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Ah Leblanc, the perfect place for the Phantom Thieves of Hearts to get some well deserved rest, relaxation and comfort. And the current location of what looked like a moving company bringing in a flat screen TV, multiple cables and a Playstation 3, along with a collection of video games in a yellow and black binder marked “Ryuji’s Games.” This of course was not a moving company, but instead the usually busy teens moving in several devices for entertainment purposes.
“Ugh.. So much moving..” The blonde in question panted, clearly exhausted as he dropped the Playstation to the floor, gently of course. Yusuke and Ren carried the flatscreen behind them while Futaba watched.
“Careful with that-- it’s old!” Futaba croaked, pointing at the console.
“I am careful! It’s just a lot of stuff, alright?”
“Beautifully decorated as always.” Yusuke sarcastically quipped. The Sony branded electronic was decorated with stickers from popular anime, classic 3D platformers and obscure visual novels.
“You wouldn’t know art if it slapped you across the face, Inari.” The gremlin girl sneered while the boys settled the TV where the busted CRT used to sit.
“Do you realize who you’re speaking to?!” Yusuke placed a hand on his chest, looking in the opposite direction with disgust.
“A complete art nerd.” Ren answered.
“Precisely! Stick to your expertise of gaming and nerd culture, and I’ll stick to mine.”
“I’ll do what I want.. AND whoop your butt tonight!” Futaba blew a raspberry at her blue haired friend. He didn’t seem to care.
“Is that everything?” Ryuji questioned, nearly sitting on Morgana as he took a seat on Ren’s bed.
“REOW! Watch it, airhead!” The cat jumped just before Ryuji’s ass could squish him.
He lifted his arms as a sign of innocence. “S-sorry! I’m just tired.”
“Want some coffee? The girls won’t be back for another hour or so.” Ren offered, fixing his glasses while Yusuke plugged in the Playstation.. Or tried to. He wasn’t the best with electronics.
“Yes! Now!” Futaba commanded, playfully smacking Ren’s chest several times over. He smirked, lightly pushing her away before heading downstairs.
“Coming right up.” He said as he left for the empty cafe. Sojiro was outside enjoying a smoke whilst taking in the crisp, night air. The shop was closed for the night and reserved exclusively for his adopted son and his friends.
Ren started the brewer and flawlessly coordinated each member's favorite coffee into mugs -- mugs that Okumura herself crafted for them based on their hoorah as the Phantom Thieves. Mysterious black and red for Ren, loud yellow for Ryuji with lightning bolts surrounding the cup, satin red with a pink inside for Ann, a royal blue with yellow stars dotting around for Yusuke, a grey and blue featuring a chibi caricature of Kazuma Kiryu from the Yakuza franchise for Makoto, a green and black mug littered with stickers of Feathermen for Futaba, a pink teacup with white edges for Haru herself and even Morgana received a cat sized water bowl featuring blue, black and white colors and his name written in yellow. The mugs were a reminder of this new family and how much Ren adored it -- especially compared to his last home.
Upstairs, Futaba was checking around Ryuji’s game case. Yusuke was inspecting the quality of the four controllers he owned while Ryuji read tips online from his phone. “To beat Zombies, you’ll need at least four players, an insane amount of luck and at least two hours. The ray and thunder guns are key.”
“It’s true, the Zombies mode in the original COD is insanely difficult. We’ll need lots of skill, patience and tactics to keep afloat.” Futaba said, continuing to flip through the case whilst laying on her stomach on the couch.
Ryuji faux yawned. “Sounds lame.”
“You’re lame!”
“I’m kidding! It’s my game, of course it’s cool.”
“Make sure not to hog the controller, Ryuji, or the chips.” Morgana warned, shooting a raised eyebrow at the teen.
“Wha- why are you singling me out?!”
“Do you two ever grow tired of fighting like children?” The art student asked genuinely.
Morgana took a few moments to speak, his mouth open but no words escaping it. “..No.”
“Nah, can’t say I do. It's kinda fun.”
“Agreed. We both need an outlet to release our frustrations, after all.” Morgana spoke in that condescending tone of his.
