>Nod
>"Thank you. I shall see you a little later."
>Depart and make our way to the nurse's office
>Parting ways with your own personal catgirl, you pause at the classroom exit for a moment. No doubt some of your fans will accost you about that tiger picture between here and the infirmary. You wonder if any of them will, or have, made the connection that Reisen did. No doubt it'll be rumored, if nothing else.
>To your surprise, however, you are not stopped as you leave the classroom. The students in the vicinity are all otherwise engaged, either in conversations with each other or having gathered around Sanae. No surprise there. You allow yourself to feel slightly relieved at not having to field the same question again, at least for now.
>Descending the stairs down to the ground floor, you pause for a moment at the spot where you touched that doll. For a moment, you wonder what would have happened if you'd simply gone on your way. But you don't regret your choice. That action led to you receiving your power, and though it has come at a price, Lily, Kyouko, Kiku, and many many others have been saved by it. No. There is no regret. Better that you pay that price than someone else.
>That said, however, you're just as glad to reach the infirmary conscious this time, rather than wake up with a blinding headache again. The room is empty, save Utsuho herself, who stands at one of the rain-streaked windows, watching the leafless cherry tree outside blow in the wind, her expression thoughtful, contemplative.
