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Aoyama-Itchome — After School
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Doc: My little guinea pig…
Doc: I need you to come into work today.
Oh no.
Getting texted about a shift was one thing. Getting texted about needing to come in was something else entirely.
“Oh!” Morgana popped his head out of the bag. “Is that Doctor Takemi?”
“Yep.”
“You should probably answer her, then. We could use some more medicine and first aid for Mementos.”
“I guess we should get medicine. Either that or just use the gazebo effect.”
“Placebo. Have you ever paid attention in class even once?”
“Whatever! And that’s easy for you to say. Yer not the one doing all the crap she wants me to do.”
“I know. I am the one watching it all happen, though.”
“That’s the problem.”
[I don’t think my bond with Takemi will deepen just yet…]
No shit, it won’t. It’s work. These never really ranked up while he was doing normal work. Though what was considered “normal work” by her was what he feared more and more recently.
There was one new message greeting him.
Without checking who it was, Ryuji sent a quick message.
Ryuji: working rn sorry
Takemi Clinic — Daytime
The clinic wasn’t exactly cluttered that day, but it wasn’t tidy either. It definitely looked and felt worked in. The waiting area was slightly dusty as it was still underused despite a few more people coming in lately. The office itself had a few books and documents strewn about, and some mystery stains were splashed randomly on the floor.
This, of course, was only part of what Ryuji was brought on for.
“Make sure you put more of these up there on that shelf,” she directed as she handed him another one of her doorstopping books.
“I ain’t that much taller, Doc.”
“That’s irrelevant to me.”
Carrying the heavy shit, sweeping the floors, mopping each other day, wiping the exam table down, sorting her documents…
Those were nothing. No, the real challenge came when she set him down on her exam table to have him test whatever new creation she made.
She handed him his usual paper cup, this one containing a liquid that was a dubious shade of green.
“Doc, do I really havta drink this?”
She glared at him, unamused. “It’s literally your job to drink this.”
“But—”
She gave him the glare of the century.
He turned to his backpack next to him, only to find a pair of eyes looking back at him expectantly.
He let out a sigh. Nothing left to do but resign himself and down the thing.
Inokashira Park — Daytime
The park was as pleasant as it normally was. There was little noise from the people around them. The pond was still, save for a few ripples and patters. The chatters from the squirrels and the chirping from the birds were few and far between.
Leave it to Morgana to almost ruin it by either lurking near where he was or pretending to take a nap while he did this. As if Ryuji couldn’t tell that Morgana was laughing at him.
Yep, Morgana was pretty much the same.
But other than that cat making fun of him, the quietude(? is that a word?) of it all lent itself quite nicely to the calming effect of nature. It felt almost dreamlike and he could easily find himself relaxing here any other day.
Any other day where he’s not being stared down by his doctor while standing on one leg and stretching his arms out. And while touching his nose. And counting to ten like a dumbass.
“Uhhhh, Doc? Ain’t this test for drunk people?”
“Yes.”
“Then why am I doin’ this?” Ryuji asked as he started to wobble.
“The same reason this test is given to drunk people,” she snarked.
He grumbled under his breath.
“This is to test your equilibrium and center of gravity,” she continued, “as well as to see how each leg holds up and to see what we’d need to administer for your chronic pain and where.”
Somehow, he didn’t buy it.
“That,” she said while giving him a slight smile, “and it amuses me. Touch your nose again.”
He sighed as he touched his nose. “One…”
Asakusa Skytree — After School
This place was normally pretty crowded, and for good reason. Ryuji was pretty sure you could see all of Tokyo from here. The time of day, and the view… All of it served to remind him…
“Hey Doc?”
“Hm?”
“Uh… we’re pretty high up.”
“Exactly.”
Ryuji stood there, clearly lost.
“This is a simple physical health check.”
“Health check?! We ain’t at the clinic!”
“The fact that we’re outside the clinic is why you need a health check, my little guinea pig.”
“Uhhhhh…”
“Your posture is a bit lacking, but it seems you’re still getting an adequate amount of exercise, since you don’t seem to be showing any signs of exhaustion… yet.”
