Each of Susato's steps filled with ghosts, memory clinging to the surface of things, their shadows long and deeply reaching. The sights of London fashion and architecture and transportation. The smog, the smells, the sounds of English in various intriguing accents. It all wrapped around Susato, transporting her back in time. She felt wide-eyed with wonder again, as she had when she first came to London.
As Ryunosuke and Susato climbed into a carriage, she could almost see Genshin and Klint sitting across from her, could almost feel their stares upon her, see their smiles. Susato breathed in deeply then exhaled. It was such a strange consolation, to feel the rattling of the wheels and the clacking of the hooves again. She had missed being in a carriage, wind pressing into her face, as they made their way to the Supreme Court in Whitehall.
For just a moment, Susato could forget all about her concerns, about the news they would have to proffer upon their arrival. She opened her eyes and saw Ryunosuke staring in awe at the world around them, wide-eyed and slack-jawed. Susato smiled. That was probably how she had looked to Genshin and Klint ten years ago.
Soon, they arrived at the Supreme Court building. Memory brought a sharp pain, made Susato's chest sink inwards and press too close to her heart. She saw the place where they had stood—Klint, Barok, Gregson, and Genshin behind the camera—taking that picture, their laughter a faint trace in the wind that rustled her hair against her ears. As they walked through the doorway, the photo in her mind dissolved, sinking away, taking with it the recollection of the smile she most wanted to see and a man no one could ever see again.
Susato had been in the building before, and the recollection of that day pained her throat, flooded her mouth with the taste of bile. This was where Stronghart told her Barok had prosecuted the Professor. This was where she had walked alongside Jigoku. This was where she was told Genshin would recover and go home at her side.
Beyond that point, the sharpness began to recede, for they were walking through passages of the building she had never seen. And then they were in the Lord Chief Justice's office. Giant cogs moved together in unison, releasing a steady ticking. Susato tried to match her pulse to that rhythm, standing in the light that streamed in through the window. Bird wings fluttered somewhere above.
And then he appeared before them. Lord Stronghart. Susato's lips twitched towards a smile as she and Ryunosuke bowed. She watched him as he spoke, addressing Ryunosuke, and Ryunosuke floundered, exceptionally nervous. Which was entirely reasonable, considering the circumstances.
"My Lord Stronghart," Susato interjected.
And when he turned towards her, recognition filled his eyes, brightening their depths.
"Ah. Miss Susato Mikotoba. Such a pleasure to invite you back to our fair nation."
"It has been a dreadfully long time, Lord Stronghart," Susato said and bowed. "It is a true joy to see you are faring so well as Chief Justice."
"And it is a pleasure to see you have held to your ambitions. Although, I fear the circumstances surrounding your arrival are most disheartening. My deepest condolences for the loss you experienced during your travels," Stronghart said. "It is such a shame that you will have to return."
Sharp pain. Susato could feel Ryunosuke staring at her. She needed to be strong; she needed to give Ryunosuke the push he needed to grasp his courage. She drew in a breath and steeled herself. "Mr. Naruhodo would like to make a proposal."
"Yes! Um, my lord!" Ryunosuke said. "I was wondering if, perhaps, you would consider allowing the study tour to go ahead?"
"I was aware of only one lawyer," Stronghart said.
"Um, yes, well..."
"Mr. Naruhodo," Susato said, fixing him with a steely gaze. They had to convince Lord Stronghart to allow them to stay. They simply had to. There was no way Susato could leave again, not like this.
"Do not misunderstand me," Stronghart said. "I would be glad for the study tour to continue. But it is simply not possible if our terms cannot be upheld."
"Well...if there is anyone else from Japan who could be described as lawyer...it's me," Ryunosuke said, voice unsteady. "I mean, I don't have any qualifications as such, but..."
"No qualifications, you say?" Stronghart said. "And yet you still claim to be a lawyer."
"I've learnt all about British law and court proceedings while I was onboard the SS Burya," Ryunosuke said.
"Yes. I have taught him as much as I could during our voyage," Susato said.
