Nejire smiled and shook it off, quickly able to stand back up. “Oh don’t worry! It’s alright sir!” Her hero instincts took over for a moment to make sure the she hadn’t injured the other person in front of her, despite being off duty to get some groceries. “But, are you alright?” She asked her eyes shining with gentle concern.

Ryoichi waved his hand in a gentle dismissal, barely wincing at the motion, “I’m fine, it appears I just got a bit too lost in thought.” She sounded like such a sweet girl, no need to make worry any more than she already was.

Where is it...where is it...?

This can’t be happening. Not again.

Ryoichi almost laughed at the absurdity, no, the audacity of this entire situation. But he couldn’t—truth be told, he couldn’t really feel much of anything at all. He’d have expected panic, anger, even pure, unadulterated TERROR. But not this all-encompassing numbness that seeped into his very soul and throughout every pore in his body.

He sat in a hard, unforgiving chair in the waiting room—when did he even get there, and how long had he been for everyone else to have come and gone? He sat hunched over, not even having the spirit left to hold himself up anymore, and held his face in his hands in an attempt at...

...at what, exactly? To hold back the tears, perhaps, that periodically welled back up in his eyes no matter how much he tried to will them to cease. Ryoichi blinked harshly, insistently, and dug his fingers into his hair with frustration.