Chapter 236: Private Prosecution, Package, Lawyer

Akiwara Yuto frowned and pondered for half a day, but ultimately gave up on the idea of seeking out the Yakuza.

Because the potential repercussions of such an action were simply too great.

First, he was, after all, a public figure and was closely watched by many in the media.

If nothing went wrong, tomorrow's newspapers would extensively report the news of him being assassinated by Onuki Masakazu.

Under such circumstances, if Onuki Masakazu were to be killed by the underworld, no matter what, it would likely be linked back to him.

Second, even if that Yakuza killed the other party, there was no guarantee the other party wouldn't use that to blackmail him.

If word reached the upper echelons of the Yakuza organization, they would inevitably treat him as a "cash cow."

If it reached that point, what would he do? Wouldn't he be unable to ever break free?

After considering several plans, Akiwara Yuto found that the most advantageous method for him was to "delay" time—striving to prevent the other party from obtaining a suspended sentence and ensuring they received a prison term of five years or more.

During these five years, he would try his best to "port" more works from his past life to acquire more capital savings.

And through this capital, build a safer network of "relationships."

For example, he could hire several private investigators to conduct 24-hour surveillance on Onuki Masakazu, and hire a team to provide comprehensive protection for himself and his surrounding relatives.

By that time, if the other party wanted to make any moves, he would likely be able to detect it immediately.

However, to reach this step, the several hundred million yen he currently had on hand was far from enough.

In short, he still needed more time!

"Akiwara-sensei, if you have no objections, please sign and seal this document."

Soma Daiyu handed over a document and then looked at Akiwara Yuto.

"Because there is evidence and witnesses, and the case is relatively simple, if nothing goes wrong, we will formally indict Onuki Masakazu after the Golden Week holiday."

Akiwara Yuto read the document carefully twice, then placed it on the coffee table.

"Sorry, I intend to file a private prosecution."

Hearing Akiwara Yuto's request, Soma Daiyu raised his eyebrows, but didn't say much more.

Generally speaking, criminal litigation is divided into private prosecution and public prosecution.

Private prosecution refers to a lawsuit initiated by the victim and their close relatives, while public prosecution is a lawsuit initiated by relevant departments regarding the defendant's criminal responsibility.

As the victim of this case, Akiwara Yuto naturally had the right to initiate a lawsuit.

If he were willing to spend a large sum of money, the lawyer he could find would likely be better than the one arranged by the prosecutor's office.

He sensed Akiwara Yuto's determination, so he didn't say anything more, only explaining some of the key points of the case.

Even if he didn't say these points now, he figured the other party's lawyer would come to ask about them later anyway.

Akiwara Yuto borrowed paper and a pen and very seriously wrote everything down.

Tonight, he planned to pull some strings and scout for an outstanding lawyer.

At the same time, the social news department of the *Asahi Shimbun* was busy to the point of chaos.

As the chief reporter, Furuya Kikue, after answering a phone call, shouted to everyone in the office: "Big news! Akiwara Yuto has been assassinated!"

Upon hearing this news, some reporters who were still busy put down their work, showing expressions of surprise or confusion.

They were no strangers to the name Akiwara Yuto, which appeared in the newspapers every few days.

"How is Akiwara Yuto now? Which hospital is he at?"

"Who is the perpetrator? Have they been arrested yet?"

"Where is the scene? I'll go investigate immediately."

"Give me the contact information for the relevant sources!"

Facing the questions from her colleagues, Furuya Kikue clapped her hands forcefully, signaling everyone to quiet down.

"The perpetrator is a man who previously held a grudge against Akiwara Yuto, named Onuki Masakazu. The assassination scene was at the University of Tokyo's Hongo campus library. Other information is not yet clear; we need everyone to divide the work and cooperate to investigate."

After understanding the situation, everyone nodded in agreement. This kind of eye-catching big news was much more important than what they had on hand.

After receiving the tasks assigned by Furuya Kikue, they all got busy, calling acquaintances at hospitals or the Metropolitan Police Department.

Furuya Kikue nodded and prepared to write a news draft for tomorrow's front page.

Although the specific situation was not yet clear, the fact that Akiwara Yuto had been attacked was enough to write a 500-word report.

