2025-11-25: A Promise Between Orphans
- Log: 2025-11-25 A Promise Between Orphans
- Cast: Ken Amada, Goro Akechi
- Where: Iwatodai Dorm, Tatsumi Port Island
- OOC Date: November 25, 2025
- IC Date: August 16, 2012
- Summary: Akechi comes calling on the Iwatodai Dorm while no one but Ken Amada is in. This is on purpose, and Akechi shares a lot of sensitive information with Ken that would never fly with SEES around. In return, Ken gives him his near-immediate trust. How could he not, when faced with such a righteous hero?
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
The SEES dorm has been awfully quiet since everyone left for their club trip to Yakushima. Ken isn't lonely, of course. He's a big boy--practically an adult--and he can take care of himself. The silence is useful, actually! It's allowed him to make great headway on his summer homework. And now... now it's all done.
And there isn't really anything to do.
...There are probably kids at the park that he could go play with, but Ken doesn't really enjoy hanging out with children his own age. They're all so... immature. (It feels so awkward to be around them.) He did at least go out in the morning to Naganaki Shrine to pray and play with Koromaru, but since returning to the dorm, he has nothing to do but watch TV and read books. And attempt to teach himself how to make coffee, but he hasn't being doing so great with that.
Right now he's sitting on the couch, watching the news. (That's what responsible, mature adults do, after all. ...Plus it's not yet Sunday, so Phoenix Ranger Featherman isn't on.) A lot of it is troubling, but that's the sort of world they live in, isn't it?
At least there's cool, strong people out there to fight against the rising chaos. Real-life detectives, who calmly analyze crimes with a confident smile...! Maybe Ken's watching a piece featuring exactly one such person, even...
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Nothing to do at all. What is Summer Break at this age, if you eschew peers to share it with? What memories can you create that will last a lifetime without them?
Well it's not like Goro Akechi celebrity detective, and Second Coming of the Detective Prince would know!
That would be ridiculous, right?
Ken is likely to be surprised as he hears the door to the dormitory open- and shut, with that brief change to the lighting as the sun finds its way inside.
And then a celebrity strolls right in.
It's... Goro Akechi, in a nice long-sleeved white shirt, and a blue sweater vest checkered by diamonds!? And he's carrying a suitcase
"Oh beg pardon, I'm not intruding am I?" He says, as he puts on an affable- apologetic smile towards Ken, "I rather expected this lobby to be a little more lively today. I suppose they're not yet back from their trip..."
He lets out a small sigh of disappointment, "A shame really, I was hoping to have a chat with two old acquaintances of mine."
He does take a step towards Ken, offering his right hand to shake, if he so desires, "But where are my manners, I'm-"
Does he even need to finish that introduction? Though he might, if Ken doesn't in fact just say it out loud!
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
Ken is indeed startled to hear the door open, since he knows the others aren't (or at least shouldn't be) back yet from their trip. Who would be coming by the Iwatodai Dorm right now? ...Did they send someone to check up on him? He has mixed feelings about that--he's mature and grown-up and can take care of himself, but actually it does make him feel a little better to think he hasn't been forgotten, either.
Of course, then a celebrity walks through the door, and Ken is REALLY startled.
He jumps up to his feet reflexively, brown eyes as wide as saucers. For his part, his fluffy brown hair turns up at the ends like always, and he wears an orange-and-brown lined zip-up shirt over a short-sleeved black turtleneck with black shorts. Being inside and having already had his exercise for the day with no other particular plans to leave, he has dorm slippers on at the moment.
He's so starstruck that it doesn't occur to him that it's suspicious that Detective Prince Goro Akechi is acting as though he isn't perfectly aware of when everyone else is supposed to be back from Yakushima. This is only moreso when Akechi approaches, right hand out to shake.
"Akechi-san!" he blurts out, accepting his hand without thinking about it. He catches himself a second later--what was he thinking, just yelling out his name like some bratty fanboy? He's going to think he's a little kid! Smoothing out his face with a smile that nonetheless can't quite mask his eagerness, Ken amends, "I mean, you're Goro Akechi-san, of course. I've seen a lot of your TV interviews. You're very composed and well-spoken."
I want to be just like you, the shine in his eyes might add. Ken keeps himself under control as they shake hands. He withdraws his hand soon in a very normal way. Akechi would no doubt recognize how very normal it is.
"It's very nice to meet you. I'm Ken Amada, a student of Gekkoukan Elementary School. I don't normally live in this dorm, but circumstances have me staying here for the summer." He's very proud of the smooth, adult way he phrased that, and his heart pounds in the hope that the Detective Prince is impressed.
If not--no, either way--he endeavors to impress him further by making himself useful, like so: "Pardon me for asking, but did you say you have a couple of acquaintances here? If you like, I can take down a message to them for you."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi's smile broadens as he blurts it out like a fan boy. It's so nice to meet one's fans, isn't it?
"Aha..." He chuckles as he gives Ken back a firm handshake, treating him with the kind of respect one would expect for being such a mature young man.
A very normal, not condescending at all handshake, "... it seems my reputation precedes me. It's a pleasure to meet you, Amada-san."
He nods in acceptance of his greeting, "I see, well you seem to have things well at hand around here in everyone's absence." He says, complimentary of how mature he is.
