Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

Rieko Uchida.

One of the witnesses in the Ayakako Fukuda case.

Masashi Akiyama almost sighed at the arrangement of fate.

By the dim light of the streetlamp, he carefully examined the girl who had fallen to the ground.

Her shoulder-length black hair was a little messy, her bangs were stuck to her forehead with sweat, and the hem of her uniform skirt was covered in stains.

The wound on her knee was slowly bleeding, leaving dark red stains on her skin-colored stockings.

It's really hard to associate this disheveled appearance with the word "wicked woman".

Are you alright?

After confirming that the briefcase was intact, Masashi Akiyama stepped forward.

The leather shoes made a slight sound as they stepped on the wet sidewalk.

"Don't come any closer!"

Rieko Uchida looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with wariness.

Her gaze quickly swept over Qiushan's suit and briefcase before returning to his face.

Only after confirming that the other party did not seem like a dangerous person did the forced vigilance gradually relax, and feelings of grievance and pain surged up.

"Waaah..."

She lowered her head, her shoulders beginning to tremble.

At first, it was just suppressed sobbing, but it quickly turned into intermittent whimpers.

Large tears rolled down her cheeks, mingling with the dust on her face and leaving messy marks.

"Why, why am I so unlucky..."

She tried to stand up while wiping away her tears, but as soon as she put pressure on her knees, the sharp pain made her legs go weak and she fell back down.

This time the fall was even harder, and his elbow hit the ground with a dull thud.

Akiyama sighed.

He took two steps forward, bent down, and slipped his hands under the girl's armpits. The next second, Akiyama Masashi lifted her up like a doll with a slight effort.

"Waaaaah... Eh?!"

Rieko Uchida's voice suddenly changed halfway through her crying.

She stared in astonishment, forgetting even to cry, and covered her mouth with her hands, cautiously peeking at the other person.

This old man... probably didn't hear me, right?

Masashi Akiyama didn't say anything, but simply placed her steadily on a bench by the roadside.

The wooden bench gleamed with a damp, cold light in the night. When Rieko Uchida sat down, she could feel the chill seeping in through her thin uniform skirt.

Akiyama pulled out a disinfectant wipe from the side pocket of his briefcase and slowly wiped his hands.

After wiping his hands, he raised his chin and pointed to Uchida's knee.

"Your leg will get infected if you don't treat it."

Rieko Uchida lowered her head with a bitter expression.

The stockings were stuck to the wound, and blood and tissue fluid could be seen seeping out from the edges.

She tried to push the stockings down from the knees, but as soon as she moved, a sharp pain made her gasp.

"It hurts, it hurts..."

She grimaced, and tears welled up in her eyes again.

Masashi Akiyama simply couldn't stand it anymore.

"Excuse me."

He crouched down, kneeling on one knee on the cold sidewalk.

This posture brought his line of sight almost level with the girl's.

Uchida instinctively tried to pull her legs back, but Akiyama Masashi had already reached out and pinched the edge of the stockings with his fingers.

"Wait, wait a minute—"

Before he could finish speaking, Masashi Akiyama tightened his grip slightly.

"Sizzle."

The faint tearing sound was particularly clear on the quiet street.

The stockings were torn open at the top of the thigh and then slowly pulled down along the leg line.

Masashi Akiyama moved very steadily and carefully, trying to avoid touching the wound.

However, the connection between the stockings and the wound was still being pulled, and Rieko Uchida bit her lower lip, letting out a suppressed groan.

As the stockings were gradually pulled down to her ankles, the girl's knees were completely exposed to the light.

The wound was deeper than I had imagined, with its edges rolled back, mixed with sand and blood.

The surrounding skin was red and swollen, looking quite gruesome.

"That won't do."

Akiyama frowned and stood up, his gaze sweeping across the street. He quickly walked to a vending machine and bought a bottle of mineral water.

Then I brought the water back and unscrewed the bottle cap.

