Akiko notices something one day. In general, Hidari Shotarou is a very passionate man. Passionate, but not a very emotional person.

He was a passionate man; he was passionate about his clients, passionate about his work – passionate about life. He'd go to the ends of the Earth to find the mystery. Heck, if it wasn't for Phillip (and on a good day, Akiko), he'd die for them.

But he doesn't really get carried away. He doesn't grow unnaturally hot-tempered. He doesn't jump in where his nose isn't asked for. Before Akiko appeared, nobody'd really been on the receiving end of his bad side: Not even the occasional actual bad guy.

She wonders why.

Surely, Shotarou has reason to be run by his emotions. As cliché as it is, Shotarou was an orphan. A year after the event, he still blamed himself for the death of his mentor. His partner was a wanted man – a constant worry on his chest. And then constant jabs and jerks of the official police investigators weren't exactly pleasantries for him to reflect upon.

Still, Shotarou went about his day in a calm, collected mood. On his worst day (when Akiko wasn't hitting him over the head with her slipper) the worst he got was frustrated.

Akiko just doesn't get it. Why is Shotarou so calm!?

It isn't until she finally sees Shotarou lose his temper that a guess is made.

Of course, he's yelling at her precious Ryu-kun about poor Lily-san. Even Akiko feels her heartbreaking from Ryu's adamant stance. (So the girl made a mistake – she was just trying to make her grandfather proud.) Shotarou has Ryu's collar wrapped up inside his fists and Akiko would be surprised when those fists punched Ryu in the face. To her left, Phillip grasps his forehead with a soft groan, looking down at the ground like he has a fierce headache.

It's...weird, what happens next. Akiko could barely hear the groan, but somehow across the garage, Shotarou could hear it. His demeanor turns as his head does, towards the two of them. Suddenly, he's letting Ryu go. He's walking away and putting his hands on his hips, breathing out in a quick huff. Shotarou calms down after doing this a few times, at the same time Phillip seems to be feeling better.

Interesting...

Things happen in a whirlwind that Akiko sort of forgets the phenomenon for a moment. (She's a little busy wondering if Shotarou is alive.) At this point, she too is upset with Ryu. Why won't he help her? He's an officer – he's supposed to be protecting people like Lily (and Shotarou.)

But Phillip – Phillip has lost it. He raises his voice at Ryu, grabs him by the collar, and blames him for his partner's injuries – out loud. The same time, Phillip has tears shining in his eyes and he's running his fingers through his hair much more than his usual habit. Phillip is a whirlwind of emotion – like he doesn't know what he's supposed to be feeling. Akiko watches with the slightest bit of intrigue, but mainly she feels his pain. She focuses on Shotarou.

Akiko keeps this information to herself for a good long while. It's not so much as her little secret, but she's not even sure if she's even right in the first place. Yes, the two share a body – but emotions? They weren't even Double when she saw that! Could this be their partnership? How can she be sure? How can she test this?

It isn't something really conventional – so she just decides to ask outright.

"Phillip-kun, can you feel what Shotarou is feeling?"

Shotarou spits out his coffee, Ryu chokes on his toast, and (strangely enough) Phillip just laughs. He leans forward on the couch and fingers his text in his usual fashion. "Well...empathy has been proven to be highly improbable between two people, as the no nerve cell reacts to a stimulant the exact same way, although cases have shown proven empathy in twins, especially ones with a female participant, although that has also been theorized to be highly coincidental cases of paranoia, and if Shotarou and I were an empathy, then he would also turn void when we turn into Double, but for all intents and purposes – yes." He smiles up at her with his usual smile.

The thing is...his eyes – his eyes aren't trained on Akiko, like any other person's would be when answering a question. Akiko points and follows his gaze to...Shotarou: A very pink and blushing Shotarou.

Phillip picks up his book and saunters (oh yes, he VERY MUCH saunters) to the garage. "And, just so you know, Shotarou feels my emotions just the same as well." The door opens and Phillip disappears for the day.

Akiko giggles, covering her face to try and contain them. Shotarou is pulling at his tie like it all of a sudden just became a bit too stuffy in here. Ryu...Ryu seems to be acting like he never heard the conversation in the first place.

"Well...now you know." Shotarou blurts out. He goes behind the desk, slouching in his seat and tipping the fedora down over his (still) blushing face.