"An education of some fifty days? Miss Mikotoba, you are well aware of how much schooling is needed for a man to become a lawyer in Great Britain. Not to mention the sheer volume of court experience required," Stronghart said.
"I am, Lord Stronghart," Susato said, wariness filling her. Surely he wasn't going to send them away, just like that? All of Susato's hopes, her feelings of nostalgia, her relief to see a kind figure from her past, faltered painfully.
"I realise it's far too short a period of time. But...I can't just go back to Japan. Coming here on this study tour was all Kazuma thought about! I have to carry on everything he planned," Ryunosuke said, his voice steadying as determination surged into his tone. "I would do anything to prove that I have what it takes. Any test you can set me. Just one chance...That's all I'm asking for. Please!"
Silence. Susato's body hummed with tension. She glanced warily from Ryunosuke to Stronghart. But his posture gave nothing away. He was staring at his pocket watch, expression entirely inscrutable.
"Hm, your opening statement was thirty-one seconds long, Mr. Naruhodo. Not too brief, not too protracted. A perfectly judged appeal, I would say. Which is a skill that would stand you in good stead as a lawyer," Stronghart said. "So, you're willing to put those words to trial, are you? Well, I'm all for entertainment."
Susato furrowed her brow. Entertainment?
"But let me ask you one thing first...sir," Stronghart continued, snapping his pocket watch shut.
"Y-Yes?" Ryunosuke said.
"You say you intend to do everything Mr. Asogi planned to do. Are you firmly set on that path?" Stronghart said.
"Well...yes. That's my intention," Ryunosuke said.
"I see...Very well. You have your wish. I'll give you a chance. A test to become a specially certified lawyer. Whether you pass or fail is entirely down to you," Stronghart said.
The vise grip on Susato's chest relaxed.
Stronghart's stare shifted to her. "It would have been a great shame to send Miss Mikotoba back to Japan after all these years, after all," Stronghart said.
Susato smiled and she bowed to him gratefully.
"Tell me, Mr. Naruhodo, what do you consider the role of a lawyer to be?" Stronghart said, turning his gaze back towards Ryunosuke.
"Well, defending people, of course," Ryunosuke said.
"Well said. I see you and Miss Mikotoba are united in your sentiments. So...let's have you defend someone."
Stronghart explained to them that a man had been accused of murder, and his trial was to take place that same day.
"You would have us toy with a man's very life?" Susato said, shocked.
"His life?" Ryunosuke said, flinching.
"I see you recall that murderers are sentenced to capital punishment," Stronghart said.
"One could never forget such a thing, Lord Stronghart," Susato said, narrowing her eyes.
"Indeed," Stronghart said.
"You cannot expect us to take this lightly," she said.
"I do not. But I am Lord Chief Justice, and I declare it acceptable. There is no need to overcomplicate this. All you have to do is ensure that you don't lose."
Susato glanced at Ryunosuke. Sweat glistened on his face, his eyes wide, jaw clenched.
"Mr. Naruhodo! You've come to me claiming to be a lawyer. If you want me to take you seriously, you need to prove you're willing to do a lawyer's job," Stronghart said. "And you say you intend to see through the will of your compatriot, Mr. Asogi. I would like to understand just how far you're willing to go in order to make that happen..."
Susato's chest burned. She looked at Ryunosuke, tried to gauge what he was thinking.
"What's the matter? You've fallen silent," Stronghart said, and stopped winding his pocket watch. "I'm sorry, but time is pressing. The trial begins shortly. I need an answer from you now. What's it to be?"
Susato swallowed against a painful knot in her throat as Ryunosuke started to speak, floundered, and fell silent.
The cogs ticked.
"So it's as I suspected, is it? You have noble intentions, but lack the resolve to see them through. The test is cancelled. Thank you for stopping by," Stronghart said. "Go and acquire your ticket for passage back to the East tomorrow. This conversation is over."
"Yes, Lord Stronghart. Thank you for offering me a chance," Ryunosuke said and bowed.
Susato's heart contracted. Was this really it? Was it all over? Kazuma's plans, her own desires, ten years of loss, the hope for reconciliation. Again and again, she nearly had it within her grasp, and then it was jerked out from her fingers once more.
