Tuesday, 4/26

Ren arrived at the clinic. He remembered Tae's words from last time.

"But you'll have to try another one of my drugs. I promise that it won't be nearly as potent as today." Thank god.

He was actually looking forward to whatever trial awaited him.

Tae looked up at him from her desk. She stood up and walked to the exam room, assuming that Ren knew to follow. He did. He stepped into the exam room and took a seat. Nothing had changed from when he was last there. He sat on the examination table. While he was looking forward to whatever Tae had for him, he was still nervous.

She could be lying to me.

His palms began to sweat as Tae began to prepare the concoction.

"So today's drug will be much less potent than last time?" He asked.

Tae smirked but did not look up from the concoction.

"Of course, my guinea pig." She said.

There's something off about her tone. And "guinea pig." But to be honest, I kind of like her calling me that.

"Cool." Ren said.

Tae finished the preparations and handed the cup to Ren.

"Make sure to swallow every drop. You could die otherwise." She joked.

Ha. Funny.

Ren chugged the liquid. It was much more viscous than the last one, and took some time. He finally finished it, and set down the cup.

"Any immediate effects?" Tae asked.

"Not at the moment." Ren said.

Ren sat for a few minutes, not feeling anything. He was staring down at his feet out of boredom.

"Hey Tae? I don't think that this one does anything." He said. He looked up to Tae. "I haven't felt any- AH! FUCK!"

Except there was no Tae. It was Ryuji. In Tae's goth doctors outfit.

"Wassup?" Doctor Ryuji said looking up from his clipboard.

"RYUJI, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE? IN MY DOCTOR'S CLOTHES?" Ren yelled. He stood up and was panicking.

Doctor Ryuji also stood up. In his skirt. And his doctor's coat. And his heels.

"Chill out, bro. You're just here for your checkup." Ryuji held his hands up to calm down Ren.

"My checkup?" Ren was confused.

"Your checkup. Sit down, dude. Then we can continue." Ryuji instructed.

Ren sat back down on the exam table and Ryuji sat in Tae's chair.

"So what do I have to do?" Ren asked.

"I'll be asking the questions. Question 1. Whaddya think of Ryuji Sakamoto?" Doctor Ryuji said.

"Huh? Is that a checkup related question?" Ren was even more confused.

"It is because I'm asking it."

"Oh." Ren couldn't decide whether to refer to Ryuji in second or third person. He settled on third person. "Ryuji's pretty cool. He's been a great friend to me so far. He's a little impulsive, but that's fixable."

"Fixable?" Ryuji asked as he leaned forward in his chair.

"You know, like he could work on it." Ren said.

"And you would tell him to work on it?" Doctor Ryuji pressed.

"Maybe. Or Ann could." Ren said.

"I see." Ryuji said as he made a few notes on his clipboard. "Go back to what you said about him being a great friend to you. Are you sure you meant friend?" Doctor Ryuji asked.

He sounds more official than usual. He lost his casual way of talking.

"What else would I mean?" Ren asked.

"You could say pawn, idiot, sidekick… The list goes on." Doctor Ryuji listed.

"Ryuji's not a pawn." Ren stated.

"But he's an idiot?" Doctor Ryuji asked.

I mean, he kinda is.

"Sure, maybe he is sometimes. But he's definitely not a pawn." Ren said.

"I see." Ryuji jotted down more notes. "Second question. Where do you hope for your relationship with Ryuji to be by March 20th?"

Isn't that the day I leave?

"These are some weird questions." Ren said. Doctor Ryuji didn't react. "I guess I hope that me and Ryuji could be like, best friends by then. We get along pretty well. And we are in a club together. So I guess I'm already going down that path."

"I see." Doctor Ryuji continued his notes. "Final question. Bros before hoes?"

"Excuse me?"

"Sakamoto's before Makoto's?"

"Dude, what are you talking about?" Ren asked.

"Weights before dates? Runs before nuns? Benches before wenches?" Doctor Ryuji continued.

What's with the working out theme?

"No comment." Ren simply answered.

"I see." Doctor Ryuji continued his notes.

Does he have to say "I see" everytime?

"Can I go now?" Ren asked pleadingly.

"No. It is time." Doctor Ryuji said.

"Time for what?" Ren asked.

Doctor Ryuji clapped his hands twice.

"SUMMON THE OKUMURA!" He yelled.

Nope. Fuck this. I'm out.

