Winning is everything: Conan

The Lawsuit Over Kogoro Mori's Class Reunion Incident, the Hype Lasted for Days.

The media, above all, went crazy.

Almost all the headlines of Tokyo's major newspapers, online media, official media, etc., were talking about this matter.

In a world where cases are frequent and lawsuits are filed all the time, the fact that Reiko Kujo, known as the Madonna of Prosecutors, was defeated was enough for the media to hype it up for days.

"A New, Cutting-Edge Lawyer Reaches the Top as Soon as He Debuts!"

"Attorney Kumemon Is Eloquent and Can Overcome All Obstacles in His Sharp Courtroom Debates!"

"Prosecutor Kujo Is Under Tremendous Pressure—Rumors Say She Will Resign Soon!"

"The Detective Destroyed Evidence—Will Kogoro Mori Be Charged?"

Shibuya Ward, Kumiko Law Office.

Ai lay on the sofa, sliding her fingers up and down the smartphone that Keisuke Kumiko had bought for her, browsing the internet out of boredom.

"It froze again."

She sighed, set her phone down expressionlessly, looked up, and saw Keisuke Kumiko enthusiastically playing a Nintendo NS console at his desk.

"You have money to buy these kids' toys, so why can't you get me a better phone?"

"What kids' toys?" Keisuke didn't even look up. "Life itself is a game. Life is a game, and the game is life. Do you understand?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ai squinted her eyes. "I just know that your expression right now is exactly like those fat otakus in Akihabara."

"Oh no, I died again. It's all your fault for scolding me."

Keisuke Kumiko sighed and put the portable console down.

Ai rolled her eyes and couldn't be bothered with him.

After a pause, she said, "The media is going crazy over you right now. You've been really popular lately. A lot of people might come after you with lawsuits. What are your plans?"

"I have no plans. Just focus on doing your own thing," Keisuke Kumiko said.

"Ninety percent of what the media says is exaggerated. People will temporarily immerse themselves in this fake frenzy, pointing fingers or getting cynical. But once the hype fades, everything will go back to normal. Office workers will keep going to work, and housewives will keep being housewives."

"Alright," Ai nodded.

Keisuke was right—most of the news was really just fabricated.

For example, the report that Reiko Kujo had resigned under pressure, or that Kogoro Mori was being charged.

But no one cared about the truth.

Even with this lawsuit, people only knew that one side won and the other lost. It didn't matter who won or lost.

Ai got up from the sofa, walked over to Keisuke, and held out her hand.

Keisuke looked at her small, white palm.

"You have a good career line. You'll make a fortune in the future."

"Money for a new phone." Ai ignored his comment.

"It still works, doesn't it? It only froze once."

"Bang!"

Ai slammed the phone hard onto the floor.

The phone instantly shattered into pieces, and the screen went black with a snap.

"Now it doesn't," she said calmly.

"...You're so ruthless. Raising a child really costs money!"

Keisuke sighed and pulled out a small stack of ten-thousand-yen bills from his bag.

There was no choice—people needed their phones for work.

Keisuke was still counting the money with trembling fingers when Ai snatched it from his hands without hesitation.

"The leftover cash can be my pocket money, cheapskate."

Keisuke almost jumped. "You're really a demon!"

"The devil calling the devil names. This is the funniest thing I've ever seen."

Ai rolled her eyes and walked to the door, ready to go buy her new phone.

But as soon as she opened the door, she almost jumped in surprise.

A young woman stood at the entrance, looking hesitant, as if she was about to knock.

The woman was also startled when Ai suddenly opened the door.

"S-Sorry to bother you!"

She quickly stepped back and bowed repeatedly.

Ai shook her head. "It's fine. You're here to file a lawsuit, right? Welcome."

Since a client had arrived, Ai, as the lawyer's assistant, temporarily set aside her plan to go out and invited the woman into the office.

On his side, Keisuke also set down his portable console and gestured to Ai to prepare some tea from the cabinet.

After preparing and serving the tea, both parties began negotiations.

"My name is Nishitani Miho. I work at a pastry shop near Beika Station," the woman began, introducing herself.

She had shoulder-length brown hair and was quite pretty—the kind of person people would "follow."

And sure enough, her case was about stalking.

"Recently, when I've been coming home from work, I often notice a man following behind me. He also harasses me and has secretly taken photos of me many times. What's even worse is that once, when I was coming home from the station, he pushed me down the stairs..."

Keisuke quickly understood.

"So, Miss Nishitani, you want to entrust me with filing a civil lawsuit against this man and warning him to stop his unreasonable behavior?"

"Yes… To be honest, I just can't take it anymore..."

As she spoke, Nishitani Miho covered her cheeks and began to cry.

She looked haggard and worried—it was clear that this incident had tormented her for a long time.

"Beika Wolf."

Ai muttered these words casually.

Keisuke glanced at her. "What do you mean?"

Ai explained, "Recently, a pervert has been lurking around Beika Town, causing a lot of trouble for women in the area. People there call him the Beika Wolf."

"Oh, I see..."

Keisuke rested his chin on his hand.

The term 'Beika Wolf' sounded familiar. It must be another case from the anime. (From the anime 'The Case of the Beika Wolf Murder'.)

In general, anime cases tend to end in murder.

Based on his reasoning, this woman, Nishitani Miho, might later make a plan to kill the Beika Wolf using her own method.

However, the situation now was different.

Because someone like him existed in this world, his presence had a butterfly effect, changing causes and consequences. So maybe Nishitani Miho had changed her mind—she no longer wanted to kill anyone but instead wanted to resolve the problem through legal action.

"That's interesting."

Keisuke looked intrigued.

"In that case, Miss Nishitani, you should call the police. I recall that in Japan, women have strong legal rights. The police should be able to handle it."

At these words, Nishitani Miho cried even harder.

"No, I already reported it once, and the police questioned him, but since there wasn't enough evidence, they couldn't arrest him. And after that, things only got worse… wuwuwu..."

"I see."

Hearing this, Keisuke couldn't help but click his tongue.

"Looks like the Metropolitan Police Department is still as useless as ever! Do they really need us lawyers to handle cases like this? They're just taking tax money for nothing!"

---

(End of Chapter)