Archive of Our Own

The inside of the ship was even more dazzling than the last time Goro was here.

The guests wore more expensive clothes, there were more of them, and the interior felt even more lavish. Goro felt light-headed just looking at all that undeserved luxury.

He grabbed a glass of champagne from a nearby waiter and then turned to face the Thieves. He needed to show his guests hospitality in place of his ever-absentee father.

"Welcome to the most exclusive banquet in Japan, funded by the taxpayers’ hard-earned money for the benefit of one person, Masayoshi Shido." Goro raised his glass, as if he was attempting to make a toast. Then he simply let go of it, letting it fall to the floor. It broke, spilling the champagne onto the polished floor. Goro turned to the waiter, his voice needlessly apologetic. "Ah, I'm sorry, my hand slipped."

"He placed two giant statues of himself at the entrance?!" Takamaki said in disbelief.

"What's that noise?" Sakamoto complained, covering his ears.

"There are giant speakers up there. It seems they’re spewing out his election speeches all the time," Sakura said, pointing upwards.

"Are those all enemy Shadows?" Niijima asked, looking worriedly at the guests gathered around them.

"No, they are just a mindless crowd. Even if you cause trouble, they won't turn against you. The only ones we need to be worried about are the Shadows who are acting as security, and several of Shido's cognitions," Goro explained as he led Phantom Thieves upstairs. "See that dog there; that's one of the Shadows acting as security."

Everyone watched the Shadow shaped like a dog move its head as if looking for transgressors.

"The whole Palace is like that. A lot of snobby crowds hoping to bask in Shido's grandeur and money. Most of them are cognitions, and some are patrolling Shadows. And there are very annoying security measures that turn you into a mouse. Fuck, I really hope that they won't work on me now that Shido believes I work for him. Just remembering them makes me want to puke."

"Is it really that bad?" Sakura asked.

"Imagine running through huge passages of heavily guarded hallways as a mouse, unable to fight against any Shadow that you encounter. For hours, because this ship had to fucking be as ginormous as Shido's fucking ego," Goro complained as he leaned against the pillar.

"So it's difficult?" Niijima asked, still looking around the floor.

"Not really difficult as much as stupidly annoying. Think of the air locks in Okumura's Palace, except deadlier, because you leave yourself defenseless against Shadows," Goro explained. He could see Okumura grimace, but she didn't say anything. It wasn't surprising that she didn't want to hear him mention her father's Palace, but that was the best analogy he had. "And it takes like half of the fucking Palace, because Shido's a dick."

"So reaching the Treasure won't be easy," Takamaki muttered, clearly dispirited.

"Getting to the room is actually stupidly simple. One of the reasons why I wanted you to come here was to see if we can just skip the whole damn process I had to go through the first time to access it," Goro admitted, as they kept climbing through successive sets of stairs.

"What do you mean?" Akira asked.

"The Treasure Room is only a short way from the entrance, but it's protected." He kept talking as he made his way through the crowd and finally reached a slightly more secluded area. "There's a Safe Room here; we can stop by it in a moment, but first let's check the door."

"He's right, I can sense the Treasure really close by!" Morgana confirmed excitedly.

They managed to evade another set of guards and then finally reached the door.

"Those are some suspicious doors," Sakamoto said.

"There are five slots in them. Do you need to put keycards in them?" Niijima asked.

"Letters of recommendation, to be specific," Goro explained. "They turn into keycards once you obtain them. But shit, five? There were three last time. Who the hell did Shido add to his butt-licking roster?!" Goro took a breath, realizing he was losing his composure. Coming here brought out all kinds of unpleasant memories. "No, wait, at least two of those people are no longer part of his inner circle, which means this is a new set of corrupted assholes. Fuck!"

"I think I'm a bit lost," Takamaki said.

"For now, let me try to see if I can skip this," Goro muttered. He approached the door and said, "I'm Goro Akechi, let me enter."

There was a moment of silence which extended uncomfortably until everyone grew certain that nothing was going to happen.

Goro turned towards everyone, his fake TV smile plastered on his face.

"So as you can see, per usual, we are all going to have to do this the fucking hard way," he announced.

"Wow, if Crow is this cranky while we’re still at the entrance, this Palace must really be something else," Sakura muttered.

"That does seem to be the case," Okumura whispered back.

Niijima sighed.

"For now let's go to the Safe Room you have mentioned."

Goro led them there and then explained once again how the door worked. The group decided to gather information about the people who they would need the letters of recommendation from.

He listened as the team shared their findings. Goro hadn't really been on the top of the power struggle within Shido's inner circle, so it was interesting to learn who Shido considered most important. Most of them were actually guessable and Goro would have figured them out once he calmed himself.

"And then they mentioned some cleaner," Morgana said.

"Cleaner, why would there be a cleaner among them?" Kitagawa asked.

You sweet summer children…

"He's the same type of cleaner as me," Goro said, because it was actually painful to listen to Phantom Thieves completely missing the point. "The kind of person who gets rid of people."

Everyone fell silent as they understood the meaning of his words.

"That cleaner… it's not you?" Okumura asked, clearly confused.

"Shido has gotten this far because he never puts all his eggs into one basket," Goro started to explain, because it seemed there was a strong misconception about how the Conspiracy operated. "He would never settle for having someone truly irreplaceable in his ranks. I'm probably the closest to that, since nobody else can replicate mental shutdowns. But you don't really need a Metaverse to off someone. There are hundreds of other ways to do that. Like making arrangements with some neighbourhood yakuza."

"Wait, wait, are you for real?" Sakamoto asked.

"Do I look like I'm joking around?" Goro glared at him.

"Isn't that cheating, to be able to control the police and yakuza?" Takamaki asked, clearly bewildered.

"And the cognitive world," Goro supplied helpfully. "There's a reason why I decided on a long plan that involved getting close to him."

"Indeed, Crow giving up on quick validation for a long con should have clued us in that this wouldn't be easy," Akira agreed.

Goro shot him a look, but said nothing. He decided to bide his time and have his revenge later, so Akira would know just how fucking patient Goro could be if he wanted.

"Anyway, I think this short trip has given everyone an idea of how much of an asshole Shido is and what kind of place this Palace is." Everyone nodded. Goro waited a second before continuing, "So, have I earned enough trust to finally be included in the discussion about making sure that Joker will not die in a week, considering my not-insignificant role in the whole thing?"

The Safe Room was immediately filled with awkwardness. Not that Goro hadn’t anticipated that. He had done his best to be accomodating, but they were running out of time. Akira was running out of time.

Niijima sighed loudly.

"I guess we can't put it off any longer, but this isn't the right place for it. Since we are done with this Palace anyway, let's return to Leblanc."

*

"Your plan is absolutely terrible," Goro decided upon hearing it. Everyone shot him annoyed looks, but he would stand his ground. He had the most experience out of all of them when it came to reckless plans. If it was a university subject, Goro would already be on his way to becoming a professor in the field.

So if he thought the plan was too reckless, it had to be extremely bad.

"Look, man, we did our best!" Sakamoto protested.

"That's right! What else do you think we could have done instead?!" Sakura shouted.

Okumura put down her teapot with a clatter that silenced everyone else.

"Ah, I think Goro has forgotten that the reason why we were forced to resort to such desperate measures was because he is just too good at killing people," she said, her voice dripping with poison.

Goro had no comeback. Awkward silence stretched, as no one knew what to say after that.

"Okay, let's focus on what we can do now," he said eventually, refusing to address Okumura's accusation. Mercifully, everyone else seemed to agree that saving Akira was more important than shaming Goro for being a paid assassin.

"I don't think there's much to change other than having Akechi pull Akira out of the interrogation room, rather than relying on my sister for that," Niijima pointed out.

"I think we can use the Metaverse to transport Akira out of the interrogation room. That way he won't be caught on the cameras," Goro suggested. "Since I won't have the cognition of the cell doors being locked."

"True, but you probably won't have time to take him too far," Niijima pointed out. "I think we will have to rely on my sister anyway. Though, I agree that moving Akira from the interrogation room to a less conspicuous place might be a good idea."

"Wait, can't Akira just walk there on his own?" Sakamoto asked.

Goro and Niijima looked at him in silence.

"I'm not sure if he will be in the state to walk on his own," Goro slowly admitted, deciding that he should be the bearer of bad news.

"Huh?"

Everyone fell silent at that, avoiding each other's gazes.

"The police... won't be kind to him," Goro said after a moment of hesitation, because just thinking about it made it hard to get the words out of his mouth.

"Can't you... do something about it?!" Sakamoto demanded, as the seriousness of the situation dawned on him.

Goro just shook his head.

"He shouldn't. If they start to think that Goro isn't planning to kill me, then the whole plan will fall apart," Akira said, finally joining the conversation. His voice was quiet, but firm. "He needs to play his role."

Sakamoto clenched his fist.

"Are you okay with that, Akira?!" he demanded. "Are you—?!"

"Stop, Ryuji," Takamaki said, gently but decisively. "Nobody is okay with that, but we don't have a choice."

Ryuji punched the table in annoyance. Haru's teacup rattled from the impact and several packs of snacks fell off the table.

"Damnit!"

"Actually, connected to this, I'd rather we didn't rely on Sae Niijima for transporting Akira. Don't get me wrong, I think letting her interrogate Akira so she can come to your side makes sense, but we can't be sure if she will get such a chance, or if Akira will be capable of actually executing that part of the plan. That's why I think we should only try to rely on her when it comes to passing the phone to Akira. I can still salvage the plan if he isn't given the phone, but we really need to remove him from the premises as soon as possible."

Goro could see Niijima scrunch her face, but he knew he was making a valid point. It wasn't that he didn't believe in Sae, but there were just too many factors that could impact that part of the plan.

"About that. I think I could have my bodyguards transport Akira," Okumura offered. Goro was surprised she was actually agreeing with his suggestion, but it seemed they were at least united in their goal of saving Akira.

"Are we sure we can trust them?" Niijima asked, visibly taken aback by the fact that there was an alternate solution.

"Absolutely. After my father's death, I decided to hire the best professionals I could find to guarantee my safety," Okumura explained with a wholesome smile.

"Wait, are you talking about those two thugs I saw back when… I saw them," Sakura ended awkwardly, probably belatedly realizing that back when you attempted to murder Goro wasn't something that should be said out loud.

Okumura practically beamed.

"Yes, those two. Their names are Mikhail and Taro. They have an impressive work ethic and I'm sure they can be trusted. Don't you think so too, Goro?"

