Getting back into the school groove was a bit difficult for some. Summer vacation was so relaxing, and they had a school trip in just a few days. It was hard to focus when Hawaii was so close; so many studentss were stuck between failing to get into the groove or just flat out not trying at all. Ren was in the middle, deciding if he wanted to pay attention in class or just not. But his phone then buzzed, meaning someone from the group chat sent a message. Surprise, it was Ryuji.
Ryuji: You guys see!? Akechi showed up in the rankings!
Yusuke: Perhaps it is due to the negative comments he made of it.
Ann: Seems that way.
Ryuji: God, this is freaking amazing!
Hifumi: I suppose it's only natural his negative comments resulted in backlash, considering how our reputation only grew.
Ren: I feel a little bad.
Ryuji: You don't gotta, he deserves this for all the shit he was talkin' about us! By the way, how's it going Makoto? You get your sister's data yet?
Makoto: I think she's been busy. She didn't come home at all yesterday.
Yusuke: That's problematic.
Ryuji: What're we gonna do? We can't do a damn thing till we get that.
Makoto: Don't rush me. I assure you, I can handle this. More importantly, everyone has been on edge since that tabloid article. Please be careful not to stand out, OK?
Ryuji: You don't gotta tell me twice!
Futaba: Yes we do.
.
.
As Ren was walking out of school, he happened to see Maruki walking in the hallway as well. Maruki noticed him and decided to say hi. "Ah, Amamiya-kun. It's nice to see you. Did you have a good summer break?"
"Hey, Doc. And yeah." Ren nodded. "It was alright, I can't complain. How about yours? Did you find any leads into your research? I know you got stuck before the break started."
Maruki just sighed. "I wish I could say I have. I hit a pretty hard roadblock, haha." He was able to laugh it off though. "But it's alright, I'm glad to be back here again. I'm on call now, as you may have heard, so I'll still be doing my best when speaking with you and other students."
"I did hear. Not coming to Hawaii, eh?" Ren asked, mostly joking.
"I wish I could, but I'm far too busy." Maruki said with a faint chuckle. "But you all have fun. It's not often you get to go overseas for a school trip. Even Yoshizawa-san is out, too."
"Wait, really?" Ren tilted his head. He did want to talk to her concerning the rumors and check to see if she was okay, but that wasn't going to be very possible now, was it?
"It's for gymnastics training, I believe." Maruki said.
"I see. Well, I'm sure she'll do great." Ren gave a nod.
"Oh, I should be going, though. I don't want to hold you up any longer. See you." With a curt nod of his own, Maruki made his exit.
.
.
Later in the day, Makoto's internal worries about not being able to get the data from Sae were brushed aside. She saw her sister sitting at the table, typing away on her laptop. Okay, so this was the easy part. "Looks like you're busy."
"I'm listing up the evidence that's been taken into storage. It's a chore any part-timer could do." Sae's tone hinted that she was irritated. "I thought my irritation would show in the office, so I decided to take it home. I don't have time for stuff like this…"
"I'm sorry to hear…" Makoto said. But on the upside, Sae was here…meaning her job was a lot easier.
"The Phantom Thieves case isn't so easy that I could pursue it in my spare time…" Sae said. "The media keeps making a ruckus about it, so people have been wary whenever we make inquiries. I couldn't get anything out of a man who seemed to have intel. I even tried threatening him…"
Oh. So that was her sister that interrogated Boss. Makoto had her suspicions, but this was straight up confirmation with everything she already knew. "…!"
Makoto didn't say anything, but Sae could read her body language. "All I did was question him a bit harshly."
Right… "Oh, I almost forgot. I'll be going on a school trip next week. The senior faculty are being questioned, so I'll be going in their stead."
"Sounds good to me." Sae replied casually. "The school will owe you for it. It won't get in the way of your entrance exams, will it?"
