Lost in a trail of thoughts of his past, Hinato suddenly noticed he had arrived at the shopping mall. Since it was late afternoon, post-school, there were a lot of young people in the mall, either shopping, hanging out in cafes, going to the cinema or filming themselves dancing for some reason. 

Hinato went inside the building and headed towards an electronic products shop where, in the middle of the crowd, he spotted someone waving her arms in an energetic way trying to get hold of his attention.

This girl had light blue short hair and was wearing a sports jacket along with a skirt. It was impossible to miss her lively-spirit even among the crowd.

"Finally!!! Did you forget where the mall was?! Or were you just trying to look cool or something?! Also did your phone go on vacation without telling you? I've been trying to reach you!" said Azumi, without a single second of pause between sentences, as Hinato approached her.

"Azumi, I arrived on time, you're the one who arrived super early." responded Hinato, after checking his watch on his left wrist.

"Wow you don't let anything slide! Yeah I'm just messing with you, I'm the one who forgot the time we agreed on, so I came to the mall earlier." admitted Azumi, with a mischievous grin.

"Do you know where you want to go first?"

"Yeah I was thinking we could try the most expensive underwear shop in here."

"You do know my promise only goes to the extent of my bank account, don't you?"

"Ahh fine…I'll let you off the hook this time, but you are also paying for the chocolate waffles!"

"I'm starting to think you didn't even bring your wallet."

After that dispute, Hinato and Azumi started walking around the mall. 

As they entered a female underwear shop, Azumi began inspecting every corner of the store looking for something she'd actually wear.

"Jesus…look at this, doesn't it look like something an old lady would wear?" Azumi sighed.

"Well that would be a very sexy old lady."

"Ewww! You're a pervert, Hinato! Do you fantasize about old ladies during your free time?"

"Sure, I can't think of a better hobby." said Hinato, with a serious face, which made Azumi burst into laughter.

"I always knew you were a weirdo! But now, seriously, take a look around, do you see something that would look good on me?"

"How about this one?" Hinato asked, while showing a bordeaux lingerie set.

"Hinato I'm flattered that you think I'd look good with a brazilian thong, but I don't find that very comfortable. Fetch me another!"

After seeing a few more options, Azumi decided not to take anything and they both left the store. They walked around the first floor, then the second, then the third and then the second again. It seemed like nothing satisfied Azumi's preferences. 

"Augh, what is up with these new styles of clothing? Who would actually buy these? Where is the body positivity in these? There is nothing worth buying." protested Azumi.

Hinato nodded in agreement with Azumi's statement. The search for new underwear had come to an end and he had subtly dodged the bullet of spending any money that afternoon.

Or, so he thought.

"Alright Hinato, it seems like today is your lucky day. I guess you're only going to treat me with some toast with scrambled eggs, chocolate waffles and a caramel latte." teased Azumi, showing a big smile.

"I wonder how that can be considered being lucky." 

"What? I'm hungry, you wouldn't let a beautiful lady starve to death would you?"

"You're clever…okay let's go to the cafe on the third floor. All this walking around left me hungry as well."

"Yay! Hinato cares about me!" cheered Azumi, while they headed to the spot.

As they arrived at the cafe, there was a huge queue of people to make their order. Hinato suggested they go to a different place but Azumi insisted that no place in the mall had chocolate waffles like those. Seemingly, those waffles were just unbeatable. 

Hinato restricted his enormous will to extend his middle finger in her face since he did owe her for her help in Mr. Nogi's incident.

They entered the cafe and stood at the end of the queue.

This cafe was very popular among young people. It was filled with wooden tables and comfy chairs for most of its space, but it also had a few areas with sofas where larger groups could spend their time chatting or even cooperating in finishing school assignments. Many students used this space for personal leisure but also to study as the cafe provided free Wi-Fi and various power plugs to keep their computers running and their phones charged. Not to mention that it had a diversified menu of food choices, that included chicken or tuna toasts, scrambled eggs, pancakes or waffles covered in chocolate, chantilly cream and fresh fruit, and various coffee options. Besides, the cafe was filled with natural sunlight, through the tall glass windows that surrounded the space, having view access to both the inside of the shopping center and the outside.

