5/5/20XX
Friday: Evening
Yongen-Jaya
Following the Thieves' trip to Mementos, Miku went to Takemi's clinic, fulfilling her promise she made to Takemi before facing off with Kamoshida. "Alright, you can get dressed." Takemi said as she looked at Miku's results. "Pulse, blood pressure... Your blood test shows no abnormalities either. But those fresh bruises... Where exactly did they come from? Some strange part-time job?"
"No... They're from... Tripping on a flight of stairs at school." Miku lied, getting a doubtful look from Takemi. "...It was a big flight..."
Takemi shrugged, deciding not to question Miku further. However, the doctor did have something else on her mind. "Speaking of part-time jobs..."
Miku left the clinic with a mysterious substance in her hand that Takemi gave her, before quickly putting it in her pocket. "I'd better keep this out of sight for now. I doubt the Police would believe me if I told them this was for a clinical trial..." She said to herself. "Now then, let's see how Hibiki's doing at C.A.F.F.E. Café."
C.A.F.F.E. Café
Miku entered the Café, surprised to see it was just Hibiki, Genjuro, Elise, and a man with short brown hair and a tan peacoat sitting at the bar. Unsurprisingly to Miku, Hibiki was chatting with the man while Genjuro and Elise were busy either cleaning or preparing what appeared to be the man's order. "Ah! There she is now!" Hibiki said as she looked over to see Miku enter the building.
"You must be Miku Kohinata." The man said. "Now that I have a closer look at you, something about you seems familiar. Have we met before?"
"I... Don't believe so." Miku replied. "But I feel like I have seen you somewhere before. Like on one of the TVs at the station."
The man chuckled. "That was probably me then. My name's Goro Akechi."
"Wait. You mean as in THE Goro Akechi?!" Hibiki gasped. "I hear so many people talk about how cool of a guy you are! Is it true that you and Carol-san are dating? Do you ever get nervous during your interviews? C-Can I have your autograph?"
"Hibiki!" Miku interjected. "I'm pretty sure that Akechi-san would prefer to have some time away from personal questions like that for now."
Hibiki became flustered after Miku said that. "O-Oh, right. I'm very sorry about that, Akechi-san!"
"It's quite alright." Akechi chuckled again, before pulling out a pen. "As for your questions, Hibiki: Carol and I are just good friends, but I can see why rumors like that would spread. I'll be honest and admit that it was a bit nerve-wracking to speak in front of the press at first, but you learn to get used to it after a while. And as for your autograph... Here you go." Akechi hands Hibiki a napkin with his signature on it, which makes Hibiki fangirl a little bit.
"Thank you, Akechi-san!" Hibiki said, running off to the backroom of the Café to put her autographed napkin in a safe place.
"No worries!" Akechi replied with a satisfied smile. "What an interesting girl."
"Yeah... That's Hibiki for you." Miku sighed. "Sorry about her, Akechi-san."
"Like I said, it's quite alright." Akechi reassured Miku. "I'd be happy to give you an autograph too if you'd like."
"I appreciate the offer, but you don't have to do that." Miku said, which Akechi shrugged at. "But I must admit, I've always been curious about what it's like to be a detective."
"Well, when you think about it, a detective is something ambiguous and uncertain." Akechi stated. "By themself, there's no guarantee a detective will be useful to society. There are a couple of things needed to prove their value: A tough case which only he or she is able to solve, and the existence of a worthy rival to make such a case..."
"Huh..."
"Sorry, I'm not boring you with all of this, am I?" Akechi asked.
"Not at all." Miku replied. "If anything, I've never really thought of a detective's work like that before, so it was interesting to hear. Thank you for that."
"You're welcome." Akechi replied with a smile before getting up from his seat. "I can see why Sae-san recommended this place to me. It has a nice vibe to it." Akechi said to Genjuro.
"I'm glad to hear you enjoy it." Genjuro replied. "Have a good night."
"Likewise." Akechi said, before taking his briefcase and heading for the door. However, he stopped as he went to open the door and looked back at Miku. "It was nice meeting you, Miku Kohinata. I hope we can have another chance to chat like this in the future."
With that said, Akechi left the Café as Hibiki ran back into the front room. "Did he leave already?" Hibiki asked.
"Afraid so, Hibiki-san." Elise answered.
"Dang it... I was hoping to get to talk to him a bit more." Hibiki said. "Oh well, No use whining about it now. Ready to head home, Miku?"
