Chapter Text
Lavender studied you with her violet eyes, eyes following your absentminded typing.
Type.
Type.
Type.
Pause.
Type.
"I see you're distracted." Her voice suddenly brought you back to reality and made you accidentally smash the keys together.
Flustered, you tried to compose yourself, "Of...of course not."
Lavender didn't bother to point your lie out.
She shook her head, sighing in the process, "Nevermind that; let me take a look at what you've written."
She took your laptop and quickly scanned what you've written, eyes narrowing more often than not. At last, she paused and handed you back your laptop.
"Your writing style, fluency, and grammar usage are splendid," She began, "however...Your ideas, to be put bluntly, are bland. Nothing I've never seen before. If you want to succeed, you're going to have to be more creative."
Your eyes shifted downcast, then toward the window where fat drops of water slid down the window glass.
He hadn't been there today.
Your heart leaped as high as the clouds when you saw how lousy the weather was and crashed as low as it flew high on the ground.
It seemed to happen every time: the higher your heart soared, the harder it shattered and bled on the ground.
And yet...
The sincerity of his eyes...the genuine tone of his voice...they never seemed fake--not even once. And so, some small part of your sprits still believed, deep in your heart.
___
The casino erupted into a cacophony of chaos and gambling tokens while Joker glided with grace, jumping from chandelier to chandelier--wall hedge to wall hedge. He met eyes with Skull, and they exchanged curt nods.
He peered at the distance he would have to cover and inhaled a sharp breath.
"THERE HE IS!"
Joker's grin never faltered as he swung from the balcony railing, giving only a 'See ya' to the men who came after him, somersaulting over the stunned citizens and breaking through the glass mural.
When he landed, the shattered glass fell like rain and doused him in glitter, shining even more brilliantly when the spotlight was on him.
And the sparkle instantly going out when he fell from the ladder.
He awoke shortly in a prison room. Although weak, he managed a small, victorious smile. The sharp, freezing metal of the handcuffs coursed through the skin on Ren's hands, immobilizing them further. Things that radiated the slightest hint of light blinded him. From his hazy vision, bottles of clear vials scattered around the floor.
Soon, he was taken to a table and removed from the handcuffs. A tall woman with parted, silver hair awaited him.
The interrogations began shortly after, with the last thought being if he could keep the promise he made. Both promises: being the first to read your story, and seeing you in the garden again.
___
You woke up in cold sweat as thunder roared outside. Deciding to skip school entirely today, you went straight home and took a nap, not having the energy to do anything else.
But...
As you sat in your bed, breathing in shallow breaths as you recalled your dream: the image of Ren lying on the floor with a pool of red around him burned through your mind and tore through your heart.
'Calm down,' you told yourself, 'it was only a dream. He's fine...he's fine.'
A ping from your phone directed your attention to it. Warily, and feeling a strong instinct to check the news, you reached for it, opening the news app.
You couldn't believe what laid before your eyes.
'Leader of the Phantom Thieves commits suicide after interrogations.'
'Phantom Thief leader found dead with a gun in hand.'
'Western Politician hit with flying turtle. Critics shell-shocked! '
'Phantom Thief found dead! Can the citizens finally rest in peace?'
Appalling headlines such as those swarmed the news, enshrouding your vision until all you could see was the image from your dream.
'No...this is another nightmare...this couldn't be real...' you thought, tears streaming down your face.
Your phone fell to the ground from your slack clutch, clattering to the carpet. Your mind went numb, thinking of nothing at all. Yet, a tiny, minuscule part of your conscious was determined to keep believing. That reassuring smile Ren gave you before all of this hadn't been for naught, had it?
Tightening your fists and lips forming a thin line, you wiped away your tears along with the uncertainty within you.
Opening your laptop, you deleted every single failed attempt of a draft at your story and created a new one. Fingers shaking as you managed to type the first sentence.
"Once, not long ago, where the rainy season ensued, two people were longing for the rain."
__
It was the next day, and you were heading toward LeBlanc. It was that same kind of instinct you felt when you grabbed your phone last night: a caprice that you might regret the next day, yet a wistful one you had to embark on.
You were surprised how you managed to remember the way there since you've only stepped foot in there once.
As you turned a corner, nearing your destination, the smell of roasted coffee beans wafted out of the cafe and soothed your mind filled with unrest from a sleepless night filled with tears. As calm and aesthetic it was, you started wondering why "Sojiro," Ren's current guardian, would still open the cafe after the headlines yesterday.
The answer was presented to you when LeBlanc's shop window came into view: a group of people you've never seen with him before were all cheering and crowding over someone. You considered stepping back and going home before the crowd bombards you. From the looks of it, it seemed like Buttercup Cumbersnatch was in that shop. Or maybe even Akechi.
'Better get home before I get trampled,' you thought.
Just as you swore your bed telepathically called for you, a girl with blonde hair in pigtails moved her head just enough so you could get a peek at the star of the show.
Someone with a mop of black hair.
And thick-framed glasses that you knew for certain now were fake.
Abandoning any mental connection you had with your bed, the bells of the shop couldn't even ring in time before you bounded into the warm, coffee-aroma-filled cafe, floors creaking and eyes turning.
But none of the other speculators mattered to you; they weren't even in your line of vision. The only thing that captured your attention was the boy you grew to love.
The boy who showed the fragile side of him to you.
The boy from the garden, who argued with his absurd cat.
"Hey, leader...? Who's this?' a spiky, blond-haired boy whispered into Ren's ear, "your girlfriend?"
You didn't hear what they said, but Ren's cheeks flushed.
At this, Ryuji's grin only widened, 'Ahhhh, I see, I see. Not yet, eh?'
Another person came up to you, looking strikingly similar to the inkling girl with orange hair from Splashtoon.
"Oooh! Sojiro, Come look at this! An NPC, perhaps? One that might drop precious items!"
And another high schooler came up to you.
"Her face perfectly adheres to the golden ratio! Say, please let me paint you."
And another.
"Oooh! She's cute! She would look great in modeling outfits!"
And yet another.
"Her hands look splendid as well! Perfect for gardening or making crafted goods!"
Morgana only purred.
And, lastly, a girl with a brown bob spoke, at last, settling the commotion.
"Now, everyone. Let's let her have a chance to speak and properly introduce herself."
Ryuji sighed, "Ever the up-tight honor-student."
Everyone else ignored him and looked at you expectedly. Ren gave you an encouraging nod.
"H-Hello," You started out, "It's nice to meet you..."