4/19

Shujin Academy was in an uproar. Everywhere you went, there was mention of the Phantom Thief and Mr. Kamoshida. The rumors and speculation circled throughout the student body. Some thought he was found out and decided to turn himself in for a lighter sentence. Others believed he was being black mailed or threatened by this so called "Phantom Thief". Then there were a select few that actually believed in Kamoshida having his desires stolen by some form of occult means.

To Makoto Niijima, this was all nonsense. She had been shocked by the revelation that their gym teacher was committing these vile acts but could not seem to wrap her mind around what the causing factor was. If it wasn't for her duties as Student Council President and studying for entrance exams, she would have looked into this more. But since the issue seemed to have been dealt with, it was no longer her problem.

Or so she thought.

Early on that Tuesday morning, Niijima was called to the Principal's Office. This happened every so often. Principal Kobayakawa would need some assistance with a fund raiser or selecting students as volunteers for events. Makoto wasn't expecting what was to come.

Standing in front of the desk of the large egg shaped man in a yellow suit, Makoto politely greeted him. "You wanted to see me Principal Kobayakawa?"

"Ah yes, Niijima-san." The principal smiled at her, very pleased at her arrival. "I would like to ask something of you, something that would be of great help to this institution." The smile seemed less please and more scheming.

"And what would that be sir?" She asked. 'Why do I have the feeling I know what he's about to say.'

"With the incident yesterday involving Mr. Kamoshida, I believe it best we open an investigation involving this Phantom Thief." The man leaned forward on his desk. "It would help to put the students at ease if this information could come to light."

'I knew it.' She thought, trying her best not to look dissatisfied with the assignment. "And what do you suggest I do to perform this investigation?"

"I would like you to investigate to see if anyone had any conflict with Mr. Kamoshida leading up to last Saturday. Then, if any name comes forward, I would like you to gather evidence of unusual behavior." He sat back in his chair. "For being successful on this request, I would be more than happy to write you a letter of recommendation to any university of your choosing."

'That's very generous of him. A letter from the principal of a high school would carry quite the weight. Plus my own achievements on top of that and all I have to do is ask some questions to some students. This shouldn't pose too difficult the challenge.' She gave a small bow. "Very well sir. I will get on it right away." She turned and exited his office.


By the end of the day, she had heard plenty more rumors. The few pieces of information she could gleam from these were able to narrow down her field to a few candidates.

Ann Takamaki was targeted by Mr. Kamoshida for sexual relations. She could have tried blackmailing him with messages he had sent and revealing them to the rest of the school. The calling card could have been her way of letting him know to turn himself in.

Her friend Shiho Suzui was also a likely target since she was a member of the volleyball team. Having worked with her coach for over a year, she could have had information on him and finding out about his advancements on Takamaki could have pushed her to more drastic measures.

Speaking of the volleyball team, Yuuki Mishima was surprisingly absent for the days leading up to the calling card. Members of the volleyball team suspected him of having some involvement.

Then came the person who seemed to have the biggest grudge against the coach was Ryuji Sakamoto. His leg was broken by the former teacher for an assault issue involving the track team. There was also recent rumor of him spending time with Suzui-san.

Finally, a wild card was throne into the mix: Ren Amamiya. A transfer student who had only just started school on April 11th. He had an assault charge that was revealed anonymously online. Not only being a criminal, he seemed to be friends with Ryuji Sakamoto as well as being in the same class as Yuuki Mishima and Ann Takamaki. It was also within the first week of him being at school that this incident occurred. Too many coincidences to leave alone.

Sitting alone in the student council room, Makoto reviewed her notes and decided on a plan of action. "I'll start with calling a few of them out of class one at a time. I'll ask a few questions and see what I can find." She glanced over the list once more. 'I'll save the transfer student for last...' She didn't want to be alone in a room with someone considered a criminal. 'Maybe a few of those interrogation techniques I learned from sis will come in handy.' A smile crossed her face as she headed to the library to study.


Arriving home, her older sister Sae was sitting at the kitchen table working away at her computer.

"Hey sis!" She cheerfully greeted as she set her bag down on the other end of the table.

