The chime of a doorbell rung gently into the shop. A small reception with a few plastic seats against a tiled wall. The seats overlooked by a large screen. The space was rather compact, hardly a problem when there were no other visitors. Forget visitors, there wasn't a sign of any workers either.
Rather than sit I decided to look about the narrow reception at the random decorations here and there. Posters for films and games that sat below the receptionist screen, medical pamphlets and notices that sat in plastic containers. General diagnostic information to allow civilians to make informed decisions for their own health. Probably what should be expected from a clinic. The inside was also much cleaner than one would expect from the exterior of the building, though it could hardly call itself a clinic if it lacked that sterility.
"I'll be with you in a minute." A deep yet unforgettably feminine tone reached from behind the screen, though I had yet to match voice and face. I wondered if it was always this empty, it seemed as we were the only two in the building. Not that the interior would've accommodated a great deal more people.
I stood still in the centre of the room till she arrived. As she appeared from the receptionists side, I could only see the top half of her body, but her attire and job couldn't be more discordant. She wore a tank top or camisole? I wasn't sure. Beneath a lab coat indicating she was the doctor of this clinic. As my eyes hovered up towards her face they rest on her neck, a collar with spikes the kind which you might usually attribute to a particularly vicious breed of dog. I left my eyes to rest there only for a moment before looking towards her face, she had dainty, cute features. A small button nose with large eyes, though those eyes held a blood red that couldn't be anything but artificial. They were a huge contrast to the almost ashen colour of her skin. Her hair was dyed the darkest shade of blue and cropped short above her shoulders.
"What is it kid… You look familiar. Should I know you?" She had a voice that was smooth and deeper than I would expect from her face. Perhaps her face was powdered to hide wrinkles, or the choker was a bit too tight, her voice betrayed her perceived age.
"No, probably not."
"…You been to the café down the street?"
"You have?" I don't remember ever seeing her, I'd like to think I would remember someone with such a unique look.
"About the only place I can get a decent cup of coffee around here." And medical professionals had a dependency on the stuff.
"And coffee is the only reason?"
"I don't like that insinuation, brat." She narrowed her eyes at me, leaning slightly through the window.
"Just making sure there's no conflict of interest. Otherwise, I'll have to find a different clinic." If Sojiro got into one of his no doubt many oncoming domestics, then I wanted no part of it.
"Sorry to disappoint the old man, but it's daddy issues I've got. Not grandaddy issues." Sojiro will be wounded when he finds out. Not that I think that'd stop him from attempting anything. On another note, if I ever refer to the problems with my father as daddy issues then I'll probably end everything myself.
"That's a relief. For now, I'm staying in his shop."
"That's new, didn't realise the old guy was taking people in."
"It's temporary."
"Well, whatever. What are you here for?"
"Just to register."
"It's customary for me to do a general check-up before I take on longstanding patients."
"Should I reschedule for another time?" She looked around for a moment as if to say, 'look at all my customers!"
"C'mon, through the door." I pushed the immediate door to my right and entered into a small room with a bed and curtain rails, another setup similar to the first was placed towards the back of the room. It was a small clinic befitting the place, it didn't seem like more than two patients could be treated at a time here. Which also meant it probably wasn't busy most of the time. Perfect.
A second later she walked in pulling latex gloves to a fit with a small snap. "You shy, kid?" She slowly lowered herself into the office chair, the frame slightly bouncing as she backed her weight into it. My eyes were immediately magnetised to her long legs protruding from a short black camisole, they were the near same shade of porcelain white as her face. I guess it wasn't excessive makeup, she just didn't get outside a lot. Rather than worry over her aesthetic I wondered if I had walked into the shop of a real-life vampire. I mean an entirely different realm was real, who's to say vampires aren't? I could only curse my bad luck that I'd left the garlic and stakes I had prepared for such a scenario in my other bag.
"I wouldn't say particularly. I won't be asked to drop them and cough, will I?" I attempted to break the ice with a joke.
"If they end up in my hand at any moment, I'll make sure to squeeze extra hard." She added nonplussed.
"Noted." I thought Ryuuen's brand of humour would be appreciated. I was wrong.
"What's your name?"
"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. Yours?"
"Takemi." She was as standoffish as I expected.
"No first name?"
"Just focus on the questions. Any known illnesses or allergies?"
"Not as far as I know." She rolled towards the monitor and desk a few feet away. Likely trying to access some database for medical records. She asked for a few more corroborating pieces of information like my date of birth.
"…This your first time in hell, any medical facility?" The most she found was probably a birth certificate.
"My father has always decided on private medical care."
