Saturday, 7/2

"So… that happened."

Ren's mumbles did not go unheard by Makoto. "It certainly did."

"Do I… do we…? Fuck, I don't even know."

"Ren, relax. Haru was, and probably still is, wound up. It'll pass."

"I know, but we gotta do something to make sure she's alright," Ren said. He had started walking to the roof. Makoto got the message and followed at his side.

"We do, but not in front of Ryuji, Ann, and Yusuke. I'm sure more questioning is the last thing Haru wants to deal with. It'd be best just to end the gardening early and have everyone go home."

Ren stopped. "And have Haru go back to that fucking jackass?! Yeah, no way."

Makoto stopped as well and turned to him. Despite Ren's harsh words, she remained unfazed. "It'd be worse for her to not go home, you know. Haru's father would probably set the date as soon as possible if Haru is acting out to make sure that the Sugimura's don't back out."

"Shit… you're right." Ren sighed as his hands squirmed in his pockets. "But that prick will go too far whenever she goes home. I can't just let that shit happen."

"Neither can I, and neither has Haru. She's avoided it so far, hasn't she?" Makoto reasoned.

Ren just grumbled at that and kept walking towards the stairs.

We don't know that.

Was Makoto handling the situation poorly? She didn't know. She never really knew with these sorts of things. She had made a mental pro/con list in her head. Few pros came out of any potential scenarios that she thought up, but the one with the least cons was ending the gardening lesson early and sending everyone, including Haru, home.

Was Makoto sending the poor heiress to be tormented? She hoped she wasn't. Haru would speak up if something horrible was going to happen to her in her own home, right? Anyone would do the same. Makoto would do the-

No, I wouldn't. I didn't. I was worried about getting kidnapped in my own apartment and I didn't immediately tell people about it, she thought. But would I do the same now, or would I tell people? Hopefully the latter.

Ren seemed to be far more upset than Makoto, at least on the surface. Makoto felt obligated to stay calm so as not to encourage anyone's emotions to get out of control, and maybe it worked. Ren's angry strides had slowed to irritated paces.

When they both got to the roof, they found that things were mostly unchanged from before. Ann, Ryuji, and Yusuke were all still gardening, and Haru was just observing them, dropping the occasional reserved recommendation to guide them along. When she heard the door open to the roof, she shot a glance towards the door. Makoto tried to communicate with Haru through eye contact, but Haru's glance was too sudden for such a thing.

Ren stepped away from Makoto before beginning to speak. "Uh… we're back and I have an announcement." The three who were still gardening set down their tools and turned back to look at Ren. Haru stared off into the distance. "We're gonna end the lesson early. Everyone seems to have learned enough, and I'm sure we could all use a little extra time for finals prep."

"Dude… did you really just kill the GRAVY hang out for studying?" Ryuji protested with a groan.

"Yeah."

"For real?!"

"Yeah. That's why I announced it and confirmed it after you asked the first time," Ren retorted with monotone sarcasm.

"Goddammit… eh, whatever. I'll just play some video games instead."

"Thank you for the info, Ryuji. Anyone have anything to say before we leave?" Silence answered the question. "Great. We'll get around to setting a schedule for who's doing gardening and when during the summer."

With that, the lesson concluded. The GRAVY members said their goodbyes to each other and parted ways. Haru had left particularly fast, but Makoto didn't fault the girl. There was distressingly little that could be done for the heiress that wouldn't worry her even more.

The two remaining GRAVY members awkwardly stood around for a few seconds.

"Let's go home, Makoto," Ren said. He lacked the bite that he had possessed after the incident with Sugimura, but Makoto could still tell that he wasn't in a great mood. She didn't blame him, and she felt the same way herself. It was strange to think that half of the club would go home and not even realize the trouble Haru was in.

It was even stranger to think that nothing could be done for her.

Nevertheless, Ren and Makoto began walking. They left Shujin together, exchanging few words as they trekked the empty halls. From the gate, it was a short walk to the subway station. They both got on the train to Shibuya, securing two seats for themselves in the process.

While they had spoken since leaving the roof, nothing had developed into an actual conversation. It had just been terse back-and-fourths between the two that counted for very little in Makoto's mind. Frustrated, and blaming herself for the lack of socialization between the two, Makoto forced herself to get the ball rolling.

"Any plans for tomorrow?" she asked.

"Just some stuff for Ryuji's birthday." Ren's blunt answer led directly back to the awkwardness that Makoto had found so frustrating. Fortunately, Ren wasn't finished. "I'm going to take him to Shinjuku with Yusuke."

"Yeah? To do what?" Makoto asked, turning her head to look at Ren.

"Er… stuff? Sorry, can't have any leaks. Surprise is key," Ren said with a smirk as he met Makoto's eyes. "But I can tell you that the day won't end in Shinjuku."

"Then where will it end?"

"Akihabara."

