he didn’t find that he was all that “fond” of the response she had given him. he’s faced many antagonistic comments before, && yet hers in particular managed to genuinely get under his skin… it was as if she’s pushing him towards a single answer. with the threats of arrest, it feels as though she already has him in chains && is yanking him towards confession !
a single complaint filed to the police was trouble, if it had his name tagged along with it. owning a criminal record like his made it matter little if the phantom thief claim was true && things were getting difficult enough as is. he couldn’t risk her truly following through with such a bold threat.
she’s caught him, && and it began to feel like a leash is tight around his neck. akira has this urge to claw his way out of the situation in desperation. after all, this conversation is taking a turn for the worse, && he’s left frozen.
just what evidence did she have ?? is it still possible that his methods have yet to be uncovered ?? if she’s made it as far as him, he could only imagine the depth of this pit he’s found himself in.
her mistake was bringing up her “ change of heart ” because, behind his teeth : two virulent words hid, && his impatience edged him on … wanting to whisper, I MIGHT. akira was growing tired of sitting here, && playing defense. but she’s cleverly left him with no choice.
“ … who knows if the phantom thieves will come after you. ” akira posed the thought, vaguely. eyes engrossed by hers, coldly. “ i think that depends on how honest you’ve lived your life. ” he adds less subtly. “ as far as i know, they only target criminals… ”
‘ . . . GOTCHA . the look on that face - suspect confirmed . time to reel him in . ’ “ i ‘ m looking forward to it . perhaps i ‘ ll figure out how they do it . ”
of course she knew the phantom thieves only target criminals , and criminal she was , though she hardly feared their intervention . what could they make her do ? admit her whole life is a lie ? it wasn ‘ t that big of a deal if they did - the majority of the public didn ‘ t even know who she was - akira was no ace detective akechi , although the profiler was beginning to doubt if akechi was truly an ace detective or a mediocre actor playing hero . she was leaning towards the latter as of late . annoyances aside , she had managed to push the leader ‘ s buttons . but how to get him to tell her how ?
“ and maybe i ‘ ll catch the one causing the shutdowns as well . i don ‘ t suppose you have any leads , do you , thief ? ” she paused a moment , allowing a pleasant smile to settle upon her lips . “ surely you don ‘ t expect me to believe you are behind them ? you might be a thief , but you don ‘ t kill people . ”
‘ if this thief won ‘ t respond to threats , perhaps i ‘ ll have to become his ally . as much as i prefer working alone , it ‘ s time to get back in the game . ’
