Here we are with Chapter 30 folks! Phew, to think I'd reach 10x the original estimate I made all the way back in my first chapter a month and a bit ago.
The woman in the pink blouse looked at him, eyes shining with ill-concealed interest that belied an intent for increasing the reality show's viewership count.
"You're the boy from the recent viral video, aren't you? Would you like to join us and Akechi-kun on stage?" the pink-clad woman asked, but even Akira could tell she'd positioned her question in a way that would force him to accept. He could feel the gazes of countless students falling onto and urging him to accept.
'Dammit, Goro. What did you not understand about the fact that I'd like to very much stay away from cameras?' Akira mentally snarked while allowing a façade of genial acceptance to spread across his expression.
And Goro had been the one to say he'd done a wonderful job of plastering his face across every online media and only some news outlets. Now it was because of Goro that his face would likely be seen across every news outlet that decided to cover this, never mind the fact that it'd be commemorated on live television or in front of a third of the second-year students.
Akira allowed the minutest of sighs to escape his lips as he stood up, the woman taking him by the wrist to bodily drag him onto the stage. The killer of a god being dragged into a stage for the sake of viewership, how far Akira had fallen.
"To think that something like this would happen on live television!" the suited host of the show grinned broadly as Akira sat down beside Goro. The broad grin on the host's face only seemed to grow even further as he brought a finger up to the communicator in his ear, his brown orbs swivelling between both Goro and Akira.
"Akechi-kun, I've just received information from one of my superiors. Would you be amenable to increasing the running time of the show to accommodate this young man?" the man asked curiously, but it was impossible to miss the hope within his voice.
"No, that's fine by me," Goro accepted but Akira didn't miss the conflicted expression that flashed across his face and the strain in his voice.
Goro, you should've declined. Akira decided if he was going to suffer up here he'd have to make sure Goro suffered as well.
"That's wonderful! What do you all think?" the pink-clad female asked as she turned to the Shujin audience for a response, and their response was not lacking in the slightest. The cheers from most of the female and even some of the male audience shook the plush and annoyingly comfortable couch Akira was sitting on.
"Hahaha, it seems they agree," the man chuckled as an assistant quickly ran onto the stage, a small device in hand, a clip-on microphone attached to a communicator/receiver box which he thrust into Akira's hands. Akira gave another imperceptible sigh before he clipped the microphone onto his collar before sliding the receiver down the front of his shirt so the wire was hidden from view, grabbed the receiver and hid it in his pocket.
"Is the microphone working by any chance young man?" the host asked questioningly, looking at Akira searchingly.
"Would you be sad if I said no?" Akira asked with the microphone, unfortunately, working as intended.
"Ha! Not a fan of cameras, I assume?" the suited man asked with a chuckle to which Akira shook his head.
"No. Well that and a certain someone has been on my case about being all over the internet," Akira snarked inclining his head at Goro who was now wearing a strained smile, his façade slowly breaking as Akira already began to test his patience.
"I'm sure you must have some interesting stories for us about Akechi-kun then," the woman in the pink blouse leered before remembering where she was. "Oh, I just realised we don't know your name! Would you mind introducing yourself to everyone," the woman requested, motioning to the two cameras recording them as she did so.
Akira sent the camera a charming smile and a wave, "Hello, I'm sure some at Shujin Academy know my name, but for those and the viewers that don't, my name is Akira Kurusu," Akira gave a short introduction.
"Thank you for that, Kurusu-san," the male host thanked him. "Now, would you mind telling us a few things about yourself before we begin the questions with both Akechi-kun and yourself?"
Akira allowed a slight grin to worm its way onto his face as Goro actually gave a suffering sigh beside him, likely already realising how having Akira on stage with him was a bad idea. "What would you like to know?" he asked, allowing himself to actually get settled in the stupidly plush couch.
Both the suited man and the blouse-clad woman smiled, leaning forward as if they'd landed upon a goldmine. "Well, I'm sure as most viewers can see from your uniform and what we were discussing earlier that you're from Shujin Academy. Do you have any extracurricular sports or clubs that you attend? I think some of our viewers might be interested," the woman asked, one leg crossing over the other.
