A/N: Early chapter because I got through this one quickly.
Saturday, 7/16
"How does it feel to be done with exams, Ren?" Maruki asked. Ren had just stopped by for what could be their final required session, depending on the student.
To Maruki, Ren looked relieved. Even if high school was far behind him, Maruki could still freshly remember the dread of going into exams. However, the feeling of satisfaction achieved on the last day of exams was arguably worth the process, so long as one performed well on the tests.
"Pretty good, I guess. For me, the scores are really important, so I'm not done worrying yet."
"But it is out of your hands now," Maruki reminded Ren.
"True, but the thought of failing makes me anxious."
"Because you can't stand your own failure or because you don't want to deal with Kobayakawa more than necessary?"
"The latter."
Maruki couldn't agree more. Kobayakawa didn't understand his students in the slightest, he only understood things that involved money. Maruki tried to keep Kobayakawa out of his business as much as possible, though it was necessary at some times.
Very, very necessary.
Monday, 6/13
"You're asking me to not expel him?! Are you out of your mind, or have you forgotten your place here, Maruki-san?!" Kobayakawa bellowed, trying to sound imposing. It didn't do much, because a key part of being intimidating was looking down on someone. Since Kobayakawa couldn't be bothered to stand up, he was unable to make Maruki's will waiver.
"Yes, that is exactly what I'm asking. I know that he-"
"Broke a student's nose! The star volleyball player's nose!" Kobayakawa furiously cut in.
There isn't really a volleyball team anymore, but that's not the point, Maruki mentally noted before moving on.
"Kobayakawa-san, I have testimony from Takata-kun. He repeatedly harassed Amamiya, as well as harmed other Shujin students." Maruki wasn't fulfilling his end of the shouting match. He stayed calm and collected. It was necessary, because if he wasn't at peace, then he couldn't use his last resort.
"Frankly, Maruki-san, that is probably not true. Amamiya could've beat that testimony into him!"
I can't deal with this , Maruki thought. Kobayakawa had proved himself too stupid, too intervening for Maruki. He had to be placated.
"Kobayakawa-san," Maruki said as he adjusted his glasses and looked Kobayakawa in the eye, "you and I both know that Amamiya was wrong for what he did to Takata. Does he deserve to be expelled? No, he had a fair reason. Should he still be punished? Maybe, but that's for you to decide."
If this were a normal argument and Maruki had succeeded in convincing Kobayakawa, there would be conflict on the plump principal's face. Instead, Maruki was faced with blank agreement from the principal. "You are right, Maruki-san. I apologize for suggesting expulsion. It is unfair to Amamiya-kun, and the good work he does here."
"I'm glad you agree, Kobayakawa-san," Maruki said. "Now, I think you should still hear Takata-kun's testimony."
Saturday, 7/16
"Maruki-san? Hello?" Maruki snapped to attention as Amamiya raised his voice at him.
"Ah, sorry, Amamiya-kun," Maruki said with an awkward chuckle. "I was thinking of a conversation that Kobayakawa and I had recently about the Hawaii trip."
Amamiya's face lit up with confused excitement. It was obvious that the trip hadn't been mentioned to him. "Hawaii trip?"
"Mhm." Maruki nodded. "In September, the second-years, along with some staff, will be traveling to Hawaii for the school trip. Apparently, previous years went to Kyoto, but principal Kobayakawa wanted to change it up. Nice of him, huh?"
"You're serious?"
"Hm? One-hundred-percent."
"Holy shit… I'm going to Hawaii!" Ren triumphantly declared.
"That is if your guardian signs off on it."
"Oh, that's no problem. He doesn't care."
Maruki laughed. "If you say so, Amamiya-kun." Seeking to change the subject to something productive and revealing, Maruki brought up their previous conversation. "Sorry to change the subject so quickly, but how are things going with that shut-in you mentioned? Any progress?"
Maruki hoped that there wasn't. Well, he did, but he didn't. If the girl wasn't getting any more social or opening her door to Ren, then that meant she would be a good person to test the extent of his actualization. Even if Maruki couldn't make a large-scale change—yet—he could still try helping as many people as possible. If he was able to get this girl, who wouldn't even speak aloud to Amamiya from the other side of a door, to come close to being normal and happy, that was huge for Maruki. As a bonus, it would help Maruki with his research. Maruki would be able to determine if eye contact was necessary, or if someone needed to be viewing him for successful actualization.
But if Amamiya was making progress with getting the girl to open up, Maruki would be happy with that, if not a little disappointed. He just wanted the girl, who he had never met, to be happy. Everyone deserves that, Maruki concluded just as Ren began to answer.
"Same as ever." Ren's expression had soured into frustration. "I just talk to a door and read messages off of my phone. I pushed her more last time to talk to me, but I only got silence in return." Maruki opened his mouth to speak, but Amamiya was actually able to guess what Maruki was about to say. "And yeah, I did talk to her guardian about your offer. He's on the fence."
That was fine. Maruki wasn't arrogant enough to be upset by rejection, even if indirect. "Oh, well, you know how to contact me if he changes his mind." Maruki gave Amamiya a friendly smile, hoping to wipe the dour expression off the kid's face. It didn't.
"Maruki-san, am I a piece of shit for abandoning her and just wanting you to pick up the pieces?"
Maruki was caught off guard by the question, but he couldn't show that. It would give the wrong impression. "Is that what you want to do? Leave her behind and have her out of sight, out of mind?"
"Well, no. I don't think I could. But I keep wanting to just give up and pressure the girl's guardian to let you help."
"And if I did help, would you never speak to the girl again?"
"Nah, I'd like to talk to her again. Plus, I wanna see what she looks like. I have no clue what kind of face to put behind her messages."
"So then you wouldn't be abandoning her. I would be taking over, but that doesn't erase you from the equation. You could still help, you know."
"But is it selfish to give up?"
"It'd be selfish to believe that you're doing a poor job and not give up, Amamiya-kun." Someone had told Maruki that long ago. They seemed so distant in his memory that they felt like they were from a past life. Now that he was thinking about them again, it only inspired Maruki to help the girl that Amamiya was talking about even more.
"Huh… you're right. I can't just keep fucking up like this… I'll talk to Sojiro, er, the girl's guardian about it."
"Alright, Amamiya-kun. Let me know."
"Of course."
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Yo! What are you doing tonight?
