Tokyo: Are you even a proper lawyer?

Masashi Akiyama did not return to his agency after leaving the convenience store.

He went directly to several familiar private information consulting firms, using his limited connections and funds to try to dig deep into the background of district councilor Kohei Nakajima.

However, most of the information obtained is superficial.

Kohei Nakajima, 42 years old, graduated from the Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Waseda University. He previously worked as a secretary for a large corporation before entering local politics. With his approachable, pragmatic, and community-oriented image, he was successfully elected as a ward councilor.

He has a clean record, no scandals, a happy marriage, and a son and a daughter. He is a typical model politician and enjoys extremely high support among middle-aged and elderly voters in the district.

It's too clean.

Masashi Akiyama frowned slightly as he looked at the near-perfect report in his hand.

Such a perfect public image, without a single flaw, is itself an anomaly in the political arena.

Especially in a competitive city like Tokyo, for a local councilor to remain so untainted, he must be either a saint or...

The investigation seemed to have reached a stalemate; starting with Kohei Nakajima, the main lead, no openings could be found.

The following day, just as Masashi Akiyama was deep in thought, staring at the few pieces of information on his computer screen, there was a gentle knock on the door of his office.

The person who came was Irie Sayuri.

"Akiyama-kun, excuse me." Irie Sayuri remained as gentle and quiet as ever, carrying a small paper bag containing several boxes of exquisite tea and snacks.

"I heard you've been busy with a big case lately, so I stopped by to drop by and brought some snacks with me."

"Irie-san, thank you for your trouble." Akiyama Masashi stood up and took the tea, gesturing for her to sit down. Arimura Rio obediently went to make tea.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Sayuri Irie inquired about the progress of the case with concern. After quietly listening to Rio Arimura's account, she held her hot tea and said thoughtfully.

"Congressman Nakajima... is indeed a very image-conscious person, almost flawless in public. However..."

"However, sometimes, people who are more concerned about their public image may reveal something different in relaxed, private situations."

"What does Irie-san mean?"

"Do you still remember the Evening Primrose Club?" Sayuri Irie looked up at Masashi Akiyama, her voice lowering slightly.

"I heard from senior Nakamura that many people in the political and business world like to go there to relax in private. The madam and several top girls there are very well-informed. Representative Nakajima... seems to be one of the regulars there as well, although he keeps a low profile."

"Of course, this is just a suggestion, albeit a hasty one." Sayuri Irie lowered her eyes. "After all, places like that are a mixed bag, and it's hard to tell if the information is true or false. Besides... it's not really suitable for someone as upright as you, Akiyama-kun, to inquire about. However, if you really have no clue, perhaps you could try contacting the hostesses you know there. They often hear and see things that you wouldn't hear or see in formal settings, and sometimes, they can even offer some... different perspectives."

"No!"

Rieko Uchida had appeared beside the reception area at some point. Her face was pale, and she was clutching the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.

She seemed surprised that she had blurted it out, and her face flushed red when she met the astonished looks from Akiyama Masashi and Irie Sayuri.

"I...I..."

She hurriedly looked away, her heart pounding in her chest, not understanding why she had lost her composure like this.

Was it because such places sounded disreputable? Or was it because... the thought of Akiyama Masashi possibly going to places with hostesses filled her with a strange, uneasy anxiety?

She forced herself to attribute this sudden anxiety to her worry about the unresolved Yuna case, but even she couldn't convince herself of this reason.

She opened her mouth, but didn't know what to say to stop them. In the end, she could only sit back down in the corner chair, lower her head, and stop looking at them.

Sayuri Irie glanced at Rieko Uchida, then at Masashi Akiyama, who remained composed, smiled slightly, said nothing more, and rose to take her leave.

That evening, Ginza, Evening Primrose Club.

Masashi Akiyama changed into a well-tailored dark suit and sat alone in the corner of the booth, somewhat out of place with the lively scene of couples or groups of three or five around him.

He specifically requested a lady named "Miura Ayaka".

Soon, a young woman wearing a champagne-colored sequined slip dress, with exquisite makeup and a graceful figure, swayed over.

She looked to be in her mid-twenties, the age when she was most adept at displaying her charm.

Upon seeing Masashi Akiyama, her eyes visibly lit up, and a smile of surprise mixed with a hint of melancholy appeared on her face.

"Oh my, Mr. Akiyama? What a rare guest! I thought you had forgotten about Ayaka since we last met."

She naturally sat down next to Masashi Akiyama, and his sweet fragrance instantly enveloped her.

"Miss Miura, how have you been?" Masashi Akiyama nodded slightly and handed over a cocktail that had already been ordered.

"Thanks to you~"

Ayaka Miura took the glass, her fingertips seemingly unintentionally brushing against Masashi Akiyama's hand. "Mr. Akiyama, what brings you here today? Are you missing Ayaka?"

To be honest, last time, Akiyama Masashi was very polite and handsome, which was completely different from the usual fat or lecherous customers. He left a deep impression on Miura Ayaka and even developed some unrealistic feelings for him.

Seeing him call her name again, she couldn't help but feel overjoyed, thinking that he was also interested in her.

"I have something I'd like to ask Ms. Miura," Masashi Akiyama said bluntly. "Do you remember a regular customer, Representative Kohei Nakajima?"

"Nakajima...a member of parliament?" Ayaka Miura tilted her head and thought for a moment, then gently tapped her chin with her bright red nail polished fingers.

"Hmm... I have a vague impression of him, but not a particularly deep one. He doesn't come very often, he's very low-key, usually with a few regular friends, in a private room inside. He orders mid-range drinks, he doesn't try to show off, but he's quite generous with tips. As for him... he seems quite amiable, and he's very polite to us, but I always feel like there's a distance between us, it's not easy to get close to him."

She tried hard to recall: "He seemed to prefer quieter types and didn't participate in those lively games. Oh, right, he seemed to take good care of a newcomer at the club named Sayuri. Whenever he came, if Sayuri was free, he would ask her to keep him company for a while, but it was just chatting, nothing out of line."

Information is scarce, and it seems that Kohei Nakajima remains the impeccable model politician he always was.

Masashi Akiyama was not surprised. If it were that easy to find fault, Kohei Nakajima wouldn't be in his current position.

Seeing that Akiyama Masashi stopped talking after asking Nakajima Kohei his question, and just slowly sipped his whiskey, Miura Ayaka's fantasy about him coming for her resurfaced.

Fueled by the alcohol, she leaned even more limply against Akiyama Masashi, almost pressing against his arm.

"Mr. Akiyama~ You've come all this way, so stop thinking about other people... Ayaka really misses you..."