The trip to Kyoto began. Zenkichi was in the driver's seat while Akechi was finally allowed inside. It was pretty late into the night during the drive, so only Ren, Akechi, Zenkichi, and Makoto were awake at the moment. The others were using this time to sleep and rest. Ann and Hifumi were leaning against each other as they slept peacefully during the lengthy drive. Zenkichi had been driving for a long time now, so Makoto decided to speak up. "You've been driving for a while? Hifumi's asleep, so, would you like me or Akechi to take over?"
"Don't worry about me - you just go get some sleep." Zenkichi said, focusing on the road ahead. "We got a long way to go."
"Are you sure...?" Makoto did feel a little bad leaving Zenkichi to do all the driving.
"It has been a while..." Ren added.
"If the man wants to drive, let him." Akechi responded. "Doubtless he's had to do long drives like this numerous times."
"He's right." Zenkichi gave a nod at Akechi's words. "You kids don't need to be worrying over an adult like me. This is nothing for me."
"To be fair, you are an excellent driver." Makoto said with a fond smile. "The RV tends to shake a lot more when Hifumi and I are behind the wheel."
"I may not look it, but I used to patrol in a squad car. Driving's second nature to me at this point." Zenkichi said.
"You used to patrol? Huh, maybe you can teach me." Ren said, jokingly.
"Sure, once you've got a license." Zenkichi replied.
"How tough is it, being police?" Makoto asked, glancing over at the more experienced policeman curiously.
To that, Zenkichi let out a wistful sigh. "Well, it sure ain't easy. Oh, right, you're studyin' to be some police bigwig, aren't ya?" Zenkichi could recall that Makoto did plan to become a police woman, or something of the sort.
"Yes, but I've only just begun." Makoto responded. This was her chance to actually talk to someone who worked with the police for years, so she was hoping for some insight.
"Wouldn't really recommend it myself - this job's nothin' but hell." Zenkichi said while keeping his eyes on the road. "Your hours are a mess, you get transferred all over the place...Anything goes down at the scene, you get blamed." He could go on and on about the difficulties of the job.
"That may be so, but my heart's set on it. No matter how tough it may be." Makoto was set on her path, even if Zenkichi was trying to make it sound like the job wasn't worth the trouble that accompanied it.
"We'll have your back, too. You'll do great, Makoto." Ren said with a nod.
"That kind of blind enthusiasm about such a job will leave you worn down before you even begin." Akechi remarked dryly from the side.
"Well, if your heart's set, then do what you gotta do." Zenkichi said. He had no plans to stop her, but he did want to make Makoto aware of the reality that would be coming her way. "But as your future senior, let me share this: The harder you work, the more you wind up putting the people in your life on the back burner. Criminals don't care about your schedule. Tragedies don't care. You'll barely see your own home. Sit on that for a bit, then decide if the force is right for you."
"Well, I'm already quite aware." Makoto replied. Her father was a policeman and she knew full well what it was like for him. "I'm not going into this completely blind. But speaking of family, don't you have any waiting for you back home?"
"Hoo. Good question..." Zenkichi evaded the question. He knew he was in trouble, that's why he offered to drive them.
"Trouble at home?" Ren asked, very nosily at that.
"Aw, you...just can it, okay." Refusing to answer, Zenkichi moved the subject along. "Let's just say, you've gotta think about yourself before you can worry about anyone else."
"Good luck getting that through to these people." Akechi said once again.
"When did you get so talkative?" Ren commented. "I thought you hated small talk."
"Between the conversation and being unable to sleep, it seems I'm stuck." Akechi replied dryly.
"Regardless...that...I suppose that's true..." Makoto did take Zenkichi's words into consideration. Despite how eager she was, she couldn't forget about that.
"Hm? What's up now?" Zenkichi sensed the shift in Makoto's voice.
"Nothing, it's just...you reminded me of my father, that's all. He was an officer too. Unfortunately, he lost his life on duty..." Makoto said.
"...I see..." Zenkichi was quiet. That was, without a doubt, the worst case scenario for any on duty officer.
"He took his job a lot more seriously than you seem to," Makoto said with a fond smile, not trying to keep the mood down. "But when you boil it down, you two are actually quite similar."
