People are in Conan, but Ace Attorney

Chapter 892 A Dragon-like Reversal (96)

crunch————

The door of the courtroom was pushed open by the bailiff.

Shintaro Kazama, the leader of the Kazama Group who had appeared in the courtroom as a witness yesterday, was once again in everyone's sight. His gaze fell on Akira Nishikiyama behind the witness stand, without any surprise.

Although Akira Nishikiyama has changed drastically over the past ten years, he is no longer the same Akira Nishikiyama he knew.

However, no matter how things change, Akira Nishikiyama's talent has its limits, especially in courtroom arguments. Against an opponent of Kougen's caliber, simply stepping onto the courtroom already signifies his defeat.

It's estimated that Ito Yasuhito and Nishikiyama Akira have now been proven guilty, right?

Shintaro Kazama paused briefly before walking toward the witness stand.

Akira Nishikiyama and Yuya Kazami, who were originally standing directly behind the testimony platform, moved aside to the sides, handing the testimony platform over to the protagonist of the current courtroom, Shintaro Kazama, so that he could face the sharp edge of the blue hedgehog.

"Team Leader Kazama..."

"Kiryu Kazuma said in a low voice."

Regardless of their private relationship, he always addressed Shintaro Kazama with the most formal title in front of others, even now in the courtroom, where they were about to become adversaries.

It was as if they heard Kiryu Kazuma's voice, or perhaps they simply noticed Kiryu Kazuma's presence.

Shintaro Kazama turned his head to look at Kazuma Kiryu at the defense table, a hint of surprise in his eyes.

He hadn't expected that Xiang Yuanguang could persuade Kiryu Kazuma to appear in court as a legal assistant. Putting aside Kiryu Kazuma's personality, just looking at his academic background, he shouldn't have any connection with being a legal assistant at all.

So, does this mean that Kou Gen specifically arranged for Kiryu Kazuma to appear in court to target him and Nishikiyama?

"Witness: Shintaro Kazama".

"Master," the blonde judge's voice rang out.

He gazed intently at Shintaro Kazama, who was standing behind the testimonial platform facing him, and then spoke.

"The court has summoned you to appear as a witness to investigate the truth behind the theft of 10 billion yen from the Tojo Clan. Please tell us what you know!"

—So, in the end, it all came back to the theft of billions of yen?
Shintaro Kazama narrowed his eyes slightly.

From the moment he subtly inquired with Genji about the powerful figures behind the Tojo Clan in the car at the Millennium Tower, and learned that he and Seira Katsumi were the ones who stole billions of yen, he was certain that Genji would not let the matter rest.

It was expected that the theft of billions of yen would be brought into the trial in order to find the truth.

However, he did not believe that such a method alone could defeat that terrifying big shot in court. For those truly powerful figures, a simple exposure would simply be resolved with a bow and an apology.

Bringing all this up in court now will only alert the enemy.

It seems that not only will they fail to bring down the bigwig behind the Tojo Clan, but they might also expose the only trump card they and Sera Katsu hold that could potentially bind that bigwig.

Shintaro Kazama quickly made up his mind.

Regardless, he would not reveal the name of that important figure in court, nor would he disclose the true location of Xiang Yuanguang's billions of yen, in order to avoid things from developing in the worst possible direction. "Your Honor, if I knew, I would naturally answer your questions."

He said this calmly, as if he really had no intention of lying.

However, Akira Nishikiyama, standing on the other side, knew very well that Shintaro Kazama was definitely not the upright person he appeared to be. Compared to the other high-ranking members of the Tojo Clan, he was just a figurehead.

Expecting someone like that to not lie is like thinking pigs can fly!

"Uh, I'm not asking you to answer the court's questions, but rather to answer the questions Attorney Xiang Yuan will raise next, related to the 10 billion yen theft case..."

The judge blinked and corrected Shintaro Kazama's statement.

His gaze lingered briefly on Sayoko Iwai beside him, noticing that the chief prosecutor seemed still flipping through the large stack of documents in her hands and showed no intention of speaking. He then coughed twice and said...
"Ahem, Prosecutor Iwai, what are your thoughts on this?"

Without looking up, Iwai Sayoko answered directly.

"The prosecution has no objection to this. Please, Your Honor, allow the defense to raise questions and proceed with the questioning phase. The prosecution will raise objections to any points of doubt during the testimony."

—There's a strange feeling of them giving up.

The blond judge thought to himself.

This situation is actually frequently seen in the trial of public safety incidents, except that the side that is shirking responsibility is usually the defendant's defense lawyer, while the prosecutor is standing behind the prosecutor's bench.

However, in cases like this one, where the defense lawyers are fully engaged in investigating the truth, it's normal for the prosecutor to choose to slack off rather than put in the hard work.

He didn't say much about it, but looked directly at the defense table and asked,
"Attorney Xiang Yuan, are you going to begin your questioning now?"

Hearing this, Xiang Yuanguang picked up his coffee, took a small sip, and nodded.
"Of course, Your Honor, please have witness Shintaro Kazama testify about the information he has regarding the 10 billion yen theft case of the Tojo Clan. This is an indispensable part of solving the case."

Testify about information related to the Tojo Clan's 10 billion yen theft case that Shintaro Kazama knew.

The judge looked puzzled.

Since Shintaro Kazama is the thief of billions of yen, he will definitely not tell the truth. Given that Akira Nishikiyama has clearly stated that he will not speak on this matter, how can Hikaru find the truth with very little information?
It's important to understand that all the evidence and clues in the Tojo Clan's 10 billion yen theft case were based on the premise that Sawamura Yumi was the thief. Now that Minamoto Hikaru has overturned this premise and started over, all the original evidence has become completely useless.

Although somewhat confused, the presiding judge decided to believe Xiang Yuanguang.

After all, this legendary lawyer from Tokyo had asked seemingly useless questions more than once in court, and without exception, each question had helped to advance the proof of the truth of the case.

Surely there's a deeper meaning behind the question that Yuan Guang is asking now?

"Now, witness Shintaro Kazama, please testify about the information you have regarding the 10 billion yen theft case of the Tojo Clan. After your testimony, Attorney Gen will proceed directly to the questioning phase."

"Before you give your testimony, this court must remind you of one thing."

"All testimonies given in court are legally binding. Please watch your words and actions and do not lie!"

(End of this chapter)