The Mystery of Ren Amamiya - Lightning99
Stream 16:
Sae Niijima
'I'm Sae Niijima. It's a pleasure to be here,' Sae said, bowing to the camera. She leaned back into her chair, flipping her hair over her shoulder. As she crossed her arms and legs, Ann realised how strange seeing her not wearing a suit was. 'Was that an ok introduction?'
'Perfect, yes,' Ann said, nodding. 'Thank you for coming, Sae. I know you have a busy schedule.'
'Not at all. I was fortunate enough to have the weekend off this week. Besides,' Sae said, 'if there is one thing I will make time for, it is all of you. Even if you may be more of my sister's friends.'
'What do you mean we're 'more your sister's friends'? You're a part of our group, too.'
Sae chuckled. 'That's very kind of you to say.'
Akira_Kurusu: SAE NIIJIMA!
Akira_Kurusu: Rai?! Are you here?!
Ann, herself, was surprised when there was no reply. 'Now, does anybody have any questions for Sae?'
Akiharabaki: Sae, you're Makoto's sister, right?
'Yes, Sae is Makoto's sister,' Ann said since Sae missed the comment.
'I am,' Sae said. 'Could you not tell before I said so?'
Poké-Master: You look nothing alike.
ThePicaro: I can see it. It's the eyes for me.
DynamiteKitten142: Is that your natural hair colour? It's beautiful!
'Looks like a few mixed responses,' Sae said, browsing the chat. 'Yes, my hair is natural. I have always thought it makes me look older than I am, but people seem to like it.'
'Believe it or not, Makoto and Sae are very similar in some ways, yet completely different in others,' Ann said.
'How do you mean?'
'Well, you're both strict and… is proper the word? But Makoto knows how to take a break, whereas you really don't.'
'Yes, well,' Sae said, folding her arms. 'You're not wrong there. Though, I think it is because of all of you that Makoto can enjoy taking breaks.'
'I agree.'
'What else is different about us, would you say?'
'The list could be quite long, so a few similarities are that you both practise martial arts, are studious, and like to keep things in immaculate order. One way you're different is that Makoto doesn't mind getting filthy while she goes out on motorcycle rides. They are only some examples, but they're what I've noticed.'
'I see,' Sae said. She seemed to think for a moment. 'Yes, I suppose you're right. Perhaps I do need to relax sometimes.'
'Oh, and you both work in law and law enforcement,' Ann said.
'We did choose similar career paths.'
Okinawan_Surfer: Are you a police officer, too, Sae-san?
'I'm not a police officer, no. I am a defence lawyer and have been for the last four or five years. Time is going so quickly that I've forgotten how long it has been.'
'I'm with you there,' Ann said.
Featherman616: So, you work with victims, then?
'The more accurate term would be defendants, but in more cases than the prosecutor's office would care to admit, yes, many of them are victims. I am there to represent them in a lawsuit or criminal prosecution,' Sae said. 'Before I was a defence attorney, I was a public prosecutor who worked to arrest people. While working that job, the rate for imprisoning those on trial was 99%, and I was practically forced to rig cases against my will, regardless of whether they were innocent or guilty. Maybe I shouldn't be spreading this information, but it came to light years ago, so it isn't a government secret.
'It took me a while to realise how corrupt the system and I had become. I was living in envy, I suppose, of people who could live more freely, people like Makoto. My eyes were finally opened a few years back, and I decided I wanted to fight for people against such injustice instead. So, I became a defence attorney, and I'm working to lower that false 99%.'
'Sae has already helped a lot of people,' Ann said. 'Do you remember that girl I mentioned Ren helped? Sae had a big part to play in that case.'
'Ah yes, I remember. It was difficult, but we managed it,' Sae said.
MightnightSword: Good on you for making that change!
Sae smiled. 'Thank you, but I can't claim all of it as my doing,' she said. 'I only came to the realisation thanks to the Phantom Thieves. If they hadn't helped me, I might still be trapped in that life, convicting innocent people.'
AnnFann101: HUH?! SOPHIA WAS RIGHT?!