“And it's super amusing. Don’t be such a pill, Yusuke.” Futaba teased, looking up at him from the corner of her eye.
“I am not a pill.” The lanky Kitagawa deflected. He sat behind her, cleaning off a bit of dust on the right stick with his button up.
“Suuuuurrreeee~”
Ren sat on the stool in front of the counter, reading a message Ann sent him: “On our way!” followed by a picture of a huge bag of snacks and the receipt for it all. The leader, as usual, left her on read.
“What did Ren say?” Makoto asked, holding onto a bag as she walked down the sidewalk to Yongen-Jaya next to Haru and Ann.
“Ugh, nothing. As usual. He’s such a boomer when he texts.” Ann replied, putting her phone back into her handbag.
“What do you mean?” Haru questioned.
“He always leaves me on ‘read.’ I guess that means everything’s alright, but it's so annoying. I could use an ‘okay!’ once in a while, y’know?” Makoto raised an eyebrow, finding that unusual.
“Huh. He doesn’t do that to me.”
“Of course he doesn’t.” Ann couldn’t help but smile at her best friend's obvious love struck nature.
“Hm.. I wonder why.” Makoto’s cheeks went red from Haru’s words, but she was able to avoid eye contact.
“Woah, Haru, was that sarcasm?” Takamaki asked, amazed.
Haru hummed, a smile poking at her lips. “Maybe.. Yusuke has been using it a lot recently and I think I’m picking it up from him.”
“When in doubt, blame Yusuke.” Her blonde friend joked.
The curly haired girl blushed. “No, no, don’t blame Yusuke! I find it kind of funny!”
“Kidding, kidding.” Takamaki laughed.
Makoto raised a brow. Suddenly, her old self seemed to poke through. “Say, Ann, you’re talking a lot about other people. You sure you’re not just deflecting to get your mind off a certain boy we all know and love?”
“Huh?” Her cheeks lit up red, her expression becoming a lot less humorous.
“Oh? What do you mean, Mako-chan?” Haru questioned. Before Makoto could get a word in however..
“She means nothing! Come on, I don’t want to miss the last train!” Ann’s walk turned into a jog to the station. Makoto couldn’t resist smirking a bit at her handy work.
“Wow, Mako-chan. I had no idea you were capable of being so savage.”
“I didn't know either.” She stated simply.
“Hm.. Wonder who rubbed that off on you.” Haru picked up the pace to catch up to Panther, leaving her best friend to chew on what she just said.
Makoto realized what she meant and decided to stay quiet. Thank goodness for the darkness, otherwise she’d be visibly red…
“Make sure to keep the shop locked all night. Oh, and turn off every light in the cafe before you go to bed. Don’t keep that system running all night either. If you get hungry, ask Ren for some curry and-”
“Dad, it’s alright! We get it, you can go now.” Futaba looked up at Sojiro, patting his shoulder to signal for him to leave. He sighed, looking towards the glass door.
“Yeah.. It’s just been a while since your last sleepover is all. Last time was when Wakaba was..” He trailed off, catching a glimpse of Ren, Ryuji and Yusuke, all of whom towered above his daughter. Ren in particular took quite the protective stance. He shook his head, smiling. “Heh. Well, have fun.”
“Will do!” She cheered, waving him off.
“You think he’s gonna have, like, a ton of girls over?” Ryuji whispered as Sojiro walked out the door.
“Perhaps. I’ve never actually seen Boss with a girl though.” Mona answered.
The smallest of the four interjected. “Probably not. I haven’t seen Sojiro with any women his own age in like.. Ever.”
“For real?” Ren asked curiously.
“Hey, that’s my line!” Ryuji belched out.
“I’m quite shocked myself. Boss always seemed the flirty type.” Yusuke added.
“Yeah, he doesn’t even usually save guys' phone numbers.” The quiet male said.
“Maybe he goes to a hotel or something?” Ryuji guessed, causing Futaba to stick her tongue out and close her eyes in disgust.
“Ugh, enough! Putting nasty thoughts in my brain!” She closed her fists around her ears.
