A/N: Quick disclaimer: This chapter contains the parody of a politically charged song. The parody isn't meant to detract from the original song, nor is it meant to make fun of the original song's themes. The parody is used mostly for comedic purpose and the new lyrics are for thematic relevance. The problem is only if the scene is misinterpreted. Otherwise, people likely won't even care. This disclaimer is just to be safe.
Friday, 5/28
Makoto Niijima:
-I set up a meeting with a journalist who may have important information. The meeting won't be until tonight, so we don't have to meet right now.
Ren Amamiya:
-Cool. Text when you want to go.
Not sure if I'm looking forward to tonight or not. It's undoubtedly gonna be awkward. Hell, the whole meeting itself is forced. Does Makoto even want me there, or does she just want to please Haru?
Ren put away his phone. Class had just ended, but he still had something to do at Shujin. He found the person he was looking for in the hallway.
"Ryuji, my man. What's up?"
"Eh, not much. Wait, why're you so friendly all of the sudden? You never talk like that."
"That's because I have a business proposition," Ren said seriously.
"I'll hear your offer," Ryuji said, now interested.
"If Haru is gardening today, go ask her for a gardening lesson."
"That's it?"
"No. Annoy the living shit out of her."
"Dude, why?"
"The why doesn't matter. Will you do it?"
"What's in it for me?"
Shit. I forgot about that. I thought he would go along with it.
"Uh… you can sleepover at my place this weekend?" Ren suggested.
"Hm… yes," Ryuji said, bringing a smile to Ren's face. " But I get to bring energy drinks."
"No. Annoy Haru and sleepover at my apartment. Take it or leave it."
"You drive a hard bargain. Alright, so what do I gotta do?"
"Just… be Ryuji, but extra. Be loud, be obnoxious, swear a lot. Her reaction will tell you if you're doing alright," Ren explained. "Also, I'll be stopping by to say hi."
"Gotcha. We going now?"
Ren nodded. The two began to make their way to the roof. When they opened the door, they saw that Haru was already gardening. She turned when she heard the door.
"Hello, Ryuji. Hello, Ren. Aren't you supposed to be somewhere?"
"Nope. That's tonight. Haru, I have a gift for you. Ryuji approached me and was like, 'Ah man, Ren. Teach me about gardening. It's so effin' cool and shit!' I was like, 'Nah, Ryuji. I'm not cut out for that. Haru knows that stuff better than me.' Ryuji then said, 'You're right, you're right. Take me to the gardening goddess-" A hard slap on Ren's back ended his false story.
"He's exaggerating," Ryuji said with a nervous chuckle.
"Exaggerating or not, I'm not sure if I have time-" Haru began.
"That's a bummer, isn't it? You'll just have to cancel whatever plans you had. That must really suck, having to skip things that you were supposed to go to?" Ren snidely said.
"Ren-kun, if this is-" Haru was getting angry, but Ren didn't care.
"It is exactly what you think it is. Don't even try to get out of it. I'll know. Anyways, good luck with Ryuji. Bye!" Ren said as he pushed Ryuji towards Haru before quickly leaving the roof.
Makoto Niijima:
-The meeting is roughly in an hour. Meet in the lobby?
Ren Amamiya:
-I'll be there in five.
Ren got up from the couch, tossing his controller to the side. Morgana let out an annoyed meow because Ren's movement disrupted his nap. Ren left some food in Morgana's bowl before leaving the apartment. He got down to the lobby and saw Makoto at the same spot he had waited for her.
"'Sup, Miss President. Who're we stalking tonight?"
She looked up from her phone.
"Hello…" she stopped. "Should I use your first name or…?"
No use making jokes. She wouldn't call me whatever I suggested anyway.
"Use Ren, please."
"Okay, Ren. Now, we will not be stalking anybody. As I said earlier in the text, we have a meeting with a journalist in Shinjuku."
"Shinjuku? Isn't that-"
"Yes. Yes it is," Makoto quickly said. "Come on, we should leave now. I'd rather not be late to a meeting this important."
She got up, and the two made their way to the subway station. They boarded the train to Shinjuku. Neither of them said anything during the ride.
I'm not here to be friendly. I'm here to help Makoto and maybe be done with it. At least spending time with her will help me reach my decision. It sucks that it happened this way though. Not cool, Haru. Speaking of, I wonder how Ryuji's lesson went…
"Ryuji-kun, please gently place the plant-"
Ryuji immediately dropped the plant into the mini-garden.
"SHIT! ASS! BITCH! EFF!" He yelled.
"Ryuji-kun! Do not-"
"Is this plant for real?! This bitch is prickly!" He said as he scooped up the remains before dropping them again.
Haru sighed.
I'm gonna have to talk to Ren about this, aren't I? she asked herself.
Ren and Makoto stepped off the subway. They exited the station to the streets of Shinjuku. While it was only a little dark out, the mass of lights was overwhelming. Ren had never seen anything so bright.
"You go here a lot?" he asked.
"Ugh, of course not." Makoto seemed a little offended.
Bad question.
They walked down the street. Apparently, Makoto knew where to go.
"So where exactly are we going?"
"Crossroads bar. Before you make any jokes-"
"Makoto, if you're actually taking me to a bar, I'm gonna leave and then stalk you for three weeks."
"Very funny. It is a bar, but we will not be drinking. We're just there to talk."
