Friday, 6/10 - 4 Days Until Deadline
Friday was a normal day for Ren. It was as if the past two weeks hadn't happened. He went to school alone that morning, sat through his classes, ate lunch, sat through the rest of his classes, and was finally done for the day when the bell rang. Everything was in the right place.
Except for Yoshiro. He was waiting outside the door to classroom 2-D as Ren exited at the end of the day, Ann following behind him.
"Hey, Amamiya. Where you going?" he sneered.
Ren kept his mouth shut. He knew what had happened as a result of him opening it in the past. He tried to walk in the opposite direction of Yoshiro and down the hall. Ren's plans of using the practice building to go to the first floor and loop around to the entrance were thwarted when Yoshiro stepped in front of him.
"Don't wanna talk? C'mon, you always have something to say."
Ren tried to push Yoshiro away and keep walking, but the volleyball player just wouldn't quit. He got in front of Ren again.
"Fine. I'll do the talking," Yoshiro said, his grin widening. "It's all over in four days. She's ours and there's nothing you can do about it."
"You and that fat fuck are friends or something? Not sure how he'd feel about his subordinate referring to his boss as a peer," Ren replied. He didn't want to send Yoshiro over the edge, he wanted to create doubt in the back of Yoshiro's mind.
If something gets in the back of your head and you think about it enough, it'll change the way you think, act, and go about your life. If I can get Yoshiro to doubt Kaneshiro then maybe Kaneshiro's way of monitoring us will be out of the equation.
Yoshiro just laughed. A few of the passing students in the hall looked, but none of them stopped to watch.
"You got it wrong. We're partners on this, at least for now. I'm the one who came up with all this."
"Really? Did you want to give your fuck-buddy a birthday present? How kind." The sarcasm in Ren's voice was undeniable.
Yoshiro laughed again.
"Oh, no… this isn't just a present for him. I get a piece of her too, you know," he said, his evil smirk going ear to ear. "Maybe the other guys will want some. Hey, how many do you think she could-"
I'm gonna fucking kill him.
Ren raised his arm, Yoshiro recoiled, and Ren felt his arm being grabbed from behind all in the matter of a few seconds. Ren turned. Ann was holding his arm back, stopping Ren from delivering his version of justice.
"Ren… just go," she said pleadingly.
"Yeah, Ren. Just go and let us take her," Yoshiro teased.
Ren turned back to Yoshiro. He tried to rip his arm free of Ann's grip to rip Yoshiro's head off, but Ann was stronger than Ren thought. That didn't stop Ren from trying. He was about to yank his arm hard when another voice was heard.
"What's going on here?" Maruki asked in his ordinary tone.
Ren looked towards Maruki, who was approaching the scene from behind Yoshiro. Yoshiro himself turned around to see the counselor. Ren felt Ann let go of his arm, but Ren wasn't about to punch Yoshiro in front of Maruki. That would invalidate everything Maruki had spoken with Ren about the other day. Ren didn't care about that invalidation when Maruki wasn't there, but he had some level of respect for the counselor that wouldn't let him assault Yoshiro while Maruki was present.
"Nothing," the volleyball player said before scurrying away.
Scared of a counselor. What a pussy. Who could be scared of Maruki? The guy wouldn't hurt a fly.
Maruki turned to watch Yoshiro walk away.
What's he doing? Letting him get away? Shit, it makes sense. He didn't know what was happening.
"Everything okay, Amamiya-kun?"
"Just great," Ren said frustratedly.
"No, it's not," Ann corrected. "Could you talk with him, Maruki-san?"
Ren would've given a dirty look to Ann, but he knew that she was right and he should speak to Maruki. Attacking Yoshiro would be the worst possible thing to happen.
"Takamaki-san, I can't force students into anything," Maruki said before turning to Ren. "Amamiya-kun, would you like to talk?"
It could calm me down. Worth a shot.
"Sure. Nurse's office?"
"Mhm. Takamaki-san, thank you," Maruki said before turning and walking away, assuming Ren would follow.
Ren nodded a thank you and a goodbye to Ann, receiving an encouraging smile in return. He walked away and followed Maruki down the hall to the practice building.
They reached the nurse's office quickly. The room was unchanged compared to Ren's last visit, but now that the room was fresh in Ren's mind he was able to notice that there were new chocolates in the bowl.
So he does get new ones. Good.
Maruki sat in his chair, Ren took the couch and one chocolate. He swiftly unwrapped it and ate it.
"Would you like to tell me what happened back there?" Maruki rested his hands on his lap.
"All you need to know is that I almost gave in." Ren sighed.
"To the vengeance you were telling me about?"
"Yeah."
"Let's say you succeed. What happens then?" Maruki raised his hands up from his lap as if literally tossing the possibility out.
"Hm? We talked about this. Society judges it out of context, I get punished, blah blah blah."
"No, what happens for you? What changes in your head?"
"Oh. I… I didn't haven't thought that far ahead. I'll be satisfied? Maybe?"
"You don't sound sure of that."
"Why does that matter? It's not like I'll actually go through with anything," Ren said with a shrug.
"You looked like you were about to when I showed up," Maruki remarked.
"Well… one punch isn't everything that I want to do," Ren replied, nervously chuckling.
"Think about the bigger picture, Amamiya-kun. What happens when you let revenge or even any emotion completely take over?"
"Bad things?" Ren broadly guessed.
"Yes, but those emotions become everything. Let's say you become driven by revenge against Yoshiro for whatever he did. If you exact that revenge, what are you left with?" Maruki asked.
"Uh… nothing?"
"Yes! Nothing. You'll feel empty, directionless. That applies to anything when it's taken away too soon. Love, happiness, sadness, anger, vengeance, everything." Maruki turned away from Ren, his tone dropping the normal friendliness. "You can't let yourself be driven by one thing. Balance is key."
I guess he has a point? I'll just be emotionless if I fuck up Yoshiro. Shit, I'll be emotionless and in juvenile hall. A perfect start to a life of crime. But yeah, Maruki's right. I shouldn't do anything to Yoshiro. Yet. I'm willing to take feeling empty to break his nose. Plus, if I fight him over the summer, the school can't do shit. Kiss my ass, Kobayakawa.
"You're right. So you're saying I need to try and keep my emotions balanced?"
"That's exactly it. Do something that inspires a different emotion. Maybe even something that inspires love…" Maruki said, winking at Ren.
So you're saying if I distract myself from revenge, I'll be able to beat up Yoshiro without ruining my mental health? Nice.
Ren cringed a little at Maruki's comments.
"Whatever you say. This was kinda short, huh?"
"Perhaps. Quality over quantity, Amamiya-kun. Quality over quantity."
Ren thanked Maruki and left. While the meeting had helped, Ren still had thoughts of violence towards Yoshiro. Not even thoughts. They were plans. When he would get to execute said plans, he wasn't sure but he knew he would. Some way or another, some day or another. He just needed to make sure it wasn't the only thing he focused on.
Ren came back to his apartment after his shift at Leblanc, bringing Makoto some curry that Sojiro had made. After she ate, Ren had gotten to work on the rest of his homework. Makoto had nothing better to do, so she sat next to him on the couch. She had taken to watching him do his work, pointing out mistakes and helping him figure out what he did wrong. Ren found it a little annoying, but he wasn't going to tell Makoto that. She seemed relatively happy, and that was enough for Ren. He didn't want her mood to change in any negative way because of him.
Ren soon finished his homework. When he checked his phone, he realized how late it was.
Shit. Gotta tell Makoto about the sleeping arrangement now.
Still sitting on the couch, Ren turned to Makoto. She looked him in the eye, a quizzical look on her face.
Oh man, those eyes… focus, Ren!
"Makoto, you should take the bed tonight. I can go back to sleeping on the couch," Ren said.
"W-why? I'm not tired anymore," Makoto tenderly protested.
"Your last few nights of sleep should be in bed, not some shitty couch," isn't too optimistic. Don't wanna kill her mood, so… screw it. I'll be vague and hope for the best.
"Just… please?" What Ren said wasn't what he had intended. He didn't try to correct himself.
"Ren, you have to give me a reason."
"Uh, you're a guest and a guest deserves the very best," Ren bluntly suggested.
"There has to be a real reason."
Rather than telling her the real reason, Ren committed to his shitty answer.
