I'm in Conan, I'm not a gangster

Chapter 689 Wouldn't it be better to resolve the lawsuit sooner? (2nd update)
It takes nearly forty minutes to walk from Eri Kisaki's luxury apartment to the Mouri Detective Agency.

With her hands in her coat pockets, Shiraishi E walked slowly beside Ran, the two of them strolling back along the sidewalk, their steps dappled with the light and shadow cast by the streetlights.

The evening breeze blew, but it couldn't dispel the obvious sadness in Xiaolan's eyes.

She walked in silence for a while, then finally couldn't help but speak, her voice filled with disappointment as she began to express her feelings: "Hui, I actually... really wanted Mom to come along too."

“She always buries herself in her work, and I can tell she’s exhausted. This trip to Los Angeles was supposed to be a great opportunity for her to relax and get away from those troubling cases for a while.”

"It's a pity she's so busy." She kicked a pebble at her feet and sighed.

Shiraishi listened quietly, glancing at her sideways; the dim light softened her slightly dejected profile. He thought for a moment, then casually asked, "I heard that Attorney Kisaki's cases are all civil lawsuits?"

“Yes,” Xiaolan nodded, “Mom said they are all troublesome cases with low pay, but the clients really need help.”

“A civil lawsuit…” Shiraishi E drawled, “Theoretically speaking, in this kind of case, if the defendant can plead guilty quickly, pay the compensation if they should, and apologize promptly, wouldn’t the case be resolved quickly? And wouldn’t Attorney Ki be able to get away with it?”

Upon hearing this, Xiaolan nodded and then gave a wry smile: "But it's not that easy... If it were really that easy to communicate and resolve, those clients wouldn't have been driven to desperation to find their mothers."

"It's precisely because the other party is being unreasonable, refusing to admit wrongdoing, or deliberately delaying that the case becomes so complicated."

“Going through the normal legal process is certainly not easy; it’s time-consuming and cumbersome.” Shiraishi E’s voice still sounded lazy, but her words carried a hint of meaningful guidance. “But if we don’t completely stick to the legal process… if we want the other party to resolve the issue ‘proactively,’ ‘voluntarily,’ and ‘efficiently,’ then there are many more ways, and they are much easier.”

Xiaolan wasn't oblivious to his implied meaning; her heart skipped a beat involuntarily, and she paused slightly in her steps.

The suggestion carried a dangerous allure, giving her a fleeting moment of hesitation—if it could free her mother…

But she immediately shook her head vigorously, banishing the dangerous thought, and said firmly, "No, no! We absolutely cannot do anything illegal or criminal! That would be putting the cart before the horse, and Mom would never agree to it!"

"Don't worry," Shiraishi said casually, "No one will die, I promise."

"It's just about going to them to 'have a chat,' 'reason with them,' and give them a little... well, enough 'lesson' to make them realize their mistakes and obey the law."

"Physical persuasion is sometimes more effective than legal documents."

These words rekindled the feelings of excitement that Xiaolan had just suppressed.

She has indeed seen far too many scoundrels use legal procedures to delay and bully vulnerable clients.

Is letting bad people go unpunished and leaving kind people helpless and weeping a sign of respect for the law?
She struggled, her tone softening, but she was still full of concerns: "But... but just to get my mother to come on this trip with me, to use this... this method, isn't that too disrespectful to the law? It feels like using illegal means to achieve personal goals."

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi E suddenly grinned, the light from the streetlamp reflecting a playful glint in his eyes: "Ran, you're wrong to think that way."

“You need to get this straight—it wasn’t us who disrespected the law first. It was those guys who trampled on the law first, exploiting loopholes and lengthy procedures to bully people!”

"If they had respected the law and kept their promises from the beginning, why would there be so many messy issues that required Attorney Fei to work overtime all night?"

He paused, lowered his voice, but made it more forceful: "We are simply using an unconventional method to uphold the dignity that the law deserves. In a sense, we are 'upholding justice'."

This twisted logic was like a key, precisely unlocking a repressed box in Xiaolan's heart.

She recalled the cases her father had handled and the ones her mother had mentioned, the helpless yet angry eyes of the victims…

Yes, often the law is too slow and too costly, and thus becomes a shield to protect bad people.

Her inner balance began to tip noticeably, and she hesitated, "But... won't this really cause any big trouble? Won't it have a negative impact on Dad or Mom?"

"Trouble?" Shiraishi scoffed, her tone filled with undisguised contempt. "What trouble could there be? Those cowards only dare to bully unarmed, lawless, and pitiful common people."

"When they really run into a tough opponent, they'll be the first to give in."

"They need to know that it's not that the law can't touch them, but that the law gives them dignity. If they don't want dignity..."

He gave a cold laugh: "Then we can help them save face. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Xiaolan bit her lower lip, her mind in turmoil.

Reason told her this was wrong, but emotions and a long-suppressed sense of injustice were screaming wildly.

Before she could make a final decision, Shiraishi E waved her hand, as if the matter had already been settled.

"Alright, stop worrying about it. Leave this to me." His tone was relaxed, but carried an unquestionable air: "I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly, so that Attorney Fei can finish her work early without leaving any loose ends."

"No one will die. I guarantee it with my... um... reputation."

After saying that, he continued walking leisurely with his hands in his pockets, as if he had just decided on a trivial matter: what to have for supper that night.

Xiaolan watched his retreating figure, opened her mouth, but ultimately did not utter a word of objection.

