Tuesday, 11/15
Ren's eyes opened to something other than a starving cat. He was lucky to start his day with the clean underside of a desk, unlike others in his class who were stuck sleeping beneath gum-ridden desks.
He was also lucky enough to wake up with a hint of assistance from a panicking girl. "My phone! My phone is missing!" she cried, her tone verging on hysteria.
I hope Morgana's alright. He knows where all the food is kept, but there's so much bread in my bag that there may not be any left in the kitchen… He'll figure something out.
Ren rolled over, rubbing his face against his bread-filled pillow, and tried to tune out the girl. It was a meaningless problem that would be over as soon as everyone woke up to help her find it. "Has anyone seen my phone? Please, anyone?!"
The more I hear her complain, the more I recognize her… This is Setsuo. Sucks that she has to be the one with a missing phone even though she's one of the few good ones in this class. Should I help? She didn't have to assist with the Culture Festival planning... But she did.
Others began to grumble. Those close to Setsuo couldn't roll over and put a pillow on their ear—they had to deal with her stomping around and checking each crevice. Someone needed to help, or else Setsuo's search for her phone would start everyone's day on the wrong side of the bed.
"Here, I'll call you…" another girl grumbled, sleepy rust still in her tone. Ren heard a yawn from somewhere in the room. "Wait…" The rust vanished. "My phone's gone too!"
At this rate, your phone's missing too, Ren.
But that would be impossible. Nobody wanted to go near the sick student, therefore nobody took his phone. Then again, why take anyone's phone in the first place? Had too many hours in the classroom regressed their maturity to that of a few years prior when they were pre-teens eager to ruin their friend's chances with a crush?
Still trying to sleep, Ren slid his hand into his pocket.
Nothing.
He rolled over and checked his other pocket, again getting nothing. If it wasn't on him, it had to be around him. He sat up, scanned the dusty floor around him, and saw nothing.
Huh… This'll be a lot of fun. Will they put me on trial for stealing everyone's phone, or is Ozaki blaming flu season and the lockdown on 5G?
One by one, students joined in to call one another to find the phones, only to discover that their phones were missing too. The apocalyptic spread of phonelessness spread fast, and it spread to everyone. In just a few moments, everyone complained about their missing phones.
Not Ren and Ann, though. They were silent strugglers.
"Everyone!" a thin-voiced student yelled, not quieting the uproar in the slightest. "Everyone!" Still, nothing. However, Ren saw him—it was a student who disregarded his uniform, wearing a casual shirt instead of his Shujin jacket. His cheeks were red with effort for his final attempt. "Shut the Hell up!"
Silence. Slowly, they reminded themselves of reality and forgot about the missing parts of themselves, giving their attention to the loud student.
"I know where your phones are."
This will result in a calm, calculated response where everyone waits their turn to speak.
"Get him!"
"Cut his throat!"
"Impale him on Sensei's desk!"
The students went silent without another yell from the loud student, instead cutting themselves off when he stepped up on a desk. "You will do none of those things. How would you find your phones?" Ren saw multiple students nodding as if they weren't capable of critical thinking and getting into a prestigious private school. "Instead of violence, we'll turn to the wonderful page of capitalism."
Oh no.
"That's right, for the low price of three thousand yen, you can have your phone back!"
"One loaf for two phones—Takamaki's and mine."
"Hm…" Akio the thief/merchant considered the deal for a short moment, but no deal was proper if he couldn't take more than offered. "One and a half."
"One loaf and one bite of a second loaf, but I have to feed you that bite like you're a baby bird and I'm your mother."
Akio's eyes narrowed. "One and one quarter."
"Deal."
Ren handed over the bread as the students before him handed over hard-earned, parentally-begged cash. He had been the last in a long line of students desperate to get their phones back. His desperation wasn't near theirs, though—he just wanted something to do. Without their phones, nobody could find updates on the school's lockdown, meaning that they were trapped until someone read a Shujinstagram announcement that said otherwise.
I'd expect someone to read a headline aloud as soon as they got their phone, but there's been nothing. Phones have been returned for at least two minutes—why hasn't anyone spoken up?
"Shit, my phone's dead. Can I borrow your charger?" one student asked another.
After agreement and the rustling of a bag, the situation worsened. "My charger's missing!"
