School was starting out as well as Akechi could reasonably expect, even if he felt cramped compared to the previous year. A part of Shido's employment that he enjoyed was being able to cut class whenever he pleased. Sometimes he did it just because it made him feel important, knowing that he had better places to be than all the other high-schoolers. He had to get used to being back in the education factory with everyone else.

Being Suzui-san's official book-carrier should have made him feel even more trapped, but to his surprise, he found that he liked the feeling of being relied on. Eventually she wouldn't need his help, but for now he could look forward to seeing her between classes.

At first, she gave the impression of being a pretty basic girl: kind but superficial. But then one day she got talking about sports and it was like another Suzui had possessed her. Akechi, knowing nothing about team sports, listened politely but bemusedly through about half the lunch period.

Finally, Suzui stopped talking and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Oh my gosh!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe I went on like that!"

"Seems like it had been building up for a while," said Akechi, amused.

"Yeah, you're right. I used to talk about this stuff with my teammates, but…."

"Teammates?"

"I used to play volleyball," said Suzui quietly. Then, waving her hands, she said, "Never mind. Forget I said that. Um, are you interested in any sports, Akechi-san?"

"I like biking and bouldering. Can't say I've ever been into team sports. I don't like the feeling of tying my own performance to a bunch of other people."

"That's the best part," said Suzui happily. "When you get to the point where you work together like a single mind, and you realize how much more you can accomplish than you could on your own. It's such an exhilarating feeling. There's nothing like it."

"What if they drag you down, though? Doesn't it make you angry?"

"Honestly?" she asked. "Yeah, it used to. I've always been good at volleyball and it was frustrating when I was head-and-shoulders above the rest of the team. Like, I'm carrying all you people and you're mad at me for it?"

Akechi laughed. It was endearing to see Suzui, the quintessential nice girl, admit that even she got fed up with deadweight from time to time.

Suzui blushed. "Oh, please don't think worse of me for saying something like that, Akechi-san," she said quickly.

Ah, she let her guard down and now she was afraid he would judge her for it. He knew what that felt like. He smiled to put her at ease. "I didn't realize you were so competitive, Suzui-san. I don't mind it. A little salt just makes the dish better, right?"

"That's one way to put it," she replied, laughing in relief. "Thanks for understanding."

The lunch bell rang; time to go.

"Tell me about bouldering sometime," said Suzui. "I'm getting kind of restless just sitting around, y'know?"

As it happened, Akechi was also feeling restless. He'd settled into the school routine and immediately gotten bored with it. Moreover, the first of the month was coming up and rent was due; Sae-san hadn't talked about it, but she did seem edgier. It was time to look for a job.

On the way home, he picked up a job pamphlet and flipped through it. He had promised to contribute to the household income, after all. Rafflesia...head-turning charm required. Ha. That sounded easy enough. He headed down to the underground mall in Shibuya to window-shop a bit. Some accessories caught his eye, but he didn't have the money to spend on fancy clothes anymore. That was probably the best part about working for Shido; he was bankrolled to buy whatever he wanted to keep up the Detective Prince identity.

He felt a shiver up his spine and shook his head. I didn't work for that man, he thought firmly. I worked against him the whole time. I took his money and betrayed him. But the thought wouldn't stick. Instead, his idiot brain remembered how flattered he'd been when Shido complimented him. The pride he felt knowing he was a key part of Shido's plans…. Suddenly, he felt like he'd stuck his hand into a toilet. Dirty.

Pushing away these thoughts, Akechi called the number in the job pamphlet. Unfortunately, it seemed Rafflesia had another part-timer already lined up. He managed to get an interview at a few other places, but the proprietors recognized him as the disgraced detective. Only one was forward enough to say so, but he could tell. He'd destroyed his reputation and he could barely even remember why. Something about revenge, but the details were fuzzy.

Eventually, he made his way over to the Shinjuku neighborhood. It had been a long time since he lived there, but he still remembered his way around. Better yet, he knew there were more opportunities for someone with a sketchy past here than in other parts of the city.

From down some alley, he heard a deep, robust voice shouting. As he moved closer, he could make out "AND THE TRUCK YOU RODE IN ON!" Peeking around a corner, he saw a large woman dressed in a brightly colored spring outfit, hands on hips. A bow barrette perched at a jaunty angle on her head. She was looking around the alley in disapproval.

"Hey, you," she said, looking up at Akechi. Her voice was surprisingly deep and scratchy. A drag queen, then?

