I just couldn't wait to post this chapter. It's going to bite me in the butt, I can tell.

Chapter Twenty
New Arrivals

Monday May 9th

Sojiro warned Chiyo that morning that there was talk of pollen in the air on the chance she had an allergy. She didn't, but the gesture was appreciated. On the train, Morgana warned her that the pollen in the air might affect Mementos due to how common the allergy it was.

Upon exiting the train Chiyo dug out her phone and took a peek at the calendar. Three days until exams, she might not be able to put in any time at work until the fourteenth. "Morning…"

Chiyo glanced over her shoulder to find Ann walk up to her. Her eyes were half-laden with a slight raccoon effect around them. "Morning… You're not looking so hot." A sudden, terrible thought crossed her mind. "Did something happen to Suzui?"

"Huh? Oh, no. She started her first physical therapy yesterday, actually."

"Allergies then?"

Ann shook her head. "I've… actually been having this feeling that someone's watching me… But that's silly… I'm sure I just can't shake off the feeling of infiltrating a Palace. We're always sneaking around, you know."

"I know, but-"

"So it has to be my imagination… Yeah…"

"Yeah…" murmured Chiyo. "Still, if it keeps up, I'd talk to someone if I were you."

Ann was looking more like herself as she walked to school with Chiyo. Likely feeling some form of safety with someone else with her. At school, there were still whispers regarding Kamoshida, but few were actually missing him.

During afternoon class, Chiyo was tapping her pencil against her notebook when her phone buzzed.

Ryuji: Hey, don't you think the atmosphere at school's kinda different now?
Ann: You mean with there being no Kamoshida?
Ryuji: Yeah, nobody ever talked about him out in the open like this before.
Chiyo: Isn't this normal when someone big comes under fire?
Chiyo: This is just on a smaller scale, right?
Ryuji: I wish someone would just thank us for it or something…
Ann: Either way, everything has worked out for the best.
Ann: After all, Kamoshida's actually been punished for his crimes.
Ann: That's victory enough for me.|
Ann: Actually, it's more than enough, it's incredible.
Ryuji: I wonder what's gonna happen to him now…
Ryuji: I mean, he's a famous criminal at this point, right?
Chiyo: It's probably going to be settled in court.
Chiyo: Regardless of his punishment, it's going to follow him for ages.
Ann: That might be true, but I don't have any sympathy for him.
Ann: He got what he deserved.
Chiyo: Yup.
Ryuji: For sure.

When class ended for the day Chiyo found an IM from Mishima promising new info. Someone at school was taking his bullying too far. The timing could have been a bit better, but it didn't look like anything they couldn't handle.

The Phantom Thieves met by the PE faculty office. Students were acting like the office was haunted ever since Kamoshida's confession. Maybe it was in a sense. It was a good place to spend a few minutes talking until they could figure out what to do about their hideout for the time being. "So, we're going to Mementos then, right?" Ryuji asked excitedly.

"We have exams just around the corner," Ann pointed out quickly.

"C'mon, don't worry 'bout that stuff. Let's ignore the details and just go chargin' in head-first!"

"You'll really do anything to avoid studying, huh?"

"I wanna change this guy's heart, but…" Crossing her arms, Chiyo leaned against the wall. "We need to keep up the appearance of your average high school students. If we let our grades slip we might end up drawing unwanted attention."

"I agree with Chiyo," said Morgana. "This boy sounds pretty bad, but we can't let our civilian lives suffer because of this. That Nijima girl is already suspicious of us."

"Uh… where's this 'we' and 'us' comin' from?" Ryuji eyed Morgana. "You're just lazing about in Yoyo's bag and desk."

"I'm gathering as much information as you lot! Besides, I'm the one of us who can actually do a little recon while you're stuck in class."

"Which only really comes in handy if we have a target in the school…"

"So we agree, then?" Ann asked. "We'll take care of this after exams?"

Sighing, Ryuji's shoulder dropped. "Yeah…" Defeated, he slid his hands into his pockets. "Can I drop you a call if I need help?"

"Of course," said Chiyo

"Hey, Chiyo," Ann said as Ryuji walked off. "You mind if we have a study session?"

"Hmm?"

