Chapter 4

4/13/20XX

Jolyne knew the school almost worshipped its volleyball team, or rather the man in charge. That would've been clear even if she hadn't seen the way Kamoshida viewed this school. However, she didn't grasp the magnitude of how much Shujin valued the volleyball team until it was the day of the their rally. Apparently, the competitive season was about to start, and so the entire back half of the day was going to be dedicated to an exhibition match between the members of the team in order to try and drum up support. However, most of students were simply mulling about, waiting until they could go home.

Jolyne was now dressed in Shujin's gym uniform, which consisted of a red tracksuit that had white chevrons on the sleeves and a plain white t-shirt. She had met up with Ryuji in the gym, and were currently watching the game. "So, how you feelin', champ?" Jolyne asked, watching as Kamoshida participated in the match.

"Honestly? Feel a lot clearer. Like…a fog's cleared up or something. I can still sorta feel Captain Kidd in the back of my head."

"Any weird dreams? Like say, a guy with a weird nose?" Ryuji was clearly confused by this.

"That's…oddly specific. Why you askin'?"

"…no reason. Forget I said anything. So, who're these guys we need to be looking for?" Cujoh asked.

"Alright, so I only know a few of 'em. One's in your class, another's a third year, and there's a first year who lives in my apartment building."

"The one on my class is the one who was in the cell, wasn't he? Mishima, right?" Ryuji nodded.

"That's him down there." He pointed towards the game, where Jolyne could see the dark haired boy engaged in the opposite team from Kamoshida. As Jolyne looked, she saw Takamaki watching the game, sitting near the court.

"What about her? What's her deal?" She gestured over to the Quarter-American, and Ryuji followed her gaze.

"What, you mean Takamaki? I wouldn't expect much. She's all buddy buddy with Kamoshida." Jolyne wasn't quite sure, but the interactions between the two she had witnessed over the past few days made her doubt how accurate that was. Still, she figured it'd be better to chase the leads they had before chasing after gut feelings. "So, how do we wanna do this? Go after them together, or split up?"

"I think it'll be easier if we split up. Cover more ground in more time." Jolyne instructed, getting a nod from Ryuji.

"Gotcha. I'll take the first year since he sorta knows me."

"Sounds good. I'll take the third year." They watched as Kamoshida spiked the ball, hitting Mishima square in the face and knocking him down. "Gotta say, the bastard knows his way around the court. It'd probably be awesome if we didn't know what we did." Ryuji didn't say anything, simply watching as they gathered around Mishima and ushered him off the court. Jolyne could sense something was bothering him. "Something you wanna get off your chest?"

"It's nothing. It's just…ever since what went down between me and him, I'd kinda given up on taking Kamoshida down. But now, that bastard's going to get what's coming to him." Jolyne simply nodded in agreement before the two finally split up.

Jolyne headed to the third year classrooms, located on the third floor, and did her best not to stand out, though that wouldn't have been easy even if she didn't have green hair. Ignoring the whispers that were caused by her presence, she looked around for her target. Eventually, she spied a boy that has bandages on his face and his arm in a sling, wearing a volleyball uniform. Jolyne approached him, causing him to notice her. "You're that transfer student, right? What do you want?" He questioned and, for a second, Jolyne considered buttering him up, putting on a false, innocent facade to try and lower his guard. After all, tough guys love helping girls in need. But then she remembered all the rumors swirling around about her, and figured that wasn't the best course of action. So instead, Jolyne was going to get right down to the point.

"Where'd you get those bruises?" The boy swallowed nervously at Jolyne's question.

"I-I fell down the stairs at the station yesterday. That's it." Jolyne didn't quite believe him.

"You fell down, huh? You sure Kamoshida didn't give them to you at volleyball practice?" This clearly unnerved him some more. "Look, I know you're probably scared to death of him, but if you come forward, you can help take him down for good."

"I…I don't know what you're talking about! You've been listening to those stupid rumors about coach Kamoshida, right? Well they're not true! You can't bring him down to your level!" The boy shouted, leaving Jolyne sighed as he stormed off.

"Gimme a break. I wonder if Ryuji's having any luck…" she sighed, pulling out her phone to text him.

JC: Any luck?

RS: Nope.

RS: I almost got him to cave, but another volleyball member showed up and he clammed right up.

