Conan: Above all force, there is truth!

"What do you want, prosecutor?"

"Prior to this, our prosecution requests permission to call a new witness to testify! He is none other than Mr. Kogoro Mouri, who currently runs a detective agency and is known as the 'Sleeping Detective'!"

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone present was engrossed in a heated discussion.

Ms. Kuriyama immediately turned to look at Eri Kisaki: "Lawyer, what exactly is going on?"

"I don't know, I'm completely confused too..." Although Eri Kisaki's tone was very calm, the emotional fluctuations in her eyes were clearly not hidden from Ms. Kuriyama.

Seeing this, Ms. Kuriyama stopped speaking and silently looked at the witness stand.

offstage

Xiaolan gripped Longye's hand even tighter, looking at him in disbelief.

Why did Dad become a witness for the prosecution?! He... defected to the enemy?!

Apart from Conan, who already knew how things would unfold because of his "eavesdropping," almost everyone in the audience started discussing it intensely.

Chapter 199 The victor is justice!

After a brief commotion, the presiding judge looked at Eri Kisaki: "Does the defense have any objections?"

"The defense has no objection."

Seeing this, the presiding judge nodded: "In that case, immediately summon Mr. Kogoro Mouri to testify for the prosecution!"

Shortly afterward, Kogoro Mouri walked to the witness stand under the watchful eyes of the crowd.

Seeing her father actually appear in the witness stand, Xiaolan tightly gripped Longye's arm. Although Xiaolan didn't speak, Longye immediately understood what she was thinking.

More than the case itself, Ran was concerned about the potential consequences of Uncle Mori testifying for Prosecutor Kujo.

He knew perfectly well that this was a case Eri Kisaki had taken on, but he still agreed to Prosecutor Kujo's request and became a witness for the prosecution.

This……

Thinking of this, Ryūno looked towards the debaters' area. Sure enough, Aunt Eri Kisaki's face was much darker than before.

"Mr. Mori, where were you and what were you doing on the night of the incident?"

"I was drinking at a snack shop called Meimusheng in Beihu Town at the time."

"You drank two bottles of wine and then fell asleep next to the counter, right?"

"Well, you're right."

Do you remember what time you woke up?

"9:25."

How do you know the exact time so well?

"While I was asleep, someone called my cell phone, and the landlady immediately woke me up. At that time, the time on my phone was 9:25."

"..."

As the conversation progressed, everyone gradually learned what had happened.

At the time, there were no other customers in the store besides Kogoro Mouri. Kogoro knew the exact time because he saw it on his phone.

After understanding what had happened, everyone looked at Prosecutor Kujo with very strange eyes.

The questions she just asked only prove one thing—the defendant, Usami, did not have time to commit the crime.

But... why would Prosecutor Kujo allow a witness to give testimony that is detrimental to her?!

As a prosecutor, her goal was naturally to prove that the defendant, Shinji Usami, was the murderer. But now, she has actually testified that Usami is not the murderer!

Upon hearing this, even the judge's gaze became somewhat strange.

"Attorney Kisaki, why did the prosecution confirm that the defendant has an alibi?!" Ms. Kuriyama looked at Kisaki Eri with a puzzled expression.

Eri Kisaki stared at Prosecutor Kujo before her and slowly said, "I don't know either, but she must have some purpose..."

Just then, Prosecutor Kujo looked at the presiding judge and said, "Your Honor, I have one last question to ask."

After seeing the judge nod, she looked at Kogoro Mouri again: "Mr. Mouri, where did you put your phone when the landlady woke you up?"

Upon hearing this strange question, Kogoro Mouri was taken aback: "Of course it's in the inside pocket of my coat. As for the coat, it's hanging on the hanger next to the counter."

"Oh? So, while you're lying down and sleeping, anyone can easily adjust the time on your phone~~ Like, Ms. Kameda, the owner of that shop!"

"Huh? How is that possible..."

Hearing this, Eri Kisaki finally understood why Prosecutor Kujo had called Kogoro Mouri to be a witness.

If the phone wasn't on him at the time, then the time he mentioned couldn't be used as evidence, and Mr. Usami's alibi would naturally fall apart!

Seeing that Kogoro Mouri had already hit the nail on the head, Prosecutor Kujo immediately pressed his advantage: "Your Honor, the prosecution now requests that the defendant's ex-wife, Masako Kameda, the owner of Miki Noboru Snack Shop, be called as the prosecution's latest witness!"

Hearing this, Eri closed her eyes: "She tricked me... I lost."

Seeing the sudden and drastic change in the atmosphere, Xiaolan nervously looked in her mother's direction.

Seeing this, Longye rubbed the little hand in his hand and chuckled, "Don't worry, the moment the boss lady stands on the witness stand will be the moment of Auntie's victory."

Upon hearing this, Xiaolan looked at Longye in surprise.

If I remember correctly, Longye seemed to have said something similar yesterday.

Just as Xiaolan was about to ask for the reason, Mrs. Kameda walked onto the witness stand in full view of everyone.

