Sunday, 5/1
Tae didn't make house calls.
Thankfully for Ryuji, she made exceptions. She arrived at Ren's apartment door quickly after he called her. Ren greeted her as Ryuji napped on the couch.
"Hey, Tae. Thanks for coming."
"Yeah, yeah. You'll be paying for this with more trials."
Ren gulped.
"Anyways, what's the problem? You said that your friend passed out from exhaustion and not much else." Tae said.
I wish it was only exhaustion. His heart probably exploded. Actually, I never checked his pulse. So that's still a possibility. Shit. Did Ryuji just die on my couch?
Ren let out a nervous chuckle as he moved out of the doorway so that Tae could enter and see for herself. She walked in, saw Ryuji on the couch, and… didn't react. She turned to Ren.
"What did you do?!"
Is she angry? I can't tell. Hopefully she's just worried.
"Ryuji had… several… energy drinks. And he stayed up all night playing video games. He was kinda in a trance when I woke up and talked to him. When he snapped out of it, he passed out."
"Define several." Tae said flatly.
She'll think less of me if she knows that I let Ryuji have eight energy drinks.
"A few." Ren tried to dodge the question.
"Ren." Tae said with a glare.
"...Eight." Ren couldn't meet her gaze.
"You let him have eight energy drinks?! Are you kidding me?!"
"My bad."
"No shit it's your bad." Tae said as she walked over to Ryuji. She kneeled next to the couch.
"Are you gonna wake him up?" Ren asked.
Actions spoke louder than words. Tae did something with her hands that Ren couldn't fully see, and Ryuji woke up. He sat up immediately. There were beads of sweat dripping down his forehead. He glanced around nervously.
"Dude… wha happened?"
Ren motioned towards the table with the empty energy drinks. Ryuji made a look of realization, but it quickly turned to shame.
"Ryuji, how do you feel?" Tae asked.
"If ya don't mind me asking, who're you?" Ryuji said dazedly.
"I'm Ren's doctor. Now tell me. How're you feeling?"
Tae, you should know that he's not gonna give you a useful answer.
"I uh, feel alright. I'm tired. A little sweaty. My eyes kinda hurt." Ryuji said.
Tae checked his pulse.
"Too high for someone who was just asleep. Your hearts beating too quickly. You need to slow it down."
"Uh, what?! You mean, like, kill me?"
Ryuji, you're an idiot.
"No. You need to calm down. Relax. Don't do anything that strains your body or mind." Tae said.
"Cool. Video games it is."
"Not happening. You were invested enough in trying to win that you stayed up all night." Ren said.
"Fine. I'll watch TV, then."
"That's a no from me. You said your eyes were hurting." Tae said.
"But-!"
"No buts. Doctor's orders." Tae said as she stopped kneeling and turned towards Ren. "I have some medication in my car. It will help him calm down and probably help him sleep. I'll be back with it soon."
Tae left the apartment, leaving Ren and Ryuji alone.
"Sorry, dude." Ryuji said solemnly.
Ryuji speaking without anger, passion, or excitement? Incredible!
"It's no problem." Ren thought of the clinical trials that Tae had promised him. "Yet."
Ryuji had a confused look on his face, but strangely dismissed what Ren said.
Does he have something else on his mind?
"Dude. The party's tonight!" Ryuji exclaimed.
And my date is soon.
"It is. You can just stay here if you want and sleep. Tae probably won't want you trying to navigate Tokyo in your condition." Ren explained.
"I guess…" Ryuji said."
"Disappointed?"
"Nah… But now I can't clean up for the party."
"You can use my shower. But don't touch my clothes. Or anything else."
Ryuji had a content look on his.
"Thanks, dude."
Tae reentered the apartment with a bag. Ren turned to her. She handed the bag to him.
"Here's the medicine. Take no more than one pill. If you're still feeling high strung, wait six hours and then you can have another." She said to Ryuji.
Why's she giving me the bag? Oh. She probably doesn't trust Ryuji with the medicine. Makes sense.
"Got it." Ryuji said.
"Keep it refrigerated." Tae added.
"Thanks, Tae. I'll see you at the clinic… later this week?" Ren asked.
"Just text me." Tae said with a nod as she left the apartment.
"Dude! She was seriously hot! Did you see those thighs?!"
I've done a lot more than see them. I've flown into them. While it was a hallucination, it still counts.
"You have no idea, Ryuji. No idea." Ren said as he walked over to the refrigerator.
He opened it to a very bad sight. While nothing had gone wrong, what was in the fridge was the problem.
Shit. Junpei's alcohol is still in there.
"Whatcha doing?" Ryuji said as he looked over from the couch.
Ren moved his body to block the inside of the fridge. He quickly took a pill out of the bag and put the rest of the medicine in the fridge and closed it.
"Taking inventory. Can't throw a party with an empty fridge." Ren gave a nervous chuckle at the end.
