Monday, 8/1

"Haru?"

"Yes, father?"

"Stick to what you know."

"Of course, father."

"That's a fat suitcase, Renny," Ryuji hollered, leaning his back against the van. "Might have to leave it behind!"

"If you can fit, the suitcase can fit," Ren immediately replied before exchanging glances with the already present members of GRAVY. He and Makoto had just arrived at the sleek silver van that they would be in for the next few hours. Ren could see red leather seats through the window.

Pretty fucking sweet.

Morgana poked his head out of Ren's usual bag, which he was wearing over his shoulder, and let out a meow as he saw the van and who would be in it. "Calm your ass down. It's just a van." Morgana's eyes hinted at a deeper existential crisis occurring within the cat, but Ren could help very little with that. He didn't speak cat. Maybe Ann would aid Morgana.

"Ren-kun and Mako-chan, please put your bags in the trunk," Haru said as she came around the side of the van. She was wearing a completely new outfit that Ren had never seen. It was a pink dress with a white bolero over it. Come to think of it, Ann also sported a new outfit. Makoto was wearing the one that she had worn on their lunch date the other day.

So they went shopping without Ryuji, Yusuke, and me? Eh, it's better that way. Ryuji wouldn't have behaved, Yusuke would've been Yusuke, and I would've just been a sarcastic dick the whole time. I could probably still use some new clothes. Maybe while we're in Iwatodai, I can find some decent stuff.

"Got it," Ren said before turning to Makoto. "Lemme take your bag,"

"Oh, I can-" Ren took her suitcase anyway and went around to the back of the van, which was already open. He put the suitcases in a line with the rest of GRAVY's suitcases and put the bag with Morgana atop the row of suitcases.

"Morgana, you don't have to stay in the bag if you don't want to," Ren reminded the cat, who immediately hopped out and climbed over the seats into the next row. Ren stepped back, closed the trunk and went back to the side of the bus where everyone had gathered. "We have seating arrangements of any kind?"

"While you were putting your things in the back, Haru suggested I go in the front to help her navigate," Makoto said. Haru seemed oddly pleased about that.

Fuck! Haru, god dammit! You bi- Ren, don't say that. Haru's nice, even if she's sitting next to Makoto instead of you.

"Renny and I are takin' the back!" Ryuji declared, finally standing up straight so that he could offer Ren a high five.

"We are?"

"Hell yeah!"

"Ann and Yusuke in the middle?" Makoto suggested.

"Ann, if I may, I could record your radiant form in pencil in my sketchbook," Yusuke immediately offered.

"Uh, no. Yusuke, don't draw me for the drive, alright?" Ann commanded. "I'm gonna be sleeping, so you better not get a cheap angle of me." She wheeled around to face Ryuji. "And you better not do anything weird!"

"I resent the implication!"

"Uh-huh… we'll see about that." Ann's fiery authority vanished into bubbliness. "Alright guys, let's get going!"

They all loaded into the van. Morgana leapt over another set of seats to sit between Yusuke and Ann, who flinched when she noticed the cat. "Ren, I didn't know you were bringing him."

"Junpei wouldn't have taken care of him so-"

Junpei! I haven't heard from him yet! Is he coming?! Please, no.

"Er, so I brought him with," Ren finished. "Haru said it was cool."

"Mona-chan is welcome anytime!" Haru said cheerfully as the engine started.

"Mona? I thought his name was Morgana," Ryuji said.

"It's just a cute nickname," Haru explained. "It suits him, doesn't it?"

"Mona…" Yusuke eyed the cat, bringing his face inches from the feline. "I must disagree. A more fitting name would be… Davé!"

Ann laughed. "Davé? You're serious?"

"When do I ever kid, Ann?" Yusuke asked gravely. "I dub this feline mammal, Davé!"

"Undubbed. He's Morgana," Ren corrected. Morgana concurred with Ren and scooted away from Yusuke towards Ann.

