Wednesday, 10/26
Stepping beyond the gate and to Shujin's first steps, Ren took his first breath of the energetic Culture Festival air.
Oh, how I missed you, sweet Shujin Academy. It's only been twenty-four hours since we were last together, but-
"Ren?" Makoto interrupted Ren's grand moment. "We're already running late. Are you coming with or not?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Ren looked up at Shujin, a place that had gotten much taller since the evening before. Spending the entire first day of the festival in Classroom 2-D did that to him, shrinking his perspective. He shook his gaze away, then followed Makoto up the stairs. "How'd your class do yesterday?"
"Fine. Serving noodles is exactly what you expect. We did raise a lot of money, though, so I'm proud of it. How'd your class do?"
Oh, it was glorious. Ren and Ann transformed Classroom 2-D with their artistic visions, fully realizing what they wanted to do for the Festival. It was so perfect that Ren saw no need to leave the classroom until near the end of the Festival.
"Pretty good, pretty good. Kawakami didn't like it, sadly."
"I wonder why."
"But it wasn't my idea, it was Ozaki's. So that means that it doesn't matter."
"Whatever you say, Ren." They breached the front doors, finding a crowd just as dense as the prior evening. Students, parents, and everyone in between packed into hallways that were too tight for such an event. Nonetheless, they managed to move, though with too much pushing and touching for anyone to be comfortable. "Where are we going first?" Makoto asked, raising her voice so Ren could hear her.
"Wanna see what I did?"
"Definitely."
Ren took the lead. He got them to the stairs, finding an even more viscous crowd packing the stairwell with a lack of movement. Impatient as he was, Ren couldn't settle for waiting, especially when he wanted to show his passion project to his girlfriend.
"Make way, make way! VIP, very important president coming through!" he called. Two adults in front of him turned, looking down at Ren from their higher place on the stairs. "Student council president has important business to conduct on the upper floors." They understood, parting down the middle so Ren and Makoto could file through. Group by group, step by step, people parted so Ren and Makoto could walk through.
Shujin's most gifted crowd-parter triumphs yet again.
Reaching the second floor, the crowd thinned. Apparently, something on the third floor drew such a crowd to pack the stairwells on all three floors.
"Was that necessary?" Makoto asked as they began the short walk to 2-D.
"No, not at all. I'm just a bit eager to reunite with my best friend."
"Ann?"
"Isamu Ozaki."
"You never mentioned him until this week."
Ren stopped outside 2-D's door, surprised at the lack of a line out the door like they had the day prior. Despite no line, Ren could hear the action inside continuing with just as much energy as Tuesday. "Never needed to," Ren said to Makoto, a trademark smirk on his face. He opened the door wide and followed Makoto inside.
There he is. Isamu Ozaki, champion of champions. The greatest boxer the world has ever known.
For the world's greatest boxer, Ozaki looked defeated. Ren attributed it to Ozaki getting defeated over and over and over again thanks to Ren's sly design for the classroom. Visitors could challenge Ozaki, who was never much of a fighter, to a boxing match where they could become the new champion of champions. The only catch: win or lose, Ozaki remained the reigning champion and would have to defend his title against even more visitors.
Basically, Ren set Ozaki up to get punched in the face all day every day for the duration of the Festival. This did come at a cost; Ren financed every piece of equipment, including boxing gloves, a whistle, bandages, and everything else he needed. The total came out to a little under ten-thousand yen, but it was well worth it to force Ozaki to get punched all day and to delegate everyone who walked out of 2-D that day to doing chores instead of enjoying the festival.
Ren and Makoto entered to find a small crowd huddled around the square of tape Ren laid on the floor earlier. That square made up the boundaries for each boxing match. Every desk in the room had been moved to the gymnasium's storage room, giving Ren more space to pack in challengers, spectators, and wall decorations. Lazily photoshopped posters that illustrated Ozaki's greatness lined the walls and covered the windows.
"You did all this?"
"Paid for all of it, set up about a quarter of it. Ann and two others helped."
"I'm impressed." They were at the back of the audience, barely able to see between people's heads. Ozaki, whose face was already red and bruised, took an uppercut to the chin. Ren allowed him only one piece of headgear as protection from the onslaught of punches that challengers gave out. "How'd you get Ozaki-san to agree to this? Is he really a boxer, or-"
"Nope. He rallied the class to leave me and Ann alone to plan the entire event, so we decided to stick it to him." The crowd audibly cringed when Ozaki took a particularly nasty hook that sent him to the floor. "He didn't find out what the plan was until yesterday, ten minutes before the Festival, and couldn't back out because he told Kawakami he planned the whole thing."
"Wow… not only am I impressed, but I'm also a little terrified of how petty you are."
"He insulted my honor and he's responsible for canceling last week's GRAVY Saturday. If this is cruel and unusual punishment, sue me."
"No, I agree that he deserves it for handing all the responsibility to you. I'm just a little surprised that Kawakami is permitting this. Kobayakawa should be furious about it, too."
"Like I said, Ozaki told her it's his idea. She thinks he actually is a boxing champion."
Ozaki rag-dolled and hit the floor, the crowd cheering as the challenger raised their gloved hands in the air. "Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six…" they counted as Ozaki's limbs barely stirred on the ground. He made the effort to get up, certainly, but soreness and exhaustion kept him on the sweat-dirtied floor of 2-D.
Makoto stood on her tippy-toes to see over the heads if Ozaki would get up or not. "Really? If she watched one fight, I'm sure she'd realize that he's in over his head."
Hm, good point. Now that I think about it, Kawakami stopped by yesterday, watched one fight that ended in a knockout, and left. She's definitely compliant.
"Maybe she hates him as much as I do. His voice is pretty irritating."
"I'll take your word for it."
The crowd erupted, rushing to the center of the room as a new "champion" was declared. The medical staff (two of the students who followed Ozaki out the door that fateful Saturday) dragged Ozaki out the back of the crowd and laid his limp body in a metal chair that Ren knew was uncomfortable to sit in.
Ren and Makoto snaked around the edge of the classroom, walking toward the defeated champion. His eyes fluttered and Ren saw them darting around, but he wasn't really there.
On the other side of the room, the crowd followed its usual routine for the aftermath of each fight. They would laud the victor with praise and pats on the back, tell a few jokes, then disperse. Some would await the next fight in 2-D, some would leave for other classrooms, and some would approach 2-D's temporary HR department (one student who followed Ozaki out and regularly talked over Kawakami's lectures).
I may be a degenerate delinquent who leaves class to take phone calls, but at least I'm respectful and attentive ninety-nine percent of the time.
"How ya doing, Ozaki-san? Hanging in there?" Ren asked, leaning over the chair. "You've got a thirty-minute break, then you've gotta get back to it."
"GRAVY… bastard."
Ren nodded. "Bastard, indeed." He tried to look behind the bruises, behind the swollen red bags beneath Ozaki's eyes. He wanted to hear an apology, to see a hint of remorse—and got nothing but hatred. Ren gave up on Ozaki and decided to bid him adieu. "Well, I've gotta go. Don't get knocked around too much, 'kay?"
Ozaki grunted with a hint of blood staining his tone, but Ren wasted no more time with the champion.
"You there—the elderly couple with amazing smiles—why not play some bingo with your Shujin pals?!" Ryuji's apparent passion warmed the hearts of every man, woman, and child visiting the culture festival, senior citizens included. Ren couldn't help but feel prideful watching Ryuji run 2-B's bingo game. His confidence—represented by a bright yellow blazer that matched his hair—reached levels Ren never saw from his friend.
The bustling bucket of numbered ping pong balls released a ball right in time for Ryuji to pluck it from the machine. "O-Sixty-One. That's O as in 'Orangutan' and sixty-one as in, 'I lost the hotdog eating competition because I can eat twenty hotdogs in sixty-one seconds, not sixty.' Onto the next one…"
If he was this devoted to GRAVY, we'd be the most popular club at Shujin. He's got real charisma.
"I-Twenty-Three!" Ryuji said into the microphone. He rested the mic on his chin, walking back and forth across the stage as he considered how to best sell the number. His patient guests, mostly parents and a few elderly, watched with anticipation, not annoyance, at Ryuji being so into hosting the game. "I as in 'I'm a dad' and twenty-three as in, 'Twenty-one or twenty-two, it's up to you. Twenty-three, and that's too old for me!' Alrighty, next ball…" A few chuckles came from Ryuji's mature audience.
