Sunday, 9/18

"You look like you have something on your mind." Sae's suggestion distracted Makoto from her calculus notes.

"You're right. I'm trying to remember the process of finding a bounded area." Makoto took up the whole couch with her schoolwork. Textbook on the right, notebook on her lap, and her trusty Buchi-kun pencil pouch on the left. On the other side of the room, in the kitchen, Sae reheated some of the previous night's food.

"Which ones are those?"

"Those are the ones where you rotate the parabolic shape over the y-axis, then you draw three-dimensional shapes in between the newly formed shape on the graph, and then you find the shaded area using definite integrals and antiderivatives," Makoto explained, not even breaking a sweat or looking up at her sister from her notebook.

"Oh… those." Sae clearly had no idea what Makoto just told her about. She used her supposed understanding as a way to stop talking about the topic entirely and transition back to her original question. "I meant that it seems like you have more important things on your mind."

Makoto knew what her sister meant. Who wouldn't? She just didn't want to discuss Ren at that moment. Thinking of him was detrimental to Makoto being productive and would be the difference between a completed homework assignment and an incomplete one. "Calculus is very important, Sis."

"Makoto." Sae dropped all emotion, using her tone to ask if Makoto even believed what she said. "Really?"

"All schoolwork is important, isn't it?"

"Of course it is, but you probably won't be using any math past geometry in your future." Sae finished prepping her microwaved lunch, taking it to the dining table to eat. Makoto flipped her notebook closed and turned around on the couch to face her sister. "Now is when I remind you that I'm great at listening if you want to talk."

I must have the worst poker face. Ren approached me out of the blue with the same offer, now Sis is bringing this up out of nowhere , Makoto thought, still undecided on whether to tell her sister. Sae had been home much more often as of late, with the sisters getting along better than ever. Makoto didn't want to jeopardize that.

"I could subpoena you," Sae joked.

Makoto was smarter than that. "Nice try. Conflict of interest, right?"

"I could have a coworker subpoena you."

"That's more like it," Makoto said, smiling at her sister. She dropped her notebook onto the couch, stood up, and joined her sister at the dining table. They sat across from each other on either side of the table.

I can just give her the simplest version of the story, but not the details, obviously. I want to be honest with Sis, but I don't want to hurt Ren , Makoto reasoned. What's the worst she could do?

As Sae ate, Makoto folded her hands across her side of the table. "Ren and I are taking a bit of a break."

Sae set down her fork, giving Makoto an unflinching NDS. "Do you want to kick him in the face first, or should I?" Her eyes stayed pointed and barbed, her chin didn't quiver, and her head remained

"I… appreciate the sentiment, but Ren doesn't need to be kicked," Makoto said, pausing before giving Sae some hope of accomplishing her dream of kicking Ren. "Not yet, anyway."

Sae resumed eating her food like she hadn't just threatened Makoto's semi-kinda-partial-boyfriend. "Got it. Just letting you know, he has seven days to live."

"Sis!"

"Complaining about it won't save him. Your one-hundred-sixty-eight hours are ticking. You may want to get around to mending the wound, hm?"

Makoto couldn't understand whatever motive Sae had, but she could recognize the intent behind Sae's words: a shot of adrenaline to get things moving. Perhaps she already had by bringing Ren into the student council's new investigation. Perhaps it wasn't enough. Perhaps Makoto was just perceiving everything pressuring her towards Ren.

Perhaps she thought about possibilities too much.

"Alright. Challenge accepted."

Sae swallowed a bite of her food, finishing off her plate. "Good. I expect another dinner with him so you two can explain yourselves." Without giving Makoto a chance to protest, Sae left the table with her plate, dropping it in the sink. She left Makoto behind to get some work done in her room.

Alone at the dining table, Makoto considered the implications. First, Sae would take action by the end of the seven days. Obviously, she wouldn't kill Ren. But Sae wasn't one to joke, and she would certainly take issue with Ren or Makoto at the end of the period.

Second, Makoto now had to worry about having Ren over for dinner again. They'd barely pulled off the first one, with Ren's bathroom ramblings on beatboxing nearly ruining everything, and now Ren would have to do it again?

Then again, that was assuming that her relationship with Ren weather the storm.

