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It’s now been 2 weeks since all of their adventures in London were behind them. Susato and Ryunosuke had learned a lot about what it meant to stand in court and the life in London, a town that caused so much pain for many lives. But, in a way would become a strangely fond memories to the two of them and their friends, and for that, they had no regrets of leaving it behind to enlighten their home.
Ryunosuke and Susato were spending most of their day together, discussing and planning their return to Japan, spending hours and hours sharing ideas about how their office would be. Susato loved discussing the colours of the wall, type of plants they could have, the office location and all sort of details, there was no other future she could see other than one by his side. Ryunosuke had joy in listening to all of her ideas, even if some of them seemed to be a little too precise and thoughtful. Compared to his own ideas that all just consisted of idea similar to having a tea set close to his desk, so he could drink as much of Susato’s tea as he needed. They still had a great time and everything seemed clear in their mind, but as happy as the young man was on the moment, he still had doubt.
He knew that the path he had chosen was the right one, he had no doubt that he wanted to change the court system of Japan. But at the same time, he still had a fog in the back of his mind, he still had a question he could not get himself to ask Susato. He didn’t want to change anything about any of these moments together, he didn’t knew how and when to ask….
“Narudodo-san? Are you listening?” she asked, as she was waving at his face.
“Oh..uh..” he flinched at her words “yes my apologies Susato-san, what were you saying” as he was awkwardly scratching his head
“That we could ask Soseki-san to visit the office, it could be a perfect for advertisement don’t you think” the young woman said in a joyous tone, glazing at him, she switched between writing ideas and gazing at him
“Oh! Yes it could be great to see him again, I just hope he would have time to” he mumbled, not sure of what was happening.
“Well you did prove his innocence two times, so meeting again the lawyer that saved his life shouldn’t be a pro” she quickly noticed him fixing the wall, in awe “Naruhodo-san!”
He was once again lost in his thoughts, lately it happened more and more
“Oh!” He again, flinched back, with his eyes twitching “my apologies Susato-san, what were you saying?” he purred the same sentence.
“You seem to be….” she softly tilted her head “lost in your thoughts lately, sort of daydreaming…. Well, more than normal I mean, is everything alright?” she placed her book down on the table, showing her concerns
“There.. A lot in my mind that all” He stopped, looked toward her and looked away in an instant “concerning our return to Japan I mean, and going back to all that happened to me in this past year.” He crossed his arms and closed his eyes, searching for the right words “I’m really unsure if I’m extremely lucky of everything or hopelessly cursed by all the thing we got ourselves into” He chuckled.
He wasn’t lying, these things were concerning him from time to time, but he omitted one thing, and he was sure it wasn’t the time to talk about it
He quickly excused himself before she could answer to take a breath of fresh air outside, but not before she could at least made him promise to be careful and not overdo himself. She really was worried about him, she could not understand his doubts, and she really hoped she wasn't doing too much, she really wanted to know what was wrong, but, it seemed wrong to ask….
He made his way to the terrace, watching the horizon, London was nowhere to be seen of course, all of this was far behind them now. He took a big breath of air and then slapped his cheeks, ready to go back, promising himself he’ll ask once he knows it’s the right time, but on his way back, he crossed path with someone else.
“Professor Mikotoba, sir!” he said standing still with his head high
“Oh it’s you!” he warmly said “Good afternoon, are you spending your day outside your cabin? I tough you were with Susato concerning that office of yours” He asked, crossing his arms, awaiting.
“Oh yes! I mean no” His eyes were twitching as always “I was with her just fives minutes ago, it’s just that I needed some fresh air, my thoughts weren’t exactly together as of late” he nervously explained.
“Oh I see” He paused and started again with a far more serious tone “don’t tell me you’re starting to regret your decision now?”
Hearing the change in his voice, Ryunosuke quickly answered “No it’s nothing of the sort!” The change in tone made him even more nervous, his eyes were moving like lightning “I know this was the right decision I have no regrets about that it’s hum, something else”.
The professor’s voice got back to its original tone as a sign of relief “I suppose that vague statement mean I will not know more.” He smiled at him and then continued “I’m the one that made you come back here, so if you need anything don’t hesitate to come see me”.