RS: Although he did mention something that's worth following up on.

RS: You?

JC: Take a guess.

RS: Damn.

JC: Meet you back up on the roof?

RS: Nah, some third year's already up there gardening or something.

RS: Meet me in the courtyard. See you there.

Jolyne made her way up to the courtyard, seeing Ryuji already waiting for her at a table. "Yo. So no luck?" Ryuji asked, and Jolyne shook her head.

"Nope. Tried selling me some story about how he fell down the stairs at the station. He was rattled when I brought up Kamoshida, though, so that's something. You?"

"I almost got him to talk, but a second year showed up and he clammed up. I did get somethin' out of him, though." Jolyne raised an eyebrow at this. "Apparently, Kamoshida gives 'special training' to Mishima."

"That's the one that got knocked on his face out there by Kamoshida, right?" Ryuji nodded. "Think we can get him to talk?"

"Two of us together? I'm sure we can get something out of him."

"What you know about him?"

"Not much. Went to middle school together, but he mostly kept to himself. Even more so since he became a starter on the volleyball team." Ryuji explained. "He's in your class. You know anything?"

"I've been here less than a week, and about two thirds of the school thinks I'm some sort of career criminal. People aren't exactly lining up to talk to me. Though when he looks at me, he does seem…I dunno, guilty I guess." Ryuji scratched his chin at this.

"Really? Weird. What do you suppose that's about?" Jolyne simply shrugged.

"Might as well go talk to him. He should be at the nurse's office by now, right?" Ryuji nodded. "Then lead the way."

"In a minute. I really gotta take a leak right now. Be back in a bit." Ryuji answered, then turned and walked off, leaving Jolyne alone at the table to mull over what their investigation had turned up. It hadn't been much, but she had just about expected that. Maybe if they pushed Mishima just right…

"Hey." A female voice called, and Jolyne looked up to see Takamaki standing in front of her. "Cujoh, right? I don't think we've actually had a proper introduction." Takamaki said.

"I don't think we have. Takamaki, right?" The blonde nodded. "Pleasure to meet you."

"So, I actually wanted to talk to you about something…" Jolyne raised an eyebrow. "What exactly is your deal?" The friendly tone that Takamaki had adopted earlier was gone, instead being accusatory now.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that weird lie about how you were sick on your first day. Plus, there are all those weird rumors about you…" Takamaki's bright eyes were filled with an unspoken accusation, but Jolyne wasn't unnerved.

"I got lost. The school didn't want to embarrass me on my first day, so Kawasaki said I was sick. That's all. Now for those rumors-"

"Don't sell me that crap. We spoke at the station. It's not possible to get lost that bad, even on your first day." Takamaki retorted.

"Hey, whaddya want with her?" Ryuji called out, reentering the court.

"I could ask you the same thing, Ryuji. You're not even in our class."

"We just…happened to get to know each other. Don't see how it's any of your business." Takamaki didn't quite seem to buy Ryuji's answer.

"What're you planning on doing to Mr. Kamoshida?" Both Jolyne and Ryuji were thrown off by the question. "Word travels fast around here. I know you two have been asking around about those abuse rumors."

"Oh, I see what this is about. You're just trying to cover your boyfriend's ass, aren't you?" Jolyne saw Takamaki flinch at Ryuji's accusation. "If you knew about half the shit he's pulled, you'd dump him right away." Takamaki clenched her fist.

"…you don't know what you're talking about." She eventually replied, before her expression melted into one of concern. "Look, I don't know what you two think you're trying to pull, but no one's going to help you. I just wanted you to know that." With that, Takamaki walked off, leaving the two behind.

"Sheesh, she's always so aggressive. Guess something's never change…" Ryuji mumbled, catching Jolyne's attention.

"You two have history?"

"Sort of. We were friends in middle school, but we stopped talkin' after we got put in different classes in high school." Ryuji sighed. "Well, we're burning daylight. C'mon, let's go." The unlikely duo departed from their table and arrived in front of the nurse's office, which Mishima was just leaving.

"Hey, Mishima! Got a minute?" Ryuji called out, drawing his attention.

"Sakamoto?" Mishima grew pale as soon as he noticed Jolyne. "A-and C-Cujoh-San?! W-what are you doing here?"