"I can't believe they picked Ryuji to host," Makoto said under her breath loud enough for Ren to hear. They watched from the back of the classroom, standing behind a row of adults seated at desks with their Shujin-themed bingo cards.
"Picked? Oh no, Makoto… Ryuji volunteered."
"That doesn't sound like something he'd do."
"Look at 'em." Ren nodded toward Ryuji, who was in the middle of finding the most convoluted way to restate G-49. "He loves this. He definitely volunteered."
"Rather than wanting to spend the festival with Ann?"
"If I wasn't forced into vengeance, I would have chosen to host bingo over you."
Makoto's eyes narrowed, though with plenty of humor hiding beneath her expression. "Unfortunately for you, seeing you dance is second on my list of priorities."
"I'm assuming that ensuring I have a fun night is first?"
"Nope. I need to make sure that Teddie's guest appearance goes smoothly and that no unforeseen-"
"B-Five!" Ryuji yelled, silencing Makoto and every other conversation in the classroom. "B for 'Beary scary Bear who wants your soul to maintain his youth' and five for the number of letters in bingo!"
Ryuji was so loud, so commanding, that he managed to draw Makoto's gaze away from Ren. "He's really into it," she said, laughing at the absurdity of the sight.
"Next up is B-Three! B is for-" Ryuji's hitched breath sent a second of static through the speakers, getting grumbles and groans from the formerly patient audience. Ryuji, with the mic to his mouth and one hand in his pocket, locked eyes with Ren. "B is for 'Break time' and three is for three minutes." He set the microphone down on a stool that had a bottle of water, then hopped off the makeshift stage in front of the blackboard.
The adults didn't like Ryuji's lack of work ethic. Some stood to gather their things and leave, some made sure their groans were heard by everyone in the room, and some were even ruder. "Back in my day, bingo hosts had the mic in hand until someone yelled 'Bingo!' I tell you, these young slackers are destroying our customs and-"
Who gives this much of a fuck about bingo?
"Enjoying the game?" Ryuji asked as he strolled up to Ren and Makoto. They leaned on the wall, watching him be watched by the impatient guests the classroom had drawn.
"Thoroughly."
"Not enough to join and play, huh?"
Makoto defended herself with nothing but hum and an incomplete sentence. "Well…"
"Relax, I get it. Bingo's for old people. Look at these guys," Ryuji said, turning around to face his crowd. Those who'd decided to stay through the break had better things to worry about than Ryuji, such as their kids or whatever post was at the top of their Shujinstagram (Parent's Edition) feed. "We're the only ones in between ten and forty in here." Ryuji leaned in close, hushing his voice and crossing his arms as if he had very serious business.
Ryuji trying to be serious while wearing that suit is a sight to see. I'll have to ask his mom for a photo to post on the GRAVY Shujinstagram.
"Did you, uh, tell Makoto about... our little thing?" Ryuji whispered.
Woah! I mean, I'm not upset he brought it up, but now it sounds like I'm cheating on Makoto with Ryuji and planning to leave her for him. As always, phrasing!
"What's he talking about?"
Ren kept his cool and rolled his eyes. "Later. We're here for bingo, not business." Makoto smiled, but something stopped her from laughing at Ren's joke.
Despite the awkward scenario, Makoto complied. "Your commitment to bingo is pretty unexpected, Ryuji," she said.
Instead of being offended by the comment, Ryuji beamed with pride. "I know, right? I told my mom that our class was gonna do bingo, and she said she wanted me to host it."
Ren scanned the room for anyone vaguely resembling Ryuji. "Is she here?"
"Nah. Came yesterday to get a few photos of me in this." Ryuji dusted off his shoulders, then stepped back from Makoto and Ren to give them a better look. "Whaddya think?"
Makoto kept her compliment simple. "It's a good look."
Ren went the other direction. "Totes fergalicious." Ryuji chuckled, taking the joke as the best he would get from Ren. "Talk to Ann at all?" Ren asked.
"Little bit of texting, but I haven't seen her. She said she's been busy with the whole boxing thing you guys were doing. Ozaki's getting his ass kicked, right?"
"Over and over again."
"Man, I wish I could see it."
"You can. I assigned a few students to run our class's 'video production department.' They're spending the entire festival filming Ozaki knockouts."
"Eff me, dude. Remind me to never wrong you."
"There's nothing I could do to top what Makoto's done to you." Ren's words resulted in silence from both Ryuji and Makoto, only getting confused looks in return. "You know… with Teddie?"
Makoto laughed; Ryuj's face dropped. "O-oh… yeah… Teddie."
"Speaking of Teddie, it's almost time for me to go to the gymnasium," Makoto said, not caring about Ryuji's fear.
"And my break's almost up. I'll let you guys head out."
Ren and Makoto got off the wall. "Gotcha. I'll be back after the guest presentation, and I expect you to rig the game in my favor."
Ryuji began backing away from them, closing the distance between him and the stage. "Bingo's unriggable, Ren. Bingo doesn't lie!" he called after them as they walked out of classroom 2-B.
"I should've played my spy card," Haru muttered to herself, still caught up in her loss at her class's card tournament. They played some eastern European game that a typically quiet student introduced them to. As a surprise to everyone, Haru had a natural aptitude for it, though not enough to get past the tournament's semifinals.
Ann patted her shoulder. "There there, Haru-chan. You'll get over it." Neither needed eye contact to communicate. Living together furthered their communication to the point of it being second nature. "You really want to see this? It's already thirty minutes past the starting time."
Haru looked around. Shujin's gymnasium, packed front to back with unfolding metal chairs that seated roughly ninety percent of all Culture Festival guests, was soon to be home to Teddie's first public appearance since his incarceration. The crowd was so loud that Ann and Haru spent that thirty-minute delay barely speaking simply because they couldn't.
They sat towards the left side of the room, occupying the two seats closest to the wall. One remained empty to Ann's right, but Haru couldn't see another open chair in her immediate area. It's awfully busy for Teddie. He's never been much of a big deal here as far as I can remember. Maybe Junes had a press release to promote his appearance tonight? Haru thought.
Giving her attention back to Ann, Haru made sure her voice was loud, slow, and clear. "Does Teddie not interest you?" she asked.
"No, he does, but… we might be waiting an hour just to see Teddie answer nothing but lame questions about the future of Junes. Who cares about that?"
"What would you ask him?"
"I'd ask for tips on how to make blue and red work with an outfit. He's the only one pulling it off, you know."
"Do they let him wear the costume in prison?" Haru genuinely thought about it. It was Teddie, the face of Junes and one of the most famous mascots in Tokyo. He at least maintained possession of the costume in prison, but wearing it? Either they made a uniform to fit his costume, or the human beneath the mask had to show the world his unseen face.
"No way. It's fat, so he could easily store a crowbar or something."
"Ah, good point."
An unfamiliar and loud voice came from the other side of Ann. "Crowbar is small-time shit, especially for Teddie." Haru leaned forward to look past Ann and see a newly arrived friend. "If I had that costume and had to spend a decade in prison I'd bring a few dozen pounds of coffee beans," Ren said, smirking when he made eye contact with Haru. He took the last remaining seat to Ann's right.
"You know, it's rude not to announce yourself." Ann may have chided him, but it wasn't serious; she smiled as well.
"I wanted to listen to your conversation. Also, has this really not started? I left Makoto backstage twenty minutes ago."
"I was hoping that you'd know, given that you're dating the student council president."
"Unfortunately, she doesn't tell me about this stuff very much. I think it's because I'd try to give input and that would turn Shujin even more of a barren hellscape than it already is, so…"
"All that sounds like one big excuse to not give us the scoop on what's going on," Ann said. "We've been here for half an hour with nothing!"
Ren shook his head and shrugged as if to say he knew as much as them. With frustration, Haru turned her gaze to the stage. Its emptiness grew more and more annoying over the course of the half-hour, showing no change besides the occasional person peeking out from the curtains, gauging the size of the crowd, then quickly ducking back into safety.
Suddenly, the gymnasium's lights went from irritatingly bright and well-lit to darkness. Change silenced the crowd, bar a few whoops and hollers of joy, then the spectacle began. A spotlight focused right where the curtains divided in half and a voice boomed over speakers Haru never knew to be in the gym.
"Good evening, patient ladies and gentlemen of Shujin Academy. I hope you're all having a pleasant evening because it's about to get even better!" Students cheered as loud as they could, but the continuing announcement quickly silenced them. "It is my honor to kick off the Culture Festival's special guest event by welcoming your student council president to the stage. Everyone, give a warm welcome to Makoto Niijima!"