Goro coughed, feeling uneasy at the memory of two bodyguards. However, he had to grudgingly agree that they were probably the best candidates for the job. They obviously had a lot of experience when it came to these types of stealth operations.

"Yes, having seen them, I think they are great people for the job."

"Well, if you two are in agreement on this matter," Niijima said, in a tone that suggested she still didn't quite believe that she was witnessing a rare moment of Goro and Okumura actually being on the same page. "Then I have no complaints. Haru, make sure your people are ready."

Okumura smiled in acknowledgement.

"I think we should end our meeting here. Futaba, figure out together with Akechi where the best point is to leave Akira after Akechi takes him out of the interrogation room. We will have Haru's bodyguards pick Akira up from there, so send Haru the data. Everyone else, make sure to prepare yourself for the battle with my sister!"

Everyone nodded. Futaba promised to send Goro an email after reviewing a map of the police station. People slowly started to leave. Goro didn't do so immediately, too busy staring at Akira. It was obvious he was hiding his feelings on the matter. Nobody would be able to just calmly accept such a demanding plan. Even Akira's selflessness had to have a limit.

Goro clenched his fist, but there were no words that came to him. He had nothing to say to Akira. Anything he said would just make things worse.

He turned around and walked down the stairs, leaving Akira behind.

*

Goro was on his way to the subway when someone caught him by the arm. He turned around, feeling startled, to find none other than Takamaki.

"Meet me tomorrow after school at the underground shopping mall in Shibuya!" she said quickly. "Make sure you’re there!"

"What?!" Goro asked eloquently, but Takamaki was already running off. Goro could only watch her swaying twintails disappearing in the evening's darkness, unsure what to do.

He once more turned around. He would never admit it, but he wished he had words. Not his sweet, honey-layered words, but genuine ones that could make things better.

*

Sakura: I agree that this is probably the safest spot, but are you sure you can get there within that kind of timeframe?

Goro: This will be the Metaverse, so I can use some shady medicine to improve my speed and strength if it comes to it

Sakura: You do have a point there

Sakura: But do you actually have something like that on hand?

Goro: Not anymore

Sakura: I’ll ask Akira. He has so much of that shit, I'm sure something should work

Sakura: Worst case scenario I’ll spend tomorrow with Mona in the Metaverse, testing weird concoctions he got from his shady doctor

Goro: Try not to die

Sakura: It won't be that bad

Goro: I met that shady doctor once

Goro: You know she calls Akira "guinea pig", right?

Sakura: …………

Sakura: Maybe I can test them on Mona?

*

Goro wasn't sure why he even went along with Takamaki's forceful invitation.

Maybe it was because she was the only person who was genuinely nice to him. Even Morgana needed time to actually open up to him and Sakura was a very special case.

But Takamaki, Takamaki was different from them.

Goro pulled his hood lower. He was wearing the hoodie he stole from Akira, hoping that it would successfully obscure his identity. He tried not to stand out, but it was starting to be difficult.

Takamaki was late.

If she stood him up, Goro would make sure to get back at her for this. He wasn't even interested in women, so being stood up by one would be extremely annoying. She'd better just be late, or else…

"Heeeeey! Sorry, I'm late!" Takamaki shouted through the crowded passage.

Goro sighed. Guess he was getting overly self-conscious if he let one small meeting make him so on edge.

"I'm pissed," Goro said, deciding that he wasn't about to pretend he wasn't.

"Just think of it as training for Akira," she proclaimed, taking his hand to pull him toward a destination she seemed to have in mind.

"Akira usually wasn't late for meetings," Goro pointed out. He felt extremely annoyed about being led through the crowd, but at the same time, he didn't want to make a scene.

"Wow, he must really love you. He's never on time when I ask to meet him somewhere."

"Maybe because he knows you will be half an hour late anyway," Goro said, not hiding his sarcasm.

Takamaki stopped in place.

"You know, that actually would explain it," she said with the face of someone who’d just had an epiphany. "I thought Ryuji was pulling my leg when he said Akira's always on time."

Goro sighed loudly.

"So why did you want to meet me?" he asked.

"Eh? I just wanted to talk with you. Wasn't it obvious?" she asked, clearly surprised that Goro hadn't figured it out on his own.

"No, it wasn't," Goro said through gritted teeth.

"Oh well, maybe it's better that way. You might have decided not to come if you knew what it was about," Takamaki said, concluding that her cryptic behaviour was clearly justified. "Anyway, come with me. There’s a really nice cafe not far from here where we should be able to talk."

Goro considered actually running away, but the idea sat badly with him. He had confronted two women whose parents he killed recently. The idea of running away from Takamaki in comparison felt almost insulting. She couldn't throw anything worse at him than Sakura and Okumura did.

What could be worse than an attempted murder in a karaoke bar?

Goro had a feeling he was jinxing himself, but before he could make a decision, Takamaki pulled him by the hand toward the destination she had in mind.

*

The cafe was nice and pretty empty.

For a moment, Goro was worried it would be the same cafe as the one where he and Akira had a discussion, right after Goro blackmailed him. That conversation felt like it had happened ages ago, but it was actually less than two months ago.

Time felt fake whenever Goro thought about it.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Goro asked when the waitress walked off, having dropped off their orders.

Takamaki blinked at him.

"Where's the rush? Enjoy yourself a bit. I didn't ask you here to stress you out, you know," she said, already busy demolishing her own piece of cake. Goro had a suspicion she was planning to order more.

He was silent for a moment.

"No," he said, placing his teaspoon down. "I will be stressed out until you tell me why the hell you asked me to meet you."

Takamaki froze with the teaspoon inside her mouth. She looked a bit comical. Her brows were narrowed, but she relaxed after a second.

"Wow, I didn't realize you would take it so badly. But now that I think about it, you probably aren't used to going out with people for fun," she muttered, setting the plate with the rest of her cake piece aside.

"I went out with Akira," Goro pointed out, just because he didn't want to appear like a loner without any friends. Takamaki's whole existence seemed to be shaming him in that regard.

"Yeah, on dates slash information gathering meetings. I think that only proves that you suck at actually going out with someone just to enjoy yourself," she pointed out. She paused. "Look, I'm not trying to criticize you. But your stubbornness is just making things more difficult. You don't have to pretend for me that you know how to socialize with people."

Goro realized he had no comeback. Takamaki, despite her seeming airheadedness, was making a really good point. Goro clenched his fist.

"Can we just get to the point?" he asked. This was starting to be unbearable.

Takamaki took a deep breath.

"Uhhh, I don't think there's really a specific point. It's just…" She trailed off, clearly unsure how to phrase her words. Goro had a feeling she was trying to be considerate of him. "I was the one who helped Akira through his crush and at this point I'm invested. But there's nothing more I can teach Akira. So obviously, to ensure that his relationship is successful, I should help out his boyfriend instead," she announced, her voice full of resolve.

"B-b-boyfriend?!" Goro stuttered, taken aback by Takamaki's phrasing. It felt wrong when she put it like that. "We aren't dating!"

She blinked at him, as if it was Goro talking total nonsense, not her.

"Well, not yet, but it's only a matter of time, isn't it?" she pointed out.

Goro once more had no response to her words.

"Wait, are you bothered by being called Akira's boyfriend?" she asked, picking up on Goro's discomfort.

"That's… not…" Words were failing Goro in the most shameful way, but he could do nothing about it. He never thought he would be so taken aback by being called Akira's boyfriend. He didn't even think anyone would ever use that term to describe him. Goro never thought about using those words to describe himself. It was so unexpected he was caught completely off-guard.

Takamaki leaned back in her seat, deeply in thought.

"So let me get this straight—you are in love with Akira, you were ready to die for him, you want to bone him, but the very idea of being called Akira's boyfriend makes you panic?"

Goro was quiet. Still, his silence was a damning response. Takamaki sighed.

"Oh, god. Why does it have to be so difficult? I thought coaching Akira was the difficult part!" Takamaki said, clearly dejected. She hung her head.

"Look, you don't have to force yourself," Goro said quickly, but Takamaki extended her hand.

"No," she said. Her voice was calm and decisive. "I will see this through."

"You don't—"

Takamaki raised her head. Her gaze was steely.

"I will make sure Akira ends up happy, even if both you and I have to die from embarrassment," she announced.

Goro swallowed. He was starting to miss Okumura. She at least wanted to end him quickly, while Takamaki was promising him extended suffering.

"There's really no need—" he tried once again, but he should have realized it was futile.

"Excuse me?" she asked. "Akira is facing the worst crisis of his life and what are you doing?"

The guilt Goro felt yesterday returned with doubled power. He could only hang his head in shame, having no comeback.

Takamaki sighed.

"I'm glad you understand at least that much," she said, seeing his reaction. "But we need to make you do something about it. But that's for later, right now we need to focus on something else."

"Something else?" Goro repeated, confused.

"Why you don't want to be called Akira's boyfriend. I feel like that is a more serious problem," she explained. "Why is it so difficult for you?"

"I… I never imagined that," Goro finally admitted. It felt almost pathetic now that he realized that. "Being something like… boyfriends."

He winced after having said the word. It felt nebulous. Goro never realized how much he hated the word boyfriends until now. Why did people even like labels like that? That was all it was, really. A simple label for simple people who viewed the world in black and white.

"So, uh, were you just going for a quick fuck?" Takamaki asked. It was clearly a probing question, but Goro still found himself hiding his face in his hands. "Uhhh, Goro?"

"Since when are we on a first name basis?!" he hissed, pulling his hands away. The indignation was stronger than his embarrassment.

"Since I promised to help you and Akira get your shit together. Feel free to call me Ann," she said easily.

"We barely talked before today," Goro argued.

"Yeah, but we are talking a lot today and we are going to talk even more in the future. Whatever quota of talking you have in mind, it will be cleared anyway. I don't see the point of postponing it," she pointed out.

"You want a credit on friendship?!" Goro asked, feeling like he was getting outplayed in the worst way.

"Aren't you happy? You’ll have someone other than Akira who is your friend," she said with a smile.

"Excuse me, Morgana is also my friend," Goro argued, because if Takamaki thought she would come second, she was deeply mistaken. She would be third at best.

"I should have figured you would get along. Both of you have no idea how to human," Takamaki said, nodding to herself.

"What does that even mean?" Goro demanded.

Takamaki leaned forward.

"That you need more friends who can tell when you are trying to change the topic. So, were you only aiming at Akira because you wanted to sleep with him?"

Goro gritted his teeth.

