Wednesday, 5/25

Was there any worse place to be lonely than on a train, surrounded by people? Makoto contemplated the answer on her way to school. She had spent almost all of Tuesday contemplating Ren's premature departure. Ren leaving had been unexpected. Makoto had expected a little bitterness, she wasn't planning on Ren leaving in the way that he did. Then again, she had only started planning out the conversation when Ren had put the magazine down.

'Shorter than a few weeks.' He's making fun of me. But he was just joking, right? He jokes around often, Makoto thought to herself. No, Makoto, he wasn't joking. He knows how worthless you are.

Makoto squirmed in her seat, accidentally rubbing against the woman next to her.

"Sorry," Makoto said sheepishly.

The woman wasn't pleased.

"Hmph."

Makoto went back to her thoughts.

I thought that Ren wanted to talk to me… that's why he was waiting, right? Or was it just to spite me? I don't know. I don't know what to do. I have no one to talk to, no one to ask for help… wait… Haru. She really wanted me to talk to Ren. I suppose I did that. Hopefully she can tell me what to do. Please answer, please answer, please answer, she thought as she pulled out her phone.

Makoto Niijima:

-Hello, Haru. I wanted to let you know that I spoke to Ren this morning.

The response was immediate. But it wasn't a text message. Makoto almost dropped her phone out of surprise as it rang, startling her and the people around her. She clumsily nodded an apology to the people, declined the call, and silenced her phone.

Makoto Niijima:

-I am currently riding the subway, so I am unable to talk.

Haru Okumura:

-Meet me at the school gate!

Makoto Niijima:

-Ok.

I'm surprised how willing Haru is to talk to me. She sounded completely done after our last conversation. Does she only care about me when Ren is involved? No, I can't think like that. Haru wouldn't think like that. She couldn't, Makoto told herself.

The train soon came to Makoto's stop, so she got out of her seat. She walked out of the subway station, down the street to Shujin's front gate. Her anticipation for speaking to Haru in person was bubbling. Whether it was with nervousness, excitement, or both, Makoto didn't know.

Haru was patiently waiting at the gate. It was still early in the morning, so there weren't many students coming around. The only reason she was there so early was for gardening. Makoto completed her approach.

"Hello, Haru."

Haru turned, a wide smile already on her face.

"Mako-chan! Tell me everything."

"Well… I think I messed up. I apologized, and Ren accepted the apology. But when I asked where we go from there, he said that he had a decision to make, and then he left."

"He did WHAT?!"

"Dude, this bread tastes like horseshit," Ryuji said after sampling some of Ren's lunch.

"You get used to it," Ren said with a shrug. "Also, what's this about you knowing what horseshit tastes like?"

"Ha ha. Very funny. Back to the plan. Keep your eyes peeled."

Ren felt awkward with Ryuji of all people reminding him to stay focused. He felt even more awkward with what they were doing. Ryuji had reminded Ren that revenge was still required against Dai, so they had gone to the courtyard that lunch in hope of seeing EIko. After all, the courtyard was the most popular place for students to eat. Unfortunately, they didn't find anything.

Ryuji's description of, "Black hair, pale skin, and a ponytail," isn't helping. That could be applied to half the girls in the courtyard. The only thing I have to go on for what Eiko looks like is her Shujinstagram, but it's not like I'm gonna stalk a girl on social media in public. That means it's up to Ryuji to spot her.

Ren took a second to consider what that meant.

Shit. We're definitely not going to find her.

He was right. Lunch was almost over, and Eiko was nowhere to be found. Ren was about to turn to Ryuji to throw in the towel, when the yell of his name made the hair on his neck stand.

"Ren Amamiya!"

Feminine. Angry. Let's see… Kawakami? No, I've been doing well in class. Ann? No, she isn't pressuring me to see Maruki anymore. Makoto? Probably not. She's not the confrontational type. So then it's-

Ren almost fell off the bench from the slap that came from behind. Holding his face, he turned around, ready to defend himself from the attacker. The sight of Haru glaring stopped him.

Not gonna lie, the nicest person at Shujin is also the most intimidating.

"Uh, h-hey, Haru. What's up?" Ren awkwardly asked.

"You know what's up! How could you do something like that to Mako-chan?! Especially after all you've been through!"