Ren Amamiya:
-Nothing, why?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Bet. Omw over.
Ren Amamiya:
-Hold the fuck up, wait a minute.
There was no stopping Ryuji. Within fifteen minutes, there was a knock on Ren's door. Sure enough, it was Ryuji. "'Sup, man?" Ryuji asked as he walked into Ren's apartment, his familiar giant bag over his shoulder. That was enough to tell Ren what was happening that evening: Ryuji was sleeping over.
"Dude, what if you just came over and I had a girl over?"
"Then I'd give you a high-five and offer moral support," Ryuji said with a chuckle. "And the eff do you mean 'a girl?' You mean Makoto, right?"
Could've been Kawakami in a maid uniform, but Ryuji doesn't need to know that.
"Sure, whatever. Make yourself at home," Ren said unenthusiastically. "What spurred you to come here?"
"Jeez, dude. Did you actually just use 'spur' in a sentence? Are you a murderer or something?" Ryuji was laughing as he set his bag down at the base of the couch in the living area and sat down.
"I get that a lot." Ren thought of how many times he had heard talk of his kill count while walking to his next class.
"Ah, sorry. Forgot about the rumors."
"Yeah, yeah. It's fine." Ren, knowing that he was basically done with school for a month and a half, excluding the week that he had left, wanted to change the subject from something school-related. "What're we gonna do here that we can't do anywhere else?" Ren still felt a little bitter that Ryuji had come over uninvited, although he would've invited Ryuji if this had been more planned.
"Uh… I'm gonna stay the night?"
"Ryuji, we could stay the night anywhere. If we wanted to, we could go to Makoto's and sleep on the floor." Ren wanted to make Ryuji realize how little uniqueness that Junpei's apartment had, but Ren forgot that he was talking to Ryuji.
"Can we?" Ryuji excitedly looked up at Ren from the couch.
"What?"
"Can we stay the night at Makoto's?"
I could probably convince Makoto to make it happen. If I told her that it was in return for letting her stay over those few times, then she'd be done. But if I wanted to bring Ryuji along? I don't know about that. Sae would kick Ryuji out of this plane of existence, I just know it.
"What?! Fuck no," Ren immediately said, sending Ryuji into laughter. Feeling petty about Ryuji's behavior, Ren pulled out his phone. He dialed a number and held the phone to his ear.
Only one way to deal with Ryuji's bullshit...
"Woah, wait a sec, who ya callin'?" Ryuji asked. He seemed nervous about whoever Ren was calling. Ren wondered who Ryuji would be nervous about, but he didn't have time to think about that. The person he had called had just picked up the phone.
"Yo, you wanna stay the night at my apartment with Ryuji?" Ren asked.
There was a pause on the other end. "That sounds like fun, Ren. I will be over shortly," Yusuke replied.
Ren hung up and then looked Ryuji in the eye. "Yusuke's on the way."
...Counter the bullshit with more bullshit.
"For real?!" Ryuji's nervousness was replaced with giddy excitement. "Shit, Yusuke's gonna become one of the boys!"
"Was he not already? He's in our group chat."
"Yeah, but it's his first time staying at your house! It's a rite of passage for all GRAVY members, you know," Ryuji said matter-of-factly. "It's in the GRAVY rule book."
"Must've missed that one when I wrote up the club summary."
"No harm no foul, Ren. Don't worry 'bout it," Ryuji said with a chuckle. Ren couldn't help but laugh at it as well. If Ryuji was going to stay the night no matter what, Ren might as well have fun with it.
"Thanks for paying for dinner, Ryuji," Ren said as he took his delivered beef bowl out of the bag. He, Ryuji, and Yusuke sat at the kitchen counter with the food that Ryuji had so kindly ordered for them.
And it only took me whooping his ass in Rash Toes four fucking times to get him to pay for dinner.
They all devoured their beef bowls, Ren and Ryuji because they were exhausted from exams week, and Yusuke because he was Yusuke. They were done extraordinarily quickly. That only meant that they could get back to their vicious cycle of Rash Toes games even sooner.
Which, in turn, meant that Ryuji got to spark more random conversations.
"Yusuke, now that you're officially one of the homies, which chick are ya going after?" he belted out as Ren played Yusuke in Rash Toes.
I would've thought that Yusuke would be "officially one of the homies" after he went to Ryuji's birthday, but I guess not. Also, now that I think about it, who would Yusuke be interested in? He did ask Ann to model for him, so that's my guess.
"Ah, I predicted that this would come up," Yusuke said as he pulled off a decent combo on Ren's character. He didn't sound dismissive of Ryuji's question.
Wait… is he actually going to answer?
"I have an answer ready," Yusuke began. Ren was having a difficult time containing his laughter and playing Rash Toes at the same time. Yusuke's monotone voice talking like that was hysterical to Ren for whatever reason. "Haru is quite attractive." As soon as her name was said, Ren no longer had trouble holding in the laughter because there was none to hold back. He had been reminded of his hallucination, the marriage, and everything else that had happened with Haru. He began going down the dark path of pessimism that her name came with until he saw his character get his shit rocked on screen and felt his phone vibrate in his pocket at the same.
"Jeez, Ren. You suck," Ryuji said, forgetting that he had lost to Ren four times prior that evening. "More importantly, Yusuke, you absolute dog, I figured you and Haru were a good match. Whaddya say about me being your wingman, huh?" Ryuji came over to take Ren's spot next to Yusuke. Ren went over to the couch and took his phone out.
Unknown Number:
-Unacceptable!
Futaba? What does she want now? And what's unacceptable? Oh… wait a minute… she sent that after Yusuke said that Haru's attractive. Damn, Yusuke. Maybe it's just an artist thing. I wonder what the Kosei girls think of him. Also, I'm assuming that Futaba is just listening to us with Ryuji's phone. Should I tell him to turn it off or something? Nah, it's a good show of trust for me to just let her listen.
As Ren could hear Ryuji bickering with Yusuke, who had just denied Ryuji's proposal, he replied to Futaba.
Ren Amamiya:
-Got a crush on the fox, huh?
Unknown Number:
-I don't know what you're talking about.
Ren Amamiya:
-Unacceptable!
Hah, good one, Ren.
*Conversation has ended*
Huh? How the fuck can she do that? I didn't know that that's possible. Eh, whatever. If it really is unacceptable for Yusuke to think that Haru is attractive, then Futaba can come out of her room and do something about it.