Upon seeing the proprietress, Prosecutor Kujo immediately approached her: "Ms. Masako Kameda, did you adjust the time on Mr. Mori's phone on the night of the incident?"

“The prosecutor is right. I did adjust Mr. Mori’s phone and moved the time forward by 30 minutes. It should have been 9:55 at the time.”

Upon hearing this, Prosecutor Kujo smiled slightly. At this point, the defendant Usami's alibi was completely overturned.

This time it's her victory...

Just then, Mrs. Kameda suddenly continued...

"After I killed Hirasawa Tsuyoshi and returned to the store, I immediately adjusted the time on Mr. Mori's phone."

Reiko Kujo:? ? ?

As soon as Mrs. Kameda uttered those words, everyone in the courtyard looked at her in shock.

These words were like a huge stone thrown into the previously calm courtroom. In an instant, the judge, the defense, and the jury erupted into a heated debate.

Mrs. Kameda's testimony clearly exceeded Prosecutor Kujo's expectations, and she immediately stared at Mrs. Kameda with wide eyes.

"you you……"

At this moment, the presiding judge also came to his senses and immediately said, "Silence! Please keep quiet!!"

Once order was gradually restored, Prosecutor Kujo immediately questioned loudly, "Ms. Kameda, are you taking the blame for the defendant?! This is a courtroom, if you're lying..."

Upon hearing this, Ms. Kameda sighed softly and spoke again: "Before the deceased was murdered, he came to my shop and ate octopus there. As far as I know, among the shops around, only my shop serves octopus to customers."

Upon hearing this, Reiko Kujo and Eri Kisaki immediately opened the documents in their hands. The autopsy report clearly stated that there were indeed short octopuses in the deceased's stomach.

Kujo Reiko: "..."

Seeing that neither the prosecution nor the defense had spoken, the presiding judge cleared his throat and announced, "Due to special circumstances, the public trial proceedings are now adjourned..."

After the trial concluded, the judge, jury, and others left first.

However, Reiko Kujo and Eri Kisaki did not leave. The two of them came to Mrs. Kameda and prepared to ask her questions.

Just then, a man in a sharp suit walked up to the two of them with his hands behind his back.

A voice tinged with amusement reached everyone's ears: "Gentlemen, the court hearing is over. Please refrain from contacting my client without permission."

Upon seeing the newcomer, both Reiko Kujo and Eri Kisaki were taken aback. The man before them gave them a very familiar feeling…

The next moment, Eri Kisaki was the first to recall: "Could it be... that you are lawyer Masato Sakai?!"

Upon hearing these words, Prosecutor Kujo remembered something and looked at the man in front of him in surprise.

Noticing Prosecutor Kujo's gaze, Masato Sakai smiled and nodded: "Prosecutor Kujo, your opponent now is me~~"

Chapter 200 Why take this case? Of course, it's because...

Seeing the astonished expressions on Eri Kisaki's and Prosecutor Kujo's faces, Ran leaned close to Tatsuno's ear and whispered, "Tatsuno, who is this person? Why do Mom and the others look so surprised?"

"Him... his name is Masato Sakai, and he's a 'notorious' lawyer."

"notorious?"

"He's different from the average lawyer; he's the kind of guy who treats litigation as a game and a way to make money."

"what?!"

After hearing Longye's description, Xiaolan's eyes showed even more doubt.

Although the man with the side-parted hair in front of me was indeed wearing a suit, strangely, he didn't seem like a lawyer.

Lawyers, aren't they usually like my mother, possessing a kind of inexplicable seriousness?

But the person in front of me gave off a very strange feeling. If I had to put it in perspective, they didn't seem like a respectable person...

Just as Ran was beginning to doubt the man's identity, Reiko Kujo covered her mouth, her voice noticeably higher than before: "Attorney Masato Sakai?! Haven't you not taken a case for years? Why..."

That hairstyle he hasn't changed in years—he really is that man!

She not only knew Masato Sakai, but had even seen him in court a few years ago.

At that time, she was a deputy prosecutor, learning from a senior prosecutor.

On one occasion, the prosecution took on a very simple case.

-

The defendant broke into his boss's home and killed him with a kitchen knife. Although he fled afterward, he left behind a great deal of evidence at the scene.

Not only did he have no alibi, but his fingerprints were also clearly visible on the kitchen knife. Furthermore, after being arrested by the police, he confessed to his crimes immediately in the interrogation room.

For the prosecution, this was an extremely simple case. To put it bluntly, they only needed to go through the motions.

Just then, lawyer Masato Sakai appeared and surprisingly took on the defendant's defense!

Prosecutor Kujo's mentor knew that this lawyer was different from other lawyers; he certainly hadn't taken on this case to go through the motions of a "sure-to-lose" situation.

Therefore, upon learning that Masato Sakai had taken on the case, Reiko Kujo, the prosecutor "mentor," actually took her to re-investigate the relevant individuals. Reiko Kujo was very puzzled by this.

Just when she finally couldn't help but ask her senior, the answer she received made her both laugh and cry.