However, things went differently from what the officers had expected.
Outside the door, Attorney Saku's expression shifted again and again. In the end, like the Leaning Tower of Pisa on the verge of collapse, he somehow managed to hold himself together.
He took a deep breath and smiled. "Attorney Kisaki, you're far too suspicious. You make a mountain out of every tiny little thing—doing that in court is perfectly normal, but in everyday life, you'll only mislead yourself and the judge. For example..."
He pointed at the two portions of beef sauce fried rice by the door. "The reason I immediately thought this was Ms. Usui's room when I saw them was that, earlier tonight, I went up to the Observation Deck for some air. As I passed by here, I happened to see a waiter carrying beef sauce fried rice and lingering outside Ms. Usui's door."
"Ms. Usui didn't answer the door at the time. I found it a little strange, but I didn't think much of it. Still, it left an impression on me, so when I saw the beef sauce fried rice on the floor just now, I immediately assumed this was her room."
The excuse sounded quite plausible. Yet the next moment, Attorney Saku saw Kisaki Eri reveal a smile that made his heart pound.
His heart skipped a beat as he heard the undefeated Legal Queen say slowly, "Sorry, there's something I forgot to tell you—'ha,' 'ya,' 'shi,' and '2' referring to two portions of beef sauce fried rice was merely your own assumption."
"In reality, Ms. Usui wrote those three kana and that number simply to note down a surname and an appointment time—she had arranged to meet Attorney Hayashi at two tomorrow afternoon. Both Attorney Hayashi himself and the front-desk attendant who helped