"Not at all." Makoto shook her head. Now she had to find a way get Sae to be away from her laptop… "Feel free to take a bath first. I…need to study."
Sae was so stressed, she didn't hate the idea. She closed her laptop, then stood up. "Okay. I think I'll do that." Sae then went to the bathroom to prepare a bath.
Makoto waited until she heard the bathroom door close and the water running before moving into action. She quickly opened her sister's laptop and plugged the flash drive in, breathing heavily out of nervousness. "…." A progress bar appeared on the screen, the copying process beginning. It was moving pretty fast. Perhaps a minute or two? Makoto could handle that… "This should do it, right…?"
"Oh, Makoto?" Sae's voice came from the bathroom, but the fact Sae called for her at all made her almost jump.
Makoto, out of panic, turned around, eyes widening. "Yes?!" She practically yelped.
"I want to change my toothbrush." Sae said.
"I-I bought a new one already! It's on the shelf!" Makoto was trying so hard not to stumble over her words.
"Thanks." Sae replied.
From that moment, silence carried for a few seconds. Makoto was anxiously watching the progress bar…it was at 79%. Just a bit longer and then she could try and – and that was the sound of the water turning off. Makoto felt her heart drop. "No way, already!?" Oh no. Oh crap. Sae was going to walk out and see what Makoto was doing. It was all over. She was going to get caught and have no explanation. Her mind was already racing towards the worst case scenario. Okay. NO! Snap out of it Makoto. You just need to buy…30 seconds. "That was fast!" Makoto said, hoping to find some way to stall Sae for the time she desperately needed.
"I'm not really in the mood to relax in the tub…" Sae said with a low tone.
"Of course you're not…!" Makoto thought to herself. This would be her luck. "It so close to being done, too…!" 90% and moving…! She just needed a little more time…! "O-Oh, Sis!?
"What is it?" Sae asked.
"I…bought a new bath salt! It's on the same self as the toothbrush, so would you mind putting it in the tub?" Makoto hastily found a solution.
"Not at all." Sae replied.
That's when Makoto heard a beep. The process was complete! THANK GOD. She no longer had to stress, pulling the flash drive out of the laptop and closing it. That was a stressful endeavor and she hoped she wouldn't have to do something like this again…
.
.
September 3rd.
Everyone gathered in Futaba's room after school. Makoto handed Futaba the flash drive. "Here you go. I think I did it right."
"Hehe, leave it to me." Futaba snickered and grabbed the flash drive, plugging it into her computer to get to work.
Meanwhile, Ann looked down at a few magazines Ryuji brought. "Whoa, you got all of these for Hawaii!?"
"If we're gonna lay low, might as well enjoy it." Ryuji said while reading one. "Aww, look at this one! Gigantic sea turtle sightseein' on some beach.
Ann shook her head, that's not what she wanted to hear about. "Come on, food's way more important than some turtle. You really don't find steak this big and thick in Japan!" Her mouth was already watering at the thought.
"Food really is all she thinks about…" Hifumi shook her head, yet there was a fond smile on her lips.
"Also…mahi-mahi? Is that some kind of fish? Think it's good?" Ann had a lot of food questions. Maybe she was just hungry.
"It seems that it's the season for schools all around." Yusuke said. "We're going on our school trip as well."
"Yeah? Where're you guys goin'?" Ryuji asked Hifumi and Yusuke.
"Los Angeles." Hifumi answered. "I was curious and looked up what the city was like. I…do not think I will be going outside much. It seems quite busy…"
Ann couldn't help but laugh. "That place really doesn't suit you two at all…! I bet you wanted to go to somewhere like Nikko or Nara, right, Yusuke?"
"Anywhere is acceptable. After all, the mineral pigments used for Japanese art were originally imported." Yusuke closed his eyes as he spoke.
"It always comes back to art…" Ren shook his head.
"Hawaii and Los Angeles, huh? Hey Ren, which one would you wanna go to?" Ryuji asked.
