"Rain in this heat isn't fair…" Lynn huffed as she lounged on her desk chair. It hadn't stopped raining since the morning, yet she was still sweating buckets. Humidity never agreed with her. Ann chuckled to herself. She was sitting on Lynn's desk, munching on a box of Pocky.
"Rin, we're technically not even in the Summer yet," she smirked. How the humidity wasn't sending her into a similar state, Lynn had no clue.
It was a little insulting, honestly.
"Don't remind me…" Lynn groaned. The sound of rain on glass helped her cope somewhat, but for now, she wanted to indulge in a little of the tried and true tradition of British moaning. "By the way, don't we have a Social Studies trip in a few days?" Shiho nodded with enthusiasm. There were a couple of choices, but most of them sounded completely boring.
"Yeah, I'm picking the TV Studio. I've always wanted to see what goes on behind the cameras." Said Shiho.
That wasn't what Lynn had expected. From the choices, she would have guessed Shiho wanted to visit the local children's hospital. Granted, Lynn didn't really know why she thought that. Shrugging, the TV Studio wasn't exactly a bad choice. At least there was a chance to meet some interesting characters. "I might as well pick that one too," she mumbled. Much to Shiho's joy. Ann voiced her agreement moments later.
"Well, whatever you choose, remember; we have to keep a low profile." Morganna poked his tiny head out from under Lynn's desk. He yawned and stretched out as best he could within the confined space. "Though, I suppose it could be a good way of scouting out potential targets."
"River told us to let everything cool off before we do that, though." Ann replied with a hesitant tone. "Besides, we just got done with two raids in so little time. We should maybe level a little before doing the next, right?"
It seemed Ann had remembered the plan to talk in game terms when in public.
Madarame's Palace was a long, arduous endeavour. Taking on V's palace so soon after was a risky gamble. Yet it was a gamble out of desperation. Ann was right, however. Jumping into another mission so soon was bound to lead to problems. As frustrating as it was seeing the injustices in the world run rampant, for now, they needed to conserve their strength.
"Maybe, but you really shouldn't grow complacent, Lady Ann." Morgana mumbled under his breath.
Just then, the lanky figure of a certain classmate shuffled over with a nervous fidget to his step. Lynn tried to offer a smile, but it likely looked more like a pained grimace of disgust judging from Mishima's backward stagger. "Hey, Mishima. Something wrong?" She asked. His cheeks flushed red as his eyes quickly glanced up at Ann and Lynn, only to land back down at his feet. Classic Mishima; nervous around any girl that wasn't Shiho Suzui. As a fellow victim of Kamoshida's, he had a certain kinship with the raven haired athlete. One born from adversity.
"So… yeah… uh…" he tried to find the correct words with little success, "the… uh… meeting with your… uh… friends later. Do I… have to go alone again?"
Lynn frowned.
He was just as bad as Ryuji sometimes.
"It was your idea, Mishima. Your project, your responsibility. I just pointed you toward some friends that could help." She responded. It was a little harsher than she intended, but the message got through.
"Right… yeah. Sorry." He nervously chuckled and fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. "By the way… I think… I think uh… V, was it? I think V likes me. Why else would she use my first name so casually?"
"... You know she's American, right? Kind of the norm over in the west. Besides, she's both engaged and over a decade older than you." Lynn barely stifled her laughter. She didn't mean to be so belligerent with him, but sometimes, she just couldn't help it. His unease around girls was almost cute if it wasn't for the fact he had a tendency to assume certain things. He would then build up on those certain things in his own mind, eventually convincing himself he was correct. Lynn had fallen victim to such a case not too long ago.
"Yeah… I know. But… she's engaged? What about the woman she's dating?"
There was also his complete lack of tact.
Though that was largely down to the general culture of Japan as a whole.
"Let him think about it." Shiho smirked. For another few seconds, Mishima was a confused mess as he turned things over in his head.
"Oh…" he mumbled with a red flush of his already flushed cheeks.
Shiho giggled. "There it is." All three girls chuckled at his embarrassment. Granted, they didn't want to make him feel too bad. Shiho nudged his shoulder and gave a warm smile. "They're good people, Mishima. No need to be nervous around them."
He let out a long sigh and nodded his resignation. Then the shrill chime of the warning bell startled each of them. Lunch time was over and it was about time for Shiho to return to her own classroom.
Five minutes later, Ms. Chouno entered the room with the look of one pissed off woman. She slammed down a bunch of papers on the teacher's podium and growled. The class quietened down and a feeling of confusion filled the air. It should have been Kawakami at the podium now. As if reading the minds of each student, Ms. Chouno massaged her temple before addressing the obvious. "Ms. Kawakami's not feeling well today, so I've had to pick up her classes." She scowled again. "As if I didn't have enough to do."
Lynn perked a brow at that.
Had this something to do with her money issues?
Did something bad happen to her?
Suddenly, Lynn felt nauseous. A heavy feeling formed in the pit of her stomach. A sense of dread. She tried settling herself down and attempted to focus on the lesson. Japanese wasn't Chouno's usual subject, but she wasn't bad at delivering the material. As the lesson progressed, more personal anecdotes made their way into her lecture until eventually, it had devolved into Chouno rattling off about herself. As was usual during her lectures.
It was a small mercy that the anecdotes did actually have some small relevance to the original subject matter.
Though the actual lesson was buried so deep, Lynn had no clue what the point of the lecture even was any more. She looked out of the window and watched the rain slowly clear up, leaving the sky overcast and grey. Japan's rainy season didn't get its name for no reason. She sighed and turned back to the lecture.
Seconds crawled into minutes. Minutes eventually dragged into an hour and finally, the period was over. Lynn had learned nothing and just wanted the school day to end. Perhaps she would give Kawakami a call. She had her number already. Even if it was only to check if she was still alive.
The thought sent a chill down her spine.