"Did you ever consider that the person we'll be talking to is gonna be drunk? They're asking to meet at a bar. How reliable do you think they're gonna be?"
Makoto stopped walking, making Ren stop as well. She didn't look Ren in the eye when she spoke.
"You have no idea how poorly this has gone… this is my only lead. I have to pursue it."
"Fine. I'm just trying to make sure you're not disappointed."
Makoto sighed and continued walking. As they walked further through Shinjuku, a voice called out to them.
"Hey! You!" a woman said.
Ren turned. He scanned the area for someone looking at him. Unfortunately, Shinjuku was a crowded place so it took him a few seconds. His eyes finally reached an alley where a blonde woman was sitting at a table.
"Yes, you! Could you please come here?!" She called out.
Ren turned to Makoto.
"How much time do we have?"
"Well, the journalist never specified, and Crossroads is open all night. I suppose we have some time."
Ren nodded. He walked to the alley with Makoto following. While the alley was less well-lit than the street, Ren examined the woman as she came into view.
She had striking purple eyes and long blonde hair, which was complemented by the purple headband that she wore. Additionally, she wore a light purple dress over a navy blue long-sleeved shirt. She sat at a table with cards spread in front of her.
Tarot cards? Oh, she's a fortune teller. I'm gonna get scammed, aren't I?
"Hey there," Ren said when he reached the table.
"Hello. I called you over here because I sense misfortune in your future."
"Do you just have really good intuition?"
"Nope. I'm psychic! That, and your aura is different ."
"Your aura is very wealthy and very generous. Would you be willing to donate ¥100,000 to me?" is what she's about to say.
"I'm a different breed," Ren said flatly.
"Hm… I'm not sure about that. Tell you what, I'll read your fortune for free."
Ren looked at Makoto, who was now beside him. She shook her head in disapproval.
That's why I'm gonna agree.
"Go ahead," Ren said.
"Ren…" Makoto sounded a little frustrated.
"Makoto, truth is elusive and may never be written down. Fortune-telling could help us find our truth."
Hopefully she doesn't know that those were just song lyrics and a shitty excuse.
"Wha-"
"Miss, I need silence for the reading," the fortune-teller said to Makoto.
Makoto's face turned red.
"Sorry."
The woman turned to Ren.
"Before we begin, my name is Chihaya. If I heard right, yours is Ren?"
Ren nodded.
"Nice to meet you, Chihaya. How are the spirits feeling today?" he joked.
Chihaya laughed.
"It doesn't work like that. Here, place your palm in my hand."
Ren extended his hand to Chihaya's. She gently took hold. Instead of tracing the lines of Ren's palm, she just held it. On the table, she shifted the cards around while staring at Ren's face.
"Yes… no, that's not right… is that… yes, I believe I have it," she said as she let go of Ren's problem.
Chihaya lifted a card.
"Justice."
"See, Makoto? I told you-"
"Underneath justice is… oh no. It's… Death."
"Is that bad?"
"Extremely. Death is approaching your life in some way or another. It may not be for you, but it will certainly come for someone in your life," Chihaya shakily explained.
Makoto suddenly leaned over the table.
"But it's not confirmed, right? This is just a hoax, right?"
"Believe it or don't. I just read the cards," Chihaya said with a shrug. "But Justice and Death… this is troubling."
"How does Justice play into it?" Ren asked.
"The impending death could be the justice that you obtain… have you or someone you know committed a terrible deed?"
Holy shit! Madarame's gonna die. Is that a good thing? Maybe. He's a terrible person. But he should spend his time in prison. Death would be the easy way out. Do I try and stop his death? How can I do that if I don't know how he'll die?
"Yeah, I know someone. Can you tell me how they'll die?
"While I should be able to venture a guess based on the feeling I get from the cards, something's different this time. I get no feeling from Death. It's just an unexplainable, unstoppable death."
"Shit…"
Makoto looked troubled by the prediction. She was staring down at the cards. Hoping to lighten the mood, Ren spoke.
"How about you read her fortune?"
"What?!" Makoto didn't seem to be happy about it.
"Come on, it'll be fun. Just try it."
"You call this fun? She just predicted your death!"
"It is what it is."
"Are you serious?! This-"
"Sorry for interrupting your lover's quarrel, but I'd like to remind you that it may not be Ren's death. Just someone in his life."
"Oh, that makes it so much better," Makoto said.
"I mean, it's a little better," Ren remarked. "Makoto, just try it. Maybe it'll help the investigation."
Makoto still looked cautious.
"You also have an interesting aura. I'll make this one free, too, Makoto."
"You can't pass up a deal like that, Makoto," Ren added.
"Fine. Just do it," Makoto said, thrusting her hand towards Chihaya.
Chihaya took it and began shuffling the cards on the table. She slowly let go of Makoto's hand and picked up a card.
"The Fool. Underneath it… Death, again. I'm gonna be honest, it looks grim for you two. I'm getting a similar feeling from this and when I did Ren's fortune. This isn't good…" Chihaya said distraughtly.
We both got Death? A person we both know is gonna die? Or one of us is gonna die? Shit, now it's kinda confirmed. But the fact that Makoto got it could guarantee Madarame's safety. While she's met him, she's not as close to Madarame in terms of recent events as I am . Or maybe Chihaya's just fucking with us. This could be a very convincing scam.
