A/N: Here's the chapter. I didn't post last week because I received some heartbreaking news last Tuesday. It fucked me up, and I was unable to finish the chapter on time. I didn't want to post it late, because it felt inappropriate to do so. Sorry that you guys had to wait longer for the chapter.

47 is going fine, but it is a bit behind schedule because of the events of last week. It's possible to finish it for Wednesday, but I wouldn't be surprised if the chapter comes out Thursday.

Anyway, that's it for notes. Thank you guys for waiting, thank you even more for reading, and I hope you have a great day.

Sunday, 7/17

"Please! I have money! I'll give anything!"

What a tiresome line that was to hear for probably the hundredth time. Sugimura's groveling had grown repetitive as well, and Akechi was considering shooting the shadow in what should've been the most enjoyable part. Sadly, there was little interesting about Sugimura's pleading. Just another exploitative person in power who cowered when their own mortality rose on the horizon.

Hell, his palace had even been tame. Factories were strangely common among the dogs, perhaps because viewing workers as nothing but machines was far more prevalent than it should've been. The twist to Sugimura's palace was that he didn't view the workers as machines—those were just literal machines—but that the products that were being produced were the girls that he would sell to the elite.

Akechi had looked at the numbers; Sugimura had made good money off of it. It was how he'd funded his political aspirations all these years. It had also put him in good standing with those he had sold to, and that was probably more helpful in politics than any sum of money. Knowing the right people took one far in life.

Unfortunately for Hajime Sugimura, he had known the right people for far longer than he should've. He'd gotten too ambitious, attempting to distance himself from the United Future Party and campaigning to be the prime minister. It was ballsy, Akechi would give him that, but it was foolish, especially when Sugimura was already aware of the long-term plans the UFP had.

Plus, his operation had grown too large to hide. Not only was Sugimura selling to the elite of Japan, but he had also expanded overseas. Wealthy and powerful Americans had proved to be an untapped market. Perhaps Akechi had to go there for some more entertaining palaces. Alas, his business would stay in Japan and end there. Beyond that, Akechi had no plans for the distant future.

He knew what he was going to do for the time being, though.

He pressed the gun to Sugimura's head. "Money, money, money… why is that the first thing you people always throw away? Do you even care about what you worked for?" Akechi bitterly asked. He was taunting the shadow, rubbing the gun on his forehead.

"Y-you don't want money? I can give you anything! Girls, p-power… you n-name it!"

"Sugimura-san, I seriously doubt that," Akechi spat as he pulled the gun away momentarily to monologue. "A rat like you has nothing important to give. I want more than you can comprehend, more than is within the little power you have. What you can offer me shouldn't concern you. You should be more concerned with what you can offer the world." Ah, the faint hint of hope in Sugimura's eyes was beautiful. Akechi's boredom dissipated.

"Ch-charity? I'll give it all away!"

"Sugimura-san, tell me. Did the girls you stole right from their high schools beg you for freedom?" Sugimura started crying. Akechi could tell that it wasn't remorse. Remorse changed the mood of a palace. What the shadow was feeling was fear. Akechi knew it by how weak the security level was; Sugimura had realized how vulnerable he was. "Or do you think they saved it for the seventy-year-old men that you gave them to?"

Akechi knew the answer to both questions. Not only was Sugimura the one providing merchandise to others, but he was also actively engaging with said merchandise. Why else would he be flying all his wealthy friends out to his private islands in the Pacific? Oh, and there were the tidbits scattered across the palace, but Akechi had done his best to forget such filth. Hajime had definitely heard and dismissed his share of begging.

"P-please! Anything!" Sugimura reminded Akechi of his lackluster offer.

"Well, for starters, execute you son." What a nightmare Nobuo's cognition had been. He wandered the factory, occasionally abusing products on the manufacturing lines. Akechi would kill the cognition every time he saw him, but Nobuo would always pop up somewhere else, spouting new misogynistic quotes. It seemed to represent that Nobuo was a persistent nuisance to his father. "Ah, forgive me. Asking a man to throw away the life of a loved one is a horrible thing to do," Akechi scathingly spat, feeling hatred and fleeting sorrow for someone who Sugimura didn't even know. "Instead, I must ask that you repent b-"

"Yes! Of course!"

"You didn't let me finish." Akechi hated being interrupted. He pressed the gun into the shadow's forehead hard. "You must repent by demonstrating your guilt in front of those that you have wronged: all of Japan. Hang yourself from the eastside of the TNN Center roof at seven-thirty-two in the evening, tomorrow. Make sure that the rope you use is twenty-two meters."

It was troubling how easy it was to convince shadows to throw their lives away. They were always so frightened by his gun and of their potential death, but telling a bus driver to drive off a bridge was easy, so long as Akechi was in a position of power.

"Yes! I'll do it!"

"Oh, and just before you do that, tell your son that-"

Monday, 7/18

Father:

-You are a disappointment and always have been. I wish I could say that you were adopted, but I fathered a miserable failure like you.

