Sorry for the wait, but we're back
Saturday, April 23rd, 20XX
Days Until Ryuji And Ren's Expulsion: 9
It was another dull morning for Ryuji, and he was currently on the train to school.
Like always, it was busy as all hell, but thankfully, he had something to entertain himself.
"...The pirates made a toast, drinking and reveling to celebrate their victory..." He read before closing the book, "Wow..."
"Well, color me impressed. You actually finished reading it this morning." Morgana stated from the inside of his bag.
"Of course I did." Ryuji replied with a smirk, "Not only is it a storybook, which is way more interestin' than a boring ass textbook, but it's a storybook about Captain effin' Kidd!"
"I guess I shouldn't be surprised you'd be so invested in a story about your Persona." Morgana figured.
Before he had gone home yesterday, the not-cat had suggested that Ryuji borrow a book from his library to tame his boredom during train rides, and when the librarian gave him some offers, he spotted a book about Captain Kidd and almost immediately selected it. He instantly started reading it the moment he got home, and it ended up being so interesting that he finished half of it before he went to sleep.
It honestly made him feel like a little kid reading Pirate Adventures again, especially with how gutsy the contents were.
"Still, even I have to admit that Captain Kidd was quite the fellow. I love how he was he was the leader of a ragtag group of outlaws." Morgana disclosed, "Kinda reminds me of us Phantom Thieves."
"I know, right?? That's what I love about it so damn much!" Ryuji joyfully revealed, "Readin' about how he fought to capture his enemies' ships reminded me of how hard we fought to take Kamoshida's treasure!"
"Hm, when you also consider how you led us to victory, it makes sense that Captain Kidd is the manifestation of your rebellion." The not-cat commented.
"Damn right!"
'Darrrrn right, indeed, matey!'
The sudden voice made Ryuji jump in surprise, although he quickly realized who it belonged to.
'Wh- Captain Kidd? Was that you??' He mentally asked, 'And did you just talk like an actual pirate??'
However, he received no response.
'Uhhh, Captain...?'
'...'
'Captain...?'
'...'
'Hellooo, Captain??'
'...'
'Dude, what the eff?!' He exasperatedly exclaimed, 'Ya can't just suddenly talk outta nowhere in that awesome voice then not say anythin' else! C'mon!'
"Are you good?" Morgana asked with a raised eyebrow, "You look irritated for some reason."
"*Groan* It's nothin'..." The blond muttered.
He swore he could boisterous laughter in his head...
Classes eventually ended for the day, allowing Ryuji to finally head on home.
The teenager whistled a little tune to himself as he walked out of the entrance to the indoors of Shujin.
"Hrrng!"
He stopped in his tracks at the random sound of struggling and looked ahead to see that it came from a female student.
She had some floofy hair, like, SERIOUSLY floofy, I mean, you could probably get lost in that thing or even fall asleep in it...!
... Ahem... er, she also appeared to be pushing a trolley carrying about 4 large bags of dirt.
"Come... on... Move!" She urged in a strained voice, visibly exerting herself.
It was clear as day that she was struggling to get it to move even an inch, and being the naturally-concerned samaritan he is, Ryuji couldn't help but jog over to her.
"Uh, hey!" He called out, "Ya look like you could use some help!"
"*Sigh* Yes, please." She replied in an unnaturally cute voice before turning around, "I could really use some -"
The floofy-haired girl suddenly gasped when she fully faced her fellow teenager.
"It's you!" She exclaimed in surpise.
"H-Huh?? Me?" Ryuji repeated in confused bewilderment, not expecting her reaction.
However, getting a good look at the girl in front of him caused him to pause briefly before narrowing his eyes.
"Hang on... Why do I feel like I've seen you somewhere before?"
"You don't remember?" She asked with raised eyebrows, "We bumped into each other last week on the third floor."
"Hm?" Ryuji raised an eyebrow before placing a hand on his chin as he began to think back to last week.
However, while he journeyed through the hallways, he unexpectedly collided with another student.
"Uwah!"
"Ah!" They yelped as they fell on their butts.
"Shit! Sorry bout that!" He hastily apologized as he helped the unfamiliar student up.
"O-Oh no, it's entirely my fault! I should have been watching where I was going..." The female student responded in a cute-sounding voice as they accepted his hand and patted off any dirt on them.
"Nah, I should've been careful too." Ryuji stated before he noticed a certain object on the floor that had fallen from the student's grasp after their collision.
"Oh, uh, I think this shovel's yours." He picked it up and handed it to her.
"Yes, it is." She confirmed before smiling at him, "Thank you."
The blonde suddenly let out a loud gasp of realization.
"Waaaait, now I remember you!" He exclaimed, "You were the girl with the big ass fore- Uh- shovel! Y-Yeah, the, uh, big shovel..."
His odd speech made the shorter girl giggle.
"I'm pretty sure it's not that big." She teased, "But you're right, that was me."
