At no point in her life had Mina ever thought herself immune to criticism. Her attitude and behaviour – both in and out of school – had been the subject of many a lecture, and although she could recall one or two instances when she'd believed the feedback had been unfair, she knew everything said about her was with pure intentions. A verbal scolding was not uncommon for her following an error committed. But nobody – not even her closet friends, teachers or own mother – had ever reprimanded her as critically as Tokoyami had.
Her inner child who refused to accept responsibility desperately wanted to possibly deflect some of the blame on to another individual and divide the guilt. The most ideal candidate was Toru, but Mina immediately abolished the terrible thought, cursing herself internally for ever pondering it. She could never accuse her friend of something so unfair and unjustified. Nobody else could be held partially liable for her actions. She'd been the one to neglect the work until the very last second, and that was purely her fault alone. This was the bed she'd made, and now she'd have to lie in it.
Upon being alerted to the sound of a knock at her door, Mina lazily returned to a comfortable position on her bed.
"Bubs, are you alright in there?"
Under any other circumstance, Mina wouldn't have hesitated to confide in her mother. But the incident that had transpired was an event that Mina didn't wish for them to know about, considering they of all people were the most concerned about her attitude when it came to school work. Tokoyami had been very disappointed to discover she hadn't completed her work. Mina didn't want to imagine how her mother would react.
Rather than answer, Mina refrained from. Ignoring a direct address was not respectful at all, but she wasn't it any mood or condition to be speak with anybody yet.
"OK, let's try this again... If you can't hear me, don't say anything."
The forced enthusiasm was noticeable. Mina admired her mother's efforts to try and inject some humour, but their attempts were not improving her mood at all. Mina wondered if how she felt in the moment – uncomfortable and uneasy – was how others felt when she herself tried to cheer them up with comedy.
"Mina, will you please answer me? J-just let me know that you're alright. Just…just say something."
The urgency and desperation in her mother's tone wounded Mina. How she wished she could summon the courage to confide in her mother, but doing so would also involve explaining the situation.
The tension was palpable as Mina waited for her mother's response – if any. But rather than continue to plead, Mina received an unexpected announcement.
"OK, then. You've made yourself loud and clear. Or…you haven't, I guess. I'll…stop pestering you then."
A part of Mina's being compelled her to answer the door, envelop her mother in a tight embrace and apologise for unintentionally causing them such distress and fear. But her rational and practical side reminded her that an approach like that wasn't mature at all. Instead, after some resistance, Mina concluded that informing her mother that she was safe was the most sensible action. She might not have been prepared to explain the entire situation just yet, but she believed they still deserved to know about her wellbeing.
Mina removed herself from her bed and tentatively approached her door. Before exiting, she examined her mirror and hastily wiped the remaining tears saturating her face. She didn't want to reveal to her mother that she had in fact been crying, if ever so briefly.
After unlocking the door, Mina held her breath and reluctantly revealed herself. She didn't, however, discover her mother outside. But upon closer inspection, she noticed her parent had proceeded farther down the hallway. The sound of the door opening had evidently captured their attention.
Upon making eye contact, Mina recoiled and obstructed her view behind the door; concern on her mother's face had always been a very difficult sight to digest. Before Mina could retreat back inside her room and bury herself beneath her bedsheets, her mother appeared before her. After such an embarrassing display, Mina couldn't bring herself to address them in the eyes. But it was only after she hesitantly did she realise she'd been right to do so. Mina had spent the duration of her afternoon solemnly reflecting upon the incident. But the hopeful and inspiring smile presented by her mother supplied her with the relief and reassurance she desperately desired.
Her mother extended her arms and offered an embrace. Mina did not hesitate to return it.
"I'm fine, alright? See? I'm… fine."
"You're not. I can tell something's upset you."
"I'm not… 'upset'. "It's – I'm just…"
Failing to find the appropriate words to describe her condition, Mina fell silent.
"May I come in?"