How does he know that Ken desires this kind of treatment? Well he too was this age once, and he definitely felt quite similar.
He was smarter and more mature than everyone else in the room, so how dare they treat him like that because of a number.
The difference is, he's old enough now to have come to an understanding he still is a child. At Ken's offer, "Well certainly. If you don't mind? They would be Aragaki-kun and Sanada-kun. I was hoping to have a discussion- updating them on my progress in one of my current cases. You see... the three of us have aligned in our pursuit of a serial killer."
He just says it outright!? Well of course he does! After all, Ken Amada seems like a fine young man who can handle discussions of serial killers and the deaths these awful criminals wreak upon the populace.
"And then I was hoping we might discuss our next steps in bringing this despicable man to justice."
You got all that Ken? Or do you need more information? :) He seems rather happy enough to give it to a responsible, mature young fan like yourself.
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
Yes, Ken and Goro are very similar children, aren't they? Yet one is desperate to grow up, and the other knows what a tragedy growing up truly is. What a difference the years make...
Ken is pleased to hear Akechi say that, though he takes care not to be too obvious about it. (For a child. It's no doubt still glaringly obvious to Akechi, along with the fact that Ken's trying his best not to make it glaringly obvious.) "It's no trouble at all. I'm the only one here right now, so it's very easy," he informs him.
Part of him wants desperately to launch into more chatter; the majority of him refrains, because no adult ever enjoys the chatter of children. Ken is rewarded for his restraint when Akechi not only takes him up on his offer to take a message, but gives him some of the grueling details. His eyes widen again as his smile fades, but he nods once.
"Aragaki-san and Sanada-senpai, to discuss a serial killer the three of you are pursuing," he repeats dutifully. He waits a beat; then he can't help but add, "I had no idea they were helping you with something like that... But I'm not surprised. Sanada-senpai's a boxing legend, and Aragaki-san..." Ken hesitates. He doesn't know him well, but... "He also seems very tough." He offers Akechi another smile. "I'm sure together, the three of you will catch that criminal in no time."
He pauses to look around. He repeated it verbally well enough, but he'd better write it down to be absolutely certain he doesn't forget. This sounds extremely important and should be treated with the gravity it deserves. "Would you like something to drink, Akechi-san? I need to fetch a notebook to write that down, and I can put on some," tea? that's very normal for Japanese people, "coffee," oh! what a very mature little boy, to be able to make coffee! "for you while you wait, if you like."
...Of course, Ken isn't very good at making coffee yet, and he's perfectly aware of that. Still, high risk, high reward: if he can make it even passably, then he can further show Akechi how he's not like the other children. How he's worthy of respect.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
It's true, no adult does. However... Goro Akechi isn't quite yet an adult, now is he? Not that Ken would view it that way?
As he repeats the message, he smiles, "Thank you, I appreciate your assistance in the matter, Amada-san." He doesn't even switch to a more familiar or rather childish honorific right away, as most adults would.
There's nothing diminutive about Ken Amada, after all.
"Well, it's more that it's a matter that's personal to the three of us. You see... we grew up in the same orphanage together."
He explains to him, "And while I wouldn't say we're friends precisely, we have a shared history that's drawn us together once again."
Isn't that cool? It's just like some detective drama on TV! A shared history, drawing people together to stop a serial killer.
"Oh!" He exclaims as Ken offers him a drink- and coffee at that!? "Well I wouldn't want to impose too much upon your hospitality... but I actually have been in the mood for a cup. You're certain you don't mind?"
Has Ren been teaching this child to make coffee? He can't rule it out... after all his girlfriend lives here. "Well in that case, I'll have a seat, perhaps at the bar? It seems apt for a conversation like this."
'Between men' he might have said, on very serious matters, but instead he merely implies it. Walking towards the bar, he places his briefcase down upon it, and sits upon one of the seats there.
"So, Amada-san. If you don't mind me asking. If I said the words... 'the Potential'... would they mean anything to you?" He asks, in a serious tone, "There's no need to answer if you'd be breaking anyone's confidence... however, it would allow me to speak more frankly with you, going forward if you do."
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
Akechi is eighteen. To a ten-year-old, that is a wise and ancient figure indeed. After all, the time Akechi refers to--the time when he, Akihiko and Shinjiro were in an orphanage together as young children themselves--was before Ken was even born.
"Oh," Ken utters when Akechi mentions that part--and though his eyes widen again, because it is cool and dramatic and intense, there is a softer, sadder quality to the look he gives him then. Not pitying. More... understanding.
Maybe even a little envious. If there's a shared history there that's bringing them together to stop a serial killer... they must have a strong bond. (Ken pictures that they must have a strong bond, anyway. Something that's beyond friendship.) Ken doesn't have anything like that. He just...
...has nightmares. About something that never even happened.
The police said so over and over, so it must be true. Right?
Ken's thus better able to keep his enthusiasm dampened and give a more genuinely calm smile when Akechi accepts his offer. "I'm certain. It's only good manners to offer a drink to a guest. I'm only sorry I can't offer anything more, Akechi-san," he reassures him. A seat at the bar... Ken turns to follow Akechi's gaze to the bar just outside the kitchen. It's exactly the spot a cool young detective him would want to sit, and it privately embarrasses Ken that he'd been about to invite him to sit out here in the sitting area on the couch.