"Huh. I didn't think I'd ever bump into you again." Ryuji commented, "Anyways, what were you tryin' to push over there?"
"Oh, right!" The girl exclaimed in remembrance, "You see, I've been trying to move these bags of dirt, but pushing them on this trolley has proven to be much more difficult than I thought."
"Okay... but whaddya need a bunch of bags of dirt for, anyway?" Ryuji asked out of curiosity, "You into gardenin' or sumthin'?"
"Yes!" She enthusiastically confirmed, "I very much love gardening!"
"Oh!" The blond uttered, not expecting his guess to be accurate, 'I guess that explains why she was carryin' a shovel...'
"Well, uh, that's cool!" He stated with a dorky grin and a thumbs up.
"Mhm!" The girl nodded, "Would you happen to be interested in gardening as well?"
"Er, not really." Ryuji responded, "It just seemed to me like you could really use a helpin' hand."
"Oh, really? Well in that case..." She looked back at the trolley, "Could you help me unload these bags into the shed near the garden? Normally, I'd carry them myself, but having help from a second party would really be nice."
"Sure! I'm down to help ya out." Ryuji nodded with a smile, "Let's go!"
"Wonderful!" The shorter student cheered with glee as she and Ryuji moved to the trolley.
Seeing as there were four bags, it was obvious that it'd be more efficient for both of them to carry two bags each. Ryuji moved to lift the ones at the top in each of his hands and was quickly hit with the reality of just how heavy they were.
"Holy shitballs, these are heavy!" He exclaimed as he nearly buckled to his knees.
"Well, each bag is about 40 Ibs due to the amount of dirt it contains being able to cover at least 0.75 cubic feet of a yard." The girl, who was carrying two bags herself yet didn't seem to be struggling at all, explained, "So naturally, they're quite heavy."
"Uh... A-Ain't those a bit too heavy for you?" He asked.
"Oh, you don't need to worry about me." She dismissed his concern, "I've had to do this on my own for a very long time, so carrying two of these is light work for me."
All Ryuji could do was blink as he stared at her with a blank expression, "Uh... A-Alright then..."
'... Why do I get the feelin' I should be careful around this chick...?'
With the bags in hand, the pair, led by the girl, walked to the shed and placed each of the bags back inside, leaving them among many other gardening tools such as shovels, more bags of dirt, sheers, seeds, a watering can and many others.
"And... there!" Ryuji grunted as he dropped his heavy share of bags on to the floor inside the shed, "Whoo! Man, my arms hurt like hell... But at least we moved all your stuff without a hitch."
"Indeed! And I have you to thank for that." The floofy-haired female student said with a smile, "Boys sure are strong."
'...I sure as hell don't feel that way after seein' you carry 80 pounds like it was nothin'...' He mentally muttered with a sweat drop, 'Maybe I should start hittin' the gym again...'
"It's all good. Just felt like helpin' you out." He modestly replied aloud.
"Really?" The girl asked in slight surprise, "But you don't even know me or who I am..."
"So? That doesn't mean anythin'." Ryuji earnestly replied, "I'll always lend a hand to anybody that needs help, whether I know 'em or not."
His solemn response earned him an appreciative smile from the floofy-haired girl.
"That's very nice of you." She stated before remembering something, "I didn't get the chance to ask last time, what's your name?"
"Oh, uh... I'm Ryuji Sakamoto, second year." He introduced himself to a girl for the second time in a week before bracing for the inevitable negative reception.
"You're the notorious Ryuji Sakamoto?!" She exclaimed with wide eyes before squinting as if she were inspecting him, "Hmmm..."
"*Sigh* Yeah, I know you're probably gonna say-"
"You're a lot different than I imagined you to be."
"Wait what??" Her unexpected comment snapped him out of his disappointment.
"From what I've heard, Ryuji Sakamoto is a rude, brutal and violent delinquent who will beat you down if you even look at him in a wrong manner." She explained.
'Jeez... Sometimes I forget just how crazy all the damn rumors about me can get.' The aforementioned teen sweatdropped.
"But now, I can finally say that all the rumors I've heard is nothing but ludicrous." She added with satisfaction.
"Er- For real??" Ryuji uttered in disbelief, "You don't believe the rumors about me?"
"Of course not. I already have a heavy disdain for gossip." The female student positively affirmed, "And ever since our first encounter, you've been nothing but courteous to me, and you even helped me today when no one else batted an eye."
"If you ask me, Sakamoto-kun, you're nothing like the rumors say you are." She stated with a bright smile, "Most people see a troublemaker, but what I see is a kind and misunderstood soul with a big heart."
Her words left the gaping teen utterly speechless. This was the second time a girl he met at Shujin expressed belief in him, and he didn't even do anything grand or special to earn that. He just did what he thought was right!
Hearing Yoshizawa regard him as a good person was definitely nice, but there was something about hearing it from this girl in particular that made him feel warm inside.
