A/N: There's a character limit for chapter titles, so I had to abbreviate this one. It stands for "Nothing That Has Happened So Far Has Been Anything We Could Control."
Saturday, 6/18
Each member of GRAVY filed through Ren's door, bar Yusuke. The group had come directly after school had ended, although there was a slight delay so that Haru could water the plants. Yusuke was apparently coming as soon as he could, but he had requested money for subway fare. Ryuji had reluctantly obliged the artist.
Ren was the last to enter the apartment, following behind Ryuji. The former runner had brought his giant bag from that one time he had stayed the night, making Ren slightly nervous about the bag's contents. If Ryuji had brought energy drinks to play Seven Bottoms Up, things were not going to go well at the party.
Despite Ren's caution, he hadn't said a word to Ryuji. However, he still had one question.
How the hell did he carry that around at school and not get interrogated for bringing weapons to school or some shit? There's no way that people let him walk around with it.
Ren didn't have time to ask as Ryuji quickly walked away from him and went to the kitchen. The other members of GRAVY, Makoto, Haru, and Ann, had all gone over to the living area. Ren decided to leave Ryuji to his bag unpacking and join the far less problematic group. He walked over to the living area.
Haru and Makoto had both taken a seat on the couch. There was room for one more, but Ann had opted to sit on the chair on the side of the couch closest to the door. Ren couldn't discern why, but the fact that the open spot on the couch was next to Makoto was telling.
Unless I'm just overthinking, does Ann want me to sit next to Makoto? ...Do I sit next to Makoto? Shit, I don't know. I mean, shouldn't we figure out what we're doing first?
Ren could hear Makoto and Haru beginning to chat, although he couldn't hear what about. He looked at Ann, who had pulled out her phone.
"Whatcha doing?" Ren asked.
"Texting Yusuke. Trying to see where he's at," Ann answered, not looking up from her phone.
"Ah. Lemme know when he answers,"
"Mhm." Ann kept typing on her phone and didn't pay Ren much attention.
Ren looked around the apartment. Ann was texting, Makoto and Haru were talking, and Ryuji was unpacking his giant bag. While Ren had a person he wanted to talk to more than the others, that person was busy and Ren didn't want to interrupt. He decided to go over to the kitchen and speak with Ryuji.
Ren went to the kitchen and took a seat on one of the three stools. Ryuji was vigorously unpacking junk food and energy drinks on the other side of the counter. Ren knowingly sighed.
Dammit. He really might go apeshit now that he has the energy drinks. I should say something.
"Wassup, dude?" Ryuji asked. He wasn't looking at Ren, but he was still aware of his presence.
"Eh, not much. Everyone back there," Ren said as he pointed behind him to the living area, "is kinda busy. You need some help?"
"Nah, I'm almost done," Ryuji said with a chuckle. "Ya think any of them will wanna play Seven Bottoms Up?"
"Ryuji, I don't think anyone will wanna play. That shit messes you up."
"Yeah, for like a few hours," Ryuji said dismissively as if a few hours spent wasted on energy drinks wasn't a bad thing.
"I literally had to call a doctor the last time you played."
"Doctor shmoctor. I would've been fine."
"Sure, sure," Ren said. "Anyway, what do you think we should do?"
"I dunno… party?"
"Well, duh, but like… specifically, what should we do?"
"Don't ask me, I'm the one who wants to play Seven Bottoms Up."
"Fair enough," Ren said with a sigh.
So I guess we just play video games for a bit, order some dinner, maybe watch a movie after and call it a night? Good enough. Hopefully, the group is into that. If not, well, they didn't come up with anything better.
Ryuji picked up as many energy drinks as he could before he walked out of the kitchen and to the living area. Given that Ren still hadn't left his stool, all he had to do to get a nice view of the scene was to turn around on his stool.
Ryuji strolled around the couch and set the energy drinks on the table. With the clinking noise that came from that, he caught the girls' attention. Makoto and Haru stopped conversing, and Ann had put her phone away.
"Who's ready for a good time?" Ryuji said, an excited grin widening across his face.
"Ryuji, what are you-" Ann began to negatively ask but was interrupted.
"Relax, relax. You guys know how to play Seven Bottoms Up?"
Ren smirked as he saw each of the girls shake their heads. Hopefully, they wouldn't know what the game was by the time the night was over. Ren didn't want anyone to play Ryuji's game, but that didn't mean he was going to actively try and stop them. That took too much effort. Instead, Ren had faith that everyone was smart enough not to partake.
"Then you guys are gonna learn how to play the best party game ever made!" Ryuji loudly said, holding up one of the energy drinks for emphasis.
"Ryuji-kun, I do not want to drink any of those," Haru said softly.
"Well, I'm sure you don't speak for everyone!"
"I'm the same as Haru," Makoto added.
"Well… two off isn't too bad, but-"
"Same here," Ann concluded the rejection with (emphasis).
"Ah… eff."
Ryuji wasn't angry enough to yell anything about perceived bullshit, but he was upset enough to take a seat in the open chair on the side of the couch closest to Ren's bedroom. Ren couldn't believe that Ryuji had taken the rejection so calmly, but he was sure that Ryuji's rage was bubbling beneath the surface.
That's just a given with Ryuji. He can be a little too hot-headed, but I guess that's just what makes him fun to be around.
Ren figured that he should stop spectating from the kitchen. He stood up and walked over to the living area.
"So… you guys wanna-" Ren began but was cut off by the sound of a knock at the door.
Ren snapped his head towards the apartment entrance. He could hear Ryuji jump out of his seat, although he wasn't sure why.
I'm sure it's just Yusuke, and I'm sure everyone else knows that, so why's Ryuji excited? Wait… Yusuke's the only person gullible enough to play Seven Bottoms Up… fuck.
Ren walked over to the door and quickly opened it. Unlike the last time Yusuke had been to the apartment, he was dressed cleanly this time. Yusuke nodded hello and walked into the apartment when Ren stepped out of the way. Once Yusuke was fully in, Ren closed the door.
"Wassup, Yusuke?"
"Not much. Did I interrupt something?"
"Actually, ya have perfect timing," Ryuji said from across the room devilishly. "You ever hear of Seven Bottoms Up?"
"I have not."
"Well, get over here and prepare to have your mind blown!"
Yusuke went over to the living area. Over the next few minutes, he and Ryuji discussed the ins and outs of the overconsumption of energy drinks. The other group members paid them little attention. Makoto, Haru, and Ann all chatted amongst themselves. Ren wished he could join, but he was busy setting up all the controllers necessary for multiplayer.
"Alright, I think it's time we get the game goin'!" Ryuji proclaimed, catching Ren's attention. Ren turned away from the TV to see both Yusuke and Ryuji standing with open energy drinks in hand. "Renji, you wanna get in on this?"
"Nah, I'm fine."
"You sure? If you don't, then I'll have to finish these off on my own. Guess I'll just have to go apeshit," Ryuji knowingly explained.
He knows me too well. And he's challenging me. Now I have to participate.
"Okay, fine, I'll play. Is Yusuke playing?"