"As I said, the guest deserves the very best. Take the bed, I'll be fine on the couch. Trust me."
Makoto gave Ren a look of confused reluctance before she nodded her head.
"Okay. If you really want me to…"
"I do. The couch works great. I can stay up all night and play video games."
"Ren, you know you can't-"
"Yeah, yeah. School's important. I've heard that before. I was just joking. Don't think I could play games all night anyway," Ren said, shuttering at the thought of the person who had played games all night at his apartment.
Effin' Ryuji. At the moment, that was terrifying. Now, it's legendary and going in the GRAVY chronicle. Shit, that's a good idea. "The Chronicles of GRAVY" would be interesting. Too bad I'd have to write it. That's too much effort for one thing.
"Good, Ren. What should we do for the rest of the night?"
"Er…" Ren didn't know what to say. He knew that Makoto needed to do something to keep her mind off of the fourteenth, but he was lost for words.
Seeing that Ren was lost, Makoto filled in. "How about you tell me about your day? I have to keep up with what's going on at Shujin."
"Um, it was a pretty normal day. Not much h-happened." Ren stuttered the last word because he remembered Yoshiro's words as he spoke.
"Ren…" Makoto scolded.
"Sorry," Ren said, rubbing the back of his head. "Takata was talking shit again."
"What'd he say?"
Nope. Not telling her that.
"Just that he was a smart guy and stuff. Nothing interesting," Ren said, trying to keep his cool.
"Oh… I hope you're not letting him get to you," Makoto said softly.
"I'm not. They're just words," Ren said, lying through his teeth.
"Okay. Ren, I think I'm gonna go to bed early." Makoto didn't look Ren in the eye as she spoke.
Does she know I'm lying? Shit, I can't tell the truth to her. It would freak her out and make things worse. There's always a chance that our plan will fail so these last few days have got to be carefree for Makoto.
"Whatever you want. Lemme know if you need anything,"
Makoto stood up and walked to Ren's room. Before she closed the door, she looked back at Ren.
"Thanks, Ren." She gave a genuine smile as she said it.
Makoto closed the door.
Ren leaned back into the couch, looking up at the ceiling. Even if he believed that she knew he was lying, the smile that Makoto gave him a high that he hadn't felt in a long time. Ren sat there for a few minutes admiring the feeling. After, he played video games for a bit before going to bed.
Saturday, 6/11 - 3 Days Until Deadline
Ren was almost out the door when Makoto stopped him.
"Could you get my schoolwork from Okazaki-sensei?" she asked.
Friday had sucked for Makoto. While she had brought a few books from her apartment before moving into Ren's apartment, they failed to entertain her for more than an hour at a time. Normally, when Makoto was bored with books she would do schoolwork. Unfortunately, she had forgotten to get her schoolwork for the coming days or ask anyone to do it for her.
It's only one day of work missed. How bad can it be? Worst comes to worst, I can just do it in one sitting like what Ren and I did, Makoto thought.
"Yeah. Sure," Ren quickly said before leaving. He was getting out the door a little later than usual, but Makoto wasn't sure why.
Maybe it's because he slept on the couch, Makoto reasoned before dismissing the thought. He was so willing to sleep on the couch. I shouldn't blame myself for him being tired.
On the topic of blaming herself for things, Makoto thought of Sae.
Has she gone back to the apartment yet? She never responded to my message about Kaneshiro. She probably has more important things to worry about. Besides, I'll be safe. The plan will work, Makoto told herself.
Ren went down to the first floor after he left Classroom 2-D during his lunch period. He planned on getting Makoto's homework then getting lunch for himself when a thought occurred to him.
If someone sees me getting Makoto's homework they could link it to her staying with me. The apartment is under Junpei's name, but I'd rather not draw any unnecessary suspicion. Shit… what third-years do I know? Ren, you idiot. You're in a club with two third-years.
Ren pulled out his phone.
Ren Amamiya:
-Could you meet me in front of Classroom 1-A? Makoto needs her work packet and I don't want to draw any suspicion.
Haru Okumura:
-Of course. I'll be there within 5 minutes.
Ren took to leaning against the lockers, scrolling through whatever he felt like on his phone. He knew that people were looking at him, but he believed he needed to stay buried in his phone. He navigated through so many useless applications just to look busy that he thought he was going to run out.
"Ren-kun," Haru said from Ren's left, making him put away his phone.
"Hey. Could you go ask Okazaki-san for Makoto's classwork from yesterday through Tuesday?" Haru looked confused at Ren's request. "Don't want any unnecessary attention, ya know? I have faith in the plan, but I don't want to strain it with suspicion when I don't have to."
"Ah, okay. I'll be right back," Haru said before entering the classroom.
Ren's phone came back out. He found himself in the 'Tips' application.
Who the hell actually takes time to read this? Wait, I can shake to undo typing? Never gonna use that, but cool. Kinda.
About a minute later, Haru emerged with a packet in hand. She held it up towards Ren, but he shook his head. Taking the packet now would defeat the whole point.
"How should I give it to you then?" Haru asked.
"We can just go to the roof. Shit, can I get my lunch first? You know what, wanna eat lunch together on the roof while we're there?"
Haru considered the offer, raising a finger to her chin.
"Sure. I'll meet you up there. Don't be long!" she said before she walked in the direction of the stairs.
Ren took that advice to heart. He rushed over to the bread shop and got the usual before swiftly making his way to the roof. Haru was tending to the plants, her bag and Makoto's packet placed on one of the abandoned desks. She looked up at Ren when she heard the door before making her way over to the desk her things were on. Ren went to the opposite desk and clumsily sat down, shifting the desk slightly with his weight. Haru took a seat of her own just after Ren did.
"What's new with you?" Ren asked as he took a bite of his bread.
"Not much has happened at home. It seems that the household is in something similar to limbo. The wedding has no date, but I am thankful that we don't seem to be any closer to choosing one."
Ren nervously chuckled. "Oh yeah. Your wedding."
I forgot about that. That being said, who can blame me? There's a lot going on.
"Mhm. I've been hoping that father will have some confidence-boosting epiphany and make him realize that he doesn't need Sugimura, but he is steadfast on going through with the marriage."
"Is there a-anything I can do?" Ren stiffly asked. He didn't know what to say, do, or how to act, so he just kept awkwardly eating his bread.
"Unfortunately, all marriage-related change is dependent on my father. There's nothing anyone can do unless they convince my father," Haru said. Ren opened his mouth with a sly look on his face, but Haru cut him off. "And no, you are not allowed to try and convince him."
Because I would make things worse, right? Is that my signature thing at this point?
Ren must've looked offended because Haru's stern expression softened.
"I'm sorry. I don't mean specifically you, I mean I don't want anyone to try and convince him except for me. I don't want other people to get involved and create problems for themselves."
Oh, so that's how it is? Haru doesn't want to burden people? Understandable. Me too, Haru. Me too.
"Totally cool," Ren nonchalantly said with a shrug, "but you gotta let us know if there's anything we can do to help."
"Of course. That's what GRAVY's for, right?"
Helping people? Bitch—Ren, don't call Haru a bitch. She's too nice—this club was formed to fill a requirement beyond me. I guess it's a little more than that now. A group of friends? I mean, are we friends with Yusuke? Does he even understand friendship? "An artist is beyond such trivial matters." Heh. That sounds like him. Shit, I'm still talking to Haru. Ren, say something!
"S-sure," Ren shakily said. "Mhm. That's exactly it."
"That's great!" Haru said excitedly, clasping her hands together in joy. "On the topic of GRAVY, how's Ryuji's plan going so far at your apartment?"
As Ren looked into Haru's expectant eyes, he knew that she was expecting a specific answer.
"Makoto and I are dating! I actually proposed to her last night. Would you like to come to the wedding? Oh, I almost forgot. Kaneshiro turned himself in the other night after he felt guilty for blackmailing teenage girls."
"Things are fine, I guess. I'm just tryna keep her mind off things, ya know? She doesn't seem down, so I think I'm doing alright," Ren said instead.
To Ren's surprise, Haru didn't push further for the answer he thought she wanted. She seemed satisfied with what he told her.
"How is she doing with not leaving the apartment?"
"I'm guessing she was a little bored yesterday with no schoolwork to do, but other than that, I dunno."
Haru nodded, then pondered Ren's answers for a few seconds.
"Ren, could you do me a favor?"
"'Course."