Ren didn't have an answer. He rubbed his cheek. Ryuji's awkward shifting next to him relieved a bit of the tension between Ren and Haru.

"I think I'm gonna head out…" Ryuji muttered before quickly standing up to go.

"Oh no, Ryuji. Stay where you are," Haru commanded.

Ryuji's face paled. He complied and sat back down. Him and Ren both awkwardly stared up at Haru from the bench.

"Well? Say something!"

"...My bad?"

Another slap.

It was worth a shot.

Ren looked around the courtyard. The other groups of students were now staring at the scene that was playing out. From their point of view, the delinquent was getting his ass handed to him by the heiress.

That's probably not a bad thing. Maybe I deserve it. At least it'll help my reputation chill out. Having people see me as a wimp is better than seeing me as a serial killer, right? Right?

There was no one to answer his question, reminding Ren that he was still speaking with Haru.

"Look, Haru… I'm sorry for the way I did things, but I'm not sorry for what I did," Ren said. Haru raised her hand in the air threateningly. "But it's something that needed to be done. I don't know if I want to be friends with Makoto after what she did."

Haru lowered her hand, showing that she was willing to keep things diplomatic.

"No, Ren that's wrong. Makoto apologized. She acknowledged her mistake, and learned from it. It's not fair to her to just leave her waiting."

"You could say the same to her about me," Ren remarked.

"Is that why you really did it? Revenge? Are you serious, Ren?!" Haru said in disbelief.

Maybe a little. But only a little, I swear.

"No. I have a good reason."

"No, you don't," Haru said authoritatively. Ren wasn't going to question it. "You'll meet me on the rooftop after school. Makoto will be there. You'll talk things out, she'll rejoin GRAVY, and things will go back to normal. Am I clear?"

"Yes, mom."

Ryuji snickered until Haru raised her hand again.

"Yes, Haru," Ren corrected.

"Good."

"Can I come?" Ryuji asked.

Haru just looked at him. It was enough for Ryuji to understand her answer.

"Oh. Ok."

Haru walked away.

"You're fucked," Ryuji said.

"Not effed?"

"Nah. Eff has like, half the impact of fuck. I only use fuck when something is really, really serious."

"I guess I'm really, really fucked then," Ren said with a sigh.

"Yeah. It was nice knowing ya, Renny," Ryuji said as he patted Ren on the back.

The clock in classroom 2-D continued to inch closer to the number that Ren had been dreading. Haru's orders had cut his time to make a decision from indefinite to a few hours. In those few hours, Ren had spent more time wiping his sweaty hands on his pants than deciding things.

So when the bell rang, Ren let out a groan. It was overshadowed by the roar of his classmates standing up, but the people in Ren's immediate vicinity caught it.

"Why so unhappy?" Ann asked.

"Gotta talk to Haru and Makoto."

Ann laughed.

"If this was last week, you would've been smiling ear to ear."

"Yeah. But Haru's gonna kick my ass. Makoto's gonna do the same."

"Ouch. What'd you do?"

"I pulled a Makoto and left early."

"Huh?"

"I'm sure Haru will tell you soon enough," Ren said as he stood up.

"I guess. Anyways, good luck."

"I don't need luck. I need extensive knowledge of martial arts."

Ann laughed.

"Yeah. You're screwed. See you, Ren," Ann said as she left the classroom.

With a sigh, Ren did the same. He walked down the hall, and up the flights of stairs to get to the roof. When he reached the door, he stopped.

You're Ren Goddam Amamiya. You called Yoshiro's mom in front of the whole school and got her to dirty talk you over the phone. You can handle two angry girls, right?

He opened the door.

Haru Okumura:

-Go to the roof after school.

Makoto Niijima:

-May I ask why?

Haru Okumura:

-You know why.

Makoto Niijima:

-I guess I do.

Makoto got out slightly earlier than most of the student body because of, "Student council responsibilities," as Kobayakawa had called it. Makoto never understood why he gave her the privilege. She usually stayed in class anyway. But today she took advantage of it. She was the first to make it to the roof. She didn't know what to do while she waited, so she simply stood around.

I must look so dumb right now, she thought.

She tried to adjust her stance to make her look more comfortable. She didn't know if it helped or not.

