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That evening, Ann woke up to her phone buzzing. “Who could it be at this hour…?”
[00:33] Model Agency: Good evening, Takamaki, apologies for bothering you so late – we have quite the ambitious gig for you tomorrow, if you’re available for it. We understand that it’s sudden, and you shall see it reflected on your payment.
[00:34] Model Agency: Originally another girl was going to do it, but we had to make some last minute arrangements at our collaborator’s request.
[00:36] Ann: Oh, I see. What is it about, exactly?
[00:37] Model Agency: We want you to appear in a photoshoot with Gp
[00:38] Model Agency: Oops, sorry. That was a typo. I meant that we want you to appear in a photoshoot with Goro Akechi.
She almost fell out of her bed.
[00:44] Ann: ren
[00:44] Ann: heyyyyyyyyyy
[00:44] Ann: you there?
[00:47] Ren: What is it?
[00:47] Ann: so i was just wondering. you guys would never hate me right?
[00:47] Ann: we’ve already come this far as the phantom thieves for us to suddenly end it here, haven’t we?
[00:48] Ren: We’re your friends.
[00:48] Ann: right. so you understand that sometimes friends have to do awful stuff out of love right? like for a greater purpose? sort of like the phantom thieves. the end justifies the means kind of thing, yk??
[00:48] Ann: like the time you lied to ryuji that the ramen-eating contest was cancelled because we knew he’d end up getting food poisoning from eating so much
[00:50] Ren: He didn’t talk to me for a week after that.
[00:50] Ann: but he could have died you know. you did the right thing
[00:50] Ren: What’s this about?
[00:51] Ann: OK…….remember how i was rambling to you guys about this one gift i wanna get shiho???
[00:51] Ren: The one you couldn’t afford in a million years?
[00:52] Ann: exactly. so. let's say that an angel heard my prayers. and now i have a modeling job that can pay that gift TWICE. there is a problem though. but like its not a problem if we pretend its not.
[00:52] Ren: I don’t like the sound of this.
[00:53] Ann: i'm just gonna say it. they want me to do a photoshoot with akechi
[00:53] Ren: Wow. Just… wow.
[00:54] Ann: ???STOP I DONT WANNA DO IT EITHER ITS ALL FOR SHIHO
[00:55] Ren: I’m just joking. You should go for it.
[00:55] Ann: seriously?????? you dont think ryuji will hate me, right?
[00:56] Ren: He has a soft heart. He will forgive.
[00:56] Ann: aw you’re so right
[00:56] Ann: ily sorry for bothering u so late i know you’re an old man that goes to bed before 10 pm
[00:57] Ren: Good night to you too.
-
With one last look in the mirror, Ann was ready. She felt ready - she was having a good hair day, and her new intensive skincare had paid off. She was going to get that paycheck no matter what. And she’d look better than Akechi doing it. There was the fact that she’d never seen Akechi actually *model*, too. They'd probably just ask him to smile pleasantly and he'd be treated like he’d revolutionised the fashion industry. Oh my God, this is how Mika must feel. Ann boarded the train, catching the eye of all passers-by.
She barely had time to notice the luxurious building that was to be the set when a voice was heard from the door…
“Good afternoon. Sorry to be late. The train was packed.”
…It was Akechi. The cameraman hurried to welcome him and introduced him to the crew with such solemn cordiality that the scene could well have been compared to that of a prince arriving to meet his entourage. The doorway became a makeshift foyer where they stayed for several minutes.
Ann was grateful that the young detective, despite enjoying such differential treatment, behaved with a simplicity that the rest of the team would do well to emulate, and she was strangely flattered when Akechi, ever the gentleman, expressed his enthusiasm for working with her. She figured she was being absorbed into the air of praise that had formed around him, and immediately changed her surprised expression to a more professional, model-like one.
“Sure. Same here… Well, maybe we should get started, shouldn’t we…?” she added in general. That’s it, Ann, look nonchalant. She could feel the presence of a tiny Ryuji shouting on her shoulder, reminding her that Akechi was an idiot that combed his hair like a loser. The hair seemed fine to Ann. Be that as it may, she wasn’t about to bond with the enemy. Just think of it as a Phantom Thief operation…
Once everything was ready, the young models were asked to walk into the set, which was an antique library. Ann was wearing a miniskirt and a satin shirt under a ruffled tweed jacket, with classic Mary Jane pumps in which she felt very comfortable. On top of that, she’d been given a pair of compact binoculars to match her glasses. She didn’t quite know what to do with them and was afraid she might break them.