"Heh, you shouldn't diss your father so badly, comparing him to me." Zenkichi took that and rode with it, playing along for the sake of it. But after a moment he spoke again. "So, uh, Niijima...? When you were little, your old man probably wasn't home often either. How'd you feel about that?"
The sudden question caught Makoto by surprise. "Huh? Oh, well...in retrospect, I'm very proud of him. My father was an officer who acted on his beliefs...all the way to the end. He taught me that his duty was to keep people from being hurt. It may just be his influence on me, but I think becoming an officer is an admirable path in life."
"Heh...if only that were always true." In a way, Zenkichi was envious of such lofty ideals. How nice it would be if that was always the case. But his years on the job told him that such ideas were more fantasy than reality. "Our ability to help is restrained. The shrewder and more malicious the target, the less we can actually serve them justice. Held back by superiors, held back by red tape, held back by all sorts of laws. The only thing police do is obey orders - even when they involve total injustice or an absence of human logic. Basically, the cops I see every day are nothing but a bunch of spineless dogs - and that includes when I'm lookin' in the mirror."
"Yeah, well...they sure put me through hell..." Ren glanced off to the side. He would never forget what he went through in the police station. They truly intended on killing him that day, and the longer he thought about it, the sicker it made him.
"...Yeah, I heard about that." Zenkichi's grip on the wheel tightened. "I know all about what happened to you. I'm sorry...you're just a kid, and they pulled out all the stops. Hell, what they did to you was something they wouldn't even do to most criminals. It didn't matter that you were on their most wanted...that was beyond inhumane."
"...You're telling me..." Ren brought a hand to his temple and winced. It didn't hurt, but the memory was still fresh in his mind despite all the time that passed.
"Well, I was the one who put him in that position." Akechi spoke up. He was the one that 'tricked' the Phantom Thieves into getting caught. The plan wasn't entirely his idea, but he was not going to ignore or forget his own role, even if he ultimately didn't accomplish anything.
"But you weren't the one who was with him, were you?" Zenkichi grit his teeth. Sure, Ren was the leader of the Phantom Thieves. But that didn't give the interrogators any right to do what they did.
"No, but..." Akechi wasn't going to allow his involvement to be brushed over either. "I'm not going to sit here and act as if I wasn't involved. I walked him into that death trap."
"I walked into it myself, more like." Ren said. Akechi glared at him for choosing now of all times to be pedantic about things.
"Point is...that's about as inhumane as it gets." Zenkichi replied. "I know it's way too late, but someone has to apologize for the shit they put you through."
"..." Sumire was awake at this point, but she kept her eyes close. The conversation wasn't really one she found a chance to chime in on, but she always did worry about Ren after that day.
"It's fine...well, not much can be done about it now. But I'm moving on as best I can." Ren admitted. The situation wasn't one he'd ever forget, but dwelling on it for too long didn't do him any good.
"...I guess I got a little off track there..." Zenkichi admitted. He didn't mean to bring up what happened to Ren, but it wasn't something he could ignore either. Someone had to apologize to the kid about the treatment he experienced while under interrogation. "Sorry...Niijima, I meant to ask, when your dad was away, how did you feel about that?"
"Well..." Makoto trailed off. "When I was younger? I did understand it was part of his job, but I do remember missing him, still. But at least I always had my sister with me."
Sister, huh? "...I see. Sorry to bother you all about this. You guys should get some rest now. If we run into trouble while you're all tired, I'm the one who'll be in real deep shit."
"Hang in there, Gramps." Ren said. He might as well try to get some sleep.
"..." Akechi just closed his eyes. This whole conversation left a bad taste in his mouth, but he did wonder what spurred Zenkichi to talk about it. Oh well, it wasn't any of his business.
.
.
August 14th.
Well into the day, Zenkichi was still driving. The others were awake now, but the drive was so long and the boredom was beginning to set in. "Uuuuugh..." Futaba groaned. "I've slept so much that even sleep's boring now! What doooooooooooooooooooo..."
"Well, is anyone feeling peckish yet?" Haru asked. "Although...I suppose we've nearly reached Kyoto..."
