A/N: The character limit on chapter titles is my worst enemy. Full title is 'Doctor Ryuji Will Have His Revenge on Tokyo'.

Friday, 7/29

"Ren, sit up straight."

"I'm the straightest sitter you'll ever see, I guarantee it."

"Then why are your shoulders not touching the back of the chair?"

"Fake news. They touch just fine," Ren jokingly objected before adjusting his posture. Makoto had come over to his apartment to prepare for dinner with Sae. Currently, they were working on Ren's table etiquette. There was a lot of room for improvement.

"Ren, please try a little harder. I want Sis to like you," Makoto said from behind Ren. He was uncomfortably shifting around in a chair that Makoto had brought for him from her apartment. She was that dedicated to making sure he did things correctly.

"Same. It'd be a huge downer," Ren said with a smirk as he turned back to look at her. "Not like she's been hating me for three months or anything." Makoto laughed, so Ren made his point. "Even if things don't go well, what's it matter?"

Makoto used her hands to turn Ren's head forward again. "It matters because she's my sister and life will be a lot easier if she likes you."

"When she likes me, Makoto. My charm is too irresistible, my etiquette too cordial, my sheer GRAVY-ness is too much to deny," Ren said, hearing Makoto laugh more. "It's basically in the bag."

"Then sitting up straight will take you from an A to an A-plus," Makoto fondly remarked. "Oh, and you could work on pacing your eating, what you wear, and your ha-"

"Don't say it."

"Don't say what?"

"You know what."

"You could work on your ha-"

Ren turned back around in playful, entertaining anger. "I'll have you know that my hair takes hours of work, and the resources of a small nation. A male version of Risette couldn't pull this off, yet I do!" he joked before facing forward again. "But I could clean it up a little."

"Hair gel?" Makoto suggested.

"Out of the question."

"A comb?"

"A crime against humanity."

"Maybe straighten it a little?"

"Fuck it, why not."

"Great. Next, how about you temporarily stop cursi-" A sound that Ren would usually be excited to hear interrupted Makoto. Someone was knocking on the door of the apartment.

Well, Makoto's already here. That means that Makoto's not on the other side of the door. Therefore, I have nothing to look forward to by opening the door.

The person on the other side of the door knocked again. This time, they used a terse pattern. Ren already thought that his newest visitor was an asshole for interrupting his time with Makoto, but knocking in patterns? That was the sign of a true asshole.

"You should probably get that," Makoto said. She moved out of the way so that Ren could scoot his chair backwards from the kitchen counter.

"It could be Sae, you know," Ren said with a sigh. He did not want to answer the door.

"All the more reason to answer it," Makoto said with a polite smile. Ren shook his head, stood up, and walked to the door. He opened it and his prediction for his fresh visitor was correct.

The king of all assholes, Goro Akechi.

"Afternoon, Amamiya." Akechi said. His usual demeanor was present. Ren did not want to deal with this shit, especially when he was having a good day so far. "May I come in?"

"May you? No. Will you anyway? Probably."

"Correct," Akechi said before edging past Ren into the apartment. He took a few looks around before spotting Makoto. "Ah, Niijima-san. Forgive me. Am I intruding?"

"Yeah," Ren said. "Time to leave, dude."

"Ah ah ah, I have things to say, and we have an agreement for you to listen, Ren," Akechi smugly reminded Ren as he closed the apartment door.

"Not the first name," Ren muttered, but Akechi didn't care. The detective walked over to the living area of Ren's apartment, picked the remote up off the couch, and turned on the TV. He flipped through a few channels until he arrived at the usual news broadcast that Ren watched. There was a new headline on screen.

Oh boy. This'll be good.

"Recently, a forum for the self described Prince has been gaining traction among all ages across Japan. The site only showcases Prince-related news and discussion. We've already seen the forum garner a dozen thousand registered users with rapid growth," the familiar newswoman announced as a screenshot of the website was displayed next to her. "The site displays a poll twenty-four-seven asking the users the question, 'Is the Prince real?' Well, Tokyo, I ask you that same question. Is the Prince real? Find out here at-" Ren couldn't hear the woman complete her sentence as Akechi muted the TV.

"We don't need her advertising," Akechi said as he pulled out his phone. Ren looked over at Makoto, who shrugged. Ren focused back on Akechi to find that the detective was handing him his phone. "What do you think?" Akechi asked Ren.

Ah, the poll… is the Prince real? Definitely. Maybe not the way people expect, but the Prince is definitely a figure manipulating Japan right now. Maybe it's multiple people, maybe it's just one person, but they're definitely real. The article being written about Sugimura's death before Sugimura's death proves that.

Ren tapped the 'Real' button in the poll on Akechi's phone. Cumulative results popped onto the screen.

"Sixty-two percent of people voting believe, huh?" Ren announced for Akechi and Makoto to hear. He expected it to be lower. "I'd think that more people would call bullshit on this."

"They try," Akechi said with a smirk. "They'd prefer it swept under the rug."

And "they" refers to whoever's life is harder because of the Prince?

"That won't happen," Makoto said, prompting Akechi to nod.

"Definitely not with the website remaining active," Akechi said as he snatched his phone back from Ren and waved it towards Makoto. "The website is bad news for anyone the Prince mentions. Kaneshiro's 'incompetent friends at the precinct,' and the 'powerful elite of Japan' are going to have a fun summer with this." Akechi opened a new page on the website and handed the phone back to Ren. "A suggestion page."

Hoo boy… that's a can of worms. People just post names for people they want the Prince to get rid of? Sounds like the Prince will be more of a hitman than prince of Japan. I wonder what the extent of it is. If I just left the name of that one guy… fuck, what's his name? He's from that one band that cannot write an interesting song to save their lives. Whatever, I'll think of it later. Not like I'll put a hit out on them for writing boring music.

"Any person who can find the website, even if an unregistered user, can provide the next target for the Prince."

"Royally fuck them, so to speak," Ren joked to no fanfare. "Do you think people will use it?"

"They already are. Only time will tell if the Prince uses the suggestions," Akechi said. "Of course, we do not know whether the site is officially related to the Prince. It is likely just a fan-made page and will have no effect on those who receive the Prince's justice."

"That's probably a good thing. People are dumb and shouldn't be deciding life or death stuff," Ren replied.

Even if the people getting killed are exploitative assholes like Kaneshiro or Sugimura. I trust the Prince because he's two for two, but the public? Hell no.

