Well technically all Chiaki did was pull the fire alarm. Even if they had video, which they don't, that's the only thing there could possibly be physical evidence of. The argument in court would be whether she knew it would cause a prisoner release. They know it was premeditated because she made an appointment to visit them.

Theoretically a good defense lawyer could say she pulled the alarm because she noticed some undetermined danger. That would be reasonable doubt. Also the defense lawyer could go on the attack against the Safe, because they didn't have a decent security staff procedure in case the fire alarm was triggered (it releases the prisoners to avoid the liability of having them burn alive).

Legal arguments aside, though, this is why Chiaki has always been very careful about what she says about this incident, and also what she says about Akiko, in Hatman's presence. He probably knows that too - that saying too much to him is like pushing him into a corner, where he's forced to take action. She's sparing his feelings as much as her own.



That's why she hasn't told him anything. She literally doesn't have the confidence that Hatman will spare her.

Now here's where her thoughts on the subject get kind of cruel, in a way:

Hatman is what Chiaki would call a "bridge burner". That he believes in second chances, all right, but only after someone has paid for a crime. That he's a believer that if you aren't willing to pay, you should never have done it, even if the price for it is very high. Chiaki disagrees on both counts; some prices are far too high (see more below) and some people deserve another chance outside the justice system.

Chiaki also believes that the only Hatman hasn't turned in Liu Xi for the people she's killed is because of a horrible paradox in his own philosophy. He does want Liu Xi to pay for her crimes before she's given another chance; but that payment is her death at the hands of the justice system, and he couldn't bear to send a friend to die. She believes that to this day, Hatman is still torn by it, and she keeps an eye on Liu Xi in case Hatman changes his mind and tries to convince Liu Xi to trust the justice system and turn herself in.



The problem comes when he expects the justice system to behave a certain way, and it doesn't. Like what happens if he thinks that speaking on Chiaki's behalf will earn her a few years' probation under his watch? But then because of public opinion, the judge throws the book at her and she gets 15 years in the Safe without probation?

And that's why Chiaki doesn't trust Hatman in that regard. She knows he has misplaced faith in the justice system; and if it fails his trust, he'll still stand by it. Meaning she could be in the Safe for 15 years, and Hatman would simply shrug it off as the price she has to pay.

As an aside, that particular scenario also instills fear in Chiaki for two reasons: Most of the population in the Safe doesn't particularly like her, and it would be dozens of powerful meta against one disarmed Samurai; and because she knows herself, and fears she'll be seething hatred toward Hatman for doing that to her.



The witch hunt part is where it goes from minor charges to the maximum penalty simply because public opinion and political turmoil wants someone to nail to the cross for allowing a dangerous prisoner escape. The judge who sentences the Psychic Samurai to jail for 15 years is going to be front page for sure.



Generally when something like that happens, the public wants everyone's heads. They'd want to see Doorman locked up, and the Psychic Samurai, and also see the warden of the prison fired, along with anyone else involved. At least until the subject fades from the news, and everything seems safe now.



No, but there is one on top stories in the newspapers. Chiaki doesn't want her day in court to be a top news story, because that would encourage the maximum penalty to set an example. If she does eventually turn herself in, it'll be when her case is just a footnote of history - then she'd likely just get probation.



What's funny about that is, Lara doesn't like him much either, but she wishes he would at least try listening to her long enough to see that she's different from the usual people he hates.



I'd have to work on that slowly. I see Paradopolis U as a combination of ultra-modern and old and broken down.