A few weeks following your first encounter, there's something you noticed about Maruki's mannerisms, apart from his usual quirks: he's incredibly doubtful of himself and his abilities. You don't talk much—that is to say, you don't talk for long—but you occasionally pick up on those subtleties. He explained to you that he buys snacks every so often as an incentive for the students to come into counseling (the apple juice is for him, though). You'd understand if it were a first-time sort of thing, but he's habitually buying loads of snacks, like he doesn't believe in his own abilities to help them through whatever the hell they're going through, and as if the kids are only coming in for food. You usually want to tell him that you're sure they appreciate him, but some part of you is reluctant. Maybe if he realized that fact, you reasoned, he would stop coming in as often. You didn't know if you'd be willing to give that up. But, from the few interactions you've had with him thus far, he truly is a kind, welcoming man. It was something you felt from him when you first approached him, and, frankly, you're a bit jealous those students get to speak with him more frequently.
The Kamoshida case was certainly an interesting one, and it was no surprise at all that Shujin sought to improve its public image. You only hoped that, at least, they weren't using Maruki to save face; he deserved far more than to be tokenized by that school. More intriguingly, however, was the Phantom-Aficionado website you kept hearing about at work. It was only known among Shujin students for the most part, given their connection to the Phantom Thieves themselves. Anyone could apparently leave a request for "a change of heart." It piqued your curiosity, to say the least, so you decided to check it out after classes, only briefly on the train for now. The first thing displayed was an anonymous poll:
Do you believe in the Phantom Thieves?
A good question indeed. Did you? Kamoshida didn't seem like the kind of guy to suddenly confess his crimes given the severity of it all. There's also the possibility of blackmail, but what else could he have done that he didn't want to have leaked? You didn't know their methods but you're not naive enough to believe an undoubtedly evil man could abruptly feel guilty of his actions. Make no mistake about it, the Phantom Thieves did something to better society: you tap the button for 'yes.' The percentage slightly increased.
Upon further inspection, you found the forums where a few requests had already been posted; you did momentarily question the legality since, well, it's vigilantism in action, but there wasn't too much attention on it yet so it couldn't have been that bad. Tired, your eyes glazed over the titles of some of the threads: Please stop by ex-boyfriend, he's stalking me, and This guy bullies people into giving him money were the ones at the top. The posters left the target's full real name, too...that's a bit unsettling, even if that's what the forum rules say to do. What happens in the case of false accusations—do the Phantom Thieves know who's telling the truth and who isn't? Your mind wandered back to Maruki: what did he think of all this?
Your stop was called, so you gathered your things and left the train.
It's disheartening to you how little time you spend at home. This place is more-so a place to sleep than anything, or a place to make dinner and go. Your lunches are usually either Leblanc curry or a sandwich from work, since you get a deep discount on all the merchandise there. One's tastier, but the other's lighter on your already light wallet...you tend to give into the tastier option more often than not, though. Still, it's your place, and the bed is comfortable. You can't say you don't miss your parent's house either, but they're too far away from school; your commute is long enough as it is living in Yongen.
A brisk shower, your face washed, your teeth brushed: another routine. You're grateful for Maruki because of this. Your life, like many others in Japan, is rooted in the same schedule every day. Maruki, though, doesn't come in every day—rather, he comes in when he needs to reload on food. You don't know when that is. Sometimes there's only a one-day gap, other times it could be three days until you see him again. It shakes things up in such a small way, but it's a significant change in the grand scheme of things. You think it's weird to think of him like this, but Maruki would probably laugh and tell you he understands, that your feelings are totally normal...you honestly do like him. In what way though, you conjecture? If he were to ask you out, which would most likely never happen, you probably wouldn't hesitate to say yes. That's the answer yourself, at least.
You got a call from your mother right before you were about to head to bed. It started with the usual niceties: how are you doing? what did you eat today? how's school treating you? how are your grades? do you need anything from me?
"Honestly, hun," there was a marked change in her tone: it was far more serious, "I'm thinking I need to go to the doctor again. My boss is—"
"He's still giving you trouble?" you feel guilty for cutting her off, but her boss is a special kind of greedy. It was an issue in the past: her back problem keeps her from being on her feet for long periods of time and, despite having the proper paperwork and examinations to prove her disability, the boss doesn't care. Profit over people, as always.
Your mother was quiet for a moment, "Yes, so I'd like to go to the doctor to have some pain killers prescribed. I'm not exactly in a position to quit and find a new job right now..."
It hurt you to know she was just going to take this blatant workplace abuse. Bosses letting power get to their head, refusing to accommodate for their labor force...what a rotten man. "Mom, I—" your initial intention was to offer your help in finding a new job, but you had a better idea. "What was his full name again? Your boss's I mean."
