Chapter 58: Determining Relations
[G]
Akechi glowered and scowled at the pile before him. He knew that with his position as a specialized hitman in the organization, their backing allowing him his position at his age, and said youth meant that quite a good number of the force who were, and weren't, in the know were jealous of his position, or thought him a brat playing pretend. As such, despite the fact that he should have a relatively light load to allow him to freely take requests from their various higher ranked members to take out targets or humiliate them, his fellow colleagues still thought it "prudent" that he was given menial cases so that he would understand how much work was actually put into being an officer of any kind...despite the fact that, should he wish it, he could easily kill them. Oh, how he wanted to...
They deserve it.
NO. They don't. Besides...I'm sure Akira-chan would think it more amusing if we enact revenge by doing EXACTLY what they want and rubbing it in their faces that we do it BETTER than they ever could.
...bah. Fine. It IS funny.
...but it was unecessary. So, despite being irked at the petty display, Akechi would do his work diligently. He still needed to enact his confession plan with Akira. Thankfully, because of their menial natures, most of the papers could be easily finished within the week, as he had already planned for. Theft, home invasions, insurance claims, and a few missing persons, among others things. Thus, the smart thing to do was to
not accept more to his workload, especially if they weren't official cases. Yet after he left his apartment room for the day, when one of his neighbors, an elderly woman in a summer yukata he remembered because her husband was a foreigner, came to him and asked,
"Oh, you're the one on the news that my granddaughter loves... Can you please help me find Aisha-chan? I can't seem to find her anywhere..."
He said, "Very well. Do you mind if you could give me details about her?"
And that was why Akechi found himself in the middle of Shibuya in the afternoon. Looking. For a cat.
I really am crazy.
Of course you are. Is your memory THAT bad?
Akira-chan would've accepted.
Akechi allowed himself a single sigh. As counterproductive as it was for his schedule, refusing the request would've done the same to his reputation as the Detective Prince.
And you would've said yes anyway if Akira-chan needed help finding Morgana.
Tch. Not that the stupid cat needs to be found...
So he had no choice. Still, finding a cat lost in Shibuya was going to prove a challenge, but that was all more reason to overcome it. It was nothing compared to the rest of his life. From what his neighbor, Mrs. Sinclair, described, Aisha was a chocolate point Siamese cat of eight years, the feline being the granddaughter of the cat she had gotten with her husband in her younger years. Aisha had a white coat with black face and pale paws, blue eyes and a black color with a star shaped tag. Mrs. Sinclair only noticed Aisha's absence a little past noon, upon realizing she hadn't seen her since last night, after she had taken her to a groomer. He had already searched his apartment building and interrogated staff and other neighbors for clues and found none indicating she was near the apartment. That left the route Mrs. Sinclair took between the groomer and her home...or more probable, the entirety of Shibuya, which was around fifteen square kilometers, and that was of course assuming the cat stayed in Shibuya. Considering his tasks and how much he would need to search, especially with the preperations he made on the off chance he did find her, he had planned on spending only a couple of hours on this part of the endeavor, seeing as a missing cat wasn't quite as urgent as, say, a missing person.
Then, in the middle of his search—
"Akechi-san? It seems we meet by chance once again. Did you lose something?"
—he was greeted by Kitagawa-san.
He gave a pleasant smile. "Aha, it seems so." He shook his head. "No, I haven't lost anything, but I am looking for something. A neighbor of mine is missing her cat and she asked me for her help."
"A cat? Hmm..." Kitagawa-san turned contemplative then pulled out a sketchbook as he said, "...this cat you're searching for wouldn't happen to look like this, would it?"
Akechi couldn't help but be surprised as he looked at the sketch. It was, indeed, a Siamese cat that Kitagawa-san had drawn, one wearing a collar that had a star shaped tag, emerging from a back alley in Shibuya. However, he soon frowned when he noticed a detail he hoped was merely an artistic liberty...but knew was unlikely the case.
"Perhaps. Is there any reason the cat is drawn injured?"
"Because that was the state I saw it in," Kitagawa-san, forlorn. "Once I saw it during my usual observations of Tokyo's foot traffic, I attempted to get close in hopes of helping it. But it was frightened by my presence and ran off."
Unfortunately, the drawing was to life, which was concerning. If that was indeed Aisha, which was highly probable, that begged the question of who had hurt her and why. But that would be put on hold for now. At the moment, Akechi had an unexpected lead. "Do you mind taking me to where you had drawn this?"
"Not at all."
And so, thanks to that and further recounting from Kitagawa-san that Akechi was able to deduce where Aisha most likely headed.
"There you are," he said, sighing in relief that he had guessed right. He had found the Siamese cat under a vending machine in an alleyway with little traffic, alert and wary of their presence.
"It seems we've found her. But how do we get her out?"
"Simple." He opened his case to take out food, water and Aisha's favorite toy.
"You're going to lure her out?"
"That's the safest way I have, since I don't have protective clothing to let me simply grab her and be done with it..." he said. "Not that I would want to. She's scared. I don't want to make her even more so."
"I see..."
That, however, would take time, especially since they were strangers. He could call upon Mrs. Sinclair, but he would save that for when it became dark. That still meant being idle for the time being. So he would take this chance to do his homework for school.
"You're doing your assignments now?" Kitagawa-san said, inquisitive.
