Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, the day of the trial for Nanatsuki Koshimizu's case arrived.
The trial was scheduled for 1:30 PM.
At eight in the morning, Keisuke Kumiko went to the detention center again, met with the person involved, and told her about the real murderer.
"Is that so?"
After hearing what Keisuke Kumiko said, Nanatsuki Koshimizu seemed surprised.
"So, what you're saying is that Conan's reasoning at the time was wrong, and the truth is that I didn't kill Tokatsu Junya—I only knocked him unconscious. Then, Tsuchio Hiroo entered through the window and hit him a few more times before completely killing him?"
"That's right. Tsuchio Hiroo has already admitted it."
Keisuke nodded.
"However, you are still accused of attempted murder. Even if the real murderer is charged, you won't be able to escape this charge. But in this afternoon's trial, as long as you do what I tell you, you definitely won't go to jail."
"I see..."
Koshimizu Nanatsuki murmured to herself as if she were thinking about something.
After hesitating for a moment, she said hesitantly, "Is there a possibility, I mean, a possibility, that I was the one who killed Tokatsu Junya? Even if Conan's reasoning was incomplete, did he identify the culprit correctly?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
Keisuke frowned slightly and then sneered.
"If you're talking about Conan's father or Hattori Heiji's father pointing at you, maybe I'd have to think about it. But these two grandkids? One is seven years old, and the other is sixteen or seventeen—little kids who still need their parents to give them allowance?"
"Well, actually..."
"Idiot, who are you calling a little kid?!"
Before Koshimizu Nanatsuki could finish her words, an angry shout with a Kansai accent suddenly came from the door.
When she turned around, she saw a black coal mine—oh no, it was Hattori Heiji, looking at them angrily and fiercely.
Beside him was the well-known elementary school student, Conan, who always pretended to be calm with his hands in his pockets.
They had been brought here by the on-duty police officers at the detention center.
"Oh, it's you again?"
Keisuke raised an eyebrow. "You two little brats—rather than studying hard at school, you're coming to visit your future home at the detention center?"
"You bastard lawyer! If you keep talking nonsense, I'll beat you up!"
Hattori Heiji was still as impulsive as ever.
He glared at Keisuke Kumiko with eyes as big as a cow's and cracked his knuckles loudly.
"Did I say anything wrong?"
Keisuke Kumiko looked at him without any fear.
"Aren't you kids? Don't you need your parents to give you money to live? Or have you ever earned a single cent? Detectives like you—what else can you do besides causing trouble for your parents and making them clean up your mess? Saying you're grandkids is being generous. When you grow up a little, you should be called NEETs, living off your parents."
"What did you say?!"
Hattori Heiji's face turned red, and his chest heaved.
In Japan, NEETs who rely on their parents' support have an extremely low social status. Not only are they at the bottom of society, but they are also marginalized and shunned by everyone.
"Stop talking nonsense! I've never spent my parents' money! I often win cash prizes in kendo competitions!" Hattori Heiji roared.
Then he shook Conan by the shoulders.
"Gong... Conan, hurry up and say something back to him!"
But at that moment, Conan's face was pale, like a statue.
Hattori Heiji grew anxious.
"Conan, why aren't you saying anything? Why aren't you refuting him?"
"..."
Conan clenched his teeth and remained silent.
Because Keisuke was right once again.
Hattori Heiji could occasionally earn some money, but he himself had absolutely nothing.
Moreover, sometimes he used his father Yusaku Kudo's gold card to spend money recklessly, even treating Ran-Chan to luxurious restaurant dinners, earning him the nickname "prodigal son."
Keisuke Kumiko had called him a NEET living off his parents. Though harsh, it was accurate.
After a long silence, Conan looked up.
"You don't have to use your tricks anymore," he said coldly. "Using words to manipulate people's hearts—this is what you always do. I won't be fooled."
"Oh, so this is my trick? Then why are you here today?"
Keisuke Kumiko sneered.
"You specifically chose the day of the trial to meet with my client. Are you trying to pull something shady?"
Conan ignored him and turned toward Koshimizu Nanatsuki.
"Miss Koshimizu, have you thought things through during this time? What did we tell you last time?"
Koshimizu Nanatsuki nodded. "Well, after you came last time, I thought about many things, but in the end, I decided to leave everything in the hands of my defense attorney, Mr. Kumemon."
"Oh, I see..."
Conan seemed a little disappointed.
He looked at Keisuke Kumiko and shook his head.
"Miss Koshimizu, you shouldn't have sought out this man. No matter what the reason was, in the end, she killed someone, which violated social order and her own conscience. She should atone for her sins in prison so that she won't have regrets for the rest of her life."
"What a bunch of grand principles!"
Before Koshimizu Nanatsuki could speak, Kumiko's sarcastic voice came from the side.
He looked at Conan and the other man up and down with a smile on his face.
"Tell me, you detectives—are you just lazy with nothing better to do every day? Do you spend all day at the detention center convincing people to stay in jail? Well, you enjoy being burglars and robbing houses—is that fun?"
"She killed someone! She admitted it herself that day! She's a murderer!"
Conan's voice suddenly sharpened.
His face was tense, and his expression turned slightly red.
Keisuke Kumiko narrowed his eyes. "A murderer? Who made that rule? You? Even if she admits it herself, can you treat her as a true criminal? Can you send her to jail with such arrogance? Do you have the right to do that?"
"Murderers must atone for their sins in prison! They must go to jail! They must!"
Conan kept shouting and repeating, as if he couldn't hear anything else.
Suddenly, he turned his head and stared at Keisuke Kumiko.
"Let me ask you, have you ever seen a crime scene? How many times have you seen one?"
At that moment, Conan's expression began to change slightly, no longer as composed as before.
"I'm a detective. So far, I've seen countless murder scenes."
"Those who were murdered—some drowned in agony, some had their heads cut off, and some were burned alive. There were all kinds of tragic scenes."
"Those whose heads were cut off—the blood flowed and coagulated over their bodies, their flesh mangled, with flies buzzing around."
"Those who drowned—the bacteria in their bodies expanded and multiplied, making them look bloated and grotesque, emitting a foul stench of decay."
"Those who were burned alive—their subcutaneous tissues were charred, their fingers clawed desperately in all directions, and their faces still bore the pain before death."
"I don't understand—I don't understand why people would want to kill, why people can take lives so easily."
"What exactly is life to these people?"
"I will never understand, never."
As if something had triggered him, Conan murmured to himself, seemingly questioning Keisuke, yet also affirming himself as he continued speaking.
(End of Chapter)