"What?!" Nobuo yelled as he stood outside the convenience store. He got more than a few strange glances, but the peasants didn't dare gaze upon him longer than he allowed. They wouldn't be able to understand his aura. Apparently, Nobuo's father couldn't understand his aura either.

Preposterous! This must be a mistake! Nobuo was angry that his father even allowed someone else to touch his phone. What kind of imbecile lets someone tarnish their personal possessions with the fingerprints of the unclean?

Father:

-I know what you are thinking: "This must be a mistake." No, it is not. You are a disappointment. You always have been, always will be. The world would be better off without you. Your mother is lucky that she died at childbirth so that she didn't have to suffer through raising you.

Nobuo was furious! How dare that idiot say something like that? He didn't understand Nobuo's true intellect, that was all, just like the plebeians surrounding Nobuo. He was getting more odd glances and was about ready to show his upper-class authority when he remembered something: Haru should've been back by now.

She dares to forsake me?! I'll show her… to slight a Sugimura brings misfortune! Sugimura arrogantly thought as a smirk came to his face. The image of him finally showing Haru what she was worth was going to be reality, eventually. Why not tonight?

Sugimura plotted all the ways he could scar the girl when he realized something: the square had gone pitch black. Hushed panic went through the crowd, but Sugimura didn't care. He would be fine, no matter what happened. The peasants would recognize his supremacy through his aura and would place his safety above their own.

Suddenly, every screen in the area lit up with the TNN broadcast. The familiar face of Hisoka Ishikawa lit up the screen. Nobuo knew Ishikawa from when they had met at a dinner party roughly a year back. He had attempted to assert his dominance and seduce the woman, but she fell victim to a rude yet aloof man. It didn't matter. Nobuo always had his private relationship with a (distant, or so Nobuo had been told) cousin of his to fall back on when his advances were not reciprocated and in public.

Hisoka was holding a black card towards the camera. What is that… is it one of those calling cards that the criminal received? Bah, entertainment for the sheep. I pity them, Sugimura thought as he watched on.

Sugimura's phone buzzed. He checked the new message.

Father:

-This is because of you.

"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."

This is… this is a scam! A foul prank! Father is careful about his girls! He silences those who speak up! No one could ever know! And father dying by his own hand? What rubbish. The only end a Sugimura experiences is death by age, Nobuo thought, though he was growing nervous. He had to wipe his hands on his pants, but it did little to stop the sweating that came.

"Sincerely…"

Suddenly, a figure dropped onto the screen, but it was behind the window that overlooked the city. The silhouette dangled from a rope. Ishikawa hadn't noticed yet and was still smiling at the camera. Screams came from the crowd, but the slowly spinning body silenced them. The cameraman attempted to point the camera the other way, but they weren't fast enough and the camera's movement halted at the perfect time.

Nobuo watched as the corpse's front spun into view and he saw the now purple face of the man who had raised him. His obviously broken neck looked hideously crooked, even with the noose tightly wrapped around it.

"…The Prince of Japan, A.K."

The crowd erupted into screams, and that's when the panic truly began. For whatever reason, people began running, including Ishikawa, who had run off-screen as soon as someone pointed the body out to her from behind the camera. Sugimura was not among those people. The sight of his father's body transfixed Nobuo. Black bile oozed from Hajime's mouth and eyes, which had rolled back into his head. The body swayed in the wind as fireworks went off in the background, with the body bumping into the window several times.

Why aren't the cameras cutting?! When will the trickery be revealed?! When will Ishikawa return to frame and announce the joke?! Tears formed in his eyes. Not because his father was dead, but because people thought he was stupid enough to believe this crap. Nobuo was of superior intellect. He would never fall for a juvenile prank like this.

That was a lie. Part of him fell for it. "Father!" he called to the largest screen. The cameras still hadn't cut. It was like someone wanted the image to be hammered into the brains of everyone watching. However, no one in the square was watching anymore, excluding Sugimura. Everyone was rushing to get out of the square. More than a few people bumped into Sugimura, and that was all that distracted him from the screens. "Hey, watch it, you fil-" An even larger person unintentionally rammed into Nobuo, knocking him to the ground.

Within seconds, no one knew that Nobuo ever stood there. Person upon person trampled him, the crowd constantly moving atop him. He yelled out in agony, and in disbelief that common rabble would have the guts to do something so vile to the heir to an empire.

"I am better than all of-" a foot kicked Nobuo's face, interrupting him. He tried to grab that foot to teach its owner a lesson, but he lost it among the sea of feet that was constantly stepping on the man. "I will have you all executed! When my fath-"

His father. Who was Nobuo's father anymore? Hajime was dead, as seen on TV. Ishikawa hadn't come back to say the punchline, and no one had laughed. As foot after foot stepped on Nobuo, they hammered in the crushing reality that his father was dead.

