Chapter Text
Mementos
Third person P.O.V.
After changing Nakanohara's heart the Phantom Thieves had made it to the bottom of this section of Mementos, where they found a station platform with silhouettes of people taking the trains on the different lines, at the end of the station was some kind of door.
Morgana had revealed that he had attempted going through Mementos before but the door to the section of Mementos had never opened up for him until now, most likely due to more people talking about them.
The Phantom Thieves agreed to continue exploring Mementos as not only is it a good place to train and to let Joker acquire more Persona's but also with changing different targets' hearts fairly easily.
However when they made it back to the entrance they were met by someone who they didn't expect.
"Hey who's that?" Panther blinked, as she saw a young boy next to a go-kart with a bunch of stuff inside standing in front of the entrance.
"What the?! A shadow never been up here before…no wait, that's Persona, in Mementos" Mona blinked, as they looked at the boy.
"Hmm this one looks good!" The young boy smiled as he stood in front of a large flower trapped in a bubble.
The young boy was about a head smaller than Mona. He has grey hair in the shape of a half egg shell, yellow eyes, and ears that are very round and unusually undefined in shape. He wears an oversized white-greyish raincoat and boots with stars and moon motifs, black leggings and gloves. Jose also wears his goggles around his neck.
He then held up a container which sucked the bubble inside, becoming a liquid which he soon drank "Oooh! Tasty!".
"What's he drinking?" Skull whispered to Joker who shrugged as they walked up to the boy.
"Oh? I sensed something strange" The boy smiled, turning to the four "You're different from the usual humans I see here, who are you guys".
"We should be asking you! Who are you!" Mona yelled, making the boy blink.
"Ah yes good point, I forgot that it was customary to introduce ourselves to each other, well my name is Jose. Thanks for reminding me Mr. um…Tanuki? No, cat!" he smiled, making Mona pout.
"Why did it take so long to get to 'cat'! And I'm not either of those" Mona yelled, as Joker looked down at him.
"I mean to be fair, you do transform like a Tanuki" Joker noted as the not-cat glared at him.
"You! I-uh…SHUT UP!" Mona shot back before turning around and crossing his arms.
"So uh anyway, what are you doing all the way out of here Jose?" Panther asked, leaning now to the young boy who smiled.
"I'm looking for flowers, pretty lady," Jose said, confusing the thieves.
"Flowers?".
"Yup! I'm collecting as many as I can to help with my human studies!" Jose smiled, motioning to the drink.
"How the heck does drinking flowers help with human studies?" Skull questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Well alright then Jose, ah right by the way, my names Joker, this is Skull, Panther and Mona" Joker introduced himself as he pointed to the others.
"Nice to meet you all! Hey actually, since you guys can come here could you help me with my research" Jose asked, turning his head.
"How would we do that?" Panther asked, crossing her arms.
"I just need you to collect those flowers for me! You can find them all over Mementos here" Jose explained "And as repayment, I can give you different things I've found here in Mementos".
"Huh, what do you guys think? Sounds like a good deal to me" Skull wondered, looking at the others.
"Yeah but we don't really know this kid, so we'll have to be careful" Mona noted as he looked up at them.
"Oh I'm sure he's fine, we might as well give him a hand, I mean it shouldn't be that hard collecting some flowers and it gives us something else to do" Panther shrugged, as Joker turned to her.
"And what's your real reason?" "He called me 'pretty lady'".
"Noooo…Lady Ann…" Mona pouted while looking down.
"So will you be helping me out or not?" Jose asked, starting to look bored.
"Sorry about that, sure why not as long as the rewards are good" Joker nodded with a smile
"Oh thank you so much everyone! I'll make it worth you're-wait a minute…" Jose blinked as he ran up to Joker.
"Huh? H-Hey what are you doing" Joker asked as Jose shuffled through his coat pockets before pulling out the Will seed.
"I knew it! This was the thing I was sensing!" Jose smiled looking at the will seed.
"Huh?! You know about the Will seed" Mona blinked surprised.
"Yup! I see this from time to time, the shell mixes really well with my drinks!" Jose smiled before cracking it open, shocking the Thieves.
"HEY!" They yelled, before blinking as a card fell out of the seed and floated towards Joker who picked it up.
"A…card?" Joker blinked as he examined the piece of paper which was about the size of a Tarot card.