Okay, what was he supposed to do with that?
“That being said,” she said with that same languid look in her eyes, “since we’re at this height, I have to ask: how much higher up can I be carried?”
“Doc?!”
“Relax, I’m not having you do any manual labor.”
Ryuji let out a sigh of relief.
“Today.”
He should’ve expected that.
“The real reason we’re here is to use the environment around us. We’d take our time to observe and focus on ourselves not just physically, but mentally as well. Hopefully this serves as both.”
“What serves as both?”
“Mu training,” she deadpanned.
“What training?!”
“Relax, it’s a simple physical exercise.”
For some reason, her reassurance felt false. Ryuji slouched ever so slightly and crossed one leg over the other. He put his bag on the floor, earning him an angry yowl.
“Now think, Sakamoto: Since we’re higher up, the air pressure is drastically different than when we’re at ground level.” She looked at him neutrally. “Is your leg affected at all in any way?”
“Not really?”
“Now,” she directed, her face still impressively neutral despite her tone, “stand on both legs for this exercise. Close your eyes and focus on yourself.”
“But how am I s—”
“ Close your eyes and focus. ”
Shit… Doc’s orders, I guess.
He obediently uncrossed his legs and closed his eyes.
“Deep breath in… and deep breath out.”
Once again, he did as he was told.
“Now, listen to the sound of my voice. Tune everyone else around you out.”
The crowded area suddenly became silent as she spoke again.
“Try to focus on anything that doesn’t feel normal.”
He tried to hone in on his leg, which was surprisingly not acting up.
“Do you feel any changes?”
“… no, Doc.”
“Don’t lie to me,” she chastised.
“I’m not!” He took another deep breath as he squeezed his eyes shut more tightly.
“You shouldn’t be. Now follow my voice again.”
He tried to tune out the crowd again
“Straighten your back, won’t you?”
With that, he felt a crick on his upper back and neck. Shit, she was right. Despite him being one of the most active people he knows, his posture effin’ sucked. Holding a cat in his bag all the time probably didn’t help.
“Deep breath in, deep breath out.” And the cycle repeated for Ryuji as he kept listening to his doctor’s orders.
“Focus on your blood flow, see if the pressure affects your arm.”
Nothing happened while bending his arm.
“Your hands and fingers.”
Nothing happened while bunching his fingers.
“Your shoulders.”
Nothing aside from that crick a few minutes ago.
“Your feet.”
A little sore from walking here and standing around, but that was normal.
“Your knees.”
He squatted slightly. Pressure was off on his right leg, but that was no different than when he’s at ground level, at least.
“Speak to me.”
“Nothin’, Doc.”
“Good.”
Everything around him went deafeningly silent.
He kept hearing nothing.
He no longer felt anything around himself.
Or from himself.
Is… is this what meditation is? Akira mentioned it a few times, but…
… Hmmm…
No legs, no arms, no sound…
“Give me your eyes.”
“Whu- HUH?!” Ryuji instantly jerked back as his eyes snapped open.
Takemi did nothing except blink at him before she spoke. “And here I thought my little guinea pig had fallen asleep.”
“What the eff was that, anyway?! Why am I doin’ this again?”
Despite her seeming disinterest, she couldn’t quite hide her smile.
“… you’re messin’ with me,” Ryuji muttered.
“Take it as you will,” Takemi replied. “But it did help, didn’t it?” She turned to face the windows, immediately changing the subject. “You know, this is quite the view of Tokyo.”
“Yeah… ?”
She motioned for Ryuji to look with her. “You can see so much from here, but it would probably look so much better in the evening.”
Okay, what was she getting at?
She turned to face him. “And there’s a really nice restaurant at the very top of the tower. Surely whoever you’ve got your eye on will swoon over this spot... and swoon over you.”
WHAT?!
“Doc, I- it’s—!”
“Relax. It’s just an idea for you to use if you ask out your crush.” She couldn’t hide that smile anymore. “You know, assuming you actually manage to.”
Ryuji muttered, “… thanks, Doc.”
Meiji Shrine — Daytime
Despite the gusts of wind, the air was surprisingly tepid. Most people wouldn’t have picked a shrine as their first choice to visit.