The door to the roof opened and Haru stepped out. For a slight second, Makoto had felt a panic come over her when the door had opened.

"Hello, Mako-chan."

"Hello, Haru. So, um, what will we be doing?"

"Talking to Ren, of course," Haru said cheerfully.

"I know that, but what specifically?"

"I'm sure you can wait."

I don't like the sound of that, Makoto thought.

They didn't have to wait long. Ren came out of the building looking a little nervous. Makoto tried to smile at him, but she failed. He didn't look happy to be there, and that made it impossible for Makoto to do anything other than frown back.

"Welcome, Ren-kun," Haru said in her usual warm tone.

"H-hey, Haru. Happy to see you again," Ren said as he rubbed his cheek.

As he came closer to Makoto, she could see a visible red mark on his face.

'See you again.' Him and Haru spoke earlier? Haru seemed furious when I told her what happened. And Ren's rubbing his cheek… did she slap Ren?! Makoto couldn't believe it.

"Ren, could you be a gentleman and set up two of the abandoned desks so they're facing each other?" Haru asked.

"I don't think that's-"

"Ren," Haru said. The change in tone was so striking that even Makoto felt compelled to set the desks up.

Ren did as he was told. It took a minute, but he got the desks and chairs together.

"Great. Could the both of you take a seat?"

Ren went to sit in the chair of one of the desks, but stopped himself.

"Haru, if you're going to lock us out here so we talk for hours on end, I will go stomp in your gardens and make sure that every single vegetable you planted is ripped out of the dirt and thrown from this roof."

"No, you won't," Haru said passive-aggressively.

"Oh. I guess I won't then," Ren said in sarcastic compliance.

Haru breathed a deep sigh, and raised her right hand. Ren quickly sat down. Even Makoto felt threatened by the hand. She sat down.

"Now… talk!"

"About what?" Ren asked.

"Anything you want!" Haru answered.

"Gimme a prompt."

"Fair enough… How about you two discuss what you've been doing in your free time? Ren, you go first."

"Alright… well, I've been visiting a goth doctor who I help by testing her experimental drugs."

"Good joke, Ren," Haru said with a nervous laugh. This obviously wasn't how she wanted things to go. "Come on, be serious."

"He's not joking, Haru," Makoto said. She found no difficulty in speaking with Ren around now.

Maybe it's because I'm talking to Haru rather than Ren, Makoto thought.

Haru looked at Makoto in disbelief. She looked back at Ren.

"Oh my. Why don't you try something more… discussable?"

"I've been working for a model weapons dealer who may or may not be former Yakuza," Ren said flatly.

"Oh come on- excuse me. That's very interesting Ren-kun. Makoto, how bout you?"

"Oh, you know. Student council business."

"Such as?" Haru encouragingly asked.

She really doesn't want to keep dealing with Ren's sarcasm. Funnily enough, he isn't joking with her, Makoto thought.

"An investigation. A few students have complained about things in Shibuya."

"Perfect! Ren, be a gentleman and offer assistance."

"But I don't-"

The hand came up.

"Makoto, would you like some help with your investigation?"

Yes. Please. I need it. I can't get anything done on my own. I'm worthless. And I want to talk to you more, Ren, Makoto thought.

"Um, y-yes, please," Makoto said sheepishly.

"Cool. So what are we investigating?" Ren asked.

How do I say this and not scare him away? Makoto asked herself.

"There've been reports of students being blackmailed by criminals."

"Oh. Oh shit. That's pretty serious. But why not just tell the police?"

"Their families are being threatened if they go to the police."

Ren made a face of pondering. He took a few seconds to think about things.

"Where are you getting this information?"

"We've received an anonymous tip."

I still need to keep Dai's identity a secret. If it got out that he was the one who left the note, he would be in danger, Makoto thought.

"Hm… when are you free to investigate?"

Makoto wanted to give herself some time to prepare. Not to prepare to investigate, but to prepare to be spending time alone with Ren. She looked up at Haru. Haru smiled back. Makoto looked back to Ren.

"Friday?"

"Works for me. But I'll have to go early because of work."

"Ren, I'm sure you can get work off, right?" Haru asked.

Ren glanced down at Haru's hand. It wasn't even raised and Ren still perceived it as a threat.

"Yeah, I can try."

