Thursday, 4/21
Ren was walking to school when he saw two out of place people outside of Shujin. One was a middle aged police officer, and the other was a teenager. He wore a brown peacoat and black pants. He had brown shaggy hair that went down to his neck. He was talking to students that were trying to enter Shujin.
Ren was staring at the teenager when Ryuji came up behind him.
"Hey man! What ya looking at?" Ryuji asked.
"You see that teenager in the peacoat? I feel like I've seen him before." Ren said.
"Of course ya have. That's Goro Akechi. People say that he's like the second coming of Naoto Shirogane, but I don't see it. He doesn't seem as smart."
Ren remembered Makoto's text message.
"I spoke with my sister. She said she will do something about Kamoshida." Is this what she meant? Who the hell is Makoto's sister?
"Oh. You're right." Ren said flatly.
"Dude, is something wrong?" Ryuji asked.
"Nah. I'm actually feeling great right now. I'll tell you later." Ren said as he walked off into Shujin.
Ryuji watched Ren walk away.
"What a strange dude."
Makoto was reviewing the file that she took from Kamoshida while she waited for Ren in the student council room. She had to make sure that it was something to show for her efforts. She reread the important note.
"Amamiya may be trouble. Will have Mishima make life difficult for him."
I'll tell him as soon as he arrives today. We can speak to Mishima together, she thought.
Someone knocked on the door. Makoto stood up and opened it to see Ren. Why didn't he just come in? She thought.
Ren smiled at her.
"Hello."
Makoto smiled back and moved away from the door so he could enter. Ren put his bag down on the table and took a seat.
"Niijima-senpai, before we start, are you sure you're alright to study?" Ren asked.
He went back to Niijima-senpai, she thought.
"Of course. I can't be out of the loop for too long. By the way, please call me Makoto." She said.
"As you wish, Makoto." Ren said.
He's being overly nice. Do I accept it or ask about it? He could be playing another one of his games, she thought.
She decided to accept it and move on.
"Ren, before we begin, I have good news. It's about who leaked your record."
Ren raised his eyebrows.
"It's not concrete evidence, but it's a lead. I was able to obtain a file that says that Kamoshida had a student named Mishima 'deal with you.'"
Ren's face contorted. He must know Mishima , she thought.
"That makes sense. He's been acting strange around me, to say the least." Ren said.
"Would you like to call him in here to talk to him? We can learn if he did it or not." Makoto asked.
Ren made a devilish smile.
"I would love to." Ren said. He kept his devilish smile.
I would hate to be Mishima, Makoto thought.
Makoto nodded. She left the student council room and went towards the gym.
I shouldn't ask Kamoshida. I should just talk to one of the volleyball team members directly, she thought.
She found one easily enough outside the bathroom.
"Hello." She said as she approached him. "Could you send Mishima to the student council room as soon as you can?"
The volleyball player jumped when he heard her.
"Uh, sure." He looked paranoid.
Is this related to the detective coming to school today? She thought.
"Thank you." Makoto went back to the student council room.
She opened the door and took her seat.
"Before Mishima comes, could I ask you a question, Makoto?" Ren said.
"Of course." She said.
"What does your sister do for a living?"
"She's a prosecutor." She answered.
Ren made a face that said "Oh." He then smiled.
"That's good to know. She never told me her name when I met her the other night." He commented.
"Her name's Sae, if you wanted to know. I'm sorry if she was cold to you the other night. She's… cautious of boys my age." Makoto said.
"I wonder why." Ren said sarcastically.
Silence took hold of the room.
I should ask if he knows anything about Mishima , Makoto thought.
"Do you know Mishima? Do you think he'll talk?" She asked.
Ren's devilish smile returned.
"I know him. Don't worry. If I'm here, he'll talk."
What was that supposed to mean? Makoto thought.
Mishima finally entered the room. He began speaking as he surveyed the room.
"Hello, Niijima-senpai. What did you- ah!" Mishima saw Ren.
This is what he meant. What could Ren have done to Mishima? Makoto thought.
"Hi, Yuuki." Ren said. He was smiling.
That's a terrifying smile, she thought.
"Ah! Uh… Hello, Amamiya." Mishima said. He didn't meet Ren or Makoto's eyes.
"Take a seat, Mishima." Ren said.
Ren, he can't take a seat. We occupy the only chairs in here, Makoto mentally told him.