"Ah… well, I don't have any extracurricular activity or club that I attend," Akira admitted only to earn him some slightly disappointed looks from the two of them.
"What he's not telling you is that he's part of the student council of Shujin Academy," a traitorous voice said from beside him. Akira looked to his left and saw Goro giving him a smug smirk.
You just sealed your fate, you traitorous asshat.
"Truly?" the disappointed looks disappeared from their faces and were replaced with ones of interest and excitement.
"Indeed," Goro nodded a smile on his face. "He's the vice-president in fact."
"My, to think you hold such a position within your school," the man praised, "Your parents must be proud of you."
Both Goro and Akira grimaced, confused and concerned glances being sent their way.
"I'm… an orphan actually," Akira shook his head, a look of horror and apology appearing on the man's face as he backpedalled to apologise.
"O-Oh, I-I'm sorry-" the man began to but stopped when Akira made a motion to stop him.
"Don't be, you didn't know," he waved him off which earned him a thankful look from the man. "But yes, I am the student council vice-president," Akira nodded.
"W-Well, you certainly get around, don't you?" the woman spoke up to break the strange tension. "The incident with Kamoshida-san, the incident with the girl in the video, and even being a student council vice-president," she continued, "I'd say you're quite like Akechi-kun."
"About Akechi-kun, would you happen to have anything to tell us about him? Akechi-kun has been quite tight-lipped about his personal life," the host changed the topic, quickly realising that digging into the young man's past and his reaction had already caused a dip in viewership.
He needed to do something to regain the views that were being lost, even if his superiors hadn't been yelling in his ear for his blunder.
Goro sent Akira a pleading look only to become crestfallen at the smug grin that had suddenly appeared across said teen's face. "I have so many things I could tell you," Akira smiled, "I hope you don't begrudge me for being petty, if Goro wanted to spill some secrets of mine I'd love to spill some of his."
"You call Akechi-kun 'Goro'?" the woman cocked her head at the fact Akira had called Goro by his first name and the fact he'd barely reacted.
"I've known Akira for a long time," Goro sighed, the cameras capturing every single iota of suffering and despair that was on his face as he realised Akira was going to be taking a sledgehammer and absolutely destroy the reputation he'd so carefully cultivated over the past two-and-a-bit years.
"How about we start at the beginning?" the woman asked with a kindly smile, "How did the two of you meet?"
Goro's head shot up and looked at Akira with narrowed eyes. "Don't," Goro warned quietly, but with the microphone clipped to his shirt, it was more than audible.
Akira just sent him a shit-eating grin before turning to the hosts of the show. "Would you believe me if I told you that when we first met Goro was the foulest little gremlin you could imagine?" Akira asked.
A short silence resounded throughout the recording studio as the hosts blinked in unison.
"Excuse me?" the woman asked, double-checking that she'd heard correctly which only caused Akira to grin even further while Goro's façade fully dropped, the wine-eyed teen burying his face into his hands with a groan, said arms propped up by the elbows on his knees.
"See, the first time we met was around three years ago," Akira explained. "I'd recently moved into my house but it was a bit big for living by myself, so I'd placed a notice out looking for housemates."
The two hosts fell silent as they looked at Akira with rapt attention, the audience doing the same as far as he could tell without looking at him.
"And then, one morning my doorbell starts to ring while I'm in the middle of making some pancakes. It turned out that Goro at the time was looking for a place to stay and had come across my notice," Akira continued. "Of course, after a round of introduction, pancakes, and being the foul little gremlin he was, Goro didn't exactly trust me."
"You were a fourteen-year-old offering me a place to stay, of course, I would be suspicious," Goro groaned earning him startled looks as everyone quickly realised that everything that Akira had said was the truth.
"And then, after I'd fed him, he walked right out the door, grabbed his luggage and walked right back in, taking command of one of my bedrooms," Akira smiled at the stunned hosts. "That was how we first met and have been friends ever since."
"You… live together?" the host blinked, asking uncertainly to make sure that what he'd heard had been correct.
