Case NOT Closed

Inside the courthouse, in the hallway just outside the courtroom, several people had already taken their seats. This included representatives from the prosecutor’s office, the police, and reporters from various news outlets.

Although it was just a common murder case in Komenomachi, in today’s increasingly competitive media landscape, some reporters thought it was worth their time to be here and gather potential news.

“Komemon-san, as a rookie lawyer, this is your first court case. Do you have any thoughts on it?”

“This is a criminal murder case, and your opponent is a subordinate of Prosecutor Kujo. Do you believe you have a chance to win?”

“Do you have anything to say to the parties involved in this criminal case?”

As soon as Kensuke entered the hallway, he was surrounded by several reporters.

Cameras were flashing, and they were bombarding him with questions. It seemed like they wanted to shove microphones into his mouth.

Kensuke cleared his throat softly and smiled, raising his hands to signal for quiet.

“The law is absolutely fair. It won’t let a guilty person go free, nor will it falsely accuse an innocent one! Though I may be a rookie lawyer, I cannot stand for any injustice. With a firm belief in upholding justice, I will do my utmost to prove the innocence of my client!”

His words were resolute and passionate, making it sound as if it were true.

Among the reporters, someone immediately caught the scent of something interesting and asked, “Komemon-san, are you suggesting that the suspect in this case is wrongly accused?”

“Absolutely! My client is completely innocent!”

The reporters’ eyes lit up, and they quickly opened their notebooks, jotting down what they heard.

Clearly, there was a story here!

While Tokyo had a reputation for its high murder rate, very few suspects were ever proven entirely innocent through legal proceedings. Most defense attorneys aimed for reduced sentences.

Why?

Because of the presence of famous detectives and the efficient work of the prosecutor’s office, which secured a conviction rate of over 95% in Japan (in reality, it’s 99.9%).

The few well-known attorneys who could handle tough cases, like Eri Kisaki of Kisaki Law Office, were exceptional, often referred to as the “Unbeatable Myth of the Legal World.”

Now, suddenly, a rookie attorney claiming to win was making headlines…

Tomorrow’s news would surely have plenty of material!

“Is this a case of beginner’s luck or a true champion ready to face the challenge? Let’s wait and see!”

The reporters excitedly began their coverage.

After handling the interviews, Kensuke scanned the crowd in the hallway and quickly spotted some familiar figures.

His opponent in this case, assistant prosecutor Ryuuji Masami, his superior, Prosecutor Reiko, and… a young boy in a blue outfit with a butterfly bowtie.

“Are you ready for your first defeat on the path to becoming a lawyer?”

On their way to the courtroom, Ryuuji couldn’t resist taunting Kensuke.

Kensuke merely rolled his eyes at this minor character and couldn’t even be bothered to respond.

“Hmph!”

Seeing that Kensuke ignored him, Ryuuji couldn’t help but wear a stern expression and huffed.

On the other hand, Reiko maintained a cold, silent demeanor. She knew Kensuke’s character, and it would be pointless to say anything at this point.

Behind them, Conan gave Kensuke a deep look but remained silent.

Both parties entered the courtroom and took their respective seats.

Inside the courtroom, the public gallery gradually filled up with people, mostly reporters and some curious onlookers.

Before long, a judge in a robe with a badge, along with three jurors, arrived and took their seats at the front.

With the suspect, Masayoshi Sakaguchi, escorted by judicial police to the defendant’s seat, the judicial proceedings officially began.

Japan’s judicial system follows a jury system, where a panel of three judges and six jurors, or just one judge and three jurors, presides over the trial, listening to the case and making judgments.

The judges are legal professionals, while the jurors are selected randomly from the general population and usually consist of non-legal professionals unrelated to the case. Their role is to provide opinions to the judges during the trial.

The litigation model is based on the adversarial system, similar to Western countries, where these individuals determine guilt or innocence, but the specifics of the trial process depend on the arguments presented by both sides, with the party providing stronger evidence having the upper hand.

After the judge announced the start of the trial, the prosecutor began by reciting the indictment.

“The defendant, Masayoshi Sakaguchi, on the evening of April 30th, invited the victim, Takeshi Maehara, to his residence. At 9 p.m. that night, he used a phone call to remotely instruct a dog on the second floor of his house to attack the victim, causing his death. This act constitutes a violation of Article 199 of the Japanese Penal Code, a charge of indirect murder with intent. The prosecution requests the court to pass judgment accordingly.”

Ryuuji held the indictment and recited it smoothly.

Reiko nodded beside him. Although this assistant prosecutor had been with her for a short time, he seemed to have adapted well.

“So, does the defendant admit to this charge?”

After hearing the indictment, the judge asked the defendant.

“I…”

“Objection!”

Masayoshi had just uttered a single word when his voice was immediately interrupted by Kensuke.

Kensuke gave him a meaningful look, signaling him not to say anything and let the defense attorney handle everything.

“The defense attorney for the defendant, please speak.”

“I object to this prosecution! My client is absolutely innocent!”

Kensuke slammed the table, stood up, and appeared passionate, almost as if he were losing his voice.

“This is a miscarriage of justice! The Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the prosecutor’s office have conducted a flawed investigation and falsely accused my client without concrete evidence!”

The courtroom was filled with commotion, including the judge’s bench, the prosecutor’s bench, and the spectators’ gallery.

Some had anticipated that the defense attorney might plead not guilty, but nobody had expected his stance to be so forceful, let alone his criticism of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police and the prosecutor’s office.

At this moment, the jurors on the judge’s bench turned their gazes toward the prosecutor’s bench, their expressions revealing confusion.

Excellent, before the formal debate even began, someone above was already showing signs of wavering.

Kensuke nodded inwardly.

This was one of the places where the Japanese jury system could be exploited.

Since these jurors were selected from ordinary citizens without formal legal education, relying solely on their own basic sense of justice and morality to judge the right and wrong in a case, their stance or the point at which they decided guilt or sentencing could easily be influenced by certain factors.

For example, emotions.

Kensuke deliberately displayed a strong attitude to first shake the emotions of the jurors and sow a seed for the subsequent judgment.

In this world, the law was fair, but the enforcers of the law were still human beings, so true fairness always depended on the human heart.