Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

With Sakura Yuna's case settled, the media frenzy subsided, and the agency returned to its usual tranquility.

This is assuming we ignore any uninvited guests who move in without permission.

Masashi Akiyama sat behind his desk, unusually not immediately turning to a new file.

The sunlight outside the window was beautiful, a rare bright sunshine in winter, casting warm patches of light through the glass onto the clean tabletop.

He leaned back in his chair, unusually lazy, unwilling to do anything.

In the cases he's taken on recently, the legal fees he charged were far below market standards.

Although this brought them fame, the growth of numbers on the firm's books was rather slow.

He thought it was time to take on some commissions that would generate a stable cash flow.

After all, rent, utilities, Rio Arimura's meager salary, and the expenses of that guy who refuses to leave... are all real pressures.

With a slight thought, a familiar light gray screen silently unfolded in my field of vision:

Name: Masashi Akiyama

Assets: 1,092,120 yen

[Item: None]

[Skills: Psychological Insight - Perfect; Emotional Manipulation - Beginner; Deductive Clown - Beginner; Eradicate Evil Completely]

[Property Investment: A Private Law Firm]

[Family Member: Mad Dog (Rieko Uchida)]

It's been a long time since I've looked at this minimalist, almost rudimentary, personal panel.

Masashi Akiyama's gaze lingered for a moment on the figure of over one million yen in the assets column. After deducting necessary expenses, he actually didn't have much at his disposal.

My gaze moved down and finally settled on the section for family members.

Mad Dog (Rieko Uchida).

This title caused Masashi Akiyama's brow to twitch almost imperceptibly.

When the system was consolidating Rieko Uchida's world line, it prompted that choosing this option would gain the loyalty of the Mad Dog.

He initially interpreted it as a change in favorability, but now it seems to be quite different from what he thought.

Masashi Akiyama's gaze involuntarily shifted to the reception area.

Rieko Uchida was sitting on the sofa with a rather exquisite-looking Japanese tea set laid out in front of her.

She lowered her head, her expression focused, her slender fingers carefully manipulating the tea whisk and teacup.

Sunlight fell on her smooth black hair and profile, outlining a quiet and gentle silhouette.

It's hard to imagine that a girl with such a serene appearance would be called a mad dog by the system. The thought of this makes Akiyama Masashi feel that the situation is particularly absurd.

As if sensing his gaze, Rieko Uchida suddenly raised her head and met Masashi Akiyama's eyes precisely.

The next second, her previously calm eyes lit up instantly, and a sweet smile spread across Rieko Uchida's face, making her whole person lively and radiant.

Masashi Akiyama shifted his gaze without expression.

Ever since Sakura Yuna's case was resolved and her inner conflict seemed to be resolved, this guy has become completely attached to this place.

Previously, they just stayed there all day without leaving, but recently they've gone even further, bringing personal belongings and even a set of bedding from somewhere, and brazenly set up shop on the first floor of the office.

Masashi Akiyama had tried to chase her away and had given her a cold shoulder, but as soon as he raised his voice slightly or hinted that she should leave, her eyes would immediately well up with tears, as if he had done something heinous.

This is really troublesome.

Masashi Akiyama reaffirmed this assessment.

He refocused his attention on the light screen, glancing over the descriptions of the other known skills.

Psychological insight, emotional manipulation, and the ability to deduce clowns—these skills have proven their value in previous cases.

Finally, his gaze fell on the newly appeared skill that had no explanation.

[Eliminate evil completely].

This is strange.

Previous skills, no matter how brief, would at least have a basic description of their effects.

But the phrase "eradicate evil completely" remains a blank, without any explanation.

He tried to concentrate and sense the skill as he usually did, but the light screen didn't react, and the skill bar itself didn't change. The system didn't seem to be going to provide any prompts.

Masashi Akiyama wasn't the type to get stuck on details, so since he couldn't figure it out for the time being, he decisively gave up the idea of ​​further research.

This skill might be a passive effect, or it might require specific conditions to trigger; in any case, things will work themselves out.

Just as he was about to turn off the light screen and rethink the law firm's open-source plan...

"Ding-dong."

The doorbell rang crisply.

"Oh! We have guests!"

Rio Arimura, who was closer to the entrance, immediately jumped up from her seat. "Please wait a moment~"

The door opened.

The crisp chill of a winter afternoon mingled with a flurry of lively greetings.

"Sorry to bother you~"

"Good afternoon, Attorney Arimura."

"Is Mr. Akiyama here?"

Several familiar voices rang out in succession.

"Huh? Huh? Huh???"

Rio Arimura stood at the door, her eyes widening in surprise as she watched the visitors file in.

Maki Suzuki was dressed in a smart yet stylish winter outfit, with her signature large canvas bag slung over her shoulder, and a friendly smile on her face.

Rin Saionji was wrapped in a thick white down jacket with a fur collar, her hood pulled low, revealing only her small chin and pale lips. She followed timidly behind.

Saionji Ki walked at the back, carrying two rather heavy-looking paper bags, with a gentle smile on his face.

"Ri-chan! I'm the one who called everyone here!"