"Well, I'll be here for a while, so I might as well. You can leave if you want, of course. I can handle things myself from here."
He was sure he had more interesting subjects for him to sketch and paint. But instead of taking his offer, Kitagawa-san stared at him for a few moments, before seating himself beside Akechi. He eyed the artist as he took out his sketchbook again, the boy already beginning another piece.
"What are you doing?"
"Sketching you."
Of course. He would have to make sure he didn't make it public, but for now his curiosity got the better of him and he simply asked, "Why?"
"I had the urge to. You are quite a fascinating person, Akechi-san. Many different sides to you that seem contradictory."
His heart seized in a panic for a moment, questioning how Kitagawa-san could've possibly known...
We're hypocrites.
We're trapped by what we hate and unable to do what we dream of.
...that his Detective Prince persona was just that: a mask. But then he reminded himself that he had worn it for years now. There was no way Kitagawa-san would've known, much less in but a scant few meetings. It was likely his front itself that seemed contradictory to Kitagawa-san, especially considering he had...a unique way of thinking.
"Oh, I'm not that interesting. I know I'm a celebrity, but I'm not that different from most teenagers."
A lot more than I'd like...because we're not special, after all.
"Hmm, that is true. You are still a teenager, even if you're a peculiar one. There are experiences that are universal. Such as the struggle of finding your place in the squall of life...I believe that is something we all must face, whatever form it takes. So yes, you are not wrong to say you aren't that much different from the standard."
And, just as he expected, the artist went in an odd but...philosophical direction. ...It wasn't entirely unwelcome, he would admit to himself.
"But that doesn't make you any less fascinating. Such as your smile."
His current "sheepish" smile almost broke. "What about my smile?"
That sounded like he was flirting with me...
Luckily for him, he was wrong as Kitagawa-san explained himself. Unfortunately, he said, "You have a pleasant smile around strangers, one most would consider friendly...had they not seen how you smile at Akira. So small and missable...yet so full of warmth and brightness."
Fu
ck. Kitagawa-san noticed his—
love for—crush on Akira, but was too dense to realize it. It was a small mercy, but that didn't change the fact he noticed it. It was a reminder that he needed to enact his plan as soon as possible to excuse such slip-ups while he was still practicing on controlling them.
Then the artist said, "Of course, that is but one trait. I know there is more to you than that, which I'm sure I'll see for myself."
Akechi very much rather he didn't. Kitagawa-san continued to show he was much more keen than expected with his brand of obliviousness. On its own, it wouldn't be a problem, since he would never realize how astute his observations truly were. But if he were to ever mention those musings to Akira or the others...they could dig where they hadn't thought of digging before. But once again, if he refrained himself, it would also cause suspicion. So he would have to be more mindful around Kitagawa-san...much like with Amamiya-kun. He sighed internally. These Phantom Thieves truly loved to break his expectations, didn't they?
Pfft. Didn't notice the first time with Akira?
Well, they did make it this far as phantom thieves. Surely they must have at least some skills to back it up?
Of course she does... The lucky bitch.
You know she's not—
It was then movement in his peripheral caught his attention and, as if to give Akechi an excuse to end his Personas' discussion prematurely, Aisha was peeking out from her cover, nibbling at the food he left.
"Ah, it seems she's deemed us safe enough," he said as he slowly stood up, making sure his movements didn't startle the cat.
Thankfully, she wasn't bothered by his presence once he was by her side. But he still kept his hands to himself as she ate, and then drank, knowing how possessive pets could be over their food. So it wasn't until she was done, her eyes now looking at him inquisitively, did he try to reach for her, and even then it was with caution. To his surprise, as soon as his hand was close enough, Aisha, after a quick sniff, readily snuggled against his gloved hand and purred. Akechi was startled at the reception, but he nonetheless smiled unconsciously at the affection and couldn't help but pet her for a few moments until he remembered she was hurt.
"Well, it seems I've finished sooner than expected," he said as he returned the containers into his case with his free hand. "Let's get her home so she can get some first aid and then her owner can take her to the veterinarian."
"Very well," Kitagawa-san said, assisting him in putting away the containers before continuing to tag along with him.
Soon enough, to the relief of her owner, Aisha was returned to Mrs. Sinclair, the woman grateful to him and promised to do as he suggested. As usual, he appeared somewhat embarassed as he humbly accepted her thanks, when in truth he was frustrated over the whole ordeal, bar that brief moment. Not only thanks to Kitagawa-san being more perceptive than he wanted, but because he knew that while her and Aisha's case was over, the mystery over her injuries wasn't. He wanted to solve it and settle the issue before it turned into a serial beating. But he only had one instance of a cat being injured and his thought was just conjecture. So he would have to leave it be. But it wouldn't be as bothersome as it initially was, because if it truly ended up being a problem...
Kitagawa-san said, "I'm glad she is safe, but I can't help but worry over her wounds. Who would hurt a cat so much?"
"I can think of a few things, but unfortunately, without some evidence, I won't be able to make a case of it, especially since the victim was a 'simple cat'."
Kitagawa-san's expression darkened as he said, solemn, "A shame then..." Then it turned contemplative as he mumbled. "Perhaps someone more suited should handle it then..."
