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Akira hadn't thought seeing him in person would affect him as much as it does. After all, he's had two months to mentally prepare himself for this moment.

And yet, the sight of Goro Akechi, alive and in the flesh, perfectly put-together and looking like he was made to sit under the studio lighting, makes him feel... some kind of way. Unsettled, for sure, knowing what he knows now. Then again, there's a part of him that hasn't stopped feeling unsettled since he first (well, perhaps first isn't accurate) jolted awake to find himself on the train to Yongen-Jaya again. In one piece. Not bleeding out on the ground with a megalomaniacal pseudo-god bearing down on him. And, most importantly, as the only one with any recollection of all they'd been through.

It doesn't take Akira long to come to the most logical conclusion: That somewhere along the line, he screwed up. Somehow, it hadn't been enough, and now he has an opportunity to fix it—which would be a lot easier if he were to have some notion of what, specifically, he needs to fix, or even if this is a one-time deal.

At first, he tries copying his previous motions as closely as possible. People always talk about their regrets like they would change them in a heartbeat, given the chance, but the thought of altering the timeline as he knows it is overwhelming. The more Akira steps away from his previous path, the less accurate his existing knowledge may become, the bigger the chance that he may miss something important from the first time around.

That reasoning goes out the window pretty quickly. Akira finds that he can't watch Shiho Suzui jump off that building again, can't go through hearing that agony in Ann's voice a second time when he can so easily prevent it. So he stops her. It's what the Phantom Thieves would do. And things change... but not in a way that affects the flow of events in any profound way. Ann still stumbles after them into the Metaverse and finds the conviction to awaken her persona, somehow. He's not sure how it works out, but it does. What Akira does know is that fate is what you make of it. If he believes in his teammates, they'll end up where they need to be.

But for all of that, he still wavers as they're leaving the recording area. Up until now, the decisions to change things have been easy. Akechi, on the other hand... where to start? Is it even salvageable? Akira's not certain, but when he thinks of their last meeting in Shido's palace, Akechi's remark about the possibility of them meeting a few years earlier, the sounds of gunshots echoing from the other side of the bulkhead—he can't not try. It's not years, but maybe this handful of months will be enough.

Akira lets Ann go ahead with a nod, sliding his hands into his pockets as he tries to maintain his usual casual demeanor. Any moment now...

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And just like that, Akechi's wariness bleeds away. This conversation is much more familiar ground.

"There's not a chance of that." He's not just being polite, either. There's a distinctly genuine quality to his tone and expression that's becoming more and more common during his conversations with Akira. "Even if I did find better coffee, the atmosphere in Leblanc is unparalleled."

And he won't say it (right now) but it's nice to be somewhere that's empty enough frequently enough for him to rarely be recognized.

"Still, I can't see any harm in trying new things. Would you mind some company while you shop?"

His statement is intended as a joke, but the honest response Akechi gives somehow triggers a small sense of relief, nonetheless. Akira isn't quite sure which concerns are being quelled. Maybe he's just glad that all of this seems to be working, at least on some level.

It comes as a pleasant surprise when Akechi asks to tag along. The companionship wouldn't be unwelcome, so Akira shakes his head at the question. "Not at all."

Which means that it's time to get back on track—to the next destination, it is. "Next is one in the arcade," he informs Akechi before easily slipping back into the foot traffic along the street. The building in question is only a short ways up the street, so before long, they're passing through the automatic doors and into the more dimly lit interior of the arcade.

Akechi is pretty sure he wouldn't have asked to tag along even as recently as a week ago, but with each new interaction Akira becomes more and more interesting. In this case, chiefly due to the fact that hitting up vending machines for his friends instead of having them fend for themselves is... pretty weird, for lack of a better descriptor. Especially considering that he clearly has a system for it in place. How often does he do this? And why? And also--

"You come to an arcade for drinks instead of games?" Yeah, that part in particular stands out. What a weird guy.

