Friday, 6/24

Makoto astutely observed the teacher as he explained the day's concepts with the blackboard. The week had been entirely normal for her, bar one occurrence that wouldn't have happened a few months prior.

Specifically, Makoto had texted back and forth with Yuriko a few times. To make things even better, they were both initiating conversations. It wasn't one-sided, they would just text each other about whatever they felt like. How their days went, and what was new with them, among other things.

Makoto was mentally delighted that she was able to do this with someone. She could text Ren, but it was different with Yuriko for some reason. With Ren, there was always the fear in the back of Makoto's mind that if she messed something up while texting, then that would be the end of the relationship. With Yuriko, Makoto didn't have to put too much thought into what she sent to the girl.

I wonder why I put so much weight behind texting Ren, Makoto innocently thought. Or at least, tried to innocently think. She was finally beginning to get an idea of the direction her relationship with Ren was moving in and where she wanted it to end up.

Makoto didn't admit it to herself because the words felt strange to say or even think, but she liked Ren. She had been intrigued by him in April, grown attached to him while she was staying at his apartment, and was now beginning to realize her affections for him.

She would've felt nervous about it if Ren wasn't making his own feelings so obvious. The more Makoto became aware of her feelings for Ren, the less humorous Ren's flirtatious "jokes'' became.

Makoto had begun feeling more confident in herself because of that. She liked someone and they liked her back; it was that simple. Not only that, the acceptance of her by the other GRAVY members and Yuriko had helped.

Even compared to the time before Kaneshiro, Makoto felt lighter when she walked. Perhaps it was because the weight of unfulfilled social expectations had been taken off of her shoulders; perhaps she was just eager.

Makoto felt her phone buzz in her pocket. The Makoto of old wouldn't dare to even touch the phone in her pocket, but the current Makoto did just that, albeit very carefully so she could still pay attention to the teacher. She glanced down at the screen.

Ann Takamaki:

-Want to hang out with Haru and me after school today? We were thinking of going to Kichijoji, but we're flexible.

Kichijoji, huh? I haven't been there in too long. I think the last time I went there was with… never mind, Makoto thought as she focused on typing out her reply.

Makoto Niijima:

-Yeah, sure. Just you, Haru, and me, correct?

Ann Takamaki:

-Yep! No boys today!

Makoto Niijima:

-Did they do something wrong?

Ann Takamaki:

-No, not yet. I just wanted to have a girl's day, but I've been getting a feeling from Ryuji that he's planning something related to Ren's detention.

Makoto Niijima:

-I wonder what it is. He can't do anything to get Ren out of detention, so the only thing he could do is join him, right? Even then, that plan probably won't work. Detention has always been one-on-one. Unless Chouno volunteers to take Ryuji, it probably won't happen.

Ann Takamaki:

-I guess we'll have to wait and see, unless they try to rope us in.

Makoto Niijima:

-Yeah. Okay, I have to pay attention in class now. See you after school!

Good job, Makoto. Using the exclamation point at the end makes it sound nicer… right? Or does it make it sound angry? No, it's an energetic kindness. I'm sure of it, Makoto assured herself.

She focused on the teacher again and followed along with the lesson.

Makoto, Ann, and Haru all got off the subway and made their way through Kichijoji. It had been a long time since Makoto had last visited the area, so she wasn't surprised when she didn't recognize a few of the shops.

Ann led the group down a bustling alley. As they walked, Makoto observed the food stores on either side of her.

Each one was packed with people, all gathered around U-shaped counters that held the people preparing the food. A few of the stores even had TVs that were all pretty much showing a news channel.

Makoto looked closely at one of the TVs as she walked forward. She couldn't hear the audio, but she didn't need to with what was onscreen. The photo of a man that Makoto recognized as Hajime Sugimura was displayed alongside a chart showing what Makoto assumed to be polling numbers over the past few weeks. The chart displayed a rapid rise in voter numbers that was interesting to Makoto, considering that the nation was still relatively far from the date of the election.

Makoto found out that she wasn't the only one interested in the TV the hard way. Still walking forward with her attention focused on the TV, Makoto bumped into Haru, who had also taken an interest in the TV but had stopped in her tracks.

