Chapter 20

A dull smack hit Ren in the shoulder throwing him awake. He spun around on his heels. The yell in his throat stalled but Morgana still mewed loudly in his bag. Where? What? He caught himself from falling and looked around. Cameras, a stage, and several of his classmates were with him. Today's memories restarted once his brain warmed back up, they were on a school trip to the TV station. It bugged him that he was 'behind the scenes' of what's on television, especially considering the Inaba memories, but he couldn't say no to Ann and Ryuji who were all for it. Not to mention he had to participate in order to perpetuate the image of being a 'normal student.' The dullness of what's behind these cameras, though, sent him through a nonstop snoozing urge. Especially since he hasn't been sleeping much. A little cat nap was nice to try and catch up on his Z's. That is, until someone shoved past him.

Ren checked his bag to ensure it was still secure before turning to look at the man in a tan suit marching up to their tour guide.

The newcomer puffed out his chest and glared at the woman. "What's going on? I can't stand all this noise."

Ryuji stormed up to the guy. "Hey, assho-!"

The PR woman fumbled, bowing her head. "My apologies! I'll have them leave right away!" She turned to all the students. "Now then, it's time for a bit of hands-on experience!"

Seemingly satisfied, the man spun around and teetered off back to where he popped out of. Ren had to pull back the urge to trip him onto his face as he passed again, instead he just followed Ryuji's lead and just glared after the guy's backside. The blond then gritted his teeth and spat, "Dammit… who does that jerk think he is?"

"Hey there." An obnoxious tone came from behind them. Ryuji and Ren turned to see a man strolling up to Ann, he was swaggering hips and eyeing her head to toe. "You wanna be on TV?"

Speechless, Ann just stared back at him.

Taking that as an opening the man waved a finger all over her. "You've got a slammin' bod, after all." An underhanded snickering echoed from his throat. The only way this guy could be creepier is if he licked his lips and bit his bottom lip.

Ren and Ryuji's expressions fell, morphing to stares of daggers. Ann just waved off her admirer. "I'm on a school trip."

"Just gimme a call if you're interested. I'd greatly welcome a message from you, day or night."

"Uh… yeah." Ann slowly backed away.

In a split second, a sarcastically wide mouthed, grinning Ren was in front of the 'pickup artist.' "Oh, why thank you! It's been SO long since anyone's 'preciated this 'slammin' bod.'"

The man balked, "What? No. I was talking to-."

Ren tore off a piece of paper and, with a little unchaste sway of his hips, wrote down a random phone number. He took the paper between his two fingers and held it out to the guy, a big smile on his face. "Gimme a call day or night you little rascal." The cherry on top was the licentious wink of his eye.

The 'pickup artist' took the paper, face frozen in a state of abhorrence, then in a mindless trance, staggered off.

Ren turned around to be met with the stupefied gazes of Ann and Ryuji. Ren pushed in his glasses, inclining his head in a brief nod. "Sup?"

Ann's hand flew to her mouth, an unstoppable surge of giggles came toppling out her lips. She keeled over, stifling her laughter with her fist trying to hide her state. Ryuji only just shook his head, "You're insane."

Miss Kawakami walked up to them, her arms crossed. "I understand you're bored, but please don't cause any trouble. Okay?"

Ren averted his gaze, crossing his arms. "He came onto me first."

Ann's fits of laughter intensified, and Ryuji slapped himself in the face. Kawakami blinked at the teen then placed her fingertips on her forehead. "You're one strange kid." She looked back up at him. "Just make sure you don't start a second scandal for our school." Then turned to walk away.

Ryuji hummed in surprise. "I thought she'd get all mad at us."

Ren shrugged. There wasn't much point explaining his complicated relationship with their teacher. Especially if that would mean he was going to get another lecture about being a 'boy' from Ann.

Speaking of, he turned to see their female companion who was finally calming down. His heart cracked at the sight and he couldn't stop himself from staring at his feet. A giggling fest, just like Yukiko. Paws on his shoulder brought him back and he turned to see Morgana glaring into his eyes. Very close to his eyes. "Didn't we agree to be lying low, playboy?"

Ren's face flushed and he snapped to attention. "Right! Sorry, sir!"

