Before I knew it, the day we were supposed to go to Sonoko's resort was almost here, and my usually routine life was starting to change.

Kōyū followed Ran to Eri Kisaki's law firm.

The arrival of Ran and the others brought a smile to Eri's face.

Ran came prepared this time, taking out a brochure for Sonoko's hot spring resort from her handbag, and then said to Eri, "Mom, do you have some free time in a while?"

Eri Kisaki took the brochure, looked at the pictures on it, and said, "Hot springs, huh? Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've been to a hot spring."

Xiaolan placed her hands on the table and said softly, "Mom, you should take a break from work and relax sometimes. Come with me later."

“That’s true.” Eri smiled at Ran, then turned to Midori Kuriyama and asked, “Ms. Kuriyama, how are your plans for my work schedule next month?”

Kuriyama Midori tapped her chin with her finger, thought for a moment, and said, "The final trial for the case we're currently handling is in two weeks, followed by the investigation of the public defender case."

Eri Kisaki frowned and said with a worried look, "Oh right, there's that case too, it's really a headache."

Then she turned to Kuriyama Midori and said, "Could you please help me retrieve some data, Ms. Kuriyama?"

Sitting to the side, Guangyou asked curiously, "Is this case very troublesome? Even you, Auntie, can't handle it?"

Eri nodded: "There is one point. All the current evidence points to the defendant. I need to go and confirm the situation with the defendant later."

Xiaolan suddenly asked, "What is a postulate defense?"

She was unfamiliar with the term and only understood a little bit from its literal meaning.

“Public defense is based on consideration of the defendant’s financial situation, with the state funding the hiring of lawyers to defend the defendant,” Guangyou explained. “If no one is willing to take the case, then the bar association will automatically assign a lawyer to handle the case.”