Kazuhiko blinks when he hears Hatoko speak. Girls outside of his room? Confused at first, one particular possibility begins to dawn on the man. Lenore? Rising to his feet, Kazuhiko rushes over to the pair and his eyes widen a little. Standing before both of them is the woman that has been the object of his affections for quite some time now. The girl he once loved stands beside him.
"Dr. Stone," says Kazuhiko softly.
"Dr. Kazuma," repeats Lenore somewhat stiffly.
"You know her, then?" asks Hatoko with a suspicious tone to her voice. Kazuhiko glances over at the woman and nods. Lenore simply keeps her arms at her side. Her gaze lies somewhat between the pair.
"She's a colleague of mine," says Kazuhiko calmly, "I believe she has some paperwork that she needs to go over with me, Hatoko, so if you'll excuse us – we'll talk tomorrow like I said." Hatoko nods a little and gives Lenore one last glance before walking past her.
"Have a good night, Kazu-san!" she calls before disappearing down the hall. Kazuhio exhales softly once Hatoko leaves and then turns away from Lenore.
"Won't you come in, Lenore?" he says gently before entering the room himself. Lenore stands in absolute silence. One of her arms has moved up so that the hand can touch the sleeve of the opposing arm. It's clear that she feels awkward, but she does not speak of it. Instead, she simply follows Kazuhiko in and heads straight for the window.
"So," she says after a full minute of silence between them, "She… Came back. That was her, wasn't it?"
"Yes," says Kazuhiko from where he now sits on his desk, "That is her. She came to my house this morning."
"I see," replies Lenore while placing a hand on the window. She allows the cool feeling of the glass to seep into her skin. Staring out at the night sky, Lenore begins to contemplate what she's even doing here.
"I suppose I should be going then," she says finally.
"Why?" asks Kazuhiko with a touch of disappointment in his voice, "You don't have to go, Lenore. I'd like you to stay."
"Why?" echoes Lenore, "So you can sit here and compare me to her all evening? I don't want to be caught up in your mental struggle, Kazuhiko." She sighs softly before continuing, "I don't… Want this entire evening being spent on you trying to figure out just how much you still love this girl. Just… Just go on and have your fun with her tomorrow. Tell her you'd love to get together with her and… Be happy!"
Kazuhiko finds himself unable to reply to Lenore. He can only stare at her and then look away. Lenore, taking this as a sign of the inevitable, folds her arms across her chest and sighs once again.
"Dr. Kazuma," she says calmly, "There's nothing wrong with it, alright? Please. I want you to be happy. We've been together through our childhood and now… Please. Don't make this difficult for yourself. Don't worry about me either. My life is my work anyway. I don't have time to waste on romance and relationships." Turning to look at Kazuhiko, she smiles, but the sadness in her eyes cannot be denied.
"Lenore, I…" begins Kazuhiko, but he finds himself unable to continue.
"It's alright, Kazuhiko," insists Lenore, "Please. You're not going to be hurting me. I don't know how I feel about anyone anyway. Besides, I shouldn't be worrying about that right now. I have a lot of paperwork still sitting on my desk, so… I should get to work on that. Take care of yourself, Kazuhiko. After all…" Glancing back out the window, she smiles weakly at the skyline, turns and heads for the door. A hand reaches up to brush at her hair idly.
"Tomorrow, the sun will rise. We'll still have jobs to do and lives to live. Time doesn't stand still for anyone. Good luck, Dr. Kazuma. I hope everything works out for you."
Without another word, Lenore opens the door, steps out into the darkened hallway and closes the door behind her. Then, and only then, does a solitary tear escape from the corner of her eye as she looks up at the ceiling. The pain seeps deep into her being. Finding thought impractical, she quietly turns and heads back toward her office.