"Calm down, will ya? We just wanna talk." Ryuji assured him. "Oh, and don't believe any of the rumors about her. She's chill." Jolyne flashed a peace symbol.

"Pleasure to meet you." She greeted, only to get a meek nod from Mishima as he swallowed.

"R-right. So, what did you two want to talk about?" Mishima asked, and Jolyne leaned in close.

"Word is that Kamoshida gives you 'special training' at practice. That how you got those bruises?" As soon as she asked that, Mishima backed away.

"W-what are you trying to say?! M-mister Kamoshida is simply trying to get me at my best!" He protested, though Ryuji stepped forward.

"C'mon man, don't give us that crap. We know what he's doing to you guys at practice. We know about the abuse!"

"Y-you have no idea what you're talking about! Mister Kamoshida is simply pushing us to do our best! Yes, he has been paying special attention to me lately, but that's because I let my skills go dull during the offseason. I'm a starter, so I have to be at my very best at each game." Mishima 'explained.'

"Then what was that spike in the face on the court today? He coulda seriously hurt you!"

"That…that was my fault. I let my guard down, that's all." Jolyne was reminded of the cognitive Mishima that they had seen in the cell yesterday. The cognitive being had been beaten down, completely devoid of all hope and resistance. And even though they were two completely separate beings, she could see the exact same expression on Mishima's face.

"Mishima, is he forcing you to keep quiet?" She noticed him swallow at this. "Please, just tell us the truth, and-" Jolyne started to say.

"What's all this commotion about?" A disturbingly familiar voice said, and the two turned to see Kamoshida standing behind them. "You two again? Everywhere I go, you two are right behind me. What are you doing here?" The volleyball coach questioned.

"I could ask you the same thing." Ryuji spat, Kamoshida giving him a glare.

"I was checking on my starter. I hit him awfully hard out there, and I wanted to make sure he was alright. How are you, Mishima?" Kamoshida asked, Mishima swallowed dryly.

"I-I'm fine sir. No concussion."

"Good. We've got a game next week, and we can't afford any starters missing out." Kamoshida then turned to the dyed hair duo. "Now, what're you two doing here?"

"We were…asking Mishima about some homework for Ms. Chouno's class." Jolyne lied, though Kamoshida raised an eyebrow.

"She teaches English, right? Sakamoto I understand, but I thought you were from America."

"Exactly! Which is why I space out during the lessons, and can't remember what the assignments are!" That answer seemed to satisfy Kamoshida, even though he didn't seem to completely buy it.

"Alright, but I don't think Mishima's in much shape to be recalling assignments right now." The coach turned to Mishima. "Head on over to practice. You wouldn't be here at all if you didn't have such a crappy form."

"I-I'm not feeling well, sir. The nurse said I should lie down at home." The boy nervously replied, but just got a glare.

"Then I guess you may as well just quit. I'll have no choice but to remove you if you can't improve your form." This clearly unnerved Mishima, reason why Jolyne and Ryuji stepped between them.

"Hey, you deaf? Kid says he doesn't feel so hot." She defended, and Kamoshida stared her down.

"Now where'd that polite girl from the other day go? Didn't principal Kobayakawa tell you to keep in line?" He warned, and turned to Mishima. "You coming to practice, or not?"

"…I'll go."

"Good." The coach turned back to Jolyne, and he leaned in close to her. "Don't fuck with me, little girl. I'll make you regret ever setting foot in my school." He warned, but she didn't waver, even as he turned to Ryuji. "Just give me a reason, and I'll finally get rid of you once and for all, you piece of trash."

"I'd like to see you try, asshole." Ryuji shot back. Kamoshida glared at them one last time, before walking off. "I'm gonna be glad when we blow the whistle on that asshole once and for all."

"…it's no use." Mishima whimpered out, drawing their attention. "Proving that he abuses us is meaningless…because everyone already knows. The school, our parents…" the pair's eyes widened at this.

"No way…" Jolyne gasped out. "Your parents just…let this slide?"

"What choice do they have? We don't have a lot of money, and being a part of a champion volleyball team is essentially a free ticket to a good school."

"That's bullshit!" Ryuji shouted.

"Don't be a pain. It is how it is. Besides, shouldn't you of all people know how pointless it is to go against him?" Mishima walked off as Ryuji grit his teeth, leaving the two alone.

