Chapter Text
Shouko was passing the bridge one time and saw someone. She didn't know why she stopped, but something about them got her attention. Maybe it was the fact they leaned over the edge of the stone barriers worryingly far. Maybe it was of their fluffy black hair. Shouko walked over to the person nervously. She tapped their shoulder. She and the person jumped as they turned around. It was... Shouko smiled. It was Shouya. She didn't have the fondest memories of him but....
"*Why were you standing here?*" Shouya signed, her worry crawling up her spine.
"*I was bored.*" Shouko signed back quickly, trying not to look too concerned. " *Are you alright?*" She asked back. Shoya looked down, well, shuffled, and looked back down, bringing up the fact that he was looking down. He did that quite frequently, even back in secondary school. "*It's a nice day. Do you want to go for a walk?*" Shouko suggested, wanting to distract him from whatever thoughts had been occupying his mind before she interrupted. But she wasn't going to take no for an answer.
She noticed how his posture tensed up, just a bit, and knew that her suggestion made him uneasy. So, she tried another approach: "*How about we sit on the bridge and talk?*" She signed with a small grin, pointing at the spot where she wanted them to sit."*Okay.*" He signed. They both jumped onto the stone barriers, carefully and Shouko being quite careful. Shouya sat cross-legged while Shouko laid down and hugged her knees. The sky was still blue and sunny above them, and she took it all in, basking in its warmth. Shouya stared out at the fish swimming peacefully below them.
There was nothing else interesting or different from what she'd seen every day of her childhood. There is nothing really new about this place. There is nothing new about the world. And yet, there she was. With him. Sitting beside him and looking at a river. In the middle of nowhere. It's like the past never happened, and she was going to treat it like that. He seemed to have changed, so she wanted to have a fresh start with him. She wanted this to be a fresh start.
They were quiet for some time. Shouya seemed to be thinking hard, and she could tell when he began signing again, even though she couldn't hear what he said because he's talking too low, or was he talking at all? "*What are you doing tomorrow?*" He asked. Shouko raised an eyebrow. "*It's Saturday, so nothing really. What about you?*"
He nodded slightly, then shrugged. "*Same thing. I thought maybe we could hang out today?*" He said tentatively. Shouko nodded. "*Sounds good. Where do you usually get lunch?*"