Ren watched as an invitation to a private online match popped onto the screen. Alibaba wanted to play. Without asking Ren or Yusuke, Ryuji chose to join the match. Strangely enough, Futaba had arranged a two-on-one match, with her fighting Yusuke and Ryuji at the same time.
Calling it a "match" was giving Yusuke and Ryuji too much credit. They were both thrown from the map within seconds, and within a minute the match was over. It didn't take long for Ryuji to get into voice chat to voice his frustration.
"The hell do you think you're doing?!" he yelled at the TV. "How're you gonna challenge us, and then cheat?!"
Ren tuned out the bickering. Haru was still on his mind. More specifically, the hallucination. Chihaya's prediction had made him nervous, the hallucination had made him paranoid, and the combination of those two made him fearful of going near Haru for fear of setting something off. Something horrible was bound to happen when he was near her, and it was most definitely unavoidable. Ren was even considering not following through on the plans for the fireworks festival.
All this, yet Ryuji and Yusuke didn't know a thing. They were able to live blissful ignorance of Haru's situation despite how much it weighed on Ren, Makoto, and Haru especially. While Ren could understand that they didn't know, it was still incredibly difficult to wrap his head around the fact that they were completely unable to think about what was going on beyond their Rash Toes game.
Ren didn't fault them. He hadn't told them and, more importantly, Haru hadn't told them. If she had wanted them to know, then they'd already know.
Ren kept his thoughts to himself for the rest of the night and did well enough hiding them that no questions were asked. He went to bed earlier than the others because he couldn't take their ignorance any longer.
"What's his deal?" Ryuji asked from the couch. He was laying down with fewer blankets than usual; those had gone to Yusuke's thrown-together bed on the floor. Ren had given a blanket of his own as well as a few of the extra blankets to Yusuke. Some had gone directly onto the floor to create the illusion of a mattress, and some had remained as normal blankets. Yusuke didn't seem to mind and had remarked that it was far comfier than a Kosei dorm, so Ryuji didn't feel nearly as bad about using his GRAVY seniority to call dibs on the couch.
"Who? Ren?" Yusuke asked from his position on the floor. He and Ryuji had moved the coffee table towards the TV so that Yusuke could sleep in between the couch and the coffee table. By Ryuji's logic, that would make it easier for him and Ryuji to have a conversation.
"Yeah, who else?"
"Hm… his deal…" Yusuke was thinking about the question far more than he should've, and that ticked Ryuji off, but only slightly.
"You know, he was quiet all night. Plus, he was kinda a dick when I came over."
"He did mention that you invited yourself."
"Okay, true, but I'm the dude's best friend. He could show at least a little hospitality."
"I wouldn't know. Ren has only been gracious to me with his apartment."
"Whatever. He's obviously got shit on his mind. Ya think it's about Makoto?"
"Hm? Why would it be about her?"
"Uh… you know…"
"No, I do not. That is why I asked why it'd be about her."
"Eff it, just forget it. Anyway, what're you planning for this summer, Yusuke?"
"My summer… I'm prioritizing the resolution of my slump right now. Once that is over and done with I believe I'll be working on pieces for the duration of the break."
"Nah, eff that. Do art, sure, but you gotta hang out with GRAVY a bunch. This summer is gonna be like a movie!" Ryuji had big plans for the summer. He was going to spend a bunch of time with each member of GRAVY, hopefully becoming tight with all of them by September. He also wanted to get his love life on track, but he wasn't exactly sure where to start.
"Really?" Yusuke actually sounded interested. Ryuji figured that the movie thing had been taken too literally. "Would it be more like 'The Arrived', or 'There Will Be Mud'?" Ryuji was right.
"Nah, not like that. When I say it's gonna be like a movie, it just means we're gonna do some crazy shit. Go to the beach, chase girls, stuff like that."
"Ryuji, sexual harassment is not on my agenda for-"
"Not what I meant, dammit!"
"Oh, I must apologize then. Which girl do you plan to 'chase'?"
"Uh…" Ryuji hadn't planned on answering this, but he needed to get closer to Yusuke. "Ann was my first idea, but I dunno anymore. She's kinda outta my league, and, uh, I don't think she really likes me. We really only hang out at GRAVY stuff." Not giving Yusuke a choice to ask Ryuji any more personal questions, Ryuji turned the question around. "How 'bout you? Haru?"
"No, I'll be busy. Women are a distraction."
"Nah, you got it backward. Distractions are anything but women."
"Then we must agree to disagree."
"If you say so…" They drifted into silence. Ryuji had a feeling that they would be going to sleep soon, and he didn't want that to happen. He didn't want the night to end. He had to keep it alive, he just didn't know how. Well, he did know how, but that was supposed to be forbidden. Since he had originally thought of it, Ryuji had banned himself from ever asking the question. However, it was Yusuke. He probably wouldn't think negatively of Ryuji if the question came across weirdly. Ryuji decided to just spit it out. "Yusuke, let's say that, hypothetically, you are in ancient Greece. And, keep in mind that this is all hypothetical, that Medusa was down to-"
Sunday, 7/17
Ren woke up at his usual time for a Sunday morning. He emerged from his room, Morgana following behind him to get breakfast. He found that Yusuke and Ryuji had already plundered his stash of bagels and were eating breakfast while watching some TV.
"Morning, Renny," Ryuji said with a wave, not breaking his gaze from the TV. "Sleep well?"
Can't complain. It could've been worse. I didn't have nightmares about any Haru stuff happening, so that's a win in my book.
"Well enough. How long have you guys been up?"
"Eh, just a few. We're just watching the news. Nothing interesting on."
Ren grabbed a bagel and sat down on one of the chairs. He didn't want to crowd Yusuke and Ryuji on the couch. He eyed the familiar newswoman, talking about some remote island of people who had been cut off from society for thousands of years that had been made contact with using Teddie memorabilia. It was interesting stuff, but it was still just news that Ren couldn't care less about. He was surprised that Ryuji wasn't talking over the TV.
"Ryuji, I thought more about the question that you posed last night," Yusuke suddenly said. Ren turned, curiously eyeing the two. Ryuji immediately got nervous, but that didn't deter Yusuke from speaking. "I would. Medusa would be an inspiring exper-"
Ryuji smacked Yusuke's arm. "Dude!" Lacking any subtlety, he eyed Ren, telling Yusuke that he shouldn't talk because Ren was present. Ren was able to pick up on it, and that only made him more curious.
