I have a question, do you see the image on the cover?
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"So you're quite open-minded."
The cheerful voice of a young girl came from the sofa in front of Ai.
Keisuke Kumiko turned his head and looked at her.
Of course, I'm not as open-minded as you. Unlike a woman like you, who planned a murder out of revenge, killed an enemy, and imprisoned two others, yet can still sit here as if nothing happened.
"Isn't that what you said before? I didn't commit any crime."
Nanatsuki Koshimizu smiled and pulled out a box of cheesecake from the plastic bag beside her.
She opened the cake box. The cake was yellow with a white interior and smelled delicious.
"I bought it from the new pastry shop across the street. Want to try some?"
"No, thanks."
Keisuke Kumiko waved his hand without hesitation.
I never eat anything given to me by others. Who knows if it has something suspicious, like cyanide or something.
"What? You think I'd harm you?"
Nanatsuki Koshimizu smiled slightly. "You're my defense attorney, and you'll be helping me sue that brat later."
Keisuke Kumiko smirked and said, "I can't guarantee whether you'll harm me or not because your favorability level is very low."
"Favorability? What's that?"
"Maybe he's confusing games with reality."
Ai rolled her eyes and said, "He's like that—a useless otaku who plays games and has no clue about reality."
Kumiko shrugged.
Of course, he couldn't tell the two women that he could see people's favorability levels.
There were two progress bars above Nanatsuki Koshimizu's head, and her recognition level was quite high.
But her favorability level was far from that. It had been negative before and was still negative now.
Keisuke Kumiko was too lazy to think about the reason. Maybe this woman, Nanatsuki, was just born that way. A woman who could say things like, "What innocence is left for a girl after graduating high school?" clearly couldn't be expected to have good feelings toward men.
Anyway, Kumiko never gets too close to people with low favorability levels and always stays on guard around them.
After playing for a while and saving his game progress, Kumiko put down the console and started discussing serious matters.
"Miss Koshimizu, have you done everything I asked you to do before? We'll need that for the lawsuit later."
"Don't worry, it's all taken care of." Nanatsuki Koshimizu nodded. "There's quite a strong opinion about me online."
She paused.
"But if this continues, I may no longer be able to do my original job as a private detective. No one will hire me anymore."
"You wouldn't be able to do it anyway because you now have a criminal record."
Keisuke Kumiko said.
In this world, being a detective is a common profession.
However, to become a real detective, rather than just a high school detective, one must go through strict procedures.
Detectives exist legally and have certain powers granted by law.
For example, the most common job of detectives is catching unfaithful spouses by secretly following and taking photos of them. If ordinary people did this, it would be a violation of privacy rights, but detectives are not subject to this restriction.
Once the procedures are completed, the law enforcement agency issues a detective qualification certificate.
This document has many uses, the most important being that it serves as an entry permit to crime scenes.
Without a qualification certificate, entering a crime scene is against the rules. What Kudo Shinichi did was an absolute violation.
In this world, the first requirement for obtaining and maintaining a detective qualification certificate is never breaking the law.
Think about it—if you've killed someone yourself, are you still qualified to go to crime scenes and help the police solve cases?
That was the case for Nanatsuki Koshimizu. Although she was only sentenced to three months in prison and received a suspended sentence, she was still guilty of attempted murder.
Strictly speaking, her detective certificate was no longer valid. She could only take small jobs like finding lost cats and dogs. She couldn't do the most common detective work—tracking unfaithful spouses—because that required surveillance and taking secret photographs, which required a certification. Without one, it would be a violation of civil law, and if sued, she would definitely lose the case.
"So I can't be a detective anymore. Can I say it's your fault?"
Nanatsuki Koshimizu glanced at Kumiko with an expression that seemed to say, "Can you handle this, little doggy?"
If you had defended me and gotten me acquitted, I wouldn't have the anxiety and hassle of being unemployed now. In the end, isn't it your lack of ability?
"Enough. With the ridiculous trap you set up, not even the gods could classify you as guilty of intentional injury or attempted murder."
Kumiko raised an eyebrow and immediately retorted.
"You should be thanking me. If someone else had defended you, you might still be in prison with no chance of probation. Keeping that in mind, why not double my reward?"
"If you want the reward, first you have to win the next trial."
After a pause, Nanatsuki Koshimizu asked,
"How much compensation do you think we can demand from the other party?"
Keisuke Kumiko estimated.
"Five million, maybe."
"That little?"
Nanatsuki Koshimizu frowned slightly, looking quite dissatisfied.
"Of course. How much do you think you can ask for? This amount is already more than enough."
If you want to file a civil lawsuit and demand money from the other party, it's not like they'll just give you any amount you ask for.
It depends on the level of damage suffered by the involved party.
For example, in Miho Nishitani's case, although she was just being followed, the other party had the intent to break into her home to assault and kill her. They also pushed her down the stairs, which greatly harmed her life and mental well-being. In that case, the defendant could demand a large sum of money.
In Nanatsuki Koshimizu's case, the worst damage she suffered was mental distress, so getting this much compensation was already pretty good.
"Doesn't that mean that after giving you all the money, I'll have nothing left?"
"That's not my problem. Just go wherever you want."
"..."
Nanatsuki Koshimizu had a conflicted look on her face, as if she was hesitating about something.
After a moment, she raised her head.
"I don't know... would your firm be willing to hire a new employee who is dedicated and responsible?"
The girl blinked her big eyes and smiled.
"Huh?"
Keisuke Kumiko looked her up and down for a moment.
Sorry, we don't run a brothel. Even if we did, your level would be at the very bottom.
"...I meant, I could be your assistant."
"I already have an assistant—a hardworking, diligent, serious, and dedicated little sister who doesn't ask for a salary..."
Keisuke Kumiko nodded at Ai, who was standing beside him.
She immediately rolled her eyes at him.
"Really? But that's not enough, is it?"
Nanatsuki Koshimizu looked at Ai.
She paused and then continued.
"I think you also need an employee similar to a detective, someone who can help you gather information."
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(End of Chapter)