Chapter Text
For Goro, cycling had been one of very few things he could do in public that he could put all of himself into. Pushing himself beyond his limits, pedalling up the hill with every ounce of his energy, and enjoying the rush of the descent as the wind whipped his skin, as he let go of everything, the pedals, the handlebars even, and just allowed momentum to pull him forward. He truly let go of his inhibitions and for those precious moments he wasn’t Detective Prince Akechi, darling of the media, or the carefully controlled drone conducting strikes on the whims of the former prime minister’s orders - he wasn’t even the throwaway child of a broken system. As Goro approached the bottom of the steep decline and prepared himself for a sharp turn into the next street he didn’t have to pretend to be anyone. He was just Goro.
He didn’t have any place in particular to be going to. Since leaving police custody he’d already completed his eerily easy entrance exams for college next year ( don’t think about it ). Things had slowed down at work now that the clueless yuppies were all living in a perfect fantasy where hardly any crime even happened, and of those that did, they were remarkably easy to solve.
In a world like this, all of the stressors that kept him up at night had all but vanished. His useless piece of shit sociopathic progenitor was in prison. That meant he no longer had to play the sycophant assassin. All association with him had been removed, in fact, so Shido's remaining pawns were unlikely to come for him either. He didn't have to worry about refusing Shido's orders and having the full force of his influence turned against him anymore. He also rarely got asked to make TV appearances now that the phantom thieves were all but a non-entity to the public consciousness. So he no longer had the oppressively sharp glare of cameras catching him in his rare off moments. Now the only thing he had to concern himself with was paying his rent on time - and the Maruki situation, of course.
Best case scenario, he should be in police jail, tearing his hair out with stress awaiting his trial and worrying he may die of pneumonia before he even gets there. Yet here he is, a free man, without a blip on his record despite an (admittedly abridged) confession. It's creepy .
So Akechi just cycled with no real aim. Nothing he did in this false reality mattered, so he didn’t particularly care where he went. He could breeze through Kichijoji or Inokashira park, which were both fairly close to his small apartment. As much as defeating a hill and reveling in the decline was his favourite part of a cycling journey, there was still a lot to be said about a leisurely ride along the Kanda river’s edge, especially in the upcoming springtime when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, leaving a dusting of pink petals along the water’s surface.
It was January, however, so instead of petals the ground was dusted with a layer of glistening frost. Goro knew he may never see the cherry blossoms again, but he tried not to think about it.
It was as Goro reached the park and began to follow along the left side of the path that he felt a vibration from his phone against his back, simultaneous with an audible ding that interrupted his music. Goro wore a cross-body bag with his phone and keys inside when he cycled, as if they were to be kept in his pockets they would dig uncomfortably into his thighs as he moved. His phone was connected to the bluetooth sports headphones nestled in his ear canal playing an unknown song by a band he quite liked at a low volume.
Goro brought his bike to a slow halt before climbing off and leaning it against the nearby fence while he checked his messages. He hadn’t expected to be bothered. The route to the delusional doctor’s treasure had been secured, so surely the thieves wouldn’t have been of need of his services today. Unless perhaps they wanted to go to Mementos again? Goro figured it best to check immediately. He would have to go back to his apartment to shower and change before heading to Yongen, after all - and Goro hates being late for things.
Sure enough, he had a message from Ren waiting for him, unread in his inbox. However, it didn’t appear in the phantom thieves group chat as he had expected - rather it had been sent to him personally.
“Oh?” Goro spoke aloud with a raise of one pleased eyebrow. Amamiya-kun rarely messages him personally - it had always been Goro that reached out to him when he wanted to meet up. As much as Goro was loath to admit it, he quite missed spending time with him after work. He was oddly easy to confide in and was frank in a way Goro appreciated, yet somehow kept so much of himself compartmentalized and contained in a way Goro would only dream of imitating. Ren Amamiya is the kind of puzzle Goro loves solving.
Goro thanked himself for having worn his fingerless cycling gloves at that moment, as the leather of his usual fare did not lend well to texting.
“Hey Akechi. Wanna go to the Jazz Jin tonight?” the text read.
Goro worried his bottom lip between his teeth as he considered what to say. It was certainly a tempting offer, and he had no plans for that night in mind. He knew there happened to be a live performer playing that night, too.