"Of course," he says aloud, hiding that. "Please make yourself at home."
He trots after Akechi, then walks past him around the corner into the kitchen. He's been in here a little bit--enough to know where the coffee and tea makers are--but he's aware he's... short. It might take him a moment to fetch everything... There's a second door that opens to the bar where Akechi has seated himself, but it's never open, and Ken is genuinely uncertain if there's a reason for that. He hesitates for a moment; then he decides that the rules of the house are more important. He leaves the door shut and gets to work on fetching the coffee maker, the coffee grinder, and the coffee beans.
Note: Ren has not taught Ken anything of how to make coffee. Ren doesn't know that Ken even exists, and vice versa. Like many things, Ken is self-taught. This is about to become very evident.
Some time later, Ken emerges carrying a tray of two steaming cups of black coffee. A small pouring jar of cream and the sugar bowl accompany them, for while Ken's instinct on hardboiled detectives is that they take their coffee black, he knows from Akechi's interviews that he has a sweet tooth and that sugar in fact helps his brain function. Genuinely uncertain once again which is the Correct Answer, he's decided to lay it out on the side and follow Akechi's lead on the matter.
"Here you are," he says, setting the tray down on the bar with some effort. A moment later, he circles around and takes the stool next to Akechi, again with some effort. But it's worth it, surely.
He looks up at the question Akechi poses him then. (This thankfully gives him something to ponder instead of fixing his own coffee. The coffee, by the way... is bad. Not unpalatable, but weak and a little gritty. Ken tried his best, but he ground the beans not nearly fine enough and didn't soak them for long enough to compensate, and then boiled them with the water like instant grounds rather than using a proper filter, then filtered the grounds out afterwards with a mesh strainer as he poured into the cups. At least the presentation is nice?) It's an odd question, and his expression is momentarily clouded... not because he doesn't know what Akechi means, but because he does, but Akechi makes it sound so much more serious than Ken had been taking it.
"Yes, Ikutsuki-san says they've been monitoring me because I have it," he replies. He's not quite sure who 'they' are, but still. "That's why I was allowed to stay in this dorm, because it's full of similarly talented people."
But as he says it, it occurs to Ken that something seems odd. Junpei, for example... he's a kind person and Ken likes him, but when one talks about 'talented people,' he's not exactly the example someone thinks of... so why is he in the same dorm house as the Mitsuru Kirijo?
He genuinely doesn't understand. He hasn't understood for a while, but he had assumed that it was something he would understand once he got older. The way Akechi's talking to him, though... it feels like something he should understand now.
"Um, but... maybe I'm jumping to conclusions, but the way you say it, it doesn't sound like you just mean the potential for a bright future, Akechi-san," Ken hazards, watching him. Maybe he's giving himself away by admitting he doesn't already fully know, but... he ought to be honest to a detective, right? Akechi's one of the good guys. He's a hero. He's obviously trustworthy. "Why would me having potential mean you can be more frank with me than before?"
Especially given how frank he's been already.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Then I'll happily accept." Akechi offers to Ken's certainty, "And that's certainly no trouble. A cup of coffee is more than gracious for a guest that showed up without warning."
Akechi seems to wait quite patiently, not even taking out his smart phone! Which would be quite a reasonable thing to do, as a busy detective.
And when Ken emerges, with cream and sugar and coffee in tow, he smiles, "Why thank you..." And as he places it down, he picks up the cup, without partaking of the sugar and creamer, "... I take my coffee black, myself. Though I appreciate the effort." Obviously the actions of a hardboiled detective, just as Ken predicted.
He then takes a sip. And it certainly is evidence enough that Ren had no hand in this basically right away. But the thing about coffee is... good coffee, bad coffee, it still does what he needs.
"Ah." He says as he puts it down, "I heard you using a grinder back there, didn't I?" He says as he faces him, "To be frank, this coffee is below average at best... that's not to say I don't appreciate that it takes time and effort to learn to make a good cup of coffee."
He says with a smile, though Ken likely will appreciate that he's not simply blowing smoke and pretending it's good when it's not, "A friend of mine is on a similar journey himself... and he's come a long way from where he started. If you'd appreciate some pointers, I don't mind texting him."
Akechi pauses, considering the fact that he used the word friend rather than acquaintance? Did he do that without thinking?
Hmmm.
But if Ken asks, he will text Ren asking for some tips that someone on the younger side could follow to improve at making coffee.
Ken Amada answers him though on his question about 'the Potential' and his eyes search his face, his expression more serious. Then... Ken makes a certain deduction.
"You're correct- I don't mean it in that sense. And someone sharp enough to realize that deserves a proper answer." He says, before taking another sip of coffee- below average or not, he's still drinking it, and not just to humor him. Bad coffee still has caffeine... and he needs some rather badly right now.
"... If you can keep a secret... seeing as your fellows might not appreciate me telling you- it's because the supernatural exists, Amada-san. A power known as 'Persona'... a select few have the Potential to use it outright, while others master it by circumstance... when thrust into extraordinarily dangerous situations against their will."
He chuckles, "It may sound like I'm pulling your leg, but I assure you I'm not... most individuals who live within this dorm are people who can use the power of Persona... which they use to fight monsters known as 'Shadows' which predate upon people."
