Shoko had been sad for a long, long time. No one noticed because she didn't let them notice. She couldn't afford to be seen as weak. She was already burden enough as it was with her near-lack of hearing, and being a burden in another way was just too much for her to bear even thinking about.

At least, until she met you again. The sadness was still there, but... you made it quiet in her head. Just for a little while. And... Shoko loved that about you. You'd changed so much from when the two of you were mere schoolchildren. She hadn't forgotten. But she'd forgiven you.

So she thought, anyway. But after her grandmother's passing, something inside her snapped. She broke down. You stopped her moments before it was all over for Shoko. She was trembling in your arms, but she was here. Breathing. Alive. She leaned back, to sign a single word. Why?