Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

She has a very pretty face.

Or rather, the word "beautiful" is already somewhat superficial.

What appeared before Masashi Akiyama was a face as vivid and captivating as a fox's.

Her eyes were slightly upturned at the corners, her eyelashes were long and thick, and her pupils were a rare deep amber color, shimmering with a glassy luster in the darkening twilight.

He had a high, straight nose, thin, pale lips, and skin as white as fine porcelain, almost translucent.

Even someone like Masashi Akiyama, who doesn't pay much attention to a woman's appearance, has to admit that this face is attractive to him.

Rin Saionji had clearly misunderstood something.

She hurriedly looked away, pulling her hoodie hood down even lower, almost completely obscuring her face. Her voice was weak and tinged with panic:

"I'm sorry... I should go now... I've disturbed you..."

She turned to leave, but forgot that the hoodie hood was still being held by Masashi Akiyama.

The result of her hasty turn was that the force pulled her backward, causing her to stagger and fall.

"Be careful!"

Masashi Akiyama instinctively tried to help her up, but was pulled down by the momentum of her falling.

"Bang!"

The two fell heavily to the ground.

Rin Saionji threw herself into Masashi Akiyama's arms, her forehead hitting his chest with a dull thud.

Masashi Akiyama's back slammed against the cold ground, causing him to gasp in pain.

shocked.

Both Masashi Akiyama and Rin Saionji were stunned by this sudden turn of events.

Time seemed to stand still for three seconds.

Then--

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Rin Saionji hurriedly crawled out of Masashi Akiyama's arms.

She hesitated, wanting to help Akiyama Masashi up, but then withdrew her hand, afraid that her touch would cause even worse consequences.

In the end, he could only stand there, bowing deeply and repeatedly, his voice trembling with sobs:

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! Please forgive me!"

The immense shame caused Rin Saionji's originally pale face to turn bright red, the color spreading from her cheeks all the way to her ears and neck.

After confirming that Masashi Akiyama seemed to be alright, she finally couldn't hold back anymore and covered her face, crying softly.

"Whoa—!!"

Then--

As expected, a light gray light curtain appeared at the edge of Akiyama Masashi's field of vision:

[Saionji Rin: I knew it… Someone as ugly as me shouldn't exist in this world. My new friends were all scared of me… What if they don't want to be friends with me anymore? Ugh, so sad… If only I had the "Dark Invincible Aurora Overlord Sword," I could just beat him until his memory was erased, then he could stay friends with me. I really want to beat him until he loses his memory…]

【…】

[Can converge world lines]

[Branch 1: A beautiful girl falls from the sky. However, she seems a bit off. Perhaps you are the knight to save the princess? Maybe saving the princess will bring unexpected surprises? (Reward: Compliance Insight)]

[Branch Two: Mom won't let me talk to strangers. The prettier the woman, the more likely she is to lie. It's already late; even the most important things can wait until tomorrow. Please ask the lost beauty to leave, you heartless blockhead. (Reward: Approval from an elder)]

There are too many factors.

Masashi Akiyama glanced subtly at the comic book in Rin Saionji's hand.

He had flipped through it a few times these past few days when he was bored. If he remembered correctly, the so-called "Dark Invincible Aurora Overlord Sword" was the setting from that comic book.

So it's not just a contrast, but also a case of chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)?

He quickly scanned the two options.

Needless to say, the rewards for the first fork are tangible benefits, and "compliance insights" sounds like a skill that can be put to good use.

As for the second branch... "the affirmation of elders"?

Masashi Akiyama has never listened to his elders since he was a child.

Or rather, from the time he was old enough to understand, the concept of elders was almost absent from his world.

Even now, he continues to practice his "doing things his own way" code of conduct.

Since that's the case—

Without hesitation, he reached out and took back the manga book that Rin Saionji was holding tightly in her arms.

"Waaaaah... Eh?!"

Rin Saionji was still sobbing when this sudden action interrupted her crying.

She looked up at Masashi Akiyama through teary eyes, her face filled with confusion.

Rin Saionji: "...?!"

Masashi Akiyama had already casually sat back in his office chair and started reading a comic book.

His movements were so natural, as if the chaos from before had never happened.

Rin Saionji was stunned.

She wondered, somewhat confused, if now was the right time to read comics?

She even began to wonder if she had made a mountain out of a molehill.

Hearing the other person's crying gradually subside, Masashi Akiyama put down his manga and calmly changed the subject:

"It's very well drawn."

"Th-thank you...?"

Rin Saionji was confused, but she responded instinctively nonetheless.

"You're welcome." Masashi Akiyama waved his hand, placing the manga on the table. "So you came to me wanting me to help you with your manga problem?"

He paused, observing Saionji Rin's reaction, and continued:

"Let me guess—were they exploited by the magazine? What did they do? Withheld payment for articles? Or did they steal the copyrights?"

"How could this be...?!"

Rin Saionji stared wide-eyed at Masashi Akiyama, her amber pupils filled with shock.

"It's not a guess." As if reading her mind, Akiyama Masashi held up a finger and waved it back and forth in the air. "It's just simple deduction."

"W-What reasoning?"

Before Rin Saionji even realized it, she had already emerged from her negative emotions and started to talk to Masashi Akiyama.

"It's very simple."

Masashi Akiyama picked up the comic book on the table and tapped the cover with his fingertip:

"When we first met, you left this comic book behind. I read a few pages; the content was very interesting, and the art style was quite mature, unlike the work of a newcomer. But what you left me here was a draft. So I guessed that you drew it yourself."

He paused, then continued:

"During our conversation today, I noticed that you are a very introverted person and not good at communicating with others. Talking to strangers makes you feel negative, so I guess your social circle must be very small, and you may not even have any other friends."

Rin Saionji lowered her head slightly, tacitly acknowledging this conjecture.

"But you've come to me anyway. That proves you have something that requires legal counsel. Something that connects you to the outside world and requires legal representation—"

Masashi Akiyama looked at Rin Saionji.

"The only possibility is that something you're passionate about has gone wrong. So I suspect that the magazine might have given you a hard time, which is why you're seeking help."

After explaining his reasoning, Masashi Akiyama closed the manga and looked at Rin Saionji:

"Do you understand now?"

As he continued to explain, Rin Saionji's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Those amber eyes gleamed with an unusual light under the lamp.

She clenched her right fist and gently placed it in her left palm, revealing an expression of sudden realization.

"I see--"

"He's a superhuman!"

For the first time, Masashi Akiyama began to doubt his own ears.

He looked at Saionji Rin in front of him.

That beautiful face was full of seriousness, and her eyes were clear, without a trace of joking.

She truly, genuinely believed this conclusion.

Then, he pressed his aching forehead in distress.

This feeling, yes, it's chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)...