Thursday, May 20th
"…I'M SO SICK AND TIRED OF YOU RYUJI! I'M TIRED OF THE BOTH OF YOU!" She jabbed a finger in Ryuji's direction.
Whatever this rant was, it was solely fixated on Ryuji for the most part. "YOU…GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE FOR A MOMENT I ACTUALLY MISSED YOU ON SUNDAY! I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS! YOU'RE…YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKING COWARD RYUJI!"
Ryuji, for the first time since he met Akira, looked utterly defeated. There was no faint sense of his earnest nature anywhere. None of his goofy charm, his idiotic sensibilities, his honesty, his endearing heart…
It was gone.
His body language shared his defeat, it was crumpled and slumped over.
For the first time, tears rolled down Ryuji's face.
Holy…
Holy shit.
Akira didn't know what to do except to recede into his safe space. The one space where, at least 47% of the time, he'd be safe.
The partially destructive fleshy walls of his brain.
Holy shit.
Oh my god…Ryuji…
Jesus Christ, how could we have gotten out of this?
…
Well…
For one, I could've actually listened to every part of Therapist Haru's speech. Probably could've told him about that part too…
No, me listening to every part of it is too far in the past…what else counts?
Oh.
Right.
I should've told Sojiro to fuck off.
Monday, May 17th
"Yeah, yeah I hear you, dad." Akira gave a hearty yawn as he ventured to the refrigerator with a bowl of his favorite cereal in tow, his hand eagerly grasping the handle as his father continued his spill.
"Okay, okay that's good. Now, how has he been academically? His grades? His exam scores?"
Akira rolled his eyes, "He's been fine, me and a few friends studied with him to prepare him. His grades have been the same as usual."
"I hope these friends have been good influences around him…Shujin seems…"
His voice took on a dejected tone as he finished his father's lingering statement, "Horrible? Yeah, welcome to the club. But they're good people. Loyal people."
Haruki took an audible pause, he was clearly considering his oldest son's words, "Hmm. If you say so. Remember—"
He gave a lazy finish as he pried open the door, "—To make sure Morgana is safe. Yeah, I know."
His dad chuckled, "Right, right. Guess it's like clockwork for you, huh? You two stay safe, okay?"
Akira grunted as he hung up the phone, stuffing it into his pocket before grabbing the milk, "Clockwork my ass."
All that other shit didn't matter to Akira at the moment…he only had one objective…to stuff his gut full of sweet ass cereal that was certainly going to make him have to blow up the stalls of Shujin.
The latter does NOT matter to me at all.
My gut shall be satisfied. I will relish every single bite I take.
For I am a #RealEater
Placing the bowl on the counter, he paused for a moment, lamenting the fact he had been irreversibly affected by the 'Sakamoto Virus' as he liked to call it.
No...
Oh my god…
Akira shook his head as he opened the milk carton, "Eh, fuck it. Time to screw my gut up and pretend as if I'm okay for the rest of the day."
Akira positioned the milk just right, with the right amount of distance and build-up to the milk flow for optimal sogginess yet solidity.
If he was sacrificing his gut, it at least needed to be perfect, right?
Perfect cereal to milk ratio…
I think even Ryuji would be proud of thi—
Even though Akira poured it right, the milk didn't bless the parched lands of the bowl.
Well, not in the way that he wanted.
A big, thick, chunky slop of milk slowly oozed its way from the carton, making a massive SPLAT sound as it fell onto his prized desire.
His heart?
Broken.
His pride?
Finished.
His hunger?
Raging.
Akira aimlessly stared at the vile form of the spoiled milk, gruesomely leaving its mark on his breakfast and ruining his minute hopes and dreams.
The carton slipped from his hands as he fell to his knees, his face hidden by his hands.
If he was crying, nobody needed to know.
FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKKKKKKK
I JUST HAD SOME CEREAL THE OTHER 'EFFIN DAY MAN THERE'S NO WAY?!
FUCK I'M BECOMING RYUJI
"MORGANA KURUSU!" There was a visceral hint of hatred and pain inside of Akira's voice that terrified Morgana that he instantly came out running, his pants nowhere to be found and his uniform jacket draping off his shoulders.
"Huh?! What's going on?!"
Akira launched from the floor and threw himself full-speed onto his younger brother, throttling him, WHERE THE FUCK IS THE MILK MAN?! WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU WITH IT?!" Akira started desperately yanking on Morgana's chest, "GIVE ME BACK MY FUCKING MILK MAN! GIVE IT BACK! NOW!"
Mona struggled to push him off, "D-Dude let me go! His grip only tightened, which only made his fear heighten and his voice also jump an octave, "AKIRA!"
His eyes were lined with intense hatred, "FIX THE DAMN MILK OR I'LL TREAT YOU LIKE A COW MAN. WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
He ripped himself from his brother, gripping his neck, "WHAT THE HELL MAN?! I DIDN'T DO THIS—oh." He nervously chuckled as he backed away, Akira's form steadily advancing on him, "I might've…you know…forgot to put it back up when you were…you know, doing Iwai that favor until later…" Akira surged with anger which caused Morgana to flail his arms out in protection, "Wait! Wait, I didn't think it was that long! Can't milk stay out for a while?!"
THIS LITTLE FUCKING BASTARD
Akira whirled around, stomping to his tarnished bowl and showcasing it to his younger brother, "OF COURSE IT CAN YOU DAMN DICK-HEAD! AND THAT LONG? YOU SEE THIS SHIT?! THIS FUCKING CHUNKY ASS PIECE OF SOUR CREAM RUINING MY BEAUTIFUL CORNUCOPIA OF WONDERS!?"
Akira wasn't really sure what he was going to do, but all he knew was that he was seeing red and Morgana—like many others—was on top of his shit list.
Well, that was until a series of rapid knocks halted Akira in his place. The anger was quickly quelled and replaced with irritation instead, "Consider yourself lucky."
Akira took a gaze into the peephole, only to be sadly cursed with…Sojiro Sakura.
Oh, for fuck's sake.
Why is he even here—
Well…this is his place…
…should I tell him to fuck off?
I could just pretend as if we're still sleeping!
Wait…but if we do that, we'll most definitely miss the train to Shujin…
Son of a b—
"Hey, kid, I know you're there." Sojiro dug into his coat pocket, waving a keycard in front of the peephole with a toothy grin, "Plus I still have a key to my apartment, smart-ass."
Shit.
He caught me there.
A sigh slid from his mouth as he reluctantly opened the door, Sojiro swiftly entering his former domain, "Hm. You two haven't completely ruined the place since my last visit."
