Saturday, 10/22
"It has come to my attention that our class does not have a plan for next week's festival," Kawakami said, standing before the class with her arms crossed. Ren's attention switched from the window to his tired teacher. "As a reward for completing your midterms, there is no lecture today. Instead, you'll spend the period planning for the Culture Festival while I grade exams. Questions?" Ren heard the student behind him shift in his chair. Kawakami's head turned in his direction but looked past Ren. "Ozaki-kun."
Ren flinched as the student behind him let out a shrill-sounding scratch as he spoke. "What's our budget?" It took a second to remember that Isamu Ozaki's voice normally sounded like that because it had been so long since Ren last heard from him. Ozaki, formerly a member of the volleyball team, became something of a teacher's pet after the dissolution of the club. He was damn annoying about it, too.
"However much you all are willing to spend." With a sly smile, Kawakami walked to her desk. "I'll be too busy to help, so everything is up to you guys." She picked up her bag along with a stack of papers, presumably the class's exams. "I'll be in the faculty lounge if you need anything." With that, Kawakami walked out the door and left the class alone with their thoughts, ideas, and designs for the Culture Festival.
Unexpected silence took hold. The class obtained momentary freedom, but they clearly weren't sure what to do with it. Ren decided a minute prior that he'd spend the entire period doing homework instead of contributing, so he began packing up his notes and preparing the necessary materials.
"So…" One student Ren recognized but didn't know stood up. "You guys have any ideas?" The class met him with empty stares. Ren looked from person to person, searching for a reaction or an initiation of progress—nothing came. "Guys, we have to do something. This only happens once a year!"
"I know what we could do," said the familiar voice behind Ren. Ren turned around in his seat to see Ozaki standing up, taking his bag with him, and walking towards the door. He stopped and looked at the other standing student. "All year, our class has suffered the presence of two of the most detestable students at this school."
Really? I know I'm unlikeable to the average Shujin student, but 'detestable' is a bit strong, no? Also, you're really gonna include Ann? I may have fought the volleyball team tooth and nail, but what did Ann do? Be attractive and exist outside Shujin's social hierarchy? Fuck you, Ozaki-san.
"They've obstructed our learning with no consequences to show for it. Now, Kawakami-sensei's given us the opportunity to make them pay." Ozaki put a hand on his chest, showing the class that he was the glorious leader they wanted him to be—as if. "I say we take a well-deserved day off while Amamiya-kun and Takamaki-chan do the work for us. What do you guys say?"
Thankfully, no one said a word. Silence maintained its grip on the class for what felt like longer than a minute until the other standing student spoke. "I… agree." He grabbed his bag and walked towards Ozaki and the door.
"Who's with me?!" Ozaki said, getting murmurs in response instead of the empty silence from before. Another student stood, then another. Ren watched as the class went to the door one by one, slowly giving in to the fear of being left out (or of being lumped in with GRAVY). By the end of the cruel moment, only four students including Ren and Ann remained in their seats. The rest stood behind Ozaki, ready to leave and have a free period to wander the school.
"Man…" Ren shook his head as he met eyes with Ozaki. He considered all possible things to say—Ozaki's mother, Ozaki's grades, Ozaki being on the volleyball team—all of it was pointless. Ren stayed silent as Ozaki opened the door and led the majority of the class to something much better than planning the Culture Festival. They filed through the door like the bell just rang for the end of the day.
Ann summed up the situation best. "...What the Hell." She turned around in her seat to face Ren. "There's no way that we're doing this alone, no way."
It does sound like a lot of work. Setting up a game or a food stand would be a pain in the ass. Unless we come up with something simple, we'll be here all night.
"We should go to Kawakami-sensei. She'd side with-"
Snitching? Ren Amamiya is many things, but he does not tell on people (except when he wants to because no snitching is a dumb rule to live by).
"Nah, we aren't doing that. I won't beat him by getting him in trouble," Ren interrupted.
"What? Beat him?"
What antagonized Ren most was Ozaki's voice. Anyone who sounded like that thinking that they were above him was an offense punishable by… Ren didn't know yet. He'd figure it out soon enough, though. "I must prove that I'm better than him. That's just the competitor in me."
"Ren… respectfully, what on earth are you talking about?"
"By leaving me here to plan, Ozaki insulted me. He disgraced my honor and I'm taking it personally."
"You've lost the plot. I say we just don't do it and leave."
"And let those two," Ren said, nodding his head to the two students on the other side of the class, "do the work? Then we'd be just as bad as Ozaki, only with less irritating voices." Observably, they weren't paying close attention to Ren's conversation, but he knew they were listening because of their silence. He knew them from seeing them around school but had no clue about their identities.
Ann grimaced, complaining with every muscle in her face. "You really want to spend your afternoon on this?"
"Oh, of course I do, and I'll make sure it's worth it." Seeing her expression not picking up, Ren offered Ann a copout. "You can leave if you want. I'll figure something out."
"No, no… I'll help. They offended me, too, I guess." Ann definitely didn't have the same motivation to humiliate Ozaki as Ren did, but the effort was appreciated. "What about them?" she asked, looking over at the two students.
Hearing their moment arrive, both students stood up. "We'll help," one of them said.
"You sure?" Ren gave them one last chance to go join up with Ozaki. After all, spending an afternoon with two non-GRAVY members wasn't exactly Ren's idea of a good time.
"If we didn't want to help you, we'd have followed him out," the other said. They walked over to Ren and Ann's side of the room, quickly occupying the two adjacent desks. The girl extended a hand to Ann. "Setsuo Matsuzaki." Ann shook the girl's hand, then Ren followed suit. Setsuo stuck to the typical Shujin uniform, with her hair put up in a tidy bun.
