Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

The three options floated silently on the light gray screen, their edges glowing faintly.

Masashi Akiyama put the meat slices coated in sauce into his mouth and chewed slowly.

The meat was tender and the egg yolk was smooth, but his mind was no longer on the food.

Just minutes before, he was convinced that he should no longer interfere in Rieko Uchida's affairs.

But then again...

He's a righteous lawyer!

How can we stand idly by when we encounter bullying?

Masashi Akiyama thought to himself with righteous indignation.

The dilemma now is whether to choose branch two or branch three.

In many youth romance stories, the male protagonist will resolutely stand up at this moment and appear in front of the female protagonist as a protector, starting the subsequent romantic chapter with a magnificent "hero saves the beauty".

They will experience many twists and turns, and finally have a fairytale ending.

Unfortunately, Masashi Akiyama is long past the age of believing in fairy tales.

Cash is tempting; ten thousand yen is enough to cover the firm's expenses for the next few days.

But “improving physical fitness” also sounds quite appealing.

He opened his palm, his gaze falling on the faintly visible blue veins on the back of his hand. Those veins extended under the skin, demonstrating the vigorous vitality of this body.

If we strengthen it a few more times...

Perhaps in the future, we might actually be able to use fists to conduct "physical debates" in court?

Such a future is actually quite enviable.

Since that's the case—

Let's have the best of both worlds then.

"Mr. Akiyama..."

Saionji Kiyoshi looked worried, as if she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Masashi Akiyama gently shook his head, indicating that he didn't need to say anything more.

He stood up and took down the dark gray coat hanging on the back of the chair.

Rin Saionji raised her head, her amber eyes silently watching him from under the brim of her hat.

She didn't speak, but her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her hoodie.

Masashi Akiyama offered no explanation and turned to walk towards the shop entrance.

The closer you get to the group of girls, the clearer and more jarring the noisy laughter becomes.

"I'm not saying this to be mean, Rieko, but your family isn't well-off to begin with, why don't you find a generous 'older man' and befriend him? That would make you so much money faster!"

"Exactly, Rieko-chan, you're not really the kind of woman who values ​​self-respect more than survival, are you? In this day and age, self-respect can't fill your stomach, you know."

"It's hard to say... After all, she hangs out with someone like Fukuda, maybe she already..."

"If it were me, having had a 'friend' like Fukuda, I would have transferred schools long ago. I really don't know what Rieko-chan is trying to achieve by stubbornly staying at school?"

Aoi and her friends were enjoying their meal and chatting animatedly.

Rieko Uchida huddled in a corner, silently eating her food, as if trying to bury herself in the small shadow.

Masashi Akiyama took his phone out of his coat pocket, put it to his ear, and made a gesture as if he were answering a call.

"Moshi moshi, Mr. Ueno, it's me."

While speaking respectfully to the non-existent "Mr. Ueno" on the other end of the phone, he quickly glanced at Aoi Onishi, who was sitting in the main seat.

Observation is a lawyer's instinct.

The nails are neatly trimmed, have been given a meticulous manicure, and the design is fashionable yet not ostentatious.

Smooth, shiny hair without dryness or split ends indicates proper daily care and a comfortable family background.

Those around her subtly fawned over her. The reason why teenage girls would flock to someone like that, besides the fact that he was a "trendsetter," is more likely because…

She is very rich.

He made no attempt to hide his exclusion of Rieko Uchida and clearly enjoyed the pleasure of belittling others.

This usually means that the person has been repressed at home for a long time. Most of them come from strict upper-class families and must be a well-behaved "model daughter" in front of their parents. As a result, all the repressed emotions can only be vented outside.

At home and when they're out, they have two completely different faces.

Masashi Akiyama completed a mental sketch of "Aoi Onishi" in less than ten seconds.

He continued to respond with "uh-huh" into the phone, pretending the call was urgent, and quickly passed by Onishi Aoi's table.

Masashi Akiyama was walking hurriedly, his gaze seemingly completely focused on his phone, and he didn't notice at all the beer glass teetering on the table.

The glass of freshly poured draft beer swayed gently in the golden liquid, with tiny bubbles rising and bursting continuously.

Half of the cup hung precariously over the edge of the table, maintaining a delicate balance.

The next second—

Excuse me, could you please move aside?

Masashi Akiyama "accidentally" brushed against the edge of the table.

The force of the elbow struck that fragile point of balance perfectly.

The glass tilted and fell towards the ground.

In his "panic," Masashi Akiyama held the phone in one hand and slapped the wine glass with the other as if "trying to salvage" the situation.

The cup changed its trajectory in mid-air, as if by magic, and flew towards the direction of the sunflower.

boom!

The heavy glass slammed into the girl's chest.

wow-

The golden liquid cascaded down like a waterfall, exploding into a mess on her chest.

"ah--!!"

A short, sharp scream from Daiki Aoi shattered the noise inside the store.

The icy beer poured down his collar, soaking him from his front to his waist in an instant.

It was autumn, but Aoi Oonishi was still wearing a thin summer uniform.

Her shirt was soaked with alcohol, clinging to her skin and revealing the outline of her underwear underneath, and even more intimate lines began to appear faintly.

The girls around were all stunned, their mouths agape, frozen in place.

Dai Xi Kui suddenly sprang to her feet, her first reaction not to wipe it.

She grabbed Rieko Uchida's uniform jacket from beside her, roughly ripped it off, and wrapped it around herself, her movements so fast they were almost savage.

She only breathed a sigh of relief when the slightly oversized coat completely covered the soaked front, but her face was already ashen.

On the other side of the store, several office workers who were drunk couldn't help but laugh and whistle when they saw this scene.

"Oh, Mr. Ueno, I'll contact you later."

Masashi Akiyama then "hurriedly" put down the phone and turned to face Aoi Onishi.

With just the right amount of apology on his face and a sincere tone, he said, "I'm so sorry."

But Aoi Onishi could see that this person was slowly and carefully examining her from top to bottom.

That look was anything but respectful; it even carried a cold, scrutinizing quality.

Because his back was to the other guests, only Aoi Onishi could clearly see the almost indifferent expression on his face.

But the words he uttered were extremely humble: "Are you alright?"

This wretched adult who suddenly appeared and splashed her with beer is now asking this question with the utmost humility.

Daiki's face flushed red and then turned pale.

She wanted to explode with anger, to scream, to tear the person in front of her to pieces.

But the other party's apology was impeccable, and there were so many eyes watching.

She opened her mouth, but found that she couldn't let out a proper roar.

Finally, he managed to squeeze out a trembling sentence through gritted teeth.

"Are you...are you blind?!"

Masashi Akiyama bowed slightly, his eyes behind his glasses calm and undisturbed.

"I'm so sorry. I will cover all the cleaning costs for your clothes. If you don't mind, please leave your contact information and I will arrange compensation."

As he spoke, he took out a business card holder from the inner pocket and pulled out a business card.

It wasn't a lawyer's business card, but a regular business card that said "Cleaning Company".

Aoi Onishi stared at the cheap card, then looked up at Masashi Akiyama's expressionless face.

The air seemed to freeze at that moment.

Rieko Uchida huddled in the corner, her hands tightly gripping the thin sleeves of her shirt after her coat had been taken away.

She looked at Masashi Akiyama, then at the disheveled Aoi Onishi, her pupils slightly contracting.

Then, she lowered her head.

His shoulder trembled almost imperceptibly.