He didn't want to come across as too eager, however. He knew spending time with Amamiya-Kun was dangerous. The kid was shrewd and observant, so he ran the risk of revealing too much about his likely fate. Goro had to keep his cards close to his chest.
But spending time with Amamiya beats sitting in the dark watching corny TV dramas with a frozen convenience store microwave meal.
He sighed, deflating against the railings of the fence he stood beside. He began to type.
"Sure, if you're paying" he wrote, pausing a moment in trepidation before squeezing his eyes shut and reluctantly pressing send.
Amamiya's response was almost immediate.
" My treat! d( ͡o ∇ ͡o )b " The text said.
Goro smiled, though he would deny it if anyone pointed it out.
" OK. I'll see you at 8 then "
Another sharp ding in Goro's ears as Ren's response was received.
"(๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ"
Goro rolled his eyes.
---------------
Goro wasn't sure why he cared so much about his appearance anymore. It's not like he had to look pretty for the cameras or his fans - they weren't around in the new reality. He's effectively a nobody . And yet, without fail, he would always fall back into his usual routine.
Starting with basic hygiene, he'd brush his teeth and have a shower or bath twice a day, but only washing his hair every 3 days or after intensive exercise. Overwashing dries out the hair, he learned. Sulfate free shampoo followed by a silicone free conditioner, combed through carefully with a wide toothed comb and left to sink in for 10 minutes. Dried in a cotton t-shirt, NOT a towel, to reduce frizz.
Then there was his skincare routine.
After using a gentle cleanser in the shower, he'd step out and use a BHA exfoliant to remove any dead skin. Then, he'd shave as close as he could with his 5 blade razor, followed by an unscented aftershave balm that tingles and soothes the skin. Then a hydrating essence, a light moisturiser and a touch of concealer on any dark circles or pimples he might have.
Then to finish, a splash of a fragrance he picked up in a fancy soap store with notes of lemongrass and citrus. It smelled bright, energetic and youthful, and quite unlike the typical musky men's cologne or overbearingly floral perfumes most people wore, and that was the main thing Goro liked about it. Goro suspected it was likely intended to fragrance potpourri, and his skin would get irritated if he used too much, but he received a lot of compliments on his unique aroma and was not about to let a little bit of a rash stop him.
His routine was expensive, time consuming, occasionally painful and endlessly frustrating. Yet Goro could not bring himself to break it. Perhaps it was just habit, or a product of his perfectionist personality - or perhaps he just had even less control over himself and his life in this fake world than he had originally estimated. The thought draws a shudder through Goro's body.
He pushes the thought aside as he steps out of the bathroom and into his bedroom to get dressed.
---------
Goro was fifteen minutes early when he arrived at the Jazz Jin. He had made sure to have something to eat beforehand - his chats with Ren tended to run on into the later hours of the night and he was already over his spending budget for the month not that it matters anymore so he couldn't afford to buy food while he's out. Instant kimchi ramen was hearty, filling and quick. Nutritious? Not so much. Maybe he'd try a mocktail with some real fruit in it, like a virgin daiquiri or something. That would at least have some nutritional value, surely.
As the rain began to beat down onto the brick paving of the quiet Kichijoji Street, Goro took the liberty of making his way inside of the bar to wait for Amamiya-kun. No point in standing out in the rain, especially after it took him so annoyingly long to get his hair dry and styled after his shower.
He pulls out his phone and tugs the glove off of his left hand with his teeth before stuffing it into his pocket.
" waiting inside to avoid the rain. I'll get us some good seats near the stage " He wrote in his messenger app, sending it to Amamiya.
Ren replies quickly. " OK. Train was delayed but should be there soon "
Goro rolls his eyes. Ren was rarely the type to be late for things. He had expected better.
" You had better be. My patience isn't infinite "
Ren's response was stupid.
"ε=ε=┌( >_<)┘"
Goro stared at the little running kaomoji for an uncomfortably long time, wandering blindly into the bar without even so much as a cursory look around the room. His eyes were too busy drilling holes of contempt into his phone screen. He had been there enough times that he should be comfortable enough with the layout, so he should be fine.
Until he trips, that is.
"Fuck!" he shouts in surprise as he eats shit on the slightly dusty smoking-area carpet, his phone launched from his grip and under the table ahead of him.
As soon as he went down, he was back up. With a brisk dusting and smoothing down of his green cashmere sweater and a practiced graceful flip of his hair, it was like nothing had happened. Except, of course, for his lost phone, and for the woman at the table beside him who had burst into a fit of hysterical laughter.
