Chapter 53
[75]
“Ow...Ow...Ouch...Ouch. Hey that hurts!”
“Well it probably wouldn’t hurt as much if you helped me a little!” Futaba tried to pull the boy up from off of his bed, his back brace making the process difficult. Ren finally managed to stand up with Futaba’s help.
As the two of them made their way downstairs for breakfast, Ren leaned against the smaller girl for support. “Thanks Futaba, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
The younger girl blushed at the compliment as she carried her crush to one of the booths. The pair took their seats and Sojiro silently handed each of them a plate of curry. The expression on his face was unreadable, but he seemed to be in deep thought.
It’d been 3 days now since Ms. Negative was arrested once again. This time, the police kept Wakaba heavily sedated for her incarceration and she was finally shipped off to The Raft, the only place that could properly hold someone like her. There were mixed feelings all around, the trio were sad about what had happened to her, but at the same time, they were hopeful that she was safe now, unable to harm herself or others.
Sojiro had barely spoken to Ren in those 3 days, the revelation of his alter ego had definitely put a strain on their relationship and left Ren unsure of his guardian’s thoughts. As Futaba and Ren finished their breakfast, the man in question took a seat across from them and let out a sigh.
“Kid...I think it’s time we address the elephant in the room. I’ve been quiet about it for a while since you were healing, but we need to talk about this whole Spider-Man thing.”
Ren looked down and sighed, he’d known this moment would be coming. “Look Sojiro, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it earlier. I just got these powers a few months ago and-”
“Let me stop you right there.” Sojiro interrupted. “I’m not mad that you didn’t tell me. In fact, I suppose a part of me wishes I still didn’t. Things have been...better since you came along. You helped break Futaba out of her shell some more, you’ve been a great help around the cafe, and I’ve got to admit it, I enjoy having you around.”
Ren was shocked. This was not the direction he’d seen this conversation going, things tended not to work out this well for him.
“And that makes this next part much harder.” Sojiro continued.
Oh no.
“I want you to stop being Spider-Man.”
“...”
“...”
“WHAT!?” Futaba and Ren cried out at the same time, not able to believe what they’d just heard.
“Boss you can’t be serious! Have you seen what’s going on out in the city? There’s a villain attack practically every other day! If I don’t stop them, who will?” Ren questioned the man.
“Law enforcement, the military, some other costumed hero, I don’t care who does it but it can’t be you.” Sojiro replied calmly.
“We all know that won’t work Sojiro! Ren’s the only one with enough power and morals to defend the city!” Futaba yelled at her adoptive father.
“You don’t know that Futaba. It’s happened twice now, it could happen again.” Sojiro countered.
“But why Sojiro? Why can’t I be Spider-Man? I’ve been doing an...okay job so far.”
“Kid, you nearly died the other night. If Futaba and I hadn’t shown up when we did, you’d be dead right now, not to mention you’d be paralyzed if we didn’t help you out after. You wanna tell me how I’m supposed to explain that to your parole officer? To your parents!?” Sojiro was getting angry now.
“I-” Ren started, though he wasn’t sure how to answer that.
“And what do you think would happen to Futaba and I if you died while under my watch? I had to fight tooth and nail to get custody of her in the first place. If a minor died while under my care, then the courts would take her away! Ever think about that!? This doesn’t just affect you Ren!”
Ren was speechless, he’d never even considered the repercussions the Sakuras would deal with in the event of his death. How could he have been so selfish? And after everything Sojiro had told him about Futaba’s predicament before living here. The courts had given Wakaba’s relatives custody of her initially, which was against her wishes, but she couldn’t arrive in court to protest due to ‘work.’
Both of the teens were unable to give Sojiro an answer. What could they have said to change his mind?
“I don’t want either of you to get hurt. I know this seems unfair, but know that I’m only doing this out of consideration for you both.”
Ren merely looked down. His time here at Leblanc had been the greatest time of his life, if he could, he wanted to stay here forever. And in a moment of weakness, Ren was tempted to give it all up to stay here. But then he remembered why he was doing this, all the people he’d saved, the criminals he’d stopped, it wouldn’t end with Wakaba, he knew that much. People would still be in danger of the threat that lay behind it all, the one manipulating the strings, and he couldn’t stop until they were stopped.
Ren stood up, ignoring the pain in his back. “I’m sorry Sojiro, but I can’t stop. Not yet.”
“Then leave.”
Those two words out of Sojiro’s mouth hit Ren hard. But it hit Futaba even harder.
“DAD NO!” She cried.
“I won’t be responsible for Ren getting himself killed. If he’s going to continue this suicide mission, I won’t be held responsible for what happens. Find someone else willing to take you in, I’ll inform your parole officer that you’ll be taken under someone else’s care and they can sort it out. But for now, pack your things and go.”
Without a word, Futaba ran out of the shop, leaving a trail of tears behind her. Sojiro quickly followed after her, calling her name in hopes of getting her to stop.
Ren made his way out of the booth and up the stairs, when his back brace protested against his movement, he tore it off with one hand. Powering through the pain he felt, he continued to climb the steps. Upon arriving in his room, he gathered up his items in a box along with his backpack. Shoving the remains of his suit into his bag along with his school supplies, he was left with the realization of how little he actually owned.
He headed down the stairs and saw that neither Sojiro nor Futaba had returned, wanting to spare them (and himself) the pain of saying goodbye, he departed out the front door. He entered the subway station nearby and left Yongen, unsure of where to go next.
He texted his friends (excluding Futaba) about the situation and asked if he could stay the night at any of their places.
‘Sorry bro, the apartment my mom and I are in can barely fit us as it is. - Ryuji’
‘I’m sorry Ren, but my caretaker’s got a strict rule against me bringing boys home. I’ll keep trying to convince her tho. - Ann’
‘The same goes for my sister. - Makoto’
‘I apologize Ren. Though you were able to help me in my time of need, I am unequipped to do so in my new apartment. It is similar in space to a supply closet and I am currently using a beanbag chair as a bed. - Yusuke’
Morgana didn’t answer the group text.
Ren sighed in defeat. There wasn’t really anywhere else he could think to go at the moment. Suddenly a thought hit him, he had one more person he could call. Hopefully she’d be willing to take him in after everything they’d been through.
He dialed her number and finally heard her pick up. “Hello?” Came the voice on the other end.
“Hey Naoto...I need a favor.”