Mina shook her head softly, hoping very much her mother would not be disappointed.
"What's happened? You can tell me."
"I don't want to talk about it…"
"You know that isn't healthy. Whatever it is, I'm sure we can come up with a solution if we talk about it together."
"Look, something happened at school today, and I…"
Mina controlled herself before she could potentially reveal anything more.
"Are you in trouble?"
"No. But I've still…"
Mina very much hated lying to her mother, especially when they only wished to help her. After repeatedly disguising her true emotions and misdirecting information, Mina understood very well why Tokoyami had accused her of being deceitful and dishonest.
Her mother offered a hopeful smile. "Is there anything I can do? Do you want me to contact the school?"
"There's nothing you can do about it. I…I just want to be alone right now. I want to be by myself."
Mina was confident such a request would be met with resistance from her mother, and even she herself didn't feel completely comfortable being alone with her thoughts. Memories of her experience with Toru the night earlier resurfaced, and Mina hoped ever so much she too wouldn't devolve into such a state.
But after a moment of inactivity, she was treated to a nod of affirmation from her mother, smiling weakly. "Alright. I'll… get out of your hair then. Just know that I'm right out here if you ever need to talk about anything."
Mina acknowledged with a meek smile. "I know."
"And if you feel like you might need to cry, then you probably should. It's unhealthy to bottle up emotions. Sometimes the best thing you can do is to just let it all out."
Such advice was unexpected but not unwelcome. Throughout her life, Mina had come to understand that crying was one of the most consistently effective methods of releasing tension, distress and anger. But the time for tears had long since passed. She'd already shed enough on the way home from school.
"I'm not gonna cry" reassured Mina. "I just need some time to think about some things."
"I understand." Her mother smiled uneasily. "I'll leave you to it, then." Before allowing her to close the door, they motioned towards the end of the hallway. "I'm just gonna be out here if you need to…"
"I will. I promise."
"OK. I love you."
"…I love you, too."
After bidding her mother farewell, Mina gently closed the door, releasing a deep exhale that she hadn't realised she'd been holding in for so long. Resting back down upon her mattress, Mina hastily enveloped her face in her palms in an effort to suppress the tears she so desperately wanted to shed. Despite her conviction, Mina was beginning to reconsider adopting her mother's advice. After all, weeping profusely was just about the only thing she was consistency successful at.
Mina's eyes fell upon the assignment task-sheet resting upon her bedside table, almost taunting her. Mina studied the task-sheet intensely before hastily retrieving. It had originally been Tokoyami's copy; after she'd neglected to bring her own, he'd offered his own and even gone to the effort of highlighting the aspects and components she'd volunteered to research. In a fit of impulsive rage, Mina scrunched the paper into a ball and angrily tossed it across her room. Following this, Mina collapsed back onto her mattress, retrieved her pillow and nuzzled her face into it.
Mina very much despised herself falling back into her old habits when it came to homework. But nothing caused her greater remorse than the knowledge that she'd once again betrayed a fellow classmate; the very same person who – in spite of their glaring dissimilarities and lack of prior interaction – had still bestowed upon her so much confidence and encouragement, citing things about her that nobody else had ever before. Tokoyami hadn't just trusted her; he'd made it quite clear that he believed in her; believed that even she was capable of greatness despite her many flaws. And what had she done with such profound support and inspiration? She'd gone and wasted it all; not unlike how she'd wasted her time for the duration of the week.
Tokoyami's harsh, unfiltered words had been accompanied by a tangible layer of truth and honesty. Everything he'd said about her – about her as a person and a student – had been completely true and irrefutable. Why on Earth did she ever think she was capable of earning his respect and admiration? That boat had long since sailed. If she hadn't already sabotaged her chances of a potential constructive relationship before, she certainly had now after abusing his trust. Even though he hadn't exactly expressed it verbally, Mina understood what he might've been insinuating. Tokoyami had been right to criticise her so harshly; she didn't possess the qualities of a potential hero. A real hero would never abandon their responsibilities.