Nobuo felt no pain over the loss. Well, no mental pain. He would inherit the fortune, as well as the operation, and he still had the marriage with the Okumura bitch to look forward to in August. Even with Hajime gone, Nobuo was still set for life. And, as a bonus, his (supposedly distant) cousin was always around for a good time.

Nobuo just had to undergo trial by trampling to make it to the other side.

GRAVY immediately recognized that it was a seriously dreadful thing to be in the square when the crowd was going crazy. The building that they had watched the fireworks next to was also a convenience store, but that part didn't really matter. What did matter was that the crowd was mostly trying to get out of the square, not go into buildings. GRAVY had taken shelter in the store and was waiting, however long it would take, for the crowd to disperse.

Ren was sure that everyone was reacting differently to whatever the hell had just transpired. Ryuji had a crazed, paranoid look in his eye, but he was looking out the window and keeping the group updated with news on the crowd. Ann was obviously distressed, but she contained that and sought to comfort Haru, who seemed confused and worried over what had just happened. Makoto was going back and forth between Ryuji and Haru, trying to help both by stepping up and taking charge, but Ren could tell she was struggling.

And then there's me, standing around like a fucking idiot. Move, you piece of shit. At least do something.

Ren pulled his phone out of his pocket.

No, not that! Now it looks like you don't care! At least talk to Haru or-

Ren did a double-take as he examined what had popped onto his phone screen. Someone had airdropped him a file, an article written by Kayo Murakami.

"Hajime Sugimura, and his crimes against your naivety." Fuck, this will not be good. And why the hell did I get this? Who sent this?

Ren checked the sender, not expecting anything to be revealed. He was right. It listed the sender as anonymous. Ren shook his head and looked up from his phone to Makoto, who was standing next to Haru, trying to calm the girl down.

I don't blame Haru for freaking out. Hajime associated with her father, and she's probably worried about him. Or maybe she's worried about herself. Actually, I have no fucking clue. Ren, don't you ever remember how awful you are with this stuff? Maybe if you could remember that one thing, then you'd stop fucking up. Seeing someone die on television would freak anyone out. Unless Haru tells you it's more than that, don't make any assumptions about what she's thinking.

"Hey, Makoto?" Ren asked. He wanted to see how unique he was. "Could you check your phone real quick? It's important, I swear."

Makoto curiously eyed Ren. It did not upset her. With her eyes, she questioned why Ren would ask her to take her attention away from Haru. She pulled her phone from her pocket and tapped the screen a few times. Ren saw her face contort, and he knew he wasn't the only one. He turned to Ryuji, who was standing at the store window. Some people were still rushing past it. "Ryuji, check your phone!" Ren called over.

"Dude, is this-"

"Just fucking do it!"

Ryuji hastily checked his phone, and Ren saw the same reaction as Makoto. "Who the eff is Kayo Murakami?!"

Okay, so I'm guessing that we all got it. Is it just GRAVY, or did others get it as well?

Ren stepped away from the group and went to the storefront. The shop manager was distressed reading his phone, not even noticing when Ren approached him. "Sir?" Ren asked. Something on the man's phone screen had absorbed him into reading. Ren leaned over the counter to discover it was the same article.

Fuck. What does this mean?!

Ren went back to GRAVY's corner of the building. "Alright, guys… I got some news." Haru and Ann looked up at him. Makoto was already paying attention, and Ryuji turned around to join the group. "It looks like someone airdropped everyone this article," he said as he held up his phone. Ann squinted to read the title. "I haven't read it. I just wanted to discuss what we should do. Should we read it, delete it…? What do you guys think?"

"Eff deletin' it!" Ryuji declared. "Ren, you know damn well that we're reading it!" Ryuji's comments rang true as the other group members nodded in agreement. Ren had expected this reaction. He had only brought up the possibility of choice so that he wouldn't feel responsible if whatever was in the article was harmful to someone in the group.

Fuck it. Let's do this.

"Ahem." Everyone directed their attention to Makoto, who was looking down at her phone. "'Hajime Sugimura and his crimes against your naivety' by Kayo Murakami. If you are reading this, then you have just witnessed the just death of one of Japan's most monstrous men…"

It wasn't a brief article. It took Makoto more than a few minutes to read through the detailed summaries of Sugimura's misdeeds. He would "recruit" girls while they were in high school, some even younger than that, through shady means. Sugimura and his employees had tricked the girls into binding service, only allowed out when they outgrew the tastes of the men Sugimura had picked them for. Sugimura would ship most of them to a private island he had, where they would stay and assist in "hosting" the guests on the island. He auctioned the ones who didn't go to the island to the wealthy that stayed in Japan.

Ren felt sick to his stomach as he heard Makoto stutter out the sickening details. He thought of Haru being sent away after Nobuo tossed her aside during marriage. Ren couldn't even feel relief from knowing that Sugimura was now dead. The moment of the man's death was too surreal to believe.