"Ah Makoto, excellent timing." Sae began, only glancing up just enough to see her sister before continuing her work. "How is school?"

"Everything is fine. Just a bit hectic with what happened to Mr. Kamoshida." Her smile began to wane.

"That's good. Don't let it affect your studies." The silver haired woman stood from the table and began packing her things. "I have been put on an important case and won't be home much this week."

"Oh..." Disappointment dripped from Makoto. "What about this weekend?"

Sae put on a small smile. "I fully plan on being here this Saturday. I already have reservations made and a surprise for when we return."

The disappointment seemed to immediately fade as the brunette jumped for joy. "Oh thank you sis! I can't wait!"

The elder sister nodded, satisfied at the response she finished her packing and headed towards the door. "I have to go. Make sure to study and I'll see you soon." She waved as she exited the apartment.

"Bye sis!" The younger Niijima called out.

The door closed and she was alone.

The joy and cheer in her voice faded into a tone of sadness. She sat at the table and took out her school supplies. 'Not even five minutes with her...' The thought lasted a moment before she opened her book. "No time to be upset, I have to focus on what's coming ahead and prepare for my future." The student council president studied in silence for a while longer before making dinner and going to bed. Though she tried to hide it, her loneliness was slowly starting to get to her.


4/20

Makoto Niijima had a game plan. She was going to talk to the students of Class 2-E today and 2-D tomorrow. She stopped by the faculty office and mentioned to Mr. Ushimaru to send Ryuji Sakamoto first thing in the morning to the student council room and Shiho Suzui during lunch. If all went well, this entire process should wrap up by the end of the week and she could enjoy her Saturday celebration.

Waiting there patiently, a notebook was prepared as well as her phone to record the conversation. 'Its almost time. I've got this.' She pumped her fist to psyche herself up. A moment later, the door opened. In walked a blonde student not entirely following the dress code with a bow legged stance.

"Sup Prez!" Ryuji strolled over and took a seat opposite of her. He immediately leaned back in the chair and kicked his feet up on the table.

Trying her best not to get annoyed, Makoto cleared her throat and calmly addressed the boy. "Sakamoto-kun, could you please sit properly and take your feet off of the table."

Looking a bit bummed, he did as instructed. "Ugh fine. So what's up? Kinda weird being called in like this."

"I just wanted to ask you a few questions about your behavior over the past week." She started as she laced her fingers, resting her elbows on the table.

"Behavior?" He looked puzzled. "I ain't done anything wrong have I?"

"That is yet to be determined." She stated very matter of fact. "Rumor has it that you have been socializing with Shiho Suzui this past week. Any reason for this?"

His eyes lit up at the mention of the dark haired volleyball player. "Oh Suzui, yea we used to be old friends in middle school. Figured it was time we reconnected ya know."

"I see. Reconnecting with your friend who happens to be a member of the volleyball team." Her words pierced like daggers into him, causing a flinch. "Are you sure that's the only reason?"

"Hey what you gettin' at Prez?" Ryuji snapped back. "If you got somethin' to say then say it." His eyes turned fierce.

Makoto wasn't intimidated. Ryuji was playing right into her hands. She figured it would be easier to start with the more excitable person. "Then allow me to cut to the chase. Are you connected in any way to the Phantom Thief incident?"

The blonde sat back in his chair again despite the brunettes earlier comment. "What?! You seriously think it was me!" He roared with laughter. "Man that's funny. Good one Prez!"

She figured that this would be a response of a non-guilty party. The punk seemed barely shaken by the accusation, so he was either an excellent liar or it wasn't him. "Then would you explain your sudden connection to Suzui-san?"

He straightened up a bit and turned slightly red. "Like I said, we were childhood friends...and it looked like she was having a hard time. So I went and talked to her for a few days. I'm glad I did, was some real good advice."

Niijima's eyes opened wide at the last comment. "Advice? By who?" Makoto pressed.

The nervous guilty look covered Sakamoto's face. She knew she found something. "By...a friend...ya know."

"I see." Her red eyes glaring into him. "And this friend, would it happen to be the transfer student?"

