A/N: To people who get email notifications when this updates, my apologies if you got two for this chapter. I accidentally uploaded the unedited version of the chapter before I realized my mistake.

Anyway, hope you guys enjoy the chapter.

Friday, 9/16

Ann, bag hung over her left shoulder and her heat-insulated food jar in her hand, approached Ryuji sitting on the courtyard bench. With the weather declining in its agreeability every passing day, most Shujin students ate outside to enjoy the remaining warm weather, ensuring that the courtyard was always crowded with people. However, they just couldn't stand to sit near Ryuji, given his reputation as second in command of a domestic terrorist group and a talented methamphetamine chef who merely attended high school on the side.

That made him the perfect person for Ann to enjoy her lunch with. He scared off everyone, while Ann offered company and some food in return. It became a new twist on Ann's life over the past week, as Ren, Ann's usual lunchmate, had grown reclusive within classroom 2-D and his willingness for conversation sharply declined.

I feel like Ren's always going through a phase. For someone who usually holds himself pretty well, he sure gets moody, Ann thought. She didn't mind, as it gave her a reasonable excuse to hang out with Ryuji. Her original plan of subtly encouraging him to pursue her didn't work because Ann would need a banner displaying "Ask me out!" just to get Ryuji that far.

Plus, to top it all off, Ann couldn't even call herself the only possible romantic option in Ryuji's life. Well, she was, but Ryuji didn't know that. He was stuck on Hifumi, a girl that gave him up for such a minor misstep. Sure, Ann would've been weirded out in the same situation, but completely ghosting Ryuji? She would never do that, and that was why she was better than Hifumi in every conceivable way, and that rude, two-faced shogi-playing bitch would never be able to-

"Hey, Ann." Ryuji looked up at her with a big smile on his face. It seemed like he was enjoying their lunches almost as much as her. "Kawakami give you a hard time?"

Ann was just a few minutes later than usual. She didn't think Ryuji, being Ryuji, would notice. "Kinda. I just had a few questions about today's lesson." She sat down next to him and opened her lunch for the day: leftover noodles from the previous evening's Roof Runner order.

"Oh, very studious. Aiming to do well in something besides English this semester?"

"Even if I wasn't aiming, I could get better scores than you in every class."

"Physical education?"

"I don't take PE anymore, remember? I got my doctor to write an exemption note."

"What?! No fair."

"Yes fair. Just get your doctor to say you have…" Ann couldn't remember the condition her doctor signed off on. Most of what she remembered was the long, arduous process of just convincing her doctor to do that. Her satisfaction at getting the excuse note clouded her memory of the actual note. "Shoot… I forgot."

"Terminal cancer?"

"I think you'd be exempt from all school if you got that signed." Ryuji's eyes went wide, telling Ann that she had just given him a great idea. Smirking while hiding it beneath the hand that pinched the bridge of her nose, Ann sighed. "Ryuji, don't try to convince administration that you have cancer just so you can play video games all day."

"You can disagree with me, just don't get in my way. I'm getting cancer one way or another. Just enough cancer to get me out of school, at least" Ryuji laughed, with Ann joining in soon after. As their moment quickly subsided, they both dug into their food, coming up for air after the first few bites.

"What'd you do while I was running late?"

Ryuji wiped a bit of food grease off the corner of his lips with the back of his hand. "I, uh, picked up a habit from Yusuke."

I don't like where this is going, but I need to hear it, Ann thought. As Ryuji paused, Ann expectantly searched for eye contact. Ryuji dodged, looking down at the ground while his face deepened in color.

"People watching."

"Um… what?"

"It's exactly what it sounds like. Watching people." Ryuji's obvious embarrassment could be seen as endearing from Ann's perspective, but any onlookers would've thought that Ryuji was having a mental breakdown. "But like, not in a creepy way. Yusuke told me he just goes into the subway station, stands against a wall, and watches people. The faces they make, the clothes they wear, how they walk… you can really get a lot out of it."

