2025-10-22: Show Off
- Log: 2025-10-22 Show Off
- Cast: Goro Akechi, Ren Amamiya
- Where: Penguin Sniper, Kichijoji, Tokyo
- OOC Date: October 25, 2025
- IC Date: July 31, 2012
- Summary: To celebrate the end of finals, Akechi invites Ren out for another game of billiards--for fun, but also to see how he's improved. When Ren shows him, he makes a promise to, if Ren can beat him using his right hand, take him on with all he's got. Afterwards, they play a cooperative... more or less... game of darts.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
It's mid-afternoon, when Ren's phone alerts him to a text message.
@>A whole week at school.
@>How strange that that should feel like a novelty.
@>Now that our finals are over, what say we celebrate with a round or three at the Penguin Sniper?
@>Naturally, we should do this before our grades are posted.
@>That way, my more enthusiastic fans won't be able to judge you by your performance.
@>Not that I think you did poorly or anything! I trust that you were quite impressive.
Well, that many texts devoted to Braggadocio, certainly he must be getting more comfortable with Ren, if he feels it's fine to send so many inviting him. Or is it just anxiety that he might refuse, being channeled in another way?
Why not both?
Goro Akechi is a creature of such contradiction, after all. Even as they become closer, more comfortable - can it also not make him more anxious?
Akechi waits for him inside the Penguin Sniper this time, having already rented out a table for the two of them. It's possible that Ren might turn him down, but if that were the case...
... Ren will notice Akechi aiming his cue at nearly the top of the ball. The ball upon contact, jumps right over the eight ball, striking six into a side pocket, then seven on the rebound from the far end of the table.
As the cue ball then just... rolls, gently back into alignment with the eight ball.
Even more frustratingly, Ren may note, he pulled off this trick with his right hand. "Oh there you are, I didn't see you come in." He says as he flashes a broad smile Ren's way, perhaps leaving him with the impression that Akechi was practicing trick shots for the express purpose of Ren seeing him pull them off once Ren comes in.
"After such a grueling week, we're entitled to a relaxing evening, don't you think?"
What about an evening with Akechi is relaxing? Though, perhaps it's relaxing for him. And the way he says grueling, indicates a sort of faux humility almost. Like he doesn't want to pretend it was effortless for him.
Even though it was.
No what was actually grueling was...
-=-=-
"Listen you piece of shit, if you don't cough up what your employer is up to RIGHT NOW, then I'm going to make certain your funeral is CLOSED CASKET!"
-=-=-
... That Shido expected him to work every night during finals. But so it goes. You can't make an omelet without putting holes in a few someones' psyches, or something like that.
"So how do you think it went for you?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Getting close to someone--caring more and more about someone--means the fear of losing them one way or another grows along with your affection, after all. It's only natural that Akechi gets more anxious at the same time he gets more relaxed with Ren.
Ren understands this, more or less. Even if they told him plainly that they should stop flirting if it's not going to go anywhere, that doesn't magically stop whatever feelings Akechi has for them. If he babbles a little while inviting them out somewhere, well, that's part of who he is too.
They just don't quite know how to reconcile it with the fact that he wants to arrest them...
For now, Ren simply texts back:
@>Sure, see you there.
They arrive in their usual casual outfit: glasses, fashion wristwatch, brown boots, blue jeans, white button-up with folded-up sleeves, black undershirt. Their hands are in their pockets, but even if they weren't, there'd be nothing unusual to see. (In other words, Ren removed their nail polish before coming. They don't want Akechi asking too much or making any conclusions.) They arrive, more precisely, in time to see Akechi pull off an impressive trick shot. They watch in silence, with eyes slightly widened. They... haven't gotten that far in their billiards practice yet... something they haven't been doing the past couple weeks at all due to finals crunch...
They make a bit of a face. Especially since Akechi's pulling that off with his right hand. What a show-off. (Not that Ren dislikes show-offs, per se...)
"Uh huh," they just say at Akechi's cheerful greeting. They walk over, hands in their pockets, gaze turning down towards the pool table as they approach. The positioning really is impressive. Ren might be a beginner, but they've read up enough on billiards to know that really was a good shot.
It's on the tip of their tongue: Is this actually fun for you? Playing a total novice like me? But they ultimately decide not to say it.
Akechi gets more out of this than just playing them, anyway.
"Yeah," they say instead. They look up at him. "Were exams really that tough for you? You made it sound like it was going to be a breeze, before." For them, though, they shrug a bit. "I think I did okay. Some subjects were easier than others."
They reach for the pool cue that's no doubt already set up, this table having been rented out in advance, and grab a bit of chalk to rub on the tip. "I'm doing the break this time," they add. While Akechi probably wouldn't pull a break ace on them again--it's clear that was more for the message it sent than anything else--they're not interested in a game that's over before they've even had a chance to play, and they want that to be clear in turn.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
If Ren didn't like show-offs, it'd kind of be the pot calling the kettle black, now wouldn't it?
Akechi lifts his cue to a more sedate position, chuckling at Ren, "You caught me." He says, smile broadening as he chuckles, "Only because I decided to work every night during finals. I could hardly keep my clients waiting an additional week for results, after all."
It's not wise to keep Shido waiting, and Akechi is... well, there's always the nervous idea that Shido might become angry enough to try to discard him, despite his value.
Even if he'd win in what came after, it would mean that Shido's disgrace would never be enough for his liking.
"Oh? And what would your stronger subjects be, if I might ask? Or perhaps it's not 'stronger' so much as favorite, in your case?" Akechi says, as if speculating.
But it does seem like he's actually interested in knowing the answer. As Ren picks up his cue, Akechi re-racks the balls at the center of the table, and he smiles, as he raises the triangle, setting it aside. "By all means. I'm eager to see how far your game has come." He holds his cue again, in a relaxed pose, waiting at the side of the table for Ren to break.
"By the by, do you have any exciting plans for your summer vacation?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It really would. And Ren has a lot of black in their cognitive outfit--though so does a certain someone else in a certain form...
"That sounds like you," Ren remarks dryly, of Akechi working at the same time they were doing exams. "Sometimes I'm surprised you ever stop to relax at all."
The instant the words are out of their mouth, they frown.
Unless this is work for you, too.
They shake their head. They... don't like that thought. That doesn't mean they should ignore it, but... focusing on it now is just going to distract them. They told Akechi before that they've got other things to do than work on their billiards game, and that's true, but that doesn't mean they want to lose so easily. At the very least, they want Akechi to comment genuinely on the progress they've made.