Placing a single elbow up on the counter, as he faces him, he explains, "The serial killer we're chasing is known as the 'Joker Killer'. A supernatural killer from Sumaru City. The problem is not so much finding out who he is- we're already well aware, but the fact that he has the power to teleport away before we've been able to capture him, each time."
It's rather satisfying to just tell the Eleven Year Old, after trolling Umie trying to claw this out of him for weeks.
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
So he takes it black after all... Ken smiles in relief to hear it. "What a coincidence. So do I," he replies, "but I know from your commercial spots that you like sweets, so I didn't want to presume."
He takes a sip of the coffee himself. It's bland and weak... at least that makes it easier to pretend he likes it. He looks up when Akechi observes that he used a grinder--but what he says next takes Ken by surprise. Color rises in his cheeks as he stares at him in surprise... but Akechi isn't being mean about it--is even talking about a friend who's also learning how to make coffee--so Ken nods once. "You're right. I'm still learning... I've heard the best coffee is hand-ground, but I just don't have the arm strength to grind it fine enough yet," he admits. "If your friend doesn't mind, I'd truly appreciate it."
If Akechi pauses due to his choice in words, Ken doesn't notice. He's probably just letting him have time to formulate his own response. (Ren will text back some general advice--first of all, to scale back his ambition and rely on pre-ground beans from trusted bean roasters, so Ken can focus on making good-tasting coffee before his grinding technique, especially if he already knows he isn't strong enough to grind them right yet. He'll also note to take care of everything from the temperature of the water to the pour speed to the filters, but that he should take it one step at a time rather than overwhelming himself trying to get everything correct right away. A lot goes into a fine cuppa...)
Ken also notes that Akechi continues to drink the coffee, weak and subpar as it is. He thus continues to drink his own. He assumes it's a matter of not being wasteful, and indeed, drinking the whole cup burns his mistakes into his mind and his taste buds. He'll remember Akechi's friends tips much better this way.
Akechi speaks of keeping secrets. Ken nods without question. He knows there's a lot of things that adults consider 'inappropriate for children,' and it does make him feel good that he's being trusted to be able to handle it.
What Akechi actually says, though... It's--completely unexpected. Ken outright gawks at him, fully unable to tell how he should be reacting to this talk of the supernatural being real and Personas and such. Akechi even pre-empts the question that Ken wouldn't have asked anyway and assures him he's not joking, that this is all real. That it's related to the serial killer he's chasing with Akihiko and Shinjiro, and the problem isn't finding him, it's capturing him, because he has supernatural teleportation powers.
Needless to say, it's a lot. Ken continues to not really know what to think. Akechi doesn't seem like he's making fun of him, but... he looks away, uneasy.
"It... sounds like a nightmare," he murmurs, rubbing his arm. "I can't even imagine being caught up in something like that..."
He can imagine it, though.
Because it is a nightmare.
One he's had over and over for the past two years...
"Um... why are you telling me all this, Akechi-san?" he wonders, looking back up at him. "We only just met. You don't know if I can be trusted with this information or not... especially if you think the people who live at this dorm might be upset that I've found out."
The people at this dorm are kind, too. They do seem like the types who'd hide this kind of information from a young child in an attempt to protect him. But... if what he says is true, and Ken is here because he has the 'Potential' to use a Persona too... why would they hide it? Doesn't he have the right to know something that could affect his whole future--especially if they're all in the same boat? And this talk about Shadows and monsters that prey on people... For some reason, thinking about it too hard makes him feel sick to his stomach.
It's a lot. It's maybe too much. Ken is going to need time to digest this.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
Akechi smiles, and decides it's best not to disillusion Ken on his image of him by saying that's all scripted. "You're quite correct." He confirms that he says that in the commercials. "But for coffee at least, it feels as if it goes against the point of savoing it in the first place, don't you agree?"
Akechi sends back a quick text to Ren afterwards-
>Thank you.
>He'll certainly appreciate it.
"If you have another sheet of paper..." And then Akechi relays it all to Ken, so that he can jot it down, including the advice on 'one step at a time to master it' rather than 'all at once.'
It is interesting to see the emotions going over Ken's expression. Akechi wonders if it's because Ken trusts him that much - or if he'd already had evidence of such in the first place.
He had read that police report - the cop who took the interview writing down the child is in shock, making up delusional fantasies of a monster... a consultation to a child life specialist.
... And the date corresponds to a long, long string of absences on when Shinjiro stopped attending Gekkoukan High.
He has his suspicions, although, no true confirmation as of yet.
'It... sounds like a nightmare.'
Akechi nods, looking away, as if abstracted, "Well I won't say that it can't be quite disturbing, especially at first. My own... awakening into the supernatural was... most unpleasant."
But Ken asks a rather pointed question on having just met... and Akechi considers the matter seriously.
"It's because I was drawn into this world by happenstance, I suppose. And while I've taken to it in the pursuit of my Justice- it is a rather difficult responsibility to bear."
He looks towards Ken, scrutinizing him with an expression that seems sympathetic to his uncertainty here, "I believe that since they have you living here at this dorm and testing you for 'the Potential', that they'll tell you about this one day- and ask you to make your own decisions about whether you want to be a part of it."
