Thursday, 7/21

Ren looked out the subway window, admiring the view of the sun setting over Tokyo. He found himself on the way to Shinjuku after a realization occurred to him while waiting for the monotony of post-exam school to end.

Chihaya predicted this. That hallucination predicted this. Something's going very wrong. Or is it going the right way because of fate and all that bullshit? Fuck, I don't know. Chihaya should know. She makes a living off of this. She has to know something.

And so Ren had gone to Shinjuku after school. Having detention-less afternoons was nice, especially now that he was going to have free time all day long for a month. It had been even nicer on Wednesday, when Ren had work at Leblanc, but he had the afternoon to himself to relax before going to work. It was also nice that Futaba wasn't up to speaking with him again that Wednesday. Ren didn't think he could do any good with Futaba.

That didn't matter right now. Ren had to focus on what the fuck was special enough about him that two events in his life had predicted Hajime's death. Futaba was an issue he could deal with once he got there, though he probably shouldn't think that way. He had promised to play Rash Toes with Futaba, and he still hadn't lived up to that. It upset him, but he had a valid excuse and had been busier than he'd have liked to be for the past week.

The train came to a stop, and Ren stepped into Shinjuku. The staggering variation of lights was always a shock when he got to the district, but usually kept his head down when he walked. They didn't bother him much after he had begun his short walk to Chihaya's fortune telling stand.

He took the turn into the alley. Chihaya was with a customer, but they were standing up and it seemed like they were about to leave. Ren was correct, as the woman walked away from Chihaya as Ren got closer. Chihaya looked over and noticed Ren. She didn't smile or frown, just looked at him. Ren didn't know if that was a good thing.

I wonder what she's thinking. Maybe she's just happy to see me and that I didn't become the hanged man she predicted or whatever the hell it was.

"Hey, Chihaya. How's your day been?" Ren asked as he took a seat across from her.

"I've been fine, Ren. And you?" The way she asked made Ren aware of what she actually wanted to talk about.

"Fine, actually. I'm sure you saw the, uh, fireworks festival?" Ren asked, prompting Chihaya to nod. "Okay, then I'm sure you can put two and two together. How'd you know Sugimura was going to hang himself?" While Ren believed otherwise, it didn't matter to the current conversation, and he didn't want to appear to be a conspiracy theorist, as obvious that it was that Sugimura hadn't killed himself. Ren was hearing even more of that idea around school, and he could've sworn that Usami-sensei muttered something about it in the hallway during lunch.

"Ren, I didn't predict that. I just saw a hanged man in your future. That's it."

"Okay, fine, but I'm sure you can understand what this looks like from my perspective? You tell me that someone in my life is going to hang themselves, two weeks later Sugimura is dead."

"I don't know, Ren." Chihaya sounded tired. Ren guessed that many people were feeling unsure about their own futures after seeing something so gruesome, so Chihaya probably had a lot of customers. "The fortunes do themselves. I just flip cards and recite the feeling that I get from the fortunes."

Fuck… do I believe her? Fortune telling is bullshit, but she's been right about Kaneshiro's death and Sugimura killing himself. She's got no reason to lie to me, except to scam me, but she hasn't tried that before. If I were her, I would've scammed me after the fortune before Kaneshiro, but maybe she's not good with business.

"Feelings? Really? Okay, compare the feeling you're getting from me right now to the one you had for the last fortune."

"Ren, let me explain something to you," Chihaya said, growing frustrated. That was fine by Ren. Chihaya could get as upset as she wanted, but he wasn't leaving until he made progress in getting answers for what the hell was going on. "My usual fortunes are much more vague and less accurate than the ones you've received. It all depends on the aura of the person and my ability to interpret that aura. You have a very defined aura. There are some things that are unclear, but there isn't much clarification for your fortunes. I've told you that someone is going to die twice now, and I've been right. I don't know who it will be, and I don't know the specifics. Is that good enough for you?"

Hold the fuck up… I have an aura?! Badass.

"Uh… my aura?"

"I get different feelings from different people. Yours are easier to pin down than most people's, okay?!"

"Okay, damn, I got it. My aura is easier to read." Despite what he said, Ren did not get it. "So… uh… what feeling are you getting from me right now?"

Chihaya pinched the bridge of her nose. "Fine, let's do a reading. Hand, please." Ren gave her his hand, and Chihaya spread the cards across the table. She flipped one over. "The moon. Just like your friend, a location that followed the moon is in your future. Maybe you'll be going with him."

"Oh, cool. Like water?" Ren asked, making the connection. "Like because of the tides, and stuff."