"Yum! This one is the best so far!" Jose smiled after mixing the drink with seeds shell before turning to thieves while getting into his car
"Thanks! I really needed that! Oh but it was kind of rude just taking it from you" Jose realised making the other sweatdrop.
"Hmm, I know here you guys can have this! I found it earlier" He said, before pulling out a crystal shaped like a star.
"Ah! It's so pretty! I love the star shape!" Panther smiled with stars in her eyes.
"Oh so that's what it's called! I've heard of stars! They can grant your wishes right? Maybe it'll grant your wishes too!" Jose suggested handing the crystal to Joker "Think of it as a sign of our friendship".
"Right, um thanks" Joker nodded as he put the star and card away.
"Welp bye! I'll set up some games for us to play next time we meet" Jose waved as he drove off.
"Well uh, that just happened" Joker said rubbing his head as Skull crossed his arms.
"What in the hell was that, and what did he mean by studying humans?" Skull wondered as Panther turned to him.
"Is he saying that he wasn't human? And what did he mean by other humans?" Panther asked, as Mona turned to her.
"Probably just the shadows, he certainly wasn't a shadow but he did seem kind of familiar" Mona whispered the last part.
Joker meanwhile was thinking about this while closing his eyes 'The kid kind of reminded me of Justine and Caroline…maybe I should ask about it next time we meet'.
"Hey! Joker! Hurry up".
"Huh" Joker blinked before turning around to see the others going up the stairs "Ah! Coming!"
Opening: Flyers from Death Parade, lyrics be Leeandlie
WOAH! OH! WOAH! OH! OH! YEAH! YEAH!
In the middle of the city we see a gigantic statue of the number 1 hero All Might, however on his chest was a spray painted logo of a top hat and mask with flame coming out the eyes.
YEAH! YEAH! OW!
We then see a blur zoom past the statue, with the camera barely following its movements.
It's your haze of delusion versus reality
We see Joker running from rooftop to rooftop, with a light shining on him as several helicopters chased after him
Just keep stirring the pot to find your individuality
Arsene then flew up behind him before Joker jumped off the rooftop and grabbed his partner's Chain to help him fly.
Delete another problem that is plaguing your mind
We next see Skull running down the highway as several police cars chased after him, a wild grin on his face as he ran
From day to day! To end to end! That's entertainment of our lives
Captain kidd then sailed up and caught Skull as he cheered into the night sky, as face of pure joy behind him
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dancing through the skies
Several paint marks were slashed at the walls, as we see Fox painting everything in the alleyway around him
Let's celebrate our time, and party while we're still alive
He then spun around as Goemon showed and blew his smoke allowing the paint to glow revealing he had painted different hero posters and stop signs.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Dancing through the skies
Panther then jumped down onto some train tracks and began dancing, as she began spinning around like a Ballerina
Kick your worries to the side and aim up to the sky.
Carmine then appeared behind her, and below a flaming tornado that spun around her as she smiled up at the beauty.
EVERYBODY! Put your hands up!
We see Queen riding on Johana with Mona on her back, as the two of them drove up an elevator through a window.
We'll be flying~ Can you imagine it?
We see a large UFO flying above the city with Oracle inside, before she tapped a few commands into it
Search and you'll find the stage set within your dreams.
The UFO then began flashing several colours like a Disco Ball that lit up the entire city.
The place where you're the one
Down below we see Noir and Milady dancing like in a ball on Shibuya crossing before the two spun around.
That's where you're meant to be!
Noir then struck a pose as Milady revealed the variety of guns below her dress.
EVERYBODY!
We then see the Thieves falling through the sky towards a variety of statues of Pro Heroes.
Put your hands up!
We see both Panther and Mona aiming firing their guns at a statue of Ryukyu which crumbled into pieces.
We'll be flying!
Then Skull and Fox quickly moved past a large statue Edgeshot, cutting it in half.
Can you imagine it?
Next we see Queen and Noir crashing, punching the large statue of endeavour into pieces.
Search and you'll find the stage you set within your dreams
In the UFO we see Oracle typing in a few more codes with a grin on her face, before snapping her fingers causing her UFO to drop a huge bomb towards the All Might statue.
The place where you're the one, that's where you're meant to be
Joker then grinned as Arsene threw him towards the bomb which he shot with his pistol causing a huge explosion of colours.
FLYIN! Within these memories!