"O-oh, I'm sorry, Mako-chan," Haru immediately apologized as she turned around to check on Makoto.

Makoto was fine. Her reaction to bumping into Haru was merely stumbling backward a little. As she composed herself and made sure her clothes hadn't been messed up, Makoto replied to Haru.

"Don't worry about it. It was my fault. I was watching the TV instead of looking ahead. Sorry," Makoto explained.

"Everything alright?" Ann asked, coming back to the group after noticing they had stopped.

"Yes, everything's fine," Haru answered.

Despite the positive answer, Haru's voice shook ever so slightly. Makoto thought she was hearing things, but she couldn't help but doubt Haru's answer. While Makoto had been angry with herself in the past for overanalyzing and doubting things unnecessarily, something told her that this situation was different.

"Okay, cool. The restaurant I wanted to show you guys is just up ahead," Ann said, pointing to the other side of the alley. "Let's keep moving."

The group did exactly that. They were soon out of the alley and arrived at a decently fancy restaurant with outdoor seating. The group was able to get a table for three outside and quickly placed orders for nikujaga. Once that was done, there was time to kill. Conversation was the natural way to do so.

"You guys gonna tell me what happened in the alley? You just kinda stopped out of nowhere," Ann said to get things going.

"It was my fault. I was focused on one of the TVs and I bumped into Haru."

"The TVs? What was on them?" Ann asked.

"Something about that politician running for prime minister, Sugimura. He's been doing really well in the polls," Makoto answered.

Makoto heard a faint hum or a whimper come from Haru, who was sitting on her right.

"Haru?" Makoto asked, not finishing the question because the meaning was obvious.

Haru was just staring down the street, obviously not paying attention to Makoto or Ann. At the mention of her name, her head snapped to Makoto.

"Yes, Mako-chan?" the heiress asked shakily.

"Is something happening with Sugimura?" Makoto pressed. She wanted to get to the root of Haru's behavior from the past few minutes.

"Well… I…" Haru was usually the one doing the reassuring for Makoto. Now that the roles were switched and Makoto didn't know how to fill that role, Haru was left to temporarily flounder. "My arranged m-marriage to Nobuo Sugimura becomes more and more likely to take place the more Hajime Sugimura's election numbers go up. Father wants me to marry into the family before they grow out of our league."

"Haru, that's… oh my god," Ann said in disgusted disbelief.

What can I do or say to help Haru? There's almost nothing. The marriage depends on a factor that is too far out of anyone's control to make a difference. I don't want to tell Haru that everything will work out because… will it? There's nothing we can do. It would take a miracle to prevent the marriage if it depends on Sugimura's polling numbers, Makoto reasoned.

"Haru…" Makoto managed to say. She didn't want to say anything more and make promises that she couldn't keep.

"B-but you guys shouldn't worry about it," Haru attempted to say cheerily. "Even if the marriage is confirmed, the date won't be before the end of summer. I can spend the time I have left with you all."

"No, Haru… that's awful," Makoto said, wincing at Haru's words. Haru being married off at the end of the summer would be equivalent to the two weeks that Makoto had been given in almost every way except length. "Is there any dirt on Sugimura out there? A scandal would be a huge blow to his campaign."

"Well, there are… rumors of Sugimura's foreign dealings. He spends a lot of time on a private island in the Pacific," Haru said a little less shakily than Makoto expected. "But that is just tabloid speculation. There isn't anything actually damaging to utilize."

"Wait, hold up. What does he do on the islands?" Ann inquired.

Haru shrugged. "Those reporting on Sugimura haven't gotten farther than the fact that he sometimes flies his friends out there. I believe father made the trip once."

"Do you think it's… something illegal?" Ann asked ominously.

"Perhaps, but there's no way of ever knowing. It's not like media is allowed to follow," Haru answered. "Please, listen to me: you guys shouldn't trouble yourselves with this. Very little can be done to stop the marriage, and it seems that it falls on me or someone with the power to do so. I will do my best to stop the marriage, but…"

Haru didn't need to finish the sentence. Makoto knew that the chances of the marriage being halted were slim. Sugimura was dominating in the polls, so Haru was almost guaranteed to be getting married in the coming months. Makoto could barely wrap her head around the idea.