Akihabara? There isn't much there besides video games and manga. Seems like an anti-climactic birthday party. I feel like Ren would go bigger with a birthday celebration, especially Ryuji's, but I suppose not. The only other birthday that Ren has been a part of in Tokyo has been mine, over two months ago. I guess he didn't attempt anything crazy for that, but he didn't know me very well at that point, Makoto pondered to herself.

"Well, I hope you guys have fun."

"Oh! That reminds me! Could you, Ann, and Haru be available for a video call at exactly six in the evening?"

"Hm? Why?"

"Just to say happy birthday to Ryuji, ya know? To make sure that he feels appreciated by everyone."

"Oh, of course. I'll have to speak with Ann and Haru, but I'm sure they'll be able to do it."

"Awesome. I'll call you guys then."

The subway chugged on, the rattling of it filling the silence left by Ren and Makoto's conversation hitting a dead-end. Unfortunately, Ren brought up something that made Makoto wish they stayed at the dead-end.

"How're you and your sister doing?"

It wasn't that things were bad, it's that there wasn't much of an answer. Sae still rarely showed at the apartment, and an exchange of words with her was even rarer. At this point, Makoto was considering provoking an argument to make at least some progress, but that obviously wasn't a reasonable option.

"We're fine. We haven't spoken much since you were there. I think she's waiting for exam scores to come before she decides what to think about you."

"I guess that's good? Right?"

Well, no. It means that she won't talk to me because she doesn't know if I'm making the right decision by befriending you, Ren, Makoto thought. 'Befriending.' That's not the right word, is it?

"Maybe. It's only good if you do well on the exams. Speaking of, have you been stu-" Makoto began but was cut off.

"Yeah, probably more than I should be."

"There's no such thing as too much studying, Ren," Makoto replied, playfully laughing.

"For real? Wanna come over Tuesday and study again?" The sly look on Ren's face told Makoto that he wanted to hang out with Makoto more than study, but that's probably what led to her agreeing so quickly.

"Sure," Makoto said with a smile.

The chugging of the subway finally came to an end. Knowing that they had arrived, Ren and Makoto both stood up and stepped out of the train. They began the walk back to their apartment building.

"You remember The Prince?" Ren asked out of nowhere.

Makoto almost stopped walking, but she stayed moving to keep up with Ren. "How could anyone forget?"

"Well, duh, but what I mean is, what the hell happened to him? He just killed one fat guy and dipped," Ren said plainly as if that "fat guy" wasn't dominating their lives for two weeks.

"You're right, but maybe that's how he operates? Occasionally taking the more notable targets?"

"Shit, then do you think he's letting lesser-known assholes get away with whatever they're doing? Only stopping people when they're worth a headline?"

"Ren, I really don't know. No one knows. The Prince is a mystery to everyone."

"Except Akechi."

"What?" Makoto was startled by the slight revelation.

"Akechi talks about The Prince as if he understands him. He said that The Prince will never reveal how or if he killed Kaneshiro."

"Ren, you and I both know how pretentious Akechi is. I think that what he said to you is obvious and you're just overthinking it." Makoto was surprised that Ren hadn't dismissed Akechi's words, especially with how hostile he was towards the detective.

"Well, yeah… but he's a detective. He probably knows things that we don't."

"That's true, but I doubt that anyone knows anything about The Prince. Most people are using that situation to develop conspiracy theories, and Akechi is one of those people. He's been dragging the police department at every opportunity."

"Heh, yeah. How the hell is he not worried about job security?"

"He knows things that we don't," Makoto joked.

Ren laughed. "You got me there."

The duo made small talk until they quickly arrived at their apartment building. Makoto said goodbye to Ren as he stepped out of the elevator to go to his own apartment. Makoto pressed the button for the doors to close so she could get to her apartment sooner. It was getting late, and she still hadn't eaten dinner.

In the time that it took for the elevator to begin moving, Makoto took her phone out. There was something that she needed to do.

Makoto Niijima:

-Haru, if you would like to speak about anything, please let me know. I am available anytime. If you need anything in general, please reach out.

Makoto reread her message over and over until the elevator stopped at her floor. Was this message even necessary? Haru should know all of the things that the message contained by now.

But what if she doesn't? Does that make me a bad friend? Makoto asked herself as she stepped out of the elevator and began walking to her apartment.

She didn't have an answer to those questions. Apparently, Haru didn't have an answer for her message either. Makoto went into her apartment and immediately got to work on dinner for herself. She figured there'd a least be a simple reply from Haru by the time she was done preparing the food.

She was wrong. Haru hadn't even read the message. Unsure of what to do, Makoto set her phone aside.

We did the right thing today, we did the right thing today, we did the right thing today… Makoto's mantra rang out through her head as she slowly ate her food. We did the right thing by ending the lesson early and sending Haru home.