Makoto sighed away her momentary worries. Just as she thought earlier, thinking of Ren was detrimental to productivity. She went back to the couch, settling into her usual indentation and picking up her study materials, only for a text notification to make her jump just as the pen hit the paper.

Makoto checked her phone.

The Renji Fanclub

Ann Takamaki:

-Makoto!

Makoto Niijima:

-Ann!

Ann Takamaki:

-Come over!

Makoto Niijima:

-Why?!

Ann Takamaki:

-Haru and I want to hang out with you!

Big Boss:

-Can I come too?!

Ann Takamaki:

-Idk who you are!

*Big Boss has changed their name to Futaba Sakura*

Futaba Sakura:

-Pretty please?

Ann Takamaki:

-Sure.

Ann Takamaki:

-Now that that's settled…

Ann Takamaki:

-How about it, Makoto?

Makoto Niijima:

-I'll be there in half an hour.

Again, Makoto was her own worst enemy when it came to getting schoolwork done, but sacrifices could be made. It'd been a week since she'd last hung out with anyone from GRAVY; seeing Ann and Haru would be good for her. It couldn't hurt to check on Haru either, as there was always something obstructing the poor heiress's life.

Just as she pocketed her phone, another message notification came in. She didn't check it.

The Renji Fanclub

*Futaba Sakura has changed their name to Big Boss*

It always started with knocking. Every time Ren's day either went up or down in trajectory, it began with a knock. As always, Ren got up from his lazy Sunday couch to open the door as quickly as possible, doing his best to not keep a person waiting unless they deserved it.

Ren opened the door, bringing a similar result to when he'd greeted the pollers a few days prior. A buff, middle-aged man standing about the same height as Ren stood in the hallway of the apartment building. His unkempt stubble screamed cries of abuse by late nights and earlier mornings. The man's apparent mid-life crisis was the biggest red flag for Ren to notice.

Ren gave the man a closer look. A brown coat with scattered stains was draped over a collared gray shirt. His blood-red tie crookedly dangled from below his chin.

"Ren Amamiya?"

He knows that I'm the one who lives here? Bad sign.

"Nope. I'm Junpei Iori." Ren went to shut the door, just for the man's arm to shoot out and block it. With his free hand, he held up a golden sun badge. "Er…" Ren's mistake made no noise but embarrassment.

"May I come in?" the police officer asked. With his lack of a uniform, Ren assumed the man to be a detective. He opened the door fully and moved to the side, letting the detective walk past him and into the apartment. "Nice place you got…"

Ren closed the door, remaining posted in front of it out of some form of fear. He didn't know whether to be cautious, honest, sarcastic, or pleasant, and that scared him. Per his default setting, Ren settled for dry irony. "What brings you to my humble abode, detective?" Outgoing enough to not have an eye batted, but without enough friendliness in tone to raise a subtle alarm in the back of one's head.

"Just a few questions regarding a, uh…" The detective took a flip-page notebook out of his coat pocket. "A recent case."

Ah. Fuck. I know what this is about.

Ren's first instinct was to run out the door, but he didn't have the balls for any such thing. Besides, what could the detective possibly have on him? All Ren had done was leave Yoshiro's name on the website. Yoshiro didn't even die within the Prince's usual parameters, so there was no reasonable connection for detectives to make to Ren.

The detective motioned over to the couch. "May I sit?" Ren nodded. Both the man and Ren meandered around the living area set up until the detective took up one end of the couch while Ren sat in the adjacent chair. Ren noted his own sweaty palms were dampening the chair, so she sheathed his hands in his pockets.

"How can I help you…?" Ren purposely trailed off to make the detective do the introducing.

"Dojima. Detective Dojima." He extended a hand to Ren, whose hands still held enough sweat to fill a bathtub. Ren accepted the handshake, cringing at the contact which only took a brief second. When they withdrew, Dojima took out a pen to go with his notebook and looked Ren in the eye. "You're a student at Shujin Academy."

Not even posing it as a question? He means business.

Ren nodded, prompting Dojima to continue. "Yoshiro Takata's murder has greatly affected you and your peers, correct?"

"I don't know. My peers don't like me. They keep me in the dark."

"They don't like you? Why?"

"They think I'm a serial killer who also runs a yakuza clan while rigging local elections on the side."