"I'm sorry, Miss Susato, but what could I do?" Ryunosuke said mournfully.
"...It's alright. I understand."
"You do?"
"It's not an easy decision to choose whether to defend a man in these circumstances," Susato said. And then her voice filled with iron, her features settling into a pointed scowl. "But resolve has absolutely nothing to do with it."
"What are you trying to say, Miss Mikotoba?" Stronghart said.
"I think what Miss Susato means...is that no matter how badly I'd like to be recognised as a lawyer and stay here in Great Britain...to risk another man's life by treating his one and only chance at a trial so trivially...would be utterly unforgivable!" Ryunosuke said. "And I feel exactly the same way."
Susato's regard for him soared. That was entirely what she had meant, and it brought her heart some measure of relief to hear that he shared her views.
"I'm sure the defendant won't see this trial as a test. A lawyer may fight for his client in court day after day. But for each one of those clients, the particular day they stand in the dock may be the only chance they have to fight to prove their innocence," Ryunosuke continued. "No, I was wrong. I'm not qualified to do that job yet. I'm sorry for wasting your precious time, Lord Chief Justice."
And then, with these noble words, he turned his back to Stronghart. Susato hesitated then began to follow him.
"Wait, Mr. Naruhodo," Stronghart said. "It's approximately twenty minutes by carriage to the Old Bailey from here. If you leave immediately, you should still be there in time," Stronghart said.
Susato blinked rapidly.
"But—But I just said that..." Ryunosuke said, stunned.
"I was quite serious in what I told you. The defendant in this case has literally no one to advocate for him. The trial will begin without a defense. And if that happens, there's only one possible outcome. He will receive the most severe sentence the judge can pass down," Stronghart said.
"But that's awful!" Ryunosuke said.
"But that is the truth," Stronghart said.
"Why does it have to be like this?" Susato demanded, anger filling her. Despite the sentiments of the Commentaries, the judicial system was starting to appear more unfair than she had ever imagined.
Stronghart stared at her for a long moment. Something in his gaze unsettled her, like he was reading into her and holding something back at all once. "Please don't expect an answer to every question," he said.
Susato's breath drew in sharply, her unsettled feelings intensifying. What could Stronghart have possibly meant by that? Why did it feel so strangely personal?
"The cold, hard truth of the matter is that there is only one person now with a chance to save this man from a very miserable end," Stronghart continued. "And that is you. So...what do you say now, Miss Mikotoba?"
"What do you mean, Lord Stronghart?" Susato said, unbalanced by the direction of his question, despite their familiarity.
"You said it wasn't an easy decision to choose whether to defend a man in these circumstances. And I agree. But in my estimation...it is purely and simply a matter of resolve," Stronghart said, matching her pointed tone from moments earlier.
"Oh!" Susato breathed.
Stronghart pulled out his pocket watch and stared down at its face. "Our time is up here. I have a meeting to attend. I must leave in two minutes and sixteen seconds. So! Venture into our great city and enjoy yourselves! I am sure Miss Mikotoba has much she wishes to show you."
And with those words, he departed.
Susato turned sharply towards Ryunosuke. "If we're going to do this, Mr. Naruhodo, we must leave at once!"
And together they sprinted out into the street and hailed the carriage that would bear them to the Old Bailey.
***
Susato could feel Ryunosuke's anxiety. It brushed against her own, but she did her best to remain calm and composed as they met with the client. He was waiting in the defendant's antechamber, utterly without representation, just as Stronghart had said.
Magnus McGilded, their client, seemed oddly confident, despite the circumstances—but also entirely incensed. Susato tried to recall if she knew his name, but drew a blank, despite that he had a park of his very own. She supposed a lot had changed in ten years—that people had risen to prominence that had not been of renown in the past.
"It is a little strange isn't it? Why you don't have a lawyer, I mean," Ryunosuke said.
"That would be the fault of the Reaper," McGilded said.
Susato tilted her head, brow furrowed.
"Sorry?" Ryunosuke said, looking alarmed.