Just as she was about to return to her office, a female staff member suddenly walked over and handed her a package.

"Reporter Furuya, this is your package."

My package?

Furuya Kikue was somewhat puzzled, but she thanked her, took it, and returned to her office.

She opened the package and found a thick document bag inside.

But what was surprising was that the front of this document bag had the four characters "Onuki Masakazu" written on it.

Seeing this name, Furuya Kikue subconsciously widened her eyes.

At 8: 0 in the evening, after a series of ordeals, Akiwara Yuto took a car back to the entrance of his luxury apartment building.

Although the hidden danger of Onuki Masakazu remained, for the time being, he didn't need to worry too much about someone attacking him at any moment.

Therefore, as he said goodbye to his bodyguard and walked into the apartment entrance, he felt much more relaxed.

But just as he returned to his 19th-floor residence via the private elevator, he discovered a few "unexpected" guests.

"Why are you all here?" Akiwara Yuto asked in confusion.

Standing before him were Asano Aiko, Satake Maki, and Toyama Miho.

"Asano, Satake, didn't you two have other work to do tonight?"

Akiwara Yuto sat on the sofa and asked again: "Toyama, you have classes tonight, don't you?"

Hearing Akiwara Yuto's question, the three looked at each other for a moment, then Asano Aiko took the initiative to ask: "Akiwara-sensei, how are your injuries?"

Since others were present, she proactively added the suffix.

Akiwara Yuto heard the worry in her voice, so he took out the hospital's diagnostic report to show her, smiling and saying he was fine.

He only had a few knife wounds less than 8 centimeters long on his arm; it was nothing serious, just that his arm would ache faintly when he made a fist.

But this would cause some problems for the subsequent serialization in the *Chiji Shimbun*.

He thought for a moment and said: "Asano, Satake, do you know any stenographers? If you find a suitable one, recommend them to me."

Satake Maki finished reading the diagnostic report and found there were no major issues, but still said worriedly: "Akiwara-sensei, why don't you take a few days off?"

Akiwara Yuto waved his hand; he was now hoping to "port" more works to earn money, so how could he afford to rest?

Besides, the serialization in the *Chiji Shimbun* was also highly relevant to his future career plans.

Just then, Toyama Miho stood up, bowed deeply, and said with a cry: "Master, I'm sorry!"

After piecing together the cause and effect, she had confirmed that the perpetrator had only found the opportunity to assassinate Akiwara Yuto by following her.

Furthermore, the reason the Master and the perpetrator had a grudge was also because of that Modern Mystery Literature Award.

Thinking of this, she felt even more remorseful.

If she hadn't signed up for that award at the time, then none of this would have happened!

"It's alright,"

Akiwara Yuto stepped forward to pat her shoulder and helped her up.

"How about this: in your spare time these next few days, come and be my stenographer. Also, I'll leave some housework to you."

After saying this, he signaled with his eyes to Asano and Satake, and upon seeing this, the two also stepped forward to offer comfort.

Under everyone's comfort, Toyama Miho stopped sobbing and agreed to this job as "atonement."

After a while, the three left the apartment after confirming once more that Akiwara Yuto was unharmed.

After they left, the phone rang incessantly.

Akiwara Yuto received calls from people like Ojo Rika, Kawai Shinta, and Seto Tamae, all of whom called to ask about his specific situation.

Without exception, Akiwara Yuto told them one by one that he was fine.

While talking to Ojo Rika, he also asked about the information on the litigation lawyer he most wanted to know about.

He wanted to get Onuki Masakazu a heavy sentence, and a lawyer was a very critical link.

The more capable the lawyer, the more they tended to understand the law and court proceedings, and they could help him achieve this goal.

For the sake of his future personal safety, Akiwara Yuto wouldn't even frown if he had to use all his current savings as legal fees.

But then again, it wouldn't actually reach that point.

Because as far as he knew, the fees for criminal lawyers in Japan were at most around a million yen, and even for the biggest-name lawyers, the fees would at most be ten million or twenty to thirty million yen.

He pondered for a while, then washed up simply and lay on the bed; after all, he had been tossed about all day and was exhausted.

But what he didn't know was that while he was fast asleep, the news about his attack began to ferment continuously in public opinion...

And even, many unexpected rumors began to spread...