"It's… not that simple," he muttered.

"Then explain it to me."

Goro sighed, but he knew he should do it. Takamaki was clearly worried about Akira and wanted to confirm if Goro was serious about their relationship. It made sense for her to feel wary of Goro's motivations after everything that happened.

"I… I never thought there would be… stability, " Goro reluctantly explained. "There was a plan. Akira was scheduled to die and there was no place for something like… boyfriends."

"Wait, so you knew you would have to kill him all that time?!" she said, clearly only now realizing it.

"Yes, it has been decided since June," Goro said quietly. "So I knew there would be no… future. Whatever feelings I had would never get fulfilled, so…"

"So you just buried those feelings until they exploded."

Goro winced, but it wasn't an inaccurate description.

"But you planned to take down Shido anyway," Takamaki said, after she made sure nobody was listening to them. "You never thought about faking Akira's death?"

"No, I never considered it," Goro replied quickly. Now that he had started talking, it felt like a manic energy had filled him. The words flew unbidden out of his mouth. "I've been planning my revenge for years. I didn't want to share it. It was the only thing I could consider mine. The only thing that pulled me through my miserable life. So I was going to do it my way. I was planning to help that bastard achieve his grand ambition, and then once he became the prime minister, I would ruin everything for him. I would destroy him in the eyes of the media. He would be forced to resign. And then I would finally be free. My whole career and backing would be sacrificed, but it would be a cheap price. Nothing would matter. That's right! As long as I succeeded, even if there was no future for me… It would be fine. It would all be worth it. I was expendable from the beginning. I don't need anything as long as—"

Goro's brain registered the stinging pain in his cheek before he actually realized that Takamaki had stood up and slapped him in the face. Goro looked at her. She looked back at him, and Goro could see that he wasn't the only one who was only just realizing what had happened.

"I'm sorry!" Takamaki shouted, hanging her head. "My hand just moved on its own, but what you were saying… it just… I… I don't know why... but it reminded me of Shiho..."

Goro froze as he realized what Takamaki was saying. He knew who she was talking about. The girl who was driven to suicide by Kamoshida.

It was a chilling thing to hear. And worst of all, he couldn't really refute it. He never planned for any future beyond taking down Shido. He just assumed that things… would end.

They were silent for a moment, as Goro gathered his thoughts. The implication hung heavily upon him.

"Thank you," he finally said. His cheek still stung, but the pain was helping him ground himself. He could now reflect properly on what he had said. "You might… not have been that far off…"

"No, I should have… handled it better," Takamaki replied quietly.

"No, I think you did the right thing," Goro insisted. "If I ever go off like that, you have my permission to slap me again."

Takamaki looked at him warily.

"Really? No takebacks?"

Goro shook his head.

"No takebacks. I… I'm not the same person. I have something to live for beyond January. I…"

He wasn't sure why, but he could feel tears forming in his eyes. It was as if he had unloaded a heavy burden that he had been carrying for so long that the feeling of relief was almost painful. He tried to stop himself, but he couldn't. The emotions were too raw to be tamed. The hurt too deep to hide it.

Takamaki didn't say anything, opting instead to share a pack of tissues with him. She made a shooing gesture, probably to chase away the waitress who came to check out what was going on. It seemed to be effective, because a moment later she got up and moved to sit next to Goro. Luckily, the booth had enough space for both of them.

She gently embraced him.

"It's all right," she said quietly.

"I… I didn't actively think about it… but I… I always assumed his associates would get me…" Goro admitted quietly between sobs. "He has connections with yakuza… There's no way I would… go unpunished…"

"You must have been scared," Takamaki said, somehow managing not to sound patronizing.

Goro nodded. He had never admitted it to anyone, but it was scary. Even though Goro thrived on danger, there was also a part of him that was constantly scared. With time, he got better at ignoring it, but somehow today, for the first time in a long while, it felt like it had surfaced.

Damn it, why did Takamaki have to be such a good listener?! This wouldn't have happened if she didn't pry. If she had just ignored him like everybody else, rather than trying to understand him.

"You are… like Akira… I hate that…" he sobbed.

"Wow, where did that come from?" she asked, clearly confused.

"You are… both… dumb idiots… who are too kind…"

"I think that's the most backhanded compliment I’ve ever gotten in my life," Takamaki admitted.

Goro didn't reply, instead just sobbing harder, because thinking of kind and strong Akira was only making him more emotional right now. Why did Goro have to cry all the time like a baby when talking with the Phantom Thieves? He went through hell and back during his life. He learned not to cry when he was little. Crying never helped him.

So why?

Why were all the tears he held back coming out now?

He didn't know, so all he could do was continue to cry, while Takamaki gently patted him on the back.

*

"It's a good thing I had another cafe in mind as a backup. It would be way too awkward to continue the conversation in the one we left," Takamaki said, as though they were talking about the weather rather than the aftermath of Goro's emotional breakdown.

Goro felt slightly better now that he had cried for way too long, though the shame of breaking down in a public space still haunted him. Good thing he was wearing the hoodie.

"Don't feel bad. I once did the same thing," Takamaki said, trying to sound supportive.

"What? Broke down into tears in a cafe, because someone was nice to you?" Goro asked.

"Yeah! And to a total stranger! That's how I became friends with Akira," she explained. Goro blinked. He didn't expect to hear something like that, but—”

"That sounds exactly like something Akira would do," Goro admitted.

"Yes, he really saved me back then. If he hadn't been there I… I might have gone to meet Kamoshida," she admitted, her hand clenching on the strap of her bag. "Unfortunately, he took his anger out on Shiho, which led to her…"

Takamaki didn't need to finish that sentence. They continued the rest of the walk to the second cafe in silence.

This one had a few people, unlike the first one, but they all seemed to be couples that were preoccupied with each other. Goro judged that this would give them enough privacy.

He ordered coffee with extra honey, deciding that he needed to drown himself in both caffeine and sugar to make up for all the anguish he experienced today. Takamaki shamelessly ordered more cake.

"Okay, so, as I promised, no more heavy topics today," Takamaki said once their order arrived. Goro pretty much devoured the muffin he ordered in one bite. He felt hungry after all the crying. "So let's focus on you and Akira. I do know why Akira likes you, because he told me in a lot of detail, but I never really got your side of the story. Though honestly, given you don't have anyone close to you, I think I'm starting to see the bigger picture."

"My mother died soon after I entered elementary school, and since then I’ve been ostracized for being an orphan and had no one to rely on. Akira was the first person to ever care about me as a human since then," Goro admitted. It sounded a bit depressing when he put it like that, but it was the truth.

Takamaki blinked at him.

"Your standards are so low it's kind of a miracle that Akira was the first one to fulfill them," she admitted.

"My standards aren't low," Goro disagreed. "It's just a simple fact that I'm cursed. Getting anyone to accept me had to be near-impossible."

"Cursed?"

"Nevermind. You promised no more heavy topics today," Goro said. Knowing Takamaki, she would be able to pull his whole pitiful backstory out of him. He couldn't understand why she felt so approachable. There was something genuine about her that made him feel like she wouldn't judge him on what he said. It was a quality she definitely shared with Akira.

"Right, my bad," she said quickly. "But I think I'm starting to see the problem. You are afraid of getting serious with Akira." Goro averted his gaze. "I sort of get it. Getting rejected feels terrible, and you seem to have a lifetime of experience in that. But that's a problem."

"I know it's a problem," Goro hissed. He spent hours wrestling with his inner demons. What could Takamaki possibly know about that?!

"No, I don't think you understand," she said, pointing her teaspoon at him. "You're viewing it as your problem. But it's a much bigger problem for Akira, because right now you are refusing to take up the responsibilities of being a boyfriend. You want Akira to treat you like one, but at the same time, you aren't putting in even half the effort he does."

Goro felt as if Takamaki had just doused him with a bucket of cold water.

"What?!" he stuttered, because that wasn't the direction he expected this conversation to go.

"Sorry, but someone has to say it. You are acting like the worst kind of boyfriend, expecting Akira to give you all the emotional support while providing nothing in return. Sure, that approach might have worked while you were starting out, but it’s no basis for a long-term happy relationship. If you want the two of you to stay happily together, you need to change, Goro," she said, her voice steely.

"I'm already changing," Goro whined. All aspects of his life had transformed, to the point where he’d started to barely recognize them. He was nothing like the Goro Akechi of a year ago. So why? Why did she think he was still lacking?

"And I'm telling you precisely because it's not enough. You can't just call it a day after you got a bit better about some of your problems. There is still a lot you need to work on," she explained, as if reading his mind.

Goro did his best not to pout at those words. Judging by Takamaki's face, he still did.

"I'm…" Goro started, but quickly trailed off, realizing that all he had to offer were excuses. The problem was in fact much simpler than that. "I don't know how to even go about it. I don't remember what it's like to care about someone and have them care about you."

"That's not true," Takamaki said between the bites of her cake. She seemed to have decided that she needed more sugar to get through this conversation. "That's what you have Akira for."

"But you just said I've been doing things one-sidedly," Goro complained.

"Well, duh, just copy him. Think of all the things he did for you that made you feel nice and do the same for him," Takamaki said, pointing her fork at him. "Like that time you caught a cold. Sure, it was Akira's fault, but he still went out of his way to support you as much as he could."

Goro opened his mouth.

"That's it?" he asked, because it almost felt like there had to be a catch there.

"That's it. It was only so difficult because you kept thinking about yourself rather than Akira," Takamaki pointed out. "Once you pull your head out of your ass, it will be super easy."

Goro gritted his teeth, but he had a feeling that any response to that would be his loss. He nodded.

"I will try," he said, because he couldn't confidently say he would manage. Akira was a great caretaker, which meant he was a great role model in that regard, but also set an incredibly high bar to clear.

"Sure, let's talk again in like a month. I’ll monitor your progress during that time," Takamaki announced.

"What are you, my teacher?" Goro asked.

"Yep, your teacher on healthy human relationships!" Takamaki said proudly.

Goro winced, but there was nothing more to say. They finished their coffee and pieces of cake in silence.

As they left the cafe, Takamaki smiled at him.

"Make sure to think about it. You can consider it your homework!" she said jokingly.

Goro was sure he made a face, but Takamaki unfortunately seemed to realize that it meant he would be doing what she wanted, because she just waved happily at him as they parted.

Goro returned home almost mechanically, without really registering exactly when he boarded the train. It was only after he closed the door of his apartment behind himself that his brain seemed to restart. He stared emptily at the lonely darkness of the hallway, which felt like it was devouring him whole.