He's the one person they don't want to lose to. Even if they're not good enough to defeat him now, they'll catch up sooner or later.
"Literature and English," they reply, noting the way Akechi calls it 'favorite in their case.' It does sound like he's interested, but... "Akabane-san helped make algebra click for me recently too--I did way better on that exam than I used to," they decide to add. Thanks to that, they don't know if they'll do amazing, but they're confident they won't humiliate themself, at least. And Akechi went out of his way to talk about how worried Umie is for him...
"I don't know if you'd call them exciting," they continue as they lean over the pool table, aiming their cue the way Akechi taught them before. Their long fingers are splayed out well, and their dark eyes intensify on the diamond of balls. "My friends and I are talking about seeing a fireworks festival, though. And I plan on doing a lot of part-timing."
Crack. Ren's cue impacts the cue ball, which in turn impacts the diamond. It breaks apart leisurely and smoothly; the six-ball sinks. Ren smiles, then moves to take their turn, aiming for the one-ball. That soon sinks too, but then they're left in a pinch: the two-ball will be a bit of a tricky shot from this angle--there's a few other balls in the way--but if they rebound it well enough...
"What about you? You going to keep working too?" they wonder, before striking again. The cue ball bounces, bounces, bounces... hits the two ball... too softly to sink it. They bite back a sigh and a comment on the Phantom Thieves. Instead, they wonder, "Or will you be hanging out with friends?"
After a recent encounter with Yukari and Akihiko, and after a conversation with Umie, they sort of wonder how many friends Akechi actually has--if any at all.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Is it work for Akechi as well? What a question! What a question... perhaps in some cases, the lines might blur. Or perhaps it's less work than Ren might realize.
Though, would that not imply his theory is correct, that he's merely playing with the Phantom Thieves, and isn't actually serious?
What would serious look like?
"Aha... one has to make time, even with a schedule such as mine. We are still minors, after all. What is it that everyone says about enjoying youth while you're still young?"
It's like Akechi threads the line, by taking on so many adult responsibilities... but recognizing he's a child still. Ren's seen how childish he can be, in his moments of relaxation.
He nods, thoughtfully at Ren's choices, "Respectable choices. Do you ever watch Western Films, or read novels that were originally written in English?" He asks, because that's something he does.
"Aha... so Akabane-san was tutoring you? I didn't realize. She must make for quite the senpai at work. It seems we have similar tastes. Algebra would seem like a fine subject for a Detective like myself to enjoy, except that the mysteries of an equation are so very... boring."
Akechi might enjoy more advanced math far more, but something so formulaic? It feels like a waste of brainpower to just work through problems.
He does quite like Geometry though, that one is quite useful.
Ren's break though, he watches, and smiles, "Huh. A fine break. It's put you in quite the advantageous position." He says, as if unconcerned about the outcome, but still praising Ren all the same. "You really do learn fast."
He then says a fireworks festival to watch with friends, and a lot of part-timing. "A fireworks festival?" Akechi says, as if in consideration, "Well, it is a rather popular thing to do in the summer."
"That is the plan." Akechi says to the idea of working too, "Much the same as you... though I can hardly call it 'part-time'."
Ren asks about hanging with friends. And Akechi blinks.
Isn't that what we're doing right now?
It's like an intrusive thought, which he discards. A contradictory one... he doesn't need friends. He's not the same as the person who's with him right now.
"Well, I think it'd be a stretch to call Sae-san a work friend..." He says with a smile, "... as it stands, I don't really have any close friends I think I'd enjoy spending my vacation with."
It feels like a confirmation, though he doesn't exactly seem sad about it, "I hardly spend enough time at school as is to really have such relationships. Ah well. Though I can't say I lack for anyone to spend my time with."
He says, certainly implying Ren. And perhaps Umie to a certain extent as well.
It's only now that he calls attention to the ball Ren didn't quite sink, smiling, "Shame, it seems I won't be getting serious today." He says it so matter of factly, he stalks around the table, "Have you taken a liking to Billiards? I find it quite fun, myself." Akechi only hunches over near the One ball, to tap it against the wall, at a perfect geometric angle, to sink it in a side pocket.
"Not targeting the ball directly... but creating circumstances that would go your way."
Then he stalks around the opposite way, and casually sinks the three, as the cue rebounds to knock the four in. "Calculating, not giving your opponent any chance to retaliate." He says as he meets Ren's eyes, and moves around the table, "And when you chase your opponent down to the very last moment..." This time, he rebounds the cue off the far end of the table. Five strikes seven, and both split to glide into separate pockets.
And while there's nothing overtly flirtatious about it, the way he's looking at Ren, it certainly treads that line...
... and then, he angles that shot high again, as the cue jumps the Eight Ball unnecessarily, to rebound, and strike the Eight Ball to knock it backwards, into the pocket Akechi is standing over. "There, the End."
He says, smugly, though perhaps Ren has more of an answer why he finds this fun, playing against even a novice.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
What would serious look like?
That might be one of the reasons Ren keeps playing with him--that desire to see. That desire to make him take them seriously. ...It's hard to know for sure. It's not like Ren dislikes the game. They just get frustrated from time to time.
Akechi is childish, but still puts on so many airs of being mature like an adult. It's a little curious to hear him acknowledge he's a child, and Ren gives him a curious look. "I mostly hear that line about how youth is wasted on the young," they remark.
They smile slightly about the question about films and novels. "Yeah. It's interesting to watch a movie in English with Japanese subtitles--see how differently it's translated from how I'm understanding it in my head. My English isn't good enough to read a whole novel all the time... but I do give it a shot every once in a while. It's a good way to practice." Maybe even better if they were to find a book they could read with Ann, they muse. She doesn't really seem like a book-reading person, though... Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask.
They shrug about Umie. "Yeah, just for a day." They didn't have a lot of time to do more than that. "She mentioned she was your senpai when you were a first year, actually." She said you seemed too busy being popular to have friends, Ren is tempted to say, but ultimately doesn't. They do frown a little at his remark on algebra... but they get it, kind of. They only just started seeing algebraic equations as puzzles to solve, and ultimately it's about getting two sides to balance out. Once they get used to them, they might find them boring too. They look down at the billiards table. "It's what they're teaching right now. It'd be more useful to learn geometry."
But it's time to play. Ren breaks and sinks a few balls. Akechi proceeds to sink the rest, locking eyes with them in a challenging--sensual?--way. Ren's frown gets progressively deeper as he talks about how much he loves this sort of indirect play, dominating until the very end without giving his opponent a chance to strike back, until at last Akechi sinks the eight ball in wholly unnecessary fashion, clearly just to show off how much better he is at this goddamn game than they are.
