Winning is everything: Conan

—"Attorney Kumiko, right? Are you here to ask my father for a favor?"

Mouri Ran quickly regained her composure, but as she recalled the last incident about giving up her seat on the subway, she became furious.

That event had left a deep impression on her. She had never met such a repugnant guy before.

—"Get out of here! You're not welcome!"

She said as she tried to push Keisuke Kumiko out of the café.

Without hesitation, Kumiko swatted away Mouri Ran's hand.

—"Girl, don't get the wrong idea. I'm here to eat. This place looks like a third-rate detective agency—who would come here to do business with you?"

—"What did you just say?!"

Mouri Ran exclaimed angrily.

—"This building belongs to my father! I now declare that you're not allowed to enter! If you want to eat, go somewhere else!"

—"Hey, hey, hey, girl, you haven't studied law, have you?"

Keisuke Kumiko sighed, raised a finger, and waved it lightly.

—"Your family rents this floor, right? According to the Japanese Civil Code, when you rent a property, you transfer the right to use it. Only the people from this café have the authority to kick me out. Got it? Unless your rental contract specifically states that no one named 'Kumiko Keisuke' can enter, you have no right to point your finger at me here!"

—"Y-You...!"

Ran Mouri pointed at Kumiko's face, her chest rising and falling in anger.

This was so frustrating that she couldn't even speak.

After the previous subway incident, she knew this man had a sharp tongue.

She couldn't win an argument against him.

As the daughter of a lawyer, she understood that debating with someone who had studied law was like smashing an egg against a rock.

Hitting him would be even worse. Given his character, he might even sue her.

—"Step aside, please! Thank you!"

That annoying voice reached her ears again.

Mouri Ran had no choice but to glare at him before reluctantly letting him enter the café on the first floor.

—"Ran-neechan, that guy is no good!"

(I left the ran-neechan because it seems weird to me, Little sister ran)

A sudden voice from the side caught her attention.

Conan stepped out from behind a tree.

It was time for school, and he had been about to head home when he witnessed the scene, so he hid and eavesdropped.

—"I see!" Mouri Ran nodded angrily. "Conan, you should avoid people like him in the future! He's absolutely detestable!"

Conan looked at Keisuke Kumiko inside the café and frowned.

He knew that this lawyer wasn't a resident of Beika Town, yet now he was coming here specifically to eat...

With that in mind, Conan silently entered the café without saying a word.

Inside, Kumiko glanced around but didn't see Sakaguchi yet. So, he found a seat, sat down, and ordered some desserts.

About ten minutes later, Sakaguchi finally arrived.

Kumiko raised an eyebrow.

Beside Sakaguchi was a familiar figure.

Haibara Ai, the girl he had met last time.

—"Sorry, I was delayed a bit because Ai insisted on coming here no matter what," Sakaguchi said apologetically.

At that moment, Haibara Ai chimed in, —"Uncle Sakaguchi, I want a parfait and ice cream!"

—"Ai, don't be rude! Call him Uncle Kumiko!"

—"Fine... Hello, Uncle Kumiko."

Haibara Ai pouted and greeted him reluctantly.

Still pretending. She's quite good at it.

Kumiko looked at Haibara Ai's seemingly innocent childlike face.

He didn't know why she had ended up at Sakaguchi's place, but she had probably used deception to sneak in by pretending to be a pitiful girl, intending to stay there for free.

Maybe she had fought with Conan and the others or something like that.

Before long, the desserts and coffee they ordered arrived.

When the food was served, Haibara Ai didn't say anything. She just quietly sat on the side and obediently enjoyed her delicious ice cream.

Kumiko's attention no longer lingered on her.

He didn't waste words and got straight to the point.

—"Alright, let's get down to business. Regarding what you mentioned on the phone, let's talk about good commissions first."

Sakaguchi nodded and pulled a document from his briefcase.

—"This is a lawsuit from Chiba Prefecture. The person involved is a police officer from the Chiba Prefectural Police. He was arrested on suspicion of murder."

Kumiko took the document and read through it carefully.

As he read, his eyebrows suddenly furrowed when he came across a certain line.

—"Is this another case solved by Kogoro Mouri?"

Sakaguchi nodded. —"Yeah, I heard the suspect is one of Mouri's old college classmates."

—"I see..."

As he continued reading the document, fragments of memory began to resurface in Kumiko's mind.

This case was also featured in the original anime, and it was a classic one—known as "The Case of Kogoro's Classmate Murder."

—"Now, this is interesting."

Kumiko's frown gradually relaxed, and a smirk appeared at the corner of his mouth.

—"So, why aren't you taking this case? I see the commission fee is two million yen."

—"Since this case was solved by the famous detective Kogoro, there is solid evidence, and the officer committed murder," Sakaguchi explained.

—"My conscience tells me that I can't defend a murderer, so I refuse to take this case."

—"Huh? What kind of nonsense is that?"

Keisuke burst out laughing as if he had heard something amusing.

—"How do you know he's the real killer? Just because of the evidence provided by the detective? Have you already forgotten your own case? Also, if you truly want to be a good lawyer, stop talking about conscience. The law has never been about conscience. Do you understand?"

—"Uh..."

Sakaguchi smiled bitterly.

Even though Kumiko's words were unpleasant to hear, he couldn't refute them.

—"I'll take this case."

Keisuke gathered all the documents Sakaguchi had handed over and placed them in his briefcase.

—"Think it through. I just told you—this case was solved by Kogoro Mouri, and there's evidence."

—"Didn't your case also have so-called 'evidence'? And wasn't it solved by him as well?" Kumimon countered.

Sakaguchi stared at him for a long time.

—"People like you... as long as the payment is good, you don't care what kind of case it is, nor which side is just... You're truly terrifying."

—"You're mistaken. Justice is never on any particular side. It's just something people keep repeating until it seems like it's on theirs."

Keisuke made his signature gesture—raising a finger and waving it lightly, a mysterious smile on his face.

—"Strictly speaking, in this world, only the winner is just."

Haibara Ai, who had been quietly eating her parfait without speaking for a long time, slightly lifted her head.

A faint glint flickered in her icy blue eyes.

(End of this chapter)