We see the whole team of Phantom Thieves cheering at the beautiful explosion they were witnessing.
FLYING! That you're slowly forgetting!
Joker smirked before he spun around and landed towards the ground as the train passed by him.
Just listen close to the song that lies within you~
Ren then gets up in his school uniform with Morgana in his bag, before he waved to us and walked back towards the crowd of people passing by.
Soul~
My Hero Academia! The Value of a Thief!
Yongen-jaya
Third person P.O.V.
"Hmm! Ah!" Ren stretched as he got off the train and started heading back to Leblanc while flipping through his phone.
"Seems you're pretty exhausted" Mona noted, poking out the bag with Ren nodding.
"Yeah, guess being Mementos tired me a lot more than I thought" Ren admitted, before looking down at the cat "So you can just transform into whatever animal you want huh?".
"Well only into animals the same size or smaller but yeah" Mona admitted "I think i can do better, but I only got my Quirk recently so still haven't figured it all out yet".
"Huh well who knows, maybe you can actually turn into a human in the future" Ren shrugged as they headed back before blinking as he saw Sojiro walking out with some kind of container with curry in it.
"Hmm? Oh so you're finally back" Sojiro blinked looking over at Ren as he crossed his arms.
"Sorry about that, I was hanging out with some friends and lost track of time," Ren explained, as Sojiro sighed.
"That excuse again, I'm going to start not believing you at this point if you don't show me these friends of yours" Sojiro sighed, shaking his head.
"You've never met a teenager have you?" Ren asked with a raised eyebrow making Sojiro chuckle.
"Fair enough, anyway there's still someone in the cafe who wants to talk with you" he explained, making Ren blink.
"Talk with me?" He questioned with a worried expression.
"Yeah, after you're done talking lock up alright…see ya tomorrow" he waved heading back as Ren turned to the direction of Leblanc.
Standing in front of the door, Ren took a deep breath and walked inside only to be surprised at who was there.
"Ah, good to see you again Amamiya-kun" The person said as Ren saw Toshinori sitting on one of the stalls.
"All Might…" Ren blinked eyes widened as he looked at the number 1 hero "Um…w-what are you doing here?".
"Yes, I wanted to talk to you…about what happened on that day" Toshinori asked, as Ren nodded sitting down opposite the hero.
"Let me just…get to the point…I'M SORRY!" Toshinori bowed, surprising Ren.
"When Kamoshida said that to me…that he would reveal my secret, just the thought of how the world would react to their symbol of peace slowly growing weaker…it scared me…and I felt like I had no other option…" He explained, looking down "I-I can't tell you why my powers are growing weaker…but if there's anything I can do…".
"All Might it's fine, this is all Kamoshida's fault not yours, I'm not even mad at you…if anything I'm just disappointed in myself that I let it happen again" Ren muttered, whispering the last part.
"What was that?" Toshinori asked, looking at Ren who shook his head.
"It's nothing, just…forget it" he mumbled, looking away.
Toshinori nodded at that before pulling out a slip of paper and writing something before handing it to Ren.
"What's this?" he asked, looking at the paper to see an email.
"That's my personal email, if you need anything that'll make this right…please don't hesitate to ask" Toshinori explained, getting up before turning to the door "I might come back, the curry and coffee here was superb…good luck with your exams".
"Thanks" Ren smiled, putting the email away as he watched the number one hero leave the cafe.
"Well he seemed sincere, having a favour from the number 1 hero could definitely be useful" Morgana said, jumping out the bag.
"Yeah, but can't really think of anything to use it for," Ren admitted, looking at the email before realising something "Wait a minute... AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!"
"H-Hey! Whoa!" Morgana yelled, getting knocked back as Ren dashed upstairs to start studying "Jeez, he freaking forgot about his exams, ugh".
A few days later
Third person P.O.V.
"Uuuuugggggghhhh" Ren groaned, leaning on his seat on the drain after spending the next couple of days focusing on his studies.
"Oh! Lady Ann!" Morgana smiled, as Ren looked up to see Ann walking in while yawning.
"Hmm, oh you guys are here" Ann asked, rubbing her eyes "Let me guess, you were busy studying?".
"Nailed it one," Ren yawned, before rubbing his head "Thank god I was reminded or might have been screwed".
"I mean hey, there's always the Photographic memory theory" They heard, looking over to see Ryuji walking in and yawning.
