For those wondering when the major changes happen, it will be after Kamoshida's Palace. I'm going to skip Madarame's Palace since it won't be that much different either, but I'm just finishing Kamoshida's Palace since it would be rather cruel of me not to show his downfall.

Chapter 9

Bustling feet, squeaking shoes, and a lively circle of students encompassing the ensuing match. Kamoshida leapt into the air and spiked the ball into the other court, the ball bouncing off one of the students trying to deflect it. All the members on Kamoshida's side immediately surrounded their teacher and high five him, passing complements to him left and right.

Wrinkling his nose, Ren looked down toward his shoes. He was sitting next to Ryuji on the floor doing their best to enjoy their ignoring of the game. The very moment Ren heard Kamoshida was playing with the school volley team against the rest of the student body he lost whatever modicum of motivation he had. Even if there were some merit to learning the game it would prove insignificant against stacked competition. The game is obviously skewed in favor of the teacher's team. The so called 'coach' must live on the high of victory, probably obsessing over his previous victory with the gold medal. Those were not rare in the Olympic circle. People just assume winning by any means is the only way to win. Even by cheating. Except, in this case a simple reality check won't work. Even if they did expose the cheating and obvious favoritism, the school will just dismiss it.

When Ren was out there he just kept his hands in his pocket and dodged the ball. The frustration in Kamoshida's eyes was enough to spur on the teens impromptu game of dodge ball. It was short lived though. Enough of his team complained enough to justify Kamoshida's decloration that it was 'best for the enjoyment of the game to have him replaced.' No complaints from anyone, not even from Ren. Before the gym teacher could even finish his monologue, Ren was already skipping over to Ryuji and planting his butt down. This only irritated Kamoshida more, but it was so much more gratifying to Ren. Unfortunately, Ren still thought too highly of the sadistic 'volleyball champ.' After all, the teen didn't expect the teacher to go full on temper tantrum, and take out his anger on the replacement.

"Still sticks out." Ryuji said, staring over at the sidelines. "Hasn't changed a bit." The blond turned to look at Ren, stretching his arms overhead with a yawn. "Pretty boring. Right?"

Ren looked past him and toward the girls sitting in the chairs. The foreign-looking student that Kamoshida seems obsessed over sat on the last chair. The only chair next to her's had a bag sitting on it. Probably being saved or maybe the girl didn't want anyone sitting next to her. It was hard to tell. She kept giving Ren conflicting vibes, a friendly yet unwelcoming air toward him. Either due to his record or the fact she didn't like that he 'lied' first day he came to school.

In all honesty, Ren was a little too distracted to pay too much attention to his surroundings. He definitely felt off his game. Last night he had another meeting with 'Igor.' It only just occurred to him that this Igor never once asked for his name. The real Igor did, one of his first questions too. To top it off this 'Igor' spent their time explaining the importance of developing proper, strong relationships to forge greater power. He already knew this, he… Yu did this with his friends in Inaba. It allowed him to create powerful personas and fight the shadows with much ease. Despite that, this Igor made it sound like a requirement and that Ren would be just using them. 'Igor' even said that Ren must use him in order to avoid ruin. Were these not suppose to be friendships? Even if he wasn't Yu, Ren is not a psychopath. The friendships need to be real. He wasn't going to give up his humanity for his own sake or 'rehabilitation' as the 'Igor' keeps emphasizing.

A loud boom echoed in the gym and the cheering halted with cries of surprise. Ren looked up, seeing his replacement topple back unconscious. Kamoshida just stared on with contempt before ducking under the net to run over, asking the student if he was alright.

Ren shook his head. It was obvious the teacher was faking it. Obvious to him anyways. Did he really have to go around hurting people to satiate his 'hurt pride.' This is exactly why he didn't want to play at all. He was already on Kamoshida's hit list, being victim to all of the gym teacher's rumors regarding the criminal record.

Ryuji's hand slammed down on the volleyball that rolled over to them. The teen lifted it up and tossed it back in with all his scorn propelling it. "He'll pay soon enough." Bitter words Ren could only agree with.