With that, Akio paused his procural of Ren and Ann's phones to stand on his desk as he had before. "Chargers of all kinds, come and get them before they're gone for the measly price of one thousand yen!"
This bastard. If they weren't hidden so well, we'd have killed him by now.
Not that Ren was following the class's murderous thoughts toward Akio. He simply noticed an injustice and was disgusted by it. Perhaps it wasn't as awful as a disingenuous time-wasting trial to determine the health of another student, but it was detestable.
Quickly, he hopped off the desk and handed the phones to Ren. "Want to take advantage of the Sick Fuck discount and get two chargers for the price of one?"
Ren snatched the phones. "Your parents recoil at the sight of you, Akio."
He returned to his camp in the corner where Ann patiently waited, catching the tossed phone from Ren with cat-like reflexes. She cradled her phone and checked for any damage to its screen or edges. Around the room, other students did the same, checking their recent messages to make sure Akio hadn't gotten into their data. Ren doubted that Akio's capitalist tendencies extended to stealing and selling data, but one could never trust someone so hungry for cash.
That hunger divided the classroom. Those missing their phones were more than willing to pay the low price. Those who weren't sent to school with their parents' cash every day were reserved with their wallets, leaving Akio with a few leftover phones.
"Introducing the Borrowed Amusement Deal! For a price so low that you should go to jail for stealing, buy poor students' phones and access their secrets! Texts, photos, shopping lists—you name it!" A new low point was hit for the classroom by Akio single-handedly, but the class met him there when a line began forming. Those without their phones helplessly watched as Akio showed off a few devices to for the pleasure of those in line.
First and foremost was Ozaki, grinning from ear to ear as he handed over scrunched-up notes for a phone that wasn't his. "Most phones' passwords have been cracked, but I'm sure you can pay the owner if you can't get in!" Akio declared, handing off yet another phone to two girls who pooled their money together for the amusement. They walked away from Kawakami's desk (now Akio's), chattering about all the little things they'd find in Setsuo's phone.
Gonna keep waiting it out, Ren? Now is about the time you should repay Setsuo's kindness.
Phones flew out of Akio's possession. No longer could the students of Classroom 2-D settle for card games and pointless small talk to pass the time. They needed to prey upon the lives of their peers, to sap the juiciest bits of info from their personal messages.
Still, Ren stayed in his corner, turning to Ann for a worthless joke. "Wanna buy my phone for the insignificant price of a hundred thousand yen, Ann?"
"Pass." Her tone was in the grave as she paid more attention to the students opening up their phones. Already, snickers and judgemental stares were being passed around the room. "I can't watch this anymore." She stood up and shoved her desk out of the way as she stormed to the front of the room, cutting the rest of the line to slap Akio's desk.
"Excuse me, there's a li—"
"Do you have any conscious? Any care about the feelings of your friends?"
"There are no friends in capitalism, Takamaki-chan. Can I interest you in the Lone Wolf Bundle that—"
"We're stuck in here without any news from the outside and you're profiting off of it!"
"What kind of businessman passes up on a business opportunity?"
"What kind of man lacks so much social awareness?!"
To that, Akio did not have a response. The phone in his hand stayed until he dropped it to the surface of the desk, never to be sold for profit. It seemed that Ann broke through the cold demeanor of capitalism with sheer willpower.
Good on her for doing what I couldn't.
"You're right, Takamaki-chan…" Akio slid his display phones toward the edge of the desk. "I'm closing up shop for the day. No refunds!" There was a groan among those who shelled out cash for their possessions, but a select few rejoiced, prancing up to the desk to grab their phones and chargers if they weren't already sold.
Ann returned to Ren's corner with a nod, still firm from her disbelief and anger that such a thing could occur in the first place. She sat down and pulled out her own phone and charger.
As for the unlucky students, their phones stayed with their newest owners.
"Oh… My… God!" a girl screamed out to silence the class. "Setsuo snuck out of the classroom last night!" She held up a phone, assumedly Setsuo's, and showed off its screen as if anyone was able to see the small text on it. When nobody agreed with her, she realized that she needed to elaborate. The phone came back to her so she could summarize. "Setsuo went and met her boyfriend from 2-A in the third-floor girl's bathroom!"
Hoo boy…
The class's reaction sounded like an entire village of eager witch-burners, everyone crying to skip the trial and proceed with the execution of Setsuo, the shy girl stuck in her own corner with tears staining her embarrassed cheeks. As soon as the recap of her texts was announced, a circle was around her and she was gone from sight.