The guy also extended a hand to Ren, then to Ann. "Tamotsu Fukuda." Like Ren, he kept his hair shaggy and overgrown, though getting much closer to his shoulders than Ren did. His sleeves were rolled halfway up his forearms for unclear reasons.
"I'm Ren Amamiya, that's Ann Ta-"
"We know," the girl quickly said. She wasted no time pulling a notebook out of her bag and flipping to an untainted page, pen at the ready to write down ideas. "We should start now if we want to finish quickly. What ideas do you have?"
At that moment, Ren's brain had one and needed no more brainstorming because he knew it was perfect. Ozaki would be mortified, the rest of the students who abandoned classroom 2-D would suffer the proper consequences, and Kawakami would even find it amusing if she was in a good mood. Plus, it would reward Ren, Ann, Tamotsu, and Setsuo with the pleasure of not having to participate in the class's display.
After all, Ozaki just gave them the job of planning it, not partaking in it. Ren's malicious compliance would be effective, humiliating, and it would only make the rest of the class hate him more.
It's so perfect I could cry.
From the corner of her eye, Haru checked the black screen of her phone. She expected a text from Ann all afternoon after her friend never came home, but none came. Even worse, GRAVY Saturday was planned for Ann's place that evening and she needed to get home before the others began to arrive.
She looked out the living room window. The sun's rays couldn't even add a glare to the TV because of it getting so late. There was no possible way for Ann to get home before Tokyo's night truly began.
Finally, after what felt like forever, her screen lit up.
GRAVY
Ann Takamaki:
-Bad news
Ann Takamaki:
-GRAVY Saturday is canceled for this week. Ren and I got stuck planning the entirety of our class's festival display, so we're a little too burnt out. Sorry.
Yusuke Kitagawa:
-My day is ruined and my disappointment is immeasurable.
Haru Okumura:
-No worries. I hope your hard work pays off!
I wonder what took them so long to plan. Our class spent no longer than an hour, consisting of who would get what job and who would buy all the decks of cards. Maybe they came up with something really, really creative, Haru thought.
Makoto Niijima:
-There's always next week, too, so it's no big deal. Take the time to rest, especially after midterms.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Bummer. Anyone wanna hop on Rash Toes?
Futaba Sakura:
-Me!
Ren Amamiya:
-Give me an hour and I'll join you guys.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Sounds good.
Haru set her phone down. She was disappointed in not being able to see everyone after such a long and stressful week, but taking a break from their weekly schedule would be beneficial. It also meant Haru could spend her night cozied up under a blanket with a book and no studying to think about.
Sunday, 10/23
"How much did Makoto tell you?"
"Not much," Ryuji said in between bites of his burger. He swallowed down the mouthful, then wiped his chin clean. "She said I can see shit the same way that you did, or something."
"That's the theory," Ren corrected. "Keep in mind that you had that vision during surgery rather than a trial."
After Makoto told him of Ryuji's success, he spent a night considering the truth of Ryuji's abilities. First, and most importantly, the circumstances weren't exactly the same as Ren's. Ren's foresight grew stronger with each trial, progressing from barely being present in his wild hallucinations until it became overt. Second, they didn't know how similar the anesthesia was to the mystery mixture. Third, they couldn't be sure of the strength of Ryuji's foresight.
Sure, he did see Teddie and learned that he's the guest speaker for the Festival, but he didn't see any actual details of the festival.
Ryuji told Ren the story of his hallucination as they ate their Big Bang Burgers. It was an anticlimactic place to hear such a tale, but it was better than taking Ryuji to a Junes Food Court.
Ryuji's got some serious trauma to deal with when it comes to Teddie. There's gotta be some reason he's so terrified, right? And it can't just be that Teddie's in one or two scary movies
"There's a lot that could go wrong is what I'm getting at," Ren said. Ryuji perked up, his usually dodgy eyes finding a moment to rest. "It's what scared me into putting Yoshiro's name on the Prince's fansite." The reaction Ren got from his friend—dead-eyed disinterest—spurred him to remind Ryuji of the cruelness of the hallucinations. "Ryuji, I… I saw Yoshiro murder Makoto. It's the worst image of my life, and it'll be staying with me until I die. Takemi-san's clinical trials are not to be taken lightly."
"Oh, I know. Teddie had me scared shitless!"
I know he doesn't mean to intentionally equate Teddie the Bear to Makoto's death in terms of how terrifying of an experience it is, but… damn. That one hurt to hear.
"But we all got demons, don't we? The difference is whether we'll fight 'em or let them be," Ryuji added. "Letting them sit seems like a waste of my time, don't it?"
"Are you sure?"
I have no clue what Ryuji will see because the last helpful trip was so long ago. I wish I could really tell him what'll happen, but I got nothing.
"Of course I'm sure. Obviously, I wanna help and all that, but I also wanna see Yusuke in a wig."
"Fair enough."
"You want him to do a trial?" Tae looked at Ryuji. Whatever she saw—or didn't see—in him was concealed beneath the bored expression on her face. "Why not do it yourself? Did the noble Ren Amamiya stoop to a peasant's level?"
"Funny." Ren would explain the truth to Tae if he needed to, but she always obliged him when he arrived. Now, with Ryuji at his side and his begging hands clasped together, Ren faced rejection from Tae. "I can't do them anymore, and I feel bad that I can't help you. That's why I brought him," he said with a finger pointing in Ryuji's direction.
Ready to please, Ryuji grinned at Tae. She offered no reaction to gauge how receptive she was to the idea. Instead, she rolled her eyes and went back to looking at Ren.
