Winning is everything: Conan

After leaving the court, Keisuke headed straight to the detention center where Nakamichi Kazushi was being held.

Chiba Prefecture was a small place, unlike Tokyo.

The good thing about small places was that everything was close to each other. It only took Keisuke five minutes to reach the detention center.

After speaking with the on-duty officer, Kumiko was taken to the visitation room, where he met with Nakamichi Kazushi, who remained silent.

At that moment, Nakamichi Kazushi had their heads lowered, as if covered in shame.

"Tell me, what's wrong with you?"

Keisuke Kumiko tapped the glass window with a pen.

"Are you hesitating in your heart and thinking of canceling the appeal?"

Hearing this, Nakamichi Kazushi, who had remained silent, suddenly looked up in surprise.

"How did you know?"

"Do you think I'm a fake lawyer?"

Keisuke rolled his eyes.

"Look at your dumb expression, you've obviously lost your resolve. Well, let me guess—someone visited you in the waiting room half an hour before the trial, right?"

"…You saw everything."

Nakamichi Kazushi sighed.

"Yes, Mouri Kogoro, my university friend, came to see me today."

"What do you mean he came to see you? He came to drug you," Keisuke said bluntly.

"He tried to persuade you, saying a lot of things about taking responsibility if you killed someone, how you should have a clear conscience, and how you should go to prison to atone for your sins. The same old routine, right?"

"You were right about everything. You're a really sharp lawyer."

Nakamichi Kazushi sighed, rubbing his head in frustration.

"After he arrived at the court, he talked to me a lot. He advised me to give up the appeal, serve the next 20 years in prison, and atone for the crime I committed. I might have been swayed... I'm really doubting whether I should continue the appeal."

"After all, no matter what, Yumi's death was caused by me, and I once loved her..."

Of course.

Keisuke shook his head.

Before going to court, Keisuke had met Mouri Ran and Mouri Kogoro.

He had already found the situation a bit strange at that time. Mouri Kogoro was from Tokyo—he definitely wouldn't come here without a reason.

"I swear, can you criminal suspects stand firm for once? Don't turn around and run in the opposite direction just because someone defends you! This really messes with us lawyers!"

Keisuke Kumiko's tone was full of disappointment.

"A lawyer is here to fight for your interests, not to harm you! It's great if you can spend less time in prison or not go at all! You should be grateful. Is it fun to be a traitor and stab someone in the back? You didn't even kill the person, so why are you sitting here repenting? Do you think that makes you noble?"

After hearing Keisuke Kumiko's words, Nakamichi Kazushi fell silent for a moment.

Then, as if realizing something, he smiled bitterly.

"But Kogoro was very kind to me, and he listened to many of my complaints. And just now in court..."

He recalled how his former colleague, Terabayashi Shoji, had cried in court.

He remembered what Terabayashi Shoji had written in his journal.

Maybe, in some invisible way, he had hurt others.

If he could atone for his sins like this…

"Are you stupid?"

Kumiko's venomous voice rang out again.

"A psychologist also listens to your complaints and seems kind to you—so should you just marry a psychologist? If someone wants to bring you bad luck just by talking, aren't they harming you? As for that police officer, it was his own fault. He deserved it. He got caught doing something illegal. What does that have to do with you, idiot?"

"Uh..."

The bald man blinked, looking very frustrated.

He couldn't help but think of the lawyer who had defended him in the first trial.

Most lawyers always spoke kindly, fearing they might lose their jobs—but why was this one outright scolding his client?

"First, let me make something clear: even if you give up the appeal, you still have to pay the money."

Keisuke Kumiko stopped joking.

He simply pulled out the contract Nakamichi Kazushi had signed and placed it against the glass in front of him.

"Look, it's written here. The commission is three million. If you breach the contract, you have to pay double the amount as a penalty. Plus, you have to cover my labor fees, lost work hours, and miscellaneous expenses. The total amount comes to eight million."

"How can it be that much?!"

Nakamichi Kazushi shouted anxiously.

Since the client wasn't actually him but his brother, he hadn't known in advance that his brother had signed such a hefty contract.

"Do you get it now? It's your brother who's paying, not you," Keisuke emphasized.

"Make a decision now—whether you're giving up the appeal or not. I don't have time to waste, and I don't want to hear any more nonsense from you."

"..."

Nakamichi Kazushi's expression shifted.

Giving up the appeal would clearly be a betrayal of his brother.

In this world, his brother was the only one who truly treated him well and helped him.

Thinking about that, he no longer hesitated and nodded firmly.

"I've decided to continue the appeal! Let's ignore Kogoro's nonsense!"

Keisuke let out a relieved sigh and nodded in satisfaction.

"That's right, stand firm. Remember, you're the one in prison, and the ones who truly care for you are your family—not some random college friend."

"..."

Nakamichi Kazushi's face twitched.

Honestly, this lawyer was very different from the others.

He had been a police officer for years, but this was the first time he'd ever seen a lawyer like this.

Not only was his tongue sharp, but everything he said was completely aligned with the justice of the winning side…

"Now, I have a few more questions for you. Just answer honestly."

"Uh, okay."

The conversation with Nakamichi Kazushi lasted more than half an hour.

It was around three in the afternoon when Keisuke Kumiko left.

As they exited the detention center, little Ai glanced back inside.

"I don't get it. Why did you bother persuading him?"

Little Ai spoke in a soft tone, with a hint of doubt.

"Since he's willing to atone for his sins in prison, it's not necessarily a bad thing, right? And if he breaches the contract, you can get an even bigger compensation. Why not just let it happen?"

That was the main point. Given Kumiko's love for money, Ai really didn't understand.

"Ah, didn't I tell you?"

Keisuke shook his head.

"A lawyer's job is to protect the client's interests. That is the most fundamental and important duty of a lawyer. The client in this case isn't this bald guy—it's his brother. Get it? I don't care what this bald guy does. If he wants to go to jail, let him. But his actions would affect the real client. When a client's interests are harmed, the lawyer must step in—otherwise, they shouldn't be in this profession."

"I see."

Little Ai nodded, a glimmer of surprise flashing in her icy blue eyes as she looked at Keisuke Kumiko.

"I didn't expect a lawyer like you to have such a strong sense of professional ethics."

"When you take on a job, you have to do it well," Keisuke Kumiko said.

This was the self-discipline he had always adhered to. (It was mentioned in Chapter 2.)

"Alright, enough talking. Now we need to prepare for the second trial. There's still a lot of information to investigate."

"Okay, got it."

(End of Chapter)