Shrinking Violet

Thinking Things Through

~After School~

Yusuke: "How...can this be?"

Your friends stared at the mirror image of you in front of them, shocked at what they were now looking at as dozens if questions flooded into their mind.

Makoto: "It's...a cognitive being right? But I thought Maruki already knew we were going to fight him"

The Other You: "Well, you're half right"

Ann: "Huh?"

The Other You: "I guess you could say I embody the last bits of hope Maruki has that you'll accept all this"

Akechi: "Aw...how revoltingly touching..."

You took a few steps forward, having been silent the entire time you stared at this version of you. Getting a better look at it, it was dressed in the same lab coats of the Shadows.

You: "So this is how he sees me..."

The Other You: "Surprised?"

You: "A little. I was expecting to be just another one of his patients"

The Other You: "Well, we both know that's a lie. You're much more than that to him"

You remained on guard in front of this cognitive being, the relationship you shared with Maruki being turned against you somewhat.

You: "Are you going to fight us?"

The Other You: "No. Like I said, I embody the hope Maruki has you'll accept this reality. And in this reality...I'm done fighting"

With that being said, you walked past the being, continuing on your way without a second thought.

You: "Let's go"

Futaba: "O-Oh...okay..."

The rest of your allies quickly followed behind you, the cognitive version of yourself making no moves to stop them. You wanted to get away from this thing as quickly as possible, so you could continue on with your mission without hesitation.

The Other You: "It still hurts for him you know..."

You stopped in your tracks, instinctively clenching your fist as you heard those words. The rest of your allies turned back around, wondering what it meant.

Sumire: "What...hurts?"

The Other You: "His leg. He's just gotten better at hiding it..."

Sumire looked at you, hoping you could disprove what this individual was saying, but your silence is all you could offer...

The Other You: "He still gets nightmares too...those were a lot harder to-"

You: "Stop..."

Your friends turned to you as you spoke in a serious tone, taking a deep breath as you turned around and walked back towards the other you.

You: "I never told Maruki either of those..."

The Other You: "It wasn't hard for him to figure out...you always did have a knack for putting others before yourself after all. I think the fact the two of you share that in common is something he really likes about you"