Sunday, 7/24

The Renji Fanclub

Ann Takamaki:

-We should hang out tomorrow! We can plan for Iwatodai, too.

Makoto Niijima:

-I'll go.

Haru Okumura:

-Me as well.

Ann Takamaki:

-Great. I'll tell you guys where to meet tomorrow morning!

Makoto put her phone down and continued making her bed.

Monday, 7/25

Makoto's phone rung while she finished up her breakfast. She answered and held the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"How does Harajuku sound for a day trip?" Ann's voice said from the other end.

Makoto never really went to Harajuku. She had been a few times when she was younger, but now she never really had a reason to go. The only reason that there would be was to buy new clothes, and Makoto certainly didn't need that. She wore the Shujin uniform most days of the year and had enough varying attire to cover any occasion that didn't require Shujin clothes.

But was Makoto going to say no to Ann and pass on spending time with a friend? "It sounds like fun." No, she was not. "Is Haru coming? Should I meet you any-"

"Yes, and the plan is to meet outside this café on Takeshita Street called…"

Makoto had made it through the horrifyingly crowded street to the café that Ann told her about, spotting Ann and Haru seated at a table next to the window. Haru caught Makoto's gaze and waved Makoto over. The student council president took a seat with her friends.

"Trouble finding us?" Ann asked. She had a cup of tea in both hands, but she was still resting it on the table.

Makoto shook her head. "It's crowded, even more than Shibuya, but it's easy to navigate."

Haru nodded. "Same for me. I got here just a minute ago." As she said that, a server came by to take Makoto and Haru's orders. They both got the same tea as Ann, and put in orders for some lunch food for the three of them.

And now for the hard part… what do we talk about? Do I have to start the conversation? Well, I can't bring up Sugimura. I'm sure Haru's heard more than enough of that name. Talking about exams during summer is pointless, for them at least. That leaves… Makoto couldn't really come up with something, but Ann spoke anyway.

"So, what's fun in Iwatodai, Haru?"

Haru smiled and Makoto immediately knew that she and Ann were in for a lot of information. "Well, the house is on the beach, so that's the most obvious thing to do. We can also go into town, there's a variety of things to do there. We could go to Tatsumi Port Island. There's a famous high school there-"

"No way is Ryuji letting us go there," Ann cut in with a laugh, which the others shared. "If he comes, I mean. Sorry for interrupting, Haru."

"No worries. There are a few tourist attractions, like the Moonlight Bridge and Paulownia Mall," Haru concluded. For a few seconds, she let the info drop sink in before remembrance struck her face. "Oh, and we have a boat."

"What?!" The revelation had shocked Ann with excitement. "You have a damn boat?!"

"Yes. It's a sailboat. I have a boating license, but I haven't really put it to use. If we wanted to, we could go out on the water for a day."

Ann turned to Makoto, then back to Haru. "We're doing a boat day."

"That sounds fun," Makoto added. She felt like the conversation was leaving her behind, though she didn't know why. Maybe she didn't talk enough.

"God, Ryuji's gonna freak when we tell him about the boat," Ann said before breaking into an impression. "'An effing boat?! Eff yeah, we're using the boat!'"

"Ann, that's basically what you said but with Ryuji's vulgarity," Makoto said. Ann made playful evil eyes at Makoto, and Haru giggled. The food arrived shortly after, and the three began eating.

Makoto didn't want the conversation to stop. She blamed herself whenever something like that happened. With little to talk about, and genuine interest in knowing, Makoto figured she'd ask about how Haru was doing.

"How's everything been, Haru?" Makoto asked. Thankfully for her, Haru's cheerful demeanor was unchanged after the question.

"Both the Sugimuras are gone, father is trying to be friendlier to me, and I have my life back, so it's an improvement." Ann didn't know as much as Makoto about the marriage, but Makoto knew she would not delve beyond what Haru was saying. Makoto noted Ann doing that. "I think the only actual issue has been the media coming to the building. Father has had to hire extra security to keep them at a reasonable distance."

"They'll leave in a week, when so-and-so the politician has an affair with some TV announcer," Ann said.

"Or they could go away when the Prince makes his next move," Makoto added.

"Oh yeah, they've got to be starving for anything they can get on that," Ann said as she looked through the window into the crowd that walked past the café. "I'm sure if we were out there right now, we'd hear at least a few whispers about the Prince and Sugimura's death. It's what people want to hear about."

