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"Higuchi, pull over."
Usually, when Akutagawa tells her to do something, Ichiyo obeys immediately and without hesitation, but this is a strange request. Even for him.
She waits a few seconds and continues to drive, hoping for some sort of elaboration. She briefly looks over. She feels her heart start to hammer in her chest at the multitude of possibilities of their situation. "Sir, w-"
"Please, Higuchi."
She worries for a second that they're being followed, but he doesn't sound nearly as urgent as she would expect from that kind of situation. Even so, it's not out of the question. Akutagawa is always carefully observing their surroundings, wherever they are. They're still on the highway and not close enough to any exit to pull out there, so she slows down and pulls right into the grass, hoping her hammering heartbeat isn't loud enough to hear.
Akutagawa opens the door and steps out without any explanation on his end, and Higuchi checks her mirrors and surroundings for any sign of anything gone awry, but as far as she can tell, everything is relatively normal. The highway isn't busy, no one has stopped or slowed down near her car. The sun has just started poking past the trees. Everything around them sounds normal, too.
She lays a hand on the pistol in the middle console and she's on high alert, up until she realizes she's completely misread the situation. Akutagawa's at the back corner of her car where she can't see him very well, but she's fairly certain that he's throwing up.
She scrambles to get her seat belt off and she stumbles out of the car to get to him. Her immediate concern is that he's been poisoned, but if that were the case, Akutagawa would surely know that and would have alerted her - it's far more likely that he's ill, because he hasn't said a thing to her. He hasn't been himself since that last mission ended, she wonders if this is the reason why.
By the time she gets to him, it seems like he's finished already. Ichiyo doesn't think he had much to bring up anyway, he hasn't eaten since before that mission, but he looks absolutely miserable. The usual sickly pallor of his face is much more prominent right now, and his breaths are labored and heavy. Ichiyo doesn't think he's even realized that she's standing anywhere near him. He doesn't lift his head.
Ichiyo is afraid to approach him or offer help of any kind, because his usual reaction is to fight her off or yell in her face, but the way the arm he's using to support himself shakes against the car's trunk tells her she needs right catch him before his face meets the grass below them, and she's right. His limbs give out all at the same time and she lets him fall against her. At this point, she has predicted this, but she's still thrown for a loop that this happened at all.
This isn't the first time that he’s fainted in front of her, but Ichiyo isn't sure she's seen him in this kind of state before seemingly out of nowhere. Akutagawa is infuriatingly good at hiding injuries and illnesses. Only a few weeks ago he was shot three times in the shoulder during a shoot-out, and Higuchi only noticed because the blood started to pool beneath him while they were discussing the aftermath
He isn't completely unconscious because he isn't dead weight hanging off of her side. She's easily able to lead him to the side of the car and down to the ground, and thankfully he seems to come back to her rather quickly. It's uncommon for him to lose consciousness for more than a few seconds unless something is truly wrong, so this is a good sign, at the very least. His body is weak and frail, whether he will admit it or not, and she thinks the stress on his body from vomiting is likely what caused him to black out for a few seconds.
He's still breathing heavy, only interrupted by occasional coughs, but Ichiyo doesn't think this has anything to do with his lungs. He would be coughing much more violently if that were the case. She's crouched beside him, unsure what to do.
She has a water bottle in her car somewhere, she's sure. She heads back to the driver's side and struggles to find it before she catches sight of it in the car door.
By the time she gets back to him, he's brought his knees to his chest and his head his ducked on top of them, but he's still struggling to get his breathing under control, it sounds like. Ichiyo knows he won't like her interfering, but she's concerned. Really concerned. She kneels down next to him to lean back against the car.
His hands are shaking and he can't breathe. Ichiyo can't be sure why, but she wants to do something to help. The theory that he's been poisoned pops back into her mind, and she keeps it there just in case, but she really doesn't think that's what's going on. Maybe a breathing exercise will help, she thinks, but Akutagawa would never in a million years take her up on a suggestion to do that.
So she decides instead to do it herself, as loudly as she can without going on his nerves. Breathing in for four seconds, holding for seven, and exhaling for eight. She thinks that's what it is, it's something her sister taught her a few years ago. Her hope is that he'll at least manage to absorb the pattern subconsciously.
And after at least three or four times of Ichiyo repeating it, Akutagawa follows suit, and he starts to lift his head back up not long after. She's very much taking note of how he hasn't many any efforts to shoo her away, not even subtly.