"A-and how does the Fool factor in?" Makoto asked. She looked a little scared.
Chihaya closed her eyes and rubbed the cards in her hand.
"The Fool will… hm, yes. The actions of the Fool will lead to Death."
Actions of the Fool will lead to Death? Wait a minute… Ryuji could be considered a fool. Don't tell me he pushed Haru off the Shujin roof and killed her.
Out of paranoia, Ren pulled out his phone and quickly messaged Ryuji.
Ren Amamiya:
-How'd it go?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-It went great for me. Not so well for Haru.
No way. Ryuji actually killed Haru.
Ren Amamiya:
-How so?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-She left early because she was sick of dealing with me. I don't think she finished her gardening.
No fair. I had to cancel work and Haru just gets to leave early. I mean, Sojiro was alright with me taking the night off, but come on. That's ridiculous. I'm gonna have to talk to Haru.
Ren Amamiya:
-Good job. See you tomorrow.
"Ren? Earth to Ren?" Makoto's use of his name snapped his attention away from his phone.
Ren shoved his phone in his pocket.
"Sorry. I was texting Ryuji."
"Uh-huh. Anyways, Chihaya, is there anything else you can tell us?" Makoto asked.
"Unfortunately, no. As I said earlier, it's unexplainable. You'll have to wait and see."
"Is this the part where you ask us for ¥100,000 to learn the full truth of our fates?" Ren dramatically asked.
"Erm, no. Even if I did want to scam you, I wouldn't have anything to actually say. That's how indecipherable your fates were."
Ren wasn't sure if that scared him or not.
"To end on a positive note, I think we'll be fine. Thanks," Ren said.
"Please come see me soon! I must know how everything goes!" Chihaya almost desperately said.
"Will do," Ren complied.
Can't say the same for Makoto. She definitely won't want to go here again. Not with me, at least.
"Thank you," Makoto said.
She and Ren walked away from the fortune teller. She led Ren further into Shinjuku and stopped outside of a hole in the wall of a bar.
Must be Crossroads if we're stopping.
"This the place?"
"Yes," Makoto answered.
She just stood there, staring up at the sign.
"Are we going in?"
"Erm, yes, sorry," Makoto said sheepishly.
She still wasn't going in.
"Want me to go first?"
"Yes, please," Makoto said quietly.
Ren walked up to the door and opened it. As he entered, he held the door open so that Makoto could come in. He felt her support the door with her arm so he let go and walked all the way in.
The bar was exactly what Ren expected. It was moody, dimly lit, and atmospheric. Other than the standard bar and stools, what stuck out to Ren was the bright red heart that read 'Welcome' on the shelf where the drinks were kept. What also stuck out was the bartender. A large person dressed in a black and purple kimono stood behind the bar. They had short purple hair and had full make-up on their face.
Ren heard the door close behind him and he knew that Makoto was at his side. The bartender looked up at them.
"Little young to be here, aren't we?" they asked in a deep masculine voice.
"You're right. We're meeting Ichiko Ohya ," Makoto said. She seemed much more focused and collected than when they were outside the bar.
"Ah, excuse me for one second," the bartender said as they walked out from behind the bar and went behind a curtain to the backroom.
The backroom is hidden by a curtain? Isn't that common in strip clubs? Eh, like I would know.
"Ichiko! They're here for you," the bartender could be heard saying.
"Eh? Lala-chan, stop playin' with me!" a very inebriated feminine voice replied.
Lala-chan? I'm guessing that means the bartender prefers female pronouns? I'll just stick to Lala-chan to be safe.
"No, they're here. Get up off your ass and go out there!"
"Ugh, fine. You expect sho much of me,"
"It's your meeting…"
Lala emerged from the curtain. She went back behind the bar. A few seconds later, Ichiko Ohya stumbled out. She was in her mid to late twenties. She had a black bob cut and bright red lipstick. A pair of orange sunglasses sat perched atop her hair. For an outfit, she wore a black t-shirt over a white long-sleeved shirt. She had jeans and black and white shoes to finish off her outfit.
"Gagh. Who put those curtains there?!"
"Er, hello, Ohya-san."
"Eh? Who's 'at?"
"I'm Makoto Niijima and this is my partner Ren Amamiya."
"Partner, huh? Not the best place for a romantic outing, ya know," Ohya teased.
Makoto immediately turned red. Before she could stutter out whatever she wanted to say, Ren spoke for her.
"No, she means investigative partner. We're here for the meeting about criminal activity in Shibuya."
"Oh, it's you… wait, you didn't shay you were bringing someone," Ohya made an accusatory face.
"You hung up on me when I was mentioning it," Makoto said flatly, her composure returning.
"Did I? Oh well, let'sh get down to business. Take a sheat in the back," Ohya said as she turned and walked to a booth in the back corner of the room.
Ren and Makoto followed. Ohya sat down on one side of the dirty booth while Makoto and Ren took the other side.
"Sho, who's gonna shtart?" Ohya slurred.
"What can you tell us about Yakuza activity in Shibuya?" Makoto asked.
Ren looked over at her. She was focused and knew what she wanted. Ren couldn't help but admire the look of determination on her face. In fact, he even felt a little inspired by it. He looked back to Ohya to await her response.
"Shibuya? Oh, yeah. So there's this new clan in the mix- wait a minute. You shaid you'd give me the scoop on Shujin!" Ohya demanded.
