A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Persona 5- The Amamiya Files! Hopefully I can keep each arc of this story around the same chapter count as one another (meaning 12 chapters max per arc) but I think most of the arcs from here on will be slightly less chapters in length since where that first arc had four different Phantom Thieves awakening to their Personas (3 if we go by the actual game's awakening count since clearly Kusa wasn't in the Persona series at all as he's an OC I added in for this story), each of the other arcs (with one or two exceptions that will be noted as we come to them) will only have at most one Awakening (though I will say one of the Thieves does end up technically having TWO awakenings, which was apparently for story reasons near as I can tell) per arc.
This will probably have the side effect of making the overall length a smidge shorter as a result unless I squeeze in filler chapters to maintain the average chapter per arc ratio for consistency reasons, though I doubt I'll do that since I already work hard enough on this as it is. That said, before I forget to do it, let's knock out the disclaimer!
Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Persona series as a whole (aside from the OC Kusa/Draconis who he made up and thus to some extent DOES own), and the actual credit for owning the Persona series belongs, per usual, to Atlus, Sega, and Koei Tecmo, so credit to them!
And with that done, on with the next chapter!
Chapter 14- Confidant Building, Target Hunting and more Phantom shenaniganry! The Kitsune Artist part 2
(At Leblanc, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)
Ren frowned, as he went to lay down only to find he couldn't sleep so he shrugged and decided to make use of his time by studying a bit since he figured if nothing else it could help with the upcoming exams, plus there's no such thing as over-building Knowledge. After a bit of studying, Ren found himself tired and went up to go to bed, smirking as he saw Morgana curled up contentedly on Kusa's stomach, purring away as Kusa's arm laid gently over Morgana as the two dozed on the sofa, letting Ren lay down on the bed...
(The next day, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)
Ren woke up to the sound of his phone going off, groaning as he reached for it as his eyes slowly slid open as he pulled his phone to him, frowning as he saw it was a private chat from Mishima, who Ren didn't recall giving his contact info to, but then Ren shrugged, figuring he probably got it from Ryuji or possibly Kusa, though he was more apt to guess it was Ryuji. Either way, he looked at the chat reluctantly.
"Hey, I saw on the forum! Nice job sticking it to that stalker! My Phantom Aficionado Website came in handy, didn't it?" Mishima sent as Ren frowned, yawning as he sent a response.
"What are you talking about, Mishima-kun? I just woke up so my brain isn't fully on yet, but I don't recall your Phantom Aficionado Website being that handy aside from being a good reference for finding cases. Otherwise, I don't see how it was that handy." Ren sent. Mishima smirked as he sent a response shortly afterwards.
"It's OK., you don't have to say it. I know deep down in my heart it was useful. Anyway, I'm in Shibuya right now. I'd love it if you could come hear me out about your future actions! I'll be waiting at the diner in Shibuya! You gotta swing by!" Mishima sent as Ren frowned and put his phone away, right as Morgana spoke up from next to Ren, almost making Ren jump in surprise.
"What is he up to...?" Morgana asked Ren who shrugged as he spoke up.
"Heck if I know, Morgana. Gonna be honest though, I figured you'd be hanging with Kusa right now." Ren said to Morgana who shrugged as he spoke up.
"I would be, except Kusa had an early breakfast and ducked out of Leblanc about an hour and a half ago while you were still conked out. If I had to guess, he's probably either spending more time with Futaba, or he had to help Yoshizawa with something. That or he had an errand for the chief." Morgana said as Ren shrugged.
"Your guess is as good as mine on that one, Morgana. Kusa can be rather mysterious and enigmatic when he chooses to be. That said, I guess let's go hear Mishima out since I'm not really being given much of a choice in this since I think it'd be rather foolish to not keep him happy when he might have figured us out." Ren said as Morgana nodded approvingly and spoke up.
"I agree. I'll tag along and hide in your bag while you speak to Mishima so I can feel the situation out myself. Unless you'd rather do this solo?" Morgana said as Ren shook his head and spoke up.
"Nah, I don't mind if you tag along, Morgana. Just keep a low profile." Ren said as Morgana nodded and hopped into Ren's bag as the two went to meet Mishima at the diner...
(In Shibuya, at the diner with Ren, Morgana and Mishima)
Mishima nodded to Ren as he sat down across from Mishima, speaking up while Ren sat down.
"How have things been? You know with the...special activities?" Mishima said, yawning part-way through his question and making Ren smirk that he wasn't the only one still waking up. Mishima saw Ren's smirk and chuckled as he spoke up.
"Oops, hah, sorry about that. I, uh, haven't been getting a lot of sleep lately. I've been staying up managing the Phan-Site all night, every night. I think it's called...PR?" Mishima said as Ren frowned and spoke up.
"All night, every night!? When was the last time you actually slept, Mishima-san? It's not healthy to go too long without sleep, you know. And since when have you called your site the 'Phan-Site'?" Ren said to Mishima who smirked as he spoke up.
"Never mind my sleeping habits. And to your question, The Phantom Thieves Aficionado Website! Or the Phan-Site for short. You need a catchy name if you want people to notice you. This is all about P-Thieves propaganda! Basically, there's no point in taking down bad guys if nobody's gonna know about it. That's why I've started a blog for posts from people you guys saved, while filtering out the haters. We need the Phantom Thieves to be seen in the proper light if we want to make the name popular, right?" Mishima said to Ren who frowned as he spoke up again.
"I didn't think the P-Thieves, as you called them, existed to be popular. But more to the point, I agree that being seen in the proper light can be useful. Though I don't know that I approve of you potentially depriving yourself of sleep over this, I will say this much: You've done good, kid." Ren said to Mishima who smiled as he looked at Ren in awe.
"Really!? Just hearing you say that makes my all-nighters worth it! Though actually, I really wanna know how you punish people...Don't worry, I'm not gonna ask. It wouldn't be any fun if you just up and told me. After all, the Phantom Thieves have a reputation for being secretive!" Mishima said as Ren chuckled, finding that comment ironic since it made Kusa seem a lot like a natural at being a phantom thief. Before Ren could say anything, Mishima spoke up once again, ignoring the sweatdrop Ren did at what he said next, his face getting somewhat solemn as he spoke.
"I...I wish I could be more like you guys somehow. But I'll still be here to draw attention to the stuff you do! You can leave that part to me! I'm gonna use my Phan-Site to promote the Phantom Thieves, and weed out any negative comments. Your popularity is gonna be at my mercy...or uh, my fingertips. It's like I'll be your strategic image management representative, so to speak." Mishima said as Ren blanched as he spoke up.
"First of all, how is it you manage to pick so many titles that are total mouthfuls? Between Phantom Aficionado Website and now strategic image management representative, you're making the Phantom Thieves' activities seem like a bit of a mouthful just to speak of. That said, that sounds kinda cool if I'm being honest." Ren said. Mishima smiled as he spoke up after he heard Ren's response.
"I knew you'd understand. And yeah, the titles are a bit of a mouthful, but I'll find a way to shorten them up, like I did with the Phan-Site. Anyway, I'm gonna do everything I can to make sure that title's more than just for show." Mishima said as he yawned once more as he spoke up.
"I've gotta say though, managing the Phantom Thieves' reputation is tiring work...The form gets all sorts of weird posts, including tons of things unrelated to reforming society...It'd defeat the purpose of the site if the truth of the Phantom Thieves was buried among all that garbage." Mishima said then kept speaking, seeing the concerned look on Ren's face, speaking quickly to reassure him.
"Oh, but you don't need to worry. I'll sort through all the trash. Speaking of which, I've already found some worthwhile info about our very own school. Our quest to boost your popularity can start close to home! I'll give it my all!" Mishima said with a smile, making Ren sweatdrop once more as he sensed how much more motivated than usual Mishima seemed, and as a result, the 'Moon' card materialized in his mind's eye, the 'I' on it becoming an 'II' to signify that the Moon Confidant had reached rank 2. After that, Mishima sighed slightly before speaking up, his words making Ren frown in concern.
"I might be overworking myself, though..." Mishima said as he yawned before speaking up once more, his next words making Ren even more concerned.
"Man, I'm exhausted...I think I'd fall asleep on the spot if I weren't taking to you. I should head home..." Mishima said as Ren nodded and spoke up.
"I agree. Go get some rest, Mishima-san. After all, you're not worth much to the Phantom Thieves if you get yourself sick from over-working yourself. Take some time off to rest so you stay fresh." Ren said sternly as Mishima smiled and nodded as he spoke up.
"OK, OK, I get it! I'll rest more! But I appreciate the concern, Ren. All right, see you later." Mishima said as he and Ren went their separate ways, only for Ren's phone to ring as he got to the front door of Leblanc, making Ren shrug as he answered it.
"Hello?" Ren said as he answered the phone, shaking his head resignedly as he heard the voice of Mishima on the other end.
"Oh, Amamiya? Listen to this! I was checking the Phan-Site earlier, and found a bunch of hater comments about the Phantom Thieves! It got me so mad, I'm not even sleepy anymore. At this point, I might as well pull an all-nighter fighting back!" Mishima said as Ren frowned before speaking up.
"I understand, but remember what I said about all-nighters and sleep deprivation being bad for you, Mishima-san. You need to rest before you collapse. Again, you're no good to anyone if you work yourself sick. That being said, I will compliment your efforts. That's some nice hustle, image manager." Ren said as Mishima huffed and spoke up.
"It's 'strategic image management rep!' The title is important. Try to remember the whole thing, okay? Well, I'm gonna work my butt off! Just watch me! And I'll make sure to get some rest as well, so you can quit worrying about me, Amamiya." Mishima said as Ren nodded and spoke up with a more relieved tone in his voice.
