Rain: Hello everyone, Rain here. I have finally been unleashed from the chains I was trapped under to inform you guys that this chapter will have I think one of my biggest changes to this new timeline yet and I hope you guys enjoy it.
Morgana: Show time!
Disclaimer (Ryuji): I'm going to say it right now, there may be some triggering shit in here so be careful and happy reading!
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Twelve
[Opening Scene – Shujin Academy's Roof (Morning - Rainy)
Theme of Despair: Maya's Theme from Persona 3: FES]
Shiho found herself standing on the edge of the roof of Shujin Academy, the wind blowing her hair with her eyes closed as rain drops fell down her body.
She could hear the faint screams and concerns from her schoolmates below, but that did not matter.
Nothing did anymore.
"This is it…This is the beginning of the end…" The voice whispered in her mind, a peaceful tone in its voice. "Just one leap and our descent into peace will begin…"
"Yes," Shiho whispered, her tone soft and broken. "Peace…That is all I want…"
Just then, the door to the roof was blasted open, and Shiho heard the voice of the girl she did not want here. "Don't do it, Shiho!" Ann screamed out.
Why did God despise her so?
Shiho opened her eyes and turned around carefully to stare at Ann, a sad smile on her face. "Ann…" Shiho murmured. "You shouldn't be here."
"Well, I am Shiho," Ann told her as she slowly began to advance.
"Don't come any closer!" Shiho demanded, causing Ann to stop her advancement. "I'll d-do it. I'll jump if you come any closer to me!"
"But why Shiho?" Ann asked with a heartbreaking tone that made Shiho's heart clench.
"I just want it to stop…" Shiho brokenly whispered. "All I wanted was to go to a perfect college and play volleyball with my best friend…I never wanted to do anything this…"
Shiho could feel tears falling from her eyes as she watched tears fall from Ann's eyes as well. "I…Want it to stop…And you won't stop me from achieving the peace that I've longed for…Not when I'm so close to obtaining it," Shiho told her.
"Achieving Peace…" Ann repeated with a little anger in her voice. "Is that what you think you're doing by killing yourself?"
"What about your parents? What about Ryuji, Ren, and everyone else that cares for you? What about me? Do you think your death will bring us peace?" Ann asked her with pain in her voice.
Shiho remained silent as she looked to the ground.
Ann took a slow step and held out her hand, and said with a pleading tone, "We love you, Shiho, and we don't want to lose you. Just step down, and we can get through this together. Don't do this, please…"
Shiho felt her heartbreaking at Ann's desperate plea but let out a soft sigh.
"My parents only cared about what I could do for them and never what I wanted," Shiho began.
She heard Ann take a sharp gasp.
"And I never had any friends. I was always alone, no matter where I went. I sincerely thought that I would be alone for the rest of my life, and even a few times, that dark voice in my mind would push me to end it all. Until the day I met you," Shiho explained softly.
Shiho felt her tears redouble as she gave Ann the brightest smile she could muster. "I remember seeing you for the first time in art class and thought, "Wow…How can someone so beautiful make such a terrible painting?""
Ann gasped and let out a watery laugh and murmured, "You ass, you can't make me laugh in this situation."
"I wasn't trying to make you laugh," Shiho said with a tender laugh. "But when I heard you laugh that day, it was like a beacon of light shined through the darkness that I always had in me. I promised from then on out that I would defend you from anyone that would hurt you and that I would always stay by your side."
"Shiho…" Ann whimpered as she clenched her chest.
Despite the rain that fell on them and despite the black streaks on Ann's face from her makeup, Ann was the most beautiful girl in the world in Shiho's eyes.
She wished that she could wipe away Ann's tears.
"When he first came to this school, Kamoshida-sensei abused us, but he had two students in particular that he hurt the most…Yuuki-san was one of them. Kamoshida-sensei saw him as weak and pathetic and would hurt him every single day until he became broken. And the second was me…." Shiho admitted.
She could see a tragic look appear on Ann's face. "From the start?" Ann asked her.
"From the very start," Shiho softly confirmed. "When he first began his sexual advances, I stopped him each time. Even when he dangled my spot on the Volleyball team, I refused…"
Shiho took a deep breath.
