It had taken just under half an hour for the whispers around Ren Amamiya to stop. The majority of them were the same ones he had been hearing any time it looked like he was studying or looking the part of a typical student.

Why was Shujin's latest delinquent sitting quietly in the library engrossed in his school books?

After a half day of classes, Ren decided he might as well get some studying done at the library. It wasn't like he had anything else on this Spring Saturday and he didn't know enough about his newfound home to go loitering about. Both Ryuji and Ann were busy that day and Morgana apparently had cat things to do. When he entered the library just after lunch time he accidentally bumped into a girl exiting the room. He had never seen her before but there was something about her that seemed familiar, almost as if he had met her some time ago.

She had relatively straight brown hair styled in a bob with Hime style bangs and a pristine looking braid that ran across the crown of her head. She was rather slim yet Ren could sense the hints of curves beneath her school uniform. Not that he was checking her out though admittedly she was quite the attractive young lady. What did capture his interest were her eyes. They were an incredibly bright brown, so bright that they basically looked red to him. But they didn't seem happy, in fact, quite the opposite. What probably should have been close to shimmering rubies were instead a set of eyes that looked incredibly sad.

He muttered words of apology as did she before he watched her disappear around the corner. Ren meanwhile took a free seat and began to study but not before hearing certain words of contempt and distrust from the present students. He blocked them out however and instead his mind wandered to the girl from earlier. There was just something about her that seemed to light a fire within him. He pushed notions of love at first sight out of his mind. That was as ridiculous as the rumours people spread about him. But he had to admit, she was incredibly beautiful and it hurt his heart to see the forlorn expression on her face, even but for a moment. Much to his chagrin, several students noticed that he had momentarily stopped studying and was instead daydreaming.

"Looks like he isn't actually studying."

"I knew it. What a faker."

"Bet he's just in here to look good for the teachers."

Ren inwardly groaned as the gossiping had picked up again. He checked the clock on the wall. It was only 1:18pm. Before he knew it, he had begun packing his things up and was out of the library. Maybe he could find somewhere to lay low and kill time. He began to walk through the hallway before glancing to a nearby staircase. The one that led to the roof where for the past 2 weeks had been their base of operations. Ren began to ascend the steps, hoping that the chairs they had left there were still there so he could laze about. The sight he saw when he opened the door wasn't one he was expecting.

Sitting down staring out into the cityscape was the girl he had bumped into earlier. The sound of the door opening broke her out of her daze and for the second time today Ren felt a weird sense of familiarity come over him as their eyes met.

"The roof's usually off limits, you know?" She dryly stated.

Ren took a few steps closer.

"Why are you up here then?" He asked.

She ignored the question, instead keeping her stare on his form as he sat himself down on a nearby seat. As Student Council President she felt the need to reprimand him for his actions but that would be rather hypocritical considering she was doing the exact same thing. There was something about the young man that piqued her interest though. As befitting of her position, she knew of the noteworthy students attending Shujin Academy, especially those considered to be delinquents. And none had made a bigger impact in his first two weeks than the boy sitting across from her.

"Ren Amamiya." She quietly acknowledged, mainly towards herself.

Here was Shujin's so called New Badboy and yet she saw none of that so far. Her crimson eyes slowly studied him as he fiddled around with the phone in his lap. His hair was a mess and looked to hide half the frames of his glasses. Even in a seated position he looked incredibly lanky but had a rather broad chest that was hidden in his slouched posture. She had only seen him from a distance beforehand and noted to herself that he was rather handsome up close, much to her confused admittance. She would never think of something like this before but the mood she was currently in hadn't put her in her usual mind. He looked up as her she was still watching him and they briefly gazed into each other's eyes before both looked away, cheeks red with light embarrassment.

"S-so why are you up here then?" he asked again.

"Just wanted some peace and quiet." She bluntly replied.

She watched him relax a little in his seat.

"Me too." He replied.