Rolling back over onto her stomach, Mina found herself repeating her most recent thoughts. What she'd processed – it almost sounded like the type of information Tokoyami had entrusted her to write about. Her absent-minded thought had only been the beginning as she soon found herself pondering even further. The insecurities and difficulties she experienced when it came to organisation and responsibilities – could they also be applied to professional hero work? Could these be classified as 'physiological components'?
Resting on her knees, Mina felt her heart and mind race with anticipation, and after anxiously patting her thighs to keep her train of thought active, Mina's sight eventually settled upon her laptop. She hastily retrieved it – but not before recovering the task sheet she'd discarded.
Mina activated her laptop and unfolded the paper, carefully inspecting Tokoyami's points of interests to be certain she was on the right track. Mina couldn't tell what kind of energy it was that she found herself reinvigorated with, but properly identifying it was not a priority. All she knew as that she needed to document these thoughts before they escaped her.
Because of Dark Shadow's seemingly limitless energy, even the simple act of trying to fall asleep sometimes proved difficult for Fumikage. His partner hadn't been the only restless individual that night, however. It hadn't been Dark Shadow that'd kept him awake rather the confronting and debilitating memories of his encounter with Mina Ashido. How he wished the event had just been a twisted dream conjured by his sub-conscious, but to his disappointment and frustration, it hadn't been.
Fumikage did not typically experience resistance or disinterest in attending school. But in his current emotional condition, he didn't feel motivated at all. After his behaviour the day earlier, he didn't believe he deserved to be in that class anymore. No self-respecting student would ever mistreat another classmate in a similar manner to how he did. If he didn't feel compelled to attend, he dreaded to imagine how she might be feeling.
Unlike classrooms, specific seating arrangements for lunchtime did not exist, meaning students were permitted to sit and converse with whoever they pleased. However, the available tables were almost always dominated by students of the same gender. Fumikage was one such student who operated by this. The students he did often find himself seated with were not those he was especially familiar with either, and because of this conversations weren't terribly common. Fumikage, however, did not mind. He liked to believe the students he associated with like Todoroki and Shoji also derived comfort from stillness and silence.
It wasn't uncommon for female students like Uraraka or Asui to visit their table, and under any other circumstance, he wouldn't be bothered at all. The appearance of Mina Ashido, however, evoked great concern and apprehension.
Fumikage knew it'd only been a matter of time before they would eventually speak; he just didn't know where or when. Her unanticipated appearance during lunch wouldn't have normally caught his attention, but for the better part of the day he'd been on alert for. In fact, he lead himself to believe that in due time he'd be approached by one her friends or even one of the members of staff who'd promptly escort him to the principal's office.
Fumikage discreetly monitored her out of the corner of his vision as she eagerly conversed with Kirishima and Kaminari, recounting the difficulty each of them experienced with the Maths test. Once again, Ashido's apparent emotional recovery was quite confronting to observe. Either she'd moved on or she was remarkably adept at disguising her emotions.
Confronting him was seemingly not her motivation, and this knowledge offered Fumikage some relief and put him at ease. However, he wasn't able to return to his bowl of fruit salad for very long. Dark Shadow unexpectedly ushered for him to be calm. Though his gaze was affixed to the table, he was still able to discover a student's body on the opposite side of the tale. The pair of pink hands folded across their waist confirmed who it was.
Fumikage noticed she'd fallen silent, which was unusual considering how active she'd been no less than a few minutes earlier. Her refrain from speaking also implied that she didn't know he was aware of his presence, and in order to maintain the illusion that he hadn't noticed her yet, Fumikage continued to stare at the table pensively. This illusion was immediately broken by an unexpected display. Fumikage watched as one of her hands waved in his direction to capture his attention.
After some encouragement from Dark Shadow, Fumikage decided to acknowledge her. But to his shock, she didn't appear frightened, disgruntled or despondent. Instead, she greeted him with an enthusiastic smile.