You heard the confusion in her voice; nevertheless, she told you his name. That was all you needed. It stung to know she was hurting again, but you're glad she told you about her ordeal. You could change her situation for the better. Maybe it was dangerous to get your hopes up, but you didn't care. You only needed her to hang in there for just a little bit longer.
Eventually, the phone call ended. Your body acted on its own from that point on; you posted on the Phan-site, pleading with the thieves to steal that man's heart. You wrote of her disability. I wrote of his habitual abuse of power. Please listen to me, you thought, my mother is a good woman. Your eyelids began to feel heavy. Please change his heart.
· · ·
There was a new hire at the store who had availability on Monday mornings, so it's a day of the week you have off now. You didn't know what to do with your newfound free time, so you decided to head to Inokashira Park for a quick walk. It was a lovely day out and you had a lot on your mind. Primarily, you were worried about your mother. Your schedules don't align very well because of your night classes, but you make sure to text her throughout the day. You found out she got ahold of some medication, but her boss is using it as an excuse to make her work harder now. "You aren't in pain anymore? Great, here's more work so you can overexert yourself further!" Asshole. The discomfort doesn't go away completely.
You were a bit surprised to see Shujin uniforms around the park. Checking your phone, you saw that school still should've been in session. Whatever it is, I shouldn't get in their way.
You sat on a bench far from the center of the trail where it overlooked the body of water. Watching the ducks slowly move across the pond took up your attention for a small period—in truth, you envied them. With not a care in the world, they briskly float to wherever life takes them...
You came to overhear the students were sent here to do volunteer work. You heard a lot of complaining, but it didn't seem too bad overall—the park was clean now, too! You didn't really want to think about how long it would take until it would be trashed again, though. Some people really have no respect when it comes to their own environment, unfortunately. Another thought, though: Was Maruki here? It would be a pleasant coincidence, to be sure. I hope I can run into him.
The clean up job appeared to be complete, so you felt less intrusive now walking the trail. You listened to music, mostly minding your own business, until you felt a tap on your shoulder. You froze, eyes widened, afraid it would be a Shujin staff member here to scold you for walking in on their student's volunteer work. He called your name.
"Wow! What a neat surprise to find you here!" You knew it was Maruki before you could turn around. His tie was loose around his neck and his sleeves were pulled up—he must've been hot, and yet, he had a bowl of soup in his hand. Anyhow, you was stunned your wish came true.
"Hey, Maruki! Small world, huh?" you smiled at him, a genuine smile. You were truly so happy to see him here, outside of work, where some boundaries were removed. At the very least, you could talk, and the conversation wouldn't end after you handed him his receipt.
Maruki wasted no time in returning a smile, but his expression soon changed. "Oh! Are you hungry? Here, take this." he presented the bowl of soup to you.
You gingerly took it, upon which you felt its warmth. It seemed it was fresh—and you felt better knowing the smell you noticed earlier wasn't just you going crazy. "Are you sure? What about you?" even now, he was thinking of others. You were indeed hungry, but you didn't make a comment on it; it's like he just knew.
"Oh, it's fine!" he quickly said back, "I can go back and get some more. Why don't we sit together?" Maruki gestured to a nearby vacant bench before he began speaking again, "It'd be nice to talk with you outside of work."
Again, he read your mind. "I'd like that a lot." you said as the heat started to burn your fingers.
"Great! Here, go on without me—I'll grab myself another bowl."
You did just as he said. It wasn't too long before he came back, bowl in hand, his glasses fogged ever so slightly as he held it close to his chest. "This recipe is a Takuto Maruki original! But the other students on the cooking task force helped make it better, no doubt." He appeared to be proud, not only of himself, but of the kids working with him as well.
You already took a few slurps while waiting for his return. It was delicious, though you wondered if your own feelings, your obvious bias, influenced its taste. "Still, you'd need a good base to start with. It's great, Maruki, thank you." on top of tasting good, it was free. Free food, even from the convenience store—always tasted better. Maruki chuckled in response. "How's the job going?" you inquired, indulging in the soup's savory flavors.
Maruki took a moment before responding, evidently thinking on how to respond. "Honestly? It's great. The students are a joy, very headstrong and resilient, considering what they've been through. It's a pleasure, being their counselor."
"I'm glad to hear it." It was a relief to know the kids treated him well—but what of the adults? The faculty and staff?
"Yeah! And one of the students in particular has been incredibly strong. I'm excited to see where life will take him in the future." Maruki paused to have a bit of his food, "He's been helping me quite a lot, actually." He said, mostly to himself.
In fact, you wondered if you should even respond to that part. "Help you out? In what way?" you assumed, maybe, he helped clean up his office, helped with the counseling effort—something small like that.