The last period of the day was PE if Lynn recalled. At least it was an easy ride to the end of the day. Ever since Kamoshida's departure from the school, the sports faculty was in shambles, which meant the PE lessons usually wound up becoming an excuse for students to get away with goofing off for an hour or two. Taking full advantage, both Ann and Lynn lounged against the chainlink fence of the sports field, watching the other students entertain themselves for the period.
A few of the boys had decided on a football game. Or rather, soccer as Lynn reminded herself to call it.
There were a couple of runners engaging in races, too.
"Geez, you'd think we would at least get to take the lesson in the gymnasium instead. It just finished raining." Ann complained. The ground was still damp, the bleachers were speckled with puddles and there was no shortage of mud in some of the grassier areas.
"Reminds me of home," replied Lynn. A mirthless smirk painted a bittersweet memory of muddy fields, drizzle and a half-assed attempt at wrangling a bunch of kids to play the sport of the day. "Lucky for some, though. Morgana gets to curl up nice and snug in my desk." Her smirk turned sinister. "I'm giving him a bath later."
That got a giggle. "Your funeral, Rin."
"I bought protective gloves this time."
"You honestly think that'd stop him? You'd be better off getting a bomb defusing suit."
The two girls laughed. As the period drifted on, Lynn's thoughts kept circling back to Kawakami. Specifically, the look of desperation she had when she took that phone call. She was begging for something. Anything. And Lynn just ignored it. Guilt gripped at her chest once again. What if whatever happened to the teacher was Lynn's fault? Could she have done something to prevent it?
Lynn grunted. Recognising the signs of a Rin Spin, she did her best to force herself out of it.
That involved hoisting herself up, stretching and looking around for something to occupy herself. As it happened, there was a tennis court going unused. "Fancy a few rallies?" She motioned her head over toward the court. "Best of five?"
"Loser has to buy the winner some cake." Ann replied with a fiery passion suddenly exploding to life in her eyes.
"You're on!"
With a face as bright as the sun on a clear summer day, Ann chomped on the extravagant slice of cake. Cream, strawberries and jam. All the fixings of an expensive dessert. Meanwhile, Lynn mumbled begrudgingly, sipping her coffee. The hole burned into her wallet weighed heavily against her pride.
Ann had won by a landslide. Lynn wasn't able to return a single serve or keep a rally going for more than a few exchanges. She mumbled under her breath and poked at a sugar cube standing atop its brethren within the small bowl.
It wasn't intentional, but the two girls had wound up in the same place as Mishima and the V team. The family diner. In fact, that meeting was happening right now, just on the other side of the dining hall. From their table near to the back of the diner, Lynn and Ann could see it unfold. Granted they couldn't hear anything.
"Hey, did it look like V was limping a little to you?" Lynn suddenly asked.
The question caught Ann mid mouthful and the girl almost choked on cream and powdered sugar. "What? No…"
"Must be my imagination. I forget both her legs are actually prosthetics…" she trailed off and allowed her gaze to fade into the distance. Focusing on nothing at all.
The clink of cutlery against crockery almost passed by her attention.
Ann had actually put the fork down mid-cake time. The blonde gave a piercing stare for a few moments before Lynn even realised something was wrong. "Rin, I can tell something's bothering you. As our favourite mercenary friend would put it; 'spin it, choom.'"
"Hah, not a bad impression," Lynn sniggered before letting out a long sigh. "I'm just worried about Sadayo…"
"You mean our homeroom teacher? What are you worried about her for? I thought the two of you didn't get along." Ann frowned in confusion. "Also, since when are you two on a first name basis?"
"Ah… hm…" Lynn struggled to think of an explanation. Kawakami's problems were of a delicate nature and it really wasn't Lynn's place to spread rumours. Plus, she didn't know the full story, either. As for using her first name, it was a slip of the tongue. "We got to know each other during those counselling sessions the school had her perform." Lynn assumed Ann was a part of that whole thing, but the blank expression said otherwise. Was it just Lynn who was subject to the sessions?
Odd.
"That doesn't explain why you're worried, Rin. She's just sick, is all. Probably the flu or a bad cold."
The raven haired girl let out a sigh. "Yeah… that has to be it."
A silence fell between the two. Mainly due to Ann going back to her sweet treat, with a tune on her lips and a small dollop of cream stuck to her nose. In yet another bid to distract herself, Lynn turned her attention over to Mishima and the V team. Surprisingly, Mishima was laughing and smiling without any sort of nervousness. He was relaxed and talking like he had known the V team for years. At that, a small smile tugged at Lynn's lips.
Although, she couldn't deny her curiosity. What was the job Mishima wanted to contract V and the others for?
To keep as much plausible deniability as possible, Lynn made a point to not ask for any kind of detail from Mishima directly. He messaged her about something on the Phan Site and Lynn immediately pointed him in V Team's direction, much like last time.
Eventually, V shook Mishima's hand on some unheard agreement before the group disbanded.
It was time Lynn went home too. Yet, she had no desire to for now. Ann had finished her treat and was now looking expectantly toward Lynn. "By the way, Rin, I've been meaning to ask something. It's a bit random, though."
"Shoot." Lynn finished off her coffee and leant Ann her full attention.
Hesitating, the Blonde slowly built up the nerve to ask her question. "What do you want to do when you graduate? Like… what sort of career do you want?"
That was random.
"Good question…" Lynn mumbled. "I wanted to do something related to Airsoft, but that's sort of out of the question, now." She fell silent for a few moments as she thought about it. Her first choice was just a childish desire anyway. Putting more than a few minutes of serious thought into it, she didn't actually know what she wanted to do. "Why? Do you have a goal?"
"That's just it; no I don't." The girl frowned and leant back in her seat. A waitress came over and took care of the plates and cups. She took another order of two coffees and left the girls to their conversation. "My modelling is kind'a just a side gig to me. I don't even know if I particularly enjoy it." A wistful look crawled into her expression. Following that, she chuckled mirthlessly. "My parents are both in the fashion industry and they both just… expect me to follow suit. But… is it what I really want?"
The expectations of a parent were heavy, indeed. Doubly so if it was both parents.
