Monday, 6/20
Ren awoke with a jolt, the bright lights of the doctor's room hurting his eyes. He brought a hand to his face to shield his vulnerable eyes, touching his brow and feeling beads of sweat. He slowly brought his hands away as his eyes adjusted. He was able to see Tae turn to face him in her swivel chair.
"You're awake. Have fun?"
"No, I didn't have fun. I ended up in some cell that people called 'horny jail,'" Ren said with an exhausted bitterness.
Tae just shrugged.
"It's your mind that's creating those visions. But hey, maybe you deserved it," she said as she cracked a smile.
"Yeah, maybe a little. Sorry about… uh… you know," Ren said awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Don't worry about it, so long as you've learned a lesson. I was leading you on anyway so I could bring you here that night."
"You could've just asked me."
"That's no fun," Tae seductively pouted.
"See? There you go again!"" Ren said playfully.
Tae laughed.
"Force of habit," she said before looking away from Ren to ponder something. "Ren, why do you still come here?"
"Hm? Well, uh, we're friends, right?"
Will I be hurt if she says no? Definitely.
"Friends?" Tae said a little sheepishly. Ren got his answer from that alone. "I, uh, thought this was a transactional relationship."
"Then what am I getting out of it?"
"You get to spend time with your favorite doctor," Tae said as she bit down on the end of her pen.
"No, what am I actually getting out of this shit? What's stopping me from walking out that door and never coming back?"
"Ren, we both know the answer to that question. Besides, if you wanted anything more, you could just ask," Tae teased as she turned back to her computer. "I've got some work to do, but you're welcome to stick around. Because we're friends and all that."
She's making fun of me. And she's absolutely right that I know the answer to my question. I guess I just asked so that I could find a better excuse to come here in the future than the doctor being attractive. Oh well.
"Nah, I'm pretty sure I have to get to work in a bit. So, uh, how should I get the notes to you? Should I just come back here in a few days?" Ren rose off of the examination table.
"You can just text them to me. Unless… you'd like to come back?"
With how much has happened recently, I doubt that anything I see during the hallucination would be good. Better wait a while for my head to clear.
"I'd rather wait a bit."
"Totally fine. I'll see you then. But you must text me about your condition."
"Will do. See ya, Tae," Ren said as he walked out of the room.
Ren was about to turn in for the night when he remembered that he had to evaluate how he felt. He pulled out his phone and began typing out his status in a message to Tae.
Ren Amamiya:
-Everything's normal. I felt a little sluggish at work, but I'm guessing that's just post-hallucination stuff. I haven't been sweating abnormally. Nothing's been weird.
"Yeah, that should work," Ren said after he finished typing the message and sent it.
"I dunno, motherfucker, it might be a little too brief," a very deep voice said from next to Ren.
From the deepness of the voice, Ren expected its owner to be at least five hundred pounds. Ren turned his head and looked next to him on the bed. It was Morgana. Ren blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't still hallucinating.
I would ask how the hell he's talking, but there's something more important to address.
"How dare you call me a motherfucker?!" he angrily asked, forgetting that he was starting an argument with a cat.
"That's right! That's exactly what you are! Your bitch-ass never takes me out!"
"I do! Sometimes! At night!" Ren protested.
"You think that's enough?! Maybe you aren't a motherfucker, maybe you're just an idiot!"
"You're literally a cat!"
"Does that invalidate my point?!"
No. Not in the slightest. However, do I really care?
"Invalidate my nuts! I've had enough of this shit. I'm gonna go brush my teeth. By the time I come back, you better be back to default or whatever the fuck normal is for you!" Ren said frustratedly as he stood up from his bed and walked out of his room.
He quickly went to the bathroom, aggressively brushing his teeth before he returned to his bedroom. Morgana hadn't moved from his bed.
"Did brushing your teeth make you realize that you're a shitty pet owner?" the deep-voiced cat asked.
"Fuck."
"Fuck is right, as in 'when the fuck are you gonna start taking me out more often?!' I gotta stretch my legs, see the world, meet girls."
"You're a cat. Who're you gonna meet?"
"For starters, that blonde girl that was fine as shiiiit."
Never again shall any cat, or any person, utter words so unbelievably cringy under this roof. Ann is attractive, but leave her alone, especially if you're a cat.
"And being creepy is how Morgana's point was dismissed by Ren," Ren sarcastically narrated.
"Okay, fine. Let's compromise. You take me out more often, I don't say weird shit."
"How about you don't say shit at all?! You're a cat!"
"We've established that multiple times!" Morgana retorted before quickly adding, "But I agree to your terms."
"Okay, good. Glad we had that talk, Morgana. Healthy relationships are built off of commu-" Ren began to joke before he was cut off.
"Shut your bitch-ass up and text the doctor that you just talked to your cat and that things are not normal at all."
"Oh yeah. Hey, when're you gonna stop speaking?" Ren curiously asked the cat as he picked up his phone.
Morgana cocked his head at Ren and meowed.
Ah. That was… oddly normal. If Tae's mixture is still in my system and it provides visuals for what I am thinking about, then do I think I'm a bad pet owner? I probably am. Morgana has a point. Or do I have a point because Morgana technically wasn't talking? Fuck, who cares?
Ren texted Tae.
Ren Amamiya:
-Nvm. Just argued with my cat about some stuff and he carried the convo. Other than that, I feel fine.
Tae Takemi:
-Always wanted to talk to a cat. What'd it say?
Ren Amamiya:
-After he repeatedly insulted me, he made some rude comment about a friend.
Tae Takemi:
-Interesting. Perhaps those are your thoughts about yourself and your friend?