"Good, as long as you make sure to take care of yourself. I appreciate what you do for the Phantom Thieves, but remember your health is important too." Ren said as Mishima spoke up.
"I know, I know. Well, duty calls I better set out for the Battle of the Phan-Site. Time for a wild night of modding and banning!" Mishima said as Ren sighed, hung up the phone and went inside Leblanc, just in time for Morgana to speak up from inside of Ren's bag.
"Hey! Your midterms are coming up, aren't they? Better make sure you study. What about that diner in Shibuya that Mishima told you about? Could be a good place for studying, right? Mreow-re-heh-heh-heh-mreowr! You have permission to go out at night, so no time like the present!" Morgana said as Ren nodded his understanding and spoke up, rolling his eyes at how terrible Morgana's laugh sounded at that moment as he spoke.
"I will, but first I have some things to do real quick since Mishima basically took up most of the day with that conversation." Ren said as Morgana nodded. After checking the aojiru stand and passing up on the aojiru since Ren felt he didn't need Proficiency at the moment, he then remembered his lottery numbers and went to check them, speaking up to the clerk as he did so.
"Excuse me, I have a lottery number here I forgot to check from the last lotto. Can I check to see if it's a winning number?" Ren asked the clerk who nodded.
"Certainly! Let me just check your number real quick and..." The clerk said, trailing off as their eyes went wide in surprise before speaking up again.
"Well...this is a surprise. Congratulations, your number is a winner! As such, you win 5000 yen!" The clerk said, handing Ren 5,000 yen as Morgana spoke up.
"You won, but...Well, I guess it's better than nothing." Morgana said. Ren nodded as he and Morgana headed back to Leblanc, where they decided to watch the home shopping network where new items were on offer, and after listening to the items on offer, Ren decided to spend 2,680 yen or just over half his lottery winnings on a 'Bio Nutrients Set', figuring if nothing else that helps him keep the plant upstairs happy. After that, Ren shrugged as he decided to just study some more, right as Kusa walked into Leblanc.
"Ah, you're back finally Ren. So how long did Mishima talk your ear off for?" Kusa asked with a smirk as Ren shuddered and spoke up.
"Long enough. But he mentioned a lot about the 'Phan-Site' as he shortened the site's name to since he agreed that 'Phantom Aficionado Website' is a bit of a mouthful as a site name so that was at least enlightening, even if I could do without finding out he's been sacrificing sleep to run the site. But not much I can do about it, I figure. But never mind that, what've you been up to today Kusa?" Ren asked Kusa who shrugged and spoke up.
"Oh, a bit of this, a bit of that. Mostly hanging out with some friends." Kusa said, remembering as he spoke that they were downstairs and gesturing for Ren to head upstairs, which he did. Once upstairs Kusa kept speaking in a lower tone of voice.
"Good thing I remembered Sakura-san was in earshot when we spoke up, or I'd have had some questions to answer that I'm not sure I'm ready to deal with just yet. That said, I spent most of my day either texting Futaba or wandering around town for no real reason." Kusa said as Ren nodded understandingly and spoke up.
"Makes sense. How is she, anyways?" Ren asked, deciding to be sociable and ask after Futaba. Kusa smiled as he spoke up.
"She's doing okay, all things considered. Or as okay as she can be for the fact she doesn't seem to have that many friends outside of me. But then I suppose being a self-imposed shut-in can do that for you. I'm slowly working on breaking her of that habit though since if you remember Ren, I was the same way when I was younger until you and Mom got me out of that habit. And I'll always be grateful to the both of you for that." Kusa said as Ren nodded with a smile.
"It was nothing. No one, yourself included I'm sure, liked seeing you withdrawn and keeping to yourself. And if anyone can slowly coax Futaba out of that mindset, it'd definitely be you Kusa. Heck, who knows? Maybe one day she might even end up part of the team, fate willing." Ren said as Kusa frowned as he spoke up.
"As much as that would be incredible, I'm not sure if I want that to happen given how fucked up the circumstances behind all of us becoming phantom thieves were, and it's not a stretch to infer that Futaba probably has similar circumstances, if not worse. And I'm in no hurry to have my theory touched on one way or the other since I sense it'd be quite painful for her to deal with if I'm right in my suspicions, but I'll leave that at that for now. Anyways, I guess I'll take Morgana for a stroll while you study so you can do so in peace, yeah?" Kusa said as Ren nodded and handed Morgana over to Kusa who nodded as he went on the aforementioned stroll with Morgana while Ren spent the rest of the night studying...
(The next day on the train to school with Kusa, Ren and Morgana)
Ren and Kusa frowned as they stood close together, listening in on a conversation happening nearby.
"What!? Whoa, what's up with the goggles? You going snowboarding or something?" A female office worker said as her male co-worker spoke up.
"I hear the cedar's blooming later than usual...Climate change and what have you. Guh...Pollen allergies suck...I couldn't go to the mountains even if I wanted to...My eyes and nose would gush like rivers." The male office worker said as the female office worker frowned and spoke up.
"That sounds awful..." The female office worker said as Morgana spoke up from inside Kusa's bag.
"Sounds pretty rough...That's right, the news said pollen season was starting later than usual this year. Looks like the pollen problems have only just begun. People are about to have some itchy eyes. This might affect Mementos the same way weather does." Morgana said as Ren and Kusa nodded and the rest of the ride passed uneventfully. As they went to get off the train, Ann walked up to them and spoke up.
"Morning...Ungh..." Ann said, trailing off as she groaned a bit near the end of her greeting. Ren and Kusa exchanged worried looks as the former spoke up.
"You have allergies, Ann?" Ren asked as Kusa also spoke up with a bit of a concerned expression on his face as he spoke.
"Morning to you as well, Ann. Are you all right?" Kusa said. Ann blinked at Ren's question as she spoke up, looking at Ren and Kusa in surprise as she spoke.
"Allergies? Oh, uh, maybe! I do feel kind of dazed, and everything feels weird! But...um...actually, I've been having this feeling that someone's watching me...Ugh, I hope not...Oh! Maybe I just can't shake off the feeling of infiltrating a Palace! At the Palace, we're always cautious of not being noticed, you know!" Ann said as Kusa frowned and spoke up.
"Possibly, but I'm fairly certain there's a huge difference between trying to avoid the notice of a Palace's ruler and feeling like someone's watching you...but don't worry, Ann. If someone IS watching you, between Ren, Ryuji, Morgana and I, they'll find themselves wishing they hadn't when we get through with them." Kusa said as he crossed his arms while speaking. Ann smiled as she spoke up.
"Thank you, Kusa. I appreciate that. But I'm sure it's nothing. So it has to be my imagination...Yeah..." Ann said, mostly seeming to try to reassure herself as Ren and Kusa shrugged while the three walked to school together...
(Later that morning, in class with Ren, Ann and Morgana)
Ren frowned as his phone went off during class, which thankfully was Kawakami's class, making him discreetly go to check it and frown as he saw it was a group chat with Ann, Kusa and Ryuji.
"Hey, don't you think the atmosphere at school's kinda different now?" Ryuji sent as Ren frowned at this before both Kusa and Ann sent responses close together.
"Funny you should mention that, Ryuji. Yoshizawa and I were just discreetly discussing the same thing. She figures it's because that scumbag's gone from the school, but I think this could be what I've heard referred to as 'the calm before the storm', or in more relevant terms, the prelude possibly to our next Palace infiltration." Kusa sent as Ann sent a response of her own.
"It sounds kind of ominous when you put it that way, Kusa. That said, you mean with there being no Kamoshida, Ryuji?" Ann sent. Ryuji sent a response of his own.
"Yeah, nobody ever talked about him out in the open like this before." Ryuji sent as Ren sent a response at that point.
"That's true. If anything, people are probably just now realizing that Kamoshida can't do shit to them anymore now that he's behind bars. Good riddance to pervy rubbish I say." Ren sent, getting appreciative chuckles from Ryuji and Kusa while Ann frowned at Ren's response. Ryuji then sent a response.
"I wish someone'd just thank us for it or something." Ryuji sent as Kusa huffed and sent a response.
"Really? What happened to the satisfaction of doing the right thing being its' own reward, Ryuji!? Also, Yoshizawa says hi Ren." Kusa sent as both Ryuji and Ren frowned at Kusa's response, albeit for different reasons, as Ann sent a response of her own.
"That's a good point, Kusa. But either way, everything has worked out for the best. After all, Kamoshida's actually been punished for his crimes. That's victory enough for me." Ann sent as both Kusa and Ren sent replies around the same time as one another.
"That's true, Ann, but even so, we've only earned at best a temporary peace from that victory. I sense that our group's mission is far from over. Not that I'm going to complain about it mind, since I enjoy kicking Shadow ass with you guys." Kusa sent as Ren sent a response.
"I agree, with both Kusa and Ann. Also, Ann, could what you told us this morning be connected to Kamoshida somehow? I doubt it, but we can't rule anything out." Ren sent. At that same moment, both Kusa and Ann's eyes widened as they read Ren's response, the former sending a response right as Ryuji was sending a response.
"Ren! Didn't Ann say she was sure that was her imagination!? Also, I don't know if she told Ryuji about that yet, and he's in this chat!" Kusa sent at the same time Ryuji sent a response of his own.
"I wonder what's gonna happen to him now. I mean, he's a famous criminal at this point, right? He's gonna have to deal with people hating him forever. Also, what do you mean by 'what you told us this morning', Ren!?" Ryuji sent. Ren then sent a response.
"To make a long story short, Ann feels like someone's watching her, but she thinks it might be her imagination, but Kusa and I disagree. Kusa even told Ann in no uncertain terms that if someone IS watching her that between you, me, Morgana and Kusa himself, we'd be able to make them regret it." Ren said as Ann huffed in annoyance at Ren telling Ryuji what she'd told him and Kusa in confidence that morning at the same time that Kusa resisted the urge to facefault against his and Yoshizawa's desk, not wanting to draw attention to what he was doing. Ann then sent a response with a huff.
