5/30

I got out of bed and dressed into my gym uniform before heading to Inokashira Park.

At the same time, Yoshizawa was talking to a disgusting man with an awful receding hairline.

Yoshizawa:"Sorry, but I'm in a bit of a hurry."

Man:"You go to Shujin, right? I heard things have been rought lately, what with that violent incident. You wanna go talk about it somewhere?"

Yoshizawa:"Thank you for your concern. However, I really am in a hurry, so if you'd excuse me..."

She bowed and tried walking away.

I was on my way to the park when I suddenly saw that Yoshizawa girl was grabbed by an older man.

Yoshizawa:"...Ah!"

Everyone else started muttering at what they saw, but no one did anything.

Man:"C'mon, there's no need to be shy."

Yoshizawa:"Like I said..."

Man:"If you're busy, I'll put my number in your phone so you can call me later. Sound like a plan?"

Yoshizawa:"Stop it..."

Everyone else just looked on in disgust as others walked away, pretending nothing happened. I growled at the onlookers before stomping my way over to the man. Yoshizawa immediately noticed me.

"Hey."

Man:"What do you want?"

"You're hurting her."

He scowled and let go of her wrist as she began to rub it.

Man:"Don't get so worked up. I'm just being friendly here."

"Right. That's what it is, huh?"

Yoshizawa then hid behind me.

Man:"Oh, what the... What're you getting so jumpy about? Like you're anything special!"

He scoffed before walking off. Yoshizawa let out a sigh of relief before backing away as she realized she was a little close to my body.

Yoshizawa:"Thank you so much! I'm sorry for the trouble!"

"Don't worry about it. Are you okay, though?"

Yoshizawa:"Yes, I'm fine now!! It was pretty scary, though... Ah- Um..."

"Hm?"

Yoshizawa:"May I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

Yoshizawa:"What made you step in to help me?"

"I couldn't look the other way."

Yoshizawa:"I... see. Well, I apologize for asking something so strange. You're headed to the cleanup as well, right?"

"Yeah."

Yoshizawa:"Wait a minute... the cleanup...?"

She pulled her phone out and gasped when she saw what time it was.

Yoshizawa:"I'm so sorry, I haven't even thanked you properly yet! Oh no! I forgot my gym clothes at school! I'll see you at the cleanup soon. We can talk more then, if you'd like."

She started to walk off but gave me a bow before she did. I smiled and waved her off and made my way to the park. I got there and saw Ann, Ryuji, and Ren hanging by a tree. Ren and Ryuji had their gym clothes on while Ann was wearing her casual attire.

Ren:"There he is."

Ryuji:"Yo, what took ya so long?"

"Stuff came up."

Ann:"Did you and Ren seriously come from home in your gym clothes?"

Ren and I looked at each other before simultaneously nodding our heads.

Ann:"It must be so nice to be a guy..."

Ryuji:"Ain't it normal? And, uh, are you plannin' on doin' this cleanup in that outfit?"

Ann:"Of course not! I brought my gym clothes with me. I was gonna change in the bathroom, but now there's a huge line."

Ryuji:"Ohhh, that makes sense. Sounds like it sucks to be a girl."

Mishima:"It's such a nice day out that even the weather seems to be mocking us."

Ryuji:"Dude, could you try pushin' your way into our conversation a little less awkwardly next time?"

Mishima:"I bet some Kichijoji clean-freak hung paper dolls all over and prayed for clear skies today."

"What are you going on about?"

Ryuji:"Right!"

Soon, Dr. Maruki walked over to us.

Maruki:"Hey. Morning, everyone."

"They got you out here for the cleanup, too?"

Maruki:"You got it."

"But in those clothes?"

Maruki:"Oh, no. I'm in a different-"

Girl 1:"There you are, Dr. Maruki!"

Girl 2:"We're going to start prepping soon..."

Ann:"Prepping what?"

