2025-08-04: Misconceptions
- Log: 2025-08-04 Misconceptions
- Cast: Minako Arisato, Ren Amamiya
- Where: Shujin Academy, Tokyo
- OOC Date: August 04, 2025
- IC Date: June 20, 2012
- Summary: For some reason, after Fuuka's rescue, Minako opts to come directly to Shujin to tell Ren the news rather than calling or tracking down Yusuke at her own school. This leads to her hearing some unsavory rumors about Ren.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako decided the best way to tell Ren Amamiya the good news was in person. She could think about why she wants to see see him, but that sounds dangerously close to introspection. And, thus, she doesn't think about that. Instead, she sets off for Shujin right after school.
A Gekkoukan High student, in uniform, gets questions and interest at first. But then, without fail, things go sour when she asks that fateful question: 'Do you know where Ren Amamiya is?'
The responses are all the same, at first, even if they're different.
'Oh... no, not really. Uh, anyways, good luck.'
'...oh. You hang out with guys like him?'
'Uh... I gotta go. Bye!'
It was perplexing -- and not in a way Minako liked -- but she kept on going, until a girl stared at her. Then, she leaned in close. 'Listen, you seem like a nice girl, so... you should know that he has a criminal record.'
Minako frowned.
A short argument later -- sure to make a couple of rounds at Shujin's rumor mill -- Minako set out when a lanky boy with blue hair said he thought he saw him in the library. Minako opens the door to the library, peering inside. Her crimson eyes scan the students--
--and she looks at the librarian at the desk and gives an apologetic smile, before she darts in and past the desk before something can be said to her. Now... where could Ren Amamiya be?
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
It is a strange reaction to get, isn't it? Minako is a student from a school in another city, but Gekkoukan High is at least a school with a good reputation. But asking after that student... It only makes the change in attitude that much more striking when the Shujin students react to her favorably at first. That girl who tells her why is at least... *probably* well-meant? She is, technically, correct.
She's just definitely never actually met Ren Amamiya. No doubt that's the core of Minako's argument with her. However that went, though, she'll find Ren in the library as suggested.
She'll find him almost immediately, actually. There are a couple of round desks with lush, comfortable-looking seats in the middle of the library, and several study cubicles in the back for privacy. Ren is at neither; he's instead reading at a metal table crowded with boxes and lined with fold-up steel chairs, to the right of the study corner and directly behind the check-out desk. From where Minako comes in, he's visible in profile. Several of the other students shoot him nervous glances every so often, including the student librarian, who makes an ill-fated attempt to stop Minako with an outstretched hand and a, "Hey...!" Unfortunately, her library instincts kick in and she bows repeatedly to the other students to apologize for shouting in the library, which means Minako is free to breeze past.
As Minako gets closer, she'll see he's specifically reading The Illusory Popess, author's name obscured by his hand. He's about halfway through, from the looks of it; clearly he's been reading for a while. Which makes sense, since he's hanging out at the library after school and not at a part-time job or hanging out with a friend or something else entirely.
He doesn't see her; he's absorbed in his book. It's a perfect opportunity for Minako to really surprise him, if she doesn't mind that this is supposed to be a quiet place.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako is quite good at pushing ahead, past an awkward situation. Like a reflection of her twin, in a way; he does it with that silent determination, while she does it with a smile and bullheadedness. She approaches Ren from behind -- half wondering if the librarian's call will make him turn around -- and then her smile changes a bit when he doesn't turn around.
Perfect~
Which isn't to say she isn't wondering about those rumors. But as she told the student she got in an argument with: he hasn't ever done anything wrong to her, has he?
She peers at the title for a moment. A female Pope...? Minako blinks. Then she leans a little over his shoulder.
"So is the girl pope cute?" she asks, grinning at him. She lifts her hand in a little, very casual wave.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Once Minako's right next to Ren, she'll see something else: his school bag, placed on the floor at his left, out of sight of the rest of the library. The need for this is clear: Morgana is inside. He's currently napping. An even better reason to be quiet right now...!
Ren does sense someone approaching; he just ignores them, quite deliberately. He doesn't want trouble, and most of his classmates are too intimidated by his reputation to actually strike up a conversation with him. At the actual question, though, he blinks, shooting a wide-eyed stare up at Minako. A smile blooms on his face.
"Arisato-san!" he murmurs, mindful of his volume. The exclamation point comes across in tone and warmth only. "Maybe. But she's even more caring and courageous." He scoots his chair back a bit and stands. "What in the world are you doing here?" He glances over at the student librarian, now watching both of them miserably. "...Maybe we should move somewhere else," he suggests.
If she's okay with that, he'll take the time to gather up his bag and check out his book; then he'll accompany her to the ground floor, at a little rest area next to a couple of vending machines. It's after classes, so it's pretty empty--people are at their clubs right now for the most part. It's a good spot to have a private conversation without getting in trouble.