"Let me guess, you were studying for the exams as well?" Morgana asked as the teen blinked.
"Huh? Oh, nah I kinda gave up on that and spent the night catching up on Monster Hunter" he explained, before sweat dropping "Hey don't give me that look".
"Anyway, have you guys found any new big targets?" Ren asked, crossing his arms "All we've done so far is stop those bullies in the school and that crazy cat lady who tried to kidnap Morgana".
"Oh yeah, I still felt kinda bad for her" Ann admitted, before sighing "But not really, I've been checking around but nothing".
"What about that guy Nakanohara? Mada- something or other" Ryuji asked, as Ren sighed.
"Haven't had the chance to look him up" Ren explained before the train stopped "Ah, that's our stop".
The trio then started leaving the train, but as they did Ann looked back to see a tall and skinny blue-haired man also leaving the train.
As they rode the escalator to the exit, Ann looked back again and shuddered "Oh my god, its that guy again"
"Again?" Ren blinked, about to look behind him only for Ann to pull his head forward.
"Don't look!" she whispered, looking at him "Look, ever since we went to Mementos I felt like someones been following me".
"Huh?! A stalker!" Morgana gasped, shuffling around the bag "D-Don't worry Lady Ann! I'll protect you!".
They then heard a yawn before looking over at Ryuji stretching a bit which annoyed Ann "Hey, could you take this seriously!".
"Alright alright jeez, look just follow my lead" Ryuji smirked while Ren and Ann raised their eyebrows.
Back with the blue haired teen he slowly exited the station only to find Ann standing around on her own, so the boy quickly moved towards her and reached out but before he could do anything a hand grabbed his arms.
"Alright buddy that's enough of that" Ryuji said, before raising an eyebrow as he examined the boy "...Are you sure this guy's a stalker or are you just that self conscious?"
The boy had dark blue hair with parted bangs slightly covering his left eye and grey eyes. Being noticeably taller and skinnier than the other boys. His uniform consists of a white gakuran-style shirt embroidered with a fleur-de-lis, fitted black pants and black loafers. A silver ring that holds multiple keys is attached to his belt loop. His summer-variant uniform replaces the white dress shirt with an ultramarine coloured button-down, which Yusuke wears with the sleeves rolled-up to his elbows. He also had a physical Quirk that gave him animal-like features like canine-like ears replacing his normal ears and a fluffy tail coming from his back.
"I mean he did look like he was reaching out for her" Ren noted as the boy stepped back.
"Is there something you want from me?" he asked, as Ann growled and stepped up to him.
"Wh- That's my line!" Ann shouts, walking. "You've been following us since the station! And I know that's not a Shujin uniform, so don't play dumb, you stalker!"
"STALKER?! How outrageous! I was simply going to request something from you" he stated, as Ren crossed his arm.
"Alright that's fair I guess, you gotta admit a stranger reaching out for a girl from a school who's teacher was recently arrested for sexual assault is pretty suspicious" Ren explained, making the boy look down.
"A-Ah…yes, I suppose I could have gone about this more carefully" he admitted, looking down.
"So if you weren't stalking me, then why were you reaching out for me like that" Ann asked, looking annoyed as the man turned to her.
"Well you see, I wanted to ask if you could-" Before the boy could say anything they heard a car's horn before looking over to see a large black limousine stop next to them.
"My goodness. I had wondered why you'd left the car. So, this is where your passion led you! All's well that ends well, I suppose!" As he laughs away, the rest of the teens just stand there, even more confused than before.
"Okay seriously, what's going on here" Ren asked, as the boy turned to them.
"I saw you from the car." The boy explains, reaching for his chest dramatically as his tail waved excitedly. "And I just couldn't stop myself from chasing after you!"
"That still seems pretty stalkery bro" Ryuji sweatdropped, crossing his arms "Why did you chase after Ann anyway?"
"It's simple! You're the woman I've been searching for all this time! Your shining vitality! Your gleaming beauty! Will you leave them in my hands! Please, won't you-" he said, before swiftly turning towards Ann.
"W-Wait a minute! I-I!" "Become the model for my next art piece"
"HAH" The three questioned, staring at the young man blankly "To…model?".
"I've yet to make a work that I'm well completely satisfied with but I believe there is a passion for you! A gleaming passion that others lack!" he declared, posing dramatically "So please! Model for me!".
