6/3

Ren and I got seats on the train, but neither of us had anything to read, so he and Morgana discreetly told me about how to craft some lockpicks. I knew Ren had some since some chests we find in Palaces are locked, same with those in Mementos. It was rather interesting to learn, so I just knew I had to make some for myself. They even gave me some materials to do so! In homeroom today, Ms. Kawakami decided to change the lesson plan.

Kawakami:"Alright, everyone! Quiet down! I'm changing my lesson for today. Instead of a regular class, we'll be reviewing last week's materials. I suggest you listen carefully. But don't think you can slack off, okay, I absolutely won't allow it. No slacking off!"

Her gaze then shifted over to me, and I just silently nodded. I grabbed my textbook and stood it up on my desk as I fished in my bag for the lockpick materials. I thought Kawakami would let me ditch class at the very least, but this is fine, too. I managed to make three lockpicks with the alloted time the lesson had.

After school, Ryuji let Ren know our hangout time would be put on hold for a bit. Ren decided to do his own thing as I paid a visit to Maruki.

Maruki:"I've been getting a lot of students coming in ever since I arrived here. To be honest, it's been... kind of a relief."

"What do you mean?"

Maruki:"That whole mess with Kamoshida was the reason I was called here, after all... They warned me a lot of students had been impacted. I knew there would be a lot of free-floating anxiety. But when I actually got to talk to everyone, I was pleasantly surprised. Most of the things on everyone's minds were college entrance exams, relationship problems... In other words, typical worries for high school students. Some did open up about deeper issues, but not the majority. Some students were still struggling with the scars from the incident, yes... But at the very least, I'm glad the ones who came to me have taken some steps towards recovery."

"So they have, huh?"

Maruki:"Well, that's not to say I've gotten a sense of every single student's emotional state. Either way, I hope my worries end up being groundless after all. I know I'm not the most reliable guy, but remember you can always talk to me too if something's bothering you. I am the counselor here, you know. If nothing else, I'm good at listening."

"Appreciate it."

Maruki:"Having said that, it's a little awkward that I have to ask for your help, but... I have a request. I'd like to ask you something to help with my research. I've asked Amamiya-kun the same thing and he agreed. I told him that I'd help him with mental stability in exchange. Would you perhaps be interested?"

"Of course."

Maruki:"I said you'd be helping me with my research, but don't worry. It won't be anything too difficult or intensive. I just need you to listen to what I have to say, and work through some questions with me. But let's see... Maybe I should start at the beginning. I can tell you a little about what this research is for. What I'm studying now is pain felt in the mind. Or perhaps fancifully, in the heart. Some specific examples include the pain of someone saying hurtful things to you, or being separated from those you love... Maybe this would be clearer--pain defined by abstracts, like trauma or stress."

"Go on."

Maruki:"Bodily, physical pain can be thought of as something necessary. An automatic response to injury, illness, whatever. But what about pains felt within one's heart? That pain isn't born from any tangible problem in our bodies, right? It's something strange and immaterial. I guess it goes to show there are still a lot of mysteries in our own hearts and minds. And I... well, I want to learn more about these internal, psychological pains. Now, this is my question to you... When do you truly feel pain in your heart, (L/n)-kun?"

"Hmm... If I had to say... It would be when someone betrays me."

Maruki:"I see... Yes, I can sympathize there. Sometimes, all it takes is one betrayal for intense trust to turn into intense pain. It can be rough. It doesn't feel good to struggle with pain in your heart. But with that in mind... How about the pain of a broken heart, then? After all, that kind of pain is only born because we fall in love, right? Do you have any thoughts on this kind of pain, (L/n)-kun?"

"It's a seed for new loves."

Maruki:"Hahaha... I never took you for a poet. But it's a wonderful sentiment. A very positive way of looking at it. Internal, emotional pain can be difficult to deal with. Though some say it's always coupled with other feelings... And I agree, of course. I think that's a fair assessment. Though personally speaking... I'd think if pain can be avoided, it should be. Maybe it shouldn't exist at all."

He then hummed to himself.