"Dammit! So that fat asshole sweeps it all under the rug? No wonder Kamoshida views this place as a castle!" Ryuji groaned.

"So what now? Are you going to give up?" Jolyne asked, and Ryuji looked at her with determination.

"Hell no! I ain't stoppin' til that mopheaded bastard's gone for good!" Jolyne smirked.

"That's what I thought."

"So, what's our next move?" Jolyne tapped her chin.

"Way I see it, we can maybe get the rest of the team to come forward."

"But if the principal already knows-"

"Then we don't take it to the principal. We get them to take it to the media." Ryuji raised an eyebrow at this. "If word gets out that he's allowing a teacher to abuse students, then he'll go into damage control mode, and blame it all on Kamoshida, firing him."

"Whoa, you really think that'll work?"

"Kobayakawa cares about the school's reputation more than anything. It's why he accepted me here. If there's a chance that it'll tarnish the academy's name, he'll definitely throw Kamoshida under the bus." Ryuji grinned at this.

"Oh hell yeah! I'm down!" He held up his hand, and Jolyne gave him a high five.

"We'll start first thing after school tomorrow. For now, let's head home and brainstorm." Jolyne instructed, and Ryuji nodded, the two going their separate ways.

4/14/20XX, After School

Takamaki was sitting in the school's courtyard next to a girl with brown eyes with dark hair done up in a ponytail, with bandages around her face and her legs. "How're you doing, Shiho? It feels like forever since we've talked face to face." The girl, now identified as Shiho, weakly smiled.

"I'm doing fine, Ann. I…I should be heading to volleyball soon." Ann frowned.

"That bruise above your eye…is that from practice?" She asked, and Shiho averted her eyes, swallowing.

"I-it's nothing." A look of concern spread across Ann's face.

"Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard?" Shiho weakly smiled.

"I'm fine. Volleyball's the one thing I'm good at, so a little bruising is worth it." Ann didn't seem convinced, but before she could speak, her phone chimed. "That's work, isn't it?" Shiho asked as Ann pulled out her phone, and the blonde nodded. "Go ahead. I need to get going anyway."

"Are you sure?" Ann asked, and Shiho nodded. Ann watched as she walked away, concern never leaving her face.

Currently walking down the stairs, on her way to meet her friend in the courtyard as well, was another female student who was having volleyball related difficulties. "Give me a freakin' break…" Jolyne groaned out as she entered the first floor. During lunch, Ryuji and her had split up and gone around, trying to get more volleyball members to come forward about Kamoshida's abuse, but punching a brick wall would have been more productive. Everywhere they went, the volleyball team stonewalled them, all sticking to some sort of story to explain their injuries. If Jolyne and Ryuji didn't know any better, then Shujin had the clumsiest volleyball team in the world, given how many 'fell down the stairs' at the station and at home. At this rate, they'd have an easier time getting the Shadow Kamoshida to confess…

Jolyne was roused from her thoughts when she bumped into Shiho in front of the vending machines. "Shit, I'm sorry." She apologized.

"It's alright. I wasn't looking where I was going." Shiho responded, and that's when she noticed who she bumped into. "Oh, you're that transfer student, right? From class D?" Jolyne sighed in response.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to mug you or anything. Just wasn't watching where I was going."

"No, it's my fault." Shiho apologized, and looked at the ground. "Hey, I realize this may be overstating my boundaries, but…don't let the rumors get to you, ok?"

"Ah, I don't worry about it. I don't really care one way or another what people think about me." Shiho smiled at this.

"That's good."

"Why the interest?"

"Hm? Oh, You just…remind me a lot of my best friend. She has to put up with a fair amount of rumors as well, and yet she doesn't let it get to her. I wish I could be as strong as her…" Shiho answered, and blushed when she realized the time. "I-I'm sorry for rambling. I need to go to practice."

"See ya around." Jolyne waved, and Shiho nodded before walking off. Those bruises…didn't she see her on the volleyball court yesterday? And now that Jolyne thought about it, they hadn't seen any female volleyball members back in the cells in Kamoshida's Palace. Weird…shaking it off, Jolyne walked over to the courtyard where a certain blonde former track star was waiting for her. "Yo, any luck?" She asked, and Ryuji shook his head.

