Chapter Text
Luck is not always on Goro’s side but today is starting out to be promising.
First, his favorite bakeshop in Shibuya -- Yon-Germain Bakery -- is still open after all these years. He can munch on his Katsu Sando, his go-to lunch during his stint as the Detective Prince, for the 7-hour trip. He manages to snag the last one at that, despite a busy weekday morning.
Next, his train ride to Kyushu will get him there by dusk, giving him plenty of time to check-in to his hostel and check out the town of Arita for a bit.
Then, he finds that he has spare money to buy a phone. Just one of those cheap ones he can score at the Underground Mall before he can get on his train. After all, he needs to be in touch with his former juvenile training school instructors. Not to mention, not having any phone in a small town like Arita would instantly make people suspicious of him.
Thankfully, there are still old-model phones being sold at the mall. He cannot explain why but clutching a phone, despite having been chronically online thanks to his now decrepit food blog and media bookings seven years ago, makes everything more real. He’s finally free. He’s finally back in the world of the living.
Eighteen-year-old Akechi Goro would have been laughing right now seeing him like this. Then again, that kid didn’t really expect reaching the age of twenty-five.
Fiddling with his new phone, he rushes to the escalators for his platform. Ready to start a new life, to leave Tokyo forever...to meet his sibling, if they would have him.
Then turns to a corner and bumps into the least person he expects and wants to meet.
“A-Akechi-kun?!”
Like a rabbit caught in the headlights, Goro can only gape at Takamaki Ann standing in front of him, her bright sapphire eyes wide in stunned amazement, a crepe laying on a messy heap in front of her. Beside her stands a tall dark-haired woman wearing a varsity jacket, her dark eyes quickly pinning Goro on the spot.
Takamaki has outgrown her bushy pigtails and her platinum blonde hair is now freely cascading to her shoulders, ending in fashionable curls. Her face obviously lost all the baby fat from their teenage years and has grown more angular with elegant cheekbones, her facial structure now more or less similar to those actresses on billboards. Small wonder to that, Takamaki has been modelling since highschool.
“T-takamaki,” Goro finally greets, throat dry.
Takamaki blinks owlishly at him before launching herself to him, instantly getting to his face.
“You’re alive, right!? You’re not a ghost!” Takamaki clasps his shoulders, her nose inches from his that Goro inadvertently steps back.
“Look, I’d appreciate it if you can just—“
“Ann,” the woman beside Takamaki thankfully intervenes, clutching Ann’s arm. “Calm down. You’re making him uncomfortable.” She adds, trying to hide her amusement at Goro’s obvious unease.
It’s like Takamaki finally snaps from her manic frenzy. “Right…right. sorry,” she mutters and lets Goro go, but not without a stern look that he’s not off the hook yet.
Goro’s far from an athlete; he still manages to exercise regularly while in detention, but he’s not in the right state of mind nor physical prowess to outrun two women, one who seemed to be have an athletic built underneath her baggy sports jacket.
“Explain yourself, Akechi-kun” Takamaki plants her fist on her lips, having the audacity to act like a mother to a wayward son. “What have you been up to these last several years? Why didn’t you reach out to us? Or even to Ren. Oh my god, does he know? Since when are you here in Tokyo? What are you doing—“
“One question at a time,” Goro hisses, unable to fight off a scowl. He should expect that the 24-year-old Takamaki is just as headstrong as the 17-year-old Takamaki, if not more insufferable. He checks his watch and finds himself an excuse. “Unfortunately, I don’t have much time to dawdle. I have a train to catch in just a few minutes.”
“What!” Takamaki cries, advancing towards him again. “You think you can just get away without explaining yourself? Shiho, can you believe this guy!?”
The name rings a distant bell in Goro’s memory. The young woman named Shiho just shakes her head, “I hate to agree with him but didn’t you forget that I have a train to catch too?” she reminds Takamaki.
Takamaki looks visibly torn for a moment. Goro entertains the idea of making a run for it, but her distress makes him a bit guilty. At last, he makes a decision. “Which platform are you?” he asks Shiho. “I have a bit of time left to spare and I can walk you the two of you to the entrance of the platform.”