“Thank you professor” his body was hoping like a bunny, trying to stay in position “I’ll remember that!” he shouted
“Of course” He looked toward Ryunosuke’s cabin “Since Susato made that surprising decision to accompany you back, she spent more time with you than with her own father, days are pretty lonely in this boat ahahaha!” he added
The young one was surprised by this declaration, it wasn’t what he was expecting “Huh? I… S… Sorry, I didn’t mean to….” he sweated a little
The professor smiled again, but in a more fatherly manor “I hope that you’ll still look after Susato, Ryunosuke, it’s rare for my daughter to follow her feelings instead of her duty.” He said in a crystal clear tone.
“Of-Of course sir! You can count on me!” He already had that conversation with him, but the context was far different now, he thought about what to say and simply added nothing. The professor knew what the lawyer would answer about how she’s the one looking after him and everything, before it went back to that and simply gave Ryunosuke his thanks for everything.
Shortly after, both men said their goodbye. As a father, Yujin was happy that his daughter was back at home, but he was worried that she would regret her decision, as happy as she seemed, following her heart once again. He was worried she didn’t plan more than “stay with Naruhodo” he did ask her reason to Susato when she first requested to come with them. But her answer were vague and didn’t seem to make much sense, whatever the reason was he knew it was surely the best one. He had complete trust in his daughter and knew that even if he couldn’t understand or like it that much, she probably had made the smartest decision.
Susato was brewing Ryunosuke’s favourite tea, as she was still troubled about his weird behaviour, she was worried that she may have overworked him when he was already stressed with his own concerns. She wasn’t able to go much further in her thoughts, as a familiar voice filled the room.
“Susato-san!” His voice alone made her knew he was smiling “Sorry for the wait, and my apologies for my previous behaviour!”
“I’m happy to see you, I was starting to get startled by the idea that you once again daydreamed and dropped off from the ship” she said with a deadpan expression. “Anyhow, I brewed some tea while you were gone, to help your mind ease!” as fast as he handed over a cup to him, her warm smile could be seen
Hearing that, the attorney’s lost his posture as his shoulder and head were down “I’m not even sure it was a joke, does it look like I could really do that…?.” He thought.
“Thank you, this is really thoughtful of you, there nothing better than your tea, Susato-san!” he happily stated
He started drinking as soon as he finished his thanks to her, as ‘’all tea must be drank when it’s hot”, or that how the saying goes anyway. While looking at him drinking with delight, she noticed something on his face, during their time in London they spent a lot of time together, and she never thought too much about it, she never paid close attention to it. His smile, but right now, his smile felt special, it seemed so pure, full of warmth, she knew he genuinely enjoyed the moment, but it felt different. It reminded her of her best friend’s smile just after her trial, her smile of pure joy, it was somewhat similar she first thoughts, but why was his smile so similar while just drinking her tea? So grateful for an act of politeness all Japanese considered of a simple and basic act? This feeling made her cheeks burning.
“Susato-san”
She gasped “Oh…oh yes?” she stuttered
He looked down at the second cup present on the table “Don’t you drink your tea? It will be cold at this rate!” he asked.
She quickly got her vision straight “Oh no no this is for you too, I wasn’t sure if one cup was enough for all the work you’ve done” Susato said while handing up the cup to him
“You worry too much Susato-san” he frowned, refusing the cup with his hand and looking at her “you don’t have to do all of this, you deserve at least this cup”. His smile wasn’t as big, but it was replaced by a deep gaze showing all the worries he had for her,
The judicial assistant closed her eyes, and still trying to hand him the cup “There no need to worry about me, you are the one who need force to be as effective as you can be. I’m….comp..letely..fiiiine.” She felt the cup gone of her hands, thinking she had convinced him, she opened her eyes when she saw his mischievous face, that started rubbing the cup against her cheek she was trying to keep as much as a serious face as she could, but soon her giggle started to take control.
She playfully pushed him away while trying to stop laughing “Fine, you win Naruhodo-san, but I assure that I really don’t need it”. Furthermore, she took the cup in hand, looking at him to be sure he was alright with it
Without smiling, her partner simply stated “You overwork yourself far too much Susato-san, you’re working as much and even more than in London. You deserve some rest and some of that delightful tea as much as me right now” he reassured her.
“Alright… I…appreciate you concern, Naruhodo-san, thank you”.
