Saturday, 5/7
After Makoto got home, she reviewed her notes.
5/7
I followed Amamiya after class today into Shibuya. He entered a store within an alley called Untouchable. The store was very out of the way, and a normal person wouldn't find it if they weren't searching for it. Amamiya must've known what he wanted, and known to go to that store. At the moment, I don't know what's in the store. I'll have to investigate. After Amamiya left the store, he went back to his apartment. I believe he won't be going out again tonight, but I could be wrong. I'll be on standby in the lobby.
Investigation Agenda
Question Suzui-san Question remaining volleyball team members (maybe) Follow/question Takamaki (strictly investigative purposes) Follow/question Yoshizawa-san (strictly investigative purposes) Ask Haru about any changes in Amamiya's behavior Investigate Untouchable Take a breakAs Ren was about to inspect the stuff he got from Iwai, he got a text.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Tonight's gonna be sick!
Ren Amamiya:
-Yeah. For sure. About Mishima, you cool if I do something to make everything fair and square?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-You guys hanging out was supposed to be fair and square.
Ren Amamiya:
-The kid's been spreading rumors about me, even after we confronted him. And he's the one who leaked my record.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Fine. But don't effing touch him. If you beat him up, you're nothing better than Kamoshida.
Ren Amamiya:
-I wasn't planning on it. See you soon.
Ren put away his phone, and continued unpacking the stuff from Untouchable. Morgana sat next to him on the couch as Ren put his bag on the table and unzipped it. He pulled out the first item: A camera with a suction function. Morgana cocked his head.
"I can stick this on a wall. It records a small room, and has a microphone function. I watch the video feed through my phone." Ren explained to him.
He pulled out the next item: A speaker with a suction function. Morgana did another head tilt.
"This connects to my phone's microphone. It'll amplify my voice. I can also attach it to a wall."
That was all Ren had gotten from Iwai, though the items certainly weren't free. Ren remembered Iwai's words.
"You'll be working for me when I say so. Gimme your phone number. I'll contact you when I need some help. Don't say no, because you owe me for this." He had said.
He really refused money. He just wants me to work for him. Why not have Kaoru do it? Why me? Whatever. I'll just get it over with whenever he calls. What matters is that I got the stuff for my plan.
Ren packed his bag up, put some food in Morgana's bowl, and left for the address that Ryuji had sent him earlier that day.
"You weren't kidding about it being empty." Ren said as he looked around the apartment.
"I know, man. It's sweet!" Ryuji said with a proud smile.
"You mind if I set some stuff up?" Ren asked, unzipping his bag.
"Uh… sure?" Ryuji said apprehensively.
Ren unpacked his bag and began setting up his equipment. As he attached the camera to where he guessed they would be getting entertained, Ryuji felt the need to comment.
"A camera, huh? I didn't know you were into that stuff, Renny." Ryuji said with a smirk.
"I'm not. You'll see what it's for soon enough." Ren said before adding, "Oh, and please quit saying Renny. It's… it's weird."
It's emasculating is what it is.
"No way, Renny." Ryuji said, his smirk developing into one similar to Ren's.
"Fine. Then you have to address me as your senpai. I am the more experienced club member, afterall." Ren said.
"Nope. Renny's your name from now on. No way I'm calling you senpai." Ryuji said, stopping to consider what Ren's words had meant. "If we're going by club experience, then Ann would have to… oh! Hell yeah!"
Ren sighed.
Dammit.
He finished placing the camera and the speaker. There was a knock on the door. Ren went over to open it. As he opened it, he was greeted by the sight of Mishima.
"Agh! Amamiya! W-what are you doing here?!" Mishima stuttered out.
"Relax, Mishima. Ryuji invited me. This is us squashing the beef." Ren said calmly.
Lying 101.
"Squashing the beef…" Mishima wasn't questioning the meaning, but pondering the possibility.
"Yeah. What better way for two people to become friends than hiring a sex worker?" Ren said loudly.
"K-keep your voice down!" Mishima said as he pushed his way into the apartment.
Ryuji saw Mishima.
"'Sup, dude? You ready for the maid?" He said with a grin.
"Y-yeah." Mishima said quietly, before adding, "But this is strictly for research purposes! Nothing else!"
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Make the call, Ren." Ryuji said.
"Why do I have to do it?" Ren protested.
"You got the moves."
It's hard to argue. Speaking of my moves, I should probably call Ayumi and tell her where we stand.
Ren dialed the number on the website that Ryuji had previously sent him.
"Thank you for calling Maid Universe, where all your wishes come true!" A quirky female voice said. "Would you like to place an order? Or perhaps schedule a birthday party?"
Birthday party? The fuck?
"Uh, yeah, a birthday party. My son is turning five next week." Ren said in a deep voice.
"Dude! What the eff?!" Ryuji managed to make a whisper sound loud and aggressive.
"I'm sorry, sir, but that's not the kind of service-" The voice began.
"Nah, I'm just playing around. My friends and I are tryna fuck a maid."
"DUDE! WHAT THE EFF?!" Ryuji didn't even whisper.
Mishima put his hands to his head in panic.
"Excuse me? I think the phone cut out for a second." The woman on the other line said.
"I said, I would like to pay a few bucks for a maid." Ren said nonchalantly.
Mishima and Ryuji both breathed sighs of relief.
"Wonderful! Could you tell us your address? We will send a maid as soon as possible. We accept payment at the place of the transaction."
"Sounds great. Could you please send the maid to _." Ren said.
"Of course! Our maid, Becky, will be arriving in about twenty minutes. Remember to be a good master!"
Master? Nice. Very nice.
"So that's it? We just wait for B-Becky?" Mishima asked meekly.
"Yep." Ryuji said.
There's literally nothing in here. Where the hell are we supposed to sit?