"It's what I want to hear about," Haru said. "It makes me nervous that something like this could happen, even if… well…" Instead of finishing her sentence, Haru gestured into the air and took another bite from her food. For Makoto, it was obvious what Haru was going to say.

Even if Sugimura's death helped her, Makoto mentally completed.

"Yep, for sure. I wonder who's next," Ann said. "Maybe it's another dirty politician, or someone like Kamoshida," Ann said before her face got a little angry. "Actually, where the hell was the Prince when that was happening? If he's going to be so just and whatever, why didn't he help then?"

Makoto knew. "Because it's not big enough news." Ann and Haru turned towards Makoto with surprised expressions. "A mob boss the police aren't able to catch has a supposed heart attack after turning himself in. The man who was going to be prime minister hangs himself in front of millions." Haru winced at the memory, and Makoto couldn't blame her. "The Prince isn't just. He has an agenda, and claiming justice is part of that." The mood of the table had noticeably taken a turn for the worse. Makoto believed she had to turn it around. "But even if he has an agenda, he's kept to taking care of the worst of the worst."

The table eased back into a more positive tone as they continued their lunch.

"Whaddya guys think?" Ann asked as she emerged from the changing room. She had taken the group through some of the clothing stores on Takeshita Street with the goal of finding new outfits for summer, specifically for vacationing in Iwatodai. Haru had found something and was waiting to try it on. Makoto, indecisive as she was, could not find something that she liked.

Ann looked stunning. She had picked out a white crop top with a neon design in the center and denim shorts accompanied by a striking red belt. If Makoto ever picked out any clothes to try on, she doubted she would come close to Ann.

"Wow, amazing!" Haru said of the outfit.

"You look great," Makoto said.

"You think so?" Ann asked. "What if I… made some changes?" Ann pulled a pair of red sunglasses out of her back pocket and put them on. She posed.

"Perfect," Haru said. Makoto seconded that sentiment with a nod.

"I'll go with this then," Ann said before she went back into the changing room to put on the clothes she had been wearing.

While she was changing, Haru struck up a conversation. "So what day do you think we should leave for Iwatodai?"

It was hard to say. Makoto didn't really have anything she needed to do over the summer, besides meet with the student council at least once. There were things she wanted to do, but they weren't time dependent. The only thing that Makoto took into consideration was that the other uniformed half would probably need some time to prepare. "I don't know… early August?" she vaguely suggested.

"That's what I was thinking. I'm guessing that we would stay for five days, because some people in GRAVY have jobs and other things to do, so I wouldn't want to drag them away from that for too long. We'll take two days for driving there and back, so we'll have three full days in Iwatodai."

"How long is the drive?"

"A few hours, but it's not that bad," Haru said. Makoto hoped her friend was right. She had never gone on a road trip, and she was a little worried how well she would take to being stuck in a car for hours.

Ann interrupted their conversation by coming out of the changing room. She had the clothes that she had picked out on hangers in her hands. "Anyone wanna use that?" she asked, motioning behind her to the changing room.

"I'll go," Haru said, taking the few clothes she had found with her. Ann took Haru's spot next to Makoto.

"What were you guys talking about?"

"Iwatodai, just when we should go. What do you think?"

"Hm…" Ann considered it for a few seconds. "Early August. Gives us time to plan, and when we get back, it gives us time to kick back and relax for the rest of the summer."

"That's what Haru and I were saying…"

"I'm sure the guys will agree with that. Gives them plenty of time to do absolutely nothing after we get back," Ann joked. "Speaking of, what do you think they're doing right now?"

"Ryuji, your hypothetical continues to inspire thought," Yusuke said as he and Ryuji played Rash Toes while Ren was in the kitchen making some food. For once, Yusuke tried to maintain secrecy and kept his voice down. "If Medusa was interested in sexual relations, I would. For the art, of course."

"See?! I'm telling ya, it'd be a good thing. I mean, shit, I'd let her turn me to stone."

"You'd let who turn you to stone?" Ren casually asked as he walked over with a plate of food and sat on a chair to watch the Rash Toes game, which Yusuke was winning.

"Your mom," Ryuji replied, laughing at his own juvenility.

"Man, that's my thing," Ren said with a chuckle.

"Mom jokes are your thing?"

"Yes. I've trademarked them," Ren said as he ate. "Just like I've trademarked your mom."

"That is not good, Ryuji," Yusuke said as he killed Ryuji's character on screen. "I would not want someone in my family to be reduced to intellectual property."

"Man…" Ryuji laughed at Yusuke being Yusuke. "Whatever."