"True, but they are smart enough to put the pieces together and do what they are told," Akechi said as he looked around the room and refocused on Ren with renewed energy in his eyes. "Look at the article. Whoever published it did so to create buzz, and that's exactly what's happening. By now, most people have concluded that Sugimura didn't kill himself," Akechi added as he rolled his eyes. He must've been sick of hearing the supposedly hidden truth of Sugimura's death. It was becoming a joke at this point.

"So they released that article as some sort of set-up?" Makoto asked curiously. Ren could see the cogs moving in her head.

"Precisely. Now, we must wait for the next breadcrumb," Akechi said arrogantly. It was plain to see that he was very proud to be agreed with. "Ren, I'd like to speak with you more this coming week. Will you-"

"Nah, going on vacation. Sorry." To say the least, it overjoyed Ren to have an actual excuse to not speak with Akechi.

"Ren, may I remind you of our deal? Or are you telling me the truth?"

"Truth. I'm going to Iwatodai. Ask her," Ren said as he pointed to Makoto. Akechi turned to her, then pivoted back to Ren with a raised eyebrow.

"Iwatodai?" Akechi definitely wasn't asking for information about the city. He wanted to know why Ren was going. Ren didn't care.

"A city on the coast. There's a bunch of cool tourist shi-"

"I know what Iwatodai is," Akechi said frustratedly as he held a hand to his brow. Ren relished in Akechi's short-term hardship. "But what is in Iwatodai for you?"

"Hookers and cocaine," Ren said bluntly. He saw Makoto crack a disapproving smile from behind Akechi, so he repeated himself for emphasis. "Hookers and cocaine."

Akechi glared at Ren and sighed. "So be it." He turned to the door. "I will be in touch," Akechi said as he walked out of Ren's apartment, closing the door behind him.

"Fucking finally, goddamn!" Ren yelled in relief. "I thought he'd never leave."

Makoto was less relieved than Ren. She was still considering Akechi's words. "If that article that exposed Sugimura as a sex-trafficker is just meant as set-up, then what's going to be the payoff?"

Shit, good point. Kaneshiro didn't get an article, but his death had a point to it: create distrust in law-enforcement. A few people think the police fucked the situation up either by killing Kaneshiro or letting Kaneshiro kill himself. Then what's the point of Sugimura's death? Create distrust in the elite? I guess that could be it. If that article truly wanted to expose the corruption, then it would've listed names. Instead, it just said that the corrupt people were accomplices in Sugimura's crimes. We don't know who specifically is corrupt, so that means that distrust isn't just for one person… fuck. What the hell is going on? I've got drugs and fortune tellers predicting my life, and some big conspiracy against Japan going on.

Ren shook his head and sat down at the counter again. He heard Makoto walking up behind him.

I wonder how this year would've gone if I hadn't pushed that drunk guy.

"I dunno, Makoto." In fact, Ren didn't want to know. It was too much to think about. He wanted to focus on winning over his hopefully soon-to-be-girlfriend's sister and not much else. "Hey, we should get back to work, right?"

Makoto's eyes widened before she nodded. "You're right. Alright, sit up straight, point your shoulders…"

As Akechi walked back to the elevator, he laughed at himself. His visit was almost pointless. He had planted the seeds for something that wasn't even important to the plan. Confirming that Ren was traveling to Iwatodai was also useless. Akechi already knew about the trip. He had checked Okumura's phone transcripts and learned that Kunikazu had sent for someone to inspect his vacation home because his daughter and a few friends would be staying there. Akechi already knew Ren was one of Haru's few friends, so it wasn't hard to put the pieces together.

Poor Akechi had such a boring job this time around. He didn't even get to kill anyone. Instead, he would be stuck pulling the puppet strings. How lame, Akechi thought as he stepped into the elevator.

At least progress was being made. Ren would soon be further down the spiral, and would be in too deep for a hand to pull him out, not unless Akechi gave permission. In fact, Ren could even make things worse for himself if he fell for Akechi's trick. Akechi had thought of a wonderful idea that would deal with the anomaly that had occurred during the Kaneshiro fiasco. If Ren unknowingly went along with it, then it would only benefit Akechi.

If Ren didn't go along with it, it wouldn't change anything. Akechi's new idea was just a fun addition to something that had already been planned. Ren probably wouldn't even fall for the trick. It depended on too many things aligning.

But if Ren did… Akechi had something to look forward to.

For now, Akechi had to work on the bigger picture and make sure that someone forgot to lock a door.

The dreaded moment had arrived. Ren got to Leblanc and saw the expectant Sojiro waiting for him in a booth. It was time to contact Maruki. Ren nodded at his boss and sat down across from him. "You still wanna try this?" Ren asked, prompting Sojiro to nod as confirmation. Ren took out his phone and opened Maruki's contact. He had got the counselor's number after one of their sessions, but had yet to use it. He called the number.

The counselor picked up after just two rings. "Takuto Maruki speaking, how may I help you?"

"What's up, doc?" Ren said as he stared Sojiro in the eye. He looked tired.

"Ah, happy Friday, Amamiya-kun! What can I do for you?"

"You know that girl I told you about?" Ren asked. "Her guardian would like your help. Would you be able to come to Leblanc in Yongen in…" Ren questioningly eyed Sojiro for a timeframe.

"The near future," Sojiro whispered.

"In the near future," Ren finished.

"Well, I am free tonight, if that works?" Maruki suggested.

Ren held the phone away from his ear. "Tonight?" he asked Sojiro, who nodded. Ren pressed the phone back to his ear. "Yeah, sounds good."

"Then I'm on my way," Maruki said, and the call disconnected.

The sound of the door interrupted Ren and Sojiro's small talk. Ren turned to see his counselor, smiled, and heard Sojiro stand up. He saw his boss walk over to Maruki and extend his hand. Maruki completed the handshake. "Takuto Maruki, nice to meet you."

"Sojiro Sakura." He gestured towards the booth for Maruki to take a seat, before he looked back at Ren. "Make the man some damn coffee, will ya?" Ren nodded and got out of the booth to get to work as Maruki took his seat. Sojiro sat down across from him.

As Ren got started on the coffee, he listened to Maruki and Sojiro's conversation. "So how much has the kid told you?" Sojiro asked.

"Well, he's mentioned that she's a shut-in, and he has to talk to her through a door while she replies through text messages," Maruki said plainly. "But I don't know more than that." He shrugged.

Ren felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, but he ignored it for now. He was working, and he had to make Maruki's coffee.

"All true," Sojiro confirmed. "How would you approach Futaba? Other therapists have done nothing for her."

