Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, the day of Koshimizu Nanatsuki's civil lawsuit arrived.
Early that morning, Keisuke Kumiko packed the necessary documents and headed to the appropriate summary court.
After a while, he soon arrived at the courthouse entrance.
Upon entering the courtroom, he could already see from afar that the defendant in this case, Kogoro Mouri, was scolding Conan.
"You little brat, you've caused me trouble again!"
"Elementary school students should be studying hard instead of playing detective all day!"
"Do you want to become like that useless loser Kudo Shinichi?"
Kogoro Mouri was both furious and frustrated.
That day, he had gone to the racetrack to bet on horses. In the end, he had a surprising stroke of luck and won one or two million yen. Happily, he bought plenty of beer and was ready to drink to his heart's content when he got home.
However, the moment he stepped into the house, he saw a document on the table—like a bucket of cold water, it completely doused his excitement.
It was a lawyer's letter sent by Keisuke Kumiko.
That bastard lawyer had taken him to court again!
And the one who filed the lawsuit was none other than Conan!
Now, he probably had to pay another huge sum of money!
Just thinking about it made Kogoro Mouri furious again.
"You little brat, do you have any idea how much money I have to pay because of you?!"
Kogoro Mouri grabbed Conan by the back of his collar, lifting him like a kitten, and roared.
"Don't throw me, Uncle! I know I was wrong!"
Conan flailed his hands and feet wildly, pretending to be remorseful in his childlike voice.
But he muttered under his breath, "It's just a few million, right? That's such a small amount, Uncle, you're too stingy…"
"What did you just say?!"
"N-Nothing…"
"It's okay, Dad, Conan knows he was wrong, so forgive him!"
Mouri Ran quickly stepped forward, pulling on Kogoro Mouri's arm and pleading for Conan.
"Ran-Chan, don't try to persuade me! Today, I'm going to teach him a lesson!"
Kogoro Mouri, still enraged, rolled up his sleeves.
Just listen to what this brat just said! "Just a few million"—does he even understand what that amount of money means?!
"Bah! Well said!"
As they were all arguing, a familiar voice came from behind.
Accompanied by a round of applause, Keisuke Kumiko's familiar face approached.
As always, he had a smile on his face.
"We really should teach this brat a lesson for looking down on money!"
Keisuke Kumiko gave a thumbs-up.
"Mr. Kogoro, I support you on this! Give him a good scolding—or better yet, kick him out of the house so he can experience what it's like to be homeless and starving on the streets! Maybe then he'll understand how important money is to people!"
Kogoro Mouri paused, frowning as he looked at the man before him.
"Attorney Kumiko, I don't understand why you always have to go against us. Conan is just a child. No matter how irrational he is or how much trouble he causes, is there really a need to keep taking him to court?"
"No, no, no, Mr. Kogoro, you don't understand."
Kumiko replied with a smile.
"In the eyes of the law, there is no distinction between children and adults. Anyone caught and made a defendant will receive the same treatment under the law."
Kogoro Mouri shouted angrily, "Bastard! Haven't you also—"
"Once upon a time? What do you mean by that? I'm a serious lawyer, Mr. Kogoro, please don't slander me."
"Ugh… hateful…"
Kogoro Mouri gritted his teeth.
Honestly, he really wanted to step forward and land a solid punch on this annoying guy's back.
But reason told him he couldn't do that, or else there'd just be another lawsuit waiting for him.
"Oh, why haven't I seen Attorney Eri Kisaki lately?"
Keisuke Kumiko's annoying voice rang out again.
He looked around, feigning surprise.
"As your lover, shouldn't she be the first one to step up and clear the way for you when you're in trouble? She didn't show up last time, and she's not here this time either."
"…"
Suppressing his anger, Kogoro Mouri muttered under his breath, "Eri has something to do and couldn't come today."
"Oh? No other reason?"
The look of surprise on Keisuke Kumiko's face deepened.
Then, he smirked.
"For example, maybe she didn't want to ruin her undefeated reputation in court. She knew this was a losing battle, so to protect that record, she abandoned the idea of defending her family and hid—"
Before he could finish speaking, he felt a gust of wind.
Keisuke Kumiko tilted his head just in time to dodge a direct punch.
It was Mouri Ran who had lashed out from the sidelines.
"Bastard! You can't slander my mother!"
Mouri Ran was so furious that the imaginary horns on her head were about to pop out.
She looked like a raging spirit ready to devour someone.
She was a gentle girl who rarely got angry, but after meeting Keisuke Kumiko, she found it increasingly difficult to control her emotions.
"Yes, that's the right stance."
Keisuke Kumiko sidestepped and raised an eyebrow as he looked at her.
"Keep going. If you want to punch, punch. If you want to fight, fight. Stop thinking about your childhood crush who's out there flirting somewhere."
Mouri Ran was stunned for a moment before shouting angrily, "I won't let you say that about Shinichi! He's not fooling around! He told me he was caught up in a troublesome case!"
"He told you that, and you believed him? And then you just kept waiting here like an idiot?"
"You're talking nonsense!"
Mouri Ran, enraged, almost charged at him again.
"Alright, whatever you say, just treat it as nonsense then."
Keisuke Kumiko smirked, then leaned in and looked down at Conan, who was still being held by Kogoro Mouri.
At this moment, Conan had returned to his usual expression.
He stared coldly at Keisuke Kumiko, not saying a word, but the determination in his eyes was clear.
"You're really the classic male protagonist of a Japanese comic—like a cockroach, thinking you're invincible no matter how many times you try."
Kumiko grinned and patted Conan's head.
Conan sharply turned his head away, stubbornly refusing to look at him.
"Alright then, keep it up."
Keisuke Kumiko leaned closer, whispering in Conan's ear.
"Ignore the people around you, no matter how much they care about you or worry about you, and just keep chasing what you call justice and truth."
"I want to see how much money your family has to pay, and how many more people get dragged down by your reckless actions."
"So, break a few more laws, rack up a few more charges, and make the people who care about you… worry about you even more."
Keisuke Kumiko chuckled and walked out of the hall, heading toward the arbitration room.
Conan clenched his fists, staring at Kumiko's back.
He would never identify with someone like him.
What he said—
Absolutely not.
(End of Chapter)