'N-Not only is this chick so nice... but she's adorable as shit too..!!' The blond mentally exclaimed with a tiny blush.
"U-Uh, er, y-yeah, thanks!" He awkwardly thanked her with a sheepish rub of the head while averting his gaze, "For, uhh... believin' in me and... stuff."
"You're most welcome." She gladly responded, giggling at his abashed demeanor.
The taller teen lightly coughed into his hand to clear out the nervousness, "A-Anyway, you know who am I now, so why don't ya tell me about yourself?"
"M-Me?" The floofy-haired student seemed to be out on the spot.
"Yeah, man. I told ya my name, so it's only fair you gimme yours too, ain't it?"
"O-Oh, yes. I suppose you're right." She agreed in a rather pensive manner. For some reason, the girl seemed almost hesitant to reveal her name, and she braced herself before getting it over with.
"My name is... Haru Okumura." She finally revealed, looking a bit afraid of something, "I'm a third year student."
'Huh, so she's my senior, eh?'
"That's a pretty nice name ya got there, senpai!" Ryuji complimented.
"R-Really?" The female student now identified as Haru asked in surprise.
"For real!" He positively affirmed, "It seriously fits ya! I mean, I don't really know how or whatever, but it sounds cool, and you're cool, so I dig it!"
"... So, despite knowing my name, you would still want to be around me...?" Haru asked with a tinge of hope.
"Eh? Of course I would." Ryuji answered in confusion, "Why wouldn't I?"
Haru stared at him in befuddlement for a good few seconds before composing herself.
"Um, n-never mind." She dismissed before smiling once again, "More importantly, you really are a kind person, Sakamoto-kun."
"Ahh, it's no big deal, senpai." He dismissed with his own smile, "After all, you're like the only upperclassmen at this school who isn't a total ass."
She giggled at his abrasive comment, "My, you're quite the crass one, aren't you?"
"Eh?" He blinked in confusion before realizing what she meant, "Shit! Ah- I mean, uh, s-sorry, senpai!"
So much for making a good impression, am I right?
"There's no need to apologize." Haru assured him, "I actually find it quite refreshing."
"For real?" Ryuji asked incredulously, earning a nod.
"And Haru is just fine, by the way." The floofy-haired third year added, "No need for the formalities."
"Woah woah, you want me to call ya by your first name??!" Ryuji asked incredulously shock, "I-I mean, I get the not being formal thing, but wouldn't it make more sense to go by your last name?"
"I'd... prefer you use my first name instead, please." She stated in a seemingly uncomfortable manner.
'... It's like every time her name is brought up, she gets all weird...' The blond noticed, 'What's the deal with that?' He wondered, although he ignored it for the time being.
"Then in that case, you can also just call me Ryuji!" He offered with a grin.
This noticeably brought Haru back to brighter spirits.
"Wonderful!" She beamed, "I'll be sure to do that from now on, Ryuji-kun!"
"Right back at ya, Haru!" He playfully retorted, making her lightly laugh.
Even though this was his second time meeting Haru, this was mainly his first time getting to talk to her properly, and now that he knew how kind and sweet of a girl she was, Ryuji found himself already wanting to get to know her better...
I am thou ... Thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new vow...
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.
With the birth of the Empress Persona,
I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power...
EMPRESS: RANK 1
The blond teen suddenly got the urge to check his phone, and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets once he saw the time.
"Aw crap! I'm gonna miss the train at this rate!" He exclaimed in comical panic, "Sorry, Haru! It was really cool talkin' to ya, but I gotta go and hit the dash before I miss the train home!"
"Oh, that's alright. I even need to head home as well." She assured him before pulling out her phone, "But before that, would you care to exchange numbers?"
"Oh!" The blonde blinked in surprise, not expecting the sudden development, though he swapped phones anyway, "Uh, sure, man."
They swiftly input each other's contact information before handing back their respective phones.
"Thank you, Ryuji-kun." She said with a sweet smile.
"No prob." He positively replied, "Now if you excuse me, I gotta emulate one of my sports idols and bolt on outta here. See ya!"
"Bye, Ryuji-kun!" Haru happily bid him farewell as he sped past her.
"Later, Haru!" He yelled back as he ran as fast his legs could take him to the station.
If he wasn't so focused on making it to the train in time, he would've registered the fact that this was the second time he's gotten a girl's phone number.
In the same week...
Monday, April 25th, 20XX
Days Until Ryuji And Ren's Expulsion: 7
It was currently Monday night, and most students were either asleep or falling asleep to wake up early for school tomorrow...
... Unfortunately for Ryuji, he was not one of those students.
'... *Groan* I can't 'effin sleep...!' He internally groaned as he dragged his hand down his face in annoyance.
Morgana, who was laying next to him, was already out like a light, yet his body just refused to do the same!
Normally, watching YouTube videos late at night would be the cause of this development, but right now, that wasn't the case.