"None. They all kept sayin' the same shit Mishima did about how it was pointless." Ryuji reported. "Man, what're we gonna do?" Jolyne tapped her chin, thinking it over. They couldn't call the cops, because Kamoshida might just cook up some bullshit excuse. They couldn't attack him and risk getting caught, earning Jolyne a one way ticket to prison. They'd almost have an easier time trying to get the Shadow Kamoshida to confess. Wait…

"Finally, I found you!" A familiar boyish voice said, interrupting Jolyne's thought train.

"You say something?" Jolyne asked. Ryuji shook his head as a black cat approached them.

"Don't think that you two can get away without paying me back!" The voice said as the cat jumped onto the table, and that's when the two realized where the voice was coming from.

"I-is the…is that cat talking?!" Ryuji gasped out, and Jolyne weakly nodded, in a similar state of disbelief.

"W…what the hell's going on around here?" The transfer student asked. As if things hadn't gotten crazy enough since she'd been here.

"You know, you two whipped up quite a storm the other day. It got so bad in the Palace that I actually had to leave." The cat said, and Jolyne looked closer at it. White paws, white mouth, black fur, yellow collar, bright blue eyes, and that voice…it almost looked like …

"…Morgana?" She asked, and the cat almost seemed to nod. Ryuji wasn't so quick on the uptake.

"Why the hell's the cat talking?! What the hell is going on?!" He shouted, and Morgana got angry.

"I am NOT a cat! This just happens to be the form I took when I came to this world!" Morgana shouted.

"Why'd you leave the Palace and come here?" Jolyne asked.

"Like I said, you two whipped the Shadow into quite the frenzy after you left. The guards were beginning to find all my hiding spots, and so I decided to get out while I still could." Morgana explained.

"Does…does that mean you have a phone?" Ryuji asked, and Jolyne at him with a deadpan expression on her face.

"Does the cat…have a phone?" Morgana simply scoffed.

"Please. When you're on my level, you don't need a phone to get in and out of the Metaverse. Although I did get lost on the way out, and it took me awhile to get back to this location." He explained.

"So how can you talk?" Morgana made a motion similar to a shrug at Ryuji's question.

"I don't know. I just can."

"Well, this isn't the weirdest thing that's happened to me in the last few days…" Jolyne muttered. "So, what do you want?"

"Well, I couldn't help but overhear you two just now. You're trying to take down the Kamoshida in this world as well, correct?" Jolyne nodded. "No luck out here, right? You know, I could tell you a thing or two about how to take him down." Morgana stated matter of factly, getting a scowl from Ryuji.

"That condescending attitude…yeah, you're Morgana, alright."

"You were still doubting me?!" Morgana shouted.

"Hey, keep it down." Jolyne instructed as two teachers rounded the corner, and Jolyne hid Morgana behind her bag.

"Did you hear that meowing? I think it's around here somewhere." One of the teachers stated.

"To think we have to spend our time looking for a cat of all things…what a waste of my time." The other teacher said, and they noticed Jolyne and Ryuji. "Hey, you two. Have you seen a cat around here?"

"Uh, no sir." Ryuji answered, and the first teacher sighed.

"Damn, I could've sworn I heard it."

"We haven't checked the student council room yet, have we? Let's go." The second one said, and turned back to the students. "If you two don't have any more business here, is suggest you head on home."

"Yes sir." Jolyne answered, and as soon as the two teachers left, Jolyne moved her bag.

"Meow? What, are we the only ones who can hear you?" Ryuji asked, and Morgana almost looked shock.

"Wow, I'm surprised you picked up on that." Ryuji sighed, scratching his head.

"This is the weirdest week of my life…Anyways, how can we take down Kamoshida if we can't get the volleyball team to come forward?"

"We punish the king, right?" Ryuji's eyes widened as Morgana nodded at Jolyne's answered.

"Whoa, is that actually possible?"

"After all that you've seen, you're still a skeptic? What an idiot…" Morgana muttered.

"This probably isn't the best place to talk about this. The roof should be clear by now, right?" Jolyne stated, and opened her bag and placed it on the table. "Hop in." Morgan's looked undignified.

