Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

In the end, Masashi Akiyama boarded the train to Hakone.

The reason is simple: he really needs rest.

The continuous work left him feeling mentally exhausted.

Moreover, the more than one million yen in his account seemed to allow him to take a short break.

And so, the group embarked on their journey to Hakone.

As the scenery outside the car window gradually changed from the dense buildings of Tokyo to the withered trees and distant mountains of the suburbs, Masashi Akiyama felt that the air seemed to be much fresher.

Rieko Uchida's booked hot spring inn is located halfway up the mountain. It is a traditional Japanese-style building and quite large in size. Two paper lanterns hang at the entrance, which look especially warm in the twilight.

As Rieko Uchida said, despite it being the peak season for hot springs, the hotel was surprisingly quiet.

When checking in, they only encountered a couple talking quietly at the front desk, and a few young people who looked like college students. After that, they did not see any other guests.

The hotel owners were a middle-aged couple.

The male homeowner was slightly overweight with a kind smile and was very considerate. The female homeowner, on the other hand, was thin and stern, with a pair of upturned eyes that made her look particularly mean.

However, none of this concerns Masashi Akiyama and his group.

As long as the room is clean, the hot spring is hot enough, and the food is acceptable, the personalities of the owners are not a factor for Masashi Akiyama.

After being assigned rooms, everyone put down their luggage, changed into the yukatas provided by the hotel, and headed towards the hot spring area.

In order to relax and chat together, they chose a relatively secluded open-air bath in the hotel that allowed mixed-gender bathing.

The girls, dressed in yukatas of various colors and styles, carefully ventured into the water, letting out comfortable sighs.

Masashi Akiyama and Noriyuki Saionji were only wearing simple dark bath pants, revealing their upper bodies.

"Waaah..."

As Saionji Ki stepped into the pond, her gaze involuntarily fell on Akiyama Masashi beside her, and she couldn't help but exclaim with envy.

"Mr. Akiyama, your physique... it's just too much! Aren't you a lawyer? Don't you spend all your time dealing with case files? Do you even have time to go to the gym?"

Masashi Akiyama's figure is indeed beyond many people's expectations.

His physique is not an exaggerated muscle sculpted through the gym.

His muscles are clearly defined and smooth, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and even well-defined abdominal muscles, which are obviously the result of long-term self-discipline and training.

A few drops of water slid down Masashi Akiyama's firm chest and abdominal muscles, creating a subtle allure that was both ascetic and sensual amidst the rising steam.

"Maintaining basic training is a professional requirement."

Masashi Akiyama submerged himself in the perfectly warm spring water and comfortably closed his eyes.

Lawyers need a clear mind and enough physical strength to cope with long hours and unexpected situations, and regular exercise is a habit he has maintained for many years.

Although the girls were chatting, their eyes kept drifting towards Akiyama Masashi, and then they would quickly look away when he looked over.

After soaking until they were completely relaxed, everyone gradually returned to their rooms to wash up, changed into clean yukatas, and gathered in Akiyama Masashi and Saionji Kiyoshi's suite.

To pass the time, Rieko Uchida enthusiastically suggested that everyone play the King's Game.

To add to the festivities, she and Rio Arimura even brought over several cans of chilled beer.

The alcohol and relaxed atmosphere gradually made everyone loosen up.

When it was Masashi Akiyama's turn to be asked a question, Maki Suzuki, who had drawn the King's Lottery, shook the beer can in her hand and asked with a smile.

"Yas, you need to be honest. Did you ever have a serious girlfriend during your school days?"

As soon as the question was asked, the others perked up their ears, and even Saionji Ki cast an interested glance at them.

Masashi Akiyama took a sip of beer, the icy liquid sliding down his throat.

He was silent for a few seconds, then smiled faintly.

"Of course. Don't let my current appearance fool you, I was quite popular in college."

"Huh?" Rieko Uchida immediately chimed in, "Masashi's quite popular now!"

After she finished speaking, she seemed to realize that her tone had been too enthusiastic, and her face turned red again.

