Life will Change
Original Concept: Persona 5

Chapter 5

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Created by: Atlus/Sega

Written by: wrathie

Consultation: DiLost

Cover art by: Aiwa

Author's Notes: Earlier update, but expect delays next month, this is the episode where everything changes.

I hope you enjoy it.

Shujin Academy: Courtyard

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"Mona? You're here too? I'm glad you didn't get lost." Masumi almost petted his head, but she remembered that Morgana hated being treated like a cat and she pulled her hand away.

"I got slightly lost at the start, but it was easy once I recognized the students going to your school. I did have to hide from the teachers though." Morgana preened as he leapt from the bottom of the desk to the top of the table to face all of them.

"Is this really Morgana? Wait, if he starts speaking now-" Ryuji's concern were valid, but Masumi had faith in Morgana. His cover wouldn't be broken so easily if he was as skilled he says he was.

"They can only hear a normal cat meowing, I'm not too sure how that works either, but I've gotten out cleanly and can return to the Castle if I wanted to. Allow me to aid you in your quest, Lady Masumi." Morgana bowed his cat head slightly while Masumi frowned.

"I thought you were supposed to be finding out more about the students that were abused in the Castle? I appreciate the thought, but wouldn't you prefer working on your other missions?" Honestly Masumi had no idea what they had agreed to help Morgana with, but she had always thought they would be able to get out of helping if it was too dangerous. If Morgana could enter and leave at ease, and could find them as a result, it might not be so simple.

"I am aware of the risks, Lady Masumi, but I believe my assistance would benefit you greatly. I have scouted school and can provide the locations of the students that have been inflicted with the most injuries. With Ryuji's help, we would be able to narrow down the list of suspects."

That was really well thought out and Masumi didn't have an argument against it, guess he was here to stay.

"That's a great idea, let's work on that list now. By the way, how is it like, being a cat?" Ryuji's question made Morgana bristle but he calmed down when he noticed Ryuji wasn't teasing him.

"I've gotten used to it surprisingly quickly, it is not too bad considering I'm adorable. But it is odd to feel hungry, I've never gotten hungry in the meta-verse before. I had to scrunge for some sushi that were thrown out in the stores nearby." Morgana admitted sourly as Masumi started taking down names and classes of the students that the both of them had memorized.

"Can you eat bread? I bought one in case I got hungry but I'm good, it's yakisoba though." Ryuji dug in his bag for it and Morgana blinked before tilting his head.

"You know, I've never tried, but I'll have to eat it below the desk. It'll be odd for people to see a cat eating bread." Morgana mused as he dropped down below the desk, but not before commenting.

"I swear on my honor that I will not look up, Lady Masumi. I will protect your honor with my life."

"That and Masumi would kick your ass to the other side of the school if you tried." Ryuji chuckled while Masumi nodded sternly in reply.

"Ryuji's right."

..

..

The three of them had split up after that, Masumi to speak with her classmates and some of the other students while Ryuji handled the ones he had some connections with. Morgana went to scout around the school or to see if he could get into the PE room for any incriminating evidence on Kamoshida.

That left Masumi with a very awkward task indeed as she returned to her classroom, looking around for that classmate of hers. It wasn't really that difficult, the difficulty was in actually talking to them and steering the direction to what she needed to be.

"Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained." Masumi reminded herself before walking over to him, before striking a conversation.

..

..

"So… you tried asking about how the volleyball club was." Ryuji asked Masumi quietly as they regrouped near the vending machines, Masumi was trying not to feel embarrassed but her cheeks were flaming as Ryuji raised an eyebrow at her. So that's how they felt when she did that to to know.

"Yes… and I said I was interested in joining the club…."

"That makes sense, but how did that conversation lead to you having a crush on Kamoshida?" Ryuji's question was valid, and from the way his feet was tapping, he wasn't amused. Neither was she herself, but to her chagrin she couldn't help but feel it was more her fault, and it was kind of funny…

"I was talking about how I looked up to Kamoshida and was going to talk about the injuries when he bemoaned how Kamoshida got another person crushing on him again. And he said it quite loudly too." Masumi fumed, still embarrassed but at least Ryuji didn't think it was that funny as he just sighed.

"At least Kamoshida won't suspect you're going to give him hell though, still, is that how Takamaki got those rumors about her and him. Man… she's really got it rough huh?" Ryuji sighed, and Masumi took the opportunity to fill him in on what she knew of Ann.

"Seriously? So neither she nor Suzui…"

"Suzui? You know Shiho?" Ryuji's remark was surprising to her and Ryuji nodded, still deep in thought.

"Yep, I knew the two of them since middle school. Now that I think about it, Kamoshida's not their type. Man… shouldn't have believed those crappy rumors in the first place."

"When it is repeated by enough people, you usually do that… Still, at least now that you know, you should help Shiho as well as Ann when you see them in trouble with Kamoshida." And her too, even if she doesn't want to admit that.

"Lady Masumi as well, Ryuji. As skilled as she is in the meta-verse, she's still a delicate flower in your world." Morgana interrupted them as he sauntered from the vending machines.

"No, she's definitely not, but she shouldn't need to. I got it, I got it." Ryuji grinned at Morgana and the cat acknowledged his unspoken agreement between them.

"That's good, you're getting more reliable. Well, time to report in. I guess none of you could get anyone to talk about what Kamoshida is doing to them?"

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Morgana jumped on top of the table and started cleaning himself, much to the other two's amusement as he waited for their reports.

"Nope, none of the guys wanted to talk about it. Claming some sort of bullshit about it being harder training cause they're going to the nationals, feh…" Ryuji scuffed his shoe before taking a big gulp of soda.

"I did get to talk to an underclassman, he said that I don't have proof about it… well, they still think I want to join though so they invited me to try out. I'd have to report straight to Kamoshida myself though…"

"Don't." "That's foolish, Lady Masumi." The two boys answered almost in unison and Masumi nodded in agreement, she knew that. Still…

"That's a last resort, I wouldn't want Ann or Shiho anywhere near Kamoshida if I could help it. At least I know I can fight back…" She trailed off while Ryuji exchanged looks with Morgana.

"That's no excuse to getting into trouble in the first place, don't go looking for trouble." Ryuji shot back and Morgana sighed before glancing at Ryuji.

"Well look at that, Ryuji's hit the nail on the head on this one. He's right, you shouldn't put yourself in harms' way at all, we'll find a way to nail him. Still, it is difficult to imagine finding evidence of his wrongdoing at this rate…" Morgana shook his head as he reported.

"I managed to sneak into the staff room, that's where the teachers are, right? I went through his stuff, there's nothing incriminating there besides a bunch of love letters that he displayed prominently. It must be part of his cover so that he could convince everyone that he has girls throwing themselves all over him. It is hard to believe that a girl as beautiful as Lady Ann would ever cast her eyes on him." Morgana sniffed but perked up when Masumi said there was more that she found out.

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"Special training huh? Mishima was the same guy that got spiked in the face, right? Isn't he from your class?" Ryuji asked and after the confirmation from Masumi, quickly made up his mind.

"Right, that's probably why he's more bandaged up than the rest. Honestly, this guy's a bastard, how badly can you treat a guy? Even after abusing him, it's not good enough and you got to humiliate him in public? God… Kamoshida's gonna go down." Ryuji fumed one more and Morgana nodded sympathetically at him.

"I heard some of the rumors just hanging around the school, the difference in treatment is just surreal. I'll leave it to you capable hands, Lady Masumi. I will take my leave now." Morgana dropped down to the ground before turning back to look at them. "I still have my mission to accomplish, I'll keep an eye out for you and check out on you guys here tomorrow." Morgana nodded his head another time in greeting before dashing off into the shrubs and out of sight.

"Morgana is reliable, trust him. It's not like he could help us as a cat. At least we know Kamoshida isn't dumb enough to leave things lying around." Masumi clarified and Ryuji nodded in understanding.

"Yeah, that'll be too easy right? Imagine if he got a notebook with all the girls' numbers. That's just sick."

..

"Hey, got a second?" Ryui had suggested to wait for Mishima at the shoe lockers, Masumi had doubted that would work but somehow or another it did. Masumi was relieved, she didn't want to confront Mishima alone or at the classroom.

"Sakamoto? And Kurusu-san as well!?"Mishima's eyes darted from Masumi to Ryuji but focused on Ryuji at the end, sounding a little hysterical right at the end.

"C'mon we just want to ask you about something. Kamoshida's been coaching you, huh? You sure it's not physical abuse?" Ryuji cut straight into the issue but Masumi was there to ease things along.

