Honoring the Heiress: A Character Analysis
By Kimi Kawano ( kimi_k)
When I, Kimi Kawano, tell you all that Haru Okumura is a good person who keeps to herself and her garden, you may hesitate to believe me. However, I stake my kind-hearted and honest brand on that being a fact of life—Haru Okumura is among Shujin's elite students.
I know, I know. You're all shocked to be reading this after the Newspaper Club has run article after article on Haru, most of them being negative. To celebrate the great investigative work that my subordinates and I have done, I decided to rank my top five Haru-Hit-Pieces.
5. Local Heiress Protests Midterms by Not Bathing
4. The Okumura Family and Their History of Oppression
3. We Snuck Into the Okumura Home and Found All the Juicy Details
2. Opinion: Shujin Academy is Blind to the Fact that Haru Okumura Has No Legs and Walks on Stilts
1. Haru Okumura—An Oral History of Her Stealing Babies From Mothers
I invite you to give those articles your time because we put an incredible amount of work into them.
The other day, I had an epiphany: Okumura gets a bad rap around the school. Because it's my job to ensure that all our students are happy, healthy, and (sometimes) hated, I decided to take a trip up to the rooftop where Okumura keeps her garden.
Known as a member of Shujin's gardening club, GRAVY Collector Haru keeps a tidy collection of plants atop our school. I conducted the following interview with her while she used fertilizer and pesticide on her garden to ensure that no one at Shujin goes hungry.
Kimi: So, Haru, why'd you want to start Shujin's garden?
Haru: Plants calm me—they're people too, you know.
Kimi: I'm sure they are. Do you have a favorite plant?
Haru: Carrots remind me of rabbits. Rabbits are cute.
Kimi: You bet they are! Could you tell me more about your club and how they work with the garden?
Haru: Of course I can, Kawano-sama! Gardeners Raging Against Veganism Yearly strives to feed the hungry, end suffering, and cure depression by giving the gift of healthy vegetables. I may not stand for everything my club stands for, but I can agree with their basic principles.
Kimi: That's good to know, especially when my next question is about your controversial leader, Ren Amamiya. How do you, as a good person in this struggling economy, make peace with the fact that your leader is… how do I put this? Not so good of a person?
Haru: Ren is not a good person and I hate everything about him. I am actually planning to take over the club because he does not allow new members to join, and that's rather tyrannical of him. It seems like Ren hates democracy, honestly.
Kimi: So, from the outside looking in, it's exactly as we expect?
Haru: Yes, though there are good people involved in the club. Ann Takamaki has been a great friend to me since she came to Shujin a year ago. Actually, as her senpai, I tutored her quite a bit for her first-year exams.
Kimi: Wow! You are awesome!
Haru: You're the awesome one, Kawano-sama. You've skillfully conducted this interview, and I'm sure you'll do an even better job transcribing it.
I actually spent the rest of the day with Haru, helping her garden and following her around for her afternoon classes. I can assure you that she is just as kind as she comes across in this interview, if not sweeter. We've agreed to maintain close contact in the coming months as good friends—something we all need in these trying times.
Now, think of this article the next time you think of Haru. Think of her not as the daughter of a scumbag businessman and politician, but as the girl who loves gardening, democracy, and Shujin Academy. Signing off for today, I'm Kimi Kawano, and this was your Daily Shujinews.
Supplementary Reading
- Midterm Tips and Tricks -
- Conspiracy Watch: Ren Amamiya's Connection to the Ratman -
- Hawaii, Volleyball, and Ryuji "Effing" Sakamoto—The Shocking Downfall of ISIS -
- A Guide to the Culture Festival: Where to Go, What to Avoid, and Who to Bully -
Monday, 10/17
Did I just have fanfiction written about me ? Haru's stomach grew queasier with each sequential paragraph of the article. Despite it being in favor of her, she had one simple problem with it: every word was complete and utter horseshit. About one percent of it was the truth, while the rest was a fantasy conjured by Kawano to generate clicks.
Along with increased traffic on Shujinstagram, it got Haru quite a few friendly smiles on the way to class that morning. Each one rubbed her the wrong way. They came from a place of absolute falsehood, of lies. If Haru needed bullshit articles written about her just for students to be decent, then Shujin deserved to be closed after Kamoshida's arrest.
If she was being honest with herself, she never felt more like her father. It even made her respect him for routinely dealing with (truthful) hit pieces, character assassinations, and fake articles made to boost engagement. Yet all of that worried her most. Her father's only escape from the daily news cycle came when his campaign crashed and burned at the debate.
The best possible solution would be for the Newspaper Club to delete the articles, or for Shujinstagram to shut down as a platform. Haru didn't want attention—good or bad—she just wanted to be normal.
Said unwanted attention was more than just a smile in the hall or a polite greeting at the start of class—it was an invitation to sit with the popular girls at lunch, or, even worse, a tap on her shoulder.
Haru tuned out her teacher and turned in her chair to face the guy who sat behind her. "When's the mutiny?" he asked, completely straight-faced.
"Pardon?"