Ryuji believed what he heard.
"Cool. I got more snacks if we need it."
Ren nodded as he went over to the couch. He handed Ryuji the pill.
"No water?" Ryuji complained.
"No water."
Ryuji took the pill from Ren, and put it in his mouth. He seemed to swallow it, but Ren wouldn't have known. Nor would he have checked.
"Aight, Ryuji. Here's the plan. I'm gonna go take a shower. I got places to be. You will not go within 10 feet of the fridge. You will sleep and take a shower, if you want. Nothing else. Understand?"
I hate to be strict with him, but I need to get my point across. If he found the alcohol, that would be verybad.
"Yeah, sure, dude. Whatever ya say." Ryuji said with a yawn as he laid back on the couch.
Ren went to the bathroom and took his shower. After he had got dressed, he went to Morgana, who was still on his bed.
"Morgana. Ryuji will be here the rest of the day. Please make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
Morgana gave an unenthusiastic meow.
"Thanks."
Ren left his room and went back into the leaving area.
Now begins the waiting game.
Ren pulled out his phone to text Makoto.
Ren Amamiya:
-Still planning to pick me up?
Makoto Niijima:
-Sorry! Running a bit late. I stayed the night at Ann's, and I wanted to run home first to get ready. I'll be down to your apartment soon.
I'd rather not have her see the apartment. Did she really stay the night at Ann's? That's probably why I got that text last night.
Ren Amamiya:
-I'll meet you in the lobby in 15.
Makoto Niijima:
-If you say so.
Ren smiled and put away his phone. The fifteen minutes were less for Makoto, and more for him to clean up his apartment. He emerged from his room to find Ryuji snoring on the couch.
That's good. Hopefully he doesn't fuck anything up while I'm gone.
Ren cleaned up the energy drinks and the chip bags from the night before. He did his best to root out any chip crumbs. He eventually gave up and decided to just go to the lobby. He texted the GRAVY group to remind them of the party.
GRAVY
Ren Amamiya:
-Party starts at 5. My apartment address is _ and the number is ##.
After Ren had gotten the overused "See you then." in some form or another from every member (except Makot, but he knew that she was going with him), he decided to play a game on his phone while he waited.
Makoto had had a strange morning by her standards.
She had slept in until 10:00, which was two hours late for her normal Sunday wake up times. Even stranger was that she stayed in bed. She usually got out of bed immediately after waking up, due to her believing that laying in bed was wasting time that could be spent studying. She didn't know why she laid in bed for so long, especially since it wasn't her bed.
Am I nervous to see Ren today? She asked herself.
She took a moment to consider if she actually was feeling nervous. The lack of the telltale nervous feeling in her stomach told her no. Besides her potential nerves, she had no concrete answer for herself.
Maybe I just stayed up too late, She concluded.
She finally got out of bed to find that Haru was also just waking up.
"Good morning, Haru."
"Good morning, Mako-chan. Did you sleep well?" Haru said with a yawn.
"I slept great actually. How about you?"
"I slept fine. I had the strangest dream. I was an executioner, and the person who I was going to execute was-"
Gore is not what I need to hear after I wake up, Makoto thought before cutting Haru off.
"I get the idea. Let's go see if Ann's up."
Haru gave a nod of agreement, and the two left the room together. They found Ann sitting at the kitchen counter with three plates of toast and bacon.
"Morning, Haru! Morning, Makoto! Here's some breakfast!" Ann said as she handed Makoto and Haru their plates.
Not only was Makoto shocked (and happy) that there was breakfast, but what the breakfast was. The closest her morning meals had ever come to being traditional breakfast was her getting bread from at school before class.
"Did you make this, Ann?" She asked.
"Nope. One of the servants came by and made breakfast."
Ann has servants?! Haru probably does, too. Does that make me the odd one out? No, stop that, Makoto. That's a dumb thing to worry about, Makoto thought to herself.
"It looks delicious!" Haru said as she took a seat at the counter.
"I agree." Makoto said as she did the same.
It was delicious. Maybe it was just because the breakfast was different from what she usually ate, but Makoto thoroughly enjoyed it. Haru seemed to enjoy it as well. Ann ate her food indifferently.
She probably gets to eat this everyday, Makoto thought.
All three of them finished eating quickly. After clearing her plate, Makoto realized that she had somewhere to be.
"Sorry Ann, but I have to go." Makoto said to Ann. Ann gave her a smirk. "Thank you so much for having me."
Makoto got her bag and quickly said her goodbyes to Ann and Haru. They wished her luck with Ren. She finally made it out the door when she realized that she was in the same clothes as yesterday.
Ren's going to be disappointed if he sees me like this. Better for me to be late rather than underdressed, She thought.
Makoto went back to her apartment to get ready. She had just finished taking a quick shower and getting dressed when she got a text from Ren.
Ren Amamiya:
-Still planning to pick me up?