“Well I’m just curious!” The door opened up once again as Ryuji finished shouting. Appearing at the entrance were the girls, Ann Takamaki, Haru Okumura and Makoto Niijima, all carrying plastic bags full of convenience store goodies.
“We’re back.” Makoto announced, dropping the bag she held on one of the tables. “I’m going to wash up. I suggest you two do the same.”
“Yeah, yeah, right behind you!” Ann quickly put down her bag too, following Makoto to the bathroom.
“Hi guys! Take a look around the bags, we made sure to get stuff that everyone could enjoy!” Haru greeted, following her friends to the bathroom. The boys (and Futaba) clumped around the patron table like a pack of starving raccoons, coffee in one hand and a bag full of goodies in the other. Yusuke picked up a bag of Pretz. The dragon on the logo always gave him a cold feeling that made his mind race with ideas for new pieces, and the taste was beyond amazing. “Wonderful choices, girls, you’ve outdone yourselves.”
“No need to be so nice, we made them a list.” Futaba replied, sipping her coffee with much more sugar than beans in it when she suddenly felt the familiar crinkle of a bag of ramen. “Oh.. My.. Gosh.. You know me so well.”
“No need to be so nice, we made them a list.” Yusuke mocked, feeling superiority within him.
“Bite my shiny metal ass.” The nerd girl demanded matter-of-factly. Yusuke was appalled.
“I shall do no such thing!” Ryuji and Ren snickered to themselves with the latter of the two already finished with his coffee. Ryuji was on the cusp of finishing his when he fished out a carbonated cola.
“Ohoho, sweet! I’m totally drinking this, I call dibs!”
“Aren’t you gonna finish your incredible coffee first?” Ren asked, fixing his glasses charmingly.
“In due time, Ren-Ren, in due time.” He chuckled to himself like some dastardly villain, grabbing the bags of groceries with both of his hands after spilling the last of his coffee in the sink. Ren rolled his eyes, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“Hey, what about me? I don’t smell anything fishy or salty enough for someone with my particular tastes to enjoy.” Morgana sniffed the air as he blabbered on, following the ex Thieves as they marched upstairs to finish organizing the setup. The girls found themselves behind the cat when he began complaining.
“Oh, here, Morgana! Haru figured you’d like your food separated from everyone else’s.” Ann chimed, fishing a can of fatty tuna and a single roll of salmon roe wrapped nicely in a silk towel from her bag. His eyes lit up.
“Oooh.. It’s perfect.. Just like you..~” Morgana spoke in between mouthfuls of the fish and roll. Due to having no hands, he had to carry the items in his jaw all the way to the floor next to Ren’s bed, also next to Futaba’s boots, Ryuji’s sneakers and Yusuke’s designer shoes.
“I knew you’d appreciate it.” Haru gloated, taking off her own footwear alongside Makoto and Ann.
“She really doesn’t realize it yet? And I thought I was love blind..” Makoto whispered to her friend. Ann didn’t seem to care or notice as she dropped herself down on Ren’s bed. In the middle of the room was a large brown table about three feet tall that held the snacks. At last, Futaba touched her finger against the power button of the Playstation and a quiet ‘beep’ illuminated from the machine.
“Finally.” Futaba squirmed into her seat, the couch. There weren’t many seats, really. Ren’s workout chair, the sofa, the bed and the floor. With Ann and Ryuji sitting next to each other on the bed and Morgana taking his spot on the floor, Haru took the workout chair and Ren, Makoto and Futaba took the couch. The ginger gremlin held a controller up to both Makoto and Haru.
“Really? You want me to play first, Futaba-chan?” Haru questioned.
“Why do you sound so surprised?” She asked.
“Well, Mako-chan and I aren’t the best at video games..”
“Whaaat? You’re awesome at Mineshaft and Animalistic Crossroads!” The blonde enthused.
Haru bit her lip, shifting around her seat. “True, but Ryuji says those aren’t real video games.”
“Ryuji!” Ann barked.
