The Mystery of Ren Amamiya - Lightning99

Chapter 4:

Hifumi Togo

Ann held the door to her streaming room open. Hifumi Togo, wearing a rather formal shirt and pencil skirt combo with a handbag in both hands, thanked her and walked inside. Ann pulled the door closed behind her, rolling up the sleeves of her jumper.

'Is here alright?' Hifumi asked, placing her handbag on the corner of the desk. She pointed to the red chair a few steps from her.

'That's perfect, yes,' Ann said, crossing the room behind Hifumi. She drew the curtains then dropped into her pink chair, lounging back – Hifumi sat with her back straight and her hands resting in her lap, one leg crossed over the other.

'Thank you for doing this,' Ann said, booting up her computer.

'There is no need to thank me,' Hifumi said. 'I would have joined you anyway. We are already friends, after all. Given the upcoming shoot, I thought that today was as good a day as any. I don't mean to bring our work into your streams, but my manager constantly talks about promotion and advertising. It's all so stressful sometimes.'

'Tell me about it,' Ann said, nodding. 'No need to feel guilty. We're just making the most of the situation. Are you alright with that sort of thing now?'

'What do you mean?'

'A bit of idol work. Or should I call it promotional work? I remember Ren saying that you struggled a lot with that earlier in your career.'

'Oh, yes, I'm ok with it. Nobody is forcing me to do it this time, and honestly, the most I do is appear in a shogi magazine along with an article about a match I have played in. It talks only about shogi and my performance and nothing else, nothing inappropriate or that I don't want. My mother wanted me to be an idol so she could live her dream through me. She didn't care about shogi. But this time, appearing in a few magazines is to be expected when you engage in something professionally.'

'And when you are well known in the industry,' Ann added, logging into her computer. She looked at Hifumi for a long moment. 'And when you're beautiful.'

Hifumi smiled, shaking her head. Ann turned away to set up her stream.

'I suppose you are right,' Hifumi said, brushing her hair over her shoulder. 'I haven't appeared in many magazines, but doing so is a brilliant way to raise awareness of shogi nowadays, especially when the articles are online. That is my biggest takeaway, not any resulting fame.'

'That's good to hear. I just hope people don't start thinking I can play shogi after this,' Ann said with a heavy sigh.

'Even if they do, I could teach you to prove it to them.'

'You'd do that?'

'Of course. You could also ask Ren. He's very good.'

'Yeah, but he's good at everything, isn't he?'

Hifumi giggled. 'You sound a bit frustrated.'

Ann smiled. 'Not at all.'

'You're not wrong. I haven't yet found anything he cannot do.'

Ann checked the time on her phone. It was well after her usual start time. As she was about to set her phone down, she noticed a message from one Ren Amamiya. She smiled and typed a quick reply.

'Are you ready to start?' she asked.

'Whenever you are,' Hifumi said.

Ann nodded and started the countdown.

It didn't take long for people to join and for the chat to fill up with greetings and messages. It continued speeding up while Ann explained the general structure of the stream to Hifumi, that she first introduces the guest, then they answer questions posed by the chat, and that, usually, it goes a little off the rails. Hifumi claimed she understood, so Ann stopped the countdown timer a little early.

As usual, Ann welcomed everyone to the stream, answered a few comments that lingered from the countdown, and said hello to a few usernames she had come to recognise. Hifumi beside her did not go unnoticed, and while several people recognised her as the face of women in shogi, a few asked who she was.

Ann handed the stream over at that point. Hifumi introduced herself with a few key details: her name, her profession as a shogi player, and a short overview of her career so far. The stream properly began after a comment that made them both smile:

AnnFann101: ANN, HIFUMI, YOU'RE BOTH QUEENS!

'I don't know about that,' Ann said. 'That title goes to Makoto, don't you think?'

'Indeed,' Hifumi agreed, chuckling. Her proper demeanour suddenly stiffened, her eyes sharpening. 'I am more of a sorcerer whose Togo System leads my army to victory over my opponents.'

Ann paused, turning slowly towards Hifumi.

Hifumi gasped and raised a hand to her lips, her cheeks reddening. 'Oh, I'm sorry. I get like that while playing shogi. I suppose it slipped out just now,' she said.

'Right,' Ann said, nodding. 'Ren did mention something like that. I haven't actually seen that side of you before.'

'Yes, I do try to keep it quiet. I have found that my talking during some shogi matches distracts my opponents. Sometimes, it even offends them. I suppose I can be a bit harsh when I get like that.'

'How do you mean?'