"Well…we're already going to Hawaii, which is like a big beach, right? So…Hawaii." Ren didn't really feel the need to change his answer too much.
"So…we won't be seeing each other for a while…" Morgana seemed a bit sad.
"We'll be sure to buy you a souvenir!" Ann promised.
Meanwhile, Futaba was finally coming across some info. "Ooh, here comes some interesting data." That was enough to make the others crowd around her. "This is just from a quick glance, but it says perpetrated and connected."
"It means that mental shutdowns aren't a coincidence – that this IS a case with a culprit behind it." Makoto explained.
"Actually, it's not just about mental shutdowns." Futaba went on. "Looks like she's inferring that the psychotic breakdowns incidents are connected to the same case."
"If I remember correctly…the last major psychotic breakdown was in spring, right?" Hifumi tapped her cheek. "The subway incident…if this is all supposedly connected, I wonder what the thread there is…"
"Go, Makoto's sis!" Ryuji was all for this.
"How long do you think it'll take to analyze all of this?" Makoto glanced at Futaba.
"Hmm….there's a lot, so it's not happening overnight." Futaba frowned. "But I'll manage by the time you guys get back. I demand souvenirs from Hawaii and LA for my reward."
"I don't really get all this, but you're amazing as always, Futaba!" Ann said. "I guess it's called an information war? It's so high-tech and modern, it kinda reminds me of a movie!"
"We're the Phantom Thieves, so it's not that big a deal." Morgana chimed in, feeling a little inferior with the praise Futaba was getting. "I mean, I can turn into a car and stuff too…"
"That's a little different…" Hifumi mumbled. Morgana turning into a car was not something he could do in reality.
"C'mon, don't try and compete with her!" Ryuji said with a grin. It was a little silly seeing Morgana try.
"What did you say!?" Morgana turned to Ryuji.
"You're fine the way you are, Morgana." Ann said. "You're like…cheeky cute?"
"Cute…?" That was not what Morgana wanted to hear.
"Welp, we'll continue this when we get back from the trip!" Ryuji said. "I ca't wait to see how much the Phantom Thieves popularity has increased by then!"
"What the hell…" All an abrupt ending like that did was piss Morgana off…
.
.
September 6th.
Hifumi just finished packing for her LA trip. She was going over everything she placed in her bag, making sure she didn't forget anything. "Let's see…I think I have everything. I doubt I'll need my swimsuit, but if there is a pool and I decide to take a dip, it's nice to be prepared."
Since Hifumi's door was slightly open, Mitsuyo just decided to walk in, then knock since Hifumi's back was turned. "We need to talk, Hifumi."
"…About what, Mother?" Hifumi closed her suitcase and zipped it, then turned around to face her mom.
"I have no qualms about you going overseas, but I must tell you to avoid doing anything irresponsible while you are away." Mitsuyo said. "I will not be able to watch over you and protect your reputation if you happen to do or say something, you know?"
"You don't need to worry, Mother. I don't plan on doing too much on my own." Hifumi said with a slight nod. "I promise I won't act untowardly. I doubt my reputation has gone that far outside of Japan as is, so you don't need to worry about people befriending me for that purpose either."
"Yes, that is true. But perhaps one day…" Mitsuyo shook her head. "Regardless, I am glad you'll be getting away from those Shujin kids. That school is nothing more than the birthplace of criminals and criminal accomplices." She shook her head, referring to the tabloid article of the cover up. "No wonder that friend group of yours is a terrible influence on you."
"Please don't talk badly about my friends, Mother." Hifumi sighed. "I won't even be seeing them for the next few days. I'd like to enjoy my break from shogi as much as I can. Plus…it's going to be an early flight, I need to sleep."
"Fair enough. Have a safe trip, Hifumi." Mitsuyo gave a nod and closed the door upon exiting.
