#windparthia

“ i mean. ” a pause. “ i think we need to to confront her. ” your gaze lands on the student council president. “ it’s unfair that she’s following us around. seems . . . fishy. ” you slide him a cookie. “ it’s whatever, though. i’ll just follow your lead. ”

“I suppose so, yes.”

His answer was oh-so-cliche, and that was what he intended. Akechi was careful not to relinquish the ruse he so painstakingly set up. To Hibiki and his foolhardy thieves, he was a kindhearted detective with a mild-mannered deposition. it couldn’t be further from the truth, of course, but he maintained it nonetheless.

Although ....

There was one time when cracks appeared in the mask he wore. That time when he told the Phantom Thieves how he hated the cruel adults who held society under their thumb. He wasn’t lying when he said he wanted his vengeance upon them. But how he would attain it was a different story altogether. One thing was for sure, though: his victory would be built upon the sacrifices of his teammates. After all, those were Shido’s orders. As much as it galled him to follow the man, he had no choice at the moment. 

As he nodded and smiled at dear, naive Hibiki, his purpose rushed back to him again. He knew that he’d have to kill him. That was his task. He had to. 

“What I would want is more than a mere car,” Akechi says. The calm in his voice masks his thoughts perfectly. To others, it would seem like he was charmingly talking in rhetoric. “But if I had to answer in kind ... I suppose I’d want to go abroad. Away from here.”

Away from Shido.

“The fame really gets to you after awhile. Even I could use a break.”

“ i’ll see him later. ” marianne clears their throat, the surprised expression fading from their face. for someone always so insecure, they are incredibly sure of their words. “ he n-needed to go back and help out at the nest, anyways . . . it was f-for the best that he left . . . ” 

“It’s no problem.”

Sojiro hadn’t expected the Fujiwaras to contact him so soon. The kid had barely gotten settled into the attic. Then again, his sister was the type who seemed like a worrier. She truly cared about her little brother, and Sojiro could respect that. If he were in her shoes -- if Futaba put in a stranger’s care -- he’d be fretting just as much. 

“The worst your brother’s done is show up late to school a couple of times. Other than that, the kid’s settling in as well as he can.”