Ann ate some of her noodles because she couldn't think of any reasonable way to respond to Ryuji. Even he has to know that no one should copy Yusuke, right? The world only needs one eccentric artist who may or may not have superpowers, she thought.

"Here, try it," Ryuji said, moving his lunch to his other side and scooting closer to Ann. Butterflies fluttered, but Ann held strong as Ryuji leaned his head close to hers, pointing directly in front of them. Across the courtyard, through a window into the hallway, they could see a couple hugging each other. "What do you notice about them?"

The couple's embrace was tight and unrelenting. Ann only got a side view of the couple, as both their faces were away from Ann. All the details she would normally pick up about a person were in their faces. Without that to rely on, Ann followed Ryuji's instructions. "They both have half-hearts on their bags."

"And what does that mean?"

"That they're both super corny about dating each other."

Ryuji put on his elderly martial arts master voice. "You've learned well, my pupil. What else do you see?" Ann looked closely. She focused on scanning over every possible inch of the couple so much that a minute of pure silence passed while she stared. With his normal voice, Ryuji cut into her gaze. "Earth to Ann? You see anything?"

"Besides the half-hearts, no." She kept looking at them as she spoke with Ryuji. "Don't you think they've been hugging for an awfully long time?"

"Now that you mention it… how long do you think they were hugging before I pointed them out?"

"Seems like they've been stiff for a few hours," Ann joked with a flat, strangely-amused tone.

"For real."

Ann and Ryuji looked on as the couple maintained their hug for far longer than real humans would. So amazed by the eternal hug, the silence maintained itself for even more time until Ryuji ruined it with a proposition.

"Wanna bet on who pulls away first?"

"A thousand yen on the guy. You can see his shoulders trembling and no girl ends a hug."

"You're o- oh shit, you win." Not even a moment after the bed had been placed, the guy backed away from the hug. He turned his back on the girl, leaving her with nowhere to put her head but in her hands. "...Did we just watch them break up? I feel kinda bad."

Ann didn't. "Thousand yen. Pay up," she said, shoving an open palm towards Ryuji. Begrudgingly grumbling, Ryuji fished his wallet out of his pocket, handing Ann a single crisp yen note. "Thank you," Ann said as she plucked the note and put it in her own pocket.

Off his game, Ryuji stumbled through his words. "Now, try looking over there," he managed, pointing over to the tree in the courtyard. "The girl there is wearing-"

Ann looked over. The girl was partially obscured by the tree, but Ann could see auburn locks poking out at head level. "That isn't some girl, Ryuji!"

"Huh?"

"You really can't recognize Haru?"

"She's behind a tree!"

"Tsk tsk. It sounds like you're not a true friend."

"Get your hearing checked," Ryuji said, turning back toward Haru. "Haru!" he yelled, getting the heiress's attention. She fully emerged from behind the tree, looking around for whoever said her name. "Over here, Haru!" She found them, a light smile taking shape as she walked over to Ryuji and Ann.

Both of them scooted down the bench, letting Haru sit next to Ann at the end of the bench. "I was wondering where you guys were," she said.

"So you thought that standing next to a tree would help?"

Ann rolled her eyes at Ryuji's question. "Why were you looking for us?"

"I… um." Haru stopped, looking towards the ground, but soon regained her composure. She sat up straight, which was no small task on shitty benches Shujin couldn't be bothered to buy backrests for, and looked Ann in the eye. "This is a demanding request, and I completely understand if neither of you-"

"Yeah, yeah, we'll support you no matter what."

"Ryuji!"

"What? We will, won't we?"

"Well… you're right, but you don't have to be rude about it."

"For real? How was that rude?!"

"You're ridiculous." Ann held up a hand in his direction and refocused on Haru. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

"Um…" Haru looked more interested in Ann's interaction with Ryuji than speaking her mind. "I believe I was going to ask if I could stay with one of you for a bit."

"Like stay… as in live with?!"