"It's just a friend of us is getting hurt so often, and she wouldn't tell us anything. So we thought that you'll help us talk to her…"

"...Certainly not!" Mishima considered for a moment but was defiant at the end, why, Masumi didn't know, but the way he averted his eyes from her pointed to his guilt. Interesting, so he had a person in mind for the abuse?

"What are you raising your voice for? Anyways… We saw him spike you today, right in the face. It was on purpose wasn't it?" Ryuji reasoned and Masumi nodded in encouragement.

"You could be seriously hurt, a trauma to the head isn't an injury you should laugh off, Mishima."

"That's just because I'm not good at the sport… If I had been faster, or had predicted Kamoshida-sensei's moves better, I wouldn't have gotten hit. " Masumi wanted to roll her eyes at his words, if he could do that he wouldn't be bad at the sport, would he? It wasn't even a lesson for Mishima, it was just Kamoshida using him to stroke his ego, or just plainly abusing him.

"Still, that doesn't explain all the other bruises you've got. Look at you, bandages everywhere." Ryuji tried to continue and Masumi chimed in in support.

"I don't want my friend to experience the same thing, she's alright so far… but it'll only get worse, it always does."

"They're from practise...It's nothing wrong, it's quite common actually!" Mishima was backpedalling, he was successfully pressured by the two of them and it showed. He was like a panicking animal, his eyes darting from one person to the next. Masumi was not going to let him get away.

"Is he forcing you to keep quiet? If he's wrong, he's wrong right?" Ryuji crossed his arms, nodding to punctuate his point that it was common sense to do that.

"That's…" Mishima looked to the side, Ryuji's word appearing to have affected Mishima enough for him to hesitate.

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"What's going on here? Mishima, isn't it time for practise?" An unwelcome voice interrupted their conversation and all three heads swiveled to look at the individual that none of them wanted to meet right now.

Sugoru Kamoshida, the monster and a King in another world walked straight up to them before dismissing Ryuji and studying Masumi for a moment before addressing Mishima, his eyes freezing him into place as he waited for his answer.

"I'm, not feeling well today…" Mishima managed to answer after about half a minute, stumbling over his words a few times before he managed to get a grip on himself.

"What? Maybe you're better off quitting then. You're never going to improve that crappy form unless you'll show up to practice." Kamoshida scoffed, folding his arms as he stared at Mishima, daring for him to speak and under his gaze Mishima wilted easily. And as he expected, Mishima nodded in resignation, agreeing to go to practise.

Ryuji was not going to let it go without a challenge though and he grabbed Mishima's arm.

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"Didn't you hear? He ain't feeling well? You shouldn't force someone who's sick to go to practise!"

Kamoshida simply gave a scoff in response, ignoring Ryuji completely to pile pressure on Mishima instead.

"Well Mishima, are you coming to practice or not?" He smiled, not kindly, but challengingly at the two of them. Daring either Ryuji or Mishima to do anything against him.

Naturally, Mishima folded and he spoke softly that he'll go to practise, shaking Ryuji's grip on his arm off forcefully as Kamoshida smirked before jabbing a finger at Ryuji's direction.

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"As for you, any more trouble and you'll be gone from this school for sure. Don't try to influence students with that poor attitude of Academy is a place where those with aspirations come to learn. Unworthy students like yourselves don't have any right to be here. Get with the program!" At that last remark directed at Ryuji, Kamoshida turned and left, leaving the students to themselves. Ryuji does try to get a last word in though as he glared after him and darkly muttered.

"Bastard. You won't get away with this." His remark was thankfully unheard by Kamoshida when he paused and turned to look at Masumi.

"And as for you, remember what I told you right? My office's always open. If you have problems with Sakamoto, I can always offer a helping hand." He gave Ryuji a superior look before walking off.

Masumi had one hand on Ryuji' arm and that was enough to stop him from going after Kamoshida, he had picked up on his suggestion by himself, and despite being outraged, she couldn't let Ryuji do something he'll regret.

"That asshole… How can he even suggest that to you, Masumi, why did you stop me?"

"Because it'll just get you expelled for nothing. He's baiting you, Ryuji." Masumi argued and Ryuji grimaced as he stopped struggling against his friend.

"There's no point. Proving that he's physically abusing us… is meaningless." Mishima's quiet reply, loud enough for them to hear but loud enough for the other students to hear rendered them speechless.

"All of them knows, the teachers, our parents, even the principal and they don't care. It's no use. They just want to keep it quiet." Mishima turned to glare at them, defiance and helplessness all rolled into one while the words from his tongue struck Masumi to the core. He might have spoken softly, but if he had shouted it wouldn't be that much of a difference..

"This has got to be a joke." Ryuji managed to find his tongue as he uttered breathlessly.

"Don't you see? They won't help, and you-" Mishima glared at Ryuji, who had visibly deflated after hearing the news. "You should know more than me how it's all useless, and it won't change a thing. Now leave me alone before you make things worse!" The last word belonged to Mishima and he strode off angrily, leaving Ryuji and Masumi behind.

It boggled the mind, but from how vicious and unwavering Mishima was, it had to be the truth and Masumi was the one to snap Ryuji out of his funk as he placed one hand on his shoulder. She was just as shellshocked as he was, but she was unwilling to let it go just like that. She can't, not like this. She came here for a second chance, and letting it slip away from her so easily wasn't on the cards.

And it wasn't just herself in the line, it was Ann and Shiho too if the rumours were real and all of the other students who were being abused because one smug bastard thought he had the right to do so. She won't forgive him, she can't – and Medea's suggestions were just fuel to the fire that had ignited in Masumi.

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"Hey, let's go." She coaxed him back to reality with her words and Masumi watched as the fire that had been lit in Ryuji seemed extinguished, smouldering at best and he chuckled hollowly.

"Haha… I guess so, I mean, no point for us being here right?" Ryuji's words were echoing his mood, he was beaten but Masumi, for herself, she wasn't going to lose. Not like this, and she slapped his back hard when they were alone again, walking out of the school.

"Let's talk tomorrow. We're not beaten yet, don't ever think that. Even if what Mishima said is true, that just means we got to work doubly hard to make sure Kamoshida is taken down. You don't want to fail Ann, Shiho or me right?" Masumi's dogged resolve seems to revitalize Ryuji as he grimaced, glanced at her and nodded.

The two of them were at the entrance of the school now and Ryuji turned to meet her squarely, as an equal. She had been propping him up earlier, but now he was able and willing to stand by his own strength. The news had been shocking, but then again it had to be if it had gotten Ryuji down.

Anyone would be actually, after finding out that the system that they had been brought up on was corrupt and it was actively working against them.

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"Yeah, you're right. Yeah… I can't let him win, my promise with Captain Kidd won't be kept if I let this get me down right? He took everything from me, and I won't let him take anything else from anyone else again!" His energy revitalized, Ryuji grinned at Masumi who nodded firmly in return. She wasn't going to be disheartened just because of the word of that one bastard, and the superiority he has in the school.

This place, was his castle after all. He truly believed he could do anything he wanted here. Well, Masumi will prove to him that he's wrong about that. He won't get away with this.

"I gotta go back and think about what more I can do to persuade the guys to 'fess up. You do that to, Masumi."

"Ah, about that… I have someone to meet first." Masumi scratched her cheek awkwardly, she was running a little late as it is. Thankfully Mishima had appeared just after the bell rang for dismissal, so she wasn't that late. But she really ought to get going.

"Eh? Who's that?"

Shujin Academy: Library

"Niijima, senpai?" Masumi asked with trepidation, gauging on the identity of the individual that was waiting patiently outside of the library. The students that were around gave her a wide berth and none met her eyes as they passed by her into the library.

It was kind of sad and lonely in a way, if she was truly the Student Council President, wouldn't she be more respected? Her senior in the council of her previous school had certainly been the flower of the school. Masumi wondered what would make cause such a discrepancy between the two.

"That is correct, and you must be Kurusu Masumi. Hmm, Kawakami sensei was right, you look very different from what I was expecting." Niijima senpai looked at her appraisingly before nodding in satisfaction.

"I am glad you are following the uniform guidelines, Kurusu-san, well, shall we start then? I was asked by Kawakami sensei to assist with your studies, I suppose you can take these quizzes first for you to gauge where you are currently lacking at. This being a very last minute arrangement, do forgive me if I am not fully prepared." Niijima senpai passed her a folder, and when opened, Masumi saw with dismay that they were indeed quizzes, not just pop quizzes that were a page each. All of them were multiple pages and they covered many different subjects too! Looking up, Masumi sighed at the wordless answer to her question. She still voiced them anyway, sounding a little hopeful.

