~~~ Twist of Fate ~~~
[ Arc II: Where it All Began ]
Chapter Four: Acceptance
- 04/07/20Xx ( Thursday - Evening ) [ Tokyo - Niijima Residence ] -
'Did I seriously just accepted the job? Aren't I already busy enough with those mental shutdown cases? Not to mention I'd got Makoto to think about as well...' Sae let out a sigh as she made her way inside the complex to their home.
Though their parents do go way back, she knew very little regarding their son...
To her, Ren Amamiya was just the only son of Yoshiro and Asuka Amamiya, a young, sixteen-year-old teenager in his second year of high school who was convicted with an assault case for being nosy. For involving himself in matters that he cannot win against.
This aggravated her as she hates to lose. To her, losing means failure- which is something that she cannot afford to have upon herself.
For Makoto and for her own sake, she needed to keep winning.
If only she could find the cause of this unusual cases, and solve it. It would no doubt help her reach higher in the office.
But taking on the mental shutdown cases while managing a nosy teenager as a probation officer would make her work much more difficult that it already is.
Yet even as she knew that. Sae couldn't turn down the kid either.
'True, he bought the problem upon himself. That's what happens when you're too much of an idealist with a righteous mindset. Fighting for justice... but what is justice nowadays?' She thought with a scowl as she entered the elevator.
It was foolish for him to act rashly, but he didn't know any better. He's still too innocent. Naive to the ways of how the real world works.
But she was just like him when she was at that age so she could understand why he'd done it.
That's why she believes it and that's why she eventually gave in to their request and agreed to help them.
Sae knew the feeling of wanting to do the right thing. That was part of the reason why she became a Prosecutor to begin with. To fight the injustice of how men could be. Just like her father... But now, she wasn't so sure.
Then she soon shook her head at that. It wasn't the time to think about the past and besides, she already had those bright ideals crushed right in front of her eyes.
She didn't need a reminder.
Instead, she had a naive, nosy, teenage boy to think about.
Sae had no doubt that the person who sued Ren have some sort of political power if what his father told her about his son's case was anything to go by.
The compliant's name was also left unnamed and they skipped most legal procedures like it was nothing. Not much details were even given, in truth, cases like this should have been dismissed.
But Politics had always played dirty and thankfully she don't need to sully her hands with Ren's case.
Being on probation, he only needed to behave himself for a year and as long as he do that, then she wouldn't need to worry about him getting in the way with her work too much.
If not, then she wouldn't hesitate to kick him out. But hopefully, it wouldn't come to that, because if that does happen then that meant that she failed in guiding him and failure is not an option for her. She hates to lose.
Besides, She has a sister around his age after all. Failure in guiding a teenage boy could warrant the same to happen to her sister.
...She wouldn't allow herself to lose her sister as well.
Standing outside their apartment door, she soon knocked on door a couple of times before slipping the keys in the knob to flick it open,
"Makoto? I'm home." Sae called out while she closed the door behind her, then she placed her bag down the sofa nearby before making her way towards the kitchen area in search of her sister.
...And she found her behind a counter, with a pot containing their dinner in hand.
"Sis! Welcome back!" Makoto said with a beaming smile, "It's nice to see you home earlier than yesterday." She added as she placed the steaming pot down their dinning table before walking towards her older sister, "Are you hungry? Should I set up the table now? "
Sae nodded, "Sure, I think I'll go and grab a bite before heading out again..."
As she said that, Makoto's eyes grew wide in surprise, "You're heading out again after this? Is there another case?" She asked with concealed sadness reflected on her eyes before making her way back to the counters in search for some extra plates.
"More or less..." Sae started before making her way towards her sister to help set up the table, "...But it's not related to my recent cases. It's more of a personal request if you think about it."
After she finished setting up the plates, Makoto turned to her sister with a curious gaze, "If you don't mind me asking... What do you mean by personal request, Sis?" She asked as she watched her sister got out pitcher of water and placed it down in the table before looking at her.
"I've received an interesting phone call from a close family friend when I was at the office earlier today..." Sae started before she crossed her arms, "Makoto, by any chance do you remember, Ren Amamiya?"
"Ren...?" Makoto thought about him for a moment before she nodded, "I do. I hardly recall what he looks like though since I only met him once, But I do remember writing to each other from time to time."
She smiled at that memory, "It was fun reading his letters and Father always encouraged it, saying that writing letters is better than sending messages on the phone."
Then a frown soon graced Makoto's face as she added, "But after... The incident, it was kind of sad that he had yet replied to my last letter. We lost communication after that."
Sae raised a brow at that and finds herself asking, "Really? There were really no letters that came from them this past three years...?" She hadn't really paid any mind to the mails they're received ever since her father's incident because she'd been keeping herself busy with her work to support both of them.
"Yes, there wasn't a single one from them and we hardly get any letters nowadays so it's quite impossible for me to have missed it." Makoto was confused by this, "Why...? When they contacted you earlier, had they stated it otherwise?"
"They did. In the last letter you sent three years ago, it contained what happened to... our Father right? As well as our new home number?" Sae watched her sister nod before she continued, "Well, did you know that they didn't know anything about it and they were surprised by the news. In fact, they said that they've been trying to contact us since then."
Makoto was surprised to hear this, "...That's very peculiar. I made sure that all the details were right. It's impossible for the letter to be sent to the wrong person... And like I said, we haven't received any mails from them either..."
Then she instinctively placed a hand below her chin in contemplation, "...What's going on?"