"That might be true, but I don't have any sympathy for him. He got what he deserved. And thanks for telling Ryuji what I told you and Kusa in confidence this morning, Ren!" Ann said huffily. Both Ren and Ryuji sent responses close together, Kusa sending a response not long after.
"For sure. Also I agree with Kusa. If someone is watching Ann, we'll make sure they regret it." Ryuji sent right as Ren's response came in.
"Oops, sorry Ann. I didn't realize you didn't want Ryuji to know about that. My bad." Ren sent sheepishly right as Kusa's response came through.
"Of course you didn't, Ren. But then I'm not surprised at how dense you can be at times. Honestly, between you and Ryuji, I wonder which of you is the bigger idiot at times. But then I remember that at least you don't constantly get Morgana's form wrong so I realize it's Ryuji. No offense Ryuji, but you can be rather idiotic at times." Kusa sent, prompting Ren to put his phone away to avoid the likely imminent text argument between Ryuji and Kusa, missing Ann sending a response that said she forgave Ren as a result...
(After school, with Ren and Morgana, in the classroom)
Ren sighed as his phone once again went off as classes let out for the day, sighing in slight relief as it was a private chat from Mishima.
"Hey, I have some new info for you! I saw it on the Phan-Site, but I've heard about it at school too. Anyway, there's a guy at school whose bullying has gone too far. I want to help the victim, but that's impossible for me...But I bet the Phantom Thieves could do something about it! I mean you already changed the heart of that stalker, so this should be a breeze, right?" Mishima sent as Ren rolled his eyes at how much of an understatement Mishima's description of this bullying case as 'a breeze' was. He then sent a response.
"Piece of cake. Though it might take a bit since the Phantom Thieves have a lot to do so they try to wait until they have several requests to handle then go do them all at once to make their trips more efficient." Ren sent. Mishima smiled as he sent a response.
"You're amazing! The bully is a brown-haired guy frequently seen standing out front of the school entrance. And from what I can tell, his name is Daisuke Takanashi. I know you can handle this!" Mishima sent as Ren put his phone away in time for Morgana to speak up from inside Ren's bag.
"Oh! You got some info on a new target! I know this is a small case, but we have a name, so we should be able to consider him a target." Morgana said as Ren got the notification of a new request titled 'The Bark and Bite of a Bully' on his phone. After that Morgana kept speaking.
"We got some info from Mishima. Let's head to the hideout!" Morgana said as Ren rolled his eyes but nodded as he summoned the others to the rooftop...
(On the rooftop, with Ren, Morgana, Kusa, Ann and Ryuji)
Ryuji spoke up as the group was gathered on the rooftop for a meeting, not seeing the annoyed looks in both Ren and Kusa's expressions at having to have an impromptu meeting as he spoke, grinning eagerly while doing so.
"If we're all here...you wanna go to Mementos, right?" Ryuji asked as Ann blanched at his question and spoke up.
"What are you talking about? Don't we need to study for exams?" Ann asked, getting approving nods from Morgana and Ren as Ryuji spoke up.
"Eh, don't worry about that stuff. Let's ignore the details and just go chargin' in there head-first!" Ryuji said as Kusa spoke up in his usual dry tone.
"And comments like that are why you're considered the brawn of the group, Ryuji. That plan has about as much tactical expertise as a rhino rampaging in a china shop." Kusa huffed as Ren chuckled at the analogy and spoke up.
"As apt as that is, I think you meant to say 'a rampaging bull in a tea shop' not 'a rhino rampaging in a china shop', Kusa. But that's just my opinion." Ren said as Kusa blinked and spoke up sheepishly, his eyes widened slightly as he realized he'd been saying that expression incorrectly for a long time.
"Oh crap, is that how that saying goes!? Shoot, that means I've had that saying wrong for years now. Welp, that sucks." Kusa said as Ann laughed before speaking up with a smile on her face as she spoke.
"No worries, Kusa. We all make mistakes from time to time. That said, easy for you to say Ryuji...but we don't even have a target." Ann said as Morgana spoke up with a smirk.
"Let's go! That's actually not a problem anymore. Some intel has come in from Mishima." Morgana said as Ryuji smirked and spoke up, ignoring Ren facefaulting at Morgana bringing up the lone bit of intel that Mishima had given him.
"All right! Ooh, perfect timin'! Let's just go in right now then!" Ryuji said as both Ann and Kusa huffed and the former spoke up.
"You'll really do anything to avoid studying, huh...?" Ann said as Kusa nodded and spoke up sagely.
"Seems that way. Never mind if some of us might've had other things to do or not. I mean, I know we have to do them eventually, but you make a good point about studying." Kusa said to Ann who nodded as she smirked while speaking up.
"Exactly. Though I get the sense you weren't planning on studying just yet, Kusa. Unless that studying entails getting to know a certain orange-haired girl you've been getting to know." Ann said as Kusa's eyes widened fractionally at her comment.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Ann. Who said anything about texting orange-haired girls? Are you sure you're not thinking of Ren being interested in a certain red-haired girl instead?" Kusa said, feebly trying to deny Ann's statement as Ren laughed and spoke up.
"Oh, don't deny it Kusa. You yourself said you were hopeful she'd join our group eventually. So why hide it from the others? If nothing else, you can be more open about it if Ann and Ryuji know. Besides, you already told me and Morgana about it, so what's the difference if they know too?" Ren said to Kusa huffed.
"With you two, I didn't have a choice since you overheard me talking to her on the phone. That hasn't happened thus far with Ann and Ryuji! Besides, given how gung-ho Ryuji seems to be about wanting recognition for what we do, who's to say he wouldn't accidentally blurt it out if we ever were to hang out at Leblanc at some point? And I don't think I need to explain how that would be bad for me if the owner of said Leblanc were to hear Ryuji mentioning it considering I'm fairly sure he doesn't even know about her knowing about me. But I guess I can't make any such argument against including Ann in this secret other than it would be unfair to include her and not Ryuji." Kusa said before sighing and nodding as he relented with a glare at Ren as he spoke up.
"Ugh! I hate that you make so much sense sometimes, Ren. You know that?" Kusa said huffily as he turned to Ann.
"Fine, you're right. But did Ren mention that to you, or was that just a lucky guess on your part?" Kusa said to Ann as Ryuji smirked at Kusa and spoke up.
"Dude, of course Ren told us. What do you expect he's gonna do when he sees the pictures you and her send each other?" Ryuji asked Kusa who went red in embarrassment as he slapped a hand over Ryuji's mouth as he spoke up with a glare.
"First of all, not so loud Ryuji! Second of all, I didn't know Ren had seen those pictures. And thirdly, I didn't think it was a crime for Futaba and I to be curious about one another's appearances. After all, is that not what friends do, is get to know everything to a point about one another?" Kusa said as Ryuji spoke up sheepishly.
"Oops, my bad. And it's not a crime, you're right." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up.
"Also, it was half lucky guess, half Ren mentioning the pictures you two sent each other as Ryuji said. But I mean, sending each other pictures isn't that big of a deal you know. Also, nice attempt at deflecting the subject even if it didn't work." Ann said with a smirk as Kusa sighed and nodded.
"Yeah, I suppose that's true. Suffice it to say, all you and Ryuji need know for now is that her name is Futaba, she has orange hair and she's a couple months younger than I am, and a month or so younger than Yoshizawa, to the point she only just missed getting into first year with me and Yoshizawa. So that means she'll be two years beneath you two and Ren, one year below me and just starting when the current third-years graduate. Which is lucky for her since that means she doesn't have to deal with that snooty class president we have to deal with." Kusa said huffily as Ren laughed at Kusa's apt description and spoke up.
"You're not wrong on that description at all, Kusa. But back on topic, what Kusa isn't mentioning is that Futaba is apparently the daughter of the guy who took me and Kusa in, one Sakura-san, or Coffee Daddy as we called him in the Metaverse." Ren said to Ryuji and Ann as the former spoke up.
"Ahh, so that's the mysterious 'Coffee Daddy' you two were talking about." Ryuji said as Ann spoke up.
"I think the only Sakura-san I know of in town is the one that owns the Leblanc cafe in Yongen-Jaya. Is that him?" Ann asked quietly as Kusa nodded.
"Yep, that's the one. He lets us live in the attic of Leblanc while we stay here for the year." Kusa said by way of explanation. Ren nodded as he spoke up.
"Yes, well, since we only have the one request, I think we're done here for now. As Kusa said, we have better things to be doing, like studying." Ren said as he ended the meeting. Ann sighed as she spoke up.
"Guess I'll go study at home..." Ann said as the group dispersed, Ann and Ryuji heading back to their homes, Kusa walking off somewhere alone and Ren lingering alone on the rooftop with Morgana. After that, Ren headed to the library, remembering he hadn't yet returned 'The Great Thief' even though he finished it some time previous so he headed into the library as the student working the reception desk bowed as she spoke up looking apologetic.
"Oh, it's you. Um...I'm so sorry for what I said. ...I judged a book by its cover. I failed as a librarian assistant. There may be times when other students give you a hard time...but please don't mind them. Feel free to use the library whenever you want." The student librarian said to Ren who nodded and smiled as he spoke up.
"That's all right, I forgive you. I can't fault you for thinking the worst of me since I do have a record and all. But I appreciate the apology just the same." Ren said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.
"Ugh...Well, I certainly don't sense that hostility I was feeling from everyone before. You can hone your Knowledge here quite nicely now, but you won't be able to raise your Guts anymore..." Morgana said as Ren shrugged before turning back to the student librarian.