"I don't need to do them all today, right?" The aftermaths of their exchange with Kamoshida's and Mishima was still in her mind, and although she wasn't discouraged at all, Masumi doubted that she could do her best today even if she focused.

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"Niijima-senpai, about this question…" Pointing to a particular question that she had difficulty with, Masumi gave her senior an apologetic smile as she looked up from her own revision to scrutinize the quiz question that Masumi had passed to her.

Masumi wasn't expecting a one-to-one session, but compared to the cheerfulness of Ann or the energy of Ryuji, or even the calm and peaceful nature of Shiho, being with Niijima-senpai was somewhat… there was no other way to describe it, it was stifling, constricting even.

Masumi felt like she was on tenterhooks, treading on eggshells around Niijima senpai, and although there wasn't any outward indicator that Niijima senpai would chew her out if she made a step out of line, it was still difficult to be at ease around her.

Perhaps that was due to how everyone seems to have straightened up after seeing her, but from what Masumi could gather from the hushed whispers, it wasn't due to respect for her, or for her position.

Rather it seemed to be mostly negative, born from fear of offending her sensibilities or by breaking the rules around her vicinity. It might be coincidence the first time, but when you had multiple individuals whispering the same thing, it wasn't a coincidence any further.

"Hmm, well for this question you have to start from knowing the basics of this theory, which is highlighted in this chapter in this book…" However Niijima senpai was smart and patient with her, and that made Masumi warm up to her ever so slightly as the study session went on.

The two girls were mostly doing their own things, Niijima senpai working on her homework and a small stack of papers that she would skim and sign off on. Being the student council president mustn't be too easy for her, and Masumi wondered how she was elected as the student council president.

In her old school, there would be an election held within the school where candidates vying for the position would need to campaign for at least a week and record a video on what they wish to achieve as the student council president.

It wasn't strictly about popularity, but it helped, for the student population's votes would account for 75% of the candidate's score, the remaining 25% would be obtained from the faculty itself. Masumi wasn't entirely certain whether it was entirely fair, but it did count as a check towards those who were elected on popularity alone.

Then again, with the right group of capable individuals, any candidate could be swept to power if they were charismatic or well liked enough.

"Are you listening, Kurusu-san?" Niijima senpai's voice snapped her back to reality, but after she repeated what she had spoken to her earlier, her frown disappeared and she nodded in agreement.

..

"Well you are studious at the very least, and you certainly have a handle on the subject material." Niijima senpai nodded before tilting her head and asking her in quietly.

"I am having difficulty seeing the need for this revision lessons, I understood from Kawakami sensei that she was worried that you would be unable to cope with the new curriculum after transferring to Shujin, but it seems that her worries were unfounded." She straightened before meeting her eyes.

"As the student council president, the well being of the students is my utmost concern, being a transfer student, and one that has been seen in the presence of… individuals with a bad reputation, I would like to inquire on your well being." Ryuji, Niijima senpai was definitely talking about Ryuji.

Masumi supposed she shouldn't be that surprised. Gossip travelled at the speed of light, even more so than any real news.

She'd expected herself to be mad at how bad Ryuji's reputation was, but Niijima senpai appears to be a rational person at the very least and so she spoke her mind to her.

She was the student council president after all, she had to listen to a student right?

..

..

Niijima Makoto wasn't certain what to expect about Kurusu Masumi, the transfer student that Kawakami sensei had asked for her help with. On one hand Makoto was glad to know her guardian would be concerned enough to seek additional help from the school about his charge, but on the other hand Makoto was annoyed at the implication that he wasn't confident that his charge would be able to thrive or to handle her own matters. Lastly, she was frustrated that she would need to be a glorified babysitter, but at least most of her fears were unfounded.

But then again, she knew almost nothing about the transfer student, besides her being friends with Sakamoto Ryuji and Takamaki Ann, two of the more notorious students in the school.

The former had been an individual with great potential, Makoto remembered meeting him briefly on his first year, and had even seen him training on the track.

He had been a model student then, as expected of him being called the track team's star, but it had all fallen apart when he broke his leg and had attempted to assault Kamoshida sensei.

Although Makoto had her own reservations about the Physical Education teacher, Makoto couldn't condone violence of any kind, especially when it was against a figure of authority and in her opinion, Sakamoto had gotten off lightly by not being expelled.

He might have been suspended and removed from the track team, with the team being dissolved shortly after, but having him remain in school was a bad influence to all.

Makoto had honestly been shocked when she had learned of the fact, where had the enthusiastic and inspirational teen went? Or was that a façade that had shattered when Kamoshida sensei dug deeper into him?

The same went for Takamaki Ann, although the female student hadn't gone against the school rules or had stirred any trouble by herself.

No, Takamaki's mere appearance caused plenty of issues along with her 'activities' outside of school that caused more than its share of shockwaves around the school. She would be trouble enough, but Makoto had decided to leave her be as she kept to herself.

Nothing had happened this year, and she was thankful for this was her final year at the school and having a peaceful year where she could focus on her studies while juggling her student council duties was something she had really wished for.

Winning the election wasn't a doubt, she had the support of the faculty and the Principal had personally endorsed her. Her sister hadn't showed surprise either that she had taken the position, to Sae it was only natural for her to do so.

Her sister had no idea how difficult that could be sometimes.

..

But fate had other plans, and she learned by pure coincidence that there would be a troublemaker being transferred to the school, and although the history of the student wasn't revealed even to her, with her student records being sealed away separately from the rest..

That itself had it's own share of disturbing implications, it had been a concern for her.

The situation seemed to escalate with her being late on the first day, but it seemed to taper off as she had heard nothing about her after that eventful first day.

But here she was, the transfer student, Kurusu Masumi, sitting in front of her and behaving as well behaved as she expected a model student to be.

Not that it was difficult per se, but compared to the impression that Makoto was certain that she would display - it was a shock.

Her question posed to Kurusu was a simple one, and one that was made to probe her junior on her true loyalties. If she was being threatened by Sakamoto or forced into a friendship by Takamaki, it would be a good opportunity for Makoto herself to assist her in socializing with the right people.

..

"Ryuji and Ann are… misunderstood." She started off quietly, meeting her eyes while finding the word to describe the situation. "They are good people, but lonely people. It's hard to believe it, I know, but other than standing out because of what they did or didn't do, they are kind people. I don't know if you've heard, but Ryuji helped me out in my first day at school."

It was a memory that was hard for her to admit as she did look away for a moment before meeting her eyes again.

"I've heard, but I wasn't exactly clear of the specifics and rumors have the unfortunate tendency to go out of control. All I know for certain that the two of you met on the first day of school and arrived together. You share a friendship with Sakamoto that many in the school would not dare to have, nor would be encouraged to." Makoto started slowly, she didn't think that she would be able to persuade Kurusu to stop associating with Sakamoto. However she was aware that Kurusu was most likely someone lonely, and accepted the friendship of someone who had helped and given her attention.

Perhaps minor stockholm's syndrome?

"He helped me out of a jam, I was really in trouble then… but he stuck by my side and got me out of it, well it's more like he helped me out first, but I managed to get him and us out later… But if he wasn't there at the start, I wouldn't know what would have happened to me." Kurusu admitted that with a quiet voice and that made Makoto place her pen down in concern.

"It must be a traumatic incident for you, my sincere apologies for making you have to retell that story to me." She lowered her head slightly in apology but had her apology waved off as Kurusu shook her head.

"No, it's alright. I don't like talking about it, yes, but you're the student council president, if there's anyone that I should trust to be by the side of the students, it's you or the teachers." Her smile was somewhat fragile but she managed it at least.

"I see. I do understand the stigma that would develop by being friends with Sakamoto, but you are a sensible person. All I ask is for you to look out for yourself, first and foremost. I might not know Sakamoto personally, but beyond his violent outbursts at teachers, he was once a very respected individual in our school."

Makoto wasn't one to let one's history affect her view on the individual, not fully at least. She remembered the inspirational individual as well as the violent one that had tried to assault Kamoshida-sensei.

"You know about what happened?"

"Do you? I find it hard to believe that no one told you the full story of what happened. Shall I share it with you? I should not be sharing gossip, but it might help you put perspective into Sakamoto's situation."