"NO WAY! HE'S TOO SUSPICIOUS! SAY NO LADY ANN! SAY NO!" Morgana screamed from Ren's bag.
"Hey! Will you stay quiet!" Ren whispered, trying to calm down the not-cat.
"So what do you say! Will you cooperate with me!" he asked, excitedly moving up to Ann.
"U-Um…well…I don't know…" she muttered nervously, something which Ryuji noticed.
"Whoa man! Hold your horses, this is way too suspicious! I mean she doesn't even know you" Ryuji said, moving in front of Ann, making the boy blink.
"Ah yes of course, where are my manners?" he said, stepping back "I'm a second year at Kosei High's fine arts division, my name is Yusuke Kitagawa".
"I'm also the pupil of the esteemed Madarame right here, I'm currently taking residence in his home" he explained, motioning towards the older man.
"Wait, that's Madarame" Ren blinked, surprised as Yusuke turned to him.
"You've heard of him? I'm surprised you know about the fine arts" Yusuke admitted, making Ren rub his head.
"Ah uh not really, but I met one of his students who went to a cafe I'm working at who mentioned him, '' Ren explained, before noticing Madarame's expression shift for a moment.
"Wait Madarame…do you mean that Madarame! Ishiryusai Madarame! The one who showed up on good morning japan!" Ann gasped, surprised.
"You heard of him before?" Ryuji asked, with Ann nodding.
"Yeah! He was celebrated for being a master in so many styles of art! He's been recognised all around the world!" Ann explained, before hearing some laughter.
"Fufu, I wouldn't say I'm that famous" Madarame admitted, before turning to his student "Yusuke, don't forget about our business".
"Ah! Yes of course master" Yusuke noted, before turning to the teens. "Sensei's exhibit opens up this weekend. I will be there on opening day, so I hope you will be able to give me your answers then."
"I doubt the rest of you have much interest in the fine arts, but you may take this last ticket regardless." He said, looking over at Ren and Ryuji before handing the tickets to Ann, and hurried off to the car. Soon, the Shujin group is left alone once again.
"Well that just happened" Ryuji said before looking over at Ann "You're not thinking of going, are you Ann?".
"Hmm, I think I will, I mean why waste the tickets" Ann shrugged, putting the tickets away.
"There's also the fact he has the same name that was mentioned in Mementos, though it could be just someone with the same name" Morgana mentioned as Ren pulled out his phone.
"Only one way to find out,Ichiryusai Madarame! Mementos!"Ren said to his phone after activating the Metanav.
Candidate Found.
Location not found. Please try again.
"So that settles it, he's the one Nakanohara was talking about" Ryuji smirked, crossing his arms.
"But he seemed so nice just now and on tv" Ann said, before looking down "Then again so did Kamoshida for everyone else".
"We'll just have to see when we get to the exhibit after the exams" Ren said, crossing his arms "What day are the tickets for anyway".
"Hmm oh, the 15th of may" Ann answered, making Ryuji sigh.
"Crap! I can't go with you guys" Ryuji groaned, looking down "I've got a check up to go to about my leg".
"Looks like it'll just be us three then" Mona smirked, as Ren crossed his arms.
"What are you going to do with the extra ticket?" Ren asked, looking over at Ann who smirked.
"Oh~~~~ I think I might have an idea" she grinned before realising something "Oh crap, we gotta move or we're going to be late!".
The three then dashed ahead in order to start their exams.
A few days later
Friday the 13th
Third person P.O.V.
And with that the week of exams began for the Phantom Thieves, with some of them doing better than others.
Ren even found himself remembering the things he studied easier than he normally would, as he began answering the questions with the help of Morgana.
However after managing to survive through the ordeal of exams, they still had one more thing to do.
The school had called for an assembly which had annoyed the students for having to be there after finally finishing their exams.
The announcement pretty much wound up to the fact that the school had acquired a school Therapist to start working for the school, one Takuto Maruki who had pretty much stumbled through his introduction, with the microphone cutting off while speaking and he even bumped his head off the microphone when bowing.
After which the Phantom Thieves hung out in the courtyard with Ryuji snickering "Man, never thought this school would give a sh*t about our mental health".
"Well this place has made national news, probably just thought they'd look even worse if they didn't do something after the huge scandal" Ren figured as he sipped some juice.
"And then there was that Doctor, he was basically clowning it up there,…uh…what was his name again" Ryuji asked, as Ann looked at him.