"Of course. I couldn't pale in the face of a challenge so great."
"Uh-huh. Anyway, there are thirteen energy drinks. Because there are three of us, the winning number is switched from seven to five. Besides that, the rules are the same," Ryuji giddily explained.
Ren walked over to the table. He looked at each of the individual GRAVY members to see what they thought. Ann looked a little troubled, Haru looked intrigued but a little put off, and Makoto was already staring at Ren. When they met eyes, she shook her head.
Makoto, you really think I'm gonna back down now? Not much of a GRAVY lord if I let my subordinates outdo me, am I?
Ren picked up one of the many energy drinks from the table. He cracked it open.
"As soon as you take the first sip, Renji, we're off to the races!"
"Forgive me, but may I ask why you refer to him as 'Renji?'" Yusuke asked. "Could it be because you two are dating and wish to combine your names?"
The room was dead silent. Ren was barely stifling a laugh at seeing Ryuji's unamused face, but it was another GRAVY member that broke before him. Ann's laugh ended the silence, and a few of the other members joined in after. Ren chuckled and Haru giggled.
"Dude… really? Right now?" Ryuji shook his head.
"It had to be asked," Yusuke said, shrugging.
"Totally. Damn, I don't even wanna play Seven Bottoms Up anymore…" Ryuji said, his energy deflating.
An opportunity!
"Too late for that!" Ren stated.
He took a sip from his energy drink. Yusuke saw this and realized that the competition was on, so he immediately began drinking from his own can. Not to be beaten, Ryuji shortly joined in.
Just like that, the party truly began.
Makoto sat on the couch next to Haru, who herself was next to Ann. They all watched as the boys chugged energy drinks one by one for reasons that Makoto was struggling to understand.
What does the winner get? Ryuji did say that there was a winner, so what's the prize? If there isn't one, what's the point? And who would even want to play a game like this? Makoto asked herself.
Each participating GRAVY member slowed down over time. During that time, the group began actually socializing. Ren finished setting up his console for multiplayer and started a Super Rash Toes tournament. Makoto was excited to finally play the game again, this time free of a mental burden. Unfortunately, she would have to wait due to her match being scheduled as the last of the first round.
Up first was Yusuke and Ryuji. Makoto knew that Ryuji was no slouch when it came to videogames, so she expected Ryuji to easily win. She expected Yusuke's bony fingers to be too slow, but she was proven very wrong.
Yusuke expertly maneuvered his character of choice, Clephiroth, to annihilate Ryuji's character, Woo Fit Trainer. Why Ryuji had chosen that character, Makoto didn't know, but it had worked decently well for him in the last GRAVY tournament.
Unfortunately for Ryuji, he was no match for Yusuke. He utilized Clephiroth's lengthy ranged attacks to stop Ryuji from even getting into close-quarters. The match was over quickly, too quickly for Ryuji to not be upset.
"Effing bullshit! I declare a rematch!" Ryuji yelled, jumping up from his seat as if it would make people agree with him.
"Accept your defeat, Ryuji," Yusuke reminded, his monotone voice hiding a hint of annoyance.
"Nah, eff that! I outrank you in GRAVY! Rematch!" Ryuji persisted.
Makoto nervously looked around. Surely the situation wouldn't escalate, but Ryuji did seem very angry with his loss. Thankfully, Makoto saw Ren begin to approach Ryuji and Yusuke.
"And I outrank you, Ryuji. Yusuke wins!" Ren stated.
Thank you, Ren, Makoto thought to herself.
The tournament continued. Up next was Ann versus Haru. Ann had chosen the character Zamus at random and Haru had gone with Wigglypuff. When asked why she simply said that her choice was based on the cuteness of the character. No one disagreed with her choice.
While the previous match had been quick, terse, and intense, this one was a drawn-out, boring nightmare. Neither Ann nor Haru had much experience with the game besides when they had previously played at Ren's. They were arguably the two worst players at the apartment, though Ryuji's inclination to get upset when playing pushed him into contention.
Makoto was contently sitting next to Ren on the couch. They had exchanged few words besides the occasional comments on the gameplay happening in front of them. Ren hadn't initiated much and Makoto hadn't either, mainly because she didn't want to interrupt his energy drink binge. As he sat, he carefully held the can in his hand. Makoto had noticed that he put in a little more effort to get through energy drinks while Ryuji and Yusuke were busy, but he was really slowing down. The current can he was on was only his third. If Ryuji wasn't just talking shit about his skills, Ren had to get moving.
"Do you think you still have a chance?" Makoto asked. She wanted to actually have a conversation with Ren, or else she would feel like she was wasting her advantageous position next to him.
Ren turned to Makoto and questionably raised an eyebrow.
"Why? What's Ryuji at?" he asked. He didn't give Makoto an answer before he shifted his gaze so that he was looking past her, presumably at Ryuji. "Ryuji! What are ya at?"
"Four!"
"Fuck, thanks for telling me, Makoto," Ren said before he began chugging from the can.
"Um, yeah… no problem," Makoto said in defeat. Her attempt at a conversation had failed and only served to further distract Ren.
Makoto focused back on the TV just in time to see Ann deliver the final blow to Haru when Haru was busy spamming an animation that she thought was cute.
"Good game, Ann-chan," Haru said cheerfully as she set the controller down and stood up.
"And to you. Makoto, Ren, you guys are up."
Makoto got up from the couch. She knew that she didn't have much of a shot at winning, but at least the game would be fun for the few minutes she got to play. She turned to look down at Ren, who was still sitting on the couch. He had a new energy drink and was chugging this one.
He really doesn't want Ryuji to drink the most, does he? But can he handle five? Can anyone handle five? Makoto asked herself.
"Ren…" Makoto said softly to remind him.
"Mhm," Ren said into the energy drink while he chugged. He held a finger up to signal that he needed a few seconds.
Once those had passed, he stood up and placed the empty can on the table with a loud clink.
"Er, fuck, let's do this!" Ren said shakily.
He and Makoto walked over in front of the TV and took seats on the carpet next to each other. They went into the character selection screen. Ren chose his usual character, the Feta Knight, while Makoto decided to change things up. If she wanted to stand a chance against Ren, she needed to try something new. As she scrolled through the massive roster of fighters, she was truly lost on what to choose. The list was overwhelming.
Until something caught her eye. It was a little boy with a red and blue baseball cap, holding a baseball bat over his shoulder. His name was Mess. Something was urging Makoto to pick Mess, and seeing that she couldn't settle on anything else, she did. After that, the match began.
Ren began the match by teasing Makoto with a few light attacks. Just as she would attempt to retaliate, he would back off. Makoto tried to think intelligently about how she could win. She observed the entire screen. In her observation, something that wasn't on the screen caught her eye.
Ren was tapping his foot. The energy drinks were getting to him. If that was true, then he would be twitchy with the controller. If Makoto could outmaneuver him, she stood a chance.
