Conan: Chief of Rice Flower's Science Points

Chapter 407 You can help each other
On April 22nd, Shiraishi declined Ayako and Satsuki's invitations and went to the East Imperial Hospital with Attorney Ki...

Besides the fact that it was because Attorney Shiki, an acquaintance, asked for help, it was also because the case was indeed related to Shiraishi—after all, Shiraishi had been making rounds at the hospital before the case occurred!

Attorney Kiyoshi asked Shiraishi to assist in the investigation, mainly regarding the case of Dr. Goto Megumi's attack.

At that time, Dr. Shirai's attempt to frame Mori was discovered, so he had no choice but to forcibly kill Dr. Eto and create a "transparent man" by taking advantage of the blind spot in the surveillance, but it was quickly exposed.

During this time, Goto Megumi called Megure around noon, seemingly wanting to provide some clues, and arranged to meet with Megure...

However, like all "witnesses who arrange to meet", he was attacked before the meeting was even scheduled!
In the afternoon, Goto Megumi was attacked in the stairwell. Although she survived, she suffered brain damage and temporarily lost her speech and memory, so she was unable to testify.

However, the murder weapon used by Dr. Shirai to kill Dr. Eto was later found, and it did indeed contain the blood of the two victims. It was also confirmed that Goto had questioned Dr. Shirai about something not long before...

Furthermore, since Shirai was indeed responsible for Goto's death, after initially denying that he had harmed Goto, Shirai once wanted to admit to the crime in order to obtain leniency.

However, Eri Kisaki was very serious and persuaded Shirai not to admit to crimes she hadn't committed...

However, the already unfavorable defense was further complicated during the second trial—the prosecution had a new witness, and... this witness was none other than Goto himself, the person who was attacked!
Caught off guard, Eri Kisaki only had time to question the witness, who was also a victim, in order to secure a second hearing.

Before that, Eri Kisaki naturally needed to figure out what this "new testimony" was all about!

On the way, Eri Kisaki also explained the current situation to Shiraishi in detail...

"So... Dr. Goto Megumi didn't testify in court, only gave a recorded testimony, and her statement wasn't very clear, right?" Shiraishi summarized and confirmed after listening to Eri Kisaki's account.

“That’s right, but I can understand why it was arranged this way. After all, Ms. Goto Megumi probably hasn’t recovered yet, she’s only regained some of her memories, and the testimony video was recorded with a notary in the presence of a court official.” Eri Kisaki did not suspect that the recording was fake.

only……

Eri Kisaki couldn't believe that this testimony was true!
After all, Shirai was about to make up a story, and it was only after his persuasion that he insisted on the truth. If Shirai was lying and Goto was indeed attacked by him, then what was the point of all this trouble?
Not to mention, Eri Kisaki later found an alibi for Shirai!

Who attacked you?

White clothes... black glasses... short hair...

Can you remember his name?

【Hmm...hmm...Shirai...Shirai!】

Shiraishi then stopped the recording that was being used as evidence. The recording itself was not fake; it wasn't recorded privately by anyone, but rather sampled by court personnel—after all, Goto's language and physical abilities had not yet recovered, making him unsuitable to appear in court.

"Judging from his voice, he can only barely pronounce words..." Shiraishi could tell that Goto was like a child who had just learned a little bit of language, and his pronunciation was not clear.

“That’s right, how can this be considered evidence!” Eri Kisaki said angrily.

"Although it's not exactly solid evidence, it still had a 'miraculous effect,' didn't it?" Shiraishi had already guessed what was going on.

Generally speaking, testimony from victims carries immense weight.

but……

For victims like Goto who have difficulty speaking, it's a different story. It's even impossible to determine whether she has truly remembered something or is being misled by her imagination, since she can only utter a few words and it's impossible to ask her anything more.

Strictly speaking, Eri Kisaki could easily dismiss this as invalid evidence, but the problem is...

This evidence will not only influence the jury and the judge, but more importantly, it will also affect Eri Kisaki's witnesses!

"Well, everything else is fine, but... the witnesses are a problem," Eri Kisaki said helplessly.