Akira_Kurusu: You really did meet the Phantom Thieves?!
Golden_Guy: Did they change your heart?!
Sae chuckled and looked at the camera. Then, she smirked.
'I interrogated their leader.'
AnnFann101: IT'S TRUUUUUE!
RenFan101: HOLY MOTHER OF WHAAAAAT?!
For several minutes after her reveal, the entire chat asked her questions and begged for more information, but she said nothing, talking instead about how she interacted with the Phantom Thieves.
'It's difficult to explain, and I don't believe it is their usual method, but they made me realise how wrong I had been. It was like they finally slapped me awake, you could say,' Sae said.
Akira_Kurusu: RAI, WHERE ARE YOU?!
Kichijouji-kid321: Sae-san, do you work with Makoto at all?
Ann scrolled back through the chat, pointing out the question to Sae.
'Sometimes, yes, but our departments are estranged from one another, and Makoto is relatively new to the industry. However, when she truly believes someone is innocent, she will ask me to be their defendant. I, of course, agree.'
'They haven't lost a case yet. They're a real powerhouse team,' Ann said.
'I don't know about that, but yes, we have yet to lose a case. And I have been right about the innocence of all the people I have defended.'
'What did I tell you? Powerhouse team.'
Sae laughed. 'Maybe so. I am merely glad I can help people.'
'Aren't we all?' Ann agreed. They shared a smile, then turned back to the chat, and both laughed at the first comment they saw pop up:
It'SnOUsE: I don't mean to be rude, but do you and Makoto have lives?
'People on the internet are bold, aren't they,' Sae said.
'You have no idea,' Ann said.
'Yes, thank you, we do have lives. I'll admit that Makoto probably has more of one than I do, but I have a life outside of work.'
It'SnOUsE: Does that mean you have a boyfriend?
'Chat, please,' Ann said, dropping her head into her hands.
'I don't, actually,' Sae said, prompting several comments describing her as a strong and independent woman. Others asked how such a thing was possible. Others submit their names, ages, and qualifications.
AnnFann101: Are you not looking for a relationship?
'I'm not actively searching one out, no. I would rather focus on my career and engage in relationships later in life. But it is also because I have yet to find anyone I deem worthy to date,' Sae said.
_Doughnutington_: Well, there go my chances :(
FrozenFire: Really? Nobody?
'Nobody,' Sae confirmed. 'I have certain standards. First and foremost, they must be a good person by nature. They must be smart, too, or else I find I cannot have engaging conversations with them. Small talk isn't my strong suit. They must have a sense of justice as strong as mine and be able to keep up with and tolerate my busy life. As such, they must be calm and level-headed. Perhaps I am being a bit too delusional with my preferences, but that is the kind of person I would be interested in, and I have not met such a person yet.'
RenFan101: Wait… going off everything we've learned so far, didn't you just describe Ren?
Sae opened her mouth but closed it almost instantly. She pursed her lips, furrowed her brow, and Ann clamped a hand over her mouth, hiding her growing grin. Meanwhile, the chat became such:
RenFan101: HOLY SHIT, NO WAY!
AnnFann101: I don't believe this!
Featherman616: GIGA CHAD REN?!
Akiharabaki: NO, SIGMA MALE REN!
'Now that you mention it,' Sae said, oblivious to her effect on the chat, 'yes, Ren does meet all of those qualities.' Then Sae sat straighter, looking at Ann, who was now nearly folding over, trying to contain her laughter. 'I'm sorry, Ann, I didn't mean it like that. I meant that if someone my age possessed all of the qualities Ren does, I might consider dating them.'
'I get what you mean, don't worry,' Ann said, turning back to the outraged chat. When it started to calm down a little bit, it worsened in seconds due to one specific message.
Ren_Amamiya: Sae, I had no idea you felt that way.
Ann laughed so suddenly that she descended into a coughing fit, sputtering out attempts at telling Ren to stop.
Ren_Amamiya: Unfortunately, I cannot reciprocate your feelings. I am already taken.
Sae sighed, placing a hand on her forehead. 'That's quite alright, Ren.'