Sunday, 7/3

Today was the day. Ryuji was seventeen. It didn't feel any different from being sixteen, but adding one to a number was a decent way to celebrate. Another decent way to celebrate would be going out with friends, which is what Ryuji was on his way to do.

He was taking the subway to Shibuya where he, Ren, and Yusuke had planned on meeting up. From there, they planned on going to Shinjuku. In the twenty-four hours since Ryuji had zoned out during the gardening lesson to figure out what was going to happen there, he had made little progress in doing so. Whatever it was, Ryuji was sure it would be good.

He just kind of hoped that it wasn't related to his birthday. Ryuji had a feeling that Ren was planning something since he had learned of Ryuji's birthday. Ryuji had never been a fan of celebrating his own birthday because of the attention that it brought to him. Sure, he liked attention in general, but having people devote their entire day to someone else just seemed lame. Having a birthday celebration was like forcefully making oneself the center of attention.

Ryuji had experienced far too much of that over the past year or so. The Kamoshida incident broke Ryuji's leg, pushed him on stage, and dragged him kicking and screaming into the spotlight. Everyone at Shujin, faculty included, wouldn't shut up about how much of a delinquent that one blonde kid was for months on end. Even worse was that they made sure his mother heard about it.

Kobayakawa was a prick, but that asshole had made his mother cry. Ryuji wouldn't forgive him. Ryuji also couldn't forgive himself because he knew he played a role in his mom crying. That tainted any interaction he had with his mom from then on because the incident with Kamoshida would influence those interactions.

Breakfast in bed? It was a week after his leg was broken and Ryuji had bitched about the incident all week long.

A new videogame? It was because Ryuji wasn't running anymore and had no friends to hang out with.

New casual clothes? Ryuji's mom was probably hoping that the other Shujin students would think they were cool and befriend Ryuji.

She was always well-intentioned, but Ryuji hated that Kamoshida was still influencing his life. Well, not nearly as much as he was months before. His leg, while still not in peak condition, was healed. He had friends to hang out with. He didn't need to care about what other students at Shujin thought. He didn't have to dismiss positive attention anymore.

Or so he thought. The idea of Ren and Yusuke spending an entire day just for Ryuji's birthday still upset him a little. He would be grateful if they were going to do so, but he would prefer it was just them three hanging out for the sake of hanging out.

He'd get his answer soon enough. The subway arrived in Shibuya. Ryuji got out, walked through the underground and up the stairs to reach the station square. He was supposed to meet Ren and Yusuke here, but he didn't see th-

"Hey, man," a voice said from behind Ryuji.

Ryuji wheeled around to recognize Ren. "Hey, Ren! Wassup?"

"Eh, not much. Get any sleep last night?"

"Hell no. This new game came out where you defend the galaxy from these crazy aliens called the Jeepers!" Ryuji excitedly said before his face settled into a braggadocious expression. "Played all night on the hardest difficulty."

"Bullshit."

"Nah, I'm for real! I'll send you a screenshot when I get-"

"Good afternoon," said a monotone voice that Ryuji recognized immediately. Yusuke joined the two.

"Alright, that's everyone," Ren said. "You guys ready to get going to Shinjuku?"

"Do you even need to ask?!" It would be an understatement to say Ryuji was excited. A day out in Shinjuku with the boys! Who wouldn't be thrilled by that? Shinjuku was a place where anything could happen. Maybe they would meet some girls, maybe they would sneak into a bar, maybe they would even-

"Dude, seriously?" Ryuji questioned.

"Relax, I'll just be a minute. It's just a quick trip to the bathroom," Ren said before walking away from Ryuji and Yusuke. As soon as they had arrived in Shinjuku, Ren's bladder had decided to ruin the moment.

Of all the possible things they could do when first arriving in Shinjuku, taking a bathroom break was last on Ryuji's list. "Ugh, whatever," Ryuji muttered.

"Ren's kidneys have remarkably poor timing," Yusuke commented.

"Tell me about it. We're supposed to be having this big day in Shinjuku, and he just has to piss all over it!"

"I believe he'd actually be pissing in a toi-"

"Yeah, it's a figure of speech. I guess it's not that bad… only a few minutes, right?" Ryuji said with a chuckle.

"Only a few minutes," Yusuke. Being arguably the most interesting person in GRAVY, Yusuke was surprisingly difficult to converse with. He didn't provide much in a back-and-forth, and he shared few interests with Ryuji.

"So…" Ryuji began as he stared through the bright lights and the sea of people that came with Shinjuku. "What do ya do to kill time?"

"I watch people."

"Okaaay, I'm guessing you also murder people on the side?"

"This is true." Ryuji just turned to look questionably at Yusuke, discovering that the artist was already looking. "I am joking."

Ryuji nervously chuckled. "Good one…" He turned to look back into the sea of people. He couldn't let Yusuke's… Yusuke-ness get to him. "Did Ren mention any plans for today?"

"He has not. He actually said he wanted to retain the element of surprise."

