[ When Akechi gets home he'll find that Yusuke and his shared room is absolutely filled with flowers. Laying on the shared bed is a surprisingly modest black box. The inside contents consisting of a very nice, high quality pen along with a refillable leather-bound notebook in a dark coffee color.
Naturally, a card is included. ]
To Akechi-san,
Congratulations on your birthday! Consider these gifts my coming to ring the bells of blessing! I am your very own Wataru Hibiki... ☆
The very moment I laid my eyes upon these in the store, I knew they were meant to be yours. Turned out your birthday was just a skip away! Next thing I knew, I had already purchased it! You should take care not to be satisfied with only this as I've got quite the dinner plan prepared for you this evening!
Sincerely, the one and only, Wataru Hibiki.
P.S.- Lilies represent happiness and positivity while the yellow roses symbolize joy, friendship and new beginnings. All things I wish for you now that you are another year older and entering adulthood.
[What the hell, did he die and get buried when he fell asleep? The smell of the flowers wakes him up and how did this guy even manage to sneak in this many with his own hearing? Must have been a good sleep...
He does, however, appreciate the notebook and pen. For someone who he knows for so little time, he does seem to 'get' Akechi and what he likes.
Eventually he'll get dressed and go to meet him.]
I should have expected such theatrics from a man such as yourself, but even you seem to surprise me. [A pause because he has to really think to say this;] Thank you.
Oh good morning, Dear Detective. I hope you've slept well~✰
[ Wataru is home (surprisingly, what with his three jobs that he happily busies himself with on the daily), not that far away down in the kitchen. Currently, he's chopping the vegetables for the dinner he mentioned in his card before. He wasn't entirely sure how Goro felt about the meals he and Yusuke had picked, but he was sure that there would be enough variety to satisfy them all.
The other two Submissives of the house? Currently off either picking up ingredients or working elsewhere. ]
Are you saying you don't appreciate the flowers? You'll break my heart.
[ He sounds completely unbothered. In fact, he's smiling more than ever. ]
A little more than usual for my liking, admittedly. I'm not used to it, I suppose.
[Workaholic, that's him too. Maybe it was just his own body deciding he need a break. Then he just shrugs, the smile the other displays seemingly making him just as bold.]
No one's offered me any before...well I suppose you could count the fans, but those were more due to my popularity.
Ah, I understand all too well. Flowers are different when coming from a fan or an agency. Not that they don't still hold love and hope, but rarely do the same sorts of individual thoughts go into them. I suppose I'll have to buy them for you more often. I have at least 6 different arrangements in mind.
[ He's pleased to chat as he carefully cuts the potatoes into thin slices. ]
Oh, I suppose I should ask--are you a fan of lotus root? I know not everyone is.
That can certainly be arranged... That pun didn't work as well as I hoped, but a food blogger? My, is there anything you haven't done?
[ Flowers are in your future, dear Detective. Needlessly en masse. Yusuke can have a garage with them too. He even bombed Sebastian with them recently... ]
They say that good food feeds the soul as well as the mind. I'm sure it was a lovely experience.
[ And Tokyo had loads of good food. ]
I suppose you learn a lot about people by watching what they eat.
[ Wataru rarely ate in front of people... possibly idol life, possibly his own self-imposed elusiveness of showing any kind of vulnerability. Even in his own home he avoided it as much as possible. Today though was special. The potatoes are slid aside before he starts to carefully, but quickly, cut through the mushrooms. ]
I didn't mind staying in line if the food was worth the wait.
[Not that often, sadly. But Akechi had become rather picky about what he liked.]
My favorite memories were in a bar hidden away in the middle of Tokyo. It even had a live Jazz singer on some days. People watching was important so I could analyze properly as a detective.
[He watches him in silence.]
Admittedly, I am surprised you can cook...my skills are barely worth mentioning, if I'm being honest.
It depending who the higher ups were. Sae-san treated me to belt sushi...not the highest quality, but I did enjoy my conversations with her in regards to cases and she seemed to enjoy my input. Some of them were pretty stingy or expected you to come and to pay. Thankfully, I did have a salary.
[ANYWAY.]
That's rather kind, considering Japanese tradition. I have been stuck in 'meetings' that lasted past midnight when the trains were stopped.
Eichi is quite kind to me in that way. Mostly, I think he knows I'll embarrass him. As he's the president of my company, I feel I got off lucky.
[ But Wataru was forced to go on some rare occasions. It was almost a little sad to think about Eichi now... he was deeply, emotionally, truly special. Was he alright back home?
Was he still alive? It was painful to imagine missing any of his remaining time. ]
Being an idol certainly brought me home late. Either recording sessions, practice, or filming for a drama or commercial... For anyone else I think it would be overwhelming.
You must have been incredibly valuable to him to allow that kind of freedom. From what I've gleamed having been brought to interviews with different idols, their lives are controlled to the point they can't even date anyone...but I digress. You must know all of this already, I'm just preaching to the choir.