Akira can't help but look amused at the question. "I come for games sometimes," he points out as he leads the way to the vending machine near the door. "This machine just sells some of the harder-to-find drinks." Like... there it is, Arginade. And it looks like the last can left—good timing.

"Have you been to an arcade before now?" He has to ask, because now that they're bathed in the colorful lights and various beeps of the machines, Akira realizes exactly how out-of-place Akechi looks here. It reminds him of the time he accompanied Makoto, and his expression softens a bit at the memory, though he's still finding humor in the mental image of Akechi at the arcade machines.

Interesting choice that the arcade would house some of the rarer drinks - but he supposes someone dedicated to playing games for hours on end might appreciate being able to simply step aside and grab a drink.

"I haven't been in an arcade in years." His expression and tone have suddenly gone quite solemn. Akira can probably figure out why, but Akechi doesn't realize that. "My mother passed away when I was young, and I was in the foster system for some time after that." Unlike the 'first' time Akechi told Akira this he doesn't jump right into the story about his father ditching them and his mother's eventual suicide. He's not quite to the same low point he'll be at a few weeks from now. "There wasn't any money to spare for things like arcades, and now I'm usually busy with other things."

Edited 2019-01-12 02:42 (UTC)

Oh. Akira had been hoping that Akechi would come to trust him enough that he would confide in him about his past again, but he doesn't anticipate the small clench in his chest that comes with hearing it. Knowing what he knows now, having seen Akechi come undone in that last encounter, the words have even more significance now.

"I didn't mean to bring up bad memories," Akira says, tone apologetic but not pitying. "I'm sorry about your mom. It must've been lonely."

There's a pause before he turns into the machine and slots in a couple of coins, pressing the buttons to select a drink after a moment of consideration. A fruit-flavored tea thunks out once he decides, and Akira retrieves it, holding it out to Akechi. "This one's good too."

When Akira replies Akechi only looks puzzled. It's genuinely odd for him to get a response like that. It's odd to meet someone that seems to actually understand and doesn't get give him rote condolences that are forgotten as soon as they're spoken. It isn't even like he said much, but those four simple words - It must have been lonely. - are more than Akechi's even been given before. He has absolutely not idea how he's supposed to respond.

He feels dumb for being so affected by so little, but even that isn't enough to shake off how happy those words make him.

Akechi is so caught up in his thoughts that he's caught off guard again when Akira offers him the bottle of tea, but he's quicker to respond this time.

"Oh - thank you." He gives him a faint smile. "... And it's alright. I've had a long time to come to terms with it." And he's going to get revenge soon anyway. So it's fine. Honestly, he thinks Akira's response got to him more than the actual memory did.

He doesn't miss the confusion that falls over Akechi's face. As much as Akira is aware that people have failed Akechi, it's unsettling to think that some basic kindness would be regarded like that, like it's something new and foreign. It must've been lonely. He really means it, but maybe it runs deeper than he thought.

"No problem," he responds with a nod before turning back to the vending machine to nab that last Arginade.

Akira is straightening up from grabbing the drink when he speaks up again. "And if you ever want to give the arcade another shot, I'll play a few rounds with you." That sharp edge to his smile sneaks back in. "I won't go easy on you, though."

Ah, there. This is much easier. Even Akechi, as unused as he is to normal conversations with (seemingly) normal kids his age, is more comfortable with this.

"I wouldn't expect you to." What would the fun in that be? "Though if you're going to challenge me to arcade games I'll have to challenge you to chess at some point in exchange."

"I'll take you up on that." He slips the drink into his bag and feeds more money into the machine to pick out a different flavor.

"I haven't played chess before, but I'm okay at shogi." Although okay might be a bit of an understatement now. Hifumi never hesitates to put him through the wringer, but he's actually able to put up a decent fight now. "Aren't they mostly the same?"

"Fundamentally they're very similar, yes." Akechi finally twists open his tea bottle as he explains. May as well finally try this. "I'd say the main difference is that captured pieces in chess are removed from the game and can't be placed on the board again. The game becomes simpler with the loss of each piece, which makes managing each individual piece more important."

