Sakamoto suggested we try questioning Ann Takamaki today. She's best friends with Shiho Suzui from the girls' volleyball team, so it seemed like a decent lead, in the absence of much else.

I bumped into Suzui-san myself later on. God, was she in bad shape. Bruises all over her face, what looked like a leg brace of some sort, and I hesitate to wonder what might be under her wristbands, in light of everything else. It didn't take her long to figure out who I was, but she was surprisingly nice about it. Instead of trying to excuse herself from my presence, she encouraged me not to let the rumours get to me. It was just a small thing, but it's the only encouraging thing I've heard from anyone not named Ryuji since I was arrested. I felt powerless as she walked away, knowing there wasn't anything I could really do to help her.

I met up with Sakamoto after that and discussed what to do about Kamoshida. As we were beginning to discuss going after his castle world self, a black cat showed up and started talking to us. Turns out, it was Morgana, who becomes a real cat when he comes into the real world. For whatever reason, only Sakamoto and I can hear his words as words, while everyone else hears meowing.

He explained that the castle is a manifestation of Kamoshida's distorted desires. There's a trick to erasing that castle, and the desires along with it. But there's a risk that Kamoshida could lose his desire to live, and die as a result. Even after everything he's been through because of Kamoshida, Sakamoto is hesitant to go through with it. I can't really say I blame him. Morgana left to give us time to think it over while Sakamoto went to do some digging into the rumours about Takamaki and Suzui's supposed relationship with Kamoshida. I opted to head home.

Leaving the station in Shibuya, I happened to come across Takamaki, who was evidently upset by whatever it was she was talking about on the phone. Detailing what I heard would be pointless, given what came after, but her distress and mention of the other person being a teacher piqued my interest. Once Kamoshida hung up, I approached Takamaki to see if she was okay. She was upset at realising I was eavesdropping, but she quickly apologised for snapping at me, giving what I think was my first glimpse into the kind of person she is.

Despite her insistence that it was nothing, I couldn't help but feel an urge to go after her as she ran away in tears. There were a couple of false starts, but I managed to catch up when she stopped to rest by some gaudy-looking pillars in the underground. Even with her insistence that she wanted to be left alone, I felt that that wasn't really what she wanted. No one that upset really wants to be left alone. What they want is someone to help them, even by simply listening to their problems.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked her softly. "I think it will help."

"What the heck? I really don't get you."

"If it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one."

The look she gave me was difficult to read, but it did seem like her crying had stopped for the moment. She agreed to go with me for something to eat when I offered to pay, and she guided me to the nearest Big Bang Burger. We sat in the corner, her in the comfy seat with her back to the sunset-drenched street and me opposite her in a chair.

"I don't have anything to talk about with you," she said rather confrontationally once we were seated and waiting for our order. She tried to brush it off as "just an argument," but it was so transparent.

"You wouldn't have agreed to come with me if that was the case," I replied patiently, hoping to not sound at all confrontational myself. "It was Kamoshida on the other end, right?"

She sighed and sat back in her seat for a few seconds, before leaning forward and resting her elbows on the table. "You've heard the rumours, haven't you?" she asked.

"That there's something going on between you and Kamoshida?"

"Yeah... Everyone says we're getting it on. But... that's so not true! I avoided giving him my number... for the longest time. He told me to go to his place after this. You know what that means." She scrunched up the napkin she'd been idly playing with.

"Oh, my God." I was otherwise speechless. Luckily for me, or maybe not, she continued.

"If I turn him down, he said he'd take my friend off as a regular on the team."

"Suzui-san... right?" Her head was down and she was shaking all over. I could feel her agony from where I was sitting.

"Mm. I've been telling myself this is all for Shiho's sake..." She fell back against the back of her seat, defeated. "I can't take it anymore."