Lynn wasn't free from similar expectations, either. Her dad had, more than once, expressed his hope Lynn would join a military branch. Only to be told "no" by Lynn's mother.
"That's the question you have to answer for yourself." Said Lynn. "Do you feel accomplished after a model shoot? Proud of what you achieved?"
"I… guess so."
That was a resounding no.
"Let me ask you something else; what do you draw inspiration from?" The question stumped Ann into frustrated silence. She folded her arms and huffed as she tried thinking hard. Nothing came of it. She slouched and a short, quiet whine escaped her lips. "It's fine if you don't know right now. It's a part of growing up and learning about yourself. Hell, I have no idea what truly inspires me, either."
That technically wasn't true. At least partially.
The desire to help others spurred Lynn into action far more than anything else. Yet at the same time, that alone felt strange. It wasn't an inspiration so much as an instinctual need. A natural inclination.
"I guess. This sucks! I think Carmen's getting annoyed with me, too. It's like this itch in my chest that just won't go away."
"Oh, Mona explained something like this to me once before," Lynn perked up and put on her best Morgana impression. Straightened back, snooty grin and cocky inflections. "A Persona is the power of the heart and the personification of our inner rebellious spirit. They're a part of us, but also have a will of their own. They can influence us in more ways than even I, the great Morgana, could ever know! If you ever get a sudden urge to do something you normally wouldn't really think about, it's probably your Persona wanting to enact its will."
"As good as your impression is, that's… horrifying." Ann replied looking both amused and absolutely mortified. "It makes it sound like we're just a group of crazy people with voices in our heads."
"I like to think of it like this;" Lynn returned to her own manner of speech, "a Persona's will is just our own, but compartmentalised and amplified to reflect our true selves."
"I… guess that makes sense. I think…"
"The bottom line is; the power comes from our strength of spirit. Our will to rebel against injustice."
"So, if I were to strengthen my spirit, I'd be able to call on Hecate again?"
"It's possible."
"How… do I do that, though?" Ann hummed to herself. A second later, something seemed to light up in her head. "I know! I will not order a second slice of cake! That shows strength of spirit, right?"
All Lynn could do was sheepishly chuckle along with Ann. "Right…"
With the miserable weather out of the climate's system, the night was adrift with a pleasant breeze.
The reluctance to head back to Leblanc still tugged at Lynn's chest as she walked. The moment she stepped off the train and into Yongen Jaya, she had the urge to wander around a little before finally turning in for the night. She could have gone to the V Team's attic, but she didn't want to be a bother. Yusuke had already departed for Ishida's according to the group chat, so hanging out with him wasn't an option.
Neither was Takemi. For some reason, the woman was completely ignoring her. It was like the doctor was mad or at the very least; irritated.
So, Lynn found a public bench next to a vending machine and took to enjoying the night air.
She had already sent a text to Sojiro explaining she was going to be a little later than usual. Although annoyed, he seemed to let it slide.
"Morgana said he was going to help V and the others with Mishima's task… hm. I wonder what I should make for dinner. Or maybe I should just order something." She spoke aloud to herself, letting herself zone out.
Time passed by leaving her in her own little bubble. If she stayed here, maybe everything else would stop. All the strife, despair, anger, evil. By that logic, so too would the good things. Depriving the world of happiness, love and wonder was just a selfish thought. Not that she could actually stop time. The world continued on regardless of how Lynn felt.
Her erratic train of thought continued until something cut through the haze she had let manifest.
She spied a maid. A limping maid. A poofy, over the top wig was loosely clutched in a delicate, shaking hand. Its two huge ponytails - not too dissimilar from Ann's - were dishevelled like they had been roughed up. Grabbed and thrown around, perhaps.
Poor woman.
"Wait…"
The hair that the wig was made to cover up was strikingly familiar.
So was the general frame of the woman herself.
"Sadayo!?"
The woman froze. Highlighted by the street light directly above, she was like a deer caught in the headlights. Her head slowly turned and sure enough, Sadayo Kawakami was standing in the middle of a Yongen Jaya street at night, in a maid outfit. Eyes wide, horror was etched over her expression. Her mouth dropped open as if to try and say something, yet nothing more than a muted whine could escape.
A surge of rage pulled at Lynn's chest. Kawakami had a busted lip and the beginnings of a black eye was starting to form on the left side of her face. The same side she seemed to be limping on.
"Who hurt you?" Lynn demanded. She jerked out of her seat as if being pulled by an invisible string. "Who did this to you?"
"W-what are… you talking about, Amamiya…?" The woman's whole body had begun to shake. She held herself tightly. Fingers clutched the fabric of her costume. She looked like she was about to burst into a torrential crying fit. The display put a halt to Lynn's anger. The how and why of the situation could wait. Kawakami needed help. "I fell…"
"Bullshit. You're coming with me. No buts."
Sadayo put up a little resistance at first. However, it quickly became obvious she was in no state to argue. She fell limp against Lynn. She caught the woman and put her arm over her shoulder. Looking down at her ankle, she could see bruising beginning to form even through the white fabric of her stockings. Slowly, the two hobbled through the streets of Yongen Jaya. By now, the streets were empty and all the businesses had closed for the day. A small mercy.
Sojiro had also closed up for the day and gone back to his own house. Leblanc was left in darkness awaiting Lynn's eventual return.
Quickly, Lynn turned the cafe lights on, sat Kawakami at one of the booths and dashed toward the kitchen for the first aid kit. Without thinking much, she also grabbed a bottle of whiskey that Sojiro would occasionally partake in if he was having a rough day.
"Ice pack." Lynn said bluntly, handing the teacher a bundle of ice wrapped in a kitchen towel. Delicately, she placed the improvised ice pack against her eye, wincing at the smallest of touch.
The cold would help with any swelling.
Lynn moved on to inspect the split in Kawakami's lip. It was thankfully only a small cut, but was still bleeding. Lynn quickly pulled out the antiseptic, some gauze and more ice. First, cleaning the cut. Kawakami winced and whined at the stinging sensation. Lynn gave an apologetic glance into the teacher's good eye before continuing.