"Yep. Let's go." Miku said, as she followed Hibiki out the door of the Café. "Have a good night you two!" She said to Genjuro and Elise before the door closed behind them.
5/6/20XX
Saturday: Afternoon
Shujin Academy
The next day, Kobayakawa called for another assembly to make an announcement. "Ever since that... specific incident... Many of you have voiced concerns that I could not bear to ignore." He stated. "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..." As he said this, he turned to face a man with short white hair who was wearing a purple-accented lab coat and a pair of grey slacks, which caught the eyes of several female students immediately.
The Doctor cleared his throat before speaking. "It's nice to meet you all." He said. "My name is-" Without warning, the microphone on the stage suddenly cut out, but the man fixed it after tapping on the mic. "My name is John Wayne Vercingetorix. Thank you for welcoming me to your school."
The Doctor went to respectfully bow to the students, but quickly reeled back after he hit his head on the mic. "There's no need to be formal with me. My purpose here is to provide counsel to anyone who's interested." Dr. Vercingetorix continued. "If it helps you feel more comfortable, you can call me Dr. Ver for short. Regardless, I'll be able to provide any assistance that you may need... Except for when it comes to money problems..."
The crowd laughed at that joke, except for Kobayakawa, who took back control of the mic. "...Thank you, Dr. Ver."
Shujin Courtyard
Following the assembly, the students were given a half-hour break between classes, which the thieves used to discuss said strange assembly. "As if this place actually gives a shit about our mental health." Ryuji said.
"Well, the school did make the national news." Miku interjected. "It's more than likely that they'd look worse if they didn't do something like this."
"And Doctor, uh... Doctor Whatshisname."
"Ver."
"Yeah-wasn't that guy just clownin' it up onstage?" Ryuji asked. "You really think he'll do us any good?"
"Ryuji..." Hibiki whispered, alerting Ryuji to the fact Ver was approaching their group.
"Sakamoto-kun, Takamaki-san, Tachibana-san, and Tsukuyomi-san, right?" Ver asked, before turning to Kirika and Miku. "That must make you two Akatsuki-san and Kohinata-san."
"How do you know our names, dess?" Kirika asked.
"Well, I was informed of certain students before beginning my tenure here." Ver answered. "Specifically those that had, ah... previous interactions with Mr. Kamoshida or people closely associated with said individuals. Though I'd imagine it was toughest for you after having just transferred here, Kohinata-san."
"It was... Interesting to say the least." Miku replied.
"I can definitely believe that." Ver said.
"So... Whaddya want with us?" Ryuji asked.
"Oh, right. I'd forgotten." Ver said. "I know I already offered my services to the student body, but I wanted to see if you all would be interested in counseling?"
"Hard pass." Ryuji quickly answered, which surprised the counselor.
"Well... I imagined you'd probably say no, but I wasn't expecting such a quick denial..." Ver sighed, before a figurative lightbulb went off in his mind. "But, if you come by my office, you can have free snacks!"
This piqued the interests of Hibiki and Kirika. "Free snacks?!"
Ver smirked confidently. "All the snacks you can eat... Well, not exactly, but still a good amount to go around." Ver said with decreasing confidence. "So, how about it?"
Kirika and Hibiki were looking at the others, hoping the others were as on board as they were. "You do realize you'd only get the snacks if you attended counseling, right?" Shirabe said, causing the excited duo to immediately become sad.
"Dr. Ver, if I may ask, why are you so adamant for us to come for counseling?" Miku asked. "I'm sure there are many other students here who could use your counseling more than us."
"Well, to be frank, I've been explicitly ordered to provide counseling to the students directly involved with Mr. Kamoshida." Ver said. "It's in the school's interest... for its students."
"Ahhh, the school's interest, huh?" Ryuji sarcastically said.
"If I can be honest, Sakamoto-kun, I'm not fond of the idea of forcing students to attend counseling if they do not want or need it, but I'm also not in a position to be able to go against the school on this matter." Ver bluntly stated. "I know asking you to be open to a complete stranger like myself is a lot. But maybe there's a way to turn this into a worthwhile experience..."
Ver thought to himself for a moment, before coming up with an idea. "...I've got it! How about, if you attend my counseling sessions, I can teach you all different ways to improve your mental acuity."
"My mental what?" Hibiki asked.
"It's like, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or not getting nervous when you're out on a date." Ver briefly explained. "What do you say?"
Everyone was pondering the doctor's offer, or not at all in Ryuji's case. However, Miku was more vocal with her thoughts. "Mental training..."