Oh, come on. I have a winning smile that deserves some attention, right? Ryuji asked himself. He didn't take it too seriously; they'd planned on Ren doing all the talking from the start. Ryuji was free to be silent and wait for his hallucinogenic fate if the day went as planned. Truth be told, his stomach churned and his muscles felt limp and weak. Mentally, he was on board with the plan. Physically, that was a different story.
"He's not nearly as fun to tease as you," Tae said, smirking as she began giving most of her attention to her computer. She clicked around a page Ryuji couldn't see from his side of the counter.
"That shouldn't matter," Ren replied.
Tae looked up from her computer. Person to person, left to right her eyes went. They jumped from Ren to Ryuji, then from Ryuji to Ren, sharpening the silence with the fact that could hear them but couldn't be bothered to give them her time.
"If you admit that you're too scared to do a trial, I agree."
Ren puffed. "I'm not scared, I…" For someone meant to do most of the talking, Ren's tongue lagged behind Tae's standards for conversation.
"Then why don't you want to do the trial yourself?"
Tae's question hung in the silence, forcing Ren to give in. "Okay, fine. I'm a pussy. Let Ryuji do the trial, please."
"That was easy, wasn't it?" Tae stood up, grabbed a clipboard from the side of her desk, and walked to the door to the exam room. "Whenever you're ready." She passed through the door and left Ren and Ryuji alone in the waiting room.
Ryuji's stomach flipped when he realized his time was near. He approached the door, slowly but surely, with his heart accelerating in his chest. Each thump timed itself with his next step.
"Ryuji," Ren said. He turned around to look at his friend. "Relax. Remember that it isn't real, that you're still in control, and you'll be fine. Oh, and make sure you're still scared of contracts, okay?"
Ryuji nodded. "Eff lawyers." Again, he faced the door and his hand extended to open it. "Let's do this," he said as he pushed the door open to the exam room. Tae sat in her swivel chair at her disorganized desk of notes, clipboards, and files. The doctor had more going on at the clinic than one would assume from the constant lack of visitors.
Behind Ryuji, the door closed after Ren followed him in. The former took a seat on the exam table while the latter stood with crossed arms. With no spare seats in the room, Ryuji found humor in the mildly annoyed look on Ren's face. It eased his nerves, if only for a moment.
"One minute while I set up," Tae said. Whether it was to herself or to her two guests, they couldn't tell. Either way, it left the room in an uncomfortable silence that only effed off when Ryuji forced it to.
"So… what's your class doing for the Festival?"
"That's classified," Ren said.
"I'm your best friend, second in command of your club, and I introduced you to Seven Bottoms Up, but you can't tell me about some lame festival idea?"
"Yep. It's a surprise."
"It better be a good one, then."
"Oh, don't worry. I know you'll love it. I'm more worried about what Kawakami will think."
"Why?"
"It may or may not be against the rules of the Culture Festival. I wouldn't know because no one wanted to tell me the rules, so-"
Classroom 2-D became a lot more interesting. "The eff did you plan?!"
"Secret."
"Fine. Eff you."
Ryuji would have to settle for asking Ann, though the chances of her telling him if she hadn't already were slim. Ren being able to convince my own girlfriend to keep secrets from me is a superpower that I'll never understand. I mean, Makoto convinced me to keep a secret from Ren, but it's just not fair, Ryuji thought as he watched Tae stand up. In her hand was a vial of doom; a dark, viscous mixture sat like mud in the glass.
Ryuji's stomach flipped, jumped, and skipped with every inch Tae stepped closer to him. Would he back down? No, of course not, but he would still freak the eff out about drinking something so disgusting that had the potential to give him an afternoon to remember.
"Ready?" Tae asked, holding the vial to Ryuji while expectantly staring at him.
Ren patted Ryuji's shoulder. "You got this."
Well, if a Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness is confident in me, then there's no way I can fail , he thought as he took the vial. Wasting no time, Ryuji chugged the sludge like it was an energy drink. He fought the urge to throw the glass vial to the ground like he just won a game of Seven Bottoms Up. Instead, he meekly handed the vial back to Tae before sitting back on the exam table, waiting for whatever forces were going to take hold.
"How long's this usually take?" he asked Ren.
Ren shrugged. "Changes every time, but it always sneaks up on you."
Nah, not happening for me. I'm un-sneak-up-on-able, Ryuji thought as he closed his eyes. The mixture wasn't helping his queasy stomach and it felt like it would come right back up alongside the Big Bang Burger. They wrestled for control of Ryuji's stomach, one tumbling over the other like two warships trapped in a never-ending storm.
Suddenly, with the snap of someone's fingers and the opening of Ryuji's eyes, the wrestling match ended. From her desk, Tae curiously watched Ryuji with her clipboard ready to note any dramatic shifts in behavior.
"Am I tripping?"
Ren exploded into a million yellow flowers, Tae did a backflip then combusted, and Yusuke teleported into the room to answer. "No."
Yeah… definitely not tripping, Ryuji thought.
"Oh, okay. I'm gonna go back to sleep. That alright?"
Yusuke walked towards Ryuji, his face stern and his hair slick with gel. "No. You have not learned enough for that."
"For what?"
"To battle Teddie." Yusuke cocked his arm back, then swung it forward into Ryuji's face. Despite how hard he slapped, Ryuji felt no sting, only recoil. His head dropped to the side and his eyes were forced to close.
Nice of Yusuke to come with and offer moral support. He's a true friend, I say . Ryuji enjoyed the warm darkness around him. He tried to open his eyes, but he legitimately couldn't tell if he was capable or not in the darkness.
"The Ursine One awaits, Ryuji."
