Case NOT Closed (Patreon)

Chapter 26: Not suitable

Not only the Kojiro Daily News but also other news media, such as the Sakurada Evening News, the Sato News, and the Koyama Media, as long as they are locally prominent, contacted them. They sent photos of Nakamichi Kazushi undergoing violent interrogations.

The power of the media was indeed formidable. In just two days, negative news about the Chiba Prefectural Police filled the headlines of major local newspapers, magazines, and computer websites.

"Is Japan's Dark Age of the Police Returning?"

"These police officers are a disgrace to our country!"

"Hope the judicial authorities can reduce tax theft and not waste our tax money!"

"Fire them!"

The above are comments from netizens on various online forums.

Even the search engine on local websites had the top three results dominated by this incident.

When it comes to scandals involving the authorities, the attitude of the Japanese people is as if they've encountered enemy spies.

The media also seized on this and publicized it extensively, drawing a lot of traffic, as people nowadays love to read about such scandals.

"The public opinion is much more intense than I imagined."

In the guest room of Nakamichi house, Ai lay on the tatami mat, supporting her head with her left hand, one foot resting on the other, and her right hand holding Kensuke's smartphone, leisurely scrolling up and down.

"I can imagine what your married life will be like in the future."

Kensuke glanced at the posture of this little girl lying down.

"Lying at home all day, always online, too lazy to go out, taking a three-hour nap every day, leaving a week's worth of housework to be done in one day, and having three layers of fat on your belly, shaking like a tire."

"Uh, are you suggesting I'll be a housewife in the future?"

Ai lay still, rolled her eyes upwards, just like a dead fish.

"Sorry, due to something I would rather not tell, I've never thought about getting married, much less being a housewife, and I don't understand why women have to go in that direction, why they have to become dependent on men."

Kensuke raised an eyebrow, "Hm? Really? I can't tell at all.”

"How about it, do you have any objections?"

"No, I just remembered a certain girl with horns, quite a contrast."

"Oh, Mouri Ran."

Ai knew immediately who Kensuke was talking about, after all, there couldn't be two people in the world with that hairstyle.

Ai thought for a moment and said seriously, "Ran is a good person, you're not allowed to go after her in the future. I mean in terms of legal battles."

Kensuke declined outright, "Sorry, whether I go after her or not depends on whether it benefits me."

"You're such a person..." Ai shook her head, "Do you have any friends?"

Kensuke gave her a sideways glance, "That’s a secret, what about you?"

"..."

Ai didn't say anything more.

Both of them are well aware of their less than pleasant personality and lack of friend making skill. In essence, both of them were the same, people who wouldn't have any friends.

After a pause, Ai redirected the conversation back to the lawsuit of Nakamichi Kazushi,

"The public opinion is about right now, so there should be a good chance in the post-trial appeal. The Tokyo High Court has a slot available for next week's appointment, and the second trial should proceed smoothly as well."

Kensuke nodded, "How's the information you've collected over the past few days?"

"Of course, I've gathered quite a lot, I have it stored on a USB drive, and I can print it out soon."

"Very good," Kensuke said with satisfaction.

This assistant was indeed the right choice.

Haibara Ai, the genius girl, had a wide range of skills.

Not to mention law and biological research, on the electronic network side, she was skilled at hacking into systems. Regardless of the website or personal social accounts, with a few clicks, she could obtain the information she wanted.

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

Ai rolled her eyes like a dead fish, "Actually, I'm eighteen."

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

Kensuke knew about Ai's past organization, of course, but they hadn't discussed it, and Ai had kept it from him. For now, they were getting along this way.

"Alright, we should head out," Kensuke said, checking the time.

It was currently half-past twelve.

Around one in the afternoon, there would be a post-trial appeal for the first trial of Nakamichi Kazushi at the Chiba County District Court.

What is a post-trial appeal?

This is a legal concept in this world.

After the first trial verdict, the defendant has a 14-day window to file an appeal.

Appealing requires submitting a statement of appeal, in which you must clearly state the reasons for the appeal. This must include any unreasonable aspects of the first trial, such as doubts about certain evidence or judicial procedures, and if there are no unreasonable circumstances, an appeal cannot be made.

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

If the defendant wins in the post-trial appeal, the case will then be submitted to the High Court for a second trial.

The second trial will completely overturn all aspects of the first trial, including all debates and evidence, starting anew.

Hmm, in terms of details, it's different from my previous life.

In my previous life, the judicial second trial didn't completely start over, but in this world, with a high crime rate, it's easy to have wrongful convictions. Based on the presumption of innocence and the principle of "better to let a thousand guilty go free than to convict one innocent," the legal proceedings are much more complex, specific to the world's unique evolution.

Kensuke and Ai packed up and then set off to the Chiba County District Court.

The roads in Chiba County are easy to recognize, not as complex as the commercial streets in Tokyo.

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

"Hmm?"

Kensuke glanced around and, among the crowd in front of the courthouse, spotted several familiar figures.

There was the iconic girl, Ran, with her distinctive hair bun, and next to her was an older man with a mustache.

The girls were also quite sharp-eyed, and when Ran saw Kensuke, she initially displayed an angry expression, but when she saw Ai, who was wearing a mask next to Kensuke, her angry expression turned into surprise.

"Ai– you're Haibara Ai, right?"

She took a brisk step and quickly rushed over.

"Where have you been these days? Conan said you left, and you even dropped out of school. Everyone couldn't find you, and we were all worried sick about you!"

Tears welled up in Ran's eyes as she reached out to hug Ai's shoulder.

Ai moved to the side silently, avoiding her embrace.

"Ai, what's wrong with you?"

Ran's tone was anxious and tinged with confusion.

Ai remained silent, her eyes closed, and then, she let out a silent sigh, opened her eyes and shook her head, "You've got the wrong person. My family name is Komemon, not Haibara."

Ran blinked in slight bewilderment.

The voice that came from the young girl in front of her sounded similar, but it wasn't the same as the one she had heard before.

Moreover, her hair and eyes looked somewhat different.

Ran took a step back and carefully examined Ai's appearance.