Winning is everything: Conan

For a moment, Reiko Kujo felt a bit panicked.

The reason she was called the "Madonna of Prosecutors" was because she took her job seriously and carefully analyzed every case. Before filing a lawsuit, she would simulate the tactics of various opponents in her mind.

But now, Keisuke Kumiko's behavior had exceeded her expectations, going beyond the scope of her previous simulations.

Coupled with the influence of her menstrual cycle, she suddenly lost her composure.

"Please allow the witnesses to state their opinions."

At that moment, the judge struck the gavel, and the trial continued.

Well then, let's start with Kogoro Mouri.

"Around six o'clock in the evening, Kazushi invited Yumi to the billiard room at the hot spring hotel. After they played a fierce game of pool and worked up a sweat, Kazushi escorted Yumi back to her room. At that time, around 6:30, as fireworks went off outside, Kazushi shot her with a gun he had picked up. Because Yumi had exercised intensely beforehand, her body stiffened prematurely, creating the illusion that her time of death had been earlier than it actually was..."

Kogoro Mouri spoke each word firmly, with a determined expression.

He had personally carried out the reasoning process, so he was absolutely certain it was correct.

At that moment, both Nakamichi Kazushi had also admitted it.

When it came to matters involving his classmates, Kogoro Mouri took things particularly seriously. Now, he only hoped that Kazushi would plead guilty as soon as possible and go to prison to atone for his crime.

"This method has been confirmed by the prosecution and is valid!"

Reiko Kujo took Kogoro Mouri's words, gathered her scattered thoughts, stood up, and spoke loudly.

"There are now four witnesses, and all of them have identified the criminal as Nakamichi Kazushi. This number of people alone is sufficient evidence!"

After saying that, Reiko Kujo looked at Keisuke, her eyes filled with anticipation.

Come on, Keisuke, use your dirty tricks!

There are three more witnesses left. Surely, you've done something to them, haven't you?

They must have used all kinds of tricks, even bribing witnesses and making them change their testimonies!

Let me tear your disguise apart bit by bit!

Reiko Kujo kept shouting in her heart.

However, in response to Kogoro Mouri's testimony, Keisuke showed no reaction.

Still smiling, he reached out and gestured to the remaining three witnesses, signaling for them to continue testifying.

Then, the remaining witnesses began giving their statements.

Their testimonies were similar to Kogoro Mouri's, with almost identical details.

There was absolutely no sign of manipulation.

"..."

What is happening?

What's going on?

Weren't the witnesses bribed?

Reiko Kujo stared blankly at Kumiko's face.

At this moment, she couldn't understand what Keisuke Kumiko was doing at all.

"Please allow the defendant's attorney to present his opinion,"

came the judge's voice from above.

—Well, I have a question.

Keisuke Kumiko smiled slightly, stepped down from the lawyer's seat, and positioned himself in front of the four witnesses.

His gaze smoothly passed from the couple to the fat man.

"Excuse me, did you personally witness these accusations?"

The three witnesses, except for Kogoro Mouri, looked at each other and shook their heads.

"Although we didn't see it with our own eyes, it was my deduction!"

Kogoro Mouri frowned slightly, looking at Kumiko's face with seriousness.

He had never had direct contact with Keisuke Kumiko before.

However, Conan had mentioned to him once that the defense attorney in this case would be pleading not guilty.

After learning about the lawyer's identity, his daughter, Ran Mouri, also said that he was a very annoying person with a terrible personality.

Moreover, Inspector Megure, an old acquaintance of his, also disapproved of this man.

"No matter what kind of person you are, if you want to argue for innocence, you have to surpass us first! Kazushi killed someone, and he was an important classmate of ours. He must atone for it!"

Kogoro Mouri puffed out his chest, his voice strong and filled with moral righteousness.

The other three witnesses, influenced by his emotion, nodded one after another.

"What a great bond between classmates! That feeling of wanting to send your best friend to prison is truly heart-wrenching."

Keisuke smiled slightly and clapped his hands.

Kogoro Mouri couldn't help but frown.

He really didn't like this guy. His way of speaking and his smile were incredibly irritating.

"Then, answer my question first."

Kumimon didn't look at Kogoro Mouri but instead focused on the other three witnesses.

"You just said that those accusatory testimonies weren't things you personally saw. So, where did they come from?"

"I already told you, I deduced them!"

Kogoro Mouri spoke from the side.

"Oh, so you just heard them!"

Keisuke Kumiko made an expression of sudden realization and muttered to himself.

"So this isn't 'original evidence,' but 'hearsay evidence'..."

"What do you mean?"

Kogoro Mouri frowned. He wasn't knowledgeable about the law. That was his wife, Eri Kisaki's, area of expertise, so he didn't understand what Keisuke was getting at.

But Reiko Kujo, standing nearby, furrowed her brows.

So-called "original evidence" refers to firsthand evidence that has not been transferred in any way, such as direct observation and original documents.

Hearsay evidence, on the other hand, refers to indirect evidence, coming from non-primary sources, such as passing along what one has heard from others, transcripts, photocopies, etc.

The strength of hearsay evidence is much weaker than that of original evidence.

Because there is a possibility of manipulation.

Strictly speaking, all of these witnesses were providing hearsay evidence or indirect evidence.

Moreover, except for Kogoro Mouri's own reasoning, the testimonies of the other three witnesses were based on his reasoning, making them even weaker than his and largely identical to his statement. This kind of evidence was almost nonexistent.

Damn it, how could this be possible!

After realizing this, seeing Kumiko's smiling face, Reiko Kujo completely panicked.

She had planned everything, but she never expected that Keisuke Kumiko wouldn't resort to questionable tactics and would instead refute her using legal concepts!

The worst part was that she hadn't thought ahead about how to handle this situation!

Because the other party's argument was very reasonable, the testimonies of these four witnesses were incredibly weak.

What should I do? How do I deal with this?

...

"So that's your plan."

In the audience, watching Reiko Kujo's obviously distracted expression, Ai nodded in understanding.

She was a smart girl, and after this brief confrontation, she grasped all the details of the situation.

Reiko Kujo understood Keisuke, but Keisuke also understood Reiko Kujo.

The saying that the same move can't be used twice against a Saint Seiya—what Keisuke had said earlier meant that he wouldn't use methods his opponent was familiar with.

So, the best way to counterattack was to use his legal knowledge.

Everyone, including Kogoro Mouri and Reiko Kujo, had only focused on Kumiko's personality and suspected he would use underhanded means to fight the case.

However, they all forgot that Keisuke Kumiko's legal skills were actually quite strong.

His stack of A+ exam grades was proof of his expertise in law.

Like Picasso, whose abstract paintings made people think he was only about abstraction, but in reality, his fundamental painting skills were excellent.

Kumiko took advantage of Reiko Kujo's misjudgment and caught her off guard.

"..."

Ai remained silent, watching the smile on Keisuke Kumiko's face. That hateful expression seemed to indicate his plan had succeeded.

This guy really had a talent for playing with people's minds.

The other side had already lost the case.

(End)