"Hey, do you have a sec? There's something I wanna show you."
Fumikage had never been a terribly sociable person, but the display that he'd just witnessed had rendered him speechless. Had Mina Ashido – the very student he'd verbally assaulted – just addressed him in that manner? Was this some kind of farce? Had she forgotten about the way he mistreated her the day earlier? Fumikage couldn't begin to understand her possible motivation. Even Dark Shadow couldn't make sense of the situation.
So distracted by his thoughts and emotions, Fumikage hadn't noticed their hopeful smile had faltered into one of unease.
"I'm interrupting, aren't I? Sorry. I'll… come back another time – when you're finished."
"No!"
Fumikage's unexpected ascension to his feet in addition to his exclamation captured the attention of his classmates. The sight of two assignment partners possibly having a disagreement or argument was a scene Fumikage did not wish to potentially convey, and in order to keep up the illusion that everything was fine, he elected to better explain himself in an effort to recover.
Clearing his throat, Fumikage acknowledged. "I'm…available."
Despite her lingering visible embarrassment, a weak, appreciative smile was still able to appear. "This won't take long…"
The unease and uncertainty in her tone confirmed that the enthusiasm and energy she'd been projecting before had been a façade. When ever faced with challenge or adversity, Fumikage often times accessed his archive of knowledge and insight for information that could hopefully applied to the situation he found himself in. And today, he reiterated the guidance he'd received from his mother the night earlier after he'd confided in her.
"The best thing you can do is just face the music and apologise."
Fumikage repeated her words for further encouragement and motivation. Although pursuing it provoked apprehension, it was the most sensible thing to do. The first step to possibly resolving the situation and making amends was to apologise. He was prepared to take responsibility for his actions.
And with this attitude in mind, Fumikage politely excused himself from the table and accompanied her. Kirishima reassured they would protect his lunch in his absence. There were greater concerns Fumikage harboured than the whereabouts of his food.
Are you feeling alright? Your heart's racing.
Fumikage reassured his partner that he would persevere.
You've got this. You know what you need to do. Just say you're sorry. Just apologise.
Certain that he was an appropriate distance from Ashido, Fumikage whispered pleadingly under his breath, urging for Dark Shadow to be still for the time being.
"Please don't get involved. I need to do this myself."
I'm not gonna say anything. I promise. You can do this. Just remember to relax and focus on what you're gonna say.
Dark Shadow's continued support and encouragement meant more to Fumikage than the entity knew.
Mr. Aizawa's office had been the first location Fumikage had thought he'd be escorted to; if not, possibly another teacher's. After all, teacher's lounge was in the very direction they were heading, and Ashido's repeated inspections behind her to confirm if he was still following implied his attendance was crucial. However, Fumikage had been so preoccupied with his internal rehearsals that he hadn't realised she'd come to a complete halt.
Fumikage found himself outside their homeroom by their designated row of lockers. After a moment of inactivity, Ashido eventually turned to address him. Fumikage studied her with concern. Had she hesitated from continuing or had they'd really arrived at her intended destination? Ashido examined their surroundings. It was clear that Ashido had escorted him to a secure and private location away from external eyes and ears.
Moments of uncomfortable silence between them hadn't been uncommon, but reminiscing upon their last interaction had made this session particularly tense and unbearable. Dark Shadow encouraged him to speak, but Fumikage couldn't summon the courage to do so just yet. Before he proceeded, he believed she deserved to explain why she'd wished to consult him in private.
Ashido presented a contrite expression. "I didn't embarrass you just then, did I? I really shouldn't have bothered you while you were eating."
"…That wasn't the case at all."
"That's…good. I was really afraid I might've…"
The passion she typically exhibited was noticeably absent. It was evident that trying to appear enthusiastic and jovial was causing her difficulty.
Ashido offered an uneasy smile. "You were pretty awesome today, just like always."