Ryuji choked up a second before finding his resolve. "Look, he's a good guy. Don't go pinning stuff on him ya have no proof for." The boy got out of his seat. "Good luck with findin' your culprit but it ain't me." He marched out of the room and slammed the door.

Makoto began jotting down some of her thoughts in her notebook. 'Ryuji Sakamoto - Most likely innocent. Too straightforward to do something that creative. Would be more of the brute force type.' She crossed his name off a list. "Ren Amamiya...one point in his favor."


At lunch time, Shiho Suzui entered the student council room.

"Good day Suzui-san." Makoto greeted. "Please, take a seat." She gestured to the one across from her.

"Hello Niijimia-senpai." She bowed slightly before sitting down. "What is it you wanted to talk about?"

Setting up the same as she did for the previous interrogation, Makoto was much more comfortable dealing with someone like Suzui instead of Sakamoto.

"Just wanting to check in. See how you were feeling after what happened yesterday?"

Shiho's eyes drifted downward at the question. "I'm doing fine. Things...were bad but I got through them."

"I'm glad to hear it. I wish I knew about what Mr. Kamoshida was doing sooner. The student council may have been able to step in." She began apologizing.

"Then why didn't you?" The dark haired girl retorted. "You're a third year. So how did you not know of the rumors floating around about him in your time at Shujin?"

Surprised covered Makoto's face. She wasn't expecting Shiho to go on the offensive during their conversation. "I thought...I thought they were just rumors. Nothing more. You can't believe everything you hear."

"You're right about that. My best friend was supposedly dating Mr. Kamoshida and no one looked into it. Everyone believed it though." The volleyball player seemed fiercer than her normal demeanor presented. "But I guess we shouldn't look into all of these rumors even if they are about abusive teachers!" She vented her frustration.

"Suzui-san..." Makoto tried to start but was struggling to find the words. "I'm sorry that you had to put up with so much and I'm sorry that your friend had to deal with his advances. This school needs to do better, the council needs to do better, I need to do better." She admitted. The words started to flow as emotion began to flow. 'What am I doing? Don't get emotional in interrogations. Sis taught me that.'

Shiho was upset with her. Her tone was cold and her voice was low. "My life before his confession was hell. I tried to put up with it for my parents, for the team, and for myself. But it was so hard. The beatings and the touching..." She shivered. "If someone hadn't done anything soon, I don't know how much longer I would've held on." She looked almost in tears.

Niijima reached over and handed her a tissue. "If you ever need to talk about something, I am always here." She attempted to comfort. "I'm trying to be a president that the student body can rely on. If the students have any issues, I would like them to come to me and I promise I'll do my best to help."

Shiho scanned Makoto, trying to get a read on her. Letting out a breath, calming down a little, she looked the president in her red eyes. "I'll choose to believe you Niijima-senpai. I'm sorry I went off like that with all of my feelings."

"No no not at all." Makoto waved her hands in denial. "I'm glad you did." She cleared her throat. "But why I called you here was to ask about the calling card on Saturday. Do you know anything about it?"

Taking a second to think, Shiho tilted her head. "I don't think so. Though, whoever did, I'm thankful to them."

"I see." Niijima made a note. "I'm glad that things are looking up for you Suzui-san."

"Thank you Niijima-senpai." She replied with a half-hearted smile. The girl got up and left.

Looking over her notes, the brunette couldn't justify Suzui being the Phantom Thief. She seemed so likely that she was going to give up on everything and resign to her fate that it just couldn't be her. Two suspects down, three to go.


4/21

Like the previous day, Makoto entered the faculty office and talked to one of the teachers. In today's case, it was Ms. Kawakami. She requested that Ann Takamaki be sent to the student council room during home room and Yuuki Mishima during lunch. The case involving Ren Amamiya would have to wait until school ended for the day. She was trying to put it off as long as possible.

As she sat and waited for her first guest to arrive, she couldn't help but think of Ms. Kawakami. 'She seems so tired all the time. She must have her hands full with the new student.'

The door opened and in walked Ann Takamaki. She looked to be in a foul mood, much different from the other two. "Niijima-senpai." She coldly greeted as she took a seat at the opposite side of the table.

