5/8

It was just a normal day for me, but Ren texted me saying that he hung out with Mishima earlier, which was a little surprising. I didn't do much myself apart from laundry and some reading.

5/9

When school was over, Ren got texts from Mishima, who congratulated us for taking care of Nakanohara. He then told us of a request from someone who was getting bullied by a brown haired kid named Daisuke Takanashi here at Shujin.

"You wanna take care of this?"

Ren:"We definitely should."

"Sounds good. I'll tell the group to meet us at the rooftop."

I texted the group chat, and we all gathered on the roof and made a unanimous decision to head to Mementos.

Once we were in there, I drove us around the first floor, but the target was nowhere to be seen. We went down past the wall we opened yesterday to proceed further down. Down there, we met up with Jose. We began to gather some flowers, and that's when Morgana told us not to hang around for too long on one floor. He let us know that there was a strong Shadow that lurked around if we were to stay for longer than we should have.

I went down to the second floor of this new area, and we found the target. We jumped into the portal and got ready to confront him.

S. Takanashi:"It's not my fault! It's theirs for not standing up for themselves!"

"Shut up! It can't be their fault when you don't even give them a choice! You're out here blackmailing and taking money from other students! That's messed up!"

Ann:"You're the lowest of the low. Bullying people weaker than you, knowing they can't fight back!"

S. Takanashi:"The hell?! You're all ganging up on me, too! Are you phantom thieves some kind of gang?! Protectors of justice, my ass! Don't act high and mighty with me when you don't know anything!"

"Let's do this!"

He transformed, and we got ready for our fight. Joker went for a melee attack with his blade and did a small bit of damage. I glared at the Shadow and became Heatblast. My body was fully set ablaze, and I smirked.

"Yo, Skull, you ever seen that anime with the dudes screaming and shooting lasers?"

Ryuji:"Yeah, why?"

"Check this shit."

I cupped my hands together as fire began to swirl in the open space between my palms.

Ryuji:"No freakin' way! He's actually gonna do it!"

Ann:"Am I missing something...?"

Ren:"Wait, is he seriously gonna do it?"

Ryuji:"Awww dude, this is gonna go down in the history books! The first ever real life Kamehameha!"

Morgana:"Such children..."

"RRRAAAHHHH!!!"

I fired out a large stream of fire towards Takanashi's Shadow as it enveloped him and did some major damage. Ann used her turn to put the Shadow to sleep as Ryuji followed up with a physical attack from Captain Kidd. The Shadow was knocked over since Ryuji's Persona got a critical hit, so we all jumped in for an All-Out Attack!

That finished off the Shadow as it went back to its human form.

S. Takanashi:"B-But if I don't do it, they're gonna hurt me. I don't want people taking my money from me anymore!"

"What're you talking about?"

S. Takanashi:"If I don't go after him, I'm the one who's gonna get bullied! I can't take it, I just can't!"

Ann:"Oh, I get it now. There's an even bigger bully. One that's ordering this guy around and who's also behind all this."

Ryuji:"Hey! Didn't you just say it's people's own fault for not standin' up for themselves?"

S. Takanashi:"That's... er... Please, help me!"

"What do you say, Joker?"

Ren:"Let's help this guy."

S. Takanashi:"Thank you! Oh, thank you, you wonderful phantom thieves!"

Morgana:"This guy... Fickle fellow, isn't he?"

S. Takanashi:"I'm counting on you... You guys promised."

Ryuji:"Fine, but you better apologize to those people you bullied!"

He disappeared, and Joker nabbed the little treasure.

Ryuji:"What do you guys wanna do now?"

Morgana:"We don't have any more targets, so we should be good to go. What do you two think?"

"I say we explore some more."

Ren:"Yeah, let's do it."

Ryuji:"Alright!"

We jumped out the portal as I started driving around Mementos some more. We went to the third floor and just fought Shadows until we reached the fourth floor. Down there we saw some people, or rather, their Shadows boarding a train. We went further until we reached the seventh floor of this area. That's where the next wall was. This one didn't react to us, however. So with that out of the way, we left the Metaverse.

5/10

Inui:"Mr. (L/n), do you know the time period Yoshitsune was active in?"

"Was it the Heian period?"

Inui:"Correct."

After school

Ann texted me and asked me to help her with her training. So we decided to head to a park.

Ann:"Man, big open places like this are great! I think my training's going to go super good today! So, remember how I said before that I want to strengthen my heart?"

"Yeah."

