"Thaaaaaanks," Mayumi said wearily, as they walked towards the infirmary.
Once inside, Mayumi sat down on the bed. Her serious expression returned and she looked at Suichi with a stern expression on her face.
"Thanks, boy. Listen... anything I'm about to say... please don't say anything about it to anyone else."
She looked at the pillow on the bed.
"Mayumi's going to wake up soon..." she whispered. She took her shoes off with her feet and moved her legs onto the bed.
"It's been tough for her, you know? She's had so many bad things happen to her..."
She looked pained, but she held a tragic smile on her face.
"Please treat her as you've always done. She considers you one of her best friends, you know?" she looked at Suichi, with an almost pleading look.
"Don't tell her about me... it'll bring up too many bad memories."
She lied down on the bed.
"I guess that's it. Until next time... goodbye."
She closed her eyes.
......
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....
...
..
.
"Eh, huh?" Kouhime said, as she felt a tugging on her sleeve.
She looked down to see a young girl beside her. She was asking about her headphones.
"Ah... no, these are..." she tried to explain, but the little girl kept talking, and Kouhime decided it was better to just let it happen.
Her reward was pudding.
"Th-thanks, little girl," she said, smiling slightly, accepting the pudding.
There were very few times where Kouhime's expression wasn't decidedly neutral, but any time she got to eat something sweet, those around her would be treated to a rare sight.
And as she scooped the first spoonful of pudding into her mouth, her expression changed to one of pure bliss.