Makoto continued to read off explanations of Sugimura's crimes that came because of his trafficking. The names of several missing journalists, some foreign as well, had been traced back to Sugimura. There were documents that proved his aversion to paying taxes.

Finally, the article began its most confusing part: the death of Hajime Sugimura. How could Kayo Murakami write something so thorough and so rapidly about events that happened just minutes prior?

It'd be impossible. That means that someone planned this. Kayo Murakami is an accomplice to the Prince, or she is the Prince. But wouldn't that make her a princess? Pay attention, Ren.

Apparently, an unnamed private investigator was eerily close to finding damning evidence in the weeks leading up to Sugimura's death. That investigator had informed the police, hoping to get a head start on the paperwork for an arrest, but they underestimated the extent of Sugimura's payroll. Someone in the police tipped him off. The article ended with that and a reminder that Sugimura was running for prime minister, neither associated nor disassociating the private investigation with Sugimura's suicide. The end of the article made a point of telling the reader to not trust politicians, even if others do.

But who's the investigator? And who hired the investigator? And is the article implying that Sugimura killed himself because of the investigation by ending the article with that information? Shit… this is a lot. But if he killed himself, how did this article know it was going to happen and how did the Prince know it was going to happen within a minute of a calling card being read? None of this adds up.

As if it was fate, the missing puzzle piece crazily ran into the store. "Sugimura didn't kill himself!" a deranged man yelled. "It's a cover-up for what the elite are doing!"

Is the tinfoil hat the right hat to wear tonight? Eh, why not. The investigator was close to getting actual evidence of Sugimura's crimes and was close to an arrest. If the police arrested Sugimura, he would go to trial. By that point, it would come out that wealthy people were using Sugimura's services, so prosecution would probably cut a deal with Sugimura for reduced jail time if he ratted out who was paying him. So, in theory, those people that Sugimura would've ratted out killed him. They put together the Prince thing, as well as timing the news broadcast perfectly with Sugimura's death. They also could airdrop to everyone in the square the same article. I guess it makes sense. So then why not just kidnap Sugimura and kill him in private? Did they want to put on a show? I'm just going to go with the idea that they wanted to send a message that anyone who fucks things up for them is going to die. What fun.

Ren rubbed his head. Even just attempting to put everything together gave him a headache. The others in the group were struggling to wrap their heads around things, some more than others. "The eff does it mean?!" Ryuji frustratedly yelled. No one answered his question.

Ren looked outside. The crowd in the square had thinned dramatically, and it wasn't nearly as frantic as the moments following Sugimura's death. Ren wanted to just go home, lie in bed with Morgana at his side, and end the day, but he wanted to make sure the other members of GRAVY were alright first. "Guys?" he asked, getting their attention. They all had been solemnly considering the information bar Ryuji, who was pacing back and forth. "I think we're able to go home now."

The group looked past Ren and through the window to the square. Ren couldn't exactly read their expressions, but he could tell that they agreed. Even Haru, who Ren thought would be completely out of it, seemed ready to go home.

Wait a minute… Haru shouldn't go home. She ditched Nobuo to spend time with us. That's guaranteed to piss him off, but now he probably just watched his dad die. I think it's safe to say that he's at least a little high-strung. He would hurt Haru if she went back tonight. I can't let that happen.

"Haru? Are you gonna go back to your place or…?" Ren wasn't asking, even if he posed it as a question. He just didn't want to come off the wrong way.

"I… I don't know." She didn't meet Ren's eyes. She just kept staring out the window. "Nobuo will be angry."

That's an understatement.

"She can stay with me," Makoto suddenly blurted. Everyone in the group, Haru included, turned and looked at Makoto. "My sister is never home, so she won't know, and it'll keep me, Haru, and Ren close by in case something goes bad and we need to meet."

Good idea. I guess it's just a matter of time till Nobuo gets kicked out of the Okumura house, so we're playing the waiting game with an impatient cunt. Easy enough.

"If it's necessary…" Haru began, but she trailed off.

"It's necessary, Haru," Ryuji said. He spoke too casually for such a topic and for someone who was fuming moments prior, but it was Ryuji. "Makoto's is the safest place for you to be."

Haru nodded. "I'll stay with Mako-chan." She turned to the student council president and brought her into a hug. The gesture initially confused Makoto, but she soon caught on and hugged Haru back. "Thank you," Haru said.

"Anytime, Haru…" Makoto said as she made eye contact with Ren while hugging her friend.

"Okay, I think it's time to go. Everyone gonna be able to get home safely?" Ann and Ryuji, the ones Ren was actually asking, nodded. "Good. See you guys tomorrow, stay safe."

Tuesday, 7/19

Is this it? Has the moment of truth finally arrived?

The lunch bell had rung and the other class members had flown out of the room even more swiftly than usual. Ren knew exactly why: teachers had posted scores for exams. While Ren wasn't one to rush out of class, he was eager to see his score, given that a lot depended on it. He left classroom 2-D far faster than usual, with Ann trailing behind him.