"They're probably still asleep," Makoto answered as she checked her phone for the time.

"Yeah, probably. Sucks for them. Early bird gets the worm!" Ann emphasized as she looked at Makoto, which made her realize something. "Hey, you don't have any clothes picked out!"

"I-I wasn't sure what to-" Makoto felt oddly embarrassed about it, but Ann didn't let that last.

"Come on. Let's go find you something," she said as she took Makoto by the arm to find clothes while Haru tried things on.

Haru had shown off her outfit, a white striped pink dress with a white bolero jacket over it. Both Makoto and Ann had given the Okumura heiress her fair share of compliments.

Now it was Makoto's turn. Ann had taken Makoto through the store, grabbing any clothes she could find. Makoto rejected most of them, but Ann kept the ones Makoto didn't say no to. Ann eventually found clothes that seemed to correlate enough that they would form a cohesive outfit.

Makoto went into the changing room, beginning the process of switching clothes. She emerged a minute or two later, ready to see what her friends thought. To Makoto's surprise, both Ann and Haru excitedly gazed upon her while she couldn't even meet their eyes.

Makoto was wearing a leather crop top jacket over a white t-shirt. She also had black leather pants that went down to her shins. As she turned ninety degrees to look at herself in the mirror, she grew more fond of the outfit. It looked great with her brown hair.

Ann certainly knows how to shop, Makoto thought, not giving herself nearly enough credit. I'll go with this.

"I like it," she said.

"Ren's gonna like that," Haru teased. Makoto turned, playfully scolded her friend, and then went back to the changing room to put on her previous clothes.

Tuesday, 7/26

Ren Amamiya:

-Want to grab lunch at this ramen place in Ogikubo?

Makoto Niijima:

-Sure. Meet me in the lobby in fifteen minutes?

Ren Amamiya:

-Bet.

Ren had barely finished typing when he jumped out of bed to get ready.

Ren and Makoto arrived at the ramen shop a little after noon. They swiftly got seated and put in orders for noodles.

"I like your outfit," Ren almost immediately noted.

He does…? Great, Makoto thought. She had worn the clothes that she had purchased the day prior, sort of as a test to see if they truly looked good or not. Now, she had her answer.

"Oh, thanks. Just some clothes that I got for-" Makoto stopped herself. Ren didn't know about Iwatodai. But what was the harm in telling him before Haru sent plans out to the uniformed members of GRAVY? "I think we're going on a trip with everyone in GRAVY, and I got these clothes for that."

"A trip?" Ren raised an eyebrow. "I'm the Lord of-"

"GRAVY-esque Goodness, as you like to mention so often," Makoto teased, getting a smirk out of Ren. "Haru has been planning it, so she only told Ann and me about it. She's going to send out the full plans soon. Guess where we're going," Makoto ordered, lacking her student council president authority.

"North Sentinel Island?"

"Iwatodai," Makoto corrected. "It's a coastal city. Haru has a beach house there."

"Hold the fuck up, a beach h-"

"And a boat."

"Damn."

Makoto laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm excited," she said before she rested her smile to ask the big question. "Do you think you'd be able to go?"

Ren rubbed the back of his head and looked out the window. "All depends on Iori. Without him knowing and telling the people in charge of my probation, I can't leave Tokyo."

"He'll say yes, you know," Makoto reminded. Iori didn't seem like a tough person to convince, especially if Ren caught him at the right time.

"Oh, that's not what I'm worried about," Ren said as he rested his arms on the counter in front of them and faced Makoto. "He's gonna find some bullshit to squeeze in because that's what he is; a shit squeezer."

Makoto laughed at the vulgar idea. "There wasn't another comparison you could think of?"

"I'm telling you how it is, Makoto," Ren said with a sigh. "He'll fuck something up, but I'll be able to go."

"That's great," Makoto said before moving on to the next big reveal. "Also, sis came home the other day."

"Yeah?"

"Told her about your score, and I convinced her we can have you over for dinner one night."

"Like… me, you, and her?"

Makoto felt a little offended. Of course Sae was going to be there. Ren would have to get along with Sae eventually if Makoto wanted to keep this up.

Do I want to keep whatever this is up? Makoto asked herself. She didn't even need to answer it. She did. It was fun, to say the very least.

"Yes, Ren. There's nothing to worry about, and she's not that bad."

"She could break every bone in my body if I say the wrong thing."

"Then don't say the wrong thing."

"You ask too much of me, milady," Ren said, exaggerating his voice to sound sarcastically proper. "It's like second nature for me to fuck up."