Makoto Niijima:
-Sorry! Running a bit late. I stayed the night at Ann's, and I wanted to run home first to get ready. I'll be down to your apartment soon.
Ren Amamiya:
-I'll meet you in the lobby in 15.
Makoto Niijima:
-If you say so.
Makoto applied her makeup in record time as she rushed to get to the lobby before the fifteen minutes were up.
She exited her apartment, and briskly walked down the hall to the elevator. She pressed the button to call the elevator, and was dismayed that it didn't open immediately.
"Come on, come on…"
She repeated it several times before the elevator finally arrived. She stepped in and pressed the button for the lobby. As the elevator descended, her mantra persisted.
"Come on, come on…"
The elevator opened to the lobby. She saw Ren sitting on a chair, using his phone. She stepped out of the elevator and briskly walked up to him. He looked up from his phone at her before she was even within twenty feet of him.
It's like he can sense my presence. Or maybe I didn't shower as thoroughly as I thought I did. Oh god, do I smell? Please don't tell me I smell… Makoto doubts washed away as Ren gave her a smile. She reached where he was sitting.
"Where to, Miss President?"
His confidence almost made her forget her answer.
"Oh, um, Big Bang Burger, on Central Street."
Ren stepped into the Big Bang Burger with Makoto at his side.
I know that the saying "At least take me to dinner first," leaves a lot to the imagination of what that dinner is supposed to be, but I thought everyone just assumed it was a fancy dinner. Guess not. In Makoto's defense, it is lunch, not dinner.
As the two got in the short line, Ren voiced his thoughts.
"So what's the plan from here?"
"I was thinking that we get takeout, and then go to Inokashira Park."
I feel kinda shitty now for believing that she would just take me to Big Bang Burger and call it a day.
Ren gave his best Makoto-flustering smile to cover up his past uncertainty.
"Sounds fun."
What was nice about Big Bang Burger is that was convenient. The lines were short, and the food was good, if you knew what to get. Makoto and Ren got their food soon after they ordered.
They got on the subway line to Inokashira Park as soon as they could, not wanting their food to get cold. They got off the subway, and made their way into the park. They found a bench by the water that was away from most of the people at the park that day.
"I'm glad you picked this place. It's nice." Ren said to Makoto.
"Yeah." Makot simply replied.
Ren could tell that she wanted to eat her food. If they waited any longer, it would have gotten cold. The two ate their burgers silently, mainly because Ren tore into his. Makoto eating hers much slower. Ren finished long before Makoto, and rather than waiting for her, he tried to strike up a conversation.
"So how was Ann's?"
Makoto took a second to finish chewing and swallowing her food.
"It was… different. I stayed the night."
Even though she already told me, it's still surprising. Makoto Niijima spent the night at Ann Takamaki's house with Haru. Wow. It's good that she's making an effort to get closer with the other members of the club. Maybe she'll stay over at Ryuji's house.
"That's cool. What'd you guys do?"
Makoto cringed.
It's not a weird question, right?
"We, um, watched movies. You know." Makoto said. Instead of letting Ren reply, she took control of the conversation. "Did you and Ryuji finish your part of the project?"
It was Ren's turn to cringe.
I think that I'm scarred by the image of Ryuji from this morning.
"Yeah. He stayed the night."
"Oh? What'd you guys do?" Makoto asked in a teasing tone.
Point taken. But not really. I'm gonna be honest with her to throw her off guard.
"We chugged energy drinks, played video games against an encrypted voice, and Ryuji almost died."
Ren's nonchalant delivery seemed to catch Makoto off guard.
"Did you say he almost died?!"
"I mean, yeah, but I was joking a bit about that. He just had eight energy drinks and stayed up all night."
Makoto gave a confused look.
"That's not a funny joke."
"Sorry."
I joke around a lot. Too much. If whatever this is gonna continue, she has to recognize that.
"Makoto, I know that I've gone too far with my jokes in the past. Rather than have mood-killing conversation, how 'bout we just come up with like a safe word or phrase?" Ren suggested.
"A safe word? To stop you from messing around so much?" Makoto was still confused.
"Yeah. Like, how about 'Looking cool, Joker.' It's ironic, and to the point."
"I can't tell if you're joking or not."
"I would never joke around with you, Miss President."
"But you just- oh."
Ren smiled at her.
She probably just got my point in why there should be a safe phrase.
"Fine. 'Looking cool, Joker.' it is." Makoto agreed.
"Cool." Ren said. "So Makoto, what do you think I should get for… what the fuck is that guy doing?!"
"Ren!" Makoto said as she gave him a light slap on the shoulder for cursing so loudly.
Ren didn't apologize. He simply pointed. The "guy" in question was a tall, slender, teenager with slick blue hair. He was just down the path from the bench .He was doubled over in front of a easel and canvas, puking his guts out.
I don't have the best history with blue haired people since coming to Tokyo, but fuck it. The guy's in trouble. And no one's helping him.
