rainylotusâ:
ââŚI wouldnât laugh at that.â
Sure, from Ryuji he would probably expected a goofy answer thatâd have them cracking up from deliriousness, or something eccentric from Yusuke thatâd make Ren once again question the bizarre ways the artistâs mind worked â but this, honesty from Akechi, was still something that Ren was growing accustomed to. The Akechi that was pleasant on TV, and the Akechi who went mad from rejection and thirst for vengeance were all different sides of him, sides that Ren accepted. But the Akechi that was a little more thoughtful, who answered Renâs questions with integrity and opened up about himself and who he really was⌠That was a side of him that Ren was sure no one else had yet to see. Maybe there was some selfish part of him that wanted to keep that part of him all to himself, but in the end, what he really wanted was for Akechi to no longer hide his true nature anymore. In this bizarre new reality of theirs, Akechi could do just that â at least until they put an end to it all. It made him feel⌠conflicted about their circumstances, to be honest.
(Maybe at another point in time heâd tease Akechi about being âoddly poeticâ, but that probably wasnât the best option right now, huh.)
âYou can be more honest now, though,â Ren answered into the quiet air of Leblancâs attic, gazing down at him. âI wonât judge you. The rest of the crew wonât judge you, either. I mean⌠we get it. Best of all, unlike stars, you donât have to wait a million years to be who you are. You can do it any time you want.â
âYouâre so sentimental, almost maudlin.â Goro scoffs and finally turns to face Ren.










