2025-07-28: Condemned by Hearsay
- Log: Condemned by Hearsay
- Cast: Tsubasa Seki, Ichika Kawase, Ren Amamiya, Morgana
- Where: Shujin Academy - Front Gates
- OOC Date: 2025-07-28
- IC Date: Monday, June 18 2012
- Summary: Ichika and Tsubasa come visit Ren, after school, in their most intimidating personas. Ren is far too hungry for accusations, though, and tempers flare before they finally manage to reach an accord... and an apology snack bar.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubaki Seki used to go to Shujin Academy, two years ago. She was a tall girl, at 5'5", with long brown hair and piercing pale blue eyes -- though her skin wasn't white, some Japanese girls just have blue eyes, that's normal. She was a member of the Student Council who'd graduated from the Middle School Student Council, and on top of that, she was a rising star of the Debate Club.
Then... the incident happened.
She became the Arsonist of City Hall, and shortly thereafter, she ceased to be Shujin's problem.
Advance the clock --
Tsubasa Seki is a short guy -- guy? Well, their chest is flat, anyway -- at 5'5", with a tan so deep and fake it's orange and wildly bleached and multicoloured hair that looks just a little bit fake. They've got a set of piercing pale blue eyes, beneath it all, complimented by the blue and white makeup around their eyes and down their nose, lips, and throat.
They're wearing the Kasugayama boy's uniform, which is at least one point for them being a short guy -- though the bottom half of their shirt is unbuttoned and tied around their midriff, exposing their belly. Their shirt cuffs are rolled up, too, and their pants are worn around their hips instead of cinched up like they ought to be.
They have a dog. A Tosa Inu -- frankly, kind of a scrawny one -- padding behind them with no leash in sight. Nor muzzle! Good heavens!
Hands shoved deep in their pockets, they amble up to the monument of all their failures as if they're looking for trouble. Being fair: they are, though the trouble's name, in this case, is 'Ren'. "Little shit wears glasses, right?" They aside, to the taller girl beside them, who Tsubasa really isn't helping their case beside with the way they're slouching.
These punks are looking for someone...
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika Kawase has not been to Shujin Academy before. But she's here now.
She is a very tall girl, her midriff exposed by a heavily modified Kasugayama summer uniform (girls' edition). Her skirt is ankle-length and blue. And she is also here, standing next to Tsubasa Seki. They are the trouble. But maybe not the only trouble here. That's what Ichika heard, anyway...
"Yeah," Ichika answers. "Glasses. Shaggy black hair. That's the description I got."
She rolls her shoulders. She's not carrying any obvious weapons, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. And...
Her makeup is darker than Tsubasa's; black lips, dark shadow and liner. Bleached-blonde hair.
"...But easy. I don't want to rumble at somebody else's school unless he gives us trouble."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
And who else could a pair of students from infamous wash-out reform school Kasugayama High be looking for if not Shujin Academy's own resident convict? Even being from another city, that uniform is recognized here too, and as students stroll out past the gates after school and spot the trio, their chatter ceases and they give Tsubasa, Ichika, and Lance a wide berth. Whispering strikes up in their wake--
'Those are students from that Cuss High over in Sumaru, right? Talk about sukeban...' 'They've gotta be here for the delinquent, right?' 'Is there about to be a gang war?' 'I'm really scared...' 'Shh, don't look at them, just keep walking!'
...that's the sort of thing they might overhear.
The description Ichika got is accurate, at least. Thick-rimmed glasses and shaggy black hair. Ren wears the Shujin Academy uniform in the standard way, but he has a slouch of his own, and in the bag he carries on his left shoulder, he keeps a cat.
"Rennnn, I'm hungryyyy," Morgana whisper-whines into his companion's ear from his carry-case.
"Me too," he murmurs back, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his free hand as he all but wobbles out of school. "Can't believe the school store was sold out of bread again..." (Ren's standard lunch being snack bread and a soda, both bought at school--when the bread is in stock, anyway. Lunch was consequently just a soda and what Ann could spare from her own lunch--again.)
"It's practically always sold out! You can't expect to be a dashing phantom thief if you're about to faint from hunger. You need to plan ahead and buy enough for the week when you can!"
