Fox of Many Masks
Chapter 4
-4/13 – Wednesday-
'Bonds and confidants…I'll have to keep that in mind' he thought as he turned his head to the side and quickly noticed a red and black long card box that was glowing a soft blue. 'Is this what Igor meant as the 'something' I'd find to help keep track of my confidants' he thought with a raised eyebrow as he walked over to it to check it out.
As he opened it he realized it was a tarot card box, it containing only two cards, one for Fool and the other for the Chariot.
The cards were red and black in color, the art style being consistent between the two cards and sharing a set of similarities, mainly being the name of the person who caused the 'vow' under the arcana and one white star beside nine blackened ones underneath that.
'So this shows me who is connected to the Arcana and the strength of the bond…seems there are a total of ten levels or something…' Naruto thought over as he looked at the cards more and more. 'Guess I should keep these on me but for now I gotta head to school' he thought with a sigh as he stood up, remembering today was an important day with a lot going on so he couldn't be late.
The train ride to school went by as usual, him letting out a long yawn as he walked the path directly leading to school before he noticed he was walking behind Takamaki who was walking alongside another girl.
The girl seemed familiar to him a bit, not sure exactly until she turned to the side to talk to Takamaki which allowed him to realize it was the girl he helped a bit with her stack of papers.
He couldn't help but frown a bit as he noticed some bruises on her face.
'God I hope she isn't on the volleyball team…if he treats the guys the way he supposedly does from what Ryuji and I saw in the castle….I can't even imagine how he treats the girls' Naruto thought with a shiver which caused him to shake his head as he didn't want to go down that path of thoughts.
"How annoying – we've barely started high school and already they're making us play at a volleyball rally?" a student groaned out behind him, Naruto somewhat listening in on him. "And why are they pitting us against the teacher team? Kamoshida's gonna crush us" he continued complaining with his tone making it clear how much he didn't want to do any of it.
"We get to see his technique live and in person though! We should totally get spiked on!" another student, most likely walking alongside the first, said in a way that screamed 'fan-boy'.
"Yeah okay….you're gonna get your face smashed in" the first student said, clearly unsure about the intensity of his friend's interest. "I mean, just look at how banged up the volleyball team is. What the hell goes on during their practices?" he asked while making Naruto frown and clench his teeth a bit.
'You don't wanna know…' he thought, noticing a wince from the girl beside Takamaki while they made their way to school.
Once at class, as the bell rang, Kawakami worked to get them all settled down.
"Okay, listen up everyone. As you all know today is the volleyball rally so be sure to head to gymnasium once you've changed okay?" she said with either nods or mutterings of okay from the class.
School went on like normal but after lunch it was finally time for the rally.
Naruto was bored throughout the rally, sitting beside Ryuji on the floor to one side of the gym, away from most of the people who were either cheering or actively watching.
Ryuji, for the most part, was looking at Takamaki – most likely seeing the cognitive version of her in the castle making him want to keep an eye on her. "Still sticks out…hasn't changed a bit" he commented with a sigh before stretching with a yawn. "Pretty boring, right?" he asked, referring to the rally in general with Naruto nodding along with him.
Naruto even found himself looking over to Takamaki a bit, noticing how out of it she was, as if she truly didn't want to be here in the slightest. He found himself drawn back to the match since the female students had started getting a bit louder.
It turned out to be at the right moment as a bit after he turned back Naruto winced in pain as both he and Ryuji caught someone he recognized from his class get spiked on by Kamoshida – the ball striking him hard in the face.
Kamoshida, after looking at the kid, rushed over to him though Naruto could read his eyes well enough to show that he didn't care.
"Hey are you all right!?" Kamoshida asked as he knelt down beside the kid who was unresponsive – seemingly being knocked out by the spike. "Someone! Take him to the nurse's office!" he urged, helping the kid up a bit before the nurse assistants helped take him away.
"He'll pay soon enough" Ryuji muttered, tossing the ball away from them as he stared down Kamoshida.
"All right, let's resume the match!" Kamoshida said as he stood up before looking around. "We'll need a replacement for a game so how about…Uzumaki!" he said, surprising Naruto – and everyone else – as he smiled over at him.
"Come on, I heard you were quite the sport's player back at your old school" Kamoshida continued, really wanting him to be the substitute for the missing player before Naruto sighed and stood up.
"This won't change the plan. Let me get him off my back with one game and then we can start" Naruto whispered to Ryuji which got a nod from his friend before he walked over to the gym teacher.
"Okay but how about just for one game. Consider this a test to see how well I'll do" Naruto said, referencing Kamoshida's invitation to the team while also playing along with Kamoshida's 'friendly teacher' act.
Volleyball wasn't really a sport he'd really done in the past, mainly sticking to sports like baseball, soccer, track, and even swimming. That didn't mean he didn't know the game and the rules as he had at least substituted for his last school's team once or twice in the past.
"Ugh, why I Kamoshida asking that transfer student…even Sakamoto would have been better…" one girl nearby muttered to her friend as Naruto walked his way on the court.
"Maybe he just plans to spike on him like how he accidentally did to Mishima, I can only imagine how much it'd hurt with Kamoshida being serious" another girl muttered back, Naruto acting as if he couldn't hear any of it.
"What role were you most of the time back at your old school?" Kamoshida asked as he hard read in Naruto's record that he had been on his school's volleyball team a bit but never full time.
"Mainly a middle blocker and hitter. I'm pretty good at hitting spikes due to my height" Naruto told him since at six feet tall he was pretty good.
"With your height that sounds about right. Do your best but don't worry, I won't hold you to the standards of the students on my team. Everyone try and work together just like I taught you all" Kamoshida said before walking over to the teacher side of the net.
Naruto could feel the tenseness of the students around him, their silence rather loud but not caring as they got into position and the teachers served the ball.
He knew he had to not stand out but as the game went on that left his mind and the sports player in him started to get more and more into it, causing him to save a few points and keep the game going a bit.
He was even able to block a few of Kamoshida's spikes as the man seemed to be directly aiming at him, Naruto noticing a bit of anger behind his eyes, undoubtedly because – due to his Palace – he believed eyes should only be on him in this setting. Even under his gym uniform's jacket he knew his arms were getting red from how much they stung with each block though he knew that blocking them was his way of 'fighting' Kamoshida and injure his pride without getting in trouble.
This only caused the prankster in him to want to mess with him even more where once he could see an opening for a spike he decided to go for it, leaping up and slamming his arm down with all his strength.
It probably was a bit too much as when the ball rocketed down and slammed into the gymnasium floor the noise was intense, sounding like a gunshot or explosion.
Naruto had to really resist giving a shit eating grin as that made the entire gym grow absolutely quiet, him noticing all eyes were on him as he looked around before he chuckled as he could hear Ryuji loudly cheering behind him.
"Nice job there kid, seems you actually have some promise" Kamoshida told him, the man's tone heavily restrained and struggling to keep the 'calm' façade up as it was almost like he was talking through gritted teeth despite not actually doing so.
"What can I say? I'm an athlete through and through" Naruto said before Kamoshida tossed them the ball to serve.
"Yeah we'll see about that" the man almost growled out before the whistle blew for them to continue.
If Naruto wasn't his target before he definitely was now as Kamoshida was only hitting towards him, making it seem like this was a one on one game of sorts with the man's hits getting harder and harder.
It continued even after he scored a few points, as if he wanted to beat him to make an example out of him.
Naruto somewhat regretted his actions as he saw Kamoshida leap into the air to spike down at him, the man having an intense anger hidden in his eyes as he knew he really shouldn't have provoked the man all that much.
But on the other hand, he couldn't help poking the bear in this case. It was just how he was at times.
He braced himself for the spike, standing firm only to almost get knocked over as this spike, unlike all the others, was aimed – and hit – directly square in his face.
The pain was intense, as he expected a volleyball being spiked by an Olympic gold medalist would be, and he really had to struggle not to get knocked backwards even as his glasses broke.
Once the ball finally bounced off his face the whole gym was once again quiet, most likely to see if he'd actually fall backwards. After a second or two he was quickly steady himself and push himself back up and away from the lean back he had started to get from the force of it.
Naruto quickly met eyes with Kamoshida, unable to keep a bit of a glare off his face which surprisingly scared the adult and made him take a step back, the whistle stopping the game.