"Wait, are you serious? You can't expect me to get in-hey!" Morgana protested, when Ryuji picked him up by the scruff of his neck and place him in the bag. Before he could say anymore, Jolyne zipped up the bag, leaving the zipper cracked just enough for Morgana to breathe. As soon as they were up on the roof, Jolyne opened the bat, and Morgana jumped out. "You bastards! Even the guards weren't that cruel to me!"

"Hey, calm down. We couldn't exactly carry you through the school in our arms." Jolyne explained, but Morgana was still indignant. "So, how do we punish the king and make it affect our Kamoshida?"

"Well, remember when I explained to you how the Palace was shaped?"

"It's based on how Kamoshida views the school, yeah?" Ryuji answered, and Morgana nodded.

"That's right. It changes based on how his perception is. However, in most cases, it only goes one way."

"But not always, right?" Jolyne asked, and the cat nodded.

"There's only one method I know of that will cause a change in the real Kamoshida. We have to erase the Palace." Eyebrows were raised at this. "Think about it. The Palace is the manifestation of Kamoshida's twisted desires. If that were to disappear…"

"Then Kamoshida's desires would vanish as well." Jolyne finished, and Morgana nodded.

"Precisely. The memories of his actions would stay, but without the desires to justify them…"

"Then he'll realize what a shitty person he is?" Ryuji finished.

"Not how I'd put it, but essentially, yes." Morgana answered.

"So how do we do that? We need to get explosives or somethin'?"

"Nothing so flamboyant as that. What I'm proposing we do…is we steal his heart." Ryuji was about to open his mouth. "No, Ryuji, not his literal heart. Rather, we steal the Treasure at the center of the castle."

"And that is…?"

"A Treasure is essentially the manifestation of the desires around which a Palace is formed. It's what holds it all together. If we take that away, then the Palace will crumble, bringing about a change of heart." Morgana explained. "However, there is a risk here. If we do this wrong, we may end up accidentally killing the Shadow."

"And that's bad because…?"

"The Shadow is essentially the manifestation of the innermost self, what others may call the 'soul.' If we take away the soul, we'd essentially render him brain dead. There's even a chance he could even die." The human's eyes widened at this.

"Whoa whoa whoa. Are you serious?!" Ryuji asked. "I may hate the dude, but that doesn't mean I want him to die!"

"Calm down. If we do this right, then there's almost no chance that'll happen." Morgan's answered, and looked at them. "What do you think? Do you two wanna do it?"

"I…I don't know. I need to think about this." Jolyne responded, and Ryuji nodded in agreement.

"Same here."

"That's understandable. This is a lot to process." Morgana replied. "I'll hang around up here until you make up your minds." Ryuji' phone chimed.

"Ah damn, my mom needs me to pick up a few things from the store. I gotta jet. See ya." Jolyne waved after him as he left the rooftop, leaving her alone with Morgana.

"So, changing his heart, huh?" Jolyne asked, leaning against an air conditioner, and Morgana hopped onto it.

"Having a tough time grasping it?" She shook her head.

"Nah. After this week, I'll believe anything." She looked at her strange compatriot. "Yknow, when I moved here, everyone told me to just keep my head down, live a normal life, stay out of trouble. This all seems like the exact opposite of that."

"Things don't always work out the way we went them to. I certainly never pictured myself working alongside people such as you." The 'cat' replied, and Jolyne chuckled, scratching behind his ear.

"Ain't that the truth?" She pushed off from the air condition. "Well, I gotta get going too. Later, Morgana." He nodded, watching as she left.

A short while later

Jolyne stepped into Shibuya Station, beginning to make her way over to the line that would take her to Yongen, when she passed a familiar set of blonde pigtails. "…I already told you, I'm not up to it. Just give it a rest please!" Takamaki said into her phone, and Jolyne decided to stick around and listen, especially after the dumbfounded expression that covered Takamaki's face. "Wait, what? That's not what you promised! What kind of teacher are you?! This has nothing to do with Shiho!" The blonde shouted. "Hello? Answer me!" Takamaki cursed as the line went dead. She curled up and began to shake, tears beginning to well up in her eyes. "Shiho's starting position…who does that bastard think he is?!" Takamaki sobbed, and Jolyne walked over to her.

"Takamaki? You ok?" Jolyne asked as she placed a hand on Takamaki's shoulder, only for the blonde to react and recoil away.