"Aye, the Grim Reaper of the Bailey," McGilded said. "Lord Barok van Zieks. He's the prosecutor."
Susato stiffened. A terrible wave of ice flooded her lungs. "Lord Barok van Zieks!?"
Ryunosuke and McGilded both looked at her.
Susato fought to control her voice. "I—I mean, the prosecutor...is the Grim Reaper?"
McGilded nodded. "When van Zieks stands for the prosecution, they call the accused his 'sacrificial lambs.' And to this day...in every single trial in which he's been the prosecutor...the accused has been damned!"
"What!?" Ryunosuke said, flinching.
Susato paled. No, this made no sense. Sholmes had said that Barok had withdrawn from society quite some time ago, that he was no longer acting as a prosecutor. He couldn't possibly be this so-called Grim Reaper.
"So, it's reached the desperate situation where there's no one willin' to stand in defence against the fella at all," McGilded continued. "You could say he's a living legend of the Old Bailey."
"Lord Barok van Zieks..." Susato breathed, a chill running over her as she said his name. "He...He must be an exceptionally talented prosecutor then!" As I always knew he would be, she thought, a confusion of feelings pulsing in her breast.
"Talented isn't the word you're lookin' for, madam," McGilded said, levelling his stare at her. "It's 'cursed.'"
"Cursed!?" Ryunosuke echoed.
Susato tensed. What could he possibly mean by that? All of this made absolutely no sense.
As the bailiffs called for their entrance, Susato moved to Ryunosuke's side, her fingers interlaced, shoulders tense, face utterly drained of colour.
"M-Miss Susato?"
"It has to be a mistake," she said below her breath.
"Huh?"
"We...We must enter, Mr. Naruhodo."
"Y-Yes! You're right."
They walked through the doors together and the courtroom unfurled before them, grand and shimmering. A giant set of golden scales loomed at the back of the room, masses of flame blazing on each side. And a ring of jurors was seated in front of the judge's bench.
Gazing around in awe, Susato and Ryunosuke took up position behind the defense bench. Reverence and tranquility bore down on them, emanating from every inch of the immaculate space, adding extra weight to the murmurs in the public gallery, which was staged around the room like balconies in an opera house.
Susato's heart quickened. She glanced towards the prosecutor's bench, but it was empty. Could the prosecutor really be Barok? Was he truly someone with such a dark moniker?
"So this is the highest court in Great Britain...The Old Bailey," Ryunosuke said, pulling Susato momentarily from her thoughts. "The centuries of history in this place is palpable, isn't it? It's so different to the Supreme Court in Japan."
Susato swept her gaze across the room once more, trying not to stare too fixedly at the prosecutor's bench."...It feels both imposing and serene at the same time. The atmosphere almost makes words redundant," Susato said. "Whatever the country, determining a person's guilt or innocence is always a solemn affair." She turned to face her compatriot. "May I say something, Mr. Naruhodo?"
"Oh! Yes, what?"
"Your eyes look ready to pop out of your head again," she said warily.
"I know, but I just can't help it..." Ryunosuke sighed.
The commanding report of a gavel threw the air into silence.
Susato's heart lurched. Her gaze swivelled to the Judge's bench. An elderly man with a white beard and a regal aura stood behind the bench. And then her gaze cut to the other side of the room.
Susato's breath caught. An extremely tall, very pallid man was behind the bench. A grey shadow seemed to lurk, hovering over his features. His eyes were closed, and most of his face was obscured by his cloak, for his arm was raised. But his hair was fashioned entirely in the same way as it had been ten years ago. Susato's heart began to pain her throat, thinning her breath.
"In the name of Her Majesty the Queen, I hereby declare this court to be in session. We are here today to determine the guilt or innocence of Mr. Magnus McGilded," the Judge pronounced. "I now call upon the counsels for the prosecution and defence to declare their willingness to proceed."
"The prosecution...is fully prepared," Barok said. And the sound of his voice struck Susato strangely. It was the same deep, stately voice she had missed so dearly. But...had it always sounded so cold?
