A/N: "You kinda re-uploaded chapter 8. Where's the REAL chapter 9, huh?" Thank you to the anonymous guest that told me this. I didn't realize that I messed that up. I'm still getting used to this site. What happened was that I uploaded chapter 9 as both chapter 8 and 9. If you guys are interested, the real chapter 8 is now up. Thank you for bearing with me. Please let me know if I make any more posting mistakes.
Tuesday, 5/3
Ren woke up, ready for school, only to recall that it was Golden Week and almost immediately fall back asleep.
He awoke a few hours later to the sound of his phone ringing.
Makoto?
He sat up in bed and held the phone to his ear after answering it.
"Hey, Ren. Great news! Shiho just woke up!" Ann said.
"That's awesome. You gonna go visit her?" Ren asked.
"Yep. And you're coming too! I'll meet you in the Station Square in twenty minutes."
Ren wasn't going to object, but Ann didn't give him the option. She hung up before he could say anything.
It's a good distraction from Makoto. And it's good to check on Shiho.
"Shit…" Ren said as he rubbed his eyes. Even though he was able to sleep in, he was still exhausted.
Morgana meowed as he was waking up.
"I feel you, dude. I feel you." Ren said as he stood up and got started on his morning routine.
Ren approached the entrance to the underground mall in the Station Square. Ann was waiting for him next to the entrance.
"Hey Ren. Thanks for coming. It means a lot."
Rather than possibly say the wrong thing, Ren just nodded. The two made their way to the subway line to the hospital. They got on the train and managed to find two seats together.
"How's Suzui-san doing? Besides waking up, of course." Ren said awkwardly. He didn't know what to say. Or if he should say anything at all.
"Shiho's parents didn't tell me much. They just said that she had woken up and that she was good enough to see visitors."
"Ah." Ren said. He quickly added, "I'm excited for her to join GRAVY."
"Yeah…" Ann said dejectedly.
Shit. Shouldn't have said that. Ann's reaction is pretty obvious. I can tell what she's thinking: "If Shiho ever leaves the hospital."
The two were quiet the rest of the subway ride. They finally arrived at the district that Shiho's hospital was in. They exited the station and went into the hospital. The assistant at the front desk referred them to Shiho's room. They took the elevator a flew floors up and went down the hall. They knocked on Shiho's door before entering.
"Come in." A man's voice said.
Ann and Ren entered to the sight of Shiho in bed with (who Ren assumed to be) her parents at her side. Shiho's bruises from the last time Ren saw her were better, but still there. Her right arm was in a cast, and a blanket covered her lower half. Ren was thankful that he didn't have to see whatever damage her legs had taken.
Shiho's mother stood up at seeing on.
"Oh, Ann. It's so good to see you." She said as she gave Ann a hug. Ren could see on staring at Shiho over Shiho's mother's shoulder.
"It's good to see you too, Suzui-san."
"May I ask who this boy is? A boyfriend?" Shiho's mother said with a smirk.
"Nothing like that. Just a friend. He wanted to come and see Shiho."
Ren bowed to Shiho's mother.
"Oh, there's no need to bow." Shiho's mother said. "Any friend of Ann's is a friend of mine. May I ask your name?"
"Ren Amamiya. It's nice to make your acquaintance, Suzui-san."
"You as well, Amamiya-kun." Shiho's mother said. She turned towards her husband. "Come now. We should leave them alone."
Shiho's father stood up from his seat and followed Shiho's mother out of the door. Shiho looked at Ann. She smiled. Ann burst into tears as she ran towards Shiho and gave her a light hug. She was still injured.
"I've missed you so much, Shiho! You have no idea!"
Shiho was almost in tears as well.
"I missed you too, Ann. So much." She said softly.
It must hurt to talk.
Ann backed out of the hug, not wanting to hurt Shiho. She took the seat where Shiho's mother had previously been. Ren took the other seat.
"It's great that you came, Amamiya-kun. I didn't want for that one day to be our last time talking."
Ren hesitated to speak as he considered Shiho's words.
Great that I came here? No way. The first thing that came into my mind after Ann told me that Shiho woke up was that a visit would be a great distraction from Makoto. Ren, you're a piece of shit with an obsession.
"Yeah. How've you been Shiho?" Ren said, but quickly realized how dumb of a question that was.
She was in a coma the past few weeks you damn idiot. Get your shit together, Ren.
"Sleepy." Shiho said with a giggle.
Oh. That's nice of hear to just laugh it off.
Ann giggled too.
"It's great to see you laugh again, Shiho." She said.
"Yeah. It's been easier to be happy since I heard what happened to Kamoshida."
"Too true. Shujin's panicking trying to save their image. They hired a counselor." Ann explained.
"A counselor? What's he like?"
"Kinda hot, to be honest." Ann said with more giggling.
