ISHIKO and HANEO: You're Suing Me? (石子と羽男 ―そんなコトで訴えます?―)

You could get sued for that.

TOKYO DISTRICT COURT

Sorry to keep you waiting.

Nice to meet you.

Are you Mr. Haneoka? I'm the paralegal...

Ms. Shoko Ishida. I know.

Thank you for taking on this case. My father strained his back...

I know that too.

Do you always waste time?

I've read the materials. Let's hurry.

However, as a premise,

she has no reason for a divorce and wants to avoid divorce proceedings.

Do you still not get it?

They agreed to share the chores equally because they're both working.

But when they had a fight, even though it was her duty,

she intentionally excluded the husband's laundry.

I believe this is a default of an obligation.

She also banned him from smoking, a habit of his since before marriage.

And her unilateral decision to limit his beer consumption to one 350 ml can

were acts of moral harassment that caused unbearable stress to my client.

In addition, she gave her husband only 400 yen for lunch,

when she enjoyed course lunches herself.

Such outrageous action has caused him financial and emotional stress...

No. Um...

My wife can be sweet, too.

Good work.

Are you sure that went well?

The client is only seeking an amicable divorce. But you...

By properly instilling the wife's wrongdoings

we're making the mediation committee stand on the husband's side.

May I say something?

You may be a good lawyer,

but in terms of lawyer ethics, I felt that you made very dangerous statements.

You could get sued by your client.

I doubt we'll ever meet again, but in the future...

You're hard-headed, aren't you?

Ms. Ishiko.

Excuse me?

Shoko Ishida. "Ishi" means "stone." So, stone-headed Ishiko. Understood?

Sono contento.

By the way, about your attitude.

Aren't you being rude to your future partner?

What?

I'm officially hired starting next week.

Dad, please explain!

Your voice is hurting my back. Ouch.

I thought you hired him just for the day.

Well, I'm getting old. I thought I should hire someone new.

Someone like him?!

But it's already been decided.

He's on our website too.

-Ow, ow. -What?

LAWYER YOSHIO HANEOKA

"Call me Haneo."

"I want to be a free man, who can fly anywhere like a feather."

What's with him?

TOWN OF BIG PORTIONS KAMOGAYA

THREE DAYS LATER

Alright.

Okay.

USHIO

Our motto is "Be an umbrella to protect those who live earnestly."

Whatever the request may be,

there's an important...

Please take it easy.

Oh, really?

Then I guess I will.

BE AN UMBRELLA TO PROTECT THOSE WHO LIVE EARNESTLY.

It's more spacious than I thought.

Sono contento.

Oh, can I see the materials I returned the other day?

Sure.

I thought I'd take a look from a different angle.

"A charismatic phrase."

"Maybe I should mutter something in Italian."

This was in the file.

"Neglecting husband's laundry is default of obligation."

"Banning smoking is moral harassment." I found these too.

You accidentally slipped these help notes and were desperate to get them back.

Am I wrong?

Could you be acting out the unconventional great lawyers

that we see on TV shows and novels?

Reading my notes without permission is a breach of privacy.

It wasn't on purpose.

-Even so... -Hang on! It's still my turn.

What?

Now, I'm guessing that was on purpose too.

That?

That, when you appeared just in time.

I knew something was weird.

I looked away because you weren't there, but I heard a voice.

And the next thing I know, you were there.

You showed up in such a short time.

Weren't you just hiding behind the pillar to appear at the right time?

Sorry to keep you waiting.

And...

that " sono contento " you keep saying.

Apparently, it means "satisfied."

But it doesn't make sense at all.

Sono contento.

I'm sorry, but it's just lame. It's no Sonokong.

Who cares? There are tons of lawyers today.

It's saturated. So we need to show people what kind of lawyer we are.

There's cosplay lawyers and idol lawyers. I just happen to be a genius lawyer.

-I see. -It's called branding.

I figured we'd get more requests that way.

I'm happy to receive more requests.

But your actions and words could get us in trouble.

We're a small firm. One scandal could put us out of business.

Please stop that behavior right now.

-No. -Stop it.

No.

Your fake talent will be exposed in no time.

I don't want to hear that from a paralegal!

From you, who still can't be a lawyer.

It's not that I can't be a lawyer. I choose not to be one.

Huh?

To be honest, I don't think my legal abilities are inferior to yours.

Yeah, right. That's not true.

That's so lame.

As a paralegal, I will assist you perfectly.

Oh?

Hello, this is Ushio Law Firm.

I would like to request Mr. Haneoka to look at my case.

What?

See?

Oh, right. I see.

So, you saw me on the website.

Yes.

I will make sure you will be sono contento .

"Sono"?

Please have a seat.

Here.

-He saw the website. -Thanks.

And he thought I was the one.

And what is your request?

The thing is...

I was charging my phone in a café

and I got sued for that.

Okay, let me confirm.

Mr. Oba, you've been frequently going to Café de Sevon for the past month,

where you stay from 7 to 9:30 p.m.

and used their outlet to charge your phone.

-I didn't use that much. -It's a bother.

In response, the café manager suddenly

demanded one million yen for emotional distress

on top of the electricity bill.

Is that correct?

If I ignore him, he said he'll... You know.

No, I don't know.

-He'll file civil and criminal lawsuits. -Oh, civil...

How can he sue me for something like this?

This isn't America.

How often do you go to this café?

Almost every day.

That often?

I only have Wednesdays off and I work the rest of the week.

So I stop by every day after work to do some small tasks.

Why this café?

It's cozy.

And you work at...

Car Captain. A used car dealership!

Right. Okay.

What do you think? A million yen is just too...

Um, first of all,

um, can you see me?

First of all, this is a warning letter.

You haven't been sued.

Oh.

However, Article 245 of the Penal Code states that

"electricity is considered a property."

Using the outlet without permission is a theft...

Th-Theft?

Also, if it becomes a criminal case, the police will question and arrest you...

A-Arrest?!

-Let's calm down for a moment. -I'll be arrested?

-I'm sorry. -Let's take a deep breath.

And breathe out.

-Good. -Thank you.

I'm really sorry for what I did.

But can we somehow settle for 100,000 yen?

Okay.

Well, a million yen is a rip-off.

By the way, our initial consultation is free.

The retainer fee is 100,000 yen plus a contingency fee. Is that alright?

Yes.

Then your signature here please.

Why are you following me?

You could cause trouble for us.

Don't worry. This is an easy case.

There are cases where small claims were made into criminal charges.

In 2008, a teenager was arrested for charging her phone at a train station.

In 2010, a man who pulled electricity from a shared outlet was sentenced for...

It'll be fine.

He'll back off if a lawyer shows up.

We believe that this claim for damages is clearly an overcharge.

And?

Huh?

It's too complicated.

Well, as I said...