Akira shut the door behind him, "What do you need, man?"
"Is that any way to refer to your guardia—why the hell is Morgana wearing no pants…?"
"He fucked with my milk, man. And you only use that shit when it's convenient."
Confusion wore his face, "Milk? And watch your mouth kid."
Morgana grabbed the displaced bowl, "Milk." He placed it down and retreated back to his room to finish his morning routine.
A curious expression formed on his face, "Ah…milk."
Akira pinched the bridge of his nose as he maneuvered to the kitchen again, seeking a drink, "What do you need, Sojiro?"
Sokoto started examining the apartment once more, trying to fully see whether or not the boys actually kept all parts of the apartment up to par and not just the living room and kitchen, "Sheesh, straight to the point as always, huh?"
"Of course, especially after the last time we talked? There must be a reason why you're here."
He shrugged, "Guess you caught me, your prize should be…some of my coffee."
Akira closed the fridge as he opened a can of soda, "Ew. Who the hell drinks coffee at my age? I'm sixteen, not…whatever age you are."
"You know me and Hotaru are literally the same age right? Like a week apart?"
Akira took a prolonged sip of his soda, "…So? He's still old as hell."
"Who the hell considers forty-three to be—oh screw it, I'm here because I need to talk to you."
"Ain't that kinda obvious?"
"Wiseass. I don't need to talk to you here, at Shujin."
He tilted his head, "Whatever happened to…you know, 'we don't be around each other nor mention each other and we'll all be happy?'"
Sojiro yawned and patted Akira's shoulder, "Oh yeah, that hasn't changed at all kid. I just need to speak, that's all. You can bring Morgana too."
Akira shrugged his hand off, "Yeah, right. Great." He checked his phone, his eyes widening upon glancing at the time, "Shit. Morgana! Hurry up!" He turned back to Sojiro, "Okay I know what I just said about not being around each other but…could you—"
He replied almost instantly with flatness radiating, "No."
Akira was taken aback, "Oh, come on! If you hadn't decided to pop up here like a damn creep then we would've been gone!"
"A creep? This is my apartment you asswipe! And Morgana was half-naked, that doesn't inspire much confidence upon being on time."
Morgana hurried out of his room as Akira laid down his final plea, "Look, Sakura-san, think about it like this, if we're late—mind you, we're 'infamous' delinquents—then Kobayakawa will be on our asses."
"So—"
"But since you're our guardian and you work there, that'll obviously cause him some flack as well. See what I mean?"
Although it took a few seconds, Akira's words eventually caused Sojiro to lower his head in exhaustion, "Fine. The car's downstairs at the front. Hurry up!"
Makoto's ventures into following Akira had been rather slow on the uptake. Every single day after Kobayakawa's talk had been the same. Until the 15th and 16th.
May 13th—14th, 2021: Kurusu-kun, so far, seems to have a daily schedule similar to:
- Leave Leblanć
- Board the train (which causes me to evade his vision as much as possible)
- Greet Takamaki.
- Hang with Ryuji
- Go to class.
- He'd go to the rooftop to eat with his little group, although it seemed as if he would be purposely distant with Takamaki.
- Side-Note: It seems as if Ohya Ichiko and Ryuji Sakamoto have something going on? I might have to investigate this. Ohya is a shining star I've kept an eye on since her first year, can't have her getting mixed up with…unsightly parties. I thought Kurusu Sakura-sensei's apartment was a one-time deal.
- Kurusu-kun and Sakamoto-kun have been excessively distant with Takamaki it seems, flaking her. Can't get closer to see what she is asking without causing suspicions. Worth investigating?
- Doesn't talk to Sakura-sensei.
- He usually goes home afterward while his younger brother goes with Takamaki-san.
- Additional Side-Note: Is Kurusu-kun (Morgana) having something going on with Takamaki? If he is, why is he getting closer to Yoshizawa-san then? I've been seeing them together but I can't do anything as he's still on high alert from our encounter. Investigate if I have the time, Kobayakawa's only focusing on the main crack but not the tinier ones…both Kurusu's are worth keeping tabs on.
- Kurusu-kun has a somber expression on his face most days. Even when he's joking with Sakamoto-kun, it's still there. It's reminding me of that sad cat I saw him as.
- IMPORTANT!
- Remember to keep tabs on Aki Kurusu-kun's exams scores. Maybe that can lead into some insight.
May 15th, 2021: Akira
- Damn it. Kurusu-kun had a gift in his hands when leaving Shujin. I was planning on taking today off but…this is too intriguing.
- He's been scowling this entire train ride, luckily he hasn't noticed me because of this.
- He crashed into some businessman who broke the gift. Also ruined the businessman's clothes and food. Kurusu-kun had a gaze devoid of life with him. Took him to a ramen store. Not taking my chances.
- Kurusu-kun had a rejuvenated sense of life to him, went off rushing with the businessman towards the train.
- Kurusu and the B-Man appeared in Akihabara.
- Side-Note: Spending too much yen. I should renew my travel pass.
- The two parted ways. Kurusu started to yell and cheer in the middle of the street. Camera was in his hands.
- Went to Roppongi, dropped his gift inside of a P.O. Box in front of an unremarkable building. I wonder—
- Kurusu-kun almost saw me.
- I had to move fast.
- He's definitely on edge. Might have to relent for the moment.
- IMPORTANT?
- Kurusu-kun mentioned something about a celebration dinner. For Kamoshida and exams, it seems.
- Observing this might be keen but…I'm not sure. Too many possible failures. I don't even know where…I'd have to stay hidden in the lobby for a while. A large group of people might be there, so possibly good cover?
May 16th, 2021: Hid in the lobby for two hours. Nothing yet.
- Saw Sakamoto-kun and Ichiko-kun. Might be heating up.
- Kurusu-kun changed his hair. It's slicked back again. It looks nice.
- Kurusu-kun seems fidgety. Odd.
- They're at this really…really fancy place. I think sis and I went here once.
- How the hell can they afford to even be here?
- What is Kurusu-kun doing? Stealing money? Blackmailing?
- I used Sis' name to get inside. Kurusu-kun is talking to a girl. Not that it matters.
- This girl is familiar, I think she might go to Shujin as well.
- They…seem to be hitting it off. Really well. He has a smile on his face. I forgot how sincere those look.
- They were fake, Makoto.
- I remember her name. Haru Okumura. We have the same class.
- They've been talking the whole time. Akira Kurusu-kun's face hasn't lost its smile. They're having a sincere conversation now.
- Sakamoto-kun hurried away from Ichiko-kun after she sat down.
