By the time Karasawa crawled back into his attic haven, blissfully unaware that his family name had just lit a fire under the ass of half the Black Organization and the FBI, he was already half-asleep—mentally, anyway.
He'd acted his heart out, performed a masterclass in trauma exposition, and then capped the night off the only way he knew how:Drinking whiskey in a dream dimension with a psychic bartender.
Yep. That's what his life was now.
Tonight's Velvet Bar featured two absolute degenerates dual-wielding whiskey bottles like it was open mic night for emotionally scarred protagonists.
Karasawa slammed his bottle on the bar. "Okay but why no driving skill, huh? You're telling me I get beatdown perks instead? What am I, a delinquent shounen protagonist?"
Leon shoved his face away like swatting a cat off a keyboard. "Do you even have a license? Be grateful I didn't give you gardening. Free Combat's actually useful."
"Yeah? And Conan has a pilot license now?" Karasawa grumbled. "I haven't even unlocked a palace yet and I'm already getting Co-op ranks. Little premature, don't you think?"
Leon smirked. "Fishing for spoilers? Not gonna happen. Co-ops are your business. I'm just here to pour drinks and witness the chaos."
Karasawa squinted. "So you do know. Hm… let me guess…"
He already had a mental list.If Amuro Tooru was a cooperation, then Akai Shuichi had to be, too—no way they'd leave out the other half of that disaster pairing.Add in Conan, Heiji, the usual red-side detectives…
But what about the black side?
What about wild cards like Kaito Kid? Or Kyougoku Makoto, the human cheat code?
If Makoto became a Co-op and his Arcana turned out to be Tower, Karasawa was going to scream.
"…Should I infiltrate the Organization?" he asked casually, swirling his drink.
Leon didn't even blink. "More like you might not have a choice."
Karasawa groaned. "Still no idea why they even want 'Karasawa Akira.' Bourbon definitely knows, but I can't exactly walk up and say, 'Hey, Furuya Rei, you've been compromised.'"
Leon choked on his drink.
"I swear," Karasawa muttered, "having spoilers is a curse. It's like reading a mystery novel while pretending you don't know the ending. Gotta feign shock, fake deductions, do the whole performance."
"Welcome to the hell of omniscience," Leon said with a mock-toast.
Karasawa massaged his temple. "And if I really am important to their plan, they're watching me like hawks. If I use any Persona-related abilities in front of the wrong person, I'm done for."
He thought of Akechi, of what just one wildcard could do when fueled by vengeance.
If the Organization got wind of that kind of power… It wouldn't just be deadly. It would be biblical.
"I need to get in. Infiltrate them. Be proactive." He paused. "God, listen to me. It's like muscle memory."
He looked down at his legs. Whole. Strong. Untouched.
A past life's ache whispered in his bones.
"What are you getting nostalgic for?" Leon clapped a hand on his head. "Pretend-boozing in the Conanverse is already safer than your old job."
"Can we not?" Karasawa ducked away, glaring. "Why are you patting my head now?!"
Leon flexed his fingers, nodding in approval. "Ah… now I get it. No wonder Amuro can't keep his hands off it. The texture is divine."
The next morning, Amuro Tooru walked into Café Poirot and immediately spotted a lifeless Karasawa slumped in a booth like a Victorian heroine post-duel.
"Morning. Didn't sleep well?" Amuro gave his shoulder a gentle tap—refraining from the head-pat, remembering the protest from yesterday.
"Morning," Karasawa grumbled, eyeing the spectacular bags under Amuro's eyes. "Don't lecture me. You look like hell, too."
To be fair, Karasawa had gotten a full night's sleep.
His brain, however, thought he'd drunk himself half to death. Dream-whiskey didn't dehydrate the body, but his psyche sure remembered every ounce of his previous alcohol tolerance.
Amuro, meanwhile, was running on fumes. Between Karasawa's emotional data dump and triple-duty jobs, he probably hadn't slept a minute.
"I've got insomnia. You learn to live with it." Amuro smiled serenely, lying through his teeth. "It's why I always tell people: sleep's important. You don't know what you've got until it's gone."
You don't have insomnia, Karasawa thought sympathetically. You have a work schedule that would kill a lesser man.
He yawned, then noticed Amuro squinting at him.
"…Why are you still in your school uniform?"
Karasawa sighed.
Because he hadn't known today was a day off, dammit. One day of school and the timeline was already skipping around like it had ADHD.
"I didn't pack much. And the uniform looks fine. Why not?"
"It's not a fashion question," Amuro muttered, rubbing his temple. "We should get you some real clothes. I'll take the afternoon off. Azusa and I can bring you to the mall."
Karasawa immediately panicked. "No no no, just tell me where the nearest place is, I'll go myself. You look like you need sleep more than I need socks. Go lie down, seriously."
He was not about to waste his first solo outing and force the overworked spy to play personal shopper.
Amuro paused, eyeing the attic staircase.
"That's your room now. You sure?"
"Hardly brought anything. Everything's locked in the drawer. I'm already inconveniencing you by staying here." Karasawa even bowed a little for dramatic effect.
Can't argue with that. And Amuro really did want to search his stuff.
"…Alright. Two hours, then I'm back down. The shopping district's north. Big department store's in the other direction—Mikacho Grand."
He glanced at Karasawa's sad little commuter bag. "Do you have enough money?"
Karasawa blinked, surprised by the sincerity.
That… That was kinda nice.
"I'm fine. I've got a bank card from my parents. They wire living expenses once a year. The balance is still decent."
Amuro stopped mid-step.
His voice didn't change, but one hand slipped into his pocket. Fingers tapped out a message.
"Good," he said. "Be careful."
Karasawa watched him climb the stairs, then glanced back at the phone.
Probably already alerting five agencies and a mole in the bank to confirm the deposit.
Poor guy. He's gonna collapse before the truth comes out.
With a sunny grin—and zero guilt—Karasawa strolled out the door to enjoy his solo side quest.