Maruki:"I'm part of the cooking crew. Hope you're looking forward to a solid meal. See you all later."

He walked off with the girls.

Ryuji:"Tch! More like Dr. Popular..."

Mishima:"I'm sure the Phantom Thieves will be even bigger someday."

We suddenly heard a familiar voice speak through a megaphone.

Makoto:"Good morning, Shujin Academy students and staff... Please pick up all trash located in the areas assigned to your group. Once the cleanup is completed, a lunch of miso soup with pork and vegetables will be served."

Ann:"Ooh, pork miso soup! So that's what Dr. Maruki's fan club is making."

Mishima:"FYI, the school already assigned the groups at random. There are four people apiece, boys and girls mixed."

Ryuji:"Oh... really?"

Makoto:"Now that those announcements have been made, please break into your groups and head to your assigned areas."

Ryuji:"Alright, let's just get this over with as fast as possible so we can chow down on that soup and get outta here!"

"We just gotta tough it out till then."

We split off into our groups as we started cleaning up. There was absolutely way too much garbage for us to clean. I was stuck with a pair of first years and a fellow second year who just refused to grab anything that still had food remains or a bunch of dirt on it. Which was quite almost everything.

Guy 1:"Dude, look! There's a bottle in that tree hole!"

Guy 2:"Haha! No way!"

"What?"

I looked over to where they were pointing and saw what they were talking about.

"Ain't no way this was done on accident..."

I groaned before stuffing the bottles into my bag. Soon, the hours flew by, and we got done. I let out an exhausted groan before plopping myself down on a bench.

"Oh man, I had a shit time out there. Those damn first years kept throwing rocks at each other..."

Yoshizawa:"Oh! I've finally found you. I was trying to find you so I could thank you properly for this morning. So... Where'd the other people in your group go?"

"We've disbanded."

Yoshizawa:"Ah... I see. I'm in pretty much the same situation. If it's alright with you, why don't we eat our soup together?"

"Sure. I'm actually starving."

Yoshizawa:"Great!"

Yoshizawa and I grabbed our bowls and sat back down on the bench.

Yoshizawa:"I want to thank you again for this morning. That man was even more frightening than he might have appeared to you... So I truly appreciate what you did for me! Thank you so much."

"You're very welcome."

Yoshizawa smiled happily at me, and I smiled back.

Yoshizawa:"There's one more issue I need to address... I'm also so sorry for what happened the other day!"

"About what?"

Yoshizawa:"The run-in we had outside of the guidance office."

I thought back to what she talked about and remembered it was when Kamoshida told me I was one of the students to watch out for. Yoshizawa then called me the secret delinquent student.

Yoshizawa:"Mr. Kamoshida had just told me about you a moment prior, so I sort of spoke without thinking there... I heard some of my classmates gossiping about you, too."

"Were you surprised?"

Yoshizawa:"I was, but I haven't paid it any real mind. I don't like gossup or rumors and the like... And I know this'll sound strange since I just met you, but you don't seem like the kind of person they describe. It'd be a different story if all those rumors were actually true, though."

"What all did you hear exactly?"

Yoshizawa:"Well, since you hang out with that new transfer student, they assumed the both of you are in a gang or forming one."

"Haha, for real?!"

Yoshizawa:"What were all the crimes I'd heard? Burglary, murder, and... elephant tusk trafficking was it?"

I stifled a laugh before looking at her.

"Oh yeah, that's totally us. I drive without a license, too."

Yoshizawa: *giggle* "Even I can tell you're joking."

Ehh... Not so much on that last part.

Yoshizawa:"You know what, it just hit me--I haven't introduced myself yet!"

"I'm (Y/n) (L/n)."

Yoshizawa:"Oh, I'm sorry to make you go first... (L/n)-senpai. I apologize this was such a long time coming, but I hope we can get along well! I believe you already learned from our meeting at school that my-"

Before she could finish what she was saying, a child walked by with a balloon in their hand before accidentally letting it go. Yoshizawa managed to set her bowl of miso down on the bench, do a cartwheel, nab the balloon before it floated away too far, and rolled on the ground in one swift motion.