- He and Takamaki are having a long conversation. They're now joking and playing with each other. Are they a thing?
- Morgana Kurusu got into an altercation with Yusuke Kitagawa, ruined his dress shirt. It was nice.
- Akira Kurusu and Ryuji Sakamoto appeared, trying to halt the altercation. Madarame appeared, offering them a chance to hang with Yusuke as an attempt to bandage Kurusu-kun's pride.
- Sakamoto and Kurusu-kun seem to be skeptical.
Makoto walked to her homeroom, slipping into her desk as she reviewed over her notes, attempting to piece a hypothesis from everything she had gathered so far.
Kurusu-kun is just…odd.
Everything surrounding him…the people, the circumstances of everything…odd.
Meeting with the heiress of Okumura Records? Seemingly having a good relationship with her…
Did…is he doing the same with her? Using her like me?
…did he replace me?
Are they…
Makoto attempted to shake those thoughts away, but they kept persisting.
Haru Okumura…the heiress to Okumura Records returning to Shujin after so long just to be instantly caught around the notorious delinquent of Shujin Academy…in any context, that's worrisome. I should pursue leads based on this as well.
Can't ask her directly…I don't know the nature of their relationship exactly.
A sigh slipped from her lips as she lifted her head, peering outside of the window to see the facility parking lot being filled with cars.
There was this one really nice car that parked itself.
Must be Sakura-sensei's...
While, of course, a teacher arriving at school wasn't anything new, the confines of the car were something that elicited interest from her. As she was planning to return to her hellish journal to send her thoughts into a flurry, the sight of Akira, Morgana, and Sojiro hobbling out of the car snatched her interest.
It seemed that Akira and Sojiro were having some passing remarks to each other.
I guess they really can't be around each other for too long.
The latter was speed-walking, attempting to put as much distance between them and himself as possible before he slipped inside of the bandroom. The two brothers started running into Shujin, wanting to beat the bell as much as possible.
The sight was something so intriguing to the young Niijima that it caused her to lurch from her seat, asking her teacher to excuse her if she came back after first period started.
Makoto trekked to the Journalism club, hoping to find Ohya with one simple action.
Luckily, she did.
Since the Journalism club met in Shujin's computer lab, it was a perfect place for Ohya to both reasonably skip classes, still do her work, and actively have fun while avoiding the monotony of her homeroom.
Makoto cleared her throat, dragging Ohya's attention from whatever thesaurus she was typing up, "Ichiko-kun?"
Her head perked up, her face losing any semblance of enjoyment from the moment prior, "Oh…Niijima-senpai, what do I owe the pleasure?"
The final bit of enthusiasm slipped from the fingers of Makoto's psyche, "I um…I just wanted to ask about an interest I had. To see if you could do me a favor."
Ohya raised her eyebrows as she contemplated it once more, "Hm? What does the illustrious Makoto Niijima require from me…?"
Makoto struggled with her words. She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She hadn't really thought it out that far, she reacted impulsively and came wherever her legs brought her.
"Um…" She lowered her voice, "I remember during the investigation…Sakamoto mentioned something about you compiling a notebook of all of Mishima's habits."
Ohya surrendered a nod, "Yeah?"
"Um…does that extend to just gathering information?"
Ohya leaned in with a smile beaming on her face, "You know what they call me, Niijima-senpai?"
"No?"
She chuckled, "'Underground Information Broker,' it's kinda run its course on me but yeah. Anyway, what information?"
Can I really just ask this?
Makoto paused once more, fully digesting her choice before finally settling, "Sojiro Sakura."
Ohya paused for a moment, dwelling on the option presented before her, "Why?"
"Because…I want to know more about him, that's all."
"Does this have anything to do with Akira? I thought you two hated each other's guts now."
"That's not it. I just…I feel like there's more to Sakura-sensei, that's all. Isn't that what reporters like to do? Dig for more when there's clearly more than meets the eye?"
Ohya faltered for a moment, reconsidering it from that angle, "Fine, but only things that involve Sojiro-sensei. Nothing about Akira or Morgana. That's…that's weird."
Makoto felt disappointed by Ohya's reluctance to intrude upon her, albeit brief, mutual understanding she had with the Kurusus.
I can't say I don't respect it though.
Makoto gave a nod, "That's perfectly fine in my eyes, Ichiko-kun."
Makoto turned around to leave when Ohya called for her, just as the bell rang, "Niijima-senpai?"
"Hm?"
"I'll sign onto this but…you have to do something for me, okay?"
Makoto nodded, "What is it?"
Ohya sighed as she took a breath, "What do you know about Kayo Murakami?"
A sigh drew itself from Akira as he gripped the door to the bandroom. Morgana was flanking him.
Hmm.
Do I want to stay and endure so much bullshit…or do I just want to flake and tell Sojiro that I had obligations?
'Obligations'
What damn obligations, Akira?
Ha.
Maybe…Kawakami?
No…fuck. She wants me to actually be around him, same with that Maruki dude. If I hung around with her or lied on her name she'd kill me.
Plus, she actually seems to like me now…or stomach me at least.
Staying on Kawamomm—
I gotta stop doing that man…
Akira shook his head.
Staying on her good side is easily pleasurable.
Man. Pretty good thing I have such a vivid imagination…
Speaking of imagination…could I use Takemi?
NO!
FUCK THEY KNOW EACH OTHER!
I'm pretty sure she'd instantly take his side as opposed to mine, even if I am her little druggie guinea pig.
Druggie Guinea Pig.
Huh.
…
Niijima-senpai hates me so I can't say she needed me or something.
Annnnnnd here we go again. I've opened the floodgates of Makoto again.
Damn it man, stop calling her Makoto.
Nijjima-senpai.
…guess I'm not distracted anymore if she's front and center…
…was I using Haru as a distraction…?
No, don't think that way.
That's pretty screwed up man.
I mean, I am a horrible person but—
GODDAMN IT AKIRA, OPEN THE DOOR!
"Dude, are you gonna open the door?" His irritation was paramount.
Akira slung the door open in frustration as he was met with a stare.
A stare was a gross understatement.
It was at least over a hundred pairs of eyes.
OH GOOD HEAVENS—
Akira felt his throat quicken with a parched quality as he breathed out a nervous chuckle along with a stiff wave, "H-Hi. Ha…ha…how uh…how are you guys doing?"
That's right.
Keep making a fool of yourself, maybe then people will actually stop seeing me as a delinquent and I can peacefully exist.
Well, peacefully dissolve away.