The warmness switched to a frigid breeze that froze Ryuji's whole body. He opened his eyes, surprising himself with the revelation that he was outdoors instead of in the clinic. Surrounded by trees and statues, Ryuji looked around the courtyard in amazement. He stood in its exact center, meaning he could truly understand how perfect the symmetry of the courtyard was.
Directly ahead of him, a tall and wide stone staircase led up to a pagoda. Behind him was-
"Welcome to Kosei monastery," said Master Yusuke, a grandmaster of karate with the gray hair and lengthy beard to prove it. Hair stretched from his chin all the way to his toes, swaying gently in the wind as he stood with his hands behind his back and his eyes fixed on Ryuji. "Are you ready to begin your training?"
Ryuji could recognize Yusuke anywhere, even with a different hairstyle and hair color. The artist carried such presence with him that Ryuji always knew when he was near Yusuke, so long as Yusuke wanted to be found. He did sneak up on everyone in Hawaii, after all.
"Training for what?"
"To defeat the Ursine One, there is much you must learn. I recommend that you begin at once." Palm facing up, Yusuke's hand extended from his left side. Seemingly out of thin air, a shiny silver object. "If you can dodge a knife, you can dodge a bear."
"A knife? That's nothing like-" The air vanished from Ryuji's lungs as the knife sank into his gut. Yusuke threw it faster than an eye could detect, meaning Ryuji had no chance against a bear.
"Again." The knife dissipated, Ryuji's wound sealed, and Yusuke conjured another weapon.
Now, Ryuji didn't like having knives thrown into his gut, but it wasn't as painful as he expected. If a knife could only hurt him that much, the training was unimportant. "I don't see the point in this," Ryuji said as Yusuke cocked his arm back.
"Correct." Yusuke hucked the knife at Ryuji, who made no attempt to dodge it. "You do not see the point because it is in your liver and you do not have eyes lining your liver. Quite Unfortunate. Time for your next piece of training." Yusuke clapped twice and Ryuji's eyes instinctively closed. When he opened them a second later, the scenery changed.
The serene monastery's training grounds were replaced with endless water on all sides. The only piece of land was far behind Ryuji, barely visible from Ryuji's end of a long, thin dock. To his right stood Yusuke. Tall, wise, and uncompromisingly stone-faced, the master gazed out across the water as if he could see through the thick fog that rested atop the surface.
"If you can outswim a killer whale, you can outswim a bear."
"Yeah, no shit, but nobody can- agh!" Yusuke slapped Ryuji on the back with more power than a man of his age ever should have. Face-first, Ryuji tumbled into the glassy waves. The abrupt change took his vision alongside every other sense, bar touch, unfortunately. He would freeze if he didn't get his blood pumping at an unreal level.
More fortunately, there was plenty of motivation. Vibrations in the water around him, followed by whistles, told him that death was to his left. Because his mother raised him so well, Ryuji went right.
He kicked and kicked, putting his all into his muscles as he had back in the labyrinth. The vibrations quickened, as did Ryuji, but it wasn't enough. He couldn't feel his body being ripped through, but he knew. His legs failing to kick and the water darkening were good—if not great—indicators that Ryuji must've died.
With perfect clarity, Yusuke's voice cut through the water. "Not good enough. Next!" Even more crisply, his two claps ended Ryuji's violent death. His eyes closed, the cold switched from the all-encompassing depths to a crisp swirl of wind, and he could feel his legs once again.
Ryuji opened his eyes—the monastery. Really starting to get attached to this place , he thought, doing a full spin to see if any changes occurred in his absence. Wow! They added a cocobolo desk! Excited was an understatement; Ryuji jumped for joy and sprinted to the finely-crafted desk at the center of the courtyard.
"You can have one of your own, you know," Master Yusuke said from behind Ryuji. It didn't pull his attention from the desk or even get his focus to break.
Look at the subtle bister coloring of the grain. The tasteful thickness of its layers… oh my god, it even has a legally binding document atop it . Promptly, Ryuji's newfound vocabularic talent vanished as soon he finished admiring the desk.
"This is some nice shit," he said, sliding his palm along its polished corners.
"Sit," Yusuke said. He walked around the desk and conjured chairs on both sides. In sync, they sat down and scooted their chairs toward the desk. "If you can sign a contract, you can kill a bear."
Puzzled by the complexity of the statement, Ryuji looked past Master Yusuke. The pagoda loomed overhead, casting a dark shadow over the courtyard. Ryuji wondered what knowledge hid in such a dramatically well-placed building.
"Eh, I dunno about that, Yusuke. My handwriting's shit, my eyebrows are trimmed, and the soil 'round here…" Ryuji looked to his left, then to his right. He emphatically took a whiff of the mountain air, showing off how good at breathing he was for Master Yusuke. "Pretty sure it's been salted."
"What does that have to do anything?"
Ryuji stared daggers back at his master. "About as much as signing a contract to train for fighting a bear." He stood so quickly that his chair toppled over and Yusuke seemed taken aback. His hands even stopped braiding his beard to hold the table still. "Eff you, eff your lawyers, eff your training. Go take your 'legally binding documents' and eff 'em on top of the pagoda." Ryuji spun around and walked away. "Peace!"
"You'll regret that, Ryuji." Ryuji didn't respond, only continuing his mic-drop of a walk away from Yusuke's beautiful desk. Ahead of him was the arching gate of the monastery and whatever world waited outside of it. "None but devils play past there. You'd be wise to stop."
Ryuji held up a hand with his knuckles facing Yusuke. Slowly but surely, one wonderful finger raised in the air. "They ranked me as the two-hundred-nineteenth smartest Shujin student; wise is my middle name!"
"Who's they?" Yusuke called after him.