"Ren, that's not true." Makoto said that without thinking about it. Was it true? Did Ren have a tendency to fuck up? Perhaps. Makoto hadn't noticed. She was more focused on her own screw-ups than his.

A giant bowl of ramen being shoved into his face stopped Ren from continuing the conversation. Makoto got hers as well. "Whatever. Let's just eat."

As they ate, Makoto thought about what Ren said. Is it too much to ask for him to just not say the wrong thing? I don't think so. Ren can keep his composure for an hour, I'm sure. But if he is as prone to messing up as he says… Sae will not be happy. What should I do? Makoto toiled over the answer as she toiled over her gigantic bowl of ramen, which was actually quite delicious. Eventually, she came up with a plan. I can help Ren get ready for the dinner to make sure he doesn't disappoint Sae, or accidentally ruin something. It'll be like studying for the exams, right?

"Ren, about dinner. If you're so worried about screwing up, how about you let me train you?"

"What, like teach me karate so I can beat up your sister when she tries to kick my ass?"

"Looking cool, joker," Makoto said with a laugh. "What I mean is that I'd prepare you so that you don't 'fuck up' as much as you think you will whenever you come over for dinner."

"Oh… thanks?" Ren seemed confused by the offer, but he hadn't questioned it. Perhaps he considered it crucial.

I guess now all I need to figure out is a date for the… date? No, I can't call it that. Sae will be there. It doesn't matter. What about Sunday? Makoto thought.

"Does this Sunday work for you?" she asked aloud.

"Yeah, sounds good."

The pair continued eating their noodles and continued discussing plans for the summer.

Makoto was reading an old book on the couch when her phone buzzed.

GRAVY

Haru Okumura:

-Ren, Ryuji, and Yusuke, would you guys be interested in joining in on the GRAVacation?

The pun was unnecessary, Haru, Makoto thought with a smirk as she expected the responses.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-No question.

Yusuke Kitagawa:

-I may or may not go, depending on the destination. If it is an ugly place I, Yusuke Kitagawa, will not be attending.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Yusuke, every effing message you send has your name above it. Don't need to bust out the feudal talk on us, okay?

Ren Amamiya:

-I'll go.

Haru Okumura:

-So everyone is interested in going! Great! There is a house in the Okumura name in the city of Iwatodai. We will leave by van on the first of August, and come back on Friday the fifth.

The first? That means that dinner with Ren will be the night before we leave. I'm sure Sae's going to love that, Makoto thought.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Van?! Who's driving?!

Haru Okumura:

-I will drive. Also, please bring swimwear. It is a beach house, and I believe we will take a day to go out on the water on a boat.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-YOU HAVE A FUCKING BOAT?!

Ann was right about Ryuji's reaction, but he didn't censor himself. He must be really excited, Makoto thought.

Yusuke Kitagawa:

-That could be why she said we'd be using a boat.

Ren Amamiya:

-Yusuke might be right. It's hard to tell.

Makoto shook her head. She could feel Ren's sarcasm through the text message.

Haru Okumura:

-Yes, we will have access to a boat.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Dope! Ann and Miss President coming?

Makoto Niijima:

-Yes.

Ann Takamaki:

-Already planned on it.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Shit yeah, GRAVY's gonna roll out to Iwatodai.

The messaging conversation quickly slowed to a halt after they had made the plans. Makoto figured now was a good time to text Sae about dinner on Sunday. Makoto exited the GRAVY chat and navigated to her messages with Sae, which were distressingly sparse.

Makoto Niijima:

-I think we will have dinner with Ren on Sunday. Does that work for you?

Sae Niijima:

-Yes.

Makoto could hear Sae's begrudging acceptance in her head.

Makoto Niijima:

-Good. I'll let him know. Also, could I take a trip with a few friends next week? We'll be going to Iwatodai from the first to the fifth.

Makoto was going to let the message sit and wait for a response until she added a little extra for good measure.

Makoto Niijima:

-I promise that I'll behave.

Sae Niijima:

-Who is going?

Makoto Niijima:

-Ann Takamaki, Yusuke Kitagawa, Ryuji Sakamoto, Haru Okumura, and Ren.

Sae was sure to recognize at least a few of the names. Who knew how honest Kamoshida had been, and Makoto didn't know about Sae's proximity to the Madarame case, but Sae would know Yusuke if she was aware of the case. She would also know about Haru, given what had happened, and Ren's name was sure to bring much happiness to Sae upon reading Makoto's answer.