"Think you did well?" she asked.

"I better, or else Kawakami-sensei is going to have a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day," Ren immediately answered, despite Ann having no way of knowing what he meant.

She just laughed it off as Ren being sarcastic yet again. Ren didn't know if he liked that. He had been honest with Ann about Tae, and she had taken it as a joke. True, Ren didn't help his case by telling her that information as if it was a joke, but it was a little frustrating. At least such a thing was inconsequential, so Ren didn't actually have to worry about it, no matter how much it mildly aggravated him.

"How 'bout you?" Ren replied as they kept walking.

"Middle of the road, as usual. It's not that big of a deal for me."

"I wish I could be in the same boat. I'm gonna have to have more detention if I fuck this up."

"Okay, Ren, that's not that bad," Ann said as she casually smacked his shoulder. "People think that Kuramoto-san is really nice."

"Yeah, that's not the problem anymore. She and I are fine." That was a lie. Ren held a grudge against her, even if it proved him to have thinner skin than he thought, but he couldn't let her get away with accusing him of owning Risette's live album. That was just plain rude. "I just don't want to lose time every afternoon when we get back this fall because I scored slightly lower than some kids whose very existence depends on them doing well on exams."

"That's a little mean, Ren," Ann chided. They just went down the steps and were approaching the area that housed the bulletin board with the exam scores.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm a little on edge because… you know."

Ren wasn't the only one. Sugimura's death had become more talked about than Ren's alleged methamphetamine labs under the school gym. Kids had been repeating information from the article, as well as a few of them donning the same metaphorical tinfoil hat that Ren had worn in the store the night before. Ren couldn't count on his fingers how many times he had heard that Sugimura didn't kill himself.

"I get it. I'm worried too. Have you seen Haru today? I hope she's doing alright," Ann said. Ren had not. Like Ann, he wondered how she was doing. Ren figured that if he were in Haru's shoes, he'd be absolutely elated about Hajime's death. It would mean that there would be close to zero chance that the marriage would happen. There was simply nothing to be gained from marrying Nobuo, who only received his father's wealth, not his political connections. Also, Ren was sure that going near a Sugimura would be a public relations nightmare for anyone. Haru's father definitely didn't want that.

"Nah, haven't seen her. I'm guessing that if she's not already on the roof, she's coming here to check her score," Ren said as they turned the corner into the crowd that was already there to see how they had done.

Let's see… I could just pull what I did last time and yell some shit to get everyone out of the way… no. Today's not the day. I'm sure Sugimura's death freaks a few people out. I don't need to stress them out. Aw, Ren, you're so kind.

Ren and Ann stood around the edge of the crowd and waited their turns. It didn't take long, as people were just checking a number and walking away. Ren heard a few whispers when he got to the board, but they were far less important than whatever number was next to his name.

I swear to the GRAVY god that if I'm not in the top five, everyone is going to know that Kawakami is a maid. She had me pay for the maid stuff. Well, technically for her sister, who's in the hospital, but she took my money for making sure that I did well on my exams.

Ren, because he wanted to build up to the moment of truth at least a little, read upwards from roughly the twenty-fifth name to the top. There weren't many familiar names, and Ren got a little tense when he reached the top ten. It was a good thing that Ren hadn't seen his name yet, but it still made him paranoid.

Five: who? Four: who? Three: wh- wait, I know that guy. Asshole. Two: who? One: Ren mother-effin' Amamiya, god damn! Good shit. Be sure to thank Kawakami and Makoto. Oh, and don't forget to gloat when you're at Makoto's apartment and Sae asks for your score, Ren.

Ren glanced over the other scores. Ann was in the middle of the pack, Ryuji wasn't looking so good, and that did it for the second-years that Ren gave a shit about. He looked over at the list for first-years, and saw that Yoshizawa had come in eighth in her year. Ren smiled when he saw that. He scanned the list for third-years. Yuriko had done a little above average and was only a few spots behind Haru. Dai was in last, as expected. Finally, at the top of the list sat the wonderful name of Makoto Niijima.

Good for her. I'll have to congratulate her when I thank her. Maybe I can ask her on a date after. That'll be fun. But where the fuck do we go? Eh, I'll figure something out. Alright, I think I'm done with the list. Time to lea- what the fuck is that?!

Someone who Ren wasn't very fond of had done very well: Yoshiro Takata was in third place. If Ren remembered correctly, Yoshiro had done well on the midterm exams, but he wasn't anywhere near where he was now. Ren almost couldn't believe it until a thought occurred to him.

He's gotta do something with all that time he has on his hands from the volleyball team being in limbo. Might as well study. And I guess I can say I beat Yoshiro into doing better in school. Maybe Ayumi will thank me for that. I should reach—no, you fucking shouldn't, Ren. You and Yoshiro are done. Don't you remember what happened? You lost control and made a fool of yourself. He deserved it, but you just gave in to everyone's expectations for you. Starting more shit with Yoshiro will just prove that you're the criminal that everyone thinks you are. Please, just grow the hell up, if not for your own sake, then for Makoto. The only reason she hangs out with you at this point is because you manipulated her into liking you by letting her depend on you during the Kaneshiro shit. You're a fucking child, and she'll seen that soon enough unless you change.