"So it's true... I had assumptions that they'd try to cut off any connections after they committed such an incident, but to think that they would interfere with all the letters addressed to our Father as well..." Sae trailed off with a sad expression on her face.
When her sister didn't continue, Makoto looked up to her and asked, "...What do you mean about that, Sis?"
Sae closed her eyes and shook her head, "No, never mind. It's nothing you should be concerned about."
Then she looked up to her, "...And that's not what I was going to tell you. But before you ask, let's sit down and eat." She sat down on a nearby chair before she added, "...Our dinner's getting cold after all."
Makoto completely forgotten about it, "Ah, yes of course." Then she sat down herself and soon both said, "Thanks for the food." Before they ate in silence for a while.
Now nearly finished with dinner, Makoto looked up to her sister once more and asked, "So, Sis... what was that case you want to talk to me about earlier?"
"Right... About that call I received earlier... " Sae started after wiping her mouth with a napkin.
Then she looked straight to her younger sister's curious eyes before adding, "...Its actually about your friend's supposed assault charge..."
"...What?" Makoto was shocked to hear this, "...Ren-kun has an assault case charge on him..? How?"
Sae then nodded before replying that, "I was surprised to hear about it as well. But after talking about it with his father earlier, he said that his son supposedly tried to defend a woman that was being bothered by this drunk man who was forcing himself on her. Intervening recklessly, your friend pulled the drunk away from the woman with more force than originally intended, which end up injuring the man in the process."
Then she narrowed her eyes before continuing, "The police conveniently came, the drunk man push the blame on your friend, claiming that he was assaulted and the woman that he attempted to rescue actually turned on him. Amamiya-kun was promptly arrested after because of that and the court who handled his case didn't bother to listen to his side and was quick to announce him guilty." After that, she slightly leaned down the table with her hands closed to fist just below her chin as she tried to comprehend Ren's situation.
"...But he did the right thing and he was the one who got arrested...?" Makoto could only look towards her sister in disbelief upon hearing that, "...That's just wrong." She added with a shook of her head.
Sae considered this for a moment as well, but soon resigned to the thought that it wasn't her business.
She only agreed to look after him after all.
Sae soon let out a tired sigh and looked at Makoto with a stern expression, "Right and wrong is not that easy to comprehend, Makoto. Your friend had been reckless, he still got the man injured after all. If he just called for the police himself and simply let the authorities handle an adult's trouble then he wouldn't be in his current position."
"But arresting him without giving him a chance to explain his case is still wrong. Though Ren-kun had been rash, the only reason he did that was because someone was forcing himself on a woman..!" Makoto said exasperatedly, her anger rising, "...And that woman? How could she do that to someone who actually tried to even help her?"
"Even I find the verdict regarding his case odd and those who handled the case were truly incompetent in their job. It was an unfair trial, especially since the compliant didn't even bother to come to court. There was no name or any other details about him weren't given either..." Sae closed her eyes as she thought about it for awhile,
"But for that to happen and regarding the woman who easily turned on her apparent savior..." Sae looked at her sister again with narrowed eyes, testing her, "...Who do you think was involved that could warrant such an action to take place?"
Makoto thought about it for a moment and she soon mirrored her sister's expression, as she figured out the answer, "...Someone with a significant amount of power. More or less, a high ranking official in the government..."
"...The trial was simply a hoax, and the officials in court had been paid in advance to speed up the process. While the woman was probably threatened with her life to testify against Ren-kun." Though she knew that, that didn't stop her from lightly gritting her teeth in anger after she stated that.
Sae leaned her back to her seat, "...That's just how corrupted the system could become at times. Frankly speaking... I really don't know what justice is for and what is it even considered nowadays." She said with a sad expression.
"...Saving others. It's there to help people do the right thing." Makoto said to her sister with a serious expression.
Sae couldn't help but scoff at that, "That's just something you learned from our Father. After being in the line of profession that works alongside this Justice that we speak off for quite some time now, I'm afraid to say that it isn't as easy as you state it to be. Your friend's case proved that."
Makoto frowned at that, "That's true."
Then her agitated expression fell to a more sad state after recalling her friend's case, "...Speaking of Ren-kun, How is he handling this case so far? We're just around the same age and if that was me, I... I don't think I'd be feeling too well right now..."
"If that was you...? I probably wouldn't allow such a thing to even happen. That's why I've always told you to mind your own business and just focus on your studies." Sae said, crossing her arms as she regarded her sister,
Then she added, "As for your friend, I managed to talk to him earlier and he sounded like he was doing fine. I also heard that he was detained in juvenile hall for a week, but has currently been released and the court had ordered him to be on probation. If he's to behave for a year, his case was said to be lifted. "
Makoto sighed in relief, "Though he has a criminal record due to that, it's still good to hear that Ren-kun was just put on probation for a year other than something else far worse."
"True, it's better than actually being detained in juvenile hall for a couple of years, more or less. Though, I still find that unnecessary if he just minded his own business... But it's pointless to argue about that since the damage had already been done." Sae shook her head at that and looked down at her wristwatch, It was getting late and she needed to talk about their apartment's area manager to talk about Ren's transfer.
She then looked back up to her sister, "Makoto, I told you all this because I have a favor to ask you regarding your friend."
"A favor regarding, Ren-kun?" Makoto asked, looking up to her sister curiously, "What is it?"
Sae briefly placed a hand to her chin as she recalled her current predicament, "The point of his father's call was to ask me if I could be his probation officer. According to our father's stories, you know that his hometown was just a small community. So rumors spread fast."