Maruki:"Wounds of the heart are much harder to detect, and in a way, they're far more complex than physical injuries. That's why I'm doing this research... To save people who are suffering from internal pain they keep holding onto. You helped me realize that purpose again. Thank you."

"Did that help?"

Maruki:"Of course! Thanks to you, I can articulate my thoughts for once."

I could sense his gratitude.

Maruki:"Okay, I think that'll do for today. Hm...? Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something...?"

"My training?"

Maruki:"Oh...! Your mental training! Oh, uh, no! I didn't forget about our promise, of course! I'll reach you tricks for mental discipline, and you help me with my research! Just like we decided, right? Now then... how about something like this today?"

Thanks to Maruki's mental training, my mind feels stronger. I got home that evening and saw I had a message from Kawakami. She wasn't requested for tonight, so I decided to request her.

Kawakami:"So, Master... I want to provide more services for you..."

"What are you scheming?"

It took her by surprise and she gasped.

Kawakami:"I-I'm definitely not scheming anything! Meow! I just want to get requested more."

She suddenly put on the voice.

Kawakami:"I'm really good at giving massages. Meow! I'll massage you aaanywhere you like."

She dropped the voice and looked at me curiously.

Kawakami:"Well? How was that?"

"I'm not sure I follow."

Kawakami:"The thing is, I talked to my boss about picking up more shifts... But he said that he prioritizes "younger" women!"

"How rude."

Kawakami:"Seriously... He didn't have to say that right to my face. I mean, age has nothing to do with cleaning a room! And I look damn good for my age, if I do say so myself. The girls in my neighborhood always tell me I'm pretty. And the latchkey kid who lives next door always asks me to tie up her hair. Thanks to that, I'm an expert with these pigtails now. See? So I'm damn good for- Wait, don't tell me I'm the only one who thinks this way?"

She batted her eyelashes at me then switched her pitch.

Kawakami:"Master... would you please give me your honest opinion? I look pretty good as a maid, don't I?"

I looked at her briefly and felt my face heat up, but I had to be real with her.

"You need to love yourself."

Kawakami:"Huh...? I don't really feel like I'm worth being loved. But... you're right."

She sighed before standing up.

Kawakami:"You go out of your way to request me, and all I do is sit here and vent to you. What the heck am I saying? You're my student... My double life as both a teacher and a maid is so exhausting. Maybe I let my guard down because you know both sides of me. The more I come here, the more I feel like I can relax. As a maid, I'm supposed to help my master relax... but instead, I'm the one who's being helped. Haha... Sorry I'm such a terrible maid."

I could feel the sincerity in her words.

Kawakami:"I have to confess something... I lied about the reason why I need to make more money... I don't have a sick sister... All that stuff about the fees and charges was a lie too."

"I kinda already knew that."

Kawakami:"I can't get requested unless I make up those types of stories. See, you understand now, right? Nothing good will come from involving yourself with a terrible person like me. It's a good lesson learned. *sigh* Let's just put an end to this."

She walked out my house while mumbling one last thing to me.

Kawakami:"Thank you for using our service..."

6/4

Maruki called on me to answer his question. He asked if I knew what the phenomenon was called where if we saw someone cute and immediately decided they must be nice too. The answer was the halo effect.

Once school was out, I decided to go to the gym directly after school and once again in the evening.

6/5

In Station Square, passersby were going about their business until they noticed one of the many screens started to play what was currently on the news. It was Madarame having a press conference, but he was sobbing.

Madarame:"I... I have committed crimes that are unbecoming of an artist. Plainly put... I, um... plagiarized work... I-I... tainted this--this country's art world... and... even "Sayuri"! H-How could I... I possibly... apologize to--to everyone for... for what I've done... Aaaah..."

He wasn't just sobbing on live television, but it was a full-on breakdown. He was crying at the top of his lungs and banging his fists on the table, almost like a tantrum. The feed cut to a newscaster who explained that Madarame was soon taken to a hospital as he explained that the Phantom Thieves were involved. The citizens discussed whether or not stealing hearts was even possible.

I was currently with the others at the hideout.

