Chapter 21: Fountain of Inspiration

{R}

As he and his sister waited for the train, his mind couldn't help but wander to the counseling session yesterday with Dr. Maruki. He was as Aki described, yes, his personality genuinely open and friendly, making it not too hard to talk to him about himself. But when he brought up the favor that Aki mentioned he would ask, a part of Ren felt like he shouldn't be doing that, if only because he had flashbacks to Kamoshida and his attempts to do "favors" for Ann. However, it was because of that he shook it off and also agreed to help him. It was simple after all, and Ren did want to help, especially if his research could eventually do the same for many others.

It was then the uncommon sight of Ryuji meeting up with them happened, yawning all the while. He and Aki were quick to tease him, especially when he revealed he was tired because he played video games all night. Then the rare chance of Ann also appearing happened, and she was also yawning before she said,

"Morning."

"Good morning," he said. "You okay? Would you like something to drink maybe?"

"Yo, look who else is yawnin'."

"Please don't tell me you were playing video games all night."

"What? No. It's just..." Another yawn. "It's the last day so I thought I'd give one more push to reach the finish line."

Of course Mona said, "Impressive, Lady Ann. You're quite different from this stupid monkey I know."

He and Aki rolled their eyes as Ryuji predictably fired back.

"Hey, don't give me that crap. Your brain's smaller than mine."

But then Mona said, "Size is meaningless if there's nothing inside it."

"What was that?!"

And they frowned.

"Mona," he and Aki said, giving the cat a disappointed look.

"What's with those looks?!"

"That was way too far."

"There's a difference between teasing and insults."

"Ergh..." Thankfully Mona had the decency to be sheepish...

And then Ryuji laughed and turned smug.

"You wanna go, you thug?!"

"Ugh, will you two please shut up?!" Ann glared at the bickering duo. And they probably would've continued if she hadn't then said, "You're gonna make me forgot what I memo—"

And she tensed.

Ren frowned as she mumbled and glanced over her shoulder, everyone else quieting in concern. While Ryuji questioned what was wrong and Ann answered him, Ren scanned the area to see if anyone was looking their way, noticing in his peripherals that his sister was doing the same. At the moment he felt Mona perk up in his bag, his eyes landed on a young man that stood out to him.

He was taller than most of the people that surrounded him, had navy blue hair, and the brief glimpses he could catch inbetween the gaps of passersby, he wore a simple white shirt and black slacks.

Ren turned to Aki to see her tilt her head in the boy's general direction and he nodded. It was then that the train arrived and the four of them stepped on. But in the distance Ren saw the navy blue boy board as well through another door. Now with the relative buffer of the train's sounds and the people around them, he said,

"I think we found your stalker."

"Huh?"

Ren panicked as Ann moved to look, but he wrapped his arm around her shoulder to stop her. It also made her squeak.

"Ren?!"

"Shh," Aki said for him. "We don't want him to know we noticed him."

"Oh come on guys. A stalker's a bit much. I mean he could've just gotten on the train by coincidence."

That was true, but...

"We'll find out when we arrive at Aoyama-Itchome."

"Yeah..." Aki said.

For the rest of the short trip, they stayed like that, Ren's arm wrapped around Ann's shoulders, and Aki and Ryuji in front of them, all of them huddled close. They remained close as they stepped off the train, acting as nonchalant as possible as the lined up to go on the escalator. In the middle of the trip up, Ann checked behind them and gasped.

Ren internally groaned.

It turned out he was right and he hated it.

"Oh my God...that guy got off," she said. "What should we do?"

He and Aki stared at the stalker below as he frantically searched for Ann, trying to come up with an idea.

Ryuji, however, just yawned and stretched as if they didn't have a serious problem on their hands.

Everyone glowered. Ann was the one to voice their disdain.

"Hey come on. At least act like you care."

"Hmm?"

His and Aki's glowers sharpened into a knife's edge.