She nodded in understanding. With what rumours she had heard being spread about him she couldn't blame him. They eased into a silence with neither seemingly wanting to break it yet both wanting to speak. Finally Ren spoke up.

"You alright?"

The girl sighed. She was never the type to speak out what she was feeling, content to keep it bottled up within her. She wasn't close enough to anyone her age and her sister had grown even more distant through the years, entirely focused on the success of her career. Ren kept his eyes on her as she contemplated telling him. With a deep breath she spoke.

"It's my birthday today."

She let the sentence linger watching his expression change from apathetic to one that seemed a confused.

"You don't seem all that happy for someone celebrating their birthday." He commented.

She nodded in agreement.

"No," she said "I do not."

"Why is that?"

She didn't know why she was being so candid with a boy she had never spoken to before but there was an odd sense of familiarity that surrounded him. It was almost as if they had been friends for a while. Her eyes met his once more and she could see an ocean of understanding in them. It was as if he knew she was hurting and wanted to care for her.

"M-my sister is the only family I have left," she croaked as she began to explain "We were supposed to go out dinner tonight to celebrate. I was looking forward to it all week and…" she paused to clear her throat "She texted me during lunch saying she'd have to cancel again because of work."

"I'm sorry." Ren said sincerely.

She gave him a bittersweet smile and shook her head.

"Its fine, it's not like this isn't a normal thing."

"Still, that shouldn't mean you should spend your birthday alone," he said "What about friends? Do you have anyone that would want to chill tonight?"

The girl seemed to stop as she turned away embarrassedly.

"W-well I um…" she stuttered "I don't really have anyone to err, 'chill' with."

She awkwardly laughed and kept her eyes away from him, afraid that he might be judging her. For the past three years she had been quite the loner, spending more time in her school books and at home than spending time with others.

"I see…" Ren said softly.

He chose not to pry and silence soon came over the two again as they sat there looking out into the tall buildings that surrounded their school.

"Do you want to go do something?" he suddenly asked.

The question seemed to rock the girl to the core as she froze up immediately upon hearing it.

"Wh-what do you mean?" she questioned.

Ren quickly lost what composure he had when he realized what he had basically done. He was asking this girl he had spoken to for the first time today on what could be seen as a date. He cleared his throat.

"Uh well you know we could go hang out somewhere in Shibuya. Maybe visit an arcade or grab something to eat."

He held his breath as she began to ponder her thoughts.

"I don't think we should eat anything just after lunch," she replied as his expression dropped before speaking again "But I suppose an arcade could be fun. I've never been."

Ren raised an eyebrow at her statement but thought nothing of it. He stood up and straightened his blazer. Before he could say anything she asked a question.

"W-would this... I mean err… does this count as…" she trailed off.

"Yes?" he questioned.

"Are you asking me out on a date?"

It took every fibre of willpower in him to not combust in an awkward mess. Now that he thought on it, it sounded exactly like he was asking her on a date. It would be just the two of them, enjoying each other's company as they went about different activities. Yes that's exactly what a date is.

"Yeah, I guess I am." He managed to say.

The girl blushed at his words and turned her head to look away from him. He could see the hint of a smile forming on her face. He turned and was about to head towards the door when she spoke again but his ears couldn't pick up on what her soft voice had said.

"What was that?" he asked.

"Makoto." She replied.

"Makoto?"

"My name," she smiled "Makoto Niijima."

"It's nice to meet you, Niijima-san." He said before eyeing the 3rd Year symbol emblazoned on her uniform. "Niijima-senpai, I mean."

She frowned at him.

"Call me Makoto." She insisted "Ren-kun."

He threw a smirk at her and he was pretty sure he saw a hint of a blush form on her cheeks as he did.

"Alright, Makoto." He smiled "I look forward to our err, date."

The D word caused the blood in her cheeks to flare red.

"Y-yes, of course." She stuttered "I'll be in your care."

He smiled back. She was so cute.

"Let's head down then."