He finally takes a sip of his drink and... huh.

"This is good!" He checks the label and commits it to memory. "Is this one of the drinks only available from this machine?"

A hum settles in Akira's throat as he looks over the drink selection. "Sounds fun," he comments to the explanation, the sentiment genuine. Somewhere along the way, he's developed an appreciation for these strategy-heavy games—and Akechi seems like the perfect opponent.

"Ah? Oh, it's not." Akira casts a glance over the display, nose wrinkling slightly as he considers the last two bottles of Water of Rebirth. It's supposed to be healthy, so it would probably be effective, but it's hard to get past the Blended with Placenta! cheerfully slapped on the label. Maybe... another day. He presses the button for something more normal. "That one's easier to find. I just thought you'd like it."

Well, at least it'll be easy to find. It does make it that much more interesting that Akira has catalogued these drinks thoroughly enough to make such good recommendation, however. What sort of weird drink club do he and his friends run?

Well, it doesn't matter that much

"We can play next time I stop by Leblanc." Which is likely to be just a few days from now. "I know I've seen a chessboard there before."

Tucking away the last of his bounty, Akira turns towards Akechi, recognition lighting up his face at the mention of the chessboard. "Oh, there is..." It's been such a fixture that he doesn't really think about it anymore. He's not sure he's seen anyone touch it aside from Sojiro occasionally moving it aside to clean. "I'm sure Sojiro won't mind it getting some use."

And since that's the last thing he needs at this vending machine, Akira motions to the door with a tip of his head. "Hopefully," he continues while making his way in that direction, "I'll also have that information for you by then."

Akechi follows after Akira at his gesture, screwing the cap back on his bottle as he goes. He's not expecting the conversation to move from chess to their previous arrangement, but he isn't going to complain about it.

"I hope so," he agrees. It might not be his primary concern, but he does want the case with Kawanabe to be solved swiftly, before someone else has a chance to end up in his crosshairs. "But don't rush just because of that. It's better to delay your results and make sure the information you come away with is complete. Charging in with only half the information could make things worse."

"I'll be mindful of that," he agrees as he shoulders open the door. Akira may be prone to the occasional bout of recklessness—may even enjoy the thrill of it sometimes—but this is Yusuke's well-being at stake, not to mention all of the other potential targets. It's unlikely that he's going to get multiple shots at this, so diligence is key.

The sunlight seems to wash out the street for a moment once they emerge from the interior of the arcade, and Akira blinks against it a couple of times before shooting a glance farther down the way. "There's one more vending machine I'd like to visit." He'll drop by the ones in Shinjuku and Akihabara another day. No point in going out of his way just for that.

Akechi has never seen Joker in action - doesn't even realize that Akira knows what the metaverse is - but he's got a suspicion about that reckless nature anyway. Even if many of his solved cases are fabricated he's still observant enough on to have caught the occasional glimpses into Akira's more wild nature. So the reassurance is appreciated, even though Akechi was already pretty sure he wasn't going to be dumb about it.

Stepping out of the cool, dim atmosphere of arcade and into a bright summer afternoon makes Akechi even more grateful for his bottle of tea - and even more curious to follow Akira on his vending machine centered quest.

"Lead the way. I'll probably need another drink soon, anyway."

He does exactly that, forging a path down the street with ease. Leaving the air conditioning of the arcade makes the heat seem that much more stifling, even more so with the shuffle of people all around, and Akira tugs lightly at the collar of his shirt as he glances back to make sure that Akechi is keeping up. Maybe he'll get a drink for himself along with giving Akechi another recommendation.

Admittedly, Akira does wonder why Akechi is sticking around as long as he has. Surely it was intriguing at first, but by now he should realize that it's exactly what it looks like. But, despite his curiosity, Akira doesn't ask. It feels like doing so might break the moment, and he's actually enjoying being out with Akechi like this, away from their usual setting in Leblanc and different from the occasional morning greetings at the train station.

