Chapter 57: A despondent date
Tuesday, October 25th, Evening 20XX
"I'm back…" Letting out an exhausted sigh, Zenkichi stepped into the Nijima household a changed man.
The horrors of the past week were an ever-looming shadow in the corner of his mind. The slightest slipup and they were there, ready to strike with debilitating terror. And, with the appearance of one slovenly dressed teenage girl, they vanished as if she was the sun itself.
"DAD!" Akane screamed, launching herself at him.
"Whoa!" Unable to dissuade her, Zenkichi found himself tackled to the ground. His weak body put up next to no resistance. A lucky slipper cradled his head, its fluffy presence stopping a trip to the hospital. Even clutching his daughter as he was, Zenkichi could not dismiss the pain of doing so as the aches of the last week sent shooting pain through his body.
"Hehe, sorry dad." Getting embarrassed, Akane got up. After the rare demonstration of affection, she kept her eyes on the floor, cheeks red.
She was going to say something when Makoto's voice rang from the living room. "Get in here you two! The press conference is starting right away!"
Grabbing Akane's hand, Zenkichi led her inside. As soon as they arrived however, it was Akane who guided him towards the best chair in the apartment. Relaxing into it with a sigh, Zenkichi turned his tired gaze to the screen. "Another emergency press conference."
"Ugh," Makoto grunted in response, her arms hugging her stomach. Her face had the pallor of a corpse a week dead.
"Akane, could you bring Makoto an empty plastic bag please?"
She obediently ran off to fetch it in the moments before the camera flashed to Sae standing at the podium. Maybe through their sisterly bond, Sae looked as bad as Makoto did. Any semblance of humanity in her gaunt face was given by the make-up crew which had tried their best to deal with the bloodred eyes and massive eyebags.
"I, Nijima Sae, am the newest director of the SIU. I am reporting to give an official release on the events that have transpired since yesterday. It is true that presidential candidate Masayoshi Shido, is currently in the hospital with low brain activity. It is unknown whether he will recover from this. Currently, the group known as the phantom thieves are wanted in connection with this event. Their release of a calling card the previous day indicates that they are the prime suspects. However, at this time they have not stated publicly that they are responsible, nor have they confirmed that they are responsible for the calling card."
Oh, that's generous. Zenkichi shook his head. He knew understood exactly why she was doing it, but this was a stretch.
"Furthermore, we have announcements to make regarding Akechi Goro, often known as the detective prince. His body was found on Diet premises under suspicious circumstances. Currently, his death is being treated as a potential homicide. He is also being considered a suspect for Mr. Masayoshi's mental shutdown."
"Now will it work…" Zenkichi muttered to himself. The cleanest way to wrap everything up was to blame Shido for Akechi's death and then vice versa. Oddly, it was also the most likely solution. As Sae was going on to explain, Akechi had been found with a note in his suit jacket detailing his plan to kill Shido.
"Due to these circumstances, I hope that you will be patient with us as we try to determine all of the details of this case. We have one more unfortunate event which we would like to mention. Owada Bara, previously arrested by the SIU, appears to have been released and hidden by Akechi Goro. Her body was found in an apartment room. No foul play is suspected at this time."
"No!" Makoto gasped, staring aghast at the screen.
Zenkichi understood her feelings. It was all such a senseless loss of life.
Her gaze turned to him. "Did you… know?"
Zenkichi nodded. "Sae told me when she got me out earlier today. It was a suicide."
"A-A…" Makoto's face turned a shocking shade of green as she made use of the bag Zenkichi had previously requested. Instantly, Akane was there rubbing her new friend's back.
Closing his eyes, Zenkichi rested his head back and sighed. Nothing in the world felt like it was going right. If the phantom thieves were now unreliable too, then maybe there was no hope.
Wednesday, October 26th, Noon 20XX
The second day of the culture festival was passing, but Ren could not bring himself to care. Laying at the desk in his room, Ren pushed a pencil up the slight incline and let it roll back to him. Again and again, like a self-imposed Sisyphean challenge, the pencil wore itself flat as the sun passed by outside.