Haru's only eighteen. Stories of political marriages among the wealthy are common, but to actually know the person who's being married is troubling. Haru seems so lost on what to do, if anything. It's hard to watch, Makoto thought.

Arriving with perfect timing, the waiter set down the food that the group had previously ordered. Their meals gave them an excuse to not continue the conversation. Haru obviously didn't want to continue talking about it. While Makoto did want to support her friend, her loss for an idea made her want to drop the subject.

As Makoto ate her food, she tried to think about what she could do to help Haru.

I could contact that journalist. What was her name…. Ohya? I still have her number, so I wouldn't have to meet up with her. I could just ask if she has anything on Sugimura. I don't know if it will do anything, but it can't hurt to try, Makoto thought.

Continuing to eat, Makoto realized how narrow the possibilities for Haru's situation were. It seemed incredibly unlikely for the heiress to get out of the marriage agreement, let alone postpone it.

Just as Makoto was wrapping up eating her food, Ann tried to strike up a much lighter conversation than the previous one.

"So, what do you guys think we should do this summer?"

"Hm?" Makoto looked up from her food. "I'm not really sure. I've never really done stuff during the summer besides, well, study for the upcoming semester."

"That's perfectly fine, Mako-chan," Haru assured. "How about a summer trip? We could go somewhere nearby, get out of Tokyo for a week. How does that sound?"

"Ooh, I like that!" Ann said excitedly. "But where would we go?"

"I have a few ideas, but I'd like to keep them to myself, just in case we have to cancel the plans," Haru said sadly. "I don't want anyone to be disappointed."

"Yeah, that's fine. But summer's less than a month away. We should get around to planning quickly!" Ann said, pulling out her phone.

"Will the guys be going with?" Makoto asked. She felt nervous about spending time exclusively with Haru and Ann, but she knew that it was important.

"I mean… maybe? We'll have to see what happens," Ann said. "But we should be the ones doing the planning. Then they're the ones who owe us!"

"Are you sure? What if they're not able to go because we didn't let them know early enough?" Makoto asked.

"Relax, they'll know in time. That's why we should start planning A-S-A-P," Ann stated as she tapped her phone a few more times before setting it down. "I'm gonna make a group chat for just us three. What should we call it?"

"Hmm…. how about 'GRAVY Girls?'" Haru innocently suggested.

I don't know. That just sounds… wrong? Gross? It doesn't feel right, Makoto thought.

"Pass on that," Ann said. "What about 'The Renji Fanclub?'"

"Is that what we are?" Makoto asked as she looked down at her phone, the unnamed group chat popping onto the screen.

"No, but it's pretty funny. Plus, if Ryuji ever finds out about it, it'll be even funnier," Ann said with a playful grin. "Oh, and they'd be a cute couple."

Makoto's face reddened out of jealousy at that last part. She tried to quell the feelings by focusing on finishing her food, but her dish was clean before her cheeks had returned to normal.

"Someone's a little jealous," Ann teased.

"N-no, the food's just very good," Makoto said nervously as she took a sip from her glass of water.

"Sure, sure…" Ann said before turning to Haru. "Alright, we have the group chat's name. Any updates on the trip or just girl talk can be sent to the chat."

"Great!" Haru said cheerfully.

After that, the girls mostly just passed the time and made small talk until paying and leaving the restaurant. Shortly after, they parted ways. Makoto went back to her apartment for the night.

Saturday, 6/25

Ren was doing homework on his couch when he felt his phone buzz. He pulled it out and checked the message.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Yo. Sleepover tonight?

Ren Amamiya:

-No energy drinks.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Agreed. I'm pretty tired already, so no funny business at all.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-And I've got a good bedtime story to tell.

Ren Amamiya:

-If you try to tell me a story while I'm trying to go to bed, I will tell your mom that you moonlight as a maid.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Not what I meant, but OK. Be there soon.

Ren didn't have to wait long. Ryuji soon arrived, his large back that he had brought for previous nights missing. Ren was thankful for that.

"Dude, wait till you hear what went down today!" Ryuji eagerly stepped into the apartment and made himself comfortable on the couch.