And then he lowered his arm, and she could see his entire face. The face she had longed to see, had so dearly missed. The face she could still remember touching, a faint impression of warmth ghosting against her palm.
Barok opened his eyes, and a deep pang lodged itself in Susato's chest and throat. His features were arranged into a total absence of emotion. But there was a deep frigidity in his eyes that conflicted sharply with her recollections of the past. All light and warmth had vanished, replaced by a piercing stare, as if frost had taken possession of his body. His brow was deeply notched, a permanent curve that suggested both severity and sorrow. His complexion was wretched, his skin paler than before and enshadowed, nearly grey. And a scar was emblazoned upon his face, frightfully close to his eye, stretching towards his nose.
Susato could not move. Her body was entirely still, her breath entirely absent.
"Those eyes please me. ...Nipponese," Barok began, and his voice was colder than she had first assessed. "They shroud your fear, your doubt, your trepidation...They run wild, clinging to some phantom notion of courage. The quintessential look...of a sacrificial lamb."
Susato paled. The way he was speaking...it was so unlike the man she had known ten years ago. Horror grasped her, filling her with winter. She stared openly at this grim shadow of Lord van Zieks.
As the Judge began to speak, Susato became dimly aware that Ryunosuke was leaning towards her.
"M-Miss Susato? A-Are you alright?" Ryunosuke said.
"How...How can that be...How can that be him?" she breathed.
Barok was staring at the Judge as he spoke, but Susato swore she saw his frigid eyes flicker towards her for a single instant.
"Huh? Do you mean the Reaper?" Ryunosuke whispered.
"Mr. Naruhodo...He...Why is he here?"
"What do you mean?"
"Prosecutor van Zieks..." the Judge said suddenly.
"My Lord?" Barok said.
"It's been a number of years since we've seen you here in the courtroom," the Judge said. "I thought you'd renounced your fame."
So Sholmes had told Susato the truth. Confusion and a terrible dark feeling welled up within her.
"I'm known as the Reaper of the Bailey, My Lord," Barok said. And hearing him confirm it only deepened Susato's anguish. "...Infamy rather than fame, I would say. But yes, five years have passed since I last...spread my wings in this capacity."
"So, what brings you back?" the Judge said, giving voice to the very thoughts rushing through Susato's mind. "Is there some change of circumstance of which the court should be aware?"
Susato watched Barok with intensity, trying to gauge his reaction. But his expression was unchanging, and his eyes gave nothing away.
A bolt of memory that twisted oddly over the present. Klint's face, smooth and impassive, full of shadow, gaze falling upon her while his chin was tilted up, strangely imposing and frightfully distant. The image fell away as Barok bowed in his typical grand fashion.
"I leave that to your imagination..." he said, a slight pause chasing his words. This time there was no doubting it as Barok looked towards them. His stare fell upon Susato and her heart stalled. Then his gaze flicked away just as swiftly. "My Lord."
"...As you wish, sir. The court nevertheless welcomes your return," the Judge said.
Susato's hands clutched the edge of the bench.
Ryunosuke peered over at her again, his face colourless and filled with anxiety. "Miss Susato?"
"I know him, Mr. Naruhodo," Susato breathed. "At least...I did. Lord Barok van Zieks. The man I have long hoped to see."
"What? Him!?"
"Mr. Naruhodo, keep your voice down," Susato hissed.
"S-Sorry! But...Miss Susato, are you sure? You were really friends with...with him?"
Susato looked at Barok, her gaze slowly tracing over his features. "Yes. I was." More than that, she thought disconsolately.
And then the trial began in earnest, and Susato had little time to dwell on the past nor her freshly inflicted trepidations. They had to fight hard to defend their client's innocence. Very hard.
The trial bolted out of their control instantly. The jury was ready to pass judgement. And Susato found herself challenging Lord van Zieks, an anger born of her great shock and horror launching her to swift action where Ryunosuke faltered. She demanded evidence, she demanded a right to a summation examination—to Barok's cold fury and immense sardonic disapproval. And all the while, Barok spoke to her like she was someone he had never met, someone whom he had no history with, and had never loved.