The trio stood around, making small talk to pass the time. Ren made sure to avoid any topics related to Shujin, lest he get himself or Ryuji worked up. Fifteen minutes passed.
"Hey, Ryuji? You mind if I look around the apartment?" Ren asked, initiating his plan.
"Sure. Do whatever you want." Ryuji said.
Ren went to the farthest room from the main living area that he could find. It seemed like an additional bedroom. Ren made sure to close the door behind him. He got out his phone, connecting to the camera he had placed. He didn't connect to the speaker because he didn't want to reveal his cards too soon. There was a knock on the door.
"Hey dude? You gonna be ready?" It was Ryuji.
Ren simply opened the door to Ryuji, placing a finger over his mouth. There wasn't anything for Ryuji to get loud about, but Ren wanted to make sure his plan went off without any hitches.
"This room is relatively sound proof?" Ren asked.
"Uh… maybe?" Ryuji unassuredly answered.
"Good enough." Ren said.
Ren showed Ryuji the live feed. Ryuji's eyes went wide.
"What're you planning?"
"Nothing that will lead to anyone getting hurt. Just a little bit of embarrassment."
"This better not get us in trouble." Ryuji said worriedly.
"Since when do you worry about trouble?"
"Good point. Oh! Look! Mishima's getting the door."
Sure enough, Ren saw Mishima get the door on the feed. He could hear Mishima unlocking the door, so he knew that the microphone on the camera worked. On the video feed, Mishima stepped back from the door. There was nervousness in his posture. He backed slowly away from the door until he was about ten feet away from the apartment entrance.
That was when the maid entered. She was about average height, sporting the stereotypical French maid outfit, showing a little more skin than what Ren expected. Her dark brown hair was done into twin tails.
God damn… she's… she's… wow.
Ren could hear the maid speak over the video feed. While she was speaking, he opened his phone's microphone, preparing to put his plan into action.
"Hello Master! How may Becky be of ser- what the- are you- what is going on here?!" The maid demanded.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WELCOME TO MAY MAID MADNESS! LET'S GET READY TO RUMBLLLLLLLLLE!" Ren's voice boomed from the speakers. Ren and Ryuji even heard it in their room.
Ren quickly switched back to the feed.
Mishima was panicking and the maid was in between angry and confused.
Ren switched to the microphone.
"IN THE FAR CORNER, WE HAVE YUUKI MISHIMA, STANDING… UH… SHORT… AND WEIGHING TWENTY POUNDS! YOU KNOW HIM AS MIDNIGHT MISHIMA, MISHIMA MAYWEATHER, AND THE MESSENGER!" Ren announced.
I'm getting really into this.
"IN THE DOOR CORNER WE HAVE THE MAID- wait, Mishima, where are you going?" Ren's voice was stopped by Mishima's prompt exit from the apartment.
Mishima had gone out the sliding glass door to the balcony. The balcony was out of the view of the camera. Ren looked out the window of the room he was in to look at the balcony. He saw Mishima, rapidly climbing down. The apartment was only on the second floor, so he was easily able to drop to the bottom and runaway.
"We'll call it even!" Ren shouted as Mishima ran away.
Ren went back to the videofeed, to notice that the maid was losing her patience.
"Dude. Was that really necessary?" Ryuji asked.
"Yeah. That guy can't go unpunished."
"That's his punishment? Almost being forced to fight a maid? You shoulda just left it to the school or something."
"You and I both know that the school would do nothing."
Ryuji nodded.
"Fine. You should prolly apologize to him, though."
I probably won't. I don't really want anything to do with him.
"Maybe. First, I should smooth things over and pay the maid."
"Yeah, you go do that. After seeing her outfit, I definitely can't do this."
"Whatever. You're the one missing out."
Ren left Ryuji in the room and went into the furnitureless living room to find an unbelievable sight.
Sadayo Kawakami, Shujin's only decent faculty member, leaned against the wall in a French maid uniform. She was reading something on her phone. The skin that the outfit showed off was uncomfortable, to say the least.
I know that I think Kawakami's hot… but this is ridiculous. She's literally a sex worker. And I just ordered her. I just solicited my teacher as a sex worker. Shit.
Ren quickly went over to the camera on the wall to turn it off. Kawakami didn't acknowledge him yet.
I should just try to play it off. This is wrong on both sides.
Once Ren had turned off the camera, he spoke to Kawakami.
"Uh, thanks for coming. I've got your money, and you don't have to do anything weird. Feel free to just leave, if you want." Ren said nervously.
Kawakami looked up. She almost gave Ren a smile at his kindness, but her face paled when she looked him in the eye.
"Shit."
"There's a toilet in the other room, if you need to go." Ren said with a chuckle.
"Dammit, dammit, dammitdammitdammit." Kawakami said, bringing her hand to the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. "You, of all people. It just had to be you."
That's a pretty rude thing to say to your student who knows about your side job.
"Oh, I'm sorry that I'm not your preferred student to find out about you moonlighting as a maid! What a bummer." Ren said sarcastically.
"Look, I'm sorry. Can we just… forget about this? You don't need to pay me, and I can just leave. Just… tell get Mishima to keep quiet. He saw my face."
Ah shit. Now I have to talk to Mishima. Talking to my sex worker teacher is cool, but with my peer and fellow classmate? That's a no-go.
"Yeah, sure. I'll forget about this. See you on Monday, Sensei." Ren said.
Stop lying, Ren. You know that you're gonna be thinking about her in that maid outfit every time she lectures you about grammar. No way you're going to forget this.
"Ugh, why'd you have to say it?" Kawakami said as she left the apartment.
Ryuji came out from the other room.
"How was she?"
"French."
"For real?!" Ryuji's eyes went wide.
"No, she wasn't' French! You wanna just call it a day? I'm tired."