Makoto wasn't surprised when Kurusu agreed and she started explaining the reason for Sakamoto's downfall.

..

..

It was difficult to call Niijima-senpai's explanation as bias, she provided the facts of the situation as well as how it affected the student population. With her own knowledge of what had happened, it was easy to see that Kamoshida had planned and placed his bets well.

In the end it had all hung on Kamoshida's words versus Ryuji's, and Ryuji had played straight into his hands as Kamoshida had systematically goaded and destroyed Ryuji's reputation before putting his plan into action.

Masumi could see that by the time Ryuji would have realized it, it would have been too late. Kamoshida's victory had been absolute and crushing, it was a minor miracle that he had not been expelled.

"I'm surprised that Ryuji wasn't expelled…"

"Kamoshida-sensei requested for leniency on his behalf, his graciousness allowed Sakamoto to stay in school. However he has not repaid that kindness, he stills bear a grudge against Kamoshida-sensei. I have not spoken to him much, the only interaction that I had with him was during his first year. I must confess that I feel very disappointed that he would resort to violence." Niijima senpai confessed, and Masumi felt heartened. At least she wasn't someone who believed everything she heard from others.

"... I don't think what I know, and what Ryuji tells me would mean anything to you, senpai." She started slowly but Makoto shook her head.

"I disagree, opinions should be listened to, and if valid, useful to change the perspective of others. The only exception to that is the law, for the law is absolute and those that break it should be punished regardless of their intent." Makoto spoke sternly and when she noticed Masumi looking surprised at her speech, she blushed lightly.

"My apologies, I got carried away. I aspire to be a policewoman in the future… aha, why did I share that with you." Niijima senpai leaned back before looking at her appraisingly. "You are a good listener, Kurusu-san. I hope that you would not share that with anyone else."

"Of course, senpai. Your secret is safe with me." Masumi agreed vehemently, she didn't want to have the student council after her, and was this what Kawakami-sensei had mentioned, that she might be able to get her to loosen up?

"I'd have imagine that is a compliment that is given to you quite often, you were able to befriend Sakamoto and Takamaki after all… but we are going off topic. I am certain that Sakamoto would have shared with you his side of the story, would you mind sharing that with me?"

"Would you believe me then? I could be lying to protect my friend…" Masumi answered sourly, the issue of trust was still somewhat of a touchy subject for her.

"Perhaps, but I would like to reassure you that I would not simply dismiss your words. I admit I am curious as to why Sakamoto would resort to violence, he had a good reputation, but he seemed to have gone in a downward spiral ever since the incident. I do not believe that someone would degrade so quickly without a trigger of some kind."

Niijima senpai had one finger on her chin, musing to herself and Masumi considered. It might be an opportunity to right a wrong, but she was doubtful that would happen. Still - it would help her to ascertain for sure whether Niijima-senpai was on the payroll of Kamoshida. But to do so at their first meeting seems… a bit unfair, and rushed.

"... I don't think this is the right time… no, this definitely isn't. We just met, senpai, and although I appreciate your kindness and sincerity, I wouldn't want our conversation to affect what your impression of me would be. Perhaps when I can prove that I'm trustworthy..."

It was for the best, Masumi hoped that was the case and to her complete surprise Niijima senpai nodded her head.

..

..

The possibility of Kurusu being the victim of stockholm syndrome was growing by the minute, and despite her being a good listener, it was always the quiet ones that were ignored.

People were naturally drawn to charismatic individuals, but Kurusu didn't seem to be the type. She might appear to be a wallflower, but there was that spark about her that made one able to converse and subsequently start to trust her.

It was something that Makoto hadn't seen much, but in a way it was similar to Kawakami sensei. The laid back and tired looking teacher had a bad reputation with the faculty, many of them resent the lack of effort placed by Kawakami-sensei about her work, but there was no doubt in Makoto's mind that Kawakami-sensei had the potential to be a very successful teacher.

She was just too tired to do so, but her private life was none of Makoto's concern.

The same for her own, but she had blurted out her plans without realizing, and that was something noteworthy for Kurusu to accomplish.

Despite not vocalizing it, Kurusu was adamant in her belief that Sakamoto was a good student. She might have never voiced it nor had she defended her friend, but she had never accepted that Sakamoto was a delinquent.

So Makoto had offered her the chance to change her mind, a part of her had always nagged and questioned about why and how Sakamoto had lashed out the way he did after all.

But she hadn't taken that chance, she had instead decided to decline, choosing to engage that topic on another time.

It was, a mature decision to make, and somewhat conflicting too. For that meant that Kurusu was confident, but wasn't certain about her own trustworthiness. Still, that was productive in it's own way.

"You should give more value to your words, Kurusu-san, but I will not press the matter. Should we continue our revision then?"

Shujin Academy: Front Gates

..

..

"Thank you for taking your time in my studies, Niijima-senpai." Masumi bowed to her senior, who bowed back and offered a smile in return.

"I must offer my apologies as well, I had my doubts about the feasibility as well as the usefulness of the session, but I must confess that it was an enlightening experience. Thank you for your time as well." Her senior paused before pulling her phone out. "Kawakami-sensei requested that we have this session for a week. However I might not be able to meet you after school frequently due to my duties unless you are willing to wait after school for a few hours. Hmm…" Nijima-senpai did it again, a finger on her chin and Masumi waited patiently.

"Well in any case, it would be prudent for us to exchange our contact details. I will inform you whether we are able to meet after school after lunch." As the exchange numbers, Masumi accidentally pressed on the "Back" button too fast and revealed Niijima-senpai's wallpaper to that of an adorable Anime bunny character.

"Ah… Mm…" She tried her best to salvage her senior's pride by not saying a word and avoiding her eyes when she noticed that Masumi noticed.

"... Ahem." She kept her poise however, only the small signs of her blush making it hard for Masumi to not see her as another fellow student, albeit her student.

"Well then, I will be off. Will you be going in the direction of the station, Kurusu? We could walk together…"

Niijima-senpai trailed off as she saw an individual waving at her, having just noticed them walking towards the exit.

"Niijima-san, I'm glad I caught you at last. Can I have a moment of your time?" A curly, light auburn haired girl bowed at them politely and the intrusion caught Niijima-senpai by surprise as she frowned but subsequently nodded in understanding.

"Of course, Okumura-san. I suppose you have the necessary documents ready? My apologies for not realizing you planned to submit today. You will have to excuse me, Kurusu, this might take a while. Have a nice day." Walking briskly to Okumura-san, Niijima-senpai accepted the dossier that she passed her before inviting her to walk with her back to school. Masumi supposed it was student council business as Niijima-senpai's eyes had hardened just ever so slightly.

Perhaps Niijima-senpai had some issues with Okumura-san? That wasn't likely however, as the other senior appeared nice to Masumi, but looks could be deceiving however.

Still, Masumi bowed to her two seniors before hurrying to the shoe lockers, if she was lucky perhaps she could squeeze at least one interview for a part-time job today.

..

..

"Oh, Masumi-chan." Bumping into Shiho just as she was about to leave wasn't what she was expecting however, but Masumi rolled with the punches as she smiled at her new friend.

"Hey, Shiho. Just got off practise?" Just thinking about volleyball was making Masumi feel edgy again, impatient really, she might have calmed down significantly after Kamoshida's last spanner into their plans, but that doesn't mean she should let it affect her friendship with Shiho.

Shiho at least looked fine, Kamoshida must have been focused on Mishima or the guys, but she was probably projecting.

"Not yet, I just need a breather. It was a tiring session…" Shiho trailed off, looking a little haunted and Masumi recalled what she told Ann today.

"Did you speak with Ann today? She told me that there was something she needed to tell you." Masumi waited for Shiho as she placed her shoes in the locker before realizing something odd. "And where are your teammates? Shouldn't they be with you?"

"Ah-" Shiho's voice went up a pitch and Masumi raised an eyebrow in surprise. Does that mean she was left behind?

"Shiho? Is something wrong? It's fine if you wanted to take a breather by yourself though?

"I had to pick something up from my class and I told them to not wait up. All of us were tired..." Shiho closed her eyes before taking a deep breath. She seemed very relieved about something as she turned to face Masumi.

"You look dead on your feet. Honestly those teammates of yours should know better. I'll get a drink for you too." Masumi placed her bag besides the dumbstruck Shiho before running towards the nearest vending machine to get a drink for her friend.

..

"Thank you, that's very kind of you." Shiho replied with a more genuine smile than the tired one, but she squealed a little when Masumi pressed her cold can against her forehead, ignoring her protests of indignation.