"But then he went after you. The person that saved me and I couldn't let him do it…" Shiho continued shamefully. "I let him touch me and kiss me and hit me anytime he needed to keep you away from his disgusting hands."
Shiho took a deep breath as she looked at Ann's heartbroken, tearful face. "I did everything he asked because I love you, Ann. I loved you from the second I saw you and only fell deeper when I heard you laugh. I love you more than I ever could myself. But today I-I failed to uphold my promise to protect you…"
"Oh, Shiho," Ann whispered. "You could never fail me. Not in this or any lifetime," Ann told her firmly as she took another step, which caused Shiho to take a small step back, putting her precariously on the edge of the roof.
"H-He forced me Ann…He forced me to try and have sex with him, and I told him that I would never do that with him. I have debased myself to the rawest level already, and he wanted to take the one thing I needed to keep for the one I devote myself to for the rest of my life."
"I told him I didn't care about the Volleyball team. But then he brought up you and Ren-kun. He strongly implied that he was the reason Ren-kun was attacked, and If I didn't have sex with him, Kamoshida would get Amamiya-kun killed, and he would go after you…"
"You didn't…" Ann whispered.
"I didn't…The combination of the fire alarm and that cat startled him, and I ran off. Because of me, he's going to go after you. He's going to Kill Ren-kun. I failed to protect you both, and it's all my fault."
Despite the calm tone in her voice, the tears were still flowing from her eyes. "I sentenced you both to hell…And we both know that this damn school has and will continue to throw us all under the bus for the famed Olympic medalist…" Shiho warned, her voice near hysteric.
"We're expendable as long as he can bring honor to this place, and I can't take it anymore. I can't take the guilt of damming you both, yet I can't keep putting myself through this eternal hell. I just want peace…" Shiho looked back and murmured, "And I found that peace."
"I see…" Ann murmured. "And there's nothing I can say or do then to stop you?"
Shiho remained silent.
Ann lowered her head and said, "Then if you want to go through with it, I won't stand in your way…But I want you to know that once you fall, I will be falling close behind!"
[Scene Change: Shujin Academy (Nurse's Office)
Theme of Despair: Maya's Theme from Persona 3: FES]
Ren fell to a knee as the pain in his side flared up. He had finally made it to the nurse's office, where he had a feeling Kamoshida would be, and yet it was empty.
He had just missed the bastard.
"Damn it!" Ren yelled as he slammed his fist against the ground.
"Y-You need to take it easy," Morgana said as Ren panted heavily, his eyes solely focused on the path leading him to the nurse's office. "I know you're upset, but cooler heads must prevail," Morgana continued.
"I have a cool head about this," Ren softly said as he pushed himself to his feet only to take another step and buckled, falling to the ground.
"Ren!" Morgana screamed as he limped into Ren's view. "Are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine," Ren panted out, his face drenched with sweat as he leaned up and placed his back against the wall and panted out.
"You need to stop being so bull-headed, Ren!" Morgana yelled as Ren shut his eyes.
"Kamoshida…He needs to pay, and I'm going to make him," Ren panted out.
"That's great, and all but you're only a student, and he is a teacher with a lot of power," Morgana said to him. "I've shadowed Shiho-san for a while, and I've heard the many rumors about him. If you confront him in this way, things may become worse."
"No matter…No one should have the power he wields, Morgana," Ren countered. "He hurt Ryuji, nearly forced Shiho for sex and has been pressuring Ann for ages. Not to mention sending those guys to stab me. He's out of control…"
"But doing it this way will complicate things. There is a simpler way to stop him," Morgana said, causing Ren to look at him.
"A simpler way?" Ren questioned.
"Yes…The castle," Morgana explained. "That castle is how Kamoshida views this school. Despite Kamoshinda being unaware of what happens in there, it's deeply connected to the depths of his heart."
"If the castle disappears, then...It would affect the real Kamoshida," Ren said.
"Perfect-o!" Morgana exclaimed happily. "A palace is a manifestation of a person's distorted desires. So if that castle in no more than he becomes an honest man!"
Ren narrowed his eyes in thought and said, "So erasing a Palace is essentially forcing a change of heart in its owner…It sounds risky."