Next, she gently pressed the ice cube against the cut for a few moments. When that was done, she placed a small collection of gauze into Kawakami's free hand, instructing her to keep pressure on the cut for a few more minutes.
"I'm going to need to look at that ankle." Lynn mumbled quietly.
As delicately as she could, she removed the shoe and stocking. Of course, Kawakami let out a yelp of pain as Lynn went about her work.
Bruised and slightly swollen, the bones themselves seemed to be intact. At least, as far as Lynn could feel running gentle fingers across the skin. "I don't think it's broken. You were able to walk on it earlier, so that's something." With the limited medical knowledge Lynn had, she was fairly confident in the fact it was a bad sprain. "That said, I'd go see a doctor just to be safe."
"I'd… rather not. It's… too expensive." Did she not have any insurance? "Amamiya… you're… actually pretty good at this."
Lynn originally learned first aid from her dad. The skill came in quite handy during Airsoft games. In such a physical activity that involved firing balls of plastic at each other - balls of plastic that could have been travelling upwards of three hundred feet per second - injuries were as common as dirt.
However, the skill really came in critically useful when exploring the Metaverse.
Not only that, V had taught her a few more things as well.
"What happened?" Lynn finally asked. She carefully applied a supporting medical stocking over the ankle and placed a heated pad gently around it to sooth the pain.
"Amamiya…"
"Just call me Rin. I think we're past all that." Lynn cut her off with an oddly insistent tone. Kawakami sighed in defeat. "I'll make us some coffee." She packed away the first aid kit, took note of what she had used and began preparing the cups.
"I… a client… got physical."
"Client?"
"I took a job with a… cleaning agency to try and pay off my sister's medical bills."
"Right. Medical bills…" Lynn then muttered, "guess we're still using that excuse," under her breath. "So, this 'cleaning agency' has you dressing up as a maid?" Something was screaming at the back of Lynn's mind. It wasn't just some cleaning agency. She kept that thought to herself for now. Kawakami had taken enough hits to her pride already.
"Hey, don't give me that tone, missy. I'm still your teacher." For a second, the usual Kawakami rose to the surface. Yet a surge of pain from both her eye and her foot put an end to it. She grunted and leant back against the soft bench. "Yes… alright, I'm a maid-for-hire. The last thing I need is one of my students knowing. You better not think about telling Kobayakawa." She exhaled wistfully. "Look, Ama- uh… Rin, this job is good money. It's the only thing keeping me on top of the payments."
"Even if it's good money, look at you, you've been assaulted." Lynn's words prompted the teacher to wince and slightly recoil. "I should call the police."
"No!" Kawakami jolted and desperately pleaded with wide eyes. "You… can't."
Of course, Lynn knew that already.
"Why are you really doing this to yourself?"
Sadayo blinked for a moment. "My… sis-"
"I know that's an excuse. I might just be the problem student you never wanted near you, but I want to help."
Silence hung in the air like a heavy canopy. Then, Kawakami broke it with a soft sob. "I'm a murderer. I'm… facing my punishment. I deserve everything that's happening to me and much more."
Lynn didn't know what to expect. She regretted asking, yet she was in too deep now. However, she didn't believe for a moment that Kawakami was capable of murder. On top of that, if she had killed someone, her punishment would be jail time, not monetary debt. There was more to this, and the only way to get the full story was - unfortunately - having to dig deeper.
Softly, Lynn placed down the cup of decaf coffee in front of the teacher. She then took a seat opposite her. "What happened? I think we're past the point of vague allusions and excuses."
"Before I worked at Shujin, I was a teacher at another school," she began, gingerly sipping the coffee, "it wasn't a prep-school like Shujin. I had a student that everyone thought was a delinquent. A no-good troublemaker." That sounded familiar. Unfortunately. "I made the mistake of believing it, too." So did that. "The principal asked me to try and convince the student to transfer out of the school. So, I went to speak with the student… what he said was… heartbreaking."
"I assume he wasn't the delinquent everyone said he was."
"No. The opposite. He was working three jobs. Both his parents had died in a plane crash, which meant he needed to support himself. Even though he was taken in by some relatives." Sadness crossed Kawakami's good eye. The memory was starting to force tears. "After talking to him, I found out just how bright he was. I urged him to take his studies more seriously, but he kept saying he needed to work. I then offered to privately tutor him. He agreed and even promised to quit one of his jobs to make time. He started coming to class more. His grades were improving steadily. He even told me he wanted to be a teacher like me when he graduated. However… the principal demanded I stop helping him. I was criticised for spending time with a delinquent student. It… 'negatively reflected on the shool's reputation.'" She growled at that last statement. "So… I told the student I couldn't be his tutor anymore. He went back to working his three jobs… but… one day…"
A bad feeling bubbled up in Lynn's throat. She could probably guess what happened to the student, yet it was probably best if it came from Kawakami's own mouth. "What… happened to him?"
"He collapsed during a delivery run for one of his jobs. Exhaustion. He… died as a result." Even though Lynn knew it was coming, it still hit her like a sledgehammer.
Such a tragic story.
The kid was turning his life around all thanks to Kawakami. She was helping him. Being there for him. Lynn couldn't blame Kawakami for giving in to the principal's demands. With that said, Lynn's first instinct was to immediately state that it wasn't Kawakami's fault. Though her experience with V had taught her this kind of thing ran far too deep for words to fix. "So… why are you in debt?"
"His relatives threatened to sue me if I didn't pay them regularly. It's reparations for the grief I caused. He wouldn't have been so exhausted if I didn't push him so hard." Kawakami sounded so defeated. As if she was just existing. She wasn't really in the room anymore. Her unfocused, blurred eyes said as much. It was classic disassociation. "I deserve this," she muttered. The anger from earlier squeezed at Lynn's heart. This wasn't reparations for grief. It was just extortion. Plain and simple.
Not only had the relatives financially abused their child to exhaustion, they had decided to profit off his death.
