Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

Chapter 25 The Clown of Deduction

Ayaka Fukuda felt like she had broken down.

Not at this moment, nor in the cold room of the juvenile detention center.

But even earlier—when Fukuda Runa brought home her first man, when she first understood the meaning of those sticky gazes, when she realized she had gone from being a "daughter" to a "commodity," she had already completely broken down.

The mud was too deep and too sticky. She struggled desperately, trying to swim ashore with her mother.

Later she thought that it was okay not to take her mother ashore, as long as she could leave on her own.

But gradually she discovered that the reason silt is called silt is because it is dirty enough.

Those who are stained by the mud spend their entire lives searching for a way to escape it.

Some people search for it in love, some in hate, and some in destruction.

It wasn't until she personally sent the woman she was closest to in the conventional sense to prison, and until she used Akiyama Masashi's knife to cut off Ando Shinji's political future, that she finally felt a sense of relief.

She doesn't care how many people get hurt in the process, as long as she is happy.

Every day in the detention center, Ayaka Fukuda would silently pray while gazing at the small patch of sky seen through the cramped window:

"If there truly is a God, please bless me—let me remain in this moment forever."

So when she heard Masashi Akiyama, that contradictory and aloof man, trying to soothe her with his words, she smiled.

"Akiyama-san."

She spoke very softly through the glass.

"My only wish is that you keep your eyes wide open and watch carefully—you must see what happens to them."

A pale gray curtain of light silently appeared at the edge of Akiyama Masashi's field of vision:

[The world timeline of Ayaka Fukuda has been resolved]

[Reward: Deduction Clown (Beginner Level) has been issued]

After that, life went on peacefully, like flowing water.

Masashi Akiyama refused Maki Suzuki and the others' request to "visit more often".

He felt obliged to provide meals for these girls whenever they came, as a gesture of hospitality.

The key issue is that he's a penniless wretch.

Although he gained fame in Tokyo's legal circles through the case of Ayaka Fukuda, he is still a newcomer at heart.

In the Japanese legal profession, which values seniority and connections, they naturally lack an advantage.

To make matters worse, this private office is located in Nerima Ward, Tokyo.

Apart from a few small-scale vendors, this area is mostly comprised of ordinary residential buildings. Residents have a very weak sense of the law.

For many people, "lawyer" is still a novel and distant concept.

These days, Masashi Akiyama has not only not received any serious cases, but has instead received all sorts of bizarre requests.

Searching for lost cats and dogs, stalking husbands suspected of cheating, and even requests for paid sexual favors.

"I'm a lawyer, not a detective."

While explaining himself righteously, he also dutifully accepted all the commissions except for sleeping with clients.

There's no other way; it's about making money, so there's no shame in it.

Although the lawyer's fees are meager, they can at least help cover the firm's daily expenses.

Today is no exception.

In the evening, Masashi Akiyama successfully returned the squirrel that had been lost to the client.

His arm, still throbbing from the red scratches from the squirrel, was exhausted as he sat back in his secondhand office chair, finally having time to check his recent earnings.

With a slight thought, a pale gray light screen unfolded before my eyes:

Name: Masashi Akiyama

[Assets: 92,120 yen]

[Item: None]

[Skills: Psychological Insight - Perfect; Emotional Manipulation - Beginner; Deduction Clown - Beginner]

[Property Investment: A Private Law Firm]

My gaze fell on "Detective Clown - Beginner Level," and a not-too-large stream of information flooded into my mind—

Skill: Deduction Clown

Core principle: Using two absolutely true premises, the strategy employs a syllogistic approach to lead the target to a logical conclusion that benefits the user, or even deviates from common sense, and the target will firmly believe it.

Conditions for initiating: The first two sentences must be based on facts that the other party acknowledges; the information must be clearly communicated verbally.

Initial range: within 3 meters, 1 person (can be upgraded to expand the range and number of people affected).

This is a rather domineering skill.

Masashi Akiyama conducted experiments when he received it.

Unfortunately, the "Detective Joker" can't have people just hand him money.

Whether a skill can succeed depends on the mental fortitude of the person being influenced.

The current "Detective Joker" has limited capabilities; it's more like a delicate key that needs to find the right lock.

He shook his head, got up, and prepared to pull down the roller shutter to close the shop.

The law firm's signboard is still empty. He plans to have workers come and install it tomorrow to see if it can salvage the dismal business.

Then--

He tripped and fell.

