Chapter Text
In the beginning, there was just a single sound that snapped Ren from his reverie, restless though it may have been.
"Next stop, Yongen-Jaya station. Please remember to-"
With a grunt, Ren slung the heavy bag by his side over his shoulder and stood up, a bit sore from having sat for so long. Bitterly, he reminisced on the decisions that had led him here - not his own, for he was sure that he did the right thing. Rather, it was the choices that others had made for him, that served as the catalysts for his current uneviable position in life - that of a branded young man, a symbol of supposedly wasted youth, being cast away so thoroughly by a system he swore was corrupt that he was surprised he was even able to keep his damn name.
At the very least, Ren's family was able to pull a couple strings and exploit a few cracks in the system, getting him sent to live with an old family friend instead of a complete stranger. He'd even heard he was being considered to be dumped into the house of the woman who'd testified against him, as some cruel ironic hell for both him and the woman who pissed off that bald-headed fuck and gotten them all into this mess in the first place. Turns out, stopping some guy who turned out to be a big-shot politician from sexually assaulting a married woman with a family was tantamount to legal and social suicide, who knew?
At the very least, Ren didn't have to hear all the gossip anymore. Sure, very few people back in Inaba exactly hated him, given just how loud his defenders were in town - especially his extended family over at the Amagi Inn - but there were just as many people who were disappointed in him for the whole thing, and had even turned away from his father's business. Which, frankly, was a damn shame - Mitsuharu Amamiya was one of the finest damn carpenters in the entire world, let alone in some back-ass country town in the middle of Japan. Those people were missing out on some grade-A craftsmanship.
But, that would all have to be in the past, now. While Dojima-san had plenty of time to pull strings and get that farcical conviction expunged from his record, he still had to do time as a crook, having to be shipped off to Tokyo for a year while his friends and family got things fixed for him. At the very least, he'd been told that Sakura-san made some killer coffee and curry - two of Ren's favourite delicacies. And, thankfully, two very distinct scents that blended together to guide him along his way to his apparent home for the next year.
Cafe Leblanc.
Huh. Great chef, old family friend, and an apparent literary lover. Maybe Ren would actually like it here after all, circumstances notwithstanding.
Striding past the throngs, Ren made his way to his new home - unaware that, along his path, had he paid just a tad more attention, he'd come into contact with two people who would prove vital to the next year of his life.
Rindo was beginning to get sick of the rumour mill at Shujin.
Granted, he was never much for gossip to begin with - he'd leave the whole 'keeping on the pulse of the social hierarchy' to Fret. But lately it had been getting ridiculous. Some of the rumours, granted, had a lot more truth to them than people realized. Namely, all those rumours around the so-called 'weird' second year and his erstwhile partner: the boisterous blonde who Rindo had known for years, Tsukasa Tenma. And maybe part of his frustration came from the fact that, through Tsukasa, he knew his sister, Saki, who was more than capable of keeping up with Fret in the gossip department.
On top of all that, even his own girlfriend knew more about this stuff than he did. Shoka was way more outgoing than he was after she came back to life, overcoming some initial hiccups to become far more popular than ever, as if she hadn't missed a single beat of her heart. Rindo had to admit, he was happy about that, seeing Shoka thriving so much - and, yet, part of him was jealous for feeling like he was stuck in second gear. Before he could think about anything more, though, he was snapped out of his own introspection by a nudge against his shoulder, and a boba tea being thrust into his hand.
"C'mon, Rindude, better drink it up before it gets cold." Fret teased, fully aware that Rindo always had his boba cold. That elicited a snort from the blonde boy, as the brunette threw his arm around his best friend in the whole world.
"Too late. It's a lost cause. It's already pretty chilly,"
"Damn. F. We gonna hold a big ol' funeral for it?"
"Maybe after I finish my drink." Rindo muttered, slurping on his drink through the paper straw. This time, it was Fret's turn to snort in amusement at Rindo's dry wit, clapping his best friend on the back. One Rindo coughing fit later, the two resumed their idle stroll through Yongen-Jaya, with Rindo constantly playing a game on his phone - of course, it could be nothing else but FanGO, where Rindo was in the midst of catching yet another odd-looking creature while Fret looked over his shoulder.
"Dude, how many of those Red Tonberries you gonna grab?"
"Enough. Shoka hasn't been able to make it out here much lately, and apparently people'll pay pretty good money for trades with these, since they're location-exclusive." Rindo said, though really didn't want to bring up exactly how much. Suffice to say, it would be more than enough for him and Shoka to live comfortably together after graduation, assuming he didn't screw up his relationship by then. "Hold up for a sec, just saw a Marlboro spawn in around that corner. Gimme a sec to go catch it?"
"Sure, Rindude. Not like I'm already holdin' the bag for both of us, or anything." Fret teased again, before shooing Rindo off to go do his thing. Fret had been doing that a lot, lately - wanting to help Rindo come into his own more and more, while still serving as Rindo's rock, a safe space for him to come back to after a long day. Rindo always made sure to let Fret know how much he appreciated that, especially given all they'd been through together over the last few years. Especially months ago, when they'd had to fight for their lives - and ultimately, those of all of Shibuya - through the Reaper's Game.
As Rindo rounded the corner, a certain black-haired youth trudged along with purpose in his stride, just missing the blonde. Their paths would cross soon enough, but for now, Rindo had a Marlboro to catch. Shoka would likely be jealous that he'd found yet another one of those rare monsters in the wild, but Rindo knew he'd just end up giving it to her anyways, probably while they were cuddling on the couch while Fret figured out some movie or another to put on in the background while the trio studied.
