Shujin Academy
Ren was on his way to the courtyard to meet up with Ryuji. They were supposed to talk about their plans to get Takamaki to talk to a certain 'Shiho Suzui', hoping that she would stand with them.
On his way to the gate, there was a girl standing there, absentmindedly looking at her phone, blocking the path in the process.
Ren was about to ask her to move but noticed the bruise on her face and more importantly the look in her eyes.
A mix of fear and dread.
"Are you alright?" Ren asked with genuine concern, snapping her out of her trance.
"H-huh? Oh, I'm in the way, right? Sorry about that…" Ren shook his head at the girl's apology.
"No need to apologize. You seem to… have a lot on your mind." Ren twisted his words, trying a different approach since the direct one didn't work yesterday.
"Uhm I… You don't look familiar." the girl tried to change the subject.
"Are you by chance, the transfer student from class D?" she continued.
"Here we go again." Ren resisted the urge to roll his eyes and nodded.
"We don't know each other so this shouldn't be any of my business, but don't let the rumors get to you." she advised.
Ren blinked a few times giving her a surprised look, this was definitely not what he was expecting.
"I'm sorry if it was a bit sudden, but my friend often gets judged because of her looks. So I figured this advice would be helpful for you too." she added.
"I see, thank you. I'll try to keep your advice in mind." Ren answered with a slight smile.
"That's good. I didn't mean to drag on like this, I should go now." the girl was about to leave before Ren spoke up again.
"Before you go, how about I give you some advice of my own? I know you are facing some hardships right now, but no matter how tough they may be, you need to be brave until a solution is found. It sounds hard but please hang in there." Ren told her, subconsciously showing her pleading eyes.
"I'll be fine, don't worry… and thank you." the girl gave him a kind smile and left.
When Ren arrived in the courtyard, Ryuji was standing next to a vending machine, his arms crossed while he was impatiently tapping the floor with his right foot.
"Dammit, what the hell..." Ryuji muttered.
"No luck?" Ren asked.
"Nope… This really ain't our going way." Ryuji stated before hitting the vending machine next to him.
"Every single one of 'em said the same shit Mishima told us. Except for Suzui, who just flat out ignored me. Kamoshida must've done something." he said angrily.
"Blackmail… " Ren soberly muttered.
"About Suzui… I assume only Takamaki-san would be able to reach out to Suzui, correct?" Ren asked.
"Yeah, those two have been bffs since middle school. Talkin' to Takamaki is gonna be difficult, though." Ryuji explained.
"Considering how distant she seems from everyone, I honestly don't believe that she will believe what we say, since our evidence is pretty much nonexistent." Ren sighed.
"If this shit keeps up, we'll have to confront that asshat directly." Ryuji frowned, not liking the idea in the slightest.
"There'd be no point. Remember what Mishima told us, if people didn't listen to them , just imagine how much luck we 'troublemakers' have." Ren reasoned, although he wished that would be an option.
"I know, I know… but seriously, there's got to be something we can do! There's no way in hell I'm gonna throw in the towel. Can you think of somethin'?" Ryuji asked, hoping his friend would have the answer like he usually would.
"Normally I would say we report it to the police, but considering that evidence is basically non-existent, I don't think this would be a solution. We have to find a way to get rid of the core issue. Unfortunately, that core issue consists of the principal and Kamoshida himself."
Ren explained, frowning at the odds.
"A way to fight Kamoshida without his corruption affecting us... " Ren muttered, his eyes widening at an idea.
"That's it! We'll have to fight the king!" Ren suddenly stated.
"The king? As in the other world's Kamoshida?" Ryuji asked for clarity.
"Yes, if that version of him is a representation of his true desires we might find a way to solve the core issue." Ren clarified.
"But how do we-"
"I finally found you!" a familiar voice called out to the boys.
"Did you hear that?" Ren asked as they both shot each other a confused look, when suddenly a black cat with a yellow collar jumped onto the desk between them.
"You think you can get away like this without paying me back for my help?" the cat shot a smug look towards Ren, who was dazed as he recognized Morgana.
"That voice… Is that you, Morgana?"