Ryuji:"You guys see the news about Madarame?! It's just like what happened with Kamoshida!"

Ann:"And they mentioned the Phantom Thieves!"

Ryuji:"Man, this is startin' to get interesting... If we do it right, we can change people's hearts. With this power... we might be able to do more than just gettin' back at society. It'll be a big deal!"

Ren:"This'll be fun."

Ryuji:"Let's keep pushin' on then! As for me, I hope we just keep gettin' more and more famous!"

Morgana:"Something like this happening twice is massive too. It's too great a coincidence to occur normally."

Ann:"If we continue doing this, we'll definitely be able to give courage to everyone who needs it."

As we talked, a police officer and a suited man got closer to us.

"Guys, let's just quiet down a little."

Ann:"Do you know them?"

Ryuji:"You moron! Those're attendance officers!"

Man 1:"Hello there. May I speak with you for a moment?"

Ann:"Ah, yes! How can we help you?"

Morgana:"That monotonous acting of hers never fails to send a chill down my spine."

Man 1:"What are you all doing here? Are you friends?"

Ren:"We just wanted some tea..."

Man 2:"Hm, is that so? And how would you do that in a place like this?"

Ann:"We were just discussing where we should go..."

Man 1:"Well, alright. Just make sure you disperse before it gets too late, okay? There have been some odd happenings lately, and the news about that artist has caused quite the stir."

Ann:"We'll be careful!"

They soon walked off, which gave us room to talk.

Ryuji:"It's still light out... Man, those guys must have way too much time on their hands."

Ann:"Hey, don't go making stuff up on the spot like that, okay?! I totally panicked 'cause of you!"

Morgana:"From now on, we'll need to be even more cautious than before. Look at us! Right after the second Thieves incident, both prior victims are meeting up."

Ann:"Wait, you mean people might be listening to us?"

Ryuji:"Eh, it'll be fine. Look around. We're the only people worryin' about it."

Ann:"I guess you're right..."

Ryuji:"By the way, Yusuke... You able to get anything out of Madarame? Remember how he was talkin' about that suspicious person in the black mask?"

Yusuke:"Well... I pressed hkm for answers, but he doesn't even understand what happened to him to begin with."

Ann:"It's not like he actually saw his desires get stolen, after all."

Yusuke:"It's rumored that he may be sent to prison. In that case, gaining information will be difficult..."

Ryuji:"So, what're you gonna do now?"

Yusuke:"I'll be leaving that house. I can't draw in such a place anymore."

Ann:"Do you have somewhere to go?"

Yusuke:"The school dorms. I can stay there free of charge thanks to my fine arts scholarship."

"A scholarship? Sick."

Yusuke:"Although, Takamaki-san's house would do as well."

Ann:"Wait, WHAT?!"

Ryuji:"You know, you could ask her to model for you whenever you wanted!"

Ann:"You moron!"

Ryuji:"Then again, now that Yusuke'll be livin' alone, it'll be easier for us to meet up whenever we want."

"For the time being, we should wait and see how this case plays out. Plus, it might take a while to find a target as big as Madarame. So let's act like normal students for the time being. So Ryuji, we'll leave it to you to find the next target."

Ryuji:"Alright. Sounds good, boss man."

Everyone started to leave, but I couldn't shake the feeling I was being watched. I looked around the accessway but saw no one. I scowled before hurrying over to catch up with Ryuji and Ren.

Makoto:"Yusuke Kitagawa, huh... And Sakamoto-kun called (L/n) boss, didn't he? Interesting..."

I caught up with the pair when Yusuke texted the group. He gave us his thanks, and we told him it was not a big deal. We put our phones away when Ryuji mentioned he had tickets to some darts lounge in Kichijoji.

Ren has never been there, so we had to go to the Inogami Line first. We rushed over and hopped on the line.

Makoto:"Those three..."

We got there shortly and took in the place.

Ren:"Kichijoji, huh?"

Morgana:"You can tell it's nothing like Shibuya, just from the atmosphere alone."

Ryuji:"Well, yeah. Looks like there are a lot of shops here that you can't find in Shibuya. Not that I'd really know."