"The ignorant flounder once again," Yusuke muttered as the van started the journey. Suddenly, the artist looked up front. "Haru, may I play some music on the automobile speakers?"

"…So he retreats to Hawaii, bringing along the most talented American artists. They make music daily for months until they emerge with his masterpiece…" Yusuke enthusiastically droned on. Ren had been listening to Yusuke delve into the lore of some rapper for twenty minutes now, as Yusuke played select songs from that rapper's discography. Ann was already asleep, with Morgana napping at her side. Makoto was busy focusing on a large paper map even though she had access to a phone, and Haru was happily bobbing her head side to side to the music. Finally, Ryuji was oddly interested in Yusuke's meaningless knowledge.

"Yeah, what's his masterpiece?!" Ryuji was on the edge of the seat. If the car came to too abrupt of a stop, he would certainly go out the window.

"Not yet! First, he begins a weekly series of releases that he dubs-"

"Alright, man, that's enough," Ren cut in. "We can just enjoy the music." Even if Yusuke was being annoying, the music was still decent. Yusuke had played a few knee-slapping bangers and a few more contemplative songs, and all were pretty good. Maybe Ren would have to check the rapper out.

"Ren, what would you prefer to converse about?" Yusuke asked. He was unoffended by Ren's interruption.

"Hifumi Togo," Ren said with a knowing smile as he turned to Ryuji.

"Ah, the girl who Ryuji is harassing?" Yusuke asked.

"Wha- no! I resent the implication!"

"You said that already, and who wouldn't," Ann said drowsily with a yawn following. "Thanks for waking me up…"

"I'll have you know, Yusuke, she gave me her number," Ryuji defensively said. "And I haven't even seen her since we were at Kosei, so it doesn't matter."

"Jeez, Ryuji. I got her number for you and you don't even talk to her?" Ren said with joking disappointment. "I'm not mad, just disappointed."

Ryuji laughed before he gave his case. "She wanted to meet today, of all days! And, well, you guys know what I'm 'bout. Bros before hoes!"

"Tsk tsk, Ryuji," Ann chided. "I'm going back to sleep. Keep it down, would you?"

"Yeah, whatever." Ryuji paused. "So... Renny," Ryuji began, sending a shiver down Ren's spine. He didn't like Ryuji's tone. "How're you and Makoto doing?"

Oh… that's easy.

"Hey, Makoto?" Ren said a little louder than he was already speaking so that the people in front could hear him. "How are we doing?"

"Hm? Oh, um, we're good?"

"You heard the woman," Ren said to Ryuji.

"Details, Renny!"

"I went over there for dinner," Ren said with a shrug.

"Speaking of details, Ren, I never asked about what was going on in the bathroom," Makoto said from the front, making Ren's stomach turn over on itself. She gave him a NDS from the rearview mirror until Ren shifted his gaze out the window. "Any reason you were acting weird?"

"Ya know… Sae Niijima butterflies… she's so intimidating…" Ren tried to add a chuckle, but it came out as a weak laugh and deflated his words of anything convincing.

"Oh my god… Renny shit his pants!" Ryuji yelled, much to Ann's displeasure. "You shit your pants at dinner with Makoto's sister! Dude! You shit your pants!"

Ryuji, you shall not be forgiven.

Yusuke laughed in a monotone, if that was possible. "It is difficult to believe that someone who named their club GRAVY would soil themselves so easily."

"I didn't shit myself, I-"

"Ryuji, I imagined you with gargantuan thighs. Yusuke, I hallucinated you were bathing and rapping. Oh, and Makoto? I was tripping balls at dinner with your sister. My B." That'll go great, won't it?