Makoto moved Mess closer to the ledge of the stage, patiently waiting for Ren's next assault. It came sooner than expected. Makoto made Mess jumped backward off the ledge. Ren, with his twitchiness, had his character leap after Makoto's. Just as Makoto was about to be caught mid-air, she made Mess flip over the Feta Knight. The Feta Knight struggled to completely get back onto the stage and was left dropping into the perfect position for Mess to use a heavy attack and launch the Feta Knight. The Knight fell out of view.
"One to zero! Goddam, Makoto!" Ryuji yelled from the area behind Ren and Makoto. Makoto didn't turn to celebrate because she was too focused on the game.
Now that Makoto knew she stood a chance, she didn't want to lose. She didn't know why, but she knew that beating Ren in the game would be significant in their relationship.
The Feta Knight respawned. Ren began an all-assault on Makoto. Her shield was running low, but she saw the ultimate powerup come down from the top of the screen. She jumped up and hit the powerup with a heavy attack. It immediately charged Mess's ultimate attack, which Makoto used as soon as her character landed. Energy rained down on the stage, doing huge damage to the Feta Knight. He was hit off the stage, but not far enough to fall down.
The Feta Knight went in for another attack on Mess. Mess rolled through the attack, and all it took to send the Knight flying was a heavy attack from behind. The Knight was launched off the stage and out of view.
"Two to zero! Pick your shit up Renj- Renny!" Ryuji jeered.
Ren frustratedly groaned. Makoto knew that the more frustrated Ren was, the easier it would be to beat him. That combined with his twitchiness would make things easy.
As the Feta Knight spawned for what Makoto hoped would be the final time, she considered what strategy she would try. Ren would surely be more careful around the ledges considering what had happened initially, so Makoto couldn't use that strategy. If an item or powerup dropped then she could go with that, but items were never guaranteed. Finally, Mess had already taken a decent amount of damage. If the Feta Knight got a few good hits in, then Mess would easily be launched. Makoto would have to play quickly and carefully.
The Feta Knight began his assault. As he was an offense-oriented character, Makoto knew that Ren would be the first to strike. Mess dodged the Knight by jumping over and onto a platform. Now that Makoto had the high ground, there wasn't much need for her to move. The Knight attempted to jump up to the platform, but a sideways heavy attack from Mess stopped them mid-air. They fell back down to the main-stage.
"Makoto, c'mon. Don't play like that," Ren chided.
Why? Am I playing wrong? Dammit, Makoto. You've done it again, Makoto embarrassedly thought. Wait, no. Ren's just angry. He's making excuses. Makoto, keep doing what you're doing.
"Sounds like someone's angry!" Ryuji teased from behind.
"Not now, Ryuji!" Ren fiercely yelled back.
"You sure? Because it looks like you're getting your ass handed to you!"
"Okay, that's it you little shit," Ren said as he turned away from the TV.
Makoto saw her opportunity. Sure, it was playing dirty, but she wanted to win. Besides, it was Ren's fault that he wasn't paying attention. She directed Mess to drop from the platform down next to the dormant Feta Knight. Makoto quickly performed as many combo attacks as she could. Ren turned back to the TV in a panic when he heard the noises of the Feta Knight getting destroyed, but it was too late. Mess delivered the killing blow with a single heavy attack that launched the Feta Knight off of the stage with no chance of coming back.
The game was over. Makoto had won.
"Oh, come on! That's cheap," Ren complained.
"Ren, you're the one who stopped paying attention," Ann argued.
"Yeah, whatever. I accept my loss," Ren said as the anger was satisfyingly drained from his voice. He turned to Makoto. "Good game, Makoto. Good luck in the next round."
Makoto offered a smile in return, hoping that it would serve to calm Ren further. If it did, Ren didn't show. He went back to his spot on the couch and got to work on his fifth energy drink. Makoto stayed sitting in front of the TV because she wasn't sure if her match was up next or not.
Because there were three semi-finalists, Yusuke, Makoto, and Ann had to play three-way rock paper scissors for who would get the bye into the finals. Makoto ended up winning, securing her spot in the championship.
Yusuke and Ann's match was quick and brutal. Yusuke utterly dominated with Clephiroth, showing an unmatched level of nimbleness with his character. Makoto was a little scared to fight him, but she knew that she had to. When Ann lost, Makoto took her place in front of the TV next to Yusuke. He had a partially full energy drink next to him. That reminded Makoto of the game being played. She looked back at Ren. He was still sipping his fifth and looked like he was struggling. Ryuji was also still drinking what Makoto assumed to be his fourth and was struggling just as much. It would be close, but she had faith in Ren to win.
But for the time being, she had other things to focus on. She selected to play as Mess again and the championship match began.
It wasn't even close. Yusuke dominated ledges and wouldn't even let Makoto back onto the stage. Mess quickly lost two lives because of Yusuke's aggressive style of playing on the ledges. Makoto knew that she needed to switch things up.
Scraping by on her final life, Makoto dodged and weave around the center of the stage. Despite Clephiroth not being able to utilize the ledges, he was still obliterating Mess. Mess took massive amounts of damage and was struggling to dodge, let alone retaliate.
Finally, Mess didn't dodge far enough. Clephiroth smacked the shit out of the friendly yet dangerous little boy and sent him to another plane of existence.
It was game over. Yusuke had won. Despite that, Makoto was still happy with herself. She had beaten Ren. Surely that would count for something in the future, right? Maybe a few favors? Makoto didn't know. What she did know is that she was getting hungry. Given that all the Shujin members of GRAVY were on the same eating schedule, it was safe to assume that they were hungry too. Makoto figured dinner would be next on the agenda.
She was wrong. At least, for a little bit.
"Holy shit! Yusuke, I didn't know you are a Rash Toes god!" Ryuji declared, slapping the frail artist on his back. "How much do ya play the game?! Be honest, we won't judge."
"Today was my first encounter with Super Rash Toes," Yusuke answered.
"Wha-" Ryuji was lost for words. "Then how the eff did ya beat me, Ann, and Makoto?! You cheated, didn't you?!"
"I would do no such thing. Perhaps you are so inept with the game that you lose to newcomers," Yusuke jabbed.
I don't know Yusuke too well, but… wow. I didn't expect him to come back like that, Makoto thought surprisedly.
"Why, you-" Ryuji began as he clenched his fists at his side.
"Okay!" Ann interrupted, popping up between Yusuke and Ryuji to push them apart. With a nervous laugh, she said, "Who wants dinner?"
"I would love some food," Haru said.
"I could eat," Ren added.
"Same," Makoto continued.
Now that food was being spoken about, both Ryuji and Yusuke turned away from each other to face the group. Makoto held in a laugh at how quickly the situation defused just from talking about food.
"Ooh! What if we order some nabe?" Ryuji excitedly asked.
Each group member considered it for a few seconds. Makoto knew that she would be fine with whatever, so long as no one ended up paying too much money for food.
"That sounds good. Pretty sure there's a place on Central Street that does delivery," Ren said. "Everyone fine with that?"
They all nodded.
"Woah woah woah, who the hell's paying for all of this?!" Ryuji protested.
"Uh… how about everyone except Yusuke? 'Cause he won and everything," Ren replied.
"Then how 'bout I get a discount for winning Five Bottoms Up?" Ryuji asked.
