Chapter 18 A Request to a Lawyer
#Ore ni Tsumetai TsumaA Request to a Lawyer
“Nice to meet you. My name is Tokudou Kanae (東求堂鼎), a lawyer at Tokudou Law Office. Thank you for your time today.”
A while later, a lawyer who was an acquaintance of Mishi-san came into the cafe.
My first impression was that she was an intelligent-looking beauty who wore glasses, and her sharp gaze made her seem a bit intimidating.
But with all due respect, I got the impression that she was completely dedicated to her work.
I thought I could leave everything to her. Come to think of it, how did Mishi-san know her? I was a little curious.
“Thank you for coming all this way. I’m Uchida Makoto. Nice to meet you. This is Hana-chan, my wife’s younger sister.”
“Nice to meet you; I’m Kuroda Hana.”
After introducing ourselves, Tokudou-san and I exchanged business cards.
Since Hana-chan is a college student, she probably doesn’t have a business card yet, and Mishi-san must know Tokudou-san, so there’s no need for her.
Me, Hana-chan, Tokudou-san, and Mishi-san sat across from each other.
When everyone was seated, we called the waiter again to order drinks and then got down to business.
“First, please tell me what happened. Mishi-san told me briefly that her friend was getting divorced, but I’d like to hear the whole story.”
“Oh, yes… I understand. This is embarrassing, but I’ll tell you in order.”
It was uncomfortable to talk to a third party about family matters, but I needed to talk about it in order to move forward, so I honestly told her everything that had happened.
My wife’s emotional abuse, neglect of household chores, and infidelity.
After hearing all this, Tokudou-san put her hand to her mouth and said, “Hmm….”
“I see, that’s really terrible. By the way, do you have any physical evidence? If you only have testimony, the possibility of divorce and alimony is very small, and it won’t cause much damage to your wife.”
She spoke calmly and objectively, like a professional.
She believed my story and wanted to punish Rina with concrete evidence.
To fulfill this trust, Hana-chan and I nodded at each other and presented the evidence we had on the table.
“From me, I only have audio data of emotional abuse and neglect of household chores for about a day….”
“I will submit photos and audio data of her infidelity.”
Tokudou-san and Mishi-san both reviewed the evidence we submitted together.
Tokudou-san’s expression didn’t change much, probably because of her job, but Mishi-san clearly looked angry.
“What is this…? I’ve heard about it, but she really doesn’t treat her husband like a husband! An ATM is too cruel! Who does she think she is? Ucchi is so pathetic!”
Although she was probably just expressing her anger, I felt that her words were a kind of relief for me.
Why? Every word Mishi-san said made me feel warm in my heart.
I wondered why this had never happened before, and then Mishi-san took my hands and wrapped them in hers, tears in her eyes.
“It’s okay, Ucchi! I’ll always be by your side! If you get hurt, I’ll do my best to heal you! Don’t lose to a woman like that!”
“M, Mishi-san…?”
I could feel Mishi-san’s feelings through her hands, and for some reason, I understood that everything she said was sincere. Also, her hands felt hot where she was holding mine.
Oh no, I feel strange.
As I was getting flustered, Hana-chan, who was sitting next to me, slapped the hands that Mishi-san and I were holding and said, “Hey!”
“H, Hana-chan…?”
“Brother-in-law, stop grinning like an idiot. I don’t want to see you being all lovey-dovey with another woman.”
I was startled by the icy cold I felt in Hana-chan’s eyes as she stared at me.
Is Hana-chan upset?
No, it wasn’t just her. Mishi-san was too.
“What are you doing? I just wanted to comfort Ucchi!”
Mishi-san glared at Hana-chan sharply, but Hana-chan glared back at Mishi-san coldly.
“That is unnecessary. I’m here for my brother-in-law, so you can go home, stranger.”
“If you call me a stranger, then you’re a stranger too. I’m the one Ucchi needs. He doesn’t need just a sister-in-law like you.”
“Huh? You’re delusional.”
“Huh? Who’s delusional?”
The two of them argued again.
They seemed to be insulting each other, but why were they fighting so much?
I mean, insulting each other in front of a lawyer? They’ve got some nerve, both of them.
As for Tokudou-san, she kept a very calm expression and asked me.
“What do you want to do, Uchida-san?”
“What do you mean?”
When I think about it, this woman’s mental state is frightening, ignoring those two. She’s too calm.
Well, at least I’m safe from the heat while talking to Tokudou-san. That’s a relief.
“I heard about your intention to get a divorce. But I want to know exactly what you intend to do. Once I hear your firm opinion, I would like to help you.”
“I see….”
She seems to be quite a serious person, just as she looks.
In other words, she wants to confirm my intention to divorce directly from me.
I didn’t tell her, and Tokudou-san only heard about it from Mishi-san.
Tokudou-san probably wants to confirm my own will.
If that’s the case, I must tell her my opinion properly.
“I… I want to divorce Rina. Of course, I want alimony too, but even if that doesn’t work, I want to be separated from Rina. Please help me.”
“…I understand very well. As a woman, I can’t forgive your wife, and I’ll do my best to help you.”
Upon hearing my serious intention, Tokudou-san smiled slightly for the first time and extended her hand to me.
I was a little flustered by the gap, so I bowed my head and shyly took her hand.
By the way, Hana-chan and Mishi-san were still arguing.