Winning is everything: Conan

Ryuzaki Seonan, appeared in chapter 6, changes to Ryusu Masami

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Inside the courtroom, quite a few people were already seated, scattered across the benches in the outer hall, including reporters from the prosecutor's office, the police, and various newspapers and media outlets.

Even though this was just a simple homicide case in Beika City, in this modern society where competition for public opinion is becoming increasingly fierce, many reporters—operating under the belief that even a small amount of news is valuable—had set their sights on this place, eagerly waiting to obtain some intelligence.

"Mr. Kumiko, as a new lawyer, this is your first trial in your legal career. What are your thoughts on it?"

"Your first case is a criminal homicide case, and your opponents are subordinates of Prosecutor Kujo. Are you confident in winning?"

"What do you have to say about the parties involved in this criminal case?"

As soon as Keisuke entered the courtroom, he was immediately surrounded by several journalists. They continuously took pictures with their cameras, shoving microphones so close to his mouth that they nearly touched him.

Keisuke Kumiko coughed lightly twice, smiled, and raised his hands, signaling the reporters to quiet down.

"The law is absolutely fair. It will not let a bad person go free, nor will it wrongly accuse a good person. Even though I am a rookie lawyer, I cannot stand injustice in the world. Based on my conviction to uphold justice, I will do my best to prove my client's innocence."

His words were firm, powerful, and righteous—almost as if they were absolute truth.

The only thing missing was the word "justice" written across his face.

Among the reporters, a sharp-eyed man immediately asked, "Mr. Kumiko, are you saying that the suspect in this case was wrongfully accused?"

"Of course! My client is absolutely innocent!"

The reporters' eyes lit up as they immediately sensed a story. Each one of them eagerly opened their notebooks, jotting down notes.

Clearly, something was happening here!

Tokyo's homicide rate is well known throughout the country—even worldwide.

However, after judicial trials, very few suspects manage to prove their complete innocence. Most defense lawyers only aim for reduced sentences.

Why?

Thanks to the presence of several famous detectives and the decisive actions of the Prosecutor's Office, Japan's criminal prosecution success rate has remained consistently above 95%. (In reality, it's 99.9%.)

Only the very best can successfully fight back against the system—people like Eri Kisaki of Kisaki Law Firm, the "Invincible Queen" of the legal world, who is known as a legendary undefeated lawyer.

And now, out of nowhere, a new lawyer claims he will win his case. And he's a rookie…?!

Tomorrow's headlines will definitely have a lot of juicy details!

"Is he just a fearless newborn calf, or is he truly gold that will withstand the fire? Let's wait and see!"

The reporters reported excitedly on their screens.

After finishing the interview, Keisuke Kumiko glanced through the crowd in the hallway and soon spotted several familiar figures.

His opponent in this debate was Assistant Prosecutor Ryusu Masami, his boss Kujo Reiko, and… a boy in a blue shirt and bowtie.

"Are you ready to face your first defeat in your debut career?"

On the way to the arbitration chamber, Ryusu Masami approached him with a provocative remark.

Keisuke Kumiko simply rolled his eyes at this small-time character and didn't even bother responding.

"Hmph!"

Seeing that the other party ignored him, Ryusu Masami could only put on a stern face and snort coldly.

Kujo Reiko, on the other hand, wore a serious expression and said nothing.

She probably understood Kumiko's personality, so she knew that trying to persuade him at this moment would be useless.

Behind them, Conan looked at Keisuke intently but remained silent.

Both parties entered the arbitration chamber and took their respective seats.

Inside the arbitration chamber, people continued to fill the audience seats—mostly journalists, along with some curious onlookers.

Before long, a uniformed judge with a badge, along with three jurors, arrived and took their seats at the top.

As the judicial police brought the suspect, Masayoshi Sakaguchi, to the defendant's bench, the judicial trial officially began.

In Japan, trials are conducted with a jury.

The court ruled that either a panel of three judges and six jurors or one judge and three jurors would jointly hear and judge the case.

The judge is a member of the judicial community, while jurors are selected randomly from ordinary Japanese citizens. Usually, they have no connection to the judicial community and nothing to do with the case. During the trial, the judge must listen to the opinions of these jurors.

The litigation model follows the Western adversarial system, meaning that the people at the top only decide whether the person is guilty or not, while the actual trial process depends on the debate between the two opposing sides. Whoever has stronger evidence and a better legal argument wins.

After the judge announced the start of the session, the prosecutor was the first to read the indictment.

"On the night of April 30th, the defendant, Masayoshi Sakaguchi, invited the victim, Tsuyoshi Maehara, to his home. At nine o'clock in the evening, he contacted Maehara by phone and instructed him to come upstairs. He remotely gave orders to the dog on the second floor via phone, causing the dog to attack and kill the victim. This act violates Article 199 of the Japanese Penal Code and constitutes indirect intentional homicide. The prosecution hereby requests that the court convict him according to the law."

Ryusu Masami read the indictment fluently.

Kujo Reiko nodded in approval. Although this assistant prosecutor had only been with her for a short time, he was already doing quite well.

"So, does the defendant admit to this crime?"

The judge asked after hearing the accusation.

"I—"

"Objection!"

Masayoshi Sakaguchi had barely uttered a word before Kumiko's voice interrupted him.

Keisuke Kumiko shot him a glance, signaling him to remain silent and let his defense lawyer handle everything.

"Defense attorney, you may speak."

"I object to this indictment. My client is absolutely innocent!"

Keisuke Kumiko slammed the table, stood up, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"This is an unjust case! The Metropolitan Police Department and the Prosecutor's Office are incompetent in handling this case. They have framed my client without any solid evidence!"

Everyone in the courtroom—including the judges, the prosecution, and the audience in the back—was in an uproar.

Some had expected the defense lawyer to argue for a not-guilty plea, but no one anticipated such an aggressive stance, going so far as to outright criticize the Metropolitan Police and the Prosecutor's Office.

At that moment, all the jurors seated in the judge's section turned their eyes toward the prosecution with visible confusion in their expressions.

Perfect. Even before the formal debate begins, some people at the top are already starting to waver.

Keisuke Kumiko secretly nodded to himself.

This was one of the advantages of Japan's jury system.

Because jurors could only be ordinary citizens with no legal background or formal judicial education, they could only judge the right or wrong of a case based on their own simple sense of justice and moral values.

Therefore, their stance—or their conviction and sentencing decision—could easily be swayed by certain factors.

For example, emotions.

Keisuke deliberately displayed a strong attitude to shake the jurors' emotions and plant the seeds for the final verdict.

In this world, the law is just, but those who enforce it are still human. True justice will always depend on the hearts of the people.

(End of Chapter)