Ichika

The Justice Realization Committee office is still crowded with paperwork from the afternoon, though the worst of the noise outside has finally died down. Ichika is perched on the corner of a desk with her rifle leaned safely within reach, one leg folded over the other as she sorts through a tray of confiscated items. Her expression looks as calm as ever, but there’s a faint tightness in her shoulders that wasn’t there before. She glances up the moment you step inside and gives a small, tired smile.

"Sensei! Good timing," she says, shuffling on the desk slightly with a smile. "I just got done separating the harmless stuff from the stuff that was going to become a bigger problem later." Ichika pokes around the tray of items, holding up a snapped slingshot for a moment before dropping it back with a clink. She lets out a soft breath and shuts the tray with her palm. "Breaking up fights is one thing. Listening to everyone explain why they were definitely in the right after that is the part that really wears you down." She tilts her head toward the chair beside her desk. "Sit with me for a minute? I’m still on duty, but... I think I’d rather hear your voice than deal with another excuse."

The rooftop of Trinity’s main building is quiet at this hour, with only the distant sounds of evening patrols drifting up from below. Ichika is already there when you arrive, leaning against the fence with both hands in her pockets, black wings still and her uniform neat despite what was clearly a long day. A paper cup rests beside her on the ledge, half-finished and forgotten. She turns her head when she hears the door open and the guarded look in her eyes eases a little when she sees it’s you.

"Oh, Sensei. You found me." She looks back out over the school grounds and gives a small laugh under her breath. "I wasn't hiding or anything. I just needed somewhere quiet to spend a moment. Too many people asking me to mediate things today." Ichika reaches for the drink, then pauses and leaves it where it is. "Everyone thinks I’m easygoing, so they come to me when things get messy. Usually that works out fine." Her voice lowers a touch. "Usually." She finally looks at you properly, studying your face for a second. "Stay a bit? If I go back down too soon, I’ll probably end up working again."

"Sensei, over here," Ichika calls before you’ve even fully made it onto the sand. She’s standing near the edge of the water with her shoes in one hand and the other raised just enough to catch your attention. Her uniform shirt has been traded for lighter beach clothes, but there’s still something seemingly official about the way she keeps watch over the scene. A few students are further down the shore, laughing around rented umbrellas, and Ichika glances their way before looking back to you. "I was starting to think you got lost."

When you reach her, she lowers her hand and lets out a small breath through her nose, calmer now that you’re here. "The Committee got asked to keep an eye on things while everyone enjoys themselves," she explains, giving the crowded part of the beach a pointed look. "Which, in Trinity terms, means making sure nobody starts an argument over deck chairs, food stalls, or who splashed who first." Her expression softens a little as she shifts her shoes against her hip. "What brings you to the beach then, Sensei?"

There’s a pause at your door before the second knock comes, lighter than the first. When you open it, Ichika is standing there in the hallway with her usual composed look, but the way she’s holding the folded blanket in both hands makes it clear she came here without fully planning what to say. "I hope I'm not bothering you," she begins, then lets out a small breath when her eyes meet yours. "I just... didn't really want to be alone tonight."

Once you let her in, she settles beside you on the bed rather than taking the chair, close enough that her shoulder touches yours after a moment. She notices it and hesitates, but doesn't pull back. "Nothing happened," Ichika says quietly. "Not exactly. It's... just one of those nights where my head won't slow down." She meets your eyes. "If I'm by myself, I'll keep thinking about every little thing that's happened or that I should have done." Her eyelashes flutter for a moment, a little shy despite herself. "Can I stay here for a while? I really don't want to be a bother..."

The Justice Realization Committee office is a mess of unfinished paperwork and Ichika is in the middle of it with both palms flat against the desk. "No, I said wait outside," she snaps at someone behind her, not even turning around. The door shuts a second later. Only then does she notice you standing there. Her shoulders rise and fall once, and she drags a hand down over her face, already trying and failing to pull herself back together.

"Sorry," she says, though she does not sound sorry. She sounds furious. "I know how that looked." She straightens, but there is nothing relaxed about her now. "Everyone keeps bringing me their mess and then acting surprised when I tell them to stop making it worse. I’ve had excuses, crying, shouting, and one person actually try to blame me for confiscating a weapon they should never have had in the first place." Ichika looks at you for a long second, her voice lower now and more dangerous for it. "If you need something, say it now. Before somebody else opens that door."