Ryuji was most people. But he went anyway.
What he didn’t do this time was bring Mona with him. He didn’t want to bring him since he didn’t want to put him through more aggravation than he’s already been put through in that bag. But without a voice by his side, he realized…
He had zero clue what to wish… pray? Ask? Whatever. He realized he had zero clue what to ask for. Maybe he should ask for an apple.
As he walked to the main shrine, he saw someone sitting on the bench with a ridiculously detailed black gothic lolita dress fluttering in the wind, and he knew exactly who it was.
“Oh,” the artist lady (Iori’s wife, he knew that much) exclaimed. “It’s you.”
“Ehhh… hey?”
“I did not expect to see you here today.”
“Gonna be honest, neither did I.”
The artist lady hummed quietly, her gentle voice being muted by the occasional wind. Ryuji did nothing except stand near the bench.
“Uh… ya know what yer gonna wish for?”
“You know what they say about wishes,” she responded plainly.
“Rrrright.”
“I assume you have one, too. That’s why you’re here.”
“I guess,” Ryuji answered, clearly lost. “I dunno what to ask for, though.”
“I wouldn’t be the one who decides what to wish for at the shrine,” she said, no real emotion in her words.
“I know, I know.”
“But… I do come here for peace of mind as well. Perhaps that was what you were looking for.”
Maybe it was.
Not just because of Takemi, that wouldn’t be fair to her. Despite the teasing, she really was trying to help.
After thinking about it, yeah. He knew she never really meant anything bad by it. Sure she messed with him, but she made it clear it was all in good fun. She didn’t make him feel stupid or useless aside from being a brute.
If anything, he learned a bit more about how to organize himself… and her stuff. He learned a bit on how to care for other people. He learned how to recognize his own body’s pain and limits more effectively.
He also learned about the nastiest shit he’d been forced to ingest in his life.
And to think, Akira probably had to do all this shit and more to supply medicine to the Phantom Thieves.
That was just part of what being a leader entailed.
And really, he’d probably rather take her shifts over the shitty understaffed beef bowl shop any day of the week. He’d never take the servers at Ore no Beko for granted ever again.
“You’re awfully quiet,” she said.
Ryuji blinked, and his vision was cleared.
He looked the artist lady over. Her eyes were similarly sullen and baggy, and he wondered if that was something done using makeup or if she was also that tired. Which, he understood why a doctor would be tired, let alone a doctor with as much on her as Takemi.
But the artist lady seemed to be busy with her art (no shit) and she had her husband who, admittedly, was a bit much at times. She didn’t look like she minded that much, though.
“… you’re still not saying much.”
“Oh! Uh… sorry.”
“I don’t mind,” she answered, her voice still just as gentle.
Maybe she was just that low-energy. And considering how quiet this place is and how still he was trying to be… it’s pretty much killing him. It just wasn’t something he could quite tap into yet.
Why did he come here again?
“So this is where my little guinea pig stowed away.”
Hearing that voice jolted him out of whatever self-reflection he was in.
“Eehhhhhh,” he squeaked (squeaked?!), “Hhheyyyyyy, Doc.”
Takemi, decked out in her normal web-laced dress, looked him over. (Was he supposed to dress up nice to go to the shrine on normal days too?)
“To think I’d find him skipping out on a shift to spend time with such a beautiful lady,” she cooed, really laying on the teasing. “But you know, I think she may be a bit too old for you.”
“H- hey—!”
“I’m married,” the artist lady said flatly while flashing her empty hand in front of her own face, save for her wedding ring.
“So you are,” Takemi replied, no less amused. “Must be quite the catch.”
“He is.” The artist lady stood up and turned to face Ryuji. “It was quite nice spending a bit of time with you.”
With that, she walked away, her platform boots echoing throughout.
Eff it, he had no way out of it.
“Listen, Doc… tor? I’m sorry. I ain’t tryna run away or anything. I know ya needed me today, and I flaked out.”
Takemi sat on the bench near him, not saying a word.
