Takaru

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Ferrero Mall: Yoshida Book Café | After School

Sat at the table and her eyes firmly focused on the book in her hands, Kotori only noticed in passing that Ryan addressed Rui in a hushed tone or that, moments later, Katsuro returned with a book of his own. Had she looked up, she might have noticed that Ryan was glancing in the other boy's direction as he posed his question or that Katsuro wore a slightly confused expression on his face after being spoken to by another fellow student - but such details were lost on her; her attention entirely given to reading - to the point of not even noticing that her own face betrayed her thoughts occasionally as she did so, giving rise to brief bouts of worry or wonder as her eyes darted over the pages. Judging by the rapidity of the changes in expression, it looked like she'd just gotten to a point where the story was getting particularly interesting.

Katsuro's trailing voice found little heed when he didn't follow it up with anything else in particular, leaving the table in silence - at least until Rui returned with drinks for everyone. "Ah, thank you," Kotori said absent-mindedly, almost mumbling the words when the fact that she hadn't actually asked for anything escaped her mind - at least until, a few seconds after the fact, the movement of her eyes stopped mid-sentence for a brief moment. She blinked in brief confusion before glancing up at the glass before her: "Eh?" she went, needing a moment to realise that despite having thought she'd managed to avoid bothering him with an order, Rui had still gotten her a glass as well. Immediately, her guilty conscience resurfaced - and stronger than before, considering that she'd previously thought she'd successfully gotten around being a bother.

Rather than make things more embarrassing than they already were, Kotori quickly held up the book in her hands; partly covering her face as she did and trying to find where she'd just left off a moment ago. However, just as she was about to continue reading, Rui spoke up once more. Kotori's eyes glanced up from the pages and at the boy as he mentioned the meeting place - and that the warehouse they were using until now wasn't exactly the most inviting choice in locations. It was hard to refute that - though in Kotori's mind, she first thought he meant another place to both store both the collection of armaments and the large mirror that served as their entrance to the mirror realm. As such, she had a hard time coming up with a place that would be be more convenient - though after a few moments of imagining a dozen students excusing themselves to the restrooms of a restaurant to slip into the mirrors there, she realised that Rui probably meant something more along the lines of a meeting place to discuss their findings.

Luckily though, she'd managed to avoid embarrassing herself with such misconceptions by simply staying silent as she thought on it, unconsciously adjusting her glasses that had begun to slip while she'd been looking down at her book. She waited for a few moments to see if anyone else broke the silence following Rui's question before she spoke up. "Uhm... a ca-café? Of sorts...? Or..." Kotori's voice trailed off as she glanced between the others; hoping that they might have a more concrete or suitable location in mind.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Ferrero Mall: Yoshida Book Café | After School

Glancing between the others, Ryan was the first to speak up in answering Rui's question; declaring his tastes in books to lie in science fiction and manga before heading off to just those sections. Katsuro, meanwhile, seemed a little more embarrassed as he pointed over toward a similar set of book shelves as Ryan and then walking over. Rui, on the other hand, sounded curious about their respective choices, though evidently not enough to delve for further details. Kotori was quick to avoid his eyes when he looked between those that had answered him - only to almost jump when Ryan suddenly spoke up about enjoying a good mystery novel as well; though evidently not quite enough to not correct his initial enthused exclamation to a slightly more impartial one.

Rui, seemingly intrigued by all this mystery talk, seemed to decide that that was going to be his choice today as he picked up a manga before gesturing towards one of the empty tables and designating it as a meet-up place once everyone had made their choices in turn. Kotori gave a quick nod in agreement as everyone had split up already in search of an interesting book or already heading over to get started on one. Thus left to her devices, she turned her bespectacled gaze to the book shelves before her - the mystery section thankfully being quite close, even if the romance novels received a brief look - and looked over the various titles on display. She made a quick mental list as she went over them, ticking off one after another for a multitude of reasons - she'd already read that one, didn't like the sound of that title or had found that author's writing style not to her particular liking - as she unconsciously brought a finger to her lips, gently tapping against them in thought.

After selecting a few titles for a closer inspection and finally settling on one which she recognised neither title nor author of but which promised to be intriguing if a quick inspection was anything to go by. Before heading back to the table, Kotori quickly checked her phone - both to ensure that it was muted so as to not disturb anyone in the admittedly rather unlikely event of anyone trying to contact her and to see that her mother had replied with a simple OK to her previous message about being home a little later that she'd sent on the way to the café. With all pending matters thusly settled, she glanced about the café to see where the others were - and noticing that there were several other students from Warakuma High School about, though none of whom she recognised for more than their uniform.