As much as Susato didn’t want to admit, he was completely right, she was exhausted, the way he spoke touched directly her heart. Everyone around here were always saying the same thing, to take a break, to not overwork herself too much. But yet she always felt the need to, she always felt that she was never good enough as a legal assistant and as a woman in general. But in this cabin, with Ryunosuke, she felt at peace, she felt that she didn’t need to prove herself to him as his eyes were telling that she did enough and deserved to drink alongside him. She drank her cup with joy, both on her mind and face, hoping for this moment to last forever.
He enjoyed seeing her this relieved, he put his cup on the ground, searching for his word, he felt like it was the right time to ask, As both had their mind cleared “Susato-san, If you don’t mind.” He was searching the most polite word he could, he didn’t want to upset her “may I ask you something? It may be a stupid question but… “He queried
“Of course, I’ll be happy to answer, what is it?” she said while putting her cup down, her expression showed concern she knew by the tone of his voice that something was troubling him. “You can ask me anything you want” she added, trying to make thing easier
He paused, and in appreciation smiled at her, he sighed and simply asked “Susato-san… why..why have you made this decision? To stay by my side in Japan?” He asked, with an entreated look.
She gasped at the question, she knew he would ask it one day, but she was dreading it, she was indefinite on how to answer it, as her heart itself was conflicted. She never regretted that decision, even for one second, however, why she had no doubt about it was strange. How everything felt possible and at reach when he was by her side, she couldn’t know how to explain in with words.
While she was lost in her thoughts, Ryunosuke noticed her change in behaviour and started to have remorse concerning asking her
“You..You don’t need to answer that if you don’t want to it’s fine!” His face was sweating bullet It doesn’t concern me after all, I… I’m sorry I…”
But as fast as he was talking and how panicked he was, yet she could understand every word clearly, he clearly had his way with words she thought, before trying to calm his temper down
“It’s quite alright, there is no need to worry, you have the right to have an answer as it obviously concern you too, Narudodo-san” she reassured him “it’s just… I’m not sure how to phrase it” she slowly added.
He chuckled and teasingly answered “So you’re at the same page as me concerning your decis…”
TOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHH
Ryunosuke didn’t even have the time to finish his sentence, he already was on the other side of the cabin, Ah nostalgia, exactly like always, he felt like it was the end….
“What was that for?!” he shouted
She closed her eyes “I apologize” she said with a rueful face “But I couldn’t let you finish this phrase, Naruhodo-san” she said with her eyes, now open, focused on him
She finally helped him to get back up, as she was lifting him by his arm, she proceeded, detailing her previous statement
“I just… don’t know how to explain it” her expression showed once again a lot of doubt and fear, her eyes looking down and her head tilting “it just felt... right” she hesitated “like my place is to stay by your side, I suppose…” she then bowed to him “I'm sorry, I wish I could answer you”
As the sight of the bow and her apology, Ryunosuke panicked “The-There nothing to be sorry for! It’s my fault for asking such an awkward question, no need to worry, I’m really sorry let’s just forget that and…” he bowed in return, making her gasp as she never saw him bowing like that.
They continued throwing apologies to each other for some time, apologizing for every possible little details, as much as their adventures in London changed them, bowing until their back were in pain their Japanese etiquette couldn’t be erased
About 5 minutes later, they were out of thing to apologize for, when they realized what they were doing, they started giggling
“Well, I suppose it was a little too much, I’m sor…”
“Please, Susato-san no more apologies, the word don’t even sound like one any more!” he interrupted
She playfully agreed “You-You’re right” but quickly her smile lost of it’s size, as her expression became somewhat more serious. “I was wondering tough, what is it such a matter for you to know my reasoning concerning this choice?” she asked
That was a question he wasn’t ready for either, he didn’t know why her simple decision was piercing his mind that much. For him, someone as smart as Susato must have thought a lot about him, but this choice, in his mind felt strange, why did she choose to stay with him? She had such opportunity in London, being able to catch up on her time with Asougi, live in Baker street with the great detective she sees as her idol, the young Iris, that she consider like her “sister”. But even if she knew she’ll lose so much, she still took the decision of coming with him, and she never seemed to regret or even having ever doubted it.
Even if he wasn’t sure, he didn’t want to let her down, and simply turned into words what was on his mind without thinking much “I-I-I, well, it’s such an important decision, and it seemed like you never doubted it once. With so much confidence, you sacrificed a lot just to come with me.” He stopped for a second as he understood himself “I guess I was sort of curious, how you determined the right path by understanding and following what your felt I mean, it’s really amazing, Susato-san.” he explained.