Ren kept quiet because he didn't know what information Makoto wanted to give up.
"That can wait. You tell us first," Makoto said assertively.
"No, it can't wait. And neither can I for another drink. Lala-chan!" Ohya aggressively called out.
She really wants her alcohol. Should Makoto and I be letting her drink? She's supposed to be our informant.
"Talk to the kids first, Ichiko," Lala replied.
"Ugh, fine. What were we talkin' about?"
"Yakuza and Shibuya."
"Oh, that's right. Anyway, I don't know much. But that'sh 'cause the police dunno much either. All they got is a name," Ohya said, suddenly getting really serious. Whatever she was about to say seemed to sober her up. "Junya Kaneshiro."
Silence fell over the table. Ohya obviously expected Ren and Makoto to react, but they didn't. The name meant nothing to them.
"And how is that name significant?" Ren asked.
"He's behind it. The rise in criminal activity."
"Interesting… there's also something else. There have been fewer news reports relating to crime in Shibuya in the past few months. Do you know anything about that?" Makoto asked.
Rise in crime and fewer news reports? Makoto might be on to something.
"Couldn't tell ya. I was unassigned from that shit a while back," Ohya bitterly said.
"Is there anything else you can tell us about Junya Kaneshiro?"
"Yeah. Don't go after people who's only evidence of existing is their name," Ohya muttered. "It's your turn. Tell me the deets on Shujin."
"Erm, about that…" Makoto made a face of subtle panic. She looked like she had only planned up to getting Ohya's information.
"Don't tell me you don't have anything," Ohya forcefully said.
"Well-"
"Of course we do!" Ren interjected. "But it's more of an important person than a piece of info."
"Talk."
"One second, please," Ren asked.
He quickly pulled out his phone.
Ren Amamiya:
-What's Mishima's phone number? Don't ask why just tell me.
He looked back up at Ohya.
"Well?" She was getting impatient.
Ren looked over to Makoto.
"What are you doing?" She quietly muttered to him.
Ren felt his phone vibrate.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-###-###-####. You owe me, Renny.
Ren Amamiya:
-As Residing Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness, I, Ren Amamiya, hereby suspend thy right to be owed.
That'll confuse him enough, right?
Ren quickly put away his phone.
"I can give you the phone number of Shujin's gossipmonger. He knows everything and everyone. He'll have information far beyond anything that we can give you," Ren said convincingly.
"Hmmm… how do I know I can trust you?"
"You'll have to if you want us to leave so you can get your alcohol," Ren flatly said.
"Fair point. Gimme his number."
"It's ###-###-####. Don't go crazy on him. He's cautious of new people."
"Yeah, yeah. I'll make him talk. Now scram. I'm starting to feel sober."
"Will do. C'mon, Makoto," Ren said.
Makoto scooted out of the booth and Ren followed. As they walked out of the bar, Ren thanked Lala and waved goodbye. He then exited the bar. As soon as they were out, Makoto turned to Ren with a stern look on her face.
Is she angry with me? I really don't need to deal with this right now. Especially after I'm forced to come with her. Hell, she should be thanking me. She would've been fucked if I didn't give Ohya Mishima's number.
"Whose number did you give?!"
"Relax, it's just Mishima. I'm sure he won't mind."
"Really? What if he doesn't tell her anything? Or he tells her about your criminal record and then she writes an article about 'Shujin's resident delinquent?!' How does that headline sound?!"
"If it happens, it happens. What's she gonna write besides that I assaulted someone? All I've done is start a gardening club. Not that interesting," Ren said dismissively.
"How do you not care more about this?!"
"Because it got the job done for the time being," Ren said. He didn't want to argue with Makoto any longer. "Let's go back. I'm done for the night."
"Done with what?!"
"Helping you. You're not very thankful that I saved your investigation," Ren said as he began walking.
"I would've thought of something!" Makoto said as she caught up to him and began walking at his side.
"Would you? We both know how slow you are."
"Ren, this is-"
"Ah, Amamiya-kun. Niijima-san. Funny seeing you here.
Ren looked away from Makoto. Akechi stood in front of them. He smiled back before looking at where they were coming from.
"A bar? Oh my."
"It's not what it looks like," Makoto quickly said.
"What is it?" Akechi slyly asked.
None of your business. Would you kindly fuck off?
"We work there. Sojiro doesn't pay enough for me to support myself and my cat," Ren blurted.
"Interesting… I'm surprised that you work there, Niijima-san."
"Oh, erm… you know, student council doesn't take that much time. I just n-needed something to do…" Makoto nervously said.
This is gonna fail if she keeps talking. I need to stay in control of the conversation.
"And you chose a bar?" Akechi continued.
"You chose to be a detective before graduating high school," Ren quickly replied. He didn't want to give Makoto the chance to screw up.
"Touché. I'm surprised you both work there. Are you two friends?"
"Acquaintances," Ren answered.
"Interesting…"
"No, it's not. What is interesting is why you're here, Akechi-san," Ren said, hoping to change the subject.
"I'm simply returning home from an investigation. Actually, I have an update on Madarame. I believe his arrest will be in the next few days. My superiors were more than eager to grant me a warrant. Honestly, I was surprised-"
Makoto gasped.
"Madarame?! The artist?!"