\|/

Ren, Ann, and Ryuji stood in the hallway of the station, leaning up against its rather dull white walls in wait. After Ren's whole 'flashy flirting' the staff have been actively avoiding him. And since Ryuji and Ann stuck with him they've been transitively avoided as well. Results: they did a lot more watching than working, much to the chagrin of the other students. A bit of a mistake on his part, one the vexed cat keeps spewing on and on about in the bag for him to hear alone, but the blond boy on the other hand seems all the grateful for the blunder. So, there was some benefit then. Ren was most certainly going to have to make up for this with Morgana, though. The others don't have him as an alarm clock. Maybe tuna? That always works.

Ryuji stuck his arms in the air, slowly bringing them down into a stretch. "Gotta say, not half bad. I'm surprised we got outta workin' today."

"Yeah, but tomorrow we really should try and help out. We were attracting too much attention." Ann replied dejected.

The blond plopped his head against the wall. "Course it wouldn't last. Can't he just freak em all out again?"

Morgana popped out of the bag. "No flaking out, Ryuji. You either, playboy."

Ren sniffed, pushing in his glasses. Is that going to be his nickname now? Could they not?

Ignoring the 'playboy' comment, Ryuji began kicking the floor. "I know, I know. I gotta be a 'good boy,' right? Bein' Phantom Thieves ain't easy."

Morgana narrowed his eyes. "If you have to say something, say Arsenes. What's the point of a cover name it we don't use it?"

"Right, right. Forgot."

"That reminds me," They all turned to Ann as she continued, "we get to go home straight from here today. We don't spend much time in this area, so why don't we relax and check out some shops beforehand?"

"Ooh, I know a place!" Morgana began hopping up and down on Ren's shoulder. "I wanna go to that huge pancake-looking place we passed on the way here! It looked delicious! What was that?"

Ryuji's eyes sparkled. "Ohhhh… you mean Dome Town? The round part is a baseball stadium, then along the outside they've got an amusement park."

Ann nodded in agreement. "It's right in the middle of a business area, but they have some pretty hardcore rides there too."

Morgana stomped his paws, nodding with determination. "All right… Let's go! I'll show you just how courageous I am!"

"Going on a scary ride doesn't really prove any kind of courage." Ann looked on the cat with amusement.

Ryuji crossed his arms. "Not like cats can get on anyways."

"Really?"

"Really. You might be able to sneak in if you stay in the bag, but you'd totally puke if you did that. But uh… let's just go to Dome Town! I'm really fealin' it now!"

"Me too! My stomach's ready for roller coasters!" Ann pumped her fist.

Morgana slowly inched back into the bag. "Uhhh… I think I'll pass on the puke rides." He then disappeared into the bag.

Ren's ears perked up and he turned to the hallway. A boy came walking around the corner nicely dressed in a hazelnut jacket, a white dress shirt, a white stripped black tie, fitted driver gloves, neatly pressed pants, and pristinely waxed shoes glinting in the low light. He held a silver suitcase by his left side. This boy looked their way and walked over, stopping before them while bowing his head with a smile. "Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice your uniforms. Are you students of Shujin Academy?"

Ann and Ryuji spun around, looking him up and down. Ryuji nodded, cocking a brow, "Yeah, whaddya want?"

A small smile appeared on the boy's features as he stepped up to them, pressing a delicate hand on his chest. "I happened to be passing by, so it seemed polite to greet you. We'll be filming together, after all. Ah, where are my manners? My name is Goro Akechi."

"Akechi?" Ann pinched her chin in thought.

"Filming?" Ryuji looked Akechi up and down. "What, you a celebrity?"

Akechi chuckled lightly at his words. "Only to the extent of appearing on TV a couple of times."

Ann looked between Ryuji and Akechi, then a flicker of realization formed on her face. She didn't say anything though.

Akechi pulled out his phone and quickly glanced down at the screen with a pained expression. "My apologies. I truly was just passing by. I must be going. There's a briefing for tomorrow's recording that I have to attend." He put away the phone and smiled up at the group. "So, you're going to go have cake now? I missed lunch today, so I'm quite hungry myself."

All three teens looked to each other hoping the other may know what this Akechi was talking about. Seeing neither of them understood Ryuji faced the boy and said, "Cake? What're you talkin' about?"

Akechi's eyes widened and a finger curled around his chin. "Oh, am I mistaken? I thought I heard something about delicious pancakes."

Ren's eyes instantly narrowed.