Shiho laughed.
"Seriously, though. What's he like?"
Ann hasn't seen him yet. I'll talk.
"He's nice. He's a little awkward, but he has good intentions. Probably the nicest adult at Shujin."
Even if he's the nicest adult at Shujin, he's not my favorite. That's reserved for Kawakami.
"That's good to hear." Shiho said.
Ann spoke up.
"Shiho, when you come back to school, do you want to join Ren and I's club?"
Shiho looked away from Ann, and Ren could see the tears forming in her eyes.
She's not coming back to school, is she? It's for the best. It could be painful to face the trauma that occurred at Shujin. It would be better to just walk away from it.
"I… Ann, I won't be going back to Shujin. My parents and I talked… and I think we're going to be moving out of Tokyo."
It was Ann's turn to look sad.
Ann's not going to protest. How could she? Moving away is obviously the best decision. If Ann pressured Shiho to stay here, that would be incredibly selfish. Ann's too understanding to do that.
"...I get it, Shiho. We can still visit each other right? And we can spend tons of time together until you move!" Ann said cheerfully, trying to brighten Shiho's mood.
Shiho looked back up at Ann, and smiled.
"I'd like that a lot."
Seeing Shiho happy had made Ren happy. It would probably make anyone happy. Despite the girl being injured and broken, the smile on her face would lighten anyone's mood. But the reason why he came slowly crept back into his made, snuffing out his positive thoughts.
Shiho's a distraction. That's all she is to you. How could she be anything else? You only talked to her once. And during that one time, you failed to stop her from attempting suicide. You don't care about how she's doing. You just want to stop thinking about Makoto. Fuck you, Ren Amamiya.
"Hey, guys? I think I'm gonna head out. See you later."
Without giving Ann or Shiho an opportunity to speak, he left the hospital room. He passed Shiho's parents with a nod. He left the hospital in a rush.
The subway was oddly crowded during Ren's trip back to Shibuya. He had still managed to secure a seat to himself. There was one problem: He didn't have anything to do. No one to talk to. He wasn't in the mood to play games on his phone. He was left alone with his thoughts. His thoughts that continued telling him how terrible he was for visiting Shiho.
Several things distracted him from these thoughts. The first one was the subway monitor that displayed the recent news.
"...Isao Obi, a prominent diet member, has died. He was found in his office after an apparent heart attack. Many people believe that there's more than meets the eye..."
Ren looked at the provided picture of Obi on screen. He couldn't have been more than forty years old.
Kinda hard to believe… I guess that things like that have been happening a lot. Maybe a politician's term ends when he dies of a premature heart attack.
"...Even stranger about the state of the body was the liquid that was found. It is said to be an unnamed black substance. Many have seen this liquid as a possible connection to the recent mental shutdowns…"
Oh yeah. That's what those were. I guess that they're becoming more common, but I've never seen one, so what does it matter?
With his interest in the news vanishing, his self loathing thoughts were about to take center stage.
The next distraction from these thoughts was the sight of a middle aged woman standing. In an effort to feel good about himself, he offered her his seat. She took it, and he took the spot where she was standing. That was when she started an unexpected conversation.
"Your bag… You're a student at Shujin Academy?"
Ren looked at his bag. He had forgotten that there was a Shujin Academy patch on it. He looked back towards the woman.
"Yes. Do you know Shujin?"
"Of course I do. My son attends school there. Do you know him? His name is Yoshiro Takata?"
"Can't say I do, ma'am."
"Are you sure? He plays volleyball, if that helps. He's tall."
Tall? And plays volleyball? Oh boy. He could be one of the kids who was talking about getting revenge on Makoto. What a small world. I can make something out of this situation.
"Oh, you know… I think I do know him. Great kid. He helped me out with my homework one time. You have a great son."
"It makes me very happy to hear that. It's been so tough raising a son without a husband, especially in the society we live in. What makes me happiest in life is knowing that my son is a good person."
"You've obtained eternal happiness then." Ren said with a chuckle.
The woman laughed.
"What's your name, charmer?" She asked with a twinkle in her eyes.
Charmer? I might be able to get more out of this than I thought.
"Ren Amamiya."
"Well, Ren-kun, let me follow you on Shujinstagram."
The fuck is Shujinstagram? I'm supposed to be seducing a bully's mom, not racking up social media follows.
"Pardon my ignorance, Takata-san, but what is Shujinstagram?"
"You don't know? It's a social platform for students at Shujin Academy and it's sister schools. Parents of students are also on Shujinstagram."
"I don't believe I have a profile, Takata-san."
Takata-san laughed. She pulled out her phone.
"Of course you do. Every student has one made for them when they're enlisted."
No one told me that. Maybe it's not that big of a deal. Wait. Did she say every student? Does that mean that Makoto has one? I need to log in right now.