Dammit, Makoto.
Ren leaned over to Makoto.
"I'll tell you later. Let me handle this," he whispered.
The look on Makoto's face was one of frustration and acceptance.
At least she realizes that she'd only make things worse.
"That's great, Akechi-san."
"It is. I'll tell you when the arrest has been made."
"No, I think I'm alright."
"No, I think I'd like to see where you're staying," Akechi said. It was almost creepy in the fake casual tone he used.
"Um…" Ren wasn't sure how to respond. "No?"
"I'm afraid you don't have a choice."
"You say that to your fangirls when you get up close and personal?" Ren sarcastically remarked.
That caught Akechi off guard. Offended, he took a step back.
"I-" Akechi began.
"Will leave Ren and Makoto alone. Have a nice day," Ren finished in a rude tone.
He grabbed Makoto's hand and pulled her past the flabbergasted Akechi. He didn't stop leading her until they had walked a considerable distance and were standing in front of a movie theater. They only stopped because Makoto had pulled her hand out of Ren's grip.
"What now?" Ren frustratedly asked as he turned back towards Makoto.
"I want a few answers, for a start," Makoto replied.
That's fair but now's not the time.
"I'll tell you on the subway. Can we please just go?"
"Fine. But you better tell me."
"...Hajime Sugimura has recently announced his campaign for prime minister for the upcoming election…"
Ren and Makoto sat side by side on the train. They said nothing to each other. The lack of other people on the train didn't help the awkwardness. The only sounds were the movement of the train and the news reporter on the nearby mini-TV. Ren was never one for politics, so he decided to break the silence.
"Want your answers now?" he said as he stared across from where they sat.
"As soon as possible," Makoto said. She was also looking across.
"You gotta ask a question for me to know what to talk about," Ren said with a slightly condescending chuckle.
"First, Madarame. What's going on?"
"Long story short, we found a bunch of evidence of plagiarism and shit in Madarame's atelier. His past apprentices also have a history of suicide."
"Oh… t-that's…"
"Next question, please," Ren reminded her.
I'm tryna just finish this and go home. Quit wasting time and ask the question, Makoto.
"W-well… what's your relationship with Akechi?"
"He annoys me and I tell him to go away. Next."
"There has to be more-"
"Next."
"Fine," Makoto huffed. "Again, why on earth did you give Ohya-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there. Makoto, I'm not in the wrong. It was either that or let you flounder in front of a drunk and therefore a potentially violent person."
"Ohya wouldn't-"
"Really? You guys go out drinking often? You know how she acts when she's angry and drunk?"
"No, but-"
"Exactly. She was already irritated. If she had found out that we were wasting her time and not letting her get a drink… you see where I'm going,?"
"But that doesn't mean-"
"Godammit, Makoto. If you keep talking about this I'm gonna get off this fucking train right now."
"Why're you so angry tonight?!"
"If you haven't guessed, I don't want to be here. Haru forced me to come."
"Haru didn't force you-"
"Makoto, stop saying shit like that. If I didn't agree to go, she would've gone ballistic. Can we both just shut up and call it a night?"
Makoto let silence answer. She sat there and made a pouting face. Ren took one look at her before turning back to face straight ahead.
I think tonight helped me make my decision.
Saturday, 5/28
Ren quickly left Classroom 2-D when the lunch bell rang, as he wanted to avoid Ann. While he didn't have a problem with her, the conversation with her would inevitably turn to Makoto, given the week's events. Unfortunately, Ren still had other people to worry about.
"Yo! Ren!" Ryuji called out from down the hall.
Ren slowly turned around. Ryuji was just reaching Ren
"Hey, Ryuji."
"I've got big news!"
"I don't want to hear that you visited a maid cafe, Ryuji," Ren said flatly.
"How'd you kn- wait, that's not the point! I know where to find Eiko!"
Ryuji visited a maid cafe? The fuck? Why didn't he invite me?
It must've looked suspicious to anyone in the hallway that the two school delinquents were talking about someone they wanted to find. A few students quickly walked away. Ren held his hand up, signaling for Ryuji to lower his voice.
"My bad. But I just overheard from two girls in my class that Eiko spends her lunch period in the library."
"Isn't food not allowed?"
"It's not. She must be studying or something. I hear that some students hook-up in the library."
"Hm… we doing this now?"
" You're doing this now. I'm just along for the ride," Ryuji said with an excited grin. "You owe me. Put on a show, Renny."
I don't know how much showmanship I can put into talking to a girl. Maybe I can find a fog machine somewhere. Pyrotechnics would be cool, too.
Ren and Ryuji both made their way to the library. Ryuji's excitement added a little extra bounce to his steps.
He's looking forward to this more than I am.
They finally reached the library. When they entered Ren quickly scanned the library for the Eiko he remembered from Shujinstagram. When he didn't see her, he shook his head at Ryuji.
"She could be in one of the study spots or behind a shelf," Ryuji suggested in a whisper.
Ren nodded. Ryuji sat down at a table and began to scan the room. There weren't many people in the library besides the few people reading books, so Ren didn't have to worry about the rumors ruining his surprise advantage.
He reached the back of the room and peeked behind the shelf. Sure enough, Eiko stood there. She was tapping away at her phone while chewing gum. It was a narrow, isolated area that was out of view of the other people in the rest of the library.
