Winning is everything: Conan

On his way back, Keisuke Kumiko witnessed two robberies and a theft, all committed right in front of him.

On another occasion, a criminal lost his mind and attempted to rob a bank, but was immediately subdued by the security system inside.

Incidents like these happened to Kumiko several times a day while traveling around the city.

Without exception, all the criminals he encountered had negative favorability ratings.

He couldn't help but feel fortunate for being intelligent and having this level of experience.

He returned safely to his rental house.

At night, after dinner, Kumiko took out a blank sheet of paper and began writing and drawing diagrams.

He was planning his future.

Spending one and a half million on food, drinks, and entertainment was something only a fool with a brain kicked by a donkey would do.

So, what is the first thing a lawyer does when he has some extra money after making his debut?

Of course, he opens his own law firm.

A lawyer who has just started his career is, at best, a solo practitioner who has to run around every day to attract clients and business. However, most people will ignore you when they see that you don't even have an office and are not well-known. In the end, you can only take on public cases assigned by the Bar Association.

The fees for government-sponsored commissions are pitifully small, purely charity work, and the clients are all troublemakers—just like when he first met Masayoshi Sakaguchi. In Kumiko's opinion, these types of commissions were nothing more than garbage in the trash heap.

Alternatively, lawyers can work for other law firms.

But with Keisuke Kumiko's personality, unless he met a wise man who appreciated his talent, he would probably end up arguing with his boss on the first day and then be exiled to the cold palace, never receiving any cases.

Therefore, opening his own law firm was the first thing Kumiko had to do.

The next day, Kumiko set out early and visited several real estate agencies.

Finally, he found a decent office in a commercial building on a shopping street in Shibuya, Tokyo.

The minimum lease term was six months, and the office space was about 30 square meters. It came with a full set of office desks and chairs, a sofa, and a bookshelf. The key point was that the rent was only 100,000 yen per month.

Shibuya is a major district in Tokyo. Located in the central area, it has heavy foot traffic and a thriving commercial scene. It is densely packed with department stores, fashion boutiques, restaurants, and entertainment venues. It is listed as a "24-hour street that never sleeps," much like Shinjuku.

Why was the rent so cheap?

Of course, it was because someone had died there.

Kumiko learned that the previous occupant of the office was also a lawyer. He had a dispute with a client and was strangled to death in the bathroom by that very client.

How tragic.

After renting an office, all that was left was to bring the necessary documents and register the law firm.

In Japan, there is no department called the Industrial and Commercial Office. To register a company, one must go to the relevant legal affairs office, determine the legal representative, create a company seal, and establish the firm's name.

The name of the firm was, of course, Kumiko Law Firm.

It took Kumiko about ten days to complete all these procedures.

The last step was to hire an assistant.

A lawyer is an administrative worker and cannot do without an assistant. He has to manage a vast amount of paperwork and deal with a significant volume of written materials.

However, with Kumiko's current financial resources, hiring an employee was out of the question.

Just renting the office and registering the firm had already consumed more than half of his 1.5 million yuan.

For now, this matter had to be put on hold.

After finishing the firm's affairs, the next thing to consider was acquiring clients.

On the client side, things were more complicated. There were countless law firms in Tokyo, and the competition was fierce. Well-known and lesser-known firms were crammed together. Unless one had the right connections, the only option was to take on public cases to build a reputation.

A week passed, and some clients finally came knocking, but all of them had trivial civil disputes, and the fees they could afford were even worse than government-sponsored commissions.

The only connection Kumiko had at the moment was his first lawsuit client, Masayoshi Sakaguchi.

"There's no other choice."

Kumiko pulled out his phone and called Sakaguchi.

Even though he was a one-time client, Sakaguchi was a lawyer after all and might have access to some good cases.

"Beep beep~"

After a retro ringtone, the call connected, and Sakaguchi's voice came through.

—"Hello, who is this?"

—"It's Kumiko. I wanted to talk to you about something."

—"Oh, Attorney Kumiko. What can I do for you?"

—"Well, it's like this..."

Kumiko briefly explained his situation over the phone.

—"Don't worry. If I get a case, I'll give you a portion of the commission as a referral fee."

—"I see."

Sakaguchi probably understood why Kumiko was reaching out.

After a brief pause, he spoke again.

—"You're too polite, Mr. Kumiko. I do have some pending cases, but they mostly involve minors. Are you sure you can handle them?"

—"Forget it, then."

Kumiko shook his head and was about to hang up.

Handling cases involving teenagers was not his thing. In his opinion, Japanese primary and secondary school students were the most troublesome. They were naïve, superficial, and thought about love all day. When they saw someone of the opposite sex, they turned into donkeys in heat.

Simply put, teenagers were a bunch of idiots.

If he really took on such cases, he might end up being dragged down by foolish teammates, only to find himself outnumbered nine to one.

—"Attorney Kumiko, please wait a moment."

Just as Kumiko was about to hang up, Sakaguchi suddenly stopped him.

—"Although I only handle juvenile cases, an old friend of mine asked me to take on a lawsuit for him a while ago. I refused at the time."

—"Oh? What kind of lawsuit?"

—"Let's meet and discuss it in detail."

—"Alright, where shall we meet?"

—"How about Polo Café in Beika-cho, 5-chome?"

Kumiko frowned slightly. The name sounded somewhat familiar.

However, eager to secure a case as soon as possible, he didn't think too much about it and agreed.

After hanging up, Keisuke Kumiko got ready and immediately set out.

After taking the train for a while, he arrived once again at Beika-cho.

Since his last lawsuit, he had been there dozens of times and was now quite familiar with the area. With just a few directions, he easily found his destination.

It was a three-story building.

The sign outside the entrance read Polo Café on the first floor, and on the second floor...

Kumiko rubbed his eyes.

"Damn it! Mouri Detective Agency?!"

Kumiko, who rarely cursed, couldn't help but swear.

He had just thought that the café's name sounded familiar, and it turned out to be right below Mouri Detective Agency!

—"It's you!"

A surprised girl's voice reached his ears.

Kumiko turned his head, expressionless.

He saw a girl in a JK uniform with a distinctive tuft of hair on her head, covering her mouth in shock as she looked at him.

It was Mouri Ran, the only daughter of Mouri Kogoro.

They had met before on the subway.

(End of this chapter)