Ren stood up from the bench, and Makoto followed him as he walked over to the teenager.
"You need some help?" Ren said as he approached the teenager.
The teenager stood up upon hearing Ren.
"My apologies. My stomach is going against my will." He said.
What a strange choice of words.
"Uh, did you eat something funny?" Ren asked.
I'm surprised that Makoto's not taking action right now. Maybe she just doesn't know what to do. That's kinda weird to think. Makoto Niijima doesn't know what to do.
"I don't often eat food on Sunday's so I'm very surprised at the situation.."
You don't eat food on Sunday's? I'm not sure what's the most wrong thing about that sentence. He doesn't eat on Sunday's, or that he's puking after eating nothing.
"So you ate nothing today?"
"Forgive me. I didn't provide enough context. I don't eat meals on Sunday's. Today, I had several of those delectable looking mushrooms." The teenager said as he pointed over to a tree. At the base of the tree was a nasty clump of mushrooms that were definitely poisonous.
Delectable? Ok, Shakespeare. Wait, did he say he ate mushrooms?! Fuck!
"Have you called an ambulance?!" Ren asked now with some urgency. He could sense Makoto also getting more worried next to him.
"I do not wish to use my cellular data. It would increase my-" The teenager was cut off by another load of puke coming up. It landed right in front of Ren and Makoto.
"Ok, I'm calling an ambulance. What's your name?!" Ren asked. The teenager continued puking.
Makoto put a hand on Ren's shoulder.
"Calm down, Ren. Those won't kill him. He'll just be sick for a while. All we have to do is call someone to pick him up. So calm down, and go from there." She said.
Does she think that this is some sort of learning opportunity? Whatever. Fuck it. She's the smart one. If the mushrooms won't kill him, then I guess I can calm down.
The teenager seemed to done puking, and he looked up at them.
"Excuse me, but why are you still here? Do you have business with me?"
"You should probably go home, dude. You might be sick the rest of the night. Probably won't get much painting done." Ren gestured to the easel.
"I cannot contact my master to take me home without utilizing my cellular data." The teenager said."
"We can call him for you." Ren said.
"I do not feel ill, but if you feel that I should go home, I will do so. My master's telephone number is ###-###-####."
"Got it." Ren said as he dialed the number.
It rang several times before the other end picked up.
"Hello?" A male voice said.
"Yes, this is Ren Amamiya. I'm with…" Ren trailed off because he didn't know the boy's name. The boy seemed to recognize this.
"Yusuke." He said.
"I'm with Yusuke." Ren said into the phone. "He's at Inokashira Park. He ate several mushrooms, and is now feeling sick."
"Oh, that bra-... Yusuke. I'll be down to collect him in a bit." The voice on the other end said.
There's a hidden anger in that voice. It's buried deep, but I still heard it. I wonder who this guy is.
Makoto and Ren waited with Yusuke on a bench along the sidewalk for the short time it took for his master to arrive. Thankfully, Yusuke seemed to be completely done puking. In that time, they found out more about Yusuke. His full name was Yusuke Kitagawa. He was a student at Kosei High, on a scholarship for his abilities as an artist. He was the pupil of the artist Irchiryusuai Madarame. Madarame was also Yusuke's guardian, because Yusuke's parents had passed away when he was a child. Ren didn't know who Madarame was, but Makoto knew.
"Your master is the Madarame?" She asked with excitement and disbelief.
"Yes. I am lucky to be mentored by the greatest artist that Japan has ever known."
High praise from a boy who eats random mushrooms at a park.
"I'm a little lost." Ren said.
Rather than being the pretentious prick that Ren thought most artists probably were, Yusuke was forgiving of Ren's ignorance.
"Madarame is the most versatile artists of our time. He incorporates many different styles into his art. He is also a very productive artist. He has sold more paintings than any other Japanese artist since the dawn of the millennium."
Note: Madarame is hot shit. But there's something off about him.
"Don't most artists stick to one style?" Ren asked.
This made Yusuke flinch. Ren didn't know why.
I need to know why he flinched. That's such a strange thing to react to.
"Madarame's versatility is his talent." Yusuke said as he regained his composure.
I'm gonna review what I know about Yusuke. Yusuke's parents died when he was a kid. Madarame has been his guardian ever since. Madarame is a master of many different art styles. Yusuke doesn't eat meals on Sunday's. He's already very skinny. Yusuke is hungry enough, or dumb enough, to eat mushrooms at the park. Yusuke speaks in a very strange way.
As much as Ren review that information, he couldn't come to any concrete conclusions. The closest he came to actually having a conclusion was that Yusuke wasn't allowed to eat.
If he wasn't allowed to eat, then Madarame probably wouldn't care about him. If Madarame didn't care he wouldn't be on his way to pick Yusuke up. None of this makes sense. Maybe I'm just turning into a conspiracy theorist.
"I see." Ren replied to Yusuke, hiding his concern.