She's not entirely sure what just happened. Her focus wasn't directly on him while she was driving, but there wasn't much to focus on. He rarely speaks to her when they're in the car. He'll either close his eyes or stare out of the passenger window, and he wasn't doing anything out of the ordinary this time.
She's sure it has at least something to do with them not getting sleep, or even the fact that he hasn't eaten since before they were dispatched on that chase. Regardless, this isn't a normal thing to happen in either scenario. Ichiyo thinks she'll probably have to convince him to let her take him to the infirmary at their headquarters, an idea that she dreads. Getting Akutagawa to admit he's not well is near impossible.
Ichiyo gingerly offers him the water bottle. He takes it, but he doesn't look at her, or say anything. He uses a sip or two to wash out his mouth and spit into the grass, but he doesn't actually drink any of it. She guesses he’s still nauseous.
They sit there in silence for a while, the occasional car passing as they're both out of sight from the road. Ichiyo isn't sure what to do. She doesn't want to say anything out of line. She's afraid of angering him, but she's really worried. He's not acting right. It doesn’t matter to her if she works for him or not, she’s just concerned about his well-being.
"I'm so sorry, sir, I wasn't aware you were -"
"It's fine," he says, cutting her stammering off. He doesn't sound angry, but he definitely sounds like he doesn't want to discuss this.
Her shoulders sink. "But, sir…"
"Higuchi, I'm fine," he insists sternly. He still doesn't look at her.
Ichiyo isn't quite ready to give in, because she doesn't believe him. She decides to take advantage of him being relatively mellow at the moment and continues to push the subject. "I'll stop somewhere on our way back to headquarters to get some medicine for you, I'm sure-"
This time, he turns his head and looks at her. "I don't need medicine, Higuchi. I'm not ill."
Ichiyo isn't the type to argue in most situations, but right now, she has to wonder if he has the same memory she does. She’s fairly certain she didn’t imagine him vomiting a few minutes ago. "Sir, I…"
He sighs, vaguely annoyed, and leans his head back against the car. He seems to realize he's been backed into a corner about something he doesn't want to discuss. "It's just…nerves."
Ichiyo wasn't expecting an alternative explanation to what she was suspecting. She was preparing herself for him to tell her to keep quiet and leave him be for a moment, but he hasn't done anything like that at all, much to her surprise. It's strange.
Ichiyo has always had a feeling that Akutagawa is an anxious person. He doesn't have much of a range of emotions at all, other than being angry or calm, but then again, those have always seemed secondary to something else. She never has a clear picture of what he's thinking or feeling, but right now, she has a tiny glimpse of it.
"They were needlessly harsh today, sir…" Ichiyo says.
The meeting they attended was to give a full report on a job they had gotten back from the previous night, and of course, both of them attended with no sleep, on their way soon after they declared the mission over. Akutagawa originally told Ichiyo to not bother coming. This particular person wouldn't want to hear them out anyway, because Akutagawa failed to secure the target, but Ichiyo refused to stay behind, especially considering the situation.
Mori was present at the meeting as well, mitigating. He spent most of the time quiet, looking mildly amused. Akutagawa started to explain their situation to the man who ordered the hit. The unit Akutagawa and Ichiyo brought along for this job wasn't Black Lizard, but a replacement due to Black Lizard being sent out elsewhere on emergency.
This unit didn't view Akutagawa as their superior, unlike Black Lizard. Akutagawa has a reputation in the Port Mafia for being reckless and going rogue, and while most members respect him regardless of these facts because of his abilities and his successes, there are always some who don't agree.
The unit ended up with fourteen casualties out of the thirty-two that were dispatched, simply because their four commanders decided to take matters into their own hands and ignore Akutagawa's orders. But now Akutagawa is taking the fall, because the deaths were for nothing. Their target is still on the run.
"Don't you think dogs that misbehave should be put down?"
That's right. It was at that line that Akutagawa seemed to lose any will to fight back. Almost like it was something he's heard before. He took a shaky breath, lowered his head, and didn't argue the rest of the meeting.
The client snarled that line right in Akutagawa's face, right after about five minutes of verbally berating him. Ichiyo whipped out her pistol to point at the man's head as soon as he got too close to her superior, but she was immediately ordered by Mori to drop it.
"With all due respect, sir, all thirty-two would have been killed had Akutagawa not defended them despite them directly disobeying his orders."
