The Mystery of Ren Amamiya - Lightning99
Stream 10:
Makoto Niijima
Red55Dragon: Are you a biker or something?
'Why do so many people ask me that?!' Makoto asked, folding her arms with a huff. She looked away from the screen, lips in a line, and looked out of the window. Ann followed her gaze, watching as rain spattered the glass, the droplets barely visible against the black.
'I think it's the ripped leather jacket,' Ann said. Then, she paused. 'And the ripped leather jeans.' She paused again. 'And the fact that you're ripped.'
'Oh, come on! First Ryuji, now you, Ann? I'm a police officer. I need to be in better shape than ever.'
'Hey, I didn't say it was a bad thing. I think you look amazing.'
Makoto humphed. 'Thank you, Ann. I am happy with myself. Though, I do sometimes wish I looked a little more like you. Just the other day, someone I was apprehending said I am too buff,' she said.
Ann scoffed, shaking her head. 'Don't listen to people who tell you how you should look. That might be a strange thing to hear from a model, but some of my best photo shoots are where I wore what I wanted. It took some convincing, and I could only do it after I was in the industry long enough that they trusted me, but the message still stands. Look however makes you feel happiest with yourself.'
Makoto smiled, nodding. 'You truly have become an inspirational woman, Ann.'
Ann scratched her cheek. 'Forgive my self-confidence, but I do like to think so. And my stream with Miss Kawakami did kinda prove it.'
'Having such self-confidence is great. Look, chat is saying much of the same thing.'
Ann looked over, and sure enough, they agreed with what she had said. They proclaimed how wise she was, and they complimented Makoto on her toned physique. And then there was Ryuji, with a message that could have been a compliment, but it just wasn't:
RyujiSkullington: You're perfect, Makoto. Who wouldn't want a woman that could crush you between her thighs?
Ann dropped her head into her hands, shaking it, while the chat descended into emoji hysterics for the umpteenth time.
'Ryuji,' Makoto said, making her eyes sharper than the spikes on Queen's shoulder pads, 'was that comment necessary? I think we'll have a little talk later tonight.'
Alibaba: Get 'im, Makoto!
RyujiSkullington: NO, PLEASE!
Ren_Amamiya; FIST! OF! JUSTICE!
Makoto pressed her fingers to her forehead, groaning. 'You're never going to let that go, are you Ren?'
Ren_Amamiya: :)
'Of course not,' Makoto breathed.
Ann waved at the screen, laughing as if she were at LeBlanc, and they were all hanging out. 'Alright, alright, let's ignore Ryuji and get back on track. Before we were interrupted by the biker comment, SweepT43 asked what it's like being a police officer.'
'Right, yes,' Makoto said, flapping her jacket. She faced forwards again. 'In short, I find it very fulfilling. I am a beginner in the force, having only been an officer for a few years, but I have been involved in one or two larger cases. I can't disclose any information regarding those cases, but I feel I am making a difference with my efforts.
'Of course, the Phantom Thieves provide anonymous support by readying targets with their changes of heart, making our job easier but equally more difficult. They seem to do positive things for society, but when targets suddenly confess, we must work backwards, finding the evidence after their confession. I can neither confirm nor deny whether I support the actions of such a vigilante group as the Phantom Thieves.'
Ann had to turn away from the camera so her smirk wouldn't show. Yoshida said claiming his support was fine, but since The Phantom Thieves were a direct antithesis to the police, she supposed Makoto might face repercussions for such a claim. The smug tone she used suggested her stance well enough anyway.
'To go into a bit more depth as to what it is like,' Makoto continued, 'I have a set number of hours I must work each week, and I must be available almost 24/7 should I be required. But my hours are flexible. They aren't always one day after another. I might work two days, then have a break, then another two days, a break, and so on. It is quite busy on the days I work, however.
'Keeping up with the work and learning the procedures, some of which my university course only touched upon, has been challenging. But with the help of my superior officers Narukami and Shirogane, I have been able to manage.'
E-GrilledSteak: It sounds interesting! Are you sure you can't share any information about any cases?
'Unfortunately, I can't reveal anything about my cases for confidentiality and legal reasons. If I did, my sister would give me one of her lectures,' Makoto said.
And even though Makoto said that, in the next minute, the chat filled with speculations about her most recent case. And the cause of that was one message:
Ren_Amamiya: I'm glad Iwai and I were able to be your undercover help in your last case.
PhantomThiefRai: Ah hah! He's even got the aid of the police force! See, guys, I'm right! Ren is secretly trying to save this country from corruption.