Putting on a cheerful expression, Makoto greeted her. "Good morning Takamaki-san. I just have a few questions for you and you can be on your way."

"Oh I know about your questions." She stared into the red eyes of her interrogator. "Shiho told me your asking about Kamoshida and the Phantom Thief."

Trying to keep composure, the brunette nodded. "Excellent. Since you are up to speed, I would like for you to tell me about it from your perspective."

"Like what?" Her words oozed venom. "Like how a teacher abused my friend? Or how he tried to get me to sleep with him for my friend's starting position!?"

Niijima looked downward. "I'm sorry that happened to you. If we had known, maybe we coul-"

"Could have done what?!" Ann interjected. "The whole school knew yet everyone just accepted it because I'm part American? I doubt anything would've changed."

"So I can assume you are in support of what happened as a result of the Phantom Thief?" Makoto continued, trying to avoid getting yelled at more.

"Of course I am!" The blonde exclaimed. "If it wasn't for their calling card, I would've had to go to Kamoshida's place on Sunday." Her face turned pale at the thought. "But...thanks to whatever they did, that bastard messaged me saying he was busy and I shouldn't message him again."

"So you were saved by them too?" Makoto muttered. "Last question." An idea popped into her head as if dots were connecting. "What do you think of Ren Amamiya?"

The blonde was taken off guard. Her face started to turn red. "I mean he's...fine I guess...I mean it was only one date...not that it counted! He just wanted to ask me some things! It isn't that I like him or anything!" Her words didn't stop.

The brunette looked blank faced and began to laugh. "I see..." She managed to get out. "So what kind of things did he ask you?"

Ann turned from red in embarrassment back to serious. "I don't see how that's relevant Niijima-senpai."

"Very well. I won't press the issue." Makoto opened her notebook and crossed off Takamaki's name. "That is all I wanted to say. You may return to class."

The second year stood up and made her way to the door.

As she opened it, Makoto called out. "Oh and Takamaki-san, I'll be rooting for you!" She smirked.

In a rush of embarrassment, Ann slammed the door and stormed off.

Looking down at her notes, she could make a connection between Ryuji and Ren. Now with this, Ann and Ren as well. Shiho didn't seem to interact with him but that didn't mean there was no connection between Amamiya and Kamoshida. In fact, she began recalling rumor of the transfer standing up to him at the volleyball rally. Though not direct evidence of hostility, it at least showed them on opposing sides.

The only other person was Yuuki Mishima. From what she remembered, he seemed to be a quiet and reserved student. The only reason he even made the list was his absences during that time period and being on the volleyball team. Though not likely to be the culprit, he may have valuable information for her.


A pale blue head of hair walked into the student council room. He seemed to have a small amount of bruising that was almost completely healed. The boy seemed to be shaking as if a small animal was nervous before a large predator.

"Good morning Mishima-kun." The president gestured to the seat across from her. "Would you please take a seat?"

"Of course Madam President!" Mishima responded, quickly sitting in the chair.

"You don't have to call me that." She face palmed at the title. "Niijima-senpai will be fine."

"Righ...right! I'm sorry!" He bowed in his seat, almost hitting his head on the table.

"So I have called you hear to ask you about your absence from school last week." The brunette began. "Could you tell me why you weren't in attendance?"

The boy seemed to almost be sweating. "I went to see a doctor." He began, as he continued, he became more calm. "I was hurting from some injuries...and I needed to get them checked out."

"Then why not the school nurse?" She countered.

"Because...I wanted to...get away." His face looked downtrodden. "You heard what happened...what he admitted to. Living through it was worse." He gulped, fighting back his tears. "I needed to get out. It was so hard to take and I wasn't sure it was even worth it anymore after all he had me do. But then he gave me a way out and things suddenly..." The boy paused for several seconds. "I don't think I should say anymore."

Niijima analyzed his expression the entire time. He was very genuine and only near the end was he looking hopeful, particularly when he mentioned another student. "Who is he?" She asked.

"I...I can't say." The boy smiled, trying to look confident in the face of opposition.