Medusa? The fuck were they talking about after I went to bed?
Yusuke didn't get the memo that Ryuji was desperately trying to send, and Ryuji realized that. "Just keep quiet about it."
"Ryuji, tell me more about Medusa," Ren said, a smirk growing on his face.
"Nah, you're fine."
"You sure? I am the Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness. It's treasonous not to tell me."
"I choose treason!" Ryuji declared.
Ren didn't really care, he just wanted to know what the hell Medusa had to do with anything.
"Keep your secrets," Ren said. He went back to watching TV. Just as thoughts of Haru were starting to seep back in, Ren spoke to keep them away. "Anyone wanna hang out today?"
"Sorry, busy. Ma has me clean out the house before every summer, and today's the day," Ryuji casually said.
So Ryuji's out… just me and Yusuke? I can work with that. Well, he still has to say if he's available or not, but he definitely is.
"I was planning to go to Inokashira Park to work on art. You are more than welcome to join me," Yusuke offered.
"Sure, sounds fun." Morgana meowed at Ren while he was speaking. He glanced at the cat, and an idea popped into his head. "Can I bring my cat?"
"The feline form can be a source of creativity. Let's hope that the well is not run dry."
"Uh… is that a yes?"
"You may bring your cat."
Morgana meowed excitedly. Ren went to get ready to leave.
"Say what's on your mind, Ren," Yusuke said as he finished preparing his canvas and gazed across the small river that flowed in front of them.
They hadn't come here directly from Ren's apartment. After Ren was done getting ready, they stopped by Kosei so that Yusuke could get supplies from his dorm, with Ryuji leaving for his own home at the same time. Even though he was unknown to Kosei and there would be hardly any people there, Ren didn't want to see people his own age that he didn't even know on his day off. He had patiently waited for Yusuke at the station and played games on his phone.
Yusuke had got his supplies from the dorms, and the pair departed for the park. They had just finished setting up in front of the river, with Ren taking a seat on a bench a few feet behind Yusuke and the canvas. He had let Morgana out of his bag to take a walk.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Yusuke's question had come out of nowhere.
"Say the first word that comes to mind. It may serve as an idea for what to paint."
"Uh…"
Tae's thighs.
"How about ancient aliens?" Ren used instead of his initial idea.
Yusuke sighed in return. He seemed bummed by Ren's lack of interesting ideas. "Forgive me. You should not be the one doing the thinking. I will go to the bathroom. Perhaps bodily relief will offer a peek into the void." Yusuke trudged away to the bathroom and Ren pulled out his phone.
Okaaay, definitely a serial killer with whatever the fuck that last part meant.
Ren resumed the mobile game that he had been playing while waiting for Yusuke at the subway station. Within a few minutes of playing the game, Yusuke had returned, but Ren could immediately tell that something was wrong.
It was like Yusuke had forgotten how to walk. Instead of doing the standard act of placing one foot in front of the other, he was now swinging his legs out, bringing them forward, and then wrapping them in for one step. He alternated between robotic movement in fluidity, all while looking down at his feet to make sure that he was walking correctly, which he wasn't.
Man, what the fuck did I get myself into? Is this just Yusuke being Yusuke, or did he peek into the piss void?
Thankfully for Ren's dignity, they were in a relatively isolated area of the park. Not many were close enough to observe Yusuke's foolish behavior. As the artist got closer, Ren was able to see Yusuke's face, revealing that there was drool coming off of his chin. Ren was a little appalled, but Yusuke was still a friend. It would be wrong to run away in fear.
"Yusuke? You good?" Ren called as Yusuke got to the area that the canvas had been set up in. "Too much void gazing in the bathroom?"
"I have seen beauty!" Yusuke's voice was hoarse, at least for Yusuke, as he declared what had occurred in his trip to the bathroom without actually revealing anything. "I consumed the fruit of artistic endeavor!"
Shit, for real? Must be a vibe.
"That's very cool Yusuke. What'd the fruit look like?"
"'Twas a shroom, caused great gloom, inspiration is in my womb!"
A shroom?! Fuck. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. Fuck this.
"Dude, you ate a mushroom?! Quit your bullshit, I'm taking you to a do-"
Yusuke plucked a paintbrush from his back pocket in the most exaggerative way possible and picked up his already prepared palette. The motion was assertive enough to cut Ren off without Yusuke even speaking. Once he was done making a show of getting ready to paint, he turned to Ren. "Observe!" he yelled.
Yusuke carelessly slashed paint across the canvas, repeating the process several more times. Then, he got more and more careful with each stroke, and eerily familiar details began to emerge. Over ten minutes, Ren began to grow more and more terrified of Yusuke's immense talent. By the end of it, in what seemed like a humanly impossible time frame, Yusuke emerged with a masterwork of art.
An already painted masterwork of art.
From five centuries ago.
Yusuke had perfectly recreated the Mona Lisa in only ten minutes.
"Viola!"
"Do you mean voila?" Ren asked as he tried to decipher how Yusuke had accomplished what should've been an impossible feat.
"No! I name this piece, 'Viola!'" Yusuke firmly asserted.
I'm no art expert, and I certainly don't have the eye for detail that Yusuke has, but this is literally the Mona Lisa.
Ren pulled up the actual painting on his phone for comparison. He held it up next to the canvas from where he was sitting. Sure enough, it was a perfect match.
Fuck, that's really, really impressive. Do I tell Yusuke? He'd figure it out eventually, what with showing off the most famous painting in history and calling it his own. Probably better to tell him now.
"Yusuke, that's the Mona Lisa!"
"Preposterous! I will not tolerate lies from you, Ren!"
"No, it's really the Mona Lisa," Ren said as he turned his phone to Yusuke. "Look."
Yusuke grabbed the phone and held it an inch from his face. "Hm… then I have failed!" Yusuke's unhinged creative energy had turned into anger within a fraction of a second. He went over to the canvas, threw it to the ground from the easel, and put his foot through it.
Uh… that's kinda a waste. I would've never proposed the idea to Yusuke, with everything that Madarame did, but he could've made a fuckload of money off of selling that. But I guess it's fine. It wasn't an original piece, and Yusuke needs one of those to break his slump.