"But you didn't win."
"Did too. 'Sides, how would you even know if I didn't drink five?"
"Because I drank five and Yusuke drank four. There were originally thirteen. Keep up, Ryuji," Ren said with a chuckle.
"O-oh… y-yeah… I knew that. Was just joking just now, ya know?"
Hah. Nice save, Ryuji, Makoto mentally remarked.
"But no discount for the winner of Five Bottoms Up. The only person exempt from paying is Yusuke," Ren said authoritatively. "Got it?"
Everyone shook their heads in agreement, even Ryuji. Ren soon placed the order, leaving the group with little to do while waiting for their food besides hanging out.
The food arrived shortly. The group had organized themselves across the apartment. The three girls had been given seats, though not willingly by one of the guys. Ryuji had tried to slide onto one of the stools only to be kicked off by Ren for the sake of being polite. Ryuji had begrudgingly given up the seat.
The guys had occupied the living area and were eating their food off of plates on the table. There hadn't been much initial small talk because of how hungry they were, but conversation began once they began to run out of food.
"So, Ren, what are ya doing for your final project?" Ryuji said disgustingly through bites of his food.
Might have to kick Ryuji out of GRAVY just for chewing with his mouth open. That shit is unforgivable.
"Hm? That's not just a Kawakami thing?"
"Nah, all second-year classes have to do it," Ryuji said as he swallowed his food. "My question stands."
"Oh, uh, Ann and I are gonna talk about Lord of the Pies," Ren answered. He didn't want to do much talking about school outside of school, but that would eliminate a popular conversation topic.
"For real?! You're talking about Lord of the Pies?!" Ryuji dumbfoundedly asked. He had dropped his utensils onto the table and was staring at Ren with wide eyes.
Ren set his stuff down as if it would make him appear more serious. He turned to look Ryuji in the eyes to add to the honesty of what he was saying.
"Yeah…"
"But, like, dude! That movie has-" Ryuji began.
Movie? There's a movie for the book? Shit, I could've just watched that instead of reading it for class. Ryuji may not do well on his exams, but the guy is efficient when it comes to figuring out ways around doing schoolwork. That is ifhe watched the movie instead of reading the book. Maybe he didn't and he's talking about something completely unrelated.
"Hold up, movie? The fuck are you talking about?"
"Ya know… the one with, uh," Ryuji nervously said as he glanced over to where the girls were sitting. When he had confirmed that they weren't listening, he continued speaking to Ren. "Stuff."
Uh-oh. He isn't talking about what I think he's talking about, is he?
"Ryuji, would you kindly enlighten Yusuke and me as to what the 'stuff' you are talking about is?" Ren politely asked.
"Uhhh nevermind!" Ryuji quickly said before he stuffed some more food in his mouth to give himself an excuse not to talk.
"Dude, don't tell me that Lord of the Pies is also the title for a p-" Ren began probably a little too loudly.
Ryuji dropped his utensils yet again to slap Ren on the shoulder and shush him.
"Not so effing loud!" Ryuji yelled in a whisper.
"Holy shit, that is what you're talking about!" Ren said with a chuckle.
Soon those chuckles grew into hysterical laughter. For a few seconds, Ren lost himself. When he came back, he noticed that the apartment was quiet around him. He looked behind him to see if the girls were still talking amongst themselves in the kitchen.
They weren't. All three had turned to face the guys in the living area.
"What's so funny?" Ann teasingly asked.
Uh, fuck, think of something!
"Ryuji told me that he has to leave early tonight. He said he'd rather spend time with some ordered maids than-" Ren sarcastically explained until a hard slap on his shoulder shut him up.
"Hah hah, Renji, very funny," Ryuji said with confident sarcasm.
"Ah, so I was correct!" Yusuke happily said. "You two must be dating if you continue to refer to him as Renji and if you slap him on his shoulder so sensually!"
Say psych right now.
There was silence in the room. Ren wasn't sure if the stillness would ever end based on how deafening it was.
I wonder if Yusuke feels awkward for saying something that silences a room. I'm sure literally every human to ever live would, but Yusuke is Yusuke. He's built differently.
"Ren," Ryuji said shakily, "can we kick this guy out of GRAVY?"
"Nope!"
Once all of GRAVY was done eating, they quickly cleaned up. When that was done, they all gathered in the living area to decide what to do next.
"You guys wanna watch a movie?" Ren suggested.
"Sure!" Ann answered.
The other group members nodded along. They all took seats and Ren got to work on finding a movie for them to watch. Ren had sat next to Makoto on the couch, with Haru on the other side of Makoto. Ann had taken one of the chairs, and Yusuke had taken the other through some trade-off arrangement with Ryuji. But until they traded, Ryuji had to sit on the floor.
Ren navigated through the menus of the TV, searching for a good party movie. While he had suggested Requiem for a Scream to Makoto previously, it was probably the worst movie to play at a party. Unless Ren wanted to severely depress everyone in the room, he wouldn't show GRAVY that movie.
He continued searching the menus. Kill Jill, Night Baller, and Flan's Labyrinth were all potential choices. However, Ren had a little hint of desire within. He had told Makoto that she could get close to him if she got scared from the movie then she could get close to him. Ren wanted that, but it seemed a little selfish.
She did request no horror movies. Ren, you should consider Makoto's feelings before you choose the film.
Now that the idea of Makoto sitting close to him was in his mind, it drove Ren's movements like he was on autopilot. He navigated on the TV to the horror movie THAT. While it was a horror film, it was also pretty funny with some decent juvenile humor. It was right up Ren's alley. Hopefully, the other members would enjoy it. Ren was sure that Ryuji would like the movie, at least just the comedic elements. Haru was the wildcard. She would either love the scary parts or hate them. Ann would probably enjoy the film. Yusuke would probably enjoy it as well. But Makoto, well, all Ren could do was hope that she would like it.
He pressed play. As the opening credits played, Ren jumped up from the couch and ran over to the wall to flip the switch for the lights. The now darkened apartment now had the perfect atmosphere for a horror movie. Ren hustled back to his spot on the couch next to Makoto.
"What kinda movie is this?" Ryuji asked while the opening credits continued.
Should I give him the wrong answer? Probably not, but it'll be pretty funny to see his reaction when the killing in the movie starts happening.
"A rom-com," Ren said blandly.
"Agh, c'mon dude. Really?"
"No talking during the movie!" Haru said with a shushing noise.
I guess Haru's already enjoying it even though nothing's happened. It's just some woman playing the piano while the opening credits play. Oh well. At least shit gets good soon.
The group didn't have to wait long to realize Ren's lie. Once the credits had stopped, the film truly began. A boy in a yellow raincoat ran down the street in the rain, the water running along the sidewalk carrying his paper boat forward. However, the boy wasn't fast enough to keep up with his boat. It propelled forward before it went into the storm drain. The boy let out a cry of disappointment as he ran up to the storm drain before crouching down to peer in.
As the boy looked carefully, a face popped up from inside the storm drain.
It was Teddie the Bear.
Here's where things get good.
