Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

As soon as Shinji Ando said this, even the guests at the nearby tables stopped talking.

The air in the private room seemed to freeze.

The jazz music in the background was still playing lazily, and the saxophone melody sounded particularly abrupt in the silence.

All eyes were focused on this corner.

Ayaka Miura stood beside the booth, completely soaked in sweat.

Her carefully styled curly hair was now sticking messily to her cheeks, and champagne dripped from the ends of her hair, forming a small puddle at her feet.

She bit her lower lip until it turned white, her hands gripping the soaked hem of her skirt tightly, her knuckles bulging. Tears welled in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

Masashi Akiyama stood up.

He adjusted his glasses, his gaze calmly sweeping across the room from behind the lenses.

My gaze lingered on Mikoto Takagi's face for two seconds—

Slight contraction of the orbicularis oculi muscle and dilation of the pupil are typical physiological responses to excitation.

But at the same time, she unconsciously clenched her teeth, her jawline becoming stiff and defined. It was the body's instinctive reaction to suppressing an emotional outburst.

Akiyama followed her gaze.

Mikoto Takagi is looking at Shinji Ando.

No, to be more precise, she was observing Shinji Ando.

Is she interested in Shinji Ando?

Akiyama remained silent for quite a while.

He could feel all eyes glued to him—curious, scrutinizing, gloating, and worried.

The waiters have already started working.

A six-tiered champagne tower was slowly erected in the center of the private room, with crystal champagne glasses carefully arranged in a pyramid shape, each one reflecting a dazzling light under the crystal chandelier.

Seventeen bottles of Dom Pérignon were delivered on a silver trolley. The deep green bottles gleamed luxuriously in the dim light, and the gold-stamped labels seemed like a silent declaration.

"Akiyama...san?"

Fukuda Runa nestled in Ando Shinji's arms, a victor's smile on her lips.

"Are you standing up now to speak for that despicable woman, Ayaka Miura?"

Masashi Akiyama smiled.

"After all, Ms. Miura is my date tonight. In any case, it's my fault for hurting such a beautiful lady."

He took off his suit jacket and gently draped it over Ayaka Miura's trembling shoulders.

"How gentlemanly of you," Fukuda Runa chuckled, covering her mouth. "But you heard it too, didn't you? Ando-san opened a six-tiered champagne tower and demanded an apology from Miura-san. Do you think showing gentlemanly conduct is enough with just taking off a shirt?"

Shinji Ando's gaze fell on Akiyama, but he did not speak.

He was also very curious. What exactly did this seemingly poor and inexperienced young lawyer want to do?

Does he really have the ability to order an eight-tiered or even higher champagne tower?

Or is this just young people overestimating their abilities and showing off?

"After all, Akiyama-san is someone I brought with me."

Mikoto Takagi pushed aside the male waiter beside her and stood up.

Today she wore a well-tailored dark blue suit skirt, her long hair neatly tied back, and in the dim lighting of the private room, she looked like a sharp blade drawn from its sheath.

She walked to Qiushan's side and waved to the waiter.

"All his expenses tonight will be charged to my name."

Fukuda Runa's expression changed.

"And who are you?" she asked, her voice sharpening.

Shinji Ando clearly knew the other party.

He nodded curtly as a greeting, but a hint of interest flashed in his eyes.

"Ms. Takagi," his voice was deep, "I never expected it would be you standing in front of me. You should know what this means, right?"

Mikoto Takagi laughed.

She is a typical cold beauty, with delicate and aloof features, and she always has a tense expression.

But with that smile, that aloofness was instantly shattered, like a crack appearing on ice, making her look dazzling.

"Of course I know, Mr. Ando. But as I just said, Akiyama-san is someone I brought with me. I need to be responsible for him."

"Even a top lawyer like Ms. Takagi," Shinji Ando raised an eyebrow, "would probably find ordering a champagne tower a painful expense, wouldn't it?"

"That's no trouble for you, Mr. Ando," Mikoto Takagi said casually. "I've handled countless cases, so I still have some savings."

After she finished speaking, she turned to Masashi Akiyama.

"Akiyama-san," her gaze fell on his face, "the decision tonight is yours. What do you want to do?"

To be honest, it's a really strange feeling.

Caught between Shinji Ando and Mikoto Takagi, Masashi Akiyama even had a vague feeling that the focus of their struggle was himself.

He looked at Mikoto Takagi's aloof face and smoothly ate this bowl of soft rice.

His gaze swept past Shinji Ando, ​​then over Mikoto Takagi, and finally landed on Ayaka Miura's face.

"And you?" he asked gently. "Would you like to own a champagne tower?"

"Me...me?"

Ayaka Miura is clearly still out of the loop.

She couldn't understand how the tense atmosphere from just moments ago had suddenly turned into this.

Saying I don't want to is too hypocritical.

In Ginza, the champagne tower is a symbol of status and a badge of honor in a waitress's career.

Say what you think—

She hesitated and pinched the suit jacket on her shoulder, which had obvious wear marks at the cuffs.

But in the end, she gritted her teeth and whispered:

"For example, if it doesn't cost any money..."

Masashi Akiyama turned to look at Mikoto Takagi.

The other person nodded in understanding, then turned to the waiter and said:

"Open an eight-tiered champagne tower."

Shinji Ando's gaze lingered on Mikoto Takagi for a long time.

The private room was completely silent.

Even the background jazz music seemed to have been muted.

All the guests stopped talking and turned their attention to this.

Some people showed amused expressions, some whispered among themselves, while others tactfully looked away and pretended to be focused on tasting the wine.

Soon, several waiters pushed in another cart covered with a clean white tablecloth.

The car was neatly stacked with hundreds of crystal-clear wine glasses, which looked like a crystal palace about to be built under the lights.

Under the manager's supervision, they began to carefully build the eight-tiered champagne tower.

The clinking of wine glasses produced a crisp sound, each tap echoing in the silent air.

Fukuda Runa looked around.

Although she wasn't particularly bright, she keenly sensed that something was out of control.

The current atmosphere is definitely not the outcome she wanted.

She took Ando Shinji's arm again, swaying it from side to side, her voice sickeningly sweet:

"Ando-san, forget it, this is too boring. I don't want you to spend any more money on me. How about... we go have some fun ourselves?"

To her surprise, Shinji Ando pushed her away this time.

His gaze remained fixed on Mikoto Takagi's face, and then he laughed.

"Ms. Takagi," he raised his glass, the amber liquid swirling gently within, "would I have the honor of sharing a drink with you?"

Mikoto Takagi was taken aback.

She gave Shinji Ando a cold look before nodding slightly.

Shinji Ando's smile deepened.

He completely ignored Fukuda Runa, whose face was deathly pale, and went straight to clink glasses with Takagi Mikoto.

The crisp sound of glass colliding was exceptionally clear in the silence.

"Your subordinates are quite good." He took a sip of his drink, his gaze sweeping over Akiyama.

"She's just a fairly clever junior," Mikoto Takagi replied casually, raising her glass for a sip.

Just then, a light gray curtain of light silently appeared at the edge of Akiyama's field of vision:

[Takagi Mikoto: After much effort, I've finally caught Ando Shinji's attention. It wasn't for nothing that I specifically chose this location. I knew it; this man has seen too many submissive and obsequious women. Only those who are different, aloof, or even dislike him will pique his interest. Tonight, thanks to Akiyama's cooperation, things went so smoothly. With Ando Shinji's assistance, I'm even more confident about this case.]

【…】

[The ability to converge world lines is not yet available]