[D5 - Evening - Closed] Hello, Can You Hear Me?

"It's alright. I'm just...you know, a little protective. It's a sensitive topic for me."

She holds her Mako tighter. Relief fills her when the little Otomo says nothing has happened. She wants to protect Mako from all the evils of the world. From it's Eun-soos. She knows she can't; the memory of her most recent failures burns in the back of her mind. But maybe, just maybe, she can try to nudge the girl away from the ones that could hurt the most. Nothing's happened yet. It's only been five days. Even the best seductress in Toshi Ranbo took weeks to break me down.

"I know. Believe me, I know," she says, perhaps trying to reassure Mako. "As for the ones that concern me most, that would be Otomo Katsumi. I...I don't know what her game is, but she reminds me too much of a predator. The one who...no, you don't need to know what happened to me, because I would rather die than let it happen to you or anyone else. But just be careful around her."

"As for who your mysterious sensei is...you're a smart girl, but that's not always enough. Some of them might outmaneuver you, some of them might take advantage of you. A good one would find a reason not to let you pursue them. A dangerous one would let you think you were in control."

She lets Mako sink deeper into the hug, into that affection. That concern. It eases her worries a little. Just a little. There would always be something for Hisui to worry about; it was in her nature. She made herself concerned for others, though Fuyuko's calm, often rational, demeanor had begun to wither away at the more self-destructive instincts. Mako was so young. So sure of herself. And those made for good targets, Hisui knew. If the squeeze was too much, if the closeness was too great, she didn't show it. Maybe it wasn't. Or maybe Hisui was just that worried.

As if a hug could somehow shelter Mako from the cruelties of the world.

"You call me. Right away," she says. "No one is going to hurt you. And if they do, they will answer to your family."

The wording is vague, but the intent is clear. It is not the Otomo that Hisui means.

"If you can't find me, Fuyu-chan. Or Aiko-chan. Or Akane-chan. I would trust them with my life. And I trust them with yours."

"Of course. How could I possibly not welcome you into mine?"

She gives that little Otomo one good smile. No doubt she had plans. She was a student. Students always seemed to have plans late into the night and well into morning. As much as she'd like to ask Mako to stay over, to relax in a place where Hisui could keep her safe just for a little while, she knew she had to let go.

"Do you have any plans?" she asks, just to be sure. "I wouldn't want to keep you from whatever date or party you have in mind. Oh, will you need help getting out?"

She gestures to a most curious thing. A cardboard box.

"Akiha's idea. She said to keep one around in case I ever needed to sneak a very short girl out of my room."

"Shiko? Oh, the rock star." She shrugs. She had seen the girl, heard her voice. It was good, but Hisui had heard vastly superior ones in her time. She'd gone to school with one. "You're going a good thing, cheering a friend up. Just don't party too much, alright?"

At the joke about the box, she smiles. "What can I say? I apparently like girls I can carry in my arms." She laughs. "But be careful, alright? It's late. Strange things lurk around this school at night."