Winning is everything: Conan

Not only Hiroshi Daily, but also other media outlets such as Sakurada Evening News, Sato Shimbun, and Oyama Media—as long as they had a high ranking in the local area—were contacted by Keisuke Kumiko, who sent them the photos of Nakamichi Kazushi being violently interrogated.

The power of the media was truly strong. In just two days, negative news about the Chiba Prefectural Police was everywhere—in newspapers, magazines, and local websites.

> "Is the dark age of the Japanese police coming again?"

"This kind of police is a disgrace to our country!"

"I hope there are fewer tax thieves in the judicial system, so they don't waste our yen!"

"Fire them!"

These were all comments from netizens on various internet forums.

Even the top three search results on the local website were occupied by this incident.

When it comes to official scandals, the Japanese people react as if they've encountered enemy spies.

The media took advantage of this sentiment and spread the news widely, attracting a lot of traffic. After all, people nowadays love to watch this kind of drama.

---

"Public opinion is much more intense than I expected."

In the guest room of Nakamichi and the others, Ai was lying on her side on the tatami, resting her head on her left hand, one foot propped up on the other, while holding Kumiko's smartphone in her right hand, scrolling up and down lazily.

"I can already picture what your future will be like after you get married."

Keisuke Kumiko looked at the girl lying there.

"Staying home all day, browsing the internet when you have nothing to do, too lazy to go out, taking three-hour naps every day, procrastinating household chores for a whole week, and ending up with three layers of fat on your belly, shaking like a tire."

"So, are you saying I'll be a housewife?"

Ai remained still, her eyes blank, looking as lifeless as a dead fish.

"Sorry, I've never thought about getting married. Japanese housewives aren't my thing. I don't understand why women have to go in that direction and why they have to become men's vassals."

Kumiko raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't realize you were such an 'independent woman'."

"What, you have a problem with that?"

"No, I was just thinking about a certain girl with horns. It's a striking contrast."

"Oh, Mouri Ran."

Ai immediately understood who Kumiko was talking about. After all, there was no one else in the world with that hairstyle.

After thinking for a moment, Ai spoke seriously.

"Ran is a good person. You're not allowed to do anything to her in the future. I mean in terms of lawsuits."

Kumiko refused outright.

"Sorry, whether I do something or not depends on whether it benefits me."

"You..." Ai shook her head. "You really don't have any friends, do you?"

Kumiko looked at her.

"And you?"

"..."

Ai said nothing more.

At their core, the two of them were the same—neither would ever have friends.

---

After a brief pause, Ai changed the subject.

"Now that public opinion is where we need it, we should have a good chance of winning the second trial."

She returned to discussing Nakamichi Kazushi's lawsuit.

"The Tokyo High Court has a hearing scheduled for next week, so the second trial should go smoothly."

Kumiko nodded.

"How's the information I asked you to gather over the past two days?"

"Of course, I've obtained a lot. I saved everything on a USB drive and will print them out soon."

"Good." Kumiko was satisfied.

This assistant had really been the right choice.

Ai was truly a genius girl with many talents.

In addition to her expertise in legal and biological research, she was also highly skilled in cyber intelligence. No matter the website or personal social media account, she could extract the information she needed with just a few operations.

"Are you really a seven-year-old?" Kumiko exclaimed.

Ai rolled her eyes.

"Actually, I'm eighteen."

"I'd believe it even if you said you were eighty-eight."

Of course, Kumiko knew about Ai's previous organization, but they had never spoken about it.

Ai kept it hidden, and Kumiko pretended not to know.

That was how the two managed to get along for now.

---

"Alright, it's time to go."

Keisuke Kumiko checked the time.

It was 12:30 PM.

At around 1:00 PM, the Chiba Prefectural District Court would hold a post-trial hearing regarding Nakamichi Kazushi's first trial.

---

What is a post-trial hearing?

It's a concept of justice in this world.

After a first-instance verdict, the defendant has 14 days to file an appeal.

The appeal must be submitted in writing, clearly stating the reasons for the appeal and including any unreasonable circumstances that occurred during the first trial—such as doubts about certain evidence, issues with judicial procedures, etc. If there are no unreasonable circumstances, an appeal cannot be filed.

The post-trial hearing will first address these issues that arose in the first trial.

If the defendant wins, the first-instance court will refer the case to the High Court for a second trial.

The second trial will completely overturn all aspects of the first trial, meaning all debates, evidence collection, and arguments will start from scratch.

---

Well, the details are different from my previous life.

In the past, the second-instance trial did not start over, but in this world, the criminal base rate is too high, making judicial errors very likely.

The judicial system follows the presumption of innocence and the principle that "it is better to let a thousand guilty people go free than to wrongly punish one innocent person."

Because of this worldview, the judicial process has become much more complicated.

---

Kumiko and Ai packed up their things and left for the Chiba Prefectural District Court.

The roads in Chiba Prefecture were easy to navigate, without the complex commercial streets found in Tokyo.

After taking a bus and walking five minutes, they arrived at a two-story building.

---

"Hmm?"

Keisuke Kumiko looked around and spotted several familiar figures in the crowd outside the courthouse.

Mouri Ran, a girl with a distinct horn-shaped hairstyle, stood there next to a mustached man.

The people over there had sharp eyes too.

When Ran saw Kumiko approaching, she initially looked angry.

But when she noticed Ai, who was wearing a mask beside him, her expression of anger turned into surprise.

"Haibara Ai... You're Little Ai, right?"

She stepped forward and quickly ran over.

"Where have you been these past few days? Conan said you left and dropped out of school. No one could find you, and he was really worried about you!"

With tears in her eyes, Ran reached out to hug Ai's shoulders.

But Ai silently stepped aside, avoiding her embrace.

"Ai, what's wrong?"

Ran asked anxiously, looking puzzled.

Ai remained silent for a moment before shaking her head.

"You must be mistaken. My name is Kumiko, not Haibara."

Ran was stunned.

The voice coming from the girl's mouth had a similar tone, but it wasn't the one she had heard in the past.

Moreover, her hair and eyes looked somewhat different.

Ran took a step back and examined Ai from head to toe.

---

(End of Chapter)