The faux-blond sighed. "Fine...come on."

And then he walked up the escalator steps.

"What the? Ryuji! Where're you goin'?! Don't just walk up the steps!"

"Just follow me. I gotta plan."

Ren frowned. "A plan?"

It turned out the faux-blond's plan was simple and effective, as much as Ren wanted to swat him over the head for making Ann the bait. But now that the blonde was alone, when the navy blue haired boy caught up, he went straight for her. They all dashed forward. Aki reached him first and pulled on his collar. With him delayed, he and Ryuji put themselves between the stalker and Ann, the former of which was rubbing his throat in confusion and surprise while Aki joined the defensive line. But as they stared each other down...Ren grew unsure.

The blue haired boy tilted his head like a curious puppy.

Now that Ren got a proper look at him, he seemed harmless. And he certainly didn't have any perverse looks in his eyes like Kamoshida. If anything, he was just waiting patiently despite the slight confusion he was giving off. He and Aki shared a look. Had they made a mistake? No, they couldn't have. He had followed them after all.

"Hey...are you sure this is the guy? Or are you just self-conscious?"

Ann almost bit back but apparently the boy decided it was the perfect time to ask,

"Is there something you want?"

Ren couldn't tell if he was oblivious or trolling them.

Ann growled and pointed an accusing finger. "That's my line! You were the one stalking me!"

"Stalking you? That's outrageous," the boy said, confused.

Oblivious then.

Either way, Ann wasn't pleased and stepped towards him with a glare. "I know you've been following me! Ever since the train!"

"That's because..."

Just then several honks sounded and they turned to the black car that parked next to them. Its back window slid down to reveal an aged man, not quite elderly but not young either, with greying hair and what seemed to be simple traditional Japanese attire.

"My goodness I had wondered why you left the car. So this is where your passion led," the man said. "All's well that ends well." He laughed.

Before they could process his identity, the blue boy returned his attention on Ann and said,

"I saw you from the car...and I couldn't help but chase after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei."

Which, well, was understandable. Ann was beautiful, both in looks and in spirit. And it wasn't everyday one saw someone like her. But still...

"Thank goodness I caught up with you..."

"Okay..."

"What...?"

...it was a bit much to chase after her like a stalker, especially after Kamoshida. Not that he would've known but it was still disturbing to stalk anyone. Even if he was obvlious about it.

Then all of sudden the boy said, sweeping his arm across and drawing closer, "You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you—"

And Ren frowned.

"W-Wait a minute, I—!"

Ren put himself between the two again, fearing he might also do something funny along with his confession.

But instead of either, he said, "—be the model for my next art piece?!"

Everyone stared.

"Huh?"

Ren sighed in relief. But he became confused when Aki snorted beside him and he turned to see her amused.

"What's so funny?"

"Come on, you can't tell me that was not the perfect punch line."

Ren stilled. Well, when his sister put it that way... He covered his giggle with a hand. Still, even as a joke, the lead up was a bit in poor taste.

With the tension gone, Ann just said in shock and confusion, "...model...?"

"Yes. All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you unlike anyone else."

They stared.

Then they looked at each other while Ryuji said,

"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?"

"Or it could just be an oblivious idiot being honest 'bout what he wants."

The boy stepped even closer in Ann's space to the point she leaned back as he said,

"Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?"

Well what Ren wanted her to say was "no" but that her choice and not his...

What he could do though was glare at him while Ryuji blocked the enthusiastic boy from getting too near to Ann.

"Hold your horses! Who're you anyways?" their friend said as he and Aki joined him in his glaring.

"Oh, where are my manners?" the blue boy said, unfazed. "I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine arts devision. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa."

So it caught them all off guard when he just shoved both the faux-blond and Aki out of the way to once again stand right before Ann.

"I'm Madarame's pupil, and I am being allowed residence at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

Ren stilled. Wait, that name...