"Ugh, I can't believe you guys just abandoned me the other day." Morgana shot an angry look towards Ryuji.
"Holy shit, the cat's actually talkin'!" Ryuji exclaimed.
"Once again, I am not a cat. Do you two know how hard it was to find you two?" Morgana glared at Ryuji.
"Wait, but if you managed to come to our world… Does that mean you've got a phone?" Ryuji gasped in astonishment.
"Ryuji, I highly doubt that." Ren deadpanned.
"Of course not, you numbskull! Unlike you amateurs, I don't need one. Although I did get lost for a bit when I made my escape…" Morgana finished sheepishly.
"Anyways, how the eff are you able to talk? You're a cat!" Ryuji pointed out, getting yet another glare from Morgana.
"How am I supposed to know?!" Morgana retorted.
"RenRen, you hearin' this too?" Ryuji turned to his friend.
"I would not be part of this conversation if I didn't." Ren said while tweaking a few strands of his bangs.
"Anyhow, I heard you guys were having some trouble out here. I heard you guys mention something about witnesses." Morgana gave them a smug look.
"Oh, shut up!" Ryuji retorted.
"Well, I might know what we should do about our Kamoshida problem. Your guess earlier was pretty close." Morgana smugly explained as he looked at Ren.
"God, that condescendin' attitude! Now I know for sure this thing's Morgana." Ryuji remarked.
"Wait, you were still doubting me?!" Morgana angrily asked.
"Quiet down! We do not want to attract any unwanted attention." Ren hissed sternly, gesturing towards two people passing by them.
"Ugh, do we really have to look for a cat in a busy time like this?" one of them said.
"I just heard a meow somewhere, did you hear it?" the other asked.
"A 'meow', huh? It seems like Ryuji and I are the only ones that can understand you, Morgana." Ren observed.
"Looks like it." Morgana added and licked its paw.
"Jeez, the hell's going on… Anyways, about earlier, is it for real?" Ryuji asked.
"I gotta say, you are quite the skeptic for an idiot." Morgana replied, getting an angry retort from the blonde.
"I'd say we best hear you out for details… but this place isn't exactly ideal." Ren said as he looked around.
Ryuji nodded and grabbed Morgana by the collar.
"C'mon, stick it in your bag for now. It should be fitting in there just fine." Ryuji suggested, to which Ren complied.
The boys smuggled Morgana to the rooftop, making sure nobody was there before they released it from Ren's bag.
"You guys didn't have to be so rough with me!" Morgana complained.
"Sorry 'bout that. Anyways, you said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?" Ryuji asked.
"This guy over there pretty much said it all. The answer to our problem lies in Kamoshida's castle." Morgana enthusiastically explained.
"The castle represents his view of the school, correct? Even though he doesn't know what happens there, it is connected to his heart. So if we got rid of the castle…" Ren's eyes widened.
"It would have an impact. Sharp as always, frizzy hair." Morgana smiled at Ren.
"So what exactly is that impact?" Ryuji asked.
"Since a Palace is the manifestation of one's distorted desires, removing that would mean-"
"We'd get rid of his desires." Ren concluded, getting an approving nod from Morgana.
"F-for real? He'd just change like that?!" Ryuji loudly said.
"Yup, if we erase a palace, we essentially force them to have a change of heart. But even if that is the case, their crimes still remain..." Morgana explained.
"And since they are changed people, the weight of their crimes would crush their conscience, causing them to confess about them themselves. Am I correct?" Ren pieced Morgana's explanation together, Morgana gave him an astounded look and nodded.
"This guy is gonna be even more useful than I anticipated." Morgana thought.
"For real? That's possible?" Ryuji kept looking at the two in awe.
"Considering the Palace does no longer exist, I take it he would forget about our involvement as well?" Ren asked his feline friend.
"Exactly, so we don't just bring Kamoshida down, but there won't be a single trace of our actions." Morgana clarified.
"That's awesome! So we just get rid of his desires and he's done for!" Ryuji beamed at his friends.
"Hold on, Ryuji. As great as that sounds, it's too great to have no consequences. There is a downside, isn't it? Desires themselves are a neutral term, that could also describe the need for eating and sleeping. So if we were to remove all of them these basic needs would be removed as well." Ren theorized.
