The Mystery of Ren Amamiya - Lightning99
Stream 14:
Ichiko Ohya and Chihaya Mifune
'I returned from my most recent assignment yesterday,' Ichiko Ohya said, fiddling with a pen between her index and middle fingers. 'I've been on Tatsumi Port Island for about two weeks.'
'Really?' Mifune Chihaya asked. 'Why were you there?'
'Even now, I have no idea. Apparently, there were strange goings on around the place, so I had to interview some people. Let me tell you, this redhead woman I interviewed turned out to be the most intimidating subject I've talked to in a long time. I got nothing from her.'
'I see.'
'Sorry!' Ann said, rushing into the room. She slid into her seat, breathing out. 'Sorry for leaving you alone.'
'No need to apologise,' Chihaya said.
'If you wanna apologise for something, apologise for dragging us on here so suddenly,' Ohya said.
'I know, sorry,' Ann said. 'I can't thank you enough for joining me.'
'Ren didn't really give me a choice,' Ohya said. 'The little shit somehow convinced me to take a day off work.'
'It's not that bad,' Chihaya said, giggling behind her hand. 'You want to be here.'
'Oh yeah, I do. I'm just baffled by his ability to convince me to do things.' Ohya rolled her seat forward. 'What do you want us to do, then?'
'Just be your normal selves,' Ann said. 'Ohya, use your reporter, journalist, paparazzi skills, whatever they are. Chihaya, maybe predict something if they ask you to. You'll figure out when to do it. He'll do the rest.'
'Oh, this is getting me excited,' Ohya said.
Ann laughed. 'Shall we begin?'
As per usual, Ann started the countdown. They chatted for five minutes, and then she introduced her stream, herself, and her guests. It wasn't long before some chat members recognised Ohya and Chihaya. Unfortunately, neither was recognised for good reasons.
NightOwl09: Hang on, aren't you the crazy lady from Crossroads?
Akiharabaki: HEY! Chihaya, you scammed me with that fake holy stone!
'Hey, who're you calling crazy?!' Ohya shouted.
'Oh, I'm sorry,' Chihaya said. 'I thought I had refunded everybody. If you stick around until the end of the stream, I will check to see if I sold one to you, and if I have, I will reimburse you. I'm so sorry it has taken this long.'
Golden_Guy: Ann, you are acquainted with a well-known scam artist and a crazy lady?
'No, no,' Ann said, waving her hands. 'That's all in the past. Would you like to explain?'
Ohya decided to go first. She explained the situation that led her to earn such notoriety in Shinjuku, including the turmoil surrounding her job and her personal mission. She explained how it gradually resolved itself one year when someone named Ren Amamiya appeared and invaded her personal life. The mention of Ren naturally threw the chat into upheaval. They tossed around their speculations, Rai continued to impose his views on people, and then somebody asked if Chihaya knew Ren, too.
Chihaya's answer was, of course, that she did. Then it was her turn to recount the past, which she did by explaining the overview of her situation rather than diving deep into the specifics, as Ohya had. Ann appreciated the abridged version even though it was clear she did it to help salvage her reputation in the chat. That version didn't focus too heavily on the number one cause of strife in her stream. Said cause of strife did have to defend why he spent so much money on a holy stone in the first place.
Ren_Amamiya: I, of course, was not the least bit convinced the stone was genuine.
'You say that,' Chihaya said, her accent slipping through, 'yet you still bought it.'
Ren_Amamiya: That I did.
Ren_Amamiya: But why did I buy it?
'Maybe my expert sales pitch convinced you,' Chihaya argued.
Ren_Amamiya: Not quite.
'Yeah, I hate to tell you this, Chihaya-san, but your acting abilities don't convince me at all,' Ann said.
Ren_Amamiya: See! The bad actress herself acknowledges it, so it's true.
'Hey!' Ann said. 'My acting has improved a lot, thank you very much! For that, I'll have to agree with Chihaya-san. You're just gullible.'