'Oh, this is too funny,' Ann said, sitting upright again.
It was moments like those that put her stream on hold while everyone sorted out their hysteria. Usually, Ann knew them to take a few minutes to calm down. But this time, it took less than one, and for a perfect reason:
PhantomTheifRai: I have arrived.
Akira_Kurusu: HE'S HERE!
TheGhostlyMaiden: Raaaai! I've been waiting for this!
AnnFann101: Let's go! Discussion time!
FrozenFire: YOOOO!
RenFan101: This is it! The final showdown! Rai vs Sae!
'Ah,' Sae said, 'this is the person you told me wanted to have a discussion.'
PhantomThiefRai: That's right. It is I. Are you prepared, Ann Takamaki? Sae Niijima? Today is the day we will finally determine whether or not Ren Amamiya is the leader of The Phantom Thieves of Hearts.
'We're ready,' Ann said. 'We spent all of last night putting together our notes.'
PhantomThiefRai: Oh?
'That's right. Are you ready?'
PhantomThiefRai: Let's get started.
'How about you, Sae?'
'Yes, I am prepared to start whenever.'
'Alright, chat, this is it,' Ann said. 'Depending on the evidence we see here, we'll likely have our answer.'
What followed Ann's comment was a stream of messages proclaiming how ready they all were. Some were prepared to see Rai as the victor, while few were prepared to see him fail.
'Here's how it's going to work,' Ann continued. 'Both we and Rai have sent Futaba our documents, so when we make our points, she will put them on the screen. Rai, would you like to get us started?'
PhantomThiefRai: I would be honoured.
Akira_Kurusu: In that case, I'll referee! Rai, take it away.
PhantomThiefRai: Thank you, Akira. First, chat. I will recount the points I made last time.
Rai began with how The Phantom Thieves' leader and Ren look alike. This time, however, he gave Futaba her cue, and Shido's calling card appeared on the screen, playing the part where Joker stepped into the spotlight on repeat. Rai made his claim, even going so far as to bring up a photograph he took of Ren by visiting LeBlanc late yesterday evening. It seemed, at first, that Rai was off to an excellent start. Despite knowing it was Ren in the picture, even Ann couldn't deny the similarities.
'I can see the likeness, yes,' Sae said. 'And I am sure that, were you to photoshop the mask out and place it onto Ren's face, you might be even more convinced. However, I believe this is insufficient evidence for two reasons. Futaba, if you would.'
This time, the screen split in two. Rai's evidence moved to the left, and Sae's appeared on the right: a photograph of Shibuya's Central Street, filled with people in different, unique types of cosplay surrounded by stalls on the sides of the road.
'This is a picture of Central Street in Shibuya on the anniversary of The Phantom Thieves' debut month. As I am sure many of you know, this event intends to honour The Phantom Thieves' work. Their fans will dress up, visit the stalls, and get together to discuss them. This is where Mishima's documentary was first aired.
'If you look closely, however, none of the cosplays are identical. This is because the only evidence we have of The Phantom Thieves' attire is silhouetted, so we don't know the colour, just the shape. The exception is their leader's mask and hair. As such, the most consistent cosplay is of these two things. Many people here share a similar resemblance to the man in The Phantom Thieves' calling card.'
Futaba enlarged the image; sure enough, several people in the street bore some resemblance to the calling card. None of them was even close in Ann's opinion, and Ren was so obviously the guy, but from the little they could see, much of the chat seemed to agree with Sae.
'But I know that isn't concrete. Just because other people look like him does not discount Rai's point about Ren's resemblance. However, Rai's point isn't concrete either. That leads me to my second point. How do we know, for a fact, that that person is their leader? They claimed as much in their calling card and even went so far as to address their target directly to confirm it, but how do we know? Guesswork is not sufficient evidence for me. Therefore, your point is still unreliable.'
PhantomThiefRai: I see you have thought this through, Sae. Excellent.
Akira_Kurusu: Oooooh… This is a tough one.
