Yuu Hoshimiya approached the bald manager, Takuya Akiyama, and asked, "Mr. Akiyama, I have only one question. After 9:00 PM, you saw the victim, President Otsu, being beaten. If I may ask, did you see the faces of the people in the office?"
Takuya Akiyama: "Actually, I didn't see the people in the office."
"Then what did you see?"
"I saw the light from outside the window shining on the two people, casting their shadows on the wall."
Hearing Takuya Akiyama say this, Reiko Kujo was immediately alarmed.
Yuu chuckled lightly, "In other words, you didn't see Mr. Inoue beating anyone with your own eyes. Shadows can easily be staged. Thank you, Your Honor, I have no further questions."
Yuu turned and walked back to the defense table.
His single question hit the nail on the head, once again sparking discussion among the spectators.
Reiko Kujo frowned, her gaze toward Yuu becoming increasingly serious.
It seemed she had underestimated him; the police's special consultant did indeed have some skills.
As soon as Yuu sat back down, he noticed the admiring looks from Eri Kisaki and Midori Kuriyama, and couldn't help but raise a smug eyebrow.
Sure enough, in the Conan world, the fastest way to increase affection was still solving cases and making deductions.
Even beauties who had already been conquered and were deeply in love looked at him with eyes dripping with affection. With other beauties, this performance alone would likely be enough to secure a date and a hookup.
After sitting down, Yuu's right hand returned to the smooth black stockings, continuing the words he had left unfinished. The secretary's face turned red once again.
Eri noticed this but chose to ignore it.
What if she stopped Yuu, and those restless hands returned to her legs?
Compared to the relatively inconspicuous assistant, she was much more eye-catching, and the chances of her little movements being discovered were much higher.
Moreover, she needed to focus on her old rival Reiko Kujo's questioning of Masahiko Arima and couldn't afford to be distracted.
So, Midori Kuriyama would just have to bear it for now.
...
At the far left of the defense table, Midori Kuriyama kept her head lowered, her face so red she didn't dare let anyone see her.
Her eyes were misty, her small hands tightly gripping the documents in front of her. She endured it bitterly like a frightened quail, absolutely not daring to intervene and stop him.
Wave after wave of increasingly intense stimulation, the movements becoming more and more outrageous, pushed Midori Kuriyama almost past her limit; her body couldn't help but tremble slightly.
Yuu-kun, we're in a courtroom! You can't do this!
But Yuu never knew the meaning of restraint; instead, he became even more brazen.
Knowing magic allowed one to be this capricious.
The judge above called out repeatedly.
"Defense counsel, please cross-examine!"
"Defense counsel, please cross-examine!"
Only then did Yuu stop his "extracurricular" activities with his hands, stand up, and walk to the center of the courtroom.
Meanwhile, Midori Kuriyama let out a long breath.
Yuu approached Masahiko Arima. "Mr. Arima, the deceased, Mr. Otsu, was your father-in-law. On the night of the incident, he had dinner at your restaurant, and then told you he had to go back to the office for something, correct?"
Masahiko Arima nodded in agreement.
Yuu continued, "Then you noticed he had left his reading glasses at the restaurant, so you brought them over. Afterward, you went up to the second floor with the manager and saw the murder taking place inside through the window on the office door."
"Just as I pointed out earlier regarding the discrepancies, do you remember the time of the murder?"
Masahiko Arima was clearly prepared. "I remember it was after 9:00 PM!"
"Then why is there a discrepancy with the defendant's claim of 8:30 PM?"
Masahiko Arima sneered, "I wouldn't know about that. Perhaps the defendant gave a false testimony to escape a guilty verdict, and the prosecution simply missed it!"
"Then, Mr. Arima, please explain why the reading glasses were found on the floor at the crime scene. Furthermore, why was a small screw from the reading glasses found near the safe?"
Yuu's gaze turned intimidating.
"Under normal circumstances, the screws on reading glasses don't just fall out. Could it be that Mr. Otsu was already wearing his reading glasses, but was attacked from behind with the ashtray? Under the heavy blow, his body fell, the glasses flew off, and the screw popped out?"
Sweat immediately began to bead on Masahiko Arima's initially calm face. His eyes darted around, avoiding Yuu's gaze.
At this moment, the prosecution's Reiko Kujo stood up. "Objection! The defense counsel's statements are entirely speculative and lack any basis!"
Yuu frowned and glanced at Reiko Kujo. Anyone with eyes could see that Masahiko Arima's state was highly abnormal, and it was extremely likely that pressing him would reveal more of the inside story.