The girls ended up relocating to the diner in Shibuya. Chiyo could hear Morgana purring in his sleep as she tried to rewrite the notes she thought were necessary. She reached out for her drink, a house blend coffee. Her eyes gazed up to find Ann drawing circles in her notebook. "Are you okay?" Chiyo asked, placing her pencil down.

"Hm? Y-Yeah, perfectly."

Chiyo's brow arched instantly; she pointed at Ann's notebook. "You haven't drawn over notes, have you?"

Ann's face dropped. She grabbed the edge of the page and flipped it over. Her notes remained untouched. Relieved, Ann's shoulders dropped in a sigh. "What's wrong?" Chiyo asked gently. "You can tell me…"

"Well…" Ann placed her pencil on the table and tore the useless page out. "It's about Shiho… I went to visit her in the hospital yesterday. She… She said she was sorry. Sorry for not telling me about Kamoshida…about all the things he was doing to her… But it was my fault too. I didn't realize how much trouble she was in… I wasn't there for her… So, I apologized as well."

Chiyo held her coffee cup in her hands. The middle finger of her right hand ran along the edge of the rim of the cup. She understood the Suzui's reasoning for having her transfer schools. But Chiyo was saddened that she wouldn't get the chance to fully befriend Suzui herself, not as easily anyway. "Suzui-san's a pretty strong girl."

Ann's smile was instantaneous. "Isn't she? Shiho really is a great girl. I'm glad I finally got to tell her everything I couldn't bring myself to say before." Slowly, though, Ann's smile died. She squirmed in her seat. "And, um… remember how Kamoshida threatened to take Shiho off the team if I didn't sleep with him? I had only agreed to it so that I wouldn't ruin Shiho's dreams, but… Now that I think about it, he never would have put her on the bench and cost his team their games…"

She took a moment to rake a hand through her bangs. Her hand gripped her bangs at the roots. "I seriously should have dared him to try and take her starting spot. But in the end, maybe I just didn't believe in her ability."

"You shouldn't blame yourself," said Chiyo.

"You think so…? But… it all happened because I was weak. That's why I believed Kamoshida's authority outweighed Shiho's own ability to earn her starting spot." She started to fiddle with one of her ponytails. "Do you remember the last time I talked to you like this?"

Chiyo nodded once. "I felt so alone," Ann confessed, "scared, even… But because you were there for me, I decided not to go. I was a little surprised at how pushy you were about it… but I see now you just wanted to help. So… thanks."

With a fluttering heart, Chiyo could feel her cheeks flush. "U-uh, yo-your… welcome…" she stuttered.

The blush must have been quite apparent to Ann, who started giggling. "You're not used to this sort of thing, are you?" Her lips pursed when Chiyo shook her head no. "Things with Kamoshida didn't start to get bad until late last year. Back then, people used to call me all sorts of names… 'Prissy bitch,' 'Kamoshida's girl'… I got tired of it pretty quickly. So I have some idea of what you're going through… at least partially. But to tell you the truth, someday I want to be able to take labels like that in stride, like you."

Chiyo jumped enough that her coffee sloshed out over the side. "Like me?"

"Well, yeah," Ann said as though it were obvious. "They're still talking about you, but you haven't let it get to you. And Kamoshida told you the same thing he told me, but giving him what he wanted was never an option. Even when you had your future as well as Mishima and Ryuji's on the line you were able to see through him. I want to be like that."

Chiyo's blush returned. Ann was giving her too much credit. The names, the rumors, they got to her. So much so that she hurt herself. Ann had to see the way Chiyo reacted when she found her desk vandalized. "Hey, um," Ann spoke up before Chiyo could say anything. "Personas are the power of the heart, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then… I want to strengthen my heart. And I want to use that strength to help the people around me. I hope we can save people from trouble, just like we did when we changed Kamoshida's heart." Crossing her arms, Ann leaned back in her seat. "Though honestly… I don't even know what 'strong' is. But I'm going to find the answer."

"I'll do what I can to help."

Ann's brow rose in an instant. "Really? Well… thanks! I feel like I'm a little stronger already!" Pausing, her lips pursed. "Though I guess that doesn't really count, does it?"

Chiyo smiled. "Probably not.

"Well… I'll be relying on you. Let's train together and make both our hearts super strong!"

Chiyo was a little floored by how infectious Ann's enthusiasm was. She almost wanted to head straight to Mementos and just take out a few Shadows. Ann, meanwhile, glanced down at the books and notebooks in front of them. "Sorry, got a little side-tracked there," said Ann. "So, tell me, how's your English?"