"It is," Morgana responded with a serious tone. "Even though his warped desires are gone, the crimes still happened. He will become unable to bear the weight of those crimes, which can lead him to confess them himself or…"
"Or?" Ren drawled out.
"If we erase a Palace, there is no doubt that the person's distorted desires will be erased as well, but desires are what we all need to survive. Like eating or sleeping or falling in love. That sort of stuff. If that is gone, then he would be nothing short of a zombie, just waiting to die," Morgana answered.
Ren closed his eyes as he whispered, "Apathy Syndrome…."
"Apathy Syndrome?" Morgana questioned.
Ren shut his eyes as he heard the sorrowful scream of his mother enter his mind.
[Flashback Scene: Amamiya Residence (Nighttime – Rainy)
Theme of Her: Brand New Days -The Beginning- from Persona 3: FES]
"That can't be true!"
An eight-year-old Ren was startled awake by his mother's scream.
He looked around his room sleepily and rubbed his eyes. He had just had a weird dream about his aunty when the scream of his mother woke him up.
What in the world was going on?
Carefully, Ren crawled out of bed, left his room, walked down the stairs until he reached the bottom step, and peered into the doorway that led to the living room.
As he did, he noticed that there his mother, a middle-aged woman with red eyes and long auburn hair, was on her knees, in front of a girl with short, blonde hair and dark blue eyes.
The blonde girl wore the same Gekkoukan High School uniform that his aunt wore.
Did this girl go to the school as her?
"I apologize, Minako-san," The blonde girl said, her voice mechanical and empty sounding to Ren. "But it is true. Kotone Shiomi has passed away due to the Apathy S-Syndrome."
Ren saw a flicker of sadness appear in the girl's dark blue eyes before emptiness returned.
It was then her words sank in.
"Shiomi-nee?" Ren gasped out, his voice trembling.
He watched as his mother's tearful red eyes looked at him, along with the blonde girl's eyes. He watched as something flickered in her eyes again as his mother tearfully said, "Ren. Honey, go upstairs."
"S-She can't be gone!" Ren cried out. "She was supposed to visit for my birthday! She can't be gone! Tell me she's lying!"
"I apologize," The blonde girl whispered as she lowered her head.
Ren fell to his knees as tears streamed down his anguished face.
[Present Scene: Shujin Academy's Nurse's Office (Morning – Rainy)
Theme of Her: Brand New Days -The Beginning- from Persona 3: FES]
"Shiomi-nee!" Ren's child voice screamed in his head before opening his eyes to see Morgana's confused expression.
"Ren. What is Apathy Syndrome?" Morgana asked again.
"A few years ago at Tatsumi Port Island, there was this condition that was going on called Apathy Syndrome…" Ren began, his voice distant. "It was a case where dozens of people would collapse in a heap where ever they happen to be and become unable to move, feed or care for themselves. It was as if all of their desire to live was gone."
Ren shook his head to clear his mind from the weight of those words and said, "S-So if we do it, there is a chance that will happen?"
"There is a possibility," Morgana confirmed, albeit hesitantly. "But if that is the case, isn't that worth the risk?"
Ren paused.
"I mean, look at what he's willing to do to everyone to keep this power he has…" Morgana said. "If we don't stop him, who knows what more he could do."
If Morgana had asked them this question a year ago, Ren would have refused.
No one should suffer a death like that.
But after everything that Kamoshida had done, if anyone had earned a death like that, it would be him.
"You're right…" Ren bitterly whispered. "He hurt so many people here…If this is the only way to stop him, then we will."
Morgana opened his mouth to speak, but then Mishima's voice rang out with "Amamiya-san! Do you need help?"
[Scene Change – Shujin Academy's Roof (Morning - Rainy)
Theme of Heartache: Encounter from Persona 5]
"Ann!" Shiho gasped in horror at Ann's words. "Surely you don't mean that!"
"More than you know…" Ann softly replied.
"I don't understand," Shiho told her. "Why would you follow me? I don't get it."
"All this time, you tried to protect me," Ann told her. "But in reality, I led you to this destination…"
Shiho was confused.
What did she mean by that?