The curtains parted just in time for Makoto to receive the warmest welcome any GRAVY member would ever see. She stood at center stage, in between two diagonally pointed chairs, with a microphone in her hand and confidence surrounding her.
"Thanks, everyone. Before I bring out the star of the show, we have to conclude the festivities with some light reflection." That announcement brought groans, even a few boos, but Makoto took it in stride. "It won't take long at all, and I think you'll all appreciate it by the time it's done. So, to begin, this year's Culture Festival is the largest in Shujin's history. Not only did we set a record for visitors, but we also raised a record amount of funding for the school and various charities through all the food and concession stands. That's something to cheer for, right?"
The crowd enthusiastically answered her question, clapping, cheering, and whistling at their own success. Is any of that true? Haru asked herself, reminiscing on past festivals. My first year felt much more hectic than this. Maybe that's due to poor organization, but it definitely was more people.
"And, for the first time ever, Shujin's Newspaper Club has embraced the will of the people by taking polls on which class put on the best show."
Haru smirked at the backhanded compliment. The reporters who'd given her so much trouble just for going to school got off without punishment, so a little jab from Makoto in front of the school couldn't hurt their fragile egos too much.
"You can find the full rankings on Shujinstagram's front page, but we'll count down the top three right now, and we may or may not have a few prizes for the winners…" Makoto played the crowd a little too well. Either Makoto hid her natural charisma from the rest of GRAVY, or whoever wrote her script knew the energy that the crowd would bring to the gymnasium.
"In third place, as decided by you all, is Class 3-B's Escape Room. Despite a few guests not making it out of the room and remaining missing at this point in time, it seems like you all quite enjoyed it. Later this week, Arita-sensei will accept the prize of…" Every person in the gymnasium stilled alongside their anticipatory breaths, eagerly awaiting whatever godsent item Makoto would grant them. "A first edition Shujin Academy encyclopedia!"
That's a letdown, Haru immediately thought. No sane person read encyclopedias, let alone wanted one as a winning prize. Perhaps it's a way to build up the first and second-place prizes.
To the great shock of the three GRAVY members in the audience, the gymnasium cheered beyond belief. Going a little too loudly for a little too long left Haru with the unnerving sound of ringing as cheers gradually became anticipation all over again.
"In second place is Class 1-C's Super Rash Toes tournament. While there have been some," Makoto pulled the mic away from her mouth to cough into her sleeve, "budget concerns after a slew of non-approved prizes vanished with a thin man named T-Bone, you all had too much fun playing Rash Toes to count it out of the top three. As for the prize for the students of 1-C, we've prepared something special."
"Better be an almanac!" someone shouted. Makoto's grasp on the audience faded for a moment in favor of a secret smile, though the heckler was not joking.
Another heckler joined in. "Swear to God, I need a Shujin almanac!"
Do people actually read almanacs? Haru couldn't believe what she was hearing. Fascinating.
"We are proud to give each student of 1-C their very own 'Get Smoked' cap. Bring proof of identity to the school store to-" Makoto couldn't even finish explaining how to claim the prize because the crowd loved it too much. The noise was comparable to… well, Haru couldn't compare it to anything. She assumed only the loudest bands could rival such a body-shaking amount of decibels.
Judging by the crowd's reaction, Haru would be lucky to escape the inevitable mosh pit that would form when the first-place prize was announced. Even Makoto, the one who riled up the crowd so well, looked uncomfortable. Haru watched as her friend looked backstage for help, only to realize that her only hope was to wait for the crowd to calm down.
Time silenced everyone and healed all wounds, except for the ringing in Haru's ears.
"As I was saying…" Makoto said over the speakers, cutting herself off to stare at the audience. Her train of thought got lost in the noise and it showed on her puzzled, desperate face. "Er, I was-"
"You're my hero, senpai!" a voice eerily close to Haru yelled, prompting scattered laughs and giggles, as well as a sheepish student council president. Haru glanced at Ren, seeing him sink back down into his chair with a satisfied smirk.
"Yeah! What that guy said!" another student yelled and that opened the floodgates.
"We love you, Makoto! Give us more prizes!"
"Right… the prizes…" Makoto let the mic drop away from her mouth, giving herself the necessary time to take a breather. After a few seconds more of encouraging words from the audience, Makoto was ready. "First place won by a large margin, nearly doubling the number of votes that second place got. I'm sure everyone already knows who won because, well, you're the voters, so I won't delay any longer. Shujin's favorite room of this year's Culture Festival is 2-D's boxing ring!"
I'm sad I didn't get to see a fight, Haru thought with bittersweetness over how much time she'd spent playing cards. I think I could've challenged the champion, maybe even won. I would have given him a punch or two to remember.
"Yeah, yeah. We know! We want prizes!"
"As for the prize, Kawakami-sensei has denied any affiliation with her class's show, so she has deferred her acceptance of the prize to the student behind the show." Makoto looked to her left; someone backstage must've signaled her for something, but that remained hidden from Haru and the audience. "Please welcome 1-C's auteur, creative visionary, and champion boxer, Isamu Ozaki!"
Because she saw none of the fights, Haru's expectation of a stocky student strolling onto the stage with a strapping smile on his face fell flat. Instead of strolling, walking, or even crawling, Ozaki couldn't even get himself on stage. In fact, he was rolled via wheelchair with one student slowly pushing it.
Haru couldn't believe the sight. Ozaki arrived with pitch-black sunglasses covering his eyes, a red and black Shujin scarf covering his neck, and matching blankets covering everything else. He looked more like a cadaver disguised to be "alive" than a triumphant champion accepting an award.
Ann and Ren appreciated the sight.
"Holy shit..."
"I think we killed him."
"Ozaki-san, as a token of the administration's gratitude for creating such a genius idea, we're proud to give you two-hundred points of credit at the Shujin shop. Congratulations!" Makoto held the mic to Ozaki's lifeless face.
"Mnnn."
The crowd went rabid. A row of people in front of Haru began frothing at the mouth, throwing their limbs in the air to express their uncontrollable excitement for someone else getting two months' worth of bread. Just like that row, the rest of the gymnasium went insane.
"Thank you, Ozaki-san," Makoto said as a screech pierced through the speakers. It silenced the crowd and got them back in their seats much sooner than them naturally quieting down, meaning that Makoto could proceed with the program. Ozaki's aid wheeled him off stage without the resounding applause he emerged to. "Now that we're done with the prizes, it's time for the one, the only, Teddie the Bear!"
As quickly as they stopped, the crowd erupted again. They never ran out of energy to foam at the mouth for anything to be excited about, it seemed.
Makoto sat down in one of the two chairs on the stage, letting the crowd focus on what they really cared about. They began with hushed whispers, shushing each other to stay quiet in case Teddie's entrance brought the unexpected with him.
From the right side of the stage, a lone blue and white paw set itself down. Haru heard the crowd gasp and go completely quiet as a second paw joined the first, then it truly began. Teddie, costume and all, slowly walked onto the stage. His pace was lethargic and clunky, resembling a person trying to walk the wrong way on a treadmill. Haru was so far back she didn't even realize why until Teddie hit center stage.
He's in chains, she thought, sitting up straight to get her view over the tall person sitting in front of her. Teddie's bright red, blue, and white costume was complemented with silver handcuffs around his two front paws, while his legs were bound together but allowed enough space that he could almost walk normally.
Not only that, Teddie was accompanied by a cop and a man in a gray suit. One for keeping Teddie on a leash, and the other to make sure Teddie didn't cause any harm to the Junes brand. Harming everyone's eyes in the process, Teddie squeezed himself down into one of the chairs. It thinned his plump suit around its midsection, but forced his stuffed gut out a bit more; just enough to look unnatural and unnerving. The suit and the cop took their positions on either side of Teddie, standing over him and watching him with careful eyes.
The sight was so unexpected, so troubling, that the eager-to-excite audience stayed themselves. They watched with as much caution as Teddie's company did.
Makoto, not troubled by the lack of applause for the guest, proceeded as planned. "Good evening, Teddie. How are you?"
Teddie had no visible microphone, but his voice came through the speakers anyway. "I'm grrreat!" Haru assumed he had a microphone beneath the suit for the sake of clarity.
Teddie's untamed energy gave the crowd some spark. They murmured and whispered, awakening from their confusion-induced trance.
