Sunday, 6/26
"Ren! Wake up!"
"GRAVY… demotion..." Ren dazedly mumbled as he rolled over in bed. He was tired from the previous night.
A pounding noise began and it was coming from Ren's door. The more it continued, the more difficult it became to drift back into sleep. Ren felt himself growing furious with whoever was pounding on the door.
"Ren! Wake your bitch-ass up!"
Oh. It's Ryuji. I forgot that he slept here.
"Okay, okay, I'm up," Ren groggily yelled back as he sat up in bed. Morgana purred as his eyes opened for a few seconds only to close just as quickly.
What I'd give to be a cat.
"Dude, you gonna get up?! It's almost noon!"
Noon? Who cares? It's Sun- fuck! The date with Makoto is today!
Ren jumped out of bed, throwing the sheets and blanket aside. Through this, Morgana remained asleep as if his existence depended on it. Ren grabbed his phone.
To be fair, we never set a time for the date. That doesn't change the fact that I am an idiot for not setting an alarm or taking the initiative with planning.
Ren checked his recent messages.
Makoto Niijima:
-I'll stop by your apartment at 12:30.
"Fuck!" Ren yelled as he tossed his phone into the air, not caring where it ended up.
He ran out of his room, past Ryuji, and into the bathroom.
"Hey- where are ya goin'?!"
"No time! Makoto coming!"
"For real?! Damn, I should get out of here!"
Ren began brushing his teeth mid-conversation. He didn't wait to eat first because it was reasonable to think that he would be getting lunch with Makoto. They didn't plan anything ahead of time, so lunch would be the conclusion almost anyone would jump to, right?
"Go 'head!" Ren messily replied with his toothbrush in his mouth. "Shtay and shay hi to 'er if you want!"
"Nah, I'm good. Today is your guys' day," Ryuji said with a snicker. "See ya, Renny! I'll message the group chat once I make it!"
Group chat? Oh yeah. Forgot about that. What's the point? Is Ryuji just insecure about his position in GRAVY so he wants to form an alliance within the group? Jeez, gardening club politics is lame as hell. Also, why the hell is Ryuji insecure about that? He's literally in the number two position of the club.
Ren finished brushing his teeth and continued on with his morning routine. When he was done, he put on a casual yet respectable outfit as quickly as possible. Once he was dressed, Ren rushed to clean the living area of the apartment. Ren normally didn't care about his apartment's cleanliness so long as it wasn't a pigsty, but things were different when Makoto was there. He had to appear like he regularly cleaned things.
Just as Ren was putting the final touches on the apartment, he heard a knock at the door.
Don't fuck up, Ren. Under no circumstance are you allowed to fuck up.
Ren walked to the apartment door, quickly doing a once-over of himself and making sure he wasn't too neat or too disheveled. Striking a balance between the two was important to nailing the 'Ren Wants to Look Good For Makoto' look, as Ren called it.
Ren opened the door. Makoto wasn't wearing her normal casual attire. She was wearing a baggy gray tank top over a black sports bra, completing the outfit with dark leggings and running shoes. Ren tried not to question Makoto's outfit for too long, lest he get caught.
We're just going to lunch, right? Bit of a strange choice of clothing.
"Hey, Makoto," Ren finally said.
"Hi, Ren," Makoto replied with a soft smile on her face. "I'm assuming you can tell what we're doing?"
"Getting lunch?" Ren nervously suggested. He didn't like where this was going, even if it was still going to be a date with Makoto.
"Looking cool, joker," Makoto teased with a laugh. "No, we're going to the gym."
"Fu- I mean, that sounds great, Makoto. Lemme just grab my workout bag."
"Oh, you already have a bag prepared? You go often?" Makoto asked, suddenly intrigued by Ren's lying. Ren couldn't tell if she believed him or was just making fun of his poor ability to falsify things. "What gym do you go to?"
"Oh, heh… you know. That one over in… uh… Shibuya."
"Really? Even though the building owns one and Iori-san likely has a subscription?"
"Er… yep."
"Interesting…" Makoto said as she eyed Ren, a little less intrigued than before. Ren believed she was catching on to his lie. "Anyway, go grab your workout bag so we can get going."
Don't say yes. You know that you can't go to the gym. You're going to embarrass yourself. You're going to fuck up and she'll think you're lame. You going to spend more time looking like an idiot and staring at Makoto tha—she does look really pretty—no shit. She always looks good. But you're going to look like an idiot if you go. Ren, back out now and say that you already have plans for you two. Back out.
As Ren had a conversation within his head, he blankly looked at Makoto. Her smile had gone to a slightly pleading one, telling Ren that he needed to get moving.
Nope. Not backing out. I'm gonna go w—you dumbass. Wait till you see what hap—shut up. You have no right to talk to me like that. I'm gonna go hang out with Makoto and it'll be fun. Watch.
Ren halted the internal conversation he was having with his own insecurity and went back into his apartment, leaving the door open for Makoto to come in if she wanted. Ren went to his room and locked the door behind him. He planned on changing into athletic clothes, throwing his decently nice outfit into the bag, and then leaving with Makoto.
"One sec!" Ren yelled from his room as he changed as fast as he could.
He stuffed the outfit he had just been wearing into his now empty school bag, not taking the time to do it carefully. He didn't know exactly why he was bringing the bag, especially if he was just able to leave the gym and go to his apartment, but figured that he should bring it after what he had told Makoto. Also, even if the bag was just for vanity, a spare change of clothes never hurt anyone. Ren slung the bag over his shoulder, not wanting to make the girl in his living room wait any longer.
Ren left his bedroom and soon the apartment with Makoto. He wore a black tracksuit with stripes over a gray t-shirt. He and Makoto made their way to the elevator. As they stepped into it and it began moving, Makoto struck up a conversation.
"How was your Saturday?"
"Was fine. I had Ryuji over. We talked about some classified GRAVY stuff." Ren knew that he needed to joke around as much as possible. The more jokes he cracked, the more he could dissociate himself from worrying about the date, therefore allowing himself to relax.
"Classified? I didn't know that we had that. What position do I need to be in the club to gain access?"
"First lady," Ren muttered.
"Hm? What was that?" Makoto genuinely didn't catch what Ren said.
You know, it's a bad habit for me to just mumble shit like that. It'd be better to just speak up and say what's on my mind.
"First lady," Ren said, raising his voice.
"Oh…" Makoto sounded a little shocked, but then she let out a laugh. "So if today goes well, you'll tell me the classified GRAVY information?"
Fuck yeah. She's getting more confident, huh? That's good. It feels way less one-sided this way, but that wasn't exactly a problem. Now I'll just have to try harder to fluster her.
"You got a deal."