Still, there was a small trace of a smile on Kotori's face as she looked down at the book in her hands - the prospect of a good story usually had that effect. Taking a seat at the table where Rui had already found himself a space, Kotori wasted no time and quickly turned the first few pages to get to the beginning of the story. She only noticed the others presences in passing if and when they took a seat as well - or spoke up, as she only realised after a few belated seconds. "Huh?" she went when she realised that Rui had asked a question and having to take a moment to piece together she words she'd heard back into a full sentence in her mind.

"Oh, I-" Kotori started - but then remembered that the last time someone had asked her a similar question, they'd gone ahead and gotten something for her despite her protests and subsequent guilty conscience. As such, she was wary of abusing any such kindness or inconveniencing someone else and thus gave a quick shake of her head mid-sentence: "Ah, I-I mean, I'm fine for the moment. I'll... uhm, get something later." Even though Kotori's tone wasn't exactly the most convincing, she nonetheless felt a small yet still inordinate sense of pride at having managed to avoid any awkwardness so successfully for the second time today - though it didn't last very long before her mind's focus was entirely engrossed in the book before her.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Ferrero Mall: Yoshida Book Café | After School

With everyone in agreement, the small group's destination was decided - and Kotori couldn't help but feel a little excited at the prospect of visiting the book café without having to show up alone and undoubtedly draw some curious attention. Furthermore, the larger the group, the more likely it was that the others would focus on each other - in fact, given that she wasn't exactly the best candidate for holding a conversation more than a few words in length, she remained quiet for most of the way to the mall; only really answering if anyone directed a question at her but otherwise listening to whatever the others might be saying. Given that most everyone had come to school to see the results as soon as they were posted and thus were now free to do what they willed on their first day of summer break, there was quite a large number of other students out and about - often in groups as well, heading to wherever had caught their fancy.

Arriving at the mall, it was quite clear that they weren't the only students here too - most everywhere Kotori looked, she could see at least one or two fellow uniform-clad people. As she looked about, she noticed that there was an undeniable aggregation of high schoolers - mostly from Warakuma High School, though she did spot a few Shoujin Private High uniform here and there - in and around the clothing shops of which there were quite a few in the mall; likely looking for some more summery clothes now that they'd be getting enough opportunities to wear them. Seeing that, Kotori made a mental note for herself - whilst she wasn't in dire need of anything in particular, the summer season starting in full most likely meant that anything that hadn't sold well in spring would likely be on sale and a decent bargain.

As the small group arrived at Yoshida's, Kotori could that it too was popular among her peers - but the sight of the full shelves toward the back of the café did bring a small smile to her face for a brief while. Stepping over the threshold and entering the establishment proper, she gave a small bow in greeting toward the staff at the counter before glancing about the patrons already present. Most of them were sat at the tables and engrossed in the book of their choice, though some had come in pairs or more and were chatting with one another - though it was an unusual mix of atmospheres between a quiet library or bookstore and a lively café, it wasn't an unpleasant one, Kotori thought.

She was abruptly brought out of her reverie when Rui spoke up, addressing none of the three present in particular as he asked them their book preferences. "Huh? Oh, mystery a-ah, uhm, m-mostly..." Kotori said, with what almost might have passed for enthusiasm if it weren't for the usual quietness of her voice - at least until she seemed to stumble over her own words and trailed off. Whilst it was true that she did enjoy the excitement that mystery novels promised, she was also quiet partial to romance novels - but after a quick glance about, she realised that that probably wasn't going to be very interesting for the three boys and thus made her best attempt at not bringing it up even though she'd almost let it slip; silently congratulating herself on her quick thinking at avoiding any embarassment or awkwardness.