"Uzumaki-san, are you okay?" Kamoshida asked as he slowly walked over from the teacher side.
"Yeah, I'm fine despite that being one hell of a spike" Naruto told him while picking up the two halves of his broken glasses. "Though I think that is where I step out, probably need to go see the nurse" he added, getting a bit of a smirk and a nod from Kamoshida.
"Probably for the best" Kamoshida simply said before Naruto walked over to Ryuji.
"Dude are you okay?" he asked, Naruto nodding as he rubbed his nose a bit.
"Sore from getting hit but I'm fine. Let's start now as I feel Kamoshida will be intently focused on getting attention from everyone, my thing can be done once the meet ends" Naruto reminded him, Ryuji nodding a bit stunned that Naruto could just walk off getting spiked on like that but after what he's seen he knew Naruto was stronger than that.
"Okay but lets get you a drink or something first, at least to cool off since your face is seriously red" Ryuji insisted, still a bit worried for him with Naruto sighing and nodding as he knew it'd at least get Ryuji to stop worrying.
With a cold drink helping cool off his stinging face Naruto looked over at Ryuji as his friend paced a bit.
"That asshole was actin' like a king over there the entire match. Hell he got pissed off at you stealing a bit of the spotlight so badly he purposefully spiked you in the face!" Ryuji yelled in anger, seemingly taking his injury harder than he was.
"I mean after what we saw in his Palace it makes sense he'd snap at someone standing up to him in the volleyball court though I didn't expect him to go that far" Naruto muttered, getting a nod from Ryuji. "But that really isn't the focus of things right now, is it?" he asked which got Ryuji to remember the task at hand.
"Right! Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw that were slaves yesterday, all the members of the team should be here today given the rally and all. I'll be sure to find someone to spill the beans about Kamoshida's physical abuse" Ryuji declared with a strong fire in his eyes.
"Where are we starting then since you are the one who know the faces" Naruto said as with this task Ryuji was the one in charge.
"The first one that popped out was a guy from Class D, your class, so let's start there" Ryuji explained while Naruto nodded and finished his drink. "Hopefully we can get him to talk despite us both having issues with people either avoidin' us or being afraid" he added with a bit of a frown.
"Sounds like a plan since I need a new pair of glasses anyway" Naruto muttered as he was still surprised that Kamoshida's spike had been able to snap them in half like that.
But then again, the dull throbbing pain of his face reminded him that it wasn't that far out there.
"Why do you wear fake glasses anyways?" Ryuji asked while they both made their way to the second floor of the school.
"Makes me seem less assuming so people won't notice me, best way to get through this year of probation without anyone bothering me…so far it's going great" he said with a fake smile before getting a flat look on his face that made Ryuji chuckle a bit at as they continued walking to his classroom.
"So which guy is the one you saw in the Palace?" Naruto asked as he rummaged through his bag and pulled out the second pair of glasses that he made sure to keep on him.
"Hmmm…oh! The guy over there, near the chalkboard" Ryuji pointed out with a motion of his head towards a brown-haired bandaged student near the front of the room.
"Before we head over just remember we need to be a bit subtle about how we ask them as I'm 100 percent certain Kamoshida has threatened them not to speak out about what is happening to them. Bluntly confronting them will only make them close up, trust me on this" Naruto told Ryuji, recalling some of his teachings from Jiraiya about gathering info before Naruto picked up his bag and they headed towards the student after Ryuji gave a nod to show he understood.
"What? Are you skipping out on the volleyball rally? I guess I expect it from you transfer, especially after getting hit by Kamoshida like that…how are you feeling?" the bandaged student asked, somewhat surprising Naruto but it made sense as his injury was something this student knew a good deal about.
"I'm fine, my arms are a bit sore as well due to blocking Kamoshida's strikes. I just didn't expect to get hit like that, guess I was a bit too far forward when I tried to block. Thanks for asking" Naruto thanked, trying to play off the injury like it was his fault to not be seen as having any hostility towards Kamoshida.
"Guess you know a thing or two about injuries, did you get those from practice?" Ryuji asked with Naruto seeing how hard he was trying not to straight out say it was abuse from Kamoshida.
"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?" the asked, clearly getting defensive as Naruto knew it was due to it getting closer and closer to 'abuse'.
"I'm just a bit curious and worried as Kamoshida offered to allow me to join the team and after today with the spike to the face I'm worried I might get beat up a bit more" Naruto said with a bit of a frown, a look that was matched by the student.
"W-Well, trainings rough but that's just how it is" the student added before Ryuji stepped forward with a serious look on his face.
"I'm worried for my friend here, is Kamoshida a bit too rough? Like past the point of training? Possibly borderline abuse?" Ryuji asked, watching as the student took a step back with a clearly worried face.
"I-I don't know what you're talking about! Y-You're talking complete nonsense! Training is training, its rough but its for the best of us all so that's that" the student quickly started to close up, Naruto sighing as Ryuji took another step forward.
"Look we already know what is going on! We know about the abuse!" Ryuji told him before the bandaged student looked over at him.
'You know? You have proof?" he asked with Naruto shaking his head.
"No but two guys already told us," Naruto told him with the cognitive versions being the ones to confess "we just want confirmation" he continued with that being the 'shut off' point for him.
"This is ridiculous, please leave me alone. You're really bothering me!" the student said, stopping them from any other questioning and making them leave the classroom with their first target turning up a bust.
"Sorry man, I guess I pushed too hard…" Ryuji grumbled a bit, kicking his foot a bit a bit before groaning. "But seriously! Even with that injury – that is so not normal – he still won't fess up! We didn't get anywhere" he added with a sigh before Naruto waved him off.
"Not necessarily Ryuji, my godfather taught me a lot about gathering info and while he didn't admit to it his reaction to the questions and his asking for proof make it clear Kamoshida has hammered in a strict hush order on them" Naruto said while rubbing his chin in thought. "Though his refusal to speak out even after I mentioned two others coming forward and telling us. Seems even that might not be enough…maybe he refused to believe anyone would or I could be overthinking things" he added with a shrug of his shoulders, getting a surprised look from Ryuji.
"Whoa, you were sounding like a detective for a bit there" he said which got another shrug from Naruto.
"My godfather is some kind of information broker or something, can't be too sure since he won't tell me what his job actually is. All I know is that he's good at finding info and he taught me some things about asking questions and what people's reactions mean" Naruto explained before looking around a bit. "Let's try asking the other people you memorized and see if what they have to say will help us any" he told Ryuji before nodded.
"Look, the ball game is going to end soon so how about we split up. I'll check the Practice Building for people before clubs start, you handle the Classroom Building" Ryuji decided with Naruto feeling that too was the best choice. "There's a third-year on the volleyball team that I remember, I think he's in 3-C" he told him with Naruto nodding.
"Got it, I'll check him out and look around for anyone else that seems like they might have info. We can meet back up near my classroom since once the game ends I have to do something on my own" Naruto explained and while Ryuji didn't know what he had planned he still nodded along to show he was okay with whatever he had in mind.
"Got it, good luck!" Ryuji wished before running off to follow his leads.
'Let's see….third years are on the first floor and I just have to look for someone bandaged up around class 3-C, should be easy enough' Naruto thought as he headed down the stairs, wandering around while looking at classroom numbers until he finally found 3-C.
And luck was seemingly on his side as he found a guy in a volleyball uniform with a bandaged knee standing outside it as he talked with someone else.
"Man, cleaning up after the volleyball rally is gonna be such a goddamn pain…" the bandaged volleyball player grumbled out in annoyance before he noticed him walking towards him. "Wait aren't you the guy who went against Kamoshida on the court? I have to say you had some good moves….hope your face doesn't hurt too much…" they worried before Naruto waved him off with a light smile.
"Yeah it was intense to go up against him and I quickly learned to keep a watch of how close I am to keep from that happening to me again…still stings a bit" Naruto told him with a wince as he gingerly tapped his face.
"So, whaddya want?" the player asked with a bit of a frown while Naruto nodded.
"Well, you see, Kamoshida offered me a chance to try out for the team a while ago and after today I wanted to ask around to see how training is. I feel I especially need to ask after seeing so many of you guys beaten up…" Naruto said with a worried frown, the fake worry from last time almost having worked so he figured to try again and see where it got him.