Ryuji sighed. “I know you’re upset. But—” But? He didn’t really have a good reason to ditch. What the hell was he supposed to say now?
Takemi crossed her legs, still not saying a word. Man, she’s really gonna eat him alive over this.
“I dunno why I came here,” he confessed.
“You needed time for yourself,” she responded in turn.
Did he?
What he needed was to not abandon his shift at one of the few places that would hire him. He needed to get more supplies for the next Metaverse trip. He needed to talk to more people, see what else he could help with.
He needed to deal with what he knows is coming up.
“Did anyone ever say that it’s okay to step back every once in a while?” she asked.
“No—” Actually, yes, someone did tell him that. But it wasn’t her, so that wasn’t really important.
“Sometimes, you just need to step away and examine yourself. To tell you the truth, that’s pretty much why I come here, too.”
Ryuji looked over her spider-web dress and leggings again. “You don’t look like it.”
To his surprise, she actually started laughing. “I knew you were blunt, but to think you’d say that out loud...”
“S—” He stopped himself. Maybe he needed to hear her out.
“You’re quite strange. But you speak your mind loud and clear, my little guinea pig. That’s why you’re working for me.”
Good to know he wasn’t losing his job, at least.
She stood up and turned to Ryuji. “Do you know any of the traditional rituals, at least?”
Oddly enough, Ryuji spent a while trying to think of what to say. Sure, he had an idea of what the basics were, but it’s not like he’d have much reason to practice them.
He settled on: “I think I know?”
“Then you should be able to pick up on them.” She started making her way to the altar. “Follow me.”
Upon arriving, he saw one of those big water containers. She grabbed the ladle sticking out of it, poured the water on her left hand, then repeated the process on her right.
Man, he was really left with no other choice but to copy her, huh? Monkey see, monkey done.
Ryuji rotely grabbed the ladle after she poured more water into her left hand, minicking the pouring onto his left, then right hands. He saw her swallow the water from her left hand, so he poured more water onto his left and brought his hand to his mouth. It really only served to splash his jaw and his one clean t-shirt.
She took out a small coin purse and threw a coin from it into the offering box. Ryuji followed suit and threw some spare yen he found in his pants pocket. She rang the bell at the alter after Ryuji dumped his own coins.
She bowed down, and he followed suit. She bowed down again, and he followed suit again. She clapped her hands twice. He clapped his hands twice.
Her hands were still together in prayer. She closed her eyes as she mumbled something under her breath. He’d assume she’d be praying, but didn’t want her prayers to be heard.
It made him think about what he would be praying for in the first place. Would he pray for what he wants? Or give thanks for what he has?
He wanted to go home.
He wants to go home.
He wants to see his mom again. He wants to see his friends. He wants to keep helping people as a Phantom Thief.
But at the same time… he still has his friends. He still has his mom. And not only is he still a Phantom Thief, but he somehow lucked into being the leader.
What would he pray for?
Takemi gave one more bow, and Ryuji copied her.
“You gave your prayer quite a bit of thought,” she said to him as they walked away from the shrine. “I didn’t think my little guinea pig would be so considerate.”
“Really? I pretty much said nothin’.”
“You weren’t as familiar, so I think it’s safe to say that it’s the thought that counts.”
She stared into his eyes with that same languid expression. “But I’m curious… what did my little guinea pig wish for?”
Ryuji scratched the back of his head, visibly nervous. “Ya know what they say about wishes.”
Takemi closed her eyes. “Right.”
With that, they made their way out of the shrine, heading out of the gate slightly to the left.
She spoke out of nowhere as they headed to the station. “I did figure out one of your wishes.”
Ryuji audibly gulped.
“If you feel overwhelmed or overexerted,” she told him, her voice very firm yet obviously caring, “let me know. You’re only my guinea pig part-time, you know.”
“I- I will, Doc.”
“Good.” She handed him one of the hamaya that were all over the shrine. “I want you to have this.”
Ryuji ran his fingers over the arrow’s talisman. “Ain’t this s’posed to be, uh, back there?”
“These are often given to ward off evil. Something tells me that you’d need one more than ever.”
He read over the talisman again. She had no idea how right she was.