Ren_Amamiya: :(
'Honestly, I bet he bought it just to mess with you,' Ohya added.
'Not quite,' Ann said. 'He messaged us all about the scam when it happened.'
'Oh my, no,' Chihaya said, bowing her head.
Ann shook hers, chuckling. 'When Makoto commented that it was obviously a scam and that he shouldn't have fallen for it, he told us he just wanted to tempt fate and see where it would lead him. It was more of an 'eh, why not' than anything else.'
'Yes, I suppose that sounds like him,' Chihaya said. 'Whether he was messing with me or not, he definitely improved my situation. I'm still working as a fortune teller today, but I have a shop now, and my fortunes have a set price depending on what people want. It's a very fulfilling life.'
Golden_Guy: I imagine so, especially if your fortunes are accurate.
EnigmaticFish: Do you sit in the back of a bookshop with a crystal ball?
'Using a crystal ball is far too much of a stereotype. No, I do my readings with tarot cards. Are you familiar with tarot cards?' Chihaya asked. 'Better yet, type a raised or lowered hand emoji in chat so I can get a better idea of how many of you there are.'
As the chat filled up with hands, Ann raised her own.
'Oh? You're familiar with the tarot cards, Ann?' Ohya asked.
'I am. Ren has slowly been teaching us about them. I think I like The Lovers the best,' Ann said.
'Yes,' Chihaya said, 'from what I know of you and your past, you do seem a good fit for The Lovers.'
'Ohhh!' Ann bobbed forwards, grinning. 'What is Ren, do you think? We've all guessed which arcana we might fit into, and I have my guess for what he is!'
'Oh, The Fool, without a doubt.'
Ann cheered and rocked back into her chair.
'And me?' Ohya asked.
Chihaya tilted her head in thought.
'Hmm. I hope this does not sound mean, but I would say The Devil suits you best.'
'The Devil, huh? I'll have to look up what that is.'
Ren_Amamiya: It's fitting. Mishima still thinks you're the devil.
PhantomAficionado: Ren! That was your fault, and you know it!
ShujinBoy1: OH, Chihaya! Do you do relationship fortunes?!
Chihaya chuckled. 'Well, yes, I have opened a separate space where I give young people relationship fortunes. When they kept asking, I couldn't deny them. I don't charge much. They're fun, but I don't do full readings for those. I have a strong intuition, so I base those readings on that intuition. Any customer that has left unhappy usually comes back because I was right. It is a little sad, though. I have seen a lot of young love come to an end.'
ShujinBoy1: CAN YOU DO ONE FOR ME NOW?! Or at least, can you do a fortune for someone in chat?
'Unfortunately,' Chihaya said, 'I would have to see you in person to let my intuition truly take over. But I do have a pack of tarot cards with me. Would anybody in chat like their fortune told? We can't do it properly since you need to shuffle the deck, but it might be fun, right?'
'I'll pick one,' Ann said, watching as the chat rocketed down the screen with capitalised and exclamation-marked requests to have their fortunes told. There was one message in particular that Ann couldn't stop seeing. She caved when she realised she kept seeing it because Futaba was abusing her mod powers.
'Fine,' Ann huffed, 'Rai, we can read your fortune.'
PhantomThiefRai: I thank you, Futaba-sama.
Alibaba: Can't beat a good spam.
'Why can't you just gather your notes in peace?' Ann asked.
PhantomThiefRai: I'm basically done. One or two things left.
'Ok, then, Rai,' Chihaya said, nodding. 'I have a good idea of who you are due to Ann warning me about you before the stream.'
PhantomThiefRai: You warn people about me now? I'm honoured.
Akira_Kurusu: You've made it big, my friend.
'Let's begin, shall we?' Chihaya said. 'About what would you like your fortune read?'
PhantomThiefRai: Is it not obvious? About my luck in discovering Ren's identity as the leader of The Phantom Thieves.
Ann wasn't surprised, and she didn't complain. So, Chihaya started the reading, leaving Ann and Ohya watching from the side.