Ann ignored Ryuji and swiftly gave Haru a good answer. "Oh yeah, of course." Relief crept down Haru's face, closing her eyes and widening her smile until Ann inquired further. "Can I ask why?"

"Father's campaign brought a swarm of reporters to our house yesterday. They harassed and pestered me just for trying to go home. As election season continues, I'm sure it'll get much, much worse."

"I'm sorry," Ann offered, if it meant anything. Finding words in situations like this was always hard but Ann believed she did a decent enough job. "Have you talked to your dad about it? I'm sure he can, like, send all the reporters away or something."

"He's rarely home these days. The halls would be nothing but cobwebs if it weren't for the servants working every day. Besides, he and I aren't in any position to talk," Haru spat with venom in her final words. Ann thought it wise not to press further, deciding to wait until Haru personally chose to open up.

"I get it." Ann transitioned back to the original question with no segue. "But yeah, you can stay at my place! My parents are gone until the new year, so take as long as you like."

Relief returned to Haru, though with some surprise at how easy it had been. "Really?"

Ann put her hand on Haru's shoulder. "Of course. I'll send you the address later, and you can take the guest room whenever it works best."

Haru hugged Ann. "Thank you so much. If there's anything I can-"

"Don't worry about it." That was that, and the solved issue made for no more discussion. The three enjoyed the rest of their free lunch period together.

Ren's most recent lunch periods were spent with Kawakami. Not purposefully, but simply because of some unspoken agreement that the two came to. Kawakami hadn't left for the teacher's lounge, and Ren hadn't left to spend lunch with friends like he usually did. Instead, both silently caught up on whatever busywork they had. Neither paid the other any mind.

Today, however, would be different. Ren had designs of speaking to Makoto, asking her how she was doing and how her week went. He realized that the interaction probably wouldn't have the idyllic ending he pictured, but he didn't care. All the drama between them could go screw itself; he just wanted to make sure she was doing alright and offer help in whatever way he could.

Well, and he felt drawn to tell her about his most recent hallucination, but he felt strongly against it. His main reason was that it would place far too much on Makoto, who'd literally distanced herself from Ren just so she could collect her thoughts on him. It would sway her opinion of him far too much in such a short time frame that it would be detrimental to both of them. Instead of swaying her opinion a lot, Ren merely wanted a smidgeon of swaying.

He did have to fight the urge to proclaim his half-innocence in regard to Yoshiro. Ren wanted to tell her how he'd been tricked, how it wasn't his fault, but he could realize it would come off as desperate. Besides, Yoshiro's death was still his responsibility. He may have been tricked, but he still did it. Ren's sin was no longer malice; it was being stupid.

And so, Ren ventured forth from classroom 2-D's claustrophobic walls to the student council room. As usual, students littered the halls, eating their lunches while chatting with each other. The usual topics of conversation, Ren being public enemy number one, Sugimura's death being a coverup, and Yoshiro's death dominated pretty much every conversation among the Shujin student body. All of them were eager to gossip and share whatever fake headline popped up in their feed that morning, but Ren discarded all of it. Whispers were whispers and the specifics could no longer bother him.

After climbing a flight of stairs and navigating through the halls, Ren knocked on the door to the student council room. The possibility of Makoto having lunch with someone or just not being present existed, though it didn't deter Ren.

"Come in," Makoto said from the other side.

Alright, Ren. You can do it. Don't think of this as a critical moment, just a check-in. Like saying "Hi." Easy enough, right?

In one motion, Ren opened the door and pushed his way into the room. Makoto must've thought him foolish, but the look on her face was nothing but surprise. A partially eaten bento alongside a thick hardcover book laid before her on the table. "Um… good afternoon, Ren."

"Hi." Ren's subconscious made sure to make him look like an idiot, not triggering the thought process to sit down for at least five seconds. He stood there, blankly looking at Makoto until reality came back to him. Ren roughly pulled out the chair and sat down.

