"Legal counsel?" Mrs. Sakihara was bewildered, recalling the career she had completely set aside after getting married. "But I..."
"I'm only offering you an additional path. As for where you spend the rest of your life, that is your own choice."
The Man in Black was clearly much younger than she was, yet he spoke like a kindly elder. "Your father was a respectable lawyer. During his lifetime, he 'helped' many people. I believe he would not want to see both of his children driven to a dead end."
Mrs. Sakihara, whose eyes had been dead and empty, froze for a moment at those words. Then, as if some life had returned to her, she asked, "You knew my father?"
The person across from her smiled but said no more.
Yet Mrs. Sakihara felt that she understood.
After some thought, she carefully accepted the Business Card from the man and looked down at it. Four large characters were written on it: "Hashimoto Maya."
...It sounded like someone who had taken a foreign surname after naturalization, or perhaps someone of mixed heritage from two countries.
That made sense, then. Her father had indeed handled quite a few international cases. He must have crossed paths with the man before her at that time.
At that thought, Mrs. Sakihara's tense body finally relaxed soundlessly. She said earnestly, "Thank you for your help. I'll consider it carefully."
The Man in Black opposite her nodded, unsurprised by her answer.
Perhaps because she had shown an inclination to agree, the curly-haired man thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and added a few more words. "But if you want to become our lawyer, you'll need to correct a few small flaws. First, you're far too polite. You could have refused to answer every question I