Chewing on her lower lip, Chiyo started to fiddle with her pencil. Enthusiasm was soon replaced with complete and utter jealousy. Ann's English was so clear, lacking a Japanese accent. It took Chiyo a few moments to answer, "D-Decent… I think. I have no real chance to test it out…"

Her lips pursed, her eyes gazed down at her hands. "I think you could catch on quick enough if you had the chance to speak it more. But what about writing?"

Tuesday, May 10th

With a hand shielding her mouth, Chiyo yawned. She spent another hour or so at the diner with Ann helping Chiyo with her English and Chiyo helped Ann with her history. Returning home, Chiyo bought herself a coffee from Sojiro and crammed in a little more study before heading to bed.

Today, waiting for the train, Chiyo held a cup of coffee in one hand. She couldn't help but think back to her exam preparation last year. Panicking because Ryou insisted Chiyo train. The late nights trying to cram in as much information as she could. But now… God, it was nice to have days to prepare.

"Good morning, Kusakabe-san." Chiyo half-turned to find Niijima approach her. "It looks like you're attending school seriously. You also seem pretty close with Takamaki-san if you're both coming to school together."

"I wasn't aware I wasn't allowed to make friends," Chiyo said dryly.

"I never said you couldn't. Just, you seem pretty close for someone who just transferred here. I guess the two of you really clicked."

"We're in the same class, so…"

"You seemed a lot closer than just classmates yesterday morning." Chiyo clenched her jaw. What was Niijima hoping to get? "I heard she was a victim of Kamoshida-sensei but was that all there was to it?"

"No fuck there was more to it," Chiyo said coldly. "Her best friend was raped by that fuckwad you call sensei and tried to kill herself because of it. Then he propositioned me, thinking I'd be a great lay."

Niijima's head flinched slightly. "That school is just as responsible for what's going on as much as Kamoshida was," continued Chiyo, "and if you honestly don't see that, then… go fuck yourself."

Ignoring Niijima's flabbergasted expression Chiyo walked off before she could say anything else. Left alone, Niijima brought her shoulders in. Biting on her lower lip, Niijima brought her fist to her mouth. "Of course I see that…"

During class that morning Inui tried to scare his students by saying it was too late to cram. He underestimated what a teen under pressure could do. He then picked up from where he left off the last lecture on the Heian period and the samurai of the time. "Now then…" Inui held his chin between his thumb and forefinger as he surveyed the room. "Takamaki-san."

In front of her, Chiyo could see Ann's shoulders flinch. She imagined she may have been sweating a tad. "Who do you think is the origin of the term 'magistrate's patronage?'" asked Inui.

'C'mon Ann, you can do this,' Chiyo prayed.

"M-Minamoto no Yoshitsune?" Ann answered through a question.

Inui's face brightened. "Exactly! 'Magistrate' was Minamoto no Yoshitsune's title, which later became his nickname. Although Yoshitsune helped defeat the Taira, he was driven out by his brother and killed himself. However, in the centuries that followed, Yoshitsune became more popular as a tragic hero."

Chiyo could see Ann's shoulder's relaxed as Inui continued his lecture.

Ryuji tapped his pencil against his notebook with the eraser repeatedly. After school he gave Chiyo a call, essentially seeking a study partner. They met up at the diner and spent the last hour and a half studying. "I think I'm startin' to get the hang of this," Ryuji brought the tip of his pencil to his notebook. "So I guess that's what I do with this one too…"

"If it helps, last year I had two notebooks," said Chiyo, "one for regular note-taking and the other to retake notes and commit it to memory."

"And that actually worked?"

"Better than just winging it."

"That's some pretty good advice Chiyo," piped Morgana. "Though, in Ryuji's case, he'd likely need another three."

"Morgana!"

Ryuji sighed miserably. "No, he's right." He started to tap his pencil against his notebook again. His brow suddenly rose. "Oh! If I just do this and… problem solved!"

"Yay Ryuji! Keep it up!" Chiyo started to clap her hands, causing Ryuji's cheeks to flush.

"I-I'm gonna go grab a refill." He wrapped his hand around his cup. "Solvin' that question's gettin' me real pumped."