"Me too, man. I'm gonna spend all day tomorrow playing videogames."
"That sounds incredible. I think I might have to join you."
"Hell yeah! We can train to fight Alibaba!"
"For sure. I'm gonna head out. See ya later, Ryuji."
Ren left the apartment and went back to his own.
Makoto reread the notes she had taken to make sure she wasn't dreaming.
5/7, Page 2
I trailed Amamiya after I saw him walking through the lobby of our apartment building. I ended up outside of an apartment in Koenji. Amamiya entered roughly 20 minutes ago. Soon after, Yuuki Mishima entered. Just now, a maid entered. These events may be unrelated, but based on the location and timeframe, I believe that there is a correlation between them. I'll have to investigate. Mishima may know something.
Investigation Agenda
Question Suzui-san Question remaining volleyball team members (maybe) Follow/question Takamaki (strictly investigative purposes) Follow/question Yoshizawa-san (strictly investigative purposes) Ask Haru about any changes in Amamiya's behavior Investigate Untouchable Question Mishima Take a breakSunday, 5/8
Ren rolled out of bed around noon. He immediately decided on what to spend his day doing. He opened his phone to text Ryuji.
Ren Amamiya:
-Super Rash Toes training marathon?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Definitely. Add me risettelover1
I mean, everyone loves Risette, but come on. That's ridiculous.
Ren Amamiya:
-You can't be serious.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Doesn't matter! Just add me, and get ready to take the L.
Ren added Ryuji, and the two began their training for Alibaba.
As Makoto sat in the lobby, pretending to read her manga, she began to consider the possibility that Ren was spending the day at home.
Can he afford to take the day off? He has a girlfriend. Wouldn't he have to spend time with her everyday? Is that how that works? Maybe he's just taking the time to study for exams. That's reassuring. Or maybe he's plotting his revenge against Takata-san and the volleyball team, if he even wants revenge. I suppose it's a good thing that he's staying home. It gives me an opportunity to investigate my leads, Makoto thought.
She checked her list.
I could speak with Suzui-san today. If I have extra time, I could investigate Untouchable. Otherwise, I'll have to save these for when I'm at school, Makoto concluded.
She began the trip to the hospital where she had previously seen Ren.
"Could you please tell me what room Shiho Suzui is in?" Makoto asked the nurse at the front desk.
"Friend or family?" The nurse asked.
Neither. Lying is necessary for the investigation, Makoto thought.
"Friend."
"Room ###. Visits from friends are limited at the moment, so please keep the visit under ten minutes."
"I will. Thank you for your help." Makoto said as she walked down the hall, scanning the walls for the number.
She found it at the end of the hall. She knocked.
"Come in!" A happy voice said from the other side.
It's great that she's in a positive mood, Makoto thought.
Makoto entered. Shiho was smiling at Makoto when she entered, but the smile soon dropped.
"Oh… hi, Niijima-senpai." Shiho said in a disappointed voice.
She was expecting Ann, wasn't she? I just ruined her mood, didn't I? Makoto asked herself.
Makoto couldn't help but feel bummed out that Shiho wasn't very happy to see her. She knew that she wasn't friends with Shiho, or even acquaintances, but Shiho's disappointment played into what lingered in the back of Makoto's mind.
No one's been happy to see me. Every time I've approached someone, they've had a look on their face. Whether it's unhappy, surprised, or disappointed, there hasn't been one smile. Sis hasn't come home because she doesn't want to see me. Even the one person who seems to still like me, Haru, hasn't spoken with me in person, Makoto thought to herself.
Then there's Amamiya. When I broke up the incident on Friday, I was expecting him to be happy to see me. After all, I wasn't responding to him. But he looked confused and surprised to see me there. He didn't give me one of those looks that he would always give me when we were spending time together, he just… stared at me, blankly. Like he didn't care what I thought, Makoto continued. Amamiya doesn't care about me anymore. That must be it. He's moved on. He has a girlfriend. And friends who like him. He doesn't need me. No one needs me. Even Sis. I'm just a leech to her. If I was anything more, then she would've come home by now.
"Niijima-senpai? Are you alright?" Shiho asked.
Makoto's attention snapped back to Shiho. She tried her best to hide her negative thoughts with an obviously fake smile.
"Of course, Suzui-san. How're you doing?"
"Uh… I've been better, I guess." Shiho said awkwardly.
"May I?" Makoto gestured next to the chair next to Shiho's bed.
Shiho nodded. Makoto sat down, pausing in her seat for a second before sighing.
I don't know how to start this. I need to hear what Suzui-san knows, but asking out of nowhere would be inconsiderate, she thought.
"I'm sure Takamaki-san has already told you about Kamoshida." Makoto said, not making eye contact with Shiho. She stared at the floor.
"...Yeah." Shiho said. There was a bite behind her voice, but it was insignificant enough that Makoto chose to ignore it.
"That's good. Did she tell you about the counselor?" Makoto continued, trying to gradually get things moving.
"Look, Miss President." Shiho said with some aggression. "Cut the small talk. We've never spoken until now. We're not friends. Why're you here?"
I've been caught. I should just be upfront about it, Makoto thought.
"I just had some questions regarding Amamiya-kun." She said with a sigh before finally meeting Shiho's eyes.
"Figures." The bite in Shiho's voice was now front and center.
"I-... I'm sorry, Suzui-san. I can leave, if you would like." Makoto said, her eyes shying away from Shiho again.
"No. No. It's fine. Get the answers you came for. I wouldn't want your time with me to be considered a waste." Shiho said, obviously still upset.
She's right. I wouldn't have considered coming here if Amamiya hadn't come here before, Makoto thought.
"Ok… then… I saw Amamiya-kun leaving the hospital in a rush. Did something happen while him and Takamaki-san were visiting?" Makoto asked in a professional tone.
