Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

"...That's it."

In a booth by the window at the family restaurant, after telling Maki Suzuki all the facts she knew, Rieko Uchida lowered her head deeply, her forehead almost touching the checkered tablecloth.

"I'm sorry... I've always been so cowardly, and I wronged Mr. Suzuki, who was so kind to us... Please forgive me!"

Her voice trembled, with a heavy nasal tone.

Her shoulders shrugged slightly, and her fingers, gripping the hem of her skirt, turned white from the force.

lie.

Rieko Uchida's fingers unconsciously rubbed the hem of her skirt, a typical gesture people make when lying as they try to distract themselves.

With his keen psychological insight, Masashi Akiyama easily saw through Rieko Uchida's disguise.

But he didn't speak; he just stared at Rieko Uchida and then typed the next line on his phone.

Maki Suzuki simply sat there without saying a word.

She looked at the girl with her head down, at the slender nape of her neck, and then she reached out and gently took Uchida's hand.

"Uchida-san..." Suzuki Maki's voice was soft, "You're such a good girl. If my little brother comes out safely... our whole family will be grateful to you."

Rieko Uchida suddenly raised her head, her face flushed red.

She waved her hands frantically, her words incoherent:

"No, no, no! Mr. Suzuki will definitely be released! He's innocent!"

She turned to look at Masashi Akiyama, who had been sitting silently opposite her, as if seeking some kind of confirmation:

"Mr. Akiyama can definitely do it, right?"

Masashi Akiyama was looking down at his phone.

The old-fashioned black smartphone looked bulky in his hands, his fingertips swiping rapidly across the screen as if he were organizing some documents.

Upon hearing Rieko Uchida's words, he looked up and adjusted his glasses.

"If the chain of evidence is complete and the evidence is conclusive, there is a high chance that Suzuki's case will be overturned."

As lawyers, the first thing they learn is not to make absolute statements.

Rieko Uchida looked confused, but Maki Suzuki's eyes lit up.

"Mr. Akiyama..." She looked at Akiyama expectantly, her hands unconsciously clenching together. "What do you mean?"

"I will accept your request." Masashi Akiyama put down his phone, his gaze lingering on Maki Suzuki's face for a moment. "I will appear in court as Kento Suzuki's lawyer."

"That's great! That's really great!"

Maki Suzuki stood up excitedly and grasped Akiyama's hand across the table.

Her hands were warm, and her fingertips were slightly white from the pressure she was applying.

Only after her emotions had calmed down a little did she realize that her behavior was inappropriate. She hurriedly let go of her hand, and an unnatural blush immediately appeared on her pale face.

"I'm sorry..."

"It's alright." Masashi Akiyama shook his head and withdrew his hand.

"But..." Rieko Uchida interrupted softly. When she saw Akiyama turn his gaze over, she immediately shrank her shoulders and lowered her voice as well.

"Isn't Mr. Akiyama Fukuda's lawyer now? I was just asking... It's okay if you don't want to answer."

"No, it's alright." Akiyama picked up the iced water on the table and took a sip. "Ayaka Fukuda is not a trustworthy client. Given that she is suspected of making false accusations, I will apply to the firm to terminate the engagement and report the reasons for termination to the bar association."

"What is the reason for the termination...?"

"The reason, of course, is that Kento Suzuki is innocent."

Masashi Akiyama said this.

He flipped the phone he had been using over his wrist and placed it in front of Rieko Uchida.

The screen displays the interface of the audio file, named "Testimony of Rieko Uchida".

"So now," he looked at Rieko Uchida, "I need your help, Uchida-san."

"W-What do you mean?"

Rieko Uchida looked completely bewildered, her eyes darting back and forth between the phone screen and Akiyama's face.

Akiyama didn't answer immediately. He pressed play.

Rieko Uchida's voice came through the phone's speaker; it was slightly distorted, but still clearly audible.

"...That day after school, Fukuda asked me to wait for her outside the music room...I heard her say to Mr. Suzuki, 'If you don't agree, I'll say you molested me'...Later, Fukuda was laughing happily in the locker room, saying, 'That nerdy teacher actually believed it'..."

The recording is short, only about two minutes long, but the content is clear enough—how Rieko Uchida personally admitted to Ayaka Fukuda that she had falsely accused Kento Suzuki.

When the playback ended, Akiyama pressed the pause button.

The family restaurant was very quiet.

The background music is gentle jazz piano, and there are faint sounds of cutlery clinking in the distance, but these sounds seem to be separated by a thick layer of glass.

Rieko Uchida sat there blankly, her face gradually turning pale.

She opened her mouth, but no sound came out; she just stared intently at the black phone.

"I'm sorry," Masashi Akiyama's voice broke the silence. "As a lawyer, I have to consider all possibilities, including the possibility that you might side with Ayaka Fukuda again."