Ann:"Well, I came up with a way to do it!"

"How's that?"

Ann:"I think having a strong heart means you don't let anything get under your skin. So basically, I want you to say stuff about me, and I'll try not to get fazed by it!"

"I don't get it..."

Ann:"We've already started! I won't let that hesitation shake me! C'mon, hit me with your best shot!"

"You're stupid."

Ann:"Yeah, yeah, yeah! And?"

"That response was annoying."

Ann:"Uh-huh, uh-huh. What else?"

"Can we stop yet?"

Ann:"You're giving up? That means I win! Wait... is this how the game is supposed to go?"

"You're the one that made it up."

Ann:"Oh well. On to round two! Bring it on!"

"Listen to me, Ann...

Ann sighed and looked down.

Ann:"You know... I kinda feel like this won't make our Personas stronger."

"You finally get it."

Ann:"Huh, something's not right..."

That's when her phone went off.

Ann:"Oh, sorry. I just got an email from my agency. The next shoot is... really far. Wait, what's this at the end?"

"What is it?"

Ann:"It's a notice saying to pay extra attention to the time and place they tell you. Apparently some models haven't been showing up at all lately. Then when asked why they didn't come, the models all say they heard there was a change in schedule. It sounds like shoots have been real hectic with all the scrambling they've had to do for substitutes."

"Has that happened to you?"

Ann:"No, I haven't missed a single shoot so far. It probably really confused the staff to see a sub showing up too. Hopefully it doesn't happen to me... Though actually, my first modeling gig was as a sub. That was back when I was still in Finland. My parents didn't have enough models for their event."

"Finland? And your parents didn't have models?"

Ann:"Oh, haven't I told you? My parents are both fashion designers who put on some seriously extravagant shows. They jump from country to country, so I only really see them for half of the year. ...Maybe less these days."

"I bet that freedom is relaxing, huh?"

Ann:"You have no idea. I have been pretty relaxed these days. Plus it would probably be tough being a phantom thief with my parents around, don't you think?"

"I get what you mean. My parents would be asking what I do after school if I'm not in any clubs.

Ann:"It was rough when I was little though... It was just me and our live-in caretaker. I didn't really have any friends... Wow, that got dark fast...! Ahaha... Honestly, when I'm modeling... It almost feels like I'm connecting with my parents somehow. It's a nice hobby to have... but I don't think I'd want to make a living out of it. After all, that's where Kamoshida first spotted me... and that's how our class started those rumors... Besides, the Phantom Thieves are more important to me right now. Nobody can be my substitute there... That's why I need to get stronger!"

"I respect that, Ann. I really do."

Ann:"Thank you, (Y/n)! Oh yeah! When I was little, I used to watch this anime where the main villain was this female thief. She'd lose to the hero every time, but I always thought she was cool. She wasn't really a "good" person per se... But she was beautiful, strong, sincere, and even sexy. She always said whatever she wanted, did whatever she wanted... She knew what justice was for her. I... wanted to grow up to be just like her someday. I hope I'm getting closer now, of only just a little bit."

"Heh, I'll be rooting for ya."

We said our goodbyes as I returned home. I stepped inside and Ann called me.

"Yo!"

Ann:"Heeey, it's me. Thanks for coming with me today!"

"No problem."

Ann:"So after we met up, I tried doing some runway walks on the way home. Like how a cool, sexy woman would walk."

"Okay, sounds fun."

Ann:"Then some girl who was watching me nearby started to copy me and runway-walk with me! She had to have seen me, right? Do you think she thought I was cool...?"

"Heh. Could be."

Ann: *giggle* "It's almost enough to make me blush, kind of. To be honest, I feel kinda bad for her she has no idea that the real me is a human disaster. Mmm... I guess I still got a long way to go. But I'm not giving up. I made a decision that I'm going to get stronger, so I need to overcome any obstacles! Thanks for hearing me out! Okay, bye!"

"Bye, Ann."

Evening

I decided to get some last-minute studying done since the next few days would be exams back to back.

5/11

Ren and I stepped into Shujin to see some students crowding around a bulletin board. Either way, we had exams to get to.

Question: What historical figure inspired the idiom of "favoring the magistrate"?

I looked at my options before choosing Minamoto no Yoshitsune.

Question: Provide the reason why Minamoto no Yoshitsune is viewed as a hero.

