It was a Thursday morning, and the sun hadn't yet burned the fog off the campus grounds. Aizawa stood in the doorway of the faculty lounge, coffee in hand, watching the students file in for their morning training. His capture weapon hung loose around his neck, dark circles under his eyes deeper than usual from a night spent staring at the ceiling of his apartment.

His gaze found the familiar head of hair among the crowd, and something in his chest tightened. He took a slow sip of coffee, deliberately looking away before anyone noticed the direction of his attention.

Meanwhile, Shinso leaned against the wall near the entrance of the locker rooms, waiting. He'd been there since before most of the class arrived, arms crossed, purple hair falling into his eyes. He was watching the same crowd, but his search was less casual, more pointed. When he spotted who he was looking for, the corner of his mouth twitched upward just barely.