Wednesday, 6/15
Makoto awoke from the best night of sleep in weeks. To make it even better, she woke up in her own bed. Not that there was anything wrong with Ren's bed, as it was quite comfy, but people tend to grow attached to their beds. Makoto definitely felt that way.
Makoto got up and went into the main area of the apartment. It was already late into the morning, so Sae was long gone. Makoto had the apartment to herself for the foreseeable future. Even if Sae planned on coming home more often, it was never a guarantee. Makoto didn't know if she cared or not anyway. Sae was her sister, but the two barely spoke anymore or shared any common interests. The only thing associating the two was the family name and similarities in their appearances.
Makoto got to work on breakfast for herself. Figuring that she should go all out as a semi-gift to herself for making it through a grueling two weeks, she gathered ingredients from the fridge and got to work on her ambitious morning meal.
She was done within half an hour. She sat alone at the dining table, but she didn't mind. Two weeks ago, being alone was the worst possible thing for Makoto to be. Now, she didn't realize how much she missed it. Ren was a good roommate who went out of his way to make sure Makoto was satisfied with the apartment, but that didn't beat living alone for Makoto. At least, not anymore it didn't.
Still, she did feel like she was enjoying the time to herself much less than she would've five months prior. Makoto had previously enjoyed her distance from the student body of Shujin. Not having a social life completely eliminated an aspect of life to worry about for Makoto. Now, her social life was probably peaking and she didn't know how to deal with it.
Makoto contemplated that idea while she ate. Her relationships with the individual members of GRAVY had been tested several times, but they were arguably stronger than ever with how everyone had gotten together for the sake of her, except for Yusuke. Makoto had barely even talked to the artist. She figured she should probably change that, but it wasn't a priority.
Makoto and Haru's relationship was fine. They weren't texting each other like they were in early May, but Haru had only been kind to Makoto with recent events. That applied to everyone in GRAVY. Everyone had been pleasant to her, even Ryuji. Makoto almost laughed when she remembered Ryuji's initial dismissiveness of her.
Ann felt a little distant to Makoto, but that was to be expected. They probably should've spent more time together with how friendly Ann was, especially now that Makoto knew that Ann wasn't dating Ren. Makoto cringed at herself for believing such a dumb idea, but she didn't think about it long.
Ren had priority over all other GRAVY members. He had been too important to Makoto in the past few weeks, no, months to not take priority. But what was that priority for?
Are we friends? Close friends? ...Boyfrie- No, Makoto, that's not how that works! You really need to research this stuff before you go jumping to conclusions like that. Just assume you and Ren are friends until he says otherwise, Makoto thought. In the back of her mind, the smallest of voices said, I hope he does.
Makoto shortly finished her breakfast. She cleaned up all the plates and utensils that she had used before plopping down on the couch. It was an amazing feeling to just be able to sit down and not do anything, but the feeling didn't last.
Shit! I have to do the homework packet! Makoto realized.
She ran to her room to grab the packet and any other items she might have needed for the work. Makoto decided to do the work out in the living area as a change of pace. Just as she sat down, another thought came to Makoto.
I have to text Ren about what happened! she thought. If I don't figure things out between us, he may get the wrong idea… um… what is the wrong idea right now? Would it be worse if he thought we were now a thing or if he just thought we were still friends?
While there was a part of her brain that was telling her that it wasn't something she had to do and that falling asleep next to Ren wasn't that big of a deal, that part of Makoto's brain was usually wrong. At least, it was from Makoto's point of view.
She got out her phone and quickly typed out a message to Ren.
"Hey, Ren. I wanted to talk about how I slept next to- no, that's so awkward!" Makoto said frustratedly as she deleted the message. "Would you like to talk about me sleeping- dammit, that's even worse!"
Makoto typed and deleted a few more messages before tossing the phone to the side. She settled on the idea of clearing her head by doing her homework and then typing out the message to Ren.
And so began several uninterrupted hours of homework.
Homework is easier than texting Ren. What is wrong with me? Makoto asked herself.
She was even getting slightly bitter over her inability to text like a normal human being. However, it was quite fair to be bitter. Makoto had finished her homework several hours before and it was now late into the evening. Her inability would've been evident to everyone if they had been observing the girl.
Makoto deleted what she guessed may have been her hundredth variation of the same message of the day. She realized how enraptured she was in such a simple thing. Sae may even have been home and Makoto wouldn't have noticed. In frustration, Makoto set her phone down and just laid on her bed to contemplate things for a few seconds.
Maybe if I can just relax… she reasoned.
That wasn't what helped her. What did help Makoto was the lightning-like inspiration that came out of nowhere:
What if I didn't start by asking Ren about me sleeping next to him? Makoto thought.
That was it. Makoto picked her phone back up and typed out a message. It made perfect sense. Makoto had seen the group chat earlier. She knew that Ren hadn't been punished nearly as harshly as everyone thought he would. If she opened with that, Ren would surely crack a few jokes and ease the tension.
With the message fully typed, Makoto took a deep breath and- felt an itch in the back of her throat. She coughed and her hand accidentally pressed send. Now there was no going back.
Makoto Niijima:
-I saw the group chat earlier.
From there, the conversation spiraled in several different directions, one of which Makoto really didn't want to talk about, until the spiraling ended. It was on Makoto to ask her question or leave things awkward and improperly end the conversation.
Makoto Niijima:
-Is it weird I slept next to you the other night?
Makoto didn't consider it the best variation of the message that she had written all night, but it was short, sweet, and in no way controversial. Ren's reply back hadn't been what Makoto was expecting, but once he elaborated on what he meant, Makoto began to feel much less nervous about the conversation.
When it was all said and done, Makoto didn't want the conversation to end. Unfortunately, it was a school night and Makoto did plan on attending class on Thursday. From Makoto's understanding, Yoshiro's testimony would be enough for him and the volleyball players to be kept on such a tight leash that they couldn't even think about Makoto.
She was more right about that than she realized.