"I was just nervous, Makoto…" While it wasn't the truth, Ren wasn't lying. He had been very nervous to meet Sae, fearing failure would mean the end of everything he had built up with Makoto. It was a genuine worry to him, even if the other's couldn't understand that. However, Ren couldn't explain all that to GRAVY. It would be inappropriate. He opted to save it for later, and only for Makoto. "Actually, I'll tell you later. Yeah, Ryuji, I shit my pants and I still clutched on meeting Makoto's sister. Think you could do that?"

"Easy-peasy. Just wait till I meet Hifumi's family," he said as he put his arm on the seat. "I'm the smoothest man alive."

"So smooth that you told that one Kosei girl that you had a boyfriend."

"Good afternoon, Futaba," the man said from the other side of the door. "How are you feeling today?"

Horrible. Futaba was listening to the members of GRAVY banter back and forth about whether Ren shit his pants, and she was in her room. She had trouble understanding why she was upset over being left behind because she knew she would never leave the room. Futaba just wished that the counselor that Ren had left behind would recognize that she wasn't leaving and would go away. They always did, even Ren.

"I get it. I'm a new person to talk to. That's not a straightforward thing to do. Take as much time as you need," the man said.

At least he was nicer than the rest. His voice was more comforting that the others, easing Futaba's nerves enough that she put her feet down on the ground instead of curling up in a ball on her chair.

He seemed nice enough that Futaba felt a little sad that she forgot the man's name. She was feeling kind, and it couldn't hurt just to text the man to ask for his name. She found his phone through its connection to the Sakura Wi-Fi and sent a message to it.

Unknown Number:

-What was your name again?

She heard the man's phone sound off with a notification. The man chuckled to himself. "I'm Takuto Maruki. Some call me doc. I worked with Amamiya a lot at his school."

A choice came down. Futaba could return to her silence after revealing to Maruki that she could communicate with him, or she could reply to his responses. He was nice, and it would waste his time and hers if she was just quiet. Might as well just text, right? Futaba thought to herself as she typed up another message.

Unknown Number:

-I'll go with doc, doc.

That was a good sign. It meant that Futaba was going to be responding to him more. He had only re-introduced himself and was already making progress. Perhaps Ren wasn't lying about his own ineptitude, and this was going to be easy.

"Good to hear, Futaba. You know why I'm here, correct?"

Unknown Number:

-Because Sojiro wants me to come out of my room.

"Sort of," Maruki answered before elaborating. "He wants you to live a normal life. We all want that for you. What do you think about that?" Maruki readily held his pen over his notes page. Today gauged how far gone Futaba was and to see if she truly needed Maruki's more… unique help. So far, she was doing well.

Unknown Number:

-Nope. Too many people.

"So, are you nervous in larger groups of people?"

Unknown Number:

-Duh, I'm nervous around anyone! That's why you're on the other side of the door and talking to text messages.

She had a point. Maruki's previous question was dumb. "When's the last time you actually spoke to someone? Not face to face, just opening your mouth."

Unknown Number:

-I was giving call-outs in a video game earlier. Does it count if I use a voice modifier?

"When was the last time you spoke to someone in your natural voice?"

This response took longer than usual.

Unknown Number:

-A few months? Not sure. I think I thanked Sojiro for some food.

"Why'd you speak then?"

Unknown Number:

-I hungered.

"You… hungered?"

Unknown Number:

-Sojiro makes the best curry. You should ask for a bowl.

"Maybe I will," Maruki considered before getting back on topic. "Do you ever plan on speaking normally?"

Unknown Number:

-Nope. No need. Why would I?

"Speaking would be the first step in returning to a norm-"

Unknown Number:

-Who said I want to have a normal life? High school is lame, doc. Leave me in my room with a computer and an internet connection, I'm set for life.

Unknown Number:

-You're wasting your time. Ren was just another teenager to talk to while you're an actual counselor. You could be with people who could actually have a chance at living.

"Futaba, I believe I can help you," Maruki said.

Unknown Number:

-They all say that.

"Just give me a few days and you'll see change."