"Training is rough, that's all. Kamoshida pushes us to our best so we can get to nationals" the player replied, Naruto swearing that it sounded like a rehearsed response.
"I can understand that from being on teams in the past but some of you guys look way too beat up…are you sure he isn't being a bit too rough on you guys? Like roughness that is borderline abuse?" Naruto asked, continuing the worried tone of it and noticing a jolt of something in the third-year's eyes.
"A-Abuse!? Don't be silly! Look he's just dedicated to ensuring our team performs at the national level so don't be ridiculous" the third-year prattled on, Naruto picking up the slight panic to his tone. "Look tryout or not but don't listen to stupid rumors spread by Sakamoto" they replied with it being obvious that this was the end of the conversation with a chime of his phone making him walk away from them.
Ryuji: How's it going?
Naruto: He refused. Gave a rehearsed statement and got defensive the moment I said abuse
Ryuji: Yeah, seems like everyone's too freaked out about Kamoshida to say anything.
Ryuji: But I still got a lead. A first-year, new member
Naruto: Ah, so someone who isn't too trained to be hush-hush about it
Ryuji: Exactly! Try and see if you can find him and what he might have to say!
Naruto: Got it
With a new lead, that seemed rather promising, Naruto quickly headed up to the third floor and this time he was even able to find the guy almost instantly with only quick look from side to side once he got to the third floor.
"Hey there, are you on the volleyball team?" Naruto asked, getting the first-year to turn around to face him with a nod.
"Yeah? What do you want?" the first-year asked, already on guard which didn't spell anything good but he tried not to let that get him down.
"Look, I'm wondering about how training goes since Kamoshida offered to let me try out for the team. Would you say training is rough, like really rough?" Naruto asked and instantly noticed the same jolt of something in his eye as the third-year had.
"I-I don't know, training is tough cause Kamoshida wants us to get better. If Kamoshida offered you a choice to try out then do it if you want but look, Kamoshida doesn't want members on the team talking too much about training. If he learned that I talked about it then he'd totally give me special coaching like he did with Mishima-senpai…wait! Never mind! Forget I said anything!" the first year quickly yelled out before hurrying off to his class.
'Special training? Mishima?…That doesn't sound good' Naruto thought with a frown since with what he saw in the Palace the term 'special training' sounded like straight abuse that Kamoshida possibly gave to those who he deems worthy of it.
His thoughts were interrupted as the school speaker's chimed.
"Attention, Attention. All matches have concluded. Please get ready to go home for today…" it announced before Naruto's phone chimed and he walked over near the stairs and out of the way so that he could reply
Ryuji: Dammit, we're outta time. How'd it go?
Naruto: The first year slipped up about 'special training' involving someone named Mishima.
Ryuji: Really!? Great! What do you think that means?
Naruto: Simple – Abuse. Probably something like he beats the students who do poorly
Naruto: Probably done to make an example out of them and stress relief on his part
Ryuji: That bastard! Look, we need to talk more but don't you have something you wanted to do?
Naruto: Yeah and I need you as look out if Kamoshida comes out of the gym
Naruto: Warn me if he heads towards the Classroom Building.
Naruto: Have a text ready to warn me if he's coming towards it
Ryuji: Got it, good luck and be careful
With his look out situated Naruto quickly went down a floor and towards Kamoshida's office before slipping into it.
'Let's see, where do I put this?' Naruto thought, his eyes quickly darting around before he smiled once he looked towards the back of the room beside a flat-screen TV. 'A vent eh? Perfect' he thought with a chuckle before quickly pulling out his tools and hopping up on top of a desk in the back so that he could begin unscrewing the vent.
He seriously lucked out as this was an air conditioning vent, meaning that air only went out of it.
Not wanting to waste any time he pulled out the pieces of the prank, setting the power source and the machinery in the back of the vent – requiring him to crawl into it a bit – before attaching the camera and 'smoke bag' near the front.
The smoke bag was a little invention he was proud of, it being a weak unblown balloon with a smoke bomb inside of it that was attached to a small electrical cord. The cord was attached to the power source where, with a press of a button on his phone, would send a charge to 'ignite' the smoke bomb and set it off.
After that it would quickly fill up the balloon and in a matter of a second or two it'd explode, letting out a ton of smoke all at once instead of gradually like normal smoke bombs are designed to do.
The camera was there to help ensure he set it off at the right moment where he could ensure Kamoshida would be in the room but, due to the power source being a bit too much for it, would fry once he activated it.
He was just annoyed that Jiraiya hadn't sent the one with a microphone as well…
Once assured the balloon wouldn't potentially hit against the grate Naruto screwed back on the vent's grate and poked the camera through, ensuring he got the best view of the room as he could.
The chime of his phone alerting him that time was up, quickly grabbing his bag and heading out just to bump into Kamoshida.
"What are you doing in my office?" Kamoshida asked, clearly not liking that he was there and Naruto a bit surprised – not that it showed – that he was already there.
"I'm sorry, I just came by to see if you were here and was leaving the moment I saw you weren't as I have a bit of good news" Naruto told him, playing it off as looking for him which the man seemed to somewhat believe for now. "My guardian looked you up and your past got him seriously thinking about letting me join. He said once he gets some time he's going to be calling you to try and figure things out" he continued which got a smirk on the man's face, probably due to Naruto bringing up his past – essentially stroking his ego.
"Really? That's great since you were seriously great on the court today!" Kamoshida praised him with a pat on his shoulder before frowning a bit. "I am sorry about hitting you like that though" he apologized, Naruto quickly waving it off.
"It was my fault, I was too far forward due to misjudging where you were aiming. Consider it as my first lesson to always try my best to correctly judge where my opponent is aiming" Naruto said, once again stroking the man's ego and acting like Kamoshida could do no wrong which got a bigger smile on his face.
"You are definitely right there! Look, when I work things out with your guardian I can just see you doing great on my team so heal up and get ready. For now I think it's best you head home soon, don't want to get in trouble and ruin your shot at being allowed to join the team" Kamoshida advised, Naruto nodding and quickly hurrying off towards the stairs to check his phone to see an unread message.
Ryuji: Dude he's coming your way and heading up the stairs!
Naruto: Don't worry, I got out before he caught me
Ryuji: Dude! Reply faster! I nearly had a heart attack! Other than that, how did it go?
Naruto: Perfectly. I'll set off my little smoke bomb at the right moment
Ryuji: Awesome! Come meet me at the courtyard. I have to grab my bag so I'll be there in a bit
Naruto: Got it
Heading down to the courtyard Naruto collapsed on the bench, a bit exhausted from the shock of nearly being caught by Kamoshida. He perked his head up a bit as he heard someone walking up to him only to see that it wasn't Ryuji but instead Takamaki.
"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Takamaki asked as he stood up and stretched a bit.
"Sure thing Takamaki, what can I do you for?" he asked, a bit unsure why she was talking to him given they hadn't really spoken a word to one another since their little first meeting in the rain.
"Don't worry, it'll be quick…a friend of mine was worried about you with these weird rumors and got me wondering how you're doing with all of it" Takamaki said, her worry surprising Naruto before he saw Ryuji walking up their way.
"What do you want with him?" Ryuji asked with a somewhat annoyed look on his face as if Takamaki being there was a bother.
"Right back at you, you're not even in our class" Takamaki told him, clearly annoyed that he had interrupted their talk.
"We just happened to get to know each other" Ryuji replied simply since he couldn't say they met in a castle…
"What're you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?" Takamaki bluntly asked which stunned Ryuji while Naruto quickly felt there was more than there seemed with her question.
"Huh!?" Ryuji asked in shock before gaining a serious look on his face. "I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all" he told her, getting her to glare back at him.
"This has nothing to do with you Sakamoto!" she yelled back with Naruto wincing a bit on the inside as he knew that wasn't the case.
"If you found out what he's been doin' behind your back you'd dump him right away" Ryuji harshly said, clearly under the impression that Takamaki and Kamoshida were together like the rumors around school said.
"Behind my back? What's that supposed to mean?" Takamaki asked, confused what he meant by that only to get a sigh from Ryuji.
"You wouldn't get it" he told her which seemingly got her to drop it.
"People are already talking about you Sakamoto, I came here to warn Uzumaki about it. I don't know what you're trying to pull but no one's gonna help you. I'm warning you, just in case…that's all" Takamaki told them before she walked off with Naruto figuring that his line of questioning had covered his motives for the most part.