Yet she completely ignored this and jumped in to cause trouble.
Was winning against Eri Kisaki really more important than finding out the truth?
The judge looked at the two of them and banged his gavel. "Objection sustained. Defense counsel, please refrain from making speculative inquiries without evidence!"
Yuu shrugged, adopting an indifferent posture.
"Your Honor, then my questioning concludes here. Please call the next witness, Noriko Endo!"
Masahiko Arima let out a long sigh of relief.
However, at the prosecution table, Reiko Kujo's expression was somewhat grim. Yuu had managed to find flaws in the testimonies of the first two witnesses.
This meant that the credibility of the first two witnesses had already diminished in the judge's eyes. If Eri Kisaki argued for manslaughter based on this, the judge might very well rule that way.
In other words, Reiko Kujo was no longer guaranteed to win this showdown.
Consultant Hoshimiya, you've truly surprised me!
Reiko Kujo's slightly emerald eyes stared intently at Yuu, her mind filled with continuous amazement.
Watching Noriko Endo take her place in the center of the courtroom, she stood up for the third time and began her questioning.
Noriko Endo's performance was perfectly normal. All her answers matched exactly what Reiko Kujo had instructed her the day before.
At the defense table, Yuu wasn't even listening to Reiko Kujo's questioning. Completely disregarding this opponent, his hot, large hand rested on Midori Kuriyama's soft waist, causing the little assistant to grit her teeth as her body trembled continuously.
Finishing her questioning in the courtroom, Reiko Kujo glanced at Yuu at the defense table.
Seeing that Yuu wasn't looking at her, but rather had his head extremely close to Midori Kuriyama's, she felt a surge of irritation.
This was already the last witness. She wanted to see what kind of tricks Yuu could possibly come up with now!
This time, without waiting for the judge to speak, Yuu stood up.
He nodded to Midori Kuriyama beside him.
Midori Kuriyama then stood up and said, "Your Honor, regarding the trial of this case, we have new evidence to submit."
Hearing this, Reiko Kujo immediately frowned, and Masahiko Arima's face grew even more panicked.
A nearby guard took the manila envelope Midori Kuriyama handed over and presented it to the three judges on the bench. The three judges opened it to look, sparking a flurry of discussion among them.
Yuu walked to the center of the courtroom, looked at the composed Noriko Endo, and stated directly, "Miss Noriko, you are the murderer who killed President Toshiyuki Otsu, aren't you!"
His words were like a thunderclap. The audience in the gallery couldn't help but erupt into discussion, throwing the courtroom into chaos.
The defendant, Takashi Inoue, yelled, "What are you talking about? How could my daughter do such a thing!"
The judge hurriedly banged his gavel. "Order! Order in the court!"
The judge had to call out several times before the scene quieted down.
Reiko Kujo immediately stood up and said, "Objection! The defense counsel is accusing the witness of being the murderer without any proof. This constitutes slander!"
Yuu looked at Reiko Kujo and said calmly, "Having guest-starred in this lawyer role for a while, I've had my fill of it. But let's not forget, solving cases is my actual profession."
"After investigating yesterday, I've already uncovered the truth." He turned to look at the three judges. "Are Your Honors willing to facilitate a miscarriage of justice under your own gavel? If so, I will naturally remain silent."
"Moreover, it's not that I lack evidence. All the physical evidence has been submitted. Chief Prosecutor Kujo, since you don't understand the situation, please don't speak out of turn!"
"Your Honor, may I continue?"
The presiding judge looked at the two of them and banged his gavel. "Objection overruled. Defense, please begin your statement on this case!"
Reiko Kujo sat back down limply.
Meanwhile, the spectators in the gallery grew excited. They thought they were here to watch a dull judicial ruling, never expecting such a twist, nor did they expect to hear Consultant Hoshimiya's deduction show.
They all looked expectantly at Yuu in the center.
In the middle of the courtroom, Noriko Endo's face looked terrible. She kept her head down, not saying a word.
Yuu began, "Actually, on the night of the incident, President Otsu wasn't eating alone at Mr. Arima's Italian restaurant. He had a female companion with him, who was none other than President Otsu's mistress, Miss Noriko."
"And Miss Noriko happened to know that her biological father, Takashi Inoue, would be breaking into Otsu's agency office that night to commit a burglary."
"But President Otsu insisted on returning to the office for business. Miss Noriko, worried that the two would run into each other, returned to the office with Mr. Arima, with whom she also shares an unusual romantic relationship."