It was safe to say, Kawakami was not at fault in this situation. She was a victim.
A victim who had grown so desperate, she was forced into sex work.
Lynn had unconsciously begun to tighten her grip around her own cup. The heat from its contents finally cut through her rage and she recoiled in pain. The brief lull in the conversation brought up a thought. It was getting too late for Kawakami to head home on her own and from the look of it, she didn't have a change of clothes. No one in their right mind would let someone travel alone like that. Not to mention she had a sprained ankle.
Takemi was just across the street, sure, but like Lynn had thought before, the doctor seemed to be angry with her.
Just as her thoughts turned to V and the others, the merc herself appeared at Leblanc's door. Lightly tapping on the glass, she caught eye contact with Lynn and gave an expectant look. From her body language, whatever she wanted, it wasn't urgent. "One second, Sadayo." Lynn got up and made for the door.
"Hey kid, we ran out of coffee and all the stores are closed. Figured you'd still be awake so I thought I'd ch- wait… who's the Joy Toy?" V stopped herself and studied Kawakami. In return, Kawakami studied V. Curiosity and confusion evident in the one eye that wasn't covered by an ice pack. "Need me to go flatline someone?"
"As much as I would want you to, no. You can't just randomly go around killing scumbags. No matter how badly they deserve it." Lynn slouched her shoulders and let V into the store. As the merc sauntered through the cafe and posted herself against the counter, Kawakami never once took her eye off her.
"Rin… you have… strange friends."
"Says the chick in a maid outfit looking beat to shit." V smirked. Kawakami blinked.
"What did she say? I… don't actually speak English. Lousy teacher, huh. Don't… tell Chouno."
"Wait… this is your teacher? What kind of bullshit goes on in that fucked up school?" Honestly, Lynn shared the exact same sentiment as V. The more time she spent as a student at that school, the more she was disgusted by everything surrounding it. Still, that wasn't important right now. V's timing was incredible.
"V, do you have any spare clothes?" The teen asked, earning a quirked brow. V nodded. "A fresh bag of beans in exchange." Though it wasn't exactly a fair trade. Lynn would have to cover the monetary value of the beans herself. She just hoped Sojiro would be understanding in the morning.
"Rin, what are you two talking about?" Kawakami's fear and sadness had faded slightly, only to be replaced by annoyance. "Also, who even is this?"
"She's a friend of mine. From my old Airsoft circle." Lynn hated the lie. Especially after what she had just heard from Kawakami. The guilt pressed against the back of her mind, but it was for Kawakami's own sake. The woman was fragile. Learning about alternate dimensions and time travel wasn't exactly something she could handle right now. "She'll get you some clean clothes. Tonight, you're staying here."
"I can't do that, Rin! You're supposed to be my student."
"Sadayo… what the hell else are you going to do? You've got a sprained ankle, I doubt the trains are still running and you're exhausted."
"The kid's right. I've no fucking idea what your story is, but it'd be gonk to go anywhere alone right now."
Kawakami looked to Lynn for a quick translation. "V agrees with me. You're staying here." The teacher groaned in defeat. She silently mouthed her agreement. As exasperated as she seemed, there was a genuine sense of gratitude in the one eye Lynn could see. "Thanks, V. I'll have the coffee ready in a few minutes." The merc nodded and promptly left for the movie theatre's attic.
"Why… are you doing this?" Kawakami asked, starting to sound weaker and more distant. "After what I told you. I'm just a worthless teacher. You should have ignored me earlier."
"Like I should have ignored that woman who was being attacked by a corrupt politician?" Lynn scowled at the memory. In some ways, this wasn't too dissimilar from back then. Only, this time, Masayoshi Shido wasn't around to ruin Lynn's life any further. "You were in trouble. I can't just ignore it when someone is in trouble."
"But…"
"Sadayo, you're not worthless. What happened to that student was a cruel accident. You were probably the only good thing in his life." Silence hung in the air for another moment. "You're a brilliant teacher. You care. As much as you pretend not too, it's obvious. If you didn't you would never have tried helping your student. Most teachers would have just ignored him and left him to be financially abused."
The teacher looked down into her empty cup. A tear fell from her eye, into the remnants of her coffee.
"You're… a good person, Rin."
"Debatable. But we're not talking about me. What was your student's name, can I ask?"
"Taiki Takase…"
A fond smile tugged at the corner of Kawakami's lips. With that, Lynn produced two small glasses, poured whiskey and handed one to the teacher. Shocked, she looked from the glass to Lynn then back to the glass.
"To Taiki Takase." The teen raised her glass and gestured for Kawakami to follow suit. It took a few seconds, but the woman relented. They tapped their drinks together and threw them back in one big gulp. "Ah! Been a while since I've had whiskey."
A wry smirk crossed Kawakami's lips. "Aren't you a minor?"
"I'm also British." Lynn grinned as if that was enough explanation. "Oh, if it wasn't clear already, your secret is safe with me."
Wednesday - June 8th
There was a buzz in the student body. One that Lynn had come to know as 'The Rumour Mill'.
From the look of certain students and the vibe she got when walking the school corridors, it was obvious that the rumours were about her once again. Just as the heat from the delinquent label was cooling off, something else had come along. That said, Lynn could not - for the life of her - think of why she was the centre of attention again.
She growled and narrowed her eyes at a gawking first year student. He quickly bolted in the opposite direction, which just started the buzz up anew. This lunchtime, it was Ryuji who Lynn had decided to spend her time with. Which meant that the time was spent exercising along with her friend. After they stopped for a quick water break, Lynn had finally had enough of it. "Hey, Ryuji, do you know why everyone's talking about me again?"
The boy gulped from his water bottle before giving a confused glance toward her. "You know I don't pay attention to that trashy stuff."
"I guess that's fair…" she sighed. "It's almost class time. We should cool down and get changed."
Once the Shujin rumour mill had started, there wasn't any stopping it. As such, Lynn would just have to grit and bare it until the students finally shut up again. Didn't they have anything better to do than talk trash on people they barely knew?
