2026-05-30: The Promise of Friendship
- Log: 2026-05-30 The Promise of Friendship
- Cast: Minako Arisato, Ren Amamiya
- Where: Central Street, Shibuya, Tokyo
- OOC Date: May 30, 2026
- IC Date: Saturday, November 17, 2012
- Summary: Minako and Ren catch a movie together, then talk about their feelings and their break-up afterwards, leaving them in a much better place as friends.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Ren and Minako had given each other some space... which was for the best. Exams -- and then Minako being hurt (a familiar and painful memory, given how their relationship ended) -- had also meant a need for space. But, Minako didn't want to let the promise of friendship turn fallow.
Thus, Saturday morning, she sent a text:
> Hey. Wanna catch a movie?
From there, a plan was made.
Now, Admission Impossible has finished. They're walking out of the theater, on a November day -- just chill enough to need a light coat. Minako has an orange one on, plus blue jeans, and her usual red scarf. She glances sideways at them and cracks a smile. "I have to say... that was a really involved plot for needing to get his spare keys."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Of course Ren gave Minako space. That's the least they felt they could do after they decided The Phantoms were more important than their romance. For all that they agreed to stay friends and stayed cordial, they've been down about it since--which is why they ended up rebounding on Makoto the next day. In between their break-up and this, their first in-person hang-out since, though, Ren and Makoto have already broken up. More than a little awkward. At least they've been keeping in touch by text.
Still, when Minako invited Ren out to the movies this morning before school, they responded quickly:
> Sure. I heard Admission Impossible's good, if you like action movies.
They'll get a different invitation later in the day, but that'll be for the evening. Right now, they've got the afternoon to enjoy an outing, especially since it's a half-day at school.
Ren's in a black jacket, which they wear over a white V-neck shirt along with blue jeans and dark shoes. Their hands are tucked in their pockets as they leave the theatre in Shibuya with Minako, and when she remarks on it, they crook a smile back.
"No kidding," they reply. "My favorite part was the scene where the lead scaled all those glass windows. That was cool."
It might just have given them an idea for a new infiltration technique, too... But that, like Minako's own supernatural experiences, will remain unspoken.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako had heard about Makoto, and while she was a little hurt...
...well, it was obviously a rebound relationship. Besides, she had left Ren. She had no business telling them who to not date.
Coming out of the theater, she glances sideways -- and then she cracks a smile. "Yeah. That was really amazing. I never thought of that. I'm not sure that's something I can do... but, it does inspire me to get in shape~!"
She is in perfectly good shape, but shh.
She glances sideways at them, then she tilts her head. "Thanks for saying yes. And... sorry that it took me this long to ask, too. Life ran away from me for a little while."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Given Ren's run-in with Yukari a week or two ago, yeah, they're sure Minako's heard about it. She hasn't mentioned it though and neither have they. It's... well, she's the one who asked to break up. The two of them are definitely beyond that now.
"Better shape than you are now? Impossible," Ren teases, for they will not be shushed here. "I get it, though. You always wanna be at your peak when you're an athlete."
They really do get it. Even if those days are behind them now.
Her apology is met with a rub of the back of their neck. "...Yeah. Life's like that sometimes. It's fine." They tuck their hand back into their pocket. "It's nice seeing you again. I missed hanging out." As the two of them walk down Central Street, they glance over at the extravagant display for the Big Bang Burger. They look back at her. "You wanna grab a bite to eat? There's a diner near here that's good."
Yeah, they're absolutely not eating at Big Bang Burger now that they have a part-time job there. Their boss there is an asshole.
"Oh yeah--I ran into Yamagishi-san for the first time the other day," they continue as they guide her to the Bikkuri Boy, should she agree. "We chatted about video games and electronics a bit. She seems like a really sweet person."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Oh, you never know, I could go all... bodybuilder or something," Minako says with a laugh -- and rubbing at the back of her neck. "But yeah, you're right. I'd really need to practice at it. I did some rock climbing, though. That was really fun."