Her voice shook, but she stood by what she said, and with that, the client backed up.
"Regardless, our target got away," Mori told her with an exasperated sigh. "Akutagawa, being the unit's leader - temporarily or not, is directly responsible for that, the insubordination, and the deaths."
Ichiyo is glad she doesn't have Akutagawa's short temper. She surely would have lost it at that moment.
"You've proven to be quite the disappointment today, Akutagawa. You're better than this. Don't disappoint me again."
Mori had said just before they left the building, all with a smile on his face.
The conversation must have been on Akutagawa's mind the entire time they've been driving back. It's almost been half an hour.
Akutagawa isn't a misbehaving dog.
"He wasn't there. He couldn't have possibly understood the situation," Akutagawa bites in a venomous tone. "Even so, thirty-two individual lackeys cannot be held responsible for the target I was assigned."
Ichiyo's thrown off by his view on this. Normally, he would have ceased discussing it, whether he thought himself to be right or not, but he seems conflicted enough to share his thoughts with Ichiyo, which is incredibly rare for him.
Normally, she wouldn't think that Mori's words, or anyone else's for that matter, would have that much sway on him - but she's learned over the years that he values what his superiors think of him much more than he leads on.
Being called a disappointment can't be good for someone like that.
"I don't agree, sir. Respectfully," she murmurs, "if they don't listen to your orders, they put their lives in their own hands. You didn't kill them."
Akutagawa looks at her for a few seconds, but a few seconds too long. It's almost like she's said something that he's been thinking about.
He turns his attention back to the grass below them.
"I suppose."
He finally lowers his knees, like he's lowered his guard just a little bit.
Ichiyo isn't sure how long they've been sitting there for, but suddenly, Akutagawa makes an effort to stand up. She scrambles to stand and ends up making it much faster than he does. She takes note of how shaky his legs are. She's still concerned. She wants to lend him a hand, but he seems okay on his own.
She opens the passenger door for him and he waves her off, politely declining her help. She ducks her head with a nod and heads back to the driver's seat.
He's leaned his seat back just a bit, enough to be more comfortable for the ride back. Ichiyo's still fairly certain that he isn't feeling well, anxiety or not, but she keeps the observation to herself. They still have several hours left on duty.
She turns on the car and looks over briefly.
"Are you okay to continue back?" Ichiyo asks, checking her mirrors to make sure she can easily get back on the highway. The last thing she needs is to get rear-ended.
"Yes," he says quietly. "I'm sorry for the trouble. Higuchi. I know pulling over on the highway is a pain."
Ichiyo's heart hurts.
"I-it's no trouble at all, sir, I promise. I’ll stop the car any time you need me to," she says. She turns to look at him, but he's already opted to close his eyes. "I'll make tea for you after we arrive."
"That would be nice."
They arrive at the parking garage below the headquarters in a timely manner without having to go through much traffic, although, they don't have anything planned for the moment.
There's a sort of meeting and break room that she and Akutagawa share with Black Lizard. Her plan is to make some tea and offer it to him there, and hopefully convince him to rest in some way. Ichiyo knows she hasn't slept either, but the difference between them is that she's healthy. She can wait until they're off duty.
"What's the time?" Akutagawa asks when she opens his door, just as he's sitting up. He looks exhausted, but Ichiyo doesn't think he actually slept on the way over.
"It just turned nine. We're still on duty for another seven hours."
"I see," he says with a sigh.
"I'll get started on the report once I finish your tea," Ichiyo says.
She thinks he must have stood up too quickly, because once he's out of the car, his grip on the door and the way he's leaning makes it clear that he's dizzy. Ichiyo worries for a moment that he might vomit again, but he seems relatively okay. He lets out a shaky breath.
"You might be dehydrated, sir…" she suggests, because it's fairly obvious that he isn't feeling well. She hopes it's something like that, only because it's much easier to fix than any kind of illness.
Akutagawa only hums in response after he closes the door.
Ichiyo isn't sure what kind of tea to make for him. She thinks something to help calm him might be good, but would something to settle his stomach be better for him right now?
She huffs in frustration. She really thinks he should just go lie down for a while, but she thinks he's probably only going to be here until Ichiyo needs to start their report. He's usually always there for that.
The situation from earlier is still heavy on her mind, and as she starts preparing the tea, she realizes she may have witnessed Akutagawa having some sort of anxiety attack.
