Akira smiled as he awoke to the sounds of birds chirping outside of the tent he was sharing with the girl he loved. He glanced over and smiled at Sumire, who was still sleeping soundly next to him. His adrenaline high he felt from his MTV Unplugged style performance the previous night was still in effect. It sure beat the feeling of bruised ribs from two nights ago. He unplugged his phone from his power bank next to him and turned his phone on, checking the time. It was almost eight o'clock in the morning. He didn't hear any noise from outside and came to the conclusion that he was the first one awake. Akira gently made his way out of the tent as not to wake his girlfriend. He stepped inside the empty camper, leaving the door open, and pulled a packet of coffee beans out of his duffel bag. He began brewing the coffee, still half-asleep. It wasn't long before Sumire joined him inside the RV. Between this and the previous morning, it was clear he wasn't as sneaky as he used to be as the leader of the Phantom Thieves. Or, perhaps, she had a sixth sense that activated whenever he wasn't near her. Almost like a Third Eye? "Ridiculous," he thought.
"Morning," Sumire said before yawning, causing him to yawn as well.
"That's infectious, you know?" He said.
Sumire just shrugged in response, smiling as she kissed his cheek. "Did you sleep well?"
"Very, I feel like a million yen. Yesterday was amazing, and I have a feeling today's going to be just as great." He replied, genuinely happy. For the first time since he came back to Tokyo, Sumire detected no hint of Akira trying to cover up any sort of pain he was feeling. She felt relieved, thinking maybe he's finally better. The two chatted for a bit before being joined by Morgana and Ryuji bickering.
"Sorry, I can't help the fact that I snore, a'ight?" Ryuji said.
"I doubt I got six hours of sleep last night because of you, you blonde monkey!" Morgana berated him.
"Hey, it weren't comfortable for me either, you stupid cat! Your damn fur made my tent extra hot. It was like a freakin' oven in there!"
"I can't help the fact that I'm a cat. NOT that I am a cat, though!"
"I'm gonna convince Akira to get your fur shaved!"
"LIKE HELL YOU WILL!"
"HEY!" Sumire yelled quietly before switching to a whisper. "Some people are still asleep. Be quiet, you two!" She motioned her hands downward, signaling to be quieter.
Morgana and Ryuji looked at each other before letting out simultaneous "hmphs" and turning their backs to each other. Akira smirked as he continued brewing the coffee. He found himself chatting with Ryuji and Morgana before Ann made her way inside, followed by Haru and Makoto. All three women had been woken up by Ryuji and Morgana's shouting match. Akira asked the two to apologize to Ann, Makoto, and Haru and then to each other. After some reluctance and stubbornness, the two apologized to everyone and made up. Who knows how long until their next argument? Probably, five minutes, they all thought. The group began making plans for the day. They settled on a hike through the woods and up a nearby hill. Rainmaker Park was not only home to woods and connected to a nearby river but also a spoil tip. A big pointy hill that was formally used for mining purposes back in the early to mid 20th century. As the group discussed their plans for the day, they heard a sudden yelp from outside.
"GAAAHHHHH!" It was Yusuke's voice. The ones in the camper quickly made their way outside in time to see Yusuke frantically making his way out of Futaba's tent. He turned towards Akira, pale-faced and sweating like a pig.
"Akira... please... forgive me..." He managed to get out in between breaths.
Akira raised an eyebrow in confusion. "For what?" he asked.
"I... I... I-" Yusuke could barely talk.
"Calm down, Yusuke. Breath slowly, take deep breaths. Here try this. Count to four." Akira suggested, gently putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. Yusuke did what he asked and counted to four. "Good, now inhale..." Akira continued. "Count to four... Now exhale..."Yusuke did everything Akira told him to do. "...Good, now do it again until you're able to breathe normally." After repeating the process three more times, Yusuke once again found his stability.
"Thank you for that."
"No worries. Now, tell me what's wrong."
"I have made a grave error... I..." Yusuke paused.
"I kissed Futaba without her consent." He finally belted out.
Akira had another look of confusion, and so did the others behind him. "What are you talking about?" He asked.