***
The trial twisted sharply, a shocking rush to exit following a flood of mist, and then a resumption that revealed something rather unusual—something about the evidence was different. It supported a new line of argument that would prove McGilded's innocence.
Discovering this, an odd dread quietly seeped into Susato's spine. And then Barok's face darkened.
"Mr. McGilded...I realise that this is your first appearance in court as the accused. However...I am well aware of your involvement behind the scenes in a great many affairs of dubious nature," Barok said. "You're very adept when it comes to avoiding getting your own hands dirty. And each time it happens that a case you're involved in is investigated, you 'adapt' the facts."
A strange current, a tingling of the past. Susato stared at Barok, a bit breathless. Words from ten years ago began to sift through her mind.
"Adapt the facts? What does that even mean?" Ryunosuke demanded, leaning against the bench.
Barok poured himself a glass of wine—an action that had quickly come to lend a certain sense of uneasiness to Susato's nerves. Would he crush it one-handed again? Throw it? She eyed him warily. Yet, at the same time, something was rather apt about the act. After all, Susato had seen Klint with wine in hand many times as he angrily spoke about corruption and injustice.
"When you wield a fortune the size of Mr. McGilded's, however ill-gotten it may be, nothing is impossible," Barok said. "Tampering with evidence, manipulating the scene of a crime, bribing witnesses..." Barok held his glass out towards the defendant's dock. "I toast your ability to concoct the most convenient of stories, sir."
Despite his coldness and the rumours, it seemed that Barok had the same pure aim as always, that he sought to bring about justice just as Klint had—to uphold the law and carefully oversee the gathering of evidence. And to protect the common man from the wiles and wickedness of those with power and influence.
"But...if youse will all cast yer minds back...is it not true that the omnibus there has been in the courtroom the entire time?" McGilded said, smirking. "How could anyone possibly have put a smear of blood in it without the world and his wife seeing. Isn't that right now, Counsel?"
McGilded was looking directly at Ryunosuke. Susato peered over at him as well, wondering what he would say.
"Here's to hearing your opinion on this matter. In your own words," Barok said.
Ryunosuke appeared lost in thought. And then: "There is no evidence to suggest that the defendant did as my learned friend suggests. However...in terms of having the opportunity to carry out the alleged tampering...there is one possibility."
"Yes, there is," Barok said. "It seems my learned Nipponese friend has no intention of running from this deceit."
"Deceit?" the Judge said.
And Susato smiled faintly as Ryunosuke affirmed the omnibus could have been tampered with during the sudden call for a recess when Gina—a surprise fifth party at the scene of the crime and an unplanned witness—fired a smoke grenade. And then Barok used this to lever into an argument listing all the inconsistencies present up to this point in time. His clear disdain for lying and his determination to uncover the truth touched a tiny hint of hope to Susato's heart.
That is the victory in a court of law. Barok had said that himself, years ago.
Yet it all seemed to be for naught.
"No one is able to corroborate your claims. Accordingly, I'm afraid to say...we cannot establish with any certainty if this evidence is the result of tampering or not," the Judge proclaimed.
"...Indeed, My Lord," Barok said, hunched over the bench in defeat. "No doubt there was not a single person who saw fit to verify such things."
"What do you think?" Susato said, filled with determination. She longed to find the truth. But it wasn't just that. She wanted to aid Barok as well, even now, even in the face of his cruel comments towards the Japanese, his coldness, his intimidating displays of frustration and strength.
"Sorry?" Ryunosuke said, clearly unsettled by the situation, and perhaps a bit taken aback by Susato's passionate tone.
"About the omnibus. Is there anything else unusual about the omnibus?" Susato urged, hoping he had noticed what she had. And that he would follow through with it.
"My Lord..." Ryunosuke began.
"Yes, Counsel?"
"There is one further inconsistency. A mark that surely could not have been present at the start of the trial," Ryunosuke said, voice filled with passion. "I believe that bloodstain on the floor is a decisive piece of evidence. But if the question is whether that evidence is genuine or whether it was unlawfully fabricated by someone...I feel compelled to admit that there's at least a possibility...that the evidence is fake!"