"So what brings you all this way when you could've called? I didn't turn my phone off by mistake, did I?" he asks as he carefully sets his bag down on one of the benches. He could check his phone himself easily enough, but... he'd kind of like to hear Minako say it. It's flattering to have a cute girl come all this way to see you.
He then turns to one of the vending machines. He's got some extra change today--especially since he took a small, recent incident to heart and starting buying his lunches from the Triple Seven after school and bringing them in with him the next day. It's still mostly snack bread since that's what he can afford, but now he doesn't have to struggle with the crowd to buy something from the school store before it runs out. Regardless, buying them from one of his part-time jobs means getting a bit of a discount.
He raises some coins, and before inserting them, looks over at Minako. "You want anything to drink? My treat." It's the least he can do for her.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Wait--
Minako does a bit of a double take at his bag. Is his cat inside the bag? The instinct is to ask about it; she ignores that instinct, because he is clearly trying to hide Morgana. She cracks a smile at the response.
"Sounds like an amazing person," she says. She glances back at the student librarian -- then she looks at Ren. She nods, quickly, at him. "Good idea, Amamiya-san."
He did, after all, ask what she is doing here. She waits until they move along -- into the rest area, near the vending machines. Minako leans back against one of the poles holding up the roofing. "A drink would be great. Do they have Earl Green?"
She smiles a bit wider, then. "Actually--uh--I wanted to surprise you. And I've got some really good news, about Yamagishi-san. I couldn't get ahold of Kitagawa-san, so..."
So she decided to tell him directly.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren sees Minako double-take at the bag. Silently, he wills her to not say anything, and she must have psychic powers (not really) because she just smiles and nods along.
Taking the conversation elsewhere is a good display of their own caring--not that the librarian will appreciate it, because from her point of view, both of them are showing a lack of it by showing up in the first place. So it goes.
"Sure do," he replies once they're in the courtyard. Several coins and a couple of clanks later, and he hands her an Earl Green while he keeps a grape Manta for himself. He turns and leans on the side of the vending machine, cracking open his drink as he looks at her.
She took an hour-long train just to come surprise him? His smile broadens. That's really sweet of her. Sure, Iwatodai is at least a convenient transfer from Aoyama-Itchome, but it's still a hike. It makes him happy to think someone would want to see him that much.
"Yusuke's phone *does* tend to be dead half the time," he says. "What happened with Yamagishi-san?" If it's good news, she must have already been found or come back home or something on her own, but Ren would like to hear the details--and, once again, he finds he'd like to hear it from Minako directly.
That's why she's here, after all. He wants her to be able to do what she came here to do.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"You're the best," Minako says with a grin. She cracks her Earl Green open and has a sip. Then, she nods. It's nice that he wants to hear it from her -- she did feel a little self-conscious about coming halfway across Tokyo to tell him. But, that makes her think it's worth it.
"The student council president found her," Minako says. "She'd been locked inside of the gym, by people who were bullying her, and she ended up--" She knows the rehearsed lie. She doubts he would believe the truth, and it's at least adjacent to the truth. "--in some access tunnels."
She shakes her head. "The teacher who didn't help, Ekoda, he's on suspension while they look into it. And one of the girls who did it... she came forward, too. Kirijo-senpai really came through for her."
Minako smiles. "I talked to her, just yesterday. Yamagishi-san is--I mean, she's exhausted, but she'll be okay. I was really worried."
And that much is true. The weight of worrying about whether she could save Fuuka -- about what it meant, if she couldn't, and the feelings of failing that came with it -- was a heavy one. The smile on Minako's face is relieved, and she sways with a little renewed energy as she reports on that.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren grins back, content to bask in the praise. It's just a drink, but it feels good when you do something for someone else and they're appreciative, isn't it? It makes him think it's worth it, too.
He takes a sip of his soda while she talks. Access tunnels, huh. That's something like what he heard from Morgana--who now also listens in on the conversation, one true-blue eye cracked open from where he's curled up in the bag on the bench--who had done some spy work on the matter of Fuuka Yamagishi. He'd heard that there's a labyrinth in Gekkoukan High that only appears at midnight. He can see where normal people would get "access tunnels" from that. But... even if Minako wouldn't know any better, clearly... if that student council president at Gekkoukan was the one who found her, then...
...Well, no point in jumping to conclusions. He nods once at the fate of that irresponsible teacher, and then again as Minako says she spoke to Fuuka directly.