Ren Amamiya:
-Maybe, but I guess I bury them just like everyone else does with those kinds of thoughts.
Tae Takemi:
-Very true. Thanks for the info, Ren. Do another status check in the morning before you go to school.
Ren Amamiya:
-;)
Tae Takemi:
-Cut it out.
Ren Amamiya:
-Have a nice evening, Tae.
Ren put his phone down. He got into his bed, wishing Morgana goodnight before he rolled over fell asleep.
Tuesday, 6/21
School felt brief to Ren. Maybe it was the substance that Tae had given him still being active in his system, or maybe it was the impending sense of doom that came with after-school detention. Given that Ren hadn't hallucinated since speaking to Morgana the previous night, he thought he knew exactly why school went by quickly.
Ren was dreading going to one-on-one detention, but he knew he had to go eventually. However, Tuesday would not be the day. Ren had remembered a way out of detention for the day.
"Kawakami-sensei," Ren began as he appealed to the teacher at her desk, "could you let Chouno-sensei that I'll be attending a counseling session today instead of going to detention?"
Ren had approached the tired teacher as soon as school had ended. She looked a little grumpy with him for weaseling out of his punishment yet again, but Ren knew that the teacher still had to deal with him. After all, he knew her secret. It wasn't like he was threatening her or anything, but the fact that he knew it in the first place made him a risk that Kawakami couldn't afford. In her mind, she had to tolerate Ren's antics.
At least, that was what Ren thought. He wasn't sure what Kawakami actually thought of him. She trusted him enough to request that he order her from the maid service again, although for different reasons than one would expect. Maybe Kawakami was a little amused by Ren, but if she was, she didn't show it often.
"Fine, yeah, I'll tell her," Kawakami said. "You can't keep getting out of this, you know."
"Yeah, but I can delay the shit out of it."
"You shouldn't be cursing casually like that to me," Kawakami chided. She wasn't angry, it was more just a reminder of what society expected of the two.
"Yeah, I guess. School's over though, so who cares. But thanks!" Ren said with a polite smile before walking away.
He left the classroom, beginning the short trip to the nurse's office. While he heard the occasional whispers, most students left him alone. He expected that people would fear him even more after what had happened to Yoshiro, but the revelation of Yoshiro's intentions had put him back at square one. They just perceived him as the murderer-terrorist-stalker-trafficker that had maybe done a half-good deed. Ren was adjusted to the rumors enough at this point to not even want the student body to think better of him. He saw no benefit to improving his reputation, at least for now.
Besides, he was content just to live in the little bubble that he had been able to form. The GRAVY members were all good people who accepted Ren. As long as Ren had GRAVY, he didn't need to worry about people he didn't even know and what they thought of him.
Ren arrived at the nurse's office. Before he opened the door and stepped in, a thought occurred to Ren.
What if one of the volleyball players is in there? What if Yoshiro's in there? I haven't seen the guy since I broke his nose. What a reunion that'd be. Though, he did sound pretty mellow during that recording that Maruki played. I would've expected him to be furiously lying, but I guess guilt catches up to you when your nose gets broken by some skinny guy who names his gardening club after meat sauce.
Ren knocked on the door first to make sure he wasn't interrupted. When the door was opened by Maruki a few seconds later, Ren got his answer. Maruki's reassuring expression was plastered on his face as always. The counselor hadn't noticeably changed since beginning his time at Shujin.
"Ah, Amamiya-kun. Good to see you. Here for your first weekly session?"
Ren nodded. Maruki opened the door more so that Ren could pass through. Once he was in the room, Ren took a second to look around as Maruki walked past him and took a seat. The room wasn't different in the slightest to Ren, but he wasn't there often. If there actually were changes, he wouldn't be the one to notice.
Once Ren was done looking around, he took a seat in his usual spot. From there, the counseling session bega, if it could even be called that.
"How's detention been treating you, Amamiya-kun? Everything you'd expect?" Maruki asked.
"Actually, I haven't gone yet. I had a, uh… doctor's appointment yesterday and I'm here with you today," Ren explained.
"Aha! Very clever," Maruki said as he cracked a smile. "Are you scared to go?"
"Nah, I'm just expecting it to be lame. It can't be that bad, but it'll definitely be boring, right?"
"Well, that's the point of detention."
"Yeah… enough about that. I dunno if I'm allowed to ask this… but how's everything going with the volleyball team? I, uh, haven't heard from or seen any of them," Ren awkwardly asked, changing the subject.
"You're allowed to ask anything, whether I'm permitted to answer is another thing entirely," Maruki remarked. "What I can tell you is that things are going well. The offending members of the team are cooperating."
"Huh. Even Takata?"
"He's doing fine, Amamiya-kun, but I'd rather not delve into such things. You're here to talk about yourself, aren't you?"
"To be honest, I'm here to enjoyably kill some time instead of going to detention."
"Fair enough. After all, you are required to attend these. However, these sessions don't have to just be killing time and excuses to get out of other things," Maruki said, his tone of voice shifting to tell Ren that a proposal was incoming. "You could assist me with my research."
I'm already assisting one doctor with their "research." One is more than enough. Now that I think about it, what the hell is Tae even researching? Is it some psychological treatment shit? Eh, whatever. I'd know if it was important. Anyway, it's not like I have much of a choice to help Maruki, right? I have to come to these.
"What'd I have to do?"
"Just have a conversation with me. Listen to my ideas, give your thoughts, stay engaged. It's that simple," Maruki said reassuringly.
"Sure, why not," Ren agreed. "When do we start?"