A few minutes after the conversation had ended, Makoto figured she should take Ren's advice to be more confident to heart. Texting Ren was a thrill and she wanted to make sure that it continued, albeit at a time that wasn't detrimental to anyone's sleep schedule.
Makoto Niijima:
-Sorry, but could we do this again? I liked talking to you.
Not confident enough, Makoto, she told herself.
Makoto Niijima:
-Wait, that's not right.
Makoto Niijima:
-We're going to be texting each other at night again.
Ren Amamiya:
-Ok.
A satisfied smirk fell upon Makoto's face as she stared at her phone screen while laying in bed.
Makoto was so stuck on the conversation with Ren that returning to Shujin the next day nearly left her mind as she fell asleep.
Thursday, 6/16
Makoto arrived at Shujin with haste. After being gone for so long, she couldn't afford to miss any more school time or student council business. The gray halls of Shujin were still missing students due to it being too early for students to arrive. Makoto was only there to catch up on her work and to be certain that she would be on time.
Makoto made her way to the student council room that she hadn't seen in what seemed like forever. There was surely going to be a large amount of paperwork, student requests, and assignments from Kobayakawa to catch up on.
For the first time in her life, Makoto didn't look forward to doing the work. The significant amount of work that awaited her took time away from the things she wanted to do and the people she wanted to be with.
Makoto arrived at the student council room, entering to only find slight changes from how she'd left it. She wasn't expecting much of a difference with how organized she was, but she knew that there should be changes. If the student council was keeping up with their work without her being there, surely a few papers and pens would've moved around the room.
Makoto did nothing to clean the room, as it was already up to her standards. She took a seat at the table and began organizing her papers. She reached to the other end of the table to pick up a stack of papers that she guessed was student council related. It was.
Before Makoto began the tedium, she realized that it had been too long since the last student council meeting. She decided to send out the notice that there would be one after school that very day.
After that was done, Makoto got to work, hoping she could finish most of the papers before the bell for the first class of the day rang.
Makoto astutely paid attention in her first class of the day. She didn't plan on sleeping through any classes for the rest of her life, and she certainly didn't plan on her life being interrupted by Yakuza bosses anymore.
However, there were interruptions to Makoto's school day that were unexpected. People had nodded to her, smiled at her, even waved. It was weird.
Have people always been doing this? Makoto asked herself as she sat at her desk contemplating the last few greetings she got. Maybe they're just welcoming me back because I was gone.
She wasn't sure if she appreciated the attention or not. Most of it was from students she was unaware of and had paid her no mind in the past, so why would they care now? Unless…
Did the Takata story get out?! They all know what happened to me, don't they? Makoto asked herself with startling realization.
Or maybe they didn't. Maybe people had always been nice to Makoto and she just hadn't noticed. She had been too focused on her schoolwork for socializing. So why did she notice now?
The answer was apparent as she thought of what she wanted to do in the coming weeks. Makoto wanted to spend more time with GRAVY, hopefully improving her relationships with each of the members. To put it simply, Makoto now had an actual social life that was significant enough to distract her from her studies. Now, she was able to notice the social cues of the people around her.
Or maybe she was overthinking it and the Takata story had just leaked. Makoto didn't know which of the two possibilities she preferred. One meant she was progressing, the other meant that there were going to be, and probably already were, rumors about her.
Never mind. I know which one I prefer, Makoto thought.
The strangest interaction of all was one from an unexpected place. Yuriko Kuramoto had offered Makoto a shy yet encouraging smile before she walked over to her seat on the other side of the room. Makoto would've been confused if she hadn't felt so badly for Yuriko.
She was going to be sold like she's an object… and she didn't even know. I don't know if anyone told her about the full extent of Takata's plans, but I should make sure she knows, Makoto thought.
Makoto eyed the girl from across the room. Even if Makoto was still focusing her eyes on something other than the teacher, she was still paying careful attention to what the teacher was saying so that she wouldn't miss a thing.
Makoto could see Yuriko drowsily observing the teacher with the occasional glance out the window. She didn't seem happy, but joy wasn't a common emotion in a classroom, even for Makoto.
All that Makoto could gauge was that Yuriko was tired. If she had received the news of Takata, she was sure to have not taken it well. That was understandable.
How do you hear something like "Your boyfriend was going to force you to become a sex worker," and stay sane. I don't get it, Makoto thought.
She decided she would speak with Yuriko. If it wasn't for informing Yuriko about Yoshiro, it was for checking on the girl. Yuriko had been kind to Makoto when she had needed it most, and Makoto wanted to return the favor.
Also, speaking with Yuriko would help with several things. Makoto could provide to herself that she was advancing socially, she could build up her self-confidence, and maybe, just maybe, even make a friend.
Just maybe, Makoto thought as she refocused her gaze on the teacher.
The lunch bell rang and the class collectively sprang from their seats, except for Makoto. She was never one for the lunch rush, but she understood why other people looked forward to it. It was social time.
Today, though, it was a social time for Makoto, too. She had planned on asking Yuriko to have lunch with her in the student council room. Hopefully, the girl would agree. If not… well, there was no scenario for that. In Makoto's mind, there was no way Yuriko could say no.
Makoto gradually gathered her things and got out of her seat. By the time she was walking out the door, most of the class had already rushed out. Makoto left the classroom and looked down the hall to see Yuriko and her friend group walking together. With every step they took away from Makoto, her hopes of speaking with Yuriko during lunch faded.
Until Yuriko veered away from the group. Her friends continued on to the bread shop near the front of the school and Yuriko had stopped at a locker. It seemed like a very unfriendly thing to just leave one of your friends behind, but Makoto didn't have time to think about it. She took a deep breath and walked up to the girl.
"Hello, Kuramoto-san," Makoto said neutrally. It was the standard tone she always used for addressing other students. She wished she was able to ease up with her voice, as the situation demanded it, but she didn't know how to do so.
Yuriko surprisedly turned away from her locker and towards Makoto.
