Case NOT Closed

After entering the gate of the detention center and informing the duty officer of his presence, Kensuke was then led to a meeting room.

The meeting room that he is brought to was a small room of about 20 square meters, it’s the place where visitors and suspects met, with a glass window separating them.

After waiting for a while, a middle-aged man was brought to the other side of the glass window.

The man appeared to be in his forties, with a square face, a desolate expression, and a few gray hairs visible on his head.

His name was Masayoshi Sakaguchi, a lawyer specializing in juvenile crime, and he was a suspect in a murder case involving a trained dog, known from the Conan anime as the “Pet Dog John Murder Case.”

“Hello, Mr. Sakaguchi. Nice to meet you, I’m your Attorney, Kensuke Komemon, and are here to defend you,” Kensuke introduced himself.

“So you are the lawyer appointed by the Bar Association?” Sakaguchi asked, looking up at Kensuke with lifeless eyes.

“You can go. I’ve already decided to confess, and I don’t need anyone to defend me,” Sakaguchi said.

This was the troublesome aspect of this case.

Normally, clients wouldn’t give up their right to defense, but according to Kensuke’s research, this man had given up any resistance after being brainwashed by the detective Kogoro Mouri and Conan.

Clearly, the main characters had instilled in him the belief that he was guilty.

However, Kensuke had come prepared for this.

Faced with Masayoshi’s negative attitude, he didn’t hold back and said, “Mr. Sakaguchi, have you forgotten that you’re a lawyer?”

“Yes, but what does that matter?” Sakaguchi replied with a bitter smile. “Nothing I say matters. I’m a criminal now.”

“Oh, then may I ask if you threw away everything you learned, chewed it up, and fed it to your dog, only to have it regurgitated and fed back to you?” Kensuke retorted.

“What are you saying!”

Masayoshi’s face changed dramatically at the sarcastic remark, and he abruptly stood up.

“You can insult me, but you can’t insult my profession!”

“Is that so?”

Kensuke looked at him and chuckled softly.

“Well then, on what grounds do you say you’re a criminal? Who gave you that right?”

Sakaguchi was momentarily at a loss for words. Indeed, the guy in front of him had a point.

In legal terms, no one has the right to be identified as a “criminal” until they have gone through the procedural process of a court and received a guilty verdict, even if they have indeed committed a crime. They can only be called “criminal suspects.” This is based on the principle of “innocent until proven guilty.”

Masayoshi moved his mouth slightly and lowered his head. “But I’m not worth…”

“Mr. Sakaguchi, I have no interest in what kind of person you are personally,” Kensuke interrupted him directly. “You just need to know that I am here to defend you. I am your defense lawyer.”

Sakaguchi hesitated for a moment and then shook his head. “I don’t need… I don’t need you to defend me here.”

“Oh, you’re really quite foolish,” Kensuke chuckled, his words dripping with sarcasm. “Let me think. Even if we don’t consider whether you are actually guilty or not, let me analyze what consequences you’ll face if you do nothing.”

“First, your lawyer’s license will be revoked, and you’ll never get any work again. You’ll never have the high income of a lawyer.”

“Second, the victim’s family will demand a hefty compensation from you. They will demand a large sum, saying that the victim was their only son, and so on. I estimate that selling your house might barely cover this huge hole.”

“Third…”

Before Kensuke could continue, Masayoshi’s eyes widened, and he erupted in anger.

“What kind of joke is this! Their son drove my son to his death back then, and I didn’t demand any compensation from them!” Masayoshi retorted, his face turning red with anger.

Hearing his words, Kensuke nodded his head, “Perhaps that’s true, however, others will only see it as you causing harm to their child. In their eyes, they are the victims, and it’s only natural for them to demand money from you.”

“…”

Masayoshi’s face turned ashen, and he slumped back into his chair.

After a while, he looked up again.

“But Conan, that little boy said… John is also sad about the death of his owner. He waits silently in front of his owner’s room every day, hoping for him to return… And I used such a kind-hearted animal to commit murder. I… I…”

Before he could finish his sentence, he was once again interrupted by Kensuke’s harsh words.

“It seems you didn’t just feed your dog with your knowledge of law, but also with your knowledge of biology from middle and high school!”

Kensuke stared at him and sneered.

“Animals don’t have ‘kind-heartedness.’ All values are given to them by humans. Animals don’t understand anything; they don’t have thoughts. They only have instincts, understand? Let me ask you, if your John were truly smart and knew that your son had died, would he still go to your son’s room every day, waiting for him? That’s just an instinct that you cultivated in him over time! Don’t raise a dog so foolishly, and don’t let others manipulate you so easily! Have some independent judgment, Mr. Lawyer!”

After hearing Kensuke’s words, Masayoshi felt like a heavy weight had struck his chest. He stared blankly at him for a long time before his face, which had been stiff, gradually relaxed, and a faint smile appeared.

“You’re right. I shouldn’t give up my right to defend myself! It’s my deserved right, and why should I throw it away just because of a child’s words! He’s just a child; what does he know!”

Masayoshi suddenly became more spirited and couldn’t help but stand up again.

Seeing Masayoshi’s change in demeanor, Kensuke narrowed his eyes slightly and a faint smile appeared on his lips.

In his view, the two progress bars above Masayoshi’s head, especially the “acceptance” one, had advanced by one level, indicating that the client was beginning to believe in him.

There were a total of five levels of acceptance, and generally, if it reached at least two levels, the case could be taken over smoothly.

“Young man, you have a way with your words, I’m sure you will be a great lawyer in the future,” Sakaguchi praised him.

Kensuke nodded lightly. “You flatter me.”

“However, I don’t need your defense,” Masayoshi said, looking at him. “I am a lawyer myself, and I can act as my own defense attorney, which is allowed within the legal framework.”

Indeed, as long as passive defense was not used, the courts in this world would recognize him as his own defense attorney.

Kensuke looked at him and smiled.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, I will use my professional knowledge to try to get a reduced sentence for myself.”

Masayoshi said confidently.

“A reduced sentence? Hahaha!”

As soon as Kensuke heard this, he chuckled.

The laughter came very suddenly, causing Sakaguchi to furrowed his brows involuntarily.

“What are you laughing at?”

“I’m laughing at your narrow-mindedness and shortsightedness.”

Kensuke extended a finger and lightly shook it in front of Masayoshi.

“In my dictionary, there’s no such thing as a reduced sentence!”