Chapter Text
“You’re Niijima Sae’s little sister, aren’t you?” came the voice from behind.
Without hesitation - because, after all, that was who Niijima Makoto was - she turned around to the sound of the stranger’s voice.
He wasn’t exactly a stranger, but Makoto wouldn’t indicate that Akechi Goro and she were friends. She couldn’t particularly pinpoint them as acquaintances either because to be acquainted, would imply many things. Most of them made Makoto uncomfortable.
Makoto squinted when he started speaking, and she realized she hadn’t processed his question whatsoever. Her actions going forward were unnatural for her.
“No,” she said.
“... Sorry?” he asked with the slightest laugh, clearly caught off guard.
“I’m not her sister,” she told him, completing her inconsequential reply prior.
It’s his turn to squint in return.
“Sorry,” he said slowly, “It’s not like me to get the wrong person.”
“It’s not like you?” she asked incredulously, “You have the wrong person.”
Akechi didn’t mean to offend her, but inside, he felt something brewing. It was a game of some sort, and he was going to play it.
“You’re not a very good liar,” he assured her with a smirk, “Though I suppose if I truly do have you pegged as the wrong person, I apologize. Regardless, it was information on the Phantom Thieves and I would see that it’s delivered to the rightful person.”
Obviously, Makoto was intrigued, and her stature showed it. Her body flinched ever so slightly at the mention of the Phantom Thieves, and it was clear that Akechi had been watching this motion travel through her body. His lips curled up ever so slightly as he peered at her with his deep mahogany eyes.
“Changed your mind?” he asked softly.
“About who I am?” she shot back just as softly, “If you’d like me to pretend to be someone I’m not, then by all means. I’m just as good of a liar as any.”
It was an interesting choice of words, but Makoto forced every fiber in her body to keep up with the lie she had planted in the detective’s brain - supposedly - and went with it. Unfortunately for her, as socially awkward as she was, there was something unredeemable about Akechi’s appearance, making it all the more awkward for her to continue said interaction. Still, she peered just as relentlessly in return, hoping that he would at the very least reveal the information about the Phantom Thieves to her.
It wasn’t like her to be conniving, but she liked to think she was full of surprises. Akechi wasn’t at all discouraged by her attempt to lie to him. After all, he was fond of mind games himself.
“Then you’ve been certainly keeping up with news about them, I presume. If you’re fond of lies, that is,” he prodded.
“I watched your little segment on television, if you must know,” she said with a smirk, “You hold an interesting opinion albeit a flawed one.”
“Flawed? I’m hoping you’ll tell me what part of my deduction was flawed,” he pressed on.
He had caught her in her own trap. She clearly knew who he was, and yet again, who didn’t? Akechi Goro. At the end of it all, it wasn’t a sound enough reason to use as evidence that she was lying about being Sae’s younger sister, and so he pressed on.
“Maybe some other time,” she said airily, “I have somewhere I need to be.”
It was his turn to be astounded, although he held his composure much better than she. They stood like this in the hallway of their cram school for a few seconds. Those few seconds turned into long minutes, both analyzing one another deeply internally with no show of who might make the next move. In the end, Akechi allowed her leave.
“Where do you need to be that’s so urgent?” he asked.
“None of your business,” she replied quickly.
“Can I make it my business?” he asked.
If Makoto wasn’t such an expert in internalizing her emotions, she might have gone right over to him and slapped him across the face. There was something strange about the turn of events, and yet, she couldn’t quite understand the point of the conversation they were having. He should have left her alone when he realized she wasn’t Niijima Makoto. She felt the slightest shiver trail down her stomach, wondering if he was simply calling her bluff now. Without thinking, Makoto channeled whatever resilience she had left and asked an equally insane question.
“Are you flirting with me?” she asked simply.
And like all strange things in this equation, he called her bluff just as equally.
“Is it working?”
Without another word, Makoto felt her cheeks flush red and she allowed him the last word. There was no proper response to that question - no question for that question - and so she left it as is. She took small steps instead of scuttling off quickly. After all, she wasn’t Niijima Makoto, and she had no reason to be afraid of him.
“I’ll see you in class, Makoto,” he called after all.