Ryuji bumped Ren's arm and nodded toward the door. It was go time.

Yesterday he and Ryuji agreed to work together to find evidence of Kamoshida's abuse. For once, it felt nice going in and investigating like this. For once it didn't feel criminal. Like a detective. That put a smile on Ren's face as he thought about what would the 'Detective Prince' would do to figure this out.

The two walked out of the gym and into the school courtyard. Ryuji kicked at the ground as the strolled. "That asshole's actin' like a king over here too. 'Get to know each other' my ass! It's just a one-man show for him to stroke his ego."

Now that Ren thinks about it, Kamoshida was the only one spiking the ball into the other team's side. The rest of the players all played support and cheerleader. Why didn't he notice that sooner? Ren groaned. If he was going to be playing investigator he's going to have to up his game.

"And how he acted like he was worried about Mishima? What an abusive d-bag."

Ren held his neck while stretching his head side to side. They were already motivated to do this. Ryuji was obvious gun-ho and all about what was right and wrong. The more he spent time with him the more Chie came to mind. He sometimes expects to see the blond in a green jacket. Hell, the guy even loves meat as much as Chie, based on the menu they had at that restaurant last night.

"Well, anyways." Ryuji stopped and faced Ren. "Now's our chance to go look for the guys we saw were slaves yesterday. Let's look for the faces we saw at the castle. All the members of the team should be here today. I'll be sure to find someone to spill about Kamoshida's physical abuse. Just you wait, asshole."

Ren pushed in his glasses. Looks like they were getting serious.

In hindsight, he should have expected this. Ren stood before the vending machine in thought. They tried speaking to a few of the volleyball team members, but they were all tight lipped from the start. Either because of Ren and Ryuji's grand reputations, or because they figured the two amateur sleuths were after info on Kamoshida. Ren hoped splitting up may help since everyone knew Ryuji had it out for Kamoshida, but it did nothing more than give him false hope. The only comforting though left was getting a nice drink to wash away the disappointment, but the disappointment seems to wash away his thirst just standing here.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" A female voice spoke from behind him. Ren jumped a little, spinning around. Information on Kamoshida?

The foreign-looking student stood there. Ryuji told him her name was Ann, right? "Need something?" He asked.

"I'll be quick. Anyway, what's with you? Like, how you were late the other day was a lie and all. There's that weird rumor about you too."

"Whaddya want with him?" Ryuji walked up on them.

Thank you! He didn't want to deal with this. Why did she have to go aiming for the very bits Ren did NOT want to talk about.

Ann pointed a finger at Ryuji. "Right back at you. You're not even in our class."

"… We just happened to get to know each other."

"What're you planning on doing to Mister Kamoshida?" She sounded exasperated, taking a step back and crossing her arms.

"Huh!?... I see. I getcha. You're all buddy-buddy with Kamoshida after all."

What? Ren shook his bewildered head. Where is that coming from. With a sudden hit to the stomach he remembered the cognitive Ann in Kamoshida's Palace.

A nerve was struck in their female guest, Ann's eye twitched and she almost looked ready to pounce on him. "This has nothing to do with you, Sakamoto!"

"If you found out what he's been doin' behind your back, you'd dump him right away."

"Behind my back? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You wouldn't get it."

Ren repositioned his glasses. "Ryuji. I think you're misinterpreting her circumstances. She doesn't want anything to do with Kamoshida. Don't forget what he's like."

Ryuji's eyes widened and he turned to Ann, looking for confirmation. She only blushed a crimson red avoiding his gaze. "Anyway, people are talking about you two." Her words were quick and she began walking away quickly. "No one's gonna help you. Just warning you. That's all." She vanished from around the corner.

Ren rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why did he say that? He should have waited till she left first then tried clearing things up with Ryuji. Now he looked like a nosey jerk. What happened to him? Was he this thrown off?

With a sigh, Ryuji began kicking at the floor. "Why's she gotta be so aggressive all the time? Is it true he's abusin' her too?"