"Found you. I just followed you. Be sure to message me, okay?" Takata-san said as the subway came to a halt. She stood up. "This is my stop. Talk to you later, Ren-kun."
Ren nodded a goodbye, and took the now empty seat. He pulled out his phone as the subway began to move again. A quick search of Shujinstagram brought up the site.
"Welcome to Shujinstagram, the official online home for all students, parents, and faculty of Shujin Academy and its associated schools." Ren mumbled to himself.
He read through the list of associated schools.
Kosei High, Seven Sisters High School… Oh, Kosei. That's where Yusuke goes. I should give him a follow. I wonder if he posts anything. But first I should login to my account.
He tapped the profile button. A prompt for a name and student ID came to the screen. He entered the appropriate information, and unlocked his account. He had one follower, zero people followed, and zero posts.
Time to change that.
He quickly followed the other members of the gardening club along with Yusuke. He also followed Takata-san back, and discovered that her full name was Ayumi Takata. He made sure to follow some of the people who weren't in GRAVY. He followed Shiho and Kawakami before he came across Mishima's profile.
Definitely going to report him. It's not like he'll actually get banned from Shujinstagram. And if he does, who cares? Definitely not him. He has zero posts.
After pressing the report button, Ren was upset by the fact that he had to provide a reason for the report.
Uhhhh… Fuck it. Promotion of terrorism.
With his duty to the world complete, he resumed his casual browsing of Shujinstagram. He went to Ryuji's profile to see what his friend had posted, if at all. He was greeted by photos of the arcade and what looked to be high scores. Ren read the caption of the most recent post aloud to himself.
"Just beat all you effers! Gun About god Sakamoto! Bout to whoop this kid with a 'Get Smoked' hat!"
Good for you, Ryuji. Winning against children in an arcade game is always an accomplishment.
He went to Ann's profile. It was mostly photos of food, Shiho, and some magazine covers that Ann was on.
Ann's a model?! I guess that makes sense. She's pretty hot. Not like I care, though.
He tapped on a post from January third of that year. It was Ann and Shiho taking a selfie together at what looked like a shrine. Shiho was smiling and Ann had her tongue out. He again read the caption aloud.
"Meiji Shrine today! Hope everyone has a great year!"
Ren felt a deep sadness from that post. He knew what would happen to Ann and Shiho. They would be blackmailed. Manipulated. Abused. Yet there was no hint of that in the photo. Their faces were innocent and happy.
Shiho doesn't have bruises yet. Either Kamoshida wasn't comfortable enough at Shujin to beat children back in January, or Shiho wasn't a target. Ann looks happy a lot of the time, but this photo makes every other smile I've seen feel fake.
He told himself to stop dwelling on matters that were already in the past as he moved on to Haru's account. It was photos of plants, coffee, and not much else.
She doesn't want to flex her wealth on social media.
He tapped on a post from March. It was a photo of Haru sipping coffee at Leblanc.
Ah, a woman of culture.
He read the caption.
"Leblanc Coffee & Curry, located in Yongen, is truly excellent. Please do yourself a favor and try it sometime!."
Haru's just so goddam nice. Kinda sucks that she's the exception at Shujin and not the rule.
With the three founding members of GRAVY out of the way, there was one member of the club left to cyber stalk. One that he initially made sure not to follow. He navigated to Makoto's profile. There were barely any posts on it. The ones that were there looked to be posted to gain social understanding rather than an actual want to post them. He went to the most recent one. It was a photo of Makoto and Sae, outside of a gym. They were both smiling, holding up their fists triumphantly. Ren read the caption.
"Sis and I finished our Aikido training today."
That's kinda a pathetic attempt at a caption. It's like this post was only made to fit in with her peers.
Ren looked at the date. The photo was from last July.
She really doesn't understand this stuff, huh? That's expected. It's Makoto.
He scrolled through the other photos on Makoto's page. There was one of her with the student council, one of a school that Ren didn't know. Another photo was of Sae and Makoto. The final post, which was the first photo posted on the account, was Makoto on her first day at Shujin. It was several years old. Her hair was slightly longer, and she wore no headband. She was with a man, and Sae. Sae looked less intimidating, and the man had a proud look on his face. Makoto looked embarrassed.
Her father. He looks like a nice guy. He would probably beat the shit out of me if Makoto told him what happened at the party.
He scrolled back to the top of the page. Even compared to Ren's club of social outcasts, she had a low follower count. Ren hesitated to press follow. He thought about the consequences.
If she sees it, she could try and talk to me. But if she sees it and chooses to ignore it...
Ren wanted the attention. He wanted Makoto's attention.
He pressed follow.
That evening, Ren followed up on his potential leverage over the volleyball team. He messaged Ayumi as he sat on the side of his bed.
