Chapter 68: I Don't Care If the Other Person Is a Cop

Mouri Ran, Mouri Kogoro, Suzuki Sonoko, Sera Masumi, and Conan arrived at the Empire Theater just like a month ago.

They were ready to finish the play they couldn't watch the last time.

"This is so frustrating! We were just getting to the exciting part last time, and then it got interrupted!"

"Do you know how I spent this month? I had to resist the temptation every day not to look up spoilers online!"

Suzuki Sonoko, the second daughter of the Suzuki Consortium, held her head and howled in frustration.

"There was nothing we could do about it. After all, there was a murder."

Mouri Ran gently consoled the irritated Suzuki Sonoko.

"Speaking of which, it turned out Nishihara was the killer. I used to like him before and thought he was really handsome."

Suzuki Sonoko thought about Koichi Nishihara, the man she had once been obsessed with, but now she only felt disgusted.

"Sonoko, is there ever a time you don't like a handsome guy?"

Conan couldn't help but complain silently.

"By the way, I saw the news today. Not only did Nishihara murder and deliberately torture the victims, but he even tried to attack the police the day after his arrest and was subdued by the police!"

"Eh?!"

Mouri Ran, Conan, and Sera Masumi exclaimed in unison after hearing Suzuki Sonoko's words.

"It's not surprising for someone like him! That bastard even tried to frame Yoko-chan!"

Mouri Kogoro showed no surprise upon hearing Suzuki Sonoko's words. On the contrary, he looked disgusted as he recalled the scene where Koichi Nishihara accused Okino Yoko of being the mastermind behind the murder backstage at the Empire Theater.

"By the way, what kind of sentence will Nishihara get?" Suzuki Sonoko asked curiously.

"Well, Nishihara committed an extreme crime, and with his bad attitude in admitting guilt, the punishment won't be light."

Since Mouri Ran's mother, Eri Kisaki, was a well-known lawyer nicknamed the "Queen of the Court," Ran had some legal knowledge.

"Combined with the attack on the police, I'm afraid the sentence will only increase indefinitely, with no chance of parole for such extreme crimes."

Mouri Ran speculated.

"Indefinitely? Doesn't that mean the death penalty?"

Suzuki Sonoko was shocked.

"That being said, it usually takes at least seven or eight years from the first trial to the execution of a death sentence, and in many cases, it can take more than ten years."

"After all, most prisoners will repeatedly appeal. After going through various stages of review and approval, the case has to be presented to the Minister of Justice for signing, which takes a long time."

"Damn, doesn't that give him room to breathe?"

Mouri Ran and the annoyed Suzuki Sonoko engaged in a heated conversation on the sidelines about Nishihara Koichi's verdict.

Sera Masumi, standing nearby, softly remarked, "Although Nishihara is indeed a very bad criminal, could he really attack a police officer?"

Sera Masumi wasn't questioning Koichi Nishihara's behavior of attacking a police officer based on the image she had of him.

Instead, she doubted the feasibility of such an attack.

When Conan heard Suzuki Sonoko's words, he took out his phone and looked up relevant reports.

"The report only states that Nishihara attempted to attack the police the day after his arrest and was subdued by a criminal investigator."

"But it doesn't specify the exact situation."

Conan searched two or three reports and found that the content was similar, so he turned off his phone screen.

"I find it a bit strange too."

"Since it was the 'second day' after his arrest, Nishihara should still have been in the interrogation phase."

"Nishihara Koichi had already committed an extreme crime, and with his poor attitude in admitting guilt, he must have been secured to a chair or interrogation table. It seems unlikely that he'd have the opportunity to attack a police officer."

"Speaking of which, kid, do you remember Officer Nakajima from six months ago?"

"That person tried to coerce a confession out of Akikawa and failed."

Sera Masumi recalled seeing Takuto Nakajima grabbing Kyousuke Akikawa in the hospital, shouting at him to confess.

"Yeah."

Conan nodded.

"His attempt to force Akikawa to confess didn't seem like a spontaneous act. Someone must have instructed him to do it."

"Also, do you remember, Sera?"

"At that time, Officer Nakajima's actions of forcing Akikawa, who was suffering from liver dysfunction and couldn't eat, to consume a large amount of food angered Officer Sato, but Nakajima didn't receive direct punishment from her."

Conan said.

"True. I remember Officer Sato said to let Nakajima report the incident to Officer Toda."

Sera's memory was sharp.

"Officer Nakajima is just an inspector, while Officer Sato is an assistant police inspector, two ranks above him."

"Yet, Officer Sato asked Nakajima to report to an officer named Toda, meaning Sato wasn't Nakajima's direct superior."

"It seems Officer Toda is at least of the same rank as Officer Sato or a higher-ranking criminal investigator."

"And Officer Nakajima's behavior of extracting and coercing confessions was likely under Officer Toda's orders."

Conan analyzed.

"There's a high chance that a group of criminal investigators in the Third Division of the First Criminal Investigation Section doesn't hesitate to use inhumane tactics on suspects."

"Combined with the fact that Nishihara, who shouldn't have had the opportunity to attack the police, actually did so, I'm afraid…"

Conan didn't finish his sentence.

After all, in his mind, the police should represent justice and fairness, not the negative image he envisioned in his conspiracy theories.

Crack

Suddenly, the sound of knuckles cracking could be heard.

Conan turned toward the sound and saw Sera Masumi narrowing her eyes.

That crisp sound came from her clenched fists.

Seeing Sera Masumi's reaction, Conan was stunned.

Although Sera Masumi usually had a good temperament, she was, after all, a Jeet Kune Do master whose combat skills far surpassed his childhood friend Mouri Ran.

Not to mention ordinary people—trained criminal investigators would likely struggle to defeat Sera Masumi.

"Hey, Miss Sera, I'm just sharing my hypothesis. That doesn't mean my reasoning is correct!"

Seeing Sera Masumi's pure yet slightly menacing demeanor, Conan was genuinely afraid that the tomboy might suddenly lose her cool.

"I know, but…"

"If I find out that such things really exist, I won't care if the person is a police officer."

Conan couldn't help but twitch his lips when he saw the clear smile on Sera Masumi's pure, delicate face.

(End of Chapter)