Both girls relax slightly at his suggestion. Shiho replies, “I’m taking the bullet train to Osaka. Ann’s not going with me though…”
And that’s when Goro finds himself being wedged between these two women, with Takamaki clutching his arm on one side and refusing to take off her eyes from him even for a second.
“So,” Shiho finally says as they navigate through the crowd. “You’re the famous Akechi Goro I kept hearing about. The Second Coming of Detective Prince, right?”
“Formerly,” Out of habit, Goro extends his gloved hand for Shiho to shake. “It’s nice to make your acquaintance….?”
“Wait! I should be the one doing the introductions,” Takamaki exclaims, her expression softening as she turns to Shiho. “Suzui Shiho, meet Akechi Goro. Akechi-kun, this is Shiho. We attended Shujin together.”
“As I said before being interrupted,” Goro says stiffly. “It’s nice to meet you, though, I wish under more pleasant circumstances, Suzui-san.”
“What could be more pleasant than this?” Takamaki sputters indignantly. “You’re alive!”
“It’s nice to meet you as well, Akechi-kun.” Shiho says with a small smile. “And please forgive Ann. I admit I have not been as knowledgeable as to the activities of the Phantoms years ago but with how Ann talked about you, you were deeply mourned.”
Goro has no words to say to that. He can only look at Takamaki who nods vigorously.
“We thought that you were really gone,” Her voice trembles slightly “After we defeated Maruki-sensei, we didn’t even know that you’re….” She shakes her head, gaze falling to the ground. “We didn’t even get the chance to say goodbye…” she adds in a small voice
Goro turns his face away. He’s still not used to the fact that people can have this kind of reaction regarding him. “I…apologize.” He replies after a moment’s pause. “If it gives you any consolation, that was the real me during that particular period and I’m truly thankful for you guys changing Shido’s heart. Even if it’s for Ren’s sake that you did, you stood by your own justice and I respect that.”
Takamaki just smiles. “We also had you in mind, Akechi-kun. Speaking of Ren, does he know?”
“I…truly don’t know. I’ve only just arrived in Tokyo yesterday.” And he quickly goes on explaining his time at detention hall, of his release and the brief conversation he and Sae shared yesterday, and the letter to Ren. Whether Ren had already read it or not, that was not supposed be his concern anymore once he finally leaves Tokyo but fate, like always, has other ideas.
They reach Shiho’s platform gate by the time he is finished. “So wait!” Takamaki tugs his arm impatiently. “You’re leaving Tokyo for good? Without meeting any of us?”
Goro awkwardly adjusts his gloves. “I thought it’s for the best for our paths not to cross anymore.”
Suzui-san clears her throat, fixing him a stern look. “I’m sorry Akechi-kun, but I don’t think you’re in that position to presume that to other people.”
“I think I have to be clear on this, Suzui-san,” Goro doesn’t bother to hide the silky frustration in his voice. “There’s a reason why my relationship with them is complicated, to say the least. You must’ve been aware of our activities seven years ago and what my role was in everything. I’m not a good person. I attempted killing Takamaki and her friends.... twice for my own selfish reasons. I caused the shutdowns—“
“Yeah, yeah…” Shiho turns to Ann and gives her a peck on the cheek. “Sorry, Anne. My train’s about to leave. I’ll ring you once the match is over, but the kids will probably ask for victory takoyaki at Dottonbori if they win so it’ll be late.” She waves at Goro like she hadn’t heard what he said seconds ago. “At any rate, I hope to run into you again, Akechi-kun. I sincerely hope everything goes well.”
Goro can only stand bemused as Suzui marches down to the escalator.
“Sorry about Shiho,” Takamaki tells him, a fond look on her face as she continues to stare at the spot where Suzui disappears “She’s coaching this middle-school volleyball team and they have a match later this afternoon. The reason why we’ve had crepes at the Underground Mall before she leaves is so I can help her calm down, but I never thought I would be the one freaking out.”