Then she crossed her arm before adding, "That being the case, Amamiya-kun's year of probation would not be easy since almost everyone in town is aware of his assault case. He was even expelled from his school. He's more or less already being labeled as a criminal by most people so any chances of him living a simple, honest life over there would be close to impossible."
Makoto shook her head at that, "That's terrible." She said with a scowl.
"The court at least agreed with that and so Amamiya-kun was allowed to live his probation out of town. His parents was given the chance to decide where their son would reside in for a year. They of course decided on the location where he would move to depending on what school he'll be able to transfer to and with his record, their available choices aren't much to say the least." Sae explained.
"Since you've been involved... It's somewhere here in Tokyo, isn't it, Sis?" Makoto asked, seemingly knowing where their conversation was going.
Sae nodded, "Curiously enough, Shujin Academy accepted him and starting on Monday, that's where he'll be officially attending. I've talked to your principal on the phone earlier, and he confirmed this. I'll be meeting him this Sunday with your friend to finalized his transfer papers. You'll probably hear about this tomorrow at school as well so I wanted to give you a head start regarding the matter."
Makoto nodded back, "I see..." Then she placed a hand on her chin and considered the situation, "If you agreed to be Ren-kun's probation officer... I take it that he would be living nearby then? Any idea on where that would be, Sis?"
"I had agreed to be his probation officer. Aside from the fact that our families had been in close terms... I can't really abandon him in his current state with his whole hometown already against him. That would've been too much..." Sae said, looking down with a sad expression,
Then she looked up to her younger sister once more, "As for his living quarters, I decided to let him use our spare apartment room next door since no one has rented it out anyway. Besides, it would make our job watching over him and monitoring his activities easier as well if he's just living next door to ours after all."
Makoto was already quite surprised to hear that them and Ren would be neighbors for a year, but something else really got her attention, "...Our job in watching over and monitoring him...?"
Sae sighed at that, before she replied, "Although I would do my part in being his probation officer to the best of my abilities, I can't watch over him for most of the time with the mental shutdown cases appearing more and more each day. That's why I wanted to ask you this favor... I wanted to ask you to take my place in looking after him for me for the times that I cannot be with him."
"You want me to help... in watching over him?" Makoto asked in disbelief, her sister actually wanted her to help?
"I'll be honest with you, Makoto... I'd rather you focus on your studies with you already being on your third year. But frankly speaking, other than being neighbors, you two would also be attending the same school for a year so you'll actually be with him for most of the time." Sae said before regarding her sister,
"You're now also the Student Council President, right? That would make probing in to his daily activities and standing in school much easier for you than it is with me. That's why I need your help. Can you do that for me?" She asked while she crossed arms.
"Yes, of course." Agreeing to that left a bad taste in Makoto's mouth. Because in other words, her sister is also asking her to stalk her friend's every activity.
But it's rare enough for her sister to ask for favors from her. This would be a great way to pay her back for this last three years that her sister's been raising her by herself.
Sae smiled at that, "Thank you. But know that I would also help in any way I could to help keep him in line. If he doesn't get his priorities straight... tell him that I know kickboxing."
Makoto couldn't help a snicker to grace her face, "...And I know Aikido. So I believe he'll behave himself one way or the other."
That prompted a short laugh from Sae, "That's true." Then she was surprised to see her younger sister's face suddenly brightened up.
"As for my studies. I think I could help with his as well. As they say, studying was said to be more effective if you have a study partner to share it with." Makoto said with a beaming smile.
After she gave it some thought, the brunette realized that she wasn't just limited to simply prying on her friend's activities.
Since she could also offer to help him out whenever he wanted it as well! So all things considered, it's not that bad for him... and for her.
Sae nodded at that and a small smile soon formed on her lips as well. "That sounds like a plan."
Then she glanced at her wristwatch again before she stood up, "Can you wash the dishes for me, Makoto? I have to finalized your friend's transfer next door with the area manager. I agreed to meet him down the cafe to talk about it around five minutes from now."
"Sure thing, Sis. I'll take care of this." Makoto said, gathering the dishes while Sae wore her coat and added, "You don't have to wait for me. Go ahead and rest after you're done. I imagine that this sudden transfer would take some time to finish."
Makoto nodded at that, before she made her way towards the sink with the dishes in hand, "Okay. I'll be up in my room studying for awhile then I'll go straight to bed."
Sae nodded back at that, "All right. I'll be locking up the door then." She walked a few distance away before she recalled something and faced back towards her sister with a small smile, "Good night, Makoto."
"Good night, Sis. See you tomorrow." Makoto replied, smiling back. She then watched her sister gave her another nod before making her way outside.
Makoto eventually busied herself with the dishes as soon as she heard the door leading outside closed with a thud.
After that, she dried her hands with a towel and soon made her way towards her room.
Upon arriving, She went straight to her desk and sat down on the chair before reaching out her bag from the side as she considered which subject to focus on.
Sorting that out, Makoto then got out her textbooks and began scribbling some notes, highlighting some topics that would most likely be discussed on their lessons tomorrow.
After a while of writing down notes, She eventually noticed that it was getting a bit late. So with a sigh, she soon closed her textbooks and gathered all her notes before she placed her bag on her lap to place them all inside to call it a day.
With that done, she closed her eyes and stretched her arms, leaning a bit to the side with a soft groan.
After relieving the tension that formed from her joints, Makoto then sat upright as she opened her eyes and she quickly took notice of a small plush panda toy with a red bandana on it's neck.
It was looking back at her with a friendly smile and she finds herself smiling back to it as well.