"Maybe not the same as the players, but I've seen him harassing her."

"That asshole."

"You know her?"

"We went to the same middle school."

Then she really was Japanese with at least one foreign ancestor.

"Anyways, that's not what we're here to talk about. I had no luck on my end. What about you? Did anything like someone's name turn up?"

Ren scratched his head. The last guy he talked to let one name slip. "Mishima."

"Huh?"

"Something about him getting special coaching."

"Special 'coaching,' huh?" Ryuji crossed his arms, a solemn head shaking with pity. "True. I always see the guy covered in bruises."

Something Ren noticed too, first day of class that boy kept looking over at him. Ren could see the bruises and bandages all over. Even in the court, there were signs of injury. Not to mention the face plant with the volleyball sending him to the nurse office.

Ryuji nodded. "Let's go talk to him before he leaves then."

"The nurse's office?"

"Sounds 'bout right. Maybe he's recovered."

The two of them jogged over to the building and entered. Turning the corner they spotted Mishima strolling toward the cafeteria. They raced across the hall and caught up with him.

Ryuji cut him off. "Hey, got a second?"

Mishmia jumped, looking like a cornered animal. "Sakamoto? And you, too!?"

Ren narrowed his eyes in suspicion, but he didn't want to panic the guy further and remained silent.

"C'mon, we just wanna chat. Kamoshida's been 'coaching' you, huh? You sure it's not just physical abuse?"

Mishima averted his eyes and backed away. "Certainly not!"

"What're you talkin' all polite for? Anyways, we saw him spike you today. Right in the face."

"That was just because I'm not good at the sport."

Ren stepped up. "Wouldn't someone good at the sport be able to aim the ball? Why did a gold medalist 'miss?' Are you saying he's not actually that good?"

"N-no."

"Then you're lack of skill has nothing to do with that injury."

Ryuji chimed in. "That also doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got."

"They're from practice!" Mishima swallowed, trying to stand tall.

Ryuji leaned in, his voice a whisper. "Is he forcin' you to keep quite?"

The boy looked away from them again. "That's…"

"What's going on here?" Everyone froze. Kamoshida walked in looking around at them all. "Mishima, isn't it time for practice?"

"I-I'm not feeling well today."

"What? Maybe you're better of quitting then."

Mishima's face dropped.

Kamoshida's eyes gleamed as he continued. "You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you show up to practice."

"He'll also never improve if his injury worsens." Ren stepped over in front of Mishima.

"What?" Kamoshida crossed his arms. "He needs to toughen up. If he can't handle a little pain he needs to leave."

Mishima was about to raise his voice, but Ren extended his arm. "That was quite the spike you gave him. Truly an interesting accident. I'd be surprised if he doesn't have a concussion. But as a proper athlete, I'm stunned you would so willingly dismiss the crucial threat of CTE."

"What?"

"Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy. A medical condition where repeated physical strikes to the head result in permanent brain damage, despite if the those strikes were over the course of weeks or months. Its primarily seen in physical sports, I'm surprised someone as renowned as yourself is unaware of it. After all, it's been known to end athlete's lives. I've seen several bruises and marks on Mishima's face so he obviously hits his head a little too much. After that play rendering him unconscious earlier, there is no doubt there was brain damage. Prolonged unconsciousness is indicative of a concussion after all. It's not normal to be out for so long. Are you saying we should ignore such a medial threat to favor only one mere day of practice? I thought you were concerned for him earlier. Should I have to call the police about this? It seems overly abusive to push someone with a life threatening injury." Ren pulled out his phone, typing in the three crucial numbers. "Well Kamoshida?" Ren grinned. "What's your 'call?'" His thumb hovered over the dial button.

Kamoshida's brow twitched, his sneer curling in on itself.

"D-don't worry coach. I'll go."

Ren stopped and turned to the boy behind him. "Mishima?"

"I-I feel great." The boy smiled nervously. "There's no worry about my health. If I need to, I can just go see a doctor afterwards. I'll be fine."