"Are you?"

"You're the detective."

Dojima laughed; a deep bellow with a warm, inviting grin. It'd encourage any guilty citizen to confess, surely. "Got me there. I'll admit, I already know your backstory."

"Great."

"But that doesn't affect why I'm here, and I'd like you to remember that." Dojima sat forward, setting his notepad on his knee and resting his chin in his hand. "It's just that some of the facts of the case have brought me here."

"And what facts would those be?"

Dojima didn't give Ren a direct answer. "Shujin's a high school. I'm sure you all have your theories on the specifics of Takata's murder. What do you think?"

"I don't think anything. They just told us that he died."

"They?"

"Administration. They held a big assembly on… Monday, I think. The principal announced it to everyone, saying how great of a student Yoshiro was and shit."

"Ah…" Dojima paused, checking a page on his notebook. He flipped it closed when he got his facts straight. "They didn't tell you that Ayumi Takata killed Yoshiro?"

"His mom?"

"You know Ayumi?"

"'Know' is a strong word." Ren paused, only for Dojima to beckon with his hand for elaboration. "I met her in the Spring. I think she was a bit, er, disturbed, as she was kind of into me. She followed me on our school's social platform."

"And when was the last time you two were in contact?"

"Um…" Ren couldn't remember for the life of him. He knew it was in the Spring, but he couldn't recall exactly when or what their last conversation had been. "Can't remember. Probably in May. I called her once to make a joke to Yoshiro about his mom. I blocked her on Shujinstagram after that."

Dojima surprised Ren with a sudden shift in the questions. "What were you doing last Saturday?" This time, he didn't look at Ren, instead focusing on jotting down notes.

"I was in Hawaii."

"What'd you do in Hawaii?"

"I ate some brownies."

"That's it?"

"They were special brownies."

"You are aware that cannabis use is prohibited, yes?"

Ren shrugged. "It's decriminalized in Hawaii. Plus, I think your coworkers would laugh if the detective assigned to a murder case brought in a teen for a weed charge instead of doing something actually useful."

Dojima let out another friendly laugh. "No need to get defensive. Just making sure you didn't bring any back." He paused, looking up at Ren again. "So you don't remember what happened on Saturday because you were intoxicated?" He began writing notes before Ren could even answer.

"Woah, don't say 'intoxicated.' That makes it sound grimy; worse than it actually was."

"What would you prefer me to write?"

"Geeked off the gizzy."

"I'll go with 'intoxicated.' Now, could you answer the question?"

"Yeah. I have fragments of a day. They're faded, black and white, and cigarette burns obscure most of them."

Dojima laughed again but settled much more quickly than he did the previous two times. "So you don't remember calling Ayumi Takata that Saturday evening?"

Nope.

Ren tried to remember. He genuinely did, knowing that it'd put him under suspicion if he came up blank.

Okay, Ren. Think. After the brownies, you were in the hotel room with Yusuke and Ryuji. Then you were suddenly alone, right? Then you left and went to Makoto's room. Kasumi fits somewhere in there, but where the hell does Ayumi go?

Ren thought more, trying to scratch the itches of his memories to conjure more from his subconscious.

How'd I get to Makoto's room from my room? I remember being kinda scared of a hook… what hook was that?

Ren looked around in desperation. In the corner of the room, at the door to the bathroom, he saw his answer.

The doorknob! Ayumi was doing Ayumi things over the phone, and I was scared of the doorknob!

Thankfully, Ren didn't have to lie. "I butt-dialed Ayumi. She was, ya know, trying to talk nicely to me, and I was too high to care. I was busy trying to figure out how to walk."

Other than a simple noise, Dojima didn't immediately respond to what Ren told him. "Hm." Seconds of analysis passed. Ren shrank under the gaze, pushing his torso back into the chair out of unease. "Did she mention anything? Her son, maybe?"

"I don't think so. As I said, she jus-"

"Maybe you told her something that she didn't want to hear."

"Is that a question?"

"Should it be?"

"Sir, with all due respect, if you think that I'm capable of talking a mother into killing her only son while I'm high off my ass, you need to reevaluate your career choice."

