2025-11-04: Turning Heart
- Log: Turning Heart
- Cast: Umie Akabane, Ren Amamiya
- Where: Big Bang Burger
- OOC Date: November 04, 2025
- IC Date: August 05, 2012
- Summary: A rare alignment of Ren and Umie's work schedules leads to a small celebration at Big Bang Burger over Ren's exam scores. The conversation winds its way to some surprising (and some not so surprising, for Ren) revelations about the Phantom Thieves, Umie being terrible in being timely with her 'predictions', and... Akechi's hair? Okay, maybe not so much that last one.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
School's out, so therefore, it's time for vacations to far out destinations, staying up, relaxation, and enjoying your freedom! That is, unless you're in some manner of summer school, or...
.... are working at the Triple 7 for that extra cash.
School being out hasn't lessened the traffic any, either; the Shibuya branch has been bustling the moment Ren came in. And, surprisingly, Umie's there too, rather than clocking out due to an all nighter. Her schedule can be as random as Ren's however, often opting for those late night shifts.
... But not always. (And, not recently, though that is something Umie will keep to herself, for reasons. She's not going to give the Ferryman and his attacks more thought than she needs to, during daylight hours.)
Finally, when there is a lull...
Maybe Umie should be conscious of Ren's need for privacy, and not ask how his exams went oh no too late she's asking
Leaning her head on one upturned palm, Umie asks, "Soo, how did your exams go?" The sideways grin, while a little on the sly side when coupled with the tone of her voice and the cheeky way her lower eyelids raise, could also read as a display of confidence in Ren's performance.
Wait, she thinks. How would she know what Ren's performance even is if she has nothing to compare it to? He could have been just that lacking in confidence, for all she knows!!
****
Too late, they're at Big Bang Burger now.
Dressed in her casual garb now, which consists of a white blouse, red tank top, shorts, and sneakers, on top of the usually present the red chime bracelet and the black thumbsleeves Umie looks and sounds like a wound spring that's finally beginning to loosen up.
Settling into a booth with her burger and fries, Umie takes a long sip of her soda and settles back into her seat. "Aughgh, that shift seemed to drag on and on towards the end. I swear that clock was getting slower the more I looked at it." She waves a red nailed hand before taking one of her fries and popping it in her mouth. "But at least it meant I could celebrate your success before you go off to whatever grand plans you have for summer."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Summer vacation means you can take earlier--and also later--shifts than you normally would as a high schooler. This is especially so for Ren, whose current living situation means he doesn't have to work for free beyond simply keeping the place clean, and with no customers at Leblanc, that initial clean he did after returning home after a couple nights crashing at friends' place means it's going to stay stable for the time being. Which, again, means more time they can spend part-timing at their actual paying jobs.
One of them is of course Triple Seven. He doesn't always have shifts that match hers, but when they do overlap at least some, it's fun chatting with her. They smile when she brings up exams.
"Good," they reply. "Not excellent, but better than I would've otherwise done. Definitely way better at math than some other subjects."
...That is in fact non-comparable. But at least they're satisfied with their score.
~ * ~
Their shift has ended. So has Umie's, at the same time. This is, quite honestly, a rare event--maybe even the first time it's happened since they started part-timing together. Umie suggested they grab a bite to eat at the Big Bang Burger across the street, and although Ren has reason to not want to go there, it's cheap and they are hungry.
They get the same meal set as Umie, and join her in the booth. They carefully inspect their burger before biting into it and chew slowly as Umie speaks. He nods in understanding; he was watching that clock too, even if his shift wasn't as long as hers--they are still a minor, after all. Their eyes track Umie's painted nails for a second, and then they swallow.
"No grand plans, really. I'll mostly be hanging out with friends and part-timing," he replies. And spending time with my new girlfriend, they don't add, because Ren is a private person. "Thanks for wanting to celebrate with me, though. D'you have anything you're planning on, Akabane-san?"
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Ren's assessment of his results, as well as it compares to what he wants, softens the customary edge on Umie's grin.
A younger Umie would have done anything to avoid admitting such a thing unless she was sure it wouldn't filter back to her parents.
"Hey, it's good to celebrate the small victories. You worked hard." She wasn't the only one he studied with, after all, if she recalls correctly.