Life was pretty good, after all.
---
Ichika was exhausted, and it showed in her gait.
Already weary from a particularly taxing day at school, the young musician had a lengthy band practice immediately after. Of course, that time with her Leo/need bandmates was more than sufficient to keep her proverbial batteries from fully depleting, especially since Saki, for whatever reason, was particularly boundless in her energy today. Ichika was very grateful for that, of course, as were her other friends and fellow bandmates, Shiho and Honami, both of whom seemed similarly tired as they followed behind Ichika.
Not Saki, though.
"Icchan, oh my gosh, did you see the look on Big Bro's face when Ushimaru-sensei found him and Rui in that storage closet? I've never seen him so pale before!" Saki's melodious voice rang through Ichika's tired thoughts, and the raven-haired vocalist had to scramble to think of some sort of appropriate response, since she'd definitely been zoning out.
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah, super pale. Matched the uniform and everything."
"Icchaaaaaaaaaaaan," Saki whined, which made Ichika wince. "you weren't listening at all, were you?"
"Sorry... I'm just beat after that practice. How do you manage to stay so hyper after all that?"
"Way more sugar than I should probably have with my illness!" Saki sing-songed, which earned her a flick to the forehead from Shiho. "Shihoooooooo, be nice! Hona, Shiho's bullying me!"
"Saki, I don't think I'm the right person to ask to help you if Shiho's upset that you're not taking care of yourself." Honami replied, though it was far more airy than usual. Evidently, she'd really worn herself out with her vigorous drumming during practice, and was even more spent than usual. Shiho simply rolled her eyes, though a faint tint of pink graced her cheeks.
"I just want you to not collapse on stage. Or anywhere, for that matter, because you ended up with a flare-up in the streets."
"Aw, Shiho, you really do care~!" Saki threw her arms around the silver-haired bassist of their little band, eliciting a tired giggle from Honami, and a very pronouced blush from Shiho.
"H-hey! Get off! I'm all sweaty and gross."
"So am I, so that cancels out~"
"That's not how sweat works, though?"
Ichika couldn't help but feel exhausted just watching her friends interacting, simply observing the three brightest stars in her life. Thinking about it made her miss the other missing part of their little constellation - an old friend to the others, but someone far more special to Ichika. Her first love, back before she'd even known what that was. Having to sift through so many magazines that her mom eventually took pity on her and told her about crushes, and what they meant.
All that effort, lost in an instant when he'd moved away.
It might not have stung so much if it wasn't for the timing of it all, back then. Shiho had just stopped talking to her, Honami was becoming more distant as she drifted off towards her fake friend group, and Saki was still well into her treatments. In a way, he'd been her rock through those turbulent times, only for him to be swept up by the tide that was Ichika's changing life. Thank God she'd managed to get it through her head that it wasn't her fault that everyone had drifted away, and had even managed to get everyone back together again.
Well, all except for him.
"Oi, Ichika." This time, it was Shiho's turn to snap Ichika out of her thoughts and back to reality, her smooth voice slicing right through Ichika's thoughts. The look on her face seemed cold to everyone but the three others in Leo/need, the sort of stern face that a worried mother would make right before comforting their hurt child. And, indeed, Shiho's gaze became more warm in an instant, as if she knew exactly what Ichika was thinking. "You're thinking about him again, huh?"
"I can't help it, Shiho. I have all of you back, so why not him?" Ichika sighed, rubbing her bare arm as a sort of tic. The friction against her skin felt comforting, in a way, grounding her before she kept going. "I know it's probably impossible, since he's all the way out in the country now, but..."
Shiho winced at that, and Ichika wondered if there was something she was missing. As if sensing the question that was likely to be on her friend's lips, Shiho spoke pre-emptively. "About that... I heard some rumours. Apparently, some new transfer's coming in from Inaba, and... something about a record?" Shiho sighed heavily, unsure if she should continue. "Apparently, this kid got into some argument with a politician or whatever, and got screwed over for it. Poor guy. And then Kamoshida-"
"Ugh, him. So gross..." Ichika shivered at the mere mention of their gym coach, and already the phantom pains were settling in. Shiho moved almost by instinct to one side, ready to prop Ichika up if she needed to, but Ichika smiled a weak smile and waved her friend off. "I'm fine. But what does this all have to do with me, Shiho?"
"... Nothing. Forget it."
Ichika would certainly not forget it, but she also knew not to pry. Shiho seemed genuinely conflicted about saying more, and if Ichika had learned anything of her these days, it was that she didn't like being pushed. Ichika understood that feeling all too well, and in a way, that left her closer to Shiho than anyone - Saki was her best friend, sure, but Shiho was her confidant. She trusted Shiho more than anyone, these days, and that trust was reciprocated fully.
Out of the corner of her eye, though, Ichika saw an unfamiliar boy in Shujin's uniform stride past them with purpose. Her gaze narrowed, then widened again, as he walked past, leaving her behind him.
Again.
"Wait-!"
Too late. He was gone again. Just behind Ichika, Shiho cursed under her breath, apparently annoyed at the turn of events. Of course, that just meant that Shiho didn't see the newly lit fire behind Ichika's eyes - the desire to complete the constellation that had long been left unfinished that was her life, and the circle of people she desired to have within it. Ichika had a new goal, now, separate from Leo/need's shared dream.
To reconnect with Ren Amamiya.