"Now, Teddie-sama, before we open up questions from the audience, I understand that you've prepared a public statement."
"That's right…" Teddie looked at Makoto, waiting for something to happen or trying to figure out his next words. "Chan-chan!"
Did he forget Makoto's name, or did nobody ever tell him? Haru thought.
"My year's been tough, and prison's been even tougher, but you all, my fans, have stayed with me. I've learned a lot of things from a lot of people that have my best interests at heart. The judge who sentenced me said, 'Never let him speak to a member of the opposite sex.' I overcame that challenge. The warden who accepted me into the big house said 'You'll never see daylight again.' I overcame that, too!" Teddie stood, this time to cheers and rapturous yells from the audience.
The tall student in front of Haru put both his arms in the air, blocking Haru's view until she scooted her chair towards the wall to see around the obstacle. Teddie took slow, heavy steps to the edge of the stage so he could be as close as possible to his fans.
"They didn't want me to speak here tonight. They didn't want me to talk about scoring!"
Ren's confusion made it through the abundant cheers. "Scoring? The fuck?!"
Haru would have laughed. She would have glanced at Ren, found amusement in the dumbfounded look on his face, and enjoyed the moment, but everything came to a screeching halt. The crowd stopped cheering, Teddie stopped swinging his ego around, and Makoto stopped controlling the event so that everything went as planned.
The world stopped because a flash of yellow, almost like a bolt of lightning, shot across the stage and hit Teddie hard. Teddie's suit absorbed the impact and turned it into momentum, throwing the bear across the stage with that flash of yellow clinging onto it for dear life.
As the moment slowed and everyone gained a little clarity, that flash of yellow became a bright target for all eyes upon the stage. That target—Ryuji Sakamoto—straddled Teddie's bulky suit as best he could and rained Hell down upon him. Punch after punch bounced off the bear's soft exterior, but that didn't deter Ryuji's fury.
Everyone, even the two members of Teddie's escort, was too stunned to speak or take action. The excitement that usually enthralled Shujin students when a fight took place was lost, replaced with confusion.
Haru heard whispers all around as if they didn't want to speak up and interrupt the show. "I'm pretty sure this is staged."
"Oh, definitely. Look at his suit!"
Ryuji's yellow suit was an eyesore, but it had an odd charm to it. The fact that Ryuji wore it while punching the most misogynistic mascot in Tokyo helped a bit.
"Ryuji, could you-" Makoto must've forgotten she had a microphone because she turned her alarmed face to the crowd, switched something on the mic, and stood up without it. Despite this, the silence of the crowd made sure she was heard. "Ryuji! This is not-"
"I've gotta protect the school!" Ryuji yelled, continuing to punch Teddie in the face. His power, or lack of, had no visible effect on the bear.
If he's going to be suspended for this, I'd prefer if his punches actually beat some sense into Teddie. He has to make sure this is worth getting suspended, right? Haru thought.
Ren loved it. "Proud of your boyfriend?" he asked Ann with a grin on his face.
On the other hand, Ann's deep red face had a thousand words ready. "Shut the fuck up."
Ren smiled even wider but left Ann alone, settling back in his seat so he could enjoy the show of Makoto trying to get Ryuji off of the bear. Without the help of the cop or the lawyer, who watched the ordeal with the best poker faces they could muster, Makoto struggled greatly. Only when she got close to Ryuji and said something beneath the cover of a whisper did Ryuji's punches falter.
His body stilled and his arms went limp. Ryuji got to his feet, leaving the defeated Teddie on the ground. Haru was disappointed in the lack of a climax. That's it? I don't think Teddie will want to continue the event after that, and we don't even get to see an actual fight, she thought.
Standing next to Ryuji, Makoto looked helpless. She looked in between the beaten guest and the crowd, unsure of what to do. Haru felt bad, but there was nothing she could do to help. Makoto was stuck in an impossible situation.
Teddie, as if he hadn't been tackled, popped to his feet with more speed than Ryuji interrupted the evening with. "You villain! You dare to assault a bear as powerful as moi?! I'll show you when I score with-"
Makoto grabbed Ryuji by the arms to hold him back. If he hadn't spent so much energy, he might've broken through but Makoto's grip on him kept him away from the bear. Teddie, hands on his hips and his face pointed at the audience, stepped towards the audience once again.
" He wanted to prove I'm a bad bear, but nooo! He failed! I, Teddie, continue my quest to prove my innocence!" The crowd erupted. "And to show how innocent I am, I challenge this gentleman to a trial by combat!"
Mako-chan looks ready to give up. I don't blame her , Haru thought, frowning at the sight of her exhausted friend only weakening upon hearing Teddie's words. Ryuji, inspired by the challenge, fought with newfound strength to break free. Instead of dealing with Ryuji's bullshit, Makoto decided to lay the moment to rest. She slapped Ryuji into standing still and turned on Teddie.
"You want a trial by combat? Fine!"
Classroom 2-D reeked of commotion. Even Ryuji, one of two people in the room to be given the privilege of room to breathe, felt how stuffy the atmosphere had become. He sat in the challenger's corner of the boxing ring, staring across the taped square at Teddie. Surrounding the square was a dense crowd, each person lined up shoulder to shoulder as if teachers were attempting to do a headcount by packing the entire student body into one room.
I know it's not that many people, but damn does it feel like it. There's gotta be at least sixty people in here, Ryuji thought, eyes darting from person to person. His stomach churned and goosebumps raised beneath his sleeves, but he tried to maintain the look of being relaxed. Showing his nerves before the fight wouldn't be to his advantage.
Those not lucky enough to get into the fight still had a hint of fortune. The students that Ren assigned as 2-D's media team, or whatever the eff he called it, got to take their places in front of the other people so they could film the fight.
Students chattered and bickered. Some were upset with their poor vision of the boxing ring, some were upset that it would be Ryuji fighting Teddie instead of someone more fit to represent Shujin, and some—simply because they were Shujin students—were upset for the sake of being upset.
Ryuji heard his friend's voice before he saw him. "How you feeling?" Ren asked, walking around from behind Ryuji. He dropped a knee to the undirtied ground of the taped square so he could go eye-to-eye with Ryuji.
"Like a goddam champion."
"You'll have to fight him first for that."
"I'm manifesting."
"Okay, Ryuji. Keep manifesting." Ren's head spun over his shoulder, looking at the bear across the ring. Ryuji hadn't known until he tackled him, but Teddie was huge. The bear suit gave him at least six feet of height and a hundred extra pounds. Plus, something was stuffed inside the suit. It may have been padding, it may have been drugs, it may have been air; Ryuji didn't care because complaining wouldn't help him fight. Ren looked back at Ryuji with newfound fear on his face. "Honestly, I'm amazed that you even knocked him to the ground."
"I'd be a linebacker if I was born in America."
"Sure you would." Ren gave no thought to Ryuji's genuine confession. "Ann, Haru, and Makoto are here. Makoto's pretty pissed that you put kinda-sorta-maybe wrecked the entire evening, so you better win. Oh, and your girlfriend's depending on you not to embarrass her. No pressure."
"I don't feel pressure."
"Don't lie. You're sweating and the fight hasn't even started."
Ryuji said nothing, but he did believe Ren enough to wipe his arm across his forehead. Shit, he's right. No one's jabbering about it, so I don't think the crowd's noticed, he thought.
"Relax. Teddie's big, slow, and bouncy." Ren paused as if there was something in his words he didn't realize before he said them. "Uh… my point stands… but anyway, you're the perfect matchup. Stay light on your feet, keep giving him high jabs and he'll fall easily."
"No disrespect, dude, but the eff do ya know about boxing?"
Ren shrugged. "I watched Ozaki get his brain scrambled for four hours yesterday; I know a thing or two."
"Fair enough."
"Fighters to the center, please!" Ren and Ryuji looked to Makoto, the de facto referee for the bout. Her head went left to right to check the readiness of both. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she motioned for them to obey.
Ren patted Ryuji on the shoulder. "Good luck." He stood and moved out of the ring, retreating to the front of the audience just behind Ryuji's corner. Alone with nothing but nerves, beads of sweat, and memories of being chased through the labyrinth, Ryuji stood. He tapped his boxing gloves against each other to test their cushiness as he walked to the center of the ring.
Teddie did the same and that meant that Ryuji could finally see his full stature again. The bear's huge build didn't deter Ryuji; he watched as Teddie clumsily bobbed side to side to reach the center of the ring. His escort did him the favor of removing his chains and cuffs for the fight, but Teddie's unhindered movement still proved to be out of practice.