The events of the last few days refused to properly coalesce in his mind. Nothing made sense anymore. Just to confirm the nightmare was real, Ren briefly checked the phantom thieves' chat. There had been no messages since the final meet-up outside the diet building. That message had been Ryuji's. A giant thumbs-up with the words: Be there soon!
"I guess… we're done then." Ren closed his eyes. Leaning against the cool wood, he almost felt like sleep was attainable. Unfortunately, like always, he was haunted by his failings. The rage in Akechi's eyes as he died, the horror in Lily and Orchid's when they learned about their sister. Even Shido's fear in his last moments paralyzed Ren, forcing sleep away.
Before the memories could overcome him, Ren's eyelids snapped open. Ren knew what he should do. What any sensible person in his shoes would do. Yes, any decent person would have long since turned themselves in to the police.
Against his better judgement however, Ren found himself scrolling one of countless forum posts. The comments were flowing fast, drawing in Japanese speakers living across the world.
LMAO! There goes the next prime minister. Good one, thieves! You really robbed the whole country with that one!
Are you stupid? Shido was playing us to get power. Just another lecherous politician.
Better than having no one… Whole country is fucked now. So glad I studied English and moved to America.
Yeah, I'm half Chinese. Going to get out of here ASAP.
Why bother? *Yawn* Those countries are going to go to shit too. Not just Japan that's sinking.
This guy gets it. I for one welcome the destruction. At least I'll get to stop going to work.
Preach. Phantom thieves are defs just hurrying us to societal destruction because it's unsavable.
Why can't someone just tell us what to do? *Sigh* I'm so tired of getting fucked by not knowing what is happening.
That would be seriously awesome. Where's God when you need them? Stop my stupidity already!
Tots! Can't believe the thieves think that they'll free us by targeting the only people actually using their free will, LMAO. What a bunch of hypocrites.
DOOMED!
Fuck Japan, fuck life.
F it. Join the trend and head to the forest!
"Ugh," the messages were too depressing for Ren to continue reading. Pure disgust pushed him to his feet and down the stairs. Entering the streets of Yongen-Jaya, the closeted despair instantly lessened under the bright sunlight. Even if it was weaker in the light, it hung about him like a physical weight dragging on his body.
"Where the hell am I even going?" His feet did not seem to care as he started walking. Avoiding train stations, Ren just walked. He decided on a whim that he wouldn't be returning to LeBlanc. He would get in contact with Sae and turn himself into her.
But that means… Opening his phone, Ren messaged the person that he owed a date. Putting it away, he continued to walk. His mind was on autopilot, but Ren had an objective now. As the hours ticked by, his path sauntered ever closer to his school.
By the time a normal school day would be ending, he had made it to the road outside. Students, parents, and visitors were filtering past, not recognizing him in his casual wear. It was only a few moments before the person that he had messaged rushed out, head on a swivel.
"Ren! You actually came!"
"Hey, Kasumi." Ren waved her over. "Thanks for agreeing to this."
"Me? I'm shocked you are. Sumire said… Well she said that you were taking everything poorly."
Ren grunted. Looking Kasumi up and down, Ren could not even tell if she had been perturbed. Her hair was tied back, outfit straight, and eyes focused. No evidence of crying or breakdowns.
"Should I twirl?"
"N-No, I…" I thought you were more fond of Akechi… Ren just couldn't say that. Having nothing to say, Ren's mouth was left open with no words emerging.
"…Can I bring you somewhere?" Kasumi spoke flatly.
"Of course. I'm yours until the evening." Ren agreed.
"Oh? So it's only my sister that gets to keep you overnight?"
Coughing from embarrassment, he sent her a disbelieving glance. "T-That's umm…"
Of course, showing weakness was his first mistake. Failing to parry her first thrust only led to Kasumi striking again.
"I suppose I should expect someone of your complexion to need to store up energy for another sixteen years before performing again."
"W-Why you…" Words cut off as realization dawned. Kasumi was doing what she always did. So Ren did what he should have done as soon as they met. "I'm sorry, Kasumi. I was too weak to save him."
"…You didn't have to say anything."
"But I—"
"Stop!" Kasumi yelled, cutting Ren off. "No apologies… Just come."
Ren didn't have the heart to continue his agenda. It was a self-serving action anyway. Ren had been searching for someone to blame him, to accuse him of failing. Instead, all he had was silence. A phone that refused to ring with messages.