{R}
After...finding out even more about Futaba yesterday, Ren just wanted to relax for the day, so he had Aki do their usual "after raid session" chores, such as selling the loot they had and the like. Admittedly, he felt guilty about it, since he was sure the revelations were weighing down on her as well, but not only did she tell him to not feel guilty about asking for her help, but she
insisted that, for the foreseeable future, she would handle all selling and such so he could decompress. He wanted to protest, but she pointed out the likelihood of this becoming trend the deeper they went and that he should keep himself in tip-top shape as leader, so he conceded. Besides, he was more than happy to spend his leisure with Ann when she asked. However, they changed their plans once she got an email from her agency...that informed her that Mika-san wanted Ann to join her in shooting for her special magazine feature. Ann accepted it, despite the fact that she had no idea where the Skytree was, and he insisted he tag along, even though he wished his misgivings were unfounded, as Ann was ever optimistic about why Mika-san called her over. Unfortunately, he was in the right. Not only did Ann fall for Mika-san tricks again, making her relative modelling inexperience show and falsely paint her as a "complaining b
itch" again, her performance in the shoot itself was, well...
The theme was the "elegance of woman", thus the clothes the agency had prepared matched that. Mika-san had a purple wrap sheath dress with a black waist ribbon and carmine pumps, accessorized with a pair of opaque gradiant brown sunglasses perched on her head and a simple silver necklace with what he assumed was a small amethyst gem. He couldn't be sure unless he got to examine it in full, which he doubted since that meant holding the gem, and he wasn't any kind of close with Mika-san. Ann, meanwhile, wore a pale blue polo blouse with a dark orange and black waistband, black waist belt and a leather jacket on top of it. Black tights and black high Cuban heel boots finished off the look. As much as he much preferred Ann's style of Mika-san's—his Joker attire looked the way they did for a reason after all—when the photographer asked the other woman to pose...
"This way, Mika-chan. Yeah, that's it. That's the expression I'm looking for. Wonderful, wonderful!"
...Ren hated to admit, even to himself, that she was pulling off the look well, utilizing her whole body to pull off various poses dynamics poses. Leaning back with one foot jutting out and hand on her mouth, another similar one except her head tilting to the side with her hand before her smug smirk like a half lidded window, holding her arms akimbo with her chin up and her eyes now being the ones half lidded, not to mention one pose putting emphasis on her "assets"... He wasn't an expert by any means, but even he thought she made herself and her clothes look good. Ann, meanwhile...
"Um, Ann-chan... Could you try being a little...sexier?"
...well, she looked more like she was posing for a Featherman cosplay event, which would've been fine...had that been the shoot's theme.
"You mean like this?"
"Ooooh! That's beautiful! Oh, you're amazing, Mika-chan!"
Ren tried
very hard not to cringe. Or get mad. He had already gotten Ann in trouble last time for shouting at Mika-san. He wouldn't do it again if he had a say about it. Especially since when they were done, while Mika-san was busy cozying up with the various staff, Ann stared at the sight, crestfallen.
"I'm... I'm heading off..."
"Ann..."
So, after Ren made sure the staff knew they were leaving so that there wouldn't be any complications, he escorted Ann back to Shibuya, holding her close in comfort. Once they disembarked, he led her through the underground mall, planning to pick somewhere quiet for her to process sooner, but in the middle of their journey, she said,
"I guess I really shouldn't have hoped, huh?"
Ren stopped and turned to her with a confused frown. "What do you mean?"
"I mean...I know she didn't like me. I know I'm still very inexperienced as a model in a lot of ways and that can be annoying. Not everyone is patient with rookies. So when she asked for me, I thought that maybe she changed her mind. I didn't think..."
Now he was frowning in empathy, feeling Ann's sadness. "She'd go as far as to show you up on top of tricking you?"
"Uh huh..." She sighed. "I'm such an idiot... You'd think after seeing so many awful people I'd know better, but...I probably deserved all of that."
"Ann..." He was about to comfort her, moving to hug her as part of it, when all of sudden,
"
Eeeaaagggghhh!
It pisses me off!"
Blink. "Eh?"
Ann took his rather "brilliant" reply as her cue to explain. "Mika had to work
super hard to get where she is now. She worked out, watched her diet, made friends with everyone since she couldn't rely on connections like I did... She didn't become a model for the heck of it! She did it because she was serious! Her resolve, her knowledge, het fashion sense... They're all on a totally different level from me! Mika is amazing... Mika is... Mika is strong! But me? I'm nothing! Just thinking about that is making me so angry I could explode!"
Ren... Ren was
not sure how to take the tirade, a torrent of feelings and opinions—particularly her opinion on Mika-san's strength compared to hers because why yes Ann was strong thank you very much—paralysing him in befuddlement. Thankfully, Ann wasn't quite done yet so she didn't notice his prolonged silence.
"This whole time... I've just been pretending to model. It was like the clothes were wearing me... I mean, that's what I always thought what being a model meant!" She paused as some of her zeal left her. "... But I was totally wrong. A real model draws out the beauty of the clothes they wear...casts a stunning spell on them... a real model is flexible, beautiful...and strong." And then she said, her words adamant and her eyes ablaze, "Well, I've had enough pretending! I want to be a real model...!"
Ren stared, stunned.
And then he laughed, full and free, in baffled awe and proud joy.
At least until Ann said, "Huh?"