"Well that'll make things more difficult…" Naruto muttered while Ryuji groaned and shook his head.
"Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time?" he grumbled out, getting Naruto to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Sorry dude but you aren't one to talk. I mean, what was with the 'dump him' comment? Especially with how we already talked about how she rejects Kamoshida all the time" Naruto said as he crossed his arms, getting Ryuji to shrink a bit at it.
"I know, I know. I just, kinda got into it…" he muttered a bit ashamed before he shook his head. "Look I can apologize or something to her later but right now we need to talk about what you found out" Ryuji continued while Naruto told him what the first-year slipped out on accident as well as his theory about what the 'special coaching' might be.
"Hmmm, makes sense. I do see the guy covered in bruises all the time…let's go talk to him before he leaves then" Ryuji suggested, Naruto about to agree before someone caught his eye.
It was the same girl he had met in the hallway with the stack of papers who he had also seen this morning.
"Actually, how about you go try and do it real quick…I think I have another lead to check up on" Naruto told him and while it confused Ryuji a bit his friend still nodded as he trusted him.
"You tell me what you find out and I'll tell you what comes up on Mishima" Ryuji said as the bumped fists.
"Got it, just keep your cool!" he yelled out after him as Ryuji rushed off, get a thumbs up from him before he left his line of sight.
'Lets see….how to start up a conversation with someone I've only bumped into once…' Naruto mulled over with frown as he walked over to her as she sat on a bench in one of the other little coves that housed some other vending machines. 'Well, best to just be natural a bit…' he thought before he cleared his throat to let her know he was there, instantly noticing the somewhat vacant look in her eyes.
"Wha? Y-Yes?" she said, unsure why he was suddenly here – not that he could blame her.
"Sorry, I came here to ask you something but first I have to ask…are you okay?" Naruto asked, sitting on the nearby table a bit and looking at her, seriously worried now that he could see her better.
She wasn't like this earlier when he saw her standing around on the first floor a bit ago with Takamaki, so it made him wonder if she was 'acting strong' in front of her friend for some reason…
"Um…well…" she muttered, not quite sure what to say or how to say it. "Wait, you're the guy that helped me with the papers and who got spiked by Kamoshida…how's your face?" she asked, making him frown a bit more.
"My face is fine, thank you for worrying but I'm a bit more worried about you?" he told her, making it a bit of a question due to not knowing her name which only got her to stare down at the floor a bit, not out of being uncomfortable – at least he didn't think it was due to that.
She was a bit hard to read with her somewhat vacant eyes.
"My name is Shiho Suzui…you can call me Shiho….You're the transfer student from class D as well aren't you?" she asked, getting a nod from him as she looked up at him. "This might not be any of my business but…don't let the rumors get to you, okay?" Shiho told him as if wanting to encourage him it was okay despite looking the way she did.
"Don't worry, I don't let things get to me that easily but I have to ask…why worry about me like this?" he asked since honestly no one other than Haru and Ryuji ignored the rumors.
"Well, I've just helped with a similar situation before. My best friend is often misunderstood too, all because of her looks…" Shiho told him before widening her eyes a bit and looking away. "Sorry, I didn't mean to drag on like that…what did you need to talk to me for?" she asked before weakly looking up at him, the sight making him feel sorry for her and want to help her if possibly.
Naruto still wasn't too sure how to go about this but, as always, he decided to trust his gut and go for broke.
"Did you know that in America women have called 911 for domestic abuse and to hide it they acted like they were ordering pizza?" he told her, getting a somewhat confused and worried look on her face. "So how about it? Do you want to talk about pizza?" he asked as he looked her in the eyes, hoping he was conveying the seriousness and safety that he felt he was.
He gave her time, able to see the struggle going on in her head by the way she clenched her fists and squeezed her eyes shut before she nodded.
"So, how often does he get pizza for the team?" he started off, glad this pizza metaphor worked and helped make their conversation confusing to anyone who might overhear them.
"Only when someone does really good or when he's in a good mood" Shiho told him, shaking her head when she said good both times, making him take it as opposite of what she really wanted to say.
"Understood," he told her to make it clear he got what she really meant "so does that mean you've gotten pizza as well?" he had to ask, getting a flinch but a nod from her.
"Do the parents of everyone on the team know about him giving them pizza?" Naruto asked, getting a slight nod from her.
"The majority do…mine don't…The principal knows about it as well" she admitted, surprising Naruto but not too much.
It'd be hard to hide that kind of stuff after all. If he had to seriously guess, the reason they accepted it was due to probable promises that it'd get their kids into prestigious colleges if they were part of a team that went to nationals.
A part of him also wanted to ask why hers didn't but he decided not to pry.
"Where does the pizza happen at?" he continued, hoping that some of it happened in his office given he had just bugged it with a camera.
"Mostly the gymnasium where he…" she started to say before frowning as if she couldn't think of the words before pointing to his face a bit, confusing him at first before it connected that she probably meant he spiked on them.
"He does this to them?" he asked to clarify, pointing to his face as well and getting a nod.
"Some of it happens in his office if he wants to…do other types of pizza" she continued, clenching her fist and making very subtle punches almost with her arms by her sides still.
"Does he ever give….different pizza to the members on the female team?" he asked, wishing he could bring this up differently but knew he had to be a bit blunt at times.
He instantly felt like shit as Shiho's eyes went even more vacant and she immediately tensed up before looking away.
In the end it still answered his question and made him feel beyond sick to his stomach.
"Does….he give you that kind of pizza?" he whispered out, watching as she scooted back, almost shivering before she gave an ever so slight nod, one he almost missed if not for the fact she looked up at him with a look in her eyes that made him freeze.
It was as if she was silently screaming out for help while also being dead inside.
Instantly he knew he needed to look out for her or any other female student he saw enter Kamoshida's office with the camera attached to his smoke bomb. Quickly pulling out his phone he pulled up his Chat Messenger and turned on his Number Sharing.
"Oh crap, seems like I have my number sharing on….wonder how long that's been there for" he grumbled out loud, looking up from his phone at Shiho and seemingly conveying the silent message he was telling her which got her to pull out her phone subtly.
As he got her number he quickly started a message with her.
Naruto: If he is about to start something with you send me a text as fast as you can
Naruto: It can be just one character but I'll know it's you calling for help
Naruto: Do that and I will help you, I can stop it from happening once but that'll be enough
Shiho:….Ok…Thanks
"You don't need to thank me Shiho, just stay safe okay?" he told her, getting up from his seat on the table. "If anything, I should be thanking you…and apologizing for making you talk about something so uncomfortable" he added with a frown, getting her to quickly stand up and shake her head a bit.
"Don't apologize…being able to talk about it helped…I have to go now though" she said, clearly not exactly wanting to go but also clearly had no choice since it was probably volleyball related.
"Okay, just…be careful" he told her again, wanting to do more than just say some words but knew he couldn't do anything at the moment.
Feeling powerless to help always pissed him off more than anything but the soft smile on Shiho's face eased his worries as she left with a nod.
'Damn it….shit is a lot worse than I thought' Naruto thought with a long sigh as he collapsed back onto the bench Shiho was just sitting on before the chime of his phone got his attention.
Ryuji: Kamoshida blocked me from talking too much with Mishima
Ryuji: You won't believe what he told me before he left. You're still in the courtyard right?
Ryuji: I'll be right there
Naruto kept an eye out for Ryuji, waving his friend over once he reappeared in the courtyard to get him over.
"Dude! This whole situation is even more messed up than we thought!" Ryuji hissed out in a harsh whisper as he hurried over and filled him in on what Mishima had told him.
"The parents and principal being in on it coincides with what the person I just talked to said as well…" Naruto muttered with a frown while Ryuji banged his fist on a nearby vending machine out of anger and frustration.
"Dammit! What are we supposed to do now!? Even if we get proof it'll just get brushed aside!" Ryuji yelled out, Naruto trying to shush him with a serious look on his face.
"Quiet down man! Last thing we want is eyes on us" Naruto warned him while being thankful they were the only ones nearby for the most part. "And that's just the school, if we get solid proof we can always take it to the police" he reminded Ryuji, making him relax a bit with a nod.