"O-oh! Hey, Niijima-san," the girl said shyly. That level of shyness coming from a girl as popular as Yuriko distressed Makoto, but she didn't have any time to think about it. "Everything okay?"
Makoto wished she had an easy and normal-sounding transition into her request but she didn't. She opted to just cut to the chase.
"I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch?" Makoto awkwardly pushed out. It was hard to believe that those were words coming from her mouth.
"Wh-" Yuriko began before stopping herself. An attempted smile came over her face. "Of course."
Makoto nodded and the two headed to the student council room after Yuriko closed her locker. They didn't exchange any words on the way, but they did exchange a few looks after they heard some students whispering.
"Yo! Look! It's the Yoshir-hoes!" one student joked to his friend.
"Not funny. What if your sister was part of Takata's plan? Would you still be joking?"
"N-no," the student admitted in shame.
"Good. Now shut up and mind your own business."
That was a little harsh, but it's good that people are stopping others from joking about what happened, Makoto thought.
She and Yuriko arrived at the student council room. Their silence continued as they entered the room and took seats opposite of each other at the table. For the first few seconds, Makoto couldn't bring herself to look at Yuriko.
If I had been an actually capable student council president, Kuramoto-san would have not ended up with Takata. I know that nothing happened between them, but it was too close for comfort, Makoto thought.
To put it simply, Makoto was embarrassed by her failure. Yuriko was probably angry at Makoto for her failure in protecting the student body.
No… that can't be right. Makoto, be confident in yourself. Even if Kuramoto is upset with you, it's fine. Everything is alright. Have a little faith in yourself, Makoto reminded herself.
Makoto looked up at Yuriko. The girl was already looking in Makoto's general direction and responded with a reassuring smile. She must've known that Makoto was struggling to speak. Makoto would've been upset with herself for letting her inner struggles be obvious to the observant, but she was focused on something else.
"Kuramoto-san, I asked you to lunch today because I wanted to check in," Makoto stated.
"About Yoshiro?" Yuriko said a little dejectedly. Her smile from before had faded, but that was to be expected.
Makoto nodded. "Yes. You are… um… aware of what his intentions were?"
"Y-yeah. I, uh, got a text from him the other day," Yuriko said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone.
Makoto wanted to tell the girl to stop, she should've told the girl to stop, but curiosity made her hold back. Makoto wanted to see that message. Maybe Yoshiro had been feeling incredibly guilty and wanted to apologize. Maybe he considered himself an honorable criminal and wanted everyone to understand his defeat. Maybe the text was just him breaking up with Yuriko.
Yuriko held her phone towards Makoto, her elbow resting on the table to keep the phone steady. Makoto leaned in a little to read the message.
Yoshi3:
-Yuriko, I wanted to tell you these few things myself before you heard about it from the rest of the school in some fucked up way. Over the past month, I have gotten involved with people I shouldn't have, including a Yakuza boss. This was for my revenge against Niijima. As the revenge plan developed, a new objective came into play: each person who wished to work for the boss had to bring one girl as an initiation of sorts. You were who I planned to give away. I regret not telling you sooner, but my mind was clouded. I now realize that truth is important above all. To end this, we should break up. We were together for the wrong reasons and I'm sure you could notice that I wasn't truly interested in you. For that I am sorry. Goodbye.
That's… quite the message. He said he regrets not telling Kuramoto the truth, but I don't know if I believe him. Up until whenever he gave Maruki his testimony, he seemed content to keep his secrets. But now he's realized the importance of truth… why? This barely sounds like something that Takata would write, based on what I know about him. That's too abrupt of a change, especially for someone who was planning to give away several teenage girls for sex trafficking. This is wrong, but at least Takata broke up with Yuriko and isn't pursuing anything more with her, Makoto quietly thought to herself.
Despite Makoto's extensive questions about the message, she didn't want to ask any of them to Yuriko. They would stress the girl out and she was already upset enough. Makoto didn't want to push the girl. However, there was one question that could be asked.
"Erm, Kuramoto-san… you are aware of Takata's name in your phone?" Makoto sheepishly asked.
Do girls give their boyfriends pet names? Do boys do that for their girlfriends too? Should I do that for Ren? What if… what if he has one for me?! Makoto thought before quickly pushing the thoughts to the back. This was not the time to become flustered. Then again, when was the time to get flustered?
Yuriko, embarrassed, pulled her phone back towards herself and shoved it in her pocket. Her face had reddened slightly, but she quickly readjusted herself. It didn't take away from her blushing cheeks, but it did make the girl seem more prepared to answer Makoto's question.
"I never got around to changing it… to be honest, I haven't really touched my phone much since getting the message. I haven't don't much at all, actually," Yuriko said, averting her gaze from Makoto.
"Well, Kuramoto-san, I can assure you that you are perfectly safe. Takata-kun has admitted what he has done to the appropriate people and will be dealt with accordingly," Makoto said.
Not a complete lie. I don't actually know what's going to happen to Takata, but I'm sure he'll get what he deserves. You can't just admit something like that to a school faculty member and be allowed to walk free, Makoto concluded.
"I guess… but I don't know what to think about anything anymore. I just… I feel like an idiot. I knew something was wrong, but I fucking went along with it anyway!" Yuriko angrily said, her eyes growing slightly teary. Yuriko brought a hand up to wipe at both eyes.
"You don't have to answer, but why did you go along with it?" Makoto asked.
"Um, Yoshiro asked me out when all my f-friends were around. And you know how friends get when things like that happen. Things just accelerated and we ended up going on a few dates. All my friends would talk to me about was him. If I said anything besides 'We're dating,' it would start drama. I didn't want to deal with any of that… so I just said screw it and made it official with Yoshiro," Yuriko emotionally explained.
"Kuramoto-san, you were peer-pressured?"
"Yeah," Yuriko answered with a snivel. "That's pretty much why everything happened. I just wanted to live up to that stereotype of the perfect high school girl in the perfect high school relationship, or at least my friends wanted it for me. And that's why his name is like that on my phone. One of my friends changed it to that."