"He was a little fidgety. He seemed nervous." Shiho said.
Despite complying with Makoto's investigation, Makoto knew that Shiho was only doing it spite her.
She knows that I feel bad for coming only to investigate Amamiya. She's playing into that, Makoto realized.
"Nervous? Could you elaborate?"
"He didn't say much. Just the standard 'Hi, how're you doing.' And he told me about the counselor. Then he stayed quiet. Then he just said goodbye and left."
"You or Takamaki-San didn't do anything to make him leave?"
"Do I look like I could make the big bad criminal of Shujin leave?" Shiho said with an unpleasant sarcasm.
"Um…" Makoto didn't know what to say.
"No. The answer is no. It's not that hard to say, Miss President." Shiho said with a bite.
Makoto sighed.
"Are you aware of a romantic relationship between Takamaki-san and Amamiya-kun?"
"You really wanna know?" Shiho said, the anger slipping out of her tone.
"It's important." Makoto said plainly.
"Look me in the eyes." Shiho said. She noticed Makoto's hesitation. "Look me in the eyes, Miss President."
Makoto complied. When she looked into Shiho's eyes, she saw where the anger from her voice had gone. It was in her eyes. They stared into Makoto, telling her what she didn't want to hear.
'You don't care about me. You just wanna hear about Amamiya.' Makoto imagined Shiho saying.
She continued the eye contact with Shiho, not wanting to upset the girl even more.
"Repeat the question, Miss President." Shiho said without blinking.
"A-are you aware of a r-romantic relationship between Takamaki-san and Am-"
"Yes."
Shiho's eyes forced Makoto to look away.
"Got your answer, Miss President?" Shiho said in a fake voice, gloating in her victory.
Makoto stood up from her chair, and left.
5/8
Suzui-san revealed that Takamaki and Amamiya are together. My suspicions were true. She also revealed that Amamiya left the hospital for no apparent reason other than being nervous.
Investigation Agenda
Question Suzui-san - SUCCESS Question remaining volleyball team members (maybe) Follow/question Takamaki (strictly investigative purposes) Follow/question Yoshizawa-san (strictly investigative purposes) Ask Haru about any changes in Amamiya's behavior Investigate Untouchable Question Mishima Take a breakMakoto remembered the anger in Shiho's eyes, and how much upset she had been with Makoto.
It feels wrong to label that as 'SUCCESS.' For the investigation, maybe. But on a personal level… it hurt. A lot, she thought to herself.
She closed her notebook and curled up under her blankets.
" Yes ."
She couldn't fall asleep.
Monday, 5/9
"Amamiya, could you tell me about the history of the guillotine?" Kawakami asked, bringing Ren's attention away from the window.
Awww… I was having one of those moments where you stare at clouds and vibe out. Oh well. Better answer the question.
"Oh, um… the French made it-"
Kawakami seemed to puke in her mouth while giving a sound of discomfort.
"Kawakami-sensei? Is everything alright?"
Kawakami recomposed herself.
"Of course, Amamiya-kun. Please continue." She said in a professional tone.
Why did she act so weird? All I said was 'The French Made-' oh. I get it.
"As I was saying, the French Made the guillotine. It was created during the French Revolution to execute people in a quick manner."
"Erm… yes, that is correct, Amamiya-kun."
The lunch bell rang. Everyone rushed out of the classroom to get their bread or a place to eat. The only people left were Kawakami, Ann, and Ren.
"Takamaki-san? I need to have a private chat with Amamiya-kun." Kawakami said from the front of the class.
Ann gave Ren a worried glance, but he shook his head. She got up and left. Kawakami advanced upon Ren's desk.
"I thought we agreed to forget about it." She said with gritted teeth.
"The origins of the guillotine? But it was in the study-"
"You know what I'm talking about, Amamiya-kun. Just remember that if you reveal my secret, you reveal what you did."
Ren nodded, opting to not say anything.
"That applies to Mishima-kun as well. Have you told him to stay quiet?"
I should get around to that.
"Honestly Sensei, I think he probably forgot about it because of the trauma that comes with seeing your teacher dressed as-"
"Shut it. Tell him to keep quiet." Kawakami began to turn away, and lowered her voice to a mumble. "I don't have the energy for this kinda thing."
It was still audible for Ren.
"Is everything alright, Sensei?"
"Oh, erm, yes. Everything's great. Nothing to worry about with me! Go enjoy your lunch." Kawakami tried to say with some energy.
She's definitely not alright. Probably something to do with the maid job. I can't help her at school because she'll never want to talk about her other job. Maybe I could request her from the maid service again.
Ren got up from his desk and left the classroom. Waiting for him, leaning against the wall, was Ann.
"What'd you guys talk about?"
"Sex workers."
Ann looked at him.
"Yeah, right. Anyways, guess who texted me?"
"A modeling agency?"
"Well, yes, but someone else, too. Kitagawa."
"Oh? Did he ask you to model today?"
"Yeah."
"You want me to come with?"
"Please? I'm not a hundred percent sure I can trust Yusuke yet."
"I already agreed to go. You want Ryuji and Haru to come?"
"Why not."
Ren pulled out his phone.
GRAVY
Ren Amamiya:
-Anyone want to go to Ann's modeling thing for Yusuke with me?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Hell yes!
Ryuji likes art? Nah. He likes Ann.
Haru Okumura:
-I am unable to go today. Please don't let this stop you from going.
Ann Takamaki:
-You sure? I can always reschedule it or something.
Haru Okumura:
-Don't worry about it.
Ann Takamaki:
-If you say so. Ryuji, meet Ren and I at the gate after school.
Ren put away his phone. He and Ann went to get lunch together.
Ren, Ryuji and Ann stood in front of the address that Yusuke had given Ann.