"There's also snacks..." Ver added.
"Alright, alright, enough with the snacks!" Ryuji shouted, annoyed by the Doctor's offer with snacks.
"What do you think, Miku?" Hibiki asked.
Miku did not answer as she still pondered it, but nodded confidently moments later. "I'm going to do it." She said. "After all, there's no harm in a little chat, right?"
"Plus, if it's as Dr. Ver says and the school is expecting us to attend these sessions, it'd more than likely come back to bite us if we didn't show up." Shirabe added.
Ryuji sighed. "Unfortunately..."
"Really? Then, I guess it's a deal." Ver said with genuine surprise. "I'll be in the nurse's office-feel free to come by whenever it's convenient for you."
"Sure thing!" Hibiki said. "But, we should probably get going before we're late to our next classes."
"Okay, I shall see you all later." Ver replied as he saw them off, before getting Miku's attention once more before she left. "Thanks for taking my counseling into consideration."
"No worries, Doctor." Miku said with a thankful smile. "After all, like you said, we might as well make it a worthwhile experience, right?"
"Of course. And, as promised, I'll do my best to help you." Ver replied, before heading off in the direction of his office. "See you around, Kohinata-san."
"Likewise, Dr. Ver." Miku said as she hurried to catch up with Hibiki.
Saturday: After School
Once class was over, Hibiki and Miku packed up their things and left the classroom. "Alright, I'll see you after practice, Miku!" Hibiki said before hurrying off to the Boxing club room.
"See you later, Hibiki!" Miku replied. However, once Hibiki was out of her sight, Miku's phone started to buzz as she received a text from someone. "Ann-san?"
Ann: I'm assuming you and the others were given mandatory meetings with Dr. Ver as well?
Miku: How did you know?
Ann: Lucky guess...
"Was... Was that sarcasm?" Miku thought, before receiving another text.
Ann: Anyways, I went in for counseling. Just wanted to see if you or any of the others were going to go or not?
Miku: How did it go?
Ann: To be honest, it wasn't as bad as I was expecting it to be.
Ann: I think you should go and give it a shot.
Ann: Dr. Ver's a lot easier to talk to than you'd think.
Miku: In that case, I might as well. No harm in trying, right?
Ann: That's the spirit!
Ann: Okay, I'll see you around!
With that, Miku put her phone away and headed towards the Doctor's office.
Miku finally made it to the nurse's office, where Ver's office was located. Once she arrived, she was greeted by the sight of the Doctor talking to an all too familiar face. "Kanade-senpai?"
"Oh, how's it goin', Miku-chan?" Kanade asked. "You here for a session with Ver as well?"
"Actually, yes." Miku answered. "Did you just have a session with him?"
"Not exactly. I just wanted to stop by and say hi to him before I went off to practice." Kanade said. "I've been seeing Doc here before he ever came to Shujin. Let me just say, he's a pretty great counselor."
"Oh? I didn't realize you two were acquainted." Ver chimed in. "And there's no need to oversell me like that, Amou-san-I'm really nothing special."
"Ah, c'mon Doc! You're amazing!" Kanade chuckled before giving him a friendly pat on the back. "Well, I should probably get going before the others start to wonder where I ran off to. Later, Doc! Later, Miku-chan!"
Miku and Ver wave to Kanade as she hurried off to practice. "Well then, what say we get started?" Ver asked as he walked back into his office with Miku following behind him.
Dr. Ver's office
"Welcome!" Ver said. "Thank you for coming."
"I promised you I'd show up." Miku replied. "After all, we do have a deal."
Ver chuckled. "Well I'll make sure it's worth the trouble." He said. "That being said, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself. That is, what you're comfortable sharing."
"Where should I start..." Miku proceeded to tell the Doctor about the events that led to her transfer to Shujin. After all, if there were going to be sessions mandated on her and the others, she might as well fill him in now instead of later. "...And that's how I ended up here at Shujin."
"Goodness..." Ver said, genuinely surprised by what Miku told him. "I never would've thought someone like you would have such a heavy past. But I'm relieved you've been able to handle it as well as you have."
"I will admit, there are moments where it hurts a lot." Miku confessed. "But thankfully, I have my best friend, Hibiki Tachibana, her mother, Asuna, and my friends both here and back in my hometown to support me. I can't thank them enough for that."
"Well, I'm glad to hear you've got a healthy support group, Kohinata-san." Ver said with a grin. "Now that you've told me more about yourself, I think I've realized something."
