After Nanatsuki Koshimizu leaves, Ai turns around to look at Keisuke.
—You're instigating a crime.
—Doraemon, what are you talking about?
Keisuke pretended to be surprised.
"Which ear did you hear me instigating her to commit a crime? What I just said was obviously just to attract business for myself."
Ai sighed.
—Aren't you asking her to commit a crime and then come to you for defense? What if she actually kills someone? Isn't it your fault?
—What do you mean it's my fault? She might have been about to kill someone anyway.
Keisuke Kumiko was too lazy to explain.
Of course, he couldn't tell Ai that when the girl walked in, her approval level toward him was more than two positive bars, but her favorability level was less than two negative bars.
Generally speaking, for two people who have nothing to do with each other but whose two criteria are so different, there's only one possibility.
It means that the other person already has strong negative thoughts in their mind and may be about to commit a crime.
It's just that the girl wanted to try her luck with a lawyer before committing the crime.
"I hope Miss Koshimizu doesn't do anything stupid," Ai thought silently.
But this hope is in vain, and they will soon meet again.
...
In the following period of time,
Keisuke Kumiko's law firm remains open as usual.
He definitely needs to eat and keep taking cases.
Of course, he wouldn't accept just any case.
To maintain a 100% win rate, he would never accept cases that were obviously unwinnable at first glance, such as cases where the suspect had surveillance footage or photos from the crime scene. These types of cases, with irrefutable evidence, would not be accepted even if the suspect committed perjury. It would be a complete waste of energy.
However, some cases seemed very simple at first glance and were basically free money.
—I'm here to represent my client, Fujiwara Ryuji, in a civil lawsuit.
—The facts of the lawsuit are as follows.
—On X day of X month, our client went to the residence of the company president, Yoshida Tsuyoshi, and stabbed him to death with a knife. While fleeing, he was struck by a soccer ball kicked by an elementary school student, Edogawa Conan. After examination at the hospital, our client was diagnosed with a second-degree concussion. His rights to life and health were violated.
—The demands of the lawsuit are as follows.
—First, the guardian of the defendant, Mouri Kogoro, must compensate our client with 10 million yen for medical expenses and mental damages and issue an apology.
—Second, the litigation costs of this court session shall be fully borne by the defendant, Mouri Kogoro.
—The above concludes the statement. Please, Your Honor, rule according to the law.
Keisuke read the accusation in an orderly manner.
This lawsuit is very interesting because the defendant is Detective Kogoro Mouri.
The cause and effect are simple.
His client, Fujiwara Ryuji, was a worker who encountered a ruthless boss.
His situation was very common among workers: waking up earlier than a chicken, working harder than an ox, eating worse than a pig, and living a life more miserable than a dog.
If he was late to work, he would be fined 1,000 yen per second. He had to do group exercises upon arrival to boost morale. His boss would assign him a task one second before leaving work to delay him. He was never paid for overtime and had to cover all expenses for food, lodging, and transportation when traveling for business.
Low wages and high standards.
Despite this treatment, the boss often turned into a violent beast, publicly humiliating underperforming employees as if they were his grandchildren.
Over time, the workers' anger finally exploded.
Fujiwara Ryuji went to his boss's house and killed him with a knife.
However, while escaping, he was seen by Edogawa Conan, who happened to be wandering nearby.
Seeing that he was covered in blood and holding a knife, Conan grabbed a soccer ball and kicked it at Fujiwara Ryuji's head, knocking him unconscious. Then he contacted the police and had Fujiwara Ryuji arrested.
The matter would have ended there, but Fujiwara Ryuji's family refused to accept it.
Crime is crime, but you're not the police. Why did you hit my son?
His mother thought so, which is why she entrusted Keisuke Kumiko with handling the civil lawsuit.
—The plaintiff has finished their statement. Now, please, let the defendant and their agent present their arguments!
The judge struck the gavel.
The opposing lawyer was a woman named Usui Ritsuko (from the anime Suspect Mouri Kogoro), a lawyer friend of Eri Kisaki, who immediately stood up.
—Objection! I object to the facts described by the plaintiff!
She began.
—Our client acted purely out of courage. He encountered a fleeing murder suspect and, in an emergency situation, had no way to stop him, so he used the objects around him to subdue the criminal. According to legal theory, this should be considered legitimate emergency defense.
—Yes, this is legitimate emergency defense! We are innocent!
Mouri Kogoro shouted from the defendant's seat.
He looked at Keisuke Kumiko with anger, dissatisfaction, and all sorts of negative emotions in his eyes.
After the lawsuit at the last class reunion, he fell seriously ill.
Because he couldn't forgive his own negligence, which allowed the suspect to escape punishment.
The media also launched various attacks against him.
His detective career was at its lowest point during that period.
Now, after finally recovering a bit, he was being sued again.
You can imagine how he feels now.
Here, Keisuke simply ignored the other party's murderous glare.
After listening to the defendant's statement, he maintained his usual smiling expression.
—Well, emergency defense... this term is almost becoming a panacea for those trying to escape the legal net.
Keisuke Kumiko took a USB drive from the table.
The USB contained surveillance footage from the road at the time, recording the entire process of Conan discovering the suspect and kicking him unconscious.
He inserted the USB into the computer and showed it to everyone present.
—As you can see, this mischievous child… oh, Edogawa Conan, took out a soccer ball and attacked my client the moment he saw him, without any confirmation during the process.
—In other words, he actually didn't know whether the other party had committed murder. He simply saw him covered in blood and holding a knife, so he launched an arbitrary attack.
—What if my client had just killed a chicken at home? What if he was just an actor from a theater company who had just finished work and hadn't had time to change clothes?
—The concept of emergency defense requires confirmation that the other party has committed a harmful act, and it can only be done when necessary.
—In summary, Edogawa Conan's actions did not constitute emergency defense but rather subjective intentional injury!
Keisuke spoke clearly, explaining the concepts point by point without any confusion.
The judge couldn't help but nod.
It was well-reasoned and aligned with legal principles.
—Objection!
At that moment, the opposing lawyer, Ritsuko Usui, raised her hand again.
She looked at Edogawa Conan, who was sitting with Mouri Kogoro in the defendant's bench, and argued passionately.
—Our client is just a child. Under normal circumstances, the soccer ball he kicked couldn't have caused a concussion! I have reason to suspect that the other party is deliberately exaggerating the facts of the lawsuit!
(End of this chapter)