"His name was Maruki, Takuto Maruki" Ann answered, back as Ryuji nodded.
"Yeah him, do you really think a guy like that would do us any good-" "Well hello there".
Ryuji paled a bit as they all looked over at the aforementioned Maruki walking up to them.
Maruki is a tall, bespectacled man with brown, short unkempt hair and a small stubble underneath his chin. He wears a blue dress shirt tucked into his upturned khaki slacks with a chequered dark blue tie. He wears a white lab coat over the top. On his feet he wears open-toed sandals without socks. In his suit's chest pocket, he has a yellow pen and a staff ID that's further tied around his neck with a red strap.
"Glad I caught up to you guys. You're Sakamoto-kun, Takamaki-chan and Amamiya-kun, right?" he smiled, looking at the three.
"What of it? And how do you know our names?" Ryuji questioned with a raised eyebrow.
"Ah, well. I was informed of certain students when I first began my tenure here, those of you who had… previous interactions with Kamoshida…" He admitted awkwardly before turning to Ren "Must have been especially difficult for you after having just transferred".
"Bah I was just set to fail several times, punched in the face, framed as a rapist and had my only hope in stopping him blackmailed into not doing anything" Ren counted down before shrugging "You know, no biggie".
"W-Well, you're certainly a tough youngster, just don't over do it okay" Maurki sweatdropped before shaking his head "I just came to see if any of you would happen to be interested in council-" "We're good".
"Huh?!" Maruki blinked at the simultaneous denial.
"Why is that surprising?" Ryuji asked, crossing his arms.
"S-Sorry, just didn't expect such quick answers' ' He explained while rubbing his head "Oh but if you come there'll be all you can eat snacks…is what I'd like to say but there's still plenty to be had!".
"Oh boy mistah! Free snacks" Ren cheered in a joking tone that made Ann snicker.
"H-Hey don't talk like that" Ann said, trying not to laugh "But why are you so focused on getting us into counselling."
"Well to be frank, I've been explicitly ordered to provide counselling to students who were directly involved with Kamoshida, it's in the school interest…for the students" Maruki explained, as Ren crossed his arms.
"Ah yeah, there's the old Shujin Bullsh*tery" Ren stated while waving his arm.
"Look i get it, opening yourself to a complete stranger like me is asking a lot and making this mandatory wouldn't do you any good either, so might as well make it a worthwhile experience" Maruki admitted, before getting an idea.
"Oh! Actually, if that isn't enough, I could maybe help you in other ways? I know some techniques to improve mental acuity." Maruki suggested, which confused the teens.
"Oh you don't know what it means, like well ways to keep focused while studying, or during exams or, uh… not getting nervous on dates! I bet it might even help you in your hero class Amamiya-kun" he suggested which caught Ren's attention.
'Mental Training huh…that could certainly help with Phantom Thief work…' Ren admitted, crossing his arms.
"And of course, there's snacks on the table," Maruki added, causing Ryuji to groan.
"Alright we get it, there are snacks geez" Ryuji sighed, rubbing his head before looking over at Ren "What do you think?".
"Well as long as it doesn't take too long I guess I'll go" Ren sighed, crossing his arms.
"Yeah, I guess it wouldn't hurt to go once or twice," Ann agreed, crossing her arms.
"For real? Ugh fine, if it'll get you off our case then…sure. I'll find time at some point. Whatever." Ryuji sighed, stomping his feet.
"Really! Excellent, we can even start now if you so wish" Maruki suggested, as Ren rubbed his head.
"Might as well" Ren shrugged before looking back at the others "I'll meet you guys later".
Nurses office
Third person P.O.V.
While sitting in the nurse's office Ren and Maruki had a long chat where Ren had told him what he had been through over the last few months, including the arrest, being forced to move to Tokyo and the incidents he had with Mr Kamoshida
"I see…Mm, thank you for telling me all of this I think I've got a good grasp of the situation that you're in Amamiya-kun" Maruki nodded before looking down "Well to be honest I was given a brief rundown about the circ*mstances around you transferring here".
"Yeah well…I'm certainly doing better now then I was at the start of the year" Ren sighed leaning back on the couch.
"So you're saying you weren't before I took it…hmm, if I may ask what do you mean by that?" Maruki asked only for Ren to fall silent "Ah, it's alright for you not to say anything if you feel uncomfortable".