At the center, Makoto greeted both fighters with a nod. "Clap three times to forfeit. I have little experience with things like this," she said, waving a hand at the crowd around them, "so your safety is in your hands. Understand?"
"Yep!" Teddie's high, loud voice got a few cheers from the crowd, but it irritated Ryuji to no end. The vibration of Teddie's vocal cords ranked highly among the worst things he'd ever heard, right next to Yusuke's 'Sleepy Time' playlist.
"Got it," Ryuji said.
"Rounds are three minutes. You'll have ten seconds to get up if you're knocked down but remain conscious." Again, she looked to them for agreement. Ryuji and Teddie nodded, but Teddie's gigantic suit gave his far more emphasis. It looked more like an impromptu dance move than a nod. "I want a clean fight. No punches to the back of the head, no cheap shots." Ryuji and Teddie nodded for the last time and Makoto sent them back to their respective corners.
Now able to face the crowd that surrounded his corner, Ryuji analyzed them. He recognized a few faces from his class and one or two guys from the track team, but the faces of his friends easily stood out. Ann, Haru, and Ren all got to be in front of the other students, assumedly because the fight took place at Ren and Ann's event. They stood directly behind Ryuji's chair which could only mean one thing: If I got GRAVY in my corner, I can't lose. Ann's the medic, Haru's the manager, and Ren's the coach, Ryuji thought. He likened himself to a movie protagonist in his own version of David and Goliath.
"Ryuji 'The Flash' Sakamoto, undefeated on the amateur circuit stares down the champion. It was just last week when Ryuji's challenge arose to the top of our feeds, but he's already taken the hearts of many. Teddie the Bear's uncontested grip on the championship remains a controversial topic after his cheating accusations, so it's safe to say the world's rootin' for Ryuji!" Yeah, that sounds great! With the energy of the room, it wasn't hard to imagine it as a movie. Ryuji saw more faces smiling at him than he expected.
Ryuji turned around. The people behind him called his name with a variety of words surrounding it, but he couldn't pay attention. His eyes were locked on his opponent. He watched for a slight limp, or a creaky elbow, or anything off with the bear's movement. Every little detail could prove costly in a fight with such large steaks.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, your fighters are prepared. The ring is ready, the lights are bright, and the moment is heavy. Just hours before the fight, Ryuji's high school sweetheart was attacked by unnamed assailants. No doubt that there's a lot going on in that man's head as he warms up to fight Teddie. Now, I'm just reporting what I'm seeing, but Takamaki-chan's fate seems to be blamed on Teddie. We know about the accusations of… shady connections that can be tied to the bear…" Creating new motivation for himself worked, but not enough. Ryuji feared Teddie; hated him with every ounce of his pounding heart. Tokyo needed Teddie's downfall like Ryuji needed food.
"Three!" Makoto yelled. The crowd got louder and Ryuji's ears began to ring. He locked eyes with the bear. Teddie's costumed and empty gaze nearly kept Ryuji in his corner and out of the fight, but Ryuji knew he couldn't back out. Tokyo chose him as their hero and he had to follow through.
Ryuji, if you go home tonight and your mom asks you "How was the Culture Festival?" you can't tell her that you lost to Teddie. She'd cry , Ryuji told himself, imagining the rare sight of his mom's resolve shattering. Do you want your mom to cry, Ryuji?
"Two!"
Ryuji bent his knees, cocked his elbows, and held his fists in front of his face. He stared over red hills at the distant enemy, readying himself to advance and strike.
"One!"
No bell clanged and no guns were shot, but Teddie and Ryuji needed neither. They closed the gap and began their dance to the death. Ryuji's feet barely hit the ground. He fluidly tapped across the floor, moving far faster than Teddie could turn. Ryuji's arm shot forward with a jab to Teddie's face. Air released from the suit and Teddie swayed a little, but it failed to faze him.
Guess I gotta keep dancing, Ryuji thought. He didn't mind; staying light turned out to be easier than expected and all he had to do to keep Teddie on his paws was throw a punch when he got too comfortable.
Ryuji pushed himself. He wove around the clumsily upright bear, one foot over the other, with grace never seen by Teddie before. Every few seconds, he'd switch from right to left. One of these occasions hit Teddie like a kick in the knee; he stumbled after tripping over himself, bowing his head for an easy uppercut from Ryuji.
Teddie's weight stopped him from being sent flying into the crowd. His head swayed like a spring, returning to its normal uprightness with the same movement as a bobblehead. Ryuji took the opportunity to dance just a bit farther to Teddie's side, then swing a hook into him. Teddie actually stumbled from the impact, but it didn't swing his head like before.
With his unbroken concentration, Teddie walked straight at Ryuji with powerful haste. The crowd got louder as Teddie closed the gap to nothing. He swung once into Ryuji's wall of defense, then twice, then three times. He laid on the hurt with unchecked stamina and Ryuji could do nothing but hunker down behind his boxing gloves.
I gotta dodge, then give him a left hook. That'll do it! Through Ryuji's gloves, he saw Teddie's robotic gaze. Whatever eyes bore down upon Ryuji with fury wouldn't terrify him, they wouldn't intimidate him. With yet another reminder that his opponent had to lose at all costs, Ryuji took action.
He slipped back, then lowered his head with the hope of Teddie's continuous right hooks finally missing. Ryuji felt a whoosh of air on the top of his head—it was time. He began rising to counterattack the unprepared Teddie.
His arm began to rotate, his hips twisted for power, and his feet were set. Ryuji would throw the knockout punch and send everyone home with a smile on their face and a new favorite memory. He would triumph over the root of all evil and take his place as the rightful King of Shu-
Ryuji's dream died an abrupt death. I forgot that Teddie not only has a right hand, but a left hand. I'm in danger! It was an understatement—Teddie's fresh left hook crashed through the castle gates and demolished what stood in its way. It shut Ryuji's eyes with its sheer, unmitigated force.
Ryuji smelled the floor before he saw it. Dry sweat made him open his eyes to confirm the musky truth: Ryuji hit the floor after Teddie's hook and everyone saw.
"One! Two! Three!" Makoto's voice, unmistakably standing over him, cut through the crowd's cheers to remind Ryuji that he couldn't just lie on the ground the rest of the night. Ryuji balled his fists in his gloves and pushed them against the ground.
The toughest push-up of his life came with groans and cries from the crowd. I probably look like shit, Ryuji thought. His jaw hurt—from the punch or from clenching his teeth, he couldn't tell. "Four! Five! Six!"
Ryuji jumped his legs under him and shot up, gloves raised and eyes ready for more fighting. He saw his opponent triumphantly high-fiving the people at the front of the crowd, doing a literal victory lap around the ring, not even aware that Ryuji stood on shaky legs ready for more.
It didn't matter. "That's it for the round!" Makoto called out and the held breaths for a knockout were all released with one unsatisfied sigh. Ryuji rolled his eyes, but he felt the energy of the room—or the lack of it. He was no longer the movie protagonist, he was a down-and-out fighter at the tail end of his career. He'd gone from being the fan favorite to the guy everyone was tired of seeing get back in the ring.
I'm getting too old for this, Ryuji thought as if he'd spent the last decade fighting and drinking his nights away. He retreated to his corner with no bounce, no pep, in his step and fell back into the chair.
Ren emerged from Ryuji's peripheral vision. "Thought he killed you for a second."
"That bad?"
"Yeah. Everyone expected Makoto to call it, but she let you get up."
"Well, shit. That's awful nice o' her," Ryuji said in between panting breaths.
"That's all you have to say?" Ren lightly slapped the side of Ryuji's face that got hit. It stung a little, but the residing pain numbed whatever shock Ren's hand usually would've had. "Ryuji, you rushed the stage and forced Makoto to deal with all the ensuing bullshit. You gonna thank her for cutting you some slack by losing? Losing?!"
He may be the leader of GRAVY, but he can't motivate for shit. Oh well. I mean, I'll keep the fight going, but I got no chance of winning. I'll go through the motions. From the comfort of his chair, Ryuji settled for less than he arrived for. Before the fight even ended, he decided to cap off his night with defeat. Maybe it was the stars he was seeing, maybe it was the loss of his protagonist mentality, maybe it was because his mom hadn't come to see him host bingo—maybe the Culture Festival didn't matter at all.
Ryuji knew one thing: he just wanted to quit.
He looks like he spent an entire week playing Futaba in Rash Toes and lost every game.