"Yes, without them, people wouldn't be so different from someone who has shut down entirely. Without proper care..."
"They could potentially die." Ren darkly muttered.
"D-die? Would that be our faults…" Ryuij asked hesitantly.
"You two were so determined to solve this issue, surely you would be willing to face the risks." Morgana commented while both boys were at a loss for words.
Ren was conflicted, he didn't want to give this case up and he wanted to bring justice for Kamoshida's victims because he knew it was the right thing to do. But would murder really be just?
"Seems like this is harder for you to decide than I expected. I'll be back later, you better make up your minds until then." Morgana promptly said and left.
"Dammit! And there we were gettin' all worked up for nothin'! I'll try and find if there's another way." Ryuji looked at Ren, all of his smile and optimism from earlier gone.
"Yeah, I think for now, that's our best option. Let's call it a day to think things through." Ren said and left the rooftop.
Ren was on his way to the station when his phone suddenly rang.
Ryuji: Hey, guess what.
Ren: Did you find something?
Ryuji: There's been some rumors going around again.
Ryuji: This time it's about Suzui and Kamoshida.
Ryuji: You and I both know that's sus.
Ren: It indeed is. Do you know who spread the rumors?
Ryuji: No, I'll ask around and try to look into it.
Ren: Alright, good luck then.
Train Station
Ren exited the Ginza Line and made his way to the next subway platform, processing the new information that his conversation with Morgana had provided.
"If people without desires simply shut down… Does that mean the mental shutdowns cases are connected to the metaverse? Is Morgana somehow involved? Or is there som-" Ren's line of thought was interrupted when someone caught his attention.
"I told you already I'm not feeling well, please just give it a rest!" Takamaki pleaded on her phone.
"What? That's not what we agreed on! You have the audacity to call yourself a teacher?! Keep Shiho out of this!" Takamaki yelled at whoever she was talking to before that person ended the call.
"Shiho…" she muttered her friends name in worry and crouched down to the ground in despair.
"Are you alright?" was the best thing Ren could come up with as he walked towards her.
When Takamaki noticed his presence, she immediately stood up and walked a few steps away.
"I… Wait, were you listening?" Takamaki gave Ren a suspicious look.
"Apologies, it was a force of habit." Ren explained while he shamefully averted his gaze.
"Force of habit? Haven't you heard of privacy before?" she glared at her classmate.
There was a brief silence between them, during which the blonde wiped away a tear.
"How much did you hear?" Takamaki questioned.
"You had an argument with someone, because you did not comply with what they asked of you, causing them to involve your friend as means of what I could only describe as blackmail." Ren accurately recapped the previous events.
"Don't jump to conclusions! It was nothing. Nothing at all…" she muttered that last bit before wiping away some incoming tears and ran away.
Ren ran after her, looking for her until he found her standing alone, crying.
"Stop following me already! Why do you care so much? This is none of your business! Just leave me alone!" Takamaki yelled at him.
There was another brief silence until Ren calmly spoke up.
"We may not know each other that well but you are still my classmate, so it is very much my business. Also… No matter how hard I try, I could never abandon someone who obviously needs help." Ren looks at her with empathetic eyes.
Takamaki sobbed, she didn't know what she should do anymore and Ren noticed that.
"Let's go somewhere, where we do not attract too much attention. Even if my help is unwanted, speaking about it to someone might be for the better." Ren gestured to follow him, to which she complied.
They sat down in a small restaurant, sitting at a small table in the corner.
"There's nothing for us to talk about." Takamaki glared at him.
Ren simply took a sip from his glass and stared at her with his poker face.
"I-it… It was just an argument with someone. Nothing important." Takamaki excused but Ren stayed resilient.
"If it wasn't important, then you wouldn't have taken up my offer. It's alright to speak, Takamaki-san. It was Kamoshida, wasn't it?" Ren loosened his calm and polite mask, he needed her to open up about it.
"You really did hear everything… Alright, I'll talk." Takamaki didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust Ren.