Laughing off his mistake, Akechi bowed slightly toward them. "No matter. Whelp, see you tomorrow." With that, he turned around to stroll down the hall.

They all watched him go then after a few seconds Ryuji looked to Ann. "That guy's gotta be some kinda start-up entertainer or something. He's never gonna get popular with that kinda hair though."

Ann deadpanned him. "You don't get it."

"Eh, it's fine. We'll see him again tomorrow anyways. C'mon, let's go to Dome Town!"

The group began walking and Ren could hear Morgana in his bag mumbling, "H-hey, can we skip the vomit machines and get cake instead?"

Ren's eyes narrowed again, taking a quick look back toward where Akechi disappeared to. Pancakes were said quite a while ago, this Akechi would had to have been eavesdropping for a while to have heard that. Not to mention, it was Morgana who said that. How did he hear him? For all they knew, only those with Personas could hear Morgana. That means Akechi had been to the Metaverse at the very least. If so, what does he know? Maybe it was related to the psychotic breakdowns? Ren wanted to ask more, but diving headfirst into a pool is never a good idea. Not when you don't know what's under the surface. Looks like he was going to have to keep a close eye on Akechi tomorrow.

\|/

The next day came by fast and unfortunately for Ryuji they were indeed forced to participate. Ren sat in his chair, arms crossed as everyone sat all around him. They were going to be the audience for some talk show and from what he's heard the guest is someone important. There was so much chatter going on, though, he couldn't tell who, but he was willing to bet everything on one person.

A man behind the camera waved his hand in the air. "Mister Akechi's coming on."

Ren's eyes narrowed again, uncrossing his arms and leaning forward, both hands clasping together over his mouth. It was heavily implied that this is what Akechi meant the other day, so it wasn't all that surprising to him.

Akechi began walking onto the set as all the girls began squealing, sprouting out their excitements and how extravagant he looked. Ann didn't look the least bit fazed, but Ryuji blinked at the teen on stage like he were slapped with reality. "Ain't that the guy from yesterday?"

Ren nodded, but did nothing further. Something told him he really should pay attention to this.

"Cutting back to commercial." The man behind the camera began counting down. Ren tightening his grip as he braced himself for information.

"And now," The female announcer began, "onto the 'Hottest Meet-and-Greet' segment of our show. After his last appearance was so well-received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman today. It's the high school detective, Goro Akechi!"

Applause and further high-pitched cheering from the female fans erupted. Akechi smiled toward the audience, "Hello there."

The male host turned to his guest, smiling himself, "Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Akechi-kun. Your popularity is stunning. Many have begun calling you the second coming of the Detective Prince."

Ren's jaw dropped, his hands slowly dropping from his mouth. The saliva in his mouth instantly vaporized to leave a dry tongue gagging at the back of his throat. "What?" He finally got out.

Akechi smiled sheepishly, scratching his chin. "Even I've found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing. I wouldn't say I've quite surpassed the Detective Prince herself though. She still holds that title after all."

Murmurs of that 'princess' detective began spreading over the female audience. Ren shut his eyes and pressed his fists into his head. They were going on and on about how uncouth 'that' detective was. Going on about her false title, her pathetic attempts to solve crime, her inability to make it on TV, - on and on and on. It kept drilling into his ears. Those… ignorant imbeciles. Naoto is nothing like this. She didn't even dub herself 'prince' that was everyone else admiring the young detective not yet in high school. She never asked for the publicity. In fact, it was one of the catalysts that pushed her into rejecting her gender. She began hating herself, hating her passion, all because of that stupid title.

The female announcer broke through the chatter. "Moving along, we've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?"

Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up. He's not a detective prince!

"Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist Madarame."

"There it is!" The host loudly praised. "All of this phantom thief excitement has caught your attention too, Akechi-kun! Allow me to be blunt for just a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?"

"If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist."

"Ohh, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?"

"I may not seem like it, but I sometimes wish that Santa Claus actually existed. Although if he did, I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering."

The audience began laughing, smiling, agreeing with the charming detective. Yu bit on his finger, Naoto doesn't like being on camera. She doesn't like publicity. This guy's just drowning in it. Just claiming fame by acting all familiar on camera. Why does Naoto have to go through such scrutiny just because this ass acts all nice and funny?