Unknown Number:

-I'd bet yen on you failing, but I'm not opening that door to take your money.

Maruki laughed. "I promise, Futaba. I'll help you… I have to…" he trailed off into mumbling. Maruki did that a lot when he remembered her, but people never asked him about it. He guessed that it just fit well with the clumsy doctor stereotype that he fit oddly well into.

For now, Maruki would leave Futaba as is. Too much immediate progress would probably worry Sojiro. He would just continue to ask her questions to get a better understanding of her mental state and her philosophies.

After enough time passed, Maruki would make his move. Maybe Futaba would thank him for it after she opened her door.

"...And they call it shoegaze because the musicians must use many guitar pedals, therefore staring at their feet for most of the show," Yusuke explained as some washed out, mind fucking music played on the speakers. If Yusuke's previous music had been easy to listen to, this was far more challenging. The speakers were pummeling the car with waves of sound, and Ren could barely make out any melody.

Maybe I'm too old for this stuff.

"When was this recorded, Yusuke?" Ren asked.

"Two decades prior."

So it actually sucks and I'm not just too old for it. Good to know.

A couple hours into the drive and it still didn't feel like the midpoint, at least to Ren. He had no clue how far they were from their destination, nor did he want to know. That would make the waiting more excruciating. Ren was just barely content enough to listen to Yusuke ramble about some form of music that he had never heard of. Yusuke had probably done thirty total minutes of talking, though not consecutive. He would interject whenever he felt the need after a certain song had played.

While Ren was bored, the rest of GRAVY seemed to do far better. Haru was happily driving, actually getting a lot of enjoyment from Yusuke's music, even when he played weird shit. Makoto still had that unnecessary map out, occasionally conversing with Haru. Ann was still asleep, though Ren wasn't sure how, because Ryuji had taken a nap of his own along with putting his feet up on the row of seats ahead of them, directly next to Ann's head. Perhaps her sense of smell wasn't keen enough to wake her up.

Or maybe Ann isn't asleep and has a thing for feet. Just a thought.

Morgana also seemed to be asleep, but Ren couldn't care less. After the previous day's events, Ren needed a little distance from the cat. Ann was unknowingly willing to keep Morgana away from Ren, so everything worked out.

While Ren had brought his Switch, he didn't want to play it to the point of having it run out of battery with a decent chunk of the drive left. He wanted to save it for complete and total boredom, but that seemed to be approaching sooner than expected.

With an overly dramatic sigh, Ren looked out the window, only to find that his worst fear had come true. No, Doctor Ryuji wasn't belly dancing atop another car. It was far worse.

On the other side of the window, just a few feet away from Ren, was Junpei Iori. He was driving a car of his own; the backseat packed with luggage and booze. Sitting next to Junpei was Kenji.

I ruined the vacation. We're fucked. Come to think of it, I'm fucked. How's Junpei going to meet with my probation officer if he's gone all week?

Junpei noticed Ren and began excitedly waving. He also mutely shouted, prompting Kenji to look out the window and also wave at Ren. Kenji abruptly stopped waving and reached into the backseat of the car, coming back up front with a bottle of liquor. He pointed at Ren, and then at the liquor bottle.

We are driving a hundred and ten kilometers per hour… if he dropped that bottle in a handoff or some shit, it'd fly back and kill someone. That'd be a fun way to start the vacation, huh? A manslaughter charge to lead the week off, maybe end with some arson?

Ren politely shook his head. Kenji strangely took the hint and put the bottle in the back. Junpei was still looking at Ren, though Ren wasn't sure what for until he heard his temporary guardian tersely honk the horn three times.

A race, huh? That'd get them ahead of us. I'll accept losing a race if it means I don't have to deal with Kenji and Junpei staring at me all drive long.

Ren nodded, holding up three fingers before taking one away a second at a time until he reached one. Junpei slammed on the gas pedal and sped ahead of the GRAVY mobile. Ren's plan had succeeded, leaving him with a view of the alcoholics blazing away.