"But there's no chair." Mishima mumbled. Ren still heard him.
"The floor will do." Ren said.
This is wrong, but Ren must have a reason to treat him this way. I also want to see what happens. Is it wrong for me to think that way? She thought.
"O-ok." Mishima actually took a seat on the floor. Ren stood up. Makoto stayed sitting.
She then started the questioning.
"Do you know why you're here Mishima-kun?"
"N-no."
Makoto was about to ask her next question, but Ren cut her off by slamming his fist on the table hard enough to startle her and Mishima.
"Don't lie! We know what you did to me! And we know that Kamoshida made you do it!" He yelled.
I can't believe him right now. Does he have anger issues? Is that how his assault happened? Is he going to lose it and attack Mishima? Makoto asked herself.
Ren noticed Makoto giving him a minor NDS. He understood her message.
She doesn't realize that I'm just messing with this kid. Shit. I don't want her to think that I'm just some angry criminal. I should tone it down.
Ren sat back down. Mishima then got on his knees.
"Please! Please don't punish me! He made me do it! He gave me no choice! I didn't want to leak your record!" He was begging.
I feel kinda bad for him now. But he's been a total piece of shit to me so far. And he sent Shiho to Kamoshida. And he spread rumors about me to get revenge for scaring him. I already planned on getting vengeance. I'll just let Makoto take it from here.
"So you admit to leaking Amamiya-kun's record?" Makoto gave Mishima the NDS.
"What!? I thought you knew?" Mishima was wide eyed.
"We had no evidence. Thank you for coming today. You may go." She said.
Mishima stood up. He had a look of defeat on his face. His body language said it too. He left without saying a word. Makoto and Ren were alone again.
"Ren, what was that?! That was absolutely cruel what you did to him!" She said.
Shit. I didn't think she'd care this much if I got the confession.
"I'm sorry Makoto. I was acting. Don't worry about me having anger problems or anything like that. Even if Kamoshida made Mishima leak my record, he's been terrible to me on his own." Ren said.
"Even if you don't have anger problems, that was terrifyingly manipulative. It makes me call your character from today into question." She said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ren was getting upset.
"It means that I think you were only being nice to me today because you feel bad for me. I don't think you would be nice to me if the Kamoshida incident hadn't happened. I think you would still be playing your games." She said.
This was not how today was supposed to go.
"Makoto, I was being nice to you because I respect you. I was being terrible to Mishima because I don't respect him for what he's done to me and others. I don't want you to think of me as manipulative. I genuinely want to get to know you. I promise you that."
Ren's words seemed to improve Makoto's opinion of him, but she still seemed apprehensive.
"Fine. I'll take your word for it. But you'll have to prove that to me. Let's just get started on studying." Makoto said. They both got to work.
I will prove it to her. I must prove it to her.
Makoto was surprised by how well the actual studying was going. Ren was engaged. He asked thoughtful questions, and he was thorough in his explanations of his answers.
He could still be faking it, Makoto thought. But there's a chance that this is the real Ren.
Both of them were able to efficiently handle their homework and finished earlier than expected.
"While we still have time, may I ask how your progress on forming a club is going?" Makoto inquired.
"That reminds me. I have met all of the requirements. What's next?" Ren answered.
Wow. That was fast. He must care about this, Makoto thought.
"The final step is to fill out the club establishment form. I'll get you one." She said.
Makoto turned to the filing cabinet in the back of the room and pulled out an empty establishment form. She handed it to Ren.
"Can I do this tonight and give it to you at your apartment? I would like to start the club as soon as possible." Ren said.
Be careful, Makoto. He could be faking it. He could just want to go to your apartment. However, he does have a valid excuse, she thought.
"That's fine. But don't stop by too late."
"Perfect. Also, when should we have the next study session?" He asked.
He was great today during the studying. Another one couldn't hurt, she thought.
"I'll let you decide." She said.
"How about Saturday?"
Saturday. My birthday. But I can't tell him that. He'll just use it to manipulate me. I should just say yes, she thought.
"Oh, um, that works. Sure." She said.
"You sure it works? You didn't sound very confident in that." Ren said.
He caught me. I can't let him know that my birthday's on Saturday, she thought.
"Yes. It does." Makoto said.
I need to go before he asks me more, she thought.
Makoto packed up as quickly as possible and left.
Ren was staring at what Makoto had left behind.