"Is this the master plan you've been talking about?" Ren asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it's genius! By the way, you did what you were supposed to do? You told Chouno what I told you to say?"

"Yeah, I slipped it in. Seemed like she brushed it off, but who knows. You're the genius," Ren joked.

Ren really had told Chouno what Ryuji wanted. The teacher seemed a little irked but was too determined to whip Ren into shape to let Ren's revelation affect her. Ren was a little disappointed, but he didn't know why he was expecting something more explosive in the first place. After all, this was Ryuji's plan.

"Good, good," Ryuji said, jittering around on the couch. "C'mon, siddown. Lemme tell you what happened."

Ren cautiously sat down in one of the chairs that was positioned next to the couch. As soon as he did so, Ryuji began the explanation of what had happened.

Earlier that day...

Ryuji restlessly sat in the back of Ushimaru's classroom. He felt his hands getting clammy out of nervousness; what he was about to attempt would be dangerous, it would be risky, but above all, it would be awesome.

If it worked, it would also help out Ren. Then he wouldn't have to deal with Chouno on his own. If Ren did his part in the plan, Ryuji wouldn't have to worry about getting placed with the wrong teacher for detention.

Ryuji breathed deeply in preparation for what he was about to do. He nervously scooted around in his seat at the back of the middle of the classroom. He had originally chosen the seat so he could get away with not taking notes. Now he was using it to execute Sakamoto's Smart-ass Plan.

As Ryuji carefully observed Ushimaru, who was fiercely lecturing the class while using the blackboard, he began phase one.

Kazuo Ushimaru was a simple man.

He cared for little in life other than one thing: baseball. It was his pride, his passion, and what made him tick. It helped him move forward every day and helped him fall asleep at night. Every waking moment of his life was spent thinking about baseball.

Unfortunately, he was stuck as a middle-aged social studies teacher. Neither of those things boded well for someone who wanted to spend their time immersing themselves in baseball.

Luckily for Ushimaru, he had things figured out.

Ushimaru glanced over to his left from the pitcher's mound. The runner was leading off of first base, cautiously staring at the pitcher. Ushimaru rotated the ball around in his fingers, adjusting his grip so he could throw the ball in a straight line to the first baseman.

The runner slightly shuffled towards second base, teasing Ushimaru to throw the ball. Never one to back down from a challenge, Ushimaru did exactly that. He lifted and dropped his right foot behind the rubber of the pitcher's mound as quickly as possible and wheeled around. He rocketed the ball to first base.

The runner dove headfirst into the base just as the first baseman caught the ball and swiped his glove across the runner. The runner looked up from the ground at the umpire and the first-baseman did the same.

Fortunately, Ushimaru was the umpire as well as the pitcher. He made his own rules.

"You're out!" he ferociously yelled at the runner.

Ushimaru spun around from the blackboard, not hesitating for one second before hurling the chalk at the napping student. It hit him square on the forehead and awoke him into cries of agony.

"AGH!" the student yelled, jolting up before hollering in pain.

After a few seconds, the yells subsided and were replaced with light sobs. Ryuji timidly watched the targeted student sink into his arms atop his desk and begin to cry. Ryuji was considering not going through with the plan.

"You're out!" Ushimaru declared with firm satisfaction.

He turned back to the blackboard and reloaded with another piece of chalk.

Ryuji breathed a sigh of relief as Ushimaru continued the lesson instead of pelting the previous student again. Now a little scared, Ryuji had to take the time that was necessary for him to build up confidence for his plan.

Ushimaru nodded to the catcher as he accepted the sign. Now with no runners on, he could focus on the batter who already had two strikes. Going from the windup, Ushimaru took a massive step forward as he flung the ball towards home plate.

Instead of a standard strike three, the ball hit the batter on the head. Even with the helmet, such a fast pitch would drop anybody, helmet or no helmet. The batter fell to the ground, presumably unconscious. It wasn't until the catcher checked the batter's pulse that reality was revealed.

"He's dead!" the catcher yelled to acting-umpire Ushimaru.

"A deadman's an out-man!" Ushimaru declared, proclaiming the killing pitch to be the third strike.

Surely anyone would agree that a pitch as fast as the one Ushimaru had thrown would be deserving of a strike no matter where it landed.