The following day, Chiyo found a notice informing the school about an assembly on the thirteenth, right in the middle of exams. Many were certain that it was more than likely related to Kamoshida in one form or another. Regardless of the reason, many ended up putting it out of their minds as soon as they got to class when exams started.

The next three days flew by without much of a hindrance. Chiyo arrived at school on time and took her exams in silence. Though she did not like how Morgana insisted on staying in her desk, exams, or no. She tried not to think about it too much. Her nights were relatively dreamless, something Chiyo did not mind in the slightest. She was satisfied with the work she put in. Far more than she ever had at her old school.

Friday, May 13th

Friday afternoon rolled around and Chiyo was eagerly awaiting the end of exam week. By the time of the assembly, Chiyo and Ann filed into the gymnasium with the rest of the student body. They spotted Ryuji with his class, but before he could even try and push his way to them Kobyakawa made his way on stage. He tapped the microphone set up for him a couple of times before he cleared his throat.

"Good afternoon," he said in greeting. "Now, I know how unorthodox it is to have an assembly at a time like this. But we have two announcements for the betterment of our school.

"Ever since that specific incident, many of you have voiced concerns that I could not bear to ignore. We believe the mental health of our student body is absolutely vital, so we've acquired the services of a therapist." Kobayakawa took a moment to look to his right. "The floor is yours, Doctor…"

From stage right, a scraggly-looking gentleman in a white lab coat walked up to the microphone. His brown hair was slightly curly and unkempt, there was a bit of stubble on his chin, and his glasses were thick square frames. He still looked fairly young, it would have genuinely surprised Chiyo if he had his doctorate for more than ten years.

"Isn't he hot?" she heard one of the girls nearby whisper to her friend.

"It's nice to meet you all," the doctor greeted. His voice was in equal parts airy and gentle. "My name is-" The quality of the mic suddenly dropped, causing the doctor to tap it a few more times until the students ended up flinching from the sudden high-pitched whir. "Sorry about that. My name is Takuto Maruki. Thank you for welcoming me to your school."

He tried to dip himself into a bow, only for him to smack his forehead into the microphone stand. There were a few murmurs from the students as Chiyo and Ann exchanged dubious looks. "No need to be formal with me, though," Maruki said at length. "I'm just here to counsel anyone interested. You can call me Doc if that would help you feel more comfortable. Any assistance you need, I'll be- Oh… I guess I'm not really any good for helping with money problems… "

"Thank you, Dr. Maruki." Kobayakawa unsubtly shoved the doctor aside. "As I mentioned before we have two new additions to the school, and as we are down a PE teacher…"

Kobayakawa gestured to the right again. This time a young woman half-jogged onto the stage. The woman could have easily been mistaken for a student, she must have been fairly fresh out of college. Her black hair was done in a sporty ponytail with a braid going down the back of her head to the pinch of the pony. She was wearing the school's tracksuit with the sleeves of the jacket rolled up to her elbows and the jacket left open.

"Dude, she's cute!" one of the boys whispered.

"It's nice to meet you all," the young woman greeted. "I'm Rio Iwasaki. This will be my first time teaching, but hopefully, we can get along."

She bowed, one with far more grace than Dr. Maruki. Almost instantly there were a few whispers about how formal Iwasaki was. Whether or not Kobayakawa intentionally hired a woman this time for their PE teacher. As though women weren't capable of the same shit Kamoshida got up to.

When the assembly was dismissed, Chiyo followed Ann out of the gym. They were outside when Ryuji called for them to wait up. "You ever expect this place to actually give a shit about better mental health?" he asked, catching up with the girls.

"Well, our school's made national news," Ann pointed out. "Maybe they figured they'd look even worse if they didn't do anything for us."

"Either way, it's pretty obvious they're just covering their asses." Chiyo crossed her arms over her chest.

"And that Doctor What's-His-Name." The bleach-blond tried to weave the name together.

"Dr. Maruki. What about him?"

"Wasn't that guy just basically clownin' it up onstage? That new PE teacher-"

"Iwasaki."

"-was downright dignified in comparison."

"She looks like a baby compared to the rest of the faculty," Ann noted, shifting her weight to one side. "I get why the school would think hiring a woman would be a better idea-"

"Because women totally aren't capable of abuse and statutory," Chiyo muttered under her breath.

"-but Iwasaki looks like she just came out of the woodwork."