"Interesting…" Ryuji despised awkward silence. Knowing that one was about to begin, he spoke again. "So what's new with ya, Yusuke? Paint any classics lately?"

Yusuke sighed before speaking, a rare showing of emotion from the stoic artist. "I have not painted much of anything lately. I seem to be going through what is referred to as a 'slump.'"

"A slump, huh? That's not just for painting, ya know. Athletes go through slumps and shit, too," Ryuji explained.

"Is that what you're going through as well?"

"What?!" Ryuji was stunned by the question.

"Are you going through a slump? Your Shujinstagram bio says you run all the time, but you seem to do very little besides play video games in your free time."

Jeez… lay off a little, Yusuke. I know that he doesn't mean to be rude, but that was just cold. Eh, can't fault the guy. He's a weird one, Ryuji thought to himself.

"I do other stuff!" Ryuji protested, growing frustrated as he thought more about his lack of a response. "I… uh… eff, how is Ren still taking a piss?!"

"Perhaps he has lied to us."

"Eh, wouldn't put it past him. But what would he do instead?" Ryuji mused, happy that the subject of conversation had switched.

"Spend time with Makoto?" Yusuke suggested.

"No way. I don't think he'd ditch like that."

"Who'd ditch like what?" a new voice said.

"Ren, and he'd- oh shit, hey Ren!" Ryuji realized.

"Sorry I took so long. There was a line," Ren quickly explained. "Come on, let's get moving."

The trio began walking through the crowded streets, passing by cheap shops filled with useless goods and clubs that weren't open this early in the day. They stopped at an intersection as Ren glanced down a narrow street. He shook his head for Ryuji and Yusuke to follow him.

"Dude, all the cool shit is that way!" Ryuji pointed in the opposite direction of where they were walking.

"There's at least one cool thing over here," Ren said as he kept walking.

"Like what?"

"A fortune-teller." Ren stopped in front of a woman sitting at a table. She had a tarot deck on said table. The woman herself was exactly what one would expect a fortune teller to look like: mystifying attire, weirdly colored eyes, and the obligatory headband. Ren looked upon the fortune-teller as if he knew her before extending a hand towards her. "Meet Chihaya."

Chihaya looked up at Ryuji and Yusuke. "Hello."

Ryuji and Yusuke both nodded back. "We really gonna do fortune-telling?"

"Fuck yeah, we're gonna do fortune-telling," Ren said with a grin. "Volunteers?" Unsurprisingly, none of them were eager to be analyzed by the strange woman. Ren didn't seem to mind and spoke again. "Oh, thanks for volunteering to go first Ryuji," he said.

"Wha- hey! I didn't-"

"I see many great things in your future, Ryuji-kun," Chihaya mused. "Sit and I may tell you more…"

Fortune telling may have been a dumb way to kill time, but the woman was definitely enticing to Ryuji. Besides, it was free so far. Ryuji took a seat across from the woman. Ren and Yusuke stood behind him.

"Do I need to, uh… do anything?"

"Just place your hand in mine and remain calm, please," Chihaya kindly instructed. As Ryuji did so, she began shifting the tarot deck around on the table with her free hand. After a few seconds of aimlessly moving the cards, she stopped and placed her hand on one before turning it over. "The Lovers."

Holy shit! Who's it gonna be?! Who's gonna be my lover?! Ryuji frantically thought.

Ren playfully shoved Ryuji's shoulder. "Told ya this was a good idea."

Ryuji wanted to bounce around with excitement over his fortune, but he had been told to remain calm. He was so enraptured with learning his future that he didn't want to interrupt the process in the slightest way.

"Tell me more!" Ryuji could barely contain himself.

"Well… um…" Chihaya took the hand that she was moving the cards with and placed it at her edge of the table, the palm facing her. Ryuji barely caught her eyes glancing down towards her hand before she spoke, but he thought nothing of it. "Er… the… the Lovers means that the, um, hoes will flock?"

Ryuji heard a snicker from Ren behind him. Not wanting Chihaya to be distracting by Ren, he quickly attempted to silence Ren. "Hey, man! This is serious shit!"

"Yeah, my bad," Ren strained to say instead of laughing.

"What else ya got?!" Ryuji excitedly asked.

Chihaya used her free hand to feel around the spaced-out cards for another one. She found one and turned it over. "The Moon."

"Yeah? What's it mean?"

"I feel the presence of a location that abided by the moon… it is in your future…" Chihaya said, her eyes closed as if it enhanced her foresight.

"Ah, that's cryptic as eff… eh, at least the hoes will flock…" Ryuji muttered, still excited by the prediction of success in his romantic life. "Alright, I'm bored. Either of you guys wanna give it a shot?"

"Forgive me, but artists that dabble in fortune tend to have staggered output," Yusuke denied.

"Suit yourself. Ren?"

"Why not," Ren said as he took Ryuji's place in the seat.