"Mishima-kun, this is a very important matter to the school. Not bringing information forward could result in punishment." Makoto hated saying that. She hated the idea of having to threaten someone to get information. It made her feel dirty, but her sister said it was a useful technique in interrogation against certain types of criminals.

The boy seemed resolute, despite his shaking. "I know. But even after what I did, they even came up to me yesterday and forgave me." He looked into her red eyes for the first time since he arrived. "So I won't share what I know. Whether they are connected to the Phantom Thief or not. Whether I will get punished for not saying so, I will stand by them for what they did for me."

The president sat in her chair. She admired the blue haired boy's resolve. "Very well. I won't question you further." She crossed another name off in her notebook. "You are free to go."

The boy stood and bowed before hustling out the door.

This brought her back to one student. The transfer delinquent. It seemed that everyone seemed to have a connection to him besides Shiho. He was the most likely culprit. Thinking back, it was obvious that trouble would start soon after a problem student arrived. She didn't want to be alone with him so figured she would meet him in the hall after class. The girl packed up her notes and ate lunch before returning to her classroom.


As the bell rang, Makoto had quickly packed up her things and headed to the second floor. She went to class 2-D and scanned the interior. Several students looked at her peering into the classroom but paid no mind. She did notice though a glare from Takamaki who looked up from her phone. Seeing as her target wasn't there, she figured that she best find him before he leaves for the day.

'Where is he?' She thought. 'I left straight from class and went the fastest way here. We would have passed each other if he was trying to leave.' Her thoughts raced as she noticed Kawakami heading towards the teacher's lounge. "Ms. Kawakami!" She called out.

Turning around, the tired teacher tried to straighten herself up. "Oh Niijima-san. What can I do for you?"

"Have you seen Amamiya-kun? I need to talk to him." She quickly blurted out.

"Oh the transfer student. I think he went to the roof right after class." The teacher looked disappointed. "I warned him not to go up there but he said he would for 'club activities' or whatever that means."

"Thank you so very much!" She bowed and raced off in that direction. 'Roof? Why would he be on the roof? There are no clubs up there.'

Reaching the top of the stairs, she opened the door to see two students squatting with their backs to her. They seemed to be talking but both quickly turned around as the door opened.

The one student was a third year in a gym uniform. She had fluffy auburn hair and light brown eyes. The other was a boy with messy dark hair and glasses.

"Oh Niijima-san!" The girl exclaimed. "Are you interested in gardening?"

Caught off guard, the brunette kindly bowed at her intrusion. "I'm sorry to interrupt. Umm what are you doing up here?"

The girl stood and bowed while the male cleaned his hands and put them in his pocket. "I was just showing our newest member some of the different vegetables we had growing up here." She was radiant like the sun, full of positivity.

"I see. So does that make you..." The president gestured towards the dark haired boy.

Taking one hand out of his pockets and giving a small wave the boy introduced himself. "I'm Ren Amamiya. It's a pleasure to meet you Niijima-senpai."

The boy was hard to get a read on because of his glasses. She couldn't see his eyes and was unable to judge the full extent of his reactions.

"If it is alright with you, may I borrow Amamiya-kun for a while." Makoto asked the auburn haired girl she didn't seem to recognize.

"That will be fine. How about we pick up more with this tomorrow Ren-kun?" The auburn girl turned to the boy.

"Sounds great." He replied. "See ya tomorrow Haru-chan." The boy waved goodbye as he followed Niijima down the stairs.

Makoto felt awkward. She was alone with the delinquent after school. She headed towards the student council room but stood outside the door.

"I wanted to ask you some questions." She began. The dark haired boy just stared at her, seemingly non-bothered. "Is it ok if we have this conversation...with others around?" She tried to give justification without offending him but doing so proved difficult.

"Others around huh." A curious look crossed his face as if deep thought. "Ok. Let's go to the arcade."

Makoto stood stunned. "What...?" Her mind stopped working and was in the process of rebooting.

"The arcade. Its a public place where students go to hang out. I know its awkward being alone with a guy so if your in a public area it might be easier." His face was coated in a smirk, as if teasing her.

"Thats...that isn't exactly what I meant..." She tried to continue.