"Huh?! Do you mean that Madarame?!" Ann said, shocked but it turned out for a different reason. "The one who was on 'Good Morning Japan' the other day?!"

"The very same."

"You know who that is?" Ryuji said, still miffed from earlier but now more curious.

"He was introduced as a super famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world." Under her breath though, Ann said, "But we heard that name when we first went to Mementos..."

Ren frowned. So it was the same name as they heard. But he stopped himself there. For all they knew, this Madarame and the Madarame that Shadow of Nakanohara mentioned were two entirely different people.

"Yusuke!" the aged man—who was likely the one Ren was thinking of—said.

"I'm sorry, Sensei. I'll be right there!"

"That old guy's Madarame?"

"Probably."

Once again, Kitagawa-san got close and Ren didn't like it. But since Ann didn't seem bothered, he just let the apprentice artist speak.

He gave a meaningful look at Aki though so he didn't give into any temptation to deck him.

That would be rude after all.

"Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow," Kitagawa-san said. "I'll be there to help out on opening day. Please come by. It'd be great if you gave me your answer in regards to being a model then..."

"Okay..."

Then the artist glared at the rest of them. "I bet you have no interest in the fine arts but I'll give you tickets too."

Ren gave another silent reminder to Aki as Ann accepted the tickets the boy gave.

With that, Kitagawa-san bid adieu and left.

"Heh. That guy's as easy to read as a book..."

"Not as fun as one though..." Aki said.

"Huh?" Ryuji looked at her like she was crazy one.

She noticed it. "What?"

"Nothin'. Anyways..." He turned to Ann and said, "You're not plannin on goin are ya?"

Ann stared at the path Kitagawa-san's ride took, even though he was long gone at this point, contemplative.

"...I think I will," she said.

Ryuji and Mona were taken aback, especially the latter, but Ren had a guess on the reason for her answer. And he knew Aki had a good guess as well.

Before any of them could question or confirm her reasons though, she took out her phone and said, "Crap! Look at the time! I'll see you later."

And she dashed off...

...despite the fact that she and Ren were in the same class.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes under his glasses.

It was only morning and he was already tired. Maybe he should buy a personal thermos to bring coffee with him that isn't for the Metaverse...

"How dare he go after Lady Ann... I've memorized that face of yours, Yusuke!"

Definitely going to buy a personal coffee thermos...

And maybe with a cat design on it to annoy Mona...

(A)

"Mmmmm, it's over!" Ann said as she stretched her arms in relief.

"It's over..." Ryuji said then groaned, looking as if he ran for miles.

Akira snickered. "Tired, oh great athlete?"

"Shuddup. What 'bout you? How'd you think you did?"

She smirked and held her chin out. "Well I told you I'd ace it, didn't I?"

Ren twirled a hair. "I'm fairly confident as well."

"I hate you two..."

Akira sniggered.

"Ugh...I wish I felt the same..." Ann said.

Ren gave a sympathetic smile. "I'm sure you didn't do bad," he said to her. "We did pretty well in our study sessions."

"Yeah, you too, Ryuji," she said and she meant it.

Mostly.

Unsurprisingly the faux-blond didn't want to even think about it and moved on. Unfortunately, as he looked through the Phan-Site, there wasn't much else to add to their agenda, besides the one request they got from their publicist, Mishima. Ryuji was disappointed they only got one and Mona was worried about their "job" dying out before they even started. She and Ann reassured them though that they shouldn't be upset, the latter suggesting to go out to eat with the money leftover from their first heist. Ryuji was quick to suggest sushi. Ann and her brother just as quickly reminded him there wasn't that much leftover.

"Then where do you guys wanna go then?"

Because she doubted they wanted to go to the diner again.

"Oh wait, there are the tickets we got for Madarame's exhibit!" Ann said, excited.

However, Akira said, "Uh, ain't that tomorrow? Not this afternoon?"