What the?! That speed! Wait, what's that?

It seemed she dropped something on the ground, so I picked it up. It seems to be a Shujin Academy pocketbook. The name "Kasumi Yoshizawa" is written inside. Yoshizawa returned the balloon to the child.

Yoshizawa:"Got it just in time... Here you are. Don't let go of things you like, okay?"

The child nodded before walking away as Yoshizawa walked back over to our spot.

Yoshizawa:"Sorry, I didn't mean to run out on you like that."

"You dropped this."

I handed her back her pocketbook, which caused her to gasp softly before she giggled.

Kasumi:"I guess you sleuthed me out before I got to tell you. Well, you cracked the case--I'm Kasumi Yoshizawa, a first year!"

"Those moves you pulled off... They were impressive."

Kasumi:"Oh, it was just some basic gymnastics. It's not that difficult once you get the hang of it--just a hop, skip, and a jump."

Gymnastics, huh? Those kinds of moves could be useful. Would definitely make us look cooler, too.

Kasumi:"What's the matter, (L/n)-senpai?"

"I want to learn your moves."

I looked at her seriously, and my statement seemed to surprise her.

Kasumi:"Does that mean you're interested in gymnastics? That makes me so happy! I'd be honored if you allowed me! The only problem is... I have favor to ask for myself as well--if you wouldn't mind... Lately, I haven't been getting the results I want from my performances, and I'm worried that I'm overthinking things... So it would be wonderful if you could give me some advice whenever you have the time."

"You want my advice?"

Kasumi:"Sure I do! I'd love if you were willing to lend an ear from time to time."

Sounds like a pretty sweet deal to me. "Hope I'm helpful to you."

Kasumi:"Thank you! Then we've cut a deal! Heheh... Oh, why don't we exchange contact information? Hm? It shut down... Sorry, my smartphone's been acting up lately. Ha, it's back! Okay, I'll contact you when I've got free time, if that's fine!"

"Sounds good to me."

I grabbed my phone and we exchanged contact info. Once we did that, Niijima-senpai announced that the cleanup was officially over.

Kasumi:"Well, the cleanup seems to be finished. We're already in our gym clothes--would you care for some basic training before heading home? Let's start with some core exercises! Those are the foundation for staying in shape."

"Okay! Let's do this!"

She giggled as we began training. She was surprised I could keep up with the exercises. They were basic, but many still had trouble with them. Soon, we got done and went home. As soon I got home I took a nice hot shower. I was dusty, musty, and tired as all hell. I was cleansed of filth and immediately went to bed.

5/31

In class, I had to answer the question: Do you know which peg-legged, parrot toting historical figure's appearance became visual shorthand for pirates?

The answer was John Silver.

After school Ann and I went to the diner we usually go to in order to talk.

Ann:"So I talked to Shiho about what happened with Mika back at the photoshoot... And you know what she did? Laughed! She couldn't stop talking about how tough she thought Mika sounded. Honestly though... it wad kinda refreshing. I'm not even mad anymore. I guess you really just need someone to laugh at you if you want to feel better."

"Heh, it seems that way. They do say laughter's the best medicine."

Ann:"That's what I'm saying! I've seen the truth of that saying firsthand... But anyway, even though I'm trying to strengthen my heart... Shiho's the real strong one here."

"Oh?"

Ann:"I went to one of her rehab sessions the other day... She said she wanted me to be there... So I agreed without thinking much of it, but it ended up being... pretty overwhelming."

"How so?"

Ann:"It was a lot tougher than I'd ever imagined... It was horrible. She was dripping with swear, teeth clenched... She was clearly in a lot of pain... Apparently... she can't even move her feet. She said it feels like her legs are filled with sand... But she dragged them along, legs swollen with blood... I wanted to just make her stop... By the time it was all over, she was in tears. It was really tough on her... She said she wanted to give up... And that's why she asked me to come... To keep her motivated. The whole time she was complaining about things in ways she normally never would... But even with that... she finished her session..."