"Me?"

"Yeah. How'd you like to make a quick 2000 yen?"

In a Shinjuku alley behind a drag bar. Akechi's mind went directly into the gutter; it must have shown on his face.

"Oh, don't give me that look," the woman sighed. "I just want you to carry these boxes in for me."

Oh. Well, Akechi still needed money and a job was a job. He went over to survey the scene.

"I'm Lala Escargot, the proprietress of this establishment. You can just call me Lala-san if you want. Start with these, they need to go in the cooler."

Akechi took off his school blazer and started hauling the boxes inside. Lala directed him while puffing on a cigarette and complaining about the idiot who had left all the boxes outside instead of bringing them in like he was supposed to.

"Does that happen often?" asked Akechi, stocking the cooler.

"Only when they don't send my regular guy. I give him a little gratuity to stock the shelves for me. I'm lucky you wandered by today. What's a kid like you even doing in this part of town, anyway?"

"Looking for a job, as it happens. You aren't hiring, are you?"

"Don't tease, honey," said Lala dismissively. "I wouldn't mind some part-time help, but I don't trust prep-school types. Too clean. You know, you could break those boxes down and toss 'em out back too."

Akechi did that, then surveyed the back of the bar. Everything was stocked neatly, but there was some debris left on the floor. He found a broom and swept out the area while Lala disappeared somewhere into the back.

When Lala returned, she had transformed - she had a purple wig, a full kimono, and a lot more makeup. Akechi finished sweeping and asked if there was anything else he could do.

"No, no, that's plenty for one afternoon. You earned your pay. Sit over there, I'll pour you a nice cold one for the road."

Akechi washed his hands and went around the bar to sit on the customer side. Lala mixed him a drink filled to the brim with ice and placed it on the counter next to his money. He pocketed the money and took a sip of the drink. It was delicious; he hadn't even realized how thirsty he was. "This is refreshing. What's in it?"

"Half-and-half lemonade and iced tea. A nice cool drink for sweaty work."

Lala kicked the back door closed and the sunlight seeped out of the bar, leaving it lit for the evening in neon. Akechi looked around; gaudy, but clean. He'd certainly been to divier bars.

"It's funny you should say I'm too 'clean' to work here when all day long, other places have been telling me the opposite."

"Do you really need the money that bad?" Lala asked.

"I have to pay my lawyer," said Akechi truthfully. Lala's penciled eyebrows rose a bit. She took a closer look at his face.

"Hmm...ever worked in hospitality or food service before?"

Akechi shook his head. "Actually, my last job was as a detective."

"A criminal cop, eh? Well, you've got a cute face, decent work ethic, and you're good for a laugh. I think my regulars'd get a kick out of you. Tell you what, come in on Thursday evening and I'll show you the ropes."

Sae was working in her bedroom when Akechi got home. Whistling, he arranged the things he'd bought and started preparing dinner. After he'd finished serving, Sae still wasn't out of her room, so he went and knocked.

"Dinner," he called.

She emerged, looking guilty. "Oh no, I totally lost track of the time. I'm so sorry, I'll make something right now. You must be hungry."

"I sure am," he said, teasing her a little. "Come on, sit down."

They sat down at the dinner table and Sae looked everything over. There was miso soup, pork dumplings and oyakodon, all plated nicely, as if he had actually made them from scratch.

"I hardly know what to say. Thank you for handling dinner; it's a relief."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. There was something nostalgic about this meal. When he'd lived with his mother, they mostly ate convenience food: just add water. When she wanted to feel fancy, she would get rid of the styrofoam bowls and put the instant noodles on real tableware.

"How was your day?" asked Sae, popping a dumpling in her mouth.

"Things are going well with Suzui-san. And I found a part-time job. It's only weekend evenings, so it shouldn't interfere with my school work."

"I'm impressed. Do you have time to juggle all that, though? Ease off if it gets to be too much."

"I can handle it. How's it going with my defense?"

"Not bad. I'm thinking through a couple of possible angles. The time will come when we'll need to have a serious talk about which way you want to go, though."

"What do you mean by angles?"

"Well, first off, I've heard that Shido plans to recant parts of his confession."

Goro made a face. "Sounds like something he would do. Then my testimony may be important."

"Maybe. The strange thing is which parts he's retracting. He's denying involvement of a number of people he'd previously named as associates or accomplices - including you."

"That doesn't sound good, actually," said Goro slowly, thinking through the possible implications.

