Location: Basement, Civil Justice Center, Nagasaki
Description:
Courtroom 4 has been decommissioned for decades. Yet, every few nights, chairs re-align themselves, and the judge’s bench glows faintly. Judai and Juna sneak in during one of these cycles. On the bench is a single sheet of paper that reads: “The case will be considered.” Every file in the archive drawer is blank—but smells strongly of ink and sweat. The room is shaped for an argument never spoken. Juna hears whispers in procedural tone. Judai opens the witness box and finds only mirrors. No case has ever concluded here—but many have begun. This courtroom is reserved for pre-verdicts, awaiting a society that never finishes its thoughts. The law exists, but not the conclusion.

Keywords:
phantom courtroom, deferred judgment, blank legal archive, witness mirror, law in limbo

Very Short Story:
They read their names in the docket. “Versus whom?” Judai asks. No answer. The room remains silent except for the occasional shuffle of ghost-paper. Juna testifies to something she can’t remember. Her voice echoes, but not from her mouth—from the judge’s bench. The prosecutor is absent. So is the defense. Yet the trial proceeds. They are shown documents they never wrote. Judai signs his own objection. The hearing ends without outcome. On the way out, Juna finds a verdict sealed in an envelope addressed to “Later.” She opens it. It’s blank. And still, she feels judged.

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