To be precise, he was tripped by a figure crouching in the shadows by the door.

Before Akiyama Masashi could even see the other person's face clearly, the figure sprang up like a startled rabbit, bowed deeply to him, uttered a barely audible "I'm so sorry," and turned and ran away.

"wait--"

Before the words had even faded, the other person had already disappeared around the street corner.

Despite looking thin and small, it ran surprisingly fast.

Masashi Akiyama steadied himself, dusted off his trousers, and then noticed a thin booklet on the ground.

It wasn't an ID card, nor a wallet, but a comic book.

The cover is a hand-drawn color illustration with a delicate style, but unfortunately the corners of the comic are already somewhat worn.

"A comic book?"

He bent down to pick it up and casually flipped through it.

The inner pages are drawn in pencil, with clean lines, showing that the artist has a solid foundation and has already developed their own style.

It has no attribution or publisher information, and looks like a self-made doujinshi.

"I'll return it to her next time we meet."

With that thought in mind, he stuffed the comic book into his briefcase.

The second meeting came very quickly.

It was still evening, and Masashi Akiyama was preparing to lower the roller shutter.

The figure was crouching in the corner by the door again, wearing a large dark gray hoodie with the hood pulled low, curled up into a small ball, as if trying to blend into the shadows.

Upon hearing footsteps, the other person jumped up in fright again and turned to run away.

Then came the third and fourth times.

Every time it was evening, every time it was the same corner, and every time I would panic and run away when Masashi Akiyama appeared.

Until the fifth time—

Masashi Akiyama, unable to bear it any longer, reached out and precisely grabbed the hoodie before the other person could run away.

"Clatter".

It was a very soft sound, the sound of a hat being pulled.

The figure froze instantly.

Like a cat being grabbed by the scruff of its neck, the person was frozen in place in an extremely unnatural posture.

Forget about running away, they even became careful when breathing.

Masashi Akiyama could feel the small, thin body beneath his hands trembling slightly.

"Hey, I'm talking."

Masashi Akiyama dared not let his guard down. He had a feeling that if he relaxed even slightly, the other person would disappear like a startled rabbit.

"Is there something you need from me?"

No response.

Beneath the hoodie, only suppressed, soft breathing could be heard.

Masashi Akiyama was so angry he almost laughed. He pulled the other man back with a little force.

The figure reluctantly turned around little by little, following his force.

She seemed very uncomfortable being in the public eye and was trying her best to shrink herself away.

The hoodie was pulled down low, almost completely obscuring his face. His hands gripped the hem of the hoodie tightly, his knuckles turning white. His shoulders were hunched inward, as if trying to hide himself inside the oversized garment.

Masashi Akiyama attempts to initiate "psychological insight".

failure.

He could only tell that the other person was very nervous, even fearful.

But his expression was completely obscured by the shadow cast by his hat, making it impossible to see anything.

There was no response to "emotional manipulation".

The other person was completely immersed in fear and did not respond to Akiyama Masashi's words.

Five times.

Five times in total, this "little rabbit" waited at his door and then ran away, successfully arousing his curiosity. Having finally caught it, he was determined to get to the bottom of it before he could find out the answer.

and so--

Deduction Clown, activate.

Masashi Akiyama softened his voice, as if coaxing a frightened little animal:

"Look, you're wearing clothes, and I'm wearing clothes too. You're human, and I'm human too. So..."

He stopped and waited.

The other party remained silent for a long time.

So long that Masashi Akiyama thought "The Clown of Deduction" had failed, so long that the streetlights lit up one by one, casting a dim yellow glow in the deepening twilight.

Then--

From beneath the hoodie's hood, a faint, choking sound came:

"so……"

"We're...friends?"

Successful.

Masashi Akiyama released his grip on the hat.

The other person didn't run away immediately; they just stood there, slightly raising their head. Although their face was still unclear, their posture seemed somewhat relaxed.

Masashi Akiyama took the comic book out of his briefcase and handed it over:

"This, is it yours?"

The other person didn't answer immediately, but just stared at the comic book.

Then, a slender, pale hand emerged from the wide sleeve and carefully took it.

"Th-thank you..."

Masashi Akiyama adjusted his glasses, gazing at the mysterious girl in the deepening twilight.

"What's your name?"

The other party was silent for a few seconds, and then—

From beneath the hat came a reply as faint as a mosquito's buzz:

"...Saionji Temple."

"Saionji...?"

"Saionji Rin".