"Okay, Ren, you know what to do," Chihaya said.

They know each other? How the hell did Ren meet this chick?! Ryuji considered before dismissing the thought so he could spectate the reading. Ren had already placed his hand into Chihaya's and she was moving the cards around.

"Let's see…" she stopped and flipped one over. "The Hermit. You'll be asking many questions in the near future, Ren."

"Isn't fortune-telling supposed to create fewer questions?"

"Quiet," Chihaya silenced him. "And…" she grabbed another card and flipped it over. As she did so, her eyes went wide. "A hanged man."

"The Hanged Man? What's that mean?" Ryuji asked from behind Ren.

"No, a hanged man… Ren, is everything alright?" Chihaya concernedly asked.

The eff is that supposed to mean?! Ryuji mentally yelled.

"Um, yeah. Better than ever."

"Perhaps you should check in with the people you know…" Chihaya advised. "I'm sorry… let's end this now, alright?"

That was not what Ren expected to happen. The plan was just for Ryuji to get his fortune read, for Chihaya to read the funny line that Ren had provided for a few extra yen, and then to leave for the next part of the day. Ren had agreed to the fortune reading, but that was not what he wanted to happen.

A hanged man? As in suicide? Fucking hell, how can she just drop that on me and just want to end the reading?!

Chihaya was packing the cards back into a deck, but Ren prevented her from doing so by reaching out and grabbing her wrist. She jumped at the contact. "Hey! What the hell do you mean a hanged man?!"

Ren was worried that he was getting a bit too upset, but he knew that he was in the right. For Chihaya to suggest something that dire, especially with what was happening with Haru was a flag so red that it put communists to shame.

"I'm sorry, Ren. I really am. I don't know. I touched the card and saw it. Someone… hanging…" Chihaya was obviously nervous, and Ren was finally realizing how tight his grip was on her wrist. As he loosened it, Chihaya continued. "I couldn't feel anything more than that. I'm sorry."

Fuck… and she was right when I got that one fortune-telling from her about death and shit. Look what happened to Kaneshiro. Now, she's predicting this… what the hell am I supposed to think?

"Shit…" Ren released his hand. "Sorry about that…"

"Please don't worry about it, as long as you make sure to check up on everyone you know, okay?" Chihaya asked, rubbing her wrist. When Ren didn't immediately respond, she spoke again. "Okay, Ren?"

"Yeah, alright."

Chihaya continued packing her things. It appeared as if Ren's reading was troubling enough to make her want to go home. It was certainly troubling enough for Ren to put a damper on his mood. He didn't want to ruin Ryuji's birthday, so he did his best to smile while he stood up from the chair and turned to his two companions.

"Dude! The eff was that?!" Ryuji asked.

Is he asking about the fortune or me freaking out on Chihaya? Probably the fortune. He definitely heard it. He doesn't know about the first one that Chihaya did, right? I could pass this off as bullshit to calm him down.

Ren led the group away from Chihaya so she wouldn't hear him slandering her prediction. "Relax, it's just some bullshit she made up so she could get more money out of us, you know? It's like telling someone that they're gonna die to get their attention. When they desperately ask you about their death, you charge them money to hear the full prediction. It's just a business practice."

"Pretty scummy business," Ryuji muttered as he glanced back over at Chihaya in the alley, still packing up her things. "If it's just a scam, why'd you get really intense all of the sudden, huh?"

"I didn't think about it," Ren rationalized. It was a shitty explanation, but maybe it was enough for everyone to go back to having a good time. "But after I grabbed Chihaya's wrist, I thought about why she would say something like that. Think about it, guys, it's all for the money."

"Does this mean that the hoes will not be flocking to Ryuji?" Yusuke asked.

"Oh no, that's definitely true," Ren immediately answered.

"Damn right it is…" Ryuji said. He seemed satisfied by Ren's explanation of the fortune and was now seeking the next activity. "What's the plan from here?"

"How about a movie at the biggest theater in Shinjuku?"

"The Dark Bite? What kinda name is that for a movie?" Ren asked as the title flashed across the screen.

"Silence, please," Yusuke chided from his left.

The movie began. It detailed the story of Ratman, a hero who dealt exclusively in finding and destroying cakes used for drug trafficking. He would break into bakeries and warehouses, taking chunks out of every cake he could find to make sure that they weren't filled with heroin. One could never be sure whether a cake was simply just a cake.

As the film progressed, a villain came into the fold: the Festering Jester. He had devised a plan that would infest the atmosphere of Rotham city with a toxin that would prematurely decompose all baked goods, cakes included. It forced the Ratman into a serious moral quandary: stop the Festering Jester, letting the heroin trafficking continue but letting the thing that he loved most survive. Or would he allow the Festering Jester to succeed, accomplishing his goal and doing Ratman's job for him, but destroying what kept Ratman sane.