"Please do your best to keep Mako-chan happy. She deserves it more than anything right now, and I'm worried about what could happen to her if she isn't happy."
"I'll try, but what do I do? There's only so much homework to do together," Ren joked.
Haru didn't laugh. Ren got the message.
"What do you know about Mako-chan? Interests, hobbies…?"
Oh! She likes yakuza movies! Perfect!
"She likes yakuza and crime movies. Could watch a few of those with her," Ren said, continuing to eat his bread.
"Mhm. A movie marathon would be fun," Haru encouraged with a smile. "Ren, just remember that if worst comes to worst and you can't help Mako-chan, please tell me. Please."
That's… uh… threatening? Comforting? Shit, I don't know. I need to work on my people skills. Kawakami needs to stop lecturing me about shitty English literature and have lessons on social stuff. That's how I'll really learn. Hold up, I can just order her from the maid service and get a private lesson. If I make a bucket list, that's at the top, but the bucket list can wait. Makoto needs my focus and everyone in GRAVY's focus.
"Yeah, no problem." With that, Ren finished his bread. "I think I'm gonna head back in. Unless that is, you need help with the plants?"
"Hm? Oh, no. There isn't much work to be done on them today and it'll only be a few minutes. Besides, I like the time to myself."
Relatable. It's kinda hard to get that at the moment with everything going on. Haru is lucky.
Ren stood up from the desks, said goodbye to Haru, and went back into Shujin.
The door to the apartment opened, forcing Makoto to pull her head out of the book she was reading. She was a little scared to see who it was, but she knew it was Ren. He was the only one who had a key. Well, him and Iori.
Dealing with Iori-san's assumptions of why I'm here would not be ideal, Makoto thought.
It was Ren. He trudged through the doorway, quickly closing the door and locking it behind him. He tried turning the knob several times with no results. He was checking to see if it was locked. When he was done, he turned to Makoto, who was still sitting comfortably on the couch.
"Got your homework."
She didn't expect to be as excited as she was, but sitting around reading books was really getting to Makoto. None of the books she had were school-related and that made her feel like she wasn't bettering herself through reading them. What was the point if there was nothing to gain? No academic credit, no additional knowledge for an upcoming test, just a story.
Makoto tried to keep her usual composure as she got up to get the homework from Ren. Instead, he simply walked to the couch and handed her the packet over the furniture. She awkwardly accepted it, feeling foolish for standing up when it was unneeded. She sat back down, grabbing the unused pen from the coffee table in front of her while setting the packet down.
"Want some help?" Ren asked, sitting down next to her and getting his own homework out.
I don't know if you'd be much help, Ren, Makoto thought before chastising herself. Even if you didn't say it aloud, that was rude, Makoto.
"Oh, er, no thanks," Makoto said.
Makoto's turning down of Ren seemed to do little to affect him. Ren just smiled and nodded before turning to his own paper and getting to work. Makoto thought it was strange how quickly he had accepted Makoto's denial and moved on. She shook the feeling away as she began to stare down at her paper.
History is a decent subject to start with. Let's see… "Outline the lead-up to World War I and Japan's involvement on the global stage," Makoto read in her head.
The answer was simple enough for Makoto. She put pen to paper when her hand shook, drawing an unsalvageable line on the paper. She quickly moved on by adjusting her answer space. When she tried to write again, her hand shook even more. She managed to finish the word this time, but it was so sloppily written that Makoto was sure she was the only one who could read it.
Makoto looked over at Ren. He was contently working on his homework, efficiently making his way down the page, not hesitating with his answers. It was clean, it was neat, and it must've been correct.
Makoto looked at her paper. There was a random line and an unintelligible word. She took a deep breath and attempted to write the answer again. This time, when she rested the tip of the pen on the paper her mind was blank. All she thought about was how messy her paper was without even one complete answer on it. The writing was messy, it was ineligible, and most importantly, the quality of the homework was no longer in her control. She couldn't fix it. No matter what, the grade she received would be affected by the sloppiness on that first page.
The lack of control reminded her of another thing. Her father's death. Before she took a drive down memory lane, she took another deep breath and flipped through the packet.
Math. Math's always been easy, she thought before reading the first problem. "Find the standard deviation of the given dataset."
Standard deviation was a pain, but it was easy when one knew the process of solving for it. Makoto took a minute to analyze the data before getting to work. When she was about to start writing out the answer, just as the pen was centimeters from the paper, she realized how much her hand was shaking. She looked down at her hand, suspended in the air. A little shakiness was guaranteed, but Makoto didn't know what to do with her hands shaking that much.
She brought the pen down, trying to keep her hand still by putting pressure on the pen. She only realized she was pressing too hard when she felt a throbbing pain in the fingertips that held the pen. With a sigh, she let the pencil drop onto the coffee table as she dejectedly sat back into the couch. Ren looked over.
"Need some help?" he asked with his confident smirk.
Makoto didn't know if the smirk was meant to make fun of her or not, but she dismissed the thought. Ren had proven himself to her. She was staying in his apartment. There was little to no possibility that he was bitter towards her. When the familiar self-blaming thoughts came, they were quickly silenced.
"N-no, it's fine," Makoto said as she rubbed her forehead in frustration.
Ren looked at her paper anyway. She saw his eyes scan over the problems, not reacting abnormally.
"Standard deviation? Makoto, take my standard advice and deviate from doing your homework," Ren said, now looking her in the eye instead of at her paper. His corny smile was endearing.
"Ha. Ha," Makoto teased back. Even if Ren's joke sucked, it cheered her up a little.
"But if I'm being honest, you got a lotta time to do the work. You can just set it aside and come back to it when you feel ready."
"Y-you're right. I think I'll take a break for now."
Makoto pushed the packet away from her. She settled into a comfy position on the couch. She wasn't sure what she was going to do for the time being, as Ren was doing his work and she had planned on being entertained by her own schoolwork.
What a sad thought. I consider schoolwork entertainment, Makoto thought.
She settled on using her phone. She would occasionally check on Ren to make sure he was progressing smoothly with his homework. If she was burdening his lifestyle, she wanted to make sure that she wasn't burdening his grades.
Ren's homework took longer than expected. By the time he was done, it was already a late time for dinner. By the time they ate, it was almost time for bed.
That's what they did. Makoto went to Ren's room, and he stayed on the couch. Saturday was over, and Makoto was one day closer to Kaneshiro.
Sunday, 6/12 - 2 Days Until Deadline
Ren awoke, the dark apartment having little light. He rolled over to look in the direction of where his clock would be, only for his face to be met by the couch pillows.
Damn. I hope no one saw that. Ren, you idiot. Who would see that? Makoto? Oh shit, she actually could have seen that.
Ren quickly sat up to make sure that she wasn't looking at him. He scanned the apartment. It was empty, and the door to Ren's room was still closed.
Oh, she's still asleep. Nice. Back to sleep I go.
Just as Ren laid back down and closed his eyes, he heard the door to his room open.
Goddammit.
He rolled back up into a sitting position, blankets still wrapped around him, to see Makoto exiting his room. She wore a baggy t-shirt and gray sweatpants. Despite just waking up, at least that's what Ren assumed, Makoto looked good. Really good. The sight of her woke Ren up more than any alarm, phone call, or former runner ever could.
Holy shit… she woke up like that. I know that she's always looked like that, but like… damn. Wait, why the hell am I just noticing now? Eh, who cares. Enjoy the moment, Ren.
Makoto, still not looking in Ren's direction, made her way to the kitchen. She opened the fridge just as Ren got an idea. He slowly got off of the couch, making sure to make as little noise as possible. Makoto, who was occupied with searching the fridge, was facing the opposite direction of Ren. He crept towards the kitchen.
The plan was for Ren to silently sit on one of the stools and then make his presence known to Makoto, scaring her, hopefully making her blush, and hopefully entertaining him.
All of that went down the drain when Ren stepped on something thin and furry. He didn't even have time to look down before his life flashed before his eyes.
"MREOW!" Morgana leaped up towards Ren's face, batting at his head out of anger.
"AGH! FUCK! I'M SORRY!"
Makoto screamed, dropping the container that she was pulling out of the fridge. She was definitely scared, but Ren felt no satisfaction from that part of his plan succeeding.
