After the judge gave Hattori Heiji a lesson, he turned his gaze back to Keisuke.
—"Counsel for the defendant, please speak properly and return to your seat immediately; otherwise, you will be charged with disrupting the court order!"
Keisuke Kumiko shrugged and returned to his seat.
Observing the ever-changing and conflicted expression on Conan's face not far away, then glancing at the attitudes of those around him towards this elementary school student...
The corners of Keisuke Kumiko's mouth curved up once more.
His goal had been achieved.
The other party must now be hesitating, torn between choosing the truth or civil litigation.
But no matter which option he picked, nothing good would come of it.
After a long time, Conan finally raised his head.
—"This recording is completely true!"
Conan took a deep breath, his eyes reflecting determination.
Then, he picked up another document from the table.
—"Here is a document signed by Hakuba, the son of the Commissioner of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. He acknowledges that he was present at the time and guarantees the authenticity and accuracy of the recording."
As Conan spoke, he looked at Keisuke.
There seemed to be that kind of unwavering, confident gaze in his eyes, the kind commonly seen in male protagonists in Japanese comics.
Keisuke Kumiko narrowed his eyes.
It seemed the other party still chose what he believed to be the truth.
Even if it meant facing civil lawsuits and paying a large sum of money later, he was willing to do so.
He did not consider at all how much trouble this could bring to those around him, including his current guardians, Mouri Kogoro and Mouri Ran.
Just as Ai had said, Edogawa Conan—no, Kudo Shinichi—was an extremely self-centered person.
—"Heh."
Keisuke Kumiko sneered with contempt.
That was even better. The higher this child climbed now, the harder he would fall later.
Soon after, the court clerk handed the signed document to the judge for review.
The judge confirmed its authenticity and nodded.
As the son of the Superintendent of Police, Hakuba's signature carried significant weight.
Then, the judge once again looked helplessly at Nanatsuki Koshimizu on the defendant's stand.
The jurors on both sides also sighed.
Because now, there was both direct and indirect evidence.
Although the judges were inclined to be sympathetic to the poor girl, they had no choice but to declare her guilty.
The judge shook his head and was about to strike the gavel to deliver the verdict.
But at that moment, Keisuke Kumiko suddenly stood up again.
—"Your Honor, I still have some questions regarding this case and would like to request the summoning of new witnesses."
The judges exchanged glances.
Conan frowned, looking at Keisuke Kumiko's confident expression, and suddenly had a bad feeling.
Could it be that...
He forced himself to suppress his inner unease and maintain a steady mindset.
Impossible. The truth he had determined must be correct, and the defendant had also admitted at the time that she was the one who killed someone.
There could only be one absolute truth.
After a brief discussion, the judge struck the gavel and said:
—"Permission to call new witnesses is granted!"
Shortly after, a burly middle-aged man and another middle-aged man with graying hair entered the courtroom.
Hiroo Tsuchio had been invited to an uninhabited island, pretending to be a director.
Renzo Kotani, the butler of Lavender Villa, had also been invited to the uninhabited island to handle the food and daily life of the Detective Koshien participants.
—"Mr. Tsuchio, please tell us what you knew at that time."
Keisuke smiled as he looked at them.
The statuses of these two individuals were different.
Hiroo Tsuchio appeared very nervous, a hesitant look on his face.
Renzo Kotani seemed a bit uneasy and frightened, perhaps already guessing why he had been summoned to court.
—"I... I..."
Hiroo Tsuchio stammered, speaking incoherently.
He tried to suppress his nervousness and took a deep breath.
—"The real murderer of Tokatsu Junya was not Miss Koshimizu, but me!"
Upon hearing these words, the entire audience was stunned.
The courtroom erupted into chaos.
No one had expected that something seemingly settled would take such a turn!
—"That's impossible!"
Conan slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly.
He stared at Hiroo Tsuchio's face.
The murderer had already been identified and had admitted to the crime. Moreover, there was a clear chain of evidence. How could there be another twist?!
—"I am telling the truth!"
Hiroo Tsuchio declared loudly, pointing at Renzo Kotani, whose expression had changed.
—"The real mastermind behind all this is this man! Because of the death of Miss Lavender Villa a year ago, he bribed Tokatsu Junya to go to the police station and alter the truth, which led to the suicide of the villa's maid, Mizuguchi Kana. Now he has been threatening me to silence Tokatsu Junya. Everything was planned by him!"
Hiroo Tsuchio revealed the truth of the matter before the court.
Everyone present wore different expressions.
Some were stunned, while others watched in shock.
The truth Hiroo Tsuchio spoke of was a complete reversal.
—"You're talking nonsense! How could this be?!"
Conan was genuinely anxious this time, nearly lunging from the special witness stand.
—"Kid, I'm very curious. How can you be so sure that someone else didn't do this?"
Keisuke lifted the corners of his lips, watching Conan's near-breakdown expression.
That expression was truly delightful.
—"Because, because..."
Faced with Kumiko's question, Conan hesitated and couldn't answer for a moment.
At that time, some people had suspected Hiroo Tsuchio , the detective from Hakuba who had not appeared in court, but this conclusion was quickly overturned by Hattori Heiji.
Detectives had always believed that reasoning must align with real-world logic.
Analyzing the scene, this person was a "red herring" commonly found in homicide cases.
—"Isn't it obvious?"
Hattori Heiji stood up, pointed at Hiroo, and shouted loudly.
—"How could someone like him commit murder? The situation at the scene doesn't fit the detective's reasoning!"
—"Ah, logical reasoning."
Keisuke Kumiko's eyes seemed to smile.
He stood up from his chair, looking at the two detectives who were losing control.
—"Excuse me, what... are you talking about?"
—"Logical reasoning? Identifying the murderer randomly based on things like that?"
—"Just from the so-called crime scene, the so-called clues, picking up any evidence you see with joy, as if you've found what you believe to be the truth."
—"You don't consider the cause and effect behind the entire case, the interpersonal relationships of those involved, the methods they might use, the possible grudges and enmities they have... You consider nothing."
—"You only look at the scene."
—"The crime scene is everything. Whoever is at the crime scene is the murderer, the truth. Whoever is not at the crime scene is 'interference.'"
—"Excuse me, do you treat murder as a game? Do you see it as a reasoning game?"
—"Life is not a game, and life is not a joke."
—"What qualifications do you have to shout about life? What qualifications do you have to find the real killer for the victim?"
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(End of chapter)