“What? It’s true! This is Call of Duty, not some chick game.” Ren couldn’t help but laugh at him. Morgana rolled his eyes and Ann gave him a soft punch on the arm. “Hey! That huuurrrt!”
9:27
“Damnit! How the hell did I die again?! Who thought it was a good idea to make zombies kill you in TWO freakin’ hits??” Ryuji’s rant caused Haru to snort and Takamaki to chortle beneath her hand. He tossed the controller, or tried to at least, but Ann managed to catch it before it could leave his hands.
“Can you quit being such a monkey for two seconds!? Geez..”
Futaba spoke in between bites of food . “Yeah, Ryuji, it's not the controllers fault you suck.”
“Uggghhhhh, you suck.” He grumbled back.
Morgana held back a burst of laughter bustling to escape him. “You died on every wave, blondie.” Ryuji was not amused.
“...Whatever. I’m taking a whiz.” He stood up, clutching his leg as he moved downstairs. The other three players didn’t bother reviving him, already busy handling a horde of crawlers and other scary creatures. Makoto tore through them with her submachine gun whilst Futaba cleared out the main hub area with the laser gun she lucked out on nabbing. Haru was building barricades and taking care of anything that got close to her, but overall wasn’t helping much.
“Eep!” Haru squealed as a zombie dashed at her from a corner. She blasted it to bits with her shotgun.
“Woah, nice one Haru.” Ren complimented.
“Yeah, for a beginner you’re pretty good!”
“That means a lot coming from you, Futaba-chan.” The happy-go-lucky girl beamed.
“Nyehehe, no prob.” She fixed her glasses, mashing the right trigger rapidly. Meanwhile, Makoto was completely enthralled with the game in front of her. Her pupils danced across the corner of her screen as her player jumped and sprinted through hordes of zombies. She left a trail of death wherever she went. Her silence was almost a little creepy.
Yusuke was beginning to get worried. “Makoto?”
“Shh.” Ren placed a finger over his friend's lips. “She’s in the zone.” Almost thirty seconds went by in silence as the speculating thieves watched her play in complete silence. Gurgling and firearms were the only sounds outside of the real world that broke up the quiet concentration of the great Queen.
“Hey guys, I’m back. What did I miss-”
“YAAAAHHH!” Makoto yelled, her character being surrounded and ripped apart by several zombies at once. She tossed a grenade at her feet, but it did little to stop the horde masacurring her character.
“Ah!” Ryuji yelped, jumping back at the wall by her sudden screech. The brunette’s cheeks flushed and she raced to help the track star up.
“Oh gosh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to get that into it.” She pulled him up by his wrists, helping him off the floor. Joker smirked and stifled a laugh, Ann tried to hide her own chortles.
“No, no, it’s fine.. Totally get it.” He spoke between gritted teeth. He rubbed his rump.
“Psht.. Hehe..” Ryuji immediately eyed the cat.
“What?” He questioned with a look of knowing frustration on his face.
“..You scream like a girl.”
“Grr.. Stupid cat.”
10:15 PM
The yawning of a sleepy cat reached the thieves ears. “Ouuughh.. Go get 'em, Lady Ann..”
The group had retired from playing the first person shooter and instead picked up a fighting game, Techin’ . Currently, Ann was fighting Ren. Okay, fighting is a generous word, Ann was button mashing against Ren’s suave maneuvers and flashy combos. “I’m trying!”
“More like floundering! Womp womp.” Ryuji chuckled, Ann’s irritated face staring down at him away from the TV.
“Shut up, Ryuji!”
“K.O!” The announcer shouted enthusiastically.
“Good job, Ren!” Makoto cheered, clapping her hands together for her boyfriend. He smirked, gripping his fist as a symbol of victory.
“I taught you well, young one.” Futaba chirped.
“I believe he’s older than you.” Yusuke replied, earning himself an ‘I don’t care’ glance from Futaba.
“Still!” She shouted in his face, nearly making him drop his sketchbook and pencil.
Haru joined Makoto’s clapping. “This game is much funner than the creepy zombie one.”
“Hey, don’t rag on COD. It’s way funner than Techin’.” Ryuji said, the bed he sat on shaking as Ann joined him on it.