Having ruined the forced cheer that Kasumi had been instilling, Ren trailed behind her. They made their way to Kichijoji. At a specific coffee shop, Kasumi led him to a small, circular table. Running his hand over the surface, Ren knew what this was. "You used to meet him here, didn't you?"
Kasumi nodded; lips pursued. Her eyes were distant as she focused on nothing. In a few minutes a pair of coffees arrived.
Ren couldn't ignore the waitress' stare. He was almost certainly not the person that was supposed to be sitting here according to that look. "You were… regulars?"
Kasumi nodded.
"I… Uhh…"
Ren couldn't come up with anything else to say. No more conversation starters or things that needed saying.
A drop hit Kasumi's coffee cup. Ripples spreading out from the epicenter, lapping against the cup edge. Unlike Kasumi's falling tears, the coffee was completely restrained.
She did not drink, speak, or make a sound. Within the peaceful atmosphere of the café, Kasumi wept silently. After a minute of it, she wiped her eyes and looked up at him.
More apologies rose in his mouth. Ren wanted to plead with her, beg for her forgiveness. But there was no blame there. No accusations in her hollow eyes. Only the sorrow of regrets that could not be corrected.
"Ren, tell me truthfully. If I had come into the palace with you, would Akechi have survived? If I had joined the phantom thieves… would things have ended differently?"
"W-Well… I don't know. Honestly!" Ren defended himself quickly as Kasumi sent him a questing glare. "I… can tell you details if you would like."
Kasumi pondered that before nodding. "Please do. Sumire wouldn't say much."
"First of all, things were going well until Shido trapped Sumire and I in a circle of flames with him. If you were outside, there would have been no way for you to help either."
"Akechi got in though."
"He…" Ren realized her had no idea how Akechi had managed that. "He wasn't with us though."
"So I should have tracked Akechi down earlier?" Kasumi mused. "Hmm, thank you for your honesty."
Ren didn't know what to say. Left speechless once again, he lowered his head. Staring at his interlocked hands, Ren noticed that they were shaking. His knuckles were bleached white as bone as they clasped against each other. Even that iron grip could not prevent his hands from vibrating against his will.
"Ren?" Kasumi asked.
"I-I couldn't save him." Words falling from his mouth, Ren could not stop the tirade. His consciousness was forcing him to unload his trauma on someone, anyone, in a desperate search for justice. "Shido… he-he killed his own son… And I… I couldn't help. Instead, I made everything worse. I-I lost control and killed Shido! I-I…"
Ren couldn't vocalize the emotions gripping him. Visions of that day rolled through his mind, and Ren was left trapped in the memories.
"I don't blame you, Ren."
Warmth enveloped his hands. Head snapping up, Ren gaped at Kasumi whose hands were resting gently on his own. There were no words she could have spoken that would have meant more to him at that moment. Like scared children, that gentle touch turned into a fierce grip as they sought solace in another person.
They sat there, hands locked for minutes unmoving, unspeaking. As time flowed for the world around them, they grieved. For crimes committed, for friends lost and injured.
When they slowly unwound their fingers, Ren met Kasumi's eyes and blushed. Even when compared to spending the night Sumire, Ren thought that this was the most exposed he had ever felt. As if his soul itself had been a live wire that sparked against Kasumi's during their contact.
"Umm…"
Ren understood Kasumi's hesitation. Instead, he took the motivation that she had given him and stood up. "Take care of Sumire for me, will you?"
"…I will." Kasumi agreed without complaint. "Hey, do your best to return to her, alright?"
"I'll try…" Ren couldn't force himself to say that she deserved better, not anymore. He wanted to be that 'better'. To be the one who brought Sumire everything that she deserved. "No, I will come back. And Kasumi… Let Sumire take care of you as well, okay?"
Kasumi smirked. "I'm tougher than you two. Don't worry about me."
"I'll always worry about you." Giving her his best reassuring smile, Ren made his way to a prison cell or worse. His fate would be in Sae's hands.
Wednesday, October 26th, Afterschool 20XX
Filling up the small cup with water, Ann chugged it back and refilled it. Letting out a heavy sigh, she wiped her face with her free hand before heading back to Ryuji's room. The bright hospital lights made Ann naturally lower her gaze.
