Part 2: First Round

"Good evening, everyone. It's truly an honour to meet you both." Rie Sasaki greeted to the camera, inviting in the unassuming viewer before turning to her targets. No bait dangling in front of the interviewees to take, just a simple introduction.

"Likewise." Kawakami and Ren shook hands with Sakuma and Sasaki respectively.

"It's an honour to be here, Sasaki-san." Ren cordially replied.

"I take it your travels were okay tonight?" Sakuma quipped.

"Coming here went swimmingly." Kawakami casually responded.

"Before we continue, I just have to say, can we please give this inspiring young man another round of applause?" As soon as Sakuma said this, a smile crept onto Kawakami's face who felt there was no need to hide her genuine thoughts of Ren's efforts so far. A lot of people wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you. A raving applause piled on top of shouts, cheers and whistles surrounded the atmosphere as he continued:

"Can I just say, you are an incredibly courageous person to not only stand up for what is right in your community but to continue doing so with the threat of your life on the line and the overwhelming …many people could serve to learn from your radiant example, Amamiya-san."

"...Thank you." Ren half-acceptingly managed, scratching his head a little. During the majority of his prep sessions, he didn't take too kindly to applause from praise such as this and constantly received scolding for not accepting it. The co-ordination of the two hosts was such that they'd each take turns whenever they felt fit and that they could go with the flow. Sasaki naturally continued:

"Now, your time in Shujin Academy was fraught with difficulty before you even began your first day, right?" Just make it nice and simple…he thought to himself.

"..." Ren looked over to Kawakami and as she gave an approving nod, he answered the question with brutal honesty.

"It was. The nature of my circumstances which should have only been left with the teachers ended up spread around to students under Kamoshida's direction. That first Monday was an absolute nightmare - every corner I turned and everyone I met had such hate-filled eyes and nothing but contempt. Rumours of my past deeds were horrendously false and colourful as could be. How best to describe it? It was like being a fish out of water in one of those Hollywood flicks." Without having to pile on the empathy card, a solemn cloud hung over the audience, just as Ren hoped. It did not sate the appetites of the two hosts though.

"Did you know anything about Kamoshida before you met him?" Sakuma asked. A simple question to bring about a broad variety of responses which I can riff off…how will he respond?

"...If I'm being completely honest, I couldn't care less about the guy. Some gold winning schmutz who played a sport that I couldn't care less for." Hmph…what lackadaisical prep. This sucker doesn't even seem to care what we'll do Sakuma thought to himself as Ren's rather distant opinion provided a chance to banter as part of the conversation.

"Not a sports fan?"

"The best sports are the ones where I don't have to physically wreck myself, thanks."

"Well, someone certainly doesn't sound interested for Rio!" Sasaki cracked.

"Oh right, yeah. Rio's happening…" Ren thought aloud, having placed this to the back of his mind. Sounds of laughter erupted around the studio to which Kawakami would take the chance to gently but firmly chide her most troublesome student:

"Don't go off script." Once the audience quietened again, the interview resumed. Sasaki, as if on cue, continued asking the questions to Ren.

"What did you think of Kamoshida when you met him the first time?" she asked, grinning internally. This seems a little too easy…

"He was a conceited man who loved swinging his weight around in the palace. Nothing like the stories I'd heard from people who spared a second to talk to me."

"Palace?" she doubled back.

"Ah, slip of the tongue. I meant to say place." Oh boy…Ann isn't gonna let that one slide Ren thought as he berated himself in his mind, sipping the water on the table.

"Did you have anyone at all in your corner?"

"Not at first." What a hasty answer. Is there anything worthwhile from this kid?

"You'll need to elaborate, Amamiya-san." she suggested.

"My first friend came about as a happy accident on the day. She happened to run into me and on my…olive branch, shall we say, I'd opened up to her about my background and we found some shared peace with each other. I'll spare you the details but that chance encounter spared me the misery of a lonely student life." Ren, looking carefully at the interviewers, picked up on the boring nature of his answer.

"Still…"

"There's more?" Sakuma wondered, hoping for something more steamy. Desperate carnivores Ren thought to himself.