"You're so tired you shouldn't even go to practise, much less actually go through practise in the first place. You should have taken the day off. You won't make it to the tournament at this rate." Masumi griped at her friend, sitting with her at the steps facing the entrance and Shiho laughed somewhat hollowly.

"I know what happened to you and Ryuji, Kamoshida-sensei was lambasting Mishima in front of everyone. That's really brave of you to stick up for Mishima, but you should be careful of Kamoshida-sensei. He's… not what he seems to be." Shiho paused when Masumi snorted in response and she laughed quietly.

"But I suppose you already knew that. Thanks for your concern though. It means lots." Shiho took another sip of the drink before speaking again, this time about her friend.

"About Ann... I guess, there are things that Ann was hiding from me all this time. Do you know she's a model? You don't, she's too kind and tries to do everything by herself, she shouldn't be in such a cut throat industry, but that's Ann for you."

Masumi could see that, Ann wasn't exactly aloof, but she carries herself differently from the others. She couldn't care less about what others see her, and she was certainly beautiful.

..

"Modeling is just something she does in her free time, I envy her optimism sometimes." Shiho shook head as she realized she was rambling, but Masumi paid attention for Shiho was someone like her. She could feel it. Was this a bond that Igor was mentioning about? Speaking of which, could a bond between her and Niijima-senpai form as well?

"You understand, don't you?" At Masumi's hesitant nod, Shiho beamed and her shoulders even slackened a little in relief.

"... I'm glad, it's so tiring sometimes… Working hard, no one notices that you're trying and for Ann, it's natural for her, she won't understand that it's not easy to get recognized. Her worries and my worries are totally different. She can afford brushing aside all the criticisms that are levelled at her, but I, for me… I have to work through them." Shiho looked at Masumi who was deep in thought, lost in her memories. She had her own experiences about this, having to work hard against the prejudice that she faced.

"Yes, you understand. I can see that… and I can see why Ann was happy to know you, you're different. You're a much better friend that I could ever be, even now I'm a coward still." Shiho shook her head, her hand trembling as she considered what to do next. Shiho was really tired for her to struggle this badly!

Masumi wasn't sure what she should do, and instead decided to stay by her side, sharing her burden just by being here. She wasn't sure if Shiho would appreciate any physical contact at this point.

..

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have taken so much of your time, I barely know you and here I am, I…" Shiho took a moment to recover herself but Masumi just shook her head.

"It's okay, I guess you can't really tell Ann about this, could you?" Masumi's question made Shiho's eyes widen and she laughed quietly at the end.

"... Perhaps I needed that, I think that we would get along well, Masumi. You might know already, but I'm Suzui Shiho, I'll be in your care."

"I'm Kurusu Masumi. I'll be in your care as well, Shiho. Shall we go home together then?"

"No, I'm sorry… I still have training to do. I can't just skip… I'll see you tomorrow then?"

Shibuya

..

..

It was Masumi's second time in the big city, and she didn't think she'll ever get used to it. Shibuya was a mountain of people and she was overwhelmed when she exited the station to the main street.

Although she had been here in the streets before, Masumi hadn't really explored the place and in her hands was a couple of flyers that she had picked up at the station.

The calls to the numbers provided had gotten her a few interviews to attend, one at a convenience store, or a combini, a flower shop as well as a beef bowl shop.

There was another flyer that was tucked into her bag that Masumi had taken, but was trying very hard to ignore.

If all else failed, she'd take that offer… but honestly she wasn't sure she could even apply for that job. She knew Sojiro would heavily disapprove however on this particular job.

..

She had cut into an alleyway to catch her breath after being overwhelmed by the crowd. The alleyway was free of people and she wanted some time to gather herself before heading towards the convenience store in the middle of the street

She was now horribly lost however, her bright idea trying to cut through the busy street by bypassing them altogether by continuing through the alleyways had been a bad gambit. Unfortunately for her it was more confusing than she imaged and a few wrong turns later, she was lost within the city among cities in Shibuya.

"Hey there, cutie." Masumi jerked briefly when a stranger called out to her as she passed them.

There were so many people! But an alleyway wouldn't be empty of people for a reason and Masumi stiffened even more when she realized there were a group of what society would call thugs or punks that were loitering around the place.

They were probably part of a gang too and as Masumi backed away slowly, the sign of weakness had naturally been picked up by the individuals and they congregated around her.

There were even a few girls among them, but they just chat among themselves as the boys surrounded her.

Masumi could only curse her luck, she had similar experiences back at her home when she visited the small town nearby, but she did stand out from the rest then.

She tried her best to be low key and plain, but from the way the arrogantly sauntered near her, she might have been too successful in her endeavor.

"Looks like you took the wrong corner, huh?"

"Or the right corner dude, like, she's totally out looking for some fun eh?"

"Hell ya, we're looking for fun too, so I guess she lucked out huh?"

The punks chuckled as they bantered among each other while stopping Masumi from walking past them or turning back. A part of her was worried, a bigger part of her was trying to find a way out of the situation, the final part of her was just furious at them and herself from getting into this situation in the first place.

She should have known better, and worse still was how her hands are tied, figuratively for she couldn't make a scene or she would be breaking her probation but she'd be damned if she let them have their way with her.

"Hey, where are you going? C'mon, we're talking to you here." One of the punks grabbed her arm and tugged her towards him, successfully making her off-balance and the boys gathered around her immediately as they forcefully escorted her deeper into the alleyway, and further away from safety.

Medea was raging at her, urging her to cut loose and to teach the fellows a lesson they'll never forget but it was a double edged sword for even if she managed to inflict some damage, they'll be after her hide and it'll end up worse for her.

This wasn't real - she wasn't even at Shinjuku! If she had turned into a wrong alley there she might have been asking for trouble, but-

..

"Oi you brats- what do you think you're doing huh?" A gruff voice cut through the din of the boys, some of them tugging at her clothes and they let her go almost immediately, scattering as they grumbled curses at another figure appearing as if by magic from the shadows of the alleyway.

"Scram you pathetic scum, before I make ya." A middle-aged man wearing a grey hat in a black turtleneck sweater with a long grey coat glared at them. His gruff voice wasn't loud, but everyone heard what he said and they immediately complied.

Although they swore under their breath that they'll get back at him, at this Munehisa fellow, they were genuinely afraid of him, or at least intimidated by him as the alleyway was cleared out almost instantly, leaving her standing bewildered and alone in the middle of it.

"Kid, you doing alright?" The man's voice interrupted her from her thoughts and Masumi bowed immediately in reflex and in thank, the man had saved her from a very hard decision after all.

"T-Thank you very much, you saved me." She bowed deeply and only raised her head after a few moments, only to find that the man was gone and it was the sounds of footsteps behind her that made her turn to the back.

"Erm…"

"Scram kid, that includes you. Loitering around here is bad for my business." He called out gruffly, ignoring her altogether as he walked steadily towards a shophouse that she hadn't even noticed was there before, tucked to the corner as it was.

The shop name was the "Untouchable" and Masumi could only watch dumbfounded as he entered the shop without even turning back to her.

H-How rude! Was it bad for her if she felt that was quite cool too! No, focus, she had an interview to go through!

Beef Bowl Shop - Shibuya

..

"Well thanks for the hard work. You did good as a first timer." The staff relieving Masumi beamed at her, he was an elderly man that looked to be around his sixties, but was spry and energetic, handling the orders and heating the food with nary a pause between them.

He was well practised and skilled and gave Masumi lots of tips on how to take orders and to serve them in the most efficient manner.

The job at the Beef Bowl shop had insisted that she work a few hours to test her out before they could hire her, and it was a whirlwind state of affairs as the place had a steady flow of customers.

Fast food, was fast food however and the staff had to teach her the ropes while doing his job.

Thankfully it was easy enough and Masumi found herself hired, given a name card to make it easier for her to phone in her time table for her jobs.

It was a start, especially when her other job interview at the convenience store had wanted her to drop by tomorrow for the same on the job training.

"Thank you for the hard work too. Erm…" Working at the shop had made her hungry, she had a light lunch and on a whim, Masumi decided on her next plan of action.

Shop "Untouchable" -Shibuya

..

"What is this?" The gruff sounding man that had saved Masumi asked after she slid the bag containing the takeout beef bowl that she had purchased at the same shop she was working for just a while ago.

Masumi had her best smile on as she answered him, the man having caught totally off guard by her delivery to him.