He crouched down, holding his knees as if he was desperately trying to keep himself together.

"She doesn't know anything," Goro hissed. All the frustration and powerlessness he felt during the conversation came back to him, but they felt hollow. Like imitations of emotions rather than something genuine. "Fuck her, I'm doing my best!"

But was he really?

It stung because Ann… Takamaki was right. He got so absorbed into his own problems that he hadn't really considered what Akira was going through. He just one-sidedly decided to cut off contact, and because Akira was too fucking nice to exist, he never mentioned how much he needed Goro's support right now.

"Shit!" Goro said, as he threw his scarf across the room. He buried his face in his hands, but he couldn't run away from the guilt that filled him.

It shouldn't have come as such a surprise. Goro knew he was a shitty person. He was a fucking murderer for fuck's sake. But today's conversation with Takamaki was different. It was as if she was set up to make Goro aware of a whole lot of shittiness that he had never really admitted to himself.

He wanted to deny it. He wanted to scream that it wasn't his fault, but the words didn't come out. Goro could almost feel himself choking on them, because deep down he knew it wasn't true.

He almost missed the times when he could say it was someone else's fault. It was easier back then, but at the same time, Goro never wanted to return to those days again. To those miserable days when he couldn't even own up to his own mistakes, stuck in a vicious loop of telling himself that revenge on Shido was worth any sacrifices.

It was disgusting, now that Goro thought about it, that he wanted to sacrifice even his own life to take down Shido. He used to think it was normal, but now such an idea felt wrong. Not that he didn't want revenge. He wanted it. He wanted it so much that even now the very idea made him giddy. But at the same time, he was living for more than revenge now.

Goro finally stood up, and almost stumbled since his knees felt extremely weak after he had crouched for so long. After taking off his coat, he migrated to the couch. As he stared at the ceiling, he realized that Takamaki was right about one thing: Akira was a great point of reference when it came to being supportive.

While Goro was lying in his dark room, he thought of everything that Akira did for him. All the big gestures, all the small acts of kindness—they all blended into a sickening sense that Goro didn't deserve it. A bastard like him didn't deserve even half of that.

Goro shook his head, once he realized his thoughts were straying. This wasn't about Goro; he had to stop this pity party and focus on the issue on hand.

Takamaki was right. He hadn't done nearly enough to pay back Akira.

Being an emotional support seemed daunting, and while Goro would have to cross that bridge at some point, he decided to start with something simpler. Some way to make things easier for Akira that required less effort on Goro's part.

Goro let himself reflect on the last, pretty eventful, month until an idea struck him. He pulled out his phone and quickly typed.

Goro: Sakura, I will need your help with something

*

It was the day before their heist when Goro implemented his plan.

The truck got there on time, and Goro told the man to wait a bit so he could make sure everything was in place.

Sojiro was squinting at him when Goro entered Leblanc.

"Will I finally learn what the big secret is that’s so important that I had to close my shop early?" he asked, not hiding his annoyance.

Goro felt repentant for disrupting Sojiro's business for half a second before he saw Akira walk down the stairs to see what was happening. Goro's face split into a wide smile. As nerve-wracking as the latter part of his plan would be, this was easy.

"Sorry, Sojiro. I promise it will be worth it," Sakura said from the booth she was sitting in. Morgana was next to her. Goro was glad they both agreed to give him and Akira some alone time today.

Sojiro still looked sceptical, but said nothing. Goro turned around to gesture to the workers that they could begin unloading his gift, before he moved inside, towards Akira.

"Come on, we need to prepare the space," Goro said, pulling him upstairs.

"Prepare for what, exactly?!" Sojiro shouted behind them, but Goro decided to leave placating him to Sakura. There was no point in spoiling the surprise right before the big reveal.

Goro took a critical look at the attic as he reached the top of the stairs.

"Get a broom," he said to Akira. Much to Goro's relief, Akira simply nodded. He must have realized that Goro had reasons for not saying anything yet, so he moved downstairs without asking any questions.

Goro walked toward Akira's makeshift bed and looked at it critically before taking the mattress with everything on top of it and throwing it onto the couch. This revealed the accursed crates. Goro gave them a mean glare before he stacked them on top of each other. Akira arrived with a broom and dustpan just as Goro finished moving the crates, so they would stand next to Akira's plant.

"Why are you dismantling my bed?" Akira asked, looking slightly taken aback.

"Stop complaining and get to sweeping; there's a shitton of dust where your excuse of a bed used to be," Goro grumbled.

Akira narrowed his brows as he glanced downstairs.

"Wait a moment, did you actually bring—" Akira started, but Goro flicked him in the forehead before he could finish.

"Less talking, more sweeping. I'd rather not have to pay them extra because someone was moving their mouth rather than hands," Goro said, pulling Akira towards the place where his makeshift bed used to be.

"Aren't you already paying them crazy money?" Akira asked, clearly starting to think too much. Despite that, he started to sweep with practiced motions.

"Idiot," Goro hissed. "It's not really my money."

Akira stopped sweeping as the realization dawned on him.

"I'm going to literally sleep on dirty money," he muttered.

Goro flicked him again so he would resume sweeping. Just as they finished gathering all the dust in that area, the workers arrived carrying Akira's new bed. They had some trouble maneuvering around the tight corner, but in the end, succeeded. Akira watched in awe as they set down his present.

The workers left quickly, once Goro paid them for bringing the furniture upstairs. Now it was just Goro and Akira staring at…

"This is just a couch," Akira complained. Goro whacked him.

"It's a sleeper sofa," Goro shouted, as he approached the furniture in question. "You pull here to change it into a bed."

"I see," Akira said, rubbing his head. "This is the most expensive gift I’ve ever gotten, and also the one most violently handed to me."

Goro calmly continued demonstrating how the sleeper sofa worked. "Here is the space for storing the bedding and sheets. You can also fit a body inside."

"This is a wonderful gift and I have no complaints whatsoever," Akira said very quickly. There was a moment of silence, while Goro converted the bed back into a sofa.

"So, are we going to talk about it?" Akira asked awkwardly.

"About what?" Goro said. His voice was snappier than he intended it to be. This whole situation was just too nerve-wracking. Apparently, fighting Shadows in the Metaverse was way easier than having honest conversations with someone you liked.

"That once you lay it out, this bed is big enough for two people," Akira said.

Goro was silent for a moment.

"Yes, we need to talk," he agreed as he sat down on the sofa. Akira took the cue and sat next to him.

"To answer your question, I-I'm not ready yet," Goro said, his voice wavering despite his best attempt. "Not before tomorrow."

Akira was quiet as he leaned back. He was staring at some unspecified point between the ceiling and wall.

His silence was killing Goro.

"What if I don't come back?" Akira finally asked. His voice was quiet, almost a whisper. "If the plan fails? Won't you regret it?"

Goro wasn't sure how to feel about the fact that, even in this situation, Akira was mostly concerned about Goro's well-being rather than his own. It was absurd, really.

"It would be worse," Goro admitted. "That's why I wanted to wait until after we clear Sae's Palace."

Akira slightly shifted his head.

"Why?" His voice wasn't angry or accusatory. It was just lost, as if Akira couldn't comprehend the logic behind Goro's action.

Goro found himself squeezing his hands.

"You look at it as a potential regret, but for me, it won't truly become a regret at this point. If I don't truly taste happiness, I can tell myself that I was just lying to myself. That it was a short moment of madness. That it didn't mean anything. I will be able to move on, even if it will be hard," Goro explained. It felt hard to say that. He didn't want to acknowledge the reality where Akira didn't exist. Where he would return to the days of being nothing more than an unlovable bastard child with no future.

Such a world would be just too cold, however…

"What would happen if you tasted it?" Akira asked. His hand moved to gently embrace Goro's hand. Even though Goro's hand was gloved, the contact felt almost painful.

"If that happened, I don't think I could stand living in a world without you," Goro admitted, averting his eyes. "Everything I’ve ever loved was taken away from me and it was my fault. So if I admit to myself that this is more than just my hormones going out of control… if I let you truly steal my heart and you disappear… It will mean that I'm truly cursed… to never…"

Words seemed to be stuck in Goro's throat. It felt as if anxiety was choking him.

He didn't want to voice his fears. It felt as if he was tempting fate with each word.

He shouldn't have admitted to Akira that he was cursed. He was supposed to be cheering up Akira, but instead Goro was making everything worse. Once again, he was burdening Akira with his own anxieties.

Goro tried to stand up, fueled by panic, but Akira was faster. His hand clenched on Goro's wrist and pulled him. Goro lost his balance, falling on top of the sofa and Akira.

There wasn't much noise, other than a surprised yelp Goro made. Maybe it was for the best, because if anyone walked upstairs, they would find Akira and Goro in a somewhat compromising position.

Goro was so surprised, he was struggling to figure out just how he managed to pin Akira to the sofa. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he did figure out that when Akira pulled on his hand to stop him from leaving, he must have slightly raised from the sofa himself. And then when Goro started to fall on top of him, they both ended up falling diagonally, so rather than hitting the backrest, they both slid down and ended up lying horizontally on the sofa. Goro's reflexes made him stop the fall enough not to end up completely on top of Akira, but the proximity was still too much. Goro was struggling to comprehend what to do next, caught between wanting to escape and stay.

Akira's hands slowly raised upwards. To Goro, it felt as if it was happening in slow motion.

He should escape. Before it was too late, before…

The hands wrapped around Goro's back, slowly but surely.

...he was trapped.

It was too much. Just like the last time, Goro could feel his judgement fail him. His doubts and resistance were being slowly melted away by Akira's warmth.

The hands tightened, forcing Goro to close the distance between them. It was a surprisingly selfish move from Akira, but that just made Goro even more light-headed. Knowing that Akira wanted him so much he was willing to completely disregard Goro's wishes made Goro grin in delight. He wanted to see more of that possessiveness.

Akira was silently promising to make him feel truly wanted.

Goro's resistance faded as he let himself be pulled downwards. Maybe it was pointless to fight from the beginning. Goro could feel Akira gently guide him as he descended downwards. His head slowly moved closer to Akira's, before…

...he found himself lying on top of Akira's shoulder, his head neatly fitted between Akira's neck and the backrest of the sofa.

"Please calm down. It's all right," Akira said, while gently rubbing Goro's back.

Goro felt confused, before reaching the point of absolute mortification at his horny expectations.