While he was explaining, her eyes were closed, simply smiling as the sound of his voice, the way he explained himself was in a tone that seemed so convivial, his sincerity was clear, even if he had a hard time finding his words.
“You’re praising me too much, I think” she giggled softly, hand in front of her mouth, and simply continued “…. But, for this “feeling” I had… hum, it’s, I suppose, following my duty, as a Judicial assistant”
“As a judicial assistant?”
“Yes, standing in court and working alongside you, since we first started to work together, I felt like staying, by your side, was the right thing to do” she faltered
He didn’t answer right away, he had only his name in his mind “Wh-what about Asougi?” he asked nervously
As she heard his name, she looked straight at him, simply thinking about him disturbed her mind “I-I, Asougi is a fantastic lawyer too, I’m so happy of what he became as a prosecutor. Seeing him in court was a delight it really was. And working alongside him, it was a fantastic experience, but… it felt different” she mumbled, she didn’t know what were the right words.
She paused through her explanation, as that feeling explained itself in her mind too, the way Ryunosuke was listening carefully, helped her mind becoming lighter, when he was with her, she felt like it was clear
She placed her hand on her heart, and resumed
“Kazuma is the one that inspired me to be a judicial assistant in the first place, and he’s the one that gave me the opportunity to visit London, but….” she sighed. What she was about to say was something she struggled to even admit to herself, and she was about to tell about him to the best friend of that man.
“I-I was always unsure, unsure that he had a sort of pity on me, or that h-he was influenced by the fact that we were close to each other…, I always felt like it wasn’t my place” she trembled. The last thing she wanted to do was disrespect Kazuma, she had enormous respect for him, and she wanted to be sure Ryunosuke didn’t misunderstand her.
He thought carefully about how to answer, and started speaking “You know… Asougi actually mentioned you back in Japan, while he was talking about London or being a lawyer, he always praised his faithful judicial assistant, praising your intelligence, fighting spirit and your knowledge” He revealed in a calm and reassuring tone.
Her expression changed briefly, a sort of mix between surprise and happiness, she wasn’t really surprised by Kazuma words, but more of Ryunosuke’s
Her smile came back right away, she closed her eyes, reminiscing all her moment with Kazuma “It-It’s.. Not surprising, I knew that he was not the type of person to think like that, but I just couldn’t get this feeling out of my mind, every time I had it coming back… I.. Always felt like I was behind, that I was never quite good enough to be at his level, that every time I made a step, he already was into the next set of stairs” she snivelled.
“Susato-san….”
“I know that not what he felt, I know this feeling was far from the truth but, he was simply so amazing that I couldn’t help myself. I’ll always cherish my memories by his side, I simply think it’s time for me to make my own resole”.
Hand on his chin, he thought how pressing her more concerning Kazuma was a bad idea, she was obviously uncomfortable about it, he saw how tears were not far, these memories weren’t sad, but they weren’t positive either. Instead he tried another question “So do you mean that this feeling you have wasn’t present during our work together?”
The shift in the discussion surprised her, but she was relieved about it, she knew that he understood how it affected her”… Yes. I supposed it is right. When this incident happened, almost a year ago now, this is when I met you and started to work together… As I taught you about the law, we learned more about each other too. And seeing your motivation replacing the feeling of sorrow, to continue his will, it amazed me, how after losing your best friend you didn’t take time to cry, to regret it, you looked in front of you. In a sense, you gave me your hand, so we could climb the stairs together, making the ascent easier” she said in a jokingly yet serious tone, the metaphor she used.
She seemed to be reminiscing far more than just the question, reflecting on everything that happened it was obvious that she never had the opportunity to get this out, to talk about her feelings so freely like that. She was always educated to not share your personal feeling too much, knowing she didn’t have any problem sharing them with him, it made Ryunosuke happy.
She sighed as she also reminded herself of shameful memories “But, at first, as ashamed it made me, once your name was cleared, I thought it was the end of it, an unlucky stowaway that got saved by the great detective and some of his skill he obtained during his trial, and when you started to follow his path I saw you as a replacement, nothing more, I knew you were the best to fulfil his will, of course, but also, deep down, as the only good alternative, as it would have meant the direct return to Japan.” she lamented
He started to sweat “I can’t really blame you, since that was, pretty much the case…” he reassured her
She gave a faint smile and continued her reminiscence “When I was standing in court, next to you, I stood here because of my duty as a Judicial assistant. And I couldn’t help myself but to wonder “How HE would have done” “HE would have probably found the contradiction now right?” I couldn’t see you as your own person, or even see your own outstanding prowess, even when you were so nice to me.” she sniffled.