"... And it means my honor as a Sevens graduate remains unblemished."
Umie no
~ * ~
If Umie was the sort to believe in fortunes, she'd call it fate, or something, if fate was the sort of thing to grant small mundane coincidences rather than the purveyor of _bad luck_.
For similar reasons, Umie is glancing at her own burger. Thankfully, no cursed sigil is placed upon it, as so, she bites into it.
His eyes track her fingers; she looks to them, wondering if there's a chip in her polish. She just had to redo them recently--!!
"... Oh, you're--" It *is* a new color, but only to Umie, being a coral red. "I keep trying to change it up, but end up going back to reds in the end, though."
... She should spare Ren the embarrassment of having to politely entertain her nail talk, she thinks to herself.
Taking a sip of her drink, and swallowing, Umie nods. "Ah, a low-key approach. Well, I'll be picking up more daytime shifts myself, so we'll likely have to put up with each other," she notes, with a wry, but still warm tone. "... And it's no problem. I nearly forgot it was exams, so I was behind on offering."
.... She was also recovering from other things, but that, like many things the two of them keep from each other, remains a secret.
"Oh, speaking of friends, I met one of your friends from school not too long ago," she starts, before casually popping a fry in her mouth.
Unfortunately, her expression is delightfully vague which friend this is.
And with her sipping from her drink, the pause is long enough that Ren may to think what sort of response Umie will have next.
"Ann Takamaki," she finally adds. "She thinks pretty highly of you." Waving another fry in the air, she adds, "She was at the Gotoku-ji Shrine-- the cat one, in Shimokitazawa."
(.... she'll skip over the 'weird' part, because honestly Umie's not sure how Ann is classifying her oh god)
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren chuckles at that remark on Umie's honor as a Sevens graduate. Whether that's meant to be a joke or not, it's funny.
But that was then, and this is now. "I thought they looked different," Ren comments--and they're not just saying that. They've gotten into nail polish lately, and it's not the usual shade of red she wears. "Red does look good on you, so I get it."
They've only tried pink so far--specifically, that shade of pink Ann happened to have handy when they asked her for help learning how to do make-up well. After their shopping trip to get more nail polish was interrupted, they haven't had time to try again... and they removed that nail polish they did have when Akechi invited them out to billiards. Of all people, they don't want him coming to any conclusions based on their nails being painted.
He probably wouldn't mind on a personal level... but that's not really what it's about.
"What other colors have you tried?" Ren wonders then, and with genuine interest. No embarrassment here.
He smiles a bit about her daytime shifts. "It could be worse. Shifts are more fun when you're there." They grab their own soda and take a sip as Umie mentions meeting one of their friends. They lower their drink to give her a questioning look, but it takes a moment before they get an actual answer. It's met with a wider, warmer smile. "The feeling's mutual. Ann's great." And her being at the cat shrine at Shimokita really tracks. Ren will refrain from letting Morgana know; he'll definitely jump to painful conclusions. Thankfully, he's still prowling around the area, since Ren and Umie came here directly after work.
"What'd the two of you talk about?" they wonder.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
The red polish of yesterday shall give way to the red coral of today. After night, another battle, another ruined nail.
(Umie should really wear gloves.)
Ren's comment, seeming to notice the difference, seems genuine, from what Umie can tell from the quiet young man's usual manner.
And it definitely seems to enable something in Umie, as she displays them out for Ren to see with no hesitation whatsoever. Sure, guys can be interested in these things. Kurou is, after all. (... Then again, Kurou is a ninja.)
Ren's compliment only encourages Umie further, causing a prideful smirk to blossom on her face. "It may be hard to believe," she notes, with light-hearted sarcasm, "but red *is* a favorite of mine."
Oh no, Ren, you're enabling Umie too much, keep going "... Usually ones on the warm range, though I'll dip into purples too. I really should experiment, but I just like the statement red makes. Like a signal, or a banner. 'I'm not the person you want me to be'."
There's a small pause, before Umie adds, as if to blend in that statement, ".... 'so please do not set me up with your grandson, I just work here'."
It was something Akechi noted, but with the connotation that it, like so many things, shall fade with age. ... Which was oddly positive, Umie thought, considering his mention of the case that brought him into her circle.
Ren's smile at the topic of Ann brings a shadow of one to Umie's own, as she's busy biting into her burger.