"Excuse me, I was going to return the book I borrowed before you so graciously apologized to me, so here, I'm returning 'The Great Thief' since I finished it. I'd also like to borrow another book." Ren said as the student librarian smiled and nodded before speaking up.
"Certainly. Speed Reader is still checked out but you can check out one of these three books." The student librarian said as she set down a trio of books in front of Ren which he scanned the titles of. One was 'Pirate Legend', one was 'Zorro, the Outlaw' and the last was 'The Charming Dancer'. After looking them over, Ren picked up 'Zorro, the Outlaw' and handed it to the librarian as he spoke up.
"I think I'll check this book out, please." Ren said as the student librarian nodded.
"Certainly. This one, yes? Okay, be careful with it." The student librarian said as she checked 'Zorro, the Outlaw' out to Ren as Morgana spoke up with a grin on his face.
"Ah..'Zorro, the Outlaw', eh? Sounsd interesting!" Morgana said as Ren accepted the checked-out book 'Zorro, the Outlaw' from the student librarian with a curt nod of respect. After that, Ren headed to Central Street for a bit of a walk before deciding to go look into the 'Big Bang Challenge' he'd heard about on the train, walking over to Big Bang Burger. As he walked in, the female employee at the counter greeted Ren with a smile as she spoke up.
"Welcome to Big Bang Burger, open 24 hours a day because there's no day or night in space! We're currently offering what we call the 'Big Bang Challenge'! If you can finish our special large-volume burger within the time limit, then you win! And we have a luxurious prize prepared for those who succeed! Why don't you take the challenge? The universe awaits! At night the challenge will only cost our intrepid travelers a meager fee of 500 yen!" The employee said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.
"Oh? You wanna do it? A challenge, huh? How about giving it a try?" Morgana said as the employee spoke up once more.
"We are now offering a new limited-edition spring item: the Earth Burger! What can I get for you?" The employee asked Ren. Ren then spoke up.
"I know it'll probably be more expensive to do during the day, but I want to give the Big Bang Challenge a go, if I can." Ren said as the employee spoke up.
"You'd like to take on the Big Bang Challenge?" The employee asked as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.
"Yeah! You might be able to gain some Guts if you do the challenge. I think you can probably do it as you are now." Morgana said. The employee spoke up.
"You can do it, but the price is tripled during the day, or in other words it'll be 1500 yen." The employee said as Ren nodded, still having winnings leftover from the lottery so he paid for the challenge from that.
"I'll take the challenge." Ren said firmly as he put the yen on the counter making the female employee nod as she spoke up.
"Certainly. Now then, go take a seat! And good luck!" The employee said as Ren went to get a seat. Once he sat down the employee walked over and spoke up.
"Thank you very much! Thanks for taking the Big Bang Challenge. This is your first time, yes? Your starting rank will be Third Mate. Thus, your aim will be...the Comet Burger!" The female employee said as a huge burger was set in front of Ren, easily as big around as as Ren's head. Morgana blanched as he looked at the burger.
"For real!? This is a lot bigger than I was expecting..." Morgana said as Ren shrugged while the employee kept speaking.
"This burger is as voluminous as a soaring comet burning in the sky. It will not be overcome easily. But should you conquer this challenge, you will be rewarded with an extravagant prize." The employee said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.
"Ooh, a prize would be great! Good luck, Ren!" Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as the employee spoke up once more.
"Now then, it's time to get the thirty-minute Big Bang Challenge started! Ready...Go!" The employee said as she blew a whistle to start the challenge as Ren eyed the burger and started carefully eating. As he ate, Ren mused on how tough of a battle he'd gotten himself into. Morgana spoke up at that point.
"I don't think you have the luxury of enjoying the taste. Don't chew, just swallow!" Morgana said as Ren nodded, eating for all he was worth. Surprisingly, Ren managed to finish the burger with plenty of time to spare, causing epic fanfare to play in the background as he finished, making him smirk as he patted himself on the back for eating the whole burger. Morgana looked at Ren in awe as he spoke up.
"Whoa! Y-You did it!" Morgana said to Ren who smirked as he spoke up.
"Yep, that I did. Not to brag, but Kusa and I had to do a lot of taste-testing for our parents' restaurant, so we learned how to eat through food pretty quickly, though I don't think Kusa enjoys it too too much since he's more of the type to savor his meal as he eats, whereas I just eat it and go because sometimes, like just now, one doesn't have the time to savor their food. But then that's probably why Kusa's more of the brains of the two of us where I'm a mix of brains and brawn." Ren said with a smirk as the employee walked over with a smile on her face as she spoke up.
"CONGRATULATIONS! Congratulations on completing this challenge! Since you managed to extinguish the Comet Burger...I present to you the '2nd Mate Badge'!" The employee said as she handed an accessory called the '2nd Mate Badge' to Ren as she kept speaking.
"And to the baron who defeated this challenge, we present you...Our world-famous Big Bang Burger, on the house! We hope you enjoy the taste of victory." The employee said as she handed Ren a bag with three Big Bang Burgers in it. Ren smirked happily as he accepted the food and the employee kept speaking.
"New challenges will await you now that you've become a Second Mate! Please come again! I look forward to your next attempt at our challenge!" The employee said as Ren nodded while she walked off as Morgana spoke up.
"Awesome, Ren! I knew you could do it! You took that Comet Burger down! You were so admirable, taking on such a daunting task with that intense level of courage! Your pace, your strategy of using well-timed drinks, and just the spectacular way you devoured it...Everything was perfect!" Morgana said as Ren smirked as he felt his Guts, Charm, Knowledge and Proficiency all increase. Morgana then spoke up.
"Wanna head back? Come on, we should head home. I'm full just from watching you..." Morgana said as Ren nodded and the two headed back to Leblanc, only for Sojiro to greet them as they came in with a nod as he spoke up.
"Yo! Another box came for you." Sojiro said as Ren opened it up to find it was the Bio Nutrients set he'd ordered previously. Morgana spoke up.
"Oh! Must be what you ordered off the TV." Morgana said. Ren nodded, making a quick detour to Station Square to buy another lotto number on a whim for 3000 yen, at which point his phone went off to signify a private chat from Ann.
"I'm already bummed about tests coming up...I'm in trouble for anything that's not English. I haven't been studying at all...Oh! Maybe we can make some progress if we keep an eye on each other! Wanna study together? I know Kusa has plans to study with Futaba and Ryuji's probably busy doing anything he can do that ISN'T studying so why not study with me?" Ann sent. Ren thought about it before nodding as he sent a response.
"When you put it like that Ann, I see no reason NOT to study with you. After all, they say two heads are better than one for most things. So sure, I'll study with you. Let's do it." Ren sent. Ann smiled as she sent a response quickly.
"You're a big help! Then, let's meet at the diner in Shibuya!" Ann sent as Ren went to meet Ann at the diner...
(At the diner with Ren, Morgana and Ann)
"That long sentence is tough...Try to think about what the underlined section means. Are you starting to understand how to dissect these problems?" Ann asked Ren who thought about it and nodded.
"It's pretty tricky, but I think I'm getting it? Don't quote me on that though, because it seems pretty tough..." Ren said honestly as Morgana huffed and spoke up.
"You're lucky enough to get a private lesson from Lady Ann. Just appreciate it and study, okay?" Morgana said to Ren who nodded as his knowledge went up a good bit. Ann smiled as she spoke up.
"That's not it! I'm actually not so good at this because of my time abroad. Anyway, time to study! Here we go! Do you think you could help me with math next?" Ann asked as she and Ren spent awhile longer studying while Morgana observed the two from Ren's bag. After some time had passed Ann spoke up again.
"Let's get back! I'm so tired...Let's stop here." Ann said as Ren nodded and went back to Leblanc to go to bed...
(The next day, at the train station with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)
As Ren and Kusa got off their train to change trains for the rest of the trip to school, they found their progress halted as the last person either of them expected to see walked up to them, speaking up in a dry but no-nonsense tone.
"Well, well. If it isn't the Amamiya brothers. Looks like you two're attending school seriously. You also seem pretty close to Takamaki-san if you're both coming to school together. You just transferred here though...I guess you three really click." Niijima said as Kusa and Ren frowned and Ren spoke up.
"She and I are in the same class after all. As for Kusa, he and Ann have kind of taken to each other as if they were siblings, or so they say. But never mind that. Have you been watching us a lot to figure that out, Niijima-san?" Ren asked as Kusa spoke up, a frown on his face as he spoke.
"More importantly, as flattering as the student council president herself deigning to spend time with her peers is, was there something you needed? Last I checked, we all had school to get to." Kusa said dryly, ignoring the subtle elbow Ren gave him in his side as he spoke. Niijima-san spoke up, either ignoring or not hearing Kusa's remark as she focused on Ren for the moment.
"...I see. You seemed a lot closer than that yesterday morning. I heard she was a victim of Mister Kamoshida, but was that all there was to it...?" Niijima said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, glaring at Niijima in annoyance as he spoke.
"What's your point, Niijima-san? Are you trying to make some sort of negative implication about Ann? Because student council president or not, that's not okay! That said, of course they're not closer than that! Ann doesn't even like either of us that way! Besides, I'm quite sure Ren has his eye on someone else entirely, as do I for that matter. Now, if there's nothing further, Ren and I should really be getting on our way to school unless you want to be the reason Ren and I end up in trouble for being late to school, Niijima-san." Kusa said dryly, frowning at Nijjima as he spoke, making her blanch at his words before nodding as she spoke up.
"That's fair, Amamiya-kun the younger. I was just being curious, that's all. But either way, closer inspection should clear everything up...Goodbye." Niijima said as Kusa and Ren headed to school...