"Next week!" Maruki answered. "Today is about you."
"I'm just a humble gardener. I don't know what-"
"Amamiya-kun, you and I both know that you don't do much gardening."
...And?
"Yeah, you're right. But why's today about me?"
"For my patients that I have regular sessions with, I like to spend the first conversation just getting to know them more. Now that I know you'll be coming back for more sessions, tell me about yourself," Maruki said as he got a pen, paper, and clipboard ready.
Uh… okay. I'll do my best.
"My name's Ren Amamiya. I'm sixteen years old; turning seventeen in August. I-"
"Besides the basic facts, Amamiya-kun."
"Oh… uh… I really enjoy video games? It's more of a hobby than a time-killer. What else…?" Ren mused before thinking of what to share. "I like spending time with friends. I don't like spending time with people I don't know too well. I'm cautious of-"
"Do you know me well?"
"Hm? Sure, yeah. Well enough, I guess," Ren answered.
"Could you tell me more about what you do in your free time?" Maruki asked curiously. Ren was too busy thinking about an answer to analyze the counselor.
Well… can't tell him about Tae's clinic. Even if I trust Maruki, he could always go and tell the school that I'm taking experimental drugs. If the leash is as tight as Kobayakawa says, that'd get me expelled. I could tell him about Leblanc. That wouldn't get me in trouble, and it's a good look for me if I have a job.
"I work at a coffee shop in Yongen every other weeknight. It doesn't get much attention, so I mostly just get to practice brewing coffee."
"Do you enjoy working there?" Maruki asked, latching on to the coffee shop for a reason Ren couldn't think of.
"Yeah, it's better than other jobs, but I don't really have anything to compare it to," Ren replied. "The owner and I are pretty chill. We get along and he pays well for the little work that I do."
"Anything, how do I put this… special about the coffee shop?"
"Special? It's retro and old if that's what you mean. Other than that, we also serve curry?" Ren said unsurely, hoping that it answered the question. "Sorry, I don't really get what you're asking."
"Don't worry about it," Maruki said, waving Ren off. "Maybe I'll stop by sometime."
"Go ahead. The food's pretty good."
"I'm sure it is," Maruki said solemnly. His expression had gone from reassuring and kind to calculated. He set down his clipboard on the coffee table before adjusting his glasses. "Amamiya-kun, is that the whole truth? Is that everything you do outside of school?"
No, but no way am I telling you that shit.
"I hang out with GRAVY sometimes?"
Maruki eyed Ren, his measured expression relaxing over a few seconds.
"Ah. Of course," Maruki said, averting his gaze from Ren to his clipboard. He picked it back up and jotted a few quick notes. "Thank you for that, Amamiya-kun. If you'd like, you don't have to talk about yourself anymore. We can discuss anything you want."
Having an excuse to stay silent for a few seconds and give off the illusion that he was coming up with something to talk about, Ren took the time to look around the room. When he looked at the corner of the room the door was in, he saw a familiar face.
A familiar furry face.
Morgana patiently sat at the door.
"Found your bitch-ass. What happened to taking me out more?!"
Sorry, Morgana, I'm a busy guy.
Surprisingly, Morgana responded to Ren's internal thoughts.
"All you'd have to do is just walk around with me in your bag, but noooo, you have to be a pussy-ass-bitch and keep your bag clean!" Morgana said in his outrageously deep voice, before shifting it so that he sounded exactly like Ren. "'I'm Ren Amamiya! I don't like cat fur in my bag. I get no hoes! Agh, woe is me!'"
Wait, did I just telepathically communicate with you?!
"You dumb idiot, how do you think I'm here?!" Morgana yelled as his deep voice returned. "Your brain just thinks that I am because you're willing to swallow whatever some woman with nice thighs gives you!"
You make a good point.
"Damn right I make-"
"Amamiya-kun?" Maruki worriedly asked, snapping Ren out of his conversation with his cat. "Is everything alright?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah. I just kinda zoned out. Sorry, you said we could discuss anything?" Ren asked, taking a few seconds to think. "I got nothing. You're a counselor, drop one of those big open-ended questions that you people are known for."
"Known for, huh? I don't know how good this would be," Maruki embarrassedly said at the mention of his profession. "Amamiya-kun, do you believe in God? Er, or gods? Or, a, uh, higher power?"
"Nah, never really got into that stuff. Not for me. I'd rather blame my problems on myself than perceive them as trials given to me by some all-knowing being who should have better things to do than mess with a teenager."
Maruki laughed.
"Say there was a, as in a singular, all-knowing, all-powerful god. Why create so much pain and suffering? Why not just let people live in bliss? Did the god just create humanity to be its playthings in some cruel manner?"
"Pain's important and shit though, you know- er, sorry for the language," Ren awkwardly corrected, but was encouraged to continue by Maruki's kind expression. "If we were all just happy forever without any problems, that's gotta be boring as hell. Like, uh, take storytelling as an example. If the story is a drama and people are just happy the entire time and nothing bad ever happens, it's boring."
"Storytelling is meant to entertain, not to depict real life," Maruki argued.
"Okay, right, but here's the point I'm trying to make. What makes people change? Pain, suffering, events that they go through, blah blah blah. If there's none of that, people don't change. How the hell can that be considered living? Just staying the same forever, feeling basic, surface-level emotions because some god wants you to? No thanks."
"No thanks? You could have anything," Maruki encouragingly asked. He looked like he was enjoying the discussion.
"If I could have anything I wanted, the world would be a shitty place," Ren said with a chuckle.
"Well, if the god was still overseeing it, then it wouldn't. It would make sure that you got what you wanted without it harming others."