By the time she's putting it down and swallowing, that smile as progressed to an impish one. "About how Amamiya-kun is a mysterious new student and--" She pauses, wondering where to go with this tease, when a troubling thought crosses her mind.
_Oh god, Ann really must think Umie was weird as well, what with how she was acting around the shrine._
Her head dips low, surrendering to her fate. "How she and I are newcomers in our own ways, too. Even if Takamaki-san's been here a few years, I don't think you ever can really shake the feeling of it, sometimes. If the feeling's there, it's valid." Especially with Ann coming from another country altogether. "She has a big heart, though. I can see why you two are friends."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Are ninjas traditionally interested in nail polish...?
"No. Really?" Ren teases, a slight smile undermining their deadpan. Umie, like red? Say it ain't so! Especially with her name that means 'red feather'...
That's an interesting statement she makes, though. She likes red for its danger signaling... For the way it says: 'I'm not the person you want me to be.' Ren can relate. Maybe that's why they like red best, too... Aloud, they remark, "That sounds very you."
...To which Umie then 'jokes' about 'don't set me up with your grandson,' to which they laugh. "It's a tough life, huh?" they say with a sympathetic grin. For all that they laugh about it, the humor is definitely 'it's funny because it's true' to them. Being pretty means having people constantly trying to stake a claim to you. Ann is a better example of that than most. Their smile fades with concern, though. "How often does that kind of thing happen to you? It really does suck to have customers try to hit on you or set you up with someone when you're just trying to do your job..."
Ren hasn't had that experience personally, but he has an imagination. He can picture himself going through that and how annoying it would be.
They munch on their fries, see-sawing eating food against Umie so she can talk while they eat and vice versa. 'Mysterious,' huh? Ren suspects that Ann probably left a few things out from Umie, all considered. They give her a questioning look when she cuts herself off, and concern returns when she hangs her head.
"..." Newcomers, huh... Yeah, that Ren can relate to directly. They haven't been living in the big city for that long... They swallow and offer Umie a slight smile. "Yeah." They pause. "Do you have any good friends like that to support you while you're living here?"
...And it's not Akechi, is it?
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Umie snickers as Ren plays along, propping her head on an upturned hand. "Red doesn't look bad on you either, Amamiya-kun," she says, idly. "But the Shujin uniform is pretty stylish." Even if he's not wearing it now.
".... Dark pink and green, not so much." Who designed the Triple 7 uniform, anyway?! "But I don't think anyone's been able to carry that look."
It's a tough life. "You've got no idea," Umie mock-groans, as if thumbing her nose at her own misery. "'Oh, you should meet my grandson, Takuro,'," Umie mimes in a high, scratchy voice. "'I'm sure he'd be happy to have such a pretty wife that'll cook and clean for him'."
How often does that happen?
It's like with Ann, and how she reacted to some comments, Umie thinks back, while the topic stays on her mind.
For Ren to think of asking about it, even as Umie jokes as they talk back and forth between bites...
Ann definitely was right; Ren *is* a good listener. And that sharp eye of his hasn't diminished any since they've gotten to know each other, either.
She pauses. "It's not worth it to give them attention. They'll just slow you down." Similar sentiments were said during that night with the Joker Killer, when Umie proudly proclaimed that whoever called the Joker Killer on her wasn't worth her attention.
But in the light of the fast food resturant, it's said with a touch more subtlety, as if she was imparting some words of wisdom.
... Or trying to throw Ren off.
But Ren's not so easy to escape, in some ways.
Does she have good friends, like... Ann? Umie's face betrays a momentary bewilderment, as she wonders how much Ren has noticed. "You met one; she's still trying to get the butler cafe idea going," Umie says. "But most of them are in Sumaru City."
No, she does have friends, she realizes. And she might not have, if she hadn't stepped out of the shadows.
".... A lot more now," she says, looking down at the last bites of her burger with a soft smile. "But you should have seen me when I first moved here. I was homesick as hell." She dismissively haves a hand. "Wasn't even going out at--" Careful, Umie. "For my night runs," she amends neatly, clicking that statement in. It worked for Ann. Maybe it'll work for Ren. "Though, if you really want something funny..."