"Hey, there."

The teen's glanced to find Dr. Maruki, having just walked up to them. Up close, he looked like a man who was easygoing and easily approachable. Which only added to Chiyo's theory that he hadn't had his doctorate for a decade yet. Maruki's gaze traveled from Ryuji to Ann. "Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-san, right? And that would make you…" he turned his attention to Chiyo, "Kusakabe-san."

Instantly, the three shared a quick, panic glance with each other. "How d'you know our names?" asked Ryuji.

"Well," Maruki rubbed the back of his head, "I was informed of certain students before beginning my tenure here. Those that had, ah… previous interactions with Kamoshida-san. Kusakabe-san, it must've been especially tough for you after having just transferred here."

Absently, Chiyo moved a lock of hair behind her ear. "Any issues I had with him doesn't really matter compared to what happened with other students."

She heard Maruki release a slight 'hm' as he tilted his head to the side thoughtfully. "So…" Ryuji let the word draw out. "Whaddya want with us?"

"Ah, yes, I'd forgotten. I know I already offered my services to the student body earlier, but would you three be interested in counseling?" asked Maruki.

"Nope, not at all."

"Huh?!"

"How's that surprising?"

"You were just a touch more emphatic about it than I'd expected… Ah! But, if you come to my office, you can have free snacks! All you can eat… would be nice, but there's still plenty to be had. So, how about it?"

Dr. Maruki was aware he was counseling at a high school, right? Despite the ludicracy of it, it did not stop Chiyo from asking, "What kind of snacks are we talking about?"

"Hey, don't fall for that!" snapped Ann.

"To be frank," Maruki continued, once again rubbing the back of his neck, "I've been explicitly ordered to provide counseling to the students directly involved with Kamoshida-san. It's in the school's interest… for its students."

"Ahh," Ryuji crossed his arms, "the school's interest, huh?"

"I know that asking you to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot. Making this mandatory wouldn't do you any good, either. Might as well turn it into a worthwhile experience…"

Chiyo pursed her lips as she mulled it over for a moment. There was a part of her that wanted to do this. Not so much because of everything with Kamoshida, but because of the arrest. Because of the sexual harassment. Because she didn't really know what to think about her mom anymore.

"Ooh, I know!" Maruki broke the silence. "If you attend my counseling session, I'll teach you different ways to improve your mental acuity."

"Mental acuity?" repeated Chiyo.

"Like, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or not getting nervous on dates. How's that sound?"

Ann bit her lower lip. "Uh…"

Mental acuity. That sounds like something that might become useful in the other world. If that wasn't another reason to say yes.

"There are also snacks," Maruki added quickly.

"Alright, alright," Ryuji waved a hand, "enough with the snacks already!"

"I might be interested," said Chiyo.

The bleached-blond boy turned partially to look at Chiyo, then back at the doctor before dropping his head as he slouched. "I guess it'd just be more trouble for us if we didn't go."

"Yeah…" hummed Ann.

Maruki's face lit up in relief. "Really? Then, I guess it's a deal. I'll be in the nurse's office – feel free to come by whenever it's convenient for you."

"Welp," Ryuji said straining the word a bit, "we should get goin'."

"Okay, I'll see you later."

As Ann and Ryuji took off ahead of her, Chiyo found herself falling back. "Thanks for taking my counseling into consideration." She turned to face Dr. Maruki, no longer looking so downtrodden and nervous. "Now that we have a deal, I promise I'll do my best to help you."

Back in class, Kawakami informed the students that PE would go back to its regular schedule after exams, so they had their first class with Iwasaki next week. Then she told everyone that Maruki would only be posted in Shujin until November, so they were to keep that in mind during his tenure.

It seemed like Ryuji had just parted from Ann and Chiyo for his class when he sent the two a message during Kawakami's shpeal.

Ryuji: Yo, you guys gonna go for it?
Ann: What, the counseling?
Chiyo: I think I'll go after school.
Chiyo: What's the worst that could happen? There's confidentiality, right?
Ann: Still, it kinda feels like we're being forced to.
Ryuji: I know I told Maruki I'd do it, but…
Chiyo: Do you guys just want me to go first and I'll tell you what I thought about the session after?
Ryuji: If you're ok with it.
Ann: Yeah, I wouldn't mind.
Ann: Probably better not to draw more attention to ourselves, but this does make me feel a bit calmer.