TheGhostlyMaiden: Here's my theory: Ren and this Iwai man infiltrated an assassination syndicate to gather intel.
Golden_Guy: TheGhostlyMaide Holy crap, Maiden. Are you ok?
FrozenFire: Nah, guys, they worked undercover in an evil science lab. Think about it. It fits Rai's theory, too. They're stopping the government from doing evil experiments.
PhantomThiefRai: You're all wrong. They infiltrated the Yakuza, I'm telling you.
Ann was relieved that none of them knew how spot-on the final guess was.
'You're doing this on purpose, aren't you, Ren?' Makoto asked with a sigh. 'It looks like I have to add you to the list of people I must have a talk with tonight.'
Ren_Amamiya: It was Morgana.
Morgana: Hey! No, it wasn't!
'Ren, get back to work,' Ann said. 'Stop throwing the chat into chaos.'
Ren_Amamiya: Yes, Ma'am.
MiracleGem: Makoto, do you have your own police car?
'That's a good question–' Makoto squinted at the screen. 'Miracle. Yes, I have a police car, which was issued to me by the force. I don't drive it often, though. They also issue motorcycles, so I drive that instead.'
Akiharabaki: And she wonders why we think she's a biker…
'You should see the difference when she drives different vehicles,' Ann said. 'She keeps to the speed limit in the car, but when her butt hits the seat of her motorcycle, I swear you can hear the sound barrier breaking.'
'Don't go putting false information in their heads. I was only going so fast that one time because it was a car chase.'
'That was especially fast, yeah, but you do challenge the speed limit very often for a police officer.'
'I haven't a clue what you're talking about,' Makoto said, looking away again. Ann smirked.
PhantomThiefRai: Oh damn! A car chase? Awesome!
_Doughnutington_: Did you catch them?
'Naturally,' Makoto said, chuckling. 'I cut them off before any superior officers could get there. That is what I am most proud of in my career.'
'You do handle motorcycles very well,' Ann said.
'I have had a lot of practice. As Ann knows, I acquired my license as soon as I joined my university and have been riding since. It has become a passion of mine, much like Aikido.'
Alibaba: Watch out, ya'll. Makoto is a beast, so don't cross her.
'I'm going to take that as a compliment, Futaba.'
'Ooh,' Ann said, tapping Makoto's shoulder and pointing at the screen. 'What made you decide to be a police officer?'
'Another brilliant question,' Makoto said. 'Actually, my goal isn't to be just a police officer. I want to be a police commissioner, someone who is the voice of the people within policing and who holds the police accountable for how they do their work. Of course, I need to work my way there, so I am currently an officer.
'My father is the reason I want to be a commissioner. He was in the police force but passed away while working a case. I want to honour his legacy and right the distortion within the police force that came to light the same year the Phantom Thieves first appeared.'
'And you're doing an excellent job so far,' Ann said. 'You and Sae helped that wrongly accused girl from meeting a similar fate as Ren.'
'We did have a hand in that on the legal side, but Ren's unwavering resolve and motivation to bring the truth to light helped with that particular case.'
'Hmm, yeah. I could say you're wrong and that your work as an officer was the most crucial thing, but we all saw Ren at the time. He completely shut his life down to help her. But that's just the Ren we know and love, isn't it?'
'It is, indeed.'
AnnFann101: Wait, I remember that! It was all over the news for being a police scandal!
AnnFann101: Ren was the anonymous person that worked to clear her name?!
'Oh, were we not supposed to reveal that?' Makoto asked.
'No, it's alright. Ren doesn't mind people knowing. He only wanted his name kept out of it for legal reasons. As we all know, he isn't the biggest fan of the police for wrongly arresting him.'
'I don't blame him. That is why I want to change the system. Together with Zenkichi and Sae, and Narukami and Shiogane, I think we can eventually do it. They have similar views as me, you see.'
'I'm looking forward to the day there's less corruption.' Ann turned back to the chat, and the next words to pass between her lips were, 'Oh no.'
Kichijouji-kid321: Didn't that girl release a video thanking someone for helping her, calling him her hero?
Kichijouji-kid321: That means Ren is a real-life hero again!
Ann considered protesting, but at that point, she just sat back in her chair and started chatting to Makoto about the most recent episode of a TV show she had recently been invested in, letting the chat roll on with their crazy theories. When she looked back over, they seemed to be coming to the end of their discussion.
