Honoured and the Damned

Chapter 6: Shiawase

"We should go buy you new clothes."

Satoru and Suguru paused their pissing contest and glanced at Shoko. Aiko too looked up from her place from across Shoko and tilted her head, silently asking why. In response, Shoko eyed her clothes with barely hidden distaste.

"Seen the way your clothes are falling apart yet?" Aiko scowled at the remark but looked down nonetheless, the boys too glanced over her and nodded their heads as if agreeing with Shoko.

"I'll just go buy something later," She said and nodded at the food on their table. Shoko shook her head in disagreement and tsked. "We have missions later remember? This is free time so we should enjoy right now." Aiko added as she finally slapped Satoru's hand for invading her plate of food. Shooting a dirty look at him when he tried to do it again. Satoru pouted as he held back, changing his direction to take a piece of sushi from Suguru's plate instead. Suguru looked at him with a sigh but didn't otherwise berate him.

"Missions come and go, we should still spend some time together!" Aiko leaned back in her seat, plastering her back to the leather as she thought back to the teenage Shoko that she knew of. The image of the usually aloof, typically calm-headed girl from the anime did not match the teenager in front of her.

The one in front of her was bright, mischievous, and had a mean streak so obvious that it made her double-take sometimes. While the one in the anime was more reserved, she was great too, but she did not have the bright eyes that the person in front of Aiko possessed. That Shoko was more subdued and did not show signs of great attachment towards anyone.

But the one in front of her...

Aiko picked up her latte, bringing it close to her lips. She tried to hide the way she clenched her jaws in front of Shoko and decided to try and see if what she thought was the reason for such a change in Shoko's character.

"... And why don't we go watch a movie later?" She put down her teacup and looked and Shoko as she asked. "Since we are going to the movies anyway we can spend the whole day to—" Aiko stumbled in her words as Shoko jumped from her seat to envelop her in a hug. Suguru hurriedly took the cup from her hands so that she didn't accidentally pour it on anyone. Satoru fumbled with his hands as he tried to catch the two girls from falling off the seat, before hesitantly settling on holding Aiko and another on Shoko's waist. Shoko looked no different and appeared to be used to it while Aiko made eye contact with him, and softly removed his grip as soon as she found her balance. Nodding her head at Satoru in silent thanks as she did so before finally breaking off their eye contact.

"You better be thankful to Geto-san for holding my coffee." Shoko nodded but did not extract her hands from around Aiko. Aiko tapped her legs from where they had been around her waist silently asking Shoko to move but she instead tightened her grip.

"So what are your thoughts?" Aiko asked as she sat back down with Shoko on her lap. Suguru quietly slid back her latte while Satoru hovered over for a second for them to settle down. The boys looked at each other's faces as they telepathically questioned each other.

While the boys did that, Shoko found herself being softly patted on her back. She looked out from the corner of her eyes to confirm what she already knew. Aiko was doing it unconsciously, and unlike what the usually stoic-faced girl liked to express in public, she appeared to like physical affection.

Aiko on the other hand, thought over the conversation and all that followed in her head before concluding what she always thought about the Shoko in the anime. 'She was lonely. Shoko was there with them, but at the same time, she wasn't. She wanted her classmates in her life, unlike them who let go of their friendship because of each other. She wanted to be a part of their friendship and not just someone who they came for because they needed healing.'