Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

Ayaka Fukuda tilted her head, her twin tails swaying gently with the movement.

"What's wrong, Akiyama-san?"

"Aren't you leaving yet? Or... do you want to stay and see what Uchida can do for us?"

The girls behind her chuckled softly.

The girl with flaxen hair named Reiko took out her phone and pointed the camera at Rieko Uchida.

Rieko Uchida covered her face, her shoulders trembling violently. Tears seeped through her fingers, mingling with the redness and swelling on her cheeks, glistening miserably in the sunlight.

Masashi Akiyama adjusted his glasses.

He stood still, neither moving nor speaking.

three seconds.

Five seconds.

ten seconds.

Ayaka Fukuda's smile began to crack.

She disliked the silence, and even more so, she disliked Masashi Akiyama's calm yet almost scrutinizing gaze.

That gaze made her feel like a specimen under a microscope, with all her pretense being peeled away layer by layer to reveal the unbearable truth within.

"Hey, I said—"

"Uchida-san."

Masashi Akiyama suddenly spoke, looking at Rieko Uchida.

"Does your knee injury still hurt?"

Rieko Uchida was stunned.

She subconsciously touched the band-aid on her knee, then nodded blankly, then hurriedly shook her head.

"No, it doesn't hurt anymore..."

"Is that so?" Masashi Akiyama nodded, then turned his gaze to Ayaka Fukuda. "Fukuda-san, I think you've misunderstood something."

He took a step.

The leather shoes made a soft, rustling sound as they stepped on the fallen leaves.

One step, two steps, three steps.

He walked straight through the semicircle formed by the girls, stood in front of Rieko Uchida, then turned around and shielded her behind him.

"I am indeed your lawyer." Masashi Akiyama looked at Ayaka Fukuda, his voice calm and composed.

"But I haven't received any payment yet, and my job is to handle your case with Kento Suzuki. That doesn't include—playing these low-level bullying games with you."

The air suddenly froze.

Ayaka Fukuda's smile vanished completely.

"Akiyama-san, this is the second time. Do you know what you're saying?"

"Very clear."

Masashi Akiyama picked up the old-fashioned cell phone, tapped the screen with his fingertip to stop the recording, and turned the screen towards Ayaka Fukuda.

On the screen is a preview of the video that was just recorded.

The moment Ayaka Fukuda raised her hand to slap Rieko Uchida, her profile, movements, and expressions were all clearly visible.

“I am well aware of what impact this video would have on you if it were submitted to the school or used as supplementary evidence in the Kento Suzuki case.”

Ayaka Fukuda's expression changed.

The girls behind her began to stir. Reiko instinctively tried to put her phone away, but Akiyama's gaze swept over her, and she froze in mid-air.

"Are you threatening me?" Fukuda's voice rose, almost screaming.

"No." Masashi Akiyama put his phone away and back in his pocket. "I'm just stating the facts. As a lawyer, I have an obligation to remind my client that your actions are harming your own interests."

"And also, Fukuda-san." Akiyama Masashi's lips curled up slightly, revealing the first smile he had shown since meeting Fukuda that day.

"Even when I'm a dog, I have a choice. I prefer mature, considerate women to a brat like you."

After he finished speaking, he turned to the side and looked at Rieko Uchida behind him.

"Can you walk?"

Rieko Uchida nodded blankly.

Masashi Akiyama said nothing more, but simply gestured with his chin toward the park exit.

"Let's go then."

After saying that, he took the first step.

Rieko Uchida paused for two seconds, then hurriedly jogged to catch up. Her knee injury made her steps a little unsteady, but she dared not stop.

Ayaka Fukuda stood still, staring intently at the two figures as they walked away.

Reiko leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Fukuda, are we just going to let them go like that? That lawyer—"

"Shut up."

Ayaka Fukuda suddenly laughed.

She laughed so hard she bent over, her pigtails hanging down and swaying gently with the movement of her body.

"Oh dear..." She straightened up, wiped away the tears of laughter, and said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "This is so funny, I think I like Akiyama-san even more now."

She turned around and waved to the girls.

"Let's go, this is pointless. Let's call it a day."

After saying that, she took the lead and walked towards another exit of the park.

…………

On the bamboo path, Masashi Akiyama slowed his pace.

Rieko Uchida followed two steps behind him, her head down the whole time, her hands tightly gripping the hem of her uniform skirt.

The bandage on my knee was curled up at the edges, revealing the reddened skin underneath.

"Mr. Akiyama..." she finally mustered the courage to speak, her voice barely audible, "Thank you..."

Masashi Akiyama did not turn around.

"No need to thank me." His voice echoed through the bamboo grove. "I just did what I had to do."

"But... Fukuda won't let me get away with this..." Rieko Uchida's voice trembled with tears. "When I go to school tomorrow, she'll definitely..."

"Then transfer schools."

Masashi Akiyama stopped and turned to look at her.

Rieko Uchida was stunned. She looked up, her swollen eyes filled with confusion.

"Transfer to another school?"

"If you feel you can't face it, leave that environment."

Masashi Akiyama adjusted his glasses. "Of course, it's up to you. I'm just offering an option."

He paused, his gaze falling on the band-aid on Rieko Uchida's knee.

"You should probably see a doctor about your injury. The risk of tetanus is not high, but if it gets infected, it will be very troublesome to treat."

After saying that, he started walking again.

Rieko Uchida stood there, watching Masashi Akiyama's figure gradually disappear into the distance.

Uchida bit her lower lip, took a deep breath, and then jogged after him. The stinging pain in her knees made her stagger, but she didn't stop.

"Mr. Akiyama!"

Masashi Akiyama stopped and turned to look at her.

"Um..." Uchida took a deep breath, looked up, "Regarding Suzuki-sensei's case... I... I have something... I want to tell you..."

Masashi Akiyama's gaze shifted slightly.

He paused for two seconds, then slowly nodded.

"Okay," he said. "Let's find a place and talk about it slowly."

Masashi Akiyama took out his old-fashioned cell phone from his pocket, walked to a clump of dense bamboo not far away, and dialed a number.

The call was very short, consisting of only a few simple sentences, and the voices were kept very low, so Rieko Uchida couldn't hear it clearly.

After hanging up the phone, Masashi Akiyama walked back and looked at Uchida.

"Another friend is coming too," he said, his gaze lingering on Rieko Uchida's face for a moment. "Would you mind?"

Rieko Uchida immediately shook her head and waved her hands vigorously in front of her.

"No, I don't mind!"

"Let's go then. There's a family-run restaurant up ahead; it should be quiet at this time."