Akira_Kurusu: I think I will have to give this point to Sae. I'm sorry, Rai, but she's right. We don't know anything for sure, so I can't give you this one.
'Yes!' Ann shouted at her screen.
PhantomThiefRai: No, that is acceptable. I'm glad to have a worthy opponent. Now, as for my other point.
With one point to Sae, Rai continued. His second point was about Ren's arrival at Shujin. Rather than assuming this time, he referenced the stream with Kawakami directly and even claimed that he received the exact dates from Kawakami herself. Ann questioned him on it, but he told her that Ren had visited the day before with Sojiro, so Ann couldn't deny that he had contacted her.
PhantomThiefRai: There may not be any exact date for The Phantom Thieves' creation, but his arrival at Shujin was when they appeared in the public eye. Kawakami also informed me that he was almost immediately at odds with their first villain. Ren later learned that said villain unveiled his criminal record, making him a social pariah. Therefore, he had a clear motive to change his heart. Futaba, the evidence.
When Futaba played back a recording of Rai's conversation with Kawakami back to them, confirming these claims, nobody could deny it. Ann didn't even need to wonder why Kawakami was so forthcoming.
'Hmm, excellent argument, Rai,' Sae said. 'I don't have any counters to this. I can only say that both Ryuji and Ann were at odds with the villain at the time. Ren made friends with them quickly upon his arrival, so he does have a clear reason to be at odds with him, too. However, other than claiming it to be coincidence, I must concede a point here.'
Akira_Kurusu: In that case, point two goes to Rai. Good work.
PhantomThiefRai: It was nothing.
AnnFann101: :O
AnnFann101: Good job keeping up, Rai!
RenFan101: Let's go!
DynamiteKitten142: Oh crap. This is getting good!
That was, however, the last time Rai kept up. His next point was about Ren's connections throughout the city. He referenced all the right streams and correctly stated each person's job and how they would benefit Ren as a Phantom Thief. Sae, however, refuted this point by calling on his insufficient evidence and their lack of knowledge over how The Phantom Thieves acted. She pointed out how The Phan-site more than compensated for their need to have eyes out in the city and how none of the guests ever mentioned anything regarding The Phantom Thieves themselves. Akira was forced to give Sae a point.
Rai tried again, drawing on Ren infiltrating the yakuza, his original arrest, and his desire to do good as reasons for him being a Phantom Thief. But Sae refuted each point. Ann watched Rai's messages lose enthusiasm with each one, her chest deflating more as the hour ticked on. At the same time, she knew it was necessary.
PhantomThiefRai: Shot down again, huh…?
'Are you done, Rai?' Ann asked. 'Was that your last point?'
PhantomThiefRai: No. I have one more, but…
Akira_Kurusu: Go on, Rai. You're behind, but you can do this. One last time.
PhantomThiefRai: Ok. Alright. My last point has to do with Ren's abilities. I could name every stream these appeared in, but that would take too long. I will list them. Cooking, coffee making, helping people, martial arts, public speaking, infiltration. He is well versed in everything, exactly as we believe the leader of The Phantom Thieves to be. What say you, Sae?
'I say you've just negated your own point. You said 'as we believe' when referencing The Phantom Thieves' leader. We know Ren has these abilities due to outside sources, primarily his friends. However, we have no clear evidence that The Phantom Thieves' leader has these abilities. We don't know how they act, so we cannot even begin to guess. As such, claiming these two people are the same is nothing but an assumption. You are warping reality to fit the vision in your head. You want Ren to be The Phantom Thieves' leader, so you are putting his abilities on to a character you know nothing about. Therefore, I cannot concede my point here.'
That, it seemed, was the final verdict. The chat switched from bigging up Rai to make his final point to supporting Sae and claiming how right she was. Ann knew the chat – or any social media – was a fickle thing, but when hit with such a bombshell, they conceded far easier than she thought they might. It seemed the plan had worked.
PhantomThiefRai: Damn… Even I have to agree I've been beaten here. Well done, Sae.
'Thank you,' Sae said, bowing her head respectfully. 'You were a worthy opponent. However, it is my job to discuss facts like this. I won't be beaten.'