'When you can' are the operative words, of course, but Ren doesn't bother to argue with Morgana about it. He's not wrong. "Maybe I'll stop by the Triple Seven... I think I can get an employee discount there," he murmurs.
Morgana seems about to reply, but for some reason, he abruptly ducks down all the way into his back. Ren glances over his shoulder. "Mm?"
"Keep moving. Don't stop," Morgana hisses.
Ren looks forward. There is a dog there, along with two students who are definitely not from Shujin Academy. One's flashy in a colorful sense; the other is a girl even taller than he is; both of them look like they're here to cause trouble.
Ren didn't overhear their conversation, but he has a bad feeling about who that trouble is for.
"...." Tucking his hands in his pockets, he glances past them and keeps walking like he's just minding his own business. God, please don't be here for me, I just want to get something to eat...
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Anyone caught staring will receive an absolutely withering glare from the shorter Cussian present, Tsubasa's blue lips curling over their teeth in an open sneer.
"Tch... bastards," they spit out, though it's just low enough for Ichika to hear. But she tells them to take it easy, and they sigh, straightening up and rubbing at the back of their neck. "Sure, sure..."
Lance is apparently a hunting dog, because she barks, while Tsubasa's busy walking it back. It's a big, bassy BOOF, and she ambles up to Ren, tail wagging a mile a minute (c'mon, Lance, you're ruining the vibe!) as she sniffs up at Ren's bag. Cat? Cat? CAT? CAT?? C? AT? CAT???
"Heh," Tsubasa barks out, themself, elbowing Ichika to bring her attention to their dog. Their smile's faded when they step into the path Ren was walking, though. They plant their feet, and fold their arms, silently and presently getting up in his business.
They don't address him, though. They just make sure he stops to be addressed.
... they're not the Boss.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
There's a reason Ichika doesn't usually wear her uniform outside Hirasaka. ...But in this case, being given a wide berth, expecting trouble--that's exactly the speed she's at. She tells herself she doesn't care about the stares; occasionally someone meets her gaze, and that's a bad day for that person.
But she spots Ren coming out with.. something in his bag? He's wobbling... Hm.
"Don't worry about it," Ichika says distractedly while watching him, and then--
Well, the confrontation begins. They are, indeed, here for him.
"Lance," she says, "Down." She doesn't sound angry--well, not angry at Lance--just firm.
"We want to talk," she says to Ren. "We can do it here in front of everybody, or we can drop down to that spot with the vending machines down the street. Your option."
She doesn't have to get in the way; that's what Tsubasa is doing! Ichika's the Boss. ...And she didn't give the option to just walk on.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
At least that glare does wither them, making other Shujin students hurry--some even outright run--from the trio. But there are others who're still on their way out, and when they see this ensemble, they scurry back, cowering near the doors that are being blocked by... more delinquents.
And naturally, one of them gets right in Ren's way. To say nothing of the big runt that tail-wags her nose right up to Ren's bag. Cat.....
Within Ren's bag, there is a yowl--or at least, it sounds like a yowl to most present. To Ren--and to Ichika--it sounds like a startlingly human scream. C-cats can make weird noises sometimes, right?
"Ren!! Make it go away!!" Morgana hisses desperately, thankfully low enough to keep Ichika from hearing that these are actual words and not cat noises. (Tsubasa absolutely hears miserable cat noises, though.)
Ren says nothing, though, eyeing Tsubasa, then Lance, then Ichika, eyes going down and down and up in turn. The taller one calls the dog off, solving one issue, and tells him she wants to talk, presenting another.
'I knew it, they're here for him!' 'Are they going to fight? Should we call the teachers?' 'You think he'll finally get expelled?'
God dammit. They're here for me, Ren thinks, despair welling up in his heart as he glances over his shoulder at his whispering classmates. Wouldn't it be the worst kind of irony if he got expelled, not because of his Phantom Thief activity or anything related to it, but because a couple of kids from a totally different school in a totally different city came to beef with him?