"Yup," Akira said, popping the p, "Have been for the last three-years up until even now. I've had the pleasure of watching Goro mature from a rude gremlin into the second-coming of the detective prince."
He at least had to make Goro's reputation wasn't too shattered.
"And I've had the pleasure of witnessing you grow from an insufferable fourteen-year-old into an insufferable seventeen-year-old that is somehow my closest friend and the bane of my existence," Goro snarked back once more stunning at the words comping from the usually composed detective prince.
"As you can see, some of the feral gremlin in him comes out when I push his buttons," Akira chuckled.
"You two are quite close, aren't you?" the host smiled, surprised but in a pleasant way to see the young man beneath the detective prince. It was certainly more than any other news or reality shows would ever be able to acquire from the teen.
"Much to my dismay at times," Goro nodded, but in stark contrast to his normal demeanour, there was a small genuine grin on his face. "He can find a way to effortlessly push my buttons. It's quite irritating really."
"It doesn't help I know lots of little secrets about him," Akira piped up. "Like the fact that Goro can't cook. Or that he has an obsession over pancakes," he said causing the brown-haired teen to look at him affronted.
"That was one time!" Goro argued. "And you can't talk, you're addicted to coffee."
"You tried to put out an oil fire with water, almost burning the house down in the process. You were making pancakes, you don't even need that much oil. It's the reason why I'm the one that cooks between the two of us," Akira retorted. "And I'm quite comfortable in my hypocrisy, thank you very much."
The two hosts watched the two argue back and forth like a tennis match, the enraptured audience doing the same. Goro eventually just let out an exhausted sigh while making a motion to Akira.
"This is what I mean by the fact he can effortlessly push my buttons," Goro groused causing the hosts and the audience to burst out into laughter at the bickering between the two.
"Ha, well if you'd like we can move onto our topic previously if you'd like? Kurusu-san can continue to join us on stage if you're both agreeable?" the man offered, realising that almost half of the allotted time for the both of them had passed with neither of the questions they'd originally posed to Akechi being answered.
"That would be appreciated," Goro nodded then looked at Akira. "Is that okay with you?"
Akira just shrugged. "Sure… shame I can't spill any more secrets of yours," he bemoaned sadly.
"Yes, such a shame," Goro ground out dryly while rolling his eyes. Shaking his head, the two of them looked at the two hosts. "We were talking about the two cases regarding Ichiryusai Madarame and Suguru Kamoshida that I've recently undertaken, the first being given to me by my superiors on top of my current case on the second," he said, receiving twin nods.
"That is indeed correct, and Kurusu-san, I think I can say for all of us that your recovery has gone well," the cheerful suited host addressed the frizzy-haired teen that only nodded before returning his attention back to Akechi. "Madarame was said to have been sent a calling card by those calling themselves 'the Phantom Thieves of Hearts'. They've caused quite a bit of excitement with the public."
"Ah, the Phantom Thieves…" Goro murmured to himself, but his words were once more caught no matter how lowly he whispered. "They were also involved with the unresisting surrender of Kamoshida-san."
"Oh, I wasn't aware of that," the pink-clad woman tilted her head.
Goro shook his head. "It's not quite public knowledge since it was only confined to Shujin Academy rather than Ueno, but yes, the Phantom Thieves were indeed involved with his confession. I was only aware due to Akira's past encounters with the man."
"I see… if you would allow me to be blunt, what are your opinions on these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves? I'd like to hear both of your opinions," the cheerful host asked curiously.
The both of them straightened themselves in their seat, Akira curious as to what Goro would say.
"If they are truly heroes of justice, then I sincerely hope they exist," Goro spoke.
The suited man nodded.
"And yourself, Kurusu-san?"
Akira nodded in agreement. "I believe that they exist. I also believe that they can be a force for change," he gave his own opinion.
"Interesting, so both of you agree in the possibility that they are real. Have the two of you discussed this before?" he asked.
Goro shook his head, Akira doing the same much to the man's surprise. "Actually, we haven't. I had meant to at one point, however, I have since been side-tracked and distracted with work," Goro explained with a smile.