"Here," he announces once they reach another cluster of vending machines, pulling off to the side so that he can get to work.

If suddenly asked, Akechi himself couldn't give a reason for why he's still following Akira around on what's, truthfully, a very dull task. He thinks he just doesn't have anything better to do, but the reality is that it's actually kind of nice. This is the first time he's ever been able to walk around and do nothing of consequence with someone his age and feel like he's not an unwanted pest at the same time.

So yeah, it's weird and maybe even a little boring, but Akechi is enjoying himself.

"What happens if one of your regular machines is out?" Granted, if Akira is this diligent he probably has the refill schedules down, but it merits asking all the same. "Do you have backup machines figured out as well?"

"They usually restock on Mondays," Akira explains as he digs for more coins, as if this is completely normal knowledge, "so as long as I come within a couple of days, I can get what I want."

He comes up with another handful and puts a couple into the coin slot. "There are other ones in Shinjuku and Akihabara that sell the same stuff, though." Another bottle for the bag. "Shibuya is just more convenient."

This... really is kind of boring normally, so Akira is grateful for Akechi's presence, even if they're not talking about anything particularly important. It's even a little fun to study the drinks on offer to decide which one Akechi might like most. There's a coffee-flavored one that seems to be up his alley and looks pretty enticing to Akira as well right now. He'll have to grab two of those with the last of his change.

See, there's one of the non-boring things about following Akira around. He gets to hear something else surprising.

"Shinjuku?" He sounds amused, though not altogether surprised. "I wouldn't think Soujirou-san would be alright with you visiting a place like that." Because yeah, there's more to Shinjuku than Kabukichou and Golden Gai, but he somehow doubts Akira is spending all his time in the garden or government district, too.

"He trusts that I can take care of myself." And what he doesn't know won't hurt him. That part is important too, lest Akira be subjected to that disapproving look that Sojiro has perfected. Even now, it makes him feel like a misbehaving schoolboy. Which... isn't wholly inaccurate, but oh well.

He procures another drink for his stores, then inserts the rest of his coins in order to grab the ones he'd been eyeing for the present. Once they're in hand, he offers the second to Akechi. "... It can be for later," he clarifies, since Akechi does still have the tea in his hand.

Of course he does. Akira doesn't say the second part out loud, but Akechi suspects the case might actually be that Sojiro just doesn't know Akira's activities well enough to protest them.

"I'll save it for the next time I have a long night." Which will probably happen soon even if Akira takes a while with the task Akechi gave him. Since... "There hasn't been much Phantom Thief activity lately, but I imagine it's only a matter of time before they or Medjed makes their next move." And then Akechi will have his hands full again.

Their conversations always seem to come back to this point. Akira doesn't mind it—Akechi's thoughts on the activities of the Phantom Thieves are often interesting and insightful.

"The date of the cleanse is approaching, isn't it?" he asks, twisting off the cap of his drink with a soft crackle of splintering plastic as the seal breaks. Casual, like he isn't acutely aware of that fact, on par or even more so than Akechi is. "What do you think will happen?"

"Hmm..." Akechi takes the time to consider his answer, even though he already knows what he's going to stay. It never hurts to be certain before he speaks. "I don't think it's impossible for Medjed to come out on top. Many people even think it's likely. But... I think it may prove to be just another step for them." It's probably weird to say that, seeing as he's sworn himself to stop them, but he sounds and feels confident in his answer. "They've proven themselves quite adaptable so far. If the escalation from a corrupt teacher to a career criminal came naturally to them, then I suspect they'll handle this like it's just the latest stop in their journey." Wherever it is that journey ends up taking them.

And of course, since they're on the subject of the Phantom Thieves Akechi isn't going to pass up the opportunity to hear Akira's opinion.

"What about you? Do you think they'll give in, or pull through?"

( for fabrications )

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