"What brings you here then?"
"We aren't on the best terms at the moment." It was more like he was indisposed at the moment.
"And that would explain why you're living there… Sounds complicated."
"Somewh-"
"None of my business, I don't want to get involved." I wasn't even going to add anything more. But that would be an embarrassing moment for her, hardly a great idea to embarrass someone in charge of your physical wellbeing.
"We'll just have to make do. Stand by the doorway, we'll take some basic measurements first. Oh, and take your shoes off." As I stood, I recognised a ruler and measurement stickers stuck against the wall, I suppose when you worked in such a small place you learn to use the space efficiently. I stood with my back to the wall as she indicated, unbothered until her hair tickled my nose as she stood to my flank.
"5'10. You're pretty tall."
"You aren't far off." I met her red eyes for a moment. She just raised her eyebrow and looked down to her feet, showing off the high-rise platform shoes she was wearing. I was so taken with her legs I hadn't even looked at them. Speaking of lucky views.
"My eyes are up here kid." I raised my eyes once again. I was looking at her feet, I swear! Wait, is that worse? It's probably all bad.
"All of you is down there, how do you know where I looked?"
"Yes. Yes. Just get onto the scale next." She brought the clipboard to a silent crack atop my head.
"Yes ma'am."
"Hmm… It's stabilizing around 80kg. That's a bit heavier than I was expecting. Take off your shirt." She didn't think I was using a certain Saiyan training technique, did she?
"There's usually a police officer outside, I won't have to shout him, will I?" I pretended to cover my body with my arms, despite my fully dressed figure.
"Feel free to, though I think you'll have the harder time explaining things." Darn this woman. I relented and removed the button-up dress shirt I was wearing along with the blazer, left with just my pants and socks.
"Kyaa~ He's so muscular I don't know if I'll be able to stop myself." She said in the most monotone voice that I thought she had managed to somehow clone a female version of me. I didn't know whether vampires had this ability, but it certainly increases my trust in that theory.
"Okay…" I rolled my eyes, moving to put the shirt back on to prevent further teasing.
"Not yet, there's other tests. Besides, you got your eye candy. Can't hold out on a girl now, can you?" She said with a sly grin. The worst thing is that I can't tell whether that last part was genuine or not. "It explains the weight though, you're certainly fit. The problem with BMI, it doesn't take this kind of thing into account. You play any sports?"
"Volleyball. Only recently."
"Should've guessed, the uniform gives it away." She eyed the blazer that I had left along with the shirt.
"Are they that well known?" With a former Olympian leading the club it would be a small wonder if that were the case.
"You hear about them winning the inter-high every so often." Strange, I was of the opinion that she wasn't interested in sports. I mean she wasn't portly, if anything the opposite. Though I guessed that was more due to good dieting rather than excessive physicality. But the lack of tan on her skin made it seem like she barely spent any time outdoors. During daytime at least, preying on people door-to-door is probably her form of exercise. I should remind Sojiro to stock up on extra garlic and make sure he doesn't ever invite her into his home.
"Interested in volleyball?" Figuring we had a chance to connect on the small thread which we shared, I took a hold of it.
"Not overtly, sports are always a good chance to get new patients." Half-right then. She was very pragmatic… I was beginning to see.
"Shame, I was going to convince you to come along." I imagined how strange it would be for people to come and watch a game I was a part of. The closest thing resembling that was the sports festival. In that moment even students who forgot my name were cheering for victory. I wonder how different it would feel for people that actually knew me to attend and cheer for me.
"Flattered, kid. Chase a girl your own age." If a chase was what we were going for then she successfully escaped. Weird, that's two races I've lost back-to-back.
"I just meant I might need you for medical reasons."
"I'm busy. I can't act like your personal nurse, not that I would even if given the chance." That mental image was a bit too enjoyable, so I had to snuff it out almost immediately.
"Strange, I never even gave you a date." She rolled her eyes in exasperation.
"My bad, what date is it?"
"On the-"
"Oh, what do you know? I'm busy."
"You didn't even let me finish…"
"That injury sports related?" Ignoring me, her eyes travelled to my newly dressed wound. A gift from the guard captain.
"Somewhat."
"It looks well dressed, but do you want me to check it as well?" I could manage by myself, but with the depth of the cut I'd probably need a few stitches. She won't ask many questions, otherwise I could do the same.
"That would be appreciated."
"Sit." I attempted to take a seat in the chair just in front of the doctor.
"No, not there. On the bed." Keep your thoughts clean. Deep breaths. World peace.