…damn it why is this nihilism talk coming back…
I guess the impromptu positive reinforcement from Therapist Haru has officially worn off. I knew that failed titty-milk squirting clone was fraudulent…
"Yo! Frizzy-chan!" Although Akira still hated that damn nickname, he found some reprieve in hearing Ryuji's voice.
Walking through the crowd, which reformed to his Moses fantasy, and reconnected with his trusted duo, while Morgana gave Ann a hug, Akira had a more pressing question on his mind, "Why the hell are you two here?"
Ryuji shrugged, "I dunno, Chouno said I had to be here."
Ann yawned as she disconnected from Mona, "I checked my student email this morning, it said I had to report to the bandroom during lunch."
"Wait, we have student emails?"
Morgana looks at him oddly, "Aren't you supposed to be the smarter one out of the two of us? Even I knew that."
Akira looked at Ryuji, "Yeah, even I knew that. Kobayakawa didn't tell you? Shujin has all sorts of things thanks to the grant they got from the Diet. We got an entire social media site, email system, hell even a sponsorship from Yamaha." Ryuji paused for a moment, "I think the fundin' for the grant is gone though…I know the sponsorship is gone. The social media site is on its last legs though, and you probably didn't know about the email system because of King Dick-head."
"…For fucks' sake, what the hell else am I supposed to know?!"
"…hmm. Oh, we have a VR room."
A VR Room.
Huh.
I feel that's going to become something worthwhile.
Anyway.
"Uh-huh."
Ann tugged on his sleeve, "So…" Akira raised an eyebrow, "What's going on with…you know?"
Huh?
"Huh?"
She lowered her voice, "Y'know…Haru."
"A—Weren't you distrusting of her?"
"Keyword, I was. She's nice. Really nice, after yesterday…I felt bad about judging her. But screw that, what's going on? I saw the longing looks, the stolen glances, the infinite laughs!"
Akira flicked his eyes to Ryuji and Morgana, the two were clearly sharing her interest in their perceived version of his love life.
Oh for fucks sake.
Luckily for Akira, Sojiro finally stepped out from his office, stepping onto the conductor's podium in the middle of the room. He cleared his voice, although it took a few times before it actually caused the kids to settle down.
"Well that took longer than expected…but, how is everyone today?"
A few scattered replies came forth, echoing the same so-so sentiment, "Cool. Anyway, as I said at the assembly, my name is Sojiro Sakura. As you can tell," Sojiro spread his hand across the berth of the room, "I called every band associated person in Shujin here."
It took Akira a few glances, but he noticed Mishima in the corner of the room.
Of course. That little shit is here too.
Sojiro's voice, annoyingly, recaptured Akira's attention, "I wanted to use today to officially state that we will be having try-outs to reinstate the band. Luckily, I've been able to piece together some little events you can do to at least mediate the representation you guys have now, but it wasn't easy. Took a lot of personal favors…but you'll have to hit the ground running—"
"Oh, that's some ol' bullshit! Who the fuck is listening to this old loser!? Try-outs?! We never had try-outs before and even then, we all earned our places from Kamoshida! We paid our money!"
The group turned around to see the originators of the voice, only to see Shigeo and Jotaro. Shigeo continued his spiel, "Come on! Can't y'all see Shujin is just bullshitting us?! We need Kamoshida back! Screw all that bullshit!"
There was a palpable sense of silence that overtook the band-room as they all stared at the two. Sojiro and Akira, unbeknownst to each other, share the same humored look.
While Sojiro was planning on shutting them down with his own words, Akira surprisingly gave a hearty laugh before they could speak.
This, unsurprisingly, angered Shigeo, "The hell are you laughing at, you worthless trash bag?"
Akira faked as if it harmed him, although he didn't get to play the bit out for as long as he wanted as he noticed both Morgana and Ryuji lurching forward. He hurdled them behind him, "Relax, I got this."
Akira took a glance at his bowl-cut, "Trashbag…oh the humanity, I'm so hurt. Is that all you can come up with? I don't think you want to slander me while you have a cock-tip literally embellishing your skull."
"Huh? The hell did you say?" Shigeo advanced on Akira, causing both devout members of CPNB to attempt to resist Akira's grip on them.
Even Sojiro tried to speak up, but he paused. He wanted to see how this would end.
"You heard me, dick-head. Though I think too much processing on your sensitive head might cause you to cum everywhere and overload. So, no more Junior High words for you!"
A few snickers came from the crowd as Akira continued, "Though I should've seen it coming…considering how you keep bouncing on Kamoshida's dick, I'm not surprised you're turning into what you eat after all…" He took a quick glance at Sojiro before spitting one more remark out, "How dare you try to call a man who assaulted teenagers a better man than So—"
Shit.
"—Sakura-sensei. The shit he's done dwarfs that loser pedophile who only liked prepubescent cream in his coffee. He's only a partial loser."
Shigeo stood for a moment, frozen by Akira's words before Jotaro's voice snipped at him, "Come on dude! Say something!"
Shigeo grit his teeth before grabbing Jotaro and stomping angrily from the bandroom.
Akira couldn't help but snicker as he waved his hand in front of his nose, "Jeez, I couldn't take another minute of his stank-ass breath in my face."
Ew, did I just defend Sojiro Sakura of all people?
My slick-ass mouth might actually be useful.
Guess I can forget the whole losing the delinquent atmosphere huh.
But…I got subtle revenge for Niijima-senpai.
…why did I invoke her name.
Out of sight, out of mind.
In any case…I might have to add that to the tally soon.
Speaking of which, I think Lavenza might like that…
Akira was taken from his subconscious as he felt hands patting him on the back, a simple glance revealed them to be Sojiro's.
"And that is a perfect example as to why this program needs a new and complete restart. Kamoshida's…mark on you all is too apparent. Too deep. Too visceral."
Ann felt a few looks garner onto her. Her mind instantly discarded them.
The only person who still has his mark is Shiho…
"Everyone is starting from zero. Everyone is getting a fresh start. No one is going to be owed everything. And if you don't want to be a part of that, or work to regain what you had…" He pointed to the door, "You can kindly remove yourself from this band-room like those two knuckleheads just did. I'll even refund the money from your band dues with my own cash."
None of the students left, they only continued to awkwardly look around, which Sojiro decided to take as a good sign.
He clapped his hands together, "Good. Now, the audition dates will be held on the 21st." He paused as he pointed to the table that laid at the very front of the hall, "I have your audition pieces over there. It's nothing too long, just an excerpt. Auxiliary, you guys will just have to do dancing auditions in two different styles. Ballet and stylistic." Sojiro started the journey back to his office before he paused, remembering his last bit of information, "Ah, that's right." He grabbed Akira before he could attempt to leave, "This unremarkable blockhead right here," He ruffled Akira's unruly hair, "Is your new band President. Good day everyone."