"That's great," he says warmly. "Yusuke and I were worried about her too. He's going to be relieved to hear she's safe now." If he hasn't already heard through the grapevine at school, but Ren would not be surprised to learn that he's completely unaware, especially if Fuuka hasn't actually returned to school yet. "You seem really relieved too. It must've been scary, hearing about a girl at your school disappearing," he adds. "I'm glad it wasn't as serious as it could've been."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Yeah... yeah, I think a lot of people were worried about her," Minako says. "But I definitely was. People vanishing like that... it's scary, you know? And I know--I mean... I know bullying like that can happen anywhere."
She looks down for a second and shakes her head. "I'm glad, this time, someone stepped in and things went okay."
There is a flicker of guilt. Minako did more than hope. And it feels more like a lie, now. But, she can't take credit for her part in saving Fuuka. That is part of the price of being with SEES -- and the work is too important to risk it.
She looks back at him, then she smiles. "Me, too," she says. "And... uh, she's moving into my dorm, too. So... I'll try to be sure she has a friend, if she needs one."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren is watching Minako, so he sees that flicker of guilt on her face as she looks down. Since it's only for a second, he can't be sure of what he sees--but he does see it: a dark cloud sliding across the sunny sky of her expression. There's something about all this that feels bad to her, despite the happy ending. Why?
"...Yeah. Me too."
Maybe it's that 'this time' that's the key. If that's the case... it's better not to pry and bring up potentially bad memories.
He smiles back at her when her cheer returns. "Oh yeah? I'm guessing that's your president's doing too? Since she's in that dorm too." He takes a thoughtful sip, gaze rising to the roof of the courtyard corner roof. "She must feel protective of her. I can't blame her, after something like that happened."
The way it could have gone if she hadn't been found... It's horrifying to think about.
A bit of motion catches Ren's eye; he glances to one side to see a couple of students staring at Minako and him and whispering. Seeing him see them, they hurry off. He bites back a sigh and looks over at Minako.
"I'm sure you'll be a great friend to her," he says. "Speaking of... as a friend, I'm really touched that you came out all this way to surprise me with good news. But you should probably get going soon. You probably don't have permission to be here, and I don't want you getting in trouble over me."
Especially given his reputation.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Mm-hm. It's definitely Kirijo-senpai's work," Minako says, looking back at Ren. The smile is back -- and it's easy to smile again, with him looking happy about the report. Of course, she is good at smiling when it's not so easy to.
She nods. "I think she's pretty protective of... all of the students, really," she admits. Then, she glances sideways. She spots the couple of students walking by -- and giving her a look. Then, she looks at him.
Minako hesitates for a second. She actually glances away; there's a flicker of embarrassment that he has to say that for her sake.
"It's okay," she says. "Someone tried to warn me, when I said I was looking for you. They said... you've got a history." Minako looks back at him. When she smiles, it's smaller, this time.
"It's not my best subject, though," she says. "So if it's all the same to you... I don't mind staying a little longer."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Protective of all the students, huh... Ren muses on this for a moment, taking another sip. Yusuke had said that she was a pretty scary lady, what with her executing miscreants. But he hadn't seemed scared of her, even so. Maybe this 'Kirijo-senpai' is a powerful force for justice. Everything Minako's described to him so far sure makes it sound that way. It's nice to know that Gekkoukan High doesn't have a need for the Phantom Thieves--it means that they can get justice just fine on their own.
The students pass, then run. Minako sees them too. She tells him...
"Oh," he says quietly, smile fading, stomach turning cold. He doesn't think she's about to tell him to buzz off, considering she came to find him anyway and has been acting perfectly friendly since. But... still... it's a very unpleasant surprise, this time.
Of course, then she makes a joke that doubles as an extremely smooth line and says she wants to stay, and he gives her an astonished little stare before he breaks out into a grin and a little laugh.
"You're a real charmer, you know that? Do you smooth-talk all the boys like that," never mind that he's not just a boy, "or am I special?" he jokes, the corners of his eyes crinkling.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako manages to not flinch at that 'oh.' It speaks volumes. And maybe, on some level, that's why she was drawn to him. He was mysterious -- but mysterious people often need help. (Pot, kettle.) And it feels good when she can help people.
But that's not all it is, either.
She laughs, too, when he does. Her cheeks turn a little pink -- and Minako glances to the side again. "Oh, you know, it takes a certain caliber of person to make me want to bust out the charm."
She grins again -- but it turns into a softer smile. "Seriously, it's okay," she says. "I won't pry. But... I've seen how you act around me, and that's what I care about. Saying those things without even trying to know who you really are... I can't stand that kind of thing."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Is she... blushing? Ren didn't think she would after a line like that, but maybe she's not so immune to that kind of teasing either. She's very good at turning compliments around on people, too. They don't know each other that well, so she's probably just like this in general, but it makes him feel good anyway.
Especially if she's already heard the rumors about him, and she's still willing to treat him like this.