Akechi was wearing a peacoat. Groundbreaking , Ann thought. Except it was navy blue, which was unusual. He noticed her looking at him.
“It’s beautiful, don’t you think?” he shot back. “Elegant and warmer than it looks. I only wish it was a different colour.”
“Rather than solving a case, you look like you're about to embark on an expedition to the Atlantic…” that made him laugh. “It’s still timeless, though,” she added, just in case.
“I could say the same about the skirt.” It was plaid pleated, just like her handbag, and his flat cap, too. It was too much. “I think I’m starting to understand what they’re going for.”
What, Scotland school trip? No, wait.
“All-right everyone!” Shouted the cameraman, clapping his hands together. “Today’s theme is high-school detectives… Akechi, please show yourself as charming and lovely as it is in your nature and Takamaki, you will be the female self-insert.”
Oh my god. She could already picture Ryuji adding this to the Moments that keep Ann Takamaki humble Google Drive they shared. She took a deep breath and remembered who she was doing this for. Shiho had been through so much, she deserved something nice – something Ann herself had worked for, to show her just how strong she was… and so they began shooting.
Unexpectedly, they made quite a good pair. They complemented each other pretty well – and Ann was surprised by Akechi’s skill. He was a natural, really. Not that it was unexpected – Akechi possessed great savoir-faire. He was popular with young people for a reason anyway. Not just because of his detective skills, but also because, Ann had to admit, he was quite cute. It was kind of crazy that he hadn’t yet been caught up in a dating scandal. Now that would hit headlines. And perhaps because magazine photos couldn’t talk trash about the Phantom Thieves, Ann thought she enjoyed him more in this format.
She wasn’t falling behind, either. Ann was very beautiful, and she stood out because of her looks. Until then that had only made her suffer, but now – little by little – she was beginning to regain control of that part of herself, of the girl in her who embraced her true self with unshakeable confidence, like the female idols of her childhood. She gave it her all and ended up giving a nice, campy kind of charm to the photoshoot. They seemed more like true detective partners rather than just a detective and the girl madly in love with him.
Maybe she could be saved from getting into Ryuji’s infamous Google Drive after all.
-
“My, I’ve never been treated so well on set before! Must be nice to be pampered like this all the time!” said Ann, who, as usual, was losing her shyness over sweets. The director had bought both of them parfaits for their hard work.
“Then we’ll have to repeat this occasion. I ask that you forgive my intrusion, Takamaki, but if I may…, I’d like to know what made you take up this offer. This whole photoshoot, I mean.” He hadn’t even tasted a single bite of his parfait yet, seemingly content with only staring at it. Ann wondered if he even had the intention of eating it. She gave him a puzzled expression.
“I plan to take the modeling world by storm.” She finally said, with a determined smile. “I’m real serious about this, you know.”
“Oh, believe me, that has been made clear to me” he hastened to say, “after all, I’ve seen it today.”
And with that, they fell silent again, but it was quite obvious that the answer had not satisfied him in the slightest. What a nosy guy, Ann thought, almost giggling. It reminded her a bit of Ren, and Ryuji too. In fact, if Ann had been taken aback by anything in her blossoming friendship with those two, it was how inquisitive they’d get sometimes. Ren was always eavesdropping on his classmates, although he’d never admit to it, and Ryuji, well, let's just say he enjoyed a bit of bona fide journalism now and then. Somehow, Ann could sense that same ingenuity in Akechi, and it was twice as funny being the Detective Prince himself.
“Well…” she looked around for a few moments, pondering, fingers playing with her hair. “That’s not all there is to it, actually! I guess I can tell you since it’s no secret. See, there’s actually something I’d like to buy for a very special friend… and it’s not cheap at all,” after a moment she added, laughing: “and it’s not like I get paid handsomely in this job, you know. But in this case, since it was a project involving such a prominent TV personality such as the Detective Prince…”
Akechi let out an unexpected chuckle at that last remark. She had spoken as if she wasn’t talking to the Detective Prince right now, as if he wasn’t there and had left after the photoshoot was over and there was only Akechi Goro sitting across from her at the table. It almost made him sad.
“A friend, huh? Your loyalty is remarkable, then. I trust that you know the implications of making an appearance with me in a women’s magazine.” Toxic fangirls were… really something, but Ann wasn’t scared of that. After all, she was aiming to become a professional, and professionals can’t afford to care about that stuff.