She's pretty sure she's witnessed it before, but it's always been cloaked in anger and rage. This time, the shield was down. She saw his feelings as they were, along with a rare moment of him admitting his thoughts to her. Sure doesn't know exactly what he was thinking, but whatever it was really messed with him.
She hisses, accidentally pouring some of the hot water over her hand while she’s lost in her thoughts. She’s pretty good at that. Tachihara’s gotten onto her about it before. She tries very hard to make sure she's as quiet as possible because she doesn't want to cause any sort of stress for Akutagawa, but she's already done damage.
"Is everything alright?" he asks as he comes around the corner.
Ichiyo hides the hand she's burned behind her back. "Ahh, yes, of course! Just…clumsy."
"You are rather clumsy," he agrees.
"I am…aha…" she murmurs, hoping that Akutagawa will dismiss her and go back to the couch. He stands there for a few moments in silence, but it doesn't look like he's looking at anything, or paying attention to much at all. He's spacing out. "You should really go lie down, sir…"
"Have you heard from Black Lizard?" he asks after a few seconds, completely ignoring her suggestion, of course.
Ichiyo nods. She received an update while they were walking here. "They made it back about an hour ago. No injuries or casualties from their unit."
"Good," he says, before he turns around and exits the kitchenette. She tries to get a look at her hand. It definitely burns, but she’s used to the feeling. She needs to finish making this tea.
She hears the door to their meeting room open, and goes still.
"Hey, Akutagawa," it's Chuuya's voice, Ichiyo recognizes it immediately. She can let her guard down a bit, Chuuya usually isn’t any kind of threat to them. She hears Akutagawa stand, he always does that in Chuuya’s presence as a sort of salute. "Don't stand up, dammit. You look like you're about to pass out."
"I'm fine," Akutagawa answers, with a scoff in reply from Chuuya. He takes a few steps further into the room, and Ichiyo decides she'll stay put where she is. She figures Chuuya is here to discuss their failed mission with him.
"Just wanted to let you know we caught your target. So don't worry too much about it," Chuuya says. He sounds mildly annoyed, but Ichiyo isn’t sure it’s directed at Akutagawa.
"Oh," Akutagawa says, sounding just slightly surprised. "Thank you for letting me know."
"You slowed him down pretty good. He only got caught 'cause he couldn't move anymore. Figured those slashes on his legs were from you," Chuuya says. Ichiyo thinks he's decided to sit down. "Client's a huge fucking asshole. I should've killed the target to spite his ass."
Akutagawa huffs through his nose as if to silently agree.
"I do have somethin' I need’a ask you, though, Akutagawa," Chuuya says. Ichiyo's blood runs cold for a moment. Chuuya isn't the type to berate Akutagawa, but part of her wants to butt in before he has the chance. He's had enough verbal abuse today. "I'm surprised you didn't kill him yourself. Looked like you weren't going for any fatal hits."
Akutagawa pauses. "The objective was to capture him alive."
"No offense, Akutagawa, but you usually don't give a shit about that stuff,” Chuuya reminds him, and he makes a very good point.
Another pause. Ichiyo isn’t sure where this conversation is going, and she thinks Akutagawa may think the same. "Perhaps."
"Well, why are you not killing anyone all of a sudden? I heard that you refused to on a job you had before this. I don't think I've ever seen you refuse a kill. I saw you take a guy’s head off when you were thirteen ."
There's a long silence there. Ichiyo, personally, is stuck on the image of a very scary thirteen-year-old version of Akutagawa decapitating someone. Chuuya makes another good point. Ichiyo has noticed this, but she's assumed that it's all been a coincidence up until now. Chuuya puts it into a different perspective.
"I made a deal with someone," Akutagawa answers quietly. Akutagawa respects Chuuya, sure, but he has no problem defying him, either. He could have easily rolled his eyes and stayed silent, but that may have created more of a problem than telling the truth.
"Did you? Who?"
Akutagawa doesn't say anything. This is the first time Ichiyo has heard of this out-right, but she's very much taken note of the fact that he hasn't killed a single person ever since the Cannibalism Virus situation. She knows he was working in tandem with the Armed Detective Agency at that time, specifically the Weretiger - but what on earth would that mean? There's no way the Weretiger would have convinced Akutagawa not to kill anyone, no matter the deal. But she can’t think of another alternative. Mori? His former boss, Dazai?
"Dazai?" Chuuya bites, mirroring Ichiyo’s thought process. Probably a coincidence, though, Chuuya seems to have that man on his mind a bit more than what’s considered normal.