"It was.... kind of how I got interested about the Phantom Thieves," she murmurs, obliviously, as she bites into her burger, finishing it with a drink of her soda. "They started around the same time I moved in, so, it felt like a sort of... 'hey, whatever you're doing, maybe I should get off my ass and at least--"
"... Run," she amends, again.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"I'm sure there's someone who looks good in that uniform. Somewhere. At some point in the space-time continuum," Ren says dryly. They smile at the compliment on red--not that they got into Shujin Academy based on the uniform, but all considered, he's pretty lucky that it does look good on him.
Ren shakes their head at Umie's old-person impression--not for the impression itself, but the information it imparts. "I'd say 'at least old people like you,' but that's a kind of popularity I'm sure you could do without."
He's always been observant. He isn't always able to make the correct conclusions based on the information he's noticed, but by god if he doesn't notice it.
Case in point: Umie talking about things or people not being 'worth her attention.' She did say something similar about the Old Maid--or rather, whoever called him on her. Ren gives her a long, thoughtful look--but says nothing. Umie is saying this to 'Ren Amamiya,' not 'Joker,' after all.
At least Umie will get to think she escaped--for now.
"I remember her. From the Yongen festival, right?" The 'right' is not really necessary--Ren already knows they're right--but he says it anyway. So... she has friends, but they're mostly in another city... That's still hard. They didn't get homesick for Inaba--they still aren't--but it was rough adjusting at first.
Her 'night runs.' She must mean the Dark Hour. Ren's unchanged expression betrays nothing.
It does change when she brings up the Phantom Thieves and what she should 'get off her ass about': namely, his eyebrows furrow. "Funny?" they echo--because based on what he knows of her, they think this is probably not actually funny when you get down to its core. They don't expect she'll reveal too much more, but since she seems in a chatty mood regardless...
"It's cool that the Phantom Thieves inspired you, though," he adds, because that really is cool. "Do you feel... I don't know--safer, or less alone, knowing they're around?"
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"Pretty sure the second they find that person, it'll be one of the first signs of the end of days." Umie pokes a fry into her mouth. "All possibilties will collapse into a single continuity, an ever-present now. And it will suck forevermore."
She punctuates this 'prophecy' with a sip of her drink.
"It's sweet that you thought to ask, though," she says, neatly skipping the Ren's comment... with a compliment. (After all, it *is* true.) "What about you, though? None of the customers have been giving you any flack, have that?" Another pause. ".... At least, not old grannies trying to play matchmaker." Her smile turns mischevious as she taps her chin, as if pondering aloud. "Though I *have* wondered, every once in a while... you probably get your share of confessions."
Oh, she'll definitely tease, when she finds out about MInako, as long as she can get away with it.
"Yep. That's Toki-chan. Akechi fangirl to the last," she notes, with some fondness, even if it's not without its share of sarcasm.
But the things Umie says are funny, Ren's assessment of Umie's mannerisms is accurate.
Ren seems confused as to why it'd be funny--
Ah, he would be, wouldn't he? It'd make more sense for someone in high school to see them in a positive light.
'It's cool that the Phantom Thieves inspired you.' Umie tilts her head and closes her eyes with a sigh. It feels so... suspect, when it's said like that, but nothing on Ren's face seems to suggest he thinks less of her for it, so she relaxes. "... Don't tell Akechi-san or he'll tease me forever about it," she says, dryly.
But it's not without its share of humor, there, as if she didn't really think it'd do anything harmful.
She'd be one of many fans, wouldn't she?
But what Ren asks next... warm brown eyes focus in on him, curious....
.... but not suspicious. No, her study of his face is due to a different reason than any notion of who Ren may be.
Should she really say it?
... But then, it was Ren that placed that up as an option, so, perhaps, Ren feels it's a valid possibility.
".... Less alone," she admits, quietly, happening to draw a hand over her face to draw some bangs back.
"What about you, Amamiya-kun? How do you feel, as a fellow newcomer?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"An ever-present now of green and pink uniforms?" Ren suggests wryly. "At least it'll be great for whoever it is that looks good in it." They shake their head.
"Hmm?" Ren blinks when Umie calls them 'sweet'--but lets her sweep past that. They give her an ironic half-smile. "No, nobody wants some nobody teenager like me to hook up with their granddaughter. So much the better for me. I'm not really interested in blind dates." Granted, blind dates are interesting in the sense of meeting someone new, but in terms of romance, Ren would much rather date someone they actually know well and vibe with. See: Minako.
