Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

At four o'clock in the afternoon, the doorbell rang again.

This time, it was Maki Suzuki who came.

Today she was wearing a long, dark camel-colored wool coat, with a light gray turtleneck sweater peeking out from the collar. Her long hair was loosely braided and hung down to one side, and she still had that huge canvas bag slung over her shoulder.

Her cheeks and the tip of her nose were slightly red from the cold. When she saw Rio Arimura, she paused for a moment, then smiled gently, her breath quickly dissipating at the doorway.

"Oh, it's lawyer Arimura. You work here too?"

"Rin, Ms. Suzuki!" Rio Arimura hurriedly stood up, feeling the chill that rushed in through the doorway. "Yes, I just arrived... Please come in! It must be cold outside?"

Maki Suzuki walked in, bringing with her a cool, refreshing outdoor atmosphere and a faint scent of snowflakes.

She took off her coat and hung it by the door, her gaze sweeping around the office before finally settling on Masashi Akiyama.

"Yas, I heard you hired a new assistant? You didn't even tell me."

"I've only been here a few days." Masashi Akiyama looked up from his documents, his gaze lingering for a moment on her frostbitten face behind his glasses. "Is something wrong?"

"Can't I come see you even if there's nothing wrong?" Suzuki Maki walked to his desk, took out a box of delicate yokan (sweet bean jelly) from her canvas bag, the wrapping paper still covered with tiny, unmelted snowflakes. "I was passing by on my way to an interview, so I brought this for you. How have you been lately? Have you gotten any interesting cases?"

Masashi Akiyama did not answer immediately, but looked at Rio Arimura:

"Arimura, show Maki a summary of Uchida-san's case."

Rio Arimura paused for a moment, then realized what was happening, took out the case summary she had just compiled from the folder, and handed it to Maki Suzuki with both hands.

Maki Suzuki took it, sat down on the sofa, and quickly began to browse through it.

Her expression gradually changed from relaxed to serious, and her brows furrowed slightly.

"A case involving theft by a minor... Yashi, are you planning to take it?"

"I've already received it."

"But these kinds of cases..." Suzuki Maki hesitated for a moment, "usually don't escalate. Convenience stores, for the sake of their reputation, will mostly choose to settle out of court. Schools, for the sake of their reputation, will also suppress it. Even if you want to defend yourself, you might not even have the chance to go to court."

"So," Masashi Akiyama turned his head and looked directly at her, "I need your help."

Maki Suzuki's eyes lit up. "You want to... approach this from a media perspective?"

"Yes." Masashi Akiyama nodded. "Let's build up the momentum first. Before things go to court, let public opinion ferment. The issue of the convenience store's surveillance authority, the legitimacy of the store manager's handling of the situation, and the school's attitude of trying to smooth things over—these are all things we can work on."

"I understand." Suzuki Maki closed the case summary, her expression turning serious. "I'll do some background research first. The reputation of the convenience store chain, the store's previous handling records, how the school handled similar incidents... If there's any room for maneuver, this could definitely be turned into a series of reports."

"But Yasi, you need to be prepared. If this kind of case blows up, the other party is very likely to retaliate. Convenience stores have legal teams, and schools have public relations departments; they won't sit idly by. Besides, it's winter now, the end of the year, and many media outlets are doing year-end reviews, so attention can easily be diverted."

"I know," Masashi Akiyama said calmly. "That's why we need you—to make your voice heard before they realize what's happening, amidst the year-end clamor. Once public opinion takes hold, it will be too late for them to suppress it."

"You're still the same as always," Maki Suzuki said softly, "always liking to gnaw on the hardest bone."

As evening approached, darkness fell early.

The doorbell rang for the third time.

This time, it was Rin Saionji who came.

She was still wearing that oversized dark gray sweatshirt, with a thick down jacket over it, the hood pulled down low, almost covering her entire face, only revealing her lips and chin, which were white from the cold.

He was carrying an insulated bag, which was still covered with unmelted snow.

Upon seeing Rio Arimura, she paused for a moment, but eventually walked in and gently placed the insulated bag on Masashi Akiyama's desk.

"My brother made it..." she said softly, her breath quickly dissipating in the room, her head bowed low. "He said... it's getting cold, so he made soup for Mr. Akiyama."

Masashi Akiyama looked at the insulated bag; it was made of dark blue canvas with some wear and tear on the edges.

He nodded: "Thank you. Please thank Mr. Ji for me as well."