Makoto then reached a hand to get the small stuff toy and held it in front of her.
It reminded her of Ren.
That was to be expected, since they somehow did managed to get it together in the arcade down at Central Street, after all.
"You fool..." She playfully poked its nose for a couple of times, "Look at what you've gotten yourself into now... and you said that I was the reckless one before..." She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head at the memory.
Then Makoto looked out to the windows beside her bed, "...I wonder how Ren-kun's fairing right now? I hope he's all right..." She asked as she watched the stars shine bright outside.
- 04/08/20Xx ( Friday - Afternoon ) [ Hometown - Courthouse ] -
It was raining and it seemed like there was no intention of it letting up anytime soon.
Which in turn made Ren inwardly feel bad, and with the way his former probation officer kept on reprimanding him about his actions, then going on about the rules and restrictions that came with his probation over and over again in order to mock him made him feel worse.
By the end of the lecture, the officer settled on finishing it with an evil sneer. "Looks like everything had been settled now. You're moving early tomorrow, right? Good luck on your probation and remember to behave yourself in Tokyo or it's back to juvenile hall for you, kid. Don't make your parents suffer more for your misdoings, got that?"
Ren nodded in resignation, "Yes, sir..." He didn't want any more trouble. Besides, he should be happy that he doesn't need to put up with the man in front of him anymore since he has a new probation officer waiting for him in Tokyo.
Although... He still don't know what to expect from Prosecutor Sae Niijima either.
She seemed kind, but that professional tone on her voice made him very, very tense as well.
Ren was then given files of papers concerning his assault case that he needed to hand over to his new probation officer and as soon as he placed the documents on his bag, he was immediately asked to leave the courtroom.
He doesn't have any plan on staying any longer anyway. So he left the room after a quick bow and walked out briskly to the exit.
Then Ren stood patiently in front of the courthouse's main gate, where there was still a small roof that shaded him from the rain.
Glad to be freed from those incriminating stares inside, he put a hand on his nape and slightly leaned his head to the side to remove the tension.
But he couldn't relax for long as he noticed from the corner of his eyes, that there were a few people gathering from the other side of the road.
They were also seemingly looking at his direction and that was enough to make him frown.
Fortunately Ren didn't have to hear their pointless rambling about his arrest as he saw his mother's car pulling up in front of him just in time to pick him up.
He quickly got inside with a relieved sigh and they soon made there way back home.
"They didn't pick on you, did they? No unnecessary abuse?" Asuka asked and watched her son shook his head.
"No, they all just came to tell me over and over again that I'm screwed if I messed up this probation for the most part. That this would be my last chance in redeeming myself and warned me to behave in Tokyo or else it's back to Juvie for me." He answered and felt like he was trapped.
It was suffocating but said nothing else in that regard to not further worry his mother.
His mother looked liked she wanted to say something bad to his former officers but soon sighed, and decided to change the topic, "...By the way, I washed and ironed all the clothes you'll be bringing to Tokyo. Including your new set of uniforms that arrived yesterday."
She then smiled wide in an attempt to lighten the heavy mood, "...You know, all the colors your new uniform has would look really dashing on you, if I say so myself."
Ren chuckled a little bit at that, then he slightly turned to look at his mother with a small smile still on his face, "You're my mother. You'll say that I'll look great wearing anything."
Asuka snickered at that, "True." Then she suddenly had a fond look on her face.
Upon seeing that, Ren already knew that she had a mischievous idea in mind as she suggested, "...Should I also pack that dancing outfit you wore on your last school dance competition? As well as those other costumes..? You do look really adorable on those clothes. Especially that butler costume you wore on your school play..."
Ren blinked at that in shock first, then he fervently shook his head in protest, "No! Mom, please don't..."
His mother just continued to smile and that made him uncomfortable.
Only when he let out a soft groan of displeasure did his mother broke the silence with amused chuckle, "I already shipped out the box containing your set of clothes and other daily necessities anyhow so I couldn't really add anything else. Since it was asked to be delivered as soon as possible, your new guardians should have it by tonight."
Ren sighed in relief at that, but his mother apparently wasn't finish yet, "...But I haven't said that I already packed those clothes last night either~ That's for you to find out tomorrow." His mother said in a very amused tone much to his chagrin.
...Now he was just hoping that his new guardian wouldn't bother opening his belongings later tonight.
- 04/08/20Xx (Friday - After School) [ Hometown - Amamiya Residence ] -
They reached their home a few minutes later, but before Ren could even turn to open the door, his mother spoke, "Taking aside the jokes, there might still be some things you want to bring over. I've send the standard school issued bag in the box that we shipped, but your navy colored sling bag is still on your bed. It's already cleaned and emptied of it's contents. Go ahead and pack all the things you think you'll need over there."
Then she reached out a hand towards a nearby compartment and got out an umbrella which she handed out before him.
Ren took the umbrella from her and nodded at her suggestion, "Okay."
Before he got out of the car, He watched his mother nod back at him, "After parking our car, I'll be downstairs in the kitchen cooking you a big dinner because it's going to be a big day for you tomorrow. You'll need all your strength, after all." She tried to add cheerfully, "I'll call you for you when it's ready, so take it easy today, all right?"
"I'll be looking forward to it. Thank you." Ren smiled back, grateful for his mother's consideration, soon he opened the umbrella and let the light drizzle of rain hit it first before he got out of the vehicle.
Then he watched her mother drive their car to the garage a few distance away before he made his way inside their house.