"Oh, lord... Boss is not going to be happy. I may never get the chance to eat his curry ever again..." Yusuke pondered as tears began to fill his eyes.
"Yusuke!" Akira roared, nearly slapping him. Yusuke's head snapped back towards Akira. "Tell me what happened." Akira was calm. He knew Yusuke wouldn't hurt a fly. He just wanted to hear his story.
"Well... I was sleeping peacefully until I heard bickering from Morgana and Ryuji..." The two mentioned individuals looked down in shame as Yusuke continued. "I opened my eyes to see Futaba staring into mine. She smiled and leaned in and placed her mouth onto my own. My... natural urges, let's say, took control of my inhibitions and I... placed... my tongue in her mouth." Akira was listening intently while the others began giggling like schoolgirls. "Her eyes opened wide, and she quickly pulled away from me. It was then that I realized what I had done..." By this point, Akira had the makings of a giggle fit brewing within him, as well, as he smiled profusely. "Please, forgive me. Know that I would never intentionally cause harm to anyone. Especially not Futaba." Yusuke added.
"Oh? And why not especially Futaba?" Akira asked with the biggest smirk. He already knew what the answer was, but he wanted Yusuke to say it directly.
"B-because..." Yusuke paused again.
"...B-because... I love her..." Yusuke admitted. "I care for her deeply." Yusuke's confession was met with awws from everyone. Even Futaba, who had just made her way out of her tent. Yusuke turned around to address her. "Futaba, I'm so sor-"
"Shhh." She put her finger to his mouth, cutting him off. "You did nothing wrong, Inari. You just caught me off guard slightly. I'm actually surprised, to be honest. I didn't think you had it in you." She said, giving him a friendly smack on the shoulder. "Besides, I kissed you first. You have nothing to worry about. I'm glad you were my first." Akira's eyes exploded, and his mouth went from grinning to on the floor.
"WOAH, WOAH, WOAH! WHAT!?"
"First KISS, relax, bro. We didn't do anything naughty." Futaba reassured him with a grin on her face.
"Phrasing, 'Taba! Christ!" Akira roared. Futaba chuckled. She knew exactly what she said. She just wanted to screw with her older brother.
"It was my first as well." He admitted.
"That's less surprising." She joked. "But don't worry, I feel the same way about you. Why do you think I was so adamant about kicking Mona out of my tent last night?"
"SERIOUSLY!? You made me sleep with the idiot just so you could get some action!?" Morgana yelled at the ginger-haired girl.
"Who you callin' an idiot, cat? Not like you could ever get any action!" Ryuji fired back.
"I could get way more action than you!"
"YOU! ARE! A! CAT!"
It was not five minutes. It was more like three minutes. Those two...
Once the two had calmed down, and everything was sorted out, everyone sat down at the foldout table. Akira brought out the coffee, and the Phantom Thieves enjoyed a breakfast comprised of mini microwavable pancakes with syrup and fruit. Futaba sat next to Yusuke, and the two held hands. She complained about the lack of curry for breakfast. Yusuke admitted he finished the leftover curry during a midnight snack. Futaba looked devastated and ready to take back her love confession.
"I'll make you some when we get home tonight, or maybe Sojiro can," Akira reassured her.
"I'll hold you to that." She replied.
"Speaking of, we shouldn't wait too long before leaving," Makoto said. "We should try and be on the road by four o'clock later this afternoon."
"Awww, man, I was hopin' to get in more swim time in the river," Ryuji whined.
"If the weather's good enough, maybe we could schedule a beach day? We've still got about ten or so days before classes startup, right?" Ann suggested.
"That is true. To my knowledge, we have yet to make plans for the remainder of the break. A trip to the beach does sound lovely." Yusuke said, closing his eyes, thinking of lobsters.
"We got lucky enough with this weather. I doubt we'd get lucky again, especially in the city." Morgana pointed out.
"Yeah, plus, it was cool how we pretty much had the river all to ourselves, ya know? The beach wouldn't be the same." Ryuji sighed.
"Maybe if we pack up everything before and after lunch, we'll have enough time for a swim," Makoto said. "Good enough ultimatum for you?" She glanced at Ryuji.
