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[Congratulations, Akira. His eyes go wide and his soft voice rises an octave.]

Wh-What?! You did what? [He still can't believe he heard it right.] Did you use it?!

[ Well, he managed something surprising. The honest shock in Akechi's reaction is kind of satisfying, Akira can't deny that. ]

It wasn't my idea... [ His friends just chickened out at the last second. ] But yeah, I did.

[ Which he realizes sounds terrible, so he continues as he moves back to the curry: ] She needed the money, so I wanted to help. I'd get her to come clean my room after Leblanc closed for the night.

[His shoulders slump as he relaxes back against the counter again with a sigh.]

For a moment, I truly thought I had underestimated your delinquency... [Reforming society sure whatever but a 'maid service' would have been a different level.] That sounds like you, though. Assisting someone in need, I mean.

[ That actually gets a little laugh. Should he tell Akechi that said maid was his homeroom teacher and in exchange she would give him opportunities to slack off in class? Maybe another time. ]

I guess so. I just don't like seeing people being taken advantage of.

[That would be a lot to take in but he gives a hum of thought.]

Yes, that's why you're the leader, after all. A leader is the core of any team and holds responsibility for being a representation of the guiding principles of any given group.

[ Akira has never given that much thought to his role as leader. It's a role he was essentially elected to, not one he intentionally claimed. Akechi's words give him pause, the spoon slowing as he stirs the pot. ]

... I'm not that integral as a leader.

[ Nor does he want to be. Akira wants to think that if he's gone missing from his timeline, the Phantom Thieves will be able to carry on their work seamlessly in his absence. To say that he's the core implies that the rest would suffer without him. ]

[He raises an eyebrow, surprised. Though he thought that went without saying, apparently Akira feels differently on the matter.]

You think so? [Akechi taps his chin, debating what to say.] Well, that belief is part of what makes you a good leader as well, at least in part. Most great leaders have greatness thrust upon them rather than stepping up without selection. But I stand by what I said.

[Before Akira misunderstands him, though, he adds:] Don't worry. It doesn't make your friends mindless masses or useless without you. It's different than that. But underestimating your importance would be a mistake.

[ Maybe it just looks different from his perspective. Akira knows better than anyone else how much support he gets from everyone else—both inside and outside of the Metaverse. But maybe being the leader for him is tying all of it together in a way that best benefits the team. ]

Thanks, Akechi.

[ Regardless, it's not a topic he should be dwelling on. Too much and he's going to start wondering why he's hanging around making curry when he should be trying to get home. It's just like a Palace infiltration, where he can't throw himself at it blindly until it works out. Pacing and gathering information are important, and both of those are even harder without his powers.

It doesn't take too long before the coffee is ready. Part of it gets poured out to be added to the curry, but the rest is divided into two cups, and Akechi's is placed in front of him, prepared about the same as he preferred back home. ]

It doesn't taste like Leblanc's, but I thought you might like some.

[Lucky for Akira, he doesn't see a reason to pursue the topic. It would be fun to discuss but not when it seems to be a delicate subject of a sort. So he doesn't mind letting it drop in favour of enjoying the smell of the brewing coffee. He takes a sip of it as he nods.]

Of course. I imagine it would be impossible to replicate here, though we could investigate the types of beans that are around sometime to have a richer knowledge regardless. But I do like coffee anyway.

[Who doesn't like a jolt of caffeine?]

[ A soft hum, as if considering the idea. ] Hm, we should do that sometime...

[ He learned some facts about the different beans from Sojiro and tried quite a few of the brews himself; perhaps with enough searching, they could find a blend that would come closer to mimicking the familiar flavor than what he's managed to pick up so far.

Akira has his own cup, though he only sips from it once before getting back to work. There are just a couple more things to throw into the pot, and then the cover is placed over and the heat turned down, and the waiting game begins. It's still a bit too soon to start the rice, so Akira returns to the counter to pick up his cup of coffee. ]

It's got to cook for a while. Why don't you tell me something else?