The guy frowned. "When are you rising up and taking power from Amamiya?"
"Oh, I…"
"Can I join GRAVY after you do that?"
Haru considered her words carefully. Of course, she was going to reject the request, but she had to hold back to not be rude about it. Her fame around school forced her into a state of persistent caution because everything she did would draw attention. Being impolite to a random student would certainly draw another negative article to her.
"Sorry. That's not my decision to make—my version of the club will be a democracy."
"Aw… okay." Obviously bummed, the guy sank back into his chair. "But I can't be disappointed with that. Kimi was right—you do love democracy!"
Haru rolled her eyes and resumed facing her teacher.
Tuesday, 10/18
The biggest testament to Makoto's influence on me is that I'm sitting at the counter on a Tuesday afternoon doing math. I hate that.
Ren's back hurt from leaning over the counter, but moving over to the couch wasn't an option. According to Makoto, study environments that encouraged relaxation weren't effective. It made sense to Ren until he actually had to follow that rule. He became so disillusioned with that fact that even his thoughts contained bitter sarcasm.
What does she know? She hasn't even graduated from high school.
However, that didn't mean he'd protest. He continued sitting at the counter doing calculus like the studious scholar the world demanded him to be.
The first two days of midterms treated Ren well. He walked into class, spat out a short essay on some dude who got boiled alive, told the teacher to fuck off with their pointless tests, then left—simple work for a simple student. His second exam, chemistry, went the same, bar the part about the essay. Instead, he crafted a potion. For what purpose, he was unsure. All he did was follow the instructions on his exam to the letter.
Next on his list of teachers to tell to fuck off was Usami-sensei, his math teacher. Unfortunately, doing so meant he had to complete her rigorous hundred-question exam and that meant that studying needed to happen.
Ren begged and prayed for something interesting to happen, for an excuse to stop studying to pop out of thin air. The best he got was Morgana opening and closing the fridge for no apparent reason, which wasn't nearly enough to distract a student as diligent as Ren from his multi-part math problems.
His phone buzzed. Ren's brain awakened from the trance it had been in since the start of midterms a day prior. Maybe Makoto texted to invite him over, maybe Ryuji wanted to play games, or maybe Yusuke wanted to discuss the well-being of the Japanese state. Upon checking his phone, Ren discovered that none of those were true.
GRAVY
Haru Okumura:
-Hope everyone is doing well tonight, and that your studying is going well.
Dammit, Haru. Why'd you have to get my hopes up?
Haru Okumura:
-I want to reassure you all that none of the content of the interview with me on Shujinstagram is true. I appreciate all of you guys, even Ren, and I don't consider GRAVY to be a dictatorship.
Oh… okay. It kinda is a dictatorship, though?
Ren saw the Shujinstagram article, of course. It was his job as the Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness to be plugged into those sorts of things. Despite this, the article got no more than five minutes from him. He read it, laughed at it, and dropped it from his memory. Like the rest of the articles that came from Kimi Kawano, it was fodder for people who lacked-self awareness to regurgitate to their friends cut from the same cloth.
And so, because he wanted whatever conversation was to be had to end before it began, he decided to be agreeable.
Ren Amamiya:
-I love democracy!
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-That's my leader.
Ann Takamaki:
-So I'm not actually your favorite GRAVY member, Haru?
Haru Okumura:
-Why are you texting? I'm literally sitting next to you.
Makoto Niijima:
-Don't worry, Haru. I think we all stopped taking those articles seriously long ago. Did this one at least get people to be nice to you?
Nice of Makoto to take time out of her studying to let us know she's still alive.
Another reason to hate exam week: Makoto dropped off the face of the earth for its duration. Ren didn't try to text her because there was no point. Her perfect little bubble of textbooks, papers, and Buchimaru pencils was more than enough for her to get by. Of course, if Ren wanted help, she would assist him but he never asked because of two reasons.
One: Ren's classes were rarely difficult enough for him to be confused. Two: Makoto cared about her exams more than Ren cared about his. It was best to let her focus on something she cared about rather than take her time just to focus on something Ren hated.
It feels weird to miss her when she's just upstairs, or when I could stop by the student council room, but it sucks not being with her. Fuck exams.
Haru Okumura:
-Yes, but I'd rather it didn't. It's manipulative.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Better to be positive than negative, tho.
Haru Okumura:
-True.
Futaba Sakura:
-We should put out our own articles to fuck with people.
Futaba Sakura:
-Or I could just publish Kimi's internet history. She's up to some dark shit.
Futaba Sakura:
-Actually, she and Ryuji have very similar tastes.
Ann Takamaki:
-Do tell.
Mildly amused, Ren set down his pencil and gave actual focus to the conversation at hand. That didn't mean he would take things seriously, especially considering his best friend was at risk of being exposed for something.
Ren Amamiya:
-I love democracy!
Yusuke Kitagawa:
-Like Ren, I also have a positive opinion of democracy. Do not threaten our glorious political system with your shenanigans, Futaba-chan.