Ren stood up to leave, but Haru burst through the door in the same outfit as when she last beheaded Ren. And with the same axe.

"Off with his head sent him to bed, now down the middle and he'll piddle!" She said poetically.

She brought her axe above her head, and swung down upon Ren's head. She cleaved him clean in half. Ren's halves fell in opposite directions, but he still maintained consciousness with both. He willed himself to reform. Both halves rose up off the ground and reformed into normal Ren. Sitting on the the exam table.

"So you haven't felt anything yet?" Tae asked.

"What…?" Ren said as he rubbed his head.

"You said that you didn't think this one did anything."

Ren remembered where he actually was.

"Oh, I did say that. But that's wrong. I just had a terrible hallucination." Ren said.

"Could you elaborate?" Tae asked.

"I don't want to get into the details…" Ren cringed as he thought of Doctor Ryuji. "But it was less chaotic than last time. It felt more focused."

"Focused. That's good." Tae said as she took notes.

"It was definitely not good."

"That's your own fault. That drug merely enhances the questions your mind asks itself and presents it in a dream format. It's much easier to answer questions when someone your brain trusts completely is asking them." Tae explained.

I subconsciously trust Ryuji completely? That's cool to know. Maybe if I take that again, I'll see Makoto. I should keep coming here. Maybe I can manipulate the hallucinations in my favor...

"That's interesting." Ren simply said instead of voicing his actual thoughts.

"Indeed it is. Would you like your lesson on women now?" Tae asked.

I forgot about that. Even though it's the reason I agreed to come a second time.

"Sure."

"Let's start with the girl. Do you have a particular girl in mind, or would you like general tips?" Tae asked.

"A particular girl." Ren answered.

"Name?" Tae said.

"You don't need her name." Ren said.

"Names say a lot about people. And I'm the one giving the lesson. Name?" Tae explained.

"Makoto." Ren said.

Tae hesitated upon hearing Makoto's name.

"You know her?" Ren was surprised.

"Her?" Tae was confused.

"Yeah. The Makoto that I'm talking about is the girl I'm interested in." Ren said. "Who are you talking about?"

"A boy I went to high school with shared that name. Makoto." Tae said begrudgingly.

She doesn't seem to like her Makoto very much.

"Interesting..." Ren awkwardly said.

Tae laughed.

"Back to you. Tell me about your Makoto."

" She's the student council president. She is very focused on her grades. Besides that, she enjoys reading and Yakuza movies." Ren reiterated what Makoto had told him.

"I see. And this Makoto. Does she have many friends?" Tae asked.

"Does it matter?" Ren asked, trying to dodge the question.

"Believe me, my guinea pig. It matters."

"Not really. I guess she only just started having a social life." Ren said.

"There you go. There's your in. She probably doesn't understand how dating and courtship work. You can define that for her." Tae said.

That's actually pretty insightful.

"I guess. Any ideas?"

"That's for you to figure out. I gave you your in, now you take action. Now, shoo, my guinea pig." Tae said as she stood up and opened the exam room door, gesturing for Ren to leave.

"Thanks for the help." Ren said as he walked out the door of the exam room.

Tae followed behind him and went back behind the counter. Ren was about to leave when he came up with a plan.

"Excuse me, Tae? When should my next trial be?" Ren asked.

"You tell me. It's not like anyone comes here." Tae said.

"I dunno. I'm pretty busy for the next few days. Can I just get your number and we can figure it out later?" Ren asked slyly.

Tae laughed.

"You learn quickly. And I didn't even teach you to do that. Here." She said as she handed Ren a business card.

"Your personal number is on your business card?" Ren asked.

Tae shrugged.

Ren thanked Tae and left the clinic.

When Ren got back to his apartment, all he wanted to do was sleep. But he realized that he had club business to plan. And a study session to schedule. And a party to get approved. Ren texted Ryuji first, because the hallucination was unfortunately still on his mind.

Ren Amamiya:

-When do you want to work on the poster for Club Day?

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Saturday night at your place? My mom gets nervous around new people.

Nervous? I won't question it. That's not my business. At least not yet.

Ren Amamiya:

-Sure. I'll get some supplies and stuff so don't worry about bringing anything. The address is _.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Bet. I'll bring some snacks.

I just said that he didn't need to bring anything. But I don't have any snacks here, so it's fine.

Ren moved on to texting Makoto.

Ren Amamiya:

-Hey. You down for a study session this week?

Makoto Niijima:

-Yes, I would like to have a study session this week. Does Thursday work?