Ann didn't know much of what was happening – Ren had only explained what the tarot cards were and what they meant – but it was still interesting to see a fortune reading in person. Chihaya looked focused as she shuffled and flipped the cards. It was a strange sensation. Ann couldn't feel anything, but it felt like she felt something. When Chihaya flipped over all she needed, she then looked pensive.
'Interesting,' Chihaya eventually said.
PhantomThiefRai: Yes?! What is it?!
'I am afraid you will face great disappointment in your near future,' Chihaya said.
Ann snorted. She watched with strange happiness as Rai set off on a rant in the chat. He finished said rant by claiming he would power through the rest of his notes to prove Chihaya wrong. But by that point, Ohya was discussing a job she had completed with the rest of the chat, so Ann's attention was far away.
'You might have seen my articles in the news or online somewhere. I do a lot of work, and I often give a much more realistic view of situations than most reporters might,' Ohya explained. 'I like to try to unveil the truth as much as possible.'
'That's definitely a step up from most reporters,' Ann said.
'Yeah, you've not had great experiences there, have you?'
Ann nodded. 'Reporters are one of the biggest problems with being publicly known. They try to get loads of information out of you and twist it. That's why I ask the agency to hire you whenever we need a reporter for something.'
'I'm honestly glad to have the work,' Ohya said.
Golden_Guy: Wait, so Ohya is the one who writes all of your articles for you?
'That's right, Golden,' Ann said. 'Ichiko Ohya is the only one I trust to be completely truthful with her articles. She doesn't make me seem like some ethereal, untouchable queen, and she doesn't try to ruin the story, either. She tells it how it is, in the most real format I could ask for. She's amazing, and I hope you value our collaborations as much as I do.'
'Oh, definitely,' Ohya said. 'It's one hell of a nice break from arguing with my colleagues over how truthful we should be. I work freelance for an agency, so I still have to do a bunch of other work, but working with you is always nice.'
'I'm happy you agree.'
'I didn't know you worked together that much,' Chihaya said. 'It sounds rather fulfilling, too.'
'Yeah, it is. I still have to conform to the stories people tell me to write sometimes, but I reach out to the truth whenever I can.'
Ann took a deep breath when she saw a certain message in the chat, readying herself.
Akira_Kurusu: So, Ohya, you are committed to revealing the truth then, hmm?
'That is what I've been saying, Akira,' Ohya replied. 'Why?'
Akira_Kurusu: Rai, are you still here?
A short pause passed as they watched the chat.
PhantomThiefRai: I am present, yes.
Akira_Kurusu: I don't know if you have all your notes ready, but don't you think you should take advantage of this opportunity?
PhantomThiefRai: What do you mean?
Akira_Kurusu: Ohya's a reporter, right? Why don't you test your notes on her before we have our discussion? She might know some things.
PhantomThiefRai: Akira Kurusu, you are a genius. Ann, Chihaya, Ohya. Are you prepared?
'You really want to do this now?' Ann asked, pretending to breathe out in exasperation.
PhantomThiefRai: I do believe so.
'Alright,' Ann said. 'Ohya, how about you?'
'Hit me with it,' Ohya said, leaning forwards and resting her elbows on her knees.
'You hear that, Rai? If you think you're ready, I guess we can do this now.'
PhantomThiefRai: I'm ready, Ann! I have gathered all of my notes!
'In that case, fire away. What's your first point?'
PhantomTheifRai: SO!
PhantomThiefRai: I would like to first point our collective attention to the physical similarities between Ren and The Phantom Thieves' leader.
PhantomThiefRai: Do we all agree that they do, in fact, look alike, yes?
Akira_Kurusu: Of course.
RenFan101: Yeah, that is true.
Golden_Guy: From what we've seen, yeah.
AnnFann101: That's a good start, Rai. They do look similar.
'Sorry,' Ohya said, raising her hand. 'But I disagree.'
PhantomThiefRai: What? Why would you disagree with that? It's obvious!
'I don't see it,' Ohya said.
