Winning is everything: Conan

"Is this really necessary?"

Ai asked.

"Based on what Nakamichi Kazushi just said, the police officers who interrogated him might be very skilled detectives. If you accuse them in court, they could be punished or even lose their jobs. Is that really okay?"

Keisuke looked at her and smiled.

"What you're saying now is completely different from what you said when you said goodbye to Conan. What's going on? Are the hormones in your brain, physiology affecting psychology, and is sympathy kicking in?"

"So, lawyer, what do you think?"

Ai crossed her arms and teased.

Keisuke stopped smiling and became serious.

"Little Ai, what do you think is the purpose of a lawyer's existence?"

"To protect the client's interests and uphold justice under the law,"

the girl immediately replied.

Keisuke shook his head. "I've said this before. Let me narrow it down a bit."

He paused.

Looking Ai straight in the eyes, he asked:

"What does the existence of lawyers represent for public security, prosecution, and the courts?"

The girl tilted her head. "Opponents?"

Lawyers and public security, prosecution, and courts—meaning the police and prosecutors—had always been in opposition because lawyers had to help the criminals they caught fight judicial proceedings.

"You're partly right," Keisuke said with a smile. "Try guessing again."

Ai lowered her head, deep in thought.

After a moment, she shook her head.

"I don't know."

After all, she was a newcomer. Although she could recite the laws fluently, she had never actually worked as a lawyer.

"Lawyers are supervisors and a sword of Damocles for public security, prosecution, and the courts,"

Keisuke Kumiko stated.

He reached for his chest and removed the lawyer's badge pinned there.

In the center of the golden copper emblem, a scale was engraved.

"Over time, after multiple reforms by the National Police Agency, Japan's judicial system has become quite complete,"

Keisuke said slowly.

"However, there will always be some loopholes in the judiciary, whether in legal provisions or in the enforcement of laws by personnel."

"Public security, prosecution, and judicial agencies have self-inspections and can correct existing problems on their own, but no matter what, there will always be some fish that slip through the net."

"The role of lawyers is to find these fish one by one so that the balance of law can become more stable and orderly."

"Public security, prosecution, and judicial agencies hold power, and with that power comes responsibility."

"If there is a situation where responsibilities are not fulfilled, then the lawyer—this sword of Damocles—will cut them down, and their corresponding powers will be stripped away one by one."

"This is the importance of lawyers to the entire public security, prosecution, and judicial system."

Having said this, Keisuke Kumiko smiled slightly, looked at little Ai, who was deep in thought before him, and reached out to pat her head.

"Do you understand now? Why I have to sue those police officers? Not just because they violently interrogated suspects, but also because they must receive the lesson they deserve for their position."

"Alright, I get it."

Little Ai nodded and lifted her head.

She looked at Keisuke Kumiko with indifferent eyes. "You seem to use all sorts of high-sounding reasons to cover up your various shady actions, though they do sound quite reasonable."

"It's not just that they sound reasonable; they actually are."

"Honestly, it's all thanks to your smooth talking, right? And your thick skin."

"What, you don't agree?"

The two continued walking, gradually leaving the topic behind.

However, after this conversation, the once-immature girl seemed to have matured a bit more.

…

It took about twenty minutes to walk to Nakamichi Kazushi's house.

Keisuke Kumiko took out the key that had been given to him earlier and unlocked the door.

The interior had the same traditional Japanese style as his brother's house, filled with tatami mats and sliding paper doors.

The fax machine was located in the living room.

Keisuke Kumiko found a large pile of papers in the cardboard box next to the machine.

Each sheet was filled with threatening words like "I'll kill you" and "I want to die."

There were so many words crammed onto the pages that some were even written over the edges. It was a shocking sight.

It was clear that the victim had been a woman with severe psychological instability.

"That bald guy is really pitiful, getting tangled up with a woman like this."

Keisuke Kumiko clasped his hands together, though there was no trace of pity in his tone.

"What do you need this for?" Little Ai asked from the side.

Keisuke Kumiko raised an eyebrow. "I find that you're smart one moment and clueless the next. How can you not figure out what I'm about to do?"

Little Ai looked at him blankly. "After hearing your high-sounding speech just now, I think I need to be more cautious in my attitude toward the law, alright?"

"Really? You still have a lot to learn,"

Keisuke Kumiko said casually, stuffing all the scattered papers into his briefcase.

"With these, we can muddy the waters regarding how the victim died. Look, she wrote so many suicide notes via fax—so isn't it possible that she really did commit suicide?"

Little Ai tilted her head.

"But many witnesses said it was a homicide. In that case, wouldn't your suicide theory be invalidated?"

"This is just one piece of the puzzle."

Keisuke raised a finger and waved it slightly.

"The so-called truth that the detective deduces is like a completed puzzle. If we want to defend our innocence, we must remove the pieces one by one. Although removing just one piece may seem insignificant, each one is indispensable. Only by removing all the pieces can we bury their so-called truth."

Little Ai nodded in understanding.

"You're the kind of person who can say shady things without batting an eye."

"Shady? You call this shady? I'm clearing his name. Didn't you hear what that bald guy said? He's innocent, but the detective's reasoning made him guilty."

The corners of Kumiko's lips curved upward.

"I'm simply using a method that ordinary people wouldn't use—or wouldn't dare to use—to prove his innocence."

"In the end, it's just a gray-area method, right?" Little Ai pursed her lips.

Keisuke Kumiko smiled.

"Alright, there's more to do next."

After collecting Horikoshi Yumi's faxes, Keisuke didn't linger.

Upon exiting the house, he pulled out his phone and dialed a number.

After a moment of relaxing hold music, someone answered.

"This is Hiroshi Daily. How can I help you?"

"Hello, I have information about the Chiba Prefectural Criminal Police. It's about these officers violently enforcing the law. Would you be interested in covering it?"

The person on the other end immediately perked up upon hearing this.

"Alright, alright! Where can we meet?"

They quickly agreed on a location.

After hanging up, little Ai looked at him.

"You're ruthless enough to even get the media involved to amplify the impact."

Keisuke Kumiko shrugged and smiled faintly.

"In this world, whenever two sides are fighting, one of them will end up being the villain. So if I don't play the villain, who will? Don't you think?"

(End of chapter)