"Well, I ran into this breathtaking beauty who completely misread the situation and one thing led to another. Even now, I couldn't tell you what was hotter: her looks or her temper." Ren smiled. A wild ruckus erupted within the audience save for the whispered comment and scowl from Ann:

"Asshole." she shot. Similarly, in a residence in Nerima City where one Ryuji Sakamoto and his mother, currently out shopping, resided saw a reaction centred more in annoyance than anger at his childhood friend being dragged under the bus.

"*sigh*" Ryuji couldn't be bothered to comment, eyes heavily focused on the TV.

"Nonetheless, they stood by my side willing to risk their education and then their lives in an attempt to help prove Kamoshida's wrongdoing." Ren was specifically instructed to present his answers as the ringleader of the investigation.

"And those same friends…are they here with you?"

"Some are, tonight. I'm honestly very glad to have them in my life."

"I understand now. From what we understand, you ran your investigation with some help but what happened next was truly horrifying. I see that you've chosen not to hide the scar."

"I haven't."

"What changed?"

"..." Looking over to Kawakami who gave a slight nod as a means of support, Ren then got his answer out and she'd turned to face the interviewers as he continued:

"Over the next few mornings after it happened, I got up far earlier than usual and spent that time applying the foundation to my neck and covering up the smell so that people wouldn't find out. There was a point where I'd had enough of sneaking around my family and hiding what he'd done to me. I believed that I'd simply be letting him win by doing so."

"Win how?" Sakuma asked.

"I'd be dancing to his tune, end up kicked out and sent off to jail. He'd continue to destroy lives and flash a wide smile to the green folk."

"Now it's perfectly okay for you to refuse this next question. Are you alright with us showing the scar to the viewers out there?" Sasaki asked.

"By all means."

"Viewers, please be advised that the following images are of a shocking nature and may be unsuitable for younger children." The photos that were then displayed on the screen were the shots that Tae Takemi took of Ren's injuries. He looked over at them again along with his teachers and the interviewers briefly. While nowhere near as ghastly as the day it happened, the purple parts that resembled fingers was where the pressure on Ren's neck was the strongest and the black slits happened to be where Kamoshida's fingernails dug into the skin. There were gasps of horror, shock and melancholy that went around the studio. For Ann, it was a bludgeoning reminder of the moment she shared with her leader seeing it in full. Shiho and Futaba were lucky enough to have earlier preparation. While the slideshow continued to display to the Japanese public, Sasaki resolved her nerves and asked a tough question while Sakuma could only stare in silence. This boy…what sort of things has he gone through there?

"How did you feel in the moment, if I might ask?"

"Thinking back to when he'd strangled me, I never once thought to myself that maybe this was it. That I could've died right there in that office, never to see the rest of my life out. And the people I love would end up left behind to pick up the pieces. I guess I never realised just how much he'd gotten into my head to not even care about something so significant. It was only thanks to the few yet impeccable friends I had in my corner that I realised I had more worth than I ever knew." Ren answered gracefully.

"I see. Were you ever able to reveal the scar to your loved ones?" Sakuma asked, regaining his composure and not wanting to be left out.

"Yes. An irreplaceable family member found out the day it happened. With no hesitation or warning, she took me aside and convinced me to trust in my guardian, allowing me to fully accept I wasn't alone. I was then able to tell the others who cared for me all about it. If it wasn't for that person, maybe no one would ever get to know." Meanwhile, in the small area of Yongen-Jaya where the long established yet somewhat budding restaurant Leblanc lay, the customers in the restaurant had their thoughts on the student known as Ren Amamiya.

"Oh my goodness…" a fair-haired woman said.

"That poor boy…" a grey haired man said. The two Sakuras reactions' to their newest family member had stark differences.…though they would never admit that was how they felt Ren was to them.

"Hehehe…" Futaba was reduced to whispered gibberish, blushing and extremely gleeful at being referred to not only as family but irreplaceable in front of millions of NPCs she will never meet in her life.

"*sigh* How does he do it? And what are you so happy about, Futaba?" Sojiro wistfully replied. She'd miserably failed to calm down at such tender words. Nonetheless, they focused their attention back onto the TV and listened to each and every word Ren had to say.

"Was there anyone else you were able to trust?"

"...There were two other parties who found out. One was my upperclassman, who I won't name, that happened to encourage me not to quit my efforts. The other is currently seated on my right." Ren then turned to look Kawakami in the eyes with a warm smile. Fueh?! Kawakami thought to herself as he turned back to the hosts. While she had her own rehearsal, the sudden development meant she'd need to prep on the spot.