Ren Amamiya:
-Hey.
Ayumi Takata:
-Hey, playboy.
Am I really gonna try and seduce a student's mom on a school run platform?
Ren already knew the answer.
Ren Amamiya:
-Had a great time speaking to you earlier on the train. Would love to do it again.
Ayumi Takata:
-Say no more. Call me at ###-###-####.
Her number? Already? I guess I am a charmer. Or maybe she just doesn't want the school to see us talking. Probably the latter. Hopefully the former.
Ren dialed the number.
"I'm so glad you called, Ren-kun…"
"So am I… Would you like to grab dinner sometime?"
"Only if you're the meal."
Bitch WHAT?!
Ren almost dropped the phone, but he knew that he had to maintain his act.
"I was hoping that you'd be the meal…"
"Mmm… Call me when you're free… Bye, Ren-kun."
Ren hung up the phone and fist pumped. He knew what he was doing was very, very wrong. But he felt justified. The volleyball team was going to try and take revenge on Makoto. They had to be put in their place. Or at least, Yoshiro Takata had to be put in his place.
Am I taking it too far? It's not like I'm gonna actually fuck his mom. There's no way I could. It's just leverage to stop them from getting to Makoto. That could still be taking it a bit too far. But I don't even know what they plan on doing to Makoto, so maybe I'm not going far enough. I need to fight fire with fire.
That thought process repeated in Ren's mind while he tried to sleep. Eventually, he came to a conclusion.
This isn't fighting fire with fire. This is fighting fire with a fucking supernova. And strangely, I'm okay with that.
Ren fell asleep.
Wednesday, 5/4
Ren awoke to nothing but his circadian rhythm. It was a refreshing change from the phone calls, messages, and alarms that had woken him up nearly every day since his time in Tokyo began. He looked at his clock. It read '11:30.'
Time to seize the day, Ren. Don't fuck up today.
He had no plans in advance, so thought about his mental checklist of things to do.
Hang out with Ryuji? Nah. He slept over on Saturday. He can wait. I spent time with Ann yesterday, and even if that hadn't ended weirdly, I won't be hanging out with her today. Visit Tae? No. Definitely not. Not with my current state of mind. It would definitely be the worst hallucination yet. I'll be at Leblanc tonight, so no need to stop by for a visit. I guess I'm out of shit to do.
Ren then realized that there was one more thing he could spend his time on.
Haru! I haven't actually gardened yet, and I'm the founder of the gardening club. Today's the day. Time to plant shit.
Ren Amamiya:
-What do you say we actually do some gardening today? Just us two.
Haru Okumura:
-I would love to!
That was easy.
Ren Amamiya:
-I'll meet you on Shujin's roof in 45 mins.
Ren didn't wait for a reply as he rushed his morning routine to make the deadline he set.
The trip to Shujin was quick. The walk to the roof was even quicker. Ren opened the roof door to see Haru already working at the mini-garden. She stood up to greet Ren when the door closed behind him.
"Ren-kun!"
Ren felt himself redden slightly at being addressed that way. That was Ayumi's fault. He recomposed himself.
"Hey, Haru. How ya doing?"
"I'm doing great. It's wonderful that you wanted to help with the plants!" Haru said as she led him to the mini-garden.
"I mean, I gotta learn something about gardening if I'm gonna run a club about it."
And I would be an asshole if I just invited you to the club only to do the gardening for us.
Haru laughed. She then handed Ren gloves for the work they were about to do.
"Follow my lead." Haru said.
"Wait. Before we start," Ren said as he admired his gloves. "Do you think we could get custom gloves for the club members?"
Haru paused, considering it.
"It's a good idea, but we don't have any funding that I'm aware of."
"I, Residing Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness Ren Amamiya, accept the financial responsibility of custom gardening gloves."
Haru giggled.
"If you say so, Ren-kun. I'm sure that Ryuji-kun will love the idea."
"Oh yeah. He will…" Ren said mischievously.
The two then got to work. Haru taught Ren the basics of gardening. They harvested the carrots and flowers that Haru had planted for club day. They then planted some tomatoes for the sake of practice. They proceed to take a short break.
"Haru, would you be willing to give lessons to Ryuji and Ann?" Ren said as they lounged at the abandoned desks.
"Mhm." Haru said. "Makoto too!"
She just had to bring Makoto up…Whatever. I can't get mad at Haru. It's literally impossible.
"About that… She's been ignoring me. She doesn't want anything to do with me." Ren said dejectedly.
"That's not true, Ren-kun. She wouldn't have told you if she didn't want anything to do with you."
"I find that hard to believe."
"It's true. This is only temporary. She's just deciding what to do."
"And when she makes her decision?" Ren asked.
"She'll talk to you then."