When they were finally let out for the day, Chiyo headed straight to the nurse's office. Morgana thought some good could come from the counseling in one way or another. Then he got himself comfortable in Chiyo's bag and she was pretty sure he fell asleep.

As the nurse's office, Chiyo almost fell backward when she spotted Dr. Maruki speaking with an auburn-haired girl with her hair done in a red ribbon. They looked like they were deep in conversation, and both looked rather at ease around each other.

Yoshizawa must have sensed someone approaching, as she turned her head to the side. Her expression brightened a little when she spotted Chiyo. "Ah, hello!"

"I'm starting to think you're following me," Chiyo quipped.

"Well, this is such a small school, after all," Yoshizawa said, joining in on the joke. "Are you here for a session as well?"

"Yep." She blinked twice. "Oh. Am I butting in?"

Yoshizawa shook her head no. "Don't worry, we were just finishing up. Dr. Maruki is a wonderful counselor. I've actually been seeing him for a little while before everything with Kamoshida-sensei."

Maruki hummed briefly as his gaze bounced from Yoshizawa to Chiyo. "I didn't know you two were acquainted." He started to rub the back of his neck. "Don't go overselling me too hard though, Yoshizawa-san – I'm really nothing special."

The younger girl pursed her lips briefly. "Well, I need to get going. Please excuse me." Yoshizawa dipped herself into a bow for Chiyo, flashed her a smile as one last goodbye, and walked off.

"What say we get started?" Maruki asked gesturing to the open door to the nurse's office. There was a coffee table set up between a couple of cozy-looking chairs in front of the cots already a part of the room. "Welcome!" the doctor greeted as though the run-in with Yoshizawa never happened. "Thank you for coming."

Maruki rounded the coffee table and chairs to a mini-fridge where he got out a box of juice. Taking her seat, Chiyo placed her bag at her feet and rubbed the back of her neck. This may have been her idea, but now that she was about to do this… "I've never done this before…" Chiyo murmured fiddling with her fingers.

"There's nothing to worry about," Maruki assured her. He placed a coaster and a disposable plastic cup in front of Chiyo. "Everything that happens in this room, stays in this room."

It took a few minutes for Maruki to get everything settled. He got her a cup of peach iced tea and a box of apple juice for himself. Finishing the setup, Maruki left a box of Hello Panda biscuit's within Chiyo's reach. He took a seat at Chiyo's right with a clipboard and pen in hand. "So," he said at length, "full disclosure, I've been informed of the circumstances of your transfer to Shujin. About your arrest and accusations."

Chiyo felt her stomach plummet when she heard this. She recalled how Maruki mentioned there were a few students the school wanted him to have sessions with. It would have surprised Chiyo more if they didn't mention her with the hope that Maruki would help keep Chiyo on the straight and narrow. "I didn't…" she murmured, fiddling with her hands again. "I didn't do anything."

"After meeting you I had the sense that that was the case," said Maruki. He took a moment to write something down on his clipboard. "But can you tell me how it's been for you?"

"How it's been?" she repeated. "Um…"

It was like the flood gates were opened after that invitation. Chiyo surmised her experiences after her arrest. The sexual harassment from students within her age group. How her mom sent her to Tokyo disowning her. How her dad wanted little to do with her anymore. The rocky relationship she had with her guardian. The rumors she was often the subject of.

When Chiyo finished, her hands were shaking and her mouth was parched. Regardless of the tremors, she took the cup into her hands, the need to wet her whistle outweighed her fear of sloshing tea everywhere. All the while, Maruki made a few notes on his clipboard. "I see," he mused. "That's an awful thing to willingly put someone through. But it's fascinating."

"What is?"

"When I met you earlier, you said that your issues with Kamoshida didn't matter compared to the other students. Forgive me for overstepping, but I have heard the rumors that you were on the expulsion block with Kamoshida. And that he would have swept everything under the rug if you…" He cleared his throat, as though to fill in the blanks.

Chiyo put her cup down and sat back in her seat with her arms crossed over her midsection. She supposed it was interesting that she refused to give into Kamoshida's threats when the harassment she got pushed her buttons so. "I'm not stupid. I knew I shouldn't and couldn't trust him to keep his word. Say I said yes, we spend a bit of time in a love hotel. For all I knew he would have just expelled me anyway and maybe I would have been worse off."