Maruki raised an eyebrow at the name. "Futaba," he repeated. "What a nice name…" he said emptily before he perked up when he remembered he had to answer Sojiro's question. "It's hard to say. I don't know more than what Ren has told me. I'd like to meet her to get a grasp on the situation."

"Knowledge is power," Sojiro said as he glanced over at Ren and chuckled. Ren smirked as he continued working on the coffee.

"Heh, yeah…" Maruki said awkwardly. For whatever reason, the counselor appeared to be nervous.

Sojiro focused himself on Maruki again and sat up in the booth. "If you want to meet Futaba tonight, you can, but expect nothing. Ren's the first person she communicated with." Sojiro stood up, but then looked back at Maruki. "Oh, and we can discuss the specifics later."

"Of course," Maruki said as he matched Sojiro and stood up.

"Kid, keep working on the coffee and keep it hot for when we get back. We won't be long," Sojiro said to Ren before he walked out of the store with Maruki following. Ren just shrugged in response and continued working. However, now that he wasn't being surveyed by his boss, and because there was another notification, Ren checked his phone.

Unknown Number:

-You asshole! I don't want to deal with another therapist!

How'd she know that I brought Maruki tonight? She's probably in my phone or something.

Unknown Number:

-Ren, please… I like talking to you. I don't want to just have to ignore another doctor or whatever this guy is.

Ren's heart immediately dropped.

Well, Futaba, I enjoy talking to you too, but maybe if you opened your fucking mouth this wouldn't have happened… fuck, Ren. That's a little harsh, isn't it? Eh, Maruki coming is for the best. Even if she doesn't talk to him, I'm sure he won't be triggering any episodes for her. That's what matters.

Ren Amamiya:

-Futaba, I'll keep stopping by. Maruki's a friend and he can help. He's probably the only adult at Shujin who's not a lying dipshit. Give it a shot?

*The number you have messaged does not exist*

"Well shit," Ren said aloud for no reason. If Futaba didn't want to talk, there wasn't much Ren could do besides break her door down and wait for her to speak. That was not a viable option, so Ren kept making coffee.

"It went well."

That's what Ren was told earlier in the evening, and he was still thinking about those words late into the night. It was keeping him up, and that was the last thing he wanted to do. He had dinner at the Niijima's in two days, but looking like a sleepless wreck would go poorly.

Sojiro said that the meeting went well, but he also said that Futaba was silent. It took time for Ren to realize how that was a positive result, but he picked up on it eventually: it went well because Futaba didn't have another episode. That was a sobering thought.

Ren didn't get specifics, but Maruki just asked Futaba a few questions before telling her about himself. She had reciprocated none of the attention, but Maruki apparently went unbothered and that was why Sojiro let Maruki continue.

And that's exactly why Maruki is better than me for this. I can't get through one night talking to Futaba without feeling agitated. Good thing I have a week off… oh shit! I forgot to ask Junpei if I can go! Actually, fuck it. I'll call him now. It's two in the morning. I'm sure he's still up.

Ren picked his phone up off the nightstand and dialed Junpei's number. With a few rings, the drunkard picked up. "Jun-Goon speak," a voice slurred.

I know he's always drinking, but he continues to surprise me with his stupidity. He is truly gifted.

"You mean Junpei speaking?"

"Ahwowow, Ronald! How ya been?" Junpei yelled through the other end.

"Fine," Ren said quickly because he wanted to move on. "I'm calling to ask if I can go-"

"Go on these nuts! Ha!"

"Iori-san, that's- shit, who cares. I'm calling to ask if I can go on a trip with some friends this week? I leave on Monday and get back on Friday," Ren slowly explained. The last thing he wanted to do at two in the morning was repeat himself to the drunkest man alive.

"Yeah, get that shit out of here. Details are snore-tails!" Junpei hollered. "But where ya goin'?"

Snore-tails. That's a new one.

"Uh…" Ren hesitated. "Iwatodai."

"W-what?" Instead of the loud yells from before, Junpei had brought his voice to a hushed whisper.

"Iwatodai. Coastal city. It has-"

"Kenji!" Junpei yelled away from his phone, but it was still loud enough to hear. "Guess where Renji is goin'?!" There was a pause for a few seconds. "Iwa-fucking-todai! Believe it!"

"Y-yeah, so can I-" Ren tried to remind Junpei of his request, but he got interrupted.

"Kenji! We gotta get the gang back together!" Junpei nearly screamed before getting even louder as he resumed talking into the phone. "Renzokuken! You can go, but only if we can go with!"

"Iori-san, I don't-"

"Shit yeah, Iwatodai!" Junpei immediately hung up after and left Ren confused about what he had just done.

Did I just ruin the vacation? No, there's no way. Not like we're taking Junpei in the van. How the hell will he get to Iwatodai? And he'll forget about it by morning. I guess his drinking habit is convenient now.

Ren tiredly rubbed his eyes and tossed his phone aside. He laid back down and resumed his endless struggle of trying to fall asleep.

Sunday, 7/31

Ah, the day of reckoning. Ren, don't shoot yourself in the foot at dinner tonight. And do nothing today that could jeopardize dinner.

As part of his morning ritual of laziness, Ren checked his phone before getting out of bed.

Tae Takemi:

-You're coming to the clinic today.

Hah, nice try, Life. Not going to take the bait. I will not fuck up the dinner for thighs.

Ren Amamiya:

-Can't, I have obligations.

Tae Takemi:

-And you have obligations to help me.

Ren Amamiya:

-You have no dirt on me, doctor. I've showered myself clean.

Tae Takemi:

-Ren, that's the corniest thing I've ever heard.

I thought the irony was obvious, but this is text messaging. Irony is pointless.

Tae Takemi:

-Just come down to the clinic or else I'll upload the recordings of you during your hallucinations to the internet.

Ren Amamiya:

-And I'll tell the police you're giving a minor experimental drugs.

Tae Takemi:

4

Ren opened the video to find his worst nightmare. Tae was not lying. She had been recording him during his hallucinations. The clip she had sent was Ren attempting a headstand on the exam table. Not terrible, but it meant that anything could've happened in that exam room and Ren didn't remember it. He did not want to witness his own idiocy, much less have it shown to the world.

Ren Amamiya:

-Fine. I'll be there.

"I've got a date tonight. Is this gonna knock me on my ass for a few hours, or will I just be out for one and be able to leave?" Ren asked, regrettably after he had downed today's mixture.

"You're usually not even out for that long. I think you'll be out of here…" Tae checked the clock on the wall. "Forty minutes to an hour. What time's your date?"

