Kira tilted his head slightly as he watched Akechi’s face shift for a split second—an almost imperceptible twitch of confusion and frustration before the detective schooled his expression back into a neutral, composed mask. The slip was so brief that anyone else might have missed it entirely, but Kira caught it. He always did.

Sliding his phone back into his pocket, Kira crossed his arms and shifted his weight, raising an eyebrow with an amused smirk.

“You good there?” he teased, voice light but laced with curiosity. “I mean, I’m not gonna pry—yet—but you looked like you just tasted some particularly awful coffee.”

Akechi’s response was a practiced, polite chuckle, but Kira wasn’t buying it. There was a flash of something beneath that polished exterior, like gears grinding together just out of sync. It was enough to pique Kira’s interest even more.

But...that can wait.

"I need to return some other people's tapes as well. This whole thing is a mess and I want to get it over with as soon as I can."

"Let's get out of here."