As Ren got inside the living room, he found his father was again talking to somebody on the phone. He heard the word, 'principal' so he guessed it's about his transfer again.
It seems like there were no issues since his father seemed to be speaking casually.
After being acknowledge of his arrival, he quickly excused himself in fear that his father would give him the phone again if he was to stay.
He really did not want to talk to any school official yet and with his record, he already doubted that they were talking about him in high esteem.
Now upstairs in his room, Ren immediately took notice of his empty sling bag sprawled on the middle of his bed and quickly reached for it.
Then he took a look around his room and thought about the things he could need.
The first thing he checked was his clothes drawers and sure enough, most of his comfortable sets of clothes were already sent off.
But Ren also took notice that there was a suspiciously empty space where his... unusual set of clothes used to be in.
He frowned at that, he didn't know if his mother was indeed serious earlier or if she just hid it elsewhere to tease him.
Knowing his mother, it's probably the former. Ren sighed at that, but soon found himself smiling. 'Guess it doesn't matter...' He doesn't have to wear it anyway.
...Though, still being seen among his possession would still be embarrassing so he made a mental note to himself that he'll hide those set of clothes as soon as he arrives in Tokyo tomorrow or better yet, send them back home once he gets some extra money.
Then he stood up and went to his study table before he sat on the chair and took out his phone from his pocket. He checked for any mails and found no one sent him a message.
Ren smiled at that, 'No spam or trolls,' Looks like changing his contact number was for the best. He really didn't need any of his old contacts, apart from his parents, some relatives and the couple from the convenient store that is.
Here's to hoping he could get to fill the spaces of his contacts in Tokyo then.
After that, Ren opened a compartment on the table to get its phone charger then reaching through an outlet to make sure his phone would be ready to go for tomorrow.
He also took note of a bunch of letters huddled up in a corner of the opened compartment, he reached for it and curiously wondered, "...Are this, those letters...?"
He separated those spare envelope packets and a fair number of blank stationary and pens, then he stuffed them in his bag- he could write to his family and remaining confidants here after all.
After that, Ren curiously opened up one of the worn-down looking envelopes and finds himself smiling.
It really was those letters written by his... brown bear friend.
He haven't really read them most of them at all lately, with him hardly getting by in middle school thanks to his father's incident still haunting him.
But with how crumpled these letters are, it wasn't hard to see that he read them a lot when he was younger.
As Ren first started reading her writing, he surprisingly find himself slowly remembering every word she had wrote... and now, he's wondering what he had replied.
That, he sadly could not recall much and he doesn't want to ask in fear of it could possibly contain something quite embarrassing.
...The very thought of that, now unsettled him.
Ren then closed his eyes and thought hard about it, 'Err... what DID I wrote?' Now he's hoping that it was just as casual as he seemingly remembered...!
'Nah, it's all right.' Then Ren chuckled to himself, as he thought that it was all in the past.
He's guessing that she probably doesn't recall this letters either. They were what, around seven to eight-years-old when they started writing to each other?
Still it brought back a lot of good memories.
Now, he's both excited and anxious to be reunited with his friend tomorrow.
His hand holding the letters unknowingly fell near the end of the table, to the side where his bag was.
What he first took notice as soon as he opened his eyes however was this small bear, with its maroon-colored beaded eyes looking back at him with a stern yet adorable look on it's cuddly, furry face. It's brown coat, glistening as if it has been newly cleaned.
Ren picked it up and immediately smelled it's mild soap fragrance; 'It WAS newly washed!'
...And his mother probably did this in order to tease him. He snickered at that thought as he played with the small plush bear's black scarf ends.
Then there was a reminiscing look that came to his face as he looked at the bear before him;
Ren could still remember that happy moment when they actually managed to win something in a crane game at the arcade.
Then they decided to share their loot as a token of their newfound friendship.
'Friendship...' A frown soon came as Ren finds himself wondering if they could still be considered friends.
...Now that he has a record and all.
Further thoughts of his arrest were put at the back on his mind when he suddenly heard his mother call for him, "Ren, come on down!"
"I'll be there in a minute, Mom!" He shouted back in reply.
Rattled, he immediately reached for his bag and placed in some extra things in a hurry such as his wallet, some photos of his family, his favorite portable gaming device, some other knickknacks like those tarot cards- he liked looking at them for some reason.
Then those files he had to give to his new guardian, some extra documents and whatever he could get his hands on that he thought that he may need, he unknowing added some random items such as the DVD he had rented and... a few other things in his haste.
After closing his bag, he perched the sling of it on the chair's armrest before he stood up and hurriedly made his way downstairs.
Ren quickly took notice that it was already getting dark in one of their windows and came to the conclusion that it was already evening.
He then came to wonder what his last supper in home could be as he went down the stairs. He leaves for Tokyo tomorrow after all.
But before he could make his way towards the kitchen, He was quite surprised when saw that his father was waiting for him at the foot of the stairs with a wide grin on his face, "Hey, boy. There's a call waiting for you."
"Oh, okay." Ren said neutrally as he passed by his father.
If his Father's face was any indication, it was probably something he wasn't expecting.
Then again, Ren really wasn't expecting anyone.
It might just be the principal earlier- who would probably just chew him out about his record or something similar to that.
So with a sigh, he picked up the phone's receiver and spoke with a tired voice, "...Hello?"
"...Hello. Ren-kun?" He instantly tensed up upon hearing that and he could barely hold back a gasp.
'It was a girl!' He then shook his head and wondered, '...Could it be...?'