Susato stared at him and felt herself smile. He was truly proving to be a man of great quality. She was glad to be at his side.
"Facts are what counts!" McGilded shouted. "And the fact is, that bloodstain is there! Now! And over the course of this desperate trial, long and extremely drawn-out as it has been...that good-for-nuttin' Reaper of the Bailey has failed to present any decisive evidence at all."
Susato glared at McGilded, but he paid her no heed. He was too busy fixing Barok with a mocking sneer.
"...I'm scandalised, so I am. I'd thought better of Lord van Zieks," McGilded said. "Well? My Lord?"
"I must concur with the defendant," the Judge said. "The unaffirmed recollections of an individual cannot stand as evidence."
Susato's heart plummeted.
"Your—Your Lordship can't be serious," Ryunosuke said.
"Lord van Zieks, what is your position?" the Judge said.
Barok was silent for a long moment, staring straight ahead. Susato thought she could read a hint of despondency in his face."...The Prosecution, My Lord...has no further witnesses or evidence to present."
"As things stand at the moment, it would seem...that Mr. McGilded will be found not guilty," Susato said quietly to Ryunosuke, anger hardening in her chest.
Ryunosuke fought for a moment longer, interrupting the Judge with objections, pointing out vehemently that the truth had not been found. But it was to no avail.
"...Lord van Zieks?" the Judge said.
"...My Lord?" Barok said.
"The case made by the prosecution was flawed, plain and simple. If indeed the omnibus presented as evidence was tampered with...the prosecution is at fault for allowing such a disgraceful perversion of justice to take place."
"What!?" Susato blurted, unable to hold herself back. Her hands tightened into fists.
"...My sincerest apologies, My Lord," Barok said, and bowed low.
"But...wait! When we were evacuated from the courtroom, Lord van Zieks ordered the evidence to be secured!" Ryunosuke argued.
"I'm afraid the prosecution cannot shun responsibility in this matter," the Judge said with finality.
"That's...so unfair!" Ryunosuke said.
Susato stared at Barok, at his defeated posture. And felt her heart enflame with anger for him, for this injustice. And a sharp stabbing of guilt. For they had been led astray by McGilded, had played along with his charade dutifully, unwittingly.
As McGilded gloated and the Judge proffered his adjudication, Susato watched Barok closely, her heart deeply troubled.
"This is far from over," Barok seethed.
An unexplainable sensation of fright clawed at Susato's skin.
***
After the trial, Susato and Ryunosuke were knit together by a shroud of solemnity. Shame and dread burned quietly within them both. As McGilded chattered away cheerfully, Susato found herself biting back anger and waiting for him to disappear.
And then he was gone, swept off by the bailiff to look at the omnibus. A strange action that only further solidified Susato's fears that they had just exonerated a man that was entirely guilty.
"It is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer," she recited to herself, below her breath, as they were left alone with Gina.
A sudden high-pitched, youthful voice jerked Susato out of her musings.
"Ah! There you are!"
A girl with elaborately styled pink hair, bright teal eyes, and a purple dress came hurtling towards them. Susato gasped. The girl...she looked...she looked...
"Naughty, naughty, running off like that! And taking that with you as well! I was looking forward to the trial run of my experimental smoke grenade launcher!" the girl chastised, her attentions locked solely on Gina.
Gina scoffed and pointed the smoke gun at the child.
"Oh? Do you want to play? You won't beat me!" the girl said cheerfully, and held up a much bigger gun.
Gina growled in defeat.
"Um, excuse me, but...who are you?" Ryunosuke said.
And Susato held her breath, anticipating the name. Was she going to say it? Would the girl confirm her suspicions?
"Oh, good day to you!" the girl said brightly. "I'm...well, the inventor, I suppose, of that machine."
"The inventor?" Ryunosuke echoed.
"Well, normal smoke grenades are so dull, don't you agree? White, white, and more white. If you have to be shrouded in smoke, it could at least be a pretty colour, I thought to myself!" the girl declared. And she clasped her hands together while beaming.