"Hey, could you move?! You're blocking the list!" some random kid yelled as he tapped Ren on the shoulder.

Ren was not in a great mood. He spun around and looked at the kid, who was a few inches shorter than Ren.

Ren, I swear to Tae's thighs that if you start shit-

"Sorry, my bad," Ren tried to say as nonchalantly as possible. Apparently, it worked. The kid just shrugged as Ren moved out of the way and took his place in front of the scores list. Ren looked at the guy for a few seconds before turning and leaving the crowd. Ann, who had finished checking her score before Ren, had moved out of the crowd so that someone else could take her place. Ren met up with her on the outskirts of the crowd and they went back the way they came.

As they walked down the hall, they ran into some familiar faces. "Oh, what's up?" Ren asked as he and Ann approached Makoto and Haru. Haru looked different from how she usually did, but Ren just couldn't put his finger on what it was.

"Hey, Ren. Hey, Ann," Makoto said. "Haru and I are on our way to check the scores. Is that where you're coming from?"

Ren looked closely at Haru, trying to pin down what was new when it finally hit him.

Ren, you idiot. She's wearing the same outfit as Makoto. That shouldn't have taken you that long.

Instead of her sleeveless turtleneck that she had been wearing since the weather had gotten warmer, she had the same white dress shirt as Makoto. They both wore Shujin skirts and black leggings.

"Yeah. There's a sizable crowd, but it doesn't take that long," Ren said. When Makoto, Haru, and Ann all nodded at him, he realized how dumb what he had said was. They would know far better than him how long it would take to check scores, as each of them had gone to Shujin for far longer than him. Thankfully for Ren's self-esteem, no one made a pointed joke at him for it. They just moved on.

"How'd you do on your exam?" Makoto asked. The look she directly gave Ren let her know how hopeful she was that he did well. He was excited to not disappoint her, but he couldn't help but feel a little confused.

Is this really what we're going to talk about? Haru is right here. There's more important shit going on than exam scores. Also, Haru is just acting normal. How? There's just no way she can come to school, put a smile on her face, and not act like yesterday wasn't a bomb being dropped on the Okumura family. Actually, fuck it. I don't care. If she wants to pretend like nothing wrong is going on, that's fine by me. It's her decision, and I don't want her to think about things that'll make her upset. I'm sure she's still thinking about everything, but just wants to pretend that she's alright. That's just the way Haru is. I'll go along with it.

"Okay, you're not gonna believe this," Ren said. The encouraging red eyes that pierced his gaze were enough to make him blush and rub the back of his head. "But I got first among second-years."

"That's great!" Makoto stepped towards Ren, hesitated, looked around the hallway, and then took a step back.

Wait… was that what I think it was? Was she coming in for a hug? Fuck! I messed it up, didn't I? Ren, you idiot. Wait, no. She probably just doesn't want people whispering about it. I'd love a hug, but that's understandable. I'm sure Makoto doesn't want the attention. Me neither.

"Yep," Ren said awkwardly. He understood why Makoto didn't follow through, but it still hurt a little. "Gonna tell Sae?"

"In time. I have to wait for her to come home first. I'm sure she's busy with… um…" Makoto trailed off. Ren caught her accidentally look towards Haru, who didn't notice. He knew exactly why she had stopped, and the others in the group surely knew as well. Ren was a little thankful that he hadn't been the one to slip up.

"I'm sure things will calm down soon," Haru said, of all people. Still, it didn't sound like she really believed it. "Tokyo moves fast."

True, but not even Tokyo can move past the guy who was the frontrunner for prime minister killing himse- well, not really, but getting hanged on live TV. The news stations won't let people forget about this soon. I'm sure that anything relating to the Prince draws a lot of viewers, so this won't calm down.

"Good point. I'm sure sis will be home soon enough. She said she would spend more time with me." Makoto was obviously sad about it, but she tried to conceal it. Ren didn't want to embarrass her by asking, so kept quiet. "Anyway, lunch is ending soon. We have to check our scores."

"Gotcha," Ann said. "See you guys later!"

Haru waved goodbye, and Makoto gave a nod before they walked past Ren and Ann. The latter duo went back to classroom 2-D and spent the rest of the lunch period hanging out before class resumed.

"Amamiya-kun, could you come here, please?" Kawakami asked as Ren was packing his bag. School had just ended, and everyone else had rushed out. Ann was still there, but Ren nodded to her to tell her to leave without him. She gave a smile and walked out of the class, leaving Ren alone with his teacher. He finished packing his bag and approached her desk.