"You've both said you believe that they exist… however, I noticed neither of you actually stated any personal opinions," the man said, his colleague allowing him to take the reins, so to speak.
The smile from Goro's face faded. "Hypothetically, if the Phantom Thieves are real…" Goro began, and Akira knew at this point that Goro was still holding true to his own justice, "…even with the good they have done, they should be tried in a court of law."
"That's quite the opinion," the host stated, his cheer dying down as the discussion of opinions began. "Are they committing a crime?" he inquired, "Some say that the Thieves are helping their victims abandon their evil ways."
Goro only shook his head in disagreement, "What Madarame-san and Kamoshida-san have done are both truly unforgiveable crimes, however, the Phantom Thieves have taken the law into their own hands and have judged them themselves."
Goro leaned back in contemplation. "The ends are justified, yes, but what concerns me is the means. How would one forcibly change the heart and mental state of an individual? Is it moral or ethical?" he explained before looking up at the two hosts.
"Do not misunderstand me. I do not wish for them to be condemned or praised, I merely wish to gain an understanding of if their methods are acceptable in the face of true justice," Goro shook his head. "If so, I have no issue with the Phantom Thieves. However, if they are not morally or ethically acceptable, then I would find them guilty of committing crimes."
"You have given this quite a bit of thought Akechi-kun," the suited host nodded, the cameras having recorded the whole discussion. He then moved onto Akira. "And what about you, Kurusu-san? What are your opinions of the Phantom Thieves?" he asked.
"I'm actually quite curious as well," Goro nodded.
Akira paused for a moment, thinking over his words.
"I… still stand by my words that the Phantom Thieves can be a force for change," Akira said. "However, I have yet to decide if that change is for better or worse."
"Oh, would you be willing to elaborate?" the man asked curiously, leaning forward while Goro looked at him.
Akira nodded. "As Goro said, the Phantom Thieves have judged both Kamoshida and Madarame by their own hands and have proven themselves to be a good group that exposes dangerous elements hidden from the public," Akira spoke, capturing everyone's attention. "But that isn't necessarily a good thing…"
"That's… quite the controversial thing to say Akira-san. Why would you say something so controversial but so brave?" the man asked.
Akira paused.
"Because I'd rather form my own opinions and judge their actions for myself rather than follow what everyone else thinks. The Phantom Thieves have done much good… but they can also indirectly do a lot of bad," Akira said earning him confused looks.
"They create a dependence," Akira explained as he noticed the confused looks from both hosts. "In the short-term, they uncover crimes and resolve issues for those that need assistance. However, in the long-term, I fear if the public depends on the Phantom Thieves."
"Why is that?" Goro asked curiously.
"Because nothing is forever," Akira shrugged. "If more and more people depend on the Phantom Thieves, what would happen if they disappear? They're only a group of people, and I doubt they'd be around forever. And they cannot do everything."
"You're concerned about the long-term impact as opposed to their current actions then?" Goro summarised, looking at Akira strangely.
"Yes…" Akira nodded. "I don't begrudge what they do, but I fear for when they become so depended on that a void is left behind when they disappear. I also fear the backlash they would face if they failed to meet the public's expectations."
"My, the both of you have such insightful and interesting opinions on the Phantom Thieves," the host commended. "I must admit I hadn't expected such charisma from you Kurusu-san. Akechi-kun we are familiar with the charisma he radiates but you were quite unexpected."
"You're going to make me blush," Akira said airily as he swung an arm around Goro's neck, "But I'll leave the cameras and lights to Goro next time."
Goro shook his head wryly as he pushed the frizzy-haired teen off him while the two hosts laughed.
"Haha, you two are quite the pair!" the suited host laughed jovially.
"Now then, let's see what other students the same age as Akechi-kun and Kurusu-san think about the Phantom Thieves!" the female host announced as they moved on with the show. "First, please press your button now if you think the Phantom Thieves exist."
Beside Goro and the suited announcer, a giant sign beside them sparking to life with the number seventeen, signalling that seventeen of the forty-one or so students had voted that the Phantom Thieves existed.