And he saw her confused but somewhat hurt expression. Ren cut himself off with sharp slap over his mouth, an embarrassed gaze and a quick, "Er, sorry. I'm not laughing at you. I promise."
That placated her hurt, but only added to her confusion. "What was that about then?
He lowered his hand to show his smile. "I'm just happy for you."
"Happy?"
He nodded. "You're not letting Mika-san get you down. You're using it as motivation instead, motivation to be better." Gentler, he said, "I can't help but be happy and admire you for it."
"'tis a pity that such fortune will not befall on you." Even if there was a small part of him that felt a bit of envy for her finding yet another dream so soon and having the capability to chase it.
Ann flushed and stammered gibberish for a moment. "O-Oh, okay. Thanks..." Then she recomposed her fervor. "Right! All the more reason to give it my all! I'm gonna take the world by storm. Just you watch, Ren!"
He beamed. "Go get 'em, tiger. I know you can do it."
She giggled in delight, and Ren chuckled in turn.
Then: "Urrggghhh I'm still so
mad though! This is the perfect time for sweets!"
Ren was startled before he chuckled with a sweatdrop at her declaration. It did, however, give him an idea. "Then how about we head to Suzui? I'm sure she can help you with making a training regimen."
"Oh! That's good idea! Yeah let's do that!"
And so they had an impromtu trip to Suzui, who, once again, laughed her a
ss off, this time when Ren told her of Ann's initial attempt at exercising while they explained why Ann needed her help.
(A)
Akira grumbled. Unfortunately for them, when she asked Akechi if he was free at the moment, he replied that he was in the middle of yet another case. All he could offer was that it would require his presence on-site. So, after reminding him to take care of himself, she bid him good-bye and good luck, thinking on what she would do instead. That was quickly interrupted though after she left Untouchables.
"Oh, hey Makoto, relaxin' with your free time?" she said to her as they met at the station.
"Hmm, you could say. I was thinking about heading for Shinjuku since I'm done with chores, but your brother said he isn't free."
"How about I come with then?"
"Oh, you're free? Are you sure?"
"Sure am! Come on. I can show you a bit. I know some of it."
At that, Makoto gave her a
look, the kind that was equal parts curious and suspicious, but she said no more until they arrived at their destination.
"There are so many people here... I guess this really is the biggest red-light district in Asia, huh."
"For real?" She figured it was big, but she didn't realize it would be that big.
It was a vibrant as ever, even without the constrast of the night sky and the neon lights. There was much bustle on the streets, though Akira felt it was nowhere close to the traffic in Scramble Crossing, which she was grateful for.
Makoto nodded. "Apparently this place was a hotbed for criminals and illegal immigrants before they installed surveillance cameras... I heard there were quite a few brothels as well."
Uh huh. Were. She wouldn't be surprised if there were some still there somehow. There was more than one way to hide sketchy businesses, as their heart change targets have shown. Still. "For someone who hasn't been here, you sure know a lot 'bout the place."
"Well, I heard a great deal about it from my father... This is the first time I've actually been here myself though."
"Ah." That meant her father was very likely a policeman, or some job involving law.
"Regardless, it's become far safer now than it used to be."
"Probably. But..." Lala-chan had warned her when she was here. "...it's probably not that safe."
"I agree, there's no way to eradicate crime entirely. It seems operations nowadays are only better hidden."
"I mean, what better way to hide than in plain sight, am I right?" Not to mention the possible loopholes one could exploit.
"Agreed. Anyway, seeing is believing, yes? Come on, let's have a look around."
Akira just nodded and they began their walk around Shinjuku, though split up at Makoto's insistence. She didn't quite get why the thief advisor wanted to do that, but she played along. She figured it was either for "data gathering" or a "baseline". It, however, also meant she had to deal with hosts equally inviting her in hopes of employing her and using their services because some assumed she was a male, mostly thanks to her loose attire and small chest size. At first, it was amusing for them to be mistaken—it was a reminder that she could pull off a male disguise like when she and her brother were younger and pretended to be the other for pranks—but after the fifteenth time, it was getting annoying. And it seemed she wasn't the only one.
"Come on. I promise we give real good pay," said yet another sketchy host.
"And as I've been saying, no," said Makoto, who Akira could tell was very much contemplating on whether it was worth decking him or not.
As hilarious as it was to see the ever calm advisor look ready to throw down, that just meant she had to be the voice of reason. That being: "Come on, let's run!"
"Akira?!"
Like the thieves they were, Akira grabbed Makoto by the arm and skedaddled. To the host's credit, he tailed them for a good while. But they were
phantom thieves. So with the combination of using the crowd, feinting turns, and just outright better speed, they threw him off their trail before long. It did, however, mean she was gasping and panting by the end of it, bent over with her hands on her knees.
"Did we lose him?"
"I...sure...as...hell...hope so..." She
could do some more sprints if she wanted to, but that would be pushing herself and she just knew she'd be utterly sore if she did go that far.
Makoto remained vigilant for a few more moments before she relaxed and sighed. "I think so... That guy was so persistent..."
"No...sh
it..."
"He must have been a scout for a hostess club. He mentioned how 'his girls' get paid a lot to wear cute dresses..."
"Was...it...not...obvious?" she quipped, even if she realized why it took a while for Makoto to notice afterwards.