Ann suddenly started to tear up so she rubbed her eyes.

Ann:"I... I don't know why I'm crying... I didn't have to go through that... Is it because I'm weak?"

"It's because you're kind."

Ann:"You're wrong..."

She continued to wipe her eyes of the tears.

Ann:"You know, even through all that pain, I thought Shiho was so cool... beautiful, even. Despite all her complaining... she still tried incredibly hard. Strength is more than just not getting fazed... It's the power to fight through adversity. So I wa thinking, and um... what can I do to help Shiho?"

"Show her your own strength."

Ann:"My strength...? Yeah, I'll do just that. I'm gonna give it my all...! You know, (Y/n), being with you really helps me see things clearly. What I should do, the true meaning of strength... Well... thank you for that."

I smiled and nodded at her.

Ann:"Ugh, my nose is all runny..."

I looked at her weirdly and raised a brow.

Ann:"Wh-What are you looking at me like that for? Pretty girls get runny noses too, you know!"

I tried not to laugh before we left the diner and went home. I got home and Ann called me.

"Yo."

Ann:"Hey, it's me. Thanks for earlier. I feel better now that I got to talk to you about everything. I'm going to try my best to help Shiho out... in my own way. Maybe our relationship won't ever be exactly the way it was before... But now that I saw her crying, I know I'll find something I can do for her...!"

"I'll cheer you on."

Ann:"Thanks! I can't let her leave me behind. Watch me. One day, I'll be cool, and strong--just like Shiho! *exhale* I feel great now that I got everything off my chest. You're such a great listener, (Y/n). Hope I can keep counting on you for that. Okay, byeee!"

I simply decided to call it a night and went straight to bed.

6/1

Ren and I decided to do some more training with Ryuji after school today. We tried to find a spot to train, and Ren suggested we just stay at the school. Ryuji didn't want to since he didn't wanna have to deal with the guys from the track team. As we walked around, we saw Nakaoka from the track team being ganged up on by three other members.

Ryuji stepped in and started talking to the guys that were beating on him. They stated that Nakaoka sold them out by telling their secrets to Kamoshida when he was around. They soon left after telling him off. Nakaoka argued with Ryuji before Ryuji stated that he wasn't hung up on the stuff Kamoshida said and did anymore. Ryuji claimed that now he was free.

When Nakaoka left, Ryuji told us he felt free when he was just talking to us. We pretended not to understand what he was talking about which garnered a laugh out of the three of us. Later in the evening I went to the gym to work out some more.

6/2

I didn't have any plans after school, but I remembered I hadn't visited Takemi in a while. I went to the clinic and decided to talk to her. Though, a man came in with his daughter, who looked ill, so she went to examine her first.

Takemi:"So, why come here? Aren't you under the care of another hospital?"

Man:"I've heard rumors about this place. I'd like for you to examine her. She was diagnosed with bronchitis, but the medicine she was given hasn't been working at all. She has a fever that won't go away and she's losing weight because she's not hungry..."

Takemi:"A young girl losing weight is definitely not good. You should go to a bigger hospital. I can't provide a thorough examination here."

Man:"We've been going to a big hospital! A university hospital in East Shinjuku! But all they tell us is that it's persistent bronchitis!"

The mention of this hospital caused Takemi to perk up.

Takemi:"A university hospital in East Shinjuku?"

Man:"The doctor there performs exams like he's on an assembly line. I think he's famous or something..."

Takemi:"A famous doctor, huh? I'm just a general practitioner out here in the sticks. As you can see, I don't even have any staff."

Man:"W-Wait! I've heard there's a medicine that can only be acquired here! Please! I'll pay you! Please, at least just examine her!"