Of course Akira wouldn't just coax him into having a makeout after Goro explicitly said he didn't want that. Akira was too damn kind for that. It was both his greatest and most infuriating quality and Goro was a fool to doubt it for even a second.

"Honestly, I don't really get what you are saying about the curse, but just having you right beside me is making me feel braver," Akira whispered gently. "I'm glad you are the one who will save me."

Goro was glad Akira couldn't see his face, because he knew it was painfully scrunched.

"How… can you say that…"

Goro could tell Akira was smiling even without seeing his face.

"Because you are always saving me. And I don't mean just the burger incident. It's just… when you are by my side, it feels like I won't be lost," Akira admitted. His hold on Goro tightened a bit. "Ever since I came to Tokyo, there have been so many people who didn't see me. They would just see a delinquent transfer student. Ann and Ryuji tried, but even then, I could tell it didn't go all the way. Like, I don't blame them, they are great friends, but I guess there was a part of me that wanted more than that. And Yusuke can't focus on anything that isn't food or art for more than five minutes, so it was doomed from the beginning. But then we met, and back then on the stage when we argued about the Phantom Thieves… It's hard to describe, but it was the first time when it felt like someone was truly looking at me. And not just looking at parts they either liked or hated. No, in that moment, for the first time, I understood how all those Shadows felt when I ambushed them and then tried to rip off their mask. It was terrifying, but also so tempting. After all, if someone tore off my mask, I would know what's underneath. What I'm truly like."

"Mirrors are a thing," Goro muttered, but there was no bite in his comment.

"You know that’s not what I mean," Akira scolded him gently. "After all, you felt the same way, didn't you?"

Goro said nothing, because it would be redundant to do so when Akira had already seen through him. Akira's hand moved upwards, until it rested on top of Goro's head, as if ready to tear off a metaphorical mask. It felt like both a threat and a romantic gesture, and Goro sure didn't care about a distinction.

Goro blindly moved his hand, until he managed to reciprocate by settling his hand against Akira's cheek.

"I guess it’s a stalemate," Akira said, pretending to be torn about it.

"If you want, I can break it," Goro said, as his hand softly caressed Akira's cheek.

"Ooohhhh? What did you have in mind?" Akira asked. Goro could feel the excitement reverberating through Akira, almost like a cat's purr.

Goro slightly raised his head so he could see Akira's expression out of the corner of his eye.

"It's not exactly how I imagined it, but I want to tell you why I want to destroy Shido," Goro explained.

"Oh, you and your pillow talk," Akira quipped.

"I can and will smother you with one if you try to make that joke again," Goro threatened, letting himself once more fall into the crook of Akira's neck.

"I'm kidding. I know it's important to you," Akira said, trying to placate Goro. "I just didn't think you would tell me so early."

"If I wait for too long, Okumura will spoil it for me, since she did some investigating and figured it out on her own," Goro admitted, not hiding his bitterness. Then he sighed. "I did want to tell you, it's just… I guess a part of me was afraid."

Akira gently rubbed his back.

"I won't hate you over your tragic backstory," Akira assured Goro. "I mean, I have the dumbest one out of everyone. Like, half the team has at least one dead parent, and mine just never call, because some drunk dude fell down onto the pavement and then sued me for that."

Akira paused for a moment. Goro had a feeling he was thinking about something.

"Actually, scratch that. I think the majority of our team is missing both their biological parents," he added quickly. "Especially if we add you."

"Well, about that. I don't technically count," Goro said, deciding that he should stop putting off his confession.

"What do you mean?"

"My father is still alive, he just didn't want to stick around when he heard he got my mother pregnant. Rather than wasting time on some useless family, he decided to make it big. Even now, he's unfortunately still alive, probably getting drunk, falling on the pavement, and suing someone as we speak."

Goro didn't need to see him to know that Akira had connected the dots.

"Wow, and I thought I had it bad with my parents not calling me," Akira said. He was silent for a moment. "This explains way too many things."

"Why I'm such a dick, among other things," Goro supplied, because somehow it was hard to keep his mouth shut now that he had admitted his connection to Shido.

"No!" Akira said quickly. "I mean, it's not like you aren't a dick. But it's like… a different dick energy? Like, you’re a dick because life was hard for you and Shido's a dick because he's a dickhead who values money more than people."

"I think you should abandon your dick analogies," Goro suggested helpfully.

"You are right, I should only mention analogies that show the grandeur of mine," Akira agreed.

Goro wondered if he should put the effort into raising his head to glare at Akira, but quickly realized it wasn't worth it. If anything, he should probably praise Akira on expanding his vocabulary, though Goro was pretty sure Akira was just parroting words Goro had used recently.

"So uhhh… that's why I've been anxious. I'm the bastard son of the biggest dick in Tokyo, who also happened to ruin your life. Not exactly the kind of predestined connection you would wish on someone," Goro said, because he wanted to know what Akira truly thought about him now. He knew why Akira was choosing to deflect this topic with his usual antics, but Goro didn't want that. He might have acted confident when he discussed this with Okumura, but now that it was happening, the anxiety Goro was feeling was overwhelming.

"Really? You are insufferable, prideful, violent, self-centered, and think Black is the coolest character in Featherman, and somehow you believe that your daddy being the biggest dick in Tokyo will be what makes me decide not to hook up with you?"

"Never use that word again to describe him," Goro said harshly, because the very thought was mortifying. However, he couldn't help feeling relieved at his response.

When Akira put it that way, Goro realized his anxieties might have been unwarranted, though he didn't realize Akira considered him that high-maintenance.

Takamaki might have been right about Goro having to step up his game.

"Also, Morgana is starting to like you more than me and that is truly unforgivable. Soon I will have no choice but to get together with you just so I can stay with my cat," Akira added, clearly not done with listing Goro's flaws.

"That was my master plan all along."

"No wonder you buy him sushi each time he visits," Akira muttered. "I've been a fool not to see through your devious machinations sooner."

Goro didn't reply. It was nice that Akira was once more giving him an easy way out of this conversation, but Goro realized he should continue.

Nothing would truly start if he kept running away from things that scared him. Neither of them would ever truly learn what lies underneath their masks. And Goro…

Goro couldn't stand the idea of giving up on that.

He wasn't sure if that feeling could be described as love. It was probably too twisted for that, but Goro didn't care. Right now it was the most important feeling to him. It was an emotion he couldn't ignore, just like he couldn't ignore the hatred he had for his father. That hatred hadn't disappeared, of course, but Goro could tell it was taking a backseat more and more often when confronted with this new emotion.

Goro found himself pushing up against Akira's hold. Akira didn't try to fight him and let Goro raise himself onto his knees, so he could look straight at Akira's face. Goro let himself indulge a bit, as he stared at Akira's disheveled hair, slightly parted lips and questioning gaze hiding behind the fake glasses. Goro felt his resolve strengthen at the sight.

Yes, Akira had agreed to stay by his side and it was time for Goro to repay that trust.

Goro was quiet for a moment as he tried to sort his thoughts and find the best point to begin.

"I was a few years old when I saw him for the first time. Me and my mom were watching TV, and suddenly my mom said that the man with sharp features was my father. It was more than ten years ago, so Shido didn't have as strong a position as he has now. He was just one of many politicians shown during some sort of event. And it was so strange, because until then I didn't even know I had a father. I knew, of course, that there was usually a mom and dad. However, mother never mentioned anyone, so I just assumed there wasn't a father for me. And against all my childish assumptions, there he was. Being shown on TV."

"That must have been a shock," Akira muttered.

"It was, and unfortunately as a child I had no understanding of what it meant, so I ended up asking my mother a question I would end up regretting... " Goro paused, because even now he still remembered that moment. The stretching silence that would then be filled with the painful sobs of his mother. "I asked her why my father wasn't there with us."

Akira didn't say anything, patiently waiting for Goro to continue.

"After that day, things got worse. Maybe they were already bad and I just didn't notice before then, because my mother was good at putting up a strong front. She always seemed so strong and collected… until she suddenly wasn't. I didn't understand what was happening, but even I could tell that she was withering. She started to drink. Our food and clothes became cheaper and cheaper… And then one day when I was about to go out to play a bit, my mother came to me. She hugged me, which surprised me, because she hadn't done it in a long time. I remember being bewildered, mostly because I could tell she wasn't sober at that moment. And then she leaned forward and whispered into my ear, It's your fault… You cursed child…"

Goro fell silent, internally reliving that moment. He could almost feel the stench of alcohol clinging to his mother, the much-too-tight hold of her bony hands, and her raspy whisper that seemed to stab through him like a knife.

He sighed, aware that there was no way to make his next words feel any less crushing.

"I remember feeling a bit scared to return home after my mother's goodbye on that day. I spent as much time as I could outside, but I had to return once it started to get dark. When I came back the door was unlocked. I remember wondering if my mother once more forgot to close them, but then I walked inside and found it. My mother's corpse. She had committed suicide. At first I was in denial, but once I touched her cold body I immediately understood—she was dead and it was my fault. Mine and that person who was said to be my father."

Goro could see the pain in Akira's eyes. He was too kind for his own good, but he deserved to know the truth.

"I don't remember much of what happened later. It's all a blur. I think a neighbour found me crying. The police came, and at some point I ended up transported to an orphanage."

There was silence, as Goro realized there wasn't really anything more he wanted to say. He could talk about how, many years later, he suddenly gained his Persona powers and came in contact with Shido, but that was a much less important story.

"Anyway, now you know why I was doing this," Goro added, slightly awkwardly. Why killing you felt worth it remained unsaid, but Goro knew Akira understood.

Tears were slowly starting to pool in Akira's eyes. Goro was close enough that he could easily track them. He reached forward with one of his hands and gently pulled off Akira's glasses and placed them on top of the backrest. Akira didn't really need them anyway.

That seemed to only make Akira tear up faster. His face scrunched as he reached to grab Goro's shirt.

"This is too unfair," Akira whispered. His voice was pained.

"That's just how life is," Goro said back. There was no usual bitterness or sarcasm in his voice. Just resignation.

"It's not just that… you just recounted one of your most painful memories and yet I'm the only one crying," Akira muttered, as tears rolled down his cheeks.

Goro opened his mouth, but quickly closed it. Akira was probably right. Most people would probably cry when talking about something like this, but even though Goro had been recently exceeding his bawling quota, no tears were coming to him right now.

"Why?" Akira demanded, quietly. His hand kept clinging to Goro's shirt in desperation. "Why am I the only one?"

Goro sighed as he leaned slightly forward.