"Ugh…" Hifumi groaned. "…Maybe I should get her a souvenir of some kind, it might mellow her out. Oh…! I can get my father one too…" On the bright side, she could at least go overseas with a bit of a plan. Oh, her phone was buzzing. It was Mika.
Mika: I heard you're going overseas? I'm so jealous! I would've come to see you off, but I'm just sooooo busy!
Hifumi: That's alright, it is the thought that counts.
Mika: So be sure to bring me something for when you come back. See you later, Hifumi-chan. Have a good trip! 3
Oh was that a heart emoji. Hifumi practically threw her phone onto her bed from how sudden that was. "Ack…!" She exhaled, not realizing her cheeks were rosy. "A-Adding Mika onto the list, hahaha…."
.
.
Ren was just about done packing. Not like he had much, but a few change of clothes, his phone charger, and a few other essentials were all he needed. His phone buzzed and he took a look at it.
Yusuke: We will all be parting ways tomorrow. I pray both trips go safely.
Makoto: Thank you. Take care of yourselves, Yusuke and Hifumi.
Hifumi: We will.
Makoto: And Futaba, we'll be relying on you for the analysis.
Futaba: Leave it to me.
Ryuji: Just let us know if anything comes up, k?
Futaba: A-OK!
Ann: Then off we go! Look after Morgana for us!
Ren: We'll be counting on you, Futaba.
Futaba: I got this! Have a nice trip!
"You guys are still talking about that trip…?" Morgana said, grumbling. "We'll talk about our operation when you come back."
"Sure, can't wait." Ren said, climbing into bed.
"Good." Morgana had the most passive aggressive, dismissive tone.
"…" Ren had nothing to say. Morgana's attitude was getting noticeably sour the last few weeks. "Are you ok…"
"Just go get some sleep." Morgana said, curling up on the sofa.
Well…he did try, but Morgana wasn't going to let him. So, with no options left, Ren closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
.
.
Ann was done packing for the trip. But there was one thing on her mind she couldn't shake so easily. So before going to sleep, she decided to text Yusuke.
Ann: Yusuke, can I ask you to do something?
Yusuke: What is it?
Ann: Can you just keep an eye on Hifumi for me? I know she's trying to keep a smile, but I'm worried about her. I can't be there for her if we're across the ocean, so…
Yusuke: Ah, so am I. You needn't say anything else. I will do all in my power to keep an eye on her.
Ann: Thank you, Yusuke. Now have a good trip for real this time!
Ann let out a small sigh of relief. She could at least feel a little better knowing Yusuke was keeping an eye on Hifumi. Now she could fall onto her bed and pass out, having set an alarm on her phone for a few hours.
.
.
September 7th.
Many students were yawning in the airport. Ann was among then, shaking her head with a tired look on her face. "Mm…I'm so tired…."
"It'll take over six hours to get there, so why not sleep on the plane?" Makoto suggested.
"I'll do that…." Ann said tiredly.
"It's almost time to check in." Makoto checked the time on her phone.
For some reason, Ann let out a sigh of relief. "Whew, looks like we'll be taking off on time. I feel like a lot of flights headed to America tend to run late or get canceled." She then looked around, realizing they were one short. "Uh, is it just me or is Ryuji not here yet?"
Makoto now realized that too. When she turned to look behind her, she could see him coming. "Oh…!"
Ryuji sprinted to the group, panting a bit due to how long he was running. "I…wasn't expecting to make a mad dash like this…"
"Oh, there you all are." Haru followed shortly after Ryuji. Unlike Ryuji she did not plan to sprint at all.
"Hey, Haru!" Ann waved and managed as much of a non-tired smile as she could.
"Are you a proxy for teachers, too?" Makoto asked.
"Mhm! I don't know how it happened." Haru admitted, lugging her suitcase along. It was…a bit bigger than everyone else's at a first glance. "Ms. Kawakami pulled me aside and asked me. I think they were running out of options."
"That…sounds right." Ren said.