Sae Niijima:

-Fine. Don't get in any trouble. Please don't do anything I wouldn't do.

"So I can't have fun?" Makoto nearly typed out, but she decided not to. Sae had accepted the vacation and was having Ren over, so Makoto didn't want to piss her sister off and risk both.

Makoto Niijima:

-Thank you!

Makoto set down her phone and went back to reading her book.

Wednesday, 7/27

A knock on the door.

Futaba didn't need to ask who it was. She had gotten a notification when Ren connected to the Wi-Fi network. Futaba paused First Reality Fourteen on her main monitor and opened a messaging window on her second display. She did all her conversations with Ren this way. Sometimes she would play video games or browse Spreddit while sending replies to him, sometimes he had her complete attention.

When she was feeling really social, she would pull up a photo of Ren from the Shujin database and pretend she was talking to him face to face. Today, she didn't do that.

"What's up, Futaba?" Ren asked through the door. Futaba didn't care about that question. Whenever people addressed it to her, they already knew the answer.

I'm in my room all day. Ren, you know what's up, Futaba thought as she took her head. She took a few chips from one of the many bags she had set up on her desk. Different flavors for different spur-of-the-moment cravings.

She typed out a reply.

Unknown Number:

-Not much, just playing games.

It wasn't what she really wanted to say to him. She wanted to ask why he wasn't talking to her more. Why wasn't he texting her, playing games with her, and stopping by on non-work days? He was supposed to be her friend.

"As if someone could be friends with you, Futaba," Wakaba said from Futaba's bed. Futaba had gotten used to her mom popping in with the occasional mean-spirited comment. Most of the hallucinations were normal enough for Futaba to tolerate them. When things got overwhelming… Futaba didn't want to think about that. After all this time, she still didn't know what directly triggered the increase in hallucination intensity and made her forget that they weren't real. Thoughts of the accident were the obvious thing to blame, but the worst of Futaba's hallucinations had come when she wasn't even thinking of her mother.

Futaba's hallucinated version of her mother would fluctuate in appearance. It was usually as Futaba remembered, a middle-aged woman with a black bob cut and glasses. Other times, her features had become more cat-like, similar to a sphinx. Futaba blamed herself for screwing up the recreation of her own mother. Maybe this was her punishment for what she had done. She wouldn't be able to remember what her mom looked like.

At least Futaba believed Wakaba was wrong. Ren was Futaba's friend. He was patient with her and still talked to her after he had witnessed part one of her bad hallucinations. If he hadn't abandoned her yet, he must've seen something in her. Or, to be correct, through the door, which Futaba had no intention of opening. If she did, Ren would see her, give her the disgusted look that everyone before him had, and walk out of her life. Her mother, all those people in suits, and even her own relatives had looked at her that way.

But Ren wouldn't do that. The photo Futaba had of GRAVY and her together proved that. Well, not an actual photo, but it helped Futaba to tell herself it was real. The night of the fireworks festival, Ren had gotten a stranger to take a photo of GRAVY, minus Haru because she wasn't there yet. Ren had posted the photo to the GRAVY Shujinstagram. Futaba had downloaded the photo, removed Ryuji, and put herself in his place. It looked awkward, with Ren and Yusuke's arms being cut off and Futaba being much shorter than the person she was filling the place of, but it did the job.

Futaba realized Ren had said nothing in response yet. To be fair to Ren, Futaba hadn't really said anything worth replying to. She never did.

Futaba sent him another message.

Unknown Number:

-How have you been? You said you were fine the other day, but the festival looked rough.

"Uh... I'm still doing fine. It didn't really screw with me as much as it did other people, but the sight of Sugimura just… you know… it's kinda scary."

You're telling me! Futaba thought. She was never into realistic and actual gore. She made a point of filtering it out of her searches on Archive of Our Home. Futaba had glanced at the image of Sugimura's body hanging in the news broadcast's background, but did she leave it on her screen for more than a second or two? Absolutely not. Futaba had standards, dignity even.

Unknown Number:

-Same for me. I couldn't look.

"Yeah, it was awful, but I guess people are sort of moving on. Haru's taking everyone on a trip, so that'll be cool."

Futaba knew about that. She read along with the text conversations that had planned the trip. Was it a violation of their privacy? No. Futaba was friends with them. She had to be kept in the know.

Unknown Number:

-Bring your Switch! More Rash Toes matches with me!