The blond let out a tired sigh and was about to continue unsuccessfully forcing himself to sleep when a notification from his phone alerted him.
"Hm?"
He pulled it out and saw it was a message from his group chat with Ann and Ren.
The PT
Ann: Hey.
Ann: Are you guys still up?
Ryuji: I know I am
Ren is typing...
Ren: Yup
Ren: Something wrong?
Ann: Not really. It's just...
Ann: I can't sleep...
Ryuji: Dude, same here!
Ren: Ditto tbh
Ann: That's a relief
Ryuji: What's keepin you up, Ann?
Ann: Honestly, I'm still worried about the whole thing with Kamoshida...
Ann: I know we agreed to be patient about it, but I'm still really anxious about it failing
Ryuji: TELL ME ABOUT IT!
Ryuji: I've been tryin my best to be confident about it, but it's been almost a whole damn week and we still don't know if it worked!
Ren: I'd definitely be lying if I said I wasn't worried myself
Ren: But what can we do?
Ren: It's not like we can go to Kamoshida directly and check
Ryuji: Yeah Ik
Ann: So there really is nothing we can do but wait, huh?
Ren: Unfortunately
Ren: Doesn't help that a week from now, Ryuji and I might be getting the boot from Shujin
Ryuji: Why'd ya have to remind me man...?
Ren: My bad
Ryuji: Anyway...
Ryuji: I still wish there was some way to speed the whole waitin period up
Ryuji: But like Ann said, ain't shit we can do but be patient
Ren: Says the most impatient guy in this group chat
Ryuji: F you man
Ann: Lay off the poor guy
Ryuji: And that's why I'm glad ur here Ann
Ann: :)
Ren: ;)
Ryuji: The hell is that emoji for?
Ren: ;)
Ryuji: I hate u
Ann: lol
Ann: I think talking to you guys was a good idea
Ann: I'm still a bit worried, but I also feel a little better
Ann: It's good to know I wasn't alone on this
Ryuji: Hey, don't forget, we're a team
Ryuji: And as long as we're a team, we're also friends, which means you'll never be alone
Ren: What he said
Ann: Thx u guys
Ryuji: No prob :)
Ryuji: Like Mona and I said b4
Ryuji: We did what we said we'd do and stole Kamoshida's treasure
Ryuji: So all we gotta do now is keep bein positive and believe it'll work out!
Ann: Yeah, you're right!
Ren: What she said
Ren: Anyway, I think I can finally call it a night
Ann: Yeah, same
Ann: I think doing this helped tiring me out
Ryuji: Oof. Talkin to both of us is srsly that boring?
Ryuji: That hurts man
Ann: Oh shaddup
Ryuji: LOL
Ryuji: Welp, I'm also tired so I'ma hit the hay
Ryuji: Nite y'all!
Ann: Good night!
Ren: Night
With his worries alleviated by the feeling of tiredness, the blond put his phone away and got comfortable as he finally managed to get the sleep he desperately sought out...
Tuesday, April 26th, 20XX
Days Until Ryuji And Ren's Expulsion: 6
The moment the school day had began, there was a sudden announcement calling for all students and school staff to report to the auditorium for an assembly.
As he stood amongst the crowd of students, Ryuji listened to the murmurs of his puzzled schoolmates.
"What's with the sudden morning assembly?"
"I bet it's about that girl who jumped."
"They don't have to tell us not to kill ourselves." A female student scoffed.
"I mean, there was also that weird calling card, so maybe the teachers are freaking out?"
"Well whatever it is, it got us out of the morning math test, so I'll consider it a blessing."
"Got any idea what this could be about?" Ren, who was right next to Ryuji, questioned.
"Beats me, dude." Ryuji replied before staring at the principal who was getting up on stage with a pondering gaze.
Somewhere within the crowd, Ann also gazed ahead with an indiscernible expression.
The principal, a bald and extremely overweight man in a yellow suit, reached the podium and cleared his throat before finally speaking up.
"Let's begin this school-wide morning assembly, shall we?" The principal spoke into the mic, "As I'm sure you are all aware, a tragic event took place about 11 days ago involving the student known as Shiho Suzui."
"Fortunately, we have been informed that she has pulled through, but it will take some time until she makes a full recovery." He added, "As for the rest of you, I'd like to remind you that you all have bright futures ahead of you and are nothing less than important..."
Ryuji frowned as he listened to the principal go on. He didn't need to be the smartest guy around to tell that everything he was saying sounded rehearsed and fake as hell. It was obvious he doing this not out of genuine concern for Suzui's life, but rather because he had to.
"As such, I strongly implore you all to rethink the importance of life and-"
CREAK!
The sound of the door being shoved open cut the principal off, causing him and everyone in attendance to whip towards the entrance, only for all of them to be surprised by the figure who stepped in.
"K-Kamoshida?!" Ryuji exclaimed with wide eyes while Ren and Ann were similarly taken aback.