It was a Buchimaru themed pencil case.
Weird. I remember her making fun of me for the Buchimaru stuffed animal. Why was she acting like that when she left? What's so special about Saturday? Whatever. I should let her know she left her pencil case.
Makoto was about to exit Shujin when she got a text from Ren.
Ren Amamiya:
You left your pencil case here. Do you want me to bring it tonight?
Oh no. Now he's going to make fun of me. But if he's going to do that, he's being awfully nice about it, Makoto thought.
Makoto Niijima
Yes, please.
Makoto quickly went home.
When Ren left Shujin, he decided to go straight to Yongen to help out Tae at the clinic. He entered the clinic. Tae sat behind the counter. She did little to look professional. She still had the same goth aesthetic, but simply put on a lab coat over it. She didn't notice that he entered.
"Uh, hello Takemi-san." He said.
I will be confident today. The thighs will not break me. I will not be a slave to the thighs.
"Hello Ren. Nice to see you. Follow me to the back." She said as she stood up. She went around the counter and went into the examination room. Ren followed.
When they entered the room, she motioned for him to take a seat on the examination table. He took his seat and she spoke.
"Sorry to tell you this now, but 'helping out at the clinic' doesn't mean cleaning up. It means you'll be trying my experimental drugs. You agreed to go through with this, so no backing out now."
This is false advertising. I've been bamboozled.
"Um, okay. As long as it isn't too crazy." Ren said.
"No promises." Tae smiled as she said it.
She handed Ren a cup. Inside was a liquid. It was a deep blue. It had no smell. Ren didn't know if that was good or bad.
Bottoms up.
Ren sat up straight as he downed the strange liquid. It was very fluid, so he had no trouble drinking it quickly.
No taste either.
"Feel anything yet?" Tae asked. She had a pen and a clipboard.
"No not yehhhhhhhhhhhtttttt." Ren said. His mouth had stopped working.
He was about to try speaking again when Tae's face transformed. She was now Makoto.
Oh shit. That's not good.
"Ren, what are you doing at a clinic?! I'll never date you if you do things like this."
Ren tried to speak.
"Iiiiiiiii mmmmm shorrryyy Mmmmmmakot." Was the best he could do.
"This is unforgivable! Never speak to me again!" Fake Makoto turned away and faded into the wall. Ren regained control of his mouth.
"Ight. Imma head out." Ren said as he began to float. He raised his hand towards the ceiling and it exploded. He floated out of the clinic and into the sky. He flew through Tokyo. But something was off.
The buildings look different. They look more round. And skin colored. And soft. Wait.
The buildings of Tokyo had transformed into thighs. Specifically Tae's thighs. Ren immediately flew into one of them, only to pass right through it. He was back in his apartment. Makoto was sitting on his couch. She stood up and looked at him. She gave him the NDS.
"Ren, why is there alcohol in your fridge?! ARE YOU A CRIMINAL?!" She began to morph.
I can't take this shit. What's she gonna turn into now? Wait. Is that... A motorcycle?
The empty motorcycle revved its engines from across apartment. Suddenly it sped towards Ren. It collided with him, throwing him into the wall. Instead of stopping at the wall, he kept on falling backwards. He landed in the mini-garden on top of Shujin. But it was bigger than he remembered. He looked down at his body.
I am the size of a fucking ant.
He looked up at the sky. Suddenly, a giant Haru appeared and looked down at him. She wore a large hat with a feather. A black mask on her face did little to hide her appearance.
"Off with his head!" She yelled. She raised an axe in the air and brought it down on Ren's neck.
His head came right off, and sank into the dirt. His head the emerged on the other side of the dirt into darkness.
How am I still alive?
Ren had no body. He was just a head falling through space. Finally, his head landed back on his body in the examination room. He was sitting in the same position as before, and so was Tae. It was as if nothing happened.
"You're awake." She said. She jotted a note down.
"I would hope so. What was that stuff, and what happened to me?" Ren asked. He rubbed his head. While the hallucination was gone, he had a headache. And his knees felt strange. It was as if they were buzzing.
"That was a mixture I've been working on. I guess it could use a little more work." She said as she wrote another note. "As for what happened to you, you passed out after you started slurring your words. You, um, how do I put this… mumbled a few things. And then you suddenly sat up and were awake. I recorded the whole thing. Want to watch?"
This could be funny.
"Sure." He stood up. She led him over to her computer monitor. She started the video.