"You could stand to hold back a little," they grumble, though in truth Akechi is already holding back by using his right hand, and that annoys him. This is beyond frustrating. It's... humiliating. He's so much better than them. Akechi praised them a little earlier, but that almost makes it worse. Condescending. They don't necessarily hate to lose, but they do hate playing games they have no chance of winning. Rather than wanting to ragequit, though, Ren tightens their grip on their cue stick. What was that they were saying about having other things to do than practice billiards? This is reminding them all over again why they were reading up on it.
They have to study advanced techniques. Without learning trick shots, they'll never beat him. They have to get better. He's not going to just play around forever in the Metaverse, either. One day he'll decide he wants to take them in and then that's that. The End, as Akechi put it. Game Over. Ren hates the idea of that--that someone who might hint they're friends would throw them in jail and toss away the key once he got bored of them.
Which in turn begs the question: are they hanging out as friends? Are they friends, period? What exactly is the nature of their relationship? Akechi hints at enjoying their company at least, even as he basically says he doesn't have any friends like he doesn't care that much about it, but that's how he works, isn't it? Always plausibly deniable.
Unfortunately, it's not something Ren could just ask outright. They wouldn't trust any answer he gave, anyway.
"Let's play again," they say instead, dark eyes smoldering like coals ready to flare back into flame. Right now, that's the only way they'll improve.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Ren remarks on that line and Akechi smiles back, "Quite so. Usually for adults to brow beat us into their way of thinking. Mostly... they don't actually remember what it's really like to be young."
And without any agency, in a world that's cruel to any child that's inconvenient.
"But... youth does have it's moments." He says, as if indicating that today is at least, an enjoyable day to be young. Just out of exams, and enjoying a night with a person he finds spending his time with to be quite valuable.
"You'll get there sooner than you think if you keep trying. It's how I practice myself. And besides, I do enjoy Western Media. There's a strong sense of individualism in the themes that Eastern cultures tend to lack, given our focus on Collective harmony..."
It's perhaps not so surprising that Akechi enjoys that aspect of Western media. Before Akechi then chuckles at Umie Akabane, "My, it almost feels like she's pulling rank on me when I'm not in earshot. That would be like her." Akechi seems more like he's in good humor about it.
It may be that Umie noticed that Akechi was too busy being popular to have friends... but that doesn't mean Umie went unnoticed.
Oh no.
Akechi kept close tabs on her, even if she never realized it.
"... Aha. Well, I won't say you're wrong. I find Geometry to be much more enjoyable. Calculating angles... trajectories. It's useful in my line of work, when you're working a crime scene."
And then, he watches Ren's frown, as Akechi finishes the game. 'You could stand to hold back a little,' "Oh do you truly think so? I thought this kind of play would be far more motivating." Akechi says with a smile, "Isn't it better this way, than constantly moving the goal posts?"
After all, he's letting Ren know just how good he truly is. He's not putting on an air of being fake. Ren figured out he was holding back even in their first game.
"There it is." He says at Ren's offer of another game. "That competitive streak of yours is showing~"
He say, before then his expression grows more serious, "If you ever do manage to win against me with my right hand, then I'll face you with everything I have. On that... you have my word."
And Ren gets the sense from the look Akechi is giving him, that he will not break his word on this matter.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren huffs a faint, sardonic laugh at Akechi's agreement. "No kidding." Adults are always complaining about Kids These Days and wishing they could be young again, but as he says, they never seem to remember what it was actually like to be young. "I'd say it has more than its moments," they add, though--maybe as a child he lacks agency, but how much agency do adults really have? There's always some bill that needs paying, some bigwig that needs appeasing. Then again, that's life in general, isn't it? Everyone is chained to everyone else. It's just a matter of how leaden those chains are...
"I do like that about them. It's interesting to see what kind of focus authors from different countries have," Ren remarks. Right now they're reading books on English folklore--translated into Japanese--but before that, they were reading books by a French author... It felt like there was a strong focus on passionate love in those.
"She does like being the 'senpai.' She declared herself my senpai at work even though we started working there the same day," Ren says dryly. "She likes sticking her nose in other people's business, I think. ...I don't think she means any harm, though." Indeed, if she weren't so nosy, she wouldn't have agreed to help tutor them--she might not have offered to trade information with The Phantoms on the Old Maid. For that, they are grateful.
Geometry does feel more up Akechi's alley, for exactly the reasons he states. Ren didn't think of that, granted--they were thinking more about billiards--but when he puts it like that, it makes perfect sense.
But then the first game is over, and Ren is vexed. Akechi smiles back though and makes his point, and Ren does grudgingly admit it is better this way. Still frowning, they nod once. "Hmph," they grumble when he lilts about their competitive streak.
But then Akechi gets serious and makes a certain offer. Ren pauses to meet his eyes--to stare him down. Then, irritating seeping away to leave just the intensity, just once, they nod.
...They really do just want Akechi to take them seriously, huh. That's... an interesting thing to realize about themself.
Certainly it'll help them when they lose the next three matches in a row. But they'll at least make sure not to lose without sinking any balls!
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Well, well... I might even agree with you." He says, as if Ren were proving his thesis statement to Akechi even as he speaks. Akechi's never really had enjoyable hangouts with any of his peers...
... not until recently.
"Yes, quite so... and it broadens perspective. When the adults of this country claim that Japanese culture is the greatest in the world, is that truly so?"
Naturally, Akechi doesn't think so, not that every other culture doesn't have it's problems. But he knows how this culture has hurt him. And he knows some of the ways it's hurt Ren.
He's toyed with the idea of leaving the country before, just packing up and - leaving Shido behind. But it's always an intrusive thought, never taken seriously.
He has to make this worth it.
Akechi chuckles in regards to Umie, "No, I'd say you're correct in that regard. And well, I do enjoy keeping her company from time to time." Not so much as Ren, but... well, there is a connection all the same, just a different kind.
What will he do when he finds out she's not long for this world?
His smile dims in that moment, like a splash of cold water in the face of reality. She's entertaining, but a connection to a Mayfly is always a bad idea.
Three more games happen, but Akechi at least does remark that he's improving! Is it good to hear that your progress is noticed? It might at least be a little balm against the sting of crushing defeat.
-=-=-
"Shall we mix it up a little..." Akechi says as he racks his cue, "... with a round of darts?" He asks, "I'm not certain if you've ever played before, but it's more cooperative than competitive. Still - I imagine we'll be competing all the same, even when we're on the same team."