"Not it's fine… I guess…I kind of gave up on myself…" Ren admitted, leaning back "I thought my dream was pretty much done with and nobody wanted to even care about me…not my classmates here and back home…not my old teacher…not my father…I guess I just thought someone like me had no place in this society…".
"True…in this hero society…people in your position would certainly find it difficult to be accepted" Maruki nodded with a frown.
"Yeah…I didn't even care anymore about what happened to me…nothing would have changed even if I could do something…" Ren sighed, closing his eyes.
"I understand what you mean, there's nothing wrong with feeling like you can't do anything and wanting to run away from it all…" Maruki stated but Ren shook his head.
"But there is…there's a saying my family has…Life won't change if you don't do it yourself, it means you shouldn't run from something even if it feels impossible otherwise nothing will be able to change" Ren explained before slowly smiling "A good friend I met allowed me to remember that..and that even after everything…I was still a good person".
As this was happening, within the Thieves Den we see Shadow Sumire watching this conversation going down from the large screen.
"Wow…did you really feel that way Arsene?" Shadow Sumire asked, as she looked over at the Persona.
"Indeed…my other self was even okay with letting that perverted king kill him off, believing that nobody would care if he was gone," Arsene explained before smiling.
"But a certain someone managed to remind him that even after everything he was still a good person, which allowed myself to awaken" he smirked, looking down at Shadow Sumire who nodded.
"I wonder who that was…" she murmured, contemplating what he said as she looked back at the screen specifically.
"And him…there's something about him that's…familiar, '' Shadow Sumire whispered, looking at this.
"I will admit, you are way more mentally sound than I expected." Maruki chuckled, as we move back to the nurses office "Most people wouldn't last long in a reality like yours without breaking down even a little bit, but it seem after that realisation you've had you managed to stay strong"
"I guess? I'm just mostly being myself" Ren admitted, rubbing his head.
"What I'm saying is that you've largely been able to reconcile your internal world with your external world which is really, truly impressive…not a lot of people, even adults, are able to do something like that," Maruki admitted, making Ren raise an eyebrow.
"How to put it… you know how everyone has an internal reality? Some conception of themselves they're striving for? Like... wanting to be a model student, or wanting to be loved and relied on or wanting to become one of the top heroes... that sort of thing." He explained before lowering his head.
"But the idealised world and the one in actuality are often far apart. That gap is responsible for a lot of people's pain. Not everyone can ace their exams and not everyone can be the hero they want to be like yourself." Maruki was then surprised at what Ren said next.
"I guess but there's nothing really wrong with that, if you can't be the hero you wanted to be anymore then be the hero you can be or a brand new kind of hero that only you can be" Ren smirked as Maruki looked at him.
"So instead of running away from your dream…you recontextualized your dream into something that is achievable to you" Maruki sumired before chuckling "You truly are a unique individual, having gone through so much but still able to get back up and continue moving on through your painful reality, though I guess it's weird getting all this praise from someone you just met".
"Yup" Ren bluntly said, making Maruki chuckle again before looking down and going silent.
"... I've actually got one last request. Do you mind?" Maruki asked, with Ren nodding making the therapist smile.
"Thanks. I'm actually doing certain research along with my duties as a counsellor. It's not really counselling, more like a psychological treatment. Basically, it's a project to learn more about people's metaphorical hearts. What they think, how they feel."
This caused Ren's eyebrow to twitch when he said that as he looked over at the doc with a serious look as he continued on "I know if I can complete this research of mine, I'll be able to help a lot of people…far more than any hero could…".
"And um, what does this have to do with me?" Ren asked, crossing his arms as Maruki
"Oh, sorry! Uh, I guess my point is... I'd like to ask you to help with my research! All you'd have to do is listen to my theories, and tell me if they spark any ideas or recollections on your part." he then clasped his hands together and closed his eyes
"Please! Any time is good for me! I can work around your schedule. And, uh... I've got a lot of snacks, too!" he pointed out with an excited grin.
"Alright! Alright! Geez I'll do it" Ren sweatdropped, making Maruki smile.
"Really?! YES! You're a lifesaver! Let's see... I know! Maybe I could teach you some tips for mental training?" Maruki suggested looking at Ren "I know a lot about the subject. I'm sure I can cook up a special regimen for you. If you're dedicated enough, I'm sure you could reach your full potential!"