"What's that?"
"It seems like you've largely been able to reconcile your internal world with your external one." Ver explained. "It's something really, truly impressive. Even most adults struggle to manage that."
"I'm not sure I follow what you mean by that." Miku said with a confused look on her face.
"How to put it..." Ver mumbled as he tried to explain what he said. "You know how everyone has an internal reality? A version of themselves they strive to become, if you will? It can usually range from something as simple as wanting to be a model student or something more complex like wanting to be just like the characters from a favorite TV show or video game."
"I guess?"
"In most cases, that idealized reality is often quite far from that one in actuality, which is often responsible for a lot of people's pain. Not everyone can ace their exams. And not everyone can be just like the heroes they wish they could be..." Ver continued. "From what you've told me, you've already been through a lot. That kind of suffering is usually enough to make even the kindest of people take a turn for the worse..."
Ver paused for a bit, as if he was lost in thought about something, but quickly snapped out of it. "But you, you're standing up to it, and confronting a tough, painful reality. To me, that's incredibly admirable." He complimented. "Of course, I'm sure it's a little weird to hear that from someone you just met."
"Not at all." Miku said. "Thank you, Dr. Ver."
Ver was glad to hear that. However, at that moment, he took a look at the clock and noticed just how much time had passed. "Goodness, how time flies... Sorry this went on a little longer than expected." Ver apologized. "Somehow the conversation just took on a life of its own, I guess..."
"I mean, that just proved how good of a therapist you really are, right?" Miku said, which lead to the two of them laughing.
"...Say, I've actually got one last request for you, if that's alright?" Ver asked.
"What is it?"
"Alongside my duties as a counselor, I'm actually doing a special kind of research. It's less like counseling and more along the lines of a psychological treatment..." Ver explained. "In short, it's a project to learn more about people's metaphorical hearts. Their thoughts, their feelings, that kind of thing."
"Odd way of phrasing it..." Miku thought to herself.
"If I get far enough with it, I should hopefully be able to help a lot of people!" Ver continued. "Well...?"
"I'm still a little lost as to what you're asking of me." Miku stated.
"Oh, sorry!" Ver said with a nervous chuckle. "What I'm trying to say is... I'd like to ask if you'd be willing to assist me with that research!"
"When you say 'assist'..."
"All I'd need you to do is listen to my theories, and then tell me if they spark any ideas or realizations on your end." Ver explained. "It would mean a lot to me if you could help! Anytime works for me. I can easily work around your schedule. And, I've got a lot of snacks, too! They're all yours if you help me!"
Miku chuckled at the bargaining chip of Ver's stash of snacks. "I mean, if all you need from me is to listen and give feedback, then I don't see why not!" She said, agreeing to Ver's request.
"Really?! YES!" Ver cheered, practically jumping out of his seat from joy. "I can't thank you enough, Kohinata-san!"
"There's no need to thank me for that, Doctor." Miku replied. "I'm just happy to be able to help."
"I still want to make it up to you for agreeing to help me." Ver said, insistent on giving Miku something in return for her assistance. "Let's see... I've got it! Maybe I could teach you some tips for mental training? I happen to know quite a lot on the subject. I'm sure I can come up with the perfect regimen for you. And, as long as you're dedicated enough, I'm sure you could draw out your full potential!"
"I'll do what I can to live up to your expectations!" Miku said confidently.
"Then I guess that's our second deal!" Ver replied with the same amount of confidence. "Oh, right! Would it be okay if we traded contact information? That way I can contact you when I've got time, or when I need some input from you."
"Sure thing." Miku said, pulling out her phone as the Doctor did his and traded phone numbers. "And... That should do it."
"Thank you again, Kohinata-san." Ver said. "Now then, it's time that I repaid you. Let's talk about mental training and presence."
Friday: Evening
Shujin: Boxing Club Room
With her session with Ver over, Miku waited for Hibiki to finish up with her practice with the boxing club. After some time, the door to the club room opened and its members started to head home for the day, except for Hibiki. Curious as to why that was, Miku walked into the club room. "Hibiki? Are you still here?" She asked.
Hearing Miku's voice, Hibiki looked over in the direction of the door and saw her. "Oh, hey Miku!" Hibiki said. "Don't worry, I'll be ready to go here in a sec- ACK!"
Suddenly, Hibiki received a punch from Kanade. "Concentrate, Hibiki-chan!" Kanade said. "No matter what, you should never take your attention away from your opponent at any time!"