She snorts when she laughs and bangs her first on the table. Her face and eyes were a burning red, telltale of alcohol consumption. Already quite drunk, by the smell of her. Even over the distinct aroma of her menthol cigarette she kept clutched between her fingers, the red wine coated her breath.
Goro does little to conceal his disdain as he snarled.
"Is something funny?" His voice dripped with ice as his upper lip curled his mouth into a derisive smile.
Her laughter quietened down to a mild giggle as she eyed him.
Many people among those in the know assume Goro to be a sadist, given his history, but in truth he had little to no appreciation for schadenfreude. Not for something as petty as a minor fall, at least.
That said, he could definitely have found some glee in wiping that drunkards smirk off of her face.
She gulped down, trying to keep her laughter at bay, it seemed. "Oh no, nothing" she said, and Goro could still clearly hear the barely contained giggles in her voice. He clenched his jaw.
" Right" he hissed sarcastically, glancing behind him at the offending obstacle. The woman's oversized leather handbag was toppled on the ground, the contents spilled across the carpet. Nothing particularly scandalous that he could turn the tables with. Typical.
Seething, Goro faced her again. "You should really be more mindful of where you leave your belongings" he bit out, words laced with venom.
"Or maybe you should watch where you're going, kid" she chuckled back, clearly not picking up on the fact that she was poking a bear.
All of a sudden, Goro felt a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't a gentle, guiding hand, but rather a heavy hand as someone who was breathing rather heavily leaned against him. His blood ran cold.
"Is… Everything alright… Akechi?" the familiar voice panted. Ah, Ren. Had he really run all the way here from the station?
Goro shrugged the hand off roughly, his gaze fixed on the drunk woman before him. Her long, curly hair was sitting dangerously close to the end of her lit cigarette, 2 centimetres of undisturbed ash burning close to her fingers as she squinted up at him from her seat. Goro hoped her hair caught alight.
"Yes. Fine" he said, through gritted teeth, snapping his eyes away from her and towards his phone, hidden beneath the tablecloth of an unoccupied table.
"Just need to grab this." he informed the teen behind him as he marched towards the lost item with a furious energy.
He heard Ren quietly apologise on his behalf to the drunk, explaining that he was "testy" from his supposedly increased workload. Liar.
Goro tried to pay them no mind as he collected the phone. And of course, despite his protective phone case, a crack bisected the screen before splintering off in all directions. Typical. Goro sighed and shoved the phone in his pocket, finally replacing his left glove onto his hand.
He turned to look at Ren for the first time that night. He was soaked through, his deep black curls clinging to his flush face, his glasses still splattered with raindrops and mist from outside. His grey winter coat was heavy and darkened with the rainwater soaking into the material, as were his navy blue jeans. Ren looked away from the woman to give Goro a reassuring smile. When their eyes met, Goro thought he saw Ren’s eyes dilate, though perhaps it was a trick of the light.
Ren gestures with his head towards a nearby table facing the still unoccupied stage, as if to ask “Wanna sit down?”. Goro obliges the wordless request, thundering towards the table and abruptly taking his seat.
“Somebody is in a shitty mood.” Ren observes as he takes his seat beside him, dumping his (thankfully Morgana-free) bag in an empty seat with his sodden coat. The rainwater had soaked through the coat into white button up Ren wore underneath, leaving it sheer enough that Goro could see the lines of the teen's clearly defined muscles through the fabric. Goro averted his gaze.
“My phone screen is in at least 15 separate pieces. I think I have every right to be in a shitty mood .”
Ren snorts, propping his elbow up on the table and resting his boyish face in his palm. “From when you fell?”
Goro drags in a ragged breath and grabs the drink menu, even though he knows he’ll likely just have the special like he usually does.
“Yes.” He said reluctantly after a tense moment.
“Bummer.” Ren seems genuinely sympathetic, his eyes held firmly on Goro as he gives him a reassuring smile. “So long as it still works though, right? At least phone screens aren't that expensive.”
Goro pales as he realises he did not actually check to make sure the phone was functional.
Abruptly, he slides his chair back to pull it out of his pocket, hastily discarding his gloves. One of the cracks had cut through his front facing camera, so the facial recognition software seemed to be struggling. The fingerprint sensor however happily obliged, showing Goro his home screen without much issue. All appeared to be fine there, too.