[ Ah, love bans. He knows them well... The contracts here were almost the total opposite of what he was used to! Here he had much more control (that he didn't have to ignore any rules to have anyway). ]
My unit fine is a four man group. We are one of the top three units in the industry at the moment. Eichi, Yuzuru, Tori and I all went to high school together... though to be fair, our high school was made to produce idols and people for the entertainment industry.
A high school that produces idols...I suppose one day or another Japan will have the same idea. I feel it must be very cutthroat...that you managed to survive and be part of the top three is a feat in itself, I am certain.
The idea seems strange to me, but then again, I was part of a group that would go into an alternate metaverse, ergo, I can't really judge.
It's interesting how different your Japan and my Japan are, isn't it? We both live close to Tokyo and yet you've never heard of Yumenosaki Academy or Ensemble Square. Yet I've never heard of the 'Phantom Thieves' which I'm positive I would have if they were where I was from.
[ Yet idols seemed to be a constant. Interesting. ]
Yumenosaki was rather violent. We actually had a very awful few years there. [ Students literally died. ] Though all of that is far too depressing to talk about on a birthday~ Was it strange crossing over? Or did it feel like simply arriving here?
Ahhh...interesting you mention that. I do believe the Phantom Thieves first manifested due to one of the teachers at the school Ren attended being trash. Or at least their first known case. Even their logo was different. [And quite shitty if he's being honest, although to be fair, he assumes Ren drew it and not Ryuji.] Hmmm...well if I was to describe it, imagine entering a pool of water, except once in, there is no more water. The world was very different as well, some tailored to the owners of the palaces. You couldn't just enter either, you needed the proper information. Very different from arriving here, it felt more like being torn from somewhere.
First, a full discloser; while I briefly was one, I do not regard myself as a Phantom Thief. My methods were a lot more...brutal. Perhaps it is best not to share too much information in that regard.
It would be a trade secret if it still was useful in this world. It's not, I'm afraid. To make things simple, what was needed were specific code words to enter a target's palace. Most of it was up to proper sleuthing and guessing. Note that the target themselves were not aware of this palace and alternate reality. In a way some parts of the metaverse were like entering an individual's mind palace.
Mysterious as ever, dear Detective. [ But how can he linger on that when there's so much more information? ]
So more for an individual than a larger 'universe'... Humans are interesting--I can imagine their minds were full of all sorts of things. The imagination and one's views of themselves can be rather terrifying things. The exterior rarely completely matches the interior, after all.
Exactly...we did have to go into Sae-san's palace, to give you an idea. Due to her position, she had to be quite ruthless as a prosecutor, and finding the Phantom Thieves was draining her...her palace reflected this by being a Casino, where she controlled the odds of winning.
And there was something for humanity as a whole as well. Mementos, the palace of the collective unconsciousness of humanity, if one wants to be poetic about it. Those whose wills were weaker, and who did not have a strong desire to manifest a palace could be found here.
And what purpose is there for entering those places in the first place?
[ Which may be the clearest sign that Wataru has no previous information to go on other than the names of the Phantom Thieves in the first place. He's back to the counter now to diligently start portioning out the beginning breading for the kaarage he's planning on making as one of the side dishes. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Birthday Gift - 6/2
Naturally, a card is included. ]
To Akechi-san,
Congratulations on your birthday! Consider these gifts my coming to ring the bells of blessing! I am your very own Wataru Hibiki... ☆
The very moment I laid my eyes upon these in the store, I knew they were meant to be yours. Turned out your birthday was just a skip away! Next thing I knew, I had already purchased it! You should take care not to be satisfied with only this as I've got quite the dinner plan prepared for you this evening!
Sincerely, the one and only, Wataru Hibiki.
P.S.- Lilies represent happiness and positivity while the yellow roses symbolize joy, friendship and new beginnings. All things I wish for you now that you are another year older and entering adulthood.
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He does, however, appreciate the notebook and pen. For someone who he knows for so little time, he does seem to 'get' Akechi and what he likes.
Eventually he'll get dressed and go to meet him.]
I should have expected such theatrics from a man such as yourself, but even you seem to surprise me. [A pause because he has to really think to say this;] Thank you.
[CHERISH IT.]
I think Yusuke will appreciate the flowers.
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[ Wataru is home (surprisingly, what with his three jobs that he happily busies himself with on the daily), not that far away down in the kitchen. Currently, he's chopping the vegetables for the dinner he mentioned in his card before. He wasn't entirely sure how Goro felt about the meals he and Yusuke had picked, but he was sure that there would be enough variety to satisfy them all.
The other two Submissives of the house? Currently off either picking up ingredients or working elsewhere. ]
Are you saying you don't appreciate the flowers? You'll break my heart.