"This is my way of saying thanks to you, Munehisa-san. You saved me earlier, and I wanted to say thank you to you." Masumi answered and charged bravely forward when Iwai-san, for that was the name that she had overheard the punks were muttering earlier, tried to interrupt her.

"I know it isn't much, but I saw the large amount of canned food that you had brought back to your shop earlier, so I thought you might not have time to have dinner yet." The assorted can food as well as the combustible bags filled with takeout just outside of the shop ready for collection made Masumi confident of her assessment.

"Please do accept it!" Masumi bowed respectfully to the man who was now staring at her warily behind the countertop. Iwai-san eventually scratched his head while muttering to himself out loud.

"Honestly kids nowadays are just a handful even when they're not trying to be. Listen kid, I got them away from there because they're bad for bonus, I wouldn't care less if they took you away then."

..

Munehisa Iwai meant it too, he didn't know what happened to make that particular crowd get all handsy with the kid, but for all he knew she had pissed off the wrong people or had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Maybe he'll feel bad if it was the matter, but the truth was that he didn't know, and he wasn't going to bother to find out.

It was just going to be a huge pain in the butt, so he had just told them to get lost.

Getting that kid out of the way was just a stroke of luck for her, and he didn't think much about it.

..

Now she was here thanking him? What a joke!

"So get out of here, kid. You got lucky then, I'm not going to get you out of trouble again if you piss those punks off."

"They were trying to rape me because I was alone." She answered with a straight face and Iwai raised an eyebrow. She wasn't someone trolling for trouble huh? But she got guts admitting that to her, most girls wouldn't dare to even think about it.

Come to think of it, the punks were having some trouble getting her to cooperate anyway. Good for her that she had the courage to stand up to them.

"Wrong place at the wrong time huh? Tough luck kid. You shouldn't be here anyway." His shop, the "Untouchable" was a specialized shop, he wasn't going to let punk kids just start hanging around the place. They'll scare off his customers.

"Yes, that's true, but it doesn't change the fact that Iwai-san was at the right place and time to help me, and so for that I am very thankful still. Please accept this gesture of thanks from me."

She bowed again, and Iwai clicked his tongue in annoyance. The kid had startled him when she had started reciting his habit of eating take-out like it was nothing, he had been worried that someone had been trying to get a tail on him and this kid was the one they hired to shake him up.

It was funny thinking about it, but it looked like he was wrong again.

"Alright, if I eat it, will you get out? You're bad for business." Deciding that it was more of a hassle to try to dwell more about it, Iwai decided to take the free dinner and roll with it. Not that he liked beef bowl, but still the best meal is a free meal.

"Thank you for saving me again, Iwai-san." The kid beamed at him before heading towards the door and Iwai thought that was the end of it, something that's new in the monotonous life that he was living.

Not that it was a bad thing, it was safe and secure and that's all he wanted right now.

..

"Oh, please pardon me!" The door swung open and his son Kaoru walked in, almost bumping into the kid and he watched as the two traded apologies with each other.

"It is my fault as well, please forgive me." As she left, Iwai raised an eyebrow at his son who looked surprised that he had takeout already.

"You got dinner already? I thought we were going to have dinner together?"

"No, it's a gift? Thanks? Something... Well I'll just chuck it in the fridge and close up the shop and then we can go." Iwai grabbed the bag before heading to the bag after his son voiced his agreement.

Convenience Shop - Shibuya

..

"Welcome!" As luck would have it, they went into the very convenience store that the kid was working in, and although she did freeze when their eyes met, she hadn't made any slips after that, helping man the register and ringing up purchases for her customers.

"We need to get more milk and juice dad." Kaoru tugged at him to pick up some essentials and he left to pick a basket for their purchases. Kaoru had always disapproved of his diet, and was trying to get him to eat better.

What the hell were the school's teaching them if they could waste time on this!

..

"Oh you're that person I saw in the shop…" Naturally, with how things have ended up, Kaoru ended up going to the same counter that the girl was manning and of course, he recognized her at the last moment as he was paying her.

"Sorry, I didn't recognize you." Iwai couldn't help but sigh, his boy was still young and it seemed that he hasn't quite gotten the grasp of privacy just yet. When someone goes out of the way to not recognize you, you shouldn't go out of the way to recognize them.

"It's okay. You are Iwai-san's son?" She asked politely while he passed the cash to her, much as he wanted to, Iwai decided against his better judgement to stop them from chatting. His son was taking an unnatural interest in the girl though, maybe he got a crush on her?

"That's right, you're a friend of my dad. You bought the beef bowl for him earlier?" When did the kid get so perceptive!

..

"Yes, Iwai-san helped me earlier, so that is my way of saying thanks." Masumi was shocked to know that was his son, she did wonder why a child that wasn't even in High School entered the shop. Iwai-san owned a model gun shop, and from the items that were displayed, he had the high end stuff, much better than the gun that Ryuji's gave her, that's for sure.

"I see… so you're dad's friend…" He looked more than a little awed and she coughed, gesturing to the bag that she had just packed for them. "Can I help you with anything else, sir?"

"No, we're good. Thanks." Iwai-san cut him off as he turned red and Masumi bowed to them in response as she thanked them. "Thank you for shopping with us, come again!"

..

..

"Thanks for the hard work, you did good today. I'm sorry for making you man the register today. We're so short handed during the rush hour." Her fellow part-time groaned tiredly when the crowds thinned and Masumi smiled back. He had introduced himself as Kai, and was a college student working part time to help with his finances. As the other part timer had called in sick, he had to ask her to man the register while he restocked the merchandise.

Thankfully the register between the combini and the beef bowl shop weren't that different and she rang up the items easily enough till the new part-timer clocked in to help out.

The two hours passed by quickly and Masumi was officially hired at the end of her on the job training stint.

"So this is the manager's number, just leave him a message with your schedule for the week. You can request for work the day before too, so don't feel shy to drop in. We could always use the help!"

Le Blanc

..

Masumi sighed in relief when the lights at Le Blanc was still on, partly it was due to the very very very long day for her, what with her working two two hour shifts that left her well tuckered out.

"You're back late. So the job turned out well?" Sojiro was watching TV and accepted her greeting with a brief nod. Swirling around, Sojiro took note of her haggard expression before chuckling softly.

"Well you certainly looked like you worked hard, so you got the job?"

"I… did get the job. But I didn't think I'll have to work the rush hour today. I didn't even know there was a rush hour for combinis." Masumi slumped into a bench seat while Sojiro made his way behind the counter, snickering as he did so.

"First time taking a job, kid?"

"No! I did work before! But it was mostly at cafes so… I didn't know there could be so many people!" Masumi rested her face on the tabletop before being rapped on her head by Sojiro, forcing her to sit up.

"Welcome to Tokyo kid, and don't dirty the counter, I just cleaned it. Wait here, I'll get you a pickup." Masumi watched as Sojiro started making coffee, preparing the beans and she bowed to him.

"Please, I'll be in your care, thank you for looking out for me."

"Isn't that how a guardian should be? We might have gotten off the wrong foot, but I have a responsibility for you as well." Sojiro coughed, seemingly embarrassed while Masumi blushed at his sincere words. She didn't think that their relationship would develop in this way, and she was very very glad about it.

"Kawakami-sensei helped me to get a tutor after school, well, it's more like a study partner, but it really helped! Thank you so much for speaking to sensei about it."

"Just as long as you watch yourself, but you got a long way to go kid. What are you going to do about him if this continues?"

That was a good question, and one that Masumi didn't have a ready answer for.

..

"Listen, regarding your meds." Sojiro broke the comfortable silence quietly as he too sipped a drink, although in his case he was drinking a glass of water.

"What about them?" Masumi was curious about the sudden change of topic, she remembered them talking about it the day before, but they hadn't gone into detail about them. Then again, she didn't think that they would have a better relationship with just a few days interacting with one another too.

"There's this clinic that I visit along with Fu- I mean, anyway, I have a family doctor that I consult, so I went to see if I could get your meds from her, cheaper of course." Sojiro explained after finishing his drink and leaning back.

"Ah, that would be helpful. But I think I need to get them with a subscription..." She didn't want to take those medicines, well the sleeping pills really helped but she was determined to not take them unless it was absolutely necessary. A fresh start means not taking the drugs that reminded her of her past.

"Well no... it's a little complicated. Are you still on them?" Sojiro asked and when Masumi looked at him in confusion, he clasped his hands together and asked again. "The medicines, are you still on them?"