I'm not sure if these people are decent friends, Makoto thought.
"Kuramoto-san, that-"
"Could you, erm, could we just be on a first-name basis?" Yuriko asked, finally looking Makoto in the eye.
"Oh um, of course!" Makoto quickly said. "Kur- Yuriko, I'm sorry for everything that's happened. Have you spoken with your friends about their actions yet?"
"They asked me about it as if it was a one-off question after they looked over my shoulder at Yoshiro's message. Then they just moved on to talk about the normal stuff," Yuriko said with a sigh. "I'm fucking sick of it. They don't actually care about me or even each other. They just want to date the cutest boy or find the nicest clothes. I hate it."
"That's perfectly understandable, Yuriko. Perhaps you could find a new circle of people to spend your time with?"
Yuriko blushed a little as she nodded in agreement. Her eyes darted around the room before she resumed eye contact with Makoto.
"I mean… what about you?"
"What?!" Makoto couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"What if we became friends?"
"Erm, I'm not really good friend material. There's not much that's interesting about me," Makoto sheepishly explained.
"What? That can't be true. Have a little confidence in yourself!" Yuriko encouraged with a widening smile.
A little confidence in myself... Makoto thought.
As she looked at Yuriko, who was now much happier than before, she realized that agreeing to be friends with the girl would have no downsides. Also, Yuriko had become noticeably less dejected and upset since the conversation subject had morphed, and Makoto didn't want to ruin the mood.
But isn't that just what Yuriko went through? She felt the social pressure to comply with the requests of others, right? No, this is different. I want to be friends with Yuriko. She was kind to me a few weeks ago when I was struggling. She seems like a good friend, Makoto reasoned.
"Well, I guess… why not," Makoto finally said.
"Great!" Yuriko said happily before pausing. "So are we gonna finally eat lunch or what?"
"D-do you want to talk more about…" Makoto trailed off as if there was a risk in finishing the sentence.
"Fuck no. C'mon, let's just get to our food,"
Both girls pulled out their lunches. Throughout the lunch period, the girls chatted while they ate. They both made sure not to discuss recent events and risk bringing up unwanted memories, so the mood stayed bright. Eventually, the topic of conversation reached a place Makoto didn't expect.
"So what're you and the transfer student up to?" Yuriko hid her genuine question behind a teasing tone.
Makoto answered anyway.
"Um… not much? I spent a lot of time with him recently," Makoto vaguely said.
"Uh-huh. You two were cozying up, huh?"
"Wha- no!" Makoto protested. "I just… stayed in his apartment."
"Ooh! Anything spicy happen?"
"Erm… no. It was, um, just to protect me from everything that was going on," Makoto said. She knew that she was raining on Yuriko's parade, but most parades became obnoxious at some point or another.
"Oh… sorry for bringing that up," Yuriko apologized.
"No, no, it's fine. Things aren't like that between me and Ren anyway."
"Are you sure?" Yuriko's teasing tone had returned.
"No- I mean, yes!"
"Ha! I knew it!" Yuriko celebrated her victory by dropping the food that had been in her hands and throwing her hands in the air.
Makoto couldn't help but chuckle. She chose not to encourage Yuriko further by continuing the conversation, so she just ate her food. Yuriko returned to doing the same. Only a minute later…
"Hey, Makoto?"
"Yes?"
"When's your boyfriend gonna apologize to me?"
Huh? Ohhh, yeah. I forgot about what Ren said to her at the park cleanup. Dammit, Ren. You should keep your mouth shut sometimes, you know? Makoto mentally told the GRAVY leader.
"S-soon," Makoto said before mumbling, "I hope."
"He better if he thinks I'm gonna let him date you," Yuriko said.
At this point, Makoto had given up on telling the girl otherwise about her intentions with Ren. Yuriko was very set in her mindset. While she wasn't wrong, Makoto didn't want her relationship with Ren to become the sole thing other people spoke to her about.
Now that I think about it, the only person who doesn't regularly talk to me about Ren is Ren himself. Huh, Makoto realized.
She and Yuriko continued lunch until the bell rang. They thanked each other for the company before they walked back to class together.
The bell rang. As usual, the class erupted from their seats and flooded the exits of the classroom. Makoto carefully packed her school supplies into her bag as she stood up, ready to go to the student council meeting. Surprisingly, someone tapped Makoto on the shoulder. She stopped packing and turned around to face the person.
It was Yuriko.
"Hey," Yuriko said, her usual kind exterior in full form. "I realized that we never exchanged numbers and stuff."
"Oh, of course. Sorry. Mine is ###-###-####," Makoto told the girl.
"Great! I'll text you. Bye!" Yuriko said happily as she strutted away and out of the classroom.
It's strange that she's able to feel so much better so quickly, but I'm not complaining about it. Good for her, Makoto thought.
She finished packing her bag and left the classroom. She made her way back to the student council room that she had already been in several times that day. When she finally made it, the other members of the council had already gathered.
Noriko, Michiko, and Eiji all sat astutely at the table within the student council room. Each had papers in front of them. It was unlikely that they had already gotten to work, with school literally just ending. They were probably just attempting to create the allusion of work.
Are they worried I'll be angry with them if I find out they got nothing done? Makoto asked herself. It doesn't really matter anyway. I got most of the work from the past week done this morning.
Makoto sat down in her usual spot, readying papers she had kept from earlier that day. She didn't have an agenda for the meeting, but she just figured she should establish that the student council was still a thing.
"Today is Thursday, the sixteenth of June. Attending members of the student council are President Makoto Niijima, Vice President Noriko Taira, Secretary Michiko Hora, and Treasurer Eiji Tanaka," Makoto said aloud. All student council meetings were required to be recorded. They were also required to contain the intro that Makoto had given. No one ever listened to the recordings, but they were kept anyway just in case they were needed. "Today's first order of busi-"
"Woah, woah, woah, Prez. You're really gonna start working us from the jump?" Noriko asked, taken aback that Makoto planned on doing her job.