"Is there something…?" Makoto trailed off. It seemed that neither of them knew how to start things. For Makoto to not know was fair, as Ren took her by surprise, but he'd planned to have the conversation and couldn't come up with shit.

Might as well be blunt with it.

"Just wanted to check on you. I know that four days isn't exactly a long time, and want it to be clear that I'm not expecting anything, but I wanted to make sure you're doing alright." Ren gave his words a moment to settle before an almost forgotten addition. "Oh, and I know that I'm probably the last person you want to talk to, but if you ever just want to vent and clear your head…"

Makoto nodded. "Thanks. I'm fine for now." The foundation of her words swayed with hesitation, unease, and apprehensiveness. Perhaps Ren made a mistake in not texting her beforehand. "I have a lot of work to catch up on, so I haven't even had time to…" Makoto searched for the right words to describe what she hadn't done that week. "Get caught up in the mess."

"Oh. Well, that's good," Ren awkwardly said. His imagined version of the reunion went more smoothly than his reality, at least so far. "I've got nothing but time. If you need some help with all your work, you can let me know." He stood up from his seat, ready to leave after getting his point across.

"Well," Makoto said, stopping Ren from pushing his chair back in, "there is one thing that's causing a bit of trouble." At Ren's raised eyebrow, Makoto explained further. "The student council's gotten some reports about Shujin students being employed at a few Shinjuku clubs. If you could find out anything about that, it'd be a huge help. Student names, which clubs, et cetera."

Damn… I cannot help her at all.

Ren nodded. "Sure. No problem."

Makoto smiled, making the whole excursion worth it. "Thank you." He finally pushed in his chair before walking over to the door to leave. Just as he opened the door, Makoto spoke from behind him. "Ren?" He turned back. "It's good to see you."

Fuck yeah!

With a giddy grin, Ren walked out of the student council like he just won the lottery. He had no plausible idea to help with Makoto's problem, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he'd found a way to be on good terms with Makoto.

Two suitcases, no more, no less, were enough to contain Haru's livelihood. The vast majority of her walk-in closet filled both, along with various items of importance and value. Everything from hygienic products to a framed family photo were dragged with her and onto the subway. She'd left the Okumura family chauffeur behind as some personal symbol of her own freedom.

In fact, the only person at the Okumura household who knew about Haru's departure was the head servant, and even that had been dealt with through a brief, dismissive goodbye with no fanfare, outside the few lingering reporters stationed outside. Haru was thankful they hadn't followed her to the subway station.

The train stopped in Nakano. Haru stiffened her grip around both the suitcase handles, preparing herself for the new life that awaited her in Ann's home, for however long it would be. The heiress possessed no clue as to how long she'd be staying, or what would even signal the end of her stay.

The few details she'd worked out were compensatory for Ann. Haru would pay for all of her own food and anything else she required, while also treating Ann to what she wanted on occasion. She thought of it as paying due rent to a landlord, though she knew Ann wouldn't think of it the same way. For that, Haru planned on absolute, unrelenting insistence on owing Ann no matter the objections that were brought forward.

Haru pushed her arm through the suitcase handle as she used it to open up her phone. She opened up her text messages with Ann, reminding herself of the address. According to the route her phone set for her, Ann's home was just a few minutes from the station.

Taking the subway to Shujin every day would be a big change, but the short walk did encourage the change somewhat. Besides, Haru liked the thought of being a normal, unassuming high school student for a bit. The time living in Ann's house would be spent pretending that she wasn't next in line for the Okumura empire and that her father hadn't royally fucked everything she thought he stood for over the past few years. She'd gone through too much for just one year in an adolescent's life; kicking her feet up for a bit was deserved.

Plus, forgetting all of the restrictions forced upon her by her name meant that she didn't have to worry about the press anymore. If anyone came knocking on Ann's door asking what Haru thought of some bullshit with her father, she could tell them to go away. Maybe she'd even tell them to fuck off. Settling on this particularly vulgar idea, Haru stuck to it as Plan A, B, C, all the way through Z.