"Hell yeah, sounds good to me!" Ryuji said ecstatically.
"In any case, we're going to have to make more plans. We still have a lot of time off." Haru said.
"I have a gymnastics meet this coming Wednesday. I could get you all tickets if you're not busy." Sumire suggested.
"Aw yeah! That sounds awesome!" Ann replied enthusiastically.
"As Phantom Thieves, we gotta support each other. We'll definitely be there." Ryuji said.
"Agreed, that would be great. Thank you, Sumire." Makoto said.
The thieves finished their breakfast and got ready for their hike. They packed water, sunscreen, a map, a change of socks just in case it started to rain, or their feet got wet, all the essential items needed for a hike. The trek through the woods was mostly uneventful. The sights were mostly comprised of rows of trees that seemed to stretch for miles on end, which didn't make for much appealing scenery to anyone. Except for Yusuke, who constantly stopped to frame the trees with his hands and took out his sketch pad. The group eventually had to confiscate his sketch pad from him so he'd keep up; otherwise, they wouldn't make it back to camp by lunchtime. After an hour of walking through the woods, they came across the spoil tip and began making their way up. It was not a challenging climb whatsoever. There were wooden stairs inserted on the walk up that made it relatively straightforward and easy. Makoto and Haru lead the pack at the front. Suddenly, it sounded like someone had fallen down, and an "ow!" sound was heard from behind them. Everyone looked behind them to see Ryuji clutching Ann as she lay on the ground.
"What happened?" Makoto asked as she made her way over to them.
"Ann tripped n' fell," Ryuji responded. Makoto looked down and saw Ann's knees were scraped. She started going through her backpack. The right knee wasn't too bad, but the left one was bleeding.
"Damn," Makoto said, searching through her backpack. "I left the first aid kit in the RV. Do you have anything, Haru?" She asked, turning to her girlfriend.
Haru looked through her backpack, as did everyone else. "Nope, sorry, Ann-chan," Haru said in a sad tone. Everyone else had the same response.
"Oh! Wait!" Ryuji quickly said. "Hold on a sec," he promptly unzipped his backpack and pulled out a toiletries bag.
"Ryuji, why'd you bring your toiletries? Ann needs disinfectant, not deodorant." Futaba commented.
"Gimme some credit, will ya?" He said to her as he opened it and pulled out disinfectant spray, compresses, and band-aids. Everyone had a surprised look. "My mom always had a makeshift first aid kit on her whenever we went out in nature. When I first started running track, she suggested I carry one as well. Some of the kids made fun of me, saying I was a nurse. But I got the last laugh when they hurt themselves, and the nurse weren't around." Ryuji said as he grabbed a fresh compress.
"That's great, Ryuji!" Makoto said. "Here, let me take over," She said as she reached for the bottle of disinfectant.
"No worries, I got this. I patched up plenty of guys I ran with from middle school onward. I know what I'm doin'," He winked at Makoto and turned his attention to Ann. Makoto just let them be. Everyone watched in awe as Ryuji tended to Ann's scraped knees like a parent tending to their child's booboos. All the while, Ann was unable to take her eyes off of the blonde runner. Not even the splash of disinfectant made her wince or cringe in pain. She was utterly entranced. Once he cleaned up her wounds, he pulled out two large band-aids and stuck them on her knees. "There we go! Good as new!" Ryuji proudly exclaimed. The others all applauded, impressed at what they just saw. Ryuji pretended to bow. But once he looked back at Ann, he found himself being pulled towards her, and her mouth made contact with his. Her eyes were closed, but his were wide-open. Futaba, Haru, and Sumire high-fived and celebrated the fact that their two friends' relationship was now out in the open. Akira, Makoto, and Yusuke, who were unaware of Ann and Ryuji's relationship, stared wide-eyed at the two. Morgana's jaw was on the ground. Seeing them kiss had broken his brain.
When the two finally broke their kiss, Ryuji was dumbstruck. "What was that for?" He asked her.
"I wanted to thank you, silly!" She replied, smiling.
"Didn't expect that kind of a thank you, hehe," He chuckled. "But you're welcome," he grinned. Ann tried to make her way back to her feet but was unable to. It seemed scraps were not the only injury she had sustained.
