Akai Shūichi didn't say anything more than 'You're from Tokyo', not the police academy, the cadets, the drill, the TV footage, the organization.
But the words that came out carried that information.
Once Ichijō Mirai was known to be from Tokyo, it was only a matter of time before he found out the rest of the story, after all, he had been so arrogant as a police cadet that he had been on the TVs of Tokyo residents.
Ichijō Mirai knew about it, and so did Akai Shūichi.
He didn't say anything, but his voice was already louder than words.
Ichijō Mirai looked at him, emphasizing the calm expression on his face, "What else do you know?"
Huh...
How can you be so calm when you know that the scary, madman-like criminal was a former police cadet who almost became a serious police officer?
No condescending lectures, accusations, or self-righteous pity?
Ichijō Mirai understands, considering that Akai Shūichi looks to be in his mid-twenties, quite young, and not in his forties or fifties when his belly grows big and his posture grows big.
But...
He scrutinized Akai Shūichi's expression, and wondered: But, isn't twenty-something years old, the age of youth and love of conspiracy theories?
As an FBI officer, Akai Shūichi didn't seem to be able to expand his mind when he found out about the Tokyo clues, thinking, 'Is it a coincidence that a Japanese police officer came to New York to break the law and try to join the FBI, or is it just a coincidence? No outbursts of 'son bites father, dog bites master?!'
It's a little strange...
Wait a minute.
Ichijō Mirai re-examined Akai Shūichi's obviously non-New Yorker, deep-eyed but Japanese-style, mixed-race face, and realized.
Akai Shūichi ignored this daze, and throughout, no matter what Ichijō Mirai said or what expression he wore, he kept his emotions in check, making himself as unaffected as a puddle of stagnant water.
At least on the surface.
He answered Ichijō Mirai lightly, "I also know,"
There was a pause, and only when Ichijō Mirai sniffed and met his gaze absently did he slowly bite out the key word: "Organization, Satan."
"You."
'Aside from the fact that you're from Tokyo and were a former police cadet, I know about your relationship with Satan and your indirect relationship with the Organization.'
He delivers the message.
Ichijō Mirai receives the message.
'Not only do I know that you were a police cadet in Tokyo, but I also know that you're with the Organization, and that you're Satan.'
...Wow.
"Wow," He exclaimed, instantly energized, gauging Akai Shūichi's expression with interest, "I'm surprised you were able to find out all that stuff,"
"Still."
He adjusted his seating position, reclining in his chair, resting his elbows against the back and spreading his hands, "Where's the expression?"
"Why do you still have that dead look on your face?"
"Come on, I don't have the power to manipulate people through their moods, so why are you so wary of me? Show me your face, it won't do you any good, it'll do you harm, but,"
Ichijō Mirai smiled and rightly said, "It makes me happy."
He looked like a criminal who had just committed a crime and was interested in asking, "What about the expression of disgust?" after realizing that there was a witness with a numb expression hidden at the scene of the crime.
"Being associated with a transnational criminal organization like that, and having cleaned up three batches of the FBI, as an FBI agent, shouldn't you show me some disgust, resentment, hatred, or something like that, sir?"
"And..."
Akai Shūichi gazed at Ichijō Mirai and said without moving, "And?"
"And," Ichijō Mirai gave a big grin, "I also lied to you."
In the car race, he said 'Satan is my former companion who betrayed me and is my enemy, and I hate him', but he is Satan.
"Don't you want to show some expression? Aren't you frustrated about being deceived?"
Or anything else that would make you happy.
In the player state, Ichijō Mirai likes to see the NPCs show a look of patience as if they can't do anything about it, so they have to swallow their anger.
If the NPCs don't show some anger and patience when they are bullied, but just lay down calmly and let themselves be toyed with without any emotion, or if they are happy when they are toyed with...
There is not enough emotional feedback for the player to be able to play and have fun.
Akai Shūichi: "..."
Showing emotion doesn't mean you can't be manipulated directly like a puppet, but it doesn't mean you can't be manipulated indirectly, and anyone who knows anything about interrogation techniques can understand the importance of facial expressions.
Sometimes, a single expression can send a deadly signal to the enemy.
Ichijō Mirai's off-the-cuff remarks would have fooled anyone who believed them like a dog.
But then, with the justified 'no good, but bad', 'it makes me happy', and as if to say it out loud, 'I just lied to you, so why don't you hit me if you can'... he's quite honest.
He's quite honest.
It's like calling out the names of his moves to warn his enemies in a fight.
"It's not 'disgusting', it's not 'being cheated'," Akai Shūichi said, "I'm just surprised,"
"Not just surprised at who you are," He met Ichijō Mirai's unabashedly measuring gaze, "but surprised that you've admitted it so openly,"
"I thought you'd avoid it, or just not admit it."
It was a vague intuition, as if he had asked the question outright and met with a categorical denial, so when he said it again, he already had a vague premonition of Ichijō Mirai's reaction.
Ichijō Mirai didn't deny it, but just admitted it, which was a bit unexpected for Akai Shūichi.
"There's no denying it," Ichijō Mirai said lazily, "You can't hide mud splatters on the hem of your shirt."
"There's something wrong with you."
He said, "As an FBI agent, you don't dislike me, you resent me, don't you? But to sit here and talk to me in such a calm manner."
"What are you thinking, Mr. FBI?"
"I seem," Ichijō Mirai stood up, walked across the aisle between the two rows of chairs, and sat down on Akai Shūichi's left hand side, giving him a close and friendly smile, "to have found out something I shouldn't have."
"For example, you're not loyal to the FBI?"
The smile looked friendly, but it could turn into a sneer at any moment.
"I'm not loyal to the FBI," Akai Shūichi repeated, agreeing without blinking, "that's just the way it is."
"I joined the FBI for another reason."
He paused, and when he looked at Ichijō Mirai again, his eyes seemed to hold a sharp blade, "You know."
Because of the search for his father.
"Akai Tsutomu," Ichijō Mirai put his hand on the back of the chair and laughed a little happily, "Wait, you didn't deny it, I shouldn't have gotten the wrong signal,"
"You want to cooperate with me?"
Not cooperation between criminals and the FBI, but: "You, want to cooperate with me?"
"Private cooperation behind the back of the FBI, behind the back of the organization?"
Ichijō Mirai emphasized, "I am a criminal with a long and unforgivable debt of blood,"
"And you, an FBI agent who chases criminals like a rabid dog,"
"For the sake of your father," he said with some amusement, "you're willing to give up justice for my personal cooperation?"
"And if you can't find the answer in justice, you'll step into the darkness?"
Wow, oh, that's really...
'Family' and 'justice' are things that can't be put on either side of the scale.
Once you put them on both ends of the scale, no matter what the result is, it pleases the heart, and now it pleases Ichijō Mirai.
Akai Shūichi denied, "No,"
"It's not 'willing to cooperate with you privately'," he corrected Ichijō Mirai, "it's 'begging',"
"When the two parties are not on equal footing, and one party desperately wants to cooperate and the other doesn't care whether they do or not, one doesn't use the word 'willing', one uses the word 'please', doesn't one?"
"Please, I beg you to cooperate with me."