Unknown

Ren ascended off of the grass towards the light in the sky. It grew brighter and brighter, but he didn't mind. When he first started rising, wind could be felt all around him. The closer he got to the light, the more the wind died down.

With the distance between the light and Ren shortening, he began to question what it truly was. It surely wasn't the sun, but it was still a giant circular light in the sky.

Is that really the sky? It's starting to look a bit… gray and metallic. Wait a minute…

A giant face peered down at Ren, blocking the light. The familiar red eyes of the face were comforting. It made Ren forget what he had just done to Yoshiro in the park below. Ren continued to get closer and closer to the face. He realized that the face was mouthing words that Ren couldn't hear. What he could hear was a distinct ringing in his ears, but it was gradually fading. He began to hear what the face was saying.

"Ren. Can you hear me?"

The sky behind the face completed its transformation into a ceiling. The face stopped blocking the light when it moved out of the way, but the light was far less bright this time. The more Ren looked at it, the more he thought of it as something that would be found in a doctor's examination room.

A new face blocked out the light. The short, dark blue hair was instantly recognizable.

I'm… I'm in Tae's clinic? How did I get here?

"Ren? Niijima-san, I think he's coming to."

Ren became fully aware of his surroundings. He felt the recognizable surface of the examination table beneath him. He craned his head to the left. Makoto and Tae were both standing at his side. When Ren tried to look Makoto in the eye, she averted her gaze.

"Wha-"

"Be quiet. I'll tell you everything," Tae said. "It is Tuesday evening. You were brought to my clinic by this girl and a boy. You were covered in blood that came from your nose and regularly slipping in and out of consciousness. I quickly concluded that you have a concussion. Any questions so far? You should keep them simple, by the way."

"Before…?" Ren mumbled.

"Before you got here? I'm sure she'll be telling you all about it," Tae said as she gestured to Makoto. "Seems like you had quite the night. Anyway, the concussion isn't severe, but that doesn't mean you get to resume your normal life. You'll need to spend a few days resting at home. Can you do that?"

Ren nodded.

"Good. Other than that, I don't want to give you headache medication unless you actually need it. If you do, you're welcome to have it. Just send someone by. Let me know if anything irregular occurs or if you need anything. Got it?"

Ren nodded again.

"Good," Tae said before lowering her voice and turning to Makoto. Ren heard her anyway. "I trust that you can get him home?"

Makoto quickly nodded her head, almost nervously from Ren's perspective.

"Good. If you can check on him regularly.," Tae instructed before looking back down to Ren. "Let's get you up."

She put both arms on Ren's shoulders and gently leaned him upwards. He knew what to do at that point, so he turned his body so that his legs hung off the table. He carefully lifted himself down before successfully getting both feet on the ground. As soon as he did that, Makoto draped Ren's arm over her shoulder and had him lean his weight into her. If Ren's weight was too much for her, she didn't say anything.

"Get well soon!" Tae encouraged.

Ren nodded before he and Makoto walked out of the room. He felt more and more comfortable walking as he did it, but there was a slight dull pain in the back of his head. It wasn't a full-on headache.

Probably just from getting up too quickly.

Ren and Makoto left the examination room. Ryuji stood up from his seat in the waiting room. He smiled when he saw Ren, but Ren didn't return it. He was too confused to be happy. Adding to the confusion, there was a lot of swelling under Ryuji's right eye.

That's gonna be a black eye. How'd he get that?

"How's he doing, Makoto?" Ryuji asked.

"He's-" Makoto began.

"I'm good. I just wanna go home and sleep," Ren lightly interrupted.

"Understandable. Makoto, you takin' him home?" Ryuji asked. When Makoto nodded, he continued, "You gonna need any help?"

"I think I'll be alright. He's not too heavy."

"If you say so. We'll…" Ryuji's face flickered from his happiness at initially seeing Ren. "We'll talk about everything once Ren's alright."

Makoto nodded back. She seemed like she was ready to get going. Ren was, too. His bed sounded like a paradise at the moment. He felt lucky to be able to sleep for a few days instead of going to school.