She doubts the glass method will work with Tartarus. But, maybe similar ideas...
She glances sideways at them -- and she tilts her head to the side. Then, she nods. "Me, too," she says. "Making jokes and talking and stuff..." She trails off, as she walks along with Ren. "I missed it too. And they should really have a manual, you know. When is it not weird to call your ex to see if they want to hang out?"
She laughs again, but it's sheepish. She glances at them, then nods.
"Diner sounds great," she says. "You did, huh? Fuuka-chan is... she's really nice. She helped me out when I was, uh, feeling down awhile back. She's kind of shy, but..." She leans a little closer, conspiratorially. "...when we watched Redshift--"
A movie about a spaceship crew going to check out a derelict vessel, infamous for its absolutely frightening scenes.
"--she didn't even flinch, I swear," she says in a stage whisper. "She's made of sterner stuff than she looks."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Oh yeah? Rock climbing does sound fun," Ren replies. "Where'd you do that?" They've got a gym--right around here, in fact--that they frequent sometimes, but they've never been to a place that had a rock climbing wall. There's rocks that they could've climbed in real life back home, but nothing like a cliff wall that you usually see.
Ren chuckles along with Minako's sheepish laugh. "Good question," they reply. After all, their pre-Tokyo exes ended their relationship in a place where they never saw them again--one for pure reasons (she moved away to another town), the other for asshole reasons (she dumped them by text and they blocked her).
Diner confirmed! It's only a short distance away, and there's a street billboard advertising it outside. Ren heads up the stairwell that leads to the restaurant, nodding back at Minako as she leans in. They chuckle again, this time impressed. Redshift's a great movie--one of their favorites--and parts of it can get pret-ty intense. "Steel wrapped in velvet, huh?"
That must be how she managed through--whatever supernatural hell she was caught up in that Gekkoukan's Student Council President had to save her from. Emotional tenacity really counts for a lot when it comes to what they do.
"...Should I ask about what you were feeling down about, by the way?" they add, a little hesitantly. Their instinct is to leave it alone, but... part of why they broke up was the inability to talk too deeply about what bothered them. They should at least try to give her the chance to vent, if she wants to. (Even if they doubt she'll take it. It's already past tense, and if it were them, they'd brush past it.)
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"There's a gym in Port Island that has it," Minako says. "It's a big plastic wall, but it goes up pretty high -- I'd guess at least 10 meters, probably more. And they've got all the lines and rigs and stuff, too. It's a few blocks from the station there."
She glances sideways at them, and then she cracks a crooked smile. Well, if it's a little awkward together, then maybe it won't be so bad.
She nods. then. "Yeah, that's a good way to put it," she says. "But... I think she's a lot of people like that. She doesn't realize how tough she really is, you know?"
She walks along with Ren. She gets quiet for a moment. She hesitates -- considering, because their relationship didn't work because they didn't get into things that were important. But, their friendship might not do better. "So... I can't tell you all the specifics," she says. "But... I felt like I'd messed up, and... let down a lot of the people we know."
She frowns, and bites her lip for a moment. "Like, they were counting on me and I... didn't plan enough. But... Fuuka-chan helped me see that I didn't have to put all that on myself, and sometimes things just happen and we respond the best we can."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Nice. I'll have to check it out sometime." Ten meters sounds like a thrill of a climb. They'd love to experience that in the real world, not just in the Metaverse.
Ren crooks a smile at Minako's description of how not just Fuuka but lots of people don't realize their inner strength. "Yeah," they agree. They're surrounded by people like that these days. Given what they know about Minako now, they're not surprised she is too.
She falls silent, though, and so too does Ren. It gives both of them time to enter Bikkuri Boy, talk to a host, and get seen to a booth. A waitress comes by to give them menus and leaves to give them time to look it over, but Ren focuses on Minako first.