She does tease them about getting their share of confessions. Ren's smile turns awkward for a number of reasons, and they cover it up with a bite of burger. Munch, munch, crunch. As much as Ren likes Big Bang Burger's space motif, it's hard to enjoy the burger set meal while remembering what Haru said/implied about her father's business practices. Maybe they should've gone with the Venus salad. Seems hard to mess up fruit...
But--so Umie's got her own Akechi issues, huh. That tracks. She talks about him and he talks about her. Akechi had tried to suggest that Umie has a thing for them, but if that's true--well, as has been previously established, setting aside her many, many issues aside, Umie is their type, but she's out of luck at this point. "I won't," he promises.
They ask her a question. She's slow to answer, but Ren doesn't mind waiting. Sometimes people need to think about how they feel, and they've got food to eat in the meantime.
Less alone, she says with the air of a confession. They nod once, somber. They're glad to hear it, considering the Phantom Thieves saved her life in a more direct way... but they're not going to say that.
Them, though? They twiddle with their straw. "I'm sure you know their first target was Suguru Kamoshida. He was a teacher at my school," Ren says quietly. "He tried to get me expelled because I confronted him with a couple of friends about the shady stuff he was doing--it was all over the news, so I won't repeat it. So the Phantom Thieves saved me... saved all of us. To me, the Phantom Thieves are justice."
They frown. "...I don't think Akechi appreciates that enough."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"No matter who wins, everybody else loses," Umie says, not realizing she's quoting a certain movie poster.
'Nobody wants some nobody teenager like me to hook up with the granddaughter.' Umie coughs a laugh at that, before pressing a hand over her mouth as she continues, her shoulders shaking. "I'd going to disagree with the 'nobody' comment, but the rest, yeaaahh, you're not missing out on anything."
Ren's reaction to her next comment brings an almost scythe-like grin to Umie's lips for just a split second--
--and she relents, with a far more gentler in comparison cheshire cat grin instead.
It can be fun to tease, but only to a certain point.
... especially as the conversation goes another direction, something somber.
And revealing, as Ren reveals something she never connected before. Sure, he goes to Shujin, but never had she thought he had a connection that direct with the first person they went after.
No wonder, he felt that way.
"So it made you feel not so alone," she concludes. "Safer, maybe, because it was like someone had your back."
It's a tone she hasn't used much with Ren before, except when dealing with a math problem: taking things and putting them together, and coming to a new (if incorrect?) conclusion. Then again...
'To me, the Phantom Thieves are justice.'
In spite of dodging all these pitfalls of accidentally letting Ren know more than he should, it feels good to hear him say that about them; letting Umie see a little more into how Ren thinks and feels.
And so, in response, she says, "... To me, they're a reason to try harder. To not be satisfied with my lot in life." There were other reasons and other inspirations that spurred Umie on, but in this conversation, the only one that matters is the one that Ren would know.
"... Eeh, Akechi-san's Akechi-san. He holds himself to his beliefs pretty hard--" Not too different from Ren, in some ways. "--But I'm beginning to see the same in you, too." She holds up her hands immediately, as if to get ahead of a potential objection. "It's in a good way, I swear, haha. He doesn't hold the patent on 'holding to his beliefs'."
She's amused, either way.
Maybe, a little frightened, if Akechi is applying that level of intensity she saw in his eyes, to his interactions with Ren.
"But enough about that guy," she says, continuing on, clapping her hands together. "Ah."
No, this isn't something easy to say at all, Umie.
"... If I tell you something, very secret, you swear you won't tell anyone, right?" Wait, no, Umie thinks on the backside of that comment. He could be lying. He could be--
'Maybe he said that just to get on your good side. Can you really, truly, trust him? The NWO--'
_But this is Ren_, she finds herself quietly arguing.
But why does she need to tell Ren this? She could always lie, and say something else, if Ren agrees.
.....
But when, and only when Ren agrees, her mouth is already moving.
".... They saved my life, that night, when I got that letter." She looks down towards her hands, the red of the coral stained bright against her skin and the black of the gloves. "It wasn't--"
It wasn't a chemical fire. _But she's saying this to Ren_, she reminds herself.