She nodded and before they knew it they found themselves right outside of their school. There were a few students present and almost every single one of them was giving the pair odd looks. Ren could hear hushed whispers yet the students made sure to keep every word as quiet as possible. He glanced to his side at the girl beside him who didn't seem bothered by the gossiping students. In fact, she seemed in a little bit of a happier mood compared to earlier when it looked like she was on the verge of tears. But as Makoto was now, she looked content. Beautiful even. There was just something about her that seemed to tick all his boxes. Ren was never the type to narrow what he wanted in a girl in one archetype, at least appearance wise but something just seemed to draw him to Makoto. More than just thinking she was pretty and yet he knew pretty much nothing about her. He didn't know what came over him when he asked her out on this impromptu date but something in his heart told him it was a good decision.

They were soon at the station platform and caught the next train towards Shibuya. They sat beside each other in a free seat and Ren couldn't help but periodically look towards her. He thanked the gods that Morgana wasn't with him today. The cat would certainly make several snide remarks at his expense. In the corner of his eye he could see her hands tensed in her lap. She seemed to be pretty nervous and he couldn't blame her. She was spending time alone with the so called delinquent of their school. No doubt she had heard the things people were saying about him and yet she agreed to come nonetheless. Adding that to her earlier sour mood, he wanted nothing more than to cheer her up.

"So which arcade are we going to?" she asked.

"There's one on Central Street near the station that I've been to twice. Ryuji seems to go there regularly." Ren replied.

"I see." She responded "Do you and Sakamoto-kun often hang out?"

Ren chuckled.

"Well I've only been here for about two weeks but yeah, I've hung out with him most days after school."

"O-oh of course." Makoto blushed.

It was official. Makoto's blushing face was Ren's favourite thing in the world now. The rest of their commute was spent in silence and they soon arrived at Shibuya Station. Walking closely together they crossed the road into Central Street. Ren's eyes briefly glanced at the alley towards Untouchable before continuing along with Makoto following closely behind. She seemed to shrink into herself as they got closer towards their destination and Ren definitely noticed.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked with concern on his face.

"Yes, sorry." Makoto apologized "Just nervous, I guess."

"Don't be, it's just an arcade." Ren said trying to reassure her.

Makoto looked down towards the ground.

"It's not that, it's just well…" she trailed off before recomposing herself "this is my first date."

Ren soon joined her in the blushing department when he heard that D word once more.

"L-let's not think of it like that and just enjoy ourselves." He said, trying to show his resolve.

She regained her own composure and nodded as they walked in together. The sight of everything seemed to stun Makoto momentarily. There were a lot more games than she had anticipated. The arcade had so much variety she didn't know where to start. She turned to Ren for guidance.

"What should we start with?" she asked.

Ren pondered for a moment before eyeing a game not too far from them.

"How do you feel about guns and shooting?"

"Guns? Well I do enjoy shootouts in Yakuza action movies."

She put her hand over her mouth as soon as she spoke and looked away.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked.

"Err, you don't think that's weird, right?" She asked as her eyes continued to look towards the ground.

"What do you mean? Liking action movies."

Makoto meekly nodded.

"Nah why would I think that? You can like whatever you want to like."

She looked up at him and their eyes met. They were smiling down at her. Her nervousness seemed to go away at the sight of him and she smiled back. The pair made their way towards the game where Ren began to teach Makoto the basics. For the most part, Makoto had picked it up fairly quickly though she did have the occasional outburst every time she missed a shot. What Ren found the cutest however was whenever Makoto was being shot at. She seemed to think dodging herself would help and would move around as they played. At one time she even bumped into Ren much to her embarrassment. She apologized profusely but he waved her off and they go back into the game. It seemed they had drawn quite the crowd as Makoto was getting really into the game.

As they finished playing a few rounds, Ren couldn't help but feel a sense of déjà vu. This was the first time they had spoken and the first time they had hung out like this but he couldn't help but feel like he had done this before.

"What's wrong?" Makoto asked, breaking the bespectacled boy out of his thoughts.