"Whatever. Let's go," he mumbles. At least there is an option, as shitty as both of them both are, but he REALLY didn't want to have to deal with this right now. Anger (and hanger) wells up in him, tightening his face and storming in his dark gray eyes. These total strangers might be here to beef with him, and he might be going along with it, but at least he can glare right back.
With that look in his eyes, one might believe that his reputation as a delinquent is actually well-earned. But at least he'll walk with them to the vending machine spot around the order, out of general sight.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Ichika does the talking; Tsubasa looks imposing. Lance is... accidentally also imposing, though she does back off when Ichika orders her down. She whines, though, and surely she would pout if she could. There's a cat!
Tsubasa's glowering stare shifts to Ren's bag, though, when it yowls. "...", they say, audibly, lips parting and nothing coming out. Momentarily, their terrifying expression zones out into something more interested.
There's a cat...
But Tsubasa realises what's happening, a moment later, and clears their throat and hardens their expression against cat proximity.
Tromp, tromp, tromp. Tsubasa plants a foot on the vending machine, leaning into it, a hand on their hip. See this? The gesture seems to say. This is your face if you mouth off to the Boss!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika, if she were the sort of person to enjoy this, would have a lot of fun with the students hiding. ...But she isn't, so instead--
Yowl! Or... scream? Ichika blinks visibly at the noise. "What the--"
Oh. Cat noises. Her expression settles. She might comment about that after. But with everybody staring and making comments, well...
"All right then." Let's go, he says, and she sees a tough expression on his face. It makes sense; he has to be pretty tough, if he's who they think he is.
Tsubasa handles the intimidation for the moment; Ichika instead has a distance to her, a distance practiced in the space where everyone was staring at her.
"...Your cat sounds weird," she says first, because that's the most important thing here. Then:
"...You're probably wondering why Kasu students are here to bother you. Well, I happen to know somebody at Shujin, and from what I've heard, this school has had more than its share of trouble."
"We don't need people like us to make it worse for the students here. So all this stuff I hear about you being a convict who's terrorizing the class... I want to hear that it's not true." Pause. "...I don't really care about the convict part," she says. "But that kind of trouble should stay at places where we can keep order." A nod. "Right?" she asks Tsubasa. It's not entirely rhetorical.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren sees the way Tsubasa's expression shifts when they hear a cat. It makes sense; if they've got a dog who's that friendly, they're probably an animal lover, and not just bringing their pup around for the intimidation factor. (Not JUST for that, anyway.) Sometimes dog lovers hate cats, but... not this time, it seems like.
But Ren is still hangry and is not inclined to give a shit about this observation right now. Besides, Tsubasa reasserts their mask and stomps over to and then on the vending machines, so it's not like it changes anything. He just wants to get whatever this is about over with and get something to eat.
Ichika comments that his cat sounds weird. Ren fixes a flat stare on her and says nothing. She gets to the point--and if he were in a different mood, he might actually pay attention to the fact that Ichika is trying to confirm with him directly that he's innocent of what the rumors say about him. Right now, though, he just hears that they're here on the say-so of someone he's probably never even met, spreading more lies about him because someone else said them and they just believe the first thing they heard (or so Ren's building up in his head). If that's what their Shujin friend is like, then what's even the point of saying whether he's innocent or guilty? Why should he believe they'll listen to anything he has to say in his defense?
And so--
"Is this seriously what you're wasting my time with?" he snaps, voice low and irritated. He turns to start to walk away, down the street towards Aoyama-Itchome Station. "Mind your own business and leave me alone."
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Tsubasa's trying not to think about it. If they think too hard about the students here scramming, they...
Listen, it's cool. They assured the Boss they'd be cool. They're cool.
Lance doesn't mind that Ren's cat sounds weird. She wants to meet the cat. She wants to play with the cat! She carefully minds her business, though, because Ichika told her to. She's a very well-behaved dog. ... tail's still wagging, though.
"Right," Tsubasa affirms, and it's hard to believe they don't smoke a six pack a day with a voice as gruff as that. It's not even like they're trying to speak like that, like some boys sometimes do.
But Ren snaps at Ichika, and turns away --
-- and Tsubasa kicks off of the vending machine, moving over with two heavy steps to plant a hand on his shoulder. Their grip isn't trying to be particularly painful, but it's not trivial to shrug off, either.
