will call Kuwana, and they will speak through them but Kuwana's true location would not be traceable. Yagami takes the phones to an abandoned construction site with Tsukumo's drone providing assistance. Yagami calls both numbers and tapes the phones together, attaching them to Tsukumo's drone. Kuwana tells Kusumoto he had to contact her and is a suspect to Sawa's murder. Kusumoto recognizes Sawa as the only classmate who visited Mitsuru around ten years prior, and she had written a letter to her when she became a teacher, though Kusumoto did not respond to it. Kuwana warns her someone may ask her about him, but states he is sure she will be okay. Two cars arrive at the construction site, confirming the suspicion that Kusumoto's phone is tapped, and that Public Security is involved. Given the wuick response, Yagami suspects it is either the local police or RK. Yagami defeats the RK thugs sent to the site, but the only information he can get is they were ordered to catch but not kill Kuwana.
In Mitsuru's room at Touto University Hospital, a coordinator for public security by the name of Hidemi Bando approaches Kusumoto, despite forbidding visitors. Bando has also ensured to no one responds to her calls. He shows her a pictures of Kawai, and states she may know what happened to him.
Trivia[]
- The English title of the chapter is based on the idiom "catch a tiger by its tail", which refers to dealing with something so powerful or out of control that trying to manage or stop it becomes a difficult and risky ordeal.