Futaba Sakura:
-Bite me, Inari. First person to transfer me ¥2500 gets a week of Ryuji's searches.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-She can't be trusted with internet access.
Futaba Sakura:
-Neither can you, apparently.
Haru Okumura:
-This doesn't feel like productive communication.
Makoto Niijima:
-It never is when it's over text. You all should go get some studying done.
Futaba Sakura:
-Does that mean I'm free to keep invading your privacy?
Yusuke Kitagawa:
-It means that you shall meet me at the beef bowl shop in Shibuya in twenty minutes and kindly offer me a meal because neither of us must study.
Futaba Sakura:
-Hm…
Futaba Sakura:
-I like this idea.
Ren Amamiya:
-And I love democracy!
Ren knew it was dumb, but it made him giggle like a little schoolgirl every time he sent the message. Maybe calculus fried his sense of humor.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-I'm getting some serious democracy-loving vibes from this guy.
I'm glad Ryuji is playing along, but I'm sure he's just trying to push the conversation away from a topic that threatens him.
Makoto Niijima:
-Perhaps you'd study more under a tyrannical government?
Point taken.
With a sigh, Ren set his phone face-down on the counter and looked at his sheet of math problems. A limit problem met his gaze, glared, and spat in his eye. He couldn't do a thing about it. The illusion of focus had vanished, and Ren was left alone with his boredom.
Longer and longer, he eyed the problem. He knew how to find the solution, yet he couldn't even lift his pencil. He waited for something, anything that could save him and tear his eyes from that cruel piece of paper that held him hostage.
"The fuck are ya doing, Ripcord?"
Ren looked over his shoulder. At the front door, Junpei was finishing up letting himself in and closing the door behind him.
Damn, I'm an idiot. I was so focused on having a staring contest with a math problem that I didn't notice Junpei unlocking the door. Fuck.
Not only that, Junpei seemed more like an aquarium drinker than ever before. Ren even managed to smell the fire on Junpei's breath before he got within ten feet. Junpei didn't walk; he fell forward, each step barely catching on the floor.
"How's your evening, Iori-san?" Ren asked. He remained at his seat at the kitchen counter. Not even Junpei, the king of unpredictability and lord of spontaneity, could rescue Ren from the malicious math problem.
"I…" A particularly violent stumble occurred and ended in a second. Ren saw drool on Junpei's poorly-shaven chin. He was a true mess to look at—a sight more depressing than the lines that constituted a function. "Oh man…" Junpei managed to reach the counter, grabbing hold of a free stool for dear life. Leaning on it, he looked over Ren's shoulder. "What're ya… m-math?"
Ren nodded. "Math."
"W-wow."
"I know."
"Lemme see…" Junpei barely sat on the stool, not even scooting his butt into the seat. Instead, he awkwardly pointed himself against it to do nothing more than stop him from falling backward. A simple act of conversation with his ward was baggy-eyed business for Junpei, as evident by his nearly-shut lids. "This… gib."
"Gib?"
"Gibberish…" he slurred.
"Ah." Ren moved the sheet to his other side, the one that Junpei didn't sit at.
"He was always good at these, ya know?"
"Who?"
"My best friend…" Finally, Junpei pulled himself into the correct way to sit on the stool but still looked like he didn't know how to keep himself straight. With his back hunched, Junpei's chin hung forward like it was held by an invisible support beam. "We'd always do homework in the dorm…"
Ren humored his mentor "Sounds fun." As annoying as Junpei could be, Ren really, really didn't want to kick out his guardian and go back to studying.
"Aw, Makoto… man, what the fuck happened to us? The fuck am I doing…?" Ren watched enough TV to know what was happening, and to know it was dangerous. Drunk reminiscing always found a way to transform into regret. If Ren didn't act fast, Junpei would become a bawling wreck of tears, snot, and—worst of all—puke.
"It's alright, Iori-san. That was long ago, and-" It would have had more conviction if Ren knew what he was talking about.
"He was always the calm one. Those hands never left those pockets, I tell ya!" Junpei slapped Ren on the shoulder a little too hard for comfort. "But now… dammit. He's dead!"
I am super uncomfortable right now. I know I prayed for a distraction, but I swear I've learned my lesson. There's nothing I'd prefer over studying—nothing. Maybe democracy.
"Junpei, don't think like that. I know that…" Ren paused to remember the name Junpei used, "Makoto would want you to focus on the present, to-"
"Agh, you're so right that it hurts, Reggie! He used to talk like ya, too!" Junpei smiled and Ren took that as a good sign.
Progress.
He actually began to think he could retie the knot that kept Junpei together—if there ever was one. Ren used that hope to think of words that would reassure Junpei, alongside a hand on his shoulder. It felt weird to offer support to someone who'd shown him nothing beyond the monetary kind, but Ren liked it.
"I know that you guys had a special bond, and I know how much he means to you. You can't lose yourself in regret—you have to live…" Ren trailed off. His eyes searched the apartment for things to say as if subtitles would pop up for him to read the most calming sentence of all time. "You have to live for Mak-"
Just when Ren had hope, just when he saw the light at the end of the tunnel, just when he began to worry about studying for his math midterm—Junpei ruined everything by opening his mouth wide and unleashing fuming bile everywhere.