"You can't be serious!" Ryuji looked Mishima up and down.

"Excellent!" Kamoshida clapped his hands together, a small grin on his face. "As for you," he rounded on Ren. "The players on my team are MY responsibility. Don't go playing doctor. I shouldn't be surprised some lowlife criminal just tries to push people around. I will be talking to the principal about this."

Ren didn't drop his gaze, he just stared back at him with flames burning in his irises. He had him. Why did Mishima ruin everything? It didn't make sense. What did this guy have on Mishima?

Ryuji stormed up. "Criminal my ass! You're the one spreading this criminal bullshit!"

Kamoshida turned toward Mishima with disinterest. "This won't get us anywhere. Let's go, Mishima." Then he turned around. "Shujin Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here." He turned around to eye them. "Get with the program!"

Ren and Ryuji only glared on in silence, only Mishima responded with his head bowed, "Yes, sir."

With a satisfied smile, Kamoshida walked forward and back toward the gym.

"That asshole. He's gonna pay for this!" Ryuji mumbled.

"There's no point." Mishima shook his head. "Proving that he's physically abusing us… is meaningless. Everybody knows… the principal, our parents… They all know, and they all keep quiet about it."

A slap practically smacked Ren in the face, his mouth bobbed open and closed like a fish out of water. Ryuji could only look Mishima up and down dumbfounded. "This has gotta be a joke."

The boy scowled, his fist balled into a white knuckled fire of fury. "Don't be a pain. You don't understand what I'm going through. If I had agreed to go with your CT-whatever story, he'd only punish me for it later." He turned to Ryuji. "Shouldn't you of all people know that nothing's going to help!?"

The blond turned away, groaning with a flinch. Without waiting to see if Ryuji would respond, Mishima ran past them and toward the Gym.

"Dammit." Ryuji kicked the ground.

Ren spun on his heels and marched out of the building. Ryuji jumping after him with surprise. The two of them reached their private corner with the vending machines and Ren slammed his fist against the wall. "Why am I a goddamn idiot!?"

"Huh?" Ryuji leapt back. "What's up?"

"'What's up?!'" Ren repeated, he threw up his arms. "I should have realized that! They're always covered in bruises and bandages, why wouldn't their parents know! And yet there's no reports or complaints!? Obviously no one's doing anything about it! And I just ignored the facts!" His forearm leaned on the wall and he buried his face in it. He felt so stupid. All that hype of having Yu's memory has done nothing for his investigative skills. Even with all this knowledge, he still was stupid.

"Dude. It's alright. I didn't get it either. I really thought you had em too. Never seen him sweat like that." Ryuji placed his back against the wall, crossing his arms.

"You don't get it. I've done this before. You haven't. You have an excuse."

"Well… was it anythin' like this?"

… No. It wasn't. Sniffing, Yu stepped back, adjusting his glasses. Back then he had a whole team, even an ace detective. He almost forgot how much he relied on them. It all started with them trying to hide their true self, trying to be someone they felt they weren't. He watched them all grow, develop into the great people he cared for like family. It bothered him a little that throughout the whole case he never grew like they did. Almost like he stayed the same, like his only value was in his multiple personas. It's why he delved into his leadership role, took on as many responsibilities he could. He just wanted to feel that he contributed in some way. Just like now, he was pushing himself, but at the same time he was pushing Ryuji away just because he reminded Yu of Chie.

Yu turned around, nodding. "No. The situation here is worse. More corrupt. It's more of a mountain than an uphill battle. I guess…" Yu laughed at himself. "I'm being ridiculous."

Ryuji gave him a toothy grin and a thumbs up. "Hey. I feel we're better off now than when we started. That's somethin' right?"

"Yes. Every little bit counts. So, what do you think we should do?"

Ryuji shoved his hands in his pocket, mulling over his partner's words. "Nothin' more we can do. 'Sides trying again with the others. Maybe we can get somethin' outta them this time."

Yu grinned, stepping in stride with the blond boy. "Sounds like its worth a try."