Later that night after the chaotic court session where Kaigaku had pleaded not guilty, James, Susamaru, and Zenitsu all talked among themselves over what was going on inside of a restaurant, with James expressing his frustration with Kaigaku's impatience and his unwillingness to fully accept help. "He seems to think this whole thing will be done in a day," James said to the other two. "Well, it ain't, especially not when you're dealin' with a serious charge such as rape. Tomorrow is the actual first day of the trial, and I can't be havin' him makin' outbursts like that again."

"Because if he does," Zenitsu inferred. "It increases the odds of him being found guilty?"

"I hate to say it, but yeah. That's why. It really shouldn't, but shit like that will affect how the judge will see you."

Zenitsu then sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hands as he remarked, "And all of this because we had a fight…"

"Wait," Susamaru then asked him. "A fight?"

James similarly asked, "What do ya mean by that?" Neither he nor Susamaru had been told the full story about what had led up to Kaigaku getting arrested.

"I, um… I challenged him to a duel with our swords," Zenitsu explained. "One hit, no more, no less. We ran at each other, and then… His sword snapped in two. I had broken it with a decisive hit. I stopped myself before I sliced through his shoulder, but I felt like he was really trying to hurt me, like he wasn't holding back. I wanted to prove that I was worthy of being his equal, of being his friend… Because he said that only those equal to him could be his friends."

Susamaru sighed, now realizing what had happened based on what Zenitsu had told her. "So that's why… He couldn't accept being beaten by you."

"I guess so."

"My guess is he felt emasculated," James added. "To feel like a man again, he went to visit the one woman he knew would do anything he said… And that woman happened to be the daughter of a nobleman."

Zenitsu, realizing what James was getting at, replied, "Ah, I get it. He had sex with Emi-chan because he felt it was the only thing that could make him feel like a man at that time. Did I get that right?"

"Yep, and I get it in a way. He wanted to feel like he wasn't weak despite being beaten by someone that until then he had considered weaker than him. While I haven't done what he's done before in response, I get that feelin' of emasculation."

"In all of this," Susamaru then pointed out. "I feel so bad for Emi. I can only wonder what she's going through right now. I doubt her father will let her testify at all, since she'll probably not go along with his story of it being rape. Has there been any word on her?"

"No," James shook his head. "As far as I know, she hasn't come out of the Mochizuki Estate since it all happened. I don't know if her father is keepin' her there or if she's refusin' to come out on her own."

…

In her room, Emi was writing in a journal about how her day had been. She had largely kept herself locked away inside her room ever since Kaigaku's arrest, fearful of what her father might do if she went out. As she finished writing a sentence, she stopped for a brief moment and set her quill pen down in a bottle of ink. "I can't stay in this room forever," she said to herself. "I have to face reality."

Then, she heard a knock at her door, followed by a servant asking her, "May I come in, Emi-sama?"

"Yes," she replied, and as she did, the door to her room opened and a servant walked in. "What do you need?"

The servant said to her as he walked over to her desk, "Your father says the trial will begin tomorrow, and he expects you to testify in it. He wants you to tell the court what happened."

Emi sighed, realizing what her father actually wanted her to say. "I can't lie."

"You wouldn't be."

"I would be if I said what I really wanted to say."

The servant paused, surprised by her response. After a moment of silence, he explained to her, "He wants you to make sure the court knows you were rap-"

"But I wasn't! I wanted it! I didn't say no to him at all! I'm not going to lie to a courtroom and say he forced himself upon me!"

The servant, stunned by her interruption, replied to her after briefly staying quiet, "You… But your fathe-"

"He's wrong!"

"Why would he lie about that? Kyosuke-sama is just concerned about you."

Not wanting to yell at him any further, Emi took a deep breath and firmly but calmly told the servant, "I don't need you in here. Leave."

The servant, obeying his orders, left the room. "As you wish, Emi-sama." He was clearly both confused and hurt by her response to what he had said, but knew that he should not press the issue any further lest he cause more pain to her.