Akutagawa almost chuckles. "No."
"Okay, not Dazai. Who, then?"
She hears nothing from Akutagawa. Ichiyo is now just as curious, but she’s certain this isn’t something Akutagawa would openly discuss with her either. If he wishes to not kill anyone from this point forward, she will make sure that happens.
"Figured you weren't gonna tell me. I'll find out eventually," Chuuya says with a long, drawn-out sigh. "You injured?"
"It's nothing serious," Akutagawa answers. Sure, he’s not injured, but he’s unwell enough that Chuuya can tell something is wrong just by looking at him. Maybe he can convince him to take care of himself.
"'Kay, well, you look like shit. Go to the infirmary. Or go home," Chuuya hisses. Ichiyo has a feeling this is why he’s sounding rather annoyed. Akutagawa is terrible at looking after himself, and Chuuya knows that first-hand.
"I'm alright. And I'm still on duty for the next several hours," Akutagawa says.
"Well, I'm cutting you short, then. Go to that cafe downstairs to pick up some food on your way out. You need to eat. And I don't care if I'm not the boss, I'm still your superior and you answer to me, kid," Chuuya grumbles on his way back to the door.
"I'm not a kid," Akutagawa murmurs.
"Well, you still act like one," he huffs. “Also, I had everyone from that shoddy unit sacked. We don’t need disloyal punks in our organization.”
And with that, Chuuya is gone.
Ichiyo figures now is a good time to let herself be seen again, and she wants to bring Akutagawa the tea before it starts to cool.
"That was nice of him," Ichiyo says, placing the tea down on the table in front of where Akutagawa sits. She murmurs a small warning about it being hot. She knows from personal experience.
Akutagawa simply hums. "I'm not sure nice is the right word."
“What does he mean by sacked?” Ichiyo asks. Chuuya often comes out with slang words she’s never heard before.
“I’m not entirely sure myself,” he says. She watches his eyes dart over to her hands as she folds them in her lap. "Did you burn yourself?"
Ichiyo glances down at her hands and notices the spot is much redder than it was before. It's stretching from over her whole thumb to the top side of her hand. "Ahh…I did. Whoops.”
“You should get that looked at,” Akutagawa tells her after taking a few sips of the tea she’s made. She finds him saying that incredibly ironic. “Holding a submachine gun with a burn like that won’t be comfortable.”
“Maybe…you can go to the infirmary with me. And get looked at yourself. Just in case,” she suggests nervously. The more the morning progresses, the more certain she becomes that he needs to rest. She thinks the incident from this morning was likely brought on by anxiety, but at this point, she's sure he's coming down with something. The bags under his eyes have darkened considerably.
“Cornering me, I see,” he comments with a sigh. “I’ll be fine, Higuchi. I’ll go home and rest.”
Ichiyo is honestly beyond relieved to hear that, but she’s almost concerned to hear him admit that. Maybe it was simply to get her off of his back, she doesn’t know, but he typically has much more aggressive ways of doing that.
"I'd be happy to take you home, sir."
"Thank you. But Gin is meeting with me," he says.
The door opens again, and the two of them stare, awaiting their next visit. It’s Tachihara. He’s wearing a different outfit than usual, and carrying a tote bag with him. He’s probably on his way home. He blinks once or twice, seemingly not expecting them. “Oh, uh. Hey, nee-san…Akutagawa. You look like shit.”
“So I’ve been told,” Akutagawa grumbles as he lifts the teacup back to his mouth. Ichiyo’s just glad she’s not the only one who seems to think so. “Have you ever tried keeping unwanted opinions to yourself?”
“Okay, okay, I’m just here to get my wallet. You can stab me or whatever tomorrow,” Tachihara murmurs with faux nervousness as he heads for the back where they keep their things. “Gin’s out front, by the way. Her phone’s dead.”
“I see,” Akutagawa says, slowly standing up.
“I’ll put this in something for you, sir,” Ichiyo says, picking up the teacup and bringing it back into the kitchenette. Akutagawa almost never finishes the tea she makes for him, or tea anyone makes for him for that matter, but this time she really wishes he would. She’s going to force him to.
“Ugh, have you seen my wallet anywhere?” Tachihara grumbles as he follows her in. She’s busied herself with finding the to-go container Akutagawa usually uses. Or, rather, the one that she makes him use.