"...This is Makoto Niijima... But, I'm sorry... Did I caught you in a bad time...?" There was an awkward pause before she continued hesitantly, "...You sound so tired, Are you... All right?"
Ren shook his head again to stave of his surprise. He didn't know it was her! Why didn't his Father warned him?
He turned and glared at his Father when he saw him smirking at a distance before speeding away on his wheelchair towards the kitchen.
Seeing that, Ren inwardly let out a sigh and soon replied with an awkward smile on his face, "Ah, no. I mean, I'm fine. I just hastily got down from the stairs, is all."
Then he laughed uncomfortably. 'That was a lame excuse...' But he soon got over it and asked in a much calmer tone, "So... I-Is there something wrong?"
Ren could sense her amusement from the other line as she spoke, "No need to be alarmed. I just wanted to inform you that the room my Sister has stated yesterday has been officially secured for you and it'll be ready for you tomorrow."
"I see." He replied, a genuine smile unknowingly forming on his face before he added, "...Thank you, Makoto-san."
He then heard her give a short chuckle before responding that, "Thank my Sister. She did most of the work after all. I only called to tell you about it."
There was a short pause, "...So, I guess I'll be seeing you tomorrow, then?" Ren finds himself asking to get the conversation going.
"Maybe, after school if I don't have to stay long in my meeting with the Student Council or most likely, at the evening." Came the reply.
'Right, tomorrow's a Saturday.' He actually forgot about it with him supposedly previously expelled from his former school.
But it's been a rough week so I guess it was normal for it to slip his mind.
Then Ren suddenly heard her let out a soft gasp as if she recalled something that she forgot to mention earlier.
"Speaking about meeting up, I also wanted to say that Sis would be waiting for you at the Buchiko- that famous dog statue, in Shibuya's Station Square tomorrow morning."
"It's just a little distance away from the station's underground walkway to the left and if you saw a lottery stand then you'll probably see it a bit further down. As for my Sister, well... You'll know by our red eyes and her long silver hair. I'm sure you'll recognize her in an instant."
Ren couldn't help but nod at that even though he knew she couldn't see him, "Oh, Okay. Thanks for telling me about it."
"Please don't get lost." There was a genuine concern on her voice that he hadn't heard from anyone else in awhile.
That unknowingly made him smile before replying, "Heh. I'll try."
Ren heard a soft whine came from the other line, "I'm serious... There are a lot of people walking around the place during that time, you know."
Then he heard her sigh which in turn made him chuckle. "All right, all right. I'll be careful. Thanks for the heads up."
There was another pause and soon neither of them knew what to say to the other next.
It was getting awkward so Ren decided to break the silence and perhaps call it a day. It was getting late. "I guess I'll see you and your Sister tomorrow then...? I need to get ready as well so I hope you'll excuse me."
"Right, you probably need more time to finish up all your preparations. I'll be helping Sis clean up your room again for a while too. It's a bit untidy upon not having been used for a couple of months now, you see..."
Ren couldn't help but shook his head that time, "Err... Please don't wear yourselves out. I could handle cleaning the room myself. I don't want to further trouble you and your sister than what I already have."
"It's no trouble at all and we're just planning on moving some things around to get it a bit more... Presentable at least, before you arrive tomorrow. But don't worry, we'll be sure to leave some dust bunnies for you to exterminate if you insist." Makoto suggested in an amused tone.
That prompted Ren to chuckle a bit in agreement, "I'll be taking your word on it then."
Another pause came, before she spoke with soft voice, "I should probably hang up now so you could finish all your preparations. Good night, Ren-kun."
"Good night, Makoto-san. See you tomorrow." He replied in kind, he heard her hum in acknowledgement before she hung up the phone.
Ren himself, let out a satisfied hum as he put the phone's receiver down. He was glad that the conversation seemingly ended in a positive light.
With how their conversation flowed, It seems like she still considers him as her friend despite his assault record.
That made him quite happy.
...And he unknowingly went towards the kitchen with a smile still seen on his face.
"You seem to be in a happy mood. I take it your conversation with your childhood friend was pleasant?" His mother stated that with a teasing tone and Ren immediately drop the smile on his face with a frown. He'd been careless.
His father decided to play along much to his chagrin, "...You always had that certain smile on your face whenever you talked with her..." He said that with a wide grin.
Ren chose to not comment at that and just he made his way towards their dinning table.
That didn't last long however as he swore he could feel his parent's insistent stares. "I'm just happy that she's seemingly still considering me as her friend despite knowing about my record." Ren soon finds himself explaining before he sat down the chair besides his mother.
"Makoto-chan had always been a smart girl and since you've been writing buddies since you were young, it's natural for her to take your side than with a testimony from some shady stranger." Asuka stated as she handed her son a plate.
Ren gladly took the plate from her with a smile, "Regardless of that, I'm still very grateful for the fact that she's willing to give me a chance. If all goes well, looks like I could count on seeing a friendly smile upon my arrival to a city I barely knew after all."
Yoshiro hummed in approval at that before he pass the bowl of stew to his son, "...It helps that it's from the girl you had a crush on since you were young, right?" He said that before nodding sagely.
Ren almost dropped the bowl in surprise at that statement. He didn't see that coming, "...No, I..!" He exclaimed and mentally berated himself. 'What am I getting so worked-up for?'
Then upon seeing the looks on his parents faces, it wasn't hard to see that his reaction was exactly what they were hoping for.
Realizing that, Ren let out a long sigh in an attempt to get rid of his bewilderment and simply added that, "...We're just friends."