"I'll try one more time to persuade the other guys…it's all I can do right now…I'll see you tomorrow" Ryuji muttered before sulking off a bit, Naruto understanding how he felt since feeling helpless felt terrible…
Deciding he couldn't do anything else for the time being Naruto sighed as he went to change out of his gym uniform before heading him.
He silently hoped one of the other guys grew cooperative since he wasn't about to ask Shiho to help…she had enough going on to even think about bothering her…
Once back at LeBlanc he just headed straight up to his room, Sojiro meeting eyes with him but seemingly letting him go without inquiring which he was thankful for.
Feeling utterly worn out he decided to go straight to bed…hoping tomorrow would be better but, just as he was about to lay down, his phone chimed.
Ryuji: Hey, this don't make any damn sense
Ryuji: The principal and even the parents know about the abuse
Ryuji: Why ain't anybody speaking up?!
Naruto: Because being on a team that went to nationals helps with college and the school's reputation
Ryuji: That don't give him the right to do whatever he wants!
Ryuji: He's beating kids up and all they're allowed to do is endure
Naruto: I know but we can't do anything about it unless we get proof and go to someone above the principal
Ryuji: I know you're right….Ugh! This is such a load of bull! I can't let it end like this!
Ryuji: I'm gonna try and find someone who knows about what's going on with Kamoshida during break tomorrow. Just you watch! I ain't giving up!
Naruto had to admire his determination, sharing it alongside him since even with everything looking bleak, he seriously refused to give up.
'Tomorrow is another day…progress can still be made…' he thought to himself as he got ready for bed.
-4/14 – Thursday-
"Did you see Mr. Kamoshida play yesterday? He was so awesome!" one girl walking ahead of him excitedly said to the friend beside her. "I think I might ask for his autograph after school" she added before her friend beside her frowned at her idea.
"I dunno if that's such a good idea…I hear you shouldn't go near the PE faculty office. People say you can hear weird sounds, like screaming, even though no one's there…" the other girl said with a creeped-out shiver, Naruto instantly knowing this was tied to the 'special coaching'.
"What? That's probably just a rumor spread by fans to scare the competition" the first girl quickly dismissed with a shake of her head which made Naruto just roll his eyes at before they arrived at school and class began.
Class was as boring as ever until his phone buzzed in his pocket in the middle of it.
Ryuji: So about witnesses…I was wondering if we could get something outta Takamaki
Ryuji: I know you mentioned she isn't really with Kamoshida or in his corner but still, she might know something
Naruto: That could work but given how she keeps rejecting him and pushing him away I don't see her knowing much of anything
Ryuji: She might due to her being close to someone who is on the team, her BFF happens to be a starter named Suzui
Ryuji: I tried to talk to her during the break but I got nothing
Naruto: Don't bother Suzui please, I already talked to her and while she could help there is a lot of stuff going on with her. Best to leave her be
Naruto: So in the end Takamaki won't be all too much help either
Ryuji: Okay, sorry. Lemme see what else I can come up with…lets meet out in the courtyard after classes
Putting away his phone his mind wandered off to Shiho, feeling like he'd really need to keep an eye on his smoke bomb's camera today and tomorrow especially….as well as keep an eye on his messages.
With class over he decided to meet up with Ryuji only to stop with a frown as he found Shiho almost lifelessly standing there.
"Shiho? Are you okay?" Naruto asked, seemingly snapping her out of her daze and getting her to look up at him before she nodded lightly.
"Yeah….I just have to go to practice…" she muttered before Naruto looked her in the eyes.
"If you are afraid, get a message ready to send right now" he urged her, wanting to put a hand on her shoulder to encourage her but his instincts telling him that touching her in general would be a very bad choice…
"….Okay….thank you" she weakly said before walking off, Naruto clenching his fist in frustration at how he couldn't be any more help to her before he continued on to Ryuji.
Ryuji also seemed clearly frustrated; Naruto easily able to guess why.
"Didn't go well on your end?" Naruto asked with a bit of an apologetic frown, getting Ryuji to let out a frustrated sigh and nod.
"All of 'em kept sayin' the same shit Mishima was talkin' about! Kamoshida had to have told 'em something!" Ryuji ranted as Naruto nodded.
"It's to be expected, especially since he walked up when you were questioning Mishima. When people start asking questions a 'blanket statement' is created by those trying to cover shit up and hide things…not much else we can do" Naruto told him while rubbing the back of his head with a sigh.
"At this rate…looks like we'll have to go to him directly" Ryuji said only for Naruto to quickly shake his head.
"That won't get us anywhere but in trouble. Us confronting him will only make him use the control he has in the school to fuck us over" Naruto quickly advised against, causing Ryuji to slump his shoulders and let out a groan.
"Isn't there something we can do? Can't you think of anything? I mean, you seem pretty smart about this kinda stuff…" Ryuji asked, almost pleaded, while Naruto sat on a nearby bench and started to think over his options.
'Can't go to the police without proof…can't 'sneak attack' him since if I get caught I'm royally screwed…what can we do?' Naruto thought with a frown before his eyes widened and quickly bolted up from his seat, having finally realized their third option.
"Whoa! What is it?! Did you think of something?" Ryuji asked, a good deal surprised by his friend's sudden burst up from his seat.
"Simple…we'll punish the king" Naruto suggested with a big smirk while Ryuji widened his eyes as he pieced it together.
"You mean that other world's Kamoshida? I didn't think of that but is there any meaning to – I've finally found you" Ryuji started to say before another, rather familiar voice interrupted him which confused the two of them and got them to look around for the source of it.
"You say something?" Ryuji asked as Naruto shook his head and noticed a black and white cat walked up towards them.
"No…but I think I know who did…" Naruto told him, not entirely sure it was the cat given how insane that sounded but Morgana was a black and white cat as well…
"Don't think you can get away with not paying me back for helping you!" the cat said as it hopped up on the table, it again sounding exactly like Morgana.
"That voice!...Is that you Morgana!?" Ryuji asked in shock, not ever expecting him to see the 'not-cat' in the real world.
"How dare you! Up and leaving me the other day!" Morgana chided them again, Ryuji shaking his head in disbelief.
"The cat's talkin'!?" Ryuji asked, his eyes fixed on Morgana as he turned around to face them.
"I am NOT a cat! This is just what happened when I came to this world!" Morgana said, once again defending himself and insisting he wasn't a cat. "It was a lot of trouble finding you two" he told them with Ryuji taking a few steps forward towards him.
"Wait…You came to our world!?" Ryuji asked before letting out a gasp. "Does that you've got a phone!?" he asked as well, getting a flat 'are you serious' look from both Naruto and Morgana.
"You don't need one when you're at my level….I did get pretty lost making my escape though…" Morgana proclaimed before muttering dejectedly at the end.
"That aside…why can you talk!? You're a cat!" Ryuji yelled, still not wrapping his head around this concept…not that Naruto could entirely blame him.
But then again given how Morgana was in Kamoshida's Palace it only made sense he'd be a cat if he showed up in the real world.
"How should I know!?" Morgana yelled back, his predicament not being entirely clear to him either given his amnesia and everything.
"Please tell me you are hearin' this too" Ryuji hoped while Naruto nodded.
"If I wasn't I would have called you crazy for having a conversation with a cat" Naruto told him, it making sense to Ryuji as he'd do the same thing.
"You guys are having a rough time of this, I think I heard something about witnesses? You know I could tell you a thing or two about what to do about Kamoshida, you were pretty close just a moment ago" Morgana told them, a smirk in his tone and Naruto sure that if a cat was able to smirk he'd be doing that too.
"God that condescendin' attitude! This thing's gotta be Morgana" Ryuji groaned out, rolling his eyes in annoyance with Morgana quickly turning his way.
"You were still doubting me!? Morgana yelled out before Naruto shushed him.
"Quiet down! You may be talking but you still have the appearance of a cat so we don't need attention drawn our way" Naruto warned the 'not-cat' which got a sheepish nod from him.
"Ugh, do we really have to be looking for a cat in a busy time like this?" a nearby teacher said, getting Naruto and Ryuji to look over to see them and another teacher standing nearby.
"I just heard a meow somewhere near here. Didn't you hear it?" the other teacher said before the first one let out an exhausted sigh.
"Make sure you check every nook and cranny around" he said as the two of them walked off away from them.
"Meow? Does that mean only us two can understand what you're sayin'?" Ryuji asked which made a good deal of sense to Naruto.