The elevator doors opened. Ren and Makoto stepped out, with Makoto taking the lead as they began heading to the gym. As they walked through a door Ren had never gone through, he found himself in the apartment building's gym facility. Ren did not go to the gym often, if ever, and hadn't been since arriving in Tokyo, but the place seemed fairly well equipped. Expensive-looking gear and equipment littered the large, open room that was the gym.
"Alright. Where should we start?" Makoto asked. "I stretched before I came over, so I'm ready whenever you are."
Stretch? We have to do that? Wait, that's an opportunity. I can get out of working out, at least for a little while.
"I'm gonna stretch for a bit. Feel free to start on your own," Ren said, smirking because he knew that he had a way to escape the embarrassment of actually having to do a full workout.
"No, it's alright. I'll wait," Makoto said, smiling knowingly back at Ren.
"Ren, it's been fifteen minutes. Are you done?"
"Almost… there," Ren strenuously said as he reached down to touch his toes. "No, wait, gonna need to loosen up my ankle."
"That's fine, that's fine," Makoto said as she observed Ren. "I was talking with Yuriko the other day. She said that guys who stretch for more than thirty seconds at the gym are bitches."
Even when she's not here, she finds a way to call me a bitch? She's dedicated, I'll give her that. Also, Makoto saying "bitches" sounds so weird. Not bad, just weird.
"She did? Well, I guess I'm the equivalent of thirty bitches."
"Looking cool, joker." Unlike earlier, Makoto was no longer joking around with Ren; she was chiding him. "Come on, let's get started on the treadmill."
"Alright, alright, fine," Ren said through gritted teeth as he pulled himself out of the stretch.
Makoto had already found two open treadmills and was motioning for Ren to join her. Begrudgingly, Ren walked over and hopped up on the open treadmill.
"Let's just do an easy thirty-minute warmup," Makoto said as she tapped a few of the buttons on the treadmill.
As Makoto's treadmill began moving, Ren felt his stomach churn.
Thirty minutes?! Warmup?!
"Aren't you going to start?" Makoto curiously asked.
"Hm? Oh, yeah," Ren quickly said as he tapped a few buttons on his own.
I can do this. Just keep it at a slow speed and I can make it.
The treadmill began to move, and Ren slowly accelerated from a stroll to a jog. He glanced over at Makoto. She was going much, much faster than him. It wasn't like she was sprinting, more just jogging briskly. Compared to Ren, she was an Olympic runner. She made his running look like walking.
Okay, I need to find a speed where I'm not getting physically destroyed but I'm not getting shown up by Makoto.
Ren increased the speed. He was just a few levels under Makoto, but he knew that this was going to be too much for him.
Dammit, Ren. Curse your laziness. You know what? Fuck it. Summer's coming up, you could use the exercise. If GRAVY ever goes to the beach, you wanna look good, don't you? You don't want to look like a skeleton.
"You'd still be a bitch."
Yuriko? How the fuck are you talking to me?
"I'm not. You're talking to yourself as a way to distract yourself from running. Pussy."
Good to know.
Ren was left with a dilemma: focus on running, or zone out and get called a bitch by his mental version of Yuriko. It was a difficult decision. In the end, Ren chose to focus on running. Hopefully, the "warmup" would go by quick and he wouldn't be too worn out by the end of it.
...Kill me…
"Death wishes are for pussies."
...Not...now…
"Fine… I'll leave alone. Fail your date without me."
"And… done!" Makoto said through tired breaths as she pressed the button for the treadmill to stop. Her treadmill slowly stilled and she hopped off, her legs a little wobbly.
On the other treadmill, Ren didn't have the energy to press the button to stop the machine, even though he had taken breaks every other minute by just standing on the edges of the treadmill. He was currently slumped over the right armrest handle.
"Ren? You okay?"
"Uwah…"
"Ah, yes… uwah," Makoto calmly said as she approached the side of the treadmill. "Here, let me turn this off."
The treadmill came to a stop and Ren finally brought his legs back onto the track. He couldn't even stand himself up straight without supporting himself with his arms, but even that was difficult.
"You're really out of shape, aren't you?" Makoto asked. It wasn't judgemental; it was a kind observation. Ren felt his heart melt a little bit, even with his physical ability being questioned. "I was a little slow myself. I haven't worked out since before… um… you know."
"Y-yeah," Ren answered as he shakily stepped off of the treadmill. He stumbled a little when he hit the ground, but Makoto caught him and held him upright.
"Think you can make it to the bench over there?" Makoto asked, pointing at a rest bench that was a little more than a dozen feet away.
Ren nodded and Makoto let him go. On unsteady legs, Ren walked over to the bench before he plopped himself down without any restraint. He leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes, wanting to pass out and sleep until he felt normal again.
"Hey, you want this?" Makoto's voice said.
Ren opened his eyes. Makoto was holding a cup of water in front of his face. Ren wiped the sweat off of his forehead with a towel that he had and eagerly took the water.
"Thanks," Ren said before he chugged the entire cup.
Makoto checked her phone.
"I was thinking that we'd stay a bit longer, but I suppose it's alright if we finish up early. Would you like to grab some lunch?" she offered.
I would love some lunch, thank you. Oh, and Makoto, you know what? You're the best. Thank you for being so nice to me about being a complete fuck up at the gym and probably embarrassing you. Even if you are judging me, you're doing a great job of hiding it. Thanks for that. I appreciate it.
"Oh, but you might be too tired to go anyway," Makoto said downcastly.
What? No, I'm fine. I can get lunch. I can do this. I have plenty of energy.
Makoto looked away from Ren, but Ren could still see her eyes. They were glancing around the gym. Ren knew what it meant: Makoto was considering her options.
"I could always make lunch for you back at my apartment," Makoto offered as her eyes reconnected with Ren.
Ren had mostly recovered his breath at this point, but his muscles still felt weak. He could feel his stomach grumbling at the mentions of lunch.
"That'd be awesome, actually," Ren said.
"Oh, okay." Makoto sounded a little surprised, but Ren didn't try to analyze beyond that. "Think you can make it to the elevator?"
"One does not give up when nearing the finish line, Makoto," Ren said confidently as he stood up.
"Hah, sure. One also does not attempt to finish a race when they're about to pass out," Makoto teased in response.
"Good point." Ren was now fully standing up. His legs felt weak under him, but he was still able to stand on his own without support. "Wanna get moving, or did you want to stay longer? I, uh, don't want to cut your workout short."
That wasn't Ren being lazy, or being weird. He felt bad because he was pretty much making Makoto leave early. Because of Ren, Makoto wouldn't even make it past her warmup.
"No, it's fine. If I'm being honest, I overestimated my own ability too. I didn't account for how long it's been since I've been here," Makoto said as she began hesitantly walking. She looked back at Ren to make sure he was able to follow.