Then, after a moment's thought, "I'd rather you not be put on the spot- that you have time to consider that decision carefully whether you wish to be a part of this life without the pressure of everyone here awaiting your decision."
It's a rather reasonable explanation for it, isn't it? "If there's nothing that motivates you in that regard - then it's best to turn the decision down. However..."
He does smile at him kindly, "... if there is a reason that you desire to obtain this power - if you have a Justice of your own that drives you, then know that I will ever be your ally in the pursuit of it."
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
It would be hard to see the shining eyes of such a young fan dull upon realizing you aren't what you appear to be--wouldn't it, Akechi? For now, Ken accepts Akechi's excuse with a smile. It sounds reasonable, and he can even show off a little knowledge he has on a similar subject. "Yes, it's like chocolate. The bitterness is part of its natural flavor, and covering it up with sugar does a disservice to that."
Which is not to say Ken enjoys the bitterness of black coffee or dark chocolate, but still.
Ken does fetch a notebook from his room when Akechi prompts him--he hadn't done that yet--and carefully flips past his completed summer homework so Akechi can see it before landing on a blank page, writing down the message Akechi gave him earlier, and then flipping to the page after that and noting down his coffee-making tips. It makes sense to him, as little as he likes it. Adults are old, so they have all the time in the world to do whatever they want. Ken needs to grow up as fast as possible, though... You can't do anything as a kid.
Once that's done, Ken closes his notebook and sets his pencil atop it, then cradles his coffee cup between his hands as they continue their conversation. He gives Akechi a worried look as he hints at his own trauma, and how he became involved through happenstance, how it's been a difficult responsibility.
It would be very easy for Akechi to imply that Ikutsuki and the members of SEES are looking down on him, that they're trying to use him. The fact that he doesn't--that he says, essentially, that they mean the best for him and are just going about it the wrong way, and Akechi only wants to make sure Ken has the chance to fully think it over on his own time without feeling rushed--only increases Ken's own trust for him. A lot of grown-ups do do that, huh... They'll tell you something important, but want an answer right away. Maybe... maybe Akechi's had his own experiences with that? Especially if he's also...
Ken's still uneasy. But now he's also honored that Akechi would be so thoughtful of his feelings by telling him the unvarnished truth. ...If it is all the truth. Ken's been gaslit enough up until now that there's still a part of him that wonders if this is all a cruel prank after all. He really doesn't want it to be, though. He wants Akechi to be telling him the truth. He wants...
If you have a Justice of your own that motivates you...
Ken swallows hard as his fingers curl into his tiny palms. He doesn't know how to verbalize it. He's spent so long being told he imagined it, that his mind conjured up a monster to protect his psyche from the awful, banal truth, that it was all just an accident. If it was just an accident, there's nothing to get revenge on--no Justice to pursue. But... if it is... if the thing from his nightmares is real...
"...Akechi-san..." he whispers. He sucks in a breath and looks up at him, almost pleadingly. If he's telling the truth... if he really is his ally in this... "...if it's all right... can I ask about how you awakened...?"
...then he'd trust him with his own pain too... right?
He'd prove he's not alone--right?
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"Precisely." He says in agreement with Ken's statement. "I simply prefer to cultivate an appreciation for what it is rather than what it can become I suppose."
It's also just that Akechi really doesn't care overly much about the importance people give to food.
If it tastes bitter and acidic, why spend so much time and money covering that up just so one can enjoy it?
It baffles him that some people probably live their whole lives while never knowing what coffee tastes like as they put so much sugar and cream in it that it becomes cake batter.
Once Ken finishes writing it down, Akechi puts his phone back away. It would be quite easy for him to make that implication, wouldn't he? But no- he's trying not to go too far, too fast.
Trying to imply the people in his life are looking down on him- trying to use him. There might be someone in SEES that he's befriended very well, that could cause a violent rejection of this.
The first rule of being in court - as he learned from Sae, is never to ask a question with an uncertain answer. So he tries not to count on the uncertainties simply falling in place precisely-
-he just doesn't allow them to exist in the first place.
Ken however, asks him a question, and he has to be careful here, there are two very different timelines - the reality - and the one he intends to use should the Phantom Thieves ask.
"It was about six months ago... I was visiting the orphanage I last stayed at to get some paperwork in order-" He asides, "-I'm only Eighteen, so I'm still in the Foster Care system until I come of age. Anyhow, I saw a boy yelling at his Mother. A mother who due to her unfortunate circumstances was unable to take care of him herself, so she came to offer him some... gifts, to try to visit him and make amends."
He pauses, amending the details some in his head, "It made... an impression on me, due to my own upbringing..." He looks towards Ken, and frowns, "... I lost my Mother when I was quite young... and my Father, abandoned us before I was even born." He says, more truthful than he usually is, in a way that causes his tone to creep into the bitter, "Anyhow, the son violently rejected her offerings... yelled that he never wanted to see her again, and eventually she left. While I was leaving not long after, I spotted that same woman... and her behavior indicated that something was very wrong. I remembered that she left her gifts behind at the orphanage and I used that to approach her-"
Akechi then gives Ken an apologetic look, "She said a certain word. A word I shouldn't repeat here, as it would cause my phone to take you and me to a Supernatural Realm, given our proximity to Iwatodai Station."