"That car was going awfully fast," Haru said. "I wonder where they're going."

Hah, yeah… I wonder…

Ren kept his mouth shut and kept looking out the window. Instead of the fresh silence being maintained, Yusuke filled it. "Haru, I have some questions about Iwatodai."

"Ask anything you'd like, Yusuke-kun," Haru said, obviously very excited to talk about their destination.

"Will there be milfs in Iwatodai?" Ren didn't think he heard the artist correctly, and apparently, neither did anyone else. Haru was silent in response, so Yusuke thought no one had heard him. "Will there be milfs in Iwatodai?" he repeated.

Ren saw Ryuji's eyes snap open at the second mention of milfs. "Okay, what're we talking about and how can I get in on this?!" he said as he brought his feet to the floor and sat forward.

"We are discussing the abundance of local milfs in Iwatodai," Yusuke casually said to Ryuji before turning to face Haru again. "Haru, will there be m-"

"Yusuke-kun, I do not know what milfs are. If this is a joke, it is not amusing," Haru said. Her passive-aggressive tone appeared more than threatening. Ren had a feeling that she would be beating Yusuke's ass if she wasn't busy driving.

"All I wish to know is the prevalence of milfs. There is no humor about my question."

"Yeah, Haru!" Ryuji yelled up front. "We gotta know about the Iwatodai milf population!"

"Ryuji…" Ann groaned. "Do you really have to yell?"

Makoto turned around in her seat to face Yusuke. "What's a milf?" she asked.

Good thing I haven't said shit. I can't get implicated in this.

"A milf is a model I'd like to focus on," Yusuke explained.

...Or not. Yusuke thinking that milfs are art-related is the most Yusuke thing possible. I applaud his purity.

"Aw…" The revelation left Ryuji more than bummed. "I thought we were talking about cool milfs…"

"What are cool milfs, Ryuji?" Makoto asked, now suspicious because there was a difference between Ryuji and Yusuke's meanings.

"O-oh… uh… just the other day, Renny was telling me all about milfs!" Ryuji dragged Ren into the crosswalk, shoved him to the ground, and held his foot over Ren's struggling body as the bus ran him over. "He's more than happy to- agh!" Ren slammed Ryuji's gut from the side with a jab that Makoto couldn't see over the seat.

"Ryuji's just bullshitting. He's upset because-"

"I'm upset because I don't want Makoto to be left out of the conversation about milfs. No child left behind, ya know?"

"Wrong policy, wrong country, and Makoto isn't even a child."

"Then she deserves to know the legend of the milf."

"I too would like to understand more of these mythical creatures referred to as milfs," Yusuke said Yusuke-ly.

"Ren…" Makoto chided. "Just say what it is. It can't be that bad."

Ren looked around the van. Ryuji was egging Ren on while holding his side. Yusuke and Makoto turned around, facing Ren expectantly. Ann was listening, even laughing a little, but Ren could tell that she was just waiting for everyone to shut up so she could go back to sleep. Haru was still driving, though she was obviously listening to learn what the fuss was about.

Fuck it.

"Uh… heh… I'm a dad?"

"You know that only works when you can leave after saying it, right?" Makoto reminded. "You're stuck with us, Ren."

"A milf is… someone who you admire. Like… uh, principal Kobayakawa," Ren unsteadily explained.

"Dude…" Ren's answer disappointed his friend.

"So if I look up to my sister, then she's a milf?" Makoto asked innocently.

Oh, that poor girl. I never should have said anything.

"Yep! Makoto, your sister is a milf!" Ryuji answered.

"Because Ren is the leader of our club, does that make Ren a milf?"

Going by the GRAVY hierarchy, everyone except me considers Ryuji a milf… nice. Do I pull back the curtain on what milfs actually are? Nah.