Fumikage understood what she was referencing to. Such praise had been unexpected given the circumstance, but he still acknowledged her feedback. "…Thank you. Your performance was exceptional, as well. You were a real asset to your team." He hadn't exaggerated. The ingenuity and resourcefulness she'd demonstrated during their scheduled exercise when she'd created an escape route with her Quirk to allow her teammates to escape had been nothing short of incredible. Fumikage knew he hadn't been the only student impressed with her efforts.
Ashido scoffed half-heartedly. "We both know that's a lie." Her self-deprecating remark was eventually accompanied by a bashful smile. "Thanks" she whispered, "I…try to help out in any way I can." Her smile almost disappeared immediately. "OK, now that's a lie…"
Before he could protest, Fumikage was suddenly distracted by Ashido bringing a hand to her mouth in disbelief. "What was I gonna…?"
Fumikage watched with uncertainty as Ashido drummed her fingers across her lips feverishly, a look of fear on her face as she concentrated intently elsewhere. This continued for several seconds before Ashido dropped her hands by her side.
Ashido sighed with disappointment. "Goddammit. I spent the whole morning rehearsing what I was gonna say in front of the mirror. But now that I'm actually here… I've forgotten how I was supposed to start."
Fumikage refrained from speaking to allow her to recover.
Biting her lip, Ashido fidgeted with her sleeves restlessly. "About…yesterday…"
As he solemnly anticipated, the real subject for discussion had been revealed; her attempts at polite and welcoming conversation had no doubt been an effective topic to begin with before seguing.
"You deserve to know that… I'm really – I never meant to…"
Listening to her speak in such an anxious, disjointed manner wounded Fumikage deeply. Had he really hurt her so much that she was now unable to address him anymore?
Ashido's attempts at speaking continued before she finally relented, sighed with defeat. "Sorry, this is… really hard for me." She waved her hand dismissively. "Just forget it. Forget I was going to say anything."
Fumikage wanted to protest and reassure that she was not the one who needed to apologise. But before he could, he hesitated upon witnessing Ashido silently migrate towards her locker. After removing the lock, she accessed her bag and proceeded to retrieve something from inside. Certain it'd be a drink bottle or a packed lunch, Fumikage became quite curious after discovering it was a selection of documents secured inside a plastic sleeve.
"This is for you" she whispered softly, offering it. "It's the work I owe you. I did it last night."
Fumikage studied the assortment of pages. No doubt she'd completed the work in response to his accusations. The very thought of her possibly over-exhausting herself trying to complete something that might've been a little too unreasonable for her in the first place caused Fumikage a great deal of guilt. He'd never meant to pressure her.
Disheartened, Fumikage shook his head softly. "You really didn't need to-"
"Yes, I did" she interrupted, "and you know that I needed to."
Ashido stared at him in silent anticipation, and after some hesitation, Fumikage accepted the work. The title, written in bold, black text, immediately caught his attention: 'Psychological Components for Potential Heroes'.
"How many pages have you compiled?"
"Five? Six? I don't know. Sorry, about that, by the way. The font size might be a little bigger than it's supposed to be." She smiled nervously. "I didn't realise how many pages there were until I printed them all out."
At first glance, he estimated the first page would've contained at least five hundred words – and that had only been the first few paragraphs following the 'introduction'. "There's a considerable amount of text here."
"Yeah, I think I might've gone a teensie-weensie bit overboard and written more than I was expected to. I hope that isn't a problem…"
"What was the word count in total?"
"Ooh, golly, I can't remember the exact number. It was something like…twenty-three hundred and a bit, I think."
Fumikage stared at her in disbelief. "Truly?"
"Yeah…"
"You… wrote all of this?"