Takemi:"H-Hold on!"

The sick girl started to cough violently.

Girl:"Doctor... My chest really hurts..."

Takemi remained silent as she contemplated on what to do. I glanced at the girl and then at her worried father, who was sweating bullets.

"Dr. Takemi will help."

Takemi:"What?!"

Man:"Doctor...!"

Takemi: *sigh* "Fine."

She then kneeled down to the girl's level to get a better look at her and asked some questions.

Takemi:"Is your vision blurry? How about your throat, does it hurt? Hm. No signs of swelling. Are you sure you've told me everything about her symptoms and treatments you've tried so far?"

Man:"Yes, I'm sure!"

Takemi:"Hmmm..."

She got up to pull her phone out of her lab coat as she called someone.

Takemi:"Hello, Uehara-san? Is Dr. Schweitzer there? There's something I'd like to ask him about a case that was in last month's medical journal."

She nodded after a couple of minutes before hanging up.

Takemi:"I see. Guess the ones in stock will have to do..."

She then turned to face me.

Takemi:"There's a shelf by the reception desk. Bring the contents of the second drawer into the exam room."

"Huh?!"

Takemi:"You'll need to help me administer the medicine. Also, bring the beaker with the red label in the fridge, a towel, wash basin, and measuring spoon..."

"Uhh..."

Takemi:"Well, what are you waiting for? Get moving!"

"Alright, I'm going!"

I rushed into her office to nab all she wanted me to to help her out. She then brought the girl and her father into the exam room, where she began to help the girl out.

Man:"Th-Thank you so much! I didn't expect her to recover so quickly..."

Takemi:"It was a very unique strain of an infectious disease. It can't be detected by conventional exams. I temporarily suppressed the symptoms. We'll make adjustments as her condition improves. Okay, that'll be one million yen for today."

Man:"A-A million yen?! That's outrageous! You're completely taking advantage of... I mean, alright... I agreed to pay. You don't... take credit cards... do you? I'll go withdraw some cash right now!"

Takemi:"Huh? Wait, you're actually going to pay?"

He just nodded softly.

Takemi:"By the way, that famous doctor you mentioned earlier... Was it Medical Chief of Staff Oyamada?"

Man:"Yes... are you familiar with him?"

Takemi:"I knew it. In that case, I'll make this free of charge."

Man:"F-Free?!"

Takemi:"Hehe."

"You seem happy."

Takemi:"Doesn't it feel good? Treating his patient without permission. By the way, thanks to your outburst earlier... I'm going to perform a very special exam on you today..."

Ah crap.

Man:"So, is he your... assistant? He seems awfully young..."

Takemi:"Yes, my assistant... guinea pig."

She just HAD to use that nickname, huh?

Takemi:"He's about to put in a LOT of hard work today. Aren't you?"

Dammit...

Girl:"Um, Doctor? Can I go back to school now?"

Takemi:"Not for a while. You need to start eating and regain your strength first. Can you do that for me?"

Girl:"Yes! Thank you, Doctor!"

Takemi:"Don't mention it... Your turn. I wonder what kind of response you'll have this time... Maybe you won't even be able to make it home..."

I hope she isn't serious...

Once the girl and her father left, Takemi made down another dubious medical drug of hers. It was rough, but I managed to make it home, though. When I got to my door, she called me.

"Yo..."

Takemi:"How are you feeling now? Today's drug was a rough one, huh? But maybe it was just what my careless little guinea pig deserved, huh? Especially after approving that girl's consultation without my permission."

"I'll reflect on my mistakes."

Takemi:"Good boy. But I'm only letting this go today. Don't pull anything like that again."

"Yes ma'am..."

Takemi:"The drug does seem to be more stable compared to the early stages, though. It's probably thanks to your cooperation. Feels like I'm almost there, so... try not to die just yet, okay? Alright. Take care."

I decided to call it a night and went to bed.

To Be Continued...