But there was still something in the back of his head. Something he just couldn't wrap his head around. He knew he was forgetting something, but it was just out of reach. He was so close to grasping it that it was getting a little frustrating.

I need to… I need to stop thinking. Just go home and sleep.

Makoto didn't care if fishing her hand through Ren's pocket was awkward. It had to be done. She needed to get his apartment key. Thankfully, she got it without much trouble. She swiftly opened the door to Ren's apartment and helped him get inside.

Walking him home hadn't been too difficult. While there was the occasional stumble, he usually held up enough of his own body weight for Makoto not to be over-encumbered. They didn't speak to each other as they walked. Makoto didn't want Ren to focus too much, and she wasn't sure if Ren could even have a normal conversation.

Ren tried to slip away from Makoto once they got inside, but she held tight.

I need to make sure he gets into bed. This is all my fault, was what she had told herself ever since they left the clinic.

She led Ren to his bedroom and opened the door. She wanted to look around and get to know Ren, but that wasn't an option. She also couldn't turn the light on, as she didn't want to overwhelm Ren. A cat could be heard meowing from somewhere in the room, but Makoto paid it no mind. She led Ren to his bed before sitting him down. He kicked off his shoes before getting his legs up on the bed and laid back on his own.

"Do you want to get under the covers?" Makoto softly asked.

"Too much eff…" Ren trailed off because of his drowsiness.

"Here, just keep your legs up for a second."

Ren did as he was told. The bed wasn't fully made, meaning that the blankets weren't completely pinned under Ren. Makoto pulled the blankets back before lifting them over Ren's lower body and dragging them over his torso. She stopped once the edge of the blankets had crossed his upper chest.

"Do you need anything?"

No response. Makoto squinted through the dark and could barely make out Ren with his eyes closed.

He's asleep already… I guess that's a good thing, she thought.

Makoto slowly walked out of the room before closing the door. She began to walk across the apartment to its entrance but stopped to just take everything in. It had changed little since she had last been there. She even felt a little nostalgic when she looked over at the TV and remembered them playing Super Rash Toes at the party. She shook the feeling away before walking out of the apartment. She kept Ren's apartment key with her, as she planned on checking on him relatively early. Unless he was a sleepwalker, which he never mentioned, he wouldn't be leaving the apartment. She locked the door before she went back to her own apartment.

As the elevator ascended, she recounted the night's events after Kaneshiro. The cab ride from the club had felt ethereal, almost as if it wasn't real. Makoto couldn't believe what had happened, and she knew that Ryuji couldn't either. Once they had reached Shibuya, Ryuji had immediately said to take Ren to a doctor. Makoto had agreed, and she knew that Ren's doctor was in Yongen. They took the subway over there, receiving a few odd looks while they sat in the train car. Just as Makoto was remembering the feeling of dread for Ren's fate she had felt when they entered the clinic, the elevator doors opened.

She walked out of the doors and down the hall.

Sis, please be home. I need someone to tell me that everything will be alright, Makoto thought.

She opened the apartment door to the same emptiness she had left it with. After closing and locking the apartment door, she went to her room and curled up under her blankets. Suddenly, something brushed her cheek and she felt Kaneshiro's presence all over again. She frantically looked around her dim room before realizing that it was just the corner of the blanket.

With a sigh, she rolled over onto her side so she was staring at the wall. The lack of light in the room made the wall look like it was pure darkness. Makoto stared into the false void and wished that someone was there to tell her what she wanted to hear.

But she knew that it wasn't alright. Ren could have long term trauma because of his head injury and was going to miss a significant amount of schoolwork. For Makoto, she had two weeks to obtain twenty million yen. There was also the risk of running out of time. What would happen then?

"I'm gonna need to recoup my losses. Rest assured, my people will find you."

It sent shivers down her spine. Even if she wasn't in the club, the events would linger over her for the coming two weeks. Depending on how those two weeks ended, they would linger over the rest of her potentially short life, too.