After turning onto a street and walking past several houses, Haru believed she'd found the place. She double-checked the address on her phone. This is it, she realized. Pushing open a metal gate, Haru walked a stone path through a neatly cut lawn. Most Tokyo homes, along with Haru's, went without lawns because of the city's density, giving Ann's a bit more flair than expected.

Haru knocked on the door. From the outside, Ann's thin two-story home was a stunning piece of architecture. Sure, it looked like every other home on the block, and Haru had already seen the home when she slept over four months prior, but that didn't change her high opinion of it. After a short wait, the door opened to Ann with her hair down, in a baggy Featherman shirt and pajama bottoms.

Oh, and she seemed a bit… preoccupied. Ann had pizza grease dripping from the corner of her lips, and her mouth was obviously full. "Mmph, hey, Ha-" Ann gave up halfway through to finish chewing and swallowing her food. With renewed vigor and a clean mouth, Ann started over. "Hey, Haru. Come on in."

Haru held back a laugh, offering a polite smile in its place as she walked through the door, taking off her shoes as soon as she could. The home hadn't changed much since her last visit, though it did look a bit cleaner, bar the opened box of pizza that sat on the L-shaped couch. As Ann closed the door behind them, she explained the minimal mess. "Cheat meal. Figured I'd have some fun with it and watch a movie."

"You're on a diet?" Bad question. Of course Ann had a diet. She was a model!

"Nah, I have a cheat meal every night." Or not. Haru felt less stupid. "Here, let me help you with that," Ann said, grabbing one of Haru's suitcases and walking over to the stairs. Haru followed, both of them ascending the stairs while dragging the heavy suitcases. "I'm guessing this suitcase is all hair spray to keep the floof going?"

"Excuse me?"

"You know… the floof in your hair?" Yet again, Haru felt dumb for not getting the joke. She felt even worse when she forced an awkward belated laugh. Ann didn't care in the slightest. They reached the top of the stairs, taking a sharp left and opening the first door. "Alright, here's your room. Feel free to…" Ann waved her hand in the air, "jazz it up a little, if you want."

Ann's idea would be considered reluctantly by Haru. The room was plain, with not much going for it besides the brick walls. Other than that, the features of the room were offensively bland. The bed was so disgustingly beige that Haru couldn't believe someone with the aesthetic sense of Ann would sleep in the same home as it.

It's perfect. Haru loved it anyway, lame beige and all. It was a bed not in the Okumura home, and that meant that it was objectively better, even if her old bed had pillows full of angel feathers as her mother used to tell her.

Ann dropped the suitcase she brought, leading Haru to do the same. "You already eat?" Ann asked. Haru shook her head. Wordlessly, Ann walked past Haru out of the room, with the guest following behind. They went back downstairs and to the L-couch, Ann immediately flopping down and getting herself comfortable. She pulled a blanket up to her chest and grabbed a slice of pizza. Upon noticing Haru wasn't doing the same, awkwardly standing beside the couch, Ann gestured for her friend to follow her lead.

Weren't you supposed to be relaxing, Haru? Stop worrying about how you look. None of this is normal, so don't treat it that way. You don't have to act proper, she reminded herself. Haru sat down, stretching her legs and resting her feet on the edge of the coffee table.

"See? Isn't that nice?"

"Quite."

"There's nothing better than coming home from school, dropping everything, and just sitting down to take the time to think about the day. It's healthy," Ann said. Like meditation, Haru followed a rhythm for breathing, inhaling deeply before slowly exhaling. It was peaceful. "How were the reporters today? Did they give you any trouble about leaving with all your stuff?"

"No, not too many of them were waiting for me. I suppose they only come in force when my father is worth the front page."

"Don't worry about them coming here. We can pour water on them from the second floor if you want."

"I have another idea…" Haru paused for dramatic emphasis, slowly turning her head to Ann. They locked eyes just in time for Haru to give her an alternative. "Boiling tar?"