"Nothing," he quickly said. "What game do you want to play now?"

She took a look around before pointing to a nearby fighting game. Suffice to say Makoto didn't pick it up as fast as she did with the shooting game and they only played a few rounds. Ren felt a bit bad that he won every single battle but she said it was fine and that she was having fun regardless. For the next few hours they went through the arcade, playing every game that caught Makoto's eye. Ren couldn't help but smile as her happiness was becoming infectious. It seemed everything that had been weighing on her mind earlier was put in the backseat as she focused on just having fun.

Deciding she needed a quick bathroom break, Makoto excused herself to head to the nearby toilets. As Ren waited another game appeared in the corner of his eye. He walked closer towards it. It was one of those claw games with several cute prizes. Ren had played this before but it never really ended well. He had won a prize maybe twice in his lifetime. His grey eyes surveyed the potential prizes. There was one just off the centre that caught his attention. It was a stuffed panda with several black dots scattered across its white body. Again Ren felt that sense of déjà vu. It felt weird considering he had never seen this character before and yet the name rolled off his tongue as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

"Buchimaru…"

There was an odd feeling in his heart that told him Makoto would probably appreciate it. Before he could question it he had already inserted several yen in. The first attempt was a complete bust and Ren had to adjust his aim. The second attempt was much better but still failed to grasp the stuffed panda. The saying "Third Time's the Charm" was a complete lie as Buchimaru dropped just as it was grasped by the metal claw. It ended up taking 2 more attempts before Ren had finally claimed the prize. He held the stuffed toy in his hand and examined it. It had quite the happy expression on its face, smiling up at him.

"Ren-kun?" a soft voice spoke.

He turned to find Makoto had returned and was looking at him curiously.

"Sorry to make you wai-" she begun before she cut herself off when she saw what was in his grasps "Is that Buchi-kun?"

He nodded and held it out towards her. He never saw her take it from him as it was within her embrace after a single blink. The sight of Makoto nuzzling her face against its furry body was probably the second cutest thing he saw today after Makoto blushing and it lit a fire within him. There was just something that was drawing him to her and her being adorable as fuck wasn't helping. It took a good minute for Makoto to realize what she had been doing and quickly attempted to regain her composure, much to Ren's amusement.

'There it is, the cutest thing in the world.'

"Th-thank you for the Buchimaru-kun." She said quite bashfully.

Ren couldn't help but scratch the back of his head, slightly embarrassed as well.

"It was no big deal." He replied "It's your birthday after all."

Makoto gave him the most genuine smile he had seen all day. He couldn't help but smile back.

"Shall we look around for something else to do?"

The two walked around a bit before Makoto came across something she was interested in.

"What's this machine?" she asked.

"It's a photo-booth," Ren explained "It lets you take a bunch of pictures that you can edit on these panels."

Makoto's eyes never left it as she tapped her finger on her chin.

"Hm, I see…"

"Want to try it?" Ren asked.

She looked up at him then back at the photo-booth.

"Oh um well, I don't know," she said "I don't think I'm really photogenic."

Ren laughed a little.

"Don't worry, neither am I." He joked.

She smiled and giggled along before being nudged in by Ren. The boy put in some coins and faced the camera.

"Where do I look?"

"Here."

"Do I need to pose?"

"I should smile right?"

"Yeah."

"How do I…? Wait! I'm not ready."

After a dozen shots had been taken they inspected them at the nearby panel. Unfortunately in three of them, Makoto either had her eyes closed mid-blink or were looking awkwardly somewhere. In another Ren had unfortunately been blocked by Buchimaru being held up by an eager Makoto. The rest however were pretty nice and Ren couldn't help but notice a particular one where Makoto had unknowingly leant against him. To anyone that saw the picture, they certainly looked like they were a couple and the thought caused Ren to blush bright red. Makoto however didn't seem to notice as she was too engrossed in going through the editing options.

"Look how many of these stickers there are!" she exclaimed.

