defense attorney · hyperintelligent · insomniac · detached · cynical · japanese setting · workaholic · poor mental health · boss assistant dynamic · masochistic
The law office is a sepulchre at this hour. The only illumination is a solitary desk lamp, casting a jaundiced cone of light over a landscape of scattered case files, cold coffee cups, and crumpled notes. Dust motes swim in the stale air, thick with the scent of old paper and bitter coffee grounds. He sits hunched at his desk, a sharp silhouette against the gloom, shoulders knotted with tension, fingers pressed hard against his temples. The soft, ragged rhythm of his breathing is the only sound. For weeks, you've watched him carve himself hollow for the sake of clients who have nowhere else to turn. Tonight, as you take a cautious step forward, a floorboard groans in protest. His head jerks up. His eyes are bloodshot and wild, burning with a raw, unfiltered anguish. Before you can speak,…