"Probably relates to that other world that Kamoshida's castle is in you know? Since we've both been there it doesn't surprise me that we can understand him" Naruto guessed a bit with a shrug, not entirely sure but it sounded like a solid hypothesis given everything.
"That sounds like it could be true" Morgana agreed before Ryuji sighed and shook his head, not wanting to get into the confusing shit again.
"Anyways, what you were talkin' about earlier…is it for real?" Ryuji asked since if it was for real it could help them finally take him down.
"You're quite the skeptic for being an idiot" Morgana chided, getting an eyeroll and a headshake from Naruto as name calling was beyond not necessary right now…
"Hey, tell us more…then again this probably ain't the best place…" Ryuji asked, ignoring the idiot comment as taking down Kamoshida was much more important. "Here, stick it in your bag for now! It should be just small enough to fit!" Ryuji quickly added as he snatched up Morgana by the scruff of his neck.
"Whoa! Easy there, Morgana is a living creature" Naruto said as he quickly opened his bag, thankful that there wasn't much in there which allowed Morgana to fit in perfectly.
"Hey! How dare you treat me like a cat!" Morgana yelled out as he struggled only to get shushed by Naruto.
"It's so we don't get in trouble and you don't get thrown in a pound so deal with it for a bit!" Naruto hissed out in a whisper before zipping up his bag with both him and Ryuji having the same idea for where to go – the roof.
Once on the roof Naruto quickly set down his bag and unzipped it, allowing Morgana to walk out of it while Naruto sat on the nearby desks with Ryuji standing beside him.
"Don't be so rough with me!" Morgana complained while Ryuji stomped his foot.
"Enough of that! You said you know how we can do something about Kamoshida, right?" Ryuji asked, wanting more info on what he meant right away.
"It has to do with what Naruto was talking about earlier. You'll need to attack his castle" Morgana said to them, Naruto rubbing his chin in thought while Ryuji instantly grew confused.
"What do you mean?" he asked before Naruto snapped his fingers.
"It has something to do with that world being based off his distorted desires, right?" Naruto added on, getting a nod and smile from Morgana.
"It has everything to do with that. You see, that castle is how Kamoshida views this school. He doesn't realize what happens in there but it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart. Thus, if it disappears, it would naturally impact the real Kamoshida" Morgana explained, Naruto understanding what he was getting at while Ryuji still didn't quite get it.
"What'd happen?" he asked while Morgana licked his paw and used it to clean his face a bit.
"A Palace, as Naruto said, is based off a person's distorted desires. So if that castle were no more…" Morgana said, leaving it hanging for someone else to answer.
"Then he'd become an honest man" Naruto finished, getting a strong nod from Morgana as if excited Naruto picked up where he was going.
"Precisely! You sure pick up things fast!" Morgana praised him with a smile while Ryuji was shocked at the revelation.
"For real!? He's gonna turn good!?" Ryuji asked in shock and surprise that it could be that easy and that such a thing was possible. "But wait…is that really getting' back at him?" he continued, clearly not entirely sold about it really 'taking him down'.
"Erasing a Palace essentially means forcing the owner to have a change of heart. However, even though their warped wants disappear, the crimes they committed remain. Kamoshida will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes and he'll confess them himself!" Morgana explained while Naruto nodded along as he understood what Morgana was getting at.
"Basically he'll grow a conscious of a respectable man and the weight of every shitty thing he's done will crash down on him and make him want to atone for them" Naruto translated a bit for Ryuji, his friend widening his eyes in shock.
"You for real!? That's possible!?" Ryuji asked with Morgana nodding.
"And since it's done through the Palace, a realm he has no knowledge of, neither he or anyone else will know what happened. Not only will we be able to bring Kamoshida down, but there won't even be a trace of our involvement" the 'not-cat' explained to them, showing how it was truly the perfect 'crime'.
"That's amazing! You are one incredible cat!" Ryuji praised with a smile, overjoyed that they finally had a way to take Kamoshida down.
"True…except for the cat part!" Morgana yelled out, always quick to rebuke any mentions of being a cat….despite looking like a cat in this world and the other….
"How exactly do we get rid of a Palace? Doesn't sound like something you can just easily get rid of" Naruto asked since it sounded like a big task for them to do.
"By stealing the Treasure held within" Morgana told them with nod of his head. "I'll tell you more once you agree to go ahead with this. It is my most valuable secret plan after all. If you want to help me out I'll gladly teach you. What's your call?" he asked, pride clear in his tone when he had referred to his 'secret plan' before getting serious in the end.
"Our luck's runnin' dry lookin' for witnesses. Guess we have no choice but to go along…" Ryuji brought up as Naruto nodded with a bit of a frown due to the lingering frustration of hitting a dead end in the school.
The castle on the other hand seemed like a much more viable prospect.
"There's no other way, this 'make him confess' plan seems the most viable and with our Persona it only makes sense that we put them to use" Naruto agreed, unable to see any other way to take Kamoshida down.
"Well, there's one more thing I should tell you. If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well…but desires are what we all need in order to survive. The will to sleep, eat, fall in love – those sorts of things" Morgana started to explain in a serious and somber tone.
"Wait are you saying that, by removing his distorted desires he'll shut down or something?" Naruto asked, really not buying that far of a stretch if he was being honest.
To him distorted desires didn't stretch over to 'all desires'.
"Yes, if all of those yearnings were to vanish then they'd be no different than someone who has shut down entirely. They may even die if they're not given proper care" Morgana continued which made Ryuji take a step back.
"They might die!?" he yelled in shock before Naruto quickly shook his head.
"Sorry but that just doesn't compute for me. How does 'distorted desires' carry over to 'all desire'? Plus removing them makes them grow a conscious and confess their crimes, how does that equate to 'shut down'?" Naruto asked since no matter how much he tried it just didn't make any kind of sense whatsoever. *1
It felt like an insanely large stretch.
"Death or not, aren't you determined enough to face those kinds of risks?" Morgana inquired, getting a stomp from Ryuji to interrupt him.
"That's not the point! Death isn't something to just shrug off!" Ryuji yelled while Naruto stayed silent on the nearby desk, still not on board with the idea that taking Kamoshida's distorted desires would shut him down.
"Sheesh…I come all this way and this is what I get. It's not like anyone will ever find out" Morgana chided them before Naruto shook his head disappointingly at the 'not-cat'.
"Morgana you either seriously don't get it or you are somehow so disconnected from the world…" Naruto told him with a tired sigh. "Death is not something normal people are so nonchalant about. We don't get all 'well no one will figure out so it's whatever' about it like you seemingly are" he continued, staring down the cat with a look that told him to stop messing around like that. *2
"Yeah! Plus if we just go around secretly doin' whatever we want, we'd be no better than that effin' Kamoshida!" Ryuji yelled out with Naruto nodding along in agreement with his friend.
"…I'll come back later then. Try to make sure you've made your decision by then" Morgana said with a sigh, seeing they were butting heads a bit too much right now, before hurrying off.
"Man, we're getting' all worked up for nothing….Dammit!" Ryuji groaned out before Naruto sighed and got up from his seat.
"Relax Ryuji, as I said before, I don't see how stealing distorted desires would shut him down but give it time, we'll figure out what to do in the next few days" Naruto reassured him, Ryuji nodding along weakly.
"I'll try and see if I can figure out another way until then…Let's get out of here" Ryuji offered before Naruto shook his head.
"I'll head out later, I have some stuff I have to do first" he told him, Ryuji shrugging his shoulders as it wasn't his place to bug about it.
Once Naruto was left alone he let out a bit of a sigh, sitting down in front of the planters as his mind raced with the thoughts of everything.
"Are you okay?" a familiar voice asked, Naruto turning around to see a concerned Haru leaning over to look at him over his shoulder a bit.
"Yeah…just a lot on my mind" he told her with a bit of a frown while she crouched down beside him a bit to also check on the planters.
"I'm sorry to hear that…how is your face by the way? I hear you were hit rather hard by Kamoshida…" Haru asked, worry thick in her tone before he turned and smiled at her while waving her off.
"Thanks for the worry but I'm fine, I was all good after it happened and a day later I'm still good…arms are bruised like crazy though but I'm used to sports related bruising" Naruto assured her, rolling up his sleeves a bit to show off the bruises he had gotten from blocking against Kamoshida's strikes.