Though she did glance between the others, a slight curiosity as to their tastes in books not completely deniable, Kotori's gaze was almost inexorably drawn to the book shelves; her bespectacled eyes passing over the helpful signs that signified which genre any given section corresponded to. As it turned out, she was in luck when she found both sections she was looking for - but though her curiosity as to the selection of mystery novels was most definitely piqued, she hesitated to head over immediately for want of rudely dismissing the others' answers as to their taste in books.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Just as Kotori began hoping that perhaps Katsuro might take her up on the idea that Rui would know better how to teach him how to learn, yet another familiar voice spoke up, calling her by name. "Eh?" was Kotori's immediate response, and not for the first time today. Having been rather more focused on the school floor - which, she incidentally discovered, actually had a regularly repeating, if subtle, pattern to it - Kotori hadn't noticed Ryan approaching and was somewhat taken aback at both his unexpected appearance and question; mostly missing the slight uncertainty in his voice due to her own. "Huh? M-me? Ah, uhm... I-I'm fine, A-Alon-san..." she quietly said in response to Ryan's questions - even if neither her awkward tone of voice didn't exactly lend that statement very much credence.

Still, she was quite thankful for the fact that with more people around, there'd be focus on her - however, this seemed to have quite the opposite effect on Katsuro whose confidence from just a few moments ago vanished into nothingness as he stumbled over his words. He seemed rather distracted as he half-heartedly agreed with Ryan - only to apologise for his previous curiosity. "Ah, n-no, no, it's not, uhm, a bother... Kotori quickly said, shaking her head for emphasis - and feeling her guilty conscience creep back up for having seemingly caused his now apparent discomfort by denying his request so harshly. Concern coloured her features when he momentarily winced as he absent-mindedly drew his fingers over the side of his face covered by his hair - but even as he recovered immediately, Kotori did feel a measure of sympathy for the scarred boy who didn't have the luxury of being able to easily hide his scars.

"Eh?" Another apology caught Kotori by surprise - enough to not even notice Katsuro getting her name not quite right - though she quickly recovered and shook her head. "Ah, no, i-it's fine," she said, even if one would have to be both blind and deaf to not notice that that statement was a bit of a stretch. As he then proceeded to ask some questions - such as where they, if they were friends, happened to go after school. Kotori, however, was rather more busy staring at the ground, a red tinge undeniable on her face - though it was embarrassing to admit, even to herself in her own thoughts, being thought of as friends did have a nice kind of sound to it for the rather hesitant girl.

Luckily though, her embarrassment passed quickly enough for no one to notice, she hoped, before Rui took to answering Katsuro's questions - and in turn reminding her that, besides coming to school to check her results, she did not have any plans yet. When Rui then mentioned the Yoshida book café, Kotori's curiosity was quickly piqued - she'd walked past it a several times already, but never actually gone inside; never quite feeling comfortable with going there alone - after all, a café sounded like a rather trendy place which she had no illusions of being a word anyone would use to describe her. She still remembered her last visit to one when Leiko had practically dragged her to the her friend, Saya's, family business and how she'd felt a little out of place.

Still, the fact that Yoshida's was also a library of sorts did have a certain undeniable appeal to the bookish Kotori. "Ah, I heard that too," she quickly agreed when Rui mentioned their selection of books - only to fumble over her words when she realised that she might have interjected someone else. "Uhm, th-that sounds n-nice. I-I mean... i-if a-anyone else wants to... uhm..." her voice grew quieter before finally trailing off while her hands were once more preoccupied with her skirt - though Rui had put it forth as a suggestion, it might sound a little presumptuous of her to think that anyone else might be interested in going; leaving Kotori to hope that she didn't step on anyone's toes - and to adjust her glasses that were starting to slip downwards from how much she was averting her eyes throughout the whole conversation in her embarrassment..

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Following her words, a brief silence fell between the two students - though the same could not be said for everyone around them as such a large number of people in one spot inevitably made for a lot of noise. Still, when Katsuro didn't reply immediately, Kotori began to faintly hope that he finally realised that there really wasn't anything she could do to help him - but that hope vanished just a moment later when he spoke up again; albeit only to excuse himself for a moment. "Eh?" Kotori went, bringing her eyes briefly up from the ground to blink in confusion - focused as she was on her own troubles, she hadn't quite caught the slight shift in tone and was left to wonder exactly what he was doing as he slowly looked around. It was only when the first few of the previously whispering students slowly backed away or started moving that she realised that he wasn't looking for someone but instead seemed to glaring at them, if only with one uncovered eye given his asymmetrical hairstyle.

Kotori couldn't help but feel a slight bit nervous when his focus turned back to her - and the relief at hearing him finally agree that there was nothing for her to do easily outweighed the cold hint in his voice as he stopped practically waving the money around in front of her. But just as she was about to silently sigh - not having noticed that she'd been holding her breath quite a few times - Katsuro spoke up yet again; this time though asking to instead accompany her and to continue talks on the topic as he did and leaving Kotori rather conflicted. On one hand, she was only too glad to get away from the school after what felt like every single student having witnessed the embarassing scene first hand and he even seemed to have given up on the whole tutoring idea - yet he still seemed quite persistent on somehow trying to get something out of her that she didn't know how to give.