"All I wanted was to ask if any Shujin students worked there...but he nearly dragged me insde with him. If you hadn't been there to rescue me, I..."
"...would've probably punched his lights out."
The advisor smiled. "Yes. I'll admit I was thinking of doing that if I needed to. I'm glad nobody had to get hurt though."
"Ha! No need to fear when the Prez Rider's here!"
A glower. "Don't call me that."
A smirk. "Feather Bald Eagle?"
"Don't call me that either!"
Akira snickered.
Makoto grumbled.
"All right all right..." She paused. "How about Shishou?"
"
O-kay, I think that's enough now."
She just laughed as her friend sighed from her continued antics.
"But really, none of those fit me. Especially 'shishou'. There's still so much for me to learn. I mean, just now, I learned how hosts recruit people."
Okay, when she put it like that, it was a good point. But still... "I still think all of those nicknames fit. And not just 'cause I was jokin'." Particularly the "shishou" bit, like how Queen fit her commanding aura, "shishou" fit her more supervising one.
Makoto didn't seem to accept that though as she just sidestepped it. "Oh, and thanks again. It seems you have a knack for helping me out. I hope I can do the same for you someday."
Akira sighed, but decided to let it slide. She didn't feel like pressing. So she just said, "No problem. That's what friends are for."
For a moment, Makoto was surprised at her declaration. "Friends..." she said in disbelief. And then chuckled and smiled. "That's right. Friends."
Akira smiled under her mask.
"That aside... Even though it's summer and this is a shopping district, there are absolutely no students around here. And definitely no Shujin students...though I guess they wouldn't come in uniform either way."
"Uh, yeah, like us, you know?" Akira couldn't help but quip. More seriously, she said, "There someone from Shujin you lookin' for?"
"Huh? Oh, no, not particularly. It's just an observation," she said. "Well then, let's...huh?"
"Hmm? What's wrong, Makoto?"
"Akira?"
She gasped and turned. "Akechi!"
She smiled, happy to run into her friend. Except—
"What are you doing?"
—he was frowning, in equal parts anger and worry.
So Akira matched it, except in confusion. "Uh...goin' 'round Shinjuku?" she said.
The detective's look flattened, a burst of irritation coming through her link with him. "Why were you
running?" Now his gaze was scrutinizing. "Did you get in trouble again?"
"Pfft, nah. Course not! What makes you think that?"
If his expression got any flatter, it'd be a pancake. "How we first met. Your problems in school. Your tendency to rush head first into—"
"Okay okay I get it!"
Seesh, I'm not THAT bad...
Now Fantôme was giving her a flat look.
Oh shuddup.
"I did not utter a word before now."
Uuuuggghhhh... So Akira said, "We were just runnin' 'cause this host was tryin' real hard to get Makoto to join his club. Even chased us. But we got him off our tails no problem."
And now Akechi was just angry. "
A host was chasing after you?" he said, voice low and dangerous.
She felt more than saw that Makoto was startled at his tone, which piqued her own curiosity despite her own surprise at the shift. But for now, she had a good friend to calm down. "Ah, it's fine. It was just that one host. I've been dealin' with invites from 'em all day too and I—"
"
What?!"
Akira was startled at the outburst. "Hey! Don't worry! Like I was saying, I had an easy time turnin' 'em down!"
That did nothing to assure Akechi, whose expression darkened as he asked, "Were you...by any chance, harrassed by anyone?"
Akira gave him an inquisitive look, suspicious of his sudden question. "Nope. Why? Is it about one of your cases?"
Akechi was hesitant to answer, but despite that, he nonetheless told her, "You could say."
"Hey, maybe I can help? If this person's harassin' people, maybe I can be bait."
"
No!"
Akira was startled and Akechi himself flinched at his own outburst, but still he pressed on.
"Not even considering the dubiousness of civilian assistance on a case, I will
not put you in
danger, Akira."
"I have to agree with Akechi-kun."
Startled once again, this time in tandem with her detective friend, she just remembered that Makoto had been there all along. She would've apologized for forgetting her in the first place, but Akechi's rapidly changing emotions—from surprise to panic to annoyance to resignation then back to righteous worry—distracted her enough that he took the brief opening and said,
"See? Even Niijima-san thinks so. That's two against one, and I'm sure if your brother was here, that would be three."
Akira grumbled, opened her mouth to retort...then promptly shut it. "All right,
fiiiiine..." Not only would she have had to deal with "Queen" should she protest further, but Akechi too, and she knew he'd pull out all stops right now, including telling her brother, so she'd cave in to this.
"You know I'm just worried for you, right?"
She huffed. "I know...but I'm not
helpless, Akechi..."
To her surprise, her friend turned solemn as he said, "...no, you're not. Never." Then, much softer and a bit apologetic, "But what if something happened that could trigger your asthma?"
Akira flinched, remembering her near death at the hands of Kaneshiro. And how she also almost died with the quicksand in Futaba's Palace, even though that last one had little to do with her chronic condition. She softened and sighed. "Okay...I get it." With that done, she said, "Guess you should get goin' then? Don't want the trail to run cold, right?"
A quick glance at Makoto before Akechi said, his pleasant smile on, "Yes, that's probably for the best. Especially since this one might take a while. I believe my target is covering their tracks, hence why I am trying to catch them in the act."
She smiled and said, "Bye then, Akechi. Good luck!"