Do I let her make the decision? I can't just sit by and do nothing. The conflict is eating away at me. The visit with Shiho was tainted because of it. Now this hangout is being tainted by it. It's like I can't just spend time with Haru and not think about Makoto. She's always there, in the back of my head, ready to spring to the forefront. I need to figure this shit out. If she doesn't make a decision fast enough, things are going to get worse. She needs to know that... Or maybe she doesn't. Maruki said he would be willing to talk to me. I should go see him again soon.
"I hope so. Hey, how do you know all of this?" Ren asked.
"I'm good at reading people." Haru said with a giggle. "I'm also good a reading text messages."
Her and Makoto are texting? Shit. Haru's probably gonna tell Makoto about what we talked about. Maybe I can use that to my advantage.
"Haru, do you think you could tell Makoto to hurry up her decision? Her silence isn't the best thing for everyone right now." Ren said.
"I'll try. Just remember that it's up to her. Also Ren, if you need to speak with anyone, I'm here."
I already know that Haru is talking to Makoto. If I tell her that my thoughts about Makoto have led to just a hint of self hatred and a bit of obsessiveness, things will only get worse. I'll save it for Maruki.
"Got it." Ren said nonchalantly. "We should get back to work."
The pair finished their break, put on their gloves, and resumed their planting of tomatoes. They finished quickly, and started cleaning up.
"Ren-kun, I noticed that you followed me on Shujinstagram."
"Hm? Oh yeah. I just found out about my account yesterday."
"That's great! I'll make sure to follow you as well."
"Cool. I've got some homework I've got to do and then I got work. I'll see you later, Haru." Ren said as the two finished cleaning up.
Haru waved goodbye and thanked him for helping her. As Ren walked the mostly empty halls of Shujin, he could've sworn that he saw someone with short brown hair with a giant manga book dash out of sight.
Probably just seeing things. Am I that obsessed with her? I need to find something else. Someone else. But not Ayumi. Definitely not Ayumi.
Ren left Shujin.
Thursday, 5/5
Ren had woken up early for his day off because he had a pain in the ass to deal with: Club Day set up. Him and the other members of GRAVY had to bring whatever they planned on using for Club Day to Shujin and stash it somewhere. They would then have to arrive early on Friday to set up. Ann had texted Ren that she would bring the banner. Haru had kept the plants at Shujin. Ren had contacted Ryuji to help bring the table and the poster. Getting Ryuji to wake up earlier than noon on a day off from school was a grueling task, but Ren's perseverance to repeatedly dial Ryuji's number to the point of harassment won in the end. Ren carried the foldable table while Ryuji had the poster. Neither of them could carry both at the same time.
The subway ride to Shujin had been strange. Taking up several seats with the table wasn't the most embarrassing thing to happen to Ren, but it made him feel like an inconsiderate asshole. He was relieved to get off the train. The duo made it into Shujin when Ren realized they had nowhere to put their stuff. Panicking, he rushed to the teacher who hated him least.
And the one that I find most attractive…
Awkwardly pushing himself through Kawakami's classroom door with the table, seemingly waking her up from a nap.
"Could I keep my club stuff here?"
Kawakami gave a confused nod before closing her eyes and seemingly dozing off. Ren set down the table and peaked outside the door to call Ryuji in, only to see him casually speaking to Ann, who was holding a rolled up banner. They were both smiling.
Good for you, Ryuji.
"Guys? We can put our stuff in here."
They both looked over, surprised to be interrupted. They then nodded, and walked over. They went inside the classroom and put their stuff down. Ryuji quickly left after saying goodbye.
Probably wants to go back to bed. Me too, Ryuji. Me too.
Ann leaned to Ren and spoke in a hushed voice.
"We need to talk."
"What about?" Ren asked with his usual smirk.
"What happened between the other day at the hospital. Meet me on the roof in five."
Ren nodded. He couldn't do anything else when Ann was being that assertive. Before leaving the classroom for the roof, he stopped by Kawakami's desk. He still needed to talk to her.
"What up, teach?"
His voice woke her up from her second nap.
"Hmm? Teach? Have some respect, Amamiya-kun."
Not the best start. You're losing your charm, Ren.
Ren thought of Ayumi.
You're losing your charm with the people you want to charm, Ren.
"My bad. I just had a club related question. Seeing that your my club sponsor and all… I was wondering if we could use your classroom for our meetings?"
"Sure, I don't care. But no funny business. I mean it."
"Thank you, Kawakami-sensei."
Now, go on. I have papers to grade."
Ren shuffled out of the room, happy to be free of the table that he had to carry around. He squandered his new found freedom immediately after stepping out the door by bumping into Maruki.
"Oh, Amamiya-kun. Just who I was looking for"
"You wanted to talk to me?" Ren asked curiously.
"Of course. I wanted to follow up with you. About our conversation the other day. Would you be willing to speak with me in the nurse's office?"