In her discomfort, Kotori was more than a little thankful when a familiar voice made itself heard. "Eh?" she went once again as she looked over to see Rui coming closer, praising their test results and questioning the need for any improvements. Though she couldn't quite suppress further embarassment at the words, she was still glad that he was here - as she would have been for anything which might somehow get everyone's attention focused on anything but herself, even as she gave a small bow in greeting. "Ah, th-thank you, Shinichi-san," she said - though she couldn't help but add "Keeping up studies is important, even during breaks. A-at least, I think..." Her voice trailed off toward the end as she realised, a moment too late, that his had been a rhetorical question.

Still, with Rui's timely arrival, she had yet to answer Katsuro's question - which just left her back in the most unfortunate situation of wishing to decline yet having no way to do so without being rude when all he did was ask nicely. That is, until she realised that perhaps there was no need to: "Ah, uhm, m-maybe Sh-Shinichi-san might know a... better way? I-I mean, there's really nothing special about m-me, so... Her quiet voice had an almost apologetic tone to it as, once more, her gaze was fixed firmly on the ground and her fingers were playing along her skirt's hem; her guilty conscience returning almost immediately in full effect when she realised that it was sounding rather much like she was trying to just push Katsuro's problem onto Rui just because she didn't know what to do about it.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Kotori was still trying to find the right words to somehow convince her classmate that she was the wrong person to put his request forth to - until he spoke up again, more quietly this time. She felt no small measure of relief when he seemed to understand and thus withdraw his question - though she couldn't quite help but feel her guilty conscience creep into her thoughts at not helping someone who was asking something of her. Still, she did prefer this outcome, even if it unfortunately meant that she had to decline her probably dejected classmate's request, as it at least meant that they wouldn't be continuing to undoubtedly draw any more attention to themselves.

Yet just as Kotori was about to thank Katsuro for his understanding and apologise for not being able to help, the boy spoke up once more - with a cheer to his voice that was quite the turn from his previous brief muttering. As it turned out, he hadn't understood what she was trying to say at all - though Kotori couldn't really blame him, considering her attempt at conveying her point hadn't exactly been a shining example of conviction - and instead seemed to be redoubling his effort to get her to somehow teach him when she had no idea how to do so; even going so far as to increase the amount of money he was offering - which only served to further Kotori's embarassment as she was fairly certain, though she daredn't lift her gaze to confirm, that at this point, half the school was either throwing them strange looks or whispering among themselves about the whole scene.

She felt a small pang of guilt when he added a final please to his words - even if his methods seemed a little odd, he still seemed to genuinely want to better himself and was asking her to help him. "N-no, I-, uhm, it's..." she tried, her voice even quieter than usual - only to realise that rather than denying his request, it sounded more like she was answering his question of whether his price was enough. "Ah, ehm, I-I mean i-it's not about that," she quickly added, shaking her head as she did, "A-all I do is, uhm, in class I-I take notes a-and review things at home, s-so, uhm, t-there's really nothing special..." Kotori's ever-growing embarassment and discomfort, which was not exactly hard to see at this point, did not help either the volume of her voice nor the smoothness of her speech in the slightest - in fact, at this point she was already starting to glance around to see if there was perhaps someone else around who might be able to help Katsuro in a way that didn't require her presence or, failing that, just how far exactly they were from the main entrance.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

Between the fact that most students were trying to get to the noticeboard and thus had their backs turned and that those returning seemed far more interested in talking with their friends or else just heading straight out, Kotori didn't immediately see anyone she recognised before she turned to leave. As she did, a voice called out in her direction, causing her to glance back to see that the assumption she'd just made turned out to be wrong when she saw that the person calling was in fact a classmate and recent kidnappee in the form of Katsuro. Seeing as they'd not spoken very much either before or after said kidnapping, Kotori assumed that he was calling out to one of the other students around him and started to turn back around - at least she noticed that he was both heading towards her and looking straight at her.

"Eh?" she went, blinking in surprise as he reached her in short time given his rather brisk pace. As it turned out, she really was the one being called out to as he then spoke up, introducing himself formally and then asking if he could pose a question. Unsure of what exactly he was going to say, Kotori just gave a small nod; the quizzical look upon her face easily giving away her confusion. This confusion immediately turned into embarassment when he mentioned the test results - enough that she barely noticed the calm of his voice and face becoming a little strained.