"Oh. Right..."

Unsurprisingly Mona had a love panic attack and said, "Don't tell me...! Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy...?"

"It's not like that," Ann said, her voice pitched high in complaint.

"Oh, o-of course it isn't."

"Yeah, if anythin' Big Bro's the one who fell in love at first sight." Besides Mona himself anyway...

Mona jerked. Ryuji frowned. Ann stared.

"What?!"

"Huh?"

"Uh..."

Ren sighed. "I'm never going to live down that I stared at Ann when we first met, am I?"

Akira said, "Nope."

Ren gave a long suffering sigh, but she knew he was playing it up, putting his whole body into the action.

"A-Anyways... When I saw his art on TV, it looked pretty nice," the natural blonde said, changing the subject. "Plus we got free tickets."

It was then Ren turned serious and said, "And you want to look into Madarame, right?

Akira sombered. "So you think it's the same guy too, huh?"

"Well there's a good chance it could be at least." Ren twirled a hair. "A world famous artist in the fine arts is high profile enough to count as celebrity status, and celebrities having problems are nothing new."

Mona hummed in contemplation behind her brother.

"Yeah. That's another reason... Though, what should I do with the other tickets?"

"I can come along," Ren was quick to say.

She said, "Yeah me too."

"Well I suggest we all go together!" Mona said, startling her a bit. "Appreciating the fine arts builds character."

Akira rolled her eyes. "It's usually the opposite of arts that people say builds character..."

"Either way, a phantom thief who can't identify an original is lame."

Ren perked up, to Akira's amusement, and nodded. "Yes that's true," he said, his eyes glinting in passion. "We would be failures as phantom thieves if we can't do that."

Ryuji looked at him dubiously. "What? For real?"

Ren was absolutely offended. "Of course. Art is treasure too after all, especially if it's fine art."

"Fine arts huh..."

"So you comin'?" she said.

The faux-blond glanced at each of them and then sighed. "Fine..."

"It's settled then!"

Ren pushed up his glasses and said, "Onwards! Tomorrow, we go to the art exhibit of Madarame."

Akira chuckled at her brother being fired up.

Ann giggled before she said, "Yeah. Just the phrase 'going to an art exhibit' sounds so mature..."

She and her brother stood stunned.

They shared a look.

They...weren't sure what to think of that.

What could they say to something that sounded so...childish...?

Thankfully, she then discussed about the meeting place and they all agreed to meet at the station tomorrow. With that, they said their good-byes and returned home. As soon as they got back in Leblanc though, Akira changed into normal clothes before telling Ren that she would be off for work. Her brother was a little hesitant but she managed to convince him, on the condition of Mona tagging along. So she was off to work, and it was just as brutal as last time, with many, many orders and little to no help in doing them. But she got to practice Doc's mental techniques again so that was a plus.

Unfortunately, during one of the very, very few lulls in business she had, while she rinsed some dishes in hopes of relaxing, someone said,

"You appeared to have a difficult time there."

And all those techniques flew out the window as she glowered at the speaker and said, "You think?"

And the man stared, shocked.

Akira flinched and cursed herself.

"S-Sorry, I—" she said.

"It's fine. It's understandable. You were quite stressed."

"Still..." She felt even worse now for snapping at him since he was being so nice to her despite it.

"More importanly, can't you ask your manager to hire more people? You were extremely busy..."

Akira smiled bitterly as she dried her hands. "It's 'cause there are not a lot of people that I got the job in the first place, sir," she said. "A lot of the other part-timers before me quit 'cause it's too much."

The older man frowned. "I see... That's concerning..." Then he mumbled to himself. "Employees being overworked is becoming a real problen in the workplace. I should remember this..."

Akira was curious what he meant by that, noting he seemed familiar, but he then smiled and said,

"I'll leave my payment here. Thank you for the food."

And he left. Akira quickly grabbed the cash before it could be pilfered by an actual thief.