By this point, Morgana had come back. He eyed the destroyed painting and Yusuke angrily kicking it, gave a confused meow, and hopped into Ren's lap. Ren opted to pet the confused cat while watching Yusuke destroy the most impressive thing Ren had ever seen.
It took a few minutes for Yusuke to tire. Ren figured that was better than going near the artist to calm him down. For all Ren knew, Yusuke could be dangerous.
Never underestimate someone who willingly eats wild mushrooms and says they're going to take a piss by saying that they're gonna peek into the void.
"I'm…" Yusuke panted heavily as he sat down next to the destroyed canvas. "...Done."
"Good to know, Yusuke. Are you still tripping out of your mind?"
"I… believe… so…" Yusuke said through pants.
"Cool. I'll give you a bit then I'll take you to the Kosei dorms. That cool?"
Yusuke nodded and closed his eyes. He sat on the ground, breathing heavily, and rested. Ren just continued petting Morgana trying to not overthink whatever the fuck he had just witnessed.
However, something very worrying happened after a minute. Yusuke flopped over backward, passing out. Ren wasn't an expert on anything, but he knew that passing out after eating mushrooms was very, very bad. He set Morgana down on the ground and rushed over to Yusuke's side while pulling Makoto's number into his phone. He didn't know why, but she was the person he trusted most to deal with a passed-out Yusuke.
After a few rings, Makoto picked up. "Hello?"
"Makoto! I'm at the park with Yusuke and he ate another fucking mushroom! He did a bunch of weird shit and then passed out!" Ren said incredibly urgently.
"Okay, Ren, slow down. Yusuke ate more mushrooms and passed out?" Makoto wasn't nearly as alarmed as Ren. He didn't know if that was a good or a bad thing.
"Yes, he-"
"Mister, is that your cat?" said a voice from behind Ren. With the phone pressed to his ear, he turned around to see a little girl. She was pointing at Morgana, who was sitting next to Ren at Yusuke's side.
"Hm? Yeah, he is," Ren said before he turned back to Yusuke's sleeping body and began talking to Makoto again. "Makoto, what the fu-"
"Can I pet him?" the little girl asked.
Fuck off before I throw you in the river.
"Sure, I don't care. Anyway, Makoto-"
"He's kinda fat," the little girl said as she bent down to pet Morgana, who was eagerly holding his head up to receive affection.
"You're fat," Ren replied far too quickly. In an instant, he realized what he said, but his words were already being reacted to.
Dammit, Ren, you asshole.
The girl had promptly burst into tears. She slapped Ren on his back, harder than what should've been possible for a little girl, and ran away yelling for her mother. Ren felt horrible, but the little girl wasn't the only upset person he had to deal with.
"Ren," Makoto said in a tone that Ren did not have fond memories of. He could hear the Niijima Death Stare through the phone. "Did you just call me fat?"
Aw fuck. "No, Makoto, I didn't call you fat. I was just calling this six-year-old I met at the park fat. No big deal." Ren, you absolute buffoon. You better come up with the best lie of your life to get out of this one.
"No, fuck, I didn't. Morgana is going crazy over Yusuke passing out and I usually insult him to get him to shut up. I swear on my life that I wasn't calling you fat," Ren promptly made up on the spot.
"Er…" Makoto seemed to believe it. In Ren's mind, the lie was strange enough that no habitual liar could think of something that weird. It was too out-of-nowhere to be fake. "Fine. I believe you. To start with Yusuke, check his pulse."
Ren vaguely knew how to do this. He held his fingers over the spot that he had seen in the movies on Yusuke's neck. He could feel a heartbeat. It didn't feel abnormal. If Ren was being honest with himself, his current heartbeat was probably far more irregular than Yusuke's. "His heartbeat is fine." Ren checked Yusuke for other abnormalities. "He's not sweating, no snot under his nose, there's a little drool, but that's from when he was awake." Now that Ren was done checking Yusuke, it couldn't hurt to move away from the artist and let him get some air. It would also let Ren look around to see if any angry mothers were coming his way.
"Okay, Ren, I think he's alright, but you should take him to Tae's just in case. Can you do that?"
Ren was now standing up, anxiously tapping his feet as he kept an eye out for the worst possible thing that could happen. He wasn't looking at Yusuke. "Yeah, that'll be the easy part. Yusuke's light."
"You are correct. I am quite lithe," Yusuke said from behind Ren.
Ren wheeled around, shocked to see Yusuke now standing up and brushing off his pants. He must've gasped into the phone because now Makoto was talking again. "Ren? Is everything alright?"
"Uh… Yusuke just woke up. He's…"
"I feel wonderful."
"He's feeling wonderful," Ren finished saying to Makoto.
"What?! He just got up and is fine?!" Makoto couldn't believe it. Ren was witnessing it, and he couldn't believe it either.
"Yeah, he says he feels wonderful. Uh… I'll have him talk to Tae on the phone to see if it's worth the trip over there to get him checked out."
"Alright, Ren. Let me know what happens."
Ren dialed Tae's number and briefly explained what had happened. Ren then gave the phone to Yusuke, who would have a medical exam over the phone. Ren just sat with Morgana, admired the river, and feared retribution from the little girl, even if it was deserved. A few minutes later, Yusuke handed Ren the phone.
"The doctor says that I'm fine."
"Oh… so you're cool to go back to the dorms on your own?"
"Yes, I believe so. Thank you for attending my art practice, Ren."
"No problem, man. We should do it again."
No, we should definitely not. I just hope that Yusuke's learned his lesson about mushrooms. Shit, if he didn't learn it the first time, he definitely learned it now, right?
"That is possible," Yusuke said as he began picking up the pieces of the destroyed canvas and taking them to the trash can.
Ren figured he could help with a little bit of the cleanup, even if Yusuke obviously wasn't holding him to it. They spent the next few minutes cleaning up, said their goodbyes, and parted ways.
Ren Amamiya:
-Tae said Yusuke was fine. He went back to the Kosei dorms on his own.
That's a relief, Makoto thought to herself. She had been worried for the past half hour since Ren had initially called. It didn't help that she was already quite stressed about the coming week. Makoto was done with exams and she knew that she had done well, but she had far more important things on the horizon to worry about: the fireworks festival. She had to figure out what to wear, how people would perceive it, and how she would behave around Haru.
First and foremost, she had to text Ren back.
