Angus hated nothing more than waiting. It wasn't like he had anything better to do with his time, but still. If he wasn't currently sitting in the principal's office, waiting for the principal, he'd just be in Mr. Washer's math class, and God knew that he didn't want to be there.

"We are so dead, man. We're fucking dead."

Angus rolled his eyes as he turned to his cohort. Alex McDaniel wasn't what Angus would call a friend, more like a patsy that was desperate to fit into the crowd. Angus had no problem taking him under his wing as a sort of 'second in command'.

The two had been running a fairly decent blackjack ring out of the playground. It had started simply enough, with Angus proposing the idea of playing to a few of his peers. However, it had snowballed into a group of actual eleven and twelve-year-olds handing over real money to other eleven and twelve-year-olds. Angus would never admit to that being his idea, but he would admit that he probably let the whole situation get carried away.

That situation is that DeMarcus West, a 9th grader, had lost 32 dollars in a game of blackjack, which leads to him accusing Angus and Alex of rigging the deck, and him beating both the boy's up. That, in turn, caused the teachers to learn about the boy's blackjack ring and for them to get into hot water.

And so they sat in the cramped office of Principal Spivey, waiting for her to return so as to enact her judgment upon the conniving 6th graders.

Angus wasn't concerned. He'd gotten in trouble before and stood toe to toe with Michelle Spivey and come out clean.

Alex, on the other hand, was not having a good day.

"They're probably gonna expel us," the smaller boy whimpered, slumping lower in his armchair, "we're in as deep of shit as any person can BE in shit."

"You knew the risks of this once we started taking actual money," Angus mumbled back, not feeling too much sympathy for the frightful boy. He'd warned Alex the dangers of taking people's real money. The boy had no qualms with the plan when he was getting a cut of the pot.

The smaller boy could only make a whine that was at the perfect pitch to grate on Angus' nerves. Little tears welled up in the corners of Alex's eyes as he hugged his legs to his body.

Angus groaned, dropping his head into his hands. Why he thought Alex would make a good partner he couldn't even remember. He should've gone with the Pulchik Brothers; proper thugs who knew how to keep their mouths shut and take their cuts. It was too bad that they wanted nothing to do with him after the incident at the quarry.

Right, when Angus thought he was about to snap at Alex for his muffled sobbing, the door to the office opened, and Principal Spivey entered.

Angus had seen her one too many times to find her threatening anymore, but he could completely understand how someone who wasn't used to being disciplined would be afraid of Principal Spivey. She was fairly young for a principal; only in her mid-30's. She always dressed sharp, way more than necessary for a high school disciplinarian. It was her eyes, however, that people found the most intimidating about her. Angus would be lying if he said it wasn't still a little hard to keep contact with them for extended periods of time. They were ruby red, and still, somehow ice cold.

"I don't think I need to run down why you're here, boys," she said icily while taking a seat at her desk. Her posture was perfect, as opposed to the two boys, who were either slouching or curling up in a ball. Her gaze turned to Angus.

"I can't say that I'm particularly surprised to see you back in my office, Angus," she said, trying not to let her frustration seep into her voice.

Angus snapped his fingers and shot finger guns at his principal, "Always good to see you too, Mrs. S," he said sarcastically.

Spivey ignored his smart remark and turned her attention to Alex, and her stern look noticeably softened.

"But you, Mr. McDaniel? I have to say that I'm quite surprised with you," her soft, but critical words caused Alex to slump further down into his seat; as if he were trying to phase through it.

Spivey continued, "You're an above-average student, you come from a good upbringing, you have a good head on your shoulder," she listed, "what could POSSIBLY cause you to get involved with a contumacious sort like Mr. Hutchinson here?"

Angus whistled, "'Contumacious'? Is that what I am? That's a two-dollar word right there, Mrs. S." he said snidely. To someone who didn't know Michelle Spivey, they wouldn't have any idea that what Angus said had bothered her, but Angus knew better. He could see the slight twitch in her jaw; she was resisting the urge to grind her teeth.

"It was Angus' idea," Alex suddenly squealed, catching Angus off guard, "he said blackjack would be a good way to make money."