"You probably heard the rumors by now. About how Mr. Kamoshida and I are getting it on. Those are so not true. Kamoshida was on the other line, something I wished would never have happened. I tried hard to avoid giving him my number for so long… He asked me to come over to his place, because… you probably know why. He… he threatened that he'd take my best friend's position as a regular away if I don't do as he said..." Takamaki squeezed the napkin she fiddled around with earlier as her hands clenched into fists.
"I kept telling myself that this is all for her sake, but…" Takamaki started tearing up, "I can't take it anymore! I've had enough of all this! I hate Kamoshida so much! Shiho's my best friend and the only thing I have left in this sorry excuse of a school! Please tell me… what should I do?" Takamaki pleaded in a small voice before she broke into sobs.
Ren waited for her to calm down.
"You should never have been thrusted into this situation. The only thing I can tell you right now is to stay strong and find ways to fight back. I apologize if that advice didn't help but this is the only thing I can think of for now." Ren told her, his voice was genuine and expressed his feeling of guilt for the lack of help he can offer.
"H-huh? N-No, it's fine! I mean we've barely talked before." Takamaki said before briefly chuckling.
"You're weird, you know? You care so much even though we don't really know each other… Do you really have a criminal record?" Takamaki asked.
"That's a long story, but yes, I do." Ren answered while averting his gaze, hoping she wouldn't see the deep amount of shame in his eyes.
"Even if you do, I'm sure you're not as bad as the rumors say, right?" Takamaki asked, feeling guilty when Ren nodded.
"The rumors have had quite an impact on the way people treat me. Had I not met Ryuji, I probably would not have a place to belong to. The same applies to you and Shiho-san, correct?" Ren gave her a smile.
"Yeah, I can definitely see the parallels… Maybe that's why I felt I could trust you about this.." Takamaki smiled shortly before returning to her somber expression to her somber expression..
"Still, is there really nothing I can do for Shiho? I just wished that Kamoshida would just let it go. Like he would just change his mind and forget about us..." Takamaki thought out loud, making Ren put deeper consideration into Morgana's idea.
"As if that'd ever happen." Ann scoffed.
"Who knows? If we are lucky enough, it might happen." Ren jokingly answered, making Ann giggle.
"I'm feeling a bit better now. You being there for me, really helped. So thanks, Tatsumi-kun."
"Ren."
"Huh?" Takamaki blinked at his sudden response.
"Just Ren is fine. Unless you don't want to call me that." Ren sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
"Alright Ren, in that case you get to call me Ann. And no honorifics! We are friends now after all... If that's okay with you, of course." Ann told him with a smile.
"Yes, I would very much like that." Ren answered with a nod.
"Good. I'm gonna head home now." Ann finished her glass of water before getting up.
"And about today… don't tell anyone about what happened here, promise?" Ann asked.
"What kind of friend would I be if I did? I promise." Ren replied.
"Alright, I'll take your word for it. I'll try to use your advice and find a way to persuade Kamoshida. See ya, Ren." Ann said before she left.
LeBlanc
Ren arrived back in LeBlanc. Sojiro was looking at him with a questioning look.
"Kid, any reason you're back so late today?" Sojiro said as he put his newspaper away.
"I met someone." Ren simply responded.
"I see. This someone better not be shady. Speaking of which, you're not hanging around any bad influences, are you?" Sojiro asked, a little hint of concern present in his voice.
"No need to worry about such things. As a matter of fact I managed to make a friend today. I appreciate your concern of course." Ren politely replied. That last bit caught the boy's guardian off-guard.
"I-I was asking for your uncle, that's all." Sojiro huffed.
"Sure you did..." Ren thought and suppressed a snicker.
"Anyways, I'm leaving, it's getting late. In the future, try to come back earlier and not when it's almost nighttime, got it?" Sojiro told Ren with a warning look.
Ren nodded and made his way upstairs, where his phone buzzed.
Ryuji: So, whaddya think about this stuff that Morgana told us?
Ryuji: I dunno if I get how the whole thing about stealing desires works...
Ryuji: but Kamoshida's gonna become a vegetable if we screw up, right?