"Hey. The Boss is talkin' t' you."
Their lips curl over their teeth, their fingers tightening a little more, and it's all the warning Ichika gets that they've got something to say.
"Who the fuck do you think you are, stinkin' up the place? Why do you get to stick around when they kicked me out?"
... this guy used to be a Shujin student? Seriously?!
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It's true, though. That was a weird cat scream.
But Ichika listens to him brush them off, and shakes her head. She starts to say something else--but Tsubasa is the one who steps up. What they have to say--
"Tsubasa-kun, that's enough."
Assuming that he doesn't turn around and hit Tsubasa, anyway. "Tch..." She shakes her head. "You may think of it as a waste of time. But look. If everybody 'minds their own business' then the world goes to shit even more than it already has," Ichika says to Ren as he's trying to leave. "I don't want to be the kind of person who looks away from trouble, even if it's not my place to fix it."
"...That girl I met doesn't know I'm here, and I don't want her to. But I want to be the kind of person who's more concerned with how it 'ought to be' than how it is."
Then she looks to her friend. "Tsubasa-kun," she says. "I know they were shit to you. They've been shit to a lot of people. But we're not here to start a fight unless we have to."
Pause.
"So, no, I'm not going to 'mind my own business'. If you're not responsible for all that shit just look me in the eye and say so. We'll back off of you."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
From within Ren's school bag, Morgana is eyeing Lance balefully. She better not make a move on him!! ...she's... not making a move on him! Well... good!! Although that tail-wagging does seem awfully friendly now that Morgana has a chance to get a good look...
Ren himself is having a significantly less friendly time with the gruff person that's now grabbing their shoulder and digging their fingers in. Ren's kneejerk reaction is to try to yank his shoulder back, but it's not that easy; he glares back at them, but his hands don't leave his pockets.
"I don't care," he growls. There's a slight pause as Tsubasa vents on him, demanding to know why he gets to stick around. That's a question he'd like to know the answer to himself, though he figures it's probably as simple as 'his dad greased some palms so he wouldn't end up in Cuss High himself.' He shakes his head. Telling them that would only make it worse. "Complain to the Principal if it bothers you that damn much."
Ichika lectures him. Ren starts off maintaining his stony glare, but when she talks about not looking away from trouble and that her friend doesn't even know she's here, he stands up straight, dark eyes widening with surprise.
...He fully relates.
And because he relates, he abruptly sees her point of view. Most of the other Shujin students are terrified of him, and in fairness to them, it's true he was convicted of assault. Someone who didn't want any trouble would hear that and naturally be scared. If they confided their fear to a friend... it would be nice if that friend came by to try to see if it was true or not, wouldn't it? (As opposed to a friend who heard what happened, automatically assumed the worst of him for some reason, and cut him off.)
His shoulders sag. He clutches his bag's straps with his other hand to keep it from sliding off. He just wants this interaction to be done so he can get something to eat and go home and work on changing Kaneshiro's heart--
He huffs a breath that doesn't make it into being a laugh. It's so bitterly ironic. He's the leader of the Phantom Thieves that have society in an uproar, with amazing superpowers to change the hearts of the wicked to protect the innocent and prove his Justice to the world, but it doesn't make a lick of difference to the people in the real world who see him as a juvenile delinquent.
He's still a prisoner.
"I don't even know what shit you're talking about. All I've tried to do since I transferred into this school is keep my head down," he replies wearily. That's not fully true, but in terms of his behavior as a student, it's true enough. Aside from how he was late his first day, but that didn't affect the other students any. And there was the questioning he and his friends did of the students recently in regards to Kaneshiro, but that was all Ann and Ryuji... And of course he went around questioning students with Ryuji about Kamoshida and eventually confronted Kamoshida directly--
He makes a face as he thinks through all the things someone might cite as 'all that shit.' All the same, he looks Ichika in the eye.
He wasn't wrong. And if she knew about it, and she's serious about what she says, she'd say he wasn't wrong, either.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
Lance's ears perk up, when she spies Morgana's gaze glinting out from the bag. Her tail wags harder. She says a friendly, 'aroo??', which is actually a dog noise instead of just pretending to be a cat noise.