Dojima chuckled. "I wasn't accusing you. Just a hypothetical to consider." The detective stood up, doing his best to brush the cat hair off his coat and black pants. Ren smirked at that, feeling some spite for the detective after the oh-so-slightly implied accusation. "That's all I had for you, Amamiya-kun. Thanks for cooperating."

Was it a bit touchy for me to say that? Yes. Should Detective Dojima go fuck himself? Most definitely. Am I overreacting? Always.

"You know me. CI Ren Amamiya, always happy to help."

"You give your probation officer this much lip?"

"No, because he leaves me alone."

Dojima smiled at Ren, faint and with displeasure beneath his cracked lips. Ren must've stirred some scorn, which he took great pleasure in knowing. "I'll let you enjoy your day off," Dojima said, walking around the couch and back to the door. "If your memory clears up, or you have anything else to tell me…"

"I'll tell Goro Akechi, then you."

Dojima walked out the door mumbling to himself. "Fuckin' kid."

Honestly, I don't know what he expected. I'm a teenager, and he interrupted my day off! Did he think I wouldn't be rude? Preposterous. That's the worst part of being an older teenager. Adults expect me to act like one of them, but I'm trying to cherish every last second of this. They're the unreasonable ones.

As much as his hubris helped his mood, Ren still felt unnerved by the fact that a detective visited. If Dojima didn't believe Ren's faulty memory, Ren would be in serious trouble. Prosecutors could stick him with some charge in relation to instigating a murder, arguing that Ayumi's infatuation with Ren led her to kill Yoshiro for Ren.

Well shit. Now I have two things I need to talk to Akechi about.

Unfortunately, with no phone number and no portable bell that would summon the annoying fucker on a whim with a jingle, Ren was stuck waiting for Akechi to make the next move in their one-sided game of chess.

As Makoto knocked on the door to Ann's home, she thought back to when she last ventured to Nakano: the Spring sleepover, when they'd worked on GRAVY's club day booth. It felt like another lifetime, a distant memory from an ancestor. It came before Makoto followed Ren around, before they'd reunited, before his visions. It was the calm before the slow, ever-evolving storm that they found themselves in the thick of.

Things had only gotten worse, yet they pushed each other away. Or, was that just Makoto's fault? It was her decision to cut things off. The blame was only hers to claim. Still, she didn't think she was wrong for doing so. She made the best possible decision, albeit at the worst possible time, but she couldn't do anything about it.

But now, she may have needed Ren a bit more than ever. She had no clue how to handle Maruki's outburst, if it could even be called that, and Ren was the closest one to him. He needed to know that Maruki couldn't exactly be trusted before he did anything stupid, as he was so inclined to do. Maybe he's learned patience, Makoto thought and hoped.

The door opened to Ann in Futaba in her usual bright, baggy, casual clothes. "Hey, Makoto! We were just talking 'bout you!"

"You were?" Makoto followed Futaba into the home and shut the door behind her. She took off her shoes. When she finished, she looked around the house. It looked just a tad more disorganized than it had been the last time she visited, but she couldn't quite place her finger on why.

"Yeah. I was trying to get them to bet a few yen on if you'd be here before one."

"And they didn't?"

"Haru 'doesn't believe in gambling,'" Futaba said with air quotes, rolling her eyes in the process. "I don't get how rich people don't gamble. Like, you'll make more money unless you absolutely suck at it."

"I don't gamble either. There's nothing wrong with not believing in something that's purely based on luck."

"Pfft, that's what you think." Futaba pointed over to the staircase to the second floor. "Haru's changing and Ann's taking a dump or something. I think we were gonna order some Roof Runner and watch a movie, but we didn't really confirm it."

Makoto frowned at Futaba's lack of respect for Ann's modesty but didn't mention anything. She'd accepted that Futaba just didn't have the same understanding of social conventions that normal people had, and changing that would be difficult. "Roof Runner?"

"Food delivery. Ann wanted burgers, Haru wanted sushi, and I wanted fried chicken."

Futaba walked over to the L-couch and sat down on it. Makoto didn't see anything else to do, so she decided to sit and talk with Futaba. "You should really consider eating better."

"I manage on a diet of ice cream and potato chips. Tell me that isn't impressive."

"It's concerning."

"Concerning-shmerning. Who cares?"

You're right, Futaba. You do you , Makoto thought.

"How's your little break from Ren going?"