So wait, he actually could take Ken there? Well yes, but, even with the Potential, it could still possibly affect him, so he'd rather not.
"Anyhow, her saying that activated something - an app I'd never seen before on my smart phone. I know it sounds rather odd- but that is how I interface with the Supernatural. There are several different methods that Persona Users might use."
He's all explaining this rather thoroughly isn't he! Even if some elements may sound like something out of one of Ken's Tokusatsu shows.
"It took both of us to that realm where myself and the woman in question were quickly beset by the Shadows there, separating us... as she..."
His gaze grows distant, "... began to make way towards the railway tracks in that realm. She was going to try and throw herself onto them to be run over... as I feared when I first observed her, she was suicidal due to her son's rejection of her."
He really doesn't hold back, at all. However, an Eleven Year Old understands more about death - and these things than society would give them credit for. He knows that VERY well.
"I heard something inside of me call to me- and I awakened to my Persona, 'Robin Hood'. With that power, I was able to catch her while she was mid-fall, and then remove ourselves from that realm."
And here is where he heavily edits things, "Fortunately I was able to get her to the hospital in time... she'd ingested a large quantity of sleeping pills before I encountered her. ... I had a long talk with her son about... losing my Mother young, and all the things I regretted not being able to say to her... and managed to get through to him. In the end, he visited her in the hospital and they reconciled."
A neat, tidy, happy ending in a tale of heroism, isn't it? If it were like the shows on TV, it would have ended like that...
... but reality is rarely ever so kind, as fiction, and it was cruel to him as well that day.
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
Ken is quiet as Akechi explains his painful awakening. He has no reason to doubt him, or to think that any hesitation might be anything more than grappling with his own feelings about a self-described unpleasant incident rather than making sure the timeline he describes matches up. Indeed, Akechi's aside about being in the foster care system adds a note of realism to the story, because Ken is in the same situation--a relative might be paying for his schooling, but they sure aren't raising him, and with living relatives, he sure knows he can't be adopted, either.
It's a painful story, too. A boy who rejected his mother, a mother who fell into despair and nearly died... Ken still can't fully wrap his head around the supernatural aspects of all this, so he takes Akechi's claim about the phone app at face value--who can say what is and isn't real anymore at this point?--though he will certainly remember that it's possible for him to go into a supernatural place even without having his 'Potential' yet realized.
It does sound like something out of one of his tokusatsu shows, not that Ken would ever admit to watching one. When he has more of a chance to think on it, the prospect might be kind of thrilling--but it'll mostly be sobering. After all, it means the last two years of his life have been a lie...
Ken is familiar with death, though. His own father isn't part of his life--though unlike Akechi, he isn't bitter about it; he was such a non-presence that Ken just doesn't feel anything about him--and his mother is gone... Surviving as a child in a world where no one is willing to raise you is hard. Ken can almost kind of understand how that boy felt. More importantly, Akechi awoke to his Persona, Robin Hood, and saved that mother, and convinced her son to reconcile with her...
He lets out a breath of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding and smiles at the second Detective Prince. "I see... So you were able to save her and convince her son... I'm so relieved. The way you spoke at first, I thought she ended up dying... I jumped to conclusions." He bows his head, smile fading as he clutches his knees. "The truth is, I'm an orphan, too. My mom died two years ago in... in an accident. At least, that's what they said it was..."
He swallows hard. "But if all of this is true... maybe it wasn't an accident at all. I'm not sure... My memories of that night aren't very clear." It was the Dark Hour, after all, and Ken might have the Potential, but he hasn't awakened yet. On some level, it's amazing that he's able to remember anything at all.
"It's something that still haunts me, so... I instantly assumed the mom would die--especially since it sounds like something like that happened to you, too." Some of the tension seeps out of his slight body. "I'm really... really glad she didn't. I'm so glad you saved her and brought her and her son together." Ken smiles up at him, openly admiring. "Thank you for telling me about all this. You really are a hero, Akechi-san."
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"I was..." Akechi tries to... keep his features carefully controlled, as Ken nails the reality of the matter. He'll have to be more careful going forward.
Fortunately it's an eleven year old who wants to believe in him badly, rather than someone more skeptical.
"You are?" He says, trying to sound startled at first, as if surprised by the connection between them- one he's already aware of.
"I see..." He says, softly, "... then it seems we have a great deal in common, Amada-san. Would you mind if I called you Amada-kun going forward?" He says, asking permission rather than merely switching it- and making it seem like it's a natural result of that shared connection between them.
"You'd be welcome to call me Akechi-kun as well, if that's comfortable." He says, 'maybe it wasn't an accident at all'... and Akechi tries his hardest not to smile, "... Does that mean you suspect foul play, then?" He places a hand to his chin, "And you say your memories aren't very clear. While it is true that traumatic experiences can lead to a sort of 'traumatic amnesia'..." He gives Ken a long discerning look, "... it's also true that when people who are not awakened to the power of Persona experience the supernatural... that they have difficulty remembering it. It's theorized to be a... protective instinct, in a sense... Could it be..."