“You’re only saying that because you have no tact. You just like shooting things.” She countered.
“And? You guys must really like farming n shit then, according to your favs.” Ann chewed on her lip. Shit, did he just make a solid observation?
“..Good point. Who wants next game?” The model offered her controller to whoever wanted to grab it.
“How about Mona-chan? He hasn’t played a single game thus far.” Attention was brought to the snoring cat on the floor, curled up with his head propped on his tail.
Yusuke was drawing next to him, only just now finishing up. “I’ve been sketching his sleeping form for the last five minutes. Would anyone like to see?” Futaba sneakily nabbed the drawing and giggled at it’s accuracy. Yusuke was pleased.
Haru left her spot on the workout chair, placed a hand on his head and petted him. “Aww, poor guy. The tuna must have knocked him out.”
“Man, I really wanted to beat his ass in this game.” Ryuji whimpered, poking his back with a toe that jutted from his torn sock.
“He usually goes to sleep earlier. He must have really wanted to stay up for us.” Ren added, both because it was true and to make Mona look cooler.
“Good boy, Mona. You may sleep now.” Futaba grabbed at his cheeks, poking at his lips. She pulled them up and began miming his words. “Grr.. Futaba-san, I am not a boy, I am a big sexy man! Grr..” The group laughed at her charade.
“I suppose I could take the next turn, but only if we go by tournament rules; I get to face Ren.” Yusuke grabbed the controller from Ann and got close to the TV, allowing Futaba his sleeping Mona drawing to keep.
“Deal. I beat the original Punch Ouch on arcade difficulty, just as a warning.” Ren cockily said.
“I’m not sure how that’s an impressive feat, but with the might of this plastic controller, I will not allow you to defeat me.”
“It’s not that impressive of a feat. I mean, it’s a hard game, but it's not really a fighting game.” The nerd girl corrected.
“Hey, he still managed to do some fancy stuff last round. I think he’s a force to be reckoned with.” Makoto spoke in defense of her boyfriend's bravado.
“Oh, of course! But he’s no match for me. I’ve been playing this game since it came out.” She stuck a finger in her chest as emphasis, closing her eyes with confidence.
“Then I hope I lose so I can see you do the same to his exquisite technique.”
“...Damn.” Ryuji muttered. Futaba crossed her arms and gritted her teeth as the characters of both ex thieves were selected.
“Oh, you are so dead, Inari.”
11:24 PM
Haru and Yusuke battled valiantly in Tetanus , both doing impressively well at fitting the colorful shapes in the confined spaces they belonged in. “Figures the two neat freaks would be a perfect match for each other.” Ren said, amused. Makoto sat on his lap, but kept her hands to herself. They weren’t the biggest fans of public displays of affection.
“Shush, Ren, you’re still in time out.” Futaba whined, her cheek against her knuckles as she watched the game.
“Futaba, relax, Ren doesn’t deserve to be chastised simply because he’s better at video games than you.” Makoto said nonchalantly. Futaba shot up to her feet, offended.
“BETTER AT VIDEO GAMES?? TAKE IT BACK, MAKOTO!”
“Hey, hey, easy girls!” Ryuji whispered, holding his hands out defensively. The thieves looked back at the loudest member of the group with shock at his words. Then they saw the reason he was telling them to shush. A pale, snoring blonde teenager laid head first on his lap. “Aw, shit. I was hoping you wouldn’t look back.” He mumbled.
“Aww.. She must have been so tired.” Haru spoke in a hushed voice, taking her phone out to take a picture. Ryuji blushed a peach pink as the flash came on.
“Don’t take pictures!” Ren and Makoto couldn’t help but laugh, holding onto each other to muffle their humor. “This is not funny!”
“I beg to differ! It’s cute, if anything.” Futaba giggled snarkily. Ryuji wanted to scream, but with the cat near his feet and the snoring Takamaki in his lap, he had no choice but to growl at the group.
“Just focus on your game. And pass me some chips.” Joker tossed a bag of chips at his friend's hands, to which he caught it with ease.