All three GRAVY members were enraptured with the film from the beginning to the end, even when the Festering Jester emotionally and physically degraded Rotham and the Ratman's favorite baker into giving up his passion forever. Even if the Ratman beat the Festering Jester, he had already won a different battle.

When the film finally ended, it was nearly dinner time. The trio left the theater to discuss their next course of action outside the theater. As they emerged from the dark theater, the bright, hypnotic, disorienting lights of Shinjuku forced them to close their eyes for a second or two. Ren rubbed his eyes and then spoke.

"I made dinner reservations for a place, but it's in Akihabara. You guys down to go there, or would you rather stay?"

"Nah, let's go to Akihabara. Shinjuku after dinner time gets… it gets weird," Ryuji concluded before the three departed for the subway.

Ryuji hadn't been to Akihabara in quite a while, but it was still his favorite part of Tokyo. The overwhelming amount of manga, video games, and the like was blissful for the former runner. He hadn't gone much because he had stopped buying physical copies of games a while ago, and most manga that he was reading these days could be ordered for delivery online. Still, being able to see so many interesting things in one place was quite the spectacle.

However, that was about to change. Ren stopped walking after they had gained a bit of distance from the station. "Alright, Ryuji, hear me out," he began as he fished around in his pockets before producing what looked like a blindfold. "You gotta wear it for-"

"The eff man?! You tryna kidnap me?!" Ryuji was more than weirded out.

"Yeah, it's a little strange, but just trust me. Plus, I'll buy you dinner if you wear it."

Shit… he drives a hard bargain. Free dinner but I have to get kidnapped… eff it, Ryuji thought before he snatched the blindfold from Ren. He wrapped it around his head and tied it himself.

"Gimme a hand with walking and shit, 'kay?"

"Of course. Yusuke, could you help out?" Ren's voice asked. Yusuke didn't verbally respond but Ryuji did hear the artist shuffling behind him. "Great. Let's get going. It's not too far, so this won't be that bad."

They began walking, with Yusuke steering Ryuji. Ren had grabbed hold of Ryuji's right wrist and was lightly tugging it forward as well. As they walked, Ryuji considered what the blindfold was for. It must be for dinner, considering that that's why we're here. But then where the eff are we eating? And why is a blindfold important to the experience? And why am I the only one who has to wear it? ...Wait… this is for my birthday, isn't it? Aw shit. Eh, I had fun so far. Maybe this won't be that bad.

They continued walking and came to a stop. Ryuji could hear a few whispers relating to "that blonde kid with a blindfold," but he disregarded the words. He had grown used to whispers like that from his time at Shujin and was able to tune them out pretty quickly.

"We're gonna go up some stairs, alright?" Ren said.

"Yeah, just get it over with," Ryuji muttered. He hadn't been walking with the blindfold for long, but it was still pretty damn frustrating.

One by one, they climbed the steps. There weren't as many as Ryuji expected, and the trio soon reached the peak of wherever they were.

"And we've made it to the homestretch. Sorry about this, Ryuji, but could you cover your ears? Need to maintain the surprise and shit, ya know?' Ren said at the top.

"Man, this better be the best damn surprise ever," Ryuji said begrudgingly as he went to cover his ears, but stopped when he heard Yusuke speak.

"Perhaps if he plugged his ears with his fingers it would block more sound."

"Nope. Not doing that. That's effi-" Ryuji began but was cut off when Yusuke continued.

"I could do it if you don't want to," Yusuke offered oh-so kindly.

"Yeah, Ryuji. Let Yusuke put his fingers in your ears," Ren said with his trademark sarcasm.

"Dude…" Ryuji covered his own ears, both to adhere to Ren's request and to prevent any unwanted fingers from going in. "Let's just go in the effing place."

Ryuji was led blindly and deafly into a warmer building. He felt the softness of a carpet beneath his feet. They momentarily stopped for a reason that Ryuji didn't know before they continued walking. They stopped after a few more seconds of walking. Ryuji felt vibrations coming from his left on the ground. Someone tapped his shoulder as well. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he took it as a sign to take his hands off his ears.

"Sit in the chair to your left," Ren said with a slightly raised voice. Ryuji could hear the background noise of what sounded like people eating and talking. He couldn't isolate any of the noise, so he still had no clues as to where he was besides a restaurant.

Ryuji was guided into sitting down in the cushioned chair, which wasn't as difficult as he had assumed it would be. When he was comfortably seated, he felt the blindfold loosen before it fell away. The sight before Ryuji's eyes made his day. No, his week. Actually, his year. Eff it, his lifetime.

He was seated at a small, round table. Ren was taking a seat to his left, and Yusuke was doing the same on his right side. Directly across from Ryuji on the other side of the table stood a maid in all her glory, beaming at Ryuji.

"Good evening, master!" she said, emphasizing the last word.

Ryuji was about to faint. He looked around the restaurant more, only to realize where he was: a maid café. Maids walked from table to table serving food and speaking with customers. The pink walls were covered in posters of maids and other relevant visuals.