I guess I know why she's here. She must want to hook-up with Dai right now. Shit. That means he's on his way. I should hurry.
"Gum's not allowed in the library, you know," Ren said softly as he put on a friendly smile and popped into Eiko's voice.
She looked up from her phone and let out a small gasp.
"Yeah? You gonna rat me out?"
"Nah, I just wanted an excuse to talk to you," Ren said slightly flirtatiously.
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah. So watcha doing in the library?"
"Waiting for my boyfriend ," Eiko said with a little bite to it.
Shit. I know that this just started, but the mention of her boyfriend right off the bat isn't good. Quick, Ren, think of something!
"You don't sound too happy to see me," Ren said with a fake chuckle.
"Why would I be?" Eiko said as she popped a bubble.
"If someone came up to me and liked me as much as I like you, I'd be ecstatic."
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm taken," Eiko said as she looked back down at her phone.
Damn. This really isn't going well.
"Babe?" a voice said from behind Ren.
Oh fuck. This really isn't going well.
Ren turned around to see Dai standing behind him. He wasn't particularly scared of Dai, but Dai's height was a little intimidating.
"Hey, sweetie!" Eiko called from behind Ren. "The delinquent was trying to hit on me."
You fucking rat.
"You what?!" Dai was getting angry.
"I was just saying hi," Ren said a little nervously.
Being trapped in a narrow space wasn't helping Ren's nerves.
"You just wanted to take Eiko from me, isn't that right? You don't actually like her!" Dai insisted.
He got that right. Maybe he's smarter than I give him credit for.
"You're so smart, sweetie!" Eiko said as she pushed past Ren to hug Dai.
Ren saw his opportunity and took it. He pushed the embracing couple to the side and quickly shuffled out of the aisle. Ryuji looked up from his seat at a table once Ren emerged.
"Time to go!"
Ryuji quickly stood up and began to hurry out of the library. Ren wasn't sure why they were both rushing, as he didn't know whether Dai was chasing them or not. If he was, Ren had nothing up his sleeve to stop Dai from kicking his ass.
"No shouting in the-" the library attendant did her best to enforce the rules.
"Sorry!" Ren yelled back.
He and Ryuji both got out of the door.
"Roof!" Ren ordered.
They both hurried up the stairs and burst out from the doors.
"Dude… what'd you do?"
"Dai pulled up. Eiko wasn't too excited about me. I had no choice but to run."
"Eh. I probably would've done the same. Does this mean that Operation Gardening Project is no more?"
"No one left to seduce. Eiko doesn't want anything to do with me. I guess we failed."
"Hey, leave me out of it. You failed. Maybe she would've liked me…" Ryuji said, his eyes staring into the distance in fantasy.
"You wish. It doesn't matter. All it means is that we have no way to get back at Dai and Yoshiro for the time being. I guess we gotta wait and see."
The two stood there in silence. Ryuji glanced over at the mini-garden and made a look of realization.
"Dude! You still owe me!"
"Oh yeah. For annoying Haru? Just sleepover tonight," Ren casually said.
"That and Mishima's number!"
"Like I said, I don't owe you for that."
"Bullshit. You still owe me!"
"Fine, I'll do you a favor when you need it. I'm gonna get back to the classroom. Meet me at the school gates later."
"Will do. See ya, Renny."
Sunday, 5/29
Ren woke up to a knock at the door. Ryuji had spent the night at his apartment, so Ren considered the possibility of Ryuji accidentally locking himself out. Ren walked out of his room and through the living area. Ryuji was still asleep on the couch.
Then who is it? Please don't be Haru. Or Makoto. Or anyone. Fuck it, just be someone ding-dong ditching.
Ren opened the door.
Fuck.
It was Akechi. He wore his smug smile and brown pea coat with pride.
"Hello, Amamiya-kun. Did I wake you up?"
Wait… Akechi said that he would come to my apartment to tell me about Madarame's arrest. So that means…
"Yeah, but that doesn't matter. Are you here for the reason I think you are?"
"That is correct. Ichiryusai Madarame has been placed under arrest as of earlier this morning."
"Good job, Akechi. How's Kitagawa?"
"I wasn't present for the actual arrest, I simply heard of it. Perhaps you should check on Kitagawa?"
"You're right. Good idea," Ren said as he tried to close the door.
Akechi's arm stopped the door from slamming shut.
"May I see your apartment?"
Ren smiled back.
"No."
He slammed the door closed.
Hopefully he's not there when Ryuji and I leave.
Ren walked to the side of the couch.
I wonder if Ryuji'll appreciate me waking him up.
"Ready, set, GO!" Ren yelled.
Ryuji scrambled to his feet, looking around savagely. When he saw no direction to sprint in, he made a confused face.
"Man, why'd you have to do that…?" he disappointedly asked with a yawn.
"Because I have good news: Madarame's been arrested."
"For real?! Dude, we have to talk to Kitagawa!"
"Damn right. Get ready to go. We leave in twenty," Ren said. "Send a text to the group, too."
Ren quickly got in the shower before hurrying through his routine.
Once again, the members of GRAVY stood outside the atelier. Yet again, they were not joined by Haru. "Business obligations" were surprisingly common for the high schooler.