Ann then pointed at Ryuji's bag. "Is that all you're bringing?"
"It's only four nights, right? Ain't it enough?" Ryuji didn't see anything wrong with it.
"I think you're a little underpacked…" Haru said, as if she didn't have the biggest suitcase around.
Mishima approached the group. "Hey guys, they want us to gather near the boarding gate soon." He was passing along the message, walking off to inform other students after.
"Oh, why don't we take a group shot before we take off!" Ann suggested.
"Sounds good!" Ryuji pumped his fist.
"…Can I be a part of it?" Haru asked, meekly.
"Of course you can! You're our friend, get in here." Ann said with a bright smile.
"You be our camera man!" Ryuji told Ren while the others went to huddle around him.
"…Will everyone fit?" Ren glanced around. He was just going to have to make this work. So he lifted his phone up and made sure it was on the front facing camera.
"Huh? Wait. Where am I supposed to look?" Makoto was looking up, but this was definitely the first time she was taking a group photo like this, so she was a little clueless. Ren snapped the photo, managing a pretty good one, squeezing in all five of them.
"Lemme see!" Ryuji peered over Ren's shoulder. That's when Ren received a text.
Futaba: You got crap in your eyes, Ryuji.
"What!?" Ryuji rubbed his eyes and he felt it. "…Holy shit she's right."
"How…did you know that, Futaba?" Ann blinked as if Futaba could actually respond to her. The frightening part is that she did.
Futaba: You surprised? I snuck an app on Ren's phone. I can see all I want through his camera! You're looking now, right, Ren? Mwehehe. Never underestimate the original Medjed."
"…I don't understand at all how she's doing that." Haru wasn't going to try to either. She was bad with technology so anything and everything Futaba could do went right over her head. Plus she didn't know the context of Futaba's words anyway.
"Talk about a nasty trick…" Ryuji grumbled.
"I'm so glad she's not an enemy of ours…." Makoto sighed.
.
.
September 8th.
The flight to Hawaii was a long one. Everyone tried to make themselves comfortable as best they could. Ryuji had an eye mask on and fell asleep, his body drifting over to slump on Mishima, who was just minding his business. "Wh…ugh. Gosh." That was the last thing Mishima needed. He grumbled and attempted to shove Ryuji into an upright position.
Meanwhile, Ann was asking a flight attendant for some iced coffee, She did feel a little bad since she originally imagined Shiho sitting next to her for this trip, but she had to remember what Shiho told her.
Ren was a bit bored. They were getting close, but it didn't really sink in until they passed a few clouds. That's when he could see the island down below. "…!"
"Ladies and gentleman, we have begun our descent to Haiwaii. Please return to your seats an…"
Ryuji looked over Ren's shoulder, eyes widening at the view. "WHOOOOOOA!" This was only the beginning of Ryuji's excitement.
"Ugh…" Ann was so glad she wasn't sitting near Ryuji right now. This was super embarrassing.
When the flight landed, the next part was check in. The security guard took a look at Ryuji's passport and then asked a simple question. "So how long will you be staying?"
"Yeah, haha, this is so cool!" Ryuji was too excited from being in America. "I have no idea, though!"
Ann just rolled her eyes. She could see the tired look on the security guard's face and she was receiving so much secondhand embarrassment. "I hope this passes soon." Unfortunately for Ann, it wasn't going to soon. Because the man who greeted them outside was the next source of shock for Ryuji.
"Aloha!" The dark skinned man said, gesturing towards the green buses not too far away. "You can find your busses over that way.
"Damn! You speak Japanese!? So cool!" Ryuji's eyes were wide.
"Oh come on…" Ryuji was causing so many scenes in such a short amount of time, Ann was resisting the urge to hide her face so people wouldn't know she was associated with him. This was going to be a long bus ride and spoilers…Ryuji's excitement did not die down for a second.
.
.