"SHIT! SORRY MA- FUCKING STOP, MORGANA!" Ren yelled as Morgana got a good scratch in on Ren's cheek. At this point, Ren was flailing around the area between the couch and the kitchen, trying his best not to run into anything.
Makoto kept screaming, Morgana kept clawing, Ren kept swearing. It was becoming cyclical until Ren finally jerked his head enough that Morgana fell from his head, the cat still landing on his feet. Morgana gave a look of entitled anger to Ren before sauntering off into the kitchen.
Ren, wiping some blood from his cheek, saw Makoto crouch down before rising back up with Morgana in her arms.
"There there… it's okay, Morgana. He didn't mean it. It was just an accident…" she said softly as she rocked Morgana as if the cat was a baby.
Ren nervously chuckled, causing Makoto to shoot him a glare. All amusement drained from Ren's face.
"Was it not an accident? Is that why you're laughing?" Makoto sternly asked.
"Er, no… it's just a habit. Sorry."
"Don't say sorry to me," Makoto said, glancing down to Morgana in her arms. "For that, at least."
"Bruh, he's a cat."
Morgana angrily meowed.
"Now you have three apologies to make," Makoto insisted.
"Fine… Morgana, I am sorry that I stepped on your tail. And I'm sorry for calling you a cat. You're most definitely not a cat and bare no resemblance to any feline." Sometimes the most sarcastic responses are the ones that have no sarcasm in tone. Ren embraced that.
Morgan didn't angrily meow, instead letting out an appeased meow.
Success, I guess?
"And the third?" Makoto reminded.
"Hm? What would I apolo-" Ren noticed Makoto's angry stare. "Oh, y-yeah. Makoto, I'm sorry for scaring you. My bad."
"It's alright, but don't do it again. Poor Morgana…" she said as she pet the cat, who looked quite content sitting in Makoto's arms.
"So…" Ren awkwardly began, "breakfast?"
"Oh! That reminds me!" Makoto became noticeably less angry and Ren was interested in knowing why. "I thought I could make breakfast."
But like… why? ...Ohhh, it doesn't matter and I should just agree? That's becoming a common thing. Eh. Whatever. Maybe she's a good cook.
"Go ahead. Can't promise that I have any of the stuff you need, though. I haven't made any food of my own since I got here," Ren said as he took a seat at the kitchen counter.
Makoto picked up what she had dropped during the incident, revealing a carton of eggs that Ren didn't even know he had.
There's not much else in there, and I'm sure most of it's old. I've been eating food that I purchased the day of, so the fridge is just filled with Junpei's stuff. I should clean it out.
"Just warning you, those have probably been in there since before I got to Tokyo," Ren said.
Makoto wasn't happy about that. She threw the carton of eggs in the trash with a sigh. Her dejected facial expression worried Ren to the point where he considered leaving the apartment to help her.
"Woah, hey, it's not that big of a deal. I can go grab some eggs from the convenience store if you want?"
"No… it's fine. It'll be lunchtime by the time I'd finish making them now."
"Well… there's a breakfast place down the street. I can call in an order for pickup and bring it back. How's that sound?"
Makoto smiled at Ren. He was glad to know that not being able to make the food didn't bring down Makoto's mood too much, but he still wanted to give her the opportunity if it was going to be her last time doing so.
Ren quickly found the number of the breakfast place from the maps application on his phone. He called in and placed an order for two "Breakfast Specials" as the menu described them. They consisted of rice, miso soup, and grilled fish. There were no eggs in the dish, but it was the cheapest item on an incredibly expensive menu. Makoto didn't mind when Ren told her. A few minutes after ordering, Ren left the apartment.
Roughly twenty minutes later, he was back. The place had had the food ready for pickup as soon as he got there, allowing him to get back to the apartment in a short amount of time. He and Makoto readily unpacked the take-out bag that Ren had, both of them sitting on stools at the kitchen counter.
"So whaddya wanna do today?" Ren asked before starting on his meal.
Makoto was still organizing herself while she answered. She carefully placed paper towels under her plate to make sure she didn't dirty Ren's counters. He would've told her that she didn't need to do that if he didn't think it was cute.
"Um, I-I don't want to interrupt any plans of yours…" Makoto awkwardly said.
"Shit. You just did."
"W-what?" Makoto nervously looked over at Ren, stopping her breakfast preparation.
Ren took a bite of his food.
"My plans for the day were to do whatever you wanted to do. By not giving me an answer, you have technically interrupted my plans."
"O-oh…" Makoto didn't continue into what she wished to do, as Ren expected her to do.
Ren grew a little frustrated, but contained himself and stayed calm.
"Makoto, how about we have a Makoto Movie Marathon today? We just watch your favorite movies."
Makoto perked up at the idea as if she hadn't thought of it.
"I'd like that. A lot. Erm, thanks, uh, R-ren." Makoto's awkwardness at saying his name didn't go unnoticed to Ren, but he disregarded it and continued eating his breakfast.
Makoto sat on the couch next to Ren, her movie of choice playing on the TV. Ren had told her had access to every movie, but wouldn't enlighten her on how or why. She didn't mind, as it let her watch a movie she normally couldn't at her own apartment. Streaming services and exclusivity had taken that away from her.
At Makoto's request, the Makoto Movie Marathon had been changed to the Ren and Makoto Movie Marathon. She felt like she would be forcing him to watch her movies, some of which were admittedly low quality. Ren had agreed to the change of plans, so going forward they would alternate who would choose the movie.
While she was excited about the movie marathon, Makoto was not excited for Ren to watch her favorite movies with her. If she was embarrassed from telling him that her favorite movies were mostly yakuza and crime movies, it would be even worse watching them.
The icing on the cake was that Makoto had blanked when the time came to select the first movie to watch. While Trial of the Dragon was her first choice, she had dismissed the movie as an option as she believed it was too early in the day for intense and violent action scenes with lots of gore.
She resorted to suggesting the first movie that came to mind.
Buchi's Express was a children's movie, but it was too wholesome, too comforting to not be appreciated by all ages. Makoto, an eighteen-year-old, still got a kick out of watching it. She was worried Ren would think her weird for choosing it, and he had been off-put by the suggestion at first, but he seemed genuinely engaged in the movie.
"How do y-you like it so far," Makoto asked, staring at his face to analyze him for the real answer.
"It's kinda awesome, to be honest. Buchimaru's character development has been crazy. He went from being a naive panda to being this badass leader in just an hour," he said, not taking his eyes off the screen.
I'm surprised he's enjoying it and not faking it for me. Wait, why would he fake his enjoyment just for me? Does he care that much? Makoto thought, feeling her cheeks warm at the thought. She quickly grew embarrassed and refocused her attention on the movie, thankful that Ren was engrossed enough to not pay attention to her.
Ren's first movie choice was definitely something. Makoto knew that they had similar taste in movies, so she had requested that Ren choose something that wasn't yakuza or crime-related so she could experience something new.
Challenge accepted.
While his choice was a bit of a joke, he did enjoy the film he chose.
First Reality VII: Departure Adults was not a good movie. The dialogue didn't flow very well, the voice actors phoned in their roles, and the story was convoluted to the point of being stupid, but the movie had two things going for it: it's music and visuals. The fights looked fucking awesome and had some great orchestral music behind them. It was a good movie to turn one's brain off to and just watch cool shit play out.
Ren didn't think Makoto would enjoy the movie, but he chose it anyway. His choice was more meant to remind her that this was supposed to be her marathon and the choice of movie was up to her. Unfortunately, and fortunately, Makoto was on the edge of her seat the whole time.
Ren could even swear he heard Makoto say, "Woah," in amazement at one of the action scenes. She seemed to be enjoying the movie more than him. He didn't mind, as that was definitely a good thing.
Several movies later, it was time for dinner. Still relaxing on the couch, Ren turned to Makoto after their current movie had ended.
"You wanna cook something for dinner? I know that you wanted to make breakfast, and I was thinking dinner could make up for it."
"Well… actually," Makoto said, her face reddening, "I was hoping we could just keep watching movies. Can we order something to the apartment? I-if it's not too expensive, I mean."
That's really, really cool. It's awesome that she's enjoying the marathon this much. Good job, Ren. You've earned one day at the maid cafe- wait, where did that come from? I've never even been to a maid cafe… wait a minute, maybe that's my problem. Shit. I should talk to Ryuji about this. After all of this is over, of course.
"Yeah, sure. Sushi?"