"You...are fucking spineless," Angus muttered, trying to quell the fire boiling inside of him. He'd know Alex would crack, but he could never have guessed it would be that quick, and also that he'd throw him directly under the bus.

Mrs. Spivey heard Angus' outburst and acted accordingly, "Mr. Hutchinson, do NOT speak like that in my office." she said firmly. She sighed, moving a stray hair behind her ear.

"Mr. McDaniel, why don't you have a seat in one of the chairs outside my office? I need to speak with Mr. Hutchinson alone," she said calmly, doing her best to sound reassuring.

She didn't need to tell Alex twice. The boy had no issue standing at attention and practically flying through the door and out into the hall, sparing not even a passing glance at Angus.

Angus was feeling very vulnerable at the moment.

Mrs. Spivey leaned back in her chair, her eyes never leaving Angus' form. "Isn't this becoming tiresome, Mr. Hutchinson?" she asked, her tone much softer than it was before, "It's starting to seem like you get some kind of perverse joy for getting yourself into trouble."

Angus rolled his eyes, "Oh, I just enjoy your company, Mrs. S. How could I ever stand to be apart from you for more than ten minutes?" he smirked.

Spivey gave the boy a sharp look before closing her eyes and sighing. She could feel a headache coming on and didn't want to deal with him any longer than she had to.

"I don't understand how a boy as smart as yourself keeps finding himself in such deep trouble, Angus," she groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Angus could only shrug in response. The principal's eyes narrowed, "You know what I think, Angus?" she snapped. The only acknowledgment the boy could muster was a raised eyebrow.

"I think that you want people to think less of you. I think you want people who believe in you and think that you can do more to think that you're a lost cause who can't be helped. You want them to stop caring, that way you won't feel as bad when you act up. There won't be anybody left to disappoint." she said coldly.

Angus' expression was unreadable. The two stared each other down. Mrs. Spivey was huffing and puffing, trying to take in air. She didn't normally get this worked up, but she was feeling particularly fed up today.

Mrs. Spivey finally calmed herself down, letting his muscles relax a little. "With all of that said, Mr. Hutchinson, I don't think that you're truly ready for that to happen. I don't think you want to be completely alone, and I hate to think you'll only realize that once it's too late." the principal said somberly. She methodically tapped her nails against her desk; the only sound in the room. Until the loud ringing of the intercom broke up the tension.

"Mrs. Spivey," the shrill voice of the principal's secretary called through the speaker on the desk, "Angus' uncle is here to pick him up."

"Uncle?" Angus couldn't help but voice his confusion. He didn't...have an uncle.

Mrs. Spivey heard Angus and nodded, "We called your home, expecting to get ahold of your father. Instead, your uncle answered and said he'd be willing to come and get you."

Angus didn't understand. It wasn't shocking that his dad didn't answer the phone; he rarely did. What was shocking was that somebody pretending to be a loved one had come to snatch him. They'd been inside his house. How else could they've answered the home phone? One of dad's guys, maybe?

The principal quickly scribbled down some words on a pink piece of paper and slid it across the desk, "This'll be a week-long suspension. I hope you do some form of reflection in that time, Angus. Truly." she said, her words honest.

Angus only grunted at the women's vulnerability, snagged the paper, and stepped out of the office.

And was met with the kind face of Travis Reed.

Travis Reed had been working for his father for a few years now. Since then, he'd become shockingly close with the Hutchinson Family. Turns out cooking the books for Carl Hutchinson and keeping the IRS off his ass made him extremely chummy. Angus, at the start, had made an attempt to keep Travis at an arms-length, just like he did with all of his dad's employees. Travis was different, however. Unlike a lot of the brutish fools that his dad often took up business with, Travis Reed actually knew how to respect people. And he was also able to hold a conversation that wasn't directly related to guns or...Carl Hutchinson's other business.

With all of that in mind, Angus couldn't help but get a little attached to the mild-mannered accountant.

"Hey, bud," Travis said with a smile, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses, "you ready to get out of here?"