It's now or never to do the right thing.
Ren stood with his bag of bread weighing down his hands. He journeyed across the crusading classroom, passing by desks of students who hurled insults into the corner where Setuso was trapped. The closer he got to the corner, the louder the class became.
It'd be nice to tune out each awful word and ignore every terrible person, but I can't. I hear everything.
Still, he arrived at his destination: the desk of the rich girl in possession of Setsuo's phone.
"One loaf for her phone."
"Loaf? Loaf of what?"
Ren slipped a baguette out of his bag. "When everyone runs out of food, you'll have an advantage. You just need to give up Setsuo's phone," he said, shrugging as if it was the only reasonable choice for her. All the chaos in the world existed a few feet away, so Ren's casual offer struck the girl as something worth accepting.
"But what about gossip?"
"No nutrients—or anything worthwhile—in gossip."
The girl sighed, cherishing her last moment with her exploitative entertainment. "Fiiine… Here." She handed the phone to Ren and grabbed at the loaf. "This better not be stale!"
The pinch in Ren's neck begged him to tell her about the staleness, but Ren left his corner to help Setsuo, not some rich girl. He chuckled and left the girl to her fancy new loaf, instead giving his attention to the corner of the room where Setsuo's execution was being arranged.
"Sick man coming through! Out of the way, out of the way!"
Those willing to be part of a mob were easily impressionable, and the mob of Classroom 2-D was under the impression that Ren was plagued. After hearing his voice so much in the trial, they knew to part immediately, opening up a direct path to the cowering and crying Setsuo.
"If you left the classroom, you're probably sick," he said through the silence. Per usual, any mention of sickness terrified the mob into hushed whispers, barely loud enough to be heard by the enemy. "I reckon that anyone near you right now could get sick."
I also reckon that everyone should fuck off right about now.
Ren knew his class too well. They retreated with violent mutters and thoughts of crushing witches with boulders, but they retreated nonetheless. Ren felt eyes on his back as he approached Setsuo, her phone offered to her alongside a hand to help her stand.
"Th-thanks…" She wiped tears and snot from her puffy face. Ren knew their peers judged unfairly. Soon enough, everyone would look as bad and worse. No showers, no bathroom besides a window, and no cosmetic products had that effect.
"There's a spot for you in our corner if you want it. We're deathly ill and I coughed up a lung or two this morning, but a spot's a spot."
She smiled and followed him, walking away from the corner she had been trapped in. "...I'll take you up on that."
"But…" Ren hated himself for delivering a word so cruelly but he did not plan on staying in 2-D forever. Things had to be known. "How'd you get out?" he whispered as they walked around rearranged desks.
"There was, um… The key was on the counter next to the door."
Ren stopped and turned around, staring directly at the described surface, finding it barren of anything resembling or functionally similar to a key. "Did you leave it there when you got back?" he said when he looked at Setsuo again.
"Yes."
"Great… Just great."
The thief still has the key. Honestly, it's obvious who it is. Akio or Ozaki are the only ones that make sense. Akio keeps us locked in here to steal the phones for reselling, or Ozaki's got us locked in here just because he's a fucking asshole who has to make everyone's life harder.
Ren forgot one crucial fact for the slightest of seconds.
That, and he has brain damage.
The canyon between Ren's corner and the rest of the class grew wider as the second day progressed. Setsuo's inclusion drew glares and fiery, warmongering eyes. They weren't overt, always looking away as soon as Ren turned his head, but he always felt it.
Within the corner, life was peachy. Setsuo and Ann got along quick, though it had to be after a disclaimer.
"Thank you guys for letting me stay with you, but… I'm sorry."
"What for?"
"I-I left the classroom—you'll be sick soon," she said, looking at Ren. He appreciated her faith in his health and that at least one of 2-D's non-GRAVY members believed him during the trial.
If she believed you, why didn't she say anything? Why didn't she speak up for you? At that moment, she was just like the rest of them: too scared of confrontation to do a thing.
Could he really hold that against her, or any of 2-D's quieter students? The room's major players were terrible, yes, but Setsuo's silence during the trial wasn't indicative of her character. The same must've been true for the remaining students—a few rotten apples, the rest just minding their business.