I thought about it and broke it down first. He had a brother named Minamoto no Yoritomo. Yoshitsune worked under Yoritomo, but they ended up coming into conflict. And in the end, when they had to oppose each other, Yoritomo won. Yoshitsune committed suicide after being exiled by his brother. Even though he lost, Yoshitsune's the one who went down in history as a hero. That's because people tend to sympathize less with figures in power and sympathize more with the weak.

I managed to finish in time and smirked as I rotated my wrist.

5/12

Question: Which brain function is responsible for the phenomenon of seeing an illusion in this figure?

I looked at the diagram, and it was the one with the two lines being the same size within an open triangle. The answer was cognition.

Question: Which of the following maps can you paint without any adjacent areas being the same color?

My options were a map of the world, a map of Japan, or both. I went with both.

5/13

Question: Name the book that defined "malefactor" as the chief factor in the progress of the human race.

I knew this one easily. The Devil's Dictionary.

Question: What character archetype refers to a mysterious and seductive woman, typically with ulterior motives?

Another easy question. The answer was a femme fatale.

Afternoon

With today's testing over with, we all gathered in the gym to attend the assembly.

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

The principal stepped to the side as the therapist walked up to the mic.



Girl:"Isn't he hot?"

?:"It's nice to meet you all."

Girl 2:"Whoa, his voice is sexy!"

?:"My name is- Huh?"

He looked down at the mic and began fiddling with it to make sure it was working and that he could be heard well.

Maruki:"My name is Takuto Maruki. Thank you for welcoming me to your school."

He went for a bow, but when he did, he bumped his forehead against the mic.

Maruki:"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 help you feel more comfortable. Any assistance you need, I'll be- Oh... I guess I'm not really any good for helping with money problems..."

The principal then pushed him aside. With the assembly over, we began walking back to class before Ryuji caught up with us.

Ryuji:"Yo. You ever expect this place to actually give a shit about health?"

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

"Shujin has a reputation to upkeep after all."

Ryuji:"And Doctor, uh... Doctor Whatshisname."

Ann:"Maruki."

Ryuji:"Yeah. Wasn't that guy just basically clownin' it up onstage? You really think he'll do us any good?"

"We can only-"

Before I could finish speaking, Dr. Maruki himself made his way over to us.

Maruki:"Hey there."

He then looked at the four of us.

Maruki:"Sakamoto-kun and Takamaki-san, right? You must be (L/n)-kun and that leaves you... Amamiya-kun."

"How do you know us already?"

Maruki:"Well, I was informed of certain students before beginning my tenure here. Those that had, ah... previous interactions with Mr. Kamoshida. Amamiya-kun, it must've been especially tough for you after having just transferred here."

Ren only shrugged.

Ren:"Not really."

Maruki:"You're quite the tough youngster. Just don't overdo it, okay?"

Ryuji:"So whaddya want with us?"

Maruki:"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?"

Ryuji:"Nope, not at all."

Maruki:"Huh?!"

Ryuji:"How's that surprising?"

Maruki:"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?"

"Snacks? Listen, Doc, we're not kids."

Maruki:"Haha... You're right. To be frank, I've been explicitly ordered to provide counseling to the students directly involved with Mr. Kamoshida. It's in the school's interest... for its students."

"School's interest, huh?"

Maruki:"I know that asking you to be open with a complete stranger like myself is a lot. Making this mandatory wouldn't do you any good, either. Might as well turn it into a worthwhile experience... ...Ooh, I know! If you attend my counseling sessions, I'll teach you ways to improve your mental acuity. Like, ways to hone your concentration before exams or not getting nervous on dates. How's that sound?"

Ann:"Uh..."

Ann and Ren thought about it, and I could see the gears turning in Ren's head. He and I shared a knowing glance at each other before shifting our gaze back to Maruki.

Maruki:"There's also snacks..."

Ryuji:"Alright, alright, enough with the snacks!"

Ryuji let out a heavy sigh before looking at us.

Ryuji:"So, which way are you leanin'?"

Ren:"I'm going to do it."

Ryuji:"(Y/n)?"

*sigh* "No harm in a little chat, I suppose."

Ryuji: *sigh* "I guess it'd just be more trouble for us if we didn't go."

Ann:"Hmm, yeah."

Maruki:"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."

Ryuji:"Welp, we should get goin'."

Maruki:"Okay, I'll see you later."

Ann and Ryuji went ahead and walked off.

Maruki:"Thanks for taking my counseling into consideration. Now that we have a deal, I promise I'll do my best to help you."

"We appreciate it, Doc."