"Uh," Angus hesitated, still trying to catch up with what exactly was happening. He turned to his left to see a still nervous Alex McDaniel, looking ready to wet himself in a plastic chair two sizes too small for him. Angus would've found the image funny if he wasn't preoccupied.

"Sure, uncle. Let's go," Angus finally said, following Travis out the front doors of the school and to his car parked in the circle.

"Sorry about the delay," Travis apologized, taking his spot in the driver's seat, "I had to realize the hard way that I had no ideas to where the school was." he chuckled to himself.

"What're you doing here?" Angus said, cutting through any of Travis' plans for small talk.

Travis gulped before speaking, "I...was supposed to have a meeting with your father, but when I got to your home he was," Travis hesitated, allowing Angus to fill in the gap.

"He's was drunk, right?"

"He was...inebriated, yes," Travis said slowly, doing his best to choose his words carefully, "you're lucky I was there to hear the school call, or else you'd probably still be stuck there."

"Well, hooray for you, Trav," Angus mumbled, not looking away from the window. Travis sighed, starting the car and pulling out of the school's circle.

"He was still drunk?" Angus questioned, turning to the uncomfortable-looking man, "He was drunk when I left this morning."

"That's how he appeared," Travis admitted, sounding almost sorry to be telling the boy any of this.

"He must've never stopped then" Angus concluded, "after I left for school, that is."

"I'm," the older accountant hesitated, not wanting to overstep any boundaries, but he still felt like he needed to say something, "do you...have to deal with this often?"

"What do you mean?"

"Like...how often is he drunk?" Travis said, finally just getting his words out.

Angus frowned, "Travis, can you honestly look me in the eye and say that my dad has not once shown up to work either already drunk or hungover?"

Travis opened his mouth to respond, but words failed him. He could think of four times off the top of his head when Carl Hutchinson had come into their joint office in O'Bannon's gun shop with the mightiest of hangovers.

"I.." Travis took a left on one of Henderson's many ally side streets, they were only a few minutes away from Angus' house.

"If you got something to say, Travis, just say it," Angus chided, not having any patience for the man's hesitance, "you don't need to walk on eggshells with me, man. Come on."

"I'm not your dad, Angus, and I'm not your brother," Travis finally said, slightly more confident than he'd been before, "but you should know that you...you aren't alone. I know it must be hard to not have a proper support system, and I'd be a liar if I said that things are perfect for you."

Angus kept quiet, waiting for Travis to continue.

Travis, noticing that Angus wasn't shutting him up, pushed a little harder, "Look, I've been around the block a couple of times and I've seen a bunch of people who have every opportunity in the world thrown at them and they still manage to squander it. You aren't like that, Angus, I can see it. You're smart, and I know you're smart. Deny it if you want to, but you can't fool me."

Travis took another turn, this one leading onto Angus' street. "I know that your dad wants you to inherit his business, but if I'm being honest? I think you're bigger than it. Bigger than Henderson. You have a good head on your shoulders."

The car finally came to a stop in front of Angus' house. "Is anything I'm saying sinking in?" Travis finished, giving the boy an almost pleading look.

Angus was, for lack of a better term, flabbergasted. He'd expected some form of dressing down from Travis, but not a motivational speech about his future.

"I...I don't," Angus stammered, unsure how to respond.

Travis put his hand up, "I understand that this is all very abrupt, Angus, and I also completely understand if I'm overstepping a boundary by saying all of this, but you're a good kid. I'd hate to see you go down the same path that I can see your father going down."

"What do you know about my father?" Angus said in a much more hostile tone than he intended. Travis just gave him a deadpan look.

"I've been working closely with your father for a couple of years now, Angus," Travis said bluntly, "and it doesn't take a genius to see the destructive path he's on. He was too drunk to pick up his own son from school for God's sake." he finished.

Angus only responded with a grunt and got out of the car. "Please think about what I've said," beseeched Travis as Angus slammed the door of the car. He didn't want to hear anything else the accountant had to say. He approached his door and didn't wait to see if Travis had driven off. The door was unlocked so he was able to enter with no problem.