"I ran out of tears for my mother a long time ago," he muttered. "After all, I'm the one who killed her. I don't deserve to mourn her."

His words just seemed to make Akira more upset.

"That's not true," Akira hissed. His hand was shaking so much, Goro wasn't sure his shirt wouldn't get torn. "You didn't kill her... It was all your father's fault… You are…"

However, Goro shook his head.

"Even if I wasn't back then, I am now," he said decisively. This was something Akira should never ever forget. "My hands are stained with the blood of more victims now."

"That's…"

"Of course I'm going to avoid any unnecessary killings from now on. It's not like I ever did it for fun. It was all about my revenge and survival," Goro specified, because he didn't want Akira to get some mistaken ideas. Sure, Goro loved violence, and brutalizing Shadows was probably one of his favourite pastimes, but he derived no actual pleasure from permanently ending someone's life. There was maybe some dark satisfaction when it was an actual criminal who deserved punishment. Goro sure wasn't losing any sleep over Kunikazu Okumura. No matter how much his daughter loved him, he was an asshole who ruined countless lives.

However, people like Kobayakawa who weren't completely rotten left a bad aftertaste in Goro's mouth. Sure, he was a scum, and the world was probably a better place now that he was gone, but some part of Goro couldn't accept it as true justice.

He might have also held some twisted feelings about killing Akira in the past, but they were nothing more than a cursed offspring of the feelings of powerlessness and denial he used to experience when interacting with him. He used to foolishly believe that killing Akira would make those feelings go away, as though he was a root cause of a disease plaguing Goro.

"Goro," Akira pleaded, as though wanting him to stop, but Goro wouldn't. It would go against his justice if he ever let himself forget.

"You should never forget, Akira," Goro whispered, as his hand cupped Akira's cheek. He slowly swiped his thumb under Akira's eye to wipe some of the tears away. "That these are sullied hands. And I want you to remember that when I embrace you with them."

Goro could see the denial on Akira's face, but no words came out of his mouth, as it hung open in anger. Goro could feel himself smiling thinly at that.

They were both extremely unfair right now.

Akira clicked his tongue, and suddenly Goro found himself yanked down as Akira pulled hard on his shirt. Goro was now eye to eye with Akira. They were so close they could kiss; however, Akira's eyes were filled with righteous anger.

"Then make up for it! Save someone for every person you killed! Save even more people if you think that's not enough! But above all else, save me!" Akira shouted. Tears once more filled his eyes. When he spoke his next words, his voice was quiet once more. "You’ve already saved me so many times… I don't want you to talk about yourself like you are some sort of irredeemable evil. You were always there to save me. To pick me up when I needed it. So this time, you need to come and save me, too!"

Goro wasn't sure what to think of Akira's words. He hadn't seen him so emotional since their confrontation in Mementos.

"It's not that easy," Goro muttered. He knew that better than anyone else. "Human lives aren't that cheap."

"If you ask Shido or any of his associates, they will probably tell you that my life is the cheapest of them all. How many people do you think would find me worth saving? I keep fighting because I want to prove that I mean something. That no matter what society thinks, I can change the world and help people. But it's hard… so very hard…" A few more stray tears fell down his cheeks. Akira looked just tired and lonely at that moment. Like a teenager shouldering a burden too big for one person. "I need someone to save me, too. And you are the only person who can."

Goro was quiet for a moment as he thought about Akira's words. And as he looked straight into his tear-filled eyes, he came to a decision.

He leaned forward and gently kissed the tears from Akira's eyes. Akira was still, his face frozen in bewilderment.

"I promise I will save you," Goro said. Somehow the words were easier to say than he thought. Even though he was planning to save Akira, he had been afraid to make a promise like this. He had been so afraid of failure, of acknowledging that Akira was dear to him, that he didn't want to make a binding vow.

But now he did. For the first time since he was a child, he openly chose to save someone.

Goro couldn't quite describe the emotion that seemed to overflow inside of him—it felt nostalgic, but at the same time fresh, like something that he had only just discovered. It tasted like—

—he only realized that Akira had kissed him the moment the contact broke and Akira let himself fall down onto the sofa. It must have been short, just a peck, but Goro still found himself dazed.

"For good luck," Akira said with a wink. "I guess you will have to keep your word if you want to truly taste it."

Goro almost chuckled at how Akira threw his own words back at him. He let himself fall back and sit on his knees, while covering his face with his left hand. Meanwhile, Akira pushed himself up to sit straight and took the glasses off the backrest. Goro watched as he once more put them on his face.

It would still be some time before they managed to completely tear each other's masks away.

"I should go," Goro said, as he stood up. "We will see each other tomorrow."

"Yeah," Akira said. His voice was a bit distant, as though he was caught up in his own thoughts. "I’ll be counting on you."

Goro walked down to realize only Morgana was there.

"Where's everyone else?" Goro asked.

"They left a moment ago," he said. "Futaba got bored, since apparently there was no action happening, and asked for early supper."

"I see," Goro said. Maybe it was for the better. Goro didn't feel like explaining himself to either Sakura nor Sojiro. He'd rather put that off until after Akira was saved. "You should give Akira a moment."

"Yeah, he wasn't exactly crying quietly," Morgana said. When Goro gave him a look, Morgana sighed. "Don't worry. I have more experience when it comes to managing Akira's emotional health than you think."

"I guess," Goro muttered, realizing Morgana was right. Despite that, he found himself saying, "Make sure to stay by his side today. He could probably use some company."

"You could also use some," Morgana pointed out.

"What?" Goro asked, confused.

"Company. You look very anxious," Morgana clarified.

Goro hadn’t expected the conversation to go in this direction.

"It's all right. Akira needs it more than me," he said after a pause, as he started to move towards the door. "I'm just reaping what I sow."

"You of all people should know that this isn't how justice works," Morgana said, as Goro was about to open the door.

He was quiet for a moment.

"And you know as well as I do that if justice worked as intended, none of us would be here," Goro said, closing the door behind him to make sure Morgana would be unable to reply.

The darkened streets of Yongen-Jaya felt like a different world. Even though it was still some time until the evening, the sun had already set, plunging the world into darkness. Goro found the night calming. In the darkness it would be harder for people to recognize him. In the darkness nobody would be able to see his expression.

Goro slowly moved away from Leblanc. Now that he had left, he found himself drowning in the memories of his conversation with Akira. He had never opened himself up to anyone to this extent, and he felt light-headed at the very thought. Not to mention the memory of Akira's angry crying that Goro kept replaying in his mind. There was something about that he just—

Suddenly, someone pulled Goro by the hand. He stumbled forward, pulled into one of the narrow streets of Yongen-Jaya. Someone much taller stood before Goro, and for a second he was ready to use every dirty move to fight against the opponent.

And then his eyes got slightly more accustomed to the darkness of the alleyway and he realized it was none other than Sojiro Sakura.

Goro immediately found himself relaxing. Despite the deep frown the man was giving him, Goro knew he had nothing to fear from him. Sojiro might act stern sometimes, but Goro could easily tell he was soft. In a way, he was the opposite of Haru Okumura, whose soft exterior hid steely determination.

As someone who had committed murder, Goro could tell Sojiro Sakura didn't have the resolve necessary to kill someone.

"Why was he crying?" Sojiro asked, deciding to skip pleasantries in favour of getting the answers he wanted. Goro almost laughed at his question.

"He's stressed out. If neither of them explained to you what is going to happen tomorrow, then it really isn't my place to do so," Goro replied, acting flippant. It was nice that, for once, the confrontation he was having wasn't a matter of life or death, or required some deep emotional retrospection out of him.

"That doesn't answer my question!" Sojiro hissed, but Goro wasn't phased by his intimidation tactics.

"What I talked about is between me and Akira," Goro said, his voice dropping into one he often used as Black Mask. "He's the one who started to cry on his own. If I did want to make him cry, I would make sure nobody was in earshot."

Goro could see the disapproving look on Sojiro's face. Maybe he was overdoing it, but it was nice that he was the one truly in control of the conversation. It'd been far too long since that was the case.

"If you hurt Akira, I will—" Sojiro started, but Goro interrupted him.

"I already did," Goro clarified. "I hurt him and I will keep hurting him. That's the kind of person I am. And he knew it would happen. He's not an idiot. He knew very well there probably wouldn't be a happy ending if he continued with his choices. So I'd rather you didn't act like this is so simple. We both made our choices and now have to live with the consequences," Goro said, looking straight into Sojiro's eyes.

Sojiro seemed to falter, probably not expecting that type of reply.

"That's…"

"You should focus on taking care of those two," Goro said, as he pushed past Sojiro. Sojiro didn't try to stop him. "They have way more resolve than you. They both decided to accept me to achieve their goals, so there's no point to these theatrics. You are free to hate me, but I'd rather you didn't get in their way. They are trying to achieve something big and I'm going to see where it takes them until the very end."

Goro moved forward, away from the secluded alleyway. He didn't turn back to look at Sojiro.

He understood the feelings of powerlessness and regret Sojiro carried far better than he realized.

*

"Is everyone ready?" Akira asked before he activated the Metaverse app.

Nobody replied. It was probably because nobody felt truly prepared for what was to come.

Akira activated the app despite that, making them all plunge into the cognitive world. Goro couldn't help feeling impressed by Akira's composure. It was as though all the desperation he had displayed yesterday was nothing but a dream.

"Our team for this fight will be me, Crow, Queen and Mona," Akira said. They had already confirmed their formation for this fight during one of the earlier meetings, but the confident way in which Akira announced it helped to strengthen their team's morale.

There were very few Shadows on the way to the Treasure Room, so they slipped past them without any problems. It was obvious that Niijima was vibrating with nervous energy. It wasn't surprising, considering they would be going against her older sister. Goro couldn't imagine how it would feel to have to fight against your family without a burning hatred fueling your resolve.

The elevator ride was tense. Goro tried to avoid looking at anyone. Right before coming, he had made the phone call where he confirmed that everything was on schedule.

Even though he knew he would be saving Akira later, having to actively betray the team still made him feel torn.

It was for that reason that, when their group entered the Treasure Room to find no actual Treasure inside, Goro lost a bit of his composure.

"Where the hell is the Treasure, you bitch?!" he screamed. His shout ended up echoing through the chamber.

"Please don't talk like that about my sister," Niijima said, her voice revealing she was also close to losing her composure.

"Shadow Sae is only like half of your sister at best. And it's the cranky half before she gets her morning coffee," Goro argued back.

Niijima made a face, which clearly suggested that as much as she wanted to, she couldn't defend the cranky, pre-caffeinated part of Sae.

