Chapter 6: The Investigation of '16

Ren's Personas: Choronzon, Ara Mitama, Principality, Orpheus Picaro, Neko Shogun, Sui-Ki, Take-Minakata and Anzu.

Part 1: The Athletes

Shit…ain't ever been in the student council office since the track days. Doesn't look any different if not for the questioners in here. These fancy suits with their badges are gonna have all of us on the hot-seat just like Ren's interview. Even though we'll only take around a half hour by his estimate, they're here all week. Least there's no photos…

"Yo." I took my seat and faced the suit in front of me.

"Hello, Sakamoto-san. I won't take up too much of your time. Just a few questions to ask and you can then head on back." Lessee what this suit's got for me.

"Cool."

"Some simple questions first. When was it that you first met Kamoshida?" the guy asked me. This guy was the one responsible for getting answers outta the former track team so no wonder I got sent to him. Heh…fool wouldn't know I had a little insider knowledge this was coming.

"When he became assistant coach to Ida-sensei." I told him.

"What did you think of him as assistant coach?"

"It wasn't like we weren't in awe. A gold freakin' medallist for a teacher? Think of the clout we could get with those credentials! But the fact was, he knew a ton about volleyball, not track. Prolly shoulda known then something weren't right." I trailed.

"Why do you think he was brought in?"

"Dunno. I didn't really care for stuff like that then so why should I now?"

"Okay. What led to the fight between you both?" We're going there? Shit…

"I...just snapped. I was already in a shitty mood and he happened to push me over the edge. We were overworked as hell and couldn't output anything near what the other teams with proper rest could…I was so damn mad that we couldn't win anything!" Not to mention, I looked down on the others who were trying their best…

"You threw that punch to him out of stress, is that what you're saying?"

"Yeah…you already know about my leg and what he did, right?"

"We're fully aware. Why were the tensions so high?"

"The track team's annual meet was coming up and Kamoshida kept clashing with Ida-sensei around this time over our prospects. Worried our training was too easy and lenient for a national winning team." I was always one of the top track runners in the team when I joined. Practised since junior school and took on competitions where I could, it definitely helped to get me into this damn place. Would never have imagined my dreams would die here…

"Whether it was Ida-sensei or Kamoshida, if we hadn'ta had each other to keep our shit together, there wouldn't even be a track team. Wouldn't have been…you get what I'm saying."

"What was the team dynamic like?"

"Like any team. Just cos' we had lots of awards didn't mean we were this next big thing in Japan. Couldn'ta told me shit back then though. Lotta athletes lost their shine cos' of me…" Hope Sumire don't go this path. Would fucking suck seeing her throw her shot away…

"Do you feel any sort of way about Kamoshida?"

"I doubt there's anyone who hates his guts more than I do. But I got tired of being the idiot who brings back shit for Ma to deal with." Why you trying to put words in my mouth, pal? Shit! I know, Ren, got to keep a level head but fuck this guy!

"Did you feel any sort of abandonment?"

"Yeah. I had it all wrong though. Tsuno-sensei does everything he can to make life just a little easier for me even though I don't notice a lot of the fires he puts out. And we now have this doctor guy who I'm kinda sorta warming up to. Can't really letcha in on what we do."

"When did that stance change?"

"When the transfer came around."

"I see." Dammit…they aren't only coming for Ren, are they?

"Tell me…what did you think of him when you were scouted?" the questioner asked.

"I respect…well, respected him at first. Not just for winning a gold medal in London 2012 but for the efforts he put into his training regiment, disciplined dieting and the hard working ethos he demonstrated." I responded. I found out just how hard he really tried doing some research back when Kasumi was still gearing up to head to Shujin.

"How did it feel knowing he believed in your talents?"

"I thought he was only being nice." I responded.

"A professional recommendation to allow your admission into an elite institute was nothing more than simply being nice?" Ouch. That was careless of me.

"Moving on...did you ever feel any danger around him?"

"Not once. That's the scariest thing for me besides everyone he hurt. Knowing he had such twisted thoughts and that he kept them to himself ever so well…I can no longer give anyone I meet the benefit of the doubt." Giving the people what they want or at least pretending to do so was an objective. I think I'm doing okay so far. They've not thrown anything to trip me up yet. Why was Ren so worried?

"It wasn't really pleasant but I accidentally overheard his deputies talking about a redhead girl. The more they described, the more it matched my features." I answered.

"What was stopping you from reporting them for inappropriate conduct?" Oh no…I talked too much. I'll fix this, Amamiya-senpai!

"I was scared that they would know I spied on them. After going to a friend I could trust, he'd advised me to keep quiet."

"This friend…who was he?"

"My upperclassman, Ren Amamiya." I answered. Ren is definitely going to come up over the next few days - I just hope he's holding up okay.

"Did you know about his circumstances?"