'Professional players don't take kindly to me saying they have pathetic defences or that their tactics could be bested by an infant….'

Ann welcomed the laughter; she let it flow freely from her lips. At this point, she anticipated the digital laughter that started a moment after her. What she didn't expect were the comments praising Hifumi for her brazenness.

'I try my best to keep quiet, but I don't even realise I am doing it. It is a habit I picked up,' Hifumi said, looking at her lap.

'There's no need to feel guilty about it,' Ann said. 'I think it makes you a unique player. And it makes the profession even more entertaining than it already is.'

'I wouldn't call it top-class entertainment in and of itself, but thank you, Ann. If my silly little habit can draw people to shogi, then maybe I shouldn't try to hide it.'

Ann smiled, looking back at the chat. Somebody asked what Shoji was, and it didn't take long for the rest of the chat to reply to the comment, claiming their limited knowledge of the game. Ann corrected them, then pointed it out, and Hifumi raised her head, her smile returning. She began explaining the rules and the joy of the game in that same passionate voice as her earlier tongue slip, and by the end of it, a long line of comments proclaiming that they wanted to start playing shogi now filled the chat.

Ann knew probably only ten per cent of the comments were serious, and they made themselves known when they asked Hifumi follow-up questions, including how they should start playing. Such a question roused the, as Hifumi phrased it, 'dragon in her soul', and the following hour of the stream became an impromptu shogi tutorial, in which Ann and some chat members studied the basics. Ann was a little surprised – but not really – when Hifumi pulled out a shogi board from her bag to demonstrate. The bag didn't even look big enough to fit her phone.

At the end of that period of the stream, Ann couldn't count how many times the fierce dragon had demolished her army or a sorceress turned all of her pieces to ash. The comments that hurt the most were the ones where Hifumi had chuckled, then told her how utterly basic her move was, and then apologised.

Ann had asked Hifumi to give her an all-out attack for their final match, so she stopped holding back. When Ann lost in around fifteen moves, she was suddenly glad Ren had convinced them all to induct Hifumi to be The Phantom Thieves' tactician.

Despite her losses, Ann found a new reason to be wowed by Hifumi: she was truly excellent at turning a phrase while playing. One chat member even told her to write a shogi manual using such language. Hifumi pondered that question for a while, and Ann knew it would be on her mind long after the stream finished.

'It's not a bad idea,' Ann said. Hifumi turned to look at her. 'If you're considering the idea, you could contact Mishima. He could help you put a book together.'

'Oh! Yes, that's a good idea. I may do that, thank you," Hifumi said, and they returned to the chat.

All-Hail-LL: Sorry if you've already explained, but I'm late. Why is Hifumi, a famous shogi player, on your stream?

'No worries, LL. My announcement was late,' Ann said. She gestured to Hifumi with both hands. 'Hifumi and I are due to have a photoshoot together to help promote an upcoming shogi competition.'

Golden_Guy: Ooooh, cool! I'll have to keep an eye out for that one.

FrozenFire: How come you're involved, Ann?

All-Hail-LL: How do you even know a famous shogi player? Seems like you've known each other for a while.

'Well, Frozen, that's a little complicated, and it kinda has to do with LL's question,' Ann said. 'As you guessed, Hifumi and I have known each other for a while. We didn't meet just for the photoshoot. It's sort of the other way around. The people running the shogi competition contacted my agency to help with promotion. Hifumi was asked to do the shoot, so she asked me for tips. I asked if she wanted me to join, she said yes, and here we are.'

'That's right. How long have we known each other now?' Hifumi asked, holding a hand to her chin while she thought.

'About four years or so? We met in person for the first time in our final year of high school, and you've recently finished your university degree, right?'

'That's right. I finished mine early this year. It should be five years in just under a month.' Ann nodded her agreement. 'You finished your degree last year, didn't you?'

'Yeah,' Ann said. 'My course was overseas and only lasted for three years rather than the standard four years in Japan. Ryuji's was shorter too, but we're the exceptions. I'm glad it wasn't too long, though. I've been able to take my modelling career more seriously, thanks to that. Although, having a freer schedule while all my friends were finishing up their courses made days off last year a bit boring.'

'Yes, I imagine so.'

'Wait, what were we talking about?' Ann asked, snapping her head about her for a moment. 'Oh yeah, we've known each other for nearly five years. Sorry for the slight tangent there.'

'That meal for Ren's birthday feels like so long ago now,' Hifumi said. Then, she added, 'That was where we met. At a friend's birthday party.'