Akira_Kurusu: I'm sorry, Rai.
PhantomTheifRai: No, it's ok.
PhantomThiefRai: I have one final thing.
PhantomThiefRai: Was Ren the person you interrogated?
'I can confirm,' Sae said, 'that it wasn't Ren.'
PhantomThiefRai: NOOOOOO!
TheGhostlyMaiden: Wow, this has been heated.
AnnFann101: Well done, Rai! You made a good effort.
Akiharabaki: Damn. I'm kinda disappointed, you know?
Golden_Guy: Is this it? Are we done?
PhantomThiefRai: I think I'm finished. Sae, your evidence is overwhelming. I concede.
RenFan101: YOOOOOOOO!
PhantomThiefRai: There is, however, one last thing I can do for you, chat.
'And what might that be, Rai?' Ann asked.
PhantomThiefRai: You may have convinced them he isn't a Phantom Thief, but still.
PhantomThief Rai: We want Ren!
RenFan101: We want Ren!
AnnFan101: We want Ren!
Featherman616: We want Ren!
Golden_Guy: We want Ren!
Ann sighed into her hand, muttering out one thing:
'Fine…'
The stream ended not too long after that. Ann said her goodbyes, switched off the computer and flopped back in her chair. Somehow, her chest felt significantly lighter now that Sae seemed to have convinced the chat.
'You were amazing,' Ann said.
'Thank you,' Sae said. 'I know you told me to humour them beforehand, but I still have to ask. What on earth was that all about?'
'I'm sorry,' Ann said. 'I didn't expect it to go on for so long. I'm sure you've figured this out, but Rai started believing that Ren is a Phantom Thief, so we needed to throw him off the trail.'
'Yes, that much I understood. The part that confuses me is why you let things get to such a stage where you needed me to reveal that I once interrogated The Phantom Thieves' leader.'
'Oh, that was all Ren's plan.'
'His plan? What?'
'Yep.' Ann stretched her arms above her head. Her phone lit up. As she dropped her arms, she peeked at it and laughed.
'Is everything ok?'
'That was Ren. You need to know about the plan for it to make sense,' Ann said. 'Ren's plan was to convince Rai that he's not a Phantom Thief. The thing is, he couldn't just deny it. Rai has a lot of sway over the chat, and because of how certain he was, he wouldn't believe Ren saying so anyway.'
'Naturally, yes,' Sae said.
'So he decided to use my past three streams to do it. The first was the one with Shinya and Akane. They're huge Phantom Thief fans, so it was a good excuse to set up a Phantom Thieves quiz.'
'You're telling me Ren made the quiz?' Sae said.
'We did it together, but it was mainly his idea.'
Sae huffed out a laugh. 'I see. Makoto was especially frustrated she didn't win.'
'I could tell by how she didn't text on the group chat all night,' Ann said.
'Why did he set up a quiz if he wanted to convince them he isn't a Phantom Thief?'
'For two reasons. The first is the complete opposite of that exact thing. Ren wanted to convince people that he was a Phantom Thief.' Ann watched the inevitable frown cross Sae's features, though hers came with an added hint of contemplation. 'Setting up the quiz helped with that since everyone had The Phantom Thieves on their minds. So he took advantage of it, which leads to the second reason. Ren wanted to gain Rai's trust directly. So, he did the only thing that would let him do that. He created an Alt account.'
'Don't tell me…' Sae said.
Ann nodded. 'Yep. Akira Kurusu. I can't believe we haven't mentioned it before, but that's the name Ren uses when we tackle any issues involving the government. We don't know who in the government or police knows Ren's identity, so he uses a fake name in those cases. We all decided to do the same when Ryuji pointed out that if anyone recognises Ren and we're there, using our real names could compromise our identities too. So we use fakes. Mine is Anne Windsor. I decided to add an E for emphasis.'
'You all never cease to surprise me,' Sae said. 'He used Akira, then?'
'He did. By acing the quiz as Akira, he gained Rai's immediate respect. From then on, Rai trusted Akira's word. You can check back on the vod, and you'll see that Akira then started talking about Ren being a Phantom Thief.'