"Let me compliment you for getting this far—" Shadow Sae's voice flew through the speaker. However, Goro didn't let her finish.

"Where's the fucking treasure?!"

As if answering him, the round door in the shape of a roulette wheel opened upstairs. Goro didn't like the fact that Sae was choosing the place of their battle.

"Let's go!" Akira said, urging everyone forward. There turned out to be one more elevator ride waiting for them.

"She's probably waiting for us," Morgana said.

"Everyone, get ready," Akira ordered.

"Sis…" Niijima muttered as the elevator doors closed.

The elevator disappeared as soon as their group stepped out of it. Goro blinked as he realized that the room they were standing in was also shaped similarly to the roulette wheel. Shadow Sae was starting to be really monotonous with her interior design choices.

A giant monitor flashed, revealing a quite-elated Shadow Sae.

"Are you done with your fucking games?" Goro asked, because he had enough stress even without having to confront his coworker's dark side.

It was so damn much more annoying when you didn't want the Shadow dead.

"Oh, you think you have me cornered? How naive. I only guided you to a suitable place where I can fight to my heart's content," Shadow Sae explained with a satisfied smirk.

Goro almost wanted to laugh. Shadow Sae still believed herself to be the ruler of the casino, without even realizing she was just a small piece in a much bigger betting game. Goro used to think it was pitiful. Now he just found it sad.

"When my father died in the line of duty, I hated his killer from the bottom of my heart. Dying to uphold justice sounds virtuous, but the ones left behind have to clean up the mess! Can you imagine the hardships I had to endure?!"

Goro felt cold as he listened, not because anything that was being said here was new to him, but because it wasn't.

"And here I thought you were a more noble person," Goro muttered, despite himself.

"She's clearly lost control…" Sakura muttered next to him.

"Justice cannot yield to evil! I must win no matter what!" Shadow Sae announced.

Goro wanted to puke. Sae's blind self-righteousness was nauseating in a different way from other Palace owners.

No, it was revolting, because it hit too close to home.

"Now let's determine which one of us is just through battle. Let's begin!"

As Shadow Sae snapped her fingers, the floorboards around them started to move. Goro watched in confusion, but a second later he understood.

The floor wasn't made to look like a roulette wheel—the floor was a roulette wheel.

"Oh fuck, no," Goro muttered, realizing exactly what that meant.

"A clash of brute strength is simply uncalled for on this stage," Shadow Sae said, as she finally appeared before them in person.

"No more coins or games! We ain't following your rules!" Sakamoto shouted, and while Goro certainly shared the sentiment, he knew it wouldn't be so easy.

It was never that easy.

"Oh, you will," Shadow Sae said with the self-assuredness of a true Palace ruler. "There is no room for negotiation."

She seemed to flicker, as her true form became visible for a second. Everybody instinctively took a step back, feeling the power she exuded.

"Come at me!" she taunted them. She cut a powerful and tall figure.

Goro could see Niijima cower. It was probably hard for her to go so openly against her sister.

Goro considered doing something. He had originally planned to act supportive towards her in order to lower the Phantom Thieves’ guard right before the moment of betrayal. However, everything had been turned on its head. Goro wasn't betraying the Phantom Thieves, but at the same time, he no longer needed to pretend to be a perfect detective prince. Even now he was wearing his Black Mask outfit, openly displaying his hatred against the world. As such, he didn't need to act nice towards Niijima or anybody else, he simply needed to fulfill the base requirement of teamwork expected of him. He didn't need to act like they were actual buddies.

They definitely weren't friends. Even now he was finding Niijima hard to stand. Her holier-than-thou attitude grated on his nerves consistently, and the way she kept believing in her values despite everything just made her even more insufferable.

But he could understand her feelings right now. As someone who would soon have to aim his gun at someone he had feelings for, he understood her fear and hesitation.

She was still annoying as all hell, but seeing her second guess herself was even more frustrating.

"Stop shaking in your boots, Queen," he said. It came more sharply than he intended, but it had the desired effect of getting Niijima's attention. Goro then added in a more measured tone, "You came here to save her, didn't you?"

Niijima gave him a look, as if she doubted her ears for a moment, before nodding.

"I don't need you to tell me something so obvious!" she proclaimed, sounding much more like her usual self.

"Focus! She's planning something!" Akira shouted, as their party got in formation. Most of the other Thieves had already scattered, so as to not get in the way. The space inside the roulette wheel was limited. If they all tried to fight at the same time, they would be more likely to hit each other than the enemy. Not to mention it was easier for Akira to direct a smaller team.

"Let's do this fair and square," Shadow Sae said as she snapped her fingers. Immediately, the roulette started to spin around them. "We will play the game of roulette. The stakes will be… our lives."

Goro sure didn't like the sound of that. He gripped his sword tighter as he prepared for an attack. Shadow Sae smirked at them, as though she had foreseen this.

"Of course, acts of violence are forbidden. One must follow the rules," she explained mockingly.

Goro wished nothing more than to charge at her, but he knew better.

"Everyone stay in place. We will defend for now. Queen and Mona, focus on healing," Akira said. Everyone nodded.

Surprisingly, Shadow Sae didn't immediately break her own rules by attacking them. Niijima put a defensive buff on the team, while Akira raised everyone's evasion. Goro kept expecting an attack, but none came.

"Now you will predict which pocket the ball will fall into," Shadow Sae announced, at the exact moment when the inaction started to feel absolutely unbearable for Goro. "Choose where you will place the bet!"

Goro could see hesitation on Akira's face, but Morgana was by his side ready to provide some suggestions.

"We should go along with it for now," Morgana suggested in a hushed voice. "Let's focus on finding out how she cheats."

Akira nodded, before turning towards Shadow Sae. "Red."

It was a low and safe bet, which made sense given that they were testing the waters. Goro watched intently as the ball slowed down before landing on…

They all hunched, as Shadow Sae sapped their strength the second the ball landed on a black tile. The cheerful tune that played only added insult to the injury. However, that hadn't stopped Goro from noticing what had happened.

"Uhhh, we lost. Have you figured out anything?" Morgana asked.

It wasn't surprising that he missed it. Mona's point of view was much lower than theirs, so he would have trouble noticing this particular trick.

"There's a glass lid," Goro and Akira said at the same time. They then glanced at each other, slightly taken aback by how in-sync they were.

"I see… so that's why it felt like the ball floated for a second there," Morgana muttered to himself. Even if he was unable to see the light reflecting off the glass, he had still noticed that something was off. It was impressive; however, Goro found himself focusing on something else.

"How dare she," he hissed, glaring at Shadow Sae, who was smirking at them in satisfaction.

"Okay, so it seems the best plan would be to snipe that glass lid when it appears," Sakura chimed in. Akira nodded.

"Are you up for it, Crow?" he asked.

Goro smirked.

"You just want me off here since I can't stand these fucking games. But you are right. I'm very much in the mood for ruining someone's day," he confirmed with glee.

He jumped out of the roulette wheel and ran off before Akira could change his mind. He almost expected Shadow Sae to try to punish him for that, but she didn't seem to care. Maybe she suspected that he was trying to run away from the battle.

If that was the case, she would soon experience a very nasty surprise.

"Let's play fair and square!" Shadow Sae announced with a maniacal glee. Goro glanced at the giant screen behind her. It seemed that this time she was aiming for their money.

Goro could swear he heard Kitagawa sighing oh, no very dramatically.

However, Goro had his own mission to focus on, as he stealthily moved towards the spot that would give him the best vantage point.

"It seems what we bet changes every time," Sakura mused, before making a frustrated noise. "Oh, stop being so dramatic, Fox. Even if we lose money now, we can always threaten some Shadows in Mementos later to make up for what we lost. I bet Crow is even better at extortion than Joker. Speaking of which, Crow's in position. You can place your bet, Joker!"

This time Akira didn't bet on color. It seemed that he really trusted his luck and Goro. And both came through, as Goro shattered the glass in one precise shot, letting the ball settle in a winning spot.

A cheerful victory tune played out and money literally fell down onto the floor, as though Shadow Sae had been hiding it inside her skimpy outfit all along. The cognitive world was weird like that when it came to visualizing things. Goro had stopped questioning where the hell Shadows kept their money and items long ago.

Shadow Sae fell to the floor, more from the shock than any actual damage. Not that the damage wouldn't soon follow, because as soon as Goro jumped down, their formation was complete.

"All-Out Attack!" Joker ordered.

Honestly, it was probably the most chaotic and yet strangely effective move the Phantom Thieves had discovered. The main idea behind it was to alternate their attacks so that they would hit the enemy, but not each other. In practice, however, it was just a rapid slugfest where everyone kept trying to out-do each other in terms of how much damage they could deal to the enemy.

Goro had to admit to himself he kinda loved it—if all teamwork involved indiscriminate slaughter of this kind he might have found it in himself to actually work with other people. But no, when people mentioned teamwork it always involved him doing boring school projects alone, because none of his classmates could be assed to do their share.

But this, this was what teamwork should have been like. Goro smirked as they all backed down, making sure to look as cool as possible and hide the fact that they were all out of breath. Joker was, as always, incredible at masking it, and Goro found himself putting extra effort into making sure that he also looked completely unaffected.

"What was that about fair and square?! You cheater!" Sakura trash-talked the boss since she was the only one who didn't need to catch her breath. "You coward! What're you so quiet for?! Say something!"

Did Sakura play FPS games? Goro doubted it, but she did sound like a natural. Or maybe she had been spending too much time with Goro, and soon he would receive a formal complaint from Sojiro over corrupting his daughter. Though, Goro strongly suspected she didn't need his help in that regard, given what her computer probably contained.

"Shut up! SHUT UP!" Shadow Sae screeched. Her voice resonated through the room making everyone instinctively raise their guard.

And they were right to be careful, because a second later her silhouette got distorted as all the shadows from the room rushed toward her, enveloping her crumpled form. When they dispersed, Shadow Sae no longer looked human. She was a huge, metal-clad monster with a giant greatsword, a machine gun for an arm, and…

"She… She has nipple spikes?!" Sakura exclaimed, apparently deciding to focus on the very feature Goro was trying to ignore the most.

"Can… Can we please pretend they aren't there," Niijima asked weakly. "I… I can't believe this is my sister's true form…"

Goro decided to be accomodating and not voice the fact that the similarities to pre-caffeinated Sae were definitely there. Minus the damn spikes.