"I agree and I'm making inquiries. For now, that's all I know. Anyway, making the case of murder by Metaverse isn't exactly a slam-dunk. If you want, we could say that was some flight of fancy and there is no such thing. Then you'd have a shot at avoiding jail time completely. You could be acquitted."

"Are you serious?" said Akechi. "Acquitted? Then I wouldn't have to pay...but I assume that would damage the case against Shido, as there would be nothing tying my actions to him."

"Regardless of this new development, his confession is still more than enough to put him away for life. He's going to prison with or without your help. There's no reason you need to go down with him. Think about it this way: you could move on with your life."

"I see. But if I denied the existence of the Metaverse...then what happened to the psychotic breakdown victims would remain unexplained forever."

"Probably. That isn't my concern, though. If you want to go forward with a full denial, I believe I can make that case. You're my client; it's up to you."

"It's hard to believe you can be so cold-blooded about this, Sae-san," said Akechi doubtfully.

"It's my job. I wouldn't be doing it properly if I didn't consider every possible defense. The important part is that you will have to live with the choice you make."

Akechi thought about that as he ate. Unchained from the past. Even as a child, he'd never dared to hope that he'd ever be free of the circumstances of his birth and the events that had shackled his choices up till now.

Sae-san was offering him a chance to move on, to carve his own path rather than follow the tracks dictated by others or even the ones created by his own mistakes. He couldn't quite believe it - not yet - it was too foreign a feeling. Still, the possibility was tantalizing. He would have to think it over carefully.

"I can't believe he's even considering that bullshit. What a douche," said the black-suited Akechi sullenly, scowling at the bank of monitors in Dr. Maruki's lab.

"You said it had nothing to do with you," Maruki pointed out. "You said he could have that life if he wanted."

"It pisses me off to know that moron is walking around with my face and my name," said Akechi.

"He is you," said Maruki. He did not add that he'd begun thinking of this Akechi as the hard candy shell to the other one's chewy center.

Akechi paced around. "He's weak. Naive. Pathetic. I'm none of those things."

Maruki followed Akechi's gaze to the monitor where he was tracking Amamiya-kun. He wasn't sure exactly what the black mask represented in terms of Akechi's psyche, but this part of him, no matter how much it protested otherwise, still longed for Amamiya. That hadn't changed. It might even be the only thing the two Akechis had in common.

"'Weak' and 'pathetic'...those are strong words. Why do you say that?"

"He's indulging in a juvenile fantasy."

"I disagree. The fantasy is that one can live one's life alone. It takes courage to rely on others," said Maruki.

"What cereal box did you steal that insight from?" said Akechi acidly.

"Think about it. You know your own limits, so you can set your own comfort level. If you put your trust in others, you risk being disappointed. Betrayed, even. The loss of control is scary for some people."

"Are we still talking about me, or is this about you now?"

"Don't deflect. It's just a general observation. I'm interested in the human condition."

"I can see why. Humanity's done so much for you." Akechi's voice dripped with sarcasm.

"Now who's being juvenile?" Maruki popped open a box of Pocky and set one in his mouth, rolling it from side to side like a cigar.

"Whatever." Akechi banged on the gleaming walls, more annoyed because he didn't have a good comeback. Then a thought occurred to him. He turned back toward Maruki and smirked wickedly. "What would happen if I went out there and killed that other me?"

"If such a thing is even possible, I assume you'd die too," said Maruki, watching to gauge his reaction.

"Dammit. What am I supposed to do?" Akechi slammed into the wall again and then kicked it for good measure.

"I don't know what happened to make you dissociate like this," Maruki mused. "But you can't use a Persona right now and that means you can't move freely around the Metaverse. You're effectively unarmed, isn't that right?"

"Yep. Unarmed and stuck in this hell with you. Do you have any idea how to proceed?"

"As the nation's preeminent expert on the Metaverse as a psychosomatic phenomenon...I think you'll have to reintegrate with that other you." Maruki paused and grinned widely. "He literally completes you."

Akechi closed his eyes and took a deep breath through his nose.

"Fine. When I'm done vomiting, how can I accomplish this task?"

"We're in the Metaverse, the world of the subconscious. Try contacting him when he's asleep. The distance between you should be shortest then."

Akechi nodded. Without another word, he turned and headed towards the open air duct that would take him outside, leaving Maruki alone in his cell.

"Let me know what happens!" called Maruki.