Ren saw defeat on his fighter's face and that shook his belief. Ren wanted Ryuji to win, but if Ryuji didn't want himself to win, what was Ren to do?
I didn't want to do this because I'm absolutely terrified of cliches, but… fuck. I have no choice.
Ren left Ryuji alone in his corner with a rag to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He traversed the borders of the ring, dodging around habitual line-steppers and chronic line-crossers, and found the edge of the crowd that Ann, Haru, and Ren called home.
Ann jumped at the sight of Ren. "How is he?" she asked, voice shaking from worry and eyes going from Ren to Ryuji.
She could just go ask him. Not sure why she thinks I have to be the messenger. Yeah, I am his "coach" but she's free to talk to him right now.
"Fine, a little dazed. His morale's been shaken, though."
"What?"
"Seems like he's quitting."
"But Ryuji-kun can't quit!" Haru said. "Teddie's still alive!"
That implies that she wants him dead. Why don't you pull some strings and assassinate Teddie, Haru?
Ren shrugged because he had no answer, no reasoning, that would make Ryuji's losing mentality make sense. "He's done. There's no fire in his eyes and he's a different person from the one who crashed the stage."
Ann crossed her arms and cocked her hip. "Nope. I refuse."
"But you're not the one fighting?"
Ren's sarcastically obvious fact didn't settle Ann. "Long as I'm his girlfriend, Ryuji's not a quitter." She pushed Ren out of the way with her arm, then walked to Ryuji's corner. Just like Ren, she rounded the chair and entered Ryuji's view by taking a knee at his side.
Ren and Haru watched. "Wanna bet on if she motivates him or not?"
"Since when do you gamble?" Haru asked, not taking her eyes off Ann. She spoke to Ryuji, but they couldn't hear the words over the buzz of the crowd.
"Since I started knowing the outcome of every boxing match ever hosted in 1-C." Ren had won a bit of money betting against Ozaki's overly-confident friends who came to the room. However, he refrained from cranking his gambling up to a level that would keep him from sleeping at night. He only made enough to pay for a week's worth of lunch and to cover his boxing expenses.
"I don't blame you, but I'll pass."
Ann leaned in to Ryuji's ear. He shied away from the close proximity, but Ann reached around and pulled him closer by the shoulder. She whispered something for his ears only, then ended the process. She stood, wiped her hands of Ryuji's sweat, and joined her fellow GRAVY members at the edge of the crowd.
"What'd you tell him?" Ren asked.
"A thing or two."
Haru joined Ren's side. "Aw, Ann. You can tell us."
"I'll tell you later," Ann said as her eyes locked on Haru. As for Ren, she didn't even look at him, instead turning to face the ring once again. "Sorry, Ren."
Hm… fine.
He felt like a toddler left out of the dealings of his older siblings. Sure, Ann may have had a good reason, but that didn't mean liked it. Unlike a toddler, however, Ren chose not to bawl his eyes out and complain to the nearest person with authority.
"Fighters, prepare for the second round!" Makoto yelled.
Teddie and Ryuji stood. The latter's back faced Ren and the other GRAVY members. Ryuji shook the stiffness out of his elbows and walked forward, meeting Makoto and Teddie in the center of the ring. Makoto spoke to them just as she had before the fight began, then backed away.
Makoto put her hands up, getting the crowd to hush with barely any effort. "Three! T-" Makoto stuttered into silence and the world needed to know why. Whispers wormed through the crowd to Ren's ears, but none conveyed why the stoppage occurred.
She's looking at Ryuji like he just told her about his fixation with Medusa. Hm…
Whatever Ryuji did or said that cut Makoto off went unseen by GRAVY because he was not facing them. It was only when a particularly loud student got a good look at Ryuji did they know what was happening.
"Ewwww, he's licking it!"
Hold the fuck up.
Ryuji put one fist in the air. Curiously, the other didn't join it, but Ryuji turned so they could see why. Ren and Haru watched in horror as Ryuji put the top of his boxing glove in his mouth. He locked eyes with Ren and almost got himself kicked out of the club forever based solely on the fact that it creeped Ren out.
So he's trying to fit his hand in his mouth? An uncommon tactic, but it may work. It's worth remembering that Ozaki, a fighter who never put his hand in his mouth, never won a fight. Coincidence?
Ryuji slid his tongue off that glove, then moved on to the next one. He opened wide to stuff the other glove (that Ren just bought at a discount a few days prior) in his mouth, barely fitting it in. Obviously, Ryuji couldn't get the full width of the glove, but the effort was more than impressive. Tears formed at the corners of his eyes and his cheeks got redder than the gloves.
Makoto finally managed to break her stuttering bewilderment. "Sakamoto-san, please refrain fro-"
"Two can play that game! Raaaawr mph!" Teddie put his own hand in his mouth, pulling gasps from the crowd's lungs.
Fuck it. Maybe I should put my hand in my mouth? Maybe we should all- okay, that's enough.
Ren fought the ever-tempting urge to eat his hand and watched as Teddie failed to match Ryuji's excellence. Ryuji had the advantage of taking the world by surprise with his antics, whereas Teddie was nothing more than a poser trying to play off intimidation tactics by recreating them. At least, Ren hoped they were intimidation tactics. Watching Ryuji try to fit his hand in his mouth a second time lost the novelty of the first instance and started to become, well, gross.
After too much time spent with the fighters putting their hands in their mouths, Makoto gave up. "You know what? Three, two, one. Fight to the death. I'll be in the student council room if anyone needs me." She dipped into the crowd and Ren lost sight of her.
I feel bad, but come on! This is must-watch stuff!
Ren hated having a thought like that about watching his friend put his hand in his mouth, but he was genuinely captivated. Ryuji did dumb things, but there was always a purpose behind them. Teddie copied Ryuji for the sake of copying, so one of them had a clear advantage over the other.
With the fight beginning and both fighters not having the hands to begin, the crowd got upset.
"Cut that shit out!"
"Think of the germs, Teddie!"
I'm surprised Ryuji's doing this after his germaphobia became such a big deal. He got mono, then he- wait a minute… I know why Ryuji's got his hand in his mouth!
Ryuji must've heard the germs comment because he slid his moist glove from his face. His face scrunched and pointed itself every which way to iron out the soreness, but he would definitely feel that for the coming week. Plus, he'd have to live with the memory of eating a boxing glove in front of a shitload of people.
Teddie, still not done preparing his hands, had both fists in his costume's mouth. Whatever went on beneath the surface of the costume was covered by darkness and fur, thankfully. Ren knew that a demonic creature was inside Teddie once he saw that killer hook that nearly knocked Ryuji out.
Ryuji started dancing. "The eff are ya doing, Ted? Trying to copy me?" He alternated which direction he cycled around Teddie, never closing the gap of a few feet.
Ryuji, just knock him out. Both his hands are in his mouth and the fight's started.
Teddie withdrew two dry paws with no fuss. He raised them in front of his round face, not covering near enough of it for it to be decent protection. Ryuji danced, Teddie stumbled towards him, and the fight was back on.
Ryuji taunted by letting his guard down so Teddie could see his face. "Not one for trash talk, huh? That's alright. I've got something that'll make you scream."
Pause.
"Ted, I've got a disease—I've got mononucleosis and I just got it all over my gloves. Know what that means?" Teddie stopped lumbering so he could shake his head. Ryuji kept a good five feet from the bear just in case he got second thoughts about listening. "It means that if I land one punch, you'll have the kissing disease. You'll never score with a chick again!"
That's not how mono works, right? Right…?
Teddie must've reacted. His suit shook and his arms flailed, but no noise came from the bear. The demon inside surely would've screamed his lungs out if he wasn't a celebrity under pressure to not lose a boxing match to a high school student.
That being said, Ren couldn't tell if Ryuji's taunt worked and neither could the crowd. The only audible reaction Ryuji got were groans of disgust from Teddie's most devoted supporters at Shujin.
Teddie swung first. He gave Ryuji a giant, lumbering hook that whiffed right over Ryuji's ducking head. This time, Ryuji was ready for the second hook and dodged under it, too. Teddie threw another untrained hook, compensating for his previous misses with the full momentum of his body. He spun himself as his arm swung around, only for Ryuji to step back and let Teddie's paw go right past him.
When the moment came, Ryuji wasn't defeated. He didn't give up his fight against evil and he didn't lose his motivation to fight. He never bowed his head or showed his neck—he leaned on his back leg and delivered a mono-powered uppercut straight into Teddie's face that knocked the spinning bear over like a top. Teddie fell to the edge of the crowd and took a few screaming students down with him, but Ryuji wasn't there to savor the moment.