None of these issues were Makoto's biggest problems. What troubled her most was her loneliness. She pushed people away, and her actions that day would only push more people away. After Ren had recovered, he was sure to realize how idiotic Makoto was. Ryuji would surely follow, and the other members of GRAVY shortly after. Haru had left once because of Makoto's behavior, and it was sure to happen again. Sae had left several times, with this time seeming like the last one. Makoto wasn't sure what was going to happen.

If Sis thought I was useless and a leech before, she would disown me if she knew what I did, she thought.

The only person Makoto knew would accept her was Kaneshiro, and that made her eyes tear up. She didn't want to see his face ever again, but she knew that he would be the only constant thing in her head.

More tears came to her eyes. The more she pondered the situation, the more desperately she wanted, no, needed to hear someone say 'It'll be alright.'

Even if it was a lie.

The person lay on their beach chair, soaking up the summer sun. A lone fly landed on their arm. The person quickly swatted the fly, its remains being left upon the arm.

The person resumed their sunbathing.

Five minutes later, another fly landed on the person's other arm. Another swat ended its life.

Five minutes later, two flies landed. Both were immediately killed.

Five minutes later, four flies landed and were destroyed with haste.

Five minutes later, eight. The person had enough of swatting what seemed to be endless flies and got off of their beach chair.

Flies don't go in the water. If I go in, they won't follow.

The person walked towards the water of the beach, their feet leaving indentations in the sand. While they walked, more and more flies continued to land. The person aggravatingly swatted all of them, but they kept coming.

It became overwhelming. The person broke into a sprint. They had to escape the swarm that followed. An additional swarm of flies met them head-on during their race to the water, but they ran through it. The flies belting against their skin hurt for the time being, but all would be okay once they reached the water.

They felt their feet hit the cold water of the ocean. They splashed their way into the water, the swarm of flies remaining constant over whatever parts of their body weren't underwater. The person fully submerged themselves, ready to hold their breath for a minute then emerge to no flies.

Unfortunately, this wasn't the case.

The person's head came out of the water to look around. As soon as it did, it was covered in flies. They went back down.

Another minute passed. They hadn't been able to breathe when they emerged, and they were suffering the consequences. A throbbing rhythm began in the person's ears and eyes. The throbbing soon became painful. The person was forced to go above water to breathe.

When they emerged for the second time, even more flies than before covered their head. In the brief glimpse the person got before closing their eyes, the surface of the water surrounding them was covered in flies, awaiting their turn to overwhelm the person.

The person went back under. They wanted it to end.

The flies are endless, right? What if I just… let go?

The person released the little air they had in their lungs. They admired the last breaths of their life as the bubbles floated to the surface. The throbbing pain returned, and the person felt their body beginning to spasm, but that was okay. Their mind was still in control.

The person's vision dimmed before everything went black.

Wednesday, 6/1 - 13 Days Until The Deadline

Makoto awoke to her alarm. She groggily turned it off before getting out of bed and letting out a yawn. She hadn't slept well, and she attributed it to nightmares. While she rarely remembered her dreams, the ones she did remember weren't happy. There was at least some benefit to the constancy of the nightmares. Makoto knew what to blame when she didn't sleep well, and she felt more prepared for them in the future. But that was only because they were all about the same thing:

Father, Makoto thought to herself before shaking the word away as she left her room.

She failed to realize that there was a new person for her to have nightmares about after the events of Tuesday.

Makoto trudged to the bathroom. When she entered, she looked at the mirror, she took a few seconds to look at herself.

I'm already wearing my uniform? Wait… Makoto thought before it hit her like a brick.

She still owed Kaneshiro twenty million yen. Her problems hadn't washed away when she had gone to sleep, they had only gotten closer. She needed to get moving on solving the problem. More importantly, she needed to check on Ren.

She rushed through her morning routine before leaving her apartment. Once she reached Ren's door, she fumbled with the key for a bit before finally unlocking the door. She made it into the apartment. It hadn't changed since the night before, so Makoto assumed that Ren was still asleep.