Akechi says, all smiles at the prospect. After all, it's like the shows he enjoys. Even when you're on the same team, another member can still be a rival.
It's a different kind of rivalry, but an interesting one.
After he pays the fee, the two stand in front of the targets, decorated with eclectic decor across the wall, including... a strange anthromorphic sheep.
"Let's start with a game of 701," Akechi declares, which is... by far the hardest difficulty, requiring both players to be incredibly advanced in order to reach that score.
Still, he's the type to go for it.
"Keeping up the trend from Billiards... perhaps you should go first."
No pressure Ren. Though also no Break Ace to start things off and flex on you this time?
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"You only might, huh?" Ren says dryly--but with a half-smile Akechi's way. ...This is part of why answering his texts and accepting his invites is worth it. Sometimes he's excruciating to be around... and sometimes he's fun. It's like a roll of the dice, what kind of interaction they'll have even minute by minute. It's weirdly exciting? At the very least, it's always novel and never boring.
(But since it's not always in a good way, Ren has not told Akechi they made a girlfriend recently and their summer plans involve seeing a lot of her. Akechi doesn't need to know their private business anyway.)
They snort in open derision at the idea of Japanese culture being #1. Are there parts of the homeland that are good, or even great? Sure. Do other countries have their own problems? Of course. Is Japan the greatest in the world? Please. "I think the people who think that," they reply, "have probably never actually experienced any other culture meaningfully."
They haven't discussed out loud the ways this country's mores have hurt each of them, but... they both know. Collective harmony is great for the collective--awful for the individual.
"She's a fun person. I enjoy chatting with her when I've got a shift at the Triple Seven," they reply, warming a little more on the topic of Umie... until Akechi's smile suddenly fades. Ren gives them a concerned look... but he says nothing, so neither do they.
Ren has a lot of games to lose imminently, anyway.
~ * ~
"Darts?" Ren echoes, looking up from where they were bent over the table (no, not like that) in the agony of defeat (still not like that). They have, but not in a while--just enough to know the rules--but that's fine; darts is very cool, and they've got a steady hand, and switching from competitive to cooperative sounds nice right about now. There's only so many games they can lose in a row before it gets outright demoralizing.
They do make a wry sort of chuffing laugh when Akechi adds that they'll still be competing. "That's just like you. Sure, let's do it."
They follow his cue, literally and figuratively, and head over with him to the far wall where the darts machines are. Ren looks them over with interest; as sexy as the pool tables are, the flashing lights of the machines appeal to some primal instinct in them. They shoot Akechi an incredulous Look when he suggests a game of 701--just how advanced a player does he think they are?!--but after all those games of pool, it's hard to reject. They wanted him to take them seriously. How better to do that in a cooperative game than by suggesting the hardest level?
God dammit. Akechi, why are you so difficult to be around.
"It's been a long time since I played last. Not since middle school," they warn. Even so, they take up their darts, passing off the second two to their off-hand, then tossing the remaining one in casual, deft flips that they don't even look at. This they're good at. The game, though... how did you play again... The last and only time they played was at a birthday party for a friend; he'd invited the entire class to go to an arcade in Okina City to play, and one of the games was electronic darts... An actual dart has a different feel to it. More of a heft.
Ren kind of likes it that way. E-darts might've been safer, but an actual point has a thrill to it. There's a danger there if you're not careful enough--or if you're not skilled enough. They catch the dart they've been casually tossing up and down and hold it up properly (more or less). As they recall, 701 is a type of darts game where you hit the target for its various number values and bring the points down to precisely zero in a limited number of throws... Though they've never played higher than 301. Even working with Akechi, can they make it happen?
... First things first: they've got to make their throws. It's been a while since they've played and they don't immediately remember how the points rack up, but anyone and everyone understands the value of a bulls-eye. They go for that first.
They're pretty close, too. Just a little bit off-center, right into the 1.
"............"
The glare from the lights hides their eyes from view, but it's easy to see from their thin-lipped grimace that they are not pleased with this throw.
The next two throws are much better, at least, but it'll be hard to recover from that initial botch.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Isn't it more exciting that way?" And it's like Akechi hits upon Ren's thoughts on the matter on accident, or perhaps he simply engineered his own from a similar direction, "To spend your time with someone who only 'might' agree with you."
If your friends truly do only validate what you say and nothing else, do those friendships truly offer anything interesting to your life?
Indeed... for all Akechi keeps tabs on Ren, he has no idea that Ren has a girlfriend. After all, you can't watch a person 24/7.
"And I'd say you're likely correct on that." Akechi says, with a tease, as if to add to his prior statement of 'might' regarding other countries. "In truth, I'd call it more than just that... a fear of change. Of finding out their comfortable status quo is not nearly all that it's cracked up to be."
Those who want to go back to the Empire... are usually so old that they'd not be the ones fighting in the trenches. They'd be the old men having others die for them.
He's perhaps thinking of Tatsuzou as he speaks upon the matter.
"She is." He agrees, affably, forcing the smile back onto his face... before he gets back to the game, and away from such grim thoughts.
-=-=-
Well, if it were like that, Akechi wouldn't be on the opposite end of the table, now would he?
"Isn't it?" He agrees. Without turning it back on Ren even! It takes a competitive person to know a competitive person, of that sort.
"Not since Middle School..." Akechi says, as if in consideration of Ren, like he's weighing that and then, "... Well, now's a fine time to clear the rust off your skills."
Akechi's played both kinds. Real darts, and E-Darts. After all, as a Detective, sometimes he has to enter Bars... though not to drink alcohol.
He watches Ren practice the weight, and then '1'. "A bold move, assuming that was intentional." Akechi seems to understand implicitly that it wasn't, but he doesn't call Ren on it as he watches with a hand on his chin. "That will make this quite the challenge, mathematically."
Naturally... Akechi doesn't switch rounds with a high five. He's seen the Phantoms do it, but he's not a Phantom Thief, now is he?
Akechi would ordinarily go for the Bull as it's the most 'impressive' area to onlookers, but given that the challenge is now there...
... one dart lands on the 20's Triple. Then a second one. Then a third.
It's literally the highest score that can be achieved in a single round.
"Oh did I forget to mention that I'm quite skilled at this game as well?"
A beat.
"It must have slipped my mind."