She hated how familiar she was with these corridors. How often her friends seemed to find them themselves here, trying to rehab terrible injuries.
Passing by nurses and doctors doing their rounds, Ann slid into one of the rooms. It was a shared room for non-emergency patients. Two other men occupied the other beds. Both appeared to have suffered construction-based injuries and were awaiting surgery.
"Hey Ann!" Ryuji greeted her brightly. "Thanks for doing that."
"It's nothing." Giving Ryuji one of her practiced model smiles she handed the cup over. As it transferred hands, Ann let the contact linger for an extra second. "I umm, took a drink before refilling it."
Ryuji raised an eyebrow. "Uhh, okay?"
You're so dense.
Ann refused to let the expression show, instead sitting on the chair by Ryuji's bed. "Your mother will be here soon to talk with the doctors, right?"
"Yeah. Should be any minute now. Looking forward to sleeping in my own bed."
"Ahaha, I can imagine…" Ann knew how badly Ryuji was trying to be positive and it broke her heart. But his eyes were hollow and words rang empty to her ears. Only through great effort did Ann refrain from breaking and throwing herself on him. Her façade slipped for only a moment while she took a deep breath. When her eyes opened again, Ann had her perfect smile back in place.
The one that had both blessed her life and cursed it. Bringing her both her modelling job and Kamoshida's attention. Now she used it to put Ryuji at ease.
However, the boy was not looking at her. Having the best bed in the room, he was looking past her out the window. Clouds had rolled in, obscuring the once clear sky. Rain was now beginning to fall in slow spurts. "It was the last day of the culture festival today."
"It was." Ann agreed.
"Did Ren show up?"
"No," Ann shook her head. "I came here as soon as my shift ended, but he may have come for evening activities."
"He's giving up, isn't he?"
Ryuji's words were loaded with meaning. Ann looked at her phone. Briefly opening it, she observed the chat that no one had sent any messages in. Like Ryuji, she had been waiting for guidance or assurance. For their leader to lead them through this. Instead, he had only given them silence.
"Most likely." Ann whispered.
"Well, I can't help out now anyway." Ryuji chuckled. "I guess we had a good run… right? We did a lot of good. Helped out a lot of people that were being abused by shitty adults."
"Oh, Ryuji…" Ann's throat was clogged with emotion. Unable to dislodge the obstacle, she shuddered in place, wishing that she could help. Longing to find the words she needed to help him.
"Ahh, look at that. I've made you cry again."
"Huh?"
Ann hadn't even noticed until Ryuji's thumb flicked away the wet track. Sniffing, Ann quickly wiped her tears with her sleeves. "Sorry. I'll try to be stronger."
"Don't bother. That night in the alleyway…" This time it was Ryuji's turn to look away in embarrassment. "W-Well what I mean is… damn it."
It was enough. Leaning forward, Ann boldly pressed a light kiss on his cheek. "I'll always be there to help."
"Oh? You are here again, Ann? Thank you for taking care of my son."
Jerking to her feet, Ann gave a quick bow to the older woman that had entered the room with one of the doctors. "H-Hello, Mrs. Sakamoto! I'm very sorry for intruding like this!"
"Oh, don't be. I can tell my son loves having a beautiful girl like you by his side. Even if he is too shy to ever admit it."
"M-Mom! I'm not shy!"
"So you do love having her here?"
"T-That's not… Not that… Ahh, damn it, Mom!"
Ann smiled at the cute interaction. She was glad that Ryuji's mother was so nice. It would go a long way to helping him recover.
"As I was saying," the doctor interrupted, stepping up to the foot of Ryuji's bed. "We have good news and bad news. First, the knee replacement surgery seems to have gone well. No signs of infection and you are starting to recover well. Unfortunately, there are more problems than that with your knee. We will be putting it in a full cast to prevent bending the joint. In a few months come back and we will switch to a brace. At that point you can begin attending school again on crutches. If everything goes well, you should be walking in about six months."
"Six months…" Ryuji mouthed the words. "That's actually… not horrible. Will it fully recover?"