"No, I stopped taking them... I only take them when I need to, I don't keep them with me." Masumi's reply made Sojiro relax and he scratched his head.

"That's good, that's very good. Listen, do you mind if she talks to you about them. There's things you should know about the medicine you are taking." Sojiro was concerned for her and Masumi lowered her head. In a way it was a horrible breach of privacy, if accidental. But on the other hand, he was at least letting her know of what he discovered instead of making assumptions by himself, which was good. He was concerned for her. Yes, she repeated that thought to herself as it was still hard for her to grasp that fact.

"Do you think I should?" The question posed to Sojiro made him frown as he crossed his arm to

answer.

"If you know the side effects of your medicines, then I'll respect your wishes. But if you don't, you should speak to her. It'll be better." He was giving her a choice, and that was something huge and Masumi nodded her head slowly.

"Yes please... I would like to see the doctor if you think it's better for me." She was trying hard not to cry again, it was odd to have someone look after her like this.

Perhaps it was how she was saved earlier today, perhaps it was just how tired she was, but knowing there was someone there who was willing to look out to her was a huge relief.

"Oi oi, why are you crying... honestly..." Sojiro huffed as he wandered over to the phone to make the call, but Masumi thought he didn't sound too cross at all.

..

..

Unlike the doctor, Tae-sensei, who looked both grumpy and sleep deprived as she swung into the clinic. The black haired beauty stared daggers at Sojiro but gathered herself as she saw Masumi, who straightened her back almost immediately at her gaze.

"Well, so you're the new runt that Sakura here picked up, huh? Next thing you'll know we'll be picking up stray cats and dogs and making this an animal shelter." She gave Sojiro a lazy smirk while the older man huffed in annoyance again.

"I don't know, the coffee isn't going to make itself you know." His careless drawl made Tae-sensei turn to fasten another glare at him.

"Don't you even think about it, I took this call because you offered me the premium house-blend on the house, I'm leaving now if you try to play fast with me, Sojiro." Tae's words made Sojiro chuckle but he did walk over to the countertop to prepare what she was here for.

"Hmph... right, so..." Tae-sensei turned her direction to Masumi and studied her, looking her up and down as she slid down to a seat in front of her. Resting a hand on the table, Tae continued studying her before pulling out a bag of medicines and taking them out, one sachet at a time.

"The medicines that you were prescribed... are you taking them?"

..

Tae fought to suppress a yawn, she don't do house calls, but the offer of a premium house-blend on the house was something she couldn't just past up. Besides, Tae was concerned about Sojiro's latest charity case anyway.

All things considered, the teenager was looking good and taking things well. The combination of medicine wasn't exactly lethal or damaging, but they would create unwelcome side effects that would affect her mood, severely hampering it. If she overdosed on them she might even start developing symptoms of paranoia and anxiety. In the long term it might result in her developing depression again, which would make things even worse for her. The irony that the medicine that was supposed to cure her symptoms would cause them to relapse, but that's medicine for you.

However as Sojiro had told her briefly on the teen's background, breaking his confidence with her as he did so, and Tae was aware that she would have severe trust issues, especially with older men.

Thank god for small mercies that Sojiro was able to break the news to her without damaging their relationship. Well, things might still degenerate if she took the news that she had delivered badly.

"Thank you for letting me know... I didn't know the side effects were so severe... but, can I ask you something, sensei?"

"Shoot, the consultation fee's all covered by Sojiro anyway." Tae smirked when she heard Sojiro grumble but she paid closer attention as it was the first time that she had spoken to her. Kurusu Masumi had listened to her quietly, nodding at various intervals to show her understanding and she didn't seem afraid nor was she holding things back from her. Tae should be happy that her patient was taking this very seriously, but it was a little unnerving that she wasn't outraged at all about how the medicines were being prescribed to her. She should be mad at the doctors that did so, but she seemed detached, almost as if... she expected that.

"I don't want to take the medicines at all. My mother, she forced me to go visit the doctors and she made the claims that I was suffering from these illnesses."

"They never interviewed you personally about those illnesses your mother claimed you had?" Tae might look calm, but she was seething inside, those drugs weren't something that should be prescribed without interviews and careful deliberation. The antidepressants were powerful and wasn't attainable over the counter.

For them to be issued without careful thought nor care would just only make things worse!

"No... I suppose my mother said that I was a minor, or just gave an excuse... I don't exactly have a very stellar record." She admitted with a shrug and Tae counted to ten to let her anger settle before replying.

"Even so, your health is on the line. Have you taken the medicines before? Why didn't you voice out to the doctor that attended to you?"

"Only the sleeping pills... they helped at the start, but I stopped taking them when the nightmare stopped. I went through counselling, and my medical record was given to those doctors. I only met one of them, but he barely spoke to me at all."

The circumstances surrounding this teenager was outrageous and atrocious! It was almost as if her mother was colluding with the doctors to ensure that her daughter didn't get better. "Wait, you only met one doctor?" "Yes, I was brought to a clinic, but most of the medicines were given to me by my mother, she said they were prescribed to me." "And you didn't take any of them... why?" "I looked them up online, I didn't want to take medicines that I'm not diagnosed with." The teen answered with a small voice, averting her eyes but she startled when Tae praised her.

..

"That's very wise of you, I wouldn't take medicines that was subscribed to me without knowing that they were for. Now I don't have your medical records, but you seem well adjusted enough to not need to take those medicines." Tae's follow up made the teen nod again, slouching a little as she considered her words.

"Then... my medical records..."

"Unfortunately I do not have access to them, nor am I specialist of that field. However in my opinion, taking anti-depressants isn't warranted for you."

"Would you be able to certify that, Tae-sensei? I... the medical records that I had..."

The request was more of a plea, and that alone made it easy for Tae to understand how damaging the records were. Mental illnesses were a taboo in Japan, and if it was made public or if her mother had made sure that it was easily accessible, it would make it very difficult for her as she would be judged by those standards.

Even if medical records were considered confidential, just having them certified would create bad impressions.

"As I said, unfortunately I am not an expert on the field. Do you wish to be referred for another evaluation?" Tae still had some contacts despite being a pariah, but even if she wasn't pulling strings, Tae knew of a few in the field with good reputations.

..

"Unfortunately removing those records would require consent from your parents along with quite a lengthy observation and consultation. Such a process might take months."

"Could Sojiro-san help me as he is my guardian now?" The question came immediately, and Tae assessed that she was desperate to get rid of the stigma on her. That was a good thing, it meant she was smart and actively looking into her own circumstances.

"Perhaps, I assume you would like to keep things from your parents? As a minor they would be informed sooner or later, regardless of the outcome." Tae's reply made Masumi deflate a little more but she shook her head in the end.

"I would like to try regardless, if Sojiro-san is willing to help me... but..." Her family's situation was more complex than she imagined, but Tae quashed the train of thought she was developing ruthlessly.

"It would be difficult, and expensive. Besides, we just met... I couldn't just write a referral for you just off the bat..."

"But Tae-sensei isn't a specialist on the matter either, is she?" The girl was sharp, calling her out almost immediately and Tae couldn't help but smirk a little.

"Well now, based on that wit... still, I might not be a specialist, but I am a medical professional, I would be able to provide a referral to you based on a diagnosis. Attend a medical with me weekly for eight weeks, and we'll see."

..

An appointment with the doctor every week for two months for a chance to get rid of the diagnosis that was just as damning on her as her record? That seemed like a steal, but Masumi hesitated, for she didn't know this doctor as well.

"What would I be doing during those appointments... Tae—sensei? Could you tell me?"

"Just checking on you, we'll have an interview and we'll do a physical. Of course, I need a copy of your medical records if you need more specifics. How about we do a physical tomorrow and we can work details out later." Tae-sensei's offer was tempting but she decided to put her trust on the one individual which had proven that he was definitely on her side.

"Sojiro-san? Should I..."

"All those mumbo jumbo's beyond me, what's exactly the matter here. What's in those records that's making you so jumpy?"

It was then that Masumi realized that Tae-sensei was able to identify what condition she could be diagnosed with just from her medicine alone. That itself impressed her, Masumi didn't even know it was possible!

"It's her story to tell, but if I was a betting woman... May I tell him?" Tae-sensei asked, her voice soft and understanding and Masumi realized she had a choice her as well.

It wasn't a difficult one, truth to be told.

"Please…"

..

"Well then, if I am right, she's diagnosed with a strong case of depression with suicidal tendencies. The medicines prescribed hinted at that, but the final confirmation is how you are concealing your wrists. I've seen cases like that before, and you weren't very successful at that." Tae-sensei gestured to her arms while Masumi froze, caught honestly off guard by her hitting the nail on the head.

