For the next two weeks, I visited that coffee shop every day. At first, I would go inside, order my tea, as usual, and sit for an hour or so, waiting. I don't know what exactly I was waiting for; perhaps it was just a foolish whim to see her again. But as the days dragged on, I would stare out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of that nameless girl once more.

It wasn't until the fourteenth day that I actually saw her inside. She appeared to be just placing her order, so I quickly entered the shop.

"Oh, hello, there!" I said brightly, stepping beside her. But then, realizing that I was a bit too close, I stepped back. It's not right for a gentleman to seem so eager, right? Besides, what was to say that she would even remember me?

She stared back at me, her expression unchanging. "…Hello, Mr. Edgeworth."

"Ha, so you do remember me…" I responded, hopefully with less cheer than I actually felt internally. "How are you today?"

"Um…are you gonna pay now?" The sulking teenager at the cash register stared at us, hunched over, tapping his finger on the register impatiently. Pulling her wallet from her bag, she replied, "Yes, of course," in the same cool tone. But before she paid, I stopped her. "Please," I said, smiling. "I won't make a lady pay." I turned to the teenager. "May I also add one small herbal tea to that order?"

"Yeah. Your total is $7.76."

I handed the money over, let him keep the change, and walked her to a table. I pulled out a chair for her. She gave me an odd look before sitting.

"Mr. Edgeworth," she said, her voice calm and contemplative. "I'm not entirely comfortable with having you pay for my coffee."

"O-oh…" It never even occurred to me that it could be awkward. "I apologize. Out of habit, you know…"

The same teenager at the counter brought over our drinks silently. My seated companion ignored him and continued to study me, raising an eyebrow. "Is your memory really so short that you do not recall what I said to you last time we spoke?" she asked, her voice short and clipped. "Never apologize."

"Right, I'm so-…er…Right." I felt like an idiot. It was a bizarre experience, being lectured by a woman perhaps three years younger than me.

Then, she reached into her bag. "While you are here, would you be willing to look over this paper for me, Mr. Edgeworth?" she asked, her tone suddenly changing to a youthful, innocuous one. She set a small packet of papers on the table, neatly stapled in the upper left-hand corner. "Since you're probably much more well-versed than I, I was hoping that I could get an opinion on this."

"O-of course…" I took the paper. It appeared to be six pages long. Single spaced. Before beginning to read, I noticed the name in the upper left-hand corner. Olivia Athens. "…Olivia?" So that's what her name is, I thought.

She looked up abruptly, almost glaring at me. "Sor- er… I mean, Ms. Athens," I remedied my statement. I fell silent and began to read the paper.

I sorely regretted it.

The paper was full of a surprising amount of errors, from typos to thematic inconsistencies to a lack of focus; I could hardly believe that someone as seemingly intelligent as this young lady, Olivia, could have written something like this. Using a pen that she had given me, I jotted down a few notes, marked things I thought should have been changed, and handed it back to her. I offered a weak smile, though all the while, I couldn't help but wonder why her paper was so awful.

Olivia took the paper, grasping it with her long, tapered fingers. She looked at me. "Well?"

"Er…well…" I hesitated, not knowing whether or not to tell her what I truly thought of the paper. However, I decided that it would be disrespectful to dumb down my editing for her. So I told her. I pointed out all of the errors, the heinous mistakes. Typically, I would have expected someone of her intelligence (or so I believed) to be offended by criticism, so I braced myself for a frown, and perhaps some defensive arguments. However, I got the opposite reaction.

She smirked at me. "I'm impressed, Mr. Edgeworth," Olivia said, reaching onto her bag once more. She pulled out another set of papers. I glanced at the title; it was exactly the same as the first paper I read, but as I scanned through the essay, I noticed it was much more well written and smooth. My face fell. "…No…"

Stuffing the edited paper into her bag, she continued to smile; it was rather unnerving. "Yes, Mr. Edgeworth. You see, I'm not actually an English major." She shifted the paper toward herself. "I'm a Psychology major. This was an experiment to see how honest you would be in such a situation." She beamed in the face of her own accomplishments. "And quite frankly, it was perfectly executed."

I rested my head on my hand and sighed. She was awfully lucky I was rather mellow, or I might have been upset. "Hasn't anyone ever told you it's rude to trick people?" I asked her with a faint smile.

"Hm?" Olivia's eyes widened, as though she suddenly realized the possible consequences of such actions. "O-oh…I…I suppose so. However," she continued, raising her chin ever so slightly, "I would say it was still effective. I don't want to waste my time talking to someone who will just mock my intelligence by lying to my face."

Brilliant. She is…absolutely brilliant. Again, I couldn't keep myself from being fascinated by her. "It's rather impressive that you'd prefer honesty than flattery," I said with a (hopefully) reassuring smile.

She returned my smile this time, wholly and honestly. "I know." As another awkward silence followed her words, thoughts swarm around my head. I know I must be a few years older than her…but is it really so wrong to be so attracted to her? I-intellectually attracted, of course. No, it can't be. It's perfectly normal to wish to discuss ideas with other people. ...Right?