He took the phone back and placed it on the table, screen down.

"You'll understand me, won't you, Uchida-san?"

Rieko Uchida did not answer.

Her shoulders began to tremble, not in a feigned, weak way, but with genuine, bone-deep fear.

Her lips were trembling, her eyes were fixed on the table, and her pupils were slightly dilated with shock.

At that very moment, a light gray curtain of light silently unfolded at the edge of Akiyama's field of vision.

[Rieko Uchida: Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! How could this happen? Akiyama-san has already done such a despicable thing, why was I still so stupid as to be completely unguarded against him? If this recording really falls into Fukuda's hands, what am I going to do? No! No! I was thinking of staying with this idiot lawyer and trying to get some information out of him, so I could have an explanation when I see Fukuda tomorrow. Who knew he would turn the tables on me! Now am I stuck in the same boat as him? God, damn it! Why hasn't that madman Fukuda gotten rid of this guy yet?!]

【…】

[Can converge world lines]

[Branch 1: What a despicable adult. You're even more wicked than a wicked woman. With someone like you as a lawyer, you're sure to shine in the legal world. Keep threatening Rieko Uchida, make sure she's completely branded with your mark. (Reward: Rieko Uchida's underwear)]

[Bifurcation Two: Simple threats will only make a girl with low psychological resilience increasingly tense until that string snaps. A wise hunter knows when to hold back and when to relax. After rational negotiation, perhaps the other party needs some loving care. (Reward: Emotional Manipulation - Beginner)]

Akiyama's gaze lingered between the two options for a moment.

Then he looked at Rieko Uchida.

"Clatter".

"Clatter".

Tears rolled silently from Rieko Uchida's eyes, one drop, two drops, falling onto the checkered tablecloth and quickly spreading into dark dots.

She didn't cry out loud, she just sat there, letting the tears slide down her cheeks, gather at her chin, and then fall.

"I...I just..." she stammered, "I didn't expect...I really didn't expect..."

Masashi Akiyama watched her silently.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Only after he was completely certain that this time the crying was genuine did he reach out and take the tissue that Suzuki Maki silently handed him, and gently press it against the corner of Uchida Rieko's eye.

The tissue was quickly soaked with tears.

"Alright," Masashi Akiyama's voice softened a little, "Don't cry."

He paused, looking at Rieko Uchida's raised, red and swollen eyes.

"If you feel uncomfortable, I will delete the recording."

Rieko Uchida's eyes widened suddenly.

"R-really?"

"certainly."

Masashi Akiyama picked up his phone in front of her, unlocked the screen, found the audio file, and hovered his finger over the delete button.

He glanced at Rieko Uchida to make sure she was looking, then pressed the button.

The audio file disappeared from the list.

Akiyama turned his phone screen towards Uchida, showing her the empty recording list.

Rieko Uchida stared blankly, then slowly and with a sigh of relief, let out a breath.

"But," Masashi Akiyama put down his phone, "I believe you understand Ayaka Fukuda's personality better than I do. You left with me today, and tomorrow, no matter what you say, she'll take revenge on you, right?"

Rieko Uchida's smile froze on her face.

"Of course, you can put all the blame on me," Akiyama Masashi continued, "but given her terrible personality, you certainly won't fare any better, will you?"

He paused, then pulled a copy of a document from his briefcase and pushed it in front of Uchida.

"I've looked at your files. You'll be graduating in a few months, right? Fukuda Ayakako applied to the same university as you. From middle school until now, you've been oppressed and bullied—you can't escape this demon even in university and after entering society. Are you really willing to accept this?"

Rieko Uchida's face grew paler and paler.

She looked at the copy, which showed her university application form, next to which was Ayaka Fukuda's. The two universities were exactly the same, and the majors were identical.

"Now there's an opportunity," Masashi Akiyama's voice, like a venomous snake, pierced Rieko Uchida's heart, "a chance to completely get rid of her is right in front of you. Don't you want a healthy, normal life?"

Rieko Uchida bit her lower lip hard.

The stinging pain from the slap on her cheek was still lingering, and Ayaka Fukuda's words, "You're definitely cuter like this," kept replaying in her mind.

Rieko Uchida took a deep breath and raised her head.

"Akiyama-san," her voice was soft but clear, "please let me help you. This time... I'm sincere."

Masashi Akiyama stared at Rieko Uchida's face.

The fear in those eyes had not completely dissipated, but a faint, resentful flame had already ignited deep within them.

He knew it wasn't out of trust or gratitude, but out of a more primal hatred.

But that's exactly what he wanted.

Akiyama slowly, very slowly, revealed a smile.

"Good boy," he said.

[Rieko Uchida's world line has been resolved]

[Reward: Emotional Manipulation - Beginner Level - Already Issued]