"Let's head over to the darts lounge."

Ryuji:"Whoa, someone's rarin' to go, eh? Alright, let's get going then! I think the lounge is one block up from the main street. But since we're here, I won't say no to checkin' out a bunch of the other shops on the way."

"I'm game."

Ren:"Sure. We've got time."

We started walking around the area and checked out various places. I bought a fountain pen, a leather pencil case, and some Chinese buns. There was a store that bought sooty clothing, for whatever reason, and Ren sold a bunch! I don't even know where he stored it all! That store gave out money for the clothes plus 10 points for each piece of equipment sold to them. Those points could be exchanged for prizes. Ren sold enough to gain about 1,650 points.

After a few more minutes of walking, we found the spot. It was called Penguin Sniper. We played a few rounds of 301, and the games honestly improved us in a way. They also had pool tables there, but we already flew through time with darts, so we went home. Since today we had tickets, we'd need to pay up for our next visits.

We left, but in the evening, Ren invited not only me but the rest of the group to go dart throwing. Ryuji and I showed Ann and Yusuke how it was done. Ren and I had the best showing as we only needed three rounds to reach 0.

6/6

It was finally time for us to wear our summer uniform, which was a white collared shirt with the Shujin emblem on the left chest. As Ren and I waited to hop on the train to school, we saw Ryuji drop by still wearing the old uniform.

Around lunchtime, Ann asked us where we were going to go for the social studies trip. She decided on a TV studio so we just decided to go with her. During class hours, Yusuke started texting us. I glanced at the messages when Mr. Ushimaru spoke up. I jumped in my seat when I felt a murderous intent. He threw his chalk at me, but I dodged it again. He scoffed and went on with his lesson.

I was walking out the front entrance of the school when I saw Kasumi there.

Kasumi:"Ah, (L/n)-senpai. What a pleasant surprise. It's really pouring down, isn't it?"

She frowned at the pouring rain as I dug through my bag, and by the grace of everything holy, I found a collapsible umbrella.

Kasumi:"Well, see you around."

"Won't you get wet, though?"

Kasumi:"Yeah... But it's fine. I'll barely get wet if I run to the station! If anything, it'll make for good training."

"Care to walk together, instead?"

Kasumi:"Huh?"

She then saw the umbrella in my hand.

Kasumi:"That'd be wonderful! Thank you so much!"

So with that, the two of us started walking to the station together under my umbrella.

Kasumi:"Thanks again for letting me join you. To be honest, prelims are coming up soon, so I didn't want to take any chances of getting sick."

"Is it for gymnastics?"

Kasumi:"Yeah, that's right. Two huge competitions are coming up--one at the beginning of summer and one near the end. If I'm going to participate in the prelims, I have to be selected as my club's representative... And there's a qualifier meet to determine who that rep will be. It's my dream to compete in gymnastics on the global level. So, I plan on maintaining a strict training regimen with my coach."

"I'll cheer you on."

Kasumi:"I'd be invincible if I had you cheering me on, Senpai! *giggle* Oh, we're already at the station..."

I made sure to put away my umbrella as Kasumi entered the station first. I walked with her for a bit longer until we reached the badge scanners.

Kasumi:"I'll be fine from here out. I can't thank you enough for today. I swear I'll return the favor some-"

Guy:"Hey, isn't that Yoshizawa?"

Girl:"You mean the honors gymnast? She gets the VIP treatment at school AND a boyfriend to escort her around? Miss Special Snowflake sure is livin' on easy street..."

The gossiping pair of students then left as Kasumi looked at me with empathy.

Kasumi:"I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to deal with a misunderstanding like that."

"Don't even worry about it."

Kasumi:"Yeah, you're right! The same thing happens in class, too. People are often wary of me because I'm an honor student. The school's expecting me to attain strong results in the upcoming competitions, too. They even told me I didn't have to participate in the cleanup event... But I just don't like getting special treatment."

Her phone started to ring so she answered it.