"Hey, what's wrong?" Ryuji asked her.
"It's my ankle," She replied. The others looked worried.
"Did you twist it, Ann-chan?" Haru asked, concerned.
"I don't think so. I think I just sprained it. Don't worry. I'll be fine." She tried to reassure them.
"Can you walk on it?" Sumire asked as Ann attempted to stand up.
"I can't put any weight on it." She groaned in pain.
"Well, you're not gonna be able to make it up the hill and back down like that," Ryuji said. "Why don't you guys go on ahead? I'll take Ann back to camp."
"You sure you can get her back by yourself?" Akira asked him.
"Yeah, no worries. She's light as a feather. Even with all the sweets she scarfs down." Ryuji responded jokingly. Ann gave him a slightly annoyed look. "What?" he asked her. "I meant that as a compliment."
"Do you know the way back?" Makoto asked him.
"Yeah, I mean, we pretty much just walked in a straight line for an hour. Don't worry; I got this," He assured her. Ann and Ryuji began making their way down the spoil tip; thankfully, they weren't too far up yet. As the two disappeared from view, Haru felt the need to compliment Ryuji's actions.
"I must say, Ryuji-kun handled that beautifully," She said joyfully.
"Indeed, he acted like a mature and responsible adult," Yusuke added.
"It's not something you see from him every day," Sumire chimed in.
"Or even every week," Makoto added.
"Should we check to make sure that's the real Ryuji Sakamoto? He's usually never like that. He's always vulgar and acting dumb!" Futaba said.
"I HEARD THAT!" The group heard Ryuji yell in the distance. Clearly, Futaba said that last part a little too loudly. "WELL, IT'S TRUE!" Futaba yelled back. The group had a good laugh before continuing their hike up the hill. Futaba turned around to see Morgana still frozen. "You coming, kitty?" she asked. Morgana was still frozen. He had not moved since Ann had kissed Ryuji in front of everyone.
Futaba picked up the feline and moved to catch up with the others. "Poor kitty..." She sighed.
Soon, the remaining members of the group reached the top of the spoil tip. The ground was gray and black, and there was no greenery anywhere, but at least it was flat and comfortable enough to sit on. The thieves chilled out for a bit, drank some water, and enjoyed the view. They had a great view of the lake, as well as some trees that were behind it.
"I wonder if we could see our campsite if we had a fire going?" Sumire asked. The others agreed. That was a good question.
"Does anyone know the name of the river?" Haru asked. Everyone thought for a second and shook their heads.
"Hold on, I'll check," Futaba said, pulling out her phone. "Aw damn, that's right. No internet out here. So this is what Hell looks like." The girl said with a look of defeat on her face.
"We could find out once we return home," Yusuke suggested.
"Or, we could give it its own name," Akira suggested.
"Ooooh~" Futaba cooed. "The PHANTOM River!" she suggested.
"Meh, too generic," Akira said. "Plus, we can't keep naming all our stuff after the word 'Phantom.' Phantom Thieves, Phantomoblie, Phan-site. It's too redundant."
"I vote for The MORGANA River!" Morgana shouted.
"Wow, ego much?" Futaba said as she raised an eyebrow at the cat. The group went through several names before Yusuke made a suggestion.
"The River of Hearts."
"Sounds like the name of a heavy metal album," Akira said.
"It reminds me of our trek in Mementos. An endlessly flowing stream that carries the desires of humanity towards an unknown future." Yusuke said.
"Deep, man," Akira said, half-jokingly.
"I do agree that 'River of Hearts' sounds a little bit too graphic," Makoto stated.
"How about 'The River of Desire' then?" Sumire suggested. Everyone liked it.
"That's a wonderful name, Sumi-chan,"
"Agreed."
"Yep, yep."
"I like it."
"I still vote for 'Morgana River,' but I guess that works too."
"Great thinking, Sumi," Akira said as he kissed his girlfriend on the head. "The River of Desire."
After picking out the name, the gang made their way back down and headed back to camp. Once back, they called out for Ann and Ryuji, who were nowhere to be seen. That was until they heard a zipper noise, and Ryuji came out of a tent with nothing but his hiking shorts on.