Eri had previously told Shiraishi that Shirai had an alibi, and the person who testified for him was a nurse at the hospital. Given that Shirai had indeed killed someone, asking her to stand up and testify that Shirai was innocent in another case was a real test of humanity. After all, even if she was just telling the truth, she might face workplace ostracism and lose her job as a result.

It can be said that even if the other party is unwilling to testify, Eri Kisaki can completely understand.

It was only when the other party eventually agreed to testify that Eri Kisaki felt admiration, but...

At this point, with Goto Megumi's testimony, the witness was under too much pressure. Although she did not retaliate or deny her previous testimony, she was unwilling to testify in court afterward.

Eri Kisaki is currently in a very passive position...

"Let's go see that witness first!" Shiraishi wanted to confirm Shirai's alibi first.

Although Shiraishi arrived at the hospital quickly when the murder occurred, was in the hospital when the assault occurred, and even knew the basic situation before the incident, and knew Shirai and Goto, Shiraishi also confirmed that there were some suspicious points in the case, but... Shiraishi could not be sure what was going on until he met the witnesses.

……

Shortly after, Shiraishi and Eri arrived at Touji Hospital and, as scheduled, sought out the nurse who had witnessed the incident…

Inside the elevator, Shiraishi's expression was somewhat strange—this floor... Shiraishi was very familiar with it!

really……

"Nurse Oma, I'm so sorry to bother you again," Eri Kisaki said apologetically to Nurse Oma.

Oma stared intently at Shiraishi...

It really is someone Shiraishi knows!

At this moment, Eri Kisaki introduced, "This is Director Beika..." She believed that Oma would definitely recognize this figure, but she did not know that the two already knew each other.

“Nurse Oma, what a coincidence,” Shiraishi greeted.

"Director Shiraishi? You've come here..." Oma was taken aback upon seeing this.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to get some information from you, you don't need to feel pressured," Shiraishi said directly.

But just then...

"What's wrong with you guys? I don't care what kind of lawyer you are, your battlefield is in the courtroom, don't come looking for me again..." The doorman stormed in at that moment.

"Shiraishi?" Daimon paused slightly after seeing Shiraishi. "Long time no see, Dr. Daimon. What's wrong?" Shiraishi asked upon seeing this.

Without mincing words, Daimon retorted, "Do you know that Nurse Oma has made several mistakes and lost focus these past few days? This has greatly affected the surgery! Hasn't Nurse Oma already given her testimony? What you do next is your business... And you, the lawyer, or those people from the prosecutor's office, it's not good for you to keep coming here to disrupt our normal medical order, is it?"

"I'm sorry, it's all my fault..." Ouma said embarrassedly.

Oma is also a surgical nurse. Although she is not like Jonouchi, the anesthesiologist, who can be called "Daimon's personal nurse", she is also a surgical nurse who often works with Daimon.

Da Men has always had boundless confidence in her skills, but she also acknowledges the importance of "familiar nurses and doctors working together"—she doesn't care about the skills of the nurses and doctors on the same stage, as long as they are familiar with each other and have a certain level of tacit understanding.

Daimon doesn't concern himself with things outside of surgery, but recently, Oma has been repeatedly "harassed" because of his testimony for Shirai, which has even affected his surgery.

This gate simply can't tolerate it...

Even if it were a lawyer, or even if the prosecutor's office came, she would still have the same attitude.

Eri Kisaki then said somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry, but about the previous case..."

"So what if it's a murder case? Weren't we already cooperating?" the gatekeeper said impatiently.

And murder cases and such...

The gate really didn't care, and it didn't scare her at all.

After all, Men Da was a former field medic. Even when there was constant gunfire outside in the Caribbean island nation, it couldn't affect the operating room!

“Dr. Daimon, don’t worry. I came here for this… Nurse Oma, you don’t need to have any worries after this. Just tell me what you saw. If Attorney Kisaki or the prosecutor has any questions about you afterward, you can put the blame on me and let them come to me,” Shiraishi reassured the two.

Hearing what Shiraishi said, Daimon stopped "firing," and Oma nodded quickly—she had indeed been troubled during this time.

Afterwards, Shiraishi found an empty office and asked Oma to tell her what she had seen that day...

Oma did indeed confirm that he saw Shirai in the corridor during the riot when Dr. Goto was attacked. Someone heard Goto scream when he was attacked and the sound of him falling down the stairs. Then someone went to check and that's when the riot started.