Everyone in the room, bar Akira's trio, stared at him with apprehension and disgust. Wasn't anything new at all.
In fact, it made Akira feel as if nothing groundbreaking was said.
Oh.
That's coolOHWAITWHATTHEHELL?
Realization finally crept its head inside of Akira's head as he turned around, following Sojiro into his office.
He wasn't the only one though, as the dynamic blond duo followed him as well. Morgana eagerly grabbed an audition piece and left.
Upon venturing into the Sojiro Sakura rebranded office, Ryuji spoke first once he closed the door behind himself, "Look, uh…Sakura-sensei, do I have to—"
Sojiro typed away on his phone as he emotionlessly answered with no contemplation, "Yes."
"But…my hand—"
"I know about your hand. I know about what Kamoshida did to you."
"For real?"
"Yeah, your file's been changed since that pervert confessed. Point is, I know. But I still want you to try. I don't want you to regret not at least…trying when you get older, kid. It won't harm." He reached into his desk, grabbing some drumsticks and shoving them into his hand, "Go grab a rudiment paper and try. You got more than enough time, blonde."
Quite honestly, Ryuji had no idea how to reply.
He hadn't had this much reassurance from an adult outside of his mother in a long…long time.
He walked out of the office, leaving them with a final remark, "I know my rudiments by heart, sensei."
Ann tried to get him to stop, she seemingly had something on her mind, but Ryuji side-stepped her as he took off.
Ann grumbled something under her breath as she took a moment to pause and contemplate on her next step, the silence caused Sojiro to look at her, "You need something, Takamaki-kun?"
She flicked her eyes between the guardian and teenager, feeling the radiating tension from Akira. Whatever she wanted to address with Akira could wait.
Not long after she bowed, "Sorry…I think I'll be going, Sakura-sensei."
That only left Akira and his guardian.
Great.
"Why the hell—"
He put a hand up, "For once kid, shut your mouth. I only made you Band President since I see you're an avid member of my fan club. I never knew you felt that way about me."
"Cut the crap, Sojiro."
He gave up a few chuckles, "Fine, fine. I don't trust you. You know this."
"Ah yes, the kid you don't trust is your Band President now."
"But…you have experience with this. You've done this before. And I need that. Plus…I'd rather have someone familiar in a hostile environment where people equally hate us."
…right.
"But I don't—"
"Want to be in the band? Have these responsibilities? Tough shit kid, life doesn't always go how people want it to. And before you ask, yes the deal will still be in effect, we'll just have to be around each other a little bit more. Just do this one thing for me, kid."
Akira sighed, "…Fine."
"Good. Plus, I need a strong trumpet player anyway, seems like none of them actually have the endurance I'm looking for."
"Neither do I? You know how long it's been?"
Sojiro waved off his concerns, "So you say. We'll see."
"Oh, right…do I have to audition as well?"
"No…but you'll have to watch them with me."
"…I gotta sacrifice my afternoon to watch these little shits? Are you serious?"
"Don't act like you had anything to do, that'll probably be the most exciting thing for you to do that day."
Damn it.
He's got me there.
"…bye, Sojiro." He gripped the handle, but stopped, all this talk about not trusting him reminded him of a previous conversation.
"You still don't know who suggested you, right?"
"Nope. Why?"
He opened the door, "No reason."
Lavenza opened the door with a smile on her face, she instantly went to hug Akira, "Hey!"
Please please please don't arise you tarnished piece of meat.
God she smells so damn nice.
God…
GOD ITS LIKE CRACK—
"So, I see your nose is almost back to normal, I didn't know you heal that fast?" She pulled away from Akira and gently tapped his nose.
He rubbed his nape as he gave up a chuckle, "Yeah, ha…I just uh…I've just been drinking a lot of water and being as normal as I can be. Plus I've been going to a back alley goth goddess doctor to get some highly advanced medicine in exchange for me doing drugs for her."
Lavenza's face became twisted with confusion as she attempted to absorb his words, "Uh-huh…are you okay?"
"Nope, not really but that's the reason why I'm over here."
Seeing you actually made me feel a little better…but now it's primetime for me to feel even worse since I gotta see Igor.
Her eyebrow raised itself with contemplation, "Oh?"
"Yeah, is Igor in?"
She gave him a nod, and like before, led him to the Velvet Room.
Akira gave a few rapid knocks on the door before he heard Igor's voice, "Come in."
Entering the purple-oriented room, Akira saw Igor was fiddling around with a few trumpets, trying to fix them. Upon seeing Akira's form he placed the brasses down, "Ah, Trickster. What do I owe the pleasure?"
"I don't think seeing the Warlock of Brass is a pleasure for me, Igor."
He chuckled, "Exactly, it's a pleasure for me."
A groan manifested as Akira went straight for the point, "Listen, did you get Sojiro that job?"
Igor shrugged, "Does it seem like something I'd do?"
"That's the thing, you're too goddamn unpredictable for me to tell. I guess I…would've expected you to become Shujin's Head Band Director instead, but…Sojiro?!"
Igor replied with a hearty chuckle, "Oh, Trickster, those days of mine are getting to become faint echoes."
"Great, more poetic bullshit from you. But wait…does—"
"I thought you and Sakura-san would both…prosper from this arrangement. You two, after all, do share a love as trumpeters."
Akira's face had it's all the color drained as he realized the implication, "No way, why can't you just—"
"As I said, time is a fickle mistress. I can't spend nor be around you everyday in order to facilitate your rehabilitation and subsequent growth. However…Sakura-san is still full of youth and vigor, and I'm sure you two have a lot to teach one another."
"Sojiro is forty—oh my god."
It was fruitless.
"I'm telling you, this is not going to work out how you think it will. I promise."
Igor went back to his trumpet, "We'll see. Oh, I can still fix up any horns if they need to be fixed too, I still have enough energy for that."
"Right…" The Kurusu heir paused for a moment, "How much did you…how much did you give Kobayakawa…?"
Igor chuckled as he tinkered away, "Let's just say it was enough to make the Diet collectively blush.
Oh.
Oh holy shit.
Akira's face must've transmitted his shock as Igor continued, "But enjoy your renewed marching career, Trickster."
…right…
Can I even rightfully enjoy this…?
Akira shook the intrusive thoughts as he nervously chuckled while he left.
Tuesday, May 18th
Ann tried her hardest to catch Ryuji and Akira before they left school, but—as always—they weaseled their way out of conversing with her.