"Does it feel weird to be back down here? Like resuming normal life feels... wrong?" Ren asked as he nodded to Makoto. She continued walking out of the gym and Ren followed, his bag slung over his shoulder. At this point, he didn't even know why he had brought it. All he had was a change of clothes that he wouldn't use until he got back to his own apartment.
"Sure, but it'll go away soon. I... I had that feeling after my dad passed. It felt disrespectful to just go about my day the same as ever," Makoto said, her pace slowing so that Ren could walk side-by-side with her. They were almost out of the gym. "Now, it's not a matter of respect. It feels like I haven't really taken the time to process everything that happened. Like I moved on too quickly."
"I don't blame you. You were thrown into that whole thing without warning, so getting out as quickly as possible is understandable," Ren said as they reached the gym entrance. He held the door open for Makoto.
"Yeah, I guess. Oh, thanks," Makoto said as she stepped through the door and continued walking to the elevator. "But should I have put it behind me so quickly?"
"Well, you're pretty busy, right? There's the student council, classwork, spending time with GRAVY, talking to Yuriko, and going on dates with the leader of a gardening club who knows nothing about gardening." Ren and Makoto stepped into an empty elevator. When Makoto had pressed the button for her floor, Ren continued talking. "And that's just from what I can tell."
"Don't forget exams."
"How could I? I had a maid come to my apartment to help me study for them," Ren deadpanned as he looked at Makoto in her eyes.
I want to see if she'll take me seriously.
She didn't. Makoto laughed.
"Ren, what is with you and maids?" she said through the laughter. "Wait, now I'm remembering something... you went into an apartment in Koenji with Mishima and then a maid came in later!"
Fuck.
Ren felt the blood drain from his face.
"Wasn't me."
"No, it was you! I wrote it-" Makoto gasped before she clasped her hands over her mouth.
"You wrote it?" Ren inquired. He knew that he had just stumbled across something.
"I..." Makoto said shakily. She wasn't being shy, she wasn't sad, she was just flustered and embarrassed. Ren liked the color of red that Makoto's face had. The elevator's doors opened and Makoto seized the opportunity to escape the conversation. "Looks like our floor!"
Makoto darted out of the elevator and Ren was left to follow. He trailed her down the hall to the apartment door, where Makoto was fiddling with the keys.
"I'll help unlock the door if you tell me what you wrote."
"I didn't write anything."
"Then why'd you press me on the maid thing, say that you wrote something, and then immediately drop the subject?"
"W-well... we got to my floor," Makoto said, still jiggling the key and failing to unlock the door.
"Oh, so you'll tell me once we get into the apartment?" Ren said, cracking an amused smirk.
Makoto sighed and stopped trying to open the door. She turned to Ren, not looking him in the eye as she began to explain.
"Fine, fine. When I was, um, following you, I kept a journal," Makoto admitted, her face growing even redder. "I know, it was stupid, but I-"
"Can I read it?"
"What?"
"Can I read the journal that you kept about me?"
"Dammit, Ren," Makoto said as she went back to trying to open the door.
"Okay, you can keep the journal to yourself. Thanks for telling me. No secrets between us, alright?"
Makoto finally unlocked the door.
"So you'll tell me what you were doing with Mishima and a maid?"
"No unnecessary secrets, I meant."
"Ren, I told you my secret. Return the favor, please?" Makoto said, making a point of not opening the door. The message was clear to Ren: the door isn't opening until he revealed what had happened with the maid.
Ren nervously scratched the back of his still sweaty head. He wiped his hand on his shorts.
"First off, it was Ryuji's idea. If you remember one thing from this, remember that it was Ryuji's idea," Ren said as clearly as possible. "He wanted to order from one of those special maid services. I said no, but he persisted. I only went to try and talk him out of it, but he had already called the maid by the time I got there. Oh, and he invited Mishima. That was probably the worst part."
"You guys ordered a maid?" Makoto asked authoritatively. Ren felt an NDS coming, but he didn't want to jump the gun and run away in fear too early. "For what reasons?"
"Makoto, it's important to not use inclusive words," Ren coolly said, speaking as if he was a kind-hearted teacher. "You should use words such as 'Ryuji' and 'he,' not 'you guys.' It is hurtful to all-"
"Why'd Ryuji order the maid?"
"Shit, I dunno. Ask him," Ren said, metaphorically holding Ryuji in place as the bus ran him over.
"Maybe I will."
Please don't. I'm sure it's just a bluff... right? Right?
"Fine by me. Still wanna do lunch?"
"Hm?" When Makoto realized what Ren was talking about, the commanding expression she had vanished. What replaced it was slightly embarrassed and kind. "Of course. Here, let's go in."
Makoto finally opened the door. She stepped in first, Ren followed, and the door was closed behind him.
It looks exactly the same as I remember it. When's the last time I was here? April? Early May? Damn, time flies.
Makoto didn't object to Ren standing in place at the door and taking everything in. She just moved past him and walked to the kitchen.
"Ren, does yaki udon work? We're a little short on ingredients."
"Sounds great," Ren replied, finally moving away from the door. "Do you want some help or should I…?"
"No, I'll be fine on my own. Feel free to take a seat at the table and wait. The food will be ready soon," Makoto said.
Ren just shrugged and sat down at the dining table. He set his bag down on the ground next to him and pulled at his phone. As he did that, he caught a whiff of himself.
Fuck, I smell like shit. I can't just leave Makoto's apartment so I can take a bath. I guess I have to tough things out. As long as I stay a reasonable distance from Makoto, I should be fine.
Ren checked his phone and wasn't surprised to see messages from Ryuji.
Cluster Eff
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Yo! This is the group chat for the boys!
Yusuke Kitagawa:
-Ah, have we become misogynists?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Is that a question or are you making fun of me?
Yusuke Kitagawa:
-It is a genuine query.
Ryuji Kitagawa:
-Really just casually used 'query' in a sentence, huh?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-And no, we're not misogynists. I figured that the girls have a group chat for themselves, so we should have one too.
"Hey, Makoto?" Ren called to the kitchen, still looking at his phone. "Do you, Ann, and Haru have a group chat?"
He heard something drop and clang against the ground.
"Who told you that?!" Makoto loudly said back.
"Uh… no one. Ryuji just went out on a limb and said that you guys do. Now he wants to make a group chat for the guys," Ren explained. "Please say that you don't so I can tell Ryuji how pointless this new group chat is."
"Well… we do."
"Motherfu-" Ren incoherently mumbled under his breath. "Okay, thanks Makoto."
"Mhm." Ren heard Makoto get back to work on whatever she was doing.
Cluster Eff
Ren Amamiya:
-Unfortunately, Ryuji is right. The girls have a group chat. I just asked Makoto.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Renny! How'd your date go?
Ren Amamiya:
-It's going.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-That bad, huh?
Ren Amamiya:
-No, it's literally still going.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Then why the hell are you texting?! You've got a girl to hang out with!