"...And that's where all relationship begins. Trust me. You know, when your father and I first saw each other..." His mother had a fond look on her face as she began her tale on how they met and Ren finds himself awkwardly nodding along while he proceeded on eating his dinner in silence.
His father curiously decided to play along and added the tale about how he managed to win his mother's heart and even pointed out some tips on efficiently raising his charm to get his friend's attention- which in turn just fueled his embarrassment much to his chagrin.
But soon, Ren finds himself smiling. Though he wasn't expecting such conversation to take place- he then fervently insisted that the reason why he was smiling is because he was just really happy that he seemingly still has a friend close to his age that wasn't related to him, but his father was still suggesting otherwise...!
He was glad that his last dinner at home with his family for this year had been this eventful.
They soon delved into other conversations such as he should really behave himself and always smile even when it get's rough.
Then he was reprimanded to always sleep early and study for exams, they even claimed that they'll reward him if he gets high marks on his tests.
After that, he was asked to do his best, but also asked to be careful since they weren't around to watch over him like this once he moves out.
Then their conversation curiously shifted to them suddenly wanting to have grandkids.
'Seriously?' He would only be gone for a year and his parents were already planning things that were way ahead in the future.
'...In the future.' Ren repeated on his mind. Then he finds himself smiling at that.
To his parents, they still believe that he still has a future.
Now all he had to do was believe in that as well.
That random smile he had on his face however, was again taken differently by his parents if their grins were any indication of that.
Ren then sighed. It was going to be a long night.
...And he wouldn't change that for anything in the world.
He wanted to enjoy this last night with his family for as long as he could before his year of probation in Tokyo would begin tomorrow.
Ren had doubts that his stay there would be as casual as this, after all. If anything, he knew deep inside that it's going to be very difficult.
Conversation flowed continuously for a moment more and by the time they finished dinner it was already nine in the evening.
His mother insisted that she'll take care of the dishes and his father suggested that he should go and get some much needed rest.
With a nod, Ren bid his parents good night and excused himself as he made his way towards his room.
Now hidden from his parents sights when he closed the door to his room- Ren let out a tired sigh as he dropped his cheerful facade.
If he was honest with himself, he was still feeling unnerved and nervous whenever he thinks about his current situation.
He's under probation because of an assault charge filed on him.
Some staff on his new school are aware of his record, so he doubts that he'll fit in easily in his transfer. He's not sure if he could join any club because of that too.
If any report was given to the court about his misconduct, his probation would revoke and he'd most likely be shipped to Juvenile Hall, never to be given another chance.
If his assault case was easily altered, who's to think that he wouldn't get an unfair treatment in his new school either?
He's walking on thin ice. His probation sentence could be so fragile that he knew that one tiny mistake could cause it to break... and if it does, his life would be forfeited.
He needed to be careful... Even if trouble seems to have its way in finding him;
"Incompetent fools like you just need to shut your mouths and follow where I steer this country!"
Ren shook his head at that memory. With the world apparently rampant with people like that... one can't help but feel trapped. Entrapped by the twists of fate that life seem to have in store for him.
Then he let out a long sigh. He was probably just tired, that's why he's been overthinking things.
Exhausted, He soon made his way back to his study table for one last preparation before he calls it a day.
As Ren sat back down on the chair he was on earlier, he first checked his phone and saw that something was being downloaded- but soon paid it no mind as it's probably just updating an app he has.
Then his attention shifted to it's battery and saw that it was fully charged.
Ren removed the plug and bent down to retrieve the charger.
Then he placed it neatly on an outer compartment in his bag to make sure that he wouldn't leave it behind.
After that, Ren recalled that Makoto told him that her sister would be waiting for him near the dog statue in Shibuya that was just a few distance away from the station's underground walkway.
He soon decided to make a small note regarding that to place it on the pockets of the spare Shujin Uniform he'll be wearing tomorrow so that he wouldn't forget about it.
His glance then drifted to his uniform's location for a moment and he saw it hanging on a clothes rack at the corner of his room.
With that, he then proceeded on opening his desk's compartment and got out a small note pad and subconsciously spoke out what he's writing, "Don't forget: At the Buchiko statue in Shibuya Station Square, I'll be meeting with Makoto-san's sister... "
? ? ?: |Candidate Not Found.
Ren slightly flinched at the sudden voice that came from his left.
Turning towards that direction, he saw his phone was lit up, it's light blinking red.
Ren reached a hand towards his phone and picked it up, and his eyes were immediately greeted by this eerie eye-shaped logo of an unknown navigation app.
He pressed on it and the app immediately went to his search history, where one name was registered. "...It registered Makoto...?" He repeated in disbelief. 'That wasn't supposed to be a location... What kind of navigation app is this?'
? ? ?: |Candidate Not Found.
Ren sighed, "...And it registered her name again." He doesn't recall downloading a navigation app like that.
'Could it be that it was an important update that my phone manually did?' He wondered and gave the app an apprehensive look, "The logo is kinda creepy though. It's shape like an eye of some sorts..."
Then after a moment of consideration, he slowly moved the app to the recycling bin.
'If it was important, it'll probably get downloaded again.' He thought as he stood up, with his phone and the small note in his hand.
He made his way towards his new school uniform and placed the items on either side of his pant's pockets.
Then he stretched his hands upwards and slightly kicked his feet forward to get rid of the muscle tension before letting out a long yawn.
It was going to be a long day tomorrow. It's best if he took this time to get an early sleep.