Kasumi:"Hello? Dad? What was that? Sorry, my phone's been acting up lately. It's okay, thanks. Mmhmm. I'll see you later. Sorry about that. He asked if I needed a ride since it's raining. A bit overprotective, don't you think?"

"He must care a lot about you."

Kasumi:"Yes, I definitely agree. Well, I have to get to practice, so it's time for me to go. Thanks so much for today. Excuse me!"

She gave me a bow before hopping on the train. I stood there for a minute before deciding to pay Maruki another visit. Even though it was raining, he wanted to hang out in the courtyard.

Maruki:"Well, (L/n)-kun, I just found out how scary cats can be, despite their cuteness..."

"What are you talking about?"

Maruki:"Oh, it happened on my way to school this morning... I spotted a kitten that had gotten itself stuck up in a tree. I tried rescuing it since I felt bad for it, but I ended up with the clawing of a lifetime for the effort. I had no idea a cat's claws were so sharp..."

"I know, right? If you told Ren the same thing, he'd relate a ton. This cat he owns has a temper. Little guy knows how to dish out some scratches."

Maruki:"Speaking from experience, eh? It really does hurt a lot... But I was able to rescue the kitten, so it was all still worthwhile. All I really have to do is make sure to put antibiotics on the scratches, anyway. Well, let's move on and talk about a different kind of pain. We discussed this for a bit last time we talked, actually: the pain felt within one's heart. There are all sorts of ways to identify and diagnose physical injuries and illnesses... But when it comes to pains of the heart, we're working in unknown territory. There's so much we haven't learned yet. Treating trauma sure is difficult when it's invisible... If only we could somehow directly reduce emotional pain in a healthy way--like putting antibiotics on a scratch."

"Is that what you're researching?"

Maruki:"Oh, how astute of you! As a matter of fact, you're not too far off the mark. Unfortunate as it may be, we all know there's no topical medicine that can properly heal a heartache. Not only that--psychological issues are even more complex. Here, allow me to demonstrate..."

He got up from the bench to demonstrate what he was talking about.

Maruki:"Oh, (L/n)-kun, woe is me! My heart is in such pain! It's like I'm being pierced through the chest! I have such a torturous burning deep inside me!"

"..."

Maruki:"Sorry, that was a poor attempt at acting. Please don't look at me like that... But, uhh, basically what I'm getting at is, our own emotional pain is the only kind we can fully comprehend. That seems obvious, right? But it's absolutely vital to understand. A person's "heart" --their pain--cannot be seen. Even if they spent their whole lives expressing it to others... there is no way for them to truly grasp it."

Maruki sat back down next to me and continued on.

Maruki:"It's not like we can directly look at their hearts and remove the root causes of their pain... But for me to do any good in that area, I need to conduct further research into the heart... More specifically, I need to learn how the heart reacts to the world around it. That's the first stepping stone to a breakthrough in the field. Once that's been figured out, we'll not only comprehend psychological pains that were once unknowable... But we'll even be able to perform more effective treatment for those people with wounded hearts."

"Sounds like a grand plan."

Maruki:"It's nothing so grandiose. But hey, if we can get rid of people's pain, that'd be for the best, right? I'm no fan of pain, myself. On the other hand, people have laughed off my idea as just a silly, pointless dream... and I can't say I blame them. But still, you take the time to listen to what I actually try to understand... Thanks to you, I can tell I'm actually getting somewhere with my theories... How can I phrase it... I guess I could say you're making this hazy, hard-to-grasp idea finally appear before me? You know, you could very well become a counselor yourself someday. Say, would you like to try being my assistant? Of course, I'm on a shoestring budget, so I wouldn't be able to pay you!"

"Sounds fun."

Maruki:"Ooh, surprisingly eager! Maybe you really WILL become a skilled counselor in the future! Joking aside, I truly am grateful for your assistance. Thank you, (L/n)-kun."

Seems like Maruki is really grateful.

Maruki:"Let's put a pin in that for today, shall we? I hope you'll lend an ear again when you've got time to spare. Now! I know you've been waiting for this, so let's get to the mental training."

I nodded and I underwent my training.

That evening, I stayed at home and went to bed early.

To Be Continued...