"Six-thirty."

"You'll make that easily," Tae said as she got her clipboard of notes out and looked at Ren. "Feeling anything?" She expectantly crossed her legs.

"Confusion on why you blackmailed me to get me down here."

Tae slightly curved her lips. "I was bored."

"Fuck… I'm risking a date for your amusement."

"You have plenty of dates ahead of you, Ren."

"Not if I fuck this one up. I'm meeting her sister."

"Oh…" Tae laughed. "You should've told me before you drank the mixture."

What the fuck is that supposed to mean?!

"Excuse me?"

"I just figured that this was another date with that one girl who really likes you, but you're meeting her sister… Ren, I'm sorry," Tae said remorsefully. Ren was desperate to know why she was apologizing.

"Tae, what the fuck are you talking about?"

Tae sighed. "This is a similar mixture to that one that I gave you where the effects remain, to a lesser extent, for twenty-four to forty-eight hours."

"Tae…"

"My bad," Tae said.

Ren looked out the window stoically as he considered his next move. "Is Ren Amamiya gonna have to smack a bitch?"

"Ren, really? Now? You're supposed to be testing drugs."

"And you're supposed to be a doctor, AKA someone who looks out for their patient's best interests!" Ren frustratedly yelled back.

"Quit your-" Tae stopped when a metallic rattling noise rang out through the room. As Ren scanned the room to search for the source, the jiggling of the air vent in the corner caught his eye. He pointed it out to Tae, who looked over. "The vent? It must be the-"

The opening of the vent rattled loose and burst off the wall. It clanged against the ground before coming to a stop. Ren looked across the room into the vent, but couldn't see anything for a few seconds.

Suddenly, a pale arm reached out. Another joined it, and both arms grabbed either side of the vent to pull the main body out. The figure slowly emerged, and Ren recognized it as Yusuke yet again, but there were too many folding limbs to count. Among them, his head wrapped through one armpit and he hooked his left leg over his shoulder. He pushed his full form out onto the floor with a smacking noise.

"Way to make an entrance," Ren remarked. Yusuke's eyes snapped open, and he slowly unfolded. His head righted itself, then went straight. He brought his leg under him, and both his arms corrected themselves. Yusuke stood straight up, towering at roughly nine feet tall.

"We must leave the clinic," he said in his powerful monotone.

"Hey! Ren has to-" Tae began, but Yusuke's imposing figure turned to face her. He silenced her with his intimidating stare. "S-sorry, I didn't mean to-" Yusuke bitch slapped Tae through the wall with a destructive booming noise following. From his angle, Ren couldn't see through the goth doctor sized hole, but blinding light streamed into the room.

Yusuke turned back to Ren. "We must leave the clinic."

"Yeah, you said that. Maybe if you hadn't killed my doctor, then-" Yusuke grabbed Ren's foot and swung him through the hole in the wall. Ren let out a short-lived scream that ended when he hit the ground a second later.

Ow… Haru's not even here yet and I'm getting the shit kicked out of me.

Ren tasted an obscene amount of dirt in his mouth, but he couldn't feel much else. He tried to move his arms to get himself up, but they were numb or he had lost them somewhere along the way.

He felt pressure on the back of his head, but there was a lack of pain or the feeling of anything actually touching him. Ren's face was abruptly pulled out of the dirt and held in place so that Ren could look out in front of him.

He was on an active battlefield.

Wait… is that a fucking bayonet on that guy's gun?! Aw shit, I'm in the first world war.

He looked around as much as he could with his limited head movement. There was endless death and destruction around him. Ditches from artillery fire were everywhere, and a distinct lack of plant life was disturbing. More than that, the dead bodies everywhere were alarming.

This probably isn't even accurate. This is just my brain's depiction of the first world war, right? Japan wasn't even fighting on the Western front.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" A voice asked from behind Ren. He was regaining feeling, and an intense burning on the back of his scalp was setting in. Someone was holding him up by his hair. Ren got his arms moving. He swatted above him, hit an arm, and was released to fall back into the dirt. Ren ate shit yet again, but this time he wasn't paralyzed. He quickly got himself standing up and spun to face Yusuke.

"Asshole…" Ren said as he wiped his face to get mud off of it.

"Assholes," Yusuke corrected and pointed behind Ren. The GRAVY leader turned around and saw more bodies, but these were much closer than the ones he had seen before. He could even make out some features of them, like that they had buzz cuts, stocky builds with decent height and-

It's fucking Yoshiro! Yoshiros, I should say! They're all Yoshiro!

Every body in sight was Yoshiro Takata in soldier garb. Ren could see living soldiers further away, but he couldn't make out their faces. They were tall enough to be Yoshiro, so he considered the living ones clones as well.

Good thing we're on a battlefield. Yoshiro will get bombed into oblivion. Joyful stuff. I wonder who they're fighting against.

"Yusuke, why're we here?" Ren asked as he turned back to his hallucinated caretaker.

Yusuke walked past Ren and spoke. "You wished to see this, as well as wished for gifts."

"Gifts?"

"Come." Ren didn't budge. "Must I throw you again?" Yusuke threatened, and Ren answered with action. He caught up to Yusuke and matched the hallucination's pace. "A trial awaits you."

"A trial?"

"Did I stutter?"

"No… but… fuck, I don't care. Keep talking," Ren said as they stepped over a body that was missing a leg.

"A trial awaits you. Are you prepared?"

A trial… let's see. Dinner at Makoto's? That's a trial, and I have been preparing for it. He could also mean Iwatodai, but I'm not sure how that's a trial. Maybe he's talking about helping Ryuji with Hifumi. That's definitely a trial.

"Sure."

"You don't sound certain."

"So?"

"Uncertainty is death," Yusuke said. The surrounding bodies were getting thicker. Ren had to carefully step over a new one every few feet. "Or perhaps certainty is death in your case… interesting. We are nearly there."

Dude, you cannot drop some shit like that and just move on. I'd be more upset, but this is just a hallucination. Maybe Yusuke is talking about something that will happen in the future, but what am I supposed to take from "certainty is death in your case"? I'll just leave it be.

"Where?"

"Must you ask so many questions?"

"Metal Gear?"

"Excuse me?" Ren had actually caught his hallucinated version of Yusuke off guard. The artist had stopped walking and was standing on top of a body.

"Just had to fill my reference quota. No more questions," Ren said with a smirk.

"Ah." Yusuke did not care for Ren's joke. "We have arrived."