"O-oh, h-hey guys. You're back..." Ryuji said, shaking and sweating.
"You okay, man?" Akira asked his best friend.
"Yeah, I was just... uh... takin' a nap. Why d'ya ask?"
"Because you came out of Ann's tent," Akira said with a grin on his face with his arms crossed. Everyone else, except for Morgana, who looked defeated yet again, let out simultaneous "oooohs~" Ryuji looked like a deer in the headlights. Ann timidly crawled out of the tent with her hair disheveled, wearing nothing but a t-shirt and underwear. Ann's ankle was definitely not sprained. She was standing on her own with no trouble at all. Akira sighed.
"I hate to sound like one of you guys' parents but, you were using protection, right?" Akira asked in a stern voice. The two blondes said nothing, but both silently nodded. "Both of you?" Akira asked. Same response. "Alright then. As you were," He concluded.
"A sprained ankle, huh?" Haru said, shooting Ann a single skeptically raised eyebrow. The blonde just looked away in embarrassment but still cracked a smile when no one was looking. Ann and Ryuji put the rest of their clothes on in silence as the others began packing up their camping equipment. Akira decided to make the remaining burgers for lunch so that they and the buns don't go to waste. As he was frying the burgers, Sumire walked up and hugged him from behind.
"Would you mind toasting my buns, please?" She asked. Akira grabbed his TaP soda and lifted it in the air.
"To your buns!" He joked.
"Oh. Haha." Sumire said sarcastically. She gently slapped him on his butt and walked away. Akira grabbed a pair of buns from the bag and placed them on the grill, still chuckling at his impromptu joke. Suddenly, he felt his phone vibrate. He put the spatula he had in his right hand down and reached down in his pocket for his phone. He figured it was Sojiro, asking what time he could expect them to be back. When he pulled out and looked at his caller-id, he felt his blood run cold.
It was his mother.
Suddenly, the pain in his head that had mellowed out over the past sixteen hours or so was back in full force. He felt anger rise up within him. He declined the call and decided to turn his phone off. He went back to focusing on his, and his friends' lunch but the pain he was feeling in his head was making it hard for him to concentrate. He called Ryuji over, asking him to watch the grill for a moment while he went to grab something. He made his way inside the camper and looked for his bag. He pulled out his bottle of aspirin and took two tablets with his TaP soda. When he went to place the aspirin bottle back in his bag, he noticed the painkillers that Tae had given him from his recent assault. She had instructed him to take one capsule before going to bed and one when waking up. He cursed at himself under his breath as he forgot to take one the previous night and this morning. He even cursed Sumire for not reminding him, which he immediately regretted and took back. Akira was never one to push blame on people when they weren't at fault. Thankfully, no one was around to hear his muttering. "Fuck it," He thought. He took two of them right then and there. He put the painkillers back in his bag and left the camper, making his way back to the grill, right on time as the burgers were done. Everyone gathered and sat down at the table.
"Oh, hold up!" Ryuji said as he exited his chair and went inside the camper. He returned with an unexpected surprise—an eight-pack of beer. Everyone was at a loss for words.
Makoto was predictably not happy with this. "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?"
"I got it with a fake ID, pretty cool, right?" He seemed too excited to be phased by Makoto's rage.
"YOU HAVE A FAKE ID?" This time it was Futaba who was shouting at him.
"Look, I know this isn't really okay. But, c'mon! We're all best friends; we're out on a trip, we're about to enter university. One beer ain't gonna kill us!" Ryuji tried very hard to defend his actions.
"NO! Futaba and Sumire aren't even in college yet. And none of us are of legal drinking age!" Makoto scolded him.
"I wouldn't mind trying one, to be honest..." Sumire said as everyone stared at her in shock.
"Really?" Akira asked her.
"Yes, I have tried alcohol before. During our European gymnastics retreat, one of the girls smuggled wine into our sleeping area after we were victorious in a meet. I enjoyed it, but I haven't had any since." Sumire explained.
"Daaammmnnn, Sumi's a bit of a wild child, huh?" Futaba joked as she nudged Akira.