Maruki winced, smiling sheepishly now. "Oh, I said that out loud, didn't I? Well, there's no harm in telling you, I suppose." Setting his empty bowl aside, the doctor leaned forward in the seat slightly as he fidgeted with his hands. It looked like he was thinking long and hard on what to say, as if the subject matter itself was a sensitive one. "I'm working on a second project, alongside my job as a counselor. It's not so much like counseling—more like a type of psychological treatment..."
"And this student you speak of is..?"
"He's helping me develop my thesis into something more tangible. He doesn't do much—he just listens to my ideas, my theories, and he'd tell me if they spark any realizations on his end." Maruki rubbed his chin, "I think I'll be able to help a lot of people if I could just work out the kinks a little bit more."
You finished the rest of the soup as you listened to him speak. It gave you a warm, calm feeling, while also energizing you: the same feeling Boss's curry gave you at Leblanc. He was attractive, kind-hearted, intelligent, and a talented cook: the full package. On top of all that, he's working on a psychological breakthrough that, if completed, could change the world as he says? It's a noble goal for sure. "Mm, I see." Be that as it may, you couldn't help but wonder if it was scientifically feasible to have a sample size of only one. It was for this reason you asked, though hesitant, "Do you, maybe, need a larger sample? I actually have Mondays off now—I'd love to help you out if you'd like."
"Really?!" Maruki was so excited he stood up from the bench and took your hand, seemingly to shake it. "If you'd allow me the time—I'd be so grateful!" his hand felt warm, as the rest of his demeanor did. You wanted to hold it for a bit longer, but you didn't want to sully the prospect of spending more time with Maruki. A part of you felt like he mentioned this research on purpose, however, to get you to ask to participate...not that you minded. In fact, you were glad. Really glad.
"Yeah! I'd be happy to help out," was all you said in response, giving a firm shake of his hand. You exchanged contact information. Truth be told, you felt a flutter in your chest as you typed your name and number into Maruki's phone. Maybe it was the flavorful miso working its magic, but you preferred believing it was Maruki implanting himself in your heart. You liked the guy, in a way beyond friends. Yeah, you weren't ashamed to admit it anymore: you had a crush on him.
After you parted ways, you reflected on your conversation. You stared at his name and icon (he insisted you take a picture of him and vice versa) for a long while on the train ride home. You couldn't believe this was really happening: you were going to not only see the man you were developing feelings for several times a week at work, but now a guaranteed meeting every Monday afternoon as well. It would have to be after the nurse's office at Shujin closed, he told you, so we should pick a meeting spot that's most convenient for you. You ended up choosing Big Bang Burger on Central Street.
Your first meeting was set for next Monday. It would be an understatement to say that you were just excited, but you had to act professional; this was a meeting to discuss his theories, not a date, you had to keep repeating to yourself. Despite the constant reiteration in your mind, you still fretted over superficial things: what should I wear? should I eat before going or order at Big Bang? Things of that nature.
Over the next few days, you spoke a few times over text messages. You never contacted him first since you didn't want to come across as clingy. The conversations were mostly mundane, asking for trivial advice about what to put in his next dish, checking up on you and your studies, you'd ask him how counseling was going...you wanted more, badly.
June came and, along with it, a new summer uniform. You were happier than usual since now you and Maruki were more than acquaintances at this point, but you were still unsatisfied with your job—not to mention your worrying over your mother. It had been a while since you posted on the Phan-Site. Did your request go unanswered, or was it not a big enough deal for the Phantom Thieves to care? It put a serious damper on your mood at times.
The day before your first session with Maruki, the famous artist Madarame confessed to plagiarism and abuse of his pupils after having his heart stolen by the Phantom Thieves. According to some Shujin regulars, he confessed in a similar manner as Kamoshida did; Madarame even received a calling card as well. Later that night, your mother called you.
She told you, almost in a daze, that her boss was resigning. He went and confessed his actions to his own higher-ups himself. Supposedly, he was the reason the company was losing so many other employees as well. Your mother wasn't the only one affected by his egregious abuse of power. She was in disbelief but was assuredly happy to have a new boss regardless—you were happy for her. You could sleep easy knowing she wasn't forced to push herself and her back anymore.
You made sure to thank whoever heeded your request on the forums. If you did this, other people who were struggling—just as your mother was—could feel like they have a way out of their own shitty circumstances. This mysterious group was out to help people in ways the authorities could and would not. You knew for a fact the police wouldn't believe your mother and her colleagues, and would, instead, side with her abuser, as they always do. Not to mention, her job would likely be forfeit if she brought the authorities down on her boss; it truly was a lose-lose situation if not for this forum. The Phantom Thieves are undeniably real, was the conclusion to the update to my original post. You wanted to hear Maruki's opinion on the Phantom Thieves tomorrow if time allows.