She was right. She had knocked on his door, only to hear the meows of Ren's cat. Makoto opened the door to see Ren asleep with his cat at his side. The cat was sitting up, staring at Makoto. She nervously smiled at it, hoping that it wouldn't get angry with her and wake Ren up. Thankfully, it stayed quiet. Makoto closed the door to Ren's room.

He hasn't gotten out of bed… which means he hasn't eaten. I should put something at his bedside, Makoto thought.

She stepped out of his room to grab the conveniently placed bag of bagels from the counter, pour a glass of water, and reenter Ren's room. She placed both on the nightstand next to him.

What do I do about the key? He's probably going to wake up today. If he doesn't have his key, he might panic. Do I keep the key so I can check on him, or do I leave it with him and risk not being able to get into his apartment? Makoto asked herself. I should keep the key for now. I'll write a note.

She looked over to the desk at the side of the room. It had a few spare papers on it. There was a jar that held pens and pencils beside the paper. She grabbed the paper and quickly scribbled out a note.

After that, she left for school.

As soon as she got to Shujin, Makoto marched to Kobayakawa's office.

Yoshiro Takata, Dai Shirai, and their accomplices must be punished, she thought before opening the door.

"Ah, Niijima-san. What brings you here today?" Kobayakawa said with a welcoming grin.

Makoto didn't return it for two reasons. First, she was never fond of Kobayakawa. Every time she had spoken to him felt fake, almost like he was hiding something sinister beneath the surface. Second, Makoto didn't think she was capable of smiling. The memory of Yoshiro pulling the bag over her head was still fresh.

"Hello, Principal Kobayakawa. I would like to enlighten you on the… extracurricular activities of some of our students," Makoto said with a stone-cold stare.

"Oh? Please elaborate."

"Yoshiro Takata, Dai Shirai, and several members of the boy's volleyball team are working for a criminal organization in Shibuya. They assaulted me and two other students yesterday."

"Assault?! How come you have no bruises?" Kobayakawa probed.

Makoto didn't get beat nearly as badly as Ryuji and Ren. While she was still hit, they were slaps as opposed to the punches and bashes that the boys had taken. All she had to show from the encounter were red marks on her face, all of which had gone away by Wednesday. As she realized this, the thought of having no proof of the encounter began to weigh on Makoto more and more. If she couldn't get the volleyball players punished, there wasn't much hope for the next few weeks. They were Kaneshiro's only way of pursuing Makoto in her daily life, at least in Makoto's mind that's what it was. If Makoto could get them out of the equation, she might be safe.

But Kaneshiro said he owns Shibuya… he must know where my apartment is. He could just send some of his other henchmen to get me, Makoto reasoned.

"I was slapped, Kobayakawa-san. My companions were beaten, badly enough that one of them has a concussion. I assure you, these events did occur. Both of my companions can verify the incident," Makoto said in shaky false confidence.

"I'm sure they can, Niijima-san, but I'm sure Takata, Shirai, and the team will verify that it didn't occur. Unless you can bring me something more than the testimony of members of the two involved parties, I can't believe your story."

"Kobayakawa-san! One of your students has a concussion!" Makoto protested.

"I'm sure he does, but I must doubt that he got that from being assaulted by other students. Unless you bring me other evidence, I'll have to dismiss this."

"But-"

"No more. Unless you have anything else to discuss, you may leave," Kobayakawa said in an authoritative tone.

Makoto accepted her defeat, bowing her head before she left the principal's office. She had never liked Kobayakawa, but she was always forced through her own thoughts to accept whatever he told her. The letter of recommendation that she wanted, but wasn't sure if she needed, always loomed over her head when she spoke with him. Kobayakawa rarely brought it up with Makoto, and the only times he did were when he reminded Makoto of Sae's accomplishments at Shujin. It felt demeaning to Makoto, to have her accomplishments be on a similar level to her sister and surpassing her in some ways, but to not receive the same level of success as Sae.

