[ Akira smiles a little. He doesn't hold their hands, because he's letting Akechi take the lead on this one -- he'll touch Akechi readily in private, but it's different when they're in public, and Akira doesn't want to risk crossing a line. ]

I only saw you in Sae-san's and Maruki's, but I imagine you actually did something in the middle. Stealthy but probably not quite as ready to fight the entire palace by yourself.