They nod once without comment about the specifics. Yeah. They know that feeling. The rest... "That sounds rough," they murmur, sympathetic. They even had an experience like that recently, though at least only Mona was there too. Still. "It is like that sometimes. I'm glad you've got a friend who could help you see that." They rub the back of their neck again. "Though if I were in your shoes, I'm not so sure I wouldn't have reacted the same way."
They pick up their menu. "The Frui-Tea here's really good. That's my usual order," they add as they look it over. "For dinner, though, I'm thinking the Nostalgic Steak." Salisbury steak just like Grandma used to make!
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"I'll send you the address later," Minako promises. "Let me know if you want a friend to tag along."
She nods at Ren, with a smile. She follows after them, then -- taking a seat across them at the booth. She explains then, as her fingers idly hold the menu. She looks up at them, and she hesitates for a second. "Thanks," she says. "I am too. And... you know, friends who get when you're putting yourself under pressure..."
She shakes her head. "That's important," she concludes. "What... uh... how would you have reacted? If you don't mind saying."
Then, there's a nod. "I'll go with the Frui-Tea. And, I think... the grilled chicken for my meal. Have you had it?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"Thanks." Ren probably will, but they'll figure that out later. They've got a lot going on right now; they won't really have the time to go all the way out to Port Island for rock climbing--or bouldering, which is very close to that--until after the matter of Futaba has been settled anyway.
Friends who understand you are very important. That's why they thought they'd fallen for Makoto, Ren reflects. The two of them had been commiserating after she shared about why she was so terrified in the Sakura household, and... They shake their head slightly.
"Hard to say for sure since I don't know exactly what happened," they reply, because they know situations differ and context matters. "But..." When it was them and Mona in Okumura's Palace... "...if something broke bad because I didn't plan enough, and my friends were put in danger over it... I guess, once the danger was passed, I'd beat myself up over it. Real hard."
Sure, it was a trap, and sure, they went into it knowing the Black Mask might know perfectly well what was about to happen. It went so badly, though. They never expected him to be able to tell Mona was there. They glance away just remembering it. "...If I'm responsible for someone, I can't stand the idea of them getting hurt because I screwed up."
They look back at her and nod back. "It was a little dry when I had it, but not bad. Lots of side vegetables. Good protein." Since 'getting in shape' is a concern for Minako and all. Certainly it's a leaner, healthier meal than the Salisbury steak, but you can't get much healthier meat-wise than grilled chicken.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"...Yeah. I--um. It was like that. I was thinking I'd... almost got everyone in a lot of trouble, and I was beating myself up," Minako says. In this case, though, it was finding the Reaper in Tartarus; an impossibly difficult situation, and one that she could only do so much about. "I feel the same. If I'm responsible for someone..."
She sighs. "I want to keep them safe. And I'm always trying to... I'm trying to be the person I think they need to be." She glances to the side. "And... Fuuka-chan got the way that feels. Even if it's not the same, she goes through something similar."
She doesn't say specifics, though -- not just for the operational security of S.E.E.S. but to respect Fuuka's privacy.
She looks back at them, then she grins. "I'll take it. At worst..." She glances at the ketchup bottle. "...I've got back up!"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Ren has yet to encounter the Reaper. When--not if, but when--they do, they'll no doubt know exactly how Minako feels. Without that detail, they'll just have to settle for the One in the Black Mask.
They nod once, dark eyes sympathetic. Those eyes hood at a certain line: I'm trying to be the person I think they need me to be. They have a hunch they understand why their romance went the way it did now.
"That's rough," they say quietly. "It always is, trying to mask pieces of yourself to support the people you care about."
They don't try to ask after how Fuuka would know. They get that it's not Minako's place to share.
They smile when she grins. "That's the spirit," they say encouragingly.
The waitress, conveniently, returns at that point! Both of them put in their orders--two Frui-Teas, a Nostalgic Steak, and a Grilled Chicken. Once that's done and the waitress has left, Ren looks back at Minako.
