Case NOT Closed

Conan was sweating on his forehead.

This guy had noticed the recording device he was carrying? How was that possible? To everyone else, he was just a kid! Where did he get such judgment?

“Don’t worry, I won’t come over and snatch things from your pockets,” came Kensuke’s smiling voice from the front. “Because, there’s no need.”

Conan cautiously replied, “In this situation, recordings like these are considered illegal evidence and won’t be admissible by the judicial authorities, that’s why you’re not concerned.”

“It seems you have a little understanding of the law, young one,” Kensuke continued to smile.

“Of course, that’s just one aspect of it… You can take out your recording device and see what you’ve recorded just now.”

Conan looked at him skeptically and took out the recording pen.

He played it back.

Inside, there was the conversation between Kensuke and the college girl.

Listening to it, Conan’s expression changed.

The recording was missing a crucial part: what Kensuke had said, leading to Sanae’s decision to change her testimony.

Conan remembered that Kensuke had spoken very softly right next to the girl’s ear.

Because it was so quiet, the recording hadn’t picked it up!

“Even if you recorded it, even if the judicial authorities recognize the evidence as legitimate, it won’t have any effect because in that part just now, I didn’t say anything about her changing her testimony. I didn’t even mention anything about the suspect. Did you hear me saying anything about what the suspect did or what I wanted her to do for the suspect? I just asked her to recall the details of the incident. The rest was her own decision.”

“Do you understand now, young one? I won’t leave any openings for anyone to take advantage of.”

Kensuke patted Conan’s head with a smile.

Conan’s face was like boiling water, turning red and white, making him look like a character from a cartoon.

“Alright, I have a lot of things to do. Goodbye, Conan-kun.”

Kensuke stood up and was about to leave.

“Wait!”

Conan, from behind, called him back at this moment.

Kensuke turned around, smiling at Conan. “Do you need anything else?”

“Do you not know the truth? No, you should know, Uncle, that man, Sakaguchi-san, he killed someone,” Conan stared at him, his eyes unwavering. “Uncle, why are you doing this? Why are you helping a murderer?”

“The truth of the matter?” Kensuke slowly turned back and smiled at him. “Are you really sure you know the truth of the matter? Are you sure he is the killer?”

Conan frowned slightly but nodded his head. “I believe there’s only one truth, and that’s Sakaguchi-san is the real culprit!”

“Oh, well then, since you are sure of your truth, hold onto it with confidence,” Kensuke said dismissively and walked away, but before he left, he turned his head back to Conan and said.

“Kid, let me tell you something that might surprise you.”

“Lawyers are no heroes.”

“We, the lawyer, is merely the one who upholds the interests of their client, whether they are really guilty or not does not matter, our job is to win every lawsuit, and make a profit in the process. That’s what a lawyer is. Understand?”

Conan stood silently in place, watching Kensuke’s departing figure. His hand clenched the recording pen in his pocket tightly, making an audible sound.

He would never agree with such a viewpoint.

This was no joking matter!

With views like these, there would be no truth or justice left in the world!

For whatever reason, criminals had to pay for their crimes, and that was a belief Conan had held firmly.

The lenses of Conan’s glasses reflected a glint of determination. After a moment’s thought, he quickly opened his legs and dashed out of the Italian restaurant.

He needed to find Miss Sanae and persuade her to drop the idea of testifying for the suspect, not to believe in this lawyer’s words!

…

Outside the restaurant, hidden behind a car, Kensuke watched with a smile as Conan dashed away.

“Give it up kid, there is no way someone like you can defeat me, all you are doing is futile.”

Based on Kensuke’s judgment, the famous detective was undoubtedly going to look for Sanae.

However, it was pointless.

Because when she left, her goodwill towards him had already reached the five bars.

Humans are a changeable species, and their positions can change with the circumstances. They won’t remain steadfast forever.

When a witness leans toward one side, they are unlikely to stay on that side permanently.

Based on Kensuke’s experience, once the goodwill reaches five bars, it’s challenging to change the witness’s stance.

“Time to head home!”

Kensuke hummed along to the new song by Yasuko Noguchi as he walked toward his apartment building.

Kensuke lived in the Edogawa Ward of Tokyo. Edogawa Ward was located in the easternmost part of Tokyo. While not as central or bustling as the heart of Tokyo, it retained some old shopping streets and had a relatively high population density among Tokyo’s 23 wards.

After taking the subway and a short walk, he arrived at the entrance of a single-person apartment building. He took out his keys and opened the door to apartment 204. Inside was a room of just over 30 square meters, with simple furnishings and no toilet, only a few basic pieces of furniture like tables, chairs, and cabinets.

Though small, the apartment received plenty of sunlight and, most importantly, had affordable rent. It cost only 20,000 yen per month, several times cheaper than similar-sized places in other neighborhoods.

Why was it so cheap? Because someone had died here!

In this world, looking for a place to live is super easy; everywhere was a murder house, so rent could be as cheap as you liked.

Of course, Kensuke wasn’t planning to stay here forever. Once he made enough money, he would move out and buy a house bigger than the one that Masayoshi had.

After a brief wash-up, Kensuke played some Nintendo Switch games, organized the information he had received today, and then went to bed.

The next twenty days leading up to the trial were relatively straightforward.

Kensuke followed a routine. In the morning, he visited Sakaguchi at the detention center, in the afternoon, he went to Sakaguchi house to spend some time with the dog, and in the evening, he returned to his apartment to sleep.

Days passed quickly, and soon it was the day of the trial.

Japan’s judicial system follows a four-level three-appeal structure.

The levels, from highest to lowest, are the Supreme Court, High Court, District Court, Family Court, and Summary Court.

Summary and Family Courts are on the same level and primarily handle civil, minor criminal, and family-related cases.

District Courts, like the one where Kensuke is currently litigating, deal with a wide range of cases, including civil and criminal matters.

The upper three courts are for first-level trials.

The High Court handles second-level appeals that come from the above courts.

The Supreme Court serves as the ultimate court, dealing with third-level appeals and significant cases with far-reaching implications.

Because this dog training murder case is a relatively common homicide in this world, it’s only being handled at the District Court level.

In this world, Japan’s District Courts are established in every city-level and lower administrative region, and the town of Komenomachi, with its frequent murder cases, even has three District Courts.

Well, there are just too many criminal suspects, and not all cases can be given priority.

On this particular morning, Kensuke got up early, washed up, dressed neatly, and then took the subway to the third District Court of Komenomachi.

Soon, he arrived at the courthouse.