Ann laughed. "Sure, Haru. Feel free to tar and feather any nosy reporters that come around."

As Ann resumed the movie, Haru smiled to herself, feeling genuine excitement for the next few weeks.

Saturday, 9/17

"Ah, Niijima-san!" Makoto, who'd just delivered some files to the teacher's lounge, turned around to face who greeted her. "I was hoping you'd have the time for a quick talk," Maruki said.

"Of course." Makoto did have the student council, but they were well into the part of the meeting where they just filed endless paperwork. Skipping out on the last part wouldn't hurt, if only damage the council's opinions of her.

As if they could get any lower, Makoto thought, knowing that it was likely far from the truth. They'd asked multiple times for the full story on the Kaneshiro incident, despite decent manners usually requiring not asking about rumors. She'd never given them a straight answer, always finding some way to dodge the question. Noriko and Michiko didn't seem to mind that much, and Eiji loved Makoto unconditionally, but they must've had some resentment for her beneath the surface.

Maruki smiled, nodded, and turned to leave the teacher's lounge. Makoto followed, going across the hall into the practice building with the doctor before descending three flights of stairs. They ended up right next to the nurse's office, at which Maruki stuck a key in the lock and opened it for her. Both went inside and took seats.

Makoto had utilized Maruki's services few times over the year. During the crisis with Kaneshiro, she visited that one time. Maruki proved somewhat helpful, but she'd been left with a nagging, pained feeling in her stomach and she never figured out why. Since then, Makoto blamed the feeling on Maruki's habit of asking questions that changed the subject a little too much. He was a counselor, but breaking into philosophical topics was jarring for someone as educated as Makoto. She wondered what the poor kids who just wanted to be comforted over a breakup thought of Maruki asking them about the political and economic state of the world.

"It's been some time," Maruki began, clasping his hands together and settling them in his lap.

Makoto stiffly eyed Maruki. "It has."

"That means that things are going well for you, I hope?"

Did he bring me here just for small talk? Makoto was terrible at small talk. Noriko and Michiko usually managed a decent back-and-forth while going through the paperwork, yet Makoto would always remain on the sidelines and keep her attention on her work. Talking about nothing was a skill she would never obtain no matter how much listening or studying she did.

Makoto didn't answer, but she did give Maruki a look that told him to do just a bit of thinking. She was the student council president, dealing with the aftermath of a murdered student, which may or may not have been the doing of one of the two most important people in her life, and she had to deal with a surprise conversation with Maruki, who always had too much to say. Containing all of that would surely be a very stressed surface appearance, Makoto believed, but maybe it didn't come across to Maruki.

Makoto realized that she may have come across as rude to the always kind counselor, but she didn't apologize.

Despite her worries, Maruki laughed. "I suppose you're a bit busy for small talk. My apologies."

"It's nothing."

"Then let me help you by getting to the point," Maruki said, shifting in his seat. "How do you think Ren is doing?" Makoto must've looked confused because Maruki elaborated before she could speak. "Given the relationship between you two…"

Makoto thought. Maruki wasn't exactly a person she wanted to be involved with between her and Ren, and he didn't really deserve to know. Plainly, it was none of his business, even as a school counselor.

"Maruki-san, I'd rather not speak for Ren without him here." Makoto paused, taking some pleasure in Maruki's smile barely flattening. "Also, it's a bit strange that you came to me about Ren, rather than approaching Ren himself. He's quite the talker."

Maruki chuckled. "I came to you because I already spoke with Ren. He hasn't taken Takata's death very well and it concerned me."

Did he just lie to me? Did the school counselor brought on to save face after the biggest scandal this school has ever seen just lie to me? Makoto couldn't believe it. Hell, she felt offended that Maruki would try such a thing. Confused, too, as she couldn't conceive of why he would try to lie. Makoto just spoke to Ren a day prior, and he was hardly broken up. Frankly, it seemed like he was in a good mood. Curiosity got the better of her and she opted to roll with Maruki's lie.