"Yes, that is the plan," Makoto said matter-of-factly.
"Aren't you gonna tell us why you were gone, Niijima-senpai?" Eiji asked. "We've all been wondering why you missed a few days. It's not like you."
"That is not important. Moving-" Makoto tried to keep things rolling but was interrupted.
"Where do ya think she was, Hora-chan?" Noriko asked.
Michiko thought for a few seconds before she answered, "I have no clue. Maybe she went to visit family?"
"Yeah, no way," Noriko dismissed. "She definitely spent time with some boy."
"Woah! Niijima-senpai, you have a boyfriend?!" Eiji asked, leaning forward in his seat. The devastated look on his face told Makoto more than she wanted to know about the treasurer.
"N-no but-"
"Holy shit, she's got a friend!" Noriko proclaimed, standing up from her seat and slamming her hands down on the table with astonishment. Makoto assumed that that was the end of it, but Noriko just had to add, "With Benefits!"
"What's that?" Michiko asked.
"Eh, doesn't matter. At least it's not a boyfriend," Eiji said relievedly. He casually swept his hand through his hair as he settled back into his seat.
Just as he was getting comfortable…
"A friend with benefits is when two people aren't dating but they're still fuc-" Noriko began to explain before she was cut off.
"That's enough!" Makoto nearly exploded.
All three of the others looked at her for a few seconds. After they got the message, they all settled down and became calm. Noriko maintained a smug grin, Eiji was still destroyed from the supposed revelation, and Michiko was ready to do business as always.
"Let's just get to work," Makoto said with a sigh.
And so they did. They pushed through all of the student council requests, complaints, and troll notes that they had received. There was little of interest or of importance, as most of the issues were solvable with Makoto's quick thinking and the delegation of things to do to the individual council members.
When the group was nearly done for the day, a question came up.
"You know, Niijima-senpai, whatever happened to those requests about the blackmail in Shibuya?" Eiji asked.
"Oh… well, I'm sure you've heard about it by now." Makoto didn't want to go through the trouble of explaining everything and she certainly didn't want to expose herself to past memories when unnecessary.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Eiji hadn't heard about it.
"You mean you don't know?" Noriko asked dumbfoundedly. "That Takata guy was-"
"Taira-san, if you would kindly wait to discuss this matter after the meeting has concluded, it would be much appreciated," Makoto asked. She concealed her pleading words with the tone of a simple request.
Thankfully, Noriko got the message. She gave a simple nod to Makoto before she left Eiji hanging. Eiji also got the message, keeping his mouth shut except for talking about student council work.
Just a little while later, they were done. All the work that had been dumped on the council in Makoto's time away had been completed. She thanked everyone for their efficiency before she officially called the meeting.
Immediately after she did so, Eiji repeated his question from earlier. Noriko began explaining it, and Makoto took that as her cue to leave. She had no more reason to be there. Spending additional time with the council was unnecessary, especially if it wasn't related to council business.
Besides, the only other student council member that Makoto more than tolerated was Michiko. The girl was quiet, she was attentive, and she got her work done. Eiji was two of those, but he always came off like he was trying too hard. On the other hand, Noriko wasn't trying hard enough. She did little to no work and barely participated in council discussions besides providing the Shujin Academy student body lore.
Makoto left the student council room and soon the school for her apartment.
Friday, 6/17
"Class, today will be your first official work period for the final project. Use it wisely," Kawakami instructed. "And remember, if you haven't informed me of your group members and your topic yet, you must do it by the end of class today.
The class broke out into a mad rush to get into groups. Ren and Ann stayed seated because they were already where they needed to be. All Ann had to do was turn around to face Ren and they would be set.
She did exactly that.
"Any ideas for a topic?"
"Tae Takemi," Ren said quietly.
"What?"
"What?" Ren repeated as if he hadn't said anything.
"No, you- never mind. What do you think about… shoot, I really have no idea." Ann was stumped on what to do.
"Let's think about this. What have we done this semester?" Ren asked.
"Well, there was the English lit unit, and the Japanese lit one… other than that, I dunno what we did. I'm kinda bad at paying attention," Ann said embarrassedly.
"All good. Wanna do something from the English lit unit? The short books were in that one."
"Yeah… Lord of the Pies? It's not that deep of a book, right? I mean, it's just boys on an island and then they get violent over food."
"Exactly. Not difficult to make a five-minute presentation about that or some shit," Ren agreed. "To confirm, you're okay with doing a presentation on Lord of the Pies?"
"Yeah, that's fine. As long as it's easy," Ann replied.
"Great. Get to work on… something, I guess. I'll go tell Kawakami," Ren stated as he stood up.
Ann nodded back. When Ren's gaze shifted towards the front of the room where Kawakami was standing and speaking with students, he noticed something horrible. Something terrifying. Something that was bound to create conflict humankind had never seen before.
Mishima was already talking to Kawakami. Ren didn't know what it was about; he was more worried about having to get within five feet of the teenager, especially now that Kawakami would be there. The last time all three had been together hadn't been a great experience for two of the involved parties.
Fuck it. If Mishima acts up, which he probably won't, I can just look at him and he'll go away. Easy as that.
Ren approached Kawakami and Mishima. Once he was close enough to the teacher, her attention shifted to him.
"Amamiya-kun. You have your project topic and group?" she curiously asked.
"Yeah. Ann and I are gonna talk about Lord of the Pies," Ren answered.
"Great, great…" Kawakami said as she scribbled something onto the page on her clipboard. She looked back up at Ren. "Amamiya-kun, could I speak with you outside the room for one second?"
Uh-oh. Someone didn't like my project proposal. Not like I'm gonna fight for my right to give a presentation about Lord of the Pies or some shit. I'd rather just move on and choose another topic. No need to talk to me in the hallway. Unless… Kawakami has something else to talk to me about?
