After hanging up the phone, Keisuke Kumiko smiled and nodded at Ai, who was still lying on the sofa, lazily enjoying the air conditioning.
"The previous business is back."
"The one from Moon Shadow Island, right?"
Ai nodded.
There hadn't been much work lately, so the job Keisuke Kumiko was talking about could only be that of the honest doctor they had met when they went to Moon Shadow Island before.
She couldn't help but sigh. "You're a bad person. She actually went and killed someone."
"It's not certain yet whether she was the one who did it."
As Kumiko spoke, he packed his things, dressed elegantly, and prepared to leave.
The call had come from Tokyo Medical University Hospital.
After taking the tram, switching several routes, and walking for a while, he arrived at the hospital.
In this scientific world, with the rise of high crime rates, besides popular professions like detectives and lawyers, there were also some additional professions derived from them that were quite popular.
For example, a doctor.
When he entered the hospital lobby, the smell of disinfectant hit his nose and mouth.
People were coming and going, and many patients were lining up to register for a medical consultation. Besides the doctors and nurses frequently walking around, there was also a large number of anxious family members wandering around.
Following the room number given to him over the phone, Keisuke Kumiko arrived on the fourth floor, room 405.
He saw several detectives in plain clothes standing at the door like gate gods.
Upon closer inspection, they were familiar faces—Inspector Megure, Takagi, Chiba, and their group.
The person on the phone had said that Asai Narumi, whose real name was Asou Seiji, had attempted suicide by self-immolation after killing someone but had been rescued before dying. He was currently under police control, recovering in the hospital.
"Hello, Officer Megure, hello!"
Keisuke Kumiko greeted them with a smile.
He looked them up and down for a moment and sighed.
"Why are you back at work? You've been working for so long, solved so many cases, and still haven't been promoted?"
"Idiot!"
"What did you say!?"
Takagi and Chiba immediately stepped forward impulsively.
Inspector Megure had a stern face and extended his hand to stop the two beside him.
Before entering, following protocol, he had to be searched and could not carry any equipment or tools that could help the prisoner escape.
He looked at Keisuke Kumiko expressionlessly.
Kumiko shrugged and raised his hands.
After the search was completed, Megure stated, "This case is very serious. The suspect not only murdered three people but also set fire to the house. The circumstances are quite grave. I advise you to think carefully before preparing your defense."
Keisuke Kumiko smiled slightly. "Officer, do you think that will be useful to me?"
Inspector Megure snorted coldly, said nothing more, gestured with his hand, and let him enter the room.
This was a single room with only one bed.
There was a patient lying in bed.
At first glance, half of his face was wrapped in bandages. It looked very serious, possibly deep burns.
"Attorney Keisuke Kumiko, I have fulfilled our original agreement and invited you here."
Asai Narumi smiled with half of his face as he looked at Kumiko entering.
Keisuke Kumiko raised an eyebrow, finding the tone quite familiar.
He couldn't help but recall the scene when he met Nanatsuki Koshimizu at the detention center before.
Kumiko remained calm and asked, "I heard from the police that three people were killed and that you are suspected of arson. Let me ask you first: is it true?"
At the same time, he stared at the eye that Seiji had exposed.
As long as the other party admitted it, he would leave immediately.
Keisuke Kumiko didn't want to be deceived again, like when someone pretended to kill but had actually used someone else, and the real murderer was someone else. Either the client should be upfront with the lawyer from the start, and everyone should agree, or they shouldn't bother. If I'm doing my job sincerely as a lawyer, but my client is still deceiving me, is that supposed to be fun?
However, this time, Kumiko was overly concerned.
"If I had really killed them, I wouldn't have asked you to come here."
Seiji spoke sincerely.
"Although I admit I had the idea of killing them, in reality, they were already dead before I could do it."
"Oh?"
Kumiko looked into Asai's eyes.
Seiji always had a smile in his eyes.
Kumiko withdrew his gaze and nodded.
Judging by the way he looked at people, this person shouldn't be lying.
It seemed there was another hidden story behind this matter.
"Tell me everything you know in detail."
Kumiko signaled to Ai, who was next to him, asking her to take out a notepad and pen to take notes.
"Alright, this is what happened..."
Seiji began to recount the story.
The sequence of events at the beginning was basically the same as in the original animation.
The dispute between Asai Narumi and the three deceased was classic.
On a full moon night twelve years ago, the former village chief of Tsukikage Island, Isamu Kameyama, the current village chief, Tatsuji Kuroiwa, and capitalists Hideo Kawashima and Ken Nishimoto threatened Asou Shimizu's father, the famous pianist Keiji Asou, to smuggle drugs for them while performing abroad.
After being refused, the group killed Keiji Aso's entire family and faked a fire.
At that time, Asai Narumi was hospitalized in Tokyo and escaped the disaster.
After growing up, Asai Narumi changed his name to Asou Seiji and returned to Tsukikage Island as a doctor to investigate the truth behind his family's deaths.
Three years ago, the then-village chief, Isamu Kameyama, learned Seiji's true identity and mistakenly thought he was there for revenge. Out of fear, he revealed the truth about what had happened that year and later died of a heart attack.
Since then, Seiji had developed the intent for revenge.
However, out of respect for life, the doctor discarded the idea of revenge and hesitated for three years.
Until recently, this conflicting mindset led him to make a decision: he sent a crime notice to Kogoro Mouri and his group, inviting them to Tsukikage Island, hoping the famous detective could stop him when he attempted the crime.
Unfortunately, Kogoro Mouri ultimately did not meet his expectations...
(End of this chapter)