New personal low point? Hm… maybe. Being puked on was not on my bucket list when I came to Tokyo, that's for sure.
It ruined the counter, it ruined Ren's shirt, and, best of all, it stained Ren's math study guide a sickly shade of brown that surely signaled an unhealthy digestive system. Whatever was left of Junpei's kidneys must've been on the way up with how much puke he soaked Ren's counter with.
Finally, when the last wave went down Junpei's chin and into his lap, Ren was left with moist, warm clothes and the pleasant smile of a man toeing the line between insanity and cerebral mastery.
"Iori-san…" Ren said, regretting opening his mouth to speak as the pungent odor found a home on his taste buds. Gagging, Ren's eyes closed and his face tensed. "You need to l-leave."
"Huh? Why?"
Ren waved an arm at the table covered in liquor and what looked like chunks of bread. "Why do you think?"
"Whaaat?! How'd that get there?"
Defeated, Ren hung his head. To make things worse than they already were, a drop of puke slipped from his chin and fell into his lap—a reminder that his current outfit would never recover. "Iori-san, I really, really don't-"
"Eh, I'm just messing with ya. I'll leave." Junpei, seemingly sobered by ruining Ren's night, slid off the stool and stood up straight. With one wobble and one burp, he was ready to go. "Oh, here." He slid his wallet out of his pocket, took a bill out, and set it on the counter. "For damages."
Ren surveyed the counter of puke. The liquid already began seeping into the cracks that divided Ren's counter, staining them with its deep red hue. Chunks of food covered the dastardly math problem that Ren last looked at.
"Damages." Real funny, Junpei.
Wednesday, 10/19
Makoto sat down at her carefully curated table of midterm magic. On her left were two study guides—one for literature, the other for math. On her right side was her lunch for the day, which she planned a week in advance so she could focus on studying. Every second of her midterms would go perfectly if she followed her plan.
So far, her plan served her well. Makoto dominated her first three midterms. Left with only two more, her focus only intensified. The sight of the finish line encouraged her to increase her pace to a full sprint, one that would be maintained until the end of the stressful week.
As Makoto glanced at one of her study guides, she opened her lunch. Her past few lunch periods were spent like this—alone, door locked, and her head empty of anything beyond academics. It was a winning strategy.
Suddenly, with a knock on the door, her head wasn't so empty anymore. She snapped away from her study guides and lunch to the door. A student council visit during midterms? Really? Makoto questioned the necessity of such a thing, but she had duties to perform. A student council president never turned down a student in need.
Makoto stood up, dusted off the skirt of her uniform, and walked to the door. As soon as she unlocked it, the barrier swung open.
"How could you?! I thought we were friends!"
A blonde beast stumbled into the room, nearly taking the door off its hinges in the process. He stopped just short of tumbling over Makoto's perfect table of teaching. Appalled at the intrusion she invited, Makoto stood next to the open door. Her gut reaction—pointing out the door until Ryuji obeyed and left—was silenced by the reminder that she had a life outside of school, including things such as friends, and obligations, and a boyfriend who she really wanted to see, but-
Makoto took a deep breath, emptied her head of all her social obligations except those that were relevant to Ryuji Sakamoto, and closed the door. "What troubles you?" she asked more calmly than Ryuji deserved after such an entrance.
Ryuji, standing on the other side of the table of teaching, crossed his arms. "You effin' crossed me, that's what!"
"I'm sorry, but-"
"No buts!"
"Bu-"
"I want him gone!"
"Who?"
"Teddie!"
That's what this is about? Seriously? With the revelation that Makoto's choice to not kick Ryuji out was a worthless one, her stomach flipped over. She wasted time, time that could've been spent studying, studying that could help her on her midterms, midterms that would help her get into a university, etc.
By barging in, Ryuji ruined any career choice Makoto had a vague interest in and he was going to pay.
"Sakamoto-kun," she said, forgetting even the social obligations she had to Ryuji, "are you here just to question our choice of guest for the school festival?" Her stern tone was meant to spark fear, to make Ryuji's brazenness crumble into nothing.
Instead, it started a war.
"You're damn right! I've been a friend to you, but you invite him to my school, my territory!"
"You're overreacting."
"He's gonna take my soul, Makoto! Then he's going after yours! He'll eat all of us!"
Makoto, fuming, sat down and looked at her study guide, specifically at an advanced trigonometry problem. All math questions were inherently soothing because math was created to make things make sense. Makoto wished Ryuji saw things the same way. Instead of blowing up the student council room over his fear of Teddie, he could calculate angles to calm himself like a normal, respectable human being.
"Are you worried because of Teddie's criminal past? Junes has assured us that he will be handcuffed for the dur-"
Ryuji's eyes popped out of his head. "Handcuffs?!" He slammed his fist down on the table. "Not good enough! I want him in a straight jacket."