But that didn't capture the attention of the other three. What caught their eyes was the crime scene that the atelier had become. Two police cars were parked outside. A small crowd had formed, all of them desperate to know what happened to the great Madarame. Two police officers had been delegated the duty of stopping the crowd from entering the house. Others could be seen entering and exiting the house with bags of what Ren guessed was evidence.
"Dude… how do we get to Yusuke?"
"Ann, are you able to call him?" Ren asked
"Got it," Ann said as she whipped out her phone.
She quickly dialed Yusuke and held the phone to her ear.
"Kitagawa-kun? Are you at the atelier? You are? Uh-huh. Mhm. Could you come outside? Ren, Ryuji, and I want to talk to you. No, we won't be interrogating you. You want us to… oh, ok. See you soon," Ann said before putting the phone away and speaking to Ren and Ryuji. "Follow me."
Ren and Ryuji had no choice but to follow Ann. She led them down to the corner of the sidewalk where they took a right. They were now on the side of Madarame's atelier, but there was a locked gate stopping them from getting onto the property. Within a minute, they saw Yusuke exit the atelier from a side door and unlock the gate. He didn't meet their eyes as he joined them.
"Hey, Kitagawa-kun. You doing alright?" Ryuji asked.
"No," Yusuke said solemnly.
"Let's just get away from here, okay? You can pick anywhere you want to go," Ren said.
Surprisingly, that made Yusuke glance up with a little hope in his eyes.
"Anywhere?"
Why the fuck did he choose the karaoke place on Central Street?
Ren, Yusuke, Ann, and Ryuji sat in a dirty-ass booth in a dirty-ass room listening to shitty-ass music. At least, that was Ryuji's description of it shortly after they entered. He was right about all three. To add to those problems, the person singing was awful, the group's food hadn't arrived after thirty minutes, and they weren't sure what to talk about.
Do we try and take Yusuke's mind off of what happened, or do we try to get him to vent his anger to us? I'm honestly not sure which he would prefer.
"So… Kitagawa… anything you want to talk about?" Ryuji asked the question the other GRAVY members had been unable to ask.
"All I wish to do is wait my turn. I will release my anger through song," Yusuke said. He had been staring at the current singer their whole time there, not even breaking his gaze to speak with Ryuji.
"You do you, man," Ryuji said with a sigh.
It was awkward to have a conversation like Yusuke wasn't there, and it was awkward to not have a conversation. Ren had to settle for silence for the next few minutes. Thankfully, the terrible singer left the stage. Yusuke quickly stood up and approached the stage. Before he stepped up to the microphone, he approached the DJ. He whispered something and handed the DJ his phone.
The hell's he doing? Doesn't he know how karaoke works?
"What song do you think he'll do?" Ann curiously asked.
None of the three looked at each other. Their eyes were all trained on Yusuke.
"I dunno. Runaway?" Ryuji threw out.
"He said he was gonna release his anger. Maybe the really loud one?" Ren suggested.
"Hm…" Ann considered their answers.
Ren looked at her. She didn't look satisfied with either.
Doesn't matter to me. I'm just excited to see Yusuke sing. Or rap. One of the two.
Yusuke finally stood in front of the microphone.
"Ahem…"
Ren looked over to the DJ. He had Yusuke's phone plugged into a chord.
Uh oh…
Uh oh was right. A sinister sounding bass line played from the speakers, which were much louder than Yusuke's. It wasn't the Pain Song, and it wasn't nearly as loud. It was also surprisingly simple. Echoing voices began rapidly repeating over the bassline, getting faster and faster before a single note from a synthesizer rang out. That was when Yusuke spoke.
"I've grown up in an era where,"
Another synth note.
"Clean water wasn't served to the bluer hair."
Another note.
"Doing art you would've thought I had help, but he wasn't satisfied unless he claimed the shit for himself," Yusuke proclaimed with the synth note playing in the middle of his lyrics.
The synth notes turned into the simple, angry bass line from before. Yusuke continued his rapping, actually flowing quite well. He emphasized the important words and stayed on the beat. In Ren's mind, that was pretty good. The synth notes had returned.
At least he's speaking in Japanese.
"Art slaves!" Yusuke angrily yelled into the microphone.
He's angry angry.
Ren looked at the other people in the karaoke lounge. Their reactions ranged from shocked and frightened to amazed and dumbfounded.
Synthetic strings played loudly, emphasizing Yusuke's words. They followed the same bassline from the start.
Ren turned back to Ryuji and Ann to see what they thought. Ann's jaw was practically on the table. Ryuji's grin was ear to ear.
"How ya doing, Ryuji?" Ren asked over the music.
"This shit is f-"
"You see there's leaders and there's followers, but I'd rather be a dick than a swallower!" Yusuke loudly declared.
Yusuke, what the fuck are you talking about? What does that have to do with art?
Yusuke found the line profound enough to repeat it before starting another verse.
"I check these color keys, I wear my heart on the sleeve, I know that I'm the art slave, I saw the paint on the thief," Yusuke said before repeating the last line a few more times.
This is ridiculous. I'm surprised they haven't thrown him off the stage yet.
"He throwing hate at me, want me to stay at ease, fuck you and your corporation, y'all Suits can't control me!"
Ren was snapped out of his laser focus on Yusuke by the group's food arriving. Ren looked up at the waitress, who looked genuinely concerned by Yusuke's performance.
"Tough day, huh?" Ren joked to her.
She looked down at him and opened her mouth before Yusuke's explicit lyrics interjected.