Still, she tried focusing on the feeling of accomplishment. The workout she and Ryuji had undertaken was a good one. Even if Ryuji couldn't run at his full speed anymore, he still beat Lynn handily whenever they decided to race. However, today, she felt she was gaining on him. Catching up to him with a little more ease. Her hard work was beginning to pay off and it made her heart race with excitement.
The results of their exercise was also showing on her body in general. She was never out of shape, but Lynn was beginning to put on some decent muscle.
Once she had changed out of her sports uniform, she began to make her way back to her classroom. However, a familiar voice caught her attention. It was Chouno sounding incredibly annoyed as well as alarmingly suspicious. "What do you have to say for yourself, Kawakami!? You let the whole Languages Faculty down yesterday. Also, what's with all the makeup? Were you ditching your job to have fun with a new boyfriend? Want to rub it in for me or something? And what are these suspicious rumours about leaving a student's living quarters early in the morning?"
One question after another in rapid fire. Lynn poked her head around the corner and just outside the teacher's faculty room, Sadayo Kawakami was getting the third degree from none other than Chouno.
The last question in the barrage bit down on Lynn's chest like a vice. Somehow, someone had seen her sneak out from Leblanc that morning.
The teen felt panic rising in her chest.
It was fine. This was salvageable. Thanks to V, Kawakami had left in regular clothing. Not the maid outfit. That particular costume was safely hidden away under a pile of Lynn's to-do laundry.
The beginnings of a plan popped into Lynn's head once she thought of that.
Trying to walk as casually as possible, she approached the two teachers and gave a friendly smile. Kawakami's eyes widened at the sight of Lynn approaching so brazenly. One thing was true, the teacher had layered the makeup on thick to hide the black eye.
"Hey, teach! I had another question, if you have time after school?" It took a moment, but Kawakami caught onto the plan.
She nodded emphatically. "Of course, Amamiya! It was a misunderstanding about Kanji, right?"
Lynn's smile turned slightly mischievous at the sight of Kawakami lying so effortlessly. Chouno, however, held a blank, confused glare. "What… is going on?"
"Oh, this is Amamiya. You know, the transfer who joined my class. She moved from England so she's having some trouble adjusting and learning her kanji properly." It probably helped that the excuse was partially true. That said, the issues Lynn did have were only minor and she could spot and correct them on her own. "I've been tutoring her before and after school, but… yesterday I had a bad cold, so I couldn't make our usual session."
As if someone had flipped a switch in Chouno's brain, her suspicion had transformed into admiration.
"Oh!" She clapped happily and planted her hands on Kawakami's shoulders. "You were just going above and beyond for your students! I'm sorry to suspect you of slacking. Here you are, being the perfect example of what a teacher should be and I'm listening to silly rumours cooked up by students."
Utterly dumbfounded, Kawakami could only stare blankly. "Uh… thanks…" she stuttered over her words and before anyone knew it, Chouno had dashed off with a spring in her step.
"That was… worryingly easy…" muttered Lynn.
"She might be a harpy sometimes, but I think she at least cares about her job." Kawakami looked frazzled at the whole exchange. She had gone from being yelled at to being praised in a single second. "You know I'm technically her superior, right? She's lucky I don't write her up for harassment." Her sarcasm had come back and the usual disposition had come back in full swing. Despite last night, the teacher looked like it was just another regular day. She sighed and shot a slightly forced smile toward Lynn. "Saved me again. I hope you don't expect any more special treatment, Rin."
"What? Not even a yakisoba?" Lynn smirked, earning her one large roll of the eyes. "Seriously, though, I don't expect anything. I really do just want to help."
"Well… you could maybe request me once in a while." As soon as the words left her mouth, she frowned. "I'm kidding, obviously."
"What's your rate?"
"Excuse me…?" The sudden question caught her off guard and honestly, she almost looked offended for a few moments. However, she eventually gave an answer. "The basic rate is five thousand yen. But… you know… extra packages. They always pay for the extra." The teacher's gaze drifted off into the distance as she began to disassociate again. A disgusted churning roiled around in Lynn's stomach.
"I'll hire you." Lynn's expression was devoid of any joke or amusement. She was serious. "I'll hire you as a tutor for the same rate."
"I can't ask you to do that, Rin."
"You're not. I'm offering. Besides, I do actually have a few subjects I could use help with. Japanese being the biggest." If it meant Kawakami wasn't putting herself in danger, Lynn would happily shoulder the financial hit. She was just glad she had a somewhat stable income from various sources. The Metaverse being the biggest one.
It wasn't going to fix Kawakami's issues. It was more like a band-aid trying to cover up a gunshot wound. However, until something more permanent could be done, the less time Kawakami had to spend as "Becky," the better.
The teacher squeaked and let herself slouch. "I'm sorry. Chouno just called me the shining example of a teacher, yet I'm constantly being saved by a problem student." For a brief second, she was on the verge of tears. She held them in, took a breath and back came the mask she kept up. Laid back, distant and slightly annoyed. "I guess bad things happen to horrible people, but thank you. But… do me a favour and request me through the agency. I might even do some cleaning for you if you ask nicely."
"Deal."
"Right!"
"Hyah!"
"Right, left!"
"Grah! Huh!"
Boxing gloves rapped against thick padding. Lynn swung a left pad. Shiho stepped back, avoiding the pad. "Right, right, left!" Lynn called and Shiho lunged forward into the quick three hit combo. The hits sent jolts up Lynn's arms despite the cushioned pads. Both girls were working up a sweat as they danced around the boxing ring.
Watching over them was an older gentleman with a kind look to his moustached face. Crows' feet framed joyous eyes and a well rounded belly told the story of a life well lived.
"A'ight you two. Bring it in, bring it in." He gave a stern order and the two girls backed away from each other. "Good hits, Suzui. Nice form. Keep up your guard, though. You were slackin' off toward the end there." Shiho nodded at the criticism. Lynn hadn't particularly noticed the lapse in guard, but then again, she wasn't a boxer. That was why Benjiro - or Big Benny to those that knew him - was here. He used to be an accomplished boxer with several titles under his belt during his youth.