"You sure this is it? This is just some shitty shack." Ryuji said.
For a 'shitty shack,' it was still fairly large. But it was still just a shack.
"I'm positive. I triple checked the address and everything." Ann said.
"I thought he was the pupil to some famous guy? I was hoping to get to hang out in a mansion for the day."
"Go with the flow, Ryuji. Go with the flow." Ren said sarcastically.
"Go with the flow? Dude, this can't be it. This doesn't live up to the hype."
"Live in disappointment then." Ren said casually as he approached the door and knocked.
Not even a second passed before the door opened. Yusuke stood there.
"Welcome, Taka- Amamiya? Oh, Takamaki-san is here as well." Yusuke recomposed himself. "Welcome, Takamaki-san!"
"Erm… thanks." Ann said mildly.
"Please, come in." Yusuke said before moving out of the way.
The trio entered the shack to find hallways that were incredibly dusty. As Yusuke led them through the halls, Ren made sure to look around.
Something doesn't add up with Madarame and Yusuke. Ryuji is right. The supposed greatest Japanese artist of all time living in a shack? No fucking chance. Something's up.
As the group approached the end of the hell, Ren spotted a door. The artistic design on it signified its importance.
"Hey, Yusuke? What's in that room?"
"It is Sensei's study. I am not allowed in, and neither are any of you." Yusuke said with a bit of an unnecessary temper.
"Got it." Ren said.
Yusuke opened a door in the hallway and let the other three enter. The room was barren, besides an easel, spare canvases, two stools (one behind the easel, one against the wall facing the easel), and a cabinet against the wall facing the door.
That's probably for art supplies.
"Uh… where're we supposed to sit?"
"Sit wherever. If you wish to have a stool, you can find some in the storage room down the hall." Yusuke said.
A lightbulb went off in Ren's head. Before Ryuji could say anything, Ren dragged him out of the room.
"Dude wha-"
"Get two stools. I've got something to do." Ren said before turning towards the door.
"Ren, don't eff shit up." Ryuji said with a sigh before turning to go to the storage room.
Ren walked up to the door to Madarame's study. He tried the knob. Nothing.
Locked. If even Yusuke's not allowed in, Madarame probably keeps the key on him. Shit. I have no idea how lockpicking works. Maybe I should just leave this be.
Ren began to walk down the hall in the direction that Ryuji went, when he almost bumped into him turning the corner. Ryuji held up two stools.
"Thanks." Ren said, taking the stool from Ryuji.
They went back into the room that Yusuke and Ann were in. When they entered, they noticed that Ann was now sitting, and Yusuke had prepared a canvas and several paints.
"Welcome back." Yusuke said.
Ren and Ryuji put their stools down at the side of the room. They made sure to not obstruct Yusuke's view of Ann. Opposite of Ren and Ryuji were the spare canvases.
"Is everything ready, Kitagawa-kun?"
Yusuke didn't respond. He merely stared at Ann. It would've been uncomfortable for Ren to watch if he didn't realize that Yusuke was just planning his painting.
Yusuke finally brought the brush to the canvas, starting with small strokes. The brush elegantly danced across the canvas. Ren was hypnotized.
Yusuke is definitely a prod-
"Ya got a bathroom around here?" Ryuji asked suddenly.
Yusuke's brush slipped. Ryuji noticed, and his face went red.
"This is my fault. I forgot to inform you of the no talking policy. I suppose that it's alright because I was just beginning." Yusuke said half heartedly as he went to grab another canvas. He placed the ruined one against the wall.
Yusuke prepared the new canvas, and finally sat back down. The dance of his brush resumed almost immediately.
Ten minutes went by. Suddenly, Yusuke's brush slipped, leaving another canvas ruined. Yusuke stared at the ruined canvas dejectedly.
"Um…" Ann was trying to lighten the mood. "It's alright, Kitagawa-kun. Today can just be for test paintings, right?"
"Those were the tests." Yusuke said as he stood up. "Now, I'm ready to attempt the final draft."
"But didn't ya just eff up two paintings?" Ryuji asked.
"Yes. I ease into the artistic mindset by painting until I fail on my own. Then I am ready to begin the real work."
That's kinda cool.
"Should I do anything different? Maybe a different pose?" Ann asked.
"Whatever you wish will be fine, Takamaki-san." Yusuke said as he replaced the canvas.
Ann adjusted herself so she was sitting at an angle, with her legs crossed and her hands resting on her lap.
"Is this good?" She asked.
Yusuke nodded as he sat down. He lifted his brush in the air before hesitating.
"Ah, I almost forgot." He set the brush down.
Yusuke stood up from his stool, and walked over to the cabinet in the back of the room. He opened a drawer, and reached in.
Is he getting more paint? A new brush?
Ren was surprised when Yusuke pulled out an expensive looking speaker.
Damn. I wonder how much the speaker cost compared to the house.
Yusuke pressed a button on the speaker, and a beep from it notified him that it was on. He set the speaker down on top of the cabinet. He went back to the stool and sat down, pulling out his phone.
"I request absolute silence from you all for the next ten minutes."
We were already being quiet.
Yusuke pressed a button on his phone as he closed his eyes and held his brush in the air.
A single piano note rang out. It began a slow, crawling repetition. Ren stared at Yusuke, who was motionless. He didn't even seem to be breathing.
The note dropped lower. Then again. Then again. Yusuke breathed deeply as the original piano note rang out again.
Yusuke opened his eyes and brought brush to canvas just as the bass dropped on the sang. While his brush had moved gracefully before, it wasn't just dancing now. It was on a whole other level. It was like ballet.
The bass was accompanied by a drum pattern that Yusuke's brush seemed to dance to. After a few seconds, an echoey voice rang out from the speaker. Ren's english wasn't good enough to interpret the meaning through the distortion. The piano riff continued from before, only with a different effect on it.