"Hey...isn't that the politician the one that gives speeches in front of the station?"

Akira stilled. No wonder he was familiar. It was indeed that politician. But wait, if he was then...

Once again, she was interrupted as the work resumed in full and this time she had no breaks until her shift was over. She stood straight and rigid before her boss as he handed her pay, this time with a little extra. As soon as he left, she collapsed on the nearest seat, which happened to be the one with the Mona bag, though she had enough energy to spare to put him in her lap before she plopped down.

Just then, her phone vibrated and she saw it was a call from Mom.

Oh right. Today was Saturday.

"Hey Mom," she said, slightly smirking. "Here for a status report?"

Her mother laughed as she hoped. "Well yes though Ren told me a little bit."

"Eh? About what?"

"That you've got a part-time job and that a few minutes ago was the end of your shift."

"Oh. You already talked to Big Bro?"

"Yes, but he called us first to tell us that."

"Huh. I'll thank him later for that."

It would've been the height of discourtesy if she had to answer a call in the middle of work.

"Be sure you do. So, how's my little light doing? I'll admit I was a little worried when Ren told me you took a night job."

In other words: Mom was very worried and thus Dad got worried.

"Well..."

Akira chatted with her mother—and then her father—on the phone for a short while, recounting events and getting a few laughs before bidding them good-bye and good night. After that, she changed and left the beef bowl diner. It was only when she stepped outside the diner did she realize something.

She hadn't messaged Akechi all week.

"Damn it."

She hoped he was doing okay. She hadn't meant to forget talking to him through chat.

[G]

Akechi sighed as he unlocked the door to his nondescript apartment and entered. As much as he appreciated all the work he was given and solving it all to add to his case streak, it was still tiring to do them all, and on top of doing exams. So since he was in the relative privacy and safety of his apartment, he allowed himself to sag against his door as he closed it. He gave himself a thirty second rest, counting each of the seconds, before he shook his head and went on to do his nightly routine.

In the middle of mentally reviewing his schedule as he got ready to examine info on his current cases, his phone vibrated.

He frowned and grew curious until he saw what the notification was.

WIRE message: Akira Amamiya (1).

Akechi frowned, slightly annoyed. What could she possibly want at this hour?

Amamiya: Hey Akechi! Sorry for not messaging you again. Exam week. But it's finally over! And I think I did pretty well. How've you been? Was it exam week for you too? I bet you did well since you're a detective and all.

Akechi stared.

That was it?

He didn't know whether to be more annoyed that it was something so mundane...or more shocked it was something so mundane.

His bothersome mixed feelings on the matter aside, he needed to answer since he could answer, otherwise it would be very rude and a slight against his reputation as Detective Prince.

Akechi: It's fine. Again, I assumed you were busy. As for myself, I am well if busy, with both my cases and it also being exam week for me. Thankfully exams finished yesterday so I have more time now. And while I can speculate that I did well, I won't know for certain until the results are posted.

Amamiya: Ha ha, yeah. Thanks for understanding anyway. Good to hear! Both being well and exams almost over for you. Of course you'd say that about your results. I should've known. lol

Akechi frowned, unsure how to take what that last line implied. She could've easily been mocking him with the initialism she used at the end, but before he could deliberate on it further, she messaged again.

Amamiya: Wait. Does that mean you're doing stuff for work now?

Amamiya: Shoot. Want me to stop? I can stop if you want.

Amamiya: I just wanted to talk with you after all. I won't mind.

Akechi stared. This girl... He shook his head. One moment it seemed almost as if she was mocking him and then the next she clearly wanted to spend time with him, even if it was for something as simple as talking through the chat app. Practically, he should turn her down since he has a bit of work to do. However...

Akechi: What did you want to talk about?

...he was curious if she had anything in mind.

Amamiya: Eh...I didn't really think about it. Just wanted to talk. I promised we could after all.