Ren looked around. Other than being surrounded by more bodies, there was little different from where they were before. "There's jack shit here!"

Yusuke reached down to the body he was standing atop, a particularly disfigured version of Yoshiro with no identifiable features, and ripped the dog tags from him. He stepped off the body and handed the dog tags to Ren. "A dead Yoshiro is a good Yoshiro," he uttered lowly as Ren snatched the dog tag.

Wait… what the fuck is this?!

It wasn't Yoshiro's name on the dog tag.

Aika Okumura… I'm assuming that's Haru's mother? Don't know for sure.

"Who's Aika?"

"Metal Gear," Yusuke answered with actual sarcasm in his voice.

Fine. It's Haru's mother. What does it mean? I haven't heard shit about her. Maybe I get to meet her? That'd be a pleasant change; something getting foretold that's positive instead of cryptic and about death.

"Oh, fuck you." Ren was getting annoyed. These were always vague, but he couldn't see what Haru's mother had to do with anything.

"Fuck me?"

"Yeah, fuck you. Fuck you, fuck this, fuck me, fuck Yoshiro, and fuck Tae."

"Quite the list."

"Shut up."

"I am not real. There is no reason for you to exact anger upon-" Yusuke put his hands behind his back.

"That's exactly why I should be angry with you," Ren furiously cut-in.

Yusuke sighed and looked into the sky. "Time for your second gift." Ren heard something cutting through the air, and he looked up just in time to see a bomb falling from a plane. Time moved in slow motion, and Ren dove out of the way. He expected it to not matter and to be sent into oblivion, but he hit the ground and nothing happened beyond that. He sat up and looked behind him at Yusuke.

The artist had caught the bomb. He held it out towards Ren, offering him the bomb. "Dude, no fucking way am I taking-" Yusuke tossed the bomb towards him. Ren sprang up, and only barely caught it.

Great. I can use this to kill Haru when she inevitably pops up. Wonder what rhymes she has this time. Hah, that rhymes.

"You dick," Ren said as he cradled the bomb and gave Yusuke a rude glare. In response, Yusuke just pointed down at the bomb, which Ren could feel shifting around in his arms for whatever reason. He looked down and discovered why: the bomb had turned into Morgana. Frightened, Ren tossed the cat in the air and jumped backwards.

That was when Morgana began levitating. "You dare toss me?" he boomed in a voice too deep for a cat, especially one of his size.

It's a cat. No reason to be scared, Ren.

Ren just shrugged. "Sorry."

"Sorry won't suffice, motherfucka!"

"Whatever, Morgana. I'm gonna go find Haru so she can kill me. See ya," Ren said as turned and walked away.

"No, you don't!" The god-cat froze Ren mid-step. Perhaps he had underestimated the telekinetic cat.

"Fine. You want me to buy new cat food?" Ren asked. He couldn't see Morgana, but he could still hear the cat levitating a few feet behind him. A crack burst from the ground beneath Ren. It didn't affect his positioning—Morgana locked him in place—but it did concern him. "Yusuke, a little help." Ren didn't even know if Yusuke was still present, but it couldn't hurt to request help.

No response. Great. He shows up to give me dog tags and a bomb, then leaves when I'm going to die by a cat-generated earthquake. At least I'm ending this one in style.

The ground continued to splinter, and Ren saw the cracks running through the rest of the battlefield. As they widened, bodies started slipping in. The noise of rocks grinding and volleyball players screaming was piercing. Ren was safely kept in place.

"Morgana? C'mon, please let me go?"

"Invite Ann over and leave her alone with me," the deep-voiced cat demanded.

"Wha- you are a cat! The fuck are you gonna do, seduce her by meowing?!"

The remark evidently upset Morgana, but the god-cat kept his cool. "You'd be surprised."

"I think you're going to be surprised to learn that Ann likes things that walk on two legs and are human."

"Bullshit."

I know that this stuff comes from my head… but really? Ann being into cats? No way I thought that up. Tae definitely slipped some shit in there.

"Look, maybe if you were a human-"

"I am a human!" Morgana boomed across the battlefield, and the cracks in the ground only grew more dramatic. The large one beneath Ren was getting up to five feet wide, and he could see others in the distance reaching twenty feet.

"Okay, fine. I'll test your humanity. I'll ask you something that only a human would know."

"Speak!"

"When you're in the shower, do you let the water run off your hand to make it look like you're a water bender?"

"Bitch, what?!"

"Failed. Not human," Ren said with a grin. If he was going to be killed by a cat, he would get the last laugh. Morgana didn't even verbally respond this time. With a low howl, Ren's telekinetic shackles vanished, and he dropped from mid air into the crack beneath him. He barely grabbed onto the ledge.

He struggled to gain better positioning for several seconds. Sharp rocks dug into his fingers, which were also slipping. It seemed he would die by sweaty hands this time around. Ren looked down. The abyss even seemed welcoming.

Ren looked back up just in time to see Morgana saunter up to him. However, it wasn't completely Morgana.

It was Harugana. Haru's masked face, feather hat included, had been molded onto Morgana's body to create a hideous thing that Ren did not want to remember. "Er… hi?" he weakly said as he struggled to hold himself up.

What's the point? If I let go, would it end the hallucination, or would Harugana just jump down after me and tear me to shreds? Not taking that chance. I'll hold on.

"Failure to glean ruptured his spleen, now the slow, crushing emptiness of the abyss will consume his soul!"

"Wait, but that doesn't rhy-"

"Long live the Lord of GRAVY-esque Goodness!" Harugana declared before she jammed her claws into Ren's hands, forcing his grip loose and sending him downwards into the darkness.

Once Ren got past the feeling of having his stomach pulled up his throat from falling so suddenly, he could actually think.

She got my GRAVY title right. That's a win.

Then he blacked out.

Tae Takemi:

-Remember to update me on your condition before you go to bed tonight.

Ren was drowsily getting ready for dinner, which was roughly an hour away. He had already bathed and needed to put on the nice clothes that Makoto had picked out. She had gone through what clothes he had brought to Tokyo and selected the ones that Sae would consider the least problematic, if possible. Ren wasn't sure how that worked, given that most of his casual clothes were inoffensive and plain. Maybe Sae just wanted to hate him.

Ren had rushed home after waking up in Tae's. He felt a little loopy from the concoction, but he wasn't having hallucinations invading his normal life. He assumed they were waiting for an ill-timed moment.

Tae Takemi:

-Or else I release today's footage of you attempting to wall twerk.

There's just no way that's a real thing. I don't have the balance for that.