Are we bad people?
Yeah.
Butttt Ryuji does need a calm place to work on remembering his rudiments and regaining his muscle memory so…are we REALLY that bad?
Yes.
Yes you are.
You're avoiding a comatose girl dude.
Come on, that's fucking horrible.
It's rare that something is actually worse WITH context.
I should really get around to doing this before I go back to Tae's and Therapist Milk-Deity Haru castrates me like the rest of my hallucinations…
Oh, speaking of which I never told Ryuji about that one, huh?
As Akira opened the door to his apartment, he tapped Ryuji on the shoulder, "I ever told you about my last visit to Takemi?"
Ryuji was momentarily preoccupied with pulling his sticks from his back, twirling them between his fingers clumsily, "No? When the hell did you go?"
"After you and Morgana left, I got my ass kicked like really, really, really bad in ABTB…and that kinda made me realize that going to Takemi's might not be a bad idea. So, I went."
Ryuji took one of the sofa pillows and started working on one of his rudiments as Akira continued on, "Uh-huh, so?"
"So…I got there, took the shit and it hit me faster than usual. Before I knew it, I was at Shujin. I trusted my gut and just decided to go to Kawakami's room. Once I got there, I got jumped by her and Haru."
Ryuji instantly stopped, "Dude, what?"
"Wait, wait, that's not even the crazy part, I was getting squirted on my titty milk. It even filled up the whole room and drowned us."
"Wha—wait, US?!"
"Oh shit, yeah, Ryudalf was there. After the room drained out, Ann dragged you away and I think…pegged you?"
Ryuji stared at his best friend for a moment, not before shrugging and going back to his rudiment practice, "That all?"
"…uh, anyway, an actual normal Haru came out and decided to talk to me about my issues."
"What did she or…well, I guess you, say?"
Time to avoid mentioning the very
thing we've been avoiding like the plague!
"Well, she said I should think of myself better and I should open up to her. Or, well, the real Haru."
He mindlessly replied, "Huh. That's why you've been talkin' to Haru?"
"Yup. The bettering of myself shit didn't last that long though, that's nothing new."
Akira initially expected Ryuji to say something a bit positive but nothing came to fruition. After a few seconds, an exceedingly rare word flew from Ryuji's mouth, "FUCK!"
Huh—
DID HE JUST—
"Ryuji?!" Akira quickly hurried over to the couch, "You okay?!"
Ryuji threw his sticks to the ground, "It's my damn hand man! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"
Akira couldn't help but snicker at this, "Jeez man I think this is the most I've ever heard you say fuck man."
He held his head in his hands for a moment with a groan accompanying, "Damn it, man, I'm just so damn frustrated…Ohya's been actin' so weird lately."
"Even more than what you told me at the party?"
"Yeah. She's been avoidin' me all day and today she blew me off to hang with Miss Prez. I mean, I don't really have a problem, y'know, it's just a weird-ass change to happen so fast."
Niijima-senpai…
Weird…
I wonder what she's been doing—
Stop dude.
Ryuji continued, snapping Akira back to reality, "Then Ann…I dunno…after the party it's like she's tryna get closer and closer. I don't have an issue with it, it's just that…" He sighed, "Screw it. It's really just my hand makin' me feel useless, all that other shit don't matter."
"You sure?"
"Yeah. But what about you, do you have a horn? You been practicin'?"
Akira sighed as he tapped Ryuji on the shoulder, signaling for him to follow him as he ventured into his room.
While Akira started finishing underneath his bed, Ryuji had a question, "You keep your porn underneath your bed dude? Kinda old-school but—"
Akira yanked out a Yamaha case, "Shut the hell up dude. And here's your answer." Akira fished through his drawer to find his WB mouthpiece, only to look at both pieces of his past solemnly.
"But…didn't you tell me you threw them shits out?"
"Yeah. I wish I did."
Wednesday, May 19th
Once again, the idiotic duo left Ann on her lonesome.
It didn't matter, at least on her surface, since Morgana once again decided to tag along with her.
Even though he had to practice for auditions, as did she, he kept sacrificing his time in order to make sure Ann was alright.
Ann was sure they had their actual reasons to keep constantly missing out on seeing Shiho, actual things to keep them busy, but the fact it had been a continuous string of excuses…and the fact that even Morgana had things holding him up but he was still able to see her when he could…it left a bad taste in her mouth.
Shiho's room, of course, was the same as usual. Her mother and father sat in their usual chairs, with both drifting into sleep.
The sound of Ann opening the door stirred him to wake, a warm smile appeared on his face once he recognized her face, "Ah…Takamaki-chan, Kurusu-kun…it's good to see you both."
The two gave a bow as her mother began to wake up, giving a sleepy wave to the two.
Morgana gave one back as Ann placed herself by Shiho's bedside.
The letter's in the exact same place as before.
Everything was truly frozen in place in her room. Even Shiho herself, except for her longer hair and sunken eyes.
Ann hated the sight but at least she seemed more peaceful than in the weeks leading up to her attempt.
The day replayed in her head as she struggled to maintain her composure. Though it led to a question in her mind.
She tapped Morgana and led him outside, "What's up?"
She paused for a moment, trying to word it in the least offensive way possible, "Um…we both know that Akira's a…good liar."
Morgana faintly winched. He knew where this was going.
He nervously replied, "Uh-huh…"
"Do you think…he's lying about having stuff to do? Why wouldn't he want to see Shiho…?"
Morgana struggled to try and lie for him, to piece together something.
He couldn't just. Her stare…her blue eyes had a firm yet sincere gaze to them. A hidden layer of vulnerability that he couldn't refuse.
He just reluctantly shut his mouth.
It didn't matter.
She got her answer.
Thursday, May 20th
Grape juice day and mochi bread day. Nice.
The only time Shujin actually serves decent food…
Damn it…I should ask Dad and Hotaru if they're going to send out money for this month…
Akira and Ryuji quickly scaled the stairs and resumed their usual positions on the roof.
Akira briefly wondered where Morgana was, but he remembered that his brother had been acting weird since last night.
Eh, probably just tired or focused on that Yoshizawa girl.
It was a decent day for both of them. Kawakami's lectures in class had been a breeze so far, if anything it seemed as if she was purposely giving them breaks in class and rudimentary work in order to satiate a quota. Her usual effort wasn't there…but Akira couldn't complain, easier work meant less stress. It was the least they deserved after exams.
Ryuji, on the other hand, was having a hellish workload from Chouno, but it was partially mediated by the fact that Chouno was wearing a tight-fitting velvet dress that just perfectly complemented her figure.