"Oh my! Those don't look good at all" Haru said with a frown before she turned and started to rummage through her bag. "Here, use this cream. It helps with various skin related things and ensuring your skin stays healthy, I have a lot of it since I use it for when I garden at home" she told him, handing him a medium sized tub of lotion.
"You sure about that? This looks rather high end" Naruto asked her as he looked it over, knowing just by the looking at the tub that it was fancy which meant it probably cost a hefty penny.
"It's fine, I know people who work for the store that sell it so they give me discounts so don't worry about it" Haru reassured him with a smile before Naruto gave a shrug.
"Thanks then Haru, I'll put it to good use as the bruises definitely sting a bit" he said with a dry chuckle since they were still sore to the touch a bit, getting him to put a bit of lotion on them. "So you figure out what to plant in each one?" he asked Haru, watching as she pulled a few seed packets for various flowers out of her bag.
"Not yet but I brought more than enough seeds for both of us to use so feel free to pick whichever ones you want. I even made ways to mark which planters are yours and which are mine" Haru happily said, pulling out a bunch of tiny signposts that had their names written in rather elegant handwriting on them.
"We each get half so let's pick and choose!" Haru said enthusiastically with a bit of a giggle that even made him smile and chuckle with how infectious her laugh was.
Naruto found Haru to be a rather strong breath of fresh air to temporarily get away from all the Kamoshida business, finding it fun to watch her pick her planters while he just randomly picked his.
"So, you have a reason for your picks or were they random like mine?" Naruto asked, curious since she did take her time in between picks.
"That's a secret" Haru told him with another giggle, the smile on her face showing she was happy and enjoying herself.
"Oh? You have gardening secrets? So, maybe if I'm lucky I might learn a couple?" he asked, making Haru nod happily at.
"Then we should probably exchange numbers so we can talk about when to do things involving the planters or just about gardening things" Haru suggested before getting a bit embarrassed. "T-That is if you want to…I shouldn't just assume…it's just I've never really had someone I can talk to so easily like this" she said, clearly a bit nervous before Naruto chuckled and pulled out his phone.
"Exchanging numbers sounds great Haru and we don't even need to just talk about gardening and the planters if that helps" Naruto assured her, getting her to brighten up before she pulled out her phone and they swapped numbers only for the world to turn grey and time to stop once more.*3
"I am thou, thou art I….Thou hast acquired a new vow.
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Empress Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power…" the female voice said once more before things went back to normal like how it had with Ryuji.
'So Haru is a confidant? That seems nice' Naruto thought as he watched her put in his number.
"And done!" Haru excitedly said before her phone chimed and her smile dropped a little bit. "Oh…seems like I'm needed back home…" she muttered, a bit dejected before Naruto waved it off.
"It's fine, plus with my number you can message me whenever so don't worry about heading home. I'd rather not have you get in trouble cause of me. I'll put away the seeds somewhere they can't get blown away or stolen and text you the location later" Naruto assured her, getting her smile to brighten back up a bit before she stood up and nodded.
"Okay, I'll talk to you later then" she said, him nodding along while watching her happily walk off.
Once she was gone he checked and, sure thing, there was an Empress tarot card with her name and one star on it to go along with the vow he heard in his head.
As his phone chimed he was brought out of his thoughts, putting the card back in the box and the box back in his bag before pulling out his phone.
Ryuji: Yo, some of the guys in my class have been talking about that Suzui girl….
Ryuji: Looks like rumors are going around about her and Kamoshida
Naruto: Do you think any girl would legit be with a gross ass like him?
Naruto: If anything it screams something unsavory…something I don't even wanna suggest…
Ryuji: Got it…let's hope they are rumors then as I agree, Kamoshida isn't Suzui or Takamaki's type
Ryuji: I've known them since middle school so I know them that much at least…makes me wonder where those rumors came from…
Ryuji: Well, we'll get to it tomorrow. See ya!
Sighing he put away his phone as he knew those rumors had a spark of truth in them, a disgusting spark but a spark nonetheless…
As he walked to the train station he overheard a good number of conversations all ranging from: how Takamaki always looked unhappy when Kamoshida talked to her because apparently not wanting to show the school he was wrapped around her finger, how Ryuji's questions were never going to go anywhere due to the player's loyalty to Kamoshida to ensure a good future, and – the worst - how Shiho was apparently Kamoshida's latest 'favorite'.
That last one made him quickly open up the camera app for his prank, annoyed as always that it could only show him things happening in real time with no ongoing recording unless he was actively watching it. And even then there was a limit he could record before he fried the camera.
Cheap was good for easy pranks but there were always downsides…
As he got off the train, heading to the next one he needed to reach home he paused as he noticed Takamaki nearby and, if her expression was anything to go by, she was clearly upset and angry about something.
"Will you please give it a rest!? I told you, I'm not feeling up to it…" she told someone on the other line over the phone before quickly growing shocked about something they said in response. "Wait what!? That's not what you promised! And you call yourself a teacher!?" she yelled, Naruto instantly knowing it was Kamoshida on the other line since he was the only 'teacher' who constantly harassed her.
"This has nothing to do with Shiho!" Takamaki yelled, it cementing that it was Kamoshida on the other line and making his stomach drop in worry about what might happen to Shiho…
His heart went out to Takamaki a bit, watching as the call seemingly cut before she crouched down and hugged her knees to console herself a bit.
"Shiho's…starting position…" Takamaki muttered to herself, Kamoshida apparently lording it over her to get her to spend time with him.
Naruto frowned as he walked up to her, not sure how he'd actually console someone he's barely talked to but refused to just leave her be like this. Before he could actually say anything, she noticed him first and bolted up in shock from it.
"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you…I just saw you struggling and kinda wanted to help?" he apologized as the last thing he wanted to do was come off as a creep after she had just gotten off the phone with one…
"Wait…were you listening?" she asked, Naruto sheepishly nodding his head as he rubbed the back of it.
"Not on purpose, I just walked by and came out just as you were on the phone" he told her before she sighed.
"It's not your fault…so…how much did you hear?" Takamaki asked, wiping her eyes a bit to remove the bit of tears she had shed.
"Something about Shiho and teacher…pretty easy to put two and two together" Naruto told her with a bit of a frown.
"It's nothing at all…nothing…" Takamaki muttered before wiping more of her tears and running off.
'Shit…this isn't good…' he thought with a groan before he started hurrying after her since there was no way that Tsunade would forgive him if he let a crying girl run off and not try and help her.
It was easy to keep up with her, running down to the underground walkway and down the escalator while Takamaki just kept running.
As he finally caught up with her he frowned as she got back up from a crouch and turned towards him with an annoyed look on her face.
"Stop following me…Just leave me alone!" she yelled before Naruto shook his head.
"I can't just leave you alone when you're like this…Not when I'm not sure if you're okay" he told her, it instantly deflating her annoyance from being followed.
"Why…? Why do you keep worrying about me?" she asked as she started to cry, Naruto looking her in the eyes as he sighed.
"Cause I can't just leave someone be who is struggling, how about we go somewhere we can talk?" Naruto told her which only seemed to make her cry a bit more.
"What the heck…? I really don't get you" Takamaki muttered before nodding, showing she was okay with going somewhere as they walked to a nearby Big Bang Burger.
As they sat down, Naruto getting some water for them while Takamaki was quick to plop down at the booth seat on the far end of the store and cross her arms.
"I don't have anything to talk about with you. It was…just an argument…" she told him while looking away.
"With Kamoshida?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow as she looked down at the table.
"You heard the rumors…haven't you? About Mr. Kamoshida…" she asked him back while messing with a nearby napkin. "Everyone says we're getting it on…but…that's so not true!" she continued, her voice quivering with a mix of emotions as she spoke.
"That was him on the other line…I avoided giving him my number for the longest time…he told me to go to his place after this…you know what it means…" she told him, her soft tone having a hint of anger and disgust as she clawed and crushed her napkin.
"If I turn him down, he said he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team. I've been telling myself that this is all for Shiho's sake…I can't take it anymore…I've had enough of this! I hate him!" she yelled out, tears beginning to build up in her eyes again.
"But still…Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school!" she cried out, shaking her head as tears were falling fast down her cheeks. "Tell me…What should I do?" she asked as Naruto clenched his fist under the table in rage and took a long calming breath.
