The Aeon Arcana

Loki

Tuesday, June 28. After School.

 After training with Makoto, you changed, washed your face, and made your way to to the Nurse's office to find Dr. Maruki. Makoto went with you for moral support.

Maruki was sitting at a laptop typing. His last student patient had left for the day. You knocked on the open door.

"Hello? Dr. Maruki?"

Maruki turned around, was a bit surprised to see Makoto, then beamed when he saw you. " You're the Kosei student that wanted to see me? I assumed it was Kitagawa-kun."

You nodded. "Sorry it took so long to come see you."

"No, that's my fault," Maruki said apologetically. "Here, sit down."

"I'll wait out here for you," said Makoto. "I have some things to take care of around the school."

Makoto closed the door when she left, and you sat down in a chair across from Maruki. You sat on your hands, feeling a bit nervous.

"You mentioned something about a…cognitive problem that makes you pass out?" Maruki said.

"First, um," you said, your nerves getting to you, "I know I'm not a Shujin student, so–"

"Don't worry about the cost," said Maruki. "I just want to help."

"You won't tell anyone anything, right?" You said.

"Of course not, what you tell me stays between us. Besides, I don't even have to report to your school board," Maruki assured you.

You relaxed. "Okay. So…being really blunt I have visions of the future and they make me pass out."

Maruki didn't give you an expression of doubt. "Oh? How do you know that they're visions of the future."

"Because I had one of you the day I ran into you," you said. "I had a dream I met you, Dr. Maruki."

Maruki's brows furrowed, and he leaned forwards.

"I also predicted the mental shutdowns, I see people die, I've seen people I've never met before…" You sighed. "I'm so tired of them. I don't know what to do, and my boyfriend said that you had done cognitive psience research."

"Who…what?" Maruki looked a bit startled. "How did your boyfriend know that?"

"Oh, sorry, he's with the police," you blushed. "He's read your old research."

Maruki looked even more confused. "Those were just…college papers. Ah, sorry. So your boyfriend is older?"

"No, actually, younger," you replied. You could tell both you and Maruki were confused and nervous. "Oh! I should probably clear that up. My boyfriend is Goro Akechi. You know the…celebrity."

"So you're the girl people keep talking about," Maruki said, slightly amused. "You've caused several broken hearts, you know."

"I…probably," you sighed. "You know, I originally only started talking to him because he wanted to help do research about my visions. He hit a wall, though."

"I see," said Maruki. "Oh, by the way, want any snacks? I have a lot here."

"Anything is fine," you said.

Maruki got up and handed you a can of juice and a container of potato sticks. 

"What made Akechi-kun so interested in cognitive psience?" Maruki asked.

"The mental shutdowns," you said. "He…theorized…that there's a collective consciousness that people were utilizing to cause them." Tread carefully, Y/N. "The fact that I could see mental shutdowns and stuff before they happened made him think there was a connection between me and the cognitive world."