Ryuji:"Dudes, what's the holdup?"

Maruki:"Sorry for keeping you like this. Well then..."

He gave us a slight nod before we went our separate ways. Ren and I got back to class with Ann.

Kawakami:"Alright, 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. Dr. Maruki will only be posted here through November, so be sure to speak with him if you feel the need. For the majority of you, it's your choice whether or not you see him, but... there are a few students I'll speak with later... The school's decided: visits to Dr. Maruki will be mandatory for these individuals."

As she said that, Ryuji texted us and wanted to see if we were going. I told him that we really had no choice, so we just had to oblige if we didn't want to stand out. So immediately after school, Ann was the first to go. She texted me after her counseling and said that Maruki was actually really easy to talk to.

Ren:"You gonna go?"

"Better now than later. And I already said I was earlier, so..."

Ren:"Yeah."

Morgana:"Let us know how it goes."

"Will do. See you."

I got out of my seat, grabbed my bag, and then went straight to the nurse's office. When I got there, I saw that student called Yoshizawa.

Yoshizawa:"Ah, hello. Are you here for a session as well?"

"You too, huh?"

Yoshizawa:"Yes, that's right. Dr. Maruki is a wonderful counselor. I've actually been seeing him for a while before he ever came to Shujin."

Maruki:"Oh? I didn't know you two were acquainted. Don't go overselling me too hard, though, Yoshizawa-san. I'm really nothing special."

Yoshizawa:"Well, I need to get going. Please excuse me."

With a small bow, she left.

Maruki:"What say we get started?"

"Let's do it."

We entered the office, and I shut the door behind me.

Maruki:"Thanks for coming."

"I can't lie, I'm a little nervous."

Maruki:"Is that so? You don't look it. Have a seat."

I nodded, and we sat on separate sofas.

Maruki:"I told Takamaki-san this, but you can just speak whenever you feel like it."

"Appreciate it, Doc."

Maruki:"And there's snacks right there on the table."

He motioned over to a red bowl that had different types of candies and snack sized bags of chips and cookies. I grabbed a bag of chips and popped it open. I took a bite out of it then stared at it.

"You want to know something, Doc?"

Maruki:"What is it?"

"I normally would never be in a situation like this. Never in a million years."

Maruki:"Because you mainly kept to yourself ever since you moved here?"

"Yeah. Wait, how'd you know about that?"

Maruki:"I've been given a brief description about you and your past here at Shujin."

"So much for privacy... But yeah, I honestly had a tough time adjusting to life here in Japan. I lived in America for all of my life, and then suddenly, my dad had to move over for business reasons. The company he works for thankfully provided us with a means to stay and paid for the flight over here."

Maruki:"I see. That definitely might have been a complete reality shift."

"It was. I was a fish out of water. I mean, I was taught what was needed in order to communicate and write properly, but that didn't stop me from feeling like an outcast. Hell, my first year here was me trying to break out of my shell and make friends. But it was no use."

Maruki:"I'm sorry to hear that. I know how troubling it can be for new kids to make friends in unfamiliar territory."

"Yeah. And not even that damned perfect student council president of ours bothered to lend a hand..."

Maruki:"Niijima-san, correct?"

"Yeah... her..."

Maruki looked at me solemnly as I ate another chip.

"And this year, I felt like another year of nothing was going to happen. But everything just changed when I met my first friend, Ren. He's quiet, but he's a totally nice guy. And through strange circumstances, I met Ryuji and Ann then befriended them."

Maruki:"That's a pleasant turnaround."

"Heh, tell me about it. I still think of myself as an outcast, but I'm gonna own that title. And I think because of my friends I actually grew some confidence and started to speak out more. I hope I can continue to do so."

Maruki:"Incredible, (L/n)-kun. I'm happy to see that someone like you has found some incredible friends and will continue to grow because of them. You're an honest guy. Comparing what I've been told from the teachers and what I heard from you, it's clear to see you now carry yourself with a sense of pride. Be confident in yourself always, and I hope to see you form stronger bonds with the friends you have now and the ones you will make in the future!"

I smiled like an idiot and chuckled a bit before standing.

"Thank you, Doc. I wasn't expecting to hear that from anyone. Like, at all. But it was very much needed. I appreciate it. I'll send Ren your way."

I held out my hand, and he gladly shook it.

Maruki:"Thank you for your time, and be sure to drop by if you ever want to chat again."

"Will do."