Ren Amamiya:

-Yeah. See you then.

Ren then began his most daunting task. Getting permission for the party.

Ren Amamiya:

-Hello, Iori-san. I was wondering if I could have a few friends over to the apartment on Sunday? I would clean everything up, and we wouldn't be loud enough to anger the neighbors.

Junpei Iori:

-Can I come?

That was not the answer that I was expecting. Is he drunk?

Ren Amamiya:

-If you want to hangout with a bunch of high school kids and talk about gardening, then sure.

Junpei Iori

-Sounds like the good old days.

Yeah. He's drunk.

Ren Amamiya:

-The good old days? Where you talked about gardening with high school kids?

Junpei Iori:

-Of course. Every night of my second year in high school, my friends and I would meet and discuss farming.

Ren Amamiya:

-Farming?

Junpei Iori:

-Farming shadows in Tartarus.

I didn't think that he was drunk enough to say nonsense like this.

Ren Amamiya:

-Back to the party. So can I have people over?

Junpei Iori:

-Fine. I won't come. I get it. But you're paying for everything. And cleaning. If there's only the tiniest chip crumb remaining, I will find it. I am a former ace detective.

More like ace defective.

Ren Amamiya:

-Thank you. I'll make sure to clean up. It'll be like the party never happened.

With his night of planning done, Ren went to bed.

Thursday, 4/28

Makoto was waiting for Ren in the student council room yet again when she got a text from someone she didn't expect.

Ann Takamaki:

-Haru and I were planning to work on the club day project together on Saturday at my house. Would you like to come?

Something's off with this. Haru's just doing some gardening. And I'm supposed to be helping her. Does Ann have an ulterior motive? Makoto thought.

Makoto Niijima

-Isn't Haru working with plants? And aren't these plants located at Shujin?

Ann Takamaki:

-She is. But the idea I have for the banner requires a lot of work, so I was hoping you and Haru could help.

Makoto Niijima:

-That makes sense. I'll help on Saturday. Do I need to bring anything?

Ann Takamaki:

-Nope. The address is _

Makoto Niijima:

-Thanks. See you on Saturday.

Makoto got another text. This one was more expected.

Sae Niijima:

-I won't be coming home for a while. Don't make dinner for me.

You could at least try to sound like you care about me , Makoto thought.

She didn't reply. Ren then entered the student council room.

"Ready to get down to business?" He said with a smile.

"Of course. Let's begin with english."

Ren took out his textbook, and so began another successful study session. The pair breezed through Ren's assignments, and when they finished those they moved on to Makoto's. Ren was helpful even with material that he hadn't learned yet.

"So have you talked to Sae at all?" Ren brought up.

"She texted me earlier." Makoto said.

"And…?" Ren inquired.

"She won't be home for the next few nights. She didn't say anything else." Makoto said.

"And you're fine with that?" Ren asked.

"Fine with what?" Makoto said.

"Leaving your relationship the way it is. You're fine with that?" Ren explained.

I never told him about my fight with Sis. He can probably tell that something's not right between us, given how I haven't mentioned Sis to him and how I disobeyed her. To answer his question, no. I am not fine leaving Sis and I's relationship like this. But she should come to her own conclusion. That would be best. I'll let her make the decision to come home rather than pressure her to do it, Makoto thought.

"No. But she can make her own decisions. And it's important for her to do that." She said.

Ren let out one of his signature chuckles.

"What's so funny?" Makoto asked.

"You sound like me. I told Ann the same thing the other day." Ren said.

"And why was that?" Makoto inquired.

It might be none of my business, but Ren brought it up, Makoto thought.

"Ann's worried about Haru. We overheard Haru having a strange phone call that mentioned marriage or something." Ren casually explained.

Marriage? That makes sense for Haru. She is from a wealthy family. Has Ren not put the pieces together? Makoto thought.

"...Are you guys not aware of Haru's situation?" Makoto asked. Ren gave a confused look, so Makoto explained it to him. "Haru's last name is Okumura. As in Okumura Foods. The corporation. She is likely having an arranged marriage."

"Wait, you're serious? She never mentioned this." Ren said.

I'm surprised you never realized that she was a member of the Okumura's. If she hasn't mentioned anything like that to Ren, Ann, and Ryuji, then she probably doesn't want them to make the connection, Makoto thought.

"She must have her reasons. I wouldn't mention this to Ann unless it becomes a problem." Makoto said.