It's not minding their own business when their lack of objection keeps us trapped in this goddam classroom.
Ren's thoughts remained his own, only mulled over and forgotten as Setsuo and Ann kept up their conversation.
"I had to leave, I just had to. My boyfriend's in A and has severe anxiety—I had to be there for him."
Ann patted Setsuo's shoulder. "That's a worthy reason to leave."
"I mean, he's stuck in that classroom, terrified of everyone around him… It's horrible!"
No disrespect to Setsuo, but she's saying this to someone who also has a dysfunctional boyfriend. Granted, Ryuji doesn't have anxiety like that, but I do worry about how intact his sanity is. And we can't forget about the rest of GRAVY. Yusuke's bored, Futaba's got good security camera entertainment, Makoto is drafting a new lockdown protocol, and Haru is trapped with people she shouldn't have to spend any time with.
All in all, I'd say Ryuji has it the worst. Makoto and Haru share a class, Ann and I are chilling, but he's stuck with unknowns. Maybe Ushimaru even showed up just to torture them for the duration of the lockdown. I wouldn't put it past him.
"He'll be okay. We'll get out of here by night and you'll be with him again. Don't worry about any of them." Ann waved her hand across the room, surely casting away a few evil eyes. "They're idiots. Every last one of them."
"They're right that I shouldn't have left."
"Oh, fuck that." Their heads swiveled to Ren begging for his pardon. "The key was on the counter, right? The thief wanted someone to leave, it just happened to be you. Someone wanted a witch hunt."
"But why?"
"They're all distracted with their hatred of us, unintentionally trapping us in this room for even longer. Instead of finding the key, they're focused on making you pay for doing something they consider bad."
"Hm…"
"But they'll run out of fuel eventually. No one can stay in a classroom forever—it smells bad after a while." They weren't that far into the cycle yet, but Ren sensed its arrival. Within a day, he knew that Classroom 2-D's lack of deodorant, food, and practical bathrooms would cost them. That is if they weren't out of there by then. Ren didn't plan on sticking around.
Setsuo would've replied, but distraction cut through the room. "I declare Tamotsu Fukuda guilty on the charge of conspiring with Amamiya!"
"You got the wrong guy!" Tamotsu sputtered, his voice shaking more as hands dug into his arms and dragged him across the room. "I barely talk to 'em!"
Chanting overpowered his protests. "Cor-ner! Cor-ner!" Students joined with every repetition, culminating with the overpowering banishing of someone who probably did nothing wrong. When they shoved him away, Tamotsu stumbled into a desk and fell forward, defeated and bruised on Ren's doorstep.
"Uh…" Ren was still processing, so his instincts spoke for him. "Want to join us?"
"I have to, right?"
I suppose, but why do it because of its obligatory nature? It's more fun to pretend that it's a good-hearted offer that can be accepted, refused, or saved for later.
"You can do what you want. They might have a few things to say if what you want involves going to their side of the room."
"Then I'll stick with you guys. You seem saner than the rest."
"Eh, they'll get over their bloodlust as soon as we get out." Ren cast a glance to the other side of the room. With their freshest banishing over with, they took to reorganizing their society. Akio got his own nook to sell a few leftover phones, Ozaki handled the outlet and who got to use it, and everyone else sulked. Their witch hunts brought them no happiness or eagerness to continue on—just misery and the fear that they could be next if they said the wrong thing. Ren turned back to Tamotsu. "Speaking of getting out, anything you can tell us about their side? Perhaps a hidden key or two?"
"Why would there be two keys? That seems—"
"I don't know, I just said it because I'm an idiot. Anyway… What do you know?"
"Honestly, Amamiya-san, I have nothing to bring to the table. They only threw me over here because Ozaki remembered me helping you for the festival." He shrugged and looked down. "Sorry."
"Don't say that. We're a small group, so each of us has a strength," Ann said, turning the attention to her. "I'm good with clothes and people, Setsuo's really smart, Ren's super… Uh…" She scanned him over a few times, each one more painful than the rest. "He's wordy."
All that time to think and I get 'wordy'? Fuck…
"And you, Tamotsu, you're… Well, I don't know you that well, but I do remember you helping us plan for the Festival. That gives you a few points for kindness, right?"