Amamiya: But I can come up with something. Unless you had anything in mind?

Akechi didn't know whether to be baffled or frustrated with the girl. But in either case, he was also amused about her demeanor. He could easily imagine her shining eyes and cheerful smile at so simple an activity that he couldn't help but feel that mirth as well.

Akechi: Then could you tell me your day then?

Amamiya: Huh? Oh sure! Okay lemme see... Give me a sec.

And so for a while, Amamiya-san told him about the past few days, the events not that much different from the idle conversation and hushed gossip of his classmates. But somehow her quips about them made the subject anything but boring, especially whenever it was a satiric remark. And then she texted,

Amamiya: Oh gtg.

Amamiya: thx i had fun.

Amamiya: Good night Akechi.

And once again Akechi stared, frozen at the words, as the girl likely put away her phone.

Akechi shook his head and bid her good night as well before dumping his phone on the table.

It was just a simple farewell. There was nothing more to it.

{R}

Standing not too far from the entrance, Ren could only see some of the pieces that Madarame had on display but those he did see...he was actually rather impressed. While it was true he wasn't that familiar with a lot of the styles of traditional Japanese art, even he could tell all the paintings were in different styles, some being abstract landscapes of paint to well composed shots of realism and many inbetween. There was one looking almost a fusion of the absurdism of cartoons with the darkness of a harsh subject matter. It was almost as if all his styles belonged to different people.

"Okay for once I get why the guy's good. There's actually some art I like here," Aki said, eyeing one of them.

Ren smirked. "You just like it because it's a cat."

"Hey! Can't go wrong with cats as an art subject," his sister said with the air of an offended lady.

"What's this about cats?!" Mona said.

"Hey! It'll be a pain in the ass if someone spots you so quiet down," Ryuji said, "whisper-shouting".

"Like you're any better."

"Cut it now you two," Ren said, low, as he spotted Kitagawa-san who came their way.

Unsurprisingly he wasn't happy to see them tagging along with Ann and quickly offered to give her a tour, which she accepted. Mona complained about the possibility of Kitagawa-san doing something "funny" as she left—which, if Ren was frank, he wouldn't put past the blue boy, if only by accident like a many dense harem protagonist—while Ryuji complained about being here, instead wanting to go home.

"We ain't here just to look, remember?" Aki said.

Ren adjusted his glasses. "Yes. We're also here to gather intel. So at least pretend you're looking at the art while doing that."

Ryuji sighed. "Fine..."

However, they didn't get much. Madarame was in the middle of an on-site interview, talking about how inspiration came to him like bubbles in a fountain and how it was important to distance oneself from wordly things, when a huge wave of fans crashed in, as if the artist was instead an idol. Instincts sharper thanks to their forays into the Metaverse, Ren was quick to put his arms up like a defending boxer and glanced at his sister. Getting the silent message, she mimicked him before signalling to Ryuji. Unfortunately, he doesn't catch it and flails as they all ride the wave. Ren worried he would be crushed but thankfully the surge was quick enough that he wouldn't. With the lull, Ren moved through the gaps diagonally, leading Aki and then Ryuji the fastest way out of the crowd and to the closest exit.

That however led them out of the exhibition entirely and every other way back inside was just as crowded as the exit they came from.

"Great..."

Ren sighed.

It looked like they would have to rely on Ann for further intel.

After texting her that they would wait for her in the accessway in the Teikyu Building at Shibuya Station, they took out their umbrellas and went there to wait, the three others grumbling all the while about the crowd and their lack of decency. As soon as they arrived though and Ryuji sat on the ground, he said something about remembering and pulled out his phone. Ren was curious on what he meant but just as the faux-blond was about to show them...

"Why'd you leave without me?!"

...an understandably irritated Ann arrived.

"I can explain," Ren said.

"Never mind that. You guys should look at this."

The natural blonde's animosity left her and she said, "What is it?"