"Great. It's settled. You two will meet on Friday and solve the case!"

"I'm sure we will. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go pick up my son from daycare," Ren said as he stood up.

"Excuse me?" Haru was startled by the suddenness of it.

Ren just walked away and went back into the building. Haru looked down to Makoto, who was still sitting.

"He does that," Makoto said.

Thursday, 5/26

"I still can't get over how run down this place is," Ryuji mumbled.

Him, Ann, and Ren stood in front of Madarame's atelier once again. Yusuke had messaged Ann earlier that day, setting off the same chain of events that led them to the atelier last time. But this time there was no Haru. She was occupied. Ren knocked on the door, which quickly opened.

"Ah! Takamaki-san!" Yusuke excitedly said.

Ren almost felt himself recoil at Yusuke. He was even thinner than the last time they saw him, and the bags under his eyes made him look forty years older.

"Hello, Kitagawa-kun," Ann said happily.

Yusuke welcomed the other two and they quickly reached the studio room. Ren had glanced at the door to Madarame's study, but it hadn't changed since their last visit.

I wonder how Akechi's doing with his arrest.

Ren and Ryuji took their usual seats. Ann stayed standing because there was no stool for her. Yusuke noticed her awkwardly looking around.

"Takamaki-san, I believe that the painting will be even more exquisite if you were standing," he explained.

"Oh, ok."

Yusuke maneuvered around Ann, past his canvas and stool to the supply cabinet.

Here we go. He could either play some music that's just painful, or he could play something that's pure beauty.

Yusuke took the speaker out of the cabinet and placed it on the top of the same cabinet. Ren noticed Ryuji shuffling around in his seat.

I guess he's nervous too. He must want to never experience something like the last song again.

Yusuke finished adjusting the bluetooth speaker and sat down in his stool. Ann began posing. She had a hand on her hip, slightly leaning back. She made it look easy, and Ren admitted to himself that she looked great doing it.

I'm sure Ryuji's jaw is about to hit the floor. I'm not gonna check because if I'm right, I'll lose all respect for Ryuji with that image in my head.

Yusuke pressed play. The moment he did, a spacy guitar rang through the room. Or maybe it wasn't a guitar. Ren couldn't tell with how artificially altered it was. Within a second, it was joined by a yelp. Not an animal noise or someone screaming, but the voice that spoke could only be described as a yelp. It was high and a little nasal, and definitely not something you wanted to be listening to when you were trying to calm down.

I can't even translate what he's saying. His delivery is so confusing that I don't even want to attempt to understand.

The song continued. The vocalist maintained his flow despite the song lacking a traditional drum beat. The drums that were played on the song followed no pattern, only a light rhythm that seemed to be constantly shifting. Joining the maybe-guitar from earlier was what sounded like a pitched down saxophone or clarinet, but Ren couldn't really tell. The saxophones randomly echoed through the song.

After a little under a minute, the vocalist repeated a few lines while a more recognizable guitar rang out a high note.

This must be the chorus. What's he saying… 'And it's a spiral.' No, there was something else there. 'And it's a downward spiral.' Maybe it makes more sense with the other lyrics. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll ever understand this song.

The chorus ended and the abnormal progression of the verses resumed. Ren looked at Yusuke. He was steadily drawing on the canvas with a pencil.

Taking more care in his work? He's much less confident than the first two times, I guess.

The chorus came back. The yelping voice ad libbed in the background. Within half a minute, the song faded out.

The fuck did I just listen to? It wasn't beautiful like Runaway, or as painful as… what was it called? Fuck it, I'm calling it the Pain Song. It wasn't as painful as the Pain Song. But there was something… hypnotizing about it. The atmosphere was so engaging. It shouldn't work as a song with the vocalist's high voice, but it does.

Ren looked at Yusuke's drawing. It wasn't complete, and it was still a rough sketch.

"Ah, I forgot to queue more music. Forgive me," Yusuke said as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

He swiped on the screen a few times, and then tapped. He set his phone down as the new song began. Strangely, it wasn't a song. It was a recording of an man speaking in english.

What'd he say? Something about 'Skating?' Don't tell me I'm about to listen to figure skating music.

