Case NOT Closed

On his way back, Kensuke witnessed two robberies and one theft, all of which were in progress. There was even one criminal who had the audacity to attempt a bank robbery but was swiftly subdued by the bank’s security system.

Encounters with such ongoing criminal events were a daily occurrence for Kensuke in this city. Interestingly, all of these criminals had negative goodwill meters.

Kensuke couldn’t help but feel fortunate for his sharp instincts and the experience he had gained. Dealing with these situations had become routine for him.

He made it back to his rented apartment without any incidents, relieved that he had safely completed his errands for the day.

In the evening, after having dinner, Kensuke took out a blank piece of paper and began to sketch out his plans for the future.

With 1.5 million yen in hand, the last thing a new lawyer should do is squander it on indulgence. The logical first step for a newly established lawyer was to open his own law firm.

For a rookie lawyer, without an office and a reputable name, it would be a challenge to attract clients or business. Most people wouldn’t take notice of you, and the only work available would be the meager assignments offered by the Bar Association.

Public assignments paid very little and were essentially charity work, often with demanding clients. To Kensuke, these assignments were akin to rummaging through a garbage can.

Another option for lawyers was to work under someone else’s law firm, but given Kensuke’s personality, it was likely he would clash with his boss on the very first day, ending up exiled to obscurity without any cases.

Therefore, opening his own law firm was Kensuke’s top priority.

The next day, Kensuke set out early to explore various real estate agencies, searching for a suitable office space. After thorough consideration, he found an excellent office in a commercial building on a busy street in Shibuya, Tokyo.

It was a six-month lease for about 30 square meters, fully furnished with office desks, chairs, a sofa, and a bookshelf, and the monthly rent was only 100,000 yen.

Shibuya was a prime location in central Tokyo, bustling with foot traffic and a hub for commercial activities. It was home to numerous department stores, fashion boutiques, restaurants, gaming facilities, and other entertainment establishments, making it one of the districts renowned as the “24-hour non-sleeping city.”

Why was the rent so cheap? Well, it was because of a tragic incident.

Kensuke heard that the previous tenant, also a lawyer, had a dispute with a client that ended in a scuffle, resulting in the lawyer being drowned in a toilet bowl.

With the office secured, Kensuke then needed to register his law firm. Unlike some countries with specific agencies for business registration, Japan requires companies to register with the relevant Legal Affairs Bureau. This process involves designating a legal representative, creating the company seal, and choosing a firm name.

And of course, the name of his law firm would be the “Komemon Law Firm.”

These matters took Kensuke approximately ten days to complete, and everything was settled.

The final step was to hire an assistant.

Lawyers are generally desk-bound and require assistants to handle a significant amount of paperwork and interact with a large volume of textual materials. However, given Kensuke’s current financial situation, he couldn’t afford to hire employees just yet.

The expenses for renting an office and registering the company had already depleted a substantial portion of the 1.5 million yen he had. So, he had to temporarily put the idea of hiring an assistant on hold.

After finishing the administrative tasks for his law firm, the next challenge was finding clients.

Client acquisition was a difficult task in Tokyo, where law firms were abundant and competition was fierce. Without an established network, lawyers often had to rely on public assignments to build their reputation.

During the first week, a few clients approached Kensuke, but they had minor civil cases that would pay less than public assignments.

Kensuke’s only connection at the moment was his first lawsuit client, Masayoshi Sakaguchi.

With limited options, Kensuke decided to call Masayoshi to see if he had any additional cases or referrals.

“Hello, may I know who’s calling?” answered a voice on the other end of the line after a vintage ringtone.

“It’s me, Kensuke Komemon. I’d like to discuss something with you,” he replied.

Though Masayoshi was a one-time client, he was still a lawyer, and he might have some valuable cases or referrals.

“Oh, Kensuke-san. What can I do for you?” came Masayoshi’s response.

Kensuke briefly explained the situation over the phone.

“Don’t worry, if there’s a case, I’ll take a certain percentage of the attorney’s fee as your referral fee,” Kensuke reassured.

“I see,” Masayoshi replied, understanding Kensuke’s intention.

After a brief pause, Masayoshi continued, “Kensuke-san, you’re quite polite. I do have some remaining cases here, but they mostly involve juvenile matters. Are you sure you can handle them?”

“Well, in that case, let’s forget it,” Kensuke replied, ready to end the call.

Handling juvenile cases wasn’t his forte. In Kensuke’s opinion, Japanese middle and high school students were the most troublesome. They had simple minds, shallow values, and seemed to be constantly preoccupied with romantic matters. In essence, teenagers were a bunch of fools.

If he were to represent them in court, it might even turn into a situation where they became unreliable teammates, running over to the opposing side and ending up in a one-against-nine battle.

“Wait a moment, Kensuke-san,” Masayoshi called out just as Kensuke was about to hang up.

“Although I mainly handle juvenile cases, there was a friend of mine who recently asked me to represent him in a case, which I initially declined.”

“Oh? What kind of case is it?”

“On this matter, I think it’s better to discuss it in person.”

“Alright, where should we meet?”

“Um, how about Café Poirot in the fifth block of the Beika Town district?”

Kensuke furrowed his brows slightly. The name sounded somewhat familiar.

However, in his eagerness to secure work quickly, he didn’t dwell on it too much and agreed to the meeting.

After hanging up the phone, Kensuke made preparations and set off immediately. He took a train and after a short journey, he found himself back in Mihana-cho.

Having visited this area dozens of times due to his previous case, Kensuke was quite familiar with it. He easily found his way to his destination after asking for directions.

It was a three-story building. The sign outside indicated “Café Poirot” on the ground floor. But on the second floor…

Kensuke rubbed his eyes in disbelief.

“What the- Mouri Detective Agency?!”

Kensuke, who rarely used profanity, couldn’t help but utter an expletive.

The name of the café sounded familiar, but he hadn’t expected it to be right below the Mouri Detective Agency!

“It’s you!”

He heard a surprised voice from behind.

Kensuke turned, his expression unchanged. There stood a girl in a school uniform with an unidentifiable protrusion on her head, looking at him in astonishment.

It was Ran Mouri, the only daughter of Kogoro Mouri. They had met before on the subway.