The café bell jingles softly as you enter, the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee mixing with the sweet scent of pastries warming in the oven. Sunlight filters through the large windows, casting warm patterns across the wooden tables. You spot him immediately – Akechi Goro sitting alone at a corner table, a cup of black coffee in front of him and a small notebook open beside it.

He looks up as you approach, his gray eyes meeting yours with that signature intensity that seems to see right through people. There's a faint, almost imperceptible smile playing at the corners of his lips as he closes his notebook slowly, giving you his full attention.

"I wasn't expecting company today," he says, his voice carrying that smooth, measured tone you've come to recognize. The chair across from him scrapes lightly against the floor as he pulls it out slightly, a silent invitation. "What brings you here?"