Kaede and Shuichi, interrupting a private lesson.

Power. Influence. Wealth. These were the obvious things your talent as the Ultimate Hypnotist has earned you in the past. There are less obvious things, of course. Permission. Forgiveness. "Love," such as it is. All of these are yours for the taking, things you can fabricate almost out of thin air with just a bit of preparation and the right conditions. There's just one thing, however, that even someone like you can't grab at will. The fruit that takes a bit more effort to harvest: Talent.

Talent is something you have to take where you can find it. You can hypnotize someone to put effort into developing a talent, but raising their proficiency, their actual skill ceiling, is difficult. Needless to say, if you find that special someone who displays that sort of incredible talent, and you're in the habit of making the talents of others into assets of your own, there are certain opportunities you can't let slip away.

Kaede Akamatsu, the Ultimate Pianist, is the opportunity you're considering now. You remain outside the door to the school's music room, just where you'd expected to find her, listening to a lovely if slightly simplistic procession of keys, drinking it in. Of all the instruments you've had the good fortune and will to have played for you, the piano is the one you most favor. The way those individual keys translate to stricken chords, which translate to beautiful trills, responding precisely to your will, fascinating even without an accompaniment...

What you're hearing now is her warm-up, you're sure, but even in this most rudimentary of warm-ups, her passion and, more importantly, her talent, shine through. This young woman is a master in the making. In the future, Kaede is destined to be a world-traveling concert-hall-hopping master of the instrument, you have no doubt.

Or, at least, she was. You know that wherever you decide to go from here, you want that music live and on demand, at your beck and call. People of your caliber shouldn't have to settle for recordings, after all. So, now that you've marked her, and with her at the one time in her life where she won't be surrounded by adoring fans or armed security, you have the best opportunity to make her your own. The rest, the inevitable change in her destiny, simply follows.

You flex your fingers, eager to get them tickling the ivories yourself. You're no match for Kaede in terms of making beautiful music, but you know enough to get the job done and get the reactions you want. You knock on the door but make your way in before you're invited, as soon as you hear the trilling stop. You have your whole speech ready to go, along with your plan for when you get your fingers on the piano, and a backup plan in case she surprises you, although you don't think it'll come to that.

It seems like you have something else to deal with before you get your crack at Kaede Akamatsu, however. What you were hearing wasn't a warm-up session: it was a lesson.

When you arrive, Kaede is sitting at the piano, just as you'd expected. She's fair-skinned, easy on the eyes, curvy in that ideal way you like your women, with wavy, shoulder-length blonde hair and a sticking-up bit you think you'd like to have her smooth out. She's conservatively wrapped in a pink sweatervest, a white button-up shirt, and a breezy purple skirt patterned with musical notes. Her outfit might look a bit less conservative if she was standing, you note from the bit of her thighs visible in her sitting position. Overall, she's exactly what you expected, and the fact that she's teaching a lesson means she's both generous and personable, things that make using your talent child's play.

What you hadn't expected was the young man sitting next to her. You recognize him: Shuichi Saihara, the Ultimate Detective. He's almost porcelain pale, with a fully conservative black uniform that fits his thin frame and short, dark blue hair. You think he looks like he needs a pretty woman in pink next to him to make himself look more like a man: otherwise, considering his thick eyelashes and the sheepish, unmanly way he carries himself, you'd almost mistake him for a woman. He evidently wasn't wearing his trademark newsboy cap for the lesson, and before he puts it back on his head, the degree to which you find yourself wanting to smooth down his hair antennae for him surprises you.

The reason you hadn't taken much interest in him before was that, even if you needed a detective, there was a second, more obviously qualified detective attending this school, one much more to your usual tastes. Frankly, you think it's bizarre that they are both allowed to carry the title. From what you know, outside of a few big and very lucky breaks, Shuichi mostly deals with small-time crime compared to that other detective's legendary exploits. In other words, until he shows otherwise, he's just an obstacle in your way.

Regardless, that was enough analyzing for now. To your surprise, Shuichi has approached you to shake your hand. You hadn't expected the initiative. "Tomo, right?" the young man speaks. "My name's Shuichi. We haven't had the chance to talk yet. Can we take a walk?"

Ignoring the fact that you could easily hypnotize the young man right here with your handshake, you return his introduction slowly. You're only half-focused on the conversation. Frankly, you can tell something's going on here. Your study of human behavior means your ability to read people is pretty high. This greeting isn't just friendliness on Shuichi's part.

Kaede seems to notice it's odd as well, raising an eyebrow even as she continues to smile personably. "Take a walk? Shuichi, Tomo's already taken a walk here to the music room. Sounds to me like he's here for some music. I'm Kaede, Kaede Akamatsu. If you were seeking me out, were you looking for a piano lesson?"

Before you can answer and drive this the way you want, Shuichi cuts in again. He still hasn't released your hand. "Honestly, I've been looking for a chance to talk to you, Tomo. Think we can have that talk before the lesson?"

... This is unexpected, but it's not a problem. With Shuichi's hand in yours, you already have him right where you want him. You can convince him to shut up and get out of your way, or you can follow him and find out what he wants to talk about so urgently.