"Mr. Kamoshida!" The principal called out in surprise, "What's the-?"
"I... have been reborn." The gym coach uttered in an uncharacteristically low voice, "That is why... I will confess everything to you all."
His words particularly struck the three thieves.
"Is he gonna...?" Ren trailed off.
"It's finally happening..." Morgana whispered from Ryuji's bag.
Kamoshida moved to the front of the crowd and faced them with his head lowered in shame.
"I have... repeatedly done things that were unbecoming a teacher... unbecoming of any human being..." The coach admitted in a sullen manner, "Things like verbally abusing students... Physically abusing my own team, and..."
His voice caught in his throat before he forced himself to carry on.
"... And sexually harassing female students..."
His confession emitted large gasps from everyone in the room, and the whispers began to grow louder.
"Did he just say what I think he just did?!"
"Sexual harassment?!"
"I knew there was something weird about how the volleyball team acts around him!"
"I'm sure you recall when Shiho Suzui attempted to commit suicide not too long ago..." He reminded everybody, "... But what none of you know is... I am the reason why she tried to kill herself!"
Kamoshida fell to his knees as his guilt began to exacerbate.
"In return for giving Suzui-san a position on the volleyball team, I... I tried to force her friend, Ann Takamaki, into sleeping with me..." He revealed, shocking the aforementioned Takamaki, "... And when she refused, I called Suzui-san into my office and I... I-I... I sexually assaulted her!"
This brought out even more horrified gasps from the crowd.
"Sexual assault?!"
"Ugh! Disgusting!"
"He's such a creep!"
"I feel bad for Takamaki-san..."
All the while, Ryuji was watching the spectacle with a mixture of bewilderment and relief. Although, what happened next would be even more unexpected for him.
"That's still not everything!" Ren suddenly yelled from within the crowd, garnering everybody's attention, "What about what you did to Ryuji Sakamoto?!"
"H-Huh?!" The aforementioned teen whipped towards his friend in shock.
"A-Ah yes, that's right..." Kamoshida realized, "As I'm sure most of you know, Ryuji Sakamoto and I got into an altercation that resulted in me breaking his leg... And the story that's been shared is that I did it out of self-defense..."
"But the truth is... it's all a lie..." He confessed, "In reality, I aired out very sensitive private information about Sakamoto's home life to purposefully provoke him into attacking me... All so I could not only cripple him and ruin his reputation... but also cause the disbandment of the track team..."
The drop of such a huge bombshell caused an ever bigger commotion among the crowd.
"No way!"
"Seriously?!"
"So Sakamoto is actually innocent?"
"What a piece of shit...!"
Flabbergasted by the sudden clearing of his name, Ryuji once again looked at his spectacled companion with wide eyes. Ren merely shot him a small smirk.
"I thought of this school as my own castle... I believed I could do whatever I want... There were even students I sentenced to expulsion, simply because I didn't like them..." Kamoshida revealed, "I will, of course, rescind those... But... I am truly sorry for all the horrible acts I've committed... I wish I could take them all back..."
"I know that I'm shallow, arrogant... and just shameful..." He uttered before his face shifted into a more emotional expression, "No... I'm worse than that!"
The disgraced gym coach then bowed his head all the way down to the floor in immense shame.
"I will take responsibility for it, and kill myself!"
"Did he just say he's gonna kill himself?!"
"This is crazy!"
"Honestly, he should kill himself, NOW!"
"Mr. Kamoshida! Please get off the stage!" The principal demanded out of fear and anger, "S-Someone restrain him right now!"
At that, two staff members rushed towards Kamoshida and grabbed each of his arms.
The teachers in the auditorium desperately tried to yell at all the students to return to their classrooms, but their words reached deaf ears due to the immense noise from the crowd.
"Ngh, let me die!" The despicable coach urgently struggled, "I deserve it!"
"Don't run, you bastard!"
Everyone in the area looked to see Ann, who made her way forward, furiously glaring at the man she hated.
"Shiho is still alive... Even after all the pain and suffering you put her through, she's still holding on!" Ann yelled, "So what gives you the right to take the easy way out like a coward?! Don't you dare run from this!"
"Ann..." Ryuji whispered in awe.
"... You're right. You're absolutely right..." Kamoshida agreed, slowly standing up with conviction, "For everything I've done... I deserve to be punished under law, and to spend the rest of my life behind bars..."
"As of today, I officially resign from my position as an instructor, and will turn myself in." He declared, "Someone, please call the police!"
"T-The morning assembly is over! Return to your classes immediately!" A teacher frantically announced.
"Hey, this is just like what that calling card said, isn't it?" A student mentioned.
"Does this mean that whole Phantom Thieves thing was for real?"
"Did somebody do something to Kamoshida??"
"Well whatever the case is, Kamoshida really turned out to be one sick fuck."
"No kidding."