"Hiya, Koichi," Teddie said, despite not ever meeting the boy.
"Bruh, did you really just throw on a Teddie movie?!" Ryuji said disappointedly.
"Ryuji-kun, please be quiet!" Haru harshly reminded.
Thanks, Haru. I'm surprised she's enjoying the movie this much. Or maybe she's not and she just wants to respect my choice of movie.
Even though Teddie's usually bright colors stood out, they were muted due to the darkness of the storm drain. All that could be seen was Teddie's face and his bright, yellow eyes.
"U-um, hello, sir," Koichi replied nervously. "I sh-should get going…"
The boy moved to leave, but Teddie had a trick up his sleeve.
"But don'tcha want your boat?" Teddie said. His high voice was a little grating.
Teddie's hand, which was holding Koichi's paper boat came into view. He shook it enticingly towards Koichi. Koichi was still cautious and didn't reach for the boat.
"My mom says I shouldn't talk to strangers."
"Well, I'm Teddie, you're Koichi. Now we're friends!" Teddie said encouragingly.
"I d-don't know…" Koichi was still nervous. "Hey, mister, how'd you g-get in there?"
"I was trying to find my sensei," Teddie invitingly said, "but the storm here blew me away. It was bear-y scary."
Koichi laughed at the pun.
"You're funny," Koichi said through giggles.
Teddie laughed along with the boy for a few seconds before he stopped and stared hungrily at the boy.
"I think I-I'm gonna leave," Koichi said, obviously growing afraid of the friendly bear in the sewer drain.
He again moved away from the drain. Teddie knew he had to try harder to keep the boy's attention. Strings began swelling in the background music. Ren knowingly smirked. He was looking forward to seeing the group's reaction.
"Are you sure? Your brother will be bear-y angry if you don't have his boat," Teddie teased. Koichi hesitated from leaving the drain. Teddie held the boat closer to the entrance of the drain. "Go on. Take it."
Koichi cautiously reached forward. Just as he was about to grab the boat, Teddie pulled it back a few more inches, persuading Koichi to reach his arm into the drain further. The strings were swelling even more in the background music, letting everyone in the apartment know that something terrible was about to happen.
"BEAR-SONA!" Teddie yelled as his jaw expanded, morphing his face into a hideous creature.
Teddie lunged at Koichi's arm, biting hard into it and tearing it clean off. The boy screamed in pain. Every single person in the apartment screamed, bar Ren, seeing as he had already watched the film.
"What the fuck?!" Ryuji yelled.
Ren took a second to observe GRAVY. Ryuji had retracted his previously outstretched legs to hold them in his arms. Yusuke was the same as ever, except that his mouth was slightly agape at the film. Ann had a look of pure terror in her eyes. Haru was on the edge of her seat and seemed thrilled by the frights that the movie brought. Makoto was holding a hand over her mouth in disbelief, her eyes wide in fear.
As Teddie took a few seconds to swallow the arm whole, Koichi turned away from the drain, trying to crawl away. His tears and blood were mixing with the rain that was failing, all leading back to the sewer drain. The strings that had been playing in the background had risen into a terrifying, intense melody that would induce panic in anyone.
"Encore! Encore!" Teddie happily yelled from the drain.
A long red and blue hand extended out from the drain and grabbed Koichi by his leg, dragging the screaming boy back into the drain. The strings got even louder before they suddenly stopped as the screen went black.
A burp was heard along with, "I'm the M-V-B!"
The title of the film flashed onto the screen.
Kinda lazy to just call it 'THAT,' isn't it? Hell, why did they even use all-caps? It doesn't stand for anything.
"Oh my! How thrilling!" Haru cheered.
Ryuji, who was still sitting on the floor, had curled up into an upright fetal position.
"Ohmygodohmygodohmygod…"
Now that I think about it, casting Teddie as the monster in a horror movie is a terrible decision. Yeah, Junes was funding the movie, but having your mascot eat children in a movie while he's supposed to be promoting foodproducts isn't a great idea. I'm surprised that there isn't a conspiracy that Stubway uses children in their sandwiches because of this movie.
"Ren, are we really going to watch this movie?" Ann asked.
Ren paused the film.
"If you guys wanna turn it off, that's perfectly fine. We can take a vote," Ren suggested. When the group nodded in agreement, Ren spoke again. "Okay, raise your hand if you want to keep watching the movie."
Yusuke, Haru, and Ren all raised their hands. Unfortunately, or fortunately, that wasn't the majority.
"Hah!" Ryuji mocked. "Looks like ya lose, Renny!"
That was when Makoto raised her hand to vote.
I'm surprised. I thought she didn't want to watch horror movies.
"You too, Makoto?!"
Makoto nervously shrugged.
"It was pretty disturbing, but it was a well-made scene. I'm sure the rest of the movie follows that standard. Besides, it can't be that scary if we're all here together, right?" she said sheepishly because all eyes were focused on her.
"Guess we're watching the movie!" Ren said as he pressed play.
The movie continued, detailing the events of a sickening summer for Koichi's older brother, Tatsuya. Tatsuya and his friends were joined together through experiences with bullies, adults, and, most importantly, Teddie the Bear, who continued killing kids on and off-screen.
As the film continued, Ren found it more and more difficult to keep his eyes open. He was enjoying the movie, but he still felt his energy quickly depleting. He knew exactly what was happening.
Shit. Energy drinks wore off, huh?
Ren knew that he was crashing. At least that meant that Ryuji would be doing the same, and therefore would be too tired to do anything drastic. Ren had accomplished his mission of stopping Ryuji from doing something stupid.
Ren was satisfied with himself. He had chosen a movie that at least half of the group enjoyed, and one that Makoto enjoyed enough to continue watching. He had stopped Ryuji from doing anything dumb, and he had thrown a decent party that didn't result in anything bad happening. Happy with himself, Ren got more comfortable on the couch before he closed his eyes. Makoto hadn't gotten closer to him yet, but he was fine with that. At least she liked the movie.
Ren fell asleep.
Makoto couldn't believe what she was watching. It was violent, it was brutal, and it was often too comedic for a horror movie. The cast of middle-schoolers spewed immature jokes and humor, all while they were continuously harassed by Teddie the Bear.
Despite all of this, Makoto was engrossed in the film. The acting was solid, the characters were unique, and the scares were thrilling. Makoto had requested no scary movies previously, but that was because she had never seen any due to their purpose. Now that she was finally watching one, she was enjoying herself.
She looked over at Ren to see what he was doing, only to find that he was asleep.
Is he bored? Does he not like the movie… or is it because of me? No, Makoto, that's dumb. He probably just crashed from the energy drinks, Makoto thought. He looks so calm when he's asleep.
Makoto kept watching the movie, although she did scoot a bit closer to Ren. If she timed things correctly, she could scoot away before he woke up or was woken up and avoid the embarrassment of sitting so close to him. But for the time being, she was able to get comfortable next to Ren. Even if Makoto enjoyed the movie, it was still terrifying. Ren sitting close to her was reassuring.