"No. I had no reason to suspect he was a felon with how he carried himself. Even when I found out, it didn't change our dynamic at all. If anything, we were more honest with each other."

"Really? A couple of witnesses say you had a falling out of sorts." Wait, people still remember that?

"That was a misunderstanding." I answered briefly.

"About what?"

"About what our friendship was." I lied.

"Do you ever feel unwanted?" With all of the friends in my corner, I couldn't even if I tried.

"...Not at all. President Niijima-senpai has been there for me from before I'd even started at Shujin and helped me to get familiar with my surroundings. I don't think I'd have fit in as much as I did without her." Niijima-senpai's going to have it rough…it's her sister's department coming in and because she's president, anything student related falls on her lap.

"How good of a friend would you say you are with her?" Huh?

"Erm, not too close and not too far." I answered honestly.

"Did she ever reach out to you with concerns on Kamoshida?"

"He never came up whenever we met."

"Did you ever have any suspicion that she knew more than she let on regarding Kamoshida?" That's only obvious now. I'm not going to throw her under the bus because she was just as frightened as the teachers who ignored her.

"No…if that's true, there's no doubt she was good at hiding it."

"Do you believe you rightly have a place here?"

"Huh?" Why are these questions being asked? It doesn't give them anything much to use against me. Shaking off my suspicions, I listened to the questioner.

"Kamoshida happened to provide a genuine recommendation to you and your sister. From your own account, you make it sound like you were nothing more than a tag along." This wasn't the case. I forgot what mattered to me all these years. No…that's a lie. I refused to accept that there were people believing in me as well as Kasumi. I don't think I've yet to accept it, even with Cendrillon and the others.

"It does sound melancholic but yes. I've had so much support from the people around me here but it's not quite sunk in."

"Are you afraid you'll lose your place?"

"I can't let myself think that way. I knew the weight that balancing full time study and training would have when I signed my student agreement."

"How positive. Have your camp weighed in their perspective?"

"Their advice is to transfer somewhere else but that decision falls upon my parents."

"Do you want to stay?" Hmm…I wouldn't get to spend as much time with my new friends but can I really make a name for myself here with everything that's happened? I can't think like that - it's up to my parents. Then again, Kasumi takes precedence…

"Suzui-san, where exactly did you first come into contact with him?"

"During the first set of volleyball try-outs last year." I replied.

"How did it make you feel knowing a volleyball expert who had such international acclaim was drafted in?"

"Exhilarating. It was my chance to learn what to expect on a professional team as well as earn some helpful advice, provided it didn't allow me to cheat my way through. His charm and charisma was nothing more than a façade though." I wouldn't dare show myself to Ren if I screwed this up.

"When did you notice this?"

"The private sessions in the office. I always felt my heart stopping and my stomach churning. I'd try to tell myself that maybe this would be the chance I get some real help going there with those hopes only for me to have to please him…I'd rather not recount those experiences if possible."

"That's completely fine, Suzui-san."

"It's not…" I was kidding myself. Injury after injury and I didn't stop until I'd almost thrown away the ability to even stand…

"Did Kamoshida ever intervene in your personal affairs?"

"...Sometimes." He'd only stop the other girls bullying me to try and win over the other try-outs. Not that it made any real difference.

"What of your homeroom teacher, Chouno-san?"

"I...avoided bringing it up as much as I could. She'd eventually just backed off."

"A teacher backing off and doing nothing else based on the words of a student?" He tried to exacerbate my answer into something blameworthy.

"You'll have to ask her."

"Okay. Let's talk about the person who put you in touch with Kamoshida in the first place."

"Mishima…" They're going to ether him.

"All of the other former team members were able to get onto the team through their own efforts despite the lofty expectations Kamoshida held. Why and how were you the exception?"

"...I didn't even intend to find out what Kamoshida got up to but going into the office, I saw something I shouldn't have. That day got ugly. He had a huge meltdown and threw things in the room at me. Water bottles, binders, kit…you name it." He came for my family! I wasn't going to just stand by and let him drag them into my mess…what choice did I have back then?

"What happened after?"

"I made the biggest mistake of my life and bargained with him."

"This deal that saw you guaranteed a place on the team in exchange for silence and aiding Kamoshida was your proposal?"

"..."

"Do you understand that you are one of the most complicit parties in this scandal? Even with the physical and mental trauma you sustained along with the others, you continued to assist his foul deeds acting as a liaison where his deputies could not." The interviewer told me. How silly to think this could never happen. You may have me cornered for now, transfer, but just you wait. I'll get rid of that other hacker first and foremost then you'll be defenceless...

"The compassionate pleas for leniency from your teachers, a heartfelt appeal from a classmate deeply entangled and the overwhelming evidence you held against your former teacher have marginally kept you out of a cell. That being said, if there is even a sliver of an indication that you're still working with Kamoshida-"

"I'm not." I answered. What do they gain in coming to my defence after everything I did? Takamaki-san in particular - how can she even stand to work with me, let alone look at me? I bet it's just to rub it in my face that they're better than me.