Just in front of the gate, Ryuji stopped. Yeah, good point. Who is 'they'? Somehow, I know my academic rank but I don't know who the Hell put me there. Weird, he thought. Still, it didn't dissuade him from pushing the rusty metal gate open and taking his first step outside the mo-
Blood, death, destruction, carnage, gore, war, hunger, sorrow—no words described the valley of horrors that immediately greeted Ryuji and his untrained skills. That first step shifted the world around him from a beautiful resting spot in between gigantic mountains of solitude to a cruel valley stuck between two massive stone ridges—like a hall from the labyrinth, but a thousand times larger and with all the little details in between.
Dragons flew, giants clashed, and Ryuji ran. His legs carried him down through the valley, following the path of a meandering river to guide him to somewhere better. Ryuji hoped for nothing more than for his existence to continue.
A giant's foot planted itself in the ground a hundred meters ahead of Ryuji. Despite the distance, he could easily understand the scale of the creature. The size four-thousand shoe picked itself up, along with all the mud, debris, and plant life it could, and raised back into the sky. Ryuji's eyes followed then went up to look at the giant.
Woah. Haru's taller than I remember, Ryuji thought as the boom of another foot landing came from his left. Turning his gaze, he saw another giant, this one larger than the other. Oh, there's Ren! What a fun little reunion we're having!
Giant Ren bent over, ran his hand through the ground, and stood tall to throw a handful of trees at Haru. Giant Haru dodged and then retaliated with her own barrage. Stopped in his tracks, Ryuji watched the awe-inspiring display of scale.
"It's your fault!" Giant Haru screamed, kicking a swath of trees across the valley at her target.
Like Haru had before, Ren retaliated with as much as he could muster. "It's not my fault, I swear! I didn't know shit about Halloween!" Both their voices came out in long, deep echoes that shook Ryuji's bones and made his feet sink into the mud.
Haru fought back. "If you just told us—if you told everyone that you're The Prince, then-"
Ryuji's brain short-circuited. Like The Prince? Or does she just mean that he's a prince for the Giants and their people? Or does she mean that Ren is well-read in the works of Machiavelli? Or does she- Ryuji gave up on the endless possibilities in favor of getting a better seat. Lifting his feet from the mud, Ryuji ran like he never ran before.
He dodged, ducked, dipped, dove, and dodged his way through raining debris, flying animals, and stray trees as he got closer and closer to Haru. As he ran, he tried to take part in the argument. "Haru! What are you-"
"You knew everything! You knew everything and you lied!" Haru screamed, not hearing Ryuji at all. As Ryuji got closer, it became clearer how inconsequential he was. Maybe if he followed through on his training he could better communicate with the giants, but he couldn't worry about such a thing.
Again, he tried to communicate. "Ren! We need to-"
"I've had enough of your lying, Ren!" Haru yelled, taking one humongous step forward and shaking the valley. Ryuji turned to see Haru towering over him, fully understanding just how tall she actually was just in time for his jaw to drop. "If GRAVY must end, so be it!"
Wait, like Gardeners Raging Against Veganism Yearly or- Ryuji's thoughts ended when Haru took one more step and squashed him like a bug. Sure, his existence continued, but that singular moment in time ended along with everything Ryuji thought about it. An embrace of darkness swept him up, warmed him from the storm of a fight, and wouldn't let him go for what must've been an eternity.
Then the light came.
"He's awake," a voice said from Ryuji's left.
"Congratulations, Sakamoto-kun. Your trial will be more useful than Ren's ever were," Tae said, walking up to Ryuji with something in her hand. He blinked his eyes a few times, not sure if he was in reality or in a dream, and watched as Tae leaned over him. She pressed a Buchimaru 'I Did It!' sticker to his chest.
Strangely, Ryuji felt more proud of the sticker than he did of his midterms.
Tae stood up straight, then walked back to her desk. As if she had just gotten home from a long day of work, she lazily plopped back into her chair. "Get your data?" Ryuji asked, swinging his legs off the edge of the exam table so he could stand.
She looked back, smirking at Ryuji before she turned her gaze to Ren. Ryuji watched his friend try to hide a snicker.
Again, Ryuji asked a question. "What?"
"Nothing. You gave Takemi-san a lot of data to work with, don't worry."
"The eff's that mean?"
"It means we should head out so she can run some tests. Ready to leave?"
"Yeah..." Ryuji stood up, not sure whether to glare at Tae or Ren. Clearly, they knew something about his experience that he didn't.
Both waved goodbye to Tae, then hustled out of the clinic and its waiting room. They raced down the steps and onto the darkening street of Yongen. Must've been out for a few hours... damn , Ryuji thought as he looked down the street at the glow of the setting sun.
Naturally, they started the walk to the station. "So... you know what I'm gonna ask," Ren said as they walked side by side.
"What'd I see?" Ryuji hummed as he thought. He saw gods, mountains, dreams, nightmares... the end of humanity itself. "I learned I'm ranked as the two-hundred-nineteenth smartest student at Shujin."
"That's very useful to know. Seriously, Ryuji."
"That, plus I trained to battle Teddie again, plus I got to hear you and Haru argue."
"Argue?"
"Yeah, she accused you of- oh, shit!" Ryuji stopped walking as the memory hit him in full force. He grabbed Ren by his shoulders, shaking fear into his friend's eyes as he confronted him. "Ren, be honest with me right now. Are you the Prince?"
"What?"
"No questions, only answers! Are you or are you not the Prince?!"
"No!"
Ryuji let go. "Okay. That's all I needed to hear." He started walking again like it was nothing. Ren followed after.
"That's it?"
"Yeah, man. I trust you." That, and Ryuji could tell when Ren lied. "I heard Haru saying you're the Prince, and that's why you knew things ahead of time. But I guess that doesn't matter, because here I am doing the same thing."