The movie continued. Makoto hoped that no one would notice how close she was sitting to Ren, but it didn't seem likely that that would happen. Each member of GRAVY besides Ren and Makoto was enraptured by the movie, albeit some had better reasons than others.
Ryuji and Ann were only watching so that they could see Teddie get defeated by the end and ensure that they could sleep at night. Yusuke was watching out of… curiosity? Makoto couldn't tell. The artist was difficult to read. Haru was watching out of the pure joy of watching a horror movie. She had had a giddy smile on her face nearly the entire time the movie was playing.
Is it messed up that Haru's enjoying the movie this much? Probably not, but it's something to keep in mind, Makoto thought.
The movie drew to a close. The main group of friends had defeated Teddie and stopped his mission of "searching the town for studs." While Teddie's motivations were a little disappointing, Makoto did enjoy the movie. When the credits began rolling, the members of GRAVY began to compose themselves after doing barely anything physical for a few hours. However, two people stayed in place.
While the others were getting up, they began to look around. Haru was the first to notice Makoto.
"Oh, Mako-chan," she said teasingly. She smiled at Makoto before turning away and going to do something else.
I'm surprised she doesn't have more to say. Isn't she the one who's most interested in me and Ren's relationship? Actually, I'm sure she just doesn't want to make a big deal out of it, Makoto realized.
She was thankful for Haru keeping things to herself. Unfortunately, it didn't matter. Ryuji was the second to notice.
"Makoto!" he yelled as soon as he noticed how close she was sitting to Ren. "Damn!"
"Um, Ryuji, could you-" Makoto began. She didn't want Ryuji to wake Ren up.
Makoto was interrupted as Ryuji approached where they were sitting and began aggressively tapping Ren on his shoulder.
"Heeey! Renny, wake up!" Ryuji said loudly. Makoto cringed out of embarrassment with each word Ryuji said.
She turned to look at Ren. His eyes slowly opened. He brought a hand to his forehead and gave it a brief rub before he looked around.
"Movie's over… how long was I out?" he said groggily.
"Only one of us can answer that," Ryuji joked, nudging Makoto, who was still sitting next to Ren.
All GRAVY members were paying attention to what was happening. Ann and Haru looked like they were suffering second-hand embarrassment, and Yusuke showed no emotion.
"U-um-" Makoto stuttered before she was interrupted.
She had felt Ren's analyzing gaze on her before she began speaking, but now she knew why. Ren could tell that she was embarrassed.
"Ryuji, fuck off," Ren said as he stood up from the couch.
"Jeez, alright. Just trying to congratulate a friend, ya know?"
"Sure, but don't embarrass another friend in the process."
"Yeah, point taken."
From there, the gathering deescalated from a party to a cleanup. They had mostly cleaned up everything after dinner, but there were still a few plates and energy drink cans throughout the apartment. Once they were done cleaning up, people began to head out. Ann, Haru, and Yusuke were the first to leave. Ryuji stayed behind for some reason wasn't sure of until he was on his way out.
Ren escorted Ryuji to the day.
"See ya later, man. Thanks for coming," Ren said politely.
"Yeah, and congrats on you know what," Ryuji knowingly joked.
Ren rolled his eyes before giving Ryuji a fist bump. The runner left after that. Just like every GRAVY gathering, Makoto and Ren were the last two.
"So… have fun?" Ren awkwardly asked as he stood in front of the door.
"Yeah," Makoto answered from next to the couch. She wasn't sure what else she was supposed to say, if anything.
"Um…" Ren began. He wasn't looking at Makoto. It was as if he was searching around the apartment for words to say. "Wanna hang out sometime?"
"I'd like that," Makoto said as she approached the door.
"Oh, cool," Ren awkwardly said.
"Mhm." Makoto moved past him so that she was in the doorway. "Thanks for having me, Ren."
"Anytime, Makoto. Anytime."
Makoto left for her own apartment.
Monday, 6/20
In the aftermath of the party, Ren had done little except go to bed. Even on Sunday, he hadn't contacted the other GRAVY members. He had decided to take a lazy day and play videogames to prepare for the start of his punishment in the coming week.
But Monday came quickly, and the end of the school day came even quicker. The class rushed out of the room, yet Ren stayed seated. He didn't want to go to detention, nor did he want to even think about Chuono.
And he didn't have to, at least for a little bit. Another teacher approached him while he was still sitting at his desk.
"Chuono-san told me to remind you about your detention," Kawakami said. "You're supposed to immediately report to her room."
Ren curiously looked up at Kawakami.
"Should I?"
"No, but you have to," Kawakami said tiredly. "Speaking of things you have to do, you remember what you agreed to do, right?"
Hm? Oh, yeah, I have to order my homeroom teacher as a sex maid. How could I forget?
"Yeah, I'll get around to it. I've been busy. Maybe later this week?"
"Great. Now go to detention." Kawakami turned to walk away.
"Wait, Kawakami-sensei, what if I have a doctor's appointment?"
"What?"
"If I have a doctor's appointment can I skip detention?"
"I suppose so, but there's no way that-"
"Can you tell Chuono that I have to go to the doctor's?" Ren excitedly asked.
Kawakami sighed.
"Dammit, Ren… fine. Just go now so you're not here when she flips out," Kawakami said. "And remember that you owe me."
"Yep. Thanks. Bye," Ren quickly said as he stood up and rushed out of the classroom.
The clinic felt nostalgic. Ren knew that it shouldn't have. He had seen terrible, horrible things, mostly Doctor Ryuji, but still terrible things at the clinic. Why he was back he wasn't sure. The incentive that Tae offered, help with speaking to girls, wasn't that great.
So why the hell do I come here if I don't get much in return? Wait, I know why. It's because of Tae, isn't it?
One look at Tae sitting behind the counter answered his question. She looked up at Ren.
"Oh! You're here sooner than I expected."
Does she mean that she expected me later in the day or later in the week? Eh, who cares?
"I don't like to keep people waiting," Ren said smugly.
"Wrong. You don't like to keep me waiting," Tae said with a smirk.
Dammit… she's right.
Ren just nervously laughed to fill the awkward silence that had came over the room.
"Well, come on. Let's go to the examination room," Tae said before she stood up and walked into the other room.
Ren followed. He did the usual routine of plopping himself on top of the examination table and patiently waiting for Tae to prepare the mixture.
After a few minutes, Tae handed Ren the concoction. When he reached to grab it, she tightened her grip.
"Something to know before you start: this will stay in your system for one to two days. I'm trying out something new and I'd like you to document the after-effects. All you'd have to do is just take notes every roughly every twelve hours that say how you're feeling and if anything abnormal is happening," Tae explained. "Can you do that?"
"Two days?" Ren gulped. "Am I gonna be seeing shit for that long?"
"Maybe, but probably not. If you do they will be very minor and will not alter your perception entirely."
"Alright. Got it. Take notes."
"Good. Bottoms up, guinea pig," Tae said with a grin as she relinquished the mixture to Ren.
Does she really have to call me "guinea pig?" I mean, I don't not like it, but it's a little weird.
He did as he was told. He chugged the mixture as if he was challenged by Ryuji to do so. When he was done, he handed the empty cup back to Tae. She took it and sat down at her desk.