Ryuji: As much as I hate the guy.
Ryuji: I don't think I could live with the fact that I murdered someone.
Ren: Same here.
Ren: For now, I'd suggest we keep it as a last resort option...
Ren: and think of other ways to expose him.
Ryuji: You're right.
Ryuji: I'll try to think about another way tonight.
Ren: So will I.
Ren: Let's talk about what we came up with tomorrow at school.
Ren lied down on his bed afterwards, processing everything that has happened today while looking at the ceiling.
"Stealing Kamoshida's distorted desires… Would that really be possible? But if we screw up, he would die. If it came down to it… would I really be able to do it?" Ren frowned.
"Are witnesses really our only form of evidence? Is there really nothing else we could do?" Ren kept thinking before he fell asleep.
The next day
Shujin Academy
When Ren made his way to school he overheard two girls talking.
"I can't believe Suzui-senpai missed such an important meeting. Do you think she's alright?"
"Apparently she had to meet with Mr. Kamoshida. It's weird though, she always shows up so I wonder why she couldn't attend yesterday."
Ren didn't know why but overhearing their conversation made him feel sick. This feeling still stuck with him when he entered his classroom.
"Have you made your decision yet?" Morgana asked inside Ren's desk.
Ren subtly shook his head and typed something into his phone's notepad to stay unnoticed.
"Not yet. There's something else on my mind right now."
"Just know that there is only one option. Listening to me would be optimal, you know." Morgana responded.
"Did I just hear just something meow?" Ann asked and turned to Ren.
"Apologies, that was my new ringtone." Ren explained making sure to keep his composure.
"Didn't know you were a cat enthusiast." Ann snorted.
"Hey, is everything alright? You look pale, Ren." Ann worriedly pointed out.
"I'm alr- Actually, Ann? Have you been hearing something from Suzui-san yesterday?" Ren asked cautiously, ignoring all the whispers in the room.
"No, why? Is something wrong?" Ann responded, getting worried by the increasing concern on Ren's face.
"Call it a gut feeling." Ren absentmindedly answered while piecing some information together.
Said information contained:
-Suzui missing from a meeting yesterday
-Ann not hearing from her since yesterday
-Kamoshida asking Ann to come over for sexual favors
-Kamoshida's demand to talk to Suzui privately
The more he worked on his current theory the more his heart sank. He didn't want to jump to conclusions but the more he thought about it, the more the facts aligned.
"I-I have to go!" Ren told Ann and Morgana immediately got up and rushed out the door.
Ren headed to Suzui's class asking if anyone had seen her. When her classmates told him she didn't he tried to remain calm, telling himself that she might have overslept. That attempt was thrown out the window when one of her classmates mentioned that they had seen her go upstairs a few moments ago.
Ren tensed up and ran, because he was afraid that the worst case scenario was happening right now.
He was proven right when he saw her, standing on the edge of the rooftop.
"Ann… I'm sorry." Suzui muttered as she looked down.
"SUZUI-SAN!" Ren called out to her.
"Tatsumi-san…" Suzui looked at him with dead eyes.
"Suzui-san, please don't do this." Ren pleaded, slowly walking towards her in order to make sure she isn't startled by his movement.
"I tried… I really tried to keep your advice in mind." Suzui started raising her voice.
"BUT THERE IS NO SOLUTION! NOBODY WILL EVER LISTEN TO US!" Suzui yelled at Ren.
"You're wrong! We can take him down together, they will listen to you! Please, you need to stay strong!" Ren countered keeping up his pace and nearing her. He was almost there.
"BUT I CAN'T DO THIS, I CAN'T BE BRAVE! NOT AFTER WHAT HE'S DONE TO ME!" Suzui started crying and shivering as she remembered what Kamoshida had done to her.
"I-I… I CAN'T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!" Suzui screamed out one last time before running off the edge.
Ren rushed after her and tried to reach out to her but she was already falling, his grasp barely missed her right hand.
Ren stood there for a few moments before the shock left him on his knees and his hands were trembling. He couldn't save her.
