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A cat? [Again, the glassy little laugh, as if he has no idea what Akechi is getting at—which he doesn't.] Well, Yongen is full of them. I doubt that will pose us too much of a problem.

[He doesn't notice he's being allowed to lead. Nor does he seem too concerned about an unknown quantity walking behind him. When they reach Leblanc, the door is open, but when he steps inside... there's nobody there.]

Boss? [He sounds uncertain.] Ren? Is anyone here?

Boss isn't here, I'm afraid. I believe one of the Rens- well, he goes by Akira- lives here, but he must be out right now.

[He follows the other inside, sighing at the lonely atmosphere. This place should be warm. Welcoming. A home away from home.]

We can still sit down if you'd like, but I understand if you'd rather go elsewhere. Jazz Jin wouldn't be the worst place to chat.

[But no; he blinks, and the moment seems to have bounced off him—not unlike a certain other of them, actually. But that one doesn't mean it. He peers at Akechi as if he's said something strange.]

Not at all. We may be the first here, but that's not to say others won't arrive. It would be better if they didn't find the place empty, don't you think?

[And, setting down his case, he takes a seat in one of the booths, as if he's done it a thousand times. He almost sounds normal.] Shall I summarise?

That's if they show up. I've been here almost a month, and I've yet to see many of my friends and family.

[But he sits all the same, across from the other.]

Go ahead and summarize.

[He folds his hands on the table, as if it's nothing more than something to do.]

Very well. This place looks like Yongen, but it's not. The place back there is known as the Velvet Room. It's inhabited by a strange-looking gentleman named Igor, who logic suggests at least knows why we are here. Your presence supports the theory that the many-worlds hypothesis is in play.

Also, none of my friends are here. I'm quite alone. [He frowns. Like that's the most objectionable part of it all.]

Edited 2023-09-07 02:15 (UTC)

Alone in some regards but not others.

[Hmm... This is a difficult path to tread. There is clearly something off with this Akechi, but he is also torn from his home. From people he cherishes. He seems... disappointed, to say the least.]

All of us have been pulled from our homes, just like you. We all have left people behind. Though many of us share the same faces, we are still distinct individuals whose lives differ enough that it isn't quite a house of mirrors.

I wouldn't say it's inherently comforting, but what I am saying is there are people with whom you could learn to confide in.

That sounds like the voice of experience talking. [Because where is everyone else? Haru, Ren, Makoto, Futaba, Yusuke and the others? Sae-san will be fine without him; he was about to step back anyway—but....]

You sound very lonely, if you don't mind the observation.

[He cracks a rather strained smile. It is rather transparent, and this is another Akechi.]

I suppose it can't be helped. There are a lot of people who aren't here, and I'm sort of the "odd Akechi out" in some regards. My Ren and I are both Phantom Thieves, our enemy is not someone who has caused "psychotic breakdowns" or "mental shutdowns" en masse, and very few people here know Inaba the way that I do.

Edited 2023-09-07 13:35 (UTC)

... I see. [Something is buzzing in the back of his mind. His hands shift in their fold, as he stares down at the empty space between then....]

I, um. [What were they saying? He looks lost, before he blinks, and brightens.] You'll have me thinking I'm not supposed to be here. I am Goro Akechi—[Honest.]—but "odd one out" is starting to sound a good way of putting it.

[It's possible the terminal uncuriosity is the least Akechi thing about him.]

Are you sure you're all right? You seem a little...

[Hm, how to put it.]

It almost feels like you're in a daze at points. I mean no disrespect, of course. This is a lot to take in. Being pulled from the comfort of your home and thrust into a parallel reality with your own mirror image.

Why don't you tell me about your reality?

[... but at that, he just laughs again, soft and charming.] You're right. I think I am a little dizzy. I didn't expect this when I woke up this morning.

I'm afraid there's not very much to tell. I'm almost nineteen. I've just finished high school—last week, actually. I've been working as a rookie detective, believe it or not. I... live in Kichijoji?