Makoto Niijima:
-Great. Thank you for doing that, Ren.
Ren Amamiya:
-You and Tae should be the ones taking credit, not me. I just let you two do the work.
Makoto Niijima:
-Yes, but you helped Yusuke in person. That's what matters, so thank you for helping him.
That felt like the standard time to end the conversation and for Makoto to put her phone down. Did she? No. She wanted to keep talking to Ren.
Makoto Niijima:
-Are you all set for tomorrow?
Ren Amamiya:
-As I'll ever be. I don't have yukata money, but I've got some decent clothes picked out.
Ren Amamiya:
-You?
Makoto didn't have yukata money either, and if she was going to wear one, it would have to be the one from a few years back. She hadn't had an excuse to wear it since before her father had died, and she hadn't attended the fireworks festival since she was fifteen. She tried the yukata earlier that day, pleasantly surprised to discover that it still fit. Not only that, but it didn't look worn or old. It was as pretty as ever.
Makoto Niijima:
-I think so. I have a yukata to wear, but I'm not sure if I'll wear it.
Even if it still looked good and fit, Makoto was on the fence. For starters, it was old. She'd be with friends, Ren and Ryuji excluded, who would all have newer yukata than her. If she wore the old one, then she'd be the odd one out. Second, and more significantly to Makoto, she wasn't sure if her yukata would live up to the others'. She did still consider it beautiful, but Makoto believed that Ann was guaranteed to unintentionally show everyone up.
Ren Amamiya:
-You should. I can already imagine how great you'll look.
How do I respond to that?! Makoto's mind raced as she tried to grab hold of a reasonable response.
Makoto Niijima:
-Thank you.
"Thank you?" That's all you can say? Makoto, what does Ren think of you right n- Makoto's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of another message.
Ren Amamiya:
-I mean it. I know that you'll look awesome.
Makoto smiled at the sentiment as another message arrived.
Ren Amamiya
-Maybe even as good as Yusuke lmao.
Makoto laughed.
Makoto Niijima:
-He's the one I'm most eager to see.
Ren Amamiya:
-Not me? :(
Makoto, you idiot! she thought regretfully.
Ren Amamiya:
-Just kidding. I'm also excited to see whatever the hell Yusuke is going to wear, but he's second on my list of most anticipated outfits.
Makoto smiled even wider at the message. Now, she had confirmed the yukata as her outfit for tomorrow. She would have to be sure to thank Ren for convincing her to go through with it.
Monday, 7/18
"Ready for tonight, Ren?" Ann asked eagerly as she turned around. The lunch bell had just rung and the rest of the class had followed their usual routine of flooding into the halls while Ren and Ann stayed seated.
"I gotta be. It's my duty as-"
"A Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness, thank you for reminding me," Ann sarcastically finished.
Ren chuckled. "I just think it's a funny title and I like saying it. It's dumb, and that's why I like it."
"Ren, there are far funnier things that you could be saying."
"Such as?" Ren smirked as he bounced the conversational pressure back to Ann.
"Hey, don't put this on me. Anyway, you sure you're ready for tonight? Apparently, the crowd is going to be record-breaking."
Ren had never been to a Tokyo fireworks festival, so that didn't hold any significance with him. "Yeah? What's that mean?"
"Well, the usual crowd has the square packed tight enough to be considered bone-breaking, and this year will have more people than ever."
"How fun."
"Mhm." Ann's expression darkened. "I never really had to deal with the crowd... Shiho used to live in an apartment with a great view of the fireworks. We'd ditch the crowd, hang out in her apartment, watch movies…" It was obviously painful for Ann to recall what were supposed to be warm memories. Ren didn't want to push her further into the memories, but Ann did it to herself. "We could've done that this year, but with all of GRAVY, a-and… but she's gone. She moved."
That's news. Well, I knew that she was gonna move, but I didn't know that it happened. I guess it's a good thing. Staying in Tokyo, where everything with Kamoshida went down seems like a horrible idea. Good for Shiho for being strong enough to leave it all behind.
"You guys are still in contact though?" Ren asked. There was a ninety-nine percent chance that he already knew that answer. He just wanted to remind Ann that Shiho hadn't been forcibly removed from her life, much like what was soon going to happen to Ann's other friend.
"Yeah, we text every few days. She's at a new school in the countryside. The school's not big enough for a volleyball team, but Shiho likes the lack of people." Ann, while still not her usual happy self, was much more positive when discussing Shiho's new life.
"Good for her. Tell her that I and the rest of GRAVY say hi," Ren said before adding the most important part. "Make sure you include my title as Lord of GRAVY-esque Goo-"
Ann actually laughed this time. "How could I forget?"
For one, you could be thinking about Haru. She's a good excuse to forget about important things. Also, you could be thinking about how to say goodbye to Haru because tonight is the last night you-
"Ren? Are you alright?" Ann asked, waving a hand in front of Ren's face. Ren snapped his attention to Ann and made eye contact.
What the fuck is wrong with you, Ren? You can't even have a conversation with Ann without making it about what's going wrong. Ren, hold yourself together, even if just for a night. I'm sure Haru doesn't want you acting like a moody fuck for her last free night.
"Never better. Just got a little distracted thinking about tonight," Ren said with a wonderfully acted chuckle.
"Oh, alright. C'mon, let's go get some lunch."
Haru squirmed in pink and white yukata as the limo neared Shibuya station. It was still a ways off, and the limo would have to be parked rather far from the station square because of the crowds, but they were getting close enough to hear the crowds. Haru knew that she was less than half an hour from being with her friends again.
Sugimura would stand in her way then, but he was currently sitting next to her in the limo. They occupied one end of the limo, while three burly bodyguards occupied the other. Sugimura wanted to bring the guards with them and go to some penthouse, and that threw a major wrench in Haru's plan. She hadn't yet acted to change Sugimura's mind and was running out of time.
Haru scooted closer to Sugimura. She loathed herself for getting this close to the man, but it was necessary. "Nobuo? Can we watch the fireworks with the crowd?"
"Nonsense. I've asked an acquaintance to lend us their penthouse. It'll be more than adequate to watch petty entertainment for plebeians," Sugimura said dismissively.
Do I really have to do this? Is it worth it? Haru thought of all of her friends in GRAVY. Yusuke, Ryuji, Ann, Ren, and Makoto. She wanted to make at least a few more memories with them before it was no longer possible. Haru knew what she had to do, but she still detested every second of it.