“Yes, I guess so.” Goro acknowledges, swiping viciously through his various apps to check their functionality - all while carefully avoiding doing so with the meta nav app in particular.
He abruptly discards the phone on the table and resumes leafing through the menu.
Akira leans a little closer, likely to try and read over his shoulder. “What you thinking of going for? Remember it's on me”
Goro had been joking when he suggested Ren pay, but he was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth. “Hmm.” He presses his lips into a fine line. “I wonder”
When he spots one mocktail in particular, his mouth takes on an almost feline curl. “Oh, I know.”
Ren feins dread, shaking his head in exaggerated despair. “You picked the most expensive one didn’t you.”
Goro can’t beat back his smile. “You did say you’d pay.” He gives Ren a wink and hands him the menu to choose one for himself.
"Truly, the most evil thing you've ever done to me" Ren teased.
"I shot you in the face"
"You shot Sae's cognition of me in the face" Ren corrected.
Ah, so that's how he did it. Goro had suspected that was the case but it was nice to finally get confirmation.
"But I thought it was you. And I didn't hesitate." Which was true. Nevermind that when he was finally in the confines of his own home he violently ejected the contents of his stomach and rattled like he was coming down from heroin for the rest of the night. Adrenaline is a bitch, Goro had assured himself, but that didn't settle the horrified knot in his gut that left him feeling empty and disgusting.
"Still doesn't even come close to this injustice " Ren's voice breaks with barely suppressed giggles. His melodramatics make Goro laugh too.
---------
“Y’know, I was out cycling for hours after school let out today and I didn’t see a single vagrant. I wonder what became of them all in this reality.” Goro said pensively after a moment of silence.
Ren shrugged. “I dunno. They probably all got houses or something. Or are in rehab?"
“Do addicts even exist in this reality? Addiction is a pretty miserable thing. I wouldn't be surprised if The Good Doctor got rid of them entirely"
"Maruki is all about giving everyone a happy outcome. I doubt he just got rid of them entirely.” Ren clicked his tongue somewhat indignantly. "His intentions are good."
"Besides," Ren continued. "I saw Ohya a few days ago and she's fine"
"I don't know who that is but I'll take your word for it"
"She's a reporter I know. She drinks a lot."
Goro sips at his extortionately priced fruity mocktail, pinching the straw tight between his tongue and the roof of his mouth in contemplation.
"But can Maruki's supposed goals to remove all unhappiness and misfortune from reality truly be achieved for those for whom their entire life causes them nothing but misery? What if there is no way to erase all of the hardships in a person's life, when their entire life is hardship? Wouldn't that erase them too?"
Ren cocks his head to look more firmly at Goro, his smile oddly fond.
"You're still here, aren't you? Doesn't that kind of disprove your theory?"
Goro chokes on the drink, sputtering. "I… my entire life isn't 'nothing but hardship ', Amamiya-Kun."
Ren snickers. "Could have fooled me."
"In my experience, fools are quite easy to fool." Goro takes a sip of his drink as Ren looks at him in exaggerated offence. He swallows.
"But no." Goro begins, his voice tight. "I do have some positives in my life, even before Dr Maruki decided to play around with it in his twisted sense of altruism. I may have gone through more than my fair share of misery, Amamiya-Kun, but I am hardly an example of someone whose entire life would be erased by a reality without pain."
Ren quirks an eyebrow. "You think?"
"Yes. I at least had the small pleasures of a hot bath, regular meals and a place to sleep, even if I did have to work myself to the bone to get them. And I get some joy from my hobbies, like coming here."
' And spending time with you ' remains unsaid.
"Hmm" Ren affirms, nodding as he drinks directly from his glass, bypassing the plastic straw entirely. "Is that all?"
"Is what all?"
"Is that all that makes you happy? Not being homeless?"
Goro feels his throat constrict. He doesn't know how to answer that, so he finds himself bowing his head and saying nothing as he stares into the swirling purple liquid in his glass.
------
For a while, the two teens watched the jazz band in contented silence, captivated in the slow, blue melody as the singer gently swayed her hips to the beat. The lyrics lamented on her regret for cheating on a partner. Goro couldn't relate to the story, but the raw emotion was a familiar one that left a painful emptiness in his gut.
