Mercenary
"So, Yagami. Is this change temporary or not?"
Noa narrowed her eyes and repeated her probing when she saw that Reiji had his mouth clamped shut.
He looked up at her, wondering what he should say.
"Prez, I'm assuming you know what my background is like?" he finally spoke, his tone deep and contemplative.
"....I do."
"Yes, you do. But do you know what it's like to grow up in such a household? Where crime and violence are simply a means for survival, an average day, a standard of living? I admit that I have fought indiscriminately; that's no secret. I've caused a lot of trouble not only to those I fought, but those who had to clean it up, like you. But to me, that was all I knew."
Reiji sighed as he looked down at the stacks of papers scattered around her table.
"I dislike having to bring this reason up, because ultimately it doesn't excuse my behavior in the past. But I have a feeling you won't believe my change unless I tell you this. The reason I acted out so much was because of my mother's death a few years ago, as well as some events that happened after that."
None of this was a lie.
Alex/Reiji had hated the villain throughout the entirety of his playthroughs, finding him to be a violently overpowered pervert that was there purely to add conflict, increase the difficulty, and provide immense satisfaction when he was defeated.
He never once thought this character had any depth, because his backstory was never explored aside from his ties with the Yakuza.
At least that was the case in the 100 playthroughs he went through; maybe some other players had found a hidden route that unlocked this information.
The point was, Alex only understood why OG Reiji did what he did after he assimilated with his memories.
"Now, I'm not going to get into the itty bitty details because I'm not telling you all this to get sympathy. All you need to know is that the friends I made recently, the ones you met at the exhibition, have shown me that acting like that isn't all there is in life. You can say I gained a 'new perspective,' and I can assure you that I'm not gonna cause any trouble.....Most of the time."
Well, that part was a lie.
The reason he'd changed was because he wasn't the same person.
That's all there was to it.
Noa had been listening quietly to his words, her seemingly indifferent face covering the inner turmoil that was raging inside of her.
"...Wait, most of the time?" She frowned.
Reiji turned away, feigning ignorance.
With how that vice president had acted outside and the fact that he had struggled to contain his anger, it was not insane to say that he might punch 'someone' one of these days.
Noa shook her head with exasperation and leaned back into her chair.
"...Fine, since you don't want to go into the details, I'll trust you. I believe you really are trying to improve, and that's enough for me at the moment."
"Thanks, I guess? I don't know how to react to that," he replied as he scratched his head.
Then an awkward silence enveloped the room.
Noa fidgeted in her chair with a conflicted expression, a fidget ball being squished continuously in her right hand.
Reiji raised an eyebrow, baffled by her sudden discomfort.
"...Right, you said that there were two reasons why you called me here. What's the second?" he asked.
The black-haired girl bit her bottom lip at the question, closing her eyes as if she was gathering some courage.
"W-Well, I just wanted to apologize," she muttered, her words barely above a whisper.
"What?"
Reiji blinked in confusion, wondering what she was talking about.
"If this is about the exhibition, didn't you already apologize?"
"I did, but I felt like I wasn't sincere enough."
Noa breathed in heavily, and then her deep purple eyes bore straight into his blue ones.
"My little brother means everything to me, and the fact that you put yourself in danger to save him is something I cannot take lightly. I was in a hurry that day, so I didn't have the opportunity to make it up to you like I should. This envelope contains 500,000 yen, consider it as the reward for the risk you took, though I know you aren't lacking money. I also owe you a favor, so if you have anything you need from me that I am capable of fulfilling, please don't hesitate to ask," she said with a monotone voice.
Reiji was speechless at her formal and serious demeanor.
He knew she was like this, but seeing it firsthand was..... an experience. He felt like he was a mercenary being paid for a job rather than being thanked for a good deed.
"Can I cash in that favor now?"
Noa was taken aback by the immediate request, but she straightened up quickly.
"Of course, what is it?"
"I'd like to ask you a question."
"A question?" she asked with a slight tilt of her head.
"....Was Sora adopted?"
Noa's face scrunched up, puzzlement taking over every other reaction.
"What do you mean? I don't understand?" she questioned cautiously.
"Well, Sora is so cute, lively, and bubbly, while...." he trailed off.
"...."
The president stayed quiet for a brief moment, the teasing joke only processing after a moment's confusion.
"What's that supposed to mean??" she hissed, her eyes dangerously glinting under the bright lights in the office.
Reiji smiled softly.
"I'm calling you uptight, Prez," he chuckled.
Her glare intensified even further, and she opened her mouth to retort. But Reiji cut her off before she could.
"I saved Sora because I wanted to, not because I wanted a reward in any shape or form. I accept your gratitude, but please don't do something like this even though I know you mean well. It makes me feel...'icky', for the lack of a better word."
He pushed the envelope back towards her firmly, blocking off any chance for her to try and return it.
Noa froze, not expecting that to be what he meant.
"But...."
"No buts. I won't accept a favor of any sort; the thank you is enough," Reiji said, standing up from his seat.
He started walking off, glancing at the watch on his wrist.
"It's almost time for classes to start, so I'll take my leave now, Prez."
She watched him exit the office with words stuck in her throat, a mix of hesitation and shock engulfing her.
***
Noa stared at the now-empty chair in front of her desk, and then she dropped her head onto her hands with a hint of self-reproach.
"How did I mess up an apology more than once???"
It's not like she wanted to be uptight; it wasn't her fault.
That's just how she was raised!
'Wait....'
She thought back to the explanation Yagami had given about his environment, and her eyebrows raised in realization.
'...I think I understand what he meant by 'growing up' in such a household.'
She looked up at the ceiling with disbelief, feeling a bit of guilt at how she had treated Yagami until now.
'If I had tried to understand the cause instead of punishing the result.... I need to do better.'
She clenched her fists tightly, her stunningly beautiful face hardening with resolve and determination.
"Oh dear, I'm going to be late as well!"
***
Reiji entered his class just in time; the students were still mingling about, and the teacher hadn't entered yet.
But just then, Kahawara Sensei strode in with his book. The class quietened down immediately and returned to their seats, afraid of the stern scolding they would otherwise receive.
He hurried over to his desk, not forgetting to lightly smack Airi on the head when he walked past.
"Ow!" she snapped, scowling at him while rubbing her head.
"Gonna cry?"
"I can't believe I ever thought you were nice!"
"I was nice. And then I met you," he retorted.
"Where even were you?" Airi asked, ignoring his jab.
"Student Council."
"Woooooww, you got into trouble again?" she grinned.
"The opposite, I was praised for doing well," Reiji smirked, crossing his arms and puffing his chest proudly.
"The bar is quite low for you after all."
"....I can't deny that."
Noa had commended him for attending classes, so it was lower than low.
Reiji looked over and saw Greeny peeking at them with envy, but he couldn't get up and join for obvious reasons.
Near the front of the class, the main cast were also already at their desks. Riku was staring out of the window, his eyes glazed over with boredom, while Hina had her head stuck in her book for some reason.
As studious as she was, she didn't really work before classes even began, so it was a little strange.
Haruna, on the other hand, was... asleep.
'....Did we overdo the studying last night?'
Reiji grimaced, praying for her soul, which was about to ascend.
*SLAM*
"EEEEK"
"Why are you sleeping so early, Miss Yuzuki?" Kahawara Sensei seethed, his book jolting her awake as he slammed it on her desk.
"S-Sorry...."
"Don't do it again!"
As the teacher turned his back, Haruna glanced over and gave Reiji an aggrieved glare.
To which he just shrugged with a sly smile.
'Not my fault, no sir!'
But even with his denial, he was preparing his back to get slapped into oblivion later today.