Yusuke Kitagawa:
-I must agree with Ryuji. Ren, it seems that you are squandering an opportunity.
Ren Amamiya:
-I'm texting you guys because I saw the shitty name that Ryuji gave the chat. Seriously? "Cluster Eff?" Come on.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Fine. If it's so bad, you come up with something better!
"Makoto?" Ren again yelled to the kitchen from the dining table. "What'd you guys call your group chat?"
All Ren could hear were a few mumbles and sounds that one would generally associate with embarrassment.
"Couldn't hear you," Ren said, hoping that Makoto would actually answer him.
"We called it… 'The Renji Fanclub.'"
Ren surprisedly looked up from his phone to Makoto in the kitchen. She wasn't looking back, as she was still preparing the food. When she didn't hear a reaction from Ren, she looked up and met his stare.
"You're serious?"
"Wasn't my idea," Makoto said dismissively, her face a little red.
"Ya know… I'm not even mad at that. That's pretty funny." Ren chuckled.
"W-well… I'm glad you think so?"
"So if we called our group chat 'The Mann Fanclu-' oh, goddammit. Nevermind," Ren said, cutting himself off when he realized what the title sounded like.
Makoto just laughed from the kitchen, not responding with words. Ren went back to texting the chat. He had another idea for the title of the group chat.
*Ren Amamiya has changed the group chat name to 'The Kitagawa Subway Fund'*
Yusuke Kitagawa:
-I find this name significantly more amusing than the previous one. Also, it is truthful.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-K, that's actually pretty good.
Ren Amamiya:
-Glad you guys like it.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Ren, why the hell are you still texting us when you're with Makoto?!
Ren Amamiya:
-She's making me some lunch right now after our workout.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Where does one learn this power?
Ren Amamiya:
-Gtg.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Ren!
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Please!
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-I need this!
Yusuke Kitagawa:
-Perhaps you are not worthy to be enlightened.
Ren turned off his phone and set it face-down on the table. He looked over to see if Makoto was almost done preparing the food.
"Do you need any help?" Ren again offered, seeing that Makoto was near the end. In Ren's mind, he could save Makoto the time of at least setting the table.
"Yes. Could you start getting plates and utensils?" Makoto asked, not removing her attention from the food.
"Got it."
Ren stood up from the table and went to the kitchen. He navigated the many compartments in the kitchen to find what he was looking for. When he had enough for two people, he brought them back to the table. Faced with the decision of where to set up Makoto's spot, Ren chose the one on the opposite side of the table from where he had sat.
"Okay, food's ready!" Makoto called as she brought over a pan of the udon. Once she was at the table, she put half of the udon on her own plate and half on Ren's. She set the pan down on the kitchen counter between the dining table and the actual kitchen and sat down. Ren did the same and inspected the food.
"Damn. This looks awesome," he said to Makoto as he prepared his utensils and dug in. After the first bite, he spoke again. "It is awesome. Thanks for this, Makoto."
"Anytime," Makoto said a little sheepishly. "I'm glad you're enjoying it."
They both worked through their meals over the next few minutes. Few words were exchanged, except for Ren complimenting the food a few times and Makoto asking if he wanted more. Once they were almost done, Ren figured the date was drawing to a close. He didn't want that to happen, as it had been such a short time. Nevertheless, he still had something to do for the date.
"So, Makoto, how would you evaluate today's date?" Ren asked once he was done with his noodles.
"Hm? I had fun. Although, it matters more what you thought of it. Are you going to share the classified GRAVY information with me?"
"Heh, I would've had to share it with you eventually anyway. Because I gotta boost GRAVY activity, Ryuji and I figured it was a good idea to make a Shujinstagram page. But this isn't just any normal Shujinstagram page. This wou-" Ren immediately stopped. He heard a noise that he didn't expect, nor did he want.
Ren glanced back to the apartment door. It was just in time to see the lock of the door turning. Ren didn't have to guess who it was behind the door.
Uh-oh.
Sae Niijima opened the door, entering the apartment without glancing over to the dining table to see Makoto's guest. It was only when she closed the door behind her and looked around did she finally notice.
"You."
Makoto? A little help?
Makoto had been silent since the door had opened. Eager to not look at Sae, Ren turned his head to look at Makoto. Her jaw had dropped in surprise, but her brow was furrowing in what seemed to be intense determination. Seeing that expression on Makoto's face, Ren knew he was about to witness an argument of a colossal scale.
Niijima vs. Niijima. Cool student council president vs. bitchy prosecutor. Gardening club veteran of two months vs. someone who's never even gardened. Who will win? Actually, I shouldn't stay to find out. It'd probably be best for me to leave.
Ren was about to stand up and walk out of the apartment when he realized exactly why he should stay: he was the root of the argument. If he couldn't prevent whatever conflict was about to occur because of him, the least he could do was mitigate it.
"Sis," Makoto said softly. "I didn't know you'd be coming home today."
"I didn't know you were hosting delinquents," Sae bitterly spat.
Speak of the delinquent, and he shall respond.
Ren turned back around to face Sae.
"Good to see you, Nii-"
"Shut it. Why are you here?" Sae demanded, planting herself firmly at the door. It was as if she didn't trust Ren enough to go near him. Or maybe she was using an intimidation tactic. Either way, it was unnecessary. Ren was already too scared to go near Sae.
"I was-" Ren began again but was cut off by the other Niijima.
"He and I went to the gym. We were both pretty tired, so I suggested that I could make lunch for us back here," Makoto said firmly. Even if she was sitting, she was still figuratively standing her ground.
No stuttering, no hesitation. She's doing better with the whole confidence thing. Shit, I think everything that's happened today has proved that. Do I mention how well she's doing, or would that negatively affect her? Eh, I'll figure it out. I have an argument to miti- agh, fuck that. No way am I containing this shitstorm. It's probably healthier for their relationship to just let it happen.
"And why did you guys spend time together in the first place? Especially when I told you to do the exact opposite," Sae reminded.
"Because we're friends," Makoto answered flatly.
I get that she's just trying to play things down so that Sae doesn't lose her shit, but getting semi-friendzoned is not very fun.
"Makoto, what did I tell you?! Stay away from Amamiya! It's the one thing that I ask of you!" Sae yelled assertively.
"And maybe I would listen if you were actually here, or actually cared, or even knew about what's going on in my fucking life!" Makoto screamed back.
Well… that happened. I'm going to be executed, aren't I? Eh. Worth it. Good for Makoto that she's able to say what's on her mind. However, some things are better left unsaid. Was what Makoto just said one of those things? Maybe.
"Makoto…" Sae's control of the argument had faded. She seemed shaken by Makoto's words.
If I was Makoto, I would press the-
"Sis, I have the best scores in the entire school. Does that not entitle me to do what I want in my free time?"