"Ah, n-no, I..." she weakly started when he mentioend her study methods - but before she could respond that all she did was take notes during school and study at home, he already went on to pull out his wallet to Kotori's further confusion before he explained himself whilst thumbing through a substantially larger number of notes than would be expected of an average highschooler.

Kotori's immediate reaction, besides giving a rather confused look from behind her glasses was a moment of silence followed by another "Eh?" It was a rather strange situation after all - whilst she'd grown somewhat used to requests for studying help, it was the first time someone had offered to pay for them - which was not exactly helped by the fact that they were standing near the main entrance, Katsuro holding out a small stack of notes in her direction much to the murmurs of other passing students; leading Kotori to realise how many eyes were on her.

"N-no, I-, uhm, that is..." she started, quickly waving her hands in front of her to try and deny the request; embarassment evident both in her voice and face. "I-it's not anything special, really, s-so..." she said, trying to find a way to explain. All the while, she kept her eyes firmly locked on the ground before her in an attempt not to notice the other students passing by whilst her unconscious habit of playing with the hem of her skirts made itself known once more.

"I... I don't really know how to... uhm, teach someone, so..." she said, her voice trailing off towards the end - and wishing very dearly that she could be just about anywhere but here at this very moment.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | Monday, July 20 2015 - After School

With both the finals and the last real school day already in the past, there was really only one reason for every student to be at the school - which was also why there was a rather large gathering just beyond the main entrance, centered around the noticeboard. Kotori could already see the crowd before she entered the building - and the prospect of having to navigate it just to see the results of the finals didn't exactly appeal too much, causing her to slow her pace. Even before this, she hadn't been looking forward to this day - with the constant distractions, worries and mirror world excursions courtesy of the Junsei Sekai Tensei, Kotori hadn't felt too confident going into the exams. Besides that, she was somewhat torn between wanting to somehow keep up the results form the mid-terms yet also not drawing as much attention as she'd done - which, all told, had left her somewhat nervous throughout the exam period and thus now even more worried that she may have made some avoidable mistakes.

Reaching the main entrance and stepping inside, Kotori suppressed a yawn before rubbing her eyes behind her glasses - the uncertainties hadn't allowed for very good sleep. Still, she was here now and with good reason - even if that meant trying to somehow make her way through the constantly moving sea of fellow students all with the same goal in mind. It took more than a few minutes and several more whispered "Excuse me" and "Sorry" before she somehow managed to make it all the way to the front. On the way, the students she passed seemed to be in quite a wide range of states - whilst some seemed quite proud of their achievements, most seemed to just be happy to have passed; quite unlike those few whose dejected faces immediately let anyone know that they were bound for remedial classes - a fate that Kotori very much hoped to avoid.

Once at the board, Kotori quickly looked over the list to locate the second year rankings and scanned it for her name - this time starting at the passing grades and slowly working her way up. As she worked her way up, she grew ever more nervous as her own name didn't show up - but just as she was starting to fear that she would have to find herself in the failing section, it turned out that quite the opposite was the case. The surprise at finding herself at 99 points was quite plain to see as Kotori blinked several times just to make sure that she was seeing right - but when nothing changed even after re-adjusting her glasses, a sigh of relief finally came over her lips as she made her way back out of the crowd.

Though she did feel a little guilty for scoring lower than during the mid-terms, Kotori was mostly just relieved to see that not only had she passed but also that she could finally lay to rest all the concerns about her studies throughout the year. It was only when she stepped out of the crowd that she realised that in her search she had neglected to see how either any of her classmates or the other members of the investigation team had done, much to her immediate guilty conscience. However, glancing back at the ever-present crowd, Kotori decided against trying to make her way through it a second time and instead headed for the main entrance to get some fresh air before deciding what to do with the rest of the day; though she did spare a glance over the crowd to see if she might recognise a familiar face therein - though that was a tall order considering the sheer size thereof.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | Saturday, July 11 2015 - After School

As the bell rang, the usual hectic hustle and bustle broke out - even if everyone seemed a little more apprehensive given that it was the last day of regular school before the finals began in earnest next week. Whilst some had already given up hope of avoiding the remedial classes, others seemed to have taken a particularly keen interest in their studies - some had adopted meticulous note-keeping, much like Kotori had been doing all year round, whilst others seemed to be rushing off to the library or other study group - at least, that's how Kotori interpreted the odd change in habits of some of her classmates including Mako.