"Why not?" His face seeming a bit dejected. "Have you ever been before?"

Another unexpected question. "Well I suppose I haven't..."

"Great! It's on me." He turned and began walking towards the stairs.

Makoto followed behind him, trying to object. "Wait! I have to ask you some important questions!"

"And you can, while I beat you in Gun About." The conversation was fully going his way.

The girl sighed. "Fine. We will go to the arcade but you will answer my questions by the time we are done!" She insisted.

For a second she thought she saw a look of excitement in his eye that peaked through the glare of his glasses. "Can do Niijima-senpai."


The pair left school together and headed to Shibuya. Along the way they were mostly quiet, only giving each other a proper introduction. Otherwise, it was rather quiet. Arriving at the arcade, a fair amount of students were inside. Just about under half of them were girls.

"So this is an arcade." Makoto stated as she looked around. "I've heard about them but never actually been. There are surprisingly more girls here than I expected."

The dark haired boy chuckled. "So what do want to try? I'm partial to Gun About."

The brunette looked at the game in question. "Is it just a shooting game? You aim and fire?" She asked.

"There is some motion sensing and you have to dodge a bit but that's the bare basics. Does Ms. President like shooters?" He teased, getting close to her face as he said that.

Taking that as a challenge, she lightly pushed him away. "Well if Mr. Troublemaker doesn't mind losing." She jabbed back.

The two set up the game. Amamiya paid for the round and the two began. Makoto was doing fine at first. Her bullets were landing and she was able to keep up. As the game progressed though, she began to get more and more invested in it. Little did she know that she was making plenty of noises while playing. They even started drawing a crowd. The game continued for a bit longer. Niijima struggled to keep up and was eventually overwhelmed. Ren on the other hand seemed like an expert and was taking out enemies one after another with minimal difficulty, knowing the perfect times to reload. Once was the stage ended, he hung up his gun.

"So how was it? What do you think Ms. President?" Ren asked turning towards her.

"It was quite the interesting experience. I had a fun." Makoto smiled wider than she had in a long time. 'When did I start having fun?'

The two sat down on a bench in the arcade near the back, away from most of the noise. "So you had some questions for me?"

Makoto sat down after stopping at the vending machine to get them each a drink. "Yes." She tried to act much more strict but it wasn't working with all the excitement she just had. "I wanted to ask you about your first week of school and what you thought so far?"

The boy let out a sigh and looked ahead into the arcade. "I've been adjusting. It's been an interesting time so far with all the drama." He turned to look at her. "But you aren't here to ask me about that are you Ms. President?"

"No I am not." She shook her head. "I'll get straight to my point. I believe you are or have some connection to the Phantom Thief."

Ren stared for a moment before answering. The tension that grew made Makoto nervous. She never realized how intense this would be. "Kamoshida was a despicable man for what he did to students. It was weird coming to a school where someone like him had free reign to do as they pleased." He paused. "I'd like to ask you something. What if Ann Takamaki turned down Mr. Kamoshida's advances enough times? Do you think he would have settled with taking Shiho Suzui's starting spot? Or would he have gone even further to punish her for that decision?"

Makoto looked perplexed at what he was getting at. "We can never know. This is just a what if." She responded.

"He would have taken his sexual desires out on Shiho...and she would have jumped from the Shujin roof." He stared into her red eyes. His tone cold and resolute.

Niijima looked horrified. "That's just a hypothetical. How could you even think something like that?"

"Because I knew someone exactly like Kamoshida who thought they were king of the castle." The boy looked away, seemingly pained by the memory.

The third year didn't know how to respond. She sat quiet for a moment thinking over what he was saying.

"To answer your question, I approve of what the Phantom Thief did. I can say I'm not him but I don't know if you would even believe me." He took off his glasses. His eyes seemed to swirl like a steel abyss. "What you can believe in is the justice the Phantom Thief stands for."

She sat there for a moment, staring into his eyes as his words flooded her thoughts. For a brief second, they reminded her of her father.

Putting on his glasses, the boy stood from the bench. "Well that is enough for today." He nodded to her. "See you at school Ms. President." He smirked and waved goodbye.