Maruki nodded as he made another note. "That's quite rational of you."

"And if he was going to force it, well… I just made myself not think about it."

"I can imagine." Pausing a moment, Maruki placed the clipboard in his lap. "From my perspective, you seem to be handling this as well as you can."

"Well, I don't think I can ever just forget this happened to me. And I don't want it to have power over me anymore."

"You think it does?"

"I know it does. I thought I saw the man who pressed charges against me the other day and I just… froze. I almost rejected Ryuji's friendship because he was already being the subject of rumors for being associated with me. And the basic fact is, this is going to follow me for the rest of my life."

"And all you can really do is try to live with it."

Chiyo nodded, looking down at her hands. She could feel tears beginning to pressure her eyes. But she didn't want to start crying, not at school, not in front of someone she just met. She was so tired of crying.

In an attempt to counter her tears, Chiyo reached for the panda biscuits and gathered a small handful before she started munching on them. They were strawberry filled.

After she ate through three, Chiyo looked up to find Maruki with one arm crossed while the opposite hand held his chin in contemplation. "Just from this conversation alone, Kusakabe-san," he said at length, "I can tell that you've managed to develop a level of maturity and rationality most don't develop until adulthood. You've been through quite an ordeal for someone your age, but I can think of several people who would retreat into a dark place were they in your position. But you – you're doing what you can to stand up to it, and confront a tough, painful reality. To me, that's incredibly admirable."

Chiyo's face had started to flush so bad the heat could be felt at her ears. Mercifully, Maruki seemed to recognize what his words were doing to her and sat back rubbing the back of his neck. It seemed to be his go-to response when he was feeling remotely flustered. "Then again, maybe that's a little weird for you to hear from a guy you just met, huh?"

Her face still flushed, Chiyo began to thumb her palm absently. The burn had mostly healed, but she could still see the outline of the lighter head. "I think it's giving me too much credit."

"I guess that was a little much from a stranger. Let's see…" Maruki looked to his left and found that they had been talking for nearly an hour-and-a-half. "Oh! Sorry, this went on longer than I expected. Somehow, the conversation just took on a life of its own, I guess…" He thought for a moment. "Hey, I've actually got one last request. If you don't mind?"

"Hm?"

"I'm actually doing certain research along with my duties as a counselor. It's not quite like counseling - more like a type of psychological treatment… Basically, it's a project to learn more about people's metaphorical hearts." Chiyo's brow rose at this. "What they think, how they feel. If I get far enough with it, I think it'll be able to help a lot of people! So…?"

Metaphorical heart… That sounded a lot like the other world and its Treasure. Maybe Chiyo could learn a thing or two that would help them better understand that world and Mementos.

"Uh, I guess my point is," Maruki said when Chiyo took too long thinking. "I'd like to ask you to help with that research. All you'd have to do is listen to my theories, and tell me if they spark any ideas or realization on your end. Any time's good for me – I can work around your schedule. And, uh… I've got lots of snacks too!"

He really couldn't let the snacks thing go, could he? "Got a decent stock on these?" asked Chiyo. She popped the last few panda biscuits into her mouth.

The doctor's brow rose. "Is that a yes?" Chiyo nodded. "Yes! You're a lifesaver! Oh, right!" He reached into his coat pocket for his phone. "Would it be okay if we traded contact information? It might help make communication easier."

Nodding, Chiyo took out her phone and the two shared phone numbers and chat ID's. On the train, Chiyo got her phone out and sent a single message to Ann and Ryuji.

Chiyo: Dr. Maruki's kinda cool.

Saturday, May 14th

Morgana convinced Chiyo to bring Iwai's bag with her to school and drop by Untouchable afterward. She only agreed when Morgana assured her that he would stay in her bag through the day and keep it hidden under him.

This was going to be a long exam day.

"You have raccoon eyes," was the first thing Chiyo said to Ryuji when they met at the station.

And sure enough, Ryuji was developing circles under his half-laden eyes. "I know." He added through a yawn, "So sleepy… I ended up pullin' an all-nighter once I realized today's the last day of exams."

Morgana poked his head out of Chiyo's bag, mirth lacing his voice, "You? Staying up studying?"

Ryuji waved his hand lazily. "I gave up on the exam. I was playin' some games, then before I knew it, it was morning."