Rin Saionji nodded slightly, but did not leave immediately.

She stood there, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her down jacket, as if she was hesitating about something.

"Is something the matter?" Masashi Akiyama asked, his voice unconsciously softening.

Rin Saionji raised her head, her eyes under the brim of her hat glancing at him quickly before she looked down again, like a startled little animal.

"My brother said... Mr. Akiyama seems to be very busy lately..."

"Yes, I've taken on a new case."

"What kind of case is it?"

Masashi Akiyama glanced at her and suddenly asked:

"Rin, have you heard anything at school about... a classmate being suspected of stealing?"

Rin Saionji's body stiffened almost imperceptibly.

She remained silent for a long time, so long that Rio Arimura thought she wouldn't answer, so long that even the snow outside the window seemed to fall more slowly.

Then, she nodded slightly, the movement so small it was almost imperceptible, and her voice was even lower.

"……have."

"What happened next?"

"...She transferred schools." Rin Saionji's voice was almost inaudible. "Everyone... said she was a thief. Nobody... talked to her. Then... she transferred schools. Before the end of the semester in winter."

Did she really steal it?

Rin Saionji fell silent.

After a long while, she slowly shook her head.

"I...don't know. But...nobody listened to her explanation. The teacher...also told her to 'admit her mistake and resolve it as soon as possible'...saying that finals are coming up soon and she shouldn't affect everyone..."

As she spoke, her shoulders trembled slightly, and her fingers gripped the hem of her down jacket tightly, her knuckles turning white.

Masashi Akiyama looked at her quietly, then stood up, walked to her, and squatted down so that his line of sight was level with hers.

This gesture made him look much gentler than usual.

"Rin," his voice was soft, "if right now, your friend was wrongly accused of stealing, and no one believed her, and the teacher was pressuring her to admit her mistake—what would you do?"

Rin Saionji looked up.

Beneath the brim of his hat, his amber eyes shimmered with tears.

"I... will believe her."

Even if everyone says she's wrong?

"Um."

"Even if you have to go against everyone for her sake?" "Even in this winter, when everyone just wants to live their lives quietly?"

Rin Saionji remained silent for an even longer time.

Then she nodded vigorously, so much so that the brim of her hat swayed.

"Um!"

Masashi Akiyama looked at her for a long time, then suddenly reached out and gently patted her head.

"very good."

"I've accepted the soup. Please thank Mr. Ji for me. Also—"

He paused, looked at Saionji Rin, and his gaze fell on her fingertips, which were red from the cold.

"If this case makes the news and you see it, don't be surprised. That's what I'm doing, the same thing you just mentioned."

Rin Saionji stared at him blankly, then nodded vigorously, her head swaying sharply.

"Um!"

Rin Saionji turned and left, her steps much lighter than when she arrived, her down jacket swaying slightly behind her.

Night had completely fallen.

Inside the office, Masashi Akiyama sat behind his desk, an open insulated bag filled with the rich aroma of soup.

He was organizing the case materials brought by Rieko Uchida, his fingertips rapidly tapping on the keyboard.

Rio Arimura sat in her seat, holding the case summary in her hand, but she couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

Her gaze kept drifting towards Masashi Akiyama, and then towards the silent snow falling outside the window.

Finally, she put down the documents. "Attorney Akiyama..."

"Um?"

"What you just said to Ms. Saionji... is it true?"

"What?"

"So...did you take this case because you wanted to help someone who was wrongly accused, or..." She paused, "or was it just to create buzz, to win?"

Masashi Akiyama stopped tapping.

He turned his head and looked at Rio Arimura.

"Arimura, do you think these two things are contradictory?"

"I……"

"Helping the wronged and winning the case are the same thing to me."

"When I take on a case, I have to win. And to win, sometimes I need to create buzz, I need public opinion, I need attention. These methods are to achieve my goal, which includes helping the client, keeping the firm afloat, and ensuring that you and I have food to eat in this cold winter."

"If you think that 'justice' means helping others purely and without expecting anything in return, then I advise you to change careers as soon as possible. The legal profession has no place for saints. It only tolerates winners who know how to use any means necessary within the rules, especially in times like these... where even survival requires a desperate struggle."

Rio Arimura was speechless.

She just stared blankly at Masashi Akiyama, at his calm, almost cold eyes, and suddenly felt a tightness in her chest, as if even breathing had become a luxury.