Ren then went straight to his bed and immediately lied down... thoughts of his arrest soon came back to him for a moment- then he let out another sigh as he pushed it away, grabbing a manga from the corner of his bed and attempted to read it to get his mind out of those unnecessary things.
A few minutes later, his eyes felt heavy and soon enough, he now laid fast asleep.
...
Sometime later, Ren soon finds himself in a restless kind of slumber- or at least, he seemed to not be awake.
He even felt like he was dreaming despite that he can't make out any images flashing before him.
Before he could further wonder why, his shoulders tensed as he suddenly felt like someone was looking at him from a distance... but also couldn't tell where.
He was further unnerved when somebody chuckled. It had a dark undertone to it and that immediately made him feel like he was having a weird, dreamless nightmare.
Then and all to suddenly, a seemingly dark voice spoke up;
"Would you like to participate in a game? "
Ren was alarmed by this, but he soon decided to play along to not infuriate... Whatever it was, "...What kind of game?"
"Its story is a work of fiction, similarities between characters or events to persons living or dead in your world are purely coincidental, only those who have agreed to the above have privilege of partaking in this game."
There was a pause before it asked;
"Do you agree?"
Ren hesitated for a moment, 'This is just a dream... right?'
Then he sighed and subconsciously nodded to himself as he thought that he should be able to get this dream over with if he just went along with it, "...I agree,"
A dark chuckle quickly came after.
Then the voice spoke again;
"The contract has been sealed."
"The world is not as it should be, it's filled with distortion, and "ruin" can no longer be avoided, those who oppose fate and desire change... From time to time, they were referred to as Tricksters."
"You are the trickster... Now is the time to rise against the abyss of distortion,"
Ren then felt a sinister presence from behind, he turned to look but he couldn't make out anything from the darkness. 'What a weird dream...'
Then he was again taken aback upon hearing the dark voice spoke one again and this time, it eerily made it felt like it was whispered from behind him;
"...And with that, The Game, has now begun."
**** [ Interrogation Room ] *****
"Are you telling me that this all began with you dreaming that this was all just a game...?" Sae asked, staring at Ren skeptically as she crossed her arms.
Though Ren still had this listless look on his eyes, his tone remained firm, "I didn't believe it that time either, but I soon came to wonder that it has became like one though..." He stated that with no hints that he was messing with her so she can't help but sigh at that.
Sae first silently wondered if the the drugs were messing with his mind, but upon further giving it much thought- it does slightly make sense, "I guess in a technical standpoint; going into another world to supposedly change peoples hearts to atone for one's crimes can be quite a plot for a video game..."
Then she decided to press on, "But moving on from that, did you already have the power to change hearts by that time?"
Ren shook his head, "No, I'd like to believe that I was still living an ordinary life during that time. As I said earlier, I didn't believe in that dream either. I thought it was... Well, it was just that, a dream. Now, I like to think it was more of a warning though."
"It felt like a warning to you?" Sae raised a brow at that, "Of what though? Your probation or this whole Phantom Thievery business?" She asked.
"At that time... I honestly had no idea I would even become a Phantom Thief... It's just that, with how unfortunate my life has been since my assault case, I became quite pessimistic inside and I couldn't really shake off the negative feeling that something bad would happen." Ren replied before looking down to the table for a moment to hide a frown forming on his lips.
He has never admitted that to anyone apart from his girlfriend- and she had lately only figured that out by herself.
"..." Sae was silent for a moment as she regarded him.
Then she had a sad expression and her tone much softer as she spoke, "You never really gave me that first impression when we first met. Though you did had this resigned look on your face because of your probation... You still gave off this confident and positive vibe to me."
Ren leaned back to his chair before he replied, "...That made me realize that it was true that I have many masks that I wear depending on the situation."
"Who told you that..?" Sae was intrigued by that.
She saw raised his head back to her direction and she saw with a resigned look on his face before he replied, "He was that strange voice from that dream. I actually met him again in another realistic dream, the night after."
"If it was just a day after... Then that was when you first arrive here to start your probation..." Sae realized.
Ren actually let out a weak chuckle at that realization as well, "Thinking about it now, after I had that dream, that's where all the bizarre things in my life first began..."
Then he looked at his guardian with a serious look on his eyes as he told her what happened during that time when he first arrived here in Tokyo.
~~ End of Chapter Four ~~
( ARC II: Where it All Began: 2/6 )
(Originally Published on April, 13, 2018) Before the revision, this was just the last part of the former chapter two.
Author's Note: Hello, everyone. How are you liking the story so far? If you're curious about the names I've decided to give Ren Parents and Makoto's Father: Yoshiro simply means righteous while Asuka was said to be; 'to fly for tomorrow' which was said to represent hope for the future. Something I thought would work well for our protagonist.
How about a fun Random fact? I originally wrote drafts for two different persona 5 fics before this and those stories focuses on Makoto's childhood- including how she met Ren here, how Sae slowly changed her beliefs on Justice and that is where I'll also tell Masato- which also means righteousness by the way- Niijima's side of the story that coincides with what we had here.
If you're curious about that, you could read: Bond Between Sisters and Whims of Fate respectively to get the full story because I highly doubt I can fit in those additional backstories here. They're stand alone fics though so it's also not really necessary to read them so don't feel complied to read them either.
...And the end notes is getting kinda long so I'll leave it at that. Feel free to leave a review if you have any questions, suggestions or any reasonable violent reactions. Ha ha, but seriously, Thank you so much for reading this story and hope to see you all in the long run! See you on my next Update~
=Next Chapter: V: The Start of Judgement=