PhantomThiefRai: How?!
'No,' Ohya continued, shaking her head, 'I can't see it right now.'
PhantomThiefRai: What are you talking about?
'Where is your evidence?'
PhantomThiefRai: Isn't it obvious what my evidence is?
Ohya scoffed. She folded her arms and crossed her legs.
'So, you have come into a discussion like this with the expectation that your audience knows exactly what you would like them to know? That's interesting because, as much as we paparazzi warp information to suit our story and our benefit, none of it means anything unless we can refer it to a source or give evidence to back up our point.
'Right now, you're making a complete amateur mistake, Rai. You're arguing without supporting evidence, expecting people to believe you based on your word alone. Therefore, this point is irrelevant.' Ohya said.
PhantomThiefRai: But I have evidence. Shido's calling card.
'Ok, but where is it? I can't see it right now, so you expect I've already seen it. If you're going to use something as evidence, you need to have it with you during an argument or be able to direct us to it. I thought you gathered all of your notes. Ok, then. What's your next point?'
PhantomThiefRai: Uhhh.
Endlave2011: Wow, that's a good comeback.
DarkSun: Point, Ohya.
PhantomThiefRai: Shit.
PhantomThiefRai: Umm.
Akira_Kurusu: C'mon, Rai! You've got this! Don't give in!
PhantomThiefRai: Ok then. How about this? Ren's timeline of activity lines up perfectly with The Phantom Thieves'.
By how long Rai spent typing out his following message, Ann assumed he was thinking quite hard about it.
PhantomThiefRai: As Ann said several streams ago, Ren arrived at Shujin Academy at the exact time that The Phantom Thieves targeted their first enemy. The Thieves did not exist there before his arrival, and their formation occurred after that arrival. So, it can be assumed that he had a hand to play in that.
'Interesting approach,' Ohya said, 'but I stand by what I said. It's not good enough to tell me Ann said this once, nor is it safe to say 'it can be assumed'. Also, how do we know for certain The Phantom Thieves formed during that time? I need dates. I need a direct reference to where Ann said these things. I need to know you've done extensive research on this topic, or else all of your arguments feel hollow. You might have gathered all your notes, but if they aren't in a reliable format when you discuss them, I can't believe you.'
TrueLord: I see. So, Rai is making a lot of this up, is he?
FrozenFire: Wow, good going, Ohya. You're making me doubt Ren being a Phantom Thief.
TheGhostlyMaiden: PhantomTheifRai You've been completely wrecked.
Poké-Master: Ohya used Logic. A critical hit! It's super-effective!
'Sorry, Rai, but I'm with Ohya on this one,' Ann said.
PhantomThiefRai: Chihaya, was this the disappointment you predicted?
'It may very well have been,' Chihaya said, giggling.
Akira_Kurusu: No, Rai, keep your head up! We've taken some damage, but we can heal!
PhantomThiefRai: You're right, Akira. Thank you for supporting me. I will revise my notes and come back even stronger.
PhantomThiefRai: How would you recommend that I refine my notes, Ohya?
'Honestly, make sure to have evidence on hand, refer to things directly, and maybe, talk to someone who has interacted with The Phantom Thieves. They might be hard to find, but they usually give the most reliable information.'
PhantomThiefRai: Shinya said the same thing. I wonder if I could find someone who has interacted with or talked to The Phantom Thieves directly.
PhantomThiefRai: This discussion has been eye-opening. Thank you, Ohya.
'Yes,' Ann said, 'Thank you, Ohya.'
But her reason for thanking Ohya was completely different.
Akiharabaki: So, about that reimbursement, Chihaya?
'Oh yes, of course!' Chihaya said, cringing, and they fumbled their way through a discussion about repayments.
When the stream ended that evening, Ann felt a little too smug for her own liking.
Hi!
A little late in the evening today (for me at least), but the chapter is here! I think it was basically a given that these two would appear together. Something about them both being available in Shinjuku kinda pairs them up in my mind.
I hope you enjoy! :)