Finally, the Shujin students arrived at the hotel. "Yes, we're here! Hawaiiiiiiii!" Ryuji exclaimed at the top of his lungs.
"I am SO embarrassed…" Ann shook her head. She was the fool for expecting Ryuji to mellow out even for just a little bit.
Ryuji was taking in the sights and the scent of Hawaii. It was much different than anything he smelled in Japan. "Is this the smell of Hawaii? Actually, I've been wondering for a while now, but what is this smell?"
"Supposedly, the lingering smell of carpet cleaner. It's coconut scented." Mishima explained. "Plus, I'd say the scent of plumeria for the leis are amplifying the tropical atmosphere here."
"What are you, the king of random facts!?" Ryuji asked, dumbfounded that Mishima actually knew that.
"Heh." Mishima crossed his arms with a prideful grin. "I'm the type that likes to look up stuff beforehand."
That would've sounded a bit lame to Ryuji if he wasn't hungry. "Then tell me a good but cheap place to eat."
"Do that after we've figured out room assignments! We can't go anywhere until we get our keys!" Ann had to be the voice of reason here…despite also being hungry.
"Then I wanna room with Ren." Ryuji nodded.
"Well, that's not so ba…" Before Ren could finish, the heavy sigh of Kawakami was heard.
"You belong to a different class, Sakamoto-kun." Kawakami said, appearing with Makoto and Haru.
This just left Ryuji with a frown. "For real? I can't?"
"It complicates rollcall." Makoto explained.
"Everyone always butts you out, after all." Ann teased Ryuji. "I bet there aren't many people who'd be okay rooming with you."
"Shaddup! We both stick out like a sore thumb and you know it." Ryuji fought back.
Two girls then approached Ann specifically. "Takamaki-san, have you decided on which room to stay in?" The tall one asked.
"No, not yet." Ann replied.
"Then, how about rooming with me?" The taller girl offered.
"And if it's okay with you, do you want to walk around together once we're free to go about?" The second girl, one wearing glasses, asked. "We've never gone overseas before, so we thought it'd be reassuring if we had someone who knows English."
Ann smiled. "Oh, sure, of course! See you guys later!" She winked at the boys and left with the girls.
That solved one issue for Kawakami, but there was still the issue of Ren. "Can you settle that issue already?"
"Then is it okay if I room with you?" Mishima asked Ren.
"That's fine…" Ren shrugged. It couldn't be that bad.
"Thank you." Kawakami sighed as if that was the last thing she had to do. "Anyway, don't do anything stupid, okay? This isn't Japan, you know."
.
.
Once everyone was in their rooms and got settled in, they had free time. Ren, Ryuji, Makoto, Ann, and Haru gathered together on the beach in their swimsuits. Ann was pretty excited to be on a beach overseas. It felt completely different than the beach in Japan. "So this is Waikiki!" Ann grinned, swinging her arms to and fro lazily.
"There are a lot of people around." Haru glanced at the numerous tourists and locals.
"And…there are a lot of tall buildings here too, like hotels." Ryuji pointed around. Everywhere you looked, you could see a hotel somewhere.
"It's a little too clean here…" Ann said. "It feels like an artificial resort…"
"Still, look how clear the ocean is." Makoto smiled. "The palm trees really give off a tropical vibe, too."
Ryuji turned, taking a glance at all the beach babes around. "You know, I thought Ann was pretty impressive, but compared to the ladies here…eh."
Ann took offense to that. "Then stop looking!"
Ryuji turned to Ren, needing support from the only other dude here. "You think so too, don't you!? Like, these girls are massive unlike the girls in Japan!"
"…Massive?" Haru blinked. She then looked at Ren…all the girls did, like they were expecting his answer to not agree with Ryuji.
"…" Ren wasn't saying anything.
"Moving on…" Makoto decided to save Ren from this situation, gesturing to the view behind them, far off in the distance. "Take a look over there. Is that Diamond Head?"