In the witness stand, Masahiko Arima's face instantly turned deathly pale.
Noriko Endo, as if someone had stepped on a sore spot, said angrily, "Nonsense! This is slander! I admit I had a relationship with President Otsu, but Mr. Arima and I have only met a few times. We have no relationship whatsoever."
A cold sneer appeared on Yuu's face.
"Is that so? Your clothing boutique and Mr. Arima's restaurant are barely a hundred meters apart, and you've only met a few times?"
"Then how do you explain the fact that you and Mr. Arima wear matching platinum couple's rings and couple's bracelets?"
Noriko Endo and Masahiko Arima simultaneously covered their hands and necks.
"And you previously stated that you became President Otsu's mistress five years ago. Coincidentally, five years ago was exactly when Mr. Arima became President Otsu's son-in-law. How do you explain that?"
"You keep insisting that you two have no special relationship. Then how do you explain these photos captured by surveillance cameras showing you entering and leaving hot spring inns together, kissing passionately in the same car, and traveling together?"
Yuu slapped a stack of photocopied photos from the manila envelope down in front of Noriko Endo.
Looking at the photos, Noriko Endo's face turned green and white. "Y-you, this is an invasion of privacy!"
"Actually, it isn't. Every single photo was extracted from street surveillance cameras. The Traffic Department has an obligation to cooperate with police investigations, so naturally, it doesn't constitute an invasion of privacy."
"These photos are sufficient to prove that while being President Otsu's mistress, you also maintained an improper romantic relationship with Mr. Arima!"
Faced with the ironclad evidence, Noriko Endo could no longer continue to argue her way out of it and could only lower her head deeply.
Hearing this explosive information, the spectators in the gallery couldn't hold back anymore.
"I can't believe such a beautiful woman would take both the father-in-law and the son-in-law. You really can't judge a book by its cover!"
"It must be because that old geezer couldn't satisfy her, so she hooked up with his son-in-law."
"Wrong, wrong, didn't you hear Consultant Hoshimiya say they got together five years ago? I think they were originally a couple, but to get their hands on the Otsu family fortune, they split up—one taking the dad, the other taking the daughter."
"Hiss! Brilliant insight! Brilliant insight!"
The public gallery descended into chaos, and the judge repeatedly banged his gavel.
"Order!"
"Order in the court!"
It took seven or eight shouts before the courtroom quieted down again.
"Defense counsel, please continue your statement!"
Yuu nodded and continued his explanation.
"In fact, the defendant, Mr. Inoue, did climb into the Otsu agency office at 8:30 PM to commit a burglary, but he was also discovered by President Otsu at that time."
"During the scuffle, Mr. Inoue injured Mr. Otsu with the ashtray, and then immediately escaped through the window. This was the first strike!"
"Meanwhile, Miss Noriko and Mr. Arima, holding the reading glasses Mr. Otsu left behind, came to the office and woke up the unconscious Mr. Otsu."
"After getting up, Mr. Otsu put on his reading glasses and entered the safe's combination to check if any money was missing."
"Upon opening it and finding the 12 million yen still there, President Otsu breathed a sigh of relief."
"However, unexpected wealth tempts the heart, especially since the two of you were both facing a financial crisis. Miss Noriko, it was at that moment you picked up the ashtray and smashed it against the back of President Otsu's head, wasn't it? This was the second strike!"
"According to the autopsy report, the second strike was the fatal one. President Otsu was killed by Miss Noriko."
Noriko Endo's body began to tremble uncontrollably, her pupils contracting continuously.
Yuu continued, his voice as cold as the north wind.
"Because of this, the glasses were knocked to the floor, and the screw popped out."
"Afterward, you stole all the money from the safe, but then began to think about how to get away with it. You quickly came up with a plan."
"Mr. Arima closed the inner office door and the company's main door again, then went down to the manager's window on the first floor, pretending the door wouldn't open, and asked Mr. Akiyama to come up to the second floor to open it together."
"Outside the office door, Mr. Arima pretended a fight was happening inside, getting Mr. Akiyama to watch through the window on the door."
"Meanwhile, Miss Noriko, who was inside the office, delivered a third blow to Mr. Otsu's corpse, creating the illusion of a murder taking place to confuse Mr. Akiyama's judgment and the police investigation."
"Then Mr. Arima rammed the door open, while you, Miss Noriko, hid under that dark red desk. Upon entering, Mr. Arima immediately sent Mr. Akiyama to call an ambulance and the police, getting him out of the way, while Miss Noriko used this opportunity to escape. Am I right?"