A limo soon pulled up to where they were waiting. An old man in ragged brown clothes stepped up. His gray hair was tied into a ponytail.
For a famous artist, he looks very… not wealthy.
"Thank you for taking care of Yusuke. Come now, Yusuke. We must return to the atelier." Madarame said.
Yusuke gave Ren and Makoto a nod as he stepped into the limo. Madarame closed the door behind Yusuke.
"I must say thanks again. I don't want Yusuke to be on his own this early in his career."
That's an odd thing to say.
"It was no problem. I hope he's alright." Makoto said.
"He'll be fine. May I ask your names?" Madarame said.
"I am Makoto Niijima, and this is my friend, Ren Amamiya."
Ren was too puzzled by Madarame to consider that Makoto had referred to him as just a friend.
"Well, thank you Niijima-san, Amamiya-san. Have a good day." Madarame said as he stepped back into the limo.
Ren was alone with Makoto on the bench.
"That guy is kinda weird." Ren said.
"That guy is the most famous artist in Japan. Of course he's weird." Makoto replied as she took out her phone.
"No, well yeah, Madarame's weird, but I mean Yusuke. He was strange. There was something off about his behavior."
"Oh, Ren, look at the time! We have to go to your apartment."
Hearing that, Ren's concerns drained out of his head.
Party time.
"Damn right." Ren said as he stood up.
He pulled out his phone to send a quick text to Ryuji.
Ren Amamiya:
-Everything good at the apartment? Did you take your shower?
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Yes and yes. Get back here! It's time to go apeshit!
Please, if there's a god, don't let Ryuji go apeshit in my apartment.
Ren Amamiya:
-Please don't. Btw, I ran into Makoto. We'll be coming back together.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Bet.
Ren put away his phone. Him and Makoto set off for his apartment.
Makoto didn't know whether to be excited or not for the party. She knew that Ann and Haru were going to tease her or least pester her about Ren. And she didn't have answers for them. Not much had happened. The main thing was that they took care of Yusuke.
They'll be disappointed. If I'm being honest, I'm also a little disappointed. It was uneventful for something that Ren referred to as a date. Is that my fault? I did choose what we were doing. Maybe I should let him pick what we'll do next time. If there is a next time. He's probably upset with me for how lame today was, Makoto thought to herself as they approached the apartment building.
She didn't know what it was, but something spurred her to voice her thoughts.
"Did you hate our time together today?" She blurted to Ren.
"What?!" He sounded shocked. Offended, even.
"Did you enjoy today or not?" Makoto said. She felt ashamed of asking him out of nowhere.
"Yeah." Ren said. To Makoto's dismay, he said nothing else.
"But, um… all we really did was take care of Yusuke."
"I know. But that's the most important part. We took care of Yusuke."
He's so charming , Makoto thought.
"Oh. I didn't think about that." She said.
"Sounds like you didn't enjoy today." Ren said. He was obviously joking.
"Looking cool, Joker." Makoto said as they arrived at the apartment building.
They took the elevator up to Ren's floor, and went to his apartment. Makoto was surprised to see Ryuji already there and playing video games, but Ren gave her an explanation.
"He wanted to play games, but didn't want to go home. I just let him stay here."
Makoto had several questions, but didn't ask. Ryuji had gotten angry at her for being too inquisitive in the past, so she kept her mouth shut. Ren's apartment looked nicer than the last time she had been there.
It's because Iori-san isn't here, She thought to herself.
She took a seat on the couch as Ren made a phone call. She didn't know who he was calling, but she hoped that it wasn't Iori. That left one person there for her to talk to.
"So, Ryuji. How's your day been?"
"Uh, ya know. It's been alright. I kinda just slept and played games." Ryuji said a little nervously.
He thinks that I'm interrogating him. I should try and sound more casual, Makoto thought to herself.
"What games did you play?" She asked.
Ryuji looked surprised.
"Super Rash Toes. It's a fighting game."
"Would you mind teaching me to play?"
Ryuji looked even more surprised.
"Uh, sure Miss President."
Ryuji turned on the Switch and started a game. He put the two in a match. Makoto quickly got used to the controls, and the two began to fight. Makoto looked at Ryuji out of the corner of her eye.
Ryuji is randomly pressing buttons with no thought behind his actions. If I can play tactically, I can win this, She thought.
And she did. Ryuji fell off the map after a missed attack.
"Oh that's bullshit! That's not how you play!"
We'll try it your way then, Makoto replied in her head.
"Rematch?" She asked aloud.
"Definitely."
The second match started. Ryuji continued his button destroying rampage while Makoto played strategically. She consistently dodged Ryuji, always making sure that she wasn't close to the edge of the map so he wouldn't fall of and complain. After those dodges, she would land several strikes and back off. Ryuji landed one good combo on her, but she was able to win in the end.
"Thank you for teaching me to play, Ryuji." Makoto said.
