[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Yusuke]

[there's nothing like topping off an already extremely not-fun weekend by watching three people die in quick succession on the altar of a church, huh?]

[being pelted by fries while that was happening probably didn't help]

[Akira doesn't waste any time. as soon as the executions are over, and as soon as they're all released to finish off their days, he curls his fingers around the sleeve of Yusuke's shirt and tugs lightly]

Yo.

[he lets go after he has Yusuke's attention, hand falling away so he can jerk his thumb towards Otter Nonsense]

Feel up for a game of mini-golf?

[that is not the reason he stopped Yusuke]

[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Makoto]

[truthfully, out of his two thieves present for this game, Makoto was the one Akira found himself most concerned about at the moment. he had always known that Makoto had a more heated, fiery side, something to balance out her levelheaded calmness. and part of him had been impressed with the methodical way she had handled herself at the trial-- that was the daughter of a cop, for you]

[but when everything had ended, she had seemed. . . stressed? unhappy? it was tough to put a name to the emotion, but something was off. that, coupled with her being slightly off-kilter during their first thief meeting, meant that something was up. right?]

[once the execution is over, Akira seeks Makoto out, greeting her with two fingers pressed against his temple in a mock salute]

I kind of wish they had more restaurant choices than McDonalds and Starvi-- Starbucks. Where's a cheap diner when you need it?

[he'll get to the point soon enough, but he's absolutely going to ease into it slowly]

[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Ichigo]

[Akira returns to the hotel room long before Ichigo does. he spends a good portion of the evening sitting on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, taking swigs from a bottle of chocolate milk purchased from the vending machine (finding an appropriate substitute for coffee was hard, but hey, he was trying). much like their arrival, everything that had occurred this weekend-- Utena's murder, the trial, the execution of Maya and Anthy alongside the culprit-- had blown by Akira so fast that he barely had time to process it all]

[it was a good thing he was well-practiced in keeping his cool. but now that things had calmed down? he could really let it all sink in. and letting it sink in just allows him to ruminate on how much everything makes his blood boil]

[when Ichigo returns, Akira has placed his now-empty bottle of milk on his nightstand, alongside his folded-up pair of glasses]

Yo.

[he greets with a wave of his hand. and then? he flops over on his bed, arms folded underneath his head]

[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Ranpo]

[it's natural for one to want to get to know their "teammates" better, especially if they're supposed to be working with them to. . . murder-slash-Erase Players. . . over the next few weeks. Akira thinks he already has pretty good reads on Junko and Undine. Terra? He's still trying to figure that one out. and Ranpo?]

[Ranpo is still a mystery. but the kind of mystery that Akira finds himself drawn towards, for reasons even he can't explain]

[so. sometime after the execution, when Ranpo is alone and casually walking past a vending machine, one of his Reaper buddies is going to suddenly pop into view, seated atop said vending machine with his fingers pressed against his glasses. 'sup!!]

[it's a mirror of their first meeting]

Busy weekend, wasn't it?

[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Yang]

[if there's any emotion that Akira understands, it's anger]

[that's why he hadn't scolded Yang when she had lunged at Max, even though he would have stopped her had Maya not stepped in first. it's why he seeks her out, once Dahlia and Anthy and Maya are double dead, once they've had a little bit of time to process how real these "erasures" actually were]

[wherever Yang is this evening, she'll find Akira holding a carbonated beverage pilfered from the vending machine towards her. peace offering!!]

Are you a soda fan? Personally, I've always found it a bit too sweet.

[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Max]

[this is the last fucking PC I'm making for Sunday I swear to god]

[ANYWAY 'SUP MAX, someone is knocking on your hotel room door! normally, at least. he isn't trying to be obnoxious]

[yet]

[Week 0, Sunday post-execution: Setz]

[admittedly, he isn't exactly looking for Setz. not specifically. but there's so much on Akira's mind (murder, trial, execution, Anthy and Maya being taken down with their respective partners) that his idle wanderings around the available areas of Shibuya eventually causes him to cross paths with his fellow Player]

[he slows to a stop, tilting his chin up to address him with a casual greeting]

Setz-san?