That was when another voice came into the song, this one much clearer than the echoes from before.
There's something about that voice… there's just so much sorrow that it's trying to hide, but failing.
The voice sang lyrics that Ren could just barely interpret. But when the song reached what seemed to be its chorus, Ren could almost perfectly understand them. He had made it a point to learn all the english insults and swear words he could when he was younger. The lyrics beside the swear words were relatively simple to mentally translate.
"Let's have a toast to the douchebags, let's have a toast to the assholes. Let's have a toast to the scumbags, everyone of them that I know." The voice sang. "Let's have a toast for the jerk offs, that'll never take work off. Baby I got a plan, run away fast as you can."
The song settled from the chorus, with the singing being replaced by rapping.
Yusuke listens to American rap music? The fuck?
Ren's attention focused back on Yusuke. His brush was still following the song, now moving to the voice instead of the drums. Ann was starting to take shape, the vivid colors of her outfit forming on the canvas. Yusuke didn't even blink as he painted. Ren looked over at Ryuji. Ryuji's head was in his palms, as if he was sad.
Damn, Ryuji's almost crying over a song that he can barely understand? That's kinda lame.
The chorus of the song returned. As Ren had already translated the lyrics from the last time, he began to interpret the meaning behind them. Then he understood why Ryuji was almost crying. Ren closed his eyes.
This shit is beautiful. I don't even want to watch Yusuke. I need to give all of my attention to this song.
Ren leaned his head against the wall, making sure to maintain the balance he had on his stool. The song finished the chorus again, transitioning into a bridge with melancholy background vocals. Suddenly, the drums stopped as the main voice on the song repeated a few words.
"Run away, run away from me, baby."
After a few seconds, the drums came back, accompanied by a new voice. This voice had anger and a bit of douchebaggery to it, but still the hint of sorrow from the earlier voice. Ren knew his english numbers, so he understood the first few lyrics.
"24/7, 365, pussy stays on my mind…"
Ren opened his eyes to see if Yusuke had changed his approach at all. The only difference was that Yusuke's brush had adjusted to the new voice. Ren closed his eyes again, letting the song take him in. The newer voice maneuvered sharply around the instrumental.
A lot of syllables are being rhymed that I don't understand, but they still sound cool as hell.
The newer voice stopped rapping, and the old one took over. The voice rapped a few lines, and then returned to the chorus.
Shit, I think I'm gonna cry if this keeps going. I barely understand the lyrics and the song is still sad.
The finished the chorus, returning to the isolated piano from the beginning. A heavily distorted voice cut into the piano and brought a string section with it. The melancholy background vocals returned as well.
There's no chance I'm understanding what these lyrics are supposed to be. They're just too distorted. Not even fluent english speakers could decipher these. Maybe that's the point.
Ren let the distorted voice carry him. He could no longer use his five senses. His mind was detached from his body. It was just him and his thoughts.
It's kinda lonely in here.
Ren couldn't have cried if he wanted to. He had no control of his body. The distorted voice continued to carry him away. The voice suddenly peaked in a high note, sang a few more distorted lyrics, and the song ended.
Control of Ren's body was restored, and he opened his slightly watery eyes to see what Yusuke was doing. What greeted Ren was a fully complete painting. It hard a unique art style that Ren had never seen before. Ann looked drop dead gorgeous in it. Ren looked at Ryuji next to him. Ryuji had taken his hands off of his face, and was leaning against the wall with tears in his eyes.
"You good?" Ren asked with a smirk.
"Fuck, dude… that shit was incredible."
HE SAID IT! HE SAID FUCK! FUCK FUCK FUCK HOLY FUCK!
"Yeah. It was." Was all that Ren could manage.
He looked back to Yusuke. Yusuke was staring at the finished painting, seemingly analyzing it for flaws. Yusuke looked at Ann, who was still posing. Amazingly, there were no tears on her face
She wasn't allowed to cry. It would have ruined her makeup.
That was when Yusuke threw the completed painting into the wall.
"What failure…"
"Failure? What the hell are you talking about?!" Ren was astounded by Yusuke's lack of care for his own work.
"I failed to capture the passion that I felt when I first saw Takamaki-san."
"Passion?!" Ann broke her pose, upset by Yusuke's comment.
"Yes. Passion. When I first saw Takamaki-san, I had an intense lust like nothing-"
"Ok, Imma stop you right there." Ryuji said.
Ann looked mortified.
"But there's no need." Yusuke said, failing to realize that what he was saying was very weird. "As I was saying, the intense lust I felt had such passion behind it like nothing I've ever felt before. I wanted to capture that emotion in a work of art. But I've failed… and so the slump continues."
Yusuke hunched over in his stool, placing his palms to his face as Ryuji had done earlier. Ren walked over to Ann. He leaned over to whisper in her ear.
"He's being kinda pervy, but I don't think he actually thinks of you that way. He's different, you know? I don't think he cares about that stuff."
Ann considered Ren's words. She stood up from her stool and went to the discarded painting. While it was covered in dust, it was still incredible to look at.
"Kitagawa-kun, the painting you did is amazing. Really amazing. You could still probably use it." Ann said to Yusuke.
"I cannot. It evokes no emotion. If you would allow me, I would like to attempt another piece with you as my model."
"Sure, Kitagawa-kun."
Ann's being really nice about this. Yusuke should probably stop saying pervy shit, though.
"I still have time for another painting today." Ann said.
"Unfortunately, I must decline. I must accept my punishment for my failure."
Punishment?
"What do you mean?" Ren asked.
"I've spoken too much. I must ask you to leave for the day. Takamaki-san, I will notify you when I am ready to continue. Thank you for your time." Yusuke said, ushering them all out of the room.
They were pushed into the hallway. Before the door closed, Yusuke mumbled something.
