105 Ha! Gottem!

Despite her raised brow, the girl shrugged, not all that interested in Shin's personal details. She kept on walking inside the gym.

As Shin looked to the side, he could see the track team run around, practicing. Remembering Yamauchi made Shin think that he should talk to Ryuji soon about breaking the news to the track team.

The moment he stepped inside the classroom building, on his way to the exit, a short, black-haired girl stepped in front of him and, for all intents and purposes, shoved a newspaper in his hands.

"I'm sorry to ask this of you, but do you think you could take that newspaper with you? It's printed by the school's news club, but recently not many students take them..." she said, with her eyes looking down.

She was clearly distressed.

"Is that so?" asked Shin. "And I take it the principal wants to close your club or something, right?"

The girl nodded, glumly.

"Yes. So, it'd be very helpful if you took one."

"Alright." said the teen, rolling the newspaper and putting it in his bag, eliciting an annoyed grunt from Morgana.

"I understand if you don't want to- huh?"

"I'll take your newspaper."

The girl smiled.

"Thank you."

In the few following minutes after that, Shin watched as the girl tried, and failed, to get students to take a newspaper with them.

"Oh god, this is getting nowhere!" he exclaimed.

Shin right up to the girl and picked up one of the newspapers she had in her bag.

"What are you-?" she asked, but she couldn't finish her question as Shin shouted to a student with curly black hair.

"Hey, you! Yeah, you! The one with curly hair. Catch!" he shouted, and proceeded to fling the rolled-up newspaper at said student.

The boy could only turn his head around, surprised, when the newspaper hit him square on the forehead.

"Ow!" he groaned, rubbing his forehead. "What was that?"

"You better not get rid of that newspaper, you hear me?" shouted Shin.

"Ack!" the boy looked like he wanted to say more, but when he saw Shin's face, he chose to keep quiet.

"See! You just have to be a little more... assertive, so to speak." said Shin.

"Uhm, I'm not sure I could do that..." commented the girl.

"Nonsense. Everyone can do that. Physically, at least. Whether they have the guts to actually do it is another thing entirely." he said. "Still, that approach won't work in the long term. Threatening people can only get you so far."

The girl nodded her head in response.

"Then, do you have any other ideas?" she asked, hopefully.

"Have you tried making the content more interesting?" asked Shin.

"I only write the truth in this." the girl replied, resolutely.

"I mean, that's an admirable sentiment, but I really doubt all that much happens at school to make the truth interesting enough for most students."

"I can't let myself write fabrications in this."

Shin clicked his tongue.

"Then, at least make the cover more aesthetically pleasing." he suggested.

"How?" she asked.

"Then let me ask this, uh..."

"Maemi. Maemi Maeda."

"Let me ask you this, Maemi. What color is this?" he asked, pointing at the only image on the first page of the newspaper.

"Black."

"And what color is our uniform?"

"White."

"And what about the walls?"

"Grey."

"And that guy's hair?" asked Shin, pointing at a random student.

"Black."

"And your underwear?"

"Whi-" started Maemi, but she stopped once she processed the question. Despite her blush, she looked angrily at Shin.

"See! It's all so monochrome around here! Add some color to this" he slapped the newspaper. "and I'm sure others would at least look at them."

Maemi looked like she wanted to say something else, but Shin rushed outside immediately after finishing what he said.

-

Confidants:

0. Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2

I. Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 3

1. Takuto Maruki (The Councillor) - Rank 1

II. Makoto Niijima (The Priestess) - Rank 3

IV. Yusuke Kitagawa (The Emperor) - Rank 3

Odd man - Rank 1

V. Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 3

VI. Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 7

VII. Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 7

VIII. Goro Akechi (The Justice) - Rank 1

IX. Futaba Sakura (The Hermit) - Rank 3

X. Maemi Maeda (The Fortune) - Rank 1

XI. Caroline & Justine (The Strength) - Rank 10

XIII. Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 5

Reaper - Rank 1

XIV. Sadayo Kawakami (The Temperance) - Rank 5

XVIII. Saki Yoshiko (The Moon) - Rank 3

XIX. Sho Minazuki (The Sun) - Rank 2

Toranosuke Yoshida - Rank 1

XX. Sae Niijima (The Judgement) - Rank 2

Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 8