I'm in heaven, Ryuji thought to himself. Best fucking birthday ever. Hey, the maid's still looking at me… shit! I have to respond or else I'll look weird!

"Er… heee," Ryuji blissfully replied.

"My name is Clara." The maid said as she gave a cute laugh at Ryuji's lack of social skills. "Tonight is all about you master! I've even heard that it's your birthday." Ryuji nodded as intensely as his head would allow. "Congratulations, master! Anyway, here are your guys' menus. I'll be right back to take your order!"

The maid walked away after she passed out menus for the trio. Ryuji was still in shock, as he was still taking in the incredible café.

"So… whaddya think?" Ren asked.

"Effing awesome."

"I'm glad," Ren said as he began flipping through the menu. "You guys wanna get omelets for dinner? They're what this place is known for."

"I'm tryna have Clara for dinner," Ryuji mumbled under his breath, but that didn't stop Ren and Yusuke from catching it.

"Public cannibalism is often looked down upon, Ryuji."

"Uh… what he said," Ren reaffirmed. "Omelets it is, then."

The maid returned shortly and took their orders. Ren attempted to make small talk between the three, but Ryuji was too infatuated with the sights and Yusuke was too Yusuke. Ren didn't seem to mind, as he had a smile on his face. Perhaps he was just happy that Ryuji was enjoying himself.

They didn't have to wait long for food. Clara returned briefly with their food. They all got to work on eating, Yusuke absolutely devouring his food. Ren ate at a controlled pace, and Ryuji was still too hypnotized to eat at more than a snail's pace. He'd eventually get through most of the omelet.

"Good shit," he said as he chewed his last bite.

"I must agree. The food was surprisingly delicious."

"For sure. But that's not the last part…" Ren hinted. He turned to Clara, who was walking away from serving a nearby table, and called her over. "Clara!" He caught her attention and she immediately came to their table. That beaming smile from before was still plastered across her face. "Could we get a birthday cake, please?"

"Of course! Would you like to hear the Maid's Song with it?"

"No, I think we-"

Oh, no you don't, Ryuji thought before he took action.

"Fuck yeah!" he nearly yelled, slapping Ren hard on the arm to get him to shut up. "We wanna hear the Maid's Song!"

"Very well, master. I'll be back soon!" Clara said before she turned and walked away.

When she was out of earshot, Ryuji slapped Ren's arm again. "How dare you deny the Maid's Song!"

"Sorry, sorry… didn't know it was this important to you."

"Not just me, Ren," Ryuji said before pointing to Yusuke. "Look at 'em. He wants to hear the Maid's Song!"

Ren looked at Yusuke and quizzically raised an eyebrow. "He does?"

Ryuji turned to Yusuke. The artist's face displayed little emotion, but that was expected. Ryuji knew that deep down, Yusuke wanted to hear the Maid's Song.

"You do, dontcha?" Ryuji asked.

"I would. I believe that anyone is capable of strokes of genius, and these maids could be up to it," Yusuke said, his arms crossed.

"Okay, dude, it's just some hot maids singing a song," Ryuji said, not sure if Yusuke was joking with how serious he was about the Maid's Song. "Don't expect some genre-defining shit."

"When one expects less than perfection, art dies."

"This guy just gave us a thesis on how art dies while we're sitting in a fucking maid café," Ren summarized with a chuckle. "This may be the best day of my life."

"Yeah, yeah. You think they- here they come!" Ryuji declared and pointed to a single-file line of five maids approaching the table with a giant birthday cake in the middle.

"Holy shit. I didn't think the cake would be that big, but I think I've learned to never underestimate maids," Ren said. There was a slyness to his voice like there was an extra layer to what he was saying. Ryuji didn't really care, considering what was about to happen.

"Hello, masters!" the maids said in unison as they set the giant cake down on the table. Candles burned across the cake. "This is the Maid's Song!"

My body is ready, Ryuji thought as the maids began.

"We love our master, today is for him! It is his birthday, so we perform his every whim! We will do nothing less than pleasing our master, because less would mean disaster! Our master reigns supreme, life without our master is a bad dream! So today is for you, our precious master. Let us serve you, and grow your happiness faster!"

Besides the normal noise of the restaurant, the maids stood in silence after their song concluded. Feeling the need to fill the silence, Ryuji began to applaud.

"Heh, yeah! That was awesome!"

"Thank you, master!" Clara said, speaking for all the maids. "Let us cut your cake for you!"

They did that, serving a slice to each of the three. After the cake had been cut and the slices had been served, the maids took the giant cake and went back to the kitchen.

"Guess we don't get to eat the whole thing," Ren said as he watched the maids take the cake away.

"Eh, not like we would finish it anyway. Besides, that would've been at least ten thousand yen."

"Good point," Ren said as he took a bite of the cake. He chewed and swallowed before speaking again. "You guys like the song?"