But the letter of recommendation was far away from Makoto. She wasn't sure she even needed it. Letters of recommendation didn't sell for twenty million yen, after all.

Makoto walked to the second floor of Shujin academy. She didn't want Ren to have unexcused absences, so she planned on telling Kawakami of his concussion. School still hadn't started yet, but more and more students were crowding the halls, ready for the first bell. Makoto had to be quick. She opened the door to an empty Classroom 2-D.

Kawakami looked up from her desk.

"Ah, Niijima-san. It's good to see you again."

Makoto somberly nodded. She didn't have the time nor energy for pleasantries.

"Kawakami-san, Amamiya-kun will be absent for several days. He is currently at home, recovering from a head injury. May I please have the classwork so I can pass it on to him?" Makoto's words were polite, but her tone was nothing like that. It was exhausted, tortured, and miserable. She didn't even try to add a little energy to her voice, as she wasn't attempting to persuade someone.

Her tone made Kawakami give her a worrisome glance.

"Is everything alright, Niijima-san?" Kawakami said before she began rummaging through her desk and pulling out several papers.

"Mhm."

"Well… let me know if you need anything, okay? Even the student council president needs a break," Kawakami said as she bound the papers with a paperclip.

"I will, Kawakami-san," Makoto dryly replied.

Kawakami handed Makoto the papers and Makoto left the classroom.

Makoto sat in the student council room during lunch, devising ways to maintain her sanity. She had the door locked out of her own paranoia, and fear of her thoughts being interrupted without her consent. She wanted the time to herself to think, without teachers lecturing in the background.

Unfortunately, she wasn't having much success. Every second that passed brought her closer to Kaneshiro's clutches, driving her anxiety up seemingly exponentially. While Makoto's investigation into Ren had pushed her to focus on nothing else, Makoto's debt wouldn't let her focus on anything else. She had attempted doing some homework only to get lost in her thoughts and end up accidentally putting those thoughts to paper.

It was infuriating. It was torturous. It was unbearable. And it would only get worse. Makoto didn't need other people to place their worries, their problems, onto her. The door would stay locked. If it wasn't, she would just fuck things up for others anyway.

That's right. When have I ever done anything right? I steered the Shibuya investigation and myself into the ground. I even brought Ren with me. It's all my fault. None of this would've happened if I just shut my fucking mouth and kept to myself, like a good Shujin student. I should've just dismissed the note. That's what society would want me to do. Trying to make things better only messes things up, Makoto thought before something occurred to her. The note… the first note was from Dai Shirai. He was actively involved in the assault. Were the notes faked? They must've been.

Compelled by her own nature to do a little digging, Makoto pulled Dai's student file out of the filing cabinet. While the student council had student files, they were a lite version compared to what the school administration had. Makoto roughly placed it onto the table before skimming it for any relevant information. Dai had placed last in exams every single year that he had been at Shujin. Scanning lower down the page, Makoto found his admission information. Dai had been recruited to Shujin specifically to play volleyball, and for no other reason.

Was he angry about Kamoshida being fired? That seems the most likely motive. But why blame me? Makoto asked herself.

She thought back to her early investigation in Shibuya. It was the Sunday where Haru had had lunch with Ren while Makoto walked up and down Central Street. Her mind briefly passed through the events of that Sunday before arriving on one singular moment: Yoshiro Takata's smile from the inside of Big Bang Burger.

I should've known that something was wrong then… stupid, dumb, worthless- no, Makoto. You can't think like that. You can't waste time. You have thirteen days. You can't afford to waste time, Makoto reminded herself. Was that when the plan for the kidnapping was being formed? No… it must've been before that. Ren almost fought Yoshiro on Club Day. If I had only found out why I could have made myself useful.

That raised an important question: how long had Yoshiro, Dai, and the volleyball team been involved with Kaneshiro? At least since that Sunday, maybe even before Club Day, but that depended on what Ren would tell Makoto when she asked.