Hibiki chuckled. "Sorry about that, Kanade-san. I was just saying hi to Miku."
Quickly, Kanade looked over at the door before turning her eyes back towards Hibiki. "Oh, heya Miku-chan!" She said while dodging, blocking, and countering Hibiki's strikes. "How'd your session go with Doc?"
"It was really nice." Miku said. "You weren't kidding when you said he was a pretty great counselor."
"Damn right he is!" Kanade agreed, before delivering a punch that knocked Hibiki to the floor. With that, Kanade walked over to her kouhai and helped Hibiki to her feet. "I think that's a good place to call our practice for today, Hibiki-chan."
Hibiki nodded in agreement. "Yeah... Phew..." Hibiki said between breaths. "I'm gonna go get changed and I'll be ready to go."
"Okay." Miku replied as she watched Hibiki leave for the locker room. "I must say, Kanade-senpai, that was incredible!"
Kanade was confused at what Miku was referring to at first, but quickly realized she was talking about her sparring match with Hibiki. "Oh! Yeah, Hibiki sure is an impressive boxer. Out of all of the club members, she's the one that gives me a run for my money the most during practice." Kanade said. "Heh, I guess it helps that she has some good teachers."
"I knew she trained under Genjuro-san from C.A.F.F.E. Café, but I never realized someone else trained her too!" Miku admitted.
Kanade snickered. "Well, she had to find out about Boss somewhere, right?"
Hearing this, Miku immediately knew what Kanade was getting at. "Wait, you trained Hibiki! I just figured you helped get her started!"
"Well, I couldn't just send her to Boss unprepared. He may not look it, but Genjuro Kazanari is quite the strict teacher." Kanade said, before a thought crossed her mind. "Say, how would you feel about having some training from yours truly every now and then?"
"Eh?!" Miku gasped. "But, I'm not interested in boxing like Hibiki is! No offense."
"None taken." Kanade said. "But that's not my reason for wanting to train ya. I wanna train you for the sake of self-defense."
"Oh, okay." Miku replied. "But why me specifically?"
Upon Miku asking that, Kanade looked over towards the locker room, trying to see if Hibiki had come out yet, and then leaned in close to Miku. "Don't tell Hibiki-chan I told you this, but she was the one asking if I could train you."
"So that's why."
"That, and it gives me a chance to get to know you better." Kanade admitted, which flustered Miku a bit. "You seem like a pretty chill person to be around. It's always refreshing to find people like that."
"Th-Thanks, Kanade-senpai." Miku replied.
"So, whaddya say?" Kanade asked as she held out her hand to Miku. "Do you wanna get some personal training and be able to spend quality time with your senpai?"
Miku was hesitant to answer at first out of the wording of Kanade's request, but quickly found her composure and shook Kanade's hand. "I'd be happy to."
"Hell yeah!" Kanade cheered. "Well, since you're still waiting on Hibiki-chan, how about we go over the basics now so we can get to the more complex stuff quicker?"
"Should I get changed into my gym clothes?" Miku asked.
"Nah, that won't be necessary." Kanade said. "All I'm gonna teach ya for now is how to dodge and how to throw a good punch. Once you have that down, the rest should be leagues easier to teach. Speaking of the former, how good would you say you are on your feet?"
"Well, I was one of the best runners on the track team back home, if that helps." Miku answered.
"That should help out immensely!" Kanade said. "That said, let's get started!"
And so, the girls trained together for the next half-hour, unaware that Hibiki was purposely hiding out of sight next to the locker room entrance the entire time. It was only after it looked like they were finishing up that Hibiki finally walked out of the locker room. "Heya! Sorry I took so long!" She said.
"Hibiki, I know you were taking your time so Kanade and I could train." Miku bluntly stated, which shocked Hibiki.
"Wh-Whaaaaat? Would I do such a thing like that?" Hibiki asked, trying to save face... and failing horribly.
"It's fine, Hibiki." Miku said. "If anything, I'm glad you did. It gave me a chance to get to know Kanade-senpai better. Thank you for that."
Seeing that Miku wasn't mad, Hibiki puffed up her chest and smirked. "Well in that case, my plan worked out just as intended."
"Alright, don't go getting cocky now, Hibiki-chan." Kanade chuckled, before noticing the time. "Oh dang! I didn't realize how late it was! I should get going. Goodnight, you two!"