"Are you sure? I don't want you to pay too-"
"I wouldn't have suggested it. Now, which rolls do you want? I'm gonna make the call in a few."
Makoto gave Ren her order and he made the call. Half an hour later, which was spent watching another movie of Ren's choice, the delivery guy arrived. Ren thanked the man and brought the food back in, setting it on the coffee table. It was the same sushi place that Ren had ordered from for the GRAVY party, and the familiar logo on the bag gave him some nostalgia.
Heh. Those were the days.
He then realized what he was thinking.
That was a little over a month ago. You have no right to be nostalgic over any of that. And you were miserable post-party anyway. Not like it was a fun time or anything.
But he didn't care because there was sushi to eat. Damn good sushi at that. Makoto seemed to agree too, not even doing her little paper towel routine before eating. The meal was that appetizing. The movie they were watching continued through all of this.
The movie Ren had chosen this time was one he actually considered good. Really good. It was his favorite movie growing up, and there was a special place in his heart for it. Earth Harmony: Episode V - The Conflict Dials Back was a masterpiece of film from Ren's perspective. The only thing about it that he didn't like was the title. It was too long and slightly misleading.
Makoto and Ren finished their food, both of them settling back into comfy positions on the couch. The movie continued on, reaching its climax. The main character, John Groundrunner, was face to face with the movie's antagonist, President Fader. Groundrunner was the leader of a conflict mediation task force sent to Washington D.C. to quell President Fader's imperialist goals. The peace negotiations spiraled out of control. Fader captured Groundrunner's task force, leading to Groundrunner sneaking into the White House to rescue his friends.
In the climax, Groundrunner was cornered by Fader in the Oval Office, leading to a martial arts duel. Groundrunner lost the duel, his arm being dislocated in the process. Just as Fader was about to deal the killing blow, a revelation that Ren believed was genius was dropped onto the viewer and Groundrunner.
"Did Kenobi ever tell you what happened to your father?" Fader asked menacingly.
"He told me you killed him!" Groundrunner viciously replied, gripping his dislocated arm with his other.
"No, I am your father," Fader revealed.
Makoto gasped.
"No! There's no way!" she said in disbelief to the TV.
Ren just laughed.
"Believe it."
"I can't…"
The scene continued. The Oval Office exploded, revealing a hole in the wall when the dust settled and a knocked out President Fader. Groundrunner's task force, who had apparently freed themselves, stood on the other side of the hole in the wall, beckoning him to escape. With one last look towards his father, Groundrunner left the White House.
The credits rolled after that.
"That was… incredible. I've never seen anything like that."
"Wait till you watch the other ones," Ren said encouragingly.
"I definitely will. This was just so…" Makoto droned on, positive comment after positive comment. Ren tuned her out, but not without a good reason.
She's talking about the future. That's fucking awesome. She's happy. Seeing her like this… her smile… it's the only expression I wanna see on her face. Makoto deserves to be this happy all the time, and I'm gonna do everything I can to provide that, even if it's just so I can see that smile. But damn, who wouldn't?
Makoto kept praising the film, Ren kept blissfully staring at her, and the credits kept rolling, to the point where autoplay triggered and another movie started playing. Neither of them realized the new movie was playing until the opening theme caught Makoto's attention, ending her review of Earth Harmony.
Makoto looked at the TV just as the title of the movie was revealed.
" Catherine ? Have you seen this?" she asked.
"Hm?" Ren looked over at the TV, realizing that autoplay had triggered. "Nah, never even heard of it. You?"
"No, neither have I."
"All good. I can just turn it off," Ren said, grabbing for the remote on the coffee table.
"Wait, this looks interesting…" Makoto trailed off, settling into the couch and focusing on the screen.
Ren did the same. On-screen was a scene of conflict, though not nearly as interesting as anything from Earth Harmony. A man named Vincent and Katherine were arguing about the future of their relationship. Ren, immediately bored of the premise, looked over at Makoto.
"You really wanna-"
"Shush!"
I guess she's enjoying it. Fuck, am I really gonna watch this to keep her happy? Of course I am.
The movie, if not good, was definitely different. Over its two-hour runtime, Vincent ran into sleep demons, succubi, drinking buddies, arcade games, and a charming bar owner that reminded Ren of Sojiro a little too much. In the film's final moments, Vincent and Katherine solved their relationship disputes and stood at the altar, ready for their future together.
Ren looked over at Makoto, not interested enough in the scene to keep his eyes on the screen. Her eyes were locked on the TV, a big smile on her face like she was some sort of excited kid.
Didn't know she was into romance movies. Actually, I dunno if this is even a romance movie. Putting it into one genre seems a little offensive towards its originality. But whatever, who cares about that shit? What I care about is Makoto's smile. Damn, that smile. I could watch her smile all night. Shit, if I throw on a few romance movies maybe I can. Not a bad idea…
That was when Ren's phone rang. Makoto angrily looked over.
"Ren! Silence your phone during movies!" she fiercely demanded.
"My bad. Lemme take the call. Don't pause it for me," he said before standing up and walking away from the couch.
He went into his own room, shutting the door behind him so he wouldn't interrupt Makoto's viewing experience any more than he already had. He accepted the call and held the phone to his ear.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Ren," Haru said. "I am calling to tell you that I have assigned four more guards to the area surrounding the apartment building."
"Oh, well, uh thanks," Ren awkwardly said.
For interrupting my moment.
"You sound upset. Did I interrupt something?"
Yeah, but I don't want her to feel bad.
"N-no, not really." Ren mentally cursed at himself for being a shitty actor when interacting with people he cared about.
I guess it's harder to lie to people who don't deserve to be lied to. Duh.
"Ren, I can tell that I did. What were you doing?" The authority of the Okumura name came through in Haru's voice.
"Makoto and I did that movie marathon thing. We just finished one."
"Oh, that's wonderful! How's it been?"
"Pretty good. She seems like she's having fun, so that's what matters most, I guess."
Haru didn't speak for a few seconds. Ren would've become worried, but her voice returned soon, albeit lower and in a more gossiping tone.
"Did you try 'the move?'"
"Hm? What's that?"
"You know… where you yawn and put your hand over-"
"Ohhhh… yeah, no. Definitely not. Not the time and place for it."
"So you're saying you would do it if it was the time and place?" Haru excitedly asked.
"Well, uh-"
"Good to know! Goodbye, Ren!" Haru said cheerfully before she hung up on Ren.
Ren put his phone in his pocket.
Way to go, Ren. Smoothest man alive when it matters least.
He left his bedroom, returning to the living area and the couch. The credits of Catherine were rolling on screen, so Makoto was fine with conversing.
"Who was that?"
"Just Haru. She told me that a few more guards are outside now."
"Oh. That's good."
"Yep," Ren awkwardly said.
Silence settled. Ren nervously glanced around the room. When his eyes landed on Makoto, he realized she was doing the same, only adding to the awkwardness.
"I think I'm gonna go to bed," Makoto said before standing up from the couch.
"You sure? Don't have one more in you?"
"Even if I'm not going to school I have to maintain a decent sleep schedule, you know," she said before walking up to Ren.
They both stood in front of the couch, just a few feet away from each other. Makoto was trying to look Ren in the eye, but his anxiety for whatever she was doing wouldn't let him look at her. He kept glancing around the room. If Ren wasn't so uncomfortable in the awkwardness he would've realized that Makoto was just as nervous as him.
"Ren." Makoto's voice made him focus on her eyes. Those beautiful red eyes. "Thank y-you. Today was a lot of fun."
Ren's nerves didn't get a chance to calm as Makoto hugged him.
Woah. Hug good.
He didn't know what to do, or what to think. He stiffly hugged her back like he was someone who had never given a hug before. But he didn't care.
She smells nice. And her shoulder is comfy. Ren, don't you dare fuck this up. If you fuck this up, you're taking yourself for going to juvenile hall. I don't care if you don't wanna go, you'd have fucked up hugging Makoto. Just hug her back like- shut the fuck up. Don't think about it too much. You'll ruin it.
Ren tried to do that, but he just ended up getting lost in the moment, closing his eyes and appreciating Makoto's hug.
"R-ren? Are you alright?" Makoto shakily asked.
"I'm perfect."
"I'm gonna pull away now."
I fucked up.
"Okay," Ren dejectedly replied.