She barely mumbled a response as she just sat there in thought. 'Who is Ren Amamiya? This troublemaker the rumors say he is? Some guy who takes girls to the arcade? A person interested in botany? The Phantom Thief of Shujin Academy? I don't know.' Her thoughts wandered for a few minutes before she got up and headed home. 'I'm going to need more time to figure this out...'


4/23

The next two school days quickly passed by. Makoto was still confused over what to think involving the transfer student. He was such an anomaly, nothing like any other student she interacted with. Not that she interacted with many students.

When school ended, Makoto quickly headed home. She didn't want to think anymore about this Phantom Thief business or studying, she just wanted to celebrate with her 18th birthday with her sister.

As she arrived home, the brunette quickly put away her school supplies and got dressed up in a navy dress. She always enjoyed getting a little dressed up when she went out to places with her sister. If she had to guess, Sae was going to take her to this expensive sushi place she mentioned she went to on one of her business meetings.

Time seemed to tick away. Makoto had texted her sister when she arrived home but received no response. Eventually around 7PM she finally got a response.

Sae: Sorry I can't make it.

Sae: Busy with the new case.

Sae: Will make it up to you. I promise.

Makoto: Its okay sis. I understand.

Sae: Sushi should be arriving at the apartment shortly.

Sae: And your surprise should arrive shortly after that.

Sae: Happy Birthday Makoto

Makoto put her phone down. She felt so alone and unloved that she was starting to break down in tears. The sushi delivery man arrived shortly after Sae's messages. It looked awkward for him seeing a girl in a beautiful navy dress with tear stains running down her face. She quietly ate sushi at the table, slowly trying to compose herself. But it failed. Her emotions flooded out. 'I just wanted to spend this one special day with sis! Is that so hard? She is all I have! No friends, nothing...' Her mind wandered to two days ago, how she spent that Thursday afternoon with Mr. Troublemaker at the arcade. 'Ren Amamiya...'

Her thoughts were cut off by a ringing of the doorbell. "Leblanc Cake Delivery!" The voice shouted through the door.

The birthday girl slowly made her way over to the door. As it slid open she saw a familiar face in casual attire. Wearing an open white button up with the sleeves rolled up, a black shirt and jeans, the delinquent transfer student Ren Amamiya was delivering her birthday cake.

She stood in the doorway in disbelief. Her face probably looked puffy and red from crying, she was in this nice dress, and a boy was standing at her door with cake. Instinct wanted her to shut the door and hide from embarrassment but she fought that urge.

"Delivery for Niijima." The boy greeted as he strolled into the apartment and placed the cake down on the counter. "I hope it's to your liking." The smile on his face never wavered, as if he didn't seem to notice the state she was in.

The cake was chocolate with chocolate icing and the words "Happy Birthday Makoto" on top. Makoto always liked the chocolate style flavor, though it made her feel like a little kid.

With a slight bow, the delivery boy waved and headed for the door. "I hope you enjoy. It looks really good." As he reached the door and started to open it, he turned back once more. "Oh and Happy Birthday Makoto!"

In that moment, Makoto reached out and grabbed his sleeve as he was about to walk out the door. Whether it be from her sister not being able to attend or not having any friends at school to enjoy with, she called out to Ren. "Wait!" Her voice quivered as she tried to steel her resolve. "Would you...like to stay...for some cake?"

The messy haired boy let go of the handle and turned to face her. "I'd love to."

Makoto, reddened at the response, headed towards a small hallway. "Great! I'll...be right back." She seemed to dash away as fast as she could.

Hurrying into her bathroom, she quickly tried to clean herself up a bit. From all the crying she was doing before, she felt like a mess and wanted to remedy that.

'Why? Why is he here? And why did I invite him to stay? But...I'm glad he did.' Her face began to light up as if her night had been completely changed for the better.

Arriving back out, the dark haired boy was looking through the kitchen for something. "Oh Ms. President." He called over. "Where do you keep your silverware?"

"Oh let me get it!" She rushed over and opened the drawer next to him. The two were awfully close. Glancing up, she could see him right next to her. It started to dawn on her that she was alone with a guy in her own apartment. Let alone the delinquent student. Her face reddened at the proximity so she quickly made some distance.