Rieko Uchida stared at him warily, leaning back slightly.

Then Masashi Akiyama did something that made her eyes widen—

He tilted the bottle, and the cool mineral water fell vertically, washing over the wound.

"hiss--!"

Uchida gasped, her body stiffening abruptly. She instinctively grabbed Akiyama's sleeve, her fingers clenching until they turned white, her nails almost digging into the fabric.

"No, don't use water..." she said, her head bowed, her voice trembling, her ears burning red. "It hurts too much..."

Masashi Akiyama paused for a moment.

He put down the water bottle and pulled out a wet wipe again. This time, his movements were much gentler, carefully cleaning the sand around the wound little by little.

The wet wipes were quickly soaked with blood and stains, and he replaced them one after another.

Rieko Uchida kept her head down the whole time.

She could feel Akiyama's fingers occasionally brushing against the edge of her skin, the warm and dry touch contrasting sharply with the burning pain of the wound.

Only after the last bit of sand was cleared away did Akiyama straighten up.

He crumpled the used wet wipes into a ball and precisely tossed them into the trash can three meters away.

"Okay. I'm not a doctor, this is all I can do. You can go home by yourself now, right?"

Rieko Uchida nodded.

She tried to stand up; the stinging pain in her knee had lessened considerably, turning into a persistent but tolerable dull ache.

She steadied herself by holding onto the armrest of the bench, and then bowed deeply to Masashi Akiyama.

"thank you."

Akiyama was carefully wiping his fingers with the last wet wipe when he heard this, and simply waved his hand.

"It was just a small favor."

Uchida bowed again before turning around and limping toward the other end of the street.

Her shadow stretched long under the streetlights, swaying slightly with each step, gradually blending into the deep night.

Akiyama stood there watching until the figure completely disappeared.

He then adjusted his coat collar and turned to walk in the opposite direction.

…………

The next day.

Masashi Akiyama woke up promptly at seven o'clock in the morning.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, and the morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled patterns of light on the floor.

He washed up as usual, then sat at the small kitchen table, chewing on warm rice while flipping through the morning paper.

Near the center of the social section, there was a brief news item: "The trial for a county high school teacher suspected of molesting underage students will begin next week."

Masashi Akiyama felt it was perfectly normal for this case to be reported.

Teachers, minors, students, and molestation. These words together are inherently high-profile topics, and the media will definitely not let them go unnoticed.

After dinner, he went back to his bedroom to change.

The suit jacket, a dark gray suit purchased during last year's sale, was hanging on a simple clothes rack.

The cuffs were somewhat worn, and the elbows were slightly shiny. Akiyama unfolded the coat, and as his fingers sorted through the inner pockets, he touched something unusually firm.

It's neither a business card nor a receipt.

He pulled out the two pieces of paper.

They are two 10,000 yen banknotes with Fukuzawa Yukichi's portrait printed on them.

It was from last night...

Masashi Akiyama immediately pictured Rieko Uchida's tear-streaked face in his mind.

Almost the instant the memory took shape, a light gray light curtain silently unfolded in the field of vision.

[Rieko Uchida's world line has been resolved]

[Reward: 2 yen has been issued]

Immediately afterwards, another light screen popped up, displaying several lines of text clearly.

Name: Masashi Akiyama

[Assets: 92,120 yen]

[Item: None]

[Skill: Psychological Insight - Perfection]

Akiyama's gaze lingered on the "Items" section for a few seconds.

Is it something that can be visualized and appear in reality, or is it something like in "Dragon Quest," full of fantasy and only visible to him?

So far, Masashi Akiyama has not seen any item rewards in the branching options.

He stroked his chin, not drawing a conclusion easily.

However, Masashi Akiyama soon had no time to pay attention to these details.

He raised his hand to look at his watch.

7:40.

"Oh no!"

He stuffed two 10,000 yen bills into his suit jacket pocket, grabbed his briefcase, and strode towards the entrance.