2026-03-03: Kimitake's Concerned Visit
- Cutscene: Kimitake's Concerned Visit
- Cast: Yua Ijuuin and her husband, Kimitake Ijuuin
- Where: Aoba - Penthouse
- OOC Date: 2026-03-03
- IC Date: Thu, Oct 04 2012
- Summary: Kimitake visits Yua to check on her, after all her horrors. They discuss the Joker Killer and Katsuya's attempted murder... and then, Yua realises, 'all on her own', that she's been neglecting Kimitake's ambitions. Of course she insists on helping him, too!
- Content warning: Coercive control
It's not... uncommon, that Kimitake comes to visit, but he still calls ahead. Yua is home, in the mornings, where Miho is not; Eiko's there, too, to take his coat and hear his greeting. "Yua-san," he speaks gently, "how are you?"
"I'm good!" Yua chirps, as she waves him into the dining room. Eiko's already set them up with water and biscuits -- including Yua's bland digestive crackers. "Well... you know, good..."
"All things considered?" Kimitake supplies, helpfully.
"All things considered," Yua takes him up on the phrasing. He pulls out a seat for her, despite this being her house; she's happy to sit, anyway, as he sits beside her. He has to slide his glass over, a little, from where Eiko presumed he'd seat himself opposite. It's fine.
"I heard what they're asking you to do, now," he says, gently, leaning forward a little. "Right after you witnessed Nishiyama's death... are you doing all right?"
"... I've never killed anyone with my own hands," Yua responds, softly, her tone growing morose. "But this isn't the first time I've been told to... facilitate. The first time, it was actually against two of your coworkers... Mr. Suou-san and his subordinate Hamade-san." There's a little English in there! Perhaps she's trying to soften the horror of it all. "I'm not sure how much difference there is between ensuring it and doing it... but it frightens me. My mother's mothers wouldn't approve, Kimi-san..."
Kimitake offers his hand, atop the table, palm up; Yua reaches out to take it, and he clasps his other hand over hers. "Please, try not to stress over something like that," he assures her, his voice soothing. "You need to stay positive... it's not just for you."
"I... I know," Yua says, though her smile's a touch fragile. It falls from her face, as her hand curls into his palm. "Hey... Kimi-san, do you know... did Suou-san do anything wrong? When we spoke, he was very kind to me... I couldn't fathom why they told us to kill him and the woman helping him."
"Hamade-san is a victim of association," Kimitake shakes his head, "but it isn't like Suou-kun did anything wrong. He's really quite noble, in his way," for someone who doesn't have noble blood, he means, "but he became inconvenient to 'them,' I suppose."
"It just feels so bad," Yua sighs. "We tried to kill him for persisting with Sake-san... but now, we'll kill Sake-san ourselves? If we'd just let the Sergeant work--!!"
"If you'd let him work," Kimitake points out, gently, "people outside the organisation would have learned inconvenient things... and back then, they could still control #501." Yua's fingers flinch, hearing him refer to Sudou by his case name, and Kimitake squeezes her hand in an apparent show of support. "It does feel fruitless, doesn't it?" He asks, sympathetically.
That wasn't what Yua was feeling, in that very moment... but it's still amongst her feelings, so she nods.
"Even if I have ambitions of becoming a precinct's Head Inspector myself," Kimitake goes on, "right now, Suou-kun is still working with me... I feel regret, too."
"Ah --" Yua gasps, looking to him. "Your dream... have you been okay with everything that's happened?"
"I can get by all right myself for a while," Kimitake assures her, steady. "I've just told people you're feeling ill, when they ask after you in the luncheons. Ah..." He sighs, lightly, glancing aside; and it's very well telegraphed, but Yua thinks she's caught something subtle.
(He knows she might have just missed true subtlety.)
"What is it?" Yua asks, concern entering her tone. "I want to help you, too... so please tell me!"
"It's nothing," Kimitake shakes his head, with a reassuring smile as he looks back to her. "Just, there's someone who'd like to come to dinner... please don't worry, Yua-san, you've enough on your plate."
"No," Yua shakes her head, cheeks puffed up, as she squeezes his hand now. (He still hasn't let go...) "I want to! I promised I'd help you, and... and you've been so nice, you even helped smooth things over back here after Nishiyama-san died... please, let me help you, too."
"Yua-san..." Kimitake smiles, with appreciation and gratitude. "All right. I'll get the details to you, so you can arrange things with his wife. Thank you for your hard work." Finally, he releases her hand, as he moves to lighter subjects; how Tiger is doing, how she's coping with work, a marvellous traditional play he saw just recently...
When Eiko passes on the details of his visit to Miho, all she's able to report is that Kimitake was deeply concerned for Yua's welfare in light of their mission, that he tried to assuage her concerns... and that when the conversation turned to Kimitake's work, it was Yua who volunteered to do more for him, moved by the assistance he'd offered them. Yua insisted, even when he tried to tell her it could wait. If pressed, Eiko will still admit to feeling a little uneasy... but everything he'd done looked quite supportive, right down to engaging Yua's interests so he wouldn't leave her feeling upset.
... he even held her hand to calm her down.
It was to calm her down, wasn't it?