Makoto's ruminations on Yoshiro's criminal origins made her put away Dai's file and open up Yoshiro's. He had consistently been above average with his exam scores and was considered an important part of the student body. Students with that distinction were marked as such with special symbols, but this usually just meant that the student's parent was a financial contributor to the school rather than the student themselves being exemplary. Those students were often entitled and difficult to deal with, but Makoto never complained.

Yoshiro's file revealed almost nothing immediately helpful. He played volleyball, got above average grades, and had no history as a criminal. With her resources for learning about Dai and Yoshiro depleted, Makoto began to fall into the nervousness that had been plaguing her. It also made her question herself.

You'd be able to learn more about them if you had social skills, Makoto. Instead, you're just a loner who can't get anything done on her own. How ironic, Makoto told herself.

A thought occurred to Makoto. Among the things she was socially inept at was social media. That was it! That was where she could investigate. She quickly opened the usually dormant Shujinstagram app on her phone and navigated to Yoshiro's page. His most recent post was of him and a girl, posted three days ago. Makoto checked who the girl was tagged as.

Yuriko Kuramoto… I'll have to interrogate her about Yoshiro, Makoto thought. Hopefully, she's the gossiping type.

Makoto went to Dai's page. A situation similar to Yoshiro's existed, and Makoto soon arrived at Eiko Takao's page. She made a mental note to question Takao along with Kuramoto.

Makoto's social media stalking was interrupted by the first knock of the lunch period. Makoto glanced over to the door, unsure whether to respond to the knock or not. She ultimately decided to stay silent and hope for whoever was on the other side to just leave. That didn't happen.

Another knock. The doorknob jiggled a little from the visitor shaking it.

"Hello? Makoto?" Ryuji's voice said.

Makoto let out a sigh of relief as she stood up and went to the door to quickly unlock it. She opened the door to see Ryuji. He looked like shit if Makoto was being honest with herself. While his outfit was usually disheveled, he looked even worse today. The underside of his eyes was dark, his hair was messy, and even a little greasy. His eyes themselves were slightly bloodshot.

He looks like he hasn't slept. I don't blame him, Makoto thought.

"Hey, Prez," Ryuji somberly said.

"Hello, Ryuji. Is there anything you need?" Makoto asked as they awkwardly stood in the doorway.

"I just… could I come in?"

"Um… of course," Makoto said as she moved out of the way before closing the door and locking it after Ryuji entered.

He took a seat opposite of Makoto at the table, quickly glancing at the files before focusing his attention on Makoto.

"How can I help you?" Makoto tried her best to sound energetic. She wasn't sure why. Ryuji had been through the same events that she had and was sure to understand if Makoto wasn't her normal self, but she tried nonetheless.

"I wanted to check in on ya," Ryuji bluntly said, his eyes shying away from Makoto's as he said it.

Makoto didn't have the heart to be shocked or thankful towards Ryuji's kindness.

"I'm doing fine."

"C'mon, Makoto. Look at me. If I'm like this, I can't imagine what you're going through. If you wanna vent, just go ahead. Don't hold back."

How can he say that? I don't have time to vent, I need to find twenty million yen, maybe more. And even if I'm able to pay Kaneshiro, I'll just become another source of income for him. He'll keep blackmailing me for money. If I don't pay him, he forces me into being... a source of income. So, Ryuji, don't expect me to unload my problems onto you when I don't have time for that. I need to find a way out of this, Makoto frustratedly thought.

"I'm sorry, Ryuji, but I don't need to vent. I need to plan. To strategize. To find a solution," Makoto tried to say assertively. She felt her voice hitch on almost every word because she didn't believe she could follow through on what she was saying.

"Jeez… I wish I could be as badass as you…" Ryuji muttered.

That bothered Makoto. Who was he to assume she was badass? She had just isolated herself in the student council room and wasn't planning on talking to anyone. She was in a downward spiral of anxiety, self-destructiveness, and lacked almost any self-worth.

