Chapter 11: I Think This is the Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

{R}

That evening was spent looking into the Major Arcana in Tarot and...in truth neither were sure how to interpret the fact they represented their Confidants. The Major Arcana all had meanings, yes, but while some of them made sense, like Chariot's drive and confidence for Ryuji, and some of them were almost funny, like Hunger's passion for life for Aki, the rest...made them worry for the ones they made the Confidant with, like the choice between right and easy for Lovers for Takamaki. They could ask Igor but...they both agreed he wouldn't give much in the way of answers. So for now they put that to rest. In comparison the morning was mostly uneventful, save the brief annoyance of being woken up by Mona doing something with the tool bench in front of Aki's bed. The not-cat denied doing anything while they slept. So of course in the afternoon...

Ryuji: Man, we need cash.

Ann: Sure, but why bring that up now?

Ren: Agreed.

Akira: U 2 TAKAMAKI?!

Ren: Oh calm down.

Ren: It's not a big deal.

Ren: Texting in class is just Phantom Thief practice.

Akira: Says the one who got hit with chalk.

Ren: All the more reason to practice.

Akira: AAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHH

Ren saw Takamaki smother a giggle. He smiled both at her reaction and Aki's.

Ryuji: Uh...anyways...

Ryuji: It's just that it just hit me that we got weapons and meds and all sorts of shit...

Ryuji: But we can't more if we don't got dough.

Ren: We'll earn some then.

Ann: Yeah. We could get part-time jobs.

Akira: Yeah. That's probably the only way.

Akira: Can't grind for cash when we could get exhausted then caught.

Ryuji: I dunno... Do we have to?

Ryuji: Shit ushimarus lookin here gtg

With that, their friend left chat.

Akira: Geez, this was what I was talking about.

Ren: And like I keep saying, we'll be fine.

Akira: YOU. Stop. GINXING IT.

Ren: You were the one who brought it up.

Another giggle from Takamaki, but this one seemed...sad.

Ann: You two really get along huh?

Akira: Only when he's not being an idiot.

Ren: Pot calling the kettle black.

Akira: STOP IT. WE'LL LOOP FOREVER.

Ren: Then someone has to stop it first.

Akira: Then I will. Bye.

Now his sister left the chat. But Ren didn't forget about Takamaki's mood moments before. So he opened a thread to her.

Ren: Takamaki? Are you okay?

Ann: I'm fine.

Ann: Just can't wait until we go back to the Palace.

Finally Takamaki put away her phone, not wanting to talk about it further. Ren sighed and did the same. He was worried but he pushed that into the back of his mind as they went about their day so that he could, more or less, focus when they gathered at the hideout.

"Everyone ready to go?" he said.

Everyone said their affirmatives, including Aki.

He glared at her. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, I am. I'm pretty sure."

He kept it up.

Aki rolled her eyes. "Really Big Bro. I'm fine. The meds yesterday didn't do anythin'."

"Huh? Meds? What meds?" Ryuji said.

"The untested medicine she took so that we could get better, and tested, medicine for Palace use."

"Wait what?!" both blonds said.

"Would you tell them, Aki?"

She glowered. "Is this payback for that?"

"Yes."

Of course he was going to get back at her for scaring him like that.

Aki sighed. "Fine..."

And she did just that, retelling the events with the clinic. Though in less detail, she at least did include the fact that she gave him a heart attack and apologized for it.

"Well glad to hear you're all right but, man, you got guts..." Ryuji said.

"I'm with Ren though, are you really all right?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," Aki said. "If I wasn't, you'd hear a lot more complainin'."

Wait, did Takamaki just...

"Did you...call me Ren?"

Everyone, bar Mona, was startled.

"Oh my gosh I'm sorry. I just thought that..."

"Oh it's fine. I was just making sure."

"So...you're fine with that...?"

Aki smiled. "Sure we are. It'd be a pain to call us both 'Amamiya'."

"Well while we're at it, I'm fine with just Ryuji."

Takamaki was surprised. Then she smiled and said, "All right then. If we're doing that, call me Ann, okay?"

"Okay, Ann."

"Sure Ann."

"No problem Ann."

"As you wish Lady Ann."

The lady in question laughed.

Then Ren said, "All right then. Let's go."

They went into the Palace, this time with the plan of avoiding as many fights as they could. Well, that was the plan at the very least. Unfortunately the hall beside the newest safe room they found had nowhere they could hide to sneak around the guards. Thankfully the room afterwards seemed to be a dining room, so there were plenty of spots to hide in there. Even with the bars in the doorways stopping them from progessing quickly.

However, despite their stealth efforts, there were still a few Shadows they couldn't avoid, like one in the room they arrived in after going through a vent. On the bright side though, they had another way of negotiating...even if it involved beating the Shadow within an inch of their life left and have them beg for their lives. And the chest it guarded had a ring that allowed them to use a wind skill. He gave that one to Ann since she had good magic.

When they left the room though...

Everyone looked up.

...they found themselves in a stairwell with busted stairs.

"Uhh, I don't think we're goin' any further this way..."

"Seems so," he said.