"Uh… well… I think I'm out of steam," Ren said defeatedly.
Maruki heartily laughed
"It's okay. You did ask for one of those open-ended questions. I just wanted to provide a counterpoint."
"Fair enough."
"So, Amamiya-kun, did you enjoy your excuse not to go to detention?" Maruki jokingly asked.
"Yeah, it was alright. Definitely better than spending time with Chouno."
"Trust me, she's not that bad. Well, that's if you… never mind!" Maruki awkwardly said before quickly moving on so Ren couldn't ask questions. "You're free to go, Amamiya-kun."
"Got it. Thanks for your time."
"No problem."
Ren left the nurse's office.
Ren Amamiya:
-I physically felt fine throughout the day, but my cat spoke to me again when he wasn't even with me.
Tae Takemi:
-Strange. Maybe you should listen to whatever it's saying.
Ren Amamiya:
-Probably. Am I going to have to take more notes for you?
Tae Takemi:
-Nope! You're done.
Ren Amamiya:
-Cool. Can we wait a bit before the next clinical trial?
Tae Takemi:
-Take all the time you need, guinea pig. I'll be waiting for you.
Ren Amamiya:
-Gotcha. See you then.
Wednesday, 6/22
Fuck. It's finally happening, isn't it?
School had ended without Ren coming up with any excuse to skip detention. Kawakami had approached him at the end of class to remind him to go, but he waved her away. He knew what fate awaited him.
Ren stood up from his desk, dreading whatever awaited him in detention. Hours of homework, a nightmarish creature, spiders from Mars, it could be anything. Ren slowly walked out of Classroom 2-D. He wanted to delay what has about to happen as much as possible.
Unfortunately, walking slowly was more of a pain in the ass than actually going to detention. Ren frustratedly adjusted the strap of his bag on his shoulder and soldiered ahead to Chouno's room.
He arrived shortly. Before he entered, he realized something.
If I go in there and establish dominance, things can't be so bad, right? If I'm confident and don't let Chuno get the advantage, this shit won't suck.
Not hesitating any longer, Ren smacked the door open hard.
"What is UP, Chouno-" Ren stopped in the doorway and mid-sentence. "My bad…"
It wasn't Chouno in the classroom. Nor was it a teacher.
It was Yuriko Kuramoto. She stood in front of the blackboard of the classroom with her arms crossed.
"Take a seat, Amamiya-kun," Yuriko said commandingly. Ren could tell that the girl enjoyed ordering him what to do.
Damn… is this revenge for me telling her to fuck herself? Did she kill Chouno-sensei and hide the body just so she could take her place and oversee my punishment? No, that's crazy talk. Unless...
"Nah, I think I have the wrong class," Ren awkwardly said, shuffling his feet. "I'll just be lea-"
"You have the right classroom, and you'll take a seat," Yuriko repeated.
Ren closed the door and shyly walked over to the furthest desk from the blackboard. He took a seat. Despite the distance between him and Yuriko, she made no effort to close the distance. All she did was raise her voice.
"Welcome to detention, Amamiya-kun."
This has to be another one of those partial-hallucinations. I'm just imposing Yuriko's voice and appearance over Chouno.
Ren raised his hand, just in case it was actually Chouno and he was tripping. Yuriko nodded at him, letting him know he could ask his question.
"I'm supposed to be in detention with Chouno-sensei!" Ren nearly yelled across the room. He regretted sitting so far away from the blackboard.
"And you are. However, Chouno-sensei is busy today. I'm the student body's detention assistant. When teachers aren't available to attend, I stand in for them."
"Shouldn't other teachers just substitute for the busy teacher?"
Yuriko shrugged.
"Sure, but the school likes providing extracurricular opportunities. This is one of them."
"Huh." Ren couldn't really believe what he was hearing. Out of all the people who could've been in that position, it had to be Yuriko.
Should I apologize for what I said at the cleanup? It'd be awkward as shit—Ren, you already are awkward as shit—good point. Probably wouldn't matter. But it's just kinda weird to open with "Sorry for telling you to go fuck yourself." I'd rather wait for a good time to do it.
"So… uh… what do I have to do?" Ren asked. He knew that he was supposed to serve his time in detention, but that was too vague for him.
"You sit quietly and do homework for the next two hours and I make sure you don't do anything fishy," Yuriko deadpanned. She was still authoritatively standing at the front of the classroom.
Oh well. At least I'll finish my homework early.
Ren began to unpack his bag onto his temporary desk.
"You're actually listening?!" Yuriko loudly asked in disbelief.
Huh? Okay, what the fuck's going on now?
Ren must've looked confused because Yuriko continued without him answering her question.
"Dude, I was just joking. No fucking way we're gonna sit for silence for two damn hours."
"O-oh… sorry?"
Yuriko narrowed her eyes at Ren.
"You're a piece of work, you know that?"
So I've been told.
"Uh-huh," Ren casually agreed. Ren didn't want to continue on that topic, so he quickly spoke again. "So if we aren't doing normal detention shit, then… what are we doing?"
Yuriko smirked and walked down the column of desks to Ren's left. She stopped when she reached the one next to him. With her smirk widening, she sat down.
"We hang out."
"Can I do some schoolwork?"
"What? Nooo, that's boring. Let's talk."
"You sure I can't do schoolwork?"
"Hey, that's mean!" Yuriko pouted.
Wha- but I didn't… I don't even know.
"Sorry?"
"Hmph. Whatever," Yuriko said as she fiercely crossed her arms and turn away from Ren, but just for a few seconds. Once those had passed, her forceful playfulness had returned and she was back to normal. "Anyway, what'd you do to end up here?"
