Chapter 25: T.V Talks

(Marinette's pov)

Friday, June 6'th, Afternoon inside the T.V station. My friends and I were sitting in the crowd of the T.V show. We were waiting for the show to start. Akechi then came on, and most of the girls around us started to fangirl. Once again, I feel something... odd... when I saw him.

"Ain't that the guy from yesterday?" Ryuji whispered.

"Cutting back from commercial!" An A.D said. He then started to count down.

"And now, onto the "Hottest meet-and-greet" segment of our show. After the last appearance was so well received, we decided to bring back this fine gentleman. It's the high school detective: Goro Akechi!" The female host said. The girls around me started to cheer again.

"Hello there," Akechi said.

"Thank you for taking the time to join us today, Akechi-kun. Your popularity is stunning." The male host said.

"Even I've found it to be quite a surprise. It is a bit embarrassing, though..." Akechi said.

"Moving along, we've been told there's a case on your mind right now. Care to share, detective?" The female host asked.

"Ah, yes. That would be the scandal involving the master artist, Madarame." Akechi responded.

"There it is! All the Phantom Thief excitement has caught your attention as well, Akechi-kun! Allow me to be blunt for just a second. What do you think of these justice-oriented Phantom Thieves?" The male host asked.

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

"Ohhh, so you don't deny the possibility that they're real?" The male host asked.

"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." Akechi commented. What he said did get me to lightly chuckle. The crowd around me laughed as well, but my friends were oddly silent.

"But hypothetically speaking, if these Phantom Thieves are real... I believe they should be tried in a court of law." Akechi said. That caught my attention, and my friends' attention too.

"That's quite a statement... are they committing any crimes? Some people say that the Thieves are actually helping their victims abandon their evil ways." The male host said.

"What the artist Madarame did was definitely an unforgivable crime. However, they are 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." Akechi stated.

"You have a point. These people are calling themselves the Phantom Thieves, after all. Amazing as always, Akechi-kun! I could listen to you for days! You have the most radiant charisma!" The male host said.

After that, there was a poll on whether the Phantom Thieves exist or not. My friends and I obviously voted yes, but for some reason, the total votes say that 30% of the people in the crowd believed in them. I was kind of mad, but my friends and I have been doing this for about a few months, so what could we do? The female host then went into the crowd and walked up to Akira.

"Alright, let's try asking this student here. Hypothetically speaking, what are your thoughts on these Phantom Thieves, if they were real?" The female host asked.

"If only they knew that they were talking to the leader of the Phantom Thieves..." I thought, a small smile on my face.

"They do more than the cops," Akira said, without skipping a beat. Everyone laughed, including Akechi and me. The male host and Akechi started to talk again. Akira and I made eye contact, and I gave him a smile, which he returned, making me blush. I could've sworn his cheeks turned a shade of pink as well.

(Time skip! Brought to you by Author-chan's enormous workload I am somehow managing!)

My friends and I were talking about what Akechi said. Ryuji was annoyed, Ann was uncomfortable, and Morgana couldn't care less. I thought Akechi had a point. If the power we have was given to someone with less... noble morals... had the power my friends and I have... I don't want to think about it... I didn't realize Ryuji and Ann left till I snapped out of my thoughts. I then realized Akira snd I were alone.

"Calm down, Marinette. He is just your friend who happens to be reasonably attractive and cool. Not in the 'Dumb Blonde' way Adrien was... (Shots fired) but just... charming." I thought. Just then, I heard Akechi's voice.

"Oh, it's you!" I heard him say. And just like that, alarm bells rang in my head. Why do I feel like this whenever I'm around him? He walked over to us.

"I'm glad I found you. I wanted to thank you in person. To quote Hegel... advancement cannot occur without both thesis and antithesis." Akechi said. Akira looked confused at his comment, so I tried to translate.

"He said he thought your discussion back there was meaningful... I think..." I said. Akechi looked at me like he just noticed I was there.

"Indeed I did! You're well-read, aren't you?" He said.

"I just happen to know some well-read people who love to ramble to me about that stuff," I said, remembering how the Kwamis and all the stories they told me.

"Really? Well, few people around me are so willing to speak their minds as you did earlier." Akechi said, turning to Akira. They started to chat, and I was in the background, trying to figure out what was going on in my head. Why do I feel so on edge... so... warry? Why do I sense something so wrong? Why do I sense this... sick feeling? Was Akechi sick? But he seems okay! What is going on?

When Akechi finally left, all the bad feelings he brought left as well. I relaxed... and Akira seemed to notice.

"Mari-san, is something wrong?" He asked, looking at me with worry.

"D-don't worry," Why did I stutter?

"It was just a weird headache. It's gone now." I told him. He continued to look at me with worry. Ryuji then came, and we left the T.V studio.

(A/N: It's Done! Also, I am not joking about the workload I have. I'm doing a comic, I'm writing a bunch of stuff, and life stuff too! Free time is something I have, but I waste it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter!)