"So Haru and I will have an argument." Ren sounded deep in thought, likely considering why. Ryuji sought to give him more context.
"Seems like it, and it'll have something to do with Halloween. You kept saying you didn't know a thing, but she didn't believe you."
"Great. Just great."
"I know it sucks, but you have me. I'm your proof that you're not the Prince, right? We're the same." Ryuji smacked Ren's shoulder, hurrying his friend's pace slightly.
"Thanks for, well, everything. You didn't need to go through that."
"No problem. It was fun, honestly."
"No issues?"
"None. Yusuke tried to get me to sign a contract, but I told him to eff off."
"Good, good." Ryuji could hear the cogs turning in his friend's head. Plans formed, ideas circulated, and future hallucinations were born. "Something will happen on Halloween. We need to prepare, talk to Haru in advance."
"Good idea. I'll have Ann set it up."
They kept walking, ultimately reaching the station with not many additional words shared. Ryuji wanted to let his friend think, and he wanted his own brain to rest after such a hectic moment.
"Ryuji," Ren said as they waited for the train to arrive. "What'd you mean about being ranked for Shujin?"
"Huh? Oh, I dunno. In the trip, I kinda just knew that they ranked me at two-nineteen."
"Who?"
Ryuji shrugged. "Them."
Academic Power Rankings: October Midterms Edition
By Shuji Hagiwara ( ShujiHagi)
Greetings, fellow students. Today, I'm excited to share the Newspaper Club's analysis department's new, improved, and revamped rankings for each student based on their academic success. All test scores, including every term up to date, are evaluated to ensure accuracy and create a proper list. Students of all years are mixed together to create a realistic sense of the school's academic hierarchy.
Any and all corrections that you, the readers, are willing to offer are welcome, but I can't say they'll be recognized until the next time we publish our power rankings (December).
But that's enough talking. You're not here to read my preamble, are you?
1. Makoto Niijima (+0)
Is anyone really surprised? With her first-place score on the newest set of exams, Niijima extends her local record for consecutive first-place scores to fifteen—which began after the first set of midterms she took in her first year. Her dominance is expected, not surprising.
9. Ren Amamiya (+20)
Yes, yes. We know you don't like reading his name, but it's the truth. He's risen so high because his second-place finish proves that last term was no Niijima-assisted fluke. In back-to-back exam weeks, Ren has posted a SER (Student Efficiency Rating) greater than 32, while his VORP (Value Over Replacement) rose from 9.1 to 9.4. He absolutely crushed both language exams while scoring high for Math, Biology, and History. He's an all-around scholar with a major chip on his shoulder. Expect to see him a few places higher next spring.
17. Michiko Hora (-3)
Hora puts up excellent scores consistently, but she struggles with our advanced analytics. Despite finishing in fourth place for second-years with overall scores, her VORP still remains below 5.0. It remains to be seen whether Hora will continue her solid success, or push for true greatness in the future.
53. Haru Okumura (+14)
Despite all the noise around her, Okumura has great counting stats. She continues her above-average finishes in terms of overall scores, but her LHW% (Legible Handwriting Percentage) of 99.37%—second only to Niijima—is too good to deny.
60. Ann Takamaki (+57)
The largest gain seen in the rankings this update, Takamaki's most recent exams have been a colossal success. Usually dependent on her English scores, Takamaki noticeably stepped up in Biology, Japanese, and History, along with posting an abnormally high Short Answer Question Success Rate (94%)—an outlier for other students similarly ranked.
64. Kimi Kawano (-2)
I hate to say it, but our glorious leader has backslid. Her TCA% (True Correct Answer Percentage) dropped from an efficient 81% to 74%. She should be lower, in fact, but I value my position as head of the analytics department. On a more positive note, Kimi's SER increased by 0.2.
76. Yuriko Kuramoto (+0)
Kuramoto may be the only student as consistent as Niijima. Her ranking remains unchanged since she arrived at this school, but I'm sure she couldn't care less. Interestingly enough, she leads third-years in cUSG%* (Calculator Usage Percentage), with 51.2% of her math questions requiring her to compute the numbers.
80. Eiji Tanaka (-36)
It's been a tough month for Tanaka, as he's been more focused on being interviewed by our reporters than on studying. Plus, our sources tell us that he's recently lost his position on the council. His new scores actually rank far lower than his previous ones, but we're giving him the benefit of the doubt ranking him this high. With perseverance, Tanaka will regain his former self and more.
219. Ryuji Sakamoto (+9)
Sakamoto's abysmal statistics continue, though slightly less abysmally. His SER rose from a terrible 4.3 to 4.6 thanks to decent success with his History exam. His VORP remains below 0 at -0.3, and we saw no notable deviations for most of his other stats. Despite this, he's risen due to his success with one usually unimportant stat: Sakamoto's SC/Q (Successful Cheat per Question rate) rose from 0.24 to 0.62. If he improves on that figure, he could make a splash during this term's finals.
220. Noriko Taira (-1)
Taira's spot changes because of Sakamoto's success, and her departure from the student council. It's a shame to see such a talented cheater fall off so hard, but we must recognize reality when it strikes. Ladies and gentlemen, Taira is washed. Her first-year record for SC/Q, 1.11, stands to this day, but it's a career-best. Since her promising rookie campaign, Taira has regressed every year and it doesn't bode well for her last two terms at Shujin Academy.
279. Dai Shirai
'Dead Last Dai' strikes again. He's negative in every possible advanced analytic, he's last in CA/E (Cheats Attempted per Exam) while also having the worst SC/Q, and his overall scores are the worst in every category. There shouldn't be much else to say about Dai, but you may have noticed he's at 279, not his usual home of 278. You may also notice that there are only 278 students who took exams this term. Dai's stats haven't gotten any worse, but he did release a mixtape. We had to punish him for that, right?