"It's different." Masashi Akiyama shook his head, looking at the condensation on the beer can in his hand, his tone becoming somewhat somber.

"Relationships during student days are simpler and more...idealistic. If you like someone, you'll be together, and you feel the future is full of possibilities. After starting work, especially as a lawyer, I've seen more of the complexities of human nature and the entanglements of reality, and it's hard to start a relationship with that kind of complete openness anymore."

"For me, the costs in terms of time, energy, and... trust have all become very high."

Masashi Akiyama's words made the atmosphere in the room inexplicably heavy for a moment.

Maki Suzuki broke the brief silence in the room at just the right moment.

She pressed him for an answer in a tone that was half joking and half serious.

"So, the conclusion is that our handsome, capable, and incredibly fit lawyer, Masashi Akiyama, is currently single, right?"

Masashi Akiyama glanced at her and nodded.

"Yes, that's the case for now."

"oh……"

Someone started a commotion and drew out the sound, and a subtle expression flashed across the faces of several girls.

Saionji Kiyoshi smiled knowingly and silently took a sip of his drink.

The game continues.

As the alcohol gradually took effect, the temperature in the room seemed to rise.

The games became increasingly daring, and the girls' laughter grew more unrestrained.

Rio Arimura was the first to succumb to the alcohol. Her cheeks flushed, she mumbled a few words that no one could understand, and then she slumped against the tatami mat and fell asleep.

Masashi Akiyama also felt a little dizzy.

Although he has a good alcohol tolerance, he drank more than usual tonight, and coupled with his previous soak in the hot springs, he became drunk faster than expected.

He rubbed his temples, stood up, and said, "I'm going out for some fresh air."

Masashi Akiyama walked into the courtyard and inhaled the cold air.

The cool air cleared his muddled mind considerably.

He had just stopped in the corridor when he heard very light footsteps behind him.

"Yashi."

It was Rieko Uchida; she had come out too.

At this moment, she was only wearing a thin bathrobe, and her cheeks were still flushed from drinking.

"I... want to thank you." She walked to his side. "The success of Yuna's case is... a really, really big thing for me. So big that I feel like my whole life before was covered in a layer of dust, and now, it seems like some of that dust has been wiped away."

Rieko Uchida looked up at the sparse stars in the night sky.

"I think Yuna can rest easy down there now, and as for me... I've also made up my mind to start a new life."

Masashi Akiyama listened quietly, then nodded.

"Yes, that's good."

well.

These two simple words made Rieko Uchida's heart skip a beat.

Her gaze involuntarily lingered on Masashi Akiyama, who was standing very close to her.

Since the case of Yuna Sakura was closed, a certain emotion that had already sprouted has grown wildly in her heart like a vine.

I want to get closer to him, stay by his side, be noticed by him, and have a place in his world...

Harboring such a burning, almost obsessive, thought, she shamelessly stayed at the firm and even planned this trip.

At that moment, perhaps under the influence of alcohol, or perhaps because the moonlight was too beautiful, she had only subconsciously followed him out, but the instant she saw his back, Rieko Uchida's long-accumulated emotions instantly overwhelmed all her reason, causing her to call out to him without hesitation.

Rieko Uchida remained silent for a long time.

She could hear her heart pounding violently in her chest.

Bang, bang, bang.

Like beating a drum.

At this moment, they are urging her on and on.

In the end, she still didn't utter the confession that almost burst from her throat.

She simply raised her head and spoke in a very soft, very soft voice.

"The moonlight tonight... is so beautiful..."

Masashi Akiyama's lips twitched slightly.

His gaze fell on Rieko Uchida's profile, which appeared somewhat pale in the moonlight, before turning back to the bright moon in the sky.

Just as Rieko Uchida was nervously staring at Masashi Akiyama.

Just as Masashi Akiyama was about to open his mouth.

"ah!!!"

A piercing scream, so intense it was almost distorted, suddenly rang out!

"Someone's dead! Someone's been murdered!!!"