That being said... it does make him worry a little that she might've heard something along the lines of 'that guy was convicted of assault' and it doesn't seem to have raised red flags for her at all. He's happy that she's judging him by his behavior, but some guys out there are very good at masking their true colors.
"I really do appreciate that. A lot of people here are scared of me based on things they've only heard about," he says. "But... you don't have to hold back. I don't want your brother to have to wonder if you're safe or not around me. So if you have any questions... go ahead and ask. I'll give you an honest answer."
He doesn't really like answering personal questions, but he doesn't want to take advantage of her trust, either.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako considers for a second. The rumors she heard weren't terribly specific -- mostly because they assumed if she was here to see him, she was already (somehow) trouble. That makes her take a second to consider what to ask.
It does occur to her that, maybe, he could be hiding his intentions. But...
She would rather believe in people, she decides.
"That's unfair," she says, finally. "I guess... can you say what happened? The other students just said you're dangerous." Minako hesitates. "And I... might have told that one to give people a chance."
She laughs sheepishly. "Sometimes I just sort of do things, then think."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren takes a deep breath and sighs it out as he rubs the back of his neck. That's all she heard, huh? Well... Being told someone is dangerous but not how is still pretty bad. If she were a different kind of person, her imagination might well have run all over the place. Honestly, maybe she'll still decide to leave if she hears the details--but he decides to believe in her, too.
He does laugh a bit when she admits to being a reckless sort of person. "If you're going to dress someone down, 'give people a chance' is pretty easygoing. Whoever you said that to, I'm sure they'll survive."
His smile fades then. He looks at his half-empty can of Manta, swirling it slowly and slightly. From his bag, Morgana continues to watch in silence, concerned kitty-face hidden by the shadows. "So... I'm going to jump straight to the point and tell you I have a criminal record. I was tried and found guilty of assault," he says quietly. He looks up to meet her eyes. "Some drunk guy was getting handsy with a lady on the street. She asked me for help, so I got in between them, but while I was pulling the guy away, he lost his balance and fell on the sidewalk. He got scraped up in the process, so he accused me of assault and strongarmed the lady into agreeing with him. When the cops showed up, I ended up arrested on the spot."
He looks away. "...I'm here in Tokyo on probation now. This school was supposed to be a fresh start, but... someone leaked my record, and now everybody knows." He shrugs a little. "About the conviction, anyway. Only a couple people have associated with me long enough to hear about how it was based on a lie."
He meets her eyes again soberly and waits for her reaction.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
There is a blink from Minako, when he says he has a criminal record. That surprises her, despite what she heard. She thought it might be a case of the rumor mill going wild about Ren -- and it is, even still -- but there is a nugget of truth.
Except, of course, the truth is altogether more complicated. She listens -- doesn't even think to look at Morgana. But why would she?
She meets his eyes -- and there's a nod. Minako has to consider his story, then. Most people never heard him out -- and it registers with her that it's the sort of story someone might lie about, to explain a criminal record. But...
"I believe you," Minako says. Her voice is quiet, when she speaks. "I know... I've had adults in my life, who wanted to use me. Or blame me. But--but more than that..."
She steps closer. "...The way you talked about Yamagishi-san. The way you wanted to do something, even if... there's not a lot you could do." She shakes her head. "I said people should judge you for what you've done, and I meant that."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Heavier than you figured, huh? Ren thinks dryly at Minako's surprised blink. But he keeps speaking evenly, giving her a chance to hear him out and come to her own conclusions.
Ultimately, she chooses to believe him. And her reason...
'I know... I've had adults in my life, who wanted to use me. Or blame me.'
"..."
'I'm glad, this time, someone stepped in and things went okay,' she'd said earlier with that pained look. Is this what she'd been talking about...?
He stands up straight when she approaches a step. A little smile tugs his lips up, even as he rubs the back of his neck. "Thank you," he replies quietly. "That means a lot."
There are people he's known most of his life who cut ties with him after his arrest, after all. She's not the only girl lately who's given him a chance despite his reputation, but... Haru chose not to pry into the truth, and Kasumi chose not to believe the rumors at all. She's the first one to actually hear out what happened. (In fairness, Minako also said she wouldn't pry, but Ren offered to answer her questions anyway... but still.)
"We still shouldn't hang out here much longer," he adds. "You still don't have permission to be here, I'm pretty sure. But... maybe we could find somewhere else to hang out instead?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Hey... of course," Minako says, with another smile. It's not quite like the things she experienced -- family members that didn't quite have time for her, the uncle and cousin that wanted to use her and Minato to get access to their parents' wealth. But she knows about coming to a new school.
And besides that, she doesn't know how it feels to try to understand it.
He points out they shouldn't stay here -- and Minako blinks again. Then, she laughs. "Oh, right--yeah, I... probably don't," she says. She brightens up again at the invitation.
"That'd be great," she answers.