"I get that. I'll keep quiet for now."

The pair went back to their studying. The finished the remainder of Makoto's work and prepared to leave.

"Have you started work for the club day stuff yet?" Ren asked.

"Not yet. I'm working on it on Saturday with Ann and Haru." Makoto.

"Really? That's when I'm working on mine with Ryuji."

"Weird. Are you guys going to get your work done?" Makoto jokingly asked.

"Have a little faith, Makoto. I can be very focused when I want to be." Ren said in a joking tone.

Makoto laughed.

"Sure… Want to walk home together?" She asked.

"Of course. You ready to go now?" Ren replied.

"Yeah. Let's go."

The two left the student council room and then Shujin. They made their way to the station and went to Shibuya. From there they walked to the apartment building. They entered the building and got in the elevator. It was only them.

"So… made up your mind about where we're going on Sunday?" Ren asked.

Ugh I forgot to decide on a place. Best not to worry about it. Maybe Ann and Haru could help me. But I definitely shouldn't tell them that it's for Ren, Makoto thought.

"Wait and see." She simply said.

"Ahhh, so you're trying to surprise me? That's going to be a challenge. Many have tried and many have failed." Ren joked.

"Challenge accepted." Makoto said confidently.

The elevator opened to Makoto's floor. She said goodbye to Ren and stepped out. She went back to her apartment.

Saturday, 4/30

Ren was in his apartment waiting for Ryuji. He had picked up some supplies for their poster earlier. He had also gotten a table for GRAVY's booth on Club Day. Ren heard a knock on his apartment door. He walked to the door and opened it to find his Ryuji holding a giant bag over his shoulder.

"Wassup, dude?!" Ryuji asked.

"Not much. That's too big a bag to be just snacks." Ren proclaimed.

"Trust me dude. It's all snacks." Ryuji said.

Ren let Ryuji in. Ryuji took a moment to take in the apartment.

"Daaaaaamn, bitch! You live like this?!"

"Yep. My guardian mostly leaves me alone. I should probably do some more decorating." Ren said.

Ryuji didn't care about the last part.

"Dope. Mind if I open this up?" He said, pointing at his giant bag.

Ren gave him the go ahead and Ryuji got to work. He set the bag on the kitchen counter and unzipped it. He began to empty it. He pulled out seven large bags of potato chips before Ren stopped counting.

"Did you bring a giant bag just to carry around your stockpile of chips?" Ren asked what he thought was a rhetorical question.

"Nope! Chips, energy drinks, you name it." Ryuji said.

This bag is endless.

"How many energy drinks did you bring?" Ren inquired.

"Eleven, I think." Ryuji guessed.

"What the hell do you need eleven energy drinks for?" Ren asked.

"The poster. Let's get to work before I lose my motivation."

That's very true. If we don't do this fast enough, Ryuji will probably just play video games.

The two got to work. Ryuji was a decent enough artist, so he added a few designs to the poster. Mostly just plants and actual drawings of gravy.

"Ryuji, you do know that our club isn't actually involved in gravy, right?" Ren asked.

"Of course. But more people will join if we got gravy!" Ryuji said.

He's not wrong but… really?

Morgana emerged from Ren's room after his nap to find the source of all the noise, but retreated when he saw Ryuji. Ryuji didn't notice. The pair continued their work, and finished in an hour and a half. They had a completed poster that had the both of the clubs names and their slogan. The drawings were a nice touch.

"Good job, dude!" Ryuji said, raising his hand up for a high-five.

Ren high-fived him.

"Thanks." Ren said as he stood up and began to walk away from the workspace. He was going to grab an energy drink.

"You cool if I stay the night?" Ryuji asked.

"Huh?"

"You know, you cool if I sleepover?" Ryuji elaborated.

Honestly, who cares at this point?

"Sure. But you're sleeping on the couch." Ren said.

Ryuji gave a devilish smile.

"That's what I was hoping for. I saw that you got a Switch." He said.

"Yeah?" Ren said.

"Yeah. Ya got Super Rash Toes?" Ryuji asked.

"Does that even need to be asked?"

"Nope! Before we play, grab me an energy drink. Or 2. Or 3... Eff it, just bring all of them over." Ryuji said.

Ren did just that. He set all of the energy drinks on the coffee table between the couch and the TV.

"Alright. So here's a fun game. It's called Seven Bottoms Up." Ryuji began to say.

This doesn't sound good.

