At noon, at Fei Law Firm.
Afternoon sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting dappled shadows on Eri Kisaki's tidy desk.
Having just finished a morning of intense, mentally taxing courtroom preparations, she took off her gold-rimmed glasses, looking slightly tired. She rubbed her slightly sore temples with her fingertips, leaned back in her office chair, and briefly cleared her mind.
From the outer office, the faint sound of his apprentice, Midori Kuriyama, complaining could be heard. The voice wasn't loud, but it was particularly clear in the quiet afternoon.
"Sigh... I'll be spending another Valentine's Day alone... I don't even feel like giving away the obligatory chocolates I made... I really wish there was someone I could give my special chocolates to..."
Valentine's Day...
Eri Kisaki was slightly taken aback before she suddenly remembered that today was a special day.
When was the last time you made chocolate by hand?
Memories are like a thin layer of dust, requiring effort to wipe away.
It seems like a long time ago, before I separated from that bastard Kogoro Mouri.
She remembered that she had suddenly decided to try something new, perhaps after watching a romantic movie, or maybe just wanting to give it a shot. In any case, she had carefully prepared a dish, only to be ridiculed by that clueless guy.
"Is this even fit for human consumption? It's even drier than Attorney Fei's courtroom testimony!"
She never touched a chocolate mold again after that.
Now that she's older and her status has changed, she's a leading and respected legal queen in Dongdu, and calmness, rationality, and professionalism are her defining characteristics.
Naturally, she would no longer be like those lovestruck young girls, nervously and expectantly fiddling with those saccharine things that symbolized naive love.
The charm of a mature woman does not lie in this.
However...
But an untimely and clear image flashed through her mind: a handsome face with a lazy smile—Yusuke Nanami.
That boy...
That guy who was nominally her son-in-law, but in reality, made their relationship complicated, ambiguous, and impossible to unravel.
They are supposed to be elders and younger people who should keep their distance, but now, after experiencing so many awkward, ambiguous, and even thrilling yet inexplicably reassuring things together, their relationship can no longer be explained or constrained by the simple identity of "mother-in-law and son-in-law".
Eri Kisaki felt her cheeks getting slightly hot, and she subconsciously used her hands to cool her face, trying to dispel these inappropriate thoughts.
Eri Kisaki, wake up! What nonsense are you thinking!
You are so much older than him, a whole generation!
You are Xiaolan's mother, and her elder!
Where is your composure and rationality in court?!
She sternly warned herself, trying to forcibly banish that smiling figure from her mind.
Then he took a deep breath, as if to inhale enough calming agents, put his glasses back on, picked up a new case file, and forced himself to focus all his attention on those dry but safe legal provisions.
Work, only work, can keep her calm and rational.
The office fell silent, with only the rustling of papers and the scratching of pens, as if the emotional turmoil of the moment had never occurred.
About ten minutes later.
The office door was gently pushed open and then gently closed.
Kuriyama Midori, who was slacking off in the room, scrolling through social media and watching others post pictures of their chocolate harvest with envy, looked up and stared in surprise at her mentor standing in front of her desk.
Eri Kisaki's expression remained as calm and professional as ever, as if she had just gone to pour a glass of water. However, the observant Midori Kuriyama noticed that her master's eyes seemed a little unfocused, and her right hand was unconsciously twirling a strand of hair that was hanging down—a small gesture she made when she was thinking about a difficult problem or was a little nervous.
"Kuriyama."
She spoke, her voice sounding no different from when she discussed cases, even more steady, "You young people... how do you usually make Valentine's Day chocolates? Are there any... popular methods or customs?"
"ah?"
Kuriyama Midori was stunned for a moment, not quite understanding, and almost thought she was hallucinating. "Master...why are you asking this?"
Her eyes widened suddenly, her gossip-loving spirit instantly ignited, and she leaned forward involuntarily. "You...you wouldn't be thinking of making chocolates, would you? For whom? Is there some...secret progress?"
Why would the Iceberg Master ask me how to make Valentine's Day chocolates?
This is even more unusual than the sun rising in the west—is the iron tree really going to bloom?
Eri Kisaki seemed a little embarrassed by the question. She pushed up her glasses slightly and coughed to cover it up: "Ahem... It's nothing, I just... saw a dessert advertisement by chance and asked casually to find out what young people like these days, which will help me communicate with young customers."
This reason... sounds very Eri Kisaki, professional and pragmatic, but it also has a forced and contrived feel to it.
Kuriyama Midori, still somewhat skeptical, drawled, "Oh—? It's just 'getting to know'—"
But she couldn't contain her excitement and began to share enthusiastically: "It's actually very simple! Just melt the chocolate, add your favorite ingredients, such as nuts, dried fruit, etc., and then pour it into a mold to cool! But if you want it to look good and taste good, you still need a little skill... Master, do you really just want to 'learn about it'?"
She couldn't help but confirm it one last time, her eyes filled with a knowing look that said, "I understand."
Eri avoided her apprentice's gaze, turned and walked towards the tea room, her tone as calm as possible: "Hmm, I'll look into it. Okay, you go ahead and get busy, I'll go make a cup of coffee."
Watching his master's slightly hurried back, Kuriyama Midori stroked his chin, a knowing and sly smile appearing on his face.
"Just checking market trends... yeah right!"
She muttered to herself, in a great mood.
It seems that even the calm, composed, and rational legal queen is not entirely immune to the sweet atmosphere of Valentine's Day.
I wonder which lucky person (or rather, the "unlucky one"? After all, Master's cooking skills... well...) will be fortunate enough to receive a chocolate made by Attorney Fei herself, an exception she made?
If I eat this chocolate, will I need to prepare an antidote or call an ambulance beforehand?
Kuriyama Midori has started wildly imagining all sorts of possibilities.
And they immediately ruled out Kogoro Mouri as an option.
As the assistant who considered herself to know her master's love life best, she didn't believe that Fei Yingli would suddenly change her mind and send chocolates to her estranged husband.
But it's precisely because it's unlikely to be given to Kogoro Mouri that she's even more interested.
There's definitely a huge bombshell behind this!
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