Another infuriating moment of many that are sure to come in Ren's time spent with Goro Akechi.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"It depends. Are they negging me while they're at it?" Ren replies, tone mild even as they stare straight into Akechi's eyes. For all that they're calling him out, though, they smile when he teases them back. Akechi has actually not negged him much if at all in a while now. ...It helps that, even when he's absolutely dominating them in billiards, he still encourages them by saying he'll give them everything he's got--if they can just beat him using his right hand. It felt like a promise instead of a taunt.
...hah, or maybe that's wishful thinking.
A fear of change, though, or being too comfortable with the status quo, huh... "Yeah, I can see that." Akechi might be thinking of Tatsuzou--but Ren thinks, momentarily, of his own father, chasing after a fifth term in office and terrified his "delinquent son" has jeopardized his spot in the mayoral elections. Is it just a coincidence that they're both thinking of politicians with children?
In fairness to their detective stalker, Ren getting a girlfriend is a recent development, and the only person he's talked to about it is Morgana. Without actually seeing Ren's text history with Minako or being physically present for when she asked them out (there was a heavy thunderstorm that day) or when they went to accept and they both went on a date (immediately after exams ended and school let out), of course Akechi couldn't know.
It'll be a fun* surprise for everyone when he inevitably finds out, because Ren might not have advertised their interest in her or the fact that they're going out now, but they don't intend on hiding it, either.
For now, Ren sees that forced smile... but only makes a note of it, for now.
~ * ~
There is no high five to mark the change in rounds. Akechi doesn't offer one, and neither does Ren. Is there a meaning behind that? ...Probably. But Ren is more interested in watching Akechi throw--a tripled 20--another--and another--
At Akechi's 'oh-did-I-forget-to-mention' remark, Ren snorts in amiable disgust as they roll their eyes and fail to fight back a smile. Infuriating and then some--but, once again, weirdly kind of endearing. Akechi spends so much time cultivating a certain image--an image he largely doesn't bother with when he's with Ren. He's just... himself. No matter how big an asshole he is. And, once again, Ren is kind of flattered that they're privileged to be trusted in this way.
"Goro Akechi? Choose a game he's not certain he'll win at? Sounds out of character to me," they thus shoot back. "You're seriously incredibly annoying. The most annoying guy I know."
...all of which they say with an affectionate tone of voice, because messing with the other is a two-way street. They even feel better about that badly botched first throw. A 'bold move'--sure, let's call it that. Losing all those games of billiards was frustrating and humiliating, but--yes--also motivating. A reason to strive to get better and beat him. If, now that they're more or less on the same side, Ren can at least make a game Akechi's effortlessly good at more of a challenge, then isn't that a way of equalizing the playing field?
"Let's see how you do when you don't get to perfectly control the board, then," they add, pivoting the nature of this game into a challenge.
Not that Ren isn't going to continue to try to throw better, each time they have their turn. They may not be able to get triple bull or three triple-20s in a row--a steady hand is not the same as accurate aim, though it certainly helps (and now Ren has yet another topic to read up on)--but there's a certain fun in racking up an erratic score and seeing how Akechi compensates for it.
Maybe that's part of the fun for him, too. Or maybe, Ren thinks as they peek at him in their peripheral vision, that's also wishful thinking.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi merely smirks at the retort, he can't exactly deny that he does that, that he's done that. If merely to exert his sense of superiority. However, Ren's also correct that he hasn't done it in a while.
Ren isn't an equal yet - but he's the closest thing to an equal he's ever had in his life. And thus, he feels less inclined to tear down his confidence.
No... no he wants him to built himself up to be as confident and competent as possible... more than that even.
He'll only be satisfied if he bests him then.
In a sense, Akechi thinks of Shido as well, to be clear. His form of change is simply manipulating the public in order to entrench himself more firmly.
It's an old game, simply played in a new way, with Akechi facilitating it by removing obstacles for him in a way that simply can't be traced to him.
It's just, well. Rotting old fossils like Tatsuzou and a chamber of old men that make certain change never comes to the poor and disenfranchised when he was one of them himself- and the public that turns a blind eye to the harm of 'traditional' policies on people they've never met certainly stick out as more front and center examples in his mind.
"I thought you might." He says thoughtfully, as if considering how Ren himself might have been hurt by the status quo. "They say age brings wisdom, but more often than not, it's worn like a pair of blinders."
Ren and him both perhaps can see the rot, the need for change. "They become convinced there's only one path forward... the one you've been steered towards."
In an age of information overload, a job that you must devote your life towards, a family... who has time to look for ways to see more clearly?
The Will of Rebellion burns bright in both of them, albeit, in far different ways...
-=-=-
Ren's disgusted remark and roll of his eyes almost feels validating, as Akechi chuckles back at it, like he's proud of eliciting it, "Why, that sounds like you're implying there's a game I wouldn't win at."
He rejoins at Ren, ribbing him back. Needling him right in that competitive space.
(Bold words Akechi, to think this won't motivate Ren to find one.)
But then Ren offers him a challenge and Akechi smiles back broadly, "Are you implying that I've ceded it by joining your team? Does that mean this was all a ploy to entrap me so that you might seize control from me?"
Seize. A little nudge at 'stealing' towards the Phantom Thief's leader, though he's not doing it certainly to imply he's 'working'.
Though it's also purposefully ridiculous for him to imply Ren manipulated him into choosing darts for that reason. What did Ren do, leave dart emojis all over his text messages as a subliminal message?
Leave a book about playing darts on the counter at the Leblanc?
"Well, I have no issue with rising to the challenge."
And Akechi does in fact, do exactly what he says. Which means that on the second round, he's playing catch up on the score, trying to close the gap towards 701. But first, he does a quick assessment of the score.
How Ren's thrown, how difficult it would be if he threw three triple twenties for Ren to close the gap.
It's an interesting change of pace for him, to consider how to work as a team here. Something he's not exactly used to. He practices alone, mostly, so before, it'd be evaluating what he himself could throw.
Eventually, he goes for Triple Bulls, deciding Triple 20's would force Ren to make some pretty reckless throws in order to manage it, even if the score is thirty less.
"You're up. Let's see if you can maintain those nerves of steel..."
Indeed, Akechi's made it so it's not impossible for Ren to hit 701. But it is still going to be quite difficult.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi merely smirks at the retort, he can't exactly deny that he does that, that he's done that. If merely to exert his sense of superiority. However, Ren's also correct that he hasn't done it in a while.
Ren isn't an equal yet - but he's the closest thing to an equal he's ever had in his life. And thus, he feels less inclined to tear down his confidence.
No... no he wants him to built himself up to be as confident and competent as possible... more than that even.
He'll only be satisfied if he bests him then.