[ He sounds completely unbothered. In fact, he's smiling more than ever. ]
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[Workaholic, that's him too. Maybe it was just his own body deciding he need a break. Then he just shrugs, the smile the other displays seemingly making him just as bold.]
No one's offered me any before...well I suppose you could count the fans, but those were more due to my popularity.
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[ He's pleased to chat as he carefully cuts the potatoes into thin slices. ]
Oh, I suppose I should ask--are you a fan of lotus root? I know not everyone is.
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If you do, make sure to give Yusuke some as well, money providing, of course. [Because.]
I am not difficult...I use to run a food blog at one point, rating multiple restaurants around Tokyo.
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[ Flowers are in your future, dear Detective. Needlessly en masse. Yusuke can have a garage with them too. He even bombed Sebastian with them recently... ]
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Get a proper family life.[Oh boy! He will tolerate, thinking this is what Yusuke would want.]
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[ And Tokyo had loads of good food. ]
I suppose you learn a lot about people by watching what they eat.
[ Wataru rarely ate in front of people... possibly idol life, possibly his own self-imposed elusiveness of showing any kind of vulnerability. Even in his own home he avoided it as much as possible. Today though was special. The potatoes are slid aside before he starts to carefully, but quickly, cut through the mushrooms. ]
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[Not that often, sadly. But Akechi had become rather picky about what he liked.]
My favorite memories were in a bar hidden away in the middle of Tokyo. It even had a live Jazz singer on some days. People watching was important so I could analyze properly as a detective.
[He watches him in silence.]
Admittedly, I am surprised you can cook...my skills are barely worth mentioning, if I'm being honest.
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[ He's not too surprised though. Mainly because... ]
Though I imagine you were always terribly busy. I cooked for my adoptive parents often when I was younger and it just stuck. They're elderly, you see.
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[Ahh, adopted parents. Must be nice. They had talked about this briefly, he remembers.]
I see...I'm sure they appreciated it.
[Polite mode: engaged.]
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[ He's happy to breeze past the subject. As much as he did adore his adoptive parents, they weren't the subject of the day. Goro was. ]
I fortunately always escaped those sorts of stuffy meetings. Eichi never forced me to go that often.
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[ANYWAY.]
That's rather kind, considering Japanese tradition. I have been stuck in 'meetings' that lasted past midnight when the trains were stopped.
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[ But Wataru was forced to go on some rare occasions. It was almost a little sad to think about Eichi now... he was deeply, emotionally, truly special. Was he alright back home?
Was he still alive? It was painful to imagine missing any of his remaining time. ]
Being an idol certainly brought me home late. Either recording sessions, practice, or filming for a drama or commercial... For anyone else I think it would be overwhelming.
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How big was your troupe, if I may ask?
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My unit fine is a four man group. We are one of the top three units in the industry at the moment. Eichi, Yuzuru, Tori and I all went to high school together... though to be fair, our high school was made to produce idols and people for the entertainment industry.
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The idea seems strange to me, but then again, I was part of a group that would go into an alternate metaverse, ergo, I can't really judge.
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[ Yet idols seemed to be a constant. Interesting. ]
Yumenosaki was rather violent. We actually had a very awful few years there. [ Students literally died. ] Though all of that is far too depressing to talk about on a birthday~ Was it strange crossing over? Or did it feel like simply arriving here?
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[Idols are everywhere.]
Ahhh...interesting you mention that. I do believe the Phantom Thieves first manifested due to one of the teachers at the school Ren attended being trash. Or at least their first known case. Even their logo was different. [And quite shitty if he's being honest, although to be fair, he assumes Ren drew it and not Ryuji.] Hmmm...well if I was to describe it, imagine entering a pool of water, except once in, there is no more water. The world was very different as well, some tailored to the owners of the palaces. You couldn't just enter either, you needed the proper information. Very different from arriving here, it felt more like being torn from somewhere.
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[ The mushrooms are slid aside into a preparation bowl before he moves toward the fridge. ]
What sort of information would you need? Or is that a trade secret?
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It would be a trade secret if it still was useful in this world. It's not, I'm afraid. To make things simple, what was needed were specific code words to enter a target's palace. Most of it was up to proper sleuthing and guessing. Note that the target themselves were not aware of this palace and alternate reality. In a way some parts of the metaverse were like entering an individual's mind palace.
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So more for an individual than a larger 'universe'... Humans are interesting--I can imagine their minds were full of all sorts of things. The imagination and one's views of themselves can be rather terrifying things. The exterior rarely completely matches the interior, after all.
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And there was something for humanity as a whole as well. Mementos, the palace of the collective unconsciousness of humanity, if one wants to be poetic about it. Those whose wills were weaker, and who did not have a strong desire to manifest a palace could be found here.
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[ Which may be the clearest sign that Wataru has no previous information to go on other than the names of the Phantom Thieves in the first place. He's back to the counter now to diligently start portioning out the beginning breading for the kaarage he's planning on making as one of the side dishes. ]
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