Her small hands covered with latex gloves unravelled the bandage across my upper arm, meanwhile I had to sit and allow the cold sterile air to whisper against me.
"Hmm, it's clean." She remarked as the wounded flesh met the air.
"I shouldn't leave it dirty, should I?" I asked, emulating her sarcasm.
"Not that, the cut genius. That's not a typical sports injury." She shook her head, moving closer to examine it.
"…"
"It looks like it's from a blade. What reason does a kid your age have for a wound like this?" She said dabbing the wound with sanitary towels. It wasn't deep enough to hamper my movements or anything of the sort, but it would require proper stitching, or I'd need to constantly clean and worry about it festering.
"Would you believe me if I said I were in mortal combat?"
"If this is what constitutes a game for kids your age then maybe we're all screwed." She opened the wound slightly, peering to see if there were any debris inside. The cut was clean enough that it was unlikely, but it was reassuring that she checked these possibilities.
"I thought you weren't interested in the reason."
"Believe me, I'm not trying to make it my business. I just don't want trouble to come knocking on my door because of you." The exact consideration I shared before walking through that same door.
"From the looks of it no one knocks on your door." I remembered the laughably empty room and lack of foot traffic in this direction.
"Admittedly only trouble seems to be coming recently, people similar to you." She set a pointed look at me as she finished cleaning the remnants of blood from the area around the wound.
"In that case you should have no trouble with one more."
"Keep up with your smart mouth and I may just decide to forego the general anaesthetic."
"I'd prefer it if you did. I have things to do after, can't lose feeling in my arm before it." If I couldn't precisely control my strength, I might end up breaking dishes in the café. Sojiro would not be happy.
"What, does it get lonely in that café?" She pretended to cover a small smile. I simply raised my eyebrow in response to her question. "Whatever you get up to in your own time is your business. I have no doubt hearing about it would just horrify me." I can't think of why simple chores would horrify her, but to each their own.
She threw the bandages into a clinical wastebin, grabbing thread, bandages and a needle along with other supplies from a cupboard.
"You sure about this, kid?" She asked warily, disinfecting the needle all the while. Showing the point in the light as if that would dissuade me.
"Go ahead." I said noncommittally, remaining stock-still so that the work could be done without delay.
"…God, too many weirdos in this clinic…" She uttered, not talking to anyone in particular.
"You're strange yourself." The needle approached my skin, the doctor looked at my face once more as if to say this was my last chance. I didn't see the need for such a fuss, though I suppose it was against normal procedure.
"I don't need you telling me that kid." She sighed quietly pricking the skin of my shoulder with the needle. As soon as she did, she wheeled her head around to notice my face. Of course there was basically no difference.
"Putting on a brave face?"
"Would you like it more if I screamed?"
"I can't say it doesn't interest me. I might do it a bit rougher just to see your face change." She visibly sneered.
"How unprofessional." I prevented myself from saying anything more in that direction. On one hand to prevent her from torturing me and on the other to prevent her from becoming suspicious.
Focusing on my injury she was quiet for a moment finishing two more stitches, despite the practiced movements her eyes were unfocused as if remembering something.
"…Volleyball." She uttered after a moment. Almost a whisper.
"What about it?"
"You any good?"
"Does it matter?"
"Just conversation. I won't have to worry about any extracurriculars, right?" She mimicked a motion as if injecting into her arm.
"No. It's just recreational." The professional world was a much different story.
"You still didn't answer my question." To be honest I wasn't sure how good I was. Could I beat most of the players in their specific positions? With enough practice, yes. But volleyball was a team sport, I could be the greatest player in the world and still lose 100% of my matches if the team we played, and my teammates were poor matchups.
"…As good as anyone else." Seeing as I could be as good as anyone else if I wanted, it wasn't technically a lie.
"So, you're either the ace or you just don't care about the sport, I take it?" Busted.
"That's a bit of a reach."
"I hope you don't think I'm as dumb as I look. I've diagnosed hundreds of patients, went through this screening process countless times. Not many men aged or not have bodies like yours."
"I don't think you look dumb." If anything, she was quicker than I would've liked.
"No, but you certainly act like I am. What are you really here for?"
"A check up?" I acted confused. She narrowed her eyes at me, the needle penetrating flesh slightly deeper than the last few sutures. She looked into my eyes, searching for something. Something that she wouldn't find.
"Still nothing? Do you even feel this?" She pulled the thread to another close. I felt a small tug on the outer skin of my arm, a strange sensation to be sure. As if something was attempting to burst out of my skin.
"I can. Is there a reason for it?"
"I was just checking if you had nerve damage."