"You don't know? You're the detention assistant or whatever it's called," Ren muttered.
"Yeah, but you really think I, or shit, anyone would take this job seriously? Literally nobody ever gets detention. This is just a free extracurricular. Or it was until you came along. You're the first person to end up in detention this year. Sooo… why're you here?"
Does she really not know? Of all people she should know, right?
"I, uh, broke your boyfriend's nose."
"Ohhh, so that's what it's for, huh? I didn't think the school would actually do anything about that with, um…" Yuriko's command of the situation retreated. Her gaze flickered away from Ren. Just like that, Yuriko's confidence dissolved. "S-sorry…"
...Damn, I do not want to deal with this right now. Is that bad? Nah, it isn't bad. I'm sure she's probably in a bad place right now, but I am the last person she should talk it out with.
"Y-yeah, don't worry about it," Ren awkwardly said as he stared down at the schoolwork on his desk.
Don't fucking say it. Don't you fucking dare. You know what you'd be getting yourself into. Don't even try to say-
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Ren shyly offered as he looked up from his desk at the now timid girl.
Idiot!
"Hm? N-no… it's just tough to think about."
"Sorry that I brought it up," Ren said, trying his best not to mess things up.
No telling what Kuramoto could do. If I fuck up, she could always go and tell Chouno that I didn't show up. That would be very bad.
Yuriko wasn't looking at Ren, she was staring down at the desk she sat at. Ren was analyzing her face as much as he could so he could figure out what to do, but his analysis was disrupted by one thing: the smirk on Yuriko's face.
"You sure that's the only thing you're sorry for?" the girl said, making it obvious that her confidence was returning.
...What?
"Pardon?" Ren was trying his best to be polite. He really was, but he was just too confused by Yuriko's behavior.
"You have something else to apologize to me for, you know," Yuriko said devilishly before playfully adding, "asshole."
Oh, yeah! Heh. I almost forgot that I needed to do that.
"Kuramoto-san, I'm-"
"Dude, get rid of the honorifics. You sound like a pussy when you use them in something that's supposed to be emotional," Yuriko interrupted.
"Wha- um… really? I try to-" Ren's attempt to defend his use of honorifics was in vain.
"Apologize!" Yuriko reminded.
"Er, fuck!" Ren shouted. Yuriko's reminder had startled him. Once he composed himself, he apologized for the park cleanup incident. "Yuriko, I'm sorry about what I said to you that day. It was uncalled for, it was rude, and it is irredeemable. I hope that you can forgive me."
"That apology was… eesh. I'm glad you dropped the honorific because if you left it in, you would've sounded like the biggest bitch of all time. You would've sounded like you struggle to ask waiters for sauce at a restaurant. You would've sounded like you think girls should make the first move. You would've sounded like you're into knitting. You would've sounded-" Yuriko went on and on until Ren interrupted.
This is bullying, right? Can I report this to the school? Or… does that make me even more of a bitch? Dammit.
"Okay! I get your point! Can you stop bullying me for one fucking minute?!" Ren exploded. "Just chill."
Yuriko just smiled at Ren.
"You said what you said to me was irredeemable. Well… congratulations! You've just been redeemed!" she said, celebratorily raising her hands in the air. "We're even now?"
"W-what?"
"We're even! No bad blood, no grudges, no insults!"
"You've gotta be kidding me…" Ren said as he tried to start his homework and tune Yuriko out.
"Now that that's out of the way, did you learn your lesson, Amamiya-kun?"
Amamiya-kun? What happened to honorifics being for pussies?
"Why the honorific? You said that-" Ren began, thinking that he had taken the upper hand. Unfortunately, he was very wrong.
"No no no, Amamiya-kun. I said that you sound like a pussy when you use honorifics. Anyone else would've been fine, but you…" Yuriko shook her head for dramatic effect.
I shouldn't have to put up with this, should I? But I was rude to Yuriko when I first met her. Is this what I get in return?
"I'll ask again, Amamiya-kun, did you learn your lesson?" Yuriko eagerly pressed.
Ren shook his head. He had no clue what she was talking about. Yuriko just gave him one of her playful smirks.
"Your lesson is to not give what you can't take, meaning that you shouldn't be a dick to people and expect them to just stay quiet in response." Despite Yuriko's… constructive words, she still had a playful grin on her face. "Okay?"
"O-okay," Ren complied.
"Great!" Yuriko said before she checked her phone. "Looks like you're free to go."
"It hasn't been two hours. Don't-" Yuriko's cold stare at Ren silenced him.
"You thought I'd wanna stay for two hours? Fuck no. I'll tell Chouno that you did your time and we can both leave early."
"Oh… thanks" Ren awkwardly replied.
"No prob," Yuriko said as she typed a few things into her phone. "See ya another time, Renny."
Nope. Not letting another person call me Renny.
"Don't," Ren said forcefully.
"Don't what?" Yuriko looked over at Ren. "Gonna cry if I call you Renny? Sounds like you're a bitch, Renny. Renny doesn't like when the mean girl calls him names. Renny doesn't-"
"Okay, damn. Fine. Call me Renny, but remember that you can't give without expecting to take." Ren thought he was clever for reminding the girl of her own words.
"Gimme your best shot," Yuriko immediately said, not taking any time to process Ren's words.
…I don't have anything. Shit.
"Uh, next time," Ren said awkwardly before he stood up and walked towards the door of the classroom. "Bye!"
As he left, he could hear Yuriko laughing at him.
