QUARTET ALLIANCE: LEND A HAND (Wild Duty & Judgement)

Chapter 58: The Retrial

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6:08 A.M

–Courtroom–

In the courtroom, pressure hung heavy in the air as the retrial commenced.

Kazuo sat with a mix of nerves and determination etched across his face, knowing that this trial could very well determine Naomi's fate.

All his friends were there for moral support, but his mind wouldn't stop going into overdrive. Today was different than the last time, he didn't feel as nervous, but maybe because everything was becoming mundane with how much it was repeated: the prosecution began presenting their evidence once more in an attempt to prove Naomi's guilt.

He didn't miss the smug look on her lawyer's face, though, like he had something up his sleeve. And it was true. He did.

Newly discovered CCTV footage.

The grainy images flickered on the screen. The footage showed a shadowy figure lurking near the scene of the crime, a figure that could potentially provide Naomi with the alibi she so desperately needed.

The image that was projected onto a large screen for all to see, looked like a man. Definitely not a sixteen year old girl.

Murmurs of speculation filled the room. The figure in the footage was obscured, a shadowy silhouette lurking in the darkness of the night. Despite the poor quality of the recording, there was an undeniable sense of menace emanating from the mysterious figure

The judge slammed the gavel on his desk to silence the court, "Order!"

  Just when Kazuo thought this couldn't get any worse.

The sounds around him were becoming muffled. His disdain for Naomi had just become worse. His head hurt, his teeth hurt, but he watched her closely, his jaw clenched with barely concealed animosity, his eyes boring into her with a cold intensity. Memories of their past relationship lingered like a bitter aftertaste, overshadowed by the betrayal he felt at the loss of his mother.

.

.

.

.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, have you reached a verdict?"

"Yes, Your Honor. We have."

"Please read the verdict."

Foreperson: "On the charge of murder in the first degree of Yuna Lee, we find the defendant, Naomi Reb,

not guilty."

Kazuo's world shattered.

His hands clenched into fists at his sides. He couldn't believe it. How could they let her walk free?

Naomi's demeanor was anything but remorseful. Despite the gravity of the situation, she wore a smug expression, her confidence bordering on arrogance. Her eyes sparkled with a sinister glint, betraying a deep-seated obsession that bordered on delusion.

The look she cast Kazuo's way dripped with a toxic mixture of adoration and possessiveness. To her, he was not just a former flame but an object of obsession, a prize to be won at any cost. Her love for him bordered on the delusional, fueled by a twisted perception of reality that only served to feed her arrogance.