In other words, the time difference between Goto's attack and the riot at the hospital was extremely short...

Based on the surveillance footage, it's impossible for Shirai to bypass the surveillance cameras and enter and exit the stairwell in such a short time!
After confirming with Oma the time when he saw Shirai and Shirai's state at the time, Shiraishi basically concluded that the alibi was valid.

"I understand. From now on, no matter who asks you about this, just say that you've already told me, and that you can't remember the details anyway, and that they can just ask me to confirm." Shiraishi comforted Oma at the end.

"Yes, thank you, Director Shiraishi." Oma breathed a sigh of relief.

Although this isn't Beika Town, Shiraishi still gives people a strong sense of security—after all, this is a reputation earned through a series of cases.

With Shiraishi's promise, this matter has finally come to an end for Oma.

Eri Kisaki then said shyly, "I'm sorry for causing so much trouble to Nurse Oma."

Seeing that Attorney Jianfei had solemnly stood up to apologize, Ouma also quickly stood up and stepped aside.

Seeing this, Shiraishi comforted her, "Alright, you're all just doing your job, there's no right or wrong... It's good that we've all gotten to know each other now, so if Attorney Ki gets sick in the future, or Nurse Oma gets into legal trouble, we can help each other!"

Oma Masako, Fei Eri:...

That's really auspicious!

After Masako Oma left, Shiraishi reviewed the incident in his mind and then said, "Let's go see a neurologist."

Goto Megumi was still receiving treatment in the hospital at this time, and was far from being fully recovered; in fact, it could be said that she had not recovered much at all!

When Shiraishi arrived at the neurology ward, it was difficult for him to hide, given his size. He was already discovered when he went to find Nurse Oma.

Just as they stepped off the elevator, they saw Dr. Wakui—Goto's fiancé, a neurosurgeon, who was young and promising.

"Attorney Kisaki, Xiaohui has already cooperated with the court by giving her testimony. What are you doing here?" Wakui deliberately ignored Shiraishi's appearance and was immediately complained about by Kisaki Eri.

Of course, as the "victim's fiancé," it is understandable that he would be hostile to the defendant's lawyer.

However, Shiraishi interrupted, saying, "Dr. Wakui, it's been a long time."

Wakui paused upon hearing this—if Shiraishi had greeted him first, he couldn't pretend he hadn't seen him.

"Officer Shiraishi, thank you for your help again. You were there when Shirai attacked Megumi..." Wakui said, looking grateful to Shiraishi.

Bai Shi didn't give him any room for ambiguity and directly reminded him: "No, I was at the old inpatient ward at the time. I only rushed over after hearing the news, and I'm not sure who did it."

“Well, but three days ago, Xiaohui already remembered who attacked her…” Wakui explained.

Although Shiraishi already knew about this, he listened carefully this time before asking, "Well, Megumi had just spoken to Inspector Megure on the phone, probably intending to provide him with some clues that would be detrimental to the real culprit... Do you have any ideas about this?"

"No... but Megumi and Dr. Shirai did have an argument," Wakui said sullenly.

Shiraishi looked at him carefully, then asked again, "Dr. Goto and Shirai had an argument. As her fiancé, didn't you ask why?"

Upon hearing this, Wakui paused for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I asked, but Xiaohui didn't say."

“I see…” Upon hearing this, Shiraishi nodded, whether convinced or having thought of something, while Reiwa Hisai became somewhat impatient.

Shiraishi then asked, "Is Dr. Goto awake right now?"

“Xiao Hui is not suitable to be questioned right now,” Wakui said directly.

“Then let’s adjust our state and we’ll be fine in an hour.” Shiraishi said. Wakui wanted to refuse, but then Shiraishi said directly, “Don’t worry, I also have a license to practice as a psychologist. I will communicate with Goto’s attending physician later.”

Shiraishi knew without asking that Wakui's age and relationship with Goto Megumi made it impossible for him to be the attending physician—after all, Goto Megumi was attacked by a doctor in the hospital during working hours, and the hospital must have taken her treatment very seriously!
Therefore, whether Wakui is willing or not is irrelevant; Shiraishi has ways to get the East Imperial Hospital to cooperate with him...

(End of this chapter)