Catch-all: Ms. Shinobu

[swordflash]

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[wisterin]

... You won't talk about it with me?

[ That's what she's getting. ]

Or do you not want to talk about it at all?

[swordflash]

[ Thoroughly lost in his thoughts, he startles before flashing her an apologetic smile. He reaches up to rub the back of his head. ]

It's nothing much, really. I was just daydreaming at the time.

[ No one needs to hear about the choice words and shifts in demeanor that reminded him of a different week. Everyone was probably fed up back then, so he won't dig up awkward memories for anybody—Shinobu, (almost) most of all. ]

[wisterin]

Don't lie to me, Zenitsu-kun.

[ Her tone is still light, but there's a thread of steel behind it. ]

Do not take me for a fool. If it is something you don't want me to know, say so.

[swordflash]

Huh?

[ His expression slips.

Is it a lie? Wasn't he daydreaming when he saw the smile that took him back to those brief days of undying love, no longer leveled at him since? Isn't the pang he felt in his heart upon realizing that someone brought such tender happiness to the person who often frowned at him irrelevant to everything that's going on? It's petty, right?

It's selfish. So why should Shinobu be burdened by any of this? ]

It's . . .

[ He doesn't look her in the eyes as he grasps for the words. In the end, he finishes very simply. ]

It's for just me to know.

[wisterin]

[ It's a lie because it's not nothing much. It may not be relevant to finding out who a murderer is or anything like that, but it's something.

She sighs. ]

That's fine. That's all you had to say in the first place.

[ She's not going to press. ]

[swordflash]

[ That's what he usually says—not in those exact words, but he's buried more than one matter with easy assurance or another topic altogether in the company of others. This is what he gets for letting his thoughts drift in front of Shinobu.

His cheeks color faintly in embarrassment. ]

Yes, ma'am.

[wisterin]

[ Softly: ]

Is it something you can't trust with anyone else?

[swordflash]

I trust you, Ms. Shinobu.

[ He doesn't hesitate to tell her that much. ]

But this is something I'd rather handle on my own.

[wisterin]

[ There's a thoughtful pause. ]

All right. I hope it's nothing that festers by keeping silent.

[swordflash]

[ It'll be fine. It always will be. It wouldn't be the first time and he can't be mad: That person is worthy of affection. ]

Thank you—for the dressing.

[wisterin]

I wanted to do it.

[ It's what she's been raised to do. More than killing, more than slaying, her family specialized in medicine for a reason. ]