"C'mon, Ryuji! Make us laugh!" Ann turned to Ryuji with an expectant look.
"Wh-!?" Ryuji's eyes went wide at Ann's insane request. "Don't ask me to perform for you, I ain't some comedian!"
"Pleasssse?" Ann asked again.
"No!" Ryuji shook his head.
"I did bring a shogi board, if anyone would like to play." Hifumi suggested. She hadn't gotten to play much Shogi over the course of this trip at all, and she was starting to feel the itch.
"Um...I'll pass, Fumi." Ann said with a sheepish smile. Ann still wasn't the best at shogi, and Hifumi scared her when she really got into it.
"I wouldn't mind playing." Makoto said to Hifumi.
"Oh, excellent! I have to get it from my bag." Nodding, Hifumi excitedly scooted from her seat and went to the back of the RV, shuffling through her bag to find her portable shogi board.
"You're a brave one, Makoto." Ann said with a smile.
"I think it could be fun." Makoto replied. Sumire found herself giggling at the situation.
"I should get my sketchbook...I feel the need to draw something." Yusuke mumbled to himself. "Ah, but Kyoto is so close. I cannot wait to try their food..." Considering he's had his eyes on Kyoto since the group met up together, he was the most excited about arriving.
"Hey. Are you alive?" Futaba nudged Akechi with her foot. His eyes were closed and his arms were crossed. She hadn't seen him move in a little while.
"...Unfortunately." Akechi replied.
"Whoa, dark." Futaba wasn't expecting that kind of response. Or maybe she was. Either way...
It was at this moment that Zenkichi's phone began to ring. His expression soured at the timing. "Shit...not now..."
"...Need a hand there? Or maybe I can take the wheel for you." Ren said, jokingly.
"Don't be stupid!" Zenkichi was not letting the least qualified person take the wheel! "Just answer for me! Make it quick though. Just say I'm driving and that I'll call back later."
"Okay." Ren said while taking Zenkichi's phone. The caller ID said it was from some girl named Akane, and he answered.
"Hello?" Akane answered. "It's way past noon. Where are you? Don't tell me you forgot what day it is. We were supposed to visit Mom's grave together."
Oh, this was awkward. Not what Ren was expecting to hear. "Oh, uh...sorry to hear that?"
Naturally, the girl on the other line was confused to hear a different voice than she was expecting. "Huh? Who is this? Please give him his phone back."
"He's driving right now. But he'll call you back soon." Ren replied.
"Oh...Driving. I guess that makes sense. Okay." The girl known as Akane seemed to be placated with that answer. So he was on his way...
"Who is it?" Ann asked.
"Is it some kind of emergency?" Haru asked.
"Why don't you just pull over, Gramps?" Futaba suggested. That would be the best way to clear up whatever issue there was.
"Good news! I found it!" Hifumi exclaimed, completely unaware of the situation.
Unfortunately for everyone, Akane could hear the voices of the girls in the background. "Do I hear a bunch of girls with you right now!? What an ASSHOLE! You're just out partying, aren't you!?"
Ryuji's eyes widened. "Oooh...she sounds pissed."
"Um..." Sumire began to sweat. Whatever this situation was, it was already spiralling out of control.
"..." Akechi didn't say anything, but he did open one eye as the situation over the phone escalated. Zenkichi just let out the most defeated sigh in the entire world. This was the one thing he didn't want to happen.
"YOU REALLY ARE THE WORST! DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME AGAIN! YOU DON'T EVEN DESERVE TO VISIT MOM'S GRAVE!" Akane yelled and hung up the phone.
"...Um. That was..." Sumire wasn't sure if she could find the words.
"Um, I don't know the details, but...is everything alright?" Makoto could feel the tension even though the call ended.
"...I think she got the wrong impression." Ren said with a sweat drop. He didn't even have the chance to get a word in edge wise before Akane hung up.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Zenkichi frowned. "Just forget it..."
"So...who was that anyway?" Futaba asked.
"My...daughter..." Zenkichi answered, and everyone's eyes went wide.
"Daughter?!" Futaba nearly choked on air. "YOU have one!?"
