Smile (P5/Royal Story x OC/Male reader)

Councillor Confidant Rank 3 and 4

Nhzual: It may hurt, but I feel it's necessary.

Maruki: True. It proves and validated the love that came before it, after all. A very fitting answer from you. Internal, emotional pain can be difficult to deal with. Though some say it's always couple 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.

Nhzual: Shouldn't exist?

Maruki: Mm. Wounds of the heart are much harder to detect, and in a way, they're far more complex then 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.

Nhzual: R-Right...

Nhzual's thoughts: Saving someone from internal pain...

Arcana Councillor Rank 3

(Timeskip)

It's after school and currently, Nhzual and Maruki are sitting outside near the vending machines.

Maruki: Well, Nhzual. I just found out how scary cats can be, despite their cuteness...

Nhzual: And this is coming from where?

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

Nhzual: Oh, I know that feeling...At least it didn't tell you to go to sleep...

Maruki: I'm sorry?

Nhzual: Don't worry about it.

Maruki: Well, all well that ends well. I was able to save it in the end. But let's move on. Let's talk about a different kind of pain. We discussed this for a bit last time we talked actually. 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.

Nhzual: I guess that would be great.

Maruki: Right? Something like that would be wonderful...Unfortunate as it may be, we all know there's no topical medicine that can probably heal a heartache. Not only that, psychological issues are even more complex. Here, allow me to demonstrate..."Oh, Nhzual, woe is me! My heart is in such pain! It's like I'm being pierced though the chest! I have such a torturous burning deep inside me!"

Nhzual: ..-_-...Are you done?

Maruki: Sorry...That was a poor attempt acting...

Nhzual: ...-_-...I'm pretty sure everyone is glad you didn't take up a career in acting...

Maruki: Please don't look at me like that?

Nhzual: Oh, what ever do you mean?

Maruki: Anyway, basically what I'm getting at is, our own emotional pain is the only kind of pain we can full 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. It's not like we can directly look at their hearts and remove the root causes of their pain...

Nhzual: No...I guess not.

Maruki: But for me to do any good at that area, I need to induct 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 compared psychological pains that were once unknowable...But we'll even be able to preform more effective treatment for those people with wounded hearts.

Nhzual: I guess you really care for people that much to go through all of this.

Maruki: I'm no saint. I just want to do my job well. If we can get rid of people's pain, that'd be for the best, right? I'm not 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 time to listen to what I have to say, and you actually try to understand. Thanks to you, I can tell I'm actually getting somewhere with my theories.

Arcana Councillor Rank 4