(That morning in class with Ren, Morgana and Ann)
"AHEM! Exams start tomorrow. Are you all ready? Now then, picking up from last time...The end of the Heian period marks the rise of the samurai, which I'm sure you've alll been waiting for. As described in 'The Tale of the Heike', it was a time when all that was great would fall from grace. It wasn't unusual for the heroes of yesterday to be struck down as rebels of the present day. By the way, sympathizing with the loser or the weak is called 'magistrate's patronage.' That term came from Minamoto no Yoshitsune's position...And it also became a way of referring to him as well. All right, Amamiya-kun." Inui said as Ren sat up to look at him as he held up a picture of a man meditating.
"You know the time period Yoshitsune was active in, don't you?" Inui asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.
"THIS IS IT! You said it yourself, sir. The Heian period." Ren said as Inui clapped and smiled as he nodded.
"Correct! That's right. He supported his brother, Yoritomo, during the Heian period. But despite his contributions in defeating the Taira, he was driven out by his brother and ultimately executed...However, in the centuries that followed, Yoshitsune became more popular as a tragic hero." Inui said as Ren heard the usual murmurs ensue as Morgana complimented him on his intelligence as his Knowledge went up some more. Inui then kept speaking.
"Rather than siding with the one who has overwhelming power people prefer the underdog opposing them. It's sort of like rooting for a minor-leage baseball team instead of an all-star, major-league one." Inui said as Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.
"Yup. I can understand that. It's like, if I don't root for them, then who will?" Morgana said as Ren shrugged and the rest of the class period passed without incident. Morgana then spoke up once more after school.
"If you're confident in your exams, you could always liven the day up and head to Mementos. It'd be nice if we could get some info on a target before we went, though...Hey, shouldn't you tell the others about that target in Menentos?" Morgana asked Ren. Ren shook his head as he spoke up.
"Nah. First of all, there's only one target so it wouldn't be worth our time to make a trip for a single target. Secondly, I think my time could be much better spent studying and stuff." Ren said as Morgana nodded his agreement as Ren went and studied in the library. That evening, he did a crossword, also improving his Knowledge for the impending exams, and then used the high-grade plant nutrients from the Bio Nutrients set to feed the plant and give his Kindness a big boost, after which he decided to finish off 'Bubbly Hills, 90210' with Morgana as he saw that Kusa wasn't home yet, figuring he probably lost track of time hanging out with Futaba or something. Ren quickly sent Kusa a chat reminding him that it was late before starting the movie. Morgana frowned and spoke up at one point in the movie.
"Huh? No way! He can't date her if he already has a girlfriend..." Morgana said as Ren nodded. After the movie, Morgana looked at Ren and spoke up.
"So we finished watching 'Bubbly Hills, 90210,' huh...Maybe you learned a thing or two about Charm by watching this drama." Morgana said to Ren who nodded as his Charm went up, right as Kusa came up the stairs and spoke up with a nod to Ren.
"Hey, thanks for that chat Ren. I didn't realize it'd gotten so late. I lost track of time while I was chatting with Futaba, but luckily your chat made us check the time to realize it was this late so I was able to slip out the back way and get back here quickly. My bad." Kusa said to Ren who chuckled as he just nodded.
"No worries, Kusa. You didn't miss much, just the end of 'Bubbly Hills, 90210', which I'm sure you're fine with since you didn't seem to care for what we watched of it together." Ren said as Kusa frowned and nodded as he spoke up.
"I couldn't stand the show it was based off of, and Futaba agrees. She cringed something fierce when I mentioned you strong-armed me into watching the first-half of it, saying, and I quote, 'How can you watch that C-list work of garbage? Someone should've burned that movie in a dumpster fire! At least you evened it out by watching 'The X-Folders' before that.' And honestly I agree with her, but at least you finished it without me so that's good. And yes I studied for the exams too. I'm not Ryuji, after all. I don't duck out of studying every chance I get. Honestly, if he passes, it'll be because he got insanely lucky." Kusa said as Morgana chuckled and spoke up.
"Those are all fair points, Kusa. Either way, Ren and I should go return the DVD soon, probably after exams most likely. That said, it's starting to get late. We should probably go to bed so we can be up early for exams." Morgana said to Ren, who nodded as did Kusa, before they all laid down in their respective spots, Kusa gently draping his arm over Morgana with a smile as he dozed off...
(The next day, at school, with Ren, Kusa and Morgana)
Ren and Kusa frowned as they saw a gaggle of students gathered by the bulletin board, exchanging wary glances before walking over to listen in.
"I can't believe this...A school assembly? During exam week? The hell are they thinking?" One of the students said as their female friend spoke up.
"It's the day after tomorrow, right? I wonder if it's gonna be about Mister Kamoshida again..." The female student said as the first spoke up, both ignoring Kusa and Ren cringing at the female's reference to Kamoshida as 'Mister Kamoshida'.
"Ugh, I can't believe the school is messing with our schedules like this..." The first of the students said.
"I don't care what it's about-it's gonna have nothing to do with us students. I wish they'd stop dragging us into their mess." The female student said as Morgana spoke up.
"Seems pretty rough...A mandatory assembly during exam week, huh? Sounds rough for all of you." Morgana said as Kusa spoke up.
"Maybe for Ren, Ryuji and Ann, but I'm not bothered that much. That said, good luck with your exams Ren. And Morgana, try not to get him into trouble, yeah?" Kusa said as he headed to his classroom for his exams as Ren did the same...
(Fast forward a couple days to the end of exams and the day of the mandatory assembly, with Ryuji, Kusa, Ann, Ren and Morgana)
As Ren, Ann, Ryuji and Kusa stood together to listen to the assembly after finishing their exams, Morgana hiding in Kusa's bag to also listen, Kobayakawa spoke up from onstage, oblivious to the murmurs that had died down once he'd walked out onstage as he spoke.
"Every since that specific incident, many of you have voiced concerns that we 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. The floor is yours, Doctor..." Kobayakawa said as a man in a lab coat with dark brown, almost black hair, khaki jeans, a blue tie, a white shirt under the coat, glasses and brown eyes walked out onto stage amidst the approving gazes and whispers of the students, many of them commenting on how 'hot' the man that came out was. Ren and Kusa cringed as they heard one girl nearby ask her friend if the man was hot. The man in question then cleared his throat as he spoke up.
"It's nice to meet you all." The man said as one of the swooning females spoke up, ignoring the disgusted looks she got from Ann and Kusa behind her.
"Whoa, his voice is sexy!" The swooning female said. The man then kept speaking, acting as if he hadn't heard the catcalls and comments.
"My name is-Huh?" The man said as he checked his mic to be sure it was working as he kept speaking.
"My name is Takuto Maruki. Thank you for welcoming me to your school." The now-named Maruki said as he went to bow, only to literally slam his forehead right into the mic, eliciting a mix of snickers and chatter from the crowd as he rubbed his forehead before he kept speaking.
"No need to be formal with me, though. I'm just here to counsel anyone who's interested. You can even call me Doc, if that would make you feel more comfortable. Any assistance you need, I'll be-Oh..." Maruki said, trailing off briefly as he realized something, not seeing Kusa roll his eyes in an unimpressed manner as he kept speaking.
"I guess I'm not really any good for helping with monetary problems..." Maruki said as many of the students laughed, perfectly covering up Kusa muttering so only Ryuji and Ren could hear.
"Hmph, who cares if that guy's good with monetary problems or not?! He's a ham. Besides, the amount of hypocrisy in this room is staggering." Kusa grumbled to himself, Ren and Ryuji nodding their agreement as Kobayakawa pushed Maruki offstage to speak up, silencing the murmurs and laughs that had broken out at Maruki's joke about being bad with money.
"Thank you, Dr. Maruki." Kobayakawa said as the assembly was dismissed from there. After that, the group met up in the courtyard where Ryuji spoke up.
"Yo. You ever expect this place to actually give a shit about our mental health?" Ryuji asked as Kusa huffed and Ann spoke up.
"Well, our school's made national news. Maybe they figured they'd look even worse if they didn't do anything for us." Ann said as Ryuji spoke up, his words making Kusa laugh.
"And Doctor, uh, Doctor Whatshisname." Ryuji said as Ann and Kusa corrected him at the same time.
"MARUKI." Ann and Kusa said simultaneously, blinking at their unintentional synchronicity and chuckling at it as Ryuji spoke up.
"Yeah-wasn't that guy just basically clowning it up onstage?" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Exactly. Glad I'm not the only one who thought that guy was being a clown or ham. Personally I was too busy being disgusted by how many of the girls fell all over themselves swooning at Maruki's voice and stuff. Or was I the only one who heard several of them openly admiring him? Like what the hell?! Is that not the same shit that literally got Kamoshida fired not two weeks, if that, ago?
And another thing, who cares if that guy's bad with money? That's not why you go to a therapist in the first place. They're supposed to be good with mental issues, not monetary issues. Besides, we don't need financial help in our group. That's what I'm here for." Kusa said huffily as Ren and Ryuji nodded. Ryuji then spoke up.
"Truth, man! At least I'm not the only one who was skeptical as hell of him! You really think he'll do us any good?" Ryuji asked, as Ann's eyes widened fractionally as she saw the very doctor that Kusa and Ryuji had just been openly roasting walk up next to Ryuji and approach the group making Ann speak up huffily.
"Ryuji...Kusa...both of you shut it! Here he comes." Ann said as Kusa and Ryuji whipped around wide-eyed as they saw Maruki behind them. Maruki then spoke up, acting as if he hadn't just heard Kusa and Ryuji basically talking about him while he was in earshot.
"Hey there." Maruki said as he looked at Ryuji and Ann before his gaze landed on Ren and Kusa as he spoke up.
"Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-san, right? And that must make you two the Amamiya-kun brothers." Maruki said as Ryuji, Ren, Kusa and Ann's eyes all went wide as Ryuji spoke up.
"How do you know our names?" Ryuji asked as Kusa huffed and spoke up.