"Gah, dammit! Sorry, time to floor it! Hang onto your seats, kids!" Zenkichi said. That was the only warning they were getting as Zenkichi put the pedal to the metal, flooring it to Kyoto. There was probably an hour or so left in the trip, but with the way Zenkichi was speeding, that was about a 30 minute drive, give or take. Once he arrived at a suitable place to stop, he turned to the group in the back. "Okay, we're in Kyoto city limit, is this good? I really have to go. Just park this somewhere and check out the temples or something. I'll be in touch tomorrow!" He was speaking fast and leaving just as quickly.
"W-What, tomorrow!?" Makoto was panicking. "Where is there even overnigh-...!?" But it was too late, for Zenkichi was alraedy gone.
"What the HECK was that about!?" Futaba was left dumbfounded.
"He was in a hurry..." Sumire pursed her lips. "I guess he has some business here?"
"He's been in quite the state since that phone call." Yusuke said.
"Something about visiting a grave..?" Ren mentioned.
Sophia then chimed in. "Based on my deductions, today seems to be the day Zenkichi's wife passed away. He is due at her grave to pay respects."
"Zenkichi-san's wife...passed away..." Haru frowned at this news.
"So that's why his daughter demanded to know where he was..." Yusuke said. It made sense with that information.
"He should've just told us what was going on!" Morgana groaned. "We would've understood!"
"He didn't tell us because his personal matters are not our business." Akechi spoke up, giving his opinion on the matter. "We are only working together for the sake of this case."
"But that doesn't mean we should ignore something important like this!" Ryuji replied to Akechi. It was serious and needed due attention.
"But wasn't the way she was talking to him really bad? Like...especially for today?" Ann mumbled.
"I believe she was enraged by the sound of young female voices." Sophia went on. "She did assume he was out partying. This seems like a common occurrence?"
"Talk about getting the wrong idea. I didn't think Gramps even knew how to party." Futaba scratched her cheek.
Haru gasped at this poor misunderstanding. "That's terrible! We need to go straighten things out with her right away!"
"I agree!" Hifumi nodded.
"Yeah. We should catch up with him. Sophia where'd he go?" Ren said.
"I've only found one cemetery in the area. He will be there." Sophia responded.
.
.
Zenkichi had to haul ass to make it on time. He found Akane, his young daughter standing in front of his wife's grave. She didn't look happy; even less so when she saw him approaching. When he made it, he hunched over, hands on his knees as he caught his breath. "Hah...sorry I'm late...!" Akane didn't respond, but she did turn her back to him. "Uh...Akane...?"
"I'm not here for excuses. Go have fun with your girls. Goodbye." Whatever Zenkichi was going to say, Akane wanted no part of it.
"No, wait, you've got the wrong idea!" Zenkichi objected. "I'm on the job right now!"
Akane turned around to glare at Zenkichi. "Don't come near me again, got it? You can't even catch Mom's killer." When she said that, Zenkichi immediately turned his gaze to the ground. Expecting this reaction, Akane's expression was a mix of anger, sadness, and disappointment. "Can't even look your daughter in the eye? Of course! You refuse to face up to anything! The way I see it, you're no father to me."
"Uh, well...y'know..." Zenkichi had nothing. There was nothing he could say to Akane, because the words she said were true to him.
The group did catch up to Zenkichi, just in time to see this scene play out in front of them. It was not a comfortable thing to watch. "..." Ryuji had no words.
"What do we do...!? We really crashed that ship...!" Futaba grimaced.
"Someone's mouth is full of blades..." Akechi pointed out. It wasn't so much the fact she was talking to her father this way that surprised him, more so the fact someone that young could take that way at all.
"She's really eviscerating him..." Morgana could barely watch.
"We have to do something...!" Sumire looked to the others. She didn't have the first clue on how they would do something, but they needed to take action.
"This whole thing is entirely our fault. We're the ones who should explain everything." Makoto said.
"Yes. I can't stand to watch this kind of scene play out before me..." Hifumi was frowning, thoughts going to her own father for a moment. So they approached.
"Um, um! Hang on a second, please...!" Ann pleaded Akane to listen to them.
"This is all a misunderstanding. It's not his fault." Ren said.