'So by initiating the discussion and claiming to believe Ren Amamiya is a Phantom Thief, Rai and more of the chat would become even more convinced. When you hear more than one person claim the same thing independently, it feels more convincing.'
'Exactly, yeah,' Ann said. 'So by doing that, he and Rai were on the same page. That's where Shinya came in.'
'There's more?!'
'Yep. Shinya was there to be the voice of reason, to keep a few people sceptical. But also, to say he would only be convinced if he heard concrete evidence from somebody who interacted with The Phantom Thieves.'
'You mean me, then,' Sae said. 'He planned even this stream?'
'That's Ren for you,' Ann said. 'That's all for the first stream. The second stream was Ohya and Chihaya, two of Ren's friends. You met them, right?'
'I did. The reporter and the fortune teller?'
'That's them. The idea for this one was to bring in Ohya's reporting skills. The stream went on as normal until Akira spoke up again, telling Rai to try arguing his point with Ohya. This showed Akira giving his support and made Rai talk about his points. But Ren knew he wouldn't get past Ohya. He knew she'd shoot him down, so when she did, he supported Rai. Rai asked Ohya how to improve his notes, and by improving them, he convinced himself even more that he was right. Among all that, Ren asked Ohya to mention one thing.'
'That Rai should find somebody with connections to The Phantom Thieves,' Sae said.
'Yep! And–'
'That is where Sophia came in, yes?'
'Oh? Think you've figured it out, have you?'
'Perhaps,' Sae said. 'Did he ask you to bring Sophia along so she could bring to light that I once interrogated The Phantom Thieves' leader?'
'Exactly!' Ann said. 'Just like with the quiz and Ohya, Ren initiated the topic by asking Sophia if she could find out The Phantom Thieves' identities online. She didn't reveal them, of course, but his doing that made Rai think of asking Sophia about somebody who had interacted with The Phantom Thieves. Having both Shinya and Ohya say it cemented it in Rai's head as a necessity, so he asked Sophia.'
'That's when she mentioned my name. Genius.'
'Sophia obviously didn't look on the internet for that. Ren told her to mention your name in the first place, which brings us to today,' Ann said. 'Because Akira had been supporting him, and Ohya completely shot down all his ideas, and more than one person mentioned talking to you, Rai was confident in his notes and convinced he would learn more from today.'
'And that is why he was so crushed when I shot him down and said Ren wasn't who I interrogated. He built up his own belief to such a point that his being shot down destroyed all that confidence,' Sae said. She chuckled, shaking her head. 'That is one serious mind game. Ren truly is amazing.'
'I was just surprised with how quickly he came up with the plan,' Ann said. 'Now that he's convinced Rai, all that's left is for him to show up tomorrow, and they'll see who he is.'
'I can only applaud,' Sae said. 'You said he texted you?'
'Oh yeah,' Ann said, taking her phone from the table. She showed it to Sae. 'It says he feels guilty for tricking Rai and that he's half-tempted to text him privately and tell him he is a Phantom Thief.'
'Would that be wise?'
'That's probably what Ren's thinking about now. Even if the rest of the chat were, Rai probably wasn't wholly convinced. So, if Ren doesn't tell him, Rai will still try to find out our identities which is problematic because, if he digs too deep, some corrupt adults might get involved. If he does tell him, Rai will stop searching so he won't be in danger, but we don't know if he'll try to leak it.'
Ann swiped on Ren's text and then started tapping the screen.
'At the end of the day,' Ann said as she texted back, voicing each word. 'It's up to you.'
Hi!
Wow, I enjoyed this one. Finally bringing to light my little background plan feels pretty satisfying! It's a small, slightly convoluted plan, but I like how, in a story that's supposed to be about where I see the characters in a few years, I threaded the hints throughout our vague plot. I probably edited it way too fast and there are a few typos I missed. Always seems to happen.
What do you think? Did Ren text Rai after this stream, or didn't he? As I said, it's up to you. :)
I hope to see you next time for our grand finale!