She gently put her hand on Sugimura's thigh, slowly tracing her fingers up and down. Haru had never attempted something like this, and she hoped that it didn't show. "Nobuo… I really, really want to watch the fireworks festival in the crowd. If you come with me… I might be a bit more sociable…" The emphasis she put on that last word nearly made Haru regret even trying this. When she saw the flattered and desperate look on Sugimura's face, the regret was wiped away and she knew that it was worth it.
"W-well," Sugimura stuttered with a gulp as he looked up and down Haru's body. Even Sugimura, in all his misogyny, was still a plaything at the hands of a woman who didn't even like him. "Arrangements can be made. Driver!" Sugimura called towards the front. The window that separated the driver from the backseat rolled down. "Pull over up ahead! We'll walk the rest of the way!"
The driver nodded and the window rolled back up. Haru was still tracing lines along Sugimura's thigh, as much as she hated it, but she continued doing it to not accidentally trigger the man. Thankfully, the car soon came to a stop and she halted her tempting of Sugimura to get out of the car.
Haru, needing to perfectly play the submissive role that Sugimura fell for, took the arm that Sugimura offered her and they began to walk towards the crowd that she could hear but couldn't see. Haru could also hear the footsteps of the bodyguards trailing behind her and Sugimura, and that was not good. She needed to get rid of them.
"Honey," God, she hated saying that, "could you get us some privacy?" Haru nodded towards the guards, not thinking that her request would be answered. To her surprise, Sugimura nodded at the guards and they stopped trailing the pair. Maybe Haru was better at playing her part than she thought.
They continued walking, arm in arm, to the growing noise of the crowd. They soon turned the corner, and Haru realized just how huge the fireworks festival was. She had never attended from the ground, usually watching from a rooftop party or on TV. From the ground, she was able to finally understand just how picked things were. Upon seeing the crowd of what must've been thousands gathered in the station square and through the street, Haru recognized how easy it would be to slip away. Plus, it would only get more crowded as the starting time got closer.
Sugimura was obviously uncomfortable with the crowd. Haru could hear displeased noises coming from his mouth and could feel him fidgeting. She took pleasure in his discomfort and quickened their pace. They got to the crowd, and it came time for Haru to take initiative. "Nobuo, I have to run to the bathroom quickly. Could you wait at that convenience store over there?" She pointed at an easily noticeable store that would serve as her landmark of where to stay away from.
"Haru, I will not stand for-"
"Please?" Haru asked, fluttering her eyes.
Do girls really do this? Do guys even like it? Sugimura's jaw shifting around answered her question.
"Fine. Be quick about it. I expect you to obey me when we return home tonight," Sugimura said. Haru would've shuddered at the thought if she hadn't been temporarily released from Sugimura. She turned away from him and went into the crowd. If Sugimura didn't believe that getting to the nearest bathroom involved walking directly into the heart of the crowd, he didn't show it. He had already turned and started walking to the convenience store.
Haru made her way through the crowd. She didn't dare push anyone, even lightly, as she didn't want to risk someone getting angry with her and ruining the night. Without being aggressive, Haru made good time on her way through the crowd. It was typically a ten to fifteen-minute walk from the station square to Ren's apartment. Haru guessed that the crowd would add an extra ten minutes.
As she continued walking, she couldn't help but smile at the success of the plan. Sugimura had been far easier to deceive than she would've thought, and losing him along with his bodyguards had gone off without a hitch. Also, even if Sugimura realized what was happening, it would be too late for him to do anything. His first option would be to find Haru in the haystack of Shibuya. His second option was to admit to the bodyguards that he had lost his fiancée and take a hit to his pride. Because of Sugimura's arrogance, Haru knew that he wouldn't attempt the second option, and because of her lack of a phone, it was nearly impossible for Sugimura to track her in the crowd.
Haru still wondered how the reaction would go when she arrived home that night. Sugimura would be angry, but his father would hopefully keep in check. That is if Hajime was even at home. Haru couldn't let her livelihood depend on a chance, so she counted Hajime's help out.
What about her father? Kunikazu was dismissive of Haru's qualms about the marriage, but would he really let Sugimura assault Haru in his home? Probably not. However, yet again, Haru couldn't count on her father being home, even today, Sunday, when he usually took a day off.
Now that Haru thought about it, her father was home that day. She had planned on telling him that she was going to the festival that evening, but when she went to leave her room, she heard her father furiously yelling. Fearing whatever it could be, she chose to not leave her room. Maybe her father still wasn't aware of her going to the fireworks festival. Haru was fine with that. If her father was aware, he probably didn't care.
Haru had gotten through the bulk of the crowd and was emerging into the street that led to Ren's apartment building. She was so close to her goal that it didn't take long to reach the building, where she took a quick look around to make sure that no one had followed her before she entered the lobby.
Within the lobby, many groups of people stood around, most dressed in yukata or more fashionable attire. Haru assumed that they were waiting until the fireworks started. She glanced around the room, and saw what she was looking for: the five other members of GRAVY were standing in a corner of the lobby, eagerly chattering amongst themselves.
Haru carefully looked at each of her friend's outfits. Makoto had worn what Haru thought to be the best outfit of the group. Her white yukata was delicately colored with red flowers. Yusuke was second. His navy blue yukata was adorned with a golden obi that made for a nice visual contrast. Ann was in third. She wore a baby blue yukata that had red, pink, and yellow designs all over it. Fourth was Ren. He didn't wear a yukata, he just went with a white button-up over a black t-shirt with jeans. It was still nicer than Ryuji, who had just gone with his usual casual tank top and shorts. Haru didn't really care how little effort or how much effort went into people's outfits. She was just happy to see everyone.
Taking a deep breath, Haru made her approach. Ryuji was the first one to notice her. "Hey, 'sup, Haru?!" he excitedly called as she made her way over. The others turned and looked at her. Haru felt warm from all the appreciative smiles she received as she looked her friends in the eyes for what would be one of her last times doing so. However, there was one flaw, one weak smile: Ren had barely managed to curl his lips. Haru tried not to think much of it. It was petty to be angry at him for such a trivial matter, and it wasn't like Ren was as much of a grinner as Ryuji or Ann. Still, it was a little unnerving.