Ryuji leaned toward him. "Dude, you okay?" Yu ignored him, jaws clenching down harder on his single digit.

"But hypothetically speaking," Akechi's voice seared on, "if these Phantom Thieves are real, I believe they should be tried in a court of law."

The host looked taken back, "That's quite the statement. Are they committing crimes? Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways."

"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart."

Yu's jaw bit down harder, the taste of iron slowly dripped into his mouth. Damn moron. Damn idiot! Like hell he's acting so high and mighty! He's no detective prince. He's no detective at all! Naoto wouldn't be saying such unfounded, ludicrous things!

"You have a point. These people are calling themselves the Phantom Thieves, after all. Amazing as always, Akechi-kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most radiant charisma!"

Yu stared up at the host, his eyes seeing red. Damn sycophants. Just buttering up some pretender, some ass-kissing wannabe!

Akechi chuckled. "I have to say though, I would be embarrassed if it turns out these Phantom Thieves don't exist. If that were the case, I'd summarize it into a report as a school project."

Yu pulled his crimson finger out of his mouth, crossing his arms. He shook his head with a scowl, doing his best not to stand up and shout down that fraud.

The female announcer turned to the crowd. "Now then, let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun about the Phantom Thieves. First, please press your button now if you think the Phantom Thieves exist!"

Ryuji growled under his breath. "Of course they do!" Then he chanced a look at Yu.

Yu kept his arms crossed, refusing to even acknowledge the implied question he received from his comrade or to acknowledge this stupid impromptu survey. Everything about this show was absurd. A public stunt to fuel that Akechi's ego, no doubt. A way to become more popular.

With a few beeping a loud chime sounded. The male host turned to Akechi. "About thirty percent or so? What are your thoughts, Akechi-kun?"

The 'detective prince' looked at the host with raised brows. "I'm a bit surprised. That's higher than I was expecting. I'd love to hear some more detailed opinions on the Phantom Thieves' actions."

The female announcer stood up from her chair, making her way toward the audience. Her gaze passed over many faces before resting on Yu. Yu steeled himself as she drew near, stopping right at his feet. "All right, let's try asking this student here. Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?"

"If they were real?" Yu repeated. His eyes left her to bore into Akechi. The detective just sat there, leaning forward with his fingers intertwined. This so-called detective seemed intrigued.

Shifting his head side to side, Yu stood. Ryuji and Ann looked stunned. He extended his hand for the microphone which the announcer provided with little hesitation. He brought it up to his mouth. "May I ask a question first, Akechi?"

The boy raised his head. "Most certainly."

Yu narrowed his eyes. "There is no doubt that taking the law into your own hands is unacceptable, no one has that right." His fellow Phantom Thieves were stunned by his claims. "It's also undeniable that forcing someone to do anything against their will is morally reprehensible. So, tell me, why do you make such strong claims without evidence?"

"Without evidence?"Akechi blinked, his amused smile vanishing. "I'm sorry, I can't say I understand what you're implying."

"I imply nothing. It is you who imply alone. You say the Phantom Thieves are taking the law into their own hands. How? They have people confess their crimes and then let judgment be passed. If the police didn't arrest them, those 'victims' as you're calling them, couldn't even be charged. Are you saying that the mere request of someone to confess their crimes should be illegal?"

"If it is requested, it would not be illegal."

"Yet the Phantom Thieves should be tried for it anyways? They don't even physically harm their 'victims.' Yet you say it's taking the law into their own hands to have them confess." Akechi sat back, crossing his arms as his eyes wandering over the boy. Not waiting for a response Yu pressed on. "It would be one thing if those 'victims' were coerced into confessing, but I haven't heard how that is so? If anything, it looks more like the Phantom Thieves just talked some sense into them, made them come to realize what they've been doing is horrible. How is that act so horrid they deserve public persecution and prison?"

Akechi opened his mouth, but no words came out. He breathed out, rubbing his chin. "That may be true, but one does not simply change their ways overnight. With my experience, I have found that such changes only occur doing severe situations. Such as traumas or epiphanies."

"Then why haven't you considered that the Phantom Thieves have given them that epiphany? Being called out in public is quite a strong message and then it takes several days before the target confesses. How do you know that the Phantom Thieves don't just show them the error in their ways nonintrusively? It doesn't look like it was done overnight to me."