"Truthfully, I haven't spoken with Ren much lately. We're taking some time apart."

"Because of T-"

"Because Ren asked for it." Maybe she could tell a few lies of her own. If Maruki picked up on them, he would know that she was on to her. If not, then she'd only have more to consider about the counselor. "He was feeling overwhelmed with a lot of things, even before Takata's death. I think he just wants time to withdraw and consider things with a new perspective."

"He's not confronting the issue head-on?"

"What issue?"

"Isn't it obvious? Amamiya's relationship with Takata. I'm sure he feels some responsibility," Maruki insisted. He leaned forward, perhaps as some way to send pressure Makoto's way.

If so, it didn't work. She held her strong posture and spoke firmly. "You didn't ask him when you saw him?"

Maruki put a hand over his mouth before removing it just a second later. "Confidentiality." Maruki looked up at the clock on the wall, only taking a moment before resuming his conversation with Makoto. "If Amamiya isn't confronting his relationship with Takata, is he prioritizing himself?"

"I'd hope so."

"Good for him. He's doing what we all should."

"Not everyone has the luxury of time that Ren has."

Maruki didn't reply to Makoto's comment, not even looking her in the eye anymore. "Niijima-san, please allow me to get a little side-tracked, but I actually read a great essay the other evening that applies to this," Maruki said just before he delved into a spiel. "Watching the news isn't exactly a fun time. Few genuinely happy moments qualify as news, so the picture we're given of the world every evening is a cold, emotionless pit of despair. So, what if one just decided to stop watching the news? They turned on an anime instead while also blocking news outlets on their socials. Does that person become happier?"

"They may become happier, but they lose something in the process."

"Do they? They may lose knowledge about the outside world, but what does that matter to them, especially after they've just gained everything: happiness. Isolating their perspective doesn't affect the world in any way, it just betters this person's state.

"Respectfully, I disagree. Being informed is more important than being happy," Makoto said, getting a raised eyebrow. "Maybe if that person kept the news on just a bit longer they would've seen the poverty of a third world country, or a nation subjected to war crimes. That could've provoked something like a donation to charity from them, but what were they doing instead?"

Maruki twisted Makoto's argument's answer into his own. "Living in happiness."

"Twiddling their thumbs," Makoto corrected. "I don't want to twiddle my thumbs."

"Neither do I, but who are either of us to deny anyone's claim to happiness?"

"Neither of us has any right to dictate another's happiness, but we are allowed to believe what we want, and I believe that putting on blinders to what's going on outside your little bubble is the worst way to live."

"Maybe your blinders just didn't fit right."

And just what is that supposed to mean? Makoto was growing wearier of Maruki every time he spoke. Her previous problem with the counselor being too eager to debate philosophy with students turned into something much, much worse. It seemed to her that Maruki was trying to convince her of his beliefs, ones that weren't desirable, either.

"Maruki-san, I'm not sure where this is coming from, but I find it concerning."

"Oh, don't worry about-"

"I'm going to worry about it. Have you been discussing these ideas with the rest of the student body?"

"Niijima-san, I find your attempt to look down upon me as condescending, especially when I am not technically a member of Shujin's faculty. And, as I'm sure you already know, I pride myself on confidentiality."

Ironically, that was condescending for someone who gives me the respect of peer honorifics, Makoto thought. At that moment, Makoto decided that she didn't care for Takuto Maruki. He'd done a lot of good for the school, but his intentions grew a few shades murkier in Makoto's eyes.

"I'll ask again, then. Have you been encouraging apathy among the student body?"

"Of course not. Considering the idea of paramount happiness as apathetic is selfish and closed-minded. I simply present the belief to the students. I even encourage disagreement, as discussion from both sides of the issue is important to me."

"I wasn't aware that there's an issue here to worry about."

"Students are unhappy wasting away in endless schoolwork."

