strangely empty moonlit nights

Chapter One: Chance Encounter

"Ah yes, this question is mainly from the fans, but what is your family like?" The male presenter asked, smiling from his seat on the sofa.

"Oh wow, that's quite personal," Akechi smiled politely, pushing away his uncomfortable feeling at the question. "Well, is it alright if i don't comment on that?" He was quite annoyed at these presenters. This was supposed to be an interview about his detective work, not his personal life. It seemed these people only wanted to pry into his life, not caring for him much past his charisma and looks. It wouldn't really be much of a concern if they didn't ask questions like that.

"Oh, that's alright," he said, with some disappointment. "It must be a difficult question."

"Let's not push too much on those types of things," the lady sitting next to him said, much to Akechi's relief. He really could not wait for this interview to be over. Especially with the awkward tension looming over them.

"Moving along, we've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?" she asked, a light hearted tone to her voice. It seemed she was ready to pry on and try to push past the awkwardness.

"Ah yes, that would be the scandal involving the Master Artist Madarame." Finally, something he actually wanted to speak about.

"There it is! All this Phantom Theif excitement has caught your attention too, Akechi-kun!" he added excitably. "Allow me to be blunt for just a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?"

"If they truly are heroes of justice, I sincerely hope they exist."

"Ohh, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?"

"I may not seem like it, but I sometimes wish that Santa Claus actually existed. Although, if he did, I'd have to arrest him for breaking and entering." The audience seemed to like that, as many responded by laughing at his joke. They were just so easy to please, Akechi thought. "But, hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Theives are real... I believe they should be tried in a court of law." The studio seemed to grow a bit quieter. That's good, he needed a reaction.

"That's quite the statement." the presenter hesitated, but the audience's interest, and his own curiosity, seemed to help him push past said hesitation. "Are they committing crimes? Some people even say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways."

"What the artist Madarame did truly was an unforgivable crime. However, they're taking the law into their own hands by judging him. It is far from justice. More importantly, you should never forcefully change a person's heart." A chatter seemed to fill the audience now, all deliberating over what Akechi had just spoke. Were the Phantom thieves actually real? And if so, were they actually the justice they framed themselves as?

"You have a point. These poeple are calling themselves the Phatom Thieves, after all. Amazing as always, Akechi-kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most radiant charisma!" Shut up already; the exact phrase Akechi wished he could say in moments like these.

"I have to say though, I would be embarrassed if it turns out these Phantom Thieves don't exist. If that were the case, I'd summarise it into a report as a school project." Of course they were real. And he knew how they did it too. But, of course, why would he admit that?

"Now then," the woman announcer quipped in, "Let's try asking some students the same age as Akechi-kun about the Phantom Thieves! First, please press your button now if you think the Phantom Thieves exist!" The audience seemed to shuffle around and get a bit louder in their discussion with each other. As they voted, Akechi's eyes scanned the crowd, genuinely curious in their answers. A beeping noise played to signal the responses.