The unscrupulous detective in Conan

Chapter 1465 The Detective Perspective of Class Narrative
Fujino snapped out of his thoughts, looked at Conan, and calmly asked, "So, that guy killed his son, and then he killed that guy, and you think that guy has already received his due punishment, and now he has to face the judgment of the law?"

"Isn't that how it is?" Conan frowned. "He's already dead. Perhaps his son suffered injustice, but now that we know he killed someone, then..."

"So he should be punished by law?"

Fujino narrowed his eyes: "He is dead, but that is the price he should pay. He killed someone, and someone killed him. It's fair. If you kill someone, you should be prepared to be killed. From any perspective, it's fair that he was killed. Even if it's unfair, it only means that he was not as skilled as others."

Conan said in a deep voice, "Human life should not be measured in this way; this is murder."

“You also know that human life cannot be measured…” Fujino looked at him, a hint of relief on his face: “Yes, you are right. Human life really cannot be measured by value. Why should someone who kills another person only have to serve more than ten years in prison? That’s not fair. I think it’s reasonable for one life to pay for another.”

Hearing this, Conan gritted his teeth: "No one has the right to take another's life at will; only the law has that right."

"Is that so?" Fujino pondered for a moment. "Then why was that guy able to kill someone, and why was he able to get away with it afterward?"

Conan retorted stubbornly, "Then the court should make the judgment, not resort to vigilante justice. If everyone does this, wouldn't everyone end up resorting to vigilante justice when they encounter problems?"

Fujino nodded in agreement, saying, "Indeed, the court should handle the trial. So why doesn't the court try that guy?"

"Oh, so it's because the prosecutor didn't want to take responsibility and let the guy off the hook because he couldn't gather enough evidence."

"Now that he has killed someone, the law is going to step in to punish him. So what was the law doing back then? Why did it only step in when he took the law into his own hands?"

"The murderer hasn't faced any trial yet, so why should he be put on trial?"

"The legal and procedural justice mandated by the state apparatus failed to apply to him, so he tried to seek justice for himself, only to be punished in the end..."

"If you think about it carefully, the court does owe him a trial."

As Fujino spoke, he crossed his arms and looked at him: "I remember you're a Sherlock Holmes fan."

"Do you remember that short story by Milverton in The Return of Sherlock Holmes?"

"Of course I remember, you..." As a Sherlock Holmes fan, how could Conan not remember which book and which story Fujino had mentioned?
He just thought about it for a moment, and then he was speechless.

That part is roughly about a criminal who blackmails and ruins a woman's life. In desperation, the woman shoots and kills the criminal, becoming the murderer, while the murderer becomes the victim.

At that time, Holmes made the decision not to cooperate with the police and to stand idly by.

To remind Conan, Fujino even repeated the original words: "Lestrade, I'm afraid I can't help you with this matter. My sympathy is on the side of the perpetrator, not the victim. I believe that some crimes are beyond the reach of the law, and to a certain extent, private revenge is justified."

"..."

Conan fell silent, simply because it was indeed something Sherlock Holmes had said.

He was somewhat dissatisfied that they were using Holmes' words to pressure him.

But then he remembered that his idol, Sherlock Holmes, had indeed said something like that, and could only sigh: "That was a problem of Holmes' time; times are different now."

"It's different now...?" Fujino looked at Conan, feeling that the kid was a bit naive.

He smiled knowingly and said, "Do you know how high the status of the highest-ranking criminal I've just taken down is?"

"This one……"

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs and his son.” Fujino spoke calmly, slowly walking to the sofa and sitting down, placing a hand on Conan’s shoulder. “That case was quite serious back then. Even the Metropolitan Police Department dared not make any rash moves. The head of the First Investigation Division, that old man Deng, even came and snatched the case away. Witnesses were threatened, changed their testimonies, and were even accused of murder. There were also cleaners who came to get rid of me and Sato, and even used my family as a threat.”

