Third person POV
There was silence in the courtroom. All sides were in silence and were stunned at the verdict Maria had given to Hoshi and his group who were just charged with those crimes in the LRT depot case. Reason: though how they solve it and handle the suspects might be very unethical but since it was a way to stop the suspects from causing more harm and the petition of the people and the president was strong and accordance to their justice screams for desperate means, their actions can be justified and can and now considered be an act of retribution by moral means of keeping the morals balanced.
"The court acknowledges the methods used in the LRT Depot case were... unorthodox," Maria's voice rang out, steady and resonant. "By traditional standards, the actions of Hoshi Santos and his associates were deeply unethical. However, we cannot ignore the reality of the threat they neutralized. In light of the overwhelming public petition, the personal endorsement of the President, and the desperate necessity of the hour, this court finds their actions justified."
She paused, looking over her spectacles at the defendants. "We view this not as a breach of law, but as a necessary act of retribution—a forceful balancing of the moral scales in a time of chaos. Case dismissed."
Croix's POV
I stared at the mahogany desk in front of me, my pulse thundering in my ears. Pardoned. Just like that, the blood and the shadows of the previous day were wiped away by a few sentences.
As an NBI agent, I had spent my life colored within the lines and playing it professionally. The things we did in that final, dark chapter... They haunted me. I expected that this would pass, and I would be in prison for a while. Hindi, I was given a handshake instead. Yet, here I was, feeling the grime of the underworld being scrubbed off my reputation.
It didn't stop at a pardon, either. Chief Justice Maria had gone a step further, recommending to my superiors that I be reinstated to my original rank. My team—my low-ranking officers who had risked everything to follow me—were also being brought back into the fold. We weren't just free; we were being made whole again. Also, Hoshi and his group were also cleared of any wrongdoing.
Sha's POV
This has been a miracle for me. I thought I would lose my reputation and my job at Hoshi's high school. Instead, the court treated our actions as if the darkness had never occurred and the wrongdoings never happened in the first place
The courtroom erupted. The silence was shattered by a wave of applause that felt like a physical heat. I watched Hoshi and his friends; the tension drained from their shoulders, replaced by an explosive, youthful joy. Bokuto and Taro were relieved that they did not become a disgrace to their families back home, and Mariya came and gave a hug for her younger brother with a fierce embrace. In the eyes of the law, he was a free man; in the eyes of the people, he was a hero.
And then, when the verdict was announced to the crowd outside of the Supreme Court, the crowd celebrated. Those who held pictures of their victimized loved ones in the LRT Depot cases chanted and cheered for Hoshi and his group who were acquitted. Some who knew, or at least, speculated that Hoshi was the son of the long-dead Louis Santos the Salamangkero, expressed their cheers for him. Luckily though, Hoshi confirmed their speculations with proof as Louis's son through photocopied birth certificates and old photos. These included photos of his birth in Baguio City and old ones when he was 3 years with Mariya and Louis in front of their former Catholic church in Nara city.
A bit later, the trial's course changed to the settlements of the payments for the gambling debts of two dead corrupt police officers in the LRT depot case. Maria listed their debts and where they came from, as well as their creditors. She and the jury decided that money that will be gained from the auction of Eduardo's assets will be used to pay off the debts, and that the families of the two corrupt officers will not need to pay the debts anymore. Hearing that, the families of those corrupt officers were relieved to hear that and that they are now debt-free. Even so, some in the NBI and Hoshi, Mariya, and Sha shook hands with the families with sympathy and relief for their well-being.
As for the compensation for the rest of the victims' families, the remainder of the auctioned money will be given to them as well.