Burnt Black i
Summary: She was lucky things had turned out like this. That's how everyone else would look at it anyway, given her position.
This pairing actually got some votes on my poll, so I decided to go ahead with this little idea. Enjoy!
"Rise Kujikawa's brand new CD comes out just next month! But if you pre-order SAPPHIRE now you'll get three bonus tracks plus this adorable charm for your phone! Don't wait, call now!"
Haru's thumb slid along the side of her phone absently as the commercial ended, and the channel went back to its regular programming.
"And now, onto the 'Hottest Meet-And-Greet' segment of our show. After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!" One of the show's hosts, a woman was being overly enthusiastic for the in-station crowd or perhaps just the audience in general.
"Hello there," Akechi said with a bright smile. He looked completely at ease on television.
"Thank you for taking the time to join us today., Akechi-kun. Your popularity is stunning." The male host added in.
"Even I've found it to be suite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing, though."
"Moving along," the female host slipped in. "We've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?"
"Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame."
"There it is! All of this phantom thief excitement has caught your attention too, Akechi-kun! Allow me to be blunt for just a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?" Ah, it made sense that the male host would bring up such a recent rumor. It was a popular theory that the reason criminals kept announcing their crimes these days was because of a group going by such a mysterious sounding name, considering they would send a calling card out to their victims before hand.
"If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist."
"Ohhh, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?"
"I may not seem like it, but I sometimes wish that Santa Claus actually existed. Although if he did, I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering." Laughter floated up from the crowd, mainly females. "But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real... I believe they should be tried in a court of law." There was that unshakable pursuit for justice.
"That's quite the statement. Are they committing crimes?" The male host inquired. "Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways."
"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart."
"You have a point. These people are calling themselves the Phantom Thieves, after all. Amazing as always, Akechi-kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most raident charisma!" He certainly did.
Her lips twitched up as she looked at the small screen on her phone. It wasn't the choice she had expected her father to make.
"I have to say though, I would be embarrassed if it turns out these Phantom Thieves don't exist. If that were the case, I'd summarize it into a report as a school project."
"Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun about the Phantom Thieves!" The female host looked out into the crowd beyond the camera. "First, please press your button if you think the Phantom Thieves exist!"
A device beeped as the numbers came in, showing up on a board to the left. "About thirty percent or so? What are you thoughts, Akechi-kun?"
"I'm a bit surprised. That's higher than I was expecting. I'd love to hear some more detailed opinions on the Phantom Thieves' actions."
The female host stood up at Akechi's words, walking past the camera and supposedly into their live audience. "All right, let's try asking this student here. Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?"
"They do more than the cops," some vaguely familiar voice spoke up from the crowd.
Akechi laughed lightheartedly.
"This completely goes against the opinion you had about them being tried by law, Akechi-kun," the host still on-screen pointed out.
"Indeed. It's rather intriguing to hear such a strong acknowledgement. In that case, there's one more question I 'd like to ask... If someone close to you, for example your friend next to you. If his heart suddenly changed, wouldn't you think it was the work of the Phantom Thieves?"
"They only target criminals," the student replied.
"I see. But how can you be so sure? Whether the Thieves' actions are good or not, I feel there is a more important issue at hand."
"Hm? What do you mean?" the male host asked as his companion walked back up into the camera's view.
"The matter of how they change people's hearts. If they honestly possess that ability... it could be used for more than extracting confessions. It could be that what seem to be ordinary crimes are actually being perpetrated by these methods."
"You know, you're absolutely right." The male host agreed a little too quickly, like he was uncertain of how any of it could be possible. Changing someone's heart was vague enough with no evidence of how they did it, adding in that the Phantom Thieves could be capable of even more was-
"Oh, please don't misunderstand. This is all purely hypothetical. It is only if people who can use such a power truly exist. Either way though, this cannot be ignored. The existence of the Phantom Thieves would be nothing but a threat to our every day lives. To be honest, I'm already working alongside the police to help sort out this matter."
A jingle sounded as the Hottest Meet-And-Greet segment came to a close and a commercial popped up soon after. Haru hit the home icon on the bottom of her phone to get out of the app, pressing lightly on the power button afterward so the screen went black. She slid the item back into her pocket, gazing at the concrete wall as the minutes ticked by, getting lost in her own thoughts.
Until the back door leading into the television station opened up, the bright light flooding the narrow alleyway. It took a second for her eyes to adjust, recognizing Akechi in the doorway. Haru pushed herself up from the crate she had been sitting on, taking a step forward to stop a second later. For a moment Akechi looked tired standing there, and a tad... what was the word she was looking for? Irritated? Whatever it was it made his features seem to twist, the shadows surrounding him growing darker, like something sinister. A chill ran down her spine.
He turned his head to her though, blinking and the vision seemed to disperse like a mirage. Akechi smiled at her and the chill she felt before went away.
It must have just been her imagination. Still, he hadn't been smiling when he came out. "Are you alright?"
Akechi seemed surprised as he stepped into the alley, letting the door close behind him. "Yes, I'm fine." He glanced around the alley, before his gaze settled back on her. "I'm sorry for making you wait out here."
Her eyes widened. He really was a fine gentleman, considering he didn't have to agree with this in the first place. "Oh, no. It's fine. I understand." She really didn't mind adhering to his requests since she was the one intruding on him, due to her father's wishes in the first place. And Haru liked this outcome better than being matched with Sugimura, so it's not like she could really complain without her father starting to talk about making him her fiance instead.
Which happened to make a lot of awkward silent moments, just like this.
"How about we go out? I'll treat you, of course," Akechi spoke up.
"Huh?" Haru blinked. Was he being serious? "I thought you didn't want to be seen with me?"
"Ah, I should have worded that better. When I mentioned the arrangement to a trusted individual they mentioned such a thing out of the blue wouldn't allow me to talk about anything but the arrangement on the shows I usually go on." Akechi let out a soft chuckle. "He even mentioned it could hurt my popularity, not that it would matter. Anyways, I do think they were just trying to look out for me, so I took them up on most of their advice. It would be best for the time being that we don't make a large scene. Your father could still change his mind after all."
"Yes," she agreed. At least, she wouldn't put it past her father if he decided he wouldn't get what he wanted out of this arrangement. Not that she was entirely sure what that even was. It seemed he would gain a lot more from Sugimura, but she really didn't understand politics, and mainly just thought of this as a lucky break. Sugimura was not someone she wanted to end up married to for the rest of her life.
"Hm, are you okay, Haru?"
"I'm fine," she said quickly, not wanting to make him worry. It would be her fault if she was handed over to Sugimura anyway. If she happened to upset her father or Akechi told him he wasn't open to this idea any longer. She didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.
"Shall we get going, then?" Akechi asked, extending a hand out towards her.
She took it, perhaps clasping on to his hand a little too tightly.