The recorded audio was interrupted by a voice that was obviously pitched down. It was so deep that Ren thought it was Alibaba for a second. The voice said something that was undecipherable before a melody formed. It sounded like a synthetic bell with some drums behind it.

This is kinda catchy.

The lead melody coming from the bell was simple yet addicting. In the background of the song, Ren could hear muffled voices. After about twenty seconds, a voice began rapping over the beat. It was soon joined by a kick that had a huge echo to it, but it didn't disrupt the other parts of the song.

The hell's this guy saying? His voice is much more easy on the ears than the last one, but I still can't translate. All I've managed is, 'Tick tock,' and 'big rocks.' Oh wait, he just said Paris. I know what that is!

The voice said something in with an echo effect before it was joined by a familiar voice.

That's the guy from Runaway and Pain Song!

The familiar voice began its own verse. Ren looked over at Ryuji. He was lightly nodding his head to the beat. Ren kept listening to the song.

'Bathroom stall.' The hell does that have to do with anything? Maybe it makes sense with the other lyrics.

Other than a few obscenities, the only thing that Ren caught was a mention of a prince of some sort. The verse suddenly stopped, and the recorded audio of the man speaking came back. He said words that Ren didn't catch, and then the song came back. What Ren guessed was the chorus returned before devolving into a slow, bassy, drum beat. The drum beat built itself up with background pianos and a choir. The familiar voice came back and said some shit about zones. When he stopped, the song ended.

That was catchy as fuck, not gonna lie. Yusuke's got some good music, other than the Pain Song. I'm not sure if I like the Yelp Song either.

Ren looked up at Yusuke's canvas. The rough sketch was completed, and it seemed that Yusuke was ready to begin painting. But a knock came from the door.

"Ah, Sensei must be home…" Yusuke said dejectedly.

You don't seem too happy about that. Yusuke, just admit that he's mistreating you so we can get you help.

Yusuke stood up from his stool, and was noticeably more lethargic with his movements. He slowly walked out of the studio. Ren heard the door unlock, and a gasp. He quickly stood up and peaked down the hall from the studio doorway. The sight was unexpected and unwelcome. Well, maybe it was partially welcome.

Akechi stood in the doorway with Yusuke confusedly staring back. Akechi noticed Ren immediately after he peaked.

"Ah, Amamiya-kun. What a wonderful coincidence. Could you come here, please?" Akechi politely asked.

Ren obliged. He stood next to Yusuke.

"Now, time for business. I assume you're Kitagawa-kun?" Akechi said, motioning to Yusuke.

"That is correct," Yusuke said suspiciously.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I've heard great things about you."

Yusuke stepped away from the door.

"S-such as?"

He's getting nervous. He must know that Akechi's a detective.

"Oh, you know. The normal talk for art prodigies," Akechi said in his know-it-all voice.

Yusuke let out a deep breath before giving Akechi a cold glare.

"For what purpose are you here?"

"Ah, all business, are we? I suppose it would've happened eventually," Akechi said as he fished into his jacket pockets for something. He pulled out a few papers before holding them up. "I'm here to investigate the the home of Ichiryusai Madarame."

Ren didn't need to read the fine print to know what it was. He knew that it was a warrant. Apparently Yusuke knew too, because he didn't react well.

"Preposterous!" He said with his signature arm swing.

"I'm afraid there's nothing preposterous about it. Madarame is under suspicion of crimes against several minors, including you. This will be much easier if you allow me in," Akechi said. When he said it, he turned around and nodded to the area behind him. Ren noticed the two police officers who were there.

"I-I…" Yusuke couldn't speak.

"I understand that it may be difficult, but moving from the doorway would be greatly appreciated."

Yusuke shuffled out of the way, accepting whatever Akechi was going to find. Akechi walked down the hall. Ren followed with Yusuke trudging along. When they passed the studio room, Ren peaked in to tell Ryuji and Ann what was happening. They both focused on Ren as soon as he entered.

"Akechi's here to find evidence against Madarame," Ren said in a low voice.

Ryuji bolted up.

"Oh shit, for real?!" Ryuji said before quickly being hushed by Ren and Ann. "Sorry."

"Yes, for real. He's down the hall. Stay in here so things don't get complicated. You never know with the police," Ren said, shaking his head at the last part.