Chiyo's shoulders dropped. "Ryuji…"

"Morning…" The pair turned to find Ann, just as worn out as Ryuji, walking up to them.

"Yo, look who else is yawnin'," Ryuji said in greeting.

"Exams are almost over, so I thought I'd make one last effort across the finish line," explained Ann.

"Impressive, Lady Ann," said Morgana. "You're quite different from this stupid monkey I know."

"Morgana, don't be surprised if and when Ryuji starts giving you the same treatment," Chiyo scolded. "You're lucky he looks like his head is swimming right now."

"I just wish we'd get to it already," mumbled Ann. "I don't want to forget everything I memo-" She cut herself off mid-sentence to glance over her shoulder.

Her head listing to the left Chiyo asked, "Is something wrong?"

"It's… nothing." Shaking her head, Ann wrapped her hands around the strap of her bag. "C'mon, let's go."

Ryuji gave a lazy shrug as he turned to move. They boarded the train together and said very little during the ride. Ann glanced over her shoulder every few minutes. Chiyo rolled her shoulder as the train slowed to a stop. They got off the line and headed towards the escalators. On the way up, Ann looked over her shoulder once again. In an instant, her blood ran cold. "Oh my god, that guy got off!"

Chiyo half-turned to find Ann, her brow knitted and lips pressed together. "What guy?" she asked. "Wait, does this have anything to do with that person you thought was watching you?"

Tailing the rear, Ryuji let out a strained yawn while he stretched his arms over his head. Ann's lips pursed, she placed her hands on her hips and gave Ryuji a disapproving look. "Hey! At least act like you care!"

"Fine," Ryuji said through a sigh. He took off ahead of the girls, gesturing for them to follow him.

Ann thought aloud, "What's he planning?"

Her shoulders shrugging, Chiyo responded with, "Dunno."

Ann stood out in the open. She was calmed only slightly with the knowledge that Ryuji and Chiyo were close by. She didn't understand what Ryuji was planning until he gave the girls his instructions. They were basically going to surprise the stalker with their numbers, show him that Ann wasn't alone.

The seconds ticked by until Ann could finally make out a set of footfalls headed towards her. They were practically on top of her when she heard two more sets of footfalls from either side. Ann turned around to find Ryuji and Chiyo in front of her, along with her apparent stalker.

The Lovers Rank 2
The Councillor Rank 1
The Councillor Rank 2

Authors Note: I will freely admit that Rio's appearance here is total self-indulgence on my part. Of the non-SEES SL in the female route, Rio was one of my favorites. Even if I'm likely bullshitting the probability of someone roughly fresh out of college teaching. Is it bullshitting? It feels like it's bullshitting… No joke, whenever I tried to look up the youngest probable age for a high school teacher in Japan, all I found were jobs for teaching abroad.

Past character cameos are always fun, but I always wanted to see an NPC SL after high school. Maybe even after college. And I just found it a little odd we never even got a generic NPC as a PE teacher after Kamoshida. And yes, I do fully intend to explain how Rio ended up working for Shujin.

So, fun fact; I'd originally named Chiyo's dad Takuto. After Maruki, and his purpose in the story, were revealed I changed it to Eiichi. Partially for the sake of convenience and variety. Mostly to avoid any uncomfortable implications of Chiyo putting trust in a powerful man who just so happens to share a name with her estranged, neglectful father. I am not going that far.

In contrast to 'Sumi, I found Maruki to be far better handled all around. He doesn't exist in a bubble revolving around Akiren, he actually has scenes with other Phantom Thieves who aren't Akiren, and he has the chance to be a character. Something went very wrong when the final boss manages to have a scene with the Phantom Thief who doesn't even go to the school he's working at and another who doesn't even go to school at all, yet the new character advertised as a new party member doesn't even feel like part of the group. Really, my biggest gripe with Maruki is him being partially responsible for that craptastic ending. That and there's no actual closer between himself and Akiren. I mean a scene where they're able to talk things out calmly, maybe find out what happened to Rumi in the process.

And I will say, as someone who's been talking to a counselor for the better part of three years as of this writing, Maruki manage to tap into a little fear I've always had in the back of my head. That something I say, in what's supposed to be a safe space, will somehow reach the wrong people. This especially present with social distancing forces me to have my appointments in my home over Zoom.