Ren nodded and followed Kawakami outside of the classroom. Mishima had been left where he was after not saying any words since Ren's arrival. Once Kawakami and Ren were out of the door, they stepped out of the way of the door and stopped.
"So what'd you wanna talk about?"
"Amamiya-kun, I have a request for you," Kawakami asked, not looking Ren in the eye. She seemed ashamed of what she was about to say.
Wait… no, Ren, don't go there… you can contain yourse- MAID MAID MAID MAID MAID! Goddammit.
"Would you be willing to take on an extra group member?" Kawakami finally proposed.
Oh. Nope. No way.
"Nope," Ren said in a friendly tone for the sake of confusion.
"You don't even want to hear who?"
"I would say no no matter who it is."
"Well… it's Mishima."
"Yeah, nope. Not happening."
"Amamiya-kun, I was asking you out of respect and I was hoping that you would say yes… now I may have to put him in your group."
"No. Not happening. I will go back into that classroom, lock you out, and seize the means of education if you force me into working with Mishima," Ren said flatly.
"Um, okay? That was weird, but that doesn't matter," Kawakami said as she recomposed herself. A look came over her face as if she had a great idea. "...You know what? If you don't want to have Mishima in your group, you have to help me out a little."
"Uh… help you out how?" Ren was intrigued, but he was cautious.
Kawakami leaned towards Ren to whisper in his ear. Because of that, Ren had a feeling of what Kawakami was about to say.
"Request me from the maid service," she said. It wasn't seductive, more just tired and fed-up from dealing with an obnoxious student.
"Okay, this may shock you, but I typically don't call sex work services once I find out that my teacher works there," Ren said with a chuckle.
"Not so loud!" Kawakami hushed. She grew nervous. "It's not for that. I just… I kinda need the money. My sister's in the hospital… things are tough, you know? Just help me out and you don't have to work with Mishima."
This may be the first time in history that a teacher is asking her student to order her as a sex worker. I'll take that as a win. Shit, maybe that could be my legacy.
"Pay you five thousand yen to not have a kid in my group for a project? No thanks," Ren said before he turned to walk back into the room.
Kawakami's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"No, um, I can help you with your homework and studying as a bonus if you call for me?" Kawakami quietly pleaded. "I know that you need to get within the top five for the upcoming exams. I can make sure you finish first."
"Are you… are you offering to help me cheat?"
"No! I just meant that I could help you study to get first," Kawakami corrected before resuming her pleading. "Please, Amamiya-kun. It'd really help me out."
Jeez… am I really considering this? I mean, I really don't want to work with Mishima. If this is what it takes…
"Fine. But I get to choose when."
"Yeah, sure, just make it soon," Kawakami said. "But thanks for agreeing. I'll make sure you do well on your exams."
"Whatever. Let's just go back to class."
Kawakami went back into the classroom first, with Ren following a few seconds later. Thankfully, the class was too busy working to pay attention to Ren. He casually walked across the room and sat down in his seat. Ann was already turned around to face Ren's desk.
"So… what'd Kawakami have to say?"
"She wanted to put Mishima in our group," Ren flatly answered.
Ann's eyes widened. Ren could tell that she wasn't fond of Mishima as well.
"You got us out of it, right?" she asked hopefully.
"Who do you think I am?" Ren said with playful arrogance. "I'm the residing lord of GRAVY-esque goodness. I could talk my way out of a quadruple homicide."
"Um… okay. Seriously though, how'd you get out of it?" Ann's tone had grown less joking and more serious.
No way I can tell her. I'm sure Ann's decent with keeping secrets, but telling anyone that Kawakami is a maid that I have accidentally ordered isn't a great idea. I should probably just dodge the question until she gives up.
"Ann, have you ever been taught the art of negotiation?"
"Ren, come on-"
"I'd be happy to provide a course, courtesy of the residing lord of GRAVY-esque goodness, the volleyball vanquisher, the planter of plants, misleader of mothers, the king of Shu-"
"Alright, alright, I get it," Ann said with a cross between playfulness and annoyance. "I don't want your course and you don't have to tell me what you did to keep Mishima out of our group. Let's just get started on our project."
"Will do, Ann," Ren replied, happy that his bullshit had worked.
They spent the rest of the period working on their final project.
Leblanc had been empty as usual when Ren arrived. He went through the usual routine of practicing his cooking and coffee brewing skills while serving the occasional customer.
Late into the shift, Sojiro halted Ren from his work. Ren had been cleaning the table of the customer that had just left. He wasn't finished so he just stayed in place when Sojiro spoke.
"Kid… remember how I said you're working more for me than Leblanc?" Sojiro asked out of the blue.
"I don't, but that sounds like something you say," Ren said as he scratched his head.
"Well, I said it. Anyway, what do you think about doing some extra work for some extra pay?"
Ren set his tablecloth down now that he knew the conversation was actually important.
"What kinda extra work?" Ren's attention had been piqued.
"Er, how do I put this? There's… a problem. I mean, not a problem, she's a girl and-" Sojiro stuttered out before he was interrupted.
So the lord of ladies is having trouble? That's fine, I can sub in, put my moves to good use. Agh, who am I kidding? I'd probably end up passing out or some shit, given my history with women.
"And you want my help?" Ren swiftly asked. "You want me to ask her out for you?"
"Yes to the first part, definitely not for that last bit. Anyway-"
The bell for the entrance to Leblanc jingled. Both Sojiro and Ren turned to look at who came through the door.
Motherfucking goddamn shit.
It was Goro Akechi. He was dressed in the usual brown peacoat and had his pretentious "A" briefcase dangling from one hand. If anything had changed in his life since the clusterfuck that Kaneshiro must've been for the police, it didn't show.
Sojiro snapped his fingers to get Ren's attention. Once he did, he gestured for Ren to get moving on the table and get to work serving Akechi when he was done. With a sigh, Ren picked up the tablecloth and resumed scrubbing the table down. Within fifteen seconds, he was done.
