[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/XNvlY5J.png[/img][/center]

I am not accustomed to making mistakes. But, unfortunately, it seems I've gone and done exactly that.

I was only thinking of how stressful it would be for Akisuji-kun to get talked down to by Tenta-- I mean, [color=2A9FCB]Mizuhana-san.[/color] So, I threw myself in the way, and tailored my response based on [i]her[/i] thought patterns.

And because I got myself involved, now he thinks I'm trying to isolate him.

Foolishness, Kokone! You should know better than that! When trying to help someone else, their thoughts -- their worries -- those things should be my top priority. This is why I must remain an absolute observer. The moment I interfere based on one thought, it could easily have unforeseen consequences. What I hear is only the surface of a deep, deep pool -- and a single splash upon its surface can disturb even its darkest depths.

As a wave of nausea sweeps over the boy seated next to me, I feel an uneasy squirming sensation in my own gut as well. The white noise in his head is ringing in my ears, and I'm beginning to lose focus on the deafening chorus of voices around me, both real and external. I raise a hand to my forehead without thinking, rubbing my aching temple.

...Let's recap. Akisuji-kun is afraid he'll get bullied because of his Quirk. Mizuhana-san already [i]has[/i] been bullied because of her Quirk. On paper, you'd think these two would be natural allies. The problem is that their personalities couldn't be any more different. Akisuji's response to danger is to hide and avoid it -- Mizuhana's is to confront it head on. If she could hear what I hear right now, she'd think of it as weakness, and he'd lose any and all sympathy. And if Akisuji could hear [i]her[/i] thoughts, he'd definitely see her as dangerous...

Or, well, rather, he doesn't even need to hear it to assume that much. He's already on the back foot being called so suddenly by name by a girl he's only just met. Another uncomfortable shiver -- a fragment of a memory my Quirk is mercifully too limited to interpret -- runs down my optic nerve the moment she asks about his Quirk. His Quirk factor must be in his eyes, though how exactly they work I can't tell. It seems like he's trying to repress any thoughts about the subject as soon as they occur to him... though I did catch something in there about harming him through his eyeballs. I don't know exactly what that means, but just thinking about it makes me more nauseous than I already am. Just what happened to you, Akisuji-kun?

...Regardless, there's nothing I can do by intervening. His desperate compliment has caught Mizuhana-san in a rather good mood, which means she's unlikely to lash out at him no matter how he answers her question. Besides, even if that wasn't the case, I'm just an observer. If I were to try to speak up again before he could answer, I'm sure he'd think I was mocking him -- and that would be worse than letting him answer himself. Instead, whatever he says his Quirk is, I just need to be positive about it. Maybe that'll be enough to make him second-guess that I'm his enemy, at least. And while the conversation is about Quirks, maybe I can steer it towards [i]my[/i] Quirk -- my [i]fake[/i] Quirk, that is -- and get the chance to send a message to Akisuji-kun to warn him about the seating arrangements without embarrassing him in front of these two!

...But once again, I've forgotten something. There's another person here -- another person who might conceivably put more pressure on Akisuji-kun. Sorry, [b]Colorless,[/b] but I can't let you interrupt this situation until it plays out in accordance with my plans!

[color=#4F8D1B]"I lived near Kiyosumi-Shirakawa, myself,"[/color] I chime in, using our common ground as fellow Tokyo residents (former) to insert myself back into the conversation, before letting my attention wander away from Akisuji and towards the girl opposite him. [color=#4F8D1B]"What about you, uh -- Oh. Come to think of it, I don't think I got your name."[/color]

It's awkward and stilted, but what can I say? I'm an awkward person. Besides, if I don't get her to introduce herself soon, I might slip and actually call her [b]Colorless[/b] out loud -- and that would raise all sorts of uncomfortable questions. It's better to eliminate that risk as soon as I can.

How's that, Akisuji-kun? We're not paying attention to you, much less bullying you. Now's your chance! Go ahead and answer honestly! You'll probably impress her!

...Well, I can't say any of that out loud, obviously. But I can at least cheer him on inside my head. Someone who thinks so warmly of his mom can't be a bad kid -- and that makes me want to root for him just a little.

That, and if he gets any more nervous, I think I might just throw up before he does. But that makes it sound like I'm just self-centered, and doesn't befit the proper dignity of an absolute observer -- so pretend you didn't hear that.