Teddie's visit to Shujin as a celebrity guest speaker was complicated from a legal standpoint. Still incarcerated for his behavior when the cameras weren't rolling, leaving prison for an appearance as a guest speaker was out of the question. However, a lone clause existed in the margins of Teddie's sentence: because he was still the mascot for Junes, he was allowed public appearances to represent the brand so long as he maintained good behavior.
While Makoto was happy to have an actually interesting guest for once, she did feel a little ashamed that said guest would appear before the school in chains.
"I still don't understand why this is your problem."
"Because he's coming for me, Makoto!"
Makoto, unamused by whatever it was that Ryuji wanted to accomplish by pestering her, raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked flatly.
"Jesus, you don't believe me. This is for real, ya know!"
"How do you know?"
"Because I saw him!"
"You visited Teddie in prison?"
"Nah—had a vision of the future."
Makoto looked at Ryuji. He challenged her with eye contact, asserting his truth over hers. She broke the stare so she could calm herself by glancing at a beautiful polar graph. "That does not change my perspective on Te-"
"Look, Makoto. We're friends. You know that my confidence is at an all-time low because I'm walking around without wisdom teeth," Ryuji said, leaning on the table of teaching while pressing his palms into it.
I know it now, Makoto thought. She figured Ryuji, despite undergoing the operation, still didn't know exactly where or what his wisdom teeth were.
"When Tae's hands were in my mouth-" Ryuji uncomfortably paused, letting the incomplete sentence sit far longer than he should've. "-and the anesthesia was in my veins… I saw the future."
Makoto's brain awoke with two questions that would set her academic ambitions alight. "Wait… Tae Takemi, a doctor, removed your wisdom teeth?"
"Yep. Did it for free, too."
"But she's not an oral surgeon."
"Oh, I know. My jaw's killin' me."
Makoto had to sum up the stupidity by restating the full question. "You let someone who isn't a dentist, or orthodontist, or oral surgeon perform surgery on your teeth?"
"Yeah."
"Ryuji…" Makoto shook her head. Her other burning question, one that revealed more than Ryuji's willingness to strike deals with shady doctors, demanded to be asked. "You said you had a vision while under Tae's anesthesia?" The dots connected for Makoto. They definitely didn't for Ryuji, but she would help with that.
"Uh… yeah."
"Do you realize what this means?"
"No."
It could mean that Ryuji, like Ren, can use Tae's medicine to see the near future. That's why he called Ren asking if Teddie was the guest for the festival, Makoto summarized in her head.
"I hope that's because you're saving your mental energy for midterms," Makoto remarked. "Do you remember Ren's experiences with Tae—his visions?"
Makoto watched as the muscles in Ryuji's face died a prompt death, his eyes widening and his jaw dropping onto the table of teaching. "Holy shit…"
"This is good news, Ryuji—great, actually, but you must keep it a secret." Upon receiving a confused, empty stare, Makoto elaborated. "If you distract our friends from their midterms, you'll have a lot more to worry about than Teddie the Bear. Understand?"
Ryuji nodded his head faster than he'd barged into the room. "Yes, ma'am!"
Thursday, 10/20
Makoto took a deep breath. "Before we begin, I'd like to congratulate each of you for completing your midterms. It's been a tumultuous year of learning, but-"
"Yeah, yeah. We get it," Noriko interrupted. "Could you get on with it?" Makoto tried to shoot Noriko a glare, one that reminded her of who the president was, but found Noriko already with her own aggressive, unrelenting scowl.
I don't blame her for being upset with me. It took me too long to decide what to do, but that shouldn't be her problem. Still, she could at least pretend to respect me, Makoto thought as she looked away from Noriko. On the other side of the table sat Michiko. Next to her, to everyone's surprise, was Eiji. He was invited to the meeting, of course, but none of them expected him to show after religiously trashing the council in Shujinstagram articles.
Eiji looked away just as Makoto's eyes arrived in his direction. For someone so eager to speak his mind to unimportant and uninvolved parties, he was awfully shy when it mattered.
Makoto had looked forward to this moment all week. The student council needed to be fixed rather than be allowed to linger in its weakened state. Plus, Makoto knew nothing could be accomplished with two… strong personalities such as Eiji and Noriko.
As ready as she was to get rid of the two, the meeting only brought her stress and worries during her midterms. She planned the meeting after midterms to allow each of the four to focus on their studies, only to succumb to the very thing she opposed, though it didn't seem to affect her. Makoto's midterms went splendidly and her grades would definitely reflect that.
However, before Makoto could truly be done with the hellish week, she needed to kick the two warring members off the council.
"The purpose of today's meeting is to end the conflict created among the council by its members, then begin to move forward. Any questions?"
Noriko raised her hand. Without permission, she began speaking. "Yeah, that's cool and all… you're kicking me off the council, right?"
Makoto paused, blinking too many times as she realized that Noriko jumped the gun. "Um…"
"Figured." Noriko shrugged. She slid her purse off the chair, stood up, and waved at everyone. "See y'all around." With that, she walked out the door.