He murmurs, as if lost in thought, before starting at his words, then smiling, "I'm glad to hear you think so, Amada-kun(san if he didn't give him permission)... I do try, in the pursuit of my own Justice to be the hero that... wasn't there for my Mother as a child. To be perfectly honest- at the time I thought she would pass away as well." He says as he confides to Ken quietly, "As a Detective, you see the worst of people- so you become quite cynical about the outcomes. And..."
This is difficult for him to even admit out loud, especially to a child- but... if this is as he suspects...
"... my Mother, she took her own life out of despair, when I was very young. My father- he was a low-life of a man who discarded her when he found out she was pregnant with me."
He says softly, and despite his best efforts, something dark, and angry creeps into his tone, "So on that day, I swore - that no matter what it takes, I would find that man one day - and that he would receive his Just punishment for what he did to her."
He inhales sharply, and relaxes. "But as of yet, I've not been able to locate him..." He lies, "... unfortunately I was so young that there are few enough clues, and my Mother never even told me his name."
He lies again. He raises his eyes to give Ken a serious look, "I'd ask that you not share this. It's... something I've never told anyone. But, despite the two of us having just met- I feel that I can trust you with it. As... a fellow orphan who lost his Mother before her time."
Then after weighing it for a few lengthy moments, "If you'd like, I wouldn't mind giving the case file of your Mother's death, a thorough review in my spare time..."
Quite the generous offer isn't it? From a Celebrity Detective to search for whether his Mother's death is truly an accident.
Not that he's going to tell him that he's already reviewed it.
Very, very thoroughly.
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
It's so much easier to lie to someone who wants to believe you, isn't it? Especially when the lie comes on the heel of several astonishing truths--ones Ken instinctually feels are truths. Why would Akechi, famous high school detective, lie to him now?
So yes. Akechi will have to be more careful going forward--but he's gotten a pass for now.
"Yes," Ken murmurs, of being an orphan. "Those are the circumstances I mentioned before... I have relatives somewhere, and they pay for my schooling, but they aren't... really... interested in having me around," he says with a difficulty that Akechi might just relate to. "It's just me... So Ikutsuki-san decided to bring me here so I wouldn't have to be alone all summer."
He sits up straight when Akechi asks him if it's okay to call him Amada-kun. "Y-yes! Please, go ahead!" he all but squeaks, radiating sparkles at the implied increase in closeness compared to before. When he invites him to call him Akechi-kun back, though, he shakes his head vehemently. "No, I couldn't! You're so much older than me, it would sound so rude!" He hesitates, but not without a hopeful sheen in his eye. "But... um... if 'Goro-san' wouldn't be too rude either, then... B-but I understand if it is." Despite this, he smiles. "'Akechi' is such a perfect name for a detective--I know if it were me, I'd want to go by that all the time!"
That smile doesn't last. Does he suspect foul play? ...All brightness drains from his expression, and he looks away without answering. He's not really sure of the answer to that himself. Is it 'foul play' if it was a monster who did the killing?
Traumatic amnesia. "The child psychologist said that too," he mumbles. But Akechi goes on to describe supernatural amnesia, and Ken looks back at him as he goes lost in thought. If that's true... if all that really is true...
...how can he prove it to himself?
Akechi goes on to 'admit' that he thought that woman would die too, and Ken looks back at him. It's horrible to hear that it's even worse than he imagined--that Akechi's mother did commit suicide--and over a deadbeat dad who abandoned both of them to boot. As much as Ken's struggled with his own home situation, that sounds even worse. He can't blame Akechi at all for sounding so angry and emotional about it. What's worse, it sounds like he's unable to find his father to bring him to justice...
...It really does sound like something straight out of a hardboiled detective drama. That makes it that much more believable to Ken, who, despite everything, is still an impressionable child.
"Of course. It's a secret between us," Ken promises, brown eyes honest and earnest. He isn't thinking of it like that--it doesn't occur to him to--but it makes him feel special to have a seemingly genuine bond like this with a hero he admires. Maybe one day, he could become the Kobayashi to his Akechi and become a detective hero too...!
So it doesn't seem too out of place or inappropriate when Akechi offers to review his mother's death's case file. "Are you sure? I don't want to trouble you for something that could be nothing..." Ken says anyway, because that belief that he is a Child and therefore a Burden unless he can be Useful is baked in quite deeply by now. Some of that is audible in his voice as he continues, "But... if it really wouldn't be a burden..."
...if his mother's death really was murder...
...he wants to know.
Justice should not go undone.
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"... Yes I understand, it's rather similar to my own situation. My mother's family had no interest in taking care of me, so they placed me in foster care." That part is completely true at least.
It's a dark side of Japan that relatives have full authority to do such a thing, and yet prevent them from ever being adopted by that blood tie...
... not that anyone ever will, in most cases. Akihiko truly is an outlier.
"Why thank you." Akechi says over his stumbling consent. It's so nice when a child is truly enamored with you... but if he knew the truth of who he is, he knows he'd be abandoned in a heartbeat.
"Aha- well I certainly don't mind myself - but I do see your point. I'd rather you not be seen as rude by anyone because I allowed you to address me so informally... Goro-san is quite fine by me."
He almost never lets someone call him by his first name - but it's a kid, and a kid who he has certain... aims for...
"And I can't disagree, to be honest my mother named me after Kogoro Akechi... she was a fan of Edogawa Ranpo's work growing up as a child in her rural prefecture. I suppose my interest in becoming a Detective is something she passed on to me as well..."