"Hello, everyone!" Haru said cheerfully. "Sorry if I kept you waiting."
"Nah, you're good. We still have time to kill before the show starts anyway," Ryuji said with a grin. "And we gotta make our way to a spot that I figured would be good." Ryuji checked his watch. "It'll take us… eh, twenty minutes to get there?"
"Should probably go now," Ren said calmly.
"I must agree. I do not wish to be late," Yusuke concurred.
"Yeah, that'd suck. Let's get going," Ann said.
The group all agreed and left the building. As they walked down the streets that grew more and more crowded as they neared the station square, the group narrowed into groups of two. Ryuji and Yusuke led the front, Ren and Makoto formed the middle, and Haru and Ann held up the back. Each group was excitedly bantering back and forth, some more than others—Haru could hear everything Ryuji was saying—and the mood was light.
"How do you think you did on your exams?" Ann asked Haru.
Haru had done fine. She usually got in between above average and great scores on her exams in previous years. This year was no different. "I think I'll be happy with whatever I get. Some stuff was difficult, but these exams don't matter much."
"Yeah, I get that. Entrance exams are the big ones, huh?"
Haru was thankful that Ann had missed the meaning of what she actually said. The exams didn't really matter, not because of college entrance exams, but because of Haru's impending marriage. Haru did her best to keep up her cheerful tone and pretend that nothing was wrong. "Yes, those are the big ones," Haru said, slipping in a giggle for safe measure.
"So now that exams are over, what're you thinking for summer?" Ann asked. "Any updates on that trip you mentioned?"
Haru actually had thought about that, but it was more in the sense of longing over missed potential. Her family vacation home would remain empty for yet another year, and her friends would never get to see it. But she couldn't disappoint Ann, so Haru couldn't tell the truth. "Maybe, but we'll have to see. There's still a chance that we can't go, so I don't want to let anyone done."
"Totally understandable, but if anything is happening, we should get moving on planning it. If we went on vacation for a week, that's not really something you can just decide to do the day of."
"Mhm." Haru didn't want to say more. She just wanted to continue friendly banter with her friends and have a fun night, which it mostly was so far.
They got to the station square and faced the massive crowd of people, who were loudly buzzing about the coming festivities. GRAVY had been forced to go single file and hold hands to make sure that no one got lost in the crowd because it was just that dense.
Apparently, according to the information that had been passed down the line to Haru, they were nearing the spot that Ryuji had planned for. She hoped it was a good one. She didn't want her last happy memory to be blocked from her sight by a giant crowd.
"All the preparations have been made?"
"Yes."
"And the job is done?"
"Yes."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, sir," Akechi said bitterly. Repeating himself was never something that he was fond of.
"Hah, good… that'll show everyone that they need to know their place. Ambition amongst the weak only begets failure, Akechi."
"Very true."
"Well…" He checked his watch. "Looks like it's about time" He picked up his wine glass from the desk. "A toast to you, Akechi. Another job well done!"
Ren took a deep breath of the warm summer air. The fireworks were going to begin any minute, and he was ready to witness the much-anticipated event. He had requested time the night off from work for this, which Sojiro obliged, so it had to be worth it. With how much people raved about fireworks festivals in Tokyo, Ren was confident that it would be great.
He and the rest of GRAVY had found a nice spot against a building that had been unoccupied until the club filled the space. Ren was standing next to Makoto, but they weren't doing much talking at this point. They didn't want to miss the first firework going off. They had a great view of Shibuya, with all its people and giant televisions in their view. It was perfect.
Eh, the fireworks won't have shit on Makoto. That yukata… god damn.
Ren was incredibly confused on how Makoto even questioned wearing the yukata in the first place. She looked stunning in it. He took a glance at her, was caught, and then shared a short smile with Makoto when he heard the first boom. They both snapped their heads in the direction of the fireworks to see an explosion of color in the sky, a red and orange eruption going in all directions.
Okay, that's fucking awesome. It does live up to the hype.
Compelled by the shared emotion that was felt going through the crowd, Ren put his arm around Makoto. He was already happy enough standing next to her and watching the fireworks, but he was beyond elated when she didn't shrug his arm off and leaned into him.
"You look beautiful tonight, Makoto," he muttered to her. He didn't want to be heard by Ryuji, because he would never hear the end of it.
"Thanks, R-"
Everything went black. The televisions and all the power in the square were simultaneously cut to black. A gasp went through the crowd, but all the previous chattering faded into nothingness as they looked around to figure out what was going on.
Uh… what the fuck is going on?
Despite the blackout, the fireworks continued booming in the background. People began calling out in anger, though Ren wasn't sure at what.
Even more suddenly than the power being cut, it was back. All the giant televisions and screens in the square were now playing the same channel: the news station that Ren usually put on. The familiar newswoman looked tired, but still upheld her standard of enthusiasm. The elevated view of the city through the window behind her showed the fireworks going off.
The crowd had gone dead silent since the power returned as if they all recognized that something big was happening. Ren was surprised to hear nothing out of GRAVY, and he would've turned to check on the others if the newswoman hadn't begun speaking.
"Earlier today, we received this," the woman said as she held up a familiar black card. Collective gasps of worry, amazement, and confusion were heard all at once from the crowd.
It's a calling card. You're fucking joking.
A new headline popped onto the news screen: 'The Prince Strikes Again?' The newswoman began reading the card. "Sir Hajime Sugimura, the innocence-consuming sinner of lust. You rob girls of their purity and extend your indulgence to others for profit. Your friends, the powerful elite of Japan, are just as guilty as you. Now, you dare place your name in the hat of the prime minister without regret. For your sins, you will die by your own hand. Within the minute, you will breathe your last breath. The girls you sold cannot save you, your bid for importance cannot save you, and those you benefited from will not save you. You are already dead," the newswoman delivered with unwavering certainty over the words. Ren could feel the panic rippling through the crowd. It was only a matter of time until the square erupted into chaos.
"Sincerely…"
Suddenly, a figure dropped onto the screen, but it was behind the window that overlooked the city. The silhouette dangled from a rope. The newswoman did not notice. Screams came from the crowd, but they were quickly silenced as the body slowly began to spin to face the camera. The cameraman attempted to get the camera out of the way, but they weren't fast enough.
The freshly hung corpse of Hajime Sugimura was shown to all of Tokyo.
"...The Prince of Japan, A.K."