"Hard to say." The doctor answered. "Theoretically, it is possible. But you've done so much damage that we can't tell at this point if the tendons and ligaments will come back correctly."
"I-I see…"
As Ryuji's voice cracked, Ann fiercely clamped onto Ryuji's hand. She wasn't sure if it helped, but Ryuji took a deep breath stabilizing.
"I'll be back soon with the cast."
As the doctor left, Ryuji turned his eyes to his mother. "I'm… really sorry about this."
"You have no need to apologize my dear."
"No, I—I!"
"Oh, my dear little Ryuji." Stepping forward, she folded Ryuji in a hug, his face buried against her chest while she stroked his back. "Don't you worry about a thing. The two of us have gotten through a lot to get to this point. This is no big deal either."
"Really?" Ryuji asked weakly. His voice muffled by the fabric of her shirt.
"Really really," she assured him again. Then, she shot Ann a subtle look. "And it isn't only the two of us anymore, is it?"
"Who…?" Ryuji looked over at Ann as his mom released him. As the implications of her words flooded in, Ryuji's cheeks reddened. "W-Well Ann is… Umm…"
"Yeah, Ryuji, what am I?"
It took him another few seconds of flustered tongue-wagging, but eventually he settled his nerves. "Damn you two… Ann… I uhh, I know I have no right to ask this but… will you be my girlfriend?"
Ann smirked at him. "No need to ask. I already am."
"H-Huh?"
Ryuji's look of utter bafflement was too much for Ann. Letting out a single peal of bright laughter, she planted a soft kiss on Ryuji's lips.
"In front of my mom!?"
"Don't worry sweetie. Just be sure to do your best. Ann is a high value girl, you'll lose her if you don't measure up."
"Urgh. Where is cast guy?"
With a plan in place, a bit of brightness returned to the world. Ann claimed one hand while Ryuji's mother held the other. At peace, they waited and planned for the future.
Thursday, October 26th, Morning 20XX
"Good morning. I hope you had a pleasant night."
Looking up, Ren met the eyes of the silver-haired detective. "Nijima Sae… I'm glad it's you."
A complicated expression crossed her face as she lowered her eyes. With a hard thump, she sat on the chair on the far side. "You didn't have to come."
"I think I did."
Sae pounded the desk in frustration. "Akechi already confessed to everything. What are you hoping to gain from this?"
"I…" What am I hoping to do? There was only one answer."I want to face justice."
Ren's decision only earned him a glare. Sitting once more in a small interrogation room, Ren found himself oddly at peace. The first time in this room, he had been shaking in terror. Tears had run their course in the night, and had left a young, traumatized boy wondering if his life was over.
This time, Ren had slept contentedly in a private cell and now awaited Sae's interrogation with calm hands. Meeting her glare, Ren answered with a soft smile.
"Justice?" Sae spat. "We can't even charge you with anything. We have no evidence of you actually committing any wrongdoings."
"That… That is true." Ren admitted. His confession could simply be ignored. "But the public will want this, won't they?"
"They will," Sae agreed with a sigh. "I've heard enough from Makoto. I don't have any questions for you besides one. "Shido's fate. Who decided it?"
"…I did. Akechi's will was the same, but I made the final choice."
"Hmm, is that so?" Sae mused, chewing on Ren's answer. Something in it tasted bad as she grimaced. "I thought you'd be the one to take the high road. Why kill him?"
"I… I was overcome with rage. Shido had killed Akechi and I… I wanted to see his will completed."
"That's two different things. Were you overcome with rage, or did you logically decide to murder someone because a dead man wanted you to?"
"That was poorly worded. I did it because I wanted to. No other reason. I can't say it was premediated however."
"Huh, well there I have it." Getting out of the chair, Sae stretched. She had barely gotten any sleep. Today would be another long day with immense challenges. Taking a look back at the young kid, Sae's heart went out for him. She could barely even understand what he had gone through. "I'll probably come back to offer you a deal at some point."
"A deal, huh? I'm sorry Sae. I wish I could help you."
The detective froze near the door. Why? Why is he saying that to me? Giving the enigmatic boy a strange look, Sae fled the room.
Left alone, Ren closed his eyes and put his head on the table. "I'm sorry, Sumire… Stay strong."