Ryuji almost shrieked as he watched the poor boy next to him fall out of his chair due to the impact of the chalk. Ryuji looked over at the boy's motionless body on the floor, praying that the boy would get up and shake it off like the chalk to the forehead was nothing.

He didn't.

Holy shit. He's dead. He's dead. Ohmygod he's dead, Ryuji frantically thought.

One of the adjacent students stood up from her desk and crouched down next to the boy. She checked his pulse. A few seconds later, she announced his condition.

"He's just unconscious."

"A deadman's an out-man!" Ushimaru yelled before turning back to the blackboard.

Ushimaru was already back in his own world, carefully detailing the day's lesson. Ryuji wondered if anyone would do anything about the unconscious boy, but he knew that they wouldn't. In Ushimaru's class, it was an unspoken rule that the unconscious ones were left alone until they woke up. This wasn't out of negligence; it was generosity. Laying on the floor kept people out of Ushimaru's immediate line of sight.

Ryuji looked at the clock. He was running out of time. If he wanted to get into detention with Ren, he had to act fast.

Eff it, Ryuji thought before he took action.

Ushimaru stared down the batter, giving him a nasty glare as he shuffled the ball around in his hand. Once he had gotten the sign from the catcher, his grip on the ball settled into its final position.

Ushimaru began his slow windup, rotating his upper body to the side. Just as he was doing so, he heard a noise.

"Caw-caw!"

It was someone imitating a bird. Ushimaru, still in the middle of his windup, knew that he couldn't stop or else he would look like an idiot. He proceeded with the motion. Just when he was about to release the ball, the bird-imitator struck again.

"Ca-CAW!" This time was much, much louder.

Ushimaru felt his throwing arm tense as he threw the ball towards home plate. He knew that he had made a mistake the moment he released the ball. To further validate this, the batter made contact and sent a long fly into centerfield. The batter took off running and Ushimaru sprang into action to make the play as soon as the ball was retrieved.

Ryuji barely dodged the chalk, feeling the sting of it clipping his ear and hearing the wall behind him crack. However, there was no time to relieve the pain. Ryuji had to move. He had never witnessed someone dodge Ushimaru's chalk, so he didn't know the consequences, nor did he plan on finding out.

Ryuji almost jumped out of his seat, eliciting gasps from his fellow victims. As soon as his feet touched down, he took off towards the classroom door. He knew he would make it, as Ushimaru still had to reload and he was a slow old man.

Ryuji threw the door open. Now was the time where he had to be as fast as possible. He had already guaranteed himself detention by making bird-noises during the lecture and dodging the chalk, now all he needed to do was escape the unnecessary punishment. If he could get around the hallway corner quickly enough, Ushimaru wouldn't be able to give pursuit.

If he couldn't... well, Ryuji tried not to think about that.

He sprinted down the hall as fast as his legs would carry him. When he was nearing the end of the hall, he heard a door that was far behind him being flung open.

Fuck , was the only word that went through Ryuji's mind.

Ushimaru lined in the outfield, just a dozen feet from second base. He was taking the cutoff throw from the centerfielder and attempting to throw the runner out at home. The runner himself had been fast, almost getting an inside-the-park home run. However, Ushimaru would do everything in his power to not let that happen.

The ball smacked into Ushimaru's awaiting glove, coming straight from the centerfielder. Not wasting any time, Ushimaru shuffled his momentum into a short-arm throw to home. As the pitcher, he had the strongest arm on the team, so there was no doubt in his mind that he could make the throw. Ushimaru hurled the ball with all his might.

The ball flew on a nearly straight line towards home plate. Ushimaru watched as the runner got closer and closer to scoring, but just as they were about to begin sliding into the plate, the ball found its target.

Ryuji was almost around the corner when he heard a whistling noise behind him. He didn't need to look back; he knew what it was. But he was so close, he could outrun it. Ryuji had a chance. If he could just turn the co-

"FUUUUUUUUU-" Ryuji screamed as his back exploded in pain.

He was sent sprawling to the ground, his upper body slamming hard into the floor. With the speed he had been going, his momentum carried him for a few feet before his body finally stopped.