Instead, his arms were already in the air and a grin already plastered itself across his face as he took to the center of the ring to bask in the glory. Ryuji "Effin" Sakamoto became the champion of champions, the world's defender from evil, and the king of boxing at Shujin Academy.
Teddie would return to prison defeated, battered, and shackled like the ursine deviant that he was.
"How was the rest of the fight?"
"I get why you left early, but man…" Ren shook his head, still in disbelief from the incomparable high of watching Ryuji triumph. "Absolutely awesome. Ryuji mono-punched Teddie into the void."
Following Ryuji's victory punch, things got a little hectic. The crowd swarmed him and forced him to crowd-surf or suffocate. Teddie barely escaped with his lawyer and cop; they used the commotion of everyone celebrating Ryuji to drag Teddie out the front gates kicking and screaming.
What will they put on the Shujinstagram front page tomorrow? Either they have Teddie trying to claw his way back into Shujin or they have Ryuji, dressed in bright yellow, knocking out the most important person to ever come to Shujin Academy. Choices, choices...
Makoto hummed. Since meeting up with her on Shujin's roof for peace, quiet, and a lack of people, she'd provided most of the silence. It was fine—Ren had excess energy from the mosh pit that formed around Ryuji after his victory—he just had to do more of the talking.
They sat on the edge of the roof, giving them an aerial view of the courtyard and the people swarming around it. The Culture Festival's numbers dwindled following Teddie's shameful departure in the back of a police car, but something drew people to the gym. Ren watched at least a hundred total people cut through the courtyard to get to the gym, confusing him with their unknown purpose.
"How was the student council room?"
"Relaxing. That's the one room where I'm in complete control, it seems."
"Ryuji tackling Teddie on the stage wasn't your fault at all. I thought he was too much of a wimp to be a security risk."
"So did I, but we just had him box a national celebrity. Think of the headlines…"
"Fuck the headlines. Ryuji knocking Teddie out is a top ten moment of this year."
"For you," Makoto corrected with a notable lack of warmth in her voice. They sat close so Ren could wrap an arm around her shoulder, but she wasn't near her usual level of receptiveness.
How can I cheer Makoto up? Clearly, she's out of it and exhausted. I gotta get her attention before I try to make her happy.
"You remember what Ryuji mentioned earlier? 'Our little thing' referred to taking Ryuji to Takemi-san's clinic."
"Oh, right. Well?"
"Better than expected. Ryuji didn't have to deal with anything, you know, horrific and we think he saw something that'll happen on Halloween. Something that involves…" Instinctively, Ren stopped himself from speaking when he knew he should've continued. Silence was dishonesty and leaving Makoto out of the loop was cruel. To calm himself, Ren put a little distance between Makoto and himself so he could turn and look her in the eye. "Haru will think I'm the Prince. I don't know how or why, but that's what Ryuji saw."
Ren expected Makoto to shake her head, close her eyes, and consider the information. He thought she'd take a second to reconsider just how well she really knew him.
Instead, Makoto let out something in between a snort and a scoff. "Really? What on earth could happen that would make Haru, your friend, distrust you?"
"No idea, but I don't doubt what Ryuji saw."
"Neither do I. That's all we have to worry about?"
"What do you mean 'That's all'? Makoto, I dunno how you feel, but I can't tolerate someone I'm fond of thinking I'm something I'm not. There's nothing worse."
"Calm down."
'Calm down' has to be the dumbest thing to say. Like, "Oh, okay. My bad. I'll be calm and forget about whatever got me going." Shit doesn't work like that. Also, it comes off as condescending.
"Even if Haru doesn't believe you, even just for a moment, will she not believe Ryuji? Will she not believe me?" Makoto had a point. Perhaps Ren was doing her a disservice by worrying about her not trusting him. Did he not give her enough credit for being a good friend, for supporting him when he needed it? Haru near single-handedly kept the gardening aspect of GRAVY afloat, among the many other kindnesses she performed. Believing she would betray him on Halloween was an insult to her that Ren began to regret as he looked into Makoto's crimson eyes.
Ren admitted the truth. "You're right."
"I know." Makoto smirked, lighting up the roof for the first time that evening. Ren looked down at the courtyard. It lacked the bustling groups of people—the gym must've occupied them.
I wonder what's going in there…
"You'll speak to Haru before Halloween, I assume."
"Uh-huh. I have to," Ren said, letting his words sit and rest before he continued. "Ryuji said he'll talk to Ann about it, then she'll work something out."
"Alright. I'm a little surprised that the clinical trial worked exactly as we thought it would."
"Don't jinx it. We still don't know what's happening on Halloween.
"Right, right…"
They exhaled in unison. Ren watched his warm air dissipate before him, then he looked past it at the building that loomed over Shujin. A few lights stood out on its wall of dark windows.
I need to get out of here. Roof isn't right, sometimes. Besides, Makoto's not cheered up, just more informed. I have more work to do.
"What's missing from your top ten list?" Ren blurted to the building, only getting a response from Makoto because there was nobody else to speak to.
"Hm?"
"You said that Ryuji knocking Teddie out was a top-ten moment for my year, and you didn't get to see that. What's something that's on your bucket list that'd make your year?"
The endless possibilities limited Makoto. "Um… I don't know?"
"Really? Nothing comes to mind?" Ren lightly elbowed her as a smirk rose on his face. "Nothing you've ever tried, nothing you've ever wanted to see your boyfriend try?"
"Oh…" Makoto closed her eyes, laughing at what she thought Ren to be hinting at. "I thought you didn't want to."
She knows something I don't.
"I only dance when the world needs me to dance."
Verbally, Makoto rolled her eyes. "Okay, Ren."
"I'm thinking we join everyone in the gym, blend in with the crowd, and show off our moves." Ren scooted back off the ledge, swinging his legs around so he could spryly shoot upward and offer Makoto a helping hand. "Whaddya think?"
"It's perfect." Makoto took Ren's hand, letting him pull her off the ledge and onto solid ground. He eyed Haru's plentiful garden behind Makoto. "However, there's one thing you should know."
"What's that?"
"When I went to the student council room, it was so I could 'fix' the Culture Festival's guest problem."
"What do you mean?"
"I may have contacted a new… entertainer for the evening to get everyone's mind off the image of one of our students assaulting a celebrity."
"Thank you for hosting I, Yusuke Kitagawa, as your magical musical guest for the evening! This neighborly night, this twilight of champions, will be consummate with my love, my passion, and my excellence. I urge you to bring another to the dance floor, prepare yourself for superior wavelengths, and force your brain into tranquil submission so you can experience Yusuke and the Yevonites!"
When did he start a band?
From the open floor of the gymnasium, Ren watched as Yusuke and four other teenagers fumbled around with their music equipment. Every minute they'd take a trip backstage, then return a minute later with synths, guitars, drums, and whatever else they could find. Ren couldn't name half the instruments on stage if he wanted to.
While the entertainment prepared for their set, Ren and Makoto enjoyed the company of one another. The gym had been cleared of its rows of chairs (by moving half to the sides of the room, half into storage) before Yusuke and the Yevonites arrived, leaving an open floor for dancing, socializing, and whatever other antics Shujin's student body could muster.
Because of the evening's unforeseen events, the Culture Festival went much later than any school-sponsored event should've on a school night. The only people remaining on campus were students; parents, younger siblings, and outsiders from other schools couldn't handle Shujin's after-hours.
"Have you seen Ryuji?" Makoto asked, getting Ren to change his focus from the stage to his girlfriend. The dark bags under her eyes said too much for Ren, feeling as if it was his fault that Makoto had such a troublesome night.
Ren, relax. Makoto's tired, sure, but how is that your fault? If anything, you helped her have a better night. You walked around the festival with her earlier, you talked with her on the roof, and now you're about to dance for her. You can't do much better than that.
"Last I saw him, he was getting carried away by a horde of people."
"At least he gets a happy ending."
"I couldn't tell if they were carrying him off to celebrate his victory or to get revenge for Teddie's loss."
"Oh. Well, an ending is an ending."
"How's this for an ending?"
"What, sitting against a wall while we wait for Yusuke to set up?" Makoto laughed. The situation was inherently lame, but Ren enjoyed it. Judging by the smiles and laughs he was getting from Makoto, she did, too. "It's picturesque, and it captures the spirit of the evening."
