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• Empress
Summer finds a way to make life seem lighter.
Goro Akechi was not fond of the staticness of summer – likely because he felt wrong when he wasn’t actively working towards something tangible. Then again, he never thought he’d live past eighteen to experience such a thing.
He is twenty-three, sitting on Haru Okumura’s balcony, in the same house that once belonged to a man he killed.
She is preparing tea.
He stares at the cup in front of him before raising it to his lips and taking a sip. The aroma is pleasant, the taste excellent. The woman opposite of him is smiling. For a while, neither of them says a word.
“It’s good” – an attempt to fill the space between them, to avoid the awkward silence even just a bit.
“Thank you, Akechi. I’ve been testing out new blends to introduce to the business”.
Under normal circumstances, one wouldn’t be drinking tea with their father’s murderer, even though said father only ever saw them as a puppet. Haru and Goro weren’t under normal circumstances.
She will never forgive him, and he knows. Neither of them wants forgiveness. But Haru is mature, and kind, and she keeps growing, and she is smiling. Goro will never comprehend her.
It’s sunny, and Goro Akechi feels conflicted.
• Lovers
Ann Takamaki grabs his hand, never hesitant to invade his personal space, and urges him towards the shop’s entrance.
His younger self would feel mortified, immediately refusing to accompany her and not even considering the concept of shopping with a friend.
But Ann’s optimism and energy are contagious – she didn’t hold back then, and she isn’t holding back now. And as the years have passed, Goro admits to himself that she is a friend.
He gives his feedback on Ann’s ridiculous color combinations that she somehow manages to pull off. She makes him try on clothes he wouldn’t wear, and he doesn’t stop her. They go to Ann’s favourite crepe shop after.
Ann starts ranting to him about modeling work, and Goro Akechi listens.
• Emperor
Yusuke Kitagawa is a unique and unpredictable person. Goro is surprised when he hears his request to sketch him, one evening in Leblanc.
“You often seem lost in thought. Trying to capture the feelings behind your expression would make for a great challenge to me, if you can indulge me.”
He should refuse.
“...Alright. Whatever”.
The cafe is quiet, the last customers having left long ago. For now it’s just him and Kitagawa, and yet Goro doesn’t feel uneasy.
“You make a most interesting study, Akechi. There is a specific kind of beauty in your nature when you’re not putting up a facade – I think I understand what Ren meant.”
Time passes, and Kitagawa eventually leaves. Summer rain is pouring, and Goro Akechi is considering dropping by the artist’s next exhibition.
• Chariot
The first breezes of autumn have started to come around. Goro is sweating under his exercise clothes, debating on whether he made the correct decision to go running at such an hour.
Ryuji Sakamoto, ever the optimist, is a way ahead of him.
They pause to catch their breath near the park. Ryuji drinks from his water bottle and then hands it to Goro. He’s still beating himself up over forgetting to bring his own.
He never thought he’d be able to hang out with someone as obnoxious as Sakamoto, but he makes for a great running partner – and as much as Goro would hate to admit, he can be a pretty motivating person.
Ever so briefly, his memory snaps back to that winter, when even though he had made it clear he didn’t need to be a part of their team, Sakamoto was one of the first of Ren’s friends to reach out and tug him along.
“That was so refreshing, man, thanks for joining me. You up for the rest ?”
His hair blows in the wind, and Goro Akechi feels free.
• Priestess
“Thanks for coming with me. I’d like to hear the opinion of someone who knows Sae on a deeper level. She has been working hard these past few weeks, and I’d like to lift her spirits”.
Makoto Niijima is not much different from her sister – both are ambitious, devoted to their work, strict when they need to be, and protective of those they care about. The Detective Prince who worked alongside Sae is dead and buried, but Goro is still grateful for the time she spent with him, even attempting to get to know him. Years later, he sees the younger Niijima trying to do the same thing.