"Cheating?! Unfair?! How dare you?" Shadow Sae screeched. Even her voice sounded less human now. "If you want a fair fight, I will give you one! I will crush you by force. Fair and square, just as you like!"

Shadow Sae didn't waste time, rushing straight at Niijima. Goro could only watch as Niijima braced for impact, only to fly backwards from the sheer power behind Shadow Sae's greatsword.

Akira immediately lunged toward her, but Shadow Sae simply blocked his attack with her machine gun arm acting as a shield. Goro used that opening to pull out his gun and shoot at her. It didn't hurt her too much. Guns were rarely effective against stronger Shadows, but Goro's attack did serve its purpose as a distraction. Akira safely disengaged, while Morgana used those few seconds to heal Niijima.

"Me and Crow will focus on offence. Queen and Mona, support us, but don't hesitate to throw a few punches if there's an opening," Akira shouted, having quickly ascertained the situation.

Everyone nodded. That did seem like the best strategy. Shadow Sae was deceptively fast despite her hulking form, so she could hit hard and quickly. However, that probably also meant that she wouldn't be able to take a lot of hits. Shadows were born from the imbalance in humans, which meant they were unable to be balanced themselves. It was especially visible in combat against more developed Shadows. They would always be lacking something, as if doomed to never obtain the perfection they sought.

It could be viewed as tragic, though Goro chose to view it as extremely convenient.

Akira and Goro moved simultaneously, aiming to attack from different directions. Shadow Sae looked between them before aiming at Goro with her machine gun. Goro was forced to swerve in order to avoid the rain of bullets. Of course, Akira immediately used that opening to attack with a flurry of slashes. Shadow Sae swatted him away like a fly with her greatsword, but a second later, Morgana came rolling like the world's deadliest cannonball, tearing into Shadow Sae like a buzzsaw.

Shadow Sae must have really felt that one, because she moved her machine gun arm to aim at Morgana, who had already flown beyond her, but had yet to stop spinning.

"Oh no you don't," Goro hissed. "Maragion!"

The heat attack proved effective, momentarily overheating Shadow Sae's machine gun and forcing her to stop firing the bullets. It gave Morgana enough time to safely land and scurry away.

"Nice teamwork!" Sakura cheered. "You’re doing consistent damage. If you keep at it we should take her down easily."

"Easier said than done," Morgana commented. "Her range is frightening."

Goro had to agree. They were only doing so well due to advantage in numbers, which allowed them to spread Shadow Sae's attacks. Even Goro would struggle if he was forced to fight her alone, due to the sheer onslaught she could unleash.

"Hypocrites!" Shadow Sae roared. Goro suspected she was stalling, waiting for her machine gun to cool down. "You don't care what methods you use as long as you win! You are the same as me! You're controlling the hearts of others to achieve your own goals!"

"We don't do it for ourselves! It's all for the sake of helping people who are suffering!" Niijima shouted, immediately falling for the enemy's ploy. Akira used the moment to discreetly drink some medicine.

Goro moved forward before Shadow Sae resumed her offensive, forcing her to block a slash of his lightsaber. Morgana followed his lead and pelted the enemy with projectiles using his slingshot. Goro used that distraction to disengage, and Akira immediately jumped into the spot where Goro was just a moment ago, slashing at Shadow Sae, who had let her guard down. She roared and erratically moved her machine gun arm. Her shots scattered, hitting no one, but she succeeded in forcing the Phantom Thieves to move away from her.

"I will win!" Shadow Sae roared as her machine gun arm made alarming whirling sounds. "Justice is on the victor's side!"

"You will eat those words," Goro assured her, and immediately found himself dodging the bullets. Luckily, Niijima made herself useful by opening fire on Shadow Sae to draw her attention. Akira and Morgana used that opening to fire magical attacks at her. The resulting clash of fire and wind spells momentarily blinded the opponent.

Goro decided to take the chance for a more risky attack. He jumped on top of the elevated edge of the roulette wheel and then even higher into the air.

"I just need to win…" Shadow Sae said, her voice audibly weaker. "As long as I can win… that's all that matters…"

Goro smirked to himself as he shouted, "Laevateinn!"

Loki immediately manifested above him with a burning sword in his hands. Time seemed to slow down as Shadow Sae raised her head to see the giant flaming sword and Goro with a maniacal smile falling straight towards her.

And then her metal mask seemed to smirk back at him.

"Roulette Time!" she announced, right before the flaming sword hit her.

Goro didn't have time to swear, because the penalty kicked in immediately. A powerful knockback sent him flying across the arena until he hit the wall. He fell down onto the floor and quickly tried to get up, but his legs wouldn't move as he wanted. He could barely crawl right now and his vision was imparied.

There were frantic shouts and commotion, but it felt like they were all coming from far away.

Someone pulled Goro by his legs. He wanted to fight back, but wasn't in the shape to do so. A moment later, they stopped and hovered above him.

"Diarama!" A familiar voice muttered. Goro recognized it even before his sight focused enough that he could see Panther's mask. He couldn't find his voice, so he ended up lying motionlessly on the floor while Takamaki cast the spell for a second time.

There were frantic voices coming from the side. Goro tried to move his head, but his vision was still swimming and everything felt blurry. He immediately closed his eyes as a strong feeling of nausea hit him. Takamaki gently raised his head and propped it, which made Goro feel much better.

"He's concussed, but all right! Focus on the enemy!" Takamaki said. She was probably relaying that information through Futaba, because a second later she said more quietly towards Goro, "It's all right, they've got it. Let's just wait here until it's over."

Goro wasn't sure how to describe the feeling inside of him. He had failed. If he was alone, he would have died. He was careless.

And yet the usual strictness he would normally feel towards himself wasn't there. Somehow, Takamaki's presence was enough to calm Goro and make him feel like everything would be okay. Like his mistake wasn't that bad.

Goro had a feeling that this was a dangerous train of thought, but the concussion was stopping him from overthinking things like he normally would.

At some point he realized that there were no sounds of fighting. The battle must have ended.

Goro slowly opened his eyes, ready to close them if nausea returned, but it seemed that the worst had passed. He blinked, trying to regain himself.

"Crow!" Akira was already there. Goro watched as he kneeled next to him. "How are you?"

"That… didn't count…" Goro muttered.

Takamaki snickered.

"If he can worry about looking lame, he's probably fine," she said. Her voice was close. Really close. Almost as if—

"Dude!!!! Why does he get a lap pillow, of all people?!" Sakamoto complained.

Goro sprung up, as he finally realized what he had been propped against. He could feel the glare Takamaki was directing towards Sakamoto, even though he couldn't see her.

"Because he was badly hurt, and in case you forgot, he’s a vital part of the plan to save Joker," she pointed out, standing up now that Goro could sit up on his own. "And I know he won't get any ideas."

"Why do you have more trust towards him than me?!" Sakamoto complained, but Goro ignored him. Now that he’d sat up, he could see Niijima gently embracing the despairing figure of her sister's Shadow.

He didn't understand it. It was just a Shadow. It was nothing more than a twisted reflection of human emotion, so why...

However, Goro quickly got distracted, as he realized that Akira was squeezing his hand.

"Please be more careful next time," Akira whispered. Goro blinked. A part of him wanted to nod in response, but he couldn't bring himself to. He just looked guiltily at Akira.

"If I hold back, you will surpass me in no time," Goro whispered, tightening the hold on their linked hands. It was a nice moment, even if he had to ignore Sakamoto and Takamaki, who were too busy arguing next to them to realize what was happening.

Goro knew all too well it wasn't meant to last.

"Guys, new enemy readings are here. The police came to pick up Joker!" Futaba shouted.

Goro squeezed Akira's hand before letting go.

"Let's go," he said as he stood up. Akira nodded.

"We are moving as planned. The enemy is only aiming at me, so make sure to wait here until it's safe to leave. And Crow… I will be waiting for you."

Goro could feel a giant lump form at the back of his throat as he watched Akira walk away. Everybody else shouted about how they believed in him, but Goro once more couldn't find his voice.

This could be the last time he'd see Akira, and in the end all he could do was watch him go away.

"Okay everyone, we are splitting up as planned," Futaba said, as she let herself get absorbed by her persona.

Goro started to move. He was still feeling slightly off-balance, but he should have been able to manage. However, to his surprise, he realized someone was standing next to him.

"I will go with Crow, Oracle," Takamaki said.

"Understood, just make sure not to get caught," Futaba confirmed.

Goro wanted to say he could manage on his own, but he realized how stupid that would sound, so he ended up saying nothing. They just moved forward, trying to avoid battles, though they still had to dispatch a few Shadows on the way.

Goro could tell Takamaki wanted to say something, but couldn't. It was obvious in the way that she kept glancing at him before averting her gaze. It was annoying, but Goro couldn't tell her to stop. He was afraid of acknowledging the awkward silence between them.

He didn't want to face her right now, when he had once again hesitated when seeing Akira off.

It wasn't long before they reached the point where they had to split up.

"Crow," she muttered, as Goro turned around to leave. He stopped. Against his expectations, Takamaki didn't seem to plan to scold him. Instead, she sounded as if she was barely holding herself together. He hated how small Takamaki's voice sounded. She was always so boisterous, and yet right now she sounded like she was about to cry. "I know you have your own reasons, so it's useless for me to say this, but please… please save Akira," she begged. Goro was feeling sick just listening to her begging. "I don't… This is just like Shiho all over again."

Goro found himself clenching his fist.

"It's not," he said. He didn't want to turn around and see if she was crying. He was almost sure she was. "This time you know what's going on. This time you have a plan. Akira will be back before you know it."

Takamaki was silent for a moment.

"Thank you," she muttered.

Goro couldn't hear any steps, but when he turned around, Takamaki was gone. Futaba was also quiet now. Goro was alone.

He slowly raised his clenched fist and opened it. He let out the breath he was holding.

"I will be waiting for you."

"I will come for you!" Goro said. He knew he was late in saying it.

If he had realized his feelings for Akira earlier, maybe this whole situation wouldn't have happened. Maybe there would be a different, happier future waiting for them.

But that was nothing more than ridiculous speculation.

"That's right. I'm a no-good bastard, but you still choose me. So I will move forward. I will get there, so wait for me just a little longer," Goro promised. He knew Akira wouldn't hear his words, but it didn't matter. This would be the last time Goro hesitated. Next time he would reach out for the happiness before him no matter what.

Goro stepped into the dazzling lights of the casino with a strengthened resolve.

Tomorrow he would face the outcome of the bet he and Phantom Thieves made against fate.