Makoto made no effort to stop her—the assumption was correct. She saw no course of action that didn't involve Noriko permanently stepping away from the council, as well as that fact being recorded on her transcript along with her means of departure—which happened to be a perfect indicator of how she spent her time on the council.
Happy to move on so quickly, Makoto turned to the other side of the table. Eiji still couldn't do the bare minimum: look her in the eye while she tried to teach him an important life lesson. "Tanaka-san, I'm sure you can guess where this is going after that, but-"
Finally, Eiji let Makoto look him in the eye by turning his head just enough. "Oh, spare me. I know why you're doing this," he said with poison on his tongue.
So he's aware of how uncomfortable it is to be near him? Makoto knew the truth; she just wanted to give Eiji the benefit of the doubt.
"It's Amamiya. He's force-feeding you lies, falsehoods, and hatred of the very principles you were elected for. It's an insult to this school, to your glorious principal, and to m-"
Makoto heard enough. "I am asking you to leave the council because of your own behavior, nothing else. What I do outside the council is my business and mine alone. I have never—and will never—let someone outside of the council make a decision like this for me, just like I would never allow external harassment to sway the council one way or another."
"External harassment?" Eiji asked, infuriating Makoto with his lack of self-awareness.
"Don't play dumb, Tanaka-san. You've spent the last month talking over Kimi Kawano's shoulder for her to transcribe and publish. Airing out alleged dirty laundry does what, exactly?"
Eiji's eyes darted side-to-side, around Makoto's, then up and down. She wondered how on earth he convinced enough people to elect him as the first-years' representative on the council, let alone get through most of the school year acting like that. "Um…"
"I asked you a question."
"It… I don't know…"
"You do know. You had your reasons to lie to Kawano-san and disgrace this council. You've disrespected me, Hora-san, and my friend, and you're so delusional that you can't even understand your removal from the council."
"N-Niijima-senpai… I just wanted-"
"I know, Tanaka-san, and it is hardly appropriate. In the future, please refrain from letting your romantic interests control your actions," Makoto said, looking down at the paper in front of her and checking an item off her list. "You are dismissed."
Eiji's eyes closed. He nodded, seeming to genuinely care about Makoto's words. Makoto and Michiko watched him stand and promptly leave the room without a goodbye—only a spell of silence.
"I think he took it well," Michiko said.
"Really?" Makoto watched the door as if Eiji would burst through any moment with the whole Newspaper Club following him. "I couldn't tell."
"It'll be fine. You did well telling him, too."
"Thanks." Finally, Makoto's gaze relented and she turned back to the table. In front of her, the paper agenda for the student council sat with only a few items checked off while more remained at the bottom.
Paperwork… Makoto died a little inside as she thought of what the afternoon had in store for her as a reward. Her finals were done, the student council was fixed, and Ryuji had similar abilities to Ren; surely she deserved more compensation than paperwork and Kobayakawa congratulating her on another successful set of exams.
Makoto picked her phone up off the table and began tapping away at it.
Makoto Niijima:
-What are you doing tomorrow night?
Ren Amamiya:
-Taking Chouno-sensei to a steak dinner.
Ren Amamiya:
-You're invited to third-wheel, of course.
Makoto Niijima:
-I think I'll take you up on that.
Friday, 10/21
"I'm disappointed."
Ren, with his eyes lingering on the reflective Tokyo bay and the lit-up skyline, nearly tripped. He turned to his left, to a concerned Makoto who stopped in her path to check on Ren. "Really? Nighttime walk along the water doesn't do it for you?"
That's the most conventionally romantic thing ever. I see no room for improvement; only choosing beggars.
Makoto smiled and started walking again, this time with Ren's hand in her own, fingers interwoven. "No, it does… but the lack of Chouno and fancy cuisine has been noted."
Ren shrugged. "I decided to prioritize you."
"But taking Chouno to dinner would have earned you a few extra points for your English exam." She squeezed his hand and it almost made him forget they were being sarcastic. "That means taking me on a date is sub-optimal."
She sounds like Futaba in any game we've ever played together. "Dammit, Ren! Holster that fucking pistol and stop being dead weight. You're delaying us by at least twenty seconds!"
"I'm confident enough in my English that I can skip dinner with Chouno once or twice. Any more than that and I'm pushing it."
Makoto's tone, the only thing besides her absurd words that kept Ren from taking her seriously, remained the same. "I hope that confidence extends to the rest of your classes." Ren recognized it as the disguised question it was and handled it perfectly.
"Everything went great, 'cept for math. Might've missed a problem or two because I had some trouble studying."
Ren didn't need to look at Makoto to know she raised an eyebrow. Instead of facing her wrath of academic encouragement, Ren looked across the bay at the lit-up Rainbow Bridge. Luminous figures slowly rolled along it in both directions.
"What kept you?" Makoto asked, taking Ren's gaze away from the blinking city lights.
"Junpei threw up on questions seven through twenty-three."
"Okay, hold on." Makoto stopped walking, prompting Ren to do the same. Aside from the occasional couple or cyclist, they had the sidewalk to themselves and could take all the time they wanted. "Are we still joking around or…?"