"Perhaps 'On Sight' will work next time..."
The door was closed. Ren glanced at the door to Madarame's study.
We'll probably be here again when Yusuke tells Ann that he's ready. I should try to get into that door then.
The trio left the house.
"That was weird, huh?" Ann asked when they were outside.
Ryuji was still wiping tears from his eyes.
"Effing awesome is what it was. That song was beautiful." He mumbled.
And we're back to the fuck filter. Dammit, Ryuji.
"No! I'm talking about Yusuke rushing us out. And he said something about punishment…" Ann said with a little anger.
"Yeah. That was definitely strange." Ren said.
Yusuke receives punishment of some kind… is this related to his eating habits or something? Does Madarame punish him by not letting him eat?
"I got homework to do. I'll see ya guys later." Ryuji said out of nowhere.
"Homework? No way you're keeping up with your grades, Ryuji.
"Homework is code for video games. Keep up, Ann." Ryuji said playfully before walking away.
"You alright?" Ren asked.
"Yeah. I think I'll leave, too." Ann said. "I'll see you tomorrow, Ren."
Ren nodded and waved goodbye. His phone beeped.
Tae Takemi:
-It's been too long since you were here. Stop by the clinic tonight.
Ren Amamiya:
-Can't tonight. I got work. Does tomorrow afternoon work?
Tae Takemi:
-Can you afford to waste tomorrow afternoon?
No. I have exams coming up.
Ren Amamiya:
-Yeah.
Tae Takemi:
-Perfect. See you then.
Ren began the journey to Leblanc for work that night.
Tuesday, 5/10
Ren entered Tae's clinic.
It feels weird coming back here after what happened last time. Ryuji turning into a goth doctor is not something I want to see again.
"You know what to do." Tae said as she got up and went to the exam room.
Ren did the same. The room hadn't changed at all since his last visit. He sat down on the examination table and watched Tae prepare Mystery Drug X at her desk.
"How's school been?" She asked, still focused on her concoction.
"Educational."
"No one likes a smartass. And I bet your Makoto doesn't like it either."
My Makoto? The fuck is she talking about?
"What do you mean?" Ren asked.
"Makoto? The girl you were interested in?" Tae halted her work on the drug.
She looked back at Ren.
"Not sure what you're talking about." Ren said genuinely.
"Fine. Keep your secrets."
She doesn't believe me.
Tae stood up from her desk with Mystery Drug X. She handed it to Ren.
"Remember: drink every drop." She said.
Ren didn't need to speak. He simply acted.
Bottoms up.
In terms of taste and viscosity, the liquid was the same as last time.
Please don't be Doctor Ryuji again… if there's a God, please have mercy on me. I never want to see Doctor Ryuji ever again…
"Feel anything yet?" Tae asked, settling back into her chair.
"Surprisingly, no. Nothing's happening yet." Ren said, his posture slouching.
Tae scribbled a few notes. But when she lifted the pen away from the paper, the scribbling noise continued.
How the fuck is that supposed to work? Wait… I'm hallucinating… quick! No Doctor Ryuji! No Doctor Ryuji! No Doctor Ryuji!
The scribbling noises gradually turned into the sounds of waves. Ren looked towards the window, and was upset to find that it was covered. He looked at Tae to make sure a certain runner hadn't taken her place, and thankfully, she was still there. But she was holding a bottle. A bottle of Junpei's alcohol.
"You're a real cunt, you know that?" Tae slurred in a drunk voice. She raised the bottle up to Ren. "A toast! To you!"
"The fuck is wrong with you?"
"Go with the flow, Ren. Go with floooooooooow…" Tae's body, goth doctor outfit and all, transformed into water, leaving a puddle on the floor under her chair.
I made Tae wet.
Ren chuckled at his own vulgarity.
As he continued to look, the walls folded away, revealing a vast ocean with no land in sight. As the objects of the doctors office transformed into water, the floor and exam table began to transform as well.
"Shit."
Ren was about to drop into the water when his feet landed on something. He looked down.
A surfboard?
The surfboard had bright red lettering that read "Daddy Amamiya." In between the letters were plumeria flowers, adding to the surf theme.
What the hell spurred a surfing based hallucination? And why the fuck is that written on the surfboard?!
Ren continued to survey his surroundings, praying for land. He got the opposite.
A large wave was rising on the horizon.
How does that work? Doesn't there need to be land? Or is that… oh shit. That's a tsunami.
As Ren knew he was hallucinating, he hesitated on attempting to escape the Tsunami. But then he realized that the previous hallucinations had only ended after Haru had executed him.
The wave won't kill me. It will just be very, very painful. Fuck.
He laid down on the board, and began paddling in the direction opposite of the tsunami. Despite him paddling until his arms burned, his efforts were in vain. The tsunami was about to crash over him.
Suddenly, something punched the board, and Ren, up into the air. Ren looked down, and realized that he was still rising into the air. But the rise was beginning to slow, and the fall was about to begin.
Motherfu-
Ren's mind went blank as he and the board dropped fell back to the water at an angle. The tsunami crashed against the ocean below, and Ren soon crashed onto the Tsunami. When he realized that he was alive, he stood up.
I'm surfing! It's just a hallucination, but this is still crazy!
Ren's excitement drained away when he heard an engine. He looked around, hoping to find the source. He saw nothing. The engine noise began to get louder. And louder. Ren kept searching for whatever was making the noise.
Finally, he saw what it was: A motorcycle had risen on top of the tsunami, and was now approaching Ren. Fast.
Shit.
Ren tried to turn the surfboard, but realized something important: he didn't know how to actually surf. The motorcycle continued its approached. As it got closer, Ren began to make out the details. Blue flame trailed behind the silver motorcycle, and riding it was…
Makoto Niijima?!