The sight of her godly figure actually made him finish with work with incredible ease for once, something that Chouno gave him a compliment for that made him blush with ease.
The high of her words kept his energy higher than usual, something that wasn't missed by Akira, "Dude, why are you smiling so hard over there?"
"I just had Chouno flirt with me."
Akira took a bite out of the bread, his disbelief was oozing, "Cut the bullshit. And aren't you in a whole ass relationship?"
"It's not bullshit I fear…just accept the fact that I have more luck with women than you…"
"Oh hell no! What luck?! What did she even say?!"
Ann dragged herself up the stairs, overhearing their conversation as Ryuji cleared his throat, bolstering his chest, "She told me…that I did an absolutely wonderful job and she can't wait for me to do more."
Any expression that Akira had on his face quickly faded away like a puddle on a scorching day as it immediately became replaced with him busting out in laughter, "Oh my god! Ryuji you gotta be shitting me!"
He immediately got defensive, "What?! That counts shithead! What else could I do more in?!"
"She's a teacher! You barely do work, jackass of course she wants you to do more!"
Ann took her usual seat as Ryuji stammered, "But—s-she gave me a flirty smile!"
Akira slapped a hand of kindness on his shoulder as he stared into his eyes solemnly, "Look…as the F.K.S.O…ima need you to just…snap. Snap back to reality."
Ryuji pushed his hand off, "'eff off! This shit ain't funny dude! You just crushed my hopes and dreams of MILF Milk!"
Akira tilted his head in confusion, "What in the fuck is MILF Milk?! D-Does Chouno have a kid?!"
"I don't t-think so? But kiss my ass dude!"
Ann just simply flicked her eyes between the two, it seemed like irritation was permeating.
"Oh come on! Isn't it my job as the presiding F.K.S.O to make sure you and Mona don't do stupid shit? Excuse me for wielding my power correctly…"
Ryuji faltered before hopping from his chair, his name still written on it, "Ya see that? Kiss my ass."
"I think you're just mad that the Kurusu charm is still in effect for me."
"Deadass? When was the last time you and Haru talked? You got a kiss or somethin' Sunday? You talked to Saya? Lavenza? Y'all went on a date? Where are your hoes, Frizzy-chan?! We're at Shujin dude! Ample feedin' ground!"
Akira grasped his dear friend, shaking him, "Snap back to reality jackass! We are at SHUJIN ACADEMY! There are NO HOES here! Your love life dies here!"
"No! I got Ohya and Morgana's talkin' to Kasumi! You just have NO sauce! NO juice! ZERO CREAM! You are NOT him!" Ryuji sighed as Ann rubbed her temple in annoyance, "I'm sorry to tell you Frizzy-chan…but if you don't showcase your sauce ability to woo women…Mona and I might have to revoke your membership as you fail to uphold the creed…"
Wha—
OH HELL NO THERE'S NO WAY THESE TWO LITTLE SHITS ARE REALLY OUTDOING ME RIGHT NOW!
"Fine! This is the month of wooing! I'll show you why I'm really HIM!"
Why am I taking this so serious…
Screw—
"Is this really what you two do all the time? Go on and on about bullshit? And yet somehow y'all can't afford to see Shiho?"
The energy the duo displayed dissipated like a house at the whim of a tornado.
"I mean, what's so…so damn hard about seeing her? Just one visit?! It's been damn near a month!" Ann's raised voice was something that the both of them hated hearing. Akira attempted to open his mouth but he knew it was futile.
How fair is it for me to say more bullshit…?
Akira surrendered a glance to Ryuji, it seemed he was thinking the same thing.
They were cornered against the wall…no other way or bullshit to throw against Ann.
Yeah.
"Are you two coming with me today or is there some magical excuse you have?" Her voice was lined with a poisonous and bitter snarl to it.
I can't even blame her for having it. There's only so much bullshit a person can be put through.
…we're no better than the people we hate…
Fuck.
The two meekly nodded as Ann picked up her stuff, the bell was going to ring soon.
The shutting of the door released the two from Ann's death stare, with the two of them staring at each other.
"Shit."
Ann slid Shiho's door open. It seemed her parents had been there, which was easily gathered from their items sprawled around the room. They probably went down to go eat some food from the cafeteria.
Good. I guess it makes things less awkward.
Oh, who am I kidding, this is going to be an awful mess either way.
Ryuji and Akira slowly walked into the room. Each step was laced with hesitation and regret until they saw her.
For the first time in almost a month, they saw Shiho Suzui.
The sight made Akira feel sick to his stomach.
Her body was clearly thinner since her attempt, her eyes were sunken and her hair was noticeably longer.
Memories of her twisted and mangled legs from the 21st echoed in Akira's head as he saw the casts around both legs.
They're in the right direction now.
That's good.
Ann took Shiho's hand, rubbing it softly as she began speaking to her, filling her in on some random things as Akira and Ryuji stood transfixed.
They didn't know what to do.
They didn't know what to say.
Did they deserve the ability to say anything?
Did they deserve the ability to talk?
After avoiding her?
After driving Ann to the edge and forcing her to drag them tooth and nail to see her?
They were miserable pieces of shit who tried to delude themselves otherwise.
I guess I was right. How could we try to act as if things were fine while Ann was over here shouldering all of this by herself?
…fuck.
Fuck.
FUCK.
"So, are you two just going to stand there? You don't have anything to say now?" Her eyes were still on Shiho.
The duo had nothing to say.
Ann hung her head as she took their silence as a reply. A sigh came from her lips as she loosened her grip on Shiho's hand, turning to them.
Maybe Akira was just tripping, but it seemed as if Shiho's hand twitched.
"Seriously? You two can talk and do whatever else whenever it comes to anything else, but when it comes to something that actually matters, you two want to cower and shut the hell up?!"
Ryuji spoke up, "Ann…it—"
"No, no! I can get Akira if I twist my logic enough but you?! We've all known each other since Junior High and you…you can't even speak to her?! To see her?! To help me?!" Her voice cracked as she paused, "But every day you'd much rather hangout with fuckin' Ohya?"
Ryuji didn't have anything to say.
He knew she was right.
That's what made it worse and an even more bitter pill to swallow.
Akira spoke up, "Wait, Ann—"
She snapped her head at him, "Shut up, Akira!" She looked at Ryuji, "So that's it? That's all…?" Rage started to possess her voice as Ryuji kept his head low. All he could do was hide his face.
And that…just set Ann off.