Ren Amamiya:

-You're just jealous of my talent.

Tae Takemi:

-You were naturally gifted, I'll say that.

Tae Takemi:

-Kidding. No more blackmail now that I've been entertained. Good luck with your girlfriend's sister. Let me know how it goes when you update me later tonight.

Ren Amamiya:

-I can also send you more twerking videos, if it helps.

Tae Takemi:

-Thin ice, Ren.

Ren Amamiya:

-K, bye.

Ren set down the phone and went back to getting ready. He was even going to comb his hair.

Ren rapped his knuckle on the door a few times as his other hand made sure the collar of his t-shirt was properly adjusted. The door opened, and the pleasant Niijima greeted Ren. She reassuringly smiled at Ren and gestured for him to come in.

That's a good sign. If she smiled like that, that means that my outfit is good. Thank fuck. I'm still feeling tired from Tae's earlier. If things go well, it'll be because I dressed well, because there's no way in hell that I manage not to ruin things the moment I open my mouth.

As he entered the apartment, Ren looked over Makoto. She wore more casual clothes than him, wearing her white dress blouse and black capris. "Sis, Ren's here," Makoto called over to the kitchen.

Ren glanced over and saw the elder Niijima. She wore her usual black business suit, telling Ren she was at work earlier that day or that she would leave after dinner ended. Maybe she didn't respect Ren enough to dress more casually. Or would that be a sign of disrespect? It didn't matter to Ren. He had to hold himself together, and caring about Sae's attire wouldn't help his cause.

Sae seemed busy with some food in the kitchen. Ren thought that food was Makoto's thing, but what did he know? Sae looked up and met his eyes. As if Makoto had persistently asked her to, Sae smiled. It wasn't nearly as friendly as Makoto's from before, but it was still a smile.

She's trying. I respect that.

"Good evening, Ren," Sae said as she focused back on the food. "Oh, Makoto, this looks like it's just about done."

Makoto turned to Ren momentarily. "You can sit down. Everything is basically ready," she said before hurriedly walking off to the kitchen.

I guess I was right that food is Makoto's thing. Sae must've just been waiting for it to be finished cooking so that Makoto would greet me at the door.

Ren took a seat at the dining table. They had already set places up, with one at the head of the table and one on each side of the table. It was obvious who was going to sit where. Ren and Sae would probably sit across, and Makoto would be at the head of the table to mediate if conflict arose.

Makoto was walking back over with two plates of food, and Sae followed with another plate and a few bowls. Makoto set down one at her place and one at Ren's as Sae sat down while dolling out bowls for each person.

Fuck me… this is incredible.

Ren couldn't believe how good the food looked. There was zosui, some kind of udon noodles, and salmon on rice. Makoto had probably been working on this for a few hours, all while Ren was tripping balls about Haru being a murderous cat. He felt a little embarrassed by how unaccomplished he was in comparison, even if it was just food. At least he could make tolerable curry and a solid cup of coffee.

"This looks great, Makoto," Ren said politely.

Makoto thanked him with a nod. She looked between both Sae and Ren, who both seemed to wait for something, then just began eating. They followed suit and soon the entire table was absorbed in their meals.

As Ren ate, he couldn't help but look around the foreign environment of Makoto's apartment. He had been there a few times before, but he hadn't been there often enough to memorize the details. The Niijima's had various art pieces covering the walls, a few plants tactically placed, and even had a cat roaming across the shelves. It was the perfect apartment.

Ren stopped chewing when he realized what he had just noticed and looked back up at the shelf.

That's a fucking cat! How did- wait, it's Morgana! Shit, he must've followed me!

"Amamiya-kun, what-" Sae tried to ask after she swallowed some food.

Ren interrupted. "Please, call me Ren." Makoto had told him to do that. It would appear more friendly to insist on the first name.

"Ren, if I may ask, what are your plans for the future?" the prosecutor finished. The look she was giving him wasn't an intrigued, caring look. It was watchful. Sae was testing him.

So if I don't pick the right career, I can say goodbye to Makoto? Aw, guess I can't say that I want to be an astronaut. Major downer. I should answer seriously. If I were Sae, I wouldn't want to hear sarcasm.

"Well, I need to think about that more, but as of right now, I'll be finishing the year in Tokyo, then returning to my hometown for my third year of high school. Tokyo's been fun so far, and I'd like to stay, but I'm sure my parents want me home," Ren said. He continued eyeing Morgana, who was jumping from wall-mounted shelf to shelf, getting lower and lower to the ground.

As if. Maybe they'd pay for me to stay out here longer.

"I didn't see your hometown in the files on your arrest," Sae said. While she wasn't explicitly asking, the message was clear to Ren: she wanted to know where he was from.

"Iwakuni. Things are very boring. Quiet, too." Morgana had made it to the floor and was walking towards the dinner table.

Uh… do I mention Morgana is here? Maybe he'll fuck off. He's intelligent. I'm sure he knows that this is too important for him to be screwing around.

"What'd you do for fun in Iwakuni, Ren?" Makoto chimed in.

"Played baseball when I was a kid, but before the arrest I would mostly just hang out with, uh, friends who I don't talk to anymore…" Ren was a little saddened by the memories invoked. Hot summer days spent biking around town, scrounging up enough cash to pay the bus fare, and going to the nearest water park. The friends he shared those moments with forgot faster than he did, but Ren told himself that he didn't care anymore. If his opinion was worth anything to them, they could go fuck themselves. "I also watched a lot of TV shows and played video games."

"Anything good?" Sae asked. She definitely didn't care, and was picking at her food.

"There was this one show called 'The Cable.' Crime drama," Ren said. It was the show he had most recently finished before the incident, so it was the first to come to mind. "I actually think you'd like it. Lots of stuff that you probably see at your job."

Sae laughed. "As if I need to see more of that," she said frustratedly.

"Work tough with the Prince?" Ren asked. Makoto also said to ask questions. It would keep Sae engaged.

That caught Sae's interest. "More than. The public demands a case, so the higher-ups demand a case. We have nothing, or I suppose I have nothing. They've kept me in the dark."

"Even when Kayo Murakami is so kindly telling everyone about criminals' misdeeds?" Ren joked as Morgana reached the table and Ren got worried. He gave the cat a disapproving look to tell him to go away, but Morgana did nothing. He just looked up at Ren from the floor on the other side of the table.

"Well, one criminal, and she left out parts that let us build a case," Sae said. "And Sugimura's dead. We should be working on Murakami, but Akechi's being proven correct on police incompetence. I haven't heard a thing."