Ryuji narrated the post.

"A master of Japanese arts is plagiarizing his pupil's work. Only his public face is shown on TV."

"Plagiarizing?!" both Aki and Ann said.

"Yeah. I didn't think much of the post until I heard Madarame said 'shack'."

"Wait, what? But if you saw the post, then wouldn't you know it's Madarame?"

Ren frowned, thinking about the painter's popularity. "His name isn't on the post, is it?"

"Nah, it ain't."

"You sure?" Aki said.

Ryuji looked miffed at the implications but still said, "Yeah. Here's the rest of it. 'His treatment of the students who live with him is awful. He teaches nothing and bosses them around. He treats them inhumanely, like disciplining a dog'..."

Ren clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, ignoring his rage and the reminders of his mother.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Aki said, grimacing.

"If this is real, it'll be a huge scandal."

Indded it would, but still... He told the others they didn't know for sure if it was the same Madarame they heard from Mementos and if this post was related to that. Ann suggested just talking to the Shadow's owner in real life, but Morgana advised against it, and not just because of Ryuji pointing out how crazy it'd be if they did. The old man had no reason to answer them. So if they wanted to target the old artist, they would have to do so without knowing for sure, and Ryuji definitely wanted to do target him since he was the kind of target they were looking for. Aki just wanted to do it because she was mad. Ren and Ann however were hesitant. For her, it was because she had a hard time believing it. For him, it was because he wanted to be sure it was the right person and not a mix up.

So he was thankful when Ryuji ended up changing the subject to the forgotten topic of Kitagawa-san's proposition to Ann.

"Oh, Kitagawa-kun gave me his contact info, and the address to his sensei's atelier."

"Really?"

"Perfect timing! He said he lives there, right?"

"Uh huh. That means we can go meet him tomorrow."

"Yeah I'm down for it! Let's head to Madarame's place after school."

For some reason Ann was taken aback and Ren was confused as to why until she said,

"Wait, you want me to model tomorrow?! This is too sudden..."

Oh, she thought... Ren was torn between being amused or guilty over that misunderstanding.

Ryuji though just said, "Huh? We're just gonna talk to the guy."

"Oh... That's what you meant."

Ren settled on amusement, but he hid his chuckle with his hand. Not that it did much to conceal it as Ann noticed anyway and pouted in annoyance. It turned more annoyed as Aki made no attempt to hide her mirth. That turned into outright laughter as Ryuji was confused on what was going on. Not wanting to stay out while it rained, Ren redirected the "conversation" and everyone bid good-bye to head to their homes.

They were surprised when they got back to the café.

"Akechi?"

The brunett detective smiled. "Hello, Amamiya-san." To him, he said, "I assume you're Amamiya-kun?"

Ren nodded.

His sister grinned. "Hey, I didn't think I'd see you here today," she said as she sat beside him. "I thought you'd be too busy with your cases."

The boy chuckled. "I thought so as well, but I managed to finish a few of them sooner than expected so I came here to relax."

"Really? That's great!" She smirked then said to Sakura-san, "Hey Boss, mind if I can serve him his coffee?"

Ren almost thought their caretaker would refuse, but instead he smiled and huffed in amusement. "Sure. But I doubt the kid wants to be a guinea pig again."

Akechi chuckled again, but this time with a tinge of nervousness. "You've been practicing, Amamiya-san?"

Akira glared and pouted. "I'll have you know I have gotten better! Just you watch!"

And his sister went to work, brewing Akechi's regular coffee. The boy watched as she did so, and only talked whenever it was clear she didn't have to focus. Mona, meanwhile, grumbled in his bag about the detective and needing to be cautious around him. Ren just shook his head with a smile and went up the stairs.

Even if he was worried as well, he was glad Aki was having a good time.

Author's Notes: WIRE is basically my copyright friendly version of LINE, a messaging app that's really popular in Japan. Persona's made stickers for it.