I grabbed my chips and left to tell Ren that Maruki wasn't all that bad. Later that evening, I decided to just go to sleep, seeing as tomorrow was the last day of exams.

5/14

I was waiting for the train with Ren as usual when Ryuji met up with us. We chatted casually for a bit before Ann showed up as well. It seemed as though she had something on her mind, so we just kind of walked with her for a bit. When we left the station, Ann told us she was being stalked by some strange guy, so we all split off from her and waited as the guy that presumably stalked her revealed himself.



?:"I saw you from the car... and I couldn't help myself from chasing after you. I didn't even notice the calls from Sensei... But thank goodness, I caught up to you."

Ann:"Okay..."

Ryuji:"What?"

?:"You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Please, won't you-"

Ann:"W-Wait a minute, I-"

?:"Be the model for my next art piece?!"

Ann:"...Model?"

?:"All that I've drawn till now has been lacking, but I feel a passion from you, unlike anyone else."

Morgana:"This man's highly suspicious!"

Ryuji:"Ain't this a recruit for some shady business?"

?:"Will you cooperate with me? What do you say?"

Ryuji:"Hold your horses! Who're you anyways?"

Yusuke:"Oh, where are my manners? I'm a second-year at Kosei High's fine arts division. My name is Yusuke Kitagawa."

He shoved Ryuji aside and stepped closer to Ann.

Yusuke:"I'm Madarame-sensei's pupil, and I am being allowed at his place. I'm striving to become an artist."

Ann:"Huh?! Do you mean THAT Madarame? The one who was on "Good Morning Japan" the other day?"

Yusuke:"The very same."

Ryuji:"You know who that is?"

Ann:"He was introduced as a super-famous Japanese-style artist who's been recognized all over the world. But we heard that name the other day in Mementos..."

Madarame called out the Yusuke guy from his car.



Yusuke:"Madarame-sensei's exhibition will begin at the department store near the station tomorrow. I'll be there to help out on opening day. Please come by. It'd be great if you could give me your answer in regard to being a model then..."

He then looked at the rest of us.

Yusuke:"I bet you have no interest in the fine arts, but I'll give you tickets too."

He then got into the car and left. Ann said she might go to the exhibition before heading off to school. Today was luckily the last day of exams, and I felt pretty decent on how I did.

After school

Ann:"Mmmmmm, it's over!"

Ryuji:"It's over... How 'bout you two? You guys holding up?"

Ren:"It's over..."

"I mean, it wasn't that bad..."

Ann:"At least you're feeling decent. You two, however, need to get your act together."

Ryuji:"Anyways, can we stop talkin' about the exams? Like or not, they're gonna come back graded next week. Rather than focus on stuff that's over with..."

"Whatcha lookin' at?"

Ryuji:"The usual site. ...It's no use. There ain't any useful info. The number of posts are gettin' less and less too..."

Morgana:"I am not letting this end as a one-hit wonder, okay?"

Ann:"There's no point in getting antsy though. I know! Why don't we go eat lunch somewhere? We still have some money left over from the other day."

Ryuji:"I want sushi, then! Or domestic-raised eel."

Ann:"We don't have THAT much left. Oh right. There are those tickets to Madarame's exhibit! Wait, that's tomorrow."

Morgana:"Don't tell me... Was it love at first sight with that Yusuke guy?"

Ann:"It's not like that."

Morgana:"O-Of course not."

Ann:"When I was watching that special on TV, his artwork was pretty nice. Plus, we've got free tickets. Besides, this could also be related to what we heard in Mementos."

"Madarame... I'm kinda curious."

Ren:"Yeah, same here."

Morgana:"Hrmm..."

Ann:"That aside, what should I do with the other three tickets? Wanna go appreciate the fine arts with me for once?"

Ryuji:"Fine arts, huh..."

Morgana:"I suggest we should all go together! Appreciating the fine arts builds character. A phantom thief who can't identify an original is lame."

Ryuji:"Well, if everyone's going..."

Ann:"It's settled then!"

Ren:"It should be fun."

"No argument here."

Ann:"Just the phrase "going to an art exhibit" sounds kinda mature. Let's meet at the exhibit entrance tomorrow."

We all nodded before split off to head home. When I got home, I put my phone to charge and looked around my room a bit. I looked at my pull-up bar before running to the fridge downstairs. I opened it up and reached in and grabbed a protein shake. During some downtime, I ran to the convenience store and bought several of them. I went back upstairs and chugged the bottle before working out before going to sleep.

To Be Continued...