Eventually, Kamoshida was taken away by authorities and the auditorium cleared out, the thieves being the only ones remaining.
Needless to say, they were all pretty dazed by everything that had just occurred.
"... That was intense." Ryuji sighed.
"No kidding..." Ann agreed, "He really did have a change of heart..."
"Dunno what else that could've been..." Ren stated, "But, I guess this is what we wanted... Isn't it?"
"It should be... I mean, we got Kamoshida confess his crimes and now he's going to rot in prison. This was for the best." Ann figured before looking at Ryuji with uncertainty, "Right...?"
Ryuji silently pondered the crucial question before firmly answering, "Yeah... it's gotta be."
"Takamaki-san!"
They all turned to see Mishima and another male student, along with two female students walking towards them.
"I just wanted to say, I'm sorry!" Mishima bowed his head.
"Huh...?"
"We all knew... but we pretended we didn't..."
"I'm sorry for spreading rumors about you, Takamaki-san! I had you all wrong!" One of the female students apologized.
"It must've been so hard going through what you did..." The other one added, "We're so sorry!"
"We'd like to apologize to you as well, Sakamoto-san." The other male student added, "What Kamoshida did to you and the track team was horrible."
"We know we don't deserve it, but we hope you can still forgive us for treating you like a delinquent."
The two blonds stared at their apologetic schoolmates in surprise before raising their hands up.
"Look, it's all good, man." Ryuji stated, "Ion even care about all that stuff."
"Yeah. It's all in the past now." Ann added.
Satisfied, the other students walked away while Mishima remained.
"I also want to apologize to you, Amamiya." The teen looked at him with guilt, "For leaking your record and everything..."
"It's cool." Ren shrugged it off, "You only did it 'cuz Kamoshida put you up to it, anyway."
"Still, I swear I'll make it up to you someday."
"Hm. I'll hold you to it then." Ren responded with a small smile.
Mishima sported one of his own before finally leaving them alone.
"Huh. Looks like Kamoshida ain't the only that had a change of heart." Ryuji stated with a grin before looking at Ann, "But man, I'm glad for you. Those shitty rumors about you and Kamoshida are finally gonna go away."
"My thing doesn't really matter." Ann shook her head before smirking at him, "If anything, I'm more glad that people now know what really happened between you and Kamoshida."
"Heh, I know right?" He flashed an ecstatic grin before turning to Ren, "Speakin' of which... Why'd you do that back there, man?"
"Do what?" The spectacled teen asked in faux-confusion.
"Dude, don't play dumb." The blond deadpanned, "Ya didn't have to do all that, y'know?"
"I know." Ren simply smirked, "I wanted to."
Ryuji blinked in surprise before flashing him a bright grin of gratitude.
"By the way... Even though Suzui isn't awake right now, I'm sure she'll be real happy when you tell her the news." Ryuji told Ann.
"Now's the perfect time to do that with how chaotic everything is right now." Ren encouraged.
"... Yeah. You're right." Ann agreed.
"In that case, let's meet up on the roof like usual after school's over." Ryuji suggested.
"I concur!" Morgana popped out, "After all, we still have much to discuss."
The trio nodded before going to their respective classes.
As soon as school was over, the boys went to the roof like they discussed.
"Man, I still can't believe he actually had a change of heart..." Ryuji admitted in amazement, "But I'm sure as hell glad he did!"
"And we were able to pull it off without his mind shutting down." Ren added in satisfaction.
"For real! I'd say this was an A job!"
"Despite his Palace disappearing, he didn't suffer a mental shutdown..." Morgana mused, "I see... So by persuading the shadow and sending it back to its real self without killing it, we end up preventing a cognitive collapse."
"So pretty much, we can get 'em to confess with no bad stuff?" Ryuji enthusiastically summarized, "Right on!"
Just then, Ann entered the rooftop.
"Do you have to be so loud?" She chastised.
"O-Oh, right... I mean, right on...!" He cheered in a quieter tone, much to everyone's amusement, "Anyway... Everything alright with Suzui?"
Ann lit up as she replied, "Better than alright... She regained consciousness!"
The positive news made all three of the boys' eyes widen.
"For real?!"
"Y-Yeah..." The girl began to tear up a bit as she recalled her visit, "It was only for a little bit, but she awake enough for me to talk to her...!"
"I got to tell her news... About how Kamoshida confessed to everything he did!" She added as she tried to wipe her flow of tears, "E-Even if it was brief... I'm so glad she's okay... and that she got to know about what we did...!"
The boys smiled sweetly at her tears of happiness, and Ryuji decided to pull out a face towel from his bag and hand it to her.
"Here."
"Thanks." She thanked him with a smile before wiping her eyes, "Shiho told me she was sorry I had to pretend to be into Kamoshida for her sake... And here I was, wanting to apologize to her."
"Kamoshida's at fault for all of this, Lady Ann." Morgana reminded her.
