Shrinking Violet

Moving Forward

~After School~

Ann: "Hiya! Is it cool to come up?"

You: "Mhm!"

You put down the manga you had been reading, placing it to one side as you watched Ann come up the stairs. The final counting of votes would occur tomorrow, and you were pretty excited to see what had become of Shido after your intervention. Your recovery had been going smoothly, with Kasumi coming over every day she could and spending the night whenever too. Today however, her coach called her up, reminding her that she had practice today. With Kasumi busy, Ann had sent you a message, asking if you wanted to hang out.

Ann: "By the way, I brought someone along, hope that's cool!"

You: "Hm? Who'd you-"

As Ann reached the top of the stairs, you saw her companion following her, the familiar face of Shiho Suzui now visible. It had been quite some time since you last saw her, remembering taking her to the roof of Shujin after she finished her rehabilitation in the hospital.

Shiho: "Hi there..."

You: "Shiho! Hey, been a while. How you been?"

Shiho: "Pretty good. How's your recovery going?"

You suddenly realised your condition, remembering your leg was still wrapped up and stitched.

Ann: "I thought Shiho might be able to help! Obviously falling down the stairs isn't the same as what she went through...but still..."

Falling down the stairs? You saw Ann giving you an insistent look, making it clear that she had told Shiho a small lie on how your condition had come about. It made sense, telling her you had been shot would definitely be difficult to explain after all. For now, you played along.

You: "Heh, still telling Sojiro there's a loose board in those rickety old steps. Apologies that you have to see in this state"

Shiho: "It's alright. Your leg will get better eventually, that's what you should focus on"

Ann and Shiho sat down on the couch near to you, continuing the conversation. Shiho began to absent mindedly look around your room.

Shiho: "You have lots of decorations. Though the...stockpile of protein is a bit...confusing, do you work out a lot?"

You: "S-Something like that..."

Shiho: "In any case, I like your room"

You: "Thanks. Still dusty despite all the cleaning, but I can't complain"

Suddenly, Morgana leapt up the sofa and onto Shiho's lap, startling her slightly.

Ann: "Hey! Mona!"

You: "S-Sorry about him!"

Shiho: "It's quite alright, he just startled me a bit...Mona, right?"

Shiho began to pet the feline gently, Morgana clearly enjoying himself despite his disdain for his cat form.

Shiho: "He's very pretty"