Ren felt his phone buzz in his pocket. Eager to escape whatever consequences would come of him telling them the wrong definition, he checked the notification.

Unknown Number:

-Definitely a milf, Renny.

Oh, motherfucker.

Ren Amamiya:

-You too, huh?

Unknown Number:

-Tell them that a gang bang is when you go play Gun About with friends.

Ren Amamiya:

-Futaba, you freaky fucker.

Unknown Number:

-Mweheheh…

Ren put his phone back in his pocket and rejoined the conversation, only to find that his worst nightmare was coming true.

"Yeah, Makoto. It's totally cool. I guarantee Sae will appreciate Ren calling her a milf," Ryuji deviously called up to the front of the car. Makoto had her phone out, and Ren realized Armageddon was upon him.

"Makoto, do not send that text message!" Ren said with desperate authority.

"Hm? Why?"

"Um…" No way Ren was going to tell her what it really meant. "You don't call someone a milf unless you're, uh, really close with them. It's a very personal term."

"Oh… okay. Maybe you could tell her yourself later this year?" Makoto suggested.

That is both the best and worst sentence. Makoto wants to spend more time with me, get to know me more, and have me get on better terms with her sister, but she also wants me to call her sister a milf to her face. How did I get into this mess?

"S-sure, why not."

Akechi knew what he was here to do. The draining oppression of the endless tunnels of Mementos always elicited a murderous feeling inside him, but today was one where he couldn't follow his instinct. It would've been a waste of time if the result wasn't so essential, and entertaining to observe from afar.

The detective had swiftly found his target, Minori Noguchi. She wasn't a big enough deal for a palace, and her shadow didn't have adequate self-destructive tendencies or distorted desires to make things difficult for Akechi. To keep things easy, Akechi, even if tempted to put a bullet through the poor woman's head, tried to talk it out with her.

"I have a proposition," Akechi began as he approached the busily pacing shadow.

"Can't talk, work to do. Okumura-san must not be displeased," Noguchi said. "Must get ready for guests." If the shadow Noguchi was hurriedly pacing back and forth, the real world Noguchi was likely frantically cleaning the Iwatodai home as well.

Perfect timing, Akechi thought.

"Could you please slow down, ma'am?" Akechi asked, his patience growing thin as the older woman continued to ramble as she paced. "Noguchi-san, I am- fuck, I don't know why I try." Akechi gave up and pulled his gun out, pulling the trigger as soon as he had his target. He left the silencer off when bored. It was more rewarding that way.

Blood erupted from the woman's foot. Mementos was a tad gorier than reality, mainly because most of the public had never seen a shooting or a decapitation. They had high expectations for their executions. Akechi believed he exceeded those expectations, and then some.

The woman collapsed onto the floor, wailing in agonizing pain. Akechi thought his ears would bleed, so he pressed his foot into the woman's back. She got the message, though she continued to writhe on the disgusting subway ground in her own blood.

"Let's try this again," Akechi said, pressing the gun into the back of Noguchi's head. "I have something for you to-" Akechi couldn't believe what he was seeing. As his foot pressed into the woman's spine and with one of her feet shot to bloody bits, the woman was attempting to crawl out from under his boot.

"Must… clean… house… lock… the… door…" the woman said as if she was in a trance through heaving breaths. "Must… clean… house… lock… the… door…"

Akechi couldn't kill her. He needed her alive and well for Haru's vacation. More than he wanted to complete his current goal, he wanted to empty this woman's skull. "Loki!" he declared, feeling the power of his persona now radiating behind him. He kept himself in check, and released his unique power upon the shadow beneath him, ensnaring her in a red and black tornado that dissipated soon enough.

Akechi could exert moderate control over shadows without killing or threatening them. In a sense, he could pull the strings on a person's life from the shadows. Formulating lapses in judgement or simply giving a subway conductor a death wish were within possibility, though Akechi definitely preferred one route to the other. Sadly, the former was what he had to do to the obsessive Noguchi.