Ashido laughed uneasily. "It's hard to believe, right? I know. Even I can't accept that I wrote all of that. I don't mean to sound like I'm patting myself on the back or anything, but it was pretty easy, actually. I just did what I should have been doing for the past week: I just sat down and boosted it out. No distractions this time. Not anymore. Five hundred words was actually a piece of cake, but once I got started…I just couldn't stop, y'know? I'd…I'd fallen into a groove and I couldn't put it down." She extended her tongue whimsically. "I… actually fell asleep with my laptop resting on top of me. I literally tuckered myself out from working so hard. I didn't mean to write so much. I just thought… I should really do a little bit more than I'm expected…after I…" She hesitated before continuing. "It's all mine, by the way. I swear I didn't plagiarise anything. Well, OK, that's not mine." She motioned towards a page in particular that featured a series of interview questions from professional heroes. "I mean, yeah, I did hop online to look at some websites and articles, but I didn't copy and paste anything. I wrote every word there."
The return of genuine enthusiasm and excitement in her voice reassured him that she'd spoken honestly. Fumikage removed another page. The language depicted was unmistakably hers. Even after listening to her rational and elaborate explanation of the process, Fumikage still couldn't processe all the information he'd been offered – and not just what was presented on paper. He was truly at a loss for words. After the way he'd treated her, he never expected her to ever try and contact him again. But to produce an entire essay of research and writing in such a short period was truly spectacular.
Fumikage hadn't realised he'd been silent for such an extended period until he discovered Ashido's hopeful, expectant gaze. Still reeling from this discovery, not even several years of experience at suppressing emotions was able to help him contain the small smile that graced his face.
"I'm…impressed. I really am. This is beyond what I could've expected, and so much more than I could've asked you to do. Writing a piece of this depth and length in one night is such an incredible feat. I'm not even sure I could write so much in a single sitting – even if I were to concentrate purely on the task."
Mina snorted. "I know you could. Somebody as smart and driven as you could easily write a whole book in the time it takes for me to go to the bathroom or something. You don't have to read it now if you don't want to. But if you could just, y'know, skim through it…"
"I will. I promise. And… thank you. This is nothing short of incredible."
Mina laughed half-heartedly. "Guess I'm not as completely useless as we thought, huh?"
Memories of the encounter resurfaced in his mind, and reflecting upon the brutal words expressed had not become any less difficult for Fumikage. He still couldn't believe those words had been his own.
A moment of silence graced them once more, and Fumikage elected to capitalise on the situation and properly apologise for his actions. Expressing himself clearly and concisely had never been one of his strongest qualities. He hoped ever so much she would understand what he wished to convey.
Closing his eyes, Fumikage bowed his head and brought a hand to his chest. "I owe you an apology."
"No, you don't-"
"I do. How I treated you yesterday was unforgivable. I was…cruel and hurtful, and you never deserved to -"
"Stop."
Fumikage stammered upon being interrupted. "I'm-"
"No, stop." Ashido extended a hand anxiously, ushering for him to cease. "Please…please, just stop. OK? You don't need to say anything. This is not your fault. You've done nothing wrong. You weren't the one who ignored their responsibilities for over a week. You weren't the one who lied repeatedly to try and hide their mistakes. You're… you're not the one who's probably gonna fail…a-and drop out of school."
"That's not true" he reassured, "that won't happen."
"It will. I know it's gonna happen. After lying straight to your face and constantly letting you down, you had every right to be angry with me. I deserved to be called-out like that. I think I've always needed somebody to, actually – for years, now. I just wished somebody had before I was enrolled here. That way, I might not have…"
Releasing an exhale, Ashido folded her hands over her waist, visibly concentrating before continuing. "What you said about me yesterday really stuck with me, and it really helped put things in perspective. You're right; I don't care about my learning. I'm lazy and irresponsible, and I just don't give a sh*t about anything. I am so ungrateful, honestly. There are people my age who have studied and trained every single day of their life just for the chance to hopefully be accepted here, and they weren't. I was one of the lucky people. And what do I do? I fall asleep in class, ignore my homework, argue with teachers, and so much more. This school is a place where so many people's dreams can come true, and I'm just wasting this opportunity; wasting somebody else's opportunity. I don't deserve to be here. People like you – students who actually care about their learning – they're the ones who deserve a future. I don't."