"Makoto, you don't…" Sae muttered. She had slowly moved away from the door and gone to the couch.
"No, sis, you don't understand!" Makoto declared as she stood up and approached Sae. "My grades are the exact same as they were months ago. Meeting new people hasn't affected them in the slightest."
Maybe that's a bit of a lie. She lost a lot of sleep early on with Kaneshiro. Surely her grades dipped a bit during that, right? If they didn't, she's superhuman.
"I know, Makoto, but you know what he is!" Sae angrily retorted as she pointed at Ren who was still seated at the dining table. He wanted to intervene as little as possible at this point. "Meet new people if you want, but delinquents? Are you fucking serious?!"
"Sis, he's not a deli-"
"No, he is! I've seen his record. I know what he did!" Sae was furiously waving her hand around. Ren would've thought it was funny if he wasn't terrified of the possibility of the woman potentially beheading him. "How dare you lie to me and say he's not-"
"Just talk to him! He'll tell you what happened!" Makoto interrupted.
Woah, I didn't agree to that. It's probably a good idea, but I'd rather not speak with Sae. Too many things could go wrong with that.
Sae didn't say anything and just turned her head to glare at Ren. The self-diagnosed idiot that Ren was, he awkwardly smiled back. In disgust, Sae turned to look back up at her sister who was standing in front of her.
"Fine," Sae said bitterly. "But you leave. I want to speak with him alone."
Ren's eyes widened and he frantically looked at Makoto. He shook his head as much as he could in the small time frame he had before Sae stood up and turned to face him. Makoto just gave an assuring nod, then a smile, before she turned and walked away. Ren saw Makoto go into what he believed was her room and close the door.
Ren turned his attention to Sae, who was now approaching the dining table. As she walked, she gave Ren the same harsh stare that he had exclusively received from the prosecutor in all of their interactions. She sat down in the spot that Makoto had been.
Ren, don't take this too seriously. You're not in the wrong. Besides, even if you do fuck up, it's not like it'll ruin things with Makoto. Unless you're a complete dickhead to Sae, you'll be fine.
Hoping that it would ease the tension, Ren ate some of his remaining lunch. All it did was make Ren awkwardly look up at the malicious expression on Sae's face while his mouth was full of noodles. Instantly regretting his decision, Ren chewed the noodles and quickly swallowed.
"Talk," Sae ordered.
Getting kinda tired of telling this story over and over. Yeah, I've kinda kept it lowkey since I've come to Tokyo, but I had to say that shit over and over during the court stuff. I should print business cards that explain the situation so I don't have to keep telling the story.
"I was walking home at night earlier this year. I heard a woman begging for a guy to leave her alone. I went to help. I pushed the man who was harassing her, but he was a drunk dipshit so he fell over. He called the police on me. One thing led to another, and here I am," Ren briefly explained.
Sae just stared at Ren. He knew what she was doing, and was fine with it. If she was going to analyze him, at least he wasn't currently lying.
"Who was the man?" Sae asked firmly, her arms crossed.
"I dunno. Some bald asshole with shades that screamed 'I'm a douchebag!'" Ren joked. He knew it was a very bad time to tell jokes, but it was more out of habit than attempting to make Sae laugh.
"Interesting," Sae mused, not meeting Ren's eyes as she thought things over. "I scanned the file of your case. The man isn't named, nor is the woman. You stumbled across someone important, didn't you?"
Lucky me.
"I guess. He didn't bother to show up to court or anything, so I guess that he was too busy or something."
"No, it's because he didn't want his name attached to that. He wanted to stay hidden…" Sae was lost in her thoughts. Ren silently let the woman sit and think until she was ready to continue. After a dozen seconds, Sae snapped back to Ren. "Thank you for telling me the truth. However, this does not mean I trust you."
"Not the first time I've heard that."
"I'm sure. If you wish to continue spending time with Makoto, you must prove to me that you aren't a bad influence on her."
"I can do that… is there anything specific though? I'd rather know exactly what you consider solid evidence that I'm not some douche."
"Well, you could start with cutting back on the swearing and being less of a smart-ass," Sae scoffed. "And your grades. Proven that you're not some ignorant, hormone-driven teenager by coming first for your class's exams would go a long way."
Fuck. Looks like I'm gonna be ordering Kawakami for more studying. Alternatively, I could ask Makoto if she wants to study. See my teacher in a maid costume and have her teach me the exact material that she'll be testing me on… or spend time with Makoto? Decisions, decisions.
"I can do that."
"Maybe you can, maybe you can't. I'll believe it when I see it," Sae said flatly. "Now leave."
"What about Ma-"
"If you're going to be in this apartment, you will listen to me. Leave."
"Okay, fine. Thank you, Niijima-san," Ren said politely as possible as he stood up, bowed, and walked out of the apartment.
Making his way back to his apartment, Ren pulled out his phone.
Ren Amamiya:
-Sorry about leaving early. Your sister wanted me to leave and I didn't want to argue more. Things went well with her. She believed my story and seemed interested in the case. She says that I have to prove myself to her. Looks like I have to get first in the upcoming exams.
Makoto Niijima:
-I was hoping you could stay a little longer, but I suppose this is the best outcome considering that Sae came home in the middle of the date. You know, I could help you study for the upcoming exams.
Makoto Niijima:
-If you need the help, of course.
Makoto Niijima:
-But you don't have to say yes.
Makoto Niijima:
-Do what you want.
Makoto Niijima:
-You shouldn't feel obligated to spend time with me.
Damn, where'd all the confidence go?
Ren Amamiya:
-I would love to do more studying, Makoto. Maybe we could squeeze a few more dates in here and there?
Makoto Niijima:
-Sorry, but you'll have to spend that time studying. If you want to get first, you have to fully devote yourself to school.
Ren Amamiya:
-Then I've already failed. I'm supposed to be making GRAVY bigger too. It's difficult to balance managing the largest gardening club at Shujin and fully devoting myself to studying.
Makoto Niijima:
-GRAVY already has a suitable amount of members to be considered a respectable club. The only problem is that the majority of the members do not know anything about gardening. If you were able to train them, then I'm sure it would meet Kobayakawa's standard.
Ren Amamiya:
-Or I could just make a Shujinstagram page.
Makoto Niijima:
-Why not both? Over the summer, I'm sure Haru won't be able to go to Shujin every day to take care of the plants. If everyone in the club knew how to do so, then we could rotate gardening duties.
Ren Amamiya:
-That's a good idea. I've spoken with Haru about her teaching the club a few things, but I haven't really had the time to organize it.
Makoto Niijima:
-I'd recommend doing it as soon as possible.
Ren Amamiya:
-Got it.
Ren Amamiya:
-Thanks for today, Makoto. Even if I messed up your workout and the date ended weirdly, I still had fun. I'm looking forward to more dates after I get the top exam score.