"You'd think he'd take better care of his castle with how much he loves it..." Rogue said.

"Should we check somewhere else?" Panther said.

"No, wait," Mona said. "Look over there!"

They did and all Joker saw was another goat ornament like the switches for the bars so far, this time gold plated, stuck to the floor quite a way above them.

"What about it?" Rogue said.

"Are we throwin' a rope over it and climbin' it?"

"Do we even have any rope?"

"No, phantom thieves do things a bit more stylish than that..." Mona's eyes gleamed. "And I have know just what'll do the trick."

Mona then pulled out some thick, black bracelets from his bags...and put one on his and Rogue's wrists each.

"What the—woah!" his sister said.

He almost shook the cat off but by then the bracelet was already on him.

"Mona, don't just put stuff on us."

"But I need to make sure those fit you. There's no use telling you what they are if they don't."

Joker sighed. That was a good point. So he strapped it properly along with Rogue without further protest. When they made sure they were snug and comfy, Mona smiled.

"Good. Seems it does fit properly."

"Yes. Now will you tell us what these things are?"

"Nyaha. Those are grappling hooks."

"Wait grappling hooks?! Really?!" Rogue said.

"Yup. It'll let you zip to hard-to-reach places in a flash."

Now that caught Joker off guard. "When did you get these?"

Because if he already had them, then he felt a little annoyed about not having it sooner.

"I didn't get them. I made them. It was a little something I worked in secret."

"Secret...?"

Was that what this morning was all about?

Before he could question Mona more, Rogue said, "So how we use it?"

"Just give it a try. I'm sure you're smart enough to figure it out."

Rogue glared at the not-cat and said, "Is that a challenge?"

Mona didn't get to answer as his sister then flicked her wrist like a certain thief at the goat and pulled, the grapple flinging her all the way to the floor the ornament was attached to.

"Ha! Take that!" she said.

Joker shook his head in fond exasperation.

"Woah! That was awesome!" Skull said.

But Panther pointed out, "Uh...but how are we supposed to get up?"

Mona said, "Uh..."

Ren thought so.

"It's probably best you two hold onto me. Mona can climb the wire before I pull myself up," he said.

"But, can it hold all three of us?"

"Only one way to find out."

Thankfully for all those involved, his grappling hook did stay intact with both Panther and Skull holding onto him after Mona used the wire to get up. But, after getting the chest on the top of the stairwell, the next room they found there was an enemy mere meters away from the doorway. His heart spiked before they hid behind cushions and corners. Only then did it calm down, but the feeling of danger still remained, the faint sound of Arsène warning him of the enemy before them.

And he wasn't the only one.

"Yo, this guy looks like bad news..." Skull said, thankfully low.

"Yeah, he does look tough... Not only that, it seems like he's more aware of his environment than the others. We'd better proceed with caution."

Joker was thinking of retreating actually. To his luck, behind him there was a safe room. So when they headed in, he said,

"I think we should head back. We made some good progress."

Rogue unsurprisingly grumbled. "I can still...keep going."

He looked at her and found that, yes, she seemed a lot better off than yesterday, but she was still pretty tired. Which he was glad for, but still he said,

"We've been inside for a good amount of time. This seems like a place to stop before it gets dark."

Rogue didn't look entirely convinced but said, "Fine... We can head back."

"You?" Joker said, glancing at the rest.

They told him they were fine with it so they left the Palace. Before they went their separate ways though, they discussed on when next they were going to go. After some discussion, it was decided they would go on Saturday, not only so that he could get the money to restock their items, but if it was on the last school day, they could stay much longer and spend the next day resting. As such, they went their way home, with Ann telling them she planned on seeing Shiho tomorrow. Ren had been tempted to ask if he could come along, but again he stopped himself. Besides, he needed to check for part-time jobs.

Ryuji, meanwhile, said as Ann left, "How about you, Akira? Wanna train tomorrow?"

"Huh? Train?"

"Oh right. I forgot. Me and your bro trained yesterday 'cause I wanted to build my muscles back up. Since you were havin' trouble in the Palace...I thought it'd maybe you'd wanna join."

His sister frowned. "You know I probably can't keep up with you, right?"

"Ah yeah... Still, you should try exercisin'. Even somethin' simple, like takin' a long walk."

"Really...?"

"Yeah. Don't matter what kind it is. Long as you're pushin' yourself a bit more than usual, then you'll get better in no time."

"Huh...thanks Ryuji. I think I'll do that then."

"Hey, no problem. Anythin' to help."

Ren smiled. It was a warm sight to see.

(A)

Of course on the day when she wanted to have a long walk around Shibuya, it rained. So of course her brother was worried about her over something so simple. Not that she blame him...much...for being like that considering what she did a couple of days ago. But still, it was just rain. If anything, it was a good thing. It meant that most scents wouldn't spread so easily. Or at least she thought it'd work like that. She needed to double check.

Thankfully she managed to calm him down and not be too worried over her walk in Shibuya.