When Ren looked up from the table, he found that Akechi had moved directly next to him while he wasn't paying attention.
"Hello, Amamiya-kun," Akechi said pleasantly.
"Dammit… hi," Ren said frustratedly. "Take a seat wherever."
Akechi immediately sat down in the booth that Ren had just finished cleaning. Ren felt as if he was being mocked by Akechi wanting to dirty the just cleaned booth, but he wasn't going to protest. Sojiro didn't want Ren antagonizing customers any more than he already had.
"What'd you like?" Ren asked as he stood next to the booth.
"The usual, please," Akechi ordered.
"Got it," Ren said before he went back behind the counter.
Sojiro didn't look up from his dish-washing as Ren walked past him. He had been trusting Ren more and more with independence in serving customers and making food. Perhaps he was testing Ren.
Ren got to work on Akechi's coffee. Thankfully, Akechi didn't even try to make conversation with Ren while he worked. Instead, Akechi seemed to be browsing news articles on his phone. Ren couldn't see what, but he didn't really care.
He finished the coffee soon and brought it around the counter to Akechi's booth. When he set the cup down, the detective gave a gracious look before he took his first sip of the coffee.
"Decent," Akechi said smugly.
You little shit...
Ren took a deep breath to stop himself from acting upon his thoughts. Once he felt calmer, he spoke softly.
"That'll be five-hundred yen," Ren reminded the detective.
"Oh, but of course," Akechi said as he reached into his pocket.
After he pulled his hand out, he slapped the yen on the side of the table. Ren took the money and went to walk away, but like always, his familiar customers never let him leave without a few words.
"Not going to stay and chat?" Akechi asked.
Ren turned back around, staring at the detective. Akechi's smug, pretentious, and charming grin curved a little more than usual. Ren hated that grin, but he felt obligated to sit down anyway. Even if he disliked Akechi, the guy was helpful. Yusuke would still be with Madarame if it wasn't for Akechi.
Ren sat down in the booth. Akechi coolly sipped his coffee.
"I trust that you've at least turned on your television in the past few days?"
"Yep. Saw you with Sugimura and that Bill dude talking about Kaneshiro."
"And? What did you think?" Akechi eagerly asked.
That eagerness was a bit off-putting to Ren. The only reason Ren could find why Akechi's eagerness was strange was that no one in their right mind should want to hear his opinion.
I'm surprised he cares this much. Not even Maruki looks this intrigued when I talk.
"Uh… it was fine? Seemed kinda stupid to call out the people who pay you. But what do I know? I'm just some gardener."
"You know more than you think, Amamiya-kun," Akechi said with a pleasant chuckle. "What do you think about the matter at large? About Kaneshiro?"
"It's weird, but it's definitely a good thing that that guy is dead. A lot of Shujin students were hurt because of him," Ren said. It was a simple answer that anyone would agree with.
"Indeed," Akechi agreed. Suddenly, his expression flattened into neutrality to disguise his emotions. "When you say that he hurt Shujin students, what do you mean?"
"If you keep asking pointless questions, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave."
"Ah, but you do remember that you agreed to spend time with me if I looked into Kaneshiro, yes?" Akechi reminded Ren.
Ren, you idiot. Starting now, don't make deals with people you don't like.
"Yeah, I guess I did. But some random dude killed him and I have no reason to believe that you ever looked into him."
"If we continue our conversation, I am sure I can prove that I did exactly that," Akechi said happily. He smiled like he knew he had the upper hand.
I really can't stand this guy. For all he's done to help Yusuke and shit, he's just such a jackass.
"Fine. What was the question?" Ren said in defeat.
"What did you mean when you said that Kaneshiro hurt students?" Akechi repeated.
"Oh… well, his crimes and stuff affected some people I know personally," Ren vaguely answered. He didn't want to elaborate on Makoto's situation.
"Such as Yoshiro Takata?" Akechi said before he sipped his coffee in victory.
...Fuck.
"Y-yeah. So you really looked into Kaneshiro? How'd you get that name?"
"A magician never reveals his secrets, Amamiya-kun, just as the Prince will never reveal if and how he killed Kaneshiro," Akechi smugly replied. "However, that doesn't mean that the magician's friends cannot reveal the magician's secrets."
"Thanks for being cryptic, can I go?"
"Not yet. I have yet to finish this cup of coffee," Akechi said as he took another sip. "I know what Takata did. How is Shujin reacting?"
"If I remember, he's not getting suspended. He and the other guys from the team are just obligated to talk with the school counselor. They didn't tell me anything else."
Akechi held his hand to his chin as if he was playing into the ponderous detective stereotype.
"The counselor? How did Takata come to be discovered by the school in the first place?"
"He admitted everything to the counselor. Literally everything. That recording was long as hell but-"
"A recording?!" Akechi nearly lunged across the table before he recomposed himself. "Do you have a copy?"
"No, and could you please calm the fuck down? I'm barely putting up with your questions. I don't need you freaking out over some obscure detail," Ren said bitterly.
"Ah, my apologies," Akechi said before he took a large and final sip from his coffee cup. "That'll be everything. Thank you for the coffee, company, and conversation."
Akechi stood up, but not before Ren stopped him with a question of his own.
"Hey, Akechi?" Ren said, prompting Akechi to turn back around. He gave a welcoming grin to Ren that almost stopped Ren from asking the question, but he proceeded anyway. "How much did you investigate Kaneshiro?"
Akechi maintained his grin.
"Enough to know that he deserved one of the two great equalizers amongst men."
That's… an odd statement.
"Which are?"
"Death and justice, Amamiya-kun. Death and justice."
"Oh. I see." Despite his understanding words, Ren had no clue what Akechi meant. He just wanted to get the detective to leave now that his question was answered. "Thanks for answering."
"Anytime, Amamiya-kun. Now, I truly must be going. I'll be back to speak again eventually. Thank you and have a good evening," Akechi said as turned and walked out of the door to Leblanc.