"Thanks. Let me cut this. Consider it part of our delivery etiquette." He gave an exaggerated bow that caused a small eruption of laughter.

The two sat at the table eating cake. It had a nice rich flavor but didn't taste quite like normal chocolate, almost as if something was mixed in. "What kind of cake is this?"

"It's Boss's signature chocolate coffee cake." As he took a bite of his slice. "Leblanc is a coffee shop so he likes to experiment with flavors."

"Well it is really good." She nodded, taking the next bite. "How long have you worked there, it couldn't be too long considering..." She began to trail off, realizing she may have messed up and upset him.

"Let's see. It feels like it's been a year but really only two weeks." Ren finished his slice. Quickly changing the subject, Amamiya looked around the room. "So what does the birthday girl wish to do on her special day."

"I...don't know." Makoto wasn't sure how to respond. "I was going to go out to eat with sis but she couldn't make it. So she ordered me sushi and a cake instead." She tried thinking about what she would do next. "Maybe I would've gotten her to watch one of my favorite movies with me."

"Would you like to?" He asked as he brought his plate to the sink.

"Sure!" She jumped at the opportunity. "I was going to watch this yakuza movie to get pumped up for Like A Dragon which comes out in a few months."

"So Ms. President likes action movies." He smirked at her in a teasing manner. "That's pretty cool. Not what you would expect."

They began playing the movie, sitting next to each other on the couch. She felt a bit embarrassed being a girl that was more into action films than typical romance movies. But Ren didn't seem to mind. In fact, they both seemed really invested in the film.

When it ended, it was already getting late. The two sat in silence for a moment before Amamiya spoke up.

"That was great. Thanks for letting me watch it with you."

"No, I should be thanking you for staying with me." She quickly interjected. A thought crossed her mind, she didn't want to ruin the moment but had to know. "Can I ask you something? You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

The delivery boy shrugged his shoulders. "I will if I can."

Makoto chose her words carefully. "Are the rumors about you true? That you are some dangerous delinquent with an assault record or that you might be the Phantom Thief?"

Ren seemed to go quiet as she waited in anticipation. "No matter what I say, you may still doubt me. I could say I work at a cafe or a red light district bar. I could tell you I'm a political assistant when I really am helping an arms dealer. The truth is what you decide for yourself, not what you hear."

The room was silent. Niijima thought over what he was saying. 'So he wants me to decide for myself what the truth is about him. My bias made me believe he was a delinquent in need of reform and yet here he is, the only person celebrating my birthday.'

"Well its been fun Ms. President but I better go." He waved as he got up and headed for the door.

"Umm wait!" Niijima called out to him. "Thank you...for spending time with me on my birthday." She gave a small bow.

Without missing a beat, he walked back over towards her. "Anytime Ms. President. I hope to see you around more. Maybe the movie premiere." He leaned in close and whispered in her ear. "We can make it a proper date then." He turned and made his exit.

The red blushing coated her face again. Realizing that she spent time alone in her apartment with a guy and watched a movie. Her thoughts raced that it was a thing couples did. Did that count as a date? Did he ask her on a date? Her heart started pounding and her thoughts were all over the place. But most importantly, she was happy. Makoto Niijima had a birthday she would never forget.


So this chapter is longer than the others by like almost double. I started this fic because I wanted to do a Makoto related chapter involving interrogations and her birthday. It was fun to write and I'm glad I did. Next chapter will involve Haru. To answer questions from reviews I'll go through a few things. Ryuji is not a phantom thief. I made sure to not mention anything involving the Metaverse other than a small moment in chapter 2. Ren seems to know a lot about people and events, I'll leave that up to your imagination. Royal stuff will be included. I do have someone in mind for the main love interest but I'm not sure how to bring that to the forefront just yet. I'll leave it as a surprise and have Ren continue being a flirt with everyone. This will not be a harem, I will decide on a single individual. If you want to try and persuade me for who to make the love interest, feel free. Let me know if you have any more questions. Thanks for reading. See ya!