Meanwhile, Emi looked out of the same window that Kaigaku himself had used to visit her on that fateful night. As she did, she got an idea on how to deal with what would soon transpire. "Huh… What if…"

…

March 18, 1914

In the courtroom, everyone had just gotten seated for the first day of the actual trial. Unlike in the United States, court cases in Japan did not use juries, and as such, James would have to prove Kaigaku's innocence to the judge. As everyone waited for the judge to enter, James was going over notes he had taken of the Japanese justice system the night before. He had with him a notebook and the same book of court procedure that the judge had given him before the trial. Kaigaku, meanwhile, was barely awake, having been kept up all night while in jail. James turned to him, noticing several bruises on his face, and asked him, "What the fuck happened to you last night?"

Kaigaku sneered, "What do you think?"

"Oh, right." James realized that once again, Kaigaku had been beaten in jail by the guards, most likely under the orders of Kyosuke.

Then, Hisao entered the courtroom. The bailiff rose to his feet and proclaimed, "All rise! Judge Arima Hisao is now in the courtroom!"

As everyone rose to their feet, the judge took his seat at his podium. After looking around the room, he noticed that one person in particular was absent despite being told that this person would be present. "Before we begin, Count Mochizuki, you said your daughter would be here today. Where is she?"

"I must report to you that she has gone missing," Kyosuke replied. "I went to get her this morning, but she was gone."

Gasps erupted throughout the courtroom at the news, prompting Hisao to order them into silence with, "Quiet!" He then looked at Kyosuke and asked him, "Do you have someone looking for her?"

"Indeed," Kyosuke nodded. "The police have been notified to look for her and bring her here."

"Very well." Hisao then said to the rest of the courtroom, "You may sit."

As everyone else sat down, James whispered to Kaigaku, "I had no idea Emi was gonna be here."

"Me neither," Kaigaku replied to him. "I thought her father would keep her away. Is he gonna make her lie?"

"He's settin' her up to commit perjury if he is."

"Perjury?"

"The crime of lyin' under oath."

The courtroom secretary began the trial by declaring, "The following case is the Empire of Japan versus Inadama Kaigaku, began on March 18, Taisho 3 or 1914."

Hisao then turned to the prosecutor of the case and said to him, "Now, to begin the trial, does the Empire have an opening statement?"

"Yes, Presiding Judge," replied the prosecutor of the case as he got up from his desk and began to address the judge. "Today, we are gathered here to determine whether or not Inadama Kaigaku-san committed the heinous crime of rape. Now, what makes this case all the more disgusting is that the victim of this crime was not a commoner. She was the daughter of a nobleman, a count. While, of course, rape is an awful, awful act regardless of the social class of the victim, it is even more imperative that we send a message to those who might commit such an act when the victim is of a noble family who has contributed so much to the Empire of Japan. Presiding Judge, members of counsel, and members of the public, you will hear testimony proving that Inadama-san entered into the house of the Mochizuki family. You will hear testimony describing how a servant of the family could hear the cries of Mochizuki Emi as Inadama-san raped her in her own bed. You will hear testimony from jail guards who will tell you of Inadama-san's continued disrespect of authority and disobedience to even the most basic orders while held in jail. I believe that I will prove beyond a reasonable doubt that this lowly common man violated a nobleman's daughter, potentially dashing her chances of ever being wedded to another nobleman."

Kaigaku whispered to himself in anger, "Bullshit…"

"Now, of course, what I think about this case is not important at all. The only thing that matters is what you, the Presiding Judge, thinks. You, after all, are impartial, and as far as you are concerned, this man is still innocent of this crime until I have proven sufficiently that he is in fact guilty. In the end, I am asking you to find Inadama-san guilty of the crime of rape, and to sentence him to death, as I will argue that such a crime against such a young woman can only properly be punished by the taking of the rapist's life, not only in terms of proportionality, but also to ensure he does not commit such an evil act against another woman ever again." He then walked back to his desk and told the judge, "The Empire's opening statement has concluded."