They talk about Sae’s likes. They talk about work. Their conversations are superficial, but there is a deeper intent on both sides to try and communicate.
“My regards to your sister”, Goro says after they’re done. “And don’t push yourself too hard, Niijima”.
Makoto’s car engine starts, and Goro Akechi feels quite satisfied.
• Hermit
Being around Futaba Sakura often makes him uneasy – she’s bright, she has become a lot more open over the years, and she’s passionate. She is smart, dangerous, she’s practically Ren’s sister, and she is not afraid of him.
She insisted on watching the latest season of the Featherman reboot together after learning Goro was a fan. She is accepting, even inviting, despite the pain he has caused her.
They talked about it once. She mentioned that his actions were not justified or forgiven, but she couldn’t find it in her heart to hate him no matter how hard she tried. She didn’t want it to hold her back, and she didn’t see it as black and white.
Goro knows that, of course he does. His personas fused make the grayest shade there has ever been.
As she meets him outside the movie theater, she doesn’t hold back on teasing him about his hair getting longer and messier. He plays along, then insists on paying for her ticket. Ren will be arriving shortly.
It’s colder inside the theater, and Goro Akechi thinks that February is two months away – he wonders if he could pre-order the new action figure Futaba wants for her birthday.
• Faith
Sumire Yoshizawa’s leotard glimmers as she executes her movements with a grace and confidence that Goro witnessed in the Metaverse, after she had stopped hiding behind a romanticised memory and the fake identity of her dead sister.
Sometimes, he can still see the insecure girl who is trying to find herself and move on. He can sense the remains of her underlying anger and despair waiting for the right moment to resurface, not unlike himself. Perhaps that’s why he’s grown so fond of her.
Then again, maybe it’s because she latched on to him and didn’t let go. She was the first one who encountered him after the collapse of Maruki’s reality, not resting until he promised he wouldn’t run away, no matter how much he tried to brush her off. She was also the one insistent on him getting front seats to see her performance today.
And here she is, panting and smiling brightly, and thinking of her sister, and her parents, and her friends, and herself, before hurriedly exiting.
Goro thinks she still has a way to go, and makes a mental note to himself to teach her to be more assertive. Nevertheless, she has grown to fit her codename, Violet, even more.
Sumire is budding flower, and Goro Akechi is proud of her.
• Magician
The rain is coming down, and it’s a pensive day. The road to healing is not linear. Attempting to take his mind off of things, Goro searches for a distraction ; today, it’s an attempt at cooking.
He’s home alone – almost. He notices Morgana lounging on the dining chair, having arrived stealthily in the kitchen.
The not-cat cat makes a remark. Goro snaps back, urging him to leave him alone. Morgana insists on reminding him that he almost burnt the kitchen last time. They go back and forth, before Morgana leaps on the counter and stays silent.
His therapist said that spending time with pets might make him feel better, calmer – they have a way of sensing feelings. Morgana isn’t really a pet, but when he jumps down and nuzzles against his leg, Goro thinks it might work anyway.
When Ren comes home, he finds Morgana asleep on Goro’s lap on the couch, and Goro Akechi is not as upset.
• Fool
He goes for a picnic in the afternoon, in a spot Ren has chosen for them. He lays out the blanket and food as Ren pours them some wine. He’s definitely indulging him, but he doesn’t mind.
It’s so cliché and casual that a part of him has difficulty accepting it’s real. For a fleeting moment his mind shifts to fake realities and gods of control, until Ren spills some of the wine and rushes to wipe it off.
Goro finds it in himself to smile, as he takes in the scenery and proudly allows himself a moment to exist. He notices the taste of Ren’s homemade meals, the smell of coffee that he’s grown used to, the beautiful landscape around him and the presence of his partner and rival, the infuriating, clever, insufferable, handsome man that is the only one he can call his equal.
The cherry blossoms bloom in the spring, signaling the start of something new, an ending and a beginning, and at the moment Goro Akechi truly believes that he is happy.