It's on the tip of his tongue to say, Yes, call my Akechi. His Akechi is all that could form a barrier between Ren and the awful sense of potential threat that assaults him from every angle—him or Futaba, but she's in his Palace right now, and anyway he doesn't think it would be smart to get her and Magpie talking.

But Akechi comes to see him every day already, bringing food, and also, though he hasn't said so, staying to check on Ren and monitor him. Ren's not stupid; he can see it perfectly well. He's come every day without fail since he promised he would start. He doesn't need Ren bothering him any more.

He presses his lips together and shakes his head. He's always dealt with stuff on his own before, and it's always been fine in the end. This will be the same.