[His smile returns, too; he tilts his head.] It's just the world, you know. My world, I suppose; my life. I don't know what you expect me to say—though you made your reality sound quite dramatic.

Edited 2023-09-07 21:11 (UTC)

That would make you the oldest one here, by a margin of at least a few months. There's another Akechi close to our age, but he's from November and, ah... Well, let's just say his world doesn't sound nearly as peaceful as yours.

[He chuckles dryly at the prospect.]

I don't know what sort of crimes you solve as a detective, but for a majority of us, our worlds lean heavily into the supernatural. Quite a few of us have experienced hardships one would think are exclusive to nightmares. It's... good you seem to have avoided that, I suppose.

[Akechi's smile slowly fades. Because now he comes to think of it, doesn't he often wake as if from nightmares?—with the dream itself gone, and only its effects lingering...?] That sounds remarkable. Quite alarming, too. I'll try not to rub my good luck in people's faces.

[Something tells him that this is best not inquired into, though, so he does not. His smile returns, smaller and more distracted.]

People have such ideas about detective work. It's all very run-of-the-mill, and of course, I'm very junior. Mainly I help a colleague with her investigations. [Sae-san, of course, who he remembers as the most attentive mentor he could ever have asked for.]

Oh? So you never tackle more high profile cases, then? Murders, kidnappings, drug trafficking and the like...

[Not that this is bad necessarily, but certainly as a consequence of his work with Naoto Shirogane, he's seen some rather grisly cases, even if not all of them he tackled on the front lines.

Hell, he met Naoto during a supernatural murder case.]

[His eyes widen as he hears this. But is it the same dazed look that's accompanied him through this conversation, or more genuine confusion?] Honestly, talking to you is like looking into a novel. All these supernatural and violent things.

You aren't telling me you come from a world where people really are murdered and kidnapped...?

[But he puts a hand to his temple, rubbing in a circle. His head is killing him.]

...And you don't?

[What. Already, his behavior was strange, but he could chalk that up to something odd with his cognition. It's not unlike the brainwashing cases he's been pursuing back home, but an entire world...

He stares, wide eyed, because this all seems rather peculiar.]

Well, of course not. [But his other hand goes to his temple; he makes a discomfited sound in his throat.]

It's just—research. Data collection, matchmaking, missing cats, lost wallets. Unexpected items. Things of that sort.

[And yet, why does it feel like... no, his mind skips right off the idea that it feels like anything. Like a stone skipping on water, only to inevitably sink.]

And there are never any more severe cases? Never any exceptions to the peaceful status quo?

[It all just seems to... unbelievable. Too good to be true. There's an unease to his voice. He averts his eyes and inhales very slowly.

This is... hm.]

Well.... [He trails off. Why does he feel like there ought to be exceptions? Every time he tries to think about it, his thoughts hit a brick wall.

And then he forgets. He blinks up at his mirror image.]

Sorry, what were we talking about?

Crimes. Specifically how your world is evidently devoid of high profile crimes, but that seems so... unbelievable, if you don't mind me saying. That's not to say there is no good in the world, but there are always those who will take advantage of others, or pursue their own greed, no matter what it costs...

[It all sounds so... Wait.

Wait a fucking minute.

That Akira warned him about this, didn't he? And even Maruki himself has mused about a world where there's no pain.]

What about Shido?

... what about him? [It gets his attention; he scowls. It almost looks human. He doesn't like to think about his father.]

You said yours is a world without serious crime. What about Shido? Surely he, at least, is still guilty of one thing or another.

[He's unhappy. That's a good sign. It means this world, whatever it is, isn't some squeaky clean fairytale. Not entirely.]

... he's in prison. [Contradictory? Who the fuck knows. Not Akechi, that's for sure.]

Do you know what he's in prison for?

[It seems odd. No murders. No heavy crimes, yet prisons still exist...]

[And Akechi just blinks up at him, as if this is perfectly normal.] He wants to be there.

He—[What? What did he do? A little line appears between his eyebrows, before his face clears.]—felt he didn't do well enough as prime minister. So he went to prison.

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