In a sense, Akechi thinks of Shido as well, to be clear. His form of change is simply manipulating the public in order to entrench himself more firmly.
It's an old game, simply played in a new way, with Akechi facilitating it by removing obstacles for him in a way that simply can't be traced to him.
It's just, well. Rotting old fossils like Tatsuzou and a chamber of old men that make certain change never comes to the poor and disenfranchised when he was one of them himself- and the public that turns a blind eye to the harm of 'traditional' policies on people they've never met certainly stick out as more front and center examples in his mind.
"I thought you might." He says thoughtfully, as if considering how Ren himself might have been hurt by the status quo. "They say age brings wisdom, but more often than not, it's worn like a pair of blinders."
Ren and him both perhaps can see the rot, the need for change. "They become convinced there's only one path forward... the one you've been steered towards."
In an age of information overload, a job that you must devote your life towards, a family... who has time to look for ways to see more clearly?
The Will of Rebellion burns bright in both of them, albeit, in far different ways...
-=-=-
Ren's disgusted remark and roll of his eyes almost feels validating, as Akechi chuckles back at it, like he's proud of eliciting it, "Why, that sounds like you're implying there's a game I wouldn't win at."
He rejoins at Ren, ribbing him back. Needling him right in that competitive space.
(Bold words Akechi, to think this won't motivate Ren to find one.)
But then Ren offers him a challenge and Akechi smiles back broadly, "Are you implying that I've ceded it by joining your team? Does that mean this was all a ploy to entrap me so that you might seize control from me?"
Seize. A little nudge at 'stealing' towards the Phantom Thief's leader, though he's not doing it certainly to imply he's 'working'.
Though it's also purposefully ridiculous for him to imply Ren manipulated him into choosing darts for that reason. What did Ren do, leave dart emojis all over his text messages as a subliminal message?
Leave a book about playing darts on the counter at the Leblanc?
"Well, I have no issue with rising to the challenge."
And Akechi does in fact, do exactly what he says. Which means that on the second round, he's playing catch up on the score, trying to close the gap towards 701. But first, he does a quick assessment of the score.
How Ren's thrown, how difficult it would be if he threw three triple twenties for Ren to close the gap.
It's an interesting change of pace for him, to consider how to work as a team here. Something he's not exactly used to. He practices alone, mostly, so before, it'd be evaluating what he himself could throw.
Eventually, he goes for Triple Bulls, deciding Triple 20's would force Ren to make some pretty reckless throws in order to manage it, even if the score is thirty less.
"You're up. Let's see if you can maintain those nerves of steel..."
Indeed, Akechi's made it so it's not impossible for Ren to hit 701. But it is still going to be quite difficult.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It's a bold gamble on Akechi's part, really, building Ren up in that way. After all, if Ren reaches their peak in confidence and competence--couldn't that be a peak even higher than the one Akechi's at now?
But that's in the future. Right now, they're each of them fighting for the future they respectively believe in--no matter how many rotten old men want to make sure it never comes to pass.
And no matter how mutually incompatible they are...
~ * ~
Something else that's fully in Akechi's character: being pleased that he's irritated someone. Two can play at that game, though, for Ren looks him dead in the eyes for a second, then smirks. "Karaoke contest?"
Maybe Akechi will be flattered that Ren remembers that he wouldn't sing! That was a while ago now!
Calling this a plot is pretty ridiculous, though, even as a joke. Darts is the only other game here at Penguin Sniper. Unless they were going to change locations, it's kind of the natural switch. If Akechi's too lazy to find a new gaming venue, that's on him! ...But, even understanding it is a joke, Ren gives him a purposefully bland look. They do see that tiptoe away from 'stealing.'
"That's right," they reply, simultaneously bold and bland. "I'm an evil genius mastermind who's been manipulating you into following my master plan this whole time." Making you fall madly in love with me was but one stage of my artifice, they think, and even smirk slightly at the thought--but that would be cruel to actually say. Instead, they continue, "Soon, I'll have you fall to your knees and admit I was right about everything all along."
...
They shoot him a full, proper smirk. "Just kidding," they conclude in a fair imitation of Akechi himself.
Turnabout continues to be fair play, though, and Akechi purposefully throws well, but less well than he could--partly to show off, Ren has no doubt, but partly to force Ren to step up if they want to win--for both of them to win. To put their own all into it, and not just mess with him. Ren glances sidelong at him again as they take their darts in hand. Akechi's always got a counter-move, huh...
Fine. Ren's willing to make that gamble. If they weren't, they wouldn't have started hanging out with Akechi like this in the first place.
The 20s strip is the way to go. If they aim high or low, they'll still get a lot of points as long as they can keep it towards the center. They take care in their aim... throw, and--hit the triple 20! Again, and--it's a close thing, but they hit that narrow band again. Their heartrate surge. Victory isn't impossible here. But...
Before they take their last throw, they glance at Akechi again. "...So, I've been wondering for a while," they murmur. "You said you had a showdown with the Phantom Thieves recently, though you weren't able to catch them.
"If you ever do catch them--what comes next?"
It's an open-ended question, but that's probably the only way to get an honest-ish answer out of Akechi.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi is flattered... but Ren might notice something else. Is that... elation? Something in Akechi's suddenly confident smirk tells Ren it won't be so easy as karaoke. "And here I thought you were going to suggest something that might be a passing challenge."
-=-=-
On a certain day last week, Sae Niijima is checking her watch, as she sips from an espresso at a cafe in Kichijoji, "Usually he's back fifteen minutes early from his breaks... I wonder what's keeping him?"
Meanwhile, several blocks away, and out of sight from Sae Niijima.
"I've been a fool, and you've been childish. You fell down, got hurt chasing sweeter dreams. Never could hide the truth in your eyes..."
The music thrums, as the karaoke booth suddenly lights up. "... That's how I knew that smile was a lie. I love you is something you neverrrr say!"
-=-=-
He's not about to speak about the number of hours he put in learning pop songs just in case it actually came up again.
What a ridiculous person.
And yet, Ren tells him he's an evil genius mastermind, and Akechi's eyebrows shoot up for a moment, looking at him strangely for a moment, before it becomes clear the punchline, smiling broadly and chuckling as he says just kidding, "Ahaha... you almost had me there. For a moment I thought you were confessing to the face of an accomplished detective, quite confident about your planned escape."
A beat.
His expression changes to one of faux seriousness. "Well just to be sporting, I would've give you a ten second head start, if you were." That pause is extra long this time, "... Just kidding. Though I would like to see exactly how an 'evil mastermind' would plan to get me on my knees."