"The Minister of Foreign Affairs, a former member of the Public Safety Commission, in charge of the National Police Agency, which oversees the Metropolitan Police Department—do you think an ordinary person could have solved this case?"

"..."

Conan paused for a moment after hearing this, and after thinking about it carefully, he realized that he really couldn't solve the case.

Right now, his only support is Kogoro Mouri and his parents.

Conan isn't stupid; he's very smart. In fact, Shinichi Kudo is very smart.

Despite being accustomed to a life of luxury, he was generally untouchable when it came to solving cases, so much so that it could be said that he always had a smooth and successful career.

However, there are some things he still understands.

If he were to encounter this case and stubbornly continue investigating, he would likely face similar consequences. Although he might have a solution, it would inevitably escalate into a lot of trouble in the end.

Although he had never encountered such a case before.

Fujino said calmly, "If it were an ordinary person, it would probably have been dropped long ago, and they might even have been killed by the other party, resulting in the destruction of their family. I almost ended up like that myself."

"What did you say?" Conan was taken aback.

Fujino smiled slightly: "Do you know how I captured the son of that Foreign Minister?"

"How did you catch him..." Conan asked.

Fujino gave a helpless laugh: "I got Koyo to help me out. Fortunately, her family's influence is strong enough to affect the Metropolitan Police Department and even the Minister of Foreign Affairs. Without her help, I'm afraid my fate would be no different from what I just said."

“I might even become a murderer to protect my family.”

"Do you think I would just sit and wait to be killed if those people sent a dozen or so men to attack my home and try to kill my family?"

“I will kill them first, and then they can label me a murderer.”

"What do you think will happen to me then?"

"..."

Conan's pupils widened suddenly; he could already imagine the final outcome.

The family members are constantly persecuted by the other party, and the detective who seeks justice is hunted down as a murderer. The public's attitude towards a murderer is self-evident.

In the end, they will only suffer disgrace, ruin, and death.

Fujino crossed his legs and chuckled: "This world is inherently unequal. To put it bluntly, the law is just a tool for those in power, a tool to maintain the stable operation of society. Perhaps it can be used to maintain fairness and justice, but in the end, it is still just a tool."

"The law itself is not the problem, but the people who enforce it may not be without problems."

"If the law is regarded as true justice, then the final outcome will be the shattering of faith and a major setback." "Only those with sufficient power can make justice truly just."

"Why do you think Shinichi Kudo, Heiji Hattori, Saguru Hakuba, and I were able to earn the title of the Four Great High School Detectives?"

"Ultimately, it's because I'm a kept man with Momiji's support behind the scenes, and Shinichi Kudo's parents have enough power and influence. Hakuba Saguru's father is the Superintendent General, and Hattori Heiji's father is the Osaka Headquarters Chief."

"Otherwise, how could a high school detective, so fearless and naive, possibly live a peaceful life..."

Looking at Conan's expression, Fujino said calmly, "What I'm saying has nothing to do with this case, but what I want to say is that this world has classes, and it is also a class narrative."

"In a class society, the law is necessarily class-based and is a tool for the ruling class to maintain its own economic interests. In Japanese society, the law is unequal and the procedures are unequal. Ordinary people like you and me can only obey the law and be lambs to the slaughter in front of the law, while those in high positions regard these laws as tools to consolidate their superstructure."

"This knife can be used to fight each other, or it can be used to deal with those in a lower position."

"And we, the lower classes, are still using this thing to kill each other, or even following pre-set programs to bully the real victims."

“Those who truly commit crimes should naturally be killed or arrested, but what about the victims?”

What should they do?

Conan lowered his head: "Even so... it's still... at least."

Conan stammered for a long time before finally managing to utter, "I don't know."

“Yes, I don’t know either, only God knows.” Fujino shrugged helplessly. “At least, in front of me, I would never bully a victim or protect a victim who is seeking revenge for a child.”