"About 30% or so? What are your thoughts?" the cheerful host asked the both of them.
"Truthfully? I'm surprised it isn't higher," Goro admitted surprising Akira. "Shujin Academy was the debut location of the Phantom Thieves after all. I'd love to hear some more detailed opinions of students other than Akira on the Phantom Thieves actions. I believe it would provide more insight into my cases."
Both Goro and Akira watched as the punk-blouse warning announcer stood up and made her way back into the audience of students, looking around at them before focusing on one in particular.
"All right, let's ask this young woman," the announcer nodded as she thrust a microphone in Rem's face to little surprise from Akira. "Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?" she inquired.
"They've done more than the police so far," came Rem's answer which caused Goro to chuckle.
"Yes, I suppose they have. The police have only been reactive in the cases that have been brought to light, myself included," Goro nodded. "I'll admit, I wasn't quite ready to hear such a strong acknowledgement of the Phantom Thieves actions."
"I have a question I'd like to pose to you…" Goro leaned forward while Akira watched, the brown-haired teen's focus placed solely on Rem. "If your friend, such as the one beside you were to have his heart changed… would you not be worried about the methods behind how it was done?"
"Would you?" Rem shot back, her quick reply causing Goro to tilt his head.
"Very much so," Goro nodded. "If Akira were to suddenly and violently change so drastically compared to his usual self, I would worry about what methods would have been used to incur such a change. If the Phantom Thieves had stolen his heart… I would question what they had done to him."
Akira found himself blindsided by the casual admittance from Goro.
Goro, however, just gave a satisfied nod. "I think I've satisfied my questions for now," Goro thanked the hosts before looking up at the giant digital clock behind the audience that was only visible from the stage, "However, I think we are out of time."
"Oh, it seems you're right!" the cheerful host exclaimed as his colleague returned to the stage. Both the host and his colleague stood up, Goro standing up with Akira following his lead. "Thank you for tuning in on our Hottest 'Meet-and-Greet' segment of our show with Goro Akechi, and a surprise guest appearance from the latest viral sensation, Akira Kurusu!"
The man extended his hand to which Goro took, while the woman extended her own dainty hand which Akira took gently, the four of them smiling at the cameras as they did so.
The three quickly vacated their seats and left alongside the rest of the Shujin students as directed by Miss Kawakami.
"Man, that was some seriously heavy stuff…" Ryuji murmured shaking his head as they stopped for a moment. "I mean, I get why that Akechi dude is worried an' all… I mean I wouldn't believe half the stuff we did if I wasn't out doin' it…"
Ann and Rem nodded understandingly. "Tell me about it, I wasn't expecting Kurusu-kun to say stuff like that… what happens when we're gone? I mean… we all know we can't do this forever…" Ann said trailing off uncertainly.
It was Rem, however, who was unbothered and simply shrugged. "We've done what we have to help people. And we have helped people," Rem stated causing Ryuji and Ann to look at her. "If we can make the world a better place piece by piece… I'm sure that when we're gone, we won't have anything to be worried about."
"Wow…" Ann uttered with wide eyes. "You're surprisingly optimistic."
"Ain't you bothered?" Ryuji asked.
Rem's shoulders rose and fell as she shook her head. "If we didn't do what we did… Yusuke would still be suffering… Shiho and everyone else in Shujin would still be suffering…" she explained. "I won't regret saving someone else."
That was what she'd vowed to Selina. She would steal her own justice unafraid of the consequences that awaited her.
"When you put it like that… you've got a point, huh?" Ryuji said before giving a grin.
"Yeah, Rem's right! We're helping people, aren't we?" Ann nodded, cheered up compared to earlier.
"You're getting good at those small speeches of yours, Rem," Morgana praised as he popped out from his bag for the briefest moment to compliment her before returning before anyone noticed him.
Suddenly, Ryuji winced while crossing his legs awkwardly. "Ah damn, I gotta go take a leak. Can you two wait here? I'll be right back!" he called out before darting off in search of a nearby restroom without waiting for a response.
"Ugh, we were having a moment and he just had to go and ruin it," Ann groused.