Ann nodded and took a seat in Ren's former stool. Ryuji also sat back down. Ren walked out of the room and to the end of the hall to find Yusuke and Akechi standing in front of Madarame's study. Akechi was fiddling around in his jacket pockets again. He looked up when he sensed Ren approaching.

"You're back. Is this the door you told me about?"

Why'd you have to say that in front of Yusuke? Fuuuuuck.

With that, Yusuke quickly looked to Ren. Betrayal, anger, pain, and sadness flashed across his face in one singular moment, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Uh... yeah. It is."

"Good," Akechi said as he took his hand out of his pocket. He had procured a lockpick, of sorts.

He inserted the lockpick into the lock of the door. Yusuke's arm flinched as if to stop it, but nothing came of it.

He either knows that he's too weak to stop anything, or he realizes that he'll only cause more trouble if he tries something.

The lock clicked.

"There we have it. Kitagawa-kun, for reference, have you ever been in this room?" Akechi asked.

"No, I have n-not," Yusuke said. He still looked nervous.

If he gets any more pale he's gonna be weak to garlic and crosses.

"Thank you," Akechi said politely.

He opened the door. He stepped in first, Yusuke went second, and Ren went third. The room was dark. Ren heard Akechi moving around the center of the room, then there was a click and the lights were on. Akechi stood in the center with the pull chain for the light in his hand. But that wasn't what Ren or Yusuke were focused on.

Lining the walls of the room were shelves upon shelves that contained dozens of paintings. But each painting wasn't unique. They were all identical, with none of them deviating from the established norm. Each painting showcased a woman in red standing in front of a tree branch and the moon. The woman was looking down at something, but it was painted over in blue, adding to the mystery of the painting.

I feel like I've seen that painting. It's super famous or something, right?

"Oh my. I was not expecting this," Akechi said, astounded by the sight.

What were you expecting, starving children?

"This… this is…" Yusuke was muttering to himself. "This is the Sayuri!"

He grabbed one of the paintings, holding it close to his face as if he wanted to inspect every minute detail of it.

Ren's attention switched to Akechi, who was standing over a desk. Ren walked over next to him. Akechi held up a piece of paper with small writing on it.

"Do you know what this is?"

No way am I reading that shit.

"Beats me."

"Look closely."

Fine.

Ren looked closely. He saw names and prices listed next to them.

"Is it a receipt?"

"So it seems. And there are several. I'll have to confiscate these," Akechi said as he pocketed the receipts that were on the desk.

Ren turned back to Yusuke who was still inspecting the painting in disbelief.

"You alright, Kitagawa?" Ren asked.

"No… this is the most despicable of actions. The Sayuri… of all the paintings…"

I don't follow.

Akechi noticed Ren's confusion.

"Sayuri is Madarame's most famous painting. Kitagawa seems to share a special connection with the work."

Yusuke overheard.

"Yes… it is the piece that made me want to pursue beauty through art! To see it defiled like this… it's appalling."

I can't even begin to understand how he feels. I don't think I've ever looked at an object the way that Yusuke looks at that painting.

"I believe it gets worse…" Akechi said, pulling Ren out of his thoughts.

Akechi walked over to the corner of the room. There was what looked like an easel with a cover over it. Akechi promptly pulled the cover off and tossed it aside. On the easel was another Sayuri, but this one didn't have the blue paint at the bottom. It had a baby in the woman's arms.

Damn… that's a good ass painting.

Yusuke looked up at the newly revealed painting and let out a shocked gasp.

"This can't…"

He walked over to the painting. His lightly brushed his hand along the bottom of the painting, next to the baby. As Ren looked closer, he noticed small writing in the bottom right of the painting.

A signature.

Ren walked closer to the painting. He was now standing next to Yusuke.

It says, 'Mika Kitagawa.' Oh. Oh fuck. If this is the original, then Madarame plagiarized Yusuke's mom's painting, reproduced it numerous times, and then sold the copies? Fuck that guy. This should be enough evidence to arrest him, right?

Ren slowly backed away from the painting and went to Akechi.

"You can arrest Madarame with this, right?" he said in a hushed voice.

"Perhaps. I'll have to show my superior the evidence and obtain an arrest warrant, but I doubt it'll be much trouble."

"Good. What happens to Kitagawa?"