Noriko Endo stood up as if flying into a rage, her face terrifyingly pale.
"Shut up! Slander! It's complete slander! Consultant Hoshimiya, I reserve the right to sue you for your slander today. I will no longer testify in this trial."
She stood up, intending to walk out.
But a light, breezy sentence from Yuu stopped her in her tracks.
"If you're not feeling guilty, why be afraid to leave the stage?"
Noriko Endo stopped, turned around with a cold sneer.
"Fine, Consultant Hoshimiya. If you think I'm the murderer, then bring out the evidence. If you can't produce evidence, I will sue you until your reputation is ruined!"
Hearing this, Yuu also smiled.
If he didn't have evidence, why would he choose to attack in court, and why would the judge allow him to make a deduction on the spot?
"According to my investigation, Mr. Arima's restaurant and Miss Noriko's clothing boutique were originally in trouble and on the verge of bankruptcy. However, things have looked up recently, especially for Miss Noriko's clothing boutique. You told me yesterday that it was going to close next month, yet you just brought in a new batch of goods!"
Noriko Endo said disdainfully, "Consultant Hoshimiya, that is my business secret. Why should I tell you the truth? I just lied to you about closing down. What's the big deal!"
"I've checked your bank statements. On the third day after the incident, five million and seven million yen were deposited into your respective accounts. Combined, that's exactly 12 million yen, which is the total amount stolen!"
Masahiko Arima hurriedly said in panic, "That doesn't prove anything at all! I just happened to win a bet on a football game!"
Noriko Endo followed suit, "That's right! Football is so popular right now; isn't it perfectly normal for us to win money betting on games? What you're saying doesn't count as evidence at all, Consultant Hoshimiya!"
Noriko Endo smiled smugly, while Yuu looked completely unfazed.
"Oh, really? I found a strand of your hair under the desk at the crime scene. It matches your hair color perfectly; both are brown."
Noriko Endo regained her composure, crossed her arms, and said contemptuously, "So what? I went to his office frequently. That old geezer often made me hide under there to give him blowjobs. What does dropping a hair or two matter?"
"And what about the buttons?"
"I already told you I went there frequently. It's completely normal to have done it there. What do you think that screen was for? It was precisely so others could have discussions in the front while that old geezer fucked me behind the screen. Taking off clothes and dropping a button or two is perfectly normal too!"
Everyone in the public gallery was filled with disbelief that a woman could be shameless to this extent.
Takashi Inoue looked at his daughter with eyes full of unfamiliarity, as if meeting her for the first time.
Many women in the audience blushed, especially a few young wives who had been watching Yuu; their legs squeezed tightly together.
It seemed they had imagined themselves in that kind of scenario with Yuu.
Men fantasize about beautiful women, and women naturally fantasize about handsome men too.
Moreover, many times, women are more lustful than men; the phrase "insatiable desire" is often used to describe women.
It's just that they are better at hiding their emotions.
Yuu had long been accustomed to this. Ignoring those overly passionate gazes, he continued, "But there was also a bloody handprint under that desk. How do you explain that? A bloody handprint left by you, hiding under the desk with blood on your hands after committing murder that night!"
Hearing this, Noriko Endo could no longer maintain her composure, her pupils contracting continuously. "Impossible! You're talking nonsense!"
Yuu pulled out photos of the handprint at the scene, the fingerprint analysis report, and the blood sample analysis report from the photocopied evidence file in his hand, slamming them all onto the table in front of her.
Seeing this evidence, all the blood drained from Noriko Endo's face. Pale as a ghost, her body trembled weakly as she leaned against the witness stand.
Noriko Endo grabbed Masahiko Arima's lapels tightly, screaming frantically, "You bastard! Didn't you tell me you took care of all the traces at the scene?!"
"Why? Why is there a bloody handprint of mine?!"
Hearing words that practically amounted to a confession, the courtroom erupted in an uproar again. Reiko Kujo also let out a long sigh.
I lost!
Although she didn't lose in terms of defense, she still lost in the end.
Masahiko Arima also lost his mind. Speaking without thinking, his face ugly, he said, "I clearly didn't see any bloody handprints! How is this possible?! This evidence is absolutely forged! Damn it! We fell for a trick! Shut your mouth!"
Hearing Masahiko Arima say this, how could anyone not understand?
Yuu looked at the two of them and curled his lip. He really wasn't bluffing this time.