Another pleasant surprise - Akechi doesn't appear to take offense for the offer of aid, something Ren considered might come across as insinuating weakness or a lack of ability. That's also not his intention. Ren truly does just want to help, however he can, even for something so small.
Akechi's words in Shido's palace about wishing they'd met a few years earlier left Ren pondering the scenario not infrequently, especially after Maruki's reality ended. He'd been dealt such a terrible hand in life, and Ren can't help believing that if they had in fact met earlier, if Ren had been someone who gave a single damn about Akechi for likely the first time in the other boy's life, maybe Akechi wouldn't have ended up destroying himself. Maybe they could've forged a better bond, one not wrapped in so much deception. Maybe Akechi wouldn't have felt so alone for so long ... maybe Ren could've been to Akechi what Ryuji and Ann and the others were to him.
Mere hypotheticals, and Ren thinks Akechi would scoff derisively at him if he ever knew Ren spent so much time envisioning such scenarios. He already knew that his survival was the wish Maruki tried to give Ren in his fabricated utopia, and it hadn't mattered. Akechi wanted the freedom to choose his own path more than anything, and Ren honestly couldn't fault him for that. But if the tables had been turned ... if Ren's life had been the one in Akechi's hands ... there's an infinitesimally small speck of doubt buried at the back of his mind as to whether he would've been as insistent on refusing Maruki's deal.
At the time, there had been a fraction of a second where he'd considered accepting Maruki's vision, if it meant keeping Akechi alive. Ren knew in his heart it was the wrong choice, and he knew he wouldn't actually falter in his decision because it was the wrong choice, but the desire still existed. Ren was too honest with himself to deny that fact.
And that was what being a hero of justice meant, after all - possessing the conviction to stick to the right path, without fail. Even if it meant sacrificing his own selfish desires, his own happiness. It was simply Ren’s way to protect and take care of others, even when it meant risking his own life and well-being. That was why he stepped in to prevent Shido from assaulting that woman, even though both were adults and complete strangers. That was why he couldn’t keep silent when Kamoshida’s Shadow made the move to execute Ryuji in front of him, despite the fact that they’d only just met. That was why he’d taken up the cause of Phantom Thievery and the work to reform society, even though it meant breaking laws and risking death.
Maybe Ren truly was the bleeding heart Akechi claimed. But Ren couldn’t imagine himself any other way.
“Good thing I have some experience with scavenging.”
Treasure hunting, scavenging - tomayto, tomahto. The pry bar stills in his hand for a moment, then he tosses it upward in a lazy flip, easily catching it on its downward descent.
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Akechi's words in Shido's palace about wishing they'd met a few years earlier left Ren pondering the scenario not infrequently, especially after Maruki's reality ended. He'd been dealt such a terrible hand in life, and Ren can't help believing that if they had in fact met earlier, if Ren had been someone who gave a single damn about Akechi for likely the first time in the other boy's life, maybe Akechi wouldn't have ended up destroying himself. Maybe they could've forged a better bond, one not wrapped in so much deception. Maybe Akechi wouldn't have felt so alone for so long ... maybe Ren could've been to Akechi what Ryuji and Ann and the others were to him.
Mere hypotheticals, and Ren thinks Akechi would scoff derisively at him if he ever knew Ren spent so much time envisioning such scenarios. He already knew that his survival was the wish Maruki tried to give Ren in his fabricated utopia, and it hadn't mattered. Akechi wanted the freedom to choose his own path more than anything, and Ren honestly couldn't fault him for that. But if the tables had been turned ... if Ren's life had been the one in Akechi's hands ... there's an infinitesimally small speck of doubt buried at the back of his mind as to whether he would've been as insistent on refusing Maruki's deal.
At the time, there had been a fraction of a second where he'd considered accepting Maruki's vision, if it meant keeping Akechi alive. Ren knew in his heart it was the wrong choice, and he knew he wouldn't actually falter in his decision because it was the wrong choice, but the desire still existed. Ren was too honest with himself to deny that fact.
And that was what being a hero of justice meant, after all - possessing the conviction to stick to the right path, without fail. Even if it meant sacrificing his own selfish desires, his own happiness. It was simply Ren’s way to protect and take care of others, even when it meant risking his own life and well-being. That was why he stepped in to prevent Shido from assaulting that woman, even though both were adults and complete strangers. That was why he couldn’t keep silent when Kamoshida’s Shadow made the move to execute Ryuji in front of him, despite the fact that they’d only just met. That was why he’d taken up the cause of Phantom Thievery and the work to reform society, even though it meant breaking laws and risking death.
Maybe Ren truly was the bleeding heart Akechi claimed. But Ren couldn’t imagine himself any other way.
“Good thing I have some experience with scavenging.”
Treasure hunting, scavenging - tomayto, tomahto. The pry bar stills in his hand for a moment, then he tosses it upward in a lazy flip, easily catching it on its downward descent.
“Does everyone work alone on that sort of thing?”