"Followed, not follows. For this to apply to the ocean, tides would have to stop entirely."

"Anything more than that?"

Chihaya's hand hovered over the cards, nearly touching down on one to pick it up, but she hesitated and switched to another. When Ren was wondering what the first card was, Chihaya flipped the new one. "The Empress. A feminine presence will take firm control over your life soon."

Wonderful. Always wanted to be do- haha, only kidding. Please be Tae.

"That's a new one."

"And she will relinquish control after suffering a substantial loss…"

"Oh…" While it wasn't an explicit prediction of death, Ren had learned that he was a magnet for that sort of thing. He looked away from Chihaya and to the crowded street of people. Ren wondered if one of them would die because of him. "Great."

"Ren." Ren must've looked bummed out. Chihaya clasped the hand that he had given her in both of hers. "I know it must be difficult to hear me say things like this, and I assure you it's difficult for me to tell them to you. That's why… um… I'd like to help you." Ren looked back to Chihaya to make eye contact. "I can offer you free readings. I can also try to analyze your aura, but I don't know how far I'd get."

Why not? If she's going to keep predicting the death of people around me, she could also help me figure it out and stop it in advance. Or, if the last two predictions are anything to go by, let the fortune come true.

"Sure. Sounds like a good deal. I mean, I can pay you. I'm sure you don't want to deal with the doom and gloom every week for free, and-"

"Ren, it's fine. Something is different about you, and I want to know why. Figuring that out is more than enough as payment."

"Oh… okay. Thanks."

"No problem. When can I expect you again?"

"Gonna be honest, I live with a very flexible schedule. It's hard to say. Could I get your number and I can just text you in advance to plan things out?"

"Alright, Ren."

Saturday, 7/23

It was the last day of school before the summer break. Ren was quite excited about that, but it wasn't what occupied his thoughts most of the day. He had spoken with Futaba the night before, but had made no progress. It was growing frustrating for Ren, and he had found himself just wanting to yell at Futaba to speak or do something interesting, but he could hold himself together. Still, nothing happening was more significant to Ren than it was to Futaba. It proved his ineptitude even more and told him that Maruki's offer to help was more of a necessity than a suggestion at this point.

Ren wasn't even that hung up on his failure with Futaba. Conspiracy theories had taken over the school regarding Sugimura's death. It had even become a bit of a joke at this point. Kawakami had asked some bullshit review question to waste time, and a student had so kindly raised his hand to remind the class that Sugimura didn't kill himself. It was becoming annoying at this point.

I'm happy that Sugimura died at the end of the semester. I'm not sure if I'd be able to put up with two months of people just yelling "Sugimura didn't kill himself!" in the halls. They're right, but they're obnoxious, too.

Just as there were things to be annoyed with, there were things to be happy about. Haru had sent a text message to the GRAVY group chat. She said that her father had called the marriage off. While some members of GRAVY were less knowledgeable than others about the marriage, everyone reacted the same way. They were all just happy to spend more time with Haru.

Ren had seen little of Makoto in the days following the exam scores being posted. Maybe she was busy with student council business wrapping up before the summer, if that was even how it worked, but he hadn't gotten even just a text message from her. Ren supposed it was fine. He would make up for it over the summer.

When the bell rang, Ren officially finished his first semester at Shujin. He wanted to say a few goodbyes to the faculty members that he liked, so he went to Kawakami's desk first thing. "Hey, Kawakami-sensei. I just wanted to say thanks for helping me with exams, and I hope you have a perfect summer."

"You too, Ren." For once, Kawakami didn't sound tired. Maybe it was excitement over being done with Shujin for a month. If Ren had only been there for two months and hated it, he couldn't imagine what it was like to be a teacher there. "You know, if you're feeling generous, you could always-"

Er… probably not. I have no reason to anymore. Yeah, her sister is sick in the hospital, but how's that my business? And what's her sister's name? Her sickness? And why didn't Kawakami seem more broken up about it when she told me? The more I think about this, the more bullshit it seems. Eh, Kawakami needs money for something. That's fine, because at least she helped me study. Now that she can't do that, why would I pay her?

"We'll see, Kawakami-sensei." Ren politely said with a chuckle. He didn't want to upset the teacher by flat out refusing, but he didn't want to get her hopes up.

I wonder if she would get her hopes up at knowing that her student planned on soliciting her a sex worker. I mean, to each their own.

Ren left 2-D. In his oh-so-long mental list of adults to say goodbye to, he checked off Kawakami. Now there was only one more. Ren headed to the practice building and went to the nurse's office. He knocked on the door, and could hear talking inside. The door didn't open, so Ren knocked again.