All I could do was sit and listen. I had no words of comfort for her. I think, even if I knew her from middle school like Sakamoto does, I wouldn't be able to say anything that could make her feel even a fraction better about this gut-wrenchingly awful situation she's been forced into.

"I've had enough of this! I hate him!" she practically screamed. I'm sure this must have earned us the attention of damn near everyone else in the building, but I was too focused on her in the moment to know for sure. "But still... Shiho's my best friend. She's all I have left at that sorry excuse of a school! Tell me... What should I do?"

I can safely say that, never before in my life have I ever felt more sorry for another person, nor more powerless to do anything to help. I could only sit there, impotently clutching my knees as Takamaki laid her heart bear, her eyes pouring with tears. Of course, I can help her, with the change of heart, but can I really put aside my morals to help her? Honestly, I'm not sure I can, even with the image of her heartbroken form illuminated by the orange glow of the sunset, as if symbolising that our time to act is running out, burned into my mind.

"Sorry," she said. She apologised to me. God, I couldn't have felt more useless if my arms and legs fell off. "I shouldn't have asked. It's not your problem."

"I'm the one who should apologise."

"What? Why?"

"For before, to start."

"You mean, for stalking me?"

"...Well, that too. But let's start chronologically. You remember when we first met the other day? In the rain?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, when you pulled your hood down and I first saw your face, I just... gawked like an idiot. And I know you smiled, but I'm sure you were just being polite, so used to that kind of reaction as you obviously are. I'm sure that's not the kind of first impression you want people to have. Even before I knew all this crap you're going through, I... I should've known better. So, I'm sorry."

"It's okay, really."

"That might be okay, but following you when you were in distress and telling me not to follow isn't. I've been there, wanting to just be left alone to deal with my problems by myself. I shouldn't have butted in like that. So, again, I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay. Yeah, I was pissed in the moment, but I think that was mostly because I was upset about what was going on with Shiho and Kamoshida. Right now, I'm grateful you came after me. It means a lot to know that someone cares enough to be concerned and hear me out. Thank you... uh..."

I chuckled and gave her my name.

"Ann Takamaki. You know, you're nothing like the rumours say you are."

"I wish I could say I get that a lot, but alas..."

"Haha! Thanks for letting me vent like this. I feel a lot better now. I guess, sometimes, we only need someone to listen to us talk to help us deal with our problems."

"Well, I don't know how much this means, coming from someone you barely know, but... if you ever need someone to talk to again, I'd be happy to hear you out. Actually, that might be even better. Everyone worries about what the people in their life think about them, but who cares what the delinquent transfer student thinks of you? Oh, no, how will you ever cope if he thinks poorly of you?"

"Heheh. I don't think you're a delinquent."

"You don't?"

"Maybe I did for, like, the first day, because I knew you lied about being sick. It's a pretty bad excuse, to be honest, but I bet Ms. Kawakami came up with it so she wouldn't have to deal with it any further than she had to."

"Sounds like she has as bad a reputation as I do."

"Not quite that bad, but... pretty bad. She doesn't involve herself with her students more than she has to, so she always comes off as lazy. Anyway, this isn't about her. I shouldn't have been so judgemental over your excuse for being late. I get judged enough on my looks, I shouldn't fall into that trap myself. I'm sorry for judging you and being so snide when you sat down."

"Looks like we've both got some maturing to do, huh?"

"Heh. Yeah. Want to start over? Hi. I'm Ann Takamaki." She held out a hand for me to shake. I took it.

"Yeah. I'd like that. Nice to meet you, Takamaki-san."

With that incident fresh in my mind, I returned to the café to mull over our options. I'm still hesitant to go through with this 'change of heart' thing, given that it might kill him, but Kamoshida needs to be stopped, one way or the other. I'll go over our options with Sakamoto tomorrow. Maybe he'll have some new info that could sway me into a certain option. Or maybe Morgana will have come up with another option that won't risk killing him.

4/15 Addendum: Suguru Kamoshida is a dead man.