"No, I'm serious. He ruined my favorite pair of pajamas, too."
Makoto feigned shock. "No! How could he?" They started walking again, and Ren shifted his gaze to the dark path ahead. In the distance, at the strip of land that made up Odaiba, was a massive Ferris wheel blocking the horizon. Like the Rainbow Bridge in its color, different patterns flashed across it as it lethargically went around and around.
"But he didn't fuck up my math exam, so I'm gonna let him off the hook."
"Good choice."
"How about you and your midterms? I'm expecting absolute perfection and will accept nothing less."
"Then you won't be disappointed. Exams were the least of my worries this week."
News to me. It would have been nice to know so I could help.
"Kobayakawa giving you trouble?"
"No, but he was verging on it. The student council has been inactive for too long; he would've done something if I waited longer." Makoto puffed out each word with some unseen fury, except for her strides quickening without her noticing. Ren certainly noticed—it was a sprint compared to his normal pace.
"Why'd you wait?"
"Remember Eiji and Noriko's fiasco?"
"Fondly."
"I couldn't decide whether dismissing them was an overreaction or not," Makoto said, looking ahead at the Ferris wheel. Ren decided for it to be the goal of their formerly aimless walking. "A little time to think made me realize it's the rational thing to do."
Ren would've jumped for the joy of spite if not for his legs quickly becoming noodles. "How'd Eiji take it?"
"He accepted it, and that's good enough for me."
Ah. So… not well? He's definitely got some issues; he literally challenged me to a duel just for being Makoto's boyfriend. A duel!
Ren thought about fencing Eiji atop a snow-capped mountain with light piercing through clouds to glint off their armor. Back and forth they went, blades clanging then switching direction too fast to see.
I'd win that, for sure.
Thoughts of adventures as a traveling warrior who lost his mind due to a hunger for battle were interrupted by harsh, cruel reality. "Somehow, Eiji wasn't the most problematic person to get emotional in the student council room this week," Makoto said, hinting at something Ren found too interesting to daydream through.
"Noriko?"
"Taira-san was great," Makoto said, turning to look at Ren with a poorly disguised smile emerging. "It was Ryuji."
Ah, Ryuji. He's had a tough week, so I don't blame him for whatever weird shit he did. If I had to get my wisdom teeth taken out on a whim, I would fail my midterms.
" This'll be good."
"There I am in the student council room, studying during lunch when I heard a knock at the door. Obviously, I'm confused because I have no meetings scheduled, so I go to the door expecting a student struggling with tests—not Ryuji nearly running me over to rave about Teddie."
To Ren, there was only one appropriate response. "Ryuji's a real raver sometimes."
"He could not stop panicking about Teddie being the guest for the Culture Festival; something he—and you—should not know. You only know because you were present when I told Ryuji over the phone, but how did he know then?"
"He follows Junes on Pitter so he can stay away from locations visited by Teddie?"
"No, he—actually, maybe you're right—but nevermind. He told me how he knew: a vision, while getting his wisdom teeth removed by-"
"-Tae Takemi…" Ren completed, stopping on a dime just as he said it and the moment hit him. Ryuji, like Ren had months before, saw the future with the help of Tae. Perhaps Ren's inability to hallucinate like he used to came from a developed tolerance, while Ryuji's freshness meant he was the perfect candidate to see more visions.
Plus, Ren would finally get to see if having said visions made the subject behave… abnormally. He shuddered at the thought of the blackmail Takemi surely had against him.
"He can help all of us. With Maruki up to who knows what, we're wandering in the dark without Ryuji."
She's right… but I can't force Ryuji into that. I don't regret all those trips to Tae's because they've made me better, but everyone reacts differently. If Ryuji sees… if he sees Ann go through some awful shit after I force him to go to Tae's, it's unforgivable on my part.
However, the visions were important—important enough to gauge Ryuji's openness to the idea. If Ren was ever to do anything good for the city of Tokyo, the visions were essential to it.
"I'll talk to him, but…" Ren paused. To his right, the tide slid away from the beach while the wind whispered in his ear. "I'm gonna make sure he knows what he'd be getting into."
"...And that's why we decided to pursue Teddie as the guest for the Culture Festival."
Hm… makes sense, but it still seems like too much effort for too many people. They're really gonna drag Teddie to a high school, handcuffs and straight-jacket included, and expect people to be excited? Society's weird.
Fittingly, Ren's reaction didn't match his actual opinion. "Cool." It was difficult to come up with something interesting to say while suspended a hundred meters in the air atop a halted Ferris wheel. The change in altitude transformed the incredible view of Tokyo and its bay into a slightly more incredible view—Ren just appreciated it more.
The cramped cabin forced Ren and Makoto into sitting across from one another, each occupying their own little bench inside the pod that swayed with the structure. Ren's usual means of staying focused—leaning forward, tapping his foot, or switching the crossing of his arms—were risks to the cabin staying level.
It's crazy they don't make these things a bit more resilient. Feels like it could drop if I stand up.
