Hikikomori Adventures

4 - It's a day that I can't stand

The coffee shop across the supermarket is one Inko has never been to. Back when everything was still the same, she had always made some time to meet up with Mitsuki, her best friend. Now, face to face with her, no words are able to come out. She has no idea what she is supposed to say, 

'Hey, sorry for not contacting you out of the blue, it actually wasn't so out of the blue for me because my whole world came crashing down when my son-' 

"Inko, aren't you going to drink your coffee? You still like the super sweet ones, right?" 

She snaps her head up and meets Mitsuki's red eyes, her words another reminder that so much time has passed since they last talked. She looks down at the untouched glass mug in front of her and picks it up. 

"I do, thank you. I'm sorry, I'm just..." 

She trails off, her words fizzing out. The sounds of coffee being brewed, and soft clicks of computer keys fill in the silence. She gives a small mental thank you to Mitsuki for choosing a coffee shop instead of somewhere completely silent. 

Mitsuki takes a sip of the black liquid in her own mug, Inko knowing that the contents is impossibly bitter. 

"It's alright, Inko, I get it. You've been dealing with a lot of shit." 

She feels a slight weight lift off her shoulders. Mitsuki smiles at her. 

"I'm not mad about you not texting for weeks, you're not the type to do that shit randomly, so," 

Mitsuki pauses her analysis to lean forward, not breaking eye contact.

"Did something happen to you? Or Izuku?" 

Inko doesn't know whether or not to love or hate her best friend's ability to read her so well. 

"It's not really that serious," 

Mitsuki frowns, 

"But I've been worried about Izuku for a while now. He... suddenly stopped going to school, and he wouldn't leave his room." 

She doesn't miss the way Mitsuki's eyes widen and how she sits up straighter. 

"But don't worry! He's gotten a little better, he at least walks around the house sometimes..." 

She lets out a deep breath and looks down at her cup of coffee. 

"I just think having someone else other than me around would help... I don't know, get him used to people again? I tried to get him to go shopping with me o-one time, and he did b-but he ended up h-having a-" 

The tears spring to her eyes before she realizes it and she stops herself. Mitsuki's hand rests on top of hers, and she gently speaks.

"Hey, it's alright Inko, you don't have to tell me everything right now." 

Mitsuki pinches the bridge of her nose with her other hand before looking back at her. Its then that Inko realizes that her best friend has been dealing with stuff too, and she can see it in the lines in the corner of her eyes and the slight signs of sleepless nights. 

"I think I figured out a way to deal with both of our problems."