"Let me know when you begin to feel differences," she said.
Ren nodded. Usually, Ren would just look at the room around him while he waited for the mixture to kick in. It was a decent way of knowing when things were going to shit, seeing as the digital clock would begin to shift into unreadable territory.
This time, even after several minutes, nothing changed. Ren was surprised. Maybe this time would be different. Maybe it would be easy.
"Tae? I'm not really feeling it yet," Ren said. He was worried that something was incorrect.
"You're wrong."
Isn't it the doctor's job to listen to their patient?
"Excuse me?"
"You're wrong. You are feeling it, Renji."
"Nah, I'm- wait how the fuck do you know that name?"
Oh no. It's happening, isn't it?
Tae spun around while sitting on her swivel chair.
"Because I know everything, Ren. Everything," Tae said authoritatively as she leaned forward before she relaxed and slumped back into her chair. "But I think it's time for you to leave."
Bitch, where the fuck am I supposed to go?
"Uh… no?"
"Then I banish thee."
Oh. It's definitely happening. No one talks like that. I might as well have some fun with this.
"You banish me, huh? To the land of skinny thighs and unattractive doctors?"
"No. Somewhere much, much worse," Tae said knowingly. "Now leave through that door."
Ren didn't want to obey the false version of Tae sitting before him. He really didn't. However, he did want to see what was behind that door and what was so terrible about the place he was being banished to. Begrudgingly, Ren got off the examination table and walked towards the door. Just before he opened it, he figured he'd have a little bit of fun.
Ren turned towards Tae, who was sitting at her desk again and seemed to be reviewing her notes.
Heh. This should be fun. It probably won't work, but these visions are just supposed to be manifestations of what's happening in my head, right? So nothing can go wrong if I ask this.
"Tae?" Ren said, causing Tae to look up from her notes with a slightly annoyed expression. "You wanna go on a date sometime?"
Tae smirked. Then let out a choked laugh. Then became hysterical. Tae turned away from Ren, but he could hear how hard she was laughing. It must've been enough to make her tear up. Ren waited a minute or two for an actual response, but Tae still wasn't done laughing. Just as Ren thought she reached peak laughter, she became even more hysterical.
I think a "no" would've been more polite, but whatever. Not like it hurt my feelings… not at all… Ren, don't worry about it. These are just your inner thoughts being given visual representation. All it means is that you have no self-confid- not helping!
Ren shook his head and opened the door and walked out of the office. Tae was still laughing in the back, making Ren feel even more embarrassed than he was, even if he knew that this was just a hallucination.
Ren expected to end up in the clinic waiting room, but he ended up in a musty, small, prison cell that had a strange blue tint to it. Ren turned back to go to Tae's room, but there was no door. Only the prison wall.
Fuck. I guess I have been banished. If this lasts two days… holy shit am I gonna spend two days in hallucination prison? Fuck… yeah? Or is it fuck no? Whatever.
Ren walked up to the bars at the front of the cell. When he tried to get close, he yanked his leg hard enough to cause pain. Ren looked down. His left leg was chained to the center of the cell, stopping him from getting too close to the bars.
Now that Ren was looking around more, he noticed that his outfit had changed. He wore a black and white striped shirt and pants; a complete prisoner outfit.
Damn. I wonder what I did to end up here.
Ren looked out the bars. The room his cell was in was circular, surrounded by empty cells. In the middle of the room was… nothing?
Wait a minute… I came here on one of my first nights in Tokyo. There was that dude with the long-ass nose and those two kids. Where'd everyone go?
To answer Ren's question, he heard the sound of heels walking. Multiple pairs.
Is this really that bad of a place? I'm sure that the people coming aren't that bad. Maybe they're good-looking. Attractive people wear heels, right?
A group of people came around the corner and entered the circular room. It was safe to say that it was not what Ren expected.
Each member of GRAVY, boys included, stood in the center of the room in their normal outfits, except their regular shoes had been swapped out for high heels. Why heels, Ren wasn't sure, but it was a strange sight.
"Oh, hey you gu-"
"Ren Amamiya," the group said in unison. "Welcome to the horny jail."
No. Fucking. Way. It's real?! Well, I guess it's not real, but I know what I mean.
"Oh man, thanks for having me. It's been such a long journ-" Ren began to joke around but was cut off.
"Silence!" GRAVY said together. Ren chose to keep his mouth shut. He wanted to see what would happen. After a few seconds of silence, the group spoke again. "You have been brought here for a duel."
GRAVY parted down the middle so that Ren could see across the circular room. There was a person in the cell directly across from him who hadn't been there before.
Yoshiro stood at the bars of his prison cell in the same outfit that Ren was wearing.
"Not this motherfu-"
"Silence!" GRAVY reminded. "You will duel to the death!"
That's just wrong. These hallucinations only end when Haru viciously murders me. Even if I lose the duel, I'll be fine.
The cell doors for both prisoners opened and Ren felt the chain on his leg disappear. The members of GRAVY each took their places, spread out evenly around the circular room. Ren and Yoshiro stared each other down. Yoshiro didn't look angry or particularly eager. Now that Ren was looking more closely, Yoshiro didn't show any emotion. He looked blank. He looked empty.
So I perceive Yoshiro as a soulless dipshit? Huh. The more you know.
"Duel!" GRAVY chanted. "Duel! Duel! Du-"
"Woah, hold up. Duel with what?" Ren asked.
He expected a lightsaber or a katana or something decently cool. Instead, all the members of GRAVY around the room took off their heels. They tossed the footwear towards both prisoners, leaving a pile of exactly five heels at their feet.
Dude… no way am I doing this shit. This is too fucking weird.
Ren did his best to get himself out of the hallucination through sheer willpower, but it didn't work. The only thing that happened was that GRAVY resumed their chants.
"Duel! Duel! Duel!"
"Bruh, no. I'm not going to fight this guy with fucking shoes."
The chants stopped for a few seconds. Ren saw each GRAVY member quizzically look at him. For a few seconds, Ren felt scared of what they were going to do to him.
It turned out to be nothing. The chanting resumed, albeit more intensely than before.
Ren, fuck you for having the brain that generates this shit.
Ren picked up two heels.
Fuck yeah. Dual-wielding.
Yoshiro did the same.
The two lunged at each other. Ren swiped at Yoshiro with both heels, hoping to stun the taller fighter with a strong attack and then move in to finish the fight. Unfortunately, Yoshiro was well versed in shoe-based fighting tactics. He parried Ren's attacks and smacked Ren upside the hide.
Ren staggered away, clutching his head. Yoshiro menacingly walked towards him. He swung his arm upwards, telegraphing his attack enough for Ren to dodge the arm when it came down. He backed off more from Yoshiro in hopes of giving himself some time to plan.
"Psst! Ron!" a voice said from behind Ren.
Ren turned around to see the speaker. It was Junpei. He was holding some sort of styrofoam cup in his hands.
"Hey, Ronald! Here!" Junpei said as he handed Ren the cup. "Drink this!"
"Are you trying to drug me?"