"I'd say he had a lucky guess, but probably the principal singled us out to him or something like that. Which wouldn't surprise me one bit." Kusa deadpanned as Maruki spoke up, seeming unfazed by Kusa's dry quip as he spoke.
"Pretty much what Amamiya-kun the younger here said. Well, I was informed of certain students before beginning my tenure here. Those that had, ah...previous interactions with Mister Kamoshida." Maruki said as he fixed his gaze on Ren as he spoke up, ignoring the confused look on Kusa's face as he spoke up.
"Amamiya-kun the elder, it must've been especially tough for you after having just transferred here." Maruki said as Ren spoke up with a shrug.
"Yeah, it was. But I made some pretty kick-ass friends out of it so I can't really complain in the long run." Ren said as Kusa spoke up.
"Honestly, if you're trying to fish for info Doc, you're doing a pretty crappy job at it. You might have better luck with the direct approach." Kusa said with a shrug. Maruki ignored Kusa as he spoke up, his eyes on Ren.
"I can definitely believe that." Maruki said as Ryuji huffed and spoke up in a skeptical tone.
"So... whaddya want with us?" Ryuji asked as Maruki blinked and spoke up.
"Ah yes, I'd forgotten...I know I already offered my services to the student body earlier, but would you four be interested in counseling?" Maruki asked as Ryuji and Kusa spoke up almost immediately.
"Nope, not at all." Ryuji said as Kusa nodded his agreement and spoke up.
"I'll think about it Doc, but I make no promises. It doesn't help your case that your first impression on that stage wasn't the strongest it could have been." Kusa said. Maruki blinked at Ryuji's reaction and nodded to Kusa's as he spoke up.
"Huh!?" Maruki said in surprise as Kusa rolled his eyes before Ryuji spoke up.
"How is that surprising?" Ryuji asked Maruki who chuckled as he spoke up.
"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?" Maruki said as Kusa's eyes narrowed in disgust at Maruki's attempt at a sales pitch as did Ryuji's as the former spoke up while Ren was contemplating the offer.
"Really!? You're surprised that Ryuji here is quick to turn you down? Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the first thing you did checking your mic to make sure it worked, then almost immediately faceplanting into said mic, and then proceed to try to act like a goofball and basically let most of the students ooh and ahh at you while some of them were even blatantly complimenting you on things. So of course Ryuji's not gonna want counselling from someone that seemingly oblivious. No offense meant, Doc, but if anything not only does your first impression need a lot of work, but so does your lines. But we'd be here too long if I full-on nitpicked every single flaw in your form out there.
Needless to say, you didn't make a good impression on most of us, even if you might have tempted Ren over there with your little 'Welcome to the Counselling side, we've got snacks!' pitch. I can't speak for Ann or Ryuji, but I for one am a bit unimpressed with what I've seen so far. Sorry for the blunt candor, but I call things as I see them." Kusa said as he crossed his arms with a frown as Ren glared at Kusa before speaking up.
"First of all, Kusa, don't put words in my mouth! Secondly, even if I WAS tempted by those snacks Maruki-san here spoke of, that doesn't mean I was gonna consider his offer!" Ren snapped at Kusa in annoyance before turning to Maruki as he kept speaking.
"And another thing, other than maybe Ryuji at times, we're not little kids. So don't treat us as such, Maruki-san." Ren said bluntly, Kusa nodding approvingly to Ren's response as he spoke up once more.
"Fair enough, Ren. I apologize for calling you out by name. But I saw you stroking your chin like you were considering it so what else was I supposed to think?" Kusa said. Ren nodded as he spoke up.
"Understandable. " Ren said as Maruki chuckled nervously at Ren pointing out that none of his friends were little kids, though he was amused by Ren admitting to being tempted by the snacks.
"Haha... You're right. To be frank, I've been explicitly ordered to provide counseling to the students directly involved with Mister Kamoshida. It's in the school's interest...for its students." Maruki said as Ryuji crossed his arms and spoke up, his tone conveying how unimpressed he was as he spoke.
"Ahhh...the school's interest, huh?" Ryuji said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Exactly, Ryuji. This is more of the school's way of covering its' own ass after they got caught out on the carpet, so to speak, by what Kamoshida admitted to. So now they're trying to cover their own asses by making a show of getting the students counselling. This is such a blatant pander to draw attention off of what Kamoshida did, it's not funny." Kusa said dryly as he crossed his arms, Ryuji nodding his agreement as he spoke up.
"Truth, Kusa! Though I suppose we shouldn't take it ALL out on Doc here. He is just a messenger in this instance." Ryuji pointed out as Maruki spoke up.
"I know that asking you to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot. Making this mandatory won't do you any good, either. Might as well turn it into a worthwhile experience...Ooh, I know! If you attend my counselling sessions, I'll teach you different ways to improve your mental acuity. Like, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or not getting nervous on dates." Maruki said. Kusa laughed as he spoke up.
"Hmm, when you put it that way Doc, maybe that is something Ren here should take up if for no other reason than so maybe he won't make a fool of himself when and if he finally does actually grow a pair and actually hang out with his crush." Kusa joked, getting an appreciative laugh from Ryuji who discreetly high-fived him, ignoring the glares Ann, Ren and even Morgana aimed at him and Kusa as a result. Maruki shrugged as he spoke up, not sure what to make of Kusa's comments about Ren..
"Not sure I can help with that, but I can try I suppose. Anyways, how's that sound?" Maruki said as Ann spoke up for the first time in a bit.
"Uh..." Ann said as Ren blinked at the question. He then considered it, since maybe the mental training could be of use to the Phantom Thieves. Maruki then spoke up again.
"There's also snacks." Maruki said, making Ryuji frown at Maruki once again trying to dangle the snacks in the group's faces as he spoke up.
"Alright, alright, enough with the snacks!" Ryuji said to Maruki before turning to Ren as he kept speaking.
"So, which way are you leanin'?" Ryuji asked Ren, Kusa also looking at Ren, curious to hear his answer. Ren then frowned before speaking up.
"Kusa did raise some good points about Maruki-san here, but I can see how his mental training could be of help. Besides, if he was ordered to do it, I sense we don't actually have a choice in the matter, but are instead being offered the 'illusion of choice' as some would call it. So I guess, if for no other reason than to stay out of trouble, I'll play along and humor Maruki-san by doing these sessions. Who knows, maybe what he teaches could be of some unexpected use somehow?" Ren said with a shrug. Kusa and Ryuji huffed as they nodded their concession of Ren's point as the latter spoke up.
"Ugh, I guess it'd just be more trouble for us if we didn't go." Ryuji said as Ann nodded and spoke up.
"Hmm, yeah." Ann said as Kusa huffed and spoke up.
"I guess if the others can be convinced to humor you, I might as well do the same. Very well, we're in." Kusa said with a huff. Maruki smiled in surprise as he spoke up happily.
"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." Maruki said as the group nodded as Ryuji spoke up.
"Welp, we should get goin'." Ryuji said as Ren and Kusa nodded their agreement. Ryuji, Ann and Kusa walked off but Maruki stopped Ren as he made to follow and spoke up.
"Thanks for taking my counseling into consideration. Now that we have a deal, I promise I'll do my best to help you." Maruki said as Ren nodded, realizing that he'd made a deal with Maruki, half-expecting that to translate into a new Confidant link...
(Fast forward to the interrogation room with Sae and Joker)
"It's hard to believe an ordinary high school student could accomplish such grandiose heists. One would need a heart of steel, unaffected by outside influences and prepared to act without hesitating. There has to be someone who helped strengthen your mental state. Sound like anybody you know?" Sae asked Joker before frowning as she kept speaking.
"Give me a name!" Sae demanded of Joker...
(Back in the present with Ren)
As Ren predicted, sure enough the expected voice was heard in his head.
"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 Councillor Persona, I have obtained the winds of blessing that shall lead to freedom and new power..." Ren heard in his head as a new card appeared in his mind's eye, this one with the word 'Councillor' on it, and the letter 'I' on it signifying that the Councillor confidant was at level 1. After that, Ryuji's voice reached Ren's ears.
"What's the holdup, dude?" Ryuji asked as Maruki spoke up.
"Sorry for keeping you like this. Well then..." Maruki said as Ren gave him a respectful nod before heading off with Ryuji and the others...
(In classes that afternoon with Ann, Ren and Morgana)
"All right, settle down. I have an addendum to the earlier assembly, regarding the counseling you've all been offered. The counselor will be available to you starting after school today, in the nurse's office. Doctor Maruki will only be posted here through November, so be sure to speak with him soon if you feel the need. For the majority of you, it's your choice whther or not you see him, but...there are a few students I'll speak with later...The school's decided: visits to Doctor Maruki will be mandatory for those individuals." Kawakami said to the class as Ren and Ann's phones went off signifying a group chat with Ryuji and Kusa.
"Yo, you guys gonna go for it?" Ryuji sent as Ann sent a response.
"What, the counselling?" Ann sent as Kusa sent a response.
"No, he meant the modelling team, Ann. Yes he meant the counselling. And honestly Ryuji, I think Ren might be right about us not having a choice on this one. But Yoshizawa-san made a really good point earlier when I asked her about it. She said she's met with Maruki-kun before and he's actually a really talented counselor. Apparently he helped her through some rough times in the past, but she wouldn't go into details about it. Anyways, her point was that he doesn't have to be a bad guy if we don't make him one.
We can go to these sessions and then just get to know the guy and form our own opinions of him removed from his less than inspiring performance at the assembly. And I for one think that's a solid idea. Granted, she may or may not have been saying that to give me advice to give to Ren, but that's neither here nor there right now." Kusa sent. Ann nodded and sent her own response.