A complex emotion spread through her heart—unease, guilt, but more than anything, a hidden sense of satisfaction at the wicked being punished, and perhaps the anticipation of traveling with her mother soon.

Xiaolan felt that she had changed, that she had changed a lot from before.

She would never have dared to even think about something like this before.

But now, let alone thinking about it... she dares to do it!! But she feels... this doesn't seem to be a bad thing.

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The steamy heat filled the spacious bathroom of Eri Kisaki's apartment, blurring the outline of the frosted glass.

In the bathtub, the water temperature was just right, and a few soothing bath salt petals floated on the surface. Shiraishi Ei hugged Eri from behind, her chin resting gently on Eri's damp shoulder. The warm water enveloped them, bringing a languid and intimate tranquility.

Eri leaned back slightly against his strong chest, closing her eyes and savoring this rare, warm moment when she could let her guard down. Her voice, tinged with the languor of someone recovering from a bath, softly asked, "Why did you suddenly come back? Didn't you just leave with Ran?"

Shiraishi E chuckled softly, her warm breath brushing against her ear, tinged with a hint of teasing: "I missed you, is that not allowed? A moment apart feels like three autumns."

Eri Kisaki couldn't help but chuckle, nudging him lightly with her elbow: "You smooth talker! Not a single word you say is serious."

She was already used to his nonsensical answers, but the corners of her mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.

Shiraishi tightened her arms around him, becoming slightly more serious, and said, "Okay, to be honest. Ran told me this on the way back. She said she really wants you to come to Los Angeles with her, and it breaks her heart to see you always so busy." He could feel the subtle changes in the body in his arms.

Eri Kisaki paused for a moment, then let out a helpless sigh, her body relaxing slightly: "I know... I really want to go with her too."

"But I really can't find the time. Those cases are like a tangled ball of yarn, and I can't untangle them in a short time."

"If I could get away, I definitely would go." Her tone was full of regret for not being able to go.

"So," Shiraishi E's voice sounded relaxed, "that's why I came back, thinking of helping you 'solve your problems'."

"If you close your case sooner, won't you be able to relax?"

Upon hearing this, Eri Kisaki instinctively explained from a lawyer's professional perspective: "You don't really understand legal procedures."

"Civil litigation is not child's play; just the process of presenting evidence, pre-trial conferences, and scheduling court hearings takes up a lot of time."

“What’s more, some of the evidence in the cases I’m handling right now isn’t strong enough, and the other side is very good at stalling…” she habitually began to analyze the difficulties.

Shiraishi E chuckled softly, interrupting her, her tone carrying a worldly-wise calmness: "I don't understand your complicated legal procedures, but I understand human nature very well."

His fingers moved unconsciously across the water's surface: "Especially those so-called presidents and entrepreneurs... I know all too well what kind of people they are."

"They may appear respectable on the surface, but in reality, most of them are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong, and are afraid of death."

“When dealing with this kind of person, sometimes the speed of legal documents is far less effective than a sufficiently ‘profound’ warning.”

“Once they become ‘sensible’, many problems will be easily solved.”

These words immediately made Eri Kisaki frown.

She turned to face him, water droplets sliding down her collarbone, her expression turning serious, with the inherent principle of a lawyer: "What you're doing is a desecration of the law, an illegal interference with judicial fairness!"

When confronted with her accusations, Shiraishi E simply shrugged indifferently, her expression even somewhat innocent: "They were the ones who desecrated the law first."

"When they exploit legal loopholes, bully the weak, delay proceedings, and waste judicial resources, why doesn't anyone say they are desecrating the law?"

"You can't just allow officials to set fires while forbidding ordinary people to light lamps, can you? Attorney Fei, that's a bit too much of a double standard."

Eri Kisaki was speechless for a moment after hearing his fallacious reasoning. She sighed and tried to reiterate her position: "I am a lawyer, and my duty is to fight for the rights of my clients within the framework of the law."

“I cannot break the law knowingly… No matter how difficult it is, I must use legal means to solve the problem within the scope permitted by law.”

“I know, I know you’re the most principled lawyer, Kiyoshi.” Shiraishi’s tone softened, with a hint of coaxing. He reached out and tucked a strand of damp hair behind her ear. “So, just this once, can we make an exception?”

"You can't just focus on being a lawyer who upholds the law and ignore Xiaolan's need for a mother to accompany her on a trip, can you?"

"The cases are never-ending, but the expectations of my daughter and the companionship during her growth process, once missed, will become a lifelong regret."

Eri Kisaki remained silent.

The hot water remained warm, but she was torn between principles and emotions.

She is not an inflexible or rigid person. Having been in the legal profession for many years, she has seen far more gray areas and behind-the-scenes operations than the average person.

She knew all too well that sometimes, absolute justice was indeed difficult to achieve quickly through legal provisions alone.

She looked into Shiraishi E's seemingly languid yet unfathomable eyes, and recalled her daughter's dejected expression that evening. After much deliberation, the scales in her heart finally tipped.

She took a deep breath, as if making a decision, her gaze becoming sharp and clear again, but her tone softened: "...This is the only time, and there will be no next time."

She emphasized that this was the bottom line she had set for herself.

A triumphant smile immediately spread across Shiraishi's face; he was clearly pleased that she wasn't a rigid, old-fashioned person. He leaned forward and kissed her smooth forehead, readily agreeing, "Okay, deal! Don't do it again!"

(End of this chapter)