"You probably already know, but I got first in scoring, and I wanted to thank you for helping me. It means a lot-" Ren tried to say, but Kawakami cut him off.

"I know, Ren. I had to make sure you did well because I don't really trust you to keep my secret."

Why the hell not? I've kept it so far. If I were Kawakami, I'd be more worried about Mishima revealing her secret. That little fucker could be up to anything right now.

"Uh… thank you?"

"Sorry, that was rude. But Amamiya-kun, I can't really fully trust anyone with it. I can't let my guard down. When I did, I got you as a client," Kawakami said negatively as she gestured at Ren and frowned.

"I dunno about you, but that's a fond memory of mine," Ren said with a smirk.

"Get over it. Anyway, congrats on your score. I'm thrilled that you did well, but the reason I called you here is that Kobayakawa wants you to see you. You can skip detention for-"

"Just between you and me, another tidbit in our web of lies-"

"Please don't call it a web of lies. That makes it sound… ugh," Kawakami said with a dismissive laugh. "Sorry, go on."

"Kuramoto is letting me skip detention this week. It doesn't really matter because we're done with everything. Skipping detention to see my lord and savior of a principal doesn't mean much to me."

"Alright, Ren." She rolled her eyes at his sarcasm over her boss. "Just go see him."

"Will do."

"Come in," a voice said as Ren knocked on the principal's door. He opened the door, went into the unfortunately familiar office, and took a seat across from Kobayakawa. "Good afternoon, Ren."

"Afternoon, sir."

Can't hurt to be polite. I barely avoided having detention continue into the next semester, and he could just extend it if I'm acting like a smartass.

"I am delighted with your exemplary scores on these exams, Amamiya-kun. We at Shujin strive for greatness and persist in achieving that greatness. You have proved that…"

Damn, just shut the fuck up. I do not care.

Kobayakawa continued to monologue about Shujin's greatness and how Ren had lived up to their standards. Ren tuned him out and thought about what sport Yusuke would be best at.

Basketball? No… he wouldn't be able to run for very long. Swimming? He's pretty lanky, but I don't think he would have the energy for that. Blitzball? No, that's fictional. Rash Toes e-sports? No, Yusuke has enough of a life that he doesn't need to devote time to that.

By the time Ren got through most sports that the artist could attempt to play, Kobayakawa's lecture came to a close. "And that is how you achieved excellence, Amamiya-kun."

Look here, you fat fuck, I didn't listen to a word you said, but don't tell me how I did well on my exams. I don't even know what you said, but I know I didn't do it. I got through exams on my own, with maybe a little help from a sex worker and a teenager who loves a children's show about pandas.

"I'm glad you could recognize that, sir."

"While I am satisfied with your scores, that does not mean that you are exempt from your punishment for assaulting Yoshiro Takata just yet. Your time in detention is almost over, but you still must increase GRAVY activity, which it seems like you are already doing. I have seen your club Shujinstagram page."

Uh oh… did he see the post that said "Fuck Shujin Academy?" Our homepage doesn't display that post, but it is easy to find by scrolling through our posts.

"Good job. Continue down that route and your club will be a Shujin mainstay for years to come," Kobayakawa said. He hadn't seen the post.

Bullshit. For that to happen, we need to recruit first years. The one first year that I would let join doesn't have the time to do that, and I'm too much of a piece of shit to convince her otherwise.

"Very cool."

"Yes, as the kids say, it is quite 'radical,'" Kobayakawa said and let out a bellow of a laugh.

Kill me.

"Anyway, Amamiya-kun, I just wanted to tell you to keep up the good work. You'll complete your year at Shujin and your probation in no time. You'll be ready to move towards a successful future."

Totally.

"Thank you, sir. May I please be excused?"

Kobayakawa nodded. "Have a pleasant summer, Amamiya-kun."

"You too."

Haru left her last class of what had been the best day in a long time. While there was no news on what was going to happen to her marriage, the gossip of other students had constantly reminded her of Sugimura's horrific death, and she had gotten a few odd looks for the change in her outfit, Haru was genuinely happier than the week before. Even if the fireworks festival hadn't ended the way it should've, Haru had fun until for most of the night. Also, Makoto had welcomed Haru into her apartment like it was nothing. Haru was truly thankful for Makoto, but she was struggling to figure out how to pay Makoto back.

It had been easier to determine the sleeping situation at the apartment than come up with a good idea to repay Makoto. Haru had taken Sae's bed for the night and that was that. There was little deliberation between the two on how the clothing situation would go the next day, either. Haru was grateful for that, because all she wanted to do after the nightmarish end to the festival was go to sleep and let the next day begin.

At least she hadn't had nightmares of Sugimura's death. While Haru wasn't fond of the man, seeing something so horrific in such an unexpected way frightened her. The lifeless face of a man she saw almost every day was on TV, and that was difficult to digest. Haru as the vividness of the image faded away in Haru's memory, the implications of Hajime's death set in. The marriage was definitely in jeopardy. That helped Haru sleep that night.