With umbrella in hand, she explored one of the most famous wards of Tokyo. She had already seen a bit of it thanks to the first day she arrived, but she didn't really look beyond the convenience store she found. Just Central Street alone had so many places for food of all kinds and shopping of all items. The one she especially liked was this bookstore not too far from the station. She made a note of its location in both her mind and phone. But after walking from one point of the street and then back to the station, she could already feel her feet sagging.

So she sat down on a bench by the Buchiko statue and pulled down her mask, the surface moist from the rain beginning to soak her skirt. Ren was definitely going to scold her for that but Akira didn't really think it would be a big deal. A slightly wet skirt was better than completely drenched clothes from collapsing on the ground. The place was relatively empty, none of the other benches were occupied and all the people just passed by with their umbrellas. And there the Buchiko statue stood, tall and proud in recreation of the dog who previously waited in the area. It looked so...

...alone.

She almost wanted to put a coat over the Buchiko statue so it wouldn't be soaked but that was definitely something she wouldn't do. She didn't want to add that to her "criminal record". It would be embarrassing. Besides it was a statue. The coat would be better served on something else.

"Is that you? Uh, ah..."

Akira startled but excitement bubbled as she turned and found that, yes, it was who she thought it was.

It was the brunette boy from before, still holding his attaché case as well as an umbrella of his own. His name was Akechi if she remembered what that woman with him said right.

"Hey! You're here! It's good to see you," she said with a smile.

He gave a smaller one in return. "It's good to see you too," he said. "However, it just occured to me that I don't know your name."

"Oh yeah..." she said. She'd forgotten that. She laughed sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Name's Akira Amamiya. What about yours?"

He gave her an inquisitive look. Likely remembering she used his name last time as she bid him farewell, even as he prepared to answer.

So she said before he did, "Yeah I know that I know your name already, but I'd still like an introduction. It's only fair."

It startled him and he stared. But then he chuckled, soft and quick, before he said, "Very well then. My name is Goro Akechi."

"Goro Akechi, huh?" Akira tried, and failed, to suppress her giggle. That was interesting. "Are your parents big fans of Kogoro Akechi or something? Cause it'd be cool if that's why they gave you that name."

It was slight, like his chuckle before, but Akira saw Akechi tense and his smile widen in jarring contrast with his sad, half-lidded eyes.

"Actually yes, my mother was a fan," he said, his tone more pleasant than before.

Akira wondered why was that. But that didn't matter much when it seemed he was trying not to appear bothered, thanks in part to her comment on his name.

So she said, "What about you?"

"Hmm? What about me?"

"Do you like to read?"

Akira had a feeling he knew she was purposefully changing the topic despite the transition, but he nonetheless took it and said,

"A bit. I used to read more often before."

"Really? What kind of books do you like?"

"Well..."

And then they ended up talking about that, Akechi admitting he did like mystery novels like his mother did, liking the challenge of solving them before reaching its end. Akira admitted she has a soft spot for fantasy and sci-fi because of her love of weapons and the worlds they came from. Both of them read plenty of everything else, especially in relation to their favorite kinds of books. And both of them also haven't been reading for pleasure too much recently.

But then Akechi looked around them and said, "Oh, it looks like it's getting pretty late. I should start getting to work."

Akira blinked and looked away from the boy. "Oh yeah. I probably should head back home."

"Is your home far from here? I can escort you back."

Akira smiled and chuckled. She had found another gentleman like her brother.

"Nah, it's fine. My home's not that far. It's just in Yongen-jaya's backstreets, so I should be fine."

"I see. I'm glad to hear that. Then this is good-bye, then?"

"Yeah." Akira realized something. "Oh wait." Since that was the case... Akira took out a chocolate bar from her school bag and handed it out to him. "Here you go."

Akechi stared. "Huh?"

Akira smirked. "It's for you. Can't say good-bye without giving it to you."

"As much as I appreciate it, I don't quite understand why."

She laughed. "For a snack of course."

The brunette stared again before he gathered his composure and said, "Then thank you."

Akira smiled. "No problem. I'll see you later, Akechi!"

[G]

Akechi watched as Amamiya-san pulled up her mask and left. He...hadn't expected to have a conversation with her about books. Oh he had expected, and wanted, a conversation, so that he would finally know her name, but how she led into it... It seemed she noticed and changed the topic and yet...she also seemed genuinely curious of his preferences while sharing her own. Throughout the whole interaction she seemed so...happy. Why? He wondered. It clearly wasn't because she knew he was a famous young detective if her comment on his name was any indication.

Perhaps she really has grown fond of him because of him saving her. She did give him another chocolate bar.

He wasn't sure on that though. And the only way he could find out was to speak with her more...

She had mentioned her home was in Yongen-jaya. And not just that, it was in its backstreets, just like the café Sae-san frequented for its coffee, praising its taste.

It seemed he would make a trip to it sooner than he thought he would.

There was a chance he could meet her in such a place after all.

Author's Notes: FINALLY a much shorter chapter. Thank you my love for chapter titles because that's partially why I split it from the next chapter. That and I wanted to split it that way.

Chapter title is a quote, more or less, from the 1942 film, Casablanca. The only thing missing is the name.