Stunned by the pain, Ryuji limply laid on the ground. He hoped that that would be the last of it. At least Ushimaru's usual patterns agreed with Ryuji: he had never pelted the same student twice in one day.

Instead, Ryuji got yelled at.

"Yerrrr out!"

At least his bird noises were good. Ryuji had practiced them for days to make sure that they were perfect. He didn't know if he would ever need to use the skill again, but it would make for a decent party trick.

Presently...

"You're telling me that you made bird noises so that you could get into detention with me?" Ren asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, man! We're gonna ball out!" Ryuji said with a grin.

"There will be no balling out. Do you know what Chouno is like?! She is the worst possible person to spend detention with!"

"Relax, she can't handle the two of us," Ryuji said nonchalantly, relaxing back on the couch.

"What do you mean?! It's not like we're gonna beat her up or some shit! All you've done is sign yourself up for extra English classes and Chouno bitching at you for two hours," Ren said frustratedly. "Don't forget that you got annihilated by Ushimaru to do so."

"Eh. We'll have some fun, right? Chouno can't keep both of us in check."

Ren coldly stared at Ryuji, trying to convince the runner of the reality of the situation.

"Ryuji, there is no fun to be had."

"Well, what about the detention assistant? The school has one of those, and Chouno can't be there every day," Ryuji casually suggested. "Those days will be fun."

"You know who's the assistant?" Ren asked, not waiting to be answered. "Yuriko Kuramoto."

"That's not too bad… she's cute."

"She's cute until you say the wrong words, Ryuji. The other day she just made fun of me for fifteen minutes and then said that I could leave." Ren shuttered at the recent memory.

"Wait, so she's one of those girls? That means that..." Ryuji trailed off, his eyes glancing away from Ren and an excited smile taking over his face.

Is he talking about… agh, what the fuck. Dude. Chill out.

"Please don't finish that sentence."

"No need," Ryuji said with a chuckle.

"Ugh… let's just play some video games or something."

Ryuji and Ren had been taking turns challenging Alibaba, both of them failing tremendously. Still the enigma that neither of them understood, Alibaba relentlessly made fun of both of them. That reminded Ren of someone.

Is Alibaba Yuriko? Nah, she probably thinks that playing video games makes you a bitch. I definitely don't know whoever Alibaba is, so who actually is he?

"Aaaand... another one bites the dust," Alibaba joked as Ryuji's character was sent flying for what seemed like the hundredth time that night.

Ryuji wasn't even angry at his losses anymore. He had come to accept that Alibaba was unbeatable by natural means. He calmly accepted his newest defeat and relinquished the controller to Ren.

The next match quickly began. Ren had a new strategy to beat Alibaba that had never been attempted, probably because no one would actually think it would work.

"So, Alibaba, who're you?"

It's worth a shot. Alibaba's obviously protective of his identity. If I talk about it enough, I could distract him and win the match. Easier said than done.

"Who am I?" the deep voice replied rhetorically. "Read the name next to the higher number on the scoreboard."

"Hah. Seriously though, tell us about yourself."

For once, Alibaba didn't have a quippy comeback and took a few seconds to reply.

"W-why do you care?"

"I dunno." Ren shrugged, even if Alibaba couldn't see him. "We've played games these past few months, so I'd like to think we're friends."

"F-friends?!" Alibaba stuttered before the quipiness returned. "I could never be friends with a newb like you!"

"Woah, I'm not a newb. That's Ryuji."

"Hey!" Ryuji protested but stopped so that he could hear Alibaba's reply.

"Ren, Ryuji, Renji, who cares?" Alibaba said with a chuckle. "Mweheheheh."

Goddammit, how the fuck do people keep getting to that name?! I'm getting a little sick of it, but Ryuji's angry reactions to it are too funny to just stop people from using the name.

"Alibaba, you don't have to tell us who are," Ren said calmly as he focused on the game. "Just tell us about yourself."

"Jeez, dude. I'm Alibaba. I play video games."

"Yeah? What games do you play besides Rash Toes?" Ryuji chimed in.

"Pretty much anything. First Reality, Mineral Gear, everything else. You name it, I've played it."

"Damn… so you're a real gamer," Ryuji said.

"Ugh… you're so cringe," Alibaba said disgustedly through the voice modification.