“It might be in the bathroom on the counter. You always leave it there, for some reason,” Ichiyo reminds him. She sees Tachihara in her peripheral lingering in the corner as she pours the tea. For some reason, he doesn’t take her up on that suggestion. She looks up, and he’s staring at her.
“Is he okay?” he asks in a whisper so quiet she can only tell what he’s saying using context clues. He’s pointing back behind him.
Ichiyo shrugs at first, but gives a little nod. She wouldn’t say that he’s okay, but he’ll be alright, she hopes.
“Oh, it was in my fuckin’ pocket,” Tachihara grumbles after he pats his hip. Ichiyo isn’t really entirely sure if he was actually looking for it or not, at this point. “Later, nee-san. Take care a’yourself, Akutagawa.”
“Mhm,” she hears him hum just before Tachihara leaves.
She exits the kitchenette again and Akutagawa’s wearing a different coat, the one that she’s seen him wear off the job before. He’s leaning heavily on the couch, just like before. Ichiyo nearly drops the container to get to him, but this time he’s aware enough to stop her with two sharp ribbons from his overcoat only a few centimeters from her face.
“Stop. I’m fine,” he breathes out, “give me a moment.”
Ichiyo shrinks back, taking a step or two backward, giving him the moment he asked for. It’s incredibly difficult for her to stand there and do nothing while he’s even having difficulty standing upright, surely he must know that, but he’s trying to downplay it as much as possible like he always does. To her, it looks like she’s using every ounce of his willpower to not faint again.
He resets his footing with a sigh and lifts his head after a minute or so, and he walks right past Ichiyo to head for the door. He probably thinks he’s absolved Ichiyo of any worry, but if anything, she’s twice as concerned as before.
Ichiyo follows him out, shuts off the lights, and closes the door behind him.
“I’m sorry, again, Higuchi,” he mumbles after she presses the button for the elevator. He sounds frustrated with himself, and she can imagine why. He hates looking weak in front of anyone, especially his subordinates. She knows it must be difficult to lose composure like that when he's trying to keep himself together for the sake of his pride.
Luckily for him, Ichiyo doesn’t give a damn about how presentable he is, as long as he’s okay.
“You don't need to apologize to me, sir,” she tells him as she follows him into the elevator. She’s more concerned about him apologizing to her twice in one day.
Akutagawa leans against the wall of the elevator and shuts his eyes for a few moments, and she watches him as the descend the several floors of the building. It’s slightly overshadowed by the noise from the elevator, but she can just barely make out that he’s using that same breathing exercise from earlier.
She wishes she knew what was going on in his head. Her heart still hurts for him.
"Chuuya was right, sir, you should eat something before you leave," Ichiyo says once they make it to the top floor, and Akutagawa has opened his eyes again.
"I don't think I'll be able to," he murmurs.
"Maybe take something home instead?" she suggests meekly.
He hums like he's agreeing, but Ichiyo doubts he has any intention of doing so, and she’s proven right as they leave the elevator and already walking towards the exit. As long as he takes the tea, it’s better than nothing. She knows Gin will look after him well.
“Don’t worry about the report until tomorrow. Chuuya will have to write the majority regardless, with this…recent update,” Akutagawa says as they approach the doors. Ichiyo stretches out an arm with the tea close enough to him that he can’t refuse it without making it awkward, and it works. He takes it from her hand.
“Please rest well, sir,” she says. She wants to say more. She wants to tell him she hopes he feels better soon. She wants to tell him not to worry so much about what other people think of him, that he’s not anyone’s dog, he’s not a disappointment. But she can’t cross lines like that.
“Thank you. You as well, Higuchi,” he says with a nod of his head.
Ichiyo keeps her distance once he trunks around to approach Gin, who is standing several meters away, dressed in clothes that make her virtually unrecognizable to fellow mafioso that don’t know her secret. Gin is far too sweet for someone Ichiyo has always viewed as a cold-hearted assassin.
She seems to recognize Akutagawa's sickly appearance almost right away as he’s within arm's length of her, the concern is written all over her face. She reaches a hand up to his forehead and pouts. Akutagawa waves her hand away and must say something to the effect of it's fine, I'm fine, his specialty, as he walks off, Gin trailing close behind.
She turns around as they’re leaving to wave off Ichiyo, and she shyly waves back.
“Thank you.”
Gin mouths to her, concealed from Akutagawa by a hand, and Ichiyo half-smiles.
She’s just doing her job.