Makoto Niijima:
-As am I. Think of it as an incentive to push you through studying.
Ren Amamiya:
-I'll do that. See you, Makoto.
Makoto Niijima:
-Bye, Ren.
Makoto waited in her room for the results of Sae's interrogation of Ren. As she did so, she pulled out her phone and crossed something off of her to-do list.
Makoto Niijima:
-What do you know about Hajime Sugimura?
It took a few minutes for a response, but Makoto did get one.
Ichiko Ohya:
-You're that Shujin girl, right?
Makoto Niijima:
-That is correct. Are you able to answer the question?
Ichiko Ohya:
-And are you able to properly exchange information? That phone number that your friend gave me was a dud. The guy on the other line squeaked when I spoke and hung up.
Makoto Niijima:
-That was my friend's idea. Sorry that it didn't work out. This request is just mine, so do not worry about what I can give you in exchange for information on Sugimura.
Ichiko Ohya:
-Prove it. Give me an appetizer.
That was where things got difficult. Although Makoto had information that would make for a decent story, it brought a dilemma with it: if Makoto gave the info to Ohya, Shujin would surely undergo another scandal. Takata would be harassed, and so would anyone who had relations with him, including Makoto's newest friend.
But… I need to do this. Haru needs me to do this. I can't let her get forced into marriage, Makoto told herself, but it was of no use.
Significant funding from parents had been pulled after they found out that they were paying a volleyball coach to hit their children. Another scandal or controversy, such as half a dozen teenagers plotting the trafficking of girls their age would not go over well. Shujin would lose most, if not all external funding. Students would unenroll as if the school gave students the plague. Shujin would cease to exist.
What would that mean for Makoto? Or those around her?
Or Ren?
Still conflicted, but convincing herself that she made the right choice, Makoto decided not to share the info with Ohya. If she wanted the journalist's help, Makoto would have to find something else.
Makoto Niijima:
-No can do. I'll contact you again if I have something.
Ichiko Ohya:
-Cold feet? That's okay. I'm patient.
Makoto set down her phone and tried to focus on something else while waiting for Sae to be done with Ren.
Makoto Niijima:
-Bye, Ren.
Makoto set down her phone after ending yet another text conversation. This one much better than the last. Messages of more dates, more time with Ren, and his optimism of proving himself to Sae was uplifting to hear. Actually, that was wrong. It was confusing.
Makoto and Ren had gone on one date, two if she counted the one back in May. More were planned in the future, so Makoto asked herself the obvious question:
Are Ren and I dating? Makoto contemplated. Or do we have to declare it? Do I have to ask Ren if he wants to start dating? Or does he have to do that? Why does this have to be so confusing?
Even if she was confused, Makoto still enjoyed the feeling. It was the most exciting positive thing to happen to her in months.
The person who was trying to ruin that knocked on Makoto's door. Brought back to earth from her thoughts, Makoto realized how hot her face was. However, Sae was already in the room. There was no time for Makoto to prepare.
"Did I startle you?" Sae asked calmly. It was a welcome change to the yelling that came before.
"Yeah, sorry. I was just checking something on my phone," Makoto said nervously.
Why'd you say sorry, Makoto? she asked herself.
"Oh… well, I spoke with Amamiya. He explained his record, but I still don't trust him. I told him-" Sae began, but Makoto cut her off.
"Yeah, Ren texted me about that. I'm glad that you're giving him a chance, sis."
"...You're texting him?" Sae raised an eyebrow.
"Yes."
It took a few seconds, but Sae did respond. It wasn't in the way that Makoto expected, and that was a good thing.
"Okay." Sae began to turn to walk out the door, but she turned back around to face Makoto. "I'm sorry about… all of that. Things have been difficult at work, and I'm stressed. Makoto, I do care about you, I really do, I just don't want you making mistakes."
Makoto had made plenty of mistakes, some of them landing her in worse places than others, and some of them bringing her the most happiness she had felt in a while.
"I know, sis. I'm sorry I said-"
"No, Makoto, don't," Sae interrupted, her usual expression softening. "It needed to be said. I wouldn't have stopped to consider anything if you hadn't. And, now that I have thought about things more, I realized something."
"What's that?"
"We never celebrated your birthday," Sae said.
"Oh…"
"I wanted to make it up to you. We take a day to do whatever you want."
Makoto was silent for a few seconds. As she thought about what she wanted to do, an idea for something came to her.
"Can we host Ren for dinner?"
Sae coughed, and that soft expression vanished.
"Well, it's-"
"Just joking," Makoto said. "But don't worry about making up my birthday. And, if you want Ren to prove himself to you, here's something: he celebrated my birthday with me. I appreciate the offer, sis, truly, but it's unnecessary. I'd rather just spend time with you like we used to."
"O-oh… I can do that," Sae said, embarrassed at being reminded of her previous failure.
"I'm looking forward to it," Makoto said happily.
"So am I, Makoto. So am I," Sae said before she left.
Despite how well things were going for Makoto, there was still a hint of unhappiness in her. Things were going well with Ren, Makoto had made a new friend on her own, and her relationship with her sister was on the road to being repaired. However, that hint of unhappiness ate away at Makoto as she got started on her homework for that night.
Makoto wouldn't be able to save Haru.
Monday, 6/27
Ren immediately went to Chouno's room after class had ended. He didn't want to prolong the inevitable, even if he still had his excuse not to go: he hadn't gone to a counseling session with Maruki yet that week. Ren figured it was best to save the sessions with Maruki for days when he felt like shit or just couldn't put up with Chouno or Yuriko.
Thankfully, today wasn't one of those days. Ren's schedule was relatively easy, and most of his classes were spending time preparing for finals by reviewing material or putting the final touches on recent units. The one class that was doing neither was Kawakami's class period, which Ren spent working on his final project with Ann. Surprisingly, it was going quite well.
Ren and Ann had found the direction of their project quite early, so this allowed them to get ahead of most of the other groups in the class. Ren and Ann planned on dissecting the many themes of Lord of the Pies, presenting their analysis to the class with a poster. With the help of a few internet resources, the group had finished planning the project and writing both of their parts that they would deliver to the class.
All that was left to be done was assemble the poster. However, both Ren and Ann were too lazy to bring a poster board to school, nor did they want to bring the supplies necessary to finish the project. They settled on just killing time while they waited for class to end by chatting.
Ren enjoyed these chats, as they gave him a way to relax before going to detention, but it was also a nice way to get closer with Ann. Unfortunately, the friendly conversations were a little too good at killing time. The work period would pass by quickly and deliver Ren to the end of the school day, meaning that he had to go to detention.
Just as Ren arrived at the door to Chouno's classroom, he spotted a familiar face. Ryuji leaned up against the lockers across from Chouno's room, looking up and down the hall for someone. When he spotted Ren, he got off the wall and walked over.