"Wha- how'd you know about that?" Makoto hadn't told anyone except Yuriko and Sae, who definitely weren't friends with Futaba. If Yuriko made fun of Ren for having some nerdy tendencies, she'd have a field day with Futaba.

"I'm the narrator! Of course I know about it." Futaba chuckled, then cut herself off to get serious with Makoto. "Nah, I actually just track everyone's phones. I like to be in the know, ya know?"

"Um…"

"Relaaax, I have parameters set in my system so that I don't see private stuff," Futaba said. "Most of it, anyway," she added under her breath. Makoto was deeply unsettled by being under constant surveillance, so Futaba quickly brought up something to distract her. "Plus, my tracking just helped Ren. Guess who took his little suggestion off of the Prince's fansite?"

Makoto's eyes widened. "You did what?"

"Mweheheh… sorry. I dunno why I laughed. Force of habit, I guess," Futaba said with enough speed to run circles around Makoto. "Anyway, I saw when he left Yoshiro's name but didn't anything because, like, there were a million names on that page. After Yoshiro died, I figured I'd do Ren a little favor and scrub some evidence."

"Er, please don't refer to it as scrubbing evidence."

Futaba was confused. "Whaddya want from me? 'I did Ren a little favor and hid the truth from the police so he doesn't get arrested.' How's that sound?"

"Criminal." Makoto couldn't help but feel a little hypocritical in criticizing Futaba. She'd wanted Ren to try and delete his suggestion for the very reason Futaba did it for him. "But… thank you. Did you tell Ren?"

"Nah, I tried to get him to admit that he did it to me, but he dodged and said," Futaba deepened her voice and took all the emphasis out of it, "'There are some things I want to let sit, and then I'll clear everything up.' He promised to tell me eventually, so…"

"Hm." Makoto didn't know what to do with this information. It was good for Ren that Futaba was able to do that, so long as she didn't get in trouble for it. If anything, Makoto could be glad that Ren wasn't at immediate risk and they had time to let the world settle a bit.

"But for now, I'll just use it as a bit of blackmail if necessary." Futaba let out another one of her signature snarky laughs. Makoto nervously laughed along, not sure if she should take Futaba seriously.

A repeating thumping noise came from the stairs. Both the girls looked over to see Haru following behind Ann. "Oh, hey Makoto!" Ann said with a big smile as she noticed. "Sorry that I didn't answer the door."

"No problem. Futaba did a somewhat great job at welcoming me anyway."

Futaba gave everyone a prideful smirk with exaggerated arrogance. "I really am just the best aren't I?"

The afternoon passed with ease as the group chatted through the movie they picked. It was a comedy, so it wasn't like they were missing an artistic statement; talking and cracking jokes of their own was just part of the experience. They ended up Roof Running sushi, something Makoto never planned on doing again because of the cost. Sushi was already expensive. The delivery cost and tax ran the bill through the roof.

Still, it didn't bring the mood down much. Not even the end of the movie brought down the afternoon, as a conversation took over. Makoto was told of the change in Haru's living situation, seemingly with some reluctance on Haru's part. Makoto did feel bad that she hadn't even known what was going on with Haru, but she felt proud in some strange way that Haru found an alternative so easily while on her own.

But, as it must always go, the conversation dwindled at points, losing more and more steam as the afternoon went on and came to dinner time. Makoto could tell that her friends were a little drained from all the socializing, Futaba especially. Finally, once and for all, the conversation died completely, leaving them in momentary silence for the first time all afternoon.

"What're you guys getting Ren for his birthday?" Futaba asked, trying to get the conversation rolling again.

Makoto looked over at Futaba, confused. Ren's birthday? It isn't until the twenty-forth. That's a few we- oh my god it's the eighteenth. Ren's birthday is in less than a week, and we haven't planned anything for him! Makoto, still feeling growing pains from the time apart from Ren, didn't realize that the obligation shouldn't have fallen on her to plan Ren's birthday if one was even needed. Well, would Ren want a birthday party? Who wouldn't? Surely Ren isn't too cynical to celebrate himself, right?

Haru sounded just as surprised as Makoto."When is Ren's birthday?"

"Damn, you didn't know?" Futaba was the most surprised. She looked around at each of her friends, silently judging them for not remembering a friend's birthday. "Shame on y- nah, just kidding. It's on Saturday."