Conan moved his lips slightly: "But if this case continues like this, nothing will change. If it is covered up like this, more cases like this will definitely happen in the future. Although this case is due to the prosecutor, if things continue like this, nothing will change in the future, and this matter will not receive any attention at all."

"So, after all that has happened, has anything changed?" Fujino continued, "This matter isn't about the law at all, but about the prosecutor's inaction, as you know. But what punishment will that prosecutor receive?"

"No, he was just using his power within reasonable limits."

“The other prosecutors are the same; even if the case is overturned, it won’t affect them.”

"The final result is that the murderer is lynched, the victim is tried by law for belated murder, and the inactive prosecutor continues to do nothing in his procedural position."

Conan remained silent, unable to speak. He asked himself honestly, and he didn't dare to say that what he said was true. On the contrary, he even sounded pretentious and unrealistic in front of Fujino.

Conan's silence had already given Fujino his answer.

Fujino said calmly, "So, humans are essentially like broken record machines, constantly repeating the mistakes they make. Even if there is short-term pain, they will still forget the lessons learned in the long run. How many tragic cases have occurred in this world, but in the end, they still repeat themselves?"

"I don't care about others, I only care about what's in front of me. This is who I am in front of me."

“If the law is a tool of those in power or a weapon to oppress the victims, then it does not deserve to be obeyed unconditionally.”

“I am willing to wield the law as a weapon against criminals, but if the law is a butcher’s knife wielded by those in power and victims, or a sharp blade stabbed by the perpetrator’s protector against the victim, or even a finishing blow to a victim who has already been hurt.”

"Then I'd rather this weapon shatter than use it."

"I am a detective, and I choose to stand on the side of the victim."

Fujino turned his head to look at Conan beside him: "Kid, this is my view of detectives."

“I’ve said this to you many times before, but this time I’m serious.”

"The beauty of procedural justice belongs only to those who have the ability to initiate the process. For ordinary people, it is just a pie in the sky. They don't even need anyone to intervene. The inaction of prosecutors alone is enough to drive a victim to despair and resort to vigilante justice."

"Similarly, some things are not absolutely achievable."

"Your ideas are too idealistic. When you really reach a dead end, you'll suffer a big fall sooner or later."

Conan remained silent, head bowed, unable to speak, simply because he had nothing to say.

Fujino's class narrative, coupled with its logic, seemed inexplicably reasonable to Conan.

It even gave him the feeling that he had been inexplicably fooled.

But we have to admit, it's all true, and it's very bitter.

He could tell that Fujino wasn't rebelling against the law, but merely speaking out for the victims; it wasn't a genuine confrontation with the law.

It even goes so far as to alleviate the necessary pain that the victims need to bear.

However, it's too extreme.

Conan still felt somewhat resistant, after all, the other party had indeed killed someone, and it was really hard for him to accept that the murderer was still at large.

He can plead for the murderer and give him face, but he cannot protect the murderer, especially the murderer who has killed someone.

But then I think, when that victim faced that murderer, did he feel the same way? Because his son was killed, was he perhaps even more heartbroken than him...?

He knew very well that people couldn't empathize, and that he couldn't understand the other person's feelings.

Finally, he could only sigh and ask, "So, what are your plans for this case?"

"Of course we'll send it to court," Fujino said, raising his eyes slightly. "It'll just be a little later. Of course we'll do the reasoning, but finding evidence is the prosecutor's job."

"If we can't find it, then it'll be the same as back then."

"If all people are equal, and if the perpetrator can do it, why can't the victim?"

Conan pinched his brow: "You plan to let that evidence disappear over time, let that guy be released and then clean up the evidence, and finally have the prosecutor reject the case due to insufficient evidence and start collecting evidence again?"

Fujino nodded: "That's how it was back then. Now, I think it's perfectly acceptable to use their own methods against them."

Conan took a deep breath, looking rather listless: "Since you've already made up your mind, there's probably no point in me saying anything."

"Since you want to handle it your way, then handle it your way."

"Anyway, I'm just a little kid."

(End of this chapter)