"He could have been a little more quiet before announcing it at least," Rem shook her head but the two stayed where they were as requested.
"Oh, it's you! Rem, wasn't it?" a voice called out causing both Rem and Ann to look up to see the familiar visage of Goro Akechi.
"Akechi-san!" Ann said in surprise as one of the two people they'd just been talking about approached the two of them. She noticed the lack of a certain frizzy-haired teen. "Where's Kurusu-kun?" she asked.
The burgundy-eyes teen gave a smile as he inclined his head in the direction of the hallway that led deeper into the studio. "He's saying farewell to the manager of the studio since they're acquainted. He'll be back shortly…" Akechi's head tilted as he looked at Ann. "I'm sorry… I know this is repeating myself, but we've met prior to yesterday have we not?"
Rem looked at Goro and Ann in surprise, unaware that they were acquainted.
Ann nodded. "Yeah… we met briefly in the intensive care unit where Kurusu-kun and Shiho were brought to after she tried to commit suicide and Kurusu-kun stepped in to save her…" Ann murmured.
"Ah, you were the one that accompanied Suzui-san while Yoshizawa-san accompanied Akira," Akechi nodded understandingly, "My condolences."
"Thank you… actually, not just for that…" Ann shook her head before looking at Akechi. "Thank you for not letting the hosts talk about Shiho… she's been through enough already…"
Akechi gave her a gentle smile. "I understand, I saw both hers and Akira's list of injuries. What happened to her shouldn't be public knowledge," Akechi explained, Ann giving him a grateful nod.
"Uh, you said you were looking for Rem?" Ann cocked her head.
"Indeed," Akechi nodded before turning to Rem. "I wanted to thank you, actually. To paraphrase Hegel, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis…"
"You found meaning with those questions you asked then?" Rem questioned, curious as to why he was quoting a German philosopher.
"You understood that?" Ann murmured quietly but was left unanswered.
"Indeed," Akechi nodded with a smile, "I can count on one hand the number of people that I know that are so willing to speak their minds as freely as you have, even then, there's only one person that treats me like an equal. The rest are adults that would otherwise dismiss what I say outright."
"There are many vile people in these modern times, as such, I can understand why you support the Phantom Thieves," Akechi said.
"I'm surprised you don't since they brought the one that indirectly harmed Akira to justice," Rem rose a brow as she reported causing Akechi to simultaneously grimace and chuckle.
"Yes… one would think I would support the Phantom Thieves after what they have done, however, as part of the police, much less a detective, I must remain logical and objective even should I wish to be emotional and subjective," Akechi shook his head in a self-deprecating manner before giving Rem a smile. "Just like that, I cannot think of many that would speak to me in such a manner, as an equal."
Akechi paused for a moment before looking at Rem. "Would you permit me a question regarding the Phantom Thieves? I wish to know of your opinion on the matter," Akechi asked, his words causing both Ann and Rem to cock their heads peculiarly, with Rem nodding.
"You are of the belief that the Phantom Thieves are undoubtedly of good intentions correct?" he asked.
Rem nodded.
"I see… with their methods, one would naturally assume that they have special talents, with hearts of justice from what their actions portray," Akechi spoke, Rem wondering where he was going with this. "But I wonder… if they were to come face-to-face with someone with the same special powers… and was unimaginably stronger than them, I am of the belief that they would flee without a second thought."
Rem's eyes narrowed at that accusation. It seemed, however, that Akechi was wholly unbothered by her glare as he simply chuckled. "Yes, this is indeed what I meant. You are unafraid to speak your mind… so tell me, what do you believe that they would do?"
Rem was vividly reminded of their fight against Remnant. How they'd gotten so thoroughly destroyed. Yet…
The thought of running away had never crossed her mind for a single moment.
"They'd fight to the end," Rem responded.
"Interesting…" Akechi murmured as he looked at Rem appraisingly. "You say that with such surety and conviction that it's intriguing, truth be told. I believe you would make for a worthwhile debate partner on the subject."
"Not Akira?" Rem asked, "He seems like he has his own opinions."