Good point about Murakami. She either knows the Prince or is the Prince. Can't be hard to find her, right?

Makoto slammed her hand down. "Murakami!" she said with lucidity in her voice. "Hora-san told me about her during a student council meeting a few months ago! I knew the name was familiar when we were in the square."

Morgana leapt onto the table, and Ren alarmedly scooted backwards. Neither Makoto nor Sae reacted the same way, and hadn't even flinched at the cat. Instead, they just gave Ren a worried and confused look. Morgana walked over to Makoto's plate and ate the rest of her piece of salmon.

She doesn't care! Wait… is Morgana real? Can they not see him? The fuck is going on?!

"S-sorry," Ren said as he got his chair back in place and resumed eating his food.

"You're fine," Makoto said to comfort him. Ren appreciated it until he heard Sae quietly scoff, but he let it slide. "But Hora-san told me that Murakami had been publishing articles on drug trafficking in Shibuya earlier this year, but abruptly halted activity, like she disappeared. Why stop publishing articles only to reemerge with the Sugimura stuff?"

The dinner table was quiet for a few seconds until Sae spoke solemnly. "That's because it's not her," she said, drawing Ren and Makoto's absolute attention. "It's just her name on the article."

"And whoever made her disappear is the one publishing the article," Ren realized. Sae seemed oddly pleased that Ren had come to the same conclusion. Morgana was going plate to plate, eating people's food, but Makoto and Sae didn't notice. Ren kept quiet because things were going mildly well and he didn't want to stir shit up with his crazed ramblings of a cat.

"I guess I have more work to do now." While the words were accusatory, Sae wasn't condemning Ren or Makoto.

"Glad to help," Ren said, and that actually got a smile out of Sae. Satisfied with himself, Ren took a victorious bite of his food. Morgana ruined the moment when he dove into Sae's business suit and began burrowing. Ren's eyes went wide as he realized what was happening.

Okay, I'm tripping. Definitely tripping. I can recognize that Morgana isn't real, but how the hell am I supposed to talk to Sae seriously when Morgana is being a pervert?!

Morgana continued to burrow, to the point where he climbed inside Sae's clothes. Ren could no longer see Morgana, but he could vividly see the cat crawling around under Sae's shirt.

I'm going crazy.

Ren coughed his food onto his plate suddenly, alarming both the Niijima sisters. One reacted more kindly than the other. "Ren! Are you-"

Ren had immediately sat himself back up and wiped his mouth clean. "S-sorry," he said as he eyed Morgana continuing to fuck around in Sae's clothes.

I need to get the hell out of here.

"Got something caught in my throat. Bathroom?" Ren said as he made sure to not look at Sae.

"Down the hall. Second door on the left," Sae said. She wasn't half as concerned as her sister. In fact, she sounded more cautious of Ren.

Ren briskly got up and walked down the hallway. He stumbled into the bathroom, which was quite nice, but Ren had no time to admire or notice the closed shower curtain, and settled himself over the sink. He glared at himself in the mirror.

You are doing well. Do not fuck this up. Not now. Not before Iwatodai.

"Yeah, g'luck with that, man," Ryuji said from Ren's right. Ren's head turned on a swivel to see Doctor Ryuji sitting on the toilet, long legs crossed, filing away at his nails. Ren coughed again and shook his head. He looked away, and then back to Doctor Ryuji. The hallucination was still there. "Not going anywhere, dude. These thick thighs have me planted in place." Doctor Ryuji focused on filing his nails and didn't make eye contact with Ren.

"Oh my god… I'm going to ruin everything…" Ren took his hands off the sink and rubbed his eyes, praying that Ryuji would vanish when he checked again. The doctor was still on the toilet. "Fuck…"

There was knocking on the bathroom door. "Ren? Everything alright?"

The shower curtain was torn to the side, revealing Yusuke in his Bob Ross get up. He was leaning to the side, letting the shower curtain cover his lower half. "You should tell her you're shitting your intestines out."

Go fuck yourself.

"Technically, you would be fucking yourself. I am a part of you," Bob Ross Yusuke reminded.

Oh great, not even my thoughts are private.

"Speaking of private, when are you going to leave?" Doctor Ryuji asked. "You just barged into an occupied bathroom."

Ren spun from the sink and furiously looked down at the doctor, who didn't even flinch and continued filing his nails. A bathroom occupied by someone who's not even real, Ren mentally yelled at his hallucination.

"If we must speak existentially, none of us would be here without cum," Yusuke said as he started scrubbing his bare chest with a sponge.

Yusuke…

"If it ain't all about the income, lemme see you go ahead and spend some," Yusuke continued, rapping as he continued to clean himself.

Doctor Ryuji even bobbed his head and started beatboxing, all while casually filing his nails. "Bum, bum, bum bum." He maintained a repeating descending melody and Yusuke continued to rap.

"Ren? What's going on?" Makoto sounded a little annoyed, but Ren couldn't care less. He just wanted the chaos to end.

"Fuck, they're beat boxing!" he said aloud before realizing his mistake.

"What? Ren, who's beatboxing?!"

Yusuke took his voice into a rapid falsetto. "Ryuji, you supermodel thick, damn that ass bussin' out the bottom…"

The one character missing is Executioner Haru. At least she'd kill me so I can end this bullshit.

"O-oh, uh… I'm listening to a song to get myself pumped up," Ren said to Makoto through the door.

"Um…" Makoto probably more than weirded out. "Come back to the table soon, okay?"

"Yeah, got it."

"For my next song, I will perform the Vamp Anthem," Yusuke said before Ryuji began performing a new melody acapella while mixing in some beatboxing. Yusuke rapped disconnectedly over Ryuji's music and delivered a bunch of gibberish, while occasionally mentioning guns and vampires.

Haru… please kill me? Pretty please with a plant on top?

"Shhh! I would like to listen to the entire album first!" Executioner Haru said from behind Ren, startling him.

Okay, you know what? Fuck this, fuck you guys, I'm out.

Doctor Ryuji and Bob Ross Yusuke paused their song. "But we haven't even reached my rendition of Apple Bottom Jeans…" Yusuke said disappointedly.

Nope. Not staying for that.

Ren turned around, pushed past Executioner Haru, and left the bathroom. "Wait! You didn't tell me if I looked sub-" Ryuji called out until Ren closed the door behind him.

He straightened himself out as he walked down the hall, even lightly slapping himself so that he could focus. He emerged back to the main room where Makoto and Sae were waiting at the table, still eating their food. Ren sat back down, with a smile of course, and immediately apologized. "Sorry about that."