Surprised to see Maruki busy for once. It's a strange day for him to have a patient too. I'd figure that every student would want to be out of Shujin by now.

Suddenly, Maruki opened the door. "Oh! Hi, Amamiya-kun. I didn't expect to see you until September!"

"Nah, I wanted to say tha-" Ren looked past Maruki into the room. On the chair where Ren always sat during his sessions was Yoshiro Takata. He didn't look that different from when Ren had snapped, but he had grown his buzz cut out a little. He was eating a chocolate when he noticed Ren.

Maruki gave Ren a confused look until he followed the student's gaze back into the nurse's office. "Oh, Takata-kun, say hello."

As if Ren wasn't about to slam his head into a locker a month ago, Yoshiro held up a hand and nodded. "Hey, Ren. How've you been?"

How've I been?! Motherfucker, how've you been?! I tried to kill you a month ago and you're saying "hey" to me!

"Uh…"

"Amamiya-kun," Maruki muttered under his breath. He wanted the two to get along.

"I'm fine, thanks. A-and you?"

"This and that, ya know. I've just been spending a lot of time with Maruki," Yoshiro gestured towards the counselor. "With his help, my grades got better, and I realized how shitty I was towards you and Makoto. By the way, how's she doing?"

How dare you?!

"Better than ever." Ren couldn't believe what was happening. He was holding a conversation with the person he hated most. He was trying to put on a smile so that Maruki wouldn't get angry, but it was awfully difficult.

"That's great to hear," Yoshiro said as his eerily friendly smile diminished. "I never got to say this to either of you two, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything that I did and what I put you through."

Even with the apology and Yoshiro coming across as a changed man, Ren still wanted to punch the former volleyball player in the face.

How can he act like this, after he had done what he had to Makoto?!

"Yeah, uh…" Ren couldn't take this much longer. He turned to Maruki. "Thanks for everything this semester. Have a good summer. I'll reach out about, er, you know who."

Maruki nodded. "Sounds good, Amamiya-kun. I should be the one doing the thanking. You've helped me with my research more than you know."

I have? Huh, I wouldn't have thought that, but Maruki's the one doing research.

"Have an awesome summer, Ren," Yoshiro said with another fucking wave from inside the nurse's office. He smiled at Ren while he said it, and that was oddly terrifying. It looked genuine. Ren knew Yoshiro, he knew what Yoshiro did, and any guy capable of wanting to sell an innocent girl into sex trafficking couldn't smile like that.

Maybe a decent actor could pull that off…

Ren clung to the idea that Yoshiro was lying. His smile wasn't genuine. No one that evil could smile like that. Unless… what if it was genuine, but not because of the reason Ren would assume? What if Yoshiro had plotted his revenge, and was excited to see Ren for that reason?

Fuck… I need to leave.

Instead of saying goodbye to Yoshiro, Ren just turned and began walking down the hall. If Maruki cared, he didn't say a word. Ren heard the door to the nurse's office close behind him. He didn't look back and kept walking until he felt his phone vibrate.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Renny, my man! Wya? I've been waiting at the school gate for you!

Did I have plans with Ryuji…? No, I don't think I did.

Ren had to go that way anyway, so it was pointless to not tell Ryuji that he was on his way.

Ren Amamiya:

-Omw now. Was saying goodbye to some teachers.

Ryuji Sakamoto:

-Nerd. I don't think even Makoto does that.

I'll have to ask. I'm sure she does. Maybe I can bet money on it with Ryuji.

Ren left the main building. He saw Ryuji at the bottom of the steps, waiting with a big grin on his face. "What've you been planning?" Ren called over as he descended the stairs to meet with Ryuji.

"You know how Kosei gets out later than us because of weird artist schedules and shit?"

"I didn't know that, but you learn something new every day."

"Anyway, whaddya say we go over there and mess around for a bit? Celebrate the start of summer by meeting new people. Plus, chicks dig Shujin students!"

I would think that coming from a school that is only in the news for having a pedophile among faculty would be a major turnoff. Eh, maybe Ryuji knows his shit.

Ren took a second to consider what he was thinking.

It's Ryuji. He definitely does not know his shit. Fuck it. I'm in.

"Let's do it," Ren said.

"Knew you would be down! Alright, come on. We gotta get the next train over there if we want to have enough time over at Kosei."

Ren and Ryuji stepped off the train into Meguro. Similar to Shujin, Kosei was an intentionally short walk from the station. The duo had made it to Yusuke's school within five minutes.