"No…" Akechi shook his head. "Akira is much more concerned about the long-term outcome of their actions and what should happen should they disappear. He is concerned about the future. I… am more concerned about the present… and something tells me you are as well," burgundy-eyes stared into vivid red.
"That being said, would you be averse to sharing your thought with me?" Akechi questioned enquiringly as he extended his glove-clad hand.
"To prove you wrong? I'd love to," Rem smirked, a hand grasping the brown-haired teens in a firm shake.
"Heh, you are quite amusing. Thank you," Akechi chuckled, "I sense there something unique in you that's different from nearly anyone else that I've met. A detective's intuition, you could call it."
Rem felt for some strange reason as if Akechi had taken a liking to her.
The familiar voice of a young girl resounded in her mind, the sounds of chains shattering accompanied the voice as Rem felt her soul make way for another Arcana.
I am thou, thou art I…
Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion
that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Justice Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that
shall lead to freedom and new power…
The Justice Persona… from Rem's studies recently into tarot cards, Justice was represented by VIII. Eighth major arcana of tarot cards, symbolising a strict allegory of justice, objectivity, rationality and analysis… all of which Akechi had already displayed.
"Ah, yes- we should exchange contact information, shouldn't we?" Akechi smiled, as he pulled out his phone, Rem doing the same and allowing the Bluetooth registration to do the rest. Her phone let out a familiar chime signalling that they'd registered each other's contact information.
"There, registered," Akechi nodded in satisfaction. "Well, I hope to see you again sometime soon. I'd stay but I do believe Akira had been taking his time and I should go fetch him," he made to turn around but halted in his movements.
"I must say, it seems I keep forgetting my manners," Akechi murmured to himself before looking at Rem. "I'm afraid I've never gotten either of your names."
"Rem Amamiya."
"Ann Takamaki."
"Amamiya-san, Takamaki-san. It was a pleasure meeting you," Akechi nodded before walking in the direction of the hallway that led deeper into the building.
"Wow…" Ann murmured.
"What?" Rem raised a brow as she heard Ann murmur to herself and turned towards her only to find the blonde staring at Rem with wide eyes.
"You gave him your number," Ann whispered with wide eyes which only caused Rem to quirk a brow in confusion.
"And?"
"You weren't even willing to give Yusuke your number, but you gave yours to him without a second thought," Ann said which Rem only shrugged.
"Akechi hasn't tried to ask us to model for him," Rem responded as her shoulders fell but that didn't stop a sly grin from forming on Ann's face.
"Oooooor is our Joker falling for the detective prince?" Ann moved close to Rem, regarding her with a knowing look.
Rem just rolled her eyes and flicked Ann on the nose with a finger, causing the bushy-pigtailed blond to recoil but giggle.
"We should be careful…" Morgana suddenly popped out of Rem's bag causing the two to stop momentarily. "That 'detective intuition' of his… we shouldn't underestimate that," Morgana advised.
"Got it," Rem nodded.
"On the other hand, there's an awful lot we could learn from him. If he contacts you, I'd suggest hanging out with him. It might prove beneficial but it's ultimately up to you," Morgana counselled.
"I think I know which one she's going to choose," Ann gave a crafty smile.
"Would you give it up? I talked to him for all of fifteen minutes," Rem complained while Morgana, with his piece said, retreated back into her bag as they waited for the other blonde of their group.
A pair of heavy footsteps revealed the location of their missing restroom member. "Sorry for takin' so long, got lost in the hallways again," Ryuji apologised as he ran up to the two girls with a slight huff, "Did I miss anythin'?"
"Rem gave her number to Akechi."
"For real?!"
Her friends would be the death of her.
It was dusk fall that found a man looking over the glittering lights of Tokyo in a high-rise skyscraper. He was sitting from his chair which was turned around to look outside the windows that covered one side of his office. He wore a pair of spectacles with yellow lenses and a form-fitting bespoke suit.
In a rare moment wherein he had no meetings or appointments, the man took the time to look over the country he was working from the shadows to bring under his complete control.
