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The quickest way to disguise oneself was with a wardrobe change. Taking off a jacket, putting on a hat or a pair of glasses; a small, superficial difference could transform a person entirely.
This was the thought that crossed Goro’s mind as he sat beside the napping leader of the Phantom Thieves.
Earlier that day, Goro found himself in the attic that doubled as a bedroom after stopping by Leblanc for a cup of coffee. Akira was working the counter and naturally, they got to chatting. Eventually, Sojiro shooed them away so they wouldn’t bother his (nonexistent) customers.
The two talked about everything and nothing at all. There was no talk of Palaces, or shadows, or the Phantom Thieves. It was strictly “normal”. Totally bland, unremarkably normal.
Afternoon turned to evening and their chat lapsed into a comfortable silence. A movie and a round of snacks later, Akira was sprawled on the couch while Goro stayed seated beside the folding table. At some point during the movie, Akira fell asleep. Goro was effectively alone. No boisterous friends, no otherworldly cat, and the next nearest person was Sojiro, downstairs.
Goro scooted his chair closer to the couch. Propping his chin in his hands, he examined the defenseless Thief below him.
Asleep, he might have been a normal high school student. No put upon facades, no pretenses.
Except, not really. Like himself, Akira could never be just a normal high school student. Even without the mantle of the leader of the Phantom Thieves, he would never be normal, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Akira knew it, too.
After they met on GMJ’s set, Goro took it upon himself to do a little digging. He had been surprised to actually find something in the police database. A vague arrest record, a brief yet heavily censored court transcript, and a mugshot. Curiously, he hadn’t been wearing glasses back then.
But Goro had a pretty good guess as to why .
It was his way of hiding, of blending in.
Goro had briefly considered wearing glasses back when he had started to build his current image. It was an easy way to come across as cool, collected, and smart. In the end, he decided against, but here was Akira using them as part of his own costume. Look at me, they said, I’m a good student, promise.
But they weren’t fooling him.
Goro tilted his head, considering the other boy. With both hands, he carefully plucked the glasses off Akira’s face.
The absence made quite the difference. It took away the last of his crafted persona of a quiet and studious student, someone who flew below the radar. There was no trace of the suave, cool Leader, either. Just a gangly teenage boy sprawled across his couch, oblivious to the world.
Goro sat back in his chair, turning the glasses over in his hands. He only ever saw Akira without them in the Metaverse. But that didn’t really count. There, a literal mask replaced the symbolic one.
On an impulse, Goro slipped the glasses on. The room stayed clear. Plain glass, just as he thought. Just a part of the costume. Goro tilted his head this way and that, feeling out the new weight on his ears and nose.
There was nothing special about them, just glass and plastic. Yet, he felt different. With the glasses on, a new barrier had been erected between him and the world. It was a surprisingly familiar sensation. Like his gloves, the glasses were a physical layer that separated him from the world.
Goro pulled out his phone and turned on the camera. He turned his head from side to side, inspecting himself. The frames were large enough to cover his cheekbones while disappearing under his bangs.
He almost looked like a different person. He was sure that was why Akira decided to wear them. The glasses marked a clean break between the boy from the arrest and who he was trying to be here in Tokyo. With the glasses, Goro could be a different person, too.
It was a titillating feeling. Stealing a look behind Akira’s disguise and borrowing it for a bit. Experiencing all the possibilities of who he could be. Is this how Akira felt after every successful shadow negotiation?
And the feeling of being able to slip by, right beneath everyone’s noses, was exciting, too.
Hiding in plain sight itself was nothing new to Goro. For years, he twisted society’s expectations of the Detective Prince for his own purposes. Like a magician, he distracted with one hand while performing the trick with the other.
Compared to his own mask, the glasses were a mundane choice.
Akira did the same, but in reverse. Compared to his own mask, the glasses were a mundane choice. Instead of purposefully attracting attention, he deflected it. No one would expect the quiet student to be the leader of the infamous Phantom Thieves, just like no one suspected Goro of being Shido’s hitman.
But despite his efforts to go unnoticed, Akira had gained a loyal band of thieves.
What unfair bullshit.
With every group meeting, the small sting he felt grew a little louder. With every tête-a-tête around the same table he sat at now, his own determination grew stronger.
He wouldn’t have to put up with them for much longer. Serendipity was on his side. His plans would soon be complete.
Goro considered himself one last time in his camera. Someone he could be. He tapped the shutter button before slipping his phone away. He turned his attention towards Akira, still sound asleep. He pulled the glasses off and gently folded the frames shut. He placed them on the edge of the table closest to the other boy.
He stood up, gathered his things, and let himself out, thanking Sojiro for the coffee on the way out.
In the end, his feelings didn’t matter. Everything was going as planned and his revenge would be one step closer to completion.