Here, all of their basic needs were met. Hinato could understand what lured Azumi to this place.

Finally, it was their turn. Hinato ordered some toast with scrambled eggs and an orange juice while Azumi…well… she went for everything she had advertised before.

"You weren't lying, you really went for toasts, waffles and a latte" contemplated Hinato.

"Didn't you know? I'm a woman of my word. Besides, don't you know it's rude to comment on a woman's meal choice?!" stated Azumi, while widening her eyes at Hinato.

"I'm not complaining, I like it when girls just eat whatever they want rather than pretending they're not that hungry".

"You do?" asked Azumi, almost blushing.

"Yeah, it means it is less likely you'll steal food from me".

"Ha…Ha…aren't you the comedian. I'm telling you, you should invest in your own stand up comedy show."

"No, I think you'd have more success than me, you're way funnier".

"Okay, now I don't know if you're being sarcastic or not."

"I'm being honest, I think you're the only girl that can actually make me laugh. And everyone always has a great time when they're with you. I'm actually jealous of that ability of yours".

This time Azumi really blushed hearing Hinato's words, but she tried to shake it off.

"Ha ha ha you know how it is, three times of laughter a day equals three more years of life! Or something like that. Aren't I such a good friend?!"

Hinato looked at Azumi speechless as he tried to figure out why she seemed embarrassed all of sudden. He questioned himself if he had made her feel uncomfortable.

"You know, you're funny as well, Hinato. Anyone who hasn't got the chance to know you like I do might think you're a serious and introverted guy and all, but if you'd let out that side of yours once in a while, more people would like to hang out with you." remarked Azumi.

"Guess I believe more in quality than quantity, in terms of friends I mean."

"Woah, spoke like a true loner. Don't get me wrong, you're free to do whatever you feel more comfortable with. I guess I just miss the times you'd hang out with me, Saiko and Ere—you know…when we used to hang out more" Azumi stopped herself from bringing a tabu name, at least from her perspective.

"Yeah I know, I really miss that too…"

As he said that, Hinato took a sip of his orange juice, while looking through the window at the people randomly passing by the cafe. An awkward silence followed while they both enjoyed their meal. 

The weight of the silence made Azumi break the ice in the most bold way.

"Speaking of which, have you been visiting Erena? If you'd like to tell me about it, of course"asked Azumi, fully aware that she might be touching a rather fragile topic.

"As a matter of fact, yes I have. Yesterday, after school I went to the hospital. Just for a little bit. I have also been leaving some flowers, from time to time."

"That's really sweet of you…I haven't been there in a long time. If I can, I'll drop by this weekend." 

"Don't worry, the only reason I go there frequently it's because somehow it makes me feel at ease seeing her, even if she is asleep."

"Have you spoken to the doctor? Has she given an update on her condition?"

"I did manage to speak with the doctor a couple of weeks ago, but nothing new. Her body is healthy, no health problems whatsoever, but she can't guarantee when and…if Erena might wake up."

"If?!! There is no 'if' when it comes to Erena! She is strong, she is my friend after all. I'm sure she'll wake up, no matter how much time it takes! If she starts taking too much time, I'll wake her up myself!" proclaimed Azumi, as confidence could be felt in her words.

"Wouldn't that be a better world if things could work like that? Sometimes I do think about the possibility of her never waking up. No matter how I look at it, I can't bring myself to accept that ending…it just hurts too much."

"I know…but like I usually say every possibility is still on the table, including her waking up and ending this nightmare once and for all."

"You're right, let's not lose hope for now." said Hinato, while looking at Azumi with a thankful expression for her kind words.