"Is this standard procedure for that?" I feared for her other patients if that were the case. Thinking about her usual customers that consideration was probably misplaced.
"…Nothing about this is standard procedure."
"That probably isn't something you should be announcing to a patient."
"Don't you know everyone hates when you ask questions you already know the answer to?"
"That so?"
"You didn't come here for standard procedure." Rather than questioning or even answering me she just stated as clear as day. She must really be tired of the usual patients. I wonder if she'd be more tired of me after all this is over.
"I don't follow?"
"Just make this easier on both of us. What is it you want? Pain relievers? Uppers? Downers? I get a bit tired of this song and dance after a while." The last stitch was in, and she pressed on the wound, her long fingernails biting into the trace of the scar.
"I seriously don't know what you're talking about."
"You mean you haven't… How long have you been in Yongen-jaya?" Her voice which was quiet at the beginning gathered more strength as she reconstructed her line of questioning.
"I've only been here a week."
"You weren't in Tokyo before then?"
"I was nearby, but technically no."
"Technically?"
"You know the artificial island?"
"That fancy school?"
"Yeah. There."
"You haven't been in school… Why have you been absent so long?" I watched as her mind raced through the possibilities.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Wait. You're that kid… No wonder your father sent you away. Get the hell out of my clinic, right now!" Her eyes widened in understanding. I didn't bother to question or rectify her mistake. Names and faces weren't made public, but there were only a few students that I could possibly be. It was the exact misunderstanding I was hoping for.
"…I see. Apologies. Thanks for the stitches." I stood from the bed and wandered over to my clothes preparing to cover myself with the shirt and blazer. As soon as my back was facing her, I heard a sharp gasp.
"…What happened? I thought you were…" Her voice quivered at the sight of my freshly scarred back. Cuts ranging from small to large gashes made up the majority of the area. They had recovered for the most part, though it did itch at times. That school left more of a mark on me physically than anything else at this point. The scar in my left hand was the same, though markedly less pronounced than the raw pink flesh of the fresher scars along my back.
"Sorry, it isn't a particularly nice sight. I'll be out of your way soon." I said still grabbing my things and preparing to leave. The meeker I appeared the worse she would feel.
"You've had a hard time of it haven't you? The world can be unbearably cruel to children… Why didn't you say anything?" She approached lightly grazing her hands over the numerous injuries. I had made a conscious effort to avoid people seeing it before now. Explaining it seemed like a pain. To think that the first time I purposely show it would be to take advantage of someone…
"…Because you're right. I'm not a good person."
"Someone who would get all those scars protecting other people can hardly be called bad." Would a hero use these same marks to lower your guard? Would a hero purposely mislead you?
Would a good person do what I plan to?
I wasn't capable of being a hero, I didn't have the qualities for it. Nor did I want to become one. Heroes were remembered in memory, but they were always sacrificed. Sacrificing myself was never an option. But… Even if I didn't sacrifice myself, I could change things. Maybe for a net positive.
"Sit down. I need to bandage that cut…" She said finally after a few seconds of inspecting the shallow and deep gashes. Her smooth hand glided over my back. They had already healed a few weeks ago, though the scar tissue took its place as a reminder.
"I thought you wanted me to leave?"
"I know what I said. Sit down before I have to sedate you."
"…" I dropped my things where they were and made my way back to the bed. Silently dropping onto the mattress and offering access to my arm.
"You're my patient. Don't go anywhere else. I'll keep you in top shape." She said quietly whilst wrapping a new bandage around my upper arm. Her words deep and sincere, not giving much opportunity to decline.
"What brought on the change of heart?" I asked after a momentary silence.
"Shut up… It's just nice to have a genuine patient again." For the first time since we had started talking, she shown the briefest glimpse of a real smile. One that actually reached her eyes.
"…Thank you."
After wrapping the new cut, she turned and grabbed her clipboard. Gripping the pen with newfound determination and talking to me in a deep authoritative tone. "You're having check-ups every week, at the very least. No ifs, ands or buts. Do you understand?" I was wondering how I was going to afford my new schedule. It was likely impossible, seeing as Sojiro never even gave me a wage for my help. Not that I blamed him.
"I won't be able to cover the payments for so many sessions."
"Don't worry about payment. I'll decide how we cover that in the future. For now, we need to make sure you recover properly."
"I don't believe in letting debts build up."
"In that case you could pay with your body." Her lips pursed slightly in thought. The pen in her hand slowly rolled over the corner of her small lips, little traces of the black lipstick she wore smudged over its end. She must've worded that intentionally.
"That isn't entirely ethical." I replied in all seriousness.