Ren laughed from the other side of the door. Futaba looked back from her set up and smiled at the door. "What do you think I'm gonna be doing for the long ass drive? I have to sit in a van next to Ryuji for hours. I gotta bring the Switch."

Van… Futaba latched onto the word. She was trying to figure out why. What was so special abou-

"It's because that's what I used to get away from you and all your bullshit, Futaba!" Wakaba roared from behind Futaba. Wakaba's voice had taken on a monstrous quality, deeply resonating through Futaba's skull. The voice made her shake in fright, but it turned her chair around and forced her to look upon her towering mother. "Futaba, the only regret I have is that I could only kill myself once!" It was a horrid sight. Wakaba had sprouted wings, and her facial features were becoming more deformed and monstrous by the was becoming a sphinx-like creature.

"M-mom… please… I didn't k-know…" Futaba whimpered.

What was Ren doing? Couldn't he hear Wakaba telling the truth to Futaba? Did he even care? If he did, she couldn't hear him. Her mother's words were all-encompassing.

"Like he cares about you. He can't even see you, murderer!" What a fun word that was. Futaba had become almost desensitized to it at this point. The men in black had hurled it more than enough for her to get over it, but hearing it from her own mother… it was tragic. Futaba heard a faint pounding noise, but she couldn't tell if it was the beating of her own heart or something else. Wakaba continued her cruelty, no matter what sounds were occurring. "I'm sick of having to remind you, Futaba! Every day you complained, you whined, you begged for attention, and this is what you get!"

Futaba couldn't close her eyes. She curled her legs up on her chair and put her arms around them. Tears were making her glasses get blurry.

Why couldn't she close her eyes?

The door to Futaba's room opened behind Wakaba, and the hallucination vanished.

Futaba finally closed her eyes.

"She's sleeping," Sojiro said with a sigh as he came down the stairs. Ren looked upon the tired old man guiltily. This was his fault, and his fault alone.

Ren nodded. "She just started crying and-" he urgently tried to explain, but Sojiro held a hand up.

"It happens. She's been this way for years. It's become more frequent, but she passes out and sleeps it off, usually."

Fuck... And it's my fault. Maruki wouldn't let this happen. I know he wouldn't. I have to convince Sojiro to give Maruki a shot.

"Look, Sojiro," Ren began as he scratched his head. What he had heard made him sick. Futaba sounded like she was choking on nothing but air on the other side of the door, and he couldn't do anything but listen. "I don't want to keep having this happen. It-"

"Ren, no matter who was here, she'd be having these episodes!" Sojiro firmly insisted. "What matters is that-"

"What matters is that she gets some proper fucking help!" Ren furiously cut in. "I'm a fucking teenager! Let me get Maruki for you!"

Sojiro just looked down at the ground. "Fine. Call him, or whatever the hell it is. I want to meet with him before he starts."

"Alright. I'll get in touch and work something out. I'll tell you when he's free," Ren said, calming down from his outburst. "Sorry for-"

"Forget about it. It's fine. Go home and go to sleep. You're tired."

Ren looked Sojiro in the eye and nodded. He then walked out of his boss's home.

Ren stared at the dark ceiling, trying to fall asleep. He rolled over and looked at the clock.

Four in the fucking morning… get a grip on yourself.

He kept thinking of Futaba's episode. Ren had gone from not being able to help Haru to actively harming Futaba's delicate mental state.

Out of the frying pan and into- actually, fuck that, Ren. Quit your bullshit. You haven't had to deal with shit this past month. If Haru got married, you'd be fine. If Futaba has a hallucination, whoop-de-fucking-do, you'd be fine. Don't make this about yourself. This is just like when you saw Yoshiro just smiling, and you thought he was plotting his revenge against you. You're being paranoid.

As Ren recalled Yoshiro's smile, his memory of it made it seem more maniacal, more sinister. Was he being paranoid? If he was, then that was a good thing. If he wasn't, Ren wasn't ready and Yoshiro would catch him off guard. Someone could get hurt, and that would be because of Ren.

Just like Futaba.

Ren rolled back over and closed his eyes. Lucky for him, he eventually fell asleep and his dreams were volleyball player and Futaba free.

A/N: Sorry for the short chapter. I had limited time because I was late last week and I have been outlining the rest of summer. Also, I just wanted to get something out quickly before I leave for vacation, which leads me to my next point. There will be no chapter next week. I probably won't be able to write while on vacation. If I am, then it certainly won't be enough for a full chapter. 49 will be out August 4th. It will be the final chapter before GRAVY goes to Iwatodai.