Thursday, 6/23
Ren walked to Chouno's room for what he hoped would be his first day with her. He did not want to speak with Yuriko again. Sure, she had given him what he deserved, but it was a lot to handle at once. The girl was ruthless. Maybe if she wasn't as aggressive Ren would be more excited for her to be the detention assistant, but until then, Ren wasn't happy.
Once he reached the door to Chouno's room, Ren took a deep breath, recited an anti-Yuriko prayer in his head, and entered the classroom. His former plan of entering the classroom with confidence had vanished when Yuriko had utterly demolished him the previous day. He just quietly walked in.
Chouno stood at the blackboard.
"Good day, Amamiya-kun. Take a seat," Chouno said as she gestured to the desk directly in front of her.
Ren reluctantly sat down at the desk, dropping his bag from his shoulder and putting it in the desk. He already wasn't liking how this was going.
"How are you doing this fine afternoon, Amamiya-kun?" Chouno asked, pursing her lips while awaiting Ren's answer.
"I'm good."
"That is incorrect. Answer me with proper speech, Amamiya-kun," Chuono irritatedly chided.
Oh-no. This is going to suck? Isn't it? And I have a full month? Fuuuck. I'd rather deal with Yuriko bullying me than put up with Chouno for two hours every day.
"Uh... I-"
"You should not use 'uh' when speaking. Try again."
"I am good."
Please be correct. Pretty please.
"That is also wrong. The longer you struggle with this, Amamiya-kun, the longer you will be here. You are cutting into valuable time," Chouno said, seemingly deriving pleasure from seeing Ren struggle.
Damn, could you just shut the fuck up? I don't want to be here, you don't want to be here. At least let me just do homework for the two hours.
"I am well?" Ren asked rather than answered. He knew his mistake the moment he finished the sentence. He quickly corrected himself. "I am well."
"Good. Now we can truly begin," Chouno said, a malicious grin widening on her face.
TWO. FUCKING. HOURS!
Unfortunately, it had actually only been one and a half. Ren still had time left with Chouno. On the bright side, she had deviated from teaching Ren about language.
"Kawakami-san showed up late this morning. Can you believe that?!" Chouno jealously ranted about Ren's favorite teacher. "Kobayakawa treats her like she's the standard of excellence among the faculty when all she does is show up late, look tired all day, and leave early! That bitch!"
Ren had stopped trying since Chouno went off course. She was no longer trying to correct him, so he didn't have much to worry about. All he had to do was occasionally chime in to remind the teacher that he was still present.
"Maybe you aren't giving her enough credit," Ren said dazedly. He was worn out after the long day. "She's done a pretty good job as my homeroom teacher."
"A good job? Don't make me laugh!" Chouno laughed anyway. "Your grasp of both of the languages you know is pitiful."
"I'm doing a lot better than you," Ren muttered under his breath.
"Excuse me?"
"I said that I'd like to be as good as you."
"Oh. Well, thank you," Chouno said, looking a little flattered. "But for that to happen, you'd have to leave Kawakami-san's class. The bitch can't even stand upright when teaching because she's so exhausted."
"Maybe you should check on her to see if she's doing alright," Ren suggested.
"Hah!" Chouno laughed. "Amamiya-kun, you must understand this about teaching: it's about competition."
"I thought it was about educating youth," Ren deadpanned with sarcasm. Despite Chouno's wordier-than-thou attitude, she wouldn't know sarcasm if it held a staring contest with her while writing a thousand-word essay on the history of Japanese grammar.
"For a superior teacher such as me, it is. For hacks like Kawakami, it is about the money and nothing else!"
Chouno's rant was seemingly endless. Ren began to form the idea that maybe Chouno was just a bit jealous of Kawakami. Whether it was for her youth, her attractiveness, her teaching ability, or her decent reputation among students, Ren wasn't sure. All he did know was that he could use Chouno's jealousy to his advantage down the line.
By the time he came to that conclusion, the two hours were up.
"You may leave, Amamiya-kun. Remember to use your manners as you excuse yourself," Chouno said, turning away from Ren's desk to go over and get her own things ready for her to leave.
No chance I'll be doing that. Sorry, Chouno-sensei, but you're just too much of a bitch.
While Chouno's back was turned, Ren just stood up and walked out the door without saying goodbye. He didn't regret it.
What's she gonna do? Chase me down the hall? Make me stay longer tomorrow? No way, because that means she has to stay longer. Unless she's feeling really dedicated, that won't happen.
Happy to finally leave but exhausted from the long day, Ren left Shujin for his apartment.
It wasn't late in the evening when Ren got home. Considering that his schoolwork was mostly done, as he had done it during Chouno's rant, he had the evening to himself. As Ren sat down on the couch, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He took it out and checked the message.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-How's detention been?
Ren Amamiya:
-Awful. Chouno is a devil worshipper who takes pleasure in correcting slight grammatical mistakes.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Fr. At least you won't have to deal with her alone for long…
Ren Amamiya:
-Ryuji.
Ren Amamiya:
-What are you planning?
A few minutes passed without a response from Ryuji.
Oh my god. He's gonna do something dumb and get me expelled or some shit.
Ren Amamiya:
-Ryuji! Do not even think about doing whatever it is! That is an executive order from the GRAVY lord himself! You will be excommunicated if you go through with it!
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Hah, sure I will. It ain't GRAVY without Sakamoto, baby!
Ren Amamiya:
-You have a point, but please don't do anything stupid.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Relax, it's nothing bad for either of us. It'll be fun, just trust me. But if you want to see what it is, you have to do me a favor.
Ren Amamiya:
-...What is it?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Tell Chouno on Saturday that I've been saying Kawakami's the best teacher in school.
