Case NOT Closed (Patreon)

Chapter 22: Work Hard, and Life Will Get Sweeter

That night, Haibara Ai followed Kensuke back to his new office in Shibuya.

To cut costs, Kensuke gave up the house he had rented in Edogawa and currently eats and sleeps in the office.

"Two sofas, one for each person."

When it was time to sleep, Kensuke tossed a quilt to Haibara Ai.

Haibara Ai glanced around the office.

"It's really quite shabby."

"Can’t be helped, I’m just starting. Go to sleep early; tomorrow, we have to catch a train to Chiba Prefecture."

Haibara Ai looked at the old sofa with a few holes and silently curled up on it, covering herself tightly with the quilt, closing her eyes.

"Good night."

That night, a quiet night passed.

The next day, Kensuke closed the office and took Haibara Ai to the train station.

Before boarding the train, Kensuke handed her a white breathable mask.

"To avoid any complications, from today, you must cut off all ties with the past. Your name is now Komemon Ai, and your identity is my sister who came from the countryside. Don't let me hear the name Haibara again."

"Cut off all ties with the past..."

Haibara Ai, or rather, Komemon Ai, took the mask, and her ice-blue eyes showed a moment of distraction.

Parents in the glow of the fire, the death of her sister...

"Don't always let me see that expression; it's annoying. Elementary school students shouldn't pretend to be melancholic. If someone finds out I'm employing a child, it will be troublesome. Be careful in everything, understand?"

Kensuke's blunt words brought Komemon Ai back from her melancholic thoughts.

"I understand."

She didn't say anything unnecessary, just nodded faintly.

Wearing the mask to conceal her face, Komemon Ai followed Kensuke onto the train, heading to Chiba Prefecture to meet their client.

Of course, the excuse of not being discovered employing a child was just a surface pretext.

The main reason was the Black Organization. Kensuke didn't want to have any dealings with those people with questionable minds. Just look at Gin, always following people and calling out "Sherry Sherry" like a lunatic. It's just neurotic.

With a roar, the train began to move.

On the train, Kensuke and Komemon Ai sat facing each other.

After some thought, Kensuke took out a stack of documents from his briefcase and handed them to her, examining her with a supervisor's gaze.

"These are some materials related to this commission. Analyze how to solve this case."

"Mm."

Ai nodded and took the documents, flipping through them one by one.

Inside, there were mainly statements from the parties involved, testimonies from some witnesses, and the first-instance judgment from the Chiba County Local Court.

Yes, this case has already gone through the first trial.

The court ruled that the suspect, Nakamichi Kazushi, a former detective from the Chiba County Police Department, was guilty of intentional murder and sentenced him to 20 years in prison.

With such a long sentence, Kazushi's family couldn't accept it. They planned to hire another lawyer to appeal to the Tokyo High Court, hoping for a different judgment in the second trial.

After reading through it, Ai raised her head and said, "This case is complicated. For the appeal, we need to present grounds for the appeal. However, in the first trial, many witnesses, including Kogoro Mouri's four university classmates, identified him as the perpetrator. Additionally, there is ballistic evidence and various conflicts of interest between him and the victim. It can be said that there is sufficient motive for murder."

"So what? What do you think is the way to overturn the case?" Kensuke asked with an interested tone, looking at Ai's serious analysis.

Ai paused for a moment, thought about it, and emphasized a few words.

"Turn black into white."

Looking at Ai's indifferent eyes, Kensuke laughed.

He laughed in a way that resembled the heartless boss who made employees work overtime for days without pay, working tirelessly day and night until sudden death without providing any compensation.

He patted Ai's shoulder and said with a serious tone, "Work hard, and life will get sweeter."

Ai gave him a sideways glance.

"By 'sweeter,' do you mean the kind where there's no employee dormitory, no bed, and you have to sleep on a sofa full of holes?"

"Don't say that. After we get off the train, I'll buy you a cup of fully sweetened milk tea."

"Well, that's indeed sweet enough. Thank you."

Although Chiba Prefecture is outside Tokyo, it is essentially part of the Tokyo metropolitan area, with various relationships interconnected, including administrative, economic, law enforcement, and judicial connections. For example, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is also responsible for Chiba Prefecture.

The train arrived at its destination in less than an hour.

Kensuke, accompanied by Ai, got off the train and followed the directions on their mobile navigation to the client's house.

During the journey, they transferred twice on the subway, took a bus, and finally arrived in a rural field.

After asking passersby for directions, they arrived at the door of a guesthouse with the nameplate "Nakamichi."

Nakamichi Hito, the brother of the suspect Nakamichi Kazushi, was also the client for this case.

Kensuke knocked on the door, and soon, a middle-aged man with half-white hair came out to welcome them.

"I am Attorney Komemon, recommended by Attorney Sakaguchi as a defense representative."

After sitting down, Kensuke quickly explained the purpose of their visit.

Nakamichi Hito nodded, "Sakaguchi-san has explained the details to me over the phone, but..."

As he spoke, he scrutinized Kensuke's appearance.

"I didn't expect Attorney Komemon to be so young. Truly admirable."

Although he said that, his tone carried a hint of disappointment.

Kensuke, of course, knew what Nakamichi Hito was thinking.

In the legal profession, both being in the legal field, although it's not like the Public Prosecutor's Office, where promotions are based on years of service and qualifications, age still can represent certain situations, such as experience in handling legal cases.

In fact, this principle applies to any profession. As the saying goes, actions speak louder than words.

"These are the evaluation materials from my internship and training at the Judicial Research and Training Institute."

Following the same routine as before, Kensuke handed a stack of documents filled with A+ grades to Nakamichi Hito.

Nakamichi Hito took them, looked through them, and his expression slightly eased.

However, he still had some hesitation.

"Attorney Komemon, are you a novice lawyer? I'm worried that your lack of experience may be a hindrance..."

"These are the relevant materials from the case I helped Sakaguchi-san with."

With a snap, another stack of things was placed in front of Hito.

It included the judgment of Sakaguchi's case and local news related to it.

Nakamichi Hito glanced through these materials, and afterwards, his gaze toward Kensuke became uncertain.

Because these news reports almost glorified Kensuke, the novice lawyer.

"Are these all true?"

"Of course, don't you believe in the power of the media?"

"No, it's not that, just..."

Kensuke's lips curled slightly. "Rest assured, although there might be some exaggeration, it's absolutely genuine. Of course, I'm referring to my skill level."