Angus was quickly becoming used to his home being a mess. His dad never saw it fit to clean up after himself after four straight nights of binge drinking, and Angus was too focused on his own issues to do it. He figured that as long as he kept his room clean then he didn't have a problem. Although it was definitely still gross.

The boy entered the living room and found his dad. Carl Hutchinson was sprawled out in his recliner, the only light in the room was coming from the bay window. He was still in his sleepwear, which for him was just a t-shirt and his boxers. Angus sighed, approaching his unconscious father. He was surrounded by beer cans, and he was cradling an empty bottle of whiskey like it was a baby.

"Dad," Angus whispered, nudging the sleeping man. "Dad," he said a little louder when the only response he got was a choked snore and a dismissive wave of the hand.

Angus exhaled, and without much hesitation, cocked back and slapped his dad across the face. Carl snorted, launching into an upright position in his chair.

"What the fuck- what?" he sputtered, whipping his head around. His eyes eventually landed on his unamused son and he calmed down. "The fuck're you doing home?" he rubbed his eyes.

"I got in trouble and Travis picked me up. You were supposed to meet with him?" Angus said in an attempt to jog Carl's memory. It worked, but also made him more confused.

"Travis was supposed to be here at one," he shot back, looking down at his wrist for a watch that wasn't there.

Angus folded his arms, "It is one, dad. Travis came here first and found you on your ass. This is the fourth fucking day in a row. I'm getting concerned."

Carl chuckled, leaning forward in his chair, his head in his hands, "Aw, that's cute. You worried about your old man, Gus?" he cooed in a condescending manner.

Angus scoffed, "Fine. Drink yourself to death. See if I give a shit." he mumbled under his breath. He moved to storm off to his room but was stopped by Carl's grip on his arm. He looked down at his father, and he couldn't make out what emotion he was feeling.

"I'm...uh I'm sorry, Gus," Carl slurred, practically melting out of his chair and getting to his feet. Carl was tall, maybe around 6'4", and Angus despised how small it made him feel. Carl forcefully pulled on Angus' arm and yanked him into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry I'm so shit," he muttered into the top of Angus' head. The moment Angus came in contact with his dad his nostrils were assaulted by the overwhelming smell of alcohol. He tried to push against Carl's grip.

"Dad, you smell horrendous," Angus struggled against his father, but he was no match for the older man. Carl's hands moved to grab Angus' by his face. He clenched at the boy's cheeks. The man's eyes were sad, almost apologetic.

"We're so terrible, aren't we, Gus?" Carl moved his thumbs across the boy's cheeks, "Who was I to have a kid? All these...fucked up genes and I help bring you into the world. Who am I to do something so fucked up? Burden you with this...emptiness?" he lamented.

Angus wasn't sure how to get out of this situation. His father had never been one to spill his guts, but he always became strangely open whenever he was inebriated. Angus knew to avoid him, but at the moment he was trapped.

"It's alright, dad, just relax, okay?" Angus did his best to placate the drunkard, but Carl just stared his son down, like he was trying to see deep into his soul. His eyes were almost glassy.

"You remind me so much of your mother. You know that? You can only notice if you really look."

That was the last straw. Angus thrashed and pulled himself away from his father, looking at him with disgust.

"Try and drink some water, okay, dad? I'll be in my room." Angus didn't give his father a chance to respond before turning on his heel and practically sprinting to his room. He slammed his door behind him and made double sure that he locked it. He hadn't even realized how tightly his fists were clenched. He took in some deep breaths to try and calm himself. His mind was racing.

You're a fucking idiot. You know not to talk to him when he's drunk. Why'd you even go up to him? Why wake him up? He's being weird again. How long can he drink? Why's he being so weird?

Angus shambled over to his bed and let himself flop face-first onto his pillow. He immediately felt the urge to close his eyes and go to sleep. He didn't want to deal with anybody for the rest of the day; not Principal Spivey, not Travis, not Alex McDaniel, and definitely not his dad.

He couldn't stand days like these.

"It would be a shame if that were the case."

