BXBX NOVEL Chapter 442 - THE ATTACKS
Akira walked into a large office complex with measured steps. She looked beautiful in black trousers coupled with a frilly flowery top, but her cold face discouraged people from talking to her. The paralegal intern who had been sent to wait for her in the lobby felt a little nervous at her appearance.
He hoped she would not be as difficult as she appeared as he walked up to her.
"Miss Brown, good afternoon." He stepped forward quickly.
He recognised her from the description given by his boss. He did not dare to be negligent. He was the least important person in the office, but he loved his work. It was not easy for him to get an internship position under a legendary lawyer like Mr Oda.
"Who are you?" Akira asked.
She was in a poor mood.
No, she had been in a poor mood for quite a while now. Kaito had been missing for two months, and she had lost all leads that could lead to him. She was four months pregnant, and the physical changes to her body were making her cranky.
Additionally, she had been experiencing an increasing number of attacks every time she left the Immortal Sword Valley. In the last month, every time she had stepped out of the valley and headed somewhere to follow any new lead on Kaito, she was attacked by thugs.
Moreover, the assaults were strange. The people who targeted her were always covered in masks and did not seem intent on killing her. However, their actions were violent, and it looked like they were designed to maim or cripple her.
But that was not all.
She had noticed that the attackers seemed to be recording the incidents. She thought she was imagining it at first, but after one particularly violent incident, she forced one of them to drop their phone as they ran away.
She discovered that a streaming service was open. She was not familiar with the specific application. Based on what she saw before the phone mysteriously shut down, the app was called Watch. The logo was a black eye with a pinprick of white at the centre.
It seemed like some sort of proprietary software developed for use in nefarious purposes. She had taken the phone back to the valley for a thorough check-up, but she could find out anything. It had become a brick after being discarded.
All in all, she was exhausted.
At first, she thought Ayumi was using the power of the Shadow Brotherhood to torture her and drive her insane. However, she realised that the groups of people coming after her were always different. Even with the face coverings, she could tell it was not the same gang.
What she could not figure out was the reason for these meaningless attacks. If someone was watching her, they could tell she was not a helpless girl. Sending local thugs to harass her only allowed her to vent her anger.
It was not until three days before that she realised the gravity of the situation. During that incident, she almost sustained injuries after a mob of gangsters surrounded her car. She was returning to the Immortal Sword Valley after she went to get new clothes since the old ones no longer fit her.
The car almost swerved into a tree after they took out her tyres with throwing knives. It was fortunate that she had regained control of the car and driven off with the punctured tyres until she was close enough to the entrance of the valley.
Even though she did not fight or get injured, it was a close call for her. She realised that she could not keep risking her life and Little Precious. But she was hesitant about pushing the button and doing what Kaito told her to do if something happened to him and she was in danger.
She was still mulling on the thought of pressing that button. And since she did not have a new lead, she decided to see her mother\'s lawyer. She had not forgotten about the matter he called her to discuss, but she had not prioritised it after coming back to Tokyo.
Now that she was thinking of leaving, it was time to deal with loose strings. Akira dismissed the superfluous thoughts in her mind and turned back to the wilting young man before her.
"Miss Brown, I am Lawyer Oda\'s assistant." His voice was a little shaky. "Let me take you to his office."
Akira looked the young man up and down before nodding. The young paralegal felt like he had received amnesty from the queen. He walked her to the elevator and pushed the button with nervous hands. He ushered her in before stepping in and choosing the floor.
The commercial building was not entirely a law office. The structure was shared by other businesses, so it could be confusing for someone without knowledge of the building. Mr Oda was a little worried for Akira and did not want her to struggle, so he sent the young man.
When Akira finally entered the legal office, she found that the old lawyer looked just a little greyer. However, she could not forget the kind face that had followed her through her life. She felt a little of the tension in her body flow out.
"Miss Brown, I am glad to see you." He said. "You have been ignoring my calls. I thought you did not want to hear the news."
Akira smiled as she sat down. "As you can see, I have a lot of things on my plate."
Lawyer Oda was knowledgeable, so he understood immediately. He had suspected that the young lady was pregnant after seeing her, but he did not want to make assumptions out loud. If he made an incorrect guess, he might be thrown out of his office window.
Women could be a little touchy about such issues.
When he received confirmation, he frowned with concern. As a lawyer, he had seen all types of situations involving young ladies and babies. Some of those cases escalated quickly, and they could even turn bloody.
"What is the situation? Do you need help?" He asked.
Akira laughed. "You know me. If there was a problem, I would deal with it."
She did not want to talk about Kaito. If she did, she might start crying. Once she started crying, she might not stop. She was handling the situation as well as she could, but she never imagined that this was how things would turn out.
She thought Kaito would be with her by now, and they would be arguing over names for Little Precious. Kaito would turn down all her choices that involved magical girls while she would veto all his choices because they would be stupid chuunibyou assassin names.
"So, what did my mother want me to know?" She asked.