Case NOT Closed

At noon, Kensuke had a bowl of ramen outside.

The ramen shop had an interesting name: “Ramen So Good, It’s to Die For.”

Rumor had it that a murder had taken place there once. Typically, a shop like that would quickly go out of business, but because the ramen was so delicious, it actually became an advertising gimmick, attracting countless customers and making the business flourish.

After eating his fill, Kensuke arrived at the Tokyo District Court just before 1:30 PM.

The waiting area in the courthouse lobby was already crowded with people.

Journalists, curious onlookers, and various random fans.

This case had garnered significant attention, mainly because the witnesses included several famous high school detectives.

“Komemon-san, what are your thoughts on this case?”

“We’ve heard you have an undefeated record since your debut. Do you feel confident in winning this case, which involves several famous detectives?”

“Do you still insist that your client is innocent?”

Countless reporters swarmed around him, as usual.

However, Kensuke had no time to deal with them because he had arrived just in the nick of time.

Reporters were useful when needed but were otherwise a nuisance, like chamber pots that no one wanted around.

Pushing through the crowd of journalists, he quickly made his way into the courtroom, where everyone had already gathered.

The judge, jurors, prosecutor, his client Natsuki Koshimizu, and the special witnesses Conan and Heiji Hattori were all present.

The prosecutor was a nondescript man in his fifties or sixties, not worth mentioning.

Kensuke’s gaze shifted to the special witness stand.

Conan and Hattori turned their eyes towards him, meeting his gaze.

Both of them looked at him with hostility, their expressions cold.

These were his true opponents in this trial.

The so-called special witness seat was a unique feature of the judicial system in this world, specifically established for detectives. It could be requested in advance for cases where detectives frequently appeared as witnesses to reconstruct and reason through murder cases.

The special witness seat didn’t have an inherent bias; it usually sided with the prosecution but occasionally supported the defense in uncertain cases.

The special witnesses for this trial were Conan and Hattori.

As for the other special witness, Hakuba Saguru, due to personal issues, he was abroad and wouldn’t be attending this court session.

Once everyone was present, the judge tapped his gavel.

“The court is now in session! Will the prosecution please read the indictment?”

The prosecutor nodded, stood up with the indictment, and began to read.

“The defendant, Natsuki Koshimizu, aged twenty, on XX month XX day, under the guise of organizing the Detective Koshien event, invited Heiji Hattori, Hakuba Saguru, Junya Tokitsu, Conan Edogawa, Hiroo Tsuchio, and Kotani Renzo to an uninhabited island in Tokyo Bay. During this event, using a locked room technique, the defendant used a hammer from a toolbox to murder Junya Tokitsu. This act violates Article 199 of the Japanese Penal Code and constitutes premeditated murder. We request that the court prosecute accordingly.”

After reading the indictment, the prosecutor took his seat.

The judge nodded and turned to the defense.

“Does the defendant and their counsel acknowledge the facts as presented by the prosecution?”

At this, all eyes turned to Kensuke.

Conan’s gaze was particularly intense.

Because of the need to evade the Black Organization, Conan typically avoided direct involvement in court cases.

But Kensuke’s presence made him disregard other considerations.

Conan had thought this through before coming.

He had studied Kensuke’s past cases and knew his tactics—Kensuke would undoubtedly plead not guilty and try to exonerate the suspect—no, the criminal!

When that moment came, Conan would present irrefutable evidence to expose Kensuke’s charade!

“Ahem!”

Under the scrutiny of everyone in the courtroom, Kensuke stood up, cleared his throat, and assumed a solemn and sorrowful expression.

“I am very sorry, and I am deeply pained, because, as the prosecution stated, my client is absolutely guilty!”

The room fell almost silent at his words.

The reporters in the audience, who had been diligently taking notes, stopped writing and looked at Kensuke with astonishment.

This was completely out of character for Kensuke, the rising star attorney known for his aggressive defense tactics.

Conan stared at Kensuke in shock, unable to believe what he was hearing.

Kensuke had not only refrained from pleading not guilty but had outright admitted his client’s guilt!

How could this be possible?

Conan furrowed his brows, forcing himself to remain calm.

Even if something seemed too good to be true, he couldn’t believe that Kensuke would suddenly change his nature.

There had to be something more to this!

Sure enough, Kensuke’s tone quickly shifted.

“But there are reasons for this! My client’s actions were driven by her emotions as a woman, by pure impulse and desperation!”

As he spoke, Kensuke subtly signaled to Natsuki Koshimizu.

Catching the cue, Natsuki stood up.

“I-I know I committed a crime, and I deeply regret my actions—Waaaah, I am a sinner, I shouldn’t have wanted to kill anyone. If God gave me another chance, I would never do it again, waaaah–”

Her eyes reddened, and tears fell like broken pearls down her pale cheeks. Her pitiful and fragile appearance elicited sympathy from the onlookers.

“What a pitiable girl…”

“She must have had her reasons.”

“Her tears don’t seem fake. Maybe she really is remorseful.”

“She probably killed out of desperation.”

“Seeing her cry like this, she might have realized her mistake.”

The audience whispered among themselves.

On the jury bench, the jurors were conversing in low voices. An elderly woman among them was even moved to tears.

Everyone present seemed genuinely touched by Natsuki Koshimizu’s sincere demeanor.

“That lady spoke so well.”

On the special witness stand, Heiji Hattori watched the girl cry, feeling moved.

“Maybe we misunderstood her. She seems truly remorseful—”

But he was interrupted by Conan’s sharp words.

“Heiji, don’t be fooled! This is all premeditated!”

Conan, gritting his teeth, glared at the defense table.

Kensuke’s expression remained the same as before, feigning deep sorrow to match Natsuki’s tearful display.

Damn it, Conan thought, they pulled a move like this!

His face darkened, and he gripped his thigh tightly, his knuckles turning white.