"You're supposed to have 13 energy drinks, but we only got eleven. So I'm gonna call it Six Bottoms Up. Here's how ya play. All of the energy drinks go on the table. When the game starts, each player takes one and has to drink it as fast as possible. When they finish, they gotta grab another. When they finish that one, they grab another. And so on. First person to drink six energy drinks wins."

"Ryuji, six energy drinks will make your heart explode." Ren said with a nervous chuckle.

"Nah, eff that. I've played Eleven Bottoms Up before."

"And what happened?"

"Oh ya know, I was sweating for the next few days and didn't sleep for fifty seven hours, but that's besides the point. The point is that my heart didn't explode." Ryuji said.

That's honestly incredible if it's true.

"Ok fine. I'll play. On one condition. You have to say fuck before the night is over." Ren said.

"Eff that. THREETWOONEGO!" Ryuji said as he grabbed an energy drink.

Ren sighed as he did the same. And so began Six Bottoms Up.

Ren actually had the lead for the first three energy drinks, but he remembered that he enjoyed sleeping. And that he had a date the next day.

"Alright. That's it man. I can't do anymore. I'm out." Ren said as he set his empty energy drink can on the table.

"That's effin' weak!" Ryuji said as he continued the game. "More for me!"

"Just be careful, dude. Wanna play Super Rash Toes now?" Ren said.

"Fine. But I get permanent bragging rights over you." Ryuji said.

"Not if you can't beat me in Super Rash Toes." Ren said as he got two controllers and handed one to Ryuji.

The two played. Ryuji attempted to button-mash his way to victory, using his energy rush to his advantage, but he still couldn't beat Ren.

"Shit, dude! That was close!" Ryuji said as he tossed the controller to the ground.

Not at all. Check the scoreboard.

"There go you're bragging rights." Ren said smugly.

"Ah shit, dude! That was the one thing I had on you!" Ryuji was more upset than he should've been at his loss.

"Nothing you can do now." Ren was still speaking very smugly.

"Wait! There's gotta be something I can beat you at!" Ryuji protested.

Ren thought to himself.

There is one thing I haven't been able to do successfully.

"Ryuji, let me introduce you to the Trial of Alibaba…"

Makoto stood outside Ann's house. It was decently large, so Makoto couldn't help but wonder what Ann's parents did for work. She knocked on the door. Surprisingly enough, Haru opened the door.

"Oh, Makoto!" She said cheerfully. She turned back into the home. "Ann! Makoto's here!"

Makoto couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed. Ann soon came to the door.

"Welcome! Please come in!" She said in a voice that was just as upbeat as Haru's.

"Thank you for having me. Your house is lovely." Makoto said as she stepped into the building.

The interior was very well decorated and looked rather expensive.

"Thanks! So Haru and I already got to work on the banner, but we can still use some help." Ann said as she walked over to a clearing on the floor.

Makoto followed and soon saw the banner. It was a very long piece of paper. On both ends the paper was curled under to form a circle, likely for poles to be inserted so that the banner could go up. On the banner were drawings of plants and the word "Gardening" in a bright green. It actually looked nice.

"I'm impressed. It looks finished already." Makoto said.

"Oh, not even close. We still have to add more drawings." Haru said.

"I see." Makoto said as she put down her bag.

Haru and Ann sat down on the ground next to the banner. There were markers all over the floor. Makoto sat down next to a relatively blank part of the banner.

"Just draw whatever you think is best." Haru said.

Makoto nodded and got to work. She got to work on trying to draw a tomato.

It can't be that hard, right? She thought.

She was wrong. Very wrong. The tomato she drew came out lopsided and it had a flatness to it that the other drawings didn't have. Ann looked over at Makoto's drawing.

"Oh... good job, Makoto…" Ann said in a shaky voice.

"I'm sorry, I'm not very good with art." Makoto said sheepishly.

"That's alright. What if you tried drawing a carrot?" Haru suggested.

Makoto tried. And failed again. She put down the markers in frustration.

"That's it. I don't want to ruin the banner. Is it alright if I just watch?" She asked.

"Of course." Ann said.

Haru and Ann finished the drawing while Makoto stood to the side and watched.

To be fair to me, I didn't sign up to be doing art. I was just supposed to help Haru with the gardening , she thought.

Once the banner was finished, Haru and Ann stood up to inspect their work.

"All done! High-fives all around!" Ann said as she held up her hands for both Makoto and Haru.

Makoto felt very awkward high-fiving Ann and Haru for work that she didn't do.

