Hey, guys! Angel the narrator is back with the latest installment of these amazing Phantom Thieves tales! And today, I will tell the story that heavily relates to a sibling-like bond!

Also, Akira will have a little more personality, meaning that he will speak a little more than the choice dialogues from now on, and the choice dialogues will come when he has to make a choice. I feel like that would flesh out his character more, right?

Anyways, without further ado, let's tell this tale! ^^
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Akihabara. One of the most liveliest locales you can find in Tokyo. It's pretty much a hub for technology shops and the like, along with a few other places that didn't quite fit in with the "tech" theme of the locale (like the maid cafe). All in all, it's a pretty amazing place. Akira would have known because he has been there multiple times.

He enjoys many things in Akihabara, even the maid cafe, where the maids usually botches his orders (having maximum kindness and charm might have something to do with him tolerating all of this). What can he say? Akihabara is fun personified!

He went to Mishima, who is currently standing near the district entrance. "Hello." Akira greeted, keeping it nice and simple. That caught Mishima's attention as he looked at Akira. "Oh, hi! I bet you wanna hear about how the Phansite is doing, huh?" He said, looking eager to share the news. A nod from Akira confirmed that he did want to hear whatever news and ideas Mishima has.

"Oh ok! Well, the Phansite has been doing very great! There's an even split between the supporters and the haters, but we can always only focus on the supporters, you know?" Mishima stated. Akira had to agree that it was true. What's the point of focusing on people who only spouts negative comments, after all?

"Oh, and I also have an idea for the Phansite! I'm going to start a blog there, detailing the adventures of the amazing Phantom Thieves! Along with a few other stuff too! What do you think?" Mishima asked with a hopeful smile.

And that's when Akira fiddles with a few choice sentences in his head...

"This idea sucks."
"What a neat idea!"
"I'm not so sure about this..."

After thinking about this, Akira thought that this idea might have some great merits, especially when it comes to spreading the word about the Phantom Thieves in a positive light. So he said:

"What a neat idea!"

Mishima smiled even more at the kind response. "Oh, really? Thank you so much! I promise you that I won't let you down!" He proclaimed.

It warms Akira's heart to see that Mishima's motivation grew more from this interaction. Then he walked to the Gigolo Arcade and went inside.

The arcade is kind of packed today... Despite that, Akira made his way over to the Gun About game without much trouble. Once he got there, he saw a little boy playing Gun About with such accuracy and speed that would impress anybody watching him...which would make most of the people in the arcade.

Once Akira got to the front of the crowd, he saw the little boy successfully completing the round of the game. The crowd cheered, of course.

"Wow, the King still got it!"

"And with no signs of slowing down, no less!"

"I think it's safe to say that he will be hailed as one of the greatest gamers ever!"

Akira smirked, knowing who the little boy is. Happy to see the fellow gamer get his well-deserved praise, he went over to congratulate him.

"Hello, Shinya. Nice work." Akira complimented as he stood next to him. Shinya turned to look at Akira, beaming with pride. "Heh, thanks! You're actually getting better yourself! I can see you improving wildly during our recent practices!" Shinya replied.

Akira suddenly got an idea in his head. He's trying to figure out which idea is it...

"Let's look up cheats!"
"Let's buy a game guide!"
"Let's play a round of Gun About!"

Ah, there's an idea he's looking for. He quickly blurted it out before he forgets it again:

"Let's play a round of Gun About!"

Shinya smirked after figuring out what Akira is getting at. "Ah, I see! You wanna test your skills, huh? Well, let's go!" He said.

And thus, the two began to play one round of Gun About. Here's how the match generally went:

Akira shot at an enemy first, showing off his speed.

"Whoa! Since when did you shoot so fast, bro?"

Shinya felt bewildered by the speed, but that doesn't deter him from shooting down three enemies in perfect arcs, showcasing the fantastic accuracy.

"Take notes!"

Akira nodded as he tried the same thing, but he only got two enemies, missing one in that arc.

"Ooh, that must have stung. There's still hope though!"

He's totally right about that. Especially after they beat all the enemies in the game with their teamwork.

Shinya twirled the gun controller in his hand as the crowd cheered once more. "Wow, I see that you're getting better and better! As an expert Gun About player and mentor, I'm proud of you!" Akira gave a small smile in return. "Thank you." He responded. He's starting to feel that his time with Shinya is well-spent.

"Ah, I take it that you two have some sort of a sibling-like relationship?"

The two turned around to see who said that.

The person who said that turned out to be Goro Akechi.

The teen detective walked up to Akira and Shinya, wearing a pleasant smile like always. Being polite is definitely his forte.

Akira wondered what Akechi is doing here though. Thankfully, the question got answered for him. "If you're wondering, I'm just exploring the arcade." Akechi said.

Sounds like a good enough reason to Akira.

Akechi isn't done though. "I can't help but notice you two having fun, playing this wondrous game. Mind if I join?"