Ashido hastily brought a sleeve to her eyelids before whimpering softly.
Listening to Ashido speak so unforgivingly about herself was particularly difficult and unbearable. How he wished he were able to articulate the words he so desperately desired to allow him to properly explain and reassure that she was not at fault; that he did not think less of her for struggling to complete a task of work in time. How he wished there was something – anything –he could do to support and relieve her of the issues plaguing her. The impulse to support her was not exclusive to just him for Dark Shadow reciprocated his compulsion to comfort her. His options were ultimately every limited. To avoid potentially overstepping a boundary, Fumikage refrained from acting upon his instinct, much to his frustration and disappointment.
After a moment of tense silence, Ashido seemingly recovered, offering him an apologetic smile. "You probably know all too well by now that I'm terrible when it comes to expressing myself. I've never been very good at apologising, and certainly not after I've done something to really piss somebody off. So, instead…" she motioned to the sleeve, "this is my way of saying 'sorry' and to hopefully make up for my mistakes. I know it doesn't mean much, and but I still wanted to leave you with something before we…"
Realising what she was insinuating brought Fumikage to loathe himself even more intensely. Declaring that he'd complete the assignment without her input had been truly foolish and pretentious of him.
Fumikage was suddenly treated to the sound of the young woman's hands patting her thighs feverishly. "So… she announced with forced enthusiasm, "if you could just give that a read, I'd…really appreciate it. It's probably all rubbish, honestly, and I don't know if it's gonna help you with the assignment, but if any part of it could go towards it, that'd be fantastic." She offered a weak smile. "Good luck with the assignment, by the way. It's a tall order for one person to complete an entire project meant for two people, but if anybody can do it, it's you."
Given his record for work submission, he knew not even – the most consistent of the two when it came to assignments – was capable of producing an entire project of research and writing for two. After verbally assaulting her, he doubted she'd ever be motivated to speak with him again much less reconsider participating. But after this unexpected demonstration of effort and commitment, Fumikage was immediately reminded why he'd believed in her originally. He knew that, despite her difficulties and struggles, she had always been capable of producing fine work if she summoned the drive to.
It was for all these reasons and more that Fumikage became compelled to ask her if she would feel comfortable at all of they resumed working on the assignment together – as partners. But before he could express a single word, he was silenced once again.
"Anyway" announced Ashido, bringing her hands together. "I've kept you from your lunch for long enough, now. I'll…let you get back to it."
Before Fumikage could possibly inquire in her further, her attention became affixed to floor as she migrated away from him and slowly ventured down the hallway. Following her movements, before departing, she rotated around and reluctantly offered him a 'peace sign' with her fingers.
"I'll see you around" she whispered solemnly before turning face once more.
Fumikage's gaze did not yield until she completely disappeared from sight.
With the only noise still prevalent being the faint chorus of students congregating outside, Fumikage was now completely alone with his thoughts, a sleeve of potential information to be assessed and wealth of insight offered to him to reflect upon. A part of his being still harboured intense regret for failing to properly apologise for his behaviour. But his most recent exchange with her had certainly left him with a lot to digest.
"Well, that just happened…"
Fumikage reciprocated Dark Shadow's disbelief. Mina Ashido's display of maturity and professionalism, acknowledging her faults and even going so far as to try and atone for them, had evoked many unexpected emotions in him. But above all, Fumikage was tremendously impressed with her initiative. There'd been a reason he'd always anticipated their time together, and he'd just been reminded why.
"Aren't you gonna go after her?"
Fumikage elected not to. Such an intense and passionate confession had understandably been quite difficult for her, and he believed she deserved some time to recover. He would not provoke her any further than he already had. Properly apologising and possible asking for her participation again was still a goal he wished to pursue, but that would have to wait for the time being. After all, there was an important piece of text that demanded his immediate attention.