"Yeah, and you're not able to tell us who you are," Ryuji shot back. If he wasn't upset over his losses, he was definitely upset over being called cringe.

"You wanna know who I am?" Alibaba snapped. "Fine. I'm Ryuji Sakamoto. I live at _, in Itabashi. My mom's name is Eri Sakamoto. I used to run for the Shujin Academy track team, but quit when I broke my leg. Currently, I am the… what the fuck? I'm a… gravy runner in a gardening club?"

Well shit. She's talented. I have no clue how she found that, but good for her. It's probably a bad idea to piss her off.

"Hey! Where the hell did you find that shit?!"

"Er… why the hell are you a gardener?" Alibaba replied, sounding like she was weirded-out by the information she learned about Ryuji.

"Shut the eff up! Don't bring my mom-"

"Only place I'm bringing your mom is to my bedroom!" Alibaba cut in as she killed Ren's character and ended the match. "Boom! G'night, scrubs."

Alibaba disconnected from the lobby.

"Dammi!" Ryuji frustratedly shouted.

At least he's not going apeshit. He keeps saying that he'll do that, but it hasn't happened yet. I wonder if it ever will. Maybe during the summer?

"Chill, it's just a joke. She dropped my full name on me when I never told her. It's kinda her thing," Ren said.

"Yeah, whatever," Ryuji said as he whipped out his phone and checked the time. "Getting kinda late. Wanna go to bed?"

"Shit, at least buy me dinner fi-"

"Ren, not now," Ryuji frustratedly silenced his GRAVY superior. "Eh, eff going to sleep. Let's stay up."

Ren just shrugged. The only thing he had scheduled for Sunday was the date, as it was referred to by Makoto herself, with Makoto. He had no clue what the plan was or what time the date was at, so he figured he could stay up late.

"Fuck it."

"Dude, you gotta boost GRAVY or some shit, right?!" Ryuji excitedly asked as he laid across the couch.

It was early in the morning. Ren and Ryuji had spent the past hour or two just playing casual video games and talking. Ren had some leftover junk food from the party, so they both went through that as the night progressed.

"Yeah, why?"

"Make a GRAVY Shujinstagram account! That'd be sick!"

"Holy shit." Ren was amazed that he hadn't come up with what was actually a really good idea.

If Kobayakawa inquired about Ren's commitment to GRAVY, Ren could just show him the Shujinstagram page. All he'd have to do to say that the page was actually working was post weekly and be relatively active. Minimal effort was required, so it was perfect.

"I know, right?! That's just another brilliant idea from GRAVY Runner Sakamoto!"

"Hell yeah. I'll get around to it later. I'm too tired to figure out that social media shit right now," Ren said, feeling his eyes burn a little.

"I feel ya. I barely post or use the app anymore when I'm not tired. I hate what that shit does to me. It just… sucks you in, ya know?"

"Exactly…" Ren agreed as he felt an idea coming to him. "Hey, what if we use the GRAVY Shujinstagram page to do like the exact opposite of what a club page would do?"

"Whaddya mean?"

"We fuck around, we post everything except plants, we comment weird shit on other people's posts," Ren said, growing more enthusiastic with every word.

Sure, it would be more difficult to convince Kobayakawa that the page was actually doing something useful, but Ren could always disguise the post. A feature was available that allowed users to upload more than one image or video per post. If Ren hid the shitposting behind an initial image of a plant, then he would be safe.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Ryuji said, raising his arms up as he looked at the ceiling to help demonstrate the point he was about to make. "Imagine this: we post a photo of you stepping on a volleyball with the caption 'Smoking that Yoshiro pack.' It's perfect!"

"Ryuji, do you know what that means?" Ren asked.

"Hm? Nah, but it sounds cool as eff! "

If neither of us knows what it means, then it'd be best to leave it alone.

"Okay, we might get in trouble for that one, but I like the idea," Ren said as he pondered alternative options to Ryuji's idea. "We could do that same photo with the caption 'W.' It's simple, it's minimalistic, and it perfectly communicates what happened: we won."

"Yeah! Do that!"

"Okay, okay. You want the password when I make the account?" Ren asked before adding a term to the offer. "But you can't post anything that could risk my, or any GRAVY member's time at Shujin. Got it?"