"I guess…" It was too glum of an answer for Ren's taste. He didn't opt for Ann's encouragement or Setsuo's comforting smile—he offered the assurance of a resource surplus.
"Hey, check it out." He spread his bag wide and showed off the pile of loaves, too numerous to count. Whoever put the bread in his bag, though there was a narrow list of suspects, must have set a record. "We're a small group compared to them, but we have all the food. When they're starving, you'll be thankful you joined us."
To Ren's great dismay, Tamotsu's face did not light up with elation and his eyes didn't shine with childhood memories of snacking on endless bread. "Just… bread? Isn't it stale or old or—"
"No, it's not. It's perfectly aged bread and it's ours." Across the room, Ren could already see it. The witch hunters looked thin, their taste buds long devoid of yeasty deliciousness. If they stayed in that room long enough for desperation to set in, Ren would be a powerful man. "And that's why—hey!" Turning his head back to his group yielded a shock: Tamotsu, Setsuo, and Ann all snacked on their own loaves. "At least ask before you take!"
Tamotsu swallowed a bite and shrugged. "I've got grabby hands. Can't help it."
What an admirable trait in these modern times.
Ren sighed and let the culprit get away with it. He would've handed it out soon enough anyway.
Correctness was a heavy burden.
"I'll trade you this phone for that loaf, then I'll—"
"I said no."
The cross-classroom visitor left to sulk like the rest of them. So many came to Ren, their hunger overpowering their need for entertainment. Those privileged with the phones of others thought their worldview was universal and that Ren wanted what they had—hearing no was a world-ender for them.
Worse, they came to Ren in the dark of the night while his eyes closed and his thoughts hummed. Each trade offer interrupted his semi-meditation and made his evening more difficult. Sleep was a while away if he couldn't calm himself, but how could he do that when every minute brought a new offer to his doorstep?
"Come on, what'll it take for some bread?"
"One horse head, tears of a fair maiden, and the untimeliest of bowel movements," Ren deadpanned, opening his eyes so his glare could tell the trader to fuck off. "And don't even get me started on what you'd have to do for butter."
The trader did not recoil in disgust or let loose furious expletives, but the unmistakable lack of hope that came with disappointment formed on their face. "Alright… I'll leave."
"Thank you."
For a moment, Ren could have peace to relax against his bag and stretch his legs under his desk. His fellow sickness-sympathizers operated similarly but seemed less content with the boredom. Tamotsu practiced rolling a pen between his fingers, Setsuo reviewed math notes, and Ann filed her nails. The other side of the class was of no matter to Ren—he meditated so he could avoid thinking about them.
"Amamiya."
Fucking Hell. This is my fault for entertaining these offers by listening. No more.
Ren rolled over to the side without the voice. He could see Tamotsu drop his pen for the umpteenth time in the darkness, but not much else. It was a simple view that couldn't be maintained—traders couldn't settle for being ignored.
"I've got an offer for you."
He sounds a bit too nasal to be just another random…
He turned over and sat up, finding Ozaki sitting a desk away with Akio standing next to him. Both were stern, serious, and cross-armed. They posed like their presence threatened Ren, but neither was the imposing type. Perhaps if they had the severed head of a horse Ren would be intimidated.
"I've said no to everyone," Ren began. "To you, I say 'Fuck off and step on a rusty nail.' How's that for no?"
"You won't hear us out?"
"One of you put me on trial for nothing, the other is exploiting our situation for money." His eyes danced between the duo. "And I'm betting that both of you know something about the key."
Akio chuckled. "We're clueless as everyone else."
Not like I expected them to fess up to it after the accusation, but hearing a lie is so disappointing.
"Pull the key out of your pocket right now and I'll bless you with a loaf."
"Can't do that, Ren," Ozaki said.
"How about rights to the outlet?" Ren glanced at Kawakami's desk. Two guys shared the power source but wasted it on phone games. With power, Ren could check on Makoto, Ann could check on Ryuji, and Setsuo could check on her boyfriend. They could also check Shujinstagram for updates and—as Ren had begun to suspect—assess the validity of the lockdown instructions.
If locking down the school is the actual protocol, the PTA would be dragging Kobayakawa to the guillotine. There's no way to summarize this ordeal in one fire-lighting headline, but we should be all over the news.
"Nope, we can't give that up."
"Then what do you have to offer?"