They spent the next few minutes adding effects and stickers before one particular one caught Ren's eye. It was a crown but one more suited to a female. It wasn't gaudy or overly flashy like many of the other options. He pondered for a moment. It was elegant and beautiful. Kind of like Makoto. He moved his finger and placed the crown on the picture he was editing, right above her head.

"What's that?" Makoto asked.

Ren jumped a little in surprise as he had been entirely focused on the sticker.

"Oh um, a crown."

"I-I see," she said as she examined it "It's rather regal."

Ren laughed a little.

"Fit for a Queen, is it not?"

"Queen…" she repeated "For some reason it feels sort of right."

"Yeah. Queen definitely suits you."

She blushed at his statement before going back to the panel. They finished their editing and Ren allowed Makoto to press the process button much to her delight. Two copies were printed for each of them. Ren couldn't help but notice Makoto gazing upon the pictures with a satisfied expression.

"Yes, yes this looks good."

"Happy with it?" Ren asked with a smirk on his face.

She blushed lightly and nodded as she placed the photo neatly into her bag.

"Yes, it's a wonderful memento to remember today fondly by." She answered with a smile.

Ren smiled along with her. As the two exited the booth Ren bumped into someone and knocked them over.

"Ow man, forreal?" the voice groaned "Hey man, watch where you're go…ing…"

Ren looked down to see Ryuji bowled over on the floor.

"RenRen! Whatcha doing here, bud?" the blonde asked as he got up from the floor and wrapped his arm around his bud.

"Oh uh well…" Ren began before trailing off and motioning to the person present beside him.

To say Ryuji was shocked to say the least was an understatement as the finally noticed Shujin Student Council President Makoto Niijima standing there with an amused expression on her face.

"Miss Prez!" Ryuji shouted "What are you doing here?!"

'Don'tsaywereonadate. Don'tsaywereonadate.' Ren repeated in his mind.

He was not going to look forward to Ryuji's teasing.

"We're on a date." Makoto bashfully answered.

'Shit'

You could probably see Ryuji's shit eating grin from outer space with how big it was looking.

"Oh really? Well don't let me interrupt you!" he said slapping Ren's back "I'll just go ahead and do my own thing.

He began to walk away before turning back and giving Ren one last wink.

"Take care now!" he laughed.

Ren exhaled the breath that he didn't know he had been holding and turned to Makoto who looked confused for a moment.

"Should I have not told him that?" she asked.

Ren shook his head.

"No it's fine, I'm just gonna have to put up with his teasing for a good while."

"Oh." Makoto said shrinking within herself "Sorry."

"It's fine. Do you want to do anything else or…"

Makoto pondered for a moment and had a good look around the room before shaking her head.

"No I think I'm quite satisfied with how today went." She responded "Though I am feeling a little peckish."

"How about we grab something to eat then?" Ren suggested.

"That sounds great."

It took a while for them to find something that Makoto was willing to eat. Ren quickly learnt that she was relatively particular about the food she ate to keep her body healthy and as such places like Ann's favourite crepe stand or Ryuji's go to beef bowl shop were a no go. Big Bang Burger wasn't even within consideration though Ren had a feeling that would be the case. They eventually settled upon a small gyoza stand that was hidden away behind the cinema. The pair sat down at a bench in a nearby park to rest as they ate. Just as Ren was about to take a bite his phone began ringing.

"Sorry," he apologized to Makoto before answering the phone "Hello?"

"Hey kid, it's me." The voice of Sojiro spoke "You're not planning on being out late are you? It's almost sun down."

Ren checked his watch and it was in fact already nearing 6PM. He had already spent 5 hours with Makoto and time seemed to fly by.

"Ah sorry I lost track of time. I'll be on my way home soon."

"Good," Sojiro responded "It's not that I don't trust you it's just you've got to keep your nose clean and coming home on time it's the best way to do that. Where are you anyways? It sounds too noisy to be at school."

Ren awkwardly glanced at Makoto who had been politely busying herself with her food as to not eaves drop.