Ren says he doesn't care, though, and Tsubasa bares their teeth. "Listen, asshole --" they start, but whatever he's supposed to be listening to will forever remain a mystery, because Ichika steps in to tell them to back off. Just like magic, they let Ren go and take a step back, releasing their breath in a "tch," with the same motion. ... they'll apologise to the Boss later.
(But it's just not fair.)
Whatever's roiling in them goes right back inside, save for the sneer on their face and the tension in their shoulders. Some wrong done -- before Ren's time? -- which put that tension there, just like a nasty chip. "Yeah, Boss," they incline their head in a nod to her when she acknowledges all that shit, arms folding over their chest again.
Their fingers drum against their arms, scowl firmly fixed on their face. All that artifice is covering something up, though it might not be immediately obvious what they're hiding, through Ren's empty stomach.
He insists he's kept his head down, and Tsubasa snorts, sceptical but dutifully silent. Their 'yeah, right' is carried entirely in the way their head tilts back, all the better to glare down their painted nose at him.
What they think about Kamoshida is miles away from this kid -- because how could he have had anything to do with it?
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
It is kind of a lecture. But Ichika has felt... different, lately. More like there's something she can do. Meeting these other people has helped her. ...Helping Tsubasa, in the Dark Hour, helped her too.
So Ichika is deadly serious when she delivers what she came to say. She came prepared for a fight. ...Though Tsubasa did, too. And when he invokes the Principal, Ichika makes a sour face.
She doesn't like principals much. Not after Hannya.
But... things change about his demeanor, less seemingly abrubtly than they did with Tsubasa's. Tsubasa may still be scowling, and Lance may be friendly, but...
His weary reply illustrates something. She thinks to the stories she managed to get out of students. The rumors...
But he looks her in the eye, and her red gaze stares back.
"OK," she says. "I believe you." She nods, after a moment. "...But if anybody does cause trouble--for them, or for you--you can let me know. Ichika Kawase, the Thorn Boss at Kasugayama."
"...I heard you guys got justice against that teacher, Kamoshida. That's the other reason I... care, I guess."
"...And that girl's dream..."
A shake of her head. "Anyway, sorry for adding to the rumors. I just... needed to know."
"You can let him go," she directs Tsubasa. "...Not his fault the school was shit to you."
Pause. "...And I didn't mean to insult your cat. It just... that scream sounded like a person, for a second there, was all." She waits for Tsubasa to step out of the way. ...Maybe she'll make them dinner or something. This was clearly a rough outing to go on.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It is true there's clearly something going on with Tsubasa. Even if one assumed their colorful hair was just your average teen rebellion, their make-up doesn't quite cover up all their burn scars (though Ren has not studied their face closely enough to tell that's what they are, just that there's something there), and they've clearly got a lot of anger over their implied history at Shujin Academy. When Ren has something in his stomach and has time to reflect on the day's events as he writes down in his journal later tonight, he'll muse on that. Right now, though, well...
He can't even blame them for their skeptical snort and disbelieving glare. They might be here because of the rumors, but ultimately they're asking him directly if they're true or not instead of just assuming. She even gives her name and offers to straighten out any trouble that does arise, though Ren has no intention of taking her up on it. As long as no one gives him trouble directly, he can handle it.
...I heard you guys got justice against that teacher, Kamoshida...
"Huh?" he utters, eyes flying wide. It takes him a couple of seconds to realize she means the school in general, not him personally. That definitely caught him off-guard, though. Shiho Suzui... Last he heard about her from Ann, she's working on rehab. Maybe one day she'll do volleyball again, but... her dream's been thoroughly disrupted all the same. ...It's good that Ichika cares about that too. His expression settles, and when she apologizes, he shakes his head slightly.
Then Ren's stomach growls loudly--more than loud enough for all three of them to hear.
He claps a hand to his gut, his grimace turning chagrined as his face faintly colors. It's embarrassing, but it's also fine. It doesn't matter what these two think of him, anyway. As long as they let him go like Ichika said she would, this is a problem he can resolve in short enough order.