It is actually interesting being able to speak so freely about his Mother, even if he's not saying everything of his feelings for her. Honestly it's a little liberating... even if he knows he shouldn't with most people.
Fortunately, Ken seems to take well to it being a secret between 'men' or 'orphans who lost their Mothers' or both at once... he is rather impressionable, isn't he?
Part of him regrets he didn't get to stay like this... for longer. Perhaps if his mother had lived for a few more years, things would be different.
But that's not the case, and he made his choice.
"Thank you, I'd very much appreciate that." He says to keeping it a secret. At Ken's question of it being a burden though...
"... it would be no burden. Your story has rather piqued my interest, to be frank. And if there was some injustice that the police overlooked... then it falls upon me to address it." Akechi does smile, "Would you mind if we exchanged contact information? I'd be able to keep you better updated that way."
Ken's quite correct...
... Justice should not go undone.
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
For someone who aspires to being a hero, the apex is to be admired as a hero by an elementary school child. But if your heroism is all founded on lies... would it really be Ken's fault if he abandoned him? Why should anyone continue to admire a "hero" who's actually a fraud? How much is it really worth it?
...but we'll leave those questions to Akechi's newly-dubbed friend. Ken has been pretty thoroughly duped by now. The best lies are ones that are coated in the truth, and these ones are coated as thickly as sugar plums.
He looks relieved when Akechi gives him permission to address him by his first name. That's also quite familiar, but it's a more respectful kind of familiarity--at least, to Ken's ears, it is. Maybe one day he can get enough of Goro's respect for him to address him by his first name, too. ...Though maybe sticking with the last name is his form of respect.
"I see... Your mom sounds like she passed down a lot of love and hope to you," Ken observes with a muted but sincere smile. He averts his eyes, smile taking on a bittersweet shade. "It's only after they're gone that you really understand how much your mother meant to you, huh... How much you relied on them to take care of you." He pauses, then looks back at his companion. "I'm sorry for the cliche, but I think your mom would be proud of you if she could see you now, Goro-san. There's some comfort we can take in doing our best, don't you think?" He bows his head, smile fading. "...Even if it never feels like enough."
That last part's a thought he would never share with anyone else. Akechi's earned it by now, though--false pretexts or not.
Again, he looks relieved when Akechi reassures him it isn't a burden. "Thank you very much. And not at all," he adds, retrieving his own flip phone from his pocket. As they exchange numbers, he adds, "A-and if there's ever anything I could do to help you out, Goro-san... I know I can't do much as I am now, but please let me know, and I'll do whatever I can!"
<Pose Tracker> Goro Akechi has posed.
"She did."
Far more than I ever deserved.
"... I owe her everything."
Because I never should have even existed.
It doesn't matter that such thoughts trouble him. His Mother made her choice for him to exist - she believed his existence was worth it - even when she took her own life.
He has to keep going.
Ken's comment - it doesn't resonate in the same way for him. Because his Mother... was always the only person he had in a place where the two of them survived. She was imperfect, she couldn't give him the life she wanted him to have...
... but it didn't matter.
"Yes." He whispers, perhaps a touch emotional, on missing her, even if it's true - he'd never acknowledge he only truly understood how much she meant to him when she was gone.
She meant everything to him.
But that is the privilege Ken Amada had, that he didn't. He lived a normal life - as a normal child - in a normal household.
"It's quite alright... I rather hope that's true. I certainly try to live up to being a man she'd be proud of."
He lies, because he gave up on that two and a half years ago, pinned to the ground by that Shadow's blade... being told that might makes right. That might decides what Justice is. He gave up, when he embraced his hatred.
"Some... yes, I agree." He says, quietly, and it's difficult for him to smile - because the feeling of novelty has worn off.
Now every word is a dagger, and truly this is a self-inflicted one. "... It never is."
He trades numbers with him, then peers over his phone to look at him, "Now I wouldn't say that necessarily. Keep your ears and eyes open. Every good Detective needs people to be that for him... you'd be surprised how often a tip from someone as sharp as you is what truly brings so many cases to a close, Amada-kun."
Putting his phone away, he takes a long sip of the coffee, before standing up, "I'm afraid that I need to start making my way back to the station. I have to be in Sumaru City by this evening." He says apologetically, as he puts the coffee down, takes his briefcase off the counter, and stands up.
"But, it was a distinct pleasure making your acquaintance, Amada-kun." He says, as he offers his hand to shake again, "I'll be in touch the moment I learn anything, I promise."
<Pose Tracker> Ken Amada has posed.
For Ken, their similarities are a comfort; for Goro, they are a knife.
And isn't that all the difference the truth and lies make?
Ken smiles when Akechi tells him that he can still make himself useful by paying attention--and at the compliment of how sharp he is. "I will!" he enthuses. He too finishes his coffee, to remind himself of how much more he can improve still to make himself into someone useful. When Akechi stands and excuses himself, he nods and slips off his stool too.
"I understand. I'm glad I had the chance to meet you face-to-face," he replies. He accepts Akechi's right hand in another shake and takes that promise at face value. "All right!"
He'll be sure to clean up properly once Akechi has gone, then study those notes he'd passed on for him on how to make a better cup of coffee.