Ren wanted to go, but he had agreed to meet Ann on the roof.
I have a choice. I can choose to try and stop my thoughts about Makoto, or I can lie to Ann about what happened the other day. What to pick…
He decided that an angry Ann was worse than letting his Makoto problem go unsolved, so he denied Maruki's offer.
"Sorry, Maruki-san. I already have plans today. Perhaps another time?"
"Of course, Amamiya-kun. Wouldn't be much of a counselor if I couldn't work around my patient's schedules." Maruki said with a chuckle. "I'm looking forward to what your club does for Club Day. Have a good day."
Maruki walked down the hall.
I'm a patient now? Does he think I'm a nutjob? No. He can't. And there's no way that I am. I've just been a little obsessive and had a few self loathing thoughts. Not that bad, if I do say so myself. Still, Maruki doesn't even know about those thoughts. He just knows that there's conflict. He could be assuming anything.
Ren remembered the last time he had let someone assume details about him. He cringed, and started walking to the roof. He opened the door to see Ann with her arms crossed and tapping her foot.
She's mad mad. Or just worried about me. Hopefully mad. There's less explaining.
Ren nervously chuckled at the awkward silence of Ann staring into his soul.
"Sit."
Ren obliged. He took one of the abandoned desks. Instead of relaxing in it, he sat upright. Ann stayed standing.
"What was with you the other day? You just leave when they're people who need you there? I know there's something off with you. You were acting weird that whole visit. You're gonna tell me what's going on. Right now."
While Ren wasn't one to be intimidated, Ann's analytical stare tore away at his confidence. It wasn't the Niijima Death Stare, but something else entirely. There was a feeling of caring behind it, and that was what made it so terrifying. For Ren, the scariest thing to do was share the hidden feelings that had plagued him the past few things were only getting worse for him, and he knew that if he didn't tell anyone soon that he would fuck things up.
I'll talk to Maruki as soon as I can. I can't tell Ann about this. She'll think that it's creepy how much I think about Makoto.
"Erm… It was hard for me to see Shiho like that."
It wasn't a complete lie. It was hard to see Shiho, but only because of the context that Ren had created.
Shiho was just a distraction.
"You're lying."
"Yeah."
"That's all you have to say? 'Yeah?' Are you serious?!" Ann said, visibly becoming more angry. "Ren, I care about you. Everyone in the club cares about you. Makoto cares about you. I'm just the first one to notice that something's up. Soon, they'll all be on your case. Then you won't have anyone to lie to. You'll be alone."
She's got a good point. But I can't tell her. I need to figure this shit out with someone who's trained for this shit. I need to talk to Maruki.
"Ann, look… you're absolutely right. I'm going through some shit. I'm also working it out. I'm talking to Maruki about it."
That seemed to calm Ann down, if only a little.
"And you're going to tell him everything?"
Ren prepared himself to lie through his teeth and keep a poker face.
"Everything."
"Fine. But if I don't see a change, I'm going to force it out of you."
Ann walked back into Shujin. Ren breathed a sigh of relief.
I've still got some time. I should go see Maruki.
As Ren made his way through the halls of Shujin, he could see the various clubs storing their materials for the coming day. One club he saw was the remainder of the volleyball team. It was common knowledge around Shujin that there hadn't been any practices since Kamoshida left. No one wanted to join the volleyball team because of what happened, so Club Day must've held some importance for them. Ren looked at the members more closely as he dipped around the hallway corner. He peeked around it enough so that he could see them, but they couldn't see him.
I have to test my information.
"Yoshiro Takata!" Ren yelled at the volleyball team members.
They all looked, but the boy who responded the most was the tallest of the bunch. He had a buzz cut that he tried to compliment with a Shujin gym uniform. He was one who had said 'Probably that Niijima bitch. I saw her running out of Kamoshida's office crying.' Ren had his target.
"Yeah?!" Yoshiro said, looking for whoever called his name.
I can't start shit now. He's ready for me. I need to let him come to me. Or to Makoto. One or the other. He just needs to fall into my trap. Hopefully he brings his goons. More people to see me embarrass him.
Without replying to Yoshiro, Ren walked down the hall to the nurses office. Just as he was going to enter, the door swung open, hitting him in the shoulder.
"Ah! Shi...t." Ren trailed off as the girl who had opened the door stepped completely out.
The girl was short and petite, but still looked strong and fit. She wore the normal Shujin girls uniform and had a first year pin on. What caught Ren's eye the most was her hair. It was a deep red, and tied in a ponytail with a bright red bow. Her bangs covered her forehead. She had the same red eyes that Makoto had.
"H-hey." Ren said awkwardly.
"I'm so sorry…" She glanced down at Ren's second year pin. "Senpai! Please forgive me."