"Now that that's done, let's get started on what we're really here for." Ann said.

But the banner is done… Makoto thought to herself.

"Girls night!" Haru cheered.

I was not prepared for this, Makoto thought as she let her nerves take over. She had never had a "Girls night." Mainly because there was no one to have one with.

"So Makoto. You wanna sleepover?" Ann asked curiously.

"Oh, uh…" Was all that Makoto could manage.

It would be awkward with them if I said no. Then I would be the social outcast of the club, Makoto thought.

Ann and Haru awaited Makoto's answer with bated breath.

"...Sure." Makoto finally said.

Ann raised her hands again for the trio to high-five. Makoto felt less awkward this time.

"But where will I be sleeping? And where are your parents?" Makoto asked.

"My parents work in fashion. They travel a lot, so they're gone half of the time. We also have two guest beds for you and Haru to sleep in. That is, if you don't mind sharing a room." Ann explained.

"Of course not. That's really interesting that your parents are in fashion." Makoto said genuinely.

"Not really. I don't really know much about what they do beside the general stuff. But none of that matters. Time for Girls Night!"

Apparently Ann's idea of a girls night consisted of them sitting on the couch watching movies, eating snacks, and occasionally talking. Makoto couldn't help but feel out of place actually spending time at a friend's house.

While Makoto was able to keep up with Ann and Haru's small talk, she was not prepared for what Ann would bring up next.

"So what's the scoop with you and Ren?" Ann said out of the blue, catching Makoto off guard.

"Uh, I… Scoop? There's no scoop." Makoto awkwardly muttered as she tried to keep her attention focused on the movie.

I can't let them see my reaction! Then they'll press me about it! But wait… Did Ren tell them something? She thought.

When Makoto turned to see their reactions, she found Ann and Haru both giving her a knowing glare.

"Come on. We know that there's something happening." Ann said as Haru nodded.

They already know… I guess I shouldn't lie and potentially lose their trust, Makoto thought.

"We've been… you know… spending time together." Makoto couldn't look them in the eyes as she said it.

"Ooh, spending time?" Haru teased.

Makoto knew that they wanted her to elaborate.

"I've been tutoring him… and we went out together last Sunday." She mumbled the last part, but they heard her anyway.

"I knew it!" Haru exclaimed as she stood up.

"W-what?!" Makoto was alarmed.

Ann spoke for Haru.

"We know that you and Ren are dating. It's kinda impressive. Ren only got to Shujin a few weeks ago."

WHAT?! DATING?! Makoto's thoughts were too jumbled for her to think straight.

"N-no it's not-"

"So when's the next date?" Ann leaned up close to Makoto.

Makoto took some time to calm herself down before answering.

"We're spending time together tomorrow. It's not a date." She tried to force that into Ann and Haru's heads.

While Makoto was angry, she didn't know why. When Ren had referred to it as a date, she had gone along with it, even encouraged it. But now she was angry.

Am I upset because I'm uncomfortable around Ann and Haru? Makoto asked herself.

Her body language answered for her. She realized that she was completely sitting up.

"That's so exciting! What will you guys be doing?" Haru asked cheerfully.

I still have to figure that out… Maybe they'd be willing to help. They seem more excited about this than me, Makoto thought.

"I… don't know."

Even though she was being honest with them, Makoto still felt uncomfortable. She forced herself to lay back into the couch. Haru was still standing, and Ann was still leaned considerably too far into Makoto's personal space.

"Perfect! Haru commence the operation!" Ann ordered.

Makoto sat back up immediately.

"W-WHAT?!"

Haru took the remote off of the table and changed the TV's input. A simple looking presentation came onto screen.

Makoto only became more awkward and confused as she read the title on the presentation.

"Places to take Ren Amamiya: A Trip Through Tokyo led by Ann Takamaki and Haru Okumura." She said flatly.

She brought her hand to her face to hide how red she was becoming. Ann stood up and walked up to one side of the TV, preparing to present. Haru did the same. Before they began speaking, they leaned over to each other and whispered a few things that Makoto couldn't hear. They then took their positions, and began the presentation. Makoto looked up just as slide one popped onto the screen.

"You guys don't' ha-" Makoto tried to protest but was cutoff.

"The arcade. Every boy loves the arcade. If you take Ren to the arcade, he's guaranteed to have a good time." Ann spoke affirmatively.

"I don't think tha-"

"While you may not enjoy the arcade, it's perfect if you just care about your date having a good time!" Haru continued for Ann.

