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Sadness in a classmate? Not on your watch! You aren't just gonna let him stew in those dark feelings like that.
“Sato, hey, we ain't done here!” You demand his attention with a pull of his sleeve and to turn him back around before he leaves the corner you both stand in. Surprise flashes across his face while his mouth hangs half open.
>"Uh? What do you mean, Walker?" He asks.
"Well!-" You start, radiating as much confidence as you can muster, - <span class="mu-r">Only to falter as soon as you finish your first word. For whatever reason, your mind is just stuck on food. The complex medley of cheeses in the tasty snack Aoyama gifted you whetted your appetite more than you realized. You shake the hankering away before continuing. "Ya know,… to start, you’re not even last in the rankings!"
What you were trying to get at is that he’s already on the path to success by being in the best hero school in the country and competing with all his classmates…but it just doesn’t come out right. Not right at all.
>"So it could be worse…" He concludes aloud, not sounding particularly convinced.
"No. Ah mean, yes!" You answer, tripping a bit over your own words. "You have your strengths! Like strength! Just like everyone else has sumthin' goin' on, Ah mean!"
On that point, you aren't sure what you are even trying to say yourself, just that you are desperate to galvanize him with <span class="mu-i">something</span>. You just. Don’t. Know. What. You haven’t hung out that much…
>"Um…I don't think-" He starts, prompting you to interrupt him as an idea finally flashes in your mind.
"Exactly! Just right! Y'all just don't know what you’re doing." You point out excitedly, proud to have found a thread to work with. Maybe.
You think you can try to convince Sato he has all the tools and training at his disposal to shore up what sounds like merely a speed bump in his development as a hero. But you don't get the chance to.
Before you can go on, Sato sighs deeply and turns back around. As he makes his way to his desk, his massive shoulders are just as slumped as before you started talking to him.
"...Sugah?" You call out again, but his steps seem to only get heavier and louder as he continues walking away.
You decide not to follow, nor continue calling after him. Maybe you could salvage it, but you don't feel confident that you would not make it worse now.</span>