Saibakuma let his words linger in the air around the Ultimates in the cafeteria. All they could do was share uneasy glances as if they were waiting for the bear to tell them it was all just a prank.

Two years? That couldn't be right. Memories didn't just vanish.

"I don't believe it," Junji was the first to speak, his arms crossed, "I highly doubt you have the means to make years of memories dissipate into thin air."

"You can tell yourself whatever you want, Mr. Otsuka," Saibakuma shot back, "but let me ask you this; don't you think it's strange that you're here at all? That I know all these juicy details about your life?"

Junji went to respond, but Saibakuma cut him off, "Wouldn't all the little pieces of this mystery fit a little better if you considered that you were here for a reason? You weren't kidnapped, you reprobate, you were meant to be here. This facility was your punishment."

"That makes no sense!" Tatsuo snapped, launching to her feet, "You expect us to believe that our collective sentence includes us killing each other?"

Saibakuma shrugged, "Maybe your government decided that you weren't worth the trouble and that your penance should at least be entertaining to watch? I don't know, I'm just a bear that is also a judge."

"I do not believe that," Feliks piped up, "maybe you are correct. Maybe we were put here as a legitimate punishment, but I do not believe your involvement is in any way official, you nesti." he made sure to add a little extra vitriol to the word 'nesti'.

"What makes you so sure?" Ramsey asked, not fully believing the Russian.

"You remember Ichiro Abe? Remember his words on the tape? Did those words sound like the words of a man who wanted us to kill each other?" Feliks explained.

Angus found himself nodding in agreement. Feliks had a point. Angus thought back to Abe's words on the videotape they'd been left. His words hadn't been ones of malice or disgust, they were ones of hope and a positive idea for the future of the Ultimate Rehabilitation Program. Why would he want them to start killing each other if they were supposed to be rehabilitated?

"Feliks raises a good point," Joaquin pointed out, "what if Saibakuma did something to Mr. Abe that lead to him taking control of the facility? That could mean that the police on the outside are trying to find ways to help us."

That one got a hardy laugh out of Saibakuma, "That's quite the theory you have there, Mr. Hidalgo!" the bear guffawed, rocking back and forth on the heels of his feet, "However, that theory only works if the people on the outside actually know something is going on."

"I have a difficult time believing that you wouldn't turn this entire situation into a complete spectacle," Negenama said, finally speaking up, "you capture all these Ultimates here and make them kill each other as "penance", and you expect us to believe that you wouldn't try and push your agenda by showing it to the world?"

Saibakuma laughed again, "I don't care about showing the world what's happening to you! I'm just here to be your punishment!" the bear waved off the private tutor, "But you don't have to worry, Mr. Yori. I promise you that our message is reaching people as we speak."

"Our?" Junji quirked an eyebrow, "What do you mean "our message"? How many people do you have working for you?"

"You're the king of jumping to conclusions, Mr. Otsuka," Saibakuma mocked, "why are you so sure that it's me running the show? That what's happening inside of this building isn't happening in other places as we speak?"

"There'd be no point to that," Megumi argued, "you've done nothing but claim that this is our punishment ever since we woke up here. You think we criminals, and criminals get punished. Why do this to random people?"

"It's quite sad you think us monstrous enough to go after innocent civilians, Ms. Sato," the bear said in a faux blubbering voice, "I'm wounded by your slander!"

"Well, then what is it?" Shimei asked simply, "Other Ultimates?"

The bear shrugged, "Could be."

"Not all Ultimates are criminals," Angus stated, pacing back and forth, "There's be no point in doing this to other Ultimates since you'd lose that justification. You think we did something wrong, and so you punish us. Other Ultimates wouldn't have that."

Saibakuma sneered at the arms dealer, "You Ultimates are so full of yourselves. You think you're above everyone else, above the law, and above repercussion. You make me sick! Every last one of you!"

The bear turned its back to its captives and hopped off the table and disappeared, leaving the Ultimates scared and uneasy.

"Well, that's just great. Just...dynamite," Angus mumbled, smacking his hand on the tabletop. He looked behind him at the other Ultimates, and he could see how uncomfortable they all looked. There were exceptions, Negenama looked bored and Chaos looked fit to burst from the excitement.