Ren recognized everything up to the point where he passed out. What he didn't recognize was the mumbling.
"...He converteth me to lamb cutlets…"
What was that supposed to mean? There was nothing in the hallucination like that.
The next "mumble" was no mumble. He yelled it.
"...Haha! Charade you are!"
Where did I get this shit?
The next one was the worst.
In the video, Ren sat up. His eyes were still closed. He reached out into the air as if putting a hand on someone's shoulder. He had a very serious look on his face.
"Tae, lemme tell you, you have some seriously double thick thighs." Video Ren said in a smooth voice.
The real Ren almost died of embarrassment. If Tae had any thoughts about the video, she didn't show them.
"Alright, I've seen enough. Turn it off." He said. He couldn't look at the monitor.
"Are you sure? You became quite the flirt towards the end." Tae said.
"I'm sure."
Tae turned off the monitor.
"Thanks for your time. If you want, I'll stop by Leblanc again. You obviously need help talking to women."
Ren considered what she said.
That's true. But I don't want to do it at Leblanc. Sojiro seems more interested in talking about his experiences than helping me in mine.
"Could it be here instead?" Ren asked.
Tae thought about it for a few seconds.
"Sure. But you'll have to try another one of my drugs. I promise that it won't be nearly as potent as today."
Maybe it'll be fun next time.
"Deal. What day should I come?"
"Tuesday. I'll see you then." Tae said. She waved Ren out.
Ren left the clinic.
I still have to do the club form. I still have time, but my head hurts like hell.
Ren sat on his couch staring at the club establishment form. It was relatively simple. At the top, it required an official club name, and a shortened club name. Below that was a list of four positions. The spots for president, vice-president, secretary, and a treasurer. Ren was also allowed to change the titles of these positions as long as they maintained their hierarchical importance. Finally, the bottom of the page left room for a mission statement, slogan, and the teacher's name who was sponsoring the club.
This will be easy. I just have to fill this out, and then I get to see Makoto again.
He filled out the application. He took a picture of it just in case. He then got Makoto's pencil case out of his bag, picked up the form, and left for Makoto's apartment.
Makoto was at her desk doing homework. Why hasn't Ren stopped by yet? It's getting late , she thought.
While on the topic of Ren, she remembered that they're next study session was on Saturday. Her birthday. She then realized that she had plans for her birthday. I am supposed to have dinner with Sis! But will she be busy? She hasn't been home a lot lately. I should check , she thought.
Makoto stood up from her desk. She opened her door and walked into the living area.
"Hey, Sis? Are we still on for my birthday dinner on Saturday?" Makoto called out, expecting an answer. She got none. She looked up. She saw Sae standing at the opened door speaking to Ren. I have the worst timing. Now he knows my birthday's on Saturday. He's going to use it somehow to his advantage. I just know it! She thought.
"Oh, hello, Re-" She realized that Sae was there. "Amamiya-kun. I assume that you are here with the form?"
Sae raised an eyebrow at Makoto. Ren seemed mesmerized seeing Makoto in her own home. Makoto didn't notice.
"Oh um, yeah. I have your pencil case too." He held out the paper and the pencil case.
Makoto walked up to the door and took it.
"Thank you, Amamiya-kun. I will tell you if your application is suitable." She said.
Sae observed both of them.
Ren nodded at Makoto and smiled. He left the doorway to go home for the night. Makoto began to walk back to her room when the door closed.
"Not so fast, Makoto. I have a question." Sae said. "Why did you call him by his first name?"
Sis. Please just let me go back to my room , she thought.
"He asked me to. He says that his focus is diminished when people address him by his last name." Makoto answered.
Sae gave Makoto a look. She doesn't believe me. That's fair. It's a terrible explanation, Makoto thought.
"Fine. Go back to whatever you were doing. To answer your question from earlier, probably not. We can do something next week." Sae said.
Makoto went back to her room and put the form on her desk. She sat down and began reading it.
Official Club Name: Gardeners Raging Against Veganism Yearly
That name is a bit long, but he must be passionate about gardening, she thought.
Short Club Name: GRAVY
Nevermind. I feel like he thought of the acronym before the actual name, she thought.
The positions had been renamed.
