"Akiyama-san, you foresaw this development didn't you?"
Her voice was crystal-clear, like those of the ringing of glass bells on a bright shiny day. Her earnest gaze, brilliant as ever, was fixed on the scraggy man in front of her. And he smiled. Just a faint smile that curved the end of his lips merely a bit, but it was a smile indeed.
"Hmmmpph… maybe"
For Akiyama, being misunderstood and scared of is nothing new. On the other hand, figuring out people was always his forte. But this girl, young and naïve had managed to see through him. And that made him somewhat proud of her—not that he wasn't paying her his respect, but truth be told, he was somewhat aggravated to see her there.
Didn't Akagi pay her enough to escape the game—and to gain her some money to guarantee the rest of her life? What on earth is she doing here? Hasn't she got enough of the game, and being tricked enough by the fake lawyer to figure that that person was only luring her to the game over and over again? Indeed, she said something about unfinished business, but still her presence made him uneasy.
For Kanzaki Nao, the unfinished business usually means someone to be saved, but could she by any chance have another motive to come back? If she were to lose this game, well, she has nothing to lose—Akagi's money would cover her loss, but if she were to win, that's quite another story. She would end up enormously rich. Akiyama knows that that was totally out of character for Kanzaki Nao to do that, but he also knows that money does change people, and recently the little crybaby had grown to someone who could actually drive people. Not that she realizes that, that Akiyama could rely onto at least until now. But supposing she does realize?
That's why Akiyama decided to pull a little trick on her. He had betrayed her plan (he had only betrayed her on the surface—if this was the genuine Kanzaki Nao, she must've found out about it one way or another, or she could probably figure out another way out. She is persistent). He even went as far as being indifferent with her. So much for figuring her out.
And she succeeded to answer his expectations—she passed his test.
And the fact that Kanzaki Nao actually figured him out really relieved him, because that means she was truly concerned with saving all the players—that she was indeed being distressed with the loss the other players could've suffered. Not that he had forgotten her determination that ranked her as the pig since when she tried to persuade them into cooperating, but he needs something. An infallible evidence of Kanzaki Nao's whole character, because if she's not the same Kanzaki Nao he used to know, his entire plan would've failed for her honesty and kindness was the only thing to keep his plan in motion. And now that Akiyama knows that she is still the-ever-so-sincere Kanzaki Nao Akiyama knows that they would win.
She's still his trump card. And he is the least ashamed of giving her (another) credit in front of them. Surely he won't admit that he is probably being the one who need her the most—and he always talked like her existence worth most for the other players. But being the only one to figure him out like that, he knows that she'll get his message.
And Kanzaki Nao knows that she won't ever forget that day (not that she ever forgets all the expressions and credits Akiyama Shinichi had ever given her), the day when Akiyama credits her so blatantly in front of everyone as the 'only trustworthy existence'. And she was glad, though she would never admit it, not so near in the future with the Games still running, that Akiyama had entered this awful Game once again as well as she did.