"I can promise you something," Ozaki said, leaning out of his chair toward Ren's setup. "If you give us bread, I'll make sure that whoever…" When Ozaki's sentence ended before its destination, Ren looked closely. Ozaki's lips pursed, his eyes squinted, and his face relaxed—they knew what was to happen. After a brief inhale, Ozaki let out a room-silencing howl of a sneeze, drawing all eyes to him in no time at all. "Uh… Um…"
Sneezing is unforgivable, how could he forget that? I never sneezed and they still think I'm sick.
An opportunity to grind Ozaki's head in the mud could not be passed up. "Have anything to tell us, Ozaki-san?" Ren asked, his voice raising in volume so the whole class knew who committed the sin.
"N-no, just a tickle in my nostril… Just a tickle."
"They say tickling sensations are symptomatic of the flu, sometimes the plague."
"Pfft, yeah right. Stop trying to take the heat off yourself, Asshole-amiya."
How clever… Not like my jokes are any better. A joke about a mom, anyone's mom, still makes my ribs hurt. I mean, I've been calling myself the Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness for so long that the irony's gone. "Asshole-amiya," is the least I can tolerate.
"Ozaki-san," one student said calmly, stepping forward from the larger group. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"I'm fine! It was nothing but a tickle, and you all should—"
The class's silent judgment gave Ozaki an escape route, but he found it through no action of his. Instead, his way out came from a metal noise outside Classroom 2-D, the unmistakable head-turning echo of a door opening and closing.
Like dogs to a whistle, everyone in 2-D looked at their locked door to listen. "Heeeeeeelp!" Their bystanding habits only made it more terrifying—no reaction, no movement when a person screamed for life in the hallway. "So much blood! Help me!"
Just a whimsical prank. In truth, they're frolicking through the hall with a smile on their face because they're having the time of their life.
"They're killing us!" The screams came with the pounding of feet from legs that were hellbent on beating the floor into submission. That pounding ended too close for comfort. 2-D's students' discomfort became visible when a fist, and a face, pounded on the door. "Let me in! Let me in!"
"Well, Ozaki-san…" Ren slipped his hands in his pockets and pulled attention to him. "You gonna let her in?"
"Oh, it ain't me that's keeping her locked out."
"Ozaki, I swear on Sensei's health that if you don't slip your hand in your pocket, sprint to the door, and jam that thing in the lock, I'll dedicate the rest of my days to creating an afterlife for you to push boulders for eternity."
"Sorry, can't do it."
"I'll give you the bread, the whole bag, if you unlock that door."
Ren saw his answer—it was Ozaki's hesitation. Each previous response came effortlessly, based only on his hatred and disagreement-driven existence. For that to hitch and pause, Ren knew there was consideration.
Still, Ozaki tried to pretend. "I don't understand what you want me to do…"
The pounding at the door grew faster and the screams more desperate. "They're coming! Please, let me in! Please!"
"I want nothing more than to help her," Ozaki declared, taking his eyes off Ren so he could lie to someone else—the rest of the class. "But I don't have the key. One of us does, and keeping the key to yourself has doomed that girl—" he pointed at door; the fist slammed against the glass slit, not stopping despite the assumable pain, "—to a fate most horrible. Shame on you."
What could the poor students do? Accused of withholding a key they wanted as bad as anyone, Ozaki's denouncement forced distrust between them. Long-time friends glared at each other, solo students had new cause to not befriend their classmates, and Ozaki let it happen all while the girl at the door pleaded for her life.
He crossed the classroom to ask for bread. He doesn't give a shit if you're sick, he never did. What he cares about is hating you, Ren.
"Now, Ren," Ozaki said as he turned back to Ren. The noises from the door slowed down and got less attention—the class's newfound apathy couldn't shock Ren, but it did worry him. "I promise to you that I will free us from this classroom by noon tomorrow. The hunt for the key thief will be swift and effective, and all I ask from you is for fuel."
"You mean bread."
"Yes, exactly."
Ren fished out a loaf and underhanded it across a few desks. Ozaki bobbled the loaf but caught it nonetheless. "Careful about your carb intake," Ren said, turning away as the girl hit the door one last deafening time, then that was it. No more deals with Ozaki, no screaming girls at the door, no more tribalism.
For the night, Ren was done. He was sick and tired of his classmates when Kawakami didn't show up—now, he was disgusted, and that left him tired.