He scoffed with a smirk, telling her he didn't need it, but still said, "Thank you. I hope you have a pleasant outing, Akira...Niijima-san." Then he gave one more stern yet worried look. "I meant what I said.
Please don't do anything reckless."
She pulled down her mask just to show off her warm smile. "No promises, but I'll do my best."
He returned it, small and soft. "That's all I ask."
And with that, he finally left, so Akira took the opportunity to say, "Sorry 'bout that. I just...kinda forgot you as soon as Akechi popped up, I guess?" Okay, that was as bad as it sounded in her head, but she was sure Makoto wouldn't mind...hopefully.
"Hmm? Oh, it's fine. He was the one who found us, anyway. I know you're close and try to make the most of his free time," she, thankfully, said. Just as Akira breathed a sigh of relief though, Makoto turned contemplative. "Although..."
"'Though' what?" Akira said as she pulled up her mask.
It seemed she was just thinking out loud as she was startled and said, sheepish, "Ah, it's nothing."
She almost let it slide like the past few times, but this time, she had a suspicion on what, or rather who, she was thinking about. "Oh come on. I won't get mad if that's what you're worried about. Is it 'bout Akechi?"
"Ah..."
She hit the nail on the head. Akira sighed. "Yeah yeah, I know I know. I gotta be careful around him. I promise I am, okay?"
"Oh, uh, no. Well, yes, you should still be careful around him...but that's not what I was thinking about."
"Huh? Then what is it?"
It took a little bit for Makoto to answer, but eventually she did. "I know Akechi is close to you, but it's still strange seeing him act the way he does with you. I didn't think he could be...nice."
"Nice? Why?" Then an idea came from all the facts she knew and she grew suspicious. "Don't tell me Akechi was mean to you, was he?"
"Ah, eh, well..."
"Come on.
Spill."
Makoto sighed. "The few times I met him and with what I knew from Sis, he seemed like an arrogant show-off. It was especially obvious that one time he called me a 'pushover good girl'."
"He
what?"
"I don't blame him though," she was quick to say. "I
was being a pushover..."
"Wait, when was this?"
"This was before...well, before I befriended you all. I was still suspicious of you. Looking back on it now though... You told him I was bothering you, right?"
She didn't want to admit it, but... "...yeah."
"Then it's even more likely now that he was insulting me for doing that to someone he cares for. He hasn't treated me like that since you and I became friends."
Akira grumbled. Makoto was right, and she was glad now Akechi was friendlier with another of her friends, but still... "That idiot. He hasn't apologized, has he? Next time I see him, I'm gonna get him to apologize to you."
"Eh? Apologize...?"
"Uh, yeah? Why wouldn't I want that? He was bein' mean to you."
"But, well, you were friends and we weren't yet at that point so I don't see why should we..."
"Well, you're my friend
now, and my other friend was mean to you and didn't apologize for it."
"Even though you're friends?"
"It's
because we're friends I want him to apologize. I won't let him do anything stupid no matter how much it annoys me like how he won't let me be stupid no matter how much that annoys him. I do that with all my friends. And Big Bro too, of course."
"... I see."
There. There it was again. That troubled expression from last time, except this she could feel some emotion behind it. And it was...envy. She wasn't sure what Makoto was envious of, so she wanted to get to bottom of it right away. But as much as she wanted to, Makoto then suggested they finally leave before it got too late for lunch, so Akira resigned herself to agreeing and, once again, putting a pin on her plans.
{R}
It was as Aki was leaving to help Yoshida-san that she received a message from Akechi, telling her he was free for the night. Of course, she told him she couldn't. Ren, however, could.
"We don't have to hang out if you don't want to," he said, holding back his amused smirk to appear neutral. "I know you wanted to spend time with Aki."
The detective gave a pleasant smile. "Oh, it's fine. I want to spend time with you as well, so don't think you're bothering me," he said, hiding the small part of annoyance and disappointment Ren could feel from their link. "In fact, I was thinking...since we went to places I wanted to go the last few times, why don't you pick this time?"
Ren stilled. Then he turned, deliberately slow, to him. "Are you sure about that?" he said, his smirk growing with each and every word.
It was brief, but Ren still caught his startle before he composed himself to say, "Of course. It's only fair."
With a toothy grin, Ren's glasses gleamed as he pushed the bridge up his nose. "
Heh heh heh heeeeh...all right then...it's
showtime!"
Well, not right then, of course. They had to travel to where Ren wanted to go, which was a shame because the timing would've been spectacular otherwise.
"A...clothing store?" the detective said, his expression even more plastered than before as his irritation warred with his manners.
This time Ren managed to withhold his smirk. "Well, you asked where I wanted to go, and this is where I want to go."
Specifically, they were at a used clothing store in Kichijoji called Smile, which was pretty near the station Ren usually exited to go to Sunset Road. While he had found a used clothing store in the shopping district itself, he had already gone through it, and most of the other stores last time. Not only that, from what he read, this store had fashion from older years, even some from long before the '80s, and a lot of it was imported. So he was excited to have an excuse to go to it sooner. And, well, it was also a perfect opportunity to mess with Akechi. Case in point.
"Oh, no, it's not that. I was just surprised is all," the detective said, his smile twitching for a moment in irritation.
"Oh good," Ren said. "Then let's get started."