He wanted to reassure her, tell her it’s okay, but he wanted to let her finish. Even if she had a hard time talking about it, he felt like letting all of her feelings out was better for her “I… still can’t really blame you… I wondered similar things” he simply said again.
Susato looked at him, with watery eyes “I’m really so sorry… I hated those thought, I despised them and felt horrible knowing your efforts, and your sacrifice for Kazuma-sama, and me.” She sobbed, wiping her tears and smiling. “But during our second case, the one with Soseki-san, I finally got proved completely wrong, when I saw your defence that day, I finally was able to see you as your own lawyer. I finally stopped thinking “How HE would do that” but either “How can Mr. Naruhodo be so amazing?” instead, I stood by your side not only as a Judicial assistant but as partner too. I was amazed by your skill like I was amazed by Kazuma’s. Not only that, but I finally was able to believe fully in you, like you believed in Soseki-san, and I was so delighted” She grinned cheerfully.
He saw her change in attitude, surprised “That…That’s really flattering, so is that when..?” he wondered.
“This is correct, that when this feeling changed, I stopped feeling like I was always behind, as a burden, but instead I always felt like I was by your side. When you trusted every all of my words, following all my advice, it felt like I was important for you, your equal in a way in court, if it’s okay to say” She replied.
He gave her a weird grin “O-of course! I’m honoured you felt like I was equal to you”.
She giggled behind her hand “You’re far too nice to me, Naruhodo-san….” and looked away, in silence she didn’t know if she should, but she continued “But to tell you the truth, the whole truth, this feeling, scared me… It started to feel like it was an illusion, an image and that I created for myself to escape the regret of not having been able to do this journey with Kazuma-sama. The meaning of that I felt like your equal, I was scared I felt like you weren’t good enough, that I wasn’t go…
“Susato-san!” the young layer shouted, she was talking faster and faster, her eyes closed and watery, he knew she was in deep pain. “You don’t have to tell me everything now, take your time, it’s okay, you didn’t do anything wrong!”
She gasped when she realized what she was doing, speaking her mind out so much, she lost track of herself. She apologized and simply continued after calming herself down.“ Anyway… because of what happened during that unforgettable trial, I thought I didn’t deserve your thanks, or your praise. I was sick of that, betraying your trust” she finished, looking toward the door.
The young man decided to reassure her again, like he did on the evening of her departure. “What you did was for the good of Gina, you don’t have to be ashamed of it, you did what you had to, your doubt as you call them are what saved her. Without the aid of my Judicial assistant, I would have never been able to do it.” He declared.
Her hand tied and her face toward the ground, she simply smiled faintly “I know that what you think, and I appreciate it, Naruhodo-san. But as much as I believe in your words, I still failed as a Judicial assistant.” She looked up, directly toward him “but I think… that it was still the right thing to do”.
Susato got back into talking without stopping, reminiscing about their time in London, her trial in Japan, letting her thoughts out. Ryunosuke didn’t flinch, listening carefully through it all, he knew how important it was, how rare it was for her to go out of her role and rules as a Japanese woman and speak so freely about her personal feelings and opinion. He spent a lot of time with her, but she was always careful to never speak too much about herself, to never get directly into talking about her own feeling or opinion without asking him permission, in the hope to stay refined in the eyes of the society. Or at least to not share them with him, he thought, who knew what was happening in her room…
Her reminiscence got her back into talking about Kazuma, and that case they just finished, less than 1 month ago.
“And.. During that final trial, when you were against Kazuma-sama himself, that when I saw how much you grew, how much you matured. I was by your side for almost each case so, I wasn’t aware. But when I saw you both in the same courtroom, it struck me, you were as good, even, in a way, surpassed even Kazuma-sama himself! For me, you became the greatest of lawyers” she Insisted, fist into the air.