"I was so close… I couldn't save her… Is this my fault? Did I say something wrong? Did I cause her to jump?" Ren bit his lower lip, " No, it wasn't! It's all that bastard Kamoshida's fault!" Ren turned his anger into strength and rushed down the stairs.
When he arrived at the second floor he saw Mishima running after Ryuji.
"Tatsumi, perfect timing! Sakamoto ran into the PE Faculty Office." Mishima told Ren.
"Good, I was planning on doing it myself." Ren said and rushed with Mishima into Kamoshida's office.
"Do you three need something?" Kamoshida asked when they entered.
"Need something? Of course we do! The hell did you do to Suzui, you bastard?!" Ryuji yelled and narrowed his eyes.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Kamoshida responded in a dismissive tone.
"DON'T YOU EVEN DARE PLAY DUMB WITH ME!" Ryuji snapped and kicked a nearby chair.
"Alright, that's enough!" Kamoshida fully turned to the boys.
"What you did… it wasn't coaching… You… you ordered me to bring her here!" Mishima revealed.
"You kids keep going on and on about things you don't have proof about. You know what I have proof of? The fact that this delinquent pushed her off the roof." Kamoshida got up and pointed at Ren.
"Whatcha talkin' about? He obviously tried to save her when she tried to jump off after what you did!" Ryuji retorted.
"Oh really? Because this handy little video says otherwise." Kamoshida pulled out his phone showing them a recording of the previous incident.
The recording was taken from an angle where it seemed like Ren did push her off.
"That's bullshit! There's no way they'll believe you" Ryuji yelled.
"Oh, will they? Where's your evidence? Any witnesses? I've got a bunch of pushovers in the volleyball team and the principle backing me up. Who do you have? Suzui? We got a call from the hospital. Right now she's in a coma and her chances are pretty slim. Have fun getting her statement." Kamoshida gave them a smug look, hoping to see some agitation from Ren. To his surprise he remained silent.
"You little…" Ryuji clenched his teeth, his fists were shaking, which Kamoshida noticed.
"Oh, are we having another case of 'self-defense' here, Sakamoto?" Kamoshida looked down at the angry blonde.
"Shut up!" Ryuji was about to swing his fist at the 'teacher' but Ren stopped him.
"Why are you stopping me?!" Ryuji was shocked at Ren's calm reaction.
"You're running exactly into his trap, Ryuji. Don't forget that he got away with sexual assault." Ren pointed out, although he was so tempted to punch Kamoshida as well.
"Sexual assault you say? You know what? I'll be a nice guy and give you the satisfaction of getting your theory right. I did assault her, so what? It's not like you have any proof. Enjoy your last day of freedom before I report you to the police." Kamoshida gave Ren a condescending look.
"Checkmate." Ren pressed a button on his phone and chuckled to everyone's surprise.
"That's funny. I was planning on reporting you myself." Ren smirked and displayed a voice recording of the entire conversation.
Kamoshida froze.
"You just admitted to fabricating false evidence, abuse of your position and sexual assault in one recording. So about your question earlier, here is my proof." Ren explained with a detective glare.
It finally happened… Ren found the evidence he needed. Still there was this nagging feeling in the back of Ren's mind that Kamoshida had some connections that would turn things in the elder man's favor. It didn't matter though, after all Ren didn't feel satisfied by winning this way, no…
He wanted to crush Kamoshida.
"I better use this opportunity while Kamoshida doesn't think about it." Ren thought to himself.
"How about we strike a deal?" Ren proposed.
"And what would that be?" Kamoshida asked, remaining cautious.
"We both delete our evidence and neither of us is reporting the other to the police." Ren explained, getting a shocked reaction from the other boys.
"What?" Mishima couldn't believe what Ren was doing right now.
"You have the evidence you needed so badly, yet you are willing to delete it so easily?" Kamoshida narrowed his eyes, staying suspicious about Ren's motives.
"If I'm honest, I just wanted to get through this year peacefully without getting too much attention. Getting involved in all of this would cause the exact opposite." Ren effectively lied.
"Well if you want it so badly, sure. You have yourself a deal." Kamoshida's earlier bravado returned and he promptly deleted the video simultaneously with Ren's recording.