"I know..." Ann affirmed, "Also, Shiho's parents are considering transferring her to another school once she recovers."
"Seriously?" Ren asked in surprise.
"Yeah... People will definitely label her after the whole sexual harassment thing, and her attempted suicide. It sounded like she had the same idea too."
"It's gonna get pretty lonely for her..." Ryuji solemnly commented, "But it's probably for the best. It would totally be hard for her to stay at this place after all the shit she went through."
"But on the bright side, she's alive!" He tried to lift up the mood, "So you can see her anytime."
"You act like you don't wanna see her too." Ann playfully replied.
"What- nah! I-It's not like that!" The blond frantically defended himself.
"That aside, I'm honestly still impressed that you guys managed not to kill Kamoshida's shadow on the spot." Ren chimed in with a smirk, "I mean, we all know you were thinking about it."
Ryuji scoffed, "Like I said in the castle, man, I ain't some vengeful loser who goes around killin' people who've wronged me. I knew we needed him alive so he could pay."
"And I already said it wasn't my call to make." His fellow blonde added before smiling at him, "Besides, I trusted that a certain person would make the right choice... and in the end, he didn't let me down."
The taller blond sheepishly looked to the side with a slight chuckle as he scratched his cheek with a light blush.
The display earned a sly smirk from Ren, and a displeased whimper from the not-cat.
Ryuji noticed their reactions and quickly cleared his throat, "A-Anyway, at the end of the day, no matter how much of a shitbag he was, puttin' him down woulda left a pretty bad aftertaste for both of us."
"Huh? That's not it." Ann disagreed.
"Wut?"
"I think revenge is better served if we make him repent. Now that he's realized what he's done, he'll grovel for forgiveness for the rest of his life, you know?" She clarified in a grim manner, "I just believe... there are fates worse than death..."
By the end of her rather dark monologue, her teammates had been left utterly speechless.
"Jesus..." Ren uttered.
Ryuji cartoonishly gulped, "That's... hardcore, man..."
'... Why was that lowkey kinda hot...?'
"A-Anyways... There's something that's been bothering me about the castle." Ren commented, "How come Kamoshida was the only person in the Metaverse?"
"It isn't necessarily limited to him." Morgana elucidated, "Anyone could have a Palace if their heart became warped from their desires."
"Anyone..." Ann pensively repeated.
"You guys wanna check it out...?" The cat offered with a mischievous grin.
"Ehhh, as much as I wanna, I think we better lay low for now." Ryuji turned the offer down, "But at least it's totally impossible for anyone to know about us and the Metaverse."
"Yeah, about that..." Ann awkwardly began, "There are already weird rumors about you two going around."
"I remember hearing something like, you joined forces and threatened Kamoshida with physical violence."
"Seriously?" Ryuji uttered with a sweatdrop, "I mean, I ain't surprised and I don't really care, but still, seriously?"
"I'm flattered that they think we're imposing enough to threaten a trained gym coach." Ren joked.
"I know right?" Ann giggled, "I guess people aren't going to buy into the whole Phantom Thieves thing so easily."
"Makes sense..." Ryuji shrugged, "We're the ones who're responsible yet I still barely believe it myself!"
"We can worry 'bout that later, though." He disregarded before pulling out Kamoshida's medal with an eager grin, "In the meantime, why don't we check how much we can make off this shiny baby?"
"I like the way you think." Ren agreed with a smirk.
The blond quickly searched it up on his phone, "Ooh, got a hit!" He exclaimed before his excitement turned in disappointment.
"30,000 yen?! That's all an 'effin gold medal is worth?!"
Suddenly, Ann gained a mischievous smile.
"Hey Ryujiii~" She called, "Remember that time when I lent you money back in middle school?"
"Woah woah woah, slow your roll, Margot Robbie!" He exclaimed, "There's no 'effin' way I borrowed 30,000 from you!"
"Oh, what's this is I'm hearing about him borrowing 30,000 yen?" Ren piped up in interest.
"Okay, get this." Ann gladly started, "One time, our middle school went on a field trip to an aquarium, right? And there was this dolphin souvenir that Ryuji really wanted to buy so he could give it to his mom as a present."
"But, he ended up blowing all his money on it. Sooo, since he didn't have any money left for train fares, he had to nervously ask me to kindly help him out."
Ren and Morgana couldn't help but laugh at the story whilst an embarrassed Ryuji brought his face into his hands.
"That's hilarious!" Ren exclaimed, "And also kinda cute!"
"Oh, eff you..."
"Anyway, cough up it already, momma's boy!" Ann playfully demanded.
"Would you back off?!" Ryuji retorted in exasperation, "It wasn't 30,000 yen, dammit! It was like 500 or something!"
"I mean... Wouldn't it be around 30,000 with compounded interest?"
"Interest my ass!"
"Hey, it's your fault for not paying me back all these years! It's just common sense." The blonde smugly reasoned, "Besides, you don't have to worry about me taking all of it."