"Why was it so important that you were a member of the volleyball team?"

"It was my pride and joy." I answered.

"Without demonstrating any sort of effort deserving of your place?"

"It wasn't as if I wasn't giving my all! I poured in the same commitment that the other members did and trained as hard as they did! Kamoshida never allowed me to skip out or do less than the others."

"How could he be so sure you wouldn't give away the partnership?"

"You would need to ask him."

"He...I think Kamoshida did more to him than he'll ever realise." I couldn't suggest that Kamoshida brainwashed him - it'd be too suspicious…

"Do you believe he is remorseful for his actions?" Take Ren out of the situation…he's hurt in all of this. And Ann…no one can really compare their time with him to hers. What do I think then?

"I believe he's a victim of his own greed." I answered.

"It's shitty he did what he did but...can you blame the guy for wanting a little shine? Believe me, you get in these competitive sports and you get a lotta praise, you get big for your boots. Nothing else matters." I ain't excusin' his shit but no doubt, that coulda been me if I hadn'ta thumped Kamoshida.

"I don't really know Mishima-san at all." It was likely they assumed that I knew him because he was in the same class as Ren and Takamaki-senpai.

"Do you know you had little value to him?"

"That wasn't something I cared about then."

"Not with the deals and trades made with other coaches who did the same thing in other schools or his ambition to return to the international scene." That's a lie. He's too out of shape to compete again.

"Why would I care about his ultimate goals?"

"My outlook on a lot of things turned upside down. Kamoshida, the volleyball team, my future, my best friend…everything just came into question. I didn't want to think he could win me over so easily but it was too late before I noticed."

"And when he did, then what?"

"He won over the whole school. No one had the full picture nor the extent of his plans. Kamoshida was led on a string all the way to his arrest." I couldn't help but crack into a slight smile. That silly transfer…

"Hmm…you should take a look at this." The questioner didn't seem too happy with that and opened up a video of Kamoshida. It was a normal questioning from the looks of it…that was until Ren came up.

"..." Damned kitty! Going on about there being no consequences with this method and now look! Kamoshida's scared silly in real life - why the hell didn't he speak the fuck up back then?

"Not even a flinch. Did you have some sort of involvement in this?"

"No way in hell I do!" I immediately responded. The transfer was capable of this callousness and those bumbling idiots for friends still stick around him.

"You seem worried. Do you think Amamiya-san has something to do with this?"

"Eh. It's fully true Ren came around and things turned on their head. Not a lot of guys I know bite right back when everyone's got their fangs out on ya. Sure, he can be heavy handed and needlessly blunt but he always means well. Shame he can't see it that way."

"So he likes a fight, that's what you're saying?"

"Nonononono! That's not what I'm saying!" Crap! I fucked up…I gotta correct em!

"It's the opposite! He hates it a helluva lot! As for Kamoshida, I don't feel sorry for him in the slightest being frightened as shit. Not when he made my two childhood friends and a whole lotta people just as scared. Serves him right."

"That's awful…" Amamiya-senpai, sorry. We should've stayed that day to be there for you…

"Do you suspect the sudden change had something to do with him, Yoshizawa-san?"

"No. I think Kamoshida was already unstable from the moment I met him. The fact that Amamiya-senpai, someone who wasn't what he wanted, completely and utterly cornered him into confession, was what drove him to that point of insanity. I know I mentioned how I only pretended to trust him at first. But I judged wrongly. Amamiya-senpai is a kind hearted person who looks out for us no matter what. It's through him that I have more supportive upperclassmen I can rely on for the rest of the year."

"Tell me, Suzui-san…how close are you with Amamiya-san?"

"What do you mean by that? As in, our relationship or the level of trust he has in me?"

"Does Amamiya-san tend to provoke people into doing things?"

"No. It's not in his character to do that. He wouldn't waste his time doing that for no reason."

"Funny. It might not be much of a stretch to think that the scar was part of Amamiya-san's goal: to rattle Kamoshida's mental state and shatter his psyche. And with witness testimony pointing to this-"

"How could you suspect he had something to do with Kamoshida's sudden U-turn?!" Shoot…he'd warned us all not to defend him. But what am I supposed to do? I don't know half of the things he did in that Palace with everyone else…

"Those are your words, not mine. You suspect he had some sort of involvement?" I took a sip of the water in front of me and calmly answered:

"As far as involvement, he used Kamoshida's ultimate weapon in Shujin against him: information gathering. Spreading fake news and causing a few incidents in the school that stopped P.E. lessons from happening, it sent shock waves to everyone."

"And you know this how?"

"He told me himself." Sorry Ren but I'm sticking this one on you.

"Well…thank you for your time." the questioner was finished. Even with the short set of questions they chose to ask me, it was still rather intense but I got through it in the end. You've got this, Ren.