#dereines

@dereines 

He's been home for over a week, but he couldn't bring himself to unpack his trunk. Things that were too big to pack in the van were being sent by mail and should be arriving soon, too. That would be the official end of his year-long adventure and his stint as the leader of the world-famous Phantom Thieves of Hearts. He just.... didn't want it to be over just yet.

He looked toward his desk. It was just like he left it. Unlike the one he had in the attic that was littered with infiltration tools and materials. Instead, it was tidy and well-stocked with everything a desk should have. He walked over and took up the packs of stationery that he bought the day before.... one for each of his friends: flowers for Haru, American comic book characters for Ryuji, a watercolor Japanese-themed parchment for Yusuke ...and so on. He figured that he should write letters instead. It was much more personalized and forces him to say more then texting does. He pulled out the bundle of panda-print that looked a lot like the character on Makoto's favorite pencil case. Now would be a good time to write a few.

Hey Makoto, 

      I hope this got to you without to much trouble. I know you are settling into collage-life. Are things are setting in for you? How have you been since we parted ways? I hope your sister took the whole things well. 

     To be frank, I’m feeling pretty homesick already. You wouldn’t think so since I am sitting at my own desk in a room that I have had since my early childhood. I miss that dusty attic and the smell of curry and coffee more than my own room. I thought that was strange at first, but I come to realize the difference is the friends I have made and the trials that we all went through and bonded over. That, and I forgot how empty this house is when my parents are at work. Amazing what you can get used to till you are exposed to something different. 

    I wonder how Sujin is going to be this year without the Phantom Thieves and without the criminal student to gossip over. I even miss the halls of that school already. The uniform I had here at home doesn’t fit anymore. Of course, I was a first-year the last time I wore it. 

    Are you settled into a dorm? Do you have a roommate? I wanna hear it all. It will give me something to do if I’m handwriting letters back and forth. I hope you’re game.

Keep in Touch,

Once more, the former hikikomori stood in front of the gates at the expansive Shujin Academy.  A certain person was not by her side this go-around, and nervousness was evident in the way her knees trembled and as she kept to other side of the gate, letting the other students pass by as her observant gaze was locked onto the entrance door.  Instead of donning her usual casual attire, the school’s uniform clothed Futaba’s petite frame, signalling the fact that she was now officially enrolled in high school.  

This would be her first day here as a student, and to say she was anxious would be an understatement!  Yet a series of texts early this morning had reassured her that someone from the friend group would be here to meet her.

With midterms on the rise, there was no way in hell that Makoto was going to let the rest of her teammates slack off on their studies -- and least of all Ren, their leader. When it came to academics, Ren did surprisingly well for a "so-called criminal", climbing his class's ranks as the school year went on. It was a mistake to believe it was out of any genuine love for school, however; perhaps it merely satisfied him on some level to see his naysayers eat their earlier words about him, casting judgment without knowing anything about his situation. It helped, too, having Kawakami-sensei on his side nowadays, a shockingly helpful ally who let him use class time to sleep or work on infiltration tools.

She couldn't help him through midterms, though. That was how he found himself in the student council room alone with Makoto after class let out for the day, thumbing through textbook pages and jotting down notes. Briefly, Ren wondered why he needed to know the names of certain phenomenons or the origins of certain words, as well as contemplating how startlingly relevant some of these study topics were to phantom thievery... But not so much for daily life. Needless to say, his mind was wandering, and before he knew it, his eyes landed on Makoto's Buchimaru-themed pencil case, worn as usual. Then, Ren looked at his phone. There was a text from Ryuji, but Makoto would raise hell were he to answer it. Without realizing it, Ren had begun spinning his pencil around his finger, like he needed to keep his hands busy if his mind wasn't. Noting the rain beginning to gently fall against the windows, Ren finally stood up.