Makoto never understood how students could think that way. Putting off some schoolwork was justified, but believing that all schoolwork was a waste? A philosophy for grade-schoolers, Makoto thought. The discussion with Maruki put her in a bad enough mood for thoughts that would normally be far too scathing for her.

Her words were more venomous than usual, too. "Then they should hurry up and have their fifteenth birthday party."

"You sound like an old Dietman."

Makoto rolled her eyes and gave up on the conversation. She had better things to do, among them was now looking into what Maruki had been discussing with students. If she even could, that is. As Maruki made sure to mention at every damn turn, confidentiality stood in her way.

Nonetheless, Makoto got up to leave. Walking to the door, Maruki spoke from behind her. "What do you want, Makoto?" Her first name, too? Now she knew she was right about him. Using her first name had to be a provocation; a challenge for her to try and stop him.

She wouldn't make it that easy for him. "I want what everyone else wants, Maruki-san. The only difference between me and the rest of the student body is that I won't settle for anything less than overachieving. I can't be that hard to figure out, can I?"

"Thank you f-" Makoto didn't wait for him to finish, leaving before she could hear his newest lie.

Just what is it that you want, Maruki? Makoto pondered as she made her way back to the student council room.

Ren took just a day to deliberate over Makoto's request for his help. Initially, he came up blank when it came to finding how to assist his friend, but he finally managed a breakthrough when he considered what someone else could do that he couldn't. Specifically, which person in Tokyo would be knowledgeable about this kind of thing.

And so, as always, Ren found himself making the trip with his legs to his destination. Just a short walk from his apartment building, Untouchable on Central Street remained unchanged from the outside. The partially-lit green logo flickered with power as Ren looked up at it.

I wonder if he'll be mad that I haven't worked for him. I mean, he never asked, so it's not my fault.

Ren pushed the swinging door open and walked through it. Cramped as ever, Untouchable's interior only changed in terms of its stock. New models took the spots of the ones Ren remembered from the Spring, showing a bit more polish than the previous models as well. Behind the counter, even Iwai's typical pose stayed the same. He had his legs kicked up on the table and his cap tipped over closed, sleeping eyes.

Clearing his throat, Ren stood at the front counter. Iwai didn't move. Again, Ren cleared his mouth. "Whaddya want?" a gravel-like voice grumbled from beneath the cap.

"I want to work."

Iwai tipped his hat down. "Damn kid…" He dropped his boots to the floor with a thud and moved his chair closer to the counter. "If I remember correctly, I was supposed to contact you about working more."

"Yet you never did."

"I had a busy summer."

"Doing what?"

"Friend thought he could get the upper hand on me."

"Did he?" Iwai didn't flinch as he stared Ren down. His expression revealed nothing close to an answer, letting Ren simply assume what he thought happened. "Okay then. Well, I'm here to work."

"Is that it? You only come here when you've got an incentive."

"Is it obvious how selfish I am?"

"No."

Bluntly, Ren stated his reason for visiting Iwai. Without it, he would never even consider going to Untouchable. "I need to know about Shujin students working at clubs in Shinjuku."

"Can't help you. Find someone else."

Bullshit, you're the guy! You know, the guy who helps with everything the protagonist can't because he's kind of a criminal, but kind of not.

"Come on… aren't you, like," Ren lowered his voice, "Yakuza or something?"

Reacting exactly how someone who may or may not have been associated with organized crime, Iwai dismissed Ren's assumption. "You got the wrong guy."

"Don't be a bitch. Help me out." Calling someone who would probably curb stomp him with little provocation a bitch wasn't how Ren planned on spending his afternoon, but surprises always wormed their way into his days.

"No."

"Please? I'll work, I'll babysit your kid, I'll read you 'The Odyssey' completely in Greek… just do me this favor."

Iwai sighed. "I got a guy. Manages a club or two. He might know something."

"Great, that's just great!" Ren settles down for a moment. "Oh, uh, should I just…"

"You can do the work when you get your info. Take it easy until I text you, 'kay, kid?"

"Yeah, no problem. Thanks, Iwai-san."