"Ryuji, is there anything else?" Makoto asked with a sigh. While Ryuji wasn't friends with her, if he, a person who was with her during the incident, couldn't uplift her in any way, it wasn't boding well for her.

"Just… please, if you need anything, tell me," Ryuji spoke. He actually had a little confidence in his voice. "Seriously. You can't do this alone, and you won't. The others'll wanna help."

No, they couldn't. I'll just make their lives worse. Because of me, Ren has a concussion. Who knows what'll happen if Haru and Ann get involved. They just get dragged into debts of their own, Makoto thought.

"That's okay, Ryuji. I'll figure something out."

"No, you won't. Not on your own. I want to help you. Ann and Haru will wanna help you. Ren will want to help you." Ryuji's forcefulness was growing as if he was trying to hammer the words into Makoto's brain.

Ren wants to help me. Bullshit. Once he recovers, he'll know what I did. He'll push me away if I didn't already do that on my own. Hopefully, that'll be after I get the Club Day information from him, Makoto thought.

Makoto kept quiet. She didn't believe Ryuji, and it was becoming clear.

"Look, if you don't believe me, just wait for Ren to wake up. I guarantee that he'll wanna help. Trust me on that," Ryuji said as he stood up. He walked over to the door. "Remember: ya need anything, don't be afraid to ask. We wanna help."

Ryuji unlocked the door and left the student council room.

Makoto turned the key in the lock, unlocking Ren's apartment door. She wanted to check on him to see if he had woken up yet. When she entered, she noticed that the apartment was the same as she had left it that morning. Ren's door was still closed. Makoto walked over to the door before slowly turning the knob and opening the door.

The room was still dark, but the light coming from the opened door gave Makoto some visibility. Ren was still asleep in his bed, his faithful cat at his side. That same cat awoke with Makoto's entrance to watch whatever she would do. Makoto looked over at Ren's bedside table. The bagel and the water remained untouched.

Was he even awake at some point? If he was, he didn't want the food. Did he read the note? Makoto asked herself before looking at the note. It hadn't moved since she had placed it that morning. Ren hasn't gotten out of bed. Is that what he's supposed to be doing? I should ask Takemi about what he should be doing daily.

Makoto walked over to Ren's bed and stared down at him. He had a peaceful look on his face, but it wasn't a smile. Makoto felt a longing to see Ren smile. After all, there was no way she would see it when Ren recovered. As soon as he pieced together what had happened, he was sure to cast Makoto away. It was almost guaranteed.

Makoto looked around Ren's room. It was incredibly plain for what she had guessed it would be, but she excused that as it technically wasn't Ren's apartment. Makoto wanted to look around the room, but there wasn't much to see. The only things in the room other than the bed and nightstand were a desk, a closet, and a dresser. Makoto set the papers that Kawakami gave her on the desk.

The cat meowed, making Makoto turn to face the bed. Ren was slightly twitching, his eyes scrunching up every few seconds. He was having a nightmare.

The cat meowed again.

What do I… do I wake him up? Is that bad for his concussion? Makoto asked herself.

She opted for something simple. She knelt beside the bed, in hopes of having Ren unconsciously sense her presence and know that he wasn't alone. Apparently, it didn't work, because Ren's nightmare continued. He began letting out a few grunts.

It must be getting worse… this could be bad for his concussion, Makoto considered.

Makoto, not caring if Ren woke up, pulled the covers away from his upper body. She took hold of Ren's hand and held it tight. She wanted him to know that he wasn't alone, that she was there to comfort him. It was her fault he was in this situation, so it was up to her to take care of him. What Makoto didn't fully realize was that she wanted to hold Ren's hand for her own needs, too. She wanted to know that she wasn't alone. She wanted to know that she was safe from Kaneshiro. Although it was fleeting, she achieved that feeling as Ren's nightmare symptoms subsided. His body slowly calmed. Makoto closed her eyes, as she didn't want any visuals to distract her. She wanted the feeling of safety to be all she knew. And it worked.