Zenkichi whipped around, not expecting the group to follow him. "YOU GUYS!? What are you doing here?!"
Akane was just as surprised as Zenkichi. "Whooo...are you...?"
"We were his ride here." Ren explained. "I'm the guy from the phone."
"Huh...and why are...?" Akane was no less confused.
"She's very suspicious of us! And I can't blame her!" Futaba panicked.
"Sorry to barge in on this, but please, we have to tell you something first!" Haru was just going for it.
"Why did you come here!?" Zenkichi was flabbergasted. He was expecting to deal with Akane...somehow. He was not expecting to be followed. "I told you I'd call you tomorrow!"
"Well, we are the ones responsible for upsetting your daughter." Yusuke said.
"We didn't want to leave things like that. It would leave a bad taste in my mouth." Hifumi explained while rubbing her arm. Ann took her hand to comfort her, which made her smile a little.
"Akane-chan, right?" Makoto offered a soft smile. "We're working a case together, so we were all traveling as a group until he ran off to meet you. Since your father was driving, Ren answered the phone instead."
"He really was in a hurry to meet you. You should've seen how fast he was driving!" Sumire offered a small smile while vouching for Zenkichi.
Akane blinked a few times. Her father was...telling the truth? She turned to Ren, just to confirm the truth. "So...when I talked to you..."
"Mhm...he was driving us to Kyoto." Haru smiled. "We're sorry we upset you."
"Your dad's not THAT bad." Ren added. Did that help? Who knew.
"Oh, uh...I see..." Akane was wrong. So, she would accept that. "Please excuse my awful behavior. I'm sorry for making a scene like that."
"Whoa, she's so well-behaved! She's already more mature than Ryuji!" Futaba said.
"Hey, Shaddup!" Ryuji grunted from the unnecessary attack on his character. "But, for real, though. You don't seem like you'd be HIS kid."
"Now YOU shaddup!" Zenkichi groaned.
"So, Akane-chan?" Ann began. "You and your dad made a promise about today, right?"
"We're really sorry we made him late." Hifumi even gave a small bow for her apology.
Okay, Akane wasn't sure how to handle that. She glanced away, sheepishly. She kind of wanted to be mad, but with the way the situation was playing out, that was literally impossible. These older teenagers all explaining that her father was actually on his way? "Oh, oh no it's...it's fine..."
"Yeah, I'm sorry too, Akane. I promise, I really did remember it was today." Zenkichi said with a shaky sigh. "It's just...this case is dragging us all over the place and...heh..."
Akane was so close to considering accepting his apology, but that nervous chuckle damned him. "What's so funny?" She glared at him.
"Oh, uh..." Zenkichi really put his foot in it now.
"Also, you told me none of this. You couldn't have simply explained it to me before today?" And Akane just continued to tear into Zenkichi.
"She's ripping into him at an adult level..." Futaba was amazed, and also worried.
"To think she's so cold on her father on such a day..." Yusuke could hardly believe it.
"The police are not allowed to disclose any information about a case to anyone." Akechi spoke up, surprising everyone with the fact he did. "Just mentioning it to you would put the case in jeopardy. So, it was for the best that he said nothing about the details, lest he risk leaking any information."
"Y-Yeah!" Ann was so glad Akechi spoke up. She really was going to say the same thing, but her nervousness would've made her stumble and probably fail.
"..." Akane said nothing, but she let out an annoyed huff. She was glaring at Zenkichi. She didn't like that answer...but she was also aware that it did hold just enough wait to pass.
"C'mon, cut him some slack." Ryuji said.
"Ryuji!" Ann snapped at him for saying the worst thing possible.
"Sure I don't got a right to talk, considerin' all the hell I put my own mom through..." Ryuji began. "But he's taking care of you, right? So don't bitin' his head off over this."
"Yeah, if I did that to Sojiro, it'd probably take him a year to recover." Futaba added.
"..." Hifumi said nothing.
It was really hard for Akane to be upset when these teenagers spoke like this. "I mean...it's not like..."
"Um, we're not trying to pile on you, though." Haru added. She understood that Akane may have felt a little ganged up on. "I'm sure you have your reasons for what you said."