As for herself, she mostly kept up her usual routine - including today, as she finished her notes from the last class and began packing her things in the by now noticeably emptier classroom; albeit whilst glancing about to see if any more of her classmates or even students from other classes happened to be approaching - with the exams drawing ever nearer, not one day went by without someone asking her for help in their studies. Much to Kotori's chagrin, she'd had to apologise and explain that that was unfortunately - mostly citing things like club activities or helping out at home.

Though these weren't untrue, in truth she also felt far too nervous at the prospect of actually trying to teach someone else - which only served to give her more of a guilty conscience every time she declined such a request. It was a times likes these that she really wished that the results from the mid-terms hadn't been announced for everyone to see - perhaps then she might have been able to stay unnoticed more easily. A small sigh escaped her lips as she headed out of the classroom - thinking on all this wasn't exactly going to help her in any way, she realised and tried to push the thoughts to the back of her mind, limited success though she may have with it.

As she made her way to the school entrance, Kotori passed by several other students who were still hanging about. Though she didn't mean to eavesdrop, it was difficult not to hear the occasional words of ongoing conversations - but unlike at the start of the week, it seemed that the kidnappings had been dropped out of the pool of topics in favour of the upcoming exams or the summer break thereafter. Pushing open the main door, Kotori slowed after just a few steps as she thought on what to do with the rest of the day - besides having set aside some time later in the evening to keep up with her regular studies, she realised that she didn't have anything planned.

Thus Kotori found herself standing not far from the school entrance, internally debating whether to pop into the local library or to head home and hopefully finish the novel she'd been reading for the past few days.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma High School | After School

The bell signalled the end of the lesson and beginning of the usual commotion as many of the students practically fled the classroom; eager to meet up with their friends, clubs or just getting home after a Monday. And, much as usual, Kotori was still in her seat finishing her notes for the day as most everyone filed past her; occasionally looking up and giving a passing greeting if anyone happened to speak to her as they went by but mostly focused on her writing. The classroom was mostly empty by the time she was finished and finally packed her things too - though not with near as much enthusiasm as those before her as a sigh escaped her lips, and not for the first time that day.

Exiting the classroom, she glanced up at the clock and, seeing as there was still a little time before she'd have to head out, decided to at least pay the Agriculture Club a visit - whilst she wouldn't be able to stay for long today, she might at least be able to help with checking up on the by now dozens upon dozens of different flowers and plants that were growing in the clubroom alone. That thought at least brought a small smile to her face as she headed down the hallway - only to abruptly halt in midstep when she heard a familiar voice. In particular, it was Matthew's - and it came in the form of a yell that could be heard down the hall even as she was only approaching the clubroom.

Her pace slowed, Kotori dithered on whether to draw closer to inspect - but after a few moments of deliberation, bit her lip and slowly turned back around. Between having been reassured that letting whatever it was that was happening between her two fellow club members best be left for them to work out between themselves and not knowing what to do or say even if she were asked, Kotori saw this as for the best - even if it didn't feel like it. As she passed through the main entrance, Kotori saw the other half of this predicament, Shizuka, currently preoccupied with the outside garden in the school courtyard - but for much the same reasons, Kotori continued on with but a small wave; unsure whether the other girl would actually see her as she did.

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Hospital | After School

"Take care," the receptionist said cheerfully with a smile as Kotori gave a quick bow and hurried back outside whilst trying not to look too rushed doing so. It was only once outside and taken a seat on one of the benches along the path leading up to the hospital that she took a deep breath and started to feel her inner tension slowly loosening up again. No matter how many times she went, she just never could get used to hospitals - they always gave her an strange feeling of unease, even though she knew rationally that there was no reason for it. Still, at least the check-up had shown no sign of a worsening condition and indeed been mostly positive - but at the same time, she couldn't help but feel a ill at ease knowing that this meant that her forthcoming operation was getting ever closer.

Kotori's malaise was not helped either by the face that she also knew that the two most recent kidnappees were currently in the hospital - and that she hadn't visited them despite having every opportunity to do so. She felt no small measure of guilt at that, but she really didn't want to spend more time inside than she had to. Looking back up at the hospital, she gave a small bow of her head and whispered an apology - it seemed like the least she could do.