Makoto ended the awkwardly prolonged hug and walked towards Ren's bedroom door.
"Goodnight, Ren. Sorry if that was a bit w-weird," she quietly said before going into the room and closing it behind her.
Ren just stood in front of the couch like an idiot, a smile on his face.
I've done it. I've achieved eternal bliss. Fuck drugs, fuck money, fuck success, I just got hugged by Makoto Niijima.
He actually stood there for a few more minutes before realizing that Makoto could come back out at any time and see how stupid he was being. Ashamed, he quickly lied down on the couch and tried to go to sleep.
But that hug. It kept him awake, smiling at himself.
Makoto didn't know why she hugged him. In the moment, she had been so thankful that Ren had taken the day to just watch movies with her. And the movies they watched were enjoyable, so that was an added bonus.
But the real joy of the day was just spending time with Ren. They didn't talk about Kaneshiro, they didn't talk about Yoshiro, they didn't talk about anything negative. They just pretend that everything was perfect.
In that singular moment where Makoto hugged Ren, there was no pretending. It really was perfect. Moments throughout the day had come close. There were a few times that Makoto looked at Ren while he was focused on the movies and had felt her face warming for no apparent reason. Just looking at him felt soothing.
But none of it compared to the hug. The first few seconds, at least. Makoto hadn't done any hugging for what felt like years. She didn't know what to do with her arms or if it was too much to hold Ren closer to her. Makoto even thought that she ruined the moment by letting the hug go on for too long.
For a second, laying there in Ren's bed, Makoto thought that Ren wouldn't like her because of the hug.
But she was too happy to entertain the thought for more than that one second.
Makoto wanted to fall asleep. As she truthfully told Ren, she really did want to adhere to her normal sleep schedule.
But that hug. It kept her awake, smiling at herself.
Monday, 6/13 - 1 Day Until Deadline
Ren had rushed out of the apartment that morning, not wanting to deal with whatever baggage came with the morning after the reality-altering event that was a hug. Almost as soon as he stepped out of the apartment, everything caught up to him.
It was the last day. One more day until Kaneshiro acted. The day could be Makoto's last and Ren had rushed out the door.
He would've chastised himself if he had any time to do so. Ren had quizzes in most of his classes, and that didn't leave a lot of room for self-reflection.
With those quizzes and the school day as a whole, he was ready for that self-reflection when he got back to the apartment.
But that was where things went wrong.
As soon as he stepped out of Classroom 2-D, Yoshiro grinned at him from across the hallway, leaning against the lockers.
"You guys celebrating the bitch's last day?" he asked.
"Fuck off."
Ren tried to walk away from Yoshiro, attempting the same route that he had on Friday. Yoshiro just stepped in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. Getting past Yoshiro was no small task. The volleyball player had the height advantage and was an established athlete. Ren wasn't completely out of shape, but he didn't go to the gym enough to be considered muscular. His average build wasn't enough to just push Yoshiro out of the way.
"Don't you wanna hear what I have to say?" Yoshiro pushed Ren backward as he said it.
"No. Fuck off."
Ren tried to walk past again only to receive another push backward. Learning that it was pointless to try, he held his ground. The students trying to walk past the altercation was a little annoyed but didn't complain. Ren was still Shujin's problem child by reputation.
"Okay, okay, but you gotta answer one question for me," Yoshiro said. Ren opened his mouth to curse at Yoshiro again but was cut off. "Do you think she likes getting her hair pulled?"
Don't fucking do it. Don't even think about it.
Ren, taking a deep breath, turned, and walked in the other direction. Yoshiro quickly stopped him again. Students were taking notice that something more than just a verbal altercation was taking place and began to gather.
"Rumor's out that she likes it rough. Just raw lust, ya know? I mean, she's interested in you, the school delinquent that nobody could ever love," Yoshiro teased.
Ren was thankful the crowd didn't know who Yoshiro was referring to. He didn't care much about the latter half of Yoshiro's comment. Forgetting his prior lesson, he tried to push past Yoshiro. A much harder shove this time put him back in his place.
"You know, I think by the time I'm done with her she'll be screaming my name!" Yoshiro declared loudly.
A few murmurs went through the crowd, Ren disregarding all of them. Among the crowd was Ann, trying to play the part of peacekeeper but Ren was blocking her and everything else out. If Ren was paying attention, he would've heard Ryuji yelling for people to get out of the way. But he wasn't listening. There was one thing, one person he was focused on. Keeping calm seemed like a distant memory.
"Yoshiro!" the volleyball player mocked with a moan.
Makoto's beaming smile while watching movies flashed through Ren's head.
"Fuck, Yoshiro!" Yoshiro continued.
Makoto's eyes flashed into Ren's head.
"Please!"
The hug flashed into Ren's mind.
Yoshiro stepped close to Ren, as close as Makoto had been for that hug.
"I'm gonna make her my fucking whore. It's what Kamoshida would've wanted."
Her smile. Her eyes. The hug.
Ren snapped.
Seeing as he was small, he had the speed advantage. Given the short distance between the two, Yoshiro could do little to stop Ren. He jabbed a fist right into Yoshiro's nose. The goal was to break Yoshiro's nose and force the bone into his brain, killing him, but Ren doubted that that was even possible and settled for breaking the boy's nose.
He didn't get it on the first try. Yoshiro stumbled backward, clutching his nose with blood dripping down his hand.
The crowd was yelling. Other members of GRAVY were trying to get through the crowd to Ren, but the students were too riled up, too interested in the drama to give up their front row seats.
"It's what Kamoshida would've wanted."
Ren punched Yoshiro in the nose again. Yoshiro was hunched over from the first punch, so the angle of Ren's second jab was enough for a crunching sound to be heard from Yoshiro, more blood pouring out of his nose. Some from the punch splattered onto the floor.
"Heh. Eh goh to yhou, dint eh?" Yoshiro nasally said, looking up at Ren.
He was smiling like he had succeeded, like he had won. Ren wouldn't allow that. The fucker was going to pay no matter how wide his grin was. "It's what Kamoshida would've wanted."
Another punch, this one just Ren slamming his fist into the exposed side of Yoshiro's head. The volleyball player dropped to a knee, now using both his hands to contain the blood from his nose.
Ren heard Yoshiro chuckling and decided he didn't even want to hear the teenager breathe.
Ren looked at the lockers on the wall, now only a few feet from Yoshiro. Some blood was splattered onto them, but more couldn't hurt, right? Well, it didn't matter to Ren.
"It's what Kamoshida would've wanted."
Ren grabbed Yoshiro's by putting his left hand under the volleyball player's chin and his right hand behind the head.
"Woah, woah, dohn yhou wanna heah how eh dih et?" Yoshiro said, now realizing there was a real threat to his safety as he stared at the metal lockers.
Ren didn't say anything because he didn't care. There was only one thing on his mind: slamming Yoshiro's head into the lockers.
"I'm gonna make her my fucking whore."
He pulled Yoshiro's head back, ready to accomplish what he longed to do. He was so focused on his goal that he forgot there was a crowd. He forgot he was at school. He forgot he was on probation.
But he didn't forget one thing.
"Ren!" Makoto yelled.
Ren let go of Yoshiro's head as he came back to himself. The rage he had felt cleared like water down the drain. The crowd, the yells, everything came rushing back. Yoshiro was next to him on all fours, a small puddle of blood forming on the floor under him.
But where was Makoto? Ren could've sworn that he heard her. No, he knew that he heard her. And how was she able to get Ren's attention if she was nowhere to be seen?
Ren's questions went unanswered, but the crowd began to disperse on one side. Ren got his hopes up, believing Makoto to be the one coming through the crowd.
But it wasn't Makoto. It was Maruki.
"Amamiya-kun, what-"
"Yeah. I know," Ren said in defeat.
It was over. He would be expelled from Shujin, forced into juvenile hall. His life was over. Not only his but depending on how long he had, Makoto's too. If he was sent away before the next day, Makoto might not make it.
"Everyone, please, get out of here. There's nothing to see," Maruki commanded.
Maruki's a smart guy, but that's the dumbest thing anyone's ever said. There's a lot to see here. No one's gonna leave. They wanna see the transfer student get expelled.
The crowd dispersed anyway. Students walked down the halls, Ren could hear them having normal conversations as if the fight never happened. The students who didn't leave were familiar. Ann and Ryuji rushed over to Ren.