"It gets a bit hard to keep my arms up after a few punches." Shiho rubbed one of her biceps while still wearing the gloves. Benjiro gave a short, hearty laugh and a nod of understanding.
"That just means you're doin' somethin' right. No pain, no gain as the sayin' goes. If y' keep at it, it'll get easier. I have to say, though, most rookies don't last as long as you two." He looked genuinely impressed. It gave both girls a wave of pride in themselves. "Five minute water break, then we'll try some sparrin'"
The gym they had come to wasn't exactly a state of the art facility. Some of the equipment looked older than Big Benny and the place had a certain old school feel to it.
That said, it was a cheap membership and everyone Lynn and Shiho had met so far had been nothing but friendly. Encouraging of their budding interest in the sport and more than willing to share advice. It was unexpectedly wholesome for a random boxing gym in Shinjuku.
There was a pay-per-visit gym in Shibuya, but it didn't offer what Lynn was looking for.
Of course, Shiho was somewhat dubious at the suggestion of boxing. But she agreed to participate regardless. As it turned out, she actually enjoyed it once she had the basics figured out. It likely helped that Benny was a good coach and took care to push hard, but not too hard.
"This is… exactly what I needed. Thanks, Rin." Shiho spoke up after taking a long gulp of water. Her tone then changed to one of concern. "By the way… there's rumours about you and Miss Kawakami. Apparently she was seen leaving Leblanc this morning. I know better than to listen to them, but… are you ok?"
Groaning, Lynn knew what the rumours likely entailed. Scandalous forbidden love. A taboo romance between teacher and student. Two girls, no less. Complete nonsense.
"My grades have been shitty since coming back to Japan, so I asked if Sa- uh… Kawakami could give me some extra tutoring. She was just dropping off some material on the way to work this morning." Again, Lynn hated lying. Especially to Shiho. However, she had made a promise to keep Kawakami's secret. Even from her own friends. It was obvious Shiho wasn't buying it. There was a slight twitch in her upper lip that confirmed as much.
However, she simply shrugged. "I suppose I'll leave it at that."
"If I could tell you the full truth, I would."
"I get it, Rin. Seriously, I do. I know the look of someone hiding their desperation. You're protecting her and for that, I'm grateful. Not… that I can say I know her all that well."
At least she understood.
"Alright Rookies! Break's over. Amamiya, get your gear ready." Benjiro called, returning from whatever he was doing during the break. He clapped and snapped the girls into gear. With protective headgear safely strapped on, gloves secured and mouthguard in place, Lynn entered a headspace she usually reserved for Airsoft.
The sinister flash of the Silver Demon caught Shiho by surprise. Only for that surprise to turn into her own determination.
It was the Silver Demon versus the Bear of Shujin.
Even Arsene and Boudica were rearing to go, deep in the two girl's souls. Electric energy sparked between them and without much prompting from Benjiro, they bumped gloves together and assumed their starting positions.
"We're not here for a knockout, a'ight? I just want to get a grip on your personal styles." Benjiro may as well have been talking to brick walls. Both combatants had locked into a standoff as they awaited the bell. Obviously, Lynn didn't want to hurt Shiho, but she also wanted to show her the respect she deserved.
Shiho was an athlete who had gone through hell.
The shrill chime of the bell kicked off the match. As instructed, both girls raised their arms in a guarding stance. Lynn stepped forward. Shiho did the same.
Suddenly, an explosive blur of movement took Lynn by surprise. Shiho's right hook was fast, precise and incredibly powerful. Lynn braced and allowed the punch to slip off her arm. Even still, the blow left her briefly numb at the point of impact. Despite the odd feeling, the teen returned fire with a left jab. It snuck by Shiho's guard and caught her near the clavicle.
If she pressed the advantage now, Lynn could overpower Shiho. What was the best approach? A powerful straight? A misleading faint into a body shot?
The opening was closing fast. She threw out a second right hand strike, but pulled back in a last minute faint. Her left tried going for a surprise uppercut, but Shiho had already recovered from the opening. She was nimble and too fast on her feet. She leant back in a well timed dodge. Lynn's attack went wide and left her left flank completely open.
An opening Shiho was all but ready to exploit. A powerful, explosive jab struck Lynn's side, briefly knocking the wind from her lungs. She backed off, trying to regain her composure.
Focus, Lynn. Focus!
Shiho proved more relentless than anticipated.
Before Lynn knew it, her friend had closed the gap and began a series of hard hitting strikes against Lynn's guard. True to her namesake, the Bear of Shujin unleashed a ferocious offensive. Each blow threatened to completely break through what little defence Lynn had. The thought of a technique she had seen on TV crossed her mind. Stepping into a punch might knock Shiho off balance enough for Lynn to break free.
The girl did her best to analyse Shiho's rhythm, however, the constant pressure was proving an effective distraction. Each attempt at the technique resulted in failure against the onslaught. It had the complete opposite effect. Lynn's guard was slowly starting to fall.
Between each blow, Lynn glimpsed Shiho's expression. It was filled with single minded, bloodthirsty rage. Fear crept into Lynn's chest and for a moment, she felt legitimately terrified of her friend.
The rope running the ring's edge pressed against her back. Shiho had forced her into a corner.
Its coarse texture sent a jolt up her spine. When did the ring become so small?
Eventually, Shiho's assault faltered as a left jab skidded off Lynn's guard, forcing the Bear of Shujin to stumble slightly. Lynn took the opportunity and broke from the pin.
From what Lynn could see, that last barrage had left Shiho somewhat winded. Thankfully, the fury in her eyes had faded into a more focused, calculating glare.
Lynn wasn't fairing much better. Her arms ached and sweat was beginning to pour from her forehead.
The next clash was likely going to decide the round.
Notably, Shiho's right side guard was beginning to lower. That was Lynn's win condition.