"I'M SO SICK AND TIRED OF YOU RYUJI! I'M TIRED OF THE BOTH OF YOU!" She jabbed a finger in Ryuji's direction.
Whatever this rant was, it was solely fixated on Ryuji for the most part. "YOU…GOD, I CAN'T BELIEVE FOR A MOMENT I ACTUALLY MISSED YOU ON SUNDAY! I CAN'T BELIEVE I MISSED THIS! YOU'RE…YOU'RE SUCH A FUCKING COWARD RYUJI!"
Ryuji, for the first time since he met Akira, looked utterly defeated. There was no faint sense of his earnest nature anywhere. None of his goofy charm, his idiotic sensibilities, his honesty, his endearing heart…
It was gone.
His body language shared his defeat, it was crumpled and slumped over.
For the first time, tears rolled down Ryuji's face.
Holy…
Holy shit.
Akira didn't know what to do except to recede into his safe space. The one space where, at least 47% of the time, he'd be safe.
The partially destructive fleshy walls of his brain.
Holy shit.
Oh my god…Ryuji…
Jesus Christ, how could we have gotten out of this?
…
Well…
For one, I could've actually listened to every part of Therapist Haru's speech. Probably could've told him about that part too…
No, me listening to every part of it is too far in the past…what else counts?
Oh.
Right.
I should've told Sojiro to fuck off.
Akira faintly heard a voice coming from behind Ann as she paused, taking in the image of Ryuji crying, "S…Stop…"
Is that—
Akira rushed over to her bedside, putting his ear to her mouth, "Stop…A-Ann…"
He regurgitated her words, "Ann, stop!"
She instantly turned around to Shiho's body, her eyes were faintly open, "S-Shiho…?"
Her voice was clearly parched, "What…what's going on?"
Ann had tears streaming down her face, "Um…um, you j-jumped remember…? You've been in a coma for the last month…"
Confusion was apparently on her face, but she spoke once more, "R-Right…" She looked at Akira and Ryuji, "I could hear in my coma…you two helped take down Kamoshida right…?"
Ryuji wiped away a few of his tears as Akira nodded, "Yeah."
"And you two…haven't seen me since I jumped…?"
They reluctantly nodded.
"Ann…" Ann quickly went by her side, "Could…could you leave for a moment?"
She looked a bit dejected but heeded her request.
After Ann left, Ryuji instantly spoke up, "Suzui-san—"
"Come on Ryuji…how long have we known each other…? Just because we stopped talking to each other for a bit doesn't mean we have to use honorifics."
"Right…Shiho…I'm…I'm sorry."
She, albeit with a slight struggle, positioned herself in an upright position. Confusion once again took hold of her face, "Sorry about…?"
He fiddled with his fingers, he had thought about this conversation multiple times before in his head whenever he had gathered the balls to come here on his own terms. Whenever she woke up…but this wasn't on his own terms. This was all too fast. He wasn't ready.
But hell, when is anyone ever ready?
"About the roof. If I was faster…kinder…maybe if I didn't stop trying to talk to you…maybe you wouldn't have been in this coma." He clenched his teeth, and balled his hand into a fist, "Hell…if…if I didn't provoke Kamoshida when I went to him…then none of this would've happened."
The guilt was weighing on his voice heavily.
"Ryuji? You know…I don't blame you for any of that, right?" Ryuji's face became one filled with disbelief as he lifted his eyes to meet hers, "What you did back in March…anyone would've done it. Besides…Kamoshida would've…" She swallowed her spit, "…done his things either way. It wasn't anything caused by you. Don't burden yourself with that sort of guilt, okay?"
Ryuji stared at her aimlessly for a few seconds before giving a shaky smile, "Right…"
She turned her eyes to Akira, "Kurusu-san?"
Akira just kept his eyes glued to the floor.
He didn't deserve to look at her.
After avoiding her for a month…what the hell do I even have to say to her? What CAN I say?
God, I'm a horrible person.
I don't deserve to look at her.
She's probably fuming underneath the surface, disgusted with me.
If I just…didn't tell Ann to send that message…If I didn't take her out to eat.
If I just kept my head out of this.
If I would've been a pawn and a bystander like Shido taught me…
Kamoshida wouldn't have been angry.
He wouldn't have been on the prowl.
He wouldn't have wanted to beat on Mishima.
Which means…he wouldn't have come for her and Mona.
I've come to terms with Mona…but I haven't with Shiho. And instead of growing some balls, I've been a coward and avoiding her.
How pathetic.
"Kurusu-san?"
Look at her.
He lifted his eyes, "Yes?"
"Why aren't you looking at me?"
"I…I um…If I didn't tell Ann to refuse Kamoshida's message, you and Morgana would've have been—"
"Kurusu-kun—"
"No, no…Shiho, you can't…you can't try to justify this. You wouldn't have jumped, I wouldn't have beaten Kamoshida, I wouldn't have put Ann through all of this pain. How could you justify the big bad delinquent avoiding you this entire time…? God, I can't help but wonder if things would've been better if I never showed up."
Shiho paused, hearing his words. She was contemplating them, "If you never came, what do you think would've happened? You can say I wouldn't have gotten hurt but…you think Kamoshida would've stopped? It's the same thing with Ryuji…things happen because they're supposed to." She paused, "But that's just life. The fact you came here…the fact you fought against Kamoshida just shows that this is how things were supposed to go. That's just fate."
Akira swallowed his spit.
"Just…don't ever think like that again. If there's one thing you can do for me for 'forgiveness' or whatever, just don't think like that. You guys got a monster out of school. You should feel proud about it. Despite what anyone says."
Akira's mind harkened back to Makoto.
"Despite what anyone says about you based on rumors, or whatever Kamoshida viewed you as…and wanted you to be, you're a good person. Better than whatever everyone else thinks and you should be proud."
It took a few moments, but Akira followed in Ryuji's footsteps and gave a sincere smile, "Right."
Shiho took a few seconds to breathe as she considered her next action, "Ryuji? Can you let Ann back in here? I just want to be left alone with her for a bit, okay?"
Ryuji nodded with Akira falling right behind him.
It was the least they could do for the best friends.
Ryuji opened the door, only to still mask his face from Ann's blue orbs as the latter rushed towards Shiho with tears still streaming down her face.
The two held each other in a long embrace as the boys went down to the lobby.
A/N:
I hope to God this doesn't burn me out. Next chapter should come next week, should be a little shorter than this one unless I decide to buff it up.
I started working on a Persona 4 Golden AU today...would take place in the same timeline like this one so that's interesting. Ways off from writing it though lmao since I want to finish this or Infantry Solider before I even contemplate another AU.