Student friend groups and couples floated around the gymnasium. They mixed, mingled, and divided every which way, some meeting new people to follow around while some stuck by old friends. Sitting against the wall gave Ren the perfect view to watch the petri dish of socializing.
"Which is?"
"Things not going right. Ryuji can't keep to himself, Teddie's too proud to back down from a challenge, and Yusuke and his stupid band can't-"
"One, two, three, four!" Yusuke's count smashed Makoto's doubts with an icy strum of electric guitar. "Ladies and gentlemen, I demand your silence, your passion, and your finest slow dance for the next five minutes!" Yusuke wielded the mic stand with both hands, leaning back and forth with it like it were a dancing partner.
His band of merry men, all with shaved heads and identical all-blue attire, manned their instruments. One sat behind an array of drums and cymbals, another had a four-string bass strapped over his shoulder, and the last one seemed to be a god of music. He had two guitars, one draped on his left shoulder and the other on his right, going in opposite directions. In his mouth was a harmonica held by a contraption around his neck. Not only that, he stood behind a line of drum machines, keyboards, and other technical shit Ren could not name.
I wonder if they'll play what the kids are listening to these days. This song is alright but damn… it's dated.
"Love me, love me, love me, say you do," Yusuke sang with bravado and force. His voice carried through the gym with the aid of speakers, but he needed nothing more than the strength of his vocal cords to still and silence every single person in the room. All eyes locked on Yusuke as he launched into his beautiful love ballad. "Let me fly away with you. For my love is like the wind… and wild is the wind… wild is the wind."
Those weirded out by the implication of a slow dance inched to the sides of the gymnasium. Judging by their numbers, Ren could estimate that seventy percent of Shujin's population was single and not ready to mingle because they were too shy.
Don't have someone to dance with while Yusuke sings oldies in English? Sounds like a skill issue.
"What are you doing?"
"Watching Yusuke sing his heart out. It's admirable."
"I meant," Makoto spun him by his shoulder, sending the sight of Yusuke away with a blur, "what are you doing watching and not asking me to dance?"
Good point.
Naturally, Ren wanted to be sarcastic. He wanted to grant Makoto's wish, of course, but on his own terms. The thought of himself faking a marriage proposal just to ask Makoto to dance sounded amusing, yet empty. Besides, it was Makoto who really wanted to dance, not Ren. Not at all…
Politely asking her to dance was the least he could do for her after such a stressful night.
Ren took her hand and got his answer right before he asked. "Makoto, would like to dance with me?"
"Love to." They—along with couples, friendzoners, and the unconfessed—took to the open floor of the gymnasium. Ren never felt less like Ren when he escorted his girlfriend out to the dance floor, but it didn't feel wrong.
Maybe Yusuke's voice just makes everything alright.
Yusuke's voice soared and fluttered. "You touch me… I hear the sound of mandolins!" Yusuke must've lived and died a thousand lives of romance and heartbreak—his voice was that powerful. Ren recognized Yusuke's centuries of romantic experience with how earnestly he sang.
Toward the center of the gym, Ren stopped escorting. He turned to Makoto, pulling her close with their already-linked hands. "Know why you've never seen me dance?" Ren asked. Pairs danced around them with as much grace as could be expected from high schoolers; they stumbled over toes, tripped over stray legs, and let partners slip through clammy hands.
"Why?"
"Because I can't dance." Ren put his free hand on Makoto's back, pulling her closer. He pulled their linked hands up to strike the pose of a formal dance couple. Ren may not have been able to dance, but he certainly knew how.
Makoto smiled. "Liar." She sleuthed him out by looking into his eyes a little too long. "Where'd you learn?"
"Parents paid for dance lessons. There's never been an Amamiya who couldn't dance." With his high hand, he gently pushed her to move backward and begin the waltz, his dance of choice because he was not an undignified Lord of GRAVY-esque goodness.
"Wow…" For the first time since they started, Makoto broke eye contact to laugh. "I'm sorry—I feel a little embarrassed for you."
"Laugh it up as much as you can. Next time I see Buchimaru, it's on sight."
"Buchi-kun did nothing wrong!"
"Neither did I—just had childhood dancing lessons. Don't fault me for it." His footwork, though clumsy, was technically correct. He drew squares with his feet, outdoing every other lazy leading dance partner by a wide margin. Most students opted for the cliche hands on shoulders while bobbing side to side, but Ren sent that to Hell. He whisked Makoto around other duos, showing off how much dignity the delinquent had.
As they danced, Ren mostly looked at Makoto. Every once and a while, he'd take his eyes away from appreciating her to scan around and make sure he wasn't on pace to collide with an innocent pair. During one of these checks, Ren saw two familiar heads of hair moving together.
Good for Ryuji. I'm surprised he has the energy to dance, but it warms my heart that he'll make it to the end of the night alive, happy, and with a dance partner. Wonder how Ann feels about the results of the fight.
Ren still had the picture of her whispering the unknown to Ryuji. Whatever she said did what Ren couldn't by resurrecting Ryuji and getting him back in the fight—that was why Ren had to know what she said.
Eh, I'll save it for another time. Let them enjoy their moment.
The two blonde heads dipped down and away, blocked off by other students. Ren kept leading Makoto around the gym, getting closer and closer to the stage as Yusuke neared the end of his song.
"You're spring to me, all things to me. Don't you know?" Yusuke's closed fist rose overhead and the band breathed a few beats of silence. Claps and cheers came for the end of the song, but Yusuke wasn't done. "You're life itseeeeeeelf!" With a descending drum roll, the band got right back to it.
Ren, incredibly impressed by the musicianship of an obviously well-practiced band, had one question.
Where the fuck is that acoustic guitar coming from? Sure, that guy has two guitars, but neither of them are acoustic. Yusuke, you fucker, is your band faking?!
Ren turned his gaze from the Yevonites to Makoto. She smiled up at him, squeezing his hand and his shoulder tighter. Promptly, Ren forgot any and all complaints he had for the Yevonites. "Now that you know my secret, where'd you learn to dance?"
"I'm the student council president—I have to be able to dance."
"I don't see the logic in that."
"You would if you ran for office."
"So, how far up the hierarchy could this waltz get me?" Ren tipped Makoto back, gently resting her in his arm. He was never very strong, and he was out of practice when it came to fancier moves, but it felt effortless. Either he was a prodigy, or Yusuke did such an excellent job at setting the tone that it gave him dancing superpowers.
"You could be a lobbyist at this rate."
"Hah-hah."
"But I must say, you're definitely earning a few extra points with me…"
That's cool and all, but what does it mean?
Despite his ignorance, Ren pretended he knew what Makoto was talking about. "I'm satisfied with that."
Drum rolls, fluctuating riffs, and the bass line going up meant one thing: the song began its ending. Ren felt the shift and lead Makoto back to where they were sitting, but he planned to keep dancing until the song's end. "Wild is the wind… wild is the wind…" Yusuke inhaled the cheap microphone, getting a loud pang of feedback coming through the speakers. Wild is the wiiiiiii-"
Holy shit, that hurts...
Glass shattered, waves crashed, and Shujin Academy nearly collapsed under the weight of Yusuke's immense talent. His unmatchable falsetto overtook his band, the dancers, and probably anyone within a ten-mile radius. The lazy dancing couples stopped their side-to-side buoying to watch Yusuke pound his chest to get the most out of the impossible note.
"-Iiiiiind!" Cymbals crashed and the song was over. Ren and Makoto came to a stop near where they began, offering each other quiet smiles as rewards for their company. As for the rest of the crowd, they were offered something different. "Thank you, thank you," Yusuke said to an audience that did not want to clap for him.
Yusuke mumbled a few things away from the microphone. His band tuned their instruments and set up their gear for the next song, but Ren stopped paying attention. "You staying over tonight?" he asked Makoto as they grabbed their things from where they initially sat.
"Sure. Can we stop at my place first?"
"No problem."
Makoto hung her bag over her shoulder and stood up straight. "Ready to leave?"
Ren looked at Yusuke on stage. He stood at the microphone, mouth open and ready, but with no vocals coming out.
Looks like he's weighing his options.
"Hold on. If Yusuke performs something good, we can-"
"Would you prefer to hear our forty-minute post-rock epic or our new thrash metal single?" Yusuke echoed through the gym.
Ren hid his disappointment from Yusuke by turning to Makoto. "Nevermind. We'll leave as soon as you like."