On the Possibility of Raiding the Phantom Thieves’ Leader 39

Chapter 39

Goro Akechi returned after a week’s absence, claiming a secret mission had forced his sudden departure and resulted in his injury, requiring hospitalization.

Reporters interviewed him at the hospital, the doctor describing his injury: a gunshot wound through his hand, dangerously close to his wrist, a severe injury that could have left permanent damage.

Akechi, his hand and wrist bandaged, smiled weakly at the camera, blood seeping through the white bandages, a gruesome sight.

Given his condition, the public refrained from criticizing him, even those who suspected he was exaggerating his injuries didn’t dare to express it publicly.

After all, he had been injured in the line of duty.

Yu sat at the Leblanc counter, watching the Detective Prince comfort the public on the news, Akechi’s image reflected in his gray eyes.

No one would guess he had inflicted the wound himself.

“Is that kid a friend of yours?” Sojiro asked from behind the counter.

Yu looked at Sojiro, then nodded after a moment. “Yes, he’s a friend.”

“What’s with the police these days, giving such dangerous missions to a high school student? Kids should be protected by adults.”

“We can’t always be protected,” Yu said, his tone serious, unlike his usual agreeable self. “If we have the ability and the desire to help, we should be allowed to. You adults can consider it early training for entering society.”

Sojiro chuckled, shaking his head. “Don’t be so mature. At your age, you should be more concerned with celebrities and romance.”

Yu: …

Sojiro, if you knew who the potential romantic interest was, you probably wouldn’t say that.

Yu’s phone chimed. He took it out and saw a message from Ren.

[Ren Amamiya: Come upstairs.]

Ren was on the second floor.

And so was Futaba.

Ren had messaged Yu after school, asking him to come to Leblanc. He was going to tell Futaba the truth.

Futaba was the orphaned daughter of the scientist Akechi had killed. This was Akechi’s sin, and the victim deserved to know.

Yu went upstairs and heard Futaba’s soft sobs as he turned the corner. She sat on the sofa, wearing her glasses, wiping her tears, Morgana’s paw resting on her arm in a comforting gesture.

She tried to suppress her cries, as if worried about Sojiro hearing her.

“Are you alright?” Yu asked.

Futaba shook her head, burying her face in Morgana’s fur.

“Meow?!”

Morgana watched as her tears soaked his fur, sighing after a moment, then continued to pat Futaba.

He would just have to get a bath later.

Ren sat across from Futaba, his head down, his expression hidden, but Yu could sense his sadness.

Futaba was like a little sister to Ren. Of course he was hurting.

Yu sat beside Ren, not too close, but he gently patted Ren’s clenched hand under the table. Ren looked at him, startled, but didn’t speak.

Yu gently uncurled Ren’s fingers, feeling the crescent-shaped marks Yu’s own nails had left on his palm, sensing the tension in his grip.

He softly massaged Ren’s hand, holding it protectively.

Feeling the warmth and the slight sting of his injuries, Ren’s eyes softened, and he finally relaxed his grip, letting Yu hold his hand.

After crying for a while longer, Futaba took off her glasses and wiped her tears, looking at Ren and Yu apologetically.

“Sorry, I’m okay now.”

“We’re the ones who should apologize,” Ren said, comforting her. “We agreed to Akechi’s proposal without consulting you…”

“No, your decision was correct,” Futaba placed Morgana on the table, hugging her knees. “I was angry when you first told me. I wanted to yell at you. I hated him so much. But if there’s someone else behind all of this, I can’t direct all my hatred at him alone.”

“That doesn’t mean I forgive him. I just think the person behind him should also atone.”

“To make that person pay, I can tolerate him for now.”

No matter how angry or upset Futaba was, she had every right to argue with Ren. Yet, after crying, she agreed with him. Ren lowered his gaze, understanding why Yu was so protective of his younger sister.

Who could bear to see such a sweet and kind girl suffer?

“But we can’t just let him do whatever he wants,” Ren said, regaining his composure. He couldn’t fully trust Akechi. “Let’s install some monitoring software on his phone, like the one you installed on mine during the school trip.”

Yu, who had been listening quietly, blinked. “Huh? There’s monitoring software on your phone?”