"C-Cujoh? What…were you eavesdropping on me?" Takamaki asked, and Jolyne held up her hands.

"Not on purpose. I was just walking by, and happened to notice you."

"That seems like a really bad habit of yours." Takamaki began wiping away her tears. "I'm sorry, that was out of line. So…how much did you hear."

"You were arguing with someone. Something about a starting position?" Takamaki swallowed and gripped her bag.

"It's…it's nothing. Don't worry about it. I really need to go and…"

"Is this nothing named Kamoshida?" Takamaki had been about to cut and run, but Jolyne's words had stopped her dead in her tracks.

"I…I don't…" Takamaki was about to run, before Jolyne grabbed her arm, looking her in the eye.

"Let's get something to eat. My treat, ok?" After a moment, Takamaki nodded, and soon they were in the Big Bang Burger on Central Street. "So, you and Kamoshida. What's the deal there?" Jolyne asked, and Ann sighed.

"You've heard the rumors, haven't you? About me and him?"

"Yeah. Don't believe a word of them, though." Takamaki lightly smiled.

"Thank you." Her smile fell once more. "He…he's the one who first spread the rumors, trying to pressure me into making them come true. So far, I've managed to keep him at bay just by flirting with him, but lately, that doesn't do the trick anymore."

"Why acknowledge him in the first place? Why not just tell him to kiss off?" Jolyne asked, and Takamaki pulled out her phone.

"This is why." She showed Jolyne the screen, and Jolyne saw a picture of Takamaki smiling next to the girl she'd bumped into at Shujin. "This is Shiho Suzui. She's a second year, a starter on the volleyball team, and…my best friend." Takamaki explained. "Volleyball was the first thing Shiho was truly great at. But I was worried she wouldn't be able to keep her starting position, and so…"

"You flirt with him to make sure she can keep her position." Jolyne finished, and her companion nodded.

"Yeah. I'd flirt with him, accept his car rides, and he'd be content for a couple of days. But lately, Kamoshida's been getting more…aggressive. I'd avoided giving him my number for the longest time, but somehow he got a hold of it. He…he told me to go to his place after he's done with practice today." Jolyne's eyes widened as she realized the implication. "He said that if I don't, then he'll take Shiho off the team. I've been telling myself it's all for her sake, but…I can't take it anymore." Ann gripped her shoulders and began to shake. "Kamoshida doesn't care about anyone. All he cares about is using people for his own sick gain." Tears began to fall down her face. "I…I hate him! I hate him more than anything! But…I can't do anything. You can't fight against him, or he'll destroy you. What should I do?" Jolyne was silent, trying to find the words. "I…I'm sorry. None of this is your problem."

"…I disagree. If anything, this just gives me more motivation." Ann looked up at this. "Guys like him who get off on taking advantage of people really piss me off. After this, there's nothing I want more than to see his ass tossed out on the street." Jolyne stated, and Ann chuckled.

"You're pretty weird, yknow? Everyone else just ignores me." Ann said, wiping away the tears. "You're not nearly as bad as the rumors say." Jolyne just smirked.

"Hey, I'm bad to the bone, baby." She joked, and Ann giggled.

"I kinda had a feeling all those rumors were exaggerations. You almost seemed…lonely, like you didn't belong anywhere." Jolyne looked at the table, idly stirring her drink with her finger.

"Believe it or not, I'm…kinda used to that. It's always been that way for me, even in America. Not a lot of places for someone like me to fit into." Ann's eyes widened at this, before she lightly smiled.

"Seems like we're the same in that regard. Maybe that's why I feel so at ease around you." She stated, before sighing. "I wish he'd just forget about me. Forget about Shiho, about…everything. As if something like that could ever happen…" As soon as the blonde said that, Jolyne stopped stirring her drink, thinking back to Morgana's words on the rooftop.

"It…it could happen." She stated, and Ann raised an eyebrow at this, before chuckling.

"I wasn't expecting a serious answer, you know. But…I do feel a little better." She said, and began to collect her things. "I'm gonna head home. Thanks for everything."

"Want me to walk you to the train?" Jolyne asked, and Ann shook her head.

"Thanks, but I'm good." She got her bag and got up from the booth. "I'll try to think of a way to persuade Kamoshida without giving him what he wants." Jolyne just smiled and waved at her..