"I'm not...sure what he wants us to do with this information," Ramsey sighed, slowing taking a seat at one of the tables.

Junji answered, "He's hoping to breed distrust between us. He's looking for another murder."

Manato shifted awkwardly in his seat, Gallus tucked under his arm, "It w-won't work, right? Nobody is g-going to kill each other over this."

Nobody answered immediately, which only made the cock fighter more nervous. He held Gallus a little tighter to his chest.

Tatsuo put a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder, "Try not to lose sleep over it, Manato. I still think it's a bunch of nonsense."

"Even so, it's concerning that Saibakuma would have all this information on us that we just don't remember," Ludivine thought out loud.

Megumi nodded, "He knows a lot about our lives, and that's without the whole "I wiped your minds of the last two years" thing."

The group discussed amongst each other the implication of Saibakuma's words and what they might mean for the outside world. It got heated at points, mainly from people not wanting to believe the idea that they could just have years of their lives erased.

Eventually, the number of people in the cafeteria slowly petered out. Ludivine and Junji had been the first to leave, and Beatrix and Shimei followed after. Chaos skipped out of the room, humming to himself, with Feliks leaving after him. Ramsey and Tatsuo left together, still debating on whether or not to believe Saibakuma's words. Joaquin left next, making sure to give Angus' a pat on the shoulder as he does so. Ritsu and Manato decided to leave together, Gallus in tow.

That left Angus, Megumi, and Negenama, sitting in awkward silence.

Angus awkwardly sat at the table across from his fellow Ultimates. Megumi gave him a sympathetic look, while Negenama kept his head turned away from the duo. He didn't want to look at either of them.

"So," Angus said in an attempt to get somebody else to start the conversation. When nobody took the bait, his hand was forced, "How about them Diamondbacks?"

When you're all out of options, bring up baseball.

Megumi looked confused, but Negenama cleared it up for her, "I don't follow sports, and certainly not American baseball." he said coldly.

"Frankly, I'm just shocked you knew what I was talking about." Angus chuckled.

Negenama gave Angus a chilly look. It was weird to see the boy without his mask, to see his mouth. His elbows rested on the table, his hands linked together in front of his face. His one good eye glanced over at the Ultimate Surgeon.

"Megumi," Negenama said slowly, "do you think you can give Angus and I some time to speak?" he asked. He spoke in a tone that Angus wasn't accustomed to from the private tutor. He was quiet, almost pleading.

Megumi picked up on the tone as well, getting to her feet, "Of course," she laid a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder, "find me in a little bit and I'll change your bandages, okay?"

Negenama nodded, "Thank you, Megumi." he mumbled, his eyes locked on the table.

Megumi gave the boys one last worried look before leaving them alone in the cafeteria. The two Ultimates were left at the table.

Angus felt the beads of sweat begin to form on the back of his neck as Negenama kept his contemplative look on the table.

"So, I guess I should get the ball rolling," Angus stated, "I am...sorry...for kicking you in the face."

The two stared at each other.

"And also punching you. I punched you first, and then I kicked you. Sorry for both of those."

"Angus, stop," Negenama put his hand up to silence the arms dealer's floundering, "I don't need an apology."

"Well, I felt the need to say something," Angus explained, "it wouldn't be cool to just not say something. So, sorry, again."

"I should be furious with you," Negenama said, ignoring the apology, "I should be making threats on you and your family about what I can do to your reputation."

Angus chuckled, "Trust me, man. My family's reputation is already pretty fucking shot."

Negenama ignored him again, "I was extremely angry when I first woke up, but then I realized something."

"That being?"

"I remember."

"Remember what?" Angus fumed, getting tired of cryptic wording.

"I remember what happened after I blacked out."

Negenama reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope. Written on the face of the envelope was 'For Negenama'. He slid it across the table to Angus.

"Read it."

Angus did as he was told. He opened the letter and found a single piece of paper.