Makoto gave up on her protests. She was still tense, but she felt like she was making progress with growing closer to Ann and Haru, even if it was through embarrassing means. The next slide arrived.

"The Ikebukuro Planetarium." Ann took the reins again. "It's difficult to find a place in Tokyo where you can lay back and look at the stars with the one you love, but the Planetarium can provide that!"

Did she say LOVE?! Makoto was flustering herself with her own thoughts at this point.

"The Planetarium is relaxing and can even be spiritual." Haru concluded as the next slide came. "Dome Town, in Suidobashi. Dome Town is exhilarating and gives you a great opportunity to grab on to your date in excitement!"

Makoto had had enough at this point. The decision was up to her in the end. It was up to her to come up with a good place for them. She stood up and held her hands to Ann and Haru, which made them pause momentarily enough for Makoto to finally speak.

"Wait! Just skip to a place that lets us talk!"

Ann gave Haru a look. Haru nodded back.

"Fine. But when we give you the place, you have to text Ren. And we tell you what to say."

Ugh… If I don't find a place for tomorrow, Ren's going to be disappointed in me. I guess I have to accept. Besides, whatever they want me to text him can't be that bad… Right? Makoto thought to herself as she cautiously nodded.

Ann and Haru both smiled at that. Haru began clicking the remote to skip through some slides. Makoto noticed that a few of the slides seemed a bit extra.

Is that… a maid club? Do guys really like those kinds of things? Does Ren like those kinds of things?! Makoto thought.

Finally, the slides stopped changing. Ann spoke.

"Inokashira Park. The perfect place to just talk."

The picture displayed on screen was appealing to Makoto. An idea started to take form in her head.

We could get food, bring it to the park, then… figure it out from there. I like that, She thought.

"It sounds great. Thanks for your help, even if you went a bit overboard." Makoto said.

Haru giggled.

"Thank you, Makoto, for giving us something to work on."

"Work on? How much time did you spend on this?" Makoto sharply asked.

"Doesn't matter!" Ann quickly said with a smile. "Time to text Ren!"

Makoto begrudgingly pulled up her phone.

"He's probably asleep by now. He won't even read it until the morning." She said trying to prevent the inevitable.

Ann laughed.

"He'll read it in the morning then. So what?"

"Ugh… fine. What do you want me to say?" Makoto said.

Ann and Haru got close to her so they could see her phone screen, which was opened to the conversation with Ren.

"How about… 'So excited to see you tomorrow!' Keep it simple, ya know?" Ann suggested.

"Oh! Add a smiley face!" Haru made sure that her suggestion was included.

"Are you guys sure?" Makoto asked. It wasn't because she wanted to let them change their message. It was because she was stalling.

"Yes!" Ann and Haru both said as Ann pressed send for Makoto.

Makoto sat back down onto the couch, tossing her phone to the side. Her hands again came to her face to hide her embarrassment.

"I think we should get to bed. Afterall, you need your beauty sleep!" Haru teased.

Makoto did just that. She said goodnight to Ann and followed Haru to the guest room. Haru took bed on the far side of the room, while Makoto took the one closest to the doors. She turned off the lights and got under the covers.

"Hey Haru?" Makoto said into the dark.

"Yes, Makoto?"

"Did you guys plan on me staying over so you could show me that presentation?"

Haru giggled.

"Oh, Makoto. You should get some rest."

Does that mean that they wanted to get to know me more? They want to be friends with me? Makoto thought.

That put a smile on her face. She closed her eyes, but not even a minute into her trying to sleep, she got a notification on her phone.

A text notification.

She pulled out her phone, making sure to lower the brightness.

Ren was an hour into Ryuji's Trial of Alibaba. It had been an hour of swearing, chip eating, chip throwing, and constant losing.

"How ya doing?" Ren teased.

"SHUT THE EFF UP! I GOT THIS ONE FOR SURE!" Ryuji yelled. His eyes were bulging out of his head, and were bloodshot. While he hadn't had any more energy drinks since Six Bottoms Up, he was obviously still feeling the effects.

Damn. I had three but I barely feel it. Maybe it's because of how early I got up this morning.

The way that Ryuji button-mashed was awe inspiring. Buttons were jammed into with no thought behind them. That lack of strategy was what led Ryuji to his thirteenth downfall of the night.

"EFF! EFFING SHIT!"

"Sucks to suck, doesn't it?" Alibaba's encrypted voice said with a laugh.