Ren was still sitting in the booth considering his conversation with Akechi.
He was really interested in Takata and the fact that he spoke to Maruki. I wonder why…
"Tough customer, huh, kid?" Sojiro asked, snapping Ren out of his thoughts.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Screw that guy," Ren said as he stood up and walked over to the counter with Akechi's used mug.
He handed the mug to Sojiro to wash.
"So what was that thing you were asking about? With the extra pay?" Ren asked. He was interested in the extra money and learning a little more about Sojiro.
"Eh, forget about it. I'll bring it up another time," Sojiro said dismissively.
"You sure you don't want me knowing about whatever it is? Remember, knowledge is power," Ren reminded Sojiro.
Instead of a joking or sarcastic response, Ren got a solemn sigh from Sojiro. It was uncharacteristic of the man. That made Ren even more curious.
"Not in this case," Sojiro said. "Now, go on. The night's over. Get outta here."
Sojiro obviously didn't want to talk, so Ren decided he would wait until Sojiro was ready. After all, it was just a business offer, right? Not many bosses would make personal requests of their employees. Then again, Ren worked more for Sojiro than Leblanc. He wondered what that meant as he left Leblanc.
Ren was laying in bed scrolling through his phone. He was considering texting Makoto after what she had said Wednesday night, but he didn't really know how to open the conversation. That was why he hadn't texted or even spoken to her on Thursday. Ren was worried that if he did a poor job conversing or texting with Makoto then she wouldn't want to be friends anymore.
You know, I didn't think about this shit nearly as much back in late April. Maybe because I am actively trying to get a relationship going? Is that it? I'm trying too hard and should just let things happen? That's probably it. Fuck it. Here goes nothing. Ren, give it your best shot!
Ren went with the flow and sent the first message he typed out.
Ren Amamiya:
-You up?
Ren stared at the phone screen. For how much faith he had just had in his own ability to go with the flow, he really hated that he trusted himself. That message was likely the nail in the coffin with Makoto. She would read the message and turn her phone off for the night, never to respond. She may even skip the party that was supposed to happen the next day. She would also-
Makoto Niijima:
-Yes, why?
Oh, thank fuck! See, Ren, you were overthinking it.
Ren Amamiya:
-Idk, you just said that you wanted to text more often.
Makoto Niijima:
-Oh, yeah. Sorry. I was having a hard time figuring out what to text you about.
Ren Amamiya:
-Lmao, so was I. Wanna figure it out together?
Makoto Niijima:
-Why not.
Ren Amamiya:
-Lord of the Pies?
Makoto Niijima:
-Overrated book. Next.
Ren Amamiya:
-Risette?
Makoto Niijima:
-No, I'm not really interested in that stuff.
Ren Amamiya:
-That's because you haven't been to a Risette concert.
Makoto Niijima:
-You've been to one? That's pretty cool, Ren.
Ren Amamiya:
-Well, I haven't, but it's on the bucket list.
Makoto Niijima:
-Oh.
Ren Amamiya:
-See? We just had something to talk about.
Makoto Niijima:
-I guess we did. Any other ideas?
Think, Ren, think! Mishima being dumb? Sae Niijima? Yusuke's money problems? Fuck, what do I say? What've Makoto and I been doing lately that isn't related to Kaneshiro? Wait… that's it! The party's tomorrow! I could ask about that.
Ren Amamiya:
-Excited for the party tomorrow?
Makoto Niijima:
-I was a little cautious at first, but I'm anticipating it now. I'm looking forward to just get to relax with everyone and not have to worry about stuff.
Ren Amamiya:
-Yeah, it's been too long since anyone's been able to do that. What do you think we should do? I kind of feel like a shitty host for not planning out what we're doing.
Makoto Niijima:
-Don't worry about it. You're providing the location, which is more than enough. We can play video games or watch movies.
Ren Amamiya:
-Any movie requests? How about something scary?
Makoto Niijima:
-No!
Ren Amamiya:
-Okay, point taken. You ever seen Requiem for a Scream?
Makoto Niijima:
-No, and I don't plan on it! It sounds like a horror film. No scary movies, please?
Ren Amamiya:
-I guess we'll just have to leave it to a GRAVY vote tomorrow then…
Makoto Niijima:
-Ren, please? No scary movies?
Ladies and gentlemen, mission commences in three, two, one...
Ren Amamiya:
-No promises. But if we do end up watching a scary movie, you could always curl up next to me.
And we have lift off.
Ren waited a minute. A late response was to be expected after such a daring message.
Unfortunately, a few more minutes passed without a response.
Ren Amamiya:
-Makoto Niijima?
Attempting emergency maneuvers.
Ren Amamiya:
-My queen?
Ren Amamiya:
-Babe?
Still nothing. With a sigh, Ren turned off his phone and set it on his nightstand. He rolled over on his bed.
Mission failed. We'll get 'em next time.
Ren fell asleep.
Ren Amamiya:
-No promises. But if we do end up watching a scary movie, you could always curl up next to me.
"Eeep!" Makoto nearly tossed her phone from her position on the bed on accident.
WhatdoIsaywhatdoIsaywhatdoIsay? Makoto's mind raced.
Her fingers raced even harder, scrambling to type in any message. Unfortunately, when she had something ready to go, another message from Ren came through.
Ren Amamiya:
-Makoto Niijima?
Now I need to include an apology! Makoto realized.
Her fingers typed even faster and more stressfully. Again, Makoto wasn't fast enough.
Ren Amamiya:
-My queen?
That was a catastrophe. Makoto accidentally deleted her message trying to figure out how to respond to that. Now she had to start over, but at least she knew what she wanted to say.
Ren Amamiya:
-Babe?
Never mind, Makoto thought.
She couldn't type a single complete word without messing up. Makoto decided to just give up and speak to Ren the next day.
Makoto plugged her phone in before rolling over in bed. She fell asleep, excited for what the GRAVY party would bring.