Kosei appeared to be far superior to Shujin at first glance. Instead of a simple gate and stairs into the building, Kosei had a gate and an entire courtyard-esque area at the entrance. Ren guessed it would be the most common lunch spot, just like Shujin's courtyard. The gate was open for visitors, which was the title Ren and Ryuji would give themselves if Kosei staff caught them. They entered the gate and went through the courtyard entrance. A light breeze swept falling cherry blossom petals away.

The fancy art school even has art cliches in real life. Very cool.

Ren and Ryuji were about to walk in, but Ren hesitated and stopped. Ryuji turned around. "Agh, don't get cold feet now, man. We don't have much time."

"You said we were coming here to meet new people. If we're doing that, shouldn't we be waiting for them to get out first?"

"Well, yes, but no." Ryuji looked back at the school, then turned to Ren. "C'mon, man. It'll be fun."

"Just tell me what we're going to do before we go in. I don't want to end up getting suspended because you stashed a maid outfit or some shit and go around harassing people with it on."

"Uh… definitely not." Ryuji was unamused by the sarcastic accusation. "I got something fun, and that we can't get in trouble for!"

"What?"

"Bird noises!"

Man… really? Bird noises?! The fuck does Ryuji expect? Does he want me going into classrooms and squawking or some shit like that? Also, last time that I checked, girls don't dig bird noises. I should tell Ryuji about that.

"And that will help you pick up girls, how?" Ren asked.

"Okay, hear me out," Ryuji began. The way he was waving his hands around before even getting into the good details made Ryuji look like more of a conspiracy theorist than any of the kids at Shujin saying that Sugimura didn't kill himself. "You know how the exams had that writing question about evolution, and how humans technically evolved from birds?"

"Ryuji…"

"If we evolved from birds, then we've still got some bird programming in our heads. Therefore, if I can mimic a bird mating call, hoes will flock!"

Jesus Christ. This man has unrestricted access to the GRAVY social media account. He is second in command of the club. He has slept at my house. And he wants to get girls by doing bird mating calls because he thinks it'll work because of science.

"Ryuji effin' Sakamoto…"

"Genius, I know," Ryuji said. He thought he had floored Ren with his amazing plan.

"That is the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

"Wha- for real?! You come up with something better, then!"

"Ryuji, I could walk into a class, jump onto a teacher's desk, take a dump, and it would have more thought behind it than squawking at people," Ren said with a chuckle. He was in disbelief that Ryuji was getting defensive over his plan. "And if bird noises are so full proof, call Ann and give her your best 'caw, caw!' I'm sure she'll be all over you after that."

"Man…" Ryuji was a little hurt that Ren had shot down his plan. Ren felt bad, but he couldn't kid himself and tell Ryuji that it was a good plan and watch his friend try the plan out on some unsuspecting Kosei students. "You're right. Pretty sure I got that exam question wrong, anyway."

"Look, Ryuji, sorry if I was a little harsh about that," Ren said, putting his hand on Ryuji's shoulder. "I'll make it up to you. I'll wingman for you and help you talk with some Kosei girls. Sound fun?"

"Heh." Ryuji cracked a smile. "Why do ya think I invited you?" he said with a laugh, which Ren reciprocated.

"Okay, so should we wait out here for the bell to ring, or should we explore the sch-" Ren was interrupted by the very thing he was asking about. Kosei High was done with school for the summer. "Well, that answers that. Alright, Ryuji. Tie your shoes, stand up straight, and flap your wings when you-"

Ryuji smacked Ren on his shoulder. They had to be ready for the crowd of people that would come out of the doors any minute now.

Kosei was not like Shujin. Students who didn't have club business actually stuck around at school. A few cliques and smaller groups separately gathered around the courtyard to gossip about about—surprise, surprise—Hajime Sugimura and his crimes against naivety, or whatever the fuck it was. Ren just wanted it to go blow over at this point. Every time Ren heard the man's name, it was a reminder that something was very, very wrong with him. But Ren couldn't succumb to thinking like that, at least for now, because he had a job to do.

Ryuji Sakamoto needed to get at least one girl's phone number. That was Ren's goal. Ryuji was a little more ambitious, but Ren thought it was better to be realistic about the guy who originally wanted to make bird mating calls at girls with no alternative.

Ryuji and Ren had waited for the people in the courtyard to settle into their little groups before they had attempted to talk to anyone. Whoever was staying to talk to others was a simple indicator that those people were open to socializing, hopefully with some Shujin delinquents.

Ryuji had decided that he should approach smaller groups of people. He didn't provide a reason, but Ren just figured that Ryuji was feeling a little self-conscious after Ren made fun of his idea. Ren said nothing and let Ryuji decide how things were going to play out.

