Yeah, I'll see you there. 

Thanks a lot.

She eats, and then it's off to the station for her.

Shiho is waiting on the platform when Akira steps out. "Hey."

"Hey." Akira takes off her pack, pulls out a notebook and a pencil from the top, then zips it back up and hands the whole rest of the pack to Shiho. "I'll come pick things up after school."

Shiho nods and accepts the pack. "See you then."

And off Akira goes to class. It's annoying that she's being a pain for Kawakami, but she's just got to do her best. One step at a time.

It's far from the most annoying thing a student's done in her class. She's not even phased. Today's rumor mill is comparatively quiet, mostly focused back on whatever Akira went to jail for (this changes hourly), but they stop after a glare from Kawakami.

Eventually, lunch arrives.

Sheeeeee totally forgot that her lunch was in her pack. 

Oh well. If she'd brought it she'd probably look suspicious. She will try and condense her notes from yesterday for now. 

Meanwhile, after picking up Akira's bag, Shiho has made her way to Ann's apartment. She lets herself in with the hidden key, sets her and Akira's bags down in the living room, and steps into Ann's room to check on her.

She's still sound asleep. 

Shiho smiles gently at the sleeping blonde and then heads to the kitchen. It would be really nice for Ann to wake up to pancakes. Does this kitchen contain pancake mix?

It does! Good. What about the other ingredients? Yes. Okay, she has absolutely no idea when Ann's going to wake up, so she'll mix up the batter and toss it in the fridge until then.

That passes a few minutes, at least.

For lack of other things to do, she steps back into Ann's room, sits at the desk, and looks up some things on her phone: magic (nothing useful), Metaverse (a brief mention of something called "cognitive pscience", with no mention of what that means anywhere she can find), gun safety (the guns may be fake now but they'll be real this afternoon), and so on.

Eventually, Ann wakes up. 

Where is she...? 

She looks up at the ceiling blearily. She seems to be in her room at home, but how'd she get here?

She checks her phone. No messages. 10:45. How long has she been asleep? She's still in her clothes, but someone's taken her shoes off. 

She sits up in bed, a knot of tension in her gut.

Everything is probably fine, but...

Wait, hold on a second, that's Shiho at her desk!

"Shiho!" Ann can't keep the grin off her face. "— everything turned out okay?"

She looks up from her phone and practically leaps out of the chair, kneeling beside the bed.

"Ann! You're awake!"

She takes her hand, smiling warmly.

"Yeah, everything turned out fine. You passed out just off-campus, Ryuji called a cab using money a cat summoned from thin air, we brought you here, Akira explained stuff, and I'm going to be going in with you this afternoon. I faked sick so I could be here to meet you."

Ann's heart jumps as Shiho takes her hand. It's just like it used to be in middle school. It feels like the rift that's grown between them all these years has suddenly slammed shut. 

She can't help but blush a little. 

"I... Thank you for staying. And for staying safe." 

Ann squeezes Shiho's hand back, and takes a slow breath. She doesn't really want to speak. It feels cheap, compared to holding Shiho's hand in hers, reassuringly warm and real.

"I bet you're hungry. I've got batter all mixed up for pancakes. Up for walking?"

Ann tries her legs, and finds them reassuringly steady. 

"Yeah," she says. "I'd love pancakes."

Then Shiho will walk with Ann to the kitchen, holding her hand and smiling the whole way.

Out comes the batter, then she puts the griddle on the stove to heat up, and she greases it up to make sure nothing sticks.

It's so like Shiho to put her first. Pancakes and all. 

Ann gets down a plate for herself and a plate for Shiho. 

She doesn't need to say anything just yet. Right now she just wants to spend time in Shiho's company.

Shiho's happy to just enjoy Ann being here and safe and working together again, and she keeps working on the pancakes and occasionally smiling at Ann.

Ah, all heated up. She pours out the pancakes and watches them carefully for when to flip them.

Ann gets out the syrup, puts it in a cup, and puts it in the microwave to heat. 

Her gaze lingers on Shiho as well.

Shiho flips the pancakes. It's been a while, but she remembers this well enough to give them a little airtime and land them safely.

Ann brings over the hot syrup when the microwave dings, and has a moment of indecision. Part of her wants to kiss Shiho's cheek, since she's being so wonderful, but — it's far too forward, isn't it? It really must be. 

Instead she sets the syrup on the counter by the plate of pancakes and watches as Shiho serves them up.

And then they're ready. She plates them with a smile and sits down at the table.