So she redirects her train of thought. "So that makes two of us," she says, instead, leaving it vague. "Who've they helped."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Sweet of you," Ren jokes when Umie disagrees about them being a 'nobody' teenager. "But don't worry, I'm not putting myself down. I know that's exactly what I am in a huge city like this, and I don't think that's a bad thing. Sometimes it's nice to be able to get lost in a crowd."
At least, it is when you grew up as the 'son' of the mayor of a small rural town. For good or ill, everyone knew who Ren was there.
...At least Umie knows when to relent in her teasing. Ren is not really up for discussing their love life at the moment. They're happy with it, and that's enough; they're not interested in talking about what-ifs or confessions. (Even if technically, they're dating Minako because she confessed by way of asking them out. It's not exactly the same--or at least, it feels that way.)
"Yeah," they reply. Having Ryuji, and later Morgana and Ann, meant everything, because Kamoshida had it in for them before they even showed up on their first day--had their record leaked and spread. (God, who does that? Who's so insecure that they'd do that to a teenager? It wasn't even because he was concerned for the students--absolutely not that. What kind of threat did he even think Ren would pose to him? But it doesn't matter anymore. Kamoshida's gone and in jail, repenting for his crimes--and compared to what he did to Ann, Ryuji, and Shiho, Ren's suffering doesn't even register. But their stories are not something Ren is is going to discuss for them, so here they are.)
But Ren's not the only one who feels that way about the Phantom Thieves (their being a member notwithstanding). There's something in Umie's tone that says something's turning in her heart right now. They meet her eyes and say nothing for a moment. When she finally explains her own feelings, they listen.
They do huff a breath of a laugh when Umie tries to predict an objection. "No, you're right. We've argued about the Phantom Thieves before. That's pretty much the basis of our relationship, actually. It turns out Akechi likes it when people argue with him."
But not losing those arguments. He's twisted like that.
Yes, though, enough about Akechi. Not that Ren can really avoid him entirely, considering he's the detective out to capture the Phantom Thieves, but they don't like how much they continue to think about him even after... Never mind.
Umie asks him to keep a secret. "I swear," Ren replies quietly, eyes on hers.
And she tells them about the night The Phantoms saved her life. Their expression doesn't change, but she might not notice with the way she's staring down at her hands. Instead, it's the solidarity that Umie offers that gets them to give her a muted but sincere smile.
"Maybe we should start a fan club," they joke. Then, in a passable imitation of Akechi, they add, "Just kidding."
The Phan-Site already exists, anyway.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Ren's callback to Umie's earlier comment earns him a snicker. Ahhhh, so this is what she sounds like.
"It is." she readily agrees. While she's had her own memories of small town life, they were far more distant, and far larger, due to how small she was at the time.
.... A small hand clasping a wrinkled larger one, and the scent of apples.
A lot of things are forgiven, when you are too young to understand how a small town can confine someone.
'Yeah.' Umie has yet to find out and understand those stories; Ann's was only a hint, and one that Umie has readily not connected to anything other that the simple experience of someone whom others would want to make their own.
Umie meets Ren's eyes and finds something in there that coaxes her to reveal just a bit more-- something turning, deep inside her.
'It turns out Akechi likes it when people argue with him.' "... Realllyy," Umie says, deadpan, before continuing in a far more normal tone, "I imagine he probably gets a lot more of that from you than me, though. It *is* fun to turn something over out loud when he's in the room, though. For that, he's been helpful."
........ in what. Ah. No, Umie-- "... I think he's searching for a rival, in all this, though." Umie's prophecies always seem to come too late.
And in keeping with that pattern...
"... Hey. Amamiya-kun." The words carry an unusually sober tone, but given what she's said already, it's not out of place. ".... If you're in any kind of trouble, let me know." How many times has she said that to people in the past few months, she wonders, when before that, she abhorred doing anything that would expose herself to others? "I'm not one of them, obviously, but." She sighs, finally glancing up. "At the very least I can be someone who *isn't* at risk of being kicked out of school. Just a normal, boring adult."
That last bit is *definitely* said with a level of ironic humor.
It'd at least open the door in case the supernatural tries to invade his life, Umie supposes.