"Don't worry about it." Ren said, hypnotized by the girl.
She's gorgeous. It's like the personification of Makoto's eyes. Red. Just red.
"Are you sure? The last thing I would want to do is injure my senpai."
"I'm sure. Although, there is one way you can repay me…"
"I'll do anything."
A date to take my mind off of Makoto?
"Tell me your name?" Ren asked instead.
"My name is Kasumi Yoshizawa." She bowed. "Are you sure there's nothing else I can do to help?"
Maruki peeked out of the door after hearing the commotion.
"Everything alright?" He asked.
"Of course, Maruki-san." Ren quickly said. He mad eye contact with Kasumi. "I guess there's one more thing you could do. Check out my club tomorrow? It'll be the gardening themed booth near the second floor stairs in the classroom building."
"Of course, Amamiya-senpai. I hope I said your last name correctly."
Ren nodded.
"Great! I'll see you tomorrow."
Ren speechlessly nodded. He was too transfixed by the girl to say anything else. Kasumi then walked down the hall. Ren didn't realize he was staring until Maruki interrupted.
"Amamiya-kun? Are you here to speak with me?"
Ren quickly turned to Maruki, embarrassed that he had been caught.
"Uh, yeah. My plans finished up quicker than I thought."
"Great. Er, it's not great that your plans ended, but great that I can speak with you." Maruki said awkwardly.
Ren nodded as the two entered the nurses office. Maruki took a seat in the chair while Ren sat on the couch again. Maruki offered Ren the bowl of chocolates. Ren shook his head. Maruki spoke as he set down the bowl.
"So, Amamiya-kun. What'd you like to talk about?"
What I like most about Maruki is that he doesn't force me to talk about anything specific. He just lets me talk about whatever I want.
"There're a few things. Before we get to those, I realize that I don't know much about you. Could you tell me about yourself, if it isn't a problem, Maruki-san?"
Maruki chuckled.
"There's no problem. I'm an open book. I always wanted to help people, so I went to university to become a counselor. After I graduated, I became a private counselor. People would come talk to me about whatever they wanted. I wasn't employed by anyone, and the job didn't pay much. It didn't help that I only let patients pay if they wanted to."
"If I may cut in, how does that work? Wouldn't you not be able to support yourself?"
"I guess it was my way of making sure that I helped people. Patients that feel like they had been helped would pay almost every time."
"Huh."
"I know, right? It's very strange. But I don't have to think about that anymore, because Shujin's ensuring that I am employed, at least, that's until this winter."
"Leaving so soon?" Ren asked curiously.
"Like you said, I'm just a temporary bandage." Maruki said with a chuckle.
"Oh, er…"
"You're absolutely right. Even if that's what I am, I can still help the students of this school. That's all that matters to me."
"I… I appreciate that, Maruki-san." Ren said, still awkward from Maruki's comment.
"I'm glad. Now, enough about me. Surely you didn't come here to ask about my past."
I'm here because Ann scared me into coming. Rather than telling him about everything that's wrong with me right now, I should just try to stop the root of the problem.
"Remember how I was asking about conflict? I, uh… I think that my conflict has gotten worse."
"That quick, huh? Well, we can figure it out together. Tell me about your conflict, as much as you feel comfortable sharing."
It feels a lot easier to open up to Maruki rather than Ann. That's definitely not how it should be. Ann's my friend. Maruki's barely an acquaintance.
"Well, there is a girl who I guess you could say I'm interested in. We had a falling out, and we haven't been able to talk about it. She's been avoiding me, but she's all I can think about."
"Would you say it's an obsession?" Maruki asked. Despite the sharpness of the question, he was able to take the edge out of it with his kind voice.
Definitely.
"I dunno. I don't think it's there yet, but it seems like that's the direction I'm going in."
"Thank you for sharing, Amamiya-kun. Would you allow me to give you advice from person to person rather than counselor to patient?"
"Uh, sure?"
"When there's a person that you're obsessing over, be it for good or bad reasons, you need to stop that obsession. A way to do that is moving on. That may sound difficult, but it is necessary for both people's happiness in the end."
"And what if the reason the girl is avoiding me is unfair? Do I still need to move on."
"Not everything is fair, Amamiya-kun. You of all people should understand that."
I know that he's seen the file, but I didn't know that he thought I was innocent. Does he believe that just from speaking with me, or did he notice something in the file?
"Good point." Ren said as he nodded.
"If I may ask, why is she avoiding you? It could help me to better understand the situation."
Ren thought of what Haru had told him.
"She's just deciding what to do."
"She's trying to figure things out." Ren said before quickly adding, "About the fallout between us."
Maruki lowered his head, sinking into his own thoughts. Ren was unable to read the man's face for information.
"And has there been any indication of her reaching a conclusion?" Maruki asked with his head still lowered.