But one thought lingered in her mind: how long would this last? How long could she evade Nobuo and stay with Makoto? How long could she evade her father? Did she even need to? She asked these questions again as she walked through the hallway, which was quickly emptying.

As soon as she stepped out of the main door of Shujin, the black limo waiting in the street answered those questions. She couldn't see who was inside, but neither would be good. Nobuo would be violent, and father would scold her.

Haru took a deep breath. Whoever was in that limo was waiting for her. As good as her efforts had been to run from them, she could run no longer. She walked down the steps and went to the limo. The door opened automatically and Haru stepped in.

As she sat down on the side she entered from, she noticed who had picked her up.

Kunikazu Okumura sat on the other side of the limo.

Kunikazu had gone in person to pick Haru up because he recognized that it was important to speak with her. Kunikazu knew she hadn't come home that night before, as Nobuo had so persistently reminded him, but that wasn't why Kunikazu picked up Haru. He had to speak to her about the marriage.

He had already spoken to Nobuo about it. As usual, the man-child was insufferable, but he was a coward. All it took was a little posturing for him to shut up and obey. Haru not coming home could've signaled that she needed more obedience and disciplinary action, but Kunikazu understood his daughter's fear of Nobuo. He had for a long time. Now, the only difference was that Sugimura was harming the Okumura name, rather than benefiting it.

"Good afternoon, father," Haru said politely.

Kunikazu didn't get to hear those words often. He rarely spoke with Haru anymore. He was far too busy organizing his campaign, and now dealing with the fallout of Hajime's death. Perhaps she warranted more attention, but she didn't seem to want it. Whenever Kunikazu spoke with her, Haru always seemed like she wanted the conversation to end.

"Afternoon, Haru," Kunikazu replied. Haru shifted uncomfortably in her seat, but that was normal for people that Kunikazu spoke with. "I trust you understand why I am here?" he said as the limo started moving.

"Yes… it's because I didn't come home last night," Haru admitted. If she was afraid of being reprimanded, she didn't show it. Good. That was how an Okumura should behave.

"You are correct, but you have nothing to fear, Haru. I have had Nobuo removed from our home." Haru looked shocked, but she said nothing. "I have ended the plans for the marriage. With you not coming home, I realized how awful Nobuo is to you. I couldn't bear for you to marry him." Kunikazu was lying through his teeth, but it wasn't like he could tell Haru that the only reason the marriage ended was because there was now nothing to gain.

Lying is a necessity to running a successful business, but everyone has a person in their life who can see right through the lies. For Kunikazu, Haru was that person. She just stared right through him, right through his plain lie, at the truth of the situation: Kunikazu hadn't cancelled the marriage because Nobuo was an unbearable misogynist, but because there was no political gain from it.

Well, Haru wasn't the only person who could see through Kunikazu. That person was long gone. She had always given Kunikazu the same look the Haru was giving him right now when he lied. She didn't look at him that way the last time he lied to her. In fact, the last time he lied to her, she hadn't even looked at him.

She had run away.

"R-really?" Haru asked.

"Yes. The marriage is over. I'm sorry." It couldn't hurt to be apologetic. They may have both known that he was lying, but Haru was never one to confront Kunikazu. He knew that his lie would go unquestioned, even if it was a failed lie.

"Father… I…" Haru was at a loss for words. Kunikazu tried to perceive whether it was at being upset with him, or with some other emotion about the marriage being cancelled. "We still own the vacation home, right?"

That was unexpected. Kunikazu would go along with it. It distracted him from the fact that he had just told his daughter yet another lie. "Yes."

"Can a few friends and I stay there for a bit this summer? I promise we-" Kunikazu was sorry for lying, but that didn't mean that he was going to tell the truth. Instead, he would just compensate by allowing Haru's request.

"Of course. Let me know when you plan to go." When Haru smiled with excitement, Kunikazu felt the same excitement as her for once. It had been a long time since he had seen her smile like that.

How long has it been? Years? Kunikazu had lost count, but he had a good guess what the turning point in his and Haru's relationship was. Haru hadn't been that affected by it, but Kunikazu was, and still was. It haunted him enough that he had submerged himself in work and drink to drown it all out.

"Thank you so much, father!" She shouldn't be thankful to him. How could she, after what he had put her through? Not just with the marriage, but the past few years. Alas, Kunikazu wouldn't admit any of this to her. It would tear the Okumura name apart. He couldn't allow that before he achieved success in politics.

More importantly, Kunikazu would have to send the crew to inspect the house. Haru hadn't been there since before it had happened, and the crew would have to make sure that they left no details out in the open. Kunikazu was confident enough in the crew that Haru and her friends wouldn't find the secret that the house held. If they didn't do their jobs, there would be hell to pay for them.

And Kunikazu, too. He actually felt a shiver go down his spine at the thought of having to come clean with Haru about everything. Not only that, but he would have to relive that horrible day.