"Don't torture yourself like that…I've talked to Shiho, she's a sweet girl who worried about me with all those stupid rumors. Hell I'm pretty sure she talked about you a bit…" Naruto started, getting her to look up at him surprised that they had talked. "You should know that if she knew what you were doing for her she would feel guilty…don't force yourself into a terrible situation…there is always another way to get out of it" he assured her, looking her dead in the eyes with as much comfort that he could convey.
"Just…try and hold out for a bit longer and tell Shiho to stop going to practice for a while…the sooner the better" Naruto told her, getting her to wipe her tears and nod softly. He could tell that while she was unsure, she seemed to agree with him.
"Sorry for venting so much to you…I've barely even talked to you before…" Takamaki said with a bit of a laugh.
"That's probably why Takamaki, I'm someone who is basically just a blank slate for you to vent to" Naruto suggested, getting her to slightly smile at with a nod.
"Maybe so but please call me Ann at least…You're so weird though. Usually everyone just ignores me…" Ann told him with Naruto nodding before shrugging a bit.
"I don't listen to stupid rumors Ann, especially ones that I can tell are fake due to seeing you constantly reject Kamoshida's advances in the hallway. Also if I can call you Ann then you can call me Naruto" he explained to her while he took a drink of his water.
"Are you really a bad person? I've heard people talking about you but…I just don't see it" she confessed to him, looking him over with a confused look since the rumors just didn't make sense after all of this and barely did even before that.
"Rumors always get blown out of proportion. I got arrested for stepping in the way when a guy was trying to force himself on a woman, he fell and landed on his face and I somehow get charged with assault. I promise you it wasn't murder, grand theft, or arson" Naruto told her, lifting off some of the crimes that people stupidly thought he had been charged with while leaving out the beyond ridiculous ones like ivory smuggling.
Seriously…where does someone think up something like that?
"Yeah, I kind of had a feeling they were all just exaggerations. You seemed almost okay with being alone, as if you didn't mind not belonging anywhere…We're the same in that regard, maybe that's why it was so easy for me to talk to you" she explained a bit, Naruto smiling and nodding along with her.
"I'll keep in mind what you told me…I'm not sure how it'll go with Shiho since volleyball means a lot to her but…a part of me wants to trust you when you say it'll be okay" Ann told him before looking down at the table with a frown. "I just wish he'd change his mind, like, forget about me and everything…" she muttered before letting out a dry laugh as she sat up and leaned back.
"As if something like that would ever happen…" she said with a sigh while Naruto shrugged his shoulders with a bit of a smirk.
"Who knows, it could happen. The world is a crazy place" he told her, getting a smile and some laughter from her.
"I wasn't asking for a serious response, but I do feel a bit better now" Ann said with a smile, her tone lightening up after all the emotional intensity she just went through. "I'm gonna head home though…thanks for everything today… don't tell anyone what I told you, okay?" she added as she got up to leave before turning back to him, leaving once he nodded.
He stayed behind in Big Bang Burger, ordering some fries as he tried think about the myriad of thoughts running through his head while having his cam open on his phone.
'Kamoshida looks pissed and he sent Mishima out for something in a rage…God I hope nothing is about to happen…' Naruto silently worried in his head, intently watching and having it recording as he absentmindedly devoured his fries.
His stomach dropped to his feet, dropping his fry in a mixture of fear and worry as he saw Shiho enter the room and Kamoshida gain a perverted look on his face. His finger hovered over the trigger for the smokebomb as their backs faced the camera, Kamoshida rubbing Shiho's back and slowly inching further and further down as he whispered something in her ear.
The second his phone chimed, the notification bar up top reading Shiho's name, he set it off and quickly opened the message.
Shiho: A
Naruto: Are you okay!?
He grew a bit worried as the minutes passed with no response
Naruto: You don't have to reply or say anything, just please open the message so I can see you read it
He grew a good bit less worried as it showed she had read it, instantly losing his appetite as he could only imagine what was about to happen. 'God I hope you're okay Shiho…' he thought to himself as he threw away his food and headed home.
As he returned home he found Sojiro sitting in one of the chairs, seemingly waiting for him.
"You're late…everything been okay? I don't mean to pry but yesterday you didn't look too well" Sojiro asked with Naruto letting out a tired sigh.
"Things are just a bit hectic with helping some people around me…I promise I'm being careful and I'm not getting into any trouble" Naruto reassured him, looking the man in the eyes as Sojiro stared back as if to discern if he was being genuine or not.
"Well, try not to force yourself to do more than you can kid. Jiraiya told me you are the kind to help others over yourself, but it'll be no use if you get worn down" Sojiro advised with one of those parental serious looks.
"Don't worry, can't be of much help if I tire myself out" Naruto said, walking past Sojiro before the man got up from his seat.
"Just, try not to come back so later. Makes it a bit hard for me to wait for you" the man reminded with Naruto nodding with an apologetic frown.
"Sorry, really don't mean to keep coming home late. I'll keep a better eye on the time" Naruto promised, Sojiro nodding before locking up and heading home.
Sleep was a bit hard with all on his mind but, eventually, he was able to drift off to sleep with the worry of Shiho still in the back of his mind.
-Chapter End-
Pairing: Naruto x Futaba, Ann, Shiho, Makoto, Haru, Kasumi, Kawakami, Tae, Caroline, Justine, Lavensa, Sae, and one more TBA (due to it being a massive spoiler to a change I have in mind)
Maybe: Hifumi, and Chihaya
*1 = I made Naruto speak up about that as I feel it'd confuse him since it confused me a bit when I first played the game. Like, how does Distorted Desires equal All Desires
*2 = Another thing I really wanted to point out is how nonchalant and uncaring Morgana was about the prospect of Kamoshida dying. He legit didn't care and got annoyed/scolded Ryuji and Akira/Ren for being against possibly killing him. Like how messed up was that :/
*3 = I decided to start Haru's confidant bond way earlier than in the game since the first few steps don't quite need her father to be dead to start them you know? Plus this gives her more screen time, something she sorely lacked in canon…
Before I get to the story notes I would like to remind everyone I do have a pat reon which includes rewards like seeing progress updates, notifications to new stories I plan to do, voting polls, and early access to chapters before I post them on FF.
Simple go to pat reon and paste:
/user?u=4783680
At the end of pat reon's url and you'll find my page.
You don't get anything that everyone here won't get aka there will be no "pat reon exclusive stories" or things where I have to get a certain amount of money before I work on something as both of those are shitty practices.
It is solely "hey, you want to support me, a disabled unemployed writer who survives off my disability checks? Thanks, I appreciate it" and nothing more
So yeah, check it out if you want, now onto chapter notes!
Another massive chapter, this one being 15k, intense but I am really loving it :)
Before I get onto the notes about the chapter I want to tell you guys about something I might do waaaaaaaaay later in this story.
Now, Persona 5 Scramble is a thing and, from what I've seen, looks interesting and is canon - set 6 months after P5R's true ending. I'm honestly tempted to add it into this story as the Jails and whatnot could be interesting, only difference would be that I change them into 'Palace' layouts in the sense of them being something they have to go through and secure a route
What do you guys think? Think it could be interesting?
Well, let me know ALONGSIDE your normal review, please don't just respond to this question as your review lol
Onto the notes about this chapter
I made the Tarot Card box a thing as I felt, given this isn't a game and he can't really 'go to the menu to check' there needed to be a solid way for him to keep track of things and a tarot card box full of tarot cards made a lot of sense to me
I really like the volleyball rally scene with Naruto playing on the court as remember, Kamoshida is trying to use Naruto for his volleyball team. Only he doesn't like being shown up or have attention pulled away from him, hence the spike to the face…
Naruto also went for a more 'subtle' way of questioning, using how Kamoshida wanted him on the team against him
I really hope the questioning with Shiho didn't seem ridiculous or immature. I just felt, if she had a chance to talk about it in code – a style of code that is legit used in the world – she might open up to him about things
Naruto's talk with Ann went different than Akira/Ren's as Naruto actually talked instead of just sitting there unable to talk.
He also set off the prank, protecting Shiho with it but you'll have to wait til the next chapter to see what happens/changes on the dreaded 4/15, the day Shiho jumps from the rooftop in the canon game
I won't spoil anything so you'll just have to wait
I hope you all liked it
Until Next Time
Rate and Review
Buh-Bye!