People are in Conan, but Ace Attorney

Chapter 1040 The Reversal of the Period Drama (13)

"It seems Mr. Tajima isn't too keen on communicating with you, Prosecutor Kujo."

Xiang Yuanguang said calmly.

He was not unfamiliar with the situation before him; rather, he was used to it.

The vast majority of criminals, once their mental lock is broken, will immediately exhibit bipolar-like emotional characteristics. For example, they may have initially refused to confess, but after the mental lock is broken, they will immediately confess and kowtow.

However, a small number of criminals have a slightly different mental state.

It's similar to having a split personality. The Mind Lock Theory only breaks down the surface personality. The act of breaking down the surface personality can actually cause criminals to undergo a dramatic change, revealing their true selves.

Kenzo Tajima is now clearly part of the Leopard Transformation.

If we can say without mentioning the unexpected turn of events, then Kenzo Tajima is now exhibiting the rough and tumble nature of a phantom thief from Edo, sacrificing his previous wisdom and ability to assist others.
However, it increased their courage and ability to break through difficult situations.

There are pros and cons.

Xiang Yuanguang snapped his fingers, drawing everyone's attention.
he said,
“Mr. Tajima, since you now claim that you regained your mobility some time ago, and have demonstrated the skillful special effects of a period drama actor, in addition to the evidence you previously presented,”

"I've determined that you are the real Phantom Thief Edo Kid. Do you have any other thoughts?"

Upon hearing this, Kenzo Tajima simply put his hands into his pockets.

He glanced sideways at Xiang Yuanguang, who was standing behind the defense table.

Then, impatiently, he said,
"What good is your judgment? You don't have the final say in the courtroom. If you can produce evidence that I am the Edo kid, then produce it. Stop giving me this nonsense."

In response, Xiang Yuanguang simply tapped the table with his finger.
There, too, was the payment record book that Chikaishi Tetsuo had previously used to argue with Tajima Kenzo, with the transferor's account number now marked.

Just now, Genji used this very argument to refute Kenzo Tajima, and now he's brought it up again.

The objective is very clear and there is only one goal.
If we can verify who made the payments using the anonymous account, then with all this evidence combined, even if we can't find any other evidence, we can still presume that Kenzo Tajima is Edo Kid.

However, upon seeing the transfer records pointed out by Xiang Yuanguang,
Kenzo Tajima frowned and said impatiently,
"Oh right, that account is mine, so what?"

"It's my business whether I transfer money to Chikashi Tetsuo or not. What's it to you? Even if I did transfer money to Chikashi Tetsuo, what does that prove? Does it prove that I'm the murderer? I don't think that's possible!"

"So what if I am an Edo boy?"

"Is the Phantom Thief Edo Kid necessarily a murderer? Does being a phantom thief automatically mean you have to kill? If that's the case, then you should have sent Phantom Thief 1412 away long ago. How could you possibly be defending Phantom Thief 1412?"

These words immediately sparked a flurry of discussion among the audience.
At this moment, Kenzo Tajima was naturally referring to the lawsuit that Hikaru Muto had once fought over, the "Kaito Kid Murder Case," which was a dispute that arose from the Queen Cerissa.

Both the Phantom Thief Kid of that time and Kenzo Tajima, who is now suspected to be the Phantom Thief Edo Kid, were phantom thieves.

However, back then, Hikaru Mugen was defending Kaito Kid, proving that the phantom thief did not kill anyone, while now Hikaru Mugen is accusing Kaito Kid of being guilty, attempting to prove that Edo Kid committed the murder.
The situation on both sides has completely reversed, inevitably sparking a heated discussion. "Didn't I already mention that?"

"Edo Kid killed Chikashi Tetsuo because Chikashi Tetsuo extorted money from him, demanding that he share the money with Chikashi Tetsuo. The transfer records on the table now prove that this extortion record is real."

"If you are indeed the Edo boy, then you cannot escape suspicion of murder!"

Xiang Yuanguang said in a whirlwind.

But Kenzo Tajima immediately retorted,
"so what?"

"So what if I'm a suspect in a murder case? Does that make me the murderer? Then why did you prove Kaito Kid innocent instead of proving him guilty? Are you any more noble than him, since you're both phantom thieves?"

Kenzo Tajima's tit-for-tat response is shameful.
At least the presiding judge wiped the sweat from Tajima Kenzo's brow.

Normally speaking, there are almost no people who dare to confront Xiang Yuanguang like this. Tajima Kenzo is one of the very few types who can stand up to Xiang Yuanguang in court.

This stuntman, who has almost openly admitted to being the Phantom Thief Edo Kid,

He was still sneering as he spoke.

"I can tell you, yes, I am the Phantom Thief Edo Kid. If you trace the source of income through that anonymous account, you will definitely find the corresponding auction house. I won't pretend anymore."

"However, theft is theft, and murder is murder; these are two different things."

"Just because I'm an Edo kid doesn't mean I'm a murderer. Just like what Reiko Kujo said, if you want to prove I'm the murderer, then produce the evidence, the process, and the motive to prove I'm the murderer!"

—To prove that Kenzo Tajima is the murderer, there is one piece of evidence that cannot be exempted.

Those are gloves.
The gloves used by Kenzo Tajima when he committed the murders.

Only these gloves could prove that Kenzo Tajima was the murderer, because only someone wearing gloves at the crime scene could have ensured that the wooden planks above the Naraku were moved and hidden without leaving fingerprints.

—Are these gloves easy to find?
A possibility flashed through Xiang Yuanguang's mind.
He figured the gloves should be easy to find, because Kenzo Tajima's hiding of the wooden plank was most likely not to frame someone, but simply out of shock at accidentally killing the finance manager.
The plan is to alter it to resemble the scene of an accidental death.

It's highly likely that Kenzo Tajima killed the finance manager, then mistakenly believed the note was from him, and prepared to leave the scene, only to hear Tamanosuke Ito's footsteps at that moment.
There's a flaw in this whole process of hiding the wooden planks, going into hiding, and then calling the police to arrest Ito Tamanosuke.

—Kenzo Tajima couldn't bear to throw away his gloves.

Unlike officers like Wataru Takagi or Kazunobu Chiba, Shiratori Ninzaburo's investigations at the scene were thorough enough that his deductive reasoning alone surpassed that of other officers in the First Investigation Division by an order of magnitude.

If the gloves are discarded, they can definitely be found.

Unless, of course, the gloves were not lost and are still hidden somewhere in the Cosmic Theater, or that the gloves have been on Kenzo Tajima's person from the very beginning!

(End of this chapter)