Akechi looked up to the ceiling in thought. Murmurs behind Yu started to stir, but he ignored them. "What kind of detective just goes around making random accusations? Naoto Shirogane would never do that!"

The room became silent. Then murmurs started again, "Who's Naoto Shirogane? What's he talking about?"

"Is that some character from a book?"

Yu grinded his teeth. He wanted to scream at them. All of them. They had the audacity to slander her and yet didn't even know her name? Bastards. All of them!

Many of the female students began hissing at Yu, telling him to sit down. That he didn't know what he was talking about. To stop trying to embarrass Akechi-kun. The announcer even came forward to take the mic away.

Akechi raised his hand, silencing the room. "I see. He's right." Everyone gasped, even Yu was taken back. Akechi crossed his arms, gazing at the floor with solemn eyes. "I have been jumping to conclusions. It's shameful of me to do so. Especially since I have Naoto Shirogane's legacy being placed on me. She is the original Detective Prince, and she earned that title and its prestigious reputation for a reason. I deeply apologize for my inappropriate speculations." He looked up at Yu with that annoying smile of his. "It seems she means a great deal to you."

Yu averted his eyes. He was giving too much away. "She saved my life. In every possible way. I owe her much."

Akechi chuckled. "Then your respect is well placed and deserved. I can only say I wish to meet her one day. She could teach me more about this world. It seems I've just been getting paranoid. As such, I must admit, I should look into the Phantom Thieves, but not because they did break the law. It is because they might have. Thank you for opening my eyes. I would have deeply regretted it if I had demeaned the acts of great heroes."

Yu nodded, passing the mic back to the announcer. He plopped back into his chair and crossed his arms. That was nowhere near satisfying. The damn 'prince detective' somehow turned it around. It was vexing. Yu didn't properly put him in his place. At the very least, he got people to appreciate Naoto more. That's the only reason he's content with ending it here. If he continued, he could be putting her name in jeopardy. Something he couldn't allow.

Akechi sat back looking up at the ceiling. "Still, such people like the Phantom Thieves cannot be ignored, even if they are in fact just. I am only concerned with the implementation of this ability they have displayed. If what they do can change hearts on a whim then certain crimes could be concealed using this method. Even what may seem to be ordinary crimes may be perpetrated by these methods. Such abilities can truly wreak havoc, a significant threat to our everyday lives."

"You know, that is truly a troubling thought." The male host added.

Akechi looked over at him. "Please, it's only hypothetical. As we just clarified, such abilities aren't proven to be true. To be honest, I deliberate this due to the no so insignificant fact that I am assisting the police in the matter. We are collaborating on all possible theories to sort out this matter. For now, I only hope that everything we have just discussed to be true. Maybe I'll even ask for their autograph then."

The room began laughing again. Yu just shook his head, scowl back on his face.

\|/

He lost it. Ren stared at the floor of the studio. The anger has washed away, tiring him out till nothing was left. All that remained was the silent beat of his heart. Morgana tried chewing him out for his little display, but he didn't respond to any of the words. He couldn't defend his actions, but simultaneously he couldn't let that self-proclaimed detective continue. Despite what he is now, Naoto was still important to him. The memories he has of her… they were worth defending. Even if they were all fake, the were the most precious thing he still had. She deserves so much more than she was getting. Letting that boy stroll about all easy going while taking away her reputation was crossing the line.

Ryuji and Ann walked up to him. The girl looked down at his finger. "That doesn't look so good."

"Man, it's like you were tryin' to chew it off." Ryuji looked back up to Ren. "You sure you're alrigh'? You got pretty heated. Never knew you met the former Detective Prince."

"The Detective Prince!" He snapped.

"Right." Ryuji looked over at Ann who only stared back with equal concern.

Ren removed his glasses before massaging his face. He could feel a warm liquid spreading over his face causing him to curse. He fished into his bag to grab a napkin, or something of the like. His hands only rubbed up against Morgana's fur. The cat popped out, "What are you looking- oh." He spotted the crimson on his face. "Err, sorry. I don't think there's anything in here to wipe that off."

"Here." Ann handed over a wipe.

Thanking her, Ren took it and freshened his face. "I should go wash this off before it gets infected."

"Sounds good." Ryuji nodded. "I'll go with. Needa take a leak."

Ann was unusually quiet. Placing his spectacles back on, Ren looked over at her, she was looking oddly conflicted. He stepped up to her. "You okay? You looked troubled."