PhantomThiefRai: And that's exactly what I've been saying! Makoto is Ren's woman on the inside, as well as whoever else Makoto said, and he's already helping people out, like that girl.
Golden_Guy: PhantomThiefRai You're so wise. How do you think of all this?
PhantomThiefRai: Golden_Guy I have a detective board on my wall.
'Are you serious, Rai?' Ann asked.
PhantomThiefRai: Yes! I have one for Ren and one for the Phantom Thieves!
FrozenFire: Oh? You're saying Ren is as important to investigate as the Phantom Thieves?
Ann continued watching the chat, but Rai didn't respond. A few others called out to him, tagging him in their comments, but he remained silent. Assuming he had left for the day, Ann scrolled back through the chat, looking for a question to bring the discussion back to coherence. She found one and asked Makoto about it, who happily replied, detailing as much as she could about her job and herself without compromising anything she couldn't or didn't want to.
Then came one particular question that made Makoto think for a moment.
'The most boring part of the job, hm? I wouldn't necessarily say they're boring, but the least amount of activity happens during stakeouts. You have to sit around for a while just watching, or if the target is on the move, you have to follow them.'
'It's like legal stalking,' Ann said.
'That's… a rather apt description, yes,' Makoto said.
Ren_Amamiya: You have experience with stalking people, don't you, Makoto? Has your book trick improved, Makoto?
'Ren!' both Ann and Makoto shouted.
Ren_Amamiya: You stalked me.
'It wasn't like that! Stop giving them a false impression of me!' Makoto shouted. Ann noticed she had slightly raised from her chair, knees bent, and hands clenched. She cringed, then placed her hands on Makoto's shoulders, pushing her back into her seat.
'Why don't we stop the teasing there, Ren?' Ann asked.
Makoto waved her hand, which she had unclenched. 'No, I'm sorry for taking it so seriously. It's–'
But Makoto didn't finish whatever she was going to say. Instead, her body went statue-still in her chair. Ann frowned, looked at the chat, and felt like she had frozen, too, when she read the comment that Makoto had probably read.
PhantomThiefRai: I've been a fool, everyone. I've thought it over, and my theories thus far have mostly been incorrect. Ren is not working to overthrow the government. Ren isn't who we thought he was. He is so much better.
PhantomThiefRai: Ren is a Phantom Thief!
Ann didn't know when it happened, but she couldn't move; her limbs were so taut that she thought they might snap if she tried. She could hear her heart in her ears, but it didn't play a normal, steady rhythm. It was fast. Sporadic. The rain on the windows sounded like gunshots.
AnnFann101: Wait a minute…
Golden_Guy: Holy shit…
Endlave2011: PhantomTheifRai Explain yourself.
PhantomTheifRai: Endlave2011 The evidence is all there, ok! He's perfect at everything, but nobody knows who he is. He hides in the shadows and helps people. He has ins with all sorts of people throughout Tokyo, giving him a wide social network to help with his endeavours. He must be a Phantom Thief!
Ann looked at Makoto, whose expression was hard and neutral, but the corners of her eyes and lips were wavering. Ann tried her best to make her face look just as neutral when she looked back at the screen. She opened her mouth to speak words she knew would be shaky, but luckily, a message came through that was so much wiser and much more controlled than she knew she could have delivered.
Ren_Amamiya: PhantomThiefRai Is that what you think?
Somehow, amidst their frantic theorizing, the chat nearly wholly stopped.
PhantomThiefRai: Ren_Amamiya YES!
Ren_Amamiya: PhantomThiefRai Interesting.
PhantomThiefRai: Ren_Amamiya …What do mean?
Ren_Amamiya: PhantomThiefRai I'm amazed you figured it out. Congratulations.
PizzaKing: Wait, what?
PhantomThiefRai: Ren_Amamiya Uhh… You're confirming it?
Ren_Amamiya: PhantomThiefRai That would be interesting if I was, wouldn't it?
PhantomThiefRai: Ren_Amamiya So I'm right?!
FrozenFire: Rai, hang on. Let's think about this.
AnnFann101: Yeah, Rai. When has Ren not trolled us in this chat?
PhantomThiefRai: No, he's a Phantom Thief! He must be! The facts are all there!
Ren_Amamiya: That's right. I'm a Phantom Thief. Good job figuring it out.
Akiharabaki: Aw shit. I don't know anymore…
Ren_Amamiya: :)
PhantomThiefRai: ARGH WHY IS HE SO CRYPTIC?!
Ann looked at Makoto again, their eyes conveying the same message:
'He's good.'
:)