[Akechi sips at his coffee as he considers what to tell him. Akira gave him a rather surprising fact, so he should give something surprising, too. But what would be surprising about him now? At this point, Akira knows several sides to him, so he can expect certain types of information that falls along a fairly broad area. Not only that but Akira would be expecting something surprising now, too.

In that regard, maybe he should just give a fact and hope it's surprising anyway.]

Hmmm... I've been drunk before.

[ That's beyond the bounds of his expectations. Akechi has earned himself one quick glance, eyes slightly widened in surprise. ]

Really? And you wanted to call me the delinquent... [ It's hard to imagine the situation. A work function, maybe? Akechi works with the law so probably not, but Akira also knows how corrupt part of that branch is.

Actually, there's a more pressing detail here than the reason: ] ... What kind of drunk are you?

[Judging by his expression, he's pleased that he managed to surprise Akira. He chuckles at the look and takes another drink of his coffee before answering.]

Ah, I get rather sleepy and start saying nonsense from what I recall. Unfiltered, I suppose. Well, alcohol does that.

[ Well, it lines up with the cherry anecdote. But he imagines it's much different from the flavor of unfiltered Akechi he saw earlier in the month. ]

I can see that. [ It fits in with the cuter, somewhat ditzy air Akechi gives off sometimes. Which Akira originally thought might be intentional like much of his image, but he's starting to see now that it's just how Akechi is. ] What was the occasion?

[While allowing it to be seen was at times calculated, he unfortunately had plenty of uncalculated ditzy moments, too. He gives a soft, almost snorted laugh at Akira pointing it out, though.]

Ah, we were at a buffet and I wasn't exactly being monitored through it as far as I knew, and I wasn't actually paying for any of it, either, so... [Akechi shrugs.] Well, it seemed like a fun idea to try some. And it did taste pretty good, so I kept... trying it.

[And trying it and trying it...]

[ It paints a funny picture, Akechi slowly getting drunk while no one is keeping tabs on him. He'd probably be the type to think he's playing it off well while not really doing so. ]

I bet you thought you were real smooth. [ Akira hides a grin behind a sip from his coffee then lowers the cup back down to cradle near his chest. ] I'll have to hide the rest of the wine.

Ah, you're making fun of me again. [He purses his lips before he huffs softly and waves his hand.] Well, I did think at the time that I was hiding it well but yes, it was probably ridiculously obvious. I'm not going to drink our wine though. For one, being the only one to do the drinking is actually pretty boring. But also we're saving it for the cherry project.

[ Maybe, just a bit. Now that they're something like friends, Akechi is going to be subjected to this part of him as well.

He's not joking when he offers a plain smile this time, though. ] Next time I'll drink with you. I've never tried it before. [ Might as well add another new experience to the long list he's building in this place. ]

[It surprises him and he laughs. What a delinquent. Well, he just revealed he isn't all that great himself.]

Sure. I'd love that. I wonder what kind of person you become when you're tipsy?

Hopefully not sleepy. [ Wouldn't that be anticlimactic? If they got drunk and then both ended up just taking a nap. ]

Hmm, I'm going to guess... Talkative. That seems like it would be really funny, actually.

[Akira is a rather quiet person, so it would be fitting if he became chatty.]

[ After a flash of consideration, he decides that it would be better than some of the alternatives. ]

Maybe even talkative enough to rival you.

[Sipping his coffee, he wonders what things Akira might talk about unfiltered. The idea sounds especially interesting.]

You say that now but when I'm rambling about Hegelian dialectics later, you're going to take that back.

I'm not sure I'd even understand any of that when I'm drunk.

[ The term kind of flies over his head right now, completely sober, though there's something familiar about it. ]

[He does wonder if it would be something Akira would understand sober, though he has faith in his ability to grasp it.]

I probably wouldn't explain it well while drunk, admittedly. I would say a lot of words but they might not have much meaning.

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