Ryuji walked up to a pair of girls who were sitting together beneath one of the cherry blossoms. One of them was laughing at something the other had said, and Ryuji cut in to make his move.

"Hey, you're pretty cu-"

"I have a boyfriend," one girl said flatly. The other just nodded along.

Ren watched from a few feet away as Ryuji had a body language meltdown within a fraction of a second. He could see the anger roll up Ryuji's spine, but Ryuji ended up holding himself together.

Mostly.

"We- uh, so do I!" Ryuji said before he turned around to leave. Ren saw Ryuji's face drop the moment the runner realized what he said. He turned back around. "Wait, that's not what I-" The girls were already laughing. Ryuji would not get another shot. He walked towards Ren in defeat.

"It's okay to have a boyfriend, Ryuji."

"Yeah, whatever. On to the next one." Ryuji led Ren away from the tree the girls were sitting at and towards the center of the courtyard. Ren watched as Ryuji scanned through the crowds, trying to find an opportunity. Ryuji's eyes widened, and Ren followed his gaze towards a girl who was just leaving the entrance.

She might be a good choice. Seems nice and is pretty. It's on Ryuji now, though I should probably help him out a little.

Ren didn't even need to offer. Ryuji whispered, "Could you open for me? Ya know, put in a good word or something? I don't wanna eff up like last time."

Ren nodded. "No prob." He patted Ryuji's shoulder before he walked away from his friend and towards the girl. She didn't see him coming, as she was admiring the cherry blossoms on the other side of her.

"Hey, you think you could help me out?" he asked. He had a decent idea of how to get something started. The girl turned and looked at him. She looked a little shocked at his Shujin uniform, but she quickly composed a friendly expression that came with a smile.

"Maybe." The girl hadn't stopped walking, so Ren had to match her pace while holding a conversation. "I'm just kinda in a rush so-"

"Oh, that's fine. It's quick." It was not quick, but she didn't need to know that. "So, I have a friend, that guy over there," Ren said as he pointed at Ryuji, who was standing on the other side of the courtyard, looking around innocently when he caught sight of Ren. He waved and smiled at the girl.

The girl laughed, not in a teasing way, at Ryuji's wave. "Yeah, I see him."

"He's thinking of transferring to Kosei, and we came here hoping to get a tour of some sort. Think you could help him out?"

The girl stopped walking. Ren thought that he had struck gold. "Like I said, I really have somewhere to be. I'm really sorry," the girl said genuinely. She looked toward Ryuji, who smiled and waved again. The girl giggled and turned back to Ren. "I can give him my number so I can take him around the school sometime soon."

Score!

Ren motioned his hand at Ryuji to come join the interaction. There was little Ryuji could fuck up, so it was safe to bring him over. Ren figured he would make some small talk while waiting for Ryuji to get there. "So, what've you got planned for this afternoon?"

"Oh, just babysitting my little sister." For something so simple, the girl seemed a little upset at the question. "I have to stay with her at the park from now on because some asshole called her fat the other day."

Abort! Abort! Abort! Run the fuck away right now, Ren Amamiya!

"Nope." Ren just turned around and walked in the opposite direction of the girl he was talking to. He could hear Ryuji calling over to him from behind, but it was nothing distinct in the ocean of noise. Ren just kept walking. No way in hell was he getting himself back into that mess. He took his escape a step further and went into the Kosei building.

Ren didn't know where he was going, and he only made it a few steps down the hall before Ryuji caught up to him. "Man, what the eff happened back there?!"

"It was fine, then she just started dropping red flags like she was a communist on the moon or some shit!" Ren exaggerated. There was no way that he was ever letting the story of him calling a little girl fat slip into the rumor mill. "She said that she was going straight home to play 'The Zims.'"

Ah, the universal red flag: being an avid player of 'The Zims.'

"No way… what a bitch."

"I know. Sorry that it was an abrupt exit. I couldn't figure out how to get you out of that one."

"All good. Thanks for that."

"Of course, Ryuji. Now, let's go get you a phone number."

They didn't have to look far. Ryuji caught sight of yet another girl, this one not in the courtyard. She was walking down the hallway, towards Ren and Ryuji. Ryuji tapped Ren's shoulder. "You open, check for red flags, then call me in," he said before he stepped away and went down the hall and leaned up against a locker.

That's pretty awkward. I feel bad that Ryuji thinks he has to do that. That's probably his biggest problem with this stuff. He fails once, his confidence gets crushed and he can't get his shit together. Maybe he can figure that out, but I can at least help him skip the hardest part.