"Minori Noguchi, do not lock the door," he said as he twisted his foot into her back. Akechi couldn't draw pain-driven outbursts from shadows when they were under his influence. "If you already have, go back and unlock it."

The shadow didn't respond. They never did. It was silent compliance, just the way Akechi liked it. If they had talked to him more, he probably would've given up and just shot them. Shadows were usually the concentration of a person's immoral desires or strongest characteristics; of course they were annoying.

"...But the band that he signed to his label? They screw him over. He decides to make a record that is immensely better than theirs, and that's how the best band of the last decade originated."

"That's cool and all, but this song has been on for eight minutes, man," Ryuji said, exaggerating a yawn to tell Yusuke to skip.

"As they say, 'Us, V them, over and over again'," Yusuke quoted with a chuckle. "Haru, may we find a rest stop in this desolate wasteland?"

"Desolate wasteland? Dude, I can see the city, and you want to stop now?!" Ryuji was furious that Yusuke had even suggested such a thing.

"I must pass liquid waste," Yusuke said flatly.

How the fuck does he say that with a straight face?!

There was a groan from everyone in the car. Makoto still had the map out, Ann was awake and on her phone, Ren was playing some game about the future on his Switch, Ryuji was watching, and Yusuke was continuing the trivia that no one had asked for.

"I have to go, too," Ann said.

"I guess my ass hurts," Ryuji said. "Rest stop it is!"

Haru continued driving for a few minutes until she pulled over at a gas station. As soon as the van stopped, the doors were opened by its exhausted passengers. They all filed out, with Yusuke, Ann and Haru going to use the bathroom. The rest stood outside the van, getting air and stretching their legs. Morgana hopped out as well.

Ryuji came over to Ren, who was leaning back on the van, taking in the fresh air. "Dude, you think Yusuke is effing with us when he says shit like that?"

"I think he's always messing with us, to be honest."

"Yeah, that makes sense," Ryuji agreed before straightening his back and lowering his voice. He was doing his best Yusuke impression. "I must relieve my urethra."

Ren joined in. "I must gaze into the tiled void as I drain my bladder of its creative juice."

"Aw, dude… gross!" Ryuji said with a laugh as he thought of another. "I must succumb to my urinary desires."

"Ew… dude, that makes it sound like-" Ren stopped himself. "Nevermind. Not going there." He just went back to continuing the impersonation. "I will derive inspiration… shit, I'm out."

"I'm sure he'll have some more for us down the line," Ryuji said with a chuckle. "Now that I think about it, I gotta relieve my urethra."

"Don't make that a thing."

"It's a thing," Ryuji said, not giving Ren a chance to respond as he walked off to the bathroom.

Ren sighed.

I've started more bullshit, haven't I? I wish I could make a career out of it. Wait, I can! I can be a politician! Just fuck people over and make people's lives more difficult! Wow, what a way to live!

Ren went over to join Haru and Makoto. "How's the front seat treating you guys?"

Haru yawned. "It's very tedious. I've just been holding my foot down and turning the wheel every ten minutes."

"I've been studying the map," Makoto added. "There's not much navigating to do. We've just driven north for the past few hours. I've learned about the distances between some smaller towns."

That sounds like the most boring thing ever.

"Exciting."

The trio continued small talk as the other half of GRAVY finished up their business. Soon, they all got back in the van, Morgana included, and were off on the road again. Everyone was back to their own business within a few minutes.

The drive was coming to a close. Ren had done nothing productive the entire drive, bar teaching GRAVY about milfs, so he had a quick idea that would be a good way to finish up the drive.

"Guys? How about we take a selfie to remember the drive by?" Ren proposed from his seat in the back.

There were mostly tired mumbles, but no one objected to it. Makoto even spoke. "I can take the picture up front so we can all be in it." Ren passed his phone to Yusuke, who then handed it to Makoto. The student council president held the phone slightly above the dashboard. "Smile!" she said to everyone. Ren couldn't tell what the others were doing, but he gave a smile of his own.