"I agree with Kusa. It kinda sounds like we're being forced to. And also, not funny Kusa! You know as well as I do there's no such thing as a modelling team or else I'd have already tried out for it." Ann sent as Ren chuckled at Kusa's typical dry and cynical brand of speaking as Ryuji sent a response.
"I told Maruki I'd do it, but...I dunno if I'm really that into the idea, you know?" Ryuji sent. Ren then sent a response.
"I'm not thrilled either, but I think Kusa's right. Not much of a choice here anyways. If nothing else Ryuji, you can go but use the time to study or something if Doc okays it. As long as you show up for a session that should count I think. You don't have to speak with him as long as you show up, unless I'm mistaken." Ren sent. Ann sent a response immediately after.
"Yeah, that's true. Probably better not to draw more attention to ourselves anyway. Also, Kusa, I bet you'd be singing a different tune if the tables had been turned and Ren had been the one sharing a desk with Futaba." Ann sent teasingly, making Ren and Ryuji laugh at Ann's message as Kusa sputtered before sending a response.
"OI! First of all ix-nay on the utaba-Fay in the at-chays. That said, no fair bringing her into this like that when she's not even able to see these and stick up for herself, Ann! Would you like it if I'd dragged Suzui-san into the conversation the way you just dragged Futaba into it?" Kusa sent, making Ren wince at the easily perceivable annoyance in Kusa's tone. Ann then sent another message.
"Sorry. I didn't realize you'd react that way to that or I wouldn't have said that, Kusa. And no I wouldn't want Shiho dragged into this either so I apologize for doing so to Futaba. That said, I think I'm gonna try going today." Ann sent as Kusa and Ren put their phones away as Ryuji and Ann got into a textfest. Right as Ren put his away, Morgana spoke up so only Ren could hear.
"Hmm...Counseling, eh? Lady Ann's right. Make sure you visit him so you don't draw any attention to yourself okay?" Morgana said as Ren nodded.
(A short time later in the nurse's office with Ann and Maruki)
Maruki looked up as he heard a knock at the office door and spoke up.
"Yes? Come in..." Maruki said as the door opened and Ann walked in, sat down and sighed as she spoke up.
"Ummm..." Ann said as Takamaki looked over at Ann, smiled and spoke up.
"Welcome. Are you here for a counselling session?" Maruki asked as Ann nodded and spoke up.
"Yeah, is now a bad time?" Ann asked. Maruki chuckled as he spoke up with a smile.
"Not at all! It's always a good time, so long as I'm not already listening to a student. I'm so glad you're here. Would you care for a snack?" Maruki said as Ann sat down. Maruki then spoke up after he sat down as well.
"Well, shall we get started? Oh-but first, just relax, all right? I'm only here to listen to whatever you wish to talk about." Maruki said as Ann sighed and nodded.
"Sure. Although I really only have one thing on my mind right now, anyway..." Ann said as Maruki nodded and spoke up.
"Yes, I'd say that makes perfect sense. But don't force yourself into talking with me. You could even just grab some snacks and be on your way, if you wanted! Haha..." Maruki said, hoping to ease the tension with a bit of joking but Ann shook her head as she spoke up.
"No, it's...it's all right. I know I need to talk to someone about this, anyway. That is, if you're willing to listen to the super-long story..." Ann said as Maruki nodded and spoke up, giving Ann a reassuring smile as he spoke.
"I absolutely am. Take all the time you need." Maruki said before Ann nodded and promptly proceeded to explain the story, in detail, of what she'd gone through with Kamoshida. When she'd finished, Kamoshida blanched as he spoke up.
"...I see. That's such a horrible thing to do to someone." Maruki said to Ann who sighed and nodded.
"Yes. That's why I wanted to get even with him...For Shiho." Ann said as Maruki nodded and spoke up.
"Mmhm... And?" Maruki asked as Ann sighed and spoke up.
"At first I thought Kamoshida ought to face the same fate Shiho was going to put herself through...But..." Ann said as Maruki blinked and spoke up.
"But?" Maruki said, intrigued to hear what else Ann was going to say. Ann shook her head before continuing to speak.
"U-Uh, right...Later, I realized that wasn't right. If he did take his own life, it wouldn't undo Shiho's suffering-in fact, it'd just give him the easy way out." Ann said as Maruki nodded and spoke up.
"Is that so? You know, you are quite the wise, level-headed young woman, Takamaki-san." Maruki said making Ann blanch in surprise as she spoke up.
"Huh? Uh, I think you've got the wrong..." Ann said as Maruki spoke up before she could finish.
"Nope-in fact, I think you're wiser than I was at your age. I wasn't anywhere near as mature as you are now." Maruki said as Ann frowned and spoke up.
"It's not like I did anything special, though. If I hadn't gone through my own share of hell, I don't think I'd be so mature either." Ann said as Maruki nodded and spoke up.
"I see...So, what's on your mind now?" Maruki asked Ann who blanched as she spoke up.
"Right now? Hmm, let me think...I'm just hoping Shiho will get better quickly. We both suffered a lot, but... I just wanna get back to laughing and having fun together like we used to. At this point, I don't give a rat's ass about Kamoshida!" Ann said as Maruki smiled and spoke up.
"Yeah! Now there's a healthy outlook! You can't change the past, but you still want to keep yoru chin up and press onward-is that the gist of it?" Maruki asked Ann who nodded as she spoke up with a smile.
"Yeah, that sounds about right. I mean, it'd definitely be better if none of this happened at all, but..." Ann said, trailing off as Maruki chuckled before speaking up.
"Quite...I definitely agree with you there. But, it's impossible to wipe every tragedy from history." Maruki said as Ann smiled and nodded as she spoke up.
"Y-Yeah! If only, right? Everyone would be so much happier if we could actually do that." Ann said as at that point bells could be heard going off to signify the time making Maruki speak up.
"...Oh, it seems I lost track of the time. We should wrap things up here for today-thank you so much for coming here to see me." Maruki said as Ann shook her head, smiled and spoke up.
"Oh no, thank you! I feel a ton better now that that's all off my chest." Ann said as Maruki nodded and spoke up.
"Hah, good to hear it-you deserve it. Feel free to stop by again anytime. Be careful, okay?" Maruki said as Ann nodded.
"Okay, I'm gonna get going! And will do! See you around!" Ann said as she grabbed her bags and left the office...
(Meanwhile, back in the classroom with Ren and Morgana)
Ren was getting ready to get his things and figure out his plans for the day when his phone went off to signify a private chat with Ann.
"Well, I went in for counselling. You're going soon too, right, Ren?" Ann sent as Ren shrugged and sent a response.
"More than likely. How'd it go, if you don't mind my asking? Figure might as well get an idea of what to expect for when I go in. Granted I might have to find Kusa first so I can pawn Morgana off on him while I go to this session since I get the feeling there aren't animals allowed in the nurse's office." Ren sent. Ann frowned before sending a response.
"Hmm...Well it honestly wasn't as rough as I was expecting. I think you should just go and give it a shot. Doctor Maruki's easier to talk to than you'd think. Okay, see you tomorrow." Ann sent as Ren put his phone away in time for Morgana to speak up.
"Didn't you have a counselling appointment?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded and spoke up.
"That I did, but I'm afraid you won't be able to accompany me on this since it's in the nurse's office and I'm pretty sure your current form would keep you from being able to follow me inside. Maybe while I'm doing my appointment, you can go find Kusa or Ryuji and hang out with them in the interim and then we'll meet up at Leblanc or something afterwards. How's that sound?" Ren said to Morgana who nodded as he spoke up.
"Fair enough. That's in the nurse's office in the Practice Building, right? I'll just pass time in the area until you're done. And I'd hang out with them, but Ryuji went off to train alone and I saw Kusa walking off with Yoshizawa not that long ago, probably helping her train or something. So I guess I'll just find a way to keep myself entertained while you do that." Morgana said to Ren who nodded as Morgana padded off to find Kusa before Ren headed to the nurse's office for his appointment. To his surprise, when Ren got there, he found Yoshizawa talking to Maruki. Ren blinked at this, as Morgana had told him Kusa was with Yoshizawa. Ren then blinked as he realized Kusa had probably walked her to her appointment for moral support and then disappeared elsewhere by himself. Ren's attention was drawn out of his musings as he heard Yoshizawa speak up.
"Ah, hello. Are you here for a session as well, Amamiya-senpai?" Yoshizawa asked Ren who nodded as he spoke up.
"Yeah, that's right. I was advised it wouldn't be a bad idea to give these sessions a go, so I figured why not? Anyway, way Kusa's been telling it, you talked Maruki-san here up to him the other day, which I thank you for. But if you're here, then where is Kusa? Last I was told, he was with you?" Ren said to Yoshizawa who spoke up with a nod.
"Is that so? And as for Kusa, all I know is he said something about meeting up with a friend in Yongen-Jaya and took off walking on his own. But back on topic, Doctor Maruki here is a wonderful counselor, as I told your brother. But for some reason he seemed rather stubborn and almost stand-offish in his statement that he'd take a wait-and-see stance on Doctor Maruki. Apparently he didn't get a very good first impression of him at the assembly, which I honestly can't blame him for thinking that given what happened there." Yoshizawa said with a giggle that made Ren smile as he nodded and looked at her.
Yoshizawa kept speaking before Ren could say much though, giving Ren a really cutesy closed-eye smile of sorts that made Ren blink as he found himself stunned by how cute it looked on Yoshizawa, causing Ren's heart to almost skip a beat as a result and making him subtly blush a bit which Ren quickly hid before looking at Yoshizawa as she continued speaking.
"I've actually been seeing him for awhile, before he ever came to Shujin." Yoshizawa said as Maruki chose that moment to speak up.