"I don't think he told anyone that his birthday was coming up. He hasn't really told me anything, to be honest," Ann said.

"Yeah, well, I have a copy of his birth certificate on my desktop. The wee lad turns seventeen!"

Ann didn't sound too worried. "I'm sure Ryuji will know what to get him. I'll ask."

"Okay, but then what are we doing for his birthday?" Futaba asked. "Because it feels like we haven't really done a lot all month."

To me, it's the exact opposite, but to each their own, Makoto thought.

"How about a surprise party? I believe Ren would turn down the idea of a party if we approached him, but if we surprise him? I think he would like it."

"What, like surprising him in his apartment or at school? There's no way we pull that off. He spends every minute at school in 2-D, and there's no one to let us into his apartment," Ann said, shooting down the idea, much to Haru's disappointment.

Futaba stood up and pointed directly at Ann. "Hah, that's where you're wrong!" Realizing she may have looked just a bit weird, she sat back down. "Er, sorry, but you're still wrong. There is someone who can let us into Ren's apartment on Saturday!"

"Who?"

"Yusuke!"

Makoto had a hard time believing what she was hearing. "And how will he do that?"

"Well, it's cuz Yusuke goes to Ren's place all the time." Looks of confusion from her friends prompted further explanation from Futaba. "Hey, I'm telling you what he told me. He came over the other day to work on our NFT project, and he told me that he goes to Ren's every few days to play with Davé. Morgana, I mean."

"I've learned to not ask questions when it comes to Yusuke-kun, but…" Haru trailed off. She didn't even need to finish her sentence, as each of the girls pondered the same questions as her.

Futaba actually demonstrated some leadership ability, much like what Makoto would've done with the student council in a similar scenario. "Look, it doesn't matter how he gets into Ren's apartment and that Ren's never noticed. He can let us in on Saturday, and that's what matters, 'kay?"

Ann, Haru, and Makoto all nodded in agreement. "Right," Makoto said. "Ann, you talk to Ryuji about gift ideas. Futaba, check if Yusuke can get us in after school on Saturday. Haru and I will delay Ren after school on Friday so you guys can set up."

"Oh, but I want to decorate."

"Decorate as in…?"

"As in interior decorator," Haru finished, clearly knowing that Makoto wanted a better answer but laughing it off.

Shit. Just you and Ren on Saturday. It won't be so bad, Makoto. After all, you guys are just friends right now, Makoto told herself.

"Alright, sounds like everyone's got their jobs. Any questions?"

"Who's getting the cake?"

"Ren's a vegan and also allergic to gluten."

"Nice try, Futaba."

Planning out Ren's surprise party actually sparked energy in the girls, giving them something to look forward to at the end of the week. It would also give Makoto a grand finale before Sae attempted to assassinate Ren, too, so that was nice.

They spent a bit more time together, letting the conversation die once more. By dinner time, Makoto didn't want to waste any more money on food delivery. She thanked her friends for the afternoon and departed for her Shibuya apartment.

Monday, 9/19

"And that is why Japan has nev-"

The sound of a ringing phone cut Kawakami's lecture short. Everyone in the class looked around to locate the sound, settling on Ren after just a few seconds. Feeling his face burn and his phone vibrating in his pocket, Ren checked who was calling.

Iwai. Well, it's important. Kawakami owes me, too, so she can't complain about this, can she?

Ren awkwardly looked up at his teacher, consciously trying to not make eye contact with anyone else. Even Ann's stare contributed to his embarrassment. "Sorry, Kawakami-sensei. I gotta take this." Ren stood up from his desk and walked out of classroom 2-D, leaving a stunned silence behind him as he closed the door.

The phone continued to ring as Ren brought it into the hallway, creating a cringe-inducing echo through Shujin's bare halls. Ren finally answered the call and held the phone to his ear, breathing a sigh of relief that his embarrassment was over. "Hello?"

"My guy got back to me about your friend working at clubs. Says that Shujin students are actually working at more than one."

Shit… Makoto's not going to like that. I mean, she's going to like the fact that she has a lead, but narrowing down clubs sounds like a bunch of work.

"Which clubs?"

"You got a pen with you?"