They passed the phone back to him. He inspected the picture. Makoto was smiling. Haru was staring behind the camera, focused on driving. Ann had only lazily noticed the camera and had half-assed a smile, but she still reached her usual standard. Yusuke solemnly gazed at the camera. Ren spotted Ryuji's familiar toothy grin next to his own low key, confident smirk.

That's going on the Shujinstagram. Kobayakawa will love it. I wonder what he'd do if I captioned it 'Principal Kobayakawa is a milf.' It's free press. I'm sure he'd like it.

"Oh… my… effing… god!" Ryuji yelled as the GRAVY mobile pulled into the massive driveway. "That was too many hours of my life thrown in the garbage!" He then pressed his face to the window to look at the house. "Fucking worth it!"

Ren agreed. This must've cost a fortune to purchase. The modern home showcased a blocky design, with mostly windows on the exterior. They wouldn't have to worry about people staring into the windows because the house was a decent distance from the city, along with the presence of a guarded gate and a long driveway.

At the front door, there was an older-looking woman dressed in a baby blue jacket and skirt. She had tied her graying black hair into a bun.

GRAVY got out of the car, but every one of them was too tired to do much more than trudge to the back to get their luggage. Ren got there first and passed out everyone's bags. They then began the long, danger-filled, twenty-foot journey to the front door and the waiting woman.

"Good evening, Haru-chan," the woman said. "It has been too long."

"Minori! It's great to see you," Haru said before setting her bag down and slightly lowering herself to hug the old woman. "Sorry if we're a little quiet. We drove for hours."

"It is alright, Haru. Please, allow me to show you inside the house," Minori said before she opened the front door and led the group inside.

The group was awestruck by the extravagance of the house. Art pieces that Ren had seen in books, expensive furniture, and the most polished hardwood floors Ren had ever seen. It was something to behold.

Minori led the group through what seemed to be a massive entertainment area, featuring a giant TV screen and a fashionable leather couch, which was like Ren's apartment in how it was adjacent to the kitchen. The only differences were that the Iwatodai home's rooms were three times as big and probably sixty times heavier on the bank account.

They made it to a hallway, where Minori stopped and turned to face the group. "Haru, you know where your room is. Gentlemen, I have prepared a room for you at the end of the hall. Ladies," she said as she turned to Ann and Haru, "you are in the first door on the right. If any of you need anything at all, please use the call button in the kitchen." She walked in between the members of the group and came out the other side of the cluster. "You must excuse me. I have been having headaches all day long and must lie down. Again, use the call button if you need anything." Minori turned and began to leave before she turned to face the group again, her face growing suddenly grim. "Oh, I almost forgot. Please remember that you are still guests in this house, and guests must stay on this side of the residence. The other half is off-limits." She then smiled and left.

Guest house?! On top of this massive fucking house, there's a guest house?! Well shit, Haru. Good for you. We don't even have access to half of the house and the part that is open to us is bigger than my parent's place. Also, the off-limits place is to the left of the entrance, I'm guessing. The entertainment area and everything we've seen was to the right, so just the left side is inaccessible? Fine by me.

GRAVY stood there in the hallway for a bit until broke the silence. "Eff me, I'm tired. You guys wanna crash, or-"

"Ryuji-kun, don't be silly. Minori prepared dinner for us," Haru interrupted. "We should all go put our bags in our room then meet in the dining room."

Ann and Makoto both nodded before walking off. Ryuji, Yusuke, Ren, and Morgana were still standing with Haru.

"Uh…" Ryuji began. "Where's the dining room?"

A/N: School starts next week. It might take a bit for me to determine how TKOSA will fit into my schedule, but I'll still be writing. For the next chapter, I'm not going to provide an upload date in advance. It'll be out when it's finished.