"Goodnight, Kanade-san!/Kanade-senpai!" Hibiki and Miku replied as they waved goodbye to Kanade before they too left for home.
Shibuya
"...Are you sure you're not mad at me for that?" Hibiki asked as they got out of the train station.
"Yes, Hibiki." Miku replied with a sigh. "I'm honestly glad you asked Kanade to train me. It could help me out immensely in the end, not to mention in the Metaverse."
"Huh... I didn't really think about how useful that could be in the Metaverse." Hibiki said. "You're a lot smarter than I am for thinking about that."
"I can't take all of the credit, though." Miku confessed. "Kirika's been inspiring me to think of how things in life could benefit us as a whole in the Metaverse."
"Is that why you agreed to the Counselor's sessions?" Hibiki asked.
"Yes, actually." Miku answered. "If anything, the therapy he provides alongside the mental training he promised really helped me out a lot more than I thought it... Would..."
Suddenly, Miku stopped walking and started looking around for something. "Is something wrong Miku?" Hibiki asked.
"Is it just me, or does it feel like someone is following us?" Miku asked.
Hibiki looked around cluelessly. "Not really..." she said. "Maybe it's just the wind?"
Miku was doubtful at first, but eventually let out a sigh. "Maybe you're right. Probably just overthinking thi-"
"DESS!" Kirika shouted as she appeared out of nowhere, scaring Hibiki and Miku and causing the latter of which to punch Kirika square in the chest. "Ouch! What was that for?"
"Sorry, Kirika!" Miku apologized as she helped Kirika to her feet. "I didn't realize it was you that was following us."
"It's fine..." Kirika said as she rubbed her chest where Miku punched. "If anything, I didn't think you could punch like that dess."
"Well, she did start taking lessons from Kanade-san today, so that could be part of it." Hibiki added.
Kirika snickered. "Well look at you, out here training both your mind and your body, eh?"
Miku chuckled nervously at the compliment. "Well, if I'm going to be the team leader, I better make sure I can hold my own, right?"
"Of course!" Kirika agreed. "Speaking of, I think we should definitely get some training in the Metaverse as soon as possible."
"We have tomorrow off, why not do that?" Hibiki suggested.
Miku thought for a moment, but was hesitant to agree. "I mean, we have midterms this week, right?" Miku asked. "I feel like we should focus on studying first."
"Right." Kirika said. "After all, we have to do what we can to avoid any and all suspicion."
"Ooh! What if we all studied together at C.A.F.F.E. Café?" Hibiki suggested.
"That sounds like a great idea!" Miku agreed. "I'll contact Shirabe and Ryuji and see if they'd want to join us tomorrow. But for now, let's go home."
And so, the trio went back to the Tachibana residence so they would be well rested and focused on studying for midterms tomorrow.
5/8/20XX
Monday: Morning
Aoyama-Itchome
The next day, the thieves all planned to meet up in Shibuya on their way to school. However, as they got off the train in Aoyama-Itchome, Miku felt a sense of déjà vu crawling down her back. "Okay, I'm more than certain someone's stalking us now."
"What makes you say that, dess?" Kirika asked.
"While it's not the same as how I felt last night, this time I'm certain someone's following us." Miku said, before looking over her shoulder to see a man she noticed following them. "Yep, we're being followed."
"What's the plan to get rid of our stalker?" Hibiki asked.
"Follow my lead." Ryuji said as he started to walk faster to an open sidewalk near the station.
After making some distance between them and their pursuer, Miku acted like she didn't see the man walking up to her from the station, so as to not scare him off. She waited until the man was a few feet away from her before she signaled to the others to ambush him.
However, the group stopped when they noticed exactly who their "stalker" was: A teenage boy with blue hair and a white and black school uniform who seemed relatively unfazed by the group's ambush.
"Who are you?"
A/N: And with that, we end the chapter.
Now then, to explain some things presented in the chapter:
1. No, Asuna is not (to my knowledge) Hibiki's mom's real name. I got the idea from one of EpicLinkSam's recent One-Shots and I personally felt like the name was fitting for her. (Also because I didn't want to just refer to Hibiki's mom as that or "Tachibana-san" for the entirety of the fic.)
2. I decided to have Ver take the place of Maruki in this fic because I felt they were a lot alike in their respective series (that is, as long as you exclude how crazy the former got as G's story progressed.) But rest assured Maruki fans, the doctor will make an appearance later on during a certain semester. :)
Other than that, thanks for reading this chapter. I shall see you all in the next arc next year!