"Oh? I didn't know you two were acquainted. Don't go over selling me too hard though, Yoshizawa-san. I'm really nothing special." Maruki said as Ren spoke up at that point, chuckling at how selfless Maruki was appearing to be.
"Huh, would you look at that? I didn't think you were that selfless or self-depreciating, Doc. And to your comment about Yoshizawa-san and I, I suppose 'acquainted' is one word for it. Truthfully our interactions only really extend about as far as this run-in today and one other encounter where I offered to help her get this really rude person to move so she could give her seat to an elderly woman who looked like she needed it.
Gotta say, that both surprised and impressed me since prior to that I had no clue that Yoshizawa here was so selfless, kind and considerate of others, not to mention kind-hearted. I honestly admire that about her." Ren said with a shy sort of smile as he turned slightly red as he remembered Yoshizawa was standing nearby as he said all this.
Yoshizawa giggled as she listened to both Maruki's words and Ren's words, her cheeks turning slightly pink in embarrassment (though if Ren wasn't mistaken, he was sure he also saw what could be the faintest hint of a blush on Yoshizawa's face too) as she heard Ren lavish praise on her, smiling as she spoke up after getting embarrassed at the look on Ren's face as he looked at her.
"Aww, I was just doing what any decent person would do that day, that's all Senpai. But I'm flattered you have that high of an opinion of me. Maybe some other time we can hang out and get to know one another? But, maybe not today since you have your appointment, and I really need to get going. You can have Kusa give me your answer when you're ready if you want. That said, please excuse me." Yoshizawa said as she bowed to Ren before walking off. Maruki then turned to Ren after Yoshizawa left.
"All right then. What say we get started?" Maruki said to Ren who nodded as he followed Maruki inside as Maruki turned to Ren and spoke up.
"Welcome! Thank you for coming." Maruki said. Ren shrugged and spoke up.
"Eh, we made a deal and I intend to keep my end since I'm a man of my word. That said, not gonna lie-just a tad bit nervous, Yoshizawa-san's glowing recommendation of you notwithstanding. No offense Doc, but that display at the assembly really wasn't the best way to make a good first impression. On that much at least, I have to agree with Kusa." Ren said as Maruki chuckled and spoke up.
"Haha, you don't have to be so tense...We're just gong to have an ordinary conversation, that's all. And I understand that my display at the assembly might be off-putting to most. However, contrary to what your brother said, I did actually hear all the open admiration and flirting thrown my way, but I chose to ignore it for the sake of being professional. Besides, I know better than to fall into the same trap Kamoshida fell into." Maruki said honestly, making Ren blink and nod as he sat down with Maruki. After a brief run-down of his situation prior to arriving in Yongen-Jaya, Maruki nodded and spoke up.
"Ah, I see...Mm, thank you. I think I've gotten a good grasp of the situation you're in, Amamiya-kun. Well, full disclosure...The school gave me a brief rundown of the circumstances surrounding your transfer here." Maruki said as Ren blinked before speaking up.
"They did!? Hmph, well so much for my privacy. Oh well, not like I'm surprised by that. I mean, I have a reputation and all now so I guess I shouldn't be surprised that stuff like this happens to me." Ren said with a huff. Maruki sweatdropped at Ren's response but nodded as he spoke up.
"I'm glad you've got a sense of humor about it...but yes, it's not exactly kind to you. I'm sorry. So...now that you've told me more about yourself, I think I've realized something. It seems like you've largely been able to reconcile your internal world with your external one. I should note-that's really, truly impressive. Even most adults cant reliably manage that." Maruki said as Ren gave him a surprised look, prompting him to keep speaking.
"How to put it-You know how everyone has an internal reality? Some conception of themselves they're striving for? For example...Like, wanting to be a model student, or wanting to be loved and relied on...That kind of thing. But that idealized reality and the one in actuality are forgotten and far apart. That gap is responsible for a lot of people's pain. Not everyone can ace their exams. And not everyone can be the heroes they wish they could be.
You've already been through so much. That kind of suffering is usually enough to twist people up into dark places. But you- you're standing up to it, and confronting a tough, painful reality. To me, that's incredibly admirable. ...Then again, maybe that's a little weird for you to hear from a guy you just met, huh?" Maruki asked Ren who looked Maruki in the eyes before speaking up.
"Perhaps. But at the same time, it also sounds right." Ren said honestly. Maruki chuckled as he spoke up.
"Not even any deflecting self-deprecation! You really are strong Amamiya-kun. Well, let's see...Sorry, this went on longer than expected. Somehow, the conversation just took on a life of it's own, I guess..." Maruki said, trailing off as Ren smirked and spoke up.
"That's true, Doc. Conversations do tend to take on a life of their own like that sometimes. But if you were looking for 'deflecting self-deprecation' as you put it, you're looking at the wrong Amamiya brother. Something like that is much more up Kusa's alley than my own. But I'm the one who's here right now, not him, so I suppose I'll leave that at that. Though I will say, Kusa can be quite stubborn when he chooses to be, so don't be surprised if he takes his time finally coming in for a session.
He might not look it, but he's quite a stubborn man who has a very strong will and can really dig his heels into the ground, so to speak, if it's not something he wants to do. And as I said before, your display at the assembly probably did very little to endear you to Kusa. So don't be too surprised if he's a bit slow to open up when and if he finally does come in. But again, this is about me not him." Ren said as Maruki nodded.
"That it is. But I appreciate the heads-up. I did get the sense from his words before that your brother was less than thrilled with me. Hopefully time will let cooler heads prevail and he'll come to eventually change his opinion of me." Maruki said. Ren laughed as he spoke up.
"Possibly, but good luck with that. I remember one time he literally refused to speak to me for weeks all because of a dumb joke I made that embarrassed him in front of a girl he had a crush on. Needless to say, his reaction scared her off pretty quickly out of embarrassment and he took a long time to talk to me after that. Kinda surprised he got over that girl, if I'm being honest." Ren said with a shrug as Maruki nodded and spoke up.
"Ah, sounds like your brother has quite a strong sense of pride about him. Duly noted. But back on topic...Hey, I've actually got one last request. Do you mind?" Maruki asked Ren who blinked as he spoke up.
"You have another request? I suppose I should at least hear you out since you've been listening to me pretty attentively so far. So go on." Ren said as Maruki nodded and spoke up in surprise but relief.
"Thank you. The thing is, 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. 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...?" Maruki said to Ren who eventually spoke up after a moment.
"I'm intrigued by what you're talking about, but I think I might need some more details before I decide on whether I agree to your request, whatever it is." Ren said. Maruki blinked as he nodded before speaking up.
"Oh, sorry! Uh, I guess my point is...I'd like to ask you to help with that research! All you'd have to do is listen to my theories, and then tell me if they spark any ideas or realizations on your end. Please! Any time's good for me-I can work around your schedule. And, uh...I've got a lot of snacks too! You can have them! They're yours!" Maruki said as Ren blinked before speaking up.
"Uh...Well, okay. Though I don't know if I agree with the idea that you seem to be trying to bribe me with snacks so much, Maruki-san." Ren said. Maruki nodded as he spoke up, surprise on his face as he spoke.
"Really? YES! You're a lifesaver! Let's see...I know! Maybe I could teach you some tips for mental training? I happen to know a lot on the subject. I'm sure I can cook up a special regimen just for you. If you're dedicated enough, I'm sure you could draw out your full potential!" Maruki said as Ren shrugged and nodded as Maruki kept speaking.
"Thank you! Okay! I guess that's our second deal." Maruki said as Ren nodded, feeling his bond with Maruki deepen. At that point, the 'Councillor' card appeared in his mind's eye, the 'I' becoming a 'II' to signify that the Councillor Confidant had ranked up to Rank 2, and with it, Ren gained the power of Detox X, which apparently gives the chance to insta-recover if inflicted with a status ailment. After that, Maruki spoke up once more.
"Ah, I know! ...Oh, right! Would it be okay if we traded contact information? I'll contact you when I've got some time, or when I need input from you." Maruki said as Ren nodded and swapped contact info with Maruki, making Ren frown as he realized he missed a chance to swap contact info with Yoshizawa earlier. Maruki then spoke up when the exchange was done.
"...That should do it! Now! I'd better do my part to repay you. Let's talk about mental training and presence. Let's see, first off..." Maruki said as he talked Ren through mental training, letting Ren's mind feel stronger, making his max SP increase by 5 as a result. As Ren went to get up to leave, Maruki spoke up.
"Oh, and here. Never a bad time for a snack, right?" Maruki said as he gave Ren a 'Non-Static Gum', making Ren blink at the odd choice of snack name. Ren then nodded.
"Fair enough. Thanks, for your time and for agreeing to teach me mental training." Ren said as Maruki nodded.
"Thank you for help today. I'll see you around at school. Well, see you." Maruki said as Ren headed back to Leblanc where Morgana met him in the attic and spoke up.
"Man...You really spent a long time talking to Maruki. Look how late it is...Well, if you think the sessions are worthwhile, you should try going again sometime. But we should definitely get some sleep for now. Tomorrow's your last day of exams, right?" Morgana asked Ren who nodded as he laid down and got ready for bed, a wry smile on his face as he thought about his unexpected run-in with Yoshizawa, and how pleased she'd been with his praise of her. As a result, his dreams that night were sweeter than usual, mostly filled with a certain red-headed first-year he found himself quite taken with...
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: And there, another chapter done and dusted! Wasn't expecting to have two 'Councillor' Arcana rank-ups in this one chapter but kinda didn't have a choice since the game basically wouldn't let me save before the session so I could start chapter 15 with it instead. But probably just as well since I didn't remember the scene with Ren, Maruki and Yoshizawa happening before the session so I guess all's well that ends well. That said, hopefully chapter 15 will have more plot and less filler in it! Hopefully people are enjoying so far, and until next update, sithlorde1988 out!