"Very well," Hisao replied before turning to James. "Counselor, do you wish to make an opening statement?"

James looked up at the judge and replied, "Yes, Presidin' Judge." He then put down a pen he was using to write notes about the prosecutor's opening statement and began his own. "Presidin' Judge, members of the Empire's counsel, and members of the public, I am not here to defend a man whom I believe is guilty. If I truly believed that Inadama Kaigaku-san, a man whom I have worked with in my capacity as the Flame Pillar of the Demon Slayer Corps, was truly guilty of a heinous crime like rape, I would have never agreed to be his legal counsel. The reason I took this case is because I know for a fact he did not rape Mochizuki Emi-san. Now, with that said, Inadama-san does admit to engagin' in sexual relations with Mochizuki-san. That is a fact, and that is not up for debate. What's up for debate is whether or not Mochizuki-san consented to such sexual relations, and I have proof that she did. You will hear testimony that says otherwise, but I will be able to not just point out holes in said testimony, but prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the testimony is wrong. I am not satisfied with merely preventin' the prosecution from bein' able to prove my client's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. No. I will be able to in fact prove beyond a reasonable doubt myself that my client is not a rapist."

The whole time, Kyosuke glared at James, angry that he was defending Kaigaku and was getting in the way of his plan to have him locked up and then killed. He thought to himself, "I already want him dead, too. If only I could arrange a way to get him killed so that Inadama will have no one to defend him."

"As a matter of fact," James continued. "I will be able to prove that what is goin' on involvin' my client is the result of a conspiracy to have him killed for the quote-unquote 'crime' of havin' a nobleman's daughter fall in love with a commoner. I will prove to you that my client has been routinely mistreated while in jail and was denied proper legal representation until I volunteered to defend him. The testimony of my own witnesses will prove that Inadama-san did not seek to rape Mochizuki-san, thay Mochizuki-san was genuinely in love with Inadama-san, and that she consented to havin' sex with him. The evidence I have will prove that the Empire's case is based entirely on circumstantial evidence and the unreliable and biased testimony of people loyal to the Mochizuki family." He then sat back down at his desk and said, "Counsel's openin' statement has concluded."

"Very well," Hisao replied to him. "I must say, for a lawyer who has no experience in the Japanese justice system, you certainly conduct yourself very well, Colby-san."

"Thank you, Presidin' Judge."

Hisao then turned to the prosecutor and asked him, "Now, does the Empire have any witnesses it would like to call forward?"

"Yes, Presiding Judge." The prosecutor then stood up and called forward, "The Empire requests to call Mikimoto Yoshikazu-san to the stand." Yoshikazu Mikimoto was a servant of the Mochizuki family, and had been present when Kaigaku and Emi were caught.

"Request granted. I would like to call Mikimoto Yoshikazu-san to the stand."

As Yoshikazu, a man of tall stature and graying hair, walked into the booth where he would be sat while being examined by both sides, Hisao asked him, "Can you hold up your right hand?"

"Yes, Presiding Judge," replied Yoshikazu.

"Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth under penalty of law in this courtroom?"

"Yes, Presiding Judge."

"Alright, you may be seated." Yoshikazu then sat down in a seat as Hisao began to ask him questions, a feature of inquisitorial justice systems like Japan that did not exist in adversarial systems like in the United States. "Now, can you state for the court what your name is and what your relationship is to the House of Mochizuki?"

"Yes, Presiding Judge." Yoshikazu then turned to the court and said to them, "My name is Mikimoto Yoshikazu. I am a servant of the House of Mochizuki."

"And how long have you been a servant of the House of Mochizuki?"

"For thirty-four years."

"How familiar would you say you are with Inadama Kaigaku-san?"

"We met a few times in passing through his connections with the family after he rescued Emi from a kidnapping. I do not know him personally."

"What were you doing in the home of the House of Mochizuki on the night of March 3, 1914?"

Yoshikazu looked briefly at Kyosuke before taking a deep breath and saying to the court, "I was doing my usual rounds in the mansion. We try to have at least one servant up in the middle of the night just in case something happens, and that night, I volunteered to do it."