“Well, you didn’t expect to run into a ghost at the Underground Mall.”
Takamaki hums in agreement. After a beat, she finally turns towards him. “Look, I know we were not that close. What you did is not something that could be just swept under the rug, but please believe me when I say how happy I am to learn that you’re alive. The others, I’m sure, feel the same. I’m not saying you should reach out to them but—“
“I won’t,” Goro tells her firmly. “And I’d appreciate it if you’d respect that.”
Takamaki purses her lips together and sighs. “Alright. It’s your life, after all. But when you gave that letter to Ren through Sae-san…that must’ve mean something, right? That you’re leaving your doors slightly open for Ren?”
“I told him in that letter that our deal has ended and there’s no reason for us to see each other anymore.”
“Lucky for you, I’m Ren’s friend.” Takamaki grins cheekily. “And we’re not.....At least, not yet.”
Goro looks at her warily. “You will tell him about this, wouldn’t you?”
“Yup!”
Goro casts a longing gaze at the escalator where Suzui went, wishing he went with Suzui-san to the same train, just so he can avoid this conversation. “And?”
“And I will get your number.” Takamaki continues slyly. “Don’t say you don’t have a phone. You were holding it when we ran into you earlier.”
After a long pause, Goro reluctantly fishes out his cheap phone from his pocket. Takamaki quickly gets his number and he got hers. When she hands him his phone back, Goro is about to make a run for it but she holds her arm gently.
“I’m going to send your number to Ren, okay?”
“I suppose it’s only inevitable,” Goro sighs, fiddling again with his gloves. “Sae-san will give him the letter so he’d know about me eventually. My only solace is that there’s no guarantee he’d even want to reach out....”
When Goro looks up, Takamaki does not seem to be listening to his rambling. Instead, she’s smiling down at her phone, muttering “Annnnnd “Send”!”
“Wait! You’re telling this to him now?!”
“Ren wouldn’t forgive me if tell him any later than I should,” Takamaki’s smile is coy. “Anyway, I don’t want to hold you up any longer. BUT….since I got your number and I know where you’re going, you’re not going to get rid of me easily.” Her blue eyes soften. “I’m really happy to see you again, Akechi-kun. Do you mind if I hug you?”
Goro awkwardly opens up his arms and she gleefully jumps on him. They share a light embrace, the moment shattering only when the phone on his pocket begins to buzz.
Who—
“That must be Ren. Look at that… he just doesn’t waste any time when it comes to you.” Takamaki chuckles, letting him go. “You can answer the call while catching your train, can’t you?”
British Literary critic and philosopher Galen Strawson once argued that for any given situation, we do what we do because of the way we are. Back in detention, Goro absorbed all his writings and took his words to heart. He can only be himself and he is ultimately responsible for everything that drove him to do what he did.
On one hand, Hume, in all the practicality of inevitability, also argued that it is actually preferable that our actions are determined and determinism is a condition of the only kind of freedom worth having. What else can he do if everything else is determined already? Him being sired by Shido, his mother’s death, being chosen by some God….if some good family eventually ended up adopting him before learning about Metaverse and offering his services to Shido, would he still end up doing things like he did?
If he met Amamiya Ren earlier, would he still be the same Akechi Goro that caused destruction in his wake and ruined the lives of other people?
And if fate predetermined to have him run into Takamaki and Suzui earlier today, can he really say that he’s got much freedom anyway to do what he truly wants? To finally break free from the invisible strings that attach him to Amamiya and his past?
He can always push the “Reject” button. End it once and for all. Surely, Amamiya can take a hint. Or he can just say “Hello” and have a perfunctory conversation, let each of them say their piece, and Goro can properly say goodbye without feeling a twinge of guilt.
But when Goro finally presses “Answer” as he makes his way to his train, he can feel the invisible bonds getting tighter. Pulling him back even when he’s about to board a train away from here.
“Akechi?” the familiar deep voice can still squeeze his heart, even after all these years.
“Hello.” He replies after a beat. “It’s been quite a while, Ren.”