"It was only the one time. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it." Sumire smiled mischievously.
"What other things did you do in Europe that you haven't told me about, Yoshizawa-san?" Akira grinned, also mischievously.
"Wouldn't you like to know, Kurusu-san?" She replied, returning his grin.
"I don't know," Makoto said, still unsure. "I have to drive later on, anyway."
"Makoto, even I know you can't get drunk off of one beer. And I've never had one." Ann said.
"Yeah, relax, Queen. Take a load off. You're on vacation with your best friends." Ryuji said. After some more convincing, Makoto relented. Ryuji went around the table, handing everyone a beer.
"What the heck? I can't even open this!" Morgana complained, trying to open it with his mouth.
"Here you go, Mona-chan." Haru grabbed the can and popped it open for him, for which he thanked her.
Akira opened his as well, but the thought immediately popped into his head. "The painkiller bottle said not to take with alcohol." He remembered. "Well, I already took it, so it should be okay." He decided. Once everyone had their beers open, Ryuji decided to stand and say something.
"I would like to propose a toast. To the bestest friends and the bestest group, a delinquent like me could ever ask for and be a part of. You guys mean a lot to me! Cheers!" Everyone said cheers as well, and each took a sip. The reactions ranged from disgusted to surprisingly calm. Sumire enjoyed hers, which would've been more surprising had she not just told her Eurotrip story. Haru and Makoto didn't mind the taste too much. Ann didn't enjoy it a whole lot but decided to keep drinking as not to waste it. Yusuke, Futaba, and Morgana immediately spat it out and pushed their cans away from each other. Ryuji, surprisingly, drank most of his in one gulp.
"Don't tell me you've had beer before," Makoto stared at him.
"Nah, this is my first one ever. I only drank it down because I was really excited." Ryuji replied.
"And? How do you like it?" Haru asked.
"... I ain't gonna lie, it sucks." Ryuji looked down.
"It's why it's called an acquired taste after all," Akira said, drinking his nonchalantly.
"You seem to be enjoying it quite a lot, Akira-kun," Haru said to him.
"Yeah, it's not too bad. And before you ask, Makoto, it's also my first." Akira replied, taking another sip before looking towards Ryuji. "You should've brought these out last night, man. I could've used some liquid courage for my performance last night." He said, cracking a smile.
"I was gonna, but then I got cold feet. Then you started playing, and I forgot about'em completely."
"You didn't need it," Sumire said, grabbing his hand. "You were wonderful." She added before kissing him.
"I was apparently good enough to make Ryuji forget about the booze he snuck on the trip. That has to count for something." Everyone laughed.
"Think we'll get an encore before we leave?" Futaba asked.
"Doubt it. Let's keep last night special and unique. Maybe the next time we all go on a trip, and we find a guitar lying around." He replied.
"I like that idea. It feels rather romantic, wouldn't you say so, Futaba-chan?" Haru asked.
"Eh, I guess."
Akira smiled and went back to his beer. He drank it like it was TaP soda. He knew one beer wouldn't be anywhere near enough, but he wanted to forget about his mother's phone call. The thieves enjoyed their meal, sharing more laughs and life stories. Once they finished their lunch, everyone helped put away the grill, foldout table, and chairs. It was only two-thirty in the afternoon by the time they finished packing up. They decided to head down to the river and go for a swim one more time before leaving. Everyone except Akira, who told them he would catch up with them in a bit. As soon as everybody was gone and Akira was left alone, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on. He saw that he had a voicemail. As expected, it was from his mother. He took a deep breath, sat down inside the camper, and reluctantly listened to it.
"Argh! I have water in my ear."
"Try shaking your head around, Futaba-chan. Maybe that will help."
"Thanks, Haru. It did the trick. Oh, nope, wait, hold on. Damn, still in there."
"Oh, look, there's Akira!" Ann pointed out as everyone turned towards his direction.
"Hey, everyone. Sorry, I'm late. Had to take a call from Sojiro. He wanted to know what time he expected us back." Akira lied.
"If all goes well, we'll be back to Leblanc around seven o'clock," Makoto said, lying flat on her stomach, eyes closed, sunbathing.