Makoto's voice interrupted Ren's thoughts of Ferris wheel safety procedures. "What's your class doing for the festival?"
"Uh…" Ren tried to recall all of Kawakami's homeroom lectures before and after midterms—nothing helped. "What?"
"You don't know?"
"Honestly, I'm really out of the loop on anything school-related that isn't related to GRAVY."
"Each homeroom class must produce an activity for festival visitors to partake in. My class is making an udon serving station; Haru's is creating a card game tournament."
"Ah…" Ren chuckled. Makoto's description made it sound important, far more important than something Ren would allow selective memory to forget about. "Haven't heard anything."
"Strange." Both of them paused, looking out the mildly dirty window at Tokyo. Ren wondered why he never visited Odaiba until that moment because the view was too good to miss. He realized that he never gave Tokyo much of a chance as a city for him to explore; only as a stomping ground for whatever he needed. "Either way," Makoto said, getting Ren to look her way once again, "you'll have fun. There's food, games, dancing—everything."
Dancing? I know I'm lithe, lanky, and limber—the perfect build for dancing one's ass off—but I have no rhythm. It's been a problem my whole life, and I don't intend to solve it now. I can't see Makoto doing much dancing, either, so I feel a bit better about not wanting to hit the dance floor.
"You're making a face."
Ren was surprised she noticed. "Am I?"
"Seriously, Ren. It's fun."
Ren tried to reassure her that he genuinely believed in her words. "I'm trusting you on that, but if I end up leading the Thriller dance for the whole school, you'll be responsible."
"I can live with that." Makoto sharpened her words with the perfect point of her smile. She gave Ren immense difficulty even just forcing words out, let alone carrying a conversation. Worst of all, she probably did it on purpose just to mess with him. She'd become rather devious that way and Ren loved it.
To keep himself sane, Ren's eyes again turned to the bay. A tour ship glided across the shimmering water, layers and layers of light spotted with people on its decks. Ren couldn't see any specifics, but he knew they were enjoying themselves.
"What do you think?" Makoto asked.
Ren turned. Makoto, not meeting his gaze, was doing the same thing as him a moment prior and looking out the window. "About what?"
Finally, she looked Ren in the eye to wave her hand aimlessly. "Anything. What's on your mind?"
I'm thinking about the best way to avoid showing off my moves at the Culture Festival. Pulling the fire alarm is a classic diversion tactic, but it also ruins everyone else's night. Maybe I could settle for faking stage fright.
"Hm…" Ren knew Makoto's curiosity wanted more than sarcasm, so he took the time to consider a worthy answer. "My mom hates Ferris wheels." Makoto raised an eyebrow, expectedly so. Ren knew talking about his parents was a first. "When I was young and oh-so spry, she took me on one. I couldn't stop jumping around, swinging the cabin, and scaring the shit out of her because she hates heights and is so uptight about it." Remembering that moment brought Ren a new feeling that never reared its head when it came to his parents: regret. "I kinda feel bad, thinking about it now."
"I'd react the same way as her," Makoto said. "I get nervous every time this swings."
"I'd offer you a more comfortable seat, but…" Ren scooted over as much as he could, which wasn't nearly enough to fit two people on his side of the cabin. "Unbalancing the weight onto this side would tip us over."
Makoto laughed, giving Ren a moment of rest from thinking about his parents. He took the opportunity to watch Makoto enjoy herself; her hair waving as she giggled, her hands fidgeting on her lap, and her shoulders tensing. "Do you think of your parents a lot?"
Why would I? I don't hate them, but it doesn't seem like they do a lot of thinking about me. They were complicit in locking me in Tokyo's void and throwing away the key. I'm lucky enough to have landed on both feet with a few friends, but if I wasn't the chosen one, I'd be in the middle of a very tough year. Instead, I'm in the middle of a difficult but rewarding year.
"I'm sorry," Makoto said suddenly. For once, Ren took far too long to properly gather his thoughts, making it seem like Makoto went too far. "I shouldn't have-"
"No, no. You're fine," Ren immediately said, not giving her time to settle before he answered the question. "I don't think about them at all, really. They were perfectly fine dumping me in this city, and they've made no effort to even talk to me. Hell, they probably haven't even asked Junpei how I'm doing."
Again, Makoto unnecessarily apologized. "I'm sorry."
"For what?"
"Reminding you of them."
"Don't be, I like when I can be honest with you. If my parents cared, we'd never have met, or started a gardening club. I'd be sitting around playing video games all day long," Ren said. The cabin vibrated as the wheel kicked into motion, slowly lowering them. Tokyo's lights on the water grew tall and thin as Ren's view changed. "Honestly, I'm dreading the day I go home."
"So am I, but you can't be on probation forever."
Ren smirked. "If only."
A/N: It's been a weird month, so I spent a lot of time on TKOSA to distract myself. As a result, I've outlined everything from this point onward, January arc included, and that's why there's now a set amount of chapters.
Thanks for reading. Hope you all are doing well, and that you have a great week (unless you're an Eagles fan). I'm aiming to upload a new chapter every two weeks, so the next update will be soon.