"I'd happened to find she was the only teacher I could trust to speak up about it with. As a result, she always looked out for me to make sure I was alright and ensured there was a safe place in Shujin." If only the others knew just what Kawakami thought: she was at odds with the heartfelt words coming from Ren's mouth and frightened to consider Ren probably didn't take her lectures seriously.

"Looked out for you, how?" Sasaki and Sakuma couldn't help but wonder what the aura surrounding the student and the teacher was.

"I'll answer that one, Amamiya-kun." She placed the emphasis hard on Ren's name, preventing him from saying anything funny whilst at the same time internally begging him to stop looking at her.

"I'd picked up on the change in his mood and how he behaved in class. Normally, he had this brimming confidence that couldn't be shaken down. Rumours went around about the 'meeting' he and Kamoshida had and I got the confirmation of what happened." Such an answer prepared like that…why I never Ren casually thought. She then shot him a subtle glance which conveyed the following words: Just try and put me on the spot again. I dare you.

"Couldn't you have gone to the infirmary?" Sasaki pondered.

"I was too scared that Kamoshida would hear about it. It's why I went to a different doctor close to where I live who took these photographs and provided me with highly effective medicines." Ren replied.

"It seemed that you built up a network of people you could trust outside of Shujin Academy. This doctor of yours…" Sakuma stated the obvious, providing the opportunity for Ren to follow up.

"She was the second authoritative figure I told about it." Tae sat in her clinic, idly listening to the interview that her little guinea pig gave and had no words to say - just a slight smile that no one would ever catch onto.

"And as for people inside Shujin you could trust?"

"Our gardening club, of which the aforementioned upperclassman is a member. They were the only club that would welcome me and provided some of their grown vegetables and fruits." The interviewers appeared rather bored at that straight response which couldn't be picked apart and as such, a sudden topic change was made.

"Okay...moving on. You brought proof that you managed to find of Kamoshida's wrongdoing to the principal and he was the one to contact special authorities, right?" The answer to this question was the hottest subject of preparation for Ren as it needed to make sense from Shujin's point of view: after all, who would believe a 16 year old boy marched into the SIU headquarters to demand the case be taken? Furthermore, who would believe that a 15 year old girl would have the stomach of a gladiator to compile the obscene images, texts and videos for him?

"Right. There was a very co-operative student who happened to use their close relationship with Kamoshida as a volleyball team member to obtain a lot of information further cementing my findings." Eh…the guilt of cheating your way to the top is enough Ren thought to himself regarding one Yuuki Mishima, also tuning in.

"And your principal cornered Kamoshida with this information. He'd confessed his crimes in private the following day and then the day after that, confessed to everyone. Are you glad to know he will never to be freed again?"

"Glad? I'm outraged it took so long. Anything that happens to him in there, he deserves it." Kawakami gently coughed, reminding Ren not to sound so disassociated.

"Sakuma-san, I think you've glossed over something important." Sasaki stated.

"I have?" He answered, unsure of his colleague's plan.

"Please join us in a few minutes when we continue to delve deeper into the lore surrounding the ongoings at Shujin Academy." The lore? What lore? Ren derided the notion as nonsense. As the cameras happened to flick off, Ren and Kawakami both took breathers and had their sound checks run again. The hosts had more make-up done by their assistants while they waited and Kobayakawa came up to check on the Shujin property. This wasn't the time to let their guards down.

"Sadayo, how do you feel it's going?" he queried.

"Not bad so far…" she commented.

"They've barely begun though, right?" Ren asked.

"Hmph…you were 100% the right fit for this." Kawakami had already had enough of his antics - throwing her onto the bus and making her lie on the spot like that as well as staring at her too longingly. She could do with taking responsibility, shouldn't she?

"I just have to ask…what do you mean by the lore?" She addressed Sasaki, the more seasoned of the two hosts, and got a bullshit response in return.

"Don't worry - it's just to try and pull in a few late viewers is all. You're both doing great!" The positive spin wasn't much reassurance but it was better than nothing, Kawakami decided.

"Please continue to do your best, you two."

"And we're back in 5, 4, 3…"