#because we know FROM 1-2! FROM CANON EVIDENCE OF SOMETHING ILLEGAL HE DID (STOWING RYUUNOSUKE)

[ryutarotakedown]

i don't think he had a concrete plan for her exactly but i also don't think he would have forgotten about her. ryuunosuke says that kazuma called her a close friend, and he absolutely did consider her in the equation when he smuggled ryuunosuke onboard, it's just that his solution was to Not Tell Her because it would have put her in danger

(the rest of this is under the cut because i blacked out and started rambling. also disclaimer that i haven't played 2-4 and 2-5 in forever)

and so i think that's probably what he planned to do for the study tour in general as well. like it's important to remember that kazuma never actually intended to go through with killing gregson - he only said yes to jigoku's offer because it was the only way he could ever get to go to britain, and the reason why he actually ends up drawing his sword on gregson is because he was infuriated that gregson wouldn't tell him the full truth about his father. it was very much an impulse thing

so like, what is kazuma's plan? all he's really planning to do is figure out the truth about his father, a process probably involving several death threats but zero actual murders, and (since he's convinced barok is the one behind it already) somehow maneuver barok behind bars while doing so. he wasn't planning to do anything "illegal," unless you count the destruction of property re: cutting his dad's wax head off, although even that probably wasn't part of the plan because how could he have known his dad had his own wax exhibition. so—

so there really isn't much he has to tell susato, in his view? like ideally he would choose barok to go against (not very difficult since barok would immediately come out of retirement to face a japanese exchange student anyway), he'd get his client off (ha), his client would die afterwards mysteriously, and he'd choose to take on whoever was framed for the death as his new client* and expose barok in the process. it would be beautiful and glorious and right

*if no human person was framed and the death was, like, a cliff collapse or something, he'd probably try to investigate it himself. rope the police into it. if gregson's involved he might panic and assign a fall guy anyway and then kazuma can go back to the original plan. and if not, well, kazuma's a defense attorney. all he has to do is keep taking cases

and all susato has to do in that is be his judicial assistant as she's always been, right? so he doesn't have to tell her anything. in fact it would probably be safest if he didn't, because susato studied to be a judicial assistant for his sake and it would be unfair if he repaid her by dragging her into all of this. it's his past, he's dealing with it himself, and he can admit that he needs her and ryuunosuke by his side for emotional support, but he's never telling them the truth if he has the choice.

also it is important to note that kazuma always chooses to interact with susato on Professional Terms, not just calling her "judicial assistant mikotoba" but also framing his greeting to her in 2-3 by thanking her for guiding ryuunosuke and in 2-5 freeing her from her duty to him so she can go with ryuunosuke back to japan. i think that dynamic is a sort of dance they developed over time, because susato does refer to kazuma very familarly (first-name terms) but she also says he's always talking to her about how he wants to reform the judicial system in japan, and she tears up and says it was an honor to help ryuunosuke in 2-3 - this is ymmv but imo it's a mutual thing they've agreed on (edit: not like, out loud, they're not emotionally open enough for that, but i think they settled into the pattern), to talk to each other in terms of duties and obligations despite the fact that they are genuinely very close. and in that case, it's not susato's job to help kazuma sort out all of this, is it? so at the time of setting out from japan, at least, kazuma's main connection between susato and the professor incident is to keep her out of it

(obviously once we step out of Kazuma Asougi's Very Unbiased Mind there is a very different picture going on where after they arrive in britain susato and ryuunosuke are scrambling to figure out why the hell kazuma is acting so angry and distant and strange, what do you mean he killed your father? susato asks. i thought your father died of illness? and kazuma is naturally completely unprepared for all of this. he wants susato by his side, of course, as someone to bounce ideas with and who can keep him in check, but he'd never wanted her to be entangled with all of this)

(is this why you wanted me here, kazuma-sama? so i could see you like this?)

anyway tl;dr i somewhat agree with the people in the notes saying that he probably didn't think about it all that much, but not because he doesn't care about her, but rather the opposite: he loves her too much to want her to ever get caught up in this whole thing, and he's confident enough to believe that he can keep her and ryuunosuke away from it, even if that idea falls apart under more than five seconds of scrutiny

wait if kazuma hadnt hit his head and his plan actually worked what did he think susato would do. what was the plan for her . what was the plan for susato please kazuma