37 Persona 5 has a thing with handsome brown-haired men being antagonists
Several days later, in Shujin's assembly hall.
Shin's routine for the past few days was just going to school to take the exams, go home and train himself. He didn't need to study nor refresh his memory, as the knowledge he obtained was sticking like glue.
All of his friends from Shujin were busy studying (or slacking off, like Ryuji), and Sojiro wouldn't let him help out in the cafe while he has exams. As such, he didn't have much to do, other than abusing the knowledge ability like a red-headed stepchild.
He got a lot of information on mana and magical energy as a whole, not really interested in od as of yet.
Magical Energy is the source that powers all forms of magecraft. There have been many names for Magical Energy depending on the culture. It is primarily classified by two types, Mana and Od, separated only by whether it comes from the atmosphere or from within human magi. They are essentially identical in terms of quality, but the world's Mana vastly exceeds humanity's Od.
Mana is the greater Magical Energy found in the atmosphere of the world. It is through a network of Ley Lines across the globe. Similar to magi needing time to regenerate their Od, the Mana of an area will take a long time to replenish after it is depleted. Magi utilize freely the Mana in the air for the purpose of spells that exceed their personal Od, but the amount they can utilize at one time correlates to the capacity of their Magic Circuits.
Od, on the other hand, is the life-force energy found within living organisms such as humans, animals and Magical Beasts. Once depleted, the Magic Circuits that are stored in the human soul will begin to replenish it. Od is produced as long as one lives, but the amount a person can store varies from individual to individual.
Strictly speaking, Mana and Od are energy in its raw state, whereas magical energy is the name given to the energy once it is converted by the Magic Circuits. Magical energy itself does not have any elemental attribute. However, once embedded into an object that does have said attribute (such as jewels) or that is under the influence of Nature Spirits, it will attune itself to the elements in question until the moment that it is released.
The amount of Od is measured with units of magical energy. An average matured magus has around 25 units of magical energy. Shirou Emiya has somewhere in between 20 and 30 units.
As Shin was thinking that, Principal Dumpling was saying something, but he wasn't paying attention to him. Only when a man with short brown hair and glasses came up to the microphone did he snap out of his thoughts.
"It's nice to meet you all. My name is- Huh?"
The man seemed to be having troubles with the mic, as he fiddled with it for a bit, before placing it back.
"My name is Takuto Maruki. Thank you for welcoming me to your school."
The man attempted to bow, only to hit his head on the microphone stand.
"No need to be formal with me, though. I'm just here to counsel anyone interested." said Maruki, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead.
"You can even call me Doc, if that would make you more comfortable. Any assistance you need, I'll be- Oh... I guess I'm not really any good for helping with money problems."
At that point, the principal ushered Maruki to the side, as he felt the doctor said more than what was needed.
A few minutes later, the group was heading back to their classes, as they still had exams for that day, but they stopped on the walkway between the school buildings to discuss.
"Any of you expect this place to actually give a shit about our mental health?" asked Ryuji.
"Our school's made national news. It'd be even worse for them if they didn't do anything for us." said Shiho.
"And doctor... uh, doctor whatshisname." said the blond boy, not really caring to remember Maruki's name.
"Takuto Maruki." said Shin.
"Yeah. Wasn't that guy just clowning it back then? You really think he'll do us any good?"
"We'll see." said the black-haired boy.
Just then, said doctor approached the group.
"Hey there. You're Ann Takamaki, Ryuji Sakamoto and Shiho Suzui, right? Then, you must be Shin Yuuta." said Maruki, listing off their names as he looked at each one of them.
"How do you know our names?" Ryuji was on guard.
"Well, I was informed of certain students before beginning my tenure here. Those that had, ah... previous interactions with Mr Kamoshida." the man scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
He turned to look at Shin.
"It must've been especially tough for you after having just transferred here."
"Meh, I managed."
"I see. Being unfazed by all that happened is admirable." commented the brown-haired man.
"So what did you want with us?" asked Ryuji, who was less tense compared to before.
"Ah, yes. I'd forgotten... I know I offered my services to the student body earlier, but would any of you be interested in counseling?" asked Maruki.
"Nope, not at all!" replied Ryuji.
"Huh!?"
"How's that surprising?" asked the blond, confused.
"You were just a little more vocal than I anticipated. Ah! But if you come to my office, you can have free snacks!"
"I'm sorry, mom said I should say no to strange uncles who say they'll give me free candy." said Shin.
"Ack! I'm not a strange uncle, I swear! No, wait, that just makes me look more weird..."
The man sighed.
"I've been explicitly ordered to provide counseling to the students directly involved with Mr Kamoshida. It's in the school's interests... for its students."
"Ahh, the school's interest, huh?" said Ryuji with disdain.
"I know that asking you to open up to a complete stranger like myself is a lot. Making this mandatory wouldn't do you any good, either. Might as well make it a worthwhile experience... Ooh, I know! If you attent my counselling sessions, I'll teach you different ways to improve your mental acuity. Like, ways to hone your concentration before exams, or not getting nervous on dates. How's that sound?" asked Maruki.
"Uh..."
"There's also snacks!" added the man.
"Alright, alright, enough with the snacks! What are you thinking?" Ryuji looked towards Shin.
"He might be useful." replied the black-haired boy.
"Is that all you see me as... I'll be in the nurse's office, so feel free to come by whenever it's convenient for you."
"Welp, we should get going." said Ryuji.
"Okay, I'll see you later."
Having said that, Ann, Ryuji and Shiho left, leaving only Shin with Maruki.
"Thanks for taking my counselling into consideration. Now that we have a deal, I promise to do my best to help you."
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This chapter's additional info is on... The Councillor Arcana!
Like the Aeon Arcana, the Councillor is not found in standard tarot decks. The Councillor Arcana is the El Gran Tarot Esoterico's equivalent to the Magician Arcana and is numbered I. While upright, it is a tarot card that denotes diplomacy, possibilities of choice, creativity, skills to persuade, vitality and power over mental illness. On the other hand, while reversed it can represent indecisiveness, insecurity, lack of originality, sickness or exploitation of the innocent.
Personas of this arcana are generally consisted of wise beasts or governors of nature.
This Arcana can be found as number 1 in the Eitteilla Tarot Deck. It is referred to as Le Questionnant, which translates to "The Consultant." It corresponds to the Hierophant card in the "Tarot de Marseille" Deck.
Unlike the other tarot cards in the Persona series, the number used for the Councillor is represented by the Arabic numeral "1" rather than the Roman numeral "I."
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Confidants:
Igor (The Fool) - Rank 2
Morgana (The Magician) - Rank 3
Takuto Maruki (The Councillor) - Rank 1
Sojiro Sakura (The Hierophant) - Rank 3
Ann Takamaki (The Lovers) - Rank 5
Ryuji Sakamoto (The Chariot) - Rank 6
Tae Takemi (The Death) - Rank 4
Saki Yoshiko (The Moon) - Rank 2
Shiho Suzui (The Hope) - Rank 5