Again, he's smirking in confidence, watching Ren as he makes one throw. Nodding in approval. "Nice throw." He compliments on the Triple Twenties.
And then Ren asks... a question.
Akechi takes a moment to frame the question. "Well... it's actually difficult to say."
He says, as if ruminating over it, the answer an uncertain thing, "Let us say that I captured them - or even one of them on my own. What I would do I think, is interrogate them about their methods... while taking precautions to ensure my own heart could not be changed."
Akechi seems to be weighing something more, before stating to Ren, "There are theories I have that I can't speak about on television, or even to the police... but what if I told you I believe the epidemic of psychotic breakdowns was in fact... not a mental health crisis, so much as the actions of a distinct culprit?"
His soft brown eyes catch Ren's in that moment, "Whether it has anything to do with the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, I'm not certain. But let us suppose for a moment that my theory has merit. Then... would not a Psychotic Breakdown sound similar to a 'Change of Heart' in that it is forced upon an individual?"
His tone shifts to one of, speculation, perhaps, "Perhaps in their methods, lies the key to understanding how a Psychotic Breakdown might be performed... and thus, put a stop to it..." He says, as he seems to drift off, lost in thought.
...
...
...
Before he snaps to attention, "But it is just a theory. As I said, once I discover their methods, I would be better equipped to weigh whether their Justice is compatible with my own. And I suppose then, I would decide how to proceed based on that judgment."
His Persona is 'Robin Hood' after all. So even though Akechi's image makes it seem as if he'd side with the law every single time... it sounds like the real him, would not necessarily turn the Phantoms over.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Uh oh. He looks way too happy to have a karaoke contest get suggested to him. Ren's smirk fades into a frown. Last time, Akechi said that was the first time he'd been to a karaoke booth where he wasn't worried he was about to get cornered, implied that he thought karaoke was embarrassing and that getting recorded singing certain songs would be 'scandalous,' and did not actually sing. Now he seems excited, even eager, by the prospect. There is a certain conclusion one can draw from these facts.
"Don't tell me you've been practicing karaoke just in case I suggested it again?"
Ren's expression turns to something between exasperated and amused. They refrain from making a joke about Akechi wanting to get him in a locked soundproof room though. Honestly, they really should try harder to not think of jokes like that in the first place...
"Guess I'll have to think of something else, then..."
...they'll just have to frustrate Akechi by giving up on karaoke instead. (Unless that was his evil master plan all along?! ...Nah. Even if it is, Ren can afford to think of something else.)
"Hmm... Well, since we're both kidding, I wouldn't try to escape in just ten seconds," Ren muses. "I'd do some sleight of hand to distract you, and once you were looking where I wanted you to, I'd tie you to a table and walk off at my leisure when you fell over. And that's how I'd get you on your knees." They grin. "That'd be really embarrassing for you, huh?" They look back at the target. "...Nah. For you... I'd have to think up something way better than a comic pratfall. You'd probably have yourself freed and out the door after me in ten seconds exactly if I underestimated you like that."
They probably wouldn't be doing that kind of tit-for-tat in the real world, anyway.
"Thanks," they reply, pleased with themself--though they aren't in a rush to follow up with their last throw. That one's going to be tricky. Fifty-seven points left... To make that, there's only one spot Ren can hit, and that's the triple 19. Anything more or less, and it's a bust.
So they wait and listen to Akechi as they consider their throw. Everything he says sounds pretty reasonable. If Ren were in his shoes, they might do something similar--but then Akechi proposes that maybe psychotic breakdowns, like changes of heart, are something someone is actively inducing in someone else.
Ren turns to openly stare at him. Akechi catches their eye back. They nod slightly. "It would," they reply. They turn back to the darts board. "Hell--if you're right, maybe whoever's doing that is an enemy to the Phantom Thieves too."
But it is just a theory, as Akechi remarks when he returns to Earth. Ren raises their dart again, aiming carefully for the triple 19. "You seem surprisingly open-minded about it, though. I admit, I'm glad."
They've been reading up on English folklore too, and therefore on Robin Hood. If that really is a reflection of Akechi's soul... maybe they can continue to cooperate like this after all.
"If you do talk to them, you'll have to tell me all about it," they conclude, just before they throw for the final time.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Indeed, Ren's question cuts to the core of it. It would have been scandalous before. But Akechi chuckles, "Oh nothing like that. It's just that I've been expected to attend more after work drinking parties at the Prosecutor's office as of late, even as a minor. I assure you, I only drink mocktails when I'm forced to be present, but... karaoke isn't uncommon."
It's definitely not entirely bullshit in what he's saying, but it's also a lie in the premise... since he does practice on his own time. In a way it'd almost be cute, how much he's lying not to tell Ren he practices just as hard at picking up skills, as Ren does to pick up his own.
"I suppose we'll see if you come up with something suitable." He says with a playful lilt to his tone, as if daring Ren to do just that.
However then Ren theorizes what his plan might be, and Akechi cants his head, as if in fascination, "Do you really think that'd suffice?"
Before, Ren concludes that's not what he'd do, "Aha, so then that first statement was merely to suggest you'd enjoy tying me up, even if you thought it'd be ineffective." He says, as if playing along.
It is flirtatious, but it's the kind that could just be a tease, not something that's actually going anywhere.
Akechi's eyes are already on the Triple 19, as if calculating how he himself might make the throw. It's not something one can teach easily per se though, he thinks he'd trip Ren more up trying.
There's a lot of muscle memory involved that can't be gleaned in one session.
"I can't discount that possibility." He says replies on them being an enemy to the Phantom Thieves. "Though I won't close the door on the possibility that it might be the Phantom Thieves, or one of them... yet. There are many unanswered questions not only about their methods... but the identities of some of their number. One in particular concerns me..."
He drifts off like he's weighing some possibility... "... No, I shouldn't jump to conclusions."
He figures that Ren is fiercely protective of his friends, so he's not pressing like it's a strong possibility. And the timing of Psychotic Breakdowns beginning and the formation of the Phantom Thieves only lines up if that individual were...
... well, he'll let Ren figure out where that's going. It's not exactly difficult to logic it out who Akechi has honed in on if he knows Ren and his friends are the Phantom Thieves.
"... Events as of late, have caused me to reconsider. I'm certainly not convinced, but I'll allow that the truth of their methods might change my mind."
He wasn't there for Kaneshiro that Ren knows, but quite a few people witnessed that Change of Heart. He's leading that in the direction that he might have heard about it 'Second Hand' something which has caused him to rethink the matter.