Rieko Uchida, who was fiddling with the tea set, immediately dropped what she was doing and ran to the entrance to greet them.

"Just give me your coat."

She took the wool coat that Suzuki Maki had taken off with remarkable ease, then helped the somewhat clumsy Saionji Rin untie her scarf and take off her down jacket. Finally, she took the paper bag and the coat that Saionji Nori had taken off from her hands. Her movements were smooth and skillful, just like the demeanor of a hostess.

Then, she led everyone, familiar with the way, to the reception room on the first floor.

"Welcome! Please have a seat here, I'll make you some tea!"

With such a loud commotion outside, Masashi Akiyama couldn't pretend he hadn't heard it.

Watching Rieko Uchida's fluid movements and the way she treated the place as her own territory, he finally couldn't help but stand up from behind his desk.

"Uchida, you should at least be a little more mindful of your words."

"Huh?"

Rieko Uchida immediately turned around and looked up at Masashi Akiyama.

A thin layer of mist quickly filled those beautiful eyes. "Yas...do you hate me? Do you think I'm causing trouble for everyone?"

Her sudden change of heart and pitiful appearance drew worried glances from Rin Saionji, while Rio Arimura hesitated to speak.

Masashi Akiyama's temples throbbed with pain.

He turned his face away. "...Well, whatever, do whatever you want."

"Yasi is so nice!"

The gloom on Rieko Uchida's face vanished instantly, as if she were a different person who had just been on the verge of tears.

After she finished speaking lightly, she turned around and happily went to prepare tea and snacks for Rio Arimura.

Terrible.

Masashi Akiyama watched her retreating figure, confirming it in his mind once again.

The conclusion of the Sakura Yuna case seems to have truly lifted a huge weight off Rieko Uchida's shoulders.

She was no longer as gloomy, timid, and anxious as before; instead, she became unusually lively, even excessively so, as if she wanted to make up for all the vitality she had lost in the past.

"Mr. Akiyama..."

A soft voice sounded beside me.

Masashi Akiyama turned his head and saw that Rin Saionji had walked up to him at some point.

She was still the same as always, head down, hands clasped nervously in front of her.

"Yes, Rin, it's been a long time." Masashi Akiyama softened his tone.

Rin Saionji took a deep breath, as if she had mustered a great deal of courage, before raising her head.

Her eyes, hidden under the brim of her hat, glanced quickly at Masashi Akiyama before swiftly looking down again.

"Mr. Akiyama... I've been watching the news about Yuna-neechan's case... You... you're working so hard. I think... you're incredibly brilliant!"

After saying that, her face turned bright red, and Saionji Kiya behind her let out a long sigh of relief.

He walked forward with a smile and handed a paper bag to Masashi Akiyama.

"It's just a small token of my appreciation, some homemade snacks. Mr. Akiyama, thank you so much this time. Rin... she follows the case closely every day. Once, I got off work late and forgot to buy the evening paper with the case details. She got really angry with me and even ran out and walked two blocks in the cold wind just to buy that newspaper."

"elder brother!"

Rin Saionji was both embarrassed and annoyed. Her face flushed, she secretly tugged at her brother's sleeve and protested in a low voice.

Seeing their younger sister display such lively and vivid emotions, Saionji Ki and Akiyama Masashi exchanged a glance and couldn't help but smile knowingly.

"Not at all, I also want to thank Ji Jun for his trust all this time."

Masashi Akiyama accepted the paper bag and thanked him politely.

Maki Suzuki also came over with a teacup and joined the conversation.

"Yashi has given me another big headline this time. The Nakajima brothers' scandal has dominated the front page of the social section for a week. The editor-in-chief can't stop smiling. My bonus this month is going to be quite substantial."

She blinked. "But seriously, we were able to dig this deep thanks to the information you provided. Thanks."

"Same to you. Without Maki's press pass and intelligence network, I wouldn't have been able to even get in the door at first," Masashi Akiyama nodded in response.

At this point, Rieko Uchida finished counting the number of people and nodded in satisfaction.

"Alright, everyone's here! Let's get ready to go!"

"Wait a minute." A sudden sense of foreboding washed over Masashi Akiyama.

He looked at the group of people in front of him, who seemed to have agreed beforehand and had no objection to what Rieko Uchida had said, and interrupted her.

"Where to?"

He looked at Maki Suzuki, then at the Saionji siblings, and finally fixed his gaze on the culprit, Rieko Uchida.

"Huh?" Suzuki Maki paused for a moment, then gave a strange look. "Going to a hot spring inn! Masashi, didn't you know? Rieko said that everyone has been working hard on Yuna's case lately, especially you, Masashi, who are under the most pressure, so she suggested inviting us to a hot spring inn in Hakone to relax for a couple of days, like a vacation."

As she spoke, she looked at Rieko Uchida, who was standing to the side with a shifty gaze and a clear sense of guilt, and asked in confusion.

"Rieko, didn't you discuss this with Yashi?"

"I...I..." Rieko Uchida lowered her head, twisting the hem of her clothes with her fingers, her voice growing softer and softer, "I wanted to surprise Masashi..."

surprise?

Masashi Akiyama sighed deeply.