Makoto's motorcycle crashed into Ren, sending him flying off of the surfboard. He crashed into the water, and the first thing he saw when he popped his head above the surface was the tsunami and Makoto descending upon him. They hit him with a force that Ren didn't know was possible. He was sent spiraling underwater faster than a torpedo.
When Ren finally stopped moving, he looked up. He saw no light.
I'm gonna drown. Fuck.
The vividness of the hallucination had captured Ren at this point. The burning in his lungs had also immersed him deeper into the false reality. The burning grew, and grew. Ren felt as if he was going to explode. He began flailing on instinct. The flailing and the burning in his lungs grew together. A light began to make itself visible to Ren's consciousness.
This is it. I'm gonna die.
He let one final flail. It was a punch, mostly to signify what little defiance Ren could muster before his fate took him. But that punch was met by something. Ren pulled his hand back in pain. He looked in the direction of where he had punched. The murkiness of the water stopped him from seeing anything.
Suddenly, a flash of yellow. Ren looked towards the yellow. It was a giant circular orb of gold, with a black dot in the middle.
Is that a fucking eye?!
As if responding to Ren's mental question, the eye blinked. Ren then began to feel the water shift around him, and something pushing him up towards the surface from under. As they approached the surface, Ren began to make out more of whatever was rescuing him. It had curly auburn hair, topped off with a giant feather hat.
Oh no. She's here. The Okumura.
They reached the surface. What had been supporting Ren left from under him. Haru rose out of the sea, towering over Ren, who was treading water. Despite her being underwater, her outfit was still dry. Her golden eyes glared down at Ren. Then, she smiled. It was not a kind smile, but an unnerving one.
"Down the middle made him piddle, being crushed will bring a head rush!" Haru declared in a deep, booming voice.
She raised her arms above her head, and clenched her hands together. She brought her hands down onto Ren. He was immediately sent to the bottom of the ocean with incredible speed. He was moving so fast that he moved right through the bottom of the ocean. He was trapped in sand. He began to struggle, trying to claw his way out. Finally, his head reached air. He began to fully climb out of the sand. When he was out, he considered his surroundings.
He was back in the examination room. The moment he realized where he was, a wave of negativity washed over him. It was overwhelming in how quickly it overtook him. It was like falling off of a cliff in its suddenness.
Makoto… Makoto… what the hell's been happening? I just… forgot about what happened with her. How is that even possible? And why the hell is she still avoiding me? She must know that I have something to say. Haru should've told her. She didn't even stop by for a casual visit on Club Day.
Once his immediate anger settled, his thoughts devolved.
She doesn't want anything to do with you, Ren. It's because of who you are: a piece of shit. You took advantage of Ayumi's loneliness just to make fun of a volleyball player. You used Shiho as a distraction. You forgot about Makoto and your problems with her.
"How was it?" Tae asked.
"It was fine. I've got nothing to say. Bye, Tae." Ren said as he stood up and left.
Ren couldn't sleep. He scrolled through Shujinstagram. There was an upcoming events feed.
"A park clean up, huh? Fuck that."
Ren kept scrolling. He got bored of seeing photos of people he mildly disliked, and navigated to someone he wasn't sure he liked or not. He went to Makoto's page.
I miss talking to her. But she chose to walk away. Something's wrong with her. She didn't even wait for me to explain.
A text notification brightened his screen.
Kasumi Yoshizawa
-Hello, Senpai. There is no gymnastics practice tomorrow. Would you like to help me study for exams?
No, I wouldn't Kasumi. I'd like to wallow for a little, if you don't mind. Actually, you could be a distraction. Not even a distraction. A replacement… no. Bad Ren. Don't think that way. That's awful. But Kasumi could take your mind off of Makoto…
Ren Amamiya:
-Sounds great! I'll meet you at the school gates tomorrow.
Kasumi Yoshizawa:
-I'm looking forward to it!
Me too. Me too.
Ren put away his phone and just stared at the ceiling. As he tried to dispel thoughts of Kasumi and Makoto, lyrics from Yusuke's song played again in his head.
"Baby I got a plan. Run away as fast as you can."
He didn't sleep.
5/10
I didn't pursue the investigation today. I saw Amamiya after class leaving with Takamaki and Sakamoto. I didn't feel like seeing them together.
Investigation Agenda
Question Suzui-san - SUCCESS Question remaining volleyball team members (maybe) Follow/question Takamaki (strictly investigative purposes) Follow/question Yoshizawa-san (strictly investigative purposes) Ask Haru about any changes in Amamiya's behavior Investigate Untouchable Question Mishima Take a breakMakoto's phone beeped.
Haru Okumura:
-Are you doing alright?
Makoto Niijima:
-Yes. Why wouldn't I be?
Haru Okumura:
-Because you're spending your free time stalking someone.
Makoto Niijima:
-I'm investigating him.
Haru Okumura:
-For how much you've been "investigating" him, you've made very little progress. Have you considered that there's nothing to investigate?
Makoto Niijima:
-There has to be something. Why else would he have alcohol in his fridge?
Haru Okumura:
-He explained it to the rest of us. I'm not going to tell why you because it's his job. And it's important for you to actually speak with him. But please, talk to him soon. He's been acting differently lately.
Makoto Niijima:
-I'll consider it.
5/10, Page 2
Haru confirmed that Ren Amamiya is acting different. This change in his behavior could be because of me, or it could be because of Takamaki. I don't think anything other than his personal relationships could have caused a change this noticeable. I'll have to put more effort into my investigation in order to:
Make sure that Amamiya is not engaging in criminal activity. Make sure that Amamiya is of good character. Make sure that Ren Amamiya is doing alright of sound mind. Determine the relationships between the members of GRAVYMakoto closed her notebook and got into her bed.
" Yes."
She didn't sleep.