The Force of Gravity ✅

Chapter Thirteen

June 11th, 2027

Despite Kenshin's demands on the 8th, Junichiro's lawyer Tanabe made it clear that they would not be having their meeting on that day. When he picked Junichiro up from his hotel, it was to take him back to Tanabe's office to discuss their next course of action. Tanabe did not appreciate his client "outing" his wife to him at the same time as their families, as he wanted to be briefed about it first, but he understood that Junichiro had acted in frustration and anger.

It was Tanabe who decided that the meeting needed to wait until Friday the 11th, to leave everyone squirming and so they could gather more evidence against Tora. But since Junichiro had exposed her Tora was not seen again with her lover (who per the private investigator was named "Kei"). And per Tanabe's advice, Junichiro did not try to contact Miori out of concern that it would give Tora more evidence against Junichiro.

So on Friday both families met at Junichiro's family home in the dining room to settle the matter of their divorce. Junichiro had his lawyer, his parents had a lawyer, Tora had a lawyer, and her parents had a lawyer. The air itself seemed to crackle with tension.

"I believe this matter can be handled simply and civilly with a rikon todoke," the lawyer for Kenshin and Shihori said. "As both Junichiro Arachi-san and Tora Arachi-san violated the terms of their omiai contract by committing adultery, we can declare the omiai null and void and both parties can leave this marriage with exactly what they brought to it."

"I do not accept this," Chikami said sternly. "Junichiro humiliated my daughter and physically assaulted me! I needed five stitches on the back of my head!"

"I will need to remind Chikami Watanabe-san that he physically assaulted my client first," Tanabe spoke up. "And he also physically assaulted Miori Chibana-san—"

"Do NOT say that tramp's name!" Kenshin shouted.

"Do not talk that way about Miori!" Junichiro snapped. Tanabe grabbed his arm and squeezed it hard, to direct him to keep his mouth shut. "You also physically assaulted the young woman, Arachi-san," he said to Kenshin.

"We personally witnessed Junichiro with his—that woman," Tamao said. "The shame that this has brought—"

"And it has been demonstrated with evidence that Tora Arachi-san initiated her affair first," the lawyer for Kenshin and Shihori interjected. Tora said nothing and sat very still, her eyes on the table.

"We don't know when that recording was taken," Chikami rasped, his face turning purple with rage. "And we have no way of knowing if that's my daughter on the recording!"

"I personally recorded myself playing the recording from my client's phone," Tanabe said, holding his own cell phone up. "I can play the the video for everyone here if you would like. You will plainly see on the video the date and time the voicemail was left, and the phone number that it came from. The video will clearly show that the message came from Tora Arachi-san's phone number, and the video will clearly show that the voicemail was left before the discovery of my client's infidelity."

Tora's lawyer similarly grabbed her arm as if to direct her to keep silent. Tora remained silent, though her cheeks reddened with embarrassment.

"But we're not here to create drama," Tanabe continued. "Both parties have admitted fault, and my client has made it clear that if Tora Arachi-san decides to still continue with a chotei rikon then he will push for a saiban rikon. Which will make this divorce uglier than it needs to be an on a public scale."

"This won't be made public," Chikami said sharply. "I will not be publicly humiliated because my son-in-law cheated on my daughter!"

"Tora Arachi-san also cheated, as has been already demonstrated," Kenshin and Shihori's lawyer spoke up.