"Alright. See you tomorrow." Ann nodded, before she left the booth, leaving Jolyne to think.

Shujin, sometime later

Volleyball practice had just ended, and Shiho was heading towards the exit with her things, when Mishima approached her. "Um, Suzui-San?" The boy was staring at the ground, an expression of absolute regret on his face.

"Yes, Mishima-kun?" She asked, and Mishima swallowed.

"M-Mr. Kamoshida's asking to see you in his office." He replied, and fear spread through Shiho's body.

"I-I see. Thank you, Mishima-Kun."

"…I'm sorry." Mishima whimpered out as she walked past him, causing her to tighten her grip on her bag. Walking up the stairs to the PE faculty office, Shiho entered to see Kamoshida alone at his desk.

"Ah, Suzuki-San. Thank you for coming." He greeted, and Shiho started to break into a cold sweat.

"M-Mishima-kun said you wanted to speak to me?"

"That's right. I'm a little concerned about your performance lately. If this keeps up, I may have to move you from our starting lineup." Kamoshida explained, and Shiho gasped.

"I-I'm sorry, sir. I just…have a lot on my mind right now."

"Hey hey, don't panic." He 'reassured' her. "Whether you can stay as a starter or not depends entirely on you."

"R-really? What do you need me to do?" She asked, and Kamoshida grinned at her.

"All I need you to do is remain completely quiet until I'm finished…"

Later

Jolyne was in her attic home at Leblanc, doing some homework, when her phone chimed.

RS: Hey, so I know it's late, but have you given any thought as to what Morgana said?

RS: I don't really get all this stuff about 'stealing desires', but if we mess up, he could end up brain dead or something…

JC: How does that make you feel?

RS: I dunno.

RS: Sure, I hate him, but killing him?

RS: I don't wanna end up a murderer over him.

RS: So what do you think about all this?

Jolyne thought about her conversation with Ann, about the expression on her face when she talked about how he had her trapped. If there was a way to make it so that Ann would never feel that way again…

JC: I think we should do it.

RS: For real?!

JC: If there's a way to break his grip on the school, I think we should take it.

RS: I dunno.

RS: Let me think on it some more.

Jolyne leaned back in her chair. They had to do this. There was no other way. If they couldn't get to Kamoshida through normal measures, then they'd have to go the Supernatural route. She sighed, got changed into her pajamas, and went to bed.

4/15/20XX

Jolyne was sitting in Social Studies, listening to the teacher prattle on about checks and balances. She didn't really care, instead making little doodles in her notebook. She was currently working on a squiggly doodle of Arsene…when a familiar cat shaped head stuck out of her desk. "Well? Have you made up your mind?" Morgan's asked, causing Jolyne to slam her hand over her mouth to keep from shouting.

" Jesus! What are you doing in here?!" She whispered, and the teacher's ears perked up.

"Hm? Did I just hear meowing? Could that rumored stray cat be around here?" He asked a loud, causing Morgan's to freeze up.

"Stay quiet!" Jolyne whispered, and the teacher looked at her.

"Settle down! This is an important lecture!" He ordered, and Jolyne just nodded, before her phone vibrated in her pocket. Setting it inside her desk next to the cat inside, she read the message from Ryuji.

RS: So I've given it some thought.

JC: And?

RS: I can't think of any other way.

RS: Can't believe I have to listen to that damn fur ball…

Morgana simply scowled, or at least did the feline equivalent. "If only he knew I'm reading this too." He was about to speak some more, when a student on the other side of the room stood up from the desk.

"Hey, what's that?" The student asked, pointing out the window. "Oh my god, is she going to jump?!" Mishima shot up as soon as he realized what the classmate was pointing at.

"Suzui…?" He gasped out, and Ann and Jolyne's eyes widened.

"Shiho…?" Ann gasped out, standing up and running out the door, much to the teacher's chagrin.

"Hey, settle down! Return to your seats at once!" But it was no use, as all of the students had already vacated the room. Jolyne ran over to the window next to Ann, seeing Shiho standing on the edge of the roof.

"What the hell is she doing?!" Jolyne asked, but all Ann could do is watch in terror.

"Quick, someone get up there!" A student yelled, but everyone's eyes remained transfixed on Shiho. She looked over to Ann, weakly smiled, mouthed something out…

And she jumped.