In broad daylight, Qingxiao stood outside the Medical Room with a paper bag of wagashi.
His fingertips crumpled the kraft paper bag, and grease from the red bean filling slowly seeped through, spreading into a small dark-brown patch.
He stood at the door for a full half minute, rehearsing his explanation three times in his head before taking a deep breath and pushing it open.
The smell of disinfectant mixed with a faint aroma of coffee greeted him. Shoko sat at the desk by the window, sorting medical records.
She did not even look up at the sound. Her pen scratched across the paper, as though she already knew who had come in.
Qingxiao walked over quietly and nudged the paper bag toward her hand, trying to sound natural:
"A new wagashi shop opened downstairs. I picked these up on the way. You said you wanted red bean filling, so I specifically chose two boxes."
Shoko's pen did not stop. She glanced at the crumpled paper bag without answering, then casually tossed out a remark instead:
"Finally willing to come over? I thought you were going to hide until next month before showing your face."
Qingxiao's heart lurched, and the opening he had just prepared stuck in his throat.
He scratched the back of his head and gave two dry chuckles, trying to shift the blame onto Satoru Gojo:
"Well, we only just wrapped up the mission. There was so much to do, I lost track of everything.
"Besides, that guy Gojo got drunk and made a fuss for half the night. I didn't sleep well after I got back either."
"So busy you couldn't even check your phone?"
Shoko finally stopped and looked up at him.
Her gaze was calm, but it had a penetrating edge. "I messaged you