"Like I said, she's been avoiding me. There's nothing."
"Hmm. She's still considering what to do, but you can't observe the process." Maruki met Ren's eyes. "Amamiya-kun, I must apologize for my advice earlier. You must continue waiting."
Aw fuck. Now I'm gonna have to talk to Ann.
Ren must've made his uneasiness know, because Maruki spoke again.
"But don't worry. There are two things you can do to make sure your conflict goes away. First, please continue coming here. It let's me make sure you're doing alright. And you're an enjoyable conversation partner." Maruki said with a chuckle before straightening his face. "Second, forget about the girl. Let her make her decision. You don't have to worry about her until she makes that decision. If she makes the wrong one in your eyes, then she's not for you. It's as simple as that."
"I dunno if it works like that, Maruki-san."
"You have to trust me, Amamiya-kun. You deserve happiness after everything you've been through. Just let me help you. For me to do that, you need to believe me when I say that her decision is not for you to worry about."
"I'll try my best, Maruki-san." Ren said out of respect.
"Thank you, Amamiya-kun. Is there anything else you'd like to speak about?"
"No, I'll be alright for now. Thank you for your help." Ren said as he stood up and approached the door. He turned back around to hear Maruki's goodbye.
Maruki adjusted his glasses.
"Anytime, Amamiya-kun."
Ren nodded as he left.
As Ren rode the subway home, he got a message on his phone.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
Please don't send me porn links, Ryuji.
While Ren was apprehensive, there was no way he wasn't going to open the link. When the page loaded, he was surprised by what was on it. It was a maid service. Another message from Ryuji came.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Pretty sweet deal, right? Get this: my uncles moving out of his apartment.
Ren Amamiya:
-And he's going to be working as a maid that offers sexual favors? Ryuji, I don't know why you think I need to know this.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-NO WAY DUDE! What I meant was that we could use my uncle's empty apartment to order a maid. What do you think?
Ren Amamiya:
-You didn't even have to ask. Of course I'm in.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-That's what I like to hear! Btw, Mishima's coming. It'll be good for you two to make up.
Ren Amamiya:
I'm out.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-Dude, come on. Just like me and Ann figured shit out, you need to figure your shit out with Mishima.
My mistake. I forgot that Ann leaked Ryuji's criminal record after sending volleyball team members to be raped and beaten. I'm so clueless.
As Mishima was now on Ren's mind, he remembered something.
I still need my revenge. Then I won't be angry with Mishima.
Ren Amamiya:
-Fine. You're right. I need to make up with Mishima.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-That's the spirit! Does Saturday night work?"
Ren Amamiya:
-Yep.
Ren put away his phone, plotting his revenge for Saturday. A mischievous grin widened across his face, likely worrying the other subway passengers.
I'm going to shoot the messenger.
Makoto sat at her desk that evening, reviewing the notebook she had kept that week.
5/3
Amamiya is in the hospital right now. He went in with Takamaki. Could something be happening between the two? The visit was likely intended for Suzui. I was recently informed that she had woken up. Could Ren be visiting her because he cares about her? Or does he have an ulterior motive? He could be manipulating Takamaki into liking him now that I'm out of the picture.
Will look into the possibility of Takamaki and Amamiya being together. Strictly for reasons of knowledge.
Amamiya left the hospital in a rush without Takamaki. Could she have discovered his intentions? Amamiya is currently in the same train car as me. He has failed to notice me because he is currently speaking with a woman. She seems to have recognized his uniform. He gave her his seat. There could be more to this interaction that I'm not noticing.
Spoke with Okumura today. She wants me to participate on Club Day. I can't do that. I still need to figure out who Amamiya truly is. I told her that I'm still considering things. She left me alone after that. Even if I never spend time with Amamiya again, I would still like to be friends with Okumura.
5/4
Amamiya is on the roof at Shujin with Okumura. They are gardening. I am unable to hear if they're speaking or not.
Amamiya just left Shujin. He almost saw me before I dashed around the corner. If he noticed me, he didn't investigate.
5/5
Amamiya is here at Shujin for Club Day preparation. I feel bad for not assisting the group after agreeing to help them. Kawakami seems to have allowed Amamiya and GRAVY to store their materials in her classroom.
Amamiya is on the roof. I can see him speaking with Takamaki, but I still can't hear from this side of the door. They are probably discussing Ren's exit from the hospital on 5/3. She looks angry. I need to figure out what happened in the hospital. I will visit Suzui soon to investigate.
Amamiya is in the nurse's office. While I am investigating him, I will not be listening to his confidential conversations. However, these conversations could include details about his criminal activity, or me . I unfortunately must listen if there's a next time.
Frustrated at her lack of progress in deciding whether Ren was a criminal or not, Makoto decided to go to bed.