If nothing else, she finds herself unusually confident that Ren *will* keep her secret.
Fan clubs, on the other hand... 'Just kidding.' Speaking of people relenting in their teasing--
Well, Akechi technically does (when it's not properly amping Umie's blood pressure up).
Umie's head slowly dips down onto the table. "Aughhhhghhhhh..." comes the tortured burbled groan from Umie's muffled mouth.
"......... it's the hair, isn't it."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren's good at reflecting people back at themselves.
"It wouldn't surprise me," they say of Akechi getting more arguments from them than from her. They nod in agreement about how it can be fun just talking things over with him too, but--
'I think he's searching for a rival in all this.'
Ren thinks back to that fateful night when Akechi came in to Leblanc with Sae, sat himself in front of Ren with a copy of Arsène Lupin vs. Herlock Sholmes in hand, and waxed on about how a detective needs a case only he can solve to truly benefit society. Ren had stood stone-faced and only stared at him without responding at the time, but right now...
"...Yeah."
...they can at least acknowledge it.
Even if Umie's prophecy is absolutey coming too late. Way to tell people things they've known for months.
"Hmm?" Ren blinks at her when she makes her offer. It seems a little out of left field--but as she continues, it dawns on them what she's trying to say, and they offer her a small smile. A 'normal, boring adult,' huh. She wishes, maybe... and they don't mind letting her cling to that illusion. Isn't that what Minako's letting them do? "Thanks. But I'm not in any trouble right now." (Right now being the key words.) "Maybe next time exams roll around..."
Umie's agonized reaction to Ren's Akechi imitation merits an anime-style sweatdrop. Or that's what Ren would be sporting if this were a video game or something. Scarlet creeps up their cheeks, and they avert their eyes as they scratch their cheek.
'......... it's the hair, isn't it.'
You're not wrong, they will absolutely never say aloud as they think of those soft, silky strands and how Akechi let them run their fingers through them.
"S-sorry," they say instead. "Let's talk about something else instead. Like... do you have any other part-time jobs you recommend? I picked up one at Rafflesia recently, and I've already got the ones with Triple Seven and Ore no Beko, but if you know of anything that pays really well, I'd love to check it out." They offer a smile. "Especially if you're working there too. It's fun to chat while we're in between customers."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
If there'd be one lesson Umie could stand to learn from Ren, it'd be that.
But it also stands as a difference in Umie's view of the world, always moving, always a little too restless, when things get too still.
_Don't let them see you_.
Perhaps it's why her 'visions' are always off; she's already too far ahead! That's a 4D chess move, there.
Still, she sees the humor in it, at least here, where it's technically just an observation passed months too late. Ren's few words betray nothing, but Umie nonetheless makes another assumption, another lopsided smirk crossing her lips as she crosses her arms. ".... Too late, huh?"
Ren's confusion is also not necessarily the first instance she's encountered, but Ren coming to his own understanding of it (if in a way Umie doesn't realize) is echoed with a smile from Umie. "Well, I'm relieved. I just realized I'd have to somehow convince some teacher to change their ways." She waves a finger lazily with a wink. "My work senpai powers are limited, I'm afraid."
Maybe next time, when exams roll around? "Now we're talking."
So much of life is an illusion, when there's a part of yourself held separate.
Ren's reaction to Umie's comment about Akechi's hair is nearly missed, if not for the tone of their apology, which causes Umie to raise herself back up out of her miserable malaise.
Oh, does Umie ever want to tease, but she understands it far too well (at least the mystery of his hair care routine, much less the attraction).
Instead, Umie laughs, and it feels genuine. "I think it'd be good to move stuff around," she reflects, thinking back to Hiroto strolling in, wearing that oni mask.
If she wants to continue pushing back, it won't hurt to be strategic.
"Rafflesia, huh. Honestly, I should try that and compare. Would be good for my stress levels, especially if I'm in good company, mm?" The feeling is mutual, in other words. "Hm..." She shifts back in her seat. ".... I mean, I wonder if the Cardboard Dra--" OH NO.
That'd be too far, besides. There's Mementos, but _she can't tell Ren that_.
"Well. Maybe we can compare notes at a later time." She wilts again, seemingly, as she remembers. "... I think I'm going to have to pay the upcharge for AC at this rate... It's too hot here."