Futaba coughed. “First of all, I absolutely did not read your chat logs to see if you two are dating! Absolutely not!”

Yu/Ren: …

That was a very unconvincing denial.

“Anyway, I didn’t!” Futaba covered her face. “And to install the software, we need his phone. Can you get it?”

“We’ll find a way. Don’t worry,” Yu sighed softly, taking out a tissue and an ice pack from his pocket and handing them to Futaba.

“Don’t stay up here too long. This is Ren’s room, after all. Sojiro-san might come up to check on you.”

Futaba didn’t want Sojiro to worry. If he found out she had been crying, he would demand an explanation, and she didn’t want to burden him. She nodded, wiping her tears and applying the ice pack to her slightly swollen eyes.

“This guy is way too considerate,” Morgana commented from the table.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Ren replied casually, feeling the warmth of Yu’s hand under the table.

“He’s mine, anyway.”

After applying the ice pack, the swelling around Futaba’s eyes subsided. Sojiro was busy with a customer, so they slipped out of Leblanc and walked Futaba home.

Worried that Futaba might cry again if left alone, Morgana decided to stay with her for a couple of days. Ren left Mona behind, walking home with Yu.

“Want to visit Akechi? He’s still in the hospital,” Yu suggested.

“Nah, he’d be furious,” Ren said, putting his hand in his pocket. “And he’ll probably have reporters hounding him for the next few days. He won’t have time for us.”

Although his true nature had been revealed to them, Akechi still maintained his Detective Prince persona before the public. It had become a habit, and any sudden change in behavior would arouse Shido’s suspicion.

Yu opened his chat with Akechi, then sighed. “He blocked me again.”

“Huh?” Ren looked at Yu’s phone, surprised.

Yu’s chat history with Akechi showed numerous notifications.

All system messages.

[You are no longer friends with this user.]

[This user has added you as a friend.]

Within a few hours, Akechi had blocked and unblocked Yu six times.

Ren: …

How could someone be so childish?

Yu seemed accustomed to Akechi’s antics, his tolerance exceeding Akechi’s pettiness. He put his phone away, smiling at Ren.

“Are you free later, Ren? Can you come with me somewhere?”

Ren mentally reviewed his schedule. His Confidant ranks were mostly maxed out. He didn’t need to grind anymore.

“Yes,” Ren nodded. “Where to?”

A few minutes later, Ren looked at the flower shop in the Shibuya underground mall, blinking in surprise.

“A flower shop?”

He sighed, following Yu inside. The owner, seeing them, assumed they were there to work, but Yu said he wanted to buy flowers. The owner smiled, offering them a discount.

Yu bought three bouquets of golden flowers, the same ones he had given Akechi before.

…Wouldn’t Akechi block him again after seeing these flowers?

They went to the hospital where Akechi was staying, asking for his room number, but instead of visiting him directly, they asked a nurse to deliver the flowers. After confirming the flowers had been delivered, they left.

“Does he know it’s from you?” Ren asked as they walked.

“Probably,” Yu looked at his phone, still blocked by Akechi. “I’m the only one who would give him such expensive, hard-to-sell flowers.”

Ren chuckled. “True.”

Yu looked at Ren, who had quickly regained his composure, his demeanor calm and innocent, masking the turmoil he had been experiencing just an hour ago, his nails digging into his palms.

His restraint, empathy, self-control, and hidden aggression.

He was truly remarkable.

“Ren,” Yu called out. “Do you like flowers?”

Ren looked at him. “Flowers?”

Yu reached into his sleeve, pulling out a small bouquet of golden sunflowers.

He had bought them while buying flowers for Akechi, remembering Ren’s sadness and wanting to offer him some comfort as well.

Ren paused, then accepted the flowers, saying after a moment, “…These seem more suited to you.”

“How can flowers be suited or unsuited to someone?” Yu shook his head. “As long as we both like them, that’s enough.”

“Indeed,” Ren clutched the bouquet tightly. “That’s enough.”

Back at Leblanc, Ren asked Sojiro for a small vase, filling it with water and arranging the sunflowers.

He hoped they would last a while.

He would buy some flower food tomorrow.