"No, just take the damn cup!" Junpei said.
Ren sighed.
What's the worst that could happen? The hallucination ends? Fuck it.
Ren dropped one of the heels that he wielded. Ren took the cup and took a sip, only to spit out the liquid that he drank.
"Dude, is this fucking gravy?!"
"No! It is the ichor of the goddess Athena. It is-"
"This isn't some mythology bullshit! This is literally gravy!" Ren said, shaking the cup next to him.
Junpei's eyes widened, but they weren't looking at Ren. They were looking past him. Ren knew what that meant. He wheeled around just in time to barely block an attack from Yoshiro.
Ren had a new idea now that he had a new weapon. He tossed the cup of gravy into Yoshiro's face, blinding the volleyball player. He began flailing around wildly, his arms attempting to hit anything and everything.
Ren waited until Yoshiro showed him his back and then struck. He swung a heel from above into Yoshiro's head. Yoshiro fell forward slightly from the blow. Not letting Yoshiro recover, Ren kicked Yoshiro's knee from behind.
The volleyball player was now down on one knee, and that let Ren go to town. He picked a heel up off the ground so that he was back to dual-wielding. He repetitively swung both heels into Yoshiro's head as hard as he could. The volleyball player dropped face-first to the floor, but Ren didn't stop.
"Give him the gravy! Give him the gravy! Give him the gravy!" the GRAVY members around the room chanted together.
Ren mustered all of his remaining strength to deliver what he hoped would be the final blow. The heels slammed into the back of Yoshiro's head, smashing his face into the ground. Ren could see a pool of liquid coming out from Yoshiro, but it wasn't blood.
This… this is gravy! Dammit! Wait. Does this mean that gravy is the equivalent of blood in this hallucination? Shit, then I drank blood!
Ren exhaustedly stood up from Yoshiro's limp body, dropping both heels to the ground. The GRAVY members cheered before lining up single-file in front of Ren.
"Do I get a prize?" he asked.
The first person in line, Ann, slapped Ren.
"Nope! Remember that you're still in horny jail!" she said cheerfully before she got out of line and walked away.
The next person in line approached. It was Makoto. She also slapped Ren.
"The hell was that for?!" Ren angrily asked, rubbing his face.
Out of everyone I've met in Tokyo, Makoto's the last one I'd expect to slap me.
"That's because you took advantage of my emotional vulnerability to make me fall in love with you!" Makoto answered.
"Wha- the fuck are you talking about?!"
Makoto got out of line and the next person approached. It wasn't a woman that Ren knew.
It was Yusuke.
Wearing a brownish-red wig. And a light blue shirt.
Yusuke's Bob Ross outfit needs to be deleted from existence right now.
"There are no mistakes, Ren, just happy little accidents," Yusuke said forcefully before slapping Ren.
Ren was ready for this one, so it didn't hurt as much. He was also too puzzled by Yusuke's appearance to feel anything more than confused. At least, that was until Yusuke got out of line and the next person approached.
Doctor Ryuji had returned, except there was more to him this time. He had Tae's choker around his neck and wore a navy blue bob cut wig.
"Ryuji, please just leave," Ren begged.
"But I'm not Ryuji," Doctor Ryuji said seductively. "I'm Tae Takemi."
"Bruh, you're literally Ryuji Sak-"
Doctor Ryuji slapped Ren. Ren wasn't ready for this one, so it hurt more than the last one. With that slap, Doctor Ryuji got out of line and the next person approached. Ren had deduced who it was, and, knowing the patterns that his hallucinations followed, was ready for the hallucination to end.
However, Haru didn't have her usual executioner get up. It was her normal pink sweater pair with a Shujin skirt and white tights. She didn't have yellow eyes; it was just normal Haru.
Oh, thank god. I can't take this shit much longer.
"Ren, would you like to go to my apartment?" Haru kindly offered. "There are snacks!"
"Sure, yeah, whatever," Ren tiredly agreed. He just wanted this shit to end.
Haru led Ren to a door that opened to not Haru's apartment, but Ren's apartment.
"Uh, this is my apartment, Haru," Ren tried to tell the girl.
"Oh, you silly goose!" she teased. "Go take a seat on the couch. Watch TV while I make you some food!"
Ren cautiously walked over to the living area. He stiffly took a seat on the couch and turned on the television. He heard Haru beginning to make some noise in the kitchen. Ren figured it was best to leave her to it and just watch hallucination television to pass the time.
"The developing story on Teddie the Bear and his crimes escalates once again," the newswoman announced. "It's recently come to light that Teddie was embezzling money to provide for his quote on quote 'stud fund.'
Okaaay, not gonna listen to that.
Ren muted the television. Haru must've noticed because she began trying to spark up a conversation with Ren.
"Ren, do you like the Shujin Academy volleyball team?" Haru asked in her high voice. Ren could still hear her working on what he thought was his food that had been promised.
"Nah, they suck," Ren said, watching the muted TV out of boredom.
"Their early work was a little too… rebellious for my taste," Haru continued with an odd teasing tone to her voice that Ren couldn't quite place. "But when Suguru Kamoshida became the coach, I think they really came into their own; socially and athletically."
Uh… why should I care? The team is done for at this point. No way people join the team with everything that's happened.
"The whole team has an imposing aura to them, giving themselves a significant advantage before matches," Haru elaborated. "They've been compared to other volleyball teams, but I think they are far more interesting."
"Hey, Haru?" Ren interrupted Haru's monologue.
"Yes, Ren?"
"Is the food almost ready? I'm getting kinda hungry," Ren said as his stomach grumbled.
"No, Ren," Haru said cheerfully.
Ren turned around on the couch to face Haru and check the status of his food. Her outfit had changed a little since they had arrived at the apartment.
"Is that a raincoat?" Ren confusedly asked.
"Yes, it is!" Haru kindly replied in her usual tone.
Ren just shrugged and went back to watching the TV on mute. He heard Haru getting back to work on his food if she was even still doing that.
"In May, the volleyball team did this" Haru said as the TV switched from the news channel to a video of Makoto getting kidnapped, "Nabbing Niijima, their biggest accomplishment as a team. I think their undisputed leader is Yoshiro Takata, someone so important to your life, Ren, that you probably won't spend enough time thinking about what he's doing right now. But you should, because it's not just about beating him up, it's also about how exposing his controlled mental state could save you from everything."
Is she done? Finally, that was boring and cryptic as hell. I don't care about the volleyball team and Yoshiro anymore, I just want my damn food!
"Hey, Ren!" Haru yelled, sounding closer to Ren than she had before.
Hm? She must be bringing the food to me.
Ren turned around to a horrifying sight. Haru's executioner garb had returned, along with the yellow eyes.
Fuck.
"The lack of air was too much to bear, now the axe to the head will leave him dead!"
Haru brought the axe down and Ren's vision went black.
A/N: Sorry that this is late. This was the most I've struggled with a chapter yet. I couldn't stop second-guessing literally everything that went into the chapter. I got sick of the process and just decided to post what I have so I can move on. I don't know if I'm happy with the end product, but at least the story can get back to progressing.