The sound of a straw sucking on air cut the boys out of their companionable quiet. Ren had turned his head to look at him in surprise. Goro looked down at his glass to find it was indeed empty. Ren had finished his a short while ago, it seemed.
"You want another?" Ren offered.
Goro bit his bottom lip. "Sure" he said, sounding incredibly unsure .
Ren reached into his pocket and drew out an alarmingly well stuffed brown leather wallet. Goro could see a tiny photograph of Ren, the cat, Sakamoto and Kitagawa behind the plastic display window, all four of them pulling absurd faces in a photo booth. A fleeting stab of jealousy caught Goro's heart. He told himself it was over how much money was in Ren's wallet.
Ren picks out a small wad of bills and hands it to Goro. "Here" he says. "Get whatever you want and I'll have the same. Nature calls"
"I can pay for my own drinks, you know. Or have you mistaken me for a helpless pauper like Kitagawa-kun?" Goro knew he likely had just as little in his bank account as Kitagawa did at that present moment, given that he is no longer on Shido's payroll, but his pride would not allow him to acknowledge it.
"Not at all." Ren denied, standing from his seat and tucking it in at the table. "but I said it was my treat and I meant it. I won 50,000 yen in the lottery last week and I'm feeling generous, is all."
Of course you did .
Goro laughs mirthlessly. "Congratulations. It seems I should have asked for dinner, too."
Ren chuckles as he leaves for the bathroom. "Don't push your luck!" he calls over his shoulder.
Goro vacates his seat and heads to the bar, where he notices an unfamiliar face is working. A young woman, around 20, who looked incredibly flustered as she piled glasses into the dishwasher, her spectacles clouded with steam. She must be new to the staff.
Goro clears his throat and she looks up from her task.
"Oh, hi. What can I get for you?"
Goro flashes her his most charming smile. "what do you recommend?"
She tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear and a blush creeps onto her cheeks. "Oh, um, we have a great collection of cocktails. Want me to make you my favourite?"
Goro nods "Make it two, please."
"Sure, I'll bring them to your table when they're ready. That'll be… Um…" she moves to the till and starts inputting the order "3200 yen"
Goro carefully flicked through the bills in his hand and gave her the exact amount from the wad.
"Thank you." she says. "They'll be a few minutes to prepare."
Goro gives her a nod of acknowledgement before returning to his seat. He casts his gaze back to the singer until he hears the chair next to him pull out.
"Ah, you're back."
"Sweet relief" Ren confirms in a blissful sigh as he sits down. Goro slaps his change on the table in front of him.
"Here."
"It's just, what, 500 yen? You can keep it. "
"It's 2500 yen, and I don't need your charity."
Ren rolls his eyes, but he's smiling. "Whatever man". He tucks the money back into his wallet.
After a minute of idle chit chat, the girl arrives at their table with two pink and yellow cocktails, with a fluffy head of foam on top.
"There you go." She says, placing the drinks in front of them with a smile. "Hope you enjoy!"
Goro takes his drink into his hand and looks at it closely, giving it a curious sniff. "I don't think I've had this one before."
Ren leans on his elbow and takes his own glass to his nose. "Mmm. Me neither. It smells good. What was it called again?"
Goro shrugged. "I didn't ask. I just took her recommendation."
"Oh well, let's try it." Ren says, raising his glass to Goro. "Cheers!" Goro echos him as they clink their glasses together. They take a sip in unison.
Goro is overwhelmed by the unusual flavour. It reminds him of rhubarb and custard, but with a delicate warmth at the back of his throat. It's not too sweet, the rhubarb's sharpness balancing out the sweetness of the vanilla.
"Whatever it is, it's delicious" He tells Ren.
"Yeah" Ren smiles, his upper lip covered in foam. "Maybe it's a secret menu item or something"
"I feel like I'd know by now if there were a secret menu."
"Then it wouldn't be a secret if you knew about it, would it?"
Goro rolled his eyes and took another drink.
------------
"So, where's Muhen?" Goro asks the bartender girl as he accepts their fourth drink of the night, the same as the last two.
She scratches at the back of her head sheepishly. "Oh, he's at home. His wife and daughter have the flu so he's taking the night off to help take care of them."
"Aww! That's so cute! Does that mean he left you in charge?" Ren asks.
"No, not quite. He's checking in every hour to make sure I'm okay"
"That's good of him" the boys say in unison, startling each other.
