Work Text:
August 18, 10:35 am
Detention Centre
Visitor’s Room
Gen Asagiri walked into the Visitor’s Room and quickly came face to face with his intended client. He sat down on the chair and placed his documents on the side. The man he wanted to see on the other hand had turned the other way the moment he came and remained silent the whole time.
“It’s funny…” Gen brought up, “When we first met… It was like this too. Except now, this time, it’s the other way around. Right Senku-chan?”
Senku Ishigami didn’t even move or speak. He just remained at his position.
“You wanted to defend me and was incredibly persistent about it.” Gen giggled, “I rejected your offer and wanted you to scoot away, but you kept at it. Eventually I gave in and let you defend me from a case that from a first glance, you had absolutely no involvement in, but in truth, you were as you say 10 billion percent involved in it.”
“What point are you making Gen?” Senku nearly growled at his fellow lawyer, “Get on with it.”
“I’m saying that I want to defend you in this case.” Gen did not let his glance leave Senku.
“And what if I tell you no?” Senku immediately cut off Gen as he finally turned to glare at him.
“Then I’ll be annoyingly persistent until you agree!” Gen replied and didn’t falter at the piercing glare, “You’re my boss! I can’t just ea--”
“As YOUR boss…” Senku interrupted him as his temper rose, “I’m ordering you to not defend me on this trial. I can do it myself!”
“You told me once that a man who defends himself in court has a fool for a lawyer.” The magician attorney continued, “No offense Senku-chan, but defending yourself in this trial is beyond foolish! It’s just down right insane!”
“I defend myself just fine Gen! Unlike you, I’m not an idiot!”
“I know you’re not! But you, of all people, should know that this case is not something you can just do alone!”
“Tch… Just because you got accidentally involved in that one case…” Senku banged his fist at the desk, “Just because you intruded my office and demanded you work there… Just because you’re the other lawyer in that office....”
“Accidentally?” Gen stood up from his chair and looked at Senku with a confused look, “You think that coincidentally, I somehow got involved with you and that incident?”
Gen stifled a laugh…
“What’s so funny?!” Senku demanded as he stood up as well.
“Nothing… It’s just…” Gen took a deep breath as he stopped laughing, “I suppose I didn’t tell you about THAT, huh?”
“Tell me about what?”
“You didn’t let me finish on what I said earlier…” The magician began again “The case you defended me in, the reason why you did all of that was because you wanted to look into the information on Mr. Victor’s involvement with Dr. Stone. Is that right?”
“Yeah…”
“Well, that’s just it… the only reason why I agreed to defend Mr. Juan Victor in the first place, was because of you, Senku Ishigami-chan.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you! I was going to turn him down, because I deduced from him that he was up to no good. He had some shady dealings with his company and even there are still complaints of his harassment and abuse of his employees. But one day, I found out one of those dealings involved an unusual person, or group? It was hard to tell at that time. He had notes in his planner about the HY-98 Incident . Sounds familiar? Anyway, I quickly headed to the Records Office to find out what case it was about. Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be about your father and the astronauts that went missing ten years ago.”
“I knew that Gen…” Senku gritted his teeth as his patience ran thin, “I knew that from the start! I’ve been trying to solve that case for--”
“For ten years! I know!” Gen cut him off, “I wasn’t finished… When I looked at those files… something else stood out besides your father. It was the sole reason why I took that case in the first place! It was that someone, someone was azy-cray enough to keep updating those records… Every. Single. Day….”
“Unbelievable!!” Gen couldn’t believe his eyes as he browsed through the records. “Someone went here… and kept updating these records every day, for the past ten years. They’re all even meticulously done and organized. Who-- who could have done this…?!”
Gen closed the record and headed to the guard to ask him about it.
“Yeah… someone has been coming here every day…” The guard confirmed Gen’s suspicions. Even the guys at the other shifts say the same thing.”
“Do you know who he is?”
“Of course we do!” The guard nodded, “But sorry to say, sir, they want to keep all of it confidential. I guess they don't want the media or whatever to trail ‘em.”