"I-I- Y-You-Er..." The taller blond desperately tried to come up with an argument before groaning in defeat, "Dammit..."
"There's still all the money we got from the Palace if that helps." Ren reminded him.
"I say we celebrate our success over luxurious food!" Morgana declared.
"Heh, that's not a bad idea at all!" Ryuji agreed, "I guess I'll try to find somewhere nice."
"Actually, I think I already know one." Ann mentioned.
"For real? Where's that?"
"It's a place Shiho and I have been wanting to go for a while." She replied, "I think you guys will like it!"
"I'll take your word for it, then." Ren stated, "What about you, Ryuji?"
"I owe money, so I don't really have room to complain..."
"I'll leave it to your discretion as well, Lady Ann."
"Great! I'll call and check the prices later then."
"Why don't we go on the 29th?" Ren suggested.
"Ahh, the start of Golden Week, eh? Makes sense." Ryuji nodded, "Y'all can leave it to me to sell the medal, then."
"Sounds like a plan." Ren commented.
"I guess that settles it, then!" Ann cheered.
With their plans finalized, the thieves left the roof and headed home for the day.
After taking his usual route home, Ryuji reached his residence. However, when he reached for the front door, he heard something rather peculiar, and pressed his ear to the door.
'Is that... 80's music?' He mused.
Wanting to see what the noise was about, he decided to open the door.
"I'm home- Wowzers!"
The moment he stepped inside, he was greeted by the befuddling sight of his mother energetically dancing to a song he knew, holding a bottle of wine all the while.
When she noticed his presence, she quickly paused the music on the television and rushed towards him.
"Ah, Ryuji! Welcome home, baby!" She cheerfully greeted as she wrapped him in a hug.
"Uhh, hey, ma." He awkwardly replied as he returned the hug, "You're actin' real jolly tonight..."
"How could I not be jolly, dear?!" Mayumi ecstatically replied, "Especially after hearing the best news I've heard all day today!"
"Hm? What news?"
"Well, the news about that bastard of a coach at your school finally getting the boot, of course!"
"You already know?!" He asked in surprise as he had been excitedly planning to tell her himself.
"Indeed I do!" She enthusiastically confirmed, "I just so happened to be watching the news when there was suddenly a report about Kamoshida confessing to all his crimes and being arrested!"
"The first thing I thought was, "The monster who hurt my baby is finally getting brought to justice..." She admitted, tearing up a little, "When I realized that, I just became so happy for you that I just wanted to get up and dance!" She wiped her eyes with a giggle.
Her explanation took Ryuji aback, although he immediately smiled at how sweet it was.
"And that's why I love ya so much." He sincerely stated before kissing her forehead.
"Dawww, I love you too, baby~" She smiled at him before giggling, "I'm sure you were much more ecstatic to hear the news than I was."
"You have no idea..." He smirked.
"The day's not over yet, you know? We still have enough time to celebrate!" She mentioned, "C'mon, let's dance!"
"E-Eh?!" He jumped back, "Uhhh, I dunno...?"
"Oh come on, we haven't danced to Footloose in so long, sweetie!" Mayumi coaxed him, "You know that's always been our song!"
"Well, y-yeah but-"
"Pleeeease?"
If it was any other girl, Ryuji probably would have been able to resist the adorable request, but of course, it was a different story since it's his mom.
"*Sigh* Alright, let's do it..." He conceded.
"Yay!" She cheered before rewinding the song and dragging her son into the living room with her.
Ryuji couldn't contain the smile that developed at his mom's infectious cheerfulness as they began dancing together.
Today was already a great day for him, but ending it like this undoubtedly made it perfect...
Ryuji's Confidant List:
THE DEATH - Ren Amamiya: Rank 2
THE FOOL - Igor: Rank 2
THE LOVERS - Ann Takamaki: Rank 1
THE MAGICIAN - Morgana: Rank 2
THE FAITH - Kasumi Yoshizawa: Rank 1
THE EMPRESS - Haru Okumura: Rank 1
Hey there... Uh... That was a long 9 months... When did the last chapter come out...? May? Damn, that's craaaazy...!
Okay, all jokes aside, I'm sorry for taking so damn long to pump this out. Like I explained back in August, my final exams were seriously taking a toll on me and I had to pass at all costs, which left not that much time to work on fanfics. Thankfully, I passed all the way back in September, but then came the stress of finding a good university, which made me even more busy! Fortunately though, I've managed to sort that out, and I'll be going to school in Fall. Of course, that means I can finally dedicate more time to writing fanfics!
I hope you guys enjoyed this one, and thank you for being patient!
With that out of the way, Kamoshida has finally had a change of heart and been brought to justice! The thieves are raring to celebrate their victory! How will their celebration go? Find out in the next chapter!
Once again, thank y'all for reading, and I'll see you guys next time!
RinOta, out!