She didn't have to wait long because Ann began to speak. "Kamoshida approached me one day. He knew you were my best friend and told me that he would kick you off the team, but I told him I would do anything to keep you on. Anything…"
'N-No…Please don't say it,' Shiho thought with anguish as she watched shame appear on Ann's face.
Her worse fear was realized when Ann continued with, "It started slowly enough, kissing here and there, letting him touch me from time to time. But recently, Kamoshida wanted to have sex with me. I foolishly thought it was a coincidence that anytime I weaseled out of it; you would be bruised up you a day later."
Ann then laughed bitterly.
"I'm supposed to be your friend and protect you from him, but instead, you kept getting hurt because I wouldn't have sex with him, and now the note he gave me makes sense…Kamoshida wasn't threatening your spot on the team in that note…He was telling me he was going to do this to you. That you were going to pay the price of my cowardice…"
"Oh, Ann…." Shiho whispered.
"I put you in direct danger of that monster, and now, I'll lose the one person who made my life worth living. You love me, huh? Well, guess what, I love you too!" Ann yelled. "And I can't live in a world without you in it and I refuse to do so. There is no Takamaki without Suzui, so if you fall, I fall too!"
Shiho was in turmoil.
Her best friend had put her body on the line for her to have her be on the team. But in doing that, Ann had inadvertently put her on the rooftop today, but she couldn't allow Ann to blame herself for that.
She wouldn't.
Shiho looked at Ann before she looked out at the crowd of students on the ground below.
"Do it…" The voice whispered in her mind. "This is your chance…No more physical or sexual abuse from Kamoshida…No more mental abuse from your parents…We can be free from all of this. Do not let her flowery words sway your heart from eternal peace…"
Shiho remained silent as she turned back to see Ann crying heavily and thought, 'I can't do this….'
"So you are willing to keep going through this agony that is your life for her? Do you understand what you face if you back away now? This is your one chance at freedom. Seize it now before it forever escapes your grasp," The voice whispered urgently.
'I know…This is the only way…But I can't leave her like this…' Shiho replied. 'I'm truly pathetic to keep choosing her over what I desire, but I can't help it…She helps me feel something other than this dread,' Shiho softly replied as she summoned up all the strength she had in her body and stepped back onto the roof.
[Theme of Shadow Attack: Desire from Persona 5]
But something then a cold grip wrapped around her neck and upper body.
It was then that the world darkened around her.
Shiho slowly turned her head to see herself, her eerie glowing yellow eyes and a dark smile on her face. "Since you will not take that step, then I suppose I shall do it for us because it's time for us to be selfish," her duplicate stated before the world snapped back to normal.
It was then Shiho felt her body jerk backward violently, which caused her to scream as she felt her right foot leave the roof. "Shiho!" Ann screamed in horror as she ran towards Shiho, who began to fall from the building's top.
'This is it…' Shiho thought as her body slowly began to shift downward in the air, her eyes gazing at the bright blue sky above her. She began to look down to see Ann running towards the edge of the roof.
She suddenly saw Ann leap off the roof with her arms reaching out towards her legs. Time seemed to move in slow motion for her as Ann's hands wrapped around her ankles, and with a hard tug, Shiho felt herself being pulled sharply backward until her back hit the wall and she was dangling upside down.
"I got you, Shiho! Just hang on!" She heard Ann shout.
Ryuji had just reached the roof when he saw Shiho explain leap backward from off the edge with Ann quickly running after her and managing to catch her legs.
But now Ann was skidding off of the roof and no doubt was losing grip on Shiho.
With all the speed he could muster, Ryuji dashed across the roof and skidded to a stop at her feet and shouted, "Hang on, Ann, I got ya!"
"Ryuji?!" Ann said with an alarmed tone.
"Who else would it be? Just hang on to Shiho as hard as you can," Ryuji said as he began to pull her body backward, but it was a lot harder than he had imagined it to be. For two light girls, they sure were heavy.
Just then, another figure stepped beside him and said, "Let me help."
Ryuji turned his head to see a girl with chin-length curly light auburn hair and brown eyes looking at him. "The more, the merrier, right? Just go up there to help Shiho up. I'll help by pulling Ann here," Ryuji said.
The girl nodded and ran up to the edge of the roof and knelt to grab one of Shiho's legs, causing Ann to look at her in alarm.
