Curate, connect, and discover
Okay, I know I've already talked briefly about how I think the perception of Kichijoji changes for Joker after 11/20 in a different post, but today has me thinking; how does it change for Akechi?
Are the colors dimmer for him too, both in vibrancy and in light? Does he find himself walking around and looking through shops as if he's passing time while someone's still on the train? Does he automatically go to stand by Penguin Sniper before remembering that there's no one who will meet him? Does he go to the Jazz Jin and feel like it's too quiet?
Does Muhen ask him about the boy he would come with? Does he fumble for an answer? Does he keep thinking of a conversation topic and looking up, only to see an empty chair? Is the realization so terrifying that he goes home and works too late, sustained by anxiety and the worst coffee he's had in months?
Does it extend beyond Kichijoji? When going on Momentos runs just to blow off steam, does raising his gun remind him of a boy in an arcade, or one sitting in an interrogation room? When he sees Sae at work, does he think of how her sister reacted to the news? After school, does he find himself almost taking the train to Yongen-Jaya? When putting on his gloves, does he get the urge to pull the right one just a bit tighter?
Is it hard for him to look down at his desk from an certain angle? Do certain voices in public catch his attention? Does he see a Shujin uniform and panic? During interviews where they ask the audience for input, does he keep preparing himself for a mini debate?
Does he look up that boy's parents, trying to find their contacts so he can tell them that their son is dead? Does he find the original court case that resulted in a probation and realize that Shido had been to thank for yet another thing? Does he buy or steal cheap liquor from any store he can, pouring it down the drain just to drown out the smell of coffee that hangs on everything he owns by now? Does he think back to every conversation they've ever had, playing his rival's words over and over again in his head to search for some signal that he knew this was coming and he knew how to get out?
Does everything look dimmer to him, too? Does life just feel more bland?
(When he realizes that Joker is alive, is the tiniest part of him relieved? Does he crush that part of him, or does he ignore it? Do the lights in the studio look just a little more vibrant? Does he even realize any of this before it's too late, bleeding on the other side of a bulkhead door? Does he?)