“Haru wins.” A robotic voice from the TV spoke.
“I did? But I didn’t touch the controller.” She turned to her opponent for an answer.
“This is simply too powerful of a pose to pass up. Ryuji as the caring but disgruntled friend sits, while Ann, the homeless beauty in need of respite, takes solace and comfort in his lap. And Mona brings it all together! Please, keep that pose for as long as you can!” Yusuke stood up, planting an easel he stashed behind some of the junk in Ren’s room on the ground. He immediately began to sketch the scene.
“Futabaaaa, get a leash on him!” Ryuji moaned.
“Why does it have to be me? Get Ren to do it.” Futaba deflected, stealing away Yusuke’s discarded controller to start the next round against the treacherous Makoto.
“Kinda occupied here.” Ren said from underneath his Queen, who was now leaning forward to get a better look at the screen. That butt though..
“Yusuke, you should ask Ryuji before you start drawing him, no?” Momkoto questioned, eyeing Yusuke sternly. He found it hard to form an argument.
“..That is true. Ryuji, may I please draw you?” Yusuke looked at the runner with the biggest puppy dog eyes his monotone self could offer. Ryuji rolled his eyes.
“...Fine. But I’m not payin’ the next time we go out for lunch.”
“Oh, perfect, then our next luncheon will be at Leblanc!” He smiled triumphantly, picking up his pencil.
“YOU EAT HERE FOR FREE!” He barked.
“Shh.. Wouldn’t want to wake up Ann and Morgana, would we?” Makoto hushed, a smirk tugging at her pink lips.
“Since when were you the teasing type?” He spoke in a much quieter tone.
“Around the time we met Haru of course.” Ren butted in, getting a blush from Makoto. That got her more focused on the puzzle game.
“You two have been together for so long.. I wonder if any of us will have a partner in the future.” Haru pondered.
“By the looks of it, Ryuji and Ann will never ever get any play, and I’m nowhere near the required level for dating a real boy.” Futaba spoke without turning her attention from the TV.
“I get play!” Sakamoto belched defensively. “I’m sure Ann does too.” He mumbled. Of course, Futaba can hear that.
“Oh, we know you two get play. I just wanted to see you defend her like an idiot, exposing your weakness.” Futaba turned and winked, the biggest grin on her face. The others slyly smirked or looked away at the TV.
Ryuji really did want to throttle the heckling gremlin, but Ann would most definitely die of embarrassment and yell at him for this predicament. It’s not even my fault though! But.. He looked down at her sleeping form and felt the need to touch her hair. I s it soft? It sure as hell looked soft..
Ugh, weird thoughts! Focus on the stupid puzzle game.
Minutes of silent chewing and sipping went by, the music of Tetanus being the only other sound in the room outside of the consummation of sweets and savories, as well as the quiet scribbling of Yusuke’s pencil. Eventually, the robotic game voice spoke again. “Fu-Tab-Eh wins.”
“See? You’re not better at video games than me.” She stated confidently.
“Um.. Futaba, I never said I was better. I said Ren was better-”
“Take it back!”
Ren shook his head with a grin. “Sure, you can take back this L next round. Tournament rules, right?” He selected the fastest setting of gameplay. Futaba sat back down and grabbed her controller.
“I hate you so much tonight, Ren.. Fine. The winner takes it all!”
12:10 AM
The TV emitted blue light in front of two more sleeping teenagers, Haru and Makoto. Ryuji had drifted a few times, but was still awake with Ann on his lap snoring away. Futaba and Yusuke sat next to each other on the couch, pushing buttons on their controllers as they raced in some sports car game. She sat criss-cross while Yusuke sat hunched over. Of course, she was winning. The volume was low, rain pitter pattered down the window and splashed to the ground and the room was mostly quiet. Ren lifted Makoto up into his arms and put her into a sleeping bag she had packed. Always resourceful those Niijima women.
Haru, of course, had also packed her own sleeping bag. On it were several cartoon princesses posing. She had already cocooned her way into it before she fell asleep, realizing that she would lose consciousness soon. Her cheerful “Goodnight, everyone!” Warmed the thieves' hearts.