*Note: Please do not reach out to the analytics department to ask how we obtain our statistics.
Supplementary Reading
- Amamiya's Advanced Analytic Success—A Defense -
- The Good Side of the Student Council -
- Top 15 Culture Festival Rooms of All Time-
Monday, 10/24
Ren hated reading his own name. It sat near the top of that cursed piece of paper that followed every week of exams, annexing the entire bulletin board just to put Ren's name near—but not at—the top.
I tell myself that I don't care about my scores, but… shit. This hurts.
Until finals, he'd have to settle for being the second most academically proven second-year, only behind a familiar face: Setsuo Matsuzaki. Her name in bold inscription stood tall among the rest of the lousy, good-for-nothing names of academic failures.
Per usual, Ren read through the list that showcased barely any surprises. Interestingly enough, each member of GRAVY did better than usual, Ann especially. Once Ren was left with no names left to read on the list of second-years' scores, he moved on to the other years.
A few people grumbled from behind him. Taking too long would piss anyone off, but the fact that it was Ren Amamiya seemed to agitate people more.
They're just upset because they know I did better than them.
Unlike the past times he checked his scores, Ren waited until later in the day. Having to part the sea of people standing around the bulletin board always resulted in him upsetting as many people as possible. Checking the bulletin board later, during lunch, was meant to not ruin anyone's day with the sight of someone so naturally malicious.
The list of third-years was more of the same. Makoto's victory was in bold for all to see, while Haru didn't do too poorly for herself. Yuriko's lack of interest in school showed. As for the first-years, there was only one name Ren cared about. Going over the list once, twice, then three times brought Ren no new information.
Huh… Kasumi's not on here. Maybe certain athletes are exempt from exams?
"How'd you score, Amamiya-san?" a voice said, prompting Ren to turn his left as someone started to crowd him. He backed away, giving himself a better view of Ozaki stealing his spot to look at the bulletin board. His eyes started at the bottom and slowly began to crawl upward. "Lemme guess: upper forties to lower-" Ozkaki choked and his eyes stopped, assumedly when he saw Ren's name sandwiched between first and third.
I'll just let him be. The Culture Festival will be more than enough revenge.
"Ugh…" Ozaki left the bitter taste in his mouth behind as he turned away from the bulletin board. He took steps towards Ren, though not enough to make Ren even consider backing away. "How's the plan for the Festival coming? Lots of progress, I'm hoping."
"It's complete, actually. I even ordered the supplies for everything. Paid out of my pocket, of course."
"Wow, impressive. Mind if you give me some more details?"
"Oh, don't worry about that. It's simple enough that you'll know what to do when the time comes. Should just be standing around for an hour or two, anyway."
"Perfect. Thanks for taking care of that."
Ren wouldn't call the smile he gave passive-aggressive, but it certainly wasn't one of kindness. "No problem-"
"Ozaki-kun, Amamiya-kun. Good afternoon."
Ren turned, seeing Kawakami walking towards them. He couldn't tell whether she approached simply to greet them or to use disciplinary action against them. Just to annoy her and to confuse Ozaki, Ren's head fell forward and his back leaned so he could bow to his teacher.
"Afternoon, sensei."
"Uh… okay. Both of you doing alright?"
"We're good," Ozaki said.
"Great, even," Ren added just for the sake of getting the last word.
"Then I can assume the plan for the Festival is complete and ready for Tuesday and Wednesday?"
The opportunity to save his own ass while placing blame on Ozaki's shoulders jumped out from behind Kawakami—Ren seized it. "Oh, of course. Ozaki-san did a bunch of the heavy lifting and led the class on what to do. I can't praise him enough, really."
Kawakami's hands found her hips, and her eyebrow rose. "That means a lot from a student as socially inclined as you, Amamiya-kun," she said with disbelief staring at Ren.
Okay, fine. She knows I'm lying. Maybe she'll do me a favor and let it slide?
As a surprise to Ren, Ozaki spoke before Kawakami could. "Thank you, Ren. It was hard work, but I knew we could do it."
I mean, if he's going to lie, he could at least say something with a bit more flavor to it—totally bland. Also, can he really not tell that Kawakami sees through shit like that? She's a teacher, but she's not oblivious.
Kawakami narrowed her eyes. "Well, good for both of you. I'll see you two in class later." With that, she resumed her determined pace and sped past the two.
Out of the corner of his eye, Ren watched Ozaki stare as Kawakami walked away. "Hey, Ozaki-san."
He turned. "Yeah?"
"You sit behind me, and I always feel bad about this, so… I'm sorry." Ozaki crossed his arms and scowled. He knew Ren wasn't serious, which meant he knew Ren's tricks well enough not to believe everything he said. "I'm sorry for not letting you cheat off me for the midterms. I know it's hurt your scores, but-"
"Fuck off." Ozaki brushed past Ren, walking in the opposite direction Kawakami did.
I didn't think I'd ever be this excited about a Shujin-funded event, but the Culture Festival will be great. Teddie will show up, Ozaki will be a champion, and I'll get to enjoy a nice walk around the school with Makoto. Hell, maybe I'll dance.
Ren's phone rang him off his seat, sending a shock through his body that reminded him he left his ringer on. All eyes, including Kawakami's irritated ones, fixed on Ren. He silenced it in his pocket.
"As I was saying, there's no homework today because…"
Ren tuned Kawakami out and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hid it under his desk, hunching over a little for more cover so Ozaki couldn't easily see his screen.