The two closed the gap once more. It was Lynn who threw the first blow this time. It struck hard on Shiho's right arm. A left jab was next, however, it slipped off with minimal impact. Perhaps she could have used it as bait. The thought flashed through her mind, yet before she could act on it, she felt an impact against the side of her head. Even with the protective headgear, it sent her reeling. She bit down hard on her mouth guard and forced herself to refocus. Clumsily, she threw out a poorly aimed left jab. It bounced off Shiho's guard, however, it still managed to force the girl back a step.
This could be the end.
Lynn followed through with a sloppy cross. The glove caught the inside of Shiho's guard and forced a clear opening. Victory was in sight. She just needed to strike at the target.
The room was spinning, however.
The headshot a few seconds prior had effectively knocked Lynn's sense of direction clean out. Another blow like that, and she would be out for the count.
Shiho was clearly fishing for that same blow. She paced around Lynn like a predator. Again, Lynn had taken too long to follow up. Shiho had already recovered and was fast approaching. Her next strike hit squarely against Lynn's guard. Then a second blow snuck into the side, forcing air from her lungs once again.
"I… concede…" Lynn grunted.
The bell signalled the end of the bout. Leaving a slightly disappointed Shiho standing ready to continue.
Before she even thought about moving, Lynn took a few seconds to let the dizziness pass.
"Good fight! Good fight! Bring it in, Rookies!" Benjiro clapped again. He looked like he had a few things to say as he approached. "Suzui, you tired yourself out with that assault. Bein' aggressive is fine, but make sure you keep your own limits in mind. Amamiya, you're quick and have some good moves. However, you're too busy up in here," he tapped his temple, "you need to trust your body as well as your brain."
He was right. The truth was, Lynn knew she had a tendency to overthink things in the heat of the moment. She also second-guessed herself whenever she did make a snap decision.
The bout just proved as much. There were so many opportunities Lynn had completely failed to take due to her own head getting in the way. The match might have gone quite differently otherwise.
One could hope, anyway.
All in all, that training session appeared to have gone quite well. There was a small grin on Shiho's lips, likely because of her victory. It was clear she was enjoying it, even if they were both still beginners.
"Hey, coach," Lynn said, "if I fall into a situation like that assault, again… how would I go about getting out of it?"
Benjiro hummed at that, scratching his chin. "It depends on your style. There's a few things you could try. I saw you were goin' for one of 'em. Another is a pretty well known gambit called the Rope-a-Dope made famous by Muhammad Ali himself. Google it, kid. You'll thank me later." Indeed, Lynn made the mental note to do just that.
The coach then turned to Shiho. His brow furrowed and his lips stiffened.
"You got a lot of anger, Suzui. It's makin' you reckless. Sloppy. Anger's good. If you use it properly. Don't let it control ya'."
"Yeah… that's why I'm here. To try and control it."
"I figured as much. Stick with me, kid. I'll get you where ya' need to be." His frown softened into an understanding smile. "A lot of these folks," he pointed to the other patrons of the gym going about their workouts, "are here for the same reason. Channellin' their frustrations and trauma into somethin' productive." He then glanced at his watch with a shocked look. "Shoot, that's all I got time for today. Keep those points in mind, train up your form and don't neglect your down time!"
The coach quickly finished up his duties and left for his office. Then, it was just a question of putting away the equipment the girls used, and heading off for the locker room.
The hot shower felt great against aching joints.
"That is one mean hook you have, Shiho! I'm still feeling it!" The teen called into the neighbouring shower stall. A giggle returned through the thin wall.
"Thanks! I feel a little guilty though. Did I hurt you?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine. I survived being impaled, remember!" The two girls shared a hearty laugh. Being the only two girls at the gym that day, they had the girl's locker room to themselves. Even if they could laugh about it now, the memory still haunted Lynn sometimes. So did the numerous other memories involving near death experiences.
The Thieves' had been through a lot together and would likely continue to go through a lot more.
"Thanks, Rin. I needed this."
"I think I did too." The session really gave her a lot to think about. Maybe she could even use some of these lessons in the Metaverse. It would serve a great deal knowing how to throw a punch instead of relying on knives and firearms. "By the way, do you talk to the other ex-volleyball club members?"
Silence came from the other stall. It lasted a few seconds before Shiho replied, quieter than before. "Yeah. We went through a lot together. But… some of them are… too far gone. Brainwashed and conditioned to be nothing but loyal to Him."
Tyranny and fear were powerful things.
"I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to say sorry for. You did way more for them than anyone else has. It's just… sometimes… things can get too much. Enough to consider a permanent solution to a temporary problem. I was lucky I had you and Ann to catch me before I got to that point."
She was overselling herself. Ann and Lynn may have helped her step away from the edge, but it was Shiho that ultimately made the call. After being pushed to that point, it took strength to come back from it. Even still, Lynn couldn't help but allow her mind to fall to the other members who suffered alongside Shiho. It sounded like a few had turned on her. Others may have even contemplated going down the path Shiho had.
After the incident, Shiho had admitted that she didn't actually want to die. Rather, she just wanted everything to stop. She felt she had no other option, until Ann presented her with one. The Metaverse.
"Did I ever tell you you're a good listener, Rin?"
"Oh? I care about you. Of course I'm going to listen."
"I think it's something more than that. You're willing to go the extra mile, even for people you don't really know. Case in point; the woman you tried helping before you even came here. Just… remember to take care of yourself, too. You don't need to shoulder everything yourself."
"Yeah…"
Take care of herself?
Did she even know how?
"An attempt shall be made…" she muttered. Though the sound of the showers drowned the words out.
Author's Notes
This chapter was hard to write for numerous reasons. It involves a few dark themes that I usually try to avoid in my writing. Just remember, if you're going through something and feel like you're reaching your limit, there are resources out there to help you. As Shiho stated in this chapter, suicide is "a permanent solution to a temporary problem." I try to keep this in mind whenever my thoughts begin to head in that direction.
Enough of the heavy stuff. Thank you for your continued interest in my dumb little story. I would actually love to hear any thoughts on Lynn as a character. As well as any thoughts in general!