"Jesus, dude, the fuck are you thinkin'?!" Ryuji yelled.
"I…" Ren was in disbelief at himself. He looked down at Yoshiro, pitifully holding himself above a pool of blood.
The fuck was I thinking? I was gonna fucking kill him. But… I understand why I did. Those things he said… I lost control.
Even looking down at the beaten Yoshiro, he still felt the urge to hurt the guy. He was able to keep himself in check, as Yoshiro wasn't able to do much talking. While he was in control, he still hated every atom of Yoshiro Takata.
"Ren," Maruki said, surprising Ren by using his first name. "I'll have to report this to Kobayakawa. A student was harmed."
He was more than harmed and he fucking deserved it.
"Go ahead. I was justified."
Maruki sighed.
"So be it. Don't think I've forgotten our conversations." Maruki crouched down to Yoshiro's level. "Takata-kun, can you stand?"
Shakily, Yoshiro stood up, glaring at Ren. Blood was covering his nose, mouth, chin, and cheeks.
"Good. Please follow me and I'll help you out," Maruki said before walking in the direction of the practice building.
Before Yoshiro turned to follow Maruki, he gave Ren one last look.
"I win."
Yoshiro followed Maruki away.
Ann and Ryuji closed in on Ren.
"You know what's gonna happen, right?" Ann asked.
"Yeah. I don't care. He deserved it. The things he was saying about her…"
"Hey, man, we understand. But you gotta remember your situation. That may be the end of all this," Ryuji said, gesturing towards the halls of Shujin as if Ren was fond of them. "Ren, I know you overreact to things, but you wouldn't have done this if you really didn't have to. Please, just tell me: did he deserve it?"
Makoto's smile. Makoto's eyes. The hug.
"More than you know," Ren said, trying to walk away. When Ann and Ryuji tried to follow he stopped. "Guys, I appreciate whatever you wanna say, but… just leave me alone. I don't wanna talk about it. Stick to the plan, and stay away from my apartment. I'll call if I need anything."
Ren kept walking. This time, Ryuji and Ann didn't follow.
Ren didn't go back to the apartment after school. He opted to just go to work at Leblanc for a longer shift. During that shift, he said barely any words to Sojiro and kept the banter to a minimum. At least Sojiro didn't ask why Ren was washing blood off his knuckles.
When Sojiro forced Ren to leave early due to there not being any more work to do, Ren didn't put up a fight. He took some leftover curry with him for dinner that night and began to go back to his apartment.
When he opened the door, Makoto was sitting on the couch watching TV. When she turned her head to look at Ren she had the same smile on her face that she had the night before. Ren didn't smile back. He just walked over to the kitchen counter and set down the curry container. Not saying any words to Makoto, or even looking at her, he went straight to the bathroom.
Ren took a shower. He hoped it would calm him down, make him less uptight about everything and not worry Makoto. Maybe it did calm him down, but he would only truly find out when he spoke to Makoto. He quickly dressed in more comfortable attire before leaving the bathroom.
Makoto was waiting for him.
"Ren," she said sternly. She was standing next to the couch, so the message was clear enough.
Ren timidly sat down. Makoto wasn't giving him an NDS, but her forceful inquisitiveness was a bit intimidating. She sat down next to him, her stern expression softening and becoming kind.
"Ryuji told me what happened."
"Oh…"
"You don't have to talk about it," Makoto said kindly. "Ryuji's says that Takata deserved it. Is this true?"
Makoto's calm tone, her lack of anger, was extremely comforting to Ren. The last time he had done something against the norm on this level everyone had been angry and stern with him. This time, it was just Makoto and she only wanted to talk.
"Yes."
"I believe you. Violence isn't the answer, but I know you, Ren. You don't have to tell me what he did, you don't-"
Not hesitating to think about the effect his reply would have on Makoto, Ren spoke.
"He talked about you."
"W-what?"
"He said things about you. And I lost it. Just as everything was about to… you know… I heard something. I-it… was you. I heard your voice."
"Ren are you, um, feeling alright?" Makoto asked, concern and nervousness washing over her face.
"Yes. I swear that I heard you. This isn't me fucking around, I heard your voice. I'm sure of it," Ren said forcefully as if the tone would make Makoto believe him more. "Were you at Shujin today?"
"No, I… I've been here all day." Makoto looked troubled by what Ren said.
"I… huh. Fuck, maybe I'm not alright."
"No. I can tell that you're not lying."
Ren didn't know what to say to that. He kept his mouth shut and didn't look Makoto in the eye. From how much he was looking at the ceiling one would think that it was the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
"Um, Ren?" Makoto got Ren's attention. He turned his head to look at her. "What did he say?"
"Things I will never repeat and never let happen. Don't worry about it, Makoto. It's okay."
"I…" Makoto didn't agree, but Ren didn't push her further.
Makoto got off the couch and went to the kitchen to eat her curry.
"W-would you like some?" she called over to Ren.
"Not hungry."
As Makoto microwaved the curry, Ren took the TV remote and changed the channel to the news. He half expected to see his face and the announcement of a police manhunt but there was nothing of the sort.
"Hajime Sugimura's campaign for prime minister has ramped up in the past several weeks. Several rallies have been held, with Sugimura himself attending and giving speeches," the newswoman said. "With Sugimura's qualifications, more and more voters seem to be turning to him in mock election polls. Whether he'll maintain this rate of growth through the rest of the year remains to be seen, but I wouldn't be surprised to be referring to Sugimura as prime minister when the election concludes."
The newswoman moved on to something else, but Ren was still caught up in what she had previously reported.
Sugimura, huh? And Haru's marrying Nobuo Sugimura? Haru's dad must really want the political clout that comes from a Sugimura marriage.
"Ren, would you like to do a mini-marathon tonight?" Makoto called over from the kitchen, pulling him out of his thoughts.
"Hm? Why?"
"Well… I thought that…"
She wants to keep our spirits up, huh? Shit, did I hurt her feelings by asking? Time to make a save.
"I asked why as in 'why would you even ask?' Of course, we can do a marathon."
"O-oh," Makoto said with surprise.
Ren looked over the couch to the kitchen. He could see Makoto, getting the curry out of the microwave with a smile on her face.
It's that smile.
He forgot about everything that had happened that day.
The movie was drawing to a close. It was getting late, and Ren knew that they would have to conclude the mini-marathon soon. That was the last thing he wanted to do.
Ren and Makoto had watched Trial of the Dragon. Technically, they watched it twice, albeit one was the original and one was the remake. The remake wasn't nearly as good, but the tomboy actress in the lead role with the short hair was giving a killer performance. Ren would've taken the time to learn the actress's name if he wasn't focused on other things.
He spent more time looking at Makoto than at the movie. She was captivated enough to not notice Ren's staring. Ren was similarly captivated. As the movie drew to a close, Ren noticed something horrifying: the smile on Makoto's face was thinning. It confirmed what they both knew: that this would be the last thing they did before Kaneshiro's deadline came.
Ren scooted closer to Makoto, she took notice and gave an alarmed look, but it certainly wasn't an upset look. It was more of her being nervous and shy. Ren was nervous too, but he knew he had to stay calm for Makoto's sake.
"It's gonna be alright. You know that, right?"
Makoto audibly gulped before nervously nodding.
"Y-yeah. The plan will w-w…" Makoto trailed off.
Ren scooted closer.
"Can I do something?"
Makoto quickly nodded, giving Ren the go-ahead. He stretched his arm back and put it over her shoulder.
HOLY SHIT I'M REALLY GOING FOR IT. I'M DOING IT. I WON!
"Oh, o-okay," Makoto nervously said, shifting her weight to comfortably adjust to the new position.
"Makoto, no one will take you. No one will get into this apartment, no one will get past me. Do you understand?"
"Y-yes."
"You're gonna be alright. You're already alright."
The film reached its closing moments. Ren felt Makto rest her head against his shoulder.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA…
"Thanks, Ren. I mean it."
"Hey, I'm just telling you the facts. No need to thank me," Ren said with a chuckle.
Ren felt and heard Makoto giggle.
"I'm being serious. Thanks for everything. Talking to me back in April, taking me to Leblanc for my birthday, inviting me to GRAVY, the party, for letting me stay in apartment… everything," Makoto said. "I don't know where I'd be without you."