She opened her mouth, but then stared at his finger. "It can wait. Just go tend to that. We'll talk later." With that she rushed away.

Finding the bathroom wasn't difficult. Mostly due to helpful workers who were eager to get him out of there. As Ryuji went to go do his 'business' Ren went up to the faucet and turned it on. He ran his finger under the flow, causing a torrent of needles to scrape the lacerated skin. Gritting his teeth he pulled his finger out and dried it with a paper towel.

The door opened and Akechi came in. He stopped upon seeing Ren, "Oh. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

A flush sounded and Ryuji threw the door to his stall open. "What, can't use the pisser?"

The high school detective chuckled. "I only meant I wasn't expecting to see him here of all places. But it is serendipitous. I was hoping to speak with you." He gazed at Ren.

"Whaddya want with him?" Ryuji stepped in front of his friend.

"Just a little chat. I wish to thank him for his perspective earlier. I truly appreciate honest opinions. It's rare for me these days. Everyone mostly tries to appeal to me and ride on the publicity I've been receiving. It's refreshing hearing one undeterred by my acclaim to give their conflicting beliefs. Especially if that view helps keep me grounded. I was off flying on supposition, I must have truly looked like an idiot."

"I'd say…" Ryuji mumbled.

Ren gave a light kick to the back of the blond's shin. Ryuji stopped and rubbed his head. "Fine. I'll be outside. Holler if ya need me." He stepped out, the door closing behind him.

Akechi smiled toward the door. "He's a loyal friend. You are quite fortunate."

Ren nodded, applying soap to his wound.

"Are you alright?" Akechi walked up, appraising the blood. "That looks serious."

"It's fine. Just need to clean it." He let the water begin washing over it, rubbing the wound. He didn't want the boy behind him to see the teeth marks.

The detective strolled up to the sink and placed his suitcase on the counter. With a few clicks it opened. "Let's see." The boy pulled out some bandages. "These should do nicely." Taking out some paper towels he whipped the counter and tossed them in the trash. Then he pulled some more to lay them on the spot he just dried. He carefully set the bandages on the towels then closed his suitcase. "You can use these. Should help stop the bleeding."

Ren grunted a thanks, turning off the water and patting the area with another paper towel.

While Ren busied himself with the bandages, Akechi closed his suitcase and pulled it off the counter. "As I stated to your friend, I am grateful for your words. Who knows what sort of pitfalls I could have fallen in if not for your honesty."

"Glad I could help." Ren dressed the wound, compressing it to stifle the bleeding. "But you're here for more than that, aren't you."

Akechi laughed. "Quite perceptive. I was mostly curious to know if you could reach Miss Shirogane for me. Her exploits in the past were quite extensive and impressive. She even has her own detective agency."

Ren paused. He didn't know that. Sounds like she was really living the dream she envisioned. It was nice to hear... but also stung. He imagined being the Doctor Watson to her Sherlock Holmes. Now he was Arsene instead.

The detective continued as if not noticing the reaction, "I was hoping she could assist us in this case. Do you happen to have her contact information?"

Ren cringed, eyes glazing over. "No. I don't." He was regretting this conversation more and more.

Akechi's smile fell into a grimace. "I see. It's a sensitive subject for you. My apologies."

Ren massaged the applied bandage, turning to the detective. "It's alright. You couldn't have known. I've been a little sore for a while now. Bad days."

The detective boy curled a finger around his chin in thought. "Then I should be more grateful that you have such a strong will. It's hard to have such a level head during times of duress." He dropped his arm, shifting his suitcase to his right hand so he could extend his left. "If it is alright with you, I would like to speak with you further. As an ally and means to keep my mind on Earth. It would prove most fruitful, after all, as Hegel explains, advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis. That's been proven this day when you pointed out my biased views. I may not have the vast knowledge and experience of the prestigious Detective Prince, but I sincerely hope with your help I may come closer to that aspiration."

Ren dropped his arm, keeping his gaze with Akechi's eyes. There was no way this boy would ever come close to the level of Naoto, but there was one thing that he could benefit from this bond.

Ren took Akechi's hand with a smile. "I would love to. A stimulating conversation has always been fun for me."

Akechi's smile broadened, but, if anything, this relationship can help Ren find out what Akechi knows about the Metaverse.