"Good to see ya, Renny," Ryuji said enthusiastically, despite what the pair were about to undergo.
"It would be good if we weren't about to spend two hours suffering from terrorist interrogation methods," Ren quipped.
"At least ya got a friend with you," Ryuji said as he lightly punched Ren's shoulder. "Also, and I'm sure you've figured this out, but it's easy to get Chouno off-topic."
"Ohhh… by bringing up Kawakami?"
"Exactly. Chouno's got some superiority complex or some shit. She can't stop talking about Kawakami," Ryuji explained. "Not that I blame her. I'd talk about Kaw-"
"I'm sure you would," Ren interrupted, "but we have detention to get to. C'mon, let's just get this over with."
Ryuji just shrugged before the duo entered the classroom.
"You know what she said to me? You know what that bitch told me?!" Chouno rhetorically yelled at the two terrified teenagers sitting at desks in front of her. "She said that she was too tired to help me grade essays! Can you believe her?!"
"No, Chouno-sensei," Ren and Ryuji replied in monotone unison. They had gotten Chouno started early in detention. All they needed to do to keep her going was fill in the blanks of her rant.
"It's infuriating! I ask for one…" Chouno continued, but Ren paid less and less attention.
"You think she'll ever shut up?" Ryuji whispered.
"Wanna bet?"
"Nope. Ever since I lost that bet with Yusuke over Kaneshiro dying by one minute, I'm convinced that I'm cursed."
"Fair enough. You think she'll keep going the full two hours?"
"I dunno. It can't be that hard to keep her going, right? Just agree with her and bring up something new about Kawakami and she'll be fine," Ryuji proposed.
"You think she's even paying attention to us?" Ren asked as Chouno wrote down random words on the blackboard while she ranted, not looking at Ren or Ryuji.
"Nope," Ryuji quickly answered. "We can pretty much do whatever we want, long as we stay seated."
Ren shrugged and pulled out his phone, much to Ryuji's displeasure.
"Dude, you really gonna text Makoto when I'm right here to talk to you?" Ryuji said jokingly, though he did sound a little upset. "Bros before hoes, Ren. Bros before hoes."
Ren looked up from his phone to make eye contact with Ryuji.
"Okay, first of all, don't call Makoto a hoe."
"Dude, it's just a-"
"I know, but just don't do it. Second of all, I was getting my phone out so we could make the GRAVY Shujinstagram page."
"Oh… uh… sorry?" Ryuji was a little puzzled, but he accepted Ren's request. He quickly moved on to being excited about the latter part of Ren's explanation. "That's awesome!"
"Yeah. Help me out with this, would you?" Ren said as he turned the phone screen towards Ryuji.
Over the next few minutes, Ren and Ryuji developed the basis of GRAVY's social media presence. The first thing they did was establish a username for the account. Ren immediately had a suggestion that they both liked: TheGRAVeYard. It was corny, but Ren got a chuckle out of it.
The next step was writing the account's actual name and bio. Ryuji thought it should be another pun or just a joke that told people to fuck off, but Ren thought it would be funny if the account had the most official-sounding bio possible, but with a few jokes tossed in here and there. Unable to decide, Ren and Ryuji played janken. Ren won, and the bio was his to write.
"The official Shujinstagram page for Shujin's most vindictive, divisive, and best club, Gardeners Raging Against Veganism. Within GRAVY, we strive to better the lives of all students at Shujin through gardening, whether it be planting seeds within the homes of students or offering free vegetables to volleyball team refugees, GRAVY goes above and beyond. For business dealings and information, please call this number: ###-###-####." Fuck yeah. That's perfect. The best part is that the given phone number is the maid service that Kawakami works for. Wait, could that get her caught by someone within Shujin? Nah, there's no way. Who's going to call the number? Chouno-sensei? Yeah, right.
Ryuji read over the bio that Ren had written.
"Pretty good, pretty go- wait, 'planting seeds within the homes of students.' Ren, goddammit. You've done it again," Ryuji said, a grin widening on his face as he remembered the altercation with the volleyball team at Big Bang Burger. "Isn't that the maid service's number?"
"Yep."
"Genius. Can I fill out the rest of the account info? You got to do the bio and the username," Ryuji reasoned, asking Ren with hope in his eyes.
Ren handed Ryuji the phone.
"Go ahead. The account is GRAVY's, not just mine. Any of us will be able to post on it."
Ryuji eagerly began tapping away, filling out the remaining information. When he handed the phone back to Ren, Ren scanned it over.
"Birthday… July third? Is that your birthday or just a random day?" Ren asked, still whispering so that Chouno would continue her rant in the background and not hear Ren or Ryuji.
"Nah, it's my birthday." Ryuji didn't sound too excited, even if his birthday was less than a week away.
"Good to know…" Ren said to himself as he continued reading over the information Ryuji had filled out.
Should I do something for Ryuji on his birthday? He didn't sound happy about it. Not everyone's big on birthdays, but they should still be celebrated, right? Fuck it. Even if Ryuji doesn't want to celebrate his birthday, GRAVY's still going to do it. I don't know about a party, but just hanging out with Ryuji wherever he wants would be fun. I'll have to talk to the others about that.
Ren read another piece of information.
"It says that the email is… dude, what the fuck?" Ren didn't want to read the name aloud. It was too vile, too weird, too disturbing for ears to process.
"Chill, it's my, uh, throwaway email. I use it for… stuff."
"Stuff," Ren repeated.
"Mhm."
Goddammit. I am not having this account attached to Ryuji's fucking porn email. No way in hell. I'd rather put up with Doctor Ryuji and Bob Ross Yusuke for a full day than know that the email to my club's social media account is CoochCommando .
"Uh…" Ren wasn't sure what to do. If he deleted the email, then he would have to use his school email or his personal one. If he left the email that Ryuji had provided, then the account wouldn't be tied to anyone in GRAVY, but Ren didn't know if he was capable of tolerating the email.
Also, who the hell actually makes accounts for that stuff? Eh, whatever. Not going to judge… okay, maybe just a little.
"It is absolutely ridiculous!" Chouno yelled, wheeling around from the blackboard. Both Ryuji and Ren jumped in fright. "I can't talk about that sorry excuse for a teacher anymore! Come, it is time to practice English."
Fine by me. Ryuji and I got away with doing pretty much nothing for a good chunk of time. At least there's not much time left in detention.
Both Ren and Ryuji sat at attention, ready to receive instruction from Chouno. The teacher pointed at a word on the blackboard.
"Sakamoto-kun! What is this word?"
"That's… 'where,'" Ryuji answered.
"Good, now what is this one?" Chouno said as she pointed at the word next to the previous one.
"Er… 'woo?'" Ryuji was far less confident in this answer, and it was obvious.
