Winning is everything: Conan

As Sugita Sanae's testimony came to an end, the defendant was now in a favorable position.

Not only did the people in the gallery, but also the jurors above and even the judge, show expressions of approval.

"Damn it, so this was that guy's plan!"

Ryusu Masami suddenly realized it at this moment, and the eyes behind his square-framed glasses stared intently at Keisuke Kumiko, who remained calm in front of him.

Keisuke Kumiko had not refuted his claim of "direct evidence" at that moment but had simply admitted to it. Initially, this was beneficial to the prosecution, but unexpectedly, the witness's testimony completely turned against the defendant.

This had the opposite effect.

Since direct evidence is stronger than indirect evidence, and everyone had already acknowledged it as direct evidence, its credibility had been established.

Once the witness's stance shifted to the other side, the strength of the direct evidence also shifted, making it extremely difficult to counter.

—You still lack experience!

In the audience seats below, Reiko Kujo, the Madonna of the prosecutors, looked at Ryusu Masami, who was growing anxious, and shook her head in disappointment.

She had praised him just a moment ago, yet now his true colors were showing.

If it were her, she would have cross-examined the witness in various ways, making her repeat the details she heard over the phone and demonstrate them on the spot. The moment the other party revealed any inconsistency, she would latch onto it like a snake. Eventually, the false testimony would unravel like peeling painted skin.

"They were students in the same class, so why is there such a vast gap between them?"

Reiko Kujo looked at Ryusu Masami, then at Kumiko, with a hint of disappointment.

At this moment, Keisuke Kumiko began speaking calmly.

"Well said! Legal fairness must exist, and justice must prevail! Miss Sugita, it is thanks to people like you that the world has become so kind!"

He followed the audience outside the courtroom and pretended to applaud.

He didn't even feel ashamed saying such a blatant lie.

If telling lies could produce gold, Keisuke Kumiko would have built a castle dozens of times bigger than the Twilight Annex.

"It is evident that my client was a victim of a setup by the Metropolitan Police Department! Some unscrupulous police officers began accusing and convicting people arbitrarily just to increase the crime clearance rate! The prosecution also abetted this wrongdoing and went along with it! Do you all remember the dark era of law enforcement in Japan in the past century?"

As soon as he said this, everyone in the courtroom fell silent.

The 1990s were a dark period for Japanese law enforcement. At that time, negative news about the police surfaced one after another—violent law enforcement, torture to extract confessions, collusion between superiors and subordinates, and corruption rapidly eroded the public's trust in the police.

This situation did not improve until the new millennium when the National Police Agency (not the Metropolitan Police Department, but the agency overseeing the police) formulated the "Police Reform Plan," gradually restoring the reputation of Japanese law enforcement.

Keisuke Kumiko's words made everyone reflect.

The judges and magistrates of the court nodded.

A considerable number of people had lived through that time and strongly resonated with his statement.

"Objection!"

Seeing that the atmosphere was turning unfavorable, Ryusu Masami grew anxious and quickly stood up.

"The defense attorney's statement has nothing to do with this trial and is a provocative speech!"

The judge looked at Keisuke Kumiko and struck the gavel. "Objection sustained. Please have the defense attorney stay on topic!"

Keisuke Kumiko shrugged and sat down.

However, the smile on his lips remained unchanged.

Even though the judge had sustained the objection, his goal had already been achieved.

At that moment, in Kumiko's view, the judge and the three jurors had favorability and recognition bars above their heads, which had significantly increased as Sugita Sanae testified.

Moreover, from the very beginning, Kumiko had consistently maintained that the defendant was not guilty, making everyone start to doubt the validity of the case.

The scales representing justice had begun to tilt at this moment.

On the other hand, the direct evidence now favored the defendant, and the courtroom atmosphere had shifted in their favor.

Ryusu Masami knew that he might not win this trial.

—Damn it, I won't give up so easily!

—He secretly gritted his teeth.

At this moment, the only option left was to present the final piece of evidence.

This was what Kogoro Mori had initially deduced—about the specific commands Masayoshi Sakaguchi had used to train his dog.

As long as the commands matched the dog's trained behavior, this evidence would be valid.

However, even so, it was now extremely difficult to defeat the opponent.

Since the other side now had "direct evidence," even if the dog's training commands matched, they would, at best, be considered "indirect evidence." Indirect evidence could not compete with direct evidence and would likely be deemed "insufficient."

The only option here was to request a postponement of the trial, extend the case, and use that time to find an opportunity to gather more evidence to overturn the opponent's advantage.

After considering this, Ryusu Masami stood up.

—This court requests to present new evidence!

—Request granted!

The judge struck the gavel.

Sugita Sanae was then escorted out.

Shortly after, the judicial police brought in a large cage containing a German Shepherd, along with a tape recorder and a phone.

"John!"

Masayoshi Sakaguchi, who had remained silent until now, couldn't help but call out.

Inside the cage was his beloved dog.

"Now, please cooperate with me in this demonstration!"

Ryusu Masami took out a mobile phone from his pocket.

According to the evidence submitted by the Metropolitan Police Department, Masayoshi Sakaguchi's commands included the following steps:

Dial the phone number and let it ring. Once the call is connected, use the tape recorder to play the ringing sound. Then, Masayoshi Sakaguchi gives the corresponding command, prompting the dog to attack.

Ryusu Masami verbally outlined these steps to the court.

"If the defendant's commands can indeed trigger the dog's attack behavior, then this proves the possibility that the defendant had a motive to train the dog to kill and the opportunity to carry out the act!"

At the very least, they needed to establish a motive for the crime and prolong the trial.

"The defendant and the defense attorney have no objections to this request, correct?"

Long Ryusu Masami looked at Keisuke Kumiko.

"Of course, I have no objections. After all, we are innocent!"

Keisuke Kumiko remained composed, extending his hand as an inviting gesture.

Ryusu Masami frowned. The other party's attitude hadn't changed at all.

Could this guy have a backup plan?

Suppressing the unease in his heart, Ryusu Masami handed the phone to Masayoshi Sakaguchi.

Masayoshi Sakaguchi looked at Kumiko beside him, his eyes filled with concern.

No matter how eloquent Kumiko had been earlier or how he had manipulated the witnesses, the fact remained that he had trained the dog with specific commands.

As soon as this was demonstrated in court, it would immediately be exposed.

"Mr. Sakaguchi, be brave and proceed. Justice and truth will not be distorted or swayed by the other party's slander!"

Kumiko spoke righteously and even winked at him.

Thus, Masayoshi Sakaguchi had no choice but to comply with the prosecutor's request and use his phone to make the call.

"Beep, beep!"

Masayoshi Sakaguchi's phone rang.

His phone was quite old-fashioned, the kind people used in the past century, making its ringtone highly recognizable.

Upon hearing the ringtone, the German Shepherd in the cage stood up, folded its hind legs, and made a forward lunging motion, appearing ready to attack.

—Here we go!

Ryusu Masami's eyes lit up.

The German Shepherd's behavior matched exactly what the Metropolitan Police Department had previously demonstrated!

Now, as long as the subsequent training commands matched, the evidence would be considered valid, and the defendant would not be able to escape.

(End of Chapter)