"Oh, he absolutely did. But the Phantom Thieves don't see it that way."

For his part, the older Akechi doesn't even blink at the displays, his attention focused on two things - the younger him, and the sushi counter that lies in the near future. The only thought he has is that it's surprising that the Variabeauties never sued for a cosmetics shop to be added to the list of those that take Game money.

"I won't give you a friendship lecture. But I will tell you a lesson you should have picked up by now: Use the useful. And I don't just mean to throw them at Shido's Palace to cut a path for you."

He steps onto an escalator and leans against the side wall in a way that looks way too natural for the fact that he's only actually touching it by means of an elbow on the moving hand rail.

"They want to help, so let them. Suck up everything you can get out of their good will and jump free at the end. They're a lot easier to escape than Shido and his goons."

And if his younger self learns the actual meaning of friendship along the way? Well, congratulations to him.