"Is that true? Did you try to take your own life?"

The silence was broken by Sojiro, who had moved towards them without her noticing. Time had stood still to Masumi, and she was struggling to come to terms with how she had been exposed just like that. She hadn't want to conceal it, but neither does she want to reveal it either.

Changing by herself in the washroom was something she had become accustomed to, although it hadn't been easy, but Masumi had been prepared to do so as long as it would take.

Kawakami-sensei's announcement of the girls having to change in the classroom together before heading to the gymnasium together had chilled her to the bone, she wasn't ready to ever expose the fact that she had slit her wrists before.

The scars were a constant reminder of the extent of despair that had assailed her, and in all of honesty she didn't want to have that exposed so soon.

It was not even a week and-

..

..

Tae-sensei didn't look smug at the revelation, she had an air of professionalism to it, she was strictly all business now but it was Sojiro who looked pained and concerned as he walked to stand besides Masumi.

"... I... I'm sorry..." Masumi didn't know what to say and she flinched when Sojiro placed a hand on her shoulder, gripping it gently and waited for her to say something, anything.

"I'm sorry..." But all Masumi could say were apologies, she was sorry, for it had hurt him, just like it had perhaps hurt Tae-sensei and it even hurt her mother, for all that had transpired between them.

The pain that she had caused just from trying, and failing to die at that dark moment in her life was something that haunted her still. Perhaps it would be better if she died, if that meant she didn't need to feel this pain and shame that she felt.

"You shouldn't be apologizing for hurting yourself, Masumi-chan, but you must apologize to Sojiro for not letting him know before. He didn't know, did he?" Tae cut through the silence as she looked between the two of them.

No, Sojiro didn't know, and knowing what Futaba had gone through, and Sojiro's guilt for making it happen, Tae wasn't surprised to see Sojiro offering comfort to the poor teenager.

From what she knew, the two of them had only known each other for a few days, they were strangers at best but she could see that the two of them were projecting things on each other.

For Sojiro, it was his daughter Futaba and for Masumi, it was a father-figure, and it was a heart-warming thing for Tae to witness. Unfortunately she had a limit for this and she had spoken after letting Masumi cried for a while, Sojiro looking on awkwardly but still giving her the moral support regardless.

..

"No, I didn't tell him, I... I didn't want to give him any wrong impressions of me. And... with everything else..." When she looked up again, Masumi admitted with a rush, trying to explain herself. The girl blamed herself too and Tae sighed, this was an issue that would affect more than herself, it would affect those around her as well.

Well, it was none of her concern, but at the very least it would help prove her credibility to her, goodness knows the girl needs all the help she could get if this was just one of the many issues that plagued her.

"You didn't want to make things even more difficult for Sojiro, didn't you? Understandable, but now that he knows, what are you going to do? I trust that you not at all suicidal at this point?"

Attic

..

To say that she wasn't drained was an exaggeration of the highest order, Masumi was pooped and all wiped out. Bit by bit, Tae-sensei had been able to draw the story as to what had transpired out from herself and it was a very cathartic experience for her. It was like a weight was lifted off her shoulders, and Masumi didn't realize how stifled she had been from keeping so much secrets, to be on guard all the time.

Medea had been quiet through the whole exchange, but perhaps that wasn't that surprising. Medea was the rebel part of her, but according to Morgana, it was still her, Medea was simply an aspect of her after all, if more vicious and open with her feelings.

But even she had been subdued, and Masumi couldn't blame her. It was an issue that had haunted her at the back of her mind even if she had never paid attention to it.

In a way she was unbelievably lucky that she hadn't suffered from the side effects of the medicines that were subscribed to her, but on the other hand there was a very low chance that she would have suffered from them as the circumstances of her attempts at her own life were... complicated.

She really didn't want to think about that now, and the last thing she could care about as she slipped into her pyjamas was Ryuji and Kamoshida, but she tried her best anyway, reading his messages and giving them as much thought as she was able to.

He was shocked that the principal and the parents know about the abuse still, but Masumi wasn't that surprised. She supposed she was a cynic at this point, but being screwed over by her old school had made her mistrustful of authority in general.

But her cynicism might be due to how tired she was, the entire day was an emotional up and down. Starting from how she had to force herself to not relapse when Kawakami sensei triggered something unwittingly, to the bombshell from Mishima, Shiho as well as the long conversation she had with Niijima-senpai. That wasn't even considering the jobs that she had taken on today!

All in all, Masumi was dead on her feet and had replied only half-heartedly to Ryuji, encouraging him to not give up on getting to Kamoshida even though she knew it was a lost cause.

..

In the end however, it was all futile. She couldn't think of much that she could do, especially when it was against a higher authority that was untouchable for the two of them, pariahs of the school. If only Niijima-senpai was able to help them, to lend her voice to their claims then maybe... maybe they would have a shot. It was a long shot nonetheless, but at least it would be something.

"I'll think about it tomorrow..." Masumi promised herself as she let exhaustion took over, she leaning back and drifting off to a dreamless sleep.

Le Blanc

..

"Good morning." Masumi greeted her guardian quietly as she stepped into the main café area, and as per the norm, Sojiro was there, dressed in his apron and brewing a cup of coffee. Despite her spilling her guts out the day before, he hadn't spoken much throughout the whole conversation, deciding to simply listen.

He hadn't berated her, but he didn't seem happy either with the revelation, Masumi wasn't sure how he felt about her and her situation.

Most likely feeling vindicated that she really was a handful and someone that was more trouble than she was worth.

"Good morning to you too, did you sleep well?" She didn't expect him to answer her warmly like that, and Masumi froze as Sojiro served a cup of coffee on the counter and looked at her expectantly.

"... What are you waiting for? It'll get cold." He chided as Masumi slowly walked over and took a seat in front of the countertop, feeling both excited and worried at the same time.

"What... did you think I'll chase you out?" Sojiro raised an eyebrow in response to her look and Masumi nodded slowly, causing him to sigh.

"... Right, I did say that... well, I won't. I suppose you want to know why not, huh?" Sojiro sat down in front of Masumi and gestured to the coffee again, encouraging her to sip it as she spoke.

"I have a daughter... Futaba, and she had been through things like that before. Well, similar things..." Sojiro's eyes were directed at her, but also not at her, his thoughts were elsewhere but Masumi didn't interrupt.

She didn't know that Sojiro had a daughter, and it really came as a surprise to know that he was married as she hadn't met anyone else in his life. He had seemed to be like a player, but she knew more than most how appearances doesn't matter. Could It be that his daughter and wife were...

"I wasn't there for Futaba when it mattered, and I know it's not something that you want to be compared to. You aren't Futaba, and you aren't my child... but... you're still someone I took a responsibility to." Sojiro straightened his back and his focus was back on her again.

"I'll be there for you, if you need my help. I said it before, I'm your guardian and I am responsible for you. So, don't you ever feel that you should hold back from me."

"I'm not your daughter though, Sakura-san... I, I can't..." Despite being very touched by his words, it was still a heavy burden on her shoulders that made it very difficult for her to accept his offer.

"Even so, I just can't ignore a girl who is in need. Call it chivalry, or call me a dumb fool, but I don't want to make the same mistakes that I did the last time."

Sojiro's confession made Masumi lower her head slightly as she felt very complicated about that. Was it alright for her to feel happy for that? Or feel upset as it wasn't really about her personally. Sojiro was trying to fix a wrong he did, but if she benefited from that as a result, wouldn't it be a good thing?

Masumi didn't know, and Medea whispering reminders of betrayal and hurt into her ears didn't help at all but…

"You helped me before… no, you believed me. Just by that… I … I'll be in your care." Masumi's muffled sobs wasn't interrupted by Sojiro ruffling her hair as he sat in front of her.

Interrogation Room

..

"You may call yourself a Phantom Thief, but you're still a minor. Someone had to support you." Niijima Sae spoke sternly as she put the pieces together and Masumi couldn't help but shake her head.

She never meant for him to get involved, but with how close she had gotten to him…

Putting the pieces together was easy, too easy that it would only seem suspicious.

"Furthermore, the did so knowing you were part of that group... Isn't the owner of that cafe an accomplice of yours!?"

I am thou, thou art I...
Thou hast acquired a new vow,
It shall become the wings of rebellion that breaketh thy chains of captivity.

With the birth of the Hierophant Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power.