"Mr. Edgeworth?" Olivia stared intently at me. I was suddenly feeling very self-conscious. "Y-yes?"

She rested her elbows on the table and intertwined her fingers, studying me over the top of her hands. "The last time we met, you told me that you are a defense attorney. Er…how has that been going?"

I resisted a chuckle. Her inflections and wording were somewhat awkward, as though she wasn't used to making small talk. "Well, it's a long story-" I began, but I was suddenly cut off by a wailing child. I turned around. As I had been enraptured by Olivia, the coffee shop had been filling up with people, among them a mother with a noisy child, and others who were speaking animatedly with one another. Olivia looked at the child with some disdain. "Shall we go elsewhere to talk?" she inquired; I nodded, and we left.

-.-.-

The local park was also full of people, but their voices were scattered in the early spring air, so Olivia and I could hear one another. "Please, continue, Mr. Edgeworth," she said, her hands in her coat pockets.

"Ah, well," I mimicked her actions, placing my hands in my pockets. "It's not really that interesting, but I haven't quite been able to begin my work yet."

"Why?"

"I…managed to do rather poorly in my first interview," I admitted. "It must seem pretty foolish to someone so-"

"'Someone so' what?" she asked sharply.

Oh, fantastic, Gregory, I thought, surpressing the urge to hit myself for letting that slip. "Wh-what I mean is…someone as intelligent as yourself, Ms. Athens."

In retrospect, this was the most idiotic thing I had done thus far in my encounters with her. For the first time, I saw a truly upset expression on her face. "I-I'm sorry if that was out of line!" I said quickly, hoping that I wouldn't make her run away. "Please, I just…"

"No!" she snapped. "I'm not upset with what you've said about me. After all," she closed her eyes thoughtfully. "It's true; I know that I am intelligent. However, I do not appreciate that you believe that your circumstances would make you appear foolish in my eyes."

"…I beg your pardon?"

Her eyebrows furrowed, she stopped walking momentarily. I stopped as well. We looked at each other. "Do you really think I am so shallow, Mr. Edgeworth," she said icily, "to think less of you simply because you failed one interview?"

"W-well," I stuttered, not entirely sure what to make of the situation. "I-I just…didn't think you would want to spend time with someone who is such a…well, loser, as most people would say."

Her gaze intensified. "I am not most people, Mr. Edgeworth."

"…You're right." I smiled weakly. "You most certainly aren't, Ms. Athens." Turning my head, I began to walk slowly. Olivia caught up beside me. "Well?" she asked impatiently.

Now it was my turn to be puzzled. "'Well' what?"

"Are you just going to admit defeat like that?"

"You say that as if it's like a game," I noted with a small grin.

Looking down at the ground, Olivia's face had turned pink again. "Well, yes, I suppose." She lifted her head suddenly and looked at me again. "But still, you should keep trying to achieve your objective. Why quit?"

I sighed. "What would you have me do?" I asked. "It's not as though I can undo the past. Now, I'll be lucky to get a job as a defense attorney anywhere in this city…"

"Oh, really?" Olivia's voice suddenly grew a confident, almost defiant tone. "Well, Mr. Edgeworth, I believe I will accept this challenge."

"Challenge?" I frowned. "What challenge?"

She smirked, stopping again on the sidewalk. "I will find you a defense attorney job here in Los Angeles."

I, too, stopped alongside her. Torn between wanting to thank her profusely or to say that she was mad for even thinking of such a thing, I forced a wan smile. "I-…I don't know what to say," I said lamely.

"I believe a 'thank you' would suffice."

I smiled in spite of my confusion. "Thank you, Ms. Athens," I said, inclining my head toward her ever so slightly. Out of habit. "I appreciate your desire to help."

How strange that just one smile could make her seem years younger. Olivia grinned an almost teasing manner. "So, when shall we meet?"

"…Meet?" Like a date?

"Yes," she said, growing almost impatient, "to start searching for a job."

Oh. Right. "…I'm afraid you've misunderstood me, Ms. Athens," I commented. "Though I am truly grateful for your offer, I can't allow you to help me."

Almost like a child, Olivia pouted slightly. "And why exactly is that?"

"W-well…" Inhaling and exhaling first, I explained, "Because…we hardly know each other. I-it's improper for a stranger to ask a young lady for assistance."

She frowned. "I sense a double standard, Mr. Edgeworth. A young lady may ask someone for assistance, but no one can ask for help from her?"

"N-no, that's not what I—"

"Besides, we aren't truly strangers now, are we?"

"W-well, I suppose—"

"So it's settled. Perhaps tomorrow at the same coffee shop? Eight AM, sharp." She turned to leave. "I'll see you then. Come prepared." With a final smirk—or perhaps it was a smile—she walked away, leaving me standing alone on the sidewalk.

…What just happened?