It was first just the two of them minding their own business, Ren looking at the older and formal selections. But with the size of the store, he could also pay attention to what Akechi was choosing. He was doing so rather quickly, going in and out of the changing room constantly in the span of a few minutes, and always holding more contemporary clothes in some kind of white or red shade. After one such exit, his latest quarry folded over his arm, Ren said,
"Don't want a second opinion?"
"Ah, well..." He seemed ready to decline, but then he had an epiphanic look and said, "...if you don't mind, then yes, I would like your opinion."
"Sure."
As Ren thought, all of the clothes Akechi picked, even though they were second hand, gave him an elegant and pure appearance, like a dashing prince ready to sweep a woman off of her feet. In other words, it matched his Detective Prince persona. So, even though he didn't look bad in any of the outfits he picked, Ren still said, "Hmm. Not feeling it. Doesn't match." He had meant it in seriousness, of course. He wouldn't go against his fashion sense, even for this. But as Ren continued to show his disapproval with his outfits, though Akechi tried to hide it, Ren noticed from their link that he grew more and more frustrated. And he couldn't help but internally smirk as he realized his opportunity finally came.
"How about I help you pick?"
For a moment, Akechi was wary, but soon he plastered his pleasant smile and said, "That's probably for the best. I seem to have little fashion sense beyond my usual."
And so, Ren picked some of the most ill-fitting outfits he could manage. Of course, his fashion sense wouldn't let him get away with anything
actually bad. Just styles he knew would be against Akechi's Detective Prince persona. Like a black leather jacket, gold shirt, and grey shorts and sneakers. A simple black t-shirt and chinos with
five scarfs that made a rainbow all together. Or a green beanine, a plain orange polo shirt and olive baggy pants.
Each time, Ren said, "What do you think?"
Each time, Akechi replied, "I'll have to think about it...how about we try another one?"
And each time, Ren could see his smile twitch and feel his aggravation build. And build. And build. Until...
"How about this?" Ren said, holding up a pale blue graphic T-shirt that said, in English, "You've got to be kitten me."
Snap.
"Can you f
ucking stop wasting my time picking these stupid clothes?!"
Ren was startled. Akechi was horrified.
"Er, I mean—"
Ren laughed.
Now Akechi was back to mad as he snarled and said, "What's so funny?!"
Ren halted his mirth. "Sorry sorry... I just couldn't help myself. I wanted to see how long it took to get on your nerves."
He glared. "You were trolling me."
He gave an unrepentent grin. "Yup." More sincerely, before Akechi could protest or complain, Ren added, "Only because you're doing it again."
Now Akechi was just confused. "Doing what again?"
"
Not having fun."
And pretending to be someone that isn't completely you, if at all.
"Ah..." he said with a look of realization. "You don't have to worry about that. I don't mind."
Ren returned it with a flat one. "That's
exactly why I mind." He sighed. Seeing that he was likely going to be stubborn about it, he changed tactics. "Come on, here, how about you pick something for me then?" He fired a smirk. "As payback."
And maybe get you into the fun of this.
Akechi was understandably wary of him, but unlike the other times, he was obvious about it, staying still with a frown and narrowed gaze. But, eventually, when Ren just kept up his—hopefully—encouraging smile and made no further moves, the detective sighed with resignation and said,
"Very well. Since you insist."
Soon enough, Akechi picked something for him to try out. Ren internally smirked at his choice. After he changed, however, he let it loose as he said, "How do I look?" Then he strutted out, suave as he took confident strides, turning on his heel with relaxed ease, ending with his chin up and arms spread out, finishing his showcase of the pink cashmere sweater, beige chinos, and white scarf he was given. His smirk got worse when Akechi didn't even hide his annoyance.
"Are you really enjoying those clothes? Or are you just doing that to make fun of me?"
"It wouldn't be fun otherwise."
The detective groaned.
Ren laughed. "Okay okay... I'll stop now. I promise."
Flat. "If you're actually serious about that, then how about actually pick something that suits me?"
"How about something you
like?"
He frowned in confusion. "Something I like?"
"Yes. Something you like." He smirked. "What? Does the Detective Prince not know his own likes?"
His friend looked ready to complain as he said, "Of course I do." But then he blinked and had a small smirk. "How about you guess?"
Ren returned it. "Challenge accepted."
From what he gleaned from Aki and their interactions, Akechi was the practical sort. It mattered not if he liked it, so long as it served its purpose. If he did like its aesthetics, that was just a bonus. And what he liked seemed to be things that either caught him in surprise, as a detective that wished to solve mysteries, or were balanced choices, not too much in one way or another, like his preference for doppio. So he had the perfect idea. After gathering the pieces for the look in his mind, including shoes, he gave them to Akechi and said, smirk still there, "Try this. I guarantee you'll like it."
Akechi looked dubious, but nonetheless complied and changed. Once he finished and stepped out of the changing room.
Ren's smirk got worse. "Well? What do you think?"
Akechi's face was the picture of torn. On one hand, he clearly liked his choice. His posture was much more relaxed than when he was trying all the other suits, including the ones Akechi picked himself. But on the other hand, that meant he had won on the first try with but a simple yet elegant look that Ren was sure was unexpected to Akechi. It was a mix of Western and Japanese. A black tonbi and hakama defined his silhoette, but instead of a kimono and geta, a white dress shirt and beige waistcoat were underneath the Japanese variant of the Inverness cape, and his footwear were simple black dress shoes. The perfect look for a young detective who was serious about his job that appreciated both past and present and used them to his advantage.