Worst comes to worst, he'll have some curry. Again. At least he likes curry and coffee enough to not get sick of them, but he's probably got some kind of nutritional deficit going on with his severely imbalanced diet. Maybe he should pick up some vitamin supplements sometime. Maybe Dr. Takemi could recommend him something...
Oh yeah. That's him spacing out from light-headedness, all right. "It's fine," he tells her. (Inside the bag, Morgana's ears prick. He sounded like a person to her? ...What a wise and discerning woman, as stately as her height suggests!) "But I really gotta go."
He looks over at Tsubasa, weighing whether or not to say anything. At last, he murmurs, "...Sorry the school was shit to you too."
Rubbing his face and setting his glasses slightly askew, he turns to walk away. His stomach growls again, but this time he remains stoic.
<Pose Tracker> Tsubasa Seki has posed.
... Tsubasa can't change shit. But that's always been true.
Still... Ichika believes him, and Tsubasa schools their expression into something a little less sceptical. "Tsubasa Seki," they introduce themself, in turn, still quite gruff but at least no longer hostile. The fact that they're in Ichika's gang is one they leave to implication; Ren heard them address her, earlier, he can put it together.
They step back, to let Ren go, just as Ichika says -- unfolding their arms, in turn, as she comments on Ren's bag. "Yeah," they shrug, in some measure of peacemaking, "your cat's cool." Maybe he's not a total asshole, if he cares so much about his cat getting lonely that he sneaks it into school --
Their face scrunches up, when Ren's stomach interrupts all of them. "What?" Is that why he was so desperate to piss off? ... has this guy eaten anything all day?!
And then he apologises to them, and -- ugh!
Tsubasa clicks their tongue to their teeth, rummaging through their bag for a second. "Oi!" They call out, as Ren starts off, dashing his hopes of escaping again --
-- except this time, they don't yank him back, they just step up to him and shove a protein bar into his hands. One of the nice ones, designed to keep people going on hikes or in the gym or whatever.
They absolutely did not pay for it.
"Take it," they tell him, with that same vaguely pissed off but probably not pissed off at him tone which is apparently just their industry standard. "Oughta make it up somehow." It's the mystical Apology Bar, accompanied by Tsubasa stepping back out of his space and shoving their hands in their pockets.
<Pose Tracker> Ichika Kawase has posed.
Ichika isn't sure she expects Ren to actually call on her, but it's important to say anyway. She doesn't know why his eyes go all wide, though--since it hasn't occured to her that this guy could be one of those Phantom Thieves. They'd have to be more elegant. And she hasn't really thought about who they are.
But a stomach growling... Heh. Ichika looks apologtic at that one. "Yeah," she says. "Go ahead, find something to eat."
That's obviously where he's going. And Ichika would be OK with 'stately'. ...Well, maybe not from a cat. (He's not a cat.)
"..." Tsubasa gives out the mystical apology bar...
Ichika glances at the vending machine. "Hm. Gonna get something for the trip back..."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Tsubasa's the next one to get that wide-eyed look from Ren when they compliment his cat. Right, right, they seemed interested when they heard Morgana meow. Wow, he's really off the ball right now. Though Ren at least ate breakfast! And a little bit of lunch! So he's eaten something all day!
All the same, Ren replies with a quiet, "Thanks."
He tries to leave, but he gets chased down--only to be given--a protein bar? He stares down at the bar shoved into his hand, then up at Tsubasa and Ichika. He has no idea they haven't paid for it, though he does recognize that it's a high-end fancy protein bar; it's just a kind and thoughtful gift, followed up by a gruff apology...
His face softens with a smile at them and Ichika both. He sees the look on her face, too. After all this, he decides he believes her back.
"Thanks," he repeats, peeling the bar open. He's sure they know already, but-- "I'm Ren. Ren Amamiya."
That particular vending machine, sadly, only dispenses drinks. But that's something. Ren gives them both a nod farewell, and bites into the bar as he turns around.
The last they'll see of him as he walks away is breaking off a bit of the bar and offering it to a cat who pops out to lean his paws on his shoulder and eat right out of his fingers. It's not great for cats, but it's better than going hungry, right?