"But his delay really was because of work. Please, at least don't blame him for that." Makoto pleaded.
"Please? It's our fault." Ren added.
Akane let out a sigh. "Okay. I understand." She would let it go this time. If all these people were saying Zenkichi was delayed because of them and work...she would believe them.
"Thank you, Akane-chan." Makoto smiled.
"We especially regret causing trouble on such an important day." Yusuke said.
"May we pay our respects as well?" Makoto asked.
"Sure." Akane nodded, seeing no problem with that.
Zenkichi truly could not believe this situation was successfully defused. He was prepared for the worst, but it was avoided somehow. "Guys? Uh...thanks. Really."
"Don't sweat it. But you owe us one now." Morgana teased.
"Hey, zip it! I'm not explaining a talking cat to Akane!" Zenkichi whispered to Morgana.
"Relaaaaax! Akane can't hear me anyway." Morgana said. "C'mon, let's pay our respects."
So, they did. Akechi was off to the side a bit. Was he paying respects? It was hard to say if he was or wasn't. Zenkichi stared at the grave and let out a wistful sigh. "So, two years...how the time flies."
"Was it an accident?" Ren asked.
"It was..." Zenkichi paused.
"...I should go home." Akane was done.
"Oh, why don't we go together?" Zenkichi suggested with a smile. "We can order some take out and-"
"I want nothing to do with you." Akane said coldly. She turned around and started to walk off.
"Akane, wait!" Zenkichi reached out to Akane, but it was in vain. She completely ignored him and walked off.
"...She's not stopping..." Sumire gulped.
"Boy, is she icing Gramps out or way?" Futaba let out a sigh. "This isn't just some teen rebel thing either."
"But she's so polite, too...i really wonder what could've happened..." Haru wondered.
Zenkichi obviously knew the answer to that, but he wasn't going to answer. "Hey, sorry about that. You guys really did save me back there. I've got to get home, but I'll see you all tomorrow. Be in touch, yeah?"
"Fine by us, buuuut...are you sure to just go home like that?" Ryuji asked. After a scene like that, he had to worry.
"What? Oh, sure. She's just...at that age, you know?" Zenkichi waved that off nervously.
"Mm...are you sure?" Hifumi tilted her head.
"I know you don't get home too often, but is everything okay there? Akane-chan's eating well and all that?" Makoto questioned.
Zenkichi nodded to that. "Yeah. My wife's parents are just next door. From what they tell me, she always eats in her room - easy, packaged stuff."
"Really...? It's that bad?" Ann's eyes were wide.
"I'm always at work, so I really don't know anything about her. diet.." Zenkichi replied.
"She's a growing lady, so I hope she's eating well." Haru said.
"She does need to be a little active, too!" Sumire added.
"I mean, I send her money at least. She's already a third year in middle school. I'm pretty sure she's set in her ways." Zenkichi said.
"..." Akechi was thinking something, but he had nothing nice to say. So, he'd just keep his mouth shut.
"I think we should lend her a helping hand." Hifumi spoke up.
"Yeaaaah...after what we put her through, I want to do something nice for her today." Ann agreed with that sentiment.
"Her dad's taken decent care of us so far - why don't we treat him and the kid to a nice meal?" Futaba grinned. Plus, being able to call someone else a kid did puff her ego up a little. Getting older rocked.
"That's a great idea! I'd like to speak more with her!" Makoto smiled. "We can even help cook."
"Sounds like we'll have to stay overnight!" Haru beamed. "Let's be sure to pick up plenty of groceries!"
"Alright everyone, after Akane!" Morgana said while ponting his paw forward.
"...It's going to be very crowded." Akechi said to himself, but he did follow along as the others started to walk past Zenkichi.
"...Huh?" Zenkichi blinked once. He blinked once and suddenly the group was inviting themsevles over to his house. "Hey, wait a minute! You can't just invite yourselves over like that, dammit! Hey! Hey you damn kids! Are you seriously planning on crashing my place!?" There was no answer from them, because they already made it clear. So Zenkichi had no choice but to chase them down. "AM I JUST TALKIN' TO MYSELF HERE!?"