Dear Mr. Yori,

I'm not sure if you remember me. It has been a time since we saw each other. My name is Sara, and you tutored me for more than 3 years. I was bad at math, and you were good at math. Your dad was friends with my dad, and he recommended you. The lessons were helpful, and I did well on my tests. I didn't need your help anymore, but you cried to your dad about being let go and how it "hurt your image". Your dad knew things about my dad's business because he'd help in running the books. You were the one to warn my father of how if this info got out, then he'd go to jail and he'd lose his only daughter; me. You helped extort my father for wrongdoings done while under the watch of YOUR father. Once I graduated, you felt you didn't need me anymore, and you let slip of my father's crimes. He was sent to jail, and you continued tutoring. You helped tear apart my family, Mr. Yori. You and your family are demons who I hope one day get exactly what you deserve.

Angus put the letter down and looked to Negenama. His face was a mixture of shame and worry.

"The hell did you do, man?" was all Angus could muster.

"It was ugly, but I did what I thought that I had to," Negenama said, not sounding confident.

"Seriously? If this is legit then you ruined a girl's life for your ego!" Angus said, doing his best to not get mad.

"It is legitimate." Negenama said somberly, "She gave it to me personally."

"This is...horrible, Negenama," Angus sighed, beginning to feel disgusted with what he was hearing, "Like, it's really bad."

"I am aware."

"What does this have to do with your memories?"

"This wasn't the only time I'd done this," Negenama stated, "I'd done it several times before this. Blackmail and extortion, all for the sake of my career and presence in higher circles. This was just the first time someone reached out to me."

"Your memories, Negenama. Talk to me about what you remembered." Angus demanded.

"I was in my home, going over notes for my next session. There was a knock on the door, and previously, that's where my memories ended. Right as I approached the door, it all went black. I remember now. Who was at the door- the police."

"The police?"

"They took me in and questioned me, and they...they arrested me," Negenama's voice wavered, "that's where the memories end. It goes black again after that, but the implications of it have me...concerned."

Negenama poked the letter on the table, "Only me, my family, and this girl's family knew about this letter, and I didn't have it on me when I was arrested. So, I ask you, Angus, how did Saibakuma get his hands on it?"

Angus didn't have an answer, so Negenama continued, "There's no way I would hand it over to the police, but who would I give it to? Maybe if I had already been sentenced, and placed into a "rehabilitation program", then I would give it to the person holding me there." he hypothesized.

"I think I know where you're going with this," Angus said, not liking at all where this was going.

"I think Saibakuma is telling the complete truth, and this is the proof," Negenama said frantically, snatching the letter and sticking back in his pocket, "Somehow. Someway. The person who put us here has taken years of time away from us."

Angus huffed, putting his head in his hands, "Jesus… This is a fucking lot, man."

"It would also confirm that Saibakuma is telling the truth when he says that we are all criminals," Negenama explained, slowly getting to his feet.

Angus didn't want to even begin picking apart that can of worms.

"Why tell ME this? Like, of all the people here, why tell the guy you probably hate the most?" Angus asked, genuinely wanting to know.

Negenama looked away, subconsciously moving a hand to his bandaged eye, "I think that with this information we have now, that another murder is inevitable. It'll only be a matter of time before Saibakuma lets more information slip and somebody snaps. I would like somebody on my side when that time comes." The private tutor moved away from the table and towards the exit.

"I reiterate, why me? Why not someone like Megumi?"

"You're strong. You were at a low point after the trial, and yet, you pulled yourself up and are here with me now. You're hot-headed and brutish, but I firmly believe that you won't be killing anyone any time soon." Negenama explained.

"That so?" Angus scoffed, turning around in his seat to look at the boy's retreating form, "and what about you?"

Negenama stopped, and Angus noticed his fists clench for only a moment before relaxing.

"I hope that I won't have to."

He didn't turn to look at Angus and left the cafeteria. Leaving Angus all alone in the deathly quiet room.

And that's that! I'm sorry that, quite literally, nothing happens in this chapter. Like, no progress was made in the plot. This was mainly Angus backstory and some character building. However, I promise that the next couple of chapters will actually have things happen in them. There'll be free time events and more character stuff. The plot shall move forward!

Until next time.