"I'm in Shibuya, actually." Ren answered.

"Shibuya? What, you hanging with that knuckleheaded buddy you told me about?"

"Err no actually it's um… well it's a girl." Ren reluctantly answered.

"Take your time then." He heard Sojiro say.

Ren was confused for a moment but then realized Sojiro was most likely doing him a solid. So the old goat could be nice after all. The thought caused him to smirk in amusement.

"I'll be home soon." Ren said before he said goodbye and hung up.

He turned to Makoto who was sitting there awkwardly waiting for Ren to finish.

"Your Guardian?" she asked.

"Yeah," Ren nodded "He was just checking up on me."

"I see."

Part of Makoto was interested in asking more but she didn't think she had the right to ask. And she didn't want to spoil what had been a wonderful afternoon in case things went sour. Ren quickly gobbled up his gyoza that had begun to go cold as the two sat in the park. The street lights scattered along the pathways had begun to light up as the afternoon sun dipped beneath the city skyline.

"We should call it a day here." Makoto said quietly.

"Do you need me to walk you home or anything?" Ren offered.

Makoto smiled and shook her head. For a so called delinquent he was quite the gentleman.

"No it's fine. I only live two stops away from Shibuya."

"R-right."

The two slowly made their way towards the station with the Buchimaru plush still wrapped up in Makoto's arms. As they stood at the edge of the Station Square and its entrance Makoto stopped.

"Thank you." She said, turning towards Ren.

"Hey, it's no big deal." Ren replied trying to wave it off but Makoto shook her head.

"No really. I was almost certain I was going to spend all of today alone in my room again. Today has been the best day I've had in a good while."

Ren smiled at her heartfelt admission. After everything that had happened to him in the past few months, it was a highlight for him too.

"I know it's not the same as being with your sister but, I'm glad you enjoyed it nonetheless." He said with a smile.

"I did. Thank you, Ren."

The dropping of the honourific wasn't missed by the frizzy haired boy but he chose not to comment on it. Instead he smiled at her once more.

"Happy birthday again, Makoto."

They said their goodbyes and as Ren was about to head inside the station he heard his name being called. He turned to see Makoto jogging towards him.

"One last thing." She stated.

"What's u-" he began before being cut off.

There was a sudden soft feeling against his cheek. He blinked and it took a few seconds for him to register what had transpired. Makoto had leant up on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek. She smiled with a blush on her face and walked towards the station entrance before disappearing into the sea of people. Ren stood there with a dumbfounded expression on his face. He brought his hand up to his cheek and lightly touched the spot that had been kissed by Makoto. Finally he broke out of his stupor and noticed a middle aged man with a receding hairline and sash across his torso looking at him with a grin. The man gave him an approving nod and threw his thumbs up at the still dazed teen.

Ren smiled back before heading towards his own platform, the still fresh feeling of Makoto's kiss lingering on his cheek.

As she boarded her train and fell into her seat, Makoto couldn't help but feel all giddy. She didn't know what possessed her to try something like kissing Ren on the cheek but she couldn't say she disliked it. He did deserve it after spending the day with her. There was just something about him that seemed both mysterious and familiar and it genuinely interested her. She held the Buchimaru plushie tightly against her torso as the train chugged along. She was going to cherish this gift. She was going to cherish his presence.

The single word that Ren had used to describe her went through her mind.

"Queen." She softly muttered. "It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it, Buchi-kun?"

Author's Note:

Wanted to write a quick one to celebrate Makoto's birthday. Hopefully it's enjoyable and up to par with some of my other work! Ended up staying up late to finish this one but I'm rather happy with the end result.

I decided to post this separately from "Deck of Cards" as that story while isn't a cohesive one chapter to the next chapter style of fanfic, it is still all within the same world/universe but as broken up one shots whereas this is in a New Game+ playthrough so isn't canon to that story.

Thanks to Leena for proofreading.

Shoot me a follow on Twitter if you like what I do: MadmanJrs