Ren closed the distance between himself and the new girl. She had on a long-sleeved Kosei uniform and a short black skirt. Ren nearly forgot that he had to talk to the girl for Ryuji's sake instead of his own. She was pretty enough to make him nearly reconsider, but he reminded himself that this was for Ryuji.

She stopped walking first, expectantly looking at Ren. "Can I help you?"

"Not me, no, but my friend over there?" Ren pointed at Ryuji. The runner waved with a grin on his face from down the hallway. "He could use some help."

"What's he need help with?"

"He's thinking of transferring to Kosei. Maybe you could help him out by giving him a quick tour of the school?"

The girl remained unconvinced, with her slightly confused yet calm expression unchanged. "Why me?"

Ren stepped towards the girl and lowered his voice. "Keep this between us, but he," Ren pointed at Ryuji, "said that he thinks you're pretty."

The girl sighed. Things were not looking good. "Pretty, huh? Is that really why he chose me?"

Uh… he doesn't know you, so yeah, pretty much.

"I assure you that-"

"It's because I'm the Venus of Shogi, isn't it?" The girl was distraught over something that Ren had never heard of.

You know what? Fuck it. I'm not giving up. I can work with this. Ryuji, you're getting a goddamn phone number.

"Okay," Ren held up his hands in the air, "you got us. But here's the thing: he's not transferring. He actually wants to learn how to play shogi."

"I do need someone to practice with…"

Almost there, Renny, don't fuck this up!

"And Ryuji could be that person. And his schedule is flexible, so he'd be easy to plan with."

"Okay… oh, wait one second." Ren had turned to call Ryuji over, but the girl's words spun him back around. "Why didn't he ask me himself?"

Ren lowered his voice yet again. "He's a little shy, and, well, I wasn't lying when I said he thinks you're pretty. He just also wants to be taught to play shogi by you."

If Ren was making an impact, the girl didn't show it outside of nodding. Ren turned around, motioned for Ryuji to come over. Ryuji, the self-described badass mother-effer that he was, approached in a way that was actually normal.

Good for him. It's in his hands now. I've done my part.

"Ryuji Sakamoto," Ryuji said as he extended a hand towards the girl.

"Hifumi Togo," she said as she shook it. She pulled her hand away and reached into her pocket. "Here's my phone number. Call me when you're available to play shogi," she said as she handed Ryuji a business card.

Fuck, a business card? Who the hell is she? Is the Venus of Shogi an actual thing?

"Yep. Leave it to me," Ryuji said enthusiastically. Hifumi smiled before she walked down the hall and left the school. Ryuji took a few seconds to watch her leave before turning back to Ren and raising his hand in the air for a high five. "My man!"

Ren met the high five. "You're in, Ryuji."

"Yeah, thanks!" Ryuji said before his smile dropped. "What do I do now?"

"You're on your own now, Ryuji."

"At least I got this far," Ryuji said happily. "Wanna go hang out with Yusuke?"

"I dunno about hanging out, but I'll say hi. I'm tired."

"Yeah, I feel ya. Get your rest, because we're going apeshit this summer."

Please no.

Ren had gotten home earlier than he expected that evening, which he was quite thankful for, and immediately started up Rash Toes. He had already played a few matches when a notification popped onto the screen.

Futaba's online? I told her I'd play Rash Toes with her. Might as well be now.

Ren invited Futaba to a private match and waited for her to join, which only took a few seconds. "Well, well, well, look who it is," the familiar encoded voice said.

"Hey, Futaba. How've you been?"

"Same as ever, Ren. But how have you been?! I saw the news about that creep and read the article."

Wait, so was she airdropped the article too? Did it go to everyone in Tokyo? Probably not, but I'm guessing it's easy to find it online by now.

"I'm holding up. Haru got her marriage cancelled, so that's good."

"Saw that. Good for her."

"Do you read all of our texts or just specific ones?"

"No comment!" Futaba said through the mic. "Come on, Ren! Choose a character…"

"Oh, my bad…" Ren selected his usual fighter, the Feta Knight. Futaba had chosen Chulk. "How do you wanna score this?"

"Huh? No need for scoring. We know who's winning."

"Good point."

Ren spent the rest of his Saturday night playing Rash Toes with Futaba, losing every single time. However, she did mention that he was getting better.

Sunday, 7/24

Makoto was making herself breakfast when the apartment door opened. This hadn't happened in a while, so Makoto was initially a little irked, but then she realized what was actually happening: Sae was home.

The silver-haired sister walked into the apartment a moment later. Makoto continued cooking as Sae set her bag down and flopped onto the couch. "Long week?" Makoto asked.

"You have no idea…" Sae loudly muttered. She sounded exhausted.