"That's what I told him. Alright!" He yelled as he rushed to join his friends in the river.
He swam up to Sumire and kissed her on the lips. Having possibly the biggest bullshit detector out of anyone in the group when it came to her boyfriend, Sumire knew from the look in his eyes that all was not quite right with Akira. Nevertheless, the group enjoyed the rest of the time they had left at the river before making their way back to the RV and hitting the road, leaving Rainmaker Park at four o'clock sharp as planned. After driving for nearly three hours, Makoto announced they would arrive at Yongen-Jaya in less than 20 minutes. Since today was Saturday, they managed to avoid the Sunday traffic. Ryuji pulled out a deck of cards, and he, Akira, Sumire, and Futaba decided to play a few games of Tycoon. Haru was with Makoto in the passenger seat, reading a book. Morgana was napping in Futaba's bunk above, Ann was on her phone, catching up on social media stuff, and Yusuke was drawing the card-playing quartet in his now un-confiscated sketch pad. Akira and Ryuji sat next to each other while Futaba and Sumire sat opposite to them.
"BOOM! REVOLUTION!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Wha- Another One!?" Futaba was in disbelief.
"What is it with you and Revolutions? God, you're worse than Makoto." Akira commented.
"I heard that!" Makoto said from the driver's seat.
"Well, it's true!" Akira replied.
"Woah! Deja-vu..." Futaba chuckled, calling back to this morning.
"Sooo... watcha got?" Ryuji asked the three other players as he threw down three 5s with a cocky grin on his face. He had only two cards left to play before he'd be declared the Tycoon for the third round in a row. Futaba was rich, Sumire was poor, which left Akira as the beggar.
"I got nothing," Futaba said, disheartened.
"Can't play anything." Sumire followed.
"Pass," Akira said. Ryuji then threw down a single eight stop before throwing down a three, remaining the Tycoon.
"I'm just. That. Good." Ryuji gloated. Sumire, who had the second least amount of cards, managed to scrape by and take second place, dethroning Futaba as the rich, who ended up poor. That, once again, left Akira to take last place as the beggar. He grumbled in frustration.
"Well, well, looks like you were right, man. I guess nice guys do finish last after all." Ryuji said to Akira with a cocky attitude.
"Oh, shut up!" Akira fired back. He knew Ryuji was a bit of a cocky bastard when they played Tycoon. Ryuji was also a sore loser, which made playing Tycoon with him a bit of a chore sometimes, but he knew it was all in good fun.
"Yeah, Ryuji. Don't be such a dick!" Futaba added.
"I can't help it! I'm just. That. Good."
"Yeah, yeah, you said that already!" Futaba said, rolling her eyes.
"Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to nap here." Morgana said groggily from above.
"C'mon, Akira. Say it." Ryuji said, grinning, gently punching his friend's shoulder.
"I'm not saying it."
"C'mon, say it."
"Piss off, dude."
"Fine then," Ryuji grabbed Akira and put him in a headlock, giving him a noogie as Akira struggled.
"Let me go, asshole!" Akira demanded, flailing his arms around.
"Nope, sorry. Not until you admit that I, Ryuji Sakamoto, am the best Tycoon player out of all of the phan-"
"RYUJI, STOP!"
He was cut off by Sumire shouting. Everyone except for Makoto, who remained focused on the road, stopped what they were doing and looked towards Sumire, then Ryuji. The blonde boy looked at Sumire before looking down at Akira, who seemed to be spasming out. Even after Ryuji let him go, Akira's body was still spasming. His eyes were closed, and saliva began dripping from his mouth.
"Woah! Akira! You okay!? What's wrong, man!?" Ryuji worriedly asked as he tried to calm his friend down.
"What's happening to him!?" Ann shouted, her hands covering her mouth in shock.
"What's going on back there?" Makoto yelled back.
Futaba had tears in her eyes as she was scared of what she was witnessing. Morgana, Yusuke, and Haru had the biggest looks of concern on their faces. Sumire made her way over to Akira. His mouth was now dripping a mixture of saliva and blood.
"Oh, God..." Now, Sumire had tears in her eyes.