"Oh, I saw it from the bus too!" Ryuji said. "But…why is it called that? Are diamonds a local product?"
"Somehow, I don't think that's true." Haru could say this was absolute certainty.
"Wouldn't it say online?" Ann suggested. So on that cue, everyone pulled out their phone.
Ryuji found it first. "Ah, here it is. Wait…people long ago mistook volcanic rock for it? The eff?" That was not what he was hoping to learn.
"Might as well look up recommended places in Wakiki too!" Ann grinned. "I wanted to eat pancakes!" Food was on the brain once more…
"I wonder if there any online recommendations on scenic spots…" Makoto wondered aloud.
"Might as well look for cheap and popular restaurants too." Ryuji added.
"Oh, we don't have to go cheap." Haru said with a smile. The others blinked, her words briefly confusing them.
That moment of silence made Makoto realize something kind of amusing. "Hey. We're on our phones and chatting. This is no different from when we're in Japan."
"Even if we're overseas, we can check out all the news in Japan if we got our phones…" Ryuji let out a quiet sigh. "It's like…this ain't what I was expecting."
"I understand. I was hoping for something a little more entertaining…" Haru said. "I've never been overseas, but this feels a bit lacking…"
"We should do something more…Hawaii-like." Ann tilted her head, trying to think of something they could do. "Hula dancing?"
"Nope. Nu-uh." Ryuji shook his head. "You couldn't pay me enough to put on one of those grassy skirts."
Haru had an oddly mischievous glint in her eye. "Are you sure about that, Ryuji?"
"W-Why are you lookin' at me like that…?" Ryuji felt an odd chill go down his spine. Haru was scaring him. His best option was to retreat before he ended up in a situation he would regret…
.
.
The first day of Hawaii was a bit of a slow one. They didn't have much to do and many people were tired from the flight. Ren and Mishima were now relaxing in their hotel room, sitting on the two beds. "We can finally take a breather…" Mishima exhaled. "Oh, by the way, you know the polls for the Phan-Site ranking's started, right?"
Wow. It only took Mishima a whole 4 seconds to bring up the Phan-Site. Ren didn't really want to engage since they were overseas. "Yeah…but do we really have to talk about that now?"
"I can't think of anything else!" Mishima was excited. "Even though we're on vacation, it's all I've been thinking about. I made the site and even I'm surprised! You know Akechi-right? That good looking, popular detective? His popularity plummeted after Medjed was dealt with. Supposedly his official blog's up in flames too. He posed as some hero of justice, but that's what he gets for not seeing eye to eye with the Phantom Thieves…"
"Yeah, I know about that too…" Akechi told him. While Akechi did play it off with a laugh, Ren was curious how much it actually bothered Akechi. But it wasn't something Akechi really touched on during their time together, rather just enjoying Ren's company instead. So that's why Ren felt just a tiny bit bad the internet was on Akechi, but that didn't stop him from acknowledging they were actively planning to prove Akehci wrong about their actions too. It was complicated.
"Don't you think about the Phantom Thieves too? I wonder if anyone in Hawaii has anything to say about them. Don't you know how awesome that would be! World-wide phenomenon!" Mishima was just going and going.
Ren had to put an end to this before Mishima kept him up all night. "Let's just go to sleep…"
"You sure are calm…" Mishima was surprised Ren could remain so clam when something this rare happened! "Something this amazing rarely happens, you know? But…I'm feeling a little tired too…so goodnight."
Finally. Ren let out a quiet sigh. He didn't hold this against Mishima, but this wasn't really something he wanted to talk about while they were overseas. The lights were cut and Ren laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling for a bit. The hotel bed was infinitely better than what he had in Leblanc…but at the same time, he kinda missed it. It was weird. "I wonder what's in store tomorrow…" With that thought, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
The first day of Hawaii was already over. But they still had a few days left to enjoy this tropical paradise.