You'd be surprised, Makoto thought, knowing that Sae wasn't aware of Makoto's friendship with Haru.

"Seems like the world is imploding in on itself after what happened," Sae said bitterly. "Apparently someone killing themselves is a world shattering event."

"Well, it was on live TV, it was who many people wanted for prime minister, and-" Makoto attempted to correct before Sae finished the corrections for her.

"An article came out detailing his crimes, I know. My coworkers still can't decide whether they want to do anything about that article or just leave it. Can't prosecute a dead man, and the article left out the names of his friends. That Murakami did everything except give us anything useful."

"Do you think Sugimura did it?" Makoto asked. While letting Sae vent was probably a good way for the prosecutor to calm down, Makoto didn't want her little time that she likely had with her sister to be wasted on complaining.

"Did what?"

"Do you believe he hung himself?"

"Oh, no chance. The article came out a minute after he died. It was obviously planned, and not by Sugimura. Fuck… sorry to just unload everything like that…"

"Don't worry about it, sis," Makoto said as she finished up her food. She divided up the food she had made in half and brought a plate over to Sae. "Here, have some food."

"Thanks…" Sae was hesitant to eat, but as Makoto went to the dining table, she could see Sae digging in. As Makoto sat down, Sae spoke. "How was your week? Exams go well?"

"First place," Makoto said. She had given her sister that answer every single time she had asked the question. There were more details she could share about exams, especially about Ren, but Makoto figured she should wait. Sae looked tired, and Makoto didn't want to upset her sister.

"Good job. Keep working, Makoto." Makoto heard Sae set her plate down on the coffee table. "You know, we should go to dinner to celebrate. And I owe you for your birthday, so…?"

Going out to dinner? It had been probably almost a year since they had last done so. They didn't even go out for holidays or Sae's birthday, so it was a rare occasion. They had plans for Makoto's birthday, but that obviously didn't happen.

"Why not."

"Okay… I'll call and make reservations. Does six work?"

Makoto found herself still surprised at the proposal. She figured Sae was just stopping by the apartment for a brief break before she left to go back to work or something. But Sae hadn't left yet, leaving Makoto to assume that her sister had the entire day off.

"Whatever time works for you."

Sae had brought Makoto to some fancy hotel buffet. Sae had apparently been before with coworkers, but Makoto didn't believe that Sae would put up with how snobbish the place felt. Makoto and Sae had dressed nicely, so they weren't receiving any odd glances from the other people at the buffet, but Makoto still felt like she was being judged just from being there.

The delicious food made her forget about that quickly enough. Food of any kind was available at the buffet, and Makoto definitely indulged. She thought of it as a way to congratulate herself for her score on the exams, though she had never done something like that before. Makoto thought nothing of it as she ate.

"You look like you have something you want to say," Sae said while she ate. Makoto looked up to meet her sister's gaze, surprised at the question.

I do? Sure, there were things that Makoto wanted to tell Sae, but it wasn't like she was jumping for the opportunity.

"How can you tell?"

"It gets easier to pick up on these things," Sae said as she picked at her food. "And your face scrunches up, but only a bit," she added with a laugh.

Do I really do that? Makoto didn't like that one bit. Has Ren noticed? What does he think? He'd probably say something like, "I think it's cute, Makoto," then I'd get embarrassed. Maybe I should try catching him off guard with something like that.

"So… what's on your mind?" Sae reminded Makoto that they were still having a conversation and that Makoto wasn't free to daydream about Ren.

"I was thinking about exams, and, well, Ren's score." Sae arched an eyebrow. Makoto felt warm excitement bubbling, knowing that she was about to prove her sister's expectations wrong. "He got the highest score for second-years!"

"Did he now?" Makoto could tell that Sae wasn't sure how to react. "That's… unexpected."

"You wanted him to fail?"

"No, but I didn't think he could do it…" Makoto took great pleasure in seeing Sae so baffled by Ren's scores. She even felt prideful that she had helped him get there. "But good for him. He's proved that he's at least halfway decent."

"Sis…"

"I'm kidding. I'm happy for him," Sae said, her expression softening as the mood became more casual again. "And for you, if you're going to be so adamant about spending time with him."

"Speaking of…" Makoto began. She had an idea forming, one which Sae definitely wouldn't like, but that was the point of Makoto's idea. "Remember how I joked we could host Ren for dinner?"

Makoto didn't need to finish her proposal for Sae to get the point. "Makoto, is that really necessary?"

"He's done a lot for me, sis, and I want you to understand that. It's important to me."