"...Takeba-san was worried about you too," they decide to mention. "We happened to run into each other a week or two back, and... it sounded like you hadn't told her anything that happened with us."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Minako nods her head, then, and she looks down at the table for a second. "Yeah. It's... I can do it, but I don't like to. It just... eats away at me, I feel like." This is, after all, why she decided to break up with them. She still thinks it was the right call. But it still hurts.
She looks up, then, and a smile crosses her face. "Thanks, Ren-kun."
Then, she takes her drink and has a sip -- before she picks up her fork and knife. Yukari talked to--oh. Her eyes widen for a second. Then she winces and sighs. "...yeah, I hadn't really had a chance to talk to her about it before--uh--she ran into you," she says, with a sigh. "I told her about it after that, it sounds like."
She shakes her head. "If she went off on you, I'm really sorry."
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"..." Ren's expression shades with a bit of gloominess as Minako admits to her true feelings. They wonder how much she masked while they were dating--how much it hurt her to do so. When she smiles, they smile back, but it's more subdued. "You're welcome."
They pause for a second. Then they take a breath and add, "I hope... next time, you find someone you can be open around to be with, for the good and the bad. That's what you deserve."
The orders arrive. Ren takes a drink of their tea. It's full of fruit, as advertised--lots of collagen for healthy, glowing skin. That's why it's their favorite order here, especially now that they've got a skin care regime.
It's good to hear that Minako eventually talked to Yukari. Ren shakes their head at her apology. "She didn't. She went off on..." They hesitate for a second as they realize--if Minako's talked to Yukari since then, she must know about Makoto. "On, uh, Makoto instead. But the two of them talked things through, so she actually apologized to me for jumping to conclusions."
Another, more awkward pause. "Uh, Makoto and I broke up, though. We realized I was rebounding and decided to go back to being just friends," they conclude quietly. There are more reasons than just that, but like with Fuuka, they aren't theirs to share.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
Even Minako isn't sure, sometimes, how much she masks. She is adept at fooling herself sometimes. Then, she pauses -- and winces -- at what they say. "Hey... that wasn't on you, okay? You're not responsible for the times my head is a mess, and there's sometimes when we were going out that my head was a real mess. And... uh."
She looks down for a moment. "...I'll try to do better, as a friend."
She looks back up -- she blinks, then she nods. "I'm sorry," she says. "That's... jeez. I didn't wait that long, but... I guess she's protective." She cracks a smile. "No, she's definitely protective. I'm glad she apologized."
A beat, then. She winces.
"Sorry, Ren-kun," she says. "Break-ups still suck. Um... you okay, now?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
"No, but I could've reached out more. Encouraged you to be open, instead of just... taking everything at face value and not talking about any of my own problems either," Ren replies quietly. "I've been trying to be more open myself, lately. It's... hard. I'm not really used to it." They scratch a cheek with one finger, thinking of how they came out to Kasumi and Akechi recently. "...But it hasn't been a bad thing, either."
They give her a tiny smile. "So... let's both try to do better. As friends."
A faint chuckle. "Definitely protective. Did I tell you about the time she brought Sanada-san with her to track me down and make sure I wasn't taking advantage of you? The two of them tried to pretend to be a couple to throw off suspicion." They grin. "It was hilarious."
Their eyes soften. "She seems like a really good friend who cares about you a lot. I'm glad you've got her on your side."
They don't mention how they got a vibe like Yukari maybe might have closeted gay feelings for Minako. ABSOLUTELY not their place to say.
Their energy does dampen when Minako winces. "Mm. Yeah. It... was my own fault. I'm just glad everything turned out okay in the end." They pick up their fork and knife and spear one of the veggies with their Nostalgic Steak. "But I think it'll be good for me to be single for a while."
Not least because it'll give them time to simply be in love with Akechi without commitment. As that thought crosses their mind, though, another one strikes them on its heels.