As such, Akechi sighed and, like a gentleman should, conceded. "I'll admit, I do like it. It seems when you're actually serious, you truly have an eye for this." More curiously, he said, "Is fashion a hobby of yours, Amamiya-kun?"
"Huh?" He shook his head. "Nah. Well, not like Ann. I don't know that much about trends compared to her. But she says I have the eye for it. And I do like to look good and dress up, so that's why I probably seem like I know a lot about fashion."
Akechi didn't look completely convinced at his explanation, but accepted it to ask another question. "What do you mean by dress up? As in, like cosplay?"
"Well, yes, I've cosplayed, but I also like just trying out different looks that I might like or end up liking. I don't have a big selection at Leblanc right now since I don't have a good spot to store them without wrinkling them, but I have plenty of outfits at home, along with costumes me and Aki have worn."
"I see..." the detective said, turning thoughtful. "Any particular reason you like to do that?"
"No, I just like it. It's fun to do and feels good for me." He said, "Isn't that why you're a detective? Because you enjoy doing it?"
Akechi tensed. "... Yes, that is true," he said.
And yet, with that moment of hesitation, Ren felt there was more to it than that. But before he could even think about questioning it, the detective turned thoughtful, putting a hand under his chin as his eyes grew distant, and Ren lost any heart to ask. Instead, he said, "Is something wrong?"
"The concept of happiness is a recurring thought in philosophical discussion," he said. "What is happiness, what causes happiness, whether it is valuable and how it affects others...those are the sorts of things they discuss and ponder over in regards to happiness. I couldn't help but think of that with your earlier words."
"About why you're a detective?"
"Yes. And why you pursue dressing up and cosplay. It just seems so...simple."
"Does that bother you?"
"...in a sense. If your happiness is as simple as 'if it satisfies my interest', then what happens if your happiness leads to the unhappiness of someone else? Or a group? Would you still be happy?"
Well of course not, Ren almost said. However, his question reminded him that, mere moments ago, his "happiness" hinged on Akechi's "annoyance", and it wasn't the first time, nor was he the first person to be subjected to his teasing. And admittedly, a part of him was bothered by that urge and how he enjoyed it so. But then he could just hear Aki's voice telling him, "Did you mean to hurt 'em? No? Then I stop beatin' yourself up, Big Bro!"
"Indeed. Intent has as much import as action."
So instead, Ren said, "I think for me, it's a case by case basis."
Akechi grew intrigued. "How so?"
"I did just troll you earlier. In a sense, my happiness depended on your unhappiness. But I don't mind that I did because I know you can take it. If you did mind it though...if you mind it to the point that it hurt you, because it overstepped your boundaries or it was too much for you or it was the last straw in a string of bad things that happened today...
then I would be unhappy. Because I know I pushed too far. And then there are even more situations with different reasons and circumstances that would affect whether or not I'm happy about it."
For a while, his words hung in the air, adding a weight that silenced them. They just stood there. Ren, still in the soft attire Akechi gave him. And Akechi, in the eclectic look Ren gave him. Until the detective himself broke it with a sheepish chuckle and said,
"Ah, my apologies. I got carried away again. I keep drifting off onto topics like that..."
Ren just smiled, wide and honest. "I don't mind. I liked it." It gave him more reasons on why Aki was so fond of him. A boy whose wit was as sharp as his occupation demanded and yet as dense as any teenager, the quirks that made him who he was hidden under a veneer of excellence.
Said boy was surprised for a moment but then composed himself. "I appreciate the thought, but I think I had enough of such topics for the day." He checked his phone. "Shall we get going? It's getting late."
Sure enough, it indeed was, so Ren agreed with him and they both changed back to their original clothes, Ren going first. As he waited for Akechi finish however, picking the clothes he wished to purchase, he noticed the detective staring at his phone before he said,
"Could you go on ahead? I want to finish something up before I make my purchase."
Ren was very curious what that could be, but considering how intently he looked at his phone, he just complied with his request. And soon enough, they left the shop and bid each other farewell. It was a rather unusual shopping trip. After all, how often did one get into philosophical discussions during one? But Ren was satisfied nonetheless, at getting some new outfits, and seeing more of the Akechi under his mask and getting closer to him.
Author's Notes: Why yes I put a (quote-unquote) "Phantom of the Opera" reference that I believe most won't get. Guess what it is.
...I'll be legitimately pleasantly surprised if you do.
Also, man, making Ren so interested in clothes can be exasperating because now when I describe clothes I often fall down a hole of research amd that can get tiresome but at the same time I'm enjoying knowing more. Gah! Lazy bum with research... Ahem. The store's name is Smile because the real life equivalent is called Nico, and one of the kanji for smile (微笑) can be used for the Japanese name, Niko. Which I remember because of Rei from Persona Q (if you know, you know), though the exact kanji isn't used in her case. Just like here, as far as I know, the place is a used clothing store in Kichijoji (south west of Kichijoji north station exit plaza; Sun Road north of it, and right by it).
And besides, I'm just excited in general to do this arc. And that's saying something since I was also looking forward to so much in the Futaba arc.
