Case NOT Closed

The judge reprimanded Hattori Heiji and then glanced at Kensuke.

“Defendant’s representative, please speak properly and return to your seat immediately, or you will be held in contempt of court!”

Kensuke shrugged and returned to his seat.

He observed Conan’s fluctuating, conflicted expression and the audience’s increasingly hostile attitude towards the young boy.

A smirk crept onto Kensuke’s face again.

His goal had been achieved.

The other side was now surely hesitating between revealing the truth and facing a civil lawsuit.

But whichever Conan chose, there would be no good outcome.

After a long while, Conan finally raised his head again.

“This recording is absolutely genuine!”

Conan took a deep breath, his eyes filled with determination.

Then, he picked up a document from the table.

“This is a signed statement from Saguru Hakuba, the son of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Chief, confirming that he was present at the time and vouches for the recording’s authenticity.”

As he spoke, Conan glanced at Kensuke.

His eyes seemed to have that unyielding spirit often seen in anime protagonists.

Kensuke squinted his eyes.

It seemed that the other side had chosen what he believed to be the truth.

Even if he had to face a civil lawsuit and pay a large sum of money later, he was determined.

He hadn’t considered the immense trouble this could bring to those around him, like his current guardians, Kogoro Mouri and Ran Mouri.

Just as Ai Haibara had said, Edogawa Conan, no, Shinichi Kudo, even if it’s done with good intention, he was still a self-centered person.

“Hmph.”

Kensuke chuckled contemptuously.

This was fine. The higher this kid climbed now, the harder he would fall later.

Then, the court clerk handed the signed document Conan presented to the judge for review.

The judge confirmed its authenticity and nodded.

A signed guarantee from the Police Chief’s son certainly carried weight.

The judge then looked helplessly at Natsuki Koshimizu in the defendant’s seat.

The jury members also sighed.

Because now, all the direct and indirect evidence was complete.

Even if the jurors sympathized with this poor girl, they had no choice but to convict her.

The judge shook his head and was about to strike the gavel to deliver the verdict.

But at that moment, Kensuke suddenly stood up again.

“Your Honor, I have some minor doubts about this case and would like to call new witnesses!”

The jurors exchanged glances.

Conan frowned, sensing an ominous feeling from Kensuke’s confident gaze.

Could it be…

He suppressed his unease and tried to maintain his composure.

It couldn’t be. His version of the truth had to be correct. The defendant had also confessed to the murder.

The truth was always only one.

After some discussion, the judge knocked the gavel: “Request granted, the defendant may call new witnesses!”

Soon, a chubby middle-aged man and an older man with graying hair were brought into the courtroom.

Hiroo Tsuchio, who was pretending to be a broadcast director on the deserted island, and Kotani Renzo, the head butler at the Lavender Villa who had also been invited to the island to take care of the detectives’ needs.

“Tsuchio-san, please tell us what you know,” Kensuke said with a smile.

The two men looked different.

Hiroo Tsuchio appeared very nervous, his face showing signs of distress.

Kotani Renzo seemed uneasy and fearful, perhaps guessing why he had been summoned to court.

“I, I…”

Hiroo Tsuchio stammered, struggling to find his words.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“The real killer of Junya Tokitsu is not Miss Mizusawa. It was me!”

The courtroom erupted in shock.

Everyone was in an uproar.

No one had expected such a dramatic turn in what seemed to be an open-and-shut case!

“This is impossible!”

Conan slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.

He stared intently at Hiroo Tsuchio’s face.

“The culprit has already been identified and has confessed to the crime. There’s a clear chain of evidence. How could there possibly be another scenario!”

“I’m telling the truth!”

Hiroo Tsuchio shouted, pointing to the now pale-faced Kotani Renzo.

“The real mastermind behind all of this is that guy! Because of the death of the lady of the Lavender Villa a year ago, this person bribed Junya Tokitsu to change the truth at the police station, leading to the maid, Kana Mizuguchi’s, suicide. This was all his plan!”

Hiroo Tsuchio revealed the entire truth in court, detailing everything step by step.

Everyone in the room reacted differently.

Some were dumbfounded, some wide-eyed and tongue-tied.

Hiroo Tsuchio’s revelation was a twist within a twist.

“You’re lying! How could it possibly be you!”

Conan was genuinely agitated now, almost rushing down from the special witness stand.

“Edogawa-kun, I’m curious. How can you be so sure it wasn’t someone else?”

Kensuke’s lips curved upward as he watched Conan’s expression.

That look was truly delightful.

“Because, because…”

Faced with Kensuke’s question, Conan stammered, unable to respond immediately as his mind was in a mess.

Indeed, there had been suspicions about Hiroo Tsuchio, particularly from Saguru Hakuba, who wasn’t present in court. But this conclusion was quickly overturned by Hattori Heiji.

The detectives always believed that reasoning should follow logic.

Hiroo Tsuchio, based on the analysis of the scene, was just a common “red herring” in murder cases.

“Isn’t it obvious!”

Hattori Heiji stood up, pointing at Hiroo Tsuchio and shouting.

“A person like him couldn’t possibly commit murder! The situation at the scene doesn’t fit the detective’s reasoning logic!”

“Oh, reasoning logic, huh.”

Kensuke’s gaze was almost mocking.

He stood up from his chair, looking down at the two detectives.

“Excuse me, what… did you say?”

“Reasoning logic? Is that what you rely on to randomly accuse people of being the culprit?”

“Just based on so-called evidence at the scene, so-called clues, you eagerly pick it up, thinking you’ve found the truth you believe in.”

“Not considering the entire context of the case, not considering the interpersonal relationships of the people involved, not considering their possible methods and means, not considering the potential grudges and enmities… considering nothing.”

“Just considering your scene.”

“The scene is everything. If the scene has it, it’s the culprit, it’s the truth. If the scene doesn’t have it, it’s a ‘red herring’.”

“Tell me, are you treating murder as a game? As a deduction game you think it is?”

“Life isn’t a game, and neither is death.”

“With such an attitude, what right do you have to speak of life? What right do you have to find the real culprit for the victims?”