Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

"I see... It was Sayuri who sent you to find me."

After listening to Rio Arimura's account, Masashi Akiyama nodded.

He leaned back in his office chair, his right fingers tapping rhythmically on the desk, producing a crisp, unhurried sound.

The sky outside the window was overcast, and the dampness characteristic of autumn and winter seeped in through the window cracks, making the indoor air feel sticky and heavy.

"Yes, please be sure to—"

"But why should I help you?"

Masashi Akiyama interrupted Rio Arimura and leaned back in his chair.

His gaze, calmly fixed on the other person's face through his glasses, fell upon them.

"Sayuri probably didn't tell you—I was fired from the firm you work for now. Or rather, 'laid off' would be a more accurate description."

"Huh?"

Rio Arimura was clearly unaware of this.

She stood frozen in place, half-bowing, looking up at Masashi Akiyama, her young eyes filled with astonishment.

"Even though I was fired, my former colleagues from the firm came to me asking for help. If you were in that situation, would you agree?"

"That being said..."

Rio Arimura straightened up, her voice lowering. Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the fabric of her handbag, an expensive waterproof canvas with finely bound edges.

"But this person who made the request is truly innocent. I believe him. I'm afraid I can't save him with my abilities... Senior Irie said..."

That's your business.

Masashi Akiyama interrupted again, pointing to the entrance behind Rio Arimura.

"As you can see, I now run my own private firm and am too busy with my own cases to clean up other people's messes."

"Please close the door when you leave."

Rio Arimura stood there for a few seconds, seemingly not understanding the meaning of those words.

Then, a mixture of shame, disappointment, and resentment slowly crept onto her face.

She bit her lower lip and took a deep breath, as if trying to suppress the surging emotions deep inside her.

What a terrible man.

This person is completely different from the "cold but reliable" Masashi Akiyama described by Irie-senpai.

Rio Arimura thought to herself, and then bowed deeply again.

"I'm sorry... I disturbed you."

After saying that, she turned and walked towards the entrance.

Masashi Akiyama didn't look up. His gaze was fixed on the documents spread out on the table.

It was a petition for help finding a lost pet. The person who petitioned asked him to help find a Shiba Inu named "Tamako" for a reward of 5,000 yen.

He picked up a pen and wrote down a few keywords in the margin.

Just as Rio Arimura's hand was about to touch the doorknob—

A familiar light gray curtain of light silently appeared at the edge of Akiyama Masashi's field of vision.

Rio Arimura: What should I do? Even the person Irie-senpai recommended refused… Is there really no way? No… No… Mr. Mizutani is innocent. No matter the cost, I will get him out. Justice is absolute—if an absolutely innocent person is wrongfully imprisoned, what is there to cherish in this world? It might as well be destroyed. Let me think… Who else can I ask for help…?

【…】

[Can converge world lines]

[Branch 1: As you said, you're very busy. I just received a "catch-the-cuckold" job today. Camera, liniment, even Okamoto 0.01 are all ready. Perhaps some lonely married woman is waiting for comfort tonight; who has time to waste with this young girl? (Reward: Spend the night with an unknown married woman, full-body lymphatic drainage)]

[Branch Two: To hell with the client. You're a lawyer; a lawyer's duty is to defend. You've had enough of these petty cases. Now you have a more exciting case and a more challenging one in front of you. Who cares about some lonely housewife? Say yes, say yes now! (Reward: Eradicate evil completely)]

Masashi Akiyama's gaze lingered on "Fork One" for a long time.

Okamoto 0.01...

His lips twitched almost imperceptibly. This was slander, a blatant and baseless slander.

He did accept the commission to "catch the adulterer at their door," and his actions—tracking, gathering evidence, and negotiating—were all within the framework of law and morality.

Most of those clients are wives or husbands who suspect their spouses of infidelity and cannot afford the high costs of detective services. They can only find lawyers like him who charge low fees and hope to resolve the issue through legal means.

But clearly, the system is irrational.

"etc."

Masashi Akiyama called out to Rio Arimura.

The other person turned around almost immediately, her eyes lighting up—although nearly five minutes had passed, she still hadn't reached the entrance. Clearly, she had been delaying, waiting, and hoping for some kind of turnaround.

"I'll take this case."

"Very good!"

Rio Arimura's voice trembled slightly with excitement. She instinctively took a step forward, clasped her hands together in front of her, her fingertips turning white from the force, as if trying to grasp this unexpected opportunity.

"Don't get too excited." Masashi Akiyama raised his hand to stop her jubilation. "I have one condition."

"What are the conditions?"

"Service fee. I want 200,000 yen."

Rio Arimura's mouth dropped open.

There is still a month and a half until the next quarter's rent payment date.

The 200,000 yen that came in was just enough to fill that hole—the rent and management fees for this old apartment in Nerima Ward were 70,000 yen per month, which was 210,000 yen per quarter.

Masashi Akiyama had a very clear plan.

If Rio Ayamura doesn't agree, he'll take on a few more commissions himself.

Although he had earned nearly a year's rent from the Saionji case, the fear of being poor was a deep-seated ailment.

All the money that comes in should be deposited into the account and left to languish, like a hibernating animal safely dormant.

Paying expenses is worse than killing him—the anxiety of watching the numbers decrease is like tiny insects gnawing at his heart, keeping him awake at night.

Since we can't cut costs, we have to increase revenue.

Rio Arimura is like an open-source channel that comes to your doorstep.

Rio Arimura remained rooted to the spot, staring blankly at Masashi Akiyama, as if she hadn't grasped the meaning of his earlier statement.

"Is it too much?" Masashi Akiyama frowned almost imperceptibly.

If you think it's too expensive, then you can refuse the commission.

He wasn't really interested in "helping former colleagues" to begin with, and the reason he finally agreed was partly due to the system's persuasion and partly due to practical considerations.

Rent has to be paid eventually, and there's no reason not to take advantage of money that comes knocking on your door.

But he hates haggling. The lawyer's fees are fixed; whether the client accepts them or not is their decision.

This is a rule that Masashi Akiyama set for himself after leaving his agency and starting his own business.

"No, no, no!"

Rio Arimura immediately waved her hand, then bowed deeply to Masashi Akiyama again, the movement so large it almost knocked over the pen holder on the table.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Akiyama! I previously thought you were a cold-hearted lawyer, which was my prejudice. I'm truly sorry! I never imagined... that you have such a kind heart, willing to lend a helping hand for just 200,000 yen... Thank you so much!"

and many more.

What does that mean?

Masashi Akiyama spoke with difficulty, each word spoken slowly.

"So... you think 200,000 yen is a small amount?"

"Yes!"

Rio Arimura quickly pulled a debit card from her backpack and handed it to Masashi Akiyama with both hands.

"There's exactly 200,000 in this card; it's my commission fee. Please... you absolutely must help me."

Miscalculation...