Half an hour passed in what felt like no time at all.
Heiji and the others had been waiting for ages.
The judges filed out from the inner chamber with grave expressions. The Chief Judge, in particular, held a case file in his hand.
"By decision of the full panel," he announced, "we will hear statements from the prosecutor and the witness, Hattori Heiji, once again."
Hearing that, Reiko Kujo felt a surge of relief. There's still a chance.
Eri Kisaki's brows tightened slightly.
"Teacher… did something unexpected happen?" Kazuha asked.
Logically, with Heiji's argument, a postponement should have been guaranteed. This development made Kazuha's mind race.
Eri shook her head.
"Let's see how it plays out first."
--
In the gallery—
"What's going on? Is Saburo really going to get life?" Mrs. Shiratori's face went pale as she stared toward the bench.
Shiratori's father looked equally shaken, his fists clenched hard.
-
"Prosecution," the Chief Judge said, "you may speak first."
Kujo straightened her clothing, stood, and addressed the court.
"Your Honor, regarding Mr. Hattori's remarks—objectively speaking, his implication is that someone framed Shiratori Ninzaburo. However, based on reports from other investigators, no suspicious traces were found at the scene. No suspicious traces means it would have been impossible for anyone to frame Shiratori Ninzaburo. If no one framed him, then the person who killed Ito Kazuki can only be Shiratori Ninzaburo. That is my position."
Quite a few people in the courtroom nodded along.
The judges exchanged looks and gave subtle nods to one another.
"The witness will speak."
In an instant, every gaze locked onto Heiji.
Heiji stood, his expression calm and unreadable.
"I don't know why, but the prosecutor still seems to be missing my point," he said evenly. "We are establishing an objective fact—not debating a vague possibility. Based on the trace evidence at the scene, unless the killer had some kind of divine intervention, it would be impossible to leave behind nothing at all. Yet the prosecutor is attempting to present a 'possibility' as courtroom proof. That is neither professional nor rigorous. That is all."
The courtroom went dead quiet.
Kujo sat frozen in her seat, momentarily stunned.
The Chief Judge looked to the other judges. They all nodded in unison.
He nodded once, silently.
Everyone rose together.
The Chief Judge lifted the file folder in his hand.
"Based on the materials submitted by Prosecutor Kujo and the defense petition, I hereby announce: in the case of Shiratori Ninzaburo for intentional homicide, the charge is not established at this time. Shiratori Ninzaburo will be held temporarily pending further evidence, and the matter will be revisited once the facts are conclusive."
-
After the judges withdrew, the courtroom erupted.
"Thank you… thank you!"
The Shiratori couple sobbed openly on the bench, repeating their gratitude over and over.
When Shiratori Ninzaburo was led past Heiji, he spoke quietly.
"If I get the chance… I will give you a sincere apology. For now, all I can say is thank you."
Heiji glanced at him with cool indifference. A faint sneer tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"Honestly, I was curious what you'd look like behind bars. Unfortunately, my detective instincts wouldn't let me ignore this."
Shiratori was taken aback.
-
"Heiji, you were amazing."
Kazuha ran to his side immediately, her eyes full of admiration and pride.
"Heiji, I think you becoming a lawyer would be an incredibly promising path."
Eri Kisaki rarely praised anyone, but Heiji had practically forced her hand. When it came to deduction, she didn't claim authority—but in law, she was exactly that.
With no hard physical evidence, winning what looked like an unwinnable case purely through language and legal structure required more than eloquence. It demanded deep legal knowledge and almost ruthless insight.
And she believed Heiji had all three.
"Hehe. No need," Kazuha said, a hopeful light crossing her eyes. "Heiji will be a detective, and I'll be a lawyer."
Eri froze for a brief moment, then shook her head with a complicated smile.
"You really are just like me back then."
-
The sharp click of heels echoed down the corridor.
"Congratulations, Lawyer Kisaki," Kujo said flatly. "You won again."
Eri smiled with composure.
"Heiji carried this one. I didn't do much."
"Finding a witness like that is a skill in itself," Kujo replied. "But next time, I'll definitely make the so-called Undefeated Queen taste defeat."
Her heels clicked away, the sound fading with distance.
-
"Kazuha," Eri said, "you can take tomorrow off."
"But… don't you need me to help gather materials?"
"I can do it myself." Eri waved lightly. "I'm leaving now. Goodbye."
Eri's tall, slender figure gradually disappeared from their sight.
-
"Thank you… thank you so much."
Two choked voices sounded behind them.
Heiji and Kazuha turned.
"Mrs. Shiratori…" Kazuha called softly.
The Shiratori couple stood there, eyes full of gratitude as they looked at Heiji.
Heiji gave a faint smile.
"You don't need to thank me. If it turns out Shiratori really did kill someone, I'll switch roles immediately—from witness to prosecutor."
"Saburo would never kill anyone," Mrs. Shiratori said, agitated. "He was definitely framed."
"I hope that's true," Heiji replied.
He took Kazuha by the hand and started to leave. He had no interest in spending more time with people who didn't matter to him.
-
Heiji's phone rang.
"Hattori. It's me."
"Kudo? What's going on?"
"Yeah," Conan said. His voice was unusually serious. "Is anyone with you right now?"
Kazuha and Sonoko were in the next room watching a romance drama; they wouldn't come bother him for the moment.
"No. Go ahead."
"Today, near my house… I spotted the two men in black. The ones who gave me that poison back then."
Heiji's expression froze. He set down what he was holding, doubt flashing through his eyes. Gin and Vodka… they're back?
"Did you tell Ai about this?"
"I did. I warned her not to run around."
"You idiot!"
Heiji cursed under his breath, ended the call, threw on his clothes, and left the room immediately.
Listening to the busy tone, Conan went blank.
Did I do something wrong? Haibara knows her limits. What is Hattori so worried about?