"I'm here to help," before she began to pull one of Shiho's legs with both hands, prompting Ann to let go of that leg and focus on pulling up the other one, and together, the three teens managed to get Shiho back on the roof.
The minute they were pulled up, Shiho immediately embraced Ann and began to sob into her chest as hard as possible, with Ann returning the embrace just as hard as she too wept.
[Theme of Success: Tranquility from Persona 3]
"Whew!" Ryuji said as he plopped down to the ground and panted out, "That was a close one!"
The mysterious girl sat beside Ryuji and said, "I agree…That was not very pleasant."
"Thanks for the assist, but how did you get up here so quickly? Hell, how did you know what was going on?" Ryuji asked.
The girl merely smiled and explained, "I was quite lucky to have been tending to my plants before Suzui-san ran up here…I hid because we are not supposed to be up here but little did I know, things were about to take such a tragic turn."
The girl then sighed and finished with, "Thank goodness we were able to stop that. But in hearing what that scoundrel Kamoshida has done, we cannot sit aside and let nothing be done."
"Yeah, that asshole is going to get what's coming to him…Speaking of which, are you able to watch over them?" Ryuji asked.
"With the best of my abilities," the girl replied. "But why leave them?"
"Our other friend Ren is downstairs, and I want to let him know that we saved Shiho," Ryuji replied.
At the mention of Ren's name, Shiho pulled away from Ann and murmured, "Ren-kun? He's here?"
"Against his better judgment," Ryuji wryly said. "He seemed pretty pissed off about everything, and we need to let him know things are okay now…Well, as okay as they are going to be for now."
"Y-Yeah, that's right, he was the one worried about you just as much as me and Ryuji," Ann said.
"O-Okay…Let's go find him," Shiho said.
"What about you, curly hair? Want to join us?" Ryuji asked.
"I don't think I've had enough excitement for today…" The girl replied before she said, "I think I shall go with you and see this through."
"Great, then let's go!" Ryuji said. "Hopefully, Ren-Ren will be okay…"
[Present Scene: Shujin Academy's Nurse's Office (Morning – Rainy)
Theme of Kindness: Theater from Persona Q2 New Cinema Labyrinth]
"Mishima?" Ren questioned.
He was sure that the boy would have remained in the corner where they had left him or runoff. Why did he come here?
"I see…" Ren told him gently.
"I-I wanted to make sure you were okay," Mishima said as he looked at his feet. "I-I'm sorry. I followed you."
Ren watched as Mishima's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "You're bleeding!"
Ren looked down at his side and sat blood soaking through his shirt.
"S-Stay here, I'll help you!" Mishima said as he ran into the nurse's office, grabbed a few supplies, and then ran out to Ren. Ren watched as Mishima knelt in front of him and said, "L-Lift your shirt."
Ren did as followed, and Mishima let out a soft gasp. "Amamiya-san….This wound looks really bad."
"It's okay…" Ren softly told him.
Mishima shook his head and began to clean the wound with a towel. "You should not be here with t-this. Y-You should be in the hospital…" Mishima said as he dabbed another towel with alcohol before wiping Ren's wound, causing him to wince in pain.
"I'll be fine. Stopping Kamoshida is all that matters," Ren said as Morgana hissed in annoyance.
Mishima looked to Morgana curiously before shaking his head and placing a medical pad on Ren's wound. "L-Lean up from the wall," Mishima stammered.
Ren nodded and leaned forward with a wince and watched as the blushing Mishima wrapped medical wrap around his torso carefully. "T-To be able to be here and stop K-Kamoshida while wounded like this…You are s-so brave…." Mishima softly admitted as he finished wrapping Ren's torso.
Ren placed his hand on top of Mishima's head, which prompted the boy to look at him. "Thank you," Ren told him with a charming smile, which caused Mishima to flush and look down.
"Well, well, well…I just can't be rid of you, can I?" a familiar voice asked. "You even have that wimp Mishima helping you."
[Theme of Danger: Troubled from Persona 3]
Ren looked up to see Kamoshida walking down the hall with a smirk on his face and band-aids in several areas on his face.