You'd be living a normal life and not having to worry about Kaneshiro, but I'm not gonna say that. Total mood killer.
Ren didn't reply. A few minutes later, the film ended with a fade to black and the credits began. Ren reached out to grab the remote to his left, turning the TV off.
"Makoto, I think it's time for bed," Ren said softly.
Makoto didn't reply.
"Makoto. Hello?"
No reply.
Wait… holy shit she's asleep! I fucking did it. I'm a god. I'd like to thank the academy, I wanna thank Ryuji Effin' Sakamoto, the other members of GRAVY- Ren, shut the fuck up. Your thoughts are loud enough to wake her. Just shut up and enjoy the moment.
Ren closed his eyes and did that. Makoto's warmth on his shoulder was the same as humans discovering fire for the first time. It was a totally new experience and Ren didn't want the feeling to stop. He prayed to every god that he didn't even believe in that Makoto didn't wake up anytime soon.
He did so much praying that it became the equivalent of counting sheep.
Ren fell asleep, Makoto's head resting on his shoulder.
Both were unprepared for what the next day would bring.
Tuesday, 6/14 - 0 Days Until Deadline
The phone rang Ren into consciousness. He slowly opened his eyes to the apartment around him, and most importantly Makoto on his shoulder. He craned his head to the side to look at her face.
She looked so calm, so peaceful, so happy. There was a slight smile on her face. Ren hoped she was having good dreams. While thinking of Makoto, he realized that it was Tuesday.
He looked around his apartment. Nothing was out of place, Makoto was untouched, and he was still alive.
I guess the plan did work. Huh. That was easy.
The phone rang again. Not wanting Makoto to wake up, Ren quickly pulled it out of his pocket without enough movement to stir Makoto. He accepted the call and held the phone to his ear.
"DUDE!" Ryuji yelled into Ren's ear. "Get the 'EFF down here!"
Ren cringed from how loud Ryuji was.
It's too damn early for this shit.
"Wha… why?" Ren said in a hushed voice.
"Dude, just trust me. Get down here. I'm in the lobby of your building. Wait 'til you see this shit," Ryuji said before hanging up.
Ren cautiously looked around his apartment again. Nothing was wrong, so what could Ryuji be this passionate about? More importantly, did Ren really wanna leave his apartment? Did he really wanna leave Makoto?
Abso-fucking-lutely not. This is heaven.
Ren let out a satisfied sigh, and that stirred Makoto.
"Mm…" she grumbled as she sat up. She looked around the room before her eyes met Ren's and widened. "Oh my god. Did… did I sleep on your shoulder?"
"Yep," Ren said proudly.
"I'm so, so sorry… I don't-"
"Don't worry about it. I slept well too, you know."
"How'd you know that I slept well?"
"I didn't. But it's good to know," Ren said with a chuckle.
Makoto's face went crimson, but Ren was distracted from the sight. His phone buzzed with a message.
Ryuji Sakamoto:
-WHERE ARE YOU?! GET DOWN HERE!
Jeez, is it really that important?
Ren Amamiya:
-Okay, give me a few.
It was early enough in the morning that Ren didn't have to get ready for school, if he was even going to go that day. As he got up off of the couch, he felt Makoto staring into him while his back was turned to her. He turned around to her.
"W-where are you going?" she nervously asked.
"Ryuji's hyping something up. From how excited he is, either Risette is doing a meet-n-greet or something really damn good has happened. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that it's not the former, so I'm gonna check it out. Is that okay?"
"Y-yes, I'll be f-fine," Makoto shakily forced out.
"Makoto, I won't go out if you don't want me to."
"No… go ahead. Besides I need time to process… um… everything."
Understandable. Don't know if I'm looking forward to the conversation with her about her falling asleep on my shoulder. Who knows. Maybe she'll ask me to marry her. That'd be cool.
"Okay. Just call me if you need anything," Ren said before he walked to the door. He didn't care if he was still in his sweatpants and baggy shirt when he went. Before he left, he turned back to Makoto. "Do not open the door for anyone. I have the key, so if it begins to unlock it's me. Otherwise, do not open the door."
Makoto nodded, and that was Ren's cue to leave. He closed the door and began to walk down the apartment building hall. As he got into the elevator he began to consider what had Ryuji so excited.
Let's see… a Risette event is pretty unlikely. What else is Ryuji interested in? Video games? If there was something this exciting I'd have heard about it before today, so that's out of the question. Agh, these are just stupid ideas. Ryuji wouldn't have demanded that I leave the apartment unless it's relating to everything that's going on. Wait… what if Kaneshiro got to him and- oh fuck did I just walk into a trap?!
Just as Ren thought that, the elevator doors opened. Ryuji was pacing back and forth on the other side. He stopped when he noticed Ren.
"You're here. C'mon. No time to waste," Ryuji said before turning and walking in the direction of the exit. His immediate pace was so brisk that Ren had to jog a little to catch up.
At least Kaneshiro isn't with Ryuji. I was scared for a second.
"Hold up, what is all this about?" Ren said, struggling to match Ryuji's pace.
"Just… you'll see, man."
Figuring it was pointless to ask, Ren just followed Ryuji. They left the apartment building and walked through Shibuya in the direction of Central Street. When they reached the street connecting to Central Street, Ren saw a giant crowd on Central Street.
"The fuck?"
"Don't question it. C'mon," Ryuji said, his pace quickening even more.
As Ren and Ryuji turned onto Central Street, he was met with a sea of people and a sea of black covering the street. The street looked like it was New Year's Day.
"Okay, now you gotta answer my questions," Ren said.
"Just look down, dude."
Ren listened. When he looked down, he realized what the sea of black that was covering the street was. There were thousands of small black cards with a logo on them. In the center of the black cards was a red balancing scale. Ren picked up the card.
"What…"
He flipped the card over. On the backside, there was a message. Ren read it aloud.
"Sir Junya Kaneshiro, the money-devouring sinner of gluttony. You indulge in taking advantage of others, your abhorrent practices staining our society even more than it already is. But your corruption doesn't end with yourself. You've extended your corruption to the police force, as they've turned a blind eye to your misdeeds in exchange for wealth. I have decided that you will turn yourself in to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Once you are theirs, you will breathe your last breath. Your men cannot save you, your whores cannot save you, your incompetent friends at the precinct will not save you. You are already dead," Ren delivered to Ryuji, whose grin was widening. "Sincerely, the Prince of Japan, A.K."
Ren looked into the crowd. He didn't believe the card, but enough people did to fill Central Street. Certainly, the card held some weight. He again looked at the front side of the card. The red scale burned itself into Ren's brain.
A scale, huh? A perverted sense of showmanship and justice led to this. Did this guy, A.K, have to do all the cards? Seems a bit unnecessary. Even if Kaneshiro is the corrupt one, this guy's obviously just attention-hungry.
"So? Whaddya think?!" Ryuji excitedly asked.
"Ryuji, this is total bullshit. Whatever this is, there's no way it's true."
In only a few hours, Ren would be proven very, very wrong.
A/N: Thanks for reading this weeks chapter, and thank you guys for waiting longer for it. But that's not why this note is here. I'm actually going to be taking a break for a few weeks. I'd like to disconnect myself from the weekly posting cycle because I feel that the way it could affect me mentally is unhealthy. Before I return from my break, I have a checklist of things to do rather than a date to return on. First, I'm going to read the whole fic. I'll be making grammar corrections, adding context, maybe rewriting specific parts of earlier chapters. The rewrites won't be significant enough to justify a second reading of those chapters, they're just for newcomers. Second, I'm want to have 1.5 chapters ready to post. Why 1.5? The .5 represents an interlude chapter. I don't know how long the interlude will be, but it's being labeled as such because it doesn't cover anything past the most recent point in the story.
I'd like to give you guys an idea of how long this fic is going to end up being. This chapter is the end of Act I: Pigs. Act II will begin immediately after this chapters events and end after the Hawaii trip. Act III will go from September to January and the end of the story. Not sure how II and III will compare lengthwise. Act II will be more lighthearted than Act I, with Act III being more [REDACTED]. I hope you guys are looking forward to everything. The goal is to try and finish the fic by the end of 2020, so long as no huge events stop me from writing. I'll let you guys know if that's the case.
Thank you guys for following the fic so far. It means the world to me. I hope you like the end of Act I, and I hope you guys will keep reading when I return. See you guys soon.