"SHUT THE EFF UP YOU EFFING HACKER! ONE MORE!"

Ren stood up from the couch.

"Aye, dude. It's getting late. I'm gonna try and get some sleep. There are some blankets in the cabinet over there if you need them. Try to keep it down alright?" He requested.

Ryuji nodded his head with a level of aggression that could only be achieved by someone who chugged several energy drinks.

Damn… He doesn't look good. Almost like he's struggling to find his next fix.

Ren went to his bedroom and closed the door behind him to Ryuji's cries of anguish. Morgana sat up on Ren's bed.

"Yeah, I know. He's loud. But he'll keep it down. If he doesn't…" Ren didn't finish his sentence because he knew that he wouldn't actually do anything.

Morgana layed back down as Ren went under the covers. As soon as he did, he got a text message.

Makoto Niijima:

-So excited to see you tomorrow :)

That's… Incredibly out of nowhere. Especially for Makoto.

Ren Amamiya:

-Is this still Makoto? :)

Makoto Niijima:

-Yes. Am I not allowed to be excited for tomorrow?

Ren Amamiya:

-Yeah. You're the one who knows where we're going.

Makoto Niijima:

-Good point. But I promise you this: you won't be disappointed.

She's confident. I wonder where she's taking me. Maybe a Yakuza movie at the theater?

Ren Amamiya:

-Ok. Now I'm excited.

Makoto Niijima:

-I'll pick you up from your apartment tomorrow.

That's oddly emasculating.

Ren Amamiya:

-Bummer. I wanted to say hi to Buchimaru.

Makoto Niijima:

-Good night, Ren.

Ren Amamiya:

-Good night, Makoto.

Ren put his phone away and went to bed.

Sunday, 5/1

Ren awoke feeling powerful. And to Ryuji yelling, but mostly to feeling powerful. Morgana stirred at his feet, but went back to sleep.

I was able to fall asleep after chugging three energy drinks. I am a god. All should bow before me.

After he remembered that he had a date (or whatever it was) and felt even more powerful.

Enough power fantasies. Time to see what Ryuji's yelling about.

Ren stood up from his bed. He checked the clock and saw that it was 10:00 in the morning. He turned away from the clock and back towards the door. He opened the door into the living area of his apartment to the most horrific thing he had ever seen.

Ryuji was sitting in the same position as he was when Ren left him. Ryuji had the controller gripped in his hands so tightly that Ren thought rigor mortis had set in. But Ryuji's eyes were rapidly glancing over the screen in front of him. They were a terrible red color. His fingers were also moving. On the table in front of Ryuji was something even more troubling. All eleven energy drinks were opened. Ren did the math.

He had eight fucking energy drinks. This fucking kid.

"EFF! I WILL EFFIN' BEAT YOU!" Ryuji yelled. He hadn't even noticed Ren or the sun shining through the window.

Blisters had formed on Ryuji's fingers, and there was a little blood on the controller. The spot where Ryuji sat on the couch had what seemed to be a permanent indent.

"Ryuji! Did you not fucking move all night?!" Ren was incredibly irritated.

Ryuji gave no response.

Ren took the controller and headset from Ryuji. Ryuji stayed in place and kept mashing his fingers. Ren put on the headset.

"Hello? Is this still Alibaba?"

"Yes?"

Alibaba's on screen character continued fighting.

"Did you play all night with Ryuji?"

"Yes…"

Alibaba's character leapt up into the air on the side of the map to perform a special move.

"I think that it's time for you to go to bed. You've been up for a while haven't you?"

Ren heard no response. Alibaba's character stopped their attack mid air, falling off the map.

"Alibaba?"

He heard something, but it definitely wasn't a response to his question.

"Argh… Mom… Why are you doing this…?" Alibaba's voice was shakily pleading.

This grabbed Ren's attention.

"Alibaba! Are you alright?!"

"Ungh… Yeah… You're right… I should get to bed." Alibaba said as he disconnected from the game.

What happened? I hope he's alright. Even if he is kinda a dick, he's fun to play with. He also seems like a cool dude. Maybe I should try and reach out to him in person.

"AH! SHIT!"

Ryuji's yell snapped Ren back to reality.

"Dude! You good?" Ren asked as he turned to Ryuji.

Ryuji simply passed out on Ren's couch.

God dammit. I can't let Makoto come in and see this shit.

Ren pulled out his phone and dialed the one person he knew could help.