"Just like a cockroach. Too stubborn to go away when he is not wanted," Kamoshida said with amusement as he slowed to a stop a few feet away from them.
"Better a roach than an assaulter," Ren proudly replied as he pushed himself up to his feet, with Mishima standing up as well with fear on his face.
Kamoshida laughed and said, "I don't know what you're talking about. All I came to do was get some more band-aids from some wounds I acquired from the training I had earlier."
"Bullshit…You assaulted Shiho you today," Ren said with narrowed eyes. "And those wounds came from her trying to fight you off!"
"He what?" Mishima asked with a stunned tone.
"He took advantage of Shiho today," Ren told Mishima softly. "It's why we went to find you to see where he was so we could help her." While Ren left out that it was Morgana who caused those wounds to Kamoshida, his words had their intended effect in shocking Mishima to his core.
"Y-You assaulted Suzui-san?" Mishima asked Kamoshida in horror. "A-And I led her right to you…"
"You're going on and on about things you have no proof of," Kamoshida said, but Ren could hear the mocking tone in his voice. "You're going to believe him, Mishima? After all the training I did to get you to be a regular on the team?"
"W-What you did wasn't training! It was abuse!" Mishima responded, "A-And this isn't about that! You hurt Suzui-san. How could you do such a thing?!"
Kamoshida chuckled and walked right towards the pair. Biting back the pain, Ren pushed Mishima back and stood in front of the trembling teen and faced Kamoshida head-on and said, "No more…You will not lay another hand on anyone while I stand!"
"Big talk," Kamoshida said before he landed a right fist to Ren's side, causing the teen to double over in pain.
"Amamiya-san!" Mishima exclaimed in a panic.
"But that's all you are in the end, boy," Kamoshida said as he grabbed Ren by his hair and pulled his head up, only for Ren to spit into his face.
"Fuck you, rapist," Ren hissed out furiously. "You'll get yours."
"I won't be getting anything at all," Kamoshida said with amusement as he shoved Ren back hard, causing the teen to slam into Mishima, sending them both to the ground.
Kamoshida then walked up to Ren's downed form and stomped on Ren's wound hard, causing Ren's eyes to bug out of his head in pain.
"Ren!" Mishima screamed, but a cold smirk on Kamoshida's face stopped him dead in his tracks. "You want to come over here and help your savior, Yuuki-san?" Kamoshida asked.
Mishima looked helplessly at Ren and then back at Kamoshida, who merely smirked and said, "That's what I thought, coward."
He then looked back at Ren and said, "This could have all been so simple if you didn't show up. The minute you did, that wimp Sakamoto grew a spine, and my toys started to rebel,"
Kamoshida ground his foot against Ren's wound, causing Ren to grit his teeth at the torture.
"Hypothetically speaking, even if it is exactly as you imagine it to be, what can you do?" Kamoshoda taunted. "This little bitch wouldn't dare stand up to me, and neither will those two whores or anyone in this school for that matter, so how would anyone make a statement?"
Kamoshida laughed loudly and lifted his foot only to stomp on the side again, causing Ren to grit his teeth harder, not wanting to give the man the satisfaction of screaming, and instead looked at him defiantly.
"I run this school, and everyone knows it. Why do you think everyone is still outside? Do you think it was because of that fire alarm? No, all I had to say was I was looking for the culprit who was still inside, and they bought it. Hook, line, and sinker," Kamoshida told him arrogantly.
"Get off of him, you bastard!" Ryuji's voice shouted before Kamoshida was shoved off of Ren by the blond delinquent. Ren looked to see Shiho and Ann after him and that girl he met on the rooftop his second day here.
"Ren-kun, are you okay?" Shiho said as she and Ann rushed to his side.
"Shiho…You're okay…" Ren said as he looked at her.
"I'm not okay…I won't be for a while…" Shiho admitted. "But at least you're okay."
"Come on, let's get you up," Ann whispered as the pair lifted Ren to his feet. It was then Ann noticed drops of blood falling from Ren's side. "You're bleeding," Ann said to him.
"I'll be fine," Ren said weakly. He then looked at the girl and said, "We meet again."
"As I knew we would," the girl said with a small smile.
"Aww, look at that. The whole gang is here. Even you Okumura Haru. I didn't think someone of your pedigree would be hanging around with such trash," Kamoshida said.
