People are in Conan, but Ace Attorney

Chapter 1003 Reversal, and then another reversal (3)

—From the perspective of the citizens of Beika Town.

While what Prosecutor Sugiura said may seem outrageous, it is not entirely impossible.

The presiding judge thought for a moment before speaking.

"Now, Prosecutor Sugiura, please let Officer Chiba, who is in charge of criminal investigations, give his testimony."

Do you have any other objections to this?

As his confidence grew, Prosecutor Sugiura shook his head without hesitation.

He had already told Officer Chiba everything he needed to say in the lounge.

There's nothing more to say to Officer Chiba now.

Now it's up to Officer Chiba.

Facing the presiding judge's questioning.

Officer Chiba said somewhat nervously,
"Now, I will provide further supplementary testimony regarding the case."

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[Testimony related to the murder of Yuichi Hisaka]

[Testimony begins]

"The deceased, Yuichi Hisaka, died between 8 and 9 p.m. the night before last."

"He arrived in Tokyo lightly equipped, and we did not find any luggage or other items carried by Yuichi Hisaka next to the body."

"Before arriving in Tokyo, Yuichi Hisaka sent a message to the defendant Ryutaro Tsukigata at Teito Station, saying that he would take a bullet train from Teito Station to Beika Station and get off at 8:05."

"According to the train timetable for that day, if the train departed at 8:05, it would arrive at Mihana Station at 8:40. Therefore, the victim could only have been murdered between 8:40 and 9:00."

"The only suspect who fits this timeframe and has a motive for murder is Tsukigata Ryutaro."

"Furthermore, Tsukigata Ryutaro has no alibi. The only alibi that could be considered alibi is that of Tsukigata Ryutaro's disciple, Saruhashi Masaru, which has already been proven false."

"This is consistent with the content of the 'Ninja Art: The Technique of Creating an Alibi' mentioned by Tsukigata Ryutaro in the book. Therefore, our company has determined that Tsukigata Ryutaro is the murderer in this case without a doubt."

[End of testimony]

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Chiba Kazunobu's testimony has ended.

The preceding testimonies were unremarkable.

After all, reasonable murder deductions are all the same and there's nothing to say about them, but the ninja technique of creating an alibi mentioned later made the whole room fall silent at the same time.

Even the presiding judge fell silent.

He hesitated for a moment, then asked,

"what did you just say?"

"Ninja Art: Alibi Creation Technique? Are you sure such a thing exists?"

Even the presiding judge couldn't believe he'd written that thing into the case file.

What will the other judges say to him when they see this file? This is really outrageous.

However, Officer Chiba remained firm in his stance.

He said seriously,
"Yes, Your Honor, I am certain."

"As for the specific content, Your Honor, please allow me to present this novel as evidence. Your Honor may peruse it to confirm the contents."

Officer Chiba then took a thick novel from under the witness stand and placed it on the table.

This novel is the same one that Kogoro Mouri showed to Hikaru Mugen last night.

The Eccentric Centipede Ninja.

The presiding judge looked at the novel and remained silent for a moment.

Then he said,

"I won't look at the details. Could Detective Chiba please give a detailed explanation of the ninjutsu?" The bailiff silently picked up the novel and placed it in a corner of the evidence table.

Officer Chiba explained...

"The so-called technique of creating an alibi involves reversing things repeatedly; that is, reversing first to lead to further reversals —"

"First, make someone a suspect, then produce their alibi to reverse the initial impression."

"Then, this person is made to prove that the real murderer also has an alibi, thereby reversing the suspicion against the real murderer. This is the essence of the Ninja Art: Creating an Alibi."

"It's just a pity that he encountered such a powerful alliance as me and Prosecutor Sugiura."

"We easily saw through Tsukigata Ryutaro's ninja technique of using Saruhashi Masaru to create an alibi, and apprehended him—"

Upon hearing this, Tsukigata Ryutaro in the defendant's seat widened his eyes.

He had never been this angry, not even when he was falsely accused of murder.

How did this police officer even read the novel? How could he possibly interpret it like this? Doesn't he know that the core of the Ninja Art: Creating an Alibi is to first reverse the flow and then reverse it again?

If it weren't for the bailiff standing next to Tsukigata Ryutaro, preventing him from making any rash moves.

Tsukigata Ryutaro rushed over and exploded with Chiba Kazunobu!

The presiding judge reluctantly nodded at this explanation.

Okay, it doesn't sound like there's anything supernatural or mysterious going on.

It was simply a matter of using psychological techniques to try and exonerate oneself through a reversal of roles, although no one had ever used such a flamboyant term before.

However, similar situations have occurred more than once in court.

Therefore, the presiding judge did not make any further comments on this matter.

He simply turned to look in the direction of the defense table and asked Xiang Yuanguang a question.
"So, Attorney Xiang Yuan, are you going to begin the questioning phase next?"

Facing the presiding judge's questioning.

Xiang Yuanguang nodded without hesitation, giving his answer.
"of course."

"Your Honor, the defense is now ready to proceed with the questioning phase!"

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[Inquiry Phase]

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"I want to question Officer Chiba about his second statement."

"Excuse me, Officer Chiba, how did you conclude that the deceased, Yuichi Hisaka, came to Tokyo unprepared and without any luggage? Was it simply because no luggage or backpack was found next to the body?"

Xiang Yuanguang stroked his chin and asked.

Hearing this, Officer Chiba breathed a sigh of relief.

He thought that Yuan Guang was going to ask him some difficult questions.

I didn't expect to ask him such an easy question.

In response, Officer Chiba immediately gave an affirmative answer.
"Of course."

"Since we didn't find any luggage belonging to Yuichi Hisaka at the scene, it's clear he didn't bring any luggage, right? Are there any other possibilities besides that?"

—What a pure reason.

Xiang Yuanguang twitched the corner of his mouth.

He didn't know how to respond to Officer Chiba's words, but he still asked the question.

"Just based on that, you've concluded that the deceased, Yuichi Hisaka, had no luggage?"

"Have you confirmed that every time Yuichi Hisaka came to Tokyo to study with the defendant Ryutaro Tsukigata, he would bring his luggage and stay in Tokyo for a few days before leaving?"

"Why did Yuichi Hisaka come to Tokyo this time without any luggage?"

"Was it that he didn't bring it with him, or was his luggage simply not with him when he was murdered?"

(End of this chapter)