And suddenly, the chat forgot all about their current conversation:

MightnightSword; Ren?!

Featherman616: You know Ren too, Hifumi?

TrueLord: Oh, not this guy again.

PizzaKing: He's everywhere!

Ann laughed. She laughed even more when she saw Hifumi's clearly confused expression.

'What's going on?' Hifumi asked, skimming the fast-moving chat.

'My chat is very interested in Ren. All of my guests so far have mentioned him, so I think they're wondering who he is,' Ann explained. She read a few more comments until one caught her eye:

Alibaba: How do you know Ren, Hifumi? C'mon, the chat wants to know!

'Oh, Futaba is here too?' Hifumi asked. 'I thought you already knew the story.'

'She does,' Ann said, sighing. 'She just wants you to explain it for everyone else's sake. You know how she is. She loves stirring up trouble.'

Alibaba: Don't say I never did anything for ya, chat.

Several 'Thank you Futaba-sama' messages entered the chat, and Hifumi started her explanation.

'Ren and I met during our second year of high school when I was just starting to rise in popularity and skill within the shogi world,' Hifumi said. 'I often practice shogi at the church in Kanda, and he appeared one day, asking to learn from me. I was shocked, but he was so persistent that I accepted. Honestly, he just sat there and bowed at me expectantly rather than being persistent, but…'

'Typical Ren,' Ann said, shaking her head.

Hifumi nodded. 'So, we started playing shogi together. At that time, my mother wanted to use me for fame. Ren helped me stand up to her and play as I wanted to. We've remained friends since. He even invited me into his friend group, which includes Ann. Other than seasoned professionals, Ren is the only person who can truly challenge me at shogi. His Thief's Eye is one formidable foe.'

Ann grinned at Hifumi, and then they turned to the chat.

EnchantedOak: So, he's Ann's boyfriend, kind, handsome, will walk through hell for you, can make coffee and curry, and is a professional shogi player? Sure, why not.

Chicken-Attack: I think they're making this guy up.

Ann laughed again.

'I swear, we're not making him up. He even typed in the chat when Ryuji was here!'

TheGhostlyMaiden: Why can't I find a guy like that?

Maidchan81: If that was him, then we can add hilarious to the list.

TrueLord: It's a prank, bro, don't fall for it.

Ann shook her head.

'Oh my. They don't believe he's real?' Hifumi asked.

'It looks that way,' Ann said. 'They're free to believe what they want. That just means I have Ren all to myself.'

And, once again, the chat was filled with outraged comments, some flaming Ren for stealing Ann from them, some wishing they had a Ren in their life. They all made Ann tuck her head into her chest, hiding how red her face was when she realised that she had said those words aloud.

When she finally looked up, Ann grinned at a comment she read. ''Just who is this Ren guy, anyway?' Oh, I'm sure you'll meet him someday.'

Ren, from behind the polished wooden counter of LeBlanc, a mug in hand squeaking every so often as he dried it with a cloth, watched Ann's chat fly by on the TV with a Joker-like smirk on his lips.

Watching Ann's streams while working in the evenings had become his routine since Futaba had helped him hook up his laptop to the TV – which was harder than it should've been, owing to Sojiro's hesitance to replace the TV because it was 'an antique'. Ren let the customers flick over to the news should they wish to, but nobody did. There weren't usually that many patrons so late in the evening, and those that did turn up were on such good terms with not only Ren but Ann and the rest of his friends who frequented the place that they weren't bothered by the stream.

The elderly couple he had seen in the café upon his first visit all those years ago had just left, and, since it was a later stream that night, Morgana flipped the sign to closed and leapt back onto one of the tables. Except for the stream and the occasional squeak, it was silent in the café, filled with the mixed aromas of coffee and curry, illuminated by a warm orange glow. Ren stood there, drying dishes, revelling in the atmosphere.

He chuckled now and then at the stream, how enthusiastic Ann was, and how much the chat pondered his existence. And he started thinking about things he could do to fuel the chat's disbelief in him, how much he could twist and worsen this situation. He couldn't help it. It was just too big an opportunity.

Hi, I'ma back again!

I hope this chapter clears up any confusion about the time this takes place. Several years have passed, higher education is done, and the Thieves are now moving on into the adult world. And expanding :) I wanted there to be a bit of a gap between the main game and where they are now, opening opportunities to explore their futures. And yeah, Strikers is canon because to me, it is! :D

Also, look out for the chatters' usernames. Some are random, some make sense only to me, but some are references to a bunch of things. I wonder if you can pick them up.

I hope you enjoyed! :)