“I see…”
“I came back the next day to look at those records again, and it confirmed to me that someone was indeed updating the records with miniscule yet still relevant information. It was like they were finding pieces of a giant puzzle and putting it together each time for ten years straight.” Gen then sighed, raised his hand to touch the glass. “I used my mentalist skills to figure out who they were, and in the end… It came out to you. Byakuya Ishigami’s one and only son. You, Senku Ishigami…”
The magician looked at the scientist with a sincere look. For once, to Senku it was something honest and not a mask as he always did before.
“Honestly… ever since from the beginning. Even before I met you…” He then looked down, avoided eye contact and with a light blush, he completed it with a smile.“Let me put it this way… I was a big fan of you. There is no lawyer, no person in the world like you.”
“Gen…”
“I have to apologize for my rude behaviour back then. I didn’t realize what kind of person you were until I fully met you. And you ositvely-pay just blew me away!”
Gen giggled and the blush darkened and spread across his face.
“I realized back then, that I couldn’t just leave that case be. I can’t just sit by and just watch you struggle every single day gathering scraps of evidence just to get by. I needed to help you, no matter what. And here I am convincing you to let me defend you. I may not be as good in science as you are, but I am the Magical Attorney, I can still “magically” procure the not guilty verdict for you!”
“Gen…” Senku replied softly this time, “It’s not that I’m refusing your help, it's just this is something that I have to do on my own! I can’t let anyone else get involved in this anymore!”
“Sucks to be you then Senku-chan…” Gen smiled with another sigh, “Because unfortunately you can’t refuse our help anymore!”
“What do you mean?!”
“Are you blind, Senku-chan?!” Gen slammed both his hands to the glass and leaned closer, “Yuzuriha-chan has been helping me around the clock in this case, pinning down and recording every single advancement we have so far. Taiju-chan has been running the police station ragged trying to find and inspect every single piece of evidence they could find. Tsukasa-chan and Ukyo-chan have been working with the Prosecutor’s Office to ensure the trial goes smoothly! And if that’s not enough, they’ve been working with Taiju-chan with the police! Chrome-chan has used all of the science you’ve taught him to try to solve this case too! His contributions are one of the big reasons why we’ve even come this far! You’ve taught him very well, you know! Even the village is helping in their own way too. Everyone whom you’ve helped so far this past year has been trying their damndest to help you get out of this place! To solve this mystery once and for all!”
Gen paused as he panted for air, even he himself couldn’t believe he just let out that whole speech so quickly and in one breath.
“Like you said Senku-chan. Science will always pave the way to the truest of truths, ten billion percent of the time. And Science is a team effort, after all. So what do you say?”
After a brief moment of silence with Gen, red in the face, and very close to the glass, remained there while Senku could only stand looking dumbfounded.
That is until Senku immediately began to laugh at him.
“Wha--” Gen isn’t sure whether to be happy or embarrassed, “What's so funny?!”
“You should see yourself right now, Mentalist!” Senku said between laughs, “Making that lame-ass speech and looking like you’re gonna kiss the plexiglass! “
“That’s not funny!” Gen pouted as now he is red with embarrassment, “I just did what I had to do to---”
“I know… I know…” Senku eventually stopped laughing and sighed, “Geez, you just had to make a show out of it huh? Even when your only audience is me, these guards, and that security camera.”
“Oh god…” Gen then buried his face with his hands.
“But I guess I just have to face facts…” Senku then in a rare occurrence, smiled sincerely, “You win Gen. I’ll let you defend me.”
With a delighted gasp, Gen immediately slammed at the plexiglass with both hands, “Really Senku-chan!?”
“Yes. Now hurry up before I change my mind and not sign those papers.”
“Okay! Okay! I’m gonna do that now…” Gen straightened himself up, “Everyone’s gonna be happy when they hear about this!”
“Oh and one last thing Gen…”
“Yes Senku-chan?” he quickly turned back around.
“Try to save that lame speech again for the next time all right? You can be my big fan once this whole thing is over.”
“Ha! Sure thing Senku-chan!”
Little did they know that the case they’re about to tackle will change the world forever.