"That's the spirit!" responded Azumi with a huge smile on her face. "Besides, all we can do for her now is seek justice and prove that this school is the cause of all these tragic happenings with students."

"You're right…although with Erena…"

"You still think it was one person's doing?" questioned Azumi.

"Even though she probably still kept some thoughts to herself, she'd usually talk to me about what upset her, and everything in general. But this…this all felt like a new unexpected variable came into play, I believe someone she didn't expect destroyed what little motivation and strength she had in herself. Which eventually led to that…"

"I understand… Even so, there are too many teachers in that high school. There is no point in trying to rule out who it was, is there?"

"It isn't that difficult, I'll find out who came into contact with her that day and rule out from there. And when I do, I promise you, I'll make him or her regret being alive" stated Hinato, with a serious expression. 

"You do seem determined…"

"Nevermind that, I'd like to change the subject and talk to you about yesterday…I'd like to thank you once again for your cooperation and I'd like to apologize for asking you to do such a dirty job. It must have been really tough for you, to expose yourself like that." 

Hinato's expression suddenly changed to an apologetic and serious one.

"Don't stress about it. For it to work, we needed to take risks. I'm actually more impressed how everything played out so close to what you had predicted."

"Before they left, I saw the police speak to you about it. Did they pressure you to take testimony?"

"No, they were really kind about it, they just said my help could be crucial to prevent Mr. Nogi from ever doing something like that to another student. But when I refused and said I didn't have the courage to go to court and expose myself, they understood."

They had to, it is true that a victim's testimony is imperative to build a strong case against the offender, but it is not obligatory if the victim is emotionally distraught and incapable of appearing in court. One might think that would mean the charges would drop, but the case can still move forward if it has substantial evidence to condemn the offender. 

"Still, do you think Mr. Nogi can be condemned for what happened if I don't step forward?" asked Azumi.

"I'm going to lower my voice a bit to address this matter. Even though the cafe is really noisy, someone might ear drop. Firstly, when I asked you to perform this, the goal was never to make you take a testimony, everything was planned out so you'd have no problems after this and you could move forward with your life. However, for that, we needed at least three substantial pieces of evidence that could make the case move forward. The first one was a photo of the incident that showed both you and Mr. Nogi in a compromising position. Although it would definitely raise suspicion, it could still be interpreted as something staged or some sort of prank, and that is why we needed a second one…witnesses. We needed witnesses, not connected with any of this, to react as naturally as possible to that disgusting sight. Saiko and Hinami were the best option, not only they love you deeply as their friend, but they are always on their phone, so there was a high chance that at least one of them would snap a picture, as a form of proof to protect you later. If not them at least one other student, who raced there when they called for help, would."

"What if no one remembered to snap a picture? What then?" Azumi legitimately questioned.

"When I mentioned 'one other student', I didn't exclude myself, I was the contingency plan." explained Hinato.

If anything, I'd like to avoid getting myself involved too soon. This is just the tip of what is to come.

"Okay that makes sense, you got a compromising photo and eyewitnesses, but how is that useful if no one takes it to court?" asked Azumi, as she seemed worried that Mr. Nogi might get free of charges.

"I said you weren't taking testimony, but I didn't say other people wouldn't take your place."

"What do you mean by that?"

"What did Saiko and Hinami speak to you about, early this morning before class?"

"You saw them talking with me? You really are a stalker, Hinato! But answering your question, they just supported me and said that if it was too much for me, I wouldn't need to get involved, that they would protect me."

"You really have good friends, Azumi. Yesterday, I saw them reaching the police and saying that they would take your place and present a testimony in court along with the photos they took. They were afraid that Mr. Nogi would come after you again."

"Really?! They would do that for me?" Azumi's eyes brightened after hearing her friends were willing to expose themselves to protect her.

"Yeah, they ended up helping us, without us asking. I didn't really plan any of it, it was more of a leap of fate that anyone would step forward."

That would be a lie…