"...Hey, speaking of which," they add. "That time we ran into Akechi, right before we broke up... Is it okay if I ask what you two talked about while I was gone?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Mm. Yeah. And... I could have done the same, too," Minako says. She tilts her head to the side, her eyes lighting up a little. "It's hard," she agrees. "But I'm glad it hasn't been a bad thing. You've got a deal!"
Then, she hears that -- and she laughs. "You told me they talked to you," she says. "But--but I don't think the part where they're a couple, oh my god." She giggles, and then she lifts her hand to cover her mouth.
But Minako laughs, too. She nods her head, quickly. "Yeah... she is. I'm glad I have her."
She nods, then. She gets wanting to be single -- she more than gets that -- but there is a moment's pause at their question. She looks up at Ren. "I, um. We talked about you, and he was getting at me, and--uh--" She winces. "...I... maybe caught a vibe that Akechi is into you and maybe told him that and he was maybe really not okay with that?"
She laughs, weakly. It dies off quickly.
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
A deal is a deal. Ren smiles a little more too, relief wafting up within them. Now it feels a lot more like they can move on from the time they were dating and be friends again.
Her giggling gets them to grin outright. "It was hilarious. It was obvious they were making it up. I had a lot of fun messing with them about it." They wink. "Didn't take 'em long to crack."
Maybe one day Yukari will realize the true nature of her feelings for Minako. Ren hopes, if she does, it isn't too late for the two of them. For both their sakes.
They fall quiet and sober when Minako explains the secret conversation with Akechi. After a moment, they nod. "Yeah. I had a feeling it might've been something like that," they say quietly. "Good to have it confirmed." They pause and glance around. No one's near enough to overhear them, and they lean forward. "But, for the record, it's totally platonic on his end. Because he's straight. Got it?"
They give her a Meaningful Look. The two of them are enough alike that Ren trusts she'll pick up what they're putting down: that Akechi is in the closet and wants to stay that way.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"I bet. I--haa--I can't see them dating each other," Minako says. She smiles, then, and leans back against her chair. She cuts through her chicken with a knife -- and doesn't miss a beat as Ren looks more serious, and she sees them lean forward. She blinks, once.
A look of understanding crosses her face.
"Yeah, totally platonic," she answers. "I got it." She nods once, seriously; she may have her issues with Akechi, but she isn't going to out him.
"I'm... not gonna ask how you feel about him," she says, more quietly. "But... you ever want to talk about that to someone." She nods, and keeps her voice down. "Just let me know, okay?"
<Pose Tracker> Ren Amamiya has posed.
Once they lean back, for their part, Ren starts in on munching those veggies. The Salisbury steak will get a nice dollop of ketchup in its time, but they gotta get their vitamins and minerals in first.
Naturally, Minako does get it. Ren does feel a little bad about even implying confirmation of something Akechi told them in confidence and asked to be kept a secret, but, well... it's in service of keeping it a secret in a broader sense. Minako figured it out already anyway. No point in keeping that particular cat in her bag.
For a moment, they don't respond as she continues. Considering their mouth is full, they even have an excuse. Still, though, they soon nod and swallow. "Thanks. I appreciate it," they murmur back.
How they feel about him is complicated, anyway--even if by now they accept he's not the Black Mask after all.
"So what about you, Minako-chan?" they ask, now speaking at normal volume (for them, anyway) as they cut themself a piece of steak. "You said you've been busy--what else've you had going on lately?"
<Pose Tracker> Minako Arisato has posed.
"Of course," Minako says, with a smile. She nods back to them. And she doesn't press -- true to form -- but she does file that note away.
There is a momentary pause. They were talking about Ren's love life, and she should reciprocate -- but that's not a love life, it's more of a... friendly situation... and she isn't sure she wants to unpack it. Besides, she has other news.
"Well, the volleyball club is back at it," she says. "We're working pretty hard for a meet coming up. Rio-chan is nervous, but I think..."
And on she goes!