Now Akira is wondering what to do with Akechi here...

"We don't mind at all."
"We truly do mind. A LOT."
"Can you give me a minute to think about this?"

Well, bonding with Akechi would never hurt, right? So he had this to say:

"We don't mind at all."

"You mean it? I'm truly honored, Akira." Akechi happily responded. Akira could have sworn that he saw Akechi's smile grow more after his choice of response. A surefire sign that his bond with Akechi is increasing.

"Yeah! Come here and see if you can beat me at this game!" Shinya challenged Akechi. "Oh? Well, we'll see about that." The detective took the challenge.

Akira stepped aside and watched as Akechi and Shinya battled against each other on Gun About. Here's how it generally went:

"Oh dear, my accuracy is a bit of a liability here..."

"Makes it much easier for me! Here comes the pain!"

POW!

And there goes Akechi's character.

"Welp... Wanna try again?"

"I don't see why not. Let's give this another try."

The next few games bring out the same results...but Akechi's skill is slowly improving, to the point that Shinya noticed the improvement.

"Wow, you almost headshotted me! I can tell that you have potential to be a very good Gun About player!" Shinya complimented. "You did great." Akira joined in with the compliment of his own.

"Ah, thank you very much. I feel very flattered, but I must be going now-"

That's when Shinya gave Akechi a fist bump, with Akira following with the same brotherly gesture. Akechi realized that he's now part of the brotherly relationship that Akira and Shinya share. He found that moment to be the most heartwarming moment that ever happened to him in his entire life. Then he looked at the duo with a warm smile that could melt even glaciers.

"I must thank you with all of my heart for letting me be the part of your brotherly bonding. I deeply appreciate the gesture." Akechi expresses his gratitude. "You're welcome." Akira said while Shinya replied, "No problem!"

And thus, after such a sweet interaction, the three part ways, with Shinya going home, Akechi going to the hotel, and Akira going to Leblanc.

Once Akira entered the homely cafe, Futaba greeted him at the entrance. "Yo! How are you, Akira?" She asked, wondering how he's doing due to her increasing care for him. "Oh, I'm doing great. I played with Shinya and Akechi at the arcade." Akira explained. "Ooh, really? Awesome! I bet you guys had lots of endless possibilities for fun there!" She gushed.

Indeed. Speaking of possibilities, Akira thought of how things might have gone if he had said different things...

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Dialogue Path #1: Blog Promo Acceptance

Akira felt like this Phansite Blog wouldn't benefit them at all...

"This idea sucks."

Of course, Mishima frowned at this response...but then a smile returned to his face. "You know, I think you're providing me motivation by saying stuff like this...not to mention that you're also preparing me for the haters' comments! Heh, thanks, Akira! I won't let you down!"

Wow, what an optimistic fellow.

Or...

Akira has no idea how Mishima's idea would go...

"I'm not so sure about this..."

"Oh, don't worry! You'll be very sure that I made a great decision once you see this blog!" Mishima reassured.

Well, if he says so...

Dialogue Path #2: A Gamer Idea

Akira felt like an easy way out should be necessary when it comes to his gaming skills...

"Let's look up cheats!"

Shinya raised an eyebrow at him. "You serious? Don't you remember what we learned in the past? Cheaters never prosper!"

Welp, he's not wrong...

Or...

Akira felt like reading is more of his strong suit...

"Let's buy a game guide!"

As you might expect, Shinya raised an eyebrow at him. "You sure that's how you want to spend your afternoon? You sure you don't want to play Gun About with me instead?"

Akira shrugged, now feeling indecisive all of a sudden...

Dialogue Path #3: The Inclusion/Exclusion of Goro Akechi

Despite everything they've been through (including Akechi promising to atone for his past misdeeds and rejoining the Phantom Thieves a while ago), Akira still feels distrustful of Akechi...

"We truly do mind. A LOT."

Akechi gasped, not expecting the rudeness coming from Akira. "I...I can't believe it. Despite your impolite nature, I will join in." He said with a bit of an irritated tone.

Welp, the tension in the atmosphere is so think that you can cut it with a knife.

Or...

Akira isn't very sure on what to say yet...

"Can you give me a minute to think about this?"

This only puzzled Akechi. Thus, Shinya has to reply. "It's alright, dude. You can join in. Akira just can't decide anything." He said.

Akira raised an eyebrow at this while Akechi shrugged as he joined in. Talk about an awkward atmosphere.

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"Well, whatever you guys did, I bet all of you had a great time with each other, huh?" Futaba's question interrupted Akira's thoughts. He looked at her and gave her a sweet smile.

"Yes, very much so."

That made Futaba share Akira's smile as he headed up to bed before Morgana had a chance to notice his presence and give off his infamous bedtime reminder.

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And that is all for this sweet tale! I hope you fellows enjoy having your hearts melted!

And with all that said...

PERSONA!