“This next turn may be your last, Inari!” Futaba whispered threateningly. Yusuke was unfazed.
“My drift game is nigh comparable.” He proceeded to crash into a wall. “Oh.”
“Woohoo! I win!” She shot a fist into the air, a toothy smile on her face.
“Again. Good job, Futaba.” Ren had visible bags under his eyes at this point. Futaba raised a brow and tapped his glasses.
“Someone’s sleepy. You can’t leave me alone with Ryuji though, he might convince me to join his harem!”
“My WHAT?!”
She flicked at him. “Just messin with ya. You’d be leaving me with creepy Inari though.” Yusuke was appalled at such an accusation.
“I am not creepy. I am cool.”
“You’re certainly cool to me, bud.” Ren complimented. The artist smiled triumphantly.
“See?”
“I have a feeling that none of us are winning any popularity contests.” Ryuji’s legs had fallen asleep at this point. He tried to move Ann off of his lap, but anytime he picked up her head, she’d stir and groan like she was about to wake up. Eff that, I am not getting accused of any sort of assault. She can yell at me in the morning.
“Yeah, good point.”
“So? Who wants to be popular?” Futaba asked.
“True. Popularity has already gotten to our heads once.” Yusuke acknowledged, putting his controller down before laying down on the couch. Futaba sat at his legs and turned off the console, deciding to end game time as everyone began settling down.
“More like it got to my head..” Ryuji mumbled. He wasn’t asked about it much, but he did feel extremely bad for what he had done during summer break and even after Kaneshiro’s defeat. The fame had rotted his brain and enticed him to hunt for more. It made him reckless and desperate for attention outside of his quaint friend group.
“Come on, man, don’t put yourself down like that. Even I was obsessed with the rush I’d get as Joker. We were all fame hungry.”
“Haru and Futaba weren’t. Yusuke wasn’t!”
“Also true. Makoto, Haru and I were the only rational members of the group.”
“What about me?!” Futaba demanded, plopping her back down next to the skinny, pale bluette, but far enough away so they weren’t touching. He gave her a pillow so she could rest more comfortably, and off came the glasses, settled down on the arm rest.
“You too, do not fret.” He turned so his back was against hers, and she did the same.
“Hm, dummy.”
“I have no energy to..” Yusuke stopped mid sentence, yawning heartily. “..Argue with you.”
“Then the real loser truly is you.”
“Sure, sure..” He closed his eyes, hugging himself.
“Ryuji, you want a drink or something?”
“Nah, man.. I’m gonna hit the hay too. Hopefully Ann rolls off of me on her own before she wakes up.” Sakamoto propped his arms behind his back and leaned against the wall next to the window, yawing as he closed his eyes.
“Tch, seems unlikely.”
“I’m only now realizing that this is revenge for all the times I made fun of you and your crush on our strategist back in July.” Ryuji said with an eyeroll.
Futaba jumped out of her position on the futon. “SO YOU'RE SAYING IT’S TRUE?!”
“Wait.. No, no, no, no! I don’t have a crush on her! Are you kidding?! She’s weird as hell, not to mention how fat she’s gonna be when she doesn’t have me to throw her around the wringer every few days! Can you imagine how gross it would be if I were crushing Ann Takamaki? Hahaha, time for bed, guys!” He faux snored, pretending to be asleep.
“Ugh.. What time is it?” Ann smacked her lips of the natural taste of sleep before picking her head up to see where she had fallen asleep. Both her and Ryuji were petrified, frozen and unable to look away from each other. Until Ann screeched, kicking Ryuji about a hundred times in the chest. “YOU PERVERT!”
The whole room awoke from their sleep and Ren realized that, despite the social pressure from his folks back home to return to a place where everyone would judge him, he had little to no friends and everyone accused him of assaulting a corrupt billionaire, among other crimes. His asshole parents never called or texted and would still judge him no matter how long he lived. This family loved him, missed him, were genuinely sad he had ‘died’ even if they knew it wasn’t true and cared about him. He wouldn’t trade this one night for anything back home.