Now known as Haru, the girl frowned at Kamoshida, but she didn't say a single word.
"You son of a bitch!" Ryuji's angry voice shouted as Ren looked to see Ryuji in front of the smirking Kamoshida. "How dare you hurt Ann and Shiho the way you did!"
"Hurt? They look wonderful to me," Kamoshida said with a slimy smirk, which looked to only piss Ryuji off even further.
"You bastard! Don't play dumb with me! You sexually assaulted Shiho! You nearly caused her to commit suicide, and you dare sit here and play stupid!" Ryuji roared.
Kamoshida looked down at Ryuji with a mocking smirk on his face and responded with, "This again? Does this mean we need to have yet another case of 'self-defense'?"
"You fucking scumbag!" Ryuji shouted as he reared his hand back.
"Ryuji don't!" Ren shouted.
"What? After what this sick fuck had just done?!" Ryuji exclaimed as he looked back to Ren with his hand in the air.
"Why you're stopping him? There's a surprise, but why stop it, boy? Come on, attack me," Kamoshida goaded. "Ohhh, you can't. Hahaha, but of course you can't," Kamoshida added before pushing Ryuji off of him sharply, sending the blond staggering backward to the rest of the crew.
"Ryuji don't…He'll get his," Ren said softly to Ryuji, who was still shaking with fury.
"But still….Seeing this cocky asshole's face is burning me up!" Ryuji snarled.
"How interesting you keep saying those words Amamiya-san," Kamoshida said with a knowing smirk on his face. "That constitutes as a threat. Something this school is very against and seeing such a large amount of people here, well, I feel quite threatened."
"You should be," Shiho whimpered out, her body trembling against Ren's as she looked at the hulking figure of Kamoshida. "What you did to not only me but to all of the students here was not right! You used us, lied to us, and abused us for the sake of enjoyment!"
Ann followed up with, "From blackmailing Shiho to try and have sex with her to trying to have Ren killed, you're a monster!"
"I never held a gun to anyone's heads to get them to do what I pleased," Kamoshida said. "You all came to me, offering me whatever I wanted, and I took advantage. But I've had enough of this pleasant chat. Everyone present right now will be expelled! I'm reporting all of you at the next board meeting," Kamoshida announced.
"W-What?" Shiho gasped out.
"Y-You can't do that!" Ryuji and Haru exclaimed.
"You can't decide that!" Mishima shouted.
"Who would seriously consider what scum like you all say? I am an Olympic gold medalist who brought pride to Japan while you have a delinquent, a criminal, a pathetic coward, a mixed breed slut, and her whorish friend? Even if your rich friend helped, who would believe any of you?" Kamoshida asked.
"You can't get away with this, you asshole!" Ryuji shouted.
"And yet I just did!" Kamoshida yelled before going into a bout of laughter. "Your futures are mine to take. You're all expelled! Now get out of my sight, or else I'll get the local authorities to escort you all out."
"Let's just go," Ren whispered. The group nodded and walked out of the nurse's office, walking past the smug-looking Kamoshida.
[Scene Change: Outside Shujin Academy (Afternoon – Rainy)
Theme of Tension: Troubled from Persona 3]
"I can't believe he's going to get us expelled…" Mishima said with a woeful tone as the group sat outside the school.
"Neither can I," Haru whispered. "It was rather foolish of me to follow you all. Curse my curiosity. But at the same time, the rumors proved true about Kamoshida, which is good, I suppose."
"But he's right. He runs the school," Shiho whispered. "No one is going to believe us, and even if we go to the police, I bet it'll get swept underneath the rug…"
"It won't," Ren said softly. "I promise you guys that we'll be fine."
Ryuji and Ann looked to Ren, who had a smirk on his face.
"He'll get his soon enough. We just have to have faith," Ren said.
And once he was fully healed, his new plan will form into action.
Ren: So we saved Shiho but we got Mishima, Shiho and Haru into this now.
Ann: I wonder what will happen next…
Ryuji: Who the hell knows. I just want this bastard stopped as soon as possible.
Morgana: No worries guys! We have the perfect plan! Until the next chapter everyone!
Haru: Stop the show!