Her words made him almost fall of his chair, he stuttered “I-I-I-I think you’re the one praising me too much this time Susato-san, I’m not even near Kazuma’s level, this case was biased against him, who know how good he is during a fair trial”
“You showed a lot of composure, you weren’t scared of revealing all of Kazuma-san wrongdoing, all of this in the sake of your client and the truth, even tough he was your best friend. It’s an admirable trait” Susato exclaimed.
“You’re making it sound like I’m some sort of heartless monster….” Naruhodo said, sweating bullets.
As much as this idea seemed weird, she was not wrong… he never thought Asougi was the culprit, it seemed impossible, he believed in his best friend, but if it was true. “Was I was ready to reveal it, even if it was the man that saved my life, could I really have the heart to prove his guilt for the truth?” he thought a little too loud
Susato head his words, and realized and what she just implied
“I-I-I’m sorry, It's impudent of me to say such thing, I didn’t tough one second he could have been the culprit, of course, just that you…” She bowed so fast, he could hardly see her movements.
“Don’t worry, I understand what you mean, I really can’t understand honest, but whatever the truth is, as long as you believe that, thank you...but I still don’t think I’m near his level by myself.” He purred, scratching his head.
“By yourself?” Susato curiously asked.
He took a quick glance into the photo that was sitting on the table. Then explained his reasoning “The only way I would be able to surpass Kazuma, and the reason I did win, was the help of Mr Holmes, Iris, and Professor Mikotoba and their actions. Without them, the trial would have ended during the first day.” He stopped here for a second, trying to get the exact right words he was thinking of. “But most importantly, your help, Susato-san… never would I have gone this far into this case nor any other without your help. That like I told you before, remember? With you by my side, no trial seem too daunting!” He exclaimed, imitating her fist in the air gesture.
This sentence shaken her whole body, it was weird for her, there were the exact words he said before their departure to Japan. But they felt much heavier and different in a way she couldn’t explain, even more than they originally did, knowing that these words weren’t just flattery, that their meanings truly meant something to him. She has never been praised so much before… or, she never believed in them to be exact, everyone always praised her skill and abilities, but she rarely took these words at heart. After Haori’s trial when she saw how happy and sincere her friend was toward Susato’s prowess, she tried to accept them… but even then, she simply thoughts most of the merit should have gone to her father. But after what Ryunosuke just said, she understood that she deserved to have her accomplishment recognized as much as anyone else, that she wasn’t simply a stool to help others to accomplish their own goal. She could hardly hide her emotions.
She sniffled a little but quickly got back to her sense as the young lawyer was awkwardly looking around the room. Trying to not stare at his Judicial assistant “That-that is really thoughtful Naruhodo-san, thank you, it means a lot to me. The day w-..we’ll face against Kazuma-sama again, he will see how great of a ….” she gulped down but couldn’t get it out “how great of a team.. w..we are!” As these word came out of her lips, she realized their deeper meaning, and she quickly added, while stuttering “I-I mean if..if it’s alright with you, I know it isn’t right to include myself into your defence and-”
Ryunosuke didn’t get all of it, but he knew her enough to understand everything “It’s fine, we’re together in this, so it’s normal to include you too, together we form the Naruhodo defence team!” Her eyes widened as his words and he just realized them too, eyes twitching “I-i-i- mean, the..the Naruhodo-Mikotoba defence team!”
She giggled seeing him struggle to explain himself, but in the outside her face became red, and inside, she realized she before never thought at referencing his defence as “us”. To include herself in even if Ryunosuke was considering her as equal, it was new to her to accept it fully, that he was considering her the other part of his defence… and in the Japanese empire, was an unimaginable thing to do…
The young men noticed the change of on her face “Are-Are you okay Susato-san? Your face is. all red, do you have a fever?” He worriedly asked.
The Japanese girl snapped out of her thoughts at these words “I’m quite fine, I’m simply a little tired, nothing more”
His expression changed drastically into an emotionless face “Really? You’re overworking yourself Susato-san, I promise we’ll be fine together in Japan, you already did a lot.” He simply stated, in a pretty harsh tone.
But, surprisingly, there was still a lot of warmth in his words, it was clear he was worried a lot about her way of working. He couldn’t bear the thought of her getting sick, ruining her health because of him, making a decision, the young lawyer stood up.
“Oh, don’t you think it would be better if I would let you rest then? You can stay in my cabin I don’t mind, I just want you to get some good rest” He added, then simply smiled at her and walked next to the door waiting for her answer.