Makoto was curiously looking at him, but Sae's expression was unrevealing. "No worries," she said, with slight suspicion backing her voice.

All of them continued eating, with Ren checking if Morgana was still in Sae's clothes. To Ren's pleasant surprise, he saw no movement. The cat must've been elsewhere. Ren scanned the apartment for his nemesis when he saw the cat across the room on an expensive-looking rug.

Morgana was taking a shit.

It's not real shit, Ren. Don't react, just eat your salmon.

"You both are leaving for Iwatodai tomorrow, correct?" Sae asked.

Makoto nodded. "Yes. Actually, this reminds me." She turned to Ren. "We have to meet Haru and the others at Shibuya crossing tomorrow morning. We'll be taking the van from there."

"Oh…" Ren said, eyeing Morgana taking an enormous dump. "Got it."

"Ren, I'm surprised Iori-san signed off on your trip. I'd think that he wouldn't want to anger your probation officer."

"Niijima-san, I'm going to be honest. I don't think Junpei remembers he has to deal with a probation officer until he's dealing with the probation officer," Ren said with a chuckle.

"But he meets with the officer weekly."

"And he's drunk daily."

"That's… about what I expected. He's never been very… neighborly to us," Sae said as she looked at Makoto before turning back to Ren. "The trip sounds fun. Makoto hasn't stopped talking about it."

Ren glanced at Makoto, who reddened a little. "She's right. Apparently, Haru's family has a boat. Ryuji's really excited about that."

"Ryuji Sakamoto? The track runner?" Sae asked.

She must've heard the legends.

"Former runner, but yeah. He's a good friend."

"Are you friends with him?" Sae asked Makoto, to which she nodded. "Interesting. Kamoshida's files mentioned him. Seems they had a dispute."

"Yeah, just Kamoshida being an asshole. Broke Ryuji's leg," Ren said before he realized that there was an important question to be asked. "Oh, how's the prosecution of that ass-" Ren cut himself off when he realized he was about to curse. "That guy going?"

Sae seemed to take note Ren had prevented his own vulgarity. "Court date won't be for a while, but I can tell you it might as well already be over. He'll be going away until he's at least a senior citizen," Sae said with a vindictive smirk.

Ren nodded. It was great to hear. Kamoshida had never gotten personal with Ren, but Ren would never forgive the man for what he did to his friends. He still blamed himself for setting Makoto off to go see the man that fateful day and getting her hurt. It was a painful memory.

"Back to Iwatodai," Sae said, now with a much lighter expression on her face. "What else do you guys have planned?" She seemed actually interested.

"Ren and I are going to do some tourism around the city," Makoto said enthusiastically.

We are? I'm not complaining, but that's news to me.

Sae raised an eyebrow and looked at Ren. "Just you two?"

"You should tell her that when the vamps are outside she better be ready," Yusuke said from over Ren's shoulder, starting him even more than Haru had earlier. "And don't forget to call her a little bitch."

"Uh… yep?" Ren said, leaving the confirmation to Makoto.

"Yes. Want a souvenir?" Makoto asked Sae.

Ren still felt Bob Ross Yusuke's presence behind him and Morgana remained on the carpet, continuing to vandalize the rug, but Ren didn't falter. He kept himself steady.

"No, I'm alright," Sae said. "But it sounds fun. I hope you guys have fun."

"Hah! As if we can have fun when Ren's around! The guy's a walking death magnet or some shit!" Doctor Ryuji hollered from the other side of the table. He had taken the other head of the table seat, opposite of Makoto.

You aren't wrong about that last part.

"Thanks. I'm sure we will," Ren said. The trio were nearly out of food, and the night was coming to a close.

Ren had gone home. The Niijimas had cleaned up. The dinner had gone better than well, and all that was left to do was call it a night.

Makoto wanted to watch a movie with Sae, so the prosecutor stuck around instead of heading back to the office to work through the night. Makoto had reminded Sae of how long it had been since they had done something like this. Sae couldn't tell if her sister was knowingly guilt tripping her into staying at the apartment, but Sae would've stayed without Makoto doing such a thing.

She didn't need to be guilt tripped to feel guilty. Seeing Ren had done that enough for her. The reminder that Ren had been there for Makoto after the Kamoshida incident more than Sae had was rough, but Sae kept herself together through dinner. She didn't even get angry at Ren, and that was a feat on its own.

More than that, Ren had actually done well on his own. His manners had improved, he wasn't drowning in vulgarity, and he made pleasant conversation. Sae liked Ren. Maybe Makoto had played some role in that. She had been begging Sae to not be dismissive at the dinner and to be nice to Ren. Sae had also witnessed how fond Makoto was of Ren during the dinner, and that helped quite a bit.

And so Sae pondered these things during the movie. It was some cop movie that Makoto had picked out, but she didn't even end up watching it. She was on her phone for most of it, smiling to herself every few minutes like she was a middle schooler.

"What are you doing over there?" Sae asked during a break in the movie's action. Sae was aware of how intimidating she could be, so she curved her lips a little to not scare Makoto.

"Oh, er, texting!" Makoto nervously answered.

Texting, huh? I can guess who it's with. Good for them. At this point, they're too far gone for me to intervene. I'm fine with them for now. But if he hurts her… Sae thought of how she would exterminate Ren, also remembering that Makoto would probably hurt the guy even more. At least it didn't seem necessary. Sae liked that.

Sae chuckled to herself. It was a welcome change to worry about such trivial things compared to her nonstop work-focused schedule. Maybe if she were home more often, then her life would be more like this: calm, social, and even enjoyable.

Still, she was a little upset that she had only come to this conclusion because of someone else. Ren fucking Amamiya, Sae thought to herself, and shook her head. She continued to watch the movie and appreciate her time with Makoto.

A/N: I got back Sunday evening and was way too tired to write. I started the chapter Monday night, and the chapter went from being about 6000 words to 10000. That's why the chapter's late. I think the chapter should be even longer. I just feel like some stuff could be a little more fleshed out, but I'm happy with what I ended up with.

Here's how the Iwatodai trip is going to work. It'll be three chapters long. First chapter will be a road trip thing with a few scenes from Tokyo mixed in and will probably be short. Second chapter will be GRAVY fucking around in Iwatodai, as well as a boat trip. It'll probably be the longest of the three. Third chapter will close out the trip and GRAVY will go back to Tokyo.

I'll be posting next week's chapter on Thursday so that I can have enough time to write.

Thank you guys for reading. Have a great day.