The cold doctor chopped my head lightly. "That would be a prize not a payment." I couldn't argue with that. "I meant you could work it off, in case you haven't noticed it's just me here. I could use a hand now and again."
"I may be busy with club and the shop. Is that still fine?"
"Yeah. I'll message you whenever the opening turns up. If you've got the free time, come over. We can sort out the main details next time." She made a small gesture to hand my phone over. My phone number wasn't provided in the medical database, so it was inevitable. I was becoming hyper aware that one of the first phone numbers I had received was that of a woman. It was for business strictly speaking, but it reminded me of ANHS. The same thing had happened there… But Horikita was also one of those first numbers, maybe it isn't a good thing…
"Oh, before I forget our school is having a trip soon. I'll be absent for a few days." It was the first time I was going abroad in years. Counting the uninhabited island and the one time I had travelled to New York with my father, this would be my third vacation… I suppose it would be my fourth if that incident never occurred. Maybe I should thank him for not allowing me to suffer that island a second time.
"…I suppose it's around that time of year isn't it. Come in for another check-up before you go. And make sure you aren't too active over your break."
"Understood. I appreciate it, Doctor." Buttoning the shirt and slipping the blazer back onto my treated body, I prepared to leave. A voice stopped me for a moment.
"Takemi Tae." She said whilst sat in the office chair watching me prepare to leave. "You asked earlier."
I nodded. "See you, Takemi-sensei." She responded in kind, looking back at her clipboard as I left the room.
Takemi Tae. The plague.
The contagion was little more than a kind medical professional. Even after I attempted to emulate the annoying behaviour of the worst patient ever, she still continued to treat me. Sexually innocuous comments unbefitting the situation, alluding to wanting to know her personally, a complete disruption of professional boundaries. And generally being obnoxious. It all worked to paint the picture that I was there for the same reason as everyone else. To make good on her reputation as a quack, only there for nefarious reasons. That led her to think I was the perpetrator of that incident and immediately feel regret upon realising I wasn't. That guilt would follow her for a long time, letting her ignore more and more blatant problems. In the event she ever talks about me I can ignore it because she's socially outcasted. And now I have access to medical supplies and a tight-lipped professional should the metaverse get out of hand.
It hurt a bit to betray the trust of someone that wanted to genuinely help me. But I already said it first.
I'm not a good person, Takemi-sensei.
---
Word count: 4479
Without powers Ayanokouji will require some means to make sure he can recover properly between palace visits. As Ryuji completely lacks any means to do such a thing and Morgana is absent this is really the only viable way to do so.
You might ask why he doesn't stock up on medical supplies and use them in the palace to recover. The reason is simple, Ayanokouji is careful and methodical. He doesn't know if the medicine will act in a completely different way than intended. It could be way more effective or pronounce side effects way more than he thought or could have completely different effects. Those are things Ayanokouji wouldn't ever attempt on himself, same with Ryuji as it isn't worth the possible outcomes. The reactions on shadows couldn't necessarily be correlated to humans, so he crosses this off as well. Leaving the only leftover treatment the real world and a tight-lipped doctor who won't speak about it or be believed if she did.
I hope the reasoning for his behaviour made sense. He has already heard of Takemi's reputation as a quack. Though he acts flirty and jokes around in the check-up its really to rile her up so she will eventually make the wrong decision about him and misunderstand to use that guilt against her. He could immediately try to build a rapport with her by using their damaged reputations as a connecting thread, but she would always have the idea that he purposely looked for her in her mind. Which would cause her to always question his motives.
The specifics of the incident haven't been revealed yet but will be in the future. It has been alluded to in other chapters in the past. If I remember correctly, it was Sakamoto and Sojiro that talked about it. It was a rather high-profile incident this is why hardly anyone in the school even knows that Ayanokouji was from ANHS. He's just being treated as a regular transfer.
Oh, and before I forget, the trip that was mentioned will be talked about in more detail in the next chapter. I wanted to start this fic from the start of the school year like base persona 5 but when figuring out the timeline it just wouldn't work. It's absolutely essential that it takes place later in the year, so in this Ayanokouji has actually joined after the first half term which I believe means it's the first of September just after their summer holidays. This doesn't really mess with any of the story events because almost all of them are a result of Joker and the phantom thieves' actions. So, nothing will be skipped even though the time is different, just a bit of suspension of disbelief regarding Kamoshida's interactions with the volleyball club. You can assume he hasn't assaulted Shiho yet, because he views her differently than in the game. Though that will be explored later.
Hopefully you all enjoyed and make sure to leave any thoughts in the comments.
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Until next time.