But the ever-present feeling of urgency rose from the back of her mind. Every second she spent comforting Ren was the time that should've been spent on finding a way out of Kaneshiro's scheme. Makoto wanted to feel protected forever, but she knew that it wouldn't last. Not only that, she felt guilty. She was using Ren without his consent for her own needs. Ren would never want her to touch him, especially with what she had done. How could he? Makoto let go of Ren's hand and stood up.

She looked down at Ren one last time before closing his door and leaving the apartment.

Ren coughed himself awake. Once his eyes were open, he coughed a few more times.

Why did I wake up coughing? My throat is dry and there's a throbbing in my head… it's like I was holding my breath. I guess that's why I was coughing. My body triggered a cough to force me to wake up. But why was I holding my breath in the first place? A dream?

Ren figured it was a good idea to stop asking questions that wouldn't be answered by him or the lack of people around him. He looked around the room. The water glass from earlier that day was still there on his nightstand, along with the bag of bagels. Ren quickly took a sip from the glass of water.

I'll have to thank Makoto for that. Nice of her to do that. But how'd she get in? Oh, she must've taken the key. Fair enough. Not like I'm going anywhere. Wait… why wouldn't I go anywhere? Right, it's because I have the concussion… that I got in the alley. And when Makoto was taken.

Thinking back to the previous day was difficult for Ren. The clearest thing he could remember was being punched in the face. Everything after that was fragmented into pieces that he struggled to put together.

I was in a club? …The lights were dim. There was a short, fat man. He gave me a cigar. Makoto was on a table or something. Other than that, I dunno what really happened. It can't have been good. Wait… how did I get there? Oh yeah. I kinda remember Ryuji helping me walk. And we were in a taxi. Shit… why's this so difficult?

Ren knew the answer. He figured it was a good idea to stop thinking about things that he already knew, as he didn't want to worsen his concussion if that was possible. Tae had just told him to rest, so he didn't plan on doing much else for the time being.

But Ren couldn't stop. He would close his eyes, hoping to doze off, only to be greeted by the fist of Yoshiro Takata. That fist only made him think more about the incident.

They attacked me in the alley… was it because I embarrassed Yoshiro at the park cleanup or because I was with Makoto in the alley? Now that I think about it, Yoshiro was planning on doing something to Makoto since Club Day. I don't know what that somethingwas, but it can't have been that, right? Kidnapping her? That's too far for a teenager. It's fucked up. It's undeniably wrong. So what compelled him to do it? Makoto being Kamoshida's downfall couldn't have been it. Even for someone as fucked as Yoshiro, that can't justify what he did. So was it… my fault? It had to have been. If I had kept my fucking mouth shut and not taunted Yoshiro, I wouldn't be here, and Makoto wouldn't have gone there.

It was disheartening, to say the least. The thing that Ren found somewhat enjoyable, making fun of Yoshiro and Dai, brought him to that point. His joking nature had only his and the people around him's lives worse. To add to Ren's uneasiness, he didn't know how they got out of the club, or whatever that place was. He just remembered waking up in Tae's clinic.

What happened at the club that I missed? It has to be important. I need to know. I would text Makoto, but the blue light from the phone probably isn't good for my head right now. Maybe I'll be awake the next time she checks on me.

Whatever happened at the club couldn't have been good. Ryuji and Makoto's behavior at the clinic was proof of that. Ren's lack of knowledge didn't stop him from blaming himself for their behavior, the incident in the alley, and the club. He had grown reckless, uncaring, and let hate get the best of him. His dislike of Yoshiro had grown to the point where he had triggered Yoshiro to assault him and kidnap Makoto.

And that only made him hate Yoshiro more. He wanted to tear every limb from Yoshiro's body. He wanted the fellow teenager to feel pain. And for what? Responding to Ren's repeated humiliation with violence? No, Yoshiro had gone too far. Ren's hatred was justified, he was sure of it. He just hoped that society would agree with him when he was done with Yoshiro.

After he recovered from the concussion, of course.

Ren fell back asleep.