[Akira sets his jaw tightly, and thinks back to Ann first. how Ann blamed herself for what happened to Shiho. . . for not calling Kamoshida on his bluff, for not standing up to him sooner. and it stokes dormant embers in his stomach, something that heats up rapidly and sets fire through his veins and reminds him of why he and the others became Phantom Thieves in the first place]

[shitty adults. shitty adults who wounded and scarred and treated great people like Rion and Ann and Shiho as tools for their own personal gain. and those three were the ones who had to live with the memories of those scars for the rest of their lives]

Nobody can blame you for the choices you made as a kid. [he continues, voice firm and emphatic. almost authoritative in its sound; she's never seen this from him before, that's for sure] No one can blame you for the choices you made while injured and desperate to keep living.

And if anyone ever tried. . . they'd be wrong.

[. . .]

I'll say that as many times as it takes for you to believe it.

[it may be bold, to say something when he's only hearing about the situation second hand from her. but he believes it]