"Course we liked the song! It was fire!" Ryuji said while chewing.

"I must disagree. The simplistic rhyme schemes failed to portray the maids' devotions to us, and the final bar ended awkwardly," Yusuke critiqued.

"Well shit, go to the other maid cafes in Tokyo and review their music while you're at it," Ryuji joked. "You're taking it too seriously."

"Ryuji's right, Yusuke. You should loosen up a little," Ren said as he took another bite of cake. "But you're right about that last rhyme. That was awkward."

"You come up with something better, then!" Ryuji challenged, feeling a little offended even though it wasn't his song.

"'Boy, do I love my master, I want to make his heartbeat faster'" Ren immediately muttered.

"Oh, that is good!" Ryuji said. "Yusuke, you got anything?"

"Hm…" Yusuke stopped eating for a few seconds. "Oh! 'I would like my master to fuck me on the sink. After that, gimme something to drink.'"

Ryuji spat his cake out, and he saw Ren do the same out of the corner of his eye. "What the shit, dude?!"

Yusuke shrugged as if he hadn't said the strangest thing Ryuji had ever heard. "It would fit the themes of complete and utter devotion while lending a comedic tone."

"Sure, whatever…" Ryuji said, smiling a little bit at how weird Yusuke was.

"Also, I was told to loosen up," Yusuke added.

"Good point, but, uh… eh, good enough. You're right, Yusuke," Ren concluded as he pulled out his phone for a second. "Perfect timing." He tapped the phone a few times, then handed it to Ryuji. "Happy birthday, man."

"Aw come on, you shouldn't ha-" As Ryuji took the phone, he saw who was on screen. Ann and Makoto were both smiling at him, and his face was covered in cake frosting.

"Happy birthday, Ryuji!" they said. "Having fun?"

"Mhm," Ryuji said as he swallowed the cake that was in his mouth. "We're at a maid café."

Both girls' faces dropped. "You're where?!" Makoto demanded.

"Eh heh, just a joke," Ryuji quickly attempted to save the conversation. "We're just at a diner in Shinjuku," he said nervously.

"Show me."

"Uh… we- her- hey, I think it's brea- up. I'm get- bad sig-" Ryuji purposely stuttered before he quickly hung up on them and handed the phone to Ren.

Ren just shook his head at Ryuji, albeit in a joking manner. "I've never seen someone fail so hard."

"Whatever man. You're not the one that the hoes will be flocking to," Ryuji boasted as he went back to eating his cake.

Ren laughed. "I'm sure. You have a good birthday, Ryuji?"

"The best in a long time, actually…" he said, actually swallowing his food to speak and look Ren in the eyes. "So thanks for that." He also looked at Yusuke. "Both of you."

"It was no issue," Yusuke said, actually forming a smile on his face. "I enjoyed myself as well."

"Maybe you could write a new song for them to use here," Ryuji jokingly suggested.

"I dunno if they would accept it. I was doing some research about this place the other day and you know what I learned?" Ren began before answering this own question. "Motherfucking Risette wrote that song to promote the place."

"No way… that's sick!"

"Yeah. She even sings it at concerts sometimes. I was surprised you didn't know it."

"Hey man, I think I speak for the entire Risette fan base when I say that I'm more interested in Risette for her looks than her music," Ryuji said as he finished his slice of cake. "Alright, let's get outta here."

Ren had already paid, so the trio was able to leave as soon as everyone was done. Without deliberation, they went back to the subway station and got on the train. One by one, they got off at their respective stops. Both Ren and Yusuke wished Ryuji a happy birthday again before saying goodbye.

Riding alone on the subway and thinking about the events of the day confirmed something to Ryuji if there was ever any doubt in his mind: he was accepted. He had friends who went out of their way to give him an awesome day because they cared about him, not because they pitied him because of his injury, or thought that he could use the social activity.

They planned a birthday for him because they enjoyed spending time with him. Ryuji smiled at the thought. With all the happy thoughts that were going through his head, he forgot the negative ones.

Including Chihaya's prediction for Ren.

A/N: And I'm back. Really sorry for how long the break was. I was feeling uninspired for a period of time and had a lot of school work to deal with this. I also had a serious addiction to Stardew Valley, so that also contributed to the break. Curse that game's flawless design. Anyway, I can't go directly into the 7 day upload schedule. I'm thinking that I'll do uploads every 7-10 days until I'm done with school, which is the 11th of June. After that, I'll be free to drop 12,000 word chapters every week.

This chapter was going to have an additional scene at the end of it, but it would've taken another day to complete. The scene is also a complete tonal shift from what this chapter is, so it would feel like a strange way to end a chapter. I didn't want to delay the chapter any more after how long it's been.

Thank you guys for waiting, and thanks even more for reading. I'm going to try and keep uploading at least until the end of Act II, so no breaks for a while. See you guys soon with 41.