"How often do you volunteer to stay up all night?"

"Usually a few times a month. No more than once a week."

"What drew you to Mochizuki Emi-san's room?"

"I heard a rustling sound from the room and I went to investigate."

"How did you investigate this sound?"

"I got closer to the door and peered through a keyhole into the room. When I got closer, I could hear moaning, too."

"What did you see when you looked through the keyhole?"

"I…" Yoshikazu stopped briefly to think to himself. "I need to say what my master told me to say," he thought to himself. "However… I don't know why, but I'm beginning to have doubts…"

"Can you answer the question?"

"My apologies, Presiding Judge," he replied to the judge. "I saw Inadama Kaigaku-san on top of Emi."

"How did you respond?"

"I ran away to get help, because I thought she was being raped."

"I see…" Hisao then reviewed the dossier of the case he had before him to think of more questions. "What did Mochizuki Emi-san say as this was going on?"

"She didn't say anything. She just moaned and yelled." He looked over at Kyosuke and saw that he had a look of disapproval on his face, most likely from how vague his answer sounded. "Well… I thought she was in distress because of the way she sounded."

"How do you think she sounded?"

"She, um… She sounded like she was in pain." Yoshikazu thought to himself, "Kyosuke-sama wants us all to say it was rape, and I need to be careful with my answers lest I sound too vague or I suggest it wasn't." He took another deep breath to clear out his mind before then saying, "She did not look like she wanted it."

"What happened after you told the other servants?"

"I woke them all up and told them. We then confronted Inadama-san in Emi's bedroom and dragged him out so we could turn him over to the police."

"How long after you saw him and Mochizuki Emi-san together did you notify her father?"

"About an hour."

"Where was her father when this happened?"

"He was away on a trip to Tokyo to meet with other nobles. He came back as quickly as he could."

"So how was he notified?"

"Via telegraph."

"No further questions for you," Hisao then told Yoshikazu. "You may go."

"Thank you, Presiding Judge."

Once Yoshikazu left the stand, the prosecutor stood up and began to say, "The Empire would like to ca-"

However, before he could finish his sentence, the doors to the courtroom slammed open, causing everyone to turn their heads to the rear. Everyone fell silent as Emi Mochizuki herself, still dressed in her pajamas from the night before, walked into the courtroom. Nezuko, watching from the sidelines, remarked to Zenitsu, "I thought she was missing."

"Me too," he replied.

Chiyo, meanwhile, looked at her with hints of both sadness and some jealousy, thinking to herself, "Kaigaku really threw it all away for her… Or for the power she holds…"

As people in the courtroom began to talk among themselves, Emi walked forward. Once the crowd got too loud, Hisao ordered, "Quiet!" With everyone falling silent, he turned to Emi and asked her, "Mochizuki Emi-san, why are you… Dressed so lightly?"

"I ran away from home last night," Emi replied, earning her several gasps from the crowd which annoyed Hisao. "Presiding Judge, allow me to testify on my own behalf."

"As a matter of fact," the prosecutor then added. "We were actually going to request you to testify for our case, Mochizuki Emi-san."

Emi turned to the prosecutor and her own father with a look of disgust on her face, saying nothing to them and causing the prosecutor to sit down, disturbed by her expression. She then turned back to the judge and told him, "I believe I should be allowed to testify since I am the centerpiece of this case besides Kaigaku."

Hisao sighed and then asked the prosecution, "Do you consent to letting Mochizuki Emi-san testify?"

"Yes, Presiding Judge," replied the prosecutor.

"Do you, Counsel?"

"Yes, Presidin' Judge," replied James. As he sat back down, he and Kaigaku looked over and saw the prosecutor and Kyosuke discussing among themselves in whispered speech, which seemed to be more argumentative than constructive given their facial expressions. He thought to himself, "This won't be good for their case, but it'll be great for our's."

"Very well," Hisao then said. "I would like to call Mochizuki Emi-san to the stand."