Ren Amamiya:
-Why Saturday?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Just trust me. Everything will go great.
Ren Amamiya:
-If you fuck up, I'm demoting you in GRAVY.
Ryuji didn't respond after that. Ren exasperatedly tossed his phone to his side on the couch. He was frustrated with Ryuji for not detailing his plans, but he couldn't make the guy do anything. All Ren could do was wait and pray that Ryuji's plan didn't get anyone in more trouble.
Ren sat on the couch for a few seconds, thinking about everything. Yoshiro, detention, Maruki, all of it. A few things stood out, but the thing that stood out the most was that Ren still had a deal to fulfill.
Ren picked up his phone. He remembered the link to the maid service website that he and Ryuji had used back in May. He called the number listed on the front page.
"Hello, master!" a woman said cutely on the other end. "Welcome to Frenchy Maid Universe. How may I help you this fine evening?"
Don't fuck this up.
"Hello," Ren said in as deep of a voice he could make without sounding suspicious. "I'd like to request an hour-long session with Becky."
"You're into the older ones, huh? I getcha," the woman said as Ren could hear her tapping away at a keyboard. "How will you be paying?"
"I'll pay Becky directly," Ren said with a nervous gulp.
"Great! I'll send her to… what's your address, master?"
"Uh…" Ren hesitated. "Send her to _."
"Awesome. She'll be there soon, master. Try to be ready for her by the time she arrives!" the woman said before Ren heard the line click.
Ren tried not to think about what he had just done. He set his phone down on the coffee table and turned on the TV to watch the news.
"Hajime Sugimura continues his meteoric rise in pre-election polls. As of last week's voter poll, sixty-five percent of those polled said that they would likely end up voting for Sugimura. While it's very early in the year and not many other candidates have announced campaigns, Sugimura has a significant advantage over everyone else," the newswoman announced. Pictures of a Sugimura rally flashed onto the screen, a passionate crowd forming beneath the man that Ren recognized as Hajime Sugimura. "Despite Sugimura's popularity, many aren't convinced. Tabloid journalists continue to slander Sugimura with articles about his foreign affairs, specifically with his use of several remote islands in the Pacific. Sugimura has yet to address these articles."
Islands in the Pacific, huh? Wonder what he's doing out there.
Ren kept watching the news until he heard a knock at the door. He knew that the time had come. He got up from the couch and went to the door. He opened it to find his teacher in her maid getup.
Don't be a perv, Ren. Don't you dare.
"Hi," Ren said plainly.
Kawakami urgently nodded and waved for Ren to get out of the way. She obviously didn't want to be seen. Ren moved and let Kawakami enter, closing the door behind her.
Kawakami looked around the apartment.
"Huh? This is pretty nice." Kawakami sounded surprised.
"Yeah. It's Iori-san's. He leaves me alone, so that's nice too," Ren agreed.
"Alright, Amamiya-kun, pay up and then we can begin," Kawakami said, placing her hands on her cocked hips.
"Woah, don't you think you should help me study first? If I pay you now, you could just leave," Ren argued.
"Where would I go? I have to go back to work once this is over, and I can't just spend an hour walking around like this," Kawakami said, looking down at her outfit.
"Fine. Here's the money," Ren said as he handed Kawakami five thousand yen.
"Great. Let's just get to studying so that we can get this out of the way, okay?" Kawakami said, rubbing her eyes.
She's tired, huh?
"You sure you're up for it? You look a little tired," Ren asked as he eyed the darkness under Kawakami's eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just get to work."
Ren obliged. They sat next to each other on the couch, Ren making sure not to even glance in Kawakami's direction. He didn't want his gaze to be misinterpreted.
For roughly forty-five minutes, Ren and Kawakami reviewed the most important material from the semester. Kawakami corrected and added additional information to Ren's answers, making sure that he knew why he was right or wrong. It was much more engaging than even just speaking with Chouno.
While it was engaging, it was still studying. Ren had done much more studying that day than he had wanted, so he quickly grew bored and tried to strike up a conversation with his teacher.
"Went to detention with Chouno-sensei today."
"Yeah? How'd it go?" Kawakami asked as she reviewed one of Ren's answers.
"It was awful. She's pretty insufferable. You know she couldn't stop talking shit about you?" Ren knew he was likely making problems, but he believed it better for Kawakami to know than to remain in the dark.
Kawakami looked up from the paper at Ren.
"What'd she say?"
"Just talking about how you're always tired, how Kobayakawa treats you special, and how she was a better teacher than you. To be honest, it's pretty obvious that she's jealous," Ren remarked.
Kawakami laughed.
"Yeah, of course. She's been acting like a psycho towards me lately. Won't get off my back. I think she's starting to suspect that I'm doing something on the side…" Kawakami said, her voice fading as she realized what that would mean.
"Relax. As long as you're careful, I don't think she has any chance of catching you."
"Yeah, I hope you're right," Kawakami said. She handed Ren his paper. "Here. Just a few more problems and we'll call it a night."
"Great," Ren said as he got to work on the last few problems, hunching over the coffee table.
He heard his phone buzz on the coffee table. He didn't want to reach for it and interrupt his studying. That would show Kawakami that he was a bad student. He wasn't sure why he cared so much about what the teacher thought of him. Maybe it was the fact that she was the only teacher at Shujin who had treated him decently. Maybe it was because of the maid outfit.
It's probably both.
Ren saw Kawakami reach for the phone out of the corner of his eye.
Uh-oh.
Ren could see Kawakami reading whatever message had come through.
"Ren," the teacher began, "are you sleeping with one of my favorite students?"