"Pfft. Yeah, yeah." He waved her off, as if telling her "Go bother someone else."
I don't know if I got closer with him. Only time will tell. I should go see what Ren is doing before Ann and Haru get here , Makoto thought.
She stood up from the couch, and went to the kitchen where Ren was pouring glasses of water.
"What was your phone call about?" She asked.
"Sushi. I ordered sushi for us."
Sushi? That's incredibly expensive. Especially for someone who only works part time at a struggling coffee shop, Makoto thought.
"Ren! That's too expensive." She said.
"You don't know my budget."
He's right. I don't. I guess that it doesn't matter anyways. He already ordered the sushi, Makoto concluded.
That was when a knock was heard from the door. Ryuji was glued the TV, so Ren left the kitchen to get it. He opened it to Ann and Haru. They all greeted each other, and Makoto walked over to the door to do the same. The moment she stepped into Ann and Haru's view, they gave each other a look.
I'm going to be teased , Makoto thought.
Instead, Ann and Haru just gave her a smile as they entered. Now that everyone was there, it was time to start the party.
After Ann and Haru had joined, Ren went to his room to check on Morgana. He was still on Ren's bed.
"Morgana, meow if everything was alright with Ryuji."
Morgana meowed.
The alcohol's still in the fridge. It would be a shitshow if they found it. It's not like I've been drinking it, but it's still a bad look. The kid on probation has alcohol in his fridge.
"I'm gonna need your help for just a little longer. I need you to guard the fridge. Make sure that no one opens it. If you do that, I'll give you some sushi."
Morgana's eyes widened at the mention of sushi, and his head nodded.
It's useful as hell that Morgana is still intelligent. A little scary, but still useful.
Morgana jumped off the bed and left Ren's room, with Ren assuming that he went to the kitchen.
Crisis averted.
Ren went to rejoin the party. When he left his room, he found a much more wholesome sight than what he had seen that morning.
Ryuji was playing Ann in Super Rash Toes. They were both sitting in front of the TV as if they were 90's kids who had to keep the controller plugged in. They were both button mashing aggressively.
I'm impressed that he can still do that with blisters. It's good that he's playing with Ann. Maybe they'll be on better terms after tonight.
Haru and Makoto sat next to each other on the couch, talking while watching Ann and Ryuji. Ren couldn't make out what was being said between them.
Ren looked over to the kitchen to see Morgana proudly standing on the counter, surveying the apartment for any trespassers into his territory.
He looks dedicated. I'll be sure to give him a lot of sushi.
Makoto felt strangely comfortable in an abnormal environment. She was surrounded by people she could call somewhat friends. She was also in Ren's apartment. She was trying not to freak out about that.
Should I ask to see his room? No, that's so creepy. He would ditch you if you did that, She thought.
Maybe what made her feel comfortable was Haru. She had an aura that seemed to make everyone happier.
But who makes Haru happy? Maybe whoever it is she's getting married to, Makoto thought.
Their conversation had been mostly about Ren so far.
"How'd your date go?" Haru began as soon as they sat down.
Makoto had long given up on convincing others (and herself) that it wasn't a date.
"It was odd. There was a boy their who was sick after eating some mushrooms." Makoto began, but was cut off by Haru.
"Oh no!" Haru seemed genuinely worried.
"He was alright. He just threw up several times. We called his guardian for him. You won't believe who it was."
"Who? Was it a celebrity?"
"Yes. It was the artist Madarame."
"Madarame?! He's holding a gallery soon. I have tickets to go!"
Makoto paused to question how much they cost, but stopped herself.
Money doesn't matter for Haru Okumura, She thought.
"That's so interesting. Do you go to art exhibits often?"
"Not anymore. When I was a child, my father would take me." Haru said with her gaze lowering to the ground. "But he's gotten much busier lately, and hasn't been able to go. I asked for tickets to this one, hoping that he would go with me, but he hasn't expressed interest to do so."
"I'm sorry for bringing that up, Haru." Makoto apologized.
"Oh, don't apologize."
"You know, I'd be willing to go with you if your father doesn't go." Makoto said awkwardly.
I hope I don't sound like I'm inviting myself. I'm simply offering to go with Haru. That's it, She thought.
Haru looked at her, her smile wide.
"I would love that, Mako-chan!"
That went better than I expected, Makoto thought.
There was another knock on the door.
Everyone's' already here… is that the sushi? She asked herself.
She stood up out of habit to answer the door, but Ren beat her to it. He opened it to the delivery man with a large bag. Ren payed for the sushi. Makoto tried to see how much it was, but stopped and scolded herself for it. Ren took the bag and walked it back into the apartment after thanking the deliveryman. He set it down on the table in front of the couch. Ann and Ryuji paused their game and sat on the side of the table closest to the TV. Haru and Makoto took the couch, while Ren stayed standing.
"Before we start to eat, I have something to say."