"Y'all artists can't fuck with me, y'all artists can't fuck with 'Ke, y'all bitches can't fuck Yusuke!"
Ren looked back up at the stage.
"Y'all bitches can't fuck Yusuke!" Is Yusuke popular with the girls at Kosei? I can't think of what else that lyric would mean.
"I'll move my art out the country so you can't see where I paint!"
Ren looked back to the waitress. She shook her head in disappointment and walked away.
"Meanwhile Madarame, teamed up with the JFA, they tryna lock artists up, they tryna make art slaves!"
JFA? Isn't that Japan For Arts? That's like one of the most significant art groups in Japan. Even I've heard of them. Is Yusuke putting them on blast in a karaoke performance of all places?
"They prolly all in Shibuya, braggin' 'bout what they made. Fuck you and your Shibuya house, I'll fuck your 'buya spouse, paint on her 'buya blouse, then deport her to Laos!"
That is the single most vulgar, most idiotic, most utterly fascinating thing I've ever heard. Sex, paint, deportation to Laos, Yusuke's covering all the bases.
"Y'all bout to turn shit up, I'm bout to tear shit down, I'm bout to air shit out, now what the fuck they gon' say now?!" Yusuke concluded with fiery emphasis before stepping away from the microphone.
A high synthetic voice replaced Yusuke, but it wasn't saying any actual lyrics. Suddenly, drums came out of nowhere and a retro-sounding anthemic rock song began playing. One of the most beautiful guitar melodies Ren had ever heard played before promptly ending. With that, Yusuke bowed and left the stage.
The lounge was dead silent. No one dared to be the first one to speak after what had transpired. Yusuke, unphased by the silence, walked back to the table. A few seconds after he sat down, normal music resumed playing. Ryuji and Ann were both staring at Yusuke. Ren was finding it hard not to do the same. Everyone's food was still uneaten.
"Uh… you okay?" Ryuji asked.
"I've felt better than I have in months," Yusuke replied as he took a sip of water.
"That's… cool," Ann responded. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about Madarame?"
"I believe I can now that I've released my pent up rage," Yusuke said with a sigh. "Where should I begin?"
"It's up to you, man," Ryuji said with a shrug.
"Well… Madarame has mistreated me for years. I remained silent about it because of the importance he has in the art world, and my life as well. With his newest gallery, he wanted to end it with a painting on the level of Sayuri . Something that would have the critics raving and drooling. He was pressuring me to create it for him. That was where Takamaki-san came in. I believed the feeling I got from seeing her for the first time would be enough to create a masterpiece, and perhaps it was. But I found no perfection in my efforts. Now that I'm free from Madarame's grasp, I believe it was because he was forcing me to make the painting that I wasn't succeeding. No beauty can come from tyranny."
He had to deal with all of that alone. He hasn't mentioned any friends, any acquaintances even. We gotta do something...
"Wow…"
"You are right to be amazed. Madarame's control over the art world was truly incredible. From what I've seen, he has several other apprentices in studios across Tokyo, maybe even all of Japan. I've only ever met three other apprentices," Yusuke said before looking down. "I… I'm unaware of their fates."
"Kitagawa…"
"Please… call me Yusuke," Yusuke said dejectedly.
"Yusuke, I'm sure they're alright. Madarame'll probably go to prison and the other apprentices will be free, same as you," Ann said reassuringly.
"A tremendous amount of beauty was destroyed because of Madarame… my mother's masterpiece included. All I can hope to do is restore some of the lost beauty."
"So you're gonna keep painting?!" Ryuji excitedly asked.
"I must. It is my calling in life, and the only way I can truly break free of Madarame. What is passion if it used for another's pleasure rather than for oneself? It is meaningless."
"Yeah, for sure…" Ryuji said with a nervous chuckle. "Hey, what was all that music you played for us while you were painting?"
Yusuke looked up and even looked excited to speak.
"The music I played was American hip-hop. In my view, it is the genre that is pushing the boundaries of modern music the most. All artists appreciate innovation, no matter the medium."
They sat in silence for a bit. It wasn't an awkward silence like when they first arrived. It was comfortable. They all knew that they were simply letting everything sink in. That was Ren had an idea.
"Hey, Yusuke? Wanna join our club?"
"Club? Are you speaking of your gardening club? I remember your booth on Club Day."
"I am. If you're not interested in gardening, that's all good. To be honest, three-fourths of the club isn't interested in gardening either. The club is really just our group of friends," Ren explained.
"Friends…"
"Yeah! We hang out a lot. You would have fun!" Ann encouraged.
"It has been a long time since I considered something fun…"
"Okay, now you gotta join!" Ryuji said as he nudged Yusuke's shoulder.
"Perhaps I should… but first I must secure housing. I believe Kosei will allow me to utilize the dorms, but I must make sure."
"So you're down to join?"
"As long as I can still pursue beauty."
"Then it's official. Yusuke Kitagawa, welcome to GRAVY!"
A/N: For now, this is the end of Kanye indulgence in this story. I feel like it's become a bit too much. For those of you who enjoy the Kanye indulgence, it'll be back in September. Regarding next week's chapter: if it's late it's because it's really, really long. It might not be, but I'd just like to put that out there. I also might be taking extra time to work on it because the chapter needs to be done correctly. Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a wonderful day.