Sae sighed and looked away from Makoto. "Fine. We can have him over for dinner. Don't expect me to be jumping for joy when he's in our apartment."

"Just don't be too hard on him, okay?" Makoto asked.

While I don't think it's likely, Sae could legitimately scare Ren off. I can't let that happen, Makoto thought.

"I get it. I'll let you know when I'm off work again and you can plan around that," Sae said. She then stood up. "I'm gonna grab more food. Want anything?" Makoto shook her head. "Suit yourself."

Makoto patiently wanted for Sae to return. In the meantime, she had to consider what to make for when Ren came over. He never struck her as a picky eater, so she didn't have to worry about accidentally making the wrong thing. He hadn't mentioned allergies of any kind, either. While it was nice that Makoto could make basically anything she wanted, the lack of specificity was hurting her ability to decide what to cook.

When Sae sat back down, Makoto still didn't know. She left that choice for later and continued speaking with her sister. "Have you heard anything from Akechi lately?" she asked out of curiosity. Given how the detective had behaved following Kaneshiro's death, Makoto figured Akechi would give out pretentious television interviews like it was a charity. Instead, he hadn't made a public statement.

But it's only a matter of time. People like him can't stay quiet for long, Makoto thought. She was not fond of the detective.

"No, brat's been quiet." Makoto laughed, but Sae didn't. "I saw him talking with my boss, but I didn't hear what it's about. I hope he was telling Akechi to shut up and not schedule TV appearances for once."

"If he does, do you think he'll go after the police department?"

"I don't know. He always seems to. He stopped by my office once to explain the incompetence of the TMPD chief for thirty minutes. Waste of time." Sae seemed upset that Makoto had brought back the memory before she moved on and provided a new angle on the question. "If he does, I don't know how he'll tie Sugimura back to the police. Maybe he'll say that the police are in on it, but that's stretching it."

"I agree. I've heard a lot of theories at school, but very little have involved police cooperation in the 'suicide.'"

"God, the school's talking about it?" Sae asked. "Is Shujin still rumor obsessed?"

"It has been since I've been there. I barely pay attention to it."

"It's been that way since I went," Sae said with a laugh. "Teenagers." Makoto smiled at the remark.

Silence settled over the two as Sae kept eating. Makoto was actually enjoying speaking to her sister for once. She desperately wanted to keep it going. "It means a lot that you brought me here, sis. Thank you for dinner."

"Of course, Makoto," Sae said as she set down her silverware. "I still feel bad about your birthday, so this was my way of making it up to you."

Makoto recalled telling her sister not to worry about such a thing because Ren had already celebrated her birthday with her. Is that unfair to sis? To tell her that someone not even in the family already made up for her missing my birthday? Makoto asked. She already had an answer for herself. Yes, it's unfair. Even if Sae missed your birthday, Makoto, she still feels bad about it. Don't remind her that someone not even in our family had to fill in for her.

"I appreciate it," Makoto said with a smile.

For the first time in months, Makoto had a normal dinner with her sister. Sae didn't have to leave for work, and they didn't even argue. Makoto wanted the feeling to last, and she was actually feeling optimistic about it. Sae would learn to like Ren as she got to know him, and she would get more time off work as things cooled down with the Prince.

Right?

Makoto was making her bed when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She pulled it out to read the message.

The Renji Fanclub

Haru Okumura:

-Good news! We are free to use my family's vacation home! I've already planned for travel and us staying there.

Makoto Niijima:

-Great! Did you make the arrangements keeping the guys in mind, or are they getting left behind?

Haru Okumura:

-If they can go with us, then they are free to come with us. We'll be traveling by a van, which seats eight, so we can bring everyone in GRAVY.

Ann Takamaki:

-A van? Where is your vacation home?

Haru Okumura:

-Just on the edge of a small coastal city. You guys know Iwatodai, right?

Makoto Niijima:

-I've only heard of the Kirijo group being based there.

Ann Takamaki:

-Same. But you said coastal?

Haru Okumura:

-Yep. House is on the beach!

Ann Takamaki:

-Omg…

Ann Takamaki:

-Haru, you're the best.

A/N: Sorry that this is late. I hate not posting on time, but this one hurt extra because I missed the fic's anniversary by a day. Oh well. Anyway, I read through the original fic ideas document that I wrote for TKOSA. The original concept was that Ren and co. will have basically no problems all year long and the fic would be exclusively focused on their relationships and comedic moments. I'm glad that I didn't follow through on that. Some of that concept comes through in the fic, with Kamoshida being out of the equation within 10 or 11 chapters or something. I think I definitely need to tweak those early chapters, but not right now. I'll get around to it. Thank you for reading.