"Aha..." Akechi says with a smile, "... Well, I suppose we'll see. I hardly think they'd be willing to treat with me, much less willingly reveal their methods diplomatically. But that's fine by me as well. It just makes this case more of a challenge..."
Then his eyes flick to the board. "... But first we have to finish our game. Do you think you can hit the target score?" Akechi asks him, more seriously. "It all rides on this single throw, after all."
It is pressure he's exerting on a teammate... but Akechi is interested in whether Ren can for several reasons. Knowing how quickly he can pick up a skill again, knowing how well he works under pressure of this sort...
... all useful things to know. Ordinarily he'd mislike his victory being decided by someone else's effort, but... today, it's different.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"So, by complete coincidence, within the couple months since we went to a karaoke place, you've been hit with an increased expectation to go do karaoke, as part of your association with the super-serious Prosecutor's Office?" Ren says, eyebrows raised. Nope. They don't believe that one for a second. He may as well try claiming he's doing poorly at the intra-city fishing hole because he's too used to ocean fishing from a yacht.
"Maybe I'll invite you out to karaoke sometime anyway then. I'd love to see how you've turned your potentially scandalous singing around," they add, just to be a butt. (Funnily enough, the circumstances in which they'd last done karaoke and in which they'd last played darts are very similar--not the same celebration, but still a celebration in middle school with friends at Okina City.) They smile at his lilting, but leave it at that--for now. They'll have to think about what Akechi might actually struggle with... What it would be fun to see him struggle with.
It could be flirtatious, but it could be just a tease. Either way, they both know it's not going anywhere. Just to make sure they both know, Ren replies blandly, "Sure. Not that that's what I was going for, but it'd be funny to see you all tied up and gagged. How would you get the last word in then?"
...Just to make fun of his habits a little bit.
Ren could deduce that Akechi's trying to implicate someone in the Phantom Thieves. However, they have faith in their friends. There's space to be suspicious of Morgana, as a (supposedly) amnesiatic not-a-cat who is familiar with Mementos and has lost his form and memories in a Palace somewhere--but Ren just can't believe it would be him. He'd believe the one in the black mask is the culprit behind the psychotic breakdowns before he'd believe it was Morgana. If Akechi really wants to convince them it's a possibility, he'll have to push way harder than he is right now.
"Yeah, you shouldn't," Ren thus says. But then Akechi mentions 'events of late'...
...honestly, they assume he means that time he was almost murdered in Kobayakawa's Palace and Joker and the others saved his life and let him escape with them. It would surprise them to learn he's trying to reference Kaneshiro's Palace, actually. But that's what happens when you imply rather than state outright; others don't always think in the same way you do.
"True," they say instead, both of The Phantoms and of their game. They focus in on the board. Can they hit the target?
Ren hates games where they can't possibly win--but they love games where it's all riding on if they can pull off one last, brilliant move.
The thrill of it is everything.
Ren lets the dart fly--it arches and sinks partway through--and, within a hair's breadth of the line--
It strikes the triple 19, bringing in victory at the 11th hour.
Ren lets out the breath they hadn't even realized they were holding, grinning broadly as their heart pounds. Raking their hand through their curly hair, they toss their head back--then reel it in by tuck their hands in their pockets, reasserting their usual slouch, and looking at their companion. "You tell me." And, because they want to know: "Did you have fun?"
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"It is quite bothersome. After all, having to socialize with a bunch of drunken coworkers as a minor is not exactly my idea of a 'good time'." Akechi says solemnly, knowing Ren doesn't believe him for a second, but doubling down anyway. "But it does have it's benefits."
Like beating you, he seems to imply. He then chuckles, "It certainly seems worth consideration for when we have some time off on vacation to wile away the hours, listening to each other 'sing scandalously'."
He then laughs again, more like a small cackle of amusement, "It'll be like having a suicide pact between us - each of us knowing just how 'cringe' the other can be."
Which Akechi suspects he's less cringe than Ren... unaware that using the term 'cringe' as youth slang makes him the more cringe by a good margin.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" He says, slyly on how he'd get the last word in. "You'll have to find out for yourself, on that one."
He's at least not pressing any further, even if he is playing around a little when the opportunity arises. Ren did walk into that one some!
But does the cat not have a Black Mask Ren think about that!? What if the one in the Black Mask and Morgana are connected? Either way this is the meta and Ren can't exactly listen into Akechi's theoretical bullshit.
Instead, let's turn to the game, where Ren lets the dart fly, and actually hits Triple 19. "Ha! You actually did it! I must say I'm quite impressed!"
It doesn't even sound back-handed. He does sound genuinely impressed, and elated that Ren managed to do that, after shaking off years of rust.
But then with a toss of his hair, and a tuck of his hands in his pockets, Ren asks Akechi the important question. 'Did he have fun?' And Akechi seems a little surprised by it.
Especially when he weighs the question, and decides... "I believe I did." He even sounds somewhat surprised, like he's not used to having 'fun' in this sense.
"What about yourself? Was this fun for you?" What surprises him most of all perhaps, is not that he had fun, but that he's genuinely interested in the answer.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"I have to say, I wanna hear what you think is a scandalous song. I bet I could sing something way more scandalous than you," Ren taunts, already thinking of sexy songs by pop star May'z for the hit anime McCross Horizon. "Not to mention, I've got an advantage over you--I don't care what other people think of me."
That's not fully true. Ren does care to some extent. However, they're okay with letting other people think incorrect things, because what others think of them doesn't actually affect who they are. It's rare for Ren to find someone whose opinion of them actually matters to them.
Someone like...
"But sure," they continue, smiling. For all that they think Akechi is bullshitting about the Prosecutor's office karaoke parties, they can still tease back. Case in point: "We can call it that, if it makes you feel better."
It's true that Morgana has a black mask! But so does Haru. So might any number of others with the Will of Rebellion. Honestly, the one in the black mask probably needs a better sobriquet. But this is indeed a meta conversation, and so Ren is unable to weigh in on the matter, so let's move on.
Ren's smile widens when Akechi expresses his praise--sincerely, even, like he's genuinely impressed. It feels good. Whatever the two of them are to each other, this feels much better than before. So--did they have fun too, then?
"...Yeah," they decide. "I had fun, Akechi."
They tilt their head towards the counter where food and drinks are prepared. "How about we fuel up before we get back at it? I'm thirsty." And if they do leave at this point to enjoy themselves somewhere else... It's Sunday, after all. They've got all day to enjoy each other's company.