WOAH, that escalated quickly.
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me," Kawakami said as she set the phone back down.
"I wish I didn't," Ren muttered as he continued doing the remaining problems.
"Just answer the question so I can know whether to slap you or not."
Ren stopped doing his schoolwork and set the paper down on the table.
"No, Kawakami-sensei, I am not sleeping with your favorite student. Please don't slap me," he said as he stared directly into Kawakami's eyes.
"Then why is Makoto texting you asking if you want to text each other again tonight?"
She did?! Hell yeah.
"We're good friends," Ren said with a shrug. "I don't know what else to tell you."
Kawakami pinched the bridge of her nose out of annoyance.
"Amami- agh, fuck it. Ren, I really hate to do this, but could you just leave Makoto be? As a favor to me?"
"Woah, you can't do that!"
"You're right, I can't. That's why I'm just asking you. Please?"
"Bruh… why?" Ren couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Because… well… I don't trust you. And Makoto deserves someone who… um… isn't like you? I know that sounds rude, but you're the last type of person she should date."
"Um… no? Fuck off?"
"Hey, I'm your teacher, you can't talk to me like that!" Kawakami protested.
"Not right now you're not," Ren said, reminding Kawakami of the outfit she was wearing. "Kawakami-sensei, this is dumb. You know that it's dumb. Makoto seems to like me, I think, I hope. You should understand that"
"Yeah… but…" Kawakami was lost for words. "I don't know. I just feel protective of her."
"I get that," Ren said with sympathy. "But she's happy right now. She has a social life and friends. I'm pretty sure she didn't have that before."
"Yeah, I guess… just don't corrupt her too much?"
"Corrupt? Is that how badly you think of me?"
"You told me and the whole class to fuck ourselves," Kawakami said impassively.
"Good point," Ren conceded. "But Makoto's strong enough to not be poorly influenced. If she is… well, if she's one of your favorite students, I'm sure you'll notice."
"Fine. Do what you want, but hurt her in any way and I'll make sure that you fail every single class," Kawakami menacingly warned.
Damn… how much does Kawakami care about Makoto? I'll have to ask. She seems attached to the girl. It's fair. Society hates to see people lose their innocence. But it's not like Makoto's turning into a criminal or something; all she's done on the surface is join a gardening club.
"Go ahead. That won't happen."
"It better not," Kawakami said as an alarm went off on her own phone. "Times up, Re- Amemiya-kun. I'll see you in class."
Kawakami tiredly stood up and left without much else. The argument about Makoto seemed to drain her even more than she already was. Ren couldn't blame her for leaving so quickly. It would've been awkward to loiter. Now that Kawakami was gone, Ren eagerly picked up his phone.
Makoto Niijima:
-Could we text tonight? We haven't spoken in a while.
Ren Amamiya:
-Yeah, sorry about that. Been busy with detention and everything. Plus, I have to study more for these upcoming exams.
Makoto Niijima:
-It's good that you're studying more, Ren. I'm proud of you for making an effort.
Ren Amamiya:
-Aw, thanks mom.
Makoto Niijima:
-Ren.
*Ren Amamiya has deleted a message*
Makoto Niijima:
-You can't keep doing that, you know.
Ren Amamiya:
-Doing what?
Makoto Niijima:
-Saying something weird and then deleting the messages when I respond to them.
Ren Amamiya:
-Idk what you're talking about.
Makoto Niijima:
-Sure, Ren. Sure.
I should change the subject.
Ren Amamiya:
-I met that Kuramoto girl the other day.
Makoto Niijima:
-You did? She mentioned something about talking to you.
Ren Amamiya:
-Mentioned? Wdym?
Makoto Niijima:
-I made friends with Yuriko. She texted me on Wednesday that you apologized to her.
Ren Amamiya:
-Did she tell you that she verbally assaulted me for the majority of our conversation?
Makoto Niijima:
-I'm sure it wasn't that bad. And it's only fair, given what you said to her.
Ren Amamiya:
-Yeah, I agree, but it still hurt.
Makoto Niijima:
-Did it, now? I thought you were the type to not let that kind of thing affect you.
Ren Amamiya:
-Same here. I guess Kuramoto just went further than I thought was possible.
Makoto Niijima:
-Interesting. Will you be speaking to her again?
Ren Amamiya:
-Maybe. She's the detention assistant or whatever, so she may have to sub for Chouno soon.
Makoto Niijima:
-Good. Could you try to become friends with her? For my sake?
Ren Amamiya:
-You should've heard what she said to me! She said that I was a pussy for using honorifics!
Makoto Niijima:
-Okay, that is a little troubling, but please try to be nice to her.
Makoto Niijima:
-Please? :)
Oh fuck, she's learning how to manipulate me! Shit! How do I say no?!
Ren Amamiya:
-Fine. I'll do my best.
Makoto Niijima:
-Great. Would you like to hang out sometime soon?
Ren Amamiya:
-Yeah, I think I'm free Sunday. I don't have much free time anymore besides Sunday.
Makoto Niijima:
-It's a date!
Ren Amamiya:
-...Makoto? Everything alright?
*Makoto Niijima has deleted a message*
Makoto Niijima:
-Goodnight, Ren.
Ren Amamiya:
-I see how it is. Goodnight, Makoto.
Ren relaxed for the rest of the night before going to bed. While he hadn't had the best couple of days, the next few were sure to be looking up. Whatever Ryuji planned on doing would be amusing, even if it failed, and Ren was able to look forward to Sunday. Ren drifted into sleep, thinking of all the possibilities that Sunday would bring.