"No, but I shouldn't need one."

"Right," Iwai said, obviously not believing Ren. "Well, Shujin students are working at three clubs in Shinjuku: The 953, 8-Ball, and Swervo Plus Max Shots (Unlimited Gentleman's Pro) Club." The word soup of commercialist buzzwords that vaguely related to clubs confused Ren.

He understood why he needed the pen. "Woah, what was the last one?"

"I'll let you know when I need you to work. G'luck with whatever it is you're up to."

"Hey, wait!" The line clicked, and Ren was left with nothing. "Shit." Even with his forgetfulness, Ren had still done something right. Semi-satisfied with himself, he opened his text messages with Makoto. They were painfully dry from the past few weeks.

Ren Amamiya:

-Meet me at the gate after classes are done?

Makoto Niijima:

-May I ask why?

Ren Amamiya:

-Found out which clubs are hiring Shujin girls.

Makoto Niijima:

-Got it. I'll see you soon, then.

With a smirk, Ren put his phone away and went back into class. As he walked across the classroom, he didn't realize that all eyes were on him yet again, including Kawakami's. "Was your interruption worth it, Amamiya-kun?" she asked with crossed arms.

"It was, thank you for asking," Ren said with complete pleasantness. He sat down like nothing unordinary had happened and went about his business as usual. Slowly but surely, the class's eyes refocused on Kawakami enough that she resumed her lecture without another comment for Ren.

Ren watched another group of friends pass him at the gate. He leaned against the stone pillar, letting its shaded side touch his neck and cool off. Summer weather retreated every day, but it was still strong enough to create mild discomfort. Finally, after what felt like an exasperatingly long five minutes, Makoto emerged from Shujin's front doors. Ren stopped leaning on the pillar and fixed his posture. With his final seconds of alone time, he ran a hand through his hair to keep it tidily disheveled.

"How's your day going?" Ren asked as Makoto reached him.

"It's fine." Makoto's harsher tone told Ren that she was far less enthusiastic to be social.

Ah. Straight to business it is, then. I have no problem with that. No problem at all. I mean, why would I care? It totally doesn't get to me anyway.

Makoto didn't need to ask Ren to start revealing what he'd learned. "Junpei knows a guy who knows a guy that runs a club in Shinjuku. According to him, three clubs up there employ girls from Shujin: The 953, 8-Ball, and Swervo something. It was a mouthful."

"Oh, you mean Swervo Plus Max Shots (Unlimited Gentleman's Pro) Club?"

"How'd you know?"

"It's the most famous club in Tokyo, Ren. How'd you not know?"

"I don't go clubbing a lot. You?"

Makoto dismissively laughed off Ren's retort. "From time to time." She walked to his other side, indicating that she was about to leave. "Thanks for the help, Ren. I'll let you know if it leads to any-"

"You're going on your own?"

"Yes…" Makoto was suspicious. It seemed that she didn't trust the intentions behind Ren asking his question.

"Shinjuku on your own? Makoto, it's up to you, but I don't want to be responsible for you going there just to-"

"I can handle myself."

"Both of us couldn't handle a few teenagers who can't do basic algebra, so I'm not too sure about that."

Makoto rushed to defend herself from the retort. "They sucker-punched you, and I got st-" Ren cut in, bringing a Niijima Death Stare to the surface.

"Relax, it's fine." Ren now felt like a dick for bringing up a sore subject so easily. He hated that he didn't even think twice about doing so, either. "I'll just worry if I don't go with you." Makoto softened up for the first time, her NDS curving upward not into a smile, but into a mildly content look of acceptance. Ren took it as a sign to keep pushing his luck. "Think of it as a buddy cop movie where the cool one takes along the annoying sidekick just for the sake of company because they'll be on a long stakeout."

"It's not much of a stakeout."

"Where's the fun in not pretending that it's a stakeout?" At that point, Makoto hadn't said no to Ren's self-invitation. He took that as a yes and further inserted himself into Makoto's afternoon. Ren checked his phone. "Hey, look at the time. We gotta get moving. Some of the girls will probably be on the first train to Shinjuku." With that, Ren took the lead to the subway station. Behind him, Makoto followed and raised no objections.

In fact, she matched pace with him and walked alongside.

Just like old times, huh?