'Missed Call: Yusuke Kitagawa.' I can't remember the last time Yusuke called, if ever. Maybe it's an emergency.
Raising his hand, Ren locked eyes with his teacher. Her lecture hitched, pausing so she could nod and Ren could stand. He left his bag behind as he quickly shuffled away from his desk. Heads turned around, but Kawakami's resuming speech soon got them focused. Ren swiftly stepped out the door and delicately shut it behind him, breathing a sigh of relief into the quiet hallway.
I can feel the jealousy on the other side of that door.
Ren tapped the notification and his phone initiated the call to Yusuke. Holding it to his ear, Ren found himself anxiously waiting through ringing for Yusuke to pick up.
"Yes?"
"Yusuke," Ren said, turning around and leaning up against the nearest locker. "What's up?"
"Ah… I called you to inquire about your interest in my art career."
"I can assure you that I have…" Ren paused, truly thinking about what he was saying. "Great interest in your art career."
"Then it's settled. I can disclose my feelings to you over-"
"Woah, hold on." Ren rolled his eyes as he dismissed Yusuke's usual bullshit in favor of a friend-to-friend conversation. "Yusuke, you don't need to worry about me being interested in your art, or any of that shit. I care about whatever you're up to because you're a friend—simple as that."
Yusuke managed to force his monotone voice through the static with no inflection. "This is appreciated."
"So, what's on your mind?"
"A teacher of mine referred to a new piece as 'garbage'. I'm having trouble with seeing any art I have made and will ever make as more than that—garbage."
"Critics don't mean shit-" Metal clicked, taking Ren's attention from his feet to the door to Classroom 2-D. Ann stepped out, shutting the door behind her without any of the grace Ren had when he did the same. She pointed at Ren's phone with an inquisitive look on her face. "It's Yusuke," Ren said.
"You are correct; I am Yusuke," he said through the other end of the phone.
"No, you're- er, yes, you are in fact Yusuke, but I was talking to Ann. We both stepped out of class to talk to you."
"This is also appreciated. Could you put me on speakerphone?" Ren pulled the phone from his ear. Without hesitating, he tapped the button and amplified the static undercurrent that Yusuke spoke through. "Thank you."
…How did he know I put him on speaker if I didn't say anything?
"Hey, Yusuke. What's up?" Ann said, taking the spot next to Ren against the lockers. They were the two coolest students in Shujin at that moment; completely oblivious to any lectures, gossip, or educational politics going on in the building around them.
"A teacher criticized my work, demeaning it as much as he could. Now, I could be considered… what's the word for it?"
"Sad?" Ann suggested.
'Sad' is too small of a word for Yusuke. He'll go for something like 'mournful' or 'melancholic' or 'lugubrious'.
"Yes! I am sad."
Or not.
Getting nothing but silence from Ann and Ren, Yusuke elaborated. "It is difficult to find value in what I do if a critic—or anyone—can consider it baseless garbage. What is the point?"
"Everyone feels that way at some point, you know," Ann said. Ren, a person who lacked any creative pursuits, did not know what she was talking about so he eagerly listened. "The start of my modeling career was one of the toughest points of my life. It really made me question if I'm just another pretty face, or if there's something more to modeling." Through static, Yusuke hummed. Ann turned the short story on its head to ask Yusuke the all-important question. "Yusuke, are you just good at painting as a skill, or are you able to create real, genuine art?"
Ann doesn't get enough credit for being confident all day, every day. People shit talk her all day long, Ryuji did nothing with her signs for months, and she still can't get a modeling gig, but she still knows that she's a great model when she wants to be.
"This is something I cannot answer. It-"
"Yes, you can. Do you believe that you can paint something that inspires emotion, or something good enough to make me cry?"
"I… I do. I know I am capable."
"Then go for it. You need to stop thinking about critics, stop worrying about-"
"I have it!" Yusuke shouted, cutting right through Ann's inspiring speech.
Ren and Ann, both stumped, stammered in unison. "What?"
"I have the answer to my slump!" Ren looked at Ann. Seeing nothing but confusion on her face—maybe some disappointment that her speech hadn't worked the way she wanted it to—Ren offered her an encouraging smile. "Ann, I must paint you!"
"What? We already-"
"Yes, yes. I did already attempt to capture your beauty, but I did not succeed. Do you know why?"
"No."
"Because I failed to understand you; because I didn't understand what gives you such a striking presence."
"Um…" Ann stopped leaning on the locker. "What gives me a 'striking presence'?"
"Your questions will not dissuade me from creating a masterpiece. Now, I must conclude this conversation so I may resume rescuing Kosei from the depths of bankruptcy. Do you agree to model for me?"
Kosei is bankrupt? Better yet, why is Yusuke the one to save them from their financial struggles?
"Sure?"
"Perfect!" The line clicked and Ren's phone screen dimmed. Ren and Ann's supposed coolness vanished as they went back to being normal students who were skipping class, instead of the trusty sidekicks to the greatest artist Japan had ever known.
"I can't tell if I helped," Ann said, crossing her arms.
"You did. Think of how Yusuke behaves—what we just got is a positive reaction, meaning that you did something good. Better than I did, actually."
Ann shrugged. "If you say so. Wanna go back in first, or do you wanna piss off Kawakami and wait?" she asked, pointing over her shoulder at the door to Classroom 2-D.
"I'll wait. Might take a trip to the roof and smell the flowers. You?"
"Admire my exam score all over again."
Wish I could do the same. I know, I know. Second place is good, but I still feel like I regressed. I'll need to spend more time studying with Makoto if I'm gonna beat Setsuo this winter.
"Enjoy it. See you by the end of class?"
"Definitely." With that, the two parted ways, off to enjoy their makeshift free period to the fullest.