Dammit, Ryuji. It's 'who,' not 'woo.' At least she'll just correct him until he gets it right and we can move on.
Chouno wasn't happy about that. Not one bit.
"Incorrect! Try again, Sakamoto-kun!"
"Nah. How's it incorrect if 'where' is pronounced with a W but 'who' is pronounced with an H? That's just dumb. Nobody would make their language work like that," Ryuji passionately protested.
Yeah, he's incorrect, but he's got a point. English is fucking stupid.
Chouno moved away from the blackboard, slowly approaching Ryuji. Ren thought that the teacher was just being dramatic, but he was sure that Ryuji was scared shitless. If she were walking toward Ren, he would be scared, too.
"What. Did. You. Say?" Chouno growled.
Instead of backing down as Ren thought he would, Ryuji decided to be an idiot and double down.
"I said that English is dumb," Ryuji said casually.
He's about to get his head ripped off.
"I volunteer to teach you after school, and this is how you reward me?!" Chouno screamed, swinging her arm back to the blackboard as she got in Ryuji's face. Ryuji let out a yelp of surprise as Chouno was only inches from his nose. "I prove myself better than that whore, and you say I'm incorrect?!"
"Sorry…" Ryuji mumbled.
"Speak louder!" Chouno barked, slapping her hand on the desk.
"Sorry," Ryuji said normally.
"Use the honorific, Sakamoto-kun!" Chouno was howling at this point. It was so loud that Ren would rather listen to Yusuke's Pain Song than hear another scream from Chouno.
Ren wasn't the only one who was shaken.
"S-sorry, Ch-Chouno-sensei," Ryuji said, his voice wavering with every syllable.
"NO STUTTERING!" Chouno slapped her hand down again, this time hitting Ryuji's, which was resting atop the desk. He let out another yelp of pain.
What the fuck am I witnessing?
"Sorry, Chouno-sensei!" Ryuji yelled loudly.
Chouno immediately stopped her screaming, hitting, and ordering. She was still hunched over Ryuji's desk, mere inches from his frightened eyes. All Chouno did was close her eyes before she began to speak.
"Say I'm better than her," she said lowly.
"Uh… what?" Ryuji was too confused to do as the teacher wished.
"Say it!"
Is she talking about Kawakami? Of course she is. At this point, I think she cares more about Kawakami than herself. I hope Ryuji gets to that conclusion.
"You're better than Kawakami," Ryuji said flatly.
Chouno let out a pleasured hum that would have been a moan if her lips weren't closed. Disgusted, Ren immediately began packing his bag.
Okay, fuck this. I'm out. Nope. Nopenopenopenopenope.
"Say it again!"
"What do you know, Ryuji. Looks like our two hours are up!" Ren quickly said before any more weirdness could occur. He rushed out of his seat, his bag over his shoulder. Ryuji got the message, and he also got up quickly with his bag in tow. Just as Ren was nearing the door, he spoke again. "Thank you, Chouno-sensei! Have a good day!"
Despite Ren's polite goodbye, it did not stop Chouno from furiously wailing at the boys on their way out.
"SAY IT! SAY IT! SAY-" Ren couldn't hear Chouno anymore as he slammed the door behind him and Ryuji.
Knowing that the escape wasn't over, Ren and Ryuji began a full-on sprint away from the classroom. While Ren was out of shape, he could handle a short sprint. Soon enough, it was over, with the boys ending their escape in the bathroom, the one place that they hoped Chouno wouldn't actually go.
"Dude… what the fuck?!" Ryuji yelled distraughtly, slamming his fist on one of the stalls. As he settled down, his voice quieted. "I'm scarred. I can't go back to that room. No effing way. Can we report this shit and get this bitch fired?"
"I'll ask Makoto. I'm not optimistic about our chances, but it's worth a shot."
"Dude… I'm regretting messing with Ushimaru. This is not worth it."
"Told you. She didn't even try any of that shit to me during my first few days. The outburst from a minute ago was entirely new. No telling where she could go from here. She's a fucking psychopath."
"For real," Ryuji agreed. "And that superiority complex shit? That's not a complex. That's an effing fetish."
Gross. Chouno needs to get a life.
After waiting a few minutes to make sure the coast was clear, Ren and Ryuji left the school in a hurry.
Makoto's phone buzzed. She set down her notebook and pen on her desk, reaching over to grab her phone.
Ren Amamiya:
-Hey.
Makoto felt her stomach get nervous but in a good way. She had grown accustomed to the feeling when texting Ren, and actually enjoyed the thrill that it brought. It was exciting seeing a new text from Ren. He could want to talk about anything. He could want to talk about their next date, or what a good time he had with Makoto at the gym, or how pretty she-
Ren Amamiya:
-I need your help getting a teacher fired.
Oh, Makoto disappointedly thought. Still, Makoto was intrigued by the request.
Makoto Niijima:
-Who? Why? What happened?
Ren Amamiya:
-Chouno. She abused Ryuji. We were in detention. After yelling at Ryuji for messing up some pronunciation, she went off on a tangent. When she finally calmed down, she asked Ryuji to say that she is better than Kawakami. Ryuji did.
Makoto Niijima:
-And? What happened after that? Maybe this is harsh, but this isn't nearly enough to get a teacher with tenure fired.
Ren Amamiya:
-Chouno moaned and asked Ryuji to say it again. He and I immediately began leaving. On our way out, Chouno was screaming at Ryuji to keep saying the same thing. So, to sum things up, she tried to use Ryuji to fulfill a fetish.
I really wish I didn't respond to Ren's message. I would be much happier living in ignorance, Makoto thought.
Makoto Niijima:
-Oh. I'll submit a report, but I can't promise results. The school doesn't have the funding to take on another teacher, nor does it have the funding to support itself after another abuse scandal.
Ren Amamiya:
-Fuck Shujin Academy.
Makoto Niijima:
-I agree. Fuck Shujin Academy.
Ren Amamiya:
-Nice.
Makoto Niijima:
-If there's nothing else, goodnight, Ren.
Ren Amamiya:
-Wait!
Ren Amamiya:
-Make sure you follow the GRAVY Shujinstagram page! TheGRAVeYard
Makoto Niijima:
-I'll do it tonight. Goodnight, Ren.
Ren Amamiya:
-Night, Makoto. Thanks again for the date.
Ren Amamiya:
-Also, for good luck, fuck Shujin Academy.
Makoto laughed and exited the messaging app. She opened Shujinstagram and pasted the that Ren had given her into the search bar. She pressed the page that popped up, and that brought her to the newest Shujinstagram account.
Makoto scanned over the account. It was typical Ren jokes in the bio. Makoto tapped on the first post that the account had made, just a few minutes ago. It was white text on a black ground. Makoto read the text aloud.
"Fuck Shujin Academy," she said, smirking as she did so. "Dammit, Ren."
Makoto liked the post.