“I generally do work for male-targeted magazines, so this was new for me. I’m happy knowing that many girls will see it for a change, even if they'll still be more interested in you than me.”
“What could your friend want that would be so expensive?”
“I’m thinking of gifting her this one gorgeous dress... oh, wait, I’ll show you.”
Akechi breathed.
It was easy to guess that Ann wasn’t the boy-crazy type. Thus, it was highly unlikely, he thought, that the beautiful girl he always saw Ren with, fluttering around him like a hummingbird on a flower, who planned to buy a very expensive dress for a “special friend” (and was getting flustered over it), was romantically involved with him. Well, that was good to know. Whatever. He didn’t accept this for him anyhow. Nor was it an act of camaraderie. It wasn't even just for the sake of his public image. Not that they could know that yet. In fact, he himself had not yet deciphered Ren's true intentions when he sent him that random message asking him to do something for a friend of his, promising he’d make it up to him. Least of all did he know why he had said yes almost immediately. He must have gone insane after all.
“I see. It’s a very beautiful dress, indeed. Well, if I have occasion to meet a lady wearing it, I'll be sure to put in a good word for you,’ Ann smiled, visibly blushing. “I can see why you didn't go for this other one. It's a very old-fashioned silhouette. And the cut is something...’ as he said this, immersed, he slid a finger over Ann's mobile phone screen to better appreciate the image. He was immediately mortified at his sudden behaviour and turned away. “Wow! I'm sorry. That was quite rude of me,” he said before letting out a nervous laugh.
Ann just laughed in response. “Come on, you don’t have to be so formal! You know, if you’re ever feeling up to it, we could go to Harajuku together sometime. Having company makes it much less overwhelming. Besides, I know a place that has things very much in your style”.
“Is that so? How interesting. But I’m afraid I don’t have much authority over what I wear…” he looked more composed and there was a hint of melancholy in his expression. “In any case, we should be going now. It’s getting dark.” He picked up his briefcase and was about to leave when… “Oh, wait. Maybe we should exchange contact info, shouldn’t we?”
“We should!”
“There. Until then, Takamaki,” and he flashed his best TV smile.
“Please, just call me Ann. See you around, Akechi.”
“...Right. See you.” In just a second, he disappeared.
-
After bidding farewell to the young detective, Ann cashed her check and headed for the station. It was a wonderful trip home. The taste of that delicious parfait was still in her mouth, and as she boarded the train she made sure to immediately text the woman who was selling the dress to tell her she’d pick it up first thing in the morning. She was so ecstatic she straight up forgot that the whole operation had been a failure since in the end, she had befriended the #1 Hater of the Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
Oh right, I should add Akechi before I forget. And when she did, she saw something her eyes couldn’t believe.
One contact in common? Huh? No way…, could it be dad or mom…? Hm, let’s see… Huh?!
How could she have been so foolish?
-
“I take it Operation Dress was a success?”
Just when she thought she was doing a good job by keeping her cool, Ren saw right through her. Well, she was basically glowing from joy now.
“Oh, Ren. You should’ve seen her face!” she said, dropping the totally-normal-about-my-crush facade. “She loved it!” she lowered her voice and spoke very closely to him “Shiho, she… she even said she’d make sure to take me somewhere nice once her rehab is over so she can wear it.”
“Oh my God.”
“Right?!” Ann bursted out. “I’m so happy!”
And it’s all thanks to you, she didn’t say. He had planned it all from the shadows… like an authentic Phantom Thief. It had been good and all, though perhaps she would have preferred a less compromising form of nepotism.
“And… How was it? Working with him?” he did his best to emulate a tone of neutrality, but Ann saw right back through him. He had been holding back that question for some time.
After all, Ren wasn’t sure just how much Ann had guessed about his little string-pulling, and for her part, she didn’t know how close they were that the detective would agree to help her just because Ren asked him to. A thought or two crossed her mind. Maybe he had his reasons to hide away his secret for a little bit longer, so she proceeded sympathetically. She totally understood him anyway (or maybe not, because Ann was always talking about Shiho to everyone, but still).
“Well, he’s kind of a diva.” Ren nearly choked on his cup of coffee. “But that's as far as it goes. I don't think I'll see him again, honestly...”
Arriving home from Leblanc, Ann deleted Akechi's number. After all, there was already a Phantom Thief on his case.