Mishima was trembling, he couldn't believe their only chance at fighting back was gone now.
Ryuji was about to snap at both of them but Morgana, who was hiding at a nearby desk, whispered something to him that made him calm down.
"Oh, I forgot to mention something. Everyone present here will be reported at the next faculty meeting and expelled." Kamoshida stated.
"What? That wasn't part of your deal!" Ryuji pointed out.
"Oh really? Because as far as I know, we only agreed to not report each other to the police. Isn't that right, Tatsumi?" he smirked at Ren, who nodded.
Ren knew this was coming, after all he deleted that video without hesitation. But man, did he want to punch that guy right now.
"Have fun defending yourselves. All of your evidence is gone and no one is going to believe scum like you." Kamoshida added.
"How is Mishima just as responsible?" Ren asked.
"Oh, you wanna know? He came here for the same as you two did. Therefore he threatened. Oh and don't give me that act. He keeps acting as if he was perfectly innocent, yet he was the one who leaked your record, Isn't that right, Mishima?" Kamoshida grinned at the boy.
"I… I had no choice. He forced me to do it!" Mishima got on his hands and knees.
"We're done here, you're all expelled." Kamoshida sat back down and turned back to his paperwork, dismissing them in a condescending tone.
Ryuji helped Mishima up and the boys made their way out of the office.
When Ryuji and Mishima already stepped outside, Ren stopped for a moment.
"Enjoy your reign while it still lasts." Ren said, still keeping his back turned towards him.
"Oho, pretty big words there, delinquent. But what makes you think it's going to be over soon?" Kamoshida asked in a mocking voice.
"Simple. Because you haven't won yet." Ren turned his head towards him and gave the man a look so intense, that sent shivers down his spine before finally leaving the office.
"Tatsumi, why?! That was our last hope, why would you do that?!" Mishima grabbed Ren by his collar.
"As great as the evidence was… Kamoshida's influence runs too deep. The principal obviously cares more about the school's reputation than the students, so he would have easily pulled some strings to cover it up." Ren explained, feeding into Mishima's despair.
"How can you be so sure?! You recorded everything!" Mishima argued.
"I hate to say this, but sometimes even the most decisive evidence won't work when the right influences say so. If the principal was capable of covering up multiple cases of physical abuse and uphold the school's image, I am certain there are plenty of connections that let him do so. That's just how corruption works." Ren clarified.
Mishima let go of Ren and looked at him with desperate eyes.
"No… y-you're joking, right?" Mishima didn't want to believe Ren's arguments.
"It is up to you whether you believe me or not… But this is how I got my criminal record in the first place." Ren sighed.
Mishima couldn't help but believe him. There was no way someone as calm and collected as him could ever assault someone.
"Does that mean, there's really nothing we can do?" Mishima asked in a small voice.
"No need to give up just yet. There is one last thing we have. Right, Ryuji?" Ren looked at his friend, who put a hand on Mishima's shoulder.
"We'll make sure you ain't gonna get expelled, we can promise that much. Just leave it to us, 'kay?" Ryuji told him and left with Ren and Morgana before Mishima could ask any further.
Author's Notes:
So that was... interesting?
This was originally much longer but I decided to split this chapter in two because they second part is only halfway done and I think this chapter should be good enough to count as a single one. If everything goes right, the next chapter is gonna be finished tomorrow.
To be honest a few moments feel a bit sloppily written to me because of the times when I start writing (usually 8pm - 4am)
I also really wanted the story to move a bit faster which is why I added the fallout and confrontation at the end and left the metaverse stuff for the second part, because I didn't want the chapter to be too long.
I wanna give all the commenters (especially on AO3) on this fic a huge shoutouts, because you guys are a huge morale boost because I'm usually very self-conscious about the stuff I do and your criticism really helps me improve as a writer.
And since FFNet doesn't have the Series System I should probably mention that there is a spin-off fic called "The Fortunate Wife of the Emperor and their foolish Son" which describes moments of Ren's childhood in this AU. It's currently at 2 chapters, but if you want to, feel free to check it out.
As always, I hope you guys enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I did writing it and I'll see you guys next time :)