"It's up to him. I believe his school has student housing options."

"Hm…" Ren pondered Yusuke's future.

Would this be the end of his career? Madarame will be disgraced, and I'm not too sure if people will want to see the work of the pupil of a plagiarist. What Yusuke should do is distance himself from Madarame in every possible way.

Yusuke was blankly staring at the real Sayuri.

"Mother…"

So he saw the signature too.

"Do you need anything, Kitagawa-kun?" Ren asked.

"I need… to be alone. Could you please leave me?"

"Yeah, but-" Ren began.

"Actually, may I take pictures of the evidence? It'll be difficult to exercise justice without evidence," Akechi blurted.

"Go ahead," Yusuke said, waving his hand. "I don't care anymore."

Akechi quickly pulled out his phone and began taking pictures of everything in the room.

Ren went up behind Yusuke and put a hand on his shoulder. Yusuke didn't flinch at the contact. In fact, he didn't even react.

"Yusuke, if you need anything, let Ann know. I mean it. Don't do anything stupid," Ren tried to say reassuringly.

"I will. I just need time to think," Yusuke said solemnly.

"Got it. I'm gonna head out with everyone. Remember what I said. See you."

Yusuke nodded as Ren walked away. Ren swiftly walked out of the study and down the hall to the studio. Ann and Ryuji looked up at him when he came in.

"Come on. We're leaving," Ren immediately commanded.

"Wha-" Ryuji tried to speak.

"I don't care. We're leaving."

They both stood up and followed Ren out. Once they had left the atelier, Ren explained the details.

"In Madarame's study there were a bunch of copies of the Sayuri. It looks like he's been selling them to people."

"Are you serious? There was a big scandal about it being stolen a few years ago!" Ann said.

"Then it's even worse. The real one is also in the study. It was done by Yusuke's mom. And the blue paint isn't on the real one. The woman is holding a baby."

Ann was speechless. Ryuji didn't have much to say either.

Ann already knew about the Sayuri, so she's in disbelief. Ryuji has no understanding of art or art culture, that's why he's speechless.

"How'd Kitagawa handle it?" Ann finally asked.

"He wasn't happy, to say the least. Ann, please check up on him daily. I really, really don't want this to end like Madarame's other pupils."

"Yeah, I agree. I'll text him every morning."

"Great. Akechi said that he thinks it'll take a few days for an arrest to happen. Until then, we can't do much."

"It sucks being so helpless," Ryuji said.

"Don't say that. If we hadn't met Madarame and Yusuke, I'd never have told Akechi about it. Then nothing would've happened," Ren said reassuringly.

"I guess you're right."

Not in the mood to continue hanging out, each of the three went home for the night.

Michiko Hora:

-Ohya's work phone number: ###-###-####

Makoto looked over the message that Michiko had previously sent her. She memorized the phone number.

I don't want Ren to see me failing in the investigation. I need to succeed. Ohya has to know something, she thought.

She called the number. After a few rings, Ohya picked up.

"Hello, is this-" Makoto began.

"Whaddya want?" A drunk voice slurred.

"I was wondering if this is Ichiko Ohya?"

"Who's ashkin'?

She's wasted. She's struggling to speak. The one lead I have is drunk. Great, Makoto thought.

"This is Makoto Niijima from Shujin Aca-"

"Ya say Shujin? Kamoshida Shujin?"

Makoto winced at the name.

"Yes, that Shujin Academy."

"Interesting…"

"I suppose. Anyways, I was wondering if I could set up a meeting with you? I have some questions about criminal activity in Shibuya, among other things."

"A meeting? Of courshe! Butcha gotta tell me something juicy about Shujin!"

She wants information? Fine, I can do that, Makoto thought.

"Deal. Can you meet tomorrow?"

"Yesh, but we're meeting at Crossroads in Shinjuku. You picked when, I pick the where."

"If you say so. By the way, I'll be-"

Ohya hung up.

Well shit. Now she's not gonna know that I'm bringing Ren. I hope she doesn't get angry at me, Makoto thought.

She searched up Crossroads on her phone. It was a bar. It also opened at night.

I have to go to a bar in Shinjuku at night. At least Ren will be there, Makoto thought.

Happy that she had made some progress, especially now that Ren was involved, Makoto went to bed.