The process of leaving the venue was more difficult than imagined.
Countless reporters tried to break through the security line, thrusting microphones toward Shinji to ask various questions stemming from the label of “mysterious Eastern boy.”
Fortunately, the professionalism of Aegis was beyond doubt; Sirius pushed the wheelchair while two other peripheral security personnel cleared the path, quickly getting Shinji into the black bulletproof Mercedes-Benz that had been waiting at the back door.
The moment the car door closed, the outside clamor was completely cut off.
“Whew…”
In that instant, Shinji shed all his pretenses, his entire body collapsing onto the leather seat.
Cold sweat slid down his forehead and cheeks, dripping onto the collar of his expensive suit.
“Boss, your heart rate has exceeded 130.”
Sirius sat in the passenger seat, holding a monitoring terminal, her brow slightly furrowed.
She spoke bluntly, as if having completely forgotten the trace of emotion she had felt just moments before, “The act of standing just now was a serious violation of medical advice.
If you do not exercise restraint, your recovery period will be extended by three months.”
“It was worth it.”
Shinji closed his eyes, squeezing two words from his throat, “Besides, I don’t like the feeling of being looked down upon.
Even if it’s only for a few seconds.”
The car drove smoothly into the bustling streets of Tokyo, the neon lights outside the window flashing across his face in a surreal blur.
“Mr.
Kenta just sent a message, hoping to have dinner with you.”
Sirius reported while looking at her phone.
“Decline it.”
Shinji said without hesitation.
Although it was a bit regrettable, his current physical condition could not handle that kind of high-intensity social drinking party.
More importantly, he had someone more important to see, “Just say that I’m feeling unwell and need to return to the hotel to rest.
There will be plenty of time in the future; once the stock price rises, he will want to see me even more.”
“Then is the current itinerary to return to the hotel?”
The driver asked.
“No.”
Shinji opened his eyes and took a business card out of his pocket; it was the private business card that Eri Kisaki had passed on through a headhunter.
“Go to Chiyoda Ward, Kisaki Law Office.”
He checked his watch, a playful arc appearing at the corner of his mouth, “Compared to talking about hardware with a middle-aged man, I’d much rather go and meet that legendary queen of the legal world.
After all, she gave me quite a substantial gift in her text message.”
The vehicle changed direction, driving toward Chiyoda Ward, which represented the center of law and politics in Japan.
Half an hour later, inside a high-end café named “Cafe Terrace.”
This place was only one street away from the Kisaki Law Office.
The environment was quiet and secluded, and the air was filled with the rich aroma of freshly ground coffee beans.
Most of the guests here were lawyers or politicians in suits, whispering about topics that might affect the fates of certain people.
Shinji sat in a corner seat by the window; the wheelchair had been folded and placed to the side.
He sat on the sofa, a cup of hot milk placed in front of him—a mandatory requirement from Sirius.
Otherwise, Shinji’s frail body wouldn’t be able to sleep at night.
“Ding-a-ling.”
The wind chime at the door rang softly.
A woman wearing a dark brown professional suit walked in.
She looked to be in her early thirties, with a tall figure and her hair meticulously tied up at the back of her head.
Beneath her gold-rimmed glasses, those sharp eyes only needed a quick glance to make anyone with a guilty conscience have nowhere to hide.
Eri Kisaki.
Although she wasn’t carrying that Russian Blue cat named Goro, the aura of “keep away” was exactly the same as in the anime, and perhaps even more oppressive due to the texture of reality.
She scanned the room, her gaze locking onto Shinji in the corner.
Seeing the boy who, even while sitting on the sofa, could not hide his sickly appearance but still maintained an elegant posture, a flash of imperceptible surprise crossed her eyes.
He really is just a child, as young as her daughter.
She made her first judgment in her heart.
But immediately after, when she met Shinji’s gaze, that battle-hardened intuition told her that in this boy’s eyes, there was a certain depth that did not match his age.
“Sorry to have kept you waiting, Mr.
Matou.”
Eri Kisaki walked to the table, her tone professional and polite.
“I just arrived as well.
Please, sit down, Attorney Kisaki.”
Shinji did not stand up, only bowing slightly to signal.
He wore that reserved smile typical of wealthy young masters, “I have long heard of Attorney Kisaki’s great reputation; seeing you today, it is indeed…
better to see once than to hear a hundred times.”
He almost blurted out that she was more beautiful than on TV, but fortunately, he braked in time.
Eri Kisaki sat down opposite him and ordered a cup of Blue Mountain coffee.
She didn’t make small talk, directly taking two documents out of her briefcase and pushing them in front of Shinji.
“I don’t like to waste time, Mr.
Matou.
Since you have hired me as the legal advisor for New World Holdings, there are some unpleasant things I must say upfront.”
Her finger tapped on the first document, but her gaze went past Shinji, piercing like a blade toward Sirius, who was standing behind him.
“The first matter concerns your operation of transferring a large amount of funds into Hong Kong to purchase Tencent stock through underground banks—oh no, through certain gray channels.
Although the offshore structure is done quite beautifully, under the principle of capital transparency, there are still huge tax risks.
Those hounds at the Japanese National Tax Agency have very sharp noses.”
Sirius remained expressionless, as if she were a sculpture, turning a blind eye to Eri Kisaki’s gaze.
“The second matter.”
Eri Kisaki picked up the second document, her tone becoming colder, “I audited the bill sent to you by the Aegis security company.
As your attorney, I have reason to suspect that there is serious price-gouging fraud in this bill.
Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars for expedited registration and security fees?
Did you hire an army, or did you hire the bodyguards of the US President?”
“Especially the attendance fee for the special commissioner.”
Eri Kisaki pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light, pointing directly at Sirius, “This young lady, while I do not deny your professional capabilities, this price is enough in the industry to hire an entire team of retired SAS (Special Air Service) members.
I believe this is commercial fraud, taking advantage of the employer’s youth and information asymmetry.”
The atmosphere solidified instantly.
This was a conflict without smoke.
Eri Kisaki was testing him, testing whether Shinji was a naive “rich second generation” deceived by his subordinates, or a behind-the-scenes player who had everything under control.
At the same time, she was also declaring war on Sirius, or rather on Aegis, making her position as legal advisor clear.
Sirius remained silent.
Her duty was to protect her boss’s physical safety; as for business negotiations and legal disputes, she had no permission to intervene as long as there was no physical violence.
However, her muscles were slightly tensed, clearly feeling displeased with this aggressive lawyer.
Shinji looked at the two documents on the table, then at Eri Kisaki, who was radiating a powerful aura.
He suddenly laughed.
He laughed until his shoulders shook, which aggravated his wounds, making him unable to help but cough a few times.
“Cough, cough, interesting.”
Shinji picked up the complaint letter against Aegis, which was the draft lawsuit for commercial fraud that Eri Kisaki had mentioned.
He didn’t even look at the contents, directly taking a fountain pen out of his pocket and uncapping it.
“Swish, swish, swish.”
He signed his name at the end of the document.
The movement was fluid and smooth, without any hesitation.
This action stunned Eri Kisaki, who had been maintaining an offensive posture.
For the first time, a look of astonishment appeared on her exquisite and calm face.
“Mr.
Matou?
You…”
“It’s signed.”
Shinji pushed the document back to Eri Kisaki, as if throwing away a piece of scrap paper, “Although I don’t understand those complex legal terms, I trust Attorney Kisaki’s professional judgment.”