Residing Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness(President): Ren Amamiya
GRAVY Runner (VP): Ryuji Sakamoto
GRAVY Passer (Secretary): Ann Takamaki
GRAVY Collector (Treasurer): Haru
Makoto couldn't even begin to count the problems. While they may be jokes, he is technically following the rules. This club could actually happen. I still have problems with it. First, "Residing Lord of Gravy-esque Goodness" is the corniest thing I've ever read. Also, all of the positions are gravy based. Then, Sakamoto is in the club. Finally, Haru has no last name. Could he mean Okumura-san? Why doesn't he have her last name listed? I'll just write it in. She is known to like gardening, she thought.
She wrote in "Okumura" and continued reading the application.
Mission Statement: GRAVY seeks to provide a safe haven for the gardeners of Shujin Academy. Gardeners have long been a neglected group at Shujin, and GRAVY hopes to change that. We will provide compelling garden activities along with insightful social activities. We hope that every student can find a place for themselves within GRAVY.
"Residing Lord of Gravy-esque Goodness" is less corny than that, she thought.
Slogan: Stop it. Get some GRAVY.
This is becoming difficult to read, Makoto thought.
The last part of the form was the most surprising.
Sponsoring Teacher: Sadayo Kawakami
How did Kawakami-san ever agree to this? She must've if Ren put her name down. That concludes the form. Even if I don't like it, everything checks out. GRAVY can officially be formed. I should text Ren, Makoto thought to herself as she pulled out her phone.
Makoto Niijima:
Your application is approved. GRAVY has officially been formed. Congratulations.
By the way, Haru's last name is Okumura.
Even if he isn't taking this seriously, the club is pretty amusing. I'll keep my eye on it, she thought after she pressed "Send."
Ren Amamiya:
Thanks. I'll let the members know. Do you want to join as well?
Me? Why's he asking me? We haven't actually spent recreational time together. I'll leave it open. If he proves to me that he genuinely wants to spend time with me, then I'll join, she thought.
Makoto Niijima:
I'll consider it. There's still a lot of studying to be done. I'll see you on Saturday.
Makoto put down her phone and went back to studying.
He invited me to the club. It would be nice to have people to spend time with. But I shouldn't spend time with those people. Sakamoto is a delinquent. Takamaki is probably interested in dating Ren. And she probably is not fond of me for failing Shiho. Okumura is someone I've never spoken to. And Ren. I don't know what my relationship is with Ren. He is making an effort to get to know me, but it's difficult to trust him with how he's acted sometimes, she thought.
Ren fist pumped as he got the text from Makoto.
"She's going to consider it!" He said to Morgana, who was trying to sleep on the couch.
Morgana let out an annoyed meow.
"Let me have this victory, Morgana. I'm gonna text the group."
GRAVY
Ren Amamiya:
Hello everyone. Welcome to the official group chat of GRAVY: Gardeners Raging Against Veganism Yearly.
As of 1 minute ago, our club has been approved.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
Dude! That's awesome! What's my position in the club? And who are these other people in the chat?
Ann Takamaki:
That's great! I am excited to be a part of GRAVY or whatever it is. This is Ann, btw.
Haru Okumura:
I am excited as well! We'll have such a fun time in the club! By the way, this is Haru.
She barely knows any of us and she's this optimistic. What a nice girl. Besides what she did to me in that hallucination.
Ren Amamiya:
Glad to see everyone here is enthusiastic about what we're doing. Our first meeting will be tomorrow after school.
There's a lot to discuss. Does that work for everyone?
Haru Okumura:
It works for me. See you guys then!
Ryuji Sakamoto:
Same here. But where are we gonna meet? The roof?
Ryuji, you're such a damn idiot. How do you think Ann feels about that?
Ann Takamaki:
The roof sounds good. Everyone cool with using the roof for our meeting?
I guess I'm the idiot here.
Haru Okumura:
Yep!
Ren Amamiya:
Roof it is then. See you guys there. Don't miss it.
Ren put down his phone. He had a big smile on his face. He layed in his bed. He was about to go to sleep when he remembered what Makoto said.
Her birthday is on Saturday. Are we really gonna study on her birthday? She did say "See you on Saturday." I should get something for her. But I don't know about anything she likes.
Ren thought about his interactions with Makoto.
Has anything she done indicated any interest in something other than school?
He thought about going to her apartment.
I went there. I dropped off the form… and the Buchimaru pencil case! That's it!
It turns out that Ren already had the perfect gift. He got the Buchimaru stuffed animal from his room.