~Ring-a-ling~
Brown eyes behind yellow spectacles narrowed in irritation as his cell-phone on his desk rang. He shook off the irritation as he spun his chair around and took the phone call. "What is it? My next meeting is in half an hour so it had better be important," the man said coldly.
"My apologies, Shido-san," the person on the other line apologised. Shido recognised him as one of the five people he actually trusted somewhat. "However, while I was working today I came across a live interview regarding a mutual person of interest with whom is under your employ."
"Stop beating around the bush, I know who you're talking about. Why should I care what the brat does when he's not killing people?" the man growled, irritation slowly leaking back in.
"Because this live interview has something that may interest you. I've recorded it and sent it to your email to view at your discretion," the person on the other line said.
Shido nodded. "I'll view it when I have time," his voice was succinct as he cut the connection with a press of the phone screen. He threw his phone onto his desk before taking a look at his computer.
He took a look at his clock.
He had another twenty-eight minutes.
With a barely repressed growl, he booted up his computer and began to scroll through his emails. He found the one that had been sent by the IT manager he somewhat trusted it and opened it showing a video of Goro Akechi, his little pet cognitive psience murderer.
"Why exactly would I care about what he does?" Shido snorted, intending to delete it but accidentally played it instead.
One of the students injured was my best friend.
Well…
…wasn't that a little interesting tidbit of information.
His attention thoroughly focused on the screen, Masayoshi Shido watched the video to the end.
"Akira Kurusu…" Shido leaned back in his chair, testing the name on his tongue but clicked it in irritation as it bore no resemblance to anyone he knew. "Akechi thought he could hide him… what a fool."
He thought back to when he'd first met Akechi, who he'd quickly used to murder Wakaba Ishhiki. How shortly after, the brown-haired teen had searched for housing to which he'd waved him off uncaringly and directed him to his somewhat trusted ex-yakuza member.
Who'd directed him to one Akira Kurusu who for all intents and purposes was some brat at… Shujin. The same place that Akechi had threatened the fat tub of lard that controlled the place… the same tub of lard that was slowly proving himself useless.
Shido sat in his chair for a moment in deep contemplation before picking up his phone, opening his contact list and clicking on a specific contact.
"Who do you need 'cleaned up' boss?" a rough voice came from across the connection.
"No one, I need information on someone," Shido declined. "A few years back, you referred Akechi to someone called Akira Kurusu. What do you know about him, Endo?"
There was a moment of pause across the connection.
"Boss… I'm going to tell ya' now, whatever you're planning. Don't." Endo advised causing Shido to quirk a brow.
"Excuse me?" Shido growled.
"Kid's big money. Real big money," Endo said over the line. "And he's got the Yakuza scared shitless. He pays, and the old family become his little bitches. He's got more connections than me… all the way at the top."
"…Is he going to be a problem?" Shido assessed.
"Don't know, the old family is too scared of him for some reason. I do know the kid's got enough money to make the Shibuya mafia look like chumps. Pays hundreds of millions per deals, least that's what a turncoat in the old family tells me. Apparently, he makes under the table deals."
"Does he at least keep to himself?" Shido questioned.
"Yeah, doesn't do shit. Doesn't mean people underground aren't careful," Endo grunted, Shido nodding.
So Akechi's little housemate was feared with Endo's sort.
"Do you think he'd be willing to support us?" Shido asked curiously. If he had more money than the Shibuya mafia then he must have had some serious cash. And money made the world run.
"Don't know."
Shido sat in his chair quietly.
"Keep me updated if anything happens with him. I don't need another player in this game, only those that'll follow orders," Shido ordered.
"Got it, boss."
Shido cut the connection with a click before looking at his computer, at the recorded interview with Akechi sitting side-by-side by a frizzy black-haired teen with a smile on his face.
"Akira Kurusu… at least you'll make for a good leash for the brat."
As per usual, here are my recommendation for this chapter.
Retribution of the Trickster by Asphaow also better known as Chadzura -
/works/24405181/chapters/58872412
The Wish for Control by Dev0ted -
/works/24510076/chapters/59167783
A real good flick that I call total bullshit being his first cause the grammar, punctuation, and spelling are all on-point.