"Got it!" Ryuji excitedly said. "Lemme know when you make it."

Ren nodded. He planned on making it on Sunday while he wasn't with Makoto, though he would propose the idea to her. She definitely wouldn't be down with it, but she would probably fill a lawyer-type role to advise Ren and Ryuji what they could and couldn't get away on Shujinstagram.

"Yo, you think the girls have a group chat?" Ryuji asked out of the blue.

Ren looked over at Ryuji on the couch.

"Hm? No, why would they? We have the GRAVY group chat."

"Yeah… but like, girls talk a lot."

"Ryuji, all humans talk a lot."

"Okay, but you know what I mean. They definitely have their own group chat."

I definitely do not know what he means.

"What's your point?"

"We should make our own! Me, you, and Yusuke!"

"Fine. We probably won't use it, but go ahead."

"Great! I'll do it in the morning. Don't wanna wake up the artist from his beauty sleep."

Does Yusuke have beauty sleep? Actually, does he care about his looks? I think he does. His outfits seem pretty carefully curated. Also, he would definitely say, "When lacking proper attire, one cannot achieve true artistic perfection." Yeah, Yusuke definitely cares about beauty sleep.

"Fair enough," Ren concluded. He felt his eyes getting heavier and heavier. He knew he couldn't stay awake for much longer. "I think I'm going to bed. I'll see ya in the morning, Ryuji."

"Night, Ren."

"G'night," Ren replied as he got up from the chair and went to his room for the night.

Sunday, 6/26

Makoto awoke on her own with the light of Sunday morning pouring through her bedroom window. She slowly rubbed her eyes, as she got out of bed to start her day.

Let's see… what's on the agenda? Makoto asked herself as she walked to the bathroom. Suddenly, she stopped dead in her tracks. Oh my god. The date with Ren is today! I have nothing planned! Makoto, you idiot!

Before she would frantically rush through her morning routine, Makoto shot Ann and Haru a text. It turns out that the girls' group chat was handy after all.

The Renji Fanclub

Makoto Niijima:

-I have something with Ren today and I need ideas!

Ann Takamaki:

-Two words:

Ann Takamaki:

-Laser.

Ann Takamaki:

-Tag.

Haru Okumura:

-I don't think Ren-kun would enjoy that very much.

Ann Takamaki:

-I was joking. Makoto, why don't you take Ren to lunch? I'm sure he'll appreciate eating something other than bread.

Makoto Niijima:

-I know, but we did that last time!

Ann Takamaki:

-Yeah, in May! Makoto, I don't think he'll care what you guys do as long as he's with you.

Ann Takamaki:

-But if you're really out of ideas, just do what you would normally do on a Sunday and have him tag along.

Makoto Niijima:

-Really?

Haru Okumura:

-Ooh, that is a good idea, Ann.

Ann Takamaki:

-See? Full proof idea. I should be trademarking this.

Haru Okumura:

-For who? Ryuji-kun?

Ann Takamaki:

-Ew, no. He's too… he's too Ryuji.

Makoto figured now was a time to use one of the messaging acronyms she had previously done a quick internet search on. Ren occasionally used a few, so Makoto had compiled a list of commonly used acronyms in her phone.

Makoto Niijima:

-Lol. Thanks for the ideas. I'll let you guys know how it goes.

Makoto had set her phone back down on her bed and had moved on. Despite her leaving the phone alone, it was still buzzing with new messages.

Ann Takamaki:

-Wait, what are you planning to do?

Ann Takamaki:

-Makoto?

Haru Okumura:

-I believe she's gone.

Ann Takamaki:

-Oh boy. When I gave her the idea, I didn't think about what Makoto usually does on her Sundays off.

Ann Takamaki:

-She's going to have Ren study for hours, isn't she?

Haru Okumura:

-Oh my… I suppose we should have a little faith. Mako-chan wouldn't do that.

Ann Takamaki:

-I guess we'll find out.

A/N: The date scene was going to end the chapter. It ended up being way longer than I expected, so I wasn't able to finish it in time. Because the scene is mostly done, next week's chapter will be longer. Thanks for reading.