Saionji didn't actually think it was a good idea, going back to see the Chairman, but the whole day seemed to be prohibitive to good ideas. Even just setting foot in Ohtori was dangerous, he now realized, for far more than sentimental reasons.
How many times had he ridden this same elevator? Not as often as Touga had, to be certain, but frequently enough that the memory was unavoidable, winding around him and through him.
The carriage halted, door sliding open, and Saionji stepped out into the planetarium. Showing more conviction than he felt, he strode over to the same spot where he had just spoken with Akio, the pair of white couches on the far side of the room. The Chairman was still there. Had he been waiting the whole time?
"How did your little reunion go?"
"That's not something that concerns you."
Akio smiled incredulously. "Really? Then what are you doing back here?"
"Let him go."
"Touga? I'm not holding him here against his will." The Chairman rose, revealing that he still stood a few inches taller than his former student. "Besides, he would hardly thank you for arranging his affairs behind his back. Doesn't he get a choice in the matter?"
What was it about that question that felt like a much more weighty accusation than it should have been?
For a moment, Saionji actually considered leaving, turning his back and storming away. Not that he wanted to give Akio the satisfaction of watching him give up, but Touga was doing a remarkable impression of someone who really didn't want to leave.
Instead, Saionji straightened up and put on an arrogant expression. "I thought that, for once, he might as well be the one to find out what's been planned for him after the fact."
Akio fixed his former student with a long, steady look. Saionji gritted his teeth, trying to summon up the strength, or even just the anger, to meet the Chairman's eyes, but he couldn't manage it. Akio smiled indulgently as Saionji looked away.
"That look doesn't suit you, Vice President."
Akio's voice sounded from closer than Saionji expected, and he looked up to see the man standing not five feet from himself, tracing the bottom of his lower lip with one long, slender finger. Saionji took a quick, unsteady step back.
"Perhaps," the Chairman said, still smiling, "I shouldn't make things so hard on you. Do you want to know what brought your friend back here?" His fingers slipped down to run along his bared throat.
The whole day seemed prohibitive to good ideas. But Saionji had no doubt that having any more to do with Akio than he absolutely had to wasn't a bad idea that would pay off. Everyone who let Akio use them, everyone who believed his lies- it devastated them all. It gave him an idea, though.
But, old friend, Saionji thought, what if there was nothing to hold over my head?
He faced the Chairman, squaring his shoulders. "You're right. Touga should have a choice in his own fate. If he wants to throw it all away here, it's none of my business. Good day." He turned and left.