Susato's breath disintegrated in her throat, her vision narrowing. Lady Baskerville hovered before her mind's eye. Her neatly pinned up hair, her kind and beautiful face, her bright and pretty voice, her hands clasped as she beamed. The gesture was entirely the same. Entirely and impossibly and heartbreakingly the same. Susato clutched her hand into a fist, tried to still the quivering in her fingertips.
As the girl and Ryunosuke and Gina exchanged words, all sound blurred in Susato's senses. She could not focus on their conversation at all. All she could see was Lady Baskerville in her mind. It was all she could do not to grab the girl by the shoulders and demand to know her name.
And then the girl was gone, sweeping Gina away with her.
Suddenly, Susato became aware that Ryunosuke was staring at her, but she had no idea what he had just said. She fought to pry herself free from the shock holding her hostage.
"We had best find a place to stay, hadn't we?" she said, forcing the words past her numb lips.
"Um, oh yes, that's right! But are you okay, Miss Susato? You look like you've seen a ghost," Ryunosuke said.
How close to the truth, Susato thought. "...We should find lodgings before it gets dark."
"Yes, you're right. Shall we go, Miss Susato?"
"Yes," Susato said and tried her best to smile.
The day had been troubling and exhausting beyond anything she could ever have imagined. She had so yearned to return, and now she wondered if she was truly strong enough for this. Kazuma had been right: things had changed. The day had made that immediately plain.
"Miss Susato? You know someplace where we can stay, surely? Since you used to live in London?"
"No, I...I stayed with other people. At their homes."
"Oh. Well, then...let's investigate!"
"Yes. Yes, let's go!"
Together they left the Old Bailey.
***
The bright hall. Bristling shadow. Soulless eyes. An orange point of flame. Klint's face, smooth and deeply shadowed. Barok's face, dark and scarred, eyes living ice. The hound, tearing out his throat. Lady Baskerville crying for help.
Susato woke from the dream, her throat closing around a half-formed shout. She breathed into the darkness and stumbled towards the window, desperate to catch a view of the sky. And thought about the girl and Barok and the secrets she was keeping. How grief twisted things. How sorrow extinguished the fire of a man. How a secret sickened the mind.
***
When morning came, Susato and Ryunosuke reported to Stronghart. And Susato's apprehensions worsened terribly. Ghastly news awaited them: McGilded had been killed. Burned alive in the omnibus. Right there in the courtroom. Only moments after they had left.
And as Susato learned more about the rumours surrounding the Reaper of the Bailey, and why, exactly Barok was called that now, her sorrow and horror grew so vast they threatened to swallow her.
They said he was cursed, that those he prosecuted—acquitted or not—were fated to die. If they were claimed innocent and set free, death always found them. Appearing as accidents or chance encounters with highwaymen, all were brought to a dark and life-ending punishment for their alleged crimes. And while Barok had an alibi for every single one of those deaths, this fact did nothing to silence the sheer note of terror resonating within Susato each time they faced him in court. And they would face him two more times, in quick succession.
Both of those times, the defendant was Soseki Natsume, a student of literature from Japan. Both times, he was accused of attempted murder and proven innocent. Barok was the acting prosecutor for both trials, and his disdain for Susato and her countrymen was painfully made clear, despite that he worked with them to uncover the truth.
And, during the course of their investigations into Soseki's cases, Susato and Ryunosuke crossed paths with the little girl again. Susato's suspicions were quickly confirmed—the little girl was, in fact, Iris. But for some reason, Iris believed the late Dr. John H. Wilson to be her biological father. Susato could not fathom why, and this misconception pained her greatly. As did the invitation to live at Baker Street, but there was little other choice.
And so, Susato and Ryunosuke set up their office in Baker Street. A place that held far too many bleak memories for Susato's comfort.
Then, at last, cases stopped rushing in. Susato had a moment to catch her breath. Which meant there was something she now had time to do. Something she had yearned to do for so long, which now terrified her greatly. She was going to visit Lord Barok van Zieks.
But the very morning Susato prepared to set about her mission, a summons arrived.