"Right…well, what do you got?" Ren asked, as Maruki thought about it before snapping his fingers.
"I know, have you ever heard of a Visualisation Exercise?" Maruki asked, but Ren shook his head.
"It's a form of exercise that heroes do when training where they try to visualise a battle they are currently fighting in, why not give it a try and who knows it may even help you during the licensing exam" Maruki suggested as Ren slowly nodded.
"Sure thing, I guess," he said, before slowly closing his eyes and entering his mind.
"Huh? Whoa!" Ren blinked, dodging a blast of fire as he now found himself in a black void in a Phantom Thief attire.
"Well this is a lot more vivid than I expected" he blinked, before looking up and striking a fighting position.
Standing in front of him were four shadows, a Jack Frost, a Jack O'lantern, a kelpie and one he didn't recognise that looked like an old man holding a leaf.
"Huh well alright then, let's see how I do!" Joker smirked as he dashed towards the four shadows.
"JACK FROST! BUFU!"he yelled, ripping off his mask and having the Persona fire and ice blast that froze the Jack O'lantern in place.
Joker then jumped up and kicked the block of ice, shattering it into pieces before quickly dodging out of the way from a wind attack from the Kelpie.
"Mandrake! Zio!"he yelled, summoning one of the new Persona's he got from Mementos which fired a bolt of electricity which Joker swiftly finished with a shot from his gun.
"Alright who's-guh" Joker cringed, as he felt an aura surrounding his body before he turned to the old moon with a smug look.
"Okay, you're next- huh? Gah!" Joker yelled as he was pushed back by the Jack Frost ice attack.
"Alright then two on one huh? Let's see how well that goes" he smirked, before jumping into the air dodging Jack Frost's next attack.
"Jack O'lantern! Dazzler!"he yelled, summoning his Persona who shot a beam of light at the old man Shadow causing him to go dizzy.
This caused the Shadow to accidentally hit Jack Frost with his Sukunda attack which gave the Jack O'lantern the chance to finish it off with a fire attack killing it.
The Oldman shadow blinked looking around before Joker landed in front of him and aimed a gun.
"Checkmate" he smirked, before firing at the shadow killing it.
"Alright, how about another round" he smirked, looking over as several Shadows appeared which he quickly dashed towards.
Meanwhile back in reality we see Maruki staring at Ren as he meditated, before slowly removing his glasses.
"I'm sorry Amamiy-kun…but I have to make sure" Maruki apologised before his eyes flashed light blue.
For a split second, light blue streaks reached for Ren only to be slapped back with some force.
"Gah!" Maruki cried, reaching for his head making Ren blink as he opened his eyes.
"Huh? Ah! You okay doc" He blinked, looking over at Maruki as he rubbed his head.
"I-It's fine, just got a bit of a migraine out of nowhere…perhaps we should continue another time" Maruki suggested, with Ren nodding.
The two traded contact information before Ren got up and said goodbye and turned to the door, only to be surprised at who was there when he opened it.
"Oh! Senpai, sorry was I interrupting" Yoshizawa smiled, turning her head.
"Hey Sumi, nah it's alright I was just finishing up but I didn't think you'd be heading here for counselling" Ren asked, crossing his arms but Yoshizawa shook her head.
"Not exactly, I just wanted to confirm something" she explained, before looking past Ren and smiling "I knew it!".
"Hmm, oh it's good to see you again Yoshizawa-san" Maruki smiled, while rubbing his head.
"You two know each other?" Ren blinked, looking between the two.
"Yup, we had a talk a few months ago after some stuff happened to me" Yoshizawa explained before turning to Maruki "Thank you again for that, it really helped a lot".
"No problem it is my job, and now we can make it an official counselling thing" Maruki smiled, before once again feeling a twinge of pain from his head "Uh for now I should take an Aspirin or something".
"Ah yes of course, would you like to join me for lunch Senpai?" Yoshizawa asked, as Ren nodded.
"Sure thing, no problem" Ren grinned, as the two walked off.
After they left however we see Maruki staring himself in the mirror while sipping some of the aspirin he made.
"He really was immune to my Quirk…which means that what I saw and heard was true…they can really change someones own mind, this could prove Cognitive Pscience and my research…I'll need to have more conversations to make sure of it" Maruki nodded with a serious look on his face as he looked himself in the mirror.
"I'm going to help a lot of people, just like we wanted…Rumi".