She didn’t want him to go away just like that, and end their conversation here “Wait a moment, please Naruhodo-san! I…”
He quickly turned around, worried of what she had to say “What is it?” he worriedly said
The young woman wasn’t sure of why she wanted him to stay, but she had to “It's just.. I wasn’t completely finished, concerning my decision I mean” she awkwardly stated.
He didn’t want to worsen her health “Oh, but you need some rest, you can finish it during dinner…” He harshly answered.
Even as a judicial assistant, she took the initiative and interrupted him “I’m alright. You, too, worry far too much, you even start to sound like father” she chuckled “I’ll take a break tomorrow I promise, I’ll be delighted if you could join me too! We could use this time to read the last issue of Randst Magazine and then write a letter to Iris and Mr Holmes and even Kazuma-sama, what do you think? It could be fun!” She wasn’t sure that what the best thing to do for a break, but as she was saying it, it sounded surprisingly enjoyable.
He was completely turned toward her, baffled “That…that’s not what I meant by rest, but it’s better than nothing I suppose, I’d be glad to be allowed to join you! (I’ll go over the part about her father, I’m not sure if I’d like to know what she meant by me sounding like Professor Mikotaba).” They stood here in silence for a short time before he asked “A-anyway, what about this last reason of yours?” he exclaimed, sitting now next to her once again.
The young judicial assistant, gave him a gasp as a way to tell him that she had forgotten, then looked at his suitcase with nostalgia. “Well, to be completely frank, the thing that is left, is Hum… a sort of promise I made to you back when we finally finished with our office, that I was never able to fulfil until now” she softly said
“A promise? You made to me?… What… was it exactly?” he asked with apprehension.
Hands on her hips, looking straight at him, obviously not pleased with that answer “Naruhodo-san! Please!… It’s something that I had to do, don’t you remember? You’re the one that requested it…” she scowled “did it really meant nothing to you?” she then whispered and sighed.
His first thought were “for someone that is supposed to be tired, she seemed terrifying” He then followed her gaze, like the great detective taught him “… Oh, well… … oh!” he stood up and simply said “Of course!”
Looking straight at his suitcase, she didn’t pay much attention to his word, after all their moment in London, there was one thing, a memento of what she promised to him, an important oath to both of them. The Japanese lawyer opened it and, slowly, in a Japanese furoshiki was taken out, the same that Susato gave to him with a certain piece of evidence back for during that trial, what was inside was really carefully wrapped and Ryunosuke even more carefully opened it, revealing a little Japanese doll.
He took in his hand, and simply said “This is it, right, the daruma doll? It’s obvious I couldn’t forget that”.
She was overjoyed, and he could see it, seeing how careful he was with it, even if she wasn’t sure, she remembers it not being as carefully taken care of before. She hoped the reason was the promise “Yes, I promised you that once I thought you’ll be the best lawyer you can be, I’ll be the one to paint the second eye, and I think it’s time. I’m glad you did remember it, Naruhodo-san” she grinned.
He simply stood here “The best lawyer I can be…” he whispered
He then got back into his seat, and placed the daruma doll on the table, in silence Susato grabbed a brush, black paint, and looked at Ryunosuke. They both smiled at each other and nodded, carefully and slowly, she filled the missing eye, putting an end to the never ending wink of the doll. As she was painting, she whispered in silence “for me, you’re extremely lucky…” he didn’t get the meaning of it at first, but later, he understood the weight of those words.
Finally, as a confirmation of his accomplishments as an attorney, his story in London was completed and officiated by Susato, she was, for Ryunosuke, what allowed this dream to happen, she had to be the one to complete the eye… once she finished, she slowly put the brush down and looked directly toward Ryunosuke… after all this time, it was done, as a reflection of everything they got troughs together, they quickly agreed to use it as a sort of mascot of the office as even if it was originally only filling Ryunosuke’s goal, any of his achievement were made possible by the help of Susato’s own achievement, it showed how she completed her own accomplishment and goal as a Judicial assistant, both were filled in these two black eyes, the original eye that saw them grow, in their legal career but also in their relationship, had his second eye showing no mocking wink of their failure, but simply a stare, staring at them, in awe
Forever, as the daruma doll, will for the rest of our life be an acknowledgement to the world of what we accomplished. I will forever be here. I’ll always be here by your side.