"Toast!" Ryuji cheered.
"I want to thank you guys for coming to the delinquents place tonight. It means a lot. Now let's eat."
No one questioned Ren. The bag was cleared immediately, with everyone taking their seconds before starting on their firsts. Makoto was able to secure a decent amount of sushi, and was pleased to see that it was about the same as everyone else. Everyone was too hungry to speak while they ate, and as soon as they were done Ryuji stood up.
"Game time! Let's have a tournament!"
"A competition!" Haru seemed excited.
"Yep. Winner gets to take the rest of the sushi with them!" Ryuji said.
That's very questionable. Ren payed for the sushi, so he should get to keep it, Makoto thought.
"I'm down." Said Ren.
Nevermind, She thought.
"Me too." Ann said.
"And me." Haru said.
"I'll play." Makoto ended the deliberation.
And so began the first Tournament of GRAVY Champions. There were five people total, so Ren got a first round bye because it was his console. Makoto played Ann in the first round. While Makoto didn't have much trouble beating Ryuji earlier, Ann was much easier. Ann was a much less talented button masher than Ryuji, and lost quickly.
Makoto sat back to spectate Haru and Ryuji's match. Ryuji button mashed yet again, and it was Haru's first time playing the game. Ryuji attempted several combos, but Haru would just move out of the way to go to the most visually interesting place on the screen. Eventually, Haru learned how to do a power attack. For the rest of the match, she was exclusively using power attacks against Ryuji, who wasn't skilled enough to dodge them. He ended up losing. He made his feelings known.
"That's bullshit! I saw you hacking!"
"What's hacking?" Haru innocently asked.
In frustration, Ryuji stood up and left the play area. He went to the bathroom. Before he went in, he uttered several words.
"So effin' frustrating. I'm so goddamn worked up!"
Makoto had another round to spectate, as she would be playing the winner of Ren v. Haru. The following match was no contest. Ren easily dodged Haru's power attacks and knocked her off the map. She didn't seem to mind. She stood up from her seated position and looked around the apartment. Makoto looked at Haru. She saw Haru's eyes go wide at seeing something. Makoto turned around to see a cat on the kitchen counter.
I forgot that Ren has a cat. It's strange that it hasn't spent time with us, She thought.
The cat stared back at them. Haru walked over to it and attempted to pick it up, but it moved out of the way. Haru came back to the living area and picked up a leftover piece of sushi from her plate. She went back to the kitchen with the sushi, offering it to the cat. The cat took it instantly. Haru tried to pick up the cat again, and the cat obliged. She brought it back over, and sat down with it on the couch. Makoto looked at Ren to see if he had noticed. He hadn't. He was sitting in front of the TV, setting up the championship match.
I should go join him. This is final match, She thought.
She stood up, and Ann took her place on the couch. Her and Haru both pet the cat and occasionally fed it sushi. It seemed very pleased. Makoto sat down next to Ren.
"Are you ready?" She asked.
"I was born ready."
"That's funny. Because so was I." She replied. She felt more confident after her prior victories.
"How about this: If I win, I get to take you on another date."
Makoto felt her face flush red.
I hope that Ann and Haru didn't hear that, She thought.
She looked over at Ren, he was staring at her, awaiting his answer.
"Deal. But if I win, you're doing whatever I say. For a week."
Ren held out his hand. She shook it. They turned to the TV, and Ren pressed start. Just as the match began, Makoto heard a door slam.
It's probably just Ryuji. Besides, I have to focus on this, She thought.
The game was surprisingly close. Makoto's reactive and tactical playstyle perfectly countered Ren's aggressive yet thoughtful one. They both landed several hits on each other, when a giant toe fell onto the map.
"What does that do?!" Makoto asked urgently, as she was intensely focused.
"That lets you use your ultimate!" He answered.
Makoto and Ren both rushed for the giant toe. Ren reached it first and knocked it into the air over the edge of the map. It was floating in the air, waiting for Ren or Makoto to take it. Makoto heard some noise from the kitchen, but didn't know what it was. Ren's character lept towards the toe, when Ryuji yelled.
"REN, WHY'S THERE ALCOHOL IN YOUR FRIDGE?!"
Ren's character fell off the map. Makoto had won. But she didn't care. There were more important things for her to worry about.
Ryuji's lying, Makoto instantly thought.
But when she turned around, she saw the truth. Ryuji was holding a bottle of alcohol. Her jaw dropped.
There's alcohol. In Ren's fridge. He never told anyone about it. He lied. Did he want us to drink it? Is that why he suggested we come here? Did he manipulate us into coming here? Makoto asked herself.
All of her doubts and uncertainties about Ren surged.
Ren never told me why he was on probation. Does he have a history with alcohol? Is that why he's in Tokyo? She continued.
Her doubts were the only thing she could focus on.
He was aggressive and manipulative with Mishima. He took nothing seriously with you for the first several times he talked to you, Makoto. He is a manipulative criminal, She concluded.