"Yeah. Well, anyways, enjoy your drinks!" The girl walks away awkwardly, leaving Goro and Ren to their cocktails.
Ren turns in his seat to face Goro. "The flu's going around again? Man, I hope I'm not getting sick. My face feels like it's on fire" Ren comments, swirling his plastic straw in his glass and listening to the rattle of the ice.
"You had better not be. We have no chance of taking out Maruki if you're incapacitated." Goro takes a hard look at Ren's face. "You do look a little flush, come to think of it."
"You don't think you could fill in for me?"
Goro slurps his drink as he considers. "Hmm. I suppose not. I would probably have a hard time telling Sakamoto what to do."
Ren laughs. "Yeah, that's true. I doubt any of them would be too happy with that arrangement, to be honest."
Goro takes another drink to avoid speaking.
Ren sighs, slumping forward on the table to rest his face in his hands again, but this time he abruptly pulls away, sitting up straight with eyes wide as the sun.
"Akechi, feel my face."
"I will do no such thing." Goro tries to protest, but Ren had already grabbed him forcefully by the wrist and pressed Goro's bare hand to the surprisingly soft skin of his cheek. Sure enough, his face was burning hot to the touch, but not in the clammy, feverish way Goro was accustomed to. It simply radiated heat, more like a burn would.
"Hmm. You're right. That is weird." Goro said as he yanked his hand away. "Do you feel sick? Any headaches?"
Ren shakes his head. "No, I feel fine. I feel good, actually." he cocks his head to the side. "Are you blushing?"
He hadn't been, but a mortified heat took Goro's cheeks at the accusation "Of course not!"
"You so are"
"Shut up." Goro took a long drink from his glass to avoid eye contact with Ren.
"It's alright if you are. I know I'm dreamy" Goro could practically hear Ren winking at him.
"I hate you so much"
"No you don't" Ren declared confidently. "You're just a tsundere"
Goro choked on his drink. Desperately, between painful rasps he sputtered "I am not!"
Ren took on a high pitched, girly voice. "It's not like I like you or anything. B-baka!"
"Oh fuck off" Goro gives Ren's shoulder an annoyed shove, but he laughs, despite himself.
"Classic tsundere move"
Goro fixed Ren with a glare "I will shoot you again."
Ren poked out his bottom lip petulantly. "Aw, so much for ' I'm hopeless without you Ren! Without you, the team is nothing! I could not go on with-' "
Goro interrupts him with another shove. "I never said that"
Ren leans forward in his chair, like his head is too heavy for his neck to support. "You just did, like, 2 minutes ago"
"Mhmm, sure" Goro says as he sarcastically takes another drink. "You're out of your damn mind"
"Guilty!" Ren slurs. He too takes a large sip from the rhubarb flavoured drink.
Goro can’t help but wonder what the hell has gotten into Ren. Usually he’s such a quiet, reserved person, yet tonight he’s been going out of his way to drag him kicking and screaming out of his shell. What the hell is his game, here?
“Huh?” Ren asks, tilting his head curiously.
“Shit, did I say that out loud?” Goro’s cheeks burn all the more furiously as he bows his head.
“I couldn’t really hear you over the music. Something about shells?”
Goro shakes his head, amused. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I was talking about. My undying love for collecting shells on the beach.”
“Yusuke does that too. He made Futaba a necklace that still had a sea snail in it.” Goro starts to laugh at the mental image, but then he notices the sudden slump in his companion’s shoulders and immediately stops.. “It's something my mom and I did when I was little, too.”
Goro’s brow furrows. “You don’t talk much about your family.”
“Not much to say really. Mom stays at home, dad works in real estate. I have a much older brother who lives in Kyoto with his wife and kids. None of them want anything to do with me, really.”
Goro finds himself, inexplicably, angry. “Why the hell is that?”
“Oh, y’know. Criminal record. Generally not fitting the ideal of the ‘perfect son’. Big brother even thinks I'm a danger to my nephews. So yeah, they’re not my biggest fans.”
Goro grits his teeth, utterly furious. “They fucking should be. Not only were you falsely accused, but you’re probably as close to perfect as a human can be. Your family are fools.”
Ren looks up at him, his deep granite eyes shining behind the thin glass lenses. “You think so?”
Goro nods sternly. “You’re the only person who’s fit to be my rival, after all.”
“Awww! See! I told you - you’re a tsundere!”
Goro shoves Ren so hard he falls out of his chair.