Makoto looked at Ren. He looked back at her pleadingly.
Makoto put down the controller, stood up, and walked out the apartment door.
While Makoto leaving had hurt, he had to make sure that the rest of his friends didn't do the same. He stood up at and rushed over to the door to stop them from leaving. Ryuji was still holding the bottle in the kitchen. Ann and Haru had both stood up and looked alarmed.
"Before you guys start leaving I can explain. Just sit down, and I'll tell you why it's there." Ren said to everyone, holding his hands in the air.
"Ryuji cautiously put the bottle and the counter and came over. Ann and Haru stayed where they were. No one sat down.
"Alright. You guys probably think I'm a criminal, given my probation and the alcohol, but I'm not. Ryuji's already heard this story. I defended a woman from a guy trying to rape her. I pushed him, he fell, I get arrested and prosecuted. Now I'm here. I'm not a criminal."
"Oh yeah. I guess that makes sense." Ryuji said, his eyes lost in thought.
"Ryuji! That doesn't explain the alcohol!" Ann protested.
"Shit your right!" Ryuji said, narrowing his eyes at Ren. "Why do you have the alcohol, dude?"
"My guardian is an alcoholic who keeps his alcohol here. He refuses to take it." Ren simply said.
Haru was looking down, as if she didn't believe him. Ann was looking at him and tapping her foot.
She's analyzing me. I don't think she'll succeed, but if she does, then she'll know that I'm right. I should still 100% prove my innocence.
Ren pulled out his phone and dialed Junpei's number.
"Hello?" Junpei said on speaker phone.
"What's up, General Iori?"
"Not much. Just trying to find a woman for the night."
Fuck. He just had to say that now.
"Ok... Can you answer a question for me?"
"No problem, Ron."
"Er… The alcohol in the fridge is yours, correct?"
"Correct. Mine and mine alone. No one can touch. Hey, why are you-"
Ren hung up.
"Do you guys believe me now?" Ren asked in a desperate voice.
I know that I proved myself, but I don't want to lose my new friends so quickly.
"I believe you, man. Ya didn't have to call your guardian." Ryuji said.
"I believe you, Ren. I'm sorry for doubting you." Ann said.
"Me too. To make it up to you, I can speak with Mako-chan." Haru added, finally looking up from the floor.
That's the last thing that I need right now. I want to talk to her on my own. If she refuses to talk to me, then she never really trusted me. If she doesn't come to talk to me, then she truly believes that I'm a criminal.
"Nah, it's alright. I'll figure it out." Ren said to Haru. "You guys should go. The mood's kinda been ruined."
They nodded, and said their goodbyes. Ryuji wished Ren luck with fixing things with Makoto.
I don't need luck. I need her to trust me.
Before Ren could clean the apartment, there was something he needed to do. He sat on the couch next to Morgana.
"Why weren't you guarding the fridge like I told you to?" He asked calmly. He wasn't angry. Not with Morgana. Morgana's failure had revealed Makoto's doubt to him. That was what made him angry.
Morgana pointed his tail at Haru's plate of sushi.
"Haru gave you sushi? Meow for yes."
Morgana meowed.
I can't blame Haru. How could she have known that Morgana had an important task? And Haru's just so nice. I could never be upset with her.
Ren got to work on cleaning the slight mess that was his apartment. He cleaned up the table in front of the TV. He put the leftover sushi in the fridge. That reminded him of the alcohol. He dialed Junpei's number again.
"Hello?"
"'Sup, Junpei. I gotta get rid of that alcohol in your fridge."
"What?! Why would you ever do that?"
I need to put it in his terms for him to understand.
"My chances with a girl plummeted because of it."
Ren heard some mumbling on the other end, but all he could make out was, "Wouldn't that increase your chances…?"
Junpei raised his voice to speak his intended words.
"Too bad. I can't take it. My schedules booked."
With drinking adventures.
"Well then how do I get rid of it?" Ren asked, getting a little irritated.
"I dunno. You could try selling it." Junpei said.
"Who's gonna buy alcohol from a teenager who's on probation?"
"Iwai."
"Who?"
"Iwai. He runs an airsoft shop on Central Street. Untouchable. He'll buy it."
That's shady. He'd be willing to buy alcohol from a teenager.
"Fine. I'll check it out. Thanks, Iori-san. See you later."
"See ya, Ron."
Ren put away his phone and got ready for bed. He was tired, and wanted to start a new day. Before he went to bed, he plotted out his schedule.
Iwai. He's my first priority. I should probably also visit Tae, or at least schedule an appointment. I should at least text Makoto. It didn't seem like she wanted to talk. I should call a GRAVY meeting. That would be good for several reasons. One, we get the project together. Two, we get a classroom. Three, we can garden. Fourth, maybe Makoto will come.
Ren wasn't sure if he wanted that or not.
He laid down in his bed and went to sleep.